Katsuki went back home, changed into his gym clothes and grabbed a water bottle before heading north to get some training in at the gym. He needed to take his mind off of the events of the day, especially Rui, and he needed to punch something. He put in his earbuds and listened to music as he walked, trying to drown out the city noise.

'Damn it... Why does she have to go acting like nothing happened? What is it with always doing that?' he wondered as he weaved his way through the evening crowds.

It wasn't long before he reached the gym and tossed his things into a free locker before going straight for the weight lifting equipment. He spent about twenty minutes working his muscles, then moved onto the treadmill to get in a few miles before finishing up with the sandbags to get in some boxing. As he moved from each station to the next, he found it rather difficult to keep Rui off his mind.

He was realizing that just like four years ago, the more time he spent with her the less angry at her he was feeling. He could see that she regretted how they left things and that she wanted to make amends but was hesitant and he couldn't blame her after the way he acted. But he had every right to be angry, after all, seeing as how Rui had been back in Musutafu for a couple of years and not once in the time since she left four years ago did she try to reach out to him.

'Damn it...'

He punched the sandbag, using a combination of jabs and hooks. The more he thought about what happened between them four years ago, the more upset he got and the more intense his punches got. He couldn't help but recall what happened that night after the final exams his first year.

"K-Katsuki, y-you're awake...!"

"Going somewhere?"

Rui's chest tightened. "I-I have to leave now, Katsuki... I'm sorry, I wanted to wait until you woke up, but I-"

"Bull crap! You were just going to leave again without saying goodbye, weren't you?!"

Rui backed away as he advanced on her.

"Why is it that Deku knows what's going on before I do?!" Katsuki demanded- the desperation, hurt, and confusion strong as they muddled together with his words. "Do I not matter enough to you to at least get a goodbye?!"

"T-That's not true, Katsuki! I wanted to say goodbye! I didn't want to leave like I had to before!"

"Rui, I want you to stay..." Katsuki said, grasping her arms and looking down at her as his brow furrowed. "Please... don't leave me behind again..."

Rui's tears slipped free and her breath caught in her throat as he leaned forward to kiss her, but before he could, she put her hand up to his lips and shook her head. "I'm so sorry..."

Katsuki stood there as Rui pushed passed him and scaled the stairs down to the street where her uncle was waiting with a cab. When he pulled himself together, he grit his teeth and turned to go after her- only to reach the balcony of her floor just as the cab drove away.

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!"

He turned and sank to the floor, his back leaning heavily against the wall as his face came to rest against his arms.

'Damn it..!'

He was so hurt and angry in that moment for several reasons, the main ones being that he knew he was being selfish in begging her to stay for his sake and that he had been trying for days to find a way to tell her that he was in love with her. And on top of that, he almost kissed her as though that somehow would have made her decide to stay.

'Shit...'

Katsuki growled and swung his leg into the side of the sandbag, landing a hard kick that echoed in the training room as his leg made contact with the sandbag.

He stood upright and caught the sandbag as it came swinging back towards him, steadying it before letting his head rest against it for a moment.

'I shouldn't be so angry with her, not after what happened that night. Her mom was dying in the hospital and I tried to take advantage of the situation like a selfish prick...'

Katsuki went over to his things and pulled out the water bottle and a towel to wipe away the sweat dripping down his face and neck. He drained a third of the bottle in one go, then sat down on the bench and thought a moment while he caught his breath.

'If it weren't for her letter, I wouldn't have forgiven myself for how I acted...'

Katsuki took the letter from his wallet and unfolded the weathered piece of paper.

"Dear Katsuki,

There's so much I want to say to you- so much that I've been hesitant to say- but with the way things have been going lately, I wonder if you would even listen.

I'm sorry things ended up the way they did between us and I wish there was some way I could fix it; I just don't know how to.

I wanted to thank you for the other day, for carrying me back and for the flowers, too. It was kind of you to do and very thoughtful. Thank you.

I'm going back to Kurihama and I don't know when I'll be back. There is still a lot that I need to take care of there before I can do anything else and I need time.

I'm sorry I have to leave like this, but at least this time I can say goodbye- even if it isn't how I imagined.

There's one last thing I need to tell you, something I've been trying for days to say.

Ever since we were kids, I've had feelings for you. I used to think that it was just a simple, innocent playground crush, but getting the chance to spend time with you again has made me realize that it's so much more than that. I should have told you this in person, but you've been so angry with me the last few times we've spoken.

I don't know what the future holds, but I do hope that you're still in it. I care a great deal about you, Katsuki, and I don't want to lose you.

Good luck to you, I wish you the best.

~Rui"

Katsuki sighed, folding the letter back up and depositing it into his wallet once more. 'I doubt she still feels the same way as back then...' He stood and gathered his things, heading back out into the cool night air for the walk home.

Rui bid Eijiro, Mina, and Ochaco a good night after they had ordered pizza and she thanked them again for all their help. She looked around her apartment, grateful that it was finally all unpacked and organized- ready to start feeling like a home. She drew herself a bath and sat soaking for over an hour, thinking over everything that had happened since she had left Musutafu four years ago.

After leaving her hometown, Rui had spent nearly four months in Kurihama getting her mother's affairs in order. She sold most of their belongings, keeping only a few of the most valuable items- like their family heirlooms. She moved out of the house she and Isane had been renting once the lease was up, then used some of her inheritance money to rent a small apartment to live in while she finished with her studies. During that time, she had found out about Katsuki being kidnapped by the League of Villains and called Shota to see if she could help in any way but by the time she had, Katsuki had already been rescued and All Might had finally defeated One For All- retiring as a hero. She had debated whether or not she should check in with Katsuki, but in the end, decided against it given how things had been left between them.

The only person she kept in constant contact with- aside from Shota- was Mina. She checked in with the others every now and then, making sure they were all still doing alright and their studies were going well, but otherwise kept to herself. She focused on completing her studies and once she had, she took the necessary tests to officially graduate- graduating a year ahead of everyone else.

Once she had graduated, she started looking for work and was grateful that Shota and Chiyo were able to help introduce her to some of the heroes. In the end, she chose to work with Gunhead's agency after finding out that Gunhead and her father, Hiro, were best friends. Hiro had saved Gunhead's life and he had never been able to repay that debt to Hiro before he died, so he asked Rui to consider working with him as a way of repaying that debt and reconnecting with that part of his life. Rui was more than happy to accept, wanting to learn more about combative fighting from the hero known for his martial arts as well as learning more about her father.

Rui spent the next twenty months training with Gunhead and became his sidekick, going on missions with him and providing the support and defense needed in addition to giving the hero backup in combat as needed. It was a good fit for Rui and she learned a lot from Gunhead. When she had reached the twentieth month with the Gunhead Agency, her mentor ended her apprenticeship and graduated her to full hero status. It wasn't long after that she moved back to live in Musutafu and stayed with Shota until she was able to find a place of her own.

Rui sighed when she noticed that the water had gone cold and she was starting to get pruney. She pulled the plug and let the tub drain as she dried off and made her way into her bedroom to change into her nightgown. Thunder sounded nearby and Rui had to smile, grateful for another rainstorm. Once she was dressed and her hair was more or less dry, she made herself a cup of tea and went to sit on the balcony to enjoy the cool night air. She sat quietly for nearly an hour, the rainstorm hitting their part of town within a few minutes of her taking her seat, and just sipped her tea as she listened to the gentle droplets of rain as they bounced off of the buildings and streets.

She sighed in content, but the pangs of sleep were starting to pull at her eyes so she finished her tea and made her way back inside. When she reached her room and made to close the curtain over her bedroom window, she noticed Katsuki's light was on. She could see him moving across the room, a towel over his head.

'I wonder how long he's going to stay mad at me this time...' she wondered. 'Can we even fix things this time...?'

As Rui settled into her bed, Katsuki had looked outside and saw the curtain in her bedroom move. 'She's up late...' he noted to himself. He stood out on the balcony for a moment, enjoying the rain as he wondered how things were going to be between them now that they lived next to each other. He knew he couldn't stay mad at her forever, but he didn't know how to approach her to talk about what happened- or even if he could. He was so mad at himself for how he acted back then, but he was hurt that she hadn't reached out once- not even when she came back to town. He sighed and went back inside, locking the sliding door and turning off the lamp next to his futon before laying back and staring at the ceiling.

'Damn it... why do I still have to feel like this..? It's only going to complicate things more...'