The next day started off as any other day would. Katsuki threw himself into training and work, trying to keep his focus off of Rui as much as possible. Rui wanted to focus on really making her apartment feel like home, but she also had work to worry about as well. She was glad that she had gone back to Gunhead's agency, having not really enjoyed the solo hero gigs she had tried to take in the first few months after her apprenticeship. She was also grateful that Gunhead's agency headquarters had an on-site training center in addition to the dojo.

The morning had started off rather quietly, but then a call came in regarding a villainous trio robbing a bank. Gunhead took a few of the newer recruits for their field training and told Rui to hold down the fort while he was gone.

"But what if there's injured?" Rui asked, a bit disappointed that she wouldn't be going.

"From what the reports say, these are just some really low-level thugs with weak quirks trying to make a show of force. They're probably just trying to impress the big shots in town, like that Seibā moron the other day. If things get worse, we'll call in reinforcements I promise." Gunhead explained, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry so much, alright? We'll be fine."

"Alright."

Rui watched as Gunhead and the newbies hurried off, sighing as she turned back to her clerical work. 'Sometimes I feel like he's being a bit protective of me for Dad's sake.'

An hour or so went by and Rui had finished her work and moved onto to the dojo to get in some extra training. As she was walking herself through each move Gunhead had taught her and was so focused on her training that she didn't notice that someone else had come into the training room. When she turned and kicked at what she thought was air, her calf connected with someone's forearm as they blocked her kick.

"Katsuki? What are you doing here?" she asked, lowering her leg when she saw who it was.

"He's here to train, Rui," Gunhead said, coming up to them.

"Why?" Rui asked as she turned away and bent down to grab her water bottle.

"I've convinced Bakugo here to come work with us," Gunhead replied, smirking beneath his mask when he saw Katsuki averting his gaze when Rui bent over- as though he was trying to be polite instead of staring at her ass like a lecherous pervert.

Rui glanced back at Katsuki as he set his things down. "How did you manage that? Katsuki isn't exactly the kind of person that works well with others."

"This will be good for him. He needs to learn to focus his emotions better instead of just charging headfirst in like an idiot," Gunhead explained. "He has a lot of potential that he's just wasting and I felt that we could help him grow stronger."

"You know he only agreed because it'll help him rise through the ranks, right?" Rui pointed out, watching Katsuki for a moment as he wrapped his hands and feet. "I'll let you have the ring." She knelt down to gather her things into her bag and made to leave the boxing ring, but stopped when Gunhead mentioned that he wanted her to train with Katsuki. "What?"

"You're one of my best students and your water is a good match against his fiery explosions."

Rui raised a brow at him. "Uh-huh, and this wouldn't happen to be some scheme you've cooked up to test me?"

Gunhead laughed nervously. "W-What? Pfft, no of course not!"

Rui rolled her eyes but smiled a bit. "Sure, whatever." She looked over at Katsuki as he approached them.

"From what I just saw, you need a sparring partner," he said flatly.

"And you're offering?"

"So what if I am?"

Rui narrowed her eyes slightly. "I am not in the mood to play this game with you, Katsuki. If you have something to say, then just say it."

Katsuki smirked. "That's rich coming from you. You do that all the time."

Rui was getting more than annoyed at this point. She dropped her bag to the side and made her way to stand across from Katsuki. "Fine, let's spar."

Katsuki took his stance as Rui took hers while Gunhead stepped off to the side to observe their match. Rui waited for him to make a move, curious to see how their little sparring match would go since they had never faced each other before. Katsuki knew she was waiting for him, so he made the first move and lunged at her. Rui was quicker than him, but she wasn't as strong as he was physically- something he noticed right away as they moved quickly around each other.

Rui leaped back, landing in a low crouch, panting as she licked the blood coming from her lip.

"I'm impressed," Gunhead said to himself.

"Not bad," Katsuki said, smirking.

Rui narrowed her eyes at Katsuki as he made the comment. "Don't patronize me," she said, then lunged at him and took the offensive.

Their punches and kicks were quick- Katsuki surprised by Rui's speed- and Katsuki struck high and fast to test her defenses, but Rui blocked using her forearms to form a shield. Katsuki continued with a series of punches, smirking when the last broke her defense and grazed her side. Rui grunted, knowing there would be a bruise later, but she shook off the shock and grabbed his outstretched arm and using his momentum against him. Slamming him into the ground, she pinned his arm against his back and leaned down next to his ear.

"Not bad, Bakugo, but you'll have to do better than that to beat her," Gunhead called.

Katsuki felt a strange sensation run through his body as he felt the warmth of her breath on his ear and neck but being well-practiced in grappling, He was quick to overpower Rui and slipped out from underneath her with ease. Flipping her onto her back, he kept her trapped beneath him as he pinned her to the ground- smirking as she struggled to free herself. Rui was well practiced in this type of fighting style thanks to her combative training with Gunhead, but Katsuki was much stronger than her physically and she couldn't get free.

"Yield, Rui, this match is mine," Katsuki said, his soft puffs of breath warm against her neck and ear as he leaned closer.

A soft and low groan escaped her throat as Rui looked at him. "Like hell."

Katsuki shifted his weight and flexed his muscles in accordance with her struggling as a sense of renewed energy seemed to pop out of nowhere. "You're not going to win this."

Rui winced as he tightened his grip even further as she continued to struggle. Her cheeks burned as the feeling of his grip around her sent a strange sensation through her body. She huffed, trying to break free, but was only able to free her hands for a brief moment and she tried to push him away- beginning to get irritated with his taunting.

The moment he let go of her wrists to change his grip on her again, she forced herself from his grip and flipped backward, landing softly on the other side of the ring only to have him immediately on her again. She felt his leg smack the back of hers and she fell forward onto her stomach, dazed for a moment from the impact, but in that moment Katsuki was able to pin her arms behind her and trap her beneath him.

Rui's body was hot, and not just from the sparring. She felt strange, a burning sensation rapidly overtaking her body. She managed to get her head turned to the side and gasped as Katsuki put more weight down on her. She continued to struggle against him and managed to break free for a moment, but Katsuki was quick to pin her on her back and his forearms bore down on hers- pinning them to the floor above her head. He looked down at her, seeing a look in her eye that he had never seen before. Her pupils were constricting and dilating, her breathing as heavy as his own, and her body radiating heat his own. "The match is mine, you've lost."

Rui glared up at him, feeling beyond irritated- especially seeing that he seemed to be enjoying himself a little too much. "Fine, whatever, you win..."

Katsuki let her up, falling back on his ass when Rui pushed him away from her. He watched her go over to her things and sighed. "You're quite the sore loser," he commented before standing to go to his things.

"And you're still as big of an ass as you've always been."

Katsuki turned towards her, seeing her struggling to get herself back under control just as he was. He looked over at Gunhead as he came back over to join them, but he barely paid the hero any attention as he commented on the match- his attention still on Rui as she stormed off.

'She's grown...' he thought to himself, surprised by just how much she had.