Rui walked around towards the opposite end of the pond and stopped near the large Japanese Snowbell tree that grew there. She sighed and fiddle with one of her bracelets.

'What was I thinking...? He's never going to feel the same way about me...'

She was kicking herself for nearly losing her control over her emotions and blurting out something she was sure to regret later. She reached up to touch the petals of the flowering above in the branches, their smooth surface feeling soft and almost feathery beneath her fingertips.

"What am I going to do...?" she wondered aloud, sighing as she withdrew her hand. She made to turn and head back up the hill, but before she could someone pushed her back against the tree.

"You can stop ignoring me for starters."

Rui looked up, her heart pounding as Katsuki loomed over her. "W-What are you doing?"

"Looking for answers and you're going to give them to me."

Rui looked away and tried to push back from the tree. "Just leave me alone, Katsuki..."

"Not until you tell me what's going on," Katsuki growled, pushing her back and stepping closer. "I'm tired of you running out on me like that, never speaking your mind. I'm tired of being the last one to ever know what's going on with you." When she looked away again and refused to meet his gaze, he reached up and grabbed her chin to force her to look at him as he added, "And I sick and tired of you drenching me in water like that every time you get mad at me!"

Rui winced when he grabbed her chin and she felt a nervousness beginning to churn in her stomach. She didn't know what to say or how to act with him like this; it was a familiar side of him, but there was something else blending in with it all.

"What aren't you telling me, Rui?" Katsuki demanded, seeing defiance and fear mixing together as she met his gaze. When she averted her gaze, he could feel his irritation beginning to boil over as her cheeks started to burn. "Answer me! What aren't you telling me?!"

Rui flinched and before thinking, she shouted back, "That I love you, alright?!"

Katsuki's eyes widened and he let go of her chin, his hand slipping away from where it had been pressed against the tree. "What...?"

"I love you, Katsuki..." Rui felt tears brewing and looked away. "I have since we were kids..." She waited a few moments, trying to gather herself together and to give Katsuki a chance to say something- anything. When he didn't, she leaned down and grabbed her purse from where it had landed after getting knocked from her shoulder. "This was a mistake... just forget I said anything..." She ducked under his arm and started making her way towards the base of the hill.

Katsuki had been trying to process her admission and when she made to leave, he tried to catch up to her but she summoned her waterboard again and took off- heading in the direction of their homes.

"Damn it!"

'Why do I always make a fool of myself...?' Rui thought as she fled. She reached her apartment and quickly hurried inside. She kicked off her heels and threw her purse on the table before sinking into a chair. 'I'm such an idiot...!'

Rui sat there for a while, feeling mortified. She had just blurted out that she loved him, to his face, and he said nothing. She hated running away, but she couldn't think of anything else to do. She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed heavily, jumping when a knock came at her door.

She made to stand, but she heard Katsuki calling to her from the other side of the door and she hesitated. He kept trying to get her to come to the door for a few more moments before seemingly giving up.

'What am I going to do...?' she wondered, turning to start brewing some tea in hopes that it would help her relax. She stared absentmindedly as the water filled the kettle, barely noticing when it overflowed. It was only when her phone rang that she was pulled back.

She quickly shut off the water and emptied it out a little bit before setting it on the stove. Pulling out her phone, she saw that it was Mina and sighed with relief.

"Hey, Mina."

"Hey, Rui, how'd it go tonight?"

Rui hesitated for a second. "It was... alright, I guess."

"Just alright? What happened?"

"So much that it's hard where to begin to tell you."

"Start from the beginning."

Rui proceeded to fill her best friend in on everything that had happened since she met up with Itsuki for dinner a few hours prior. Mina was patient as Rui explained what happened and waited for her to finish before saying a single word.

"What am I going to do, Mina?" Rui asked, pouring the hot water into a mug and setting the tea bag inside to steep. "I mean I still have to work with him..."

"I don't know, Rui, I mean you finally told him how you felt. Maybe not in the way you had wanted, but at least he knows now."

"He didn't say a word, though..."

"But he came after you right? Why didn't you answer the door?"

"I don't know..." Rui sighed, stirring in some honey and taking her mug over to the table.

"I think you need to talk to him, but give it some time and try to let him come to you."

"Things are never going to be the same between us..."

"That's OK, though. If he feels the same, then you'll be together finally. If not, well at least you have your answer and you can move on."

"I suppose..."

"It'll be OK, Rui, one way or another. Just hang in there, alright?"

"Thanks, Mina."

"Of course, any time. Let's grab drinks tomorrow, have a girls' night out. Sound good?"

"Sure, that'd be great."

"Awesome. I'll talk to you tomorrow, then. Try to get some sleep?"

"I will. Thanks again, Mina."

"Sure thing, what are besties for?"

Rui sat staring at her phone as the call ended, thinking over everything Mina had said. She knew that she was right, but it was going to be hard to be around him. She would have to keep her emotions in check and just act like nothing happened until they could get it all sorted out.

"Why does this have to feel so complicated...?"

Across the way, Katsuki lay back on his futon and stared at the ceiling- Rui's letter open beside him.

He had tried to go after Rui, but she was too fast, and even using his quirk to get home faster, Rui had already gotten inside of her apartment. He had tried knocking on her door, calling out to her, but no answer came. He knocked and knocked, finally giving up and going home. He kicked himself for not saying anything, for letting her think anything but the truth: that he loved her, too.

Katsuki looked over at Rui's letter, his hand resting on the corner of the worn paper.

'Damn it... I need to fix this...'

He looked at his phone as it sat next to the letter, seeing that it was nearly eleven at night. It was too late to call Eijiro or to call Rui and even if it weren't, he didn't think Rui would even answer the phone.

'Shit...'