"Granny, really, I'm okay." Yuuma tried, only to receive the furious retort of the old lady who was three feet away from hitting him with her syringe shaped cane.

"Do you think I'm blind, Yuuma?! You hardly even have the energy to stand and you're telling me you're fine? Nonsense! And you came in here with tears in your eyes! Who hurt my grandbaby?! Tell Granny Chiyo so I can rip them a new one!" She yelled while ushering him to lay back down while she finished bandaging up his head wound. It left a nasty gnash on the side of his forehead, even with her healing, she was sure it would leave a bit of a scar.

He sweat dropped a bit as he watched his honorary grandmother fume, hitting the air with her syringe cane.

"I'm fine." He said, he was looking up at the white ceiling of the nurses office, and it wasn't long before another boy entered the room. He was unconscious, his arm an ugly shade of purple and his body riddled with burns and bruises. The little boost of energy that Yuuma had unconsciously given him had worn off and he'd passed out the moment the boy left.

"Izuku-nii..." Yuuma couldn't say anything about the wounds that littered the poor greenette. Now that he looked at it, even though Katsuki was being dumb and vengeful and violent, the worst wounds on the kid were the one's he'd given himself. Yuuma... wasn't sure how to feel about that. Actually, no, he did.

Yuuma was upset once again. But he didn't have the energy to act on it.

Recovery girl was quick in her work. She set his arm, treated his burns, bandaged him up, and left him to rest on one of the spare beds. By then, she was fuming too. When he got here after their heroics class was over, she planned to give Toshinori an earful of complaints and a volley of syringe cane hits to hopefully knock some sense into him! Passing on his quirk wasn't worth the child getting hurt like this all the time!

She was brought out of her thoughts when she looked back to the youngest in the room. His eyes had dulled almost completely, and he was just staring at the boy that had came in with an unreadable expression. "What's wrong, Yuuma?"

"Nothing. Everything's fine. Just tired." He said in a monotone that rivaled Aizawa's. Chiyo began to frown. She told him to rest for a while to get his energy back. Yuuma closed his eyes readily, honestly not having the energy to keep them open any longer.

He was greeted by a welcomed darkness.

-later-

Yuuma woke up feeling as if he'd forgotten something once again.

He still remembered what had happened before he went to sleep, and the feelings from then hadn't vanished. He was still upset. He was mad at Izuku, he was mad at Katsuki, and he was even upset with All Might. Today was not a good day.

He glanced over to the other bed, Izuku was still out. Looking towards the sky from the window he could tell it was the afternoon. He must of slept through his other classes. It's a good thing he took a lot of notes and even read ahead in the text books, he felt like he wouldn't be behind even though he'd missed. One of the perks of loving to study.

He turned to see a kind old lady smiling at him with closed eyes. She gave off a sense of warmth, which was one of the reasons he'd started calling her "Granny" when he first met her. It was the same feeling he got from Grandma Ao, who he was sure would be worried about what had happened today.

He was going to give her a really big hug when he got home.

"You were sleeping so well I didn't want to wake you, dearie." Granny Chiyo was on her computer, going over to him and immediately asking him how he was feeling and doing their scheduled check up. After making sure everything was fine and that his energy levels were back up to where they should be, she gave him a healing kiss that fixed up his head wound, leaving only a tiny scar.

Looking in the mirror at it, he pondered. "Would this be considered my first battle scar? Am I a warrior like Auntie now?" He thought aloud, earning a chuckle from the older woman as she patted him on his head gently.

"Try not to get more, ok? I don't want to see you in here more than I have to." She told him sternly, but kindly. Yuuma nodded and the older woman smiled, offering him some candy for being such a good boy.

"How is Izuku?" He asked finally, staring at the green haired boy who was still unconscious on the bed next to his. His burns had been healed but his arm was in a cast. He was worried. Angry at him, but still very worried.

"I can't heal him in one session because he's already this tired." Granny Chiyo sighed. "I'll let him heal over night and have him see me first thing tomorrow to get him back to 100 percent." She assured him, Yuuma let out a sigh of relief. He knew that Granny Chiyo's quirk used the person's stamina to heal and that if they were too tired, instead of healing it would just end up killing them.

This is why she has to be careful when healing Yuuma. Because his quirk uses his stamina like a battery, if he's exhausted himself, using her quirk on him would do more harm than good. So, she does first aide first and lets his natural reserves of stamina build up, like leaving a phone to charge before turning it on.

Yuuma stared at the cast on his friend's arms and his other bandages. Even though he was worried, there was something else that was trumping that at the moment.

Izuku. This self-less, self-harming, genius-level moronic dumb idiot who hurt himself with his quirk for an exercise.

Stab!

All that brain and he could only think of a strategy that involved hurting himself?

Stab!

Was he that eager to use his new quirk? Stupid! Idiot! Why use something you can't control? Are you a masochist? He must like breaking his limbs because he used it anyway, and oh? What happened? He broke his arm! In all of those notes he took, did not one of them have common sense? Apparently not. What's the point of having a brain you don't use? Stupid irrational moron!

Stab! Stab!

Just thinking about that exercise worsened Yuuma's mood. He hoped his grade wasn't horrid, but with the way it had went he was sure his team had failed epically. Yuuma felt bad. He could only regret and hope to do better next time. This was a learning experience just as he thought it'd be.

He learned that he should nip stupid things in the bud before they blossom.

Stab! Stab! Stab!

He didn't notice that a certain greenette was flinching at every jab.

Sigh, he wanted to go home.

Chiyo walked over to him, putting a gentle hand on his cheek. She was pretty sure he didn't realize that he'd said all of that out loud. "Yuu-chan."

Yuu-chan.

That nickname made Yuuma's eyes widen. It was a pet name that his mother had came up with for him. He remembered hearing her call him that with nothing but love and fondness in her eyes, a warm smile on her face. A feeling bubbled in his chest that felt suffocating.

He didn't want to feel it now. Don't make him remember it. Stop it. Stop it. He didn't want to think of them right now. He wanted to lock his emotions in that box in his mind and never open it again. He wanted to be blank, just empty.

He didn't want to remember how much he missed them.

She gave him a sad, knowing smile. She'd been around the young child since he was but a toddler. Behind his aunt and his other grandmother, it was Chiyo that knew him best. "Want to talk about it?"

And that was all it took. The dam he'd been building now had a crack in it.

"I yelled at my friends. They were being stupid, hurting themselves over petty and irrational things. It made me mad, and I had another breakdown." He admitted, Chiyo nodding to let him know that she was listening and to continue.

"I was so mad, and sad, and frustrated... How hard I tried to keep my emotions in check to keep something like that from happening feels like wasted effort right now. Am I a bad friend for getting mad? Am I a bad person for letting my emotions out? What if they had gotten hurt because of me? I'm saying that they are stupid right now, but I'm the one that feels the most ashamed."

His voice was very small, fitting his stature at that moment. Yuuma clenched his clasped hands tighter around his legs as he pulled them in even closer, waiting for his honorary grandma's answer. He heard her sigh and gently lift his head up to face her. She patted his head as she answered.

"You never have to be ashamed of how you feel and letting that show. You are young, Yuuma, it's okay to let yourself feel. It's okay to cry when you want, and it's okay to be angry when you feel angry. I personally think it's a good thing you yelled at those obnoxious children." She huffed, pointing a thumb at the unconscious greenette on the other bed.

Both didn't notice the small flinch from said greenette as she continued.

"Don't feel bad for being honest with yourself, dear. And as far as your power goes, that's what you're here to learn to control better, right? You have lots of time, Yuu-chan, all you have to do is what you can for now." She continued to pat his head gently, feeling his soft hair.

Yuuma nodded, having said the same thing to Izuku a while back. Talking with Granny Chiyo made him feel a bit better. "Thanks, Granny." She patted his head again, ruffling his soft locks. They were silent for a moment, enjoying the amiable atmosphere until Yuuma remembered something.

"Oh, there's one more thing I have to ask..." And Yuuma began. He received his response from Recovery Girl, who relieved his worries again. After re-checking his head injury, she told him he was good to go. Since they were already at the end of the day, all he needed to do was check in with his homeroom teacher before leaving for the day.

He nodded, saying his last goodbyes to the old nurse for the day. Yes, Yuuma wanted to leave. He wanted to forget that a day like today had ever happened.

-With Katsuki-

Yuuma... he'd always wondered how strong he was. He always wondered why he never flaunted how strong he was. Why didn't he ever boast about it? Why not show off an awesome quirk like that? Katsuki always loved to show off his quirk, he was confident in it and wanted everyone to know that. Yuuma wasn't like that at all. It was rare for him to ever use his quirk for anything, even if he was feeling lazy.

It was only now that Katsuki was understanding the reasons behind that. The entire building, Yuuma had took out the entire building in a matter of seconds. Seconds. And he wasn't even trying to. Katsuki saw it. He'd felt it thanks to whatever Yuuma had done while yelling at him. Yuuma was struggling, and when it reached a certain point, he just stopped trying to fight it off and let it out.

...He really was a dumbass then. And he was a bigger dumbass now. What was he even mad about to the point he ignored the only friend that mattered?

Oh yeah, the insufferable Deku. The entire fight he focused solely on him and ignored Yuuma, even when the kid clearly asked for assistance. He kept trying to make him use his quirk, he wanted to see it himself, he wanted to prove that he was better even with him having a quirk. His own inferiority complex upped to the max.

And when he finally did use, he could see why he didn't want to.

Bruised, purple, painful, broken. All of it concentrated on one arm to which he was sure was completely messed up thanks to that power he had. It was as if his body wasn't used to the power at all, he didn't have any control.

Even with that in mind, he got beaten.

Just as Katsuki was about to lose his mind, a very angry chibi decided to fly down and rip both of them new ones. The best way to describe it was that Yuuma exploded. Everything that, now that he was thinking as he should have been, Yuuma was doing his best to reel in for the sake of the trial came bursting out.

"If I stay around you feeling like this there is a possibility that I'll hurt you, and that isn't something I want."

"You think you'll hurt me? That's funny."

"It's. not. funny. Katsuki."

They were able to get away thanks to All Might, but if they were in the vicinity Katsuki wasn't sure what would have happened. Once again, Yuuma's words rang with truth. The amount of regret he felt in that moment was like weights wrapping around his body.

Damn, I fucked up big time. He thought.

"Ehem." All Might said, bringing Katsuki out of his thoughts. "The MVP of this match was Young Kageyama, can anyone tell me why?"

"Kageyama? Wouldn't the MVP come from the winning team?"

"I think I know, All Might-Sensei." Yaoyorozu raised her hand. The large man gestured for her to go on with her statement, which she did promptly. "It can't be Bakugou as it seems he was too concentrated on a personal grudge he had against Midoriya to care about the exercise. Using a large scale explosion indoors was frankly very stupid, and he seemed to disregard any and all of Kageyama's tries at teamwork. Midoriya and Uraraka, although they won and their teamwork was there, utilized the fact that this was a training exercise. Destroying the structure of the building entirely, haphazard attacks that they would never think to use if it was real, they were basically cheating. Kageyama, however, was serious the entire time. He set successful traps and had multiple plans set if anything went wrong, including his teamwork with Bakugou. He also treated the bomb as a real one, being careful with it's handling and even protecting it from the building when Bakugou's attack damaged the structure. All in all, Kageyama was the one who embodied the true purpose of the trial, which was a battle under real circumstances against human opponents. He was able to efficiently deal with his opponents and do his job, utilizing everything he had at his disposal. This is simply my opinion though, there may have been something I missed."

Katsuki felt like he was being punched in the stomach because he could say nothing to any of that. She was right. Everything he'd done in that trial was stupid. He looked like a complete idiot right now and could do nothing but hang his head down and take the blows.

"I was going to say that it was because that he was the manliest man with an entire degree in manliness. But that explains it a lot better." Kirishima said. Others were a bit confused at his word choice, but nodded nonetheless because everyone could agree that Yuuma's skills were stunning.

It was no secret that Yuuma was younger than them by a few years. At first, they all wanted to go easy on him because of it. But this proved to them something they should have already known: Yuuei doesn't give free passes. If you made it, then that means that they saw your skill. It meant that you had what it took to be there, and it was further tested during the quirk assessment test the day before.

Yuuma had beat most of them in the test.

And now, they saw that it was more than the test that he was beating them in.

It boost their competitive spirits to the max. They had to prove that they weren't push overs either. One could see the blazes of determination in their eyes. Everyone's respect for the child in their class skyrocketed at this point.

Katsuki remained silent.

All Might sweated a bit, she'd said a lot more than he thought she would. "I would add that he could've relaxed a bit more, but you are correct, Young Yaoyorozu! This concludes our first battle trial! On to the next pairing!" The next teams proceeded to do their battles, which were a lot less intense than the first one, but were still great watches.

Katsuki was able to see that there were other strong people in his class, and that his ego that stemmed from being the best was nothing here. All of these people, his classmates, they were just as capable if not more so than him. They too had made it into Yuuei's Hero Course.

He wasn't the strongest, not even close. He wasn't the smartest. And he had so many flaws his hands and feet weren't enough to count them. He gritted his teeth and forced himself to watch, staying eerily silent as they continued.

After their hero lesson was over, they back in class for the end of the day. They were back in their uniforms, their hero costumes returned to their lockers. Deku and Yuuma were still at the nurse's office, and All Might had left at the end of the class to check on them. They day passed by in silence. At least to him, he wasn't paying attention to anything or talking to anyone.

All he could think about was his disaster of a trial, and how it was him that fucked it up.

That, and Yuuma's tears. He hadn't known Yuuma for as long as he would've liked to, just that time in 3rd grade and his last year of middle school. In all of that time, Since he'd gotten, Katsuki didn't realize he'd never seen him cry. When he was just a five year old, there were time when he'd thought he'd done something bad and cried.

That was then though, and this was different.

Yuuma yelling at him. Yuuma frowning. The furrow in his brows and the emotions. Those emotions. Katsuki didn't know that the kid dealt with so much on a daily basis. When Yuuma inadvertently shared his emotions with that burst of power, he shared everything he was feeling.

Pandora's box had opened just a little, and he'd given them a peek inside. And a peek was all it took for him to feel the immense sense of pressure. It felt like he was trying to walk through mud that was knee high, and it was slowly creeping up until he was drowning in it. Reaching for air, failing to breathe, it felt like he was in a shrinking box that was filling with a murky and thick darkness. Anger, sadness, irritation, exhaustion, it was only the tip of the iceberg, but it was enough for Katsuki.

Whatever that was... it wasn't just from the trial. These feelings had been building for a long time. Was it days? Was it months?

Was it... years?

Katsuki didn't know.

The fact that he didn't know bothered him to no end.

How much of a horrible friend was he? He was starting to realize it slowly.

'Yuuma... he has to deal with that all the time? How?'

It was overwhelming. Katsuki, in that briefly shared moment, was completely overwhelmed. And all of this time he was treating him like some little helpless child? 'Didn't want to worry him with my problems?' What problems?! Compared to Yuuma, Katsuki's little turmoil was like a child having their favorite toy taken from them. It was so utterly insignificant, it was no wonder Yuuma said that he was embarrassed he'd even let himself get dragged down with him.

'Damn, I am one shitty ass friend.'

The realization of just how much so was hitting him like a train right now.

Shhh...

The door to the classroom slid open with a quiet sound, and on the other side of it was none other than Yuuma with a dejected look on his face. "Hi everybody. Sorry I missed your battle trials." He said. His face, although it was kept carefully neutral, seemed to be a little sadder than they'd seen him.

"It's okay, Kageyama-chan, kero!"

"The names Eijiro Kirishima. We were all going over the training just now." He explained to the boy. Noticing the commotion at the door, Uraraka got up and walked over.

"Is your head okay?" Uraraka asked, when he nodded she let out a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. Sorry about that by the way."

"It's fine." Yuuma replied, a calm in his voice. "I have my first scar now, I am a warrior." He sounded pleased with that. Not knowing what he meant by it, they just rolled with it. They continued to have bits of small talk. Even Ojiro joined in, asking about his fighting style. Yuuma, of course, happily replied that his aunt was teaching him. When Ojiro inquired if his aunt was THE Airi Kageyama, and he said yes, one could say that the tailed teen lost his mind.

Ojiro Respect +35

It was a very calming, warm conversation that took Yuuma's mind off of things for a short while.

Katsuki was trying and failing to build up the courage to walk over there. The feelings of shame were steadily rising the longer he was in the room.

And then, they made eye contact.

(imaginary staring sound coming from Yuuma→) CHIIIIIIIIIIII—

Five seconds. Ten seconds. Yuuma continued to stare at Katsuki and the older of the two could do nothing but stare back at him. A cold sweat started to build on his temple and the others in the class began to back away slowly. They remembered how their trial went and how their teamwork was in shambles.

No one could tell what Yuuma was thinking. It seemed as if he was looking into Katsuki's very soul. He wore a rare complicated expression on his face.

Then Yuuma looks away from him completely, going directly to Aizawa as if he wasn't just staring at Katsuki with daggers in his eyes. He gives a slip to the man, most likely from the nurse. The atmosphere remains quiet and awkward.

Katsuki wasn't sure how to feel, he felt like he'd been slapped in the face. What was worse, he felt he deserved this slap to the face, and probably a lot more of them. How had he even made a friend, kept a friend, as great as Yuuma until now?

How had he gone and messed that up?

The hobo-like man nods and returns to his sleeping bag before Yuuma gathers his things and heads for the door. "I'm going home a bit early today. I'll see everyone tomorrow. Have a great day... Sigh."

Katsuki's Guilt +10

He left without saying anything else, before anyone could stop him. He was avoiding eye contact with Katsuki. One would think it was because he was mad about what had happened during their battle trial, but the other students who could see his face thought differently.

'He looks so... sad.'

They didn't notice an ash blonde getting ready to leave too. In an instant he'd gathered all of his things and chased after the younger boy. Yuuma was quicker than he thought, the kid was already outside by the time he was finished getting his stuff. Katsuki had a scowl as deep as a ravine on his face as he thought furiously to himself.

'I'll be damned if I don't at least apologize. I'm going to say it, damn it! Over and over if I have to. I royally fucked this up, I have to fix this.'

So without letting anyone stop him, he left to chase after Yuuma.

-With All Might-

"The school year has just begun, and he's already been in here three times! Why didn't you stop him, All Might?" Chiyo scolded the now deflated man.

"I'm sorry, Recovery Girl."

"What are you apologizing to me for? He was already here yesterday, due to his total exhaustion I only did first aide. His body will have to heal slowly overnight. Geez, I know he's your favorite and that you passed your powers to him, but that doesn't mean you should spoil him!" Chiyo scolded more.

"There is nothing I can say to that. Because I wanted to consider his feelings, I hesitated in stopping the training match."

She paused for a moment before saying her thoughts, "Airi would scold you if she heard your reasoning..."

"Urk?!" He spurted blood for a moment before returning to his sitting position, wiping his mouth of the lingering trail of blood. Airi was known as a great trainer. With her quirk "Mind's Eye" she could see when her student was at their limit. Naomasa told him it was almost as if she were psychic. She did not pay any mind to another's feelings in that matter, if they could not go on, if something went wrong, or if another factor made the training become dangerous for them, she stopped immediately.

All Might hadn't done that though, he wanted to respect Izuku's feelings, knowing that he wanted to go against Bakugou. So, he let him go on, even though there were clear signs that things weren't going to work out well.

A chill went down his spine at the thought of the beating scolding he'd receive from Airi for such a blunder. He had a lot to learn about being a good teacher.

"And then there's Yuuma... His quirk is becoming stronger. I can tell that he's scared because of it. He had the same thoughts as me, you know? About you not stopping the exercise."

All Might's head hang down. He remembered that scolding he got from the child earlier. He almost rivaled Airi when she was upset. The boy truly mirrored his aunt, as well as his mother. Both of those women were fearsome when they were upset.

"And he asked about your injury." She added off-handedly.

"He what?!" All Might was shocked. How had he known about it?! She continued as if reading his mind.

"He doesn't know about One For All or that you passed it to Midoriya. Yuuma's quirk amplifies certain sensors in his brain, thus he can enhance his five senses. When he does this for his eyesight he can 'see' the life energy in the body. It's how he tells where injuries are. He told me he'd never seen an injury as bad as yours before and didn't know why you were teaching the class instead of receiving treatment from me. He wanted me to help you in case I didn't know about it. He was very worried. He even wondered if he could use his quirk to relieve some of your pain, but I consoled him about it."

All Might couldn't stop the small smile on his face. That boy was very kind. Very blunt, but very kind all the same. "I see. I must relieve him of his worries then. But that aside, will you please not talk about One For All so loudly?"

"Yes yes Mr. "Natural-Born-Hero." Mr. "Symbol-Of-Peace."

"My injury and this form of mine are common knowledge among the Yuuei teachers and a certain group of pros, but the secret of my quirk, One For All, is only known to you, the principal, my close friends, and Young Midoriya."

"I know it's not like you want to rest on your laurels at the top, but is being a "natural-born hero" or the "symbol of peace" that important?" She asked solemnly.

"If I no longer am, then the superhuman society will be seized by evil. This is the responsibility of those of us with this power."

Letting out a sigh, a smile graced her lips. "If that's the case, then it's even more important for you to learn what it means to guide someone."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Also. Just a random thought, but maybe you should include Yuuma in your quirk secret circle?"

"What?!"

"He's going to figure you and Midoriya out sooner or later with his ability. He cares for this boy too much to just let it be, Toshinori. He told me about it already, and said something interesting."

"Hm?" All Might calmed down a bit, waiting to hear her thoughts.

"He told me that when Izuku uses his power, he concentrates it in one spot. He was thinking that that was the reason his body can't take it. If all of that power is concentrated in one place, of course it's going to be too much for that part of the body to handle. He was thinking that, if he wanted to, he could help him with it since he can basically 'see' it."

Light bulbs went off in All Might's mind. Maybe Recovery Girl's idea wasn't so bad after all...

-With Izuku-

Izuku was in a daze. What had happened? Everything slowly started to come back to him. The destructive power that put his own to shame, that was all Yuuma. He'd never seen a quirk so powerful aside from All Might. But that wasn't the most memorable thing that happened before he'd passed out from his injuries. Whatever Yuuma had done when he... broke own... Izuku was able to feel all of it.

Yuuma's emotions.

Izuku was the same as Katsuki, completely overwhelmed by them. The same thoughts flashed across his mind, wondering how he was able to deal with such immense pressure all the time. Izuku thought a little deeper about it. He had a feeling that the degree in which his emotions affect him had something to do with his quirk's deep connection to them. That theory would have to wait though, because just like Katsuki he realized just how awful he'd been.

'That amount of stress didn't just come from me keeping a secret, I would know about stress from all of the bullying I've experienced. That.. that had to of been building for a very long time. And Me and Kacchan were just adding on to it by ignoring the signs he was giving us.'

Yuuma had told him it was okay to keep a secret. He'd said that everyone had secrets, and this one was one of his. This was Yuuma's secret. Yuuma never used his quirk in public, the only times being the sludge villain incident or in self defense. Aside from telling him things he could possibly do with his quirk, he never demonstrated, and even then, he held things back.

And then there were his emotions. That brief connection to Yuuma when he was yelling at them was enough. It was only a peek into how he was feeling, but a peek was all that was needed before Izuku felt like he was drowning. He felt as if gravity was reversing on him and trying to bury him in the ground he barely stood on. But Yuuma was forcing him to stand up, not allowing him to sink as his body wanted to until his righteous scolding was through.

And now he was here, in the nurse's office. But just as he was about to open his eyes, he heard a barrage of angry grumbles from the bed beside him. A very familiar voice.

"Izuku. This self-less, self-harming, genius-level moronic dumb idiot who hurt himself with his quirk for an exercise."

Ouch.

"All that brain and he could only think of a strategy that involved hurting himself?"

Ouch.

"Was he that eager to use his new quirk? Stupid! Idiot! Why use something you can't control? Are you a masochist? He must like breaking his limbs because he used it anyway, and oh? What happened? He broke his arm! In all of those notes he took, did not one of them have common sense? Apparently not. What's the point of having a brain you don't use? Stupid irrational moron!"

Ouch. Ouch.

"I hope my grade wasn't horrid, but with the way it had went I'm sure my team failed epically. I'm upset. I hope I can do better next time. This truly was a learning experience. I should nip stupid things in the bud before they blossom."

Ouch. Ouch. Ouch.

He didn't notice that a Izuku had heard every word. But Izuku was sure that if he did know, he couldn't care less because those were his honest feelings at the moment. Izuku was sure that if he asked him later, Yuuma would say these exact words without sugar coating it to his face, loud and clear.

"Sigh, I want to go home."

Izuku... was in a lot of pain right now.

"Yuu-chan." It was a different voice. That must be Recovery Girl. "Want to talk about it?"

He could hear Yuuma freeze up, and it was followed by a resigned sigh as he continued. He didn't seem to know that he'd already said all of his thoughts out loud. "I yelled at my friends. They were being stupid, hurting themselves over petty and irrational things. It made me mad, and I had another breakdown."

Another? Izuku thought back to the sludge incident, but the way Yuuma worded it made it seem like it happened on more than just that other occasion.

"I was so mad, and sad, and frustrated... How hard I tried to keep my emotions in check to keep something like that from happening feels like wasted effort right now. Am I a bad friend for getting mad? Am I a bad person for letting my emotions out? What if they had gotten hurt because of me? I'm saying that they are stupid right now, but I'm the one that feels the most ashamed."

Izuku had to hold himself back form gritting his teeth from the amount of pain his heart was in at that moment. He'd never heard Yuuma this saddened by something. He'd really messed up, didn't he?

'Yeah, I really messed up this time.'

"You never have to be ashamed of how you feel and letting that show. You are young, Yuuma, it's okay to let yourself feel. It's okay to cry when you want, and it's okay to be angry when you feel angry. I personally think it's a good thing you yelled at those obnoxious children."

'Ouch, but I deserve it.'

"Don't feel bad for being honest with yourself, dear. And as far as your power goes, that's what you're here to learn to control better, right? You have lots of time, Yuu-chan, all you have to do is what you can for now."

'Go Recovery Girl! You are the best!' Izuku mentally cheered as he applauded the uplifting speech from the older woman.

"Thanks, Granny." He heard Yuuma say. He blanked again after that, his energy just too low to stay awake any longer. He didn't hear anything else. After about half an hour of much needed extra rest, Izuku finally had enough energy to get up from the bed. Resting his body, however, did not stop his mind from working.

'The reason why he trains his quirk to the point he had masterful control of it. The reason he keeps his emotions in check at all times. The reason he wanted to keep his distance when he noticed he was getting irritated. The reason he doesn't show off his quirk even though it's amazing... He was scared. He was scared of hurting them. And what was I doing? Fighting with Kaachan and ignoring his silent pleas and worries.'

Izuku gritted his teeth and the thought finished, 'I'm a really bad friend.'

When Izuku finally sat up, he was met by a very upset older lady. "This is the third time you've been in here young man! And look at your injuries. If I tried to heal you anymore right now, It'd just kill you instead."

"K-k-kill?!"

"Yes, dearie. My quirk uses the others' stamina as fuel, and you frankly have none to spare at the moment. So, rest at home, nothing strenuous, and I'll finish your healing tomorrow. By then, as long as you rest properly, everything should be back to normal."

"Thank you, um... Yuuma-chan was here, right? Is he okay?"

"He's fine, no thanks to you. You had that boy extremely worried you know?"

Stab!

"That child. He has to deal with so much, much more than he should have to. Sigh, it would be much appreciated if you would not make him constantly worry. Now off you go, child."

"Yes ma'am."

When he got up and left, going down the halls leading to his classroom, Izuku made a big decision. It was something that he hadn't even told his mother. But, he felt that this was something he needed to do. He was sure All Might would understand, and hopefully forgive him for it. It was such a big secret for him, but...

'They both deserve to know the truth, even just a small bit of it.'

He was going to tell them.

He got to the classroom, receiving a few comment about his trial, learning a few names. There were some that asked about his arm which was still in a cast, and he told them it would be heal tomorrow after he rested. But the two people he was desperately looking for weren't there.

"Where's Kacchan and Yuuma?"

"Yuuma left first, giving a slip to Aizawa-Sensei. Bakugou followed after him soon after. We tried to stop him but..."

Izuku ran from the room to catch up, hoping they hadn't already left.

-With Yuuma-

"Yuuma wait!" Said boy stopped in his tracks. He didn't dare to turn around and face the origin of that voice. Completely mixed feelings. He was having completely mixed feelings about the teen behind him. He didn't dare say anything, but he stood there, silently asking him what he wanted.

"I am a complete fuck up. An absolute loser. I'll understand if you want nothing to do with me after that shit stunt I pulled today. Me being angry didn't mean I could drag you down with me. I know you hate it when me and the nerd fight, and you hate it when I don't tell you things because I feel your 'too young to understand' or I want to 'protect your feelings.'. I've been a huge jerk, a moron, an absolute shit show of a friend."

He paused to take a breath, not able to see the expression Yuuma had on his face. Katsuki clenched his fist as the words battled to get off of his tongue. He'd never said these words to anyone, not even his own mother. But today he was going to say it damnit!

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Yuuma." He said, pushing down every ounce of pride and ego that was screaming at him to never let those two words be said in the same breath to another person. But Yuuma wasn't just another person.

He was Yuuma, someone Katsuki acknowledged as his friend. As a rival if he wanted to be. As a source of comfort. He was honest to the point it was sickening, and he never, ever, in all of Katsuki's time knowing him, made him feel like he had to prove something just to be friends with him.

Katsuki wasn't sure how or why, but around Yuuma he felt he didn't have to put on a tough guys act. It was fine to just be "Katsuki". And that... that was something he didn't want to lose. To keep someone like that by him, an apology was the least he could do. Anything. Katsuki would do anything to keep his friendship with Yuuma.

Yuuma did not turn around, he did not say anything, but he didn't leave. Katsuki could see his slightly trembling shoulders and his hands clenching at his sides. Who knows what expression was on his face. But Katsuki was ready to face it. If Yuuma wanted to hit him, he'd let him. Yell at him again? Go for it. He wanted, no, he needed to fix his fuck up. Even if it was just a small amount.

"Kacchan! Yuuma-chan!" Katsuki turns to see a bandaged up green haired boy running up to them. His eyes lingered on his cast for a moment before a subtle anger and embarrassment ripple through him. He controls it, however, restraining himself from doing something he would just regret later.

"What."

Izuku lets out a small gasp at the hostility on Katsuki's tone, but his gaze doesn't waver. A glance at Katsuki, and a glance at Yuuma who still hadn't turned to face either one of them.

It was a secret he hadn't even told his mother... but.. "I feel this is something I should tell you both." He paused, steeling himself as he formulated what he was going to say next. He looked down, not daring to look up again. "My quirk is something I received from someone else. I can't say who I got it from though!"

And the bomb was dropped.

Katsuki was steadily getting more angry and frustrated as he continued on. Saying he'd make it his, saying he didn't have control over it. It all was making Katsuki angry. Was he saying this just to rub his victory in his face? This bullshit lie?!

But before he could explode...

"Yeah. I figured out that much just by looking at you." A raspy, tired voice came from in front of them.

It was Yuuma. Any colorful comment Katsuki was about to say die in his throat. Yuuma was saying he was telling the truth?

"I can 'see' the energy in people. Every time I'd look at you, your energy was subtle, normal, without any abnormality. But during the entrance exam, that energy felt like it was bursting, a mix of colors that just didn't seem to fit with your body at all." Yuuma admitted. "I didn't know how to explain it because it felt so unnatural, but with you saying that, it makes a lot more sense."

Katsuki's eyes widened as he looked back at Izuku before returning his gaze to Yuuma. Yuuma never told them a lie, ever. It was one thing if it was coming from the nerd, Katsuki would have yelled at him for trying to blatantly lie to his but if it was Yuuma acknowledging it to be true...

'Maybe he wasn't lying after all...'

"I'm so sorry, Yuuma-chan. I've made you worry too much. I didn't pay attention when you told me stuff because I was too focused on other stuff. I... haven't been a very good friend lately." Izuku had complete guilt written all over his face. "But this secret... it wasn't something I could just tell you, even though you are my closest friend." He finished, feeling the guilt wash over him.

Yuuma takes a breath his fists clenching at his sides, "Both of you were stupid. Idiots. Morons. Selfish. Impulsive. Irrational. Masochist. Why would you use a quirk you can't control? Do you like pain? Why didn't you just talk to me? I know I said that keeping secrets was okay, but there's a limit! If you guys hate each other, just tell me so I can stop wasting my time! I knew your relationship was bad, but I didn't know it was bad enough to end up like this."

Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab! Stab—

"I was embarrassed today. Why would you blow up a building all of us are in? Why ignore me? It was suppose to be a team exercise... We were supposed to experience what it was like to fight real opponents and how to be careful of surroundings. It was a bomb, Katsuki! Why would you explode a building with a bomb inside of it? Our team looked completely ridiculous because of you. I was very upset."

Stab! Slice! Pow! Bam! Stab! Thwak—The boys let the jabs come, Izuku letting out a small sweat drop as Yuuma had indeed said everything he said to in the nurse's office to his face. He left nothing unsaid before finally taking another breath. Brutal honesty. It hurt more because he was calm about it.

Him having a calm voice hurt more than him yelling at them.

"But I'm more sorry than I am upset."

The boys looked up from the ground they'd found interest in when they heard that. Why was he apologizing, they were the ones in the wrong! They faced Yuuma who they found had finally turned around, revealing the tears threatening to leave his eyes.

"You told me about your quirk, it feels right to tell you a little more about mine. My emotions are something I've had to work on for a very long time. Whenever I get too overwhelmed... I breakdown. You both saw the result of that today. When my emotions build to a certain point, I lose all control."

The both remembered that feeling. Drowning while being able to breath, sinking while knowing you're still standing. Trapped in the dark but there's light all around, claustrophobia in an open space.

'Overwhelmed' was an understatement.

"That... that was one of the reasons I had to leave and live with my aunt. After I woke up in the hospital, I had a breakdown and destroyed the entire room. Even though I've been training with my power since then, today I... I could have hurt you."

He looked up at them, and they were able to see his tears coming down as he repeated that dreaded sentence. "I could have hurt you both. What if I'd hurt you? I wouldn't... I couldn't... "

Katsuki's eyes widened as realization struck him like lightning.

'Anger wasn't the reason he wouldn't look at me. It was guilt.'

"I'm so sorry..." The tears wouldn't stop even when he wiped them away. "I'm the one whose a bad friend..."

Yuuma suddenly felt arms wrap around him. It was awkward but not uncomfortable. Probably his first time giving a hug. He was very warm, and smelled sweet. "I'm so sorry..."

"Shut up. Stop saying bullshit."

Katsuki was trying to comfort Yuuma. This was so out of the ordinary that Yuuma didn't know what to think. Maybe that was the point, to make him stop thinking.

Then he felt a pat on his head, different from the arms wrapped around him and patting his back. "You are too good to be bad, Yuuma. I don't think you have a bad bone in you."

"Listen to the nerd." Katsuki grumbled irritably. Izuku kept his mouth shut about Katsuki being pink, he pretended not to see anything. It didn't happen, Katsuki's big brother instinct did not manifest, Izuku saw nothing.

He was the air, he was invisible, he saw without eyes.

"Want to go get vanilla ice-cream? I know a great ice cream shop not far from here." He suggested, not acknowledging the glare he was currently receiving from one explosive Pomeranian.

He still had a while until he was to pick up Ritsu since they'd left school a bit early. "Yeah." Yuuma said with a nod. The hug was broken as they began to leave together. Katsuki was on the left, Izuku was on the right, and Yuuma was in the middle. Tears were shed, apologies were made, and secrets were shared.

Katsuki and Izuku may have a long way to go before they can be friends, but they've got a Yuuma to help them out, so slowly but surely, they'll get there.

"You give nice hugs."

"Shut up!"

"It was very warm."

"Not another word, Chibi!"

"...I'm going to give you hugs from now on."

"Like hell you are!"

"What... am I witnessing?"

10%

All Might is just hiding behind a tree, having seen most of the even unfold. "I wasn't needed at all." He sweat dropped at his utter uselessness. Being a teacher was either much easier or much harder than he thought.

-That night-

Yuuma opened his eyes. The white landscape was back again, but it was a bit different this time. It seemed more... solid. More there than before. The mass of something that sat at the edge of his vision was a bit more clear. It stood at the same height, but it was completely shrouded in mysterious black which made its features unknown. What Yuuma assumed was its hair was floating above it, waving mysteriously in nonexistent wind.

And it's eyes... They were hallow and white, but they carried so many emotions. They looked upon him with a sense of understanding, protectiveness, regret, and longing. But why? Why would this being feel such things? It was more vivid than his other dreams had been, and Yuuma was confused by it.

"Who are you? Why do you keep coming to me in my dreams? Why can't remember them when I wake up? Why... why am I not scared of you?" He asked. The entity gave him what seemed to be a sad smile on its featureless face, and within a moment it was right in front of him.

It was as if it took all of his bad feelings away, like it had absorbed them. It seemed to get a little stronger afterwards. A bit more solid, a bit more there. It didn't have any features still, but Yuuma thought that if it did, it was smiling kindly at him.

It was an overwhelming sense of kindness, of understanding, of patience. Even though this being seemed to be the same age as him, he felt that it was much older. Ageless and wise, something that it seemed to have gained from experience. But how? Why? Why was it here in his dreams?

Was this real? Or was he just imagining this figure because of his stress? Yuuma didn't know, but he wasn't sure if he cared either way. He wanted this being to stay with him, he didn't want to forget when he woke up like he always did. When he got to the dream, he remembered it, like seeing something familiar and recalling that you had indeed seen it before.

It put its forehead onto Yuuma's, closing its eyes as the young boy was overwhelmed with a sense of peace and security. It was as if it knew what Yuuma was thinking and took all of his worries away.

"ₜₕᵢₛ ₜᵢₘₑ, ᵢ'ₗₗ ₚᵣₒₜₑcₜ yₒᵤ. Dₒₙ'ₜ wₒᵣᵣy."

What did it mean? Yuuma felt like everything was becoming hazy. Ah, he was waking up again. It seemed like this entity was sending him away with a determined look on its face. But why? What was going to happen? Yuuma couldn't think about it anymore, as he was waking from the dream once again, he was forgetting.

Everything faded to black again, and he woke up to his morning alarm. He didn't remember once again.

But the feeling that something bad was coming, that, he didn't forget.

Process Until Yuuma's Breakdown: 15%

[A/N] HELLO! I'M BACK! How are you guys doing? As I mentioned before, I'm going to do two filler chapters before the USJ Arc begins, this one is the first. The next will be from Airi's prospective! I will post it whenever I have it done, no set schedule.

Also, if you are reading this on Quotev, I have a new poll on this account! Please check it out.

Until the next chapter!