Chapter 16 - Let's be the Perfect Heroes

"Hey, Yuki!" Just as Yuki herself and Izuku came into view of their classmates, they had already started asking a million questions about her and the battle with Jura. Jiro was first, resting her hands behind her head. "Nice moves out there, you rocked it!"

Kirishima held a fist close to him, wiping a manly tear from his eye. "Man, how you fought wanted me to fight you instead, how you broke apart everything just to win, it was the craziest fight I've seen!" He sighed but accepted her fist-bump. "Next time we train let's say we duke it out ourselves?"

'Bring it, I'll take you all on' Yuki's kind expression only hid the monster residing in her aura, causing everyone to pale with fright

"I'd rather fight Bakugo then face down the demon within her"

"But seriously, you looked more like a villain with that crazy roar you made - ACK!" Kaminari was struck by an earphone jack, while Yuki held a firm hand on his shoulder, begging him to say that again

She let go and was met with Iida and Ochaco. "And amazing display, but obviously not without a few injuries I can see." Yuki looked down at her still exposed stomach, having only draped her gym jacket over her shoulders. All she did was wave casually, high-fiving Ocha

"You were amazing! I felt I was going to have a heart attack!" Ocha groaned with relief for her friend, earning a ruffle of her hair by the mute while she held out a large note

'Thank you for the support, that gave me the tipping point' All of them smiled graciously. With Yuki sitting down by the front next to Izuku, Ochaco to her left while Jiro and Kirishima sat just behind her. As President Mic started his commentary over the crowd, Yuki tapped Izuku's shoulder, something had plagued her mind since his fight with Shinso

His attention to his notebook fell, eyes locking to Yuki's. "Is something wrong?" She shook her head but was grateful for the concern

'Your fight with Shinso, I heard you tell him not to insult me before he locked you in his mind-control. What did he say?' She wanted to know simply out of curiosity, but if need be she'd hunt him down for using words to get under both her and Izuku's skin. It was a clever tactic but a dirty one at best

He hummed, blinking for a few seconds. "What he said...?"

The match had just started and Izuku did his best to keep his mouth shut for Ojiro and Yuki's sake, from how they reacted to Shinso before it was clear his Quirk allowed him to control a person by answering a question, but he can willingly turn that on and off like a switch. He had to bite his tongue but it was already hard enough after insulting Ojiro about his pride.

"I wonder how she put's up with you. Someone like you beside her, obviously she keeps you around to hide from her problems," He grinned, holding his arms wide mockingly. "Clearly she doesn't keep you around for your looks or perhaps your lack of effort in bed with her. heh, that's got to be a letdown..."

Izuku finally snapped, hearing anything like 'that' mentioned about Yuki had his blood boil. "Don't talk about Yuki that way, you hear me!?" In that instance, everything went fuzzy and grey without a moment to think or breathe

When Izuku had finished remembering what had occurred his face slowly heated up from the neck up, eyes white while he trembled in fright at Yuki's curious gaze. "O-o-oh you know! I-Insulted you, Ojiro a-and other stuff, just tactics of psychological warfare!" "Stop thinking of Yuki like that, stop thinking of Yuki like that! It's not right!"

Yuki looked at Izuku, then to the arena where Sero and Todoroki stood by. Without a word, Yuki put her head down on his shoulder, content to rest her head on his body while letting her own heal without concern. Judging from his reaction, what was said clearly was more sensitive than a few insults, but since it's her nervous cinnamon roll of a friend she understood. "You're the best - HOLY CRAP!

Everyone, both in the stadium and possibly outside of the walls froze in dead silence as Sero was locked within a cage of ice, a glacier of the arctic jutting past their stand and over the ceiling of the overhang. The chill from simply being in the area had Yuki tighten her arms around her jacket while snuggling closer to Izuku's frozen posture.

"Isn't that a little overkill!?" Kirishima gawked

"Okay, I'm so glad I'm not fighting him..." Toru paled behind Yuki

"No way he's that strong!?" Kaminari added too, paling in his seat

"His power with ice alone... but that wasn't like him to go over-the-top..." Yuki's eyes scanned the crowd in her line of sight, finally locking onto the man what watched without so much as a blink. Endeavor. Her frown deepened with a glare. "What did he say to you, Todoroki? Am I really pushing you myself?"

Even while the crowd cheered Sero up, Todoroki stood by and unfroze his body, but in that moment Yuki and Izuku could see it, he looked saddened despite the instant victory. From that point on the rest of the matches got underway, but that single moment didn't once leave their minds, even while their eyes continued to watch with ever-growing wonder.


~IN ONLY TEN MINUTES WE WILL BE MOVING ON THE FIRST MATCH OF THE SECOND ROUND! YOU BETTER GET YOURSELVES READY BECAUSE THE LINE-UPS ARE UNMISSABLE!~

The competitors had all participated in matches that had ended as quickly as they began, others were drawn on for a while, and the last against Kacchan and Ochaco had been a rollercoaster for the audience and 1-A. Izuku was unsure of Ochaco's answer after her fight, despite his and Iida's concern over her wellbeing, given her overall reaction to failing against the unshakeable spirit of Kacchan, they expected her to be more-or-less upset.

Izuku frowned, arms crossed in vain to accept Ochaco's answer despite seeing it in her eyes, the time he spent with Yuki, seeing her hide away all her regrets and worries had given him experience in that regard. Ochaco was upset, but his and Iida's concern would only wound her more. "I want to help but this isn't something I can do, this is her way of learning to move forward," He tightened his resolve and strode toward the entry for his match. "I'll do the same, win or lose, I'll give it everything I got to win!"

"You... from the USJ." Izuku almost screamed in fright from bumping into someone without bothering to stay aware of his surroundings. He stumbled back, smiling warily while shaking his head

"Ah, sorry! I should be watching where I'm..." He blinked, mouth dry at what the person in black had said to him. "The USJ...? He knows me?" Slowly, as though time crawled, Izuku's eyes carefully dilated with each frame of the person taken in. His body tensed under the chilling presence now looming over him, releasing a jet of steam from under the hood while sharp, jagged azure stared back into his shaken emerald eyes.

"Are you the one that protected SIVA? The one who protected the Symbol of Peace?" The deep, metallic voice asked. They were alone, no-one else wandered the hallways where the corridors met in a 'T'. Again, his body craned down to peer closer to Izuku, his lips curved into a sharp frown. Kovik spoke again. "I will ask... are you the one who protected SIVA?"

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Izuku finally regained his courage to speak, keeping his eyes trained to any movement Kovik made. "And if I am...?" "This is bad if he somehow infiltrated the Festival it could cause panic or worse, I need to play it safe, defusing the situation is my only real option right now."

"SIVA is stolen, taken from me, from being perfected," His body rose back to full height, eyes never once wavering. "I will take it back." Izuku's fist clenched. "A power like SIVA in the hands of a child is unexpected and illogical, no matter how strong, I will take it by force, this is indisputable and inevitable."

"If I end up fighting him here I'll, of course, draw attention, but I don't know what his Quirk is or how powerful he may be, for all I know he can be more powerful than One For All at five percent." Izuku went to respond in kind to his threat. "I won't let you, whether it's stolen or not, SIVA and Yuki are one, even if I have to break my body, I won't let you take her."

Kovik stood back, but not out of fear, Izuku could tell, he was observing him, testing if what he said held any significance. To Izuku, he knew his threats would mean little to a villain, but for Yuki, all the heartache he's endured from seeing her break under the strain of her own thoughts and past experiences, it wasn't fair on her to be robbed of what gave her the life she has. Deep down, Izuku didn't want to lose her too, he'd throw away his own dream if it meant he could protect her.

His gaze never moved once. "You're scared." Izuku held back a flinch. "Your heart rate increased upon my threat. You are holding back your nerves. Your breathing has slowed too. You are afraid to die."

Izuku, now confronted without anyone to call to had to make his choice, if he made the wrong move Kovik would react dangerously if he stood and did nothing he'd feel as angry as he did when fighting Shinso. To stand and say nothing, or act and risk everything. Keeping his head low, Izuku let out a deep breath.

"You're right I am scared, I'm so scared that I might lose my own life or something far worse," His trembling stopped, eyes rose to stare back, unwavered by the dark presence looming around Kovik' expression of emptiness. "You can call me weak, scared, or even an idiot for thinking about fighting you, but I can't stand the thought of seeing her cry again... because of someone like you... I won't let her shed any more tears because people like you want to take away everything she's worked hard to achieve."

His arms shifted under the cloak. "You would fight for a thief?" Izuku's mouth moved faster than his head

"I already told you, I won't let you take her or the life she chose! Like it or not, you can't stop me!" Izuku stood his ground, feeling the wave of energy between them ebb and flow. His actions could very well end in his demise or the deaths of others, but he wouldn't let him near Yuki, maybe before he would have been so scared he'd have fainted on the spot, but after everything the people around him had done for him, to back down when someone he knew needed protecting to not stand his ground would have been worse than doing nothing at all

Not a word left the hood, and his eyes never once lost their frozen stare, even the shifting under the cloak had ceased. Izuku felt sweat form on his head, his heart was racing and somehow Kovis could tell, and yet, nothing happened, merely the passing of time against each of their reinforced resolves.

His posture changed and Vokis finally walked past Izuku, passing on a final message. "I will take back SIVA, for my House, but I like these games so until 'They' act I will wait to test your motive. Farewell, enjoy your match." Izuku snapped his head around and found only the traces of blue light flicker away

His back hit the wall, sliding down the surface as he took in a deep breath. "That was close..." "Yuki, I know you're strong, but I want to show you now more than ever how far I've grown, so you can rely on me too," Picking himself up, the crowd went wild again as the announcement for the first of the Second Round matches drew his eyes away from the fear that gripped him. "Once this is all over I'll tell her and All Might what happened, I can't trust he'll keep his word but he never made an assumption he would go after her today."

Without any more time to ponder on Kovik's threat and sudden appearance, Izuku took toward the end of the tunnel with a far greater sense of pride, not just as a hero, but as the next Symbol of Peace and partner to Yuki.

~IT'S THE FIRST MATCH OF THE SECOND ROUND! THESE TWO HEROES IN TRAINING HAVE BOTH BEEN FRONT-RUNNERS AT THIS SPORTS FESTIVAL!~

Izuku and Yuki now stood eye-to-eye on the arena, both glaring each other down with a bundle of nerves building inside of them, and yet it wasn't out of anticipation for the fight, but for each other. Both had worked hard to get to this point, neither before wanted to face each other down like this, but after all the trails over the hours they had finally come to the conclusion that this wasn't as simple as a match to prove who's strongest or to keep their promise to All Might. It was far simpler.

~IT'S MIDORIYA... VERSUS... AZURU! BUT WHICH OF THESE FIGHTERS WILL ADVANCE TO THE NEXT ROUND!?~

Both of them grinned. thoughts aligned. "I don't care about my status or identity. I just want to fight this hero with everything I got!"

Raising his head, Izuku took his stance. "Yuki... I made so many promises to people that I'd win, even for you!" Her eyes blinked, but saw the rising energy within his legs, herself trembling with excitement. "So please, don't hold anything back and fight me head-on!"

Yuki held up her fingers, creating the same crackling words she offered Jura, but motioned for Izuku with her fingers, taking a balanced form herself with the twinkle of SIVA gathering around her. "I want to beat you with everything I can muster, Izuku! Show me why you're the Symbol of Peace."

~WHAT'S THIS!? MIDORIYA IS CHALLENGING AZURU AND SHE'S MORE THAN WILLING TO DO THE SAME!? SCREW ANY DELAY, LET THE BATTLE COMMENCE!~

Meanwhile, as both best friends prepared themselves, their class commented on what they believed would be the outcome of the match. Kaminari was the first to speak up. "I mean, Yuki hasn't fully recovered yet, right? But I guess she doesn't have that luxury."

"Both have serious strength behind their Quirks too, could make for a crazy match if either go all out," Kirishima added

Yaoyorozu hummed in thought, looking rather concerned for Izuku, "While true I'd say Midoriya is at a heavy disadvantage." Jiro complied with her cheek resting on her fist

"That's true, sure he has power but it breaks his body and if he tries to move anywhere near as fast as Yuki then the match would be over quick." While they placed bets on the two, none realized the energy building between them as it started to captivate the audience

"This is it, here goes...!" Izuku clenched his fists and let One For All traverse his body, converting the powerful wave of the light into a steady, fluent stream of power once again, no longer struggling to do so

All Might gawked, blood spewing from his mouth, hardly believing his own eyes. "Hey-Hey-Hey! What the hell, Young Midoriya!?"

Yuki snorted once, charging her own body. While unable to bring her power anywhere beyond ten percent given SIVA's work to heal her still, she'd not go down without a fight. Both let out a wave of radiant light, sending the crowd into a cheer for the battle to commence. Both their bodies conjured contrasting auras. A sharp and fierce scarlet against a soft and radiant mint green. Bolts of either color webbing across their bodies.

"One For All. Full Cowling. Five Percent!"

"SIVA. Enhance. Five Percent!"

Within moments of activating their respective Quirks, their legs moved without realizing, both attacking directly. Yuki moved for a lunge attack, her fist aimed straight for Izuku's head, to her surprise he ducked at the last second, becoming a flurry of green that crouched toward her left, hopping behind her then to her right with quick, precise jumps while spinning through the air, his right fist slamming into her guard, the explosive force pushing her back a few meters.

Everyone who had seen Izuku's Quirk before now had their eyes opened to the hidden power he had finally grabbed the reins on. He never once stopped grinning at his successful strike but steeled his focus as Yuki came back for another swipe to his side. "With Yuki's training, I can finally win!"

"Woah! Midoriya!?" Kirishima, Jiro, and Kaminari gawked

"No way...!" Ochaco was amazed by the sight herself

"Since when could he do that!?" Sero added but off toward the stairs Todoroki's own mouth went ajar slightly

"The way he's propelling himself across the arena..." Todoroki realized the move set once Yuki struck with her left arm, but Izuku dove over it, flipping behind Yuki and striking her shoulder blades

"Crazy... those jumps look just like..." Ochaco had pieced it together herself while glancing over to Kacchan warily, seeing the twitch in his eyes while his hands copied his gaze, teeth knitted

"Those are my moves! He... he, look at him!" Kacchan, despite his overwhelming anger at the sight of his own moves copied by the boy he despised, he hoped Deku would make it to the finals so he could crush everything he had before the world. "I'll show you, Deku, don't think you've gotten better copying me!"

Yuki spun around, not expecting Izuku to land two successful attacks right off the bat, but she hadn't realized her own moves would be spliced with Kacchan's if only she could show him her smile of pride over his improvement. The training wasn't easy, and she had put herself at a disadvantage, but what's a fight without a challenge? Cracking her neck she broke the pause between them and stomped the ground, stone slabs blocking Izuku's lunge.

Retaliating, Yuki dove over the rock, slamming her foot against his stomach, the force knocked the wind out of Izuku, his body flipped once, landing to block a right hook to his face, but a left cross struck his chin, followed by her arm grabbing his, pressing her back to his chest, with a heave she threw Izuku high, his hips twisting to drive a kick into her nape.

Yuki caught his leg, jumping while slamming his back into the ground, followed by a kick to his side, sending Izuku sprawling. She didn't relent, bringing down an ax-kick that broke concrete while Izuku glared, his fist missed, locking forearms with Yuki, from there he punched her side while she did the same, both coughing from the force. They pulled away bouncing back with a fist aimed for each other's head.

Their fists crossed, both planted against the other's cheek while they slid back, shaking the buzz off. Izuku yelled at the top of his lungs, sprinting toward Yuki's waiting guard. He slid to her left, rolling to avoid her foot, while she ran toward him trying to grab his waist but she missed, leaving her face open to his right hook as it cracked her mask. She stumbled toward the right, leaning back to narrowly dodge his uppercut, she craned her own right arm, punching Izuku across the cheek.

He kept his teeth together and bent at the knees, pressing back with a strong swing of his right again as it collided with Yuki's stomach. She did the same with her left, stepping closer to deliver another gut-punch but was blocked, receiving a fist to her forearms, followed by a knee to her mask, causing it to fissure even more. Izuku wasn't going to let up, tackling Yuki while she continuously punched his back while her eyes locked to the approaching line.

~AFTER A SLUG-FEST IT SEEMS MIDORIYA HAS THE ADVANTAGE!~

"No, you don't!" Yuki kicked his left foot, moving to her right while slapping a hand to his face, locking her left hand around his right wrist, with a webbing of cracks under them she sunk his head against the ground, holding him down as the crowd loved the comeback

Izuku winced, feeling One For All fluctuate as he struggled against Yuki's grip, it was gradual, but he was only a fraction stronger than she was, but her lock had him pinned completely from launching any form of counter-attack. "You're... really strong." Izuku's eyes blinked past her fingers. "But I have to win!"

Without realizing it, Yuki felt his legs lock around her waist, pulling her down and directly into his forehead and her own hand, forcing her to loosen her hold enough for Izuku to twist to the right, his left hand pushing hers away. With a spin he landed on all fours, striking backward with a sharp kick. Yuki grunted, taking a few steps back while Izuku recovered, smiling all the same.

"Yuki... when I fight for you I want to protect you no matter the cost to my own body, but right now..." He clenched his fists, a brilliant burst of green bolts snaking along his muscles. "I can't stop smiling, from wanting to fight you even more!" "Yuki... let's keep going!"

This excited her too, not wanting to give in just yet not when she was finally starting to get serious. Flinging her jacket off she wrapped it around her waist. The two stared each other down for a few more seconds, however, this pregnant pause wouldn't last forever. Their footsteps broke apart the ground under them, in a surge of green and red their hands locked together, feet digging into the concrete with each push, their arms jittering in vain to overpower the other.

With gradual force, Izuku winced as his feet dug into the earth, trying to keep his hold on Yuki's hands. He couldn't lose, he had to prove to her, All Might, the world who he was! Grinding his teeth together, Izuku reeled his head back, bringing it down on Yuki's mask as the lower half broke off, revealing her shocked mouth while covering the remainder of her face. From there they let go, Izuku pivoting his body to dive back with a strong uppercut, Yuki mirrored his own, driving a right fist downward to reach his. Both their fists connected, causing them to recoil and use the opposite hand, again, they sent a burst of warm air and recoiled from the shockwave.

Without much warning, Izuku was struck quickly by a roundhouse to the bicep, followed by a swift ax-kick to his crossed arms, the force pushing him further toward the line, Yuki's relentless attacks gave him no openings, much like when he was facing her for the first time using Full Cowling, he was on the defense and losing. He needed an opening to exploit but with how precisely Yuki moved at close quarters it was alot harder than if he had time to act before she got in close.

His eyes shook. "That's it!" Taking a blow deliberately he fell to his hands and knees, stopping a few meters from the line while Yuki charged, her fingers crackling with a cherry red glow. "By now she's probably realized how close I am to falling out of the arena, so she'll try and paralyze me for a moment!" Izuku bent backward, then twirled to strike her forearm. "Next she'll try and grab my arm," He folded it close to his chest, her hand missing and leaving her wide open to his boot only for his eyes to freeze the second she caught it

Time came to a crawl, her left arm pulling him toward her while she balled up her right fist. "She's going to knock me out of the ring with that fist, and if I don't shake her grip she'll just pull me into another lock," Izuku didn't realize it at first, but he still had a weapon up his sleeve, while dangerous it wouldn't immobilize him if Yuki dodged it or not, he just needed her off him in any way he can. "She's watching my every move, that's good because she can't avoid this without pushing past her limit while using her injuries to my advantage doesn't seem right it's still a viable strategy!"

Bending his index finger against his thumb, he transferred one hundred percent into the digits, seeing her eyes widen while her grip slipped away a little too late as he fell. "...Heh, oh crap..."

"Delaware Smash!" With a flick of broken fingers, the air let out a shockwave powerful enough to send Yuki flying in the opposite direction, her body flying off the edge of the arena as her body crashed to the ground in a heap. It took a moment for Izuku to breathe again while Midnight held up her arm in his direction

"Yuki Azuru has been knocked out of bounds! Izuku Midoriya is the victor!" And once more the audience gave a round of applause while Izuku smiled for half a second, taking off into a sprint despite his broken fingers to check on Yuki, Midnight watch this with her own small smirk of amusement

~WHAT A AMAZING BRAWL OF STRENGTH! I WAS ON THE EDGE OF MY SEAT THE WHOLE TIME! YOUR STUDENTS SURE PACK A PUNCH MUMMY MAN!~

~...Both combatants displayed a clear level of skill when fighting, utilizing a number of methods in an attempt to gain the advantage, well done...~

"Yu-" His voice caught in his throat when her arms quickly wrapped around his neck, swinging herself around with a gleeful smile that slowly hid under her reconstructing mask. While happy he quickly checked her body for any serious injuries. "Sorry but that was the best thing I could-"

'You idiot, you won and went all out in order to do it! Why would I care if you used a Delaware Smash to send me flying?' Yuki's note matched her curved gaze while she interlocked her fingers with his left hand, lifting their arms to the sky that had the cheering grow tremendously

And for once, Izuku laughed while holding up his other hand, wincing a little from the broken fingers while Yuki did her best to stop coughing. "Those air cannon attacks fucking sting!"


"Honestly All Might you are going to get these two killed with your stunts!" Recovery Girl berated the skeleton man before the two now healed students, although Izuku had to get his bandages redone since it rebroke one of his previously broken fingers, something Recovery Girl chewed him out for while Yuki sat in silence, trying to seem as small as possible behind Izuku. The hero sighed. "But I'm glad it was only his fingers again but this much strain with eventually lead to far severe injuries so don't go breaking your bones unless your life is one the line."

"Yes, ma'am." Both master and successor bowed shamefully, but with that Recovery Girl left them alone. With All Might stepping forward with his fist raised to them both, smiling brightly

"You both... to think you hid your progress just for me..." The three of them bumped fists, and All Might sat down. "I'm so proud of you Young Midoriya, the progress you've made will put you far above what you were in previous bouts, I promise you that," His gaze then leaned toward Yuki. "And once more you've exceeded my expectations, I can't express my gratitude to you, Yuki." That made it twice Izuku heard him call Yuki by her first name

'Of course, I made a promise and a best friend keeps them!' She clenched her fist proudly, feeling elated to hear All Might praise her, while Izuku smiled too, causing her heart to skip. "How do you do that...?"

"I wouldn't have made it this far without Yuki pushing me, and..." He paused, remembering what had happened prior to the match. "Well... I needed to prove I can protect Yuki no matter what." He saw Yuki flinch at that, quickly backtracking. "N-Not that you aren't capable yourself I-I just-" Her finger touched his lips, forcing his cheeks to burn

'You're okay, I'm just... happy to hear that, thank you' Yuki wanted to express her gratitude more but the atmosphere around Izuku warped into something far less cheerful, so much so that All Might frowned, putting a hand on his shoulder supportively

"You don't look so great, kid, something on your mind?"

"They need to know, I can't put this aside otherwise," Izuku sighed, feeling more content now to tell them what happened. "The reason is... I talked with Kovik." It was like a pin, the second it chimed their expressions took a sharp change. All Might's grip loosened while Yuki seemed to shift uncomfortably on her seat

"Young Midoriya, tell us everything that happened, leave no detail out no matter how grim it may be." All Might asked of him carefully, not wanting to frighten Yuki seeing as her posture looked tense once more. If he ever got his hands on the man that put her through such hardship he'd find it hard to hold back

And so, he told them everything. From how he spoke to what he swore to do, retaking SIVA no matter what Izuku would do, and yet, they all expressed the same level of confusion when it came to his departure. This news had All Might rest his chin in his palm. "I didn't take the man for the sport-type, but judging by how he worked with the League of Villains its safe to assume he won't do anything, not for a while anyway."

"It was frightening like I was facing down that Sludge Villain again, I just didn't know what to do so I... I said that no matter what happens, even if my body is broken," Izuku kept his eyes to All Might, feeling no room for doubt in what he told Kovik in the hallways. "I would protect Yuki, even if it meant my life."

"He said that and didn't even flinch?" All Might was surprised to hear that coming from the timid boy, while his eyes lingered on Yuki, her body had stopped being so tense, her mask hid her expression but something told him she was looking right back at Izuku with the same level of surprise, and possibly something more but All Might wouldn't push. Instead, he tapped his fist to Izuku's head, exciting a gasp from him. "Next time this comes up you don't wait to tell someone, alright?"

"O-Of course, sir." With that, All Might smiled and left them in the room on their own, Recovery Girl leaving with him while giggling to herself

"I mean it, I'm proud of both of you, so come your next match I can't wait to see what you'll do next." With that, he shut the door, casting the room in silence as Izuku sighed with relief he never realized he held in. The events of his match and confrontation beforehand were alot to handle, but he was okay

However, Yuki didn't say anything, conjuring only a single note while she fidgeted in her seat, hearing all those words, how Izuku confronted the villain she despised for her, defended her too. Why did it make her feel so strange? She was used to being hands-on when it came to displaying affection so why was this time any different? It was stuck in her head, his laugh, smile, kindness, it was all flooding her mind and making her heart race while she was unable to make any real, composed thoughts.

"-you look lost, are you thinking about Kovik?" Hearing his soft voice had her jump high in the recovery room, even Izuku yelped from the surprising amount of air she got. Upon face-planting the bedsheets she sighed into the covers, unable to lift her head while flopping with defeat. Izuku found it amusing to watch. "You look a little stressed?"

'How can you tell I'm wearing a mask?' Was her quick remark, causing him to close his eyes while chuckling a little, herself pouting with adverted eyes. "You're lucky you're adorable..."

"I don't know how I do, maybe it's how to act or sit that tells me," He answered, then shook his head with a frantic wave. "No, wait, forget that... it makes me sound like I'm watching your every move..." And right back to feeling like an idiot, he really did mess up around her often enough, didn't he?

Yuki still silently giggled, so he wasn't doing anything wrong. 'Well, I'll see you back outside, but, Izuku?' He read her note, not realizing her mask came off before it already struck him with a hammer, even while he hummed in response his throat caught on something, his eyes dilated with his scarlet face. He swore his heart jumped to his throat too

Yuki didn't think or want to think at all, so her lips tentatively pressed to his cheek, lingering for a few seconds before pulling away from kissing him. Leaving a note behind she wasted no time at all slipping her mask back on while practically sprinting for the door. The words written out the corner of his eye only sought to intensify his blush before finally passing out on the bed, partially, the last thing he did was put a hand where her lips previously were. 'Don't die for me, live for me, please :)'

Without slamming the door, Yuki held it shut behind her while pressing her back against the metal, her heart skyrocketing while her mask visibly displayed her blush.

"..." No thoughts, just sweet memories of her time with Izuku by her side, nothing else mattered in her head, any fears or tribulation dissolved into mush after what she did. However, not a single thought of regret slipped into her mind, her hand tugging at her jacket softly. "...SIVA...?"

Heartrate Increased | Emotional State High | Reason?

"...I don't know if you'll understand, SIVA... but..." Pushing away from the door, Yuki wandered down the hallway while keeping a hand to her heart, unable to conjure any other answer for SIVA. "I think I have a crush on Izuku." She chuffed. "...Damn."

To Be Continued...


I think this might be my favorite chapter simply for the action, suspense, and of course, the ending! I... am a sucker for romance, hehehe. Still! Thought I'd atleast give a little something anywho, but we're not done yet, we've got two fights ahead! I hope you enjoyed, seeya in the next chapter!

Next Chapter: Nobody Is Perfect

Despite waking up and missing a number of fights due to fatigue and Yuki, Izuku now had to face his next opponent and one he wanted to understand more as a person than an enemy, but emotions aren't easy to understand. With the Quarter-Finals well on there way, who will come out on top?

A/N: It was hard deciding if Izuku or Yuki should have won the fight. I had hours go by during my life where I would continue to ponder on strengths and weaknesses, and how the course of the story progressed without damaging character development. This was the result, but don't worry, the next fight won't go down the same way ;)