Wow, the poll is going strong, and Kira/Shoto's in the lead! Though it's only with one vote, ah, ah. Anyway, here's the last part of the Sports Festival Arc, so look forward to the fights!

Warning: Kira's language, Kira's pain tolerance and Kira's stubborness.

Enjoy!

"START!"

I need to disperse the flames! Izuku tensed.

As planned, Kira instantly jumped into the action and sent a wall of flames flying his way. Prepared for it, Izuku used his middle finger to blast it away. The attack was instantly nullified, though the heat easily reached the spectators and made most flinch. Kira smirked a little when realizing that, as promised, he wasn't holding back.

Her flames are dangerous. She can control them at will, redirect them if needed and make them take any shape she wants. I need to handle her Quirk first, and that means taking away her lighter.

Because if her lighter was destroyed, then she wouldn't be able to use her powers any longer, and that could only play at his advantage.

"Wow! Midoriya easily stopped Suttoki's attack! And- oh, she's coming back in force!"

Not wasting any time, the ginger attacked once again. This time, the wall of flames was much bigger. Forced yet again to use a hundred-percent of his power, Midoriya lost another finger to his defense.

Not good! He took a small step back to keep his balance. She's trying to push me beyond my limits already, one attack at a time! I need to try and blast her away with the next it, but she's fast enough to avoid the blow… I need to get closer!

He was however forced to sacrifice a third finger when she used the same attack yet again.

As the smoke cleared, though, he used the opportunity and started running at her, fully intending on getting close enough so that she wouldn't be able to evade his attack in time. Easily noticing his strategy, the ginger braced herself as he got closer and closer.

He suddenly stopped, about to use a fourth finger. The girl instantly dropped to the ground and kicked his legs from underneath him, before bringing up her leg and slamming her knee straight into his guts. The hit sent him flying a few meters away, and Kira fell back on her feet.

"Ooh, wonderful move from Suttoki! Seems like she can actually fight! What will Midoriya do against an opponent that can both attack and defend?"

"Come on, Izuku!" she hit her fists together, encasing them in flames. "You can do better than that!"

The boy slowly rose back to his feet, coughing a little. The blow had been harsh, knocking the air out of his lungs, but he knew she could have done much more damage if she had really wanted to put him done for good.

She was prolonging the fight to give him a chance.

"Stop holding back, Kicchan!" he snapped, somewhat angry.

"… fine. Let's end this!"

On which she sent yet another wall of flames. However, as Izuku focused on dispersing it, she started running at him, fully intending to hit again. She was moving fast, able to move through the smoke as if it wasn't even there.

Then, she jumped.

As she was about to hit him with her flaming fist, though, he suddenly raised his fingers as her instead of her wall of flames. Her eyes widened when realizing her mistake. She had assumed he would defend and then attack. That's what normal people would do in such circumstances. However, Izuku wasn't one for expectations, and so he opted to get injured so as to get close enough to her.

"Fuck!"

It was too late to back out now, though. Unable to stop as she fell directly in the boy's trap, she shifted her flames to form as much of a protection as she could get.

She was still blasted away, though.

Well, guess it's time to reveal one of my moves after all.

Without hesitation, she hardened her flames and created a grappling, before throwing it to the ground to hold herself in place. As the wind died down, she managed to land on her feet, still within the bounds.

"I can't believe this! Her fire actually became solid, people! Such control at such a young age… It's unbelievable!"

"Kicchan… that's amazing," Izuku smiled at her, panting a little.

"T-thanks…" She wasn't in a much better shape. "You're not half-bad yourself. Still not giving up?"

His smile only widened at that, and he lifted his hand. She blinked a few times, before gasping in understanding.

In his hand was her lighter.

"Ooh! Midoriya managed to take away her lighter! It is to be known that, despite her strong Quirk, Suttoki can't actually create her fire, hence why she was allowed to take a lighter with her! But without it… she's basically powerless!"

"Powerless my ass!" she snapped back. "I can fight without my Quirk! Any self-respecting Hero should be able to do this much!"

On that, she bounced at Izuku. The boy threw her lighter out of bounds, before jumping to avoid her attack. He paled a little when realizing Present Mic had triggered her fighting spirit, and she was now set on proving her point.

I've sparred with her a few times, but only so that she could show me some moves. I'm not as used as she is to hand-to-hand combat. I can't engage her, or I loose.

The girl wasn't leaving him any opening, though, and he was forced to avoid or block her hits. He knew that if he tried to land a single one, she'd turn his own strength against him.

"Wow, it's been a while since we've had an actual physical fight on this stage! Kids usually rely on their Quirks, but it would seem this one likes to go against expectations! What can Midoriya do in such a situation?"

The green-haired boy gasped when realizing he was getting closer and closer to the bounds. If they kept this up, he would be close enough that she'd be able to kick him out like she had done with Kaminari.

But if I attack, she'll instantly use the opening, he gritted his teeth. She…

Understanding dawned on him.

He knew what she would do. Why wasn't he using that predictability against her?

Not having much of a choice anyway, the boy started gathering his strength into his whole arm, preparing for a Smash. Then, he sent the punch. With ease, Kira slipped right under his arm to aim for his stomach.

He knew she'd do that, though.

"Sorry, Kicchan!" And he brought the fist down.

It hit the ginger straight between her shoulder blades. He somehow managed not to use a hundred percent of his Quirk, thus saving his arm and his best friend, but the strength of the hit was enough to literally slam Kira into the ground.

There was a blast of wind, dust rose, and heavy silence fell upon the arena as all tried to see what exactly had happened.

"M-Midoriya managed to land a solid hit on his opponent! Suttoki must have felt that one… but wait! Is she… Yes! Suttoki is still in the game!"

Coughing a little, Kira slowly rose back to her feet. Wiping away the blood that dripped from her mouth, she then shot a half-glare, half-proud look at Izuku.

"Damn it, Izuku… I bit my tongue…" she scrunched her nose a little. "Though it was well played…"

"I know you, Kicchan," he simply replied, readying for her next attack. "You can't surprise me!"

After a few seconds, a small laugh escape her lips. "You sure about that?"

"Uh?"

Something suddenly grabbed him by the waist. Startled, he was about to try and free himself, when realizing he was actually trapped by… flames. They were hot, but obviously not enough to actually burn him.

"What? But I-"

"You took away my lighter," she nodded. She rolled her shoulders a little, an hand lifted ahead of her to control the flames like a puppeteer controlled the strings of his puppets. "But you failed to realize a very important details."

"That's right, everyone! Suttoki used the flames from one of the four fires surrounding the stage! They're out of bound, though… Is she allowed to do that?"

"Suttoki herself didn't step out of the bounds!" replied Midnight. "I'll allow it!"

"You heard the chief umpire, it is accepted! Now, what can Midoriya do?"

"Sorry, Izuku," she smiled apologetically at him. "I can't have you hurting yourself any longer. This match is mine."

"Wait, Kicchan-"

Without another word, the ginger quite literally tossed him out of the bounds with the help of her flaming chains. The boy crashed into the grass, instantly knocked out by the landing.

Oops, maybe I could have been gentler.

"Midoriya is out of bounds! Suttoki wins!"

"That was one hell of a match! And now, Suttoki Kira moves to the third round! A round of applause for the lady!"

Kira gracefully accepted the victory, before jumping off the stage to run to Izuku's side. He was waking up as medical robots came to pick him up, and she took his less injured hand in hers.

"K-Kicchan… you won…?"

"Yeah, I won," she nodded, smiling a little. "You did great, Izuku. You ought to be proud."

"A-and you ought to- to tell me about y-your new abilities," he retorted. "T-to keep my notes to d-date…"

She laughed at that, ruffling his hair. "Will do. Get some rest, okay? You deserve it."

On which he passed out yet again, this time from exhaustion. The robots lifted him on a stretcher, before dragging him to the medical wing. Watching them go, she then shook her head headed back inside to watch the next fight.

.

.

"Oi, Kira! That fight was awesome!"

"Thanks!"

She bumped fists with Kirishima.

"You really weren't holding back, uh?" sighed Kaminari. "Now I'm kind of glad you didn't actually go all out against me. Is Midoriya alright?"

"He'll be fine," assured the girl. "He's strong. Plus, I tried to end the fight as quickly as possible so that he wouldn't hurt himself too much."

"Still, though… weren't you injured too?" worried Uraraka.

"That's right!" agreed Iida. "You were hit, weren't you? You should have Recovery Girl take a look-"

"Nan, I'm perfectly fine," the ginger rolled her eyes. "Seriously, guys, it's nothing- God fucking damn it all to hell! What the fuck, Spikey?"

Without much of a care, the blond boy had slapped his hand between her shoulder blades, where Izuku had hit her earlier.

And it hurt. Damn, it hurt.

"Stop acting tough and go get it treated already," he grunted. "You'd be pretty fucking lame if you lost just because you were too lazy to get your injury treated."

"Why you little shit-"

"Kira-chan, maybe you should go see Recovery Girl," proposed Yaoyorozu, frowning in worry. "If it hurts so much-"

"I'm telling you, I'm fine," assured the teen. "I can handle a little pain. Spikey there just took me by surprise, it's all."

For only answer, the blond tried to hit her back again. This time, she easily stepped aside to avoid the hit, and harshly slapped his hand. He pulled away with a huff, and she rolled her eyes.

"Play nice, Spikey," she deadpanned.

"Tche."

She's basically taming him, sweatdropped the rest of their classmates.

"Okay everyone, let's get ready for the second match of the second round!"

Iida didn't stand much of a chance against Todoroki. The boy obviously wasn't in the mood for playing, and simply froze everything around him, the cold rendering Iida's Quirk pretty much useless.

The fight between Ashido and Tokoyami had too been pretty much one-sided. Dark Shadow easily evaded her acid, and pushed her out of the bounds without too much of an effort.

The last battle of the second round, between Bakugo and Kirishima, had been much more intense. After all, explosions weren't worth much against a guy that could harden his body. However, it soon became a fight of endurance, and the redhead was the first to suffer from it. While he managed to land a few good hits, Bakugo's explosions finally got the best of him.

.

.

"Kicchan!"

"Oh, Izuku!"

"Todoroki-kun and Tokoyami-kun have made it to the third round… and so did Kacchan…" He sighed heavily. "I wish I could have seen it."

"Don't worry, you're just in time for the best fights," winked the ginger.

He chuckled a little at that, but she could easily tell it wasn't from the heart.

"What's going on? Something wrong?" she frowned, worried. Maybe his injuries were more extensive than first thought? She sure hoped not. "Has Recovery Girl managed to heal everything?"

"Y-yeah," he nodded quickly, averting his eyes. "It's just… she said… she wouldn't heal that kind of injury anymore."

"What? Why?"

"She said we had to find a way for me to use my power without those consequences," he answered with a small shrug. "Though we're drawing a blank right now."

"I see… Though in a way, that makes sense. If you keep relying on Recovery Girl, you won't ever find a solution," agreed the hotheaded teen. "I'm sure you'll find a way, though. You're just that amazing."

"K-Kicchan…" He flushed a little at the praise. "You're… much more amazing than I am, really. All I've managed to do so far, it's because of how everyone kept supporting me. I- I'm not at your level, yet. But I will be, just you wait!"

She gaped a little at his outburst, before smiling. "You do that."

"And that completes the second round! We now have our four finalists!"

"Well, I'm off," Kira took a short intake of breath. "Cheer me on!"

"I will! You can do it, Kicchan!"

She waved, disappearing inside.

.

.

"Now, it's time for the first match of the semi-finals! Both are pretty much at the top of their class, and simply can't stop surprising us! Their Quirks are complete opposites, and no one can actually tell who's going to win! From the Hero Course, it's Suttoki Kira! Versus! Also from the Hero Course, Todoroki Shoto! Battle… START!"

The audience didn't even have the time to blink. As soon as the signal was given, both opponents delivered a strong assault. A literal wall of flames collided with a wall of ice, both rising higher and higher until nothing but steam was left, a blast of hot and cold wind rushing through the stands.

There were a few seconds of dumbstruck silence.

"W-wow! Wow, wow, wow! What was that!? These kids just get more and more incredible, I've never seen anything like this! Both attacks perfectly nullified each other!"

Todoroki attacked again, sending his ice after the ginger. With no hesitation whatsoever, she teen took the attack head-on. Thanks to her body armor created with the flames from the four fires lit around the stage, she easily passed through the ice as it melted before she even reached it, and aimed straight for the boy. He easily blocked her flaming fist, freezing it, and she was forced to fall back. However, he didn't let go of her hand, and he kept on freezing her until her full body was encased in ice.

Midnight blinked, startled. The fight had been so fast, it took her a few seconds to realize it was actually over. "Suttoki is-"

"Still in business," cut the ginger.

The ice covering her body started melting, and Todoroki jumped away. A moment later, the ice trapping her flew in pieces, and the boy was forced to create a wall behind him so as not to be blasted out of the bounds.

"You can't beat me with just your ice, Todoroki-kun!" she called, taking her stance. She called forth a few more flames from the fires. "Fire will always be stronger!"

At that, a small smirk twisted his lips. He slammed his feet into the ground, and an even colder suddenly spread through all of the stadium. The ginger gritted her teeth, taking a step back.

"What if there isn't any fire, then?" he replied smoothly.

"What…" She trailed off, only now realizing what he had done.

"Ooh, Todoroki played it smart and froze the four fires surrounding the stage! Now, Suttoki truly has no source of power, and can't use her Quirk anymore! Will she risk herself into a hand-to-hand fight?"

There were a few seconds of tension, during which none moved. Todoroki was waiting to see what her next move would be, wary. He knew her well enough by now to understand she had another trick up her sleeve.

He tensed even more when a grin spread on her lips.

"No fire, Todoroki-kun?" she then asked. "Why, what are you talking about?"

He stiffened as she slammed her fists together.

Suddenly, her whole body was covered in flames.

"What…" He took as step back, eyes widening.

"No way! No fricking way! Suttoki… Suttoki has created her own flames! I don't get it! Aizawa, I thought you said she couldn't do that!?"

"She can't. Or at least, couldn't. That's what's written in her data anyway," replied her homeroom teacher.

"It's called training, people!" retorted Kira, loudly enough to be heard. She then reported her attention to her opponent. "It wasn't easy, of course. Honestly, I never thought it would even be possible. Pretty neat, uh?"

He narrowed his eyes at her, placing his hand on the ground.

"It's putting a strain on your body," he remarked.

"Maybe," she agreed. "But that won't stop me!"

She disappeared.

She just… disappeared.

"Boo."

She was behind him. He wasn't fast enough to avoid her surprise attack, and he was literally sent flying away. He somehow managed to create another ice wall, just in time to stop him from sliding out of the bounds.

"You're shaking, Todoroki-kun," she remarked casually. He gritted his teeth when her eyes met his. Her hair was literal fire, and it reminded him of his damn old man so much… "If you can't even stand against me, how can you stand against him?"

He stiffened at that, before glaring with all of his might as he rose back to his feet.

"There's a limit to how much cold your body can take," she then pointed out, glancing at his arm. "Funny thing is, there's no limit to the heat my body can take. Do you really want to fight a battle you've already lost? Unless you use your left side to balance your body… you're as good as defeated right now."

She vanished yet again. This time ready, he spun around to face her… only to face emptiness. On instinct, he created a dome to shield himself, but her attack easily passed through, and she harshly slammed her feet into his back, sending him crash into the ground.

"Everyone's fighting with everything they have. Can you say the same?" she taunted. "You can't beat me with only half of your power, Todoroki-kun! Just give it up already!"

"S-so what?" he grunted, getting back up. "What are you planning? Did my damn old man managed to buy you off or something? Now I'm angry!"

He started running at her. She raised an eyebrow, thoroughly unimpressed, and simply stepped to the side at the last second. She harshly whacked him behind the head while tripping him, and he literally twirled in the air before hitting the ground again.

"You've gotten slow," she remarked flatly. There was now a harshness in her voice. "You think you're angry? Well, let me show you how pissed I am!"

Her flaming hair turned brighter, hotter, wilder. Flames were running up and down her arms and legs, a hot wind picking up quickly. It was starting to swirl around her, gaining speed by each second passing. Soon enough, the wind turned to a bright orange as fire started mixing.

She can't be serious! He suddenly understood.

He could only go into defense. Creating as much ice as he could between the both of them, his shield was barely raised in time as a fire tornado rose to the sky.

There were screams from the audience, more scared than anything else, as all spectators felt the heat of the attack. It lasted for a few more seconds, during which Todoroki's ice melted and broke down, sending him fly away. He managed to stop himself from falling out, though it was a close call.

The tornado dissipated, revealing an unfazed ginger.

Well, saved for the small trail of blood now running down her nose.

"I'm so angry, Todoroki-kun…" she admitted, fists clenching and flames roaring up. "So, so angry… I'm angry because of you, because of your stupid father, because of myself… I'm aiming for the top, we all are, because we all want to be Heroes! My… my goal might seem idiotic compared to your yours… my drive isn't as purposeful… but my will is just as strong, if not more! And I… I refuse to loose to someone like you! Someone like you… who's just fucking screwing around! If you won't take this fight seriously, then get out already!"

She propelled herself at him, and hit him right in the face. He stumbled back, his nose already bloodied, and she ran at him again.

"You want to be a Hero too, don't you?" she exclaimed, slamming her flaming fist into his side. "Then do it, damn it! Why do you have to hold yourself back because of that man?"

"I… will reject him… and his power…"

He managed to land a punch on her face, and the jaw cracked. She didn't stop, though, and managed to tackle him down.

"This is your power!" she protested. "This is your power and your body and your life and god damn it, if you can't even see that you're your own person then I'm afraid you've already become what you've always feared! Is that what you want, Shoto? Is it really what you want!?"

Silence ensued. Present Mic had fallen completely speechless, no longer commenting on the fight. The crowd wasn't making a noise. Cementoss was ready to step in if needed, and Midnight seemed to ponder over whether or not she should call the match.

Todoroki stared at Kira, wide-eyed.

"It's okay for you to become who you want to be" was what his mother once said.

He heard her. He heard them both.

And now, he understood.

His skin started heating up. "Even though you want to win…" Flames started sprouting from his left arm. "Damn it…"

Kira instantly jumped away and, the next second, his left arm was completely encased in fire. Instantly, the ice covering his body melted.

"To help your enemy… which one of us is screwing around now!?"

The ginger couldn't help but grin at that. "I dunno. Seemed like you needed a little incentive. Getting serious now, are we?"

"I want… to be a Hero, too…!"

"SHOTO!"

Both teens startled a little at the yell, glancing to the stands. Endeavor was quickly coming down the stairs, obviously pleased.

"Have you finally accepted yourself!? That's it! Good! It all starts from here for you! With my blood, you will surpass me… You will fulfill my desire!"

…

…

…

"Endeavor suddenly shouts encouragement…? Such a doting father."

"Just fuck off already!" Kira yelled back, her flames roaring up too. She then reported her eyes on Todoroki. "This fight has gone on for long enough. Let's finish this!"

"Why so excited?" he retorted, though he too was grinning a tad madly. His ice and fire became stronger. "Ready to loose?"

"Ladies first," she bowed a little, taunting him.

He pounced. Ice spread over all of the stage. She instantly moved ahead, fist raised and ready to strike. Easily avoiding his ice, she was gathering more and more power in her fist, and he was preparing to hit back with just as much strength.

This was the last attack, both knew that all too well, and there was no way either of them was backing down. As they were about to meet, though, walls of cement suddenly rose from the ground and between the both of them. The two students violently collided with them and there was a moment of stillness, before an actual explosion followed.

Everyone was blown away. The shockwave was enough to destroy most of the stage and send many of the spectators flying a few seats back. The fire soon dissipated, though, and the dust slowly fell back to the ground.

"W-what… was that? What the heck is up with your class?"

"The air that had been cooled off thoroughly was suddenly heated up and expanded."

"T-that's what created this explosion…? Just how hot was that!? And jeez, I can't see a thing down there! Oi, who won the match- wait. No. No, no, no. This- this isn't making any sense… but it's true! They're both… they're both still standing!"

The last of the smoke, steam and dust cleared, revealing an utterly destroyed stage and the two opponents, still on their feet and within the bounds.

The ginger internally cursed. While she had withstood the shockwave, she had gone beyond her limits by far. Blood was still dripping heavily from her nose, and she could feel a headache coming. That, and her body couldn't move. She was frozen in place, unable to do anything but watch as Todoroki slowly started making his way towards her.

He stopped just before her, eyebrow raised. "You can't move, can you?"

"Nope!" she confirmed, somewhat cheerfully. "Afraid I ain't giving up, though."

"I thought you'd say that," he admitted, a little exasperated. There was a small smile gracing his lips, though.

He moved around her to stand in her back. A moment later, her harshly hit her… where Izuku had hit her earlier. Pain instantly flared up her whole back as she collapsed to the ground, gasping and coughing harshly.

"T-Todoroki-kun… y-you jerk…"

Midnight was suddenly kneeling next to her. When understanding Kira would no longer be able to fight, she rose back to her feet.

"Suttoki is immobilized! Todoroki moves to the final!"

The cheering that followed was simply deafening. The whole stadium shook violently on its foundations under the thunders of applause and the screams from the spectators.

"T-that… that was… a fun match…" Kira remarked softly. "W-we… we should do that… again…"

"Why would you push yourself so far?" the boy sighed.

The medical robots arrived next to them, and she was swiftly transferred on the stretcher. Once settled, she simply smiled at him again, obviously happy.

"I-I told you… didn't I…?" she replied, smugness in her voice. "That I… I'd beat s-some sense… into you…"

He blinked a few times at that, before a small laugh escaped his lips. "Yeah. Yeah, you did. Now go get some rest, Kira. You need it."

"I-I'll do that… You kick Spikey's ass, alright? I… I'm counting o-on you…"

He simply nodded, and she was then lead away by the medical robots. He stared for a few seconds, before looking down at his left hand, thoughtful.

He didn't know what to do with this new development.

He needed to think about it.

.

.

"Suttoki Kira… she's the one you were rooting for, right?"

Death Arms glanced to Kamui, nodding, before reporting his attention on the screen. While the stage was being repaired, they were replaying the fight that had just happened. Needless to say, it had been very impressive. Every Hero in charge of the security had witnessed the fire tornado and the following explosion, and most of them had been thoroughly impressed by the fight.

In fact, most of the kids up had been amazing. Some of them, those two included, were already stronger than the average Hero.

"Aa. She's grown much stronger since the last time I met her," mused Death Arms.

"She's rather cute, though a little too wild for my tastes," replied Mount Lady.

At that, the two Heroes could only sweatdrop.

.

.

"Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow…"

"You should have come to me after your match with Midoriya," sighed heavily Recovery Girl, grazing her fingers over her injuries. "There's nothing broken, thankfully, but the bruise will be there for a while. I have healed your jaw, but the strain put over your body will go away on its own, and so will the bruise."

"Let me guess: you won't heal it because it's a lesson I'll have to learn from?" cringed the ginger.

"Exactly. It would seem words don't get through you, so maybe pain will," replied the old woman, jumping on her stool. She stared at her patient, who was lying on her stomach, unable to move. "Suttoki-chan… why are you always so hesitant to ask for help?"

"I'm not," she grunted. "I ask for help for training, right? And I ask for help when it comes to studies, and when I need a hand to do something-"

"But not when you're injured. Every time you are hurt, you refuse to acknowledge it."

The teen bit her lower lip, averting her eyes. After a few more seconds, she sighed and pushed herself up. Her muscles were stiff, barely obeying, but her will to move was stronger than that.

"What are you doing? You need to rest!"

"I'm fine," snapped back the ginger, breath ragged. "Perfectly, totally fine. It's just a bruise, right? I've been through worse. This ain't a problem."

She got off the bed, ignoring Recovery Girl's protests. Grabbing her jacket, she then opened the door of the infirmary.

"Thanks for treating me." On which she left without another look behind.

What's gotten into me? Damn it! Why did I have to storm off like that?

"Kira?"

The fiery girl startled, spinning on her heels. At the familiar figure, she allowed herself to relax.

"Ren!"

Her brother grin, catching up to her. Once he was close enough, she trapped him in a tight hug. He instantly returned the favor, but let go as soon as she hissed in pain.

"You're hurt?" he frowned. "Let's get you to Recovery Girl, she can-"

"No!"

He blinked, and she pulled away, lowering her head.

"… Kira?"

"I'm fine," she stressed, crossing her arms over her chest. The bruise hurt like hell, but nothing she couldn't deal with. "I don't need to be looked over. I can take care of myself, alright?"

"I know you can," he assured, ruffling her hair. "But being hurt isn't a weakness, Kira."

She tensed a little at that.

He… saw right through it.

A somewhat bitter smile graced her lips.

Who am I kidding? It's Ren. Of course he noticed.

"Everyone gets hurt, even Pro Heroes," he insisted softly. "And… even though you have a great ambition, you're still allowed to live. You don't have to be strong all the time, you know? You're still just a kid…"

"I'm a kid with a target behind the head," she retorted, somewhat harshly. "I don't have to be strong all the time, but I can't allow myself to be weak. Not with what's happening out there. Not with who's after me. Not with the threats weighting on my shoulders and targeting those I love. The winds are changing, Ren, you should know that better than anyone else. Time isn't a luxury any of us can afford, now, and even less me."

The white-haired man stared at his sister for a moment. He knew that she had a strong character, that she stood with her beliefs and principles, that she walked down that path because she had the opportunity and the means to do so. She wasn't someone serious by nature, enjoyed the littlest things and always saw the glass half-full. But right now? He just couldn't see any of those traits that made his sister who she was, whom he had grown with, whom he had basically raised.

He had been mistaken earlier. She wasn't a kid anymore.

"I'm sorry," he looked down. "This is all my fault. If I wasn't-"

"No. Don't you even… God, no, this isn't anyone's fault but Hagane's," she replied without hesitation. "Look, I'm just… I know you want to help me. But I… I also know that you can't. No one can. When Hagane comes back, I doubt I'll have people by my side. He'll know better than to attack me when I'm with my friends. Or worse, he actually attacks when I'm surrounded, and I find myself unable to protect anyone. One way or another, I need to be strong. To defend my friends, and to defend myself. I can't keep relying on people any longer and… and I'm the one who's sorry. I'm… I'm the worst sister ever, aren't I?"

"Oh, Kira…"

He pulled her into his arms again, careful not to touch her injury. She didn't react, and he ran his fingers through her lion mane. It was something he used to do when she was younger, when she still had nightmares of that night. It had been a long while since he last did that, though.

"We'll get through this, sis," he assured. She breathed in shakily, holding back frustrated tears. She wasn't going to cry, damn it! "And even if you keep pushing me away, even if you try to keep me aside to keep me safe… I won't ever let you go, no matter what. We're together. We'll always be together, okay? I promise."

She took a few, deep breaths.

She really wanted to cry, now.

"… you're annoying," she choked out.

He chuckled at that. "I'm the big brother, remember? That's kind of my job."

They kept silent for a while after that. When Kira finally managed to get a grip over her emotions, she pulled away, rubbing her watery eyes.

"Thanks, Ren."

"Anytime. Don't loose hope, Little Spark. Things will work out perfectly in the end, you'll see. They always do."

At that, she offered a wobbly smile. It wasn't as big or as bright as her usual smiles, but it was as genuine, if not more.

"I'll try."

.

.

"All of the first-year events for this year's U.A. Sports Festival have been completed. And now, we will begin the award ceremony!"

The podium rose from the ground. On the third place platform were standing both Tokoyami and Kira. The girl was grinning, obviously satisfied with the third place. She had been aiming for the top, but being on the podium for her first year wasn't half-bad, and she knew she had made a great impression anyway.

On the second platform was Todoroki. He seemed deep in thoughts, his face as blank as ever.

Finally, on the first place platform was… Bakugo, in all his raging glory. He was chained down like a wild animal, trashing around and cursing through the muzzle they had put on him.

"Now, we will award the medals!" announced Midnight. "The presentation of the medals will, of course, be by this man… "

A loud, familiar laugh echoed as a figure appeared on the top of the stadium. The crowd went wild when recognizing the Top Hero.

"I HAVE BROUGHT THE MEDALS HERE!"

"Our very own Hero, All Might!" presented Midnight.

He landed, and there was a moment of silence. The woman quickly apologized for talking over him, and a wave of excitement washed over the audience.

"Now then, All Might, please present the medals, starting with third places."

"Hai, hai."

He grabbed the two medals, and went to the two students in third place. He first faced Tokoyami.

"Young Tokoyami, congratulations. You sure are strong," praised the Hero.

"You are too kind," the boy bowed gratefully.

All Might suddenly hugged him, patting his back in comfort. "However, in order to fight well against different types, you must not rely only on your Quirk. If you train your own strength more, then you'll have more options when you fight."

"Understood."

All Might then turned to Kira, who beamed at him as he slipped the medal around her neck. It was bronze but, next year, she'd get the gold for sure.

"You did a great job, young Suttoki," All Might stated. "You possess a wide range of skills, too. All that is left is for you to push your limits even farther."

"I will," she assured. "Thank you."

"Of course. And… you did well, with young Todoroki."

Her smile widened at that, and he moved on. He didn't say 'against' but 'with', so he surely understood what she had done during her fight against the dual-haired boy. All Might moved on to Todoroki, and then to Bakugo. After tying the gold medal in the blond boy's mouth, the Top Hero faced the rest of the students.

"Well, they were the winners this time! But listen here! Anyone here could have ended up on these podiums. It's just as you saw… Competing! Improving each other! And climbing even further! The next generation of Heroes is definitely sprouting! And so, I have just one more thing to say! Everyone, please say it with me… Ready… go!"

"PLUS ULTRA!"

"THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK!"

There was a moment of silence. Then, most started laughing, while the Hero apologized profusely for the misunderstanding. However, as they were about to leave, though, the earth started to shake.

"What-"

The ground cracked, and a column suddenly sprouted, until it reached a height of around ten meters. The sunlight was reflecting on it like a mirror-

Metal. It's metal.

Confusion was palpable amongst the crowd and the students, who had quickly moved away from the column. Kira jumped from the podium, tensed.

"Hagane!" she barked. The only thing keeping her from shaking was her muscles, too stiff to allow such a reaction. "Show yourself, you bastard!"

Most of her friends flinched at that, now wary. Then, on top of the column, the Villain appeared. Kira gritted her teeth at the sight. Same black hair, same purple eyes, same damn mask…

"That was really cute, people," he stated, a lazy smirk stretching his lips. "And I gotta say, this tournament wasn't half-bad. Kids these days sure are amazing, aren't they?"

"What do you want?" she snapped, not in the mood for pleasantries.

"I'm not here for you this time around, sweetheart," he retorted. He then spread his arms, gesturing to the crowd. "I'm here… to make an announcement! The world is watching, and so the world will listen…"

"Get him down!" ordered Midnight, farther away. "Stop him!"

"We, the League of Villains, are recruiting!" he pursued, unperturbed. "And not only are we recruiting, but we are declaring war! You've had enough of the Heroes being in control? You've had enough of being rejected, tossed aside like garbage? You've had enough of those tights-wearing assholes telling you what you can and can't do?"

The crowd was quickly evacuating, Heroes were starting to gather. A few tried to attack, but everything was deflected by warp gates that kept appearing to shield him.

"Then join us. Join the League of Villains!" he exclaimed, his voice echoing in the whole stadium. A feral grin spread on his lips. "We'll make it worth your while. And you, Heroes! This era of one-sided justice reaches its end. A new era will begin, and all those that were casted in the shadows will rise for a new day, a day where we will be the ones to the top!"

A warp gate suddenly formed behind him.

"He's going to escape!" warned Kira, unable to do anything but watch. If she tried to attack, she might very well be kidnapped here and there by one of the gates.

"We're going beyond what everyone expects of us, Villains." He started laughing. "Go beyond! Plus Ultra! Isn't that your oh-so-precious devise?"

And he disappeared through the gate before anyone could stop him. As it closed behind him, though, his last words echoed darkly.

"See you soon, little spitfire~"

.

.

"Okay. Forgetting about that little incident at the end… Good work, everyone," flatly said Aizawa-sensei. "There will be no school tomorrow or the day after. I'm sure the Pro Heroes who watched the Sports Festival will want to recruit you, but we'll consolidate everything and announce it when you get back. So rest well, and look forward to that."

"Wait, sir! How can we forget about that?" protested Kirishima. "The League of Villains basically declared war! We can't just-"

"Kirishima."

The red-haired boy instantly shut up, as all eyes fell on Kira. The ginger hadn't said a word since Hagane showed up earlier, and so everyone was surprised to hear her.

"We can't do anything about it," she stated. "We have to let the Pros handle this."

"B-but we want to be Heroes too!" protested Kaminari. "How is that not our problem?"

"It is our problem," she retorted. She then looked up, startling her friends. Her eyes were darkened by anger, but determination was alight in her gaze. "Right now, though, we're only students. We haven't even finished our first school term, and you think the teachers will allow us to go out in the field or something?"

"Well, put like that…" the blond mumbled. He could only agree, after all.

"What we can do is work even harder," Kira then remarked. "Train. Learn. Grow. Expand our skills, exploit our weaknesses and strengths, go beyond. We fought Villains already, and came out victorious. We can only use that experience as an opportunity to become even better Heroes. And when they come back –because trust me, we're not done hearing about them-… then, we'll be ready."

Kirishima sniffed loudly, wiping a tear. "That… was so manly! I'll follow you, Red One!"

"What?"

"Kira-chan is right," then agreed Tsuyu. "We can't run ahead of danger. We need to prepare ourselves, so that we can actually fight back when they attack again."

"We might only be students, but we're already strong!" cheered Uraraka. "If we work hard, we can only get better!"

As the rest of the class joined in the sudden frenzy, Aizawa sighed. Wasn't he the teacher? If Suttoki kept doing pep talks, he'd probably loose his job.

But hey, then again, that meant less work for him, so he probably shouldn't complain.

At least I know they won't try to do anything reckless, he sighed internally.

"Okay, okay. Now get out of here. Class is over," he concluded.

"Yes sir!"

BONUS SCENE:

Todoroki stared at Kira for a moment.

"You said you'd get some rest."

She raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "And you said you'd kick Spikey's ass. I'd say we're even."

"Fair enough."

Okay, so that's a wrap people! I really enjoyed writing this chapter too, so I hope you enjoyed reading it. Anyhow, yes, Kira has two new abilities: hardening fire and creating fire! If you have any questions about those, don't hesitate to ask!

See you around! Plus Ultra!