Just A Spark

by Anime no Akuma

Suttoki Kira is brash, reckless and loyal. What more to ask from a girl with such a fiery Quirk? But strength comes at a price, and when darkness spreads and tries to taint her light, Kira learns that there is much more to this world than black and white. What can one do in such a situation, though? Why, fight back, of course. "Kill me... please..." "I'm afraid I can't do that."

30. The Provisional License Exam

I'M BACK! So, I'm very sorry for the delay but as an apology: here is the WHOLE Provisional License Exam Arc. It's a really long chapter and, since I've started writing using the manga, I couldn't post it until the anime caught up. There might be a minor spoiler for those following the anime and not the manga, but it's seriously NOTHING major. So, no worries!

Also: oh my GOD guys, your reviews are simply fantastic. YOU ARE AMAZING! I don't know what I'd do without you guys, ah ah.

Warning: Kira's language, Kira's anger and Kira's obliviousness.

Enjoy!

---

The next morning, Kira was confused. How did she end up in her room? She only remembered hanging out with the girls in the mess hall…

Must have been more tired than I thought if I'm starting to suffer from memory loss.

But she didn't have the time to think about that. After all, today was yet another day of training; one of the lasts they had. She needed to completely focus on the task at hand if she wanted to have her moves ready for the exam.

Well, let's get to it!

---

She was enjoying her breakfast with the rest of the girls when Ashido suddenly dropped her fork, the noise gaining the others' attention.

"Ugh! I can't take it anymore!" she exclaimed, suddenly looming over Kira. "Suki-chan, what's going on between Todoroki-kun and you?"

"… what?"

Jiro sighed, resigned. "She's convinced he's your secret boyfriend."

Kira stared at her for a while, processing what she had just been told. Then, her eyes widened, and blood rushed to her cheeks in the span of a second.

"W-what!? Ashi-chan, what the hell!?"

"She's blushing!" The pink girl waved an accusing finger her face. "It's true! Oh my gosh, give me all the details!"

"T-there's no details! There's nothing- we're not like that- it's not- we're not- stop giggling like a maniac!"

"Hey girls, 'morning!" then called Kirishima, entering the dining hall along with Kaminari, Sero, Shoji and Mineta.

"Err, what's going on?" wondered Kaminari, staring at the pink girl who couldn't stop laughing and the redhead who seemed about to tear her head off. "Did we miss something?"

"It's Kira!" exclaimed Ashido, hearts flying around her. "She's- awg!"

"Nothing!" Kira's voice was rather high-pitched as she tried to hold Ashido in place, pulling her cheeks to stop her from talking. "Everything's fine! Carry on!"

The other girls chuckled nervously while the boys slowly backed away, before leaving entirely. Whatever was up with their female classmates, they knew when not to get involved. As soon as they were gone, the ginger released her friend and glared at her.

"Explanation. Now."

Ashido pouted, massaging her sore cheeks. "Can you blame me? You guys are really close, and you're flirting all the time. And yesterday-"

"We're not flirting!" gaped Kira, wide-eyed. Then, she realized what her friend had said. "Wait, what happened yesterday?"

"You fell asleep in the mess hall," answered Uraraka, taking pity on her. "We didn't want to wake you up but we didn't know how to get you back to your room, but then Todoroki-kun showed up and volunteered to do it."

"He carried you back to your room like a princess! It was soooo romantic!" added Ashido, giddy.

At first unsure of what to make of this new information, Kira then sighed, rubbing her temples. She now understood better why Ashido might have jumped to conclusions but, knowing Shoto, he had simply done it because he wanted to help. Had it been anyone else, he probably would have done it too.

"Ashi-chan… Shoto and I, we're just friends," she insisted, calmer. "I'll thank him later for that but, seriously, there's nothing romantic going on between the two of us. Frankly, there's nothing romantic going on at all for me."

"But you'd make such a cute couple!" whined the pink girl.

"I don't have time for this kind of thing. I never even thought about a potential relationship," she admitted, running an hand through her hair. "With what's going on with… everything, it's just not on my priority list. Right now, I want to focus on becoming the best Hero I can be. The rest… the rest can wait a little longer."

"But-"

"Toru-chan, Kira-chan has her reasons," Tsuyu then intervened, always the level-headed one. "If she's saying there is nothing going on, then there is nothing going on, and you shouldn't insist."

"You can't force her to have a relationship just because you feel like things might work out for them," added Yaoyorozu, rather seriously. "As a friend, you ought to support her, not push her to make a decision she isn't comfortable with."

Ashido slumped in her seat, defeated, and maybe a little ashamed. "Sorry, Suki-chan…"

"It's fine, don't worry about it," assured the ginger, now smiling. "And if there ever is something happening in the romantic, though still inexistent, part of my life… Well, you'll be the first to know, alright? I promise."

"Great!" She instantly cheered up. "Though you better not forget that promise!"

Kira rolled her eyes. "As if you'd let me."

---

.

.

When they reached the Gamma Gym, they stumbled upon Izuku, Iida and Shoto. Kira greeted her best friend with the usual hug, greeted Iida with a little less affection –considering how he reacted to her hugging him the first day-, before finally turning to Shoto.

"The girls told me you carried me back to my room yesterday," she stated, scratching the back of her head sheepishly. "Thanks for that, though you should have just woken me up."

"You needed your rest," he shrugged. "And it really was no problem."

"Aw, you're sweet!" She grinned. "So… does that mean I can treat you as my personal carrier? You'll carry me wherever I want to go?"

"Depends." Amusement shone in his eyes. "What do I get out of it?"

"You-"

"Ugh, you guys are making me sick," grunted Katsuki, suddenly shoving them aside to enter the gym. "Keep your damn flirting in your rooms!"

"We're not-" The door closed, and she huffed in annoyance. "Asshole…"

"We- we should probably get going too, though," pointed out Izuku. "Aizawa-sensei won't be happy if we're late."

"He's probably gonna blame Kira's influence," snorted Jiro.

"Oh, come on, I'm not that bad!" protested the ginger. She was met with utter silence. She let out a nervous chuckle. "Yeah, no, nevermind. But! I won't be late this morning!"

"Oh?" Shoto raised an eyebrow, curious. "Why would that be?"

"Because you're gonna carry me, duh."

An uncharacteristic snort escaped Shoto. He however turned his back to her. Grinning, the ginger instantly jumped. Apparently used to those sorts of antics, the dual-haired boy simply grabbed her legs so that she wouldn't fall, and straightened up.

"Now, onward! We shan't be late this morning!" she excaimed.

"If you scream again, I'm dropping you," stated bluntly the boy, however starting to advance.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Wouldn't I?"

"… and I'm shutting up."

The rest of their friends simply watched them go, a little startled. They knew the two of them had gotten closer during their internship, but none would have thought Shoto would handle Kira's antics to such an extent.

They quickly shook it off, though, following after them.

"You know what's the worst?" mused Jiro as she hung back with Ashido and Uraraka. "Ashido's totally right. They are acting like a couple."

"Things are bound to get interesting, uh?" beamed the pink girl, clasping her hands together. "Oh, I can't wait for them to end up together!"

"You're really convinced they'll become an item, uh?" remarked Uraraka, thoughtful.

At that, Ashido simply winked at them. "Call it a gut feeling."

---

.

.

After a few more days of intense training, it was finally the day of the exam. The trip in bus to their arena, situated in Takoba, felt both endless and extremely brief.

But, at last, the bus stopped.

"Get out, we're here!" announced Aizawa-sensei.

So they got out. Grabbing their bags and costumes, they slowly emptied the bus and soon found themselves facing the building in which the exam would be held. In the distance, they could see numerous students from different schools already going in or simply gathering together for some last minute advices from their teachers.

"Ugh, I'm getting so nervous…" Jiro gulped, a little pale.

"Man, what'll they have us do for the test?" wondered Mineta, sweating. "Whew, I hope I can earn a provisional…"

"Mineta. There is no 'I hope'," replied flatly their teacher, crouching before him to look at him in the eyes. "Return back here with your provisional."

"Y-yes sir!"

"Remember!" He then addressed the rest of the group. "If you can just pass this exam and obtain your provisional license, then you will cease to be mere eggs, and hatch into chicks. In semi-pros. So give it your all!"

"YES!"

"Awesome!" Kirishima pumped his fist in the air. "Come on, everybody, let's go hatch into chicks!"

Kira groaned, slapping her face in horror. "Red Two, please don't say that ever again."

"Let's hit out of the park like always!"

"We're gonna be awesome!"

"Let's do this!"

"Say it with me now…" Kaminari grinned. "Plus…"

"ULTRAAAAA!"

"Holy fuck!" Kira jumped back as an unknown person yelled along. "Who the hell are you!?"

The… boy? Man? He was obviously a student, if the uniform was anything to go by, but he was extremely tall. Kira was far from short, being the tallest girl present after Yaoyorozu, but she could barely reach his shoulders.

"Don't go crashing the circles of of outsiders without invitation, Inasa," then scolded flatly yet another new voice. Behind the unknown student were now standing four others, wearing the same uniforms. "It's not polite."

"Ah, you're right!" The boy, Inasa, turned to them. "Please accept…" He bowed deeply-"MY SINCEREST APOLOGIES!" Too deeply. His forehead harshly hit the ground, making a fuming dent into it. "SORRY!"

"What's up with this guy!?" panicked Kaminari. "He's totally the type who just gets through everything by being intensely chipper!"

"He's like Iida and Kirishima squared…" paled Sero.

Passing by them, in the back, were numerous other students, all muttering about the still unknown students. Kira lent them an hear as they passed by, curious as to what could be the matter.

"Wait a sec, that uniform…!"

"Whoa, it can't be!"

"It's like, them! You know, the, like, famous high school of the west!?"

"The East's got U.A.," stated Katsuki, looking incredibly bored. "And the West's go Shiketsu."

Oh, now I remember them! Kira snapped her fingers in realization. Shiketsu's the official rival school of U.A.! Though I never really looked into it, considering how set I was in joining U.A….

"I've always wanted to say it at least once! PLUS ULTRA!" yelled the boy, straightening up. Kira cringed a little when seeing he was actually bleeding. "I love U.A. Academy! It's such a pleasure! The highest honor, to be able to compete against U.A.!"

"Err, that's cool and all, but… Are you sure you're okay?" Kira wondered, a little worried. She fumbled in her pocket, before handing him a tissue. "Here, you should at least wipe it off."

He took it, grinning so broadly the ginger sincerely thought she'd be blinded for life for a moment. "THANK YOU VERY MUCH! You are so extremely kind!"

"N-not a problem…"

"Let's just go," sighed the other boy present, already walking away.

For a second, the fiery teen was worried that Inasa guy would bow again, but he simply waved cheerfully before leaving with his friends. As soon as he was gone, the ginger let out a sigh of relief.

And I thought we were a crazy bunch…

"Inasa Yoarashi."

The students turned to their teacher, surprised.

"Do you know him, Aizawa-sensei?" wondered Jiro.

"Talk about overly enthusiastic," muttered Sero.

"And everything he said sounded so good-natured and normal…" added Kirishima, puzzled.

"That kid…" Their teacher glanced at the retreating students of Shiketsu thoughtfully. "He's no pushover. His name is Yoarashi. At the end of the last school year… or, in other words, when you were all applying for the Entrance Exam, he was selected as one of the recommended students. However, for some reason, despite his top of the line grades, he declined to enter U.A. and went to Shiketsu instead."

"W-wait! That'd make him a freshman, right?" realized Izuku. "Not to mention, to have the top qualification for the recommended spots… Wouldn't that make him even stronger… than Todoroki-kun, or Kicchan…!?"

"Technically, I wasn't in the recommended spots," pointed out the ginger. "And, no offense to Shoto, but it's kind of normal to have people stronger than him, or us, for that matter. We might be students of U.A., but anyone can become strong if they work for it. Shoto might be the strongest in our class right now, but there are numerous other talented students, from our school and from others." She offered an apologetic grin to Shoto. "Again, no offense."

"None taken," assured calmly the dual-haired boy.

Her classmates thought over what she said. Considering what they went through with the Villains and their training from Hell, they had grown somewhat used to the idea of being the strongest students in the vicinity. However, letting that kind of arrogance get the best of them would be a grave mistake, one they would have to be careful not to make.

"Still, though. I don't get it," admitted Sero, scratching the back of his head. "He says he loves U.A., but he tosses his chance at entering?"

"So weird," agreed Ashido.

"Oh, he may be weird, but make note: he's the real deal," warned Aizawa-sensei.

Otherwise said: don't charge in blindly if you run into him, understood Kira.

"Eraser? Eraser, is that you!?"

At the new voice, all students turned around to see a blonde woman walking towards them, a bright smile on her lips.

Eraser Head stiffened.

"I saw ya on TV and at the Sports Festival and whatnot, but it's been forever since we bumped inta each other like this!" beamed the woman, reaching them. "Come on, let's get hitched!"

"No," replied flatly Aizawa-sensei.

"No?" she echoed. Then, she burst in laughter. "What a laugh!"

"Your jokes are as impenetrable as ever," he deadpanned.

It took her some time, but Kira finally recognized her as the Pro Hero, Miss Joke. She had a really strange, but really cool Quirk. It had been a while since the ginger had heard of her, though.

What's she doing here, though? She wondered. Could she be a teacher?

"If you put a ring on my finger, we could build a blissful home with no end to the laughing!" she claimed.

"That'd be a far cry from blissful," retorted blankly their teacher.

The only made the woman laugh some more.

"You're being really friendly," pointed out Tsuyu, curious.

"Our offices used ta be close," answered Miss Joke. "We kept helpin' each other out and before we knew it, we were in love!"

"Lies."

Kira muffled a snort at that. She never thought she'd see the day when her teacher would be teased so lightly by someone.

"It's always a blast teasin' ya, Eraser!" Miss Joke then looked behind her. "Come on, kids, come here! It's U.A.!"

Oh, so she really is a teacher.

A small group of students soon joined them. There were three boys, one acting overly cheerful, another with a cool face, and the third one seemed awfully quiet. The fourth member of the group, a girl, looked incredibly nice. The rest of their class was lagging a little behind, but they seemed pretty excited about the exam too.

Who knows, maybe we can make some friends while we're here? Mused internally Kira. I mean, it's not often we get to meet other people from different schools, and now that we're all living on the campus-

"Oh my God, Suttoki Kira!?"

"Y-yeah?" Startled, the ginger looked at the other girl. "Is something… wrong?"

"Wrong?" echoed the blonde, her eyes sparkling. "I'm a huge fan! Your Quirk is so awesome, and you were amazing at the Sports Festival!"

"T-thanks!" She didn't think some people would still remember her. "Though I've still got a long way to go… Say, what's your name?"

"I'm Nakagame Tatami!" beamed the older girl. "And-"

"I'm Shindo!" The black-haired boy suddenly appeared, shaking Kira's hand. "You and that Bakugo guy were in the middle of the Kamino incident, uh? You sure are strong of hearts! It'd be my honor…"

Kira wasn't really listening anymore, though, her eyes narrowed. The guy was overly cheerful, but she knew a few people like that. However, she couldn't shake off the feeling that his smile didn't reach his eyes...

"… are you mocking me?" she couldn't help but wonder.

"Uh?"

"Kira, rude much?" gaped Kaminari.

"She's right," however snorted Katsuki, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "His words don't match his eyes."

The ginger quickly pulled her hand away as her friends apologized in her stead. She wanted to whack some sense into them, but decided against it. It would seem they had forgotten her little warning from a few days ago, but she had no doubt they'd figure it out sooner or later.

All of the students from the other schools are our enemies in the exam. We are the preys, and they are the hunters. Nakagame-san was probably sincere, but that Shindo guy… He was testing the waters. He's definitely planning something.

We'll have to be careful from now on.

---

.

.

Everyone had changed into their costumes, and all of the students had been gathered in a rather small, closed room of the stadium. There really was a lot of people and, had it not been for them coming in together, Class A would have more than probably been separated.

"Ahem, right… So, yes, let's begin," started slowly the one in charge of the exam. "The provisional license thing… Umh… Hello, my name is Mera, with the Public Safety in Heroics Committee, and my favorite kind of sleep is non-rem sleep. It's a pleasure. I've been so busy with work that I can't catch a wink…! Not enough personnel…! And now that I have espoused our principles, I shall humbly explain how the exam will be conducted."

Wow, is the poor guy okay? cringed Kira.

"Gathered in attendance are precisely 1,540 examinees," he pursued. "And you'll be vying for victory all at once. Zzz… In the present age, in our so-named 'Hero-saturated' society, there has been no shortage of voices raising doubt over the state of Heroics since Stain's apprehension. The idea that Heroes shouldn't want to be compensated, and that the title of Hero should be granted following acts of self-sacrifice… But, well… If you ask me… Zzz… Regardless of their actual motives, telling people who're risking their lives out there to save people not to want anything in return… It's hard not to think that'd be a little merciless, given the realities of the modern world… In any case… No matter whether it was for material gain or for the valor of it, at the end of the day they applied themselves diligently to rescue operations and Villain cleanups. The time that elapses between a case materializing and its resolution has become very swift indeed. When you obtain your provisional licenses, you throw yourselves into that raging torrent. To be blunt, it will be very harsh on those who can't keep pace. As such, it's your speed that will be tested! Only the first hundred to clear the terms of the exam will make the cut!"

…

…

…

"WHAT!?"

"Wait, wait, wait, there's 1,540 of us ain't there? That ain't a fifty-fifty pass rate!"

"No way…"

"Well, a fair bit's happened in the world… So, those are the breaks. Do as you do. Anyway, so the terms of the exam are in these." On which the exhausted man showed them a ball, and some sort of target. "Each examinee will receive three targets. You may place them on any part of your body, so long as they're always open and visible. So no soles, or the feet, or armpits. In addition, you'll carry six balls on your person. The targets are built to respond only to contact with the balls. If you're hit in all three places, you're out. If you hit somebody's third target, you have defeated him or her. Victory is attained upon defeating two other contestants. And… those are the rules."

Kira was thinking hard, and fast. In the end, each class would stick together, and gang up on other classes. Theirs would be a primary target, what with being from U.A. However, she still wasn't comfortable with the idea of fighting side-by-side with other people. She didn't want to hurt them accidentally. In the end, should she go and stick with her friends, or try her luck and play the lone wolf?

"All right… We'll distribute the targets and balls after that happens. The exam will commence one minute after everyone spreads out," announced the examiner.

"After what happens?" frowned Kira, worried she might have missed a bit.

But Shoto, to her right, simply shrugged. He too had no idea.

Suddenly, the room started to shake. Then, without warning, the walls started falling, like a giant box that was opening.

"What the-"

And then, it was revealed. All 1,540 examinees could only gape in shock and awe at the sight. They were surrounded by many different types of terrain, like rocky mountains, or a city with tall glass buildings, or a forest with deep green trees or even a gigantic lake with a small beach in the back.

It was gigantic. It was unique. And it was full of endless possibilities.

"I believe you all have types of terrain you like and dislike. So, please do your best, and capitalize on your skills," concluded Mera, slouching over his stand. "All this work out of consideration to open up the terrain like this… But it was ultimately pointless, I lost so much sleep over it…"

They started handing out the targets and the balls. As soon as Kira received hers, she placed one target on her right hand, another on her stomach, and the last one on her back. Since her hair was braided, it wouldn't be obstructed by it, and so it was fair play.

"Are you sure you want a target where you can't protect it?" wondered Uraraka.

"Yeah, I've got it covered," assured the ginger. "Don't worry about it!"

"If only the fastest to defeat others pass the exam, then there won't be any infighting amongst schools," pointed out Izuku. "On the contrary, teaming up with comrades who know each other's powers is the only way to win… Guys! Don't stray too far away from each other! Let's move as a group!"

"You fuckers can pour each other tea if you like, but this ain't a goddamn picnic!" snapped Katsuki, already running away.

"W-wait, you idiot!" Kirishima ran after him.

"I'm out too," announced Shoto, running in the opposite direction. "The larger the group I'm in, the less leeway I have to use my powers."

"Todoroki-kun, wait!"

Well, guess now's the right time to break it too them.

"I'm afraid I'll have to break out of the group too," she informed them, quickly backing away. "Don't want to risk burning you guys, you know? I have more chances to pass if I do this on my own so… See ya guys later! Good luck!"

"K-Kicchan!?"

But she was already gone.

---

.

.

"START!"

Kira pounced. A second later, numerous balls landed on where she had been standing just before. While she was in the air, she located her attackers.

More or less forty of them, uh? I stumbled on two whole classes, then… She grinned a little as she swiftly landed back on her feet, facing them head on. No matter. As long as they can't hit me, then I can win this.

And, as most should know by now, she didn't simply rely on her Quirk to win. Hitting her feet on the ground, she activated her rollerblades. Then, using a fire burst, she propelled herself at them, balls in hands. She avoided those thrown her way, closing in on the nearest student. As she was about to throw one of her balls, though, a mud wall rose between the two. Not letting that deter her, she used her Fire Rocket to fly above.

"Ahem, it's still a deadlock stalemate across the board… Zero people have cleared… Ah, right, I should state I'll be announcing at the broadcasting post as we receive all the details."

As she started falling, she activated her Quirk, giving herself a spin. Soon enough, she was encased in a fire tornado that rose to the sky and blasted all of the students in the vicinity away.

As soon as she landed, she was assaulted by a tall guy with a mask, whose hands could turn into scissors. She grabbed her staff at the last second, blocking his attack just in time, and the both of them engaged in battle. She kicked him in the chest but, as she did so, she noticed another student closing in on her.

He was aiming for the target in her back.

Well, he's in for a surprise alright.

She simply stood in place as the ball sailed her way. Then, as it was about to hit the target… it passed right through it. In fact, it passed right through her body, and landed on the ground before her.

"What- the hell was that!?" he protested.

She simply offered a peace sign and a cheeky grin, before jumping again, just in time to avoid some kind of earth wave.

So many people, so many Quirks, so many things to look out for… Kira's grin only widened, if possible. This is fun!

There suddenly was another earthquake, much stronger this time around, though she could easily tell it was only the repercussion of someone else's Quirk, who was using it in another location, farther from where she was.

Talk about being strong…

"Keep your head in the game!" snarled a girl, her claws slashing at her.

Kira crouched down to avoid it, and slammed her staff into the cat-girl's stomach. The breath knocked out of her lungs, the cat-girl stumbled back, hissing.

"I've got an even more aggressive kitty back home," snorted the ginger, rising back to her feet. "Trust me, you won't be able to surprise me."

But the girl then smirked. "Think so?"

However, the cat-girl's partner hadn't been all that subtle. And, when he threw his ball at the target on Kira's stomach, the ginger already knew what to expect. Instead of using her Fire Armor, the ginger encased her whole body in fire, burning the ball to a crisp.

Shoot, that's no good, she cringed. I need more people…

Her little ongoing fight had started to draw attention, though. More and more students were popping up, attacking from all sides. Soon enough, Kira was forced to move. She jumped and twirled and ran, all while blocking the attacks and the balls, and… she was having the time of her life.

"WHAT!? 120 examinees are now out! 120 have been taken out by a single person, who thereby passes the exam!" There was a moment of stillness on the battlefield. "Well then, you may consider me awake now. Quite the eye opener. And, seems things will only be hitting an even more frenzied pitch!"

"120 people eliminated, uh?" mused Kira, stretching her arms a little. "Guess we had the same kind of plan, whoever that person is… Well, I believe it's time for me to stop playing around, uh?"

"The hell are you blabbering about!?" snapped scissor-guy from earlier.

"Oh, you'll see."

Rather impatient to try it out, Kira summoned her fire sword. All students took a step back as she spun the dangerous weapon, which was basically her size, between her fingers. Once satisfied, she then took her stance, and lifted it above her head.

"She's about to do something!"

"Stop her!"

But all the balls thrown her way were simply passing through her targets and her body. Soon enough, all those present started to feel the heat building up. The wind picked up, and the balls were no longer passing through-they started spinning in the air. Her sword then turned to blue flames. The wind became stronger, the heat was becoming too much to handle for those who were the closest to her. They could all feel the power she was gathering in her flaming blade.

Her grin suddenly turned feral.

"Hell Blaze!"

She released all of the power at once. There was an explosion as the blue flames lashed out, reaching everyone in the area and even beyond it. There was a lot of screaming, but Kira ignored it as she focused on the balls themselves. Now that they were in her fire, she used it to control the direction they were sent flying to, and aimed them at the students.

When her attack finally died down, it was only to reveal a very singed ground, and numerous, unconscious bodies lingering around. None were really hurt, she had been careful about that, but they'd feel a few burns for a while.

And she was fairly convinced she eliminated at least two people.

"What is up with this year's batch!? T-the second person to pass… has eliminated ninety-seven examinees in a single blast!"

"Aw, I didn't beat the other one…" But she still was damn proud of herself.

Hell Blaze could have two functions: a wide-range attack, and a close-range attack. Otherwise said, it was adapted so that she could either aim it at a group of targets, or at a single target.

Using it as a wide-ranged attack like she just did allowed her to expand her range, meaning she could attack more people and still control her flames fairly well. However, that also meant it stretched her control very thin and, had she not taken them by surprise, she had no doubt most would have actually been able to avoid it. It also put a greater strain on her body.

Using it on a single target was more of a killer move, literally. It meant that all of the power she had been gathering in her sword, instead of spreading out like it had just done, would have been focused on a single target. She didn't have much control over it yet, hence why she didn't want to use it that way, but it was still a good super move.

"Now that you've passed, please head to the anteroom," a voice suddenly ordered her through the target on her hand.

"Right…" She glanced at the students who had taken her on. Most were completely knocked out, a few were still conscious but unable to fight any longer. "Err… sorry about that! No hard feelings, okay?"

I may have gone a bit overboard, she winced, walking away. But hey, I showed off my super moves, and I'm the second person to pass, so I guess it was worth it.

Just hope they won't take it personally.

---

.

.

When Kira reached the anteroom, she found none other than that Inasa guy from earlier now chilling near the table with the snacks. He had a rather somber look on his face, something she found unusual considering the cheerful nature he had showed them earlier.

Wonder what's gotten into him. He's the first to pass, so I don't really know what could have gotten him down in the dumps…

"Oh, you're that girl from her earlier!" he suddenly spotted her. Before she could even think of escaping, he was before her, back to his normal self. "I wished to thank you again for your kindness from earlier!"

"Don't make a big deal out of it," she shook her head. "And please don't bow again, else you'll hurt yourself. Again."

"You're the one who eliminated ninety-seven examinees, uh?" he remarked, as energetic as the first time they met. "That's so cool! U.A. really has strong people, uh? And you're a freshman, just like me! That's awesome!"

"Well, not as awesome as eliminating 120 of them," she pointed out, now faintly amused. "Mind if I ask what's your Quirk?"

He grinned a little at that, and she suddenly felt a breeze in her back.

Next thing she knew, her braid slapped her in the face.

"Ah ah," she deadpanned, pushing it away. "I'm dying of laughter."

He had the decency to look somewhat sheepish. Shaking her head, she then made her way to the snacks, Inasa hot on her tail.

"I don't think we've been properly introduced, uh?" she then mused, grabbing some cookies. She felt kind of tired, and wanted some sugar. She extended her hand to him. "I'm Suttoki Kira."

"My name is Inasa Yoarashi!" He answered excitedly, shaking her hand firmly. She winced at the overly strong grip, his shaking making her arm sore. "It's really nice to meet you! I was impressed by your battles during the Sports Festival too! I couldn't stop shaking in my seat!"

"Can't believe you still remember that…" she snorted as he finally released her, drinking some water. "I won't settle for third place next time, though. I'm aiming for the gold!"

"Hot-blooded, uh? I love hot-blooded people, they make damn good Heroes, I think!"

She chuckled at that. "You're really straightforward, uh? You'll surely become a great Hero, with that kind of attitude."

"THANK YOU VERY MUCH!"

The doors opened, letting enter the third and fourth examinees to pass. Instantly, Inasa went to them, and engaged them into a heated conversation.

He's really open with everyone, she smiled, drinking some more water. That's kind of nice, though I do wonder what he could have been thinking about earlier…

She went to sit on one of the chairs, mindlessly twirling her braid between her fingers. As she got comfortable, though, her mind wandered back to her friends.

I did kind of abandon them, uh? She cringed, feeling a little guilty. Guess I'll have to make it up to them… Though, I do hope they all pass. Only the first hundred, uh? And I cleared it with a second place… Understanding suddenly dawned on her, and she slumped in her seat. That means I have to wait here for the rest of the exam!? Damn it…

Well. This was going to be boring.

---

.

.

The room had been slowly filling with people for a short while when, finally, a familiar face walked in. Kira instantly jumped from her seat, almost flying through the room as she reached her friend.

"SHOTO!"

He blinked, a little startled. "Kira?" He then frowned. "Weren't you with the others?"

"Uh? Oh, I left just after you," she admitted. "Easier to use my abilities, you know?"

"I see. When did you get here?"

"Actually, I scored second place," she informed, a little smug.

Understanding flashed in his eyes. "You're the one…"

"Yup! Pretty neat, uh?" She let a few sparks fly off her fingers. "Damn, I love my Quirk…"

At that, his eyes softened a little, and he found himself smiling. Somehow, when he was with her, he always felt like smiling.

"I know you do."

---

.

.

"Yo, Yaomomo! Suki-chan! Jiro-chan! I'm like, super pumped! And damn, weren't you a little fast, guys!?" exclaimed Ashido.

After a while, they had been joined by some more of their friends. And now, another little group of Class A had made it passed the first round of the exam.

"We ourselves just got here," precised Shoji. "Todoroki and Kira-san were fast, though."

"I thought Bakugo would already be here for sure, but now it makes sense why he wasn't," mused Jiro. "You were with him, Kaminari!"

"What did you say!? You go sit in the corner!" snapped the blond.

"The key to release the targets is over there, plus they told us to put the ball bags on the returns shelf with them," informed Tsuyu.

"So there's twelve of us here, then…" counted Shoto.

"Eight more from Class A to go," confirmed Kirishima. He then glanced at Kira. "Who got here first?"

She grinned proudly. "I did! I scored second place!"

"No way!"

"You're the one who got the ninety-seven!? How the hell did you do that!?" gaped Kaminari.

"Meh. I'm just that awesome."

While the two of them tried to get answers from the ginger, she couldn't help but wonder about the eight who were left. There weren't that many places left, would they all be able to make it?

We can only hope so.

---

.

.

"WE DID IT!"

The twenty students from U.A. had passed. They actually managed that feat, no matter how impossible it had seemed for a moment. They were now all gathered in the anteroom, taking a moment to celebrate this small victory. Having an entire class actually pass to the next phase was practically unheard of, after all.

"Ahem, all right everyone…" Mera's voice echoed, drawing all's attention to the screens on the walls. "Please watch."

"It's the field," recognized Izuku.

"Wonder what's gonna-0"

There suddenly was a gigantic explosion, followed by many others. Then, all of the buildings, all of the areas, everything of the field… was turned to dust, as it all crumbled to the ground.

"WHY!?"

"The next exam is the last! You will all act as bystanders… and conduct rescue operations at a disaster site!"

"Ooh…"

"As bystanders?" echoed Mineta, confused.

"Yeah, you know, as people who just happened to be there," precised Jiro. "We did it as a lesson once, remember?"

"The term can also simply refer to the general public, of course, but…" Yaoyorozu trailed off, unsure.

"You will not be acting as ordinary citizens, but as people who have already secured a provisional license. This will be a test of your aptitude for rescue operations."

Shoji narrowed his eyes at the screen before them. "There are people over there."

"Say what!? Old people and little kids!? What are they doing? It's dangerous!" protested Sato.

"They're all in very high demand for all sorts of drills as Pros at needing rescue! They're the staff of the Help Us Company, of H.U.C for short! The folks of HUC are on standby all over the field disguises as casualties, and it's your mission to extricate them. Now, this time, you and your rescue efforts will be graded via points. If, at the end of the exercise, you have exceeded the watermark score, you will have cleared the exam. The test starts in ten minutes, so go use the facilities now if you need to use the…"

"Izuku, are you okay?" inquired Kira, noticing her best friend frowning.

"I'm just wondering… if they're modeling this after Kamino," he admitted.

"Probably," she nodded, having thought of it earlier. "And, whether we like it or not, it's really the best model they could pick. There were a lot of casualties during the incident, after all."

"Right… Kicchan, let's give it our best shot!"

She laughed. "You know it!"

While the examiners started preparing the field for the second part of the exam, everyone was resting some more. The U.A. students were talking between themselves, speculating about what they would have to do, when the Shiketsu kids approached them.

They stopped before the still-pissed off bomber.

"Hello there, Bakugo," greeted one of them, completely covered in… hair? Fur?

"What do you want?" he grunted.

"Shishikura… The slant-eyed guy, did he come after you?"

"Yeah… and I knocked him out," replied the boy, somewhat defiantly.

"I knew it," sighed the hairy boy. "He must have been all manner of rude to you, and hurt your feelings."

Hurt Spikey's feelings? Kira coughed to hide her laugh. I'd say it's usually the other way around.

"He tends to push his own values on others, you see," pursued the Shiketsu kid. "He probably went nuts at the sight of a famous kid like you. But, you see, I want to build a good relationship with U.A. from here on out. Thus, we deeply apologize."

"A… good relationship…?" echoed Mineta, shaking in his boots.

"A good relationship… It really didn't seem that way, though," muttered Izuku.

"Sure thing!" simply beamed Kira.

"Kira!" protested her friends in a single voice.

"What? He said they wanted to start over, right?"

"You're way too open to people," Kaminari sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.

The ginger simply shrugged. It was true, but who could blame her? Even though she worked on her own, she hated being lonely. So, she had simply grown into the habit of being friendly with people.

"Best regards, then." And on that, the Shiketsu kids walked away.

"Wait," however called Shoto. "You, with the hat."

Kira facepalmed. They all have hats, Shoto.

But Inasa seemed to understand he was the one being addressed to, for he stopped in his tracks.

Shoto frowned slightly. "Did I… do something?"

After a moment of stillness, the tall boy turned to face Shoto. He was towering over him and, had it been anyone else, Kira might have been worried for her friend. However, in the little time she had known Inasa, she had come to understand that he was serious about being a Hero, and that he had a code of honor.

Though the face he was making now was kind of scary.

"I'm really sorry to say this, oh son of Endeavor…" he then stated, rather harshly. "But I don't like either of you."

Wow, prejudiced much? Didn't think he had it in him to dislike someone.

"Something about you has changed a little since then, sure, but those eyes… They're the same as Endeavor's," he practically spat.

The ginger frowned as she noticed the slight flinch of her friend. Deciding to interfere before things got out of hands, she went to stand besides Shoto, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, and looked up to Inasa.

"I think that's enough for now, Inasa-san," she remarked, more coldly. His eyes widened a little at her defensive tone, obviously not expecting it. "I'd appreciate if you didn't insult my friend, even less after saying you want to have a 'good relationship' with us."

"… right." And on that note, he spun on his heels and left.

They watched him go for a moment, before Shoto glanced at her.

"I could have handled it."

"I know, but I decided to step in anyway," she hummed.

"… thank you."

"No problem! Though, do you know why-"

WEEEEEEE~OOOOOO! WEEEEEEEE~OOOOOO!

All students jumped at the sudden alarm that was blasting their eardrums out.

"A terrorist attack by Villains has unfolded! The scope of the damage encompasses the entirety of X City, and the collapsed buildings have injured a great many!"

The anteroom started opening up, just like the first room had done at the first phase.

"The damage to the road is severe, causing considerable delays to the first-responders! The Heroes on the scene must lead the rescue efforts until they make it there. Save as many lives as you can, even if it's just one!"

Kira stayed frozen in spot for a second, still a little caught by surprise. Then, shaking it off, she too started running towards the destroyed areas. As she made her way to the nearest building, though, she instantly noticed how easily the students of other schools seemed to handle the situation. They were careful when making their decisions, and they actually knew what to do.

We've been focusing on getting stronger, and not on working along with other people, like the police force or the firefighters, because it was more urgent to gain power, she realized, frowning. But that won't do here. As Heroes, our first job isn't to fight Villains: it's to save people.

She didn't know the normal procedures. She hadn't studied them much and, saved for some basic knowledge of first aid, she didn't know a lot about rescues. However, she did know how to do one thing.

Fire. I need to find the fires. They obviously have areas for all kinds of scenarios, so they'll surely have one or two around. She stopped running, focusing on sensing the flames. After a few seconds, she finally spotted what she was looking for. There!

"Fire Rocket!" She propelled herself in the air, aiming for the building. It was slowly being devoured by flames, and obviously was about to collapse.

"HELP US!"

Oh my God, these HUC guys are crazy, she sweatdropped, landing. She looked up to see an old man and a kid waving at her from the window. Are they-

"Help me, I'm stuck!" That was another old man, under the debris of a near building.

Her heart missed a beat.

If I go in the building to save the two, the fire will spread and the one stuck will be caught in it. If I try to save the guy first, then I'll be too late to save the others from the fire. She gritted her teeth. I can't do this alone!

Raising her palm to the sky, she fired three fire balls. They flew high, high enough for anyone in the arena to spot, and she sincerely hoped someone would notice. She did three more times, at a calculated interval, before three students finally showed up. She recognized them as Shindo, Nakagame and another one from earlier.

"You're U.A.'s-"

"Not the time!" she cut the black-haired boy off. "Two people inside, one under the debris. I'll handle the fire, can you guys save them?"

Understanding now wasn't the time for questions, they nodded firmly, and the Shindo instantly directed his two friends into the building, while himself ran for the old man. Sighing in relief, Kira then put all of her focus on the task at hand.

I did this before, and I'm stronger now. She breathed in deeply, before snapping her eyes open. I can do this!

She started gathering the flames. Pulling them off the building, as many at the time as she could, she kept on taking them away. She started with the floor where the two civilians were stuck, so as to make sure they wouldn't be injured, and then started dealing with the fire below them. It took her a minute, maybe two, before all of the flames were finally taken out and floating above her head in a fireball twice her size.

She pushed it up, until it was far enough in the sky to dissipate safely. As soon as it disappeared, her arms dropped to her side, and she coughed a little, a drop of blood escaping her nose. She wiped it away with a cringe.

Note to self: work on that move before using it again.

"I got him!" called the black-haired boy, pulling the old man from under the debris. He quickly joined her. "You good?"

"I'm fine!" she assured, before turning to the building. A second later, his two companions ran out, the two civilians in their arms. "They're here!"

The ginger quickly met up with them, already pulling out some breathing masks. She had had Hatsume prepare them for her, in case she ever faced such a situation.

"They might not be injured, but they breathed the smoke," Kira pointed out when noticing the other students' wondering stares. She finished placing it on the kid's face. "It might not be necessary, but better be safe than sorry."

"R-right!"

Shindo watched as she placed another mask on the elderly's face, obviously puzzled.

"Why did you signal for help? You're not getting any points since you didn't execute the rescue," he then remarked.

"Maybe," she admitted, finishing up. She then pulled out some bandages. "But in the situation I found myself facing, I couldn't deal with it alone. Had this been a real situation of rescue, I wouldn't have been able to save them. And, frankly, rescuing people is more important than the glory that comes with it. If I can help, then I will. Simple as that."

She finished bandaging the leg of the other elderly, the one that Shindo had just rescued, and then rose back to her feet.

"We should be able to move them safely. You guys okay for bringing them back? I'll keep going and spot as many people as I can."

"I'll come with you," nodded Shindo. "Guys, take them back to the first-aid station. Keep moving in group."

"Hai!"

They grabbed the three HUCS, and instantly darted away. Kira and Shindo exchanged a nod, before starting to run into the opposite direction.

"Why aren't you working with your friends of U.A.?" he wondered.

"Fire's the only thing I can really help with, and I sensed it from the anteroom, so I kind of just dashed ahead of them," she shrugged. "I wouldn't be able to do anything in, for example, a flood situation. Why go somewhere where I'd only be a liability? Plus, Heroes often work with Heroes from other Agencies. If can only work with my friends, then that's no good." She then offered him a small smile. "But hey, as long as we can save people, right?"

He let out a disbelieving laugh at that. "And you're just a freshman? Makes me feel kind of bad to work for points, now."

"Don't be," she shook her head. "Everyone's got their reasons. My own aren't as noble as people tend to believe."

"You're working hard just to help people, not caring about what you get in return. How is that not noble?" he snorted.

"Trust me, you'd be surprised."

They reached another collapsed building. There was a kid stuck under a pole, which was however supporting numerous debris.

"We need to break the pole if we want to pull him out," he remarked, checking the grounds to make sure it was safe. "But we'll have to move fast."

"HELP ME~!" wailed the kid.

"We're coming, don't worry!" she assured. She turned to Shindo. "I can cut the pole, you pull the kid?"

"You can cut…" He trailed off as a blade made of fire suddenly appeared between your hands. "That's really cool."

"Thanks! Anyway, let's get going!"

"Right!"

They moved quickly. Kira took her position, offering a smile at the kid as she brandished her sword.

"Ready?"

"Hai!"

"Then on my signal." Shindo grabbed the kid's arms. "One… two… three! Now!"

She sliced through the pole as if it was butter. As soon as the kid was freed, Shindo pulled him out, and the three of them instantly backed away as the debris crumbled, lifting a cloud of dust.

"I'll bring him back to the medical area," she told her new partner, pulling a candy from her pocket and handing it to the kid. "You keep on going."

"Sure thing. I'll send people your way if you use the same signal as before," he proposed.

She nodded, picking up the child, and then took off. She'd rather not risk using her Fire Rocket when having a passenger with her, not knowing what kind of effect it might have on him.

"I gotta know, though," the kid then mused, licking the lollipop. "Do you always carry candies around?"

"Never know what you might run into," she shrugged, before smiling a little. "Plus, it's easier to move when those you're evacuating aren't panicking. Candies are just a mean to calm them."

"Well thought," agreed the HUC.

They finally reached the medical camp. As soon as she handed him over to one of the nurses, she started running again. It wasn't long before she stumbled upon a group from another school, who were having some difficulties.

"I can't reach him!"

The man was hanging from some sort of cliff created by the collapsed building. The students were trying to reach out, but none had a Quirk suited for that kind of situation. At the same moment, the girl spotted Mineta, who was running around and, frankly, being kind of useless.

"Oi, Mineta!" she called. "Come give me a hand!"

"M-me!?"

"Hurry!"

"R-right!"

She quickly explained the situation, and he soon understood what she wanted him to do. Handing over her staff, he stuck his hand to it thanks to one of his balls, before she started lowering him over the edge. As soon as he reached the HUC, he grabbed his shirt with another of his balls.

"We're good!" he called.

"I'm pulling you up!"

But, as she tried to do so, she found herself stumbling at the sudden weight. Mineta barely weighted anything, but the same couldn't be said of the civilian they were rescuing.

Shit!

Before herself could slip, though, two furry arms suddenly passed around her shoulders, grabbing her staff. She looked up to see none other than the hairy Shiketsu kid from earlier.

"Let's pull together, at your signal."

"R-right!" She refocused. "And… pull!"

This time, they did manage to pull them up. Instantly, two other students rushed forward to help the elderly, while Mineta freed them both from the staff. Kira put it back to her belt and was about to move again when she was suddenly hit over the head by the old man's cane.

"Ow! What the hell?"

"That was recklessly done! Points ducked!" he exclaimed shrilly.

"Oops…"

And on that note, the man was lead away to the first-aid station. Kira watched him go, rubbing her head with a scowl, before glancing back to the Shiketsu student who had helped her.

"Thanks for the support. I'll keep going now."

He simply nodded, and she was off yet again.

In the following five minutes or so, Kira signaled the position of different casualties, considering she was unable to help them on her own most of the time. After some hesitation, the rest of the students had grown used to the random fire balls flying to the sky, and now rushed wherever they spotted them, understanding it was much quicker than looking aimlessly around.

It was… a surprisingly good system. It was basic, but it worked. And soon enough… well, the rest of the examinees started being more open to the idea of working with other schools.

"We need some super strength!"

"Can anyone give us some light?"

"There's someone stuck here!"

"Bring the support type Quirks!"

"Can someone move the boulder?"

Kira couldn't catch a break. She was constantly on the move, either providing whatever help she could, or bringing the HUCS to the medical area. She crossed path with her friends more than once, but all were focused on the task at hand.

At the presnet moment, she had met yet again with Shindo and the both of them were running towards yet another collapsed building when, suddenly, there was an explosion.

They stopped in their tracks.

"Your friend?" the boy inquired, lifting an eyebrow.

"No," she however frowned, looking back. "Katsuki's hotheaded, but far from stupid. He wouldn't use his Quirk so recklessly…" She trailed off, paling a little.

"What is it?"

"The first-aid station," she blurted out. He stiffened. "Is anyone protecting the medical area?"

"I- I don't know, I don't think so?"

"We're in a terrorist attack simulation," she remarked, starting to run again. This time, though, she was heading towards the medical camp. "They're bound to come back to make even more damage!"

"Shit!"

"I'm going ahead!" she warned. "Rally whoever you can find!"

"Understood!"

Taking a deep breath, Kira then used her Fire Rocket, and vanished from sight.

"Villains have appeared out of the woodworks to give chase! All would-be Heroes on the scene, kindly suppress the Villains while at the same time continuing relief efforts."

Kira was now falling, her sword brandished over her head and ready to make some damage to the Villains. She recognized Gang Orca and members of his Agency, and couldn't help but wonder how she'd fair against the Pro Hero.

Her flames flickered blue.

"Hell Blaze!"

All of the members of Gang Orca near her were blasted away. She swiftly landed back on her feet, the sword vanishing, but she didn't take the time to rest and instantly made a wall of flames rise between the Villains and the first-aid station.

"Izuku!" she barked at the green-haired boy behind her, who was frozen in shock. "Evacuate everyone as fast as possible! I'll hold them back, just-"

"That's kind of flashy, but still too weak," suddenly grunted a voice.

And through her flames jumped the leader himself.

Shit! Gotta get away! She did listen to Izuku's rants about Heroes most of the time, after all. She knew what the Pro could do. His attack-

As she backed away, though, Shindo suddenly ran passed her.

"Make sure everyone takes refuge! I'll hit them with a barrage of single-second interval earthquakes!"

"Wait-"

"I won't let you come any closer!"

His attack effectively blocked the approach of another few Villains, but Gang Orca easily withstood it. Before Kira could get to him, the boy was already knocked out by the Pro's supersonic move.

"Damn it! Shindo!" She was about to run back and try to get him out of the way when, suddenly, spikes of ice sprouted from the ground and nearly impaled their opponent. "S-Shoto!"

"Sorry it took so long," he simply stated.

Ojiro, Tokoyami and Ashido also arrived, ready to help. While they explained the situation, the ginger wasted no time in grabbing Shindo and dragging him out of harm's way.

He's completely out of it, uh?

Suddenly, all of the ice flew in pieces. Kira gaped as none other than Inasa suddenly appeared amongst the destruction, his winds swirling around threateningly.

"A Villain invasion!? My, now, aren't things getting heated!?" His eyes then landed on Shoto, and he grimaced. "To think I'd bump into you here…!"

"You…" muttered Shoto. "Why don't you go help evacuate the station? Your Quirk's perfect for it, right? Leave this to us."

"Tche…"

Almost too well synchronized, they both attacked at the same time. Kira simply facepalmed, not knowing how they suddenly ended up acting as complete morons.

Shoto's fire obstructed Isana's wind, and both attacks completely missed their target.

"Why'd you gotta shoot fire!?" snapped the tall boy. "Heat makes wind rise up, damn it!"

"He blocked my ice attack before, that's why," replied the dual-haired teen, gritting his teeth. "You acted after I started using my fire, didn't you? So in my eyes, your wind blew away my flames!"

"You're the one cancelling out my moves so I don't get any credit!"

"What!? Who would even-"

"You would! Wouldn't put anything passed a kid of Endeavor's!"

"What… is your deal?" spat Shoto. "This whole time, you… My father has nothing to do with-"

He was suddenly hit in the chest by one of Orca's subordinates' attack.

"Boom, cement gun!" cheered the Villain. "It'll harden in no time and make it harder for you to move!"

"This is absurd!" added one of his companions. "Is now really the time to pick a fight- oof!"

He stumbled back as Kira fell back into a defensive stance, twirling her staff. "Depends with whom," she agreed, gritting her teeth. "Guys, what the hell!? Stop fighting with each other!"

"It's got everything to do with it!" snapped Inasa, completely ignoring her. "To me, being a Hero means being heated! It takes a heated man's heart to give the people hope, to rouse their emotions!"

As Inasa ranted about is sad backstory –note the sarcasm-, Kira decided to focus on the current matter at hands, and started battling the henchmen. She was avoiding their attacks the best she could, but got hit in the chest by one of the cement guns. She instantly covered her whole body in flames, melting it down.

Trying to use her inattention against her, another tried to punch her. She crouched at the last second and his fist passed above her shoulder. She instantly grabbed his arm, spun around and brought her knee into his guts, before throwing him above her head and slamming him into the ground.

Another fist, aimed at her face… simply passed through her fire armor.

"So not fair," cringed her opponent.

She didn't let him linger on it any longer, kicking him aside with some enhanced strength in her leg.

"Watch out!"

Her eyes suddenly widened as she was snapped back to reality by the warning. Shoto and Inasa obviously hadn't gotten over their little spat, and had tried attacking again but, this time, it got out of control.

The ball of fire that had formed was flying straight at Shindo, who was barely waking up and who obviously wouldn't be able to avoid it in time.

"No!"

For any who was watching her, all they saw was her braid suddenly turning to fire, before the girl vanished. Her speed enhanced by her emotions and the intense heat she had just gathered, she appeared just in time between the attack and Shindo. She raised her palms and the gigantic fire ball stopped in place, barely a few centimeters away. She gritted her teeth as she felt the fire push against her, its power enhanced by the wind.

"Kira-san…" Shindo gaped, eyes wide.

"What the hell…" Now really angry, she abruptly spread her arms. The ball of fire instantly divided itself in two, passing on each side of the two students, and leaving deep mark burns into the concrete. "DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?"

There was a moment of stillness as both Inasa and Shoto gaped at her in mild horror, still under the shock of how badly things could have just ended.

"You think this is a fucking game!?" She exclaimed, sparks flying off her fingers and her braid waving around angrily in her back, still made of fire. "Stop messing around already! Had I not been here, he could have been seriously injured because you guys were too fucking stupid to see beyond yourselves! Keep your goddamn issues off the battlefield, or don't fight at all, you hear me!?"

"Kira…" Shoto didn't know what to say. He had never seen the ginger this genuinely angry. And at him, of all people! "I'm-"

"Not. Now," she grunted through her teeth. Waving her hands around, she started gathering some remaining flames. "Get out of my way, I'll handle this. Help evacuating."

"But-"

"Now!"

The dual-haired boy could do nothing but watch as the ginger jumped into the fray yet again, not even looking at him as she passed by. He could tell she was disappointed, hell, anyone present could tell… but he didn't know disappointing a single person could hurt so much.

No, not just a person.

It's her.

What had he been thinking? They were in the middle of a serious fight. Even if this was an exam, a battle was no place for getting sidetracked in personal matters. He should have handled this with more professionalism. But now? Not only had he risked getting another student hurt, but he had also greatly angered someone he considered a very close friend.

And now… He looked down at his hands. Now I understand why that kid's been bothering me… He's that kid, from the Entrance Exams… Why couldn't I remember him right away? And somebody this loud too! It's because… I wasn't looking his way, not really. It's because "opposing Endeavor" was all I was about… Whether it's my past… or my blood… I can't just keep going with all of it forgotten.

Kira… she tried to tell me, but I wouldn't listen…

::

"You are rejecting yourself. What he did… is unforgivable. And I… I don't know what you've been through because of that man. I'll surely never understand what you have lived, or how you're feeling… But whatever happened, whether you like it or not, this Quirk is a part of who you are. This isn't his Quirk, Todoroki-kun, it's yours. And with it, you can do as you please. You want him to go fuck himself? You want- you want to make him pay for what he did, even? Then do it, by using all of the tools at your disposal."

::

He was snapped out of his thoughts as, suddenly, Gang Orca stood up. Without warning, he knocked out Inasa thanks to his supersonic attack. And, before Shoto could understand what exactly was happening, he found himself trapped in the man's grip.

Shit... He gritted his teeth as he realized he couldn't move.

::

"What the hell… DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?"

::

She's right. I became… what I hated! My actions are what invited something like this to happen. I've… I've gotta make things right!

Completely unaware of what was going with her friend, Kira was still occupied with fighting off the subordinates at the best of her abilities. However, she couldn't use Hell Blaze again, what with the civilians being in her range, and her sword was starting to take its toll on her.

"Get passed her!"

"No you don't!" She made another wall of fire rise. However, as she did so, she was hit twice by the cement guns, and her right arm and leg were suddenly stuck to the ground. "Fuck!"

A dozen of them instantly ran passed her, while the rest stayed behind to try and keep her down. As she tried to melt the cement again, she saw one of her opponents running at her, ready to land a strike. Panicking, she coated her fist in fire and swung it at his face. Before it could hit, though, she was however hit behind the head, rather harshly at that. Dark spots danced before her eyes as she swayed in place.

"Shit!" cursed one of Gang Orca's.

"Did you have to hit her that hard?" added another.

"I panicked!" protested a third man, the one who had landed the blow.

"Err, are you okay, kid?" wondered a fourth.

Before they could bicker any longer, though, the ground suddenly shook and cracked, blasting them away. Finding back some focus, the ginger finished melting down the cement. As soon as she was freed, she brought an hand to the back of her head, only to pull away red-coated fingers.

"Well, they sure don't hold back, uh?" she winced, still a little dizzy.

An hand suddenly presented itself to her, and she looked up at Shindo, startled.

"Need a hand?" he half-joked.

"You have no idea."

She grabbed his hand, and he pulled her back to her feet. She cringed a little when feeling a sharp pang in the back of her head, but ignored it and spun on her heels to face the knocked down Villains.

"Okay, guys." She slammed her fists together, encasing them in fire. "Who the hell just hit me?"

Those who could still move instantly pointed fingers at the one standing just before her. Before the man could even think of escaping, she spun her staff and slammed hit over his head, effectively rending him unconscious.

"Now that that's done…" She muttered, glancing at the group that had managed to escape her. They had almost reached the civilians, but Izuku had taken the lead on that front. "Let's go help him-"

"Or not," deadpanned the black-haired teen as the Villains suddenly started getting back up, effectively surrounding them. They ended up back to back. "Let's handle those first. You any good in hand-to-hand fighting?"

"Please," she scoffed, slamming her staff into the ground. "I could kick your ass any time."

He snorted at that, cracking his knuckles. "Sure you can back up that attitude?"

Without warning, she slammed her staff straight in the guts of the nearest attacker. He stumbled back, coughing, before dropping to the ground, down for the count.

"Yup!" she grinned cheerfully. "Pretty sure I can."

This time, Shindo laughed. Then, he slammed his fists into the ground, sending another earthquake. Kira, seeing it coming, moved along with the attack, and used the Villains' surprise to knock down a few. However, they knew her little tricks by now, and most tried to trap her with the cement guns before she could reach them. She however knew their tricks too, and so avoided their attacks with practiced ease.

She blocked two of Gang Orca's men, who had apparently decided to work together to bring her down. Struggling a little under their combined strength, she was about to use her Quirk to get rid of them –not literally, of course- when someone suddenly tapped on their shoulders.

They turned around, only to find Shindo, who was grinning a little maniacally. He grabbed their heads, and slammed them together.

"Thanks for the save," beamed the ginger as the two attackers crumbled to the ground, moaning in pain.

He offered a military salute, making her laugh. Despite the situation, it was hard not to have some fun. Her laugh however died down as she suddenly felt the presence of another source of fire. She instantly snapped her eyes to the right. In the distance, she could now see a gigantic tornado of fire forming.

Shoto… and Inasa…? They're working together…? Frankly, she hadn't expected much of them after their stunt from earlier. Who would've thought they'd learn so quickly? About time, though.

"Hey! Behind! Look behind us!" suddenly exclaimed one of the Villains.

"The boss has been enclosed in a whirlpool of fire!"

"Isn't this kinda bad!?"

"Our Orca-like boss… is extremely weak against dryness!"

Kira facepalmed at that. "Tell me he's kidding. I could have taken him out all along?"

Shindo simply patted her shoulder in comfort.

The Villains tried to go and help their boss by stopping Shoto, and Kira had to violently suppress the urge of going to help him. He was her friend, but he could take care of himself. Plus, she was still mad at him.

He used both his left and his right side at the same time, though, effectively defending and attacking all at once. Thanks to that, the subordinates were now extremely confused, disoriented. The Heroes had the advantage over their leader, they couldn't get passed the two kids, and those who had managed earlier were now beaten to a pulp by other students who kept on popping out like daisies. The evacuation was complete, so more to-be Heroes were free to fight.

"I think we'll be done soon," mused Kira, activating her sword. "Up for a flashy entrance?"

Shindo grinned at that. "You know it!"

Using his Quirk, he created them a literal wave of earth, that carried them towards the fighting. The way they arrived effectively blocked the retreat route of the Villains, who were now stuck between them and the numerous other students.

"We're trapped!"

"Get them!"

"Where's the boss!?"

"There's no running away now!" exclaimed Kira, jumping from the wall of earth. She started falling on the henchmen, her hair flaming and her sword flickering blue. "Hell Blaze!"

She got most of them. Her friends knew the signal by now, so they had cleared the battlefield mere seconds before she unleashed her attack, taking the students from other schools with them. The attackers were thus blasted all around, many hitting harshly the wall of earth. Shindo wasted no time in making fall the last few who were still standing.

There was a moment of stillness as all waited, tensed, to see if any would dare to get up. None did, though.

"So… we won?" The ginger wondered, panting, adrenaline still pumping through her veins. "Wait, where's Izuku-"

WEEEEEEE~OOOOOO!

They all jumped at the alarm.

"Ahem… If I could have your attention please? All stationed members of the HUC have been rescued from the crisis area. This may be considerably selfish of me, but with that, I must bring these provisional license examinations… to a close!"

…

…

…

"IT'S OVER!?"

"After we tally the scores, I will present the results of the examination to you all here. Those who have suffered injuries, please direct yourselves to the medical office. The rest of you, please change back into your normal clothes and await further instructions. Thank you."

At first frozen in disbelief, Kira then let out a breathless laugh, and let herself fall to her knees, exhausted.

"You okay?" Shindo frowned, somewhat worried.

"Just… just a little tired," she admitted, chuckling a little. She then looked up to him, and beamed. "That was fun, uh? We should do that again some other time!"

At first startled by the proposition, he then found himself smiling back despite all. He was somehow… drawn, to the brightness that seemed to simply radiate from her.

"It was. Though… weren't you injured?" he then recalled. He gently pushed her head a little, checking behind it, and grimaced. "You're bleeding. They really hit you hard, uh?"

"I guess everyone got a little caught up in the simulation," she shrugged, cringing when another sharp pang throbbed in her skull. "Ouch…"

"Come on, I'll help you to the medical office," he proposed, pulling her up carefully.

"Wait, don't you want to go check on your friends? I can get there on my own-"

"Nan, I know they're fine," he replied, steadying her as she swayed a little in place. "Plus, I doubt you can even walk properly."

Her eyes flashed a little. "Don't patronize me. I can take care of myself."

Unimpressed, he lightly pushed her. It wasn't exactly a strong push, but she however stumbled back a few steps, barely keeping her balance, as if he had just punched her. Then, she fell back on her rear, unable to stand any longer as a wave of dizziness washed over her.

She groaned, a few stars dancing before her eyes.

"Jerk..."

"I know you can," he then assured, helping her up again. "But right now, you're injured. You're probably even suffering from a mild concussion, and I'll be damned if I let my newfound partner hurt herself even more just because she's stubborn."

"Partner…?" she echoed, placing an hand over her mouth as she scrunched her nose. "Okay, now I feel a little sick…"

"That's what I've been trying to warn you about," he sighed, exasperated. He grabbed her left arm and passed it around his neck, supporting her. "Come on, let's get going. And yes, partner. We made a pretty good team, don't you think? Both for the rescue and the fighting."

"Guess… guess you're right," she chuckled. They started making their way towards the exit. "Wait, I should probably warn my friends…"

"SUKI-CHAN!"

"Talk about the devils," she rolled her eyes. She however regretted that action as pain reverberated in her head. "Ow…"

"Are you okay?" Ashido suddenly appeared besides her. "What happened?"

"She's got a mild concussion, I think," answered Shindo before she could spout her usual 'I'm fine' lie. "I was bringing her to the medical office."

The pink girl gaped at him for a second, obviously dumbstruck, and simply nodded wordlessly. Taking that as her consent, the boy then started walking again, dragging Kira with him. The ginger waved to her friend, a little out of it by then.

"Hey, what's Kira doing?" wondered Jiro, appearing besides the pink girl.

Ashido was staring at them leave, gaping. She then suddenly snapped her eyes to the left where, in the distance, she could see Shoto standing. He too was staring at Kira's retreating back. Ashido then looked back to the black-haired boy who was half-carrying her friend while said friend laughed at one of his jokes.

"Err, Mina, you okay?" Jiro wondered, worried.

Ashido finally looked at her, tears in her eyes. "My ship's sinking~!"

The purple-haired teen facepalmed at that. "You're impossible."

"MY SHIP!"

In the distance, Shoto's attention was simply focused on the ginger, who had now left the arena with that Ketsubutsu kid. He had been planning on apologizing to her as soon as the exam was over, but it would seem it would have to wait. In a way, maybe it was a good thing. There was no doubt that she was still mad at him, after all, and maybe he should leave her some more time to calm down.

Still, though. Did that Ketsubutsu kid have to hold her so close? He knew Kira was open to people and a very touchy-feely person, but she barely knew the guy.

And she didn't even look at me…

He clenched his fist. There was a bitter taste in his mouth, one he recognized as failure. It wasn't how he felt about the exam, though, but more what he felt toward the ginger. He had failed her, hadn't he?

That thought made his guts churn painfully.

---

.

.

As thought, Kira suffered from a very light concussion. It was quickly treated, though, and she was soon back on her feet. She was still tired from the exam, but knew that all that was left was to wait for the results, and so wasn't really worried.

Maybe it sounded arrogant, but she knew she had passed with flying colors.

I only know of one time I was ducked points… Though, I can easily guess it wasn't the only thing they were evaluating.

Shaking her head, she finished changing back into her school uniform. When she stepped out of the locker room, it was only to find Shindo, who was waiting for her.

"What, can't live without me already?" she joked.

"Just want to make sure you're not gonna collapse on the way," he replied, rolling his eyes as they started walking. "It'd be pretty lame if you didn't get your license just because you were too stubborn and died alone in an hallway."

"Gee, thanks for the vote of confidence," she drawled.

He chuckled a little at that. They kept the light conversation going for a few more minutes, until they reached the arena. When they arrived, the hundred examinees that had gone through the second phase were already waiting. All of the collapsed buildings were nowhere to be found, and there wasn't a single trace that there had been a literal battlefield not even an hour before.

Shindo then turned to her. "Kira-san, I-"

"Oi, Kira!" Kaminari suddenly showed up. "There you are! Everyone's been looking for you!"

"Sorry, I was at the medical office," she replied, a little sheepish. She turned to Shindo, and bowed a little. "Thank you, for helping me. I'll see you around, okay?"

The black-haired boy simply nodded as the ginger left with her friend, who instantly started scolding her about acting recklessly and whatnot. He watched her until she disappeared in the crowd, regret instantly gripping his heart.

I should have asked…

"Ooh?" Nakagame Tatami was now besides him, popping out of nowhere. "Could it be… that she caught your eye?"

"W-what? I-"

"Shikkui-kun!" the girl called over their other friend, completely ignoring him. "Shindo-kun has a crush!"

"I do not!" he protested, the tips of his ears burning.

"I know," however replied the other boy, reaching them. "He kept looking at her since we met the U.A. kids in the parking lot."

Shindo scowled at that. "I haven't-"

"This is so cute! Come on, give me all the details!" pressed Nakagame.

"Stop it!"

As he tried to ward off his annoyingly persistent friends, Kira was fighting off her own, who simply wouldn't let the matter go.

"I told you guys: Shindo simply helped me to the medical office, and then walked me back here to make sure I was okay," she explained yet again. "It was simply a nice, friendly gesture-"

"Friendly? He was basically carrying you there. No one would do that for a stranger," snorted Kaminari.

"I would," huffed the ginger.

"Yeah, but you're a special case, Red One," pointed out Kirishima. "And Kaminari's right: no boy would do that just to be nice."

"You're a pretty girl with a strong character and a big heart," pointed out Yaoyorozu, smiling softly. "It would be no surprise for you to start receiving demands of courtship."

"My ship~!" Ashido wailed in the back.

"B-but it's not like that!" she protested, not knowing what more to say.

"Maybe not for you, but for a guy like that?" Sero raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, no, he's definitely interested."

"That's ridiculous!"

"Why is it such a bad thing?" wondered gently Ojiro.

"It's not! It just isn't like that!"

"Are you blind? That guy's definitely into you!" protested Mineta. "See? He's looking at you right now!"

"What?" Startled, she barely dared to look back, but she did. Her eyes almost instantly met Shindo's. She waved, before turning back to her friends. Then, she tensed as she realized her mistake. "That doesn't prove anything!"

"Poor, naïve, little Kira," sighed dramatically Kaminari, patting her head.

"Such a cute, innocent child," agreed Kirishima, patting her head too.

"I hate you guys," she groaned.

"I think it's kind of cute," smiled Uraraka reassuringly. "You should go and ask him out!"

"Are you crazy!? Look, I don't know how to put it more clearly: Shindo was being friendly. A boy and a girl can be friends without romance being involved, you know? He's not… interested, or anything like that, and I'm not either."

"Guys, if Kira-chan says it, then we should simply drop the matter," pointed out Tsuyu. Kira seriously wanted to kiss her right now, grateful. "Plus, it's not like she would be able to have a stable romantic relationship with someone outside of U.A., considering our numerous limitations."

At that, the rest of the students slumped in defeat, while Ashido cheered loudly in the back. Her ship was saved!

After a few seconds, Kira's scowl broke into a smile, and she muffled a snort.

"You guys are ridiculous."

"But that's why you love us!" beamed Kaminari, swinging his right arm around her shoulders.

"And that's why you won't get rid of us anytime soon, no matter how much we might annoy you!" added Kirishima, swinging his left arm around her shoulders.

Feeling a little evil, she harshly poked them both in the sides. They instantly let her go, rubbing the sore spots.

If there was one thing to know about Kira, it was that her pokes were really painful. You did not want to get poked by the fiery ginger considering that, more often than not, it left a bruise.

"Hello, everybody, and thank you for waiting." Mera suddenly appeared on the small stage, drawing everyone's attention. "You have all worked hard. I will now begin by presenting the results of the examination. But, before that, I have just a few words… In terms of how we went about evaluating you… Between us members of the Hero Public Safety Commission and our colleagues from the HUC, we had two system of point deduction that we combined to evaluate your performance. In short… we were examining both the quality and the nature of your conduct in situations of crisis. The names of those who passed the examination will be displayed here in alphabetical order. With all that in mind, please go ahead and review the results yourself…"

And on the screen behind him suddenly appeared all of the names. At first taken aback by how many there were, Kira then started looking for her name. After what felt like hours, she finally spotted it, and she released a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding.

"I did it…"

As the rest of her friends started cheering as they found their names, Kira started looking for Shoto's, though she knew deep down the answer already.

There was no 'Todoroki Shoto' on the list.

Thought as much.

She glanced to the dual-haired boy farther away. He seemed… resigned. Biting her lower lip, the ginger refrained the urge to go and comfort him. He had acted stupidly and those were the consequences.

And yes, she was still mad at him.

"WHERE THE HELL'S MY NAME!?"

Kira looked at Katsuki, surprised, before looking back at the screen. After a few seconds, she realized that he was right: his name wasn't on the list either.

Well, ain't that an interesting turn of events…

"TODOROKI!"

She stiffened as Inasa suddenly appeared before her friend. Should she intervene after all? If they started fighting again-

SLAM. "I'm sorry!"

Inasa had bowed, hitting his head on the ground as he did so.

"You failing to pass… It was all my fault! My lack of heart is entirely to blame! PLEASE FORGIVE ME!"

That stopped Kira in her tracks.

Shoto seemed startled for a second, before he sighed. "From the very beginning, this was a result of the seeds which I had sown… so cut that out. You really… gave it to me straight back there. And, thanks to that, there were some important things that I came to realize.."

"Todoroki-kun, you failed?" gasped Ashido.

"You're telling me two of our top three didn't make it?" added Sero, disbelieving.

"Todoroki-kun…" murmured Izuku.

"Ahem. All participants, have you had the chance to confirm your results? Moving right along, we will now distribute some handouts," announced Mera. "The specifics of your scoring are described there in great detail, so please do look over them carefully."

Guys in suits started handing them over. Kira looked around for a bit, unsure of whom was going to call her, when someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"Suttoki Kira?"

"Yup!" She grabbed the paper the man was handing her. "Thanks!"

"The cut off line was fifty points. We utilized a point reduction system to determine your scores. You can read over the various actions and behaviors which resulted in a deduction of your points, followed by how many points were deducted for each one," explained the examiner.

It would seem the only place I lost points was when I pulled the guy up with my staff, though I guess it was a rather risky action. There's a note praising the creativity of the move, though. They noted that I knew where to position myself to help the most, too. There's also another deeming me more of a fighter than a rescuer, and I can only agree with that. All in all, my total score is-

"Suki-chan!" Ashido exclaimed, practically bouncing in place. "How much did you get? How much? How much?"

"Err…" She glanced at her score, before grinning. "Ninety-seven." How ironic.

"WHAT!?"

"No way!" gaped Kaminari. "Ninety-seven!?"

She shoved her paper in his face, smug. He grabbed it, staring at her score, his jaw dropping to the floor.

"You're crazy strong," sweatdropped Sero.

Her grin only widened, and she took back her evaluation. "That means I'm now the top student, uh? Bow before my power! Muahah-"

"Don't let this get to your head," Kirishima replied, roughly ruffling her hair and effectively cutting off her evil laugh. "Plus, if anyone tried to bow before you, they'd have to do the same as that Inasa guy, considering how small you are."

Kira's eye twitched. "Did you just call me small?"

"Sure did!"

"I'm almost as tall as you!" she protested.

"Key word: almost," he replied mercilessly.

"Jerk."

"No, that's Bakugo."

She slumped in defeat while the rest of their friends laughed. It would seem picking on her was the must that day but, if it helped lift their spirits, then so be it. She had a feeling those moments would only get rarer as time went.

Mera suddenly started talking again. Kira only listened with one ear, not really paying attention as she glanced Shoto's way again.

What's gonna happen now?

---

.

.

It was announced that the students who had failed to pass would be allowed to take the exam in April, it they went through some extra training with the committee. So, now given second chance, they were ready to take on the challenge.

The others had all received their provisional licenses. Kira couldn't take her eyes off of hers, barely able to believe what she was seeing.

I have it. My provisional license. After all this time, all this work… I've finally taken a true, first step towards my goal of becoming a Hero.

"Are you all right, Kira-chan?" mused Uraraka as they stepped outside. It was time to return to the school. "You've been staring at your license ever since we got it."

"Frankly, I'm having a hard time not jumping and cheering as loud as I can," admitted the ginger, her eyes almost sparkling. "This is amazing! I can't wait to show it to Ren-" She cut herself off instantly.

Uraraka frowned slightly as the ginger's mood dropped noticeably, and placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I- I meant Nao-san! I can't wait to show it to Nao-san!" she then corrected herself, offering another smile to the brunette.

Even though the smile was forced, Uraraka didn't comment on it, and simply smiled back. "I'm sure he'll be proud of you."

"Thanks, Ochaco-chan. Anyway, have you shown your parents yet? From what you told me, I can guess they'll be overjoyed-"

"Ki- Kira-san!"

At the call, both girls turned around while the rest of their classmates stopped in their tracks, apparently curious as to what was happening.

Shindo reached them, panting a little.

"I- I wanted to… ask you something…"

"Err, sure? What is it?"

He took a deep breath, before straightening up. For a second, Kira noticed he was actually taller than her, though not by much.

He grabbed her hands, startling her, and she snapped her eyes to his.

"Kira-san, would you like to go on a date with me?"

…

…

…

"… eh?"

…

…

…

"EH!?"

---

The chapter wrote itself. If you guys have questions concerning her techniques, don't hesitate to ask. As for Shindo... Well, I thought 'why not?' and went with it. And don't worry! It does have a purpose. Anyway, I'll see you guys around for the next chapter, and don't forget to review!

Plus Ultra!