Chapter 102 - A Step Toward Perfection

Another day at UA was well underway, with All Might as their teacher for the afternoon class, he stated to his students with excitement. "Keep showing us what you've learned at your Work Studies!" This was the time to display their gradual improvements, be it significant or otherwise, every stepping stone mattered.

Across the battleground, a flatland of earth, everyone put on a show of their skillsets, some flashier than others as they gradually led up to the top four of the class, those working under Endeavor and who, as of recent online news, defeated a notorious villain that had eluded the authorities for years.

"Here goes..." Putting her reaction time to good use, Yuki launched off the ground faster than the eye could track, leaving a light-blue streak of lightning in her wake, the battle bots reduced to scrap at the ends of her blades. "Increasing my reaction time to multiple moving targets. And better mobility with Striking Exile!"

"Leveling up my abilities!" Katsuki left nothing in his wake, heating up his body to release a series of smaller explosions to tear through his own horde of machines in seconds.

"Increasing my speed!" Shoto used his ice as a skateboard while propelling himself through the battleground, decimating the opposition.

Izuku was the last, charging forward without hesitance. "One For All, Full Cowling!" Bumping up to fifty percent, his body leapt high into the air.

All Might saw this, taking all of it in. "It feels so long ago now, but you don't look back at me anymore, huh?" A proud smile adorned his features as his successor surpassed all expectations. "You don't have to look back. Go, young man!"

Raising his arm, Izuku threshed down the gauntlet, capturing scrap and robots with Blackwhip, tying them up into a tight ball. "Increasing my experience!" With a burst of air force at his back, he brought his right foot forward to pierce the ball, decimating them with St. Louis Smash Air Force.

He grinned brightly at his success, or until he realized something, his body was meeting the ground anytime soon. "Uh, Izuku!" Yuki waved him down, seeing him spin around with a little less drag before her mask's eyes dilated. "Oh, crap! Float!"

"W-what?" He blinked, suddenly appearing next to Yuki, or rather, she carried him bridal style after warping up to catch him. "Huh, what happened? Did I do something wrong?" She set him down and shook her head, tapping where her lips would be.

"Not really, but it happened again, Float triggered on its own," It was a good thing she noticed in time, with what Kovik said last time, if anything suspicious popped up now they'd be forced to face the music of hiding to their friends about One For All.

He put his hands together in gratitude. "Th-thank you, Yuki!"

She pulled her mask back with a smile, pecking his cheek. "It's why I'm here." Just that kiss and her smile put all other worries at bay.

After the small hiccup, the class mingled to comment about each other's success. "You've improved," Kirishima turned after chatting with Katsuki and Ashido to Rayla, the Guardian ruffling his spiky hair proudly. "And here you were worried you couldn't improve on your own, pretty sure you've done that long before I showed up."

"T-thank you so much!" He bowed his head, elated to hear that as Solaire appeared.

"Rayla was actually talking about giving you-" His shell was promptly covered by her hands, the ageless woman flustered as she laughed nervously.

"You sure are funny, Solaire, real comedian!" Her eyes glared at his, seeing it roll once before he kept his peace. Kirishima and Ashido both looked at one another, shrugging.

"Hey, Yuyu," Kyoka raised her hand to high-five Yuki with a smile and bored look as always. "Seems you got a handle on that new move, any luck with getting back to one hundred percent or we still taking an 'L' on that?"

"I'll take the letter, thank you," She slumped, opening and closing her hand with a mixture of confusion and frustration at her own blank mind. "I just don't understand, I've improved on every aspect I can think of, well, trying to anyway, what's stopping my progression?"

"The problem lies with you | On a level deeper than before | Of who you are becoming,"

SIVA appeared on Kyoka's shoulder, her jack prodding through his small sprite with a hum as the girls, and Izuku close to them, listened. "But I feel great! I don't have any real regrets concerning Kovik spying on us, Halimaka is still a little raw for me, but-"

"No | You proclaimed your friends a House | Deep down, you see yourself the Kell,"

That slowly knitted Yuki's lips together. The title of 'Kell' meant a leader of a Fallen House, and from SIVA's memories, she knew transparently how big of a title it was. You can't simply say you're a Kell, there's more to it, like a hero, sure, you can call yourself one but earning and being worthy of the name was another matter.

"Kell, huh? Not a bad name, right?" Kyoka shrugged but SIVA shook his head, causing the purplette to furrow her brow. "Well, then what's the issue? That jerk Kovik seems to like the name himself."

"Because if those that follow him deem it so | Then he is a Kell | Even if undeserved," Siva grumbled, arms crossed.

"...well, this is getting awkward, off you go!" Yuki slapped her hands around SIVA's sprite, dusting her hands off. But Kyoka heard it, the pensive twang in her words, and her heart rate had picked up. "Sorry 'bout that, he's a little annoyed by the idea of Kovik taking up the mantle and all."

"Sure..." Kyoka played with a jack around her finger. "Yuki, you're... okay, right? Like, about ever being called that?"

"It's fine, don't worry about it," Yuki smiled slightly, jogging over to Iida and Ochaco. Izuku stood by Kyoka as she crossed her arms with a flat stare.

"Red flag, Basil," She saw him nod.

"I'll talk to her later, I don't think it's a big issue," Izuku downplayed to Kyoka's frown.

"Really believe that?" She questioned, hearing him sigh.

"No, not really, Yuki's still sore about what happened to her old friend, plus Nakami losing his hand, and now the idea of being titled a Kell has her all on edge, a-atleast that's my take on it," Izuku replied carefully, watching the bluette laugh with Iida as he did his robot-arms. "I think that idea Siva mentioned might make her feel like she's holding herself back then, or something close."

"It's a puzzle, but thankfully you have a jack-of-all-trades key," Kyoka smirked, nudging his side.

"Really?" He blinked.

"Yeah, you, Cabbage Patch," Kyoka stated like it was obvious, seeing him sweatdrop.

"Are vegetables are you're ever going to call me?" He asked as she walked away with her hands behind her head.

"Until the day I die, Beansprout!" Yep, she was going to keep calling him those.

Just before Izuku could join with Yuki again, Sero and Kirishima. The latter lightly tapped his knuckle off Izuku's right shoulder blade. "Hey, way to go on getting a hold of that dark energy of yours, Midoriya!"

"Yeah, sorry for all the trouble I caused!" Izuku apologized for that incident, he still felt a little guilty considering he hurt Rayla, but the Guardian said she's been through worse, he wasn't feeling brave enough to ask what.

"Hey, no worries, can't be helped," Kirishima shrugged happily as Sero nudged the greenette's shoulder.

"Man, you're gonna make my quirk obsolete!" Sero joked.

Then Izuku remembered, moving toward Ochaco. "Uraraka!"

"Hm?" The two friends met face to face, Izuku holding his fist out proudly.

"I finally use it properly, so-" He bowed his head, recalling her saving him and Yuki from their quirks mingling together. "-thank you for everything you did back then."

She laughed, seeing Yuki flash her a smile. "Hey, it was like ages ago now! You know, I put these wires in because of that!" She shot one of the grapples from her gauntlet, the newest augment to her equipment. "I can't use them like Sero, but I turned that experience into something useful," Her confidence hadn't wavered, in fact, it only seemed to have grown from that point on, saving her closest friends from harm gave her so much more to train for.

"So the three of us improved," Yuki summed up, walking over to the pair. Ochaco nodded, holding her fist out to Izuku's surprised face at how forgiving the brunette was, but that was just Ochaco down to her core.

"Thanks," Izuku repeated, and the trio bumped fists.

As classes ended for the day, Katsuki and Izuku were just leaving from their chat with All Might about the other visages of One For All, a book with all known information on their lives, quirks, and other notes of interest. As Katsuki pointed out, all of them died young thanks to All For One.

With Izuku's improvements, he was already showing clear signs of All Might's mentor, Nana Shimura's quirk, Float. Katsuki had been pretty vocal again about that development, stating he would only get stronger as Izuku lagged behind. But with Danger Sense, Blackwhip, and now Float on the horizon, his progress would be steady.

"You should've come in," All Might suggested as the door shut, only now, his other student was present. "I'm sure you could've offered a good third view on Young Midoriya's progress."

"Not really," Yuki shrugged, taking a seat. "He's starting to handle a lot independently, he told me wanted to see what he could learn of on his own and asked only if really needed, I'm glad, feels like all our efforts are rubbing off on him."

All Might smiled, pouring her some tea. "I'm assuming you didn't just come here to talk about Young Midoriya, though hearing of your relationship is always a pleasant topic," He chuckled as her cheeks became pink, smiling dreamily for a moment. "Now, what's on your mind, Young Azuru?"

"...me," She whispered after taking a sip, staring at her murky reflection. "It's gonna sound dumb, but... I'm worried, and frustrated, and... and lost."

He leaned forward to listen closely. "Is this about your progress?"

"Yeah, I can't do it," Yuki admitted, clinching the cup. "No matter how much I try, I can't push my percentage above sixty-five without breaking my body, according to Akio I used it at one-hundred percent alongside One For All when we were timelost but it completely obliterated my arms," Her body trembled. "I'm scared that... it's my only path forward, becoming... more machine than human,"

All Might saw the depth of her worries, her eyes were conflicted about her state of being again, only now, the thought of transforming scared her, she was already inhuman thanks to the Eliksni DNA running through her veins, and now the thought of making more of her body metal and wire left her paralyzed.

He frowned, staring directly at the girl. "That's not all," She flinched at his words. "There's more to this roadblock than your reluctance to lose more of your human body."

"..." Siva wasn't talking, this was her own trial to overcome, one of the many things he kept from her to learn. If he told her outright it would dilute the lessons, and she was okay with that, even if she didn't one-hundred percent know what she wanted from this. "...Siva said it's because I'm afraid that I'm subconsciously withholding my power, I'm afraid... because I don't feel worthy."

"Worthy of what?" He leaned forward to rest his hand on hers. "You can speak to me about anything, Young Azuru, that was the deal we made when I first started training you, was it not?"

She nodded meekly, staring toward the golden sky longingly. "When we confronted Kovik with all our friends, I called them my brothers and sisters, my House," She bit her lip. "So naturally, that would make me a Kell by Eliksni standards based on the context and my position with Eliksni blood running through me, but I haven't earned that, and I feel like I just took it without ever proving I deserved the right to say it,"

Yuki blushed, embarrassed at herself. "If this was before I bonded entirely with Siva, I wouldn't be this hung up about it. After seeing his memories, experiencing the rise and fall of Kells with my own eyes, and now harbouring the same instincts as his kind I... I feel so sick, and I'm angry because it's stupid too, but not? Gah, this back and forth is so annoying!"

"This is partially my fault | My DNA conflicts with her human biology | It's natural she both agrees and disagrees with her statement," SIVA appeared, sitting on the coffee table, looking between the two.

All Might nodded, features gentle and understanding. "The feelings you have are real, Young Azuru, both your frustration and guilt have an equal share in this issue, what matters is if you're willing to accept both sides,"

"How?" Yuki asked slash begged, inching closer to the edge of the sofa. "How can I still be human and a Kell, or at the very least, try to be?"

Siva shook his head. "Do not act as though you haven't | Every moment you fought for your humanity | And learned to be an Eliksni Splicer," He disappeared, sitting atop her shoulder. "Devotion, Bravery, Sacrifice | Understanding these three burdens will prove your worthiness | And from it, you will be recognized as a Kell,"

All Might's hand resided atop Yuki's head, offering the young girl as much assurance as needed. She wiped something from her eye, a shaky smile piercing her depression. "I must be the most pathetic Kell in history then," She raised her head, drying her tears. "I get caught up in my own head so much it hurts, guess I know how Izuku feels sometimes with his mumbling."

"Thus, you learned one thing | Honesty in yourself | In your faults," Siva announced, bowing his head. "A Kell who shows no weakness around allies | To share where they feel defeated | Can never truly grow."

"You just had to leave that until I looked like a sobbing mess, huh?" Yuki sniffed, laughing a bit as All Might chuckled too. Siva shrugged, disappearing.

"Young Azuru, no one is more proud of how far you've come than me," All Might sat back down, drinking the last of his tea with a bright smile. "From the girl who was afraid to so much as use a spark of her power around others, to confront your demons, villains, and much more with a smile. I know I may not have been the best teacher in regards to you or Young Midoriya at times, but I will always be here to guide you to the best of my ability."

"Yeah," She drank the rest of her cup with gusto. "Thank you, All Might."

After arriving back just after Izuku and Katsuki as to avoid being yelled at by the blonde, Yuki was pleasantly surprised to find someone else walking in the same direction as her dorm. "You've been appearing often-" Her voice startled the girl from her stupor, standing as rigid as a board. "-not that Nana would complain."

"I-is that so?" Kairi gulped with a timid smile. "Sorry, s-she said it would be okay, a-and uh, well..." Her tail slumped, knowing she had better just say it now while it was only Yuki. "Things at home are... tense, more than I'm willing to say," Noting Yuki's concerned stare she waved her hands. "I-I'm not in trouble! Or anything serious, I just... I think the stress is getting to me."

"Believe me, I've seen it before," Yuki smiled at the thought of Shoto at the Sports Festival. Waving to Kairi she continued down the path to the front porch. "Come on, no one's going to turn you away, and having my sister nag in my ear would make this day a wash."

"T-thank you!" Kairi bowed her head and quickly jogged after Yuki.

Once inside, a few took note of their arrival. "Where the hell were you!?" Katsuki was the first to demand an answer, picking what appeared to be a string of chives. "And second, who the hell cut the chives!?"

Shoto stepped forward. "That was me."

"Your sister would cry if she saw this!" Katsuki exploded.

"Hm, he's got a point..." Yuki tisked as Katsuki went to chop some fresh, yelling at Shoto's lack of prep skills. Kairi still kept her distance, standing with Yuki before feeling the girl's hand ruffle her hair. "Just go and relax, Nana's probably in our room right now."

"O-okay," Yuki watched her go to sit down, still acting like a fish out of water but she seemed a lot less nervous than when they first met.

Alone again, while Yuki wanted to help out she needed to get something off her chest so giving Yaomomo a small hand signal, the ravenette smiled and nodded alongside Ochaco. Stood by the stairwell, Yuki bided her time, contemplating SIVA's and All Might's words to her. She knew that the last gap in her power would be a struggle, both due to Perfected's increased attributes, but also her own strength of mind.

Eventually, she saw Izuku walking over to her, that simple look of comfort on his face made her walls come down, shedding her confidence for security with him nearby. Once close enough he blocked out any view from over his shoulder. "Hey."

"Hey," Yuki replied softly.

"What happened during training?" Izuku asked directly, worried for Yuki's distance all day. "About what Siva and Kyoka said about being a 'Kell' that is?"

"Yeah, I've been in this weird funk for a while now," She admitted with a light chuckle, leaning against the wall. "The line between Human and Eliksni is growing thin the further I develop with SIVA and I guess that worried me, that, and just claiming the notion of calling myself a Kell felt wrong, I haven't earned that, not yet."

His hand interlocked with hers, meeting her eyes. "Are you absolutely sure you're okay?"

"I am now, sorry for worrying you, again," She smiled fondly, locking lips with her emerald hero for a few seconds, enjoying that minty flavor linger on his breath before lowering her head to reside on his shoulder, one arm around each other. "I'll manage, I'm not afraid of my power anymore, besides, someone has to keep you and Dumb-Dumb in check."

She enjoyed how Izuku laughed, feeling his arm hold her lower back tightly. "I'm glad, I don't want to be ignorant to your problems, I've done that a lot since we met without really meaning to, so if it's anything, even something small, tell me, I'll listen." No more regrets.

Pulling away, Yuki tugged on his hand with a sweet smile. "Come on, I think we've hogged each other's attention long enough," She leaned close to his side.

"Not that we don't already do that every night," Izuku reminded her, finding her finger on his lips.

"Are you complaining?"

"Nope." He would never.

"Hehe, good answer."

Once the meal was set, Class A gathered around with Iida raising his cup. "Now, for the Work-Study Exchange and starting the Term off with a bang Hot Pot Party... let's start!" He cheered as the rest followed suit, already digging into their hard work.

Their conversation soon devolved to talking about how only a year had passed since their journey to become heroes began, and the events that had transpired since then.

"Crazy how it's been nearly a whole year..." Akio breathed, though for him it's been a little longer. He closed his eyes with relief. "Well, better than being chased by heroes constantly while being called a murderer..."

"You're telling me, I was still stuck in some endless dream until about the halfway point!" Nana gaped, munching away with glee. "Thwnks agwn sis!"

Yuki winked back, leaning close to Izuku. "I can actually talk again, I honestly thought SIVA would've consumed me long ago."

"Why are we focusing on the negatives here?" Kyoka pointed with a jack.

"Not that, it's just nice to know we're still here," Yuki explained, waving her chopsticks at her friends. "Despite those hardships we can still sit here and laugh off those times instead of brooding over them, I like that."

"You're tellin' me, I got my sweet revenge on that Darkblade," Rayla grinned, sparks flying from her knuckle. "Even got back my fireteam's ghost shells."

"Truly, our days as partners have grown considerably more exciting," Solaire spun around happily.

"Strange, to be surrounded by more comrades," Tekres concurred in his own corner, enjoying the delicacy the class had made. "It is... nice." He growled lightly.

"Okay, even I can't get him to call me a friend, what the hell?" Rayla gawked as they all laughed at her expense. "Freakin' Eliksni..."

Gathered around with class A and B, Kairi nudged Nana, giving her the 'look'. The dots connected, and Nana perked up, "Oh, right!" Clearing her throat, she grabbed the attention of the two classes, then shrunk a little. "Wow, I... forgot how many of you guys there were, ahem, okay, I wanted to say something - well, both of us."

"Nana..." Kairi squeezed her hand to cut her rambling short.

"Thanks," She sighed, rubbing her nape. "Since it's coming up in two months I thought we'd just let everyone know that we're... planning on taking the Entrance Exam for the Hero Course,"

The answer got a chorus of responses from the classes, some outright applauding the two blushing teens. Yuki ruffled her sister's hair. "So that's why you kept asking me all odd questions, huh, guess now I think about it you were pretty obvious," She tapped her chin in thought.

"You're just dense," Nana pointed out bluntly, knocking Yuki down a peg with an irked smile. "But yeah, we've talked about it and while I want to be a songwriter, being a hero is also ranked at the top of that list,"

"As for myself, I want to learn more of my quirk, to control it," Kairi admitted, holding her hand toward her heart. "It may not be apparent but my quirk is... troublesome, and for that reason, I never wanted to use it again, or well, until Nana helped me accept it somewhat."

"Aw, that's cute~!" Ashido cooed, seeing the silverette's face turning redder than a tomato.

"I never asked, what is your quirk, Takumi?" Izuku couldn't help himself, grinning supportively with his notebook out.

"Oh, well, it's as you know a mutation quirk, although my abilities stem beyond everything a Great White can do," Kairi admitted, playing with her tail shyly as Nana leaned into her shoulder. "I have control over water but I can't produce it myself, and I... have to be wary of that."

"Why's that?" Jura inquired as the girl got very quiet. "Ah, sorry, didn't mean to pry."

"N-no! It's... it's that I can suffer headaches, nausea, nosebleeds, all sorts of problems if I overuse that ability," Kairi answered, smiling slightly. "But that's why I want to go to UA, if I can master my quirk I won't have to feel afraid of it anymore."

"Plus, I'm her support!" Nana grinned, hugging Kairi tightly. "Right?"

"Ye-yeah," She was embarrassed but didn't shove her girlfriend off.

"Well, the best of luck to both of you! You'll make excellent heroes-in-training!" Iida complimented.

"With Nana's ability to support her allies, combined with Takumi's offensive capabilities they'd be a difficult duo to beat," Ochaco realized with surprise.

"Not to mention they've got a pretty tight bond as is, they'll bulldoze through the whole Exam, no sweat!" Tetsutetsu punched his palm. "You two give it yer all!"

"We can always help with training if you need it?" Ojiro suggested. "Since your quirks are limited in terms of endurance a bit of hand-to-hand combat would really help."

"Or Akio's magic!" Hagakure waved her arms wide.

"Ah, well, they have to have an affinity for it, but... it's not impossible, I taught Kyoka magic so-" Akio was cut short when half the students crowded around him. "Uh, Kyo, help me...?"

"YOU CAN TEACH US MAGIC TOO!?"

"Sorry, CC, you're on your own," She snickered behind her hand.

"I've been forsaken... all hope is lost..." He dissolved into a shadow.

"And your quirk sounds amazing, Takumi!" Izuku beamed, jotting down all he could onto a blank page. "With your impressive aquatic abilities, combined with your manipulation of water, I bet you'd be perfect for rescue missions and fires-!"

"Would you stop muttering already, Deku!?" Katsuki exploded, having been sitting close to the muttering. "You're ruining the food!"

"How can talking ruin how the food tastes?" Izuku cocked his head, not quite understanding.

"Quit whining or no desert, Kacchan." Yuki teased.

"You wanna fight, Mute!?" He dared, lightning between their eyes.

Nana and Kairi both just sat there as the classes erupted into chaos, laughing, yelling, and much more. The two glanced at one another, then burst out laughing at how chaotic the people around them were. In reality, this was to be them in the near future, two first years of UA causing trouble as they try to become heroes. If both were honest, they couldn't wait another day.

Izuku laughed between Katsuki and Yuki, not minding the rival energy between them. "Sometimes, I come back to my senses suddenly. The fact that I'm here right now..." He still had All Might's notebook concealed in his blazer over the sofa.

"I never thought All Might would be teaching me, I never thought I'd be able to talk... normally? With Kacchan," He saw him calm down at Ochaco's smile while Yuki and the blonde decided to call it a tie. That's right, Yuki, the strange, mask-wearing girl he knew from the start was still sitting here with him. "I never imagined I'd ever be with someone as breathtaking as Yuki, to still have her next to me..."

"I... am so blessed," Lost in thought, he didn't hear Tokoyami requiring something from him.

"Midoriya... the ponzu," He pointed to it.

"Ah, sorry! Here!" He quickly fished up the item Tokoyami wanted.

"Many thanks."

To Be Continued...

This isn't really an 'arc' per se, given it's not a long skip until we reach the climax of this half of Book Two with the War Arc on the horizon. There are still some moments I wish to share in the road leading to that moment, this was one of those wholesome times and more of Nana and Kairi's story. I hope you enjoyed, I appreciate the support as always; seeya in the next chapter, Heroes!

Next Chapter Intermission: Uplifting Perfectors

All Might appeared in his buff form. "Young Midoriya! It's time for the next step toward mastering One For Al - ack!" He popped back into a skeletal form, vomiting blood.

"All Might!" Izuku frantically tried to help him as Yuki shook her head.

"If you keep trying to buff out you're gonna rupture all the repairs I've done to you," Yuki pouted. "Trying to replicate a stomach isn't easy, you know? Took me years to fix my shredded organs."

"That's a... really morbid way to look at it," All Might winced, but pointed toward his successor. "Now! It's time for you to unlock my master's power, are you ready!?"

"U-um, I guess?" He clenched his fists. "Coming soon, Uplifting Perfectors!"

Yuki hung her arm over his shoulders. "Go Beyond-!"

All Might stood behind them, hand on either of their shoulders. "Plus Ultra!"