EmberSunblaze: Happy Belated Valentines Day! I was hoping to have this chapter up for the holiday but, alas, didn't quite get the chapter done in time. I still hope you all enjoy it!

Chapter 22: The Surprise

With a plan set in motion and an extremely tight deadline, the boys of class 1-A instantly got to work on the preparations for the girl's welcome back party.

With the innkeepers permission they were able to use the central garden portion of the ryokan to host the celebration. Though smaller than the more diverse gardens outlining the outskirts of the guest rooms, the area itself was quite pleasant. The flora was a mix of tropical plant life, with small Shisa statues and other island deities lining the pathway that connected the different annex buildings that roomed the boys and girls. A large koi pond decorated the outerwall of the garden.

While a small area in general, a lot of tasks had to be completed in the short time frame. Most boys went to work making and hanging up decorations. Some joined Sato in the kitchen to help with desserts. While some….had more unpleasant tasks to complete.

"Uhhh…I know we volunteered for this." Midoriya anxiously stated, taking in the large pile of dead fish set before him. "But…I'm not sure if we're really the best match for this job."

"Nonsense!" Iida exclaimed, pulling up the sleeves of his shirt and slipping on rubber gloves. "As heroes in training, it's pivotal we take on any challenge! No matter the difficulties!"

"Yeah…" Midoriya agreed, picking up a large fillet knife. "But have you ever gutted a fish before?"

"I….can't say I have." Iida admitted.

"Me either."

The two boys stood alone, in the shadows of the inn, next to where the kitchens were located. They both stared at the mountain of fresh caught fish with a sense of overwhelming doom at the daunting task set before them. Iida adjusted his glasses, not one to be defeated that easily.

"Perhaps Bakugo would be willing to join us? He seems like the….outdoorsy type?"

"I know he's been on a few fishing trips with his dad before." Midoriya explained, inspecting one of the fish. "But I really don't think he's really in the right condition to be around stinky, raw fish. The medicine has helped but I think he's still feeling a bit out of it."

Iida nodded, unfaltered as he declared, "Very well! We'll just have to go forth on our own!" Pumped with determination, he reached forward to choose a fish. "Let's just begin by…" From within the pile, a set of red tentacles shot out, wrapping around Iida's forearm.

"IT'S STILL ALIVE!" Both boys cried in panic.

"Unhand me you fiend!" Iida yelled, waving his arm wildly in an attempt to dislodge the large red octopus.

"Hold still Iida!" Midoriya yelled, trying to reach for the creature. "I'll pull it off!"

"What are you two doing?"

Iida froze, along with Midoriya who had both hands wrapped around the head of the octopus. Todoroki stood in the entryway of the kitchen's back door, both hands holding full buckets of fish. He watched as Midoriya's body slowly tilted back, the octopus slipping away from Iida's skin. With a yelp the teen fell to the ground, the dead octopus clutched in his palm.

"Midoriya!?" Iida exclaimed, "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" Midoriya grunted, sitting up and gingerly rubbing the back of his head. "Hard to believe this thing was still kicking."

Todoroki approached, setting his buckets down and curiously examining the octopus. "I think it was already dead. Sometimes the tentacles of these creatures continue to move even after being deceased."

"What a unique specimen!" Iida said, straightening his glasses to also have a closer look.

Midoriya walked over to the old metal sink attached to the back of the kitchen, cleaning off the slime. "Think I've had enough of tentacles for one day." He mused, getting a chill at the thought of those intensely strong and sticky appendages immobilizing his body. When he returned, Todoroki was studying their unscaled pile of fish. "Sorry," Midoriya apologized with a guilty smile, "We're kind of new to this…"

Todoroki shook off the apology. "I figured. I'll show you how." He tied a white apron around his waist and picked up a large grouper fish from the pile. "After all, these are my catches so it's my responsibility to make sure they're properly taken care of."

"How very poetic." Iida quietly commented to Midoriya, who nodded in agreement.

The two watched closely as Todoroki showed them how to clean the grime off of the fish, before scraping away the sharp scales. After rinsing the fish a second time to remove any remaining scales, he picked up a sharp fillet knife and began instructions on how to properly cut the underside of the fishes' belly to remove the entrails. Once those guts were disposed of, the fish needed to be rinsed off under running water for a third time to clean out its internal cavity.

"Then you just chop the head off, like this." Todoroki demonstrated, whacking a butcher's knife down so hard, the fish's head went flying through the air. Midoriya and Iida nodded, pulling on gloves and instantly getting to work. Despite the gruesome nature of the task, they soon found a nice rhythm to the routine, allowing for conversation between the friends as they worked.

"I must say, Todoroki, I am fairly surprised you have knowledge about tasks such as this." Iida commented, carefully rubbing off the scales of his fish with a butter knife. "I was under the impression you didn't have much experience in the kitchen."

"I used to do this with my dad during our fishing trips." Todoroki answered, dropping dripping entrails into a bucket.

"Oh, I didn't think you and your dad did trips like that." Midoriya said, casting him a surprised glance.

Todoroki shrugged, picking another fish from the pile. "It didn't happen much." He paused next to the sink, adding. "Though when they did, I guess it was nice."

Midoriya smiled to himself. The Todoroki from a year ago would have rather eaten fish guts than admit anything including his father was enjoyable. "It's amazing how so much could change in a short amount of time." It was this line of thought that led him back to the events of this morning. He frowned, his nerves tingling with apprehension for the girl's arrival.

"Ouch!" Midoriya hissed, feeling the tip of the fillet knife he was holding knick his finger. The others turned to him, concerned.

"Midoriya! How deep is the cut?! Shall I go fetch the disinfectant?!" Iida urgently inquired, already preparing to sprint away.

"I'm fine! Really! Look!" Midoriya quickly held up his gloved hand."The glove kept it from cutting through." Iida breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness for protection! But you should still be more careful when handling sharp utensils! A blade like that could have easily cut the end of your finger off!" The class president sternly chided.

"Yeah, yeah sorry." Midoriya apologized, hunching over to continue his task. "My mind just wandered for a moment." Iida and Todoroki stole glances at each other.

"Midoriya…" Iida quietly ventured, "Is there perhaps anything bothering you? I understand today was quite trying on the class as a whole. Just so you know, we absolutely do not put any blame on you or the others for what occurred. Ojiro speaking out like that was just mere frustration on his part."

"I know." Midoriya replied, trying to work as he spoke. "And I'm really glad the class is back to working together."

Todoroki's blue gaze studied him from the side. "But there's something else, isn't there?"

For a moment, Midoriya silently continued his task. He then set his knife down, hesitating as he replied, "I guess…I'm just nervous about seeing Uraraka." Both his peers stiffened, not quite expecting that answer.

"It's just…back there, in those caverns," Midoriya morosely explained, "when we were under the control of Siren, I hurt her…really bad." He stared at the glossy eyes of the fish staring lifelessly up at him. "I almost killed her," was what he wanted to say, but the words kept getting caught by the lump in his throat. He chopped the head off, feeling his stomach churn. "It's not just that, it's…other things too." He could feel their questioning gazes, but was thankful they didn't prod. "I can't tell them about the kiss, not when I haven't even spoken to Uraraka about it." He picked his knife back up, staring down at the bloodied blade with a sinking heart. "I'm just not sure if she would even want to see me."

Iida solemnly listened to his friend. "Midoriya, I understand your concern. But as a comrade to both of you and her, I must suggest that your worries are unwarranted. Uraraka is your friend. She would never hold you accountable for actions you had no control over."

Midoriya nodded, feeling his eyes mist over at Iida's kind words.

"If it makes you feel better," Todoroki added, trying to be helpful. "I don't think you're the only one anxious about seeing the girls. Bakugo seems pretty out of it as well." He inclined his head towards the kitchen. "I noticed him waiting in the hall in front of the laundry room, acting very twitchy. When he noticed, he turned red and told me to go jump in the ocean and die."

"That sounds like Bakugo." Iida sternly tutted. "As rude as ever to his peers even when we are in the middle of preparations." He suddenly looked up, eyes widening as peered over the garden wall. "Oh for All Might's sake! That karaoke machine CAN NOT go that close to the koi pond!" He turned to Todoroki and Midoriya, bowing apologetically. "Forgive me, but I think I better help supervise the others."

"Go ahead! We're fine here." Midoriya assured him as Todoroki nodded. Iida smiled, quickly untying his apron and disposing his gloves to assist the others. Midoriya turned to Todoroki, adding. "Sorry Bakugo was so rude to you. I think being sick in front of the class earlier has made him a little bit more touchy."

Todoroki shrugged nonchalantly. "It made me happy to see his energy returning."

The two continued to work, quickly going through the pile. After a few minutes, Midoriya felt Todoroki's blue gaze drilling into him, as if wanting to ask something. He glanced over, curiously. "Ummm…is there anything on your mind?"

"Not particularly." Todoroki answered, looking back down at his tools. "But I guess, I was a little bit curious about…." He hesitated as if wondering if he should continue or not.

"That's strange…Todoroki usually never looks unsure about something." Midoriya mused, wondering what on earth could possibly make Todoroki look so uncomfortable. His stoic friend shifted his feet, unsure on how to proceed. Midoriya waited patiently.

"I…." Todoroki slowly asked, "...am already aware you may not have an answer to this, considering everything that was going on. But I was just curious to know…how Yaoyorozu fared down there in the sea caverns?"

"Yaoyorozu?" Midoriya repeated, confused.

Todoroki nodded, explaining, "After assisting Asui and seeing the abuse her body had been through, it had me concerned over how the others were doing, particularly Yaoyorozu." He stared down at his hands, fidgeting with the small knife he held. "She's extremely tough, but over the school year I've found she puts a lot of burdens on herself especially when it concerns her classmates."

Midoriya nodded, "Yeah, I can see that." Not wanting to disappoint his friend, he thought back to the last battle against Kai. "Everything had been so rushed back then, so it's a little difficult to remember everything that went on…" He remembered getting a pair of noise canceling headphones that Yaoyorozu must have made, despite her weakened condition. Of her instantly letting the teachers know about a missing Hagakure in the tunnels and then steadfastly refusing to leave until all her teammates were safe. And then of her emotional outburst directed not only at the boys, but also at herself for the decisions she had made.

"Though there are parts of what went on down there that I don't quite know the details about." Midoriya answered honestly, "To me it seemed like Yaoyorozu had to make a lot of tough calls when she was down there with the girls. But I can tell you that from what I saw of her, Yaoyorozu was definitely giving it her all. Not just for herself but for her teammates and for the mission in general."

Todoroki nodded, smiling slightly at the answer.

Midoriya's brows furrowed, still pondering the reason for Todoroki's question. "But Todoroki, why are you so interested in Yaoro—?" He shut his mouth, a memory of resurfacing of Uraraka and him at the beach watching Yaoyorozu coach Todoroki with his volleyball serve. Uraraka had playfully hinted at the lingering affections between the two, something that had been completely lost on him until she had pointed it out. He felt himself once again blushing at the realization.

"Umm…Nevermind! It's not important!" Midoriya quickly exclaimed, waving his hands dismissively. "Forget I asked!"

"Hmm?" Todoroki blinked, not quite comprehending the source of his friend's flustered behavior. Before he inquired further, they were interrupted by Kirishima barging through the kitchen's back door.

"Hey! Sensei just got a text from Midnight!" Kirishima called, sounding both antsy and excited at the same time. "The girls will be here soon, so you better get ready and fast!"

Midoriya gulped, with Todoroki placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"You'll feel better after speaking with her."

Midoriya nodded, clenching his fist determinedly.

"Also you should probably change clothes." Todoroki added, pointing at his shirt. "You kind of smell like fish."

Midoriya sniffed his shirt, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "Oh geez! You're right! I better hurry!" With that he rushed off, throwing his apron and gloves into the sink and leaving Todoroki to deliver the fish they had gutted to the kitchen attendants so they could use it for fresh dishes.

He ran through the gardens and saw that all the decorations were up and ready.

"I really hope things go okay tonight." He prayed, apprehension for the upcoming celebration making his heartbeat quicken. He noticed the other boys gathering towards the reception hall, looking just as tense as when they had first arrived. "I wonder if the girls are as nervous about seeing us as we are of them?" Midoriya silently pondered.

As the van wove its way up the curvy mountain road, tropical birds flew from its wake as the sound of pop music blared through the open windows. Along with the voices of a group of excited girls singing along the radio.

"Okinawa girls! We're unforgettable!" Ashido sang out loudly, banishing her pink hairbrush like a mike. "Daisy dukes, bikinis on top!"

She passed it behind her into Yaoyorozu's waiting hands. "Sun-kissed skin, so hot we'll melt your popsicles!"

Jiro came next, her beautiful voice blaring out. "Ooh! Oh Ooh! Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!"

"They…look like they're having fun." Uraraka commented from her spot in the back seat, where she had a full view of the karaoke show. "It's almost hard to believe we all were all fighting for our lives only a few hours ago."

Next to her, Asui nodded. "I think…they may have had too much ice cream, kero."

Ashido, Yaoyorozu, and Jiro together sang, "Okinawa girls! We're undeniable!"

"Fine!" Ashido sang, winking.

"Fresh!" Yaoyorozu added.

"Fierce!" Jiro finished

"We got it on lock!" They belted out in unison.

"U.A. represent!" Ashido yelled, pointing at the back seat where Uraraka and Asui sat. "Raise your hands up!"

The two girls smiled weakly, singing together, "Ooh! Oh! Ooh! Ooh! Oh! Oooh!" as they pumped their hands above their heads.

As Ashido took a deep breath to break out the chorus again, her brush was snatched from her by invisible hands. Hagakure sat up next to her, belting out as loudly as possible, "OOOKIIINAWWWAAAAAA! OOOOKIIIINNAWWAA—ACK! ARGH THAT HURTS!"

In the front passenger's seat, Midnight lowered the volume on the radio as Hagakure doubled over in coughing fits. Ashido patted her back, chiding her. "Toru! You know you aren't allowed to sing!"

"I couldn't help it!" Hagakure moaned, slumping miserably in her seat. "I hate missing out on all the fun!"

Midnight wagged a finger at her. "Better listen to doctor's orders, Hagakure. Best to give your windpipes a rest for a bit."

"Boo…." She grumbled, shooting a pointedly glance back at Uraraka. "I miss out on everything."

Uraraka turned red, shrinking in her seat. Yaoyorozu reached over, patting the pouting girls' head. "There, there. We'll hold off on the singing. I imagine we'll be arriving at the ryokan soon anyway."

"You'll be correct." Midnight clarified, turning to the driver. "We should be there in about ten minutes!"

"Well since we're almost there, I suggest we go over a very serious problem that we'll be facing once we arrive." Ashido declared, suddenly turning grim as she turned around in her seat to face the others.

Uraraka glanced at Asui. The frog girl shrugged, not having a clue what she was talking about. "I wonder if she's talking about seeing the guys?" It was not a secret that Uraraka felt very conflicted about seeing Midoriya due to certain…actions that went on between the two. But were the other girls also feeling jittery?

Yaoyorozu nodded, speaking on a serious note. "Agreed. I think before we arrive we should address the elephant in the room."

At these words, Uraraka felt her blood run cold, panic descending upon her. "Crap! Don't tell me they want to bring THAT up!?" Ever since the police interrogations, she had been completely dreading her friends bringing the kiss between her and Midoriya up in conversation. Next to her, Asui shot her a worried glance as Ashido continued her speech.

"What are we going to do about Mineta?!" Ashido demanded, banging her fist with the fury of a judge's hammer.

"Eh?" Uraraka uttered, blinking confusingly. "Mineta?"

Ashido nodded, eyes blazing. "Yes, Mineta! After all the drama that's happened we can't let yourselves forget the hideous crime that he committed on our beach trip!"

"He…saw everything…." Yaoyorozu murmured in a depressed state.

"At least the top up anyway." Jiro grumbled, crossing her arms. "I still can't believe that little perv at the guts to go that far."

"Right, now the issue is not what he saw," Ashido warned, narrowing her eyes. "But who is he going to blab this too!?"

"Do you really think he'll tell?" Uraraka inquired nervously.

"I don't trust him one bit not to tell the other boys!" Hagakure huffed beside Ashido.

Jiro nodded, leaning on the headrest. "Question is if they'll even believe him. It's not like he has photo evidence anymore."

"But if they do, we could lose the respect of the whole class!" Yaoyorozu murmured, hands covering her cheeks in mortification. "We should have never let our guard down!"

"Umm, didn't you all send him that warning email, kero?" Asui pointed out.

Ashido crossed her arms, not looking convinced. "Yeah….but who knows if that'll be enough to keep his mouth shut. You know how boys are, they can't help but brag about their conquests."

"We should have made our note more threatening!" Hagakure exclaimed, "Like we'll steal all his underwear and hang it in the common room!"

"Or we'll get Koda to talk to a bunch of mice so they'll go in his room and eat all his porn mags!" Jiro added.

"Or make him volunteer to be a permanent dummy for Mei Hatsume to use for her crazy inventions!" Ashido said, joining in the fun.

"You know the key to a good threatening letter…." Midnight, who was immensely amused by the conversation, lectured. "Is to make the threat realistic. Because once you put it down, you're obligated to follow through. If you make the threats too outlandish from the start, the reader won't take you seriously."

"Why does it feel like you have experience with situations like this?" Jiro commented, brows raised.

Midnight grinned mysteriously, shrugging. "Oh, I may have written a fair few letters in my younger days…or received them…I don't quite remember the order." She waved a dismissive hand. "But any who, you girls really shouldn't worry. Aizawa and myself, along with the police, have all spoken to Mineta. I can assure you, he isn't going to say anything to the other boys. Not unless he wants to be permanently expelled from the U. A."

"So he really is expelled?" Hagakure questioned.

"Technically," Midnight explained, "But you all have to understand, when Aizawa Sensei expels students it's usually under certain terms so they have the ability to return to the hero course."

"Ehhhh!?" They all exclaimed in unison, shocked.

Midnight chuckled, "Oops, guess I let slip his little secret."

"May we inquire about the terms of Mineta's expulsion?" Yaoyorozu asked.

Midnight tabbed her chin thoughtfully, checking them off on her fingers. "Hmmm, let's see. For one, his provisional hero license is going to be suspended until further notice. Next is that all his Okinawa trip privileges have been taken away. Which means he'll be doing chores at the inn tomorrow during your free day."

"We…have a free day?" Jiro asked confusedly. The others looked just as stupefied.

"Now you do!" Midnight answered with a thumbs up. "Because the mission got completed today, we're ahead of schedule! Instead of another day at the beach, tomorrow you are free to explore the island! Congrats!" The teacher grew stumped when, instead of being met by excitement at this revelation, her students merely eyed her suspiciously. "What?!"

"Sounds fishy, kero."

"Totally another mission." Jiro murmured.

"We better prepare ourselves." Yaoyorozu warned.

"It's the truth! I swear! You can ask Aizawa!" Midnight exclaimed, cringing at their unconvinced glares. "Anyway….back to the expulsion….after we return to U.A. Mineta will continue a full time internship with Mt. Lady until is able to return to class."

"But is that really considered a punishment?" Hagakure asked, "He actually gets to do hero work!...WITH A HOT PRO NO LESS!?"

"I'm afraid an internship with Mt. Lady isn't quite the hero work you all are thinking of." Midnight explained with a knowing chuckle.

"I think she's right." Jiro added, leaning towards Hagakure. "I overhead Kaminari talking about how Mt. Lady literally made him clean and run errands all day during his last internship with her. It really scarred him."

"Oh! To have that sort of power!" Hagakure said a wistful sigh.

Midnight continued, "He also has to do three months of community service at a battered womens' shelter." She laughed at their openly stunned expressions. "I'm sensing that you all don't quite agree with this term as well?"

"It's that we don't agree, Sensei!" Yaoyorozu quickly replied, brows furrowed in deep concern. "Community service is extremely important, it's just….considering Mineta's current pervish mannerisms, is it truly wise to put in an environment where the women are already in a fragile state?"

"I understand your concerns. But the point of this experience is to show Mineta how his actions can lead to deeper, darker paths. The women at these shelters have all been victims of both physical and emotional attacks from men who had only viewed them as possessions. By meeting and helping these victims, our goal is to hopefully change Mineta's one dimensional view on women." Midnight explained, her words resonating deep wisdom.

"Seems like a pretty tall order for someone like Mineta, kero." Asui murmured doubtfully.

"It is, but not impossible." Midnight replied, sounding positive. "Remember girls. Our job as heroes is not to just defeat criminals. We also have a responsibility to prevent people from becoming criminals in the first place!"

"Well that's great and all, but none of this changes the fact he saw us topless!" Ashido exclaimed, crossing her arms tightly over her chest. "He's going to be staring us down for the rest of this trip…imagining things." All the girls in the van visibly shuddered.

"Here's another piece of womanly advice." Midnight counseled, "Just ignore him. The more you seem bothered by Mineta then the more control he has. It arouses men like him!" She emphasized, waggling her fingers playfully.

The girls groaned, with Yoayorozu raising her hand and pleading, "Please…don't use the word aroused and Mineta together. It brings unnecessary images to mind."

"I don't see why you're so bothered." Jiro commented, turning to her seatmate. "He's pretty much like that 24/7."

"As someone who spies on all the boys in class, I can vouch for this!" Hagakure exclaimed, bouncing on her seat.

As the girls laughed at this comment, Ashido turned over in her seat to glance at Uraraka. "You know, speaking of boys, what are you planning on doing about your boy problem?"

"Boy….problem?" Uraraka repeated, wishing she could just sink into the seat as the others curiously turned to her as well.

"You know! With Midoriya!" Ashido eagerly pressed.

"Uhh…"

"How are you going handle seeing him?" Jiro asked curiously, leaning against the back of the seat. "I mean, you did kiss the guy."

"I….."

"Are you planning on confessing to him?" Yaoyorozu inquired, eyes shining with interest.

"Eh!?"

Of course she is!" Hagakure exclaimed, holding up her gloved hand. "She's already kissed him! That's like skipping ahead three whole steps! At this point, confession is the easy part!"

"GIRLS!" Uraraka yelled loudly, instantly shushing them. She took a deep breath, fighting back an embarrassed flush as she attempted to organize her thoughts. "Don't panic, Uraraka. It's not like I don't understand where they're coming from. After all, these questions were all ones I've been asking myself. But I just don't know if I have the answers to them yet." She felt Asui place an encouraging hand over her shoulder. Uraraka smiled, nodding gratefully.

"I know you all are worried, especially since I haven't really been the best at sharing my thoughts." Uraraka admitted with a heavy sigh. "The truth is, what happened between Midoriya and I still feels very surreal to me, which is why I think I'm still having a hard time processing it."

She tugged a stray piece of hair behind her ear, smiling softly. "I kissed him because I thought if my words couldn't reach him, by doing that then maybe my feelings could."

"Letting your feelings reach him?" Ashido murmured, looking thoughtful.

"Such a beautiful sentiment!" Yaoyorozu said with a dreamy sigh.

Uraraka squirmed in her seat, continuing. "Even though I'm relieved that it worked out. Now I feel sort of stuck, not knowing how to move forward." She pressed her hands against her cheeks, blushing as she confessed. "I don't even know what Midoriya thinks about all of this. I kissed him totally out of the blue, in the middle of a fight no less! I mean that has to be weird, right?!"

"I guess it is a little odd." Jiro agreed, scratching her chin thoughtfully. "I imagine from the boy's point of view it would be like waking up from a nap to find someone kissing you. Definitely a rapey vibe…"

"Rapey?!" Uraraka whimpered, fat tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Jiro cringed back, horrified at what she had done, as Yaoyorozu quickly came to her rescue.

"Silly Jiro! She didn't mean that! She meant lovely!" Yaoyorozu corrected, pushing Jiro aside. "What you did was lovely and ever so romantic! And I'm sure Midoriya thinks so as well."

Uraraka didn't respond, but looked uncertain. Asui turned to her, asking. "What actually do you want to happen?"

"I…." Uraraka began, before Midnight's voice cut through their conversation.

"Sorry to break up the gossip session, but WE'RE HERE!" Midnight said, sliding open the van's door. The girls immediately grabbed their bags and rushed out with gleeful whoops and cheers. Uraraka and Asui trailed behind, with the brunette looking drained from the interrogation. Together they joined the girls next to the Shisa guardian statues, where Midnight waited. "Okay girls, here's the plan. I know you all are probably still pretty worn out from today. So I want you all to head straight to your room to get freshened up and changed before dinner. Understood?"

"Kay!" The girls exclaimed in unison.

Midnight nodded, indicating for them to follow. "The boys are probably in their dorms, so you probably won't see them right away."

Ashido stretched her hands over head, purring in delight. "It feels sooo good to be out of that van!"

"The mountain air does feel nice after our long ordeal." Yaoyorozu agreed, leading the girls behind Midnight.

"You know what would be nice?" Hagakure quipped, "Getting out of these stinky clothes!"

"Agreed, I swear I can still smell raw octopus on me." Jiro stated, wrinkling her nose in disgust as she sniffed under her arm.

Ashido crossed her arms behind her head, pursing her lips into a pout. "Yeah, it's too bad the boys aren't around." She complained, climbing the steps into the reception building. "After all that doting at the hospital, we arrive here and we don't even get a howdy-doo from anyone!"

As she said this, Midnight slid open the doors to the lobby with a mysterious grin. The group stepped in and froze, the girls' eyes widening.

Kirishima, Midoriya, Bakugo, and Tokoyami stood before them, each boy looking tense and nervous. Behind them, Kaminari was too busy keeping a struggling Mineta still to first notice their entrance. But as the door slid shut, both of them glanced up and also stood at attention.

Aizawa Sensei entered the room from a side hallway, coming to stand near Midnight as the two teachers watched the two groups with interest.

"What's going on?" Uraraka wondered, studying the serious atmosphere. She thought she felt Midoriya turn her way and she instinctively moved closer to Asui, nervousness creeping up on her.

Kirishima gulped, voice shaking as he bravely led the boys into an apology. "I know this is kind of sudden but the guys and I well…."

"We feel really bad for what happened today!" A flustered Midoriya continued.

"Even if we weren't really in our right minds when it happened, it still really sucks that we hurt our friends." Kaminari added, stealing a glance at Jiro.

"Our actions came from a dark place. One that we would still be trapped in if it wasn't for your brave actions." Tokoyami gratefully acknowledged.

The line of boys eyed Bakugo, who looked pale and irritated as he grumbled out, "Yeah….what they said."

They then glared back at Mineta, who was fearfully clinging to Kaminari's leg. The tiny teen whimpered, covering his eyes as he wailed out, "Okay! Okay! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Just don't send me to the stratosphere!"

Kirishima stepped forward, looking straight at Ashido as he finished. "I know this is a lot to ask after everything that we've done today. But as men we couldn't just let it go without giving a proper apology!" He got down the floor, with the other boys following suit. Even Bakugo got down on his knees, reaching over and banging the resisting Mineta's head down too. The floor muffled his terrified wails.

"WE'RE SORRY!" They all called out together, heads prostrated to the floor.

The girls glanced at each other, both shocked and amused by their passionate display. Yaoyorozu stepped forward, speaking out for them. "This is all very sweet, but there's really no need…" Ashido's pink arm shot out, halting her.

"Mina?" Yaoyorozu whispered, shooting her a questioning glance.

"Did you really think it would be that easy?" Ashido asked, skeptically surveying the group of boys. The boys peered up, shifting uneasily under her stern glare. She crossed her arms over her chest, shaking her head. "You all think one apology is going to make everything better again?"

"Mina what are you doing!?" Uraraka urgently whispered, lightly tugging the back of her shirt. But her friend ignored her, continuing to face the boys, waiting for an answer.

Bakugo was the first to jump up, pointing a furious finger her way as he yelled, "YOU UNGRATEFUL LITTLE BIT–" Luckily both Kaminari and Midoriya pounced at the same time, bringing him back to the floor and covering his mouth as he struggled.

"Kacchan, don't!"

"Dude! You'll just make things worse!"

Kirishima lifted himself into a sitting position, alarmed at her harsh words. Mina shook her head, golden eyes catching his'. "You just don't understand what it was like."

He visibly cringed, feeling as if a wound had opened up in his chest. He stood up, shaken but determined as he faced Ashido. "You're right, I don't" He replied, his voice choked with emotion. "But that doesn't mean I can't try!"

Both the girls and boys gaped as he pounded his chest, completely fired up as he loudly declared, "All right, Ashido! A man's got to face his actions head on! Come at me with all you've got! I swear I won't lift a finger to stop you!"

"EHHHHHH?!" The class roared, with each group trying to deter the other from the crazy ploy.

"Mina! Stop this!" Yaoyorozu sternly demanded. "You know it wasn't their fault!"

"Don't do it!" Mineta cried from behind Kaminari, "She'll melt your face off!"

But both participants were adamant to continue. Mina cracked her knuckles, casually stretching out her arms. "Not going to lift a finger, eh? Does that go for hardening as well?"

"No quirk either." Kirishima promised, anxious sweat trickling from his head. On the sidelines, Aizawa Sensei moved to step in, but Midnight barred his way, quietly motioning for him to stay put.

Mina grinned, swinging her arm around. "Good, because I want you to feel all of this!"

Kirishima gulped but nodded, resolved to face her wrath. The boys behind him groaned, looking just as nervous as he did. Bakugo still struggled beneath his friends, looking ready to murder Ashido.

"I can't watch!" Hagakure whimpered, covering her eyes as Ashido rushed forward.

Kirishima quickly shut his eyes, bracing himself for the painful impact. But it never came. Instead he felt time stand still as Ashido's lips gently pressed against his cheek. Blood rushed to his head and he could only stand dumb-founded as she retreated. Still in shock, his hand came up and touched the spot where her lips had been.

"You know, it really wasn't easy…." Ashido told him, her lips puckered into a cute pout as her golden eyes twinkled up at him. "To fight the guy that I have a crush on." Kirishima gawked, every part of him turning the same shade of red as his hair.

The whole room watched the romantic scene unfold with stunned bewilderment. Both Uraraka and Midoriya's gazes unconsciously found each other from across the room. They instantly blushed and quickly looked away. It was clear this kiss between Kirishima and Ashido was bringing forth certain memories.

Ashido grinned, clapping her hands together and turning away from Kirishima, towards the stupefied boys behind him. "Sorry, about all the commotion! I was just messing with Kirishima a bit! You're all totally forgiven!" She reassured them, winking playfully.

"Even me?!" Mineta asked hopefully from his spot behind Kaminari.

"NO!" The girls answered in unison.

"Well sorry to rush," Ashido said, grabbing Hagakure and Jiro by the elbow and steering them towards the hall. "But we've got to get changed so….. bye bye!"

"Yeah thanks for the entertainment!" Jiro called back over her shoulder as Ashido pushed her along.

"Enjoy the fruit!" Hagakure added before the three dashed off, their giggles fading as they disappeared down the hall.

"Girls, no running!" Yaoyorozu called out. She handed Tokoyami the fruit basket she had been holding. "Here you go, please help yourselves!" She bowed her head politely before following the girls. Uraraka and Asui started to follow, but paused as a familiar voice called out.

"Uraraka?" She froze, as Midoriya made his way towards them.

"No, no, no. I can't! My heart isn't ready!" Unable to think straight, she did the first thing she could think of. Before Midoriya could say anything to her, she forcefully pushed the bento box full of red rice into his hands.

"Please enjoy!" Uraraka stuttered, quickly bowing her head and half running, half dragging Asui into the safety of the hall.

Midoriya watched them go with a sinking heart. "Is it my imagination or was Uraraka trying to avoid me?"

"Midoriya, come quick! Kirishima's down!"

Midoriya turned at Mineta's cry, and saw Kirishima had fallen into a crouching position, his arms covering his head. He rushed over, joining Kaminari, Tokoyami, Bakugo and Mineta, who were all hovering over him in concern.

"I knew it!" Mineta exclaimed, hopping around like a panicked bunny. "That kiss was a trick! His face is melting off! I know it! Speak to me Kirishima!"

"I'm fine…" Kirishima's muffled voice replied, not looking up. "It's just my face right now….looks super unmanly." Hidden from view from the others, Kirishima was concealing happy tears, along with a goofy grin that refused to disappear. They all breathed a sigh of relief.

"Idiot." Bakugo scoffed, with an amused grin.

Partially hidden in the shadow of the hallway, Midnight and Aizawa watched the students congratulating Kirishima with lively teasing and playful, but also rather rough, punches and noogies that would most definitely leave bruises. Midnight sighed contently, whisking away a stray tear.

"Aww, there's so much youthful spirit today, I could just die."

"Did you know that would happen?" Aizawa asked, completely unfazed.

"Not really, but I had a feeling something was up. Call it a womanly instinct." Midnight answered, with a shrug. "Also, I've been with these girls all day. I knew none of them were even remotely angry at the boys."

"That's good." Aizawa replied, scratching at his stubble. "Less for us to concern ourselves with."

"Well…" Midnight began, discreetly eying the direction Uraraka had disappeared. "I wouldn't say that quite yet."

"Ochako…you can slow down now."

An embarrassed Uraraka jolted to a quick halt, letting go of Asui's hand. "Sorry, Tsuyu!"

The frog girl shook her head. "It's okay. I know you're still nervous about talking with Midoriya."

Uraraka rubbed arms uneasily. "But I shouldn't. Deku hasn't done anything wrong, yet I just totally blew him off." She sighed miserably, walking side by side with Tsuyu as they continued towards their room. "I wish I was more like Mina. She has no problem rushing forward. I mean can you believe she confessed to Kirishima!?"

"It was truly something." Asui agreed.

"I know! Right!" Urakaka gushed, flushing at the memory. They arrived at the door to their room, where they suddenly heard a loud cry from inside.

"MINA!?"

Without hesitation, they quickly opened the sliding door and dashed into their shared room. They found Ashido had collapsed to the floor onto her knees, looking mentally drained. Jiro and Hagakure crouched next to her, with Yaoyorozu hovering over them in concern.

"What's going on?" Uraraka worriedly as Asui hopped down next to Ashido.

Ashido glanced up and Uraraka was surprised to see her blushing bright red, looking positively mortified. "That….WAS COMPLETELY TERRIFYING!" The pink girl wailed dramatically, the realization of what she had done just hitting her. "I don't know how other girls do it! Confessing is like super super hard!"

"You made it look simple enough." Jiro said with a laugh.

"Yeah! You looked totally cool out there!" Hagakure added. "Even I thought you were about to whack him!"

"I just don't understand why you rushed out so quickly." Yaoyorozu inquired curiously. "You didn't give him a chance to answer."

"I was too scared!" Mina admitted, hiding her face. "It took everything just to confess. If I stayed longer I thought my legs would give out!"

Uraraka listened to all this with a vacant expression, her mind reeling. "Here I thought Mina was so amazing for having the guts to confess. But in reality, she was just as scared of confessing to Kirishima as I am of facing Deku."

Uraraka stepped forward, crouching down and grabbing Ashido's hand in hers. Ashido blinked, shocked at the unexpected gesture. Uraraka gave a sincere smile, telling her, "He'll definitely accept! You were way too amazing out there. My heart is still beating fast, so I can only imagine how Kirishima is feeling right now!"

Ashido nodded, a bright smile lighting her own face. "Thanks Uraraka. Even if he doesn't, I'm still glad I did." She teasingly poked at Uraraka's cheek. "After all, this is the first time you've had a real smile since fighting Siren! So my confession was good for something at least!"

She stood, pulling Uraraka up as well. "Besides, you can't give me all the credit." She winked, playfully adding, "After all, I did get the idea from you!" Without warning, she began furiously poking Uraraka's sides and stomach, causing the poor girl to shriek in uncontrollable laughter. "The question now is when will YOU confess to Midoriya!? Will it be tonight? After dinner?! If you do, he might even give you his own special dessert, if you know what I mean?!"

"Hahaha STOP! STOP! MINA! HAHAHAHA!"

Yaoyorozu sternly clapped her hands together, halting Ashido's teasing. "Come on girls. If we don't hurry up and get changed, there'll be no dinner or dessert for any of us!"

Thirty minutes later, the girls were once again walking down the hall, feeling so much fresher in a new set of clean clothes. Yaoyorozu led the way, looking slightly unsettled as her sharp eyes surveyed their surroundings.

"What's up?" Uraraka asked.

"I'm not sure." Yaoyorozu replied, "Something just seems off. We haven't seen nor heard any of the other boys since we've been here."

"That is strange." Asui agreed, tapping her chin. "They're usually pretty loud."

"And the first one's in the dining hall." Ashido added, sliding open the door and peering inside. "Look, it's completely empty!"

"Something's definitely off." Jiro agreed, glancing at her phone screen. "Kaminari hasn't answered any of my messages. I wonder if something's up with the guys?"

"Ohhh texting Kaminari are we?!" Hagakure teased, looking over her shoulder. Jiro playfully nudged her away, hiding both her phone and a small blush.

"Maybe dinner is being pushed back to a different time?" Uraraka suggested. As she said this, they all heard a loud crash from outside.

"That sounds like it came from the courtyard!" Jiro quickly exclaimed, her ear jacks lifting up.

"Let's go!" Yaoyorozu ordered, leading the way as they all quickly went to investigate. They slid open the screen door, warm air hitting them as they carefully stepped out onto the wooden patio that led to the gardened courtyard. Instead of encountering a villainous disturbance, they were met by something a little less ominous.

"SURPRISE!"

Ember Sunblaze: Whaat? I actually had the boys and girls...interact? Gasp! About time right? Hope you enjoyed the tidbits of romance sprinkled into this chapter. There will be a lot more to come! Please Review! Oh, if you all are wondering, the girls are singing an Okinawa version of "California Girls" by Katie Perry, which I do now own!