Summary: Kagome, younger twin to Shoto, was regarded as a failure by their father. With her Quirk never showing during her youth, her father regarded her as a blight on his legacy. He gave her away. After sealing the well up, she's accepted into U.A. Her very presence serves to shake things up in the best ways!

Pairing: Undecided

Disclaimer: I do not own either series. Each belongs to their rightful owners.

Chapter Seventeen

The clamor outside called her attention, and Kun-Loon slowly stepped up to the window that gave her a clear view of the scene outside. Clutched in her hand was a cup of tea that had already started to go cold. She braced her weight on the wall beside her as she paused and merely observed the training Sesshoumaru was putting Kagome through. Souta had joined them to observe, and the boy was loudly cheering his sister on as she, once again, won the mock battle.

A smile danced on her lips as she watched, having a clear view of Kagome's radiant energy even from where she stood.

"Ahem."

She tore her gaze away, warm eyes landing on the elderly man seated at the table.

"She's sure grown a lot, hasn't she?" Kun-Loon mused softly to her husband's father. Grandpa Higurashi looked back at her, a smile on his face as he nodded.

"I'd say," he hummed in response. "Souta also seems eager to follow in her footsteps."

She smiled and nodded. "It's that obvious, huh?" she mused. A second later, she sighed a shook her head. She knew the trouble that was sure to come in the upcoming days, but she tried not to dwell on it so much. Sesshoumaru's prior reassurance to her came flooding back without her even meaning to think back to it.

"Should he cross a line, I will intervene."

He'd been speaking about none other than Kagome's father. Kun-Loon couldn't help but feel guilty about asking such a thing from the demon so close to Kagome, but she could tell he genuinely meant the words he said. Even if she hadn't asked in the first place, she knew he'd do it of his own volition. It, at least, gave her a bit of peace.

She turned her attention back to her now-cold tea and sighed. A second later, she pressed her hand firmly to the cup. Seconds later, steam began to rise as the liquid inside was reheated.

As she enjoyed her tea, she didn't stray from where she stood merely watching and observing her daughter's apparent progress.

000

"You're so cool!" Souta exclaimed as he raced over to Kagome's side the moment the next fight ended. Kagome turned to look at him, a warm smile on her face as he continued to ramble excitedly.

She felt Sesshoumaru's stare lingering on her as they both listened to Souta. She glanced to the side, spotting Shippo sitting on the concrete with Eira and Enya attacking one of his illusions in their smaller forms.

"I think that will be all for today," Sesshoumaru remarked, and Kagome let her attention return to him. Again, he had several minor burns littering his skin from their battle. Nothing that'd leave lasting damages, but they were proof enough of her efforts. "I'd rather not overdo it if it can be helped," he added shortly after. Kagome nodded in agreement with his decision.

Physically, she was as prepared for the Sports Festival as she could be, and, while she was still dealing with the nerves that came with the knowledge that she'd once again get placed under her father's stare, she was feeling more confident than she was before. She knew that she could rely on Sesshoumaru. Well, not just him, but everyone else.

Inuyasha would be coming to watch her participate, as well. That made her feel happy inside, too. It hadn't been long since she'd last seen him, but it still felt like an eternity in her mind.

"It's getting better, but you still need to work on your temperature regulation. Overheating yourself will be a child's mistake," Sesshoumaru reminded. Kagome looked at him and nodded. "Keep up with your meditation."

The event would be here soon, and she needed to be as prepared as she could, and that meant all facets of her Quirk.

Before anyone knew it, the day of the event had come. The area was bustling with people, and she knew a few of the faces present there. Even if she couldn't go visit them yet, she could still feel them there.

She sat in the room with the rest of her class, silently resting her chin in her palm at the table she was at. Across from her was Bakugo, and beside her was Shippo. Standing a few paces behind her was her brother. Her leg was shaking, but she couldn't will it to stop. She was as prepared as she could be, but…

"Man, I wish we could wear our costumes," Mina sighed, her voice being the loudest thing in the otherwise quiet room.

"Well, it has to be fair for everyone else," Ojiro said in response, and the pinkette nodded to show she understood.

"Still… the gym uniform doesn't stand out much."

"That just means we have to use our Quirks for that."

"I wonder what the first round will be like," Sato said, clenching his hands together on the table's surface. Kagome picked her head up to look at him just in time for Tokoyami to be the one to respond.

"No matter what may come, we will just have to deal with it," the raven-headed boy responded. Kagome found herself agreeing with his words, for more than one reason. He was accurate, after all.

Thumping footsteps came from the hall, and, seconds later, the door was opened from the outside. Iida peered inside, taking a quick look over everyone inside. "Is everyone ready?" he asked. "We will be entering soon."

His question pushed some of them to stand, and, unable to stay seated any longer, Kagome was one of them. She'd changed into her gym uniform like everyone else, and she'd also fixed her hair into a high ponytail to keep it from getting in her face during any of the rounds.

Shippo mimicked her actions, rising to his feet seconds after she had stood. He abandoned his chair in favor of coming up to her side and linking their arms together to keep her close. He wasn't nervous, not in the slightest, but he could sense her emotions clearly. He knew the cause, and he was more than prepared to show off his claim of her to onlookers.

When she looked at him, he smiled. A second passed before she returned it. The others in the room had stopped questioning Shippo's determination of being so close to her a long time ago. By now, most of them probably anticipated some sort of action like that from him.

"Just remember," Shippo beamed at her, "you'll be able to see Inuyasha after this," he reminded, and Kagome smiled brighter.

"... Right!"

She knew Inuyasha was out in the stands with her family, but she hadn't been able to see him that morning. She paused to look for her brother, only to spot him walking away from where she stood and approaching their green-haired classmate.

"Midoriya."

She wasn't the only one who looked at him now. Several people in the room had turned to eye the interaction as Midoriya turned towards the boy with split red and white hair.

"Todoroki?" Midoriya asked. "What is it?"

"Looking at things objectively, I think I'm stronger than you," Todoroki stated flatly. His statement took Midoriya by surprise, but after a few seconds, the boy nodded in agreement.

"Y-Yeah.."

"But All Might has his eye on you, doesn't he?" Todoroki continued. "I'm not trying to pry about that, but I'm going to beat you."

"Oh?" Kaminari cut in. "Is the best in the class making a declaration of war?"

"Hey, hey," Kirishima stood from his seat finally and made his way over to the pair, resting a hand on Todoroki's shoulder. "What's the deal with picking a fight so suddenly? The whole thing's about to start."

"We're not here to play at being friends," Todoroki stated flatly as he shook his hand off. "So what does it matter?" he remarked as he turned and walked away. Before he got too far, Midoriya spoke up.

"Todoroki, I don't know what you're thinking when you say you'll beat me, but of course, you're better than me," Midoriya stated. "I think you're more capable than most people, looking at it objectively…"

"Midoriya, you probably shouldn't talk so negatively," Kirishima intervened, trying to dissuade the whole thing, not that it did anything to silence the other boy.

"But everyone… The students from the other courses are aiming for the top with everything they've got," Midoriya said. "I can't afford to fall behind, so I'm going for it with everything I've got, too!"

000

The stands were loud and lively, but Kun-Loon could still hear Souta's voice from where he was a few paces in front of her.

"Mom, come on," he called, tugging at her hand to get her to move. "We have to get good seats."

"I know, I know," she responded to his tugging, giving a faint laugh at his clear excitement. She paused and glanced around, searching for the two small cats that had come with them, only to not see them. She frowned and looked around, only to spot them eyeing some of the trinkets for sale. "Oh, why don't you two go ahead," she said, glancing over her shoulder to look at Inuyasha. "I'll catch up in a moment."

"Oh, sure," Inuyasha responded, taking her place in following the younger boy to the stands. Kun-Loon spotted the direction they were heading before she turned and backtracked to where the two rambunctious felines were.

"Come on, you two," she cooed softly. At once, they both perked up and jumped into her arms. "You've got plenty of toys at home, you know," she stated then. They let out matching mews in response, and she smiled.

Well… one more wouldn't hurt, right?

She bought a matching set of trinkets for the pair and put her wallet back into her bag with a smile. "There," she mused softly, "now don't go running off like that again," she added as she let them both up onto her shoulders. "The last thing we need is you two trying to get to Kagome's side right now," she added with a laugh.

As she made her way into the stands, a familiar figure entered her line of sight. It nearly made her pause entirely, but she stopped herself before she could. From over the distance, she could make out the clear blue of his eyes as they landed on her. She held his stare for a couple of seconds before she ultimately turned away from him entirely.

"Kun-Loon," his voice was sharp as he approached her, but she did her best to ignore him entirely. "What brings you here?"

She found it infuriating that he attempted to be so civil with her, but, then again, they were in public. He had no place in trying to speak with her. Still, as she passed him by, she gave him a brisk response.

"I'm here to watch my child compete," she stated coldly.

"You don't have a child that's old enough to take part," Endeavor responded. "Unless you count that mistake I discarded," he stated as he continued on his way, walking down the stairs she walked up. She paused for a split second, hands tightening into fists as her face grew hot.

Had he only approached her to state that insult and leave…?

Kun-loon had to bite back on what she wished so badly to say in response to his harsh statement. She held her tongue and continued on her way, giving him nothing in return.

000

As the festival finally started, each first-year class was ushered out into the stadium. Walking in with everyone in her class made her feel a bit better. Shippo had yet to remove his arm from her own, cheerfully clinging to her even in front of all the spectators there.

Present Mic introduced each class as they entered, from the hero course to the business course. Soon enough, all of the classes had filed into the area. Kagome could spot a few familiar faces- some from class 1B, as well as the boy with purple hair from the other day. There wasn't much space between them, with him being on the side that Shippo wasn't on. He matched her stare for a few seconds before her attention got diverted to someone else.

"All right everyone," Midnight called from where she stood on a small stage, "it's time for the player pledge!" she announced as the crowd slowly grew quiet. "Representing the students is Katsuki Bakugo from class 1A!"

The decision was certainly a surprise, and Kagome knew she wasn't the only one taken aback by it being him. "I think I already know exactly how this is gonna go…" she sighed under her breath. From beside her, Shippo nodded.

"It's Kacchan?" Midoriya asked, just as surprised as she was.

"Didn't he finish first in the entrance exam?" Sero reminded. Not long after, there was a huff from a few paces to the side.

"Maybe for the hero course," a girl from the general studies course scoffed.

"R-Right," Midoriya stated.

"It's clear that she hates us," Sero added quietly.

"Well, when Bakugo pulls a stunt like he did the other day, it makes all of us look bad," Kaminari muttered.

"Oh, please," Kagome sighed, combing a hand through her bangs. "Do you really think this is gonna be any better than then?" she asked. Her classmates were silent as she posed that question as he went to join Midnight on the stage. A second later, Kirishima sighed.

"Great…"

A silence fell over the stadium- both below where they stood and up in the stands as Bakugo stepped up to the microphone.

"I pledge," he began, "that I'll be number one."

She sighed a bit louder this time as the others from other classes began to hiss boos at him.

"Don't get so full of yourselves, Class 1A!"

"Yup, knew he'd do something like that," Kagome deadpanned. "Of course, we also have to get pulled into it somehow," she grumbled.

"Why are you doing something so disgraceful?!" Iida shouted from the sidelines. "There were literally dozens of better things you could've said, Bakugo!"

"You think he cares about that?" Kagome remarked flatly, brow arched.

"At least become a nice bouncy step for me to jump off of," was Bakugo's response to the hissing crowd. As he looked at them, he held his thumb down.

The yelling was ignored as Midnight stole the microphone once again.

"Now, let's get this started right away!" She called out. "The first game is what you'd call a qualifier," she continued. "Every year, many drink their tears here! Now, here's the first fateful game!" she exclaimed, holding a hand up as a hologram was projected behind her. On it, was a dial that cycled through several options at a quick pace. After a few seconds of it spinning, it finally settled on one.

An obstacle race.

"All eleven classes will be participating in the race," Midnight explained as the screen shifted through examples and rules. "The course will be the outer circumference of this stadium- about four kilometers," Midnight explained. "Our school's selling point is freedom! As long as you manage to stay on course, it doesn't matter what you do during this race."

The gate by a red door opened and Midnight motioned towards it.

"Now!" she exclaimed, "take your places, everyone!"

As everyone got ready, the timer was already ticking down. By the time the last light faded, it was a call to start and everyone took off the moment they were instructed to.

The hallway was quickly filled to the point it was hard for anyone to move. People were yelling as they tried to get ahead of where they were, but no one made much progress with all the fighting.

It wasn't long before a cold breeze ran along the floor, and Kagome knew very well what was coming next. She grabbed hold of the person to her side and used them as leverage to avoid the ice that came to cover the ground and encase the unsuspecting crowd's feet. Once she was sure it was done, she lowered herself back to her own feet and found her balance. As everyone was frozen in place, she could spot the familiar figure of Todoroki rushing ahead, and she bit back a laugh.

"Nice try~" she sang. Not trusting her coordination to run on ice, she opted for another solution to assist only her. Small flames at her feet melted the ice as she took off in a sprint, easily navigating through the still-trapped figures.

Her time spent running around fighting demons in the past had done wonders for improving her stamina, so a race was nothing at all to her.

After her, a few others were able to get free as well- most of the people in their class seemed to anticipate him to do something along those lines. Those from other classes… not so much, though. Still, a good portion of them was able to evade getting frozen in place by their feet.

The ice didn't stop just outside the tunnel, however. The entire ground was soon covered by a sheet of ice, making the terrain dangerously slippery.

"You got out quick," he remarked as she easily caught up to him, and Kagome scoffed.

"Who do you take me for?" she responded in a matching tone, and a small smirk appeared on his face. Before they could make it too far- along with the mass of people still in the race alongside them- they were brought to a halt when large mechanical figures abruptly appeared before them.

"Oh…" Kagome let out a breath and backtracked a step. "Guess this is what they meant by obstacle… "

"Those are the zero-point enemies from the entrance exam!" Kaminari exclaimed.

"There's so many of them, we can't get through!"

"If they went through all this trouble, I wish they would've prepared something better," Todoroki remarked. As he did, the temperature around them shifted again, diving back down, as ice formed at his feet and hand. He bent to place his hand on the ground, and, as he did, pillars of ice shot up from the ground. "Since our scumbag old man is watching…" he scoffed. He rose slowly, bringing his hand up, and the ice rose with it, shooting toward the massive robots and covering them in a massive layer of ice.

"You should hurry," he remarked to her before he moved again. He didn't waste any time after, taking off in a run underneath them before they could tilt any. Kagome could tell what he meant by that, and she nodded, taking his advice and following behind him automatically.

If she waited too long, then she'd get caught up in the trouble as they fell. Additionally, she couldn't afford to waste any time or energy fighting them. That, she decided as she followed behind him, could be saved for the others.

The second obstacle was a step ahead of the first, but something manageable for her, at least. Kagome didn't let her pace falter as she picked a tightrope and ran towards it. As she did, a transparent barrier spread out beneath her feet as she ran. The height was imposing, but she was better adapted for it than others were.

With her barrier protecting her if she misstepped, she made it through easily. As she did, she didn't miss a few figures finally catching up from their class- among others. Once she was off, she decided to let her barrier fade, calling it back to her.

Helping the others would only slow her down and further exhaust her energy, and that was something she couldn't afford. The way down was long, but she knew the school wouldn't let anyone get seriously hurt during the festival, and she let that knowledge urge her on.

The third and final obstacle was tougher than the first two, she could admit. A massive stretch of landmines made progressing quickly much more difficult, so, she opted to take her time. Those who passed her were quickly knocked out of the way when they misstepped, anyway, and that left one less landmine for her to worry about.

Ahead of her, Bakugo quickly surpassed her at last- his quirk helping him much better than some of the others helped them. Of course, he couldn't just focus on passing the finish line, however. She didn't miss the way he abruptly started a fight with her brother in the lead.

Of course, he would…

She mapped out the landmines using her senses as she navigated the ground as quickly and carefully as she could. Behind her and ahead of her, she could both see and hear the landmines going off- bursting in bright clouds of light pink smoke as the unfortunate souls who set them off were tossed to the side. When they landed, some of them managed to set off a few more.

A louder-than-normal explosion from behind her caught her attention, and she, along with many others, came to a halt at the force of it. She turned, and, as the smoke cleared, she was able to see a figure soaring through the air. She eventually made out who it was, and her eyes went wide.

"Izuku?!"

He was using a piece of the prior robotic obstacles as a board as he soared across the field, bypassing many of them still on the ground. It didn't take him long at all to catch up with the two fighting in the lead.

She paid the adjustment no mind, even as another cloud of pink smoke erupted from the front. She returned her focus to navigating over the remaining mines, and it wasn't much longer before she had made it across, as well.

She followed the path the others in front of her had taken as more joined behind her. She didn't allow her pace to falter as she made it to the finish line, those behind her rushing towards the same location as she did. The cheers got louder as she broke through back into the stadium, and she spotted the three that'd gotten ahead of her already there.

Not long after, more and more people began to finish one after another. Before long, the race was over, and the ones moving on to the next round had been decided. Only the top forty-two would be allowed to continue.

000

"Those who are progressing to the next round have been decided!" Midnight announced once everyone had been gathered back up. "Only the top forty-two are allowed to progress. It can be unfortunate but don't worry even if you didn't make it through. We've prepared other chances for you to shine," she commented. "The real competition begins next!" she continued. "The press cavalry will be all over it, so give it your all!"

As she announced that, the same dial from before returned to the projected screen behind her and it began to spin again. A few seconds went by before it finally stopped.

"Now then, here's the next game! I already know what it is," she stated. "What could it be?" she mused to everyone. "Oh, what could it possibly be? I've already said it…!"

The dial stopped, and written clearly on the screen were the words Cavalry Battle.

"If your curious as to how it'll work, allow me to explain," Midnight began. "The remaining participants can form teams of two to four people as they wish. It's basically the same as any old ordinary cavalry battle, but the one thing that's different is…- based on the results of the last game, everyone's been assigned a point value."

"So like the entrance exam?" Sato hummed. "That's easy enough to understand."

"In other words, each team is worth different points depending on who is on the team," Uraraka stated.

"You guys don't hold back even though I'm talking, huh?!" Midnight exclaimed. At her statement, those who had been talking fell silent once more, and she continued. "Yes, that's exactly right, and the points assigned go up by five starting at the very bottom. For example, forty-second gets five points, and forty-first gets ten, and so on," she stated. "The point value assigned to the first place position is…- ten million!"

Kagome could feel the dread that came from Midoriya the moment she said those words. All eyes had gone to him, and there was no denying that he was suddenly a target.

"So, in other words," Midnight continued, "if you manage to take down the first-place player's team, you can stand at the top no matter what place you're in!" she exclaimed. "It's a survival of the fittest, with a chance for those at the bottom to overthrow the top!

Auroua-chan: This took longer than I wanted to get finished, but life has been getting busy for me again. It's hard to balance time with my work schedule.

Anyway, the Sports Festival has begun! Kun-Loon shared some words with Endeavor before deciding it was better if she held her tongue. He's… a piece of work, to say the least. (When he witnesses Kagome's potential, it's pretty clear what he'll do… but at least she has her demon companions and family backing her up.) Also! There was a glimpse of Kun-Loon's Quirk early on in the chapter… hehe.

The Cavalry Battle is next- any guesses as to Kagome's team?

I've been thinking a lot about the pairing lately, and, though she has yet to meet him, I'm leaning more and more toward Hawks for Kagome out of everyone. He'd be good for her (plus bring quite a bit of drama from a certain side of the family…) It's not decided just yet, but I'm just sharing my current thoughts on it with everyone.

Also! Over 400 favorites&follows?! What? When? How?! Thank you all so much!

That's it for now! Thank you all for reading, and I hope you all enjoyed! Hopefully I caught all the errors before posting, but if not sorry.

Please remember to Review&Favorite&Follow, thank you!

Bye for now~