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: Kagome/Hawks

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

Chapter Twenty-Five

A silence hung over her as she observed the area below. Her blue eyes had darkened significantly. She appeared to be lost in thought, but a closer look proved that she had just focused intently on the match going on. Her brows were furrowed slightly. Despite the chatter going on among the rest of their classmates, she didn't once tear her gaze away.

"Kagome…?" Uraraka looked at her, concern in her eyes when she noticed her expression. "Is something wrong?"

Kagome shook her head, blinking as a soft sigh fell from her lips. Her shoulders slumped a bit. She opened her eyes, turning to face the brunette. "No… Everything's fine," she finally said in response.

Though those words left her mouth, they had been a lie. Her hands hand dug into the legs of her pants as she sat there. With each second that passed, it seemed that the state of her brother grew a little bit worse. She knew what Midoriya was trying to do, but it didn't look like it was necessarily working. Either way, with all the frost starting to form on her brother's face and body, one thing was clear.

Without the use of his fire, if he kept up the icy attacks, then his body wouldn't be able to keep up for much longer. The risk of becoming hypothermic was growing. The solution was clear. Not to mention it'd have swift effects, but…-

The shadow of their father hung over him. He didn't want to give Endeavor that which he wanted so badly, but that would only lead to his own downfall the longer he held onto that notion. To have to sit there was merely watch as it all unfolded left her with a bad taste in her mouth.

Shoto still very clearly equated that part of his Quirk to their father's own. It was an ignorant way to think. He was the one that was truly impacted by it, after all. Once, she might've thought the same as him.

She swallowed the sigh she felt threatening to slip free. She folded her arms across her chest and leaned back in her seat.

000

The comment had served as the breaking point for Todoroki's stoic and collected attitude. There was no warning when he abruptly swapped from long-ranged attempts, running towards his green-haired classmate standing opposite of him. Midoriya didn't move as the gap grew smaller. Only when it was too close for him to stop did he finally move.

The pain in his broken bones had faded, adrenaline overshadowing it vastly. Midoriya formed a fist and reeled his arm back as Todoroki got close. The latter realized his actions a second too late.

While he was still able to leave Midoriya's other arm frozen in ice, Todoroki was knocked back by a swift punch to his midsection. He landed several feet away on the ground as a surprised murmur raced through the stands.

After he'd gotten back up, Todoroki exhaled a freezing breath, narrowed eyes fixed on Midoriya. No words were exchanged as he defaulted back to his prior attack strategy.

Midoriya dodged the trail of icy spikes rushing towards him. As he did, he noted that they were nowhere near as fast as they'd been at the start. As Todoroki ran at him again, Midoriya was able to knock him back with another smash.

000

Though she could not hear the words being exchanged, there was something noteworthy flowing through her brother's aura. It was hard to ignore.

The shift in the air made her rise to her feet. Eira and Enya had both ducked down to avoid the growing pressure. Kagome reacted swiftly. A wall of pink, semi-translucent ice spread to block those in the stands closest to the impending explosion. Not even a full second later, a bright burst of light came from the colliding forces in the ring. Even through her shield made of her ice and energy, the heat could still be felt. Once it'd faded, she let her gaze drop to the scene below. Smoke cleared, and the first thing she could make out was the figure of her brother standing in the ring. Against the wall, far out of the ring, was Midoriya.

Burning against her senses was the harsh pride she could feel within her father's aura. Contrary to how Endeavor seemed so pleased, she couldn't help but note the exact opposite in Shoto's disposition.

He'd won the match, but through means he couldn't stand.

Her hands tightened into fists at her sides, and she found it damning the way they'd started to tremble. Shippo, at her side, noticed the shift in her mood. Out of reflex, he leaned a bit closer, wordlessly reminding her that he was there with her.

She was worried about him.

The flame-covered hero stood blocking his path. Shoto had come to a halt as Endeavor remained in front of him. After a few long seconds, the silence was broken by the older man.

"Aren't you going to tell me I'm in your way?" Endeavor questioned with a smug smirk on his face, his arms folded across his broad chest. The lack of his son's usual hostile nature towards him only served to fuel his undeserved arrogance. "You need to learn to control your left side," he remarked. "Doing as you are now and just letting it all out is dangerous."

Shoto offered no response, merely regarding him with a stoic look.

Endeavor unfolded his arms from his chest as he took a step closer, holding his arms out at his side. "It's good to see that you've abandoned your childish tantrum," Endeavor stated. "Without it, you can become a perfect upgrade of me." He held his hand out between them, his grin growing wider. "Once you've graduated, come work for me," he stated. "I'll lead you down the path of the mighty."

Shoto was silent for a few more seconds. His facade hadn't broken the whole time he stood there, merely seeming as if he was lost deep in thought. Once he finally responded, Endeavor's smug look faded.

"I'm not you- there's no way I can abandon anything," Shoto responded. As he spoke, he lifted his left hand, his gaze focusing on it. "It's not something that can be so easily reversed." As he spoke, the tail-end of the match remained on his mind. He slowly closed his hand before letting it lower some. "It's just back then, for that one moment… I forgot about you," he stated.

His comment made any trace of arrogance falter from Endeavor's expression. Shoto disregarded him as he walked by him. The thought of Kagome lingered on his mind, and a complicated light settled in Shoto's eyes.

"Whether that is a good or bad thing, whether it is correct or not," Shoto remarked as he walked off, leaving his father on his own. "It's something I need to think about."

000

She was quiet as Shoto came to stand across from her. For a while they both just stared at each other, able to convey the words without ever speaking. After a few moments, the silence got the better of her, and Kagome was the first to speak.

"You're already strong, but you'd be a lot more if you utilized your flames more," she remarked. It was nothing more than an observation, and he could take her statement in whichever way he wanted. "I… never understood why you're letting something like this get in the way of you becoming your full potential." Her voice was quiet as she drew her arms up, her gaze diverting to the ground. "It's such a disservice to you."

Shoto remained silent as she said those words, merely allowing her voice to fill the space between them. It wasn't that he didn't want to say anything, it was just the words wouldn't form.

He didn't know what to say. Not to her.

He didn't know what to say to make her see it the same as he did. He couldn't understand why it didn't bother her more.

"Not that I'm siding with him or anything," she remarked with a soft sigh. "Just…-" Kagome fell silent, shrugging her shoulders. "You're your own person, you know. It doesn't matter where it comes from, because it's a part of you. You wouldn't be who you are without that part of you."

She knew it was complicated for him, but that didn't change anything, not to her. She could recall back when her own judgment had been blinded by her own feelings. By her rage, by her pain, by her envy. It didn't get her anywhere. It only dragged her down.

"I don't want you to think I'm telling you what you should do," Kagome stated, exhaling softly as she let her hands fall back to her sides. "I just want you to think over what you're doing to yourself very carefully, Shoto." She didn't shy away when his eyes met her own, an expression of diluted surprise washing across his face. "Is this anyway to be happy? Is this what's best for you in the end? Sacrificing a part of you just for the sake of spiting him?"

"..." Silence was his initial response, her words echoing down to his core. It took him a bit longer than normal to piece together words in response, but when he did, they were far from what he'd wanted to truly say. "What about you?"

"Me?" Kagome questioned, a confused light entering her eyes as she craned her head to the side.

Shoto felt it was better off left unsaid, but he ended up saying it all out loud. "If anything, it's a disservice to you." He spotted the confusion on her face double.

"That's not…-"

"It is." Without meaning to, he cut her off before she could finish her remark. He didn't want to hear her brush it off. Not again. "It's not as simple as you say," he stated, his hands tightening at his sides. There were reasons he didn't want to become like their father, and one of the most prominent ones was standing across from him. If he became like him. If he became like someone who'd hurt her so badly…- He could recall the way she looked when she spoke of their father. He didn't want to become someone she'd look at with so much sorrow. He didn't want to become a root of her pain.

"I know it's not simple," she stated. She knew probably better than anyone just how hard it would be to let go of those burdens. "But…-" she paused and glanced down, leaning against the wall behind her. "Don't you think you owe it to yourself to at least try, Shoto?"

A silence swept over the space between them. She avoided looking at him, and he kept his gaze trained on her face.

"I don't want you to become like him," she stated. Those words spilled from her lips in a hushed murmur, as if she were spilling a secret she kept harbored. "But I do want you to accept yourself for all you are." Furthermore…- "I want you to be able to be happy with who you are."

"Kagome…-"

She sighed and shook her head, lifting a hand to gently tuck a lock of her hair back over her shoulder. "But in order to do that, you have to figure out your own path," she stated. "Either way, " she mused softly, dark lashes fluttering closed as a ghosting smile lingered on her face. "You'll always be you in my eyes, no matter the path you take," she said. "No matter what."

"... Right," Shoto said. Her words lingered in his mind. No matter how reassuring she'd tried to be, her comments somehow seemed to complicate things even more. He knew that hadn't been her intention, so he tried to make sure she didn't realize.

For now, until he had a better understanding of it all himself, he wouldn't be using his flames. Maybe that was for the better. At least, it was in his own mind. One look at her face, and he knew she'd seen through it. Her smile faltered, her expression defaulting to a more reserved one.

"Don't be too hard on yourself," Kagome stated, tone soft as she pushed herself off the wall. Her hand moved, finding his left. She gave his hand a comforting squeeze before letting go, lifting her hand in a small wave as she made her way towards the stands. "Good luck!"

000

Kagome found her way back to her seat, settling in without so much as a word. Lingering on her mind was her conversation with Shoto, but she didn't let her complicated feelings show on her face.

She knew he'd do what he felt was best, but that didn't mean it was what was best for him. She appreciated his care for her, of course, but not for his own sake.

Soon enough, the moment of the semi-finals came. The last four standing here those of her own class. Frankly, she wasn't surprised by the way it'd turned out.

From where she sat up in the stands, surrounded by her classmates, she could tell that Shoto was still troubled by everything from before. She watched wordlessly as he went up against Iida. She could tell a lot by his stance and expression- far more than what others could see.

It pained her just how swift the match was, Shoto swiftly coming out on top when he managed to trap Iida in a freezing chasm of ice. There wasn't even a glimpse of his other side.

When it came to the final match- her brother facing off against Bakugo, not much had changed. For a moment, if only a moment, there was a glimpse of his flames rising from the terrain of ice he'd built, but they didn't last long. It was as if he realized what he'd been doing after the fact and decided against it.

The final match ended swiftly- only this time it ended with Shoto being the loser. Bakugo was far from pleased by the way the outcome had come about, and it took Midnight knocking him out to fully bring it to an end.

Kagome kept her expression unreadable as she remained in her seat. He'd made it so far. That was enough to be proud of, but…-

She didn't like feeling the complicated impact his flames had on him.

000

The award ceremony at the end was the closing act of their sports festival. The second year and third year one would continue on later. Kagome noted how Bakugo had been restrained, and she looked on with a grimace.

"Like a feral animal…-" she sighed softly, folding her arms over her chest. Midoriya looked at her with a wry expression. "It's a little overboard, isn't it?"

He couldn't tell if she was referring to the muzzle and cuffs that covered his arms from the wrists down or the way he was struggling madly against those binds.

Before he could say anything, she'd turned away entirely. Though he tried not to, he ended up losing her in the crowd.

At the end of the day, they'd all been gathered back into their classroom. The exhausted chatter that filled the room slowly died down when Aizawa made his way in.

"Good work today, everyone," Aizawa stated as he took his place in the front of the room. "So, there will be no school tomorrow or the day after," he explained. "I'm sure the pro heroes who observed the sports festival will have interest in recruiting you, but we'll consolidate everything and announce it to you once you get back," Aizawa stated. "So, for now, rest well and look forward to that when you return."

Auroua-chan: I didn't realize how long it'd been since I updated this. This chapter gave me a lot of problems when I was writing it, and I got writer's block pretty frequently so I'm glad it's to a point where I'm happy and can post it.

Kagome wants Shoto to accept himself, but Shoto has reason to dislike part of himself. They may be twins, but they don't always see things the same way, that's for sure. Hopefully what Kagome said resonated with him some, though.

Kouga will be such a fun character to add in when it's time. He'll cause so many problems for people (and not just Inuyasha) with his usual antics towards Kagome.
The rest will become aware of Kagome's past in due time. It'll come later, but I have a lot of it planned out already.

Kagome's made her feelings plenty r Endeavor, but we all know he's not gonna listen to her. It's not the last time he'll be a weight over her- but at least she's got her companions to keep him at bay.

Anyway! The Sports Festival is officially over! What comes next is Stain, and I'm personally so excited to get to that point. He might regard Kagome a bit differently than others due to her nature. (Also, could it be that they crossed paths before, one time long ago in her childhood?)

Anyway, 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~