The semester marched on, and all the class 1-A students returned to their regular class schedule after earning their provincial licenses.

Well, all except two. Katsuki Bakugo and Shoto Todoroki were the only students in the class to not pass the provincial license exam, and had to therefore complete a 3-month course in order to receive their licenses.

To the surprise of no one, Bakugo was not thrilled about taking the course when the rest of the class continued with their activities - he was acting particularly cranky.

Shiori, Kaminari, Kirishima we're sitting with Bakugo for lunch, before he had to leave for his special course and they got to have a class-free period.

Kirishima and Shiori shared an amused look as Katsuki stabbed his vegetables with his cutlery with a force that might have broken the plate.

"That's aggressive" commented Kaminari, stuffing a piece of beef in his mouth.

"I AM NOT AGGRESSIVE!" Katsuki grabbed Kaminari by the shirt collar, almost making him choke on his food.

"I'M SORRY, I TAKE IT BACK!" the yellow-haired boy held his hands out in front of him, in an attempt at peace.

Kaminari rubbed his neck after being released, but Bakugo continued to growl with annoyance.

Shiori lifted her fork up and began looking at Katsuki through it - she had one eye open and another closed, focusing on his image.

"Why the fuck are you looking at me through a fork?" he asked, infuriated.

"I'm pretending you're in jail." Shiori shrugged.

"Why?"

"It's spiritually healing."

Kirishima chuckled. "I gotta try that some time."

"Fuck off, weird hair." growled Bakugo.

Shiori laughed. It was in these moments, with her friends, that she felt the happiest. She was glad to see that, despite recent events, Katsuki was back to his old self. It seemed like the show-down between himself and Midoriya was the unraveling of knots that had been tangling for nearly a decade - now, a heaviness was lifted off their shoulders and they had more room to grow.

Perhaps this was the chance for Bakugou to show the world the version of himself Shiori always knew and cared for; a version worthy of being a top hero.

"What are you laughing at, Stitch?" Katsuki scrunched his eyebrows at her.

"I don't know, just thinking about how maybe we should start carrying spray bottle - you know, to spray you with when you get cranky." she shrugged.

The boy growled in response, grabbing his tray and walking away from the table, leaving behind three very-amused friends.

After their night spent holding each other to sleep, Shiori expected that things might be a bit different. She wasn't entirely surprised, however, when they were not. When she woke up the next morning, Katsuki had left her room, and when they saw each other for breakfast, it was as if nothing had happened. She supposed it was easier for him that way.

They had, undoubtedly, admitted their feelings for each other. But since then, Shiori wondered what that really meant - a part of her always knew she loved him, and perhaps Katsuki felt the same way. All that considered, would anything really be different just because words were said out loud?

Shiori had to wonder.

——

After class, Shiori went into her room to switch into more comfortable clothes for dinner.

She was about to remove her shirt when the door busted open to reveal Bakugo.

"Oy, Stitch-" he instantly paused when he saw her with her shirt halfway off.

Shiori was frozen in place, glaring at him.

Down the hallway, the Uraraka and Asui popped their head out from their rooms when they heard yelling.

All they saw was a series of objects ranging from shoes to books flying out of Shiori's room, hitting Bakugo straight on the face.

"WHAT IS YOUR DAMN PROBLEM STOP THROWING SHIT AT ME!" the boy yelled.

"GET - OUT - NOW!" Shiori screamed back.

Ochaco and Asui looked at each other with a mix of horror and amusement.

"Why do I feel like this isn't the last tome we'll be startled by those two..." Uraraka whispered, an awkward smile on her face.

——

The next morning, class 1-A and class 1-B were about to start a very anticipated class face-off.

The students headed to ground Gamma, where the matches would take place.

"This is so exciting!" Hagakure jumped around. "Aren't you excited?"

It was chilly autumn morning and the girl was wearing nothing but her boots and gloves.

"Hagakure, don't you feel cold?" Asked Jirou.

"Yup!" Hagakure continued to jump around. "It's so cold out here!"

"I admire your spirit." Jirou laughed.

"I put on my winter outfit." Mina commented, spinning around to show off her hero costume. "It looks so cool!"

"Our costumes have changed a lot since we first came to U.A. High, huh?" Iida added, looking around at his classmates.

Bakugo, Shiori, Kaminari and Kirishima strolled into ground Gamma, joining the rest of the students.

"Kacchan's outfit looks different too." Midoriya said, seeing Bakugo walk in with a long-sleeved version of his costume.

"Huh?!" Katsuki growled. "If you've got something to say, say it to my face! You stupid nerd!"

Shiori sighed. She also had on a version of her hero costume with longer sleeves and thicker fabric to keep her warm in the winter.

"Does your battle suit help to keep you warm?" Midoriya continued. "Your sweat is your weapon, so the mobility this suit grants you
is very beneficial, isn't it?"

"I didn't ask for your approval!" Bakugo refuted, angrily.

It was then that class-B approached, walking in unison towards the class-A group.

"You're here!" Kirishima punched his own palm. "We're just getting fired up. This is going to be fun."

Sen Kaibara made his way over to Shiori, which made Bakugo's muscles tense.

"Hey, good luck today!" He said, innocently.

"Thank you, you too!" Shiori replied, with a soft smile on her face.

"Get lost, class-B extra." Katsuki mumbled beside Shiori, making her glare at him in response.

Aizawa and Vlad silenced the students when they began to speak.

"We have a special guest today." Aizawa began. "So please don't embarrass yourselves."

"A special guest?" Shiori wondered.

"I'll crush them." Bakugo closed his fist tightly.

"Is it a girl?" Kaminari asked.

"Let's give it our best!" Kirishima added, excitedly.

"He plans to transfer to the Hero Course." Aizawa continued.

The sound of steps made the students turn their heads to see Hitoshi Shinso, from the general course, enter the grounds. He was wearing Aizawa's bandage around his neck and a black mask with a speaker-like contraption over his mouth.

"Nice to meet you!" Yelled Tetsutetsu from class B.

"He can brainwash you by talking to you, right?" Aoyama asked.

"It's a win at first sight." Orijou nodded.

"Midoriya fell for his Quirk, but managed to break free, isn't that right?" Mineta asked.

"Honestly, it was only a fluke." Midoriya smiled nervously.

"Shinso, why don't you say a few words?" Aizawa opened the floor to the newcomer.

"I'm Hitoshi Shinso." The purple-haired boy began to speak. "Some of you have met me during the sports day. They say a fight helps you know someone better. But sadly, I'm not one who upholds
sportsmanship nor friendliness in that way."

Shiori held up her eyebrow, evaluating this new opponent.

"I'm already falling behind all of you." He continued. "Sorry, but I must do my best. I want to be an outstanding hero. I want to help people with my Quirk. Each of you is a challenge I must overcome. I don't plan to become your friend. That's all from me."

The student began to clap lightly, looking astound at one another.

"I can feel his aura from here." Shiori heard Uraraka whisper to Tokoyami.

"This is definitely getting intense" he replied, nodding.

"Without further ado, let's begin." Aizawa gestured to his colleague.

"Battle drill, commence!" Vlad announced. "It's Class A against Class B. There must be four students in each team, and you take turns to battle. The objective is to surround and capture the enemies as heroes. Both teams must see each other as villains.
The first team to capture four people wins."

"It's simple. I like it." Kirishima smiled

"We are both the heroes and villains?!" Iida panicked. "How is that possible? Which role should I play?"

"Isn't he supposed to be smart?" Kaminari whispered to Shiori.

"The wheel's spinning, but the hamster's dead." Shiori replied, earning a chuckle in response.

"There are very cute prisons for both teams on each side of the field." Vlad continued his explanation. "As soon as the opponents are in it, they will be disqualified."

"Let's draw the lots." Aizawa said, as he and Vlad held up a box each, with the letters 'A' and 'B' written in bold in the front.

————

Once the teams were drawn, the battles were about to begin.

Shiori was sorted into a team with Sero, Bakugo and Sato, and they were set to face Awase, Kamakiri, Bondo and Tokage.

"The starting point is your base." Aizawa explained.  "The time limit is minutes. If you can't settle the score in time, the team with more remaining members wins."

"FIRST BATTLE!" Vlad screamed on the microphone. "START!"

"You really enjoy this, don't you?" Aizawa looked over at him, unimpressed.

Shiori stepped out into the centre balcony to watch the first match.

Kaminari and Kirishima had been sorted on the same team, with Asui, Koda and Shinso.

She wondered how the new guy would fare against the hero course students. His Quirk was impressive, and he managed to keep up well in the sports festival.

Shiozaki was standing by herself on the left side of the fighting grounds, seemingly spreading her vines to search for the class A students.

It was then that Shishida jumped out from behind a building and attacked the group, making Shiori flinch.

"So they used her as a decoy, huh?" Shiori whispered to herself.

"What the hell are you babbling about, Stitch?"  Bakugo stepped beside her, looking over at the battle below.

"Don't you want to watch our friends fight?" She asked.

"If they can't win against a bunch of class-B dead weights, then they are just as pathetic as they are."

"You really ought to stop underestimating people, Katsuki." Shiori frowned. "Class-B has been working incredibly hard and I for one think we have a tough battle ahead."

Shiori's attention got snapped back to the battle field when she saw Kaminari be thrown against a metal tank, after shocking Shishida into a beastly rage.

In the meantime, Asui was taking one of the class-B to the prison, earring their team a point, while Kirishima also got captured by Shiozaki.

"So I guess they are even for now?" Uraraka suggested, from somewhere behind where Bakugo and Shiori stood.

"This is far from even." Katsuki spoke softly, to the point that Shiori was probably the only one who heard it. .

"Both teams have equal number of combatants. But Class B seems to be holding up much better with their morale!" Vlad announced. "My students' ferocious attacks might finally bring Class A to its knees!"

"Vlad King, don't be so biased!" Mina complained, while Uraraka shook her head to show her disapproval of the class-B teacher.

The battle from that point on moved quickly. Shinso, Kaminari and Asui expertly worked together to capture the three remaining opponents and finished the round successfully.

"The new kid's impressive, isn't he?" Shiori asked.

Bakugo only huffed and looked away, crossing his arms.

"The victory of the first battle...goes to Class A and Shinso!"  Vlad announced, with a look on his face that made it seem like the words brought his lunch back up to his throat.

The next few battles passed quickly. It was no surprise that the students had all developed impressively for the past few months.  Class B, having had the chance to focus on improving their Quirks while class A got in and out of trouble, managed to even the scores. 

When the 4th battle began and it was Shiori's turn, her team gathered to discuss strategy. 

"Hold on. Are you serious?" Sero waved his hands out in front of his body, exasperated. 

The team was huddled at one end of ground Gamma, while Bakugo explained his plan for the battle. 

"Are you kidding me? Your strategy..." Sato frowned. 

"That's right. So Shaddup." Bakugo insisted. 

He then turned slightly to look at Shiori. They exchanged a brief glance, as if he wanted her input. 

The girl offered him a brief nod of encouragement- she knew Katsuki was brilliant, and this plan had his mad genius written all over it. 

---------

"Class A and Class B have won one battle each. Do you think their strength is equal?" Announced Vlad. "But Class A only won thanks to Shinso, remember! So is their strength really on the same level?"

"Mr. Vlad King, that's too much!" Kirishima complained. 

"He can control blood, but not his brain." Kaminari rolled his eyes. 

"Hurry it up!" Bakugo yelled as he jumped through the grounds using his explosions as propulsion. "Why are you so damn slow?!"

The class A team was running along the inside of a tunnel complex made up of various metal tubing. 

Shiori was far in front of the group, using her speed to scout ahead, as per Bakugo's plan. 

"We're trying!" Sato complained. "Himura is going to be checking ahead either way, so whats the hurry?" 

"Stop nagging!" Katsuki growled. "Just catch up!"

"He always wants us to catch up." Sero huffed, using his tape to swing off of the metal tubing. "He hasn't changed much since sports day, huh?"

Shiori was using her enhanced senses to try and locate the opposing team as she quickly moved across the battle grounds. 

The plan was to create an opening and attack first. The class B students powers that posed a significant threat to each of their team members, so Bakugo insisted they be the first ones to strike. 

"Listen up, you second-rate jerks." he had explained earlier. "The key is to create our opportunity to hit them hard. As long as we can track them down, we can win. That will be Shiori's job."

He then grabbed a handful of grenades from his pocket and threw one at each of his team members. 

"Be careful!" Sero cringed, holding it like it was about to go off any second. 

"Hold onto those." Bakugo continued. "These aren't very powerful, but they will come in handy." 

Shiori lifted her shirt slightly to store hers into the skin of her abdomen. 

"And one more thing..."  he continued.

------

In the present, she was making her way to an open area when her ears began to ring. 

She stopped in her tracks long enough that the rest of the team caught up to her. 

"Shiori." Katsuki began to mutter.

"Shh." she lifted her finger, silencing him. "They're here. But-"

"Where?!" he grunted, frustrated. 

"Thats the issue, I can hear them... everywhere." 

It was in that moment that floating pieces of flesh made their way through the team, gathering together to join into a talking head a few meters in front of the group.

"We used Himura's senses to our advantage." giggled Tokage, who's Quirk allowed her to split her body into parts and control them individually.  

Shiori and Bakugo jumped in separate directions, leaving Sero and Sato vulnerable. 

Class B student Bondo used his glue Quirk to trap them both in a web-like prison, taking advantage of the opportunity to separate the team. 

"This is bad." Sero looked around. "We walked right into it."

"I did it! It's just as Setsuna planned!" Bondo celebrated, letting out a laugh that sounded more like a gargle. 

A third member of class B then emerged in the skies: Kamakiri used his Razor arms to cut through the metal pipes, making them collapse onto the two boys stuck below. 

Shiori was stuck in place, unsure what to do. She could make it down to her friends on time, but how would she stop the falling pipes?

It was the loud boom of an explosion that almost made her fall from the ledge she was standing on.  

Bakugo, who had not stopped to think in the face of the challenge, jumped in the way to rescue his team mates. 

Blasting off the falling threat, he cleared the way for Sero and Sato to escape unharmed. 

The last thing Katsuki had told the group was then replaying in Shiori's mind as she watched him save the team: "And one more thing... When you're in danger, I will help you-" he had said, much to her surprise. 

As she jumped down the pipes to join her group, she couldn't shake the slight smile on her face. 

"Thanks!" Sato called out.

"Shut it!" Bakugo looked back at rest of the team. "They got away. Search for them."  

Shiori didn't waste any more time, quickly disappearing in a blur of black. 

------

"This is strange." Asui scratched her head as she watched the 4th battle unfold. "Am I seeing things now?"

"I think he was protecting his team." Uraraka placed her index and thumb under her chin. "Bakugo is always so unpredictable."

"No, you're not seeing things." Kirishima shook his head, smiling. "That's him alright." 

"You're saying his personality changed?" Asui questioned. 

"Well, it's true that this is the first time I've seen him do something as obvious as putting himself on the line." Kirishima admitted. "But his personality hasn't changed. He's just starting to show more of it." 

Uraraka and Asui exchanged a curious glance. 

----------

"There are still too many noises." Shiori told her team, when she made her way back to them after scouting. "Too many points of contact. But the number has dwindled."

"The number has dwindled?" Sero lifted an eyebrow. 

"They are falling back." Bakugo clarified. 

"Are they regrouping?" Sato asked. 

"Dammit, they are underestimating us." Bakugo's eyebrows gathered in a twitching frown. 

"If I focus I think I can find the source of the majority of the sound. Or at least try to pint point individual ones." Shiori closed her eyes, furrowing her brows. "Wait - Katsuki, I think Bondo's ahead!"

Before she could finish her sentence, he was already blasting away. "Let's do this." 

While Bakugo passed through two parallel pipes, the final class B student, Yosetsu Awase, emerged from behind a pillar and welded his gauntlets to the metal, trapping him in place. 

"Weldcraft!" Awase exclaimed. "Complete!"

"Crap, where did he come from?!" Sero's arms clenched. 

"How did I not hear him?" Shiori looked down to see he had welded a piece of Tokage's flesh to each of his feet to soften the sound of his steps. 

"Don't worry, we got this." Sato propelled all his strength forward, breaking the metal pipes with one punch and setting Bakugo free. 

"When you're in danger, I will help you- and when I'm in danger I'll count on you guys to help me out." Bakugo had told his team, when they discussed the plan. Shiori was watching the walls of his hostility crack as her best friend made room to trust other people. 

"Go!" Sato shouted, as Bakugo grinned and moved quickly to catch up to a fleeing Awase. 

"Curse you!" he growled. "Don't you dare stick me to the pipes!"

"Do you have to take it so personally?!" Awase