DISCLAIMER: NO, I STILL DON'T OWN BOKU NO HERO ACADEMIA, I'M STILL A WORN OUT LOSER WITH NO MONEY!

A/N: Sorry for the wait, also I apologize in advance if the chapter is lame.

CHAPTER 5: RISING EMBERS
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THIRD POV
WHEN WORD OF All Might teaching at UA got out, the press has been swarming the gates of the said school. So, when Kasai Todoroki made her way to the said entrance, she clenched her jaw in distaste. She spots different reporters sticking their microphones in student's faces, urging them to spill details about the number one hero.

Unfortunately, even thinking about the press brings attentions to oneself. One second she's clear of anything press related, and the next, she has a persistant lady in front of her. She glowers at the older woman who urges the microphone into her face.

"You, young lady, you look awfully familiar," the woman tells her, inching closer as if she just hit the goldmine.

Her turquoise eyes, the ones she shares with her father, they turn cold. "Maybe-

"It's your eyes! They're exactly like the number two hero's, Endeavor! Any relation," the woman exclaims with recognition.

Kasai glares for being cut off and getting exposed. "It's clearly obvious seeing as you just answered your own question," she sharply quips.

"This is great! Given your age I can tell that you're his daughter! This is what we needed. I'm sure you've noticed the rivalry between your father and All Might, can you tell us your opinion about the Number One Hero being a teacher here? What do you think," the lady asks very quickly, pushing the microphone towards the girl.

"What do I think," Kasai calmly asks. However, her emotions are quick to take a one-eighty, turning furious. Her hair ignites into white flames. "I think nothing of it because it's nothing special or important! You want to waste my time on silly gossip, then go to the man himself! Ask me one more stupid question, and I'll burn all your equipment," she seethes, making the lady and her crew flinch with her icy glare.

Turning on her heel, she huffs and stomps towards the school building. Well, that's before a flash of ash blond catches her peripheral vision. Stopping in her tracks, she glances to the side and watches as they try to question her fellow hot-head. Though, he quickly shuts them up, glaring at them. However, when Katsuki turns towards the school, the two of them connect eyes. It's a mere second before Kasai turns away with a burning face.

Ducking away, she hurries into a quick pace and scurries into the school building, her face burning in a crimson shade. She doesn't understand why she's feeling like this, and it can't just be because theit eyes met. She glares into his eyes all the time when they argue. Is it because she's wearing her hair down today? Was it because she wasn't glaring? What was it?

Bakugou stares in confusion as he watches the girl he usually fights with, rush away as if there's a fire nearby. Actually, now that he thinks about it, that girl is one his rivals. They had competitions back in middle school, but it only got serious when they tied in the entrance exam. The reason only he got first was because of their names, Bakugou comes first to Todoroki. Then, for the apprehension test on the first day, she managed to beat him by coming in third place as opposed to his fourth place. However, instead of rubbing it in his face like she usually does when she wins, she ignored him while throwing a cold glare at her brother.

That's another thing that confuses him. That shitty white-out had a brother, a twin to be specific, but they treat each other like complete strangers. They don't converse with one another, if he didn't know better he would think that they weren't related at all, judging by all the animosity. Also, if they were siblings, why did she take the entrance exam while the other got in through recommendations? Katsuki had all these questions, but no answers to the mystery called Kasai Todoroki.

Then, yesterday when she obliterated the competition like it was nothing, he realized just how strong she really was. A year ago with the sludge monster incident, she seemed so frozen, how can she get from that to this? Was she messing with him like that quirkless guppy Deku? No, she wasn't, he remembered in the duration of the year, she usually came to class exhausted and sometimes brandishing some minor burns on her hands. She trained to become like this, she pushed herself.

Despite being very different, he realized that they were also the same.

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤

ONCE SETTLED IN class, Kasai kept her head down like usual. Though, when Bakugou came walking in a few minutes after her, her turquoise eyes widened. The note, she mentally exclaimed, her face flushing again. Mentally groaning, she repeats to herself to not react, to show no emotion, and to keep her head down.

Pulling out her Campos notebook, she takes a page from Midoriya's book, and starts to write profiles about her classmates and their quirks. When writing, she blatantly ignores the burning stare directed at the side of her face. She knows it's Bakugou, assuming he read the note she left him, but that doesn't stop her face from flushing. The Todoroki forces herself not to give a smile of reaction, but it's useless seeing as the corner of her lips lift themselves into a small smile. Though, internally, she's screaming at herself to stop feeling this way. She's trying to force the fluttering feeling in her stomach away. The racing heart, the involuntary heat rushing to her cheeks, the several flips in her stomach, it's all confusing her.

She's never felt this. It's alarming. It's new. She knows she's not sick because she hasn't done anything to get ill. She's not in her days, that's only at the beginning of the month, and it's the middle of April. So she's asking herself, what is it? She knows the reason for these feelings are because of that shitty sparkler, but she's logical. How can a person make her feel like this? They're not in physical contact. He doesn't have a quirk that can affect her like this. And they basically hate each other's guts...well, hate is a strong word, it's more like a strong dislike. However, she also admires him.

So, what is it?

Before she can go in circles and question herself repeatedly, Aizawa walks in just after the bell rings. Closing the notebook, Kasai somewhat straightens her posture and looks towards her teacher. She watches as the man sighs before placing a pile of papers on his desk.

"Hope you're rested from yesterday's battle trial. I took the liberty of looking at your marks and evaluation," he informs the class with his usual bored tone. "Bakugou. Stop acting like a seven year old. You're wasting your own talent."

"I know," the blond grumbles before clenching his jaw.

Kasai glances at him and just does that before looking away. Because, despite what he makes her feel, he's still her rival. She can't let her feelings get in the way. She needs to focus on beating her brother and becoming number one. That's her priority, not some measly feelings.

"And you," Aizawa directs towards Midoriya. "Are you always planning on destroying your arm, Midoriya? If you keep going 'I can't adjust my quirk so I have no choice' you'll never get terribly far. I've said it before. Don't make me say it a third time. Once you've cleared that hurdle, you'll be so much more flexible, so I need to see some sweat out of you, Midoriya."

"Got it," the green haired boy pledges.

"Now, let's get on with the homeroom notices. I'm sorry to spring this on you, but - we need to pick a class president," he tells them.

The class sighs in relief, finally something normal. Kasai doesn't really see class president appealing, especially since she was a former rule breaker. The task goes against every bone in her body, too uptight for her rebellious lifestyle. Sitting back, the white haired girl relaxes into her seat, not really paying attention to what's happening.

Though, with hair hearted glances, she watches as the majority of the class all raise from their seats, waving about. They state their reasoning for wanting the position. When her turquoise eyes find Bakugou, Kasai stifles a laugh. He's in his seat, waving his raised hand like a madman, all while huffing angrily.

Can she have both? Acknowledging her feelings and focusing on becoming number one? Who knows.

However, their actions come to a stop when Iida raises his voice, telling them to be quiet. She tries to listen, but she really doesn't care. Instead of staring at the walls, or counting the tiles on the ceiling, she takes out her notebook and resumes the profiles on her classmates.

Eventually, they had to vote, and like the majority of the class, Kasai just wrote her name before putting it into the slot. She asumes that everyone's going to vote for themselves, but maybe there'll be a few exceptions. And she was right, two other people voted for Midoriya while another voted for Yaoyorozu.

Then, the bell rang, signifying the time for lunch.

Gracefully getting out of her seat, Kasai strides out of the classroom. The one thing she doesn't like about her quirk is that she always gets hungry. With the fire, her metabolism burns a lot faster than any other people's. Which means that she needs to eat a lot, or more frequently at least.

Though, just as she's about to enter the main corridor, a voice yells after her.

"Hey, you shitty extra," Bakugou shouts.

Kasai's pace falters, but she continues, thinking that he's yelling at someone else.

"Oi, you, White Out, I'm talking to you," Bakugou specifies with a yell.

That's what makes her stop. The use of her given nickname makes her freeze, pause in mid-step. Turquoise eyes widening, she stays still and silently panics. Oh god, what does he want? No, stay calm, don't allow him to control your emotions. Stay cool.

"Did you mean it," Bakugou tells her once he's standing in front of her. His crimson eyes look down at her, he notices that she's wearing her usual blank expression, but also noticed her hair. The ash blond boy has never seen her with her hair down, noting how the white locks reach her middle back. If he actually takes the time to think about it, he finds that Kasai is one of the most attractive girls in class. He also finds her temper appealing.

"Mean what," Kasai questions, stifling any unwanted emotions. She's never been this close to him, at least when they're not arguing. From this distance, she can see how perfect his skin is, no blemish whatsoever. His hair is a nice shade of blond, but the shape of it, it's basically compelling her to touch it and run her fingers through it. Her body gives a small tremble whilst her emotions are bursting at the seams, but she does everything to force the rising heat away from her face.

"Tch, you know what I mean," he says, narrowing his eyes. "Don't pretend to be a shithead."

"Fine, but just so you know, I mean a lot of things so you need to be specific," she answers coolly, not wanting to admit to what he's saying.

"The note," he tells her, and almost immediately, but involuntarily, her face flushes red.

"Shit," she curses under her breath, turning away to hide behind her hair. "They're words, whatever, get over it."

"So, it was you," he questions through gritted teeth.

"Of course it was me," she turns, her face still red, as she admits it. "It was my writing! It was my note! And who else do you call White Out besides me?"

"Tch, whatever," Katsuki mutters, this time being the one who flushed. He turned his head to hide his rosen cheeks.

"Yeah, whatever," Kasai mutters, still a bit embarrassed.

A silence lingers over them. Seconds turning to a minute. Biting her lip, she releases a sigh.

"Come on, I'm starving," she ushers, walking towards the cafeteria. "Besides it's nothing new. You've always dominated in the fights against Midoriya, his sudden quirk won't change that. Especially, when can create those large explosions with your gauntlets -"

With that, they talked for the first time without arguing. They compared the capabilities of their quirks. Of course, they naturally butted heads when it came to who was the best, but they actually conversed with one another. Kasai complimented his control on his explosives, and he somewhat stated that she was okay with her flames. He tried, which made her laugh in amusement.

From across the cafeteria, Izuku looked at the two hotheads with apprehension. He witnessed first hand how they always argued in middle school, literally butting heads. He knew them as rivals, always fighting and spouting snarky remarks at each other. Though, to see them actually talking a normal converstation and laughing, that sight alone makes him nervous. Are they plotting against him? Especially now since he's class president?

Them together can't be good, right?

Shoto, he also witnessed how his sister and Bakugou talked from his seat. Should he feel jealous that someone else is getting to know his sister besides him? After all, they're like strangers. Once, a long time ago, they used to be close, but now they're standing on different sides of a line. He can't remember the last time they had a conversation. Is her favorite color still red? They used to be close, but now she looks at him with the same eyes of their father, cold and narrowed.

Since when did they start treating each other like strangers?

¤ ¤ ¤ ¤ ¤

KASAI'S AND BAKUGOU'S conversation about beating their other rivals - Deku and Shoto, came to an end when an alarm suddenly sounded. It stated that there was a level three breach and they had to evacuate. The Todoroki groaned, not even being halfway done with her lunch, she was starving. So, when Bakugou took a hold of her wrist and pulled her towards the exit, she quickly grabbed the package of strawberry pocky from her tray.

"What do you think the breach is about," she asks Bakugou, who's still pulling her by the wrist.

"How the fuck would I know," he questions, yelling like usual.

"Of course, you wouldn't know. I'm just saying t-" she was shoved forward by the panicking students. Her body crashed agaisnt Bakugou's taller frame. She blushed at the contact, glad that she can hide from his eyes at the moment. "Ow. Just take a guess, that's what I'm saying."

"Maybe one of those shitty reporters got smacked with one of the security gates," he growled, shoving people away from him.

The Todoroki girl scoffed. "You have a morbid sense of humor," she laughs, both sardonically and amused. 

I like it, she thought to herself, giving a small smile.

Being pushed by other students, Kasai growled beneath her breath, shoving them back with her free hand. Once the students saw that was glaring at them, they cowered, not wanting to be on the receiving end of her ice cold glare. Kasai knew that she looked almost exactly like her mother if it weren't cor the brilliant turqiose eyes she got from her father. Also, her mother was soft and caring, Kasai was anything but, she's sharp edges and hostile glares. She may look like her mother, but she shares most of her personality with her father.

But somehow, Bakugou could make her sharp edges turn soft. She likes it, however, at the same time, she hates it.

Well, that was before she was shoved into his chest. Her face flushed and embarrassed, she growls at the person who pushed her. She wants to move to seperate from the contact, but everyone's all tightly squeezed together.

"Couldn't we just wait by a wall," Kasai grumbles.

She wants to move, but she also doesn't because once separated, her flustered face will be exposed to everyone. The Todoroki girl can feel her emotions going haywire, especially when she can only smell Bakugou's natural scent. It's like a combination of sweat and cinnamon, though there's this distinct sweetness that she can't pinpoint. Not only that, but the pale haired girl can feel the toned chest beneath his shirt and it's making her flush even more.

Oh, how she craves to set herself free right now and just set herself on fire. She wants it to be over and wish to never speak of it again.

Bakugou stands tense with the fact that the slightly shorter girl is pressed against him. He can feel her fidgeting, almost as if she wants to move, but he knows that she can't due the shitty extras around them. He can smell the amber and vanilla scent of her shampoo, it's soft and alluring at the same time. He doesn't want to admit that having the tempermental and attractive girl in his arms is a win, because she's still his rival - and also because he's not soft and doesn't admit to his feelings.

Fortunately, their internal stuggles come to an end when Iida stops the panic by informing everyone that the breach was caused by the press. Of course that was after he floated and crashed above the doors of the exit. Once calm, everyone stopped pushing against one another, and that left to the two - Bakugou and Todoroki, to seperate themselves from one another.

"So, it was the press after all," Kasai stated, looking away to hide her flushed face whilst rubbing the back of her neck with a hand.

"Tch, who else would be stupid enough to breach the school," Bakugou huffed, also looking away to hide his tinted cheeks.

"Yeah. Though, I can name a few-"

And like that, they continue like nothing happened. They push all awkwardness away and delve back into their conversations. Despite the rivarly, and the arising emotions, she still sees Bakugou as her only friend. She doesn't want that to stop, any of it, all because of the awkwardness. It's complicated, but she enjoys his company.

And unbeknownst to Kasai, Bakugou feels the same.

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Well, that's Chapter Five! And look, Kasai is feeling things! Whoop!

She's actually interacting with him without the whole heated arguements(well, those will still happen, I like their tension). But she's letting him in.

And oof, they're confiding in each other's seperate rivals (Bakugou with Izuku, and Kasai with Shoto).

What about Izuku's and Shoto's reactions to seeing them together? Hmm?

And extra oof, they have secret feelings for each other that they don't want to admit. How about that? *smiles maniacally because I have no life*

Anyways, don't forget to COMMENT and VOTE!

SAYONARA, my awesome and amazing readers!

Total Word Count: 3,192