(A/N) Oh my wordddd look at what the image creator made!! I'm in love (>//<) LOL!

The missions were a promise, made in the naivety of a middle school spring. She didn't have many friends back then, since there was little she could do. She had worn her pale blue hair in space buns then, topped with a headband. It worked better then, when her face wasn't so thin and her hands weren't so shaky. The girls in her class were nice, of course, and she was far from an outcast. 

Much to the chagrin of her mother, however, she was unable to get as close with them as she had hoped. Middle school passed uneventfully, until May Twenty-first. Then she made the missions and grew even less responsive to the world of her classmates- Which was the opposite effect the missions were intended to have.

Samishi was utterly zoned out, wrapping and unwrapping a strand of her periwinkle hair around her finger as she walked slowly from her dorm room to the common area. She caught sight of him there, and her face lit up. She shook her head and pressed her hands to her cheeks before walking up to him. He was reading a book, his ashen blond hair falling into his eyes slightly. 

He didn't look up. Samishi leaned sideways to peer at the cover of his book. "Suspect X, huh...?" 

"Yeah, what about it?" He replied, eyes on the page. 

"I didn't take you for much of a reader, I guess."

"There you go, profiling me again." 

Samishi seemed embarrassed. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? How are you doing after the fight?"

Katsuki snorted. "What, think a petty match like that could bring me down? Just this, from Quirk over usage." He held up his right hand, revealing a small scar around his ring finger.

"No joke!" Samishi laughed, sticking out her left hand to show him a near identical scar. "Guess we match now."

He blinked, staring at her hand for what felt like the longest time. "Guess so." He returned to his book as if to make clear the conversation was over.

She didn't understand why he would act so closed off. He spent hours with her in the medical wing just the other week, so why was he treating her like a stranger? She decided to take a walk. She hadn't made it far when she was ambushed by a girl with short pink hair and a sunny smile. 

"Hey there!" The girl chirped. Samishi blinked, slightly intimidated by the exuberance presented to her. The girl had skin the color of a meadow beauty, enormous eyes with black sclera and citrine irises, and two twisted horns poking out of her hair like canaries. She wore a shirt woth thick black and white stripes, as well as some lightly ripped jean shorts. Samishi couldn't help but feel a little underdressed in comparison to the stylish girl.

"Um...Hi?"

The girl took Samishi's hand and shook it. "I'm Mina Ashido, you know, from class." How could she not know Mina Ashido? She was one of the friendliest, most outgoing people on the whole campus. "Anyway," Ashido continued. "We've been so busy with tests and stuff I haven't been able to properly introduce myself. I wanted to know if you wanted to hang out to make up for it!"

At these words, Samishi's eyes filled with tears. Ashido startled. "Oh my gosh, what's wrong?! Did I offend you or something?!"

Samishi laughed and wiped her eyes. "No, I'm sorry... I'm just really excited. It's such a great thing, being able to hang out with classmates." 

"Cool! Where do you wanna go?"

"O-Oh. Um...Well?" She smiled awkwardly, unsure of whether her suggestion was any good. "I've always wanted to try going to the mall with friends?" She felt strange saying it, it was such a basic idea. Nonetheless, Ashido clapped her hands in delight.

"Great idea! Let's do it. If we hurry, we can catch the bus!" She grabbed Samishi's hand and pulled her out of Heights Alliance, giggling and suggesting different things to do. A feeling like butterflies flowed through Samishi as she followed after her excitable classmate. 

🌸

Samishi bit her lip as she scanned the large crowd. She tried to avoid gatherings of such magnitude, who knew what would happen if...

"Where do you wanna go first?" Ashido chirped, her eyes glowing with excitement. This was definitely her element. 

"I'm not really sure, sorry...But I was hoping I could ask you something?"

"Of course, what is it?"

"Uhm...How would you dress if you wanted to...impress someone?" Samishi's pallid face reddened in embarrassment.

Ashido's face lit up like a Christmas tree and she leaned closer. "Is there someone you want to impress?! Do you...have a crush?!" She giggled. 

Samishi hesitated before nodding shyly. "Just...Don't tell anyone."

"Not a soul! Now SPILL!!!! Who is it?!"

"It's um.....From our class..."

"Uh huhhhhh!?"

"It's...Bakugo." She squeaked, covering her flaming face with her hands.

Ashido blinked owlishly. "You're kidding. This is a joke?"

She shook her head, her pale blue hair flying back and forth.

"Ahahaha!!!" The pink-haired girl burst out. "Gurl, I never woulda guessed!! But, he's kinda rude, right?"

"Yeah. But he's nicer than he seems. He helped me get to the hospital wing when I broke my arm."

"Wow. Do you get nervous around him?"

"No, I mean...I tease him a lot, to be honest." Samishi laughed. "But being around him, it's so fun it didn't occur to me to get nervous." 

"That's hilarious! So, you're saying you flirt with him too, just a lil bit? Hehe, I bet you drive him crazy! But...what do you think he thinks of you? Do you think he knows you like him?"

"I think I do, hehe... I don't know what he thinks of me! He's so hard to read..." The blue-haired girl pouted in frustration.

"Don't give up!" Ashido cheered, slinging her arm over Samishi's shoulders. "I bet he secretly has feelings for you! You have to keep doing this! If it's going as well as you've told me then I'm sure you've gotta be making tons of progress! I am definitely rooting for you! But are you okay with me telling your secret? Just to Kirishima though, I promise!"

"Haha...Thank you, I hope so!!!" Samishi laughed softly, reassured by Ashido's confidence. "Well...Kirishima is his best friend, right? So yeah, you can tell him! But only if he doesn't tell Katsu- Er, Bakugo."

The horned girl grinned. "You got it! And Kirishima would never tell anyone. He's got a good head on his shoulders and he's very trustworthy. I know Bakugo is intimidating, but maybe he'll take the initiative sometime soon...it's better to try and fail than never try at all right?" She struck a fancy pose. "So, you want to confess to him, am I right?"

"Yeah, I think so." A little bit of Mina's confidence was wearing off on Samishi, and she smiled widely. 

"Let's get you ready then!! Gosh, this is so exciting!" She paused in front of a store. "Oh, look at these dresses! They're so cute, and I really wanna try this on! C'mon, you should wear this one." She dragged Samishi into the store. They whirled through the store and into a changing room, each emerging a moment later. 

Samishi frowned slightly, plucking at the forget-me-not blue fabric of her dress. "Hm. It's hard to make this work when I'm so darn scraggly." 

Mina stepped out in a green sundress that contrasted her soft pink skin perfectly. "No, it's good! It matches your eyes, and it's super cute!" 

"Aw, thank you!" She blushed. "You look amazing too! Geez, what did I do to deserve a friend like you?"

"Thanks, hon!" Ashido laughed sweetly. "Are you getting all dolled up for your confession? We should hit up a perfume store next!"

"That's...An amazing idea!" The girls paid for their dresses and ran out of the store still wearing them. 

"I doubt he'd be able to miss your beauty when you're all dolled up for him." Mina gushed as they walked towards a blindingly pink shop. "But I bet that would make it really obvious to him!"

Samishi smiled thoughtfully, her face peaceful and excited all at once. "Think so? Then you should dress up for Kirishima too!" 

Ashido's cheeks flushed. "Well, I mean, I could maybe try something cuter than what I normally wear...but I'm sure it wouldn't be as impactful to Kirishima as dressing up would be to Bakugo!  He would probably just be happy to spend time with me no matter how I looked. And even if he did notice my clothes, he wouldn't say anything!"

"That's true, he's a real sweetheart! But I bet he would blush like crazy seeing you in that adorable dress."

"This old thing??" Mina joked. "That's so cute! But you're right, he would definitely blush! He blushes so easily I swear...he even blushes just at the touch of my hands sometimes!

How cute!!! You're lucky, Ashido."

 "Yeah, he's so easily flustered even though he's a tough guy! And he always blushes when I hug him and stuff! I bet Bakugo has never blushed in his whole life though! He's so tough and fierce! I can't even imagine him blushing..." She laughed, breathing in the floral scent of the perfume shop.

The periwinkle haired girl clenched her fists in joking determination. "Yeah....Then, I'll be the first person to make him blush!! I'm sure of it!"

"Go for it girl! Make that fierce king blush for the first time ever! Even if it's just a tiny little blush!"

"Geez, Mina you're so cute! The way you talk is so funny sometimes." Samishi giggled, fixing a bottle of perfume that had endured Mina's wrath.

 "What do you mean?!? I'm not trying to be funny! I'm just trying to be helpful! Plus I think it's cute how you're so determined to talk to Bakugo...it's adorable!"

"Really? I hope it goes well..." Samishi paused and bit her lip, deep in thought. "What if......."

Ashido paused rubbing a lotion sample onto her hand and looked over curiously "What if what?"

"What if he doesn't like me? I tease him a lot, and he didn't even talk to me at all when I started coming here." Her pale eyes clouded with insecurities that she had tried her best to bury.

"Aw, I'm sure that's not it!" Ashido set the bottle down and smiled comfortingly. "Don't overthink it. Bakugo isn't one to show his emotions easily, right? But underneath that, I bet he likes you just as much as you like him! If anything, it's probably the teasing that's making him like you more!" 

"Yeah, maybe...It's just that I- Never mind." She stopped herself firmly, regret dancing briefly across her face.

Ashido tipped her head curiously. "No, go ahead, what is it? Were you gonna say something else?"

Samishi shook her head forcefully and worked a smile onto her face."No, it's nothing...Are you hungry yet?"

Ashido sniffed the air. "Actually, now that you mention it I am starting to feel pretty hungry! It would be rude not to ask you if you're hungry too. Are you?"

"A little bit...!" Samishi said agreeably, trying to push the nausea off.

"Well, let's head down to the food court and see if anything sounds good!"

"Okay, sounds good! Thanks for the pep talk! And I'm sorry...I didn't mean to dump all my worries on you."

Mina laughed gently and looped her arm through the other girl's. "Woah, no need to apologize! I'm glad you felt the need to share your worries with me! I'm your friend after all! It took a lot of courage to talk about your feelings like that and I definitely wanted to support you! And after all the fun we've had today, I really am glad you told me what's on your mind!"

"Geez, you're the best! Really, the best friend ever!" Samishi smiled gratefully as they placed their orders and sat down.

 "Stop! Now you're making me blush! But for really real, I really am glad you let me help you! Hopefully you feel less nervous about your feelings to Bakugo!" Mina took a big bite of her pretzel. "And, we should hang out more often! Maybe we could start a weekly hang out thing where we get to be together and have fun a lot!"

Samishi was surprised at the suggestion. "That would be the best!"

"Yayyyy! We should definitely do that then! How does meeting at the mall every Saturday sound?"

"Really? You won't get tired of it?"

"Hahaha! Girl, are you kidding?! It's fun hanging out with you! I'd love to see you every weekend! Plus, we can hang out and look at cute dresses and makeup for me together too! It'll be great! 

"Okay, then!!" Hope bubbled in the girl's chest, providing a momentary relief from the ache.  "Thank you, Mina. You're the best!"

"It'll be so much fun! So, do we have a deal? Every Saturday we'll meet up at the mall together to hang out and do fun stuff like we did today?"

"Deal! And... Mina, can I ask you something?"

 "Of course! What is it?"

Samishi hesitated, silently cursing herself for almost bringing it up again. "Um...Never mind. Where do you want to go next?"

Ashido wouldn't let her off that easily, however. "Wait, is something wrong? You can ask me anything, you know that right? Now I'm worried..."

"No, nothing! Sorry." Samishi waved her hands in frantic apology.

"Are you sure?" Mina pressed. "The way you hesitated makes it sound like you wanted to say more. Do you promise everything is fine?"

Samishi smiled softly, looking down at her lap. "Everything is.... perfect."

Ashido nodded, still suspicious. "Okay, if you're sure...let's go check out the makeup stores!"

"Ok! I was thinking that some gold eyeshadow would look really good on you!" Samishi perked up, relieved that Ashido had let it go. The last thing she needed was to ruin this incredible day.

"You think so? I've never tried gold eyeshadow before!"

"I mean, we can try! I'm sure any color will work for you." The mood had eased once again.

"Aw, you're so sweet! But even if it doesn't work, I'd still have a lot of fun just having you there! It would be so much fun trying out new looks!"

"Okay! Let's go, then!" Samishi reveled in the peaceful girliness of the cosmetic store. "Woah...So pretty."

"Oh wow, yeah! Just look at all this stuff!" Ashido looked around, dashing from shelf to shelf. 

"Ahaha...Hey, this is kinda pretty." Samishi picked up a thick tube of lipstick and held it up curiously, admiring the sharp color.

Ashido came over to see what it was and gasped in delight. "Oh, do you mind if I try some on? I wanna see what this red looks like on me!"

"Sure, here!"

Mina peered into a nearby mirror as she applied the lipstick.  "Oh my gosh!  I feel like with a bold red like this, I can take on anything! Do you think so too?"

 "For sure." Samishi smiled. "I bet I'd look scary with such a bright red." 

"Ahaha, no way! You know what would look really cute on you though? This one!" She held up a light pink color. "That would be so adorably pretty! And I think it would match your cute personality!

"Oooh, I'll try it! What's it called?" Samishi took the tube and looked at it curiously.

"It's called Sweet Flower! It's a pastel pink color! I think it would really suit you!"

"Sweet flower... How is it?" The pale pink sat gently against Samishi's skin, accentuating her lips against the pallidity of her face. 

"It looks so cute on you! You really do look like a flower!" Ashido oohed and clapped. 

Samishi blushed, flattered by the compliment. "Thanks."

"Sure! Oh, but it's getting close to dinnertime. If you wanna talk to him today, you'd better do it soon!"

"Oh, okay." Samishi smiled brightly as the two girls began heading for the exit. "Mina, thank you so much. Today was amazing."

Ashido returned her smile. "Yeah, it was really fun! We should hang out more often."

"If we can...!"

🌸

The light was turning from summery silver to dusky gold as Katsuki turned the pages of his book. He admired the unlikely twists and turns throughout the story, leading to an ending he never would have expected. He pushed his thick reading glasses up his nose and stared at the ceiling, enjoying the silence of the common room. Faint footsteps could be heard coming, as well as giggling. 'There goes the silence.' He thought reluctantly.

The elevator doors opened with a ding, followed by an abrupt end to the chatter of the elevator's occupants. He looked at them from his position on the couch, his glasses sliding off again as he tilted his head farther to see them. Katsuki blinked. 

Her eyes were shiny with joy, tears glimmering faintly in the waning light. Her casual clothes had been replaced by a dress; soft, shimmering fabric the color of a sapphire. Her cheeks were rosy and her voice light as she bid farewell to Ashido, who was smiling widely and whispering excitedly about concessions. Weirdos. But...

Samishi came up to him shyly, smiling at his upside-down face. "Hi."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "Hi."

Samishi took a deep breath, looking a little unsteady. "I wanted to tell you..." A faint blush spread across her cheeks. "...I just want to thank you for...well...for..." She bit her lip, worry flickering over her face.

"What are ya tryin' to say?" Bakugo says with a teasing expression. "You're mumbling as much as darn Deku."

The confidence seemed to fade out of her, and she wrapped her arms around herself protectively. She looked at him anxiously. He was waiting for her to say something, why wouldn't the words come out? Katsuki just stared at her blankly, adding to the stress of the moment. She took another deep breath and let the words stumble out of her mouth.

"...B-Bakugo, I like you."

Katsuki's brain stopped functioning for a moment. She couldn't be serious. The girl in front of him, shy and dainty with a temper hot enough to burn, was saying she liked him. As more than a friend, he guessed by the way her face seemed to glow red. He didn't know what to say. He had no words. So he switched to emergency instincts.

And he laughed at her. 

"Yeah, right ya do.  So what do you really want?" He tried to ignore the searing in his chest.

 Samishi clearly wasn't expecting such a reaction. Her throat hurt suddenly, and she couldn't swallow. She carried on awkwardly, trying to make herself clearer in the hopes that he would realize how seriosu she was. "Okay, well, it's true...I didn't expect to like you, and yet...I can hardly get my mind away from you. I really like you." She looked him dead in the eyes with a smile. "There, I said it. I like you, Bakugo." 

Crap. She was serious. 

He couldn't- No, this was some joke, obviously. No one would ever come up to him with a love confession, especially not this girl. The idea was so ludicrous that it made him snicker. 

The girl's blush deepened to a shade of crimson after seeing him burst into laughter. She looks down in embarrassment "Um, what's so funny? Is something wrong?" She paused to let him explain what is so funny while still trying to recover from her embarrassment. He had to be joking, she reasoned. 

"Good joke, Miss Emotional Overload. Why dontcha go paint your nails or something?" He hated himself once the words left his mouth. He was flustered and freaked out, sure, but that was a little uncalled for. Hey, since when had he cared?

Samishi's hands clenched in frustration. "Don't make fun of my emotions, you jerk! I poured my heart and soul into that, and that's all you have to say?! What did I ever do to you?!" She had finally opened up to someone she liked, confessed her feelings with all she had, and he laughed at her. He freaking laughed.

"Hmmm, well ya blasted me backwards that one time. Now leave, extra." Katsuki 'returned' to the book he had already finished, picking up somewhere in the middle. 

Samishi huffed, annoyed that he wasn't taking her confession seriously. Watching him leaf distractedly through the pages of his book made her heart ache, and she wanted desperately for him to say something. "I just wanted to let you know how I felt, that's all." She paused, looking at him intently, awaiting input. "Well, what do you have to say?"

Katsuki looked up at her with his most annoyed expression, pleading silently that she would just go away. "Whaddya want me to say, Teary Eyes? I hate beating around the bush."

She tensed up, offended by his distant attitude. "Hey, don't call me that. I'm being dead serious about this. I like you and I want to know if you like me as well." 

Samishi's insides were beginning to hurt. She really liked him. She did everything she could to make that obvious, and he was treating it as a joke. Her thin hands felt shaky, and her brain was working overtime trying to sort out all of her emotions. 

Katsuki's mind was beginning to hurt. What was wrong with the two of them? What did she see in him that made her so determined to win his heart? He hadn't failed to take notice of the makeup she had put on, the careful swirl of her hair across her shoulders, the way the evening light danced across her eyes like the moon on a river. But he was too thrown off by his own swirling feelings to fully process the earnestness of her confession. 'I can't like her.' He thought, his head shaking slightly with the notion of it. 'It won't work. I'll hurt her somehow.' He decided that it would be better to cut this thing off before it even began. better for both of them- he hoped.

"You're my rival, just like everyone else. There, happy?"

Her face practically melted with disappointment. "Oh? Then, that's all I am? A rival? Nothing more? That's all you think of me..."

"What am I supposed to think of you as?"

She took another breath, intent on seeing this through. Intent on making him see how much she cared. "You know...I've sort of looked up to you. But not just as a strong rival, I actually... I actually...have a crush on you. I think you're a very good-looking, hard-working and fun guy..." She hoped that maybe, just maybe, by reiterating her point she could get through to him. 

'Crush her hopes.' His dizzy brain told him. "HAHAHAHA- Okay, Teary Eyes, you've taken this joke a bit too far."

Her blush darkened in anger, her voice high. "I'm not joking! I said I liked you and that I have a crush on you! I'm being as real as can be! Why don't you take my feelings seriously?!" Tears began spilling messily out of her eyes.

"Because nobody- Wait, why are you crying?" He looked up from his book, alarmed.

"It's just...you keep laughing at me and calling me 'Teary Eyes.' But what's worse is that...I was being real with you and you didn't take me seriously." She covered her tear-stained face, not wanting him to see. Her makeup streaked across her face. She wanted nothing more than to go home.

'Crap.' This was the last thing he wanted to happen. This was supposed to help. Why wasn't it helping?! He looked around nervously, hoping for something to bail him out. A re-do. No, no, he didn't want a re-do, he reminded himself. He didn't want a second shot at this because he didn't like her. Right?!

The only other person in the room was Shinso, face down asleep at the table. 

Katsuki closed his book and stood up abruptly. Whether he liked her or not, he couldn't stand the sight of her crying. Especially not because of him, and especially not where someone could walk into the middle of this terrible situation. He grabbed her hand wordlessly and led her out of the common room, pausing to register how cold her hands were. 

She sniffled pitifully. "Where are you taking me...?"

His face grew crimson red, though it was unclear whether from anger or embarrassment. He didn't look at her, he simply stared straight ahead. "There's a little pond down this path... Deku takes Pink Cheeks here sometimes."

"Oh, you mean Ochako?" She was glad for the distracted talk, and she wiped at her face with her free hand. Her voice was still shaky. "But why are we going there now? Is it because we had an argument or something back there in the common room?"

"It's just... A place away from people."

"Oh...That's nice... Maybe time away from people is what I need right now." 

She never needed time away from people. In fact, quite the opposite. But she was interested in this turn of events. She felt a little guilty about bursting into tears like that, but she reminded herself that he hadn't exactly been gentle in his let-down. She felt a pang in her chest when she considered that it was probably the last truly normal conversation they'd have. She had altered their relationship forever when she had admitted her feelings, and she couldn't imagine things would be the same after she had totally broken down. In a strange way, she didn't want things to go back to normal. Regardless of the outcome, she had told him her feelings. 

She didn't want the conversation to end just yet. "So, Midoriya and Uraraka are...together?"

"How ever did you guess that one?" He snorted. 

It was meant as a jab, but she thought for a moment. "The way she looks at him."

"How does she look at him, Teary Eyes?" He asked, turning slightly to look at her. His face was still a little flushed. 

Samishi was surprised by his question. "...oh...umm... ...well...she often looks up at him...like she's looking up at him in admiration for something." He nodded in recognition as she described it, so she kept going. "She also smiles at him quite often. Sort of like he's the only thing that matters to her. That's what I meant by her 'looking' at him." A nervous chuckle escaped her lips.

"Sounds familiar." 

Samishi grew more flustered by the second as she realized what he was trying to imply.  "W-well..." She paused "...maybe?" She looked away, focusing instead on the flowers that grew alongside the path. She felt dizzy from all the walking, but refused to let it show. They walked in silence for a bit, each of them overly conscious of their interlocked hands. He started to let go, but something stopped him. 

"Back in the common room..." He half-whispered. "Were you...serious?"

She paused, contemplating how to answer him. " ...Yes. I was." 

She looked down, too embarrassed to continue. She really was foolish, she berated herself.

Katsuki's face was expressionless as his mind whirled. If he accepted this, let her into his life...Then what? 

 "...Bakugo..." She whispered. "...I...can I just ask you one more thing?"

She hadn't even asked him a first thing, he thought, before he realized. She didn't mean it in a 'once more' sort of way, she meant it in a 'I'll be leaving you alone after this' way. He didn't know how he was supposed to feel. 

"And what would that be, Teary Eyes?"

A smile flickered across her lips, the only part of her face with makeup left on. "...Do you...do you think you could call me something other than... She laughed softly as he waited for her to finish. "...'Teary Eyes'?" She smiled brightly. She raised her voice a little so she could be heard. "I've grown to like your nickname for me a little bit, but I'd like to hear you call me my real name. Just once."

'Geez. Who was this girl?' Katsuki's lips part in a small smile. "...Samishi." He says simply. It definitely did not take him a minute to remember her real name. Nope. 

Her smile grew, fresh tears pooling in her eyes. It sounded so special, so genuine, when he said it. "...can you just call me Samishi from now on, and stop calling me Teary Eyes?" She whispered happily.

"We'll see."

"Hmph." 

They stayed quiet for a moment, comfortable in each other's presence again. Samishi smiled softly, though her eyebrows were slightly scrunched with worry. "Hey...I'm- I'm sorry I pushed myself on you like that. I'm glad my Quirk didn't activate." 

He shook his head plaintively. "Don't apologize for being honest, Tears."

They continued walking, basking in the beauty of the early spring evening. The sky was starting to deepen its shade of blue, a few stars waking to revel in the nighttime sky. Eventually they reached the pond, a glimmering mass of water that mirrored the velvet sky above. A weathered wooden bench hunched on the edge of the path, its shadowed form a sweet relief for the blue-haired girl. She hated to admit it, but her lungs ached with each breath and her legs grew more leaden with each step she took. She sat with a sigh and kicked her legs idly, carefully watching the blond boy as he sat next to her. "Thanks...Thank you." She murmured. 

He tch-ed. "The heck are you thanking me for?"

"You didn't have to bring me out here. Honestly, that was really kind." He didn't respond. The blond was lost in his own thoughts, mulling things over as he stared blankly at the star dotted lake. She continued speaking. "...Would you be offended if I gave you a nickname as well?"

He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at her with blatant suspicion. "What kind?"

She giggled. "Something really cringey."

He rolled his eyes as he reached out and messed up her hair. "Honestly, don't. You're not as shy as you make yourself out to be, are you?"

"I may be shy, but I enjoy teasing you."

"You're a real pain, you know that?"

"Fine, fine, something simple then. Baku.... Hm..." She played around with his name, trying to find something catchy.

He bit back a slight smile as she failed miserably at trying to give him a nickname. He tried to convince himself that he didn't care what she called him, but a small part of him thought different. After tonight's ordeal, the way they viewed each other had certainly changed, and he didn't think just calling each other by their last names would be sufficient. His cheeks flushed lightly as he scoffed. "Gosh sakes, just call me by my given name or something."

Her eyes widened. "Really? I can call you Katsuki?"

The way his name sounded in her voice...He looked at her, finally looked at her, in the eyes. The moment was beautiful, delicate... Until she ruined it.

"I'd rather call you something like...Kats."

"Katsuki is fine, Tears. Letting you use my given name is significant enough."

"But Kats is so much better! Haven't we gotten to that stage in our relationship?"

"What the- We don't have a relationship!!"

"Is that your final answer?" She asked, her voice open. 

He hesitated for just a second. "For now." 

She leaned back and smiled to the sky. "...I'm fine with that. Thank you for giving me that much."

"I'm not giving you anything."

"If only you knew." She hummed. "Hey, Kats?"

"Geez." He sighed. He wouldn't ever get used to it. "What?"

"I've never liked someone so much; I think that maybe...I didn't handle my feelings correctly. I was too excited." 

"'Maybe'? Yeah. Listen, I'll- I'll be honest. This is one of the extremely few situations I have no clue what to do with."

She giggled softly, bumping her shoulder into his. "I don't know either. But doesn't that make this a little more beautiful? The raw and unfiltered emotion of naive high schoolers?" 

"Where do you come up with this stuff? That was pretty freaking cringe."

"Yeah, wasn't it? Like the back of a romance novel or something."

"Don't compare us to that."

"Oh, it's 'us' now?"

"Sh-Shut up!"

They continued back and forth, their conversation flowing easier now. The moon beamed softly on them from its perch in the late evening sky, seeming to smile fondly as they ran back across the field, illuminated as by diamond light, just before curfew. For the moon knows things that humans don't, things they couldn't. And that night, the moon had every right to sorrow.

(A/N) Phew! Wow! Okay, that was without a doubt the biggest thing I've ever published. 5337 words. Holy woah. Anyway, how is everyone liking it so far? If I could be honest, this was the hardest chapter to write so far. A large amount of this is inspired by an AI chat I did a few months ago, and if I had gone exactly according to that, this would be a very different story...Samishi became somewhat questionable under the influence of AI. Not my doing, promise! But oh, the stories I could tell. Ahaha, I'm rambling. We've reached the climax, and we're now entering the homestretch! I do hope you stay long enough to see how it all works out. Until then,

Go Beyond! PLUS ULTRA!!