never has she dealt with anything
more difficult than her soul

DURING THE TWO DAYS OFF, Serena was invited out to the mall with Jiro and Yaoyorozu. They spent the whole day there, satisfying the taller girl's need to shop for clothes she would most likely only wear once. Wearing her usual out-of-school outfit: a plain white with blue tint shirt, a pair of high-waisted jeans with heeled black boots to match, Serena roamed around the shop the duo were currently in. Her eyes lazily scanned the room, finding no interest in the clothes in front of her, each ranging in different colours, patterns and sizes.

Instead, they laid upon an enthusiastic Yaoyorozu, who was buzzing with joy in the shop. A smile graced her lips at the scene. There was something about seeing a happy Yaoyorozu that made Serena's whole being warm and complete.

"Got everything you need?" she asked the dark-haired female, her hands in her pockets and a gentle look spread across her face. Yaoyorozu nodded, paying for her clothes at the till.

"Kyoka's going to meet us at the water fountain," she informed Serena as she grabbed the bags, thanking the lady behind the counter. Serena hummed, walking side by side with the girl. Being with Yaoyorozu brought out a sense of matureness within Serena. Perhaps it was because the vice class representative was always firm around others, unable to show her childishness because of how she was raised. When she was with Serena, the blue-haired girl wanted her to be herself, to let loose. Maybe that was why Yaoyorozu preferred both hers and Jiro's company over the others. They were always calm and laid back. They had this imperturbable, tranquil aura that surrounded them constantly and Yaoyorozu found peace in that.

"Finally. You two took forever," complained Jiro once she spotted them in her vision, a blank expression painted across her face, her hands stuffed into the pockets of her jeans.

"Oh, hush," Yaoyorozu waved her comment off, her eyes brightening when she caught the bag Jiro held in her grasp. "What did you buy?" she asked excitedly. Jiro sighed at her expression, although she liked the attention she was receiving from the girl, though she'd never admit it.

"Just a new pair of headphones," she mumbled, uninterested. Serena smiled warmly at the two, watching as Yaoyorozu peaked into Jiro's bag, who glared at her for invading her privacy. They began to bicker with each other, attracting the attention of those that stood closer to them.

"Would you two like to sleepover?" The words left her mouth before she could register them into her brain. Yaoyorozu and Jiro immediately silenced themselves, their gaze casting over towards the blue-haired girl who blushed lightly when she realised what she said. "O-only i-if you guys w-want too," she stuttered, feeling her face heat up.

Yaoyorozu and Jiro stared at the girl silently, their faces blank but their mind running wild. Due to their pensiveness, Serena felt her embarrassment develop, the negative thoughts in her head becoming rampant. 'Shit, I shouldn't have said anything. They probably think I'm weird or something. God, Serena, why did you have to—'

"We'd love too," Yaoyorozu answered, an amiable expression spreading across her face. Jiro nodded, agreeing with her girlfriend.

A luminous smile tugged at Serena's lips, one that brought the lights of the firmaments above to shame. It hypnotised the two girls, capturing them in its beauty. It was something that they promised to defend. Then and there. That specific moment was when both Yaoyorozu and Jiro knew that they would protect her smile with their whole being.

No matter what.

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"Excuse the mess," Serena said sheepishly as the trio entered her bedroom. "I wasn't planning on having anyone over." The three left the mall after another hour. Yaoyorozu had her driver pick up her shopping bags while also dropping off a sleepover bag that one of her maids arranged for her.

Although she was rich, Yaoyorozu was very humble. She knew she was blessed to have a wealthy family, and she never hesitated to give back, albeit she did sometimes forget that not everyone grew up with a childhood like hers. However, it wasn't as grand as many thought it to be. Being raised by a strict mother who told her to only need fundamental and urgent things, Yaoyorozu grew up somewhat lonely and didn't go to festivals like other children. But she was in U.A. now. She had many friends, along with a girlfriend that loved and cherished her.

"You play an instrument?" inquired Jiro once she spotted a book filled with music sheets. Serena nodded, dropping her bag by her bed.

"I used to play the piano," she answered, grabbing the fallen book and placing it back on her bookshelf, which Yaoyorozu was currently inspecting.

"I didn't know you read these types of books," the taller female brushed over the books with her eyes, scrutinising them closely. The leather felt soft and delicate as Yaoyorozu ran her fingers over the faded brown bindings.

"I like classics," Serena said, shrugging as she picked up the clothes scattered on the ground. Serena dumped them all into her laundry bin in the bathroom, mentally noting down that she would have to do them tomorrow. "Do you two mind if I shower?" The girls shook their head.

"Go ahead. We'll chill here." Serena smiled gratefully and shut the bathroom door after grabbing a couple of towels from her cupboard along with her pyjamas. She stripped out of her clothes, dropping them into the basket before stepping into the shower, turning the water to a lukewarm temperature. Serena soon began to sing in the shower, not caring that Jiro and Yaoyorozu were sitting on her bed, most likely hearing her. They looked up in surprise when they caught the sound of her mellifluous voice.

"She has a lovely voice," Yaoyorozu commented, a dreamy smile spreading across her lips as her eyes drifted back to the book in her hand. She sat on Serena's bed with Jiro next to her, the bed being able to fit at least seven people if they squished up.

Jiro walked up to the bathroom door, gaining a questioning look from her girlfriend, and knocked on it. "If you keep singing in the shower, I'm going to have to join you."

Bubbles of laughter escaped Serena's mouth. "In the shower or the singing?" she asked playfully, washing the shampoo out of her hair, being careful not to get any into her eyes.

"...the shower."

Serena blushed, her face lighting up on fire, blazing a deep red. She remained silent after that, achieving fits of laughter from the purple-haired girl.

Yaoyorozu chuckled at her girlfriend's teasing. She could only imagine what Serena looked like and as she dwelled deeper into her thoughts of the blue-haired girl in the shower, nude, she quickly forced herself to stop; instead, she focused back on the book. Words appeared and disappeared as her eyes flitted across the pages, quickly picking out anything of importance from the jumble of sentences that littered the world she had become immersed in.

Jiro resumed her spot on the bed, her new headphones plugged into her phone. She nodded her head along to the music; her knees pulled up to her chest as she leant back on the backboard of the bed.

Serena continued her shower for another ten minutes, getting out and drying herself with a towel. She wrapped one around her hair and placed it upon her head, using that as a way to dry her hair quickly. Serena slipped on her pyjamas which consisted of a plain oversized white shirt and a pair of blue shorts. She walked out to see the two laying on her bed, in the clothes they wore to the mall.

"Here, Jiro," she said, throwing the girl some of her pyjamas, which consisted of a plain black shirt with grey sweatpants, knowing the said girl didn't have any. "You can wear some of my clothes."

Jiro thanked her, grabbing them and walking into the bathroom. She quickly changed into Serena's clothes, a content expression washing over her features as she inhaled the blue-haired girl's scent of blueberries and snow. It was calming and refreshing.

When Jiro exited the bathroom, Yaoyorozu quickly took her place, changing into the clothes her driver brought for her. She slipped on the fitted pale pink shirt and grey sweatpants, opening her hair and using the brush in her bag to brush through it.

"Yaoyorozu, are you finished?" Serena asked, her knuckles pressing against the door softly. The dark-haired girl opened the door, smiling warmly at the girl. "Could you grab that hairbrush for me?" she asked, pointing to the black one on her counter, which contrasted to the gold one Yaoyorozu was currently holding.

"Sure!" she said cheerily, grasping it and handing it to the girl, who thanked her with a smile. Serena re-entered her bathroom while Yaoyorozu went to place her bags next to Serena's, her eyes wandering around the room until they laid upon a large mirror in the corner of Serena's room. A frown hung upon her lips, a feeling of sadness and disappointment floating through her as she stared at herself in the reflection, walking forward so she could have a better look.

Jiro, who resumed her spot on the bed, knew her girlfriend was upset. No matter how many times she tried to reassure her, Yaoyorozu continued to think badly of herself because she lost against Tokoyami in the Sports Festival quickly.

"I hate myself," Momo mumbled. Serena rose a brow at the girl, managing to hear the words that left her mouth when she stepped out of her bathroom. "I hate everything about myself."

"Why?" she asked, concerned. Serena stepped forward, observing as Yaoyorozu glared at herself in the mirror. She stood beside her, worry filling her body.

"I lost so easily in the sports festival. I was so weak against the others. If only I hadn't over thought everything, I would have made it to the end."

Serena sighed.

She knew precisely what Yaoyorozu was feeling. It was the same emotions she felt when she first trapped herself in time. She couldn't handle the grief of losing her mother, so she blamed herself instead, which only destroyed her.

And she could tell it was destroying Yaoyorozu.

"You stare at yourself in the mirror, and you despise everything about yourself, but darling, you are made of milk and honey," she started, wrapping her arms around Yaoyorozu's waist, holding her close. She leant into her, resting her chin on the taller girl's shoulder. "I know how much you hate about getting objectified, God, I know. But is it really such a bad thing?" she asked, staring at the dark-haired girl in the mirror, their eyes locked through the reflections of each other. "Cause the only thing I can describe you as is another part of nature. Humanity is slowly ruining it, and that's what it has in common with you. But nature is strong and baby, so are you," Serena said, pressing a loving kiss to Yaoyorozu's clothed shoulder, knowing that she was internally crumbling.

Yaoyorozu felt her eyes well up with tears, tears that she held in for so long. Tears that were locked away ever since she was a young girl. Serena guided Yaoyorozu back onto the bed, pushing her back, so there was space for her.

She sat in front of Yaoyorozu, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "People get so caught up on one small thing they don't like, like their nose or something," she said, pressing a small kiss onto Yaoyorozu's nose, who giggled silently at the tickling feeling. "Things like salt and baking powder go into a cake, and those things are gross alone," a small smile spread across her face as Serena pressed her hand against Yaoyorozu's cheek. "But the cake is pretty damn delicious."

Serena moved forward, gaining confidence as she did so, and straddled the taller girl's hips. "You are so incredibly strong and talented, Yaoyorozu," she said, cupping the said girl's face in her hands. "You won't get better if you win all the time. You get better when you lose; you improve when you lose. You've got to take the good with the bad, smile with the sad, love what you've got, and remember what you had. Always forgive, but never forget. Learn from your mistakes, but never regret them." Serena leant closer to her, resting her forehead against hers. "The strongest people aren't the people who win. They're the people who don't give up when they lose."

"Thank you," Yaoyorozu said, her eyes shut as the two basked in the silence that surrounded them, wrapping them in its calming embrace. Jiro watched them with a fond smile. Just by the look on her girlfriend's face, Jiro knew that she realised that Serena was their missing piece. The two always felt there was something vacant within them, though the spot was now being filled with their love for the blue-haired girl that managed to capture the hearts of the students of Class 1-A, and maybe a few more.

"We will always be here for you, Yaoyorozu. Both Jiro and I," she informed her, pressing a small, chaste kiss to the said girl's temple. "You've got to remember that the question here isn't who's going to let me?

It's who's going to stop me?"