A Haunting Memory

 *I mentioned this is the past, but I feel like I should repeat myself. When writing I use a lot of bold and italics to specify who's talking sometimes. For some reason Webnovel doesn't allow that kind of formatting so these chapter are going to be a bit more confusing than if you go and read it on the other websites this fanfiction is uploaded to, such as Quotev (Main story + extra one shots) or Wattpad (Just the main story). Anyways just know that you may not be getting the full experience and if your are confused that may be why.*

During the two day Halloween break:

        "Hollow what now?" Anzu asked, pouring cereal into a bowl. Her friends had been dead set on the topic for the whole month of October. It was only now that she began to want to know more.

        "It's the day you celebrate scary things! Like skeletons and zombies and stuff!" Kiri said enthusiastically. Anzu swore she could see the imaginary dog tail swaying back and forth. "Usually when you're little you get to dress up and get free candy, but now were a little old for that." He said, his tone dropping. She wished she could empathize, but she couldn't see the appeal. Walking around in sweaty costumes in the dark didn't sound the least bit fun. She could barely take her hero costume. She turned and watched Bakugou trudge into the kitchen. His hair was glued to one side of his head and he looked like he hadn't slept in days. He poured coffee into a mug, taking it straight black. Kiri walked over to him and slung his arm over Bakugou's shoulder, half hanging off of him. 

        "Yo blasty! What are ya doing for Halloween!?" Kiri asked smiling with his shark teeth. Bakugou didn't answer, simply continued to sit down on the couch, Kiri still hanging off of him. Anzu snickered and went over to join them. 

        "What are you doing for Halloween?" Anzu asked, Kiri's excitement was getting contagious. 

        "Nothing. I hate kids. I hate costumes. And horror is cliche." Seems the coffee hadn't quite kicked in yet. Hopefully the caffeine would pour some emotion into his voice, because right now it seemed bone dry. 

        "Awww you're no fuuun." Kiri whined, messing Bakugou's hair up and bringing it back to it's usual springiness. Bakugou just grunted at him and smacked his hand away. "Fine. Anzu and I will just have to do stuff without you and you can stay home." Kiri said, turning to her and holding her hands in his. 

        "I can't believe you haven't celebrated Halloween before! Isn't America like... known for that?" Kiri questioned. Anzu began to feel a twinge of discomfort. She could feel the aura from behind Kiri. Bakugou was pissed now, with no explanation why. Actually... not much different from normal. 

        "Oh... my parents weren't big on it so..." Anzu lied. She was actually ready for that one. Bakugou kept his glance down and stared out the window. She looked to Bakugou for help. After several seconds of pleading eyes, he rolled his own.

        "Fine. I'll go. But only if it's a haunted house. I haven't found a good one yet. Maybe we'll get lucky." He mumbled, looking back towards Kiri. Anzu watched his face grow from excited to jumping out of his skin with enthusiasm. 

        "I have an idea!!! Ok hear me out! What if our class did a haunted house!? Wouldn't that be awesome!? Imagine it! Tokoyami using dark shadow to scare the crap out of kids! Shouji could spread out his arms to whisper stuff in people's ears! Jiro could offer surround sound! Anything we can't afford we could ask Momo for it would be perfect!!!" Kiri practically yelled this. They had attracted quite the crowd in the process. 

        "Yeah!!! That would be so cool! And we could even raise money for the school!" Mina chimed in. Before they could prevent it, the entire class had started talking. The talking became so loud Anzu worried no one could hear her, but she tried anyway. 

        "Hey um... what's a haunted house?" Anzu asked amiss the uproar. Everything got really quiet at once and she worried she had said something wrong. 

        "You mean... you've never been in one?" Kaminari asked what everyone was thinking. Anzu shook her head no and everyone gave her the most dissapointed looks she had ever received. 

        "That's it. Now we have no choice." Kirishima yelled so everyone could hear. The entire class cheered and it was settled. Anzu was excited but... she still had no idea what a haunted house was.

        "Put the decorations over there please!" Kiri yelled from across the room. They had chosen the most barren training grounds to act as the house. Anzu placed down a box of fake cobwebs. 

        "Is all of this necessary? I feel like cobwebs are just gross... not scary." She said, flicking off the sticky white cotton stuck to her shirt. 

        "Of course! Cobwebs are everywhere scary! Abandoned houses, abandoned mines, abandoned theme parks, abandoned labs, you name it!" He said, tacking one up to the wall. The entire building was bustling. Iida and Momo were already preparing setting and ambiance, Jiro and Kaminari were on sound haptics, and Shouji and Tokoyami were preparing plot points in the walk. Momo had created black, red, and purple lights that had been hung up all over the room, dying it unnatural colors. Midoriya was hammering white sheets splattered with blood to the wall. Tokoyami had Sue bring in all of his occult merchandise. And it had to be said. His collection was freakishly big. Anything from satanist books, writing chalk, pentagram posters, and fake blood. Anzu chose to ignore that part, she would rather pretend he wasn't hiding a skeleton in his closet. 

        It took about four hours for the house to be completed. Everyone was exhausted. It felt like they had been running for hours with no food, water, or breaks. But it was done. They had about five hours before the trick or treaters would come. Every year the kids would swarm to U.A because sometimes their favorite heroes would hand out candy and give their fans a meet and greet. That would be the perfect opportunity to show off the house. But of course, before everyone could relax, a run through seemed to be needed. The kids paired up in groups of two, because the rooms were so jam packed full of merchandise that you could only fit two at a time. Anzu of course wound up pairing with Bakugou because Mina had pulled Kiri to her side. Seeing as Kiri put in the most effort, the class decided that him and Mina would go first. Tokoyami, Shoji, Jiro, Kaminari, Uraraka, and Ojiro all took places. Anzu didn't see what happened... but moments through the door and Mina had let out  a blood curdling shriek. This cause the entirety of the remaining class to laugh hysterically. Mina talked a big talk, but in the end she was terrified of horror.

        They came out about twenty minutes later. Kiri's arm was covered in nail marks, the culprit was behind him, clinging so tightly to his neck Anzu feared he would suffocate. Mina had been digging her nails into his arm the entire time. Kiri came over to Anzu.

        "You and Bakugou have to go! That was freaking awesome." Kiri smiled, his voice dry. She smiled to Kiri and looked around for Bakugou. He was no where to be seen. She called his name, but there was no return.

        "Ugh. Where is he? Um... you should probably let someone else go for now. I have to go find him."

        "Oh. I heard he was feeling sick earlier. Something about bad coffee. He may have gone home." He said, wishing her luck. She apologized, taking off in the direction of the dorms. He didn't even tell me he was sick!? I'll kill him for this. She thought to herself, dashing all the way back.

        She entered into the dorm panting like a dog in mid summer. 

        "Bakugou!? You in here!?" She yelled up the staircase.

        "What do you want?" He returned, coming to the staircase and peeking over the wall. Anger got the better of her and she began to stomp up the stairs towards him. His eyes widened and clearly she had looked a little more aggressive than she had wanted. She was okay with it though.

        "Next time you ditch on your own idea, please let me know!" She rounded the corner and saw Bakugou looked strange. He was sick. She could tell. His eyes were droopy and he held his jaw a little looser than usual. "Look, I'm sorry I'm not mad I just... Please let me know if you're not feeling well. Kiri and I were worried." She backpedaled. He really looked sick. "You should stay here. You don't look well." She said, coming up another step, but he took a skittish step back. 

        "No. I'm going with you." He demanded, trying to walk past her. Anzu stopped him with her arm.

        "I really don't think that that's a go-"

        "I said I'm going! Don't argue with me!" He growled, pushing past her arm. He gave her a glare that sent shivers up and down her spine. He looked at her so coldly. She would persist further... but she already seemed to have pissed him off enough. Anzu followed unwillingly. All the way back to the house. It was about an hour before the kids would start showing up. They didn't have much time. Now she got to enjoy the evening with her friend in one of the worst moods she had ever seen him in. I guess you reap what you sow.

        "You guys ready!?" Kiri asked, handing Anzu the map and Bakugou the flashlight. They both nodded and Kiri pushed them inside. The last thing she saw was his maniacal smile as the black curtains closed shut. She couldn't see anything now other than Bakugou's flashlight. 

                "What now?" Bakugou asked, shoving the flashlight at Anzu, missing her hands and watching blankly as it fell. She barely caught it before it hit the ground. Anzu was starting to see why haunted houses bored him, she had a feeling it wasn't the houses fault. She held the flashlight over the map given and began to advance in the given area. Bakugou shoved his hands in his pockets and continued to walk straight. Completely emotionless. She knew he was sick... but it was his own fault for going, she even advised him against it. He didn't have to have such a sour attitude about it. The first checkpoint was in the first door to the left. As Anzu scrolled the walls with her flashlight she saw amazing props. Blood had been splattered all over the walls, pentagrams everywhere and she could now see the purpose of the cobwebs in better light. It truly was incredible that twenty kids threw this together in four hours. 

                "I take it back. This is actually really cool!" She said, admiring the effort of her friends. Bakugou didn't answer. The way he walked was sluggish and she couldn't keep quiet anymore. The worry overcame her need to protect his ego. "Bakugou I'm going to shoot straight. I don't think that this is a good idea. You seem really out of it." She said stopping and grabbing him by the sleeve. He ripped it out of her grasp and made an unnerving expression. Like she had just ripped his hair from his skull.

                "I'm fucking fine! Let's get this over with. Now." He yelled, stomping onwards. Anzu clenched her jaw and puffed out her furious thoughts. She was really regretting coming with him. 

                "Whatever. Were coming up to the first stop. Try not to make Uraraka feel like shit got it?" She asked, rolling her eyes at his curt grunt. She swallowed down the anger yet again. Good thing he was sick or she swore she would've punched him by now. They walked through the first doorway and Anzu could see Uraraka sitting there. She was in a witch outfit that had been torn to shreds and bloodied. Opened occult books and floating liquids swarmed around her. She was using her quirk to float everything in the room. Anzu didn't even notice when one of Shoji's tentacles came right up next to her ear and whispered, Go to her. Anzu could feel a shiver. It was very well executed. Anzu continued on, Bakugou coming from behind. Once Anzu was a decent proximity away, Uraraka shot her head up from her sunken position, and the books and potion vials flew all around her. The whole room seemed to be in chaos. It wasn't scary but it sure as hell was amazing. Uraraka did this for several moments before snapping her neck to one side and falling still. Her hands released and everything fell with a crash. Uraraka's wide eyes still stared at the two of them, unblinking. It was convincing, but Anzu knew better. She could tell Uraraka had been doing this for a while and she could tell her eyes had begun to tear up from the blank staring. Anzu took Bakugou by the sleeve and tried to walk out. Again it was ripped away from her. Right. Forgot you wanted to be an ass hat today. She thought, prickles of anger shooting up her skull. Maybe she was just being irrational. Everyone gets grumpy when they're sick. Still for the life of her she couldn't understand why he came anyway if he hated it here.

        They both left the room. She could speak for herself while saying it wasn't more scary than amazing but Bakugou was a blank slate. She felt like an annoying child dragging him through a fun house and it made her want to turn right back around and go home. Was she embarrassed? Was this too childish for him? Was that it? Why had he suggested it in the first place if he didn't even like them!? 

                "The next stop is the lab. Ojiro and Shouji should be there. Maybe at least try to make them feel like they're doing well?" She prodded, going to grab his sleeve but reminding herself not to. She let her fingers hover seconds behind his before shoving them deep into her pockets. It was hard to remember. She used to do that all the time to him and he didn't mind. Why was it so annoying to him now? Did she do something wrong? "H-hey... are you mad at me? If so can you please tell me why so I can fix my mistakes?" She asked, growing desperate for her team mate's attention. This was supposed to be a group activity but it had become a lot more. What if she had done something that offended him so badly he didn't want to be around her anymore? Her face began to grow white. To lose her only close friend, especially now that he knew her quirk. All of the sudden the fear from the haunted house was overshadowed by a much greater one. Anzu didn't wan't to lose him. 

        "I'm not mad." Anzu ignored the answer, it had no truth behind it. He didn't even have a hint of expression in his voice. She would have to talk to him for real when they got home. From now on, she'd pretend she was here alone. That was the only way she could focus. 

        Midoriya had drawn some stitch marks at the base of Ojiro's tail and Shoji's tentacles. That way it looked like the extra limbs had been sewed on. They put blood and makeup all over them and put them in hospital gowns. This part was especially unnerving. For being so quiet, Ojiro was a fantastic actor. The dead look in his eyes and the way his tail swayed back and forth limply was uncomfortably convincing. Shoji was amazing at moving his tentacles quietly. He would whisper terrifying things in her ears from all different directions, having them swim around in her head. One specific time he had gotten really close to her from behind, she jumped forward and smashed into Bakugou's back. He turned around and shoved her off. His eyes were terribly cold. More terrifying than anything this house could throw at her. The rest of the lab was dark with chemistry sets and blood stains all over the walls. Skeletons covered in cobwebs lined the floor. Overall, it was strangely convincing. Being in this space with him like this was starting to stress her out. She had to have done something wrong. There was no other explanation. Anzu was so focused on remembering what happened the last few days, she barely heard the door slam behind her. She jumped and whipped around. She didn't know where they were on the map. She assumed Bakugou knew where to go and she had been following him. 

        "Hey... this spot isn't marked... we shouldn't be here." She said coldly, slipping past him and jiggling the knob. Locked. Locked. She turned the words around in her brain for several moments. That was when it hit her. Seconds too late. But it hit her. Her hand rested strongly on the cold metal and she clenched her fist. How stupid was she? The same trick twice, it was almost comical.

        "Where's Bakugou?" Anzu asked, refusing to turn around. She began to grip the door knob so hard she could feel the metal squeaking under the pressure. She was still having trouble choking down the angry relief she felt. No answer. "What the fuck did you do!?" Anzu whipped around. The fake was right in front of her, breathing down on her. Piercing her with those crimson eyes she knew were fake but still felt so real. 

        "He's sedated. Don't worry he's asleep in his room. Don't want you getting too angry with us now do we? After all... we need you." The fake said, resting his arm over Anzu's head leaning over so that she could smell him. Nothing like the Bakugou she knew. How had she not noticed sooner? 

        "What do I have that you wan't so badly?" Anzu asked glaring up at her assailant. She was mentally preparing for the fight that would take place seconds from now. 

        "Don't get cocky. We couldn't give a shit about you. But you have his quirk. And that's what we want."  The fake's words were dripping with something venomous. Like someone poured poison over Bakugou's deep and raspy tone. 

        "His?" Anzu asked, holding the burning gaze firmly.

        "So you really don't remember? Fine. Maybe I can help." As he said the words, Bakugou's face began to drip. Melt and fade into a mud color and reconstitute into another face. She fought the urge to gag. The way the crimson faded to brown had her stomach inside out. When the reform was complete, Anzu felt a dull headache in her skull. When the two neurons connected, and she recognized the face. Her heart physically stopped. Everything stopped. Her mind, her heart beat, her sanity. Came to a stop. The only movement was the twitching smile of the figure in front of her, and the frozen sweat dripping down her neck. Cold sweat. Her body was on fire, but her head felt so... cold. Frozen and it hurt. Her skull was inside out and her stomach beside itself. She opened her mouth to speak but her throat was dry and an odd cry came out instead. Two ideas clashed in her head and she began to shake violently. It was him. She knew him. He was the one that... I thought he...     

        "You're my... I- You raised me..." Her lips grew dry and her voice choked. But not with joy, or sorrow. She was terrified. Wait. "Not you... you're not him..." Anzu felt physically sick, but deep anger began to well up in her so strong, she began to strategize. Her thoughts became uneasy, as if something was blocking her thought process. She knew him from somewhere but the more the thought about it the more her head screamed and her memory faded. There was one thing left to do. This was not him. She still knew one thing. She had killed him herself. He wasn't coming back. Ever. Anzu reared up and shoved her knuckles as hard as her weight would allow her into the jaw of the fake. She felt her finger snap back and bit her lip till it bled. No. Not this time. Definitely not this time. This fake... was nothing compared to that animal. Well, as they say. Like father like daughter. The fake fell backwards and smashed into some unused tables. Her head began to grow cloudy. It was all she could do to focus on the fight. What was this thing's name? For the life of her she couldn't remember. But it was important. She knew that much. What was it... she knew it dearly but she couldn't remember... Anzu jumped to the left and reached out to grab the man's leg. He jumped back. For someone so tall he was sickeningly skinny and pale. She recognized the word from her studies. He was an Albino, so beautiful. His eyes were a pinkish color and his skin like thin china. Like she could cut it as if it were paper. Everything, even his eye lashes. White. White. The fog came back harder this time, blocking her memory even more. Another swing, another dodge. Anzu kicked out her legs and tackled the larger individual. She jammed her palm into his color bone, a dry shriek coming from it's throat. Chances were... this thing already knew her quirk. Anzu brought her left arm up to her eye and contemplated. But everything changed when the albino smiled. A wry, confident smile. 

        "You mean... You don't see the similarities? Com'on. I thought you were supposed to be smart!" He cackled. The face melted again, the same goop. It reformed... but this time it wasn't someone unfamiliar. The assailant turned into a perfect replica of Anzu. It was all she could do not to flinch. Instead, she dug her grip farther into their neck, turning the fake's face slightly blue. But the message had gotten across. The pale skin. The white hair. The eye. The albino. He shared Her eye, that was for sure.. The fog came again, removing more of what she remembered. Building up the wall she had broken down. Her mind slowed down to a dangerous pace and she missed the dodge when the assailant took a knife from their belt. Fine. I'll win anyway. Weapon or no weapon. She couldn't use her quirk now. Not when her focus was all out of wack. One wrong move and she could blind herself. No. She knew how to fight now. It wasn't like the first time. She was ready. The assailant shoved her knife in Anzu's direction. Quite the messy approach. Anzu easily grabbed their arm and turned it around their back, but something got caught. Anzu released her grip just before another knife could cut through her skin. A piece of her hair was clipped by the sharp blade. The fake melted and reformed into a blonde girl she didn't recognize. Something told her that this was it's true form.

        "You're quick. But don't worry! I'll be taking you back with me." Anzu grabbed the shorter girl by the collar of her shirt and jerked her in close. 

        "Try me." Anzu smashed her head into the girls, ignoring her own pain and striking again in the abdomen. The girl clung her stomach and sunk to her knees. It was too fast though. She didn't have enough time to move away. The blonde girl struck with both her knives, slicing Anzu's ankles open. She gasped and swallowed down yet more pain. The thicker the fog, the lower her pain tolerance got. Now they were on eye level. Anzu slammed her body into the girl's. They rolled on the ground back and forth, the blonde's knife missing her face by inches. Anzu switched her weight and landed on top of her, digging her finger nails into the blonde's arm. Another swipe, but Anzu was preoccupied with the girl's other knife, it came down hard and swift into her shoulder. Not in the center. Anzu had jumped out of the way just in time to reduce the damage. It still caused her to cry out, and her own blood now stained the fake blood on the walls. Anzu used the adrenaline rush in one final attempt. She jumped up and got on top of the girl, twisting her arm around with Anzu's last bit on strength. She pushed forward practically screaming as she pushed harder and harder until the girl's own knife met her own throat. Their arms began to shake and they both used all their strength as hard as they could. That's when the real pain began to set in. Her shoulder began to throb and her focus died on her. The balance was shifted again, and Anzu began to lose the game of tug of war. She began to grow frantic, digging her nails into the girl's wrists. Digging her knees into the girls ribcage. Desperation began to grip her, and the fog exploded in her mind. But... it wasn't as blinding as she thought. It gave her an idea. Clouded her judgement yet somehow... it was like her own mind was whispering what to do. Anzu jumped up and off the girl. Throat. Her mind repeated. What did that mean? Throat. I wan't you to go for the throat. Always. Always the kill. Anzu shut the sound off. It was... loud. Too loud. Screaming in her ears now... so loud it overcame her. Anzu smiled wide and the girl took an uneven step back. 

        "Why the fuck are you smiling like that!?" The girl asked... her tone of pitched changed. Why hadn't Anzu noticed sooner? She was scared of her. Really scared. She remembered now. Remembered the sound of fear. Knew how to manipulate it. Anzu walked slowly towards the girl. A sleepless stupor as the fog gave her instructions. Anzu lept out and pulled the girl closer. The knives. What about the knives?! Her conscious screamed. Anzu felt a dull sensation as one hit her forearm, the other her hip. But no pain was felt. Only her heart beat. Anzu ripped the bloodied knife from her arm and her hand moved on it's own. Slit the girl's shoulder clean open. The girl screamed and cried out but Anzu felt deaf... sick. She could feel something breaking through the fog. Even louder. Screaming at her. This is wrong. You're a hero. You're not a villain like him anymore. Stop. Please. For the love of God stop. I'm begging you. Don't listen. Anzu began to shake. What was she doing? She dropped the shirt of the limp girl in front of her, the dull crash of the knife hitting the floor. All her pain melting into the back of her head. What did she do? She couldn't even remember anymore. How did she even get here? That damn fog. She couldn't remember anything during it. Anzu whipped around as the door slammed open. 

        "Anzu!" Bakugou yelled, panting at the door. Bakugou? I though he was... sleeping or no... I can't... remember anymore. Anzu slammed her boot into the girls back as she attempted to get up. "Who the hell... What happened to you!?" He asked jerking his arm up and pushing her away from the blonde. "You look like shit. So was it this chick who drugged my coffee?" He asked, lifting her up with one hand and throwing her to the side. "Did you split her fucking shoulder open!? What's wrong with..." He stopped when he looked back up. Anzu held her head in her hands. Remember. Remember please. It was so important. The white man... the red. No blood. I don't understand. What was his name? The man clothed in white. "Hey. Go sit down. I'll deal with this." Bakugou said, ignoring the silence and keeping to himself. 

        Anzu retained no information as Bakugou knocked the girl out cold and tied her up. Anzu simply stared down at her ankles, the blood slowly trickling every time she moved. Her entire right arm and left hip were on fire. But her cold thoughts were enough to douse the flames. 

        "So I assume you came in here thinking it was me and she attacked you?" He asked sighing. Anzu nodded slowly. This entire situation was a mess and Anzu was paler than china. Her hair was matted and she had fly-aways all over. She was covered in the blood of the girl and her own. She won the fight... but at what cost? Her expression was terrifying. Like she had just watched the love of her life get murdered. 

        "Later... you're going to tell me everything. And I mean everything. Until then we should get you to the medical center. I swear I can't leave you alone for five minutes without you getting injured somehow." Bakugou scanned her up and down. "Can you walk with your ankles?" He asked, eyeing them suspiciously. Anzu attempted to get up but no matter how hard she pushed they buckled. She didn't even have control of her own body anymore. Like a useless doll. Bakugou grabbed her arm to stabilize her. He then bent down and gestured for her to get on his back. 

        "Hurry up. I don't want to deal with blood loss on top of your injuries." He said, looking at her from the corners of his eyes. She was about to put up a fight but decided against it. She didn't want to speak. Her whole head pounded as she searched the depths of her memory. What happened? She didn't even remember how the girl got the gash in her shoulder. Anzu unsteadily got onto Bakugou's back and her head swam when he lifted her up. "You'll be fine. Just don't fucking fall asleep." He said. His words were laced with irritation but she knew he had caring emotions behind it. She wanted to do her best... but pain and sleep tugged at her eyes and she had to bite her tongue to stay awake. The halls were so dark and she couldn't see anything in front or behind her. She could just feel the heat of Bakugou's back and smell the burnt caramel. She was barely conscious but she heard Bakugou call Aizawa. Tell him to come pick up the girl. They began to near the exit but Anzu pulled on Bakugou's shirt. 

        "I don't want them to see." She said, swallowing down the cough in her throat. The pain had really set in, and every step Bakugou took felt like she was getting cut open all over again. Bakugou stopped, and contemplated. He then turned around and went to the staff exit. With that Anzu felt she could release her fears. Bakugou knew the way from here. She would be fine. 

        "I can't believe you fell for the same trick twice. Do you really believe that... Is it so easy to think I'd treat you like that you moron!?" He growled deep in his throat. She didn't have the strength to answer so Bakugou simply sighed. She could tell he felt slightly guilty. She would talk about it later. All she wanted to do was focus on two things. Staying awake, and the person that would bring her help. Despite the coldness plaguing her mind, she still felt Bakugou's warmth emanating and it forced a smile. She had missed the real one. For the first time in her life. She felt safe under someone else's watch.

        "It's going to be fine. Just stay awake." If only Anzu had had those words said to her when she was little. Someone there, to tell her to keep going. Someone that cared for her not because they had to. But because they wanted to. Anzu hid her face in his shirt as she teared up.

"Thank you."