The Albino Cross

Four in the morning. It was four in the morning and Bakugou was going to get to the bottom of this. He always knew this school kept too many secrets. From the very begging he didn't trust the people who worked there. Especially the principle. A man of many secrets and perhaps a lying tongue. If his theories were correct... he had a big problem on his hands. No... more of a catastrophe. Bakugou looked through the glass on the door, he had crawled into the building through the vents, careful not to set of any alarms or be in range of any motion detectors. Slowly, one by one he shut off the security cameras and he had roughly ten minutes before he would be discovered. Bakugou inched around the corner, pressing up close against the wall and looking for the camera's blind spot. His black attire helped him blend in with the shadows in the dawn sun. The door to the record vault is two rights from here, roughly three more cameras to get through. He thought to himself, closing in on the second location. Anzu's files would assuredly be in that vault, along with the case of Albino Cross's disappearance.

Bakugou muffled the sound of a tiny explosion with his hand, blowing a small hole in one of the twelve locks. He was careful not to trigger any alert signals as he dug through the door handle, removing every pin with caution. He never was one for stealth, not like Anzu. Her hands were small and meant for this shit. He on the other hand, had fingers far too big to fit in the nooks and crannies.

After about five minutes of removing pin after pin, the door clicked open, revealing the inside of the vault. At once, he found the sign. A for Anzu and Albino Cross. The tired blonde began fiddling with the drawer but the code sensor was far too hefty. Eventually he grew tired, simply exploding the cabinet and wincing as burning papers flew all around him. If he wasn't already screwed, now he was done for. Breaking and entering, as well as destruction of private property. He knew he should care, but he didn't. From day one his suspicions had been eating away at him and he refused to throw away his chance. Rifling through, he found Anzu's papers first. By that he meant paper. One single paper. A newspaper from seven to eight years ago. He lightly dusted off the yellowed pages, running over the inked words with caution. This was all they had on her? One dinky newspaper. There was no way in hell this was it. As he continued to read, he got more interested. When he found out about her parents deaths, something caught his attention. Bakugou fiddled through more A files and found Albino Cross's portfolio. Her parents and Albino Cross's date of deceased were exactly the same.

Supposedly, a rumor had gone around of the world class villain having a successor, with an even deadlier quirk. He thought it was just over hype. Not now. Now he questioned this school even further. It was by no means a coincidence that on the same day of the villain's disappearance, her parents were killed and she happened to have the same quirk. The second he saw her quirk in the past, he gained his suspicions. Now... he was sure of it. Her skin color and half of her hair color are the same, the symbol in her eye is a perfect replica, and thirty minutes ago, just like his... it turned red. The way she acted, the speed of which she picked up fighting. He didn't want to say anything in the past... but it was clear she had some sort of training before hand. Over and over she would surprise him with moves and reflexes he didn't teach her. Things that just weren't taught in dojos and How To: books. Moves that could prove fatal if handled properly. There was no doubt about it now. It was her. It had to be her. Why else would they lock an innocent child in a single room for the entirety of their life? She had to be the fabled successor of Alb- Bakugou's thoughts were cut short as the door slammed behind him. He quickly pocketed the papers and hid against a file shelf. Bakugou cut his breathing short and peeked through a spacing. Aizawa stood lazily in the doorway, swaying onto one hip and scanning the room.

"Get out here." The sleep deprived, pro hero ordered. His hair was pulled back into a pony tail and he had sweat pants on. "I had a feeling you would figure it out." Aizawa said, staring daggers at Bakugou as he came into view. "So let me ask what you were thinking when you thought it would be a good idea to bust open the confidential file vault, and ransack everyone's private information." Aizawa asked, his tone as dull as ever but a vain visibly popping out of his forehead. Bakugou held his ground, raising his chin above Aizawa and smirking.

"You're one to talk. I bet this school is hiding all sorts of nasty information." Bakugou countered, stepping closer to Aizawa, and bunching up his arms.

"Well... I wouldn't know." He said, standing over Bakugou now. Something was off about him though, he wasn't as slouched over as the usual Aizawa. Reeked of perfume. Bakugou recognized the scent immediately and spit it out. You'd think a good villain wouldn't wear the same scent.

"Where the fuck is the real one?" He said, grabbing the fake Aizawa by the lapels. "I've gotta tell you I'm getting real sick of your shrimpy ass games." He said, squeezing the fake's neck, only for a smile to appear on their lips. How the fuck did she get out again!? Must be that damn teleportation quirk. I'll fry the bastard. Bakugou thought to himself, masking his rage.

"For being the world class training school, your defense system sucks against Kurogiri." He said, ripping the knife off his thigh and plunging it towards Bakugou. Of course, after watching her fighting style on multiple occasions, he caught her wrist in the process and bent it back, grabbing the knife and snapping it in half like a splintered tooth pick. At this point it was just a reflex.

"What did you hope to obtain with this? Even if you somehow managed to get past the guards, never mind me, what then huh!? Are you villains really that fu-" Bakugou's threatening hiss was stopped. He dropped his prey instantly, dashing towards the exit and missing it by inches. The heavy metal door sealed shut, and the blaring alarms started. Ringing in his ears, sending hot red flashes all over the walls, he knew this was it. His screaming curses were blared out by the sirens. Once he was done, he turned all his attention to the girl. No longer dressed as Aizawa. She smiled, a big, excited, satiated grin that no matter how hard he squeezed her neck... just wouldn't fade. He wanted desperately to feel the cracking feeling in his palms as the bones in her neck broke. All he could see was red and the sounds were so deafening he thought he would go insane. He settled for chucking her to the ground, but that did nothing. In the end, the iron doors opened up. The girl had turned back to Aizawa, and just as Bakugou was distracted, she kicked him in the back of the knees, forcing his down and pinning his arms behind his back. He whipped around, seething as he dug his hand into her ribcage, but it was too late. It had been a setup from the start. When he came in, he had been holding the door open, when the tension grew to much, it swung inward, setting of a motion detector. Guards were on him in moments, forcing him to the ground, and pulling 'Aizawa' away from him. No matter how much he screamed, argued, fought, they wouldn't believe him. What was he thinking? All for these stupid fucking records. Bakugou thought, fighting off the restrictive arms to feel it in his back pocket. . . . . He continued to fumble around. The papers... He put the papers here. He bit his tongue to keep from screaming. His pocket was barren. His hands continued to reach around for them until he caught the fake's glance. 'Aizawa' held the papers out in front of him. Taunting Bakugou with eyes that said it all. That bitch was too sly to be on school grounds. Prisoner or otherwise. Bakugou grit his teeth as his wrists were folded back and placed in restraints. He was the only one that knew, but it didn't even matter. No one would believe the hot head that broke into the security vault for the hell of it. Not against a teacher. He was absolutely screwed. The next time he saw the portal extra, or that sleazy ass hole, he would kill them. Both of them.

Anzu woke up in Bakugou's room. It was still dark out, but for some reason she didn't feel right. Her memories from last night were foggy but she still remembered the details. Remembered the way he looked at her, different than before. She was so shocked by what happened, and she assumed getting little sleep is what caved in on her. No matter how much she lied to herself and told herself to stop thinking about it, she couldn't. When he hugged her, it was tight, but not rough. He seemed so genuinely happy to be there at that moment. His hair was soft and she remembered how warm he was, even under a sweatshirt. His eyes were mellow, and the sleep in his voice made her stomach twist. What was wrong with her? Why was it just him? Only him. Every time he did something it was... what was the word? Anzu rested her feet onto the cold, hardwood floor. That was the best sleep she had had in weeks. His matress was soft and everything smelled like him. She switched her glance to the blood soaked pillow on the couch. He must have moved it last night. What happened... it was embarrassing. But at the same time... she was glad. He was there to help her... if not she couldn't say how she would've reacted. The entirety of this room, it made her feel safe. The walls were dark and not too big, the sun that always peeked through the crack in the drapes. And the smell she enjoyed so much of burnt sugar. Never in her life could she begin to explain how much happier she was here. Anzu touched her hand to her cheek, it was burning red from thinking about him for so long. Once again... only him. It only happened when he did something. Speaking of him... where was he?

Even though today wasn't a school day, Aizawa had asked her to meet him in his office. At first she thought it was a bit odd that he would ask just her, but none the less she fixed her appearance and washed off her eye patch. Her eye had returned to it's usual black color, however it seemed darker than usual. Maybe it was agitated? Once Anzu finished, she began walking towards the school grounds. She had expected it to be dead quiet, but it was far from that. Multiple pro heroes had gathered in the main clearing, discussing something. The one she had finally identified as All Might looked livid, even for such a calm person, he was clearly upset about something. Anzu did her best not to attract attention, instead she went directly to her lazy homeroom teacher.

Upon entry, Aizawa was sitting at his desk filing through some papers. The second she entered, the man literally jumped and shoved what looked to be a newspaper under the drawer. Odd. She though, taking a seat in a chair and smiling. He may be grough, and exhausted 24/7 but as a teacher he had gained a soft spot in her heart. He was after all, the first real person she saw. The person that pulled her out of what seemed to be a dream after so much time. He was reliable, and no matter how much you argue he'd never admit he cares, but you can tell. He's a genuinely good person and it's not hard to see.

Aizawa rested his chin on his hands, and stared up at her.

"So you're probably wondering why I brought you here." Anzu nodded, and turned her attention to a slip of paper he handed her.

"2051 Kagari Street?" Anzu asked, flipping the paper over, only for it to be blank. Aizawa grunted and took the paper back.

"It's been decided by the board. We're putting you on a mission of sorts. We know it may be a bit early... but there would be no sense in waiting." He answered, typing something up on his computer. Anzu had never heard of a U.A. student going on a mission, especially not an under experienced student.

"What!? I've never been out of the campus, I have 1/4 the amount of training everyone else has, not to mention barely any control over my quirk... I don't think that's wise." She said, staring at him utterly baffled. Did the U.A. board have a screw loose?

"You didn't let me finish. It's a stealth mission. You're job is to infiltrate, acquire data, and return unnoticed. Other than Hagakure, you're our best bet. We chose you because unlike her, if you get caught you can put up much more of a fight." Aizawa seemed to be searching for something in her expression. Fear, anxiety, discomfort. She felt all three. She couldn't even say with confidence she could control her quirk. This was madness.

"I still don't believe that this is the right time... You're sure it can't wait until I get better?" She pleaded, trying her best to hide her worry. "Who would I even be up against?" Aizawa tensed a bit. Not a good sign.

"The League of Villains." He responded, keeping his voice steady but judging from his expression... they weren't something to scoff at.

"I've never heard of them but something tells me they're stronger than they sound." Anzu retorted.

"Once again. If everything goes to plan... you shouldn't have to worry about it. If not... If you need to injure someone to escape, hit them with your best shot. If you don't it might be the end. This wasn't my decision. If it were up to me... I'd wait. But I don't have the luxury of deciding that. Suicide mission or otherwise, it's your responsibility to go." Aizawa said this with a tone of finality. She felt her skin crawl with the idea of being alone, in a giant city, chasing after information from famous villains. She didn't remember signing up for something like this. "Believe me. I know you don't have much confidence, but trust me when I tell you that you're better than you believe yourself to be. Don't forget that. When it comes to martial arts, you're third best. Stealth second. Current quirk strength fourth. And wit, first. Wit is your strongest weapon, so use it. That's all I can tell you." Aizawa stood up, handed her some papers to look over. Anzu hadn't even responded, just stared blankly at the desk. Even he called it a suicide mission. This was the end. It was over for her.

"W-when do I leave? Is this even legal?" Anzu grabbed her nose bridge, her processing speed snagging on each thought.

"Tomorrow. Don't tell anyone in 1-A. Don't mention it to any heroes either. You're dismissed." He said, waving her out to door. She got up slowly, her heart racing and catching her breath. This was absolute madness.

Anzu left, completely terrified. She couldn't tell anyone. Not even Bakugou. She would be completely alone, in a place she had never gone before, doing a stealth mission she was unqualified for. If she was lucky... She'd come back with her life. It wasn't reasonable for the U.A. board to come to this decision. Not when she was the newest trainee. Shouldn't they have elected a pro hero to do this? Anzu felt there was more to this than met the eye, and she had a feeling that once she got there... She'd find out what.