Scared of Crimson

Anzu woke up in a chair, bright lights trained on her. She hadn't really been asleep, rather... in more of a dazing state. She blacked out a few times but had a relative idea of where she was. Forced her foggy and muddied brain to remember the simplest things. Street signs, landmarks, licence plates, anything she could hold in her dying attention span. She also had another one of those dreams. The Albino with red eyes came back to her. Yelled in a groggy language, his lungs were filled with water and after several seconds he began to choke it up, until he inevitably drowned. It didn't seem to faze her much. So much had already happened, she still hand't clearly convinced herself she was awake. It was some sick dream, and soon she'd wake up in the white room... no in Bakugou's room. See the shaft of light coming through his drapes. Smell the caramel that reminded her she was safe. But Anzu wasn't there, and if this panned out badly. She would never go back.

"I think she's up." A voice to the corner of the dark room rang out seeming to echo in the room but, only in Anzu's mind. Immediately she snapped her eyes open, feeling a soreness on her wrists and ankles. Breathing was troublesome due to the tight gag around her mouth. Immediately she was able to notice the wiggle room she had on her wrists. She had a fuzzy memory of struggling as they put them on, just so that she would have that little bit of space. The inch that she would turn into a mile.

"Took you long enough. Sleep well Princess?" Anzu glared up at the patchwork face, fighting the urge to spit his mocking tone out of her mouth. "What!? Too shy to say anything?" He glared at her, an old anger not directed at her, but someone else evident. People that share the same anger can see it, it's like a colored lens that changes the world around you. He quickly ripped the gag out of her mouth, feeling her jaw click as the tension was released. "So what do you say? Do you remember me?" He asked, playing with his prey. Anzu remembered the events of a few hours prior, something with those creatures, something happened, but for the life of her she couldn't remember what. There was a dried skin of blood on her cheek and she immediately knew it had something to do with her quirk, but still nothing came to mind. "I said do you remember me!?" He asked, grabbing her by the collar of her suit and bringing her in close. She was shocked he was still alive, because he smelled like the worst smoker she had ever seen. That was when Anzu noticed some bruising on him, apart from the purple tinted scars all over him. Darker ones lingered all over his skin. She remembered her past thoughts. All the limbs and one eye for good measure. She hid her wince when she saw his black and blue eyelid. She had no idea that her quirk caused bruising. She nodded, putting on a facade of fear. Honestly. She wasn't scared anymore... she couldn't be. After all, she had very little to lose. So what's the rush? Might as well have a bit of fun. a man with powder blue hair and a white hand gripping his face stumbled into the room. For villains, their entire group was mediocre, put together on a whim. The farthest you could get from class. The odd thing was... she didn't know why she noticed that. It wasn't like regular villains would have any reason to be classy. So why was it she felt thy were a level below something.

"This one isn't as rash as the last one. Untie her." The man ordered, ushering for patch-work to take off her shackles. Anzu bit her tongue to keep from smiling. Once again, she didn't know why. It wasn't like she had the advantage in this situation... yet still she felt higher than them. She was momentarily ripped from her odd state of thoughts when the building pressure on her wrists was released. A bit rougher than it needed to be, but she felt it best for the scar face to get his anger out now. In all honesty, she knew what was coming... dumb as it may be. Waging a one man war against a practical army with unknown quirks and skill level, but hey. Nothing to lose right? Anzu rubbed her bruised wrists and jaw.

"So... to what do I owe this audience?" Anzu asked with a hint of sarcasm. She then realized the wording that just came out of her mouth. The hell? I would never say that! Where did that even come from!? She thought silently, continuing the fearful facade. She felt something was strangely off about her whole personality. Like an unknown source was affecting it.

"Cut the act Eye-Patch. You're in no position to be making comments." Patchwork remarked, spitting the words out like a bad taste. He was stopped when the blue haired man held up a pale and ashy hand.

"Enough Dabi!" He yelled this, whipping around and completely losing his composure. In several second he returned back to normal and looked down to Anzu with an unnerving smile. "I'm Tomura Shiguraki. I assume you're already familiar as to why you're here?" He asked, a crooked smile visible between the fingers.

"I believe I do." She replied, still baffled by her weird tone of voice. In her opinion, she sounded like a pretentious jerk.

"And I'm sure you're aware of your father's status?" He asked, taking a step closer.

"Of course I- wait come again?" She stopped. Her father? She killed her father when she was little, it was a complete accident. Just what kind of Status did he have?

"Oh... you know @!&^N* (R~5=. The up and coming world class super villain stopped short by an unfortunate end?" He asked, reaching out, attempting to put his hand on her shoulder. She gently pushed his arm away, staring deeply into his glassy eyes. The name didn't come through. No.. that wasn't the right wording. It sounded like gibberish in a different language. It made her head hurt as she tried to force her understanding, but all she got in return was a headache.

"You think you could repeat that name?" She asked hesitantly, a growing pain in the back of her skull. Her father was not a world renowned super villain. He was a simple man that worked a desk job. He would come home every night and... and... Her mind went blank. What did he do exactly? The pang in the back of her skull got stronger and she began to feel uncomfortable. Something about the villains words were laced in truth and it made her steady heart flutter. Why did it sound so correct in his mouth but feel so wrong? She suppressed a shudder.

"@!&^N* (R~5=" Anzu nodded as if to understand, but once again the words made no sense. They were fuzzy and in a language that sounded otherworldly.

"Right. Of course I remember! Just haven't heard the name in a while is all. So... you brought me here for my quirk?" She asked, her eyes darting around. Her first plan of action... the patchwork face. She knew his quirk already, and it was also the best idea to get rid of long range fighters first. Just the right moment...

"Correct. Either you join our ranks, or my master takes your quirk for himself. It's not a bad offer. I would let you lead one step under me. After all your quite expensive when it comes to the quirk realm." He said, his voice inviting yet frigid. A warm threat that sent shivers down her spine.

"And I do assume that those are the only options?" Anzu asked, preparing her strategy.

"Correct." He smiled, enjoying her 'fretful' thinking. Anzu smiled broadly, mirroring her spiky friend.

"Well then. I think we could work Something out." She didn't know what she was doing. Buying time for what exactly? No one was coming. This whole thing was going to become a shit show whether she liked it or not. So in the end, her mind rested on one thing... a resolve to remove the source of the problem. Shiguraki. But can you really do it? Anzu heard a voice in the back of her head. What choice do I have? I can, so I will. She didn't know why she responded, maybe it was just her panic before death or worse. I know you can. But will you? Even after you're oath? Does your own word mean nothing to you? Disgraceful. She... no it, responded in a tone of hatred. Writhing with a long forgotten pessimism. What oath? I never made an oath.

Of course you did. You made it after you killed your own father. Surely you remember. Anzu fought the urge to grab her skull as a pain blared so fiercely she worried she would lose eye contact.

I didn't kill my father. It was an accident. She lied, but the pain grew so thick, then vanished as quick as it came. Along with the voice. She took a deep breath as a cold bead of sweat dripped down her forehead. This is it. With a final breath, a final decision, she opened her eye. Red or otherwise. Blood soaked or otherwise. One final chance.

Anzu opened her eye, however, she was not brought into the red. Instead... everything was black, the nerves coming up red. She remembered this from last time, in this kind of state... she didn't need a certain amount of eye contact. She just needed to remove strength and that was what she did. If I don't have to kill him, I wont. I'll just take away his limbs, neck muscles, as well as eyes. Anzu blinked and was cascaded out. She then went to the man called Dabi, removed slightly less. The more she took away and the more people she used it on determined how long the effect would last. Between two people, if she didn't add anyone else... it would last around two hours. But she knew better, if she was getting out of here it was going to be a lot more than two people. Hundreds of psychos could be hiding in this place. She was practically in the center of the lion's den. Anzu stood up and ignored the mutters and curses coming from Dabi, as well as the man called Shiguraki. She simply removed the eyes of the guards, who now fumbled around with their guns like morons. Pretty weak crowd. Anzu thought, surprised by her own cocky tone. She took a step outside, her eye fluttering between red and white nerves, and a dagger in hand. Immediately to the left, she knocked a guard unconscious and stabbed the other in the thigh. She did feel guilty, villain or otherwise, but she needed to save her quirk under any and all circumstances. No, It's survival of the fittest. She shook her head in response, she didn't quite feel herself. Was saying and thinking things that were... villainous. Anzu dashed down the hall feeling confident, attempting to use her quirk to disable a guard... but this time the nerves were white. She needed eye contact. Instead she dodged a series of attacks, in the end overpowering him with her fighting strategy. But now this was even more dangerous, her quirk was acting too strangely, not stable enough to use. Great. So now I'm practically quirkless too. Isn't this a great situation? She rolled her eyes, as she knocked another guard out. She was about to walk down the stairs when she heard shouting from the staircase. A man with a seemingly reptilian face burst out, a practical army behind him.

"I fucking knew it. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree does it? This time... we won't lose." He smiled, hurling some sort of serrated weapon towards her. She felt it whip past her ear and cut her shoulder. Still, it wasn't as bad as her past injuries and she found herself used to it. Didn't even blink for that matter. Anzu was terrified now. An army. Against her? Was all of this even worth it? What had all of this given her? What was the point? Why couldn't she just end it all now? But as she searched for reasons... she found nothing but one. His face showed up in her mind. When he smiled because she did something good. And when he cared for no obvious reason. No she had to... not for herself but for him. The words in her mind were more confidant then her honest feelings. If she was being realistic... this was going to be the hardest and most likely last thing she'd ever do.

"What? You look a little lost!" The villain called, attacking with yet more weapons. She felt her fear spike as a blade slashed right next to her ear. Dodging and turning, over and over, just like sparring except not a drill. Strike. Anzu shook the thought. With what? This dumb ass dagger? The space in the center of the neck. Strike there. Anzu refused to listen. Whatever was telling her this, had no reason to gain her trust. She would not kill for the hell of it.

Quickly, several minutes into the fight, dodging quirk usage after physical attacks, something odd happened. A villain with a colored suit attacked from behind. She didn't see him, until she felt his nails digging into her back. That was when she whipped around, grasping his hand and flinging him over her shoulder, shoving her fist into his windpipe. She stopped the second she sensed cracking. Her eye wide with confusion... no, more like curiosity. She glanced back towards the fight. Bakugou never taught her how to do that, it was almost an instinct. Something she already knew how to do, and accessed when the timing was right. With her new found ability, she went in for another attack. Striking quickly she disabled another guard, feeling a whipping feeling on her arm as an unidentified quirk hit it's target. Another attack from the left... no the right... wait where'd that come from!? Anzu felt her instinct slipping as they just kept coming. Over one hundred, one after one, quirk after quirk. She stopped thinking and just kept fighting. Punched someone in the jaw, jab to the ribs. She winced as she stabbed someone's leg and they screamed. Loudly, and it rang in her ears. She hated it but at the same time... Hear that? Not so hard is it? Anzu bit her lip, frustrated at the stupid voice in her head. Shut up! She thought, blinking open her eye. The black was flickering to red, she held it though, begging it not to change colors. She didn't want to kill everyone. If she used it when it was red then all of them... everyone would be... She blocked out the thought. No. I won't lost control. She shut off the use of someones pelvis, grimaced when she watched them get crushed with footsteps. Back and forth. Attack. Dodge. Strike. Move. Again. Everything was so robotic but so different. She found herself stronger and much more nimble than all the people she was up against. Old practices came to mind and she knew immediately. Apart from Bakugou, it was like she had been doing this her whole life. She was so used to the movements of fighting she almost wished for a challenge. Why couldn't she do this when she fought Bakugou?

Anzu shut off more limbs, feeling the steady trickle start to come, counting twenty recipients. Sooner or later... she would run out of time. Each use only lasted about twenty minutes at this point. This scared her. She was getting tired, she had been fighting at least five people at a time for about twenty minutes. Her movements grew sloppy and in the mass of chaos and fighting, she began to receive attacks from failed dodges. She felt her breathing restrict as a villain landed a blow to her rib cage. Felt her ankle twist in an attempt not to lose balance. And then she saw him. Patchwork ran into the room, seething with anger. Wait... then that means the effects wore off already. Anzu began to feel the slightest bit scared. Her time was running out, quite literally. She ducked down, swiping some individuals off of their feet while simultaneously dodging an attack from Dabi. Felt her wrist twist and with a horrifying sound snap as a villain crunched it in their grip, swinging her around and throwing her into a wall. Anzu took a moment in the rubble, catching her breath and standing up with one hand. Her wrist hung limply from her arm, dark red and bleeding. This was bad. Real fear started to grip her. She was scared and she was sick of lying. She didn't really want to die, whether anyone would care or not... she would care. She did want to live... she didn't want to die especially not like this. She stood up and as the dust cleared she opened her eyes again. She needed to start using her quirk. Focused it on the man that attacked her wrist. But it was too late. Anzu flashed it shut but not quick enough. She watched through the scarlet tinted lens as the villain collapsed to the floor. It had turned red... and she didn't notice until it was too late. He held his head, shaking, convulsing. Anzu took a step back. No... this wasn't what I meant. He began to violently shake like the black creatures, spitting out blood and trying to steady his muscle convulsions. He opened his mouth and nothing came out except for one final breath, leaving his corpse in a silent scream. No. No. I didn't want to kill him. I don't- I didn't know! Anzu shook. She was scared now, not of her situation. Of herself. What would this mean for her? She was scared. Terrified. She wanted to run but there was nowhere to go. And once again the deadly feeling of being caged began to creep up on her. Anzu was ripped from her thoughts when a blade came crashing down hard. A gasp escaped her when a dagger ripped through the tendons in her arm and narrowly missed bone. But somehow it didn't hurt. She had read about this in some books. Apparently when you're scared or stuck in a death defying situation it shoots your adrenaline up and you don't feel pain. That would explain why it didn't hurt like hell. Later though, she would definitely feel the effects f her mistake. Anzu continued, reminding herself to keep her eye closed at all costs. She felt the slightest bit of hope well up, only to be crushed when she realized she only took out about one fourth of their ranks. Anzu felt the same arm that had been stabbed, burn as Dabi's attack hit. She was losing stamina too. Shit. I have nowhere to go. She thought, knocking out another villain.

They just wouldn't stop. Everytime she knocked them down they just got right back up. The wounds slowly started building up, and she began to get overpowered, physically but mentally as well. The voice kept coming back. You know. If you killed them no one would care. They're just as meaningless as you. You should kill them. You deserve to live more. Anzu continued to ignore it but it just kept coming back stronger and stronger. Until... she would like to say involuntarily but that wasn't the case. She opened it, red and bleeding. Taking another life. watching the convulsions, with darkened eyes. Full of fear and hate. Hatred of self. This is all I can do with this damned power? This is what I'm supposed to become a hero with? Hatred so thick. So thick it drowned out everything else and she just kept staring. No one touched her, they just dropped like flies. Bruising over several minutes after death. I can never become a hero now. It's too late. No one wants a murderer as their savior. I'm more worthless than when I started. She smiled ruefully, watching another pawn fall to the floor. And watching words try to desperately fall from his mouth. Next the reptile. He attacked, but he couldn't fight death, instant, undefeatable death. Through coughing she heard him speak.

"You really are his daughter aren't you!? Come to finish what he couldn't!?" She didn't even know what that meant. But it brought her back. Like out of a fog she realized what was happening and sealed it closed. Cutting off the death. She took a big gasp of air, like pulling out of water. What was she doing? It was like she wasn't even in control of her own body. No... she was someone else. That voice, the weird martial arts, the seeker... had become her. Short as it was... the collateral was innumerable. She couldn't even count. Twenty? Thirty? What have I done? I never... ever... would I... She couldn't even think. Had she lost her mind!? She found herself choked up. She wanted to see Aizawa now more than ever. Beg him to lock her up again. Remove what she had done, put everything back, bring her back to the white room. Never take her out. But she wasn't there now. She stared down at crimson soaked hands. Stared at the bruising bodies on the floor. Felt her heart beat grow louder and louder seeing the grey of her boots soaked to the heel in blood. Her whole suit bloodied and ripped. She felt the voices cloud her head. People moved around her, scared and filled with revenge. Around in a circle they went, watching her for the crimes she had committed. And it all felt so strong. At this point she did deserve to die. She put her head down and wiped the blood from her cheek, wincing at her injuries. Gave up.

"Anzu! What the fuck are you doing!? Don't just stand there!" She blinked. The voice sounded foreign but she knew it immediately. Why was he here? How did he know!? What if he... saw. She felt her heart sink and a lump in her throat. Total fear encased her. He would hate her. He would leave her forever. She was a murderer after all who wouldn't? She had just lost the only thing she had. But none the less. She had to respond. Through matted hair and torn clothes, she answered.

"B-Bakugou... I-" She stopped when something hit her in her back. Hard. She didn't know what it was at first. It felt weird. Dull and wet. For some reason Bakugou's eyes widened and his face looked scared. That was something she never thought she'd see. Bakugou? Scared? Never. He was, but what of? She looked down, and she saw what he was scared of. Felt crimson leak down her chin from her mouth. Saw crimson stained on the steal protruding from her left rib cage. It looked odd. She knew it wasn't supposed to be there... but she didn't know why. Anzu didn't know why... but she grabbed it, feeling it cut tiny slits into her hand. Saw crimson fall from her mouth onto the steel. She heard him scream something but it didn't quite come through. Here she was, in one hour she had become a murderer. Now....

All she could do was stare at the metal blade.

The one covered in crimson.