Fractured Wings

Bakugou Katsuki moved through the halls like a storm, his footsteps sharp and deliberate, each one echoing against the cracked walls. His hands were clenched into fists, small explosions crackling in his palms, the sound sharp and sporadic, like the ticking of a bomb counting down to detonation. 

His teeth were gritted so hard his jaw ached, his crimson eyes burning with a fury that had been simmering since the moment the plane crashed into the school. 

The memory of it played in his mind like a broken record, each detail etched into his brain with painful clarity. The sound of the plane's engines roaring overhead, All Might speeding through the halls grabbing as many as he could and leaving them at the entrance of the underground bunker, the crescendo that drowned out everything else. 

The screams of his classmates as they realized what was happening, their voices rising in a chorus of panic and fear. The deafening crash as the plane tore through the building, the shockwave sending debris flying in all directions, the world collapsing around him in a blur of smoke and chaos. 

And then... Deku, reckless, dumb, nerdy, stupid, Deku. Throwing himself into the chaos like the self-sacrificing idiot he was. Bakugou had barely caught a glance of what had happened to him but he did see the blood. He seen him lying in a heap of his own blood, still alive he was sure... 

He was angry. 

Hot, searing anger was bubbling up inside him. He hated this. He hated all of it. The sickly green sky that loomed overhead, the ground that felt unstable beneath his feet, the air thick with the stench of smoke and ash. It was literally like being trapped playing a bugged video game. 

But what pissed him off more, was that Proxy was still out there, pulling strings like he were a puppet master. Bakugou clenched his fists, explosions popping in his palms. He wanted to find the lunatic and blow him to pieces. He wanted to make him pay, for everything. 

Bakugou's phone buzzed in his pocket, the sound was sharp and instant. He pulled it out, it was an emergency message, the League were here, they had broken in, and... they're after him. 

"Those bastards think they can just waltz in here and take me? Like hell!" 

Before he could fully process the message, a loud crash echoed from somewhere below, followed by screams. Bakugou's head snapped toward the sound, his instincts kicking in. He didn't wait. He didn't think. He just moved, his feet pounding against the floor as he sprinted down the hall, his explosions propelling him forward with a force that left scorch marks in his wake. 

As he rounded the corner, he nearly collided with Jiro, who was leaning on the wall with her right shoulder, her breathing was heavy. Her earlobes—usually extended in situations like this to pick up distant sounds—were oddly still, and her expression was tense, her dark eyes flickering with something Bakugou couldn't quite place. 

"Bakugou," she said, her voice strained. "You okay?" 

Bakugou glared at her, his hands still crackling with explosions. "What the hell do you think? Of course I'm fine. Though the League are coming for me and birdbrain. What the hell are you doing up here?" There was sarcasm in his tone. 

Jiro shook her head, her dark hair swaying slightly. "I was trying to find a place to hide. The message said—" 

"I don't give a damn about the message!" Bakugou snapped cutting her off. "I'm not hiding from those losers. If they want me, they can come and get me. I'll blow them to hell!" 

Jiro's eyes narrowed, but she didn't argue. Instead she just shrugged and said, "Whatever," 

Bakugou's eyes narrowed in suspicion. That wasn't like Jiro, although he'd be the first to say that there are very few people he actually has a good enough read on. 

But he know's that Jiro wouldn't back down super easily unless she were just uninterested, and again, her earlobes... 

Bakugou felt something was off. 

He know's about one of the League's members that can shapeshift—Himiko Toga. Was this her? 

"Hey Earphones," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "Can you hear anything down the hall? Any sign of anyone walking by?" 

Jiro blinked, her expression unreadable. "Uh... no. It's quiet. Why?" 

Bakugou's eyes flickered to her earlobes again. Still no movement. His suspicion only grew. If it really were Jiro, she'd be using her quirk to listen for danger. But she wasn't, now he knows she didn't need to focus a ton to hear things from a distance, but he knows that whenever she stutters like that and gets fidgety she usually twirls them with her finger. But she wasn't... 

His hands twitched, he could feel a ripple, or more accurately, a bubbling sensation beneath his skin. He took a step closer, his eyes locked on hers. "You sure about that? Because I thought your quirk was supposed to be good for stuff like this?" 

Her expression tightened and shifted slightly, a flicker of something—nervousness?—crossing her face. "I... I just don't hear anything, that's it. I'm a little scared now." 

Bakugou didn't buy it. He took another step closer, his hands outstretched, explosions building in his palms. "Yeah? Well, let me help you wake up." 

Before the fake Jiro could react, Bakugou unleashed a blast, the force of the explosion sending her flying backwards. The scene ended with the sound of the blast echoing through the halls, the air thick with smoke. 

He knew it wasn't Jiro. 

"No need to take any chances with you League of Freaks." 

The smoke from Bakugou's explosion hung thick in the air, swirling in chaotic patterns as it slowly began to dissipate. Bakugou stood amidst the haze, his hands still crackling with small explosions, his crimson eyes narrowed and scanning the area where the fake Jiro had been blasted backward. His chest rose and fell with heavy breaths, his body tense and ready for whatever came next. 

He took a step forward, his boots crunching against the debris scattered across the floor. His eyes darted around, searching for any sign of movement, any hint of where the imposter had gone. 

But before he could react, a sharp, high-pitched laugh echoed through the hallway. It was a laugh that sent a chill down his spine—a laugh that was unmistakably belonging to a psycho. 

"Oh Bakugou~!" Toga's voice sang out, playful and taunting. "You're so much fun! I love how fiery you are!" 

Bakugou's head snapped toward the sound, his eyes locking onto the figure of Toga as she emerged from the shadows. She was no longer disguised as Jiro; her blonde hair was tied up in messy buns, her golden eyes gleaming with manic energy. In her hands, she twirled a pair of knives, the blades glinting in the dim light. 

"You think you're so clever, don't you?" Toga said, her voice dripping with mockery. "But you're just playing right into our hands!" 

Bakugou's lips curled into a snarl. "Shut up, you psycho! I'll blow you to pieces!" 

He launched himself forward, his explosions propelling him at blinding speeds. Toga giggled, her movements quick and erratic as she dodged his attacks. She darted around him, her knives slashing through the air with deadly precision. Bakugou growled, his explosions roaring as he countered her strikes, the force of his blasts sending her skidding backward. 

Toga was relentless. She moved like a shadow, slipping in and out of his reach, her knives leaving shallow cuts on his arms and shoulders. Bakugou gritted his teeth, his anger boiling over. He hated this—hated how she danced around him, how she seemed to be toying with him. 

"Stand still and fight damn it!" Bakugou roared, unleashing a massive explosion that tore through the hallway. The force of the blast sent Toga flying backward, but she twisted mid-air, landing gracefully on her feet. 

"Oh Bakugou," Toga said, her voice sing-song. "You're so much fun, but you're not the only one I get to play with today." 

Before Bakugou could respond, the ground beneath him shifted, the walls around him twisting and warping. He stumbled, his explosions faltering as the hallway transformed into a labyrinth of shifting walls and dead ends. The air grew heavy, the light dimming until he was surrounded by darkness. 

"What the hell!?" Bakugou shouted, his voice echoing in the confined space. He turned, his expressions lighting up the area as he tried to find a way out. But the walls seemed to move on their own, closing in around him, trapping him in a maze with no exit. 

A slow and deliberate clap rang out, the sound bouncing unnaturally through the warped corridors. Bakugou whirled toward it, his hands sparking as he prepared to blast his way free. 

"Fascinating," a voice mused, calm and analytical. "You react with aggression even when faced with the unknown. Predictable from what we know of you Katsuki Bakugou." 

Bakugou's scowl deepened. "Who the hell are you?! Show yourself, bastard!" 

From the shadows, a figure stepped forward. He was tall and thin, his unkempt ash-brown hair falling over sharp, calculating eyes that gleamed with an eerie green glow. He adjusted his glasses, there were digital motifs running along the sleek black suit he wore pulsing faintly. 

"I guess you are welcome to my own personal domain." the man's voice was dripping with condescension. 

Bakugou bristled. "Tch, another freak. What kind of stupid quirk is this one then?" 

The stranger tilted his head, amusement flickering across his face. "Stupid? Hardly. You're inside my mind maze, your brute force is irrelevant here." He snapped his fingers and the walls suddenly pressed inward. 

Bakugou snarled, launching a massive explosion at the nearest wall. The blast detonated with thunderous force, sending shockwaves through the space. But as the smoke cleared, the wall stood unscathed, unchanged, as if the explosion had never happened. 

"What the—?!" 

"You can't break what doesn't exist in the way you understand," the man continued, idly twisting a small puzzle cube in his hands. "This place is a reflection of your mind, shaped by perception, molded by thought. The more you struggle, the deeper you sink." 

Bakugou clenched his fists. "Like hell I'm playing your dumb games! I'll tear this place apart!" 

Another explosion erupted from his palms, but instead of meeting resistance, the fire and force were swallowed by the maze itself, vanishing as if they had never been. 

The stranger smirked. "You're not listening. Here, raw power means nothing. Only those who can outthink their situation escape. Are you capable of that, or are you just another muscle-headed brute?" 

Bakugou's breathing turned ragged, frustration seething beneath his skin. His mind raced—if explosions didn't work, then what the hell was he supposed to do? There had to be a way out. There was always a way out. 

The walls shifted again, the passages twisting in on themselves like an optical illusion given form. Shadows slithered along the edges, creeping closer, whispering in voices that weren't his own. 

And then, the stranger's voice cut through the chaos again, steady and mocking. "Let's see how long you last, shall we?" 

*** 

"Great," a cheery voice spoke out. "He's down, but I didn't get to do much." 

"You playing around with this twit wasn't the objective Toga." 

"Stop being so mean Cipher," 

"This time I wasn't referring to you as a twit so relax." The tall man referred to as Cipher bent down and opened one of the closed eye lids of the UA student, his signature green question mark showed up on his eye ball, signifying that he was really out and locked in his world. 

"That's so creepy." 

He ignored Toga and explained his conditions he set him in. 

"I placed all control on him so he can wake up any moment now, it was just the easiest one to do right now. Let's get to compress already, they may have the other one—!" 

A loud crash was heard and the ground rumbled shaking the floor they were on. 

"That must have been Muscular." Cipher liked the power that someone like Muscular had, but that was the only thing he could respect about him. "That meathead. With All Might gone, there shouldn't even be anyone he should be using so much power on." 

Toga didn't respond to him, she was busy with her own little task. 

"So heavy..." Right, she was to carry Bakugou until they found Compress. 

***

"Tokoyami was captured, Midoriya's still out and no one's seen Bakugou or Todoroki," A shrill and cowardly voice rung out. "We're screwed if they see us. We can't fight them. That big guy just took out Tokoyami with only a couple hits." 

Mineta was shaking as he was crouched in between a wall and a couch that belonged in a lounge area. Beside him was his froglike classmate. 

"Oh my God!" Tsuyu whispered lowly while gripping the hairs on her head. "Why is this happening to us? And All Might's not here either, where are the rest of the teachers?" 

Both students shivered in fear while keeping as still as they could, they didn't want to just watch their friend get taken away, but they also did not have a clue on what they should do. They didn't have the muscle to fight someone like a Muscular like their other greenette friend did, or the balls like their explosion friend. 

They felt bad, they felt a pit in their stomach growing darker at the thought that they would have to just let it happen and alert the teachers later. 

All of this, ever since the start of the year, they have been targeted. 

"I'm starting to regret this," Mineta whispered lowly, the shivering was slowly stopping. 

A large stomp got them to raise their heads again. They were of the belief that Muscular had already left. 

But again, his footsteps were too loud to be disregarded. 

"Now I'm pretty sure I heard something from this corner..." 

Their hearts skipped a beat before drumming against their ribs as they heard the killers voice much closer than it should have been. 

He then let out a low gargled laugh. 

"You know with my quirk I just enhanced the muscles in my ears and then I instantly heard the racing heartbeats of two young students." 

Another laugh, this time louder and more proud. They were found. What were their options? Confront? Or just stay there showing off their cowardice and hoping he would just leave? 

"Don't worry I'm not asking you to come out..." An option was being made for them. Tsuyu didn't feel it were right. "I'm just gonna push this couch in and crush you both like the pathetic worms you are!"