A little context. This short story pulls elements from Dia de Muertos. BUT it does not have anything to do with the actual holiday (mostly). Instead, it has a quirk that is based on it. Don't get picky with me for taking artistic license with my own culture. XD
Also note: The pronoun "they" is not me sucking at grammar. And the 'x' sound in Xochitl is pronounced 'sho'.
The only shitty thing about gym nights were the evening bus schedules, and waiting for stupid transfers. On the flipside of that, Bakugou enjoyed the peace and quiet as he waited on a bench beneath the light of a street lamp.
Next, it was home, bed, and then camp in two days.
The start of a great week.
"Hey, I know you. You're that kid the sludge monster captured, and you won the UA Sports Fest!"
People always had smart shit to say about the sludge monster, but Bakugou wasn't in much of a mood to hear someone pop off. "What of it?" He turned to see who dared disturb his summer evening.
Taller and lean, maybe older; the intruder's skin held a hint of blush highlighting russet from what he could see by the lamplight. What stood out the most was their hair, colored like fertile soil from which brilliant orange and yellow flowers sprouted, threading through a braid down their back like a trellis.
"Nothin' man. I'm glad you won, your quirk is amazing! But it shouldn't have gone down like it did, sucks what they did to you."
Bakugou gave a grunt and a nod, pulling out his phone to put some tunes between him and this person. Though, it was cool to meet someone who understood how the festival sucked. Positive recognition for it wasn't something he was used to.
The person took a step toward him and pulled their braid forward. "Here. Bakugou Katsuki, right? I'm Xochimitl. My friends call me Xochitl." They finished their name with a slight puff of air through the back of their cheeks.
Bakugou eyed Xochitl suspiciously, to which they laughed while carefully feeling along their hair to harvest a yellow bloom from the strands. They held it out to Bakugou with a casual smile, like they knew the explosive teen would have a hard time accepting it. "It's native to my land, called Cempasuchil. It's a symbol of success for some and a gift, from me to you, for being such an inspiration. Take it." they offered.
Hesitant for just a moment Bakugou accepted it, mumbling a, "Sure," under his breath.
It's petals were gathered in a plump arrangement, the edges like waves in a skirt.
It was a beautiful flower.
"It's also a symbol of death, to help remember those that came before, and light the path for them to return to us during these Dias de Muertos." Bakugou heard, and his hands buzzed with the drop in his stomach as he looked up into the shiny brown of their eyes, instantly settling into a fighting stance.
Xochitl looked on Bakugou softly. "Everything's gonna be okay. I'll make sure someone wakes you, in case anything happens to me."
"What the…" fuck are you talking about, Bakugou was trying to ask and push a spark of explosion at the same time. But he couldn't speak. He couldn't move.
He felt slow and airy, somewhere halfway between awake and asleep.
And everything went dark.
Stirring with a groan, Bakugou felt like he'd both just woken up and never been asleep, as if he simply, was.
"What the hell..." he grunted, sitting up, barely able to make out anything in the dark of...a forest? "...is going on?"
The sound of metal hitting earth perked his ears, and he looked behind him to see the person from earlier, "Sho...cheet" was it, digging? Nevermind seeing them, it was the thing on the ground beside Xochitl that made Bakugou go numb.
"Hey…" he called out, half crawling and clawing his way over to the young man in a rush, hands trembling at the sight of what was at their feet, too afraid to touch.
"What the fuck are you doing?! Is that…" Bakugou shouted at first, voice dropping to a murmur as he tried to understand.
It looked like him, but it couldn't be. His eyes closed, body limp and unbreathing, sprawled face up on some forest floor. "...is that me?" Bakugou finished, looking from the body on the ground to his own while Xochitl ignored him.
In a fit, he raised a hand to summon his quirk, ready to destroy the one responsible.
But nothing came.
Again and again, while the stranger dug, Bakugou attempted to call on his power. Trying to pull from the ball of energy always swirling inside ready to light someone up.
And still, it was like he was cut off from himself. He felt nothing.
So he squared up to Xochitl, who continued to dig, no matter how close Bakugou stepped into their space. The lack of reaction reflected the cold Bakugou felt inside, and he tried to hide his fear, keeping his voice low and menacing. "Hey! I'm talking to you!" Still nothing.
Bakugou screamed, "Ya' Hear Me?!" pushing open palms at Xochitl's chest, fingers clenching to grasp but hitting nothing.
They simply moved right through.
He couldn't be..."TELL ME! NOW!" He choked out, throat tight with pressure as his eyes pricked with wet heat and he backed away, tangling his hands in the fabric of his shirt, trying desperately to feel for his heartbeat. "WHAT THE FUCK DID YOU DO TO ME!"
He refused to believe...
"I know you're there." Xochitl interrupted, muscles tight as they worked. Bakugou tensed. "But I can't hear you, so just listen."
Bakugou waited, trying to calm down.
"I need you to know - this is temporary. I learned from someone I thought was a friend that he was coordinating with an informant to attack U.A. students at a training camp. He tried to recruit me, and I found out you were their main target." They stopped, breathing a bit heavy as they measured the hole with their eyes.
"He won't suspect my involvement, at least not right away. But I'm hiding you, and alerting your school to stop the trip. There is an informant there, and I don't know who. Since I can't just tell them where you are, I used my quirk. The yellow flower lets you walk between life and death. The orange one tethers someone to you so you can return." He said, spinning the flower they'd given Bakugou earlier. "I didn't have a lot of time, but I found the girl from your match, alone like you, on the way home nearby. It seemed fitting. She was the only one you seemed happy to fight, so my apologies if the connection isn't strong enough. Lucky for you, this is the strongest time of year for my quirk, in these days of the dead. Although, the guide will ask you to stay, so be ready."
Overcome with some relief, Bakugou felt a bit of himself return. Finally, something he could fight. But still..."Are you kidding me? Round Face?! If that's what it takes to get back then fuck it, I'll figure it out on my own."
Xochitl then lifted Bakugou's body and gently placed it in the hole and began to cover it.
Bakugou's anger resurfaced, unsure how to verify if what Xochitl said was true.
"The flower will live a bit longer here, but once it's dead, you die too, and right now, Mictecacihuatl will gladly accept you into the underworld. You have two, maybe three days at the most, so you need to hurry. You are in Hinode Park."
"Hinode Park." Bakugou recited.
"The girl needs to find you, burn the flowers and call your name, to lead you back."
"Okay." He responded, despite his condition.
"Once you're out, lay low and call the police to check on your family and get you before you contact U.A. That's your safest shot right now." Xochitl nodded, looking as though they were going through a mental checklist. "And, don't waste this, cause I don't use my flowers for just anybody. Once I pick them, they never grow back. And I just couldn't let them hurt kids." They smiled, finishing their task. "I might not be a hero, but I'm not a damn villain either. So, fuck Dabi."
"Dabi?" Bakugou said the name in confusion.
"I know it sounds stupid, but seriously, just use your heart as a guide, and what you know of your classmate..." Xochitl missed the dismissive tsk Bakugou interrupted with, "...and you'll make it out of this." With the last word, Xochitl tucked the flower neatly above Bakugou's body and walked away.
"Good luck Bakugou Katsuki. Do what you seem to do best and win. I'll do what I can to stop the rest."