The boys slept peacefully on their mats, not a care in the world. Snores lightly echoed in the dark room as they lay snug as a bug in their blankets and pillows.

Slowly and silently, the door to their room slid open. A shadowy figure tiptoed past the sleeping bodies with upmost care. Finally looking over the snoring children, he reeled back...

And screamed.

"~AIN'T NOBODY GETTING NO SLEEP BECAUSE OF ME!~" Kaminari sang at the top of his lungs as he clanged pots and pans together like symbols.

"AAAH!" All the boys screamed as the scrambled awake.

Meiwaku's eyes shot open, and with the instincts of a cellmate he swept Chargebolt's legs out from under himself and put a foot on his chest. He looked especially on-edge.

"Woah dude," Denki gasped, "Nice instincts! Almost like you were expecting me!" He laughed, but the dead tired teen was not so amused. He groaned before dragging his foot off of Kaminari. "Alright boys! Get up and at 'em! Class 1B is already half an hour ahead of us let's GO!" Denki was too energetic at this hour. The sun was barely up yet! Tasen moaned and covered his head with his pillow.

"Ugh... Who in their right mind wakes up at this hour? Right guys- Huh?" He blinked tiredly at Eiji, who was already smiling and stretching awake.

"Only five? I got to sleep in!" He bubbly smiled. It made all the other boy's eyes twitch. How was he so cheerful in the morning?

Later at breakfast, everyone else started waking up as well. Everyone except Meiwaku. His eye baggage was visible from across the courtyard, and his tenseness could be felt among the entire class. Maru shrugged at Eiji to ask what was wrong, but he was just as clueless.

"Hey fam," Maru called out, "You hanging in there?"

"Eh?" Meiwaku blinked with a squint, "What are you snooping about?! Mind your own business, yeah?"

"Yeesh. Sorry I asked." Maru rolled her eyes and tried to move on. But Meiwaku's vibe was so stilted it threw everyone off. He wasn't even eating. His mind was wondering off to cloudy, dark memories...

Scratch scratch... Scratch scratch.

He started scratching his chest.

Scratch scratch scratch scratch scratch-

His eyes looked a little crazy.

"Meiwaku!"

"Huh?! What?!" He snapped at Eiji, who had been trying to get his attention for some time.

"Just, erm, you... imploded your chopsticks..."

Meiwaku didn't even realize he had done that.

"Cuss..." He tossed the leftover splinters onto his plate and took it away, simply tossing it all in the trash. Something wasn't right...

Concerned, Baachu followed Meiwaku wherever he was going.

"Hey man, did you sleep at all last night?"

"...Bug off."

"This is about that escaped convict guy, right?" He asked with wide eyes. That stopped Meiwaku's walking.

"..."

"I don't know why that's been bugging you more than the rest of us, but if you're concerned we can go to the staff and-"

"No. It's fine. They got security or something. It's fine." He dismissed with a tired wave, "I don't even know if it's the guy I'm thinkin 'bout or nothin."

"You can always go to Shinso-Sensei or someone if you feel-"

"Just drop it! Okay! Everything's fine! I'm fine! We're all FINE!" He snapped his teeth at Eiji before storming off. Man, he was really tense.

Suddenly, Water Hose stood on a nearby table and announced,

"Alright! We will begin training in five minutes! Clean up and line up, because we have something for each one of you individually!"

Meiwaku hurked a little at this.

"Individually? We... ain't gonna be separated, are we?"

"Depending on your specific training you may or may not be in a group, but-"

"Is there any part this next week where we're gonna go off alone?!" Meiwaku asked with more panic.

"Sorry, kid, but according to code I can't give away any of our plans until the time of." Water Hose said sternly with his arms crossed.

"Tsk!" Meiwaku stomped away to continue cleaning up, leaving Eiji standing below Water Hose with his plate of food.

"Well kid? You cleaning up or-"

"Hey Mr. Water Hose, sir? Can I talk to you a moment?"

"..." He let the silence be his answer.

"My friend... is really on-edge. I think he'd feel better if he got insider info or something."

With a sigh, Water Hose shook his head.

"In the past that has only gotten kids in trouble with their classmates. They always want to know the schedule, and they get into fights. So I'm afraid-"

"Sir, my friend is never scared, but that convict guy is making him too scared to sleep." Eiji said with a straightened back, "You know what that feels like, right? Where the pros say everything's fine, but everything inside of you is telling you it's not?"

Water Hose opened and closed his mouth trying to think of what to say. He knew that feeling word for word. Back when he was just a kid. Back when Muscular was free...

"...I'll go talk to him."

Water Hose hopped down from his bench, meandered over to the tired and tense teen, and tapped his shoulder.

"Gah! Ugh! Whattya want, ha!?" Meiwaku spat before rubbing his eyes.

Water Hose simply took off his helmet revealing his dark hair and sharp eyes. He looked more... personable, this way.

"Hey kid, you can call me Kota. You look tense."

"..." Meiwaku wanted to growl at him, but he was mostly confused.

"You know, we have hired twenty local heroes to keep watch on the surrounding property and beyond." He explained as he pointed around the viewable area, "We have four of them keeping a constant eye over the land from the top of that dam over there, including my wife. All of the events will be watched, including tonight's night training."

Blinking a few times in confusion, Meiwaku stood upright and cocked his head.

"Why you tellin' me this?"

"I was trying to stop you from worrying, but keeping you in the dark obviously wasn't helping. Just wanted you to know that the escaped convict isn't going to cause us any trouble." Kota tried to comfort him, but Meiwaku was not buying it.

"That's what they all say before somethin' terribly wrong goes down!" He yelled sharply.

"But I mean it. He was spotted leaving the county anyways, and he isn't a convicted murderer, so-"

"Six convicts."

"Huh?" Kota stopped.

"Six convicts escaped Hosu. Two domestic abusers, one kidnapper, one bomber, one radical, and one Nomu." Meiwaku stated as he counted off his fingers, "That Nomu almost killed my classmates. That other domestic abuse guy is in an American prison after murdering his ex-wife!"

Meiwaku's outburst made Kota jump back a little bit in surprise.

"If the pros really had this under control, those convicts would be back behind bars by now."

"..." That was true. Kota understood it. These kids shouldn't be babied with the truth, they were smart.

"So tell me this time: which convict is in the county?" The bully seethed through his teeth. With a sigh of defeat, Kota finally, truthfully answered,

"We have no idea."

"...Now try one more time an' tell me not to worry."

"..." Kota was a little surprised by the kind of reaction from this teen, but it wasn't entirely unexpected. With a sorry sigh and a purse of his lips he nodded, "I won't."

"...Tsk." With that, Meiwaku stomped off a little slower than before, not feeling an ounce better, and Kota had no idea how to comfort him. And Eiji overheard the whole thing. He knew he didn't have the right words to say either, but... this week was supposed to be fun.

"Alright dudes!" Kaminari whipped the attention of everyone within earshot, "You thought this weekend was gonna be all about fun?!"

Kota nodded seriously before switching gears. Roughly, he rolled his shoulders and shouted to the group of students who all rushed into a straight lines,

"Alright, wannabes! I'm about to beat you into shape! Starting with... YOU!" He pointed at Tasen, who happened to be standing at the start of the line.

"State your name and quirk!"

"Iida Tasen, sir! My quirk is Engine, sir!" He said factually.

"I want you to run twenty laps around the property, and you better be done by the time I get to the end of the line!" And without hesitation, Tasen zoomed off faster than they could see, leaving Kota to the next student.

"Alright, broccoli. Name and quirk, go!"

"Hey! My name isn't broccoli!" Maru put her foot down.

"You disrespectful- I demand your name and quirk and pronto, half-pint!" Kota screamed like a drill sergeant.

"HALF-PINT?!" Maru growled like a tiny feral child, "You piece of work!"

She screamed before winding back and pelting Kota in the balls. He keeled over, pale with pain.

"My name is Midoryia! Maru Midoryia!" She growled through sharp teeth. With tears in his eyes, he coughed,

"Midoryia?" The universe was dishing out payback, wasn't it? Now that he was paying attention he could definitely see the resemblance.

Attempting to stand upright, he wheezed,

"Your quirk?"

"Magentomotive Force: whatever I touch I can push and pull mid-air." She said as she stood as tall as possible.

"Alright then..." His face went dark under the cover of his bangs, "Carry that Port-A-Potty to the top of that mountain and back." He smirked devilishly, making her gasp in appall. As she reluctantly dragged her feet towards the task, Water Hose whispered, "And not one drop, broccoli. I'd hate for you to have to clean it up..."

With her taken care of, Kota turned to Eiji and said once more in authority,

"Name and quirk."

"Bakugo Eijiro, sir! I can create plant by-"

"The name of your quirk?" Kota asked as if it were obvious. Eiji looked at all of his classmates who were listening in and sweat a little,

"...Can't I just tell you what I can do?"

Kota did not seem pleased by his disrespect, so Eiji sucked it up.

"My quirk's name is... Fer...zer..."

"Speak up and speak clearly!"

"...Fertilizer." Eiji winced, "My sweat... it makes plants grow."

Out of all the quirk names, his was undoubtedly the lamest. Maru's quirk has an awesome name! But Eiji? NooOOooo! They had to put down freakin FERTILIZER as his quirk's name! Does he seep poo?! No! Nothing was more humiliating for a teenager than having a quirk named Fertilizer.

But Kota seemed unfazed and unsmiling, unlike all the other snickering kids in his class.

"Alright. See that dirt soccer field over there?" He pointed to a barren and dusty plane, "I want it to be covered in green."

"But sir, the trees I grow turn brown after just a few seconds-"

"Did I stutter?!" Kota said with as much brashness he could.

"No sir!"

"Then show me Plus Ultra!"

"Yes sir!"

"Louder!"

"SIR YES SIR!"

As all the kids made their way towards their individual training, a shadow took cover in the darkness of the unoccupied forest. Slowly, his gaze made its way to the dam overlooking the property. It was just the right size for his purposes...

## That evening

"So, what do you think the night game will be?" Eiji asked Maru as their class approached the entrance to the forest.

"I dunno. Could be stealth training, or woods survival?"

"Gather up, wannabes!" Kota called out to the crowd, "This training is going to test you mentally, physically, and, dare I say, spiritually!" With a mischievous smile, Kota continued, "Class 1B has been assigned to scare you to your wits end. Oh, and it looks like they have just arrived..."

The other class walked into the forest with a terrible grin on their faces, ready to scare the piss out of the others.

"D-Dalisay!"

"Hey, Eijiro. Are you ready to get frightened?" She smiled with a shine in her long nails.

"Heh, go easy on me, won't you?" He joked.

"No promises..." She winked before following her class into the dark and spooky woods. He got a bubbly, nervous feeling in his stomach as she disappeared; this event was going to be so much fun!

Maru's face scrunched up in a annoyance, her entire posture screaming, "Ugh."

"You're still dating Dalisay?" She groaned.

"Shh!" Eiji shushed her loud mouth, "Keep it down just a little. She asked that we don't go public yet." Eiji whispered.

"Why?"

"She said she doesn't want her friends to get jealous."

"How thoughtful..." Maru rolled her eyes, "I gotta tell you, Baachu, I get bad vibes from her."

"What?! Come on, Maru!" Eiji was getting a little ticked off by his best friend, "You told me back in middle school that if I had the balls to ask her out then to do it! Well, I did!"

"Yeah, and now I'm telling you, Baachu- she's bad news!" Maru said a little louder, throwing her arms in the air.

"Geez Maru! You're my best friend, I thought you'd be happy for me! Why can't I have a girlfriend?!" He snapped back.

"Look- if you were dating pfft- Taki, or Kenta or LITERALLY anyone else I'd suck it up and be okay with that!" Maru pouted. It was true, though. Her friends are good people. Sure she'd be a little sad if Eiji was dating one of them, but she's a big girl and she'd get over it. But NO. He's dating Dalisay!

"Oh- so you think we're better than her because she's in class B?!" Eiji gasped at her in offense.

"What! No!"

"So shut it, Maru! Don't get all pissy at me just because you can't get a boyfriend!"

Maru never before wanted to slap Eiji as much as she did now. He had no idea how his words were hurting her, and it just made her angry as all hell. Pursing her lips in spite and crossing her arms across her chest, Maru did a 180 and stomped away.

Eiji scoffed at her childishness. Why was she acting all weird all of the sudden?! But before he could simmer in his anger, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Bakugo Eijiro. I need to speak with you a moment." Shinso mumbled to the teen as Kota continued to pair off the students.

"Yes Sensei?"

"...To put this lightly... you didn't have an amazing victory in the final, and you nearly failed the written portion." He said this so plainly it made Eiji wince.

"Yeah..."

"So I am requiring you to participate in extra studies."

"Fine-"

"Right now." Shinso blinked slowly.

"Right now?! But... I'll miss the night training!" Gasped Eiji.

"Hai. Follow me."

With a slump in his shoulders Eiji followed Shinso back into the building. Well, at least he'll have a little distance from Maru to cool his head...

"Listen up, wannabes!" Kota shouted to the paired off students, "Whatever you do stay on the path! Collect the tag stationed at the mid-point, and return here where I'll be stationed. Any questions?"

Everyone shuttered in fear as they peered down the dark and spooky path.

"Good. Koteki and Candy, you may proceed."

Shakily, the two scaredy-cats wobbled down the path. Kota smirked an evil smirk at the two. This... was gonna be fun.

Fifteen minutes passed, and the number of bystanders began to dwindle. Two girlish screams echoed into the night, their voices trailing into the darkness.

"Hmm. Koteki and Candy sure got a pair of lungs." Kota shrugged, "Alright- Maru, Meiwaku. Go on in."

Begrudgingly, the two started their walk into the forest, and Meiwaku wasn't liking this one bit.

"Remember when he told us not ta go off in pairs? Or when he told us not ta go out at night?" Meiwaku asked with an inkling of fear in his hunched posture. "Well ain't this the stupidest irony?!" He growled as he spun around. But Maru wasn't so scared. Her heart was too deflated after that little fight with Eiji. She kicked a pebble nonchalantly.

"Whatever... class B is watching us or something..." She sighed.

Sneakily, a figure snuck up behind Meiwaku, their arms looming over his head.

"RAH!"

"CUSS!" Meiwaku elbowed them in the face.

"Ack-! Ouch..." Some class B nobody rubbed his nose in pain. He didn't even startle the depressed Maru.

"Ugh... let's just go through this thing as fast as possible. I'm not feeling it today..."

"...Yeah." Meiwaku nodded and followed behind her like a nervous child. He had the terrible feeling that something awful was going to happen...

Meanwhile, Eiji smacked his head against his desk as Monoma-Sensei continued the lesson.

"Hey, 1A! Eyes back on the board!" He demanded, "And you three—" He pointed at some class 1B students, "—I am disappointed in you! Three of my students and only one from class 1A! And he didn't even fail the final!"

"Sorry Sensei..." They groaned together. Eiji was not having fun. Maybe this extra study would've been bearable if he had one other friend in it, but now? He was stuck with a bunch of strangers. This sucked.

"Alright, now who can tell me the history behind quirk regulation law 836-"

The lights flickered.

"...That shouldn't be happening." Monoma hummed skeptically.

"Huh?"

"The property's electricity is hooked up to the dam, so we-"

CRACK!

The terrifying sound of splitting concrete echoed from outside.

Immediately, the building fell into darkness. The air conditioning hummed down until there was nothing but silence.

"..." They boys didn't dare to breathe.

"...Okay. Everyone stay put. This could be an emergency."

Suddenly, a deep, low rumble shook the ground ...and grew louder.

It sounded like waves.

"Close the windows! Now!" Monoma demanded, and the students scrambled to their feet and slammed the windows shut. Right as they did a large cascade of muddy water hit the side of the building, nearly breaking the windows. "Follow me! Come on!"

"What's happening?!" Eiji gasped as they climbed to the second floor.

"The dam! It must've broke!" Another student gasped.

"No... dams don't just break..." Monoma growled darkly, "Something broke it."

As they got to the second story Eiji gasped in horror. The entire plain, all of the forest, everything was drowning in murky, muddy water...

"My friends! My class!" Eiji panicked, "They're in trouble!"

"You stay here! You will be no help to them if you go out there and drown!" Monoma screamed. Quickly, he tapped all of their heads and ran out of the upstairs room. "I'll be back! Don't go anywhere!"

In shock, Eiji stuck his head out the window and looked out into the distance. His friends were out there...

##The forest

"Huh? Did you hear that?" Maru gasped as she and Meiwaku carefully listened. Maru gasped as the sounds of crashing waves caught their attention, "Run! Go go go!"

"What?! What in the crack?!"

There was a wave crashing through the forest, and it was going to catch up to them in no time!

"Use your quirk on me!" Meiwaku demanded in a hurried tone and lifted her off the ground by her shoulders. She did what he asked without hesitation and they slingshotted out of harm, crashing over some shrubs and onto a hillside!

Rolling to a stop in the thickets and thorns, they slowly sat up in pain.

"Ouch... Did the dam break?" Maru groaned as she stood to her feet, gawking at the floodwaters that completely covered where they once stood.

"The dam?! But there's s'posed to be heroes up there on lookout!" Meiwaku said with wide eyes, "They could be hurt, and whattabout the class 1B kids?! We gotta..."

Meiwaku's words trailed off into nothingness.

"Yeah, we got to get in there!" Maru nodded in affirmation, "Come on, let's... fam? You doing alright?" She cocked her head. Meiwaku was staring at her like she was some kind of monster.

"Hey, Meiwaku, if you're okay then we really need to get going."

But Meiwaku did not look away. His jaw hung open in terror as he stepped away from her. His throat made a sound resembling a choke, and his lungs failed to breathe.

That's when Maru realized... he was looking behind her.

"Who's-"

Wha-PAP!

A fist cracked her over the head. Stumbling to the ground dizzy, she tied to keep herself upright, but the world was spinning around and around.

"Maru!"

"Meiwa... who..." Her words slurred as she struggled to keep her eyes open. Her attacker rolled her over with his foot and proceeded to crisscross her wrists behind her back and stand on them.

Meiwaku was frozen. Absolutely frozen.

It was him.

"Hey kiddo, long time no see." The man smiled as he stood on top of Maru like a hunter after the kill. His eyes gleamed with vile intent as he chuckled to the absolutely paralyzed teen, "Let's catch up."

##The cabin

Eiji continued to stare out over the forest with fear in his eyes. He could see Water Hose containing as much of the flood as possible while corralled students to safety. He could tell he didn't have everybody.

Were his friends alright?! Were they going to be okay?!

"Hey man, you see anything out there?" Some of the extras asked in mutual worry, but Eiji couldn't answer.

Then, amongst the waves, amongst the chaos and the darkness and everything else that was happening, Eiji heard something...

"-Maru!"

"Gasp!" Eiji stared out into the darkness with his mouth agape. "...Meiwaku?!"

Wait... Maru was in trouble! Meiwaku sounded terrified, and that must mean Maru was hurt or in trouble or-

Eiji leapt our the window.

"What are you doing?! Are you stupid?!" Another class 1B student screamed after Eiji in shock.

"Maybe?! Probably!" He yelled before kicking off his shoes. With determination in his eyes, he ran to the edge of the roof... and burst away in a flurry of shoots and sticks! He soared into the forest! But before he hit the water he whipped a vine around the tree and swung forth, keeping the momentum.

With undying resound, Eiji looked towards the direction of the scream. He wasn't sure what he has doing, but something inside of him...

...Forced him towards the danger.

Meiwaku watched in agony as the man he wished never to see again tied up his classmate. The scruffy, smarmy escapee kept an eye on the petrified teen as he finished up the knot on Maru's restraints.

"I watched ya in the Sports Festival. Smart kid, it would've taken me ages to defeat her. But you showed me just how to do it." He smiled, sending shivers of disgust down Meiwaku's spine.

"Ch-Chi-Chigawa? Why-? N-!" Meiwaku was so scared. His entire body shook just standing near this man, and his vision swirled with fear.

"You forgot to knock her out, though. All ya had to do was-"

"Don't!"

The raspy man grabbed Maru's dizzy head and lifted it up, only to send it cracking over a rock below.

"NO!" Meiwaku coughed as he watched Maru slip out of consciousness. Blood dripped from the side of her head. Why couldn't he do anything?! Why couldn't he fight back?! He needed to move! Move legs! Move, dammit!

"Yeesh, if she can give a punch she can take one!" The convict huffed as he hoisted her over his shoulder. "Now aren't you being rude?" He chuckled as he stepped closer to the shaking teen.

"Aren't you gonna say hi, Basuji?" Chigawa smiled a terrible smile down at Meiwaku.

This couldn't be happening. This can't be happening!

He found him... Chigawa found him.

"Well, Ba-Ba?" Chigawa scoffed with a roll of his eyes.

"What are you doing here?!" Meiwaku finally coughed out, his body still shaking beyond control.

"Yikes, a man's business is a man's business." Chigawa said as he huffed Maru's unconscious body more securely onto his shoulder before walking away. "Follow me."

"N... No..." Meiwaku squeaked.

"Ha? Hmm... I didn't take you for an idiot." Chigawa turned back with a truly ugly smile on his face. He held his calloused hand over Maru's bleeding face. Meiwaku gasped and reached forward towards her, a genuine terror in his eyes. It only made Chigawa smile deeper. "Let's try that again. Follow me, or the bitch gets it."

"..." Without anywhere to go, without any way to fight back, Meiwaku lowered his trembling fists and put one foot in front of the other. He couldn't believe this was really happening to him...

He wished he never had to see Chigawa ever again...

"Why are you... Why do this to us?" Meiwaku asked with every ounce of bravery inside of himself.

"You know that abandoned temple?" Chigawa pointed into the distance, "I'll tell ya what I want when we get there."

"The abandoned temple?" Meiwaku gulped. That place was in the middle of nowhere, covered in foliage, and was just close enough for no one to suspect it. It was the perfect hiding place...

No one would be able to find them there...

"Come on, Ba-Ba. If I suspect anything, you know what I'll do to her, and I won't hesitate."

"...I know..." Meiwaku shuttered, trying his best to keep his composure. Slowly, he forced his feet to move, and followed the truly disgusting man. They came up to the side of a mountain, and upon clearing the vines and ferns, Chigawa revealed a dark, hollowed out cave.

"Down this tunnel. Made it myself, impressed?" He smiled, knowing how close to victory he was. Meiwaku said nothing, but followed the villain into the shadows, knowing that's what he had to do...

He didn't want anyone else to get hurt because of him... All of this— the dam breaking, his friends injured, Maru getting kidnapped right along side himself— was Meiwaku's fault.

"Alright! Go go go! I don't got all night!"

"...I'm coming-"

"Meiwaku!"

Eiji slid to a halt on a muddied island surrounded by rushing mud and debris. He called to them from the other side of the flood, just as Meiwaku was about to slip out under the darkness.

"Meiwaku!" Baachu cried out, "Meiwaku! Are you okay?! Where's Maru! I-"

As his former bully turned around, there was this look in his eyes.

He was terror-stricken.

"Meiwaku?" Eiji whispered as he stepped closer. And that's when he realized it:

Meiwaku wasn't alone.

"Hey Basuji, keep him from following us." The large man growled as he waded into the moonlight. And there slung over his shoulder was a terrifying sight for Eiji.

It was Maru... his best friend...

"Who are you?! Meiwaku, come on! We can take him!" Eiji declared. Meiwaku slowly shook his head, the very pupils of his eyes trembling.

"Meiwaku? Why are you with this guy?" Squeaked Eiji. But Meiwaku didn't respond. He was stuck. He wanted to be saved, you won't believe how desperately he wanted to be saved. But he was more terrified of what might happen if he ran... What Chigawa would do to them...

"Basuji. Come. Now." Chigawa growled as he walked further into the tunnel. As Meiwaku turned, Eiji felt his heart shatter into a million pieces.

"Meiwaku... don't do it... we're friends... don't go with him..." Eiji squeaking with the pain of utter betrayal.

"Basuji!" Chigawa shouted louder. Meiwaku just turned to Eiji with a look he had never before seen him hold. It was a look of complete despair.

Eiji didn't understand. He was actually following this guy- Meiwaku was helping this villain kidnap Maru!

"Please..." He squeaked with a voice scratchy with betrayal. But when Meiwaku turned towards Eiji, he could see it.

His eyes were screaming for help.

Meiwaku pressed his hand against the side of the tunnel, and it grew hot under his touch. As the walls of the entrance began to concave, the terrified teen croaked to his friend,

"Bye bye, Eijiro."

"...Meiwaku?" Eiji's jaw hung open in confusion and betrayal as he watched his two friends be taken away into the darkness, the tunnel giving way to the mountain.

And just like that, Baachu watched his best friend and his rival... slip through his fingers...