The rest of the day passed by in a blur. Katsuki couldn't find himself being able to focus on anything; there were foggy memories of being shuttled onto a bus, driving back the way they had come, and next thing he knew he was in the nurse's office, blinking up dazedly at the ceiling lights. Bakugo sat up with a grunt, holding a hand to his throbbing head.

"Don't get up too quickly now, young Bakugo." Turning his head, Katsuki saw a tiny old lady at the side of his bed. She was smiling kindly at him.

The boy slumped, leaning into the backboard of the bed. "What... what happened?"

"The USJ was attacked. You came into contact with a creature Aizawa has told me he believes was a stalker of yours, and once the heroes and teachers arrived, you passed out cold." She sent him a concerned scowl. "He has also told me what a horrible experience his own touch with the creature was."

Bakugo frowned. Horrible? Sure his touch with the shadow hadn't been natural or comfortable per se, but horrible was far from how he would have described the experience. Just rembering the sad red eyes that had looked at him left him feeling melancholy

But then again... that second shadow...

Bakugo unconsciously shivered. Whatever -whoever- that second shadow was, it was malevolent towards him. It was something... hungry.

With a jerk, Katsuki realized Recovery Girl was talking again. "... but aside from whatever you had experienced in that void, nothing else seems to be amiss. Your parents are coming to pick you up. You're free to leave, but stay on the premises."

He mumbled his thanks, sliding off the bed and walking to the large door. Katsuki needed to move and clear his thoughts: oddly, he wasn't feeling the urge to punch anyone: the opposite in fact. He felt hollow, cold. All he could imagine right then was his mother's rare worried voice; Auntie Inko's warm hug as she wailed in relief; his father's gentle hand on his shoulder. Just... any warmth.

Perhaps his brush with the void had affected him more than he had thought. He could only imagine how Aizawa was feeling, since apparently the older man had gone through a worse experience than he had.

Well, truth be told, Aizawa was probably in an induced coma to help him recover. He couldn't be feeling much about now.

The sad red eyes of the first shadow flashed in his mind once again. There was something about the entity that seemed unnervingly familiar. Katsuki's superstitious side flared up, making him wonder if the shadow was a tortured soul of one of his ancestors; but no: he was pretty sure he hadn't heard of any great catastrophes in his family line: none that would create a soul tortured enough to persist after death. Perhaps an ancestor of someone he knew? That could be a possibility.

"Bakugo!"

Katsuki stopped dead. Turning around, he saw Kirishima jogging (almost running) at him, looking relieved, and waving furiously for his attention though they were the only two in the hallway. Katsuki tried to process what was happening (his mind still working at a snail's pace,) but Kiri was upon him before he could even think of something rude to say to deter the other boy.

Kirishima nearly tackled Katsuki to the floor with a giant bear hug. "Oh my goodness!" He pulled away, tightly holding Katsuki at arms length. "Why would you touch that thing?!"

Bakugo blinked rapidly. He suddenly found his characteristic anger, trying to shake the redhead off of him with a gruff "get off!"

Kiri nearly scowled at him in turn. "No. No I don't think I will. Whatever that... thing, was, it was clearly dangerous. Both times it showed up you seemed mesmerized by it, like you recognized it. So what-"

"That's none of your business!" Katsuki yelled. He threw Kiri's hands off of him with a swear. "Stop acting like you care! I can't have friends ok?! So stop trying to be!"

That made Kirishima pause for a long second. He tried to process what had just happened. Katsuki had been utterly confusing since the first moment they had met: he was strong and brave and logical, but he broke into a panic attack at a stampede: he seemed pretty lonely, but, "what do you mean, 'you can't have friends'? What kind of garbage is that?! Why in the world could you not? What do you expect me to do? Die on you?"

Oops.

Bakugo bodily flinched. His mouth falling open, Kiri felt his stomach churn with ice again. "... oh. I... I'm sorry. I didn't know-"

"Just shut up." Bakugo's voice was tight. He looked seconds away from crying. "He wasn't my friend. And for the record, that shadow has been stalking me for years. Pardon me for being curious." His voice was dripping with sarcastic venom. Turning 180, Katsuki stormed away. "... now for the last time. Leave me alone."

Kiri couldn't even muster the courage to follow Bakugo to the entrance to wait until the latter's parents came.

-- elsewhere, and also nowhere --

A shadow with sad red eyes was staring down at his hands. His body had grown darker over time (months? Years? Centuries? He no longer knew.) He remembered his pale, sickly skin once standing out against the darkness that surrounded him, but over time he had come to blend in with the void. But the energy he had taken from that abomination...

He clenched his fist: his form was more solid than it had been in years. Draining the energy from the horror was thrilling, almost addicting. He felt full; as if he had just eaten a meal. He hadn't wanted to let go of the creature, wanting only more.

Which reminded him.

"@$," he called out.

The second shadow appeared. It stood before the red eyed shadow, head tilted like an animal. "What...?" It was whispered and drawn out.

Red barely looked up at the other. "I merely wanted to say that I saw what you wanted of the Bakugo child."

The second grinned. Where a mouth should have been on his shadowy form split open with cruel jagged edges. "Can you blame me, *$$)?"

"Yes."

"You tasted the energy of the man child's abomination (... though we aren't much more than horror ourselves.) I was in too much pain to register how sweet that energy was at the time, but I was already hungry for more." If possible, his mouth opened further in his demonic grin. "How far we have fallen. Once humans, now feeding off of humans."

"No." Red stood angrily. "I refuse."

"We're stronger than ever, after just one minute of that creature."

If Red's face was visible, his scowl would have sent the common man running: he never was quick to anger. "To stoop low to the point of leeching off of humanity is unacceptable. I will not-..."

"You will not fall like your brother?" The other shadow laughed. "You have already."

Red imitated a deep breath. Clearing his mind, he spoke much more calmly. "No, I have not. You may have, but I have not. And neither has the little one. Besides, imagine what your actions against the Bakugo child would have done to !$*%@. I know you treasure his affection almost as much as I do."

The second sighed in defeat. Of course he was fond of the child. Who wasn't? He was not completely without heart after all. However... "we still need to feed. We are still stronger, even if marginally so. We are... more awake, more separate."

Red sighed. "We can look into alternatives. I'd like to imagine there is a scientist in you somewhere still. If anyone can find us a substitute, it would be you."

"My science," the second perked up. He hadn't done experimentation in centuries. This would be fun.

A/N

So this is short, but I like it. Nice end to the excitement of last chapter. Also a nice personal introduction to two of the shadows. Unfortunately I have to redact their names due to spoilers: you ain't getting them quite so easily, haha. We won't be hearing from our trio for a lil while, but trust me, they are far from gone.

Also, Kiri and Baku fought a bit. Kiri is so pure hearted, I love him: he just wants to help.

Now, comment!

CadB, two things to address. One, you are right in that the shadows are not based off of the Holy Trinity: I would never be so sacrilegious. Instead, they are based rather heavily off of Gaster and the Amalgamates from Undertale. If you don't know, Gaster was a scientist who fell into the magical core of his creation and was sucked into a void separated from space and time: the Amalgamates were monsters who had recently died, were revived, but ended up pretty much melting and fusing with the other monsters.

Two, you were right in that red eyes shadow was draining the energy from the Nomu. They feed off of energy like a strange vampire, and it is what is making them separate and get stronger, though this will be expanded upon.

Well I've prolly said more than I should. Whoopdedoo, that's all!

So long Lovies!