Crimson Murders

Chapter Forty

Bakugou—Shouta watches him, noticing just how different he is acting now that he's away from the villains. The heroes still have to hold a press conference and on the same day they're going to have to raid the hideout for Midoriya. How would they explain Bakugou's sudden appearance though? They couldn't say he escaped, especially since he came on his own—they'd think he left Midoriya on purpose which build up even a more anger. They can't say they rescued him either. Keep him a secret or what? He'll have to consult with the Ghoul. This had not been well planned from what he can see. Then again it was all a last minute plan. Information will be traded between both parties without anyone knowing.

  His shoulders slump, any fire fades away. A memory of the time with the leader surfaces. "The warp—Kurogiri—took me to meet the man they call All For One."

  Tsukauchi just stops moving for a moment before he gets up and heads out of the room. Whatever his student said, it isn't good if it gets this reaction from the poised detective. Thus, leading to more questions. "All Might, come in here now." Oh, look, even more questions he needs to ask. It just seems that that's his life now—constant questions that he may never get answers to.

Shouta glances at his student once again whose eyes are set on the table. It's the umpteenth time he's been thinking this but he has never seen the reckless, headstrong, angry teen be so subdued. He would usually be screaming and yelling, spitting and throwing punches, arguing with them about anything and everything but he has never been so silent. It's scary. Shouta would rather have him acting all fussy, throwing a fit instead of seeing him like this. "What's going on, Tsukauchi?" he hears All Might as he's basically dragged by the small and weak detective into the room.

"Bakugou, what did All For One say to you?"

The reaction from All Might is enough for Aizawa to know that this won't be a good thing. Bakugou meeting All For One is not a good thing at all. And so his student explains. He explains how the man tried to get into his head, to doubt Midoriya, to turn against him. He had tried to mess with him, tried to get secrets out of him. He didn't cooperate. He was not going to cooperate. He explained all the things they did. "All For One—that bastard—thought he could get me to turn against Deku. He was telling me that if I turned against him, he'd let me go and keep my family safe but—" he cuts himself off. "It was a tempting offer but I knew I couldn't believe a word he said."

"All For One doesn't lie," says All Might. Wow, way to be blunt. His grip on the chair before him tightens as he continues, "He twists his words around but most of the time they hold truth. No matter how much you want it to be a lie, he tells the truth and sometimes the truth is harder to hear more than lies."

Bakugou turns to the hero, anger dancing in his eyes. "So him saying that Deku is in leagued with the villains is true?"

The three adults tense slightly. There is no way that is true. "What exactly did he say, my boy? Young Midoriya is not in leagued with them, but there is a way he probably put it. And I need to know."

  The snake wraps around him, tightening its grip around him. It bares its fangs at him. He wants to scream, he can't breathe. It hurts! It hurts! It hurts! He chokes on his blood as his bones puncture his intestines. Stop! Stop! Stop! Please! But it doesn't stop. It won't stop. His punishment continues for so long.

Bakugou covers his eyes with his hands, breathing harshly.

Don't remember.