The faint light yet steady beep of a heart monitor was the first sound to greet the young child as she regained consciousness. Her dusty golden eyes fluttered open to find an empty hospital room. It was small and filled only with various machines and instruments. The door was closed and she could faintly make out the outline of a police officer's hat through the small tempered glass window on the door. There were guards at her door. Were they protecting her or monitoring her?

She looked down at her fingers as she tried to move them. One of her fingers twitched before the pain struck her. It felt like she was being ripped apart, like someone was trying to saw her in half from behind. Her back caused her a great deal of agony and it took all she had to keep from crying out. Who would want to help her after what her parents had done?

Little Ava tried to endure the pain, the heart rate monitor picked up to an alarming rate as her pain worsened. Hot tears welled in her eyes. She let them fall silently as she tried to keep herself quiet. The police officer at her door stepped away. Maybe they heard the heart rate monitor and went to get a nurse.

A few minutes went by and the police officer didn't return. Her heart rate monitor was going insane, the pain was almost unbearable, it felt like someone was repetitively carving into her back with a blade in long sweeping motions from her neck down to her tailbone.

The hospital room door slid open. A man in his late forties with dark hair and blood shot tear filled blue eyes stepped into the room. His hair was a mess as if he'd been running worried hands through it for days. His hands were shaking. Ava's eyes grew wide as she spotted a glint of metal in his hand.

"Those monsters killed my little girl. A daughter for a daughter." The man was beside himself in grief and agony as he stumbled toward the hospital bed with a knife in his hand. "I will not let a monster like you plague this world!"

Little Ava screamed and held up her hands in an attempt to shield herself. The knife tore through her arm. She could feel the burn as it ripped through her flesh with ease. Fear and panic gripped her heart, she was going to die here! A faint fleeting thought flit through her mind, maybe she should die, maybe she deserved to die, to end their tainted bloodline.

"POLICE! DROP THE WEAPON!" A voice screamed from the doorway.

I barely slept, I spent the entire night worrying about Detective Tsukauchi. All Might tried to reassure me that he was fine, to no avail. Once we'd gotten to his house, he'd gotten on the phone with several people from the school, my secret was out. My brain was a frazzled mess, I had no idea how I got to school, I'd been staring at my phone screen the entire time waiting for a response from Detective Tsukauchi. How long before everyone in school knew? What if they knew victims, what if they had been affected by my parents' crimes? They'd all hate me!

Worry, guilt and self-loathing were going to make me spiral out of control. Somewhere in the back of my mind I could hear voices around me, I'd gotten to school early and had laid my head down on my desk. A hand clapped down on my shoulder lightly, shaking me gently.

"Ava?"

I lifted my head to find all of my classmates in their seats staring at me in concern and looked to see who had shaken me only to pale as I spotted Mr. Aizawa. Before I could utter an apology, he cut me off.

"Go see Recovery Girl."

What?

"Bakugo, escort her please."

I paled at this as Bakugo turned around and shot me a menacing glare. No! Not good! He was the last person I should be around! He'd make me snap. Mr. Aizawa lightly caught me by the arm and pulled me to my feet. Why? Why did I have to fall asleep at my desk? Now everyone was worried. They all thought I'd lost my mind.

Bakugo looked like he was ready to kill me as he stormed out of the classroom ahead of me. I scrambled to keep up with his angry strides. Why did it have to be him? He paused as he realized I'd fallen behind and turned to me with a scowl.

"Hurry up, loser."

He was already halfway down the hallway. I ran to catch up to him and because the universe was working against me, ended up tripping over my own feet as I got within reach of him. Bakugo stepped to the side and let me wipe out on the floor, rather than possibly take him down with me, before shooting me a glare.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he growled, his bright crimson eyes narrowing further.

"Just leave me here and tell Mr. Aizawa you did what he ask-ow!" I cut off with a sharp intake of breath as he caught me by the arm and wrenched me to my feet. Tears welled in my eyes before I could stop them. Why the hell did it have to be him? I couldn't cry in front of him, of all people! "Please, leave me alone." I turned to walk away.

Bakugo roughly caught me by the shoulder and spun me around to face him before slamming my back into a nearby wall. The back of my head hit the wall with enough force, I saw stars behind my eyelids.

"What the hell is your problem? Let go!" I snapped as my mind began to clear and the rage he'd begun to spark within me began to grow.

"You're making me look bad." He snapped, "We tied in that stupid assessment and you're making a fool out of yourself, weakling. Earn your fucking ranking or go home!"

"Let go." I hissed as I tried to break from his hold, but he'd learned from my last maneuver and had adjusted his grip on me to make it harder to break.

While he was annoying and self-centered, I had to admit he was an avid learner and he adapted quickly. If he wasn't such an asshole he'd probably make a great hero. He wasn't backing down. I could feel my grip on my control beginning to slip.

"I mean it." I closed my eyes and tried to concentrate and keep myself calm. The ground beneath my feet began to shift, the entire foundation shook. No! I had to stop it! I couldn't cause another Earthquake.

Bakugo released me from his hold and I was able to put a stop to the quake before it could escalate beyond a slight tremor. It was noticeable, I was sure everyone in school had felt it. Luckily, I was able to regain control before there was any damage. I massaged my temples as I slumped down the wall and slipped to the floor trying to keep my breathing steady. All I could think about was the rabbit and how it had gotten into my bedroom.

He was quiet, perhaps he'd finally left me alone. Once I was sure I was in control I opened my eyes and almost jumped as I spotted a hand hovering in front of my face. I chanced a glance upward and spotted Bakugo looking annoyed but keeping his mouth shut. Was he trying to be nice?

"What are you doing?" I asked him curiously.

"Trying to help you up, moron! Let's go!" He barked.

I shakily placed my hand in his, the moment his hand enveloped mine, I felt a strange sense of peace. My mind felt clearer than it had before and I felt like I could finally breathe. He pulled me to my feet before shooting me a glare as I hesitated to release his hand afraid once I did all the dark thoughts would come flooding back.

"You planning on letting go anytime soon?" He quipped.

"S-sorry." My cheeks flushed with color and I hurriedly released his hand.

"Did you give yourself brain damage yesterday?" He grumbled as he led the way to the Nurse's office, at a slower pace.

"Heh, maybe." I attempted a nervous laugh, that would be easier to deal with rather than the whole school finding out I was the daughter of two sadistic serial killers. Also, less of a chance for a witch hunt.

"I didn't see any spiders." He shot at me as we continued on our way.

"What are you talking about?"

"The rest of the damn nerds said you told them you saw a spider which started your meltdown." He glowered, "I didn't see anything, I looked, there was nothing there."

"I'm sure it was a lot more afraid of me than I was of it, it probably bolted after my 'meltdown'." I rolled my eyes.

Bakugo didn't look satisfied with my response, "Whatever, don't think we're on equal footing because we're tied in ranking from the assessment and don't make me look bad again."

"Your image is my main concern." I said sarcastically.

"You want to fight me, loser?!" He snapped.

"If I thought it would shut you up, yes, but I don't think there's any hope for you." I shrugged and held back a laugh as he let out some vicious sounding growl.

"You're pretty cocky for someone who gave herself brain damage." He scoffed.

I couldn't help but laugh at this, "If that isn't the pot calling the kettle black, I don't know what is."

Clearly not liking being teased, Bakugo shot me a glare and turned on his heel to return to class as we'd come to a halt outside of the Nurse's office. I giggled softly to myself as he stormed away, sulking like a child. Oddly enough, I felt better. Though it wasn't his intention, his presence, and even his snarky attitude, had been a comfort to me and helped me clear my mind.

Video- "Can You Hold Me" By NF Feat Britt Nicole (thanks Pandora)