The whole time he just stared at the clock. Waiting to burst out of the room the moment class ended.

Everyone had watched you walk in as if nothing happened. It was the quietest the class had ever been. Aizawa had called for a substitute right away and escorted you out to talk with you.

You didn't even look at him when you walked in.

The minute class ended Bakugo ran. Raced to the dorms, assuming you'd be settled there already. Pushing past anyone in his path. He could hear Kirishima and Deku shouting for him to wait up, but he didn't care.

He had to see you.

But once he pushed open your door, your room remained empty.

He slammed his hand on the wall with frustration but didn't let it stop him from finding you. He ran to Aizawa's room and began pounding on the door.

"He's not there."

Bakugo turned around to see Shinso coming up behind him.

"Where is he?" He huffed trying to catch his breath.

"He's with Principal Nezu and All Might. He told me to find you and for us to go join them in Nezu's office." He said turning on his heel not waiting for Bakugo to follow.

But he caught up. And the ball of anxiety that sunk in his stomach began to burn.

"So she's back, huh? Looks like I'll finally get to meet her." Shinso spoke more to himself than to Bakugo as the two of them walked. He really just wanted to break the silence. He could feel Bakugo's nervous energy as it radiated off of him.

"Maybe Aizawa can actually get some sleep now."

Bakugo didn't listen, his mind racing with questions. So unfocused that he almost bumped into Kirishima and Midoriya as they finally caught up to him.

"So? Is she here?"

Bakugo shook his head.

"Aizawa called for us to meet him. I'll tell you about it later."

As they continued to walk in silence, Shinso attempted to break it once again.

"So...what's she like?"

The question hit in his gut. It's been so long since he had been truly with you. And it still felt like yesterday that he first met you.

At the same time, he felt like he knew you a lifetime.

You're funny and kind. Simply beautiful in every way. The way you care for everyone so easily and without judgement.

You're not without your faults. You always put yourself last. Doubting yourself constantly. Putting yourself in dangerous situations. You can be loud and sometimes obnoxious. Overly confident at times. Clumsy and you don't think things through. You put yourself under a lot of stress. And you are always so hard on yourself.

But that's just it. All of your faults are what make you so lovely. So wonderful. You're...

"Bakugo?"

He shook his head, lost in thought. He felt like he was losing focus a lot more lately. You had that effect on him. He hadn't realized that he hadn't answered Shinso's question yet. So focused on everything he lo...liked about you.

"Childish. She's childish."

And his answer hit Shinso's ears like an insult.

But Baukgo meant it in the best way. Because around you is when he smiled the most.

They reached the private workroom. Bakugo took a moment to collect himself before he entered. Afraid of what Aizawa was going to say.

Shinso opened the door and they walked in.

And there you were.

Sitting there looking lost.

"Have a seat." Aizawa instructed. He was accompanied by Principal Nezu and All Might.

Bakugo was almost afraid to sit next to you. So he chose to sit across. Which kind of made his nerves worse. Shinso sat as well.

"What's going on?" You asked looking around the room. You had been waiting there for a while. When you came back you knew this was going to happen. So you prepared.

You had no choice. It was time to put on your act.

"We thought we'd bring in someone who could help with your memory." Aizawa explained to you. It only raised more questions however.

"I asked her some questions but she says she doesn't remember anything." The principle explained.

"Remember what?" You asked innocently.

"Do you remember anything from yesterday?" All Might asked you.

You pretended to think back but in reality you just had to play the part. It was hard. And seeing him....

Seeing him only wounded you more than you were already when you left the LOV. Each lie felt sour on your tongue as you cleared your mind from your personal feelings. And focused on the task at hand.

"I was training for the provisional license retake."

Bakugo's eyes widened. She doesn't remember?

"You had left, (Y/N). We didn't know where you went but we assumed you left to be with the LOV. Bakugo, what do you remember from that day?"

You shot up and felt your fangs spike at the sound of his voice. You thought you had prepared for this. To hear him again. But those butterflies returned the moment he spoke. You didn't even glance at him out of fear of losing your composure.

Because after you found out the truth Stoker had been hiding, he had plans for you. Plans that you were going to follow through no matter what. You had no other options. And, unfortunately, it was a matter of life or death.

"You got upset because of something that happened while we were training together." He had to pause to keep his voice from wavering. Failing to avoid the hurt veiled within his voice. "You've been gone for a couple months."

You didn't want to seem suspicious so you forced yourself to face him. Your eyes meeting his as you witnessed the pain behind those ruby eyes. And for a moment you could feel only what one would describe as your heart shattering.

"Kirishima ran into you a couple weeks ago. He followed you. You were with the LOV."

Your eyes widened, threatening tears sat on the edge of your lashes. The betrayal on his face said it all. He was hurt, upset with you. There was nothing you could do to fix this. You couldn't apologize, you couldn't even explain. There was no acknowledging what happened or at least validating what he is going through. You couldn't help.

You were useless.

"That can't be." You clenched up your jaw as the lie slithered out from between your teeth. Feeling your composure begin to shake, you knew had to get out of there quick. "You're lying." You shoved him away and headed for the door.

He was stunned by your reaction. He didn't want to anger you. He was just telling you what happened.

As your hand touched the door knob, Aizawa stopped you. You turned back at him, feeling that monster in you ready to attack and defend.

But when you looked up at Aizawa, he had a calm demeanor. Shushing you like he did the day you turned. The day he saved you from doing something you would've regretted. Taking you back to where it all started in that basement as you changed.

Your guard was down and you just wanted to wrap your arms around him. Because you caused him a great deal of pain too. And you just wanted to apologize to him. But you couldn't. So you took your hand off the doorknob and calmed yourself down.

"We've brought Shinso in to try to bring your memories back." He explained waving for the kid who came in with Bakugo to come over.

"Who are you?"

The boy with purple, fluffy hair walked up to you and put out his hand to greet you. "My name is Hitoshi Shinso. I have heard a lot about you."

You took his hand hesitantly. "I'm assuming not very good things, huh."

He shook his head. "Actually Mr. Aizawa speaks very highly of you. It's the only reason I've been helping."

You felt your face heat up and your heart melt. But the guilt threaded it's way into that warmth. Keeping you from breaking character. "Okay then, what are you going to do?"

"My quirk is Brainwash, I've been working on a new technique where I can get information from people's minds. I'm still learning but it's worth a shot. I'm going to try to get your memories back for you."

You nodded knowing well that there were no memories to bring back. You remembered everything.

Or so you thought.

"Okay, I'm ready." You said as you sat back down, avoiding all eye contact with Bakugo. It was hard enough just being in the same room with him.

Bakugo noticed your reluctance to look at him. He focused in on your every move. Because something was wrong. He could feel it. Although you were playing this part of the confused girl, he could see right through you. And something wasn't right.

"Alright. First things first, are you comfortable?"

"Yes, I..." Before you could finish your sentence you were unable to move or speak. It felt familiar to when Stoker used his device on you. You were sick of that feeling already. You could still see but as his quirk strengthen your sight was taken from you. And it was like he was poking in your mind. The feeling was strange. You could feel his presence there. But you couldn't see anything.

"What happened the day you left?"

You could hear his voice echo. Along with a few other voices around him, telling him what to say. The memories were showing up but only you could see them.

"Why did you leave?"

You expected these questions. You figured you'd just lie but you didn't expect them to have someone who can brainwash you. You were afraid the truth would be forced out of you, but you weren't saying anything. He was only trying to bring the memories back, not make you say them. He couldn't do both at once.

"Did you contact Bakugo for help?"

What? You thought. This was a memory you did not remember. You would've never contacted him for help. It would put him in danger. And you left on your own accord.

"How did you call out to him in his dreams? Were you in danger?"

His dreams? That doesn't make any sense.

Just as you were doubting, a sudden scent of cotton candy and candy apples filled the air. You could see the shadows of a Ferris wheel and a roller coaster inside your mind. It was amazing what this quirk was doing. But the last place you were at a carnival was years ago when you were little. What was it doing here now?

"Do you remember talking to him?"

You stood in what seemed like a dark empty space. A familiar one. Until a shadow of someone began walking towards you. You backed up, afraid. Confused. You wanted to get out of this. You didn't recognize this memory.

"Get away from me," You shouted at the shadowed figure.

Bakugo jumped up when you shouted. Your eyes were still glazed over. And your face was full of confusion and fear.

"What's going on?" He asked kneeling down next to you to try to calm you down. You were hyperventaling heavily.

"I'm not sure. I can't see what she sees. I'm not able to do that yet." Shinso explained. He turned to Aizawa for guidance, unsure of whether or not he should keep going.

"She has to remember everything." He instructed nodding for Shinso to continue.

The shadow began running towards you quicker inside your mind. You ran into the nothingness in front of you. And tripped over what seemed to be the start of a memory. The carnival. Only you were watching it happen from the outside. And it was you and....

"Katsuki?"

Bakugo backed away a little. Surprised to hear his name come from you. Your eyes were still white and your trance hadn't ended.

"Do you remember anything else from when she did contact you in this dream?" Principal Nezu asked Bakugo assuming that you were remembering this specific memory.

"Just what I told you. She didn't give me much. I just saw a large metallic building and some chains gathered in a corner. That's it." He explained for the hundredth time.

"Why does she have such a connection with you, Bakugo?" All Might asked.

He just shrugged because in all honestly he had no idea. But it had felt that way since the day he met you. Like a familiar connection.

You watched the memory of you and Bakugo talking and laughing together. It looked like a dream. But with everything that happened in this memory, you felt it.

Bakugo watched you closely as you suddenly calmed. Your hand began to move even though you were still in a trance.

"Are you doing that?" Bakugo asked.

Shinso shook his head. "I think she's going off her memories. My quirk is wavering already."

Your hand slowly reached up to your face, letting your fingers linger across your lips. You still felt the tingling sensation as you watched the memory close from when you let your lips meet his. It was a feeling you never wanted to forget again.

Bakugo watched, a light blush brushing on his cheeks as Aizawa glared at him. It wasn't clear, but from what he could gather from your actions while you were under the power of Shinso's quirk, it seemed like his student did leave something out from that dream you two shared.

Although he rather keep that between you and him, he was just happy to see that you were remembering something.

And you were, for the very first time. It was like you were reliving it. Once the quirk faded away you were brought back out of your head. You made it seem like his quirk failed and your memories didn't return. But you glanced up at Katsuki with a confused look on your face.

Still touching your mouth as the ghost of his lips lingered on yours.

He faintly smiled, in a rare shy moment that only you could have noticed. And then he broke the gaze to ease up the unspoken tension between the two of you.

"So, (Y/N), Did you remember anything?" Aizawa asked you, looking for any signs of change in your body language.

You shook your head. Putting that memory aside to focus. You had to play this part right. You could put their lives and...his life in jeopardy.

"No, I...I just remember training that day and that's it. It's all just gone." You lied.

Bakugo narrowed his eyes. He saw it. He was sure he saw that look. The look you gave him right before you kissed him in that dream. That look of happiness and sadness all in one. That look like you were keeping something from him.

He saw it as soon as you looked at him, still touching your lips. And then it was just gone. Like you had checked yourself.

You were lying. And he knew it.

But why?

"If it's alright, I'd like to go back to my room now. I'm sorry I couldn't help." You said standing up.

Aizawa shared a worried glance with the others two staff members in the room.

"Unfortunately, (Y/N), since we are not sure why the LOV let you return so easily you are going to be under heavy surveillance. Just for a little while"

You nodded. You saw this coming. There was no way you could win their trust in one day. You had to work at it. But how long are you going to be able to keep up this act? Just one look at your classmates, at Aizawa, at...Katsuki...

And you haven't even faced your brother or sister. What would they think? What would Kai think of you knowing you were with the LOV all this time?

Your thoughts raced as your breath becoming noticeably rapid.

"Hey, hey, it's ok. Everything's going to be ok. It won't be for too long. Just until we can be sure they don't have any ulterior motives." Mr. Aizawa explained to you as he put his hand on your shoulder to soothe you.

It worked. It always did. But again, it only made you feel more guilty.

Stoker hadn't explained too much to you. He had only told you that you'd be returning and to say you have no memory of what happened. And knowing he had full control over you, who knows what he was planning. And you were so afraid.

"If you tell anyone, I'll have poor Shindo here killed."

His words echoed as you tried to gain your composure once again. It was all an act.

"You boys are dismissed. Thank you for your help, students."

You kept your eyes at your feet to avoid seeing Bakugo leave. You knew he had noticed something. He was always so observant. There was no way you could lie to him. The door closed and they were gone.

Behind the door, Bakugo gave himself a moment to breath before heading back to his room. He didn't want to leave you. He knew something was wrong. He could feel it.

So instead he waited.

Aizawa led you out of the room, guiding you to where you'd be staying. He looked down as soon as he opened the door to see Bakugo sitting next to the door.

"You should be back at the dorms."

Bakugo stood up with a yawn. Not sure why it took so long in there. He stretched and brushed his hand through his hair.

"I need to talk to her."

You stood behind Aizawa with a heavy heart. Hearing them basically say they couldn't trust you and they weren't sure if you were a traitor or not was not easy to listen to.

But they were right. You were a traitor. You had no choice. And it hurt. Everything just hurt.

Talking to Katsuki would just hurt even more.

"It's been a long day, Bakugo. I think we should let her rest."

Bakugo nodded. He really just wanted to make sure you were ok. You were reluctant to make eye contact with him, because he could read you so easily. But you did anyway.

And he could see the conflict you struggled with written all over your face. He didn't want to make it worse.

"Okay, maybe tomorrow." He said defeated.

Aizawa waved for you to follow and you did. But before you could move past Bakugo he grabbed your hand gently.

"(Y/N).."

You turned around, feeling a familiar spark the moment you felt his touch.

But also a familiar craving.

And it caused your fangs to pop out instinctively. You slapped your mouth with your other hand. Afraid he'd think the worst.

But instead he smiled that rare smile that you were so fond of. So soft, so gentle.

"It's really good to see you."

You swore you could feel your heart bang against your chest. Your thirst suddenly began to spike more than usual. It had been so long since you needed to feed on anything since Stoker had been providing blood for you. You haven't needed to hunt in a very long time.

But now...with Bakugo standing right in front of you...you had to get away from him.

You quickly snatched your hand away and ran down the hall. Leaving Aizawa and Bakugo behind. You didn't know where you were going, but you just needed to get away from him. So you hid inside a nearby janitors closet.

"Maybe we should just give her space. She seems very confused. And I'm sure she's shaken from everything we've told her. She can handle a lot but everyone has their breaking point." Aizawa explained as he went on to look for you.

Bakugo just stood there. Feeling conflicted himself. It is true, everyone has their breaking point. He was just afraid of when you would break yours.

"How is she?" Kirishima asked. But he didn't receive an answer. His friend seemed to be too distracted to even notice him there.

"Hey! Bakugo!" He shouted running after him. "You okay?"

Bakugo looked up, finally noticing him there. He hadn't realized he had made it back to the dorms already. "Yeah, sorry." He waved off still walking towards his room. Kirishima followed behind.

"So how'd it go?"

Bakugo waited until the two of them were inside his room to talk about it in case anyone was around to overhear. "She's different. She says she doesn't remember anything."

"What do you mean?"

"She said she doesn't remember anything. But..."

Kirishima could see the struggle that was going on in Bakugo's mind. Like he didn't want to say what his suspicions were.

"She's lying." The words felt sharp on his tongue. Accusing you felt wrong, but he couldn't blind himself just because of his feelings towards you. You were hiding something.

"Are you sure? Why would she lie?"

Bakugo shrugged plopping down on his bed in frustration. Kirishima leaned against the wall. Feeling as confused. Everyone was. Asking him questions the whole time you were talking to Mr. Aizawa and the others. As if he would know anything. But the two of you had become close since you joined them in Class 1A.

"Did you get to talk to her?"

"No, she freaked out as soon as I touched her. She ran off."

"She just needs some time to get settled. I'm sure she went through a lot. We'll try again tomorrow!" Kirishima assured trying to cheer his friend up.

Bakugo just turned on his bed, trying to calm his thoughts. Wishing that things could be more simple.

You laid on your bed, wishing the same thing. Not looking forward to seeing Kai tomorrow and having to lie to him as well. You hadn't told him you were back yet. Asking Aizawa if he could hold off on telling him you showed up. Only because you could only handle lying to so many people in one day.

And ever since you were little, Kai always knew when you were lying.

You thought back to the memory Shinso was able to bring back to you. A memory of what looked like a dream. But felt so real.

"Did I really kiss him?"

You covered your face with your hands feeling the heat rise to your cheeks.

"Why on earth did I kiss him?!"

The memory was still a bit blurry. You couldn't hear anything that was being said.

"What could he have said that made me kiss him?"

You tossed and turned the rest of the night.

"There's no way that was real. Right?"

You weren't sure you'd make it through this.
***

A week went by quicker than you expected. You kept to yourself. Hadn't talked to anyone except Aizawa occasionally. He'd ask you simple questions. Also careful not to upset you. You'd simply say you still didn't remember anything. As the days went on it got a little easier.

But you always felt a little worse.

Bakugo tried to speak to you several times. But he always missed you. You were just a bit too quick for him. Leaving as soon as class would end. Avoiding the dorms or anywhere your classmates would be. There would be knocks at the door.

Mina or Denki.

Kirishima.

Uraraka and Midoriya.

And of course, Katsuki.

But you never answered.

Kirishima always left your dinner by your door at the end of the day. Hoping you'd come out and talk. But not expecting anything.

You were thankful for the dinner. And every time you'd peek out to make sure no one was around you'd pick it up.

Along with your dinner there was always a small box of homemade treats. You'd smile. Knowing who they were from. And it was a bittersweet feeling. Because you knew by avoiding him, you were only hurting him more.

Kai didn't push you to talk. He was just relieved to have you back. Emma too. She cried in your arms when they visited you the day after your return. As much as you just wanted to go back home with them, you needed to stay. Your teachers were strict about keeping an eye on you for a little while.

It was becoming too much already.

You felt yourself withering away with every lie.

"Listen very closely, I will not hesitate to kill everyone you love if you decide to run off. Do you understand?"

Stoker's words had etched itself in your mind. You allowed them to repeat so that you wouldn't forget what was at stake.

But how could you.

Today Aizawa informed you that you'd be returning back to your dorm room. He'd been noticing your lack of socializing and felt it wasn't helping that you were away from all your friends. He worried about you.

"It's okay. I can stay here. I really don't mind it." You assured hoping he'd let you stay. Since it made it a little easier to avoid the others.

"It's alright, (Y/N). I know you're still confused about everything that happened. But I promise we'll figure it out together. Right now you need some normalcy." He explained looking around at the cameras. "And I assume the lack of privacy hasn't been helping."

You shrugged and put on a pretend smile of gratitude to say thank you. Packing your bags once again to head back to your dorm room. Afraid that it might just push you over the edge.

***

"We should do something for (Y/N)!" Mina shouted as she called a Class 1A group meeting in the lounge area.

"Mr. Aizawa said she was coming back to the dorms today! And she's been so down since she's gotten back."

Your classmates began thinking of ways to cheer you up.

"How about a welcome back party," Kaminari suggested.

"She's kind of had one of those before. And it might be overwhelming." Kirishima reminded.

"We could take her somewhere fun. Like an arcade or an amusement park?" Uraraka chimed in.

"We would need an adult supervisor to make sure we are all safe if we go anywhere off school grounds." Ida said sternly.

Everyone wanted to help. But none of the ideas felt like you. And they all seemed overwhelming.

"What does (Y/N) like?" Midoriya asked.

But before anyone could get another word in Bakugo stood up from the corner he had secluded himself in.

"I have an idea."