[Recommended Music: Fiddlesticks, The Ancient Fear | Champion Theme - League of Legends.]
"Uhhrg…" A groan of pain echoed amid the rubble and dust.
Lying in the middle of the chaos of the USJ was a 15-year-old boy, with messy black hair covered in dust. He had black eyes with prominent dark circles, indicating he hadn't slept well for quite some time.
His U.A. sports hoodie was bloody and dirty, full of rips and holes. Beside him was a peculiar completely black scythe that reflected no light at all.
This is Kurayami Rei, a student from Class 1-A, exhausted and injured, his most prominent wound being an exposed fracture in his thigh, the bone tearing through his skin.
POV of Kurayami Rei
"Cough—cough." I coughed up a mouthful of blood, but managed to sit up on the ground.
Trying to hold back a monster the size of All Might alone wasn't a good idea, but what else could I have done? It would have killed the sensei and the others…
I looked at my scythe. The cuts I made against that Nomu healed almost instantly, but the worst part was that my quirk didn't even work…
Then a sharp pain pierced my head, far worse than the broken ribs and the exposed fracture in my thigh.
"N-no… Not now…" I muttered quietly, grabbing my head, feeling my consciousness being stolen by that thing.
I was losing the tug-of-war for control of my body, against my own quirk, my curse.
'Let go.' It echoed in my mind, a terrible and dragging voice, but incredibly familiar.
'Let go! LET GO!!' It began repeating over and over again, just like it always did in my nightmares.
"YAAAMIII!!!" A crying female voice caught my attention amid the voices. Calling me by a loving nickname that only my few friends knew and used.
I looked ahead, seeing a pink blur running desperately toward me. Mina almost tripped when the cloud of dust dissipated and she saw my injuries, increasing her speed using her acid to slide.
'LET GO!!!!' The voice roared one last time.
It was already too late. I tried to force my voice out, but only managed a miserable murmur.
"Mina… Please… Don't hate me." Somehow I feel like she understood what I said, despite the distance between us.
Kurayami lost consciousness, his body beginning to fall, but it stopped and was lifted into the air, floating in a strange position, as if he were held by invisible puppet strings.
His newly closed eyes opened again, but now they were completely dark.
A bright red orb began to emerge from his back, simply flowing out, without tearing his skin or even his clothes.
The orb hovered in the air just above Kurayami's body and began releasing a dense dark smoke that circled around the boy.
A few seconds later, the cloud of darkness exploded, expanding violently and dragging debris with it. Then it rose like a tornado toward the dome of the USJ, slowly covering the top of the central area in a mantle of darkness.
Mina protected herself with her arms from the cloud of dust and debris that struck her. Luckily she was still far enough away not to be thrown back.
A kind of ethereal red ribcage surrounded Kurayami's body, centered on his back where the red orb now sat, enclosed in something like a cage.
…
In a hospital, a quirk specialist doctor examined some paperwork. He raised his eyes to look at the dark-haired woman sitting in front of him, then glanced at the excited and anxious child beside her, very similar to the woman, also with black eyes and hair.
"So, Miss Tokoyami, you are the boy's guardian, correct?"
"Yes doctor, I'm his aunt," she said softly, stroking the child's head, trying to calm his anxiety.
"Haha, if I didn't know better I'd think you two were mother and son. You look very alike."
"Yes, my sister and I… were very alike," the woman said with a slightly melancholic tone, looking at little Kurayami beside her. The doctor understood the situation and decided to begin the examination without further delay.
…
The red orb inside the cage distorted, forming another dark cloud around it, almost covering it completely. Small irregular holes remained where the orb's light shone through, giving the illusion that several red eyes were swirling inside the cage.
This cloud stretched outward, taking the form of a monstrous left arm that grabbed the scythe on the ground.
…
"Hm, it seems the boy's quirk comes down to some kind of control over darkness and emotions, more specifically fear," the doctor spoke professionally, despite the sweat running down his forehead showing his nervousness and surprise.
"In the presence of fear, the quirk appears to grow stronger…" The two simply listened in silence.
"Well, it would only be fair to name the quirk… Fear." Even the doctor seemed unsure if that would be an appropriate name and felt somewhat uncreative.
To his relief, the name seemed to please the boy.
"Oh right, since your family's quirk history is predominantly formed by manifestations of separate entities, it would be wise to keep an eye on any similar changes in the child," the doctor said, receiving a nod from the woman.
…
The arm lifted the scythe and began to gain form, partially wrapped in an old rag and taking on a metallic appearance.
The darkness spread, forming the rest of the silhouette of an extremely distorted humanoid figure.
And then, just like the arm, the silhouette began to take shape: a head completely covered by a burlap sack, except for a mouth full of pointed and serrated metal fragments imitating teeth, and two holes for eyes, emanating the same red glow as the orb.
Its limbs were long and disproportionate. The right arm was noticeably larger, with a massive claw made of rusted metal blades.
It possessed a huge saw blade attached to its left shoulder. Its torso and part of its arms were covered by the same burlap sack covering the head.
At the center of the torso was the cage, which formed the rest of the body with the same dark cloud inside it, twisting and distorting beyond the limits of the body like thorns.
Its body appeared to be built entirely from a chaotic mixture of metal, wood, straw, and tangled cloth tied together.
All that chaos of materials forming something resembling a scarecrow.
…
From the day Kurayami awakened his quirk, he began facing nightmares every single night without fail, only able to sleep normally during the day. But he couldn't do that most days, causing him to suffer from insomnia.
The setting of the nightmare changed every time, but it always ended with him being chased by a monstrous scarecrow holding a scythe and a lantern.
In the first days after Kurayami awakened his quirk and began having nightmares, the Tokoyami family kept an eye on their nephew, taking turns during the night to check if the poor boy was okay.
That night, the two felt something strange and woke up at the same time, deciding to go together to the room shared by their son and nephew.
They walked through the house, softly illuminated by small lamps that ensured it would never become completely dark, allowing them to rest peacefully without the fear of their quirks going out of control in darkness.
A chill ran down both their spines and they quickened their pace toward the boys' room.
When they entered, they saw Fumikage trying to help Kurayami regain control, speaking to him from a safe distance while a monstrous scarecrow figure surrounded Kurayami's body.
The two stepped forward and after a few words of comfort, Kurayami managed to regain control without hurting anyone. But that moment remained forever marked in his heart, even though the Tokoyami family never blamed him for the incident.
…
From the top of a building in the USJ, Fumikage watched the hurricane of darkness from afar, clenching his fists, with Dark Shadow shrinking behind him in fear but still alert to the surroundings, aware of villains nearby.
Fumikage sighed. He knew better than anyone how his cousin always tried to keep that side of his quirk to himself, especially after learning to control it.
"Stay strong, Yami-kun… Master your darkness…" Fumikage murmured as he saw countless crows emerging from the cloud and tornado of darkness.
…
Kurayami Rei almost lost control three times.
The first time was after the first nightmares, when he came closest to letting the creature fully form.
The second was during another nightmare, but it was suppressed shortly after the orb emerged from his chest.
And finally the third, when he let himself be provoked by another child in kindergarten. That time only the silhouette of the monster formed before he regained control, but it was enough for them to have to change schools because of the fear from the children and adults around him.
This creature was a kind of personification of fear, or as it liked to call itself in Kurayami's nightmares:
"FIDDLE-STICKS!!!!" An inhuman roar echoed from the base of the dark hurricane, a voice that sounded like a mixture of the breath of several out-of-tune musical instruments and the creaking of old rusted farming tools.
The tornado of darkness joined the cloud floating above the central area. Parts of the cloud slowly descended and gathered on the ground, forming a dark mist, though it was still possible to see reasonably well.
"This is bad… Looks like a secret boss scenario… I hate this," Shigaraki scratched the back of his neck violently, feeling a chill at the sudden change in the environment.
The dragging of metal echoed, along with an awkward clopping sound like someone tapping a cane against the ground. Accompanying these sounds came something like breathing, which sounded more like the grinding of an old gear.
Then the monstrous scarecrow emerged from the mist. Fiddlesticks dragged his right claw along the ground, leaning toward that side, supporting himself with a third hand made of darkness while his left arm lazily held the scythe.
"HA HA HAaAa." He let out a thick paused laugh that terribly went out of tune at the end.
"Rei-kun…" Midoriya, Kirishima, and the others present in the center of the USJ widened their eyes upon seeing their classmate and friend hanging from the creature's chest.
"That's not a form worthy of a hero, is it? Hahaha," Shigaraki mocked and laughed.
"TenKO… TEnKo… My LIttle TENko…" Fiddlesticks spoke in high tones, trying to imitate a female voice.
"..." Shigaraki's eyes widened and he began to tremble slightly, but Fiddlesticks continued.
"WHeRE weRE the heROES… TEnko?"
"Shut up! SHUT UP!!!" Shigaraki grabbed his head, feeling panic.
"NOMU! KILL THAT THING!!"
Nomu stomped and ran toward Fiddlesticks, who casually adjusted his posture and launched a dark crow toward the humanoid.
The crow collided with Nomu. The giant shuddered, some of his steps faltering. Fiddlesticks moved again, swinging his scythe toward Nomu.
The scythe seemed to catch fire, a completely dark flame with a red outline.
Even from a distance, Nomu's legs were severed by a wave of darkness that appeared from nowhere, following the scythe's movement.
Fiddlesticks tilted his head, almost letting it hang toward the ground, observing Nomu.
"DEAd man… DEAd chILD." He snapped his head back upright.
"Ayase-san, this mAN who WaNts to aDoPt me looKS scARy," he tried to imitate a child's voice.
"Don't be siLLy liTTle boY," another female voice said, sounding greedy despite the distortion.
Nomu shuddered again but still stood up after regenerating, making Fiddlesticks screech in something resembling laughter.
The giant tried to punch Fiddlesticks, but he simply roared and grabbed him with several new arms made of darkness, holding him in place.
A spike emerged from the cage and pierced Nomu's chest, and he desperately struggled to escape Fiddlesticks' grip.
"Nomu! Finish it already!" Shigaraki shouted after recovering. At that moment Kurogiri appeared beside him, passing the current information to Shigaraki.
"Thum!" Nomu collapsed onto the ground, immobile. Fiddlesticks seemed to have grown slightly in size, and Kurayami's body began regenerating its wounds at an absurd speed.
"…What?" The experiment meant to kill All Might now lay on the ground, motionless.
Shigaraki tried to contact Nomu but got no response.
"We should retreat, Master Shigaraki…" Kurogiri touched Shigaraki's shoulder, bringing him back to his senses. He nodded, trembling slightly.
Fiddlesticks roared and began running on all fours toward the two at a speed faster than Nomu itself.
Shigaraki stepped back in shock, but Kurogiri didn't hesitate and teleported them both.
Fiddlesticks' claws slammed into the ground where they had stood seconds earlier. He let out a confused screech that sounded like metal scraping against metal.
Midoriya stopped mid-run. He had heard the two villains and ran to stop their escape, but everything happened too fast.
He swallowed hard and cautiously asked, "Rei-kun?"
Fiddle looked at him immediately afterward, turning his head with a quick crack. Then he tried to lift the scythe, but couldn't, as if it were too heavy.
"DE-KU," he began, imitating the voice of an annoying child, making Midoriya shudder in horror.
Fiddlesticks took a few steps toward the trembling boy.
"You knOW, there's a faST way to get a quiRK…" Midoriya's eyes widened as he recognized the phrase.
"BeLieve you'll be boRN with a suPERpower in the neXT liFE and take a swiNG off the rOOF!"
The boy clenched his fist but held firm when he realized Fiddlesticks was somehow holding himself in place with two extra limbs, even though he was clearly trying to approach.
"I'm soRRY… I'm soRRy Izuku." This time the voice sounded terrifyingly similar to his mother's, breaking his composure.
"Yami!" Kirishima arrived beside Todoroki and Bakugo, both of whom had been dealing with secondary villains earlier.
Fiddlesticks tried to raise the scythe again, but failed once more.
"HE's lOOking more and MOre like his FAther every day… I don't knOW what to DO." Todoroki's cold expression broke, replaced by horror as unpleasant memories returned.
"Isn't that the KID from the sludge inciDEnt? The WEAK one who needed to be saVED?" Bakugo gritted his teeth, his face red with anger.
"You HESITATED, COWARD!" Kirishima trembled at the words but felt even worse seeing his friend start to cry, trapped inside the creature.
"Wait Kacchan! No!" Midoriya shouted to the blonde rushing toward Fiddlesticks.
"DIE YOU… Bastard…" His tone and rage quickly faded when he saw Fiddlesticks staring directly at him, what should have been a smile on the creature's face.
Bakugo's quirk failed and he began falling toward Fiddlesticks' mouth full of teeth, which opened as wide as it could.
But an extra shadow arm struck Bakugo and threw him to the ground, making Fiddlesticks scream in disappointment and rage, raising the scythe toward Bakugo.
The scythe drooped heavily beside Fiddlesticks again, who roared and tried reaching Bakugo with his right arm, but another hand grabbed and tore the creature's "face."
Fiddlesticks began thrashing and scratching himself with several extra arms, giving the boys time to move away, still trembling from the fear.
"AHHHhHhhh!" Fiddlesticks continued screaming.
"Mom… Dad…" Fiddlesticks began speaking again, this time perfectly imitating a child's voice. Kirishima shivered as he recognized it as Kurayami's childhood voice.
"I'm scared… So scared." The arms began trembling and faltering, just like Kurayami's body.
"They hate you Kurayami, they hate us." The voice came completely monstrous this time, just like in his nightmares. The arms kept squeezing Fiddlesticks despite the shaking.
"Dear…" This time a mixture of two voices came, one female and one male, and the arms stopped.
"Be strong, my little… Hero." The arms began weakening and Fiddlesticks slowly started moving.
And then Mina passed the group of boys with firm steps, lightly touching Kirishima's shoulder. He had already been moving to go to Kurayami. She gave him a nod and continued.
Fiddlesticks turned toward the girl, making her shiver slightly, but she didn't slow down.
…
"Hello, my name is Mina Ashido! Looks like we'll be desk neighbors! Want to be my friend?" the pink-skinned girl said excitedly to the gloomy-looking boy beside her.
"…Hello," the boy began, unable to believe someone would want to talk to him, much less be his friend.
"My name is Kurayami Rei and… I think so?"
"YEAHH!" She raised her fist in victory, much to the boy's confusion.
…
"WHy ARE you pInk?" Fiddlesticks again tried to imitate a child's voice, bringing back memories of bullying.
"YOu're WEIrd, you loOK like an ALieN, HAha." Mina shivered a bit more, her steps slowing without her noticing.
"YOuR eyes ARE scARy."
…
"Yami-kun, what do you think of my eyes?" I asked the boy beside me. The girls' words had really depressed me, more than I wanted to admit…
"Your eyes?" He tilted his head, staring straight into them, which made me nervous and feel a strange warmth in my chest, but I didn't look away.
"I think they're pretty."
I felt a smile forming on my face, but Kurayami's next sentence made me freeze.
"They match the pink of your skin. They make you look really cute."
A blush appeared on my face and then on his as he realized what he had just said. We both looked away at the same time.
I couldn't help but smile foolishly while twirling my hair with my fingers.
…
Mina began to smile and continued walking. Fiddlesticks froze, both from confusion at seeing the girl surpass some of her greatest fears and traumas and because the arms controlled by Kurayami had once again locked him in place.
Mina reached Kurayami's body, looking him in the eyes, then giving a little jump to hug him, standing on the tips of her toes.
Fiddlesticks began losing control and crouched down, making it easier for Mina to hug Kurayami properly.
She pulled her face away from his chest with a blush, took a deep breath, and kissed him on the lips.
When she did that, the entire structure of Fiddlesticks' body trembled, and then it dissolved into black smoke. The red orb floated for a few moments before returning to Kurayami's body.
The enormous dark cloud also dispersed, allowing sunlight to hit the center of the USJ once again.
Kurayami closed his eyes, both from the surprise of the kiss and from mental and physical exhaustion.
When he opened them to see Mina, they were no longer completely black. Now each eye had a bright red pupil.
Mina ended the kiss and, looking at Kurayami limp in her arms, gave a little laugh and laid him on her lap.
"Our eyes match now," she said, drawing a tired little smile from him.
[
Author Notes: Hello, I hope you enjoyed this short story. I had a lot of fun writing it, maybe one day I'll release some of the fanfics I've been working on from time to time.
The music probably ended before you finished reading, right? Sorry about that :)
Anyway, thank you for reading <3
]