In Loving Memory

The Problem With Being A Ghost

Toga was furious, and rightfully so. She tripped over her own feet and hit the floor. Izuku awkwardly floated next to her. "Why are you doing this?"

"Who are you?" Toga asked.

Izuku hesitated, then spoke. "My name is Izuku Midoriya," he said, "And I've been dead for almost a year."

Toga snorted. "So you're a ghost. You can't bleed. That's a shame—you would have looked adorable bleeding out on the floor."

Izuku thought for a moment. "Toga, do you happen to have a blood-based quirk?"

"I do. And I only know because of something that got me grounded some time back."

"Go on," he urged gently.

"When I was a little kid and it was around the time my quirk would manifest I suddenly became absolutely fascinated with blood. I would find a bloodied-up little bird or cat and stare at it for hours, or sink my teeth in it and drink all I could." Yuki looked disgusted, but Toga looked quite pleased with herself. "It was a pretty little bird, all spattered with blood. Mom and Dad were disgusted—it got to the point that they wouldn't even let me out of the house. So I kept seeking out the blood in secret. One day I found blood packets that had fallen from an ambulance, and it was wonderful. I was hooked, but my parents still didn't know. I found I could turn into people if I had their blood, and it was the most incredible feeling—you couldn't even begin to imagine!" Toga looked a bit strange, with her obsessive smile and odd tone of voice, but Izuku let her continue. "Pity nobody else agreed."

Izuku resisted the urge to shudder. "And you were going to drink his blood?"

"Obviously." The girl had a sick grin, and Izuku would have feared for his life if he had one. He cleared his head of any more death jokes and focused on the task at hand. He thought for a moment, and remembered how he had talked to a kid with serious side effects to his quirk that made it harder for the young student to function in normal society. Izuku looked at the fantasizing girl and put two and two together.

"I take it that your quirk makes you obsess over blood so you can use it," he mused. Toga remained silent for a moment or two.

"Is that it?" she hissed. "Is that all you think it is?"

"It's a theory," Izuku stammered. "But I think I can help you. I put far too much study into stuff like this awhile back and found that there's quirk disability accommodation centers and things like that floating around all over Japan. They're not publicly talked about that often, but they get facilities to help you maintain your quirk and the safety of others while taking care of yourself."

"What?" Yuki finally piped up. "What are you talking about?"

"Like, for example. I heard of this one man who had a poison gas quirk, but he had to release the gas at certain intervals or else he would get really sick. So, they gave him a room where he could release the gas. They would vent it out of the room, bottle it up, and dispose of it." Izuku had started rambling, and he knew he would have to stop soon. "We can get you some help, if you'd only let me."

Toga looked at him skeptically. "My parents wouldn't let me. And besides, I don't want to be treated like a crazy person."

"I can convince them," Izuku protested.

"And what makes you think they'll listen to some strange, skinny boy?"

"Trust me," Izuku said gently. "And please, just take care of yourself for a little longer. Maybe take a day or two off of school. Let me talk with your parents."

Toga looked at him with a sharp stare that startled him more than one of Bakugo's shouts. She was scary in a way that wasn't outwardly obvious. "You can try. But there's no way they will do anything about it," she hissed, her pointy teeth barely being revealed as she talked about her family as bitterly as she did. Izuku felt bad for her, suddenly grateful that he had his mother with him and such a good relationship with her while she was alive. A sick feeling sat in his stomach, reminding him that in the depths of his horrible, depressive state, he had chosen to die and only regretted it. He wondered how his mom felt. He shook his head to clear it. Now wasn't the time to feel upset about regrets.

"I'll make sure your parents will get you the help you deserve."

"How?"

"I have my ways."

Yuki was already long gone by now. Izuku would have to talk to him later. Truthfully, he had no idea how he was going to help Toga. But he couldn't just stand there and do nothing. Before he knew it, he had faded away from Toga's sight, and he was alone again. He sighed and decided to check on Katsuki and Uraraka. Their homeroom was about to start right about then. With a turn, he left the school, and headed to U.A.