In Loving Memory

Finally, some relevant plot details

"I know," he said. "I'll find her soon."

"Are you okay?"

"Hardly. Are you okay?"

"Typical Izuku Midoriya," Nana smiled. "Always looking out for everybody but yourself."

"What?" Izuku laughed shortly. "I don't do that."

Nana nodded. "Yeah, you do."

"What makes you think that?"

Nana gently kicked her legs as she talked. "I see the light you have in your eyes. The same one my Toshinori does. The look he has when he's about to toss himself to the side in favor of helping someone else. It's a dangerous mindset."

"Isn't setting yourself to the side to help others a good thing?"

"In moderation. Once it starts becoming self destructive, it becomes a terrible vice, and Toshinori is spiraling to the ground. He needs to take care of himself."

"I could take him a message, if you want." Izuku stared into the distance.

Nana shook her head. "You don't need to. I just worry about you, kid. You remind me of him. Just promise me you won't run yourself into the ground. You're just as important as everybody else." Izuku was silent for a moment, and Nana filled the silence. "You're not the only one who's allowed to hurt."

"What do you mean?"

"You and Toshinori. You act like you're the only person alive who's allowed to suffer. You try to take everyone else's pain if it means the people around you can be happy."

"I want the people around me to be happy."

"Even Bakugo?"

"What?"

Nana half smiled. "The boy who bullied you while you were alive."

"It's not like he was a bully, he was just angry," Izuku started, before Nana cut him off.

"I know a bully when I see one, Izuku. It was a bully who taught me emotions that I hadn't really known. Pure betrayal, fury, misery. Bullies call people names, make people feel worthless, hurt people on purpose for the fun of it or to feel better about themselves." Nana paused. "Bakugo, the kid you called your friend? He hurt people on purpose. He hurt you on purpose. I remember hanging around town and seeing him beating up kids. And I saw another little kid- and in hindsight I realize it was you- standing up to him even though he was a scrawny little quirkless boy."

"Who are you calling scrawny?" Izuku asked lightheartedly.

Nana laughs shortly, then continued. "Bakugo was a bully. I'm not so sure about now, but I'm surprised you're still so willing to protect him."

Izuku considered this for a moment. "Yeah. Katsuki did that," he sighed. "Katsuki was my bully in life, and he didn't realize what was wrong until I was in the dirt."

"And what will you do?"

"I'll protect him anyway, I guess?" Izuku ran his fingers through his hair. "I don't know."

"What do you want to do?"

Izuku gestured awkwardly. "I want to stay." He shook his head. "Why?"

Because you forgot when Bakugo stopped being a safe place to go and kept going back anyway. Because you are so full of undying loyalty to your friends that you would die again and again if it meant everyone else could be happy, something in the back of his mind answered.

Nana shook her head. "I don't know. But I want you to be safe, kid. Think about it." She stood up. "Come on, Sakura is looking for you."

Izuku and Nana had been floating around the rubble of the U.A stadium for a while before they found Sakura, running around and looking for Izuku. Sakura tackled him in a hug. "Midoriya! Never scare me like that again." She let him go after a few moments. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Izuku said. "I should be asking you that, you're the living one. You can get hurt, or die."

"Did you get the information you needed?"

"Yeah," Izuku said. "The one who ordered Yosuke to kill me is in Tartarus prison. She's a well known person around those parts, the guy called her 'Boss.' We just need to look around there."

If Nana had blood, it would have drained out of her face. "Shimura?" Sakura said. "Are you okay?"

Nana shook her head. "No. I've heard of that person before. Other ghosts in Tartarus referred to someone by that name. I hope I'm wrong, but I think I know who wanted Izuku dead." Nana turned on her heel to head off in another direction.

"Wait, what?!" Izuku started floating after her at high speeds. "Who did it? Izuku grabbed the back of Nana's cape, stopping her.

"I need to ask around," Nana said, her voice shaking. "Please, oh gosh, I hope it's not her."

"Nana, this is my life! I need to know who wanted me dead!"

Nana gently took Izuku's wrist, pulling it off her cape. "Then come with me," she said as evenly as she could. "And pray that I'm wrong."