"Deku?" Katsuki asked in a horrified whisper. Izuku was shocked that he could be seen, but didn't allow himself to falter from trying to pull Kacchan out of the sludge.

"Deku?" Katsuki repeated again, confusion and intense dismay filling his eyes. "What the fuck are you doing here. How are you here?"

Izuku felt the smile tighten as he pulled Kacchan forward, forcing the bravery on his face as he failed to make any progress. He met Katsuki's vibrant red eyes, smile widening again, becoming a little more genuine, as tears ran down his dirtied, pale face.

"I couldn't just let you die, Kacchan!" And it was horribly ironic in a way, but it was true. Izuku didn't want to see anyone else die if he could help it, Kacchan less than anyone else. Kacchan still looked at him in dismay and disbelief, and Izuku wondered if he thought this was some sort of dying hallucination, but a determined glint filled Kacchan's eyes as his lips quirked up as he bared his teeth.

"No way in hell am I going out without a fight." He slipped his hand backward and grasped Izuku's hand, and with a well timed explosion assisting Izuku, he managed to pull Katsuki out of the sludge. Whipping around with a speed and fluidity matched perhaps only by Eraserhead, Izuku threw Katsuki behind him surprised at how easy it was. (Without real muscles, would it be hard to lift stuff? Maybe it made it so that his strength didn't matter?). The sludge villain was rising again, grotesquely wide mouth spread in a mockery of a grin that was much more of a snarl.

"You're that brat from before! I'm gonna kill you for doing that!" The sludge villain lunged forward and Izuku through his hand forward hoping that whatever had caused the brick to move before would work again. (Telekinesis was often associated with ghosts, right?) It may have been week, but if he could just hold him off, without a hostage, surely the heros would be able to take care of the villain?

To Izuku's surprise, the villain was suddenly pushed back a dozen feet in a matter of seconds, the pressure as it hit the wall splattering the thing to bits. Izuku notes that despite the same thing happening during its fight with All Might, the sludge villain recovered much more quickly this time. Probably due to a much lesser concussive force that wouldn't be enough to cause its gelatinous body to fall unconscious. As it began to recuperate itself, the heros seemed to snap out of their daze and rushed forward to contain the villain.

As it became evident that crisis was over and the crowd began wandering away except for one skeltal blond man who was staring agape at him.

Was that….?

Suddenly the situation struck Izuku full force. He had just rescued Kacchan. He had interacted with the physical world. GHOSTS WERE NOT SUPPOSED TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT! As Izuku stared at his hands, he didn't even realize that the heros were scolding him until Death Arms began snapping his fingers in front of Izuku's nose.

"Hey kid, you listening? What you did was very reckless, and…." No. Izuku was not listening. He was to busy having a mid-death crisis. Still, as he glanced up from his hands, he caught Katsuki staring at him, ruby eyes almost glazed over as he stared at Izuku, also completely ignoring the heros hovering over him. (Who were praising him rather than criticizing him, but semantics.)

is not functioning. He was fucking confused and did not like this feeling. Why and how the fuck was he staring at an Izuku doppelganger. (Except they had called him by that stupid fucking nickname and that look in their eyes was to familiar to be anyone but Izuku. But that was impossible.)

He couldn't really process what the heros were talking to him about, just catching some random words of praise. Was this real? Had Izuku come back specifically to haunt him? And what the fuck was that bit about not wanting to let him die? The nerd had every right to want to kill Katsuki himself. (Maybe he was here to murder Katsuki. That sounded like something ghosts did.)

As soon as he was let free, refusing a visit to the hospital, Katsuki was off, sprinting toward Inko's house.

Izuku watched as Katsuki ran off, a bit confused, but also understanding. He was dead, and honestly didn't know how exactly he was back himself. He would have definitely freaked if he had seen a ghost.

So unlike Katsuki, Izuku slowly walked off, strolling unhurriedly towards his house. (Really, he was postponing, because he didn't want to face his mom. He didn't know how he could. And what if this didn't last. What if he went back to his incorporeal state? What if this was some sort of death-induced dream? What then?)

Izuku remembered the words of Tōrei though. What if this was his quirk? Was this how he thought Izuku would ruin the world.

If so, did that mean his quirk was to interact with the world as ghost? Would he have more ghostly powers than just what seemed to be telekinesis? That would be cool, but also, did that mean he was better off dead? Whether or not it was true, it was an upsetting thought, and Izuku would rather not think about it.

Luckily, he was interrupted out of his mutterings when a flash of yellow crossed his vision. Izuku looked up and gasped as he recognized the figure.

All Might.

Izuku didn't know how to feel. (Should that be as common an occurrence as it was? Probably not.)

"Young man! Greetings!"

He had seen All Might a few times since he died, having taken the opportunity to follow him around. But it was an entirely different thing to be addressed by him. The man who had finally convinced him he couldn't be a hero. Izuku fought to keep the wry expression of his face.

"All Might." He greeted politely, struggling to keep the sour expression off his face. All Might's expression seemed to slip slightly at Izuku's lack of enthusiasm, but it tightened up quickly.

"Young man, I'd like to apologize for what I said before I-" he coughed suddenly, blood appearing at the corner of his mouth. "Shit!" He cursed quietly before going up in a puff of smoke.

Ah… Izuku knew what this was. He may have learned a few things (secrets) he shouldn't have in that time, but being a ghost gave him the best spying capabilities, and he really hadn't meant to find out about Yagi Toshinori, honest! Of course, he hadn't thought it would really matter much until now, when he could actually interact with him. For the seconds as the smoke cleared, Izuku prepped himself to act the same way he had the first time he had accidentally seen All Might's transformation.

It wasn't hard, because he still had a hard time they were believing they were the same person. The only thing that assured him it was was the ever present ghost hovering at his shoulder. Even now her shiny black hair stayed still in the wind as she leaned over All Might.

"Geez, Toshi. Don't tell me you forgot about your time limit again?" All Might of course didn't respond, since he couldn't hear her, and as always slight unavoidable hurt flashed across her face. Izuku could understand how she felt.

Finally the smoke cleared finally, and Izuku began his show.

"A-ALL MIGHT!?" Toshinori stood where All Might once had, hands in a strange droopy position that Izuku wondered at. "What happened?! You deflated? Are you okay?"

All Might's civilian form sighed heavily, dark eyes looking at him. Izuku couldn't help but notice a strange sadness he hadn't noticed before.

All Might tiredly explained his injury and the results, something Izuku had been wondering about, and he listened in unfeigned horror.

"Was this during your battle with Toxic Chainsaw? No, no, he was too weak for that. But then perhaps it was—? Or maybe—?" Izuku has been curious about this for a while now, and he doubted he'd get the answers he wanted as he mentally scrolled through all of All Might's public fights from that time period.

"Heh. You're a well educated fanboy, aren't you?" Izuku instantly clamped his mouth shut, blushing in embarrassment. "It wouldn't have been made public." All Might continued. "Young man, you understand that you can't tell anyone."

Izuku nodded eagerly. Some of his bitterness was fading away, though there was still some anger toward All Might. But it did make sense that All Might would have told Izuku he couldn't be a hero when even the Number One Hero could suffer and lose like that.

(Besides, Izuku had always known he couldn't be a hero. And it wasn't in him to hold any sort of grudge.)

"I'll take it to my grave!" He paused a moment, giggling slightly to himself. All Might and his ghost looked slightly confused, but the hero considered with what he had been saying before he was interrupted by his transformation.

"I'd like to apologize for what I told you before. You proved stronger than any of those pro heroes. Today you saved a life. You wouldn't need a quirk to become a hero, young man."

Izuku felt his eyes sting. Was All Might going to crush him again? Tell him there was something else he could be? A hero still wasn't a possibility. (Izuku knew that! He didn't need to be reminded! He knew! He had always known! He'd lived in a delusion and made what may have been the biggest mistake in his life when he left it. He was well aware that he was too weak. Who would want a hero like him?)

Izuku looked down as his eyes began to flood.

"You are a hero."

What? Izuku's head snapped up, eyes widening, tears staying in place as he stared at All Might. His breath hitched with a lump in his throat, as his eyes burned. The words he'd been told over the years that always swirled around his head, tormenting him were washed away. Izuku fell to his knees, as cold tears fell down his cheeks.

Mom, that's all I ever wanted you to say. Kacchan, teachers, bullies— why couldn't a single one of you had said this to me! It's all I needed! It's all that I ever wanted! I didn't need apologies, or protection. I didn't need condolences or harsh words! I didn't even need help getting there! All I ever wanted was for somebody to tell me that I could do it!

"A-All Might!" Izuku practically wailed, smiling shakily through his heavy tears at his hero. Said hero scratched the back of his gaunt neck awkwardly.

"However, it appears you do have a quirk! I must admit I was surprised when you appeared out of nowhere to save that boy!" Izuku froze suddenly. That was right. He was dead. How was he supposed to become a hero? "It was very impressive! I take it you discovered it some time in the last four months?"

Izuku nodded hesitantly. Had it really been that long? It was hard keeping track of time when you had no use of it. He didn't sleep or grow tired or anything, so it time was meaningless.

"It seemed a very interesting quirk, and to get that far in your control of it in just a few months is very impressive! I'm sure it will aid you in your journey!" Izuku showed him a wobbly smile. "That said, I'd like to offer you my power!" Izuku nodded for a second before it processed. What was with everyone trying to pass down their powers to him? All Might's ghost looked over with interest.

"Hmmm… You were always a little reckless, weren't you, Toshi?" She looked back at All Might before holding a thumb up. "A good choice though! He's a cute kid!"

"Wha-Whaaat?!"

"My quirk is a power passed down like a sacred torch! Handed down from generation to generation, it was given to me by my mentor, just as I'd like to pass it down to you!" He held out his hand dramatically, and Izuku could almost see the accumulation of generations worth of power manifesting in his skeletal fingers. "This is the name of power- One for All!"

Izuku looked up at him with slight skepticism. "But didn't you just say that I could be a hero? Then why-"

"HA!" Izuku jumped as All Might raised his head laughed. "You doubt me that much-" (Well, you did crush my dreams, Izuku thought.) "-It could help you extend your reach as far as possible! You are not only capable of becoming a hero, but with a heart as strong as yours, you could become the Number One Hero! Even I was frozen as I watched that boy suffocate. You've made me realize something I'd long forgotten. Heros should be willing to risk anything to help others! From now on, I'll be keeping that thought heavy in my mind! Back then, you were much more heroic than any one."

All Might laughed awkwardly. "Of course it's up to you though!"

"I-" Izuku paused, a thought coming to mind. "How… How exactly is it passed down?" All Might looked at him, some surprise showing in his electric eyes. Even the ghost at his side looked over.

"Pfft… Toshi, how are you gonna answer that?"

"A very astute thought! I wouldn't think you'd ask that question!" Yeah, well, Izuku didn't really want to got through the same painful transfer as last time, so… "It's genetic! I'm afraid that means you'd have to ingest my hair or blood, but-"

Izuku's heart began ringing in his ears as he stiffened and froze. Oh. He was honored. So honored and incredibly happy that All Might wanted to pass down such an honor to him, but if he did, the line would end with Izuku. Maybe Izuku would be able to inherit the power, but he had no genes with which to pass it on. He didn't know how exactly his quirk worked, but he noted that even in this weird solid state, as his quiet sobs increased, his tears disappeared as soon as they left his face. Something told him that any other bodily material would do the same.

"I-" "I'm sorry. I can't."

"Exactly as I expected!" All Might began, then paused suddenly when he realized what Izuku had said. "Wait, what?"

"I'm sorry! I can't except your quirk! I promise I'll keep your secret though! Please forgive me!" Izuku bowed hastily, spinning around and running away before All Might could react. He was left staring at the dust in surprise as the boy he had honestly hoped would become his successor ran away. He had declined it so forcefully, but why was he crying?

All Might shivered as he felt a ghostly wind against his shoulder. A nonexistent voice comforted him as the ghost of Shimura Nana followed Toshinori Yagi eyes. "I'm sorry, Toshi. He seemed like a good kid."

As Izuku ran away, the tears multiplied, flooding down his face and still disappearing as they left his face. A cold grasp was around his heart, squeezing it in a vice grip and making him feel like he was suffocating.

Would he have ever been told he could be a hero, if he hadn't died? Izuku knew that no matter what, he would have saved Kacchan in that situation, so what if Izuku hadn't committed suicide and then tried to save Kacchan? Would All Might have still seen him as heroic if he had failed and someone else had interfered? How different would things be if he hadn't died?

He couldn't possibly express how much he wished someone had told him that when he was still alive. Now all he could think was that he wished someone had told him that just a little bit sooner. (Because now it was too late.)