A/N: Well this chapter will put this story over 100k, and it's really cool thinking about that! I love how much everyone is enjoying my writing and I wanted to give a longer chapter this time to reach the 100k mark.

I hope you enjoy!!!

Himiko swung her feet, bobbed her head side to side, and hummed loudly as she blatantly ignored the match that had followed the ice guy.

She didn't particularly feel bad that she wasn't watching, because Izu wasn't paying much attention either. It was odd for her Izu not to be furiously jotting down notes as he observed quirks in action, but he was probably preoccupied with thoughts about his next match.

Himiko pouted but left him to his storm of muttering and anxious fidgeting.

After a quick kiss on his cheek, she made her way to the tunnel leading out into the halls. Himiko had noted over the last few weeks just how well-made most of U.A. was, and it seemed the stadium was no exception because just a few feet into the tunnel a lot of the crowd's noise was muffled by the walls.

'I bet Izu hasn't even noticed something like that because he's too nervous.' Himiko giggled and skipped her way to the participant's tunnel. Maybe she could catch site of one of the last matches participants, and perhaps she'd get lucky enough to see a little blood.

Himiko shook her head at the thought. It was getting harder and harder to suppress her cravings.

When she was on her own she could just indulge. She could stab a few gangsters, beat the crap out of some drug dealers, or get into fights over something even stupider. But now her only source of blood was Izu, and while she was happy with that, it was a big change going from being able to taste, touch, smell, and see blood whenever she wanted; to only when they were alone or with his family.

'Being a hero sure is hard huh, Izu?' Himiko smiled but grimaced when her stomach turned in an odd way that made her vision swim with vertigo.

"W-What?"

Himiko staggered to put a stable hand on the cement wall next to her. What was happening? The only comparable sensation she had to this was when her parents had all but starved her of blood for years. But how was that possible? She hadn't been starved of blood. Sure, she wasn't exactly fully satiated with the small amounts of Izu's blood she was getting, and it had been a day or two since she'd gotten more.

Maybe she just needed a little top-off. She could make her way back to Izu, tell him the problem, and he would give her a little blood. That thought made her stomach clench, and filled her with a horrible dread.

"And just like that, Denki Kaminari has managed to secure his win, but not without managing to take a bit of a beating in the process! Could we please have the next contestants make their way to the arena?" The loud guy with the weird leather daddy cosplay and cockatiel hair yelled into the intercom system, his loud voice rattled her skull, and nearly made her vomit.

Himiko grimaced, would she be able to participate in her next match without blood? She hadn't gone through withdrawals while fighting someone in a long time. The last time had been two weeks after she'd left home, and that hadn't been pretty. She didn't kill the guy, but she had come very close. All the red sticky blood had stained her clothes, and the aroma of iron and copper had driven her crazy.

Himiko could practically smell the alluring aroma of gore and spilled blood, her head was swimming with mental images of the beautiful red that always accompanied the smell, and her mouth started to water.

'No!' Himiko shook her head and slammed a palm into her temple so forcefully she thought she might have a concussion,' get a grip!'

"Himiko Toga, please make your way to the arena in the next five minutes or we'll have no choice but to assume you resign." The loud guy's voice didn't help the throbbing in Himiko's head, and she stumbled toward the arena entrance.

The roar of the crowd in the stands hurt her ears, started an uncomfortable pounding in her chest, and made her feel like a cornered animal. Her vision had sharpened and she could observe the most minute of details about the boy she would be fighting; even from her side of the platform. His glasses were pristinely polished, his uniform was carefully ironed, and she could see a slight tremble in his hands.

Himiko's mouth filled with saliva, and she had to suppress the urge to bear her fangs like a feral animal at the trembling boy.

"Just do your best, and try not to maim Izu's friend," Himiko muttered to herself.

"Excuse me?" Izu's friend with glasses looked at her very disapprovingly. That gaze reminded her very sharply of her parents and made Himiko break out into goosebumps that set her all the more on edge.

"N-Nothing, I was just talking to myself Mr. Glasses." Himiko grinned hard, but it probably looked more like a grimace. Her heart was pounding, she felt like a rubber band about to snap, like the slightest provocation would set her off.

"Well, despite your association with Midoriya I must say you seem rather unstable." The boy held a hand up as if to stall anything she might say about that," However, if Midoriya placed your safety before his very own life during the U.S.J incident you must be very special to him. Because of your past, I was inclined to have a poor opinion of you, but because of recent events I must say one thing."

The boy bent down and bowed.

"Thank you for also protecting Midoriya with your life during U.S.J it was commendable, and I hope we can have a fair and even fight."

Himiko's eye twitched.

Why couldn't she get an asshole to fight like the shitbag that had bullied Izu most of his life? How unlucky could she be to good a decent opponent? Was it some kind of joke god was playing on her?

"What's this? It looks like we've got a gentleman in our midst! He's a guy who's well known for his speed and intelligence, but he's also got the chivalrous heart of a hero. From class 1-A of the hero course; it's Tenya Iida!"

The crowd's volume went up, and Himiko had to suppress the instinctive jerk her hand tried to make toward her real hidden knives.

'Don't throw knives at crowds of people. Don't throw knives at crowds of people. Don't throw knives at crowds of people.'

Himiko took a deep breath in and blew it back out to calm her nerves.

"Our other contestant on the other hand is a bit of an enigma! She only joined U.A.'s hero course recently, and that was with a recommendation from All Might himself! She's a girl you must recognize from the obstacle race because she was riding on Izuku Midoriya's back, and she was also covering his back with her deadly accurate knife-throwing skills during the cavalry battle. From class 1-A; it's Himiko Toga!"

Himiko grimaced. Did that loud cockatiel have to announce to everyone that All Might had been the one to recommend her? It wasn't exactly inaccurate, but the only reason he did was for Izu's sake. She didn't want people to get the wrong idea, like some silly notion that All Might had seen potential in her or something. The only potential she had was being really good at stabbing people, and that wasn't exactly a hot commodity in the hero business.

"Hey, Mr. Glasses!" Himiko called to the guy by her nickname for him. She'd already forgotten what the cockatiel had called him.

"My name is Tenya Iida!"

She waved a dismissive hand," Yeah, whatever. I think you should forfeit."

"E-Exuse me?! I will do no such thing! This festival is the stage in which aspiring heroes come to announce themselves to the world! To forfeit when I've been given a chance t—"

"Yeah, I'm gonna stop you right there," Himiko pinched the bridge of her nose. The boy had been loud, the roaring crowd was even louder, and the volume of his voice wasn't helping her pounding head," I'm feeling terrible, and I can't guarantee your safety if you try to fight me."

Himiko half expected the boy to laugh or say she was crazy, but she was surprised when he just gave her a very serious look," the purpose of these matches is to show our skill and reasoning during battles. I can assure you that even if you go out of control, this is a regulated fight; none of the judges would allow you to go too far. That being said, if you truly cannot trust yourself, then perhaps you should be the one to forfeit."

That really pissed her off. Who was this brat to tell her to forfeit? Was he serious? This fucking kid didn't know what a real fight was. Had he ever had to scrape by on the streets, never knowing where he would get his next meal, or if he could safely fall asleep without being killed in the night? No, Himiko was sure this kid was pampered most of his life, and he probably hadn't had a truly hard day in all that time.

He didn't know what it was like to be called a freak his whole life, didn't know what it felt like to have his parents beat him, and he definitely didn't know what it was like to be overcome with the horrible urges a quirk like hers could induce.

Himiko glowered, and in an instant, something in her head shifted. She was a predator now.

"—kill you."

"Excuse me?" The prey was confused, and Himiko could barely hear the roar of the crowd anymore. Her every sense was focused on the person in front of her.

"Let's get this match started!!!" A voice called from overhead, and for a second she had to suppress the urge to jump away from what she nearly perceived as a threat. But she could tell the only threat near her was the tall boy in front of her.

Himiko launched forward, and faster than the boy seemed to have expected, she was on him.

"W-What?!"

Himiko sprang from her low crouch, drew a knife out from her hidden belt, and aimed a deadly stab at the boy's left eye.

A sudden blast of air knocked Himiko backward, but she quickly recovered with a backward handspring and saw that her prey had managed to retreat to the edge of the platform.

'Fast. Need to pin down.' Her animalistic thoughts thinned her already cat-like eyes to the tiniest of slits.

"What's this?! It looks like Himiko Toga is already pushing Tenya Iida to the limit, and not giving him even a moment to think! Is it just me or is this girl a little too familiar with knives, and I don't mean cooking folks."

That annoying voice grated on her nerves, and she suppressed the urge to throw a volley of knives at the speakers broadcasting it.

"What is the matter with you?! Are you truly so unhinged that you would attack a fellow student with a real blade?!" Her prey yelled, his voice trembling with the fear of death she had put in him.

She glowered at her prey.

"I do not think I can continue to allow this match to drag on. If it does I fear one of us may get seriously injured." The boy crouched into a runner's stance, and the hairs at the back of her neck stood on end.

She didn't know why, but whatever he was doing was setting off alarm bells in her head.

"Recipro—" her eyes widened as a memory she vaguely recalled told her that her prey would be even quicker, and could clear the distance between them in a matter of seconds. She tensed her muscles in her legs, and sprang upwards," Burst!"

Her prey shot underneath her, but her eyes managed to just barely follow him as he attempted a tackle. She used her upward momentum, pulled her knees toward her head, spun into a backflip, and slammed her feet down on his spine as she came down, knocking the air out of his lungs.

She let out a predatory growl. That was too easy. Why was every single person she fought so easy to take down?

Prey like this was no fun, but she would make it fun.

A voice called something out, but she didn't hear what it had said. She barred her fangs and went to tear her prey's throat out with her teeth, but something about the voice made her pause.

Izuku watched Himiko's fight with rapt attention, not just because it was his girlfriend and friend fighting, but also because seeing how she moved was captivating. She circled like a hunting cat, her eyes followed her opponent wherever they went, and her graceful evasions were brutally efficient when combined with her takedowns.

She was also being dangerously aggressive. This was a side of Himiko that Izuku had never seen before. Sure, they had sparred countless times when he was training to enter U.A., and she had even been a bit rough when taking blood from him, but this was different. Himiko had put far too much force into her opening strike, and Izuku was sure she had intended to take Iida's eye out.

Izuku watched as Himiko slammed her feet down onto Iida's back, and as Midnight declared Himiko the winner she did something odd. For a second he thought she was stooping down to whisper something into Iida's ear, but then Izuku saw the glint of her sharp canines.

One for All rushed into Izuku's muscles, and he jumped from the participant's box as far as he could. With the force he had exerted, he should be able to land just a few steps away from where Himiko was looming over Iida. He hoped he would be fast enough with eight percent to close that small distance, but it might be close; Himiko was quick when she wanted to be.

As he braced for the landing, Izuku could see in slow motion that he would be too late. Himiko would rip Iida's throat out, and both their lives would be over, both literally and figuratively.

"Stop!" Izuku yelled through the cheers of the crowd. They hadn't caught on to what was happening, and even Midnight only looked mildly concerned as she saw Himiko wasn't backing off.

For a second Izuku was sure he saw Himiko hesitate, and in that instant, he had landed, rushed forward, and tackled her away from Iida.

"What's this?! Looks like Izuku Midoriya came down to give his girlfriend a celebratory hug! We get it Casanova, you love your girlfriend! Why don't you take it somewhere else?!" Present Mic jeered over the loudspeaker, the volume vibrating Izuku's eardrums.

Himiko thrashed, but Izuku held her tightly and acted as if he were giving her a tight hug," I'll do that!"

Izuku sped away from the arena, and barely made it into a side corridor away from regular foot traffic. Just then, Himiko's teeth sank into his shoulder.

"Ahh!" Izuku bit back a scream as his back slammed into the wall, and he sank to the ground. Himiko was straddling him, and drinking greedily. Her nails dug painfully into his sides as she locked her legs around his waist.

Izuku hesitated for a second, but he put a calming hand on her head and gently stroked her hair. For long painful seconds, Himiko's jaw was locked in place, but slowly she relaxed and let up on the force. She seemed to have realized he wasn't fighting her, and so she lapsed into quiet yet greedy gulps.

"It's okay Himi-chan," Izuku stared up at the ceiling, trying not to let the lightheadedness get to him. He continued to stroke her hair," I'm here."

Himiko's teeth slowly retreated from his shoulder making Izuku wince, but he quickly schooled his features into a gentle smile when Himiko saw who she had been drinking from. She had tears in her eyes, and her heavy eyeliner was running down in inky rivulets down her cheeks.

"Izu," Himiko sobbed burying her face into his chest.

"Shhh, it's okay. I know you couldn't help it," Izuku hugged her tightly.

"I was afraid this might happen."

Izuku jumped, and looked up to see All Might in his skeletal form, staring worriedly down at them," A-All Might! It's not what you think!"

"Really? Because I think she just had a quirk-induced mental breakdown, went feral, and you barely stopped her in time from ripping young Iida's throat out."

"O-Oh… then it is what you think," Izuku let his head lightly thud into the wall behind him, and let out a worried sigh," please don't hold it against her, she's not used to fighting other people and taking it easy on them, and she hasn't been able to have a real fill of blood since before U.S.J."

All Might crossed his arms and frowned down at them," That's just the problem kid. The only reason she wasn't taken to prison was because of U.A.'s deal with the authorities, and that deal is that she attends U.A. as a sort of rehabilitation program. But if she goes around attacking her fellow students, or constantly needing you to calm her down like that, then she's not really rehabilitated. And don't think I don't know how she's been skipping out on her mandatory therapy sessions with Recovery Girl."

Izuku was reeling. Himiko was supposed to be doing therapy with Recovery Girl, but she hadn't shown up for a single session. When had she been told to take them? Why hadn't she said anything to him?

Izuku shook his head. He would ask her later once she'd calmed down for now he had to convince All Might that she would be alright," I'll take her to Recovery Girl now, All Might. And I'll make sure she starts going to the sessions from now on, just please don't give up on her."

All Might stared down at the pair. Izuku was bleeding freely, his blood stained the gym uniform from the bite on his shoulder, and Himiko was huddled close, shivering against his chest.

"Very well, but be sure to listen for your match in case you don't make it back to the participant's booth." It seemed like All Might would leave, but he hesitated and turned back to them," and if she doesn't improve I must insist she withdraw from the sports festival. It's one thing to push yourself to improve, and another to possibly put others in danger due to your own negligence."

Izuku watched All Might make his way toward the stairwell and only looked back down to Himiko when the number one hero was gone.

Her half-lidded yellow eyes stared up at him," I'm sorry, Izu."

He gave her a strained and quavering smile. He would never get used to Himiko's tone when she was struggling with herself. It was like she didn't think she was allowed to be hurt, or mentally scarred. Like she thought she was less of a person for not being alright.

Izuku took a breath in and stood with her in a bridal carry. He made his way to the infirmary, the silence between them was heavy and contemplative, but Izuku pressed her into his chest to let her know he wasn't upset with her. Himiko was the kind of person who didn't like her apologies to be dismissed. If she thought she needed to apologize, even if he didn't think she did, then it was better to accept the apology.

"You know it wasn't your fault, right?" Izuku didn't look down to see her face, partially because seeing her cry made him want to cry too, but also because he was afraid he might stumble and drop her if he wasn't paying attention.

Himiko was silent for a few seconds, but just when he had caught sight of the infirmary she spoke," But it is my fault. You told me two days ago that I should keep taking blood from you like I used to, but I haven't been doing that. I thought I could hold out, but I couldn't even last two measly days. I almost hurt your friend, and I might have killed him if you hadn't stopped me."

Izuku frowned," I just thought about something. How did you last so long without my blood after U.S.J? I mean you went weeks without it, and nobody ever said something had happened when you didn't have blood."

"That's because I didn't have time to think about it dummy. The first few days I was unconscious and being treated, and when I finally did wake up I was so worried about you I couldn't think about anything else. But the minute I went back with you and Inko to your apartment… well you saw how desperate I was." Himiko delicately gripped his shirt, her hands balled into the blood-stained fabric, and her tears pattered softly against the fabric," it's only been two days, and I've already almost killed someone. You can see just how much my quirk really affects me. Honestly, I wouldn't blame you if you abandoned me right here and now to save yourself the hassle."

Izuku scoffed, getting an indignant look from the girl," Don't give me that look and don't tell me I'm better off without you. You risked your life for me at U.S.J., and even before that, you were an irreplaceable part of my life. Plus you should know by now I never take the easy way out of anything. Now let's get you in to see Recovery Girl."

For a few long seconds, Izuku fumbled clumsily with the sliding infirmary door. It turned out opening a door with a girl in your arms, who refused to help just because she found it funny by the way, was more difficult than he thought.

"Good heavens! Is your quirk having all thumbs?" Recovery Girl opened the door and observed the pair. She looked very bewildered, and Izuku couldn't tell if it was because a boy covered in blood was holding a girl who looked completely fine or if she just hadn't expected to see the pair so soon in general," oh dear, come in. Put her on the bed closets to my desk, take off your shirt, and sit down next to her on a stool."

Izuku hurried to carefully put Himiko down. Once she has been safely deposited onto the cool and crisp white sheets, he felt a sense of relief, and then that immediately gave way to a woozy lightheadedness that made him slam his butt down onto the stool next to her bed. His head swam as Recovery Girl bustled around them.

Himiko leaned over to cup his cheek worriedly," Are you okay, Izu?"

He could see tears in her eyes threatening to spill again, and he couldn't help but chuckle," I thought I was supposed to be the crybaby between the two of us."

"Izu," Himiko stared at him blandly," I've seen you cry because there was one piece of rice left in your bento and you couldn't pick it up with your chopsticks."

Izuku's face went red. He was about to defend himself, then he felt his body go cold, and his head started to swim as he nearly lost consciousness.

"Whoa there sonny!" Recovery Girl had caught his shoulders with surprising strength. She started to help him remove the sports jacket and t-shirt he had been wearing, and he could hear a loud gasp from Himiko as she saw the bite she had caused.

Izuku both wanted and didn't want to see the damage she had caused. He'd seen the "love bites" she could leave on him, but the bite from earlier had been anything but that. It had been the bite of a feral animal with no emotion behind it other than the primal need to feed.

"H-How bad is it?" Izuku stammered, feeling the cold rubber of the nurse's hands probing the raw flesh of his shoulder.

"Well, it isn't good. Honestly, it looks like you were attacked by an animal, except for one thing."

"What's that?"

"The blood isn't clotting at all. From the looks of these punctures, I would say this happened more than a few minutes ago, it should've started clotting by now, but it hasn't." Recovery Girl grabbed Izuku's face, shined a penlight in his eyes, and felt the pulse in his right arm," I'd say you've lost at least a pint and a half of blood. Honestly, I have no idea how you carried that girl down here in that condition. Most adults are fine losing a pint or two, but you're a teenager; and a small one at that."

"I-Is he going to be okay?" Himiko leaned over the side of her bed to get a better look at his shoulder, and for a second he didn't know if it was out of worry or if she just wanted to see the blood. But then he saw the panic-streaked tears on her face and he felt like a complete asshole.

'Of course, she's worried. She hates losing control like that, and she's worried about hurting me after what happened with those villains.'

Recovery Girl quickly healed his shoulder, and then Izuku was ushered to his own bed across from Himiko.

"Now get some rest, your match is quite a ways away. My quirk can't replace all that blood, but a good few minutes of sleep should help you nicely." Recovery Girl ignored his protests and just slammed his head back down into the pillow when he tried getting up," Now don't make me say it twice and get some rest, otherwise, I'll have to come back and put you to sleep."

Izuku stared up at the little old lady, bewildered at the strength she'd had in just one arm," y-yes ma'am."

He sat back, determined to stay awake so he could reassure Himiko, but before long his neck and shoulder's throbbing subsided, and he fell into unconsciousness.

Himiko stared at Izu's peaceful face, his chest rose and fell, and his lips parted slightly as heavy sighs left him. It had been a while since she'd seen him sleeping so soundly. She'd seen him in his hospital bed weeks ago, but that hardly counted when the reason had been so terrible and his face had been so horribly bruised.

"You care about him a lot, don't you?"

Himiko jumped slightly, the crisp white sheets crinkling as she balled her fists into them. She looked over and was startled she had forgotten about the nurse.

"Y-Yes." Himiko stared sadly at Izu's curly mop of green hair, his round freckled cheeks, and the way his mouth parted slightly as he took breaths in," he's all I have."

The nurse studied her for a long few seconds before she spoke," If you really care about him so much you should take your own mental health more seriously." Himiko glowered at the woman," Don't give me that look, young lady. You know fully well how much he cares about you, so is it really something to get so worked up about when I say he cares about your well-being as much as his own? Besides, you don't want a repeat of what happened out there today, do you?"

"N-No." Himiko looked down at her hands, they were still covered in Izu's blood. Had she really taken so much from him? She couldn't remember anything after the fight had started, until she found herself wrapped around Izu, and her teeth were in his flesh.

She shuddered.

"Then would you mind if I ask a few questions, and maybe run a few tests to see what caused your… episode?"

Before Himiko could answer the nurse was already at her bedside, a notepad in hand, and a stethoscope in her ears as she pressed it to Himiko's chest.

"What thoughts were going through your head just before your match? Were you thinking about seeing that boy's blood? Or did you have something else on your mind? How often do you take blood from Midoriya-san, and how much? When did you start taking blood from him, and why?"

Himiko's head swam. She couldn't keep track of all the questions but then tried to answer the best she could," I… was thinking about how he'd probably never had a hard day in his life. I thought about how he'd never had to survive on the streets, had to fight for his life, and how he never had to worry if he'd be able to stay alive if he fell asleep in the wrong place."

"Hmm," the nurse hummed, but didn't say anything, she just continued to listen to Himiko's heart. She made a motion as if for her to keep answering.

She had to wrack her brain to remember the questions," I wasn't thinking of seeing his blood specifically. When I left the participant's booth I was thinking of seeing blood in general. More specifically hoping I would be able to see some from the previous match."

"So it wasn't so much that you wanted to make someone bleed yourself, but that you wanted to see the blood even if it wasn't you that made the person bleed?"

"Yeah, that sounds right." Himiko fidgeted. She'd never talked so much about her habits with someone, and it felt wrong somehow. Like she should be telling this to Izu, but she'd never brought up her urges with him in so much detail.

"Alright," the nurse pulled the stethoscope away, jotted down a few notes on her notepad, and then motioned for Himiko to keep going.

"I used to take blood from Izu every day, but…"

"But?"

"But after what happened at the U.S.J. I just… can't." Himiko could feel a familiar sting in her eyes, and she had to suppress the urge to cry," he was so hurt, and it was horrible seeing him like that. It reminded me of—"

She bit back a sob as she finally realized what she had mentally associated Izu with in that moment.

'The bird.'

The old woman scooted forward a bit, and put a comforting hand over Himiko's," If you can't say it don't force yourself, but so long as you keep things like this bottled up you'll always be tortured by it."

Himiko took a shaky breath in, and blew it out," When we were young, and I had first met Izu, our parents let him come over to my house to play. We'd been playing just outside in my backyard when something fell in front of us. It was a little brown and white sparrow. Its feathers were stained red, and it was barely breathing. Most kids would pick it up, run to their parents, and try to help it. But I just wanted to see more of its blood 'that pretty color' I called it."

The nurse listened politely, she didn't look the slightest bit put off by Himiko's admission, or the tiniest bit judgmental. She just listened and squeezed Himiko's hand.

"And then suddenly I had a thought,' what does that pretty color taste like?', before I knew what I was doing I was raising the bird to my face. I can still feel the air against my tongue as I opened my mouth, taste the iron in the air as I got closer with my teeth, and smell the rusty scent of blood as I can oh so close to savoring my first victim. But, Izu pulled it away from me before I could." Himiko smiled and stared lovingly at the boy across from her.

"You weren't mad that he pulled it away from you?"

Himiko shook her head," No. I was just confused, but then he did something that confused me even more." Himiko mimed the way Izu had held his arm up to her that day," He said, ' It's not the bird, but I've got that color in me, so taste it all you want.'"

She giggled, and a soft smile broke out on her face," how cheesy, right? I was so confused back then. But I listened to him, and for a little while, it was the single most important moment in my life. Then my mom found us, she was screaming, asking how I could do such a thing to Izu, and saying how she'd have dad set me straight when he got home." Himiko grimaced," he set me straight alright."

Memories of being locked in the garden shed, of her hands and feet being tied together so she couldn't escape, and of her father hitting her with a belt surfaced, making her shudder. She'd spent days locked in that shed, her only source of warmth in the night was the memory of Izu, and the taste of his color.

"You mentioned this memory was the reason why you can't take blood from Midoriya-san as frequently anymore. I'm assuming you had some sort of mental image in your head of him being this larger-than-life figure who was infallible, but after the U.S.J. you can only see him as that bird; small, hurt, and vulnerable. Am I right?"

Himiko just nodded mutely.

"Well, that's good."

Her head jerked up to stare at the old woman in astonishment," how is that good?! I keep thinking even the smallest thing from me could hurt him."

"Toga-san, it would be far worse if you kept taking blood from him as if it couldn't hurt him at all. You thought he was above it all, for you he was the very personification of strength and hope, but you're realizing that he isn't. You're slowly coming to see that he's a person, just like you." The old woman smiled softly and squeezed Himiko's hand again," does that make you care about him any less?"

"O-Of course not! But I keep getting this pit in my stomach every time I think about taking blood from him. Like if I do it he'll die just from me taking a little."

"Well, that's perfectly normal. That is a normal person's reaction to someone they care about deeply being hurt, even a little. You worry about them, try to keep them safe, and when you're the one who hurt them; you make yourself feel terrible." She smiled kindly, stood from the stool she had been sitting on, and moved to leave Himiko to her rest," just think about what we've talked about, and try to get some rest."

The nurse shuffled away, leaving Himiko with her thoughts, and the steady puffing breaths Izu let out while he was sleeping.