Author's Note: Okay, here's the updated version. Though, if this is the first time you're reading it, that doesn't mean anything. I definitely should have decided to start rewriting it before I posted the old chapters, but it is what it is. Anyway, this should be much better than the original, which was written about a year ago.
Toga Himiko was seeing red. Breathing brought an ache through her chest, sharp and shooting. The pain clouded her mind, breaking any restraint she might have had left in her body. Why did God hate her? What had she done to deserve this?
Toga would often try not to think about it. What her life could have been like if she was born with parents that loved her, or a quirk that people would praise her for. That train of thought was perfect for making you sad, and Toga hated being sad. That's why she almost always had a grin on her face. She could wish the pain away with a smile and act like it had never been there in the first place.
Of course, her smile did nothing to abate the pain she was currently feeling. This pain was real, vicious and debilitating. But she still smiled. What else could she even do? Everyone called her creepy for smiling as she was getting hit, even her parents, and that just drove them to beat her even more.
At least she could take solace in one thing that made her happy. Knives. She didn't know if it was because of her quirk or just the way her brain worked, but she had been drawn to knives since she was little. The feel of the handle, the glint of the metal, the dangerous, deadly aura and the rush of adrenaline you felt when you grabbed one. It was like an addictive drug, but of course, it just became another reason for everyone to think she was creepy. That and her obsession with blood. That one was hardly her fault though. Just another example of how unfair society was.
How many times had she thought about that by now? How completely, utterly unfair everything was. Did she choose to have this quirk? Did people think she wanted this life? It seemed crazy to her to be punished for simply being herself. Her hobbies had been more unnatural than others', true, but she hadn't originally ever planned to hurt anyone. Now, though? She wanted nothing more. To see the looks on their faces when they understood what they had been doing to her. When they felt it. Felt the pain, the anguish, the despair, the hatred, the shame, the fear, the anger. Felt the cold steel of her knife buried in their gut. Felt the blood seeping out of them, sticky and crimson and beautiful.
This feeling flared within her with such an intensity that she nearly forgot about the pain for a second. Yet, the pain rushed back in just as quickly. The beating had been particularly bad today. To Toga, there didn't seem to be a particular reason for it, but maybe she looked at them wrong, or maybe one of them had been having a bad day. The reason didn't matter, not really. No matter the justification, Toga was still bleeding out in an alley. The kicks to her ribs had been the worst. They never seemed to end, driving the air out of her lungs again and again until all she could cough up was blood. It was the cause of her current wheezing.
There had never been a time where Toga desired to slice up flesh more than now. It transcended a want; it was a need, a necessity. Perhaps having those kids covered in blood would finally make them a welcome sight. That was it. That was what she had to do. She could evade the police easily, with her quirk. They could never find someone who could constantly change their identity. A grin spread across her blood-stained face.
"Hey, are you…" A voice shocked her out of her thoughts. She looked to where the alleyway opened up into a street, and there she saw someone. Her eyesight was currently hazy, but she could make out a mess of curly green hair framing a freckled face. He looked to be about her age, but she didn't recognize him. Maybe from a different school in the area? Either way, it didn't really matter. If this guy was going to get in her way, she'd just have to stab him first.
She struggled to her feet, still unable to catch her breath. Her legs were much weaker than she thought, however. She couldn't maintain her balance, and before she could even take a step, she felt herself collapse. Yet, her body never hit the ground. Strong arms grabbed her, cradling her in their embrace. The boy was staring at her with worry written across his face.
As the boy examined her, his expression quickly darkened. The grim expression on his face confused Toga. Was he not here to beat her up as well?
With her slowly fading consciousness, she belatedly realized that he must actually be worried about her. Were there actually people like that? People that cared for strangers, that helped them if they were in danger. No one had ever done that before. Strangers had always looked at her in pity, but they never made any move to help her.
Was this what a hero was like? Someone that actually cared? Instead of her parents, instead of her classmates, instead of anyone else in her life, some random hero would actually care? Now, at the end of her life?
That was a terrifying thought. The end of her life? Did she not just make the conviction that she was going to kill everyone that had broken her? That didn't seem likely, honestly. She felt it now, she just didn't want to admit it. She was dying. Maybe it wasn't so bad to die in the arms of a hero. Better than dying alone.
He was yelling something at her. Whatever it was, she could no longer make out. It didn't matter anymore. She gave a him smile, as dazzling as she could muster. She had lived most of her life with a smile, so why not end it with one? As her mind slipped into the vast expanse of unconsciousness, she felt happy. Happy that her pain would finally be over.
Midoriya hadn't expected anything crazy to happen that day. Of course, no one expects crazy things to happen at any point, but the day truly was like any other. The attack on the USJ a few days ago had been more than enough for him. So when he found a severely injured girl laying on the ground in an alleyway, it was a shock to his system. She had dirty blonde hair tied up in two buns, and was wearing a sailor uniform. He didn't recognize the school, but he didn't care about that at the moment. His attention was on her injuries. There was blood on her face and uniform, and she was curled up into herself. When he called out to her, her gaze shot in his direction.
The girl's half closed eyes met his, and she attempted to rise to her feet. Midoriya could immediately tell she wasn't going to be able to walk properly, so he rushed to stop her. She couldn't even make it a single step before her legs crumpled underneath her, and she started to collapse. Thankfully, Midoriya caught her in time, before she actually hit the ground, and he held her gently in his arms.
Now that he was able to get a closer look at her, it was much worse than he'd initially thought. There was quite a bit of blood, for one, and bruises all along her arms and legs. That was only limited to the external injuries he could see, as well. There was a big possibility of internal damage, particularly to the ribs and lungs, based on the way she was wheezing.
She looked at him warily, but her eyes were quickly becoming glassy. She seemed to barely even realize he was asking her questions, and her gaze was soon unfocused. Was she suffering from a concussion? Or just simple blunt force trauma that was impairing her ability to think properly? Either way, she was about to pass out, which Midoriya was sure wouldn't be ideal. He tried his best to keep her awake, but he could tell she was about to lose consciousness. She smiled at him before going limp, and Midoriya was assaulted with intense emotion.
What should he do? She was in really bad condition. A hospital? It was on the other side of the city, and she needed help now. UA wasn't that far from where he currently was. If he sprinted, he could probably make it back within ten minutes, and Recovery Girl was sure to be more reliable than any hospital. He didn't waste any more time thinking about it. He carefully picked her up, maneuvering her onto his back, and sprinted in the direction of UA. He tried his best to jostle her as little as possible, but he focused on getting her there as fast as he could. She was going to be fine.