Crimson Empress (FemDekuxToga)

40 - An Unfamiliar Ceiling

Izumi was unsure of where or even when she was. She felt as if she had been submerged within a thick and viscous liquid but it was unexpectedly warm and comforting. In the darkness surrounding her she could feel something lurking just out sight. Despite its overwhelming and oppressive presence it seemed to only observe the silver haired girl that had intruded within its realm.

"Who are you?"

From within the darkness a pair of crimson eyes met with crimson and emerald. Those eyes held rage, anguish, and loss but deeper still lay an unyielding power and determination. There was only a single phrase to describe those eyes. They were eyes that belonged to a beast born of blood and darkness.

-----

Toga slowly opened her heavy eyelids to the sounds of medical machinery and light whispering. The sterile scent of chemicals stung at her nose and she groaned at the bright light directly above her.

"Little Listener!"

"Oh you're awake already kid?"

"Dad don't be so loud Himiko only just woke up."

The voices of Yamada, Aizawa, and Shinso called out to Toga and she smiled knowing that they were safe. She forced herself to sit up and found that she was indeed in a hospital surrounded by medical devices. Yamada and Shinso looked just fine however Aizawa looked like a mummy with the bandages and casts.

"Aizawa what happened to you?!"

"That damn bird thing. What did the handy guy call it?"

"Nomu, now you really should go back to your own room! You shouldn't be moving around yet Sho."

"I'm fine, I'm more worried about Izumi and rest of the kids."

"What happened to Izu? Is she alright? What about the rest of the class?"

Shinso grimaced and the adults in the room went silent.

"What happened?"

Toga's glare only added to the tension in the room.

"After the rest of the class gathered together the teachers arrived and saved us from, being overwhelmed. Tomura, the guy with all the hands, kept spouting some nonsense about bringing down hero society and All Might. He almost got Jiro and I but Dad saved us. The bird thing, Nomu, was defeated by All Might and later captured by the police. Jin, the blonde one, managed to safely retreat with Tomura and Kurogiri, the misty bartender guy. After that we found you, Izumi, and Thirteen. Thirteen is making a steady recovery and won't return to hero work for the next year or so. Recovery Girl managed to patch you up yesterday and she said you'll make a full recovery with no issues."

"What about Izumi?"

"She had to be taken to a separate facility with Recovery Girl and Nezu. The last we heard her quirk was preventing her from recovering properly."

"Sho! We agreed not to tell her yet!"

"There's no point in hiding it Dad."

"Toga what happened there, in that forest?"

Toga's voice was dull and monotone, her eyes devoid of life yet tears streamed down her face.

"Izu protected me. I-I got her hurt, her arm h-he got her arm because I distracted her."

Toga was embraced in warmth as Yamada, Shinso, and Aizawa who was in great pain hugged her. She could only sob into their embrace.

"Sorry am I interrupting something?"

Sekijiro stood at the entrance to the room in casual clothes and holding a bouquet of roses and a tub of vanilla icecream.

"Your classmates Mina and Toru said it was your favorite flavor."

A bit of light returned to Toga's eyes when she spotted her uncle standing awkwardly. She shook her head and invited him in, the scent of vanilla bringing her a small amount of comfort.

-----

"Nezu I'm not sure how much longer we can keep this up."

Recovery Girl sat her aching bones on the stool beside her patient's bed. She removed the blood soaked gloves and reached for the new pair that Nezu was offering.

"We're running out of blood transfusions and my quirk is reaching its effective limit. We can only wait for her to overcome her own quirk."

Nezu let out a low growl of frustration, he and Recovery Girl had been working without rest for the past day and a half to ensure that Izumi's condition wouldn't worsen. They had found her with a missing arm and several deep gashes that refused to heal even with constant use of Recovery Girl's quirk. After consulting Vlad King they discovered that those with blood quirks needed a lot of blood when recovering from a fatal injury. It was almost as if the body was devouring the blood and using it as an energy source. Too little blood and the quirk may kill the user.

Izumi's quirk seemed to be devouring blood at an alarming rate. She had gone through almost all of the nearby blood donation stations and hospitals and was beginning to tap into other sources throughout the country. Nezu was pulling on his connections but they could only do so much in this situation.

"C'mon Izumi, you have to wake up."