Firework | A Tragic Tale of Two Siblings

37 | The Spec

Saturday slunk by like a lethargic sloth waking from a deep slumber. Katsuki had pushed all thoughts regarding his sister and the practical to the back of his mind and focused on the upcoming U.A. exams, though he struggled to keep his anger in check.

And there was no rest for the weary. Not even for Sachi, for that morning, bore horrible news.

"Smoooooooooooooch!"

"Th-Thank you, Recovery Girl. I feel much better now." Sachi slumped over the wrinkled bed sheets with her shoulders slumped with exhaustion. The blonde girl had woken up only a mere hour ago, rustled awake by the soft typing on a keyboard and the uncomfortable stiffness of her medical choker, a USB cord hooked into its charging port.

The elderly nurse tapped her cane against the tiled floor when Sachi shuffled to the edge of her bed. She held up a juice box as a way to stop her. "Just where do you think you're going, young lady?"

Sachi tiredly looked at her caretaker and raised an eyebrow, taking the juice box. "A-Aren't I free to leave?"

The old nurse shook her head, a frown deepening the folds in her cheeks. "You're not moving another inch from that bed, young lady. Your body is still stabilizing after that redundant test you put yourself through. Not to mention that you just woke up and haven't eaten since yesterday."

Without giving an effort to argue, Sachi looked around the hospital room and a bit of deja vu hit her before she could recognize it. Room 57-B was the same room she occupied near the end of summer vacation. The same faux plant in the corner of the room, the same lifeless curtains, the same desk, so on and so forth. The clock that hung next to the door was still silently ticking away, the black hands reading nine: forty-seven AM. Sachi sipped on her juice and leaned back against the headboard, a thin hand pinched the soft bed sheets as she felt herself slowly regaining her strength.

Meanwhile, Recovery Girl was scanning the recent data that's been collected from Sachi's choker. The many graphs and numbers were being inspected with a fine-toothed comb, comparing old data with the new and taking notes, her frown deepening. She glared and huffed and shook her head, making Sachi twitch with nervousness as the young girl watched the nurse from the corner of her eye. When the old hero put her pen to rest, Sachi waited for her words.

"Well," Recovery Girl starts after a long pause, "the results were–"

"Worse than they've ever been?" Sachi interrupted with a worry creasing her brow line, squeezing the empty juice box in minor trepidation. Recovery Girl's frown flattened.

"No, but they're still bad. More abnormal than previous times, however. The serum worked wonders, lowering the risk of majorly damaging your vitals, but that's not going to be an excuse for you to use your quirk more."

Sachi shook her head, saying she'd never do such a thing. The serum is expensive to make and it's still in development, Sachi has grown used to ignoring her quirk anyways.

"Now," Recovery Girl continued, typing away on the computer. "Let me update your file and I'll have food be brought to you from the cafeteria. Don't move from that bed!"

Sachi nodded and loosened her grip on her juice box with an inaudible sigh. She raised a hand up to her neck and plucked out the USB cord now that the upload was finished. The collar beeped softly before going silent, the green light flashed twice. She ran her fingers along the cool metal that cuffed her neck, feeling the smooth surface before letting her hands fall back onto her lap. Sachi sat on the bed for a while longer, blankly staring at the lifeless plant and pale curtains as the room brightened from the morning sun. However, the young girl noticed how unusually long Recovery Girl was taking and she turned to look, only to be met with a pale face.