Powerfully Weak

oOo 21 oOo

It was a full 24 hours before Keiko woke up after being rushed from the agency and to a hospital. 

They waited three days for her voice to come back and to give her some space to recover. 

On the fourth day, the blonde agreed that they couldn't wait any longer. 

Her seafoam eyes stared blankly at the wall, mind racing as flashes of that night continued to repeat whenever she closed her eyes. She was tired but sleep seemed to constantly evade her. Her throat burned when she swallowed and pitiful squeaks were all that came out when she tried to talk. Keiko wasn't sure how to feel. 

She could remember seeing Katsuki here and there, but her memory didn't seem stable. She wasn't sure if she was remembering correctly. Now that she was awake for good, she was sure that she hadn't seen him. She hadn't expected to see him. He had his internship to do after all. 

For a moment guilt started to rise up in her. She had probably caused him a lot of trouble. 

Instantly she shook her head. 

She had a feeling he would yell at her for thinking such things. 

"Ah, you're awake," Aizawa blandly stated, well aware that she hadn't slept much since waking. "We searched the apartment, it seems like your brother cleared his things out."

A sense of disappointment washed over her. How could she not have known her own brother was a villain? 

"We've gotten the descriptions of the villains you described, and they do match those we have for Stain and members of the League of Villians as well as corresponding quirks."

She nodded, glancing at the man before her eyes returned to her lap. She felt worthless. 

"Don't beat yourself up too much, kid." He sat down in the chair next to her bed and leaned back. "You did well. There would be a lot more damage and more possible casualties if you hadn't used your song as you did."

"Thanks," she quietly croaked. "I... I could have done more. I should have known."

He sighed as she began coughing again. 

"Don't push yourself."

To her surprise, the man continued to sit in the chair as time passed. Occasionally a doctor or nurse would come in to check in on her condition, but otherwise, the two sat in mostly comfortable silence. At one point, she glanced over and noticed that his eyes were closed. 

Faintly she recalled being told about the sleeping bag he was rumored to carry around. It was a pretty big joke in the class about their teacher being able to fall asleep anytime and anywhere. She supposed it really was true. 

Keiko was able to relax, her eyes fluttering shut once and again thanks to the presence of the hero. She knew well how strong he was, allowing her to get some sporadic rest. 

A yawn escaped her lips. She relaxed further into the bed, eyes struggling to stay open. She was tired but she didn't want to sleep. 

At least her throat was starting to feel better. 

Suddenly Aizawa stood and moved to stand in front of the door. A bit disoriented from being half-awake for the last hour or so, she could only stare confused at his back as the door was ripped open. A wave of noise rushed into the room only to instantly be silenced. 

"Quiet," the man demanded of whoever was on the other side of the door. "I don't know how you all found this room, but there is a minimum curtesy you need to show."

"Tch. Let me in."

"We didn't tell anyone else. It's just us three."

"Please Mr. Aizawa? We're just worried."

Keiko tried to wake herself up. The voices were familiar. They were really familiar but she just couldn't draw names. She needed to wake up. 

Suddenly the memory of the blades against her skin played through her mind. For a moment she wondered if she had merely imagined escaping. As fast as it had happened it was gone. 

She sat up, sucking a deep breath in and struggling not to cough. Unable to suppress the urge, her throat started to burn and ache as she watched red flecks cover her arm. Why was she still coughing blood? It should be over by now. 

"Look at me." The calming, somewhat gruff voice easily pierced through her thoughts. Somewhat startled, her eyes whipped over and locked into familiar red eyes. "Breathe Blondie."

She sucked in a shaky breath. "Katsuki?" 

Her voice was little more than a whisper, but he was quick to smirk. 

"Can't do anything without me, huh?" he stated, standing straight and backing away slightly. She could see Kaminari and Kirishima next to him, the two staring at her with concern. 

Wearily, she gave them a small smile. She wanted to ask how they knew she was here, why they had come, but more importantly, she wanted to ask about their internships so they wouldn't worry about her and she could distract herself.

She didn't trust her voice though. 

"You would probably be glad to hear that Bakugou here was a ball of pure energy all day- it was all we could do to slow him down after classes before he was trying to leave," Kirishima suddenly chirped, pulling a chair close to her side. "Kaminari had to recharge but you weren't there. It was pretty easy to put it together."

Katuski huffed, but having already taken over Aizawa's seat, didn't do anything in response. Kaminari on the other hand, whined at the redhead as he searched for somewhere to sit. 

"Bakugou looked ready to kill someone all day. He was checking his phone all the time, even Mina was suspicious," Kaminari laughed, easily moving on as he perched at the end of her bed. She watched as he stuck his tongue out in response to the glare he was given.

She was glad they were here. 

Katsuki didn't say anything the entire time they were there, simply sitting there and occasionally sending a look her way. It was more than enough considering the other two decided to go into detail about classes and stories from other students. 

To her dismay, they couldn't stay. 

She smiled and waved as they left, Katsuki lingering in the door briefly before ducking his head and storming off. Alone again, she felt on edge. 

This time, however, she knew she could overcome it.