A/N: To quote Anakin Skywalker: "This is where the fun begins". I'll be asking questions in the final note.
Chapter 15 Can someone return from that?
Chifuyu's POV
I had been visiting the hospital area almost daily. With the holiday still not being over it was easier, even considering the preparations for the upcoming competition.
Still… For two weeks now Selena was mostly asleep, her moments of consciousness short and far between. She looked better, yet her condition was worsening. They had taken samples from everywhere.
From blood and skin to bone marrow. Her left leg was probably unsalvageable from the knee down and her right eye was going to take a while to heal even in the best case scenario. And whatever they tried the doctors couldn't manage to get her to a healthy weight fast enough.
I pulled a chair next to the bed… After talking so much there wasn't anything I could think to say. So I remained there until Yamada sent me a call. There weren't any signs of change this time either…
Selena's POV
I woke up in a sweat, the room in complete silence. My head was killing me and my leg wasn't any better. Based on the lack of light around me it was the middle of the night. Soon, a woman in uniform showed up.
"You're awake. Is everything all right?" she asked upon seeing me awake and trying to rub my eyes. "Your heart monitor was acting up."
"Y-yeah…" I replied in a weak, coarse voice, hesitating to continue. My right eye was covered.
"Orimura sensei will want to hear this."
"DON'T!" I replied a little more loudly that I should've before starting to cough from the effort. "…she's probably busy." I continued, wiping a bit of phlegm and blood from my mouth.
That reason seemed to be enough for the woman who left after a quick checkup, reminding me of how I can get her. I let out a sigh of relief. No way I could let Chifuyu see me like this.
Since my sleep was gone I decided to look around the room. Nothing was out of the ordinary, except for a pile of papers. I outstretched my hand and grabbed them.
They were all from after I went missing. I gritted my teeth. If they had not been dealt with by the academy until now those women would have to deal with me. Stabbing me in the back after I had been traveling with them for so long.
As I kept reading my mood didn't improve in the slightest. After the unit I struggled to leave behind as a clue was recovered the reports got more and more half-assed.
"Tch."
Putting the papers back I tried going back to sleep. What kept waking me up for the last few days were nightmares. Every single one was the same. I could see the bright light from a lamp as I laid on a bed just like this, although restrained. Multiple people were hovering over me. The sedative was too strong for me to move but too weak to keep me asleep as they cut and prodded my body.
I hated it. And this room was so similar in a way… I felt tied down again. Yet right now I could only wait. And since my sleep wasn't returning I kept flipping through the remaining papers. My medical records. She wasn't trying to pamper me in that regard at least.
The following morning a doctor arrived as I was eating breakfast, placing her tablet on the small fold out table.
"I'm glad to see you're feeling better Miss Selena. Do you believe you can talk about…"
"Amputate the leg." I cut in, knowing what the doc was getting at. My voice was still rough so it came out sounding more aggressive than I intended… not that it seemed inappropriate.
"B-but. It's not impossible for it to…" the woman tried explaining.
"I read my files. It has a small chance of healing and from what I see it would hold me here for months." I once again interrupted, raising my voice.
"L-let us not rush. You are still too weak to go through any surgery safely. Please follow the suggested diet for now and perhaps your condition will ameliorate enough for other options."
"I want some exercise added to this program in that case." I said, holding out a list of objects.
"I don't think that would make a difference. It might be ill-advised to try." the doctor responded, keeping a sweet tone.
"I'm not an idiot. Only things I'd be capable of. Even if you disregard my background." I replied, just trying to get it over with at this point.
"…All right. We'll try adding it after a week of recovery. I believe you will be getting guests later today so perhaps get some more rest. I'll also be taking these."
She then left with her tablet and my documents, complaining about my attitude. I clenched my fist. That sweet professional tone of her was making me sick. And yet she had decided to leave me in a completely unprofessional way without letting me refuse said guests.
Timeskip (Chifuyu's POV)
I had finally received news that Selena was awake and I was trying to remain professional and not rush on the halls. As soon as the door closed behind me I turned around with a small smile.
Selena was sitting now, although her blanket was still wrapped around her shoulders, obscuring her torso. Her head was turned. While she was asleep her hair had begun growing back, although it was still short enough that the scars beneath were visible.
"I'm so glad that you're getting better." I said, sitting on a chair.
"Yeah. Thanks." she replied, still looking out the window.
I went to touch her shoulder but as soon as I made contact she pulled her shoulder or of the way, shrinking a little. Was she in so much pain.
"Have you used your painkillers even once?" I asked, reaching for the remote but getting grabbed instead.
The grip strength was impressive for her state. But it seemed more like her fingers were struggling to relax into a normal position. More like a spasm than a voluntary action.
"I don't want it." I finally heard.
"You can use it a couple of times between regular administration! You're hurt! Quite badly!"
"But I'm awake! I can feel it." Selena responded, finally managing to let go of my hand.
I pulled my hand away as Selena clicked her tongue. She turned to face ahead, still obscuring the right half of her face, including her patched up eye. The tears I were expecting weren't there. Her eyes were already sharp and drilling me.
"What happened to Y/N?" she asked. "I've read the reports you left but since you didn't bring me a tablet to access them on the database you're hiding something. I don't have access to a TV or anything either."
My attempt at avoiding that question for a while, at least until she felt better had been shot down before even having a chance to happen. I kept my face unchanged. For whatever reason I didn't feel my concern would be appreciated.
"He was the one who got you out of there. After some inference from Tabane." I responded.
As I kept explaining how he had gotten himself imprisoned and had been taken from prison she crossed her arm, an increasing irritation making its way on her face.
"Such a mess." she said, tapping her palm with a finger.
"I'll probably be able to get a hold of Tabane soon and you should be able to talk to him then." I said to put her at ease. "She hasn't been answering my calls but she will eventually."
"I wish!" Selena said in exasperation, letting out a sigh. "Seriously…" she continued, her irritated tone returning.
Before we were able to talk more the doctor arrived and asked me to get out. I moved through the halls, trying to get Tabane on the phone again. No response.
Your POV
The phone you had stolen from Tabane upon leaving was ringing. It had been difficult to find a good opportunity to escape, but she had disappeared at one point, probably off to make more trouble.
It was Chifuyu again. You let the phone ring until she gave up as you kept making your way through the city, trying to plan a few things. You were going to need some way to find an apartment after leaving if Tabane kept getting so clingy. Luckily your identity card was easily modified, alongside your other papers.
And because of that you were going to your previous "research grounds". Your academy. Though not as F/N L/N. With the help of a mask, which slimmed your face a little, a new hairstyle and hair colour, as well as a pair of coloured contact lenses, you were now N/N (your new name).
"Good afternoon. May I see your documents?" a man asked from behind the reception counter.
You pushed the identity and membership cards towards the man, waiting for his reaction, a bit anxious.
"Hmmm… I don't think I've seen you around before." the man said. "Where are you from?" he asked in a friendly tone.
"I'm…"
A cough interrupted you as the voice modulator you had swallowed relatively recently fully set itself in place.
"I'm from Kanto. Just arrived here after some issues I had." you said with an embarrassed laugh.
"Well, hopefully they won't bother you here. Do you need some directions?" the man responded, handing your documents back.
"I'll try finding the place myself thank you."
"Well you know where to look if you get lost."
You bowed and made your way, stopping to look at the floor plan in order to make it believable that you were new. In fact you knew your way around like the back of your hand.
The fact your name hadn't been brought up was both distressing and calming to a degree. Either the higher-ups thought you were dead or didn't want your now horrible track record to affect the university's reputation.
In a few minutes you were in front of the lab and had just pushed the door open. No one else was there. You let out a small sigh of relief. The timeslot you had chosen was somewhere in the middle of your old one and luckily as few people as ever seemed interested in it.
Putting your coat and bag on a hanger you reached for the vial, which was safely tucked away in a case. After grabbing a lab coat and glasses you walked to a workstation and stopped a little.
Considering the wounds on Selena's body the ones who had kidnapped her were interested in her special… condition. The fact she had a high compatibility with any given IS core and by extension machine. She was able to use any standard model at near maximum capacity within minutes of activation. In one extreme example she had even used a student's personal machine to demonstrate its handling to her.
And while the benefits of replicating this capability didn't seem to exist when looking at the bigger picture the problems kept piling up.
Since you only had one vial you needed to be very careful. The liquid either worked, which could prove problematic, or didn't, which would make it dangerous to the one injecting it. And you only had a small amount to determine which was the case.
First you used a pipette to put a drop on a glass slide before placing another one on top and adjusting the lenses. First you needed a rough idea of what the thing was. Then you could decide if diluting it to give yourself some more wiggle room was an option.
Trying to relax yourself and forget about all the crazy events of last month you kept looking in the microscope.
A/N: So… Maybe help me choose a new name for the new identity. Perhaps even a look for it if you want.
And I hope you enjoyed the chapter. So far Esdeath and Bismarck (Azur Lane, not Kacol) are tied for the look of the sister.