Chapter 43 – Recuperation or grouping
What followed that was a blur for Nanami, but she was mostly conscious throughout it all. Some students, mostly Izuku were hurt to the point that they were out for days, while some had mild cuts and bruises. But everyone was heavily disturbed. Even 1-A wasn't dealing with it any better despite having gone through the USJ incident.
A student was missing and almost everyone felt like they were to blame. The teachers were distraught, but they were already working on their next move. Thanks to Momo and the police they had determined the 2 possible hideouts where the villains could have kept Bakougo.
None of the students knew about it except Momo and with the knowledge of the tracker, Kendo 2.0 also managed to figure it out. But this lack of information and their inability to do anything about it weighed on the students. Most of them convinced themselves there was nothing they can or should do. Some tried and succeeded to convince the others to do the same.
Most of the B-section believed that there was nothing more they could have done, but Nanami was inches away from being able to do something, but her internal dilemma prevented her from doing so. At first, it was just the unsettling feeling of not having her body under her own control but as she woke up it was a lot more.
She blamed herself for not being able to save Bakougo. It wasn't so much as care for Bakougo as it was her own inability to save someone who needed help. It wasn't constructive self-loathing but that's how things are after such incidents. At least she didn't also break both her hands and still felt the same guilt.
"Momo probably figured out where the Nomu went! We can chase after them!", Tetsutetsu 2.0 roared.
"And we'll get in the way of the pros! The best we can do is..."
It took all her strength, but for the first time since the sports festival she managed to drown out the voices in her head which weren't entirely her own.
"You can't just drown us out we are still here", screamed one of the now indistinguishable voices in her head.
But she did it. She was finally alone. Or so she thought.
"Feeling better?", her friends had come in to check on her. Most of her conversations with them had been lifeless as of late. Their replicas in her head were too accurate to the point that every conversation was as predicted. There was never any deviation.
Nanami feared that this would eventually drive her away, but it didn't seem to bother them. They still saw her as their friend and the conversation not seeming as scripted helped as well.
It didn't help that she was feeling emotional already anyway but now she felt an immense amount of gratitude for them. She, however, felt obligated to not cry in front of them. It would be too much of a worry for all parties involved she thought. For the first time in a while, she talked with them without a script, and it felt refreshing, but her emotions were a bit overwhelming.
"If you all don't mind, I'm feeling a bit sleepy! Thanks for dropping by. Appreciate it!", it felt like an auto-generated goodbye dialogue, but the appreciation was real, the reason, not so much.
As people left her room, Nanami burst into tears. It was all a lot and there was seemingly no right way to process it all.
There was one way to avoid it all though. She could just get back Bakougo, maybe with some help and not have to confront herself. But she let herself cry it out a bit when she remembered that she had to talk to Izuku about his quirk!
As things stood, she felt an obligation to help Bakougo and she was sure that a certain group of 1-A students did too. She had to talk to them regardless and this seemed like the time to talk about it.
As she walked to Izuku's room she noticed Yaoyorozu and decide to give her a visit as well.
"Are you allowed to walk out? You seemed pretty injured when you came in.", Yaoyorozu asked Nanami as she walked in.
"I am feeling a lot better, what about you?"
"Likewise... Were you going somewhere? It didn't look like you were headed here", Momo was quite perceptive.
"Yeah, I wasn't coming here because I didn't know if anyone was here. Actually, I was looking for Midoriya, I had something to talk about."
"Midoriya? He should be down the hall. The class has come to visit him, they should still be there, I think. If you hurry, you'll catch him before his hourly health examination."
"Hourly? Huh, he was hurt pretty bad now that I think about it. But yeah, I did have something to ask you as well. But first, are you sure you are fine?", Nanami felt it was too brash of her to just shoot a question about the tracker without as much as checking if Momo had even physically recovered. Emotional trauma was something that could be worried about later.
"Yeah, I am completely fine. Ask away."
"What you had me plant on that Nomu. That was a tracker, wasn't it?"
"Yes"
"Can you track it? Scratch that, of course, you can. Can you help me track it and save Bakougo?"
"I... I think the heroes are doing it and uh... we should... leave it to them.", Momo wasn't a particularly good liar and even Nanami could see through her. But it was not her place to push her anymore, but she had to try it even if it made her feel disgusting.
"I understand why you would say that, and I respect your decision. But that guy. He wasn't exactly a friend, I only talked to him during our continuous banter at the sports festival really. But that guy needed my help that day and I was this, this close to his hand. I was a bit slow, I have a few excuses, but 'I'was slow. Even then I think there was a real chance I could have reached out for his hand rather than trying to punch the guy who had stapler pins on his face.
I didn't.
Look I completely understand you not wanting to get involved in this, but I cannot forgive myself if...", Momo interrupted Nanami who was by now bawling her eyes out as she said each word.
"I am sorry. I was trying to not involve any more people."
"Any more?", she knew someone in 1-A wouldn't be able to take it sitting and will go for Bakougo, but that was just a working theory till now.
"Yes. Kirishima, Todoroki-kun and I are planning to go after Bakougo later today, and if I am not mistaken, they'll try to convince Midoriya as well. I am sorry for deciding on your behalf, I never realised the toll it had taken on you. But as per the teachers' instructions, we are not allowed to engage in combat, and we'll abide by that."
"Yeah, that's alright. It's a covert rescue mission, got it!", Nanami tried to say that in a quippy cadence as she wiped away her tears.
She then bid farewell to Momo and walked down the hall to talk to Midoriya. Nanami was feeling a lot better. Crying in front of someone felt a lot better than crying alone. As she reached Midoriya's room, the doctor walked out and apparently Midoriya's inspection just got over.
"I hope I am not disturbing you.", Nanami asked as she popped her head in through the closing door.
"No. Not at all.", Izuku replied with similar traces of tears on his face as Nanami. Both of them silently agreed to not acknowledge it.
"So, is your hand better? It looks better than it did back there.", Nanami was trying to break the ice, but she wasn't particularly good at it.
"Yeah, it's a lot better. But Recovery Girl has said that if I push my body like this anymore, it can't be repaired anymore. It will be permanent..."
"Oh, I... I, wow. I have also gone to Recovery Girl, almost as much as you I think but she never said anything like this to me... Sorry, that was a bit inconsiderate."
"No, not at all. Anywho, what brings you here?"
"Oh yeah look, so I'll stop beating around the bush. In the Training Camp, I was training with Miss Ragdoll's quirk Search and while doing that I saw your quirk. What's up with that?"
"You did? I, uh. I am sorry, I can't...", Izuku stammered but he was unable to come up with any excuse or deflection.
"Look I understand if you are not allowed to or are not comfortable with disclosing whatever it is. But I got to know about it and had to ask you because otherwise, it would keep bugging me forever."
"I understand, thank you for not pushing for an explanation. I don't have the liberty to share anything right now."
"That's fine and all. Also, I believe Kirishima and Todoroki have talked with you already. I met Momo on my way, can you even walk as you are right now?"
"Yeah, I can, and I have to. Kachha-Bakougo was at arm's length and I couldn't help him, I have to make this right..."
"Hmm... Ok, so I think given the gravity of your secret there is a chance you might be not comfortable working with me tonight..."
"You are coming too?"
"Yes. Yes, I am. But more importantly, if it makes it any less weird for you. I guess I can share something about my quirk as well. Whenever I Cut someone's quirk, as I get better with it I have them appear as small people in my psyche. I don't know how to put it, but they are quite alike the people I copy it from. And at times I feel like they can move my body against my will..."
"Just like my vestiges?"
"Your what?"
"A thing with my quirk... It's alright it's not that weird and thank you for sharing that with me. I still trusted you to have my back regardless, you didn't need to do this!", there was something reassuring in the way Izuku talked and it put Nanami's mind at rest.
She went back to her room and started preparing for the rescue.
