Chapter 5:
The first hour at the hospital had gone by quick since Yaeko had been immediately snatched up by the chief nursing officer arriving and introducing herself. The CNO barely paused to introduced herself as Aoi Fujita before she began the quick tour of the surgical department.
As they made their way through, they collected all the credentials she would need to gain access to certain areas in the hospital, as well as other supplies she would need. She'd even been given a white coat with her name embroidered on it.
By the end of the tour Yaeko found herself a bit overwhelmed. The whole time, Yaeko felt like she was in a dream that she was terrified of waking up from. It was crazy to think how only a few days ago she had been sitting in a prison cell and now she was sitting in her new office.
It was large and fully equipped with all the examination tools and machines she would need. The design of her room was specifically arranged and put together based on what Yaeko had requested from Yokumiru and Endeavor. Because of the way her quirk works, it was best for her to conduct all exams herself instead of having nurses and technicians do it.
It was the reason she required a large office to make space for the specific machinery she needed. The medium sized metal box that sat next to the examination chair, for example, was something she planned on using with her first patient of the day.
As she looked at the machine, she started thinking about the underground pro-hero. Walking around the room, she began examining the rest of the equipment while still lost in thought. She hadn't ever really heard of Eraserhead until news of the USJ attack a year ago. She hadn't had access to a TV in the facility, and so only relied on whatever her sisters would tell her.
When Noriko and Akari first told her about the attack, she had been concerned about how the top Hero School had been infiltrated by villains. But then her sisters went on to tell her about the unknown hero that had taken on dozens of villains by himself. Hearing how he was only one of two heroes that had been present, Yaeko automatically assumed he had died. She remembered how upset the thought of losing such a brave hero made her. But much to her surprise, Akari had laughed when she told her he was still alive.
That was the first time Eraserhead had caught her attention. The second time was directly after the war, when her sisters came for their monthly visit. That was the day she learned about Nemuri's death, and for the first time since she was arrested, she cried. After regaining her composure, her sisters had gone on to tell her about everything had happened in Japan. Her heart had ached when they told her the Eraserhead had been badly hurt during the war.
When she first accepted returning, part of her had hoped that he would be one of her patients just to give her a reason to meet him. She had known that he had numerous injuries and was currently unable to return to hero work, so there had been a slight possibility he would be.
When his file had literally been handed to her, she froze from the shock. She would finally put a face to the name, and she'd be able to help a true hero. Someone who had made such an impression on her without ever meeting him.
Yaeko stopped right by her desk, looking out of the windows that covered the wall behind it. She let out a sigh as she remembered the sinking feeling in her stomach when she read through his file.
She hadn't been expecting his injuries to be so severe. He sacrificed his leg to prevent his quirk from being erased, all to give the heroes more time to fight back. One of those heroes, Izuku Midoriya, was his student and another one of her patients. Her admiration of the man grew the more she read, and she hoped she could help him with her quirk.
A few moments after she had sat down at her desk, there was a knock on her open door. Glancing up her eyes met the single eye of the person that had been occupying her thoughts. Shota Aizawa, hero name Eraserhead, had a terrifying presence she hadn't expected from him. His file picture was of one from before the war, and he had looked like he needed a year's worth of sleep back then.
Despite that little fact, it had made Yaeko do a double take. He was a handsome man, though his picture didn't quite do him justice. Even with the eye patch covering his missing eye, he was even more handsome in person, in a rugged sort of way. He was also tall, 6 feet, if she remembered correctly.
Her eyes widened a bit, and she started to say something, but the look on his face made her choke back the greeting. He looked like he didn't want to be here, and the look in his eye was of suspicion.
Yaeko felt her stomach drop to her ass. This wasn't how she expected, or wanted, this to go. A knot in her throat prevented her from speaking, so all she could do was stare at him with wide eyes. In the end, it was him that broke the silence.
"Dr. Imai, was it?" His deep voice made a shiver go down her spine, making her very uncomfortable.
She had never had such a physical reaction to a man's voice before. Granted, she hadn't spoke to anyone besides her sister in the last four years. Yet not even the handsome number two hero had made an impression on her.
Shaking her head to rid herself of those thoughts and clearing her throat, she stood and moved around her desk to come closer to him. "Yes, you must be Shoto Aizawa. It's nice to meet you." She bowed her head slightly in greeting. Even with her heels, she was still shorter than him by a few inches.
"Likewise." Was his dry response, looking down at her with intense black eyes.
Aizawa, wasn't sure what to think of her. The woman he was looking at now, looked nothing like the sweet girl from the pictures. Her hair being the most obvious change, now much shorter than before, just barely brushing her shoulders. But she was even more beautiful in person, with a slim curvy figure that even the standard white doctors coat couldn't hide. That little fact just sent a shot of awareness through his body, making his jaw clenched in annoyance.
Yaeko blinked, not knowing how to proceed with the surly pro-hero. The tone he used and the tick in his jaw contradicted his response. Suddenly it dawned on her; she was the problem. He knew about her, no doubt about it, and he was a hero. Of course, he wouldn't want a villain as a doctor.
The truth about her had been disclosed to Mirko after she woke up from her surgery, prior to being properly introduced to her. The Hero Commission knew that it was a matter of time before word got out about her return. Therefore, it wasn't a surprise that they wanted to get ahead of any scandals and inform any of her potential patients of her past.
While waiting for Mirko to decide whether to be treated by her, Yaeko had done her best to remain nonchalant on the outside. But her anxiety had been eating her up the entire time she waited for Endeavor to finish speaking with the Rabbit hero. She also hadn't wanted to give her sister's anymore reason to worry or resent being back.
When Endeavor returned and ushered her into the room, she had nearly collapsed in relief to see the grateful smile on the Rabbit hero's face. It was Mirko's complete acceptance of her, that she had hoped that today would go just as smoothly.
Realizing it wouldn't, Yaeko straightened her back and lifted her chin to meet his eyes. Aizawa noticed the change in her stance and how her gaze hardened and couldn't help but eye her wearily.
"I am sure the hero commission has disclosed some information about me. If what they have told you makes you uncomfortable and doubt my abilities as a doctor, you are free to refuse my services. It doesn't matter if the commission has ordered you here to ensure your full recovery." Her voice was emotionless.
The unease she had shown when he first arrived was long gone, gaining her a bit of his respect. Aizawa regarded her silently, his eyes scanning her from head to toe, his curiosity of this woman growing. He was impressed that she didn't squirm under his gaze, since most people tended to cower under his glare. He knew his rough appearance lately made the effect more intimidating, yet this woman didn't even flinch.
"I haven't spoken with anyone from the hero commission, though I'm sure there was nothing more that they could have added to the information we were already given about you and your family. I was under the impression that it was supposed to be confidential" He finally broke the silence, looking her squarely in the eyes. "But you are correct, I am free to deny your services if I wanted to. No one forces me to do something I don't want to. If I came here today, it was my choice."
Yaeko eyed him skeptically but nodded after a moment. She moved aside and gestured for him to take a seat in the examination chair. "Very well then, I'd like to get started with a full physical. Your last one was from before the incident in Jako City, and there is no record of a follow up after you received your prosthetic."
"Because there was no need for me to come back. I have a new school year to prepare for and I have adjusted to the prosthetic perfectly fine." Even as he said this, he felt a twinge of pain in his leg as he sat up on the chair.
"You have no pains then?" She asked casually as she put on a pair of gloves.
He shook his head in a negative, watching her put on her stethoscope and step forward closer to him. She nodded absently as she listened to his heart, moving every so often to get different angles. She paused when his heart skipped a beat when she got too close.
Her ample chest had brushed against his arm when she stretched over him to reach his back. He held himself incredibly still, using a breathing technique to get his heart rate back to normal. After a moment of her listening in the same spot, she seemed satisfied and continued with the rest of the check up.
It was quiet as she went about the final portion of the physical, up until she motioned for him to stand up. He did so, raising an eyebrow as she rolled over another machine and pressed a button on second machine that had been next to his chair.
Immediately, it started shifting and opening until what looked like a specialized treadmill was revealed. He watched as she busied herself hooking up wires from the smaller machine to the treadmill, wondering what the hell she was doing.
"Since you've gotten your prosthetic, I am assuming you have also been incorporating a routine to regularly work the leg out?" She asked when she was done, her eyes turning to him expectantly.
"Of course, I've been doing the exercises I was told to do and adding parts of my regular routine slowly." The slowly part was a lie, he had been pushing himself daily to try and get back to his previous strength.
"Good, now I'm going to hook you up to some wires to run some tests. We'll start off with a steady paced walk, then we'll move you up to a jog and eventually a run. I want to see how your body is adapting to the prosthetic. Is it fair to say you've been able to return to your regular workout regime to about a 30 to 40 percent capacity then?" She asked typing away on the smaller machine's keyboard.
"Closer to 60%." Her eyes shot up to his. The incredulous look on her face told him he probably shouldn't have disclosed that to her.
"It's only been 5 months since you lost part of your leg, and 2 months since you were cleared to use the prosthetic after the infection. The whole reason it took so long to clear you for it was because you lost another few inches of the leg due to the infection." She narrowed her eyes as she looked him over.
"Yes, and that pushed back my recovery. I was told that if I felt my leg could handle it, I could start working my old workout routine into my daily exercises." He didn't look at her as he answered.
"But to be able to do 60 % of your old workout routine in such a short amount of time… That means you must have been pushing yourself past your limits! And if that is the case, I need to examine your leg to make sure you haven't irritated the residuum and we need an MRI of your back."
"I think that's a little excessive." He bit out through his teeth, already feeling a headache forming.
This was why he hadn't wanted to go to the follow up appointment set for a month after he had been given the prosthetic. He knew he was pushing the limits of his body, but he had been trying to get back out in the field as soon as possible. The damn infection had set him back months.
"I think you didn't listen to the instructions that were given to you when you were given the prosthetic. Otherwise, you would understand that the MRI is to determine if you have caused any damage to the muscles in your back due to overuse of your prosthetic. If you wear it for too long, like for long hours of training, your lower muscles bear the strain of overcompensating to correct your balance. Because no matter how well you adapt to a prosthetic, the movement from it is not natural and produces an unevenness in your gait. Now roll up your pants and let me look at your leg." She snarked, grabbing his arm and basically dragging him back to the examination chair.
His eye widened when she all but shoved him back into the seat, standing in front of him with her hands on her hips. The motion caused her to push open her white coat, showing off her small-tapered waist and wide hips. For a moment, all he could think about was reaching out and running his hands over her curves, distracting him from her anger.
His attention was brought back to her face when her foot started tapping impatiently. He slowly reached down to pull up the leg of his overall, suddenly feeling self-conscious of exposing his biggest insecurity.
"Now take off the prosthetic." Jaw locked tight, a pissed off expression on her face, she waved her hand at his leg.
He eyed her wearily while working the fastenings, half expecting her to strike him, which was ridiculous. Finally removing the prosthetic, he watched in fascination as her eyes practically glowed with her rage, a hissed breath escaping from between plump lips. He knew what she saw without having to look down. He knew it was red and swollen and had been for a while now.
"You're not in any pain my ass." She muttered darkly, crouching down to get a better look, her hands reaching out to his stump.
Out of pure instinct, he flinched away from her, not wanting her to touch it. Gold-green eyes shot up to look at him intensely, though they had lost some of their fire from seconds ago.
"I get that this must be uncomfortable for you, but I need to examine you. The residuum looks inflamed, and I have half a mind to confiscate your prosthetic." She explained softly.
Scowling, he forced himself to relax and not move when her hands reached out again. When she touched him, he felt a jolt of electricity that shot up from his leg. He grit his teeth, trying hard to control his body's surprising reaction.
It wasn't like he had never been around gorgeous women before. Hell, his best friend had been one of the biggest R-rated heroes in Japan, and she hadn't ever made him uncomfortable. Not even in the early days of their friendship before her hero costume had been censored.
But there was something about Yaeko Imai that triggered this intense attraction since the moment he had first seen her picture in Nemuri's apartment. It felt like hours before she finished examining his leg. His entire body finally relaxing when moved back and her hands dropped to her sides.
"You will need to stay off your prosthetic for a few weeks until the swelling and inflammation go down. And then if you choose to go through with the reconstruction, then you will have to stay off the prosthetic until the day of the surgery to ensure that the tissue surrounding the area is at its strongest. I usually do not give my opinion when treating a patient, but I'm inclined to encourage you to do the leg reconstruction. This is all taking into consideration the fact you seem intent on pushing your body until you're back at 100%." She stood up straight and moving to type something in the computer from earlier.
"Did you tell Mirko the same when you gave her the option for reconstruction?" His tone gave away to the irritation he felt. He had pushed his body to go past it's limits to get himself back in the field and now this shit happens.
"No, I didn't give her my opinion one way or the other and left it completely up to her. But I did tell her that if she were to do the surgery, she needs to stop field work and the use of the prosthetic. I know that the concept of prosthetics is to help you recover as much natural mobility as possible, but they also pose their own health risks. This is especially so in heroes who are constantly physically pushing their bodies." She answered easily still typing away on her computer.
"Now, aside from the fact that you are two are heroes in incredible shape, there is a bigger difference between you two. Her quirk is what makes her legs physically stronger since her muscles are naturally tougher because of it. They've only gotten stronger over the years due to her perfecting her quirk. Meanwhile, you are in incredible shape, but your legs are not at the same level as her. And let's not even mention the post-surgery infection you had which just further complicated things. Had they cut a few more inches, you wouldn't have been able to use the prosthetic at all." She continued, unhooking the wires from the two machines from earlier.
"Would have made a difference if I had never gotten the stupid infection?"
"No really. You would have still pushed your limits to try and speed up your recovery. Eventually you would have landed on the same results as now." She turned then to look at him. "Though had you bothered to go to your follow up appointment we might have been able to prevent the irritation and been ready to proceed with the surgery had you approved of it."
He felt a spike of irritation at being called out, but he knew it was his fault. He didn't want to come back because he didn't want to hear that he was over doing it. It didn't matter now since he had already done the damage. Not wanting to think about his leg anymore, he chose to focus on something else.
"What about my eye?" His eye mattered more than his leg. If he could get most of the use of his quirk back, he could deal with the rest later.
"We can move forward with reconstruction of your eye as soon as possible. I just need to examine it for myself to see what I will be working with." She stepped away from the computer and returned to stand in front of him.
She looked at him uncertainly, hands hovering close to his face as if afraid to touch him. Aizawa couldn't blame her considering how he had reacted about his leg. He turned his head to give her better access, holding his breath while she removed the patch.
He knew from what he had been able to see after the stitches had been removed, that it was grotesque. Yet Yaeko Imai looked completely unfazed. She tiled his head up towards the light to get a better look before reaching for a device from the rolling desk.
"According to your record, you've had surgery due to an orbital floor fracture a year ago, correct?" At his nod, she continued. "Well despite that, the notes stated that they hadn't been able to save your eye because it was completely ripped apart when Shigaraki raked your face." She mused pointing the gun like device at his face. A blue florescent light flashed as she moved the light around to get different angles.
"Yes, the surgeon had said it would have been a simple reattachment had my eyeball not been so severely damaged." He confirmed, his voice rough after getting a whiff of her perfume. She smelled divine, a vanilla like scent that made his mouth water. She hummed in response, and he swore he felt it travel through his own body.
"Reconstruction should be quick and simple, but of course like with any procedure it isn't guaranteed to work." Her voice snapped him out of the inappropriate thoughts he was having about her. He turned his head to be able to look directly at her. His black eye met her golden-blue ones, and he realized his mistake the minute they locked eyes.
She was a gorgeous woman, and her eyes were just as beautiful and mesmerizing as her. It was almost impossible to look away, which was why it took him a moment to notice that he wasn't the only one affected. Her breathing had turned shallow, her mouth parted open and cheeks taking on a pink hue.
This was dangerous territory. He had just met this woman and she was his doctor. Not to mention the fact that up until a few days ago she had been locked up in a high security facility for murder. Closing his eye, he pulled away and took a deep breath.
"I'd like to hear how your quirk works and what to expect from both reconstructions." He bit out, finally able to find his voice.
She blinked rapidly a couple times before seeming to snap out of her daze. Clearing her throat, she handed him his eye patch back and stepped back.
"Of course, I have an information packet for you to look through. Let me just call Nurse Fujita to bring you some crutches, and no you will not be getting the prosthetic back. I don't want to risk you going against orders and using it." She said firmly, turning to glare at him.
He scowled back. "I am not a child; I am perfectly capable of following directions."
"Just like you followed the ones given to you when you received the prosthetic?" She raised an eyebrow challengingly, and he suddenly wondered how he could have found the irritating woman attractive.
When he stayed silent, her expression turned smug. She reached for the phone on her desk and spoke quietly to who he assumed was the nurse. It occurred to him that despite having a nurse at her disposal, she had conducted the entire examination herself.
"Why didn't you have a nurse run the tests on me today?" He asked before he could stop himself when she got off the call.
"Because while my quirk is a technically a regeneration one, it works at a molecular level. I don't always need x-rays, cat scans or MRIs to see what's wrong. I can feel, for a lack of a better word, the molecules within a person's body to get the information I need in order to reconstruct a limb or heal an injury. I know what to look for in a patient so there is no use of having another person do the exam." She grabbed a rolling chair and pulled it closer to him. She looked completely at ease as she sat down, not a trace of the flustered woman from a few minutes ago. "Every person is different, and reconstructing a limb or organ is a delicate thing. It is why I conduct thorough examinations and require detailed medical files with the patient's history before I work on them."
"Earlier you said you couldn't guarantee it would work, what do you mean by that?" That little fact hadn't escaped him, despite being distracted by her.
She crossed her shapely legs as she thought about how to best answer his question, but his attention was once more pulled elsewhere. Eraserhead almost let out a growl of frustration, feeling irritated that he was reacting to her like some horny schoolboy. He was completely unaware that the woman in front of him was going through her own internal struggles.
Yaeko was struggling to concentrate on answering his questions, only being able to think about the moment the two shared a few moments ago. She was his doctor for fucks sake, she shouldn't be having inappropriate thoughts about her patient. No matter how incredibly attractive he was, even with the prickly attitude.
She was surprised by the sudden sexual attraction to him and blamed it on the fact that she hadn't been with anyone since even before she was arrested. She took a deep breath, hoping she was doing a good job of keeping her usual mask of indifference before this man got the wrong idea about her.
Or should I say, a worse idea. He already seems to have an issue with me, Yaeko thought bitterly.
"Though I can use my quirk to manipulate molecules to the point where I can force tissue and bones to regenerate, it doesn't guarantee that the body can handle it. If the body is under enough stress from trauma, then using my quirk can cause it to go into shock and reject the new tissue I create. In that case, a patient can develop necrosis, and we would have to completely remove all the dead tissue to avoid further damage. The success rate also depends on how old the injury is. The more recent it is, the easier it is for the body to acclimate to the regenerated limb. I try to reduce the complications through thorough work ups and prepare as best as possible. But, again, there is always the slight chance for failure."
Aizawa was quiet as he processed what she told him. He knew it wouldn't be so simple, but he also knew he would regret it if he didn't try. "What is the recovery time after the procedure?"
"When reconstructing a limb, I manipulate existing molecules within the body to force tissue and bone regeneration. For the most part the limb regrows with the same physical capacity. This is why it's better if the injury is relatively recent, and the patient is healthy and strong. Physical therapy is still recommended for at least two months, but it varies per person. For you, I'd like to say you won't need the full two months, but again it all depends on how the procedure goes." He nodded his head in acceptance, looking to be in deep thought.
If all went well, he could recover his eye and leg before the start of the school year. Again, that also depended on whether his body cooperated and healed quickly. After a few more moments of silence, Dr. Imai continued speaking.
"You do not need to decide today, since it will take me at least a week before I can work on your eye. Then another before I can work on your leg. I hate to admit that I have reached the limit of my quirk after yesterday's emergency with Mirko. It seems 4 years without use, and heavily suppressed by the quirk dampeners, have lowered my endurance. It will be a while before I am able to use it as frequently as before."
"What are the drawbacks of using your quirk?" It was only then that he realized how pale and tired she looked.
There were bags under her eyes and the slight tremble of her fingers, that he had originally blamed on her nervousness. That wasn't the case since he was almost fully sure, she had calmed down from earlier. Yet now that he thought about it, they had been shaking when she was examining him. He hated to admit he hadn't noticed because he was, selfishly, only been worried about himself.
She gave him a rueful smile, brushing her hair behind her ear. "It usually takes a lot more for me to feel any drawback, so it's still new to me. But I get phantom pains in my own body in the same area I treat on someone else, and my energy levels are generally reduced as well. The amount of time the effects last depends on the extent of the injury I treat."
"And you're willing to put yourself through this, multiple times for Mirko, me and any other hero that may need it?" He asked incredulously.
It was one thing for a hero to go plus ultra to save people, but this woman was painted a villain by the hero commission only to them be pardoned by them. The only reason she had to be willingly helping them was because she was getting something in exchange. Aizawa doubted that she would have gotten any leniency had she had a different quirk and unable to help as she is doing now.
"I was once a hero you know." She said softly, smiling despite the empty look in her eyes. "I won't sit here and defend myself to you or anyone. I know what I went through, and I know I am more than the villain you all see me as. My sisters know that as well, and that is enough for me. But I will tell you that I didn't take the hero and medical oath lightly."
Before he could even think of what to respond to her declaration, the nurse arrived with his crutches. Yaeko stood, thanking the Nurse with a forced smile before handing them to him. She motioned for the nurse to stay, handing her a packet and a slip.
"Use the crutches for the next couple weeks, if you decide against the surgery, then I'll consider returning it to you. Until then, I have already sent a prescription to your local pharmacy for pain killers and an anti-inflammatory. Be sure to carefully follow the instructions when taking them. Nurse Fujita will take you to get that MRI for your back, afterwards you're good to go. I will see you next week for your eye surgery."
Aizawa blinked at the sudden dismissal, knowing she had every right to be upset by his questions. She had correctly assumed what he had been thinking, and he wouldn't normally feel guilty for voicing his opinion.
However, watching her carefully crafted stoic expression fall and her bright eyes dim, had made his chest ache with regret. He didn't know what to say to make it go away, knowing that there was nothing he could say when he didn't even know what to think himself.
Yaeko Imai's answer confused him, as did her entire being. She was nothing like he had expected, and instead was a sure confident and intelligent woman. It was hard for him to wrap his head around the fact she had murdered someone, and it was frustrating to not know the full story.
Part of him wanted to go back and make her tell him why she did it. Yet he didn't because he knew he had no right to ask her. Which even if he were to ask, he doubted she'd answer him now. Aizawa had definitely given her the impression that he didn't trust or like her, and he silently cursed himself for it.
With a final look in her direction, he picked up the crutches, trying to reaccustom himself to using them again. When he was confident that he wouldn't fall on his face in front of her, he bowed his head and followed the nurse out.
I wonder if I'll see you again before next week, Aizawa thought as he made his way through the hospital. He had agreed to tutor her younger sister to help her catch up in hero studies. Maybe during those sessions, he might be able to gain some insight on Yaeko Imai. And who knows, maybe he might see her sooner than expected.