Her Forgotten ~Tomura Shigaraki x OC AU~

Chapter 13: Rest or Rest

Illika

"That could have proven detrimental."

I swallow. My throat feels dry and itchy, and the light still hurts, but I'm able to withstand it. At least, a little bit. And still, I tremble, adjusting myself, gripping the blanket draped over my legs. Everything still hurts. My muscles are still tense, each trying to relax, but at least the throbbing in my skull has eased.

"You overexerted yourself," Dr. Garaki continues, looking at me. "You strained your quirk and your body."

"Will she be alright?" Compress asks. He stands at my side, his mask nowhere to be seen, much as it was when he came to my aid.

Dr. Garaki turns to him. "She'll be fine. I recommend rest, though, and no more overusing of her quirk."

I clench my jaw. There's no way I overused my quirk. Just no possible way. I've deleted multiple people's memories before in a single instant. How can this be any different? He has to be wrong. He must be mistaken. I'm capable of so much more. I know I am. I can prove it.

"I'll be fine," I say. My voice feels like sandpaper in my throat and sounds foreign to my ears. I toss back the blanket, swinging my legs over the edge of the bed. "I'm ready to –"

"What are you doing?" Compress asks, lifting a brow.

"I'm ready to go back out there."

He jolts, resting a firm hand on my shoulder. His palm is warm, and his grip is strong. "Did you not hear what Dr. Garaki just said? You need rest, Miss Hartz."

"I'm fine," I insist. "I'm ready to go back, Compress."

I push up, but to my dismay, my legs betray me. My knees quiver, then buckle right under me. Within the blink of an eye, I start to tumble down, but Mr. Compress catches me. He steadies me, then helps me back onto the bed.

"Oh, yes. My mistake. You definitely look ready to rejoin the cause." He is being snarky and sarcastic, but he still helps me finish getting comfortable. "Honestly, I knew you were stubborn, but jeopardizing your own health, Illika?"

"You don't get it, Compress. I have to prove myself useful. If I'm not being useful, then what am I doing?"

"Getting rest," Dr. Garaki interjects. He approaches, his eyes meeting mine directly. "Illika, I can't stress this enough. You overexerted yourself by continuously using your quirk for a prolonged span of time. Most mind quirks aren't designed for that. Your body isn't meant to withstand that. If you continue that way, the repercussions could be dire."

"Exactly," Compress agrees. "Your quirk is extremely useful – yes, but not if it leaves you bedridden."

"But –"

"No buts," Compress interrupts. "Rest. We can all regroup and discuss what further actions to take from here later this evening."

"But –"

"Rest," Dr. Garaki orders. "Rest and talk later."

"That's an order," Compress smiles.

They both leave and suddenly, I'm alone. Just me and this lonely infirmary. All the other beds are empty, not a soul to be seen. Not another person to talk to or decompress with, but maybe it's better that way.

Maybe I need a few moments alone. Maybe I need to sit and wander aimlessly in my own thoughts. And then again, maybe I need to sit and recall where I went wrong. Maybe I need to pinpoint the moment things all fell into turmoil and come up with a strategy to improve.

Or I can do as Dr. Garaki said and just rest. No plotting. No planning. No focusing on what has already happened. Just rest. Just sit – or lay – and don't do a damn thing. That's what I can do.

But even so, as I lay here, eyes fixated on the door, I can't help but play what happened over and over in my head. I've had this quirk since I was four years old. I've been using it to steal and lie ever since I was ten. I have been actively using and crafting this skill for over a decade, and yet, today I failed.

Even with all that training and practice, I still couldn't complete my mission, and because of that, I feel as if I've failed. And I'm sure that's what the others will think. As word gets around, I know that will be what they think. That I had one job and I couldn't even do that right.

I grip the blanket.

I hate this. Feeling this useless and helpless. It irritates and disgusts me. I've lived my life to be strong and free – and at times feared – for years, now. This hiccup – this slip-up – only devastates me.

I swallow and take a deep breath, then turn onto my side. At the end of the day, though I hate to admit it, Dr. Garaki and Compress are right. My body and mind are both currently too weak to be of any use. Even though I want to be out there contributing, I can't. So, I might as well do one thing right.

And that is to rest.

**Ello lovelies! Bit of a filler chapter today. I honestly wasn't really sure how to get to the next scene without a filler, and I apologize for that. Now, that said, hopefully, the upcoming scene cooperates and everything goes according to plan. Hopefully...fingers crossed. Today my sisters and I went to a "local" amusement park (I say local because it's about a 20–30-minute drive from my house if that depending on traffic). Today's its opening day, so it was kinda crowded, but nothing horrible. We enjoyed ourselves and it felt good to be outside on such a pretty day. Hope y'all had a wonderful day! If you haven't, then I hope your day/evening/night gets better! As many times before, thank y'all so, so much for everything! Y'all are awesome sauce! Wuv yous!! <3**

-Noel Ross