After going out to get some food, Sam and Mirko went separate ways. He went back to U.A. totally expecting Aizawa to throw a hissy fit.
When he first stepped foot on the campus, he could see an annoyed Aizawa walking up to him.
"Suzuki. You better have a good reason for fighting the hero killer."
Sam raised a brow. He could say the truth but Iida and the others allowed Endeavor to take most of the credit. They all thought Sam just beat him when he was weak. But still, apparently, the internet went wild seeing Sam gut punch Hero Killer Stain.
"Simple. Me and Mirko were just passing through Hosu. And I didn't fight him. I only gut punched him when he was weak. You owe all your thanks to the flaming diaper named Endeavor."
Aizawa kept looking at Sam, trying to intimidate Sam, but he knew it was pointless. Sam was not someone he could intimidate.
He sighs.
"Whatever. Just go inside."
"Okay."
Just like that, the night ended without any trouble.
———
It was the next day of internships and he had a few more days left before the internships ended.
Sam was sparring with Rumi again. Something that has become a fun experience for the two of them.
Sam enjoyed it too. Despite his hatred for unnecessary violence, he thought spars with Rumi made him feel alive.
After 30 minutes, both of them were tired. Sam was bruised all over. Mirko had a few bruises as well.
Sam's strength couldn't match Rumi's, but even Rumi would have to admit, Sam is dangerous. He can always set a trap and they fought so much he caught on to her habits.
If Rumi was being honest, she would have to say she learned more from him, than he did her during this internship. He always pointed out the habits and the weaknesses in her movements.
Thanks to that, she was starting to get more and more hits on him by mixing up things. That is why Sam is all bruised while she is only moderately bruised.
"You've… gotten better."
Sam spits out, still lying on the ground.
Rumi, who was sitting on the ground next to him, smirked.
"Yeah… damn straight. It's thanks to you."
Sam shook his head.
"No. It's because you listened and adapted. You always did the same thing. That's the problem with heroes. Their special moves are often publicized and shown to everyone, making it easy to predict. That's why fighting seriously without special moves is more effective."
She rolled her eyes.
"God. How is an 18 year old like you able to act like Sun Tzu?"
Sam smirked.
"Who knows."
They just sat, or in Sam's case, laid, in silence. Only the sound of their panting could be heard.
Mirko suddenly stands up.
"Well, let's eat! I'm starving!"
She quickly stretches a bit, and gives Sam her hand.
He smiles and takes it. She helps him to his feet.
"Pretty soon, you'll be able to outmatch me the moment you do, even Endeavor would have a hard time with you."
Her rabbit ear twitched at that.
"You really think I could outdo Endeavor?"
Sam looked at her and spoke honestly.
"I do. Endeavor is strong. Damn strong. But he relies too much on his quirk. Quirks are incredible, but they become predictable."
Sam said honestly.
She smiled at that.
"Thanks."
Sam nodded.
———
Once back inside, Rumi whipped up some food for lunch.
Both her and Sam were still in their exercise gear.
They ate in silence, still a bit tired from the spar.
"So, how about after this, I take you out on my patrol?"
Sam raised a brow.
"Oh? Really?"
She nodded.
"Yeah. I could show you how I roll."
Sam thought for a second.
He just shrugged.
"Why not?"
She smiled at that.
"Awesome! I'm getting changed!"
She hurried upstairs after finishing her food. Sam hurried up eating his food, he still can't taste it though, and waited for her to change.
When she came back downstairs, she was back in her leotard and her gear.
"Well? Let's go!"
She led the way and Sam followed.
———
For the rest of the day, Sam followed Mirko. They jumped from roof to roof. She did it like walking on rocks in a pond, while he had to be careful with each jump.
He was pleasantly surprised to see that his parkour was getting better from this.
'Maybe I should start doing parkour for more exercise.'
He thought to himself.
He watched her do everything from the roof top. She would jump down from the roof and come to someone's aid or arrest a villain.
She did confront a few villains, who were just petty thugs really, and they froze the moment they saw her, not even willing to fight.
She always showed an annoyed expression whenever they submitted.
But she also offered people directions, helped someone who crashed their car, helped a slow old lady cross the street, she even helped find a lost cat. Sam was allowed to help her with cases like that.
By the time night came, Sam was tired from jumping across rooftops all day long, but was pleasantly surprised at what he witnessed.
Most heroes would shun the problems people face for fighting villains. Rumi, despite loving a good scrap, was always looking to help someone.
'I guess I was wrong. She's a good person.'
Sam had a small smile.
"That's the last of it! Say, how about we call it a day?"
She sat down next to Sam after helping someone pick up their groceries that fell from a ripped bag.
However, he didn't pay her any attention. He was looking at the night sky above him.
He froze for a moment, sitting on the edge of the rooftop, eyes fixed upward.
The night always did this to him.
It reminded him of the forest far away from Japan, with cool air, quiet waters and a peace he never thought he deserved.
Of her.
He felt his chest tighten, the familiar ache spreading before he could stop it.
Rumi waited for Sam to reply, but saw his dazed eyes staring at the night sky.
She sighed.
"Sam."
She shook him.
"Sam!"
She shook him harder.
He snapped out of it.
"Yeah?"
Rumi sighed.
"Listen. I'm sorry I made you uncomfortable. I know that you don't like looking at the night sky."
Sam shook his head.
"It's not that. It's just… nostalgic. To a time when I felt truly happy."
Rumi could tell that Sam lost something precious.
"Sam… I won't force you. But since we are friends now, you can tell me whatever and I will listen."
She patted his shoulder looking clearly at him with trust.
Sam was shocked. She meant those words. She truly wanted to help Sam and would listen.
He looked down at his hands.
For a long moment, he remained silent.
Rumi saw that Sam wasn't talking.
She sighed.
"Alright. Let's go back to-"
"I had a girlfriend."
Rumi's ears twitched.
"Her name, was Zola."
He dug into his pocket and showed her the Polaroid picture of both him and Zola.
She saw how happy Sam looked and also at how similar she looked to her.
"Was she the reason… you got so freaked out around me?"
Sam nodded.
"You two looked so similar. You even acted similar."
Rumi felt a little pissed, because she wondered if he accepted her friendship only because she looked like his lover.
Almost as if he read her mind, he clarifies.
"But I realized. You two are both completely different people. Now, I'm comfortable around you because I accepted that truth."
Rumi sighed in relief. If that was how it was, then he really accepted her, Rumi Usagiyama?, as his friend. And not a stand-in for his girlfriend.
"She's pretty. Damn pretty. I can tell she isn't Asian like me though."
"She's Egyptian."
Sam clarified.
"At first, she hated me. I was 8 when we met, and I was the only one able to match her in combat."
Rumi's eyes widened. She remembered he was spending many years in Africa, but forgot he was only 18, which meant he was just a child.
She looked down.
Sam saw that.
"Don't pity me. Despite it being hell, Africa was still a beautiful place. And if I never went, I would never have met her."
"You seem to treasure her."
"I do. She saved me."
Rumi's ears twitched, ready to listen to Sam's, story.
He proceeded to tell her as much as he was comfortable with.
He told her how he was trained at a young age.
How he had his memories erased.
How he met Zola.
How he killed his 'first' kill.
How he finally snapped out of it after remembering his mom after seeing Zola's tears.
He then proceeded to tell her the rest of his memory of Africa.
The only thing he left out was the Canvas project and the Pale Hand. Especially Wushan.
She listened close.
She heard all the pain and suffering.
She heard the hope that Zola gave him.
And she heard that hope being torn from him.
Then she learned about the hell in the forest he had to suffer, fighting a Leopard and even nearly dying from a viper bite.
She looked shocked. Shocked that someone can survive after so much suffering.
After finally reaching the part where he flew back to Japan, he finished speaking.
He looked at Rumi. She looked down.
Sam paid close attention and could see a slight tear in her eye.
She looked away and quickly wiped it.
Sam pretended to not see it.
"Damn…"
"Yeah."
She didn't know what to say.
But she did know one thing, she respected Sam more than anyone she ever met.
He was truly the strongest man she ever met.
"Thanks… for sharing with me. You're truly amazing."
Sam smiled a bit. But telling her didn't make him feel better, but it also didn't make him worse. It just made him feel nothing.
But seeing that tear in the eye of the rough and rough Mirko, it bothered him. And he didn't know why.
She looked at Sam and patted his shoulder again.
"You don't have to worry, I won't tell anyone. I appreciate you telling me this. So I might as well tell you something. Before I was a hero, I was a vigilante."
Sam's eyes widened.
"Really?"
"Yup! I was a mean bitch! Always beating up no good bastards!"
Sam sighed. She really was a fighting freak.
She proceeded to tell him about her times fighting and even her fight at a secret underground fighting event.
He found it funny how much she loved fighting.
They stopped after a little while.
They both walked back to her house.
When they reached her front porch, that was still broken, they stopped. She turned to Sam with a smile.
"Thanks for the help. You're not bad. You helped a lot with the minor things."
"I would be an asshole if I made you pick up trash alone."
"Yeah, you would be."
She smirked.
"Well, I better head back. Thanks, Rumi. For everything. For hearing me out."
She just did something she never thought she would do. She hugged him.
"Don't worry. Thanks for hearing my embarrassing stories of my vigilante days. And thanks for letting me learn more about you. You're a good friend."
Sam smiled.
He patted her back and she let go of him.
She cleared her throat.
"Be grateful! Not anyone gets such a service from me! You're lucky I consider you a friend, otherwise I'd clock you aside the head!"
Sam smiled.
"So unladylike.
"And don't you forget it!"
She then started laughing. Sam started to chuckle with her.
He didn't know why, but his heart felt a bit easier. He often felt bleak and lifeless, but some color was finally coming into his life. He felt… alive, and for once, unafraid of it.