Sam's eyes fluttered open.
"Oww."
He felt his head and the rest of his body aching.
Then he remembered he got beaten up by Rumi.
He chuckled.
'That… was the worst.'
Sam would be lying if he still wasn't shaken. He expected many different types of tests, but never in his wildest dreams did he think they would stimulate his trauma and force him to confront it head on.
He sighed.
'I bet it was that fucking rat.'
"Finally, you're awake."
Sam looked up and saw Recovery Girl looking at him with worry.
"Recovery Girl…"
He looked around and saw he was in the nurses office.
"How long has it been?"
"An hour."
Sam nodded.
"I'm assuming… the rat was the mastermind behind that test."
Recovery Girl sighed.
"I'm afraid so."
"I never thought you heroes would do something that cruel. It's incredible."
Recovery girl winced.
"Sonny, I was against this stupid test. I was so gosh darn angry at those rascals for even considering it! But I'm sorry. I should have stopped it."
Recovery girl felt some tears fall.
Sam saw that and noticed she was genuine.
"I understand. I'll forgive you Recovery Girl."
She looked up at Sam with thanks.
"Did the rest of the class know?"
She shook her head.
"They were just as shocked. They were ready to attack Aizawa and pull you out. I'll tell you one thing. Those kids believed in you. Despite seeing your pain, and despite wanting to pull you out, they still believed in you. They started cheering for you."
Sam's eyes widened in shock.
"Really?"
Recovery girl nodded with pride.
Sam gave a wistful smile.
"Those brats…"
Suddenly, they are interrupted by a knock at the door.
The door opens and Aizawa and Nezu enter.
"Well, well. If it isn't my two favorite people. Did I give you a nice show?"
Sam said with a sarcastic smile that is filled with anger.
Nezu and Aizawa both sighed. They were ready to face Sam's anger.
"Suzuki-"
"Listen, I don't want to hear it. I was warned, and I paid the price for my pride. I'm not mad about that. What I am mad about, is getting Rumi involved."
Sam glared at them, while they were both shocked at that.
They thought Sam would hate them for making such a cruel test. But he is most angry about Mirko?
"You went through my things, didn't you? And you realized I was spending time outside of internships with her as well. Right? And when you went through my things, you saw the picture of her."
Nezu winced.
Aizawa sighed.
"Suzuki, I know you're upset, and you have every right to be-"
"You are goddamn right I have every right to be!"
Sam yelled in rage.
"I let it slide when I found the bug you left in the room, Nezu. I was annoyed, but I let it go. But going through my personal belongings? That's something I can't overlook."
Nezu looked sad.
"I have no words to excuse my actions Suzuki. But I only ask you believe that I had the purest intentions when I looked in your room."
"Well tough luck because I don't believe you. You just wanted to keep that fucked up little brain of yours satisfied! You can't help but need to find an answer to everything! Right?"
Nezu remained silent.
"You saw my picture of her! And immediately knew why I ran from Rumi and why I went to intern with her, despite not being apart of the hero course and not being required to go! That curiosity was eating you up, wasn't it? So you decided to find the answer. Well? Did you like it? Pretty sad story isn't it? Using my dead girlfriend and my new friend to make some cruel fucking test!?"
Nezu shook his head.
"That's enough, Suzuki. I can accept your rage, but I won't just allow you to think I did it all for curiosity. I won't deny, I'm curious. But I never go overboard when searching for answers, unless I feel I have to. Sam, I have no bugs in your room, yet I can still recall the screams in your sleep!"
Aizawa and Recovery girl look with shock.
Sam looked confused.
"Yes. This is my school, Sam. The cameras in the halls are very sensitive. The ones just outside this hallway, records 24/7. When you are supposed to be asleep, the cameras pick up terrified and dreadful screaming. I tried to ignore it. I knew it wasn't my place to butt in. But it's not stopping! I know you are recovering but I can't just ignore it anymore! You can hate me, Sam, I'll accept it. But it was because I hate seeing someone so young suffer so much! I know that suffering better than most!"
He points to his scar.
The teachers were both shocked at the upset Nezu. He seemed genuinely shaken. Neither Recovery Girl, nor Aizawa glimpsed at the recordings from the security cameras. But it seemed they were always listening to Sam's cries.
Sam just looked shocked. He forgot Nezu was an experimented lab rat.
'Just like me…'
Sam had to admit, he felt a kinship with Nezu. The two of them were both used as experiments. He was cultivated into Canvas through cruel trials. Nezu was literally a lab rat.
Sam sighed.
"…I understand. But I don't forgive you. You are right, I am not healed. Even now, I'll probably keep sleeping poorly. But it was still not your place to meddle in things I don't want to be meddled in."
Nezu sighed.
"I accept it."
Nezu then ushered Aizawa to leave.
"Oh, before I leave, Mirko is waiting back at the test site. Waiting for you."
With that Nezu and Aizawa left.
Sam looked down.
'Rumi may not have been the orchestrator of this test, but she knew. But she did want me to not take it. I can't be mad at her for this.'
Sam gets up.
"Wait! I didn't finish healing you!"
"I'll be back. I need to go and see her."
Recovery girl sighed.
"…you stubborn youngins' are always being reckless. Fine. Go."
Sam nodded and stood up from his sitting position on the bed.
Only to nearly fall face first.
"You idiot take some crutches!"
Recovery Girl was already regretting letting him go.
———
Rumi was back in her civilian clothes. She looked sad. She was guilty.
'I'm so sorry, Sam.'
She couldn't get the images of him holding his ears, trying to get the sound to stop. And then his delusions of being back in Africa.
She especially felt hurt when he called her Zola.
She remembers when he told her about Zola and showed her the picture of the brown haired Sam and the brown-skinned beauty that looked like her.
She recalled the happy smiles on their faces in that photo.
For some reason, being compared to Zola, makes her heart hurt.
She knew Sam loved her, she saw the longing when he described her. But he told her with certainty, that she and Zola were both two different people.
And yet, he still mistook her for Zola again.
"Tch!"
She kicked a rock away in rage and sadness.
"I'm so stupid. I should have never allowed this."
"Yeah. This test was fucked up."
Rumi spun around and saw Sam, walking up to her on crutches.
She winced seeing his beat-up appearance.
She looked to the side.
Sam just looked at her.
She was waiting for him to curse her and end their friendship.
She was prepared for it, but still, the thought of being hated by Sam, filled her with a horrible heartache.
"…I'm so sorry. I take full responsibility for my actions. If you wish to never see me again… I will accept that."
She said that last part with a slight shake in her tone.
Sam heard that.
She was shaking. Rumi Usagiyama. The Rabbit Hero: Mirko. Was genuinely afraid.
'Shit… I… I like him. I like being around him. Damn it.'
She could only curse her heart for feeling that way, especially when she caused such terrible pain to him.
Sam walked up to her on his crutches.
She closed her eyes. She was willing to accept a slap to the face.
But instead, she felt a warm hug. Not like the desperate hug of someone needing support from the nearest person, like the prior times.
This time, Sam was completely in control, and he was not desperate. He wanted to hug her.
Rumi felt herself tear up again.
She held him back, holding him as if she was afraid he would disappear if she let go.
Sam just held her and she cried into his shoulder.
Sam felt her shaking, and he didn't like that. So he did what she did for him. He held her.
"It's okay… I'm sorry for worrying you. Thank you for helping me."
Rumi's eyes widened.
She let go and looked at him with shock.
"Why are you thanking me? That was fucked up! Heroes shouldn't use such cruel tests on students."
Sam nodded.
"I agree. And I would be lying if I said I wasn't mad, but Nezu dragged you into this because he found my picture of Zola and saw the correlation between you two. You may have been complicit, but you warned me. Honestly, if you didn't warn me, I might have succumbed to fear. But I braced for something dreadful when you plead for me to not continue. It sucked, but I'm glad you were there. Once again, you helped me. Just like that night on the roof where you held me while I cried, and where you listened to my past. You are truly my greatest friend, Rumi."
Sam gave her a genuine smile.
Not a smirk, not a half smile.
A real smile.
She looked in shock.
She felt something in her heart skip a beat.
She immediately hid her face. Because she knew it was blushing.
'Goddamnit! I'm falling for him.'
Rumi couldn't deny it after seeing that beautiful smile.
With Sam's test completed, class 1-A was finished with the semester. Sam was finally on to his second year of high school.
He looks back at himself when he first entered the classroom.
'*Sam… don't fuck with me.*'
And now, he is smiling a true smile. One he hasn't had on his face since Zola was alive.
He was changing. He was healing.
He was moving on.
End of Arc 4.