Mondo didn't know how long he sat there. Judging by the stream of sunlight piercing through the cracks of the curtains looming in the corner of his eye, he figured it must be morning or midday. He was going to miss class. Or maybe he already did. Maybe the morning bell hadn't rung yet. Or maybe he slept through it. None of these thoughts bothered Mondo in the slightest. He'd missed classes before, he was practically known for his tardiness at his old schools, what's one more gonna do? Everything was a kaleidoscope of blurred visions and bad memories all night. Laying in bed with nothing but the company of silence and darkness, for a brief moment, it was almost peaceful.

Ding dong!

No rest for the wicked, as they say. The chime of the doorbell forced him back to reality like a lasso to a twig. Part of him wanted to just assume it was a mistake, a student at the wrong dorm, and drift back to his trance. The other half wanted to see who it was and what they wanted. Much to his annoyance, Mondo's curiosity got the better of him. Slowly shifting his legs off the side of the bed, he forced himself up and walked toward the door. Before his hand could reach for the knob, he pondered for a bit as to who was behind that door. Maybe it was Taka, ready to yell at him for missing class again. Or maybe it was Chihiro, wanting to train with him. Or maybe it was fuckin' Yamada, wanting to yap about 2D chicks, he didn't know! Anyone but him. Anyone but Leon. He wasn't ready to face him, not after last night. He just wanted to forget it all happened. Hope that they'd forgotten too. But there's no way they could. What if they hated him now? Dammit, why did Leon have to-? Why couldn't Mondo-? These intrusive thoughts were getting him nowhere. Whoever was behind that door, he has to face them eventually. Sucking in a deep breath, Mondo finally opened the door, eyes widened in surprise and curiosity.

"O...Ogami?"

"Hello, Mondo." Sakura greeted with a half-smile she was used to giving people to assure this was a friendly meeting despite her natural stern look. "May I come in?"

"Uh, sure."

Mondo stepped aside, practically pressing his body against the wall to allow the brawny woman to squeeze inside.

"Thank you," she said with a nod.

After Mondo shut the door, he made his way toward the window and opened the curtains, turning his head to help his eyes better adjust to the sudden bright light. When the room was finally illuminated, Mondo took a seat on the foot of his bed, inviting Sakura beside him.

"So, what is it? Don't tell me Taka sent you to drag me to class." Mondo almost said jokingly, but he couldn't find another reason why the martial artist would want to see him.

"That's not it at all." Sakura barely took a deep breath before what she said next. "I know about what happened with you and Leon yesterday."

Mondo's gut twisted in itself like a vortex. "He...he told-"

"He didn't say anything to me." Sakura assured, "I just happened to be near the gym at the time."

Mondo's body slightly relaxed upon hearing that, but his shoulders were still tensed and he was starting to break into cold sweats.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Sakura asked as softly as her naturally gruff voice would allow. "I understand it's none of my business. I just want to help you any way I can."

Great. The strongest human alive is coddling him like he's a troubled little kid. Just the icing on Mondo's shit cake. He could feel the heat in his cheeks start to emerge. He quickly rested his head on his hands to hide them, or at least create a cover-up for their redness. When he was sure Sakura didn't suspect a thing, he spoke up.

"There's nothing to..! ...He just..! ...I didn't...! ...They don't und-! Sorry, I'm having trouble getting the words out." Mondo said with an exasperated sigh.

Sakura nodded. She expected this. "It's okay. I get it."

Mondo internally rolled his eyes. Sure she does. How could she? She's the Ultimate Martial Artist, the Strongest Human Alive. What does she know about-? Mondo peeked over his shoulder, eyes gazed at the dark markings on Sakura's bronze shoulders and face.

Sakura noticed Mondo's stare and knew what he was thinking. 'How do you show yours?'

Sakura took a deep sigh. "I used to be ashamed of my scars too. Thought that if others were to see them, especially rivals, they'd think I could be touched. That I could be harmed." She turned to Mondo, "Is that how you feel about yours?"

Mondo leaned forward, arms folded and resting on his knees, looking away from Sakura as if hiding any indication she hit the nail right on the head. "It's...different," he muttered. "You're not...you're not like me. You're not a..."

'Just a shiny piece of glass'

Mondo gulped, using every ounce of strength not to waver his voice. "You're not a Diamond."

"You're right, I'm not. But we're both human."

'And bones can break just as easily as glass'

"DON'T-!" Mondo snapped, his heart pounding through his chest. His arms reflexively wrapped around his stomach as his heel thumped anxiously against the floor. He scrambled through his mind trying to remember the breathing exercises Taka taught him until he finally found it. It took a few rushed breaths before he was finally able to speak again. "Don't...say that..! It's like yer sayin' I'm weak..."

Sakura thought for a moment, taking in the reaction she just witnessed. It wasn't something she didn't expect. In fact, she was completely prepared. But something was wrong, like a train track missing a piece. Mondo was holding back, burying his emotions, and he needed to let it all out. With a heavy breath, Sakura spoke. "Mondo, your scars don't make you weak."

"YES, THEY DO!"

Mondo sprung up from his seat with a powerful stomp. Sakura was grateful the dorms were soundproof, someone showing up in the middle of a good vent was the last thing Mondo needed. She sat and watched as he paced back and forth.

"Yes, they fucking do! Hate ta break it to ya, Sakura, but your scars are not like mine! When you're a Diamond, you're made to be strong! You can't show weakness, can't let anyone see you crack! You ever seen a cracked diamond? No, because diamonds don't crack! You didn't get captured by a gang because you were too slow! You were never made an example of! You were never broken!" Mondo hadn't realized how hot his face was until he stopped to take a breath. His face was drenched, had he been sweating?

Sakura hadn't flinched once. She was as still as a boulder, letting Mondo vent out his anger and frustrations. "So, when Leon noticed your...you know..." her voice was soft with empathy.

Mondo turned his head away from her, wiped his face, and swallowed, hydrating his parched throat before answering. "Yeah." all previous traces of anger on his face had shifted into one of frustrated shame. "They're just a reminder of when I was weak. When I was cracked. I can't ever let myself become that again. I have to be strong for my gang. I have to be strong for my bro. But..." he dropped down on the floor, face buried in his arms, "...it just keeps comin' back."

Sakura knelt before Mondo. She wanted to reach out a hand to his shoulder but quickly decided against doing so as not to possibly trigger any bad memories. "Mondo, you're not weak. You never were. Those scars are proof of that. You can choose to believe they make you weak or you can see them for what they really are; Reminders that you're still alive."

Mondo continued to stare at the floor. "And how am I supposed to do that?"

"You need to accept that what happened happened. You can't do anything to reverse or bury it. The only thing you can control is yourself and how you let it affect you. You need to forgive yourself."

"How can I forgive myself if I don't deserve it?!" Mondo snapped, "I snapped at my friends over it, and now they probably hate me. They'd never forgive me, so how can I?"

"Forgiveness isn't what you give as a right, it's a privilege. But with forgiveness comes peace, and peace is what you deserve most. I meant what I said before; Your scars don't make you weak. They mean you survived and surviving means you're strong."

Mondo finally looked up, meeting eyes with Sakura's. "...Maybe." he sighed softly, although it was like removing a massive weight off his chest.

When Sakura was sure Mondo had eased up a bit, she stood back up to her feet, offering to help him up too, to which he took her hand. He turned and wiped the sweat off his face and eyes before returning his gaze to her.

"Well, I'll be going now. I'm sure I can convince the Headmaster to give you a few mental health days. I can bring you your food as well." Sakura said as she turned to leave.

"Actually, Ogami, I think I'm gonna head out. I got some business I gotta attend to."

Sakura turned to him "Are you sure? It's no trouble."

"Yeah. Besides, Taka'll never let me hear the end of it if I skipped another class. And I can't let Chihiro skip out on leg day." Mondo said with a half-smile. A sincere one. Sakura returned her own.

"Alright then. Oh, and Mondo?"

"Yeah?"

"You're friends love you no matter what. Never let yourself forget that."

Mondo thought, then nodded and showed Sakura out. He was left alone again. This time, the atmosphere wasn't so dim. For the first time in hours, Mondo could feel himself breathe again. He couldn't remember the last time he felt a bit lighter. But there was still something gnawing at his skull. It was still weighing him down. Was this really okay? Was this something he was fine with letting go of? Everything he was taught, his brother's ideology? Surely, he can't just throw it out the window. He owed his brother that much, especially after...

Mondo brushed it aside for now and left his dorm. He still had one last thing he had to fix.