Rumi groaned as she tried to pull her blankets over her head.
Goddamn she felt like shit.
Pawing at the paper thin blanket, Rumi frowned at the unfamiliar texture. She didn't remember changing her bed's blankets recently.
Through the haze that shrouded her brain Rumi finally realized something was wrong.
In fact, the last thing she remembered was being dragged away by some red-eyed monster!
Her eyes flying open, Rumi heaved in panicked breaths as she tried to get her muddled brain to work properly and figure out where she was. Looking around, Rumi was confused to see what looked like a generic hospital room, complete with beeping machines and a small window that offered a nice view of a parking lot.
Forcing herself to calm down, Rumi looked down and prepared herself for the worst.
Much to her relief, all her limbs and appendages were still intact.
Well, mostly. Her bionic arm was missing.
"Okay, not a big deal." Rumi mumbled to herself as she stared at the stump of her left arm. "I'm in a hospital, they probably took it off. Yeah, that has to be it."
Nodding to reassure herself, Rumi looked around to see if there was some way to get somebody's attention.
She might be a nuisance to most people, but she was not going to make some poor doctor shit themselves by screaming for help.
Running her hand over the side of her bed, Rumi felt some kind of large button embedded on the plastic edge. Peeking over, Rumi's suspicion was confirmed as she saw the button was bright red and labelled "CALL" in big bold letters.
Pressing the button, Rumi waited for someone to arrive.
After waiting for what felt like five minutes, Rumi pressed the button again with a little more force.
Hey, nobody said she was good at being patient.
Right as she was about to press the button again, a female nurse wearing blue scrubs and a surgical mask opened the door to the room and stepped inside.
"Good afternoon Miruko." The nurse said politely. "How are you feeling?"
Rumi shrugged. "Okay I guess. Feeling sore all over, but nothing I can't handle."
The nurse nodded and opened the door to leave. "Good, I will send your doctor over right away. I am sure they have many things they want to ask you."
Rumi let out a grunt of acknowledgement as the nurse left and closed the door. Thinking about it, the doctor most likely wanted to ask about the quirk-killing bullet.
Frowning, Rumi clenched her good hand experimentally. While she certainly felt better, something still felt off. The weakness was hard to describe, like a mix of early morning sluggishness and post-workout exhaustion.
In any case, hopefully the doctor had some answers. Because she sure as hell didn't.
A few agonizingly boring minutes later, a bald male doctor with walrus-like tusks entered Rumi's room with an electronic tablet in hand.
"Hello Miruko." The doctor said in a deep voice. "I will be honest, it has been awhile since I have taken care of such a high-profile patient. Anyways, that is besides the point."
Scrolling through the contents displayed on his tablet, the doctor furrowed his brow as he talked. "That bullet we removed from your leg was certainly...different. I was only able to study it a little bit before agents from the Ministry of Defence confiscated it."
Well that did not bode well.
As much as Rumi wanted to believe that the government would not try to replicate the effects of the bullet, a cynical part of her was already imagining the immense value of such a powerful tool.
Hell, if the government found out a way to replicate that bullet, she might be out of a job.
"Miruko?"
The doctor's voice roused Rumi from her musings, making her shake her head slightly before responding.
"Sorry, i was just thinking about something." She said honestly
The walrus doctor nodded understandingly before repeating what Rumi had missed. "I was informing you about what effect the bullet had on you. For all intents and purposes, the bullet was essentially nullifying your quirk the entire time it had been inside you."
Rumi felt her stomach drop a little but put on a brave face as she spoke. "But it is different now that you took it out right?"
The doctor was silent for a moment, making Rumi's brave face falter slightly.
"Yes...and no." The doctor said finally. "The science behind the whole thing is very complicated, but I will try to summarize it as best as I can."
Bracing herself for the worst, Rumi cringed as she imagined living the rest of her life without a quirk.
"Essentially the power of your quirk has been greatly reduced." The doctor said flatly. "Right now your body is operating at about a tenth of its original ability. If a regular person had been shot with the bullet the effects would not be as severe, but because your quirk and abilities are so strong the effects are much more pronounced."
Rumi's ears went almost completely limp as she tried to process what she had just been told.
"But...I am only gonna be weak like this temporarily...right?" She said with a spark of hope.
To her dismay, the doctor let out a heavy sigh and shrugged.
"That we do not know." He said somberly. "If we had more time to study the bullet itself and how it worked I might have more information to give you. For all we know you could be back in fighting shape tomorrow...or never."
Shit.
Trying her best to maintain her classic cocky smile (and failing), Rumi suppressed the scream of anger and despair that was bubbling up inside her.
"It's okay doc." She said with a tremble in her voice. "J-just you watch, I am gonna be back to kicking ass in no time."
No, she was not going to break down in front of some stranger just because things looked bleak! She was Miruko for fuck's sake! No matter what the obstacle was she would always find a way to blast through it.
At least that was what she kept telling herself.
The walrus doctor gave her a look of pity that made her want to scream and throw something at him. She had resolved to never be in a position where others would pity her, and that fucking sad look was simply telling her that the doctor had already given up on her.
Nodding slowly, the doctor turned to leave. "I will let your agent know you are awake. Good luck Miruko."
After the doctor left Rumi was once again alone, with only the beeping of the machines nearby to keep her company.
Now came the next challenge, waiting for the inevitable lecture and nagging from Miss Sasaki. God, she was going to have a field day with this current situation. Rumi could almost hear the dour woman quite literally telling her "I told you so."
Looking around for something to keep her distracted, Rumi spotted a small flatscreen perched in the corner of the room.
Great, now where was the remote?
Scanning the room, Rumi growled in annoyance as she finally located the TV remote.
Of course, it just had to be sitting on a tiny table on the far side of the room.
Looking down at the various tubes and things sticking out of her arms, Rumi debated whether it was worth the trouble of untangling herself from all the medical devices just to grab a stupid remote.
Before she could make any rash decisions, Miss Sasaki walked into the room and closed the door behind her.
Looking at her agent, Rumi cringed as the woman walked over and stood next to her bed.
"How are you feeling Rumi?" Miss Sasaki said in a surprisingly soft and gentle voice.
Rumi shrugged. "Fine I guess. Kinda weak…"
Miss Sasaki nodded silently before reaching out and gently taking Rumi's good hand.
Well this was certainly not what Rumi had expected to happen.
"I am not going to lecture you." Miss Sasaki said in a gentle and motherly tone. "I am just glad you are safe."
Rumi was not sure what exactly had come over her agent, but she was not complaining.
"Uhh...thanks?" Rumi said slowly as she tried to figure out what was going on. "But everything turned out okay, I mean I am still here aren't I?"
Miss Sasaki sighed and pulled a small stool out from under a table so she could sit next to Rumi's bed.
"Rumi when are you going to start taking things seriously?" The older woman said sadly. "I know you are dedicated to this isolated lifestyle, but sometimes it is okay to ask for help. It does not make you any weaker to know your limits."
Rumi was slightly distracted by the comforting warmth that her agent's hand seemed to radiate. Did holding hands with someone always feel this nice?
"You make it sound so easy." Rumi said quietly as she stared out the window at the evening sky. "What will people say if I suddenly start acting differently? I mean I get it, I really do, but I have invested my whole life into becoming an independent hero. I can't just change overnight."
"Nobody is asking you to become a whole new person Rumi." Miss Sasaki said with a slightly exasperated tone. "I am just asking you to be more open minded. After all, it was sheer luck that I was able to get in contact with someone who was willing to look for you. I practically had to beg for aid, and your attitude towards everyone made it nearly impossible for me to find help."
Rumi frowned and turned to look at her agent with questioning eyes. "Actually, how did I get rescued? You said only one person was willing to help, was it Hawks? Because I can't think of anyone else who would be willing to look for me."
The somber look on Miss Sasaki's face changed into a teasing smirk as she let go of Rumi's hand and crossed her arms.
"Nope, not Hawks." She said with an amused chuckle. "I tried getting in contact with him but he never responded. In fact, every pro-hero I called either straight up refused to help or believed that you were not in any danger."
Rumi arched an eyebrow curiously and leaned forward as she tried to piece together what her agent was hinting at. "Look Sasaki just tell me who it was, because I obviously have no clue."
Miss Sasaki was silent for a few moments, withholding the answer like a young girl who was privy to a scandalous secret.
"It was Midoriya." She finally said with an amused grin.
To say Rumi was speechless with shock was an understatement. Maybe more along the lines of flabbergasted, dumbfounded, or gobsmacked.
"No fucking way." Rumi said in amazement as she tried to imagine what exactly had caused hell to freeze over.
Miss Sasaki laughed gently and nodded. "I was at my wit's end and he was my last hope. I practically begged for his help and for some reason he did. It actually kind of reminded me of something All-Might would do."
Rumi still was having trouble wrapping her head around the fact that the one person who had been willing to help was her grumpy former liaison.
"Are you sure it was him?" She asked incredulously. "I mean I treated him like shit, it might have been somebody else, right?"
Miss Sasaki nodded. "I am positive. He said he would help, and a few hours later two Ministry of Defense agents pulled up to my apartment and told me that I might be in danger. They took me to some kind of safehouse and would not tell me what was going on. At first I thought Midoriya might be trying to get back at me for your behavior, but the next morning they told me you had been found."
Leaning her head back into her pillows, Rumi furrowed her brows as she tried to think of a reason why Midoriya would go to such lengths for someone who had treated him so badly.
"That can't be all of it right?" Rumi asked. "I bet they made a big show of rescuing me or demanded some kind of reward for their work."
Miss Sasaki shook her head before speaking. "They did none of those things. At first I had the same thoughts and was waiting for them to drop your name at the press conference, but they never did. They simply said that several hostages had been rescued during the raid and that was it."
Well that certainly had been one hell of a curveball.
"I called him afterwards to thank him." Miss Sasaki continued. "But he simply said he was just doing his job. No snide remarks or veiled insults, just a simple and honest answer."
It was clear as day that Miss Sasaki was implying that Rumi did not deserve Midoriya's kindness.
Sighing in defeat, Rumi nodded glumly. "I get it, I fucked up big time with him. I had a lot of time to think back in the…" The hazy memories of that cold and damp basement came rushing back, and for a second Rumi could once again smell the mold and filth. As quickly as the memories arrived, they vanished. Leaving Rumi feeling queasy as she finished what she was saying. "...back in the warehouse. I know he probably hates my guts, but I am gonna apologize for how I treated him."
Like a proud mother, Miss Sasaki nodded in agreement as she patted Rumi's hand. "That is good to hear, maybe you did learn a few things after all."
Standing up and smoothing out her office clothes, Miss Sasaki returned to her usual sharp-tongued demeanor. "Get some rest Rumi. We can talk about fixing some of your screw-ups later."
"Yeah yeah, I know." Rumi said with a grin as she rolled her eyes. "Do me a favor and pass the remote would ya?"
With a knowing smirk, Miss Sasaki handed Rumi the TV remote before exiting the room.