Calliope sat and listened to the brothers' remarkable story. Her story.

They told her that she had graduated from Juggernaut one year after Russ. Despite her fears, she had passed every exam with flying colours but that did little to boost her self-confidence. The brothers told her how they had become pro heroes in America and now went by the name the Skelebros.

Supposedly, Calliope had bumped into them one day. Russ had recognised her from Juggernaut and, after they got talking, suggested that she train under them as their apprentice. Before losing her memory, Calliope had been with them for almost 7 months. Her apprenticeship had been coming to an end.

They told her all about how far she had come, how much she had improved over the course of their time together. Russ then informed her all about their trip to the Japanese school of UA. That's where they were currently.

It all seemed so surreal to Calliope as she sat and listened to them. They had even shown her articles with her photo in them, and videos of them fighting and training together. But even after hearing and witnessing all this, she still couldn't believe it were true.

It was so strange to see herself on screen dressed in a skin tight hero costume, fighting along side two pros. The young woman in the videos and magazines looked strong, confident and unfamiliar. It was her but at the same time it wasn't.

And all the while as the brothers relayed this information, she couldn't help but notice how Sam's eyes would glaze over sadly. She couldn't help but feel as though he was withholding information from her. What else had occurred over the course of her time with them?

Over the next few weeks, many people came to visit Calliope, none of whom she recognised. Yet they all approached her as you would an old friend. She took the time to learn, or relearn, all their names. They all had stories to tell and encouragement to give. She listened. She smiled. She tried to remember. It killed her not to remember.

Even when they showed her photos of her last few days before losing her memory, of her dressed in green satin, of her smiling with her arms around friends, of Sam smiling with his arms around her...

She simply couldn't recall a single moment. But how she longed to. How she longed to remember the laughter, the friendships and every intimate moment in between.

As soon as her legs found their strength, she took to the training grounds. If she really had become the young woman she had seen standing proudly in the photos and fighting along side two pro heroes, she was determined to achieve it all over again.

It was a strange thing to have to do- rediscovering the person you once were. It seemed she had learnt so much and come so far, only to be hurtled straight back to the starting line again. All the friendships and memories she had made had to be formed all over again. But would they ever be the same? What if she couldn't become the person they once knew? What if she became someone else this time around? What if she couldn't achieve what she had done the first time around?

These kind of thoughts plagued her daily as she restarted her training. The Skelebros were patient and kind, yet she knew they were treading carefully. She could tell by the way they looked at her that they didn't see the Calliope they once knew, but a stranger. She no longer understood the insides jokes they sometimes let slip, or couldn't recall the events from the anecdotes they shared. And when it came to fighting along side them, well, she simply couldn't find her rhythm. She would often spar with Russ and Sam, sometimes together and other times one on one. And every time she could feel them holding back. It felt like they were babying her. Perhaps they felt like they were being kind, but to her it felt almost cruel.

"I wish you'd stop looking at me like that," she eventually snapped one day. Her brow was coated in sweat and her hair was coming lose from it's braid. Sam looked startled as he stepped back from her.

They were just wrapping up another sparring session. Calliope had once been highly skilled at grappling but, even after 2 weeks of solid training, she still hadn't managed to make either of her mentors tap out.

"Like what?" He asked, smiling that fake smile he always wore these days.

"Like you're looking at a ghost." She frowned angrily as she rubbed a towel across the back of her neck. She had removed her visor and tossed it onto a bench. It had been Yaoyorozu who had made her a new visor for her old one still remained lost. It's design was far simpler, no longer resembling the head of a viper.

Russ was back at the dorm planning his lessons for the week, much to Calliope's disappointment. Ever since she woke up from her quirk, he had shown the most tact. Even though he was a stranger to her all over again, she had gravitated towards him with ease. They spoke freely and comfortably. He didn't make her feel like an imposter. Sam, however, was a different story entirely. She often caught him glancing sadly at her. When he spoke to her, his voice was unnaturally polite and cheery. She had heard how he spoke to others; his voice was low and lazy, a casual drawl that was pleasant to the ear. But when he spoke to her, his tone was almost grating.

Sam's eyes watched her carefully as she strode angrily over to the water dispenser. She filled a cup and hoped the chilled liquid would ease her flaring temper. Perhaps she was being unfair. In fact, a part of her knew she was. The frustrations of trying to regain all that she had lost from her tragic ordeal were causing her to lash out. Did the old Calliope ever lash out? What did it matter...

"Calli..." he called softly. She hadn't noticed him draw closer.

"I-I'm sorry." He muttered.

His small voice did nothing to calm her mounting vexations. She took another sip of water.

"It's just-"

"Just what?" She snapped, spinning to face him. Her glaring eyes locked on to his mournful ones and his body froze beneath her gaze. She wasn't wearing her visor.

Her quirk held him like a vice as she continued to look fixedly at him. She had caught him mid sentence. His lips were parted slightly and his eyes were wide, giving him the appearance of a rabbit caught in headlights. Of course, he couldn't answer her but she waited silently nonetheless as her acid-yellow eyes searched his bewildered face.

"Is it just that you're disappointed that I haven't fallen into your arms yet?" She spat.

"Or that I'm no longer the smiling heroine you remember?"

The anger flowed into every word as she continued to vent her rage at her petrified prisoner.

"Perhaps you're worried I'll never become the Calliope you once knew. And maybe I won't. What then? Hm, Sam?"

His eyes were beginning to water. Whether it was because of her quirk or because of her words, she couldn't be sure. But she continued her rant anyway.

"What then, Sam?"

She took a step closer, close enough that she could hear how ragged his breathing was.

"Are you just going to continue to look at me like I'm some sort of headstone?"

Now it was her eyes that were beginning to water.

"I don't know what you thought we were before I turned to stone..." She croaked as her voice threatened to break.

"But that isn't us anymore. So, continue to look at me like you don't know who I am because...I don't know who you are either!"

And when she closed her eyes finally as tears threatened to escape them, she heard Sam's rattled intake of air as he was released from her quirk.

"I know you don't remember..." she heard him whisper into the silence of the room.

"But one of the last things I said to you was-"

Calliope felt her heart skip a beat.

"Don't." She moaned, with a slow shake of her head.

Though no one had told her explicitly, from the conversations she had had with the students of UA and Russ, she had guessed early on that she had once possessed feelings for Sam Gaster. And that he had possessed, and clearly still did, feelings for her. But to hear him say the words, in this setting. No...

It was all still too much, too soon.

She turned away with her eyes still closed. She could feel him watching her as she strode over to her pick up her visor. After slipping it on, she turned back to face him but he had already left.

"I know it's hard, brother. But you can't expect her to suddenly make up a years worth of lost time in the space of a few weeks."

Russ sat on the armchair opposite Sam later that evening.

"I know..." was all he managed.

It pained Russ to see Sam so heartbroken. Though his health had returned to him, the sadness still remained. He hoped it wouldn't send him into another downward spiral. When he watched his older brother reached for a packet of peanuts, he was thankful to see that he was at least still eating.

"Give her time," Russ said through a sympathetic smile.

But he knew his words did little to quiet the fears in Sam's head. He knew what his older sibling feared above all was the notion that Calliope may not fall in love with him a second time round. As he watched his brother chew quietly, Russ thought it best to leave the conversation at that.

As the days drew on, Russ watched Calli's relationships with the students of Class 1A begin to reform as naturally as they had done the first time around. She had started to attend their lessons to relearn the skills and techniques she once knew. Russ wasn't at all surprised to see how quickly she progressed. When he and his brother had first taught her all those months ago, they had both been equally impressed by her prowess. So, as he watched Calliope take Mina down with a swift swipe of her lean legs, he couldn't help but smile as they laughed it off.

"Geez, Calli!" Quipped Mina as she rubbed her behind, "Don't hold back, or anything!"

Calliope grinned as she helped the pink girl to her feet.

"Oh c'mon! I was just getting you back for beating me in the race the other day!"

"Mina totally won by fluke!" Kaminari butted in.

The students then began to argue amicably as Sam approached the scene. He had just returned from a meeting with the principal about their future plans to stay in Japan.

"How did it go?" Russ asked his brother over the continued bickering.

Sam shrugged, his eyes gliding over the scene, stropping only for a moment on Calliope's obliviously smiling face.

"I told him we'd be staying a little longer until we discuss our plans with Calli."

Russ nodded and gave a heavy sigh. The discussion in question would be an awkward one. Calliope had been mere weeks from completing her apprenticeship with them and becoming a full time member of their team. The three of them shared a home back in America and were supposed to have been back there months ago now. But after the incident with Calliope's quirk, none of them knew what the future held for their team. They would have to ask Calliope if she wanted to remain with them or go solo. Perhaps she wouldn't want to continue hero work at all. The notion made by brothers' hearts ache but it was out of their hands.

"We'll bring it up with her this weekend." Russ suggested. Sam nodded at his side.

"In the meantime..." Russ began, lowering his voice so that only his older sibling could hear, "why don't you take Calli out for an evening this week?"

He felt Sam's eyes turn on him. The students were now lounging casually in groups along the training grounds. Their lesson had ended 10 minutes ago but Russ was yet to dismiss them. They didn't seem to notice as they chatted amongst themselves.

"I don't think that's a good idea," Sam muttered back, his hands in his pockets. Though he couldn't see them, Russ knew Sam's fingers were toying with the inner lining of his pockets- a habit he had developed when nervous or uncomfortable, which happened to be more and more frequent these days.

Russ sighed again.

"I'm sick of seeing you two avoiding each other."

Sam clicked his tongue. "Oh, I'm sorry. How hard it must be for you..." his tone dripped in sarcasm and spite. But it didn't faze Russ as he replied.

"Sam. At the end of the day, that's still Calli." He nodded in her direction. She was laughing with the group of girls about something Hagakure had said.

"Yes, she's lost all memory of the past year. But I guarantee she still likes spicy food and fruity drinks..."

He turned to see Sam's expression soften.

"...and chocolate cake and the sound of old, vinyl records."

Sam's lip twitched.

"So pull yourself together and treat her to those things. She deserves it."

Russ gave a final, heavy sigh as he placed a hand on his brother's slouching shoulder.

"Honestly, Sam..." he breathed, as his sibling turned to face him.

"I can't believe I'm the one giving you dating advice."

Sam grunted a laugh. It had always been him and Calliope who urged Russ to approach members of the opposite sex. Despite all his confidence, the younger sibling had always been somewhat oblivious to the advances of women. Sam, on the other hand, could usually charm his way in or out of any situation.

"And if she declines?" Sam spoke up, his voice trying sound casual despite his obvious worry.

Russ shrugged, "well at least you tried, right?"