CHAPTER 2 – Dragon Lady awakes

She woke up with a start. Her body ached as she slowly came back to her senses. Fuck, that was horrible. She groaned and hissed angrily, feeling like a herd of bulls had trampled all over her. Her back was as stiff as a wood board, and thousands of needles were piercing her arms and ankle. At least I'm feeling them, now, she mused humourlessly.

Philae cracked open a tired eye. Her blurred surroundings were white and smelt aseptic. Hospital? That was the most plausible explanation. The question now was: how did she get here? Surely she did not teleport herself. Maybe one of the heroes of whom she had taken the place had taken pity on her and carried her smelly body here. Given her state when she collapsed, it might have been better for them to have fought the monster instead.

She chuckled inwardly at her dry joke, and regretted it immediately when a wave of pain crashed on her chest. Nausea threatened to knock her, too. Great.

"Ah, good, you're awake."

The stranger's voice came from her left and startled her. She hissed again as her body jerked, glaring at the... cat in uniform? Was she hallucinating, or was there really an animal standing on two legs at her side? Her eyes widened, and her brain finally provided her with the memory that in this world, there could indeed be humanoid animals. So this guy was normal. No drug involved. Her furry visitor took her bewildered look as a sign for him to explain his presence.

"Officer Tamagawa, Miss," he introduced himself curtly. "Do you understand me? Blink once if you do."

Grateful for not having to voice anything when her throat felt like sandpaper, she did as requested. Yes, she understood. He nodded and proceeded further.

"Good. Do you remember what caused you to be at the hospital?"

She blinked again. Yes, she remembered quite well having to fight a huge, mindless beast while heroes and civilians watched her struggling, thank you very much. The policeman did not seem to sense her annoyance and continued.

"Yes, that will help us greatly during the investigation. As you may know, interfering with heroic interventions using one's Quirk is strictly forbidden, for the safety of the civilians as well as that of our teams. I'm here to keep you under surveillance, until you're able to answer our questions and provide us with your version of the happenings. Please understand that we do this for your own good, as we try to understand how you ended fighting a dangerous villain on your own. Besides, the absence of identity file suggests that..."

Philae stopped listening. Wait... what? Surveillance? Am I a criminal, now? She could not believe her ears. If she had not used her "Quirk", as he put it, she would be a red blotch on the asphalt by now, and even worse, an innocent would have died! How could she be expected to do nothing? And speaking of said heroes, she wanted so badly to tell him about the way they stared and did nothing...

Unfortunately, she could only groan and glare at the officer, trying to convey how offended she felt. He might have understood, but showed nothing of it.

"I'm sure you want to tell us how you see things. For the time being, focus on your healing and resting."

She groaned again. Suddenly, a thought popped into her head and her anger melted into anxiety. If she was in here, where was Anubis? She lost interest in the walking cat entirely and tried to look for the dog. He could not stay in her room, could he? Please, let him be okay! Misunderstanding her reaction for a stress-induced fit, Tamagawa tried to pin her down, calling for help. A nurse sprung into the room with a needle, and Philae outright panicked and trashed.

"Please, calm down!" the policeman yelled at her. "Nobody's going to harm you, Miss."

"N... Nah..."

Getting words out of her burning throat felt like a nightmare, but it was still less frightening than the horrid syringe aiming at her arm. She did not want any needle to pierce through her skin ever again. She had had too many nasty experiences with those.

"Miss, please, calm down, or we'll have to sedate you."

"N... No... P-pleasss..." she stuttered painfully. Why did they not understand?

Eventually the nurse stabbed her with her glass weapon, and Philae's head buzzed unpleasantly with the sedative she got injected with. Her grasp on things loosened, leaving her a handful of seconds to send a betrayed look at the policeman, before her consciousness faded again.

The lab door opened swiftly and let a tall man enter. Philae knew he was coming for her. It was time for her "subduing" session, as he put it. Every single day, at the same time, he would drag her to a table. She would see the needle penetrate her bruised arm, and then she would lose control over her own body. Little by little, he would ingrain in her the words of submission, the orders she would have to obey without a second thought. From time to time, she would then be put into an arena in front of a robot, and she would have to put what she had learnt into practice.

She was five at the time, and she was not a good behaving child. She would always be punished for each of her misdeeds. It did not matter to her, as long as her brother was safe. He was obeying dutifully and was an example to all the other experiments. But if Philae behaved too badly, he would be beaten in her place. She did not want that. She tried her best to muzzle her resistance. She tried with all her might to prevent him from being punished.

The man would sometimes praise her when she did good. He would give her a nicer meal and a pat on the head, like she was a pet. Then he would throw her back in her cage and would not return until the next day, at the same time, with his syringe and sick smile.

When she finally could get away, she had made sure that he would never get to smile again.

The next time she arose from her medicated slumber, Philae only thought of her poor canine companion. She might have been lying in that bed for days, and she was certain that her dog friend would not be cared for in the meantime. Was he alive, at least? Could she hope that?

She slowly opened her eyes, feeling at least a little better physically. Her body had stopped aching all over. It only tingled in some places where her injuries had been worse than others. She was thirsty, though. She would kill for a glass of water...

A monitor beeped next to her, and she turned to look where she had last seen the cat – Tamagawa, was it? –. The officer was not there. In his place, a nurse was monitoring her vitals, and she smiled when she saw her patient awake.

"Good morning, Miss, I'm glad to see you finally awake."

Philae blinked and nodded slowly. She successfully sat up against her pillow and tentatively raised a hand to point at her throat, hoping that the nurse would understand. She needed water, could she have some? She was satisfied to see her message got across. The nurse clapped a hand on her mouth and gasped.

"Oh, of course! You got rid of those horrid tubes yesterday, no wonder you're thirsty! Here, I'm fetching you a glass of water!"

Philae nodded appreciatively and waited. When she could finally get the crystal ambrosia down her throat, she almost cried with relief. She cautiously tried forming a word and croaked a "Thank you" to the now beaming nurse.

After she had been checked for any problem, she was left to her own devices. She tried asking for Anubis, but as expected, she was only told that animals were not permitted in the building. Hygiene precautions. Of course. Anguish and sadness squeezed her heart.

After some time debating whether she had the right to rip her catheter off and get the hell away from this huge mess, someone knocked on her room door and entered. A normal-looking man appeared at the foot of her bed, a hat clasped in his hands, and he bowed at her smiling politely.

"Good morning, Miss. I'm Naomasa Tsukauchi, in charge of the investigation department. I was advised you were going better and would soon be able to enlighten us with the events that got you in this situation. Do you feel you could...?"

He did not finish his sentence, but Philae understood what he meant. Was she ready to get interrogated? It did not really matter, and she shrugged.

"S'pose now's as good as ever," she answered simply, clearing her throat to speak with a normal voice. "Ask away."

"Very well. First of all, I'd like you to decline your identity. Part of the reason why you were under surveillance is that we cannot find any file on you. It's like you never existed before some days prior. Maybe it was erased from our database, or maybe there wasn't any in the first place, but either way, we don't know what to do with you and it raises questions about your intentions that day..."

So that's what it's all been about. As she came from another world, it was true that they could not find any trace of her existence. Therefore, it seemed only logical that the police thought she was an underground villain or something. The realisation did nothing to calm her anger flaring at the thought of being suspected of crimes she did not commit, but well... could she really say the truth? Quirks and supernatural events must have been common knowledge for them, but someone travelling worlds? Was it not too far-fetched?

Naomasa had sat down and was staring intently at her, sensing that she was hesitating. Philae mentally sighed when she realised he could see through her lies if she tried. He was from the police. Maybe his Quirk consisted of seeing truth from lie. She took a steadying breath and decided to be honest.

"I'm... er... My name is Philae Crawford, born Thatch. I'm a naturalised American citizen thanks to my adoptive father. My biological parents passed away when I was very young. As for why you didn't find me anywhere... I'll try to put it simply and please, please try to believe me: I'm from another world, another dimension, and my identity back there does not exist here, for I was not born here but there... you see?"

Silence was all she got. Naomasa's gaze did not leave her the whole time she spoke, making her truly believe he could read minds and see lies. She said the truth, though. A very simplified version of it, but still. Nonetheless, she began doubting as silence stretched between them, and anxiety made its way up her chest. But finally, the detective opened his mouth.

"I see," he said simply, "though I find it hard to believe. May I inquire how you were even be able to... come here? Is it a Quirk that you have?"

Philae licked her bottom lip nervously. That was going to be a long conversation.

"Well, yes, and no. This ability was... lent to me. A friend of mine, let's say, allowed me to travel worlds in order to succeed in my search for something, and I'm expected to give it back to her once I'm done."

"Is that so?" He arched an eyebrow at her. "What abilities do you have for yourself, then?"

Oh, that was going to be a funny one.

"Um... where do I start? Huh, okay, first, in the world where I come from, Quirks are simply called magic. So, in that perspective, I have elemental magic linked to fire, mostly, and a bit of the other three, though I don't control them that well. Then, I have bonds with nature, especially flying creatures, reptiles, and most predators." She enumerated while raising fingers. "Also, I can summon dragons of all kinds to help me in battle. Well, it's not as easy as it sounds, I have to make a sort of contract with them, otherwise they won't be fighting willingly for me, but in theory I can make them fight if I really want to. In fact, as soon as I make a contract with a dragon, I can use their ability as it was my own: fire, bonding with nature, and so on. I've dealt with three of them, so far, hence my having three different skills. Besides... let's just say I have a thing with everything a dragon can do, including physical assets."

"You mean scales, wings?" the policeman tried to make sure he understood. Just what sort of superhuman is she?

"Yes," she confirmed, smiling sadly when she caught the feeling behind his veiled eyes. "I'm quite a freak, ain't I?"

"N-not at all! I'm just surprised," he tried to reassure her. "Fire and bonds with nature make two skills, what is the third?"

"Erm, well..."

She hesitated, fidgeting. Should she tell about this? This was probably the reason why the puppet attacked her in the first place, if its master knew of her power – given all the possible Quirks, some of them unknown to the police, it was highly possible one could give its user access to such knowledge –. Still, this could also put her directly to jail, if Naomasa thought she was too dangerous. The detective sensed her worry and straightened himself.

"Please, do continue. I can assure you everything you'll say will be in your favour, as sign of your willing cooperation."

"Easier said than done, really... okay, how do I say it. I can... er, I can blast things with solar energy. I.. I can draw energy from the sun and cast it on whatever I please, often resulting in my target melting into a puddle, or disintegrating completely. Don't ask me how I could ever meet a dragon with such power, I hardly know myself." That was her first half-lie, but she did not want to broach the subject just yet, and the policeman nodded to show he respected her silence on this particular subject. For now. "Anyway, I think the monster I fought against was after me because of that. I'm not saying I know for sure, mind me. It's just... a hunch. Theoretically, I could turn the planet to ashes, if I felt like it and had enough energy in my body to do so. That's a great deal of power, you sure have realised by now."

I'm sure any villain would greatly enjoy having my power, she thought grimly. Others already have just thinking about the possibility of it happening.

Philae chased these thoughts away. She watched Naomasa as he was typing hurriedly on his phone. When he finished whatever he had been doing, he turned back to her, face unreadable.

"That's a lot of information to digest, yes." He put his phone away and rested his chin on top of his joined hands. "But I think it explains a lot of things. How many dragons do you know of?"

"I'm not sure. There must be a dozen of them? As many as there are elements and primary sources of power in the universe, I suppose: electricity, fire, earth, water, stars... I didn't push myself too much in that direction, and I sure didn't ask. I barely control my powers and it's dangerous enough as it is..."

"Okay, okay, I get it. And how can you summon them, if you cannot go through the separations of the worlds on your own?"

"Again, I'm not sure..." She sighed and raised her right arm at eye level, where he could see a red tattoo slithering around her limb. "When I make a contract with a dragon, this appears, as a token of the link established between us. As it seems, it is some sort of... er, magical bridge? Yeah, a magical bridge between the worlds, so that I can summon them anywhere." She lowered her arm and continued pensively, "Kai – my elder brother – once told me only our family had it in their blood, the ancient connection to beings existing only in our legends, until they descend upon earth to cause mayhem. I guess it's very much like your Quirks, really, if you think about it. You've never seen a power like mine before, but if it were the other way round, your colleague, Tamagawa, would have been a strange sight in my world, unless he was a human with werecat-like powers. But human before all, and with the ability to turn into an animal. Although I must admit magic is quite rare where I come from either."

"I understand. You're unique in your world, too, then."

It was a statement. Philae nodded slowly.

"Yes, although my adoptive father keeps the sharks at bay, and very few people know of what I can do. Knowledge of that sort is too dangerous."

The detective, nodded, seemingly preoccupied with something. He rubbed his eyes tiredly.

"Well, let's say the Noumu – that's how this kind of monsters is named, by the way –, was sent to you, to get you to its villain master. You fought it because you did not know of our world's laws forbidding you to, am I correct?"

She agreed.

"Yes. I just wanted to escape it, really, but then I heard this child under the rubble, needing help, and I was the only one close enough to prevent the beast from harming them... So I acted instinctively. I had to protect them from harm. I couldn't let them be hurt."

She stopped her babbling and chided herself mentally for sounding so silly. Yet Naomasa took a sharp intake of breath, his eyes suddenly alight with realisation. He eventually nodded and smiled.

"I see. Thank you for your testimony."

"I... I know I shouldn't have... but I couldn't... Oh, gods almighty, I know I sound crazy, but it's the truth! I'll go to jail if I must, but please don't think..."

"I believe you," he assured her. "I can see you're telling the truth, even if your tale has been unheard of so far. Don't worry, you won't go to prison for that. It'll take a huge amount of paperwork, and you'll probably have to face the press at least once, but other than that, you're clear to me."

"Oh..."

Philae found herself stupid. Naomasa smiled his first true smile.

"Now," he said standing up, "I will inform my hierarchy of your situation. Please let me know if you need anything. In the meantime, we will forward some documents to you, to sort your identity out and provide you with actual papers. I'll come back to gather some more details, but it can wait. Please, take care of yourself..."

"Wait!" she shouted all of a sudden. "I... I'd like to ask you..."

"Yes?"

"Did you... did your colleagues find a black dog, on the scene where the fight happened? It's my friend and... and I couldn't bear to know he... he..."

She could not say the word "died". She did not want to think about this possibility. Naomasa understood and shook his head.

"Not that I know of. But we'll have a look, if the occasion arises."

"Okay..."

She deflated and looked down sadly. She silently prayed the gods her companion was okay.

The detective left after that. As promised, Philae received an enormous stack of forms to fill out, so that she could get identity papers sorted out. Tamagawa came back to ask her if she knew where to live after she got discharged from the hospital, to which she answered that she had absolutely no idea whatsoever. She would probably look for a job once her papers got ready, and find a not too shabby apartment. The humanoid cat nodded and let her be.

After two or three days doing nothing and getting impatient and fidgety, Philae was finally announced she could be discharged. To her surprise, Naomasa showed up with clothes for her, her identity papers, and an offer.

"I asked around to see if I could find you a place to stay, until you did what you had to do. I suppose you won't be staying very long?"

She shrugged uncertainly.

"It depends if I find what I'm looking for, or not."

"May I ask what it is?"

"You may." She sat down on the bed. "I mentioned my elder brother, Kai, last time. You remember?" He nodded, and she continued, "Okay. He lives in the world where I come from, and he's dying. He's... He has great powers too. I won't go into details, but because of a... a trauma he experienced, his body cannot contain all his magic anymore. His symptoms are close to that of an implant rejection, only that he did not get any. I'm trying to... to find something, or someone, that could heal him. The damage on his body could be mended, so that it does not reject his magic anymore, or he could find someone to share his magic with, anything that would lift the pressure he's suffering from. Euther way, I'll try whatever I can to find a solution. He needs me."

"You hope to find a Quirk that could do the trick, then?"

"Yes. If such a Quirk existed, that is."

"We'll see, then. What about you?"

The question took Philae off-guard.

"Me?"

"Yes. You told me your brother suffered a trauma which disabled him partially by weakening his body tolerance towards his magic, if I understand correctly. But Tamagawa told me about your panic attack, the first day you awoke here. He told me you were afraid of syringes, and that once sedated, you mumbled incoherently about a lab and whatnot. If my intuition is right, then I assume you also suffered from some trauma, maybe the same as your brother. You yourself admitted that you have difficulties reining your powers, and find them dangerous. Hence, my question: what about you? Is your body capable of containing your power?"

She was speechless, unable to reply to him. How could she, when he nailed everything she had been worrying about all those years? He quickly back-pedalled and apologised when he saw her crestfallen expression.

"My apologies, I shouldn't pry like that. I went too far."

She needed some time to regain her composure, and when she did, she eluded him with a wave of her hand and a wavering smile.

"I'm fine for now. It's not me that's important."

She meant her words. Her brother was all she cared about, and she would not let herself rest before she could save him. Damn the consequences. Naomasa studied her face for some seconds and finally sighed.

"Right... Anyway, back to what I was saying. I asked around, and an old friend of mine got an idea. Do you know of U.A High?"

"I'm afraid not."

"It's a rather prestigious academia for aspiring young heroes. I know the teachers and the principal there, and they accepted to keep you for the time being. I know it sounds rather peculiar, but they are the best compromise between your goal and ours. We must keep you on close watch and protection, in case more villains try to reach out to you again, and the teachers there are pro heroes who would be able to offer both things. Plus, if you wish, you may get a deeper knowledge of this world and train regularly with young, motivated students..."

"Wait, are you saying what I think you are?"

She was baffled. The detective only smirked.

"Well, you do have great skills, and even if it's out of the villain's reach, I must confess we'd like to make sure you'd be willing to support and help our cause should the need arise... There's a huge shitstorm coming our way, and I'd like to think we'd be able to find an arrangement beneficial to all. We need all the allies we can find."

"In other words, you'll help me look around for information concerning how to help my brother, and in exchange, I'll stay at U.A High to be watched and become some kind of hero sidekick?"

"Why only a sidekick?" he grinned, "Let's train you into a full independent hero, if you wish to!"

The idea got her excited, somehow. She could become a hero, flashy costume and all, and help Kai in the meantime. Who would not be thrilled? It sounded fun, why not give it a try? It could not be worse than her adoptive father dressing her in frill and corsets, after all. Naomasa beamed at her.

"I see you're on, if your smile is any indication. Good. I'll give you a lift, then. Principal Nedzu and my friend are expecting you. They can't wait to meet the Dragon Lady everyone's been talking about lately."

Philae started.

"The... what?"

She frowned at the detective, who only smiled.

"Dragon Lady. That's the name the press came up with, when word of your impressive show with the Noumu spread like wildfire. Very fitting, I say, now that I know about your Quirk."

He laughed at her incredulity, and she eventually shook her head smiling. Great, now she had a pseudonym without even asking. This world seemed set on making her a hero. She would gladly accept her fate, then.

And this is it for the second chapter!

As you've probably seen, this is going to be a slow burn kind of romance, and the background of Philae needs some time to be shaped.

I hope Naomasa's not too OOC _