"And that's it for class children, be sure that you do your best to prepare for the UA Sports Festival next week, enjoy your weekend! Young Todoroki and Midoriya, I'd like to speak with you two in private, so please don't leave just yet," said All Might, their Foundational Hero Studies teacher. They gathered up their belongings and waited for their classmates to leave the room, who gave them questioning looks as they walked out. Once the room was empty, they walked over to their teacher at the front of the classroom.

"My boys, I'd just like to commend you for your actions earlier this week. A young lady is safe and sound because of your attentiveness and ability to act."

"So she's okay then?! Whew, that's a relief! We'd been worried about her since we left her with Recovery Girl the other day. See, Todoroki? I knew she would be alright. All Might, would it be okay if we visit her?" asked Midoriya.

All Might's smile wavered for a moment, and he paused before replying, "Well, as much as I'd like to say that would be wonderful, it would be wise to keep some distance from her for the time being."

"What?!" said the boys in unison. Todoroki continued to speak after their initial shock. "Why is that, All Might? Aside from that cryptic warning, she didn't seem dangerous at all."

All Might stared at his students as he furrowed his brow in deep thought, then made up his mind. "This information isn't to leave this room, understand? The only reason I'm sharing it with you two is the fact that you were the ones to find her. It only seems right that you become aware of her situation. From what Recovery Girl and the Principal have learned, the girl could have an ability stealing power. They're currently trying to confirm the existence of this power and learn what they need to do to prevent it from being used accidentally. Unfortunately, other than what she told Recovery Girl when she first woke up, she's refused to tell us anything else. The poor girl's been through a challenging experience. She understandably needs time, but for us to help her, she has to speak."

"Let me talk to her!" Todoroki blurted out. "Please, sir. I'll be very cautious of course, but I feel like I should at least try to speak with her," Todoroki said as he bowed towards his teacher. Midoriya and All Might both were surprised to see this kind of request from him. It was rare that he showed such concern for another person. He kept to himself most of the time, quiet but attentive. The urgency in his voice as he made his request was out of place for him.

"Well, I'll discuss the idea with the others and let you know what they decide. I have to say I'm rather surprised, young Todoroki. I was expecting Midoriya here to be the one to insist upon meeting with her, but since you were the one to find her, I can understand if you feel a certain... bond with the person you rescued. I'll let you know soon how we intend to proceed. Remember, children. Not a word of this to anyone. Have a great weekend."

"Yes, sir." said the two as they bowed and left the room.

May 8th, 2011

Todoroki stood at the door to Recovery Girl's office, surprisingly nervous about what he'd find on the other side. He was grateful that the adults had decided to give him the chance to try talking to her. But now, he was having trouble figuring out what he wanted to say. He gently knocked on the door before opening it and saw the young woman he had saved lying on a hospital bed. She was on her side with her knees drawn up towards her body. Her eyes closed, but she didn't seem to be asleep. He walked in and stood in front of the chair that faced the bed.

"Hello, my name is Todoroki Shoto. I'm a first-year student at UA High School and I was the one that found you." He sat down in the chair and waited to see a reaction from her. "I understand that this must be very confusing for you, but you're safe now. No one here is going to hurt you." He noticed her eyes open as he talked about her safety. "But we can't help you if we don't know what's going on. I'll- err... we'll protect you, but you have to tell us from what."

37 watched him intently now, and he wondered if anyone else had gotten this much progress from her. "Well, if speaking about your troubles is difficult, why don't we start with who you are and where you live? I introduced myself when I first came in, but I don't know anything about you."

Her eyes went from his face to the bandages that were wrapped around his left arm. As he caught her looking, he reactively drew his arm up towards him, grasping it with his other hand.

"Are you wondering about this? It's nothing serious, just a small injury from the Sports Festival a couple days ago. It's nothing to worry about." His answer seemed to alleviate the worry she had shown subtlely.

"I don't have a name. Just a number, Subject 37," she replied to him. He found her voice soothing despite the lack of emotion in her words. "I'm from Academy City, and I don't know how I ended up here. My Esper ability makes it too dangerous for me to be around other people. I'm better off alone and secluded, I'm sorry that you wasted your time here, but you'd be safer if you stayed away from me."

Surprised by her bluntness, Todoroki was at a loss for how to respond. Should he listen to her advice and leave? Nothing would change if he left, so he tried to think of something to say. He never had trouble finding the right words to say in other stressful situations, why was it so hard now? He was reminded of his own sadness when he looked at her. His father's abuse and the regret he felt whenever he thought of his mother.

"I know how you feel, 37. I've had to deal with a lot of sadness and regret in my past. I still am, especially after what happened at the festival. At first, I felt like it was better to be isolated but now I'm not so sure that's true. Whatever it is, whatever the danger may be, I want to help you if you'll let me."

She slowly sat up, her limbs were weak and each movement seemed painful. She kept her eyes cast down towards the floor. "I can steal other Esper abilities, through direct skin contact. I can't control it and can't reverse it. If I steal your ability, it's gone forever. I'm sure you don't want to take the risk, and neither do I. The only thing I can expect from getting close to people is tragedy."

"I wouldn't be here if I wasn't willing to take the chance to help you! A hero that looks the other way when someone needs assistance has no right to call himself a hero." He paused for a moment, giving himself time to calm down and compose himself once more before continuing the conversation. "What's an Esper, 37?" asked Todoroki, who had never heard the term before. "Is that what they call Quirks in Academy City?"

"I'm not sure what Quirks are, or if they're comparable to Esper abilities. Do you have an ability, Todoroki?"

"Yeah. My Quirk is "Half-Cold Half-Hot," my left side controls fire and my right side controls ice." He raised his right hand and formed several icey spikes on it. 37 looked on in amazement as he placed them in his left hand and immediately melted them with a small flash of fire. "Since we're in the nurse's office I kept it to a very minimal level. I'm quite capable of covering this building in ice if I wanted to."

"So you've got to be at least a Level 4 Esper! Possibly even a 5 with that potential for power!" she said as she slid herself further away from Todoroki. He noticed her move but didn't want to take the chance of her refusing to speak anymore if he acknowledged it.

"I'm still not sure what an Esper is, but I'll assume that's a positive thing. So what about you, what level are you?"

"I never actively tried to raise my level. It was too... difficult. The Institute didn't appreciate my refusal to improve either and tried to dispose of me."

Dispose of her? Todoroki felt the same anger again that he had as he discovered the scars and wounds on her body just days before. "Is this Institute... are they the ones that hurt you? That gave you all those scars?"

She looked away, as though ashamed over something he wasn't aware of just yet. Her voice trembled as she spoke, "I'm the only one to blame for them. Each one is a life I ended, even if not by my own hand. They are my reminder that my ability will never allow me to fix anything. Or anyone." Tears began to well up in her eyes as she stopped talking.

I'm upsetting her, I should probably leave that subject alone for now. "Hey, hey, don't worry about it. So, what is it that you'd like to do, whether it's about your past or your present. What would you like me to help you with?"

37 seemed to relax once they changed to a different subject. "Well, there was a boy that I knew in Academy City. He was someone that I was trying to help. I'd like to find him, but I'm not sure I'd be welcomed back considering the way things were left between us. I may have unintentionally hurt him with my actions. Knowing that he's okay even if I don't get to be a part of his life anymore would probably be what I'd want most. I'm not sure I'm strong enough to face him though."

"37, I don't know you very well just yet, but I can tell you've endured a lot, and that in itself is a great source of strength. Don't doubt yourself, okay? I'll help you in any way I can as well. You should get some rest, but I hope to have the chance to speak with you again soon."

"I'd like that Todoroki, see you later," said 37 with a hint of a smile on her face. She turned away from him and laid back down, curling herself up again.

...

"That's great that you managed to get her to open up and share some of her past with you, my boy!" said All Might as they walked away from Recovery Girl's office. Todoroki had informed the staff what 37 had told him about her ability, so they had a better idea of how to treat her.

"I was confused about something, All Might. 37 referred to herself as an Esper. What is that?"

"Where she is from, Esper abilities are developed using Science. However, on the other side is Magic, which uses supernatural abilities from sources like spells, magic circles, that kind of thing. The two sides have had a long history of conflict. Those of us with Quirks tend to avoid getting involved in their affairs."

"So are Esper powers and Quirks the same thing?" asked Todoroki.

"No, our Quirks are a natural progression in human evolution. While some Espers have their abilities develop naturally, the majority of them are developed through very questionable and sometimes unethical Scientific methods. You could say that Quirks are more similar to some forms of Magic, which is more natural. If 37 is indeed an Esper, she must have had to deal with a lot to obtain the power she has." replied All Might.

"Is that so... Thank you for telling me, sir. I'll see you in class tomorrow," said Todoroki as he bowed and started walking away from his teacher and towards his home.

"You're welcome young Todoroki, and if you wish to speak with her again, you're welcome to come back anytime."

"Thanks, I appreciate that sir." There is still so much more about this girl I'd like to know, after all.