May 10th, 2011

"Thank you for meeting with me today, everyone. I know you're busy with classes, so I'll try to keep this brief. Recently, a couple of our students saved a young lady from an unknown fate. The girl, who goes by Subject 37, or 37 for short, is apparently from Academy City and is believed to be an Esper." Some low murmurs accompanied Principal Nezu's last statement.

Aizawa raised his hand to speak. "Sir, we've done all we can to avoid involving ourselves in that city's troubles. It's bad enough that the Science side thinks that we're supportive of the Magic side for no other reason than the similarity of our abilities. For the most part, they've avoided us as well."

"That is all true, Mr. Aizawa, and it is suspicious how she ended up in our city. Someone specifically took her from wherever she had been receiving treatment for her injuries and transported her here on purpose. It's just a theory at this point, but I don't believe it was the Science side that did it."

"What makes you believe that sir?" asked All Might.

"Because if she is indeed an Esper, what purpose could sending her out of the city have for them? With an ability like hers, she would be one of the more powerful Espers. They favor that kind of power, especially if it can be used against the Magic side. It seems more likely that someone or even a group of Magic users kidnapped her from Academy City and left her here to either keep her from being utilized by Science whenever their fight truly begins, or to find a way to manipulate her to fight on their side."

All Might nodded in agreement, "Yes, that does seem to be a likely strategy on their part. From what we've observed from 37, she doesn't act like she wants to use her ability, almost as though she's afraid of it."

Recovery Girl spoke up at that point, "I have a theory about that, All Might. If you're aware, 37 has a multitude of scars and wounds covering her body. I believe that whenever her ability is activated, her body is physically affected. It's almost similar to Midoriya's situation, where his Quirk is more powerful than his body can handle. Which makes me wonder if she is an Esper. What if she was manifesting Magic abilities, or even more surprisingly, a Quirk? I've heard rumors that in Academy City there is a defense mechanism that injures Magic users if they attempt to use spells or magic within the city. Her injuries could be the result of a reaction to whatever defenses they have there."

"It would make it more likely that Magic wants her for their fight against Academy City if she was using magic rather than a developed ability. If Academy City was trying to develop an Esper power in a natural Magic user, it's likely that physical harm would be a result. It's nearly impossible for someone to use both without putting themselves in danger," said the Principal.

"I think we should find out for ourselves what the nature of her power is. If it turns out to be Magic or even a Quirk, then perhaps we could help her to learn how to use and control it?" All Might suggested to the group.

Aizawa responded, "Well, first of all, I think we should decide whether or not we want to involve ourselves with her situation at all. By helping her, we'll be inserting ourselves into a conflict that we've been avoiding for many years. Are we prepared to handle whatever backlash there may be?"

The teachers looked at each other, they all seemed hesitant to get their world involved in the ongoing Science and Magic situation. All Might was the first to speak up. "Our politics involving Academy City aside, a young lady is in need of help. How could we truly call ourselves heroes if we just looked the other way? Like I mentioned to young Midoriya not so long ago, meddling when you don't need to is the essence of being a hero!"

"Well said, All Might. So are we at least in agreement that 37 should be protected despite whatever we decide to do?" Everyone present nodded in agreement with the Principal. "All right then. As long as she accepts, we'll take her in as a ward of U.A. High and find out the nature of her ability. Once we know what we're dealing with, we can have a better chance of helping her learn how to use and control it so she can feel more at ease. Recovery Girl, I'd like for you to be in charge of identifying her ability. All Might and Aizawa, I'll leave her in your care while she's in school. She'll likely be more comfortable in class 1-A since she's already familiar with Todoroki and Midoriya. It's important that we allow her to feel like a normal student. We should try to avoid causing her further distress while she recovers. Thank you all for being here, good day."

July 1st, 2011

"You've done very well with your rehab sessions 37. I dare say that your muscles are nearly back to the condition they were in before your accident. To accomplish so much in just two months is extraordinary!" said Recovery Girl as 37 sat back down after finishing her latest workout.

"My body does heal a little faster than most people. I know your ability could speed it up even faster, but I'm still not comfortable with taking the chance, I'm sorry." replied 37.

"There's nothing to worry about, dear. I'm just happy to see you making progress. Speaking of progress, the testing results for the origin of your ability should be coming at any time now."

37 nodded at the news, "I'm a little anxious to find out what this ability is. I never knew much about my family, so I can't say for sure where I'm from or who I am. All I'm sure of is my parents died, and no one was left to care for me. A family friend was the one to leave me at the Institute. Now I wonder if there is a possibility I'm not originally from Academy City."

Recovery Girl smiled at the young lady before her, "You won't have to wonder much longer, dear. Now run along, I believe your friend Todoroki is waiting for you. I'll call you when it's time."

37 nodded and stood up to leave. She had gotten to the point where she only needed a cane to help keep her balance as she walked. "Thank you Recovery Girl, for everything," she said as she left the room. Todoroki had been standing outside the door to the nurse's office. "Oh, hey Todoroki. How are you today?" she asked.

"I'm doing well, how have you been 37? Did you get your results back yet?" replied Todoroki as they started walking down the hall together.

"Not yet, Recovery Girl said she'd call me when they're in though. To be honest, I'm a little nervous."

Todoroki wasn't quite sure how to respond, he didn't have much experience with comforting anyone, much less a girl. "Well, it won't be long now. Is there a specific result you'd prefer if you don't mind me asking?"

"Well, I always assumed I was an Esper, but if there's a way that it could be Magic or a Quirk, I think I'd rather it be one of those. Being an Esper only brought me sadness and pain. I couldn't change anything about what I was. But if I had a Quirk or Magical ability, then perhaps I could change my ability or even get rid of it entirely. I never wanted this power in the first place..."

"I... understand how you feel. There were times back when I was training with my old man that I wished I didn't have my Quirk. A lot of pain could have been avoided if I had been born without it." Aside from his conversations with Midoriya during the Sports Festival, he never spoke of his past to anyone. For some reason, it was easy to talk to 37. He was grateful for these talks with her. Even when the discussion turned to dark subjects like their pasts, he felt better after speaking to her. She still kept most of her history to herself, but he thought that she was getting more comfortable and would open up eventually. He wondered why she was keeping whoever hurt her a secret. He hoped one day she would tell him so he could make sure they don't lay a hand on her again.

"I-I didn't realize your ability caused you so much pain. It's an amazing power, you can use it to make a lot of positive change in the world," 37 said as she approached the door to her room.

Todoroki felt his face get a little hot; her comment caught him off guard. "Uh... yeah. I suppose it could. Same for you 37, try not to think too negatively about yourself either. Get some rest, I'm sure your rehab must have been tiring."

"Hey there Todoroki, hi 37!" yelled Midoriya as he jogged down the hallway to catch up to them. "I heard that you'd be joining us in class soon, is that true?"

"Hello Midoriya, yeah that's true. I'm a little older than a typical first-year student, but Principal Nezu and All Might think it would be good for me to be present for your lessons."

"That's awesome, I'm sure you'll like it. It's just too bad that it'll be so close to the summer break! Are you ready to walk to the station, Todoroki?" Midoriya asked.

"Yeah, I suppose," he answered with slight disappointment in his voice. He knew Midoriya didn't intend to, but mentioning going home spoiled the good mood he had been in during his time with 37. He knew that his father would be there, and he didn't want another confrontation like they had at the Sports Festival. His father was already pissed about him visiting his Mom, but he didn't care.

"I'll see you soon, Todoroki. Thank you for walking me to my room, I always enjoy our little chats," she said with a smile. He had grown to look forward to that smile whenever they met. Something about it was encouraging, and it helped him to feel slightly better about going home.

"Yeah, same to you 37. Let me know what you find out from Recovery Girl. I hope you get the outcome you want. See you later." He watched her enter her room and close the door behind her. Whenever they parted ways, something always seemed to feel missing.

"Everything okay, Todoroki?" asked Midoriya as he stepped closer to his classmate.

"Yeah, yeah I'm good. Let's get going, or we'll miss our train." They started out towards the station, and Todoroki noticed something as they walked. Midoriya was a lot closer to him than 37 was when they were just walking together. That's when he realized what had been missing between him and 37.

It was a lack of closeness. A lack of contact. Numerous times during their walks, he felt the desire to hold her hand. He wished that she wouldn't stand at such a distance to him. She didn't want to risk accidentally stealing his ability, so she always made sure it wouldn't be possible. He accepted this as the standard routine for meeting with her, but as he came to this realization, it made him feel hurt. His feelings for her had grown since they first met, and this type of pain was different from any he had experienced before. It went directly for his heart with expert precision, and he wasn't sure how to relieve it. He wasn't sure how to address it either, or if he should mention it to anyone.

...

37 sat down at her desk to read the class notes that Midoriya and Todoroki had lent her. She thought of how friendly they were, especially Todoroki. The time they spent together was precious to her, and she felt a warmth in her heart that she had a hard time identifying. She wanted to tell him more about herself but always fell short of doing so. She feared that letting him get too close would end the same way it had between her and Accelerator. She couldn't stand the thought of it, so she kept Todoroki at a distance.

The phone ringing snapped her out of her thoughts, and she quickly answered, "Hello, this is 37 speaking."

"37, this is Recovery Girl, we have the results of your tests. Your biological makeup is that of a person manifesting a Quirk, dear. However, there's something else that came up during our research. I'm sending All-Might to your room to escort you, if needed he'll carry you since I'm sure you're tired. We've found some information on your family, and I'm sad to say it's not very positive."