Chapter 9: Unexpected Discoveries

Sophie found out later that Stain had passed out from a broken rib; his body had kept him still and even in those last few moments of his consciousness he had held such a hatred for fake heroes that he never fell. Sophie had returned to her room late that night, her eyes burned and felt puffy. She simply kicked off her shoes and fell into the bed, her body too tired to hold her up. Her heart too broken to stay awake. When she woke up, she showered and dressed to go see how Todoroki was doing. She had been informed he was taken to the nearest hospital and that he was okay. When she showed up the chief of police was already leaving and she found Todoroki in the same room as Midoriya and Iida.

"Griffin!? What are you doing here?!" Midoriya was surprised to see her.

"I'm working. You are not the only ones who had training. I chose Endeavor's Agency as my training ground, which apparently so did he." She approached Shoto who looked directly at her. "How's the arm?" She asked.

"It's fine. I have something I think is yours. What were you doing there? You could have been hurt. If he had targeted you…" He brought out the notebook she had dropped at the scene.

She snatched it from his hand and glared at him. "He would have never hurt me." She spoke firmly. Careful. "Don't forget who you are talking to, Todoroki." She turned and faced Midoriya. "I'm impressed by you, your power and your ability to adapt to any situation are fantastic, I'd like you to consider taking me on as your Hero Manager. You too Iida. Even though you were down for the majority of the battle you still fought to rise and your quick actions really helped Midoriya and Todoroki finish off a villain of a pretty high caliber. Both of you, please consider me as your Manager." She bowed to them respectfully.

Midoriya and Iida sputtered in shock, she stood back tall and fixed them both with a glare that had them gulping.

"However! That will not excuse you from the sheer idiocy of what you both did. I cannot yell at Todoroki because I know he only showed up to help after a message from you Midoriya, though trust me I wish I could yell at him some." Todoroki smiled slightly. "What you did Iida was reckless and stupid! Going up against a villain like him alone? You are not even halfway through your first year at Hero Academy and you think you can take on such a villain? Foolish, if you wish to be a hero like your brother you must learn to control yourself and wait for the right opportunity to fight. Not go looking for it." She nodded to punctuate her words. Iida looked properly repentant. "And you Midoriya, you were foolish going in alone to save him without any proper backup, it would have wasted no time to snag one hero and explain on the way. There are many experienced heroes around and even if they work separately you all still work together." She nodded again. Midoriya ducked his head blushing.

"Griffin, I think they both—" Todoroki started but she spun on him instantly and he nearly fell back in shock. Turned out she had plenty to yell at him for.

"Don't you think you get to get out of this scathe free Shoto Todoroki! Who the hell taught you to block yourself? Clearly, you need a few lessons on how to better control your flames! Letting that knife hit you even once was a stupid rookie mistake!" She placed her hand on her hip and pointed her notebook at him angrily. "Do you have any idea how many times you could have finished him off with your flames or ice alone? You were also foolish not using your ice to properly repel him! You wasted many opportunities!" She lectured him and he sighed knowing he asked for this. "You cannot be naive in battle; Stain didn't want to kill you but others will not be so concerned. You need to be ready to hurt your enemy, to kill them if that's what it takes." She shook her head. "Stain didn't want to kill you two, that's the only reason you managed to make it out alive."

Iida and Midoriya covered their mouths to stop the laughter from escaping. She was really giving Todoroki hell.

"Now, gentlemen, I will leave you all to rest." She walked towards the door and turned around to them all, they were watching her leave. "Great job you three." She turned and walked out. That was nice.

"Is it me…or is she being nicer to you?" Midoriya looked at Shoto.

"We made a deal." Todoroki ducked his head shyly.

"What deal?" Iida asked him.

"She would give me a chance, and I would earn her respect." He mumbled.

"Sophie lectured you more than she did us." Midoriya pointed out.

"Almost like… she liked you." Iida grinned, remembering how horrible she had been before.

"I don't even want to think about what could have happened. Do you know how terrified I was finding out she was there the whole time watching the fight?" Todoroki shivered. "I might have nightmares."

"You sound like you were concerned for her."

"I was…am." He sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "She is a force of nature; I would have been upset…if she had been harmed." Why though?

Clearly, she could fight, but he had been terrified the moment he realized she was there the whole time though he didn't see her, he had thought Stain had gotten to her already and tried to search the alley but no one would let him. Endeavor had to call the hotel to confirm she was safe before Shoto would be seen to. He wondered why her safety was so important…why did he find her so fascinating? And, did she think that heroes went around killing people? That wasn't what they were supposed to do.

"She said he would have never hurt her. Probably because she isn't a hero. He didn't seem to want to fight me at first." Iida pointed out.

"She sounded like she knew more than she wanted to let on. The way she said it as if he would have never even considered hurting her even if she was a hero." Midoriya pondered the statement.

"That is strange." Todoroki frowned.

VvV

"Miss, we cannot allow you to see him. He is under extreme guard until he is healed. Only his family can see him, frankly, I don't think anyone would want to claim him as family." The guard shook his head.

Sophie stood tall and raised a hand up to point at the man.

"You know nothing of the man or his family. You will allow me in to see him because not only am I permitted to see him," She flashed them a small writ with a single crest upon it. "But I am also his Goddaughter." She snapped angrily.

The man tried to step back from the young woman who looked to be in a rage.

"I-I'm so sorry miss. Please go right ahead." He opened the door and let her in.

She waited until the door was closed before she approached the body lying on the bed. The machines slowly beeped to signal life. She felt her heart grow heavy seeing him in this condition. His eyes were closed but he was breathing slowly and probably with great pain. Sophie stood over him for a while. There was a lot she was not sure about, this being one of them. She had not wanted to use her status to force the man but he was annoying. She had not been lying about Stain never hurting her earlier today. He would never hurt Sophie because she was indeed his Godchild. Her mother had met him during her first year of high school, she may have been forgotten by most of the heroes today but Chizome never really forgot about her and she always wrote of him fondly. Without really explaining it to anyone, he was named Godfather over Sophie. Mother enjoyed stuff like that.

Sophie stood at his side, looking down at him for a long time, just listening to his breathing. Finally, she sat down and reached out to touch his hand.

"Hi, I know you probably don't remember me much, I think the only other time I saw you was when I was three so..." She breathed in and out to calm her rapidly beating heart. "Mom never told me what relationship you had with her. Not that she had time. I would like to think that you were kind to her and maybe…she wanted to thank you for being a friend. Not that a baby named as your Godchild is much of a thank you." She gave a soft chuckle. "I'm not much of a Godchild, am I? Wasn't even much of a daughter." She looked down sadly. "What am I doing? You can't hear me right now and I don't know why I even came here at all. I just…what was she like? Was she smart? Was she strong…? Was…was she happy?" This wasn't the first time she asked something like this, it probably wouldn't be the last.

Sophie waited in the quiet for a long moment. Her hand slowly slid out of his only to be caught in a strong grip that no man who had passed out from broken bones and heavily drugged should have. She looked to his face and found his eyes open looking at her. The pain in her heart eased as he smiled and winced for the effort.

"She…was smarter than us all from the start. Strong… always smiling even when the others would talk about her badly. Your mother was a beautiful woman, she inspired others." He took a pained breath. "You look like her."

Sophie wiped the tears away sniffing.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"You, didn't come here for that alone. I see it." He watched her movements. "You want to know."

"Do you know? I know you must, my intel says you have been looking too, longer than I have." Sophie asked him her face straight again. Time for business.

"Sophie you- "

"I am no hero; I will do what I need to do and I will handle the repercussions of it on my own." She stated firmly.

He chuckled which caused him all sorts of pain. "Just like her. I don't know all of it, this person is careful to remain hidden. I just know a location that may be abandoned by now. Maybe that will help you."

They talked for a while longer, Sophie sent everything he told her to her team, and then they talked about her mother before everything happened. Too soon the pain was too much and he needed to sleep again, she adjusted his blanket for him.

"I will arrange for you to be handed over to me." She promised.

"Don't you do that." His voice was stern.

"But Chizome I—"

"No, don't draw attention to yourself by taking me, I will handle my own problems." His eyes started drooping.

They would probably deny her anyway, Stain was not just some villain, he was a hero killer, the media would lose it if he was suddenly gone. Sophie fisted her hands and held her chin high. "Then I will come to see you, I want to know you, to know more about her." She wanted so badly to know so much.

"I'll…refuse to see… you."

"Do it! I'll keep coming back!" She stuck her tongue out. Stubborn.

"Damnit, Namid…listen to…" He was asleep.

Sophie nodded and stormed towards the door. "Thank you Chizome. Heal well, I may be joining you sooner than you think." She left the room.

XxX

Sophie was getting on the elevator when Endeavor appeared beside her his hand coming out to rest on her shoulder.

"We need to talk Sophie Griffin." He stated gruffly.

She slowly turned and frowned up at him, his eyes bore into hers and she let out a deep and annoyed sigh. Though the beast raged inside her. Kill him! Can't win this fight.

"Yes Endeavor." She folded her hands in front of herself.

"You went into the room, didn't you? I don't know how you managed to get passed the officers. But I am sure you won't tell me. You went to see Shoto as well?" He folded his massive arms.

"Of course, I went to see Todoroki, he is sharing a room with Midoriya and Iida after all." She stated. I have higher clearance than you do, suck on that loser. She thought with triumph.

"Hm. Are you hungry?" He asked her.

"No, and I don't want to be around you any longer than I have to." She bowed slightly and turned to leave.

"Sophie wait."

"I will not." She walked away slowly to capitalize on it.

"I knew your mother, Namid was a friend of mine." He told her.

"Friend!?" Sophie spun on him angrily, he did not waver even when her rage took over. "SOME FRIEND YOU ARE!" She roared; the hall became silent.

"Sophie, not here, calm down." He told her roughly.

She bit her lip and fought for control of her darkness that even now began to seep inside cracks and drip from the ceiling around her. Her chest heaved and her eyes glittered with hatred, the beast clawing away at her soul screaming for release. She did her best to quell it, keep it down. Seeing Endeavor standing there undaunted by her rage only made her even angrier, damn his calm!

"My mother was a beautiful intelligent woman! Who wanted nothing more than be part of the hero world! And where did it get her?! Some friend you were, where were you when she went missing? Where were you when she-" She shook, her whole body hummed from the built-up frustration.

"Sophie…I never planned to fight her; I didn't want to use my flames against her. When she tried to kill you, she begged me to stop her at any cost. Namid was the most powerful Darkness user the world had seen, she lost control."

Sophie closed her eyes, a single tear slipped down from her dark eye.

"I'll never know…I'll never know who she is, or how it all happened. She sleeps so deeply I doubt she would recognize my voice anymore. You...you, and that bastard who did that to her…I'll never forgive either of you for taking her from me!"

Endeavor stood there, watching her fight to control her emotions. So much like Shoto. But her anger ran far deeper than anyone could understand. How could he reach this child? How could he reach her when he could not even reach his own child? When had things become so twisted?

"I'll make you both pay; I won't let either of you escape. When I find him, when I have him in my grasp, I will take care of both of you." She swore.

"Sophie, don't tell me you are looking for that man."

"I will kill him with my own hands Endeavor, and when I am done, I will knock you down from your gilded throne." She glared up at him. "I will do anything to make it happen." She turned and walked away, she needed to get away from him, her body felt like it was on fire again.

Endeavor watched her walk away frowning darkly.

"Your mother would have never wanted this from you, your father-"

"I don't know who either of those people you know are. I only know a woman who only ever cried or raged. Shoto…probably knows the same feeling. Tell me, did you beat her too, his mother? Did you scar Shoto or did you push her to it?" Her eyes watched him, tearing through his very being.

He jerked as if she had struck him in the face. Her hatred festered beneath the surface and waited, she was walking a dangerous and self-destructive path. He clenched his fists, her eyes grew hard, the hall dimmed. How much of her words were true? Some of them? All of them? Which ones struck the most, did Endeavor in fact scar is own son or did his mother lose her mind and do it? How much was Shoto just like her? She didn't want to ask this man a thing, didn't want to hear him anymore. Else, she would kill him.

"Sophie Griffin, I will not allow the child of Raven to kill herself. Whatever it is you are trying to do; whatever it is you think you will accomplish. Know that I will not let you hurt yourself over this single-minded rampage for revenge."

Sophie looked over her shoulder at him, stopping halfway down the hall from him, darkness pooled behind her, and rose up to the ceiling. Endeavor was shocked to see the power leaking from her without any effort, when had she become so powerful?

"Then stop me Endeavor, stop me with all of your power. You'll have to kill me because this darkness won't just go away." She turned down the end of the hall taking the stairs there to leave quickly. Lights popped behind her as the darkness surged after her as if the lights offended it.

"What have you done?" He asked quietly into the silence.

"Endeavor, I need to speak with you about your son." A doctor walked up to him.

"Right, thank you for taking care of my son." Endeavor turned to the man. Sophie Griffin reigned prominent in his mind, that darkness was nothing like her mothers.