Part 2: Chapter 8

Chosa looked over at his boss. The editor was pale. It wasn't a state he'd seen her in before. She edited one of the biggest magazines in the country. It was one of the few hero magazines that had successfully made the transition to a new normal. As a result, he'd seen her take calls from lawyers threatening legal action, from the police demanding to know who their source was, from the government doing the exact same thing. Chosa had seen her break scandals, romances, births, deaths and marriages.

He'd seen her face down everyone without breaking a sweat. Now she looked pale, like death.

"Who the fuck was that?" Chosa asked when she put down the phone. He noted the way she did it. Gently. Like if she was harsh the person she'd been speaking to would know.

Chosa watched as Hensha swallowed. She looked up at him. "That was Imoku Kakurete."

Chosa frowned. He knew that name. "Representative Kakurete?"

"That's him," Hensha agreed.

"And?" he prompted. The man was without doubt the most powerful independent in the House of Representatives. He was up for reelection this year but from the numbers Chosa thought he was a shoe in. His constituents loved him. What he didn't understand is why Hensha looked like she'd seen a ghost.

She huffed. "This is why you aren't going to get anywhere," she muttered. "Kakurete owns Phoenix Wave," she told him.

"Oh," Chosa murmured. "Oh!" He understood.

Phoenix Wave was their parent company. It was their management which meant that Hero Weekly had transformed into News Weekly and that was mostly due to the policies of Kakurete. Policies which were very unpopular at the time but had been born out as successful. Even if he was the one to get the rules changed to make them successful.

"So what does he want?" Chosa asked. Kakurete hadn't put Hensha in that state just because he called.

"He wants us to do an exposé on Candidate Mirio Toogata."

"Exposé?" Chosa asked carefully, putting particular emphasis on the syllables.

"Exposé," Hensha confirmed.

"What does he want us to find?" Chosa wasn't an idiot. When a man like Kakurete told them to do an exposé, he was expecting a particular outcome. Though it was odd. He had no idea why Kakurete might want that. Toogata wasn't running against him after all. Chosa put that thought from his mind. It was above his pay grade.

"He didn't say, but he did suggest we have a close look at his years in UA." Hensha took a deep breath.

Chosa nodded. UA used to be a popular topic. "I'll go pull out the archives," he said. That was the best place to start. They might have something there already. And if they didn't… well, it wasn't that hard to find interesting information. It was all about how you framed it, and if the boss was saying frame it one way, he wasn't going to question that.

-afop-

Imoku looked over at the vid call.

"Are you sure about that?" Yatou Rida, the current opposition leader, asked him earnestly.

"I'm sure," he replied softly, focusing his words carefully.

The man sighed. "I just can't help but think that if Heroes were still around then-"

Imoku helped up one hand. He let his expression shift to one of faint disappointment. "Nothing would have changed," he told Yatou.

"You don't know that," the man objected. "And I'll soon be in a position to ensure things can change."

That response made Imoku smile. "True, but I assure you, nothing would have changed at my rally. Mrs Midoriya would still-" He couldn't say it.

"Maybe a hero could have done something," the opposition leader insisted.

Imoku felt a stab of annoyance at the man. Nothing displayed on his expression but for emphasis he shook his head. He extended himself a little with the gesture. Yatou did trust him, after all. "Against another hero?" he asked the question sharply. His best work was done with changing cadences and tone. People responded to that almost without knowing that they were.

The opposition leader winced.

Imoku cocked his head. "Everyone is overlooking that. She was a hero, but obviously not a true hero. If she was, then… well, she'd have never been in that position. There are still evils in this world, I know," he said reasonably. "But giving people the title of hero just makes them come out more, or just covers up the face of evil," he added, letting the opposition leader stew on that thought for a while.

There wasn't much that could be said against that, not with the history that had been dug up just before the vote to reintegrate heroes into society, to take them down from their pedestal. Endeavor was the prime example but other, lesser examples had been found, and now the former Pro-Hero Mount Lady had simply proved the point again. Even Tomura had proven the point, with his story. Tomura would be happy that his history had been one of the final nails in the hero's coffin.

"Inko wouldn't want things to change because of her death," Imoku continued.

"So you think it's better to deal with them quietly?" Yatou asked.

"Yes," Imoku nodded. "And you know the numbers support me. In the last few years, quirk related destruction during arrests has been down. For once insurance premiums actually came down as well! It was only going up with heroes making arrests. Reintegrating heroes into society, has saved both money and lives."

The stats were very clearly with him. Insurance, especially along transportation routes and in the cities had gone down because there were no longer heroes wantonly destroying them as they tried to apprehend someone who simply needed some compassion. Crime rates were down, and deaths caused by hero versus villain fights were down to zero, mostly because there were no heroes. The equivalent these days was police versus criminals, and they didn't attract anywhere near the amount of attention, they were planned better and the rates of accidental death were down. So it was still a win there with the numbers.

More importantly, confidence in the system was up. In that aspect of governance the public believed the government had gotten it right. They had gotten it wrong in too many other aspects though which was why Yatou would be the next Prime Minister. Barring any huge scandal, and Imoku didn't know anything worthy of that. He'd checked. Besides, it was time for a change.

Still, there had only been benefits from reintegrating heroes.

"Yes, but there are still villains out there," Yatou objected.

"Like?" Imoku asked, knowing full well what the answer was going to be.

"The League," the opposition leader told him.

Imoku smiled. "The League actually prove my point. Did you ever study their dogma?" he asked.

"No."

"It was to destroy heroes," Imoku told Yatou. "But I think it was more that they wanted the attention, and to get that attention, they flashily attacked. That's what they really wanted. Now, I'm not saying that they are good people, and I'm not condoning what they did but since heroes have been gone, the League has been gone too." It was the naive view of the League, but sometimes it was best to explain things that way. Complications just made more complications.

"They still exist," Yatou said defensively.

"They still exist," Imoku agreed. The Police knew it, and the Opposition Leader was most likely soon to become the Prime Minister. He would have been included in some security briefings which probably included the little stunt at BioSimip. "And they are still breaking the law but they are no longer attacking schools, and where they do attack there is a clear focus.

"The police are now free to pursue them without the public getting hurt, and isn't that what society is about? Not some licensed, costumed individual taking the law into their own hands."

Yatou took a deep breath. Imoku could practically tell what the politician was thinking. They had been friends for years, after all. He was thinking about the League Member the Police had caught, who had then been killed, by the League. It was undeniably true that while the League member was dead, no one else was. That was a change from the past. Pragmatically, it was the better situation.

"Heroes are an easy answer. They are a flashy answer, but they are not the right solution for the long term. Living with quirks is the right answer, not holding up some quirks to be more equal than others."

The opposition leader caught the reference. His lips twitched. "I just…" he sighed. "I just don't like to see you in pain," he said. "And it's obvious to everyone how much you miss Mrs Midoriya."

There was no inappropriate suggestion there. Imoku nodded. "She was a great woman. Stronger that most will ever be." The story of what she had gone through had been public news. Yatou knew now. "But she was killed by a former hero, so reinstating heroes is not the answer. I don't think there is an answer for that." He added.

There was no answer Yatou could give him. Toga however, was a different matter but not now. Not yet. In time. Then Yū Takeyama would suffer the consequences.

"If you are sure…" the opposition leader said softly.

"I am sure," Imoku replied firmly, pushing his power towards the man. He was sure, and he didn't need the soon to be government interfering.

"All right," Yatou relented. "People wouldn't like it if their insurance premiums rose again."

"The government budget wouldn't like it either," Imoku pointed out with a smile, knowing he'd won.

Yatou groaned theatrically. "And that's something I'm gonna have to think about. Sure you don't want to be my treasurer?"

"Positive. Independence suits me." He hadn't joined the government. He wasn't about the join a different party and he'd finally managed to quieten down those rumours that he should start his own party. He did not need others.

"Well, the door is always open."

"Even after the election?" Imoku questioned slyly.

"Especially after," Yatou told him.

Imoku smiled. He always knew he'd be in this position. He just never expected the sacrifices. But this was for the good of all and that sometimes required pain. He'd gone too far now to turn back, so he would endure.

After her sacrifice, he owed it to her memory.

-afop-

Jouho looked up at his boss. "You look troubled, Sir?"

"I am."

"The meeting?" The boss had been called to a meeting today. One of those meetings that management had to go to, because higher management said they had to. Jouho was thankful he wasn't that far up the totem pole.

"The meeting," came the confirmation.

All Jouho knew about the meeting was that it had been on and that it was with the highest levels of management. You didn't need higher levels of management telling you to go to it when it involved meeting with the owner.

His boss, Utsuna gave him a look. "You know who owns Phoenix Wave?" he asked.

Jouho nodded. Phoenix Wave was owned by Kunshu. Kunshu had bought a controlling interest in the company about 15 years back. They had been known as Wave then. The media group focused on delivering hero news. Some parts, like Hero Weekly magazine focused on the trashy, while they had been Wave's Hero news feed. And they were good at it. They provided high quality but more importantly, accurate news about heroes. A sub feed, one they sponsored but didn't guarantee had been the best place to find information on live hero versus villain fights.

When Heroes had been reintegrated into society, the group had changed their name to Phoenix Wave. It had been an instruction from Kunshu, supposedly from the top, and was meant to symbolise the fact that the Wave group would rise like the Phoenix from their adversity.

And they had.

Hero Weekly had become News Weekly, though it was still trashy. And their news feed had changed to regular information, which they actually had spent a fair bit of time reporting on anyway. Now they included things like a traffic report, which was feed by their users. They also carried warnings when any wanna be villain made an appearance. The police usually swarmed them so it was never a big deal.

"So a representative from Kunshu was there?" Jouho asked.

Utsuna shook his head. "Not a representative."

That meant the owner. Imoku Kakurete himself. "Shit."

"Shit." Utsuna repeated.

Jouho took a deep breath. It appeared Utsuna wanted to. "What did he want?" It had to be something Kakurete wanted that was making Utsuna troubled.

"He wants us to report on Mirio Toogata," Utsuna replied.

It took Jouho a moment to remember who Toogata was. Mirio Toogata. Candidate for the House of Representatives. He was young. Younger than anyone else running and be represented a lot of heroes. It hadn't been explicitly stated but pretty much the entire hero community was behind him. He would probably want to reinstate them.

Jouho wasn't sure how that would go. He wasn't sure the Government would allow it but if the opposition won, maybe there was a chance. And Kakurete had been the one to propose the original reintegration bill, or what had become the bill. It had been the then Deputy Prime Minister Kiyoshi Takenaka who had initiated the vote that had actually lead to the reintegration of heroes. "Well, Toogata is news," Jouho said diplomatically.

"He wants us to report negatively on Toogata," Utsuna clarified.

"Toogata or the opposition?"

"Toogata."

"Oh," Jouho murmured. "Did he give a reason?"

"There is no reason!" Utsuna raged. "He's never done this in the past. We've built our reputation on being a factual, and bipartisan feed. If we suddenly start skewing our feed people will notice. They will leave us."

"You told him that?"

"Of course I did," Utsuna said. "His reply was, and I quote, "Not if what you report is the truth"."

That was technically true but it sounded very much like a convenient excuse. "So why does he want this now? As you said, he's never attempted to influence us in the past."

Utsuna started pacing. "I am frustrated by the very fact that he is asking. Even if we find something damaging about Toogata, the fact that Kakurete has asked us to report it changes everything. Up until now, I've been able to look people in the eye and honestly tell them that Kakurete has never influenced our publishing policies. Now I can't."

"You don't like the implication of corruption," Jouho summarised. He was used to this. He had been Utsuna's sounding board for a long time. Most people thought Editors and publishers sat above the mere journalists but Jouho recognised it was a partnership. If Utsuna had been less scrupulous, Jouho just would have written and article and either found it rejected, or altered to fit the new instructions.

"No, I don't. And I don't like the control. I get that he's the owner, and that we've been lucky that he doesn't interfere."

"Yeah, we're not-"

Utsuna gave him a look before he completed the sentence. "Indeed. He hasn't interfered and it is frustrating me that he wants to now."

Jouho nodded, before he half closed his eyes. "How about we look at this a different way?" He questioned. "Instead of focusing on Kakurete telling us what to do, let's look at what you'd do if Sonoho walked in right now with a damaging story about Toogata? I mean something really bad, something that would completely invalidate him as a candidate? What would you do?"

"Before or after checking her facts?"

He nodded. He'd allow that. Sonoho was sometimes a little bit loose with her interpretation of fact. "After," Jouho clarified. "And they are all true," he added.

"I'd publish!" Utsuna declared.

"Then let's focus on that," the reporter suggested. "We aren't just gonna make up crap about Toogata, and Kakurete knows that. So let's see what we can find. Maybe he told you to do it because there is something?"

Utsuna didn't look convinced but there wasn't much else he could do. "See what you can dig up. Focus on Toogata's relationship with All Might and Sir Nighteye."

Jouho gave him a look. Even if he found out that Toogata was bonking either of them, it wasn't going to be much of a story. At least, not against Toogata. It wouldn't look good for All Might or Sir Nighteye.

"Not that," Utsuna snorted.

"Mind out of the gutter, right," Jouho gave him a smile. "Though… this has got to have something to do with that assassination attempt," he muttered.

Utsuna looked at him sharply and Jouho could see his editor's mind working. He grimaced.

"What is it?"

"It's barely possible that Toogata knows the accused."

Jouho pulled up the file on his tablet. "Yū Takeyama, former Pro Hero Mount Lady," he read. "That's not surprising, given Toogata's history," he said, unconvinced that there was any story there. "If I'm going to pursue something that obvious, I might as well pursue the rumour that Kakurete was about to propose to Inko Midoriya."

That rumour had come up a few years back on one of the news feeds they didn't even consider a competitor. It was a trash feed. Only the most outrageous, or scandalous things made it into that feed. Or had. Some idiot had asked Kakurete. The man had looked physically sick at the suggestion, before he looked absolutely livid.

And then he'd sued them. They'd actually put up a pretty good defence, and it was rumoured that several of Kakurete's political enemies had put up the funds for it. Their defence had admitted that they had reported the rumours, but that they had reported them because that's what their feed was. It was one that didn't focus on news, but focused on rumours. Pretty good really to try to use what they were to defend their actions.

It hadn't been enough. He'd crushed them. But never for himself. Not once in the whole proceedings did Kakurete say he was offended. He actually admitted that as a public figure, this sort of rumour and innuendo was to be expected. He sued them on behalf of Inko Midoriya.

And now she was dead, having used her quirk to pull the bullet and gun meant for him to her. The rumour mill was going to be going insane again. Though it wouldn't be in public but that didn't stop people talking.

"Don't you dare!" Utsuna snapped. "Toogata probably does know Yū Takeyama, but see if there's more of a connection."

"He wouldn't have-" Jouho didn't finish the sentence.

His editor understood his meaning. "No, I don't think so, but the others I'm not so sure about." His eyes were on the picture of Sir Nighteye on his tablet.

Jouho nodded. He didn't say anything. There had been a lot of emotion involved with dismantling the Hero system. Some Heroes had turned villainous at it. And some, he supposed could have been biding their time. They were, after all, only human. And all humans had baggage.

-afop-

"Well, we've got problems."

Mirio looked sorry.

Katsuki snorted. "Who cares? It gives us a reason to go after that fucking Deku directly."

"And get arrested directly," Sir Nighteye countered.

The former pro-hero and the vigilante glared at each other. There was no friendship there.

Aizawa rubbed at his eyes. This is why he didn't like meeting like this. There were always clashes. They shared a similar goal but definitely did not share the same idea of how to achieve that goal.

Bakugou would probably be only too happy to confront Imoku Kakurete directly. The vigilante was usually very realistic about his chances but with Kakurete involved, all semblance of reason disappeared. Shouta now understood why Katsuki had come to seek his opinion about revealing that Imoku Kakurete was really Izuku Midoriya. He still wasn't quite convinced of that, given Imoku's reaction to Inko's death. The man had been logical with his reaction to her being shot. If Inko was really his mother, he had expected a more emotional reaction. The man had never cried and while his gesture of leaving the muffin was odd, it was not… He just wasn't convinced, even if Bakugou was certain.

It didn't matter. He'd told Bakugou that. They had to bring down Imoku Kakurete, not Izuku Midoriya.

But right at the moment, Kakurete was definitely winning.

"Can we do anything to counter the press Mirio is receiving?" Sir Nighteye asked, looking at Hizashi.

"I'm trying," he practically whispered back, "but I told you last time, I'm not a political station!"

"Yet you know people," Katsuki accused.

"And I'm trying to talk to them! But no one wants to say anything against Kakurete at the moment." The radio presenter didn't need to say why. With the assassination attempt, the general feeling at the moment was one of sympathy towards Kakurete.

"If the shooter were anyone else, I would have said Kakurete planned it."

Bakugou slammed one hand down. Explosions set off. "Deku is a bastard, but he wouldn't have done that when Inko was there." He glared at Sir Nighteye.

The older hero looked at him with flat eyes. "I wasn't suggesting he did it. Yū Takeyama did it and the current theory is obvious. While it was the Government who voted to reintegrate Heroes, it was Kakurete who began the thought process."

"Or how about we go with the more obvious theory," Bakugou spat, "that the bitch worked out that Kakurete is the Head of the League."

Sir Nighteye lent forward, ignoring the explosions Katsuki was still making. "If we cannot find the link, I doubt she could."

Bakugou huffed. "More like she decided it was time to do something!"

"There is no obvious link, Bakugou," Aizawa sighed. "Yū Takeyama was close to Kamui Woods, and was probably acting due to his murder. Except, why did she act now?" It had been years since Kamui Wood's died.

"I think she's been in care," Midnight said softly.

"Care?"

"Mental health care," the former pro-hero snapped. "I'm not sure, but I'm pretty sure it has to be something like that, or she'd have attacked earlier."

The group nodded. That was true. Though the explanation did not stop the vigilante from staring at Aizawa as if he'd somehow betrayed him.

"There is a link between Kakurete and the League, but he is very good at keeping it hidden. I doubt Yū Takeyama would have been able to find it, especially if she has been in care."

"The old guys side together," Katsuki muttered.

Aizawa stared back. He'd gotten used to Bakugou's glares. "I taught Yū Takeyama, I have a fair understanding of her abilities."

"So why did the bitch do it? Couldn't she have fucking seen what would happen?" The tablecloth smoldered under Bakugou's hand as he asked.

"She was pissed off that even though the Police know exactly who killed Kamui Woods," Nemuri said quietly, "nobody is hunting Dabi."

That might even be true. The League's acting Leader was on very public record has killing the Pro Hero but he also wasn't stupid. The underground of illegal activities was fully functional and almost completely separate from the law abiding citizens. Dabi lived near the top of the pile, which meant he didn't need to show up very often. And he didn't. Usually he'd disappeared by the time the Police could respond. There were bad areas that they just didn't like to report to.

Politicians denied those areas existed. They took great pains to make sure they went to them - in daylight. And, while no one could prove it, Aizawa was sure the villains made great pains to ensure nothing happened to the politicians. There was always some rogue who would try something. They didn't need that. They needed the illusion of normality and they were smart enough to enforce it.

None of that had to do with Imoku Kakurete.

"You knew she was going to do it?" Aizawa asked quietly.

Nemuri shook her head. "No," she replied urgently before someone could berate her for not stopping the other former pro-hero. "But if I had to give a reason, I would say that's the one that tipped her over."

"Fucking bitch," Bakugou growled, though it was unclear who he was referring to.

"Can we capitalise on what she said?" Sir Nighteye asked.

Hizashi shook his head. "I told you, no one wants to say a thing against Kakurete at the moment."

"How long will that be for?"

The radio presenter just looked at Sir Nighteye. The statement didn't need to be said. There was no way to know how long it would be, but they could be sure that Kakurete would milk the situation for as long as he could.

"It's tragic, yes, but she wasa bystander," All Might's former sidekick said.

"Actually, she was on his campaign team," Hizashi told them. "And there is a lot of sympathy for her given the challenges she faced, therefore there is sympathy for Kakurete."

Sir Nighteye huffed.

"We have to prove the relationship between Imoku and the League," Aizawa interrupted before they went around in a circle again.

"We are sure there is one?" Midnight asked.

"Positive," Bakugou growled. "Fucking Deku is their god damned hidden boss."

"I suspect he has been well trained. We believed that Tomura was the All For One's chosen successor, but if it is this Imoku Kakurete, then he will not be leaving obvious clues," All Might spoke. The man had been listening up until then and Aizawa was slightly surprised to hear the serious side of the man. It was nicer than the jovial nature he used to project.

"Then we go after the non-obvious clues," Sir Nighteye indicated.

Bakugou gave him a look before shaking his head. He remained silent, though to Aizawa's eyes, there did seem to be a smug air to his stance.

"The League's supplier?" Yagi asked.

"Is about as slippery as the League," Katsuki supplied.

That was reasonable. The man dealt in the underworld and while to be a supplier, he had to be contactable, he was not stupid. The gathered group knew the man, Giran, had been supplying the League for at least the last decade. To survive that long in the underworld, he had to be careful.

"I tried to find him, to get to Dabi, but I'm having to go another way now." Bakugou growled.

"Another way?" Yagi asked.

Katsuki grinned, holding up one hand which he balled into a fist. "A more direct way," he said.

"Fighting," Aizawa murmured the explanation.

"You are in the fighting rounds?" Mirio asked.

"It's not like they know how to fight," the vigilante dismissed the question.

"Which one are you in?" Mirio pressed.

"Osaka. Too much risk in Tokyo."

"So how does that get you to Dabi?" The Candidate seemed confused.

Bakugou glared. "Dabi runs all the underground fighting rings," he snapped impatiently. "You win enough in any of them, you get promoted to Tokyo and the chance to take on the champion. I don't give a flying fuck about that, but when I win Osaka, I get an invite to see Dabi."

Mirio nodded for the table. It made rather sickening sense. "You're sure they won't recognise you anyway?" He asked.

"Haven't yet," Bakugou shrugged. They knew what his response would be. He'd just fight his way out. At least that's what he'd try. The table knew better than to try to convince the vigilante out of his plan, and truthfully, if what he said was true, that'd he'd get an invitation to see Dabi if he won the Osaka bouts, it was the quickest, most direct way to the Acting Leader of the League.

"Tell us where the meeting is," Sir Nighteye murmured before he looked around. "I've been looking into Kakurete's companies. His employees have a very high sense of loyalty."

"Of course they do," Katsuku snorted. "They are quirkless losers."

The sentiment wasn't one that was shared at the table, given that two of them were quirkless but it was one that was in the community. It wasn't everyone but it was a large enough view that persecution was rife. Imoku Kakurete's policy of only hiring quirkless had done him no favours in some areas, but in others, it had gained him loyal supporters. Fifty percent of those in his electorate indicated they would vote for him. Outside of his electorate, most quirkless people would vote for whichever candidate Kakurete endorsed.

"Well, they aren't talking, which means I can't find out much about Kakurete's finances."

"What about the tax department?" Mirio asked quietly.

"They won't investigate without a reasonable suspicion," Yagi explained before Bakugou could say something. "And according to them, Kunshu and all subsidiaries are above board, and paid up on their taxes. They have to be, to hold government contracts," he added.

"There's no conflict of interest there?"

Toshinori sighed as he shook his head. "Kunshu is never directly involved, and Kunshu is the company Kakurete owns. Those holding the contracts are usually three to four companies removed from him."

"That's still conflict of interest!" Bakugou hissed.

"Not when each company reports their results independently," Sir Nighteye said. He'd looked into this as well. "According to the government, that makes them independent, and Kunshu is simply a the majority shareholder. And Kakurete has listed every share he owns on the register. He's declared his interests and he remained out of the selection committee when it comes to BioSimip's QERI contract."

"It could still be reported."

"There is no scandal there," Hizashi said tiredly. He really didn't want his program to become political but he could see that he might have to insert some things into it. His Producer would want reasons and it would bring Kakurete's attention. The former Pro Hero wasn't afraid of a fight but the Representative didn't fight in the same way they did. He was used to the war of words and reputation. They were used to more physical confrontations. They had to find some leverage, and obvious things like conflict of interest was something newbie reporters were put on and Imoku had done everything by the book.

"Following the money is the first rule of tracking down crime," Sir Nighteye said. "I have followed the money. It is all accounted for."

"It's fucking not," Katsuki growled, letting small explosions hit the table top again.

"We know it's not," Yagi said, placatingly. "But the books are in order. At least the public ones are, and we aren't going to get access to the real ones," he added.

"That leaves us trying to find other clues," Midnight said.

Bakugou shook his head. It was obvious he was rethinking working with them. "If I could get Giran, I could get one of the League."

"And we saw how well that went," Sir Nighteye said.

Katsuki roared at the dig. "At least I did something!" He yelled.

"At least you killed someone," the former Pro Hero corrected the statement.

Bakugou snorted. "If the Police had done their fucking job," he growled.

They all knew what had happened. Ujiko had been killed by a disguised Toga while in a holding cell after having been brought in by Kirishima, who pretended to have captured the League member.

"Should we bring in someone from the Police?" Sir Nighteye ignored Bakugou with his question.

"Who?" Aizawa asked. He had several candidates but he was curious to know who the others thought might be practical.

"Endeavor's son is a capable young man," Mirio said. "And would has a reason to join us."

"Half 'n Half?" Bakugou snorted. "You want to ruin his career like yours?"

Mirio said nothing at that but he was offended.

"Bringing him in would provide legitimacy."

Katsuki shook his head. "Without proof, legitimacy doesn't matter."

That was true. At the moment there was no real reason to bring in one of the Heroes who had gone into the Police force. All they would be doing was risking their career. It would be too easy for Kakurete to get a look in here. It didn't matter how discreet they were and they had taken pains to be discreet. Bakugou hadn't even come in the front door. He'd come through the roof so that no one had seen him enter this room. But it was a risk they couldn't take.

"Then where are we getting the leads?" Mirio asked. He might accept there was no need to bring in someone else yet, but they had to be getting somewhere. "You said yourself, Giran is as slippery as any member of the League. We've seen what happens when we-"

"We?" Bakugou growled. He was responsible for the capture of Ujiko.

"When we," Mirio repeated, "get a member of the League into custody. None of his business associates are willing to speak, so who else is there, who might be willing to reveal the truth?"

"What about the League's associates?" Sir Nighteye mused.

"Giran?" Hizashi asked. They'd just mentioned Giran.

"Not Giran. The others. Those who made those abominations?"

"They are dead," Katsuki announced. He glared at Sir Nighteye. "I've been after this fucker for years. Deku is useless, not stupid."

"Then what about other more personal relationships?" Mirio asked.

"Such as?" Midnight asked.

"Girlfriend?"

"Doesn't have one," Bakugou answered.

"Family?" Mirio suggested.

"No siblings, and only his Mother is still alive," Aizawa replied. "But she is hard to get a hold of."

"What do you mean?" Katsuki was curious.

"Exactly what I said. She's hard to get a hold of. She's very rarely in her apartment." The detective could see the cogs turning in Bakugou's mind. He could see that they had already turned in Sir Nighteye's. "I haven't approached the woman," he added. "It could be construed as harassment," he explained, giving Katsuki a sharp look.

The vigilante snorted. Little things like that still didn't bother him. Aizawa wondered what it would take to make Bakugou take it seriously.

"Was there anything else?" Sir Nighteye asked pointedly.

"I doubt we'll get anything out of his mother. Nothing linking the League to Kakurete at least," he explained.

Yagi nodded. "Then what about someone else in the underworld?" He suggested. "Not one of the League, but someone else in the underworld."

"They don't know anything," Bakugou grumbled. "I've beaten the shit out of enough of them to know that. Some know that the League supposedly has another leader but as far as they are concerned, Dabi is the League's boss."

Aizawa looked at Yagi, his eyes narrowing as he remembered something. "How did you track down All For One in the past?" He asked. After Heroes had reintegrated, and after Kamino more information about that particular villain had come into the light. He has been the boogie man of the underworld. A rumour, a shadow but All Might had known he existed, and had pursued him.

"We tracked a lot of things," he said. "Money. Rumours of unusual or powerful quirks going missing. Scientists. Sometimes informers and..." The former Number One Hero sighed heavily. "Beating the shit out of some of them," he admitted.

Bakugou laughed.

"It's different this time though," Yagi warned. "All For One was more hands on. Kakurete seems to be more comfortable acting through others, and remaining hidden."

It was an odd thought, given that Kakurete was a Member of the House of Representatives. He didn't appear to hide anything, except his connection to the underworld.

"So where does that leave us?" Mirio asked.

That was the question. Katsuki's red eyes turned towards him. "Is anything they are saying false?"

"Saying?"

"The papers," Bakugou clarified will ill grace. He meant all the bad press Mirio had been getting lately.

"A lot of it is accusing Mirio of being too young," Nemuri said. She remembered reading it and wincing because there really wasn't much argument that could be made against it. Mirio was young. At 30, or was that 31, if he won, he would be the youngest Representative ever. Even Kakurete had only begun in his late 30s.

"So we capitalise on Mirio's youth," Sir Nighteye said with a shrug. "We have to show that youth is not a bad thing here. It's one of the reasons we chose his electorate. It has a younger population."

"What are the opinion polls?"

"They are close," Hizashi said. His station may not be a political one but he knew about these things.

"What else are they saying?"

"They are pointing to mental instability in the wake of League's attack that took my Quirk," Sir Nighteye said.

"Aren't those assessments meant to be confidential?" Hizashi asked. He'd been wondering that for a while.

Mirio sighed. "They are, but when I applied to be a candidate, they had to be disclosed."

"Bastard," Katsuki muttered. He already knew who had made that bit of legislation. Deku probably believed he'd thought of everything. There had to be something he'd missed.

Sir Nighteye looked to the side, thinking. "The reports have been careful. The trashier magazines and feeds are reporting the more outrageous stuff. The more conservative feeds are being more careful."

"Do you mean to tell me that everything is true?" Nemuri asked, her eyes wide.

"What I have seen has enough of an element of truth," Sir Nighteye admitted.

"The dropped excessive force charge?" Hizashi asked.

"It was borderline," Sir Nighteye defended Mirio.

"The love triangle at UA?"

"That what?" Mirio burst out.

Katsuki chuckled but he recognised the significance of Mirio's outburst.

"So that one isn't true?" Aizawa asked, laconically.

"Which one is reporting that?" Nemuri asked, interested.

"That trash feed AL."

Bakugou wasn't the only one to pull out his phone. A few moments later, quite a few people were chuckling. AL, which stood for Analyse Life, was a trashy feed full of scandals, a few which might even be real. "It says here, you are in a love triangle with Nejire Hado and Tamaki Amajiki. And at least part of the reason for your break down after Sir Nighteye lost his quirk was that Nejire had told you she preferred Tamaki but that she had regrets so that none of you are together, and happy."

"What?" Mirio gasped.

"The relationship started back in UA!"

"That's not true." Mirio was affronted.

"So it's something we can use to fight back," Aizawa said. "Who owns AL?"

"Phoenix Wave." Surprisingly it was Yagi who answered.

"Which is owned by Kunshu, which is owned by Kakurete."

"Could Mirio sue them for libel?" Midnight asked.

"We could but it wouldn't get back to Kakurete. At best, Phoenix Wave would cut AL loose. And AL lives to be sued. The more lawsuits they have, the closer to the truth they believe they are. They use them as advertising. The only way to get Kakurete on this would be to find an email, or a message or something from him telling them to ruin Mirio's reputation."

There were a couple of glances towards Bakugou after that.

"I'm a vigilante, not a fucking thief!" he snapped. "And I tell you, there won't be a record of it. If fucking Deku did to it, he would have done it verbally."

"So one of the editors could testify to it."

"Why?" Sir Nighteye asked. "For them this is just business. We need something solid. The word of one magazine editor, especially one that comes from a disreputable feed is not going to be enough to bring down a Representative."

"There is a way," Bakugou said. "I could just fucking take him out."

"That's murder."

"It solves the problem."

"Then, as far as I can see, Deku is just gonna walk all over you lot," he declared.

Aizawa huffed. They were in a bad situation. There had to be something they could do. He leaned forward. "Katsuki is most likely correct, and there will be no evidence of Kakurete giving any instruction to be negative towards Mirio. We should concentrate on those things that are likely to work."

"Taking him out?" Bakugou sniped but Aizawa knew this time he was saying it to be deliberately annoying. Thankfully Sir Nighteye recognised that as well.

"Following the money." Aizawa countered. "The books look legitimate now. We know they aren't. So let's look back in time. There has to be something there. No one is a perfect villain when they first began. So let's get a timeline on him, and then trace the cash." The former pro hero looked at Toshinori. "You believe that Kakurete is one of All For One's students?" He asked.

Yagi nodded, his eyes grim. It was paining that the old villain was still causing problems.

"Then if he was anything like Tomura, there will be some early mistakes. We saw Tomura get better over the years. I think we missed Kakurete because we were focused on Tomura. Let's find those early mistakes he made."

"The money," Sir Nighteye nodded. "I'll look into the books from the time when Kakurete took over Kunshu. If there's going to be a mistake, it will be then."

Katsuki rolled his eyes. "I'll make sure the League remains hidden," he said sarcastically. It translated to he would do what he'd been doing anyway, which was breaking the law and generally getting away with it. It went unspoken that he'd try to capture more League members. Maybe one of them would speak before they were taken out. Maybe one of them knew something they shouldn't.

Hizashi sighed. "I'll see what I can do to counter some of those rumours, or at least lessen their impact," he told Mirio.

"Thank you," the candidate said. "I'll see if I can get any government documents about Kakurete. I'm not a Representative yet, but most of the parties were trying to attract me."

"They still are?"

"Some have backed off, but some are still going about it. I'll see what they can give me."

"Do that," Aizawa encouraged.

"I have some business contacts," Nemuri said. "No one within Kunshu but I know a couple of the Advertising Directors for a couple of the feeds. I'll see what they have to say about Kakurete."

It was possible one of them knew something.

The group nodded, but they were aware that they were still facing an uphill battle.

A heroes, they'd never backed away from a fight. They wouldn't fail now.

-afop-