Part 2: Chapter 10
"So what do we know about Imoku Kakurete?" Aizawa asked.
It was just the four of them today.
Sir Nighteye, Mirio, Yagi and himself. Midnight would never be with them again and it was better for everyone if Bakugou stayed away. His actions were being scrutinised and no one was sure if the Police would issue a warrant for his arrest. They should. They really should. He had killed Mustard and most likely let Midnight die but no one was entirely sure what had gone down. From the cause of death for Midnight and the damage to the street they knew Dabi had been there, but there were only so many working theories about what had happened, and Katsuki was laying low. They were still curious to know how he had tracked Mustard. That wasn't important now.
"He definitely has ties to the League," Sir Nighteye said.
"But you can't prove it," Aizawa added.
The former pro hero didn't look pleased.
"I can't prove it either, which is why I accepted Katsuki's theory about Imoku being Izuku."
"Are we sure about that?" Sir Nighteye asked. Beyond looks there was very little to connect the two. Imoku had perfect records. He had school records, all the way back to pre-school and he had an online footprint. When someone created a false identity they usually weren't that thorough. They did the official paperwork, and some rough attempts of online accounts but nothing with that much depth.
"No," Aizawa admitted. He was thinking about Imoku's reaction at Inko Midoriya's death. The Representative had been shocked, had been saddened but it was not the reaction of a son losing a mother. Though he could be one to just keep his emotions to himself. Or All For One might have removed his memory, or emotions… there were a lot of possibilities.
"It's possible," Toshinori said softly.
"You indicated All For One could have done it," Sir Nighteye said, remembering their previous conversation about this.
"More than that," the former Number One Hero said. "Something Imoku said once," he murmured.
Aizawa frowned. He wasn't aware that Yagi had met with Imoku, except for that one time, with him. "When we saw him?" he asked carefully, fishing to see if that was the time. He couldn't remember anything incriminating, which had been incredibly frustrating at the time.
Yagi nodded. "It's not so much what he said, but the way he said it. Do you remember, Aizawa, we asked Kakurete if he had ever thought about being a hero?"
The underground hero, reintegrated as a private investigator nodded.
Toshinori shuddered, and then braced himself. "He gave me a look when he answered. I didn't think anything of it at the time. But his answer was something I told Izuku."
Shouta groaned. He remembered what Imoku had said. "You are the hero who taught him a lesson?" He demanded.
"If Imoku is Izuku, then probably."
"What did you tell him?" Mirio asked.
"Izuku was quirkless. He asked me if it was possible to be a hero without a quirk," Yagi admitted. "I told him that without a suitable quirk, it would be too dangerous." The former Number One hero hung his head.
"That is logical," Sir Nighteye said.
Aizawa groaned again. "You really don't know what it's like to be quirkless, do you?" he asked, ignoring the irony of his question.
Toshinori winced at the question.
"What?" Sir Nighteye demanded.
"You really don't know what it's like to be quirkless," Aizawa said again.
"How dare you!?" The former hero snarled. Mirio didn't know where to look.
"You are quirkless," Aizawa agreed with the unspoken statement, "but everyone knows you had a quirk. Everyone knows who you are, thus you don't really know."
"And you do?"
"No." Shouta wasn't stupid. He could imagine but he'd never know. Quirkless rights had gotten better recently but he knew they hadn't been good. Kakurete was one of the driving forces behind the improvement. Another piece of circumstantial evidence tying Kakurete to Midoriya. "Have you ever researched, Izuku Midoriya?" He asked.
He had. After Katsuki told him who Imoku was, he had of course researched Izuku, though Bakugou's story had given Aizawa a fair understanding of what the quirkless lad had gone through.
"Of course not," Sir Nighteye relied.
"Maybe you should," Shouta said. "Izuku was quirkless. He was bullied and belittled, yet all he wanted to do was help people," the former underground hero told his companion. "He wanted to be a hero. Not number one, just a hero, yet everyone told him no, he couldn't, not without a quirk. Now imagine what would happen if the Number One Hero told him the same thing?"
It was perhaps merciless to lay it out like that but there was no other way of saying it. Yagi looked stricken but even with the expression, Aizawa knew he'd thought about this before.
Sir Nighteye's lips pressed into a tight line. He was thinking about it and not liking the conclusions he was drawing.
"I left Izuku on a roof," Toshinori said. "There is no record of him ever leaving that roof," he added.
"So," Mirio said slowly. "You think All For One spoke to him there? Kurogiri could have gotten them off the roof easily," he added.
"If Imoku is Izuku, then that is possible."
"How did he know to approach Izuku?" Sir Nighteye asked.
There was no answer to that.
"Could he have been in contact with Izuku previously?" Mirio asked. "Then Izuku contacted him on the roof."
"Izuku's phone wasn't used," Aizawa pointed out, but he acknowledged the boy could have been carrying another phone.
"Are we sure of that?" Toshinori asked. "Imoku encouraged investigations into Izuku's disappearance. He wouldn't have done that if he knew he was going to be exposed. Could he have corrupted the evidence?"
Sir Nighteye jerked back. Yagi's question was obvious and they, he hadn't considered it. Why would Representative Kakurete back investigations into his own disappearance if there was any risk of exposure?
"I think we have to conclude that even if there is evidence at the point of Izuku's disappearance, it has been corrupted," the retired hero said. "Especially since we have the person acknowledged to have last seen Izuku."
"Possibly, though your original question has merit," Yagi said. "Why did, or how did, All For One know to speak to Izuku?"
"So you think Izuku is Imoku?"
"I like that possibility better than one of the other options," Toshinori seemed tired. Of everyone here, he was the most cognizant of the evil All For One represented. He knew the depths the man would sink to, the lines he would not even know he was crossing because for him, they never existed.
"Such as?" Mirio asked.
"That all of this is simply a ploy to waste our time and resources. That Izuku Midoriya was killed on that roof, and Imoku Kakurete was merely adjusted to have a resemblance."
"That's a bit far fetched, isn't it?" Aizawa demanded. Why would anyone adjust someone to look like an aged up 14 year old… The theory that Imoku was Izuku was far more likely but if they wanted to get creative, then he could get creative!
Both Yagi and Sir Nighteye gave him a look. Neither of them thought it was beyond the realm of possibility.
"If you are going to be that paranoid, are you sure he's dead?" the former underground hero snapped.
"I'm sure he's dead," Toshinori said. He'd used up quite a few favours to have the corpse checked. All For One was dead. One For All had succeeded, and not through combat.
"You're sure? When Imoku visited Tartarus a few weeks before he died, and the last word he said was 'Izuku'?"
"What?" Mirio demanded.
Sir Nighteye's eyes narrowed as he examined Aizawa and then he broke out in a sweat. "You mean it, don't you? About his last word?" He barely whispered the question.
Yagi was gripping the arms of his chair so strongly his bones creaked.
"I do," Aizawa confirmed. "Bakugou told me but I confirmed it. The guards inform anyone who asks that his last word was Izuku."
"What are you suggesting?" Toshinori asked softly, fighting the nausea that was threatening to make him lose the little food he managed to keep down.
"You are the ones who told me All For One experimented with immortality. His body wasn't in good condition, so let's say he found another way, a way of preserving his mind, and Imoku is his host."
"That's not possible!" Mirio objected.
No one shushed him. They didn't know if it was possible or not.
"You mean to tell me, we might be facing him? That Imoku is him."
"I'm not saying that," Aizawa said, waving one hand. "I'm saying if you want to get creative with theories, then you might as well get creative."
"So what do you believe?" Mirio asked before his mentors could snap.
"I think Imoku is Izuku. I think All For One is dead. Imoku visited Tartarus but never went near him. Those records are public and there was no change in personality after his death indicating a new controlling mind," Shouta explained.
To the inexperienced, Sir Nighteye's expression didn't change but Aizawa could see that he relaxed slightly. He really had been taking his suggestion seriously.
"But as I told Bakugou when he informed me of the relationship between Imoku and Izuku, it doesn't matter. We are not here to stop Izuku, we are here to stop Imoku."
"Know your enemy," Yagi said. "While I agree we are after Imoku, if we know Izuku then we may be able to predict what he wants."
"So what does he want?" Mirio asked. "The League already has their goal. They wanted heroes gone and there are no longer heroes."
That brought silence to the table. "Izuku said he wanted to be a hero," Toshinori said finally. He had thought about the way the boy looked more than once. There had been something haunting about his eyes, and the way his mother keep up hope… Until now, when she was gone.
"Yes, and if we assume he joined the League then he'd want to destroy heroes, and to a large extent he has."
"Then now, he's simply trying to maintain the status," Aizawa said with a shrug before he nodded towards Mirio. "He represents the push to reinstate Heroes but Imoku is keeping that movement contained and controlled." It was almost admirable the way the politician was controlling events. It was skillful but it wasn't in the public's best interest.
"That means he's also controlling the League," Sir Nighteye said. "Maybe that's what we need to focus on, getting the League to be more active so that the movement can't be contained," he suggested.
"What?" Yagi demanded.
The quirkless former hero grimaced. "Not like that," he defended his position. "What I mean is we need to figure out why they aren't active."
"They are active," Aizawa pointed out. They had ample evidence of that.
"Not active in the public eye. And perhaps that's a way of getting the message out there."
"How?" Toshinori asked.
"Imoku based many of his speeches on the effects of language. How using the word villain made crimes all the more bad. It's not true of course. Crime rates haven't really changed. Insurance rate have but crime rates haven't. So we use that. Mirio uses that, he points out those stats that I'm sure Imoku would rather not be highlighted."
"Except no one is listening," Aizawa said pessimistically.
Mirio was embarrassed but didn't try to deny it.
"Then we support him," Sir Nighteye said, looking at Yagi.
The former Number One hero sighed, before he nodded. "Imoku knows what we are doing, so there is no point in hiding. I'll see who else will endorse you," he added.
Mirio nodded but he was frowning. "Why can't we just prove that Imoku is Izuku. It wouldn't be that hard."
Shouta raised one eyebrow and was thankful that Mirio blushed. He knew what that expression meant. "How?" He asked with deceptive gentleness.
"DNA testing?"
"And I could get the sample in a day or so," Aizawa admitted. "We could then have it tested against Izuku's birth blood sample, and then we'd all go to jail."
"What?" Mirio demanded.
Sir Nighteye nodded, backing up Aizawa's assessment. "Wrongful theft of biological material," he explained. "Unauthorised access to pediatric records, libel and slander."
Mirio paled. Before Quirks appeared, those tactics might have worked but protection of DNA was one of the changes that had been very strongly supported after Quirks came into existence. It was part of a futile effort to stop experimentation on humans. The experimentation was mostly dealt with in other ways, but the laws remained.
"And depending on how he wanted to play it, he'd publically have another test, which would come up false, or he'd have it come up true, and then play the victim," Aizawa summarised what he'd told Katsuki.
Mirio nodded and in that action he withdrew his suggestion. At least he didn't even suggest that Imoku might admit to being Izuku somehow.
"We have a lot of circumstantial evidence," Yagi said. "Should we just release that?"
"To what goal?" Sir Nighteye asked.
"Disruption," Toshinori admitted. They had their whole goal but they didn't yet have the means to achieve it. "While he is distracted dealing with the rumours he isn't stopping us."
"He's not doing much to stop us at the moment, and hoping that rumours keep him from controlling the League is not going to work," Sir Nighteye said. There had been times over the years when Imoku had been deep in political maneuvering. He couldn't have been controlling the League then. That's what Dabi was for… "Why don't we see if we can get Dabi arrested?" he suggested.
"It's probably not possible," Aizawa said softly. "You heard what happened with Midnight?" He asked.
Sir Nighteye nodded.
"Dabi's knows Katsuki is hunting the League, and he's probably buried himself in whatever hole he's been in for the last ten years."
"He can't be that well hidden!" Mirio objected.
Shouta looked at the young man. Dabi could be that well hidden. He, and the rest of the League had been avoiding Bakugou for a long time. They had practice at remaining hidden. "The only reason we are finding them now is luck, persistence and some very long term undercover work. Katsuki is doggedly determined," Aizawa summarised. He wouldn't tell them everything but they had to appreciate the amount of work going into this. He'd been working on his wall for years as well. Every piece of evidence there was meticulously collected. The enemy was smart. Those were the most dangerous kind.
"Katsuki is actually the closer to Dabi than all of us," Shouta sighed.
"How?" Sir Nighteye asked.
"The fighting rings," Aizawa reminded them. "He's got a title fight soon."
Yagi nodded. "Keep us informed," he said before looking at Mirio. "For the moment, it's probably best if you ignore Kakurete," he continued. "I'll get a group together to endorse you, which should raise your profile. I think, we are focused on the wrong thing here," he added with a heavy sigh.
"What do you mean?" Mirio asked.
"We are trying to work out a way of discrediting Kakurete. We probably can't. Even if we do find something, the polls have him very much ahead in his electorate, and it's too late for a new comer to nominate. So, we can't turn his electorate against him, which means we need to focus on getting you into Parliament so that you can argue against him there. Then we will have more time. We can discredit him over the period of the next term." All Might tactfully didn't mention that Kakurete would have the same time to discredit them, and that even once they did get Mirio into the House of Representatives, Kakurete had the history and contacts there. Change was going to be hard, but nothing worthwhile was easy.
They had to persist.
It was eerily reminiscent of the time he was chasing All For One. The man was diabolical and it always seemed as if the villain had the upper hand. Even when they were fighting he maintained an air of superiority… even in Tartarus. Yagi grimaced at the memory.
The gesture did not go unnoticed.
"What is it?" Sir Nighteye asked.
"I only ever visited All For One a few times in Tartarus. The man was cut off from everything. News, science, information, entertainment but I guess the guards told him enough."
Sir Nighteye and Aizawa nodded. They knew what Tartarus was like and they knew the conditions All For One had been kept in. He was constantly monitored and constrained. He could barely move for himself. It was a hell that had driven many of the prisoners mad. By all reports, All For One was not one of them.
"He was always smug, and pleased but there was one time when he-" Toshinori paused, remembering his nemesis. With the memory of meeting Imoku in his office, and what the politician had said, All For One's words took a new meaning. The connection was there, he was sure of it.
Even missing half his head, even in Tartarus, the man had given off a dangerous air. The guards all commented and were frequently changed. They did not want any of them influenced. All For One was confident. Captured and imprisoned in a state of the art prison, one of the best in the world, because on keeping dangerous quirk criminals secure, the governments of the world cooperated, yet he was still confident.
But that one time, he had been different. Yagi hadn't been able to spot it at first, it was only on consideration had he recognised the differences. All For One had been almost jubilant.
Yagi sighed. "Right as I was leaving, he turned to me," he explained. "And he said 'thank you'."
The others didn't think anything of it. Toshinori shook his head. "All For One is not a man who thanks anyone," he clarified. "He meant it that time."
"What was he thanking you for?" Aizawa asked.
"I asked, but he shook his head and just repeated it. He said, Thank you for giving me everything. I thought he meant Tomura. He had spoken about him before. But what if he meant Izuku?"
It was a sobering thought because while the League had been causing trouble, were still causing trouble, they alone couldn't have changed the laws. Imoku had done that. Granted, he hadn't been alone, he was an Independent, and had to get the government to approve the changes, but he had been the one to propose them, and now he was the one who was maintaining the new status quo.
"You think he did?" Mirio asked.
"I do," Yagi admitted, biting his lip. "And that makes it all my fault," he added, feeling a stab run through him that had nothing to do with physical pain.
All this time, he had been happy that All For One was gone but… the man had anticipated that already. Given that heroes were no more, who had really won?
The battle, Toshinori reminded himself. The battle, not the war. All For One wouldn't win the war. He was still here. One For All was still here. They still had a chance to win the war.
"I've spoken about fault with Mirio," Sir Nighteye said in a long suffering tone. "Did you know that All For One was watching Izuku? Or yourself?"
"No."
"Then it cannot be your fault. You didn't know what would happen, if the rooftop is the place where things happened. You couldn't have known. Imoku has made his choices, and those are not your fault."
"I could have told him something different. How hypocritical was I? I should have known how bad being quirkless was! I did know!"
Shouta shook his head. "How about instead of blaming ourselves, we look focus on how to fix the problem?" He asked sharply. He had to head off this guild session before it began.
"That would be wise," Sir Nighteye indicated, now knowing who to look at.
Yagi took a deep breath and sighed. "Let's focus on getting Mirio into the House of Representatives," he clarified the problem. "I still have some popularity, so I will endorse Mirio."
"Don't say anything against Kakurete," Aizawa warned.
"I won't," Toshinori agreed. Saying anything against Kakurete without a lot of proof would be suicide and would probably take Mirio down with them. Not that Kakurete wasn't already attempting that - probably.
"I will keep looking into the finances of his companies," Sir Nighteye said. "I've got a few things anyway."
"Follow the money," Mirio said.
"Indeed. If he has siphoned money to the League, then something will not add up."
"I will keep investigating him," Aizawa said. "I'll focus again on his mother."
Sir Nighteye and Yagi nodded. As Kakurete's supposedly only living relative, she would be in on the plan, and she could a weakness.
"I'll keep attempting to give popular speeches," Mirio said in a tone that said he definitely thought he had the short end of the stick.
They laughed but they all knew this job was serious. They had to find something…
Or the age of Heroes ended with them.
-afop-
Yagi collapsed onto his couch. He was almost over the top of it, curving his back as he stretched. Over the years, Toshinori had become very good at managing his stamina. After his first battle with All For One, it hadn't been too bad. He could still rely on One For All but after he had passed on his quirk, he had relearn the limits of his stamina, and after Kamino, he'd had to learn them yet again.
Over time, though he had gotten used to it and had learned to conserve his stamina for the important things. He never cleaned his house. He had people for that. He rarely cooked, instead he relied on high calorie mixes he could sip throughout the day. Yagi knew he was lucky. His income as a Hero allowed him to live comfortably now, and he did get some money from the government still, for services rendered.
Even so, days like today were tiring. Toshinori had alternately sat and stood to support Mirio has he gave several public speeches on the campaign trail. He'd been a part of Candidate Toogata's entourage. It was an interesting position. A lot of people over looked him until Mirio introduced him. Then, Toshinori felt somewhat bad for Mirio, he became the centre of attention. But the message was getting out there.
He'd only been to a few of Mirio's events, but the first opinion poll, which had come out today, had shown a definite pick up with Mirio's polling. Which was the entire reason he was out there, so as tired as Yagi was, he thought it time well spent.
His lounge was arranged as a speaking area, with two leather couches facing each other, separated by a coffee table. There was a recliner off to the side, overlooking the garden, and Toshinori liked to sit there when he could just watching the greenery. He could move things in the lounge easily enough if he wanted to watch television but often he didn't bother. There wasn't much news that made him happy.
It was only belatedly that Yagi realised he wasn't alone. He sat up slowly, trying to work out how many others were here without being obvious about it. It had been years since he had needed to be so spatially aware.
"You can look," a voice told him.
Yagi avoiding snapping his eyes to the speaker but he used his ears instead. By the sounds of things the speaker was sitting on the other couch. Toshinori pulled himself into an upright position and then looked over.
He avoided the startled exclamation only through years of control.
Imoku Kakurete was sitting there, with an oddly smug smile.
Toshinori blinked.
The Representative didn't disappear and he gave a small jolt of laughter indicating that he knew exactly why Yagi had blinked.
He glanced around his lounge without taking his eyes off Kakurete. Dabi was leaning against the door frame to the kitchen. Kurogiri was standing behind Imoku, and Spinner was on the other side. There was someone behind him. Toshinori assumed it was Toga.
This was not a social call.
Oddly, he wasn't afraid.
Imoku smiled at him. "Given who you are, and how long the League has fought against you, I thought it appropriate that everyone came."
"Everyone?" Toshinori asked, settling himself more comfortably.
The Representative nodded. "My commanders," he said. "And-" Something huge and hulking came into the room. Yagi didn't recognise it exactly but he knew what it was.
"You still have them?" he couldn't help but gasp.
The politician tsked. "That makes the Noumu sound like they are just a manufactured thing. Have some respect for them. This is High End. He wanted to meet you."
"Fight now?" The huge creature growled the question.
Toshinori was shocked. None of the other Noumu had ever said anything. This one hadn't said anything while it was captured.
"Not this one. This one is now weak," Imoku said, looking at the creature.
"Want fight!" High End said. "Like Giganta!"
Giganta was the way High End referred to Gigantomachia. The two had fought years back when the huge man had confronted the League. Imoku had tried to explain that he was not a combat leader but Gigantomachia hadn't considered him a worthy successor to All For One. High End had protected Imoku and had enjoyed the fight immensely.
Imoku smiled. "You can fight his successor."
The Noumu looked at Imoku, and then back to Toshinori. He tensed, even though he couldn't do much against the hulking brute.
"I promise," Imoku added in a soft tone.
The Noumu relaxed and then nodded before moving back so that it was standing near the wall.
Yagi didn't shudder but it was a close thing. "You know?" He whispered the question. He still wasn't afraid but he knew he had to get out of here. Somehow.
"I know about All For One," Imoku said. Ingrained in his words was the knowledge that he knew about One For All as well.
The rest of the League members just watched. It confirmed to Yagi that Imoku was their leader and he knew what they were here for. How he could turn it against them though was something he was still trying to work out. If he attempted to get his phone, Imoku would notice. There was security on his door, but with the warp villain here, Toshinori was positive the League had not left any sign there.
How was he going to get out of this… or at the very least get word out… There had to be a way.
"No questions? No demands?" Imoku prompted with an expectant air.
Toshinori looked back. "You are the ones who invited yourselves," he pointed out. "If you want, I'll be a good host and get you some tea," he offered, but made no attempt to stand. He already knew how the offer would be taken.
"We wouldn't want to impose," Kakurete said coldly. He also knew that the offer was a blatant attempt to be alone for a few moments.
They sized each other up. Imoku appeared comfortable. Yagi hoped he appeared the same. The silence stretched. "So why have you come?" Toshinori asked into the silence.
Imoku leaned forward slightly. "For every action, there is a reaction. I trust you know which action has caused this?"
The former number one hero tried to think. There was nothing obvious. He wasn't in charge of investigating Imoku's past, that was Aizawa. He wasn't looking into his businesses either. That was Sir Nighteye. They would both do a better job. He was in charge of supporting Mirio…
"Are you that desperate to keep him out of the House of Representatives?" Toshinori blurted.
Imoku leaned back again, hooking one elbow over the back of the couch. "His presence would change nothing, but would add complications that I feel are best dealt with preemptively."
Yagi gave the politician a disbelieving look. He arched one eyebrow. "In non politician speak?" he prodded, as an idea came to him. His house was wired. Alexa could record things and send it to Sir Nighteye or the Police. They could catch Imoku here and now in the presence of the League.
The Representative sighed. "Mirio could campaign all he wanted to bring back heroes, but it won't work. The benefits have become clear to the government over the last few years."
"It will most likely be a new government," Toshinori pointed out while trying to think how to activate Alexa. He glanced at the other League members. They were still patient. Dabi was near the speaker.
"True," Imoku conceded, "but the budget doesn't lie. All Mirio would do is add confusion, and government, from any party, is confused enough."
The former number one hero didn't react to the joke. He had translated the political speak and was happy. If Imoku said Mirio would do nothing, then there was a good chance he could actually affect real change. They weren't going about this the wrong way. Toshinori sobered quickly. He might know that, but he had to somehow tell the others. Maybe he should just call the device?
"I'm not stupid," Kakurete told him coldly. "Your house is currently disconnected," he added.
Toshinori looked at the Representative sharply.
"You were about to call for Alexa," Imoku told him. The man fished in one pocket and pulled out a small device. Yagi didn't recognise it but there was a blinking light on it, and he could easily deduce was it was meant to do. Yet another support item being corrupted for a use it was probably not intended for. "Allowing the public to use support devices means there's so many useful toys available. Alexa is disabled, at the moment. I don't want this on record, just as my last visit to All For One wasn't on the record."
"All For One wasn't allowed visitors," Yagi replied, almost on autopilot. What did he do now? How did he get word out?
"Someone had to visit Sensei," Imoku countered.
It was that, more than anything else, the use of the word Sensei to name the greatest criminal of all time, that convinced Toshinori that Imoku was… was everything they suspected.
"Did I hurt you that much?" All Might asked, regret lacing his question.
Imoku stared at him, his green eyes hard. Toshinori watched him tremble. "Yes," he said finally through clenched teeth.
The former number one hero noted that both Dabi and Spinner looked slightly confused. Interested but confused. Kurogiri's expression really couldn't be seen but the warp villain had an air about him that said he understood. The Noumu didn't care and there was a chuckle from behind him. "You hurt Izu!" Toga whispered in his ear. He didn't jump.
Toshinori took a deep breath and leaned forward. He put his hands on the coffee table and bowed. "I am sorry," he said.
The League was surprised.
Yagi looked up as Imoku's head jerked back.
"It's too late," the Representative told him. The man swallowed hard, but the former number one hero knew that the matter had just been dismissed. Imoku, Izuku, whoever he thought of himself, would not change his mind.
Toshinori nodded as he sat back up. He expected that answer, but he had to try. "You won't get away with this," he said. There had to be some way of letting Sir Nighteye know what happened here.
"Why not?" Imoku asked. He seemed genuinely curious.
Yagi was surprised at how calm he felt. He raised one hand, pointing at the acknowledged villains who were standing in his lounge. "They will all leave evidence," he explained. Dabi would leave burns, Toga blood, Kurogiri even more blood, Spinner used knives and High End would pummel him to death if allowed, leaving a lot of evidence.
The Representative chuckled. "The coroner's report will be that you suffered cardiac arrest," he told him. "There will be no evidence of foul play."
The former number one hero just shook his head.
Imoku smiled at him. "I'd say 'let's see' but you won't be around to see, so I would ask you to trust me, and take my word for it."
At the word trust, Yagi felt a pull, as if he should trust Imoku. He quickly suppressed the feeling. Where had that come from? Then he glared. There was only one place it could have come from. "You-" He wasn't sure how to explain what he had felt.
"Ah, I'm losing my touch," Kakurete murmured deprecatingly, though Toshinori knew the villain had meant to be caught. "Aizawa is a very intelligent man," he added.
The statement lost Yagi for a moment and then he remembered the first time he had met Kakurete. It had been in the politician's office, with Aizawa. The underground hero had accused Imoku of having an undocumented second quirk. If what Yagi had felt was from a quirk, and it appeared Imoku was admitting to it, then Aizawa had been correct. He tried to remember if Shouta had known about All For One's ability to give and take quirks at that point, but it was more than ten years ago. Aizawa knew of it now, but he just couldn't remember if the other hero had known then.
"You don't agree?" Imoku prompted when the silence stretched between them.
Toshinori realised it didn't matter what Aizawa did or didn't know back then. "He is," he agreed instead. Now he felt fear. It wasn't for himself. He still wasn't afraid of what would happen but he was scared for the world. He didn't overestimate his ability to change it but with someone like Kakurete in charge, then… what hope was there?
"What do you actually want?" Yagi asked. "What do any of you want?" He pressed, looking around at the League members. "Through him, you have gotten what you want," he added, jerking his head towards Imoku.
Dabi snorted. Spinner shook his head. "Fight!" High End said.
"You are quite correct, All Might," Kurogiri told him. "With the abolishment of the old Enabling Heroes Act by the Heroes Must Be Heroes Bill and the Reintegration Bills, what the League wanted was mostly achieved. Yet you sit there, knowing the benefits, and after seeing the hypocrisy of heroes destroyed, you would still bring it all back. That is what the League will prevent."
That was mostly true but there gaps in what the warp villain was saying. "Not everything," Yagi tried to justify it. "I wouldn't bring back everything. The Heroes Must Be Heroes Bill has some very good aspects," he said before placing his hands beside him on the couch. It was a long shot but maybe he could scratch something into the leather.
He hoped.
"Thank you," Imoku murmured, though he knew the Representative was being facetious. As the instigator of the Heroes Must Be Heroes Bill, he could take credit for the good parts, even if most of it was bad.
Toshinori ignored that as he continued, trying to make the movement of his hands normal as he dug his short nails in. "But it went too far. It destroyed a lot of lives and ignored the good that heroes were doing."
"What?" Dabi scoffed. "So just because my dad saved a lot of lives, more than you," the fire villain pointed out, because that was the truth. Endeavor had a higher clearance rate than him. "I should have just put up with him beating the shit out of me?"
"Of course not," Toshinori objected. "Endeavor was-" He stopped.
Imoku was giving him a gentle smile.
Toshinori knew the Representative could probably list every failing of every hero. There was little point in arguing on their terms. "Kamui Woods did not deserve to die," he pointed out instead, looking at Dabi.
The fire villain's expression stretched into a smile. "Tomura was more impetuous," he told the former number one hero.
"Tomura was necessary for providing the atmosphere in which the seed of change could flourish," Imoku elaborated. "And, hands up please," he added, lifting one arm and gesturing with his fingers.
The League stiffened. Yagi thought he heard a knife being drawn behind him but he obeyed, lifting his hands in a gesture of peace.
"Check it," Kakurete ordered, his green eyes hard.
Toga leaned over beside him, her face twisted into a smile. She balanced on the back of the couch, looking down at where his hands had been. "There's a mark, but it's nothing," she reported.
"Good," Imoku said. He seemed relieved. Toshinori knew that meant the politician was aware he couldn't control everything and that he was still fighting. "I should have expected you to continue to try," he said and the smile he gave Yagi was warm. "But what did you tell me? That it was useless to try unless you were suited? So let me tell you, there is no way out of this, and you will leave no warning."
Even though there was no one here to reassure, Toshinori smiled at the Representative. "I didn't give in to him. I will not give in to you."
"I don't expect you to give in," Imoku shook his head. "I expect you to die."
"Which will just give Mirio more support," Yagi predicted.
"If you were murdered, yes, but I already told you, the coroner will say it was cardiac arrest. You are not old, but Sensei has left his mark upon you," Imoku said, looking significantly at his abdomen.
Toshinori didn't react. He wanted to place one hand on what was left of his stomach. He hadn't coughed up blood for the last few years, after the last operation but the damage was done. He was still weak.
"Sensei always warned me about you, about One For All, but I guess, now that you don't have it, you aren't that much of a threat."
Yagi glared.
"Oh, don't be like that," Imoku mocked. "You're a figurehead at the moment. You are meant to be a distraction for me from the snooping Aizawa and Sir Nighteye are doing."
Toshinori froze. They had assured him they were being careful but… If the Representative knew about them, then would they have a similar visit?
"Did you think I was unaware of that?" Imoku asked at his expression.
"I believe All Might is concerned that you will visit them as well, Imoku Kakurete," Kurogiri informed the politician.
"Ah," Imoku nodded. "That depends on what they find," he said lightly.
Yagi didn't relax.
Kakurete chuckled. "Eraser Head has been looking into me for more than ten years, and hasn't found anything," he told Toshinori. "Given that record, I doubt you have anything to fear about him." There was a real note of comfort in the politicians voice.
Toshinori felt sick to hear it. It reminded him far too much of All For One. The man could feign any emotion, while truly feeling nothing. Was Imoku like that? The child Izuku had been so open. He wanted to apologise again. He wanted to explain. But he knew that Kakurete was already too far gone.
"As for Sir Nighteye, government contracts do carry risk," Imoku said coolly.
Yagi knew the Representative wasn't referring to his risk. He felt a flash of cold and wondered what Sir Nighteye had requested. Then he reminded himself forcefully that his former sidekick had investigated All For One without being caught. If he could do that, he would not fall to one of All For One's apprentices.
The green eyed man looked over at him. "Now, if you don't have any questions, we should get this over with," he said matter of factly.
Toshinori fixed his eyes on Imoku's. "Is this really what you want, Izuku?"
The Representative didn't even blink at the use of the name. Dabi and Spinner weren't as restrained. It was interesting that they didn't appear to know. Yagi paid them no mind.
A slow smile spread over Imoku's face and the former number one hero wondered if he was thinking about the past.
"All I ever wanted was for someone to tell me yes," he whispered. "For just one person, to say 'yes, you can be a hero, Izuku'," Imoku said. "My doctor told me I couldn't. My mother told me I couldn't. Those I once called friends told me I couldn't. My teachers told me I couldn't. Everyone who knew I didn't have a quirk told me I couldn't but I continued to believe that I could. I studied hard. I made notes. I came up with strategies. I examined quirks until I knew them better than their users. I learned to read people but no matter what I did, it was never enough. I didn't want to be the number one hero, I just wanted to be a hero.
"Everyone still said I couldn't. 'Izuku, you can't be a hero without a quirk'," Imoku mimed in a high pitched voice.
Toshinori felt the cold seeping into him at the words. He had been the straw.
"Until you," the Representative continued mercilessly. He swallowed again. "I held out the hope that the one person who routinely did the impossible, who was the personification of hope, would tell me that it wasn't impossible, that I could be a hero without a quirk.
"And what did you say?" Imoku asked, cocking his head slightly as he gave the former number one hero a cold smile. He didn't wait for an answer. "That I should keep my dreams realistic." The words were heavy.
Yagi mouthed the words as Imoku spoke. The motion wasn't lost on Dabi and Spinner. With that motion they knew Imoku was speaking the truth. Maybe they would be the ones who acted? Except it wouldn't be here. It wouldn't be now. He wasn't resigned to his fate but he could see no other alternatives, and somehow he'd known that he would go out in a battle against All For One.
The man himself wasn't here, but his spirit was. It looked to him in the hate filled eyes of the Representative.
"So, I did," Kakurete continued, his voice now lightening. "Sensei offered me an alternative, and I took it. And you know, this way, I've saved more people than you ever have."
"What?" Yagi couldn't help but demand the explanation, no matter what was hanging over him.
"I have saved more people than you ever have," Kakurete repeated. "Every single want to be hero, who the Assessment's picked up. How many of them did I save from a premature death when they got into something they weren't prepared to handle? How many Endeavor's have I prevented by banning those who are only in it for personal gain? How many deaths have I prevented when a hero engaged a so called villain without consideration for the surrounding people? How many now benefit because the police have the quirk training they need to be effective, rather than having quirk restrictions applied because only heroes can use their quirks? How many have been saved from disasters by the rescue forces who are now free to act as best as they can?"
Imoku stopped, breathing heavily. "I could go on," he said. "But I think you get the point."
Spinner nodded. "Stain would approve," he murmured.
This could be the opportunity he needed. The reptilian villain looked at him. He was dressed in body armor with black pants and boots. A sword hilt poked over his left shoulder, and he had a red scarf wrapped loosely around his neck. A white bandana over his eyes completed the look. He was still following Stain's ideal, and Stain's ideal hero was All Might.
Yagi saw the life line. "Would he approve of this?" He managed to keep the sharp tone from his voice.
The green villain was silent. Toshinori kept his eyes on Spinner. The others didn't move and the silence stretched.
The villain sighed. "I was hoping you'd be wrong, Imoku," he told the Representative with a voice full of regret.
Imoku turned to the League member. "I'm sorry, Spinner." He even sounded genuine.
"What?" Toshinori asked. He didn't understand.
The Representative turned back to him. "I warned Spinner you would appeal to Stain, though I am surprised it took you so long." Imoku was derisive.
Yagi dived forward. He had no illusions about his chances of victory. He couldn't win, but Imoku had said the coroner would say his death was caused by a heart attack. That meant he had some way of killing him without leaving a mark. If he could get one of the other villains to mark him, then Sir Nighteye would know.
None of the villains moved.
Imoku raised one hand. Sparks danced between his fingers and Toshinori felt pain in his chest. His hands slammed down on the coffee table to support himself. He gasped for air and struggled back, to the couch so he was sitting. Yagi's hands clutched at his breast. It hurt.
No! He struggled upwards again.
Imoku cocked his head, and the sparks seemed to intensify. All Might recognised what was happening. The Representative was using his registered quirk. Nothing like this was registered about it but it made sense. He could control sparks. The right type of spark was electrical current.
It took a villainous mind to think of this application.
Yagi managed to get to his feet. He was used to pain. He had dealt with it when fighting All For One and he could deal with it now. The problem was his eyes were unfocusing and he could hear a rushing in his ears. He staggered forwards, slamming his shins into the table.
His limbs were heavy. He couldn't lift them but he had to try. Raising his foot to attempt to get to Imoku was his downfall. Toshinori felt his balance leave him and even though breathing was hard he windmilled his arms as he tried to stay upright. It didn't help. He crashed into the ground.
Pain shot through him and Yagi lay on the ground, still struggling to breathe. Tears streamed from his eyes and as his vision narrowed, Toshinori saw the expensive shoes of Imoku walk up to him. He couldn't move, or he'd try to grip the Representative's pant leg. He had to do something. The floor smelt clean.
Toshinori convulsed, trying to breathe.
"Izu, be careful," he heard, and somehow knew that Toga was supporting Imoku.
The Representative sniffed. "That takes a lot out of me," he admitted. It was not a comfort that killing someone with his quirk took effort.
Yagi wanted to scream that he wasn't dead, that Imoku had failed, but his voice abandoned him. His breath rasped and he couldn't see anything. The world had gone black but he was still here.
"We should go." That was Dabi.
"We should," Imoku said, sounding laboured. "But first, good bye Toshinori Yagi. Say hello to Tomur- Ah, it was Tenko, wasn't it? Say hello to him for me, would you? And Sensei. Tell them, I won't let their work go to waste."
Toshinori wanted to deny it but now there was a light approaching and nothing hurt anymore.
He breathed in, and out.
And knew peace.
-afop-
At the end of the day, let there be no excuses, no explanations and no regrets.
I might stretch the no explanation part.