Part 2: Chapter 12

Aizawa hated funerals, and it seemed as if all he'd been doing lately was attending them. First Midnight had been killed. Then Toshinori had died. That had been a State Funeral. The rigmarole involved in that fiasco had been headache inducing. There had been so many politicians there, all looking for a photo opportunity or something to help their election prospects. It was no way to honour anyone.

Then Sir Nighteye's. At least that had been a smaller affair. People had been able to show their respects but it had also shown him how fragile Mirio was.

It was understandable. The young man had gone through a lot in the last few days, losing both his mentor and the person who had built the society Mirio was meant to be protect. Except that society, Heroes, were gone. At least Mirio didn't blame himself for that. Shouta would never have supported him if Mirio was that stupid. But now they were at a bit of a loss.

All Might had been supporting Mirio on the campaign trail. The retired Hero was on public record as giving the Candidate his blessing. It had lifted Mirio's polls. When he died, Sir Nighteye had stepped in. It had only been for one rally before he was murdered. It suggested that, despite what the Police record said, that All Might had been murdered as well. Except, there was no denying that All Might had been damaged, was the nicest way of putting it. His body was fragile, and a heart attack had been a real possibility for a long time.

It was the timing that was suspicious. At least Mirio knew Sir Nighteye had been looking into Kunshu and Kakurete. Given it was Toga who had murdered him, it was entirely possible he'd found something.

Yet he hadn't told Mirio! No, what the former sidekick had said at the end made no sense. You have to save Da-

Who or what was Da? In order to save it, Aizawa shared the opinion it was probably a who. Which was one of the reasons he was standing here, before Sir Nighteye's grave, trying to gain inspiration. He had a feeling, that in time, they would look back and think it obvious. But Shouta also had a feeling that if it came to that, they'd be looking back from prison if they were lucky, or not looking back at all because Kakurete would have won it all.

There was one ironic answer to the question of who was Da that Aizawa wasn't sure he wanted to think of. Dabi.

Except Dabi was no threat to Kakurete. Assuming everything about Imoku was the truth, the Dabi had been leading the League for Kakurete for the last ten years at least. And with the recent gains Bakugou had made, it made no sense that Imoku would want to remove the one who was still loyal to him. Everything Aizawa had seen indicated that Dabi was loyal. If anything, the villain was in danger from Bakugou but the vigilante didn't want to kill him. Katsuki recognised that a dead Dabi couldn't reveal Kakurete. He wanted to beat the shit out of Dabi, but not kill. Did Sir Nighteye mean they needed to leave Dabi in place?

That's if the Da stood for Dabi.

Aizawa huffed, looking down at the name marker. "Couldn't you have made it clearer?" He muttered. He hated riddles. Couldn't Sir Nighteye left what he knew about Kunshu available to them as well? The files from BioSimip were in his house but nothing was highlighted. Aizawa couldn't even be sure they'd been read. And he knew what that meant. He'd have to do it now.

He turned to go. Even with his known insomnia, he had too much work to do and looking at a gravestone was not bringing inspiration. They'd have to find this Da the old fashioned way, and they'd have to focus on getting Mirio into the House of Representatives. It would be nice to take down Kakurete, and that was the ultimate goal, but he was experienced enough to know that sometimes you couldn't do everything at once.

Aizawa pulled out his phone as he walked.

"Good," the voice startled him. It was gravelly and seemed to come from over his shoulder, but there was no one behind him. "Call the stronger one here," it continued.

Shouta threw himself forward, executing a dive and somersault that would have done anyone half his age proud. He felt several twinges which he couldn't pay attention to as he looked over at the speaker.

It was huge. That was the first thing he noted. Aizawa didn't recognise the jagged teeth or the leering grin but when he saw the exposed brain he had a sinking feeling he knew what it was. This one was hunched over, and he could see layers and layers of muscle covering its neck and shoulders.

"You called stronger one?" The Noumu asked.

Shouta had never heard these things speak. He thought the report the Police had composed years back was that they couldn't but this one was. It's jaws moved with the words, though with teeth like that, it was no wonder the words were malformed. If it could talk, then maybe it understood, maybe he could talk it out of a fight… Not likely but he could get information.

"I'm pretty strong," he replied.

The Noumu cocked its head at him. The shroud of skin moved, but never truly fell away from its head. Aizawa was thankful for that.

"Twiggy," it announced. "No strength. Like Master."

Shouta knew it was an assessment of his build. He felt vaguely insulted. Still he couldn't deny that comparatively, he was rather slender. Apparently like this thing's Master. He didn't know what to think of that.

"Called stronger one?" It asked again.

"Why would I call someone else?"

"Master said we fight. Master said you weak but you call someone stronger."

Aizawa bit the inside of his lip as he looked at the creature. He still had his phone in hand and he could tell that it had one eye on it. "How about I call them if you tell me who your Master is?" He offered. The Noumu was loyal but it was obviously rather stupid.

The creature cocked its head at him. "Master is Master. Call!" It demanded.

Shouta just looked back, trying to assess what quirks the Noumu had. He couldn't remember much from the report. Accelerated healing was probable. Most of the Noumu's seemed to have that. Strength, even if it just came from the layers of muscle the Noumu had. And this one had at least some intelligence. He couldn't win.

He was realistic in his assessments. He had always had to be, and while he could defeat more opponents than most, he knew his limits. Especially since it had managed to get behind him without him noticing anything. Except… It wanted him to call someone. Did it know who'd he'd call?

Initially Aizawa had thought of Bakugou but the vigilante was still laying low. And if it became known he was involved in a fight with something known to be connected to the League then Aizawa couldn't imagine how that story would be twisted. He wasn't sure if Bakugou could deal with the wall of muscle this thing represented. That left Mirio. These Noumu's had been created to kill All Might, and that meant dealing with One For All. Plus Mirio had a bit more capital to spend if he was caught here.

"Who do you want?" Aizawa asked. Maybe he could get more information?

"Strongest," the Noumu told him without hesitation.

He made some show of typing into his phone. "Do you have more than one Master?" He asked idly.

"Master is Master," the Noumu replied. "Master is new, but Master better."

"New?" Shouta asked.

"Called stronger one?" the Noumu ignored his question.

"One last question," Aizawa countered. The Noumu looked frustrated. "What do others call your Master?" He held out the phone to show the message was ready to send, though he wasn't sure if the creature would understand that or could read. The message was simple.

Help. Noumu attack Sir Nighteye's grave

The Noumu twisted its long neck to look at him. Then it seemed to grin. There were no lips covering the jagged teeth so it was always grinning but somehow it seemed more amused at this. "Boss." It growled at him. "Call stronger, or we fight!"

Aizawa wasn't stupid enough to say he felt no fear. He felt plenty of fear but as an underground hero, he had long ago reconciled himself to the fact that he would get hurt in the course of his career. He felt fear when he acted then, but most of that fear was towards the one he was trying to save. He hoped he'd be strong enough, fast enough, good enough, for their sakes. Fear for himself was less, but was there.

Now, confronted with this thing, Aizawa felt fear. He knew with absolute certainty that it was not going to let him get away, and if he refused to call then it was just going to kill him and walk away. It wouldn't even think twice about it. But it would probably try to do the same to Mirio, or Katsuki and in that singular instant he wasn't sure if either of them could defeat this thing. They were both strong, inhumanly, insanely strong but this thing… He remembered the one from the USJ.

All Might had won, but Mirio wasn't All Might.

There was a flash of movement from the corner of his eye. "Fight!" the creature roared and Aizawa felt himself flung to the side as it swept one huge arm at him.

His phone was jolted from his grip but his thumb swept over the send button, and it beeped.

Aizawa didn't hear it, and didn't care. He crashed into several family markers, going straight through them with the force of the blow. The Noumu snaked its long neck around to track his movement and then it stomped after him, ignoring the grave markers that it destroyed. "You no call, so fight now!" it growled.

Shouta had practice with dealing with stronger opponents. He had been flung into a wall or two in the past. This was worse. He gasped for air, trying to bring as much into his lungs as possible as he rolled from the rubble. He felt groggy. He hurt. But he knew he had to move if he was going to survive. As he moved, he activated his quirk, staring at the Noumu. Nothing changed on it. He didn't expect it to but he wasn't sure if it had any projectile abilities. Thinking this one was the same as the previous would be bad. He had seen enough of them over the years to know that they were all different.

The Noumu didn't stop. "Weak," it told him and Aizawa realised it knew he was attempting to use his quirk on him.

It made him scramble upright all the faster, and then he looked around. He took two steps towards the Noumu, gaining momentum and then jumped over a low gravestone and ran.

He couldn't fight this thing. Being dumb enough to try would probably have killed his younger self. He was older now. Wiser. He knew his limits.

Something hit him in the stomach. Shouta had a brief sense of weightlessness as he was thrown through the air, and then he hit the ground forcefully again. He rolled with the movement, trying to see despite the way the sky and the dirt kept changing places so quickly. It allowed him to see the Noumu. It was just a flash of movement, but it was enough of a warning for Aizawa to brace himself before he was thrown in the other direction.

He tasted blood. If there was ever any thought that he could defeat this creature, it was extinguished. The world flashed around him. The grave stones tumbled around him and Aizawa felt cuts and scratches form on his arms and legs. So much hurt that he couldn't tell if anything was broken.

Aizawa felt nauseous from the continuous movement. It was a shock when he came to a halt. The world still spun for a while, and it took Shouta a moment to realise he was dangling from the creatures huge hand by his head.

"Weak," he growled again. "Even Master stronger!"

Shouta felt bones grind together, bones that were just not meant to grind together as he hung in that grip. He tried to kick, but the Noumu just squeezed his head harder. It was going to kill him. It was going to kill him as easily as he killed an ant and then walk away. He couldn't even scream in pain. All he could manage was a pained groan.

Then everything suddenly felt lighter, even as Aizawa felt his legs crumple as they hit the ground. He lay there for several long moments, not even caring that he was bent like a pretzel as he gasped for air. He realised something must have happened, and groaned* as he moved, rolling over painfully to see what it was.

Once, as an underground hero he had sworn he would never be happy to see All Might coming in on his work. Today, he was grateful that the holder of One For All was here.

Mirio was standing some distance away from him. His arms were raised for combat, and Aizawa noted the marks on the ground which meant the former sidekick had skidded to a halt. The huge Noumu was picking itself up from the ground, shaking its long neck. He could hear it growling to itself and only belatedly realised that it wasn't growling, it was laughing.

"Stronger one." It said finally. "We fight!" It declared before charging.

Mirio didn't get a chance to check on him before the creature was on him. Aizawa scrambled out of the way as stone from the name markers went everywhere. There were a lot of lost souls created today. Shouta felt a shock wave pass over him as their fists met. Mirio wasn't holding back. Shouta was thankful for that. The man had enough maturity to recognise that the Noumu was dangerous and to not hold back, though Aizawa was sure he had not yet shown his true strength.

Aizawa would have tried to give Mirio an advantage but they were moving too fast for him to lock his eyes only on the Noumu.

The initial tussle ended when the Noumu's fist passed through Mirio's chest and the former sidekick jumped back slightly.

"I'm okay!" Aizawa shouted.

Mirio nodded but didn't take his eyes off the creature.

It drew itself up. Mirio was not a small man. This creature was huge. Aizawa hadn't really gotten a good sense for it before. It had been crouched over when it spoke to him. Now it uncoiled. It's arms and shoulders were huge and its neck elongated. It towered over Mirio, looking down at him. It was very oddly proportioned. The arms and shoulders were massive, and while the Noumu's lower body wasn't anything to be scoffed at, comparatively it was smaller.

The Noumu shrugged, and for a moment, Aizawa thought he was looking at things. He shook his head but the vision didn't change. There was suddenly another, smaller Noumu there.

"Report to Master," the larger Noumu ordered.

The smaller one nodded and moved away. Mirio made no move to stop it since the bigger one turned its attention back to him. "You strong," it said.

Mirio did his best to glare back. He hadn't yet perfected All Might's look. "What do you want?" he asked.

"Fight!" the Noumu replied immediately.

"Is that all you want?" Mirio pressed.

"Master said we fight!"

Aizawa hoped Mirio wouldn't press the Noumu about its master. He doubted that the Candidate would have any better luck. Instead he watched the other Noumu. It had backed away but didn't appear to be making any attempt to leave. It was watching. Wasn't it meant to be report? Unless the Master was somewhere close? He cast his eyes around, ignoring the damage to the grave yard. There was no one else here.

"Why?" Mirio asked.

"Want fight!"

Thankfully Mirio also saw the way the Noumu tensed and the former sidekick was ready when one huge arm lashed out. He chose to meet it head one, grunting with effort but it took both his arms. Shouta couldn't do anything as the Noumu's other arm was swung over arm. Mirio phased, vanishing into the ground. The Noumu caught his suit, flinging the material into the ground.

Mirio reappeared behind the Noumu. Thankfully for his modesty his underwear was still on. Aizawa raised on eyebrow, but quickly dropped it when it hurt, as he realised what that meant. He resisted the urge to rub at his own undergarments. The former sidekick slammed both hands into the back of the Noumu's neck.

Or at least he tried to. The creature was fast and it dashed forward. Aizawa thought he heard the sound of jets but he couldn't see anything. The Noumu spun one foot at Mirio. Again he blocked the strike but the Noumu reacted, bringing its other foot around. It balanced by slamming its arms into the ground. Given the way Mirio strained, the creature's legs might look comparatively weak but they weren't.

The test of strength lasted only a few moment, before they both pulled back.

"You strong!" The Noumu was happy. "Master was right!"

Shouta didn't know what to think of that. Master was right. It had implications that were not good. It might only be a simple sentence but it opened many possibilities. It could be nothing. It could be everything. He hated the unknown he always felt when dealing with the League these days.

Before he could think much further, the Noumu swung again. Mirio dodged, vanishing into the ground again. Aizawa had the feeling that this fight would be decided in an instant. He wasn't sure he'd be able to see that instant. Or it would be long and drawn out. He hoped Mirio had the viciousness required for it.

The Noumu was looking for Mirio and as it did, it hunched over again, snaking its neck around as it searched. Mirio exploded from the ground behind it. This time he didn't attempt to strike it but allowed himself to be propelled upwards. There was no noise but the Noumu could sense him and turned its head upwards. The former sidekick came down, arms extended to punch at the Noumu.

Like most people in the world, and especially in Japan, Aizawa had seen All Might's quirk in action. It gave the man a glow. But commendators and online speculators had noted that Toshinori hadn't glowed all the time. Shouta was in the privileged position to know that he only glowed when he wasn't using the entire power available from One For All.

Aizawa wasn't sure if that was the same for Mirio, but he could see that Toogata wasn't glowing. The Noumu raised its huge arms and the two began punching at the other. Shouta felt each hit in his bones but he had the feeling that just punching this Noumu wasn't going to defeat it. He remembered the USJ and wondered how this one could be defeated. Then, All Might had won because he was stronger, and had literally blown that Noumu away but the former underground hero was certain this Noumu was stronger.

Wait… the original Noumu had been killed recently. How had they done that? Katsuki had told him it was… Oh, yes. Half 'n' Half, as Bakugou put it. Todoroki had burned the Noumu alive. Neither Mirio or he could do that, so how did they defeat this one? Especially since it could regenerate… Toogata could punch it away but that wouldn't be good enough. Shouta doubted that this one would be as docile as the other one, meaning it would kill whoever it found in the area it landed.

"Fifty percent!" Mirio said and landed a hit that actually drove the Noumu back.

It crashed through several, miraculously still standing grave markers but was quick to recover. Aizawa could see that there was no damage to the Noumu but he suspected it possessed accelerated healing.

"Fight good!" The Noumu said. There was a genuine note of happiness in its tone.

Aizawa couldn't reciprocate. It was good that Mirio was still fighting but how were they going to win? "Can you use your quirk?" Shouta yelled at Mirio.

"I am!" the Candidate shouted back.

"I mean permeation to trap it," Aizawa clarified.

"It doesn't apply to others."

That sort of made sense. If Mirio could extend permeation then he wouldn't lose his clothes when he used it. It didn't help them now.

The Noumu closed again with Mirio who didn't move. The Noumu's punches passed through him but the creature was quick to realise what that meant. It went low, sweeping one leg around. The candidate jumped but the Noumu had been expecting that and hit him hard. Mirio was driven back but Aizawa could see that he was hyperventilating. Then he released a breath before drawing as much air into his lungs as he could.

Shouta didn't know what he was doing, even as he disappeared. Like the Noumu, Aizawa began looking for Mirio. The Candidate usually used his power to drop down to take a more commanding position. It was usually quick… and then Shouta realised why Mirio had taken a deep breath. He was going to hold out as long as he could. The seconds ticked by. Half a minute, a full minute.

The Noumu growled. "Ran?" it snarled.

Then Mirio exploded from the ground. Aizawa knew he was watching someone with perfect control of his quirk. The candidate grabbed the Noumu as he flashed passed, pulling the huge creature into the air with him from the force of deactivating his quirk. The creature was quick to react and tried to hit Mirio even as it was dragged into the air. At the apex, Mirio released it, and kicked it to jump higher. The jump served only to separate them. Aizawa nodded, it made sense. The Noumu was still dangerous in the air.

Except… He felt his eyes widen. The Noumu didn't fall. Instead its arms altered and it drove them down. It could fly! A whining sound filled the air. It came from the Noumu. Aizawa squinted. It had jets.

The Noumu turned on the candidate, kicking at him. Mirio activated permeate and the kick passed through him. That seemed to frustrate the Noumu. It kicked again and tried to bite. Again, the movement passed through Mirio and Toogata began to fall. "Fight!" The Noumu snarled.

Mirio landed. "Any suggestions?" he called out.

"Nothing pertinent," Aizawa replied.

"Can you bring it down?"

Shouta knew what was being asked. He activated his quirk, looking up at the Noumu. His quirk didn't work on those with mutant type quirks but transformation quirks were something else. The Noumu flapped its arms hard and the whine disappeared. It realised what was happening and snarled, "Get him!"

It was only belatedly that Aizawa remembered that there was another Noumu present. He was forced to look away as the other attacked. Mirio had used the time well though, and had pulled at the fence surrounding the cemetery. He pulled out one of the metal uprights. It was rather old fashioned, wrought iron with a spear like topper. As Shouta dodged the other Noumu, he saw Mirio use the metal fence paling like a bo staff.

The original Noumu landed and attacked Mirio and that was all Aizawa could see for the moment. He hoped Mirio could do something! The Noumu attacking him wasn't as large, but it was and well muscled. Aizawa had yet to see a Noumu that wasn't a solid mass of muscle, so that even without strength augmentation it was likely to be stronger than him. He tried his quirk on it but couldn't see any difference.

He ran but the Noumu chased and just as he was about to reach the edge of the cemetery it jumped. Aizawa didn't see it because he was frozen. There, coming up the path was two civilians. It looked like a man helping his frail mother.

Shit! The Noumu landed on his back, driving him into the ground. Shouta screamed. "Stay away!"

He didn't see if they heard. He couldn't imagine how they couldn't but the Noumu slammed his head into the ground. He tasted dirt and blood again and braced as well as he could. There was nothing he could do to escape and Mirio was already occupied.

"That's enough, Noumu."

The voice was soft and well spoken. Aizawa couldn't place it, and it was only after a moment he realised what had been said. Then he recognised the voice.

"Ka...kurete," he managed to gasp out.

"Aizawa," the politician greeted him. "I had hoped to pay my respects to my father but-"

"Bull shit!" Shouta managed to spit. He had become far less tolerant as time went on, especially when he was in pain. He tried to twist around to look at the Representative.

Imoku chuckled. "Let him watch," he instructed the Noumu.

Somehow the causal order didn't surprise him. Aizawa had long believed that Imoku Kakurete was the Leader of the League. The fact that he could order the Noumu merely confirmed it.

The creature sitting on him shifted slightly but never gave him enough freedom of movement to break free. It wrenched his head so that he could see Mirio.

The candidate was still facing off against the Noumu and had used the fence as a weapon. It was embedded in the Noumu's chest but didn't appear to be hindering it. As Shouta was forced to watch the Noumu pulled out the iron stake and the wound began healing. Aizawa glared.

The wound stopped closing. The original Noumu spun the metal bar and didn't appear to notice that the wound wasn't healing. Unfortunately for him, Imoku did. The politician sighed and from the corner of his eye he saw the man gesture at the Noumu that was holding him down.

His head was slammed into the ground again, breaking the effects of his quirk, and on High End, the wound sealed. But it had given Shouta a method of winning. Mirio apparently had seen it as well because he immediately feinted towards them. The huge Noumu didn't let him.

"Please do not interfere with High End's fight," Imoku warned Shouta almost conversationally. "It's very difficult to arrange good fights for him and I don't want him to feel cheated."

There were multiple meanings in that explanation. It must have taken Imoku a while to confirm that here did not have security cameras as well, otherwise someone might have already noticed.

"Mother, please just sit here," Imoku continued, guiding his mother to one of the graves that was elevated. It was almost like a seat and the woman sat on it carefully, resting her walking stick beside her. Shouta was reminded that while he had spied on the woman, she really was very frail.

"Why are you here?" Aizawa gasped.

The politician moved to stand near him but was still in earshot of his mother. "Curiosity got the best of me," he admitted.

"And you are happy revealing everything?" Shouta asked, flicking his eyes towards Imoku's mother.

Kakurete smiled. Aizawa wasn't sure if it was at his question, or at the way the Noumu, apparently named High End managed to slam a fist into Mirio. "I have no secrets from my mother," he said.

"I find that hard to believe," Shouta countered.

"That is your problem," Imoku dismissed his concerns.

Aizawa had to admit it really was the least of the worries now, and it wasn't his fault if the woman learned things about her son she wasn't happy about, though the fact that she had meekly accepted a seat told him she was either infirm in her mind or she already knew. "What were you curious about?" He asked, trying to a different tact.

He now wished he hadn't dropped his phone. He could probably have squirmed enough to activate the record function. That would then provide evidence.

"I was curious to know who you called. High End said he'd give you the chance to call someone, but I wasn't sure you'd take it. I wanted to know if it would be Mirio or my dear friend Katsuki."

Shouta did his best not to react to that, but he couldn't suppress all his reaction. "Izuku Midoriya," he whispered the name. Believing that Imoku was the Leader of the League, even if he couldn't prove it was one thing. Accepting Bakugou's explanation that the almost fifty year old Imoku was really the late twenties Izuku Midoriya was another thing. He'd accepted it, because it did make some sense but… There had always been a kernel within that hadn't truly accepted it.

But the almost fifty year old Imoku Kakurete would not call Bakugou a dear friend if there was not history there, and the history between Katsuki and Imoku was well documented. The history between Bakugou and Midoriya was far more personal.

His whispered words got Imoku to look at him. The politician smiled but it was indescribably smug. The green haired man didn't deny anything. "I guess I also came for your curiosity, but if you know that name, then you know everything you need to. I would after all, hate for you to die with unanswered questions."

Aizawa didn't dignify that with an answer.

Imoku jerked his head back to the fight at his silence. "You should watch. It is not every day you get to see a battle involving this much power, and besides, you are bearing witness to history."

"History?" Shouta grunted.

"I killed All For One," Imoku told him, "so there is no longer any need for One For All."

"Lies," Aizawa gasped. It didn't matter what power the Representative thought he had, if he'd killed All For One then that couldn't have been kept quiet. And All For One had been in the highest security wing of Tartarus. The security in that section made the security in the normal wing, where Twice was currently residing, look like it was a kindergarten. There was no way Imoku got close enough to All For One to speak to him, let alone kill him.

"You do remember the quirk destroying bullets some heroes were once given?"

It wasn't a question Shouta was expecting but he nodded.

"Tomura gave me two of them," Imoku told him. "I was forced to use the one I intended for Tomura on Overhaul."

Imoku's mother gave a titter of laughter at that. "I had half the contents of the last bullet were pumped into All For One. Given the efficiency of delivery and his overall physical condition, half was more than sufficient to remove his quirks. Time did the rest."

Aizawa wasn't stupid. At that point, several things became clear. He had heard of QERI and he now knew how it had been developed. The second half of the bullet must have been it.

"Ah, you understand," Imoku murmured. "But watch now," he instructed.

Shouta didn't like the sound of that but compelled he looked over to where he had last seen Mirio. The Noumu had one impossibly long arm extended and had grabbed Mirio's forearm. Aizawa frowned. That shouldn't be causing a problem. Toogata should be able to use permeation to escape. The look of suppressed panic on the boy's face wasn't reassuring.

"It appears Toogata can't phase if something is piercing his body," Imoku said gently. "Though-" the politician broke off, as if he wasn't happy with something.

Aizawa wasn't sure what it could be. He watched as High End punched at Mirio but the boy was ready for it. He might not be able to phase his arm, but he could phase the rest of him. The punch passed through him. The Noumu wasn't happen. Aizawa didn't see what it did but Mirio screamed. He tried to pull away but the Noumu held tight.

Shouta felt sick. As Imoku said, he was watching history and he didn't like it. History wasn't meant to be so viscerally personal. The Noumu didn't like Mirio using permeation and now that it was pointed out, Aizawa could see the way the dark flesh had been driven into Mirio's arm. There was blood dripping from the hold. As he watched, High End reached out, stretching one arm impossibly long towards the metal fence stake Mirio had pulled up earlier. It gripped it and drew it back and then stabbed it towards Mirio's body.

The former sidekick permeated around it but the Noumu held it in place. Aizawa felt his eyes widen when he realised what the creation was going to do. Mirio couldn't breathe while his quirk was active. When he deactivated it, he would be driven off the stake but he would be solid and the Noumu was fast enough to take advantage of it. Somehow, even with no lips, its visage stretched into a smile.

The look of panic on Mirio's face confirmed Aizawa's thoughts about the Noumu's plan but how had it figured it out?

"High End is quite intelligent," Imoku told him.

"What?" Shouta demanded.

The politician didn't look at him but his face stretched into a smile. "Everyone seems to believe that High End is stupid, and while he is rather challenged in some aspects, when it comes to fighting, he learns very fast. Though, even without your assistance his healing isn't as fast as it should be."

"What?" Aizawa demanded. Why couldn't the politician make sense?

Imoku sighed. "The Noumu Todoroki killed was released because it was deteriorating. High End is better made, but he's beginning to show signs of age." The man gave a soft snort of laughter. "Understandable I suppose. He is now at least 40 and that's past fighting prime."

There was nothing Aizawa could say to that. Mirio couldn't hold his breath any longer and rephased into solid form. He somehow managed to do it so that he was twisting away from the stake that he was flung off but the Noumu was pushing it forward, and it opened a cut over Mirio's chest.

High End smiled further, as if its theory was confirmed and it yanked the tangible Mirio towards him, stabbing again with the stake.

Toogata managed to avoid it but Shouta already knew it was only a matter of time. He couldn't hold his breath forever and unless something changed then… He didn't like that thought because he knew what would happen to him afterwards.

"Why are you doing this?" He asked, knowing there was very little he could do to help Mirio.

"Why?" Imoku replied with his own question.

"You are a powerful man! You have changed the law. You have improved the position of the quirkless! You have gotten what you want. There is no need to kill him." There was unexpected passion in Aizawa's voice.

The politician chuckled. "You ask me that, knowing full well that his goal is to change everything I have done," Imoku said, gesturing to where Mirio was in a desperate struggle.

"Not everything," Aizawa defended. The work Imoku had done to recognise quirkless rights was not something that needed to be changed.

"Returning heroes will destroy all the work I have done for the quirkless," Imoku said, somehow realising what work Aizawa wanted to keep. "I thought you might have a more realistic view given that you were an underground hero but I guess you still have that naive view."

Shouta was insulted by that.

"I grew up," Imoku continued. "On that rooftop, when All Might told me I was worthless because I didn't have an appropriate quirk, I grew up. I stopped looking at the world through the lense of heroes. I saw what they were doing. There was too much disconnect between them and the rest of the people. Quirks were everything."

"They're not," Aizawa said. "Quirks aren't everything," he clarified.

"Yet all the schools ever did was find ways for those bearing more and more unusual quirks to become heroes. You could have a weak quirk but so long as you were creative enough with its use, you could still become a hero. But the limit was always the quirk, and the more powerful, the better. Those without quirks… useless."

Shouta felt cold. He knew where Izuku got that view from. Bakugou screamed it every time they met. It was embodied in the name the vigilante called Imoku. Deku. Useless.

"There is still too much of a belief in Heroes for me to allow Toogata to gain power. There are those who naively view heroes as being able to solve every problem. Yatou Rida is one."

That was something they didn't know and for an instant, Aizawa felt as if they had hope. If Mirio got into the House of Representatives, then Yatou Rida, the opposition leader, and likely to be the new Prime Minister, would be sympathetic to his policy to return heroes. They could win.

A scream from Mirio broke the illusion.

High End had not let go, but had managed to push Mirio over onto his back. One of the Noumu's feet was pressing down on Toogata's chest. The former sidekick had avoided the worst by using permeate to sink into the ground but he could not rise back up. Shouta could hear the crack as his ribs broke from where he was pinned.

"You are just going to watch a murder?" Aizawa snarled the question to Imoku's mother. She was still sitting on the grave, but had brought her walking stick up so that it was upright and she was resting both her hands on the handle.

"Why would I stop it?" She asked, her voice paper dry.

There was complete unconcern in the tone. It did not suit a woman who had to be at least 70. Why was she so cold? Given that Imoku was actually Izuku, hadn't the League just paid off an older woman? There were plenty of women who would do that for the right money. There were plenty of men as well. They would have picked someone sympathetic to their cause but she couldn't be this cold! This had to be her first time witnessing a murder.

Imoku laughed. The sound was frustratingly rich and genuinely amused. "He doesn't know," he said between chuckles.

Aizawa would have demanded more information but there was another cry from Mirio. Thankfully he couldn't see the Noumu's face. The flaps of skin on its neck were shading the long teeth and exposed brain but he could tell the creature was happy. It raised the metal stake high and Shouta watched the Noumu plunge it down. He activated his quirk but it stopped nothing, and there was a sickening thunk as the metal pierced through Mirio's flesh. Blood spewed from his mouth, staining his skin. His eyes were wide, wider than Aizawa had ever seen them and he could see the way Mirio's muscles were straining against the Noumu.

But no matter how strong the former sidekick was, High End was stronger, especially with the injuries Mirio now had. It ground the stake in Mirio's body, eliciting another scream.

"You won't get away with this," Shouta hissed. He could hear the wet labourned tone of Toogata's breathing from here.

"Let me worry about that," Imoku told him. It told Aizawa that the politician had thought of the consequences. Shouta would like to say that he couldn't have thought of everything, but history was definitely on the Representative's side.

High End let go of Mirio's arm, and Aizawa could see that it was a bloody mess. The Noumu had managed to drive something into the flesh to ensure it remained holding. There was a solid thump as it fell to the ground. Then the Noumu stepped back.

"Good fight!" it declared.

"Was it?" Imoku asked.

High End turned to the Representative. The Noumu grinned. "Yes, Master!"

"I'm glad," Imoku said.

Aizawa felt sick.

"Make sure he is dead," Kakurete ordered, his eyes cold as he looked at Mirio. Aizawa wanted to scream that Mirio was dead, that they should leave him but his voice died in his throat. He knew it wouldn't do anything and he didn't want to hear whatever counter Imoku had. He felt sick enough.

The Noumu nodded, and reached down, grabbing Mirio by the head and hauling him upwards. There was a wet sound as the metal stake moved within his body.

"Your enemy, All For One has gone ahead," Imoku said, and for a moment Aizawa didn't know who he was talking to. "Rest now, One For All," he concluded as High End pulled. Flesh tore, and blood and bone splattered to the ground. The Noumu abandoned the pieces as it made its way towards them.

Shouta swallowed hard. "You won't get away with this," he said again. "There will footage. There is a record!" There had to be a record. Some footage from some security camera showing Imoku leading his mother up here. The Police would find it. They'd question the Representative. They'd work things out.

There had to be something but Aizawa had the sinking feeling that Bakugou's oath would be needed. Katsuki had once sworn that it would be over his dead body that Imoku won. It looked like it might take that.

"I told you, let me worry about that," Imoku repeated, turning to face him fully. The politician crouched so that they were more level. The Noumu sitting on Aizawa didn't move.

"What will satisfy you?" Shouta asked. He glared at Imoku. "When will it be enough?" He added, wanting to gesture to the blood that covered High End. In his experience, villains like Imoku were never satisfied. There was always an enemy, always someone to kill, and that's where they made their mistake.

If he was going to die, then he prayed that this would be Kakurete's mistake.

Imoku smiled at him, as if he was remembering something. "It will be enough when I have the power to save everyone."

Aizawa didn't know what to think about that. He had no time to think about it because the Noumu gripped his head. The other Noumu, High End stood behind Imoku, looking over his shoulder like some parody of a body guard. "This one fight?"

Imoku stood before looking up at the larger creature. "This one is weak, remember?" he asked.

High End nodded, remembering. "Weaker than Master."

Kakurete chuckled, and reached one hand up to touch the bare muscle of High End's shoulder. "I'll see if I can get you another fight. Someone different," he added.

"Another fight?" High End almost cheered the words.

"Maybe," Imoku agreed before turning back to Aizawa. He crouched again, and High End dropped his head, so that it was about the same height as Imoku's.

There was the sound of sirens in the distance. Aizawa felt frustrated hearing them. What had taken so long? Why now… when it was too late?

"We need to go," Mrs Kakurete said.

"We do, but I think there is time for one more question," Imoku said. "A last request," he added, looking at Shouta, with one eyebrow raised. It was an obvious inquiry.

Except there was nothing left to ask. All he could do now was try to get some warning to the Police who were rushing to the scene. He had to get warning to anyone, anyway he could.

Aizawa wrenched his head up. It exposed his throat but he didn't care. The position meant he could look the Representative in the eye. "You can kill, and kill, and kill, but with the path you've chosen you will never be safe from a knife in the back," he said softly.

Imoku rested his elbows on his knees, leaning forward. He was balanced on his toes. "But I will get away with enough," he breathed his response, before nodding at the Noumu.

Aizawa glared, his quirk active. He didn't feel the Noumu's comparatively huge hands grip his head. The last thing he saw was Kakurete rising to his feet, his expensive shoes once again flat on the ground.

Then, there was a crack, as his neck was broken and everything went black.

-afop-

Never tell the truth to people who are not worthy of it.

Notes:

I'm sure there are two questions about this chapter. 1. Did anyone see them going to the cemetery and 2. How did Izuku and Toga get away?

No one saw them coming to the cemetery because their driver dropped them off in a blind spot, and since there is no evidence Representative Kakurete was there, no one asked questions of the Driver, and guess who the driver is loyal to first and foremost?

How did Izuku get away? High End can store other Noumu's, and so Izuku allowed himself and Toga to be put into storage and High End flew away. Or High End is bloody huge! He can fly off carrying Izuku and Toga!

Or they called Kurogiri.

Pick whichever one you like.

-afop-