Kurogiri was surprisingly civil considering the circumstances.
"Excuse me," Inko dared to venture once Shigaraki left the room. For the past hour or so she had been hesitant to talk in front of the younger villain. He was so caught up in telling Inko how exactly he thought her rescue would go that she more or less drowned him out. Still, he often became manic at some points in his monologue, which made her think twice about saying anything or moving from her torn arm chair while he was around.
"Kurogiri-san, you've been awful courteous towards me tonight. May I ask why?"
"How did you expect us to treat you?"
The woman was quiet, brows rising in confusion. "I don't know. You're part of the League of Villains, so I guess I assumed I would be treated cruelly. You watch all those news stories of tortured hostages or crime shows where kidnappers tie up their victims, don't you?"
The warp gate hummed thoughtfully.
"The news and television dramas rarely depict accurate criminal activity. When it comes to the media stories are depicted in a way such to entertain the viewer, but when they do that true, raw emotion and all of the details that make up the real story are thrown out. That is not to say we could not have restrained or harmed you; however, you agreed to not put up a fuss, so it only right that we treat you with respect."
Inko couldn't school the surprise from her features.
"I would apologize for the state your apartment was left in," the man continued, "but your attempt at resisting capture was admirable considering our sudden arrival, how unsuited your quirk is for combat, and our own power. Honestly though, if I had been allowed I would have simply warped into the apartment to collect you without having caused a scene. On the other hand, Tomura Shigaraki was adamant to test out his new quirks. His zeal led to us breaking in after disposing of those officers guarding your residence. Hurting you was not the immediate goal here tonight as the boy informed you already. We also know you would not be able to escape, so tying you up was deemed unnecessary."
She nodded slowly. "I see. If it isn't too much trouble, would you also mind telling me where we are right now? This house appears like it used to be lived in," the woman commented as she gazed around the place, "but has been abandoned for some time. Sh-Shigaraki doesn't live here, does he?"
Neither of them needed to mention the blood stains on the carpet.
"I suppose it doesn't matter if you know." He answered, finding himself pacing around the room as he checked the time absentmindedly. "The boy used to live here when he was young. I will not give you an exact time, but I can tell you that much. He does not live here currently. This home hasn't been occupied for several years since a particularly gruesome death occurred here. No one has attempted to disturb the property because of that. It is likely for the best, because it still holds some sentimental value to the boy. More than he would like to admit."
Inko quieted, unsure of what to say next. She was still afraid. There were two villains who would kill her if forced to even if one was being quaint at the moment. The younger villain worried her more, the crazed amount of emotion he showed when going on about finishing off All Might once and for all making her sick to her stomach. Genuine terror unlike any other still sung through her veins since she listened to the boy rant about killing her little Izuku. She would never want to abandon her child, but if the young villain tried hurting one hair on her boy's head she would give her life trying to stop Shigaraki. She'd do anything for her son. That's just what mothers did when their child was in danger. She loved him more than anything else in the world, herself included. She would not stand by and watch as a twisted boy tried to take her own boy away from her.
A mother's love for her child was a force to be reckoned with.
Nearly five minutes of tense silence later Shigaraki returned to the living room appearing bored.
"How much longer until they show up?" He whined, fingers itching with impatience.
Kurogiri checked his watch. "They have fifteen more minutes. Remember you gave them just enough time to reach this location by train without having much time to debate coming up with an alternate plan. It won't be long now until they arrive, so you had best prepare yourself with the time we have left."
Shigaraki scowled at the older villain.
"I am prepared. My new skills have been maxed out, and I'm ready for the event to begin." He turned to Inko a moment later, eyes narrowing behind the hand covering most of his face. "You keep giving me this look. Do you have something to say, or are you just trying to make me mad?"
"I-I didn't mean to upset you," she spoke quickly and apologetically. The last thing she wanted to do was anger him. "I just noticed since I've been here that you make a lot of video game references. Do you play them?"
A scoff came from the boy. "Of course I do. Do you think I just bring them up for shits and giggles?"
Inko ignored his crude language without missing a beat. She'd grown up with Mitsuki as a best friend after all, and that woman could still swear worse than a sailor. A sailor that had stubbed his toe even.
"I used to be a pro at Mario Kart. I was very good at the older Zelda games too." Her next words were hesitant, causing the younger villain to look at her in genuine surprise. "What do you play?"
There was a long pause before he answered as if he was debating whether or not it was worth mentioning.
"Dragon Quest," he said finally. "Final Fantasy every now and then."
Izuku used to play games like those too, Inko thought with a sour taste entering her mouth. This boy is still so young. I wonder if someone had been there for him if things would have turned out differently.
Before either of them could say anything else, however, there was a knock at the front door.
"Kurogiri," Shigaraki smiled a crooked smile, all chapped lips and dry skin, "it seems our guests arrived just before the deadline. Why don't you go let them in?"
At the sight of his mother alive and unharmed Izuku almost fainted.
"Mom!" He made to leave All Might's side, to push past the warp gate, but his body froze when Shigaraki waved at him nonchalantly. Those five fingers of his wriggled in the air similarly to how a spider's legs moved when they hypnotized their prey before going in for the killing blow.
"Not another step closer, green bean." Shigaraki warned cruelly from where he now stood just behind Izuku's mother. "I haven't bothered to decay any part of her just yet, but that can all change in an instant depending on you."
"You promised you wouldn't touch her if we came," he ground out.
"And you know a villain's word is never to be trusted."
He ignored Izuku's furious gaze and instead turned his attention to the blond next, a sadistic glee lighting up his features.
"All Might, you look a bit ill. I knew Master wouldn't have been captured without bringing you down, but you look like a walking skeleton. All that's left of you, oh great former symbol of peace, appears to be skin, bones, and your stupid hair. If you weren't going to die here I sure would have enjoyed handing you over to my rather helpful acquaintances in the media. Imagine if they had seen your true form. They would have swarmed you alive like the easily manipulated vultures they are." He turned to Izuku once more, voice mocking. "You know all about that don't you, villain's son?"
Blue eyes narrowed before green eyes could.
"Shigaraki," All Might started in a tone heavy with displeasure. "We came like you asked of us, so let the boy's mother leave. She has nothing to do with this. You have my word that she will not go for help."
"Like your word means anything; it's just as good as mine! You heroes can't be trusted to keep your words much less than you can be trusted to save those in need, and this woman," he rested a couple fingers on her shoulder, "birthed that brat." The villain gestured to Izuku with his free hand. "She's not so innocent either. Why should I let her go, hmm? It would be so easy to kill her right here, right now. All you would be able to do is watch."
"Don't do it. Please."
Izuku's voice was pleading, and Inko found herself with tears running down her cheeks.
Shigaraki's self-assured smirk turned into a frown. "You think begging will help her case? She's nothing but an NPC whose purpose ran out after having you."
Inko couldn't stop herself from flinching at the remark. It was all the reaction necessary to remind Izuku of his plan in the first place. Letting his anger consume him for just a moment, he pushed the fear for his mother out of his head long enough to clear it.
"You know what, Shigaraki? Maybe All for One did use her just to have another kid. He had plenty of children from the sound of it, but just remind yourself why he did that in the first place. If not for his own unsuccessful attempts at passing down his quirk through his genes you might not even be here today."
"What?" Shigaraki's hand found his neck, nails scraping across it methodically. "You're not making any sense, brat."
Izuku grinned. "All for One never told you, did he?"
"Of course he did. He went around having children like you in order to steal your quirks for himself."
"Wrong. He kept having children because he wanted a successor, but all of his children were quirkless. It was only after losing a fight against All Might years ago and being forced into hiding in order to recover that he gave up with that method and instead found a successor in you. Can you imagine if I had been born with his quirk like he'd been hoping for, Shigaraki? I would have been his successor."
The sheer anger radiating from the younger villain was palpable.
"You're the one that's wrong! Master would never lie to me like that! I'm not some stray he picked up; he saved me because he knew long before I did that heroes only ever let people down when things get nasty."
"Did he really save you though? He might have found you when you needed help, but he immediately used your circumstances to his advantage." Time to really make him mad, Izuku. "Honestly if not for his previous failures he probably would've left you alone. You're nothing but a pawn to him, Shigaraki. What's worse was that he settled on you as his successor as a last resort. He said it during the last fight himself."
This is it. I really hope Aizawa-sensei gets the signal.
"He told me that if I had been born with a quirk, I would have made a perfect successor."
Shigaraki lost it.
"You're lying!" He screamed, attention leaving Izuku's mother completely as he prepared to rush the hero in training. "I'll kill you, you brat! I was going to make it quick, but now I think I'll show off my quirks by taking it nice and—"
The doorbell rang, effectively cutting him off. The pleasant sounding chime echoed throughout the house almost ominously. Inko looked at the two villains, bewildered when they sent each other confused looks. Why did they looked so worried?
"The power has been turned off for years," Shigaraki said lowly as his eyes filled with an undeterminable emotion. Those gathered in the living room had been bathed only in the remaining lowlight coming from the skylight windows. "How did the doorbell ring if…"
Suddenly the entire house was filled with light.
Inko shut her eyes tightly at the unexpected change, a hand coming up to her face instinctively. Both villains reacted similarly. This meant for just a moment they were caught off guard, and that was all the time Izuku, All Might, and Eraserhead needed. The same instant the lights in the house had all come to life was the same instant the pro hero burst through the window adjacent to where the elder Midoriya was seated. By the time either of the villains knew what was going on Inko had been brought to safety, and All Might had run back out the front door to where several heroes were positioned to fight. The only people left in the house were a stunned Kurogiri, expressionless Shigaraki, and relieved Izuku.
"I guess you were right about a hero's word being just as good as a villain's," Izuku said cheekily as he activated his quirk. One for All thrummed in his veins as it glowed a bright white across his skin.
The last part of his plan had been for him to get out of there just behind All Might, but the nagging sense of self-sacrifice and justice in his heart told him he needed to stop Shigaraki while he was still getting used to All for One. The longer he waited to stop the new leader of the League of Villains the more people would be hurt in order to get to him. Shigaraki would ruin lives by stealing quirks and bringing about senseless violence, fear, and panic for civilians everywhere.
If Izuku could prevent it by fighting him right here and right now, then he would do it.