NeonHorizon: Thank you to everyone that leaves reviews! I really appreciate them! And thank you to the silent readers, too! Every tenth chapter of a fanfic, I like to do something a little special. I haven't decided what that will be yet, but I want to do something...cool.

Despite the dying sunlight, he could still see it from the corner of his eye. She was wearing the slightest of smiles with the faintest hint of pink in her face. Even if the smile was small, he could tell from her eyes that she was happy. Oddly, eerily happy. And he seemed to be the cause of it. Well, if her continuously wandering gaze was any indication, he was the cause of her happiness.

"What're you so happy about?" Shigaraki's tone was harsh. The villain half-suspected that she was so gleeful over some earlier event. Perhaps from talking to another villain or maybe her cheery mood stemmed from a date. She was certainly dressed as if she had come from one.

Kugutsu hesitated to answer, her fingers trailing through her dark hair in embarrassment. "I'm happy because I got to see you today," she quietly replied.

He hated it, but those words had an effect on him. The villain's heavy boredom from before had started to fade gradually after her arrival. First starting when they left the bar and now it seemed to be completely replaced by another feeling. No longer bored, he was now amused. Pleased even.

The notion that she was really, truly happy just to have been able to see him was strange. However, Kugutsu was pretty strange. Most likely psychotic. She had yet to stop staring at him since he asked the question.

"Why do you like me so much? What's it like in that creepy head? You get some sick thrill from spending time with me or something? I don't care about entertaining you," Shigaraki muttered in anger. If this was truly her reason, he would kill her. He decided this just now. If she confessed to just having some morbid curiosity about him, he would grab her throat and end her the way he had ended that clerk in the shopping center.

Her face turned away, the girl's feline ears shifting back and down a bit. Kugutsu gripped a strand of her hair and tugged at it a little, chewing at her lower lip. Her shadow began to twist and turn behind her on the sidewalk, wavering into different shapes as she hesitated to answer. When she finally spoke again, her words left him taken aback.

"I like you." An absurdly vibrant pink hue overtook her face, making her freckles seem to almost fade entirely. "I…really, really like you! Every time I think about you, I just…I can't stop thinking about how cool you are! You're amazing! Your quirk, your attack on the USJ, your potential! Even your gaming skills are awesome! You…have no idea…how cool you are, Shigaraki-san! And I just can't stop thinking about it!"

The villain's eyes widened within his hood and he stared down at her in confusion. There was a painful, hard beating in his chest now. It hurt enough that he had to bite his lower lip to stop himself from making a sound. She likes me? She likes me that much? She really likes me. She admires me so much that she can't stop thinking about me. His pride grew with the realization that her admiration for him was so great that he seemed to occupy her every thought.

Shigaraki glanced to her shadow and saw it growing. It spread down the sidewalk and was beginning to solidify like a dark carpet. His dry, scarred lips twitched as they stretched into a half-grin. The sight seemed to drive her excitement because now the shadow was violently shifting back and forth like a massive serpent.

"What do you know about my attack on UA?" he challenged. To his surprise, she released a small giggle before clapping a hand over her mouth. The girl's ears flattened against her head and she shifted her eyes to the side. What's she so excited about? I just asked a question. He dragged his nails along his neck, waiting for her reply.

She seemed to take a moment to attempt to compose herself, but failed miserably. When she spoke again, her ears perked forward once more and her eyes were lit up with excitement. She looked like the definition of a fan girl as she looked up toward Shigaraki's face.

"I was part of the recruiting process to get the villains for it," she confessed, her words spilling out rapidly. "When I heard what you were planning, I just had to help somehow! I went out and I tried to recruit the best people I could find because your plan sounded so cool! I just wish I could've been a part of it or at least seen it in action! I mean, it was such an awesome plan! But then I let you down! I didn't get good enough people to back you up and what kind of villains let their butts get kicked by teenagers?!"

The corner of his lip twitched. "You…found people for it?"

She nodded. "I wanted to help because…I mean, I'm not really a real villain myself so I wouldn't be much help. I just wanted to be able to do something for you! I guess, I…heh…even before meeting you, I wanted to impress you…" Her face was changing to bright red and she looked down, fidgeting with her choker necklace. "I ended up failing though, huh? I'm sorry, Shigaraki-san. And now I'm talking too much. You probably think I'm pretty lame. I'm sorry."

It was the opposite. The more she spoke, the bigger the boost to his confidence. He felt that hard, rapid beating in his chest again and he chewed at his lower lip, mulling over everything that she had just confessed to him. She was such a loyal fan, she went out and recruited villains for him and when they failed him, she took it as her own personal failure. She was so afraid of him hating her.

Moving along down the sidewalk, he glanced toward her. The girl's face was still red, but now she was taking deep breaths and trying to calm herself down. Without thinking, he reached over and set a hand on top of her head. The last finger of his hand was raised to prevent inadvertently murdering her and he gave the gentlest pat that he could manage.

She blinked and briefly glanced up to him, eyes alight with admiration and pleasure, before casting her gaze toward the ground again. "…you're…so cool…"

"You're a loyal fan, aren't you?" His hand moved with her head when she nodded and he felt his lips twitch again, up into a smirk that was hidden within the shadows of his hood. "You wanted All Might to die?"

The dark, snaking form behind her wavered and shifted until it formed a familiar shape. The shape of a hero. It twitched and writhed, as if in a struggle against something, and then dissipated into a thousand tiny pieces. Shigaraki saw it come back together until it finally formed her shadow again.

"Your plan…it was to get him trapped half-way through one of Kurogiri's warp gates and then close it on him. It would've cut him in half." She sounded like she was holding back laughter and when she turned to face Shigaraki, the flush to her cheeks was different. No longer one of a blushing maiden, but a full on excited homicidal maniac. With a grin to match.

"What're you so excited about now?"

"I loved your plan, but…Shigaraki-san, if I can make a suggestion…"

He liked where this was going. Remembering the image of her silhouette shaping to form All Might and then imitating death, he let his smirk evolve into a grin. "Tell me."

Shift P.O.V

Kugutsu could only hope that he would understand. After all, he had intended to kill All Might himself. Hearing her suggestion could only make him like her. At least, that was what she hoped. Her heart was still pounding from geeking out over him, to his face, earlier. If she could make herself sound cool now, she might recover from that intensely nerdy moment.

"If it were me, I'd take off his limbs using four different warp gates. Cauterize the wounds so he won't bleed out. I've done some research and he can't regenerate limbs or organs. He's just strong. That's it. Imagine this, okay? So he can't move, but he's forced to watch the world struggle with his absence. No one knows where he is, no one can find him; everyone's in a panic."

Seeing him nod, she was urged to continue. "What you do then…" She bit back a giggle as her excitement began to grow. "You show him his own severed limbs, make him watch you cut away piece by piece, and Kurogiri uses his quirk to distribute them around Japan. So pieces of All Might are showing up, but no one can pinpoint where he is. No one knows if he's alive. Just cut away at him until he's finally dead. And then…" Kugutsu released an incredibly embarrassing high-pitched laugh and had to take a moment to calm herself enough to keep talking. Tears were brimming at the corners of her eyes now. "You take his rotting head, with his mouth stapled to form that stupid smile of his, and you warp it to the gate in front of UA! So that everyone can see it! Imagine that! The severed, rotting head of the symbol of peace perched on the gate of the school he teaches at! Can you imagine how people would react?! It'd be amazing!"

In her excitement, Kugutsu had begun to hop up and down a little. The high from explaining this horrific, morbid idea was sending adrenaline surging through her veins. The shadows around her were dancing and twitching, but she was too distracted to notice. Too distracted by the look of satisfaction that crossed Shigaraki's face.

"You're psychotic," he finally remarked. The villain scratched his neck for a moment, grinning down at her. He lifted his free hand and, keeping a finger raised, set it down on top of her head.

Her pulse skipped a beat, as it had when he did this before, and she bit her lower lip to keep herself from squealing in delight. He liked my idea though! He didn't call me creepy or lame! I think he really like it!

"You hate his smile, don't you? You hate All Might with every fiber of your being." It seemed that her excitement was contagious because his voice echoed her enthusiasm. The villain's eyes met hers and displayed immense pleasure. "My loyal fan girl hates what I hate. I like your idea."

"You do?!"

He saw her hips kind of wiggle in her moment of happiness, but chose not to acknowledge how it looked sort of like she was trying to wag a tail that was not there. "Yeah."

Kugutsu was about to launch into another idea she had, but the sound of her stomach growling stopped her. Looking away in embarrassment, she quietly swore. They had left the mah-jongg bar shortly after her arrival, leaving the takeout with Kurogiri. I haven't eaten since this morning. I only had tea when I was with Chisaki-san. This is so embarrassing! Uncool! Damn it!

Shigaraki drew his hand away from her hair and looked toward a stand in the distance. "Go get food. Your stomach's annoying."

"Alright. Um…I'll hurry back!" She jogged down the sidewalk to the stand to get food for both of them and eventually found Shigaraki sitting on a bench in a less busy area. Of course. Why would Shigaraki want to be stuck hanging around a bunch of mouth-breathers like some common lowlife?! Ugh! I should've taken him somewhere nice, but I was so distracted! I'm just…so excited! He wanted to see me today! He asked for Giran-san to send me!

Kugutsu watched him from the corner of her eye as she ate, barely even paying attention to her food. He looked slightly annoyed by the food she had brought, but he still ate it. Pulse pounding in her ears, she had to tear her gaze away from him when he looked over.

"Why are you dressed up like you went on a date?"

She jolted and ran her fingers through her hair, trying to think of a response. There was no way that she could tell him she had inadvertently gone to a job interview with a yakuza leader. An attractive yakuza leader. An attractive yakuza leader that sees potential in me and thinks I have what it takes to basically be a villain! I still can't believe it!

"I had to go to a meeting and Giran-san said I should dress nice," she answered. "I…hate dressing up though. I'm sorry I look like this." A thought suddenly occurred to her. I still look like I'm on a date. I look like I'm on a date with Shigaraki-san! This made her stomach start to twist in knots and she found herself quickly becoming self-conscious.

He finished his food and said nothing when she took the empty container from him. Scratching at his neck again, he seemed almost irritated. "Give me your number," he muttered, not looking at her.

"Wh-what? My cellphone number?" Kugutsu was already digging in her bag for her phone, heart pounding faster and faster. The phone almost slid out of her hand because her palms were starting to sweat. He wants my number?!

"When I want to see you, I'm calling you. I'm not going through Giran every time," the villain explained, his irritation clear. He put her number into his own phone and narrowed his eyes upon her. Shigaraki saw her struggling to hide a smile behind her hand.

Shigaraki-san wanted my number! I can't believe it! This is so cool! Kugutsu's left ear twitched when she heard him put his phone away and she turned to look. Despite sounding so annoyed, he seemed pleased with the exchange.

"If I call you," he started, pausing to scratch his neck. "I want you to answer. Don't ignore me."

"I-I wouldn't! I'd never-! I mean, if you call, I'll pick up right away!" she assured him. Her face was burning pink and the shadows around her were all dancing and swaying now. Why? I'm usually so good at controlling my emotions, but even just thinking about Shigaraki-san makes me lose control!

He nodded, pleased with her answer. "You really are a loyal fan."