"Third time today, this lunatic's had me sterilise the cell!"
"Think he's up to something?"
"Nah. He's just outta his mind. If it were up to me, we'd execute the lot of them."
Shigaraki marched forward, dragging Eri by the collar, eyes bolted forward. Just stick to the plan.
"Sorry to interrupt," he began with fake geniality, "but I'd like to arrange a visit."
"Visit?" The middle-aged guard parroted; the one complaining, Shigaraki surmised. "Did I stutter?"
The younger guard interjected, no doubt sensing his coworker's irritation. "Um, I'm afraid we don't allow visita..." The man's jaw lay agape as he got a good look at Eri, handcuffed and gagged. Shigaraki couldn't help but stifle a chuckle. "I don't remember asking, officer. I'm arranging a visit."
The older guard finally turned to meet Shigaraki's gaze, instantly recognising his face. "You! You're Tomura Shigaraki! Quick, sho-"
Shigaraki's pale palm met the man's forehead. "In the flesh." A pile of ash lay where the guard once stood, his fellow officer quaking in terror. "Wh-who would you like to v-v-visit, s-sir?"
Another chuckle. Perhaps the League had softened him. "Too late for formalities, I'm afraid. Look away, Eri." She did as instructed, burying her face into his coat and wailing. The young man's screams rang out through the halls, no one answering the shrill pleas for help. Toga did her part, at least.
Wordlessly, the duo progressed forward, passing the cells of a seemingly endless number of criminals. Most sat still, head in hands or hanging low. The halls were eerily quiet, a far cry from what Eri had expected from a prison. The halls were initially odourless, until the sickeningly familiar stench of bleach almost convinced her this was just another nightmare. One approaching cell stood out, front window completely sterile. No... it can't be...
Eri stopped dead in her tracks.
Kai Chisaki raised his head, growing equally still upon catching sight of the girl. He was a wreck, a totally different man to her previous tormentor. His hair was clean, but thin, his body emaciated and prison uniform oversized, his eyes sunken and sallow. Most notably, his arms were gone, replaced by crude metal replicas.
"...what are you doing here?" he questioned, raising an arm. The clank of metal on metal as it hit the rigid bed echoed in Eri's mind. Her spiralling thoughts were interrupted by a sharp hand on her shoulder, her gasp causing her to sputter from shock. He looked down at her, waiting for her coughing fit to end. "Want a heart to heart?" Chisaki stood, his skeletal legs threatening to give. "Open the door, Tomura." His raspy growl betrayed his underlying terror.
Shigaraki reached toward the door, pausing just before making contact. With a harsh, forced laugh, he opted instead to undo Eri's gag and wander further through the halls of Tartarus. "Play nice, you two."
The tension in the air was tangible. Chisaki quaked, from the cold or fury was unclear, his eyes tracing every movement Eri made. She shifted in place, unsure whether to try and catch up to Shigaraki, attempt to escape and find help, or stay and talk to Overhaul. Every option terrified her. Chisaki showed no signs of initiating conversation, Eri beginning to falter under his oppressive gaze. He looked strange without his mask, she noticed. "What are you waiting for, Eri?" he spat suddenly, causing her to jump once more. Whimpers began to escape her, there was no right answer and she knew what would happen if-
Wait.
She dared to take another look at him. He had sat back down, steel grip clenching and releasing. "You look..." she paused, only continuing once seeing his eyebrow raise, "...hungry?"
The Hassaikai leader sat still for a while. "I can't eat this filth." he stated simply. The silence returned, tension mounting. "Why are you with him?" he bitterly snarled the last word.
Shigaraki stepped over a litany of corpses adorning the upper floors. He considered going back for Eri. This was nothing personal, the poor kid's only crime had been a useful Quirk. What am I saying? Don't be ridiculous. She's a pawn, nothing more. And yet, that thought didn't sit right with him. A young child, whose Quirk had manifested through the death of a parent, taken in by a notorious villain and trained to be a weapon. Sounds familiar, doesn't it? He raised a palm to his face, eyelids growing heavier by the second. The image of Chisaki flashed in his mind, causing a sudden bout of laughter. The man had looked so weak, so small. So much for his plans. Using Eri as a weapon...
The irony was not lost on him. Shigaraki was pulled out of his thoughts upon the walls growing drabber and darker in colour, a single black cell lying at the end of the hall. Finally.
The sight of his former mentor, locked away and powerless was surreal. All For One sat, not as an icon of evil, but as a man. His trademark suit and mask were nowhere to be seen, replaced by standard prison garb. The grotesque scar tissue on his face seemed to scan the room, despite the distinct lack of eyes to do so. "Good to see you again."
All For One stiffened. "...Tomura? Is that you?"
"You can use your Quirks. Toga disabled the security."
On cue, the legendary villain seemed to relax upon presumably regaining his lost senses. "Ah, to be whole again. I've missed you, my boy."
The glass separating the two disintegrated to Shigaraki's touch. "Is Kurogiri here?"
"I'm afraid not. He was transferred on 'special request'."
Guilt ebbed at Shigaraki's heart for the briefest of moments. Too late again...
"C'mon, Sensei. We've got a plan."
AN: It occurred to me after writing the 1st chapter that I forgot about the Meta-Liberation Army, so just pretend they never existed I guess. My memory is not the best, so apologies in advance~