When his master decided it was time for him to meet one of his closest associates, he'd been intrigued. Especially when his doctor protested, claiming it was far too early for the two of them to meet. They never argued. Well, not in front of him. So, odds are, no matter how the meeting turned out, at the very least, it would be interesting. That's why he'd agreed with master's request. But when Kurogiri warped them into a fancy board room belonging to some rich company instead of wherever he'd expected, Shigaraki's mood had soured.
Talk about a major disappointment.
"Hmm," tapping a finger against one of the chairs, he scratched his neck, "Are you sure this is the right place?"
"I am certain," his personal teleporter's glowing eyes flickered as they examined the empty room, "We simply appear to have arrived a few minutes early. However, considering the importance of this meeting, making a good first impression would be beneficial to expanding the league's power and influence."
He didn't buy that, but who was he to judge.
"I suppose that makes sense," still scratching his neck, he grumbled, "But if there's one thing I can't stand, it's waiting. When are they going to get here?"
Clack!
She was fast.
Really fast.
One minute he and Kurogiri were alone, and the next a strange woman and her sidekick were standing in front of the doors. And boy, was the woman bizarre. Perhaps nowhere near as tall as Nomu. Or even All Might. But it was her silver hair shining with a ridiculous rainbow-themed light that made him almost look away "Who are you?"
"Who I am is of no concern to you," a snap of her fingers and the dark-skinned woman standing next to her stepped into the shadows, "All you need to know is that I'm the one who graciously allowed dearest Nui to accompany your little organization."
He hated her already, "Hey, Kurogiri, is she the one master spoke of?"
"Yes," Kurogiri stood against the wall, glowing eyes intently watching every exchange and interaction, "She is Ragyo Kiryuin, an associate of your benefactor," and then he bowed his head at the woman, "Thank you for meeting with us on such short notice."
Shigaraki scratched his cheek.
What was going on?
Why the hell was Kurogiri treating this woman like she was important?
"Tomura, please introduce yourself."
And now Kurogiri was ordering him around?
"Why should I?" there was something off about Ragyo or whatever the woman's name was. He couldn't put his finger on it, but she looked really annoying.
"Forgive his rudeness," sounding almost desperate, Kurogiri swept a hand across his chest and bowed, "He's not quite used to decorum."
Now Kurogiri was apologizing and calling him rude?
"Oh, there's no need to apologize for the follies of youth," strutting across the board room, Ragyo sat down in the chair furthest from the door and rested her cheek against manicured fingernails, "He's pretty much everything I expected him to be," her pale skin and flawless white suit stood vibrant against the thunderstorms building outside. A contrast that brought out the cold malice in her maroon eyes, "It's no wonder his little field trip to UA failed so extravagantly. But that's what you get when you send a child to do a villain's work. You end up with nothing but disappointment."
"Disappointment? You say I'm a disappointment?"
As he kept scratching, something warm and wet ooze beneath his finger, "Just who the hell do you think you are?"
Kurogiri attempted to move yet found himself paralyzed, "Tomura! Don't!"
Unaware of the desperation driving such a bizarre reaction or that Kurogiri was currently fighting to simply remain standing, Shigaraki walked around the table, one finger trailing on its surface, "You sound important, but your smile is really starting to annoy me," another finger joined the first, "So, I'm wondering what would happen if I killed you," he was halfway down the table when a third finger joined the rest, "Master would probably be disappointed," every finger but his thumb touched the table, "But I'm sure he'll understand why I had to turn you to dust. He always does."
His thumb joined the others.
Yet nothing happened.
"How drole," as disbelief rendered Shigaraki speechless, Ragyo leaned forward and smiled a bit wider, "I honestly thought you'd have better manners."
Before the light finished reached his eyes, interacted with his nervous system and was deciphered by his brain, Ragyo's fingers were already clamping around his throat.
"In that case," annoyance seeped from Ragyo's voice as her hair fluttered in the breeze created in the wake of her departure, "Allow me to provide you a life lesson, young man."
Her pale fingers clenched his windpipe nearly shut while steadily lifting him further off the floor, "He might encourage your disrespectful behavior, but I won't," he was almost a foot above the woman's head, eyes widening behind Father and lips turning blue, "I tolerate your petulance because he believes you're important. Allow that piece of information to sink into your skull," all while she tightened her grasp, "If you were anything less than his disciple, you would have been dead the moment you dared speak to me with such disrespect!"
He desperately grabbed her wrists, her arms, anything he could reach with his hands.
But nothing was working.
"I accepted this meeting, pushing everything else to the wayside, to determine whether I should invest time and money into your organization," her fingers relaxed just enough to let him breath, "As the woman in charge of the largest support company in the country, I know a thing or two about risks and rewards," a cold and cruel smile stretched across the CEO's façade as she lifted him another couple of inches, "I've seen your plans. I've seen your objectives. You can't even kill All Might when the poor fool is on the verge of death. Why should I possibly invest anything into such a pathetic organization?"
"You're wrong…"
He coughed. He gasped. But Shigaraki never stopped glaring venomously at Ragyo, "My plan would have worked if your little toy hadn't lost to Ryuko Matoi," he felt those unnervingly thin fingers pull together, "Nomu was about to finish off All Might when she ruined everything! If she had been just a little stronger, I would have won. It's all her fault!"
"Is that your answer?" eyes a darker shade of red than his own narrowed in faux amusement, "Blaming a young woman for your troubles is truly pathetic," and with a nearly effortless sweep, Ragyo tossed him away, caring little as he rolled across the carpet and slammed into a wall, "If you're going to lie, at least attempt to come up with something plausible."
Clack! Clack! Clack!
He nearly passed out from the impact. And the wounds he'd suffered at the hands of those so-called heroes hadn't fully healed. But gasping for air, fingers trembling and heart racing inside his chest, Shigaraki felt his vision turn red. He slowly struggled back onto his feet, supporting himself on a bruised elbow before grabbing the edge of a window, all but his pinky finger gripping polished metal, and steadily standing. His first attempt was a failure. But holding onto the wall with his all five fingers, something that didn't make sense because this woman wasn't Eraser Head and couldn't seal away someone's Quirk, he forced himself to stand, if only to wonder why Kurogiri wasn't helping him.
"Madam Kiryuin."
And there Kurogiri was, pretending like this woman was more important than him, "Are you satisfied with Tomura's performance?"
What?
"I am," Ragyo concurred with a malevolent smile, "Then again, how could I be disappointed with his disciple?" her laughter almost resembled broken glass, a light titter that scratched against his eardrums and left him feeling remarkably annoyed and angry, "That being said, I do hope he learns some manners," she smoothed out a crease on her suit, which bore no signs of wear despite recent exertion, and walked away, "After all, it would be a shame for dearest Nui to lose her playmate simply because he couldn't keep his hands to himself."
Clack! Clack! Clack!
"I'm still not convinced this investment will pay off, but I'm willing to give your organization the benefit of the doubt."
Ragyo snapped her fingers, summoning Hououmaru from the shadows in which she'd been observing every moment of their meeting, "As per our arrangement, Revocs shall provide off-the-books funding and support gear," placing one hand on either door, she effortlessly swung them open, exposing an empty hallway bereft of even working security cameras. A benefit of controlling every aspect of the company she'd founded, "Now, if that is all, I'm certain you can leave under your own recognizance," her heel snap-clacked against polished marble as she nonchalantly glanced over her shoulder, "Unless you wish to continue this delightful conversation elsewhere?"
Her eyes drifted towards Kurogiri.
But her question was directed at Shigaraki.
"I thought so."
