Chisaki's view cleared to reveal that Kurogiri had transported both her and her charge to a gray room. Her exhilaration at her victory quickly faded to confusion. They were not in any part of the league headquarters that she recognized, rather they seemed to have been taken to what appeared to be a windowless bedroom.

No doubt this space was intended as some sort of cell, but it looked less sinister than any holding center she'd imagined in a villain's base. There was a decently sized bed in a corner, a sink and toilet in another, and a small bookshelf on a wall opposite an iron door.

"Where are we?" Auburn asked with wide eyes, head whipping around in desperation.

"I'm not sure." Chisaki said slowly.

Without warning, a portal opened at their side and both Shigaraki and Kurogiri stepped out.

Almost immediately there was a hand gripping her vest.

"Do you understand how reckless that was?" Shigaraki spat over her, almost hoisting her off her feed. "Calling the police! Relying on them for help! What if they'd brought a hero or known who we were?"

She blinked at him in surprise for a moment before meeting him coldly, standing her ground. "I understand your concern, but I took precautions. I weighed the risks ahead of time and planned appropriately."

"No. No. That doesn't matter. That doesn't count!" He insisted, now looking to Kurogiri for support. "She can't cheat like that!"

The man just shook his head calmly. "Nowhere in the rules of the bet did it mention that the police were off limits. I would consider this turn of events a simple matter of resourcefulness."

"Fine! But this is just a miracle- luck! This doesn't set any sort of precedent. It can't count!"

"You're right." Chisaki admitted cooly, pulling herself from his infuriated grasp and fixing her vest. "Tonight was a miracle, one that I don't plan to reproduce any time soon. But all I needed to do was win this one bet. We never properly discussed the scale of its replicability."

Shigaraki stared at her for a moment, silent and boiling in the injustice. She watched him right back, daring him to start something more.

Then his lips twisted into a grin; torn lips parting to reveal yellowed teeth and skin pulling in an unnatural sight. Even the wheezing laugh that followed seemed like some macabre thing, revived from beyond the grave.

"There it is! That's the genius that I've been craving." He leaned in so that his piercing red eyes could meet hers from behind the dismembered hand that clutched his face. "I look forward to working with you, Chisaki Midoriya!"

She blinked at him for a moment, silently confused by his spontaneous amiability- before a howl interrupted their exchange.

"Wh-what the hell." Auburn said, stumbling away from them. "Where am I? What are you going to do to me?"
"Well, we'll kill you, of course." Shigaraki said, his tone growing sharp, he swiveled around and straightened. "Though not today, sadly. You will, however, live with the sight of these four walls until then. So get comfortable. Whatever visitors you receive will not be... friendly." Shigaraki savored the last word as if in anticipation and the man paled further.

Shigaraki's grin only grew wider.

Behind them, Kurogiri seemed to have taken this as an ample signal to begin opening a portal for departure. Seeing this Auburn immediately scrambled for his last chance at salvation.

"No. No. You can't leave me here!" —Malice, you promised me that I'd get to live!" He exclaimed desperately, turning towards her violently, such that Chisaki wondered if he'd try to break past them and through the warp gate. Instead he just looked at her and she saw a terrified middle-aged man who's life was crashing down around him and who saw no way out. But she had no out to give him and she could only muster the cold, hard, truth.

"No. What I promised you was a chance to get out of that office alive. And here you are; still breathing." She began to turn away. "I never guaranteed you your freedom or a long life. That is beyond my capability."

"No." He breathed, eyes wide as his knees gave out and he collapsed to the floor in despair, "I- I'm the leader of the Lost Boys. I'm not going to rot away in some cell. I- I can't! I've done so much, come so far... for everything to end like this. I- I... "

"Don't worry about him," Shigaraki whispered from over her shoulder. "He'll be dead within a week anyways." He grinned back at her as he stepped through Kurogiri's portal.

Chisaki frowned after him. Was that all she'd won this man? A few days of a heart still beating and lungs still working, from within a bare holding cell?

Was that all that her gargantuan effort had warranted?

No. No. Of course not. There were still dozens of innocent bystanders who had walked away with little more than a scare. That at least was some consolation.

Still, she'd manage more in the future. She had to. Her conscience wouldn't hold otherwise.

"Chisaki." Kurogiri said, catching her arm before she could follow Shigaraki through the portal. "Before you head over to the other side, I would like to warn you that we had a bit of a situation while you were gone. I just want you to brace yourself and be ready for whatever might be awaiting you in the bar."
She sighed in exhaustion, partially rolling her eyes. "Please Kurogiri, I'm sure that nothing could be more startling than what I've seen tonight."

He eyed her for a moment in quiet contemplation, before nodding slowly and releasing her. She watched him similarly as she stepped towards the portal, puzzled by the sudden exchange.

But whatever pondering she could have done on his statements came too late, because her view was already clearing, she'd arrived. She was back at the bar; home, safe. Then she heard a familiar voice and her gaze snapped back to center.

"Who the hell are you people?" Their tone was sharp, defensive, and accusatory.

"Well, that depends. Who the hell are you supposed to be?" Shigaraki's hoarse voice croaked out. He was craned over the base of the bar where a person, who -she realized- they must have bound to one of the thick metal pipes that protected the bar from vengeful feet and errant stools. Giran stood beside them, looking rather fretful and wringing his hands tightly.

"No one that you scum need to know about."

Something seemed to strike Chisaki's new boss at their captives' words and manic amusement bubbled from his lips. "Hey Chisaki, this woman here looks just like you!" He moved aside to grin back at her. "Don't you think?"

Chisaki froze.

Wide green eyes stared back at her, accusatory and piercing, driving a hot fiery blade through her chest and stopping her heart.

Chisaki's ears rang. Her legs went numb.

The world stopped turning.

Those sharp eyes flicked away just as quickly, dismissing her to growl back at Shigaraki.

"What is this supposed to be, some sick joke? Where is my daughter?"

Something in her chest began to quiver, as if it were the only part of her still functioning.

It drew her forwards, stretched out her hand without her instruction.

"M-mom?" A hollow voice tore the word from her throat.

The woman stiffened; her head whipping back to fixate on the alien figure before the portal. She blinked at her for a moment, before horrified recognition slowly filled her features.

"Chisaki…?" The daughter snapped her hand back to her chest and swallowed thickly over the growing lump in her throat, painfully silent. Inko blanched, the color draining from her face, and her shoulders sagged. Horror hung on her quivering lips. "H-how?... What- Why?"

Chisaki realized that she didn't have an answer. She blinked furiously, searching desperately for anything but the truth. But she couldn't lie, not here, not now, not after Inko had seen so much. She wouldn't believe anything but the truth, no matter how horrible it was.

Fuck. She needed to deflect. A thousand questions fought for attention in her brain.

"What is she doing here? Why'd you bring her here?" Chisaki demanded abruptly, shifting to life.

Giran glanced at the woman nervously.

"We didn't bring her. I-"

"She came of her own accord." Kurogiri appeared behind her. "She said she followed you here- She almost gave me a concussion too."

Chisaki shook her head dumbly. "N-no. That's not possible, I didn't see anyone—" Her face froze as the realization struck her. "Oh, god! The woman in the street! That was you?" Inko's blank eyes trembled silently. She didn't need to respond, the memory replayed in Chisaki's head with renewed clarity. "Fuck. How could I have been so careless? I am so fucking dumb!— I- I need to take her home! Kurogiri, I don't think she can walk, can you make us a gate?"

"Chisaki!" Giran began, "He's just teleported twelve people, some more than once, I don't think that he should-"

"I'll do it." Kurogiri said.

"Thank you." Her tone softened as she started towards her mother in relief. "Hey mom. I'm going to take you home, now. Ok?"

Chisaki knelt before her, trying to catch her trembling eyes; but when their gaze remained fixated on the empty air behind her something desperate took hold of Chisaki. "Mom? Hey mom. Please just look at me." Her voice broke in her throat. Her mother made no sign that she'd heard a word. No. No. No. No. No. Fuck!- No, don't panic, she told herself. She gulped down a breath. Ok. Ok. Ok. Well, maybe… maybe Inko would feel better when she was away from the league. She had to be scared by all of the villains, right? Surely she would be less terrified when it was just them. Chisaki's fingers began undoing the ropes that held her in shaky supplication, mindless assurances tumbling from her lips. "You'll be okay mom. I'll make sure that you're safe. I promise. I- I…"

Giran started forwards at the sight of the restraints falling loose, but Shigaraki stopped him; uncharacteristically quiet as he watched on in anticipation. Inko's free hands fell limp at her sides. Chisaki scooped them up, blinking back the tears that suddenly welled in her eyes, clouded her vision, and choked in her throat. The woman remained unresponsive.

"Mom. It's me. It's Chisaki. Your daughter!"

At the name Inko's eyes gained some will, falling on her obscured features, and the limp hands rose weakly to feel her face, groping for any form of familiarity.

"Chisaki?" Inko's voice was hollow.

"Yes." She said in relief, her own hands trembling to release the seal on the mask. It fell weakly into her mother's still prying hands.

Inko stared at the thing for a moment before her eyes flicked back up to her daughter, still struggling to understand.

"My daughter… A villain?"

Chisaki felt her heart plummet. She opened her mouth, ready to offer her mother a lie that was more consoling, before she stopped and forced that tale back down her throat.

"Yes."

"My sweet daughter. My loving, clumsy, bookish daughter." Her eyes welled with tears. "A cruel, cold, bloodthirsty murderer..."

She protested weakly and reached to console her mother. . "No, mom. I'm not a… "

Inko swatted her hands aside. "Why?" She cried, suddenly on her feet with vindictive life, throwing the empty mask into her daughter's lap as if it were something diseased. "Why would you want to become one of these monsters? How could you?" Chisaki flinched, whatever defense she could have conjured, withered and died under the distraught gaze that bore down on her. The woman was shaking with some mix of boiling rage and grief. "Chisaki! I don't know why you think that this is any way to act out! This is going so much farther than any dalliance ever should. You can't become some criminal!— Why don't you leave? Quit this nonsense and come home. We'll figure out how to keep this from ever getting out. You can move on with your life like this never happened—"
"No. Mom. I'm not leaving the league." She interjected stiffly, pursing her lips and looking away.

"No? Why in hell would you want to stay here—" Her eyes finally fell on Chisaki's waist. "Are those hunting knives? Have they made you hurt someone?"

"No! These are… mostly for pr- protection. I-"
"Mostly?"
Chisaki rose to her feet desperately and tried to reassure her. "Look, mom, you're jumping to conclusions. I haven't hurt anyone who didn't want to hurt me first. And none of them are dead! I've finally done something mom. I can do so much. I..." Inko's eyes were hard and disapproving; striking and unconvinced. Chisaki swallowed thickly and sighed. "I can tell that this has all been a big shock for you. I obviously didn't want you to find out this way… Why don't we discuss this at home once we've each cooled off?"

"Yes. Good idea." Inko said icily, circling around Chisaki towards the back entrance. She sent a fearless glare at Shigaraki and Giran opposite her. Shigaraki just grinned surely back. "You can say your last goodbyes to these criminals and once you've put this behind you we can assess this objectively."

"Mom…"

"What? Don't tell me that you still want to protest—"

"I told you, I'm not leaving the league." Her fists were balled, white, at her sides.

"Don't be ridiculous… " Inko's icy conviction faltered at her own daughter's stubborn glare. The woman quickly recovered with equal ferocity. "Chisaki, I can't allow a villain to live under my roof! You'll have to leave. Choose them or me. You can't have both."

Chisaki stared back in silent horror. Choose? She swallowed thickly over the lump in her throat. "I can't leave. Not yet."

Inko glared fiercely, her face a cold and impassive barrier of rage. Whatever hurt she must have felt was stubbornly buried under her own vindication. "Fine. Then I suppose that you'll have to find somewhere else to sleep from here on out."

Then she marched out the way she'd wandered in. No one stopped her. Even as the petite woman in her pastel scrubs charged out into the pouring rain with all she'd seen. The slamming of the door echoed behind her in ringing silence, as if lightning had just struck.

Chisaki could feel her own stubborn core waver now that she was alone. She felt her eyes prickle.

Somewhere behind her Shigaraki gave a snort in admiration. "Wow what a temper. Stubborn too. I can see where you get your spark."

Chisaki didn't have the energy to look over her shoulder and snark back. Instead she just stood there, deflating into her own arms and shaking under the sting of her mother's verbal lashes. She suddenly felt so tired. So empty. So lost. Hot tears were trickling down her cheeks when she finally pulled herself around to face them. The voice that edged itself from her throat was shaky and embarrassingly pathetic.

"Do- do you guys have an extra couch that I could crash on? I, uh, I don't think that I can go anywhere else."

Shigaraki's grotesque smile froze and he stared blankly at the mess that faced him.

Beside him, Giran sucked in a breath and stepped forwards to wrap the girl in his arms.

"Oh kiddo…"

She leaned against him stiffly, swiping at her eyes. "Ah… ok. Um thank you. I just, um," She sniffled and laughed weakly, "I- I just wish that I could stop crying. I feel so pathetic. What am I even really crying over?"

"No Kiddo, that was absolutely brutal. I wouldn't have expected anyone to walk away from that unfazed. Kurogiri, surely we can lend her one of the rooms upstairs."

"Yes. Of course." He nodded in sympathy. "Chisaki you are welcome to stay with us as long as you need. I'll go prepare you a room."

Kurogiri disappeared and Giran continued to comfort Chisaki as she sobbed into his shoulder. Shigaraki just stared on, frozen in disbelief.

Why was she even crying in the first place? This was the same girl who hadn't even shed a tear upon coming face to face with death on that first day they'd met. She'd been just fine after meeting All for One. Hell, she'd kept an absolute cool and actually gone head to head with him in that office, and then after that she'd made it out on top with barely more than a scratch. Someone like that had no reason to break down over some woman kicking them out—

A memory flashed through his mind. That damned dog turned to dust. His sister. Her horror and fear. Everything falling apart.

Ah. Betrayal. Grief. Loss.

His father's reproachful hand burned against his forehead, his cheeks, all of face.

Shigaraki suddenly felt dirty. Everything itched. His finger's clawed away at his neck and he turned away.

She could be weak for a day. Just for today.