Getting into Tartarus was the easy part. With how powerful your quirk had become, tricking the guards into thinking you were one of them was a no-brainer. Even stealing an operating key card to slip through all of the doors was easy. And, when the time came, killing would be easy. The real tricky part was navigating the complex system of halls and levels to get where you needed to go.
It felt as if you had toured the whole building before you finally came to All for One's chamber. You hadn't realized it, but it had taken you a few hours to find the place; you had lost time with the nerves you felt.
Those nerves had peaked as you stood in front of the steel door that separated him from you. Your palms were incredibly sweaty despite knowing you had the power to do this. You had the power to create any illusion you wanted, enough to kill even the strongest. It didn't matter that he had multiple quirks.
You worked up the courage to slide the key card into its slot to access the room, the steel door whining just like the ones back at the Hassaikai base - a base that was no more.
You tried not to think of that as you entered to find the man you once called a father figure all strapped up with weapons pointed in his direction.
That didn't stop him from giving you his signature grin that sent chills down even the toughest person's spine.
"Y/N, is that you?" All for One chuckled lowly. "It's been years! To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"It's all your fault," you mumbled, fists closed tight in an attempt to keep your composure.
"I can tell you've become much more powerful...and under someone else's care at that! Whose hand do I have to shake?" He continued snickering with a mocking tone.
"It's all your fault Tomura and Kai are messed up," you were still standing frozen in place with clenched fists. It was all you could do to avoid snapping at the wrong moment.
"What are you going on about?" He lost his smile and turned to an expression more of irritation.
"You raised Tomura to want to destroy society. Your actions were part of the reason why Kai thinks there's some kind of Hero-Villain disease with our quirks. If it weren't for you, there would've been a chance for them to lead normal lives!"
"Normal," he chuckled again under his breath.
"I don't understand people like you," you whined in defeat, seeing he was unaffected by your words. "Why do you enjoy seeing people in pain?"
He opened his mouth to speak, a deep breath in from behind his oxygen mask, but his breathing hitched right away as you stared down the flesh covered pits that used to hold his eyes.
His wrists began to struggle at their restraints as the monitors that tracked his health began to go haywire.
"I should've killed you a long time ago," you murmured as you watched his struggle. It was much more satisfying that you wanted to admit, the power burning through your veins was unlike anything you had ever felt before. "But instead, I let you control my life and the lives of those around me... No more."
"Y/N!" A high-pitched voice you immediately recognized appeared behind you. You quickly turned your head, your quirk unwavering despite the distraction. All for One continued to jerk and writhe in his restraints as he desperately lost air; he was close to unconsciousness.
"To...ga?" You furrowed your brow at her sudden appearance with the appearance of some random guard. "Shigaraki...Chisaki..." you were completely baffled to find the pair in handcuffs and being guided by Toga in her guard form. They had come up with their own scheme to sneak into the prison which, from the looks of it, looked too good to be true. "What are you doing here?"
"Better question," she smirked, "what are you doing?" She eyeballed the obviously struggling All for One and glanced back in your direction.
Chisaki smirked while still in Toga's fake grasp while Shigaraki stared at you with the most concern you had ever seen come from him. He looked completely frozen.
"Doing what should've been done a long time ago," you turned your attention back to your victim.
"Good for you," Chisaki smiled with low lids, a face of pride for you.
"Y/N," Shigaraki's voice was frantic as he struggled out of the cuffs he had been put in as a way to sneak into the prison. "This isn't you. Stop."
You laughed lowly and turned your head to face him as he continued struggling even with Toga no longer hold him in place. She was busy fishing for the key in on of the pockets of her uniform.
"You just want me to stop so you can save your beloved sensei," you rolled your eyes and turned your attention back to All for One. It hurt knowing you were hurting him, but this was something you needed to do. It was almost like justice for yourself.
AN: This is where paths will start to diverge as there will be a Shigaraki ending and a Chisaki ending. c:
Chisaki's Path:
Shigaraki's stiff and stressed demeanor was quite a sight to behold as the two of you spoke. What was even more chilling was your placid expression while committing an act you swore you'd never do on your own or on purpose for that matter.
"Y/N," Chisaki quickly interrupted. His sudden voice quickly caught everyone's attention. "He's right."
"Excuse me?" You furrowed your brow and spoke in a small voice.
"This isn't you," he repeated with concern in his voice. Shigaraki stared at him with a look of both rage and confusion. "And even though you feel like you need to do this now, you know it'll haunt you..."
Toga had finally found the key to the handcuffs and scrambled to remove them from the pair, getting to Chisaki's first. As she struggled to shove the tiny thing into the key hole of Shigaraki's cuffs, Chisaki gently walked toward you as you processed his words.
"It's his fault," you mumbled as Chisaki wrapped soft fingers around your upper arms and listened to you carefully. With his touch, you released your hold on All for One. "Between the two of you...and probably so many others out there, his influence has only spread madness." Tears filled your eyes as you stared into Chisaki's. The past few weeks had been such a complete whirlwind, a complete change from what you were used to, that it was all just catching up to you.
The look of concern that had adorned Chisaki's face fell into one of sympathy as he heard your explanation.
"I don't know about him," he referred to Shigaraki who had now frozen in some kind of angry shock, "but I know it was much more than just one individual's behavior that fueled my own."
"You used past tense..." you noticed, watching him carefully.
"I've had some time to think about my ideals since what happened," he sighed and let go of your arms, letting his hands fall to his sides. "I'd like to put all of this behind me, as difficult as that sounds...physically and emotionally."
"Give me a break," Shigaraki grumbled before Toga took her knee to his back while still holding his wrists with one hand. She had gotten so distracted by your emotional conversation, she neglected to unfasten his restraints.
Meanwhile, All for One kept his mouth shut with only a grin as he listened to everything unfold.
"I'm serious, Y/N," Chisaki took another step closer to you. "I don't want any of this anymore. It's chaos..."
"And I'm not?" You whimpered. "I can't even look you in the eye without worrying I'd kill you. And every attempt to take this...this curse away from me has failed."
"You were about to murder your last chance," Shigaraki continued grumbling. Seeing your reaction to one another told him all he needed to know - seeing Chisaki with genuine concern for the first time, and he recognized that teary-eyed face on you seeing as you used to give it to him.
"Doesn't matter," Chisaki's voice got quiet, "you're perfect how you are."
Shigaraki's Path:
"No!" Shigaraki shouted at you as you continued to rage, the sounds of All for One's choking fueling that anger. "I don't want you to have anything more to hate about yourself!"
You immediately stopped your quirk, All for One gasping for air as you released him. Your jaw had gone slack with shock to Shigaraki's choice of words. You were completely smitten, there was no denying that...but you needed to stay on track.
You shook your head rapidly to snap out of it. "How do I know you're not just making things up? You're just saying that?" You were so close to using your quirk again, the tingling behind your eyes increasing with each passing moment as you thought about it.
Shigaraki frowned and remained silent for a few prolonged seconds as the two of you stared at one another. Chisaki stood by with a complex look on his face. He knew what he wanted, but he understood his place here - all to protect any chance for your happy future. If it meant you chose Shigaraki, then that's what it meant.
"I can't," he mumbled quietly as he was finally unleashed from his handcuffs.
Your own frown grew deeper with Shigaraki's admission. You sensed no sort of dishonesty in his answer. He was being sincere, and it only meant one thing: he was telling the truth.
As you stood in disbelief, with his arms fully free, Shigaraki lightly jogged until his hands met your jawline.
"Y/N," he held your head firmly with all ten fingers and stared into your eyes. "It's not you. Please..."
The warmth you had been feeling around the base of your eyes had finally overflowed, single drops streaming down your cheeks. Your hands came up and gently grabbed his wrists as you tried to steady your bubbling chin.
"But if I don't do this, you're still going to be driven to kill," your voice was so strained with emotion that it barely came out. "You...want to destroy society..."
Shigaraki sighed and looked away while still gently holding you in place. He looked back at you with determination. "That's because society did this to you. They shunned you and put you away. They put a little girl in a one-window room with no permission to look another human being in the eye."
"Tomura," you whined, so close to breaking down that your knees were shaking. Your mind was flooded with the past and overwhelmed with the present.
"Join me, Y/N..." he suddenly smiled wide, "I'll never make you do something you don't want to do. But join me and help me create a world worth living in!"