"Ah, Zero, I'm happy to see you awake." Zero sat up, hand on his temple. His fall must have been enough to knock him out, because fuck his head hurt. "Nothing to say, young man?"

"Am I the only one you guys caught?" Zero asked, swinging his legs over his prison bed. He noticed suddenly that neither his arms nor legs were bound.

"Regretfully, yes." The skinny man sighed, his blonde hair dipping as he looked around Zero's jail cell. "Well, Young Zero, we should make our way to the interrogation room.

"How do you know I'm young?" Zero asked as they made their way over to the room. When he had walked out his cell door, handcuffs were slapped tightly on his wrist. Not that they hindered him any. He could fight without his hands, Sensei made sure of that. Getting forced down into a chair, he was handcuffed to the table in front of him. On the other side sat Pro-Hero Ereaser Head, Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi, and the frail blonde man that had led him here.

"Okay kid, I'm sure you know exactly why you're here." Zero nodded, laying his head and arms down on the table. He looked at them from his crossed arms.

"I get Tsuki and Zawa being here, but pray tell, All Might, what do you have to do with this?" All three men flinch. "Oh, sorry, was I not supposed to know?"

"It doesn't matter, we're the ones asking questions here." Aizawa flashed his quirk eyes at him.

"Zawa, zawa, zawa." Zero made a tutting sound with his tongue. "I'm quirkless, you know this. That quirk of yours is useless on me." Aizawas scarf grabbed around Zero's head and slammed it into the table. He heard All Might gasp, but Zero just laughed. Blood trickled slowly out of his nose.

"What?" Aizawa deadpanned. "Returning the favour is all." Zero looked ecstatic, and Tsukauchi looked a bit nervous. They had never actually caught Zero. Each time he would evade them.

"I'll cut to the chase. Zero, real name Izuku Midoriya, am I correct?" The detective looked down at the small stack of papers in his hand.

"I wouldn't know, Sensei had us all change our names when he brought us in. I assume it must be, since you felt the need to ask me that."

"Okay, Midoriya-" All Might began.

"Call me Zero and I'll answer your questions." Aizawa looked at him, face blank. His eyebrow twitched, with amusement or annoyance, Zero couldn't tell.

"Okay, Zero.. Have you ever killed someone?"

"Yes."

"How many?" Aizawa pushed.

"One."

Zero was too young, Kurogiri thought, to be forced by Tomura's side. While Zero was only eight, Shigaraki was almost thirteen. That boy had already taken a countless number of lives. Zero, poor zero, couldn't even hold a knife properly. Kurogiri watched as the blue haired pre-teen pushed the little boy around. He couldn't intervene, Master had made that very clear.

"You're a weak bitch, you know that! Can't even hold a damn knife. What good are you to Sensei if you can't even learn the basics?" Zero whimpered as Tomura kicked him in the side. "You know what, brat? I have the perfect level of motivation. Kurogiri, bring in one of the experiments. Alive." Kurogiri did as his young master commanded, bringing in the patient table and all. She was young, maybe a little older than Tomura himself. She was strapped to the table, but she struggled nonetheless. It was fruitful at best.

"Now, hold the fucking knife right or I'm gonna force you."

"Tomura, please! I don't want to!" Zero begged, the knife clutched tightly in his right hand. This was wrong, this is not what he was promised. All he wanted to do was learn about quirks!

"Thats fucking it." Kurogiri watched, silent, as Tomura took Zero's wrist in his hand, all but his pinky on it. He wanted to intervene more than anything. Sweet Zero, with bright green eyes and a mouth that never stopped moving. Tomura held the knife above the girl, his other hand on Zero's neck.

"You didn't keep your promise to Sensei, Zero. Now you better keep your eyes open and deal with the fucking consequences."

Sqwelp! Sqwelp! Sqwelp! Sqwelp!

Zero sobbed with each stab, eyes open as he was forced to watch. He didn't want to do this, but he didn't want to die either! He just wanted to learn! Tomura threw him down, knife in hand.

"Now, hold the fucking knife right."

Zero didn't talk much after that, but he also never fought Tomura again. Kurogiri considered it a sacrifice worth making.

"Who were you, in the grand scheme of things?" Tsukauchi asked. The boy's eyes finally focused.

"All I did was gather intel. Get in, get out, bring it back. I'm pretty good at that, you know." Zero looked down at his hands, suddenly interested in his nails.

"Well, I guess that's all we can get out of him. We'll just cart him off to Tartarus." What!? Zero's free hand gripped at his thigh, nails digging in. No, they couldn't. He worked so hard to get free from them.

"Y-you can't." Zero mumbled.

"I think you'll come to learn we very much can, Zero. You committed a multitude of crimes, and worked with one of the biggest groups of murderers in our area." Aizawa spoke coldly.

"W-what if we make a deal?" Zero was getting desperate, but anything was better than going to a place filled with criminals. Sure that was a bit hypocritical, but..

"And what could a low-life criminal like you have that would be beneficial to us?" Tsukauchi asked.

"Something you've never had within your reach. Something that's always been just two steps ahead." God damnit he hoped this would work.

"Oh, and what's that?" Aizawa almost snorted.

"First hand information on the crime overlord, and behind the scene leader of the League of Villains, All for One."

Zero had been four years old when Sensei had saved him. Well, technically, Kurogiri and Tomura had saved him, but Sensei was the one that planned it! Zero had been beaten so badly, was so bloodied and bruised, he couldn't recall his own name. The only thing he could recall was the words 'quirkless' and 'zero'. So that's what sensei called him. He had said a reclaimed name from the past was the perfect start for a brand new future. So, he was branded with the name Zero Shiruda.

He was nine when sensor had first talked about giving him a quirk. One used for intel gathering, of course. "You are more useful behind the scenes, Zero." He would say. "Maybe one day, when you are strong enough to kill Tomura, will I concede and give you the quirk of glory you so wish for. Until then, stay where you are needed." Zero had begun to dread his visits with his senses after that.

Tomura had ideals soon, too.

"Tomura, are you sure this is smart? I mean, attacking U-A! I know your goal is to kill All Might, but-" Tomura Shane was around his neck, pinky hovering close to the skin. Finally, this was it. His death.

"It used to be our goal, remember that Zero? Since when has it become just mine?" He tsked, his other hand scratching at his neck. "No, you've never truly been a part of that goal. Just waiting until Sensei finally gives you a quirk. Good for nothing piece of shit." Zero's head clattered against the wall. He had another intel meeting with Sensei in two minutes. He could sleep after that. He wished Kirogiri would help him.

"Young man, do you really know what you're offering to us? How are we supposed to know if it's a trap or not?" Zero gestured at the detective.

"I'll tell you anything. I just, I can't go to jail. Not yet, anyways."

"How old are you, kid? Your file doesn't say anything besides your name, blood type, and quirk. " Aizawa sat back down. This was gonna be a long day.

"How many years has it been since Sensei- no, All for One took me?" Zero asked.

"It's been eleven years since you were reported missing by your mother." Tsukauchi said.

"Then I suppose I'll be, or am already, fifteen years old." It was silent for a minute. Zero didn't like silence. He hated how it made him itch.

"What the actual fuck Aizawa." All Might? Cussing? What a shocker.

"When I said he was young I thought he was just a short adult! Not a fucking teenager!" The man growled, turning on his colleagues. "How would I know? I just caught the guy-kid, the kid!"

"What do you suppose we do, All Might?" Tsukauchi said, biting the tip of his thumb. Zero didn't like being talked about like he wasn't in the room, but he knew that he was in no place to make demands. Not yet, at least.

"I guess our next stop is Nedzu."