Posted originally on the Archive_of_Our_Own at https://archiveofourown.org/
works/6505873.
  Rating:
      Explicit
  Archive Warning:
      Graphic_Depictions_Of_Violence, Major_Character_Death, Rape/Non-Con,
      Underage
  Category:
      Gen
  Fandom:
      Fire_Emblem:_If_|_Fire_Emblem:_Fates
  Character:
      Saizou_(Fire_Emblem), Zero_|_Niles, Original_Characters, A_bunch_of_other
      characters_who_i_dont_feel_like_tagging, Suzukaze_|_Kaze, Kagerou_(Fire
      Emblem)
  Additional Tags:
      Pre-Canon, Child_Abuse, Implied/Referenced_Rape/Non-con, this_is_the
      first_time_ive_ever_used_all_the_warning_tags_yikes, headcanons_abound
      but_I_tried_to_base_this_of_the_information_we_get_from_supports,
      Backstory, Eye_Trauma, Suicidal_Thoughts, Implied/Referenced_Underage
      Prostitution
  Stats:
      Published: 2016-04-10 Words: 11786
****** An eye for an eye ******
by cloudnine
Summary
     In different countries, in different times: A similar pain is
     experienced.
Notes
     i don't think I've seen anyone address that Saizou also lost an eye
     so...yeah. Zero's background is different from Niles (aka in the
     localization), so I based this on the japanese version. also even
     though i skip a few years in Saizou's life they're still roughly the
     same age, it's just that when Saizou is older Zero was already with
     Leon. (like i tagged: lots of headcanons)
     IMPORTANT: This has literally every single warning possible for a
     reason coming from Zero's side specifically so be wary and safe.
He was six when he realized he had no parents.
Old enough to understand the complicated words his gang told him, old enough to
stay unperturbed when they told him his parents had abandoned him as a baby.
They laughed at his expression, saying he was the lowest of the low, and if it
weren't for them Zero would be dead. He was lucky they found him wandering the
streets, begging for food when they decided to take him under their wing. He
wasn't the only one, the group was filled with other children like him. None of
them survived after the first week. Zero had taken the role of the youngest in
the group in a month's time.
Away from his team in a corner of their base he cried, cried tears he hadn't
let out since they started disciplining him to stop being a sobbing child. He
always thought his gang was his family, and they were, but to learn the truth-
the truth that he had a mother and a father who birthed him and left him. He
thinks he remembers his mother, a hazy figure who carried him. His most vivid
memory is of seeing this figure being pinned down by a larger one, and the
screams she gave as Zero watched in a corner. That day he remembers eating
actual meat and drinking clean water.
He hated his parents and he's glad they left him. They were nothing to him. His
gang was his family, and they always will be. They will never abandon him like
his parents did.
===============================================================================
He was six when his father took him and his brother to start their formal
training.
The rigid and strict discipline they were forced to abide by was nothing
compared to the former teachings they had been receiving since they were born.
His father made them climb the stone mountains and the walls of their dojo. He
made them run for hours until they saw the sun set on the horizon. He left them
for hours on top of bamboo poles as they learned to balance their bodies. He
taught them how to shoot shuriken and kunai and how to kill the enemy in a
single blow without weapons.
He watched from the sidelines as he and Suzukaze fought. His brother was faster
than him, but he tired more easily. Their father always gazed at him with harsh
disappointment in his eyes. His expectations had always been on Saizou since he
had been born. 
That night his father called him to his room and told him the words Saizou
would never forget.
"It is your duty as the oldest to accept your role as a leader. Suzukaze and
the future of this clan depend on you." He tells him as the young boy listens
steadily.
"You are a Saizou, and the day death comes for me you will receive the title
passed down throughout our generations. Be prepared for it at all times."
He prostrated himself in front of him and bows to him, his eyes closed. 
"Yes, Father." 
===============================================================================
He was nine when they told him to kill a man.
"Here," the boss tells him as he places a knife in his small hand, the boy
staring at it with his blue eyes wide open. "It's time you learned how to
protect yourself."
One of the men laugh as they hold on to the struggling gagged man. "You really
think little ol' Zero is ready to murder a man?" 
Zero feels like shooting back that he can, that he's ready, but the boss speaks
before him. "Either he learns to now or he gets left behind." He gives Zero a
push. "Capiche, pup?"
The boy nods, so used to hearing the names they call him. When they gave him
his formal name they said it was perfect for him, for a boy with nothing. Zero
family, zero home, zero cash. He had nothing but the clothes on his back, but
so did all of them. That's why they worked so well together. All rejects of
society, loved by no one. Destined to die in the slums like dogs. Zero only
ever accepted his name because he had no choice.
In a fucked up way he was glad they were finally allowing him to be part of the
action. He was tired of them using him as a servant and as a playtoy. Everytime
they ordered him to carry their weapons or hunt for petty cash by himself he
would grit his teeth. He hated when they hit him for not getting enough money,
for targeting people who were easy to steal from but had no cash. A feeling of
anticipation surged through his body at knowing they finally saw the potential
in him, and that he was slowly making his way up in their useless hierarchy. 
"This is the only chance you're getting on learning how to do this." He tells
him as Zero holds the knife tightly in his fist. "Go on." He motions with his
hand on his neck, Zero understanding the signal that meant to slit the man's
throat. He had watched his teammates do this so many times, it seemed so easy.
Only his nerves could stop him.
He walks up to the man being held by his hair, the tears and sobs coming from
him doing nothing to Zero as they leave his neck exposed so he can slice it
easily. 
He did it without hesitation. Him killing a man by his own hand and him
watching as the others did was no different to him. The sobbing stopped and the
blood gushed out. They take the cloth off his mouth and let go of his body.
Zero thought he looked so peaceful now.
"Took you long enough." One of them tells Zero as he passes by him. "How's it
feel, pup?"
Zero stares at the blood on the knife and his hands, the feeling so different
from only seeing it when it was on someone else.
"Fine." He tells him.
The man chuckles, and Zero winces. He always hated how groggy the man sounded,
but he understood it was because the man's vocal chords were damaged. He still
hated hearing his voice being directed to him.
"You ain't supposed to feel nothing. We only kill to loot, got that? Don't go
on a massacre now thinking you're some big shit."
"I know that." Zero tells him, anger in his tone and expression. One of the
younger guys comes up to him and ruffles his hair, making Zero pout. "Don't
take him seriously, little Zero. He's just trying to mess with you."
Zero stays silent as said man turns to the larger man with an eyepatch. "Hey
boss, does this mean you're sending the pup off on covert missions?" 
The child glances to their boss, the man's only eye turning to him. He clicks
his tongue. "Sure, if we ever need him."
They grabbed the body's loot, gold coins that would last them a week. One of
them cursed that they only ever stole money from poor folk, which immediately
elicited a hit to the face from the boss. 
"Don't go being ungrateful now. This is just the beginning." He lets out a
huff. "One day, we'll scam a noble and we'll gouge their eyes out and sell them
to organ traders." He turns his head to Zero, a snicker escaping his scarred
lips. "Doesn't that sound nice, pup?"
Zero's own eyes twitch as he stares at the man's only eye. He didn't enjoy the
idea of watching someone get their eyes taken off. The man seems to notice his
nervous expression and grabs his chin.
"Don't give me that look, you fucker. You've seen worse."
He has. That doesn't mean his mind doesn't wander off to worse possibilities,
it just means he expects them. 
When the man lets go of him they start walking back to their base, Zero still
holding the bloody knife as steps over the dead body of the man he killed.
===============================================================================
He was nine when he first stepped into Castle Shirasagi.
Saizou nor Suzukaze had ever seen such a huge edifice, so used to the small
temples, shrines and dojos from Igasato. The castle in itself could probably
house their whole village.
As they followed their father through the halls of the castle Saizou couldn't
keep his eyes from taking every little detail in, from the designs on the walls
to the golden statues that seemed to guard over them. He took them all in and
engraved the memory into his mind. 
He felt he had reached the heavens his clan spoke so much about.
When they reach the main hall Saizou gazes at the king and queen with serious
eyes, but inside he scanned every inch of them with anticipation. The new queen
was astoundingly beautiful, her black flowing hair seemed endless to a child
like Saizou, her smile so serene it gave him hope. In her hands she held a
small baby, clearly a new born, the only strands of her pinkish-red hair poking
out from her bonnet. 
His brother and him stand by his father's side as they bow to their leaders.
Saizou had always thought his father was the most powerful person, but as he
stares at the king and his regal posture so unlike his father he learns he
still had much to know from the world outside the mountains. This was the man
his father served, and the king who before has always been served by their
clan. The legacy that bounded them to each other, and Saizou understood that
one day he would also serve the future king after Sumeragi.
"You may stand." The ruler says as he follows his father and gets on his feet
again. He notices the queen was staring at him with a graceful, knowing smile
on her face which made the young Saizou fidget.
"Greetings, milord and milady. I bring to you my sons and the next heir to the
Saizou name." When he hears his name Saizou holds his head high, placing his
hands together and nodding to them as he was taught to do long ago. 
"Saizou the Fifth." The king gives him a smile as Saizou watched him, noticing
the fire in the boy's eyes. Saizou thinks he seemed so much less intimidating
now that he smiled, and he realizes this is what attracted people to follow
him. "One day you shall serve my son in your father's place. Do you hold honor
in these words?"
He knows Suzukaze is watching him, envious of the attention he derived apart
from him. Even so, he knew his place as a mere member of the clan. He bows on
his knees again, doing all the actions his father had always taught him on how
to speak towards the royal family. "Yes, Your Highness. I will serve your son
as my father did to you with all my honor. My loyalty belongs to you."
He hears the king hum in acceptance. "That is all I need to know." There's a
turn of his head as he looks at his wife who rocks the baby in her arms. "My
son should meet the boy who will serve him when he's older."
Saizou looks apprehensive as Mikoto tells one of her subordinates, a green-
haired man with glasses to call for the prince. The man leaves without a second
glance and while they wait for the boy to arrive Sumeragi speaks to his father.
His eyes open wide when the subordinate appears with the prince on his tow, a
boy about his age who had an uncanny resemblance to his father. His hair was
lighter and shorter than his parent but it was still long and acute, a curious
glint in his boyish face as he gazed at the ninjas.
"Ryouma, these are the legendary ninjas from Igasato who have served our family
for generations. The Fifth Saizou will one day serve you as it is tradition; I
believe it was time for you to meet."
The prince has an elegant smile on his face as he strides over to them. He was
surely his age but he already walked with such refinement and grandeur that
only a member of the royal family could manage doing. His father nods at the
young boy when he steps in front of them and Ryouma acknowledges him before
looking at the twin brothers, excitement noticeable in his eyes.
"Are you twins?" Ryouma asks Suzukaze and the boy fidgets before he nods. "I
see, how interesting. I also have a few siblings who I care deeply about. Which
one of you is Saizou?"
Suzukaze looks to the side in mild disappointment as Saizou bows to him, his
arms by his side. "I am the Fifth Saizou, my prince."
The boy giggles and Saizou's not sure how to react, having expected the prince
to be more...princely. "You're so tense. There's no reason for you to be so
nervous when you still aren't my retainer. As of now, we're friends." Saizou
blinks in confusion as the boy extends his hand and he looks up to his father,
who motions for him to shake it.
After some hesitation he grabs the boy's hand and they shake, a huge grin on
the prince's face. "I'm Ryouma, the crowned prince of Hoshido. It is a pleasure
to meet you, Saizou."
With all eyes on him he delays his response to the prince, unsure of what to
answer. After a while he finally gives the boy a nod.
"The pleasure is mine, milord."
Months later, Suzukaze accompanies King Sumeragi on a diplomatic trip to Nohr.
Saizou grumbled to himself at not being the one chosen to visit the other
country but his father assured him it was to prepare Suzukaze for his duties as
a messenger in the future. Saizou had more important things to worry about.
That night he hears the door of their room open and he pushes himself up,
confusion apparent in his face. Suzukaze was supposed to return tomorrow, why
was he here? Had something happened?
He notices how his brother's legs wobble, his arms trembling against his body.
Saizou thought he looked like a ghost. 
He stands up and walks over to his brother, holding him in his arms. He asked
and asked what had happened but his twin wouldn't answer, his eyes open wide as
if the shock had left his expression like that.
When he feels him grab onto his yukata and sob words into his shoulder Saizou's
own eyes shoot open.
"King Sumeragi is dead."
===============================================================================
He was eleven when they sold his virginity. 
The boss pushes Zero in front of him, hands on his shoulders as he presents him
to the larger man with rings on his fingers. He had facial hair like his boss
but somehow even if his beard was cleanly cut unlike the man who held on to him
and hadn't bathed in days Zero thought he looked a lot more disgusting.
"Just for you, never been touched." 
Zero rolls his eyes. What a lie, or did all the times they forced him to gag on
their dicks not count? Throughout the years he had gotten more defiant towards
them, a scowl almost always present on his face. It mostly started when they
took advantage of him. They said Zero needed to learn, that it was a part of
life and that eventually he would thank them for training him. He now
understood why.
The man examines him and Zero feels his body reject the gaze, feeling disgusted
and already tainted by the look. He wants nothing more than to stick a knife in
his eyes so he stopped looking at him.
"He's too young." 
His boss laughs and Zero hates it, he always has. "That's never stopped anyone
before." He says so eagerly that it makes Zero want to vomit. "Come on, you
said you liked them young, didn't you?"
The disgusting man who smelled of perfume and things Zero had never smelled in
his life gave him another glance, hand on his chin, scanning his body up and
down.
"He doesn't have any diseases?" He asks and Zero feels like a dog, like a pet
who was being sold to a human owner. Right now he could be with his other
comrades stealing and kidnapping people but instead he was here, the man's
hands on his shoulders as he tried to make money off his body.
"I said he was untouched." The tone is harsher now, tired of the man asking so
many questions. "He doesn't."
The man sighs after a while and motions for his guards. He hated that he was
doing this. The man was clearly defenseless and out of shape, it would be so
easy for him and Zero to kill the man and take his jewels, but instead he
handed him over like he had no choice. 
"I'll clean you up when we get home." The man says as he motions for his guards
to give Zero's boss the money. He watches at the man's takes the sack of
bullion, the boy's eyes going wide in betrayal. 
Before the man can take him he looks at the man he calls a leader one last
time. His gaze is so uncaring and dismissive it makes Zero want to throw the
man down and wring his neck. He seems to realize this might be the last time he
sees him so he lowers himself to his level and looks at Zero in the eye. 
"Realize your place, Zero. We all go through this. These filthy perverts love
poor little orphan children from the slums they can take without facing
authorities. Your body isn't yours."
Those words resounds around his mind as the man pulls him away and he continues
to gaze at his seller with wide eyes. His seller, the man he had called a boss
for so many years. The man who taught him how to steal and kill, how to
survive. He only ever cared about his own survival.
They continue to resound as the perverted man touches his naked skin. If his
body wasn't his then who did it belong to? The Gods? He didn't believe in them,
none of them did.
While the man caresses his body in places he's never even touched himself he
concludes his body wasn't his, but his mind was.
===============================================================================
He was eleven when he first assassinated someone.
Saizou had been trained for this his whole life. As years passed he awaited
until his father would finally give him a mission. The day came soon enough and
he received his first order: To assassinate a corrupt Nohrian bandit who
plunged Hoshidan villages. 
It seemed easy enough. His father gave him his first ever dagger that actually
belonged to him. He passed his fingers through it as his father told him where
he had to go and what he had to do. Even if this was his first true mission
this was also a test to see if Saizou's training had worked out. When his
father finishes he exits their base, ready to leave until he hears the
footsteps of someone behind him.
"Brother."
Saizou turns to find his twin. He looked so much younger than him, so scared
and meek even though they were twins. Saizou had slowly been separating himself
from him as his duties became more serious, not having any more time to play
with him. He had to grow up faster than Suzukaze, it was his duty. 
"What is it?" He asks as he tugs down the scarf around his face. Suzukaze
stares at him, sadness and worry evident in his eyes as he walks closer to
him. 
"I..." The words are lost in his lips and Saizou is ready to tell him this is
urgent before Kaze embraces him. Saizou's eyes go wide.
"Please be careful, Brother. I know you're capable enough to do this on your
own but as your brother I still worry for you." He listens to the boy's words
as he closes his eyes and savors the moment. They hadn't hugged or showed any
affection to each other ever since their father told him emotions were a
weakness. He feels Suzukaze clench his fingers in the back of his shirt as he
presses his head onto his shoulder. Saizou sighs, understanding his brother was
worried but if he didn't do this now his father would never see him as a true
shinobi.
He lets go of Suzukaze but holds onto his arm as he whispers the words: "I'll
be back tomorrow."
They press their foreheads together as it was custom for brothers in their clan
to do. When he leaves he still feels Suzukaze's worried eyes on him.
When he reaches the village where the bandit was suspected to attack he dispels
his invisibility jutsu, deciding it was time to use his stealth and hiding
techniques. He stands in an oak tree as he watches the peaceful village, only
few people still going about their lives in the darkness. He watches a girl too
young to be awake run to what seemed to be her mother, pulling at her dress.
The sudden scream from a woman pulls Saizou away from the girl and he realizes
the girl's worried eyes had been for a reason.
The bandit was here. It was evident by the sudden shouting and the woman
grabbing the girl in her arms, running away. He jumps from the tree and strides
to where he hears the scream come from. Stepping behind a wall of a house he
looks across the corridor to find a large, beastly looking man with a woman in
his shoulder and a bag of stolen goods.
The fowl man seems to be distracted with the screaming woman and Saizou takes
it as the perfect time to stop this. He closes one eye and with the other makes
sure to target correctly into the man. Feeling sure he throws the shuriken so
quick none of them notice until it penetrates the man's leg. There's a loud
shout of pain as the man looks below him to find himself bleeding, the shuriken
digging deep. 
"A ninja." He says so low but Saizou still listens, so close but the man hadn't
found his position. The woman stops her screaming as the bandit turns in
circles, trying to find the culprit of his wound. Saizou takes this moment to
throw a smoke bomb. He hears the man cough as the smoke starts to fill the air,
the woman's sob audible as Saizou ran closer. 
He stands before the man but he doesn't notice, Saizou's child body and light
moving so quick and invisible he couldn't stop when Saizou sticks a kunai down
his throat. The sounds of the man gurgling and screaming in pain are so loud it
hurts Saizou's ears as he tries to take the woman from the man's hand.
It didn't work. His body was too small that he couldn't pull the woman and the
man still having some energy grabs Saizou. The boy's eyes shoot wide in
desperation, sudden panic that he had miscalculated the bandit's power as he
struggles against the man's large hand.
"Heh," The man manages to spit out, some blood falling into Saizou's face.
"They sent a child to kill me? Have the ninjas underestimated me so much?"
Saizou doesn't understand how the man can even speak with how much blood is
leaving his throat with the kunai stuck there. He wasn't human, he couldn't be.
He struggles until he finds a weak point and sticks another dagger in the man's
hand. It's as if nothing happened, the pain from his throat completely making
any other wound in his body seem like nothing. Saizou's eyes start watering as
the man laughs and holds onto his throat tighter.
Would he die like this? So young, still haven't experienced so many things in
life. His father would be disappointed, instead of sadness he would feel
disgrace at his weak son who was supposed to be the next Saizou.
Then he remembers Suzukaze. The thought of never seeing him again, seeing his
rare smiles, how they played together. How he promised he would see him
tomorow.
He couldn't die here. Not like this. 
He grabs onto the kunai in his throat and digs it in deeper, the blood gushing
out and hitting his face. There's so much blood in his eyes he can't even see
the man's face as he continues to clench his throat, oxygen becoming scarce for
Saizou.
Suddenly he feels the hand in his throat soften. He takes in a needed deep
breathe as the man lets go off him, his body soon following and falling to the
floor. He grabs onto the woman whose dress was covered in blood, her sobs so
hysterical it made Saizou's heart pound. He's too weak to carry her as she
falls over him, the man besides them, finally dead.
He cleans some of the blood off his face with his arm, watching as the woman
cried. He quickly stands up and walks to the body, the man's eyes and mouth
wide open, his armor filled with blood. He pulls the kunai from his throat and
cleans it with his scarf when it's finally off. He couldn't let any weapons go
to waste, that's what his father had taught him. 
Saizou helps the hysteric woman stand up, seeing if she was in any pain. She
didn't seem to have any noticeable wound apart from her trauma so he lets one
of the village men take her. He walks over to the discarded bag and opens it. 
Food. Daikon. Rice. Beans. Were the Nohrians so desperate they would go to a
defenseless village and steal their agriculture? Saizou couldn't understand. 
He picks the bag and starts walking, ready to leave the village before he feels
someone tugging at his pants. He turns to find the girl he had been watching
before looking at him, her brown hair cupping her freckled face, huge brown
eyes as she gives him something. He takes it and finds a quartz, something he
hadn't seen since he was a boy. They could be found all around Hoshido but he
had stopped swimming in rivers when he was younger to know if there were still
any left. The girl gives her a smile and runs off, the worried mother looking
at them with a grateful smile on her face as she watched the boy who had saved
their village.
He tugs the quartz into his pocket and throws the bag over his shoulder,
truthfully leaving the village this time. 
When he reaches Igasato his arms and legs were tired from carrying the bag with
food inside. He was mostly clean now except his clothes which still held the
stains of blood from the bandit. It felt disgusting but Saizou couldn't admit
it, if he did he would be seen as weak. It was a feeling he would have to get
used to. Still, he hated that his scarf was especially dirty. At least it was
proof of his victory.
He had bathed himself in a nearby river, grateful at seeing the clean water
calling him. When he saw his reflection in the river he thought he looked like
a monster. Not the monsters he and Suzukaze read about in books, but a human
who had lost all humanity. His face and hands were full of blood, there was a
noticeable scar in his throat from the man's clenching. He looked away, eyes
shutting close. He didn't want to see himself like this. He quickly took his
clothes off and cleaned himself, only later arriving at his home.
He wasn't sure if his father was still awake, if he would wait for Saizou to
return. He knew Saizou would return that same evening, he wasn't as fast as his
brother but he had trained himself enough to be able to reach him. When he
steps into the house his eyes shoot open, finding a shadowy figure hiding
beneath a wind chime.
Without a moment's hesitation Saizou steps before him and throws the bag in
front of him. It was clear evidence that he had stopped the bandit. If he
didn't believe him, the blood on his clothes would say otherwise. He hears a
hum before his father's eyes lock with his eyes, a noticeable glint of pride in
his dark eyes.
"You have done well, son."
He takes in his father's praise, the words he longed to hear since forever. He
was worthy, he was deemed acceptable of being a Saizou. This was only the
beginning, he had been lucky tonight but he still needed to train. Tonight had
been too close.
His brother is asleep as he drags open the door to their room. He seemed so
peaceful, so unaware of what Saizou had gone through. To think that someday
Suzukaze would have to embark on missions like this. A noticeable pit of
discomfort and worry appears in his stomach as he lays down besides him,
passing the covers over his body. Rest seemed so far away for him.  
The next day he returns to Castle Shirasagi where he and Suzukaze now spend
their days passing by messages and delivering letters around Hoshido. It seems
the servants could sense the pride in Saizou as he goes around his work. 
He has been here so many times now but this is the first time his eyes meet
with another girl his age. He notices by her clothing that she was also a
ninja, a kunoichi from another clan. 
"You must be Saizou." She tells him, so softly it almost goes pass his ears.
"I am." He replies at the girl's polite tone. Was she a noble? She spoke so
formally, something he wasn't used to from other ninjas. 
"I met your brother, if you're wondering why I know your name." Saizou blinks
at the girl's smiling face as he nods in understanding. The girl steps before
him, her long ebony hair flowing behind her ponytail.
"My name's Kagerou. My family also serves King Sumeragi and Queen Mikoto." She
finally tells him, bowing her head. He knew there were other clans who also
served the royal family but he had never met them. It felt pleasantly nice to
meet another ninja his age who wasn't Suzukaze. He wondered what were her
duties here.
He means to ask before the loud yelp of another girl stops them. His eyebrows
furrow as a girl who looked like a diviner stepped before them, grabbing onto
Kagerou's arm.
"Kagerou, why did you leave? I thought we were spending the day together!"
There's a noticable discomfort in Kagerou as she turns to Saizou, clasping her
hands together. "I apologize, it seems I have some matters to attend to. It was
a pleasure to meet you, Saizou."
He gives her a bow. "Likewise."
When she and the spunky girl leave he stays for a while as he listens to the
girl tell Kagerou something about trying to sound so formal towards a boy,
saying she was jealous.
===============================================================================
He was thirteen when he attempted to escape.
Two years ago Zero had been sold by the person he trusted the most to a noble
man with so many riches he didn't know what to spend them on. He spend months
with the man, doing whatever he asked until he finally let go off him. Zero
couldn't believe he was being set free, he thought he would be happier but the
thought of returning to his base and meeting the man who sold him only made him
angry, and specifically, sad. His companions probably thought Zero had spend
those months scorching himself in food and riches. 
Being chained inside the man's basement to hide him from the other nobles who
went to parties in his home didn't seem like the good life he and his buddies
always talked about.
When he returns they shower him with questions and ruffle his hair, as if he
were still the same child who left them months ago. They specifically asked if
he had any leftovers.
When the boss sees him, still the same rough, disfigured look he had from
before Zero walks up to him, ignoring the other men.
"Well, well. If it isn't our favorite pup. Enjoyed your time in the hell
house?" 
So he knew, he knew the man was a disgusting pedophile who kept children locked
up until he found them useless. When Zero started becoming eager for the man he
touched him less. It was as if he enjoyed children who struggled against him.
He knew and that's why he sold Zero to him, knowing full well he would gain so
much gold from selling him. 
Zero scoffs. What was even the point. He still looked dirty and poor as he did
months ago. He probably spend all his money on booze. He should have at least
bought the sofa they've been asking about since he was young. 
As the man gazes at him, taking a drink of his cheap alcohol, Zero smirks at
him and the rest of the gang members look at him like he had said or done the
weirdest thing.
"Sure did. Learned so much more than I ever did from you lowlifes."
His boss stares at him, surprised by Zero's sudden personality change before he
places the bottle roughly on the floor.
"So Zero is a cocky little asshole now, huh? Did you like being turned into a
whore?"
"Did you?" One of the guys lets out a "Oooooh" sound and the boss turns to
glare at him, effectively shutting him up. 
"Nice to see you've learned your place, pup. Guess you've been promoted to sly
dog now." 
The other gang members laugh as they push Zero around in supposed
congratulation. 
Across the years he continued to follow his group as they plunged people's
houses, stole their food, their money, and even once in a while pleasured
themselves with the women they found. They killed and slaughtered other gangs
until they were known around the slums as a gang who no one wanted to mess
with. Many of them were convinced they had reached this point thanks to the new
Zero. 
He felt so alive. He never thought he would see the day where he would get high
on the exhilaration of stealing and killing nobles. It was as if all the pain
and anger he felt during those months captive where taken out on this people,
and revenge had never felt so sweet.
Zero made some money for himself in the red light district, finding men who
enjoyed his young body and experienced technique. The disgust he felt towards
using his body to gain money turned into a sadistic pleasure as he let them do
what they wanted with him. It was easy, easier than stealing or killing. Men
were putty in his hands. He soon learned that in this world anything could be
sold for money. 
He had changed. He wasn't the same boy from before. His eyes still held the
same fierce blue but now the past innocence they held had disappeared. 
Still, that didn't change the fact that he was tired of the abuse that came
from the hands of his gang. Some days they treated him like their illegitimate
son, others they treated him like a worthless sack. With the gold he now had he
was convinced he could escape from them and leave the underground. He'd never
even seen the sun rise.
After a night of doing some sex work he returns to the base to find his boss
sitting, waiting for him. He swallows a lump in his throat, his heart beating
loudly. The man doesn't even look at him when he speaks.
"Finally returned? Aren't little boys supposed to be in bed at this hour?"
He doesn't answer, trying to hide the gold he had earned today inside his coat.
The only sound present was the man's foot tapping against the floor, but Zero
thought he could hear his heartbeat echo inside the room. 
"Zero, come here."
"No."
The sound of the man's boot tapping on the dirty floor ceased. He turned his
head to look at Zero clearly, his blood red eye bringing Zero memories of
everything the man had done to him.
"What was that?"
"I said no." He exclaims, his voice firmer.
The man's only eye twitches as he crosses his arms, which only meant the man
was serious now. Zero knew this after so many times of defying him.
"You're really gonna be like this?"
"Yes."
Zero knew he couldn't escape, the man was bigger and stronger than him. With
his light body he might slip out from the man's hand but the other members
would still stop him eventually. He was doomed. The man stands up and walks
over to Zero, the boy rooted to the spot.
"You've been selling your body and taking the money for yourself, haven't
you?" 
Zero gulps, his heartbeat so loud he felt like he would have a stroke. He
hadn't felt this nervous, this scared in so long.
"Money you're supposed to share with us." He grabs onto Zero's hair and put his
thumb over Zero's eye, the boy struggling in his grip. "Did you forget you're
part of a team, that if it weren't for us you'd be dead years ago? We give you
food, shelter and protection and this is how you repay us!?"
The man's sharp nail is so close to his closed eye he could easily pluck his
eye out and leave him blind. He could easily end up like him, an eyepatch on
his face for the rest of his miserable life.
"Where are you gonna go, huh!? Answer me that! You're nothing without us." He
shouts so loud Zero sobs, telling him to stop. After a while of watching Zero
struggle and beg him to cease he lets go of his hair, the boy falling to his
knees.
"Now stop being such a baby and go sell yourself for us like the whore you
are."   
When the man finally leaves him Zero cries, cries like he's been holding up his
tears for years, which he has.
He hated them. He hated them so much. He wished he were dead. It'd be better
than turning into a monster and having to deal with the pain they subjected him
to. He didn't know who he was anymore, or if he ever was anyone.
He isn't as sure as he was years ago about his mind belonging to him. 
===============================================================================
He was sixteen when his father died. 
It had been so unexpected, so impossible. Saizou couldn't, hewouldn't believe
the words the other clan members told him. He and Suzukaze stood side by side,
so much older now. They had both grown into handsome young men, if the ladies
words were something to go by. Saizou had decided he couldn't handle the looks
the women gave him, so he had been gifted with a mask by his father to hide his
face and identity from them. Suzukaze still stood by with his face exposed,
young ladies flocking him as if he were a celebrity instead of a ninja.
The sound of Saizou punching the bamboo floor awakened everyone from their
silence. 
"Who!? Who was it!?" He asks so angrily and desperate as he latches and pulls
one of the clan members by the shirt. His eyes are so scared but Saizou feels
no remorse, no pity. He needed to know who had killed his father.
"Brother, stop. There's nothing you can do." Suzukaze tells him as he grabs his
arms, always the most resolute and relaxed one. Always so soft and polite.
"Revenge will eat inside of you like a parasite."
Really? He would tell him these words now? Did he not care that their father
had been reported to be killed, murdered in cold blood? He always knew Suzukaze
didn't love their father. He never had.
The next words that come from his twin are what stop him.
"The clan is your responsibility now."
His eyes go wide as he lets go of the man, turning his head to the other
members watching him. They all looked so scared, so defeated like him. But
Saizou was the only one latching out.
He remembers the words his father told him.
He was a fool, so angry, so tired that he forgot his father would never want
this. He always told him he needed to be prepared for when the time came
that he was thrown into the pit. He always thought he was so prepared, so ready
for whenever his father died. Now the time came and all he wanted was to take
revenge and avenge his father's death. 
But he couldn't. Not yet. Not when their clan had no leader, not when they had
no clear path. It was his responsibility to bring order and control to their
hectic situation. 
He closes his eyes. Why couldn't have Suzukaze been the next Saizou? He was
more controlled, smarter and tactical than him. When his brother looks at him
with pleading eyes he knows that it was all on him, he was the one who had to
take responsibility. Suzukaze couldn't even decide himself on a lord to serve.
He takes a deep breath, regaining control, gazing at his clan with fiery eyes.
Saizou the Fifth had awaken.  
===============================================================================
He was fourteen when he lost his eye. 
There was no choice left for him anymore and he had accepted his fate. His gang
was his life, the slums were his life. There was nowhere else for him. He would
never escape this lifestyle.
The younger man who now had scars over his face nudges him and Zero turns to
the the group. Lately he never looked at the boss in the eye, and he let him.
He knew Zero could be as defiant as he pleased but it would do nothing to his
situation. 
They stepped outside the base as rain poured and hit their bodies. The other
men always cursed when it rained but Zero enjoyed it, he loved how the water
fell across his shoulders and cleansed him. It was the closest to accounting
for his sins he ever had.
Across the years the boss looked worse. He grew older, noticeable tints of gray
in his beard. His disfigured face full of wrinkles. Zero thought he looked
despicable, a man from the slums who had lived to be his age. Zero wasn't
jealous, just angry. Angry because he survived so long using Zero.
Their plan for today was to infiltrate the festivities in a noble house. They
had been planning this for days, Zero listening closely at every detail of the
castle so he didn't compromise them. The boss grabs his chin as he forces Zero
to look up at him. 
"You're our decoy. You mess this up and we're done for."
Years ago he would have been so grateful of being given the honor of holding
the most important role in the mission, now he felt despair. If he fucked up
they would latch out at him and hurt him like they always did. It was as if he
did it on purpose, like he enjoyed hitting Zero.
Once they reached the palace they motion for Zero to take his place. He
swallows the lump in his throat and his hands start to sweat as he walks up to
the entrance, beginning his act. The guards look at the boy walking up to them
with wobbly feet, one of them motioning to the other to go check on him. As
they focus on Zero his gang climbs up the castle's walls.
"Please, sir." He mutters. "Water...I need water."
The soldier looks back to the other one and moves to leave the boy. When his
back turns Zero starts to panic, thoughts of his boss hitting him in his mind
as he coughs loudly and throws himself to the ground. Effectively, the man
turns around.
"Help my mother, please..." The soldier kneels before him, clear disgust in his
face at his dirty complexion. Zero watches at the corner of his eyes as his
teammates scale the walls. If he kept this on a little longer they would make
it inside. Everything would go well. Zero would finally receive praise instead
of insults.
"Where is she?" The guard asks him and he opens his mouth to answer before he
gasps loudly as he watches one of his companions fall. The soldier notices
where he's looking at and turns, catching the thieves in the act.
Zero's world ends.
He runs as the guard calls to the other and points to the men climbing. He
tries to grab Zero but he escapes him, running without looking at his team. He
hears the sound of shouting and he thinks they're probably getting caught,
hands bounded as they curse at Zero for failing.
If they caught the boss he was free. If the boss went to prison Zero wouldn't
have to be in the gang anymore.
He reaches the base, his coat soaked from the rain. He had nowhere else to go,
nowhere else to shield himself from the pouring rain. It felt so lonely without
his comrades laughing or shouting. He didn't miss them though. This place
belonged to him now.
He's so tired from running he feels his eyes start to close so he decides to
take a nap. It's not like he had any worries anymore. No one would find him, no
one could stop him. He'd decided what to do later.
Zero wakes up to the sound of the door opening. His heart thumps loudly against
his chest. It couldn't be, they were free? They hadn't been caught. He tries to
hide but he hears one of the familiar voices shout his name. He was dead, they
wouldn't let him live this down. 
He puts the coat over his head as he tries to stifle his breathing, hearing the
man's footsteps so close to where he hid. His eyes open wide when one of them
find him, blood on his face, clear sign of a struggle. He smirks as Zero shakes
his head, pleading with his eyes to not call him. 
"Hey, boss. Found the rat who left us to die."
Zero is already running before the other men surround him and he hears them
moving the crates away. When Zero's eyes meet his he feels utter defeat. He
should have escaped. He shouldn't have returned to the base. He should have
killed himself when he had the chance. 
"You idiot, you little fucker!" He pushes the crates away with his feet,
stomping towards the boy. The man's shouts are so loud it makes Zero tremble as
he holds his coat against his body.
"You still don't know your place!? You compromised our mission!" 
Zero's eyes go wide in fear, the fear he had always expected he would feel one
day as he watches the man grab a knife from his pocket.
"I always knew you needed strict discipline, and now you're going to get what
you deserved." He laughs and it's so sinister it makes Zero want to die, want
to throw himself over the bridge near their base. Want to die by his own hand
than by the man's. 
"You don't know how long I've been waiting for this." He drawls as he grabs a
hold of Zero's hair, his other hand holding onto the knife so close to his
right eye.
"No, stop! Please!"
The other men hold him down as the man gets on top of him to stop his
thrashing. He lets go of his hair and forcibly opens the skin around his eye.
His eye twitches as he thrashes and screams for them to let go, for him to
stop. He promises him that he would never make a mistake again, that he would
never leave them again.
"No use begging now, pup. That's right," He drags the knife across his cheek.
"You're still a pup." 
The begging and words Zero shouted did nothing to the man as he dug the tip of
the knife into his socket.
His screams are so loud they have to gag him with a cloth, his other eye
shooting open as he thrashes against the pinning of his arms and legs.  
"I've always thought your eyes would look good in someone's collection, ever
since I first laid eyes on you as a baby." The larger man says as he digs
around and finally pulls his eye out.
"Too bad, they looked the best on you."
Zero thought he had died. His body stopped, he didn't feel anything anymore as
the man stands up and motions for one of the others to get him a container. 
"One eye should be enough to restrain you. Now you look just like me, as if you
were the son I never had." The man laughs and it resounds against his ears. The
sounds of his laughter and something being opened around him felt so much more
vivid now that he could only see through one eye. 
Hours passed as the other members tended to his eye, passing a dirty
cloth across his face, the only medical supplies they had so rundown and used
Zero wouldn't be surprised if he got a disease from them. 
"Here," The scarred young man tells him as he puts something over his head and
accommodates it to his face. 
"Heh, you truly look like the boss with that on."
Zero drags his hand up and touches the eyepatch now over his eye. The leather
feels intruding and itchy on his still hurting eye but when he turns to look at
the man he feels better now that no one was looking at his wound. 
"You'll get used to it, Boss did." He tells him as he cleans some of the blood
still on Zero's cheek. 
He does get used to it, used to having to do everything with less visibility.
They took no pity in him as they continued to force Zero to play as decoys, now
fully sure Zero would never betray them. 
Zero never smiled anymore, if was as if he returned to being the boy he was
before he was sold. 
One night he watches his boss walk out of their base alone. He wondered if the
man was going to the red light district, or go drinking. He doesn't know if
it's because the man is so old now but he stopped coming with them on raids,
and he stopped asking Zero to suck his dick. The last time he did he passed his
fingers through Zero's hair saying something about looking like "hers". He
wasn't sure what he meant, but he was relieved the man never touched him again.
He falls asleep as he watches the man's back leave, his eye closing with the
image of him, his eyepatch discarded besides his head.
Zero didn't know it would be the last time he saw him.
A few hours later or the next day, Zero isn't sure, he wakes up to the man who
had given him the eyepatch motioning him to wake up. He listens to him as he
watches how tense the man seemed, so unlike his usual joking character. 
He follows him to where everyone else was, all of them having the same tense
posture, a cold wind in the air as Zero sits down in one of the crates. The
young man kneels in front of Zero, as he always did when he had to tell
something important to him. Zero finally notices their boss wasn't here.
He stares at the man's face with his blue eye, unsure of what to expect until
the words leave the man's mouth.
"Boss is dead."
Zero stays sitting, no expression in his face as he turns his face away from
him and places his hand below his chin.
He feels nothing.
He should feel happy, he should feel free. The man who had oppressed him for so
long had died. The man who had taken his eye had died.
Instead, he feels like crying. He hated that he always saw him as a father,
even after all he did to him. 
He has never felt so alone, even with all his comrades around him. 
At least he died after doing what he always wanted to do, Zero thinks as he
touches his right eye hidden behind the eyepatch.
===============================================================================
He was eighteen when he lost his eye.
It had been two years since his father's death. Life had come and went. As the
Fifth Saizou he was finally assigned to be Prince Ryouma's retainer, a fate he
had known since long ago but had yet to happened. There was no surprise when
Kagerou was assigned to be his other guard, the girl he had become friends with
as a child having grown so beautiful and skilled as an adult woman. 
Kagerou and him started dating months ago, a situation expected by everybody.
The diviner who he now knew as Orochi send him glares as Kagerou announced
their union. She and Kagerou hadn't had the time to be together anymore since
she had been appointed as Mikoto's retainer, now Kagerou spend the most time
around Saizou since they both worked as Ryouma's bodyguards. It was a jealousy
she would have to get over.
Even with how peaceful times seemed Saizou wouldn't let the memory of the night
his father died disappear. He had spend two years digging and finding
information until he deciphered out that the man who murdered him had been the
daimyo of Mokushu.
He had never felt so sick in his life, he felt like he wanted to vomit but at
the same time his blood boiled in acceleration at finally having found out who
had committed the crime. Kotaro was a man his father had been friends with
since long ago, even Saizou had met him. To think the man who had watched over
them as they trained, who laughed with his father as they embraced was the man
who betrayed him only made Saizou regret letting the man run free even longer.
Two years had been enough. His brother should understand. He had to do this.
The man needed to own up for his crimes. He needed to die. He took his father
from Saizou, he would take his life from him. 
That night he escaped Kagerou's embrace. A kiss was placed on her forehead
before he left to the kingdom he had long ago visited. 
He should have never gone is what she and his brother who have told him. He was
walking right into death's arms as she took him in her embrace.
If it meant avenging his father, he was ready for death. 
He steps into the battlefield as he watches a fire burning in the crisp, cold
air but no one around.
"Kotaro!" He shouts so loudly the men had to pay attention to him now.
Some clan members make themselves visible, watching Saizou like prey. He stays
firm as he calls for Kotaro again.
One of the the men steps before him. "He ain't here. Even if he were he
wouldn't waste his time with a kid like you." Some of the other men laugh.
"Tell us, why are you looking for our king?"
His eyes flare up at the dismissive attitude, if Kotaro wasn't here he would
still plant his mark by hurting his clansmen. Then Kotaro would defintly have
to pay attention to him. His nostrils inhale a furious breath, his hand
clenched around the dagger his father had given him. 
The men watch him, more serious now. Saizou had been a fool to walk into the
hornet's trap. A Saizou against the men who killed his father, the
clan surrounding him.
"Some kid looking for revenge?" One of the clan members roars with laughter and
the others soon follow.
Saizou throws a shuriken in the direction of the laughing man and there's an
audible gasp as the man falls from the tree he was hiding from. The man who
spoke to him before lets out a snort, deriving some amusement from the
situation as he walks passed his now dead comrade. Saizou just wanted the man
to look at him seriously.
"Your eyes seem familiar." He says and Saizou feels his heart thump loudly
against his chest. "One of the Kohga tribe? Or a lone man looking for revenge?"
The now adult ninja stares at the man with such intensity he could feel it
digging into his skin like if poison started to surge through his veins.
"My name is Saizou. Your daimyo killed my father."
Some of the men make howling noises, something they seemed used to do. It
seemed a man looking for revenge against them was a common occurrence. The
man gives the "boy" a smirk as he throws his shuriken in the air, waiting for
his reactions. "A Saizou? Why would Kotaro care for the heir of this weak clan?
Your father died by Kotaro's hands so easily."
Saizou's eyes shoot wide open as the man admits to the crime his leader had
committed, throwing a dagger without thinking too much from it. The masterful
ninja dodges it so easily it makes the other clan members whoop.
"Bring Kotaro now or I'll end you all before you even continue to laugh." He
gets in battle position, his mask tightly placed on his face as the men
continue to smirk at him. "Kotaro will die by my hand today!"
He doesn't take the accusation seriously and Saizou can feel his blood boil.
The man seemed so dismissive, so bored with Saizou, as if he saw him as a child
with no abilities. Some of the men start moving from the trees, getting
themselves down and surrounding Saizou until he has no escape, every inch
having one of the clansmen watching him.
"You came at a bad time looking for revenge, boy. Kotaro isn't here right now."
Saizou grits his teeth. He was underestimating him, that's why he hadn't showed
his face. He thought he didn't even need to fight Saizou, leaving his henchmen
to do his dirty work. 
Even if Saizou tried to leave he couldn't. He was too angry, too resentful that
he didn't calculate the chances of survival he would have here. The men
surrounded him, a circle around him as they held shurikens and daggers in their
hands, a glint of sadistic amusement in their eyes. Mokushu was the most
despicable country alive, even next to Nohr.
He jumps to try and escape but one of the men grabs a hold of his leg. It was
useless trying to escape and fight with other ninjas, Saizou's techniques and
training was nothing to them as he slashes at them. 
A fight of ten men against one began as Saizou dodges and attacks with
furiosness, latching out as much as he could against the men. His armor was
nothing against theirs, the man slashing at his clothes until his skin cut
deep. The pain was nothing to Saizou, so used to it that he continued to evade
the slashes the men threw at him. 
It's not until the man who spoke to him gets close that Saizou feels panic
surge in his being. It was a one on one battle now as Saizou tried to hit the
man but couldn't. The man swung his dagger and cut through his chest and his
arms. Saizou didn't think it could get any worse until he almost doesn't dodge
a cut through his face.
He would cut his face? Was the man so despicable, so inhumane? Did he hold no
respect towards other ninjas? He continues to dodge but eventually one of the
men grabs a hold of Saizou's wrist.
Saizou knew it was over. 
He looks at the man with his blood red eyes as he struggles.
The dagger slashes so close to his face, so close.
Until it cuts through his eye.
Saizou screams, the pain so deep and resounding it stops his movements as he
falls to his knees. It was nothing like the pain he had experienced before, it
was so much worse. He could feel his eyes bleed as well as the side of his face
almost reaching his cheek. All he could see is the red substance in his eye as
the men laughed and mocked him.
"Weak, your whole clan is weak. Now you have a scar to prove it, to show
everyone how weak you are." The man tells him as he kicks his face, Saizou
falling to the dirt once again.
"It was an amusing distraction, but we never kill without our daimyo in the
presence." He explains as he digs his boot in Saizou's cheek, the barely adult
ninja ignoring him as he focuses on his bleeding eye. 
There's another kick to his face as Saizou starts loosing consciousness, unable
to watch the man with his only source of vision, only hearing the spit the man
throws near his face.
"Never show your face here again or we'll make sure the Saizou clan is no
more."
He had come here to die, instead he was left barely alive, his eye blinded by
the blood and damaged. The cuts in the rest of his body meant nothing anymore,
they were trivial compared to the wound on his face. The Mokushujin man laughs
at his demise as they leave Saizou gasping for breath on the ground. 
Time passes by so seemingly slow for Saizou as he lays on the ground with no
sign of moving. They said they didn't kill if Kotaro wasn't around, but leaving
someone for dead apparently didn't count. He had lost so much blood from his
eye and cut, he knew a scar would form and remind him of tonight, of the
failure and pain he had brought upon himself.
He regains some energy as he holds onto his face, his movements so slow it
seemed as if all his stealth had disappeared. He walks sluggishly, his knees
and arms weak, holding onto the trees as he makes his way back to Igasato. 
He couldn't let himself die in Mokushu. If he would die, he would die in his
homeland. A Saizou deserved at least that honor, an honor having been taken
from his father.
There was also the fact that he couldn't die and leave his clan alone once
again. With no heir in sight who would take the leadership, Suzukaze? The boy
had grown so much stronger than what his father would have ever expected, but
with his father dead he didn't hide his polite and peaceful nature any longer.
Suzukaze never found honor in his father's ideals. 
He feels himself fall once he reaches Igasato but arms wrap around his body as
they hold on to him. He tries to open his eye to see who it was but when he
feels the woman's cleavage against him and the familiar arms he sighs, letting
himself relax in Kagerou's arms.
"Saizou!" She cries as she examines him, cuts and scars over his body. A hand
plastered on his face as if to hide his shame. 
"Why did you-Why Saizou!?" Her cries did nothing to Saizou as he leans his head
on her shoulder. She moves him to his lap and slaps his hand away, a loud gasp
of agony leaving her lips as she stares at his face. 
"Your eye..."
Kagerou touches his cheek and he feels the scar forming across his face. To
think he had let that man take the best of him. He knew it would serve as a
constant reminder of his defeat, of his failure. Kagerou would scream and shout
at him for not listening to her for all these years, for digging his grave by
seeking revenge. If Suzukaze wasn't on an errand he would also latch out at
him. He couldn't keep it from Kagerou, he should at least keep it from his
twin. It was for the best. No one should know Saizou let himself be wounded by
the Mokushujin. 
Kagerou's sobs get louder as she presses a cloth to his eye, unsure of what to
do. 
This was worse than death. Being in her arms without control over his body,
over his eye. He would never look at her perfectly ever again. 
He expects her to insult him, instead he receives a cry that echos across the
mountains he knew since he was young.
"I'm just grateful that you're alive..."
The pain had been long forgotten. Only his dignity was left. He had lost his
father and now his pride. 
But he was still alive. He would get another chance.
Someday, Kotaro would die by his hand. 
He was eighteen when Saizou barely survived. 
===============================================================================
He was fifteen when his gang betrayed him.  
Zero was a fool, to think that he had spend so many years knowing they were
scoundrels, dirty rats who only cared of themselves. Zero had been raised to be
used by them, to distract and be a source of money. When Zero got useless, they
wouldn't have delayed leaving him. 
Without the boss they had no clear leader, their heists had no order and tactic
as they merely killed and stole without calculating their movements.
It all seemed to change when one of them found an entrance to a palace. Castle
Krakenburg. Home of the Nohrian royal family. Zero and his gang had visited
many palaces in their lives but none was as important as this one.
It was a futile attempt. Mere thieves without a leader trying to plunge the
home of the most powerful people in Nohr would fail instantly. After all these
years they still hadn't learned. Or they were so desperate they didn't care for
the danger it would bring them.
They infiltrated easily enough, no noticeable guards or people around. Zero
thought it had been too easy, too accessible for them to enter. He follows them
as they grabbed anything that seemed of value. Zero didn't, still skeptical
about the situation.
One of them pushes Zero and tells him to carry some stuff but he ignores him as
he walks to a window and takes in the view of the dark castle inside the
crater. Without the boss he didn't have any reason to listen to them any
longer. He just followed them to eat and have a place to sleep. 
There's the sound of a vase falling as Zero turns and finds them running. He
moves to follow them before he trips on the broken glass, shouting at them to
help him. His eye opens wide as he watches them ignore him, leave him, not even
glancing back at Zero. 
The people who had raised him. The people he had spend his miserable life with,
who he laughed with, dreamed with, fought with. 
He was always Zero to them.
He stands up when he hears the slow footsteps of someone and a flicker of a
candle walking towards him. 
Instead of a guard he finds a boy with light, blonde hair, a tome in one hand
and a candle in the other. They stare at each other, both silent as he examines
the boy. Could he be one of the members of the family? He wore a robe which
obviously showed that he had been sleeping, which meant they had woken him up.
He didn't think they had infiltrated a part of the castle where one of the
masters slept.
The boy looked so much younger than him, but he held an air of refinement and
elegance that Zero would never have even if he lived to reach an old age. With
his head held high he finally spoke to him.
"Who are you? Have you no shame? State your purpose or I shall personally
finish you right here." His words were so formal Zero could barely understand
them. They seemed like words of pity to him.
He falls on his knees and gives the boy a pitiful smile, the boy's brown eyes
going wide.
"Please, just kill me."
The blonde boy stares at him before his eyebrows go down in noticeable anger.  
"You come here with the purpose of thievery and you beg for me to kill you? Do
you have no pride?"
"No." Zero bites out and the boy stares at him with so much curiosity it makes
Zero sick. He probably derived amusement from a man like Zero begging a royal
to kill him.
"I'd rather be killed by a noble than continue living."
The boy's accusing expression disappears as he seems to decide on what to do
with Zero. After the longest minutes of Zero's life he stares in wonder as the
boy kneels in front of him, gazing at his eye instead of his eyepatch.
"I won't kill you. You're different, I can see it in you. I won't let you go to
waste."
Zero stares at the boy, unsure of what to say, if he should kill him and
escape. He starts thinking that maybe his gang had just left him as revenge for
that one time years ago but they didn't mean it, knowing Zero would return.
They must be waiting for him. They were his gang, his family. It was a mistake,
Zero was nothing without them. His body belonged to them.
As he looks at the boy's eyes he doesn't want to believe that. He wants to
believe the boy in front of him who didn't execute him. His eyes seemed so
kind, so youthful unlike the nobles he had met. He's not sure what the boy
implies to do with him but he lets himself fall to the floor, his head on the
ground as he closed his eyes in defeat. 
"My name is Leon." He tells him as he grabs his chin and makes Zero look at
him. There's a smile on his lips and a glint in his eyes that give Zero hope.
He's not sure what to say or what to do, so he tells him the only name he ever
associated with himself.
"Zero."
He was fifteen when Leon saved him. 
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