Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Training Edward Elric ❯ The First Lesson ( Chapter 5 )

A/N: I am SO sorry!! I didn't realize that I hadn't updated this story on this site!! Thank you Kagome_the_Yorkie for reminding me!

 

Training Edward Elric

 

Chapter Five

 

The First Lesson

 

 

 

It was dark.

 

But then, Ed was sure that had to be because his eyes were still closed… He tried to open them, but his eyelids felt so heavy. His whole body felt heavy... Ed felt groggy and his skin prickled as if every part of him were slowly waking up with his mind.

 

“I really don't know if I can do this…” the colonel's voice said, and it sounded loud in his ears. Ed wanted to tell him to be quiet so that maybe he could sleep more, his body seemed to crave it, but he didn't say anything.

 

He couldn't.

 

There was a moment of silence, then another voice spoke, “Actually, I was a bit surprised that you accepted his request. Most of the C-3s who ask to be put on the list of trainers seem to have some sort of...well...fetish...for this sort of thing, if you catch my drift.”

 

There was more silence and Ed sighed internally. His mind simply didn't want to attach itself to anything that was being said. He felt fuzzy and heavy...

 

“But not you…very curious… Most people decide to become C-3s for one of two reasons. One, they have some sort of fetish, as I stated before, or two, they want to climb the ranks. We all know that having a level three certification looks fabulous on the military files even if the certification is never used for training.”

 

Ed tried to understand what was going on, but his brain was so hazy that he couldn't seem to get a grasp on it. He felt sure that this conversation was important, but he just couldn't focus on what they were saying.

 

“You know, I've had a few trainers come in here, ones that were mostly concerned with climbing the ranks, and many of them just lost it. Completely. Their minds broke before the ones they were training. I think you'll be alright, though. You have more than one reason to be doing this, and that is good. No, no… don't say it. I know you said you were doing this to help the boy, and because you thought it would be better that it was you rather than someone else, but please… I'm no fool. We both know your chances of promotion skyrocket when you have a C-5 under your command.”

 

There was another moment of silence, then the other voice, Mr. Roberts... Ed's brain finally was able to put a name to it... spoke again.

 

“He's still a boy. That works to your favor, you know that right? The mind of a child or a teenager is much easier to break than that of an adult.”

 

“You don't know him,” Mustang said shortly.

 

“True. But no matter how mature he acts, Major Elric is still a child.”

 

“He should have never asked for this…” the Flame Alchemist whispered softly, so softly that Ed barely heard it.

 

“I agree, but he did, and there is no going back now. You won't be doing him any favors by going easy on him. Just do what you were trained to do”

 

“I don't know… I don't know if I can do this…”

 

Ed finally forced his eyes open and thought through the haze, Didn't he just say that before? The blond alchemist wasn't sure. Even though he'd been listening to them, he couldn't remember all that had been said, even moments before. He was having a hard time focusing on anything. But at least he had gotten his eyes open and was trying desperately to keep them that way.

 

Ed saw the blurry figures of the colonel and the director. Then Mr. Roberts handed something to Mustang. “Take this. Keep a journal of what happens here and how you feel. Write in it often, and read through it just as often. It will help you keep your sanity. It will also help you remember why you're here.”

 

The teenager blinked and suddenly his vision was clearer. The director turned and looked in his direction before saying, “Well, it seems to be wearing off. I'll leave you then.” The man put a hand on Mustang's shoulder for a moment, then said, “You'll be fine,” before leaving Ed's sight.

 

The sound of a door being closed sounded, then there was silence.

 

Ed groggily tried to push himself up, but failed. For a few minutes he just lay there trying to clear his head and building up enough energy to try again. When he did, Ed was able to sit up, but a wave of dizziness came over him and he thought he'd throw up. Again, he laid back down for a couple of minutes, then sat up again. This time he felt much better and was able to take in his surroundings with a clearer mind.

 

He was sitting on a cold metal floor. Ed ran his fingers over it, trying to guess what kind of metal it was, but finally gave up. It really didn't matter. The teen looked around, making a quick scan of the room.

 

There was Mustang standing beside a bed large enough to fit two people, and a nightstand beside the bed, but behind where the colonel was standing. The bed blocked quite a bit of his view of the rest of the room but near the wall parallel to the bottom of the bed was some sort of large metal cage that ran along the full length of the wall.

 

When Ed shifted, his skin rubbed against the cold floor in a way that reminded him that he was unclothed. Blushing furiously, Ed sat quickly, pulled his knees in and looked balefully up at the dark-haired man who just stood watching him.

 

“I want my fucking clothes back,” Ed growled, “and I want some fucking explanations.”

 

The blond watched as Mustang calmly set the book he was holding down on the nightstand, then walked over to where he was sitting. The taller man crouched down and said in a soft voice, “It's time for your first lesson, Edward.”

 

“Fuck that!” Ed said angrily, but the colonel went on as if he hadn't spoken.

 

“The first and most important lesson you will learn is that I am your master. I own you. Until the day you die, you belong to me. You're just another possession of mine. Nothing special. Like… a sock or a pen.”

 

Ed blinked. Nothing special? Just another possession? “You bastard,” he growled. How dare the man say he owned him, then compare him to something like that.

 

Again, Mustang continued to talk as if Ed had said nothing. “And as we all know, property cannot possess something of its own, therefore you own nothing. Not your clothes, not the little hair tie you normally wear, not your body. Nothing.”

 

“You'd better shut the hell up before I do it for you!” Ed yelled and raised a fist. When the colonel calmly placed one of his hands on Ed's fist, the boy raised his other hand into a fist, but the older man simply put his other hand on that fist as well.

 

“Even your actions do not belong to you. As your master, it is my job to train you to act in the way that I wish you to act, because what you do reflects on me. I am responsible for anything you do, whether it be good, or bad.”

 

“That's it! I've had enough of this!” Ed yelled angrily and tried to move one of his hands to hit the colonel, when suddenly a shock went through him and the next thing he knew he was laying on his back staring at the ceiling.

 

His whole body hurt… Ed wasn't even sure how to describe what had just happened.

 

“You see Edward, even a pen is more useful than you are, because a pen does what it's supposed to, when it's supposed to.”

 

Ed blinked at the ceiling, and suddenly the dark haired man was crouching beside him. “You, Edward Elric…” the man whispered. “… are absolutely worthless.”

 

Through the pain in his body, Ed thought, I'm not worthless! He had never been called worthless before; nothing even close to that. He'd always been praised for what he could do… In a way he couldn't describe, it hurt to hear it. Even though it wasn't true...he knew it wasn't true.

 

When the pain began to subside, Ed sat up and glared at the man. “What the hell did you just do?”

 

Mustang ignored the question, stood up and said, “Stand up.”

 

“Fuck you.”

 

When the colonel stepped closer, Ed clapped his hands together and slapped them on the ground, meaning to stop the man, but nothing happened and a moment later Ed felt Mustang's hand's on him again followed by another shock.

 

Blinking, Ed realized he was lying on the ground again. He didn't remember how he'd gotten that way, but he remembered the pain. Even though it was fading quickly, Ed could remember the agonizing shock that had gone through his body.

 

Again the colonel said in that infuriatingly calm voice, “Stand up.”

 

Ed rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself onto his hands and knees. He stayed that way for a moment, trying to make the sickening nausea go away. His eyes rested on the boots Mustang was wearing. They were different than the normal boots the man wore. These ones were made of a thick rubbery material...

 

Pulling his eyes away from the strange boots, Ed balled his automail hand into a fist and took a swing at the colonel's leg. Mustang dodged it easily and a moment later the colonel's hands were again on him, and once more he found himself lying painfully on the ground.

 

“Bastard…” Ed growled bitterly.

 

“From now on you'll address me as `Master',” Mustang said simply.

 

“FUCK YOU!” the blond yelled angrily.

 

“Stand up,” the colonel commanded calmly.

 

“NEVER!” Ed screamed stubbornly. He would never call that bastard `master' and he would never submit to him. Mustang was wrong if he ever thought that inflicting pain on him would make him do what he wanted.

 

The colonel walked forward and looked down at Ed for a moment, then said, “Edward, you disobeying me is wrong. I'm very disappointed in you.”

 

“I don't care!” the blond growled.

 

“When you don't do what I say, you are nothing. You have no purpose and you are worthless. To become something meaningful, you must obey me. Until then you are garbage and don't deserve to be treated like anything else.”

 

Ed had every intention of yelling something else, but at that moment, Mustang stepped back, and pressed his hands against the floor beside him. Fiery pain shot through Ed's body and when it became too much, the teen passed out.

 

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

 

I really don't understand how writing in this is supposed to help. I've never been one to write my thoughts or feelings in a journal, but if it will help, I'll try.

 

After three days on the train, Ed and I arrived here at the training facility. It's actually nicer than I anticipated. Of course, I'm not sure what I expected. Perhaps something like the facility north of Central where I received my E-2 and E-3 certifications... Perhaps. This place is definitely much better equipped to train C-4s and C-5s than that place...

 

Ed was anxious to get started. I wish he hadn't been. I wish he would have just waited until tomorrow. I had hoped that once he got here he'd be too nervous to go through with it.

 

I was wrong...

 

The collaring went well, I suppose. Much better than I'd thought it would. Ed stripped down without much complaint, although I could tell he was nervous and embarrassed. It was strange seeing him without clothes. He has more muscle than I'd thought. The automail attachments look as though they must have been extremely painful...

 

I remembered everything I had to say. I didn't think I would. I was so nervous. I was wondering if Ed would throw a fit when he heard the words of the collaring, but he didn't.

 

A surprise.

 

He threw a tantrum when we were supposed to go and he had to be sedated. That was more of what I was expecting, and for some reason that brought me some comfort. Maybe because that is how he normally acts. I'm not sure if I'll miss that behavior or not. Perhaps after...

 

No.

 

If everything goes according to my plans, Ed will act like that again, someday, but not now. Now I have to...

 

The tattooing of the arrays on my hands was especially painful. I'd heard it would hurt, but I wasn't prepared for it at all. They still sting even now. Of course I just... I was just... I just used them to... I don't even want to write it.

 

I can't believe I'm doing this. Why did I agree to this insanity? Why couldn't I talk Ed out of it, or at least into taking C-2 training, first?

 

I'd known what it would be like, but to actually begin the training... I don't know that anyone has ever told Ed he was worthless or no good. He tried to hide it, but I know it hurt him. He's a prodigy after all; he's used to being praised. It was horrible. Teasing him about his height is one thing, but this is just plain cruelty. I hope this will all be over soon. I hope Ed will break quickly. I can't bear to think of this dragging on and on...

 

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