IMPORTANT NOTE: (1) If you read this story before 10/12/12 notice a big section of the last chapter has been removed. It may or may not happen like that later, wait and see. (2)I am moving up the rating to M.

Ages (upon request of Besan): Ed (14), Riza (17), Roy (17), Jean (16)

Chapter 3: Mortification

Edward walked into his dorm and found both Roy and Riza already there. Roy was talking. "Yeah we should just break into the office and go."

"Go where?" Ed asked curiously.

Riza smiled at him, "For a drive. Wanna come?" Roy looked at her sharply. "What it's not like it's a date. We should get to know your roommate."

He sighed. "Fine then. You're coming pipsqueak."

"Alright, I'll be back at midnight. I'm going to take a nap." Riza got up and opened the door, "See ya, Ed." She closed it softly behind her.

"So, where are we going?" Ed asked.

"Wherever I feel like going." Came the reply. "I'm also going to sleep. You should probably do the same too." Roy started fiddling with his alarm clock. When he was satisfied he set it on the desk next to his bed and laid down.

Ed grabbed some sweatpants and a cotton long sleeved shirt and changed into them. He pulled his gloves on snug and put on tennis shoes. He walked to the gym. He looked around. There was no one there. He began running around the edge of the gym. Not jogging, running. He may allow people to think he was weak, but he would never truly be a weak person. Edward worked out almost every day. He intended to be a state alchemist one day. He would need to rely on more than just alchemy to do this. It wasn't for the army's sake though. He wanted to join for his brother, Alphonse's, sake. He needed information to help him with his goal.

When they were 9 and 10 they had tried to bring their mother back with alchemy. The result had left Edward with his two missing limbs but his brother had lost much more. His brother's body had been completely absorbed by the alchemy. At the last moment Ed had managed to bind his brother's soul to a suit of armor. He needed to fix their mistake. He would never forgive himself for what had happened to his brother. Thinking about this, he continued running. Pushing himself to the limit.

"Weak constitution huh." He heard a voice say as he passed the coach's office.

Shit! He stopped running and looked for an excuse. "Today is one of my good days, sir." He came up with lamely.

The man walked over and grabbed his left arm. He pulled hard on it, dragging Ed in a circle toward the wall. He grabbed his right wrist and pinned it to the wall. His gaze went from Edward's face to his arm. "Mr. Duram…" He said weakly, "Please let go." The gym teacher pulled his sleeve down his arm, and then pulled off the glove.

"Automail?" He drawled. "Expensive stuff. Something tells me that you don't want everyone to know about this." His half smile looked downright evil. "Come into my office."

Mortified Ed followed the pointed finger into the office. In his previous school he was shunned, teased and beaten. People viewed him as a cripple. He had hated the teasing, but more than that he had hated the pity. People wouldn't look him in the face when they talked to him. No one thought he would ever be anything important. He would prove them wrong one day. Edward did not want these things to happen again. He knew he would put up with anything.


Leaving the gym in low spirits, Ed walked back to his dorm. He brushed his teeth for a long time, then took a shower as if he could wash away how the act he was forced to perform made him feel. It could have been worse, he was still a virgin, but he felt terrible. Edward wondered if the man would continue to force himself upon him. If said virginity was in danger. He wanted to do it with someone special for the first time. He might be running out of time.

Sighing he stepped out of the shower and dried off. After he was sufficiently layered he walked back into the room where Roy was sound asleep. Wishing he had taken the advice to sleep earlier, he laid in his own bed. Maybe when he woke up he would think it had been a dream. Except he knew it wouldn't be that way.


A rough hand shook his shoulder. "Wake up kid, we're going."

Ed woke to see Roy turning from his bed and grabbing his phone. Riza was at the door waiting for them. He got up with a groan and shoved his shoes on. Wiping the tiredness from his eyes he followed them down the stairs and out across the campus fields.

They walked up to the school building and skirted the edge. Coming to a low window they stopped. Roy popped off the screen and pried the window open, then climbed in. A few seconds later he came back out, handing a set of keys to Riza he set about closing the window and replacing the screen.

Riza handed Roy the keys and they walked to the parking lot. Roy unlocked the doors to a dark blue car and they drove off into the night. Not long later they parked near a construction site.

"A construction site?" Ed asked?

"Yeah!" Riza said. "They are never going to actually build something here. They gave up forever ago. It's a fun place to hang out." There were large cement pipes and a small wooden structure. A crane held one of the pipes somewhere overhead. There was a small wall on the ground that Riza climbed up onto and walked along. "This place also has a great echo. Roy says you can sing. Let's hear it."

"…Are you sure?" Ed asked, blushing.

"Yeah come on. I want to hear it!" She called over her shoulder.

He let his voice out into the night. "Tried to take a picture, of love. Didn't think I'd miss her… that much. I want to fill this new frame, but it's empty. Tried to write a letter, in ink. It's been getting better, I think. I got a piece of paper but it's empty, it's empty. Maybe we're trying, trying too hard. Maybe we're torn apart. Maybe the timing is beating our hearts. We're empty…"

"That's beautifu—AHH!" She was falling. Her voice echoed loudly across the site and something moved. Ed looked up. The pipe the crane had been holding was falling.

"RIZA! MOVE!" Roy screamed running towards her.

He wouldn't make it. Ed clapped his hands together and pressed them to the ground. The earth under his hands ripped apart, a rift made its way towards Riza. Then a wave of hardened earth swept over her to protect her. The cement pipe hit the earth above her head and rolled away harmlessly. Roy's head whipped around towards Edward, then he turned back finishing his run to Riza's side.

Franticly he asked, "Riza! Riza, are you okay!"

"Yeah… I think I just twisted my ankle in the fall." She looked up at Roy then looked to Ed who was walking up behind him.

"Oh my god…" Roy breathed a huge sigh of relief. He looked completely drained. "We're leaving. Now." He picked Riza up bridal style and held her close.

20 minutes later they pulled into a waffle house.

"Boy it's been forever since we've eaten out!" Riza said cheerfully, swinging her legs in Roy's hold.

Roy laughed. "We went two weeks ago!"

"Whatever! Let's go."

Walking into the diner, they sat at a corner table and ordered. Riza and Roy really got along well. Ed wondered how long they had been friends. Riza opened a straw and blew the packaging at Roy which flew strait into his face. He growled at her and she laughed. Then she twisted the straw up on two sides tightly leaving the center untwisted. She turned toward Ed who sat next to her. "Flick it."

Looking at her strangely he flicked the straw and it split open with a loud POP! Roy watched him silently from the other side of the table. He nervously avoided his gaze and tried not to fidget. "How did you do it?" Roy asked finally.

"Do what?" Ed said innocently.

He narrowed his eyes. "You used alchemy without a circle."

"It was an emergency; I didn't have time to draw one."

"How long have you been able to do that?"

"Since I was ten."

Riza looked up, "Geeze Ed! You're such a genius!"

"Can we please not talk about it?"

So for the rest of the meal they avoided the topic, focusing on school and the various classes, students, and teachers. The topic of Mr. Duram came up briefly. "Yeah, he's such a perv." Riza agreed with Roy. "He's always looking at inappropriate places, and goes in the dressing rooms when people are changing. He even does it to the girls!" Roy noticed Ed looked like he was going to throw up. Interesting.

"Let's go back before we get caught, or something else bad happens." Roy said sternly.

They left. As they rode back they rolled the windows down, enjoying the last taste of freedom.


I've worked really hard. So please review!