Sorry this one's so late in the day. I'm feeling rather uninspired today. I don't really like this one- I got the tenses all screwed up. Oh, well.

9. Unknown Past

He wouldn't have been so sympathetic if he had known.

If he had known, he wouldn't have felt like a dog with its tail tucked between its legs when he had come in in his military blues that night. He wouldn't have been so devastated at the death of his master.

In the long run, this probably wouldn't be enough for him to come to despise his master, or to even dislike him. He had studied under the man for years; bonds like that weren't easily broken. But right now, faced with the full evidence of the awful thing his master had done to someone he shared an even stronger bond with, he was too outraged to think about anything long-term.

His own daughter! His master had done this to his own daughter, used her like nothing more than a blank sheet of paper! And she had borne that burden, for how long he didn't even want to guess at, remaining silent despite the pain and trouble it must have caused her. He had trusted this man to teach him how to best serve the people- his last words had been an order to use the knowledge with good intentions!- and he didn't even seem to know how to treat his own daughter! The idea was outrageous and infuriating!

"Please, Mr. Mustang. Just copy the array down quickly," she asked him then, her voice more meek and ashamed than he'd ever heard it before, and he realizes just how much embarrassment this must cause her. It only makes him angrier at his master, for inflicting this pain upon her. There's so much about this woman he doesn't know, he realized, so much he wishes he'd taken the time to learn. If he had known, he might not have been willing to learn what he had.

But all the wishful thinking in the world wouldn't change a thing, and so he took a vow, then and there, copying down the array hastily. He will not let her down, will not waste this trust she has given him. The secrets of her past that she has allowed him to see will be used only for progress, not for destruction. It's the least he can do for her.

And maybe, if he plays his cards right, she'll open up and allow him to see more parts of her unknown past.

Thanks for reading!

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