I hope this chapter isn't complete crap - all it really is is backstory.

I want to take this time to thank everyone who has been reviewing and faving Sklavenheim. You guys make me extremely happy and motivate me to keep on writing. So, thankies for taking the time to read the story and tell me what you think - I only hope that I can satisfy everyone.

Without a doubt, I've cried harder before. The problem is that I don't remember when.

I must've looked quite pathetic at the moment – sitting on the edge of one of the Sklavenheim cots, my hands covering my face, tears nonetheless cascading down my chin and falling to the floor. Faintly, I remembered that Zorn's arms were wrapped around my body. And while the boy was warm, mere warmth did nothing to comfort me. I had to give him props, though - mindestens versuchte er.

Somewhere, I heard someone huffing. "Zorn, tell the brat to get over himself." It was difficult to place the voice, but after a minute I was able to figure out it belonged to Nina. Though there was no real way of verifying it, I was sure she was tapping her foot.

"You don't have to be so rude!" I heard Zorn protest. "Cut him some slack – I'm pretty sure you felt disgusted with yourself afterwards!"

Nina gave a blunt laugh. "So what if I did? At least I had some decency and waited until I was inside and the door was locked before I started sobbing – und ich werde Sie kennen lassen, dass ich wie ein kleines Kind nicht jammerte."

Someone was going to hear my "wailing"; I was positive of it. After Nina said that, my sobs increased in volume. This resulted in Zorn holding me tighter, which prompted a male voice (it had to be Alphonse) to give a slightly disgusted groan.

"Will you cut that out?" Alphonse asked in an irritated tone. As nasty as he might've been, my crying started to slow. "Zorn, just because you have the same tastes as Neid doesn't mean you have to put them on public display."

Okay, that one had a little too much information associated with it. I pulled myself away from Zorn, whose hands put up no resistance. Through tear-stained vision, I was able to see the shaggy boy's face: beet red. His head whipped around, and by following it, I could see Alphonse, who was leaning up against the wall. Even his face seemed to be a slight shade of pink.

"For your information, Al," Zorn began, and then stopped. His hands were curled into fists; his entire body was shaking; maybe he was even biting his lip. Part of me really didn't care, but…

Before I had time to contemplate the thought that was slowly forming in my mind, Zorn continued. "…I was giving him comfort." The look on Alphonse's face showed that he hadn't yet been dissuaded of…whatever impression he was under that involved Zorn. "Friendly support," the shaggy boy clarified. "I don't see any of you helping him out."

"Yes." That was Nina. "But I also don't see any of us pulling him in for a kiss." I saw Zorn go redder, if that was even possible. "Look, none of us mind your preferences, but not right after one of Neid's…sessions. Please."

I definitely heard Zorn mutter something under his breath, but what it was I didn't know.

"Well, would you look at that?" Alphonse's voice had a small bounce in it. Staring up at him, I wondered what it could be about. Almost in response to my silent question, he cocked his head to the side and nodded towards me. "Er hat aufgehört zu schluchzen."

I couldn't help but smile – a small bit, since I was still mortified over what my commanding officer had done. But it seemed that everyone else was done with me: Nina went over to Alphonse and began conversing with him. Their voices were merry, so they obviously weren't discussing me. Lyra was quiet as ever.

However, I didn't expect Zorn to come scooting back over to me. As a sort of instinctual response, I gasped and leaned away from him. But he persisted, coming nearer to me and resting his hand on top of mine. "S-sorry…" he told me, doing what I assumed was trying to grin it off; it wasn't working.

"R-really?" I straightened up. "What do you have to be sorry for? If anyone, I should be apologizing. Ich hasse so verdammt schwach zu sein..." One of my hands ran itself through my hair, but before it could finish, something else blocked its path. Turning my head, I saw Zorn's arm sticking out, blocking me.

"You're not weak," he replied.

"I definitely was when I was in there with Neid…He was disgusting…"

"Disgusting?!" Zorn actually looked shocked. "Nein, nein, nein! His methods are unorthodox, but he isn't disgusting! In fact, he's the most caring man I've ever met!"

This came as a surprise to me. "Do you mean that?" He nodded. But at the same time, my heart sank. "Not him. I thought he might've been, but after what happened…"

Zorn playfully elbowed me in the side, which hurt more than I think he intended it to. "You haven't seen the real side of him yet," he told me in a reassuring voice. "He's just made a bad first impression."

In an exasperated tone I ordered him, "Erzählen Sie mir."

And then Zorn got a bit of a dreamy glint in his eyes, as though someone had misted over them with sparkles. "A few years ago, I was living in a small town. It was so serene; I was probably just like you were before you came here.

"Unfortunately, I did hide something. I had a secret. Not that I'd ever tell anyone, but…" He took a deep breath, sighed, then continued. "…When I look at you, when I see a man, I get this feeling…There's a lump in my stomach." His hand gestures left me confused; they consisted of his arms zigzagging all over his chest in odd motions. "The same thing just doesn't happen with women.

"Anyway, that peace I told you about was before the soldiers came. Our village was housing some members of the Nationalsozialismus, and apparently our enemies found out." Tears now got their chance to well up in his eyes. "All I can r-really remember is the gunfire…And the screams…" I saw his hands trembling, almost clutching onto mine for support. "Und, oh Gott, das Blut... Es gab Blut überall..."

It took the boy a minute to calm down and stop choking on tears. "After everything was said and done, there were only a few of us still alive – the enemy soldiers were gone. One of our troops had survived, and he led us away from our home…It took a few weeks, but we met up with some other refugees and started camping together.

"Everything was going so perfectly until I told our leader my secret." I could visibly see the confusion, discontent, and anger rising on Zorn's face. "He was shocked. He was absolutely infuriated. Without a second thought, he banished me. When I protested, he threatened to shoot me right there. What else could I do?"

My breath was coming in short bursts; I was on pins and needles. This boy's history was terrible…And though I was uncomfortable with his obvious advances, I couldn't imagine someone killing him over them. But he still hadn't told me anything about Officer Neid.

"I was lost…alone, in the snow, with nothing to keep me warm." It took a minute for me to realize he had been continuing his story. "That's when he found me – Neid. He saw me for what I was: human." The look on Zorn's face was of pure bliss. "He took me in, sheltered me, and let me enlist. I was so happy. I was put into 19th Infantry, and nothing could've gone better." With a contented sigh, he fell backwards onto the bed.

"Er ist ein Engel."

My eyes could only stare at the boy as he drifted off into peaceful reminiscence. Perhaps he was right…maybe Neid was a good person.

But at the same time, the sadistic gaze he wore whenever he saw me argued otherwise.

"mindestens versuchte er" - "at least he was trying"

"und ich werde Sie kennen lassen, dass ich wie ein kleines Kind nicht jammerte" - "and I'll have you know I didn't cry like a little kid."

"Er hat aufgehört zu schluchzen." - "He's stopped crying."

"Ich hasse so verdammt schwach zu sein..." - "I hate being so fucking weak..."

"Nein, nein, nein!" - No, no, no!"

"Erzählen Sie mir." - "Tell me."

"Und, oh Gott, das Blut... Es gab Blut überall..." - "And, oh God, the blood...The blood was everywhere..."

"Er ist ein Engel." - "He's an angel."