More Than You Know

MORE THAN YOU KNOW

A Fullmetal Alchemist Fanfiction

Chapter Five: for the sake of the young and reckless

---

Someone was staring at his back.

Roy Mustang was dimly aware of it, but all the same, he kept his hands in his pockets, ready to whip them out and attack if his company made any sudden moves. The man, by the feel of it, was large and menecing looking, the kind of man who would mug any smaller creature in his way. Roy still had his uniform on, though, but it didn't mean him feel more...safe. He grinned softly, his face feeling a little hot. He needed some action today. Maybe he could vent his anger.

There was a quick, rushing sound of wind, and the Roy felt his head snap sharply up, his eyes locking on the boy beholding him One Edward Elric stared innocently up at the Colonel with large eyes, his fist shoved casually into his pockets. His eyes wandered tactfully beyond the man to the space behind him. There was nothing there, however. Nothing, that is, but a wall.

"What the FUCK - !?"

Ed laughed, a bitter, curt sound that caused the Colonel the whirl around and lock eyes on it's owner. "What did you do?" he said finally, taking a step closer while his eyes took in the boy's stoic face. "What on earth did you do?"

"I was gonna walk home." he retorted simply, a satisfied smile spreading over his face. "But I saw you, so, I thought, why not walk home with Master?"

Roy narrowed his eyes churlishly.

"If Master agrees, that is." The blonde finished sweetly, giving Roy a mocking bow from the waist.

"You know that's not what I ment." Roy responded quickly, shaking off the light insult. "Where did that wall come from?"

"You're the alchemist, you should know." he chortled. "There are arrays on your gloves, but I can't say the same."

"Fire arrays." Roy snapped back, taking another step forward to try and get a good lock at the teen's hidden hands. "I can create flames, not goddamn walls. What did you do?"

"Well," Ed whispered simply, turning strangely blank eyes on the Colonel, "There was some thug coming up behind you, and as I came closer, there as an alchemist reaction and a wall came forward. You must have a secret admierer."

"I wouldn't be surprised." he said coldly, tucking his half-opened wireless into his front pocket swiftly. Like the finishing touch of a magic trick, he thought. Now you see it, Eddy-boy, now you don't. "But I don't see an array on the ground." Roy finished quietly, his eyes wandering back to the cement wall.

"How strange." The blonde said simply, turning to face north to the Mustang estate. "This world words in mysterious ways, eh, Colonel?"

"Don't you dare call me - "

"Master." he laughed nastilly. "Forgive me, O Lord of all life." he trotted away, shaking his head and sighing as if the older man was a troublesome child he was forced to baby-sit for the weekend. Roy jogged to keep up with him, falling into step next to the boy. "Slow down." he snapped quickly, and then: "Oh, shit, my van..."

"Ask Ross to drive you back up." he said sweetly. "She didn't mind bringing you down here, anyway."

"Nah, she's probably already set off back home." he muttered, shrugging. "I'm stuffed, though. I'm going right home and crashing..."

"I'm not." Edward snapped in a strangely bitter voice. "Fucking starving."

"Hn." he said, ignoring the boy's hinted childish begging. "Lets head south, then, or I won't have a ride to work tomorrow."

Ed frowned. "Yes." he said bitterly, craning his eyes toward the orange orb that was the now softly setting sun. "God forbid."

---

"I had a dream tonight." Kami-May whispered softly, her glassy eyes fixed on him. "Are you okay, Nickolas? I dreamed you were suffocating last night, clutching at your throat with cold fingers..."

"I'm fine." Ed murmered, digging through the second cabinet of her dresser to find the scarlet dress she cherished so very much. A lopsided smile spread across the woman's face. "There's a friend of mine I'd like you to meet." she said sweetly, leaning over in her elegantly carved chair. "Dante, her name is. Quite a lovely lady, I think you'll grow quite fond of her."

"Yes." he said tonelessly, hauling the outfit quietly out of her dresser. He fretted with it for a moment, untangling the cuffs laced elegantly around the thin, delicate throat, and then lay it carefully across her bed. Kami-May frowned and pressed slender fingers to the top button of her blouse, picking it tactlessly apart.

"She knows alchemy." the woman continued fondly, her eyes seeming somewhat far off as she slipped the white blouse of her tanned shoulders. "Quite a brilliant woman. Works with medicine, as well. I know we're in good hands as long as I know her...Nick, dear, would you help me with this?"

"Hn." he muttered, taking her blouse wordlessly. Kami-May grinned shyly at him, lacing her fingers together behind her waist and arching her back in a cat-like stretch. She fixed her lace bra with both hands, eyes wandering over the dress Ed had layed stiffly out on her matress.

"Thank you, dear." she said sweetly, picking it up and slipping it delicately over her head. Ed felt a frown twitch at the corners of his lips and bit down hard on the inside of his cheek. The thick, copper taste of blood filled his mouth, but he ignored it, watching with his most stoic expression as his master carefully smoothed out the scarlet material over her dark body.

"Oooh," she whispered, turning around before the large mirror that was fixed into the back of her bedroom door. "Doesn't it look lovely, Nickolas?"

"Yes..." he said thickly, kneeling down to find her hairbrush. He picked it up from the bottom shelf of her makeup counter and held it with his left hand, searching for her pearl necklace. The blood filled his mouth slowly, making him want to retch. But he didn't dare say anything. He felt his stomach flip at the thought of opening his mouth. In his mind's eyes he could imagine her tan face stretch into a shriek of distaste, and after that she'd simply turn away, muttering that she knew, she knew all along -

He shook his head as if to rid it of all troublesome thoughts and began to brush her hair silently. Kami-May settled down into her

( throne )

chair and pushed her thick hair behind her shoulders in a important manner. Edward sighed and steped forward, running the brush gently through her dark locks and thinking...

She turned her face upward softly, her dark eyes heavy with anticipation.

"Nickolas." she whispered.

It was times like this that he would want nothing more than to smack her with that damned hairbrush as hard as his body would allow and run. But he couldn't, he knew that. Because if he did, she's simply smack him back. It had been almost a week since he was last beaten, and he didn't want to break the record. Not now, anyway. The morning was so nice, what with the sun creeping through her pale curtains and dancing over the room in delicate triangles...

But...

But...

Kami-May gently wrapped her fingers over Edward's bangs and pulled. The blonde squawked aloudly, his body jerking forward at the sudden pressure. There was a sharp stinging in his scalp, and it took all his willpower not to jerk the brush upward and tear the hear strait out of her pathetic skull.

He leaned his body forward, trying to lessen the dull pain and heavy throbbing in his temples. Her eyes were wide open, locking with his, so full of lust...

"Wh -" he began, but she pressed one slender finger to his lips in order to silence him.

Edward could feel his body shaking. There were very few times when he felt truely angry, but this was most certainly one of them. His face was growing more and more red now, and she simply stared up at him, her lips slack and heavy, her eyes full of -

"Don't LOOK at me!"

"Beg pardon?" Roy whispered, craning his neck to get a better view of the teenager sitting with his knees pressed up against his chest beside him. Edward had pulled his seat belt tightly across his breast and was now sitting with his arms folded, pouting and glaring up at the older man.

"Don't look at me." he hissed, his face feeling flushed now.

Roy found it bitterly hard to restrain himself from rolling his eyes at the moment, but obeyed out of simply agrevation to hear Ed complaining about something as minor as a stare. "Be nice, now." he said finally, but he found himself surprised to hear his tone was shockingly harsh.

Ed scoffed, saying nothing.

But Roy found that keeping his eyes off the boy was becoming steadily harder and harder to do. To start off, Edward had a thin strip of dirty cloth tied around his wrist. The Colonel could only imagine where on Earth he had gotten it, and, for goodness sake, why - but the bigger destration, he found, was the crisp braid now trailing down his back and tied off cleanly with a bright ribbon.

"Who did that?" he said finally.

Ed raised an eyebrow, his mouth shifting into a asymmetric glower.

"Your hair." he finished dully, locking his eyes and hands back on the stearing wheel as he pulled his van into the Mustang estate's driveway.

There was silence, followed by a small huff that Roy could only assume was Ed's reply. But then: "Hughes."

"Oh." he said softly, his voice trailing off. "How...nice."

He snorted, turning his head to the side. Roy felt a shiver slip down his spine when his eyes quickly caught the bruise on Ed's cheek. The teen's sharp turning had thrust his bangs back just enough for the Colonel to get a decent glimpse, and as soon as he saw the handprint (now a blazing white against Ed's inflamed skin) the guilt began to pool in the bottom of his stomach.

"I'm sorry."

"Eh?" he whispered, turning large eyes on the older man. But Roy found felt as if the back of his throat had clogged up suddenly, choaking his speech and throwing his eyes into sharp contrast. He pressed two fingers against his adam's apple silently, taking a deep breath and getting his wind back, and then softly retorted: "I didn't mean to hit you."

Ed's golden eyes narrowed down to slits, leaving the remaining shimmer of his irises to appear perticularly exotic against the bright strands of blonde hair framing his pale face. His frown, however, stayed sharp and stubborn, unwavering in silent furor, but his lips gently parted and he whispered, "That's a shame, Master."

Roy found he couldn't fight off the questioning look creeping into his face, but Ed quickly explained. "It's a shame that you're so impulsive." he said quietly, his arms still folded tightly across his chest. "I was the same way. You're quite lucky that you have a high position, because when you fall, you'll land somewhere nice." he lifted his chin slightly, his eyes flashing. "When I fall, the only alternitive his hell."

The Colonel found himself at a loss for words, and then, forcing himself to speak, he whispered "Quite poetic, arn't we?"

"Yes." he said, turning his face to stare soflty out the front window. "Quite. I studied more than you may believe before I became a slave. I'm not uneducated, as most of us are, and frankly, I always will be one step ahead of you." A scimitar smile began to spread across his face, slowly.

Roy lifted his chin slightly, feeling a frown creep into his eyes. "Are you saying you're more intelligant than I am?"

Edward paused, and then softly, he whispered "More aware."

"Are you speaking out of experience of your past owners?" Roy continued, keeping his eyes fixed on the boy's expression.

He paused. "In a way."

"That's what I ment when I said you ended up in a good home." The Colonel continued, his trian of thought beginning to waver. "Heaven knows I have my sanity. And I don't work you to the bone, correct?"

Edward shrugged, his lips still drawn into a pout.

"Correct." Roy continued, fighting off a sarcastic laugh. "That must be what he ment by 'responds strongly to physical correction'. You're one odd kid, Xiao."

"Ed." he said sharply, and then: "...true."

Roy felt his back muscles tense softly as he leaned forward, resting his chin on his knuckles. "You said to me - 'Master Shii was horrible.'" he qouted softly, racking his mind for the exact wording. "I was nintey percent work to him, ten percent sex."

Edward's face flushed considerably, his eyes stoic. "Yes." he muttered, "I did."

"In the slave auction," he continued, "They read of sexual proformance ratings. A woman told me, before I came to take you home, that you were famous for your high rank."

His frown began to vanish, slowly, but Roy could now see emotion in his eyes - anger. Bluntly, he nodded, his bangs shifting over his forehead softly at his suttle movements. There was a heavy, dark blush resting across the bridge of his nose, which was now, the Colonel noted curiously, the only piece of him showing.

Roy blandly searched for the words he was trying to express, and then he found himself leaning forward even more, his voice surprisingly soft, even to his own ears. "That must have been hard."

His head dropped another inch, thick bangs hiding his eyes from the Colonel's persistant eyes. Again, he nodded.

The car filled with silence, and Roy reached over and unfastened his seat belt, turning to get a more comfortable position as he waited for Ed to speak. The teen, however, was taking his time, his lips slack and eyes hidden, but the Colonel could clearly see his knuckles blanching to an almond white as he clutched on heavily to his upper arms.

"They call it making love." he said, almost making Roy jump with surprise at the sound of his soft voice, "But there's no love in it. It's anger, and frustration, and unspent passion. In other words, I'm a tool for them to vent on."

Roy laced his fingers together, staying silent.

"I wish I could say I've never made love." he continued, his voice now almost inaudiable. "But I can't. Because that's how they define rape."

Edward turned his head sharply, his bangs thrown quickly away from his eyes in the sudden movement, and Roy could now clearly see the expression on his face. His eyes were brimming with angry tears, his teeth clenched together, and his jaw was shaking in effort to keep himself under control.

"Because that's what it is, isn't it!? he said furiously as his fingers slipped from their merciless grip on his upper arms, leaving deep gourges in his skin. "Rape!?"

Roy became steadily silent, watching the boy through softened eyes, and then he unknotted his fingers and leaned forward, his heart beating rapidly in his chest. "Yes." he said finally. "That's right."

Edward gasped quietly as Roy pressed his lips softly against the younger boy's, his hands gently clutching at his shoulder blades. There was a pause during which Roy felt Ed's tensed body relax, slowly. He drew away, watching the look on the teen's face, and to his surprise, his eyes were coaxed half closed, his lips parted gently.

Roy pressed his fingertips against the deep gourges in Ed's upper arm, leaning forward again, but this time he rested his head in the soft hallow of Ed's neck. Ed promtply settled back into his chair, unmoving, while Roy pressed his lips against Ed's collarbone, kissing his skin gently.

"Hn." The younger boy moaned finally, his eyes squeezing tightly shut, and Roy pulled back, hauling himself back to the driver's seat. "What?" he said, keeping his voice low so to not startle the boy. "Do you want me to stop?"

"It's not that." He retorted quietly, his pale fingers touching the spot where Roy had softly kissed. "I...why are you doing this?"

"I'm showing you what love is like." he whispered, enveloping Ed's automail hand in both of his own. "It's an awful shame to never know."

Edward remained completely silent, his eyes locked on his hand, and Roy felt a smile come unto his face. He was calm. Finally.

"In real love," he said, "Your partner is there to make you happy. If you're stressed, or uncomfortable, or even nervous, they won't press on you. It's about making the person you're with feel good. It's about loving them."

Ed listened quietly, his lips pursed. Roy felt a smile touch his lips when he saw the boy's fingers still touching his collarbone, gently.

"Come on, then." he said, unlocking the car doors and swinging his legs over the rim. "It's nearly six."