Fledgling Pt. 01

The second time was a couple weeks after. I could sense his fury as he approached and started running away before I heard him shout from the other side of the door.

"FLEDGLING! STAY RIGHT THERE!"

I obeyed and stayed in place, even as he flung the door open, a fire burning behind his eyes. He growled, ran up to me, and punched me square in the face.

It didn't hurt, at least not as much as I thought it should have. I felt the impact, and it did knock me back, but there was no real pain that lasted for more than a moment. I'm sure it hurt Master more than me, because I definitely felt one of his fingers break. Without pause, he began punching and kicking my body. I was female, much smaller than him, so he was also able to pick me up and throw me down on the ground. I never felt much pain nor sustained injuries, but I was so confused and sad that I cried a little.

A few minutes later he stopped the assault and hugged my body. I was at a loss. Wasn't he pissed off at me?

"No, pet," he said. "I just needed to blow off some steam. You're not hurt at all, right?"

I nodded.

"Good. Using you as a punching bag is a better way to let out aggression than turning the house upside down. I promise I'm not angry with you at all."

He kissed my cheek and ran a hand through my hair. When his broken finger touched my head, he cursed and pulled back.

"I really busted a finger? I didn't notice."

He looked at it and scowled.

"Shit."

Master walked to a mirror and took his shirt off. His body looked healthy and sexy, more so than usual.

"I just gained that weight, back, too!"

He sighed and turned to me.

"Fledgling, get the high-calorie rations. I need to heal this."

I returned with many of the ultra-high calorie shakes and bars that Master always made sure to have an excess of.

"Open several of them," he instructed. I complied as he held his injured finger. Once everything was ready, he closed his eyes and concentrated. It occurred to me that it would be the first act of alchemy I'd watch him perform.

His tattoos glowed a blue so bright it could be seen through his clothing. I watched in amazement as his twisted finger straightened itself out. He was panting when the process ended and pounced on the food, eating without tasting. His nose was bleeding, and upon closer inspection I could see that his body was slightly thinner, with less defined muscles.

"That's the price to pay," he said between bites. "Mending bones takes a lot of energy. It's more trouble than it's worth, honestly, but I can't have a broken finger."

The next time he did it he transformed me into what I assumed to be a specific male before he came in took particular joy in attacking my body.

"This is great!" He yelled as he stomped on me. "I can beat up anyone I want and nobody gets hurt!"

When he was finished, he turned me into somebody else before apologizing.

"You don't need to apologize," I said. "I'm helping you release your anger without being destructive."

"God, I wish my clients were half as understanding as you."

His rage did indeed scare me, but I wanted to help him in any way I could.

The scariest instance was when he turned me into his double before attacking. He called himself horrible things and assaulted his own body mercilessly. I was so worried about him by the time it was over.

"Master, do you really hate yourself that much?"

He sighed, a hollow, defeated sound. "Sometimes."

He looked so sad, so lost. I hugged my Master and used his own lips to kiss him.

"You truly are a good man, Master. You take care of me and spend your life helping others. I can't stand the thought of you thinking those things about yourself."

I saw a tear well up in his eye.

"You don't know what you're saying, fledgling. You don't know what I've done."

"Whatever you did, it's in the past. You've reformed. Isn't that what Father Pretorius talks about, how nobody is beyond redemption or forgiveness?"

He had so much pain in his expression. "I know, but it doesn't help much when I still have to live with myself."

I kissed him again.

"That's what I'm for, right? To ease the pain?"

He finally smiled weakly. "I really don't deserve you, little one."

"Well, you have me and you're not getting rid of me. I'll keep loving you until you love yourself. Now, dinner is waiting. I made veal parmigiana."

His smile got stronger. "That sounds nice."

I'm the only one of my kind in the world, and I live a life unlike anybody else. Still, I love life with my Master. He's a deeply flawed individual, he himself will say as much, but I know that he loves me. And I love him back.