A/N: Hey, this is my first chapter story, so I'm sorry if it seems a bit choppy at first. I'll definitely try my hardest to improve before it gets to the good parts though! Also, this chapter is super short because if I don't start the story now, I'll never start it . I'll update very soon, though, so please read and review! :D

Eren lay back on his bed, listening to the clattering of his shackles echo through the mostly empty cell. He had been counting the bricks in the wall beyond the bars of his cage for the past hour. After losing count for the tenth time, he gave up and resorted to watching how the candle-light created flickering shadows that whipped across any surface they could reach. A deep sigh rattled through his chest as he took in the extremely monotonous boredom. Besides meal-time and irregular bathroom breaks, this was all his day consisted of lately. It was unbearably, mind-numbingly dull; so much so that he was on the brink of absolute depression. As he mulled over these saddening realizations, he heard the steps of boots making their way down the small staircase. He immediately focused in on them, glad to have something new to catch his attention, but he was a bit less glad when he saw who it was that was holding the clinking key-ring that would open his prison.

The Corporal stood in front of him, holding his apathetic expression, as usual. Slowly, he plucked through the keys on the ring to find the right one. Eren watched his every movement, shifting impatiently as he attempted to uncover what Rivaille was doing. The sound of the key entering the rusted lock creaked throughout the room ominously, followed straightaway by an even louder creak of the rotting door-hinges. Rivaille stepped in and stood directly in front of Eren's bed, taking in the young, chain-clad boy. Eren stared back nervously.

"You'll be attending your first training session tomorrow, which means you will be let out of this cage. The moment you act out of turn, I'll throw your ass back in here, so watch yourself. If you lose control just once, I will punish you. What you saw in the courtroom was just a hint of what I could do here, unsupervised," the Corporal explained harshly. This was the most he had said to Eren directly, it took him by surprise. He also couldn't help but notice Rivaille's obvious expectance of Eren's misbehavior.

"Y-yes, sir. But what makes you so sure I'll mess up?" Eren frowned, looking away nervously, as he had never asked a direct question of the Corporal before. His heart pounded in his chest, face turning pink, as he anticipated Rivaille's response.

"Well, why should I trust a little shit like you? And why the hell are you questioning me, anyway? What I say goes, whether you can wrap your empty head around it or not," Rivaille had walked up to the side of the bed now and was leaning in toward Eren's face. Eren pressed his head back against the headboard to allow some extra room between them.

"I-I didn't mean to-"

"Shut up," Rivaille interrupted, pushing his head in a little further, body bent at the waist.

Eren stared down at his lap as he was cut off, but risked a glance up at the Corporal's face. The eyebrows were turned slightly down, but looked much the same as before. His stomach churned with nerves and his head swirled with confusion.

"Speaking out of turn already, tsk tsk…" Rivaille stood up and spun around on his heel, retracing his steps and resuming his previous position. Eren sat up again and shifted his weight uncomfortably.

"I apologize, sir," the shackled boy tried.

"You don't get it, do you? Don't speak at all, unless I have given you orders to respond. Or are you some kind of fucking masochist?" the man spoke sharply.

Eren finally just shook his head meekly, hoping that it wouldn't upset the man any further.

"Finally, I got it through your thick skull. Now I'm going to leave before you permanently decrease my IQ. I'll be back later with food, try not to piss me off again."