I'M SO SORRY I HAVEN'T POSTED IN FOREVER BUT FINALS ARE COMING SO WE GET A FOUR DAY WEEKEND AND I WON'T SLEEP UNTIL I HAVE AT LEAST TWO CHAPTERS OF AWOJ POSTED OR I SWEAR TO FUCKING ISHBALA THAT I WILL GO ON A MURDEROUS RAMPAGE!
This story took 33 pages of a notebook to write, and 21 pages on a 12.5 calibri font on the computer. I HOPE YOU'RE HAPPY!
In other news. I hope you guys had a great Christmas! I got FMA stuff and an mp3 player and a 50 gift card to walmart which I bought more FMA stuff with! BEST CHRISTMAS EVER!
Also, I'm almost at 50 followers on my Tumblr! OMFG! ARE YOU GUYS ACTUALLY COMING AND FINDING ME I FEEL SO SPECIAL! So if you want to, go to Tumblr (you don't have to make one if you don't have one) and follow iamkathrynrockbell. I'll feel uber special!
Also, I've been thinking. (A very bad habit, I know). If I was awesome at drawing, I would draw this stuff for you guys! But I suck epicly so I was wondering if anyone wanted to do some fan art? THAT WOULD BE TOTALLY FUCKING AWESOME! I want to know what you guys picture when I write, so good luck!
This story took me a solid week of charging, using and recharging my computer to write and these past two days I've written for three to four hours straight to get it out and I'm sacrificing valuable sleep time just for you guys so I hope you realise how much I fucking love you all because you are all just terrific people and oh my god breath... So yeah! I'll have more AWOJ out soon.
I will let you read this now.
Ishbal.
One word, if said, can make someone's greatest horrors flood to the front of their minds.
Kathryn Rockbell was sixteen when she experienced this.
Roy Mustang had just turned twenty-one.
Kathryn sat at camp with the rest of her fellow soldiers. Her eyes were sullen, she looked depressed, or ready to kill herself. She looked up to see him headed her way. She gave a small smile, but her eyes shined brightly.
Roy sat down next to her and sighed.
"We head out to the North of camp tomorrow at noon," he told her.
She sighed. "Can't catch a break, can we?" she asked.
He smiled at her, but his heart wasn't in it. She could sense this and turned to the fire that was being lit as the sun set.
"Why do you all look so glum?" Kimbley asked as he sat across from Kathryn.
"Because we aren't all raging psychopaths like you, Kimbley," Kathryn replied.
"Ouch, I'm hurt. Really, I am," he mocked. "You should be happy. The roar of the cannons, the pitter patter of rocks falling to the ground after an explosion…"
"Keep talking. You're only proving my point," Kathryn said. The group around them snickered.
Kimbley smirked. "I'm sure I'm not the only one who thinks it's a good to do this. We can finally get rid of those dirty Ishbalans and make the country good again."
"Kimbley… You're getting on my nerves," Kathryn growled.
"Why? Just because I said the country would be better without a few dirty Ishbalans?"
Kathryn stood from her seat, her anger rising. "Some of those, 'Dirty Ishbalans', as you so eloquently put, are ten times the man you will ever be."
"What did you say?" he asked, angry with her remark. He stood and strode over to Kathryn.
"Any Ishbalan is better than you. They fight for themselves and their rights while you just fight for the kill, you raging psycho."
"Why are you defending them? You are one of the few here who have killed over a hundred without being an alchemist."
"What are you keeping track?"
"You're avoiding the question."
"If I had a choice I wouldn't be killing anyone. The only reason I'm doing this is because I have something to protect."
"What, your virginity?" he laughed. "Scared that if you don't fight here someone might actually want you back home?" he laughed again.
She brought her arm back and punched him square in the nose. "I'm protecting the man who has my virginity," she said before storming off to her tent.
Roy chuckled inwardly as Kimbley held his bleeding nose. "Nice punch," he whispered as his eyes followed her.
Roy sat in his tent next to Kathryn's preparing for bed.
I'm protecting the man who has my virginity.
"Protecting me, huh?" he chuckled. "I'm sure that the sixteen year old needs more protection compared to the twenty year old."
He doused his lantern and lay down on his cot. He had just closed his eyes when he heard whimpering. He first passed it off as the wind until he heard it get louder and turn to sniffles.
He exited his tent and listened carefully. It came from Kathryn's tent. He burst through the flaps of her tent and went to her side.
Her lantern was on, an open book lay a mess on the floor next to her bed. One hand was supporting her head under the pillow, the other grasped the top of the case. The blanket was tangled in her legs, making it obvious she had ben tossing and turning. Her hair was plastered to her face with the sweat that covered her body.
He bent down next to the bed. Her hand clutched the firmly as she curled in on herself, she was shaking, then let out a scream.
He shook her shoulder to wake her. Her eyes shot open as she darted up in her bed. He watched as she pulled her arm from under her pillow and pulled her arm back. It happened so fast that he was amazed he had ducked in time to dodge the knife she threw where his forehead had just been.
He sat back up and watched as her face went from killer, to scared, to mortified.
"Roy…" she croaked out.
It was horrible of him to think it, but he loved hearing his name come off her lips, even now. The secret relationship they held made it impossible for them to be together. If she so much as said his name, suspicion would arise. That's why all she ever called him way Roy in their stolen moments together.
Her eyes began to water as she flung herself into his arms. Sobs wracked her body as he held her tight and tried to soothe her.
"It was only a dream. Just a dream," he told her.
He heard the flap to her tent open as Hughes entered.
"I heard a scream, is everything okay?" he asked.
Roy nodded. "Yeah, just a dream."
Hughes immediately understood. There were at least two or three people who couldn't sleep or cried out in the middle of the night because of the war.
He became worried, though. Kathryn had grown on him, she had become like a child to him. To see her like this really got to him. Add that to the fact that she had not made a peep in the middle of the night once, he was genuinely worried. What could have been so bad that it reduced her to tears?
"Everything's fine, Hughes. Go back to bed," Roy told his friend, sensing his worry.
He nodded to his friend and left the tent.
Kathryn was still crying furiously. He rubbed circles in her back and whispered comforting words in her ear. She gave a sniffle when she had calmed down enough to talk.
"We were on the mission… The sky got real dark. There was gun fire everywhere and I couldn't find you… I ran and tripped over your body. Y-you had been shot. You weren't breathing and you didn't have pulse…" she said before she started crying again and buried her face in her hands.
"Kathryn…" he said softly. He placed his hand under her chin and pulled her gaze to his. He pulled one of her hands from her face and placed it on her chest. "Feel it? My heart's still beating. Loud and proud. It was only a dream, Kathryn. Just a dream. I'm not going anywhere," he said as he wiped a tear from her cheeks.
She nodded her head and looked down as he placed a kiss on her forehead.
"Roy…" she whispered.
"Kathryn…"
He kissed her lightly, making sure he didn't push her too far after her ordeal.
She tangled her fingers in the front of his shirt and pulled him closer, pressing their lips harder together.
She pulled him down to the bed with a bit of reluctance from him. She broke the kiss and bit her lip.
"Can you just stay with me tonight?" she asked him.
He smiled and kissed her forehead again. "Of course," he told her as he doused her lantern. He crawled under the covers and pulled her close to him. She breathed a happy sigh as she fell into a blissful sleep with nothing but happy dreams.
Heavy gunfire surrounded her on both sides.
She pressed herself against the wall of a nearby building and rested her head against it as she took a breather. She dropped the magazine of her gun and reached into the back of her pants for another.
She let out a breath before peeking around the corner and firing before ducking back as a chunk of the wall was blown out. She listened to the guns and determined she hit two or three. She glanced up to see Roy on the roof of the building across the street. He couldn't get up and fire because of the unexpected number of guns. He held up a gun similar to her own and made a tossing gesture.
She nodded her head and ran into the street, firing her gun as he tossed the other off the roof. She caught it and dived behind the building. She pulled the clip out and slammed it back in with anger. "No bullets!" she shouted at him.
"Sorry!" he shouted.
She shook her head and checked the gun. It was identical to hers. She peeked around the corner only to duck behind it as a bullet took out a chunk again.
She took a deep breath before running back out to the street. She fired the rest of her first gun before dropping both clips out of the two guns and filling them with the ones on her leg. (A/N: If you can't picture this, think of Tombraider… I tend to make my characters have a Tombraider moment… Quite fun. And if you don't know what I'm talking about, go watch it. It's awesome.) The Ishbalans had fallen only to be replaced with more.
She fired her last bullet as she came up on the group. She ran to the one closest to her, sliding under his gun as he fired before coming up to slam her palm under his chin. She grabbed his gun and swung him around so his back was to the group to use as a shield as she slammed the butt of the gun into his head.
She shot him in the chest once she gained control of the gun before turning to the others and shooting them. She ran out of bullets before she could kill the last one. He stood, shaking uncontrollably before raising his gun at Kathryn. She had already pulled the push knife that Hughes had given her on the first day of the war out of its holster on her belt and threw it at the Ishbalan. It hit him in the head and he fell dead against the wall.
She looked around the street to see if she had missed anyone and take a quick count of the bodies before she turned to the one against the wall and grabbed her knife, pulling it out of his skull with a sickening 'pop'. She wiped it off on her pants and put it back in her holster. "And that makes 200," she sighed. "I don't know how I'm going to atone for this-
She was cut off by a blast of heat at her back. She turned around to see a charred body in traditional robes laying on the ground, and Roy standing with his arm outstretched in her direction, the sparks of alchemy flying around his hand.
She let out a shaky breath and nodded her head in thanks.
"Sorry I couldn't help."
"You just saved my life, I think we're even."
He walked up and rubbed her arm reassuringly before coming to stand next to her. "Sure you're alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." She looked ahead of them. "I guess we head North from he-
She was cut off again by a gunshot ringing in their ears. A bullet his the ground, kicking up dust in front of them. Kathryn was looking Roy over with wide eyes, seeing if he had been hit, but he was only looking at her.
She coughed, blood flew from her mouth and spattered the ground. This is when she noticed the sharp pain in her chest. She felt the spot right under her ribs and her fingers came back red.
Realisation hit her like a shovel to the face. She grasped the front of his coat and pulled him in front of her. She put her hands on the sides of his face and pulled his head down, touching their foreheads together. She gripped his jacket firmly in her hands as she breathed heavily.
"Snipers… Stay like this, or they'll get you too…" she rasped as they looked down and she poked the wound. Blood continued to pour from it onto her fingers. She sighed and stuck her fingers into it with a wince.
"Kathryn! Stop, what are you doing!" he shouted at her, gripping her arms as she started to sway.
"Shut up," she told him. She pulled her fingers out and put them into her back. She pulled them out again and shook her hand a bit before grabbing him again and angling them to the left. "Straight back. Twenty- no, thirty feet up. Don't miss," she said as she gripped his uniform to hold herself steady.
He held her close as he outstretched his arm and sent a fire-ball to where she directed. It hit the top of a roof and created a small explosion from the gunpowder it hit.
She took a deep breath before looking up to him. "You need to go. They know you're alive now. They'll be here soon to finish you off. You need to leave."
"Kathryn, I need to get you out of here and back to camp where there's a doctor."
"Camp is too far away… If anything you should take me to that humanitarian doctor team or whatever… But that is still too far… Just leave me and get out of here," she said. Her legs began to give out so she pushed him away and fell back on the ground.
"Kathryn!" he shouted. He ran over to her side and held her head off the ground. Her hair fell around her like a golden halo but was soon marred by blood. "Kathryn, stay with me."
"Roy, you have to go. They'll be here soon and kill you."
"I won't leave you!"
Hughes came up behind him. "I saw the blast, is everything- oh god… Kathryn." He sat down next to her as he watched the blood continue to pool on the ground.
"You two have to leave. Now, or else they'll find you and I really will die. Go."
"Kathryn, I won't leave you to die," Roy protested.
"Kathryn, Roy's right. We can't just leave you here," Hughes told her.
She grabbed the front of his uniform and pulled herself up to glare at him. "Get. Him. Out of here. I won't have you die because you try to carry me. Take him and get him out of here, now." She pushed him away and avoided their looks. "I'm sorry."
Hughes came up behind Roy and hauled him away.
"Hughes, stop! Hughes we have to help her!" Roy shouted as he struggled against his friend. "Kathryn!" He stopped struggling and let Hughes pull him away. "Kathryn! I'll come back for you! I promise, just hold on!" he shouted to her before turning around and running with Hughes, occasionally glancing back.
Kathryn watched as he faded in her blurry vision. "I know you will," she whispered before she went black.
Her eyes were open as she lay as still as possible.
She heard footsteps crunch in the sandy streets.
An older Ishbalan and what looked to be his apprentice came up to her.
"War is so cruel. Take this for example," the older Ishbalan said, gesturing to Kathryn.
"Master, she is the one who has killed so many of our people…"
"This child? I can hardly believe that."
"Believe it. I've seen it with my own eyes. How can you take pity on her?"
"Do you see her? Look at her age. She looks to be no older than your sister. She was drafted into a corrupt military to protect those she thought were in danger," the older man said as he knelt beside her. He placed his fingers over her eyes and she flinched.
He paused and she remained still as she could. He said something in Ishbalan as he dragged his fingers down and shut her eyes.
"Rest in peace, little one. And may God grant you passage to his kingdom. The least we can do for the life we have taken is make her comfortable."
"Master, we should go."
"Yes. That friend of hers seemed pretty intent on coming back for her."
She listened as the footsteps of the two receded. She lay there for a moment as she let out a slow, shaky breath.
She heard another pair of footsteps pounding towards her.
"Kathryn!" a shout came.
"Quiet down, Roy, or all of Ishbal, including camp, will hear you," another voice called to the first.
The footsteps were right next to her and she heard someone fall to their knees. "Kathryn…" Roy whispered as he pulled her into his lap.
She cracked open her eyes and gave a small smile. "Roy…" she croaked. "You came back."
He brushed her hair out of her face. "Of course I did. I told you I would. Was a pain in the ass to get here."
She glared at him. "I noticed. I've been here for six hours."
"Oh, so you were counting?"
"I had to do something. Can't risk getting up. Plus, how else would you find me?"
He laughed as he picked her up gently and held her in his arms. "Hughes! We're over here!"
Kathryn looked over to the building where she saw the two Ishbalans from earlier hiding. The older one was smiling and he lowered his head. She nodded back at him and whispered thank you before she passed out again.
When she woke up, she kept her eyes shut.
She couldn't remember what had happened after she was shot.
She opened them to glance around the room quickly before shutting them.
The room was nice, very unfamiliar. It looked nothing like any of the tents back at camp.
She had seen a pile of clothes on the floor. Her fingers crept off the bed to them. She found the familiar handle of her push knife and hid the blade under her arm.
She heard the tent flaps open and shut. Someone sat on her bed. She sat up, placed the blade at their neck, and grabbed the back of their head to hold them to the blade.
It took her a moment to realise what was happening.
"Roy," she whispered. She ran her fingers through the hair at the nape of his neck. Realisation hit her like a bus.
She leaned away from him and looked at the knife before dropping it and locking her fingers in her hair.
"We need to keep those knives away from you. One of these days I'm going to wake you up and lose an eye," he told her, trying to make light of the situation.
"I'll break your arm if you do," was her reply.
He smiled and gave a faint chuckle. "Lay back down. Your wound hasn't healed yet. Plus, there's someone who wants to see you," he said as he pushed her back down on the bed. He stood and exited the tent before coming back in with a blonde couple in tow.
"Mom? Dad? What are you doing in Ishbal!" Kathryn asked with wide eyes.
"Oh, sweet heart!" the woman cried before running over to the bed and hugging her daughter.
"Hey kiddo," her father said as he walked over and sat at the head of the bed.
"What the hell? Roy!" Kathryn shouted through her mother's smothering kisses.
He chuckled and shrugged his shoulders.
Kathryn tried to sit up but her mother just pushed her back down. "Your wound is still in bad shape. We aren't alchemists, just surgeons. We did the best we could, though. What counts is that you're here."
"You gave us quite a scare. We didn't think we would have to treat our own daughter."
"I wish I could have seen you guys on better circumstances."
Kathryn kept glancing at Roy in the corner. Her father caught onto it. "Sara, I think we should leave them alone. He has to leave soon."
Her mom looked from Roy to Kathryn before nodding at her husband and standing. "We'll come back and check on you after we're done with our other patients." They left the tent.
Roy came back over to sit on the bed. "Can you please explain to me why my parents are in Ishbal? Where am I? And why do you have to leave?"
"We're at the humanitarian hospital. The one that was close to where you were shot. Your parents run it. They were called in about a year or two ago because there weren't a lot of doctors. I have to leave soon because I need to make it back to camp before someone notices I'm gone."
"What's that about?"
"Me and Hughes went back to camp after we left you. When we explained what happened they said you would already be dead and that they couldn't risk the lives of a recovery team for one person. They said that it was still an unsecure area, which was false because we had cleared it before you were shot.
"I snuck from camp with Hughes to find you, and doing that was disobeying an order. We couldn't bring you back to camp so we brought you here. Imagine my surprise when I found out they were your parents.
"But I have to get back to camp soon or else someone will notice my absence. Hughes has been covering for me, saying I've holled myself up in my tent because of the injustice that they won't go look for your body. You would be dead by now, and I think that it's unfair that anyone could grab your body before we do and it's unfair to your family."
"What do you mean I would be dead by now?" she asked.
"It's been three days since you were shot. You would have bled out by now, eaten alive by animals, or finished off by an Ishbalan."
"They aren't bad people, Roy. I was saved by an Ishbalan. I'm happy that my mom and dad are helping them." She sighed. "Three days, huh? When do I go back out to battle?"
He sighed. "That's the thing… You're not going back."
"What?"
"Your wound is too severe. You'll be leaving tomorrow morning with the truck that brings your parents supplies. It'll bring you to East City where they are setting up a hospital room. You can't go back to camp and get a healer, and you can't go back out on the battle field because they all think you're dead. How do you think they would react?"
"I can still fight! They can think I'm a ghost or something! I'll still fight!" she said bolting out of the bed. She winced and held her chest, which she just realised had nothing but bandages on it.
"Lay down. You aren't going back out to fight. You think you can more as you usually do when you can't even sit up?" he asked laying her back down in the bed.
"What about you! You can't go more than two minutes without me saving your ass!" she shouted, sitting back up and ignoring her body's protests.
"Do you think you can get to me in time to save me like that? Or what about if I get shot because I'm worried about you?"
She gritted her teeth and growled. "The only reason I'm in this damn war is because of you! I swore I would protect you… So how the hell am I supposed to do that from a bed in fucking East City!"
"The best way you can protect me at the moment is by staying away. That way I know you're safe. You can't get hurt at a hospital."
"Why are you sending me away!" she asked with frustrated tears threatening to spill over.
"Because I can't lose you!" he shouted as he grabbed her upper arms. She became quiet with wide eyes as she felt his hands shaking. "I can't do that again. Not again," he whispered. He let his head fall into the crook of her neck as she sat motionless with still wide eyes. "It killed me to leave you there. I tried to go back on so many occasions. And when we did come back… You weren't moving."
She felt his tears dripping down her shoulder as he remembered her body laying still and covered in blood.
"Kathryn, I don't want to lose you like I almost did. I can't go through that. I can't go through life without you."
She became angry, but shook her head because she understood. She wrapped her arms around him and turned her face into his neck. "And what about me?" she whispered. "What do you think I would do if you died while I wasn't here to protect you? I would die because it would be my fault."
He lifted his head to look at her and held her face in his hands, brushing away the lone tear that fell down her cheek with his thumb. "Nothing that happens to me here is your fault. If anything it would be mine because I wasn't watching my back."
"Which would still be my fault because you're used to me always watching your back, and you mine," she argued.
"Kathryn-
"I won't win this one, will I?" she asked. He shook his head no. "Then will you promise me? Will you promise me that you'll come home. Get off that train alive and unharmed?"
"I can't promise you I'll be unharmed, but I can promise you I'll be alive. I'll come home, back to you. I promise you that."
She smiled at him. "I think you should get off the train with Hughes. I can just follow the sound of obnoxiousness and I can find you easily," she laughed.
"Well that's not very nice…"
"I can't tell a lie."
He truly smile for the first time since they were sent into the war. He checked his pocket watch before sighing and closing the lid. "I need to leave soon…"
Kathryn lowered her head. She raised it and lifted herself with a painful effort to kiss him on his forehead like he always did to her. "I love you."
"I love you too," he replied.
He pulled her close and kissed her. He kissed her so passionately, so tenderly, so lovingly, because he knew he wouldn't be seeing her for a while, even if he could keep his promise.
Kathryn pulled on her pants. She pulled on her boots and laced them tight. She slowly put on her shirt, then her blue military jacket and buttoned it, all with a blank stare. She pulled her hair into her usual ponytail and breathed a sigh before turning to the door. She walked past her dresser before stopping at a picture and trailing her fingers over the frame.
"I wish you could have seen him outside of the war… I know you would have loved him… And I wish I could have protected you."
The picture was of her about eight years ago, holding her baby sister with her parents on either side of her. They were all smiling brightly, even little Winry.
She grabbed the military issue hat that sat next to it and put it one before grabbing the large duffel next to the dresser. She exited the room and shut the door with a soft click and traveled down the stairs. Granny and Winry were eating at the table.
"Kathryn, do you really have to wear that in this house?" Granny asked, referring to her uniform.
"I know how you feel about it, Granny. I know. But I'm not going to get rid of it now. I'm leaving, so you won't be seeing it in this house for a while," she said with no emotion and so much as a glance in their direction. She had been that way for a while, but it had been worse as the days continued.
"Kathryn. I don't want you here like last tie. If you come home with a bullet in your chest, you won't be coming through that door, I can tell you that. Just- just take care of yourself, okay? Don't make me worry like that. And come home for a meal or just visit once in a while. A phone call would be nice…"
Kathryn looked over at her and smiled. "Sure thing. I'll come home when I need an arm or a leg."
Granny frowned. "That's not funny."
"Kathryn!" Winry shouted as she finished her oatmeal and hopped out of her chair. She ran to Kathryn and flung herself at her big sister's legs. "You meany butt! You just got back, why do you have to leave?"
"I've got somebody I need to see." She bent down and ruffled her sister's hair with her free hand. "I'll come back soon, okay? And tell you what, I'll let you meet him."
Winry's eyes sparkled with joy. "Really!"
Kathryn smiled. "Yup. But you have to promise to behave. If I get a bad word from Granny I won't bring you anything from East City."
Winry smiled back. "I'll be good, I promise!"
"I promise you that."
Kathryn smiled and pecked her sister's cheek. "That's my girl."
She stood and walked over to the door. She opened it as the Elric brothers tumbled in. "And what are you two up to? No good I suppose?"
Little Edward smiled his goofy grin. "We learned some new alchemy and wanted to show Winry."
Alphonse stood and pulled his brother up with him. "Kathryn, would you like to see?" he asked, polite as usual.
"Kathryn…"
She looked over her shoulder to Roy as he stood awkwardly behind her.
"W-Would you like to see me? I mean. Would you like to go on a date?With me? Or something?"
Kathryn smiled and turned around. "Isn't there something in the rules against co-workers dating?" she asked.
He suddenly got courage. "Screw the rules. I think you're worth it."
She stared at him before throwing her head back a laughing. "Mustang you bad boy." She walked over to him, grabbed his dorky little tie and gave him a kiss. Right on the lips. When she pulled back his eyes were wide open. "Pick me up tomorrow at eight. I'm sure you can figure out where I live," she told him before turning back around and walking down with a giddy smile on her face.
She heard him give a 'whoop' before laughing again.
She smiled at the memory. "Sorry little man. If I don't leave now I'll miss my train. This is a date I can't miss," she said before darting out the door and running to the train station.
Kathryn sat down in an empty chair in the busy station of East City. Everyone was there. Their loved ones were coming home today. So would hers.
Hopefully.
She had sent many letters, none of which a reply came. She feared the worst, but kept the small hope that Roy was alive because she never got a notice.
"Then again, why would I? I'm not listed as important to him on any important legal documents… Then again… he's technically my commanding officer. I should get a notice he's dead… Then again, they might not have sent one. I'm sure they still think I'm MIA…" she muttered to herself.
A woman came up to her. "Is this seat taken?" she asked.
Kathryn snapped out of her thoughts to look at the woman. She was very pretty, short brown hair, a blue shirt with a white shrug and a long skirt.
Kathryn was sure she had seen her before.
"No, go ahead and sit."
She did. "So who are you here for? I'm here for my boyfriend."
Kathryn glanced her way. What do I tell her? We weren't exactly open about it… Hughes figured it out, perceptive bastard… "My commanding officer is coming back from Ishbal. I thought I would surprise him by welcoming him back. I'm supposed to lead him to a welcome back party."
The woman nodded. "If you don't mind me asking, why aren't you in Ishbal?"
Images of that day flooded through her mind. "I was shot in the chest, so I was sent home."
"Oh, I'm sorry-
"It's fine. I've gotten over it."
"Oh," was her reply. The train rolled into the station and stopped. They sat for a few minutes in silence before the woman stood. "I'm going to start looking for my boyfriend. I hope you find your superior soon," she said before walking toward the train.
Kathryn kept an eye on her. She wanted to make sure she found the man she was looking for.
The woman's face lit up. "Maes!" she shouted before running off.
Kathryn slowly stood as she watched the woman run. There is only one person named Maes in Amestris. And if there's not, then there is only one man named Maes in the Amestrian military, that I'm sure of.
She followed the woman through the crowd and watched her run into a man's arms.
"Gracia…" she heard him say.
Kathryn gave them a few moments together before impatience got the best of her.
"Hughes!" she shouted.
He looked over Gracia's shoulder and grinned. He pulled back and gave Gracia a smile before moving to Kathryn. "Rockbell!" he shouted back. "You know, it gets annoying after a while," he said with a smile.
She pulled him into a friendly hug. He squished her in a loving way. "Ow, ow, ow. Hughes, you're crushing me." He set her down and he punched him playfully in the arm. "Welcome back, you idiot."
"I'm not even home for ten minutes and I'm already being insulted! You haven't changed a bit."
Kathryn smiled and and gazed around the station. "Where's R-Mustang? I told him to wait by you so I could find him easily."
Hughes stared at her for a moment. Kathryn's heart began to pound in her ears. She wasn't sure if it was nerves or if it was of anticipation. His gaze turned dark and sad as his head fell forward. "He didn't make it."
Her heart stopped.
Her throat closed, her breathing became erratic. The world began to spin.
"W-What?"
"Roy didn't make it. He's dead." (DUN DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN)
Tears began to fall to the ground, dripping from her chin after rolling down her cheeks. She cupped her mouth with her hand and shook her head. "No. No. I won't believe it."
"It's true. He was shot through the back just… just like you. He tried so hard to do it, just like you had. He just couldn't. He died about a week after you left."
Kathryn's legs gave out as she fell to her knees. "No. No no no! He promised me… He promised me he would come back!" she shouted. The hope she had was crushed brutally by reality and the shards stuck her in the heart. It fell like the bullet that hit her went though her heart instead, it felt like it was being ripped out of her chest.
"Hughes. I said it would bu funny, if you wanted to die. I never actually told you to do it. And now I'm going to laugh at your funeral."
The voice came from the train. His voice.
Kathryn looked up. Roy stepped off the train with his duffel slung over his shoulder.
"I forgot my bag on the train. Otherwise I would have been out here sooner," was his explanation. Kathryn slowly stood, her gaze never leaving his. "I'm home," he said.
She frowned. "MUSTANG!" she shouted furiously before jumping on him and knocking him over.
She gripped the front of his jacket in both hands while she lifted him off the ground and slamming him back down repeatedly. "You! YOU JACKASS!" she shouted, shaking him again.
"Kathryn!"
"One year! One year it's been. I sent twelve letters, one each month, and got no response!" she screamed at him.
"I couldn't get time to answer them, and I didn't know what to write," he said during a break in the shaking.
She started shaking him again. "Not good enough! Anything is better than nothing! I would have accepted 'Hi!'"
She had stopped shaking him and let her head droop. He propped himself on his elbows and widened his eyes as he felt a fresh wave of her tears fall on him.
"Anything… Anything at all. You could have sent one lousy letter, written on a sandwich wrapper with one random word on it. I would have taken anything… But you sent nothing.
"And when Hughes said you were dead… I couldn't breath," she whispered. "I couldn't breath, I couldn't focus on anything, my world was nothing, and my heart stopped." She looked up at him, tears streaming down her face. "Why would you do that to me?" she asked.
Roy looked at her with wide eyes. "I didn't tell him to do it! I just wondered-
"All you have to do is mention it and he'll do it! You should know this by now!" she interrupted him.
Hughes stood by and let the insults come. He contemplated running for his life, with doing that to Kathryn and the dirty look he was getting from Gracia.
Roy wrapped his arms around her shaking frame. "Kathryn… I'm so sorry. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?" She shook her head in his shoulder. "Nothing at all?" he asked in his sexiest voice she had begun to miss so much.
"So the first thing you think about when you get home is sex?"
"Well, the first thing I thought about was you. Then you with your messy hair holding a cup of coffee and wearing my shirt, but there is something we need to do before we can get to that…"
"Something we can't do in public," she whispered as she nibbled on his earlobe.
They stood up and Kathryn picked up the hat that had fallen off her head. She dusted it off before returning it to its place on her head.
"Hughes, the next time I see you, you will be a dead man. In the meantime, Mustang and I have some business to attend to. Enjoy your time with Gracia." She turned to her and bowed slightly. "It was nice to finally meet you. Hughes wouldn't shut up about you back in Ishbal."
She grabbed Roy's hand and pulled him out of the station.
They walked through the door of his house.
Kathryn glanced out the window and watched the rain start to pour. She didn't notice the clouds until they were walking home. She smiled. "Just like the first time, huh?"
"Yes, but I remember you being wet that time."
Roy sat at the table that he had set up, looking at the sad flame burning on the candle. Why did he ever think that Kathryn would want to go out with him?
He had gone to her house and waited for twenty minutes with a bouquet of flowers before calling it off.
He looked at the clock. 9 o'clock. He sighed and was about to blow out the candle and put the food away when a knock came from his door.
He walked across the room to answer it to see a soaking wet Kathryn with her arms behind her back.
"What, come it rub it in?" he asked angrily.
She shook her head. "I told my friend that I had plans tonight, but I normally say that to get out of social interaction, aka bar hopping. She physically dragged me from my house and I only got back a half an hour ago. I was desperately hoping you'd be there but I pushed that aside because it's raining.
"I ran to HQ and got your address after ten minutes of unwanted pleading and begging that I'm not proud of and stopped at the store before coming here. I-I saw the flowers, Roy. You dropped them on my front step… They were beautiful, but were kinda ruined by the time I got there. So I bought you these," she said as she pulled a bouquet of flowers from behind her back.
"I don't expect you to forgive me… But it would be nice so I could get out of this rain…" she said glancing up.
He smiled at her, took the flowers, grabbed her hand and pulled her inside. She smiled at the sad dinner in front of them.
"I planned on a dinner at home."
"Trying to impress me with culinary skills?" she asked moving to the table. She picked up a piece of cold meat and popped it in her mouth. "Oh god… This is good, even if it is cold..." She looked over at Roy who was replacing the candles. "A man who looks extremely sexy and can actually cook. Just give me the damn ring already," she laughed.
He laughed as well. "You're probably cold. There are some towels in the bottom cupboard of the bathroom, first door on your right. I'll grab you something to change into and reheat dinner."
Kathryn smiled as she looked out the window. "The storm got so bad that I had to stay the night… And, well… You know that part already…" She glanced around the house. "Looks the same as how I left it…"
"An hour ago?"
"Technically. I just popped in here real quick to drop something off. I didn't have a good look at it. Last time I was in here was about nine, ten months ago?"
"Why so long?"
"I couldn't take it. I haven't been in East City after I got out of the hospital. I went back home to Resembool. I couldn't stand it here. To many memories…" she looked at him and glared. "And no replies. I haven't been at my house either. It took me a bit, but I convinced the doctors to let me go back home because my grandmother can be considered a doctor so she gave me my check-ups. Before I left, though, I raided your closet and borrowed your clothes. Speaking of," she pointed to the duffel on the couch. "those are yours."
"Why did you steal my clothes?" he asked.
"Borrowed. I borrowed your clothes." She sighed. "I needed something to keep me sane, and you weren't here so I took the next best thing with me. They smell like you, so I wore the pants every day and I slept in the shirts until they lost the smell. Thank god you have a lot of clothes…"
He moved over to her and rubbed her arm as he pressed a kiss to her cheek. "I'm sorry."
She moved away towards the kitchen. "Do you want some coffee or a sandwich or something?"
Roy moved around the couch, grabbed her arm and pulled her to his chest. "Kathryn, I just spent three years in a war. One year without you. As nice as a sandwich sounds, there are a few other things I would like to do before eating."
"Oh? And what would those be?" she asked, pressing herself against him.
"I can tell you, it involves less clothing, you, me, and a bed. And maybe I'll let you keep that hat because it looks delicious on you."
"You remember this is yours…"
"Of course. You manage to pull off most of my clothing better than I do."
"Oh, that's just what I wanted to hear," she replied sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
"Good," he said, bending over and biting her collarbone.
She gasped and grabbed his shoulders as he kissed his way up her neck. They slowly shuffled back until Kathryn was pressed against the wall.
She pulled his head from her neck and attached her lips to his. He groaned and pressed himself into her, holding her tight against the wall and making it painfully obvious that he had a tent in his pants.
She smirked into his lips. "I don't remember you ever getting this aroused this fast," she chuckled.
"Shut up," he growled, smashing their lips back together. He trailed his hands down her sides and undid her pants before sliding his hand in them. He smirked. "Look who's talking."
"Shut up," she growled just as he had before jumping on him and kissing him again.
Her force knocked him into the opposite wall. He flipped them around and slammed her into the wall, holding her legs and gripping her thighs tightly. She grabbed his face in her hands and didn't even bother with asking permission before sticking her tongue in his mouth. He groaned at her eagerness and fought for dominance as she ground her hips against him.
She grabbed a fistful of of his hair and raked her nails down his scalp as he undid her jacket and slid it off her shoulders. He unbuttoned the first four buttons of her shirt and slid it so it was hanging around her arms. He untucked a side of her shirt to slide his hand up under it.
She dropped her legs, never breaking contact with his lips as she lead him blindly to the bedroom. The repeatedly bumped into various objects and door frames until they reached the bed. Roy had lost his jackets and shirt along the way and were now desperately trying to get Kathryn's off.
The backs of her knees hit the edge of the bed. She sat down and Roy kneeled in between her legs. He pulled off her pants and practically tore her underwear off her body. He licked his way from her knee up her inner thigh around to the side of her hip then repeating on the other side.
"Damn you, Roy…" she cursed as he avoided the spot she wanted him to touch most.
He smiled a devilish smile at her before swiping his tongue across her slit.
"Fuck!" she squealed.
He did it again and she gave up. "Get up here and take your fucking pants off," she commanded.
"Yes ma'am," he said as he stood and took off his pants and boxers. He crawled on top of her and locked lips with her.
She moaned as she tasted herself on him and they crawled up the bed. They tore her shirt into shreds off her body and tossed it to the floor.
He entered her unceremoniously, she arched her back and exposed her neck for him to bite roughly. She tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled just the way he liked it.
He pounded into her, thrusting in so hard it almost hurt. But any pain was worth the pleasure that came after it.
He felt that he would soon burst. Didn't last too long… He finally found her sweet spot and slammed into it several times as listed as she cried out in pleasure. He felt her walls clench around him and he thrust into her one last time before they both hit their highs hard.
She dug her nails into is shoulders and he bit into hers as they rode out the waves of ecstasy.
He collapsed on top of her. Their breathing came heavy and fast as they lay on the bed. Roy rolled off her and pulled her into his arms.
"We should do that more often…"
"What, not have sex for three years and then fuck like jack-rabbits? No thank you, I like this too much to go so long without it."
He chuckled. "Good point." He looked down at her and laughed. "Your hat is still on…" he said as he grabbed it and tossed it somewhere in the room.
"Hey!" she protested trying to get out of bed and grab it.
He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back down. "Just go to bed. It'll still be there tomorrow morning when you wake up," he said placing a kiss on top of her head.
"Says you," Kathryn yawned and squeezed him once before she passed out from exhaustion. She slept fully and soundly for the first time in three years.
Roy, Kathryn, and Riza sat in the back of a jeep driving through Resembool with one of the station hands at the wheel.
Kathryn had an arm on the side and held her head up with her fist. "Mustang, why are we here again?" she asked.
It had been two years since Roy came back from Ishbal, two since her parents died, one year since Trisha, Edward and Alphonse's mother, died of a sickness going through the east, and one year since she had been in her hometown.
"We are recruiting alchemists. You could have stayed back at the office," he replied.
"No, Granny would have eaten me alive if she knew I had a chance to visit." Something clicked in her mind and she sat up straight. "Alchemists? There aren't any alchemists old enough to be in the military here."
"What were the names again?" he asked Riza.
She looked at her clipboard. "Edward and Alphonse Elric. Ages 32 and 31."
Roy looked at Kathryn. "Ring any bells?"
Kathryn snorted before bursting out into a fit of laughter. "Of course! WHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" she laughed.
Roy frowned. "What, are they not good or something?"
"HAHAHA! Their brilliant! WHAHAHAHAHA! But Mustang! AHAHAHAHAAHA! They're ten," she finished seriously before laughing again. "They play with my little sister all the time!" she shouted as she sighed and wiped away the tears streaming down her face. "Oh, now my stomach hurts…"
Roy looked at Riza. "Either someone made a grave error or this file went through a time warp."
Roy sighed. "Do you still want to visit or can we just leave?"
Kathryn glared at him. "I told you, those two are brilliant. I watched them perform alchemy at home. Trust me, you want to see them first before you pass them off as kids."
They arrived at their house on the hill and Kathryn knocked on the door.
"Edward? Alphonse? I'm back! Get your tiny hinys out here, there's someone who wants to meet you!" she shouted. When no one answered she tried the door. It opened with ease. She covered her nose at the stench. "Ed! Al! I swear, if I find one of you dead I will proceed to kill the other!" she shouted. When no one answered she walked through the house. All the rooms were clear.
"Rockbell!" Roy shouted from the basement.
She ran down the stairs and dropped to her knees at the sight in front of her.
Blood, a large splatter of it, was everywhere in the middle of the room. A small hand print of blood was on the wall next to her, a drag mark of some sorts was on the floor, and Kathryn noticed there was a suit of armor missing. Under all the blood was a large, complicated transmutation circle, one Roy had never seen before.
"What happened here?" Riza asked.
Kathryn tenderly touched the hand print next to her before pulling her hand back like it had burned her. "This is Edward's hand…" she whispered. She stood from the floor and looked around. She moved over to a small pile of clothes, picked them up and held them close. "These are Al's…"
She stood, her eyes blazing with fury and she dropped the clothes and darted out of the basement.
"Kathryn!" he shouted after her, forgetting their secret.
He ran after her and saw her run down the hill towards the fields at a break neck speed. "Follow in the car!" he shouted to Riza as he ran after her.
She tripped about halfway down the hill, crashing into small trees and bushes, falling on rocks. She heard Roy calling her name but she didn't care. Once she hit the bottom of the hill she was up and running again.
They ran through a large field of corn, Kathryn barreling through and Roy slowly catching up to her. He finally caught her as she was running up the hill to her house after jumping the small creek that led to the river a quarter of a mile down.
"Kathryn, stop!" he said as he caught her arm.
She turned around and glared at him. "I don't want to hurt you Roy. So I suggest you let go of me."
"Kathryn, please, just be rational."
"They're my fucking little brothers and you tell me to be rational?! How would you feel if you went to my house and saw that in my basement? Would you be rational?"
"That's different-
"Because I'm only your girlfriend! This is my fucking family and I don't even know if they are alive!" she shouted trying to yank her arm from his grasp.
"Kathryn, we don't even know what happened."
"God damn it, Colonel! Let me go!" she screamed.
This wounded him. In public, it was Mustang. At home, Roy. When she was pissed, Jackass. Never, in the entire time he had known her, had she ever called him by his rank.
He let go of her arm and followed her up the hill.
The driver knew where she was headed so he and Riza were already at the house. Riza was knocking on the door.
When no answer came Roy pounded on the door. "Open up! Amestrian military!" he shouted.
Kathryn pushed him away and tried the door. "Damn you Granny…" she whispered as she slammed her hand on the wood. She looked around before moving over to the railing and standing on it. She jumped up and grabbed the trim of the roof.
"What are you doing! Get down!" Roy scolded her.
"This is my house, Colonel. I can do whatever the hell I want," she retorted as she hauled herself up on the roof. She stood and walked to the balcony on the left and entered the house through the large window door.
Roy listened as he heard thumping. Probably Kathryn walking through the top floor. Muffled, but defined voices were heard.
"Granny! Kathryn just came in from the roof!" a little girl shouted.
"Where are they!" Kathryn shouted pounding down the stairs.
"Kathryn why are you here? Shouldn't you be in Central? What happened to your cheek! You're bleeding!" an old woman asked worriedly.
"Don't change the fucking subject! Where are they!" Kathryn repeated her question.
"Edward and Alphonse weren't feeling well so they came over-
"Don't feed me that bullshit! I know them, they would try to tough it out before coming here for help. If that's not enough for you I saw the basement. Now where are they!" Kathryn shouted as she stomped through the house.
"Kathryn, don't go in there!"
"EDWARD!"
The door slowly opened to a shy girl who was a spitting image of Kathryn.
Kathryn was on her knees in front of a boy in a wheelchair with a suit of armor standing behind it. She was crying, running her hands over his face, his hair, his arm. His one arm. And one leg.
Roy walked through the house and pushed her to the side. He picked Edward up by the shirt. "What happened in that house!"
"Roy! Let go of him!" Kathryn shouted, standing from her spot on the floor. She moved over to him and started pulling on his jacket.
He set him back down in the chair and turned to face her. "You saw that house for yourself."
"That doesn't mean you can lift him out of his fucking wheelchair! He's missing an arm and a leg! What happened to we don't even know what happened?" she asked pounding on his arm.
"That was to get you to calm down. And now I'm trying to find out what did happen!" he shouted, pushing her off him, hard.
She stumbled and almost fell over. She looked hurt. He never touched her in a harmful way, unless you counted biting. This made her angry. She walked right up to him and back-handed him.
He didn't move his head after, his eyes wide with shock. He turned his head to look at her when she raised her hand to do it again. He grabbed her wrist before she could.
"Let go of me," she growled.
"Are you done?" he asked.
She lifted her other hand and slapped him hard with it. He growled and picked her up, slinging her over his shoulder.
"Roy! Put me down! God damn it, I said put me down!" she looked up to see the suit of armor move around the chair to Edward.
It looked at her. "Kathryn. We're all right. We're alive, aren't we?" it asked.
The voice was so familiar to her she burst into a new wave of tears. "Alphonse…" she whispered.
She tried to struggle against Roy again as he carried her up the stairs with difficulty. He tossed her into a random room and held the door shut.
"Roy! You can't do this to me! She cried through the door.
She pounded it, kicked it, shouldered it, tried to wrench the door open. He listened to her shouting insults and crying on the other side of the door. Then, everything was quiet.
Too quiet.
He opened the door to see her climbing out the window.
"Oh no you don't," he said as he ran in the room, over to the window, picked her up by the waist and threw her on the bed. He stood to the side as he held her wrists down to keep them from punching him.
"Let me go! Why are you doing this to me!"
"I'm doing it for your own good."
"Get off of me!" she shouted trying to headbutt him.
"Kathryn… Please stop. I'll let you go if you'll calm down."
She let her head fall back into the blankets as she let out a sob. He let go of her wrists and sat back as she covered her face with her hands.
She sat up and cried into his shoulder, gripping is coat. He rubbed circles in her back but whispered nothing as he usually did. He wasn't sure if she would forgive him for what happened today, so he wanted to be with her until she pushed him away.
When Kathryn had finally calmed down, they sat in the kitchen. Kathryn knelt next to Edward and Alphonse, Granny sat in the chair next to them, and Riza and Winry were out in the hallway.
"You will get full funding for your research, unlimited supplies and materials, reduced fairs for everything from travel to lodgings," Roy told Edward.
Kathryn sighed. "Roy, please don't do this…"
"I'm doing my job," was his reply.
"Roy, he's only a child. You can't expect him to join the military now."
"You were twelve when you joined," he argued.
"Yes, well I didn't perform alchemy and I wasn't missing an arm, a leg, and my brother."
"You don't have to speak for him. I'm sure he still has his tongue."
"But I do. I made a promise to his mother on her death-bed that I would take care of them. And now that I've fucked that up miserably, I'm not going to lat it happen again because you want a bonus!"
"That's not why I'm here!"
"It's your job, isn't that what you said!"
He growled and tried to regain his composure. "It's my job to tell the alchemists what they can get by becoming a state alchemist. It's not my job to force them to come back with me to get their certification. That is their decision."
"If I may…" Granny interjected. "Mr. Mustang, I went to that house after Alphonse carried his brother through the rain to get here. I saw that thing and buried it in the back yard, and it wasn't human. Now it took away hi arm and leg and his body, alchemy, and now you want them to use it as a profession?" Granny shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I won't allow it. The military already took away my grand-daughter and sent her home with a hole in her chest, and took my son and his wife away forever. I'm not going to let them leave and possibly never come back."
Roy looked beaten when she mentioned Kathryn. Even Kathryn thought it was a low blow. "I am sorry about her, but what happened to them wasn't because of the military. No matter what happens, I never came here because of what happened in that house, but because of the sheer talent those two posses."
He stood from his seat. "Edward. If you change your mind, I'll be in East City at HQ, or Kathryn can help you find my house. We should take our leave."
Kathryn looked from Roy, to Edward, to Granny, before sighing and standing from her place on the floor.
Riza was already in the car and Roy was waiting for her at the front door.
She stopped in front of him and sighed.
"You know he's going to say yes, don't you?"
"He's not a helpless kid. You may see him as beaten and broken, but I see him differently. There is a fire blazing in his eyes. A fire of determination that won't be put out so easily."
She smiled. "Of course the Flame Alchemist would see this… Sad thing is, I saw it too. I've been hanging around you too long." She sighed and looked back at the room they just came from. "I think I've saved up a years worth of vacation time. And if I run out of it, I can claim I need therapy. People still won't shut up about it."
Roy sighed. "When will you come back?"
"Well, Edward's going to need a leg of his own. Might as well throw in an arm. So two auto-mail prosthetics, takes about three years to recover. So about a year."
"Oh really" Roy asked skeptically.
"He's gonna want to get out there and find a way to get Al's body back as soon as possible. You've offered him a way to do it."
Roy smiled. "So we don't get to see each other for a year?"
"Well, you could always get off your lazy ass and visit. But who comes all the way out to the boonies for a girl? So I'll settle for a call every other Sunday at ten."
"What makes you think I won't have plans?"
"Because I'm worth it, and we know that I'll kick your ass if you-
He cut her off by pressing his lips to hers. "You could have left it at 'I'm worth it.' I would have been satisfied with it because it's true."
Kathryn smiled and kissed him once more before sending him off to the car. She waved to him from the door as she watched the car drive away.
One year. Ed, I hope you can pull it off.
Roy was walking up the steps at East City HQ when a black car pulled up.
Edward Elric, now twelve, stepped out of the back seat with a red coat and briefcase. His armor brother followed. Roy waited for a certain blonde haired girl to follow and became disappointed when she didn't appear.
"Elric. You're late."
"Well, I had a few things to take care of back home before I could show up."
"You sure about this?" he asked.
"Bow wow." Edward replied. Roy didn't notice the passenger door open on the car. "Do I have to sit on command, too?"
"You will do no such thing," a female voice said.
Roy looked behind Ed to see Kathryn emerge from the car in her uniform.
Roy's face brightened noticeably. "He's not your commanding officer yet, and if her tells you to do anything stupid like that, he will be answering to me," she said, keeping direct eye contact and a smirk aimed his way.
He chuckled. "Let's go, then."
"Hey, Roy!" Kathryn called after him. He turned with wide eyes at the use of his name in public. She took her hat from under her arm and put it on. "I turned 21 last month. I'm legal," she said, outstretched her arms.
Roy smiled and strode down the steps. "You and that damn hat."
He reached her at the bottom of the steps and crushed their lips together, knocking her hat off her head. He held her tight as she threaded her fingers through his hair.
She broke the kiss and looked at him skeptically. "Isn't there something in the rules against co-workers dating?" she asked.
He smiled at her and put their foreheads together. "Screw the rules. I think you're worth it," he whispered before picking her up and spinning her around without a care. Because now, she was all his without any secrets. Now worries, just his.