Summary – Ed and Al have come back to Mustang after a particularly nasty assignment. However, something in Central smells fishy and it is up to Ed and Al to figure out what is going on.
Fullmetal Alchemist – The Bid for Love
Chapter 1
Your Key to Freedom lies in the Power to Control Your Thoughts – Anonymous
The sun rose over the building tops of the city-state; its light golden rays shinning into windows in order to wake up those who had left their shades open the night before. White doves flitted from one roost to another, calling to each other while they went about finding something to eat.
Central HQ was a buzz of activity by this time of morning; however, that did not mean that Colonel Roy Mustang did not take the time to watch as he did each and every morning he had been stationed there. He loved to watch the sun come up over the eastern horizon and see the night sky slowly turn rosy pink with life. Not that night wasn't alive, but for some reason, the time between night and day reminded him of that between sleeping and awakening.
Riza Hawkeye walked into the room just then; she didn't raise an eyebrow when she saw her commanding officer in his office chair facing away from her; this was honestly the only time of day he wasn't was the only time of day that he wasn't being lazy, most of his amazing plans came from these moments and Hawkeye never bothered him at this time.
She simply left the papers on his desk and then went to her own; it was also the most opportune time when she got her own paperwork done so that she could goad the Colonel into doing his. Yes, the office was nearly empty, it was just her and Roy, and that made her happy.
His appointment was for eight in the morning; but the boy who was sleeping wasn't late for said appointment. Instead he had plenty of time seeing as how it was five in the morning. His shades weren't closed, unlike many residents, this boy liked to wake to the sun shinning in his face. It felt good to wake up like that, and that was the way Edward Elric preferred to wake in the mornings. Al knew this all too well and took this time to think things over. His brother had a doctor's appointment that Mustang had made for Ed, not that Ed liked that very much, but both knew that Ed needed to go.
Edward also had to make a report to the colonel and Al was adding his own thoughts to the paper. All in all it was five pages long. Usually it was only two, but since Al had played a major part in the case, he got to add to it.
Al pulled the covers up over his older brother; Ed had a way of throwing the blankets off of himself during his fitful nights of sleep. Ed never got the sleep he needed and so whenever he dropped off into a deep, deep sleep, Al made sure that no one bothered his brother. It was all too hard to get Ed to go to sleep now anyway, Al thought that sooner or later he would have to resort to sleeping aids, but he'd rather not, no matter how much he just wanted to help out.
A groan from the blond told Al that Edward was waking; he wished he would sleep a bit longer.
"What time is it?" Ed asked, snuggling down into the blankets.
"Only five in the morning," Al replied.
"That early?"
"You have that appointment at eight, maybe you should shower and get a good meal before then," Al said. A good meal constituted of whatever fare was being served in the mess hall. Ed yawned but made no move to get up.
"I feel lazy," Ed finally said. Al chuckled at that.
"I think we should get a vacation after all that shit we went through," Ed muttered. He pushed the covers back, revealing his Auto-mail arm and leg.
"Yes, a vacation would be fun," Al agreed.
"Yeah," Ed honestly didn't hear what Al had said, he stretched and then stood. He was used to getting up at odd times, usually it was at this early morning state that he awoke, but sometimes he would sleep longer. It all depended on how bad the night before had been.
After he had showered and dressed (and after Al had redone Ed's hair) – the two found themselves in the mess hall. Something that was supposed to be eggs and bacon was being served but the eggs were grey and gooey, the bacon looked as if it hadn't been cooked properly at all and Ed wasn't surprised to see that he wasn't the only one who was having problems with it.
"They call this food?" he groused as he lifted his fork. The grey substance lopped onto the end of his fork mocked at him and Ed wished he could kill it. It fell of his fork and landed on his plate with a sloshing sound.
"Why, Fullmetal, playing with your food I see," someone said from behind him. Ed spun around and glared at Mustang, Hughes and Hawkeye.
"Shut up! I ain't playing and that ain't food," Ed replied. Mustang took one look and almost gagged himself.
"Looks like the slop they served in boot camp," he muttered.
"Then you should be used to it by now," Hughes laughed.
"On second thought, let's go out to eat, Hughes, it's your treat," Mustang smirked.
"Great, count me in!" Ed smiled.
"What!" Maes looked like he would have a heart attack.
"Oh! Come on! You can't let me starve to death!" Ed said, hanging on Maes arm.
"All right, all right, let's go,"
The trip to the café wasn't a long one, but it was a pleasant one all the same. Roy and Maes joked about each other, and there had only been one out burst from Ed about his height. Riza and Al were having a scientific conversation and all in all, it was peaceful.
The waiter at the café brought them their food in record time; both Ed and Roy pounced on theirs and it looked as if they were having a war of who could eat faster.
"Now, children, don't eat like animals," Riza said smirkingly.
"Don't call me a kid!" Ed snapped.
"I'm not an animal!" Roy snapped. They continued.
Ed picked up his water glass in order to take a break from eating. Roy had lost interest in the eating war and had decided to turn the conversation to something more pressing.
"The Doctor told you to drink your milk and take those pills," he said.
"What? Oh…water is better than milk anyway, it ain't as if I'm drinking some bad carbonated stuff," Ed replied with a wave of his hand.
"And about those pills," Riza asked.
"I took them this morning," Ed replied, then returned to shoveling food into his mouth. Al didn't say anything, he had given his brother the pills, they did it every morning before Ed went to take his shower.
"Has it gotten better?" Mustang asked.
"Yeah," was the only reply Ed would give them.
The boys were dropped off precisely at eight in the morning at the office of Doctor Stang. The man was an older doctor but he knew his stuff. Ed gulped as he was pushed into the room where he would meet the doctor once again.
"I don't like this," Ed said.
"I know, but Brother, you have to stay or Colonel Mustang with revoke your State license," Al said.
"Don't remind me! That man is a pain as it is," Ed muttered, he sat on the table with his arms crossed. Al just sighed and backed out of the room.
"I'll wait outside," Al said before closing the door behind him. Ed stuck his tongue out at his younger brother before Doctor Stang walked into the room from a second door way.
"I hear that you haven't been drinking your milk," Stang said.
"Milk happens to be the grossest thing in the world; I don't see why you have to torture me with it," Ed replied.
"I see, well then…you still have to drink it, and here are the pills you need," Stang said, handing a bottle to Ed, who pocketed it with a glare.
"I don't see why I have to do this," Ed said.
"It's for your own good,"
"Sure, so is getting shot in my good leg and spending months on end with alchemist's who think they can take over Amestris, right, that's for my own good as well," Ed muttered.
"That is why we are doing this, Colonel Mustang want's to make sure your doing all right. Now, let me see that leg, I think it may need…"
"If anyone is going to take a look at my auto-mail, it will be my mechanic, now are we done? Or are you going to make short jokes?"
"All right, all right, but make sure to come back in a month, just like before,"
"Yeah right, whatever," Ed muttered and made a beeline for the door. Al had waited outside like he said he would.
"We're done, let's get out of here before I decide to burn it to the ground," the two left the doctor's office; they passed many other officer's of the state and they all saluted Edward. Ed saluted back faithfully, he was glad when they finally got out of the building.
"If I had to salute one more time I think my arm would have fallen off," Ed groused.
"Maybe we should go back and have the doctor look at it," Al replied.
"LIKE HELL IF I LET THAT MANIAC TOUCH ME AGAIN!"
Al chuckled at his brother; "Then let's go report to Colonel Mustang,"
They didn't exactly make it to Mustang's office like they had first planned (well, like Al had planned) but instead they stopped off at a new book store, that sported all sorts of books, mostly advanced Alchemical solutions. It was heaven to Edward, and he browsed it for most of the early morning.
"Look at this! Alchemical designs: where the Transmutation Circles originated," he read off the title.
"Look at this," Al said, taking a book off the top shelf; "Alchemy's Stone of Life, do you think this has anything to do with the Philosopher's stone?"
"Maybe…we'll take that one just to make sure," Ed grinned. The book store had raised his spirits and Ed had procured two new books. These books were the only books in his collection, but at that moment he hardly cared at all.
"If we can make the stone without taking any life, that would be a plus," Al said.
"No kidding!" Ed agreed. With his nose buried in a book, Ed (with Al steering him) finally got to Mustang's office. The door was ajar and Al could hear the Colonel.
"Were is that little midget!? When he get's here I'm goeing too…"
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A MIDGET THAT YOU CAN'T SEE WITHOUT THE USE OF GLASSES YOU RETARTED OLD MAN?" Ed raged, kicking the door in so hard that it flew off it's hinges.
"Where have you been?" Mustang asked, ignoring the kid's temper.
"I was researching!"
"But we did stay at the Doctor's office till Doctor Stang was done," Al said. Mustang felt better when he heard that, but he wasn't going to let Ed get away with anything, not after the memo he had just gotten.
"It seems, Fullmetal, that you are taken quite fondly here at Central HQ. I just got a memo from Lady Gladys Gladwin about you; she has informed her husband to inform me that I must dismiss you from the army and then send you to their mansion, which is also located here in Central. She has decided that you need to be taken care of properly and that a young boy shouldn't be in the army,"
"What!?" Ed and Al both looked as if they would keel over at any moment.
"I'm not quite sure what to do now; but as it does seem to be orders…"
"Your really going to do it sir?" Hawkeye asked, not sure what to take of the conversation as truth, and what was royally effed up.
"No way! I've worked hard to get here and I am not giving it up," Ed said, stomping his metal foot as he did so.
"I'm sorry, Fullmetal, but it is not my decision, I believe that even King Bradley will get in on this, so here is what I shall do. I'll dismiss you like I have been asked and then I'll ask one of my own superiors to see what they can do about it. I'm sure if I heckle and call some of my favors I can fix this….however…"
"Equivalent trade, I know,"
"You'd just owe me a favor that I can call upon later," Mustang shrugged.
"What about Al, does Lady Gladwin know about him?" Ed asked.
"No…I thought I'd give Al special permission to continue your search for the Stone, while you go undercover and…well…you know,"
"Right, sure, I can do that," Ed said. He took out his pocket watch. The silver shone in the bright sun light as he set it on the desk.
"Feel's weird not having it," Ed muttered.
"It's all right, brother, we can fix this," Al tried to make Ed feel better.
"Like I said, but it might take some time," Mustang added. He almost looked sad to see Ed going out of his office, knowing that he wasn't on a mission and that he wouldn't be seeing Edward wearing the State Watch. Mustang sighed and took up the watch. It was in almost perfect condition; he opened it to see if the face of the watch needed repair.
Mustang was almost shocked to see the writing on the inside; What does he need to remember? He asked himself, but this was another mystery of the Elric Brother's that Mustang hadn't bothered to find out.
"I can't believe this!" Edward was talking to himself as he packed his things. Almost for good, he was sure that he was coming back to the army as a State Alchemist, he just didn't know when and that was what really annoyed him. Not to mention the fact that Lady Gladwin had to go and ruin his life….
"Brother, your coming back, aren't you?" Al's hulking body stood in the door way of the Army dorm they had been given.
"Sure I am, I'd never leave you…on my own free will," Ed added that last as an afterthought.
"I know, but…would you come back after you found out you were happy with Lady Gladwin?" Al asked.
"Look, I'll never be happy without you, my dear brother, if it hadn't been for you, I would be dead and then what would have happened then?" Ed asked. Closing his case with a snap. He had little with him.
"I think you would have gone crazy," Al laughed.
"Probably," Ed agreed. A honk from below told both that the ride to the Gladwin's mansion was there and that Ed needed to get a move on. But neither moved, neither wanted to leave the other alone. They had been together ever since Ed could remember. There hardly wasn't a time when they had been apart, and at the very least it had been at least a night or so, this seemed to be that they would be apart forever.
"I don't think I can face it," Ed whispered.
"I know, but we have no choice," Al replied.
"No fair, I'm the older brother," Ed tried to smile. The driver honked again and Ed wanted to pound his fist into the guy's face.
"Take care," Al said, moving out of the door way. Edward passed by him, but was caught up in a hug.
"I'll miss you! And I'll write you ever day!" Al promised.
"I'll write too and we'll find a way to get together again," Edward made his own promise.
Alphonse watched as older brother left the dorms; the amour turned on it's own to go to the window. He saw a black car in the drive way; the driver was waiting impatiently with a scowl on his face. It took forever for Edward to finally come out, his case was taken from him and he was hauled into the car. He hadn't put up much of a fight, but Edward did roll down the window of the car in order to wave up at Al. A final good by as the car sped away.
TO BE CONTINUED
A/n – this is my very first FMA fan fic. Please tell me if I have gotten anything wrong.
Ta,
Russë, the Sonic Alchemist.