For the full disclaimer, see Chapter One
KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!
"GO THE HELL AWAY! I set my alarm, I promised I'd wake up on time, now LEAVE!" Lynore was not a morning person by any means. Having had an extremely late night last night didn't help her mood. Burying her head under a few pillows, she tried desperately to ignore the frantic pounding on her door.
"Come on, Nori; let me in!" Immediately recognizing the voice of her best friend, Lynore flung her sheets off the bed, and flew out the door into the hallway. Jumping into the arms of her visitor, she squealed with delight loud enough to wake the whole building.
"FEURY! I missed you so much, how are you?" In her opinion, Kain Feury was the only man in the whole military worth actually talking to. Wrapping herself around him and showering his cheeks with kisses, she had completely forgotten that she was only wearing an oversized t-shirt and boy cut panties. It was only when she caught his blushing face aimed down the hall that she noticed they had an audience.
"Feury? Can't you two freaks re-unite in the apartment?" A very irritated Ed stood in the hallway just two doors down from hers. His pajama bottoms hung loosely on his hipbones, and it was the first time she noticed that his trademark automail was gone. At least, the arm was. Unwinding herself from the still blushing Lieutenant, she grabbed his hand and pulled him toward her apartment. Winking at the angry Ed, she smiled sweetly and waved.
"See you at HQ, soldier! Not a word of this to the higher-ups, ok?" Locking the door behind her, Lynore motioned for Kain to sit and busied herself in the kitchen making coffee. Carrying two mugs to the modest living room, she placed herself on the couch beside her friend, and hugged him again.
"Okay, I get it, I missed you too!" Kain was squirmy, and it made her laugh. He was the only man in all of Central that hadn't tried to make a pass at her, and she absolutely adored him for it. They had quickly formed a bond and had stayed close until she went AWOL.
"Why didn't you tell me you were leaving, Nori? I was really worried that we would find you in an alley somewhere. You could have called me." Kain was always looking out for her and she almost considered him to be somewhat like a big brother. He was the only one allowed to use any sort of cutesy nickname for her because of that. She didn't genuinely like or trust many people.
"I didn't mean to worry you Candy Kain! I'm really sorry," she pouted, giving him the biggest puppy dog eyes she could. Lynore had given him that nickname after way too much eggnog at the last HQ Christmas party she had attended. He hated it, but smiled anyway. He was just glad to have his Little Sister back.
"You were really lucky, Nori. Scar activated the circle right after you took off. We lost a lot of men that day." Kain blew on his coffee, sipping it carefully and grimacing at the lack of sugar.
"Yeah, I read the novel of a file that Mustang gave me on the Elrics last night. That's why I wasn't particularly interested in waking up this morning. Sorry for yelling at you. I just fell asleep two hours ago." Rubbing her eyes, Lynore reached for her coffee. She looked down, noticed her choice of pajamas and squeaked.
"KAIN FEURY! You were just going to let me sit here in next to nothing all day weren't you! Typical pig! I thought you were different!" Fake pouting, she stalked off to her bedroom to change into something decent. Stomping out fully dressed in a pair of low-rise black jeans and a men's a-cut undershirt dyed dark grey, she reached over and gave Cain a playful tap on the back of the head. Pulling her hair into a high ponytail behind her, she sat on the couch and folded her legs under her.
"Sorry, I didn't notice! You know I don't think of you like that, Nori. Not after all we've been through." Kain was the only one who knew anything about Lynore's personal life since she became a State Alchemist at 17. He was the only one she trusted to tell her secrets to. After years of using her 'skills' on people to learn everything they had to hide, she realized she had a few too many secrets of her own. But, her Big Brother was always there for her, never judging her.
"It's ok, Kain. You know I trust you more than anyone else in the world." Leaning over, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders in a hug before leaning back into the corner of her couch. "So, Lior is gone, the brothers got their Stone and now they're back to normal. Where's Alphonse? I was curious what he looks like outside the tin can. The only photos in this stupid file are years old." Lynore wondered if he was near as attractive as his older brother, and then mentally thrashed herself for even thinking that about such an annoying little twerp.
"Alphonse went back home to Resembool, and lives there with his wife and daughter. He hasn't even considered coming back to Central or trying to become a State Alchemist. He's very talented, but said he couldn't do that to Winry again." Kain was good for giving up information voluntarily. Lynore hated to think of having to use her skills on him; it was almost like incest to her.
"I'm glad to hear at least one of the brothers is finally taking a well deserved vacation. Those poor boys dealt with so much, joining the military at such a young age. More than any of us could ever imagine." Lynore knew right after she opened her big mouth that Kain would see through her little fib.
"Well," he said, "Not all of us Nori. I know you still think about-"
"No I don't. I've moved on, Kain." Trying her hardest to look indifferent, Lynore crossed her arms against her chest and stared at the floor. The tears threatening to pour from her eyes were clearly visible to him as he spoke.
"Then let me see your watch." He looked at her, gentle eyes pleading with her from behind his glasses. Grudgingly, Lynore handed over her watch, her heart breaking a bit more as he flipped open the cover.
The black and white image cut carefully to fit inside the watch pulled the tears from her eyes, and for the first time in years she found herself sobbing in Feury's arms. Shoulders heaving with violent sobs, she shoved him away, snatched her watch back and let it all out.
"FINE! So I'm not over it. I don't think I'll ever be!" Lynore stood up and walked away from the couch, leaving a concerned Lieutenant to rise and follow her.
"Sorry, Nori; I didn't mean to bring it all back. Let's just go, ok? The General is waiting to give the two of you a final briefing before you leave for Aquroya." Placing gentle hands on her shoulders, he guided her out the door and down the hall to the elevator. Edward was already in it and he held the door after Kain called out to him.
"What's eatin' her?" Edward had leaned over and was whispering to the man standing by him, taking in Lynore's splotchy face and tear stained cheeks.
"Forgive my attitude sir, but that is none of your damn business." The fierce protectiveness in Feury's voice soothed Lynore but shocked Ed. Feury had never spoken to another human being like that, let alone him. Usually subdued, this sudden anger was quite out of character for the man. Putting an arm around Lynore, Kain guided her to the car that was waiting outside the lobby. Placing himself in the back seat between the two alchemists, he passed her his handkerchief.
"I'm fine Elric; I stubbed my toe really hard on the way out of the apartment. Honestly, I thought I might have broken it," Lynore laughed nervously as she dabbed the traitorous droplets from her lashes. If there was one thing she couldn't stand it was when she showed any sign of weakness to someone she had just met. "I need to be more careful, I'm still getting used to the setup in my apartment. After years of tiny hotel rooms, you'd think I'd be able to better navigate a space that's nearly three times bigger." This was her subtle signal for Ed to drop it. He took it, and stared out the window to his right.
My Reunion... Let me show you it! HA! Probably one of my all time favorite Advent Children avatars. I know, I know; that has nothing to do with the story, save for my creative re-titling.
Again, let me know if you can find where I changed stuffs!
Qua
