Well, here's the second chapter of Dual Sympathy. Hope you like!
Disclaimer: Like Ed is tall, I own FMA. Since we all know Ed is anything but tall (narrowly misses random flying objects), I regrettably don't own FMA. Like any other fan I wish I did. Poo...
Question. Is it "Hun" or "Hon"? You'll understand what I'm asking when you read it.
Dual Sympathy
Chapter 2
Clouds rolled in, covering the sky in a dreary gray that matched Roy's melancholy mood. He sat alone in his house, comfortable in his recliner in front of the fireplace, throwing his head back as he swallowed the whole shot of whiskey.
So much had happened since their disappearance. Some good, some bad. His recent promotion from colonel to brigadier general would be effective this coming Monday, as well as his subordinates'. They each had been granted a level higher in rank for their services to the Amestrian Military.
At this point, though, what did it matter? He had failed another of his men—two, to be more precise, even if Alphonse wasn't technically part of the military. And he felt so damn ashamed of it, so tired of being a failure. But what more was there to do? Legitimate leads were running thin and no recent sightings of the Elric Brothers had been reported.
Cold hands held the shot-glass between them, dulled oceans watching the few drops left at the bottom swirl as he moved the cup in small circles. Mostly melted pieces of ice clinked against the sides.
The grandfather clock behind him against the wall chimed, pulling the colonel from his thoughts. Blinking back sleep, he twisted in his seat and stared at the old clock for a few moments, slowly realizing just how late it was. 'Almost twelve. Damn.'
Roy relaxed his body, facing the fireplace again, and watched the wild flames behind the elegant black screen decorated with twisted and criss-crossing plants with birds and other small animals on various branches. A gift from his late mother years ago, one of the rare things he ever received from either of his parents ever since joining the army.
"Roy! How could you make such a rash decision!" Mrs. Mustang shouted at her eighteen year old son. Stiffly she walked up to him, black eyes hard and firm as they stared into Roy's equally dark orbs.
Before he could even think about reacting, she pulled back her hand and slapped his cheek with great force, enough to snap his head to the side and leave a red handprint. Skin at the impact point stung, the teen grimacing as he lightly touched it with one hand.
Ever so carefully he met her eyes again, his resolve ever-obvious and decision clear.
"There's talk of war, Roy. War. I am not letting them send out my son to die in a battle the people know nothing about." The woman sighed, lowering her hands to grasp her skirt, a normal sign of her distress.
Young azure orbs, free of permanent images of burning bodies and destroyed buildings, softened as he stood up and embraced the one who helped give him life. Holding her tight, he whispered, "I'm sorry, Mom, but I've already made up my mind. I'm going to join the Military as a State Alchemist and follow in my father's footsteps."
He pulled away, both of them staring into the other's eyes. Finally she sighed, leaning her head on her son's chest. Already he was taller than her. She cracked a sad smile, unable to help herself.
"You know they only accept one of the hundreds of participants to be their new Dog of the Military, as far as alchemists go," she murmured softly. Roy rested his chin atop her head.
"I know. But Riza's father taught me Flame Alchemy and I intend to use it to help and protect people who are otherwise defenseless." Strong arms squeezed gently before letting go.
"I won't forgive you for this, you know." the woman said, turning around and walking to the stairs. Roy bent down and picked up the brown suitcase beside him before leaving without another word.
A breeze blew in cool air from an open window, whipping gently through dark bangs over closed eyes. As if influenced by an outside force, the small gust of wind made its way to the small embers in the fireplace, blowing out the last of its dwindling glow.
FMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMA
Windows of the large buildings reflected the hues of the morning sun as it rose over the city of Central. The citizens, old and young, were out and about, busy with either play time, errands, or just leisure relaxation.
Roy picked his way through the crowds, refraining from literally snapping at the next ignorant person who bumped into his shoulder or got in his way. Last night he had woken up at three in the morning to find himself still in his recliner, muscles sore and joints stiff. Begrudgingly, he had forced himself to his feet, placed his empty glass in the sink, and trudged sleepily to his bed. And now he was paying heavily for such discomfort. He wasn't exactly young anymore, though not old enough to be "old," either. But that didn't stop his joints from protesting. Ungrateful little bastards.
The noise level was irritating—all the yelling of vendors selling their products, screaming of kids as they ran around playing tag, and random barking of stray dogs. He really needed to get to Headquarters before he lost it.
A headache threatened to form so he decided to take a back road, one he rarely took but knew of for these situations. His hangover was very mild but it was still there, and after all of the intense noise brought on by the busy people of Central bustling about to buy their weekly groceries and what not, it had started to get worse.
Slow circles of fingertips to his temples began to alleviate the building pressure in his skull, but only enough to be bearable. The walk was slow and nothing but the dark gray clouds above kept him occupied as he made his way to Headquarters. Small rays of light broke through thin cracks in the cloud-cover, illuminating random areas of the city, one being most of the entrance to the alleyway that lead to the street ahead.
As he neared the opening, a couple walked by. The female was latched onto her boyfriend's arm, head bent against his shoulder. He walked out just after they passed, listening in on their conversation, having nothing better to do. Maybe they'd gossip about something stupid that he could use as material to occupy himself with on his way to work. If it were good enough, maybe he could laugh at whomever it was they were talking about while he did his paperwork.
The girl pulled away slightly, and from what the colonel could see from his angle, a surprised look was on her face. "Seriously? That Fullmetal kid's missing?"
That caught Roy's attention. 'Time to change course,' he thought to himself as he turned on his heels and slowly began to follow the couple. He still had an hour to kill, so why not see if these people may have heard anything regarding his missing subordinate and his brother. He had doubts that the girl knew; she had seemed surprised to hear Edward was missing, which was strange, considering he'd been gone for a few weeks now. The guy, however...
"Yeah, Hon, didn't you hear? One day nearly a month ago he and his brother had been knocked out and kidnapped from their hotel room in...some city." He scratched his head, looking up at the darkened sky. "I don't really remember."
"Huh. That's too bad. They're just kids, really. Has anyone seen or heard from them since then?" The girl asked, pulling in closer to the point that if she tried to get any closer they'd fall over in a tangle of limbs.
"No, I don't—wait." The man paused, holding his chin with his free hand. Roy increased his pace, trying hard to remain incognito as he did. This random stranger may have heard something, anything that could help the "M.I.A. Fullmetal Case."
"I think there was this guy that had stayed at the hotel that claimed to have known where those boys might be." Roy's spirits just soared, his lips twitching in a pitiful attempt at a hopeful smile. However, all good things must come to an end.
"But I heard that guy'd been just let out of the loony bin and so the police didn't take him seriously. I mean, come on, who'd believe some drunk, half-ass, psycho—"
"Which could be our only lead to finding Fullmetal and his brother," Mustang cut in, suddenly beside the two. They jumped in surprise, eyes wide, bodies frozen in shock.
"Uh..." The male stupidly trailed off, blue eyes trailing over Roy's uniform. He caught sight of the stripes and stars signifying the officer's rank and immediately snapped into a sharp salute. The girlfriend glanced blankly between the two, confused as to what was going on, even more so as to her boyfriend's strange reaction.
"At ease..." Roy rolled his hand, signaling for a name.
"Entering Private Geroli, sir," was the reply, his hand lowering to his side. Roy smiled, though it didn't carry any hint off happiness. Just the knowledge of the possible futures of this boy, knowing he would become another dog of the Military and all of the horrible things he was more than likely going to be forced to see and do, just like himself back in Ishbal, sucked all of the life out of that smile.
"Advice from a colonel to a private," The colonel began, his tone serious. Geroli nodded, trained to be ready to listen to each and every order given by superior officers.
"Watch your back. Corruption runs high even in the Military. Whatever friends you have, keep close and help them help you. Trust me, when in a time of war or even just rough times, they can be the rock that keeps you anchored." Finally a light broke through all of that negativity, his smile becoming just a little genuine as he spoke of his close friends.
'Fullmetal and Alphonse could be considered up there. And because of that, I'll do all in my power to get them back safe and sound.'
Geroli gave him an odd look but nodded nonetheless. Coming from a legend, he intended to take such an experienced man's advice. It made his decision to enter the Military feel all that much more important.
Changing gears, Roy cleared his throat and met the brunette's eyes.
"I couldn't help but hear your conversation. You said there was someone who may know the whereabouts of the Elric Brothers?" Roy asked, folding his arms. He watched them as patiently as he could, but his hangover was starting to return full-force. Barely, just barely, he was regretting drinking that shot of whiskey the previous night. Thank goodness he had one workday of this week left before he had his weekend to relax.
Hearing what this soon-to-be private had to say was bound to cut that short. Could that be considered a good thing? It better be a fucking worthy lead.
"Uh, yes, sir. From what I heard, he was one of the guys staying on their floor."
Roy immediately asked, "Did you catch his name?"
The young man thought about it for a moment, his girlfriend watching him. "No, I'm very sorry, sir, but I'm afraid I didn't. It may have been mentioned, but I can't for the life of me remember."
Mustang sighed, one gloved hand falling to his side, the other resting on his hip. "Thank you. This may be a new lead we can follow after so many have gone cold. At this point it's all we've got." Roy smiled and saluted.
Without hesitation Geroli smiled, returning the gesture with energy and enthusiasm no experienced soldier gave anymore. And one day that naïve salute would be worn and torn into something akin to pure habit to respond to those who were said to deserve it, not to those you knew deserved it no matter what was said by those ridiculous rules of proper conduct.
"Have a nice day, sir." Geroli waved goodbye and the pair carried on down the street, but before they were out of earshot the girl asked a question.
"Who was that man?" She asked innocently. Just the way the young man jerked away, Roy could tell he was shocked, no doubt giving her an incredulous look.
"How can you—that was Colonel Roy Mustang, Flame Alchemist, famous hero of Ishbal..." But try as he might, she still seemed clueless. Now just out of comprehensive earshot, he could hear her sigh and suddenly bring up another topic, one that seemed to leave her boyfriend in the dust. There were some things guys were interested in, and others just girls understood. The latter of the two applied to the couple as they turned the corner, his head tilted comically to the side in defeat as he pretended to listen.
"Young love. Wonder how long it'll last." Roy paused then shrugged, turning to head back to Headquarters, his legs taking him quickly to his destination. "Like most, it probably won't last the end of the day."
Ten minutes later found him holding up his watch to gain entrance to the Military Compound. It was a large place, beautiful merely to keep up an image. They couldn't really care less how the gardens looked, or if the paint was new or peeling. Of course there were a few that actually did care, but as their priorities became straightened out during the course of their years working here, it usually dropped to the bottom or disappeared altogether.
Up two sets of stairs, down plain wallpaper-covered hallways, and through his outer office doorway, Roy walked through the larger room to his inner sanctuary, save for the paperwork he knew he'd inevitably have to sign. Though this new lead could get him out of it...
Hand still on the doorknob to his office, Roy turned to a heavy-set, short-haired, redheaded second lieutenant sitting at his desk playing chess with an older man whose hair was nearly faded to gray.
"Breda, Falman, I want you to look up who was occupying the rooms on the same level as Fullmetal." The sudden command snapped both subordinates from their game. The older of the two stood up and saluted, the other following suit, a confused look on their faces.
"You found another lead, sir?" Falman asked as he relaxed. Roy shrugged, turning the knob and opening the door.
"It's a long shot, but even the most unlikely and improbable lead could be the answer to our problem: the Elrics' whereabouts." Short speech finished, Roy left the two to their new jobs, the door shutting behind him with a distinctive click.
Just in that moment, Riza Hawkeye walked into the room, a stack of paperwork in her hands for the colonel to sign. The two officers were racing about, one on the phone dialing the hotel's number, the other digging through piles of closed-case folders, throwing ones that weren't his target to the side rather haphazardly.
A thin blond eyebrow rose, eye twitching at the sight of her office being ransacked for who-knew-what reason.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" She asked, voice calm but full of venom. Without her having to pull out her gun, they stopped what they were doing, glancing fearfully up at the blond first lieutenant they all loved but equally feared.
"Oh, hey, Hawkeye! Just looking for Ed and Al's case file." Breda grinned, holding up a folder. He finally looked at it and his grin widened. Turning to Falman, he said, "Found it!"
"Good. Now if I can just—Ah, yes, hello. This is Warrant Officer Vato Falman calling..." The rest was lost to Riza's question.
"Are you saying you two found a lead?" Just like the rest of the small group, she had been deeply affected by Edward and Alphonse's disappearance all that time ago. They were like sons to her and to hear they had been kidnapped was a "parent's" worst fear. Even after all this time there hadn't been a name or face to match the one who had taken them away. It had to have been someone strong, or at least smart, enough to be able to catch them off guard and knock the two out like they had.
Breda shook his head, confusing the woman for a moment. He jabbed his head in the direction of the inner office. "Nah, the colonel did. Came in not too long ago and asked us to come up with a list of everyone who had a room on the same level as the Boss and Al during their stay."
Riza nodded but wondered why he had suddenly required such information. Falman finished writing down some names on a scratch piece of paper, thanked the woman on the other end, and hung up. With a weary look he stood up, paper in hand, and walked it over to Hawkeye.
There were at least nine names on the list. For whatever reason, the colonel was interested in finding someone. And she was going to be the first to ask.
Falman politely opened the door for her, considering her hands were full carrying the two-inch stack of paperwork. Nodding her thanks, she entered.
Smoothly, Riza walked over to the desk, placing the neat pile of papers on top and purposefully in the colonel's full view. Tired eyes glared at the parchment, wishing so badly he could just incinerate them, claim he hadn't received any of the stupid waste-of-time paperwork, and call it a day. But of course he had his lovely first lieutenant who would pull out her gun and aim it at his head if he should so much as think about skipping out on the boring but necessary part of his job.
Damn rank requirements. Besides, how many people really needed his signature, anyway?
Looking from the blond back to the papers, he sighed, settling on a lot.
Five signatures in, he looked up, noticing Hawkeye was still standing there in front of his desk, reading a small slip of paper.
"Dare I ask what that paper's for?" He held up a hand as she opened her mouth to speak. Riza narrowed her eyes but let him have some fun. She could tell he would make some kind of joke, considering the playful smirk he was wearing.
"Wait, don't tell me. It's for more paperwork?" Again she tried to speak but he cut in, much to her chagrin. "Of course. What else could it be for?" He asked rhetorically.
Making sure she was making it conspicuously inconspicuous, Riza let her hand hover over her holstered gun, a silent threat that if he didn't let her speak, he would have so many holes in his body so fast, he wouldn't even be able to begin to fathom what hit him.
"Sir, this is the list of people you requested," Hawkeye told him, handing over the slip to Roy who looked it over, smirk long gone.
"Hmm...we'll have to narrow it down," Mustang murmured to himself before looking up at Riza. "Do background checks on all of these people. Search specifically for histories of being recently released from a mental institution."
Though it was a peculiar request, she would follow it. Not that she exactly had a choice in the matter.
Saluting, she said simply before leaving, "Yes, sir."
When the door was closed completely, Roy shoved the stack aside and leaned his elbows atop the wood desk, head in his hands. Hopefully, for both the sakes of the boys and those close to them, this lead would help Roy and his subordinates find the missing Elric Brothers before anything bad happened. If something hadn't happened already.
FMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMAFMA
Small lights mounted on the walls in far-spaced intervals flickered, but they didn't need any more light than the old lamps gave them. Besides, their materials were already in place. All that was needed now was to activate the array.
A bright blue light accompanied by sparks made the large room glow for a moment before it died down. Unheard before over the crackling of high concentrations of alchemic energy, the creatures', now creature's, sounds of pain faded into nothing.
Weakly, the two headed beast raised one of its heads, serpent-shaped with two horns aimed backward at a low forty-five degree angle atop its head, to look around. Quickly it was drained of whatever energy it had and soon joined its other head, that of a lion in resemblance, on the ground.
Whimpers rumbled from the back of their throats in conjoined unity, expressing the pain it was in, how much it was hurting. From the shadows, the brown-haired scientist stepped forward, kneeling in front of its heads. Two sets of eyes managed to meet his soft, sympathetic pair. Confidently but kindly he reached out, stroking its feline head like a master to their pet.
"It's alright, my pet. The pain will disappear shortly. You will be alright." He didn't expect it to understand him, but from past experience dealing with animals, mainly chimeras, he knew that just the soothing sound of one's voice and a few soft touches of comfort not only calmed the creature down, but also began the formation of a bond between creator and chimera.
"Your pain shall be over soon," he reassured as he stood up. Still trying to catch its breath, the chimera curled up on itself and closed its eyes, trusting this human that nothing would happen to it. He was the only thing in its world of pain and severe confusion that made sense, and like any desperate creature, it was going to hold onto its only stationary pillar in the massive flood of mixed thought and burning nerves.
Out of its view, the scientist looked over his shoulder to one of his assistants and nodded. Silently he watched from against the wall, arms folded and face blank, as one of his men attached an array drawn in human blood onto its skin and activated it.
Without so much as a cry, the creature's soul was expelled from its body, another soul taking its place. A partial one, at best. Throughout their tests they hadn't been able to fully attach a soul yet, but as time went on, they were making progress and he hoped they would finally have a breakthrough with this one.
In a smaller room adjacent to the one the chimera was created and killed, two golden eyes jolted open from within their owner's glass container. Seconds later they drooped weakly, the prisoner's body shaking slightly until finally fatigue of a non-physical kind made their now-glazed eyes close.
'Help...me...' was their last pleading thought for anyone to save them before falling into darkness once again.
VERY IMPORTANT NOTE!!! Once the next chapter of Soul of the Guardian, Aquamarine, and this story, Dual Sympathy, are all posted, I will be putting up a poll on my profile and the story that will be most focused on will all be up to YOU readers! So please for the sake of yourselves and the other readers, VOTE! And review. Reviews are nice. They're like chocolate...yums...
Oh! And one last thing I almost forgot to mention. I have started thinking of ideas for a sequel to my oneshot Edvy. I have the Prologue typed up and some, if not most, of the first chapter typed up as well. I randomly started thinking about it recently, especially now that the actual writing part of my writer's block has been mysteriously and sudden lifted. Kinda odd how that happened, but I'm not complaining. XD Let me know your opinions on this too, please!