Summary: Anne, a new teacher at Central, finds herself caught in a mess that involves the military, alchemy, homunculus, and romance. Can she handle hell that is Central, or will love overcome her fears? HavOC
Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Alchemist or any of its characters.
Through Thick and Thin
Chapter 2: A Warm Welcome
"Well Ms. Mustang, welcome to Central," Havoc said, escorting Anne out of the military base. Anne stepped out. The last time she had been in Central was the end of her academy years and things had certainly changed, especially the military men. She quickly looked back at her escort and frowned. He was young and handsome; she didn't expect so many men to be so young. She remembered the young Fuery who had introduced himself with such gusto. Men like him didn't belong on a side of a line, armed with a gun, killing people. She couldn't bring herself to imagine Fuery being a murderer. He didn't have the eyes of a killer.
She followed Havoc down the steps and away from the base, leading her straight into the social heart of Central, the marketplace. Everything had changed, Central was, simply put, alive. She watched excitedly at the hustle and bustle of city life. Central was filled with people, young and old. She followed Havoc as he expertly navigated his way through the city, but she found it hard to keep up. Maybe a tour during lunch hour wasn't the greatest of ideas.
"Lieutenant!" she called, reaching out to grab his arm. He turned his head and grinned; he continued to walk.
"Touching me already? You don't even know my name yet ma'am," he said playfully, though slowing down for her sake. Anne smile didn't falter; instead she smirked and grabbed his arm with even more intensity. Jean watched the woman before him with amusement. Ms. Mustang was much different from Anne. The Ms. Mustang he met was shy, uptight, and obviously a teacher. The Anne he was escorting now was daring, fun, attractive.
No, no. He shouldn't to think of her that way so soon. But… This was one woman the Colonel couldn't, in a sense, steal. He grinned. She was his sister; the only thing he could do was… fire him. The grin on his face quickly faded. As the Colonel's younger sister, she was considered forbidden fruit, and he didn't want to lose his job yet. But Havoc let his gaze roam over the woman before him. Though a bit disheveled from fighting the crowds, she still managed to look reserved. Although she wasn't as full figured as many of the ladies he had "befriended", she was lean, even muscular under her clothes. Her small hips stood out under the tight fabric of her skirt. He watched them sway as she powered past people to make her way towards him.
Maybe it was worth losing his job anyways? He watched her with interest until she reached him.
"I don't want to get lost in the big city…"
"Jean," he said, taking her arm and maneuvering her out of the crowd. He grinned when she followed without hesitation.
"Jean," she repeated. He was French.
When they finally made their way out of the crowds, she released his arm. Taking a spot next to him, she followed him as he showed her the marketplace while avoiding the masses of people. As he led her around, she noticed a trend: Jean Havoc was good at pointing out restaurants and bars.
He was a womanizer, like her older brother.
It made sense. A man like him was sure to attract a lot of women. He was French, tall, blonde, muscular, a military man. Now she was curious; she wanted to know more about the man beside her. She asked Jean to stop somewhere, claiming she was "tired." She was far from tired. She was excited, she loved learning. Jean, being the gentleman he was, led her to a café right on the outskirts of the marketplace and sat her down at a table. The waiter, a busty, blonde woman walked straight up to the table, a frown on her face.
"Jean," she stated dryly. Anne held back a chuckle. Who was this woman? According to the expression on her face, she was most likely a former flame. The woman didn't even ask Jean for his order; instead she scribbled on her notepad and turned to face Anne. Jean must have come here often.
"And you?" she asked wryly. Yes, the woman most likely was a former flame, most likely one that didn't like seeing her ex-flame with another woman. Anne ordered a glass of water and focused her attention on Jean. He was staring towards the direction of the blonde, a scowl on his face. Call it a sin, but Anne wanted to know more about Jean's relationship with the woman.
"Thinking about something?" she asked casually. He broke from his trance and averted his attention to her. He spit out the cigarette that had long died out and shook his head.
"Nothing particularly interesting," he said, "Just thinking about work and stuff."
Lie.
"Oh really?" she said, feigning interest. "That blonde woman sure was pissed at something…"
She noticed the flash in Havoc's eye. She was on the right track.
"Nah, it's nothing too big," he said, "Just an old friend…"
"Old friends don't treat each other like that."
Havoc grinned and responded, "Nosy aren't cha?"
Anne smiled innocently, "I'm a teacher, I love teaching students. But I love learning too. It's in my nature to ask questions and be curious. Does that bother you?"
"Nope," he said, "But you better watch where you stick your nose here in Central. Not everyone is lenient as I am."
She ignored his warning and continued their conversation.
"So, tell me something about yourself."
"Me? I'm nothing exciting. My parents own a general shop. I'm a simple military man with simple needs. Know what? Let's get to know you," he said, changing the subject to one he would enjoy, "Tell me about yourself."
"Well, I'm assuming that you're interested in Roy and I. I don't know the details exactly, but Madame Christmas said that her brother, my father, was ill and couldn't take care of Roy and I. Apparently, my mother died after giving birth to me. After father's death, Madame took us in and took care of us. The minute she adopted us, she gave us all an education.
"Roy became interested in fighting and alchemy while I was interested in knowledge. Madame always said that if Roy and I were combined, we would be the ideal citizen: the educated military citizen trying to better Amestris and save it at the same time. But we're not very similar. I mean, Roy was a good student, but I was way ahead of him. He was older than me, but I was in the same grade level as him. I skipped a few grades here and there, and graduated early. Then I continued learning and I eventually started teaching in the West.
"Now here I am, in Central, ready to teach and learn more. I love teaching, I love learning. I don't like violence at all; the only violence I really approve of is self-defense. Even then, I don't consider that violence. I appreciate the military, but I feel like there are alternative methods of peace.
"The whole Ishvalan war killed me. When Roy told me he was going out to fight in the war I was so mad at him. I told him that if he went out to Ishval, then he would lose everyone and everything. He would lose Madame Christmas, the sisters, and he would lose me. I told him he'd lose his humanity, his sanity, and his soul… But he went out anways, and that was the last time I spoke with him since earlier today.
"When I was approved for the transfer, I immediately contacted the Madame since she currently lives here. She told me that Roy was transferred here as well after his promotion and that I should go visit him. I almost didn't want to, but she told me that I was the only family Roy had and he was the only family I had. And it hit me how much I missed my brother… So I came to visit him, only to see he has a new family: you and the team."
Anne stopped speaking to sip on the glass of water before her. She looked at Havoc, waiting for a reaction. He was still; it was the first time he heard of her. He then asked, "Why hasn't the Colonel said anything about you?"
Anne took a deep breath. She knew why, and she hated it.
"Well," she began, "before he left for the war and I told him he would lose everything and me, I also told him to not bother remembering me. I said 'If you're going to sell your soul to the military, then do it! But don't expect me to be the same as before. If you join the military and leave for Ishval, then say your final goodbye. I don't want to mourn over a dead brother, I don't want to lose my only family.'
So he apologized and just left. I'm assuming he didn't mention me because… it hurt. But when I walked in today, I didn't expect him to act so casual. I almost expected a lovely, sentimental brother-sister moment and crying. But it never happened so I blew it off and pretended it wasn't a big deal."
"Huh," was Jean's only response. She looked out the window and stared into the darkness outside. He left a bill on the table, and gestured to Anne to follow him. Though she was confused on where they were going, she followed him anyways. She wasn't too well acquainted with Central to be venturing around on her own. She followed him out of the shop in silence, watching him maneuver his way through the maze of Central. After a few minutes of walking, she found herself back at Central, with Jean holding the door open. He led her to Roy's office and let her in. She saw Roy slipping on his coat, getting ready to leave.
Roy looked up with a smile, "Oh you're back?"
Anne was about to respond when Havoc spoke up, "I'll let you two have your moment." The door slammed shut. Anne stared at the door for a second and back at Roy, who stood in silence. The two siblings stared at each other, finally relishing each other's presence.
"It's been so long…" Anne mumbled. Roy nodded and removed his jacket, carelessly throwing it on the floor. He made his way towards Anne and surprised her with a tight embrace. Though she was a little slow to react, she hugged him back, fighting the tears that threatened to spill down her face. The two hugged in silence; words were not needed.
"I'm sorry," Roy said solemnly. Anne shook her head and retorted, "You're an idiot. I'm the one that's sorry. I was acting all high and mighty, like I knew how to run the world and demanded things from you that you couldn't offer."
"The war changed me," he admitted, sitting on the couch against the nearby wall. Anne joined him.
"I saw so many people die," he said, "and I was the reason for so many deaths. My flames, my alchemy were the cause of so many people's death. I'm a murder. I thought going into the war would help and save Amestris. I thought the Ishvalans were bloodthirsty. If they were to attack Madame Christmas, or the sisters, or you, I never would have forgave myself. So I went out to fight, so I wouldn't have to see anyone get hurt.
"But I saw so many get hurt. Anne, you were right. There must have been another way to deal with the war without killing so many. I've learned so much about the war lately and about the Ishvalans. Death scares us all. It makes us all do crazy things. Death and fear will drive us all insane."
Anne sat with her brother who had his face buried in his hands; he had changed. On the outside, he was the same Roy, but on the inside… Roy Mustang had been affected by the war in horrible ways.
"It's okay Roy. We've all done things we regret, but we have to live with them and move on. We're not god, we're not perfect. We're humans. The best thing we can do is stand with each other," Anne said, grabbing her brother's hand, "I'm here for you. I'm family; nothing can ever take that away."
Roy smiled and looked up at the young woman before him. She had grown up too much and he regretted not being there to watch her. But she was right. He spoke.
"It wasn't easy moving on… Being part of the military, you get reminded of your sins all the time. They call me 'The Hero of Ishval.' I hate being called that; I don't feel like a hero."
"You may not feel like a hero," Anne said, "but you're a hero to me. You're the perfect older brother, so stop being so down."
They grinned in unison, their similar signature smirks were a constant reminder of their siblinghood. Taking her hand, Roy led her out of the military base and into his car.
"Where are you staying?" he asked. She grinned sheepishly.
"Well, I was planning on staying at Madame's for a while… Female teachers don't make as much money as Colonels, you know," she said. Roy shook his head.
"We'll get your bags, you can stay with me."
Anne smiled. Just like old times, she mused.
