Here comes my generic Disclaimer (with a Scottish accent): Fullmetal Alchemist obviously doesn't belong to me. This story is an AU but I hope it'll be enjoyable. Thanks for the tens of readers who are still reading this. Reviews are also appreciated. Forgive any grammar mistakes I make. Thank you for all the readers and to those who have reviewed. Want a cookie for your trouble?
…
10:34 am April 11th, 2011 Flight A. East 21
Riza stands up to check on her two companions in the seat in front of her. The small space made it an awkward stand. "Mustang, are you teaching him how to play poker?"
Edward covers his cards. They are peanuts on the table that looked a lot like betting pieces. She can put two and two together.
"No—" Roy stutters.
"Go fish! We're playing Go fish!" The pair flashes innocent smiles at her.
"Right." She sighs in defeat. She's glad the younger Elric isn't as troublesome as his older brother.
"What are you looking at Alphonse?" He's sitting on the window gazing at the clouds, his golden eyes lit with amazement.
"I've never been this close to the clouds before. Brother and I watch the clouds sometimes. Once we saw a cloud shaped like Grandma Pinako!" His excitement is obvious in his voice.
"What do you see now?" She asks curiously.
"A horse with wings. Can you see it?" He traces his finger against the smooth surface of the small window to outline the figure.
She looks for a moment and then shakes her head. "Sorry Alphonse. I don't really have a creative mind." He laughs.
Then he looks down at his small hands. His expression changed. "I'm sorry, Miss Riza."
"For what?" She asks.
He rests his hands on his lap. "My brother and I, we're making your life complicated."
"My life is already complicated so don't worry about me too much." She lightly pats his head.
"Grandma and Winry will be fine right? They won't come after them will they?" His panicked voice concerned her but it's not like she can answer his question truthfully since she doesn't know if their enemies will attack the Rockbells again.
"I'm sure it'll be fine, Alphonse." She answered plainly.
Then the pilot announces that they'll be in the airport in an hour's time. The seat belt sign lights up.
"We'll be home soon won't we Miss Riza?"
Home? She thought. The word startled her a bit. She never saw any of her past residences as her "home" Not even her shabby apartment or her childhood house.
She nods and just gives him a small smile.
…
"So you were there longer than you were supposed to." Rebecca slyly looks at her friend. The car drifts a little bit to the left.
"Eyes on the road!" Riza scolds her. It seems that Rebecca's smirk has not left her face ever since she picked up the group from the airport. Her "Rebecca senses" are tingling.
"So what happened?" Rebecca could barely contain herself from excitement.
"Things, related to the boys. School stuff and Roy got injured so he needed to rest." She answers nonchalantly.
That piqued Rebecca's curiosity. "How did you get hurt Roy?"
"It's nothing too bad Rebecca. I just fell off the bed." He lied through his teeth but she believed it and took the bait he cast.
"That good huh?" Rebecca exclaimed and squealed. Riza just shakes her head in disbelief.
"Hey!" Sandwiched between Roy and Alphonse in the back seat, Edward leans forward from his position and pokes Riza on the shoulder.
"Hey! I'm hungry." Edward earns a jab on the side from his brother. Alphonse glares at his brother, his eyes saying, "Don't be rude brother."
Edward nudges back but he withdraws his previous comment and changes it to a more polite one. "I mean I'm hungry. Can we PLEASE get something to eat?"
Rebecca maneuvers the car towards the right, into the parking lot of a fast food joint. "You're just in luck. Burger Queen is in the way."
Edward jumped for joy when he heard Burger Queen. He is famished.
The moment they hit the parking lot, Riza's blood turns cold. She could feel that heavy pressure in her chest pulsating back, suffocating her.
One of them is here.
She jumps slightly at the feel of the older Elric's hand. The boy is dragging her out of the car and into the building. He is unusually excited for something. She can hear Alphonse voice from behind but everything to her is coming out as a blur.
"C'mon! Al and I are gonna get the Cyan model this time!" Edward anxiously waits at the back of the line and is now joined by his little brother.
"Brother, you could have waited for a little bit." He frowns at his older brother's impatient.
"Whatever, Al. Today is the day we get the last Cyan model."
"Oh you boys collect the toys here?" Rebecca asks, oblivious to the fact that to Edward, they're not toys.
"Not toys! Collectibles!" She ruffles his head, finding the boy's response adorable.
Roy chuckles. "I'll get us a table."
Then Rebecca's attention diverts from the boy and towards her silent friend. "Riza?"
She doesn't respond. Slightly frustrated, she pinches the side of Riza's arm really hard.
"Rebecca!" She rubs her bruised arm and glares at the brunette.
"Do you need a hug? Is that why you're making such a scary face?" Riza whirls her head away from her friend's prying eyes. She didn't know she's making a "scary face."
At the corner of her eyes, she sees the Elric brothers looking apprehensively at her. "I'm fine." She says to them with her eyes.
"Okay, what's going on? I feel left out." Rebecca pouted. She hates being out of the loop.
"Nothing, look we're next. Just order whatever you boys want."
After ordering, they start to head towards the table Roy saved for them when all of the sudden someone bumps against Riza.
The man rubs his shoulder and peers at her through his dark circular glasses. She couldn't tell what the stranger is thinking but her whole body froze. He's the one emanating this dark pressure. A cold smirk forms on his lips, as if realizing who she is.
"Hello, Miss Hawkeye." He utters softly, so that nobody but her can hear him. His baritone voice crawled at her ears and she jerks away.
"I'm sorry, sir" She hastily leads the boys to the opposite direction of the man.
Even he wouldn't be that stupid to try anything in broad daylight, especially in a public place, right? A voice chimes in her mind.
Riza trains one eye on the man's back. He is ordering food. Could they eat human food?
He is standing there, all snug in his leather jacket that is too inappropriate for this weather. A chain securely hangs across his black jeans that is connected from his front pocket to his back pocket.
He rakes through his spiky jet black hair before he shuffles around his pocket and takes something out but she couldn't quite make out what he took out.
"Riza?" Roy is stationed beside her, his brow furrows with worry. He lightly strokes her hand. The action does not escape Rebecca's naturally curious and nosy nature. However, it made no difference since Riza didn't react to it.
"I know. Try to grope her, preferably on her boobs. If she doesn't notice then we'll start worrying." Rebecca suggests.
Riza averts her eyes from the stranger and returned her attention to the group.
"I heard that."
"What are you staring at? Are you interested in that guy?" She looks at him from top to bottom and pursed her lips. "He is cute, in a bad boy kind of way. Oh I didn't know you like bad boys."
There are times when Riza just want to put duct tape over her friend's mouth. "Be quiet Rebecca." Riza steals a French fry from the boy's meal and chews on it slowly. She ignores her best friend's teasing and asks the boys if they got the toy that they wanted.
A short, disappointed "no" came from Edward. "It's okay brother. We'll get the Cyan model next time."
"Here. Let's exchange." The jet haired man had approached their table without any warning. "I have a nephew who's looking for the exact model you have to complete his collection." He appears friendly enough but that doesn't change the fact that he has the same presence as those "monsters" she had the pleasure of meeting in Resembool.
Edward oblivious to the man's true identity quickly agrees but looks at Riza for permission.
"It's fine Edward." She says in a calm manner but inside that unnatural vibe is digging in her.
"Thanks kid. My nephew will be happy with this." He grins at the boy and went away just as fast as he appeared.
"Well I guess it's your lucky day, Eddie." Rebecca claps.
Edward carefully took out all the parts of the toy one by one from its cylindrical shaped container. He and Alphonse assemble it swiftly and marvels at the erect robotic like action figure.
"All right boys. We still need to head home." With the pressure all gone, Riza can relax a little bit more. She did find it odd that the enemy would exchange toys with a child but then recalls something.
"You boys done with your food?" They both said yes and place all their garbage on the tray. They included the toy container in the pile.
With her back now facing the group, Riza dumps all of it in the waste can except for the container. She tips it and lo and behold, a piece of paper slides down effortlessly from the inside.
"Numbers."
A telephone number.
…
The East Apartment Suites. 20th floor.
After dropping Roy off his place, Rebecca raced here so she could showcase Riza's and the boys' new living quarters.
"Wow! It's humongous!" Rebecca claps cheerily since the boys' approval rating is a positive one. She happily gives them a tour of their place.
Edward jumps on the velvet couch and soon his brother joins him.
Rebecca peeks outside the door. Riza didn't come up with them in the elevator.
"Why didn't Miss Riza come up with us?" Alphonse huffed as he jumped down from the couch.
Rebecca locks the doors temporarily.
"Don't worry about it too much, sweetie. Your fairy godmother has an aversion to very, very small cramped spaces, like an elevator. I guess she couldn't do it today. Good thing her stamina is up to par." She was going to include another thing but thought that the innuendo wouldn't really be understood by the two adolescent boys.
Edward laughed at the fairy godmother comment. He's sure Riza wouldn't like that at all.
A knock is heard. Rebecca tries out the peep hole and sees Riza's unfazed expression through it.
"Tada! What do you think, Riza?"
"What do you two think?" Riza got an immediate response from the boys that they like it a lot.
"That answers your question." Rebecca takes her small little purse in her hands but as soon as she prepares to leave, Riza holds her back.
"Thank you, Rebecca. For finding this." She winks at her. "Hey you paid for it. I just went sky's the limit and did what you told me. I hope this isn't too grand for you." A warm smile appears on the blonde woman's visage.
"No. As long as they like it." The brothers had already turned on the television and are watching whatever cartoon is on.
"Don't spoil them too much." She teased and waves a goodbye.
"You boys should unpack. Go and see your rooms." Curiously enough, Edward made no protest as he and his brother run to their rooms.
She sits down on the couch and leans her head back against the cushion. They're really starting to grow on her. Then, she stares at the unlit screen of the television and watches her reflection. Her thumb brushes the wrinkled edges of the paper.
"Why not." She murmurs.
She punches in the number on the key pad slowly and painfully waits for several dials tones before someone picks up.
"Well well. I didn't think you would be calling so soon. I wasn't sure if you would be able to find my number." His tone is mocking and she could just imagine his sardonic grin.
"I guess I'm little clever than you think." He laughs.
"All right Chief. What can I do for you?" He said casually, as if they're old friends.
"The telephone number. Hiding it in the toy container. You obviously wanted to talk, so talk."
He makes a "tsk" sound. "Maybe I'm just lonely."
She was about to hang but he stops her. "Look its answers you want so its answer I'll happily give." She could hear a 'but' coming.
"For a price. Let's make a I'll scratch your back and you scratch my back deal." Riza knows she can't trust him but with the unknown being thrust into her face, what choice does she have.
"Why bother telling me anything?"
"Because I'm in my rebellious stage and I feel that it is natural to want to disobey your parents. Because I want to see my family anxious, worried-" He drawls out. "-scared. I just want to feel everything." Feeling a bit confused at this point, Riza silently ponders on what he just said. Why would they feel fear? They seem to be much stronger than normal humans.
"Up to this point, nobody has ever bothered to challenge us and it's exciting. After the Elric's mother died, the plan was to take the prizes and leave but then that General woman and her Ishvalian friend came along and that's when the fun started." She can hear something creaking in the background and a door being slammed.
"Trisha? Were you responsible for her death?" An unusual anger swells up inside of her but she keeps her voice in check, otherwise the boys will come out and wonder what's going on.
"No of course not. She died because she was sick right? That's how it happened." He is not being serious and his sarcasm isn't something she needed right now.
"But enough about that. Let's talk about tomorrow. I think you will like this. Go to Pelam Park at 9:30 am. Bring the boys with you. If you do, you'll fit right in." He points out. "I hope you like dogs."
"Dogs?" She passes by Pelam Park quite frequently and for what she has gathered people there bring two things: Their dogs and their children.
"Yeah Yeah. Dogs."
"What am I going there for?" He must think she's stupid or something to just do what he suggested. She might as well put a big red bow on the boys and hand them over.
"Relax Chief." He can hear how strained her voice sounded. He also could tell she doesn't like being called Chief. "This man has been hiding for awhile now. I believe you know him as Shou Tucker." The name is familiar but she can't put a face to the name.
"Maybe you'll get some more info from than you'll get from me. I'm sure you'll find him, enlightening."
"Wait. What do you what from me?" He makes another "tsk" sound.
"Nothing-"He exhales as if he's been holding in his breath. "-at the moment."
Riza accepts this for now. "Very well but what do I call you?"
"Me?" He actually sounded surprise. "You can just call me-" He pauses, almost hesitant of his next words.
"Greed."
…
Chapter end. Thanks for reading and you know reviews are always appreciated. It feels as though the story is going very slow, but that's just me or maybe you feel the same or maybe you just don't care. Also, pardon the "Burger Queen" chunk. I was too lazy to come up with something more original and I was eating a whopper. Don't judge.
Anyways, ciao and I'll have the next chapter in two weeks…*crosses fingers*
