(THEO)
I had my gun in the sleeve of my jacket, finger still on the trigger as I led them to the back of the jeep. ,
"Try anything funny," I growled, "And I'll blown your damn heads off."
"Angry little guy, aren't you?" Lee laughed. I glared.
"WHO IN HELL ARE YOU CALLING LITTLE?!"
"Theo," Alphonse warned, almost as if he'd done it a thousand times.
Oh wait.
"We don't mind sitting on the cargo, do we, Lily?"
The sister didn't say a word, or look up from her gaze at the sand, simply gave one shake of her head to answer her brother's question. I almost felt a pang in my chest for her. Pity? Why was she acting like this-
Then I remembered. She was a woman in Xing.
"Yeah, well," I grumbled, "I'm pushing the tarp back in the front so I can see you creepy bastards. And what Al said is true, you can keep the Xingese Princess. We just want the boy."
He nodded. "I've no doubt you're true to your word. Though the smart, beautiful Elicia in the lab coat seemed to know we were good tools in this task."
Elicia stiffened in the front seat, and Al pursed his lips, rubbing her shoulder sympathetically.
"We've met before, right Elicia? And we're is the lovely Sarah again? -Ah, there she is."
Sarah just glared. I'd never seen her act so...rude. I mean, I was rude twenty-four/seven. This was nothing new. But Sarah cared...about everything. Hell, the first time she saw Kain he was blowing up some kid right in front of her. And here they are in the jeep, his arm-tattoos and all-wrapped around her to keep her from trembling.
"I don't know your name though, little soldier. Mind telling us?"
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO LITTLE THEY NEED A-"
"Theo," Al called again in the front seat, stretching my name in a warning. I sighed.
"Theo, eh?" Lee said, his chin in his hand. "Nice name. That must make you Theophrastus Elric, born to Edward Elric and Winry Elric nee Rockbell, brother to Sarah Elric, nephew to Alphonse Elric and May Chang, cousin to Mia Elric-Chang, boyfriend of Maes 'Raven' Hughes Mustang."
Maes gave a little gasp at the mention of her former nickname, which no one had ever called her, ever.
Lee's eyes turned toward the noise. "Black hair, black eyes, flame alchemy gloves. No doubt the only daughter and middle child of the Fuhrer Roy Mustang, daughter to Elizabeth 'Riza' Hawkeye-the Hawk's eye of Ishval. Brother to Travis and Clint Mustang, the elder of which is deceased. Your name sake comes from your father's best friend, though you hate the name. He was murdered brutally leaving behind a wife and a three-year-old daughter who just so happens to be sitting in this car wearing a lab coat," His face broke into a smile as he turned his head back toward Elicia, who was stiff as a board, turned all the way around.
"Sarah," He said, smiling, "What about you hasn't been said? Your mother's a mechanic, your father isn't an alchemist but spends all his time in his study, reading up on the things he'll never have again. You're pretty lonely now that big brother's gone off to the Western Forces and boyfriend never comes home. Locked in your room, what can you do but draw tiny transmutation circles and make dolls and toys for the kids down the street? You hoped alchemy would bring your father closer with you, but your still no better off than Theo."
"And Kain," he said, the last one. "You were a hard boy to find out about, let me say that. You grew up in Ishval, son of the infamous Scar. I could find nothing on your mother, or did you even have one? They were killed when you were young, so I bet it must be hard to remember their faces. Stepping over the dead bodies of friends and family, you were rescued, only to be tortured and cursed with that horrid tattoo and all it's sins on your body. You've murdered countless people, many of whom were just whispering racial slurs as you passed. Have you even stopped it, though? The killings, I mean. Was Sarah really enough? And what have you been doing in Ishval that's taking so long-"
"Stop it!" Sarah stood up on the seat, screaming, hands over her ears. "It's bad enough we have to take you disgusting people, and now what? You're going to taunt us how you know us so much better than we even know ourselves and our friends? What's wrong with you? It's no wonder you Xingese people all see each other as tools-you can't even care like human beings! The only reason May turned out right is because she came over to Amestris-"
"May Chang is a disgrace to her clan and to all of Xing," Lee said finally. "She'll have some catching up to do before Ling dies, to make up for what she's done."
"...Catching up?" Sarah whispered.
"The emperor doesn't like to wait, the more concubines, the better."
Sarah yelped, before covering her ears and falling into her seat, pushing Kain's hands away.
"It's lucky she's so young, you know. Our mother was alive before Ling, she being one of the oldest children. She's quite old now, grey hair and all and it's doubtful she'll have any more children. But May needs to hurry and pop this one out, and get another one in there. She doesn't have much time."
There was silence as the jeep started.
"Lee," the voice was dry, hoarse, and I recognized it from the palace earlier. Alphonse. "You didn't say anything about me."
Lee smirked, not looking at Al. "We all know about you, Alphonse Elric. You, and your bastard back in the village. You disgrace the Chang clan. It's a wonder if the child won't be dead by the time you return."
Al leaned forward, closing his eyes as he pressed his forehead to the steering wheel. My stomach lurched, and I didn't say a word as Maes helped me into the back seat, and Al sat back up, watching our terrain. We were silent for a few minutes, with the exceptions of Kain's quiet murmurings to Ishvalla, that little Mia would be sleeping soundly in her crib, waiting for her mother and father to come home to her.
The car ride was silent, with the exception of Maes snapping her fingers, letting a little flame dance across her fingers for a moment before it died.
"That's a neat trick," Lee said, watching my girlfriend with interest. I pulled her a little closer to me.
"It wasn't a trick, you Xingese bastard," she grumbled. I smirked. That's my girl.
"It certainly wasn't a fighting move," he sighed, playing with the tip of his sword.
Maes gritted her teeth before smiling. "You're right," she said sweetly, raising her glove. "This is."
"Maes!" Elicia screamed, but the flames were already dancing toward the Xingese boy, swirling around him, stopping just short of the dark end of his ponytail before dissipating like snow flakes in an ocean.
Lee clapped his hands fervently. "Good move, eh, Lily?"
The girl nodded softly, not looking up.
"Why do you even bother her anyway," I asked, "When you know she's going to agree with you?"
He shrugged. "Lily and I are close. I like to have some one to talk to, especially someone who always knows I'm right."
Maes looked evilly from Lee to the girl. "We're out of Xing," she said softly. "He can't hurt you here. We'll protect you. I know being a woman in that country is hard, and I know how he must treat you-"
"My brother doesn't mistreat me," she whispered. Her voice reminded me of jasmine and waterfalls, soft but still heard loudly. She spoke with the grace of a queen as she raised her head softly, eyes still down cast. She had that air that allowed her to speak so softly and sweet, yet still command the attention of the room. That air of a queen. Riza had it, with her sweet voice, but her words were always firm. Lily's were softer and lighter, but held no less meaning.
"I love my brother, very much," she said softly, gazing at her brother's feet they way one might gaze at a loved-ones face, I guess that was the only way she ever looked at people. "He hasn't even mistreated me...He protects me-"
"That's enough, Lily," Lee said sharply, but his black eyes almost looked deeper as he put a hand on her shoulder, just as quickly putting it away. He sighed, before moving to play with his sword again, leaning back against the crates, propping his feet up on another.
"I want us all to be friends here, shall we? It takes a team to move a mountain," Lee said, smiling and holding out his hand.
Elicia whispered something Al, and he smirked, picking up the speed on his drive.
Maes glared, her upper lip coming up as she growled. "Fine," she said, "I'm not sure if I'm selling my soul, but if I am, it's for my brother."
Lee smirked. "I'll only throw you under the bus if you get in my way, Raven of Amestris."
Maes' lips twitched into a smile. "I could get used to this."
"We have orders to stop at a certain town before we go any further to check in with the Fuhrer," Alphonse said as the sun began to lower. "We'll be out of the desert soon, and there will be food and boarding where we stop."
I smiled, leaning back. "I like food...think they'll have any of those rice balls there?"
"I doubt it, white boy," Lee sighed, picking his fingernails with his sword. I sighed. Guess it was my turn for the racial slurs. Kain laughed next to me, and I kicked him half-heartedly.
"Too bad," he mumbled, "Those things were good, Theo."
He looked back at Lily, smiling. "Do you know how to make them, miss?"
Lily didn't look up, but Lee smiled. "Lily does know how to make them, but I don't think rice grows past the desert, does it? It seemed foreign to all you Amestrians, did it not?"
Kain and I frowned, but he looked back at the little Xingese girl again, as if gauging her reaction. He sighed before turning back around, hands folded in his lap.
"His Excellency will want to know about our latest additions," Elicia sighed, writing on a pad in front of her.
"Please don't refer to my father as that," Maes groaned, pinching her nose.
"Please don't stay too cross with him, Maes," Al said softly. "This isn't a place for grudges and hate. When you're out here fighting, a grudge or mean comment could be the last thing you ever say to a person. Last words are important in a life, no matter who says them. The last things you hear from a person are important too."
Maes tensed, Sarah, Kain, and Elicia following suit.
"The last thing I remember Clint saying to me..." Maes said softly, squinting at the sun, trying to remember. "I...I remember telling him at breakfast not to skip the sparring lesson. It was swords today, and I've always been really good at swords, and since Travis...I haven't had anyone good to spar with in a while," her face widened as she smiled. "He said, "We'll see.""
Al laughed. "That sounds like Clint alright. All brain, no wasting time for brawn."
"I remember Travis' last words were for Sarah...I was never mad at you for that, by the way," she whispered softly, taking my sister's hand before laughing. "Okay, maybe I was. But...I realized he knew I didn't need those last words for me to know he loved me. Every sparing match and bedtime story was enough for that," she said, tears falling onto my sister's hand. "But this beautiful girl who fell into his life just a few days before...how could she know? He really loved you so much, Sarah. I don't doubt when we got home, he probably would've never let you leave Central. He'd court you-Travis never wanted any of that proper stuff we were taught, he just took girl after girl out...but you'd be different-he'd buy you the nicest things, take you every where and anywhere...he'd get down on one knee...ask to marry you..."
Sarah's sobbing got louder, shaking. Kain sat awkwardly between the girls, trying to be invisible.
"He'd work for you, which Travis didn't do...he'd give you everything, Sarah...he would've loved you...I'm sorry he didn't get to," Maes looked up, eyeliner running in streams down her face, "Which is why I promised myself I'd make you my sister! If he couldn't love and take care of you, I'd just have to myself! Sarah, I'm going to make you the best sister you've never had! I swear it!"
Sarah's breath caught as Maes stood in front of her, pointing and sobbing, not faltering from her imperious stance. The car had stopped, but I didn't dare look away from the scene. Sarah stood, stepping over Kain, before collapsing on top of Maes, letting the older girl wrap her arms around her as they sobbing, sinking to the floor of the jeep. Kain scooted closer to me, making room for them. His head was down, and I swore there was a drop of something trailing down his cheek.
"Maes..." Sarah whispered. "Thank you...for loving my brother...and for loving your brother..."
"I'll love you one day, too, Sarah Elric," Maes said, "And if I have to give my life for yours, I show it to you."
Al turned around in my seat. "We're in the city, just outside of some slums. I didn't want to run into trouble, so I'm going to see if I can transmute a phone and connect to some lines over here to call us an escort, okay?"
I nodded as Al left, and I took his place in front seat. Elicia's head was buried in her book, but she wasn't reading. She was crying.
"Dr. Butler?" I asked. "Do you want to talk?"
She didn't respond. "You're thinking about your father, aren't you?"
The crying in the backseat subsided, but I didn't know if the girls were listening or not.
"The last thing he told me, was that he loved me, he had lots of work to do, but he'd try to get home early...he worked late that night, and he never came back."
Al was back not long after that, the jeep engulfed in silence. "I called the station not far from here, just a small troop. We're just barely past the border. We're still in Eastern territory, though."
I nodded as Al drove out a ways longer, until a police vehicle came in front of us, leading us back to the small station.
Al immediately went to the phone, while the men showed us our rooms-one for the guys, and one for the girls.
I kissed both my sister and Maes before I left, nodding at Elicia and the small Xingese girl."
Lee stepped in and beamed. "Cooool!" he said, running in and jumping on the bed. "It's bouncy! I want the bed by the window!" he sang. He found the switch on the wall, oohing and aahing at the marvel of the ceiling fan.
There was one other bed, and a couch.
"You take the bed, Theo. I'll take the floor," Kain said, moving toward the corner. I caught his arm.
"Naw man, take the bed. That must've been rough for you today."
He stopped as he stared passed me. "As horrible as it sounds, sometimes I wonder what it would've been like if Travis hadn't died, if she still would've chosen me in the end, not just the guy that was left over, you know?"
I clapped his arm. "I can't tell you that, but the fact remains that Travis is gone, and you are with Sarah, so why don't you make the best of it?"
He nodded softly, before going to take the bed with surprisingly no objections.
I curled up in the corner with a blanket Kain had tossed me, and went to sleep shortly after yelling at the slant-eyed idiot to shut up, to which he surprisingly complied. I did, however, hear the door creak open in the middle of the night, but then creaked right after again.
"Just going to check on my sister, little soldier," was whispered right into my ear. I almost jumped, but settled back down before grumbling, "If you touch my girlfriend, I will personally send your balls shrink-wrapped back to Xing."
"Looking forward to it," he said, before I heard the door creak again, and this time, shutting tight.