Ed: (throws self face down on bed)
Sara: What's wrong with you?
Ed: mmm mrmmred
Sara: Huh?
Al: He said he's tired.
Sara: Why?
Al: He's had a tough week.
Sara: Hmmm... (suddenly peppy) Well maybe a back massage will help!
Ed: (lifts head) WHAT?!
Me: Oh this'll be good. Enjoy!
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Episode 10: Reunion
"I'm NOT going in!"
"Oh yeah? And why's that?"
"I hate this place."
Ed and Al stood on the front steps of Central HQ. They'd only made it halfway up the steps when Sara stopped at the bottom, refusing to go forward.
"If that's so, why do you hate it so much?" Ed asked, slightly annoyed.
"Because that BASTARD'S IN THERE!!" Sara yelled.
Ed just stared at her for few seconds before asking, "And?"
"I HATE HIM!! THAT'S ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW!" Sara yelled again in a huff and looked away, arms crossed. Ed could understand hating Roy, but he was also friends with the guy. They got along just fine...occasionally. Well, Ed wasn't going to just leave her there. With an exasperated sigh, Ed walked back down the stairs and grabbed one of her arms. Before Sara knew what was going on, she was being dragged up the stairs. "HEY! LET GO OF ME!!" she yelled, trying to wrench her arm out of his grasp. Ed stopped and turned to her, whispering, "If you don't come in, I'll throw you over my shoulder and carry you in.." He waited for a response, one eyebrow raised. Sara couldn't stand the idea of being embarrassed in such a manner. She came willingly behind them, and entered through the doors, muttering to herself.
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"Hey Fullmetal! Good to see you again."
"Hey, Fullmetal, who's that you brought with ya?"
"Quite the looker!"
It was obvious that most of the military had no idea where he'd been the past couple of years. Roy had told him that he'd covered him by telling the military Ed was taking a well needed vacation. What a lie that was. Now, various military personnel greeted or teased him as they passed through the halls. Sara added this as another reason she didn't want to be here. She felt so embarressed and was trying to hide behind Ed's shoulders. Ed just ignored the comments, waving to some of the more familiar faces as he passed. Al did the same.
"Hey, Al, d'you remember which one is Mustang's office?"
"I think we need to head up first, and it should be the fifth set of doors to the left." (Obviously, I don't know where it is either)
Once they were standing out his office doors, Sara tried sneaking away one last time only for Ed to grab the back of her belt to keep her from getting away. She growled at him as Al knocked on one of the large doors.
"Come in." called Roy's annoyingly smooth voice from beyond the doors. As the doors opened and they strode through, familiar voices greeted them.
"Hey! We heard you'd come back!"
"Welcome back, boys!" and various other things. I think you know who from-oh! and apparently Armstrong was visiting because Ed was given a bone-crushing hug and joyful greeting from him,..of which was so long I can't remember what he said. Armstrong still scared Ed a little. Al laughed, of course. Once Ed was placed back on the floor, Sara tried sneaking out the door again. Ed dragged her back into the room and shut the door, preventing her escape.
"Well, who's this? A friend of yours, Ed?" Havoc called from his desk. Sara ducked behind Ed again, wanting nothing to do with anyone in the room.
"What, Jean, you don't recognize her?" Roy said, standing, "So tell me, Sara, how are things back in Hyda?"
Sara came out from behind Ed, suddenly agitated, and glared at Roy, arms crossed. "Just fine, if you must know.." That when she noticed his eye patch, "So tell me, Roy, what happened to your eye? Did a pretty bird poke it out because she didn't like your tail feathers and practiced cliche?, or are you pretending to be a pirate so you can practice for the Halloween ball?"
Havoc and Breda snickered a little at her remark. Roy smirked, "You haven't lost your touch, Silverwolf. Or should I say puppy?"
"I'M NOT LITTLE!!"
"Sure you're not.."
"Sir, I think you should get back to your paperwork.." Riza warned, the click of a safety trigger sounding from under her desk.
"Yeah, yeah, I know." Roy sat back down in his seat and got back to work.
"Well, I guess while I'm here, I should say hi to one of the few friends I have here.." Sara sighed, turning to the door. Roy's pencil froze; he already knew what she was going to ask. "Do you guys know where Hughes' office is?" When she didn't get a response she turned and scanned the room. Everyone's heads were bowed, a solemn look on their faces. "What's wrong?" she asked, unaware of the vivid truth that hung heavily in the air. Riza made to stand, but Ed stopped her.
"I'll do it.." Ed turned to Sara and muttered, "Follow me.."
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Sara had a sinking feeling in her stomach as they entered the cemetery. When Ed stopped, Sara came around and read the name on the headstone before them: Brigadier General Hughes; Husband, Father, and Beloved Friend. She fell to her knees, stunned. It couldn't be, it just couldn't..
"How could this..who..when did he..?" she choked.
"From what I've been told, he was shot on his way home after a run-in with the homunculi. Apparently he'd discovered something important and they-"
"Which one?" she interrupted.
Ed was confused at first, but quickly realized what she was asking. "Envy" he answered.
Sara bowed her head, "Typical..killed by that shapeshifting bastard.." she muttered. Ed could see her shoulders shaking; she was holding back tears.
"I'll give you a moment alone.." he said, "I'll wait for you by the entrance." Ed turned and started heading toward the gate of the cemetery.
"No..Let's head back now.." Sara said, standing; her voiced wavered slightly as she spoke.
"Ok.." Ed answered, and they began their long walk back to HQ in silence.
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When they arrived back at HQ Roy's office had a cheery atmosphere once again. Surprisingly, Roy had finished his paperwork early. He was currently engaged in a conversation with Havoc and Falman.
"I'm going back to the hotel.." Sara whispered in Ed's ear. She had already started to leave when he turned around. He could hear whispering from behind him, but ignored it and followed her into the hallway.
"Hey.."
Sara paused, waiting for him to continue.
"..be careful, ok?"
She turned slightly so she could see him over her shoulder, a sad smile crossing her lips. "I will.."
"Ok. I'll-I mean, we'll see ya later."
Sara waved bye and continued on her way down the hall, her smile fading. Ed watched her until she disappeared down the stairs and returned to the room, closing the door behind him. When he looked up, Al was missing and every officer in the room was grinning at him. Armstrong had left earlier, and Riza was still doing paperwork.
"What?" Ed asked nervously.
"You like her don't you Fullmetal?" Havoc asked slyly.
A slight blush crept onto Ed's face and he tried to hide it with an annoyed glare. "What are you talking about?"
"Don't deny it, you have a crush on this girl!" Breda added.
"No I DON'T!!" Ed exclaimed.
"You know, Edward, she is quite a catch. Especially for a first love.." Roy commented.
"And she seems to be your perfect match," Havoc said, "You're both stubborn, you're state alchemists, you both have height issues-"
"I DON'T HAVE ISSUES!!" Ed's face was turning a light crimson color, out of embarrassment or anger no one could tell.
"The point is she's perfect, Fullmetal. If I were you, I look into dating this one." Roy advised.
"AGH! It's not LIKE that! We're just friends!!" Ed exclaimed.
"Sure..If you're wondering where Al went to he ran off to visit Gracia and Elysia."
Ed glared at him, now just plain annoyed. "So, now you're saying you can read my mind? Great, I'm glad we had this chat.." Ed turned to leave when Roy called, "Fullmetal.." Ed turned back around and waited.
"What?"
"Meet me back here at 1600 hours.."
"...oookaay. I'll see ya later, then."
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Roy seems to be too happy.. Ed thought as he opened the door to their room on the 4th floor. It seemed empty, dead silent..too quiet for his tastes. He shut the door quietly and looked around the dark room, flipping the light switch when he couldn't make anything out. Furniture was flipped, the mattresses of both beds -there was only two beds and a couch- on floor, the sheets missing. A door leading to an extra room that connected to the main one was barely hanging on the wall by one hinge. It was almost as if there had been a battle in their hotel room.
Ed checked his pocket watch for the time, as the clock above the beds was mangled beyond recognition. 2:35pm. Hastily stuffing his watch back in his pocket, Ed ran to the door of the other room, peering around the door frame. He found a similar scene, only the sheets were piled in the middle. He noticed the sheets moved slightly on occasion; whatever lay under them, he hoped it wasn't a homunculus. He'd had enough of them to last a life time. It was a silly thought, though, because he hadn't seen any since Envy was used as a sacrifice to open the gate.
He crept up to it slowly, old memories flooding his mind all at once. Once he was close enough he knelt down and pulled off the top sheet. It was Sara. Her face was turned away from him, so he couldn't really see it. She lay on her right side, her back to him, shoulders shaking from silent tears. She was holding her toy dog in a tight embrace; it must have brought some comfort to her.
"Hey.." he whispered gently, placing his left hand on her left shoulder. She jumped slightly at his touch. She knew it was him, it's just that she was used to feeling fur or clothing, not someone else's skin, on hers. "Are you ok?" he asked.
Sara sat up, not looking at him, and tried to wipe away her tears. "Yeah, I'm ok..just got a little upset is all.."
"Yeah, I can tell." Ed said, laughing a little.
Sara turned around, finally feeling happy enough to face him. "Yeah.. I-I'll fix it in a few minutes..Where's Al?"
"Hm? Oh! He's visiting Gracia."
"Maes' wife?"
"Yeah. You want to go?"
Sara thought about it and said, "Sure, why not."
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"Here we are." Ed knocked on the door while Sara looked around. Not much had changed since she'd been here last..She wondered when that was.. When the door opened she turned back around.
"Well hello, Edward. Your brother's already here. Come in." Gracia greeted happily at the door, standing aside as they entered the house. Sara followed Ed inside as Gracia shut the door behind them. "It's so nice to see. When Al showed up we figured you wouldn't be far behind."
"We?" Sara wondered aloud.
"Elysia and I. She was so happy to see Al that she knocked the poor boy to the floor."
Ed laughed. Sara was still confused. "So where are they anyway?" Ed asked, still laughing a little.
"If I'm right, they should be in the living room.. So who is this, your new girlfriend?"
They both blushed, "NO, we're just friends!"
"Ok, ok. Why don't you two go to the living room and I'll be back in a moment."
"Ok." Ed answered.
When they walked into the living room Ed was greeted by a fast hug around the waste.
"Hi, Elysia. Long time no see." Ed smiled.
Elysia let go and smiled up at him. "So where've you been? It's been a long time since you last came over."
By now Sara had figured out who Elysia was.
"I've been really busy lately." Ed answered. "So tell me, how old are you now?"
Elysia took a second and counted. "I'm six!"
Sara became lost in her own thoughts as she watched them. He's so good with kids.. she thought, He'll make a great father someday.
Elysia looked up at her and asked Edward, "Is she your girlfriend?" This brought Sara out of her trance.
"Why does everyone think that?" she muttered.
-----------------
"Al, Sara, I'll meet you back at the hotel!" Ed called as he ran out the door.
"Ok!"
Ed had almost forgotten that Mustang wanted him there by 4:00pm. It was already 3:50 and it would take 8 minutes if he ran, to get to HQ. Maybe more.
-----------------
Roy stood at the window behind his desk, watching Ed run up to the building. He timed him to see how long it would take him the cross the premises. 30 seconds later: "Sorry I'm late!" Ed said as he walked through the door. Roy placed his watch back in his pocket and turned around.
"No harm done, Fullmetal. Go ahead and sit down."
Ed sat in the couch closest to the desk and asked, "So, what do you want?"
Roy came around his desk and sat across from him. "Just a moment of your time. You've probably been wondering what connection I may have with Ms. Hatoshi, am I right?"
"Actually, I have."
Roy closed his eyes, thinking back. When he opened them again he said, "I knew her parents. They were both state alchemists, very talented in their fields. When they were off duty, they would come to HQ just to visit and they always brought their children with them.." He paused before continuing, "During the Ishbal Rebellion, they were shot by mistake. The military, as a sort of repentance for their sins I guess, cremated their bodies and brought the ashes back to Hyda for a proper funeral...I think I'll let Sara tell you the rest of that story. Now, a few years ago, there was a large fire here in Central. Sara had been nearby and had rushed in to save who she could. For whatever reason, once she saved those people, she ran back into the building. It was about to collapse so I ran after her, thinking she was trying to commit suicide. After the fire was put out, I told her she owed me one and she's hated me ever since." Roy leaned back in the couch.
"Why would someone hate you for saving their life?" Ed thought out loud.
"I have no idea. You know, she's a lot like you. Maybe more than you know.." Roy sighed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. "That said, how do you feel about her?" Roy asked with his trademark smirk.
"Why does everyone assume I like her?!"
"Because of 3 things: 1) your face says otherwise, 2) because you have a fit when someone asks, and 3) she follows you everywhere hiding behind your shoulders."
Ed crossed his arms, annoyed. When he didn't answer Roy's question, Roy said, "I guess it's too soon to ask. Anyway, the military is having our annual Spring ball in a month. I suggest you bring Sara along."
"Why?" Ed asked.
"Well, who knows, maybe by then you'll know her a little better." Roy answered. "Well, I'll let you go. I've got to get home early today." Roy said standing. Ed stood as well and walked over to the door.
"What for? You have a date or something?"
"Actually, yes."
"Who with? Some random girl off the street?"
"Not this time." Roy answered as he grabbed his coat.
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Back at the hotel..
"WHAAT?! Roy and Riza are DATING?!"
"I think so.." Ed answered after uncovering his ears.
"What was she thinking? A few years ago she never even considered going out with the guy and now she's dating him!" Sara said, pacing back and forth, "Does someone up there hate me?!"
"Feelings change over time.." Al added, "She probably just changed her mind about him-"
"Yeah, but still! Roy?! He's the biggest womanizer in Amestris and everyone in the military knows it!!
"Amen to that.." Ed called over his shoulder. He and Al were cleaning up the trashed hotel room while they let Sara fume for a minute. She'd made quite a mess in her fit of despair. But it seemed that visiting Gracia and Elysia calmed her down, and she'd moved on to something else. When Ed and Al finished, Sara was still fuming. So, they guided over to one of the beds and made her lay down while she still rambled on unaware. When she was covered and Ed has heard enough, he placed one finger on her lips, causing her to shut up in that instant. "Goodnight" they told her and turned off the lights on their way to bed.
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There ya go! Finally, episode 10 is finished!
Al: Now you can start episode 11.
Me: Oh so true, but first... (turns towards bed where Sara is straddling Ed's back while she massages his shoulders)
Sara: Just relax...you're so tense.. (starts humming some random song)
Ed: (moans) mmmuu mmiills mmeea (head's still in pillow, but he's obviously relaxed and happy)
Sara: What? (continues massaging)
Ed: (lifts head) I said that feels great (plops head back in pillow)
Me: (whispers to Al) He's putty in her hands
Al: (Snickers)
Me: Well you know the drill. Please rate and review, and we'll see you next chapter!