Hmm Ember's feeling lazy today so just some review responses before the story...
Kuchaki- Yes, Roy is occasionally capable of doing the right thing. Strange. Don't worry though, there'll be plenty of things at Roy's expense coming... and not just in this chapter either... Ember loves making Roy sweat (in the terrified way. Just in case that got misinterpreted.). XD
HyperTails23- Thank you for such an honest review. This is Ember's first fanfic like ever (she wrote it long before anything else and then kept all the fundamental details and fixed a few words here and there) and it was a kind of trial and error thing. Looking back now that you mention it she's like "Wow. They're kinda sorta really pathetic and that makes no sense." She guesses her logic at the time was spending 24 hours a day with someone like they did does tend to bring people closer faster. But it was still OOC, and she thanks you for pointing that out and makes a mental note to torture her characters longer before making them so readily dependent and pathetic.
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The Acquiring of Knowledge
Chapter 10
Sarah began to clean up her worktable. She couldn't do any more. Her ability to concentrate was gone. Roy would be furious—a month had passed and she had barely made any progress. She had translated 10 pages or so, but there was still so much more to go.
Suddenly the door opened and a voice said, "I'm supposed to talk to the head researcher here."
She froze. She knew that voice.
Slowly, struggling to control herself, she turned around and saw an even more familiar face framed by golden hair. "Edward!"
"Sarah?" He sounded just as surprised and happy as she felt.
She couldn't take it any longer. She ran across the room to his open arms, practically tackling him.
He chuckled. "Missed me, huh?"
"You have no idea," she muttered.
"Actually, I think I do. It's been hell."
"Yeah. Let's not try that again."
"Agreed."
At about that point, she remembered that they weren't alone. Her assistants were still there. She turned her head, unwilling to let go of Edward. Sure enough, they were staring at her and him. "What are you looking at?" she demanded.
There was no reply. She turned back to Edward. "What say you we ditch the spectators?"
"I couldn't agree more."
She smiled. "I knew you would see it that way. In that case, I know a nice secluded area on the outskirts of town."
"Oh! I forgot I actually was sent here for a reason. Our dear general—" she noted Ed's sarcasm—"would like to convey his utmost apologies."
Her eyes narrowed. "Thanks. You reminded me I have to deal with him. You might not want to see this," she warned.
"Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss it for the world. Although I think Colonel Hawkeye beat you to it."
"He needs another dose of chewing out. It'll do him good."
"Did I ever say otherwise?"
"Well, no," she admitted as they looked for Roy. Finally they found him leaving the commander's office. "Hey, Roy! Come here for a second!"
Roy turned to face her. As soon as he saw her furious expression he turned slightly pale. At least he wasn't trying to excuse himself. That would have only made things worse for him. "You need something?"
"Yeah. You. Outside. Now."
Roy slowly complied. As soon as they were outside Sarah's foot lashed out. Roy went down, grimacing.
Sarah wasn't done. "Roy, you idiot! What were you thinking, sending me out here like this!? Oh, I know! You weren't!"
Roy struggled to say something. Sarah slapped her hands together and transmuted the dirt under him to hold and gag him.
"I'm not finished!" she snarled. "Do you have any idea what it's been like out here!? I've gone through hell, and it's all your fault!" Another flash of transmutation, and Roy found himself facing down a very sharp spike.
Suddenly Sarah felt a hand on her shoulder. "That's enough for now," Edward said softly. "I think you've terrorized the poor general more than you intended to."
"I intended to murder him!" she grumbled, but she reversed the transmutations. Roy was free to move and talk. "Well? Get up!"
Roy hurried to comply. Sarah sighed. "Get out of my sight," she muttered, dropping her head into her hands.
As Roy hurried away, Sarah turned to Edward. "Thank you."
"No problem. I don't think you really want to hurt him, so…"
"No, I don't. Come with me." And Sarah began to walk, with Edward following close behind.
~*~*~
Sarah led Edward to the fringe of a wood on the outskirts of town. "Come on," she said. "I've been dying to see what this place is like, but I was afraid…"
Edward knew how that sentence would have ended, even though she had trailed off. He would have been afraid of remembering, too. That wood might have reopened wounds, forced unwanted memories to the surface. But they were together again. Together they could face it. "Well, then, let's go."
Together they walked through the wood, soon coming to a creek. "Let's follow this," Sarah said.
"All right. Lead on."
Soon they came to a bend in the creek where it widened out a little. Rocks in the creek made the glittering water ripple. "It's beautiful," Sarah murmured. Finding a fallen tree right near the creek, she sat, taking off her shoes and dangling her bare feet in the water.
Edward sat next to her in comfortable silence for a while, watching the movement of the water and Sarah's face in turns.
Finally Sarah broke the silence. "I missed you. A lot."
"I'd say the same, but I have a feeling it would be an understatement."
"Yeah. Hey, Edward?"
"Yeah?"
"Let's take some time off and go to Risembool again."
He couldn't think of a better idea. "Well, then, let's go negotiate with the man you almost killed."
"Do you really think I would have killed him?" Sarah seemed a little ashamed of her actions.
"I don't know what you would have done. You were a little scary." Actually, she had been very scary, but he wasn't going to tell her that.
"Guess I'd better apologize for that."
"He deserved it. Even though he did send me to apologize for him."
"He did?"
"Yeah. I was supposed to send you his sincerest apologies, but I got a little sidetracked."
She laughed. "Well, so did I. It was a little surprising to see you, to say the least. Not that I minded at all."
Comfortable silence enveloped them again as they sat on the fallen tree quietly holding each other.
~*~*~
Finally Sarah broke the silence again. "We'd better get going. We wouldn't want people to worry about us, now, would we?"
"No, I guess not. But could you imagine the general's face? It'd be priceless!"
Sarah chuckled as she jumped off the tree. Suddenly she had an idea. While Edward wasn't looking, she cupped her hands and dipped them in the creek. Then she threw the water she had collected at him.
He jumped about six inches straight up in surprise, then turned to Sarah. "All right, now you're asking for it," he threatened.
"Asking for what?" Sarah asked, trying and failing to keep her face straight. Shortly after she asked that she was soaking wet. "Hey! No fair, transmuting a bucket!"
"I don't think any rules were established. Therefore it's perfectly fair."
Cursing Edward's logic, she prepared herself for the water fight of her life.
Five minutes later they had to stop the fight because they had both collapsed due to laughter. Edward pronounced it a draw because they were both thoroughly soaked. "Although I do think I should get points for creativity," he added.
"Creativity? You mean cheating?"
"Hey, they both start with 'c'. That's close enough."
"Not really. But you can keep thinking that if it makes you feel better."
"It does."
"Well, it shouldn't."
"Do you really think I care if it should or not?"
"No, not really."
"Good. Glad that's established."
There was nothing whatsoever Sarah could say to that. It was just too childish to deserve a proper comeback. And so, standing up, she began to walk the way they had come, knowing that he would catch up.
Sure enough he did. After retracing their footsteps for a while, she asked, "I wonder what everyone will think when they see we're soaked."
"I don't know."
"Me neither. And you know what? I don't really care."
"Exactly my point of view," Edward grinned.
When they had almost reached the edge of the wood, Edward stopped moving. Sarah turned around. "What is it?"
"Oh, nothing," Edward replied, drawing her into an embrace. "Just something I figured I should do while we're away from other people."
While Sarah was trying to figure out what exactly he meant by that, he kissed her.
It was far better than Sarah had remembered, being with him like this. The gentle way he held her and the sheer love she felt coming from him made her lightheaded and weak-kneed as she returned his kiss.
All too soon they pulled apart and continued their return to Western headquarters hand in hand.
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Thanks for reading!
Ember and Rags to Riches-- the mutant penguins