"Sergeant Fuery."
"Do...Do I know you?" Fuery eyed the man in black warily-he'd approached out of nowhere while the sergeant was heading home.
"No, but I know you." The man answered. "Master Sergeant Kain Fuery. Communications expert, real whiz with radios. Currently serving under Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist. I want to talk to you"
"I'm afraid I'm busy—" Fuery backed up and met a wall of flesh. Startled, he looked back. Two men—where had they come from?—stood behind him, their expressions decidedly unfriendly. One was built like a brick wall, towering over Fuery like a giant. The shorter one put a hand on his hip, drawing attention to the sword hanging from it.
The man in black smiled, showing oddly pointed teeth. "You can make time."
Fuery shrunk back in the plush leather booth, feeling more anxious than he ever had in his life. When the man in black had insisted on a "talk," he'd expected to end up in a dark alley or an abandoned building. Instead, he'd been marched to the most luxurious restaurant in East City. The two minions were sitting in the booth behind them. The man in black sat across from him, perusing the menu as if there was nothing out of the ordinary happening. Maybe this was normal for him; maybe he routinely kidnapped people and forced them to discuss sensitive information over gourmet dinners. Fuery, however, was not at ease. Not at all.
"The steak here is supposed to be good. But you can get steak anywhere; at a place like this, you want something special." The man commented, frowning at the menu. "What are you going to order, Kain?"
"I'm not hungry." Fuery's eyes flitted to the exit. If he distracted the man's minions, he might be able to make it—
"You're really jumpy, you know that?" The man grinned at him, pointed teeth flashing under the chandelier's light. "Chill out. How about some dessert? I hear their pastry is killer."
Fuery shuddered at the choice of words. "I'm. Not. Hungry."
"Suit yourself." The man gave his order to the waitress, along with a compliment that made her blush. Fuery glanced at the exit again. It was too far; the two minions would stop him before he made it to the door. He was stuck here.
"Look, whoever you are—"
"Call me Greed."
Fuery blinked. "…Look…Greed. I don't know what you want, but I won't be able to help you. I don't have access to any military secrets." And if I did, I wouldn't tell you.
"I don't want military secrets. I want to hear about your commander." Greed laced his fingers together, resting his chin on them. "What's Mustang like? Is he a good boss?"
Fuery scanned Greed for tells. What was he getting at? "He's… fair. He appreciates his subordinates and rewards good work."
"Is he strict?"
"When he needs to be."
Greed hummed thoughtfully. "Do you enjoy working for him?"
Was this a test? Fuery knew the Colonel valued loyalty, but he doubted Mustang would do something underhanded like this. Maybe one of his rivals was trying to dig up dirt on him, or draw away his allies. He clenched his fists at the thought. "Colonel Mustang is a good man, and a good soldier. It's a privilege to be under his command."
Greed smirked. "You have no idea what a relief that is to hear. I mean, it'd mean more if it wasn't coming from a naïve rookie, but still."
Fuery blinked, so surprised by the response that he scarcely registered the insult. Greed lounged back in the booth, stretching across the leather seat like a cat. "How is he treating the new kids?"
"New kids?"
"The Elrics."
Oh—the Fullmetal Alchemist and his brother. Fuery had only met them a few times. They were an odd pair. He wasn't sure what had possessed the Colonel to recruit a 12-year-old into the military, but Edward seemed ready to take on anything. There was a resolve in his eyes that matched the Colonel's.
"Do you know the Elrics?" Fuery asked, suspicious again. Greed nodded.
"Does Mustang treat them well?"
"He treats them like any other soldiers." With respect and trust. Mustang never talked down to Major Elric like other officers might; he treated the boy like an adult, capable of making his own decisions.
"Does he order them around?" Greed asked. "Pull rank on them a lot?"
No, he didn't. He had a habit of joking about the boy's height—usually causing an explosive tantrum—but he gave the Fullmetal Alchemist a lot of leeway. Fuery knew officers who would have court-martialed the boy the first time he failed to salute, not to mention the plethora of curse words he threw the Colonel's way.
Greed seemed satisfied when Fuery told him as much. "Good. I hate bullying—it's a terrible leadership method. You get so much more done when you treat your people right, don't you think?"
"Yes… why are you asking about this?" Fuery demanded. "Who are the Elrics to you?"
Greed smiled cryptically. "Your colonel can tell you. He should remember my name." The man stood, placing several large bills on the counter. "Thanks for the talk, Kain. Enjoy your meal."
The two minions stood to join their boss. Greed left the booth but then paused and looked back at Fuery. All traces of humor were gone from his expression; his eyes drilled into the soldier like cold steel.
"When you tell your boss about this," he said coolly. "Remind him that I'm keeping an eye on him." With that, he left, minions flanking him out the door. Fuery watched them go, frozen. He barely noticed the waitress arriving with Greed's food, or her disappointed expression when she found the man gone.
What exactly was going on here?
"—He said to remind you that he's keeping an eye on you. And then he just left." Fuery finished his story. Colonel Mustang's expression was impassive. Fuery could only guess what was going through that enigmatic mind of his.
"Did he threaten you at all?"
Fuery shook his head. "No, sir."
"Good. Let me know if he approaches you again."
"Of course… sir? Do you know who he is?"
Colonel Mustang smiled bitterly. "I do. He's Fullmetal's uncle—or cousin, I'm still not entirely sure. Either way, he's extremely possessive of Fullmetal and his brother."
Fuery gaped. That man had been the Major's uncle? There wasn't any kind of family resemblance. "What did he mean when he said he'll be watching you?"
"Just that. He's looking out for his family, making sure the Big Bad Military Wolf doesn't hurt them. It's admirable." Mustang tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Did you…notice anything unusual about the man?"
Besides the clear disregard for propriety? "His teeth were pointed. Not like they were filed down, more like a shark's. And there was this…vibe around him." Fuery frowned, trying to put words to his feelings. "It's like when you're walking in the dark and you feel like someone's watching you. I couldn't say what exactly, but something about him just wasn't…right"
Mustang nodded as if that made perfect sense. "Have you told anyone else about this?"
"No, sir. I came to you first."
"Keep it to yourself. Don't tell anyone else, not even the Elrics. It would be an unnecessary distraction." The Colonel went back to filling out paperwork. "Dismissed, Sergeant."
"…Yes, sir." Fuery left the office in a daze. The others gave him odd looks as he sat at his desk. He wondered if any of them had met the strange man Greed. They probably would have handled the situation better than he had. Greed was right; he was a rookie. He needed to toughen up. I'll get stronger-I'll be an asset to the team.
***
A/N: I have one more chapter ready to publish. After that, I make no promises for an update schedule-past experience has shown me that I am terrible at updating regularly.
However, I DO want to finish this story, so I hope you'll all still read it whenever I update. Thank you all so much for your support!
