So, here's another one. Majority of this is just spur of the moment, thrown together, or however you want to say it. Well, I just want to let everyone know that the updates won't be so frequent anymore. I've got band camp. Yeah, that's right. So that's gonna take a lot of my time, and after that, I start school again. Oh, joy. Anyways, please read and review! And thanks so very, very, very much for all the reviews!! They really motivate me!
Also, I'll be going over this chapter tomorrow to try to deminish any errors. Won't have time to do so tonight, so just try to ignore it until then! This is one of the shorter chapters too.
"What was it that the Fuhrer gave you?" the blond asked. They went into Roy's room after the ceremony.
"Gloves," Roy replied with a shrug. He didn't understand the point of it. Fuery took the white pair of gloves in his hands and gasped.
"Don't you realize what this is? It's pyrotex! With this, you're not going to be someone to mess with," Fuery said excitedly.
"Pyrotex?" they asked in unison. Neither Ed nor Roy had ever heard of it before.
"Yep, pyrotex or ignition cloth. It's a specially made material that's embedded with minerals and chemicals. It kinda works like flint and tender in one, I guess. I never understood how it was made or how it really works. It's some government secret."
He handed the gloves back to Roy who slipped them on his hands. He wasn't big on wearing gloves and it felt weird on his skin.
"Well, let's go try them out. I'm curious," Roy said and stood up.
The three of them walked out past the official training field. Past the training field was acres of government owned rural lands. They got far away from the buildings so as not to cause some accident. That would be tragic.
They stopped when they saw someone was already out there. Alex was already testing out his gift from the Fuhrer. They watched as he smashed the giant rocks and sent them flying through the air in pointed cone shapes.
Roy was struck with an idea as soon as he saw what the Strong Arm alchemist was capable of doing. His gloves were still on his hands and he snapped his fingers and sent a flame to mingle with the other alchemist's transmutation. The mix of earth and fire produced a deadly attack. Armstrong turned around with an impressed look. Roy was excited that it had actually worked. Armstrong walked up to Roy. They looked up at the giant man.
"Amazing! Brilliant!" he praised.
Ed and Fuery sat down in the grass and watched the other two perfect the maneuver.
"Hey, Fuery, what exactly are you going to be doing in this war?" Ed asked.
"Whatever they need me to do, I guess. Launching missiles, communications, tapping into lines, securing lines, checking strategies, making maps, casualty count, disarming bombs, fixing tanks. I don't know. Whatever they tell me to do," the teen said with a shrug.
'Guess we really are just dogs of the military,' Ed thought to himself.
"What do y-"
"Watch out!" Roy and Alex yelled as a barrage of flaming missiles came shooting their way.
Ed pushed Fuery down flat and clapped his hands. He placed them on the ground and a wall of tightly compacted rock and soil went shooting upwards to block them from the accidental attack. Luckily, the wall was thick enough and strong enough to take all of the attack.
Roy and Armstrong came running up frantically.
"Ed, Fuery, are you okay?" Roy asked.
"We're fine," Ed answered for both of them.
"Phew, that could've been bad," Roy said with relief that no one got hurt.
Armstrong ran his hand over the side of Ed's transmutation in awe.
"Quick thinking," he said. Ed just smiled and so did Fuery who was very grateful to have had Ed around. "Is this all you can do though?" Armstrong asked in a taunting way. Out of the six alchemists, Roy was the only one who really knew what Ed was capable of doing with his abilities.
Ed smiled, clapped his hands, and changed his automail into a blade.
"Wanna find out?" he asked. Armstrong nodded and got ready.
"Wait, hold on! I don't think this is such a good idea. I mean, y'all could really get hurt!" Fuery said.
"If we can't beat each other, then there's no way we can beat the Philions on the field. All this would be a waste," Ed said. They all nodded, agreeing. Fuery just stepped back...a lot.
"I'll be ref. When I say stop, you better both stop, and please try not to kill each other," Roy said as he stepped back up too.
Roy was very curious about this. Ed was a lot smaller than Armstrong both in height and in weight, but that probably wasn't a bad thing in this situation. Ed had more speed and agility than the bigger man. But Armstrong was a lot stronger than Ed. If he could just get his hands on the blond, it would probably be over.
Right before the spar began, Ed decided to play things safe as he restored his arm to its original form. He didn't want to accidentally kill the guy! Besides, he knew he wouldn't need the blade; he'd already assessed his opponent. If he stayed out of his reach, then things would be okay or so he hoped. All he needed to worry about whas the man's use of alchemy. Ed gave a quick look at the surrounding. There weren't a lot of places for Armstrong to pull from anymore, so it was in Ed's favor.
The fight began with Armstrong performing his usual attack of transmuting rock into projectiles. Ed made a barrier like he'd done before to block the attack. He ran out from behind it to stand in front of it. Armstrong did the same thing and again Ed made a barrier. The action repeated four more times until there were four tall walls of compacted earth standing in a domino formation. Ed quickly jumped onto one and climbed up until he made it on top. Armstrong simply stood, confused. Ed clapped his hands and transmuted all four walls into a large earthen cannon that faced Armstrong. He smiled at Armstrong's widened eyes. He clapped his hands once more to activate the cannon. It sent out a blast of loose soil that buried the big man. He was lost in a pile of dirt. Ed laughed as he transmuted the cannon back into its original form of soil.
"Stop. Ed wins," Roy declared after a moment of silence had formed. Ed and Roy went over to the pile of dirt to dig out the Strong Arm Alchemist. Armstrong stood up and shook himself, dirt fell from his clothes. His face and bald head was smudged with dirt.
Armstrong walked past them muttering things under his breath. "A cannon!? How the -mumble, mumble, mumble-" He went and joined Fuery in the distance. Roy and Ed joined them shortly after.
The four of them sat in grass and started a casual conversation as they passed around the bottle of water that Fuery had. There was about half the bottle left and Ed had it in his hands when Roy started talking.
"Come on. I wanna beat you," he said to Ed.
"Think you can, Flame?" Ed asked.
"I know I can," Roy replied and stood up to go out where the other battle had taken place.
Ed smiled as he stood up too. He was still holding the bottle of water in his hand which as he approached Roy, he hid behind his back.
"I can beat you with one hand, Roy," Ed said to explain why his hand was behind his back. Roy grunted in disbelief at his blond's overconfidence.
"Fine," he said.
"Wait, before we start, can I have a kiss?" Ed asked sweetly. Roy wasn't one to turn down those soft lips, so he walked up to Ed. He reached out his gloved hands to rest on Ed's shoulders in the same way he'd done so many times before and that's when Ed made his move. He took the bottle of water and poured it over both of Roy's gloved hands. Ed used Roy's shock to his advantage as he transmuted his automail arm and placed it at Roy's neck.
"You're dead," Ed said. Roy lifted his fingers to Ed's own neck in a snap position.
"You're going with me."
"Think again, Flame. Wet gloves won't make a spark," Ed said smirking. "Now you know you're useless in the rain."
Roy chuckled lightly and brought his fingers back down to his side. Ed's blade-arm was still Roy's throat. He really wasn't letting his guard down at all.
"Ed, this may sound weird to you, but this is kinda a turn on," Roy said. His black eyes seemed to shimmer with a certain neglected emotion.
He smiled as he grabbed Ed's metal wrist and pulled the blade away from his neck. With his hold still on Ed's wrist, he gently pulled Ed forward. He bumped his nose playfully with Ed's before kissing him passionately.
"What are they doing?" Fuery asked. They were too far away to hear anything, but they could still see. Armstrong placed his large hand over the teen's eyes just as Roy pulled Ed to the ground.
"We can't do this here, y'know," Ed said softly. He was straddling Roy's hips and bent over his body.
"Yeah, I know, but it's fun to freak Fuery out," Roy said with a laugh. He lifted his head to kiss Ed again before pulling him off of his hips and into his arms. The small body he held snuggled up close to body warmth. They just stared up at the sky together.
Holding Ed. That's what he'd been craving for days. Just to hold him in his arms like this. He let out a long, relaxed sigh into Ed's short golden hair as he tightened his grip on him. He never wanted to let go. He wanted to stay like this with him for eternity.
"Hey, Roy..."
"Yeah?"
"I love you," Ed said in the softest voice as he looked up at Roy. His amber eyes caught the gold of the sun making him look absolutely stunning to Roy.
Roy simply smiled at his blond. He didn't need to say it, his eyes spoke for him.
Time seemed to stop just for them. Neither of them spoke. They just listened to each other's steady breathing and the sounds of nature that surrounded them. It was one of those moments that great authors would write about in their romance novels. Everything seemed so perfect. The sky was beautiful, the birds were chirping merrily, there was a 'sweetness' to the air, and they were together. Perfection to a tee. Well, until Ed reminded Roy what was to happen tomorrow.
"Are you ready for tomorrow?" Ed asked.
"I actually don't know. I like to think that I am. It's just human instincts," Roy said with a shrug.
Tomorrow the trainees were to be separated into two teams and sent out into the nearby forest to survive for two days. Each individual would be armed with a paintball gun and additional ammunition. Once you got shot in any vital area, torso or head, then you had to leave and return to the camp. By the end of the second day, whichever team had the most people standing would be announced the winners and given some special prize.
"I think we're going to be on the same team," Ed added.
"I hope so. I wouldn't like to have to shoot you down," Roy teased. Ed just laughed.
They stayed there motionless and quiet for a few more minutes before finally getting up and leaving. Fuery and Armstrong had long since left. It was late in the evening when they returned to their own rooms.
"What's with the smile?" Kimblee asked as his roommate walked into the room, then he saw some familiarity in the smile. "Ew. Well that would explain why the kid's all freaked out."
Ed rolled his eyes and laid in his bed.
"So...did you two?" Kimblee asked.
"Mind your own business, bastard," Ed said, throwing his pillow at him.
"Just being curious. Sorry that's a crime." Kimblee threw the pillow back.
That night, Ed slept peacefully. His dreams were sweet and even romantic. He woke that morning feeling well-rested and wonderful.
They had at least two hours before the survival test began, so he went down the hall. The door to Roy and Fuery's room was cracked open and he slowly pushed it open. Roy was sitting at the desk with his back to him. Fuery was nowhere in sight. Smiling, he crept up behind him and draped his arms over his shoulders. He gently nibbled on his ear. Roy yelped, and Ed found out that that was not Roy at all. Ed gasped as he went stumbling back in surprise and embarrassment; he fell hard on his ass. Fuery stood up beet-red with his eyes wide and mouth gaped open like an idiot.
From behind them came a burst of laughter. Ed turned his head to see who. Of course Roy saw what'd happened. Just his luck.
"Cheating on me, Ed?" Roy laughed. He walked over to his fallen lover to help him to his feet.
"Fuery, I...uh...sorry," Ed said, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.
"You okay, Fuery?" Roy asked lightheartedly and smacked his back in a friendly manner. Fuery couldn't speak. "Look what you did, Ed! You scarred the kid!"
"It's not my fault you both look alike from behind!"
After they were able to get Fuery's legs to work again, they went down to the cafeteria to eat breakfast. After that, they went to the training field where they were being given their survival kits. The survival test began.
Luckily, Roy and Ed were on the same team. It was red versus blue. Fuery wasn't required to take the test, but he wanted to involved, so he signed up as an on-field referee to make sure that no one was wiping off paint marks or staying on the field after being critically shot.
"All we have to do is stick together," Ed whispered. Their team leaders had assigned Ed and Roy, as well as several other teammates, as perimeter lookouts. Ed and Roy were sitting high up in a tree branch.
"I don't think we're supposed to be talking," Roy whispered back.
They'd been there for hours. The sun was starting to fall out of the sky.
Ed reached out over to Roy and then pointed at someone in the distance, someone from the other team. Why he was this far away from his team was a big question. Maybe he was looking for food or maybe he was just exploring. They didn't know.
Slowly, Ed and Roy both picked up their guns and aimed it at their prey. They glanced at each other quickly before shooting. Both of their shots landed in the opponents chest. He cursed under his breath and reluctantly left the forest with his hands up in the air so that no one would shoot him again.
"We kick ass," Roy whispered.
Not long after that, one of their teammates in blue told them to come down. They ate and slept among the others under the stars.
At some point in the night, there was a lot of shooting and yelling. They were being ambushed by the red team and the ambush was being led by none other than Zolf Kimblee.
Ed and Roy grabbed their guns and fired. They stayed close together as they ducked and weaved to try to survive this attack. Ed got shot, but in his leg which didn't call him out of the test. He kept on shooting. They all did. Stupid red team! Thought they could win. Pft! As if! Well...until they had reinforcements show up...
The blue team was surrounded by red, and they had to surrender. The remaining blue team members were disarmed and placed on their knees with their hands behind their heads. There were three referees around them to moderate things. They couldn't have them killing each other.
Kimblee walked up to them, Ed and Roy specifically. He wore a satisfied, almost sadistic looking, smile on his face.
"Give me one reason why shouldn't have you all shot down?" he asked. All of the surrounding reds had their guns pointed at the blues.
"Because we already won," Ed said smirking. As soon as the words left his mouth, a gun went off and struck Kimblee in the back of the head. From the trees, the red members were being picked off. Now it was a game of dodge the paintballs for the grounded blues. Some of them got up and grabbed the guns out of the reds' hands and started taking them out themselves.
Little was left to either side by the end of the skirmish. The reds retreated into the woods to regroup and strategize, and the blues counted their losses. They'd lost about fourteen, give or take, people to their side. They counted eighteen people remaining on their team.
The remainder of that night was surprisingly peaceful. Roy and Ed volunteered to keep watch until morning.
Just as the sun started climbing upwards in the sky, a strategy was developed. A third of them were to near the red team's camp and slowly pick them off one by one from the treetops. As they did that, another third of them would actually break into the camp. And the remaining third would just ambush in a few minutes later to replenish any of their fallen comrades.
An hour after sunrise, they put the plan to action. Ed and Roy were among the first group to go mainly because they had good aim. They climbed up into trees and started picking them off, steadily making their shots closer to the camp. They got all of the surrounding watchmen out before anyone realized what was going on.
They gave the signal for the second group to go in and all hell broke loss, especially when the third group went in.
It'd been years since one team had been wiped out completely and long before the time limit.
The prize was completely worth it though. When they got back to the camp, the cafeteria was filled with food. Steak, shrimp, pizza, pasta, and everything else in the world. It was real food. The State got one of the most exquisite, most expensive, and most highly praised restaurants in Central to cater. It was great!
That night was spent restlessly though. Tomorrow would be the day. The first day to beat Death and play Death.
Hope you enjoyed reading! Please review!
:)
