I think the last chapter was pretty good. Not my best work. Perhaps I should look over it a few times like a manuscript before posting Hahaha...

Ed looked across the table at her as she slept, with her head down on the table and her empty tea mug in her hand. He contemplated their fight earlier-it had been the first fight they'd had in a long time. The whole ordeal made him think back to before. How would it have been if they had never left? If he had stayed with her, or even taken her with them? If he'd taken her, who's to say she would've been hurt.

He'd been so selfish.

He'd only thought about himself, as always. How he would feel if she got hurt, or died. He had never stopped to think that maybe she felt the same. He sighed and looked at his right hand. The trip had been worth it, but he wasn't sure that losing Rei had been. But as much as the thought of fighting with Rei made him sick, it was oddly wonderful. He couldn't remember the last time he'd talked to her like that, so openly and honestly. The last fight they'd had...what had it been about?

-Flashback-

Ed stretched contentedly towards the ceiling, then reclined in his seat. He turned his gold eyes on Rei, who had begun to pick up the dishes.

"Leave 'em." He said. "I'll get them later. It's the least I can do since you did all the cooking."

"If you insist," She said, and replaced the plates. Then she walked off into the living room area of their dorm. She didn't seem to be all that interested in the matter-normally she would have told him to 'relax, you've had a hard day'.

"Hey, wait!" Ed called, scrambling after her. She collapsed on the couch with a book and pretended to be reading it. He could tell she was pretending-the book itself was upside-down. He sat down next to her and took the book from her, placing it back on the coffee table. He gently took her by the chin and looked her in the eyes. "What's up with you today?"

"Nothing, really." She pulled her head away. "I'm just getting so antsy, sitting around and doing nothing."

"Yeah, right." Ed snorted. She looked at him, surprised and slightly annoyed. "Come on, Rei, you know I know you better than that."

She sighed and then leaned against him, snuggling up to him despite his automail. He smiled and wrapped his arms around her. "I just worry about you, all day. That's all I do. I wish Uncle Roy would let me go on missions with you more..."

"He's just worried about you," Ed said quietly, running his human fingers through her long black hair.

"I know, but it's so annoying..."

It grew quiet for a while, Ed just enjoying his time with her. There hadn't been alot of it lately, with the mountain of missions he'd been sent on.

"Hey," he said suddenly. "I just remembered something."

"Mmm-hmm?" She mumbled, snuggling closer.

"My time with the military is up next week," he continued. "What do you think? Should we go out and celebrate?"

She shifted and put her head in his lap, looking up at him. "Oh, yeah, that's right. Your mandatory time..."

"Yup. Just one more week and I won't have to be a Dog of the Military anymore." He smiled widely with anticipation.

"Then only one more year until I re-enlist." Rei said, stretching out in his lap. His smile immediately dissappeared. She blinked at him. "What?"

"You're re-enlisting?" He asked. She sat up uneasily.

"Well, yeah." She rubbed the back of her neck nervously.

"But, WHY?" He asked, grabbing her arm and making her look at him. She reluctantly did so, her eyes displaying a mixture of emotions.

"Because, that's what I chose to do." She said stiffly, and stood up. She shook him off and walked back to the dining area, where she began to clean up again.

Ed stared at her in disbelief for a long moment. Then he stood up, anger beginning to cloud his mind. Why? Why would she do this to him? Why would she want to?He'd been hoping that they could be free together, maybe move back to Resembool or someplace else quiet. Didn't she want the same thing? He'd never thought that she would...

"Is that what you want," he asked, dangerously quiet. She stopped, but didn't turn to look at him. He raised his voice: "Is that what you want, Rei? To be a dog of the military forever? Do you want to answer to them your whole life?"

"So what if I do, Ed?" She shouted back, twirling to face him. "What if that is what I want?"

"But, why?" Ed retorted. "Why would you choose this, this life of being the military's callgirl? Why can't you just do something else, settle down somewhere?"

"Do you think I have many skills, Ed?" She said, quieter this time, but still firm. "Do you think this girl, who spent her whole life training to be a state alchemist knows much else?"

"What does that have to-"

"It's the only choice I have, Ed!"

"The only choice you...The HELL it is!"

"You don't like my decision?"

"Well, obviously not!" He shouted, and she paused for a second. At first she looked like she was about to cry, and then:

"Well, you don't HAVE a say in this, Ed! This is MY life, NOT yours!"

"Your life? YOUR life? You're right, it is your life, Rei," he snapped, and, before he thought about it, said: "And I want no part of it!" She visibly stiffened at the comment, and small feelings of regret began to bother him in the corners of his mind.

"Fine!" She stomped into the bedroom.

"What are you-"

"If you don't want to be here, then by all means, LEAVE!" She shouted as she came back out. She shoved his suitcase into his hands, which had been packed earlier for his trip tomorrow. She threw open the front door and began to push him out. "Go on! Get out!"

"Fine!" he shouted back as she slammed the door in his face. "I'm leaving tomorrow anyway!" He tried to ignore the tears running down his cheeks, along with the military personnell that had begun to poke their heads out of their dorms to see what the ruckus was about. "Once I come back from my trip, I'm taking the rest of my things!" He shouted at the door. "Don't wait up for me!"

He turned on his heel and tried to step away, but instead collapsed in front of the door, his hand over his face, trying to stifle the tears so she wouldn't hear him. This wasn't right. He couldn't leave her now, not like this...he couldn't leave it like this. He could hear her crying inside...Damn it, he'd made her cry. Damn, damn, damn...

He leaned his forehead against the door, trying to calm down. Why was he so thoughtless?

"Rei..." He said quietly, trying the door handle. It was locked. The hallway was full of people now, all watching silently, hopefully hoping it would turn out alright. "Damn it, Rei, open the door." There was no response. He stood up and hit the door with his right fist, damaging the wood but not breaking it. The whole hallway was holding their breath, and there was a deafening silence. Finally, Ed backed away from the door a little ways, and proceeded to kick it down completely.

Rei looked up at him, stunned. He fixed the door, much to the dismay of the audience, and then turned to look at her. He felt like he'd been punched in the stomach when he saw her, standing there with the tears waterfalling down her cheeks. What an idiot he was. He looked down, ashamed of himself.

"I'm sorry, Rei." He said, walking over to her. He put a hand on her cheek and brushed away the tears. "I don't ever want to make you cry. I'm sorry. I'm just the world's biggest idiot, is all."

He pulled her close to him and she clutched at his shirt.

"I didn't mean it. And I just want you to know that whatever you choose, I'm okay with." He said, pulling back to look in her eyes. "I shouldn't have gotten so mad."

"No, I'm sorry," she said between sobs, rubbing the tears away. "I shouldn't have said what I did...It's OUR life, Ed. Not just mine." She fell to her knees, bringing Ed with her. He held her hands and she looked up at him.

"I love you," he said firmly. "And I am always a choice you have."

-End Flashback-

Ed woke with a start, sitting straight up like a ferret on drugs. He blinked a few times, his dream coming back to him. It had been their last fight. He'd remembered it so clearly. Their anniversary was the day after his military service was up-he had left without celebrating with her.

He suddenly became aware of the tears, and quickly wiped them away. With a sigh he stood up, looking over at Rei. She was so peaceful...he walked over andcarefully picked her up, prying the mug out of her hands and setting it on the table. Carefully, trying not to wake her, he carried her up the stairs and to her bedroom. as he lay her on the bed, he wondered what she could be dreaming about. Then he turned out the light and left the room.

"It's OUR life..." Rei whimpered in her sleep after he left. A tear ran down her cheek, and then she rolled over, sleeping peacefully.

I've been trying to find a way to work this fight scene in, finally did it! I think I'm just good at writing scenes where people fight. I should write screenplays for soap operas.

Please Review, or I won't put up a new chapter!