sound of my breaking heart

Characters: Jade Tempest, Claudio Rico

Summary: She is sick and tired of love.

"…this is getting ridiculous, Jade."

The woman in question looked up from a letter before she nodded. "I know," she said as she shrugged helplessly. She was dressed entirely in black with her equally dark hair in a messy bun on top of her head. If she was a smoker, she would have been a younger version of her aunt but she was no smoker – she only liked an occasional whiskey after work. "Don't look at me like that, Roy, when I say that I know that I mean it," she snapped as she massaged her temples.

"You wouldn't have a headache if you hadn't been drinking so much lately," he jibbed.

"Oh, go to hell and take … this with you, will you?" she groaned.

This was the reason why they were currently having their discussion. This was the tower of letters and presents in her living room and the roses and other flowers in her vases.

"Now, this would be rude," he grinned as he leaned back. "By the way, who is responsible for this anyway, Jade?" he asked as he looked at her.

"I have no idea," she sighed as she pushed a enormous teddy bear from a chair and sat down. "I have been getting all of this for the past few weeks. I am running out of place as we speak."

He looked around and whistled. "Well, whoever your admirer is, he got money," he shrugged. "Well, I guess that this is not what you wanted to hear. By the way, you really have no idea who is the one who sends you … presents that cost more than we earn in a month?"

"It started shortly after I returned from Aerugo," she shrugged. "Roy, just … make it all go away."

"What happened to your plan of marrying and having children?" he asked. "Did something happen that discouraged you? It's not like you to give up on something."

"I was cheated on four times in a row – that discourages even me," she muttered as she sipped on her drink. "And I didn't ask you to find out who my admirer is – I told you to make it stop."

He looked at her despair and even though he really wanted to, he did not laugh at her. He had never seen her this distressed before and the last thing he wanted was to upset her further. It already spoke volumes that she had asked him to come and help her and now, he wondered why this was making her so mad. The last time she had been like this had been years ago, right after her transfer when she had felt alienated in South City.

"Okay, but to make it stop, we need to find out who has been sending those presents," he said even though the main reason for this was that he wanted to punch the man who had upset Jade because he had never liked it when she had felt uncomfortable. "Did you consider Llewellyn?"

It took her eighteen minutes and forty-three seconds to stop laughing.

"B-Bendix?" she giggled. "Never. He is too hooked up in loving someone else. I know. He always tells me how he feels when we are both on nightshift. It can't be him."

"You sound pretty sure, Jade," he remarked. "So, any other ideas?"

She scratched her head as she closed her eyes, probably reviewing her last encounters with men who might have taken interest in her. "There is no one," she said. "No one who could have taken interest based on how much I have talked with him."

"What about a silent observer?" he inquired.

"Sorry, Roy, but it's really not like … like there are people who observe me. There are other women who get observed and stalked – like Kay or your lieutenant. I am just 'that state alchemist who's really good with codes' and that's hardly something special."

He sighed as he grabbed his wallet. "Get up, we are going out for dinner," he ordered. "I am getting nervous with all the presents around – they might contain poison."

"I had the laboratory running a few tests and they said that it's all clean," she replied but still grabbed her coat. "There's a nice restaurant down the street," she shrugged.

He nodded. "This will do," he said as he opened the door and stepped outside. Like always, they walked in silence. He was used to walking with his lieutenant who hardly spoke when it was not necessary and she usually calculated and reconsidered patterns every waking second of the day. He often doubted that this was healthy for her but up to now, there was no evidence for the opposite and since he really wanted to see her happy, he would never mention his concerns.

"We are there," she stated softly as she pushed open the door.

He followed her and sat down before he looked up at her. "What's up?"

"Give me a moment, I just spotted some people from work," she said. "I will talk to them now before there will be gossip at work."

"Forever the responsible one," he grinned as he watched her leave. He ordered wine and water for them to drink before someone who was not Jade took place on the opposite side of the table. "Now, this is a surprise," he said as he recognised the stranger. "I was not informed that you are currently in the country, your highness. Much less that you are eating in a small street restaurant without any bodyguards. Even I have more common sense than that."

"I was not aware that Miss Tempest is your bodyguard. According to her stories, your bodyguard is blonde and you are hopelessly in love with her."

"I would like to ask you to not to scream this from the roofs and what I meant was that since Jade and I go back a long way, we can take care of each other. That's what people do when they care deeply for each other after all," the Flame Alchemist said with a teasing smirk.

The Aerugian Prince glared at him. "I do not like it when people are mocking me," he said.

"Too bad that I have a reputation for being quite hurtful when someone gets too close to my only living relatives … and seeing that Jade is like a little sister, I am especially hurtful when someone approaches her in ways that make me question his intentions," he crossed his arms. "You know, it's lucky for you that she has had her head god-knows-where lately because otherwise, she would have figured it out long ago."

"My intentions are utterly pure," the brown-haired man replied. "I took a liking in Miss Tempest's ways when we met in my palace where she was throwing a fit at the terrible translation one of the Royal Translators did. She called him a disgrace for all translators on this planet and I have to admit that I found this little outburst quite amusing."

Roy's face scrunched up. "I can hardly imagine that anyone can stands her temper tantrums – even Phil and I considered ways to shut her up when she started ranting again," he said. "We both love her because she does a lot for us but … her temper is dangerous."

"If you only meet women with perfect masks of disinterest, it is very nice to see someone who makes clear that she can't stand something," Claudio replied. "I had hoped to see her again."

Roy raised his eyebrows. "She will kill me for saying this but she usually goes for a walk around five in the morning. She is at her most relaxed then and won't snap at you for saying something stupid and seeing that everyone says things she considers stupid, this should be a good moment to approach her. And something else: if she gives you a chance and you cheat on her, me and a few other people will be out for your blood," he said cheerfully. "I have to say, being a brother is a funny thing to do. You get to threaten other men and they can't say anything."

A sharp pain in his shoulder announced his cousin's return and he wondered why she had still those long fingernails when they rarely met and so she hardly let them grow anymore to dig them into his flesh whenever he said something stupid. "Roy, Claudio," she greeted sweetly.

"Ah, Jade," Claudio replied with a wide smile. "I spotted your cousin and decided to say hello."

She nodded gracefully. "Well, Roy and I wanted to have dinner – you could join us."

This was when Roy realised that he had just signed up for a journey to hell

Jade Tempest was very happy with herself and her ways to make her cousin suffer whenever he messed with her and so she was very content the next morning as she left her apartment for a morning walk. She could not remember when this habit had started, probably when she had been a child. God, looking back, she hated the child she had been even though she knew just too well that this kid was the basis of who she was today. This child had had the love for patterns and codes – and the knowledge this child had gathered wherever it had been possible was the same she was using now to break down code after code. She hated the girl because she had already started to close herself off, nine year old Jade had been stoic and cold.

She chuckled as she remembered Roy's slumped form on her couch where she had left him when she had went outside to catch the first rays of sunlight. It was a nice day and she liked to be the first one to be in the park. She liked to be the first one everywhere and wore her favourite, much too wide pullover which she had borrowed from her brother and forgotten to return it.

"Well, this is a surprise, Miss Tem- Jade," a familiar voice said as Claudio approached her. "I remembered that you went out for walks when you visited Padavia."

She smiled as she mentioned towards the budding flowers. "It's a nice day, isn't it?" she asked. "I might not like South City but I do like the mornings when everything it new and fresh."

"This sounds pretty philosophical," he smiled as they walked side by side. "And the park is really beautiful. We have a similar one behind the summer residence … I could show you the next time you come to visit … I heard vague plans of another visit … my father took a liking to Brigadier General Llewellyn, well, the man is very competent."

She laughed. "Bendix is one of the best co-workers one can ask for," she said seriously. "I have been working with him for years and I really, really can rely on his clean work."

"It is good that you have such a good colleague," he said after a moment.

"Don't be jealous – it doesn't fit you, Prince," she chuckled. "He is still after the Student President and won't bother with the vice. Anyway, what did you and Roy talk about yesterday?"

"I won't answer a question when you already know the answer," he replied. "I do know that you can read lips, Jade. Don't try to mess with me – I know why you laughed after I asked the Brigadier General whether you were married even though you were too far away to hear me."

"Busted," she grinned. "It was the way Lynn and I communicated for years when someone else was in the room … it was useful on missions."

He raised his eyebrows. "So, when can I expect you to get married?" he asked. "It's not like I want you to laugh at me again, Lady Tempest."

"Depends on when someone interesting comes along and asks," she said with a smirk. "I can hardly marry myself after all, wouldn't you agree?"

"So, are you free tonight?"

"After I waved Roy goodbye, yes."

"Dinner?"

"That sounds marvellous."