So. I've been thinking. I know it can be spelled either way. Ishval or Ishbal, I know. And I know Ishval's probably the more original term. And I know how crazy I can get about using the original terms. But I'm sticking with Ishbal because that's too strong a habit to bother breaking.
The Lovely Daaaarlings!
IceFire Dragon Alchemist73: Yeah… Very sad.
The Psychotic Cherry Blossom: Before I reply to anything, I just wanted to say that was one of the best reviews I had. Srsly. I'm glad you enjoy the plot and the characters! Yeah, I agree. Ed would've acted even just a little different after dealing with Riley and Hannah. And thank you for the comment on the fight scenes, those are usually one of my biggest worries!
Katsekala: Hehe, very!
Bloody Bonez Alchemist XD: Drama! Kukuku…
Thank you!
AirMage99: FINALLY, RIGHT?
Very sad. It didn't occur to me about writing that until last minute. I AGREE. LET'S GET ALL THE PANS!
Fmagurl123: Yeah, truthfully, I had originally planned on killing off Blackburn on the last of that series. But then I had a major idea(basically, I actually tried planning ahead!) And thank you! xD
Wintermoon13: Why thank you! I kind of agree. Winry and Ed have actually started to wear on me, but it's still kinda… Bleh.
Rabid Cream Puffs: Pull through, my dear!
Thank you! Yes. The hair's off limits.
Yay! I made someone happy! OH MY, fruit snacks!
Warning746: Thank you, I'm glad you liked it!
Ohuhu, nothing naughty~ (Wink Wink)
Yeah, she should. But she won't yet!
SHE'S EVOLVING! XO
Yumixjaganshi: A very awkward moment, but still fluffy nonetheless!
Yeah, it's just badly broken. No missing limbs for Riley!
AcroKat: Why thank you, I'm glad you think so!
Kilroy: Thanks! I have that planned for the longest time, now.
PixieStixys: NO YOU DO NOT. THE HAIR'S OFF LIMITS.
I'm a writer, I can make the impossible possible you know!
Thank you!
Want to Be a Lovely Daaaarling? Review! Bwahaha!
Oh my damn. Thirteen reviews! I feel so loved.
I don't own FullMetal Alchemist. I do own my own original content and characters, though!
Chapter Thirty-Five:
Doubts
I groaned a bit, shifting around to get comfortable. Unfortunately I couldn't do that; it felt like a large lump under my back. "What the hell…," My thoughts trailed off when I remembered what had happened. Opening my eyes, I saw Al sitting in the bed across from me, watching me as his shoulders shook slightly. I looked up and realized why I felt like a Hunchback.
I was laying on Ed.
He lay on his back, an arm by his head with a hand over the edge(with his stomach poofing like it usually did), as he snored lightly. I was toward the end of the bed, lying on his stomach and his legs. Looking to my side toward Al, I felt my sight going side to side as Ed's stomach lifted my head up and down… Up and down… I groaned again. No wonder my back was hurting. Slowly sitting up, I rubbed my head as I looked over at Al. "Good morning…"
Al chuckled. "Good morning. I see you didn't leave last night."
Remembering he was a soul attached to armor, I scowled. "My back's killing me…," I said as I stretched a bit.
Ed sighed, feeling the open air hit his now bare legs and stomach. "Al, give me the covers back," He grumbled sleepily.
We looked over at him and I snorted. "Wake up, Ed-o," I said as stood from the bed. Feeling the movement, he began to wake. He opened his eyes and looked around a bit before noticing me. Eyes widened a bit, he quickly grabbed the covers off the floor and covered his bare torso and underwear. I rolled my eyes, "It's nothing I haven't seen before, Ed."
He blushed slightly at that but scowled. "What are you doing in here anyway?" He asked. So he didn't remember. Good. That would make it easier on me. But before I could rejoice, realization struck him when he remembered.
Knocking sounded on the door, followed by Hannah's worried tone, "Guys?… Riley isn't in the room. Have you seen her?" I walked over and opened the door; she blinked in surprise. "Oh… You're here."
Nodding, I placed a hand on my hip and said casually, "Came to make sure they were ready."
"Right," She mumbled before nodding, "Well, um, we're all packed." Oh yeah. We were leaving that morning. Looking to Ed and Al, I waved slightly as I left the room with Hannah, who began smirking. "You liar," She accused, pointing at me. I raised a brow as she continued, "Winry saw you leave the room last night. Where'd you go then?"
Sighing, I rubbed the back of my neck. "I was having dreams about Marcoh and Maes, and talked to Ed about it," I replied.
Hannah gave a sigh of relief, "So you told them?"
"No." She pouted and I smirked, "Sorry. But they don't need to know right now." She didn't agree with me and I knew she didn't; but at the same time, she wasn't going to bother telling them either. She knew how they'd react, and she didn't want to be the one to deliver the news. Neither did I.
We walked back into our hotel room and I went to take a shower. I was quick about it, knowing we all wanted to leave, and wrapped a towel around me once I had finished. I towel dried my hair, careful not to use my broken arm too much. I threw my jeans and yellow shirt on quickly before fixing my hair(which was hard to do considering I only had one hand at my disposal). Fortunately, the split ends weren't too noticeable. That was good. Putting it all in the clip, I sighed and jumped up on the counter. Sitting on the counter, I reached over and grabbed the bandages. I slowly and carefully wrapped it around my broken arm, before glancing to the sling.
I wasn't wearing that. My arm could have been broken in every possible place it could've been broken in… It almost was broken in every possible place it could've been broken in. I was not wearing that sling. It would be too inconvenient if something happened and I needed to move quickly. So, no. I wasn't wearing it.
I exited the bathroom with the sling in my hand and shoved it into my bag. Hannah noticed this and shook her head at me, but didn't say anything. "We ready?" I asked, looking over to the two girls.
Winry held her bag over her shoulder and nodded, "Yep!"
Grinning, Hannah nodded, "Ready."
We left the room and waited for the brothers. Only a few minutes passed, and they walked out of the room. "Alright. Let's go," Ed said, hands on his hips.
Winry and Hannah lead us as Al followed behind. Before I could start walking, Ed stopped me. "Riley. About last night…"
If Ed thought the others couldn't hear him, he was wrong. Dead wrong.
They all stopped in their tracks as if someone glued their feet to the floor. Spinning around, they looked between Ed and me incredulously. "You… Last night…," Winry trailed off before widening her eyes and covering her mouth. "That's why you left our room?" She shouted at me.
Hannah seemed confused at first, but her eyes widened and her mouth opened in realization. "Oh… Oh. OH! Riley! Why didn't you tell me?" She asked in shock.
Al only chuckled.
I felt my face heating up dramatically as I jumped back; they seriously thought that? Glaring down at Ed, I shouted, "Why don't you say that any louder? Maybe Master Gregory would like to hear too!"
"What's the big deal?" Ed asked with a scowl. He heard Al chuckle and looked over to see Winry and Hannah staring in shock with light blushes on their cheeks. His eyes widened as he blushed as well; waving his hands frantically, he shook his head, "I didn't mean it like that!"
"Mhm…," Winry mumbled skeptically, her lips pursed together as she turned with her arms crossed. Hannah and Al turned to follow her, chuckling to themselves.
Sighing, I glared at Ed, "Way to go." He glared up at me and I shrugged, "And forget about last night, alright? I was just over-thinking things." I knew he didn't believe me, but he wasn't going to push it thankfully. With a sigh, he nodded and we both left to catch up with the others.
. . .
"Relax Riley… It's not like you're missing the prevention of the apocalypse," Hannah said sarcastically. Hannah, Winry and I were sitting on a big green tractor that was parked near a military-run train. Winry had hotwired the thing while Ed and Al went to investigate the train; Hannah and I were just left to rot. Well, I was. Hannah wanted to stay on the tractor with Winry. I on the other hand was forced to. 'It's dangerous,' Ed said. 'If a fight breaks out, your arm will just get hurt worse,' Ed said.
Che.
I looked over to Hannah as I rested my chin on my hand. "Yeah, says the girl who could miss the prevention of the apocalypse and not care," I retorted through gritted teeth.
Before either of us could continue, Winry said, "There they are." We looked to Winry to see she was looking back to the train. Turning to look with her, we saw Ed and Al coming from under the train.
I began to squint when I saw two more with them. My eyes widened at who I saw; Rick and Leo? Ed took the lead of the group, when he ran into Kain Fuery. The two froze and looked at each other in surprise. When I saw Kain falling to the ground and his glasses flying through the air, my brow twitched. Was that really necessary? Ed and Al were about to continue, when another soldier walked around the train corner. "Hey…!" He exclaimed.
Winry grinned, backing the tractor up closer to the train. "Need some help?"
The four spun around to look at us and their expressions went from confusion to incredulousness. "How'd you get that? Did you steal it?" Al asked her.
Pouting, Winry slammed her hand on the tractor body. "Of course I didn't! They said I could have it if I fixed it," She replied.
I scoffed, "Yeah, after they ran out of their house when they heard her trying to steal it…" Hannah chuckled as Winry glared at the back of my head, muttering about unneeded details.
"What the hell?" We looked to the new voice and I frowned when I spotted Havoc. In all my years of working with the military, Mustang's unit had become people I cared about. With a passed out Fuery on the ground and a surprised Havoc seeing us flee the area, it was hard not to feel like crap.
Fortunately and unfortunately I couldn't dwell on the matter much longer because as soon as Ed sat beside me, Winry floored the gas. I yelped, feeling myself swing forward and over the edge of the tractor. As I felt Ed grab the back of my jacket, I grabbed the edge single-handedly to not fall even more. Jerking my head around, I glared at the back of her head, "Cripple Killer!" Winry only smirked. Bitch…
. . .
Now that all of us were, for the most part, safe in the tractor, we were driving along the railroad tracks. Winry was being giddy and I couldn't tell if it was because she had a tractor, or she knew where Ed and Al were, or because she almost had me thrown to my death. I was betting on all three. Ed had told us what was going on and why the kids were with us by this point.
"I need to know something Winry," Ed started, looking to the floor of the tractor blankly. I almost scowled; another dull moment of Ed proving to us that he can indeed think too much. "How much longer do you plan on tagging along?"
Like a toilet, Winry's giddiness just… Flushed out of her body. "If it weren't for me, you'd be captured by now," She replied through tightly pursed lips.
Ed stood quickly, glaring over the engine block to her. "I had it under control!" He shouted.
Scoffing once more, I shook my head, "What were you planning on doing, then?"
Winry cackled as the Elric jerked over to glare at me. "What the hell, are you two tag-teaming now?" He exclaimed. I grinned; that sounded like fun actually. I began to imagine Winry and I beating up Ed as a tag-team as Ed turned serious again. "That's not the point," Ed started, "I don't want you out here with us." Ed began talking about killing and how he's killed before. At that point, I had already stopped my fantasies but I didn't want to hear what they were saying, so I just tuned them out anyway. It wasn't until the atmosphere lightened slightly and Ed had said, "As I was saying, I don't want you out here, Winry… I don't want Hannah and Riley tagging along either…"
Time froze.
"What?" I shouted, glaring up at the soon-to-be-slaughtered Edward Elric.
The others winced at the sudden shout but Ed only sighed, shaking his head at me. "You aren't in the right condition to come with us, Riley," He began to explain, but I wouldn't have it.
"The hell I'm not! You've gotten me too far into this miss, Ed! What do you expect me to do, just wonder back into Headquarters and get a new job from Mustang?"
He scowled, looking up at me. "I don't even want you getting another job!" Was his response.
Rick and Leo watched us silently. "Then don't go on about me not coming with you two!" He was about to continue but I glared. "I don't need you babying me, Ed! I'm perfectly capable of surviving! You know what? Fine! If you're so insistent on just dropping me, then as a State Alchemist it's my job to turn you in!"
Ed's eyes widened before he regained his composure and glared at me. "You're being a little immature, Riley!"
"Immature, my ass!"
"GUYS!"
Ed and I spun around to look at Hannah. She wasn't looking at us, but ahead of the tractor, pointing in the same direction. We turned to see what she saw, and spotted a train. Coming toward us. On the tracks. Al gave a small whine as Ed's eyes widened again. "Winry!"
Winry gripped the steering wheel tightly, glaring down at the train. "Still think I'm scared of a little danger?"
We all let out screams as the train almost towered over is. Within less than a foot away from the train, Winry veered to the left and skimmed the side of the train as we drove on the side of the tractor. "Are you crazy?" I shouted once we were safely back on four wheels. Or, well, considering who was driving, maybe not as safely as I would've liked.
. . .
"Che, if Winry keeps driving, I don't want be around anymore," I stated under my breath with a large scowl on my face. We were at the edge of Kisshua, just as the Ishbalin Elder told us. We hid behind a pile of junk to see a hut like building.
Winry glared at me after hearing my comment as Hannah shook her head. Ed sighed in annoyance and turned to stare me in the eye. "Will you drop it already, Riley?" He growled out in a whisper.
I glared back, frowning deeply. "No I will not drop it. How dare you think you could just drop me off somewhere and expect me to go along with it!" I argued. Sure, it probably wasn't the best time to start, but I was pissed. How could he think I'd stop traveling with him – with them? There's no way.
"Riley, we can talk about this later!" Ed stated, growing impatient.
"Fine. We'll wait. But I swear, Edward Elric, the longer you try to postpone this, the longer the conversation will be when I tie you down to railroad tracks and force you to talk!" I replied angrily, glaring him square in the eye to show him I meant every word.
It was quiet as Ed shook his head at me and looked back around the pile of junk. Feeling a hand grab my sleeve, I looked over just as Hannah pulled me toward her. I fell to the ground in front of her and looked up to see her glaring down at me. "Are you stupid?" She hissed out, "We're in the middle of something! This is not the time to threaten Ed!"
"But-"
"But nothing! Now shut up and get back to making sure Ed doesn't blow himself up," She growled at me. I sighed, knowing she was right. We both turned back to the others and fell quiet when we only saw Winry and the boys. "W-Where'd they go?" Hannah asked in a small voice. Scowling, I pulled away from Hannah and took off around the pile. Winry and Hannah both called my name in protest but I ignored it as I ran toward the hut. Hannah ran after me and before I could reach the house, she slammed into me. We both grunted and groaned as the ground hit me back and Hannah rolled off. "You're ridiculous, Riley," She mumbled out, coming to her knees.
I sat up to retort, but never did. Three soldiers stood in front of us, looking down at us dully. Two were soldiers I knew quite well.
"B-Breda… Riza…," I mumbled out in surprise. Breda held out his hand and I sighed, glancing to Hannah who was helped up by the soldier I didn't know. Reluctantly, I grabbed Breda's hand and let him pull me to my feet.
Riza walked over to the building and aimed her gun at the covering of the doorway. With one shot, she lowered the gun slightly and demanded, "Alright you two. Come out peacefully!"
Seconds later, Ed's head popped out and he glared over at Riza. Al came out from behind him and Ed shouted, "WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING? YOU COULD'VE KILLED US!"
Relaxing her grip on the gun, her firm gaze didn't falter. "You think missing was an accident?" She asked.
"If you knew it was us, then why'd you shoot in the first place?" He exclaimed.
Instantly, Riza snapped back with, "That shot was for the bruise you gave Fuery." Hearing this, I shrugged and glanced away. He deserved it if that's what it was. Ed and Al stopped protesting and began to shift around nervously. They wouldn't admit it out loud, but they agreed. It was a well-deserved surprise.
. . .
"Where's the Colonel?" Ed asked.
He and Al were sitting at a table, across from Riza and Breda. Hannah and I sat at the end of the table, in between them all. "He went to Central with Officer Falman," Breda explained, resting his elbow on the armrest of his chair. He frowned at us all, which made me feel kind of guilty.
"So…," Ed started, smirking as he looked away with crossed arms, "He leaves you guys here to clean up his miss while he runs back home. Sounds great." Ed let out a grunt of pain when my booted foot slammed into his kneecap. He glared at me from the side of his way, while I glanced away. I'd never admit it to anyone, but even though Mustang could be a pain in the ass sometimes, I still respected him. Hearing Ed badmouth him was annoying, to say the least. Especially when Maes' funeral comes to mind, then it really pissed me off…
Riza looked up from paperwork and stared firmly at Ed. "Is that what this is about, then? The Colonel's actions toward the Ishbalins, is that why you attacked the train?" She asked.
Ed scowled, looking away from her and me both. Al was the one to speak up this time. "It's more complex than that. But, you don't have to suppress them, you know. They weren't planning on starting a war, they just want somewhere safe to live."
"Don't misunderstand," The female officer said calmly, looking to Al now. "There weren't any Ishbalin casualties after the Colonel stepped in. And they were the ones who were killed first. Yoki, a former officer – I think you know him," She paused to see if her assumption was correct.
The scowl on Ed's face disappeared and he turned back to the table. "Yoki? You mean that buffoon from Youswell?" He asked in surprise. Hannah and I shared a confused glance and I merely shrugged, listening back in to the conversation.
Riza glanced to Ed and replied, "He was serving as an informant when somebody from their side opened fire. The mood was tense and his death took it over the edge. But the Colonel stepped forward and with a controlled display of power, he made a barrier and took away their will to fight. Had he not acted so quickly, there would've been untold casualties on both sides."
I didn't bother saying anything at this point. Every time I moved, Breda looked over like a hawk and his gaze only made me feel really small (And not to mention, guilty). "Heh… Guess a soldier can keep things innocent every once in a while," Ed said with a bitter smirk.
This time, Hannah yelped slightly and I glanced away again, mumbling a small apology.
"You're dogging on the Colonel just cause he's military, Ed?" Breda asked, leaning over the table slightly, "Don't forget you're a soldier, too." I jumped a bit; it was one of the few times he had bothered speaking. Ed glanced away with a scowl.
Riza decided to speak again. "We've decided to transfer most of the Ishbalins to the southern encampments. But first we must find the one responsible for Yoki's death and give a fitting punishment. To that end, we're holding several here for interrogation."
"There's an old man with them, right?" Al asked, leaning forward in anticipation. "The man who used to live in the hut where you found us?" The two officers were quiet for a moment and Breda let out a light sigh. I was guessing they did. They led us outside the tent "room" and began to lead us where the man was, but I stopped.
I couldn't do this anymore.
The others noticed I wasn't following and turned to see what was going on. "Riley?" Hannah asked.
Turning my gaze from the ground, I looked to Ed and Al, "You guys go ahead, alright? I think I'll wait it out here."
Ed was surprised, but his expression quickly turned to annoyance. "This isn't about what I said earlier is it, Riley?" He asked, scowling slightly as he prepared for another argument.
But I shook my head. "No, it's not… I'll just wait here for right now," I said. The three I came here with shared a confused glance, but looked back over at me curiously. Riza and Breda waited for them, so Ed and Al turned to continue on their way. Hannah sighed and walked back to my side. I didn't really think she wanted to go anyway.
Once they were out of sight, I let out a loud sigh as I quickly bent down, grabbing my knees as I crouched. "R-Riley?" Hannah asked, a nervous grin on her face.
"…" I glanced up at her from the side of my eye. In a small tone, I muttered out, "Do you think we'd be better off not following Ed and Al anymore?"
Hannah groaned. Shaking her head, she rested her hands on her hips and looked down at my crouching figure. "This is about what Ed said earlier, isn't it?"
I was silent for a moment. Was it? I mean, that had to be part of it. But it wasn't all. Shaking my head, I wrapped my arms around my knees. "No… Kind of. I've been thinking a lot. I'm not like Ed. He hates the military and everybody in it. I'm… I'm part of the military. And I have friends that are, too. I'm beginning to think I shouldn't have gotten involved," I grumbled out, hiding the bottom half of my face in my arms.
With a small sigh, Hannah kneeled down and sat beside me. "Where's all this coming from? I thought you always knew your views on the military were different than Ed's, why does it matter now?" She asked in confusion.
To be honest, I was just as confused as her. "I… I don't know. It just really bugs me," I said, scowling down at the ground in embarrassment. I was making a fuss over nothing.
It was silent between us for several minutes, when Hannah positioned herself in front of me. Placing her hands on my shoulders, she looked me in the eye. "Riley… Do you still want to be a State Alchemist after all this is over with?" I stared her in the eyes, unsure of what to say.
Did I… Still want to be part of the military that's caused so much chaos?
And why, in trying to find out my answer, did I keep thinking of how Ed would react to my decision?
Be Responsible. Don't Flame and Drive! Rawr.