Waltzing to Darkness
By Phe Phe Minoda
(I don't own FMA.)
Figure Zero
ForteAl looked at his brother worried. They had spent two days on the train and his brother still looked pale as if he was going to be sick. Al could not feel the warmth of his skin, or feel the sweat that had accumulated, but he could see it. He could tell his brother was racked with fever. It was more than just knowledge of what his brother acted like when he was sick (which could actually be worse than when he was not) but he could see his brother's body as he slept in that train ride back to central. When they had finally reached their destination the armored boy gently shook his brother's shoulder. Dull golden eyes fluttered open, "yeah Al?" he half mumbled half groaned.
"Where in central now…I thought I should wake you up so we don't miss our stop…" Al said worry etched in his eerie echoing voice.
Ed smiled and pushed himself up, winching a bit from pain that Al could only guess was his stomach. "Thanks…but I wouldn't have been heart broken to miss central and by pass the Colonel's taunting 'you-still-didn't-find-anything' look…." Ed took a steadying breath before slowly standing up, looking as if he was going to fall back down he reached out to hold on to the seat with his real hand.
"Brother?" Al asked reaching out to help.
"Eh, it's nothing," Ed said with a fake grin, "must have gotten up too fast…you know these long train rides some times make me slightly dehydrated..."
Al nodded and grabbed Ed's suitcase before attempting to guide his older brother out with out him noticing. "Do you think Winry's going to meet us?" he asked.
"…I hope not…I don't want to hear her start going on about how I don't take care of my automail…" Ed said laughing weakly as the two got to the front of the car to get out.
"She's only concerned that you'll hurt yourself more if you don't take care of you're arm and leg…" Al responded as if the brothers have had this argument for much longer then their years on earth. "Hey isn't that Lieutenant Havoc?" Al asked as they stepped out of the train.
Ed laughed weakly, "yeah, I think so…guess Mustang can't wait for my report…"
Al thought as they approached the smoking Lieutenant, "well…we do have some good things to report…we did take care of that town…"
Ed rubbed his stomach again, "yeah don't remind me…"
"Hey Boss…the Colonel told me to bring you to his office now…" he said opening the car door and getting in the passenger side.
Al opened the door and Ed crawled in, "couldn't this wait till tomorrow?"
"Sorry, the Colonel said to drag you in kicking and screaming if I had to…" the blond said taking his cigarette out of his mouth before blowing some smoke out.
Al nodded, "besides if you can get it done now you won't have to worry about it later…"
"Later…who said I was going to worry about it…"
"I didn't mean it like that Ed…" Al said panicking slightly.
"I'm not worried about some stupid Colonel!" Ed growled pouting; a lot of his normal energy however was not there.
Havoc quirked an eyebrow and looked in the mirror back at Ed and Al. "You ok Boss?" he asked driving to Central Headquarters.
"I'm fine…why wouldn't I be…" Ed snapped looking out the window.
Al shook his head slightly. Ed would not tell any one if he was sick, or hurt, not if he could help it. Al knew though, Al knew that he was hurt, and possibly sick, he just did not know how to get his brother help. The car screeched to a stop. "Shit…stupid…stupid bastard…" Havoc cursed.
Ed leaned over and looked out the window. That was when the window exploded, shattering into many pieces. Ed and Havoc recoiled winching and covering their eyes hoping to avoid being cut. Ed was not covering his face for long he hopped out of the car kicking the door open his hands poised together just about to perform Alchemy. When Havoc got his riffle set up and fired at the gun wielder. "Brother? Lieutenant are you ok?"
Ed leaned back in the car shaking, "are we waiting here?"
"We have to…Ed are you ok…?" Havoc asked looking worried now.
Al nodded, "maybe you should sleep…"
Ed shook his head, "no we have to wait for who ever is coming…"
"That'll probably be the Colonel…" Havoc answered slowly as Ed groaned.
"But we can't leave…" Ed groaned laying back his head resting on Al's hard metal lap.
"I can explain what happened…" Al said trying to convince his brother to go to sleep.
The blond snorted, "I'll never hear the end of it from the bastard…."
Havoc rolled his eyes, "whatever you say…"
Minutes went by before the Colonel and Lieutenant Hawkeye arrived. "What happened?"
"Some guy decided to come and shoot a hole in my window…" Havoc replied tossing his used cigarette to the ground.
"FullMetal?"
"Huh?" Ed asked blinking.
"Is this what happened here?" Mustang asked his eyes scanning the young alchemist.
"Yes."
Al looked at Ed worried. Ed did not even look at the Colonel as he talked. "FullMetal, I do believe that I need more than a Yes if I'm to let you go get a physical examination…"
"I don't kneed one," Ed said blandly looking up at the ceiling of the car where he had dropped himself. Al looked up at the Colonel and Hawkeye.
"I think you do FullMetal..." Mustang responded evenly, patiently even.
Ed jumped up, "I don't ne…" the blond did not get to finish the sentence as his eyes rolled back and he fell towards the car behind him. Al wanted to catch him but was afraid of hurting him.
Luckily Mustang managed to catch Ed before he slammed his head on the metal frame of the military vehicle. "He's burning up…" the colonel said black eyes scanning him. "He needs to go to a hospital…"
"But Colonel, he doesn't want to…" Al protested as the older man picked up Ed.
"He has a fever, he's sweating, he's shaking; he needs medical attention Alphonse-kun…" Mustang replied evenly.
Al looked at the Colonel pleadingly, "please don't take him yet…he'll be mad…just let him rest for a bit…."
"His fever is far too high to be safe," the colonel asked his eyes flashing at the suit of armor.
Al thought for a minute, "…maybe the fever will go down between now and then…."
The Colonel looked at Hawkeye, who shook her head, "Edward-kun needs to be checked out…I'm sorry Al-kun…" she said to Al apologetically. "But I think if he goes now he'll be better off."
Al pouted, "he did look ill when I picked him up sir…" Havoc said lighting up a new cigarette.
Hawkeye twitched, "Lieutenant please take that cigarette and put it out now…"
Havoc pouted but did what he said, not willing to piss off the first lieutenant. The colonel nodded and turned to go to the car Ed still in his hand passed out. "Let's move out now…"
Hawkeye went to the driver's side and got in while Mustang got in the back laying Ed down carefully. "Havoc, would you mind walking to Headquarters with Alphonse, we'll be back to pick him up and bring him with his brother later…" he said taking off his jacket and putting it over him.
"Yes sir," Havoc said saluting lazily. "Come on…" and Havoc trudged the rest of the way with Al in silence.
The wait once the two arrived was long, mostly because Alphonse did not feel like speaking to the bloodied lieutenant. Finally Al had to ask, "why didn't you go in with Hawkeye, you need to go to the hospital to check out your wounds too…"
"Colonel Mustang told me not to for a reason, he was really concerned with Ed's fever, and don't say you didn't notice it, you were watching him the whole time." Havoc blew out some more smoke out of the side of his mouth, "any how both my cuts and Ed's cuts are superficial…that is nothing to be concerned about…"
"Why didn't you clean them off yet then…" Al asked his armored head looking at the older man.
Havoc paused for a moment, "because I don't think I'm that bad none of the glass stuck in the skin…"
"…" Al returned to silence as Hawkeye pulled up next to the curb.
"Lieutenant, the Colonel says you're dismissed," she said walking up the stairs to meet the two.
"How's Ed?" Havoc asked flicking the butt of the cigarette to the ground.
Hawkeye frowned, "his fever started to spike shortly after we left you, the Colonel's there now hoping the doctors have any information on what's wrong with him." She turned to Alphonse, "he want you to go and tell him what happened on that last mission…"
Al nodded, "I understand…I'll go now if it's ok Lieutenant Hawkeye…"
Hawkeye nodded sharply. Havoc scratched the back of his head, "I'll go check on him when I get out of the shower…"
Hawkeye nodded and led Al to the car. "Brother doesn't tell me much when he doesn't feel good…" The blond woman only gave him a short look before she got in the car. Al got in the back. "…We've been traveling for about three days…" he said not waiting for her to say anything not that Hawkeye was going to. "Ed had gotten hurt, but he didn't start looking like that till last night…"
Hawkeye nodded, "maybe he has a really bad cold and is exhausted,…" the woman said glancing at him through the rearview mirror not really believing what she was telling the fifteen year old.
Al nodded hopefully. Maybe…
Colonel Roy Mustang sat in the waiting room in the military hospital tapping his fingers in what most people would think annoyance but in reality was worry. When he had arrived at the scene where a military vehicle was attacked and found out FullMetal was in the car, he had thought that the boy would have been grumbling about how the Flame Alchemist had to show up. What he found instead was a very pale, and physically drained state Alchemist. It was not until the elder Elric fainted did Roy Mustang become truly concerned.
FullMetal was burning up. His temperature was so high that the senior alchemist could feel Ed's sweat through his special gloves. Both him and Hawkeye had kept one eye behind them while they transported him to the hospital hoping that they were over reacting.
"Colonel Mustang?" the doctor asked coming out, she was a very lithe woman with long graying blond hair and dulled Grey-Blue eyes. Mustang nodded at his name, she looked relived, "I'm Doctor Delia Port…"
Mustang stood up, "how is FullMetal?"
"Major Elric is suffering from some internal injuries and an illness that is undetermined but I suspect it's the Flu…" the Doctor said looking at her clipboard.
"Internal injuries?" Mustang asked, "Could you elaborate for me."
The doctor adjusted her glasses and looked up at him, "Major Elric has two cracked ribs three bruised. He also seems to have had a concussion recently, and his Ankle was being restricted from movement by a home made splint…"
"How is his automail holding up?" Mustang asked wondering if he would have to call the Rockbell girl to fix it.
"It needs maintenance," she said flatly.
"Thank you is there anything else?" the dark headed man asked preparing to call the Rockbell girl up right that moment.
"His temperature is extremely high, it's 104.4," she said seriously, "he's in range of having a seizer…"
The flame Alchemist flashed his dark eyes at the petite doctor, "…is there any way to lower it?"
"He being pumped with medicines to fight it off as we speak through a drip, he's also Dehydrated," she in a tone meaning that at the moment she had covered all of the bases.
"Thank you Doctor Port," Mustang replied heading to a phone seeing the doctor leaving the room. He dialed the Rockbell's phone number.
"Hello, Roc…"
"Winry Rockbell, this is Colonel Roy Mustang…."
The tone on the other end of the line turned cold, "what do you want Colonel?"
"Edward is in the hospital," Mustang replied solemnly not letting the hurt show in his voice.
The young teens voice automatically was etched in worry, "what happened?"
"We don't know yet however he is ill and he will need repairs to his automail."
"I see…can I talk to him," she asked hesitantly.
"He's asleep…" Roy said softly looking at the wall. "Come as soon as you can. I will not be sending Edward out on missions for this month."
"That's nice to…"
"I will also not be allowing him to work for that month either." Roy said sharply cutting off the girl from a scathing comment.
"I'll be there…"
"Good bye Miss Rockbell…" Roy hung up and leaned his head against the wall, he hated when he had to call families for the most part, he despised calling those who were like family to the Elric brothers.
"Colonel?" the timid voice of Alphonse asked.
"I need you to tell me what happened Alphonse-kun…" Roy stated stoning his face and turning to see the soul-bound armor.
"I can't, I don't know what happened to him but…" Al set the suitcase down and dug through it on the floor. "This is Ed's journal…he finished writing in it last night before he went to sleep."
"Thank you Alphonse…" Mustang said reaching for the journal as it was passed to him. He then settled into the nearest chair and set out to read it.
(A/N: the next chapter is going to be a very long one. It will have happened before this chapter bare with me. Flames will be played with, constructive criticize wanted. Also I haven't decided whether or not I want to make this a slash (also known as Yaoi) or if there will be any parings at all. Thank you very much for reading. And one last authors note this is a AT (alternate Timeline) that follows the Manga more closely then the Anime.)