All You Need Is A Little Love
Part 4: An Afternoon To Remember
The next day found everyone back at the train station, Winry was going home. The night before she had gotten a call from her grandmother asking for assistance.
"Bye Winry!" Venus waved as Winry stuck her head out the window.
"Ed! Don't do anything stupid!" She said waving.
"Like I was going to." He muttered under his breath.
"Bye Winry!" Al waved.
As the train pulled off Venus smiled holding her hands behind her back looking up at the sky. Ed and Al were still debating on what to say to her.
"Why didn't you tell us you were a State Alchemist?" Ed asked.
Venus looked at for a moment before holding her hands up.
"I didn't think it was really that important." She replied.
"What about you being 155 years old?" He shot. Her expression dropped and filled with sadness.
"Brother." Al hissed at his brother seeing that the last remark was causing Venus a problem.
"I…I don't like talking about it." She replied. She took in a deep breath. The subject was quickly dropped
"Miss. Venus? How do you know Colonel Mustang?" Al asked as they headed back to the command center.
"We met when he was hospitalized a couple of years back." She replied.
"What were you his nurse or something?" Ed asked with a laugh.
"What is so funny? I was." She replied looking at strangely.
"Oh." Ed said looking up.
"Is there…you know something between the two of you?" He asked trying not to look at her.
"Hard to say really." She sighed remember the events of last night.
After she had left Hughes has dragged her back and attempted to introduce her to Roy who laughed when he told him that they had already met, quiet some time ago. Then Hughes launched into this speech about the importance of Roy starting a family so he would get promoted to Central. And he managed to drag Venus into it as well. Roy and Venus looked at each other showing that they were greatly disturbed about the idea of the two them…getting married. Roy then explained to Hughes what he had explained to the Elrics about Venus.
Hughes laughed and said that 155 is clearly old enough to be married not to mention she would look cute in an apron. Then the room was quiet, Venus suspected both were really imaging her in an apron and she groaned with disgust.
"It would be…well stupid for any man in his right mind to marry me! Sure I'll always look this way, but one they'll die and what about me? Just shrug it off and find someone else? Isn't that a bit cruel? Have you no heart Lt. Colonel?" She hissed placing her hands on her hips. Hughes took a loud gulp before retreating behind Roy. Roy however seemed to take it to heart and gave a nod of agreement.
"Yes it is when you put it that way." He said.
"I really wasn't thinking that far ahead." Hughes tried to sound innocent.
"Honestly!" She sighed turning on her heels and leaving the room. Besides…it wasn't like she even felt like she could marry Roy, or anyone else for that matter. Her feelings weren't that love, just a crush. She knew it would be hard for her love someone after losing the two people she loved more than anything else. That night while Winry slept she silently cried into her pillow. When awoke the next morning she her usual spunky self.
Now it was slowly turning into the afternoon, the sky was covered by clouds threatening a stormy at any given moment. She felt like staying outside anyway and wandered off to a bench on the far side of the compound. It was like a mini garden; a large tree was behind the bench and gave the rest of the 30x30 ft. of greenery shade. A large glass window over looked the area from the compound across from the bench and other on the right side of that. She sat down pulling her legs to her chest. She had ditched her coat so it really wasn't wise for her to sit that way, but she did it anyway.
She closed her eyes resting her head on her knees.
"It really sucks to be me." She muttered.
"Why do you say that?" She looked up to Ed smiling down at her. He sat beside her awaiting her answer.
"Where is Al?" She asked, usual the two brothers were always together; it was odd for her to see them apart.
"He was drag away by Hughes." Ed replied looking around.
"Answer my question. Why does it suck to be you?" He looked at her again she was staring at the top of her knees.
"It just does." She replied closing her eyes. She felt his hand brush away from hair that had fallen in her face, she smiled inwardly.
"Well it sucks to be me sometimes too." He said laughing. She opened her eyes and tilted her head so she could look at him she smiled, he smiled back.
Both sat there for a moment smiling at each other not knowing what to say next. Al and Riza, who had pulled Al away from Hughes go on and on about his wonderful daughter, were walking past the window and stopped looking at the two under the tree.
"What is going on?" Al asked knowing that Riza didn't know either. Coming the opposite way was Hughes and Mustang they too stopped and looked out.
"Your smile is cute." Ed said, once he caught what he said he blushed and turned his head away. He heard her giggle.
"Your smiled is cute too Ed." He blinked turning back to look at her. She was looking down at her knees again. She looked up looking Ed in the eye. She then closed her eyes and moved in to kiss him, and did.
"Well that kills that." Roy muttered.
Everyone else was silent, watching. Ed had kept his eyes open they widen when she kissed him. She pulled back and his face went red again. She smiled standing up, Ed sat there staring at where she had once sat and blinked.
"What was that about?" He asked shaking from his daze. He looked an only saw the waves of her hair.
"Someone had to kiss me." She said looking into the window. The four that stood there quickly turned their backs.
"And just so you know, four people witness it." She turned and headed back toward the main entrance. When Ed got a clear view of the window he stood up he narrowed his eyes as they slowly turned to see if they were still there.
Hughes smiled and waved at Ed, Roy hit him, Al and Riza simply stared at him.
"My life isn't some show to watch you jerks!" Ed yelled quickly turning and following Venus.
That something unforgettable to her. She held her hands behind her back as she walked down the endless hallways. To her it was like her first kiss all over again, though in reality she had kissed more than just Ed and her now deceased boyfriend. Two years ago she kissed Roy before he left the hospital, which was a story in and of itself. And there were all the other guys throughout her never ending life.
"She was assigned to take of me in the West after I had been beaten up pretty badly by rouge alchemists who were really nothing but bandits. I was there for about a month and two of us got pretty close. Hard not to since she lived in the hospital and once assigned to me she had to stay with me 24/7. One night she told me her story and I told her mine. Both laughed about both of them, it felt nice, she thought so too. The day I left she saw me off. Before I said goodbye she kissed me in front most of the military. Her parting words were "Take care of yourself." I hadn't really thought about her much till I heard she was in Athenia. Like a blast from the past." Roy told Riza, Al, and Hughes who were leaning against a wall.
"She was really cute in that nurses outfit nice legs." He laughed. Riza growled under her breath.
"You and skirt problem." She spat.
"He has a point. Wouldn't you agree Al?" Hughes asked the youngest Elric brother froze.
"I'm just a kid!" He yelled, Riza laughed.
"Wait a minute would you!" Ed yelled as he ran after Venus who moved pretty fast walking. She stopped and turned her head to find him out of breath behind her.
"What is it?" She asked.
He really didn't know. He stood up taking a deep breath.
"What did you mean 'someone had to kiss you'?" He asked.
She laughed as she started walking again.
"Don't take it so personally Ed." She said waving.
"I should just walk away and ignore this whole thing." He said with a sigh wandering down a different hallway.
"We should just ignore this whole thing." Riza said, Al agreed.
"I can't." Roy said and Hughes agreed.
"Why not, Brother won't talk about it." Al said.
"Because Al, this is something to hold over Ed." Roy smirked.
"Now, now Roy that may be a little drastic." Hughes said with a nod.
"I'll say." Riza said.
"Well at least we can use if we need him to do something." Roy said with a sigh Riza and Hughes agreed.
That night the alarms went off. Everyone rushed from their rooms in the night clothes. Wore a backless gown that went just below her knees, it was a black silk with pink lace around the edges. Her hair was pulled into twin braids down her back. Most of the men came running out with just their pants on. Venus saw Riza run by, in uniform.
"What is going on?" Ed asked as Riza ran by.
"I don't know." She yelled running along.
"Come on Al!" Ed said tearing after Riza.
"Hey wait for me!" Venus yelled running along behind them.
End Part 4-
