Metal Wings

I finally found time to write! Fall sport season is over, so I will hopefully have more extra time. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer- I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist….

Chapter 4 –

The rest of the night was mostly peaceful with Hiro only waking up on a few more occasions. In the morning, Ed and Hiro woke up to the smell of pancakes drifting through their room. Ed dragged himself out of bed and into the kitchen to help Al make them. Hiro just laid there with his head turned toward the window, watching as the sunlight filtered through and illuminated the room. His eyes widened suddenly as he remembered something….

"Where's Fayt?" He questioned, looking toward the kitchen. The brothers glanced at each other before looking in Hiro's direction.

"Fayt?" They asked in unison.

"He's my dog…" Hiro answered, going on to explain how he had had the dog since he was little and how it was always with him. After Ed had explained that they left the dog in the alley, which left an unhappy Hiro, he asked Al to go retrieve Fayt after they ate. With an enthusiastic 'sure', Al finished cooking the last of the pancakes and piled them onto a plate.

Ed poured two cups of water as Al grabbed another plate and walked over to Hiro's bed. After propping Hiro up against some pillows, Ed sat down at the edge of the bed and put a few pancakes on the extra plate. Grabbing a fork, he cut off a piece and went to feed Hiro. Of course this was not only embarrassing for the boy, but he also did not completely trust the brothers yet, and at first he refused to open his mouth. However, after some coaxing from Ed, and the pain in his stomach from not eating, he reluctantly allowed himself to be fed.

Soon, Hiro was done and Ed ate his breakfast. As promised, Al went and got Fayt from the alley and snuck him back into the inn. Once they were in the room the dog immediately jumped onto Hiro's bed and started licking his face. He brought the stump of his right arm, which ended a little above where his elbow would be, and patted Fayt on the head.

"Hey, boy. I missed you." Hiro whispered into the dog's neck. Fayt answered with a small bark, as if saying 'don't worry.'

"He's a nice dog." Ed began, "Mind if I pet him?"

"Yeah, me too?" Al followed.

Hiro shook his head as he said that he didn't mind. The brothers walked over to the bed and patted the short, soft hair. It was a light tan color with some white and dark brown mixed in. Its ears were pointed and Fayt's long tail waged happily.

After a few minutes of this, Ed and Al got up and went to clean up breakfast. Fayt curled up in a spot by Hiro and laid there while his head was softly patted by the boy. Hiro drifted into a daze. His eyes slowly slipped closed and his breathing became slow and steady. About thirty minutes later, he was woken up by Ed shaking him lightly.

"Me and Al are going to go out for a bit. We have to do some investigating or else this guy we know is going to have our hides when we get back home." Ed said with a slight sigh and a certain voice of annoyance.

"Why? Where are you going?" Hiro questioned him.

"We're going out toward the farms on the east side of town. We were sent here on a mission from the military to investigate a supposed murder and abuse case that happened a few years ago. The house was burned, but we have to find what evidence we can."

"...you mean you work for the military? What division?" he said with a bit of edge to his voice.

"Well, I'm a state alchemist…the Fullmetal Alchemist to be exact!"

Hiro tightened a fist in Fayt's fur and the dog made a light growl at this statement. 'I see….'was all he said while turning his head toward the window.

" Somethin' wrong? Ed asked. Hiro just shook his head, his eyes shadowed by his bangs. After a few moments, he let out a half-hearted 'no'. Unconvinced, but not wanting to argue, Ed grabbed Al's arm and said he was ready to leave. On the way out, Ed grabbed a sandwich and set it on the stand by the bed, knowing that Hiro would find someway to eat it.

"I don't know how long we will be gone, so here is a sandwich and some water. You can sort of feed your self, right?"

"Yeah" he answered coldly, "I don't need your help." Ed glanced at Hiro before shrugging his shoulders and walking out the door with Al.

Back in the room, Hiro finally tore his gaze away from the window to reveal a tear-streaked face. He buried his head in the crook of his dog's neck, tears still falling. "Why?" he asked as he balled his fists. "Why….d-does it have to be l-like this?"

The only answer he got was a soft almost purr-like growl from Fayt. For hours Hiro sat like that, and Fayt was content to just sit there and listen to the boys chocked sobs. Eventually, the boy fell asleep….but this time there was no one to wake him up from the hellish nightmares he experienced every night. It was a constant reminder of what had happened to him and his family. The cries of help he could never forget…the mad gleam of the man's eyes…and the pain…those were what haunted him. Those were what made him wake up in the middle of the night, drenched in a cold sweat. Those were the memories of the small boy named Hiro.

Review! Do you like it? Hate it? Please tell me. Constructive flames are welcome.