Hey again and welcome! Thanks for the reviews too, I always love hearing from you all. I'm glad to hear I wasn't confusing anyone too! So here's chapter three. Enjoy... : )
Disclaimer: You know how it goes, right? I don't own FMA or it's characters...
Snakes of the Element 47/Ag
Chapter 3: Sneezes and Bets
By pure-thornless-rose
In the first mapped town of which I still don't have a name for…
Kaida stepped out of the restaurant and set out to go and find Ms. Hameilo, Mr. Hameilo's younger sister. It took her a while, but she did eventually find the house.
Ms. Hameilo was like her brother and she happily let Kaida have a place to stay, especially when she heard that she had been the one who helped her brother earlier. She gave Kaida a room and toured her around the little house. Kaida also never revealed anything important about herself, nor her actual reason for visiting the town. But she did tell them that she was waiting for two other people. Ms. Hameilo said it would be OK to let them stay also. Then, just as Ms. Hameilo said good night, Kaida asked if she could use the phone. She had remembered that she was to call Mustang with the number he gave her once she settled somewhere in town. It was a direct phone line to the new special phone in the office so anyone else listening couldn't track the area down. Ms. Hameilo gave her permission to use it, the only phone in the house. Perfect.
"Hello?" Mustang's voice reached her.
"Hello, Col—uh, Roy!" Kaida said in a fake but very convincing tone of happiness. She's been told to speak in a casual manner like so, just in case someone was listening when no one else should be. During this time these days and the town she's in, if people find out, she's either ignored and safe, or heard of and in danger for her safety or life. "How's it goin'?"
"The lines clear, how about you?" Ha announced half-heartedly.
"Uh… hold on a sec…" She looked around the room casually, making any observations. "Clear… Anyway, I'm in town and settled in the residence of Ms. Hameilo—the sister of a farmer and part time delivery man who gave me a ride here earlier today…"
"Good, very good; now, I heard from Ed earlier, he and his brother are on their way there. But they're traveling on foot so it'll take a long while…"
"…Uh… Ed and his brother…?"
"The Elric Brothers, Kaida, ELRIC," he stressed. "I know this is your first assignment and all, but it'll be for the best if you know exactly who you're going to work with… AND everything else on top of that…"
"Yes sir…"
"Good," he continued, sounding pleased. "Now since they will be traveling on foot, they should be arriving there very early in the morning—I want you to meet them at the town's entrance—rest up and good luck…"
"Thank you, sir."
"Oh… and don't be surprised if they're surprised to meet you. I left out information about you on accident when I told them about you…"
"Okay… …?"
"I didn't have the right mug of coffee yesterday…"
"Oh alright…" she sighed slightly. "Oh and would that be the same reason why you didn't give any of us some sort of transportation to this town?"
"For you… yeah. For Ed… yes… and no…" You can tell he was smirking at the other end of the line. "Now it would be best if you rest now and get up early later… Bye."
"Good bye, sir."
Click.
On the road with Ed and Al…
"Aahh—Ahhh—ACHOO!"
"Bless you…"
"Eh…" Ed sniffed. "Thanks Al…"
"You're welcome." He turned to his brother again. "You know, Ed, they say that if you sneeze, someone's talking negatively behind your back."
"Really…" Ed sighed. "Yeah—cause I just got this really uneasy feeling that Colonel Jerk's giving off another one of his sly, know it all, sarcastic smirks…!"
In Mustang's Office…
Mustang hung up the phone and smiled to himself. Hawkeye and Havoc were seated before his desk. Havoc sat there with his cigarette in his mouth, Hawkeye just sat there in thought. They turned to their superior.
"What's that smile for?" Havoc asked him.
"Oh I was just thinking…" he began. "I should make Ed and his brother travel on foot more often…"
"…And why would that be…?" Hawkeye inquired. "You justlike tormenting him don't you…?"
"Yeah…"
"Heh… I would too if I was in charge." Havoc pitched in. "He's just some pipsqueak of a brat."
"A tempermental brat, that, he is." Hawkeye nodded.
"Haha!" Mustang laughed, "I'm so glad you two agree with me!"
Back with Ed and Al…
"AHHCHOO! ACHOO! ACHOO!"
"Bless you…"
"Dammit, three of 'em!"
Al chuckled.
"Ugh… man, I bet it's all coming from the trio in Central…"
After Several Hours of Walking…
The sun was going to rise soon, maybe in about an hour or two, so it was still a bit dark outside. The boys just entered the town's district entrance.
"Oh…" Ed moaned of exhaustion. "We're here… FINALLY!"
"Yes…" Al cheered to himself. "Now didn't Colonel tell us that we'll be meeting Silver Snake at the town entrance?"
"Yeah…" Ed was pretty much pooped from walking non-stop in the dark. "But that bench over there looks sooo inviting…"
"If you were tired, we should have taken a break a long time ago…"
"No way, Al! Are you crazy? Do you know what kind of people are out there in the dark?"
"No… you just wanted to get here right away…"
"Yeah, pretty much. Now let's go visit that comfy looking bench!"
"That's okay, you go ahead. I'll go wait for our partner."
"Woohoo…!" Ed cheered to himself and slowly made his way to the bench. "Almost—there!"
"WAIT!" a girl yelled, running up to them. Ed stopped in his tracks reluctantly. "You—gasp—don't happen to be—the Elric brothers," she panted. "Wouldn't you?"
"Yeah…" Ed sighed and turned to face her. Al stood next to them. "Who are you…?"
She straightened up and stuck a hand out for him to shake. "I'm Kaida Mae Ana Eborrichi-Watsonstein…!" She shook his hand delightfully and then Al's, Ed raised an eyebrow. "Also known as Silver Snake…!"
Ed's jaw dropped, she smiled, and Al smirked inwardly. "WHAT!"
"Wow… you are much younger than we—no—brother expected." Al recited happily to annoy Ed..
"Okay…" Ed groaned. "Just how old are you?"
"Oh, fourteen. Why?"
"Cause I just lost a bet—here Al…" Ed sighed once more and handed Al his hundred.
"Thank you!"
"Okay…" Kaida tilted her head a bit. "Anyway, it's so nice to finally meet you, Full Metal and brother Alphonse!" She smiled at both of them. Ed noticed she didn't confuse him for his brother and he smiled at this. "Colonel told me it would the best to know exactly who I'm working with."
"Wow… He actually knows how to give out helpful commands…"
Mustang's Office…
"Ahh—CHOO!"
"Gezunheit…" (Sorry, don't know how to spell that...)
"Thanks…" Colonel sniffed.
"You know what they say, Colonel…" Hawkeye began.
"Yeah, yeah, I know…"
Havoc chuckled. "Heh… I bet if you sneezed for everything negative said behind your back…" He laughed quietly and Hawkeye refrained from chuckling and smiled at his comment. Colonel scowled.
"Hey…"
The new trio…
"Now, I'm sure you guys must be tired from all that walking you did." Kaida began walking backwards a little. "I found a place to stay and you can rest there for a while."
"Great! Come on Al," Ed smiled, looking forward for some rest, "we have a place to stay already!"
"The lady who let me stay in her household gave me an OK for two more guests." She began walking and they followed.
While they strolled, something shiny caught her eye. It was Ed's pocket watch chain.
"Hey Ed? You do know this town has it in for the military and State, right?"
"Oh… Yeah that's right…" He caught her looking at the chain. "My chain huh…?" She nodded and he tucked it away. "Thanks… I forgot what Colonel told me…"
"No problem." She smiled again. She stopped and turned to one of the little houses on her left. "Here we are…" Then, she walked up to the doorstep and opened it. She entered and looked around.
"Oh hello, Kaida, dear."
"Oh! Hello Ms. Hameilo, you're up already? It's still only five in the morning…"
Ms. Hameilo looked past Kaida. "Are these the two others you told me about?
"Yes, they just arrived in town." Then she introduced them all to each other and walked to the guests' room's double doors. "Now… here is where we're all going to dorm for the time being…" She said this as she opened the room. It was quite large and simple and held five separate beds along one side of the room; there was a large window with a desk and chair beneath it too. "I claimed that bed in the back by the way…"
Ed stepped in and plopped himself on the bed next to the one Kaida claimed. "Ah… so comfy…"
Al followed and looked out the window, the sun was only just rising. Kaida shut the door behind her and began speaking quietly, sitting on her bed. "I presume your travel was tiresome…"
"Uh huh…"
"Listen, once you've rested up, we can go into town again. Will that be alright?"
"What's wrong?" Al asked. "You look bothered. Do you have anything about our assignment already?"
"Yeah, actually I do." She squirmed and sat up. "I believe this town just might have someone doing some illegal alchemy… but everything's still too broad and I want to do some investigating."
"Tell me something, Kaida." Ed said as he lay there with his arms behind his head. "Is this your first assignment?"
"Yeah." She said coyly. "Why?"
"Oh nothing. It's cause you seem pretty prepared and everything all ready. That's all."
Kaida began to think a bit. "Well, Hawkeye and Mustang did both give me a couple pointers for my first time out here and all—heh, I swear, if those two were married with a child, they'd make good parents…"
"Ha! That's a load of crap!" Ed laughed. "Mustang's nothing but a let's-go-on-a-date-and-move-on kind of guy! And Hawkeye… I'm not sure, she'd make a good mom I guess." (Mustang: Ahh-CHOO!)
"Well, she already does put up with so many other men around her… and Black Hayate." Al pointed out, Ed agreed with a nod. "But then again, you don't know all the possibilities out there, Ed." Kaida agreed with him this time and nodded. Ed's face faltered and he scowled.
"Humph, you wanna make a bet out of that you two?"
"It'll take a long time to see, but when the time comes, Edward Elric…"
"Don't you mean IF the time comes?"
"No… we'll be right."
"YUP! And make it two hundred each!" Al cheered. Then they agreed with a shake.
Ed yawned "good luck in the near future you two" and dozed off afterwards while Kaida told Al about everything that had happened to her while they were still gone.
Somewhere in the along the (hypothetical) years…
Ed, Al, Winry, and Kaida were walking in Central Park one day. Winry and Kaida were in a deep conversation about automail and Winry was the orator while Kaida listened to every word with interest. Ed looked bored and Al was falling behind. He just spotted a lonely kitten and picked it up. Ed saw him and began lecturing him about taking care of kittens and not being able to keep it. The two girls noticed them but shrugged and paused from walking.
"Al, don't make me have to tell you again—ah?" A tap on the shoulder by Kaida suddenly interrupted Ed. "What?"
"Edward Elric…" She began to announce. "You owe your brother and I two hundred each!"
Ed looked at her like she was crazy. "ARE YOU CRAZY? HELL NO… why should I anyway?"
Al looked confused, but he noticed someone was missing from the group. "Hey where's Winry you guys?" They all looked around and spotted her, she was suddenly talking to some random yet familiar looking couple just ahead of them. "Oh…"
Ed's eyes widened and his jaw dropped slightly. Al and Kaida gave each other a secret high five. Winry then turned to them and smiled.
"Hey guys. Guess what?" She blurted out. "You should come over here and see Mr. And Mrs. Mustang's adorable baby girl!" She enjoyed putting an emphasis on the em-aar-ess (M R S if you didn't get that).
Behind her, they could see a baby stroller, Riza with a nervous smile and sweat-drop and Roy with a dry and annoyed expression on his face as he looked at Ed's expression… both behind the baby stroller.
"Ehh… I'll write you two a check later…"
Bwahahahahaa... I made Ed lose two bets in one chapter...! And I don't feel bad about it... Anyway... thanks for reading and review please! (I'm so polite!) And come back for the next chaper, okay?
bye-z-bye!