Disclaimer: So here's theme seven, a bit later than I had hoped. It gave me some trouble at first... then just decided to write itself. Mild fanservice for loveandpeace522, simply because it amused me that she read and reviewed every chapter... consecutively. XD Plus, the fanservice needed to be done.

I expect to have eight out by Saturday, but I make no promises. Keep a look-out, though! :D

45 Roy/Edward Themes

Theme 07 "Kokka Renkinjutsushi".

Edward Elric had been the youngest Amestrisian citizen to achieve the title of State Alchemist. That was always something in particular Roy prided about having him under his jurisdiction. Edward may have been the youngest on the team, but he was also one of the smartest.

But intelligence wasn't always everything.

Just because Edward was smart, didn't make him any less of a child. He did not deal with loss well, nor did he deal with some of the matters a State Alchemist needed to deal with well.

The most recent case he had sent him on, for instance.

A member of the military, Jacen Williames, had recently passed away. His widowed wife, Martha, was using the money he had left behind to take care of their eight year old daughter. Their daughter had taken ill, it seemed.

Roy had caught wind that the money Martha was spending was going into things other than Jessica's care. Unable -- and unwilling, frankly -- to check the situation out himself, he sent Edward and his brother to do so.

Martha had more or less abandoned her ill daughter to spend her husband's money on alcohol and luxuries for herself. It threw Edward into a state of confused distress, having only known a very loving mother previously. He had tried nine ways to Sunday to convince the woman to go back to spending the money on Jessica's medical bills. The woman refused, and Edward was forced to cut Martha off from her husband's money entirely.

When he returned, he had sworn that if Roy ever sent him on another mission like that, he would sooner quit the military. He had then found his way to the couch and remained there, curled in a miserable heap until his brother convinced him to eat something.

"FullMetal, there are things about your job you need to understand," Roy had chided, sitting on the arm of the couch where Edward had curled again. "Things that you seem to think don't apply to you." Edward had shifted, and sat up to glare at him with tired eyes.

"Just because you are still a child, doesn't mean you won't get sent into the nitty-gritty missions of the military."

Edward scoffed.

"You make it sound like I wasn't ready for it," he replied snidely, flopping back onto the couch.

"You weren't."

Edward sat up again with a snarl.

"Well then maybe you shouldn't have sent me there!"

Roy just smiled, his eyes closed.

"This is what you need to understand, Edward."

When the boy didn't respond, Roy opened his eyes to match Edward's gaze with a stony expression.

"I'm trying to prepare you. If I get sent into the face of a war, you will have to come with me. Taking a drunkard mother's money for her child from her will be the least of your worries if you are forced into war."

Edward dropped his gaze to the upholstery.

"…that doesn't mean it hurt any less." he mumbled, and Roy quirked a brow.

When Edward chose to look at him again, Roy flinched when he caught the choked tears in the teenager's voice.

"A mother is supposed to take care of her children, isn't she?" he demanded softly. "Isn't she?" Roy knit his eyebrows together. He didn't quite understand where Edward was going with this.

"Why is it, that someone like that… who doesn't seem to care at all about her daughter… can thrive, and be funded to not care… when our mother -- Al and mine, I mean -- died at such a young age? All she had was her care for us, after dad left…" he trailed off, eyes moving back down to stare at the upholstery of the couch.

Roy slid off the arm of the chair and into the space between himself and Edward. The teenager jumped when Roy's hand covered his own in a somewhat comforting gesture.

"…taisa, why are people like that…?" Edward asked, his voice oddly quiet for his usual audacity. He scooted forward on the couch and leaned his head on Roy's shoulder, his hair falling over his shoulder, braid messy and unkempt from lack of care. Roy smiled after a minute.

"…because not everyone's heart can be as large as yours, FullMetal."

Edward snapped his head up, shooting the Colonel a half-assed glare.

"Who says I --" his complaint was cut off abruptly by Roy's leaning forward and stopping his lips with his own. After a moment of initial shock, the younger alchemist returned the gesture. The hand Roy still held shifted in place to lace its own fingers through Roy's.

Edward suddenly decided that, regardless of how dirty the job could get, he could deal with it if this was his payment on occasion.

Author's Notes: Yay fanservice. It needed to be done... and I apologize for having it take so long! vv I'm highly unexperienced in writing anything citrus... so I shall seek coaching from other writers (such as my favourite person evAR, and my beta, DOREMIdan) and work toward that for you guys. Sound good? :D Please leave me reviews, okay? I am starved for feedback and you guys always make my day when I read your reviews. ♥.

-Hitsuji