Communications

Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Alchemist. So don't try anything. You losers.

Pairing: FueryxSciska, implied RoyxRiza

Flip, Flip, Flip

Sciska was furiously tearing through the pages of a telephone repair book, absorbing all the text but understanding none of it. Sure, she knew the names of the wires, and where they were, but when she attempted to repair the offices phone, her result was a rather large shock that still made her mousy hair stand on end. She could swear it was fizzing.

The phone in question was sitting in front of her, the wires sparking away earning them an irritated glare from the bibliophilic woman.

"I don't understand! I did what it told me to, it should work! I guess I'm useless after all…" She gave a sigh of defeat and stared out the window. Autumn leaves were whipped along the frosted ground outside, people bustling to get from place to place, and she suddenly noticed a certain colonel and his assistants hustling along the cold sidewalk. Even from under the cap, she recognized Sergeant Major Fuery by the small horn rims like her own peeking from the sides of the blue hat.

Quickly Sciska's flawless memory returned to her, and she quickly opened the window, sticking half of her body out of the window, clinging to the window frame as her blue uniform fluttered in the cool October breeze.

"Sergeant Major Fuery, sir! Can I have some help up here? My phone seems to be malfunctioning, and I am in need of assistance sir!" She steadied herself after a particular scare when she realized he had heard her, his blue eyes turning up to her window.

What did you expect! You are bending out a window and screaming at him! Smart Sciska, real smart!

"Miss Sciska, I'll be up in a minute." Fuery gave the colonel a salute, and with a nod from his superior, he marched towards the building.

"Ah, Fuery's got a girlfriend I see." Roy said smugly, rubbing his chin.

"Sir, the personal life of the sergeant major does not concern you. Now hurry up sir, we have paperwork waiting." 1st Lt. Hawkeye said with an eerie calmness laced with a threatening tone that Roy knew too well.

"I'm going, I'm going, just don't shoot me, please?"

A knock on the door brought Sheska to reality. She knew it could take Fuery five minutes to get upstairs, and that was 5 minutes she could go over a book she had recently stolen from the records room about war history. She closed the book carefully, setting it down on her cluttered desk before stepping over masses of cords to the door. She saluted the sergeant major as he walked in, a blush evident on her cheeks.

"I am so sorry, sir. I tried to fix it myself but I am no good with mechanics, sir!"

"No need to be so formal, we know each other." He said with a nervous smile, giving a casual salute back before taking off his heavy coat. "So, what's the problem?"

"I have no idea." Sheska said, collapsing in frustration in front of the mess of tin and wire. "Sir!" She added quickly, her body jolting to attention.

"Relax…call me Fuery." He said, searching along the floor for the tools Sciska had scattered over the already messy room. "I thought you were a civilian, why are you in uniform?"

Sciska gave a small blush and looked down at the cluttered floor, furiously trying to clean the mess.

Why do I get so flustered around him? He's just a normal, everyday…very good looking officer. Nothing to get worried about, right?

"After Brigadier General Hughes died, I chose to enlist. Plus, I enjoy my job, and it pays enough." She gathered all the technical books in her arms, teetering slightly. She couldn't see over the top of the stack very well, but it was enough. She tenderly stepped over the broken phone and wobbled towards the door.

"Miss Sciska, do you need any-" Fuery was cut off by a nervous laugh quickly followed by small squeaks to regain her balance.

"I'll be fine! The library is just down the hall anyway, I'll be right back sir."

Fuery gave a sigh of defeat and returned to the project at hand. Evidentially, Sciska had proven herself at being technologically inept, for the mangled piece in front of him was not to be identified as a phone.

Shortly a huge crash of books was heard along with a yelp from the new private, causing Fuery to snap to attention.

"Miss Sciska-"

"I'm fine! Fine! Really, nothing at all to worry about!" A muffled voice shouted from the hallway. "Just continue working sir!"

Fuery started to protest, but stopped himself. He could hear her pick up the books and her heels clacking down the hallway. She obviously wasn't used to wearing them. He shook his head and returned to his work. Before long, Sciska had returned to the room, her brown hair messier then before. Fuery turned to give a smile, finding himself blushing slightly. The way her uniform was wrinkled and how messy her hair was it looked like she had either slept in her uniform or, he became a darker shade at the thought, quickly jerking to return to the project. Sciska tilted her head in a curious manner, wondering why he seemed to jerk away.

I probably look like a mess! In front of a superior officer too!

Sciska looked in the side mirror at her disheveled self. She ran her fingers through her hair and jerked at the wrinkles before sitting across from the busy technician.

They sat in silence for a short while, Fuery lost in repairing the phone, and Sciska itching to read a book, but she was new to the military, so she wondered if she had to ask permission first, but at the same time didn't want to disturb the man in front of her, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. And such concentration was not to be disturbed, Sciska knew this. It was like someone interrupting you at the climax of your favorite book, an unspeakable sin. Just thinking about her favorite book made her shiver pleasantly, re-reading her favorite passages in her head.

Fuery glanced up every once in a while to check on the dreaming private. Her eyes were closed contently and she was smiling, happily lost in her inner library. He gave a soft smile and returned to his work.

The next time he looked up though, tears were leaking down her cheeks as her lips were pursed, quivering before she began to cry loud sobs.

"Miss Sciska! What's wrong? All you alright? Miss Sciska!" Fuery shook her shoulders softly, not wanting to shake too hard in fear she might break considering her current state. Her eyes slowly opened and she looked up at the worried technician, a look of surprise at his closeness.

"What are you doing! I was at one of my favorite parts!" Sciska huffed angrily, glaring at the frazzled sergeant major.

"W-What? You were crying Miss Sciska, I was worried."

"All good books make you cry! Do you even read anything other then those cryptic manuals?" Sciska huffed again. She shoved him off of her angrily, standing up.

And then it hit her.

"I AM SO SORRY, I FORGOT YOU WERE A SUPERIOR OFFICER! HERE I ASK FOR HELP AND I…OH PLEASE FORGIVE ME SIR!" Sciska dropped to her knees bowing and continued to plead for forgiveness from the now very confused Kain Fuery.

"It's okay Miss Sciska, it really is okay." He said nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

"Really? You won't fire me?" Sciska was looking up at him, and the sight of her made Fuery blush, along with the male side of him noticing her face wasn't the only one of her "assets" that was rather nice.

" I won't, it's my own fault anyways. Just let me get back to work." Sciska gave a nod and got out of the compromising position, relieving Fuery's reddened cheeks.

All was silent for a while as Sciska read books in her head, making sure to only read happy parts so she wouldn't make Fuery worry. Time seemed to go quickly, and finally he was able to repair the phone as he began to put the wires in their metal canister. Sciska stopped reading and looked up at the now standing Kain Fuery as he hitched the phone back to it's station on her desk.

"You know, literature is a way of communicating emotions and ideas, and phones help people share ideas and emotions. I suppose we work in the same field in a way. Communication is so important, we have a big job to do." Sciska looked at the officer a small smile on her lips.

"Yeah… I would think so." Fuery said, grabbing his coat.

Suddenly, a crazy idea popped into Sciska's head, and before she knew it, she had leapt to her feet, giving a sharp salute.

"Um… sir…uh…maybe…I don't know…but maybe we could discuss our jobs over dinner, but you don't have to! I mean… I would like it… oh I sound like an idiot." Sciska was as red as Fullmetal's coat and she continued to ramble about meaningless things, and Fuery's shocked stare wasn't helping.

"But isn't that fraternization?" Fuery said, mouth still agape. It was times like this he wished she was still a civilian.

" State Military Fraternization Policy, 2d-f.

Personal relationships outside of marriage between members of the Regular Army and members of the other separate battalions or reserves when the relationships primarily exists due to civilian association and the reserve component member is not a subordinate (other than annual training) or Guard duty (other than annual training).

Soldiers and leaders share responsibility, however, for ensuring that these relationships do not interfere with good order and discipline. Commanders will ensure that personal relationships which exist between soldiers of different ranks emanating from their civilian careers will not influence training, readiness, or personnel actions." Sciska recited the policy word for word, still standing in a stiff salute, the blush beginning to fade from her pale cheeks.

Fuery continued to stare, before his lips slowly curved into a smile. " I will meet you after work for coffee, how is that Miss Sciska?"

"Perfect sir. I will be here Sergeant Major." Sciska finally lowered her hand and smiled.

"Don't call me 'sir'. Call me Kain."

"Okay, I will be here… Kain."

END

Authors Note: My God, this is probably terribly OOC, but I have not seen either character much at all, so it poses some problems. This is manga based, I notices Sciska was wearing a uniform, so this popped into my brain. Poor Roy and Riza, Fuery and Sciska can bend the rules, but they can't. Well, Roy wasn't one for rules anyway. The fraternization policy was slightly modified from the US Army policy, so it is accurate in that respect. I do my research. Yeah, I'm just that cool.

Wearer of the viking hat,

Gabby the Great