Ok, so really I don't. Bite me.
Held
By Gomp
Roy placed a hand on my shoulder in a comforting manner; I promptly shrugged it off as I stared blankly at the bed. Military officials, various investigators, and the like were all crowded into the small dorm room, trying to piece everything together. I stood in the center of the commotion, feeling lifeless and helpless.
"Edward, you should probably leave."
"He was my subordinate; I have the authority to stay."
Roy ran a hand through his hair as he leaned close to me, he whispered into my ear so no one else could hear. "Edward, I am General, so, I have higher authority over you, don't force me to make a scene. Get out of the room; you don't seem in proper mental health to take on this case at the moment."
I wanted to yell at him for saying such a thing, but he was right. I dropped my head, ashamed of my own weakness. "Roy, what happened to him?"
"I don't know, we will have to wait for the biopsy reports."
I looked back towards the bed; people were poking and probing at the piece of flesh that was once Enzo. It was making me sick to my stomach just watching it; I was never one who was into gruesome scenes.
"I want the biopsy reports sent directly to me."
Roy raised an eyebrow at me, but I nodded my head assuring myself that I was right. "I will leave right now if you promise me I will get the reports."
Roy gave me a small smile. "They will be sent to you."
Roy turned to leave but I grabbed him by the upper arm to stop him, he looked at me curiously. "Yes?"
My eyes were still focused on the bed; I licked my lips before I spoke. "Roy… is it possible a chimera could have done this?"
"What do you mean?"
I closed my eyes remembering the night of the Rizenpool attack: the chimera grabbing the man in its claws, tearing him apart. "There's evidence of a major struggle and just looking at the condition of the body... that night… in Rizenpool."
Roy turned his gaze towards the body on the bed. "What are you trying to tell me Edward?"
"I don't know. That night… I saw a man in the same condition like this. The chimera…" I swallowed loudly. "I think it's possible a chimera might have done this."
Roy's mouth fell open slightly. We both stared at the bed as the morgue workers tried to lift the 'body' to place it in a body bag. But the moment they lifted it, chucks that I don't even want to know what, fell out of the body. That was it. I didn't even wait for Roy's response. I turned quickly on my heel and exited the room.
When I left the room I could feel a wave of nausea hit me, which in turn made me feel very queasy. I suppose the scent of blood and the horrific scene I had just witnessed was starting to get to me. I quickly headed towards my dorm room, but stopped for a moment when I saw Klose talking to a military officer in the hallway. She turned to look at me, her face seemed at peace. "Edward, are you alright?" Her calm tone seemed so out of place. How could she be so well composed after seeing something like that?
I didn't even bother to say anything to her. I just walked by her and went right to my room.
I quickly unlocked the door and walked right in, after shutting the door I made a beeline for the bathroom. I flicked on the light switch and then stared at the toilet. My stomach seemed calm enough that I didn't think I needed to stick my head in it. I stood there for a moment not really doing anything, just staring blankly at the white porcelain seat. My body felt numb all over, I felt fragile. Heh, maybe everything was going to be ok. Maybe… I mean, Enzo and I weren't really close. We just met each other about a week ago. Ha.
They always die; everyone seemed to die around me. Death, I hated death with a passion. Death… death… death…
I turned on the sink and cupped my hands under the cold water and then splashed it on my face. I wanted my brain to work right. I didn't want to think the things I was thinking. All my brain was doing was going into a little happy circle of all the death and atrocious stuff I had seen in my lifetime. All the little details I truly wanted to forget. My father, mother, Hughes, Greed, Envy, Enzo, so many more… oh God, was I getting so tired of all of this.
I looked into the mirror seeing my pale face and the hallow empty gaze my eyes carried. I could feel tears threatening to come but…
"Stop this." My voice was filled with so many emotions, emotions I couldn't even place. I wanted to scream but all I could do was produce a choked moan from sorrow. I was only 20 years old yet, I felt like I was more than hundred.
I smashed my right fist into one of the blue tiles on the wall, I heard a satisfying crack. I pulled my metal hand away and looked at the damaged tile, pieces of it falling to the floor. It was funny, that stupid tile actually reminded me of myself. I began to chuckle at the thought, I was truly cracking, wasn't I?
"SHUT UP"
I grabbed my head with my hands, trying to stop the throbbing. Death… it never stopped. It followed me constantly and most of the time it was my fault. I hated death. Hate it. Hate it. Hate it. HATED IT!
I fell to the ground due to my weakened knees. This time tears were coming and there was no way to stop them. I didn't have Al to lean on anymore; I was by myself and had to deal with everything alone. I hated being alone.
"I need to stop this. Edward, get yourself together." My voice was a hoarse whisper. I had to calm down or I honestly was probably going to do something stupid. I was rocking myself at this point, trying desperately to comfort myself as the tears fell to the cold floor.
Years ago I was so strong. I was Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, egotistical little numb-nut who could take on the world. Back then I had a purpose in life. What happened to me? Now I was nothing more then a pathetic man begging for the world to stop turning. I thought you were supposed to get wiser and stronger with age. Not weaker and sadder.
My lower legs were beginning to feel stiff from the drying blood. It was Enzo's drying blood.
I made the short crawl to the shower stall and flicked the water on. I began to fiddle with my black jackets top button… if I got a shower I could wash the blood away and hopefully put some life back into me. I threw off my black jacket but just gave up from there. I crawled into the tub still fully clothed. Little streams of blood ran down to the drain as the water spray hit my black pants.
The warm water felt nice. My breathing was becoming calmer and my heart was returning to normal even though the tears didn't want to stop. I just sat in the bottom of the bathtub while trying to allow reality to sink in.
I laid in my bed while I stared at the blue wall. I had curled myself into a pillow while trying to make myself more comfortable. I had thrown off my wet clothing long ago when I had finished my shower. Now I just laid in my boxers while holding my fathers gold watch loosely in my grasp. My hair was undone, out of its braid; the dampness of it caused it to stick to my bare back.
I wasn't sure how I was feeling, I wasn't really upset and I sure as hell wasn't very happy either. I suppose I felt like I just existed. I had no motivation to do anything but to lay there.
I wasn't sure why Enzo's death set me off the way it did. It was like everything I had seen in my life time hit me all at once. I gave a chuckle. I truly was pathetic these days; I really needed to grow up. Living on my past was never going to allow me to move forward.
Enzo's death was so sad in its own way, maybe because he was so young. He had so many ambitions in life and was still innocent from what I knew. His death was obviously violent and whoever had done it had obviously shown no mercy. I curled more into my pillow. Was that how I was when I killed? But then again, the people I killed were always the bad guys, not some innocent man who was peacefully sleeping.
Who could have done such a thing to him? If it was the same chimera I saw then there was no way it could have gotten into Enzo's room without someone noticing. But the condition of his body… could another human really do that to someone? It was so inhumane.
There was a knock on my door. I turned and looked at the wooden fixture, but stayed silent; hoping whoever it was would just go away. I wasn't really in the mood to talk to anyone.
"Edward, I know you're in there."
I sat up surprised, the person who called out to me was Roy Mustang, he always sent Klose when he needed me. But then again, it was very possible that he let her off early because of the morning's events.
"Edward, if you do not open this door I'm coming in, the door seems to be unlocked."
I groaned for forgetting to lock it. I didn't really want Roy barging in, so I did as I was told, I stood up and walked to the door. I opened the door slightly, not enough for Roy to get a good look at me. Roy stood outside my door with his cane holding him up right. His eye narrowed at me.
"Edward, you have been in here for almost the whole day."
I looked at him not sure what to say. I couldn't really defend myself since he spoke the truth. "Just leave me alone."
Roy shook his head. "Edward, I can't do that. Are you fully dressed?"
I placed my head on the door frame, my eyes were downcast. Roy was never one who could take a hint. "Roy, leave me alone."
Roy placed his hand on the door, but he didn't push it open. He peered throw my bangs to look at my face. His tone held a softness to it that you would use with a child. "Edward, I know you and Enzo were rather fond of each other, and I do sympathize for you. But, I do need you to get dressed; I have something I must show you."
I took a deep breath as I looked up to face Roy; he looked at me gently like a father would to his son. Great, last thing I needed was Roy to play dad. "What do you need to show me?"
Roy lifted both of his eyebrows in an innocent manner. "Well, you won't find out unless you come with me."
Mustang could be really evil at times. "That's not really fair."
Roy shrugged helplessly. "I don't know what to tell you, life isn't always fair." I gave a snort at that, because that was the understatement of the century.
"Roy is this really important? I am honestly not in the mood to screw around."
Roy gave me one of his famous smirks, the one he used to make girls drool all over him. I stared at him not sure why he would smirk at me like that, 'cause trust me, I had no plans of becoming one of his fan girls. He was just being mischievous. He pushed the door open slightly so he could get a better look at me.
"Edward, dress yourself." He looked me up and down. "You look like hell."
I groaned at him as I ran a hand through my bangs. "Thanks, you really know how to brighten my day." It was funny; most military personnel wouldn't dare to wear only their underwear in front of their superior officers. But guess what, I didn't give a hoot. Please Roy! Kick me out of the military for being disrespectful! It would make my life a hell of a lot better.
Roy pushed the door open the rest of the way, I moved out of the way so he could come in. He looked around my room; I still hadn't cleaned it so it was still a pigsty. "You live like this?"
I shrugged my shoulders as I headed towards the bathroom. "Yes, I do."
Roy picked up a pile of papers that was on my desk chair and plopped them onto the desk. He then proceeded to take a seat. "I see."
I shut the bathroom door before Roy could say anything else. So what if my room was a mess? I was the one living there and it never really bothered me.
The clothing I was wearing earlier was strewn all around the tiny bathroom. I picked up the still wet articles and placed them in a nice pile, with a clap of the hands I used alchemy to evaporate all the water particles. Seriously, alchemy was a revolutionary method of clothing care, I swear.
I struggled getting some of my clothing on since the bathroom was so small. After accidentally banging into the wall for about the twentieth time, I was finally fully clothed. I simply threw my hair into a loose ponytail and exited the room.
Roy stood the moment I left the bathroom. I gave him a glare. "You better have a good reason for dragging me out of my room. Seriously Roy, I don't care if you're General, if you're just messing around with me I won't try to restrain myself from hurting you."
Roy held his hands in a surrendering motion. "Edward, I guarantee you that I have a good reason. I actually won't be surprised if you thank me later."
"Ha! I highly doubt that."
I followed Roy out of my dorm room and allowed him to direct me towards his office. When I passed Klose's desk I noticed she wasn't there. I really hoped she was ok. I knew she seemed fine when I last saw her, but most likely during that time she was still in shock. I mean, her and I were both Enzo's friend. And seeing what we saw…
I shook my head as I turned back to Roy who was opening his office door. He turned to me before he opened it all the way.
"Edward, come on."
I began to walk towards the door but stopped dead in my tracks as Roy opened the door the rest of the way. Even though my mood was still dampened, I couldn't help but smile. That's what my brother could do to me; he always had the ability to make the world look good even though hell was freezing over.
Was I seeing right?
Alphonse and Winry were sitting on the couch; both turned their heads at the same time to look at me. Al jumped from the couch when he realized it was me. "Brother!" He ran towards me with his arms open. I leaned down so we could grab each other into a massive hug. Oh God, was I in desperate need of that hug.
"Al, you're… you're here?"
I could feel Al's head nod against me. He whispered into my ear. "Didn't I tell you we were going to come?" I couldn't help but smile. Oh man, did I need my brother more than ever.
I looked up at Winry who was now standing beside us, she gently smiled at me. I mouthed a 'thank you' before I buried my head into my brother's shoulder.
Well, I wasn't alone anymore. Even if it was most likely just for a short period of time.
Roy was right; I was going to have to thank him later.
"You called me at 7 in the morning because you were bored?"
Winry smirked at me. "Well, I was antsy about the train ride and couldn't sleep. I figured waking you up wouldn't be that big of a deal."
I rolled my eyes at her. "You could have told me you guys were coming."
Winry folded her arms across her chest. "What are you talking about, you were already informed." She pointed towards my brother. "It seems Al had no problem telling you, it was supposed to be a surprise. Roy and I both agreed that it would lighten your mood more if we surprised you."
I sighed as I looked at Al who was across the café; he was being entertained by Armstrong and Havoc. I snickered as Armstrong tried to pick Al up, but Al screeched in protest.
I looked back at Winry. "So you're staying with Ms. Hughes?"
Winry nodded. "Gracia is giving us her two guestrooms. Ed, you're also invited to stay with her."
I looked down at my drink. Oh yea baby, coffee all the way. "I don't know, a lot has been going on here, and after Mr. Hughes…" Wriny reached over the table and placed a friendly hand over my left one. I looked at her hand unsure, Winry and I rarely touched each unless we sought it necessary. This meant whatever she was about to say, she wanted me to really listen.
"Ed, that was years ago. I think its time you put things to rest." I looked back at my coffee, an old ache returned to my heart. The guilt of Hughes still lingered inside me. Ms. Hughes still had no clue why her husband truly died. I shook my head.
"I still don't know if I can leave base…"
Winry's hand squeezed mine which caused me to look back at her. Her smile was soft and understanding. "Roy told me about what happened to your friend, its ok." When was Roy ever going to learn to keep his bloody mouth shut?
My throat felt dry all of the sudden, I had to swallow to try and give it some moisture. "I see." I sighed not sure what else to say.
Winry pulled her hand away and picked up her fork, she used her fork to poke at the meat on her plate. "If you don't want to leave base its fine. Al and I can just come back in the morning if you want."
I shook my head; that would be pointless. I really would have loved to investigate Enzo's case more but, until I got the biopsy and lab reports, I was going to be in the dark. I had no clues or hints to what could have happened to him. There was no one to point a finger at, yet. And Ms. Hughes… sooner or later I was going to have to face her.
"As long as it's ok with Ms. Hughes that I come, I suppose its fine by me."
Winry smiled.
Ms. Hughes looked at me with bounds of curiosity. Hey, I couldn't blame her. It had been years since we last met and at one point she most likely thought I was dead. But there I was, in the flesh, years older and taller. Oh yes… taller.
"Winry has told me so much about you in the past year. My, what a young man you have become." Only if she knew I had been crying like a baby earlier that day, she defiantly wouldn't be calling me a man. I smiled at her as I took a sip of my tea. "Thank you."
All of us were gathered in Ms. Hughes's living room. Al and I sat on the couch while Winry and Ms. Hughes sat on the sofa across from us. Elysia was held firmly on Ms. Hughes lap.
Elysia was so big now, not the small child I remembered. She was becoming a beautiful young lady. I was positive that Maes would have been very proud of her.
"I'm glad you decided to come Edward, my house is always open to you anytime you want to visit." I scratched my head sheepishly. "That's a very kind offer Ms. Hughes."
Winry clasped her hands together as she leaned forward. "Gracia has shown me lot's of new recipes. Maybe tomorrow she and I can make you boys a nice meal." I internally rolled my eyes. Winry was one hell of a scary cook. She became psycho in the kitchen and her food never turned out right, I felt bad for Ms. Hughes for having to deal with her.
Al gave a toothy smile as he nodded his head. "That sounds like a good idea Winry." He then proceeded to elbow me hard in the stomach, already knowing my reaction and silently telling me to be nice. I forced a smile on my face. "Yea Winry, sounds good." I glared at Al because that really hurt. Al only looked at me innocently… that jerk.
Elysia gave a very loud yawn; Ms. Hughes looked at her daughter carefully. "Elysia, are you ready for bed?" Elysia nodded, her long hair swaying a bit. "Mom, I'm tired." She began to rub her eyes as she jumped off her mothers lap.
Ms. Hughes stood and straightened her skirt. She gave us a soft smile. "I will be back; I need to put my daughter to bed."
I nodded my head and waved my metallic hand. "Goodnight Elysia." Elysia looked at me unsure. She didn't have many memory's of me which wasn't surprising, so to her I was a stranger. Her voice was soft and shy. "Goodnight."
Ms. Hughes and Elysia walked up the stairs and out of our sight. I took another sip of my tea as I looked at my brother and Winry. "What else do you guys want to do tomorrow? I have leave for the day so I'm all open." Boy did I love being Mustang's friend at times. He always gave me days off whenever I wanted. Wahaha!
Winry tapped her chin with her finger. "Hmm… I'm not sure. Ohh! We could look at some auto-mail stores."
I groaned at her obsession, auto-mail was always the first thing on her mind. "Winry, please don't drag Al and I along on your shopping adventures. Besides, why not go to a real store like normal girls? Like go buy clothing or jewelry." Honestly, if Winry ever did become one of those types of girls, I would probably strangle myself. Wasteful materialistic girls always annoyed me to some degree. But boy, did I love harassing Winry.
Winry folded her arms as she sat back in her chair; she turned her head to the side while scrunching her nose. "Edward, what type of woman do you take me for? Next time you need your arm or leg fixed, don't come rushing to me."
"Winry, who's the one who mostly finically support's the auto-mail business of Granny and yourself? You need to learn to appreciate your best customer more."
She pointed at my outfit. "This is coming from a man who can't even buy new clothes? How many years have you been wearing that getup?" Oh she did not just talk about my outfit that way! "And anyways, what do you mean me and Granny cant support ourselves? You were missing for how long? I think Granny and I made out just fine in your absence. We don't need your money to support our business, so naa."
"Ha, what a joke! My clothing has nothing to do with this! Let's look at your outfit's. I still see you wearing that ugly green tang top and black skirt. Heck, let's look at you now! Who wears an oran-" My sentence was swiftly stopped by Al's hand cupped over my mouth. I looked at him, surprised by his action. His voice came out threatening.
"Will you two keep your mouth's shut! I swear, every time I put you two together your like little children. This is ridiculous!"
Al stood up. "When you two grow up, come and get me. I'm going to my room."
I watched Al walk out of the room, me and Winry then turned to look at each other.
"Are we really that bad?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "I guess so."
"Ha, yea, I suppose so. Roy can be one heck of a tart when he's doing work around the office." I was laying on my makeshift bed on the floor while staring at the white ceiling. The oil lamp on the bed stand was the only light which was being provided in the small room.
Al's head peered from the side of the bed; he swung his arm playfully at me which I easily caught. I laughed at his childish display. He smiled at me. "You should make Roy get off his butt. The military sounds so boring."
"Trust me, it is. I would much rather be home with you guys then be here." I allowed Al's arm to go free. He used it to push himself back in to the bed and flipped around so he was looking at the ceiling also. "Ed, are you going to be safe in the military? I mean, the story's you told me…"
I sighed not really sure if I was safe. And I meant that physically and mentally, but there was no point in worrying my brother. "Don't worry about me Al, I'm a big boy. I'm mature enough to take care of myself."
My brother's laughter rang out in the small room. He quickly turned his head and looked down at me again. "I don't think so Ed. Sure, sometimes your mature, but other times… I don't know. You worry me."
I poked him in the nose. "If I was always mature then what fun would there be in life?" I knew personally that I missed out on a lot of my childhood. I mean, I am not really upset about it since it was mostly my choice, but it was a fact. When I went to the other side of the gate I began to realize that I was too serious in life. When I went in search of the Philosopher's stone I knew I had to be serious, but once I obtained it… what point was there to my seriousness?
Al folded his arms in front of him. "Well, just be safe."
I gave a shrug. "Aren't I always?"
Al shook his head while taking on a humorous tone. "I don't think so."
"Well then, I guess I'll just have to try."
Al nodded as he scratched the side of his head; he then started to tap his two pointer fingers together. "So, I saw your picture in the newspaper today. I never knew you were that famous." I groaned as I hid my face in my hands. "Ahh, don't look at that crap. It's all nonsense."
"I don't think so, I think it's cool."
I peeked at Al through the cracks of my fingers. "Really?"
Al nodded. "Winry told me not to mention it; she said that you most likely weren't pleased about it. I guess she was right." I was surprised Winry knew me that well. I sat up, causing the bed sheets to bunch up in my lap.
"When you and I were younger, we did a lot of traveling and ended up helping some people. Most the time we helped people just because we needed to, not because we wanted to. People are making a big fuss thinking I'm some type of 'Hero of the People'. It's just gibberish."
Al lifted an eyebrow at me. "How is it gibberish? Didn't we still help them?"
"That's not the point. We did it for our own gain. Most of the time we did it to just get closer to the Philosopher's Stone. Roy says if I just start helping people now then I can live up to this hero crap. I see what he's saying, but I'm still having a hard time agreeing with him."
Al sighed as he pushed himself up; he swung his legs around so he was now sitting on the edge of the bed. He leaned forward while using his hands as a chin rest. "Ed, I think that you think too much into things, stop being a scientist who analyzes every detail. I think Roy is right, if you're having such a hard time accepting the fact people think you're a hero, then why not become one."
I looked down and stared at my toes that peeped out from the blankets. Al wasn't supposed to agree with Mustang, he was supposed to see my side! "Al, you suck."
Al poked me in the face with one of his toes. Eww, I don't like toes in the face. "'Suck' isn't a very nice word to use."
"I can use whatever terminology I want."
Al smirked. "And this is probably why you will end up being a bad influence on me."
I laughed at him as I grabbed him by the leg and yanked him off the bed. He wasn't too pleased with my knuckle sandwich.
It was early in the morning, and only Ms. Hughes and myself were up. I was awoken by a loud creaking sound, Ms. Hughes had planned to wake up early and make some breakfast. I had crawled out of bed and followed the woman down to the kitchen; I needed to speak to her alone.
I owed her an explanation about her husband. I wasn't sure if it was right to remind her of such a painful incident that happened years ago, but, was it right just to pretend like I had no involvement? Hughes had died for my sake. All I knew was I had to tell her, and so I did.
"If only I would have known, I could have possibly saved him."
Ms. Hughes gripped her coffee mug; her hair fell over her eyes. My heart was pounding loudly in my own ears, but I wouldn't look away. I had to watch her because… I just had to.
"I'm sorry."
Ms. Hughes shook her head. "Edward, please…" Her voice was laced with pain that came straight from the heart. It made my own heart constrict.
Ms. Hughes hadn't changed much since I last saw her. Her hair was still short; she still bore her wedding ring on her ring finger. She was still the beautiful wife of Maes Hughes, the man I was once was so close to.
"If I would have known…" I took a deep breath; my voice was starting to weaver. Great, the last thing I needed was for it to crack. "…I could have saved him."
A stray tear fell to the table from Ms. Hughes hidden eyes. Oh God, did I want to comfort her in some way, but I couldn't think of anyway to do that. I was the one causing the pain… how could I make her world feel better at the same time?
Her voice was quiet. "Edward, how do you feel about this?"
It was an odd question for her to ask, in my opinion. I thought I had expressed myself rather well, but I answered her anyways. "Angry, upset, guilty-"
Her voice cut into my words. "Why do you feel guilty?"
Why did I feel guilty? Such a simple question, but it was so hard to answer. I ran a nervous hand through my bangs and down the back of my ponytail, same way my father did. "I feel guilty because it was my fault."
Ms. Hughes lifted her head and I could see a few tears sneaking away from her eyes. They left a salty trail down her face. "How was it your fault?"
Her gaze was steady with mine as she waited for an answer. It sent tiny goose bumps up my real arm. "Your husband did research for my sake, he found something that wasn't suppose to be found, so in turn he lost his life for something so… insignificant."
Ms. Hughes reached over the table and grabbed both my hands which were folded in front of me; I looked at her hand curiously. "I don't understand how that is your fault."
My eyes shot up. What did she mean? "Ms. Hughes, if your husband hadn't been involved with me, he would still be alive."
Ms. Hughes shook her head. Her short hair swayed. "My husband made a choice. He died trying to help you boys, it makes me proud."
"No." My voice fell short to my own ears. She couldn't say that. How could she? "Ms. Hughes, your husband…"
She held a finger to my lips, silencing me. "Edward, don't feel guilty over my husbands death, I beg you. Maes would have never wanted that and neither do I. You didn't know."
I shook my head. She wasn't allowed to say that. She couldn't forgive me so easily! My voice sounded desperate to my own ears. "You can't say that."
"Edward…"
I closed my eyes tight. No! She couldn't! It wasn't right! I killed Hughes! "Ms. Hughes YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!" I regretted my words immediately since I said them loudly and harshly. Out of everyone, she would be the one who understood the most.
Arms were around me instantly, I didn't even hear her get up and walk around the table. My voice came out choked. "I killed him."
She held me close, whispering in my ear. "No you didn't, its ok Ed."
My hands fell limply to my side. I wasn't the one who was suppose to be upset, it wasn't suppose to go this way. I felt a tear run down my nose as I buried my face into Ms. Hughes stomach. I thought after yesterday the tears would stop. I was beginning to feel so beaten and worn.
My voice was muffled by the fabric of her night gown. "You can't forgive me like that."
"But I can, and I did."
"I think it's good to be away from base for a day or two."
Winry and I walked side-by-side along a dirt path. My brother and Elysia were swinging on the swing sets with Ms. Hughes watching them. Ms. Hughes turned to me and shot me a small smile. I gave her a tiny smile back, both of us sharing a now silent understanding.
It was a nice day to be hanging out in the park.
"A lot has been happening, it sounds like."
I eyed Winry. "Yea, I guess you can say that."
I stopped at a bench and sat down, Winry sat right next to me. Al and Elysia were playing right in front of us. I smirked as my brother tried to jump in a mid-swing, but Ms. Hughes yelled at him to stop.
"What about that friend of yours, how are you taking his death?" For a moment the image Enzo's dead corpse danced behind my eyes. But as quickly as it was there, it was gone. Too much death was toying with my mind.
I sighed as I turned my head to look at Winry. She looked back at me with concern written all over her face, I wish she wouldn't look at me like that. I didn't really want to talk to anyone about Enzo especially since my thoughts were still consumed with Mr. Hughes and the morning's events. "I'm fine."
"Edward… do you really mean that?"
I pushed a strand of my hair behind my ear while trying to divert my eyes away from her. I knew I was still upset about Enzo, but I was beginning to become totally emotionally drained, I honestly just didn't want to think about that type of stuff anymore. I was with my family; I wanted to feel happy and good for once. The pain was meant only for me when I was alone to think about it. "Winry please, just drop the subject."
Winry grabbed me by the chin, holding my face tightly. She forced me to look at her. "Edward, why are you so difficult?"
I frowned at her words. "Winry…"
I was about to say more, but was stopped by a tug on my pants. I looked to the side of me to find a kid no older than 10 looking up at me. I looked at him curiously; he only gave me a toothy grin.
"Sir, are you the Fullmetal Alchemist?"
I blinked a few times. Great, someone recognized me. I was about to say no when Winry spoke first. "Yes, this is Edward Elric the Fullmetal Alchemist." I glared at her, she wasn't helping me any. She gave me a devilish smirk.
The little boy's eyes went wide. "Wow, really?"
I looked back at the kid and gave a nervous laugh. "Uhh, yea. Now that you know you can move it along." I was going to kill Winry. Oh yes, she was going to die, a very horrible and tragic death at that.
"Hey mom! It's him!"
I narrowed my eyes at the child. "Hey kid, didn't I tell you to move it along?"
The little boy shook his head at me innocently as he swayed back and forth on his feet. "My mom was the one who wanted me to ask." Oh what a prune! Who would get their child to do all the dirty work?
A woman who seemed a few good years older than me walked up to us. She grabbed her son by the shoulders and smiled. "You're really the boy from the papers?"
I groaned as I nodded my head. Man did I plan to beat Winry up, I didn't care that she was a girl.
The woman's smile broadened. "I remember when I first heard about you, it was around the time I had my son Johnny here. Johnny, this man has done a lot of good for this country." Oh my God! Don't say that.
"I think your giving me too much credit."
The women shook her head, causing her curly hair to bounce. "No, no, you were the youngest State Alchemist ever. During your years in the military you helped a lot of citizens. You're an amazing young man. I can't believe that your back, rumors went around that you were dead. Oh, and is this your girlfriend?" I was sure my face paled, and then I could feel my cheeks begin to warm. I hated it when people asked if Winry and I were a couple. I was about to snap something at the women but Winry firmly placed her hand over my mouth.
"We're friends m'am. Edward, maybe we should go now."
I grabbed her hand from around my mouth and pulled it away. I nodded, agreeing with our leaving, and we both stood to leave. But there was another random group of children walking towards us. They all started to scream and cheer my name. How in the world was everyone recognizing me?
Well, maybe the park wasn't such a great idea after all.
"Fullmetal Alchemist! It's really the Fullmetal!"
People were beginning to hear the group of children and were starting to crowded around me. Were these people crazy!
Someone grabbed me from behind, wrapping their arms around my shoulders. In a high pitch squeal the female said, "Is it really Edward Elric the Fullmetal Alchemist?"
I began to turn and was about to ask the woman to let me go, but holy balloons it was a man! A very scary looking man. He shoved my face into his chest as he gave me a crushing hug. "It really is you."
I pushed myself out of the hug. What the hell was wrong with these people!
I always hated attention.
"Will you people just leave me alone!"
My voice was drowned out from all the cheering. I wasn't even sure where all these people were coming from. What the heck was I supposed to do? Winry grabbed me by the upper arm. She leaned and whispered into my ear. "Ed, I'm sorry. I never thought…"
I glared at her. "Teaches you for not thinking."
I could only groan as the group around us persisted.
"You should be happy that there was a police officer near by. Without him we probably would have never escaped that crowd."
Al kicked me from under the table. I looked at him not sure why he just abused me.
"Ed, stopping trying to make Winry feel guilty, she didn't know."
I knew Al was right. I was more pissed off at the crowed than Winry herself. "I just don't get why they did that."
"Brother, are you really that dense? You should be grateful that people care about you that much. I thought it was neat."
"Next time it happens I'll make sure your right next to me. Then you can find out how neat it truly is."
My brother stuck his tongue out at me before he took a bite of his food. I turned to my plate and stared at the piece of dough that was supposed to be my dinner. I wasn't really sure what it was, all I knew was Winry made it. I cautiously poked my fork into it. Luckily, it didn't spontaneously combust.
"Ed, are you really mad at me?"
I looked up at Winry who was twisting her napkin in her hands. What a girl. "Am I mad? Well I'm a little ticked off but it's not like I'm going to hold it against you."
Her eyes brightened somewhat. "Great! Then eat your dinner already. I worked pretty hard on this one, tell me what you think."
My eyes rounded as I looked at the thing that was on my plate. Tell her what I thought? Al kicked me again from under the table again, great.
I carefully dug my fork into the big round dough ball. Some leaky green colored liquid dribbled out of the small hole I made. Why was Winry so cruel?
For the millionth time that evening Al kicked me from under the table. I glared at him. He mouthed to me 'Eat it'. I clenched my jaw, he was so lucky that he was my brother, if he wasn't I would have been tempted to kick him back with my steel foot.
With much hesitation I placed the small piece of dough into my mouth.
I couldn't really explain the taste. It actually wasn't as bad compared to some other of Winry's creations, but it wasn't that great either. It had a lemon taste to it; all of Winry's creations had a lemon taste to it. I swallowed the piece quickly so the taste wouldn't linger in my mouth. I forced a smile on my face. "Pretty good Winry."
Winry smiled gleefully as she dug into her own plate. Ms. Hughes had made desert so I suppose all the suffering I was going through would be worth it in the end. Ms. Hughes was one of the best cooks around.
Speaking of Ms. Hughes…
"Edward, what time is that meeting again tomorrow?"
I looked at Ms. Hughes who was playing with her food. "It's pretty early in the morning, I think around nine. I'm taking Al with me, he's going to hang out in my dorm while the meeting happens, then I'm giving him a tour of the place." I smiled towards my little brother.
Finally Al and I were going to spend some quality time together. I had a mandatory meeting that all the military personnel were being forced to attend, but after that Roy was allowing me to leave. I only had Winry and Al for tomorrow, the next day I was waving them off. It was going to be hard to let them go, but Granny was still back in Rizenpool maintaining a full house, I couldn't be greedy.
"That sounds like it will be nice."
I nodded as I poked at the dough ball again.
Yea, it was going to be.
Authors note:
Well, it's my birthday today and I felt like giving you guys a present. I know it's supposed to be the other way around, but what can I say? My brain is starting to deteriorate with age. >3
Ok, so I know this chapter doesn't do much for the plotline, but I did need to give Ed a tiny break fromhis new military career. Things will start picking up again by the next chapter. Speaking of the next chapter, I'll have that posted very soon! I must thank Han-chan for doing an awesome jobat being my beta reader and I must thank Egypt who has been pre-reading my chapters and telling me her opinions. Cant do it without you two!
I know this chapter had some corny moments, but I'm a corny person. So forgive me if I went out of writing style for the park scene and the cooking scene. I just thought they would be fun to write >0
Just to say! We will with time find out about Enzo's strange behavior! Give it some time, next chapter should give you more of a idea about Enzo.
Questions you might have…
1. What's with Ed's emotions?
Ok, in the series I saw that even though Ed was a strong guy, he was still emotionally distraught at times. You might be rolling your eyes saying 'Oh man, Ed's going to be a baby throughout this fic.' Ha, I don't think so. This past year has been very emotionally draining for Ed. He's just trying to get his act together.
2. Enzo, please don't say Ed's over Enzo already!
I didn't really go too much into Enzo cause we will talk about Enzo next chapter. Don't forget Ed only knew Enzo for a week, they were like becoming friends, just not fully friends yet. And when Ed is with Al and Winry his world is always going to seem a little better. Ed loves his family
3. Winry and her cooking.
Winry's cooking is reflecting my own cooking. I am the worst cook EVER. And I seriously am not joking. All I can make is like instant stuff, and it still always sucks. My poor toaster has been caught on fire by me more times than I can count. And the oven, well I'm practically banned from using the oven in my house.
AlereVenus- Thanks for the compliments on the Ed and Roy scene. I am very… VERY surprised at how well that scene came out. I know so far Ed slips in and out of mature scenes, but with time Ed will get his act together. Thanks for the review!
Eriya- Thank you so much for the awesome compliment. I am really happy you are enjoying it. Thanks for the review!
MusicalRileyChan-Ahhh! That is so freakin flattering its not even funny. Thank you so much! Since I'm just about done with this semester of college my updates will start coming out faster. Thanks for being a awesome reader and thanks for the review!
Lelann37-Thank you for your review! Trust me, my hands have been busy at work and I have the next two chapters almost fully completed.
Aharah Musici- Haha, you had to mention my night of intoxication. The death, or dea…, is meaning Ed isn't totally over his father being dead. I think its hard for anyone to be totally over something like that. Ahh, the glances! Well, you might be able to say that there is significance... Must wait and see though. Thanks for the corrections and the review!
Merichuel- I totally love you! Your such a sweet, cool, and friendly person to talk to. I have been really enjoying our conversations. I cant wait to talk more with you. Thanks for the wish of good luck and thanks for the review
Lazerducky27-Yea I killed him, he was only meant to be a short live character. More light will be shined on his death next chapter! Thanks for the review!
Kweli-I am trying to keep my names and wordings correct as possible when compared to the Japanese version of the series. No one seems to truly know how to spell Klose's name, and if I wrote it in Japanese no one would be able to say it properly. Clause is a cool sounding name but Klose is closer (in my opinion) to the Japanese saying. On another note, we will find out a lot more about Enzo by the next chapter! Keep turned! Thanks for the review!
Mistress of Shadows- Lol, I wont say much about the glances and jealousy. Thanks for thinking Enzo was cool, but he was just never meant to be in the story to long. But I guarantee you we will talk more about Enzo in the next chapter. Thanks for the review!
Katratzi- I will be talking more about Enzo in the next chap! So please keep tuned. Lol, I gave Ed more unwanted attention in this chapter, very corny unwanted attention >3. You will find that Ed will constantly be recognized. Ed wont be too happy with this though. Thanks for the review!
Geraniums- Well, first impressions can be very deceiving. I am so happy you like it! Things will start to get more interesting by next chapter I can tell you that! Thank you for sticking with the fic and thanks for the review!
Most reviews to date! Thank you everyone for all your comments!