If I owned Fma then Iwould give everyone a treat to show my love.It's a sad world today since there are no treats to give. Someone, share the love. Give methe rights to Fma!
Held
By Gomp
"Thank you Doctor, I'm happy to hear that."
"Take care Miss."
A click rang out into the room, it sounded like the shutting of a door.
One of those voices… something about the female voice rung as familiar.
My eyes felt heavy as I forced them to open. All I could see were blobs of disfigurement.
"Ed?" I felt something soft and warm gently grab onto my arm. I was pretty positive it was someone's hand.
"Edward, are you ok?"
"I…I…" A violent cough tore its way from my throat. My chest felt like it was on fire and my throat felt dryer then the freakin' Great Desert. What the hell?
The person's hand was removed from my arm and grabbed onto both sides of my face; they directed me to look up. "Edward, are you alright?"
The blob in front of me began to take form, slowly but surely.
"Kl…o…" Another set of coughs began to erupt. Oh man, it even hurt to breathe!
After the coughs subsided, a cup was immediately placed to my lips. I allowed small portions of water to enter my mouth, ever so carefully and slightly. The chill of the liquid teased my sore throat.
Klose's other hand went through my hair, lifting it away from my face. The act reminded me of Winry, the many times she did that after my auto-mail surgery. I never liked it when people touched my hair.
Why was Klose in my room? And why was I in so much pain?
"Are you done?" I presumed she was talking about the water, I nodded and the cup was taken away. There was more moisture in my throat now, I took a cautious swallow and this time it didn't hurt as much.
"Wh..at's…goin.g...o..n?" My voice was raspy, it still irritated my vocals to speak, but heck, I had to say something.
"Good, you're responsive. Don't you remember anything?"
Remembered what? I sat there for a few moments trying to rack my brain.
Remember… remember.
Remember…
Hmmm…
Enzo, 5th Laboratory, chimera, big boom.
Oh yea, how about that? I remembered, heh.
I gave a tiny innocent smile and looked around the room. The room was painted a dull white, and it was a single. I was fairly positive that I was in a hospital room; it would explain why Klose was there.
But then again, it didn't exactly explain why Klose was in the room. I eyed her warily. "O..rder..s?"
Klose at first simply stared at me, I suppose unsure by what I was asking her. But, it didn't take long for realization to sink in. Her eyes opened wide as she shook her head. "Oh no, I was just worried about you, along with every one else." Her smile seemed almost shy.
Then her smile turned into an evil smirk. "I am sure General Mustang is going to have a field day with you."
Roy, oh crap. Oh man, was she right! Roy was going to kick my ass, possibly even worse then Izumi ever could. I was going to be a dead man, 6ft under. Heck, after Roy was finished with me there wouldn't even be a body to bury; I was going to be cremated!
"Edward, you ok?"
I shot Klose a pleading gaze. I spoke my words slowly. "Get me." I swallowed to give my throat some more moisture. "...the hell out of…he…r..e." I began to cough again. My body… it hurt so damn much. Why did it hurt so much to breathe?
As if Klose was reading my mind, she answered the question for me. Edward, try not to over exert yourself. You inhaled a lot of smoke from the fire at 5th Laboratory. I doubt you want to make things worse for yourself."
Fire? The last thing I remembered was the explosion; I suppose it would make sense that there was a fire.
That's right, the explosion, and the chimera.
I carefully used my auto-mail hand to pull down the neck of my hospital shirt. There was gauze wrapped around my left shoulder, just great. Then again, I should have been grateful that I was still in one piece.
My brain suddenly began to run a mile a minute. Why was there a trip wire at the 5th Laboratory? Was the chimera just one of Tucker's extras or was it actually there to guard the room? The array, I didn't get to figure out what was wrong with it…
"Ed, I should probably get the doctor. Are you going to be ok by yourself?"
I gave Klose a nod; in return she gave me one of her sweet smiles and left the room. I found it a little odd that Klose had been in the hospital room waiting for me, I had really never had anyone but my family or military personnel on orders do something like that for me. But, it was a rather nice gesture of her. Everyone was worried about me? It was actually a rather odd sensation to have people care that much. I mean, I suppose I knew they have always cared, in some distinct way, but it still was weird.
Within a few minutes a jolly, old, and fat man came walking in with Klose by his side, I could only presume he was the doctor. The man flipped through sheets that were on a clip board and rubbed his white mustache while skimming through the pages.
"Well, well, well, it's not very often we have a celebrity as a patient. How are we doing today Major Fullmetal Alchmist? Your friend here has informed me that you have finally awakened."
Nice… sweet, just what I wanted: another person who recognized me.
My voice was still raspy, but it came out much smoother then my other futile attempts at speech. "I am not an alchemist anymore. Just tell me the damage."
The man gave me a smirk. "Well, I suppose your right, you aren't an alchemist anymore. Ahh, the damage report you ask? Hmm, let's see." His eyes quickly danced over the paper. "Yes, yes, well you have done quite the number on yourself. You had a concussion when you were first brought in, but that safely passed. We had to give you stitches for your right shoulder, so the skin on your shoulder will be tender for the next few days. The skin that is near your connector pallets for your auto-mail has been badly irritated, but luckily not burned; the heat from the blast caused your auto-mail limbs to heat up. You have severe irritation to the upper respiratory system from inhaling too much smoke, which I'm sure you've discovered already, but don't worry, that will pass rather quickly. You have some gashes on your back which we didn't need to stitch, but we did bandage up. Other than that, nothing broken, just a lot bruises. And, oh yes, it seems you were knocked out by a table top compacting with the back of your neck, so your neck might be sore. But all in all, you're a lucky man to be alive Major Elric."
I gave a mournful sigh, this wasn't supposed to happen! Talk about horrible timing. "How long am I stuck here for?"
The man walked closer to the bed, his flabby stomach bounced slightly with his every step. "Well, if you remain stable, I am sure by tomorrow morning we can release you. I want to keep you over night to make sure everything checks out ok."
The man looked at something curiously; suddenly he reached out his hand and grabbed the end of my long braid. I looked at him perplexed.
"Well, it also looks like your hair didn't make it out untouched either. Look, it has been slightly scorched."
"Huh?"
I quickly grabbed the tip of my messy braid out of the man's hands and looked at it. My hair… it had been burned…
Maybe only an inch or two was damaged, but oh God…
My voice came out like a little child's. "…no…" Why was life so cruel!
Just my luck, why did stuff like this always happen to me?
Klose had left awhile ago, needing to do some work. Her stay had been rather short; she left almost immediately after the doctor did. She told me we would catch up later, so, I suppose I would be seeing her later.
When I first woke up my body had felt like one big ache, but, the doctor was so kind as to give me a nice dose of pain killers. The happy pills, as I like to call them, gave my body a neat numb feeling to it, the medicine doing its charm. I was never one who was into pills, I never liked chemicals messing with my body, but man, being in pain was never a favorite of mine either.
For the past hour I had been constantly drifting in and out of a light sleep, the only reason I kept waking up was because stupid things kept distracting me. The chirp of a bird from outside, or a nurse checking in, it didn't matter what the source of the sound was, everything just woke me up. I was becoming very frustrated.
What finally fully forced me out of my daze was a loud rattling sound coming from the knob of my door. Someone was trying to open it, but for some reason the door wasn't cooperating with them. It took a few more tries before the door finally crept open, revealing a man I so did not want to see.
His cane smacked against the tile of the floor as he used it to help him walk. He did not look at me as he silently walked into the room, the door shutting behind him. The clank of his cane was the only sound that detruded the silence between us.
Oh shit, I was going to die.
I pulled my blankets up higher around my body, I don't know what I was thinking, maybe I could hide myself? I stared at Roy as he stopped a good few feet away from my bed, his eyes hidden by his shagged hair.
I wondered how he planned to kill me. Was I going to die by his flames? Or would he decide to be more hands on, choke me to death? Roy was a man of many possibilities.
I was too young to die!
"Edward…"
That voice… I shivered. It was void of emotions. I wanted to scream for Roy not to hurt me; he had to remember I still had family. I wanted to try and defend myself; oh boy did I want to. But I was in no condition and was too scared to do anything; I laid there in my bed frozen. My hands gripped my bed sheets in pure utter fear, oh god, this was the end of Edward Elric.
…or maybe not.
Roy's eye finally met mine; I didn't see anger nor the threat of death. No… what I saw was…worry? Oh man, I was saved!
"Roy?"
"I haven't received any information on your condition, I've been at the remains of the 5th Laboratory throughout the night, and most of today I've been stuck in meetings." It explained the tired look he carried. Aww, Roy…
My voice finally piped in. "Do you want to take a seat?"
Roy shook his head; he seemed like a lost kid somehow. The poor guy, he seemed totally exhausted. Damn myself; look at the shit I put people through.
"I stopped by just to see how you were doing."
I smiled at Roy, trying to give him enough reassurance as possible. "Doctors say I'll live. I got some stitches on my left shoulder, other than that, minor bumps and bruises." My voice still was slightly raspy, but I saw no point in explaining that one.
Roy lifted an eyebrow. "So, it's not that bad?"
I nodded, hoping my expression told him I really was alright. "I'm ok."
"Good, then I can beat the shit out of you without feeling guilty." …Roy never swore.
My mouth fell open. "Wha-what?"
"I don't like beating up defenseless people." He spoke to me like this was a fact.
Roy began to advance towards my bed; he advanced while leering at me.
…he actually leered at me. Oh man, what a freaky guy he could be.
I pushed myself up more in the bed. I knew I was going to die and trust me; it wasn't going to be pretty.
"Roy, I can explain myself, really, I can-"
"You better damn well explain yourself! For all the stupid irresponsible things you have done Edward… this isn't the worst, but this is high up there!"
Well, wasn't that just comforting.
Roy stopped; he stood directly at the foot of the bed. He then glared at me, a very threatening glare. A very scary, threatening, glare. Eek!
"I could kill you." 'Could' was a good word, better than 'I am going to kill you.'
"Roy, calm down I-"
"DON'T TELL ME TO CALM DOWN! Tell me now, why the hell were you in the 5th Laboratory?" His question held a threat to it, a threat Roy would carry out if I didn't answer.
So, not wanting to die that very moment, I explained to him everything. About the hunch on red water, about the chimera, and about the trip wire. I made sure I spoke with deep detail and that I got everything covered. I even told Roy about the nasty glares Enzo use to give me. Deep down I knew that if there was someone I was going to have to trust, it was Roy.
Roy stayed silent the whole time; I knew he was still listening because every now and then he would give a subtle growl at something he didn't like.
"-next thing I knew, I'm waking up here."
The room fell silent. The only thing I was aware of was my own breathing.
Roy's lips pursed together. It looked like he was about to say something, but then stopped.
"I felt my evidence was sufficient, look what I ended up finding. I mean, maybe-"
"I don't want to hear it."
"Roy I-"
Roy gripped the edge of my bed. "I said, I don't want to HEAR IT!"
I swallowed rather loudly, taken back. It was better just to shut up when Roy was like this. I had dealt with Roy for most my youth, he had only been this upset with me maybe once or twice. Sure, usually I would argue with Roy because it was a thing I loved to do. But I knew when he was this upset; it was better just to be silent.
"Why didn't you consult me before you went waltzing in on property you're not even legally allowed to enter?"
I blinked a few times. I was military personnel, why wouldn't I have had the clearance?
Roy seemed to notice my look of confusion. His face twisted with anger. "How many times must I tell you the military isn't the same way it used to be Edward! We don't have the power that we use to; you can't just go into condemned government property without a warrant or clearance these days. Damn it Edward, why don't you actually use your head for once?"
"How am I supposed to know these things?" My heart fell slightly. "I don't even want to be here."
Roy's eye twitched. "You want jail time Edward? Is that what you want? I sent you a damn reference book with all the different rules and regulations! Don't tell me you didn't know." I had a feeling that specific reference book was what was holding up the side of my bed, heh.
I looked out the window, not really wanting to look at Roy. The summer day was bright and sunny, I groaned at its glory. My voice was quiet and timid. "I don't want to go to jail."
"Then get your act together! I don't think you know how much trouble you could have been in for this little escapade."
I looked at Roy with surprise. "I could have been in? What do you mean by that?"
"I covered your ass, that's what I mean! The Parliament wasn't very pleased when they heard that the 5th Laboratory had been set on fire by an arsonist who's in their own military!" In away, what Roy said was rather humorous; he was the last person on earth to be calling someone else an arsonist.
"Roy, it was a trip wire, it wasn't my faul-"
"I TOLD YOU NOT TO DO THE INVESTIGATION, SO IT WAS YOUR FAULT!"
My fist slammed into the mattress, my old stubborn self beginning to rise. "I'm not like you Roy; I can't sit back and ignore stuff like this! There was a trip wire, a chimera, the array… don't you get it?"
Roy began to grit his teeth; his eye flashed an unreadable emotion. His hands turned a pale white as they squeezed tightly against the steel bar of my bed. "Ever since you were a child I could never contain you, you are nothing but a disobedient soldier."
His words were crude. But mine could be even cruder. "The only one at fault is the shitty General who is in charge of that disobedient soldier, Roy."
In a blink of an eye Roy was around the bed and standing beside me. His hands began to twist, his mouth forming words that I suppose would never be fully spoken. "…You-I-kill…"
"You want to kill me? I highly doubt the doctors would really like that. But, if it's what you want, then just do it." My voice was rather dead panned. I wasn't sure what else to say, I deserved Roy's anger. Roy had specifically told me to only investigate Enzo's death, nothing else. I made the choice to disobey him. But hell, Roy really could piss me off at times. Didn't he listen to what I had told him? I thought that I made it more than obvious that something was going on!
Roy suddenly leaned forward, his hands reaching out. I was shocked by the action, I had a feeling that he was seriously contemplating on choking me. Roy had never actually ever considered hurting me before; I always thought that we were never serious with our words… his hands inched towards me, his fingers twitching. I could do nothing but stare at him, I was too curious and shocked by his display to push his hands away. Had I truly sent Roy over the edge? A few random incoherent words were mumbled under his breath, his eye still a blazed. His fingers brushed against my neck, his hands began to round…
Then suddenly, his hands fell away, away to his sides.
Roy's shoulders hunched over, his face looked at the floor, his hair covering his eyes. He looked as if he had been defeated.
"Edward…"
My mouth suddenly felt dry… what was I to say?
The seat Klose had been sitting in earlier was suddenly occupied by Roy. He placed his hands over his face, not allowing me to see what he was trying to hide.
In a hushed whisper, Roy's voice came through the cracks of his fingers "…I'm sorry..."
I leaned back in my bed as I silently watched Roy. Roy had always been so calm and collected; I had never seen him so… upset before. I couldn't believe… he had actually… Roy had actually…
I don't know how long we stayed silent, Roy in his self dwell, me just staring. I wasn't exactly sure what to do, was I supposed to try and comfort him? Was I supposed to ignore his presences, be angry with him? I couldn't just leave him like that… could I?
I shook my head, no, I couldn't. We were both angry, we both just got lost in the moment. My voice was soft. "Roy, it's alright. I deserved that."
Roy shook his head rapidly, his hands still covering his face. His voice came out small. "Sometimes Edward, I just want to protect you. Hughes… he uses to hide things from me about you brothers because he knew I was too protective. I never realized how much I truly cared till… just now really."
I stared in shock. I knew Roy had always cared… but this…
"I… I don't need protection; I can take care of myself."
Roy removed his hands from his face, for the first time ever I could truly see age taking its toll on his facial features. "You could have died yesterday. Edward, there are so many times that you should have died."
"Yet, I am still alive."
"One day, your luck is going to run out."
I closed my eyes, I wouldn't let my luck run out unless I felt it was appropriate. I had too much to live for… Granny, Winry, Al…
I heard the ruffle of fabric; I opened my eyes to see Roy had taken off his military jacket. He placed it over the back of the chair. He leaned forward, his hands clasped in front of him. He gave me a small smile.
"So, how many stitches?" His random choice in topic surprised me at first, but then I realized it helped released the tension between us.
I shrugged my auto-mail shoulder. "I wouldn't let the doctor tell me."
Roy lifted an eyebrow, a smirk dancing on his lips. "Still scared of needles? I'll have to remember that."
I bared my teeth. "It's not like that." Even though it totally was, ever since I was a kid anything that dealt with needles scared the living be-jezzes out of me. The only person who ever was successful of giving me a shot without me screaming and wailing was Psiren, which was rather odd considering she ended up being a thief.
Roy's smirk suddenly disappeared; it was replaced by an unreadable expression. But, I could tell that his expression told me that he wanted to talk military talk.
"You truly believe something is going on?"
I nodded.
Roy sighed as he ran a hand through his greasy black hair. "I don't want the Parliament getting involved. Who knows whose pulling the strings on this one? If I'm going to allow you to investigate, I will need you to keep up with your office work. We're short staffed, I can't have a slacker."
Roy… was going to allow me to investigate? "Roy, but-"
He lifted his hand to silence me. "I know you too well Edward. If I don't allow you to do this you will do it behind my back, I want to be aware of everything you do and all the information you collect." He then tapped his finger to his chin. "Your probation might cause some trouble; don't you still have two weeks left?"
"Yea, around that."
"Well then, I suppose I'll just have to see if I can pull some strings. But, it's going to be hard no considering the past days events." He eyed me accusingly, I looked back innocently.
A thought suddenly crossed my mind. "The 5th Laboratory, how much damage had been sustained?"
Roy rubbed his eyes, I could tell that he was tired and worn out. "The east end is totally collapsed; it collapsed almost immediately after the fire fighters got you out of there. Most the building was consumed by flames, but the structure still stands. The building is scheduled to be knocked down tomorrow."
Shit, the east end was where the array was. What a lost cause, I didn't even get to learn what was wrong with it.
Roy pulled out his silver watch, flicking it open. A groan escaped his lips. "I better go, I need to get home or Riza is going to get worried."
"Tell Riza I give my thanks for lending her husband to me."
Roy smiled at me before he stood, picking up his cane which had fallen to the floor long ago. "Sure."
I knew I could never be upset with Roy for what he had done; I suppose I understood his anger towards me. I guess that's just how our relationship was. We fought, we yelled, we forgave, and then we moved on.
Havoc walked with me to my dorm. He had spent most of the morning entertaining me before I had been released from the hospital.
If there was one thing about Havoc which drove me nuts, it would be his infatuation on complaining about his dating life. I mean, he had always been bad, but now he was worse than ever. I suppose it was because he was creeping up higher on the age scale and now he didn't have the excuse of Mustang anymore.
We made the final turn which lead down my dorm hallway. Havoc's arm helped made sure I kept my balance. I was surprised to discover how bad my left leg hurt when compared to my stitched up shoulder. The doctor had told me that the skin had been irritated, but I had no clue how badly it hurt to walk with it.
A moan of pain escaped my lips as I almost tripped over an invisible crack causing my left leg to be jerked.
Havoc's hands were instantly gripping me around the waste. He held his unlit cigarette tightly between his lips, the scent of tobacco rolling off his tongue. "Are you going to be ok?"
I nodded. "Just give me a moment."
We stopped in the middle of the hallway as I took in a few breaths.
"You really know how to bang yourself up."
I glared at him. "Yea, well… just leave me alone."
He smirked. "Edward, the boy who never changes."
I straightened myself up, silently informing him that I was ready to walk. "I have changed."
"Getting taller doesn't count."
"Ha, ha, you're just so funny."
We finally made it to my door; I dug through my pocket, searching for my key. It took me a few seconds before I finally retrieved it.
I unlocked my dorm room door before I turned to look at Havoc. "Thanks for helping me back to the room."
Havoc smiled. "Of course, anytime." He pulled out his cigarette before he continued. "The rest of the crew and I never see much of you Edward, really, stop by once in awhile. I know since Roy is now General were not as close as we used to be, but really, stop by."
Havoc and the others were all still part of Roy's unit but had been spread to different rankings and duties. It wasn't like the old days, when everyone was constantly together. Roy was now a General, even though his responsibilities were mainly office work, that didn't mean he had much time to socialize like he used to.
"Yea, I'll make sure to do that sometime."
Havoc nodded off, sticking his cigarette back in his mouth and turning on his heels. I defiantly was going to have to stop by and see everyone sometime; it had really been far too long since we all had been together. Well, at least most of us could get together considering Riza was gone now.
I took a few more cautious steps into my dark room before I shut the door. I carefully limped around the dark room, barely able to see a single thing. I threw all my pain killers and hospital supplies the doctor had given me onto my bed. I carefully took off my red jacket, making sure not to jar my injured shoulder. Once my jacket was off I threw that to the bed.
Light… I needed light.
I limped slowly across the room, finding the switch near the door.
I turned to look around my room, my eyes opening wide for a moment. "Great, I'll have to thank Roy later." Trust me, that was said very sarcastically. I eyed my desk.
Bounds of paperwork were piled on top of it, and trust me; I wasn't the one who had put it all there. Isn't it considered breaking and entering when someone enters your room without permission? Ha, oh right, I was on a military base. They could do whatever the hell they wanted, bastards.
My grumbles of displeasure rang unheard into the room. I limped my way to my desk, my eyes scanning through some of the paperwork. They were all just forms which needed signing, nothing really note worthy. Hey look, even the paper work I had avoided the day before had been neatly placed on my desk's chair, wasn't that just sweet of them?
A colored folder suddenly caught my eye. It stuck out from the rest of the dull coloring of the work which flooded my desk; the folder was a bright blue color. I pushed a few papers away that were covering it; a label was stuck onto the front of the folder.
My glasses, where the hell were my glasses? I padded my clothing, finally finding my glasses case in my back pocket. Amazingly enough they hadn't been damaged. I slipped them on so I could read the label.
In big bold letters it stated: 'Lieutenant Soto'. Underneath that, in smaller letters it said: 'Crime Lab'. And, just to add flavor to the whole thing, in even smaller letters, but still boldly sticking out, it said: 'Top Secret'
My lips suddenly went dry, I was pretty sure it was the biopsy report. The folder actually felt rather heavy, and it obviously held some thickness to it, interesting. I wouldn't have thought a biopsy report could be so… big.
I carefully lifted the pile of paper work off my desk's chair, hissing in pain when I carried too much weight on my left arm, and placed it on the ground. I sat down in the chair before I flipped the folder open.
My eyes quickly scanned the pages, taking in whatever key words I knew I would need to remember. The folder contained much more then just the biopsy report, it had Enzo's personal file, which I had the feeling was curtsey of Roy; also it held the investigation report on Enzo's room.
I quickly skimmed through the biopsy report; it repeated almost everything I was already aware of. Even though the report didn't directly say he was a chimera, it was pretty damn obvious that he was one. My eyes suddenly went to a screeching halt at a certain paragraph.
'Lacerations showed bountiful evidence that claw of a mammal species made incisions on the deceased. Between various hair follicles and measure of jaw line from bite marks, it gives further speculation of to the specific type of mammal the offender is. Inconsistent with any specific breed, but, with consideration of width of the incisions, possible relations to larger feline family. Hair follicles have no match.'
I squeezed my nose bridge with my fingers as I re-read the paragraph. I actually wasn't very surprised by what I read, even though I should have been. I was pretty positive now that my first speculation on the situation was correct; it was another chimera that killed Enzo. I was starting to get the feeling that chimera were slowly taking over the world, this was getting annoying.
I skipped over a few paragraphs and flipped the next page, a photo began to slide down the paper, I grabbed it before it fell out of the folder. It was a close up on one of the bite marks in Enzo's skin.
I wonder…
I pulled up my pant leg. Even though the chimera from the 5th lab could have never broken my auto-mail, it did leave markings on the perfection of the steel, which I was sure Winry was going to give me an earful over. I compared the photo with my leg.
"Of course, they don't match." Nope, no hope there. I groaned as I dropped the leg of my pant.
I looked closely at the photo; it seemed the canine teeth largely protruded more than the others. There were around 30 teeth total on the upper jaw. I could see why Miss Colville would presume the animal to be possible feline, but, it was only an assumption. Without a positive ID on the animal I didn't plan to have a closed mind on things.
I sighed as I skipped to the next report. I wasn't expecting much from the crime lab, I knew there was lack of advancement in the investigation department, the most they could do was give a theory of possible events. Since I was positive it was a chimera, I was hoping for possible footprints. But, upon reading the very first paragraph, I realized they had found something much more interesting.
"So they stood here, right by the wall?"
The military officer nodded. "Yes sir, we came to this conclusion because no blood has been splattered on the wall." He pointed at a few specs of dried blood that was right by the very spot he had been previously referring to. "Something blocked the rest of the blood from hitting the wall; a second party is the only logical explanation."
I crossed my arms as I examined the spot he was talking about. "Are you positive? Isn't possible that the blood we see is all the blood that was splattered? I mean, how are you sure there was more blood to begin with?"
The man nodded his head. "On the floor there is evidence that the spray would have been rather large and if you look higher on the wall it shows even more evidence." He pointed up above the empty spot; a few specs of dried blood were above, just like he said. "Major Elric, there was someone or something standing right there. I personally can assure you this, I can even tell you that the offender was around 5'3-5'5'"
I grumbled incoherently under my breath. That person better not be 5'5, that would make them taller than "Isn't possible that the animal that attacked Lieutenant Soto could have just gotten the blood on itself?" Yup, I was going to try every single loop hole there was.
The man straightened his blue uniform. His green eyes looked at me; they seemed to hold much knowledge. A smirk crossed his lips while he shook his head. "I have been part of the investigations department for sometime now. By past investigations, I am very confident in saying that from the power of the spray to reach almost this far across the room, it would have to have been the tearing of the jugular vein with a mass amount of pressure. I briefly spoke to Miss Colville-"
I shot the man a daring look. Most likely he spoke to her before Enzo's little secret was revealed, but still…
"-she and I both agree that Lieutenant Soto was killed by the breaking of the neck. After that, the animal that killed him began to feast.-" An animal breaking the neck of its prey wasn't uncommon, rather, it made sense. Enzo was its dinner I suppose.
The thought disgusted me.
"-The way the body was positioned on the bed gives me the assumption that he was first attacked standing, facing forward, and then he was thrown to the bed. By the bite marks on the neck, Miss Colville believes the animal jumped forward, grabbing the neck for its first attack, top teeth to the right side, lower jaw grabbing to the left, and tore out his throat. Because the animal would have had to twist its body slightly to get that type of grip, and because the lower jaw was to the left, the animal's lower body would have a more left pull. Since the blood splatter is to the right of the wall, the animal could have not taken the spray. And, considering the type of pressure the animal would produce with that type of pull, it explains why the spray reached so far across the room."
Ok, I had to admit it, I was impressed. I stared between the wall and the tattered blood stained sheets on the bed. "I read there were no footprints by the 2nd occupant."
The man gave a sigh while he ran a hand through his buzzed red hair. "Not a one. It's amazing considering the amount of blood; you would think they would have stepped in some at least once."
I looked at the stained floor. "Yea, why is there so much blood everywhere?" It didn't make a heck of a lot of sense if Enzo had been torn apart on the bed.
The officer knelt on the floor; he ran his hand over a dried blood spot. "Well, I'm not an expert on animals, but I've heard some animals like to walk around with their food. It might be some type of dominate action, I'm not sure. But I can say every time the animal would take a piece of… the body, it would drag it away and eat it somewhere else in the room, then return for more. I am pretty sure of this since we found pieces of Lieutenant Soto's limbs and organs scattered all around." That sounded rather gross.
"I see, but you still can't tell me the specific type of animal?"
The man sighed as he shook his head. "I have never seen paw prints such as these, there huge."
I bit back a laugh; he obviously had not seen the chimera I fought in the 5th Lab. I was positive that the paws on that chimera were much larger. But he was right, the size of the foot prints were rather large. How someone snuck something that big into the military base was beyond comprehension. The crime lab had a zoologist examine the prints, but they couldn't even give a specific type of animal.
I walked as causally as possible across the room, biting my lip from the pain that shot from my left leg, and knelt by the officer. I looked at one of the prints closely; I wasn't surprised that I originally had missed them when I first found Enzo's corpse. The prints just looked like oddly shaped blobs; most likely the chimera's feet were just badly deformed.
"Major Elric, there is something I would like to show you."
I looked up at the officer curiously. "Yes?"
"Well, when we were on the phone, you asked me why none of the animal prints followed out of the dorm."
I nodded, he was right. According to the report, the window had not been open, so how did the animal leave without a trace?
"Well, this might sound strange…"
I smiled at the man reassuringly. "Don't worry; I have seen a fair amount of strange things in my life time."
The man's face seemed unsure, but he continued. "Come here and look at these foot prints."
I walked across the room and looked at the prints he was talking about. The wide blobby-like prints walked across the floor, heading towards the front door. But, that's not what the officer wanted me to see, as the prints progressed closer to the door, slowly they got smaller and smaller, turning more into a visible type of paw print. But before the foot was fully… changed, the prints suddenly stopped.
I bit my tongue hard so no foul words would leave my mouth.
Shit.
The animal…it could… transform. I had only ever seen human chimera able to transform, never animal ones. Or did that mean it was human chimera? But, when the prints transformed, they resembled more animal-like. So it was defiantly an animal chimera. And the prints just ceased… what the hell was up with that?
Two offenders… there were two.
I limped towards my dorm; I felt the desperate need to take some pain killers. Hell, maybe sleeping pills would be better, knock me out for a few hours from the misery I was feeling.
I used the wall to help carry my weight; I was pushing myself too far. Damn it, I needed to take better care of my body. But, I suppose it was all worth it. At least now I knew there had been a human occupant and a chimera. I was getting somewhere… at least I thought I was.
I sighed as I considered my options. I really did need to relax a little, but I had so much paperwork that needed to be done. I knew once I was feeling more together I was going to have to do a lot more research on the 5th Laboratory and also with Enzo's personal files it told me the location of his parents. By some lucky chance his parents lived on the outskirts of Central. I really wanted to speak to them, see if I could find more out about Enzo.
So, I either could sleep or do paperwork. Which sounded more appealing? I growled in irritation, I hated paperwork. And I truly meant that.
I pulled out my dorm key and unlocked the door. I opened the door and took a step in, a crinkling sound caught my attention, I had stepped on something. I removed my boot and looked down at the small piece of paper that laid on the wooden floor. I picked it up and tried to make out the words, but between the darkness of the room and my horrible eye sight, I couldn't make out anything it said.
Easily solved, I yanked out my glasses and slide them on while I walked to my window and pulled up the shades. In very light and in neat cursive writing the note said:
'Edward,
Meet me in room 112 of the west wing at 6 o'clock.
Kurty,'
I gave a smirk at the nick name. Room 112 of the west wing… I had a mild idea of where that was, but I actually wasn't sure if I had ever been there. I pulled out my father's pocket watch; I still had a few hours. With that much time I could get most of the paperwork I needed done for Roy. Oh hell, I might even be able to get it all done.
I took the small note and folded it up, placing it in my pocket. I then pulled off my jacket and placed it on my bed and walked to my desk. I eyed the mounds of paper that covered the whole desk top.
Give me a few hours along with some pain killers and I could get it all done, no problem. Oh yes, it would all be fully read and perfectly done.
I was totally exhausted by the time I finished the last paper. I signed my name on the line, and placed the paper on top of the pile of finished work. I took off my glasses and placed them on the desk.
I was tempted to take a small nap, but when I looked at my watch I realized I only had 10 minutes till I was supposed to meet Klose, nice.
I stood up from my desk, groaning from the pain that rushed through my body. A slight dizzy feeling came over me, it was only mild, but God damn it, I hated being injured!
I pushed myself away from the desk and picked up my white gloves. I slid them on over my hands and limped towards the door, flicking the light switch off. I was hoping for whatever Klose wanted me for, it wasn't going to take long. I just wasn't feeling totally up to it.
I limped my way through the many corridors and hallways heading towards the west wing.
Considering how I felt, I think with most people I probably would have just said 'screw it, I'm not going', but Klose never asked much of me. And considering that she had visited me the other day, I felt I owed her.
I made another turn while beginning to read the door numbers, two more left turns and two more hallways and I would reach room 112. Faintly I could hear something in the distance. I listened closely, trying to decipher the noise.
"…music?"
My curiosity perked upon hearing the sound of the foreign melody, it caused my mood to sober up. The closer I got, the louder the music played. It was a song I had never heard before; the key was in minor, the tempo very grave. The song seemed extremely… melancholy. I suppose there was only one word to describe it. It was just…beautiful.
I forced my awkward steps to speed up as I made it to the hallway I was looking for. I read the door numbers quickly as the music loudly flooded through my ears. The wonders of the tone enchanted me in a way I had never felt before.
109-110-111-
112's door was open, the music played at its loudest.
I took a step into the rather large room; my eyes taking in the scene. Windows brought in slithers of the evening light, teasing the room with its tinge of orange. Black seats stretched around the room, all surrounding the center.
And only one thing sat in the center.
The piano played, the gleam of the keys hit Klose's eyes as she stared at the instrument in concentration. The music seemed to make the room move along with the player's body, or maybe it was the other way around. I wasn't sure.
I could do nothing but stare as emotions flared inside me. I was speechless, not because I had nothing to say, but because I had too much to say. I leaned heavily against the doorway without her knowledge of my presence.
Klose's fingers danced along the keys, she seemed to become one with the piano as fingers tapped the notes along the ivory pieces leaving a heavenly sound in their wake… the perfection of the music, the surreal-ness of it all. How could someone play like that? I was never one who truly understood the compassion and the emotion of music, but I knew her music was beyond all others. It simply captured me.
My steps were slow and went unheard; they followed along with the slow tempo. Each careful step I took, I got closer to Klose's form.
She played with no written music, her eyes only following her fingers, a small smile playing across her lips. I wanted to reach for her, place my hands over her own. I wanted to know what it felt like to create something so… precious. But I couldn't, I stopped a few steps away, unable to move.
…my hands were too stained to take part in something so overwhelming.
"Mommy, why can't I play with you?"
"Edward, you don't know how to read music."
"I don't care, I'll learn, just let me try."
"Come here, sit next to me, I'll show you what to do."
"Really?"
"Of course, I'll always show you what to do."
"…mom…"
The music suddenly stopped, Klose's eyes were on me. "Edward, you came."
Klose's sudden actions surprised me which caused me to stumble backwards. I stepped with my left foot the wrong way, sending a major jolt of pain straight through my body. A hoarse cry fell from my lips as I suddenly fell backwards, right onto my butt.
Klose was instantly at my side. "Edward, are you alright?"
I bit my lip from the pain I was feeling, I blushed from embarrassment, nice one Edward. It took me a few moments to fully compose myself, but once I felt good enough, I answered. "Yea, I'm fine."
Klose knelt down. "Here, let me help you up." She carefully wrapped her arms around my waste, helping me stand. She walked with me to one of the seats, sitting us both down.
"I'm sorry; I shouldn't have been so stupid. I should have never asked you to come here, of course you're in no condition."
I shook my head. "No, trust me, I'm happy I came. That song you were playing… it was amazing."
Klose flushed slightly. "You think so? It was a song I learned many years ago."
I smiled at her. "Well, I really liked it. You're really good."
"I'm happy you think so, I've been playing for a really long time. It has taken me forever and a lot of practice to become decent on the piano."
We both smiled at each other. But, for some reason we then fell into an uncomfortable silence, looking away from one another. I couldn't think of anything to say, I wasn't sure why she asked me there so I just stayed silent, waiting for her to speak.
A sigh finally escaped Klose's lips. "How are you feeling? I was surprised when I stopped by your room earlier and found you weren't there."
"I suppose you can say that I've seen brighter days, but I'm feeling ok. Yea, earlier I had to do some…work."
Klose's eyes fell on me, curiosity eating away at her. "What type of work?"
I gave her a helpless grin. "Sorry, that's classified."
"Does it deal with the 5th Laboratory or Enzo?"
I blinked a few times. I wasn't sure if she actually knew what she was talking about or just made a good guess. "I, uhh…well."
Klose's smile seemed almost innocent. "Don't forget I deal with most of General Mustang's paper work, and his door isn't totally sound proof."
"Klose… how much do you know?" If she was learning that much, I was tempted to inform Roy.
"If you would like me to be honest, I don't know a lot. Just between the 5th Lab and Enzo, I have been hearing about them a lot."
I scratched my head sheepishly. "Well, I must admit, you are well at observing. But, I seriously can't talk about this stuff with you."
Klose leaned back in her chair, crossing her legs. "I figured that already, my rank isn't high enough."
"Yes, that's part of it."
She lifted an eyebrow. "What do you mean part of it?"
Great, I was digging myself into a grave. "Klose, can we please just drop the subject?"
Klose shook her head. "No, I want to know what you mean."
"Maybe another day."
"Edward, I want to know, and I want to know now." Oh man, she was sounding like Winry.
"Look Klose, I deal with some pretty dangerous cases. Knowing my business isn't always safe for bystanders, ok? Now, just drop the damn subject." I hated it when people were persistent.
"I see."
"Why did you ask me to come here?"
"To talk, I felt no one would bother us here."
I shot her a playful smile. "You sure you don't mean to interrogate?"
Klose smacked my auto-mail arm playfully then grabbed a piece of her long hair and twirled it between her fingers. "Well, you said before that we would talk… about your brother I mean. So, I was wondering if you could tell me now."
I racked through my brain, did I really say that? I suppose I did, heh. Klose was someone I felt I could trust, so I suppose it was ok.
I leaned back in my chair, trying to get comfortable. A sigh escaped my lips; this was going to take a really long time. "I suppose for me to explain Al to you I'm going to have to start from the beginning…"
I held the phone away from my ear; even with distance I could still hear her yelling.
"Winry, calm down."
"Calm down? Al and I go to switch trains and what do we hear? A fire at Central with the 'Fullmetal Alchemist' having involvement, the only thing the reporters can see is him being taken away in an ambulance. I have been trying to call since yesterday and all anyone has told me is that your condition is unknown. And now you're telling me to calm down?"
"Reporters were there? They shouldn't have even been able to get close to the proximity. I wonder-"
"Edward… I am going to kick your- Ahh! I can't win with you."
I drummed my metallic fingers against the wall. "Winry, if I would have known that you guys knew then I would have called you guys the moment I got out of the hospital."
"And what if we didn't know? Were you going to try and keep it from us?" Shamefully, the answer was yes.
I sighed heavily into the phone. "I'm sorry I worried you guys."
It took a moment for Winry to answer, but I could tell she wasn't happy. Hell, she sounded down right depressing. "You're not fair."
"Have I ever been?"
"Once upon a time, yes."
I was surprised by her words, but the memories of our childhood came rushing back. I used to be the one who always made sure everyone had their equal share, the one who kept the balance between one another. I didn't become greedy until my mother-
"Did you talk to Granny?"
"Yes… Ed, I'm not sure of how quickly we can get to Dublis."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, we still have a full house, and Granny doesn't want to put people on the street."
I agreed, the last thing I wanted was for people to be put out on the street. But, I found it even worse with the idea of Al and the Rockbells being in Rizenpool, it was just too close to the border.
"Isn't there someone that you can leave in charge of the house?"
"Granny and I have been discussing that, were going to see what we can do. Just don't forget how much Granny loves her house."
I knew how much Granny loved her house, and I couldn't even imagine how hard it would be for her to give the keys to someone else. But, what other options did we have? "I know. Winry, really, thanks for everything."
It almost seemed like I could feel Winry's smile. "Don't worry about it. Ed, there's something else I wanted to talk to you about. There have been rumor's going around that the announcement the Parliament is giving in two days is the announcement of war."
I was tempted to ask Winry what she was talking about, but then I realized how uninformed I most likely was. I hadn't even heard about an 'announcement'. But, if the Parliament was giving an announcement, most likely it was about the war.
"Yea?"
"Well, ever since Al and I got back to Rizenpool, everyone keeps demanding us to tell them what's going on."
I began to fiddle with my braid. I ended up having to cut the burned part of hair, so, my braid's tip now looked kind of funny. What could I say, I wasn't a hairstylist.
"Well, did you tell them?"
"No, I figured it would be smarter not to. Ed, people here are not happy with the idea of war. Some have even become violent with the thought."
I lifted an eyebrow, an action Winry would not see. "Violent? Rizenpool people have become violent?"
"Do you remember Mrs. Rugie?"
"How could I forget, she use to always give us sweets when we walked by her house as children." I use to love that woman; she was a very gentle elder lady.
"Well, she actually pushed me when I told her that I didn't know anything." Ok, maybe not that gentle.
My eyes opened wide. Mrs. Rugie pushed someone? "Are you joking?"
"Why would I be? Ed, are you going to be safe in Central? I mean, if Rizenpool citizens act that strongly with the idea of war…" I knew where she was going with this.
"Don't worry; I'm in a military facility."
"Yea, right where Parliament is located. I just want you to take care of yourself, I don't trust people."
"Winry, don't worry, I think I'll be fine with taking care of myself. Remember, I'm a big boy."
"Well actually, your not, you're still kind of smal-" AHH! She was evil.
"Shut up."
"Well, you're the one who said it first."
"Look, I'll be fine here. I honestly can take care of myself. The only thing I ask is for you to just see what you can do about Dublis. The sooner you guys leave the easier it will be for me to sleep at night."
"Awe Ed, you're losing sleep over me?"
"Can-it, you know what I mean."
Winry sighed. "Sometimes you can be a real pooper when it comes to teasing. I'll see what I can do, don't worr-" Winry's voice was suddenly dragged away from the phone; I could hear a distant conversation happening in the background. Moments later she picked up the phone again.
"Well Ed, the little booger right next to me has been waiting patiently for me to get off the phone so he can talk to you. But, I think I'm going to be mean and not let him have it."
I could hear Al's voice pipe in. "Winry! Give me the phone!"
I smiled at my brother's childish voice. After a few moments of the two teasing each other, the phone was handed to my brother. Al ended up being a worrywart and asked me a dozen indirect questions of if I was alright. Other than that, our conversation went smoothly. I was missing my brother like crazy already.
But, even though I enjoyed our conversation, one thing haunted me the whole time. Something Winry had said.
'People here are not happy with the idea of war. Some have even become violent with the thought.'
Unhappiness and violence never mixed well.
I proudly present Han- chan's omake! For all you RoyXEd fans out there!
…or maybe not.
Roy's eyes finally met mine; I didn't see anger nor the threat of death. No… what I saw was…affection? Oh man, he likes me too!
"Roy?"
"I haven't received any information on your condition, I've been at the remains of the 5th Laboratory throughout the night, and most of today I've been stuck in meetings." It explained the tired look in his eyes. Aww, Roy… I was so sad you were not the first thing I saw when I awoke; it had to be that ugly Klose.
My voice finally piped in. "Do you want to take a seat?"
Roy shook his head; he seemed like a lost kid somehow. The poor guy, he seemed totally exhausted. Damn myself; look at the shit I put Roy through.
"I stopped by just to see how you were doing."
I smiled at Roy, trying to give him enough reassurance as possible. "Doctors say I'll live. I got some stitches on my left shoulder, other than that minor bumps and bruises." My voice still was slightly raspy, but I saw no point in explaining that one.
Roy lifted an eyebrow. "So, it's not that bad?"
I nodded, hoping my expression told him I really was alright. "I'm ok."
"Good, then I can cuddle you without feeling guilty." Roy came over and gently hugged me.
And we'll leave the rest to your imagination! V
Han-chan
Gomp: XD Maybe if people are nice Han-chan will write more!
Author's Notes:
Super long chapter! Whoa, you made it out alive!
Holy uber crap! This chapter was the hardest chapter for me to write! Why, you may ask? Well, I had total freakin writers block throughout the whole thing! Ahh! Talk about horrible! But, I am really excited about the next chapter. Hopefully it will be a lot easier for me to write. >3 it's going to be a fun chapter.
I must thank my beta reader, Han-chan, for her wonderful work and of course for her great omake, I got a nice hoot from it. And I must thank my critic, Egypt, for all her honesty. Both Egypt and Han-chan inspired me to rewrite most of this chapter. You all should thank those two dearly, lol, you were not plagued by the horridness of this chapters originality.
The music scene with Klose is dedicated to my own music history. I originally went to college with the ambitions of becoming a music teacher (which has changed to being an applied developmental anthropologist). I have played the violin for 10 years while I have played the sax for 4. So, yay to music!
And for a final note: All the older chapters will slowly, but surely be re-edited! So, if you were in dread when you first read some of my horrible English skills, please do not be in woe! They will be fixed up nice and pretty so new readers will not be totally frightened away!
Questions you might have…
1. Ed, why is he not fighting back with Roy? It's out of character for Ed not to.
Egypt actually pointed this out to me. There are quit a few reasons for this. First, poor Ed is injured and sedated; I doubt he had much in him to really start bickering with his superior. Second, Ed is older and more mature, sure he still loves to argue, but he does respect Roy's anger. Edward asked for Roy to be pissed off this time, he knew he deserved it. And for my final reason, Edward knew Roy was way beyond pissed. He even said it was better just to shut up when Roy was in that type of mood. So was Ed out of character? Possibly. But hell, times change and so do people.
2. Roy and Ed, are they going to become gay?
I have said this many times, this fic is totally based off facts I saw in the series and I see in the manga. No, Edward and Roy will not be gay. In my opinion, Roy and Ed near the end of the series developed a very respectful relationship between one another. In the fic, Roy cares deeply for Edward's safety and Edward is just starting to get the gist of this. Edward does like Roy, but in terms of friendship. So yay to friendship!
3. The scene dealing with Enzo's room.
I'm sure this could have become confusing for some people. Let me try and help your throbbing head. Ok, there was a spot on the wall with no blood on it. The officer was trying to say that blood would have been squirted there, but someone was standing in the spot and the blood splattered on them instead. Now, when the chimera bit into Enzo's neck, its lower jaw sunk to the left side of his neck while its upper jaw sunk into the right. If you think how a mammals head is shaped, the chimera would have to twist its body slightly to get that type of grip on the neck. When the chimera twisted, it twisted to the left, causing a strong pull towards the left to take place. The pressure from the pull caused the blood from the jugular vein on the right side of his neck (you have a jugular vein on either side of your neck, they are pretty big veins ..) to squirt blood to the far right wall, and that's where the 2nd occupant was standing. I am really sorry if this confuses some people, if you feel the need to email me I'll be more than happy to try and explain this as best as possible.
4. What did Ed tell Klose O.o?
Ed mainly told Klose about what happened to him and Al. Why he was missing his limbs and why Al was a suit of armor, you know, that type of stuff. Ed is holding high hopes for a good friendship between him and Klose, he wants to be open with her and he does feel he can trust her.
5. Ok, why are like people getting so worked up about war?
You must realize that Amestris is in no position to be in war. The Amestris people are not ignorant, they realize this. They are also unhappy with the Parliament, they are not happy by the way the Parliament runs things. People are just getting ticked off with everything that's going on in their country. That is why Mrs. Rugie pushed our poor Winry (I should have had Winry punch her pack XD). Especially with the Rizenpool people who were already attacked, people are just scared that things are going to go wrong. We will talk about this later.
MarshmellowDragon- Yea, I'm sure Winry would just love to get her hands on an ambulance. I have always loved Winry's obsession with mechanics, when I was a kid I use to be really into that type of stuff myself. It's so fun to play with >3. I am all for knocking Ed out, you know… we could like tie him down. He would be unable to move…. Then spray silly string all over him. Heck yea, that's what I'm talking about! Well, I hope things went well with your dorm check in. Thanks for the review!
SupremeHyren- XDXDXDXD That gave me shits and giggles when I read your post. Clue, one of my fav games of all time! XD… maybe it was the devilish Colonel Mustard. Bwahahaha! Thanks for the awesome review!
Geraniums- Yay, I love my readers XD! Well, I am sure I can safely say Roy was pissed, but naa; he didn't kill Ed. Almost, but no cigar. Thanks for the great review!
Maria- I haven't been on msn lately, I'm sorry! I have tried to catch you a few times but you weren't on any time I tried! Ed's been injured but he will not die! Wahoo! The next chapter I think your going to really enjoy, maybe I can torture you with that one too >3. And you better write a fic sometime, I'm already dieing to read it. Well, hopefully I can catch you online sometime soon. Till then, thanks for your review!
Kwala- Awe, thank you for the happy belated birthday. I am not 19 years old; I'm getting way too old. I figure since people are willing to take time to review I should be respectful and respond to their posts. It's the only way I can show my appreciation. Roy will allow Ed to finish his investigation, he knows better than to ignore Ed when Ed feels he is onto something. And yes, Ed is extremely hard headed! But, he is a guy, sometimes men are very hard headed creatures (just playin!... or am I?).Thank you for the wonderful compliments on the story, I really enjoy reading your reviews! And thank you again for another review!
Katratzi- Thanks! Yea, Roy was very mad at Ed. Poor Eddy, he almost got Roy to strangle him. I hope you were pretty satisfied with the results of this chapter, but I am hoping next chapter people will find more exciting. Thanks for the review as usual!
Humor Queen Merc- Wow… seriously; what you said was very touching. You follow my fic religiously? That's absolutely positively flattering! Thank you for the compliments on my writing style. I did have inspiration for my writing styleby the Anita Blake series and a Gundam Wing Fanfic that I had loved long ago; both were written in first-point-of-view and were just fantastic. I have always wanted to be able to write like that and for this fic I decided just to go for it. I have ended up just enjoying the ability to be part of Edwards mind, I suggest to anyone that is nervous on doing first-point-of-view to just try it, it is very fun. I have not forgotten Riza. There is actually a conversation I have been waiting to write that deals with Roy talking about his family with Ed. I almost wrote it a few chapters back, but decided to hold off and wait a little longer. Also, I have been considering doing a Roy point-of-view for one chapter. It will be Roy looking back and contemplating all the events that had previously happened in the story, but this is still just a consideration and it wont happen till later (If I do decided to do it, there will be much Roy and Riza talk in it >3). Roy does worry about his family a lot, but Roy is really trying to be a professional and is trying to avoid mixing his personal life with his job. This will all be talked about later! I myself am also a big Roy and Riza fan. So yay for Royai! Thanks for the totally awesome review!
MusicalRileyChan- This chapter took me a long time to update, I am so sorry! Don't kick me .. Think of how innocent I am! But really, I am so happy you like the fic. I do apologize for the lateness of this chapter, but this is one of the longest chapters I have ever written. I hoped you enjoyed it! Thank you for the review!
AlereVenus- There is a reason to that trip wire! We will discover this reason later, heh heh. Yea, your right, chimera seem to be like glued to Ed. But, the 5th Lab was totally Ed's fault, he should have known better! If I was Ed I would have been screaming and wailing because I was in the dark. I am not good with freaky sounds if I can not see the source they are coming from. Well, even if people think Ed has gone crazy from the chimera at least we, as readers, all know he's not totally wacko! Thanks for the review!
Kuro Roze- I see that devilish smile of yours! Thanks for the review!