Fingers quivering as their tips laid slightly on the cold, silver doorknob to the room belong to Sepia Noramegi. He took a breath and then debated a quick debate in his mind and opened the door. The room was empty besides the exceptions of the patient and nurse who were discussing about the Hughes girls whom had arrived. The two women turned their attention to the man as he smiled at the two. He looked at the pathetic patient with her knee wrapped up in bandages, but she had a cheerful smile on her lips.
"How you doing, Sepia?" Cain smiled as he pushed his glasses up with his free hand.
"Fine, I guess," she sighed as she waved him over.
He nodded to the nurse as she left, closing the door, and held out a bouquet of red and white roses with a single pink one in the middle, "I got these for you."
"They're so beautiful!" she gleamed joyfully as she smelt the fresh flowers and laying on her side table with a smiled and hugging the man. "Thank you so much, Cain!"
"I know how much you love flowers," he smiled as he looked at the blushing blond.
He didn't know how he was going to do this. He pushed up his glasses again with a trembling hand. He felt his cheeks go a bit red. He saw the woman look at him a bit oddly. She was about to open her mouth to point out something, but he took his chance. He leaned down and took her lips into his and kissed her. It was a bit...demanding...I guess you could say, but altogether giving out the point. He broke the kiss and looked at the shocked woman.
"What...What was that?" she stuttered while putting her hand to her lips.
"Sepia, I really like you," he managed to say. "I want to be with you. Will you be my girlfriend? We can go out when your knee is better. Oh, please, say yes! I know I sound desperate, but if you turn me down I will feel so stupid and I'd have to be reassigned out of embarrassment. Oh, please, don-"
"Cain!" she yelled to get his attention. "Of course I'll be your girlfriend! I like you too...always have. I've been afraid to tell you in fear of being rejected."
The two co-workers blushed slightly, but the Lieutenant Colonel took a hold of her ranking and used it, "As your commanding officer, Warrant Officer, I command you to kiss me again!"
"Anything you say, Lieutenant Colonel," Cain laughed as he kissed his new girlfriend.
"Look at this place, Roy! It looks like shit!" Arianna complained as she looked around at the mess of the Brigadier General's apartment.
"And that is why Riza and Sepia are watching after Elysia so we can have today and tomorrow to clean this. I already got the day off for this," Roy smirked as Arianna shook her head.
"So we got the night off and can work all day tomorrow?" she asked as she looked for a place that was decent to sit.
"Yeah, but I got good news and bad news," he looked at to her. "Which do you prefer first?"
"Good, I guess."
"There are enough rooms for all of us," he smiled, "Bad news: They are a mess and you have to share a bed with me tonight."
"You gotta be kidding me!"
"Of course not!" he exclaimed looking at the girl who looked highly pissed off. "Why would I lie about something I dread so much? Maes warned me that you are clingy when you sleep."
"Got a problem with it? I do," she rolled her eyes as she plopped down on the floor.
"You don't need to sit on the floor..."
"Where am I to sit then?"
"Bedroom."
She rolled her eyes and stayed on the ground. She didn't feel like leaving this spot that she was in. She wanted to go back to Central. She could have stayed with Armstrong...no...just...no. Or Denny...uh...that wasn't too reliable. Maria! There was a good person to stay with! She was nice and responsible, but no, she had to be Roy Mustang's god daughter.
"Get your ass off the floor, SilverMoon!" Roy yelled while taking the girl by the arms and picking her up.
"Fine!" she stood off and brushed off her skirt as she was pushed by Mustang into the bedroom
She sat down on the unmade bed where pillows were flung everywhere. On the floor, alchemy books were scattered everywhere. It looked as if some type of air bomb went off in his room and everything went everywhere. Arianna held in her silent laughter as she looked around the mess of a room. She wasn't sitting for long until Mustang tackled her down on the bed and laid next to her. She smiled softly as she laughed a bit, but stopped soon and being over come by depression and sadness.
Mustang felt bad for the girl. She usually would have fought him. Either that or sat back up. She wasn't one to be tackled and take it lying down. Literally in this case. She was definitely needing some encouragement. Some of that encouragement only Maes Hughes could give. Roy missed his friend. He missed him severely. He needed advice from him. He needed him. He wouldn't have this problem if he had him. Roy needed his Maes like he needed his Riza. It sucked to be a man without a best friend.
He placed his arm over Arianna. Noticing she didn't hurt him, he pulled himself closer to her. She had rolled on her side so she wasn't facing him. He didn't know what to do. She was always so close with the male figure in the family. It was Maes and...what's his name...Monochi. He kissed the side of her head and held her close to him. Not in an intimate way, but in a friendly way...in a fatherly way.
"Everything will be okay, Arianna," Roy whispered softly in the girl's ear. "I promise you...everything will look up for us."
"Thanks Roy," she quivered, he could tell she was crying.
"I remember when Maes and Gracia met...Would you like to hear?"
"Why not?"
Mess Hall, a place for food and talk, was filled with Military officials. Some just starting off, some being topped rank, and some being state alchemist. At a certain table, there sat four starters in the military. Three in their mid twenties and one in late teens. A young blond girl with a long French braid, an blond woman with her weaponry, a black haired man with glasses and new camera, and an attractive black haired man all sat with food.
"Sepia," the attractive one asked while looking to the young girl, "you're going out for the alchemy exam? Aren't you too young?"
"I'm sixteen, Roy! Its not that young," the girl argued while flipping a page to an alchemy book.
"I think its a bit young," the woman replied. "I mean, you joined the military at fourteen. You've committed yourself and got your promotions up to where you are even with Maes and higher than I."
"I know, Riza, but I want to do this!" she exclaimed while looking at them.
"Alchemy though?" the one messing with his camera spoke. "Are you sure you are ready to commit your life to something so serious? I mean, alchemist are used for a lot of things. Roy, you should be listening too."
"I'm sure I want to do this, Maes," Sepia nodded. "I'm so psyched too! I mean, Roy and I have been studying for the past three months together on this. Its not like we can give up right now, am I right, Roy?"
"Right, Sepia," he nodded as he took a bite out of an apple.
"I really don't understand this alchemy stuff, but do what you must," Maes replied simply while figuring out his camera and taking a picture of the two blonds across the table from him.
"Roy! I think I have something to use as my specialty! C'mon," Sepia slammed the book shut and got up and ran, with her alchemic companion following behind her on the opposite side of the table.
"C'mon Riza!" Maes exclaimed while the two chased after the other's in fear of the two's behaviors.
The group of four ran out onto the grounds of the military. Sepia made sure that no one was around. She smirked as started to draw a transmutation circle on a piece of paper out of the book. She smirked as she finished. It looked like a sun inside the circle with a wave through the middle. She threw the book to Roy as she looked down at the circle. Sepia had this devilish smirk across her wrist and started to crack her fingers and neck. She waved for the trio behind her to scoot back.
"Close your eyes..."
"Why? Then we won't be able to see it!" Maes exclaimed at Sepia's statement.
"Trust me..."
The three did as told. Alchemy was nothing to mess with and if the alchemist commanded eyes shut, don't put up too much of an argument. Especially when that alchemist is Sepia Noramegi. They heard her hand hit the ground, but not long after that did a bright light seem to appear. It was blinding, even with their eyes shut. The temperature increased to an intense level to where sweat started to come at that moment. The blast of light and heat soon stopped. It didn't last long at all. The three opened their eyes to see the bit of land around them had been burnt out a bit, or shriveling up from the heat.
"What the hell was that, Noramegi?" Roy demanded. He had never seen such alchemy or even read about it before. He was impressed.
"I had a state alchemist go to the library and check me out a book," she smiled. "Men are such dogs that they'll do anything for a pretty face."
"You can say that again," Riza spoke while rolling her eyes. "Well, Sepia, we better get back to lunch."
Before the girls could leave, two women came running over. They both looked a bit panicked and worried. One had long light brown curls down to her waist. Her eyes were a light icy blue. Her skin was a soft cream color. The other was a red head with straight hair down to her shoulders. Dark emerald eyes were underlined by freckles. The brunette looked around and the scorched land and then her icy blue eyes landed upon the one with an alchemy book in hand: Roy Mustang.
"What have you done here?" she exclaimed looking around as her finger accused the young man.
"Me? It was her!" he said pointing to Sepia.
"Me? Roy! You are the one with the alchemy book!" she smirked as she saw him look down at the book in his hand.
"I don't even know what it was," he pointed out.
"Alchemy isn't something to mess around with," the red head exclaimed. "Its dangerous if you don't know what you're doing. You could have killed someone."
"Ladies, Ladies!" Maes said calmly while trying to stop the fighting. "No one was hurt so let by-gones be by-gones."
"Fine," the both huffed.
"I'm Maes Hughes," he nodded to the girls.
"Loralie Mooredinti," the red head smiled.
"Gracia Pendichi," the long haired woman spoke cheerfully.
"I'm Sepia Noramegi," Sepia nodded.
"Riza Hawkeye," Riza said.
"Roy Mustang," Roy grumbled.
"So Sepia nearly got your ass kicked by two girls?" Arianna asked as she listened to his story.
"Yep," he answered. "Sepia can be a bitch at times and will never take a blame if she can get out of it."
"So Maes and Gracia met because of Sepia and her reckless alchemy?"
"Yeah," Roy answered, "all of it is Sepia's fault."
"So why was it that one time here when about three years ago," Arianna started, "did Maes and Sepia act if they didn't know each other?"
"Sepia has grown a lot since the last time Maes and Gracia had seen her," he spoke simply. "Let me continue the story, and I'll get to that."
Roy, Sepia, Riza, Maes, Gracia, and Loralie all sat in the living room of an apartment. The apartment belong to the four military people. The State Alchemy Exam was coming up soon. So soon...a week. Sepia and Roy sat on the floor making notes and jotting down stuff while discussing on the subject. Maes was talking with Gracia and Loralie about how Roy caught his shoe on fire. Riza was bringing some snacks in for the two guests and the two hard-working and hopefully soon-to-be State Alchemist.
"Thanks Riza," Roy smiled as he continued his notes while taking a bit of a cookie.
"No problem, Roy," she smiled, "just keep working you two."
As Maes told stories of Sepia and Roy's adventures in experimenting with alchemy they didn't know what the outcome would be, Gracia listened intensely, glittering icy blue eyes never leaving his hazel eyes. They were in their own little world of happiness and joy. They didn't notice the cookie-hurling war that Sepia and Roy got into as they argued over which symbol was the symbol for lightning. They didn't hear the yelling coming from Riza and Loralie as they scolded the two for their immaturity even being at their age. Maes and Gracia didn't notice any of what was going.
"A cookie war, Roy?" Arianna asked smartly. "Why the hell was it a cookie fight?"
"It was the closest thing that we had," he smirked remember that. "Riza wouldn't have noticed we were even fighting if we didn't start screaming at each other while hurling the cookies. Loralie was snitching too. So it wasn't just our fault we were caught."
"Why not pencils?"
"The cookies were right there and there were more of them than pencils."
"Oh."
"Maes," Sepia said while throwing her pencil in fury onto the table and letting it bounce to the floor sometime after Gracia and Loralie left, "you cannot be serious! I know you like her and all, but marriage? Isn't it a bit early to be thinking about that? I mean, you haven't even asked her out or anything. C'mon, be serious, man!"
"I am," Maes answered while picking the abused pencil up from the crumb covered floor and twirling it between his fingers, "serious, Sepia. I am going to marry, Gracia. We'll live in our small house with a garden and a puppy. We'll be sitting on the front porch swing with our little daughter in her arms named Amelia!"
"I'm all over this idea, Maes, but," Roy stated while taking the pencil quickly from Maes and whacking Sepia over the head with it as she was taking a bite of his cookie, "Amelia? Who names their child Amelia anymore? I mean that's Granny Mustang's name. Its just kinda old, ya know?"
"Maes, I'm really not," Riza started, but seeing her chance, she stole the pencil from Roy who was continuing to whack Sepia with it and stuck it down the front of her shirt, not noticing the poor man's expression, knowing he couldn't get it back, "sure about this all. I mean, I know you really like her and all, but think about this. This is marriage. Imagine being with her for the rest of your lives. Think about how she would feel. You're in the military, anything could happen to you."
"Yeah, I guess you guys have a point," Maes sighed as he excepted the cookie Sepia was handing him to make him feel better, not noticing that the cookie was half eaten before taking a bite, "And, since Roy doesn't like the name of Amelia, why don't you all think of a name yourselves?"
"Uh...Melissa!" Roy suggested.
"Allena," Riza said while walked to the couch and sitting next to Maes.
"No...Melissa sounds too close to Amelia...Allena is like Greek or something and no one likes the Greek..." Sepia said while tapping her chin with her long nail, "I got it! Elysia!"
Usually, Roy would have gotten a reply or something from the girl. He didn't hear anything. He looked down at her to see her curled up, head in his chest, happily asleep. Roy knew he wasn't getting up. He'd have to sleep in uniform. He wrapped his arm around the sleeping girl to keep her close. He felt as if she was his daughter already. Though, this moment wouldn't last much longer.
A/N: This is longer than the other chapters. Why did I go so off the subject? Well, I read a fanfic about Hughes and Gracia, and well, I decided to make one of my own. Do you like? I am continuing it in the next chapter. I really like the idea. The next chapter we get to cleaning and the task of starting an impossible relationship. I've been procrastinating with posting this so don't kill me! PLEASE! Haha. Sorry, I just have been out of it. And at the moment I'm posting this, I've been sick so…yeah…Thanks for reading chapter three!