Bane; "I am officially disgusted with myself. I had to rewrite some of the last chapter (check it out, I replaced it!) because I reread it through. It is some piece of shit. I want any of my regular reviewers to tell me the next time I do that, because I love you all, and as long as there's no flaming, I need to be told where to rewrite the line."
A; -reads through all of the reviews- "Well, you got way over 50 reviews…and most of them say update. Why didn't you?"
Bane; "Because I was making sure that there were no reinactments of Chapter 9. Besides, I shall list all the things I wrote in between;
You now have;
-1 rewrite of Chapter 9 (Brought to Light)
-1 rewrite of Chapter 9 (Brought to Light) with a lemon on top…
-1 Chapter (Limitations) (Chapter 3)
-One Entirely New Project! (The Moon's Chime) (Chapters 1 and 2)
-Plus, I have a new Ed-Winry started…and being updated soon…
Good enough reason? And besides that, I started a whole different one-shot…and it's going to be a lot different from what I normally write…"
"Journal,
I've decided that this be the last time I write on these pages. After all, I have really no need to.
The day before, we had to put Den down. He had a bladderal infection that developed some four months ago.
I had a pang of guilt, after all, had I not come so close, and yet broken away? Wasn't there still that chance that he might have recovered? But it was too late. The dog was limp and unmoving.
We gave him a proper burial for memory's sake. And Winry cried on my chest throughout the night. It broke me a little to see her like that. And yet, the tears fell consistantly. I just held her, what else could I have done?
Roy and Riza announced their engagement last week. They are to be eloped in the summer. Maybe we'll expect Mustang's foal next year as well. Though I can't decide who would be the dominant one in this relationship. I want to say that it would be Roy, but then again, Hawkeye is… Hawkeye.
Armstrong is currently dating someone out of the military; a brunette. She's oddly laid back, bull-headed, and truly in love with him. We couldn't be happier. After all, now that she hugs him, he doesn't find the need to suffocate us.
A fortnight before, I was called to Central. Winry was forced to stay home, and I think she was a little more than pissed.
Our conversation at the base was strange. I couldn't quite name it at first, but as time passed, I finally understood. For once, Mustang, bastard that he is, wasn't speaking to me as though I was purely adolescense.
"So, Full Metal, how do you find marriage?"
"Why, are we beginning to worry about it?"
A laugh escaped him. Was that the first time?
"Just merely curiosity."
I coughed half-heartedly. What was he playing at?
"You brought me from Winry simply out of mere curiosity?"
His smile broadened.
"Not simply. I just figured you'd need to support Mrs. Rockbell now that you're—"
"I'm not going to be like Hoinheim."
"What are you talking about?"
I sighed. Was he going to make this so damn difficult?
"I'm going to be a father."
"Since when?"
"Since seven months ago."
"But at the wedding—"
"—She was three months on."
He paused for a moment, then nodded in understanding. He was piecing it together slowly.
"Is Al excited that he's going to be an uncle?"
"Al died while we were gone on honeymoon."
He drewback slightly. Had he not heard?
"…H-how?"
Obviously he was feeling pangs of guilt for having brought it up.
"The body I managed to get for him wasn't stable enough to withstand for long periods of time. He…-"
I struggled to keep speaking, for the sight had replayed in my head as we approached the kitchen that night.
"He combusted. He must have been gone only two days before we returned."
The blood had been everywhere. The remains splattered the walls, engrossing the house with its decaying aroma. Immediately I sent a sobbing Winry from the house. She had stayed with Hawkeye at her residence.
It was the hardest task I ever had to do; scrubbing my brother off of the kitchen tile.
Roy didn't speak for a few minutes, taking in the information that had just been offered.
"I-I'm sorry, Edward."
I shrugged, averting my eyes. Clearly he wished to change the subject back on course, so be blurted, "Need a job?" I remembered my previous objection and summoned up the role.
"This entire conversation never went into your head, did it? See, if I don't want to be like Hoinheim, then obviously, the best thing to do is not to completely abandon my kid for work."
"Tell you what, you can be a work-at-home dad."
"Oh? And how do you figure that?"
"I figure that I'll send you paperwork, you fill it out, you send it back. Just like everyone else does. If I need your service, I'll call you in on rare occasions. Sound good to you?"
I nodded, and then, suddenly, everything clicked.
"Of course… you could move to Central, we can provide a suitable place for the family…"
"I'll talk to Winry about it."
That meant yes and he knew it.
"Al came to work this agreement out with you, didn't he?"
His silence gave me my answer.
I accepted the offer, hoping I wouldn't regret it later. Winry needed support, and there weren't any high paying jobs in Resemboul.
While I waited for the hours to pass, I bought her a pair of wrench earings at the Central Market. Hopefully they'll distract her from their bigger counterparts.
This morning I watched her making her tea, her swollen stomach giving her setbacks. When I offered to assist her, she held up a tool that looked oddly like a wrench. No such luck.
The elopement occurred four months ago. She's due next Winter, so I guess everything worked out perfectly. I just hope we won't have to use Winry's best idea for a girl name; Edwina.
-Edward "
Bane; "So it's kind of short. I thought it'd be sweeter that way. Depends on how you look at it."
A; "Review!"
Drumstick; "Edwina?"
Bane; "You know how I lie about last chapters? Well, the next one is going to be fillers and connecting of loose ends. Basically, on-topic drabbles."
A; "Oh, so…still another chapter?"
Drumstick;"YAY!"
Bane; "Yeah, and after that, I'm going to post and comment on every review that I received, and make it a Chapter (12). Isn't it great?"
A; "You're going to do 85 comments?"
Drumstick; "She has too much free time on her hands. What else can she do?"