Tai: Well let's see, thank you for all the wonderful reviews! Unfourtunately I won't put up another chapter until I finish writing Chapter 12, which should be done soon. Then I need to figure out what I'm doing with the end.
So this is the most important question I will ever ask for this story: What do you think I should do? I'm at a point, kinda like a fork in the road where it can lead in two seperate directions. Because of where it is, I could easily have a choice of one ending, or two sequels, one that goes down each path. I'm not sure, and the ideas for both are great, so I need some input. I'll ask again at the bottom, would you prefer two sequels or one ending?
Once I have enough answers to this, I will put up the next chapter and decide what I'll do. Anyway, onto the wonderful chapter 9! Also, this chapter it will switch from one scene to another, so you'll need to be careful when reading.
Oh and the last random question, I decided Riza has a small strawberry shaped birthmark just left of her bellybutton.
Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal alchemist. Get over it, I have.
Chapter 9: Annoyance
"Falman put me down." Riza complained as the older man carried her down one of the flights of stairs in central headquarters. Falman sighed, "If you get hurt, Mustang will have our heads. And this just happens to be easiest way to stop you getting hurt." "He's right," Furey agreed. "You may not like it but it's true." A small yip from beside Furey grabbed Riza's attention. "Black Hayate!" she smiled, "I thought you were still outside." Both men smiled. "He came inside when Havoc was looking for a doctor." Falman informed her, walking down the front steps with Riza still in his arms.
"He's been following us quietly ever since." Furey smiled, opening the car door so Falman could set Riza down in the backseat. Hayate jumped in once Falman had stepped out of the way. Falman shut the door and moved round to the divers side to climb in as Furey climbed into the front passenger's seat. "Do either of you actually know where I live?" Riza asked curious. Furey and Falman looked at one another. None of the men knew, except maybe Mustang. "No." they said in union. Riza sighed, "It's alright, I'll give directions. Firstly, Falman, you need to start the car." She smiled and Hayate yipped happily.
Falman started the car and pulled out of the car park, as they drove down the road Riza would give instructions on when to turn and within minutes, they were at Riza's apartment block. "Now, please don't tell me you're planning to carry me up the steps." Riza sighed as Falman and Furey got out of the car. Opening the door, Furey shrugged, "Unless you have a better idea." Riza thought for a moment before shaking her head, and Falman leaned into the car and picked her up once more. Hayate jumped onto the seat and looked at Furey, yipping happily. Hawkeye let out a small laugh, "I think he wants you to carry him up the stairs."
Both men looked at her like she had two heads. "I think we better let her rest more," joked Furey, "she's delusional." Riza rolled her eyes as Furey leant into the car and picked Black Hayate up. "Now, can we get going?" Hawkeye asked a little impatiently. "As much as I enjoy being carried around, I would rather not have Falman's hand that close to my ass." Falman blushed a little and started up the steps to the apartment block, Furey close behind him.
Once they were inside, Hayate jumped out of Furey's arms and walked slowly down the hallway. Looking back he saw that neither man had moved and yipped at them to grab their attention. "Follow him, he knows how to get home." Riza sighed, still unhappy about being carried everywhere. Furey walked on, following Hayate while Falman waited until he thought the other was out of earshot. "Any other flights of stairs between here and your apartment?" Falman asked quietly, looking down at Riza. "Yea, Two or three. Why do you ask?" Riza replied. Falman lowered his arms a little, allowing Riza to stand on her own.
"Since you hate the fact I've been carrying you, how about you walk on your own?" Falman suggested, "I'll walk right next to you in case you get a little wobbly, and help you up the stairs." Riza agreed and lent on the wall, following Furey and Hayate down the hall, with Falman walking just to the side of her. Everything was quiet apart from the gentle footsteps of the hallways occupants. One set appeared to be much quicker than the others, and that proved to be quite true. Riza was still rather exhausted, and having eaten very little over the past few days because of her cold, was weak.
"You sure you're okay?" Falman asked quietly as Riza stopped for the third time. She nodded and continued, still quite away behind Furey. Reaching the first of three stair flights, Falman carefully picked Hawkeye up once more, just in time to see Furey turn around at the top of the stairs. Both could tell she was exhausted and probably wouldn't make it down another hallway. As Falman reached the top of the stairs, Furey sighed and Hayate continued on his way. Riza still expected Falman to put her down, but the older man had other ideas and continued carrying her down the hall.
"Falman put me down." Riza growled, glaring at him as best she could. Falman ignored her and continued; now walking level with Furey. "Sorry Hawkeye no can do." Furey smiled, "If you're in a worse condition than you were when we left central, the colonel will have our heads, you know that." Hawkeye was about to protest when Hayate yipped happily in agreement. Riza sighed in defeat as the small group headed up the next flight of stairs, having reached it a lot sooner than the first.
"Any particular reason you live on the fourth floor?" Furey asked curiously as the reached the third floor. "Yea, they had no rooms on the first three." Riza replied, rolling her eyes. The men smiled and continued up the last flight of stairs. "Can you put me down now?" Riza asked hopefully. Falman and Furey looked at one another before Falman once again obliged.
Riza smiled and lent one hand against the wall, leaning lightly against it to keep her balance. The two men seemed a little unsure and walked directly behind her, in case she fell or her legs gave-way. Luckily for her, she reached the door of her small apartment without any such incident and unlocked the door letting herself in. Sadly neither man was quick enough to get inside as well, and she locked both out.
"Should've guessed this wouldn't be easy." Falman sighed, knocking on the door. "Hawkeye, open the door." A muffled no was the only reply and both men sighed. "Hawkeye open the door, you agreed to move in with Mustang until you were feeling better." Furey reasoned. "Just because I said I would doesn't mean I will." Riza replied. "Besides, I needed to get home somehow." Falman and Furey were dumbfounded, she'd used them to get home and avoid moving in with the colonel. Neither had expected her to do something like that.
"What's so bad about moving in with the colonel?" Furey asked as Falman looked around for a phone. "You'd really expect me to move in with that womanising jerk?" Riza almost yelled back. "Chances are he's walk in on me while I was in the shower, or find some other excuse to see me naked." Furey thought about the statement for a moment. It was true, Roy had always wanted Riza to be more than his subordinate and that was the only reason he went out with all those women. He was trying to find someone to take his mind off of Riza, but so far it hadn't worked. Unfortunately the only person other than Roy who knew this was Maes, and even he didn't believe it. "So? You had a choice Hawkeye." Falman called back.
Faint footsteps made the smiles on both Falman and Furey's faces grow. "Ah well, now you'll have to deal with our reinforcements." Furey grinned. They received no reply for several minutes and the footsteps could clearly be heard. "Who did you call?" Riza responded nervously. "Well, if you want to know why don't you come out and see?" Falman coaxed, his grin widening with each passing second.
Inside the small apartment, Riza had paled. The only person who could get her out of this room was probably making his way up the stairs and she didn't want to leave. Living with Mustang would be terrible for her, considering. She could've said she'd move in with Hughes, and had no idea why she hadn't.
"Lieutenant Hawkeye would you mind removing yourself from your room?" the booming voice of Major Armstrong inquired. Riza groaned and buried her head in her arms. If she didn't leave the sanctity of her apartment the major would probably rip the door off its hinges to let the men inside. Receiving no reply, Armstrong did just that, leaving two impressed subordinates and one annoyed woman. "Now lieutenant why don't you gather up some belongings so these fine gentlemen can escort you to the Mustang residence." Armstrong smiled. Riza looked at him before looking back down at the floor, she, quite frankly, couldn't be fucked.
The three men stood looking at her before deciding she probably wasn't going to move. "I guess we'll have to pack your bag for you Hawkeye." Furey smiled, walking over to the small wardrobe he'd spotted. Riza's head snapped upwards. "I guess moving in with him won't be too bad." She sighed, standing and moving over to the cupboard, grabbing a bag and some clothes. Furey looked rather disappointed, as would any man who'd just missed out on a chance of going through a woman's belongings.
After stuffing a large amount of clothes into the small bag, she went into the bathroom. Seconds later the noise of someone vomiting violently caught Falman's attention. Running into the bathroom to see if she was all right, he spotted Hawkeye kneeling in front the toilet, still throwing up. After a few minutes she looked a little better, but she was extremely pale. "What do you need out of here?" he asked, looking around the tiny bathroom. "Toothbrush, toothpaste, hairbrush, shampoo and conditioner." Riza replied, still kneeling in front of the toilet. Quickly grabbing the mentioned items, he left the room and put them into her bag.
Furey had decided to be helpful and picked up Hayate's leash and bowl from near the fridge. Armstrong entered the bathroom and looked at Riza. "Ready to leave lieutenant?" he asked, watching her closely. She gave a small nod and Armstrong picked her up, walking out of the room. "Ah sir, what about the door?" Furey asked nervously. Armstrong turned to look at him before motioning to Falman to give Furey Hawkeye's bag. Falman understood quickly what the major was going to do and held his arms out as Riza was roughly dropped into them.
"Now that was uncalled for." She growled, looking at Armstrong. Within minutes the door was fixed and three men, one dog and one pissed off female lieutenant were on their way down the stairs to the waiting cars. Armstrong got into one and the car was started, heading towards central headquarters. Moments later Riza, Hayate, Falman and Furey were in the other car, heading towards Colonel Mustang's house. Sitting in the backseat Riza thought about the next week or so. "This is going to be fun, isn't it Hayate?" she asked the small dog, who yipped happily in response. Riza sighed, "You didn't have to agree with me."
Meanwhile, at central…
Havoc had chased Mustang down reaching the car park mere seconds after Roy. "Sir, would you rather I drive?" Havoc suggested, running to catch up with the colonel. Roy shrugged in response, chucking a set of keys to Havoc and climbing into the front seat of the nearest car. Havoc smiled, climbing into the driver's side and starting the car. "Straight home colonel?" he asked, pulling out of the car park onto the road. "No, I think a trip to the store should be first." Roy thought, looking out the window. Havoc nodded, turning the corner towards the market.
After spending about 10minutes there, Havoc and Roy were leaving with a backseat full of food. "You haven't done shopping in a while, have you?" Havoc laughed, as he drove towards Roy's house. "There's been no need. I'm usually out for tea." Roy sighed, taking a bite out of an apple. Havoc shook his head, and seeing as they'd reached Mustang's quite quickly, parked the car outside. Both men gathered up as many bags as they could and carried them up to the house. After putting his bags down, Roy searched his pockets for the key and unlocked the door. Both men walked inside and Havoc looked around, letting out a long whistle. "You never told any of us you had a place like this." He gaped, walking around a little. Roy shook his head and walked through a door Havoc guessed led to the kitchen.
Following rather quickly so he didn't get lost, he got a quick glance at the lounge, study and finally ended up in the kitchen. Setting the bags he had down on the bench, he looked around. The place was extremely…dusty to say the least. He looked over at Roy, who appeared to be wiping out the fridge, "Don't just stand there, grab a cloth and wipe a couple of cupboards out so we can put everything away." Roy instructed, looking over the shelves in the fridge. Seeing they were clean, he put away most of the fruits, vegetables and meat, before shutting the door and opening a cupboard. He looked over the contents: a few grubby bowls and plates, which really needed to be cleaned. "On second thought, you can do the dishes." He sighed; this was going to take a while. "Why don't I call Breda and Hughes to help out?" Havoc suggested, looking at the cupboard he'd just finished.
Roy agreed and directed Havoc to a phone. Which was in a rather odd place: The bathroom. "Hello, Hughes speaking." A cheery voice answered. "Hughes? It's Havoc, would you be able to grab a few soldiers and come round to Mustang's? It's rather dusty and I doubt it would help Hawkeye's cold." A sigh was heard on the other end. "Roy never was one for cleaning, sure I'll be there soon with reinforcements." Maes replied. "Thanks Hughes, I guess we'll see you soon." Havoc smiled. "Sure, bye." Both phones were hung up and Havoc returned to the car to get the rest of the groceries.
"They coming?" Roy called from the kitchen. "Yip, they should be here soon with reinforcements." Havoc called back, walking into the kitchen. After about five minutes the dishes were clean, the cupboards were clean as well as the rest of the kitchen. They finished putting the food away as both men head someone knock on the door. "Come in." Roy yelled, moving into the lounge. A large amount of footsteps were heard and Havoc stuck his head around the corner. Breda, Hughes, Sergeant Bloch, Lieutenant Ross and about 10 other military personal walked into the entranceway.
"Wow, Hughes wasn't kidding about the reinforcements." Havoc laughed as Roy joined him in the doorway. "Alright, time to get cleaning." Roy announced, looking at the group. "Breda, Hughes, Ross and Bloch, pick two others and a room to clean. Havoc, you'll be helping me." Everyone nodded and sorted themselves into groups, before scattering around the house with cleaning supplies that had been found in a cupboard in the hall. After about 20minutes a car was heard pulling up outside just as the group finished cleaning. "Just in time." Hughes smiled. Everyone apart from Roy piled outside into four of the five cars, while Furey and Falman carried Riza and her belongings into the house. Once inside, Hayate became very curious, running around the house, exploring the new territory he'd been given. Riza was still rather pissed off about the whole "you're moving in with either me or Hughes until you're better" thing but Hayate seemed extremely happy.
"Please tell me there's more than one bedroom here." Riza groaned as Falman carefully put her down. "Yea, yours is down the end of the hall." Roy sighed, as Furey walked past him down the hallway to drop Hawkeye's belongings off. "I suggest the two of you get back to work with everyone else." Roy ordered, looking at the two men. Riza paled, being alone in the same house as Roy Mustang, well known womaniser and colonel, would not be good, especially if she collapsed again. "Yes sir." Falman and Furey saluted, before walking out the door. Riza's gazed followed them until the door was shut and Roy turned to face her. "Why don't you go get settled?" he suggested, "Afterwards I'll show you around." Riza nodded and made her way down the hall, well aware that Roy was watching her the entire time.
"Now, where did Hayate run off to?" Roy mumbled, walking off towards the kitchen in search of the dog. Finding him sitting at the back door, whimpering quietly, Roy smiled and let him out into the yard. Surprisingly over the months the garden had stayed in a decent condition, but there were quite a few weeds. Making a mental note t hire a gardener he picked up the stick Hayate had dropped in front of him and threw it, deciding it would be the best way to spend the spare time he currently had.
Riza however, was unpacking a few of her belongings into the empty draws of her room, thinking she'd be there for a little while at least. She looked around the room cautiously. From the smell, it'd just been cleaned but the nauseating smell of cleaning product was slowly fading through the open windows. She looked out to see the garden and to her surprise, Roy and Hayate, who appeared to be playing fetch. She smiled and lay down, feeling a little dizzy for some odd reason. Closing her eyes she decided to take a small rest before having a look around. Within minutes she was asleep.
After about twenty minutes of playing fetch, Hayate was finally tired and wanted inside. Roy smiled and opened the door, deciding he should check on Riza. Walking quietly down to her room he opened the door to see her sleeping quite peacefully. He smiled and, spotting Hayate's water bowl sitting on the chair in the corner, walked over and picked it up. Something sitting on the bedside table caught his eye. He walked over as quietly as he could and picked it up.
It was a photo of him, Riza, Kain, Jean and Vato, on their first day in Eastern headquarters. He smiled, remembering the game of poker that ended with Havoc and Breda running around headquarters nude for half and hour. It still grossed him out, and Riza had made them promise never to make that the task for the loser again. Of course, when you have someone pointing a gun at your head and you know they won't miss when they fire, you'll agree to anything. Setting the photo down again, he picked up Hayate's leash and left the room. Filling up the bowl with water, Roy set it down on the ground and wrote a quick note to Riza, stating he'd taken Hayate out for a walk and if she got hungry to help herself to something in the kitchen.
Changing out of his uniform and into more casual clothes, Roy put the note on the bedside table in Riza's room. Clipping the leash onto Hayate's collar the pair left the house, Hayate sniffing everything he could and barking at any cats he saw, while Roy walked along, thinking about what he could make for tea. He could cook a little, but he didn't do it that often. Spotting a pair of women ahead, Roy remembered the girl he was supposed to go to dinner with that evening. Deciding to get Havoc to go instead, he walked right past the two, ignoring and flirting and giggling the girls may have done. His mind was travelling once again, dragging him along for the ride.
A loud growl from Hayate made him look around. Recognising the place, he looked for a particular apartment block. Spotting it just ahead of his current position, he called Hayate along and walked up the steps to the building. Getting inside he walked down the hall and knocked on a door. Hayate ran around his ankles, almost tying him up with the leash. "I didn't expect you to come visit so soon." A soft voice smiled and Roy looked up, smiling a little himself. "Tai, it's good to see you again." He pulled her into a soft hug, which lasted a few seconds. She pulled back and moved aside to let him in, shutting the door behind him. "So, is there a reason you came here?" she inquired, sitting down at the table. He nodded, "On my way here I realised I should get you something if you pass the state alchemist exam. Rather than get you something you wouldn't like or want, why don't you tell me?" She looked at him closely, he wasn't joking.
Thinking for a moment, her eyes lit up. "I've always wanted a puppy." She replied quietly, looking at the ground. Roy smiled, "Any particular breed or just any puppy?" Her head shot up, "Any puppy. I love dogs." She smiled, patting Hayate who'd just finished looking around the small apartment. Roy nodded, "Then it's a deal, you pass your state alchemist exam and I get you a puppy." He stated, standing up. She stood and walked with him to the door. As he was about to leave, she gave him a hug and a kiss on the check. Still smiling, she whispered in his ear a barely audible "Thanks dad." He gave her a kiss on the forehead before calling to Hayate and heading home.
Tai: No, no more random questions I'm afraid, just this one that was at the top as well:
This is the most important question I will ever ask for this story: What do you think I should do? I'm at a point, kinda like a fork in the road where it can lead in two seperate directions. Because of where it is, I could easily have a choice of one ending, or two sequels, one that goes down each path. I'm not sure, and the ideas for both are great, so I need some input. Would you prefer two sequels or one ending?
