When Tempers Flare

Disclaimer: Characters and setting are the property of Hiromu Arakawa. I'm just borrowing them for a bit of non-profit angst.

Notes: Inserted chapter to ease the overly abrupt transition between the former chapter 7 and 8.


"Look you! I don't care who that Dog of the Military made responsible for Ed. He's not leaving with the likes of you and that is final!" Pinako Rockbell declared forcefully as she glared up at Lt. Colonel Hughes.

"I understand your feeling ma'am but to leave Edward here indefinitely Roy would need to officially state that the Fullmetal Alchemist is no longer fit for duty or Edward could be charged with desertion," Hughes explained patiently.

"So what's the hold up?" Pinako demanded. "Technically that boy has never been 'fit for duty', you have to be seventeen to sit for the State Alchemist Exam. If not for Mustang's manipulation Edward and Alphonse would never have been in that situation!"

"Roy is very aware of that fact," Hughes said. "And he will do everything in his power to undo the damage."

"How? Alchemists can't raise the dead," Pinako said bluntly.

"Ma'am, Edward has enemies, we don't want to advertise his infirmaries. By placing him with me we can maintain the fiction that he has recovered fully. Also due to my position I am likely to be the first one to become aware of any imminent threat to him," Hughes continued, undeterred. Then he smiled wryly. "Besides if I left him here Roy would simply take him back to Easterner Command as soon as he found out. He truly does feel responsible for Edward's well being and desperately needs to make amends. In that, he isn't so different from Edward."

"Hmpf, from where I'm sitting he's already fobbed his responsibility off on you."

"Ma'am, with due respect, I am one of Colonel Mustang's people, you are not. Asking me to look after Edward while he attends to other duties is delegating, discharging Ed to leave him here would be like giving up on any possibility that he might recover," Hughes replied.

"That's Mustang's problem not mine," Pinako stated coldly. "It would be best for Ed to remain here. Just as it would have been better if your Colonel Mustang had never interjected himself into those boys' lives in the first place."

"Respectfully, we both know Edward. Even if he had never met Roy Mustang his search would have brought him to the National Library before long. Once there, he would have drawn the Military's attention, and there are much worse commanding officers than Roy Mustang. Roy gave Edward an unheard of amount of freedom to pursue his own objectives for a member of the Military, he covered for them when Ed went against Military policy and shielded Alphonse from discovery." Hughes sighed. "Yes, Roy's used Edward to further his own ends and yes that's how they got hurt, but Edward has always been more than capable of finding trouble on his own. Trust me, Roy's done his best to look out for the those boys and he will continue looking out for Edward."

"Trust the Military? Feh." Pinako spat. "I know how my son and his wife died. Shot down by you people for nothing more than doing their duty as doctors. You might have heard of little thing called the Hippocratic Oath? But I suppose I shouldn't be surprised, the State Alchemists abandoned their principals easily enough."

The pair traded glares until they were interrupted by a cheerful voice from the stairway.

"Morning Aunty Pinako, Mister. Winry's already in the shop isn't she?"

Pinako and Hughes stared at Edward in disbelief. He took in their stares with a puzzled frown then he shrugged and headed toward Winry's shop. Pinako and Hughes trailed after him uncertain of what was going on.

Edward glanced around Winry's shop blatantly overlooking the blonde girl standing at her workbench. "Where's Winry," he asked.

"Ed what's wrong with you? I'm right here," Winry declared.

"Liar!" Edward shouted. His face twisted into a scowl. "What did you do with Winry? Where is she?"

"Stop it Ed! I am Winry," the girl cried.

Edward lunged at her only to be brought up short when Hughes grabbed him around the waist. Ed flailed wildly against the older man's grasp; his automail limbs bashed against Hughes with bruising force. Maes was deeply grateful that the boy was acting like a child in the throes of a tantrum rather than an experienced fighter.

"Edward! Stop this nonsense immediately!" Hughes ordered sternly and after a moment Edward calmed down. Tentatively Hughes released the boy. "Now tell me; why can't this be your friend Winry?"

"Because she's old!" Edward declared forcefully. "Winry's the same age as me."