A/N: What can I say? Just enjoy this chapter.

CHAPTER 8–-The Ishbal War, Part IV:

I cheated, I cheated, I cheated. And the bastard let it happen . . . no, I let it happened. I could have said no but I didn't. I'm such an idiot.

It was already morning and Naminé had woken up first of the two. Her head rested against Kimblee's chest, his heartbeat in her ear. She was still wrapped in his arms and her arms were around him but Romberg decided to stop by in her mind. The guilt could finally set in after the pleasure had ended. They only made out which was a good thing to her. It was better than going all the way with the guy.

"Naminé?" The Crimson Alchemist had just awoken because Naminé had shifted her body against his. Last night came back in a flood—the feel of her skin, the taste of her lips, her gentle caress on his cheek. Although her body had ached, she had managed to make it enjoyable for him.

Her eyes looked up at him. "Zolf . . . Hey." She gave him a peck on the lips and got off him immediately, untangling their limbs from one another's.

"How's your shoulder?" He asked, getting unto his two feet.

She touched and winced from the pain. "It's better. I guess we should head back to camp." She was about to walk out but Kimblee pulled her back to him by the wrist.

"Not yet," he said, gently pushing her against the wall. "Not when we're still alone."

"Zolf, we—" Naminé wanted to say how gran would be expecting their arrival anytime soon but his kiss cut her off. As an automatic response, her fingers started to intertwine with his long hair. Her body made up her mind as the kiss deepened. Gran hadn't really told them to come back at a specific time. They didn't have to go back right away.

Later, most of the soldiers went to that part of Ishbal under Gran's command. The rest stayed back to either protect the camp incase of invaders or they were injured. Isabelle, Kimblee, and Romberg had left with the group while Naminé was getting the proper treatment for her bullet wound. She was in a tent where a female doctor was taking care of her so she didn't mind taking off her shirt. Naminé glanced at a picture of a little girl with blonde hair.

"That's your daughter?"

The doctor looked up to see which picture the soldier was talking about. She was searching for bandages to redo Naminé's wound properly. "Yeah, she is." She found what she was looking for and went back to Naminé. Then she started to take off the blue cloths.

The tent opened up and Roy walked in, carrying someone in his arms. The person he was carrying was Isabelle (who was beaming). Naminé smiled shyly at him, wanting to pull back on her shirt.

"Sorry for the interruption, Dr. Rockbell," Roy said. "This soldier twisted her ankle." His dark eyes wandered over to the Lightning Alchemist who was sitting on a bed. "Hey."

"Hi," Naminé smiled and gave him a little wave. She didn't really acknowledged Isabelle's presence since her full attention was given to Roy. He gave her that trademark smirk and she stifled her giggles. Her eyes followed him as he placed Isabelle on another bed. Mustang tossed a sly look at Naminé before leaving.

"Hi," Isabelle imitated, raising an eyebrow at her friend.

"It's not that big of a deal." Naminé rolled her shoulder in a circular motion after Dr. Rockbell finished with it. It was done a lot better than Kimblee's handiwork and neater, too. She didn't leave yet because she was going to help her friend to her tent. The doctor finished with Isabelle in fifteen minutes and Naminé went over to help Isabelle. The alchemist wrapped her arm around her shoulders; her friend followed suit. Soon, they reached her tent and Isabelle lied on her bed.

"You're going into Ishbal later?"

Naminé shook her head. "I want to go rest. I didn't get much sleep last night."

"Why? Kimblee kept you up all night?" Isabelle had said it as a joke, oblivious to the look on her friend's face.

"No," Naminé choked. "I've got to go." To avoid any further interrogation, she left the tent quickly. Outside was hot and she was already sweating in the unbearable heat. Kimblee's body was hot, too and Naminé remembered how it ha felt. She walked into her tent and closed her eyes, replaying last night in her head. Kimblee had beaten Romberg in all the physical aspects and that was bad. It would only fuel the need to cheat more. Her eyes opened and rested on an envelope that was on her bed.

"You're leaving?" Romberg grabbed the letter from Naminé's hand and started to skim through it. Isabelle and Kimblee looked at the Lightning Alchemist, disbelief etched on their faces. "Why?" Romberg couldn't believe Naminé was leaving the war. They would be separated for some time and this made him worried.

"My mother's sick," Naminé explained as she took a sip from her glass of water. "The fuhrer said that family is important and that I can go." The food had went from okay during the last few days. The fact that the soldiers were hungry made it easier for it to stay in their stomachs.

Kimblee reached for the letter from Romberg and started to read, Isabelle peering at it over his shoulder. His hand went to rest on her hip (Naminé felt a tinge of jealousy as she eyed the two). "I thought you hated your mom," he muttered.

"You never told me that," Thad pointed out.

Naminé winced. "Well, I do. The only reason I'm going is for my sister's sake. She loves my mother, my mother loves her. Therefore she feels sad and miserable that 'dear' mommy is in the hospital. After all, Kaili is only ten."

Isabelle pouted. "You're lucky. I'll be stuck with these idiots the next several days."

"The war won't last that long," Kimblee said. "I'll give it two days at the most."

Eyebrows rose at the statement but it was Naminé that asked the question that was running through everyone's minds. "Why would you say that?"

Before answering, Kimblee tasted his chicken and grimaced at the taste. But he took another morsel anyway because he was that hungry. "I heard rumors that the Crystal Alchemist is making something that amplifies our alchemic powers."

Naminé watched as Isabelle rested her head on his shoulder and embraced him. Despite her efforts, she did find herself slightly envious as she sat next to her boyfriend. "The Crystal Alchemist?"

Isabelle looked at the Lightning Alchemist, pulling her eyes from the letter. "Tim Marcoh. I work under him part time."

"He's bringing it in tomorrow.," Kimblee continued. "You probably would have tried it out but you're ditching the military for your mother." The Crimson Alchemist wondered if she would be busy that night. Maybe he could catch her when Romberg wasn't around. It would be easier to say his goodbyes.

"When are you leaving?" Isabelle asked, handing the letter back.

The Lightning Alchemist placed it back into its original envelope. "Tomorrow afternoon."

Later that night, Naminé was talking to the girls who shared the tent with her. There were three of them altogether and they were all in the same age group. They were telling each other stories and when Naminé was going to tell one, the tent flap open. It was Kimblee. "Don't you have any manners?" She snapped at him.

"Sorry, babe. But I need to talk to you."

Naminé got up from her bed and walked over to him. Kimblee took her outside into the cool night and led her to a place out of view. There was no need to tell why he had taken her outside because she already knew. Without a word passing between them, they kissed each other. It wasn't long before she gave Kimblee permission to play with her tongue. His embrace around her body tightened as the kiss only deepened. She let a moan escape when he added more force. Finally, the air in their lungs ran out and they separated, none of them satisfied that it had ended so soon.

Naminé looked at Kimblee. "What did you want to tell me?"

"I won't see you tomorrow morning before you leave. But I'll see you back in Southern Headquarters in a few days though." He pecked her on the cheek, the least affectionate thing he'd done to her since she started cheating.

She dwelled on the fact, happy that she would have time to think about her own feelings. After Naminé was done contemplating to herself, her hand patted the side of his face playfully. "Okay, then. I'll see you in a few days."

She did get to see him in a few days. It was somewhere she didn't expect the confrontation to be-–prison. Romberg died and how it happened was still unknown. Kimblee got a death sentence for killing (blowing up really) his own allies and was presumed to be done on purpose. Life couldn't be worst than it already was for her. Two guys she did, or was developing, feelings for had been snatched away from her. Naminé felt as if her heart had been ripped out and came back just for it to happen again.

The guard that was leading her to Kimblee's cell stopped and pulled out a set of keys. The man searched through them before choosing one and using it to open the door. He looked at Naminé. "Here you go, miss." She walked inside and the door closed behind her.

The man was sitting on a bed in the cell when he heard the door open and closed. There was a creaking sound as somebody sat next to him on the bed. He turned and grinned when he saw it was Naminé. "So you came to see me before I die. How considerate."

Her blue eyes gazed at the board that handcuffed his hands in a way and prevented him from clapping. "I heard what you did," she said in a monotone voice. "Pretty stupid if you ask me."

"To hear all those people scream, to see them all explode—it was worth it." When she didn't say anything, he glanced at her, seeing that she was focusing on the wall before her. He wanted to embrace her, to tell her not to worry about it, but the board was preventing him from doing so.

Almost like the alternative to the situation, she crawled behind Kimblee and wrapped her arms around him, her chin on his shoulder. Then Naminé kissed him on the cheek. "You really are a mad bomber." If there was a way, she would get him out of this. One dead guy was hard enough. Two? The alchemist didn't think she could cope so easily. Naminé would have been able to if she had known she would see Zolf years later.

Her arms slipped away from his body and she got off the bed. Naminé took one final look at him and decided she couldn't leave it at that. She held the tears back longer and kissed him. He kissed back just as passionately as he felt her fingers playing with his ponytail. Half a minute passed before she stopped and stood up straight. She tried to smile but it didn't look genuine. "If you weren't an idiot, then maybe we could have been. Well, this is goodbye . . . Zolf." Tears were on the brim of her eyes now and she turned away from him. She tried to walk out of the cell with some control but she moved faster than she wanted to.

Kimblee watched her leave and the door closed on him again. He sighed and lied down on the bed, his golden eyes focusing on the ceiling. " . . . Goodbye, Naminé."

A/N: I couldn't find a better way to end this chapter but it seems okay. Next week it will be only one chapter posted. That's it for now. Till later.