I'll just leave this here...
*gets multiple death threats through PMs.*
OK! OK! Yes! I'm a liar! THIS ISN'T DISCONTINUED ANYMORE! THERE! HAPPY?! I'M CONTINUING THIS AND MAKING MYSELF A LIAR!
Ahem...Ok look I know I was supposed to be discontinuing a bunch of my stories so I'd have less of a work load...but I'm a weakling. I can't bare to abandon these things. I'll get started on another story and then a thought bubble will appear and fill my head with all sorts of ideas for another story...so...I've decided to be a weakling and continue this...so here it is...
This chapter is dedicated to chickens, for all of the things they do for us. Thank the chickens children. They die to give you their breasts...but the breasts send your cholesterol sky high...actually you know what? Fuck chickens. Chickens are evil...
"Mama, mama, can't you see?! What this army's done for me?!"- Amestrisian Military Marching Cadence
Riza took the lead since Maria and Edward were helping Jean. As the four teenagers hobbled into the forest Riza just walked forward. Jean, Maria, and Edward followed the blond girl without question, and before long they were deep in the forest. After walking in silence for around twenty minutes Maria broke it.
"So, where are you guys from? I started out in South City."
Jean smiled weakly.
"I'm from the West Sector. I live out in the plains with my family...at least I used to."
Edward shifted Jean's weight onto his right shoulder.
"Riza and I grew up around the block from a recruiting station in Central."
Maria looked confused.
"You two lived together? Are you related or something?"
Riza shook her head.
"Nah. Grew up in an orphanage."
Ross looked like she regretted her words.
"Oh...uh...sorry..."
Edward laughed.
"It's ok. Riza and I ran the joint...until Ms. Margaret pulled out the wooden spoon."
Riza shivered.
"Respect the spoon..." the blonde girl whispered, as Maria and Jean took the time to look at the blonde duo strangely.
Edward noticed the looks and looked a bit sheepish as Riza continued walking. Then Maria brought something up that made everyone sigh.
"Uh...Riza...do you know where you're going?"
Riza stiffened and turned around.
"Yeah...uh...I think so..."
Jean looked around.
"I don't see the tracks from the other cadets."
Maria ran a hand over her face.
"Aw crap. We're heading in the wrong direction."
Riza looked a bit embarrassed.
"Uh, sorry..."
The other three shook their heads.
"Don't apologize. We're here to learn right?" Ross smiled in a friendly way. Riza smiled back and nodded.
"So..." Edward looked around.
"Uh...look for moss." Jean turned his head.
"Why?" Riza tilted her head sideways.
"Moss always grows on the north side of the trees."
The other three teens were surprised.
"Seriously?" Edward blinked and Jean nodded.
"Yeah. I don't know why, but that's what my dad told me to look for if I ever got lost. Moss always grows on the north side of rocks, trees, what have you." Jean shrugged as best he could with Maria and Edward holding his arms.
"Ok...good to know." Riza nodded and turned around before pointing to their left.
"North is that way."
Edward pursed his lips.
"Should we double back? The other cadets will have the path stamped dry by now."
Riza shook her head.
"That instructor said that the camp is an entire day's walk. That means food, water, and shelter. If we follow the trail we'll be competing with the others for the bare necessities."
Maria nodded.
"She's right. If we head north from here we should only have to adjust our course a few degrees towards northeast."
Edward shrugged.
"You two are in charge. I'm just hefting the cripple."
Jean gave him a bored look.
"This cripple will break your face..."
The other teens laughed as they got back to walking.
It was closer to dawn rather than dusk when they finally stopped.
"We'll rest up here. Riza, mind making a fire? It's getting pretty cold out." Edward rubbed his hands together in an effort to make heat.
"Maria, help me make a shelter will ya? Jean...just keep being a cripple, you're very good at it."
Jean blew a raspberry at the male blonde as Maria set him down and started gathering wood.
Riza walked into the woods and by the time she came back there was a circular pile of wood about two feet high and four feet in diameter. Leaves and small twigs were shoved in the holes, and Jean was inside of it. Riza stuck her head out.
"Do you have your knife Edward?"
The blonde boy shook his head.
"Nope. It's in my luggage."
Riza groaned.
"I left mine with for safe keeping.
Edward sighed.
"Great. So...no fire."
Riza smiled.
"I didn't say that. Get me a sharp rock, and some of your left over filling from the shelter."
Edward nodded as Riza grabbed a pair of sticks and a dug a small hole in the dirt with her hands. As Maria stuffed some more leaves into holes in the shelter Riza sat in the middle putting smaller sticks and such in the hole. Jean was leaning up against a tree a short distance away keeping watch for any animals or other cadets. Edward soon came back with a sharp rock and Riza made a pin hole in a square piece of a inch wide stick of wood Riza began spinning the stick and pushing down on the pin hole at the same time.
Meanwhile Maria helped Jean over to the shelter, and lay him on the ground. The shock was starting to wear off from the sprain, so he was starting to moan in pain a little bit.
"Edward sit with your back to the wind. Just keep it out of my face ok?" Riza kept spinning the stick. A kind of black powder was beginning to form near the edges of the stick. Edward nodded and did as she was told. It was almost twenty minutes but a small coal appeared on the edge. Edward grinned as Riza pointed at him.
"Alright. Get me some of that kindling."
Maria walked over with some dry brush in hand and handed it to Riza. The blonde carefully put the brush on top of the hot coal and began blowing gently. Another thirty seconds and the brush started to smoke.
"Watch out..." Edward gently picked up the brush and put it in their small firepit. It took a moment, but the leaves and brush in it caught, followed by the twigs, and then finally the several sticks in it caught and a fire, a small fire, but a fire nonetheless, was burning in their shelter.
"Awesome!" Edward grinned happily, and Riza smiled, as Maria looked relieved and Jean smiled through his pain.
"Hey since when do you know how to set up a shelter Edward? This isn't bad actually." Riza was against the wall to shield herelf from the wind. Edward averted his eyes and Maria rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
"Uh, Jean told us how."
Riza raised her eyebrows and looked at Jean.
Jean nodded.
"I used to go camping with my dad out on the plains."
Riza made an 'oh' gesture. Edward yawned.
"Alright. We'll have to start early tomorrow, so let's get some sleep."
The four teens lay down and just as Edward was closing his eyes Riza interrupted.
"Someone has to stay awake."
Maria raised her hand.
"I will."
Riza nodded.
"Alright...um...wake me up when you're about to fall asleep."
Maria nodded before sitting in front of the fire and trying to warm her hands. Riza and Edward both lay down and tried using their thin jackets for blankets. Jean groaned in pain, but was otherwise quiet. He had a pretty heavy set of coveralls on, so he wasn't as cold as everyone else.
Maria, on the other hand, was from South City. The normally hot and humid Sector was a contrast to the cold and dry area they were in now. As such her jacket was little more than a windbreaker. The onyx haired girl sat with her hands around her legs and shivered as everyone else went to sleep.
Edward was walking through a farmer's field with a bag of apples in hand. The foreman of the cider mill down the road had been happy to provide for a hungry family, and Edward wasn't one to turn down free food. Edward reached into the bag and pulled out a bright red apple. The boy took a bite out of it and the sweet taste brought a smile to his face.
That was when he heard it.
The explosion. It came from his house. There was a large plume of smoke in the air.
Edward's eyes widened and he dropped the bag of apples as he started running. Through the rest of the field, over a hill, and Edward was soaked when he tripped and fell in the creek. The boy recovered quickly and was up and running in moments.
"Please be okay. Please be okay." Edward pleaded to no one.
The blonde reached the gate and drive to his house. The plume of smoke was coming from the right side if you faced the front of the house. Edward jumped the locked gate and ran over to the smoke.
There was a gaping hole and Edward could see into the kitchen of his house.
It happened again.
Edward's mother slumped over the counter. Alphonse impaled. Edward paled and he was just about to scream when Alphonse looked at him and opened his mouth.
"Your fault!" The boy screamed at a volume that pained Edward's ears.
Edward sat up with a start and looked around. He was still in the forest.
"Nightmare?"
Edward turned around and found a new person in their shelter. There was a rather attractive girl with black hair and green eyes sitting Indian style in front of the fire.
Maria was slumped over sideways where she'd been sitting. Edward tensed, and got ready to pounce at the person should she prove a threat. The girl held up a calming hand.
"Whoa, calm down bro. Not gonna hurt you."
Edward narrowed his eyes.
"What do you want?"
The girl snickered.
"Well, hello to you to."
No response from Edward.
"Ugh...if you must know, I was hopelessly lost. I found your shelter and sat in the woods for a while trying to figure out if you'd mug me and kill me..."
Edward smiled slightly at the small joke.
"Your guard fell asleep a little while ago, and I figured, hey, they've got fire and a shelter. I'm Andrea Barrett by the way. You can call me Andy." the girl smiled and held her hand out. Edward frowned before nodding and shaking it.
"I'm Edward Elric."
Andrea nodded back.
"Good to meet ya, Ed..."
The duo sat in silence for several minutes just listening to the others snore.
"Where you from?" Andy looked at Ed as the blonde stared at the fire.
"I was born in East Sector, but I grew up in a Central City orphanage."
Andy raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? I grew up in an orphanage to. North City."
Edward shivered.
"North City, huh? So that's why you're not a popsicle."
Andrea laughed.
"Yeah. Central City? Man, I bet this is culture shock."
Edward shook his head.
"Nah. I prefer the wilderness to cities. It feels...I don't know...more free."
Andrea raised an eyebrow.
"So you want freedom, but you joined the State Military?"
Edward snorted in amusement.
"Ain't it ironic?"
Andy nodded slowly.
"Got any idea what you want to do?"
Edward shook his head.
"I don't really know. How 'bout you?"
Andy shrugged.
"I was thinkin' about being a medic. I was the oldest in my orphanage, so I always took care of the kids. I figured I'd plug the holes in people."
Edward didn't respond. Andrea scooted around the fire and sat next to Edward. The blonde raised an eyebrow.
"I'm just cold, so don't get the wrong idea."
The duo stared at the fire for a while longer until their eyelids started drooping, and before long they were asleep.
Edward's eyes shot open.
The fire had burnt to cinders and Andrea was sound asleep on his shoulder. Edward looked around again. It was still night, and the shelter was all intact.
'Something's wrong...' Edward blinked as he looked around. Everything seemed to be in the right place...
Edward turned his head. That was when it hit him.
Andy, Maria, Jean, and himself. That was four. There were supposed to be five.
"Where's Riza?" Edward stood up quickly. Andrea fell to the ground with an 'oof'
"Ow, Ed, what's up dude? Couldn't you have woken me up?" Andy rubbed a growing lump on her head. The blonde ignored her and instead shook Maria awake.
"Huh...five more minutes." Maria groaned.
"Maria, get up." Edward looked around again.
"Eh?" Maria had half-lidded eyes.
"Riza's gone."
Maria sat up now and looked around.
"What? Could she have just gone to the bathroom or something?"
Andy was on her feet now and pointed over to where Riza and been lying.
"No. Her jacket is still here. There's no she'd have left that. It's freezing out here."
Jean was awake now as well, and had gathered what was going on.
"Ed, see if you can spot any tracks. If you can find some, I'm a pretty good tracker."
Just as Ed and Andy were standing up to go looking for tracks, Riza came out of some bushes. She was buttoning her pants, and looked surprised at everyone being awake and in a state of panic.
"What's wrong you guys?" Riza tilted her head to the side. Edward and Maria breathed a sigh of relief while Andrea and Jean snickered.
"Edward woke up and you were gone. He lost his mind." Jean chuckled. Andy looked at her watch.
"Well by my time it's around five thirty in the morning. We ought to get going."
Riza nodded in agreement and then seemed to realize something. The blonde turned to Andrea.
"Who the hell're you?"
Maria and Jean seemed to realize that the green eyed girl was a new addition and Andy laughed.
"I was wondering when you guys would notice."
Jean huffed.
"I'm tired and half a cripple. Leave me alone."
Andy laughed.
"I'm Andrea Barrett. I was lost and stumbled across your camp last night, and your fire looked so inviting. Everyone was asleep, so I figured 'screw it'. Ed already knows me. He woke up last night."
Riza frowned, but was quiet. Maria had a smile on her face.
"Well. You can tag along with us if you want. You didn't steal our socks while we slept, so you're cool with me."
Edward raised an eyebrow.
"Our socks?"
Maria shrugged.
"What else of value do we have? My library card isn't going to keep you warm."
Edward laughed and nodded.
"True. Andy's right though. We need to get moving."
Jean experimentally stood on his foot with help from Maria. The dirty blonde boy winced, but licked his lips and nodded.
"I can deal…"
Edward interruptd him by throwing him over his shoulder in a fireman's carry. The females in the group burst out laughing as Jean began struggling wildly by throwing his arms around.
"Hey! Ed! I-"
"Shut up Jean." Ed's voice had a tone of finality to it as his feet began crunching away through the leaves on the forest floor. Riza calmed herself and followed her friend, Maria behind her, and Andrea brought up the rear.
The trainees walked through the forest in silence, only interrupted by an occassional grumble when someone tripped or Jean kicked up a fuss at Edward. Both of which were usually punctuated by the rest of the group having a laugh at the complainers expense.
Around noon the group took a rest. They were in a small meadow next to a river. Jean sat on a rock with his arms crossed as Ed and Riza walked away towards the river. Maria sat next to him with a red face as Andrea walked off into the bushes. Jean looked at Maria.
"What's with you?"
Ross cleared her throat before speaking.
"I thought Andrea was going to look for food. It turns out she was going to relieve herself."
Jean's face turned slightly red as he began to hold back laughter.
"Did Andrea take exception to you watching?"
Ross turned even more red if that were possible.
"No she didn't! In fact she invited me along! She said, qoute, 'To make it clear I am quite queer.'"
Jean laughed. He roared. He laughed until his stomach hurt.
Riza and Edward came back looking refreshed and found Ross ready to strangle a Havoc who was already struggling to breath. When Andy returned she was using her jacket like a basket and had berries. The girl shot Maria a grin and wiggled her eyebrows causing Havoc to fall over just as he was recovering. Riza and Edward simply stood looking confused.
A soldier with captain's bars on his shoulders stood in the back of a military jeep with a pair of binoculars. A sergeant sat in the passenger seat while a private sat in the driver seat. The sergeant exhaled smoke from a cigarette.
"It's a little early isn't it Captain?"
The officer shook his head as he let the binocular hang around his neck. The early evening sun cast orange light on his scarred face.
"Recon says that the first group should be cresting any minute now."
The non-commissioned officer scoffed before inhaling more poison.
"Have to be some bad sons of bitches to make it before late tonight or tomorrow morning.
As if on cue several black figures appeared on the ridge the trio of soldiers were looking at. The captain raised his binoculars and barked out a laugh.
"Well I'll be damned!"
The Sergeant looked up and grunted. It was a few minutes before the ragged recruits stood before them.
The boy who appeared to be the leader stepped forward with a cocky grin. He had another boy over his shoulder, much to the injured boy's chagrin apparently. The rest of the group seemed amused as they stood before the captain and sergeant.
The Captain looked to the cocky boy.
"What's your name boy?"
The boy's cocky grin withdrew into a smirk as he spoke.
"Roy Mustang."
Edward and company trudge on as the moon rose high into the sky. Riza had taken a turn carrying Jean and the other two females in the group were leaning on each other as they walked.
"There it is!" An excited shout came from Jean. He was looking over Riza's shoulder. Edward looked up with tired eyes. The gold brightened a bit as he took in the utilitarian buildings and razor wire fences of the military base.
"Come on! We're almost home!" Andy shouted as she jogged out in front of the group.
"Andrea! Wait!" Maria ran off after the other girl. Edward and Riza glanced at each other amusedly before they walked off after the girls.
"Can I walk in please? The instructors will probably already hate me since I tried to jump back on the trucks. I don't want to look weak to." Jean mumbled as he struggled a bit. Riza bent and let Jean slide off her back. They were slowed up somewhat with Jean limping along behind them, but Andrea and Maria stood at the gate and waited for them. All five walked in together to find a bored looking private waiting for them in a jeep.
"Finally! Are you Ross, Elric, Hawkeye, Barrett, and Havoc?"
They all looked at each other before nodding.
"Uh...yeah…"
"Good! Get in!"
The trainees looked confused and were about to ask questions, but the private gestured for them to hurry.
"You're the last to arrive! You don't need to be any later than you already are."
After that all three teens scrambled to get in the back of the truck. The private turned the key and the truck sped away towards a dumpy looking building.
Roy laid in his bunk and listened to Maes Hughes complain from the top bunk about being carried into the base. Roy looked out the window and became interested in the head lights that were parked outside.
"Yeah?! Fuck you to!" An angry shout came from outside as four dirty teens opened the barracks door and stumbled inside. They followed by an angry looking brunette girl who stomped inside and slammed the door. The five stood and stared back at the hundred some odd recruits who were looking at them in curiosity or amusement.
"Fuck you looking at?!" The angry one shouted at them.
"Andrea!" one of the other girls whisper-shouted at her.
"What Maria? Taking me up on that offer?"
"No! I was just saying that we have to sleep with these people."
Andrea threw on what appeared to be a horrified look.
"All of them? That's inhumane!"
Maria turned red and adopted a scandalized look.
"Not like that you idiot!"
"Andrea. Maria."
The two girls turned to the last female in the group. The blonde one with hazel eyes.
"Quiet, please?"
Andrea was about to retort, but the injured boy elbowed her. The blonde boy with gold eyes standing next to the blonde girl turned to said girl.
"Riza...um…"
Riza turned to the boy.
"What's up Ed?"
"Let's just find a bunk."
Roy scoffed and turned around, disregarding the foolhardy cadets.
'Fools and immature people don't belong here. We serve the People. We need those who will take their jobs seriously.'
"This bunk taken?"
Mustang opened his eyes to see the two blondes standing next to each other. They were looking between him and the empty bunk. The girl smiled at him.
"What Edward meant to say was, do you know if anyone has claimed this bunk?"
Roy was about to say yes in order to distance himself from the cadets, but Maes shook his head.
"Nope! But in order to sleep there I'm going to need to something in return."
Both blondes looked curious as Roy mentally face palmed.
"Introduce me to that Andrea girl!"
Both blondes smirked at each other before a silent conversation went between their eyes.
'These two are close…' Roy absently thought before looking up at Maes.
"Are you seriously thinking about sex right now."
Maes looked down and appeared to be offended.
"Of course not!"
Roy turned back to the blondes when Maes continued..
"I'm going to befriend the Fraulein before moving in for the kill!"
This time Roy actually did facepalm. When he took the hand away from his face the boy had climbed onto the top bunk and the girl was on the bottom bunk.
"Uh…"
The boy turned to him.
"Look we're talking about sex with one of my friends. I think we can sleep next to each other with no worries. I'm Edward by the way. That's Riza."
"I can tell them my own name Edward." The girl calmly stated as she calmly removed her shoes, shirt, and pants, leaving her in her undergarments. Roy blushed and turned away, as did Maes.
"Don't you think you should cover up!" Maes seemed embarressed as he covered his eyes. Riza shrugged.
"Why? I'm not naked."
"That's not the point!" Roy fired back as his blush started to fade once Riza crawled under her covers. He noticed Edward wasn't blushing and was instead getting undressed himself.
"This isn't a problem for you?"
Edward frowned and shook his head.
"No. I've actually seen her naked before."
Roy and Maes gaped before a boot hit Edward in the face.
"Only because you didn't knock idiot."
"It was my room first. I see no reason why I should have to knock." Edward mumbled as he rubbed the knot growing on his forward. Riza snorted from under her covers.
"Because you're seventeen and were sixteen then. You should have the common sense that you were rooming with a girl."
"You're my best friend Riza. I don't see you as a girl."
Roy winced as Riza's other boot him Edward in the face.
"Good to know how you feel, Edward."
"Not what I meant Riza. It's pretty hard to miss that you're female."
"Got that right." Maes mumbled to Roy and then winced as if he expected another piece of Riza's clothing to hit him.
There was silence after that. Roy figured that Riza was angry with Edward from her silence. A sergeant came in to announce lights out before long, and the trainees all lay down to get some sleep before the beginning of training tomorrow. Just as Mustang himself was dozing off, he heard a whisper on the wind.
"Night, Ed."
It was immediately returned with.
"Night, Ri."
So...good? Bad? Let me know. Also let me know if you'd like to see more, or if I'm wasting my time and no one's actually reading this. Probably the latter...I'm just gonna sit in the corner and wallow in self-pity...