Tears fell from his face as he hugged her around the waist, "Bye-bye Winry," Kino cried that morning as Edward picked up the suitcase.
"Come on, Sticks," Edward shook his head, "we'll try and stop by again soon; now let's go."
River wiped her escaped tear quickly to avoid attention but as soon as she swiped that one away, another started again. Winry saw this and reached an arm out to her; River didn't think twice.
Edward stared dumbly, why was everyone besides him and Alphonse emotional about this? They bawled like they were family leaving for the last time. He didn't get it; they couldn't have gotten that close in 48 hours, could they?
After lots of tears, hugs, and a few chases after Kino when he ran back to Winry, they were finally on the train.
"Sticks," Edward's voice drawled in an exasperated warning, "stop crying so I can sleep."
"Shut up, Brother Ed!" Kino cried through his tears, "If you want a nap you just GO take a nap!"
Edward groaned and covered his ears, "I can't when you're making noise like that!"
Kino gave up and dived into River's chest. "I hate you because you're being mean, Brother Ed!" His voice was muffled in River's bosom and she embraced him securely. She tried her hardest too, not to cry for leaving such a haven and a great friend. What Edward and Alphonse didn't know was that River had gone into Winry's room and heard really cute stories of their childhood. She and Winry really got to know each other last night and Kino just loves anyone who compliments his creative stories.
"Brother," Alphonse sighed, "at least be a little nicer to Kino, he really likes Winry."
Without any retort, Edward turned, propped his arm on the back of the seat and poked the boy's shoulder. "Sticks,"
Kino looked up at him with huge glazed blue eyes and red cheeks.
"If I buy ice cream at the next stop, will you stop crying?"
Kino's face began to scrunch but then he stopped to think, (all this was obvious on his youthful face) then his face lit up. "Ice cream?"
"Yeah, the cold deliciousness; that's ice cream." Edward smirked.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Why does my head hurt?" Kino dropped the spoon in his hand and put his hands to his black hair.
Edward sighed, "If you wouldn't inhale your ice cream, you wouldn't get a brain freeze, Sticks."
Kino's expression showed worry, "Will my brain still work?"
River giggled, "Yes, Kino, it's only the temperature from the ice cream chilling the blood that runs to your brain. It doesn't do any harm." She stroked his hair lovingly.
Kino blinked a couple of times; "Okay." Clearly, he only heard the last sentence.
Edward scrutinized River's response. She didn't look like the sort that could have been completely educated so how did she know something like that? He thought train took a different direction when the laughter began. It was Kino, he had his head back and his mirth was in a lower pitch due to the angle of his neck; just laughing.
"Something funny?" Edward's eyebrow lifted.
"I don't know," River giggled, "he just started laughing."
Abruptly, Kino stopped, took another bite of ice cream, swallowed, and his eyes widened with some crazy look in his eyes, "Whoa," he gasped and shivered, "head breezy!" he squeaked as he got up and drilled his head into Edward's flesh arm.
"Hey, Sticks stop it!"
River began to giggle uncontrollably at Kino's running around in circles making noises that Alphonse assumed to be an attempted song but it didn't make sense.
"Purple moons….Brother Ed…...snow dog man…..and pink shoes….Brother Ed, Brother Ed, Brother Ed, Brother Ed-Ed-Ed…..I'm sick." Was all that Alphonse could really make out of Kino's constant murmurings.
"No, no, no, no, if you're gonna puke, do it in the bathrooms." Edward grabbed Kino's shoulder and looked for help from River. She was still laughing but didn't appear to be breathing. Did someone drug the ice cream? What the crap was going on?
"Puke…..rainbows….." Kino panted from running. Then he broke away from Edward and ran towards the restaurant kitchen.
"Sticks!" The Full Metal Alchemist yelled after the little boy that was out running him and looking over his shoulder. Kino screamed with delight before running into a tall waitress. He wasn't any higher than her waist and Kino smacking into her behind made her squeal in surprise.
Kino wasn't hurt as he sat on the floor swaying. "Look, stars! The world is such a pretty place….with sticks."
"Oh Kino," River sighed beside Edward; making him flinch a little because he didn't hear her coming. However, he heard Alphonse come up from behind him.
"That was their first taste of sugar." Alphonse said plainly.
Edward let his head drop. How exasperating…
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"They're on their way?" Breda asked with mild surprise.
"Yep," Havoc nodded once, "and we'll finally meet this girlfriend of Edward's."
"I still find that impossible." Falman folded his arms.
"But you know," Fuery pushed his glasses up again, "even if he doesn't, I just want to know who this special guest is; everyone is talking about her now that we know she's female."
Havoc spaced out for a moment in his fantasies. "I hope she's my age and cute."
"You're going to try and earn her attraction?" Falman lifted an eyebrow.
"Why do you talk like you're narrating for an animal show?" Breda shook his head incredulously.
"I do not!"
"Yes you do. Listen man, if you just…"
"I'm just telling how it is."
"For animals." Breda interrupted.
"What do you have contrary to my vocabulary?"
"Nothing, you just sound like an over-achiever."
"It's part of my job."
"Whatever…"
"HEY!" The four snapped to attention at Mustang's command. "Stop arguing; they've arrived and I don't want ill behavior around our guest." He looked into each pair of eyes before he headed off.
They glanced at each other and followed without a word.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Wait," River stopped them behind the gate, "before we go in, Al, I want you to hide Kino inside your armor. I don't know what'll happen but I don't want anything to happen to Kino."
"Yeah," Edward pondered, "that would probably be best."
"Okay," Alphonse nodded, took off his chest plate and Kino looked inside from River's arms. "Wow," he gasped with a smile, "it's so echo-y inside." Kino stuck his head in and let out a high-pitched sharp scream.
Alphonse balked as River and Edward groaned, "Ow," they said in unison. Kino pulled his head out and covered his ears with a shocked look on his face.
"Yeah," Edward said loudly, "that wasn't very brilliant, Sticks."
River giggled softly, "Get inside, sweetheart."
Kino turned to her in surprise.
River shook her head, "Don't scream and the echo won't hurt your ears."
Kino nodded and crawled in, though it was a little big and Edward had to put in a wooden plank across the leg holes for Kino's seat, it worked.
"This is awesome, Alph!" Kino whispered, "What's this?" he pointed to the blood seal and Edward explained briefly that he couldn't touch it because it kept Alphonse strong.
Kino accepted the answer and looked down the left leg, "Kitty!" Kino gasped, "What's a kitty-cat doing in here?"
"Al!"
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Edward, Alphonse, and River had just entered the Eastern Command building to find probably the whole military there with Mustang at the front. This was it, the moment Edward worried about; how would they react to know that they brought with them the White Alchemist?
"Welcome to Eastern Command," Mustang spoke in the eerie silence. He knew it; Edward truly did bring the White Alchemist here. Already, this moment was epic history.
River stared at the man with brown hair with a skew bangs and blue eyes. She took a deep intake of breath as she felt the tingling warmth from her chest and set her clutched hand against it.
The silence continued and Edward was about to interrupt it when River floated by him to the crowd. He reached out to stop her but hesitated, she was headed for Havoc.
Time seemed to stop in place as the beautiful thin woman approached him. He was hypnotized by how green her eyes were in contrast to her light brown hair. He felt his heart race and sound in his ears as she stopped in front of him. Havoc ignored the crowding men behind him that dared to look over his shoulder at the mystery woman.
She lifted her hands and Havoc raised his to touch hers but the woman's hands settled on his chest instead. White sparks flew and sent a light breeze against his face as he felt them ghost through his skin and rib cage. As soon as it started, it was over and he gasped deeply; deeper than he ever felt possible.
There was momentary dead silence as the crowd recovered from shock; Havoc stared in awe into the green of her orbs and suddenly she was yanked away from his direct sight.
One military man grabbed her arm and began to demand she heal someone when another grabbed her wrist in the other direction; demanding that she help him instead. All at once, the crowd yelled in protest against them and pulled her to them; yelling for their ownership over her to heal or bring back their loved ones. From somewhere behind her, someone locked their arms around her waist. They lost grip but refused to give up as they clutched to her skin under her clothes. She began to scream; not only of pain but of fear as well.
The skin up and down her arms were twisted in opposite directions and she couldn't feel her hands as the men escalated in their fight to have her. River's head was jerked back and her scalp began to burn in the pulling. She was no longer on the floor but was pulled down and held up as the tugging and pain continued. Then one of the men threw a punch at another and his elbow smacked the nape of her neck.
Edward saw Mustang's fighting to calm them wasn't working; he had to do something before these men literally ripped her apart and killed her. He grinded his teeth against his plan but didn't think twice. He ran to the crowd; leaving Alphonse to keep Kino inside the armor, he got on his hands and knees and crawled. He head-butted calves, pinched the crease of the knees with his metal fingers and elbowed a groin here and there in a hurry to save River. Edward heard the flapping and licking of flames and some gunshots but the men continued to fight, tug and curse. He had to hurry! She wasn't screaming anymore.
Full Metal felt a tinge of panic at the thought of her dead body and picked up speed. He jumped and cringed as River's head fell with a sickening thud right in front of him. Instinctively, he threw his body over her to prevent any more abuse. Now, the crowd of men tugged at him; trying to get to the treasure beneath him. Edward became enraged with fueling panic and violently wriggled free from every pull, tug and hit. He felt her slide underneath him but he hammered the hand that held her hair.
Edward clapped his hands, touched the lively blue sparks to the floor; commanding the elements of the tile floor to rise. The crowd stared up at the pillar far above their reach with the kid and the treasure on top of it. They looked around at the flames with the sudden realization of their actions.
"GET OUT!!" Mustang roared, "GET OUT NOW BEFORE I FIRE YOU ALL TO THE LITERAL MEANING OF THE PHRASE! GET OUT NOW!"
Quickly the room cleared save Havoc and Riza and there was silence once again. Mustang stood where he was as he fumed with shame and rage.
"River?" Edward's voice sounded worried from the top.
Mustang snapped out of his anger and cranked his head back, "Is she alright?"
"She's not breathing!" Edward looked over the edge to Mustang.
"Bring her down! Bring her down!" Mustang ordered.
In a furry of blue sparks, the floor was back to it's regular shape. They all crowded around River's limp body, as did Alphonse, who let Kino out.
"Mama!" Kino cried at the sight of River's bruised and red skin. Her eyes were partly opened and she lay uncomfortably flat on the hard floor.
Mustang, Riza, Havoc and Edward ignored him as they hesitated on what to do until Havoc took over.
He gently tipped her head back, plugged her nose and cupped his mouth over hers. He knew she did him a favor and now he was going to repay her. After giving her breath, he carefully pressed rhythmically on her diaphragm then went back to breathing. On the second breath, she began to breathe again but wasn't conscious.
The five adults sighed with relief and Kino knelt beside her.
"Mama?"