Hiya peoples and people-etts.

I know it's been a while, a couple weeks, but I've been busy xD Not only did I pull an all-nighter trying to write a Birthday chapter of my Sasuke story for my friend, but I've had concerts to go to (peace sign here)

Oh my gosh peoples! You guys... Are from different countries! ... Granted, this was obvious, but I didn't realize how many different countries. (Plus remember, I'm an American in north Georgia. Canada is uniquely rare for me.) But that's not the point. The point is, there's nineteen people from Canada, ten from UK, three from Australia, and Hungary each, six from Estonia, five Romania, and one in Mexico, Finland, and Philippines each!

So... If you're from Mexico, Finland, or the Philippines, HIII!! And you know who you are XD

Giant-flying-radish-of-doom: Heh, thanks! XD

Ria442: Haha, I would have loved to do that! But I decided not to for some reason (insert shrug here). Lol, yeah she's kinda oblivious to some things.

Aqemy Von Stein: Really?! I feel bad for making you check every couple days for so long now DX But, yeah, rest assured, she's still the same Riley everyone knows and loves XD And I don't think it's perverted either, but it's something Riley would say, whether it be her own opinion or just to be annoying, haha XD And thanks, I liked writing those fighting scenes!

BlueRyuu: Haha XDXD I'm just evil that way, Mwahahaha!

AnimeFanGirl167: Thanks!

RyaneNight92: No, it doesn't necessarily mean she's with the military. The gloves aren't a military symbol. For States, the pocket watch they're supplied with shows that they're with the military. She could have gotten the gloves from a friend, made them herself, etc. XD My health's back to normal! But the internet connection is down again because of a power outage we had the other day DX

TheElementalAlchemistReyna: Hehe, I was excited about Riley finally fighting too! Thank yew!! I'll try my hardest! (insert salute here)

Emalee Roze: Thanks!! XD

WhiteWingAlchemist: Sure, I just did! Hope you got the reviews XD

KaijuKote: Thanks for pointing that out! I thought I put it in there, but when I reread the chapter after getting your review, I realized I forgot to put it in. This is how it was supposed to go:

"You," I growled, pointing directly at Ed, who now had wide eyes and a pale face. "You owe me a camera," I growl, glaring at him deadly.

"Can't you put it back together?" Ed asked, raising a brow as military officers gathered around Roy to get orders.

I could just imagine an arrow pointing at me as I slipped my hand behind the rock, and grabbed a piece of the camera. Stuffing it into my pocket, I blink twice, before smiling dumbly. "Oh yeah," I mutter.

Ed shook his head as I removed the rock from being on top of the camera, and clapped my still-gloved hands. Placing them on the ground around the camera, it glowed blue, before dying down.

The camera still in a million pieces.

I was silent for a moment. "...A piece must be missing," Al stated simply. I bust into tears while Ed frantically looked around the piece... Which he wouldn't find. Hehe... I needed to follow them.

...Ok, I didn't need to. But I wanted to. And that's just as important, right? Besides, I still needed to get revenge on Ed for scaring me in chapter six.

Ed let out a sigh, knowing it was useless to argue, and suddenly he perked a bit, as if realizing something. And the something didn't seem too good.

I don't own FMA. So don't sue me DX I do own Riley, Hannah, and the millions of pieces of Riley's poor camera. Oh yeah, and Daisuke.

Chapter Eleven:
Little Talks

"Oh!" I shouted, causing everyone to turn to me. We were headed back to Eastern command, when I remembered something. It wasn't too big a thing, though.

"I forgot Hannah!"

Ed's eyes widened, and I knew Al's would have too. "We have to go get her! I can't leave her here, she'll get lost in no time with her horrible sense of direction!" I shouted. My eye twitched when I remembered that last time she was in charge of where to go. We ended up in a completely different train than planned. Hell, we ended up in a completely different city.

I could hear Roy sigh, before asking me for directions to her house. Luckily it was on the way to East City. He shouted the directions to the guy driving, and sat back down beside Riza. Ed was plopped down beside me on the seat, and Al was beside him. Officers were talking and mumbling to each other, which I guessed they were talking about Al. I couldn't hear what they were saying because of the rain, though.

But I didn't care. I was thinking about Ed and Al. I knew I said they could tell me their past when and if they wanted. But I couldn't help but be curious. Who'd they try to bring back? Obviously it was one of their parents. But which one?

"Brother... I think I just saw mom," Al said, staring at the car the Furher just got into. I looked over to see the door shutting. Right before it shut, I noticed the Furher and his secretary.

That's it! It was their mom they tried bringing back. Well, maybe. It would make sense, I suppose. "Hey, Ed?" I asked, gaining his attention.

"Yeah?"

I bite my lip before saying low enough for only us to hear, "I know I said you don't have to tell me anything, but... What's your dad like?"

Ed looked to the floor of the car and I began to regret asking. "I don't know," He muttered, "He abandoned us when Al and I were kids."

I nodded. So they did try to bring back their mom. "What was your mom like?" I asked slowly, hoping to not upset him more than I may have already done. I was curious, and quite frankly I found it the least upsetting question I could have asked(I mean, it's better than "Why'd you lose two limbs during human transmutation?")

"She was nice... She hated our dad running out on us, but she stayed strong for Al and me. I think our alchemy reminded her of him. She was the best," Ed answered. I smiled a bit, getting an idea of who she was just by the tone of his voice. "What are your parents like?" Ed asks. My smile fell and I blinked, causing Ed to add, "You don't have to tell-"

"They're dead," I interrupted. He began to speak, but I beat him to it, "They died a couple years ago. What do you want to know?"

Ed shrugs lightly, and asks, "What about your mother?"

I shake my head. "She was beautiful. She always looked calm. I always thought a tornado could be blowing through and she'd still have that calm look on her face. She was smart. Seemed to care about everything."

Ed smiled slightly before asking, "What about your dad?"

"He was... Different. He didn't really like many people. Mean to a lot of them. But he loved us, I could tell. He was nice to us," I chuckled, and Ed smirked a bit. I didn't like talking about my mother and father like this. I left out a major part of their description. I felt bad for doing it, but I couldn't let him know. I wasn't going to let another military officer know that my parents were rebels. If Roy had been able to keep it secret for so long, I should be able to also. I mean, it is my secret.

"We're here," I heard the driver shout. So I jumped out of the car, and looked up at Ed, "Come on."

Ed looked down at me, "Why?"

I glared at Roy, who had a smug look on his face for some odd reason, and whispered to Ed, "I think he wants to leave me here."

The boy went deadpanned, and I could have sworn he muttered, "Wouldn't be a bad idea." So, he got out as well, and as I passed the driver, I stopped and turned to him.

He looked at me curiously through the window and I handed him a penny. His eye twitched slightly as I dropped it into his hand, and said, "Buy yourself something nice." He twitched a bit more as Ed snickered, and I turned and ran to the door. Knocking on it, I waited for a response. Finally someone opened it, and I smiled when I saw a white-haired woman standing there. Hannah's mom. "Hi!"

She opened the door wider and Ed and I stepped in. "Hi Riley. Who's this?" She asks, looking down at Ed.

"Hello ma'am. I'm Ed, she's traveling with my brother and me," Ed said, smiling at her.

As Tracy left to get Hannah for us, I muttered, "Who knew you had such manners." Ed glared, and punched my arm, causing me, whose attention turned to pictures, to yelp and look over at him wide-eyed. Shortly after, Hannah came charging downstairs, a strawberry shaped purse in her arms. "Let me guess, Mrs. Snuffbom?" I ask, smirking amusedly.

She only glared, and smacked me with the purse. Mind you, it was the exact same arm that was hit by Ed. I let out another yelp, and grabbed my arm. "You two are so mean!" I shouted, turning and sulking out the front door. And to my pleasant surprise, the car was still there. Hooray! Now I just had to worry about Hannah's reaction to Al's... Erm... Body?

We got in the car, and Hannah sat beside me, clutching to her purse as soon as she saw all the officers sitting around. She then noticed Al, and gasped. "Where's Al?" She asks. We all remained quiet, and Al picked up his only working hand, waving it at the girl.

Silence. Like the calm before the storm.

"WHAAAAT?!" Hannah shouted. As I tried to calm her down, she hissed at me, "He's empty!"

"Really? And here I thought macaroni and cheese was in there!" I growled back, sarcasm laced in every word. She glared at me and I only said, "Calm down, alright? He's still the same kid you knew beforehand."

...

I sat on the table in the office, kicking my feet back and forth as Ed and Al sat on the ground beside me, talking about something I really wasn't paying attention to. I was intently trying to fix my camera. Hannah was watching me, partly confused at what I was doing, and partly amused at the fact sweat was rolling down my face and my tongue stuck out at the side of my mouth.

As Ed and Al finished talking, I struggled to fit the damn cords together. Finally, I jumped off the table, my anger getting the best of me. "DAMN IT!" I shout as I threw the camera onto the ground. Ed and Al no longer looked serious, but confused and slightly startled as they watched me stomp continuously on the remains of my camera, shouting, "YOU STUPID HUNK OF METAL WON'T FIT! I'LL MAKE YOU FIT YOU BASTARD!"

I stopped finally, panting as I glared down at the camera. Hannah proceeded to laugh hysterically, holding her stomach as she did. Al couldn't do much, so he just stared. Ed looked from my camera to me, back to the camera, and then back to me, wide-eyed and scared at how such a small inanimate object could piss me off so badly.

Suddenly my eyes widened when I realized what I had done. "No!" I shout, falling to my knees and collecting the pieces of the camera I had destroyed... Again.

"I can fix him in no time!" I heard Armstrong shout. Looking over my shoulder(I was still crying over my camera), I saw him flexing. Which is disturbing... So now I was mourning, and scarred at the same time. Great, huh?

"Um, no thank you," Al murmured, huddling into the corner of the table.

"Bonding a soul to steel is no walk in the park," I heard Roy say.

I turned to look at Roy, and felt Hannah lean toward me. "Isn't that the guy Ed fought?" Hannah whispered.

I nodded, "Yeah. Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist."

"FullMetal's the only one who can fix Al now. Go ahead, ask him," Roy said, looking over at Ed, who didn't bother looking up at Roy.

Hannah glanced over at Ed, who said, "Yeah, that's right. It's my burden. But before I do anything, I need to get my other arm back."

"Other... Arm?" Hannah whispered. Which was surprising to me. I mean, what, she didn't notice he was missing an arm?

Rize raised a finger, looking into space. "Well that is an interesting fix, isn't it? I mean, if the great Edward can't use his alchemy..."

A smirk began to appear on my face. I didn't know what she was getting to, but I knew it was something amusing. I could tell just by the tone in her voice. "He's just a useless teen with a grumpy-ass attitude," Havoc said, shrugging.

I snorted in laughter, before snickering. Hannah smiled in amusement, trying not to laugh. Ed glared, keeping his serious pose, before saying, "Hmph. Anyway, I have to take some leave now. I'm going back to my mechanic. You know the one... Don't you?" He looked to Roy.

My snickering stopped then, remembering what Marcoh said. Roy was silent for a moment. I felt a bit bad for the both of them. "Sure Ed," He started, bobbing his hand up and down, "How could I forget? I saw you at her house, unconscious with that same stump of an arm you have now. Bawling in your sleep, 'It huuurts, I'm gonna pee my pants!' So tough."

Alright. When did everyone in the military get a sense of humor?

Ed didn't budge, still, he just glared. "So, where are you gonna go once you're fixed?" Maes asked. I looked to Ed in curiosity.

"Central," Ed answered, "I've got something to look up in the library there." I then remembered the note Marcoh left. So that must be what he and Al were talking about earlier.

"That's one heck of a trip. You'll need some protection. I would volunteer, but.. Well, since the Furher's going straight to Central and I'm part of his escort, I can't go," Maes said, rubbing his chin in thought. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Armstrong's muscle flex.

Creepy! I don't want to see that!... Nobody wants to see that...

"I can't go. I'm in charge here again. I've got to look after this place," Mustang said. Even though I had respect for the guy, I was glad he wasn't coming along...

Riza's instant response was, "And I've got to look after the Colonel."

Another muscle of Armstrong's flexed. Another chill went up my spine.

"You can send me, but I don't know how much help I'd be up against a State Alchemist killer," Havoc said casually.

Falman, Breda, and Kain all jumped behind Havoc, "That goes for me!"

"Wusses..," I muttered, glaring at the three of them. They didn't even fidgit, they just stepped away from me a bit.

Armstrong flexed yet again, and even threw in a pretty sparkle. Roy smirked slightly, "Riley could."

The three sitting beside me glanced over at me curiously, but I didn't think much of it, seeing as how I was glaring at the soon-to-be dead Colonel. I clenched my fists, and he added, "But I doubt she'd be much help."

That pissed me off even more! I mean, it's bad enough to say that in front of the three people I've been keeping it secret from, but then implying I'm weak?!

Flameboy was going to become Boomboy if Hannah started asking questions.

...

Ok, that didn't make as much sense as I thought it would.

"That settles it," Armstrong started, "Send me! I'll protect the boys on their journey for repairs and investigation." As he left Hannah and me out, I went back to trying to fix my camera.

I was going at a relatively slow pace. I figured I'd fix the camera with alchemy once we got on the road. That way I had my camera, and I was traveling with Ed and Al.

"We don't need an escort!" Ed shouted, glaring up at Armstrong. Hannah continued to sit at my right and listen to everyone.

"Really, Ed, and what do you expect to do when Scar shows up while you're missing that arm?" Riza asks, causing Ed to pause.

I nodded in agreement, "Throw Al at him?" Ed glared at me and I muttered, "No offense to you Alphonse."

Al only sighed. "None taken," He said.

Havoc then added his two cents. "They're right. You can't fight. And you can't carry Al around either."

Hannah and I scooted into the corner as much as possible when Ed glanced over. "Don't look at us, we're only a little bigger than you!" Ed glared at me as I continued, "We can't carry a suit of armor around that weighs more than us combined!" I looked to Al and muttered once again, "Again, no offense!"

The younger Elric only rubbed the back of his neck this time, nodding at me. "Children should listen to adults!" Armstrong exclaimed as he get closer to Ed, who jumped.

"You can't call us children! Al, stick up for us here!" Ed shouted.

Hannah and I looked to Al, who amazingly had waterfall tears rolling down his... Erm... Cheeks. "Is that possible?" Hannah whispered to me, only getting a shrug in response.

"This is the first time someone's treated me like a kid since I've been in this armor!" He yelled, before saying, "Thank you!"

Armstrong spoke, "The train leaves soon, Edward Elric." Ed stopped and looked up at him. "We better go pack our bags."

And that's how I ended up at Mustang's office, glaring at said person with such an intensity, it was quite easy to imagine the entire room on fire. "Yes?" He asked with an oblivious tone.

"Don't 'yes' me Mustang! What the hell were you thinking!!" I shouted, slamming my hands onto his desk. Imitating Roy's voice, I mocked, "'Riley could'! 'But she's too weak'! You bastard..."

Mustang smirked. "I was merely making a suggestion," He stated, his hands in front of his face. I opened my mouth to retort, but the door opening stopped me. I looked back to see, of all people, Ed.

Surprised? Not really.

"Hello Ed," Roy stated, almost in a smug sort of way.

I turned to glare at him again. "I'm going to slaughter you," I growled, which he completely ignored.

Ed walked in and shut the door. As he walked toward us, he spared me a glance. "We need to talk," He stated to Roy.

"Yes?"

I turned to leave, but Ed grabbed my wrist. Flinching, I sighed and turned back. The serious look on his face was staring straight at me. "It's about you, Riley," he said.

I figured it was. Unfortunately, I figured it was. My identity was going to be found out, I knew it.

Sitting down, I looked down at my lap. Ed got straight to the point, "Riley isn't just a journalist. I knew something was weird from the beginning. So who is she to the military?"

Roy paused a moment to glance at me, and I shrugged. It was pointless to keep lying about it. Besides, if Ed was suspicious, he wouldn't trust me if I kept up the charade. "Ok then, FullMetal. You're right, she isn't just a journalist. She's a major under my subordination. Her title is The Sulfur Alchemist."

Ok, that's all for now. I'm writing the next part this instant XD

But I want some reviews before I post it (wink here)

Be Responsible! Don't Flame and Drive! Rawr.