Alert! This story has a Japanese term! o.o
Gi. Those are the black and white kimono-like clothing you see at dojos. I wasn't sure of there was an English word for it(They aren't kimonos, and KIMONO is a Japanese term, as well anyway.)

Argh. I posted this nine hours ago, but I didn't get a notification that I posted it! Dx(Then I noticed words were missing so I had to go back again and edit.)

I'm going to Anime Day! Argh, my Con life is picking up. o.o I shall spend a hundred dollars on candy and then complain about how I didn't get enough once we leave. Fun!

But the BESTEST thing is? My birthday present! I'm going to a Train concert! Nov.17!~ I'm sososososo excited.(So excited, I used italics. Mhm.)

The Lovely Daaaarlings!

Nautikitti: Thanks! XD

The Elemental Alchemist Reyna: I'm glad you liked it! Hehe, that was my favorite too.
Really?! I go every year as my Birthday present. xP You should definitely go again. AWA's pretty fun~

theretard5892: xD

Dead(dot)SummerXx: Yesh, Riley's comebacks are awesomeness. XDD Thanks!

Spiritshipper-SuzaEuphy09: I'm glad you like it!
XD
Thanks! Riley's an interesting one.

AnimeFanGirl167: Yes.. He totally would.
Legasp! Oh noes. Glasses are so easy to break! (Claps hands together repeatedly, despite nothing happening.) T.T
Contacts! I've never tried contacts. Like them better than glasses?
XD o.o Ohnoes. You shall update!

Sparkalie: Thank you!
Haha, nice. XD
I'm glad you like Riley. I molded her a lot.
Thanks! And I'm sure your stories are good! (Nodding.)

CakesInTheSummer: Thanks. When I wrote that last line, I almost heard him saying it in my head. XD

AnonymousGirl18: Glad you think so. X3
Hm.. The Roman Numeral title?(I'm a bit on the slow side at the moment.) I think that's right.. And that's perfectly understandable! School can fill up a lot of schedules.
Thank you! ^^

Lani99: Dude. That's so.. So gnarly. I love you.
Zomg! Teacher with taste! XP
Tis continues!
Dx. I'm STILL waiting for my Homeschool Certificate of Attendance(Need a breath after that..) so I can get my Learner's. T.T

Mira Hinder: o.o No internet connection? That's hurribul!
Thanks! XD Yes, Izumi is awesome.

Want to Be a Lovely Daaaarling? Review! Bwahaha!

FullMetal Alchemist isn't mine. Riley is. Hannah is. The Mauler Dojo is. Every character at the Mauler Dojo is. But FullMetal Alchemist isn't.
The Scar part of this goes to Kaijukote. xD

Chapter Twenty-Four:
T-Training?!

The Mauler Dojo. A place for learning morals. Growing respect. Gaining strength. And being afraid.

Very. Very. Afraid.

I stood in front of a traditional styled, wide house. It stood on a foundation, a porch going all the way around. Columns held up the roof. I let out a long sigh and headed up the smell set of steps. Once on the porch, I looked both ways. It was oddly quiet around here. No screaming, I mean.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Eyes going wide, I stumbled backwards, tripping over the top step and tumbling over. Which hurt. My neck felt broken, for God sakes! Groaning in immense pain as I rubbed the back of my throbbing neck, I looked up angrily. On the porch, stood a little girl. She was thin and lanky, brown hair in high pigtails. She wore shorts and a long sleeved shirt, as she held a bamboo sword.

"Who the hell are you?!" I growled at her.

She glared, 'hmph'ing. "You must think you're something, doing that little move to avoid my wrath!"

I fell silent. My brow twitched as I stared at her in deadpan. Little move? I almost broke my neck! That wasn't a move, that was a suicide attempt! "Who.. Are you?" I repeated slower.

Her mouth fell open a bit, before she quickly regained her posture, glaring at me again. "I'm the one asking questions here!"

"Then why haven't you asked any yet?" I replied dully.

Silence.

"Y-You didn't give me enough time to!" She replied angrily.

"You have time to," I nodded instantly.

She was about to reply, her fists shaking, when a deeper, male voice came up. "Shiori, yeild." Both of us blinked, looking over to her left. A tall, black haired man began turning the corner. He was big and buff; Wearing a red and white Gi.

"M-Master!" Shiori exclaimed, bowing at him. I began to stand, only to have Master Gregory shove his fist into my forehead.

I twitched, sitting on my knees with a man's fist on my forehead. Fun. We both glared at each other as I mumbled, "What?"

He glared harder as he pulled his fist away, revealing a red mark, "You didn't dodge her sword. You tripped. Still just getting by with dumb luck, I see."

Pouting, I looked away 'innocently'. "Not funny..," I muttered, crossing my arms as he headed back up the stairs.

Shiori laughed, pointing at me. "Maybe not, but your face sure is!"

Glaring, I got in her face as I shouted, "Well then why don't I give you a mark too, huh?!"

She glared back at me, no longer laughing. Gregory let out a long sigh as he walked down the porch. "Riley, what did you come for?"

"Riley?" Shiori mumbled, "Riley Mauler?"

I 'didn't notice' her as I followed Gregory. Heh. We walked into the main room as I explained. "My things were destroyed last week, and I need them again."

He nodded. "You do realize you'll have to fight for them," He stated as if it were obvious. He walked to the dresser in the corner of the room and opened a drawer. Taking out a Gi set, he held it out for me.

I paused. I didn't have time for this. Well, maybe. What were the others doing? Would they be around long enough that I wouldn't get lost once I got out of the Dojo? But that didn't matter, right? I knew where they were going. Letting out a sigh, I nodded and took the Gi, "Yeah, I realize.."

"Good," He said. He shut the drawer and said, "You can share a room with Shiori."

"What?!" Shiori's voice was heard, before she came falling through the rice paper door. She landed on her stomach, and looked up quickly. "I'm not sharing a room with the Mauler Dojo Clown!"

"Mauler.. Dojo.. Clown?" I mumbled, wide eyed. "Just what the hell have people been saying about me?!" I shouted. Shiori and I both glared up at Gregory, who's brow was twitching.

"Stop yelling, I'm trying to concentrate!" A man shouted as he ran into the room, glaring. "R-Riley?" He blinked a few times, before laughing, "Hey!"

Gregory sighed in irritation as I laughed as well, "Jacob!"

The two of us engaged in conversation, and Gregory grew more and more irritated. "WILL YOU BOTH SHUT UP?!" Gregory screamed. The three of us all fell silent and pale, staring up at Gregory in fear. His fists shook as he glared. "The Mauler Dojo is a place to learn respect, dignity, and strength. NOT TO ENGAGE IN IDLE CONVERSATION!"

"Jeez," I started as I cleaned my ear, "You don't have to be so noisy, Master Gregory."

He glared at me with a mixture of narrowed and wide eyes, brow twitching at me. Jacob snickered before sighing, "Well I should get back to my room, now. I'll see you around, Riley." I waved at him as he left.

. . .

"This practice gains stamina, as well as morals and value. It's the perfect training method for those with little stamina. It speeds up the slow ones and gains respect for the elders. It's perfect!" Gregory exclaimed, arms crossed as he stood on the porch, eyes closed.

There I stood, sponge in my hand as a bucket of water stood beside me. The floor was clean, drying from the past hour I spent racing back and forth on it.

Bastard.. Made me clean a porch as he rambled on and on about morals and stamina.

Panting was all Gregory heard in response. "Hm?" He mumbled, opening his eyes to see what was going on. He almost stumbled to the ground in shock as he saw me standing there, panting heavily as I glared up at him, sponge being squeezed to the point every last drop of water was falling from it to the ground.

"I don't know what practice you're talking about," I paused to raise the sponge in the air, throwing it at him, "BUT I HAVE NO RESPECT FOR YOU!"

As the sponge slammed into his face and began sliding down a slow, snail-like manner, his expression went deadpan. "You're still just too cheap to hire actual maids," I growled out within my pants as I glared up at him still.

"Hn..," He muttered as he grabbed the sponge, throwing it onto the ground. "And you're still an ungrateful brat that doesn't see the reasoning behind my decisions." He smirked, gaining an evil glee in his eye as he towered over me, "That just means I'll have to show you by making you do the laundry as well."

. . .

Shiori let out a sigh as she began opening the door to her room. Walking in, she turned around, flipping the light switch on.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Jacob ran into the room behind Shiori, an alerted look on his face. Shiori leaned against the wall, her hands in the air as she tried to block her sight. Jacob blinked dully, before sighing, "Riley..?"

I laid on the floor, my arms and legs sprawled out. My eyes swirled(Dude, is that even possible?!) around as I looked over at the two. They both stiffened, stepping away from me some. "Yeeess...?"

"Master Gregory made you do the chores, didn't he?" Jacob asked.

I nodded, which only made me dizzier so I groaned, stopping. "Hate him..."

"Don't we all," He muttered, walking off.

Shiori sighed, walking in as she began to undo her gear. "Will you move over to your bed?"

Groaning more, I held my hands in the air, "Move me?"

She deadpanned, her brow twitching as she glared at me. "No way," She replied. Spoiled brat.. She sat down on her bed, and yawned, "I can't believe the Riley Mauler is tired from simple chores."

I sat up quickly, glaring at her. "Simple chores? This is Gregory! Those aren't chores, those are forms of torture! I almost died, twice!"

Shiori rolled her eyes, "Whatever.."

I scowled; Didn't anyone care about the state of humanity these days?

. . .

Ed and I stood there on the side walk in Central, ignoring the rain, as we looked over at the man that stood several feet away. Scar.

Scar's eyes narrowed as he looked at me. "You. We meet again..," He stated firmly, not bothering to say anything to Ed.

I nodded grimly. "So it seems," I mumbled in reply.

Ed's eyes widened, looking between Scar and me. "You two.. Know each other?!" He exclaimed in shock as he looked over at me.

Letting out a sigh, I glanced away from them both. "We... Have a past," I said, causing Ed's eyes to widen even more.

"You promised we would be together forever," Scar suddenly said, glaring at me.

My eyes widened a bit but I quickly responded, shaking my head, "It was never meant to be! We're just too different."

Ed shook his head, waving his arms around angrily. "Woah, woah, woah! When the hell did this happen?!" He shouted, looking at Scar, and then back at me in a panic.

We ignored him though(Of course) as Scar stepped forward, holding his arms out in a begging manner. "Riley, my lurv! We can make things work!" He shouted, looking at me.

I paused, looking at him with sad eyes. After a moment, I nodded, happy. "Scar!" I exclaimed, going starry eyed as I ran toward him.

He smiled wide, holding his arms out, "Riley!" I ran into his arms, and he picked me up, running down an alley. Running out the other end of the alley, he ran through the dry, sunny desert.

Suddenly he ran into a brick wall and everything poofed away as I woke up.

Sitting up quickly in my bed as I let out a loud scream, my eyes widened in fear and shock. Shiori, startled from her sleep, jumped high into the air, falling out of bed in the process. Footsteps banged on the porch outside as they grew loud, before the door slid open. Jacob, Daisuke, and a few other members of the Doujo ran in.

"Riley?!" Jacob exclaimed, rushing over and grabbing my shoulders.

I cried, shaking as I held my head in my hands, shaking my head. "No no no no no no no no no no no no..."

"Riley..," He mumbled, shaking me.

Quickly, I leaned forward, hugging him, "I DON'T WANT ISHBALIN BABIES!"

Silence.

Jacob blinked several times, trying to process what I said. Shiori was twitching, glaring at me as she held the covers of her bed tightly in her fist. Daisuke grinned nervously, rubbing the back of his head. The others only sighed, shaking their heads as they went back to bed.

I, on the other head, was still traumatized. And for a good reason, too!

. . .

Jacob and I sat on the steps, taking in the quiet while it lasted. Which, this being the Mauler dojo, wouldn't be long. I was still shaken up about my nightmare last night.

Come on! Is there some mighty powers above that are out to get me or something?! The thought of even having a friendship with Scar is unsettling, but that?... I'll be scarred for life..!

"So what was last night about anyway?" Jacob asked, resting his arms on his knees. I shuddered, wrapping my arms around my knees. I then dived into the story of who Scar was, and what the dream was about. By the time I had finished, Jacob was laughing his ass off.

Jerk..

I glared at him, "It isn't funny! It's emotionally scarring!"

He panted, holding his stomach, "Whatever you say, Riley.. I think you've been traveling with the Elrics too long."

I blinked, looking back ahead to the scenery. "So Daisuke told you about them?" When he nodded, I sighed.

Before either of us could say anything else, Shiori headed over. "Mastor Gregory wants you at the training grounds. Now."

Nodding, I glanced at Jacob, "Wish me luck.."

. . .

I reached the training grounds, seeing wooded area all around us still. I glanced to the far left, to see a small patch of woods that was burnt black. I grinned; That was where I exploded myself.

Heh.

Gregory stood there, waiting. Looking over at me, he nodded, "Take your place." Quickly, I did so. "No alchemy. Just limbs."

I nodded, "Fine." We stared each other down a moment, but he darted toward me.

Sending a fist to my face, I raised my arms, blocking it. I flew back from the impact, but managed to stay on my feet. I landed on the ground and charged at him, throwing my leg toward his face. He grabbed my leg and swung me around, letting go. I hit the ground hard, and rolled over to avoid his punch. Before he moved his hand away, I grabbed his wrist and kicked myself up, to knee him in the face. He jerked backwards, throwing me into the air as I still had a grasp on his wrist.

I flew into the air, but flipped, landing on my feet. He spun toward me, kicking at my face. Jumping up, I dodged it and aimed at his face. He moved away, but was too slow. He rubbed his cheek before having to duck as I sent a kick his way. Standing back up, he grabbed my arm and slammed me into the ground. I let out a yell from the pain of the backlash, and shoved my foot into his stomach before kicking over. As he was tossed over me, and into the ground, I flipped over and held his wrist in a painful position as I placed my foot at his throat.

"And what would you do in this situation if it were real?" Gregory asked.

"Knock him out," I snorted in response. He sighed as I backed off.

He stood, looking over, "Jacob's working on your things now. You can leave when he's finished."

. . .

I yawned, stretching as I sat on my bed. Jacob was sitting against the wall as he waited for the gloves to finish. He was currently going through my things, which I didn't really care. Jacob always did that.

I was thinking about Ed and Al. What was going on with them? How much was I missing?

Ed blinked when he saw me. "Riley?"

I waved a bit, "Not me.." Ed was about to reply, when Sig came from behind me. Ed leaned back in his position on the couch, paling. Winry looked over, and I noticed a bit of a blush on her cheeks.

Blush?

...I had to get back to Ed and Al.

"Hm..? Oh, who's are these?" I blinked, looking over to Jacob. He sat crossed-legged, examining Maes' old blades.

I paused, thinking about Maes. Again. "They're mine," I replied simply as I continued stretching, "An old friend gave them to me."

"I see... They seem a bit dull for your tastes. Want me to sharp-"

"No," I replied instantly, looking back at him. Sighing, I shook my head, "Just leave them, please."

Raising a brow, he looked over at me. "Sounds like this old friend meant a lot."

I sighed, resting my arms as I laid down. "Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes... Killed by a homunculus."

Jacob's eyes widened, "Homunculus? Riley, what the hell are you getting into?"

Shaking my head, I looked over at him, "It's just military business, Jacob. Don't worry about it. We'll be fine."

"If you say so," Jacob mumbled, shrugging.

"I say so," I said, nodding.

A few minutes passed, when Jacob sighed, "Your gloves are now officially wearable."

"Thanks, Jacob..."

He blinked, looking over at me as he stood. "No problem. What are friends for?" He replied, smirking as he left. Silence passed as I looked over at Shiori, who slept soundly. Because she was wearing ear plugs. Sighing, I glanced over to my bag and looked at Maes' blades.

'I'm sorry, Hughes..,' I thought, looking at them still. Maes was gone forever.. Even despite the fact I felt horrible about it, I still felt numb – Like I hadn't fully been hit by realization that I wouldn't see Maes again yet. Sighing, I rolled onto my back, and let myself drift to sleep.

But not before praying I wouldn't ever have that Scar nightmare again.

Hm.. Would you spell it "lurv", or "lurve"? o.O

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

Chapter Translations!
"Dalawamput Dalawa," is Tagalog.
"XXIII," is Roman Numerals. XD
"Veinticuatro," is Spanish.(Thanks to the review who told me. For some reason, I got 26 caught in my head when I was looking up numbers.[SweatDrop Here])