The Lovely Daaaarlings!
-sAkUrA-fAn-94: Thank you! Hehe, yay, I'm your first! (That sounds very wrong.) And thanks, I'm still working on the ferret!
Dragon of Twilight: I haven't really thought about names, yet. It depends, really. I'd be getting him from the Ferret Business of Georgia so he could be already acquainted with his name.
The tension's definitely building! Between loving Ed and feeling the situation getting worse, it's taking quite a toll on Riley.
Mizunou: Haha, they were SO close! Dagnabbit.
Leenaluvsanime4eva: Thanks! I'm glad you like it. Riley at least was made for Ed. xP
YaddaGirl: Cute? Yay~ Hah, you're welcome I guess! Thanks. I'm still trying. xD
BladedancerOfIce: It definitely would've been time! But not just yet, teehee. And thanks! Rufus? Ahh, that's cute.
Little firework: Thanks! xD
yumiXjaganshi: I think it's probably fluff for the both of them! Lawlz, I should, shouldn't I? But only if he/she's white.
Katsekala: She totally is. 8D Fluff FTW!
Thank you!
Mercedes Wolfcry: Hehe, the booming… Yay, I made someone stay up for my story~!
Lana the Rebellious Type: It's fine, at least it showed up this time. And it was totally Russian! Ivan would be proud, yeah? (Cheesy Grin Here.) She finally did, but Ed's far too stubborn. For now. Kolkolkolkol…
AirMage99: He is, isn't he? 8D
Lunarfox's Silverdusk: Lawlz! Oh, she plans on it. ;D That's fine, I understand. It's been busy here too.
Timexgone23: I'm glad to hear that! I've been meaning to edit the first few chapters to bring them up to date but things have gotten hectic around here.
As far as scripts go, I don't use a "pre-written script" actually. I watch the episodes on animefreak.(tv) and write as I go. A script's probably more convenient but I can make more observations with the episodes than a script, you know? xD
And I love the new word by the way. I think I'll start using it.
Mikkiz: Thank you!
And yeah, I know… I hate it myself but like I said in chapter seven (Wow I remembered that far back?), it won't always be about humor. The events happening have taken a serious, darker tone and because of that, Riley herself is reacting to things more seriously. But humor will return!
AkaMizu-chan: Thank you! I love it when people read my stories in such a short amount of time. XD And I'm glad you liked Riley.
ToshiroHitsugayagirlfriend: Hehe, yay! And thanks, I'm glad you like it.
Fma foreva: Yay! And thanks, I'm still working on getting a ferret, haha.
Want to Be a Lovely Daaaarling? Review! Bwahaha…
Wow… Without a doubt, chapter forty received the most reviews I've ever gotten for a chapter! I's so happy.
Reason this chapter took so long to come out: (I really have a reason, this time!)
I took my laptop in to Geek Squad for the Blue Screen three weeks ago since we just renewed the warranty on it. They were running Diagnostics, but it kept shutting off for them too(I personally was happy to hear the laptop wasn't just acting up for me), so they sent it out early. We got it back a week ago, but the recovery installation wasn't working. So we took it back up there and just got it back yesterday. Unfortunately, I don't have Microsoft Word anymore.
And I forgot how troublesome OpenOffice could be. (RAGE Face Here.) I've had to write this entire Author's Note twice already. Technically, I've replied to you guys twice. Feel loved.
But ah well. I don't own FullMetal Alchemist because if I did, I'd have a Mac.
I own Riley. Her and other creative content not in official FullMetal Alchemist franchise belongs to me. Only that stuff. Which is why I have (or had) an overheating PC instead.
Chapter Forty-One:
Disguises
Why was it that I had to be stuck in a kitchen with Winry and Sheska? Hannah had gone off on a walk earlier, saying she needed some things from town. Ed went off on his own again, claiming he needed "time to think about things". Even Al was gone. So it was just Pinako, the girls and me. And after dealing with them for thirty minutes, I wanted to bash my head in.
"You're putting in too much flour!" Winry complained to Sheska with a nervous frown. Sheska gave a small, 'huh' in return, causing Winry to smile. She began motioning to her own pie as she said, "Cooking is a science, just like auto-mail and machinery!"
Glancing up to her lazily as I sat at the end of the table, my chin on my palm, I grumbled out, "And driving a tractor." Stiffening up, she glared down at me but I only shrugged looking away. "Well it's true," I mouthed out as I looked around the kitchen. I had never really had a normal place so it was kind of new to me. Before my parents passed, we had lived in the dojo. And with Marcoh… Well, what do you expect a guy who ran from the military and taught a little girl alchemy's kitchen to look like? Not like a normal one, that was for sure.
But that didn't matter - Winry and Sheska were cooking. What mattered was surviving the explosion I kept imagining would be happen. The two then began to argue. Winry insisted that cooking was a science while Sheska believed it was an art. They had actually reached the point of yelling at each other from across the table. Eyes closing, I let my head slip off my palm. My forehead bashed onto the table in front of me and I covered my arms over the back of my head as I continued to hit my forehead on the table top.
Hannah and the Elrics were going to pay for this.
The ringing of the phone brought us all out of our current situations. Winry and Sheska almost jumped out of their skins, and I only rolled my eyes. "A-Answer it!" Winry shouted nervously, looking over at Sheska.
"B-But I'm only a guest," Sheska laughed out nervously.
Winry laughed with her. "Nonsense! We all see you as family!" She shouted, patting the other girl on the shoulder.
Before anyone could say anything else, "GET THE DAMN PHONE," came from the backroom and we all shuddered slightly. Pinako was definitely scary when she wanted to be. So, Winry slowly inched to it and held the receiver to her ear.
With Other People
(How clever does that sound?)
"Looks like your little attack could be reversed, Blackburn… You told us it was impossible to fix."
The dark haired man's brows furrowed closer to his narrowed, shaking eyes. With fists clenched under the sleeves of his long coat, he stood behind the thing by the window. That was all he could call a homunculus. An artificial human. Easing his shoulders, he tried to control his own temper. "I was sure it was, Envy," He replied, "I broke her bones. Her tissue was almost disintegrated. Hohenheim must be a v-"
In a short second, the homunculus sent a vase nearby flying at Blackburn's head. He quickly deflected it and sighed, knowing what was coming as the immature Envy marched toward him. "Don't compliment that bastard!"
Blackburn scowled down at him. "Stop being such a child. I was merely observing the fact he could so easily fix that girl. Don't whine about facts." The two glared at each other for a while, having only tolerated each other because of Dante. Quickly, Blackburn turned toward the exit, his coat flying around him. "Besides, I'm not done with Mauler… Leave her to me," He stated, heading toward the door.
"Well obviously you aren't capable of killing her or you would have already. Just leave her." The man stopped. Envy smirked slightly, "Why don't you sit back and watch how it's done?"
Pausing, Blackburn looked over his shoulder. "Planning something, Envy?" Envy said nothing before looking outside the window. His reflection glared back at him silently.
. . .
"So… You wanted to talk?"
Resembool welcomed bright light from the sun as Ed walked down the street casually. The town was the same as always. He doubted it would ever change. Hands in his pockets, he continued looking everywhere. Everywhere but at the girl next to him.
Hannah nodded at his question. She too looked around the town. With her hands clasped together behind her back, she enjoyed the peace while it lasted. "I did," She said simply, "About you and Riley."
Ed was taken by surprise at this as he finally looked over at her in confusion. "What about me and Riley?" He asked, full of hesitation. Did he really want to know the answer to that?
"I saw you two last night, you know," Hannah commented casually. Ed's eyes widened; he stopped walking altogether as he tried not to blush at the memory. When she noticed he was no longer by her side, Hannah stopped as well and turned to face him. "…Do you have feelings for Riley, Edward?" She questioned curiously. Though she looked laid back and her tone was that of mere curiosity, Ed could tell she wasn't going to let him pass on answering her.
His mind was racing through several different thought processes. But Hannah remained patient. "W-What… Why would you think that?"
With expression still blank, she glanced away as she explained. "I see a lot of things going on between you two, Edward. You think no one notices, but Al and I both do. Even Winry knows something's going on." She finally looked back at Ed and gave him a small smile. "Just think about it, okay?"
Ed was silent as he watched the brunette turn and keep walking. Hannah was right. He didn't want to admit it, but she was. If it weren't for the problems he was having with the military and the homunculi, he was positive Riley would've taken over his mind. He was always so wrapped up in worry about her.
And all the "nice ass" comments she would make weren't helping. At all.
With Riley.
"Shou… Tucker?" I repeated slowly, looking toward the ceiling as I tapped my chin lightly.
Winry let out a long sigh, giving me a hard, irritated look. "Yes, for the last time. Shou Tucker. Do you recognize the name or not?" She had gotten off the phone with said man, who had asked for Alphonse. How he knew where we were, and how to contact us, had me worried enough. Not to mention the fact the name sounded familiar.
After she asked me, she and Sheska leaned over the table toward me in anticipation, watching as the wheels turned in my head. Or well, tried to turn. "I vaguely remember something about that guy… I think I wrote an article about him actually. He was pretty well-known in the military… Did something brilliant," I murmured out, racking my brain for more information.
Slouching in to failure, Winry scowled. "And you call yourself a writer," She grumbled out at me.
I pouted as I looked away. "Well it's not like I remember every name in the military," I mentioned. Even though I didn't remember everything, I knew I needed to. What did he want? "Oh!" I exclaimed, remembering something.
"What?" Winry and Sheska asked in unison, leaning forward even more as though it would make me talk sooner. Standing from my chair, I made my way upstairs to the room the girls were staying in. Hannah's bag rested against a wall, under a window. The sun shone in gently through the curtains, casting a nice pinkish glow in the dark room.
I flipped the light on and killed the romantic glow.
Kneeling down in front of Hannah's bag, I opened it and began rummaging through all her things. Finally finding it, I took out a folder and began reading through all the articles. They were all my articles, which we had collected over the past few years. Hannah wanted them for bragging rights – she had a friend who wrote for the military. I wanted them precisely for moments like this – when my memory was letting me down (Not that it happened often…)
A few seconds passed and I heard Winry and Sheska walk into the room, just as I found what I was hoping to see. "There it is! Shou Tucker, The Life-Sewing Alchemist… Daughter… Nina… Bio…," I muttered under my breath, eyes scanning the words of the article.
Nina.
That sounded familiar.
"These people.. They're.. Homunculi!" Al said.
Ed's eyes shook as he repeated Al, surprised, under his breath. A half-man, half-..Creature.. Walked up toward us as he and Ed talked. It was mainly over memory implants. I wasn't really listening. I was looking around, trying to piece everything together. "It still won't be the real Nina!" Ed shouted.
"Nina… Oh my God!" I shouted, jumping up to my feet. In just a few seconds, I had remembered exactly who Tucker was. I remembered his crimes. I remembered him being at Lab Five. And I remembered he was supposed to have been executed.
Winry stepped forward in concern. "W-Well?" She asked nervously.
Quickly, I spun around to see her. She and Sheska both looked worried about what my discovery was. "I still can't remember! It's unbelievable!" I exclaimed, laughing nervously as I brushed past them and headed back downstairs. Winry's expression went deadpan as she grunted in annoyance.
. . .
"Shou?"
Winry stood in front of Al at the table in the dining room. With Sheska beside her, she held up a cake toward the boy. Pinako sat across from him. I stood behind the doorway, knowing his answer would've been different if I were there to hear it. Winry nodded at Al's question. "Yep," She started, "Some guy with a really weird voice. He said his name was Shou." Looking away, Al mumbled off into his own thoughts. "Anyway, he said he wanted to meet with you and that it was really important. He said it didn't matter when you got in. You could call him anytime… Alphonse? He was crying while he talked to me," She mumbled out, head turning downward.
"Shou…," Al trailed off, still thinking it over. A few seconds passed before he jumped up, gasping slightly. I narrowed my eyes; so he recognized the man.
Holding her pipe, Pinako looked over at him. "Is it someone you know?" She asked him.
Al was quick to respond. "Uh, no!" He looked down to the pie, pointing to it nervously. "This looks really good! Ed'll be so happy!" He exclaimed. The dog outside began barking and Al looked up in acknowledgment. "Brother's back!"
"Hey!" Winry protested as Al grabbed the pie and left the room. I sighed when he passed me and ran to the door. I didn't know whether Al was planning on seeing him or not, but I had to talk to him about it either way. What did Shou want with us? Or, Al specifically?
I left the house shortly after Al and saw both Ed and Hannah waking toward the stairs. "Brother," Al greeted happily. Ed looked up upon hearing Al, and Hannah smiled slightly.
"Where have you two been all day?" I asked blankly, looking down at them in suspicious curiosity. A casual trip to the store couldn't have taken Hannah that long.
Hannah paused, glancing to Ed. "I got lost and ran into Ed. We both headed home after that."
When I looked to Ed for his response, he shook his head. "I was just leaving false tracks to make everyone think we were headed north, that's all," Ed explained, giving Al and me a small grin. "Don't worry about it. So is everything cool here?"
From behind us, I heard Pinako's voice. "Al, did you tell him about the strange call you got?"
Al paused, staring down at Pinako. He raised his hands and as he started to ramble('Oh, you mean that call?'), I interrupted. "It was just a wrong number. Nothing to worry about," I said, glancing up to Al as I kept myself from adding, 'Yet'. He looked down at me and sighed, knowing I expected answers.
Almost instantly afterward, Ed slouched over. Nose twitched, he gained a huge grin as he began stumbling past us. We all shifted out of his way as he drooled out, "I'm starving!~" My expression went deadpan as I watched Ed go further into the house. Hannah laughed nervously, slipping past us as well and going upstairs.
From there, it was just Al and me. He looked down at me and I could tell he was trying to figure out how to explain this one. Sighing, I shook my head, a scowl forming on my face. "Don't do anything stupid. You're supposed to be the rational one," I said simply before going inside myself.
. . .
"Ed! Al! Are you planning on sleeping all-…" I looked over when I heard the door open, to see Winry standing there in surprise. Ed sat on the edge of his bed with a bucket of water in front of him; and I was at the head of the bed, my head hanging off one side as my feet dangled off the other. With my camera in hand and film sticking out of my mouth, I was trying to load the camera without actually having to sit up. My bangs fell out of my face and as I felt the blood rush to my forehead, Winry's shoulders drooped in embarrassment. "S-Sorry."
Looking over at her as he held the towel that draped around his neck, Ed shrugged slightly. "That's okay." He clapped his hands and placed his hair into the bowl of water. Slowly, his hair began turning a dark green. Winry clapped in awe and he smirked, "Don't be so surprised. A trick like that is pretty basic alchemy."
Sniggering slightly, I mumbled past the film in my mouth about picking a funny hair color. Ed glared at me from over his shoulder – even though he didn't understand what I was saying, he knew I was making fun of him. Winry paid no mind to this as she walked further into the room. Her smile faded as she came to a slow stop when something caught her eye. "…" Slowly turning, she looked up to see a large statue towering over her.
Winry let out a loud scream and jumped onto the bed, hiding behind Ed. He began to snicker but I didn't bother hiding my laughs at her expense. "W-What is that thing?" She asked.
A large black statue sat beside the wall, formed to look at a flexing man. I swore up and down it looked like Armstrong, but maybe I was just paranoid. It began shifting back and forth and from the inside, came Al's exclaims. "It's just me, Winry!"
"Al…?"
Ed composed himself as he looked over to his brother. "I used a few materials I found to make Al a disguise. There are no seams either. No one will know he's in there unless they break it open," He explained proudly.
Finally putting the film in the camera, I snorted. "Because statues of delusional, sparkling men aren't suspicious at all," I commented simply.
Glaring over at me once more, he raised his fist to me. "For the last time, it's not Armstrong damn it!" He exclaimed. The two of us began picking at one another as we usually did("Just admit your subconscious mind created an Armstrong to follow us around!" "Since when did you become a therapist?" "It doesn't take a therapist to read into your puny little mind!" "Is this how you treat somebody that lugged your ass here?" "What do you mean, lugged?"). We failed to notice Winry looking down sadly.
"So… You're leaving again?" She finally spoke up.
We both quieted down and looked over at her. For a moment, I kind of felt bad for her. I couldn't fight Ed about staying with him and Al and then not understand what Winry went through. It had to have been hard on her. "I'm sorry, Winry. There's something I have to do," Ed said simply, looking away from us all as he sat back at the edge of the bed.
"Wait, I know! You're going off to find some way to get Al's body back, right? Why don't you just do your research here?" She asked, smiling wide.
Before anything was said, Sheska walked in. With a serious expression, she made eye contact with Ed. "You're going to avenge Maes' murder… Aren't you?" She asked. I paused, looking over at him in wonder.
Ed was quiet at first as he looked back ahead. "If I give my whole life to revenge, now… Everything Scar said… This life would be meaningless," He explained. I leaned back in curiosity – what did Scar say to him before Al and I met up with the Ishbalin? The thought of Scar came to my mind and my eyes drifted downward in memory.
"Then?" Sheska asked, also curious.
"Still – there is something that I have to take care of," Ed responded. Silence filled the room for several seconds, before Winry grabbed the ends of Ed's hair. She yanked it down and he let out a yell of pain. "What do you want?" He shouted, trying to look at her from over his shoulder.
Without looking up, she mumbled out, "I'll braid your hair for you…"
Glancing over at them, my brow twitched slightly. I jumped up to my feet and threw the camera's strap around my neck. "I'm going to go make sure I'm packed," I commented casually as I stepped off the edge of the bed. I felt my hair clip bob up and down as I landed on the ground. I walked around Sheska and left the room, headed toward my own.
. . .
Tension rose silently, anger darting between two booths. Ed's brow twitched slightly but he ignored it nonetheless. I sat across from him, arms crossed as my glare dug holes into his head. At least, that's what I imagined. Horrible, horrible pain to the Elric. Hannah sat beside me, making sure I didn't lunge. Even so, she herself was slightly irritated – and for good reason, too. Ed wasn't the only one in disguise…
Making sure my bag was packed with my things and I was ready to go, I placed the camera inside it. I didn't want to have it out unless I needed it. The door opened and I heard faint footsteps from behind me. Just as I turned to see who was there, I saw a flash of green. Spotting arms reach out toward me, I quickly leaned backward to avoid the hands."What the hell?" I exclaimed, finally seeing Ed standing there.
As I raised my hands to block myself from him, he sighed. "Riley, we have to change your hair color…," He explained.
"Hell no," Was my instant response. He frowned, expecting me to reply in such a way, no doubt. Sending me a short, firm gaze, he quickly reached up once more to grab hold of my hair. But I wouldn't have it. Jerking back, I pushed him away only to have him push just as harder.
"R-Riley, stop fighting with me! You can't go around looking the same right now! We're wanted!" He shouted as he fought with me.
I grunted, bending over to try and take him down. "No one is touching this hair, pipsqueak!" I growled out, trying to tackle him to the ground so I'd have an opening to the door. I heard said door open, just as I felt Ed's hands slip under my waist and leg. Before I could look over to see who came in (to see an innuendo-filled sight), Ed had flipped me over. I let out a yell of surprise as I felt myself lift into the air, and start falling backward. Landing on the bed, I bounced a bit from impact. Ed grabbed my wrists before I could move to leave. I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks as I registered what he had done. I looked up quickly and saw him blushing even worse than I was. "The hell was that?" I asked in shock.
"It had to be done, Riley," He grumbled, trying not to look me in the eye.
Oh yeah – we were actually fighting about something, weren't we? Remembering what had happened, I shook my head. "No. You're not dying my hair, damn it." I could hear Hannah sigh in the background and saw her walk over. My eyes widened when I saw that her hair color had gone from a light brown, to an almost pitch black. "You… You actually did it?" I asked, mocking betrayal.
She nodded in reply. "Yes, and I also had to give up my purse… So just do it before I get angry," She said, her bottom lip shaking slightly.
My jaw dropped. The thought of Hannah giving up a purse was, well, astonishing. I never thought she would've! I tuned back into reality and saw Hannah climbing on top of me as Ed quickly scrambled off in embarrassment. If the situation weren't about something as important as my hair, I would've started throwing out every sarcastic comment I could. Hannah grabbed my wrists and crossed them over one another on my stomach, holding them down with all her might. But that didn't stop me from struggling to get free. She nodded to Ed and I quickly turned my head as far up as I could.
The bed pressed against the top of my head and I could see an upside down Ed leaning over a bucket of water at the edge of the bed. He looked up to grab my hair and I locked eyes with him. My expression quickly turned to a pout as I glared over at the boy. He blushed deeper, looking back down at his task at hand. Grabbing my hair, he pulled it out from under me and, as I still fought against them, he clapped his hands…
For that very reason, I was now a blonde. "I hate you," I spat out under my breath. I no longer had my sweatshirt jacket and jeans either – instead I was stuck in bulky gray cargo pants and a black sleeveless top. They were Winry's. I wasn't sure which was worse – that I was wearing her clothes or that I was forced to have her hair color. Either way, I was really wishing I had my jacket. It's not like she was the most modest of dressers. Hannah also wore some of Winry's clothes; a white blouse and jeans. At least she was warm.
Ed crossed his own arms as he shook his head. "No you don't," He retorted.
"I really do," I replied instantly.
Sighing, Hannah looked over at me dully. "Hey, I have to carry around Pinako's backpack!"
I glared over at her, slamming my hand down onto the booth in between us. Leaning over to get closer to her, I spat out, "You don't look like Winry."
"…That's true."
"Ugh!"
Heh, don't worry – Riley won't look like that for long! She wouldn't allow it. I know this chapter is shorter than usual, but the next one will make up for it. Promise.
Be Responsible. Don't Flame and Drive! Rawr.