Chapter 7: Cupid's Arrow
Silence. That was all that could be heard before Ed broke it.
"What…? Are you joking? You're telling me there are Ouroboros markings on the corpses? You should've told me this earlier!" Ed hissed at Roy in a tone that said he didn't quite believe him, yet showed fear and resentment.
"That's correct, Full-Metal. That's what the reports from all our investigations say," replied Roy answered emotionlessly, making Ed glare at him before saying, "Fine, I'll look into it, but I can't make any promises about solving this case! I'm no freaking detective!"
"Yet, I assume you've have to deal with a lot of dead bodies in order to get the body Alphonse has now, right?" Roy countered before smiling. Ed's eyes dimmed as he sighed, knowing he'd been beaten and laid back on the car seat.
"Sir! I believe Edward needs more information on this assignment," Armstrong said.
"Ah, yes, that's right Major General. It's a good thing you reminded me, since I completely forgot that I've prepared a folder. Here," Roy replied as he handed Ed a beige folder stuffed with papers inside.
"Edward, you'll be expected to look over all the items in this folder, for you start tomorrow afternoon. Someone will come pick you up to take you towards the various crime scenes," Roy told Ed as the car came to a sudden halt in front of Central's Military Dormitory. The chauffeur quickly got out from the driver's seat and opened the door.
"Ed, your stop's here. You'll find the key to your usual dorm room at the front desk. Now, I've got a pushy wife to get back to, so good night, Full Metal," Roy said as he gently started pushing Ed out of the car.
"Hey! Stop pushing! I can get out myself! Do you want your baby to see you as a beat up pulp she gets out of the hospital?" Ed shouted before he got out, pulling his suitcase after him. He slammed the car door and looked behind himself in time to hear the car starting up again and slowing beginning to drive off.
Ed sighed gloomily, grumbling harsh curses at Roy to himself as the car sped off down the dark night. He watched the car turn a corner, and started to trudge up the front steps of the building, thinking, 'Jerk…!Even after becoming a dad, he hasn't changed at all! He's still forcing others to do his dirty work! I'll look over the darn folder tomorrow! I need my sleep!'
Entering the front door of the Central Commands HQ, Ed walked up to the front desk, and grabbed the keys laying there beside a small slip of paper marked 'Edward Elric'. He walked up the stairs towards the dorms and opened the door to his too familiar room, falling instantly onto the bed after dumping his suitcase by the door, closing his eyes and giving in to sleep and not even caring to change.
Winry woke up a little half past nine to a chipping bird, and stretched before getting out of bed. It was finally the day of a special event and Winry was excited as she got up and rushed to the bathroom to wash up and brush her teeth. On the way, she stopped by Al's room and knocked on his door.
"Al? You up yet?" Winry asked
"Don't worry! I'm up!" she heard him call from the other side of the door. She called back an acknowledgment and left for the bathroom. When she got back to her bedroom, she began bustling about and dressing herself up and creating quite a ruckus in the house. A little while later, Winry finally came down the stairs in a nice white dress shirt and celadon flowing knee-length skirt.
"Winry, you didn't fully iron your skirt," Pinako said as she inspected Winry's outfit. Winry, never thinking that her grandmother would be so demanding, looked at her skirt and replied, "I don't see anything wrong with it, Gran."
Pinako pointed to the hem, showing Winry a small wrinkle there as Al walked in, fresh from his shower and wearing the outfit Winry helped him pick out a couple of days ago.
"Oh! Alphonse! You look splendid! I knew that outfit would look great on you! You just need a few more touches...," Winry said as she went over to Al and started fixing his hair, as she was happy that she was able to get away from her grandmother. Al tried gently taking her fussy hands away as he told her he didn't need his hair to be fixed.
"Aw! Come on! Just a little..!"
"It's okay! I really don't –,"
"Fine! Must all you Elrics be like this? I was only trying to help," she grumbled as she let go of Al's hair and glared. Al looked sadly after her as she began to walk away. He knew he had to make it up to her somehow and he had to do it now before the party, or else she might ruin the mood there. That was the last thing he wanted. He went after her, knowing full well what he had to do in order to cheer her up..
"Wait!" Al shouted as he grabbed her arm. She turned around, still holding on to her angry expression with her hands on her hips.
"What?" asked his frustrated friend as she crossed her arms across her chest. Alphonse could tell she was really upset and he felt extremely guilty. He wasn't the type to make girls sad, least of all his own childhood friend.
"I'm sorry…I know you were just trying to help, but you know I don't like making a fuss of things. Will you wait for a bit? I'll make it up to you..!" Al said to her before turning around and running off towards the kitchen with a baffled Winry staring off curiously after him.
Ed woke up, yawning as he stretched and go out of bed. He rubbed his eyes and groggily looked around, trying to remember where he was before it all came back to him. Ed remembered Roy giving him an assignment and looked at the clock. It said the time was nearly noon. Ed sighed and went to look for the folder he received last night. Going to the kitchen, he got himself a cup of water before there was a knock on his door. Ed stared angrily at the wooden opening before walking over and unlocking it to reveal a rather young woman wearing the standard military uniform – with an extremely short skirt, as promised by Roy when he stated he wanted a uniform change - standing on the other side and spit out the water he had in his mouth.
"Ahem. Excuse me, sir. Would you happen to be Edward Elric?" said the woman who stood there as she pulled out a handkerchief and wiped off the water that got on her. He didn't think there would be a woman standing outside his front door and turned around, quickly wiping his mouth with his shirt sleeve before he turned to talk to the woman.
"Err, sorry about that... Yes. That's me but who's asking?"
"Please, let me introduce myself. I am Sergeant Jackie Grendle from the crime investigations division and I've been assigned to assist you in your investigation. It is a pleasure to be meeting the famous Full-Metal," said the woman as she saluted Ed.
Ed stared at Jackie for a few seconds before wistfully saluting her back and saying, "It's nice to meet you too, Sergeant. Please come in."
He let Jackie in and showed her to the living room, where Jackie politely sat down on a nice plush green sofa, awaiting her next orders. Ed sighed quietly, trying to think of what to say, since he wasn't prepared to leave - even if he looked like he was – and still needed to find Roy's folder. He started down at himself and though he should quickly go to the bathroom to freshen up.
"Look, sorry Sergeant, but you may have to wait for a minute. I kind of just woke up and haven't really gotten ready yet. Please, make yourself comfortable while you're waiting," Edward said before turning around and heading to the bathroom.
"Of course, Sir," the Sergeant said with a smile as she laid back upon the sofa. Edward came back out five minutes later, all ready to go, with the folder in hand.
"Okay! So, I looked at the information I received yesterday, and we're going to the home of a lady named Bella Craig. If I'm right, I believe she lived near that restaurant, 'Sunshine's Breakfast Bar'." Ed said while he looked at the files in his hands. All of a sudden, his stomach grumbled loudly. Both stared awkwardly at Edward's hungry tummy.
"Oops…! Sorry about that. I haven't had anything to eat yet. Do you mind if we stop by some breakfast bar and grab a quick breakfast-to-go?" Ed asked sheepishly as he put a hand behind his head in embarrassment.
"Yes of course," Jackie replied as they left room and exited the building. They approached a rather sleek modern car parked at the front of the dormitory and Jackie opened the back door. Ed got in to the back of the car while Jackie closed it and went to sit down in the driver's seat.
"It's a good place to eat at. I went to that bar myself yesterday morning and it has good food as it does service! It's almost better than an Inn! Luckily, reservations aren't even needed. Oh, please do be careful with those papers. I'm not very good with driving just yet and I don't want you to lose any papers if I have to make a sudden stop." Jack replied while she started up the car and stepped on the pedal.
'Boy, she sure can talk,' Ed thought as he said, "Don't worry about it. Stop by there first please, Sergeant. Oh, By the way, we ought to eat fast so we can make it to the crime scene on time. I'm sure being tardy isn't a good thing when you're on the investigation division, am I right?"
"You're absolutely right," She replied as she took a left turn at a corner. Ed settled back, starting to read the papers while Jackie drove. Minutes later - after a rather silent drive - the car pulled to a rough jerky stop, making Ed drop his entire folder, the papers fluttering everywhere to the floor. Ed gasped and reached for them as the door opened, surprising Sergeant Grendle as the gentle breeze caused the papers to fly past her out onto the streets.
"Oh! Oh no! Colonel! Let me pick those up for you!" Jackie cried as she went after the stray papers floating around. Ed quickly got out of the car and went for the papers lying on the concrete street. He didn't notice that he'd made a spectacle of himself until he noticed the crude staring eyes. Ed quickly put the papers under his armpit after he collected all the papers and ushered Jackie towards the bar as to not seem conspicuous. The two entered the rather crowed restaurant, the bell announcing their arrival. All of a sudden, a waitress popped seemingly out of nowhere, surprising both with her big bright smile. She was a cheeky girl who happened to be slightly taller than him. He looked down at her feet, and noticed she wore ridiculously lengthy high heels, which explained his annoyance. He hated high heels. They made people look so much taller and were for females only.
"Hello! I'm Claire! Welcome to Sunshine's Breakfast! Where even the Sun can't amount to the heat cooking our eggs! Would that be a table for two as you're together if you know what I mean?" the waitress announced as she tilted her head and smiled mischievously, further strengthening Ed's annoyance. He looked over at the nervous Sergeant. She shuffled about and looked back at him with an equally nervous look.
"Um, yeah," Ed answered with a small shrug as he thought, 'What is with this waitress? Is she stupid? We're not dating! If anything, I'd rather…!'
"Alrigh-ty! Please follow me and I'll show you to your table!"
Claire motioned for them to follow and lead them to an empty table near the back beside some large windows. The two sat across from each other as the waitress handed out the menus.
"I'll let y'all look at the menu and be back in a flash!" Claire said while she turned and went to seat some other customers. Ed sighed after she left and checked the folder, to see if any of the pages were missing.
"Good. It looks like I didn't lose any papers."
"I should have warned you I'm not particularly good at parallel parking…! I'm so sorry about that, sir!" Jackie whispered while she fidgeted in her seat.
"It's alright. We didn't lose anything so it's all good," Ed replied as he opened up the menu and looked at the choices.
"Well it looks like we're both going to eat. Did you eat breakfast yet?" Ed asked while flipping through the pages. As if in response to his question, there was a slight grumble that came from Jackie's stomach. Ed smiled knowingly as Jackie quickly put her hands on her stomach and flushed a light pink.
"Actually, no I haven't, Sir."
"I guess I'll pay for this since I'm the one who wanted to eat. Go ahead and choose whatever you want, Sergeant. It's my treat," Ed said as he spotted a sample photo of a breakfast dish and thought he should order it. It was an intriguing photo of a simple dish of bacon and eggs, toasted bread and a complimentary side dish of sausages and hash browns and it was all for a very cheap price. He didn't notice the Sergeant opening her own menu and looking at the exact same dish.
'This really is an awesome breakfast bar!' Ed thought happily before he heard Jackie reply, "That's very generous, Sir. Yet I think I'll pay for my own potion, thank you very much."
"Okay! If that's what you want! That's fine, that's fine. So…what do you want to eat?"
"Well, since you asked, I've decided to order the bacon and egg breakfast combo. What about you, Sir? Have you made a selection from the menu yet?"
Edward's jaws dropped instantly at what he heard and cried, "Wait! What? I was about to order that too!"
Jackie looked up at Edward with an equal amount surprise and then quickly turned her head away. He coughed slightly before saying, "Um, let's just forget I said anything, okay? It looks as though we'll be staying a while longer than what I intended too."
The sergeant nodded and the both of them continued looking at the menus in silence until Claire returned half a minute later.
"Hello! Sorry to keep you waiting! Now, have you guys decided on something to eat?" Claire asked while she took out a small note pad and pen from her apron.
The two nodded as Edward said, "Yeah, I'd like the bacon and egg combo along with some coffee, please."
The waitress quickly scribbled it down on the pad and looked over at Jackie as she stated her order, saying, "Same thing except I'd just like water, thank you."
"Will that be all for you two?" Claire asked after writing down Jackie's order.
"Yes, that'll be it for now, thanks," Ed told Claire while she ripped out the sheet with the orders and put the pen and pad back in her pocket.
"I'm going to be back in a while with your food, okay?" Claire said as she went to the kitchen to place the orders. The next two or three passed by in an uncomfortable silence until the waitress came back and presented a plate to both at the table and they both dug eagerly into the food, happy that there was no more need to talk to each other. Eating quickly, they managed to finish and get back to the car ten minute later afterwards. Yet as they drove off towards the first crime scene, nobody could say that it wasn't the least bit awkward between the two.
"No way! A parfait! Al! You shouldn't have!" Winry cried happily as she drooled over the delicious vanilla strawberry chocolate desert topped with cherries sitting on the counter.
"Yeah, it's homemade. I made it just now so you'd better eat it before it gets ruined," Al replied with a smile. He watched as Winry's eyes began to sparkle happily and it made him feel a lot better.
'I'm glad Winry still really loves this treat! I've got no money to buy another present to calm her down…!' Al thought to himself sheepishly.
"Wow, Al! Where did you learn to make such as dessert?" she asked while she went to a nearby drawer and grabbed a spoon.
"Oh…I learned a lot during my time away from home," Al said, taking in the praise.
"Well then, I won't put your efforts to waste! Hopefully, I won't be too full for the party," she replied as she grabbed a seat and started eating.
"I'm sure you won't, Winry."
"Oh my…! Alphonse, this is delicious!" she said as she spooned another scoop of ice cream, her eyes shining with anticipation.
"I'm glad you like it," Alphonse said with a small smile. Winry looked at him with a face that showed mixed emotions. She blinked a few times before Al noticed water forming at the corners of her eyes.
"Did I do something again? I'm sorry!" Al cried as he waves his hands around crazily and tried to console her. Winry got a tissue and wiped her tears as she started to laugh.
"What are you saying? You didn't do anything, silly!"
"B-b-but… -"
"Oh…I'm sorry…I'm just… really must have gotten a bit emotional from eating this yummy dessert…! I just haven't had any treats in a while. Sorry if I worried you."
"That's good! I hope you're not mad at me anymore?" Al asked hopefully.
"How could I be mad at you after you made this delicious parfait?" Winry whispered as she stuffed more ice-cream into her mouth.
"You know what…? There is something I could use your help with though…," Alphonse said cautiously as he shuffled about nervously. Winry stopped eating for a moment and looked up at him, listening intently.
"Would you mind helping me style my hair?"
Winry quickly finished the rest of the dessert, smiled, stood up and dusted herself off.
"Well! Why didn't you say so? Of course I will!" Winry said as she dumped the parfait cup in the sink and grabbed Al's arm, dragging him along with her up the stairs.
'Oh boy…! I hope she won't go over board…!' Al thought sadly as he let himself be dragged. Winry suddenly let go of his hand and turned as she asked, "I just remembered something. Would you mind grabbing a chair and meeting me in the bathroom? I'm just going to go grab some supplies and I'll be right there!"
"Okay!" Al called out as she ran off down the hall towards her room. Al went into his own bedroom and got the wooden chair before he made his way to their meeting place. Al found the door closed and set down the chair before knocking. He opened it after he didn't get an answer and found it empty. Winry wasn't there yet.
"I'm here now! Bring the chair in with you!" called out a voice from behind Al that surprised him. He quickly whipped around to find a stunned Winry standing there.
"Whoa! Al! Careful there!" Winry said as she moved back a bit.
"Oh…sorry, Winry…! You surprised me," Al said jokingly.
Winry walked past him, carrying a container of a mysterious looking substance along with a comb. Al eyed the product curiously as followed Winry into the bathroom. She ordered him to sit as she opened the container.
"So…? Do you have some sort of hair-style in mind?" Al asked as he took a seat and Winry took her place behind him.
"Yes! I do! It'll be a surprise!"
"Wait..! Can I ask what's in that tube?"
"Oh! You mean this? It's a sticky-syrup-like thing that's good for styling hair with. It's called hair gel!" Winry replied happily.
"You mean, you bought it for yourself?"
"No! Of course not, silly! I got it as a present from Mrs. Hughes for my birthday last year. I would never have enough money to buy such a thing like this," Winry replied as she squeezed some gel out onto her hand and starting running it through Al's hair, playing and pulling and tugging on strands to make it become what she'd envisioned. It took what felt like forever, but when she was finally finished, Al had to admit he liked what she did. There wasn't much of a difference but his hair did look neater, spikier and not to mention nicer too. He was officially ready to go party!
As they finished their party preparations the two headed downstairs, and said their goodbyes to Pinako and Den before heading out the door.
'I hope she likes my present! Just thinking about it makes me nervous,' Alphonse thought as he felt for the little box gift in his pant pocket.
The afternoon sun blinded Roy as he woke up on the couch in his bedroom, feeling uncomfortable from his awkward nap.
'Great. I think I'll buy a new couch,' he thought as he walked over to the bed to find Riza still peacefully sleeping. He stared at her pretty face for a moment before turning on his heels, trying to quietly sneak out of the room before a voice stopped him.
"You will go check up on Rosa today, won't you?" Riza asked, making Roy twitch at the emphasis on 'will' as he turned around, surprised by the sight of his wife.
"Yes, yes! Of course I will! As long as you stay in bed," Roy said as he put on his blue military uniform jacket and buttoned it.
"Wait! I must also –," Riza began as she started trying to get out of bed but had little strength in her legs and fell off instead. Roy took quick long strides to get to her side and help her get up.
"No. You really mustn't go anywhere today. I'll watch over Rosa, alright? You trust me, don't you?"
"I'm sorry. I just can't trust you to finish your paperwork on time in order to check up on her,"
Roy sighed. Even after everything that happened between them, she was still as stubborn as always. Even when he did all in his power to make everyone's lives as peaceful as possible, she still couldn't trust him to get his paperwork done. He knew that with or without his loyal crew back by his side, paperwork would still get the papers done eventually. He helped her lay back in bed and sat on the edge of it. He was happy that she had at least given in to his request.
"I'm sorry, Sir. I really can't trust you to get all those papers done,"
"Riza, for the last time, it's Roy,"
This statement made her blink. She smiled a bit as she turned to look at him and said, "I'm sorry. I've called you that for so long that it takes some getting used too. You could say it has become a habit,"
"Seriously, Riza? It's quiet simple. Say it with me now. Ruh-oi. Roy. It's been two years now and you still can't call me that?" her husband asked while smiling back at her. Roy leaned down to kiss her forehead.
"Not now. You better go or you're going to be late,"
Roy looked at the clock and his eyes widened. He stood up and dusted himself off.
"I guess I'd better go. Now stay in bed or you'll get lost in our large home,"
"You should give me more credit for all I'm worth. I memorized the layout of this building on the day we moved in, Roy,"
This made Roy smile. Even if she did soften up after they married after he took down the laws forbidding them from being together, she was still the same woman that stuck by his side for all those years. The independent strong-headed woman he realized couldn't be replaced, and he loved that about her. He even realized that she decided to finally call him by his first name but chose not to mention it for her sake and he stood up.
"Oh you did now? Well then I'll have to get the maids to force you to stay put," he replied as he left their bedroom and closed the door behind him. The two maids standing outside the door bowed to him and he regarded them with a nod.
"Please make sure she stays in bed, alright?" Roy said to the two maids standing by the door as he walked down the hall. They nodded their heads to show that they heard his orders and Roy continued on his way. He walked towards the stairs, went down them and walked through another couple hallways before he reached the Grand Foyer and exited the house. He shielded his eyes from the blinding sun and quickly made his way towards the nearby Central Military Headquarters. He had to be quick. After all, being Führer was as difficult as a job could get, even with the benefits of irregular hours.
Meanwhile, back in the bedroom, Riza stood up, and weakly went over to the window. A maid tried to get her to lay down but Riza quickly shrugged her off. She looked outside, using her hands to block out the strong sunlight and stared, waiting to see Roy walk out of the house. It only took him a minute or so and the sight of him leaving for work reminded her of that one fateful day. The day he proposed to her.
Edward stepped out of the car after the door was opened for him, and walked towards an abandoned looking house, closely followed by Sergeant Jackie Grendle.
'I don't understand how that idiot of a leader can handle having someone following him all day!' Ed grumbled to himself as he went to the back of the dreary run down house, where some military personnel were gathered to investigate the crime. A young brown haired man walked up to him and saluted. Ed saluted back and the man spoke.
"Sir, you are the Full-Metal Alchemist, correct?" the man asked after the salutations. Ed nodded as the man went onwards to introduce himself. Ed nor the man realized that Jackie had started to look extremely uncomfortable.
"We were noted of your presence here. I am Captain George Rands and I'm in charge of the investigation upon the death of Ms. Bella Craig,"
Edward nodded but didn't really care for introductions. He would much rather get it over with and proceeded to do just that.
"So, Captain Rands, what do you have so far?"
"We haven't found any evidence just yet and we have no suspects either, Sir," the younger man replied.
'Basically, he's got no more information that what I've got in the folder,' Ed thought to himself as he nodded again and asked the man to show him around the crime scene. After a quick tour, he decided to turn to the female Sergeant and ask for her opinion on the matter. He looked at her quizzically when he saw her fidgeting.
"Is something wrong, Sergeant?"
"Oh, nothing at all, sir! I just …!"
"Come on now! Just spit it out and say what's on your mind, will you?"
"If you say so, but could we talk elsewhere? Preferably somewhere private? I…I don't feel safe talking here about that,"
"That…?"
"You'll see. I know a place where we can speak in private."
Ed shrugged, following her after telling the Captain that he had a quick matter to attend to and that he would be back within a bit. He followed her for a couple minutes before they ended up in an alleyway. He shivered slightly. Alleyways were never his thing. Dangerous people always happened to be here and he always ran into trouble at these sort of places. She had her back turned to him the entire time and he wanted her to spit out her thoughts so they could get back to the crime scene.
"So what is it that you wanted to tell me?"
"Well, sir, I just wanted to say that…," She started while slowly turning around and pointed a gun directly at him, an evil grin plastered upon her face. Edward's eyes widened as his mind tried to comprehend the situation and he almost missed her next words.
"I'm sorry, but unless you give me what I want, you must die. Right here. Right now."
Elsewhere, across the desert in a hot and large country sat a bored and rather saddened man upon a throne. He sighed and shifted upon his seat to make himself comfortable. A masked woman was standing beside him and seeing his upset expression upset her, for she knew why he was like that.
"My lord, you've a meeting with your counsellors in ten minutes. Would you like to review the discussion topics beforehand?" asked the woman in a monotone voice. The man turned and looked at her glumly.
"No. Lan-Fan. You make me sad,"
He could see the eyes under the mask blink a bit before frowning.
"I apologize, but I do not see-,"
"Then why won't you marry me, Lan-Fan? I proposed over fifteen times already and you keep constantly rejecting me. How can I not be sad?"
The woman blushed and was about to speak before a young girl barged in excitedly, letter in hand, and ran up towards the man on the throne. Both the woman and the man turned to look quizzically at the happy child, wondering what could have brought her into such a cheery mood.
"Hm? What is it May?" asked the man as he tilted his head. The girl panted, trying to catch her breath before replying, "Emperor Ling! We just received a letter from Winry!They're finally back! The Elric brothers are back!"
Two pairs of eyes widened before the Emperor grinned widely and mischievously. The woman beside his did not like that look. Not one bit!
"Well, well! Those two brothers have caused me a lot of heartache. Now then! Maybe we ought to go pay them a visit!" the man said as he stood up from his throne, a smirk playing on his lips.
AUTHOR'S NOTES CONTINUED WITH FURTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS:
October, 11th/ 2011
J. U. T. H. L here.
Hopefully, you have read the announcement. Again, I'd like to apologize for the extremely long delay [But I've been so BUSY BUSY BUSY...!] and have made the chapter a bit longer just for you guys. I didn't have as much fun with this chapter as it was hard to get into but what-the-hey, it was fun to do the scene where Jackie pulls a gun on Edward. Cliff-hanger! Also, I think I need to come up with the scenario where Roy and Riza get together. That'll be fun! I can get Grumman to come in now. Haha!
I'd also like to make a few adjustments to that announcement.
The reason I'd re-editing/uploading a couple chapters is because I found a couple of mistakes in them. Like, for instance, in the chapter "Re-attachment". I think Ed got his arm back before he headed to Germany didn't he? I will have to research that as I am not entirely sure. I think Ed had a fake arm in the Shamballa movie. Also, my prologue needs TONS of work. I realize now that there are a number of mistakes there.
Also, I'm going to try and concentrate on my Detective Conan Series and I will be delaying the Detective Special. Sorry guys. The next chapter of this will take a bit to finish.
Please forgive me!
-J.U.T.H.L
EXTRA BONUS:
Delayed until next chapter. Sorry.
RE-EDITED: October 23rd 2011