I own this fanfic, but not Fullmetal Alchemist.

It had been three weeks since Ed had told Riza about the restraining order placed between the two of them. Due to a confusing number of loopholes, Ed had been allowed to visit Riza just the once to deliver the news. After that, he had been banned from going within 50 yards of the blonde sniper.

Immediately after the news had been spread, Riza and Edward both immediately filed against it. Because of the sheer number of circumstances surrounding the order, the fact that the Fuehrer had issued it but that neither of the two people involved condoned it, an official court session had been called to resolve the situation. The fact that Riza and Ed were banned from being anywhere near each other made making a case difficult, but not impossible. Mustang and his crew volunteered to dig up old court records to look for precedents to help them, while Rose volunteered to act as a go-between for the pair.

Finally, the day of court came. Edward showed up over an hour early to the hearing, where he met up with everyone. Mustang's crew was unable to make it, them needing to keep the operations of the office running smoothly. But everyone had volunteered to take over the Brigadier General's work so that he could make it. Rose had made it as well, dressed in plain clothes and surrounded by a group of children as she hadn't been able to find anyone to watch the orphanage. And as for Ed and Riza, it was the first time that they had seen each other in three weeks. After a polite greeting, Ed gave into a small burst of emotion and embraced the woman he loved like a sister.

Everyone's reactions to that was different. Riza smiled down fondly at Edward and returned the embrace. Roy smirked at the pair, it actually made him happy to see the pair so happy after the sadness he had seen over the past three weeks. Rose felt a small twinge of emotion, though she couldn't quite identify what it was.

"Well well, this certainly a touching scene. But as I recall, there's still a restraining order between the two of you." Said a voice behind everyone.

Almost as one, everyone turned to see the owner of the voice. Coming through the door, a bit stooped over due to age and the responsibilities heaped on his shoulders, was Fuehrer Grumman.

"If you will excuse me for saying so sir, the restraining order was temporarily revoked for the purposes of this trial." Mustang said, coming to his subordinates defense.

"Hmph. 'Temporarily' being the key word." Grumman rebuked, walking up to the court doors.

After the brief exchange of words, the group stood in silence, awaiting the arrival of the military tribunal. After awhile, a mixed group of men and women walked up to the courthouse and unlocked the doors and everyone filed in. Rose and the children took their seats in the civilian stands, as well as the assistants and general personnel of the court judges. The judges, of which there were eight, sat in a semi-circle around a raised dais. And it was at that dais that Fuehrer Grumman sat.

"I hereby call this session of the Amestrian court to order." Grumman said, picking up the gavel and banging it down on the dais. "This court is assembled to address the restraining order issue by me, the Fuhrer, regarding the two Plaintiffs, Lieutenant Colonel Edward Elric and Major Riza Hawkeye. Due to the personal issue of the matter at hand, I am remanding myself as the Judge of this court and all judgment will be passed by an acting Judge."

Grumman stepped off of the dais and moved to the Defendant's seat. As he did so, there was a murmur of conversation between the seated jury. Finally, two members stood up. "Let the record show that in place of Fuhrer Grumman I, General Franklin Stinz, will be acting Judge." Said the first man. "Also let the record show that since this is a majority hearing I, Brigadier General Mattel Erinn, will be stepping down from this jury." Said the second man, walking to the civilian stands and taking a seat.

Everyone waited for a brief minute while the court scribe transcripted the words. At a nod from the scribe, General Stinz looked at Riza and Edward. "Do the Plaintiffs have any opening statements?"

Riza nodded and stood up. "The restraining order between me and Lieutenant Colonel Elric is one that neither me and him wanted. It was put into place by the Fuhrer who seemed to think that further contact between the two of us would be dangerous. Me and my colleague here are here to prove that this is not only untrue, but that our continue partnership would be a benefit to the Amestris military." Riza shot a glare a Grumman before sitting down.

General Stinz nodded before turning to Grumman. "And any opening statement from the Defendant?"

Grumman nodded and stood up. "While it is true that in the beginning I had allowed the two to work together, reports have been shown to me that the Plaintiffs alchemy experimentation is exceedingly dangerous and poses a threat not just to them, but also to the Amestris military." Grumman sat back down, ignoring the dirty looks being cast at him by Riza, Ed, Mustang, and even Rose.

General Stinz nodded. "Now that opening statements are out of the way, let's move on to actual evidence. Lieutenant Colonel Elric, Major Hawkeye, you have the floor."

"Thank you." Edward said, standing up. Mustang had, thankfully, coached Edward in courtroom procedure during the weeks leading up to the trial. "Members of the jury, me and Major Hawkeye, for the past few months, have been researching and replicating the flame alchemy mastered by Brigadier General Mustang. The claims of danger that Fuhrer Grumman brings against us comes from several experiments where the reactions had gone awry. But such is always the risk when it comes to alchemy. While there was danger, it was in controlled conditions where the risk was only aimed towards us, the ones who knew the risks of the experiments and accepted them."

"Objection!" Grumman shouted, standing up. "I have it on paper, with eyewitness accounts from people in this very courtroom, that at least one of these 'experiments' was done in a public place where danger could have befallen civilians!"

"Objection sustained." General Stinz said calmy, motioning for Grumman to sit down before turning to Edward and Riza. "And your response?"

Once again, Edward was the one who stood up. "General Stinz, while it it true that our first experiment was in a public park, there are several factors to consider. The first of which being that at the time, we had Fuhrer Grumman's permission to go forward with our attempts at recreating flame alchemy. Other factors are that I scouted out the park before the experiment, ensuring that no one was there besides us. I had also set up several defenses so that the reaction wouldn't be able to escape the clearing, even if the experiment went awry."

At this, Mustang stood up as well. "As the first officer on the scene after the incident, I can confirm that there were stables defenses in place that were later taken down so that repairs could be made to the park. I would also like to say that all charges of dangerous experimentation and damage to public property were, at the time, swept under the rug by Fuhrer Grumman." With a smirk, Roy sat down as mutterings went through the courtroom.

"Order in the court!" General Stinz said, banging his gavel until silence reigned once more. "Now then, I have a question of my own. You both work under Brigadier General Mustang, yes?" General Stinz waited until Riza and Ed nodded before continuing. "As he is the one who created flame alchemy in the first place, why did you not seek out his advice during your attempts at replicating it or even requesting a formal apprenticeship?"

Ed and Riza shared a glance with each other at that, and behind them Roy stiffened before sighing. They had known that something like this would come up. Even though Riza and Ed couldn't see it, Roy nodded his consent even as Riza stood up. "The fact of the matter, General Stinz, is that Roy Mustang is not the creator of flame alchemy."

At this, even louder murmurs and a few shouts echoed through the court, causing General Stinz to bang his gavel once again. "Order in the court! I said Order in the court!" Finally, the murmurs died down and General Stinz was able to address Riza. "Would you care to explain this revelation Major Hawkeye?"

"Certainly your honor." Riza said, casting one last glance at Roy before speaking. In some grim part of Riza's mind, she thought that this was rather funny. It was this subject that started the chain of events leading up to the present moment. "The truth is, flame alchemy was discovered and perfected by Berthold Hawkeye. My father."

Another round of murmurs ran through the courtroom, until they were finally silenced by General Stinz's gavel. "Please continue Major Hawkeye."

Riza nodded her head at the General. "Thank you your honor. Anyways, my father was not a state alchemist. He spent years researching and perfecting flame alchemy. Roy Mustang, at the time, was his apprentice and taught him the basics of alchemy. Not long after Brigadier General Mustang graduated from the military academy, my father passed away. But before he did so, he passed on to Roy the key to flame alchemy."

"I see… So did he refuse to pass on the secrets that he was… Gifted?" General Stinz asked Riza, narrowing his eyes at Roy as he did so.

"Sir, as per Major Hawkeye's own request, I destroyed the notes after I deciphered them." Roy said, standing up.

"Objection!" Grumman called out, standing up. "Your honor, we have deviated far off topic! I have not even gotten my own chance to speak yet!"

"Hrm… Yes…" General Stinz said, looking uncomfortable. "Objection sustained. Plaintiffs, any closing statements?"

Riza and Ed looked at each other before they both stood up. "Your honor." Riza began. "This restraining order between me and Edward is against both of our wills. Together, me and the Lieutenant Colonel make a great team. Maybe even better than when I was paired with the Brigadier General. Please lift the restraining order, thank you." Riza sat down.

"I only have one thing to say your honor." Edward said, looking General Stinz in the eye. "It was not by myself that we managed to survive the Promised Day. It was me, Alphonse, Mustang, Riza, Jean, Breda, Fuery, Izumi Curtis, the Armstrongs, and multiple other people. Hell, even Scar and Kimbley helped. Even Fuhrer Grumman played a role, a significant one at that." Here, Edward cast a look at Grumman. "Back then, we were gambling with the souls of all Amestris. This time, we were only putting ourselves in danger. Please, let us stay together."

The court was silent, everyone stood in stunned silence. This was the first time that Edward brought up the Promised Day as anything but a reminiscence of the past. This was the first time that he was using the subject as an offensive weapon. Even Grumman was shocked by this turn of events.

"Did… I fall just as King Bradley did?" Grumman thought. "I sought only to protect my granddaughter, but in the process I've been bending and twisting the rules." Grumman glanced at the pair at the table, his dark eyes meeting Ed's molten gold ones and Riza's burning amber eyes. "…He's right. The fucking brat is right. Both him and Riza have been through much more dangerous situations. And Riza… She's a grown woman. And I sacrificed my right to have any say in her decisions a long time ago."

"Your honor…" Grumman said, standing up. "…I hereby request that the restraining order be dropped."

At this request, almost everyone in the courtroom could only stare at the aged Fuhrer.

"…Excuse me?" General Stinz asked, surprise clear in his voice.

"Or rather, I offer a compromise." Grumman said, looking at Ed and Riza. "Recently, the Drakmans have been pushing at our borders. Scouting parties mostly, but I fear that it will become something more soon. You have both stated that you make an exceptional team. And with Major Hawkeye's skills in stealth and Lieutenant Colonel Elric's skills for… Localized and large-scale destruction, I have the following proposal." Grumman took a deep breath and addressed Riza and Edward directly. "I will drop the restraining order, in exchange for the two of you being pressed into immediate service."

Ed and Riza shared a look. They had never expected this kind of a deal from Grumman. They were fairly certain that if they refused the deal, they could still beat the restraining order. But there was always the chance that they'd fail. But on the other hand… Accepting the deal meant that they would be pressed into active service. Riza still had nightmares about Ishval, and even though Edward had seen hell multiple times, it had always been as a bystander. Not an active participant.

"C-Can we take a brief recess to discuss this?" Surprisingly, it was Edward who asked this, his voice cracking a little but still holding steady.

"Yes. I grant a one hour recess." General Stinz said, punctuating the statement with a bang of the gavel.

"What will the two of you do?" Asked Roy Mustang.

Ed, Riza, Roy, and Rose were all gathered in a small room in the courthouse. Ed and Riza both looked nervous, Rose looked worried, and Roy looked downright pissed.

"They can't accept the deal!" Rose cried out. "The Fuhrer has no right to do this!"

"He's the Fuhrer. He can do whatever the hell he wants." Roy grumbled, still clearly unhappy.

"But why would he suddenly propose a deal like that after going through all the trouble of setting up a court case?" Ed asked, his curiosity peaked by the Fuhrer's unknown actions.

"Maybe it was so that a tired old fool could save some face." Said an eldery voice from the doorway.

As one, the group turned towards the voice and saw the slightly hunched shape of the Fuhrer as he walked into the room.

"What in the hell are YOU doing here?! …Sir." Ed asked angrily, tacking in the 'Sir' at the last moment to avoid being tagged as insubordinate.

"Go away you old meanie!" One of children accompanying Rose shouted out at Grumman. Rose immediately pulled the child close to her, attempting to quiet the rambunctious child.

"I-I apologize Fuhrer." Rose said immediately, letting out a nervous laugh. "He's just a child and my lessons on how to properly address people haven't quite… Stuck yet."

"No need to apologize ma'am." Grumman said, holding out his hand to silence any further words from Rose. "Right now, I am not here as the Fuhrer. Please, treat me as you would any other person."

Wordlessly, Riza got up and walked over to Grumman before slapping him across the face and calmly sitting back down. As everyone stared at her incredulously, Riza shrugged. "What? He told us to treat him as we would any other person. That's the least of what I would do if anyone else tried pulling the kind of crap that he has. He's quite lucky that Roy convinced me not to bring my guns with me."

At this, everyone's heads but Ed's turned as one to look at Riza with shock on their faces. Riza Hawkeye? …UNARMED?

"Before we get too far off track, I'M holding the guns for her." Ed said, getting everyone's attention. "Now, what is it Grumman?"

"Hmph. Insolent child." Grumman said, sitting down on a nearby chair. "Well, to cut an old fool's rambling short, your words in the courtroom made some sense to me. During the Promised Day, we were all in great danger. We all took terrible risks. Riza risked her life to tell Roy about Pride. Roy fought against Homunculus, despite being blind. Ed, you fought against a being who could be compared to a god, bare handed no less! And even I had my share of danger to contend with, attempting to arrange the assassination of King Bradley. We all took terrible risks, but we all did it voluntarily." Here Grumman sighed and rubbed his head. "And I was a fool for going to such lengths to try to protect you, Riza, when you have proven multiple times over that you can take care of yourself."

Silenced reigned at Grumman's confession. A silence broken by Ed's scoff.

"So you were an old fool, we all get moments like that." Ed said, leaning forward a bit and gesturing at Mustang. "Hell, the bastard Colonel must make those kinds of mistakes five times a day. My question is, why didn't you just drop the restraining order and not bother with the deal?"

"You DO realize that I'm a Brigadier General now, don't you?" Roy asked tiredly. "Besides, you're such a pipsqueak that tiny insults like that barely register as a squeak to my ears."

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING A MICRO MIDGET SO TINY THAT A MICROBE COULD EAT ME AND STILL BE STARVING?!" Ed shouted out, earning a hearty chuckle from everyone, even a few of the children.

"Rose?" Asked one of the younger children, pulling on Rose's sleeve. "Why is the small guy yelling so loudly?"

At this, everyone braced for another Edward outburst. A few of them were mildly disappointed but majorly shocked when it didn't happen.

"Er… Edward doesn't like being called small." Rose said by way of explanation while a vein twitched on Edward's head.

Grumman cleared his throat. "Anyways, there was indeed a reason as to why I proposed a deal instead of just dropping the restraining order. I was not lying when I spoke of the events along the Drakman/Amestris border. But what I had omitted was that I intended to send Riza and Edward there all along. Again, it was for the reasons I stated. This way though, I make it look like I had a larger plan in play. And when the mission succeeds, like I have no doubt it will, public support will rise. Military support has been very low ever since the Promised Day, the public has been regarding us with distrust and even outright suspicion. Granted, they've had reason to because of the previous administration."

"But sir, even if military support will rise, your own abilities will be called into question because of your initial decision to separate Riza and Fullmetal." Roy pointed out.

"My popularity would have taken a hit no matter what the outcome of today." Grumman said. "The most I can do now is minimize the damage."

"Right…" Roy said, looking thoughtful.

"Well, what will you two do?" Rose asked Ed and Riza.

The pair looked at each other and sighed.

"I guess we have no choice." Riza said in resignation.

"Court is now back in session. Plaintiffs, have you considered the deal presented to you?" General Stinz asked.

"We have your honor." Riza said, looking the General dead in the eye.

"And your answer?" The General asked.

"We accept." The pair responded in unison.

"I'll give the two of you a week's leave to re-familiarize yourselves with each other's style before sending you out." Grumman said outside of the courthouse. "Meet me in my office a week from now, at first light."

"Sir!" Riza said, snapping into a salute.

"Whatever." Ed said, lazily holding his hand up.

"Ah, but before I leave, I do have a question for you Edward." Grumman said.

"What is it sir?" Ed asked.

"Why did you not get mad when that child the accompanied Ms. Thomas called you small?" Grumman asked, a smile creeping across his face.

Ed, somehow, managed to restrain his temper. "Because…" Ed said slowly, settling for glaring at the aged Fuhrer. "It was just a child making an observation. And not the bastard Colonel poking fun at me."

"Short." Roy not-quite-whispered to Rose.

"YOU WANT A PIECE OF ME YOU WET MATCHSTICK?!" Ed instantly roared out, causing Roy to whimper in depression at being called a wet matchstick. Or, in other words, useless.

"Riza." Rose said, stepping forward. "Is it ok if you and Ed resume your training tomorrow instead of today?"

"Um… Sure." Riza said, caught off-guard by Rose's request. "But can I ask why?"

"Simple!" Rose said with a smile before walking over to Ed, grabbing his shirt, and pulling him into a kiss. After she pulled back she smiled. "I want to get my claws in him before some girl in the military tries."

Everyone watched in amazement at the number of emotions that flickered across Ed's face, both at the kiss and Rose's declaration. Shock, which was understandable considering the sudden situation. Fear, which was again understandable as the closest thing to a relationship Edward had ever had was with a mechanic that had a short fuse and a penchant for throwing wrenches. Disbelief that a girl actually wanted to go out with him. And finally, nothing. Nothing because at that moment Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, hero of the people, fainted.

Hello folks! Happy to see me? This update was inspired by the fact that I watch way too many crime dramas. If I got any part of the actual court system wrong, oh well. I at least conveyed what I needed to convey. Thinking back, I think this is the first time that Riza's and Ed's ranks are actually mentioned. But, like I said with Roy, they've been through a lot of shit and EARNED those promotions. This will be a fairly minor part of the series. Rose got a bit bold toward the end there, huh? Next chapter will probably be dedicated to Ed and Rose because after this they'll be fighting and for obvious reasons Rose can't be involved with that. Speaking of chapters, and this may disappoint some of you, but updates for Golden Lightning WILL be slowing down. As to why, the answer is simple. I'm a writer. And not just of FMA fanfiction. I have a Naruto story on my author page that hasn't been touched for the better part of a year. I have several stories that I want to start, both fanfiction and original. I WILL continue this story, but I also WILL be writing other stories and that might impede progress. I will go ahead and thank you for your understanding. And now, review responses!

Lacila: See? They're not broken up. It was just a bit of a shove to get the plot started.

Fire From Above: As I said, next chapter will be focusing on Ed and Rose but after that I'll definitely put some more focus on the lightning alchemy.

ZakuroU: I'm glad that you liked my idea of there being an energy consumption ratio. This was inspired by the 2003 anime when, during the state alchemist exams, one man was disqaulified for using too much energy.

And that's almost all! Just two things left. Folks, quite frankly I'm beginning to run out of FMA stories to reccommend. I mean, I read plenty of FMA fanfiction, but a damn good portion of it is just one-shots. And I'm not sure how well ya'll will like those. So today, I ask all of YOU for a reccommendation. Please send me the names of any multi-chapter FMA story you think is good, whether in-progress or completed doesn't matter. Also please attatch the name of the author as well to make it easier to track down. And now, for my own reccommendation. Backfire by Dawnmoon76! It's a hilarious story about how Havoc and Breda keep trying to prank Ed and it backfires on them. As always, please review. Flamers, I dare you. Just try it. I await your toasty comments that I may roast my marshmallows on them.