A.N. This chapter is a lot shorter, but oh well. Another one will be posted soon enough.
Disclaimer: Nope. Not mine. Just borrowing for a while. I promise I'll put it back.
"Well, are you coming or not?"
Ed smiled at Breda's blatant disregard for proper protocol, and dashed through the remains to the open air. Mustang and Havoc pursued at a more sedate, and blasé, rate, pausing to ruffle Fuery's hair. Al waited for Hawkeye to get to her feet and help Maes to stand. Staggering from exhaustion and Mae's weight, she stumbled into a chimera who was not entirely disabled. Reflexively it attacked her, and she screamed in pain as its claws slashed her chest, blood blossoming immediately from the deep gash.
Al gasped, when he glanced back to find the Lieutenant missing. He desperately searched around him and found Maes lying on a pile of bodies. Hawkeye was beneath, bleeding voraciously, and unconscious again. Fuery who, surprisingly, had stayed back, rushed to help Al, and managed to heave Maes to the surface. As carefully as possible, Al lifted Hawkeye up and carried her gently to the surface, trying to avoid jolting her to reduce the pain as best he could, for he was worried about the trail of blood she was leaving down the tunnel.
Fuery passed Hughes over to Falman and Breda, who helped him sit against the alleyway wall rather than fall over. Hayate darted through the legs of military people to reach the underground entrance. He whined, then started barking frantically. Ed, Mustang, Havoc, and Fuery turned to see what was upsetting the dog; the others too busy tending Hughes' mangled arm to pay attention. Ed's face lit with relief as his brother emerged unscathed (which was easier for Al than those with normal bodies) and all limbs apparent. Then they saw whom he had in his arms.
Mustang's vision waivered. Hawkeye was absolutely dripping blood, it was running down Al's armor and pooling at his feet. Disbelievingly, he hissed through his clenched teeth, as Al placed Hawkeye down next to Hughes. Damnit. Mustang thought, not Hawkeye. The lieutenant. Not Riza. God… he would…he… clenching his teeth, Mustang whirled away from the sight of Hawkeye, so pale and blood drenched. A faint growling and dimly glowing eyes caught his attention and in fury he violently flung his finger towards the tunnel, sparking an instant inferno underground. Bolt after bolt followed until Mustang had calmed down enough to face her...his team again.
Ed was watching him, trying to hide his impressed expression behind a scowl. Al was cowering against the back wall, and Fuery was slowly edging away. Havoc's eyes were closed, and he was paying little attention to his superior. He was holding his ribs as Falman tried to brace them with their limited medical supplies. Maes was unconscious again, bloods seeping through his makeshift bandages. Then the body next to Maes' shifted and Mustang's eyes shot to Hawkeye as she regained consciousness. The Lieutenant tried to sit up, and bit back a scream. Mustang stepped over to her and held her under her arm, lowering her gently back to the ground. "Hold on. Don't stand up. You're losing too much blood." Hawkeye tilted her head back to look at him with blurry eyes that slowly filtered back to their original, warm, amber color. She was alert, but slightly hazy from the pain. Still kneeling next to his Lieutenant, Mustang called Fuery over, who blanched when Mustang pulled off Hawkeye's uniform jacket, reveling the shredded shirt and skin underneath.
"We need to stanch the bleeding" Mustang muttered almost incoherently from the effort of hiding his anguish at the Lt.'s ugly wound. "Come on Hawkeye, can you sit up a little straighter?" he asked, grasping her under the arms and pulling her up. She gasped, but didn't say a word. Gently as he could Mustang wrapped the bandages he'd acquired from Fuery around first her chest, then, after tearing it and tying it off, he wrapped the remainder around her head. She sighed in relief as the pressure of the bandages stemmed the blood flow and dulled the pain minutely, slumping against the dirty wall. Fuery moved back to check on Havoc and, thinking that Hawkeye was out again, Mustang reached for her cold, callused hand.
Footsteps approached them, and Mustang dropped her hand as if it was contaminated. He stood and turned, issuing orders even before he was fully on his feet. "We need to get an ambulance for these three and Ed probably needs medical attention too. I'm going to find a phone."
Falman nodded, then his eyes widened and he tried to step around Mustang. "Lieutenant, please. Don't move. We're trying to find you help."
Mustang strode to the entrance of the alleyway, leaving Falman to battle with the irate Hawkeye. He needed to find the nearest phone, and call an old friend from Ishbal, someone who could treat his subordinates with complaints, but no questions. Another set of uneven footsteps could be heard following him and he turned to glare at Hawkeye limping after him.
"What on earth do you think you are doing? You're in no condition to be trailing after me." He was confronted in turn with Hawkeye's much more ferocious glare, and she icily retorted, " I don't negotiated with fools, Sir." Before stalking out of the alley. Ed, Al, Fuery, Falman, Breda, Havoc, and Hughes stared at each other, then simultaneously turned expectantly to the Colonel. After a moment of indecision, he chased Hawkeye, trying to catch up with her before she collapsed from exhaustion she was denying.
The newly conscious Hughes chuckled. "He's always chasing after her. Maybe he'll finally catch up this time."
Author's Note: So, it didn't really seem accurate to have Mustang leave with out his best friend and his lieutenant, but whatever. This is fictional and it kinda just worked out his way. Mustang had already pulled her out of the way enough times, and Al was the only character who really cares for people enough to wait for them. Not to mention the fighting styles/wounds aren't particularly accurate or believable/consistent, but oh well. I did the best I could. I am also having issues with realistic wounds and endurance levels. I don't think its too believable but hey- there's monsters and alchemy. Not particularly believable either.
We're down to the last update. Ack! Thanks for staying with me, people.