Disclaimer: I don't own FMA… only Arturo and Mr. Momo…
Thicker than Rain
Chapter 8: Appreciation
"A father may turn his back on his child, brothers and sisters may become inveterate enemies, husbands may desert their wives, wives their husbands. But a mother's love endures through all."
~ Washington Irving
~O~O~O~O~O~
"Hurry up, Al! I wanna get this over with…"
"Coming, Brother!"
A short, blond State Alchemist ran towards the stairs of Central Headquarters with a large suit of armor following behind, each metal step clunking loudly against the concrete.
They made their way up the stairs and into the building, looking around each second.
"I wonder where the bastard Colonel is…" the shorter boy pondered aloud.
"I don't know, Brother… but you have to find him, right? You're supposed to report in-"
Ed cut him off with a wave of his hand,
"Yeah, yeah… I know, Al…" he muttered, "I'm just not looking forward to it…"
"Hello Fullmetal…"
Ed instantly turned around, clapping his hands together and transmuting his right arm into a blade.
"Trying to sneak up on me, bastard?" He snarled, turning around.
"B-brother, no!" Al protested.
Ed jumped and swung his arm around to strike his intended target, but he felt a pressure underneath his ankles, flipping him over and onto the floor.
"What the hell?" Ed asked, stunned for a moment as memories of his teacher flashed through his mind.
He looked up to see… not the Bastard Colonel… but rather someone who looked eerily like him.
"Who are you?" the young alchemist questioned, "And how do you know me?"
The man laughed, before coughing.
When he regained himself, he broke into a distinctly Mustang-like smirk.
"I'm Lieutenant General Arturo Ligue… the Blue-Lightning Alchemist." Arturo said, reaching a hand out to help Ed back up, "Not only have I heard of the famed 'Alchemist of the People', but I know all the State Alchemists... being a 'higher-up' and all."
Ed gave a dumbfounded nod as he levered himself back up onto his feet.
"Oh…" he said finally, "Sorry about earlier then…I thought you were Mustang."
Arturo laughed again,
"You were looking for my cousin?" he asked, looking amused, "I wouldn't blame you for going after him… Actually, he's in his office right now. I was just going to add more misery to his day anyway, so I guess I'll tag along with you boys."
Al gave a sigh as he spotted his brother break into a grin.
Ed tapped against his brother's metal chest.
"I think I like this guy already, Al." he said.
Al only sighed again.
They never learn…
~O~O~O~O~O~
"Is it the end of the week yet, Lieutenant?" Roy asked, resting his forehead on the edge of his desk.
Hawkeye gave a sigh, shaking her head.
"I'm sorry, not yet, Sir," she replied, "You still have four days left…"
Roy gave a groan... and lifted his head up to look at the clock.
It was still pretty early in the morning… but Arturo was late.
Hopefully the bastard won't show up.
A knocking at the door broke into his thoughts and he instantly glanced at Hawkeye, tempted to tell her not to answer it.
Unfortunately, Hawkeye wasn't a mind-reader and she opened the door.
"Hey Mustang!"
It was Ed… Roy nearly jumped with joy at the sight of the young Elric brothers.
"Ah… the Shrimp Brigade is finally in town! What a sight for sore eyes!" He said.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT, HE'D FIT INTO A COCKTAIL?" He snapped.
Hawkeye mentally face-palmed, but didn't say anything.
Roy just smirked at the younger alchemist.
"So, what are you here for, Fullmetal?" he asked, leaning forward in his chair, his elbows on the desk.
Ed fumed,
"You know exactly why I'm here!" the Alchemist barked fiercely, "You summoned me two days ago!"
Roy chuckled, putting a finger to his chin,
"Ah… that's right… I have a very important mission for you boys…" He said.
Ed looked at the Colonel, crossing his arms over his chest.
"What kind of mission?" he asked.
Roy broke into a smirk,
"I want you to take care of my cousin for the day." He stated, "Y'know… keeping him away from me…"
Ed looked dumbfounded,
"Are you serious? You really are an ass." the young alchemist answered.
"Brother!" Al argued.
"But…" Ed continued raising a finger into the air, "If you agree to owe me one… I suppose I could make an exception."
A dark, ominous grin lined the face of the Fullmetal Alchemist. Roy squirmed uncomfortably in his seat, but as he ignored the look of disbelief on Hawkeye's face, he agreed.
Ed reached over the desk and shook the Colonel's hand.
"Okay, Fullmetal, when my cousin arrives, you just take him away from my office. I don't care where you take him… just get him away from me." He said, "Now go on… You can't miss him: he's a tall man with hair like a skunk."
"Oh… you mean that guy?" Ed asked, pointing a thumb behind his brother, "We met him before."
Roy stiffened and fearfully looked up fully to see Arturo standing in the doorway.
Arturo smirked,
"Yeah, and I told them all about you…" he said.
Roy stood up quickly, sending his chair fly backwards.
"YOU DID WHAT?" The Colonel yelled hysterically.
Arturo and Ed laughed.
"Nah, don't worry little Popcorn Colonel…" the Lieutenant General said, "I didn't say anything. I just wanted to see how you would react."
Another dark smile lined Ed's face as the perfect idea popped into his head.
"But now that you mention it… could you tell us all about the Colonel?" he asked innocently.
Roy gave his cousin a death glare, but Arturo seemed to shrug it off.
"Perhaps later, Fullmetal… Anyway, I guess I'll see you later, Roy."
Roy, once again, looked defeated.
He sputtered several inaudible things that were supposed to be words, but they left.
Hawkeye glanced at the door, then back at the Colonel, and she put a hand on his shoulder.
"Its okay, Sir." She said, "It'll be okay…"
~O~O~O~O~O~
"So… you're supposed to watch me?" Arturo asked, with a grin, "I thought it would be backwards… but you know Roy…"
The young alchemist chuckled, returning the Lieutenant General's grin with his own.
"Yeah… Colonel Ass is being stupid again. I don't get why he wants us to have this mission… What did you do to him anyway?" Ed asked, "I mean, he doesn't even want to have me out of his sight… he sent for me! You HAVE to tell me your secret to get Mustang off my back!"
The suit of armor gave Ed a sharp glance,
"Ed! That's not a nice thing to say… especially when you're talking to someone who's related to the Colonel!" he said in a child-like voice.
"But, Al! If I can get the Colonel off my back forever..." Ed started.
"ED!"
Arturo laughed,
"Don't fight, you two… You're brothers, right?" he asked.
The pair nodded,
"Uh-huh!" they chorused.
"You're lucky." He said, "I can see that you two have a strong bond with each other… always supporting each other…"
His voice trailed off as though he were recalling something or someone from the past.
As silence began settling in, Al glanced at his brother, then turned his attention back to the Lieutenant General.
"Uh… Sir... are you okay?" the younger boy asked nervously.
Arturo shook his head, throwing his past thoughts away.
"Of course I am… I just noticed that we hadn't been formally introduced." He said as he reached out a hand for a firm, friendly handshake, "I know you, Edward… but who's your brother?"
The suit of armor piped up and grabbed Arturo's hand.
"I'm Alphonse Elric! But you can call me Al! " He said cheerfully, "It's nice to meet you, Sir!"
Arturo beamed,
"You two seem like pretty smart boys." He said.
It makes me wonder why you decided to get pulled into the military…
"And Ed… I saw you when you came for your State Alchemy exam. Your performance was…phenomenal. I'd never seen anything like it."
Ed visibly winced,
"Yeah… I get that a lot from the other alchemists." He mumbled
Al looked at his brother and then spoke up.
"But what about your research… did you discover it yourself, or were you taught it, like the Colonel?" the younger brother asked, trying to change the subject.
Arturo's chest puffed out with pride,
"I developed it myself when I was about your age." He said, "Blue-Lightning Alchemy…"
He gave a snap of his fingers and wisps of lightning swirled around him like spun sugar.
"Ooh…" the boys said in unison as the blue light faded.
"Is it anything like the Colonel's alchemy?" Al inquired as the Elric love of alchemy starting to emerge in the brothers' eyes.
"Not quite…" Arturo said, "It's very similar, but not exact… True, Roy and I both have developed gloves with transmutation circles, but Roy's is used to control the oxygen level in the air, while mine change the charges of the atoms in the air so static electricity can be made."
Ed nodded,
"It makes sense." He said.
Arturo grinned,
"I'm glad you think so." He said with a smirk, "But all of that aside… how about we head to the library or get something to eat… I'm starving."
Ed grinned,
"I like your thinking!" he said, as they went to the local café.
Arturo grinned.
All day, he watched the boys and he couldn't help but grow fond of them. There was something about them that just made him smile and recall the old days of his own childhood… before everything fell apart at his feet.
As they headed back to the hotel, the Lieutenant General coughed violently into his bicep causing the brothers look at him with concern.
"Hey, General… Are you feeling all right?"
Arturo looked up,
"I'm fine, boys… I'm fine…" He said, looking at them, "Are you two always this high-strung?"
"What do you mean high-strung?" Ed asked, suddenly glaring at the Lieutenant General, "That wasn't any ordinary cough..."
Arturo stiffened visibly, "It's nothing that you should be concerning yourselves with… I've always been sick…" he said, "You can just ask Roy…"
Ed scoffed, "I may be no expert, but I know a bit about medicine from a friend…" He said, "And that's no cold… You're not here to do a check of Central, are you?"
Arturo looked up at the Elric with dilated eyes.
"That's RIDICULOUS!" he snapped defensively.
No matter how much he denied it, these were smart kids that caught on fast, and his secret would be let out eventually.
He looked up at the sky then back to the determined Elrics and gave a deep sigh.
"Fine…" Arturo muttered, knowing full well that he'd been defeated, "You're right… I'm not here to check Central…."
Ed gave a satisfied smirk.
"I knew it!"
"BUT… the reason I'm here is much more important than any check I have to do…" Arturo said, cutting off the younger alchemist.
Ed didn't hear his words, but was rather lost in his own tiny victory against someone who at least resembled the Colonel, but a sharp nudge in the ribs from his younger sibling broke him out of it.
"Well, what could that be, Sir?" Alphonse inquired, glancing sternly at Ed.
The Lieutenant General paused as he took a few moments to gather himself.
"Boys… you are not to tell Roy of this…" he started off, picking out every one of his words carefully, as though it were in his own alchemical code.
The two Elrics nodded in unison, but a shadow of a blank understanding filled their features.
"Of course!" Alphonse said, "But shouldn't the Colonel be aware of everything that goes on around Central?"
Arturo straightened himself out and towered over the pair.
"He's NOT to know!" The General growled, "I'll tell him when the time is right."
"Well, if it's so important…" Ed muttered, growing impatient, "What is it?"
He winced as he said it, and clenched his hands into fists as though he had been stung.
"I have Lung Cancer."
Ed and Al looked at him completely dumbfounded.
"W-wait… what?" Ed asked, not believing what he had just heard.
Turning his back to the younger alchemists he gave a shaky sigh.
"I have lung cancer… I'm dying." Arturo repeated, feeling his eyes glaze over slowly.
Ed looked from his brother to the seemingly wounded Lieutenant General and gave a nervous laugh.
"Hey… if you keep joking like that, I'm going to start realizing why the Colonel hates you so much." He said, trying to keep his denial in check.
Alphonse nudged his brother once again.
"Nii-san… I don't think he was joking…" he pointed out, "No one would joke about something like that… Right, Sir?"
There were no further answers from the Lieutenant General, but rather the rush of a breeze and the chattering of passerby were the only things heard around them.
They stood awkwardly for several, pain-staking seconds, before the Lieutenant General turned back to face them.
His expression seemed cheerful once again… all previous conversation forgotten.
"I hope you boys stay safe." He said smiling, "I also hope you keep coming back to Central to keep Little Roy in check."
The boys just gave another set of puzzled nods as the Lieutenant General walked down the street coughing as he went.
They watched him go for another few seconds before exchanging panicked glances and running after him.
"ARTURO!"
The Lieutenant General hesitated looking back, and seeing the boys running in his direction, he went to the side of the road.
After taking a quick glance both ways, he jumped into the way of an oncoming trolley.
Al gave a horrorified shriek as Ed lunged forward to grab the man's uniform jacket but failing miserably by a few yards.
"SIR! SUICIDE ISN'T THE WAY! YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE DOING! WE CAN TALK THIS OUT!" Al screamed.
But the brothers could only look on as the trolley came closer almost colliding with the tall man.
However, in a split second, Arturo took a step to the right, reached out his left hand grabbing the pole of the trolley and swinging himself onto the platform in a swift, coordinated movement.
He then waved as the trolley passed by and he was gone without another word.
Ed and Al stood… once again dumbfounded.
"B-brother… what just happened?" Al asked, his eyes fixed on the spot of road where the General had stood only seconds before.
Ed's eyes were as focused as his brother's.
"I don't know Al… I really don't know…"
The moment slowly sank in, and Ed, without warning kicked the ground hard with his left leg.
"Dammit!"
Alphonse jumped, startled.
"What is it, Nii-san?" he questioned, unsure of what brought on the sudden burst of anger.
"I just realized something… All adults are crazy, Al… All of them! I don't understand it! I mean, he IS like the Colonel!" Ed muttered.
Al just shook his armored head,
"Ed, I knew one day you were going to drive a man to his death…" Alphonse scolded.
Ed gave him a keen glare,
"Fine Al… Fine… y'know what… just kill me when I turn 18… that will solve everything…"
"No Nii-san! I could never do that! Besides, then there'd be no one to kill me!" Alphonse said with wide eyes.
Ed suddenly grinned with amusement,
"I love you, Al…" he said chuckling.
"I know, Brother… I know… I'm just adorable." Alphonse answered as the pair headed back to their hotel.
"Yes you are, Al…yes you are."
~O~O~O~O~O~
A few blocks down the road the trolley stopped, and Arturo gave the man several cenz, getting off in front of the tavern.
Looking up, the Lieutenant General couldn't help but snort with a degree of dark amusement.
"God… I never thought I'd end up here again…"
Pushing down the handle of the door, he slowly walked in, almost wanting his presence to go unnoticed… but his uniform and the bell on the door gave him away.
Several girls looked in his direction, most of them with wary eyes.
He knew most of them, having dated each one of them at least once… but he wasn't expecting such a cold welcome…
Glancing around, he spotted a beautiful, brown-haired girl about Roy's age approaching him and he smiled.
She had dated both him and Roy, but she liked Roy more… though he'd never admit it.
"Arturo… what are you doing here?" she questioned in a harsh whisper, "I thought you said that you were never coming back."
Arturo just gave her a charming smirk.
"I have business here with the Madame, Vanessa." He stated, "Besides, I wanted to see you girls again."
He took another glance around the tavern at the girls, who now resembled frightened cats more than anything.
Taking several steps forward, Vanessa blocked his way once again.
"Arturo… don't do this to her… the Madame doesn't need any more of your trouble… She still hasn't gotten over your betrayal." Vanessa pleaded, "She doesn't need this burden."
Arturo just shrugged it off, "Burden or not, I'm going to see her." He said, "But perhaps later we can have an argument… just like old times, eh 'Nessa?"
After a moment of stunned silence, the brunette pushed him away angrily, "You're still the selfish bastard that we remember you to be!" she shouted, "You only think about yourself and your own career! I won't let you in! Not after you just barge in here like a-!"
"Let the boy in, Vanessa… we need all the customers we can get in these hard times…"
A husky woman with ornate jewelery and a black dress emerged from the back room; a cigarette hung casually from her lips.
Arturo smirked at the sight of the familiar face.
"Hello Madame… long time no see." He greeted, taking a seat at the bar.
"I could say the same thing… General…" she retorted, "So… what'll it be?"
"Just a simple conversation would be fine… y'know, for old time's sake." Arturo answered calmly.
Inside, his thoughts were a raging torrent and as he looked into his 'mother's' eyes, he felt like a child again.
The Madame adjusted herself as she leaned her elbow on the rough wood of the bar.
"All right, Artie…" She said almost coldly, "But let's go in the back to talk…"
Arturo nodded, but broke into a nervous smirk.
"Okay… but usually I don't go for older women." he joked.
Gathering up his nerve, she led him up the stairs as memories flooded back to him in crashing waves.
When they reached the back room, she motioned him into a large chair, while she herself sat next to the fireplace.
The General couldn't find anything to say for several minutes, but only watched silently as she lit up a cigarette.
More seconds passed by and the pair just sat there. Arturo glanced around the room, trying to keep away from his adoptive mother's gaze, as she stared right at him, taking in the distant features of her prodigal son.
The smoke of her cigarette slowly permeated the room and Arturo coughed violently.
"Those aren't good for you, y'know." He pointed out, his eyes tearing slightly and blood misting the palm of his hand.
Her eyes met his and a grim smile crawled across her face.
"As if you never inhaled smoke before…" she drawled, "And as your mother, I know you have."
Arturo gave a deep sigh,
"That was a long time ago, Madame…" he reminded, "Times were different then."
The Madame's smile remained on her face, but softened drastically.
"Yes, and you were a cute kid… what ever happened to that version of you? You've gotten so scruffy… don't you ever shave?" she questioned, "I've always told you that unshaved men were always of the bad sort."
Arturo rolled his eyes,
"That's not important." The Lieutenant General pointed out, "I'm here for different reasons, not to be hassled. I'm a grown man now anyway."
Madame Christmas leaned forward in her chair,
"Then why are you here?" she inquired, "You haven't yet answered that question."
Again, Arturo felt like he had been stung and beads of sweat dotted his forehead and palms.
"That's the hardest part… but I guess it's not something I can easily hide… after all, you always knew what I was up to." He said.
"Stop stalling… I know you've gotten yourself into some kind of trouble. Just spit it out already; you're starting to stammer like a fool." The Madame said.
Gripping the arms of the chair, he stood up and went to face the fireplace, just staring intot he smoldering flames.
"I guess it is true that a son can't just visit his mother…adopted or not…" he started out, "But I don't have a long time for me to tell you this…"
She examined him, urging him on with her narrowed eyes.
"Go on…"
"I came to say goodbye… but for good this time… I will never be coming back." He said, turning around, "But you always expected it to be that way… didn't you? Even after the war…you knew…"
Madame Christmas gave a puff of her cigarette and blew a toxic cloud in the opposite direction.
"Yes… I knew…" she said distantly, "I started feeling it after the war… one of my boys was going to leave me… but out of the two, I knew it was going to be you."
Arturo gave a nod of understanding, still staring into the flames.
"So, I guess I have nothing to worry about, huh?" he asked, "since it's no surprise and what not…"
He took a shaky, laughing breath as his eyes glazed.
"Well… well Madame… Mom… I have lung cancer." He said, "And I'm dying."
She gave a sigh,
"I know… I know, Artie." She said, still sitting in the chair watching him.
He looked at her, shocked.
"You just seem to know everything, don't you?" he snapped, "Well, if you know that, you obviously know that Ishbal was my fault, as was ruining Roy's life! All of it was my fault! It's my fault that so many people were killed; both alchemists and non…"
He stared at his hands, and watched in horror as the blood slowly dripped down from his fingers.
It was only at this point that she stood up and, with a firm hand, slapped him across the face.
The Lieutenant General stumbled and fell backwards so he found himself in a sitting position on the carpeting.
"I knew I had it coming…" he said shamefully.
She didn't respond, but rather knelt down and pulled him into an embrace.
"You idiot…" she said, stroking his hair quietly.
Arturo relaxed in her embrace, leaning towards her and trying to keep his coughs and tears in check.
"I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…" he whimpered, "So sorry…"
Once again Arturo was greeted with a sharp strike to the back of his head.
"What the hell was that for?" he asked, caught off guard once again.
Madame Christmas didn't respond, but had stood up reaching a hand out to her adopted son.
"Come on; get up and I'll pour you a drink downstairs." She said.
Arturo blinked puzzled for a moment, but took her hand and stood up.
Once he was back on his feet, she turned to begin walking towards the stairs, but Arturo grabbed her shoulder gently stopping her.
She glanced back to look at him.
"What is it, Artie?" she asked.
Arturo swallowed,
"A-about my last name…" he started.
But the Madame cut him off.
"I already know…" she said, "Roy-boy is just an idiot."
She then continued down the stairs.
Arturo tilted his head like a confused puppy, but continued following at her heels.
"Another thing…" he said as he walked behind her, "How did you know about my…condition?"
Madame Christmas turned to face him fully at this moment as she reached the bottom of the stairs.
"I had Lieutenant General Grumman send me your medical records." She stated nonchalantly, "After all, I have to keep an eye out for my boys."
Arturo was once again stunned, but as she headed out to the bar, he took a seat, a smirk lining his face.
Nothing about her surprised him anymore.
The bell rang again and all in the bar turned to see Roy walk in.
The girls flocked him and at first he didn't notice… but the military uniform and the skunk-like hair caught his eye.
"What is that BASTARD doing here?" he snarled.
Madame Christmas gave the Colonel a sharp look, but Arturo just raised his hand and put his cenz on the bar.
"It's okay… I was just leaving." He said smirking, as he then glanced at Roy.
She looked briefly concerned, but as Arturo was walking out the door, he hesitated at the sound of her voice.
"Artie, I just wanna tell you…. Before you leave, don't let the door hit you on the way out." She said, looking at him.
Arturo turned to his adoptive mother, gave a nod.
"Of course, Mom." He said as he shut the door behind quietly behind him.