UNDERCOVER
Hey, this is me again. Sorry that this chapter took so long to update. I finished this chapter a long time ago, but forgot to post it. Also, did you know that I have this whole story already planned out? But it's hard to write, for some reason. Anyways, I noticed that in my other chapters I didn't put that many descriptions, so I decided to make up for it in this chapter. Tell me if it's better or not, 'kay?
madwriterontheloose
Insert Standard Disclaimer Here
Chapter 3: Mouse
The train whistle let out a shrill whistle, signaling its departure. The train station was empty, until, that is, three figures burst through the doors. They were miserably late. They started running after the train, until finally, the largest one grabbed both of his companions and flung them towards the train. They grabbed on to the railing on the backside of the train, and pulled themselves over it. After them came the luggage. Then the large man took a flying leap, and landed on the train with a loud thump. They all slid into the nearest compartment.
"Woooo…" Roy sighed, "I'm never doing that again."
"Never do what?" A girl's voice asked. Roy jumped. He hadn't noticed that they had company. Sitting comfortably on one of the seats was a teenage girl, approximately 15 years old. She had brown hair that went a little below her shoulders, and lively green eyes. She seemed to like the color green, because she was wearing a light green shirt, and darker green pants. She stared openly as Roy, Hawkeye, and Armstrong took their seats.
"We were late for the train," Roy explained. They had worn civilian clothes for the trip, with their 'costumes' underneath. Hawkeye looked around.
"There aren't many people headed to Reole," she commented casually. The girl nodded.
"Probably because of the revolt," she said matter-of-factly.
"What's your name, kid," Roy asked suspiciously, "and where are your parents?"
"Dead," the girl commented offhandedly, "and you have to tell me your names before I tell you mine!" She stuck her tongue out at them childishly. Roy sighed. She was so immature. It kind of reminds me of a certain chibi-chan… he thought teasingly, imagining Ed yelling at him for it.
"Fine," Roy began, "I'm Roy."
"Riza." Hawkeye stated.
"Alex!" Armstrong boomed. The girl flinched.
"You have a loud voice," she commented, "My name's Mouse."
"Mouse?" Hawkeye asked, confused, "What kind of parent would name their child Mouse?"
"My kind," Mouse replied simply, cutting off further inquiry. Roy coughed.
"All introductions aside, what are you doing headed to Reole by yourself?'
"Yes!" Armstrong shouted, "What is a child such as yourself doing going to a dangerous place like Reole!?"
"You're going," Mouse pointed out. Armstrong's chest swelled proudly, and Hawkeye sighed. Here it comes… She thought.
"But there's no need to worry! My beautiful muscles shall protect us! AHAHAHAHA!" Roy sweatdropped. I can easily imagine some evil villain laughing like that, he reflected, Scary…
"Wow!" Mouse smiled up at Armstrong, "Alex, you really do have some big muscles!" Roy almost fell over in shock. Oh…My…God…he thought. Well, if I believed in god, that's probably what I'd be saying. Armstrong was just ranting about his muscles, and this girl just gave him a genuine smile! It's official. She's an alien. Maybe Sheska was actually right about that whole 'invaders from space' thing…
"Si-Roy, shouldn't we be asking her why she's headed to Reole?" Hawkeye asked, annoyed at her superior for getting distracted so easily. Sheesh… sometimes Roy could act really dumb, although in actuality, he was pretty intelligent.
"Ah. Yes." Roy said, coming back to Earth. "Why are you headed to Reole?"
"Simple," Mouse stated, swinging her legs back and forth. "I live there. I was just going on a little trip.
"Then why go back?" Roy asked, "You said yourself that your parents are dead, and Reole is a dangerous place."
"A very important person is waiting for me over there," she said mysteriously, "And plus it's for the King."Roy, Hawkeye, and Armstrong exchanged swift glances.
"The King?" Hawkeye asked.
"Yep!" she grinned, "You're going to Reole because of the King, too, right?"
"Eh?" Roy replied intelligently. Did she mean King Bradley? Mouse laughed at him.
"You're surprised I figured it out, right?" she began, "But it was pretty obvious. I mean, you sure don't act like normal people-"
"Hey!" Roy cried indignantly.
"-and nobody goes to Reole anymore," she continued, as if she hadn't heard him.
"Well, you aren't all that normal yourself," Roy pouted. Hawkeye let out a long suffering sigh.
"Si-Roy, stop acting so childish," She reprimanded.
"Fine!" Roy snapped, "Well, we are going to Reole because of the King." If Hawkeye hadn't been so composed, she would have hit her head in frustration. Roy was taking a serious gamble.
"I knew it!" Mouse clenched her fist in triumph. "Oh Yeah! Who's a genius!" She did a little happy dance. Armstrong watched as Roy and Hawkeye stared in disbelief. Who was this girl?
"You are a very talented dancer," Armstrong complimented. Roy's mouth dropped open in. Did he just say what I thought he said? Roy thought incredulously.
"Thanks!" Mouse beamed. Finally, the train stopped.
"Everyone for Reole, Out!" the conductor shouted. Mouse followed them out, carrying the rather small bag that was her luggage.
"You guy's probably don't know where the Reole base is," Mouse said, "So I'll show you!"
"Thank you!" they said simultaneously.
"Whoa. Chorus," Mouse said, "Cool." She grinned. Finally, after taking a route Hawkeye had carefully memorized, they turned into a dirty alleyway. After stepping through gunk and garbage, Roy had taken off the extra layer of clothes, revealing the other ones underneath. He was absolutely sweltering in the heat, even though the sun was about to set, and he knew that behind him Hawkeye and Armstrong had done the same.
Suddenly Mouse stopped. They had reached the end of the alley. She tapped the wall, apparently checking for something, then called out in a soft voice to a deceivingly normal chunk of rock protruding from the wall.
"Ralf? Are you there? I know you have guard duty right now. It's me, Mouse. I'm back from Central."
"Password?" A male and surprisingly young voice asked, crackling through a speaker hidden in the rock
"5278341," Mouse stated. There was a creaking sound, and a piece of the wall opened up. Mouse walked confidently in, while Roy, Hawkeye, and Armstrong hesitated. Finally, they stepped in, the darkness seemingly swallowing them up. Then the door closed, separating them from the outside world, with no trace of its existence visible.
At first it had seemed as if their surroundings were pitch black, after the brightness outside. It was also slightly chilly, but not unpleasantly so. They went closer to each other unconsciously. But then their eyes adjusted, and they realized that there were lamps on the sides of the tunnel, giving a soft glow, and that Mouse was already ahead of them. She beckoned them forward, apparently impatient.
"Come on, guys!" she called, breaking the silence. "Ralf's waiting for us!" They hurried on, catching up with Mouse. She practically skipped beside them.
"You seem happy," Roy commented dryly.
"Well of course I am!" she exclaimed, "I've only been gone for three months, but it feels like forever! And plus, I get to see Ralf again! He was the friend I was talking about. I've known him since I was this small," she indicated an area near her waist. As she continued to talk, they reached the end of the tunnel.
"Took you long enough," a voice teased, "And here I thought you'd hurry to see me." Standing before them was a boy that had spiky blond hair, with blue eyes. He also wore a black headband, a blue shirt, and black shorts. Mouse bounced up and down indignantly.
"Is it my fault these guys were slowpokes?!" Ralf blinked.
"Oh." He said, apparently just noticing them, "Who are they?" Mouse turned towards them, then stopped.
"Hey, where'd you get the new clothes?" she looked confused for a moment, then brightened. "Oh, you felt like changing because you wanted to impress the King!" Hawkeye had long concluded that Mouse wasn't talking about King Bradley. But she had also decided that this new king was worth investigating. He had a fair chance of being involved with the whole gang fiasco.
"Yeah," Roy said, thinking along the same lines.
"You know, you didn't have to," Mouse pointed out, "You could have just worn normal clothes."
"WHAT!" Roy bellowed. Mouse laughed, and Ralf looked annoyed.
"Who are you guys again?" he asked icily. Mouse looked apologetic.
"Well, the big guy's Alex, the other one is Roy, and that's Riza," she explained.
"Why do those names sound sort of familiar?" Ralf mused. Roy was still not over the whole clothes thing.
"You mean we didn't even have to dress in these ridiculous clothes?" he muttered over and over. Hawkeye sighed. She was sure it was getting late, and Roy's actions were making her understandably tired.
"Mouse," she said, catching the other girl's attention, "Can you show us where we will be staying?"
"Oh! Sure!" Mouse rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "I didn't realize. Sorry."
"No worries!" Armstrong boomed, "A man as strong as I should have no problems staying awake!" But the others had already left, leaving him to talk to himself like he belonged in a mental institution- although, actually, a few of his acquaintances probably believed that statement whole heartedly. Armstrong wearily sighed, running after them.
The tunnel led to a cluster of huts. A lot of people were around, from teenagers to adults, wearing an assortment of clothes. At first they glanced at them hostilely, but it soon turned to curiosity as they recognized Ralf and Mouse. As they walked through, some people smiled and waved.
"Welcome back, Mouse!"
"How was Central?!"
"Did you bring us a souvenir?"
"You're well-known," Hawkeye noted. Mouse turned bright red and rubbed the back of her head sheepishly.
"Yeah, well, I help out a lot!" she answered awkwardly. Hawkeye inferred that it would be a good idea to change the subject. Roy was still muttering about the whole clothes thing, and Armstrong was sulking.
"How did you open the door from here?" she addressed Ralf. Now he flushed, and stuttered embarrassedly.
"I don't really know," he muttered, "I just pull a lever, and the door opens."
"That's okay," Hawkeye reassured him hastily, "I didn't expect you to tell me everything. Where are we going?"
"Just a little ways from here. We live in Areas, and Mouse stays at Area B."
"Aren't the huts we just past homes?"
"No, they're for storage. For weapons and stuff. Didn't the base you come from have storage huts?"
"Yes," Hawkeye lied, "They do, but they look different."
"Oh. Which base did you come from?"
"East City," Hawkeye replied, desperately hoping there actually was a base in there.
"East City? That's far away," Ralf commented, blissfully ignorant. They stopped in front of a door in the wall, probably leading to their rooms. A boy stood guard in front, holding a spear. He was a nervous fellow, with black hair and green eyes.
"Keath!" Mouse beamed. "You're the guard here?"
"We have guards positioned almost everywhere," Ralf explained, "Just in case."
"Yeah," Keath smiled nervously back, "Welcome home, Mouse."
"Thanks!"
"Behind this door is a hallway leading to other rooms, which will be our sleeping quarters." Ralf continued.
"Did you get Hikari to notice you yet?" Mouse teased, "Or are you still to shy?" Keath's face turned bright red.
"Well… Uh…" Laughing, Mouse walked pass Keath through the door, the others following.
"Are you sure he's capable?" Hawkeye asked.
"Keath is actually really skilled," Mouse answered, "He's normally timid and gets embarrassed easily, but when he's in a bad mood, it's kind of scary." Mouse then walked to what Hawkeye assumed was her room, disappearing inside. Ralf went the other direction to a room of his own. Armstrong claimed one as well, still sulking. Hawkeye was about to go in another, when Roy interrupted her. He seemed to have gotten over his silent tantrum. Probably because no one was paying attention to him, Hawkeye thought. But she kept silent, waiting for him to speak.
"After much thought and serious contemplation," he began, "I've finally discovered a good side to this whole costume fiasco."
"What?" Hawkeye asked, amused.
"At least Armstrong can't rip his shirt off anymore!" And he laughed.
Chapter Three-End
Does anyone read these? Nevermind. Okay, by now, everyone should know the King Mouse was talking about is a different one. Well, I know I shouldn't have, but I drew a picture of what I thought he might look like. It'shttp://www. deviantart. com/ deviation / 47495184/, just copy and paste it. Remember to take out the spaces. I was originally going to show you a picture of Mouse and Ralf that I drew, but it wouldn't upload. Also, can anyone tell me how to change the avatar on deviantart, because I can't get exactly 50x50 using Paint. Thanks!
Madwriterontheloose
Next Chapter
Hawkeye has to spend time with Mouse! Mouse seems determined to make Hawkeye lighten up, no matter what! And they meet the Hikari, the girl Keath has a huge crush on! Find out what happens in the next chapter, Just Another Normal Day.
