A/N: hello there everyone! thank u for ur time to read and review, much appreciated! i hope u're liking this sequel too by the way, and i'm glad that for those of u who do right now, it'll just keep gettin' better! ;) ahem... yes well, anywayz! off to chapter 4! and trust me, i won't leave off a cliffie, no worries ;) . anywayz!... off to the story! Happy Reading everyone!
Disclaimer: I don't own FMA, but I do own Li, Hazel, Dr. Velshtien, and other people that will come into the story later on that I made up! D
Chapter 4: Li-sans Knight In Shining Armor
It was getting late... about a little bit before 11, and Hazel was dialing Central's number. She waited patiently, even though her heart was beating rapidly inside her chest knowing that something was wrong. She didn't like this situation, and normally ones like these always put the two in danger somehow. As the phone finally was picked up in Central, a familiar voice had answered it.
"Central Headquarters. This is Fuery speaking."
"FUERY! Am I glad to hear you!" was the first thing Hazel had said. The line went dead. Hazel for a moment had dark lines under her eyes as to why the phone line went dead. Had something happened to Fuery?! 'Oh no! Stay calm Hazel...stay calm!' she thought to herself and regained posture when she heard breathing on the other end.
"H...Hazel?! Ed and Al told us that you were...well, they told us the whole story. When did you get back?!" Fuery cried.
"Long story and to make it short, we basically found a way back. Now onto the important matter at hand! Where's Mustang? I gotta talk to him pronto!" Hazel said. There was a short nervous laugh from the other line.
"Well uh...see the Furher is um uh...well he's just doing a little more 'paperwork' with Hawkeye... Get my drift?" Fuery said on the other line.
"Oh dear Lord." Hazel said and sighed in frustration. There was another moment of silence.
"Um, is there anything I can do for you Hazel?" Fuery asked. Hazel thought for a moment, and snapped her fingers with a lightbulb above her head.
"YEAH! IS HUGHES THERE?!" she first asked.
"Well he's um, on his way-"
"I DON'T CARE FUERY! IT'S IMPORTANT PUT HIM ON! CHASE AFTER HIM IF YOU HAVE TO!" Hazel roared. She heard foosteps rushing out somewhere, and then angry chattering voices. Finally, the phone was picked up and Hughes answered the phone.
"Maes here. What seems to be the situation?" he asked in his serious tone.
"Hey Hughes! It's me, Hazel!" she said happily.
"H-Hazel?! Good to hear from you! Everyone at Central got word that you two went somewhere 'BIG' let's just say...we thought you guys left us for good! What do you need my help for?" Hughes asked.
"Well Hughes, you see Li and Fletcher Tringham went out in the snowstorm to look for me which by the way don't ask because it's a long story.. Anyways, they're staying at a doctor's house but Li has this bad feeling about him and I thought maybe you could-"
"Hey hey! No means to interrupt but wow that's a mouthful! Hey have you heard the news about our new baby boy? He's such a bundle I don't know how-"
"STAY WITH ME HUGHES! WE'LL TALK ABOUT YOUR SON SOME OTHER DAY BUT RIGHT NOW I NEED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT IMPORTANT STUFF DEALING IN THE INVESTIGATIONS DEPARTMENT!" Hazel cried. Even though in their plot Hughes was still alive, he did at some points now that she had experience actually talking with him get on her nerves by randomly going off about his family life.
"Oh...welll... what do you want to know about?" Hughes asked.
"Okay will you do me a favor and look up a man by the name of Dr. Anderson Velshtien?" Hazel asked politely. On the other end, the scene turned to Central with Hughes frowning, a confused look on his face.
"You want me to look up a guy that's been dead for four months now?" Hughes asked, and Hazel felt herself become numb. Four months? This guy had been dead for four months?! She could feel chills running down her spine.
"Four months?...Wait, was the doctor a state alchemist?" Hazel asked.
"Yeah. Healing Alchemist. Until recently we found out that his alchemy was based on the body and its functions. He experimented on the human body by killing and disecting his victims. One of them apparently was his own son at the age of 23, the first that made him pass the exam. After that his daughter-in-law and grandson were his next victims. Talk about a psycho. He was also a friend of Shou Tucker, whom I'm sure you knew worked on chimeras having the ability of human speech. Well, Velshtien here did almost the same, but adding technology into it creating chimeras with the ability of human speech, ability to walk on two legs, even more that the human body could do. He also created them half machine as well... A half robot half chimera with technology and alchemy.. A real painkiller if you ask me." Hughes explained on the other line. Hazel was silent, she stared at the group with her eyes only small, scared pupils.
"Hazel? What's wrong?" Winry asked, concerned. Ed, Al, and Russell stood up abruptly, stern looks on their faces wtih concern.
"Li and Fletcher are in danger... Big danger." was all Hazel could say. She then put the phone back to her ear, and carefully explained the situation.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" Fletcher roared as he charged foward with his sword, ready to strike the doctor in his ugly wretched heart. The doctor was prepared, and clapped his hands together transmuting Li's automail into a shield. As Fletcher struck his attack was deflected and he fell with a thud.
"Hahahahaha! Foolish boy! You can't kill me!" Dr. Velshtien seemed to tease the boy.
"I can try! I'll succeed, you'll see!" Fletcher growled back and was back on his feet, ready to attack. As he charged foward once more Velshtien clapped his hands together to create a spear to match Fletcher's sword. The two clashed and sparks flew. Both were taking a beating as little droplets of blood from both sides began to fall onto the ground. Velshtien grumbled a little when Fletcher's strike struck down on his shirt, making it rip. As Fletcher was ready to attack once more with the doctor's guard down, he stared in horror at what stood before him.
Doctor Velshtien looked down at his chest for a moment, and then back up at Fletcher, seeing how terrified his eyes were at the shocking surprise that lay beneath the cloth. He laughed, and decided to take off his shirt anyways to show Fletcher what had scared him just recently. Instead of flesh, there was metal. The flesh was peeled off to reveal working gears inside of him, and a robotic heart beating ever so quickly. Fletcher had only dented the metal slightly (a lil dent), not even a scatch! Clearly this man...wasn't human!
"Didn't expect that, did you runt?" Dr. Velshtien asked with a smile.
"What...What ARE you?!" Fletcher screamed. The doctor laughed.
"Did you know boy? The real Dr. Velshtien died four months ago. I am a replica, a mere shell of the once famous and great Dr. Anderson Velshtien, the Healing Alchemist. He created me before his deathbed, ready for revenge on the wretched, filthy, State. I have all of his memories and plans, everything is up in here." Velshtien said and pointed to his head.
"You're...not human!? A cy-cy-cyborg?!" Fletcher cried slightly. The doctor laughed again.
"Half correct my boy! You're smart! I didn't think you would understand, but assuming that you're the son of the Great Nash Tringham himself I guess it's only natural! I'm half cyborg half chimera to be exact." the doctor said, sounding pleased with what he was.
"Didn't you hear what they had said back in Xenotime four years ago? How your father was killed because he would not do as your precious mayor wanted?" the doctor asked right after, a sly smile appearing on his ugly face.
"Y..Yes? What does that has to do with this?!" Fletcher spat in anger.
"His death was tragic, and you know what I did to him? Turned him into a living, breathing, chimera! The pitiful thing, always wailing in agony right until the very end when I slit him in two to experiment even more." Dr. Velshtien explained and laughed when Fletcher gritted his teeth in anger, his face already twisting in pain.
"YOU! YOU KILLED HIM!? YOU KILLED OUR DAD?! No.. YOU MURDERED HIM! YOU BASTARD!" Fletcher roared and without thinking, charged foward, forgetting everything and only revenge for his father. He swung until his arms began to tire, but that didn't stop him. He was in a state of rage by now, knowing the truth about his father's death. He would have his revenge for his whole family.
"Now now my boy it's nothing to get...overly dramatic over! I must say... my own son was taken aback when he found out what had happened to his mother so long ago." Dr. Velshtien said as he was a little away from Fletcher who panted heavily.
"What?... You...? Your own wife and son?! How many lives have you taken away just for you own sick minded games?!" Fletcher cried, still panting as he crouched a little, still holding the sword with a strong grip.
"It was an accident the first time I did it actually." the doctor started, looking at his own hands for a moment. "You see I, I had summoned my wife down to the basement to see my newest and latest work that I had just done. As she followed me down, I showed her a substance I had just created and told her to wait where she was. Our pet cat, Niko had gotten into the mess of things, and I instinctively activated the circle. My wife was right in the middle of it, and not knowing that she began to scream while Niko hissed in agony." the doctor explained.
"How is that not an accident?!" Fletcher roared. The doctor only frowned slightly, and turned to the boy, cold eyes stared into those of innocent blue ones.
"My boy, when I realized what I had just done I watched in horror as my wife and Niko began to combine together, creating the perfect chimera because of the substance she was holding at that moment. It spilled all over their bodies when the glass shattered, and in seconds in front of me was a living breathing chimera. Those narrowed yellow slits for eyes, the pale color, it's roar. She had the ability of human speech, and talked to me in few words." he continued.
"Soon I realized that if I hurried, I could use this newly created being for my alchemy exam... and I did." the doctor said. Almost, Fletcher felt sorry for this man. It all changed when he saw the doctor smile widely.
"And I don't regret it either... I passed the alchemy exam with flying colors, the Fuhrer even acknowledged my skills, and it was all thanks to an accident that happened right there... in my basement." the doctor said with a smile.
"YOU... YOU DEMON! YOU HEARTLESS DEMON! HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO YOUR OWN WIFE!" Fletcher roared angrily, still wondering about the doctor's son.
"It was an accident! I didn't intend for it to happen! It just did!" the doctor roared back, defending himself to the extent where Fletcher almost felt guilty for yelling at the poor man. "It was just luck after that really... and for the lives I have taken, a great price has been paid." the doctor continued, and then walked over to where Li was, caressing her cheek to make her shudder. Fletcher clenched a fist when he saw Li's reaction.
"Boy, did you know? My assessment is supposed to be coming up right about now... I was quite surprised when a couple of teens like yourself happened to be on my doorstep. How could I not pass up that opportunity to use you as my new test subjects? With her I don't know what I could create... Already having automail could make a difference." the doctor explained.
"You... get away from her!" Fletcher cried, his voice strong and confident. The doctor stopped what he was doing, and stared daggers toward Fletcher. In moments, he was gone. Fletcher blinked twice, seeing if he was correct as to how Velshtien had suddenly disappeared! How did that happen?! When did it happen?! Fletcher was taken aback, and now he was on his guard. He looked around, making sure all of his senses were alert. He felt a bead of sweat fall..and that was when it happened.
The Rockbell household was bustling as a cab in black rushed into the driveway. Out came about five military troops with two familiar people coming out as they walked up the stairs. Only two knocks did the trick for the door to open.
"Hawkeye! Fuhrer Mustang!" Hazel said brightly as she answered the door, having the couple stare down in disbelief that Hazel was standing before them.
"H..Hazel? Is it really you?" Hawkeye asked, beginning to form a smile.
"Uh-huh. But let's save the reunion for later. I'm sure Hughes told you everything I told him last time while you two were having s.e.x." Hazel couldn't help but tease as the two blushed slightly. Mustang coughed to regain himself.
"Right. News travels fast. So you're saying that that maniac Velshtien is still alive eh? That couldn't be possible unless..." Mustang said to himself, thinking really hard.
"Unless? You mean he really is dead?" Hazel asked and Mustang nodded.
"Mm-hm. I was there when it happened. 20 bullets to be precise. No one thought he'd be alive again. I'm wondering how he did it.. Using alchemy maybe... Maybe even turning himself into a cyborg just to live and do more of his cruel experiments. It all ended after he had transmuted his grandson into a mechanical chimera; head of a dog, mechanical eye, heart, liver, legs... ability of speech and even walking on hind legs." Mustang said bitterly and Hazel couldn't help but feel a bad pang in her stomach.
"You don't think we're too late... do you? Apparently he lives in that house you had passed about a few miles away." Winry asked when she and the rest of the group joined Hazel and the military outside.
"Hard to tell. But I'm sure they're all right. Li's been in this situation after all, hasn't she?" Mustang asked and the group nodded.
"All right then. Let's go everyone! Into the cab!" Mustang ordered, and everyone crammed in. As the familiar blonde color for bangs, brown haired driver turned the key in the ignition, it made a chuuuurrr noise and a currrrrrrrr and a ka-lump!
"What seems to be the problem Havoc?" Mustang asked, annoyed.
"Sorry sir it seems that as Miss Hawkeye was driving and may I note, speeding down the road like a crazy wild animal-...uh, sorry Hawkeye sir uh...ma'am." Havoc started, and then paused as he apologized to Hawkeye briefly. "We ran out of gas." Havoc finished. Mustang gave a narrow eyed stare directly towards Hawkeye.
"Hawkeye, what have I told you about driving in the cab, speeding down like a tremendous speeding bullet?" Mustang asked, raising a brow. She couldn't help but smile sheepishly, a blush going across her face.
"Sorry... sir." she said and tried to keep that smile off her face. The military plus everyone else tumbled out of the car, seeing it was too crammed in, and decided to jog/run there.
"I hope we're not going to be late. It's gonna take us about 20 minutes to get there!" Winry cursed to herself.
"No worries. Li can handle herself I'm sure of it." Mustang said with a smile as he slipped his gloves on his hands. He hadn't put on these gloves in a while, and he felt a little strange putting them back on after a few months... It was like he was a State Alchemist again... The day Li and Hazel left, the whole military was informed about Fuhrer Bradley being a Homunculous, and the whole military did anything to stop the threat. Soon, after the Fuhrer was destroyed, Mustang was automatically made the next Fuhrer, having many of the military congratulating him and saying that he was the right man for the job. Soon after that, Mustang finally got the courage with Hughes backing him up to ask Riza to marry him. It happened, and the two were newly wed.
'It's strange now... Thinking back... I still find it hard to believe sometimes that I'm married to the love of my life... having three kids back at HQ. It's even unbelievable that Hazel and Li are back... Almost as if they had planned to come for Christmas celebration. Amazing...' Mustang thought to himself and smiled as he saw images of his children flash before him. He grinned, and the group wondered what was going through his head. He only laughed nervously, and the group pressed on.
It was so quick, Fletcher didn't have any time to blink! All of a sudden, the doctor was there, face to face with him. It was like a moment in time that was wasted, and he watched helplessly as Dr. Velshtien had the upper hand, a smile on his face. Like a speeding bullet, the doctor punched Fletcher with full force straight in the stomach, making the poor boy cough out some of his saliva mixed with blood as he was thrown back. Without any time to react even furhter, the boy didn't even land on the ground to have his knee crush into Fletcher's back. Fletcher grunted loudly in pain as he slid across the floorboard, weak and in PAIN. The doctor laughed, staring down at the boy.
"Foolish idiot. You really thought you could defeat a person like me? The famous Healing Alchemist?! I don't think so! Tsk tsk tsk!" the doctor mocked as he gave Fletcher another kick to the stomach. Another hard blow that would need time to heal, he had thought to himself. The doctor smiled, and then walked over to where Li-san was. Fletcher transmuted a circle in a mere few seconds, and activated it. Thorns from the ground erupted from the floor, and rushed toward the doctor who turned back to see. He seemed a little bit worred at first, but then smiled with glee as he tore away at the thorns with the automail, and then charged back at Fletcher, giving him a bloody nose.
"You stay out of this boy! You really want to die before she does? The shame it will be. The terrified and twisted look on her face if she were to wake to see what would become of you. I would respect her wishes to not be killed first, don't you?" the doctor asked.
"What makes you decide who dies first or last? You're the only one here that's going to die." Fletcher said through grit teeth. By saying this instantly he was siezed by his cuff, and was backed into a wall, HARD. The doctor had an angry look on his face that seemed to be saying the words, "DEATH"
"Listen to me, boy. I decide who lives and who dies in this house. I always had that decision when my son and his wife and kid were living here! Don't tell me what I can and can't do!" Velshtien roared, as if annoyed and torn by Fletcher's words.
"Why did you do it?.. Why did you kill your son?! Wasn't your wife enough for you!?" Fletcher roared. He felt like the doctor's skin went pale for a moment, and a stricken look had appeared on that ugly face of his.
"I didn't kill him... I tried to save him. He was my only son... My only son and yet I could not save him. I had transmuted his mother only when he was 5, so it was hard on us! When I couldn't save him when he had been infected with a virus of some sort, I felt devistated! Even though he was 24 I still couldn't save him! The poor boy... when the operation ended, I hatched an idea. I transmuted his soul to a cyborg, and then made another chimera, one that was better. It became our pet until the assessment. My daughter-in-law and grandson never knew the pet they loved was in fact her husband and his father..." the doctor explained.
"Still... that doesn't mean you should have done that! It was the wrong choice you made! Just looking at you...hearing you talk, it makes me sick." Fletcher spat angrily.
"SILENCE BOY! I'VE HAD ENOUGH OF YOUR TALKS!" Velshtien said angrily and in an instant, punched him straight in the gut, making Fletcher cough and grunt as droplets of blood fell to the floor. He was then dropped, and looked up at the doctor wearily. Velshtien only smiled, a crazed one in fact, and went back to work. He turned away from Fletcher, who felt like his whole body couldn't move. What was he to do now?! He had to do something...
"Now, to get back to what I needed to do." Velshtien said and picked up a small cutting knife that could pierce the flesh of this girl so easily. Fletcher picked up his head slowly and forced it to watch and try to stop this. His vision started to become blurry, and then came back the instant he could hear a sudden scream, and then a whimper from his secret lover's voice. This got him angered, and he got up slowly, and then charged at the doctor with his transmuted sword.
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Fletcher roared and thrusted his sword through the doctor's body. There was a large KINK! noise, and the doctor grimaced as he started to bleed out black oil... Fletcher was disgusted, and then threw the doctor aside, releasing Li of her chains that had her arm and legs tied. Even though she was released though, she was still out cold. 'C'mon Li, wake up... Please..' Fletcher thought to himself, his eye sight started to blur again. NO! He couldn't let this moment go to waste! He had to wake her up, somehow, someway... but what?! Then... it hit him. Why not...kiss her? He had tried doing that last night but... he didn't have the time because the doctor came in to their room. Who knows, maybe it would have worked.
Fletcher gulped once, twice, three times before he gained the courage to go for it! At first, he went slowly, as if guiding his lips to hers in a delicate way. Then, all of a sudden he pressed against hers, and it was like he was flying. He felt his heart skip a beat as his heart rate began to grow rapidly. Should he stop? Now what was he supposed to do?! Oh man, this would have been a good time for Russell to teach him about girls! At first the boy was clueless, but gradually became enveloped in the kiss. Wanting it to last forever until Li woke up. He wondered what was going through her mind right about now... Hopefully someway of waking up..
Mustang, Hazel, Hawkeye, Havoc, Ed, Al, Winry, and all the other military forces rushed down the road.
"Damnit all! How long is it going to take us to get to one lousy house! I mean... really now it can't just be in the middle of no where for the love of GOD!" Mustang couldn't help but spazz after running for about fifteen minutes.
"Relax Mustang! Yeesh, didn't think you'd be one to have a fit over a short run!" Ed couldn't help but tease.
"SHORT?! FULLMETAL THIS IS NOT WHAT I WOULD CALL A SHORT RUN! WHAT I WOULD CALL A SHORT RUN WOULD BE TO HAVE YOU RUN AROUND CENTRAL 10 TIMES!" Mustang countered back. Ed felt a vein pop.
"Are you saying that I'm still A SHORTIE?!" Ed roared in anger.
"Maybe! Last time I saw you you hadn't even grown an inch!" Mustang said in his 'I provoked the shrimp' attitude and stopped for a moment. The rest decided to take a small breather while the Fuhrer and Major continued to fight. Ed was enraged now, and walked right up to Mustang and practically shouted in the Fuhrer's face.
"WHY I OUGHTTA... C'MON MUSTANG RIGHT HERE AND NOW! I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU PICK ON A LIL SHORTIE LIKE ME!" Ed raged.
"Now Edward is that any way to be talking to the Fuhrer? My my where are your manners? I can't believe after all this time you still treat me like the Colonel I used to be! What a shame! Maybe I should take back that promotion I have for you on my desk right about now to becoming a Brigadier General!" Mustang said in his dramatic tone.
"MAKE IT LIEUTENANT COLONEL, and maybe we'll have a tie this time." Ed said slyly, a grin on his face. Mustang started to sweatdrop slightly, not expecting that kind of answer from Ed. Before he could answer though, Ed continued saying, "Besides, I'm sure you wouldn't want a repeat of what happened four years ago. Last time I kicked your no good a--" All of a sudden, a fist slammed down on Ed's head, making him yell in pain.
"ENOUGH! STICK TO THE MATTER AT HAND! WE'RE HERE TO RESCUE LI AND FLETCHER! STOP WORRYING BOUT YOUR HEIGHT AND START WORRYING ABOUT THEM!" Hazel flamed, and Ed obeyed like a dog with its tail between its legs. She turned to everyone else, and took charge of the situation by knocking Mustang over and going to the front.
"ALL RIGHT YOU GUYS! LET'S GET THIS OVER WITH! UP ON YOUR FEET LET'S GO MOVE IT MOVE IT RIGHT NOW! WE'RE ON A MISSION HERE AND I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO FAIL IT! COME ON YOU CAN GO FASTER THAN THAT! FASTER! FASTERRRRRRR!" Hazel roared at all of them, and they picked up speed so quickly that she had to try and keep up. 'Maybe I overdid it..' Hazel thought to herself.
"How... -pant- ... Far... -pant- Are... -pant- We now?!" Ed wondered aggrivatingly.
"We're almost there! The house is that one!" Winry pointed.
"THAT'S NOT 'ALMOST THERE'! THAT'S MORE LIKE 'A FEW MORE 10 MINUTES TO GET THERE' THERE!" Ed spazzed.
"Brother just stop complaining and pick up the pace!" Al cried in a determined voice. Ed sulked a little bit, but understood why his brother had just said what he said. He was worried, and he should be as well seeing as his girlfriend was in danger.
Russell hadn't spoken since leaving the Rockbell's, hoping and wondering how Fletcher was making out with this. He always knew that his little brother could sometimes be considered a weakling and a coward, but now he wondered if Fletcher had actually and maybe matured. By now his little brother would probably be rushing back to his side, having his older brother to protect him. It made Russell smile.
Then again, he thought about Hazel now who was speeding down on them like a raging bull. 'Man she's scary when she takes evasive action... I hope that I never get on her nerves! She's SCARY WHEN SHE'S LIKE THIS!'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It was dark inside Li's mind... Nothing seemed to be working properly-...oh wait, nothing really ever seemed to working properly in that thick and dense head of hers (:-P) . Suddenly though, she found herself floating in mid air, still in darkness... Was this a dream? Where was she? Why was she here?... Questions ran through her mind, and suddenly they all disappeared, especially when the scene became a field of flowers, followed by lips on her own. She opened her eyes, and saw the image of Al in front of her, passionately kissing her. Still... she liked this feeling but, it wasn't Alphonse.. In an instant, the image of him disappeared and was replaced with someone who looked just plain fuzzy. No, this kiss was... different. Whose was it?... She couldn't put her finger on it, and instead she accepted this kiss. Inside her mind the image faded from Al completely, and turned to reveal that it was Fletcher!
Li-san opened her eyes widely, and saw herself and Fletcher kissing! 'OH GOOD GRAVY IN HEAVEN! GOD HELP ME WHEN I HAVE TO EXPLAIN THIS TO AL!' Li-san thought to herself as tears in her mind flowed down her face T.T. When she found out that Fletcher hadn't stopped, she made a gutteral sound to clear her throat, and he abruptly released his kiss from her, and laughed nervously. She couldn't help but laugh, but then was concerned as she saw the injuries he had.
"Fletcher! Are you okay?" she asked him and tried to see if his wounds were minor or major.
"I'm okay.. Listen Li you were right about the doctor." Fletcher started. Li-san put on a goofy looking 'WELL DUUUH!' face and interrupted.
"No kidding, I thought he seemed pretty dangerous when he stuck a needle in my arm, and then just now tried to cut open my flesh. Thanks for the update." she said sarcastically, and Fletcher only sweatdropped.
"Come on, let's get out of here." Fletcher said and the two stood up. When they turned around to leave, something lurking in the shadows lunged! A piercing yell and scream filled the house.
"Can't... go... on... any... longer!" Ed finally gasped for breath and completely fell to the ground. The whole military stood around Ed, including friends. Everyone dispersed when they saw a raging 'mad woman' rushing down to him.
"OH YES YOU CAN! GET ON YOUR FEET ED DON'T MAKE ME HAVE TO HURT YOU!" Hazel threatened.
"I'm tired! Hungry! AND MOST IMPORTANTLY I WANNA GO TO BED OKAY?! I'M TIRED! JUST GO ON WITHOUT ME AND SAVE LI AND FLETCHER!" Ed whined.
"I didn't want to do this." Hazel said as she shook her head, rolling up her sleeves. Ed didn't like the looks of this, and quickly tried to get up before he would receive a nasty attack from Hazel.
"NO WAIT! WAIT I'M UP I'M UP DON'T HURT ME!" Ed cried and Hazel smiled.
"Good. NOW MOVE IT! WE'RE ALMOST THERE!" Hazel said in triumph, they were only 10 minutes away from the house (--) .
Li-san watched in horror as Fletcher yelled and hissed in pain as a claw grasped onto his shoulder, blood splurting onto the floor. The doctor had pulled him back, already looking more like a robot than a human.
"Enough.. is... enough... It's time..." the doctor said angrily and transmuted Li's automail into a pole. As he transmuted the pole, the doctor laughed as he whacked Fletcher over the head almost a thousand times. This was it, Fletcher was going to die... but, he died for a good cause. He had saved Li, and that was all that mattered to him. The pain began to become too much for him to handle, and soon he'd die. He waited..and waited...and- wait, wasn't this a little too long? And why did the whacking stop all of a sudden?!
Fletcher opened his eyes to see the doctor, a strange look on his face. He turned his neck around to see Li, holding her arm up, a deathstare on her face. The doctor could see that she wasn't afraid, and that she wasn't going to hold back. Velshtien never really had any competition; but this girl, in her eyes he could see the fire burning.
"Step away from Fletcher. Don't make me have to kill you." Li-san said angrily, and the doctor obeyed, hands on his head. Fletcher grimaced at the pain when he stood up, and stumbled over to Li. When he had her support, she aimed her mini canon right at the doctor.
"Wait!...You... Said you wouldn't.. Fire!" Velshtien cried when he realized she was going to do it anyways. He quickly changed the automail into a strong shield.
"I never said I wouldn't. It's too risky to let you live, even if you're not the real doctor." Li-san said sternly.
"But you'll destroy your automail!..." the doctor protested.
"I'm friends with a mechanic, I think I'll live." Li-san countered and without further warning she fired the canon, having the doctors' screams being drowned out by the huge blasting noise that penetrated the walls of the house; a huge gap left to be showing.
"Did you see that?! It came from the doctor's house!" Hazel cried as she stopped, letting the others take a breather.
"That was probably Li who did that.." Ed said as he breathed heavily, hands pressed against his knees as he squatted for breath.
"I hope they're okay! I'll go ahead while you guys take a rest. You earned it." Hazel said and rushed up to the house, the military men folllowing while the rest took a breather.
"So..Fullmetal, how've you been? Life been more hectic now that Hazel and Li are back?" Mustang joked. Ed had to give a laugh and a sly smile on that question.
"Yeah... I guess... More or less really." Ed answered and the group watched as the military men with Hazel in front went up to the house.
---------------------------------------------------------
"So Fletcher... you must've been pretty brave to have fought for me. Thanks a lot, otherwise I don't think I'd be here right now. Probably some mutant cyborg chimera..." Li-san said as she searched around for her automail.
"N-no problem. Li.. Say um... what are you doing?.." Fletcher asked as he sat down, exhausted and aching all over.
"Finding... ah! There it is.." Li-san said and picked up her automail. She transmuted it back to, a very destroyed and disfigured arm. She took a deep breath, and reattatched the arm. It made a clink, and Li had to suck in air to not scream. Her face contorted in pain, making Fletcher nervous as he walked over to her and slumped a little.
"Are you all right?" he asked in concern.
"I'm... all right just my nerves. I'll be okay. Time to fix you up though." Li-san said as she smiled weakly. She looked around the room for a moment, and found a first aid kit, and tended to Fletcher's wounds. She first took care of his gash from the doctor's claws. She took out some alchohol and a clean cotton ball, and told him, "This might sting a little bit." As she dabbed it on his wound, he hissed out in pain. As soon as that part was over, he sighed with relief. As she took off his undershirt now, she bandaged him up and made sure it was secured.
"Wow...Ouch.." he mumbled to himself.
"How is it feeling? At least the blood is gone now. It shouldn't take long to heal." Li said and then took out some more bandages. She then tended to his minor injuries, putting band-aids on and other things to make sure he was taken care of properly.
"Say Li? Are you sure you aren't some kind of nurse?" Fletcher complimented. Li-san laughed.
"I'm pretty sure. I'm squeemish (sp?) around blood. I'd never be a good doctor at all." Li-san replied happily. The two were silent for a while, and Li's goofy smile disappeared when she had Fletcher's attention. He didn't like the looks at this, and he was prepared somewhat for what she was about to tell him.
"What is it, Li?" he was brave enough to ask. She gave him a stern look, and then looked at the ground for a moment. She stared at the ground for a few more seconds, but then turned back, looking straight into Fletcher's eyes.
"They must be up there!" Hazel cried as she pointed to where the blasted hole in the wall was. As the military and Hazel rushed up, they could see two figures sitting on the ground, both looking familiar...
"...Fletcher.. listen that-... That kiss... I...well, it-.."
"LI! FLETCHER!" a familiar voice called their names.
"It's Hazel! Come on Li let's go! I don't wanna stay here another second!" Fletcher cried, running away from what Li was going to say. She only grimaced slightly, and followed. This was going to be harder than she thought. As she walked on out as well, she saw Hazel rejoicing as she rushed up to her best friend and gave her the hug of her life.
"Oh...God... Hazel!...Crushing.. BONES! NEED... TO BREATHE!" Li-san joked and Hazel was just glad Li was okay.
"How come everytime we come here you somehow get into trouble? Honestly Li can't you just be more careful! AND YOU WENT INTO A STRANGERS HOUSE?!" Hazel cried in disbelief. Oh boy, lecture time Li-san had told herself.
"Ane-san..." Li-san whined. "It's not my fault! I mean... it was snowing! What did you want us to do, freeze our asses out here?! Besides, I was careful!" Li-san added.
"Oh really? Careful? WHAT HAPPENED TO YOUR ARM?!" Hazel shouted when she noticed that it was badly burned/melted, and deformed.
"Uh... well see, that's a long story. I sorta uh... blew it up along with the doctor?.. Maybe?... But I put it back!" Li-san explained sheepishly with a nervous chuckle as Hazel went all white from amazement of how Li-san was o careless as to blow up her own automail! Li was about to add more, but then turned to the military who seemed to be inspecting the house. "YOU DON'T HAVE TO LOOK FOR THE DOCTOR! HE DEAD!" Li-san shouted simply.
"So that's why there was a huge bang coming from the house. You blew him to smitherenes!" Ed congratulated when he and the rest of the crew came foward. Li-san's eyes went wide when he saw Mustang and Hawkeye.
"MUSTANG! HAWKEYE! HEARD YOU TWO GOT MAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIEEEDD!" Li-san chanted happily. Hazel slapped her hand to her forehead.
"I see you're doing well Li-san." Mustang said sternly while Riza started to laugh.
"Yes. You do seem all right..." Riza said happily, and then looked to Fletcher. "What about the boy?" she asked as she pointed to Fletcher who was now telling Russell of how brave he was. Li-san smiled weakly, still remembering how she had accepted Fletcher's kiss, so strong it was and... inviting for some apparent reason perhaps...
"He'll... be fine. He just needs some rest. He's been through a lot. I was out cold most of the time he was fighting for me." Li-san said simply. Riza could tell something was wrong, but before she could ask, Al rushed by her and tackled Li to the ground.
"Ouch..." was all Li could say.
"Li! Oh thank goodness you're okay!" Al said happily as he was breathing heavily on top of her, a smile on his face as a bead of sweat ran down part of his bangs. It dropped onto the tip of her nose. She scrunched a little and laughed.
"Yeah of course! I'm 100 tip top shape!" Li-san said, and Al grinned, but then noticed that her arm was missing.
"Li what happened to your automail?!" Al cried in disbelief.
"It's a long story.." Li-san said when she and Al got up. They blushed a little, and Al decided to carry her back to the Rockbell's when everyone decided to finally come back. All along the way, Fletcher couldn't help but feel like a total idiot. He should have known that Li already had a boyfriend... and of course, it HAD to be Al; the boy he had claimed to be four years ago to keep studying their father's work.. Li could tell that Fletcher wasn't happy, and not pleased AT ALL. Only once did she turn back to just glance at Fletcher, and then stared at the Rockbells house the whole way there, feeling so guilty and so terrible of how Fletcher must have been feeling right then and there.
If one thing was true though, it was how brave Fletcher had been. Even Li had realized that. The only thing was, now she was caught in a love triangle (of all the things Li had thought to herself) and she didn't know how all of this would fair out.. 'For one... at least Fletcher was there for me.. Today, he was my knight in shining armor..' Li thought to herself with a smile on her face.
A/N: okay! that's the end of chappie 4! hopefully chapt 5 will be here soon as to i need to make a few more adjustments! again.. plz R&R pweeaaase :) lol jk jk u don't have to if u don't wanna.. anywayz, yeaaa stay tuned for chapt 5! byebyez! -Li