chapter Six

"This is impossible." stated Mustang after eating he had returned to his office to find the two guests had left his office with Maes and Hawkeye discusing something in the public area out side of his office where his subordinates worked, he now sat in his seat behind his desk reading the information Hughes had collected on the name 'Dearle' "She has to be a relative, this was nearly 60 years ago." he managed, Hughes nodded

"It's not the matter of if they're related or not, it's how i want to know they were supposed to have disapeared 10 years after becoming state alchemists." Hughes was reading the two state alchemist certifications over his friends shoulder:

'I as Fuhrer give Merrisa Marks the state name of Starlight Alchemist. (a/n you'll have to imagine that there is loads of military drabble about legal rights etc here.)

the second was basically the same except it was giving a man named 'Ross Dearle' the title of 'Stone Alchemist' the third peice of paper however was a posh gold lined marrage certificate stateing the legal maraige between the two previously mentioned people.

"i think i had better call FullMetal." Roy finally managed picking up the receiver and begining to dial the number for the dorm that the blonde was currently staying in with his new friend.

"Get him to bring the girl down as well." Hughes said looking at the raven haired man who nodded his head, the phone ringing on the other end of the line.

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"What you're going to start again?" asked Ed he was currently laying on the couch being held down by Mei who didn't try to hold him down or anything as he wasn't yet fighting back

"Of course," she said leaning on her hands that were resting on his shoulders she was kneeling on the sofa above Ed "I have to get payback for this." she touched the purpleblack mark on her neck lightly before putting all of her weight onto his shoulders and she leant in to restart their little game again, she was barely a centermetre away from him before he flipped her over missing the floor and now holding her against the coffee table he had also closed the gap between them during that time and now both were putting their energy into the kiss rather than the competition of power between them after a minate or so Ed stuck his toungue into her mouth she immediatly following by example and wrapping her own toungue around his a slight struggle over who was dominating the kiss occured but before either could enjoy it properly the phone rang, Mei was going to pull away but Ed through his mouth full of toungue

"Leave it be..." and they both attempted to continue but the shrill bell in the background was not the ideal noise to try to ignore as after anouther minate Mei eventually pushed the larger off and reached for the phone not even bothering to speak into it she passed it straight to Ed who rather pissed off by the interuption retorted rudely down the phone "What."

"FullMetal, i want you in my office, Now!"

"What the hell, why?"

"Because, i'm ordering you to."

"and is supposed to make me, how?" Mustang made an impatient noise at the back of his throat "Fine... i'll be right there."

"Bring your new friend as well."

"mmm." the dial tone met Ed's ears as Mustang hung up he swore to deaf ears before hanging up himself, "C'mon." he said to Mei who looked rather surprised and only managed a strangled kind of choking noise he looked at her "What's up?"

"Well i'm not going up to your superior officer's office with this am i?" she replied pointing, again to the love bite which Ed now noticed had a red edge to it, he smirked evily

"He ordered me to." he stated simply. She sighed and grabbed a jacket that zipped up to her neck, putting it on she smoothed out her trousers as well.

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The teen walked sourly into the Colonel's office for the second time that day, Ed dropped himself onto the sofa without a word or even a glance to the Colonel, his usual greeting towards the older man. Mei followed rather timidly bowing slightly to the two adults in the room, both of whom nodded in reply Mustang with a stern look on his face and Hughes a little kinder. She looked with confusion at them Ed obviously waiting for Mustang to speak first, said man basking in his control for a few more seconds before nodding to Hughes who spoke to Mei dirrectly, ignoring Ed.

"Why don't we go to my office?" her eyes narrowed but she agreed all the same and followed the man back out of the office

"Whats this about?" Ed asked about a minate after Hughes and Mei had left, fearing the Major had told on Mei and his makeout session earlier, he wasn't expecting to be handed a folder, it was a copy of what Hughes had brought in, Ed read the certificates and the report on the two peoples disapearences and looked up with a bored expression on his face "So?" he said, Mustang sighed and leant forward

"Fullmetal! If these two people disapeared, and neither had any family of any kind or anyone with the same name. How can your friend have the same name?" Ed looked at him indifferently

----- meanwhile-----

"What's all this all about? Have i done something?" Mei asked as soon as Hughes closed the door.

"I don't know. What did you say your name was?" he replyed in a monotonus voice. She told him scowling 'somethings going on here.' she thought looking closely at Hughes. "Really? how can you be a Dearle when the last of their family line died out about 50 years ago?" continued the Major staring straight back at her, before his words sunk in to her mind.

"What?" Maes produced the originals of the certificates and report of the occupation and deaths of Mirrisa Marks and Ross Dearle. Mei read through them with instantly rising eyebrows her mouth opened searching for something to say but finding nothing she closed it again almost instantly. 'The same names, but then they might be this worlds' equivellent, but they have the exact same names.' She thought to herself, when she finally found her voice she muttered "Do you have any photos of them?" her voice came out raspy as if she had trouble saying them, Hughes sifted through a few peices of paper bfore producing a photograph, it was old and in black and white but it was obvious that Mei was related to both of the afore mentioned people her eyes were the same shape as the male and her hair the same as the female's the photo was taken when both were in their twenties, so Mei squinted then gasped "Grandma . . . Grandpa. . ." her voice trailed off Hughes looked confused in the background she looked up then realising she was acting like a child she hardened her voice so it sounded normalish and said to him "These are my grandparents. my grandfather died 15 years ago when i was a few months old and my grandmother 3 years ago, when i was twelve." she frowned 'they can't be the same. . .it's impossible' she recognised them from a wedding photo they had shown her rather than their withered forms as she remembered.

Just then there was a loud thumping of footsteps and both turned as Ed nearly broked the door down in an attempt to get in with Mustang not far behind incase he needed to hold the blonde back for any reason. "Is it true?" he asked talking dirrectly to Mei, she blinked in response and confusion.

"Which bit." he looked more angry at this and she added "I'm not a fake if that's what you're asking." she said closing her eyes defiantly, and as Ed was opening his mouth again she interupted "I'm sure you know about the gate, or the door." he nodded "I was born and raised on the other side, my grandparents on my father's side must have crossed the gate fifty years ago and that's how they disapeared." no one said anything as Mei sat there like the first time she had been sent to the head's office at school for beating a kid up because he was teasing her, but this felt worse she sat staring at a spot on the floor everything around her becoming a blur as she tried to think all this new information through and all the theories that were floating about in her head. Ed was silent stunned into silence as he just stood there mid-pose, Hughes had a 'nod your head and pretend you know' look on his face whereas Mustang looked completely clueless as he had no idea what she was talking about.

"Impossible." Ed finally spat obviously annoyed at her.

"No it's not... and you know it." her voice was stern but soft the kind of tone you would use to a hyperactive child who refused point blank to do something. Ed continued to scowl at her as if she had threatened his little brother. "Just because no-ones done it before doesn't mean it's impossible." she said in a softer tone of voice more to herself than anyone else but no-one seemed to notice. Ed glared at the floor for a few more seconds before sighing in defeat.

"If you were from the other side of the gate, one; how'd you get here?"

"Through the gate, genius." an angry tick appeared on Ed's forehead,but he ignored the comment.

"Two; how are you going to get back?" Mei thought about this for a while before suddenly anouncing loadly,

"I don't want to go back." All three male's stared at her blankly for an explaination "Well, my life there pretty much sucked, and i don't want to be around to have to choose between my parents', i hate them both and my whole family acts as if i don't even exist lately, besides there's bad memories in that place." She moved the position of her head so her hair covered the expression in her eyes and they couldn't see the pain reflected there from the vague description, she added more on a lighter note "Besides if these people really are the grandparents i've come to love then i belong here anyways right??" they thought before seeing to the logic behind her talk.