Disclaimer: I don't own anything... except maybe 'Charles'... everyone else either belongs to Hiromu Arakawa or KimiUzumaki.
A/N: So I decided to put up a poll on my account regarding whether this should be parental RoyRiza/Ed. I should also note I am NOT doing yaoi in this, if anything there MIGHT be hints of canon pairings, but even those won't be very obvious, or at least I'm going to try my hardest to make them that way.
Anyways, enough author notes, on with the chapter!
Words: 5,750~
Warnings: Possible OOCness, grammar mistakes, kind of angsty(this whole fic seems full of angst... don't worry their will be humor... eventually) and Ed's language.
Hughes smiled slightly, noticing the others composure, as well as the slight fire that seemed to burn in the other's eyes, all too ready to do what must be done, for his subordinates. Even though the other would never flat out admit it.
He nodded, smile widening a little more, "I'll see what I can do."
Roy was annoyed. He didn't know why, yet he knew he was. He quickly read over Fullmetal's report again, hoping to extract hidden information from the meager report, but nothing changed.
"Sir… You need to finish your paper work." Hawkeye stated, putting down another layer of the vile things onto the colonel's desk.
Roy scowled at the papers and then turned back to the report.
"…Sir, I know you're worried, but constantly staring at the report won't get you anywhere."
Roy sighed and put a hand to his head. "I know, I know. Just something isn't sitting right with me."
"… You're worried about how Edward was acting this morning…" Roy just nodded, placing the folder to the side.
"Havoc."
The man glanced up, cigarette hanging limply in his mouth. "Sir?..."
"I want you to check out that place, I want to know what happened there. Take Breda with you." Havoc nodded and stood, followed closely by Breda who just finished stating, "checkmate" as he slammed a pawn into place. With quick, precise strides they left. Roy turned to the young technician, Feury, who sat up straighter at the attention.
"Feury, I want you to watch Fullmetal, radio me if anything suspicious occurs." The young man nodded and stood. After handing a radio to the colonel he also left.
"Sir…"
"You know… I asked Hughes to find the men Fullmetal mentioned… but I'm curious about the crime scene myself… I wonder if it matches what Fullmetal stated he had seen..." Hawkeye nodded as Roy stood.
After quickly putting on his signature army uniform he left, followed closely by his right hand women. They walked to the investigation department at a steady pace, not hurried in the slightest. Upon arriving Roy noticed a private organizing some paper work. The person, upon noticing the two new-comers, stood to attention with a sharp salute.
"Sir!"
"At ease." Roy stated, walking forward. "Is the recent crime scene related with Lieutenant Colonel Hughes cleaned up?"
"Yes sir."
"I see… could you obtain the pictures for it instead?"
"Yes sir." The man scrambled away while Roy waited. Hawkeye stood beside him, patiently, as the minutes dragged by. Five minutes later the man scrambled back in, handing the papers to Mustang. "Here are the photos, sir." He stated causing Mustang to nod as he perused through the folder. Upon arriving to the first picture he frowned.
"It looked like it exploded from the inside out… is it even human?"
"Sir! It was verified that it was human at one point. He was on the most recent missing persons list."
Roy glanced up then looked back at the picture. After a second he snapped it shut and handed it back to the private, who saluted and returned it to its proper location.
"The description matches… but why did Hughes say we might not be able to get him?..." Roy muttered turning away. Riza followed in silence, watching her superior officer debate with himself quietly.
A few hours later, Havoc and Breda returned, expressions impassive.
"Sir." Havoc stated, a slight frown gracing his features, another cigarette sitting on his lips.
"Report."
"There is nothing to report sir. It is completely abandoned. Whoever did it knew how to erase evidence, they're a pro…" Roy frowned, his elbows rested on the table as his hands were placed in front of his mouth.
Breda nodded in agreement, releasing his salute in response.
Roy's frown deepened. "Thank you, you're dismissed." He stated, a moment later he glanced over to the phone and picked it up.
"Hey~ It's lovely to hear your voice… yes, yes… can you do me a favor and contact Fullmetal for me?... Of course… at 9? I'll see you then~." Hawkeye rolled her eyes at the exchange as Breda and Havoc sat down, watching in amusement.
Edward stretched, yawning. A book sat precariously on his lap as more books surrounded the area; his hood was still up as his hands reached high over his head. There was a slight crack and he let his hands drop.
They were in one of central's libraries, in a back corner. Around them was a pile of books and papers, notes and utensils lay haphazardly in orderly chaos. Alphonse was standing up pulling a book down from a higher shelf.
"Still nothing?" The young boy asked. Ed shook his head with a sigh.
"Nothing, All I see is stuff we already know." He stood, wiping his coat down as he felt his ears twitch.
"Phone call for Edward Elric on line one." Ed glanced up and frowned.
"I just CAME from there! What does he want now!"
"Um…. Brother, that was a couple hours ago…"
"So! That's still not enough time!"
Al sighed as Ed stormed out, stomping up to the phone. He could just feel his tail wanting to break free from the clothes in aggravation, even though he had found some tape to help keep it in place.
THAT had been an interesting experience by itself.
"What!" He growled into the receiver as soon as he picked it up.
"Nice to hear you too." replied the other voice, sarcastically, "Come down to headquarters, I would like to speak with you regarding your report..."
"Can't you just get off your lazy ass and come talk with me yourself?"
"This 'lazy ass' has another assignment to do, so no, come yourself."
Ed snarled in annoyance as a click signaled the end of the conversation.
"That damn colonel… Come on Al, we have to get going."
Al sighed, shaking his head as the boy once again stormed out the door.
They arrived back at headquarters in record time, the blonde storming up the stairs like a mini, rampaging tornado. Al stayed back, not wanting to get caught in the cycle.
The two moved forward bursting through the main door. Ed walked in, ignoring the greetings of some of the military officers and the salutes of the lower personal. He turned the corner hurriedly and ran right into another man. He bounced back, landing to the ground with a thud. Swearing, as he rubbed his nose, frowning in annoyance.
"Hey! What the He-!" Ed froze looking up at the man before him.
"F…Fuhrer!" Ed stated, eyes widening in shock.
The tall, imposing man with an eye patch looked down and grinned.
"Fullmetal… You might want to put your hood back up." Ed stared and then noticed, with a moment of panic, that the coat had slipped with the collision, clearly showing the two ears he was so desperate to hide. Instantly he pulled it back up and glanced around. "Don't worry, no one noticed."
"Brother!" Ed glanced back to find Al turning the corner in front, freezing in shock when he noticed who his brother was talking too. "Fuhrer!"
"Alphonse! Good to see you. How have you been doing?"
"Uh… fine?"
"Ah yes, you were in a hurry, weren't you?" The man smiled glancing down at Ed who still sat on the floor. The boy nodded and stood quickly, wiping himself down in the process. The Fuhrer bent down and spoke into the boy's ear.
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Though, be expecting an order or two from yours truly. Oh! And make sure no one else see's those ears. I know many people who would not want to work with a chimera if they find out." He winked with his one good eye. Ed straightened slightly suppressing a deep frown as the man leaned back to once again face forward. "Well it was nice seeing you boys! Now I best be going, I have work to do!" He stated, walking forward down the stairs.
After he was out of sight Al turned to Ed in shock. "The Fuhrer… what was he doing here?! And what did he tell you?"
"No idea, for both… anyways we should get moving." He stated, a little quieter than earlier. The two turned and moved forward. After a moment Ed walked in, too tired and confused to slam the door open his normal way, Al stayed back, like normal, it wasn't his business.
Havoc and Breda were sitting in their seats, eyes shadowed slightly. Hawkeye's lips were pursed and Roy looked like he wanted to throttle something. Annoyance showed in flickers across his face, as if he was using all his willpower to suppress it, and failing miserably.
"Well, this is a surprise; the colonel is actually showing emotions!" Ed stated stepping forward, a smirk forming on his face.
"Shut it Fullmetal!" the man growled. Ed blinked in surprise then grinned. "Just so you know, it has to do with you too." The grin lowered slightly. "I called you here originally to speak about your report regarding the recent Chimera incidents… Well, as you probably noticed, the Fuhrer came by. He stated that we are not allowed to touch that case any longer, along with any cases connected with it…"
"That's fine by me." Ed stated letting his grin twitch back upwards, one less mission to accomplish, one more chance to look for the stone.
"You don't understand do you… basically… we can't catch or do anything to the person that captured you." Ed grimaced slightly.
"So you did read the whole report…"
"Of course I did Fullmetal, It's my job. And I must say, I am disappointed and a little confused. Didn't I specifically tell you NOT to do anything reckless? And what do you do? You go around and get kidnapped by a crazy lunatic!"
"I'm fine though!"
"That's not the point! The fact that you ended up in that position is exactly the problem! It doesn't matter that you escaped without injury! I'm placing you under house arrest for the week; you are to go back to Risembool tonight."
"What?! That's fucking crazy!" Ed growled angrily, grin wiped cleanly off his face.
"It's your own fault. You need to know when to back down, or at least learn discretion!" Roy stated, folding his hands in front of his face.
"Edward. The colonel is giving an order, you're still in the military; you need to learn to follow those orders." Hawkeye stated, calmly.
Ed growled low in his throat then turned with a Hmph. "Fine!"
He left, leaving the group behind in silence.
"So what did the colonel want?"
"He placed me under freaking House Arrest! Told me to go back to Risembool for the week." He frowned.
"Well isn't that good? I mean, I would love to see Winry again…"
"I would NOT love to see her wrench, which she ALWAYS throws at me! She's annoying!"
"You know you don't mean that!"
"Yes… yes I do actually." He stated in reply. Al sighed.
"Well, either way, we're seeing Winry, whether you want to or not."
"Well, I don't HAVE to go…"
"Yes you do, chief." Edward blinked and looked back to see havoc standing at the top of the stairs.
"Why." He frowned.
"The colonel is expecting a daily call from the Rockbells, they already know that you will be arriving sometime tonight or tomorrow. He will know if you never arrive. 'If you don't go you well be court-martialed for not following orders,' colonels words." He stated taking a deep breathe of the toxic smoke as Ed fumed.
"That bastard!" Ed snarled fist clenched.
"Sorry boss. Not much I can do… and I think he has a point."
Ed sent a scathing glare to havoc and stomped down the road. "Fine! He wants me gone? Then I'll leave!"
Al muttered a quick sorry and ran after the boy who was practically tearing up the street in anger.
Havoc sighed and turned to go back inside. "That colonel… telling me to tell them about a non-existent phone report…" The man shook his head as he walked back into HQ.
"Stupid colonel, stupid havoc, stupid bastard, stupid…" The muttering continued as Ed headed to the train station, bags in hand. Al just followed behind shaking his head.
Ed's coat hood was still up, his hair, which was usually up in either his signature braid or a ponytail, was now down, strands flowing out of the hood like the night before. He would have put it up, but it took up a lot of the back of the hood, causing there to be less room to hide his ears. So instead, even though it was uncomfortable, he let his hair stay down, allowing him to pull his hood farther forward. The hood was then restrained with two black clips he had found on the way to the train station. That way it wouldn't fly back like it did with the Fuhrer. His coat swirled around him, hiding the now more slender build, while his black boots thumped against the hard earthen ground with uneven strides.
The two stepped up to the ticket booth and, after acquiring two tickets, hopped on the train. The whole time Ed continued to mutter, his high voice making the words sound sharper than normal. They moved backwards along the train, hearing the whistle blow to signal that it was leaving. A moment later there was a rocking motion and they were off. They looked around and then, after finding two empty seats that faced each other, they sat down.
"Brother…" Al spoke, trying to interrupt the continual flow of obscenity's out of the older boy's mouth. He was both surprised and unsurprised to find the boy STILL swearing at the people and things around him.
After a moment Ed sighed and looked up, "Yes?"
"… Is it really that bad?"
Ed blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"… To go… ho… I mean, back to Risembool?
Ed sighed and, after a moment, shook his head. He reached his hand back, messaging the back of his neck through his coat. "No… no it isn't, it's just… I don't know… I guess I do want to see mom…" The boy tilted his head slightly; his bangs and hood hiding the deep golden eyes as he dropped his hand. Al watched in silence.
A moment later he responded with a quiet, "Me, too…"
Ed yawned and lay down, stretching languidly across the entire bench. Laying on his side he slowly closed his eyes and fell asleep. Al watched, sitting back in his seat. A moment later he turned to look out the window, watching the scenery move by gently. It was beautiful out with almost no clouds in sight. The sun was already peaking below the horizon, dashes of purple and gold shown in the sky as a deep red glowed softly in between them; internally he smiled and remembered an old folk tale that they had heard during their travels.
"Red sky at night, sailors delight." He murmured softly, just barely heard, like a gentle chime, from the ringing armor. "I wonder… is that really true?"
The train ride was relatively quiet. Other than a screaming baby, there wasn't much distraction from the unchanging landscape of rolling hills and grassy meadows. The sun had quickly gone down, letting the moon shine bright and clear, nowhere near as bright as the night before which had its own special radiance, but still light none the less. Al watched as Ed slept on, the quietness of the air was calming.
Early the next morning the train arrived pulling in to Risembool station with a loud whistle. Ed blinked blearily muttering something about "another 5 minutes" while Al stood, getting the other boys stuff. After a few prods Ed was finally awake enough to get off the train by himself, the hair that was visible was tangled and knotted and his face looked exhausted from the long and bumpy ride. He stretched reaching his hands high above his head, careful not to hit the clips that kept his hood up. After a moment he let his arms drop and turned to Al.
"Guess we should get going, shouldn't we?" Al nodded and they headed off down the road. Ed's pack was slung casually over his shoulder, held up by his automail arm. He walked carefully, trying to hide the limp as they passed by people they knew.
They walked along a familia dirt road; a stone hedge bordered one side while grassy plains covered the other. Up ahead was a two story house the two recognized almost instantly. Ed would never admit it but… it was a place of refuge and peace in their war torn world.
The big Automail sign outside and the bark of a dog signaled their approach.
Ed's ears twitched and he instinctively ducked. He blinked not realizing his own action until he heard a loud "THWACK" on the ground behind him. He looked back noticing a wrench slammed into the ground where his head would have been.
"What the hell Winry!" He shouted turning back to a blonde haired girl in a beige worker's jumpsuit, the top half was open and tied around her waist. Her black tube top hug snuggly to her curves and her blonde hair was up in a high ponytail with a green bandanna around her head. She was holding another wrench in her hand, her blue eyes widened in surprise as she stared.
"I missed?..." she muttered in confusion then glared at the boy, already passed her shock. "Edward Elric! Why didn't you tell me you were coming!" Ed blinked in confusion, this time unable to avoid the wrench to the head.
Ed crouched down grabbing his head in pain. "What is it with people hitting my head lately?! Are you all TRYING to give me a concussion?!" He shouted angrily.
"Uh… Winry…" Al stepped forward hesitantly, his hands up in a placating manner. Winry's icy blue eye's turned to Al with a glare.
"You're no better! You never call! You never send any letters! What do you expect me to do!" She frowned, lips pursed.
Al quivered slightly then responded, "Uh… we were told that the colonel contacted you, telling you brother was under house arrest for the week… he said that you were going to call him if we didn't arrive…" Al trailed off as he noticed the girl's expression go from angry, to confused, to finally sighing in resignation. Her hands fell off her hips and she shook her head.
"Sorry Al. We didn't expect anyone."
"That bastard! He tricked us!" Ed growled, still messaging his head in irritation. Thankfully the wrench hadn't hit either of his ears. It still hurt like hell, but it didn't damage anything too badly.
"Well come in." The girl smiled, anger finally gone. Ed hesitated for a moment, confused at her, once again, sudden shift in mood. A second later he stood up.
He had one second to realize the problem, just to yelp and fall forward, landing flat on his face.
"Brother! Are you alright?!" Al asked worriedly, his hands hovering over the other boy's body. Winry watched in confusion.
"Ed, are you okay?"
" 'M fine." He stated, pushing himself up. He looked down towards his flesh leg frowning. A second later he once again stood up, being more careful on how he placed his feet. After a moment he grinned and walked forward.
"Are you coming or what?" He asked walking through the doorway. Al watched Winry frown as the girl turned slowly towards the door.
"Hey Al… What happened?" She asked, her back turned towards the other boy.
Al hesitated for a second, "Truthfully?... I don't know…" Winry spun around in shock then looked back at the door.
"Ed…" She whispered; worry flashing across her features as she looked towards the gapping opening.
"Hey… Winry… Can you do us a favor? I think something's wrong with brothers automail… he's been limping a lot the past two days…" Winry's expression grew from worried to pissed faster than a penny flip. Before Al could stop her the girl raced forward screaming.
"EDWARD ELRIC! WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY AUTOMAIL THIS TIME!" Al watched, mentally sweat-dropping as the sound of running feet, loud bangs and screaming resonated in the house. After it quieted slightly he walked in. In one corner he saw Ed covering his head with both hands as Winry hovered over him in anger.
"I didn't do anything!" The boy shouted in protest, desperately trying to avoid the flying wrenches. Without warning he once again tripped and slid sideways, his coat fluttered out of the way to show his legs. Winry blinked and frowned lowering her wrench.
"Oh… It looks like it just needs adjusting…"
Edward turned to face her, glaring at her in anger. "Well DUH! That's what I have been trying to tell you, you automail freak!"
Winry sighed and shook her head. "Come on, I'll check it out." She stated looking at the other boy pointedly. Ed pursed his lips and stood. He fidgeted slightly, as if wanting to bolt. Winry, noticing, raced forward and grabbed hold of the boy's wrist.
"Oh no you don't! You're not running now."
Edward grimaced and followed after the girl, Alphonse following right behind.
Ed walked in nervously. He didn't like this. There was NO way he was going to be able to hide the extra appendages, especially with the way that he needed to take off both his coat and pants, why didn't he think of that predicament EARLIER?!
"Uh… Winry… I think there fine actually… I don't ne-"
Winry glanced up at the boy with a raised eyebrow, "since when were YOU of all people nervous about getting an automail adjustment?"
"Uh…" Edwards mind went blank. He racked his brain desperately hoping to pull out anything he could think of. "… I'm hungry?..." Winry looked at the boy with a half lidded deadpan expression.
"Really..." WInry frowned and then grinned.
"You can get food AFTER I check you're automail, okay?" She smiled sweetly making Ed frown in worry. "Come on Ed! Strip already so that I can check it!"
Ed backed away quickly, putting his hands up in defense, "Like I said! Their fine, I just broke my toe the other day, remember Al? That morning?" He stated turning in the direction of his brother. He stopped in confusion when he didn't see him, a second later his back hit cold metal and he looked up, confusion on his face, but waiting for a response.
"Brother… "
"It's really no problem, I even got it wrapped, so it's fine, you know those take time to heal." Ed stated hurriedly. Winry looked at the boy for a second, glanced at Al then glanced once more to Ed.
"Ed… why would you be limping with a broken toe… sure it hurts, but by now you probably don't even notice."
"What? Of course I notice! I'm still human you know!"
"Sometimes you don't act like it." Winry muttered to herself quietly. Ed heard, anyways, and grimaced, not saying a word.
"Come on Ed; just let me check the automail. It's not going to kill you."
Ed pursed his lips and glanced to Al, as if hoping the boy would help.
Al, noticing the others look, spoke firmly, "Brother, you need to fix it; it'll only cause you more pain."
Ed widened his golden eyes in shock. "My own brother's betrayed me!" He whined.
"Oh yeah, Ed… That reminds me… What happened to your voice?" Winry asked still smiling sweetly, causing Ed to glance back at the blonde.
"Helium…" Ed stuttered out. Al looked down at his brother pointedly.
"You know Brother… Helium doesn't affect the vocal chords that long…"
"Uh… It… Uh… was special, another component, I… don't know what it was…" Both Al and Winry stared at him, and he practically felt like wilting.
"Well whatever, come on. Take off your coat."
"Where's Granny?" Ed asked, trying to change the subject.
"Out getting automail parts, said she wanted to get some fresh air as well. Now DON'T CHANGE THE SUBJECT!" Ed grimaced. Before he could object Winry took his coat front and pulled, jerking it off his shoulder. His uneven legs overbalanced and he stumbled forward, the black clips slipping out in the process. The coat slipped down his shoulders as he landed to the ground with a loud "thud". He lay on his side, his black sleeves visible and his hair splayed around him like water. The tape surrounding his tail snapped and he felt it shift. Ed moaned and pulled a hand up, messaging his face. Before he got too far he froze. Silence enveloped the room to the point where crickets could be heard like church bells. Slowly Ed turned his head, looking at Winry and Al.
Winry's eyes were wide, her hands covering her mouth in shock while Al just stood there, the unfeeling metal unable to express any emotion. Ed felt his ears flatten till they were practically hidden in his hair and could feel his tail curl tightly into a small ring behind his back, pushing against the red and black fabric of his clothes. Slowly he sat up letting the coat slip farther down his shoulder until the fabric was even with his waist.
'No…' his brain finally thought. It was all he could think as he watched the two in horror. He frowned and snarled, unconsciously flashing his sharp teeth in the process. Winry cringed slightly. A moment later she set her shoulders and stepped forward. Ed watched her warily until she was right in front of him. Without warning her hand shot out and slapped him in the side of the face. In shock, he continued to watch the side wall. A moment later he turned back to face Winry, confusion splayed across his features. Before he could register what happened Winry reached forward and hugged him.
Ed blinked, unable to comprehend what was going on. He felt the touch of cold metal behind him, embracing him just as tightly as Winry. His eyes continued to blink as he looked back and forth in confusion.
"Wha…?" Was all he could say.
"You idiot…" Winry whispered, she slowly pulled away leaving Ed to rest in Al's encircling arms, much to the blonde's confusion. "You should have told us."
Ed paused and frowned. After looking at her stern but worried expression he looked down, his hair draping into his face. He slumped slightly, leaning into Al's strong, steady embrace. "I'm… sorry… I just didn't want anyone to worry…"
"Of course we'll worry! Because we care! We don't want anything to happen to you!"
"Brother… Winry's right, you really should have told us." Ed looked up, seeing an odd look in the others soul-fire eyes. The younger boy's voice held a hint of something that Ed had never heard in his younger brother's tone - and hoped to never hear again - Pure, unadulterated fury.
"Al…" Winry whispered, also noticing the boy's anger.
"Brother. Why didn't you go after him if he had done this to you?" The other boy stated, his voice having a distinct layer of calm that fooled no one.
"I couldn't… I didn't know whether you were alright or not… I couldn't take that chance… and… truth be told… I was stunned… The guy had just let me go, saying that, I was free to go whenever I wanted… my brain wouldn't let me think straight… and then I was just worried about you so…" Winry's eyes started to narrow slightly as Ed spoke. When he finished she stood up.
"Ed… start from the beginning and tell us what happened." Ed flinched noticing the girls glare, his ears felt like they were squeezing his head as his tail drew in even tighter, which he hadn't thought was possible.
"Brother I agree, tell us." Ed turned his head slightly and looked up. He looked between the two and realized he was really and truly trapped. Unable to think of any way to get out of it he sighed. He leaned his head against Al's chest as the young boy wrapped him tightly in his metal arms. Winry slowly sat down, noticing the other boy's reluctant resignation.
After a long moment, hoping that there might be a distraction, Ed began. He started with telling Winry about the mission and then the underground passage, he was careful and avoided most of the battles so as not to worry her, the girl noticed anyways but stayed silent. Finally he got to the part where he and Al were separated.
"They took me to the same large room as earlier. They put me in the center of the giant transmutation circle and injected me with some sort of serum… After I had finally… calmed down, a black kitten was thrown onto my chest… after that it gets a bit fuzzy… I don't really remember much. I remember the transmutation circle activating… a while later everything stopped, I lost consciousness not long after that… When I awoke I had these features." He stopped, gesticulating to the various changes in his body. "He said that I was perfect…" Ed shuddered slightly then continued, "He examined me to see if everything was alright. Afterward's we talked and he mentioned how he had been given orders… I don't know from whom or why or… anything really…
Before I could find out anything he told me to leave and subsequently left… I found Al a while later and we left as well…" Ed stopped, taking a sip of water that Winry had brought in half way through the story. The room was once again silent. Ed looked at his water in confusion as he noticed it shake. For a moment he thought it was himself then he paused.
"Al?..." he asked carefully noticing the other boys tremors.
"Nothing." The boy stated quickly. Ed blinked then looked over at Winry who had a frown on her face, her eyes flashing in barely suppressed anger.
"Haven't you two been through enough?" The girl whispered closing her eyes. A moment later she opened them and turned back to Ed. She smiled.
"Well… at least you didn't get THAT much shorter."
Ed bristled, "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A HALF PINT MIDGET WHO CAN'T EVEN SEE OVER AN AMOEBE 'CAUSE HE'S SO SMALL!" Winry laughed as the boy in front of her continued to fume.
"That's our Ed." She chuckled. Ed paused, anger slowly seeping away with realization; he let out a breath.
"Thanks Winry…" The girl nodded and stood.
"Well I guess we should probably adjust your automail… oh! And by the way… you look cute with cat ears." The girl grinned as Ed once again bristled. Winry just smirked and left to get her tools. She walked out the door and closed it softly. Just in time. She felt a tear roll slowly down her cheek.
"I… still can't do anything for them… why do they keep ending up in these situations…" She frowned, bending her head down, letting her bangs cover her eyes.
"… That is the path they choose… it is their job to decide how they want to overcome this." Winry looked up to see an elderly woman with greying hair tied up in a neat bun. She was short but her eyes showed a wisdom that belied her strength. She stood, leaning right next to the doorway, a pipe sat in her hand as she blew out a slow stream of smoke. "Those kids' are strong. They'll manage and don't forget, when they need you they will come to you, just like they did here… all we can do is support them from the side lines until the time is right." She took another puff of smoke and let it out. "Well, anyways I have to make lunch." She stated walking towards the kitchen. Winry watched her go, a small watery smile forming on her lips.
"Yeah…"
Ed just wanted to sleep. The long explanation had tired him out and he just didn't want to think about it, not to mention he could feel his pride shattering into smithereens.
"Ed…" Ed froze and looked up in shock. Al never called him just Ed… not unless it was extremely important.
Noticing that he had gotten the blonde boys attention the younger one looked down. "We need to go after him; we need to turn you back." The boy said firmly. Ed frowned and sighed, slight annoyance filtering into his voice.
"Unfortunately, right before we came the Fuhrer said we couldn't do anything against the man."
"What!" Al responded, a frown heard in his voice. "That's not right!"
"Al…
"well, I never did like following rules now did I." Ed slowly smirked, once again looking up at his younger brother. The younger boy looked down at him, his soulful eyes flickered. The boy's armor head nodded.
"Ring!" Ed blinked and turned, noticing the phone, a second later the ringing stopped and there was silence.
A while later Winry came back in, tool case in hand.
"Ed, the colonel called asking if you arrived, I told him you did…"
"Did you tell him anything else?" Ed turned, looking at the girl with a frown.
"… No. I didn't…" WInry stated, bending down next to the boy. "Now come on, we have to fix up your automail." Ed nodded and stood. He walked over to the couch and pulled his coat off. After a moment of hesitation he slowly pulled off his shirt and pants. His black tail curled tightly around his body as his ears flicked in worry. Meanwhile his features displayed a strict poker face. Winry watched in wonder, staring at the boy in front of her. The way he held himself was still Ed, but his features and added attachments made him look adorably cute.
"…" After a moment she shook her head and got to work. After measuring his arm and leg and checking his ports she sat up. "It looks like I need to make the arm and leg smaller."
Ed clenched his teeth and scrunched up his nose. Anger flashed through his face while his tail twitched erratically.
"Well, I should be done quickly." She responded, carefully dis-attaching the two limbs, "For now use this for the leg… it's not as sturdy, but it should work." She stated handing over the temporary leg. Ed nodded.
"Thanks Winry…"
Winry smiled, slinging her trusty wrench over her shoulder. "Of Course! I AM your mechanic." The smile widened.
Ed just grinned.
Chapter six:woot! done!
Yikes. -.-"
P.S. Thank you for everyone who has reviewed! All of your reviews are wonderful and I really appreciate them. I feel bad that I can't reply to the anonymous reviews, but know that I read every single one. :)
Anyways:
Regarding writing reviews:
Found it! *pulls out flamethrower with alchemic fire symbol* Whooie! I missed this baby! Sorry, not going to lose to a water gun. :P
but seriously, please review, I want to know what you guys like, don't like or just... anything really.