Me: Hi everyone! I'm back after all this time! You like the new story cover?
Danny: And not forgetting me :3 Do you realise how much effort it took me to get Hayden to post this chapter? Ugh, I never want to do that again…
Me: Well, I've been held down with end-of-year exams and a long trip to an almost wifi-less hotel in the middle of the German countryside.
Danny: … fair enough.
Me: And now I've decided to do review replies for you all from now on :3
Violetlight: Maes had known about Selim's nightmares since chapter 1 :3 And, no, Mrs. Bradley told Winry everything on the phone to tell Edward. 'Nightmares' was just a kind of code word for Ed that Maes took literally.
Hanashi o suru: Well, he will now! Enjoy the chapter!
Harryswoman: This isn't soon enough, is it? And if you don't mind me asking, who is this 'Harry' is your username? XD
Anne Camp aka Obi-quiet: OH GOD NO IF THIS WAS TWILIGHT I WOULD DIE. Jacob was the name of my little brother's friend who was round here while I was writing. I couldn't think of anything else, so I just used his name.
DoctorWhotaliaandtheOlympians: Glad you enjoyed it! (Yay! Free money!)
FezBerry: There is more confusion to come, I promise you!
Adjacent to Addiction: Here it is! And I'm looking forward to reading your fic!
A New Way to Bleed Chapter 6 – The Experiment
"Selim?"
The boy stirred.
"What is that?"
He opened his eyes. Everything was fuzzy.
Why couldn't he move?
"Can you get these things out of the way? I can't get to him like this."
"How do I do that?"
"You're the one who's done this before, you should know!"
"Right."
Before he could even begin to make sense of what was going on around him, Selim had to tightly close his eyes again when a bright light filled the room. Everything felt pressured and tense for a moment, almost causing him to go into panic mode again, but then it seemed to ease away.
Selim looked up.
Two men were standing over him, dressed identically in white lab coats. The each held a clipboard in their hands and both appeared to be writing things down.
Eventually one of them stopped and looked down at the boy.
"Selim Bradley?" he held out his hand for him to stand up. Selim was surprised that he could.
"Uh… yeah. That's right," and his voice appeared to be working, too.
"You had quite a fall back there," the man laughed.
The boy nodded, dazed, as he looked around the room.
The first thing that struck him was the table. Didn't it have a huge crack running through the middle? He focused more, confusion setting further into his face. Not even a scratch. Stepping closer, he brushed his hand over the mahogany. There was no sign at all this table had been split in half.
"What are you so interested in the table for?" one of the men asked.
Selim didn't reply. Instead, he carried on observing the room, and everything – or everyone – in it.
There were at least twenty people in here with him, all dressed in white lab coats. Some were picking things out of the floor with scalpels; others were writing things on clipboards - just like the two men that had woken him up.
And there were also some people who were supposed to be here who weren't.
"Where's my mum? And Fuhrer Olivier?"
"They're outside. They regained consciousness before you."
"Talking of them…" the other man said, nodding towards the door.
"Darling!" Mrs. Bradley was standing at the entrance. Her face was puffed up and red from where she had been crying and within seconds she had her frail arms around her son, holding him so tight he could barely move.
"Selim, thank goodness you're OK," she breathed, holding her hand against his forehead, "you were burning up, and we couldn't lift you from your spot on the floor, or-"
"I'm fine, Mum, you don't need to fuss over me," Selim whispered, so quietly that only his mother could hear.
But he didn't really feel fine though. His feet felt like stones and he was probably on the verge of throwing up. It was an effort to keep his eyes open and maybe he could sleep forever.
He just wanted to go home. Back to where he knew it was safe.
Back to where things didn't hurt.
But… didn't things hurt at home, too? Would he ever be able to escape that pain?
He was too tired to think.
Olivier was beside them too, a short distance away talking to Belvadier.
"Selim," she called, beckoning him over with her hand, "I need to tell you something."
Clutching onto his mother's arm, the boy staggered over to where the Fuhrer was standing. He tried to stand up straight, something at the back of his mind faintly telling him that this was the ruler of the country and that he should pay her respect.
But did he remember that before? When he shouted and screamed at her?
He winced inwardly at the thought, suddenly feeling uncomfortable in her presence. As if things couldn't get any worse.
Humiliating himself in front of the leader of Amestris. So much for pride or dignity.
He cleared his throat as best he could, but his voice had suddenly become raspy again, "what is it, Fuhrer Olivier?"
"I wanted to inform you that your mother and I have made a few phone calls. We definitely do not want this happening to you again, so we've sent for an old friend of hers to pay you a visit."
"Will they be able to help me?" Selim didn't sound very convinced. The last time this happened he had spiralled down into, well… this.
"We think so. You've met him before, but only when you were very young. His name is Edward Elric."
"Edward… Elric?"
Oh, Mr Half-Pint Alchemist, you'll always be my role model.
Selim blinked.
"Is he… an alchemist?"
A fraction of a frown flashed across Oliver's face as she replied, "no. He's a farmer from a village south-east of here called Resembool."
"Oh…OK. When is he coming?"
"Probably in a few weeks' time."
"That'll be… nice."
"We should leave now, sweetie," Mrs Bradley suddenly said to her son, most likely realising the time "I heard Elysia's here."
"I'm not really too bothered about seeing her," Selim looked towards the floor with a tired sigh, hiding his expression as they left the room and the people in the lab coats behind.
As he walked further through the house, he vaguely registered Elysia appearing beside him with Thomas. She said nothing, and he was thankful for that. It was not the time to talk.
You really had me fooled, Selim.
He didn't know why he was smiling.
The doors of the train finally opened and Maes smiled excitedly, determined to be the first one off and get a good look at Central's east station.
He jumped down off the train and onto the platform and looked around, Alphonse and Edward coming up behind him.
"Wow…." he muttered.
He'd never seen anything so big in his life. The whole place was bustling with people going places, and the noises of their talking mixed with the sounds of departing and arriving trains was almost deafening. The entire roof of the station was glass, supported by large metal beams, to make the most of the sun and it kind of seemed to Maes like he was outside, but the walls around the building told him that this was not so. The air was thick with the smell of steam from the trains and he could almost taste the impurities in the air, but it completely went over his head. He was in Central. The capital city of Amestris – for the first time in his life. That, on its own, was just amazing.
"So," Alphonse patted him on the shoulder, "what do you think?"
"It's amazing," he grinned, "is the whole city like this? Big, I mean."
"It definitely is. Your father and I have been here many times before. You wouldn't believe how many times he was put into hosp-"
His uncle was interrupted by a short cough from his brother and they both turned round to see a tall man walking towards them.
"It's great to see you again, Fullmetal." Maes realised he was talking to his father. Edward just frowned.
Fullmetal? What kind of a nickname was that?
"Likewise, Colonel Bastard," Ed retorted.
"That's General Bastard to you," he ruffled the shorter man's hair like he was a child.
"Maes," Edward spoke through gritted teeth, "allow me to introduce you to… General… Mustang."
The boy's eyes widened and he took a step back in surprise. "This man is… General Mustang?"
"The one and only," he replied, a smirk appearing on his face. His black hair was untidy but kept in a way that looked presentable. His dark eyes had no bags underneath and his face showed no signs of the fact he was in his mid-forties – his age being something which Maes had found out about when he was doing his military studies project on the higher-ups. "And who might you be?"
"M…Maes Elric, Sir," he wasn't sure whether he was supposed salute or not, so he did anyway.
Mustang raised an eyebrow at Alphonse. "Yours?"
Ed boiled.
Al looked embarrassed, "No, Sir. Maes is Brother's and Winry's son."
Mustang sniggered, "seriously? Well, he doesn't get his manners from you, Edward, that's for sure."
Maes' father still said nothing, but he knew that it wouldn't take much more for him to crack.
"We've arranged a place for you in the military dorms," the general continued, changing the subject, "it's equivalent to a major's suite, taking into account you previous rank, so expect something nice, but not too overly fancy."
Maes looked back up at Mustang's face after staring at the man's medals in disbelief, "my father was in the military once? When? He was barely and adult when I was born."
Mustang looked at Edward, a slightly muddled expression on his face, to which the younger man replied silently with a narrowing of his eyes and a subtle shake of his head.
"He was just in the school," Mustang said after a while, "ranks are easier to achieve there and Edward moved up quite quickly."
"But then I left when Winry was having you," his father added.
Maes, not sure what to think, frowned.
More questions now?
There was an awkward silence until Alphonse spoke up. "Let's go, shall we?" he picked up his suitcase and began to walk, leaving the others no choice but to follow behind him.
Elysia sighed and set her flute back down on the stand. She checked her watch – it was almost four o'clock.
A light evening breeze blew in through her window and she shut it, irritated.
Apparently she was going out with Selim to dinner today.
What we she supposed to make of that?
She laid down on top of her bed, deep in thought. He seemed so depressed when she'd seen him a few weeks ago and, like any decent friend should be, she was worried about him.
Selim never used to act this strange. She'd only seen him for a few minutes, but he was nothing like the carefree, innocent and slightly naïve boy she was used to. Elysia wondered what in the world got him into that state, and maybe how to get him out. Was he OK now? Was he over it – whatever it was? She would find out soon enough, but he had been on her mind ever since she had seen his dead eyes and pale face. He had looked completely defeated, but…
She sat up, focusing on a picture in her memory.
Elysia ran through the scene of her, Thomas and Selim making their way to the front door of Armstrong's mansion back in her head slowly, thinking about what she could see on his face, the way his bangs seemed to cover most of it almost on purpose, his expression…
Was he… grinning?
"Well, this was tidier than I expected it to be," Alphonse admitted as they walked into the room.
"Tidier?" Maes echoed, "that's an understatement."
The room was flawless. Three beds lined the walls without a single crease in the blanket. Military standard, as expected, he guessed, eyes running over the spotless glass on the windows. The view out of them was a picturesque sight of Central command, the early evening sun blackening the sharp but elegant edges of the castle-like headquarters.
Opening one up, Maes stuck his head out and looked down, working out that they were on the third floor. Soldiers and recruits with office jobs were hurrying about below him, trying their best to finish off the larger jobs before their shift ended.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath of the breeze, letting the air of a new place fill his senses. But he wasn't sure why he liked it so much – the military wasn't exactly the nicest place to be. How could he feel so at home here? And it was just his first time in the capital city, too. He knew he should have been longing for open space. Why was he suddenly so used to this dirtier city? Maybe it was his father. He might have spent a lot of time here as a child.
But, to be honest, right now, he didn't care.
He vaguely registered in the back of his mind that Mustang was expecting them to meet him and some of Edward's old military superiors for dinner, just before leaving. It brought Maes back from his thoughts and he turned to lock eyes with his father, scowling as he remembered all of the questions he needed to ask.
"You didn't even tell me you were in the military," he said irritably.
Ed looked taken aback, but only a bit. Sharing his son's slightly immature personality, he frowned too. "You seemed OK with it earlier," he pointed out, putting his case on one of the beds.
"Yeah, well maybe it was because I was in front of General Mustang? You know, someone I actually kind of respect? I've asked about him since my military studies project back when I was ten - three years ago - and it never once registered in your mind to tell me that he was your direct superior? I… I just…" Maes drifted off. He was angry, but he didn't want to become like Edward and rage at the top of his voice. That was the opposite of what he was trying to do. Marginally quieter, he clenched his fists together and said, "I just hate you, Dad. And now it seems like there's more I don't know. What is up with you?"
Edward, who was just as red in the face as his child, refused to say anything. He pouted and his face was scrunched up with a mixture of anger, embarrassment and betrayal.
Alphonse, However, appeared to be the polar opposite of his brother as he put his hands on Maes' shoulders and whispered in his ear calmly, "why don't you give you father time to cool off and go and explore? Be back in an hour so we can go down to dinner."
"I don't see why he's the one that needs to 'cool off', but fine." Glumly, the boy nodded his head, eyes still narrowed to icy-blue slits. Without another word, he left the room, closing the door behind him again.
But he wasn't even going to think about leaving yet. Alphonse was obviously going to talk to Ed, so now was his chance to finally get some of the answers he so desperately felt he deserved.
Carefully, he crouched down on one knee after checking that no one was walking through the corridor and pressed his ear against the door, straining to hear through the thick wood.
Maes heard a creak as the two brothers sat down on their respective beds.
"Brother, you-" Al began.
"Save it, Al," Ed replied gloomily, his voice sounding much more defeated that usual, "I know I'm in the wrong here."
There was a long silence after that and during it, Maes considered what his father just said with surprise. His father, admitting he'd done something wrong? It was so out of character it seemed almost criminal.
Then Edward spoke again, taking a deep breath before he did so, "when Winry had Maes I was so happy – I knew he would give me a chance to be a better father than Hohenheim. Then things began appearing out of nowhere, you know? Things I couldn't escape. Like you becoming a prince of Xing, when we went to the border to visit Julia or when I went to help block the tunnels. Time has gone by so quickly, and every time I returned home he seemed so much older. I can count on my fingers how many times I've seen Nina. This is the exact opposite of how I dreamed he was supposed to grow up. We went without a father for most of our childhood, Al, and then he just went and died on us. On my travels, part of me dreaded that Winry would end up like Mum, getting ill and dying also before I came home. I wanted so badly to be there for them, but now I…" he trailed off.
"Maybe if you tell Maes all of this, he'll forgive you, Brother," Alphonse suggested quietly.
"But it would lead to even more questions," Ed replied miserably, "he thinks all his grandparents are still alive, living in Drachma. We never told him Winry's maiden name so he wouldn't see the graves in Resembool's own cemetery. I don't know how she managed to keep him from seeing our parents'. Winry lost almost all contact with Mrs. Hughes as soon as we named him. If he found out about Maes, well, it would lead to him finding out about everything. I don't want him to have the same messed up childhood as we had, Al. Now that you're really here we can put it all at the back of our minds, with just my leg to remind us what we went through all those years ago," Edward's speech seemed to be breaking up, and it appeared to Maes that he was crying.
Maes didn't think they said anything after that. If they did, he wouldn't have heard it, because he was too busy wiping the tears out of his eyes as he remembered the pain in his father's voice.
Danny: *sobs*
Me: Danny…
Danny: WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?
Me: Danny, I don't think the readers are sad…
Danny: … huh?
Me: I didn't write it with intention to make people cry.
Danny: You made Maes and Ed cry.
Me: *headdesk* Anyway, in the next chapter Maes and Selim are going to meet! Elysia will meet Maes in due time, but she has something coming up that will delay that…
Danny: So, until then, reviews are appreciated! Even it's just a full stop, we'll take it!
Me: And that competition is still open, and since quite a few people have been asking, I'm going to let anyone enter now! And thanks for everyone that's entered so far! I need to stop using exclamation marks!
Danny: No exclamation mark? OK – bye.