I hadn't really planned on this being so long. I sort of cut this chapter in half, so I've got probably a good three chapters plus an epilogue after this.

Chapter 14

With the help of Fort Ishval's fleet of transport vehicles, those who had hiked out to the fields were able to ride back into town. Fuhrer Grumman joked that he wasn't sure if he could authorize them for civilian use since Ishval was about as far from being a disaster area as it could be. Mustang laughed along with him but looked as though he wished he'd thought of it first.

The trucks dropped their passengers off at one of the access roads just outside Gunja. Stanno was just helping Rose down from the back of the truck, letting his hands linger on her waist, when Pashmina came running up to them.

"Zhaarana Rose!" she cried, agitated. "You've got to help us!"

She sounded truly upset, and Stanno frowned at her in concern. "What's wrong?"

Pashmina rolled her eyes dramatically. "Yarisa was supposed to ride with me in Salar's 'shaw, but now her mother won't let her and Salar has to have two girls in his 'shaw to be in the race!" She clasped Rose's hands. "Will you ride with me, please?"

"Shehai li Ishvala!" Stanno groaned. "I thought somebody had died!"

Rose blew out a relieved breath and laughed. "You did kind of scare me, sweetie," she said. "Of course I will!"

"Now, wait a minute!" Stanno cut in. "Are you sure? It could be a rough ride."

Pashmina looked at him indignantly. "Eh-h! And of course you're not worried about me!"

Stanno huffed in exasperation. "That's not what—" He shook his head. "You've got Atash to worry about you!"

"It's fine!" Rose laid a reassuring hand on Stanno's arm, giving it a pat. She turned to Pashmina. "I'd love to be on the team."

Pashmina clapped her hands. "Come on then!"

She grabbed Rose's hand and practically dragged her away. Stanno hurried to keep up with them, determined to not let Rose out of his sight. They left the access road and made their way through the crowd to the street where the rickshaw race would be held. The course was almost same length as the track for the horse race, but it had more curves and a few sharp turns. Atash and a couple of the older pullers had planned it out not just for the challenge but for dramatic effect. The pullers were just beginning to get into position at the starting line, which was roughly between the school and the hospital. The young men were stretching their legs or pulling on fingerless leather gloves onto their hands. Pashmina led Rose to one of the rickshaws, where its puller, Salar, stood with Atash. They were both craning their necks to watch for the girls' approach. When Salar saw them, he let out a whoop.

"You did it!" he cried.

"Of course I did!" Pashmina called back smugly.

"Told you she would!" Atash gave Salar a shove. "Zhaarana Rose! You're the best!"

Rose waved her hand. "We haven't started yet!" she warned them jokingly. "What do I need to do? Just sit?"

"Sit and hold on tight!" Salar replied with a grin. He gave a couple of excited jumps, punching his fist in the air.

Stanno walked around the rickshaw, giving it a quick inspection. He had built all the 'shaws and kept them well maintained. He often had to berate the pullers for abusing his handiwork. Salar, having been well coached by Atash, actually treated his 'shaw with respect. Hopefully, it wouldn't suddenly lose a wheel in the middle of the race.

Salar lifted the shafts and backed the rickshaw into place at the starting/finish line. With a jerk of his head, he called to Rose and Pashmina. "In you go, zhaaranii!"

Heading for the 'shaw, Rose let out a little giggle. "Now I'm getting a little nervous!"

"Ah, now, I've pulled you before, Zhaarana Rose!" Salar assured her. "It'll be fine!"

"It had better be," Stanno warned him.

Pashmina climbed into the rickshaw then beckoned quickly. "Atash!"

The young man went up to the side of the rickshaw and Pashmina leaned over to kiss him. "See you at the finish line!"

"Don't fall out!" Atash warned her, giving her another kiss.

Pashmina settled back into her seat. "As if I would!"

Before Rose climbed in, she gave Stanno a smile. "Well, wish me luck!"

Stanno started to open his mouth to simply say good luck, but then he paused. Whether or not this was what Rose had intended, this was a moment that was screaming out to be seized. His slipped an arm around her waist and pulled her closer. Bending his head, he pressed his lips to hers, not so hard as to be too much of a liberty, but just enough to let her know that he knew what he was doing and didn't have to resort to trickery. He could hear her draw in a quick, soft breath through her nose in surprise, but she didn't pull away. She even leaned in a little closer to him, meeting the soft pressure of his mouth with her own.

He could have kept this up for hours, but he pulled away. "Good luck," he said softly.

He would have liked to think that she looked a lot more pleased than when Kaihan kissed her. "Thanks!" she breathed.

Stanno took that as much for the kiss as for the good luck wish and gave her a hand up into the rickshaw. "My pleasure."

"I'm the one doing the pulling," Salar called over his shoulder. "Is anyone gonna kiss me?"

"If you win," Pashmina replied, "I'll think about it."

"Eh-h!" Atash exclaimed indignantly. "Forget that, Salar! You just be careful with your passengers and I won't kick your ass into next week!"

"Tch!" Salar sneered. "You sound like Zhaarad Stanno. If I'm too careful, I won't win."

Feeling expansive, Stanno laughed and clapped Salar on the shoulder. "I'll tell you what, lahaat. If you win, I'll pay you a sizeable tip." He turned to the other pullers. "That goes for all of you!" He rubbed his fingers together. "The winner steps away a little richer!"

This was met with appreciative howls. Salar gripped his shafts tightly. "Better get out of the way, then!"

Stanno moved to the side of the street and nodded to Atash, who held up the flag that had been used to start the horse race. The pullers watched him tensely, and he swung it down. With howling and yelling from the pullers, shrieks either of excitement or terror from their passengers, and cheers from the spectators, the rickshaws surged forward. Stanno frowned a little as he watched them disappear around the first curve.

"You look worried."

Stanno turned to Atash and found him smirking. The carpenter jerked his head toward where the racers had disappeared. "Aren't you?"

Atash shrugged. "I trained Salar myself. He knows what he's doing." He didn't sound all that certain and his smirk faded. "You want me to chase after them?"

"Can you keep up? They're younger and you haven't pulled for a while."

Atash gave him a shove. "You saying I'm old? You're old!"

Stanno glared at him and shoved him back. "I am not old!"

"Whatever you say, Zhaarad!"Atash laughed and jerked his thumb toward a side street behind them. "If we cut through there, we'll see them when they come around."

Stanno gave a nod. "Right!"

They weren't the only ones with that idea. Much of the crowd surged through the side street that ran next to the hospital grounds. The two men pushed through to reach the next street, where they took positions at the edge of the course. They could hear distant cheering, over which they both thought they could hear screaming and they glanced at each other, a little nervously.

"Whose idea was this?" Stanno demanded irritably.

Atash crossed his arms and drew himself up. "Mine."

Stanno gave a snort. "Figures."

It was a lot of fun at first. Rose was amazed at how fast these young men were, not to mention how fiercely competitive. Much like the horse race, the contenders grouped toward the inner part of the track. Some of the spectators that lined the street had to jump back to avoid getting run over, since the pullers weren't about to slow down for anyone.

Salar had taken an immediate lead, but one of the other pullers, a long-legged youth, began to inch ahead of him. Salar was a bit shorter, but he was muscular, and what he lacked in length of stride, he more than made up for in sheer strength. Hunching his head down a little, he pulled ahead and regained the advantage.

They came to an intersection where the first sharp turn was. Salar slowed down fractionally to make the turn and lost his lead. Rose could hear terrified shrieking behind her and she looked over her shoulder. A couple of the 'shaws were tilting on one wheel as they made the turn, and their passengers were gripping the sides, clearly regretting their decision to participate. Rose sat forward quickly. It probably was better not to look. At least they were close to the hospital.

The next corner was taken as fast as the first, and Pashmina's side of the rickshaw lifted off the ground just a little. Then it dropped back down as Salar sped on to the next long section, where he was able to lengthen his lead. Rose glanced at Pashmina, who grinned nervously back at her.

Faces and buildings flashed past them and the cheering echoed off the walls. It was beginning to take on almost nightmare proportions, but they were nearly half through. The long-legged puller once again began to creep up alongside Salar, who put on yet another burst of speed, and the spectators cheered him on.

There were two more corners to maneuver around before they reached the home stretch. As they reached the first one, Salar cursed aloud as the other puller swung wide and started to creep ahead of him. At the second and final turn, Salar took it at full speed. The side of the 'shaw lifted up precariously as it rounded the corner on one wheel. Pashimina let out a scream and leaned toward Rose to throw her arms around her. The rickshaw tilted even further, and now there were screams from the spectators. Rose quickly shoved her and Pashmina's weight against the lifting side of the rickshaw. The wheel dropped back to the ground. With a whoop of triumph, Salar blazed ahead toward the finish line, crossing it an entire shaft length ahead of his closest rival.

Breathing heavily and grinning, Salar slowed to a trot. The spectators surged into the street around him, clapping and cheering. He finally came to a stop and, lowering the shafts to the ground, he leaned forward with his palms on his knees. He received claps on the back and one of the soldiers pressed a canteen of water into his hands.

Rose and Pashmina were still gripping the sides of the rickshaw, not quite ready to stand up yet. Stanno and Atash finally managed to push through the crowd to get alongside them. Stanno held his arms out to Rose and helped her step down. She gripped his arms until she was sure her knees wouldn't buckle underneath her.

"Are you all right?" Stanno asked.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine!" Rose replied in a breathless laugh. She grinned up at him, still reeling a little from their near spill. "Did you see that? That was crazy!"

Stanno looked suspicious and slightly alarmed. "See what?"

Rose laughed again. Her knees still felt wobbly and she leaned against him, hugging him. "Never mind!"