Whassap whassap whassap! How you guys doin'? This chapter was meant to be posted yesterday, but my account got restricted because I posted that story telling you guys about the anti-SOPA petition. )XD Feelin' rebel! Forgetting the guidelines Zakuro forgets the guidelines!
I'm gonna start by saying WE LIVE! is still alive! We didn't get killed by the mysterious SOPA 2014 which may or may not even exist! Let's just take a moment to be thankful for that.
...
And then a brief St Patrick's Day! YEEEEEEEEEUH!
I am wearing my cosplay as I write because I'm feeling fabulous. (Bonus points if you can guess which cosplay it is. Clue; red, black and short. XD) Last time, the reference winner was LordTicky, with Finding Nemo! This time, a movie I watched again just the other day!
"Good job, T***. You've just decapitated your grandfather."
Of Hotels and Hallucinations
"Personally, I think we should never sleep in the bedroom again," Roy decided. "Bad things happen when we sleep in the bedroom."
Edward snorted. "Whatever."
The pair were sitting in the living room, eating the breakfast that the maids had brought up to them. It was some kind of Kambeian meal, Roy guessed, since he hadn't the faintest clue what it was or what was in it.
"So here's the plan," the Colonel said after swallowing a bite of what he assumed was chicken. "I'll go down to this hotel today and meet up with those two. You stay here, and I'll come back for you once I've assessed the situation."
"No way, man!" exclaimed Edward - around a mouthful of food, Roy noted with disdain - as he jumped to his feet. "I wanna come too!"
"Don't speak with your mouth full," Roy chided. "And you will come, once I know what this is all about. I'll come back for you straight away. It's just safer this way, alright?"
"Is it?" Edward countered, swallowing his food. "Is it really? There's that sadistic psycho-freak Claudio roaming around this place and you think it'll be safer if we split up?"
"I've asked Tyrell to stay with you," said Roy. "He'll be able to watch over you."
"It's not me I'm worried about…" Edward mumbled, looking away.
Roy looked at him as he took his fork out of his mouth. He finished what he had and set the plate aside. Briskly, he said, "I can handle myself. I didn't make it to Colonel on my wits alone."
"I sure hope not!" snapped Edward. "If that were the case, I'd be wondering just how stupid the top dogs must be!"
Roy rolled his eyes. "Watch your tongue, Fullmetal. I could have you punished for talking to a superior in that way."
Edward sneered. "We're long way from Amestris, Colonel. You don't have quite as much authority here."
Roy raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want to play this game?"
"I'll take you on any day!" Edward declared, stamping his foot on the coffee table loudly. His plate jumped with the impact and moved closer to the edge of the table. "I'm more than capable of taking on anything you can, so just lemme come!"
Sensing that his remaining food scraps were in jeopardy, the boy glanced down and pushed the plate to a safer position on the table. He popped another piece of food in his mouth as he did so.
Roy crossed his arms and sat back in his chair. He marvelled at the sheer oddness of the boy in front of him.
Edward was standing in a shirt and boxers with his hair undone, one foot planted on the table, his hands on his hips, and chewing a piece of meat with an entirely serious expression as he attempted to flaunt his strength.
Roy actually found the scene mildly amusing.
"Look, Ed. It's not that I don't think you're strong enough for this. I'll admit that you're tough. I just want to check what this is all about before we charge headfirst into it. And besides, it's not as if anything could happen out there," Roy reasoned.
"Yeah, but the note asked for both of us," the younger alchemist pointed out. "If this is an extraction, we both need to be there so…" He frowned. "Why are you looking at me like that?"
Roy was indeed giving Edward an odd look. He seemed to be stuck between thinking deep and mysterious thoughts about the universe and human existence and bursting out in a mad fit of giggles.
Eventually, he opened his mouth. Grinning widely and snickering a little, he said, "Go and get dressed. I can't take you seriously when you're trying to argue your point in your underwear."
Edward looked despisingly at his superior for a number of seconds before striding out of the room.
In the moments he was away, Roy was thankful that he always felt the need to be well-dressed before leaving his room when he was sharing a house with another person.
Edward returned seconds later and planted his foot on the table once more. "I—"
"That's not a clean shirt, go change it."
"Aargh!" Edward stormed out a second time, fuming. He came back looking downright ticked. "Happy?"
"Yes." Roy nodded. "Proceed."
"I still think—"
"No. You can't come. That's final. No more arguments."
"DAMN YOU!"
So, Roy thought to himself. This is the place.
He was standing in front of a normal-looking hotel, one which was decorated in a very simple fashion. Built the same way as all the other buildings, in the same style and with the same appearance.
The name was Torisha's, as he'd found out from Inuya.
He walked up, pulling his haori tighter around his shoulders as he did. He'd decided to come wearing Kambeian dress, as it would be less conspicuous. Although his clothes were slightly more formal than everyone else's, no-one appeared to notice; they were all too busy with their own affairs. His fair skin and dark hair and eyes also helped him blend in with the crowds that pushed through the streets.
He started towards the desk at the far end of the lobby, but spotted Hawkeye sitting at a table across the room. She cast a glance upwards, but let it drift over the Colonel as if she didn't know him.
There was a young man at the desk, but he seemed too immersed in the book he was reading to notice Roy's arrival.
The Amestrian drifted across to his Lieutenant, settling on the other side of the sofa she was sitting on. He picked a booklet up from the table before him and flicked through it. He looked up.
The only other people in the lobby besides the two was the young man at the desk and an elderly lady across the room apparently trying to horrifically murder the crossword in that day's newspaper.
"Greetings," Hawkeye murmured. "Sir."
"Same to you," Roy replied. He looked up from the leaflet to meet her gaze. "So, what's this about an extraction?"
Hawkeye opened her mouth to respond, but her serious expression became a smile and she turned to face the man. "Oh, it's been far too long, Roy, far too long! I've missed you so much!"
Roy was baffled for a moment. He then saw the crowd of people walk into the room, laughing and calling out to one another.
"We need to book rooms!" one exclaimed loudly. "We're here for the Hanami!"
The desk boy dropped his book and immediately began to see to the patrons, some of whom had taken a seat directly opposite Roy and Hawkeye.
The Colonel immediately caught on, slipping into the familiar act. "Of course, darling! I'm so glad you were able to make it! You living abroad was such a drag, I'm glad you're back here with me!"
"Yes!" Hawkeye responded enthusiastically. "Oh, you simply must see the room I've booked out! Come see, and we can catch up!"
She laughed light-heartedly, pulling Roy to his feet by the hand. "I'll give you the grand tour, honey!"
"I'd love that." Roy took her hand and she led him upstairs, walking close to him and even snuggling up to him.
As soon as they were out of range of the people downstairs, the pair broke apart and fell back into their usual superior-subordinate attitude.
"Nice save, Lieutenant," Roy complimented. "Your acting sure has improved since the first time we pulled that."
"Thank you, sir," she replied. "Here's the room."
Hawkeye knocked the door and Alphonse appeared to open it. They went inside, closing the door behind themselves.
"So it really is you two…" Roy said, looking at them. "This was unexpected."
"Of course it's us, sir." Hawkeye moved to stand in front of Roy, looking slightly irked. "Where is Fullmetal?"
Alphonse nodded, sitting down on a stool across the room. "Where's brother?"
"We don't exactly fit in easily, so I left him back at the palace," explained Roy. "I wanted to find out what this was all about before dragging him through the town and—"
"Colonel!" exclaimed Hawkeye exasperatedly. "The note we left asked specifically for the both of you! This is an extraction - we're taking you both back to Amestris! We can't take just one of you!"
Roy was slightly confused. "I can go back and get him as soon as I know what's going on! It won't take much time—"
"That's time we don't have!" said Hawkeye. "There's an attack coming, and you've left the boy alone and right in the enemy's hands!"
"Wh-what do you mean an attack?!" Roy glanced between the two. "What's going on here? What enemy?"
"We intercepted a call from Kambei to Aerugo made by officers of the latter," said Hawkeye gravely. "Aerugo is planning to stage an attack on the conference and kill all the ambassadors."
"Starting with you," Alphonse added quietly. "They're trying to erase threats by leaving countries without leaders… Namely Kambei; they want to take over this place."
Roy's expression darkened and his eyes widened as everything finally clicked into place. "It makes sense now… This is the perfect opportunity for them… If Claudio incapacitates the Emperor, the army won't have a leader and so they'll be drastically weakened. That leaves this whole place open to attack. Then they'll take Mantiyon, since they have a packed military base there and… Agh…!" Roy slammed his palm into his forehead, twining his fingers into his hair. "This must be what Tyrell was talking about; why didn't I see it before?!"
Hawkeye sighed. "This is something big, sir, that's why we're withdrawing you early to try and avoid war. We haven't even alerted the Fuhrer of the situation yet; we launched this ourselves. They're attacking a day from now, maybe even earlier if they—" She broke off.
"What?" Roy urged. "If they what?"
"If-If they get their army here in time," Hawkeye continued with a shake of her head. "The situation is dire. You need to get Fullmetal, and get out!"
Roy shook his own head slowly. "It all makes sense now… Kill all the ambassadors… It makes an example… Except, they wouldn't kill Tyrell because Orato is…" His stomach dropped as if he'd just swallowed a rock, an icy dread seeping into his limbs. "…is…"
"Colonel?" Alphonse called worriedly from the corner. "Is something wrong? You've gone awfully pale."
"…because Orato is Aerugo's ally…" he whispered to himself, his mind spiralling into a dark realisation. "Orato is Aerugo's… Orato is…Aerugo's ally… Oh, geez, what have I done?!"
"Colonel?" It was Hawkeye this time. "Colonel, what's wrong?"
"I have to go now," Roy said urgently. "I did something stupid. Ed's in trouble. I'll be back with him as soon as I can, I gotta go, now."
"Big brother's in trouble?!" Alphonse exclaimed.
"Yes, and I am so sorry," Roy apologised, his expression distraught as he turned to the younger Elric. "I have to get back to the palace now. I'll get him out and be back as fast as I can, alright?"
Alphonse seemed as if he wanted to say more, but only nodded his helmet. "Alright."
Roy opened the door once again and hurried down the stairs, Hawkeye at his heel. "Be careful!"
"I know! I will!" Roy said to her. "But I need to get Edward right now!"
As they burst into the street, Hawkeye grabbed his wrist and called over the noise, "Sir! Wait!"
"What is it?" Roy asked. "Quickly!"
The Lieutenant searched her superior's eyes for a couple of seconds. "Sir, are you alright? Really, truly alright?"
Roy blinked in surprise. "Ah…? Yes, I'm fine… But I really have to go now!"
She dropped his arm, nodding firmly. "Very well then. And don't tell Edward about the attack, for obvious reasons. Be cautious!"
The Colonel nodded as he took off. "Of course! 'Cautious' is my middle name! Ed'll be fine, I'll make sure of it!"
Hawkeye watched his back disappear into the midst of the crowd. She sighed anxiously. "It's not him that's most endangered, Roy…"
Alphonse greeted her as she arrived back in the room upstairs. "I hope those two are okay," he murmured. "This seems really dangerous."
"I'm sure they'll be fine," Hawkeye assured him. "They can handle themselves." A pause. "Unless it involves any degree of common sense."
"Yeah," Alphonse agreed with a hint of a smirk. "But there's one thing I noticed just then…"
"What is it?" asked Hawkeye as she made her way to the kitchen table to wait.
"Since when has Colonel Mustang called Ed by his first name?"
Edward poked his head out of the door, glancing left and right. Puzzled, he stepped into the open. He was sure he'd heard someone knock the door.
Tyrell had gone back to his room to fetch some books, so the young alchemist had originally assumed the knocking was his friend returning.
But there was no-one here.
Roy had been gone for a while now, and Edward expected him to arrive back at the palace at any time. If the note were true, they'd probably be leaving Kambei soon.
The thought had struck him that the cause of the sudden extraction may be the same thing as whatever it was Tyrell had tried to warn himself and Roy about, but he was unsure. It still all seemed a little surreal.
"Huh." He shrugged. "Creepy."
He was just about to turn back into his room when something caught his eye.
A flash of movement around the corner of the corridor, someone moving to conceal themselves quickly. Most of the other ambassadors had gone out to do some sightseeing en masse, so this wasn't just a stray hanging around. Someone was watching him.
He frowned and shouted, "Hey! I know you're there!" He made his way towards the corner. "You might as well come out and save yourself the…"
His words faltered as he turned into the corridor.
Next to the wall where he'd seen the foot or arm or whatever-it-had-been slip away, there was a great pool of blood. He stopped in silence for a number of seconds before looking up and checking the corridor both ways.
"Hello?" he called. "Is anyone there? Are you hurt?"
No response.
Where did this come from? he thought confusedly, frowning once again. Had someone been attacked? Could he help? He looked back at the pool and his heart skipped a beat.
Tracks.
But these weren't normal tracks. They weren't human.
They were drag marks, as if someone had pulled a massive chunk of bloodied meat through the place, heaving it along towards the guest rooms.
But there was something else… There were handprints alongside the trail, as if whatever had made it was pulling itself along with it's hands. But they were long and crooked, too slender and misshapen to be human.
Edward knelt down and examined them, his heart pounding. Wh… What made these…?
He looked back up towards the guest quarters, not sure what he expected to see. When he was satisfied the corridor was empty, he looked back down to the tracks of blood.
He stopped.
They were gone. The bloody marks on the floor had completely vanished, without leaving a trace. The pool of blood was gone too, completely erased. It was as if it had never been there.
Something was definitely wrong. Edward could feel it.
People and blood that disappeared? Was he hallucinating now? Losing his mind? What was going on?
He rose to his feet, feeling somewhat light-headed. It sort of seemed like the word was moving slower than normal. Aiming to make his way back to the living room to try figuring out what had just happened, he walked back across the corridor.
A cold blast of air knocked into his back, surprising him, and a hoarse laugh that set his hair on end echoed through the hallway.
His heart thumped back into overdrive and he glanced over his shoulder. He was standing in the middle of the corridor. It suddenly seemed way too big and full of shadows.
"Wh-who's there?" he stammered, not caring that his voice was shaking like mad. "Get over here and face me like a man!"
The laughter came louder now, reverberating through the cold marble corridor and straight into Edward's racing heart. It was rasp-like and harsh, raking through him like the claws of a tiger.
His pulse thumped in his ears as he called out, "I-I'm not s-scared of you!"
"You aren't?"
The boy's blood turned to ice and his legs went weak. How did it find me? How did it get here?! Is this a dream?! Oh, man, what's going on…?!
"I think you're lying, Edward."
He didn't move or respond. He was rooted to the spot out of sheer terror. This is a dream, he told himself reassuringly. It has to be… It's a dream… Just a dream.
"Oh, it's not a dream, Edward," came the voice. "I'm very real."
The teen's breath caught in his throat and he felt his legs start to shake. "Y-you're lying. This can't be r-real. You're d-dead. You're buried in Res-sembool."
"Am I? Then how can I be back there if I'm here?"
"You're n-not here," Edward said as firmly as he could. "You're j-j-just not. This is a d-dream." But his resolve was breaking down. He could feel it's presence in the place like a cold lump of ice against his chest.
It was here. How was it here?!
"Thi-is is a dream," he insisted.
"Are you sure? How about I pinch you then?"
Before Edward could react, a cold hand brushed his bare arm and twisted his skin painfully. He let out a cry of shock, pain and fright, jumping away from whatever had touched him.
There was nothing there.
Another cold blast of wind hit Edward's back and he whirled around. He'd missed the monster, but it had left a horrific trail of blood on the floor. Drag marks and handprints.
"G-g-g-get away from me!" Edward shouted, raising his arms as if to fight it off. "I'm n-not s-scared!"
It laughed again, as if amused by his pathetic struggles. "Your voice trembles. You are terrified."
"I'm not!" He shook his head, golden eyes wide and alight with fear. "I'll never be af-fraid of you!"
"You're so scared, Ed. Always running away."
Edward let out a whimper, his hands shaking as he tried to maintain a brave face. "'M not running 'way…"
"Oh, but you are," the voice purred. "You're always running away from what makes you scared. Because you're so timid, and so small, and so weak. It's pathetic."
The boy stood alone in the corridor, looking panicked. He glanced around, but all he saw was the flash of demonic eyes moving around in the darkness. He had broken out in a cold sweat, and sheer terror streamed through his body like electricity.
He was going to break soon.
"How's about I tell you a story?" the voice suggested in a sickly sweet tone. "Hm? Would the little one like that?"
Edward didn't reply, knowing that his voice would waver and cut out if he did.
"Once upon a time, there was a little baby boy. He had a little brother too, and they lived with their mommy and daddy in a little town called Resembool. The were friends with a little girl who lived next door and her granny," it said lightly. "All was well and good; they had a nice life and they were happy. Until one day, the daddy decided he was sick of the little boy, and so he left."
A stab of guilt sank deep into Edward's chest, and he closed his eyes momentarily to block it out.
"The mommy was so sad that her only love had abandoned her that she grew very sick, and the little boys had to take care of her. One day, she eventually died. So that was how the boy repaid her for raising him - by watching her die. The boys cried for days, wanting their precious mother back. So they tried to give her life once again. But they failed."
Edward inhaled sharply as it tore open a barely healing wound in his heart and grief flooded his body. "S-stop it. Please, stop."
"Before they tried, they needed someone to teach them how. So they found a lady who was willing - she was strict, but she cared for the boys like they were her own children. And do you know how the boy repaid her? He repaid her by breaking the rules she gave to him, and breaking the promises he made her."
Edward closed his eyes again. "Stop…"
"But as you know, they still failed to bring their mommy back. Instead, they mutilated themselves to bring a monster to life, something that didn't even classify as human. The little brother lost his whole body to the Gate, and the big brother lost a leg. He lost his arm to attach his brother's soul to a cold, hollow suit of armour that had no feelings and no life. The boy repaid the his brother for sacrificing his whole body by trapping him in a world of hell."
Edward felt tears prick his eyes and he clenched his fists. "Stop it." His voice cracked.
"So the little girl next door built the big brother an new arm and leg, shiny metal ones to walk and live. Do you know how he repaid her for this?" the voice laughed cruelly, enjoying Edward's torment. "He repays her by making her cry, by hurting her and making her feel sad. When she comes to visit him, he breaks her and makes her cry."
Edward shook his head again, trying to erase everything. "No, no, no, no, no…!"
"And then along came an army man, a strange and powerful soldier. He offered the boy money and opportunity. He showed the boy how to join the military, and made it easier for him to live that way. He helped him on many occasions, and even saved his life. How does the man get repaid?"
"Stop it!" screamed Edward. "Please, I'm begging you!"
"The boy repays him by hating him, every single day. He calls him names and teases him, and he doesn't ever try to help him. The man is hurting now, bleeding inside and the boy doesn't care for him. The man is alone in his heart and screaming for help that the boy doesn't provide."
Quiet noises broke out of Edward's mouth as he fought to stifle sobs of fear and guilt, balling his fists so tight his nails dug deep into his flesh. He couldn't speak now; it would just be a wordless cry of pain if he tried.
"And the monster the little boys brought back?" the voice continued. "It's buried, in Resembool, where the big brother can't see it anymore. He knows it's there so he runs, runs, runs away from all the fear and the pain and the misery, because he is too scared to face his own actions."
"Shut up!" screeched the young alchemist, slashing his arm out wildly. "SHUT UP!"
"Because he is too scared to face himself."
Edward dropped to his knees, grasping his head in his hands. Heaving sobs escaped him.
"And that monster that's buried…" A torrent of freezing air shot at Edward from in front. "…IS ME!"
The boy looked up and his pupils contracted, his gaze meeting that of the thing lying in front of him. It smiled and started laughing, it's distorted face contorting in a horrible way as it did.
"Run, little boy! Run!"
Edward cried out and threw himself backwards, sliding into a column and bringing his knees up to his chest. He hugged them closely and glanced about the corridor in terror, trying to find the creature that lurked about for it had vanished from sight once more.
But he could no longer feel the ice on his skin, and the laughter had faded away to nothing. He thought it was gone, but then again…
He hid his forehead in his knees and tried to erase it from his mind.
He had to keep this to himself. He had to.
But the Elric family's secrets often had away of…getting out.
It appeared that Edward's loud cry had alerted the nearby staff and representatives of his predicament. Several people had come out of their rooms and nearby stations to see what all the noise was about, and had seen the boy sitting terrified at the base of the column. They'd rushed over, attempting to ask him what had happened.
But Edward was in no mood for company.
"Please, go away…!" he pleaded quietly. "Leave me alone…"
But they ignored him, instead touching his shoulders and asking him questions he didn't want to answer. He tried again to make them go away, but they wouldn't. He was starting to get frantic.
"Leave me alone!" he said again, a little louder this time as fear set in once more. "Please, get away!"
They still didn't listen, they still ignored him and tried to tell him it was alright, they were here to help, all that crap. They didn't care about him! There were very few people that really did, and none of them were here!
"Leave me alone!" he cried as hands grabbed his shoulders and touched his forehead and strange voices hassled him.
He…was…going…to…break…!
"Get away from him right now!"
The intruders broke away from him, but didn't move back. Edward could hear them saying something, but he didn't care what. All that mattered was the man who'd just barged in.
Roy Mustang.
He was red-faced and breathing heavily, as if he'd run the whole way here, and his black hair was even more disheveled than usual. He looked positively thunderous, his dark eyes burning with unseen rage.
"Get away from my son," he growled.
The end! Or The Ed? One of the two! Sorry if that was a little OOC... And a little Parental!Mustard at the end! XD
Also, y'know the little type of story that people have (and my personal headcannon) that Ed is the kid and Roy and Riza are like his parents? There are more than a few fics like that floating about. I've thought of a name; Firearm. Get it? Roy's fire, Ed's metal arm and Riza's firearms! I AM ON A ROLL! XD
Again, I feel obliged to apologise for Claudio's OOC-ness and Tyrell's odd mind-bending powers. Sorry! I'm sure Claudio's not really this evil, but...this is what my mind spawned him into... And I tend to portray Ed and Al's 'mom' as something more evil than he sees her, so I feel like I should inform you of that as well. He sees her as more of this pained creature he brought to life, I think, because he thought it was really his mom but waiting for him to bring her back. I see it as something more sinister... *shudders*
And I'm really sorry about any other mistakes or typos I might have made. I hate making mistakes in my fanfics, 'cause I feel like I've wronged the author...
So anyway, my friend approached me the other day and said, "I've found out exactly what happens when you get lost in the internet."
"What?" I asked, expecting something stupid. Which was what I got.
"Three words," she said. "Erotic Shrek fanfiction."
Sooooooooooooooooooooo... Needless to say, I spat out my tea. (Iced, because we were at school and I didn't have a kettle around for my convenience.)
REVIEW RESPONSES:
FlamingFlyingFoxOfDoom: That's fine! I love rants in reviews sometimes. Getting to know people who read my stuff is fun, so I like it when people go off track in a review. (Unfortunately for people who don't... Some of my reviews are probably a little annoying! XD)
Victorious-Mind: I know the feeling of wanting a second season of a show to come out... Makes you wish the first had never ended... And as you can see, Tyrell's shaman powers might mean he doesn't need three days to take Ed out...
Shiningheart of Thunderclan: I agree about friends having the best insults...because they know all your little quirks and don't have to worry about being polite! And I also feel like slapping Ed in the shoulder and whacking him in the head at the same time on occasion... Do you like Warriors, by any chance? I love that series! XD
And, as usual, ZakuroU thanks the wonderful citizens of internet land for their beautiful reviews, follows and faves! They're the best! In fact, when a question on a survey asked me what made me happiest, I answered with 'Everyone's wonderful reviews on my writing! It's the best feeling ever!' It really is! So thank you all! ;D
ZAKURO AWAY! *GO GO RAINBOW RANGERS*
Also, there's a poll on my profile now. I figured out how to do that.
And would you guys be interested if I wrote a story in which Edward goes about and asks everyone why they think he and Roy are similar and they all tell him little stories about Roy? Like when he was younger and when he recruited his team and stuff? (Even if you aren't I'll probably write it anyway! XD)