*smashes through door and stumbles onto screen* I'M HERE! IT'S OKAY!
What's up guys? UP-dates, that's what! BOOSH
It feels like it's been forever. I guess that's 'cause a lot of stuff happened in the time between updates - mostly me watching a lot of PewDiePie and FMAB. Startling revelations were made in the real world, I posted art on deviantArt (including one of Ed's black hair) and I have like, fifty bazillion school projects. BUT STUFF THAT! THIS IS MORE IMPORTANT!
The last reference was taken out by my good friend Toph Hitsugaya, congrats to you and everyone else who guessed Supernatural. GOLD STAR
There are two things to guess here. One is this;
"I do not like the cone of shame."
SOOO many quotes from that movie I wanted to use… Second is the name of the song of which the lyrics to feature in this chapter.
Awesomesauce! Prepare yourself for ROYAI! (And it's Royai week too!) Let's get on with it~!
Of Flowers and Fallen Civilisations
"Ah…ah…hatchoo!"
Everytime I sneeze, it hurts… Ugh. Roy sniffled as he clutched his side, curling tighter into himself, and huffed. "Ow."
"What's wrong, Roy? Catch a cold?"
The Colonel glowered across the coach at Edward, replying rather snappishly, "Actually, yes. Perhaps it escaped your attention, but I got pulled into a freezing cold river."
The pair, as well as Tyrell, Alphonse and Hawkeye, had all been packed into a coach just a little larger than the one the first three had arrived in. Evening was fast approaching as they crossed the Eastern Desert.
The Amestrian forces were surrounding them, either in one of two other carriages reserved for officers, or the lower-ranked soldiers moving on horses or by foot.
Tyrell grinned and teased in a sing-song voice, "Someone's grouchy!"
"I'm tired!"
"Still tired?" asked Edward incredulously. "Even after last night?"
"Shut up," Roy grumbled with a sigh. "That's not funny."
"Yeah, it was," Edward said bluntly.
"Well it was kind of…amusing," Alphonse added.
Hawkeye sat back and watched the four argue whilst looking quite bored. One could tell she'd seen a lot of bickering during her time under Colonel Mustang.
"Be quiet. You'd have done the same if you were me."
"What? Develop a sudden narcolepsy?"
"I thought I'd ordered you to shut up?"
"So it's an order now?" Edward smirked, but with a lot more teeth than his target would.
"Yes. Yes it is."
Tyrell laughed. "You're so good at keeping your subordinates under control."
"I actually am! Just not this brat…"
"Incompetent." Tyrell snickered.
Edward elbowed him in the ribs and added, "Basket-case."
Roy moaned, buried his face in his arms and gave up on comebacks as Alphonse joined in.
"Ineffectual."
"Hopeless."
"Inept."
Finally, Hawkeye intervened before they could hit Roy's trigger word so he wouldn't fall on the floor and not get up.
"Alright," she said as she sat forward. "Leave the Colonel be. Give him some time to rest, then you can tease away to your heart's desire. It's getting dark out anyway, we should probably all get some shut eye."
"Yeah," said Edward with a hint of a giggle. "Like Mustang here the other night…"
"The haori?" Roy turned, glancing over his shoulder at Hawkeye. "Yes, it's still here. In my suitcase, I think. There's a hole in the sleeve, but I'm sure Ed'll patch it up in three seconds flat."
"Thank you." Hawkeye moved towards the corridor and vanished through the door to Roy and Edward's room.
Roy smiled as he realised they still preferred the couches to the beds. He had a theory though. He and Edward were used to uncomfortable beds, so the couches felt a lot more natural. Simple, but it made sense.
Hawkeye walked out a few moments later with the haori over one arm, nodding in thanks.
They were preparing for the party later that night, the ball to celebrate their victory over Aerugo. Roy had chosen to wear a different set of clothing from what he'd worn to the other ball, instead using a pair of dark grey trousers and a creamy-coloured shirt, wrapped up in an ornate, deep blue waistcoat and covered with his favourite cloak. He'd just finished tucking a grey tie behind his waistcoat when Riza had come in looking for the purple haori she'd left him.
Although he was tired, he felt obliged to attend the ball since he'd played such a main part in the victory. He'd like to end his time in Kambei on a high note, if possible. And besides, he liked getting praise. The more people complimented him on his skills, the better.
"I take it you're coming to the celebration, then?"
Roy glanced over his shoulder again. "Hm?"
It was Edward, just returning from his brother's room half-ready. He was wearing black trousers and a white shirt he hadn't yet tucked away, with an undone red tie hanging around his neck. He had his braces in one hand and his suit jacket in the other.
"Yeah." Roy walked over to the table between the two couches and picked up his pocket watch. He dropped it into the front of his waistcoat and clipped it on. "Don't see any reason not to."
"Aren't you tired?"
Roy shrugged, but didn't answer. Eventually, he settled for, "I'll manage. And I can scarcely believe the fact that up until today, I had not realised there is no coffee in Kambei."
Edward gave a sort of chuckle. "They got a lot of tea though."
"Indeed." Roy reached into his pocket and brought out his watch once again. He flicked it open. "We've got ten minutes until we need to head downstairs. Don't take too long."
Edward nodded and began tucking his shirt in behind his trousers. He fiddled with his braces for a solid three minutes before Roy took pity on him and helped him fasten them in place.
He was about to head down to the bedroom to take a quick look at his face in the mirror but Edward stopped him.
"Hey. This too." He pointed at the limp bow tie hanging undone over his shoulders.
"Of course." Roy rolled his eyes and did up the tie. "Anything else you need me to do for you?"
Edward glowered, albeit half-heartedly. "Nah, that's good."
"Alright then. Let's go get the rest of the gang and we'll head from there. If they're still in their room, we could—"
"We're here." It was Hawkeye's voice.
"Oh, good. Let's head—"
Roy looked towards the door and trailed off abruptly. Three people stood there, but he only noticed one. Riza Hawkeye. It was just for a fleeting second, but he was stunned for much longer by the momentary revelation of Hawkeye's true looks.
She was wearing the dusky purple haori over a kimono of the same colour, but so pale it was more of a purple-grey. A few white blossoms were sewn onto the hem of the Kambeian dress and she had her hair down, placed lightly over her shoulder. There was a creamy flower behind her ear.
Had she really been wearing that on that night in the alley? It couldn't be… He would have noticed. And had she always looked like that? It must be the way she had her hair down. She looked younger. But she'd had her hair short back then, so that didn't really make sense. But there was definitely something about her.
Something…delicate? Feminine? Gentle? Graceful?
An array of words filled Roy's head, but none of them seemed quite right. The ability describe Hawkeye's appearance for that one brief moment he met her gaze evaded him, so he just stared.
"Sir?" Her voice broke his mute spell, leaving him to shake his head roughly.
"…h-head downstairs…" he finished. He glanced around, wondering if anyone had spotted his lapse of mental processing. If he'd been hoping it was only himself, he'd have been severely disappointed.
Which he had.
So he was.
The others were staring at him now, Edward with a look of puzzlement and Hawkeye a touch of curiosity. Roy had no idea what Alphonse's expression was, being that his face didn't change, and Tyrell was smirking at him knowingly.
"Problem, sir?" Hawkeye asked, cocking her head so that a few loose strands of blonde hair slipped sideways.
"No, nothing," he replied and cleared his throat in a flustered manner. He straightened himself up and nodded at her. "I had not realised how…aesthetically pleasing you were in that kimono, Lieutenant."
"You words are appreciated, Colonel." She returned his nod and waited for him to walk over. He took her arm and the pair walked out together.
Alphonse followed them with his red gaze for a moment and then glanced back to his brother.
Edward narrowed his gold eyes almost to the point of closing them and cocked his head to the side almost to the point that it might fall off. "Was that flirting?"
"I have no idea," Alphonse returned, sounding equally as confused. "Tyrell?"
"Who knows?" he said with a shrug.
The three followed their older companions down the corridor to where Inuya was waiting for them.
"Hey there, guys!" he greeted, a wide smile stretching across his face. "Ready for the celebration?"
"Indeed." Roy searched the smiling guide and a badge on his lapel caught the Colonel's eye.
"What's that, Inuya?" he asked, looking at it. It was gold and shaped like the sun with the Kambeian royal family's seal in the middle.
"The medal?" Inuya pointed to his chest and his smile seemed to grow wider, if that was possible. "Oh, yes! You know how you ordered for us to tell everyone to stay hidden? Well, I was in charge of spreading the word! I organised it so that the castle service department reached every nook and cranny of the city!"
"You got a medal for your service?" Edward asked, inspecting the shiny item.
"Sort of. I also ran through the enemy forces and put some bombs under some tanks. I think that was the main reason, although arranging the staff was a lot harder."
Roy's eyebrows moved upward considerably as Edward made a small choking noise and Alphonse let out a soft, "Uh."
"Inuya, do you know how many people you saved because you did what you did?" Roy asked incredulously.
"Well, a lot, but…" Inuya rubbed the back of his head. "…if you two hadn't come here, we'd all be a lot worse off. I only did what the Emperor ordered, and he did what you told him, and you did that 'cause Ed helped you, so…really, it's you guys that saved everyone I saved."
Tyrell gave Edward a friendly dig in the ribs and he swelled a little with some kind of self-conscious pride.
"I guess we were pretty awesome, huh?" he said.
Roy shrugged impassively. "Still, Inuya. You risked your life to save this city. You deserve that medal."
Inuya flushed red. "Th-thank you, Colonel Mustang."
"Oniisan, have you seen Ty—"
The four Amestrians plus Tyrell glanced over their shoulders and saw Usagi skid to a halt in the corridor behind them.
"I'm here," the Oratoan prince said.
"O-oh," she approached slowly, looking down. "Good. We can t-take you all down to the courtyard, then. That's where the celebration is this time."
"Thank you," Tyrell said and nodded at her. He smiled.
She blushed, and even Edward could tell why.
He snapped his fingers as a dusty light-bulb flicked on in his head.
The ever-growing band of randoms found their way to the courtyard, where the remaining representatives and the Kambeian aristocracy were just beginning to gather.
Inuya took Roy's coat to hang with the rest, just inside the palace door. Once outside, they were confronted with quite a sight.
The large cobblestone courtyard had been decorated for the event, softly glowing lanterns hanging from strings on walls all about the place and from the trees planted around. The whole atmosphere created by this was warm, and the fact that so many people were standing about, talking and laughing was another contributing factor. There was no roof overhead, exposing the twinkling stars.
"I want food…" Edward mumbled, searching the area. He laid eyes upon a long table on the opposite side of the courtyard. "I found food…"
He lolled his head back to look at Roy so he was standing as if he were about to play limbo. Not that he'd need to bend - he could probably walk under any limbo pole upright. "May I eat food?"
"You may," said Roy with a nod and the boy inched a couple of steps away. Then he sprinted off.
"Wow," Alphonse commented. "You sure got him in line, huh?"
"Only for these sophisticated events," he replied. "I think he knows now that I'm not kidding when I tell him to behave." A flash of guilt heated Roy's chest as he remembered what he'd done when Edward had disobeyed him.
"We'll be waiting around if you need anything, alright?" Inuya broke in, pointing towards the door of the palace with his thumb.
"Alright."
He and Usagi disappeared through the rapidly growing throng, quickly melting away in the small mass of people.
Tyrell took a couple of steps towards the snack table, saying, "I'm going with Ed. I'm a little hungry myself."
Alphonse added, "Mm, I'm gonna follow these two as well. I don't want to be a bother…and I don't want my brother to be a bother."
"You'd never be a bother, Alphonse," Hawkeye comforted kindly. "It's always a pleasure to have you for company. Go have some fun."
As she spoke, a small band started playing in the corner. Instead of the traditional Kambeian music played the last few times, this band was playing with instruments that were a lot more familiar.
Roy closed his eyes and smiled. "Hm. I know this… Johannes Brahms, isn't it?"
"I believe so, sir," Hawkeye confirmed, her sharp eyes inspecting the group of musicians approvingly. Pairs of dancers were beginning to gather in the centre of the courtyard.
"Care for a waltz, Lieutenant?" Roy asked conversationally, acting as if it were nothing out of the ordinary. "Just for fun? I know you're not really one for dancing, but we could get a laugh out of it."
"I don't see any reason why not."
Roy's spirits rose a little more as the pair drifted towards the swaying group in the centre.
He held out a gloved hand and bowed, cringing slightly at a sharp pain in his side. "My lady?"
Hawkeye gave an exasperated half-smile, catching sight of the bandages still wrapped around Roy's neck. "Don't push yourself, sir."
She placed her hand in his and he gently entwined their fingers before placing a hand on her back.
She did likewise and sighed nervously, saying, "I wonder how much of this I actually remember… It's been a long time. I've probably forgotten everything."
Roy held her hand a little tighter. "You'll be fine. Even if you have forgotten, I'll show you again. I grew up learning things like this."
He started to move, and Hawkeye went with him.
As it turned out, Roy's ability had been true to his word, whereas Hawkeye's had betrayed her. She had been unsure of the movements at first, but had definitely not forgotten them. The two could dance without any problem.
Roy smiled wider still as Hawkeye met his gaze for a moment. She looked away quickly and he kept smiling as a light blush hit her cheeks.
"Don't look at me like that, sir," she said.
"Like what?"
"You're enjoying this far too much."
"You mean you're not?"
Hawkeye gave a start. "Well, no, I am, however…"
"I'm not a good enough dancer, then?"
She sighed and rolled her eyes with a smile. "You're fine. Now please be quiet and stop smirking like that."
Over by the snack table, Edward leant back against a tree and pulled some dango off the skewer. He squinted into the crowd, picking out a familiar purple haori and blue waistcoat. He grinned.
"Hey guys, look," he said and pointed out the pair of Amestrians. "Mustang and the Lieutenant are dancing."
Alphonse followed his finger and replied, "So they are. They look like they're having fun."
Tyrell nodded and took a bite out of a spring roll.
Edward looked towards Alphonse, who was watching the crowd intently. He seemed a little forlorn.
"C'mere," Edward grabbed Alphonse's wrist, setting the dango he was eating aside.
"Wh-what?"
"We can join in too!" the Fullmetal Alchemist exclaimed. "Remember? Mom and Granny taught us the steps. You danced with Winry at first, and I stepped on her toes so many times I had to practise with Granny the whole time?"
Alphonse giggled. "Yeah, I remember. But what does this have to do with—Yah!"
Edward let out a laugh as he lifted Alphonse's hollow arm up and placed his other hand behind his metal brother. "Let's have some fun, okay?"
Alphonse's protests quickly died as Edward proved he had no intentions to let go anytime soon. The elder brother swung around in an energetic, half-remembered waltz, grinning the whole time.
Alphonse played along hesitantly, but eventually began lose his inhibitions and dance just as confidently as his brother.
Soon the two were laughing and carrying on like everything was perfect, not worrying about anything for just one brief moment and letting it all melt away.
Tyrell watched the two dancing and laughing and smiled to himself. It was good to see them having fun like this. Upon casting a glance towards Roy and Hawkeye, the shaman laughed himself as the song changed to the smooth beat of jazz. Roy had broken away from his Lieutenant, who was watching him with a look of near-horror.
"Colonel!" Tyrell doubled over as Hawkeye called out in dismay. The man snapped his fingers and whipped into a jazz routine as she slowly inched away.
"Ed…!" Tyrell called out breathlessly. "Ed! Look!"
The young alchemist glanced over, then followed his friend's shaking finger in the direction of Roy's enthusiastic movement. He'd managed to get a hold of Hawkeye again, and was attempting to get her involved in an overzealous whirl of movement.
A singer joined in the beat of the music, a young Kambeian man with a deep, smooth voice. "Pa-arty, a rain of champagne…"
"Oh," Edward halted his half-waltz, half-tango with his brother and stared. "My god."
Alphonse raised a hand to his helmet and giggled. "Wow."
"Those rainy days, they're pleasant but no thank you," sang a new voice, female this time.
The three kept watching as Roy jumped about energetically, snapping and twisting with a liveliness that showed a complete disregard for his injuries.
Hawkeye followed him hesitantly, spinning as he swung her under his arm and reluctantly tapping her feet in time with his quick movements.
"I am, a fo-olish and lonely man!" sang the original singer and Roy joined in softly. He took one of Hawkeye's hands in his own and spun her into his chest. She sighed and looked down.
"But you kno-ow, you're cute when you act like that!"
Roy swung her out to his side. She raised one arm and tapped her foot on the final beat of the line.
Edward, Alphonse and Tyrell watched on in enchanted disbelief. None of them had imagined Roy actually had any skill at dancing. But he really wasn't half bad. Sure, his moves weren't overly complex or spectacularly executed, but he was keeping to the tune of the song and looking pretty good doing it.
By the time the song was over, Hawkeye looked completely and utterly done with her superior. She stalked off the floor with him trailing behind.
"Come on, Hawkeye!" Tyrell heard him saying light-heartedly. "That's the song of my soul! You can't just expect me to not dance to it!"
"Dance on your own next time," she replied touchily.
Roy sagged a little. He spotted Tyrell hurriedly trying to conceal a grin and moved over to him. Once he was in hearing distance, the Colonel whispered, "I know she enjoyed it deep down."
Edward moved over, his golden eyes wide and confused. "Mustang. That was the weirdest thing I've ever seen. Stop."
Roy let out a laugh and his shoulder twitched involuntarily as the movement shot pain up his side.
"Steady," Tyrell said jokingly and the Colonel nodded.
As the young shaman was speaking to his current patient, someone approached from behind. Out of the five standing there - the Elrics, Hawkeye, Mustang and Tyrell - the Amestrian sniper was the only one to notice the newcomer.
As the boys (plus Roy, who didn't seem all that far out of teenage years himself sometimes) continued their conversation, she moved back to speak.
"Did you want something?" Hawkeye asked.
Usagi Kamagawa met her gaze, fidgeting and quickly looking away. "Well, actually… Yes. You see, the thing is…I…" She broke off and went red, too embarrassed to continue.
"It's alright," Hawkeye walked up to her and smiled ever-so-slightly. "You don't need to be so nervous. I don't bite. What is it you need?"
Usagi summoned her courage with a deep breath. She leant sideways and pointed to Tyrell. "I'd really like to dance with him, but I'm too scared to ask."
"Oh." Hawkeye nodded. "I see. If you like, I can send him this way."
Usagi nodded, swallowing tensely. "I'd like that."
"Don't be afraid," Hawkeye advised her. "If you spend the whole dance being nervous, you won't have any fun. Just be thankful you aren't being forced to dance against your will."
Usagi giggled, having witnessed Roy's routine from the palace doors. "I'll try."
The Lieutenant turned and went up behind Tyrell, tapping him on the shoulder.
"Huh?" he looked back and met her gaze. "Miss Hawkeye?"
"You've got a dance waiting for you, Tyrell," she said, motioning towards Usagi.
The young shaman followed her gesture and blinked. He turned to face the Kambeian, who looked his way shyly and smiled as much as she could.
"Usagi?" he questioned. "She asked me to dance?"
Hawkeye nodded. "Go and have a little fun, alright? You've earned it."
Tyrell walked over to the young woman, looking down awkwardly. "Hi," was all he could think to say.
"H-hello," Usagi returned. "Would you like to dance?"
Tyrell offered his hand and a crooked grin. "We could try. I gotta warn you though - I'm a pretty bad dancer."
"I don't mind," Usagi replied. "So am I."
Hawkeye watched the two walk off with a smile.
"Gosh," Edward remarked. "Looks like everyone's hooking up tonight." Smirk. "Right, Colonel?"
"Gak!" Roy almost spurted blood out of his neck as his face flushed red. "What are you insinuating, Fullmetal?!"
Hawkeye rolled her eyes. Roy was no better than a ten-year-old falling for the old 'x and y sitting in a tree'. Although she didn't care for the idea Edward was putting forward, she refused to let it show.
"Aw, nothing!" Edward gave a wolfish grin and produced a fan seemingly out of thin air. Fluttering it below his chin, he sang in a teasing voice, "It just seems like everyone's getting their girl, huh? Tyrell, and you…"
Roy closed his eyes and sighed. "A simple dance doesn't always prelude marriage, you brat. It's just troop morale. And we are very close friends."
Alphonse laid a hand on Edward's shoulder. "Yeah, bro. Everyone's getting their girl, huh? Where's Winry when you need her?"
Roy gave a huff of laughter as Edward froze like he'd been dropped into a vat of liquid nitrogen. The boy's face went from a snowy white to ice blue to a hot red in the space of a few seconds before he exploded with, "Alchemy is the art of liberating parts of the Cosmos from temporal existence and achieving perfection, which, for metals is gold, and for man, longevity, then immortality and, finally, redemption! One must possess an accurate knowledge of the basics of the universe - an understanding of the broken down building blocks of the material earth! Knowledge, deconstruction and reconstruction are the three basic principles!"
Roy looked quizzical. "Is he broken?"
"He sometimes recites alchemy textbooks when he gets flustered enough," Alphonse explained. "I think he's quoting 'Ratione Alchimia'."
Roy listened to Edward's babble a little longer and nodded. "Yeah. It is. I had that book in my old study."
The night wore on, Roy trying his hardest to only accept every eleventh helping of sake he was offered, and Hawkeye trying her hardest to divert Roy's attention to something more productive than figuring out the potency and appropriate consumption ratio of rice wine.
Usagi and Tyrell danced together a few times, Alphonse managed to knock his brother out of a textbook and back into the real world and Edward complained about not loving Winry for about an hour straight.
It was about then that the Emperor approached Roy and Edward, Hawkeye having gone to get a drink, Tyrell chasing some girls and Alphonse following him out of curiosity.
"How are you enjoying your final night, you two?" he asked cheerfully, more than a little red in the cheeks. He had obviously been drinking. Oddly enough, he wasn't followed around by twenty people this time.
"Awesome!" responded Edward, smiling.
Roy contributed a nod, the corners of his mouth angled upwards. "Yes. It truly is quite an event."
"Better than in Amestris?" the Emperor continued, cocking his head.
Roy laughed. "Depends whether or not you want to host an outdoor event in the rain, sir!"
The two kept conversing, and Edward tensed as Tyrell appeared behind him. The boy was nibbling at a steaming-hot cup of noodles he'd picked from the table.
"Look out," he whispered. "There are two Aerugonian assassins here. They've just arrived, and they're heading this way."
Edward nodded discreetly. "Who?"
"Shades and Curly over there," Tyrell murmured, indicating two guests. One wore dark glasses that obscured his eyes, and the other had curly brown hair that resembled a large poodle perched atop his head.
"Can we just take 'em on right now?" the young alchemist asked, smiling demonically. "Mustang ain't wearing his gloves and Hawkeye's unarmed."
Tyrell frowned. "Wait 'til they come near. Then we'll get them in the act."
Edward nodded. "Good thinking."
The two prepared for action as the assassins drew closer. Shades reached behind his back and a glint of silver appeared in his hand.
Roy caught the flash, and looked back at Edward.
"Ed?" he said cautiously. "We've got company."
"Yeah, dad," Edward replied with a smirk. "We know."
The Emperor's puzzled expression became one of shock as the scene exploded.
"Apologies in advance, sir," Roy said and tackled him to the ground.
This signalled the start of the fight. Shades whipped forward with his knife at the place the Emperor had been before Roy had knocked him to the ground a second too late. Edward guarded his head with one hand and reached out with his auto-mail to wrench the knife from the attacker unflinchingly.
Meanwhile, Tyrell took the second one. With a swinging arc of his arm, he flung the boiling noodles at the curly-haired attacker's face. The man cried out as burning broth assaulted his eyes.
Tyrell took this opportunity to lunge forward and jab two fingers into the base of the man's neck to meddle with his breathing. He didn't hesitate as he swung a low kick right between Curly's legs and then punched him to the ground as he doubled over.
Edward was taking the second man down just as swiftly. After having his knife pulled away, the man was leaning forward ever so slightly. The young alchemist used this to his advantage.
He smashed his right leg into the man's chest to straighten him out and hooked his left leg up and around to land a powerful kick in the back of his head that sent him sprawling.
"You lot just don't learn, do you?" he gloated.
Roy pushed himself sideways off the Emperor with a grunt, bowing his head in apology. "Sorry about that, sir."
Ryuumaru blinked, looking shaky. "Th-that's alright. Is everyone okay?"
"Yeah, all except those two." Edward looked smug.
The guests stared in shock at the scene, the music having fallen silent. Pairs of eyes gawked in their direction, mouths agape and whispers mounting.
The Emperor rose to his feet as Hawkeye and Alphonse pushed their way through the crowd.
"Nothing to worry about, everyone!" he said in a jaunty tone. "Just subduing a couple of rowdy guests."
The tense whispering continued, but eased off gradually as people returned to their previous buzz of activity.
"Brother!" Alphonse's hollow metal feet pounded on the cobbles of the courtyard, accompanied by the taps of Hawkeye's wooden sandals.
"Are you alright, Edward?" the woman asked, Alphonse making a noise of agreement as he grabbed the assassins by their collars and held them up in the air.
"Fine," answered Edward, to their relief. His partner nodded his status as well.
"I'm fine too, thanks for asking!" muttered Roy dejectedly.
"Oh, sorry sir," Hawkeye said with a downwards glance. "I hadn't noticed you there."
Roy scowled a bit and attempted to push himself to his feet. With a zing of pain, he realised the wound on his already exhausted arm restricted this, and the slash on his side took away the strength required to use his other arm.
He held out one hand in a begrudging plea for help, expecting Hawkeye to take it and pull him to his feet so that he could draw her into a quick embrace that only the two of them would see, a quiet gesture symbolising their care of one another in a subtly heroic way…
He got Edward.
"Not so tough after all, are ya?" the boy mocked as Roy dusted himself off.
The man's mumbled retort was missed by the boy as he turned to Tyrell.
"We make a pretty good team, don't you think?" he said, flashing that toothy grin.
"Mm." Tyrell nodded, his purple eyes shining with confidence. "And now that I know I can fight, it isn't completely and utterly terrifying any more!"
"Let's get you two somewhere safer, hm?" Alphonse said, looking quite intimidating as he raised Shades to eye level. The Aerugonian whimpered.
He and Hawkeye headed for the door, the armoured boy trailing the two winded culprits behind him by their shirt collars.
"Thanks for the save, Colonel!" Ryuumaru said, happy and relieved. "You and your son here."
"I helped too…" Tyrell muttered as the Amestrians exchanged a glance that unanimously decided to expose the truth.
"Actually, Emperor," said Roy awkwardly. "Sorry to deceive you, but…the thing is…"
Edward shrugged. "We're not really related. Not even remotely. I'm a State Alchemist who works under him. I've only known him for like…three years."
Ryuumaru blinked and held a stunned silence.
Roy and Edward waited for his wrathful verdict.
A moment passed.
And Ryuumaru started to laugh.
The Emperor laughed, so hard that he was clutching his side. He wiped a tear from his eye and said, "Wow! I didn't think you two were jokesters!"
"Huh?" said Edward and Roy simultaneously.
"Trying to tell me you're not related… Hilarious." Ryuumaru straightened, letting out a sigh as he recovered from his fit of laughter. "Sorry to tell you, but pranks only work when they're at least a tad convincing. Now, I'm going to go get a bite to eat…"
"But sir!" Roy was talking to the back of the man's head. "We're really not related…"
He sighed and shrugged. "Oh well."
"Funny, isn't it?" Edward said. "Before we got here, they laughed at the idea we were related. And now they laugh at the idea we're not."
Roy nodded. "Funny," he said and ruffled Edward's hair.
The night wore on, and gradually people began to leave.
"We should find the Colonel and get back upstairs," Tyrell advised. "Before things get too hectic."
"Good idea," Hawkeye responded. "Any idea where he is? Or the Elrics?"
"Not a clue."
"Someone say Elrics?"
The Fullmetal Alchemist and his armour-bound brother walked up from one side, Alphonse having spoken since Edward's face was full of noodles.
"Good, you're here." Hawkeye glanced around. "Any sign of the Colonel?"
"Las' I checked, he wenta ge' a glass o' wa'er from…mmmph…the table over there," Edward replied, slurping up his noodles halfway through. He pointed at a table of drinks on the opposite side of the courtyard. "He didn't come back. This was about…five, ten minutes ago?"
Hawkeye pointed to Alphonse and Tyrell. "You two wait here," she said. "We'll get him and meet back here. Lead the way, Edward."
Edward gave a nod and gulped down the last of his noodles, placing the cup on the snack table behind himself. "Okay."
The pair wound their way through the crowd until they came to a much quieter area of the courtyard.
"Sure is a lot calmer about this place," Edward commented.
"Yes. You can see why Mustang chose to stay here."
"Eh?"
"Look."
And there they found him, on a bench under an old tree. His glass was just beside him on the bench, and a tiny sparrow was drinking from it.
He was slumped backwards, his chin buried in his shoulder. His arms were folded neatly across his chest, which rose and fell with each breath he took. His eyes were closed.
Hawkeye smiled and Edward took a step forward, causing the sparrow to fly away with a loud fluttering of wings.
One of Roy's dark eyes opened slowly. He blinked in the soft light and cleared his throat. "Fullmetal…? Ed?"
Edward smiled and extended an arm. "Ready to go?"
Roy returned his smile and took his hand. "Sure. To Amestris."
And as they left for their home the next day, it was said that those tightly closed buds in the castle entrance bloomed more brightly than they ever had before.
It's been enough hours now. He closed his watch, which read half past four in the morning, and pushed aside the curtains slightly. We're here.
Roy rose to his feet quietly, so as not to wake everyone else. He slipped open the curtains between the carriage and the drivers and said softly, "Can you stop for ten minutes? I need a short break."
"Sure thing," the current driver said, bringing the horses to a slow halt. "Just be back within fifteen minutes, or we won't be able to catch up with the other coach."
Roy nodded. "Of course." He closed the thick curtain.
"Where are you going?"
Roy nearly jumped out of his skin at the whispered enquiry. He'd completely forgotten about Alphonse's insomnia.
He touched the side of his neck and closed his eyes, replying with a sigh. "I have something important to do. If I don't come back in twenty minutes, come after me. And hurry. Understand?"
Alphonse nodded, and didn't question him further.
Roy gave a weary half-smile. "Thanks."
"It's alright."
He stepped out of the coach and into the bitter night air of the Eastern Desert. The two coaches had travelled on ahead as the soldiers on horses had set up camp for the night some way back. Which meant he was completely alone.
Good.
And they were only a short distance away.
Roy strode forward, his heart fluttering in his chest as he brought himself closer and closer, step by step to the place that had caused him so much grief these last weeks.
He reached the old market building quickly, stepping in through an empty doorway that had once held up a long-gone door.
The smell of burnt things still lingered in the air, piles of ashes and burnt wood littering the floor. Roy knew that if he went in far enough, bones would join in the blackened debris. He touched his gloved hands to the charred walls, not minding the soot that stained the tips of his fingers.
That soot stained his heart too, so what did it matter?
He pressed on.
Parts of the ceiling and walls had caved in, putting obstacles in Roy's way and forcing him to clamber over chunks of brick and plaster. On the other hand, the holes in the ceiling provided scant moonlight for him to make his way. Everything was covered in ash, staining his white gloves and smudging his dark cloak with grey.
A sickening feeling settled in his gut as he continued through corridor after charred corridor, hair on end as memories surged through him. Fear chewed at the ends of his nerves, but he ignored it.
He had to do this.
One last test.
A bone crunched underfoot and he bit down on his lip to hold back a surge of fear and repulsion. He clenched his fists. What would happen if he looked down? What would he see? Should he look down, maybe? Would he look down? Could he look down?
He looked down for the briefest of seconds, and felt sick to his core.
He swallowed his feelings and moved on.
As he made his way closer to the heart of the labyrinth, he grew more and more tense. He jumped every time a shadow loomed out at him. A scuttling noise had him whirling around, poised to snap, until he realised he was aimed at a rat.
Finally, he was there.
He bent down and picked it up - a mangled metal object in a scorched room. It was a lamp, one of those from which kerosene had been poured all over the room.
He dropped it again, a little relieved to see that whoever else had occupied this room had been completely vaporised - deprived of remains.
He took a few hesitant steps to the centre of the room. The black rings all extended from here. Any moron could tell this was where the fire had started, it didn't take an expert. He turned to face the door, standing exactly the same way he had been all those years ago. He remembered snapping at one Ishbalan, his trembling hand nearly used to dealing death by this point.
Then the whole room had erupted in flames.
It would have killed him, had he not fallen to his knees and thrown his hands over his head. The circles on his gloves had burned a bright orange as he manipulated the air current to keep the flames away from himself. He'd sealed himself in a pocket of air, screaming as flames shot up the corridor and all through the building.
It hadn't been enough to block the heat though. He'd remember that intense, unbearable temperature even to this day.
And then he'd ran straight through the flames, panting and stumbling as smoke and watering eyes obscured his vision. Blinded, he'd sprinted through flaming corridors as fire licked at his arms and legs, leaving burn marks on his hands and feet. The ceiling had begun to collapse just as he stumbled out of the building with the end of his cloak ablaze.
He'd been so lucky.
And here he stood again, just as guilty as the day he'd first stepped off the battlefield.
"I'll set it right," he whispered to the ashen remains of a dying civilisation. "I will climb to the top of this twisted country. I'll grab it by the very tip and wrench it back into shape."
He stepped forward, his heart burning with a passion so strong it could well start another fire of this magnitude.
"And that I can promise you."
He made his way back outside, not feeling any kind of victory at seeing the whole event had only taken about ten minutes. He turned to look at the place one last time before heading for the coach.
"I'm sorry," he said softly, touching his hand one last time to the charred brickwork. "So sorry."
He turned away slowly and strode back to the coach. He stepped on, alerting the drivers of his return and settling down for a couple hours' sleep. He was pleased when not a single other passenger stirred, apart from the lifting of Alphonse's metal head.
"Done," he whispered tiredly. "I'm good to go."
Little did either of them know, a golden eye was wide open and fixed on Roy's soot-covered gloves.
And it's owner knew exactly where he'd been.
AGASAKAPSPYA! (Beautiful totally made-up word right there.) THAT'S THE LAST CHAPTER! ALL THAT REMAINS IS THE EPILOGUE! (And then a bonus chapter I wrote when bored.)
Review and tell me if my romance was good or bad or meh.
Don't you just love when you forget what you were going to say? Le sigh. Oh well!
REVIEW RESPONSES:
NorthernMage: I'm glad you liked this fic so much - all your reviews have been totally awesome, thanks for the praise!
-/-
Cutiepie120048: I'll try to do that in the sequel… ;D
sierra. steinbrecher: Huh? You did? Well, yeah, I did come up with that idea for a test on a whim - I figured someone like Roy would want to be doubly sure he was okay. And I know from experience that directly looking to check if a problem is solved can be the most confronting part. Not saying I've ever had this panic attack thing happen to me though, so sorry if I got it a little out of whack. I don't think I've read any of your stories. I'll have to check them out someday!
Not so human: XD Your review made me laugh harder than it should have.
Yorokobi Asahi: I'd wish you good luck but...your exams are probably over by now. I'LL SEND TIME TRAVELLING LUCK TO YOU IN THE PAST! (I'm Irish, I can do that, shhhhh.)
Do a Barrel Roll: Yeah, the conspiracy is that the girl actually drowned (as mentioned in one song) and that the whole movie was her fulfilling final wishes and the car flying into the sun at the end was her moving on or something… Crazy.
TheColdfireAlchemist: I'm sure there's fanart like that out there. I'll probably draw some too, now that I've figured out how to draw on my tablet thingy and put stuff on deviantArt. Thanks for your reviews!
Sophia Griffin: It's awesome you like my stories! Your review was short, but it made me really happy. :)
TheShiningHikari: Thank you for sticking with the story! I'm glad you think it's awesome.
Remember guys! Every review I get it totally awesome and makes my day! You guys are the best! I thought earlier today that even if I ever did become an author like I want to, I'd keep writing fanfiction just for the reviews. They're so kind and funny and motivational. Even the criticism is totally awesomesauce (Zakuroese for 'please point out all my mistakes early, it embarrasses me when I see them after reading back over the story'.)
Keep up your awesome reviews, and stay tuned for the next installment…
ZAKURO AWAAAAAAAAAAAY! *watches FMAB for three days straight - hooray for long weekends!*
OMAKE
Edward narrowed his golden eyes almost to the point of closing them and cocked his head to the side almost to the point that it might fall off.
"If I squint and rotate my head," he said slowly, frowning. "That was Royai. And the author didn't even state it at the beginning of the chapter!"
Alphonse nodded. "Yeah. Could have been worse, though."
"Huh?"
"They could have said, 'RoyEd and a hint of Elricest if you squint and rotate your head'."
"...What sort of story are you reading if it says that in the summary?!"
"Apparently the kind where you have a peculiar taste in romantic partners."
"O-kay."
"That's what I said."
Omake posted above is in no way meant to be offensive, just portraying the opinions Ed and Al may have on particular pairings. Apologies if these are your ships - I'm just poking a little fun at them! I don't hate these pairings, and I'm not pushing my views on you guys. :)