Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Crimson Romance ❯ Chapter Nine ( Chapter 9 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Having been gathered into the automail slash infirmary part of the fort, Winry worked on Edward's arm. Mr. Kimblee had said a kind word to the blonde before the young alchemist hooked his finger through the wrench and pulled her close to him, whispering.

“I wouldn't trust Kimblee if I were you.” He warned.

“Why not?” Her blue eyes shifted between Edward and the Crimson Alchemist. “Mr. Kimblee seems nice enough to me.”

That's right, the Elric thought to himself, I only got Hawkeye's testimony of the war. How can I judge Kimblee for something I don't even know the whole story of?

Then suddenly he remembered, his whole body shuddering, what Riza said to him before he left.

And about Winry, she'd said, You're in love with her, aren't you?

Oh no! Act natural, Ed. Think of something else.. Think of something else! So, his best response to that memory was to recite all the components of the periodic table, including elements that he made up or just thought ought to exist.

“You dork,” Winry replied with a sad look, “To think that I'd fallen in love with you.”

“What?” His eyes went in her direction before he felt the intense, sharp pain of his nerves being reattached to the automail. “Augh!! I thought I told you to warn me before you do that!”

“Well, you should have been paying attention, you idiot!”

Their glares were locked in a death match until they heard Maria, who had been standing with Solf the entire time, giggle over her coffee.

“Gurrrl,” The Chicana said in the sleaziest Mexican-American accent she could muster, “You better hop on that dick while you got the chance. You never know! The next time you see him might be at his funeral!”

Both of the blondes' jaws practically dropped the floor as there were gasps from the other troops that were within hearing range.

“Maria!” Solf scolded, “That is not how a lady speaks. Watch your mouth.”

The Mexicana stuck her tongue out at him, her lips curling up the same way a cat's would in a devious way. He sighed and rolled his eyes, then took another drink of his coffee.

“So what's the story with you two?” Winry stood up, asking them rather directly.

“Well...” And before Kimblee could answer her, Buccaneer, in full glory, walked into the room revealing his massive automail claw. It twinkled, catching Winry's attention.

“Haaaaa~!” She sighed, practically floating after it, “That's the new model! It's beautiful!”

“Ah, why.. Why thank you.” The soldier blushed, giving her a full view of it.

“Edward!” The girl jumped up and down, pointing at him, “Do you want me to upgrade you to THIS??”

“Ah, no. I'm fine.” The alchemist grumbled.

“If you want to see more, Miss Winry,” The resident mechanic said, “I have other models in here.”

“Oh yes! Please, please, please!” She skipped through the door behind him.

“How did an idiot like you get so lucky?” With a grumble, Buccaneer turned back toward the door.

“Why the bad mood?” Someone had asked.

“Because life isn't fair!” He slammed the door behind him.

“Has her parents' spirit.” Solf said, approaching the boy. “In the mean time. I am eager to discuss our business, Fullmetal.”

“Business?” Maria blinked, sinking back into a corner.

“Private business between Edward and myself. You have no need to worry about this, Maria. I'm trying to keep you as far away from this delicate situation as possible.”


It must be about the homunculi or things involved with them. Was her only thought.


Maria wasn't sure if she were supposed to feel any safer with the blue-clad body builders around her. Lazily, she leaned back in her chair and yawned, tapping her ever growing nails against the table. The blonde across from her – Winry – was sitting there with a calm, care-free look on her face. Her ignorance of what was going on struck a cord of envy in the Mexicana. The girl definitely had no idea what was going on and the men around her did not make her uncomfortable in the least.

“So, uh..” Maria tried to break the silence. They were waiting for Edward and Solf's supposedly important conversation to be over, “I don't know a lot about automail. I mean, I've seen prosthetics but I've never seen any as advanced as Edward's. I noticed he told you to tell him before you connect the nerves. How long have you been working in this field?”

“For as long as I can remember.” Winry perked up, welcoming the conversation. “My grandmother got me into it after my parents died.”

“Oh? I remember Mr. Kimblee saying something about them in the car ride here.”

“Yeah..”

“You have any hobbies outside of your work?” The Mexicana cooed at her.

“I have a small collection of seashells. I usually get them by the river. Someday I think it would be nice to go pick up some at the ocean's beach.”

“You've never seen the ocean?”

“No.”

“Where I live there is a giant beach and you can see the ocean. You can smell the salt water in the air and see all the sights. It's very nice.”

“Oh, I wish I could go!”

“Ask Ed to take you sometime.”

“Do you think he would?”

“Of course he would. Just wait until this giant adventure of theirs is over.”

“That would be nice..”


While inside the room, Fullmetal did his best to dispute everything the older man was telling him.

“The new task assigned to you is this: find Doctor Marcoh, kill Scar and create a Crest of Blood  here.”

“Why I'd ne–!” The boy cried out, standing.

“Shh...” Kimblee used a single finger placed over his lips to hush him.

“But Kimblee, why are you working with them? Aren't you human?”

“I'm simply with them because they allow me to use my alchemy as freely as I like. Besides, I'm just pushing destiny along to see the outcome. Nothing more exciting than seeing two wills clash together. Who will be the victor? The homunculi or the humans?”

“You don't make any sense.” Edward said as he slumped into his seat.

“Then let me present to you something that does make sense.” Solf reached into his pocket, a pretty unusual place, and pulled out a small object. The boy couldn't tell what it was under his hand. All he could see was his hand over it, placing it on the table. “If you help me find Scar and Doctor Marcoh I will gift you with this.”

He took his hand away, revealing a vibrant red stone. It was elongated and shimmered under the room's lighting. By staring at it, Edward could feel deep in his gut the souls within it. Like they were squirming around in his intestines, wailing the entire time. Kimblee didn't seem a single bit disturbed by this.

“I have to tell Winry.”

“Ah, I love her type. Passionate, determined, responsible..”

“Why you old perv–“

“Oh please. I'm hardly a pedophile.”

“Then what about Maria?”

“That's a special case I'd like to keep to myself.”

“You're in love with her, aren't you?”

There was silence on Solf's end. Surprisingly enough, he could keep a straight face.

“If you're in love with her then you would stop this madness and get as far away as possible! She's a foreigner, isn't she? Once the government is back in the right hands then you could flee from any court martial and leave with her to her country.”

The Crimson Alchemist closed his eyes and placed a hand on his chin. His index finger tapped against it. “Hmm. I never thought of anything like that before. All I wanted to do was..”

“Then stop this madness right now. We have to get Amestris out of Father's hands and then–“

“This doesn't change my mind one bit, Fullmetal. However, it has given me a few ideas about Maria.”

“Whatever. This is done.” Edward huffed before getting out of his seat. “I have to tell Winry.”

“I'll go with you. I don't want you telling her too much.”


There was never a time in her life where she remembered asking for help. This was one of those desperate times where she did need the help and with dealing with a homunculus first hand she definitely wanted it. If strange things like using humans for stones and nearly immortal beings existed then there had to be some truth in what the Mexicana was telling her. She'd never thought of it before, traversing dimensions to get to different universes.

And that was exactly what she wanted. Leaving Amestris wasn't going to be enough. She had to get somewhere far, far away where Father couldn't find her. It was the Mexican woman who was going to help her, even though now was a time she had no help for herself.

“You stay here, Felix. This is something I need to do alone. I never really needed a servant seeing as I can do well to take care of myself on my own. I promise, though, I will come back for you. I just need to talk to Maria. This is very important, I hope you understand.”

“It's fine. I understand.” The servant smiled. It was a very strange expression, Brielle thought, seeing as she'd never seen him smile before. He normally had the face of a porcelain doll.

“I split up the money between us,” She continued, “I hope there's enough to keep you until I get back.”

“If not, I can get a job as easily as anyone else, Miss Brielle.”

“Good.” She lifted her head, hearing a voice over the intercom. “Well, there's my cue.”

“Goodbye, Miss Brielle.”

“Goodbye, Felix.”

There weren't a lot of people boarding the train she was. Not everyone wanted to head to her destination. Nobody wanted to see the snow.

Being a bit more quick-witted than most people, the blue one knew exactly where Maria was. If she was with the military then the most obvious place would simply be..


Fort Briggs!


Standing next to the alchemist in white, Maria listened to the conversation from the outside of the cell. It turned into something very upsetting for her, seeing as she hadn't known the actual reason for the automail otaku's presence. She found out rather quickly.

“I'm sorry to have to tell you this Winry.” Edward started, “But this is something you should know.”

“What are you talking about Edward?” Winry looked confused, sitting on the cell bench with her hands set neatly in her lap.

There was a brief pause before he spoke once more: “You're in a hostage situation Winry.”

Both Maria and Winry's attentions were jolted with a gasp.

“You mean this whole time...” Winry continued, “I'm so sorry. I thought.. The entire time I was so carefree.. I'm so sorry, Ed.”

She covered her face with her hands. “I'm not going to cry. I just wish –“

“Don't worry about it. What is done is done.” The young alchemist tried soothing her, “Kimblee offered me a Philosopher's Stone as payment if I help him.”

“But Brother!” Alphonse interrupted, his voice echoing through the suit of armour, “You know that Philosopher's Stones are made out of –“

“–I know that!” Edward snapped at him. Hearing the ingredients of the magical item over and over again was getting annoying. “But this is our only chance.”

“I see then..” The younger hunched over somewhat, as if defiantly accepting this.

Exiting the cell, the young alchemist nodded toward Kimblee. “I'll take the job.”

“Very nice. We'll make preparations to leave as soon as possible.”

Behind the short blonde, Winry came out to watch them leave.

“But I want to go after Scar, first.” Edward said darkly, passing the Crimson Alchemist toward the door, “He's the Ishvalan that killed Winry's parents. Think of it as a sort of revenge.”

“There wouldn't be any problem with that, I suppose.” Solf shrugged. Maria's worried eyes strayed over her shoulder at the blonde girl, then followed the two out of the room.

“Wasn't the Philosopher's Stone something you two were looking for, Alphonse?” Winry asked.

“A Philosopher's Stone is made out of human sacrifices.”
The girl gasped, her eyes shaking a bit.
“But I'm sure that Brother has something else in mind planned.”

“There's gotta be something I can do to help.”

“We'll just see..”


“..Solf you never told me you kidnapped Winry!” Maria whispered, trying to keep quiet in front of the others that were trailing behind them. “In such a way that she didn't even recognize as so..”

“And this is where things get complicated..” Solf stopped for a moment, the pads of his fingers squeezing the bridge of his nose between his eyes.

The Mexicana stopped as well, the emeralds deepening in their stare. Their attention was caught as a soldier approached them.

“Mr. Kimblee you cannot continue your investigation until late tomorrow or the next day. The General Major and the weather forecasters deem your trip this afternoon as unsafe. There is a blizzard coming. You have been grounded to the Fort until it is said otherwise.”

“Heh, heh,” Maria obnoxiously commented, “You got grounded.”

Solf frowned and rose a brow at her as if to say: You can't be serious.

“Fine then.” His frown curled a bit more as the soldier departed.

“The only reason you're asking Edward for help is 'cause Scar done whooped your ass.”

“Enough about that.”

“You have to explain to me how this happened.”

“Not now,” He noticed the others catch up with them, “I'll tell you later.”


“Is it okay if I have a word with you, Miss Maria?” Edward asked, the expression on his face a bit darker and more serious than before. His hands were in his pockets.

“Um..” Her gaze went from the boy to her boss.

“..Alone?”

“Whatever. I'll see you in my quarters a little later.” The older alchemist shrugged, leaving.


“Just get him out of his quarters for long enough so we can put the microphone in there. That's all you need to do.” Fullmetal said as he gave distinct directions.

“Then you want me to ask him about what he knows about the homunculi?”

“Yes.” He replied to Maria, with Major Miles and Buccaneer behind him.

“What if something goes wrong?”

“I wouldn't worry about that if I were you,” The Major sternly reassured her, “Just do what you're told. We'll do the rest.”

“Do you think he already suspects something?” Her brows furrowed together.

“Of course he does.” Buccaneer retorted, “Of what, I don't think he knows. Keep your wits about you.”

“Okay..” She took in a deep breath through her nostrils then sighed, looking the tall soldier over. He'd had a mohawk and a black braid going down his back. He was one of those soldiers she appreciated yet was scared of at the same time.

“Now take him down to the cafeteria for some tea.”


She was hoping that it wasn't as much of a challenge as she'd previously imagined. To get Solf out of his quarters long enough for the trap to set. But exactly how long was this procedure to take place? That wasn't mentioned in the briefing. Also pertaining to things other than that, she was wondering what they would discuss during that time. Of course, her boss would probably have many things to talk about but when he was done would she feel educated enough to answer? She also had to figure out how to stall him without the obvious appearance of hiding something.

How on earth was this going to work? She was putting more pressure on herself than she needed and she knew it. To military standards, this would be a simple task to accomplish. But she's not military and can't keep a straight face when she's hiding something. Again, how was this going to work?

But the moment she walked down the hall toward where the Crimson Alchemist was waiting for her, all those worries faded away. It was the delight in his eyes upon seeing her that made everything all better. So much to the point that she would have forgotten all about her Elric-appointed mission. All that mattered now was this.

With a smile, she approached him.

“Sorry about that,” She said to him, “Edward just wanted to talk to me in private.”

“About what?” His brows rose. She stood beside him and he turned around to walk with her down the hallway.

“Important stuff.” Was there really any way for her to lie to him? Would she even try?

“Like what?”

“Like uh...” Yeah, she wouldn't be able to tell him even a small fib. Would she tell him what Edward and the others had planned?

“Like you returning to California?”

That was when the air caught in her throat. She wasn't sure what to say even though her body was trying to hold her breath for her. She swallowed, then nodded. It would be a vague response. Rather than than an all out lie, right?

“Y–.. You actually believe me?”

“I wouldn't say that.”

“Would you like to go down to the cafeteria so we could have some tea?”

“Actually, no, there's a private room I'd like us to share. I already discussed it with Major Miles and he said it would be fine. I don't want any more people hearing about your circumstance. If it gets to Father it could become a liability.”

Oh, that's true.. Maria thought as she looked down somewhat. She'd never thought of what would happen if the main villain found out about her dimension-hopping. Regardless of if she tried to defend herself by claiming ignorance of how to do it, he'd probably come after her and probe her brain or something for an idea of how to do it.

What hell it would be for these kinds of alchemists to be in the United States. The military would take a good look at them and laugh until they saw their actual talent. Then they would want to capture and hone the same skills for themselves so they'd be a secret weapon in the future wars to come. Not that she'd wanted war. She was more pro-peace than anti-war thanks to a quote from Mother Teresa that put things into perspective.

It may have been a small room but not enough to cause her any panic. With a breath, she sighed through her nostrils and went through the door that Solf had held open for her. Before she had went all the way through, he lifted his arm to allow a few fingers to go through her hair, the curls forming around them then falling off.

She turned a bit to see what he was doing but figured since it didn't hurt then it was probably nothing bad. With a hum she placed her purse on the table.

“There isn't a kettle or anything in here. Would it be okay if I went and got us some tea? Are you willing to wait that long?”

“I've made you wait for me so I suppose we're even if I wait for you.”

“Is it okay if I get the peppermint spice tea? I really loved that.”

“That is fine.”

“Well, I'll see you in a minute.” After he sat down, she went ahead and left the small room. There was a short three-second silence as he stared at her purse. A woman's entire world would be stashed into one of these. A single bag being her entire identity. He didn't want to be rude but how would he be able to prove that she's lying to him if he didn't find something in there?

Not that it would make him love her any less. That was probably what he found most attractive about her. She was about as delusional and deluded as he was. They were identical. Except for the small bit about enjoying the kill. Maybe for now it was enough that she enjoyed fireworks. Not that he'd want to taint her that much. Just enough so she could understand him.

Slowly, he reached out for the bag. Then he hesitated, the single thought of her being angry would do him no good. But how was he to learn anything about her if he didn't..? He pulled back a little then swung his arm out to snatch the damned thing to pull it toward him.



It would only take a moment. After all, he would be able to put everything back into its exact spot with the help of his photographic memory. How easy was that?

With a smirk, he parted the magnetic button and started digging through it. He took everything out and placed each item on the table. A weird, blue rectangular shaped compact with darkened mirrors and strange buttons on them. X, Y, A, B? What did that mean? To the modern eye this would have easily been seen as a Nintendo DS.

Then he pulled out about five tiny books. He assumed that this was the apocrypha she'd told him about at an earlier time. The next book he pulled out was the Holy Book she'd read on the train. It told him she was serious about her beliefs. However, to tolerate someone such as him made him wonder what her holy books taught. This was indeed a question on his mind. A question he'd ask her about later.

The next thing to come out was another compact, except this one had a flower design on the outside. When he flipped it open, it was another darkened mirror and a miniature type-writer on the bottom. He wondered if this would actually be used for type-writing or if she was just a writer and this was for collector's purposes. Above the mirror and below the keypad were holes. Also, at the very top above the mirror it had the insignia of US Cellular written out. What was that?

He closed the thing and took out other stuff. Pens, a small notebook, day-planner, her wallet. Going through the day-planner, he saw many dates for her work schedule, taking her sister Julia to and from sports practice, doctor's appointments, nights out with Patrick and et al. There wasn't really much to it. He figured he'd find more information in her wallet.

There wasn't much, just her ID and other cards with her name and numbers on them. Flipping it around, pictures of her family came out. He saw that her birth mother had indeed had much lighter skin than her. Cute, a family portrait. Then there were also pictures of Julia, Patrick and their mom, Brighid and other friends in there.

There were some other things in her purse but none that would soothe any of his burning questions. One thing did strike his eye, though, and he wasn't going to bother with it until he saw something typed out.

He took the bag out and heard pills moving around inside. He opened the bag and there was a prescription bottle in there. Well, no big deal, right? With a lop-sided look on his face, he took out the bottle to read it. That was what shocked him the most. The logo on the bottle said Burbank Tower Pharmacy.

Below typed out it said:


MacMillain, Julia
January 20, 2010 11:00am
1234 Sunnyvalley Rd.
Burbank, CA, USA



He didn't bother much with the name of the medicine, seeing as he couldn't pronounce it anyway. But this was it! This was what Maria was talking about the entire time! She wasn't lying to him after all. His brows pressed together. Without much worry for what would happen once she found out he was snooping around, he shoved everything back into the purse in a giant disorganized mess then jumped out of his seat so he could run through the hall to the elevator.


The Mexicana practically danced around in the kitchen as she made preparations for the tea. She was waiting for the steam to make the kettle whistle so she could pour the boiling contents into the tea pot. They were going to finally talk about how to get her home! And she had the perfect proof as to where she lived, too.

Her bouncy movements slowed down some when she realized the cost of going back home. Not only did she have to consider how she was going to get Patrick out of wherever he went into but also the possibility of.. Of leaving Solf behind. She would have to back to her miserable existence of doing grunt work and finishing University only to do more grunt work afterward. How boring..

But if she stayed in Amestris she would be able to start out new, right? She didn't have any friends here other than Brielle and Solf. Maybe Alphonse was a friend? Oh who knows?

By being here she also risked being killed by one of the main bad guy's subordinates. She had a risk of getting caught up into this mess with the homunculi and seeing as she didn't know the ending to this fairytale, there was the possibility that things would go horribly wrong.

Her movements slowed down as she dropped the teabags into the teapot. The kettle whistled as if on cue with her thoughts. She picked it up with a pot holder and poured it in its rightful place.

The brown substance stewed around in the water. She watched it carefully.

The right thing to do would have been to stay out of the entire ordeal. However, she was in too deep now. With Kimblee being her boss she was directly connected to them. All of them. It wasn't like she'd had the chance to run away like the blue one. It was too dangerous now. Either path she chose she would risk something.

To go home and leave Solf behind or to stay in Amestris and be with him always?

Be with him always.. Her thoughts returned to the time they were together at the carnival. The way they sat together under the fireworks. Was this really something that would work out for the good?

Maybe he could help her make up her mind once they'd discussed it. Then perhaps she could tell him how she really felt about him. This was as good a time to do that as ever, wasn't it? There was always the fear that he would laugh and brush her off as something as trivial as an adolescent crush. Would he not take her seriously? A million things could go wrong.

With a sigh, she balanced everything on the tray and picked it up and left the kitchen area. She would definitely tell him how strange he made her feel. How good he made her feel. How dastardly insane he made her feel. This would be perfect, wouldn't it?


A few thoughts of potential endings buzzed into her head. More like fantasies of what her life would be like once the problem with the homunculi was taken care of. Would they live in the big city together? Would they live in a far-away rural place like Risembool? What kind of house would they live in? Would they have any pets? Any babies?

A streak of blush went over her features as she looked down at the tray. In order to have any babies they would have to.. They would have to.. Bah! She would have insisted that they'd wed first. But what of what Solf would want? She wasn't sure if he was even ready for the idea of marriage. Let alone to someone he'd only known for a few months.

Even if they did have good chemistry it wouldn't work, would it? Emerald eyes lifted from the tray she held up to the elevator doors opening up. It was Major Miles.

He stepped in, pressed his desired floor and then started talking to her.

“You know..” He'd begun but the rest of his words were so muddled by her thoughts. She wasn't even listening to a word that he'd said. She was too busy being enamoured at the idea of being Solf's wife. Again, the daydreams buzzed.

Her thoughts were jolted back to the present when she felt the Major's hand on her shoulder. She turned her head to look up at him. He had removed his spectacles to reveal his deep, ruby eyes. The light over her eyes wavered slightly, watching him come in closer. There would have been a gasp but it was short-lived because of the kiss he'd given her. On her lips.

The Mexicana tried to free herself but his hands were too tight on her. She'd dropped the tray and hot tea went everywhere on the floor. Within the small space the strong smell of cinnamon wafted around them. The crackers were broken on the floor and so was the teapot. She tried moving one of her legs to shake off the tea, it had burned her foot. However, there was no way she could escape from the arms of the soldier. He was holding on way too tight and it was hurting her.

The bell of the elevator dinged rather suddenly and loudly. Its doors split open, revealing two men there.

His eyes widened in rage when he'd seen the predicament inside. He hissed in a breath as Maria's eyes moved to see him. Kimblee stormed away in anger, the prescription bag wrinkled up in his tight fist. When Miles saw this, he let Maria go.

“Solf! Solf I –“

The other young man, a little younger than Maria, stood there and put his hand on his neck with a smirk. He began to sing a tune that was familiar to her.

“Love in an ella-vay-tuh – Livin' it up while I'm goin' dooowwwn..~”

Upon hearing this, she jerked from her spot in the elevator and turned toward the man. His hair was blonde and wavy, the regular military blues on him. She grabbed the collar of his neck and forced him against the wall.

“Where did you hear that?” She growled, staring into his jade eyes.

“Eh, baby. Don't get your panties in a knot over a simple song.”

“Do you know who sang that song?”

“Eh...” His visuals strayed away from hers.

“It was Aerosmith, wasn't it?! Only someone from my time and world would know that song!”

“...” There was pure guilt written all over his face.

She turned to look at Miles in the elevator, “Clean that mess up and get out of my face!”

With a shrug, the Major crouched down to pick up the mess, the doors closing.

“Are you American?”

“What?” The young man's eyes went back to hers.

“Are you American!?”

“At one time I was. Now I'm Amestrian.”

“How on earth did you get here?”

“My friend are I were goofing around with witchcraft and I got sent here. That giant door thing ate my friend, though. Haven't seen him since.”

“What state are you from?”

“Virginia.” He softly replied.

“I'm from California.”

“Ah, one of those dumb hippies, huh?”

Again, she slammed him against the wall, “I'm not a hippy!”

“You'd better go after your boyfriend if you want to see him again.”

“He's not my –“

“Oh, please. With the way you two practically hang onto each other it's kind of obvious.”

The light over her eyes wavered once more.

“It's more than just business, isn't it?”

She was going to cry and he could tell.

“Oh, don't cry. Please, please! Don't cry. Oh God..”

Her head dropped while her hands clenched onto the collar of his uniform.

With a sigh, he patted her back. “My name is Luke. Luke O'Mally.”

“I'm..” She sobbed a bit. Then with a sniffle she continued, “Maria Sanchez.”

“Nice to meet you Maria. You'd better think of something good to say to him. Major Miles isn't exactly the ladies' man, you see. So when something like this happens he's dead serious. As he is for just about everything.”

“Right. I'll go see him now.”

“Good luck. Tell me how it goes.”

“How did someone from the United States become a part of Fort Briggs?” She asked, lifting her sights up to him.

“I was in the Marines. This is easy work compared to that.”

“Okay.”

“Now go.”

With a nod, she turned from him and ran after Kimblee's footsteps.


Oh no, what am I going to say to him? She asked herself mid-sprint, Is there anything I can do to make him feel better? And if he acted like that then he would have been incredibly jealous which would have meant he felt the same about me as I do him? Come ON Maria, think of SOMETHING!

But where would he have gone? She'd already checked the private dining room they'd had. In there she found her purse in a disarray with which she automatically connected to Solf. He went through her things? Then that would mean that he'd found the prescription with the address on it. Was that the reason he came to the elevator to wait for her?


His room. Her pace quickened.


She approached the door and lightly knocked on it. She knew exactly where his quarters were. They were just in there the other day. Not only that, she'd always come in to do his laundry and a little housekeeping. “Solf?”

The door, having not been shut all the way creaked open. She placed her fingers on it to push it further. Maybe she was being too informal? “Mr. Kimblee?”

It was dark as usual, the way he liked it. The only thing glimmering in the midst of the abyss was a lamp on the table. Looking across the bed she saw him sitting in the chair next to the bed stand, a glass of brandy in one hand and the other kept neatly in his lap. One leg was crossed over the other. He was gazing at the wall and other such objects in the room.

She would have expected him to be fuming. Except, from what she could see, he wasn't. There was a sad yet hard expression on his face. It was as though he lost the most precious thing to him and he was trying his best to hold up some kind of male pride to hide the hurt.

“Solf?” She stood in the doorway, holding the door open.

“Close the door.” He said bluntly and she did.

“I'm –“

“What do you want?”

“Look, I don't want to argue –“

“There's nothing to argue about,” He said coldly, unable to look at her. “It's clear where your heart's at.”

“My heart? Are you serious? My heart?” She scoffed, “This shouldn't be about Miles kissing me in the elevator. That was an acci –“

“An accident? You fall, trip and land on his –?”

“It's not like that, Solf. I swear. Didn't you see tray of stuff all over the elevator floor? I even burned my ankle when I dropped the tea. I wasn't even paying attention when out of nowhere he –“

“But you do admit some feelings for him?”

“Ugh. No. He's just someone we kn –“

“I knew that I shouldn't have held my breath for anything.” The alchemist muttered while taking another swig of his brandy. At least when she left he could easily drown out any emotions that he'd thought he'd had. It wasn't as simple as that, though. He knew he'd wake up the next day with the worst of hangovers and his feelings wouldn't have been numbed even a little bit. Where was the barbarian now? Where was the callous, cold and vicious man that he was before? Maybe if he killed her it would make his feelings settle.

But he didn't want to. To imagine taking the life out of someone so important was preposterous. Of course, he'd had the nerve to be able to do it but was it really worth it? He may have had the nerve to kill her swiftly but he would never have had the nerve to live without her. He took another drink.

“What are you talking about?” Her shoulders slumped, the lamplight warming the features of her face and hair. “Are you talking about what we talked about that night in the hospital?”

The ice cubes in his glass clanked together as he took the last sip then poured another.

“Stop drinking already.” He hadn't even noticed her come near him. She pushed the bottle down. “I want you to talk to me.”

“What's there to talk about?”

“I want you to be sober when you tell me the truth.”

“What does it matter?

“It matters to me what you think and how you feel. You might not see it but at least somebody cares about you!”

He didn't say anything.

“You don't have any family,” she started pacing as she listed these things off, “You don't have any friends. You have no one! Even Brielle took off after only knowing you for a little bit over a week. All you have is me. Is that why it upset you so much when Miles kissed me?”

“...” Still nothing.

“Look Solf, I feel something very strong for you. I cannot explain it. I didn't feel it when I was with Steven and certainly haven't with anyone else. I want you to make friends. I want you to be happy. Do you really think I'm the only thing you have to rely on emotionally?”

The only way he could get out of this so he could wallow in his own pain was to recite one of his very dark, morbid philosophies that no one could understand but him.

“The only way to be is alone because everyone dies, anyway. My own life isn't worth living because nobody is there. And even if they do come close, they're never close at all. Maria, I'm a killer and a killer has a destiny to follow. Those who forge death are followed by death.”

Her eyes softened, taking the drink out of his hand and setting it on the nightstand. She sat on his lap, completely taking him by surprise(and it was shown in his face, too). She put her hand on the back of his neck and caressed his ponytail.

“But those who forge life are followed by life more abundantly. Please don't be so afraid of me.”

His eyes widened a bit, then relaxed when her face became close with his. Now their foreheads were pressed together, just as they were when they first met. Except, this time, it was a lovely feeling rather than a hurtful one.

“The only one I want to kiss,” she stared, staring into him deeply, “...The only one I want to kiss is..”

Her lips met his as she closed her eyes. His arms went up around her back, pulling her into him. Their forms molded together as the the meeting immediately became more intimate. There were some smacking as they were discovering parts of each other that weren't as obvious as before. This was what she wanted. This was what she couldn't tell him before. There was no time for needless chatter. This was all there was and all that should ever be.


Close your eyes, give me your hand, darlingDo you feel my heart beating?Do you understand?Do you feel the same?Am I only dreaming –Isthis burning an eternal flame?


Her fingers curled around his tie, loosening it. Without much effort that was gone and she was unbuttoning his vest then shirt. Her hands went over his skin, little bits of hair going through her fingers.

The Mexicana's lip was betwixt his teeth as he playfully bit her. Letting go, there was a smirk. He wasn't as gentle with her clothes as she was his. The reason being that his were probably more expensive than hers. That or he was just in a hurry to get to the goods. The buttons on her dress were torn away, exposing the top part of her lingerie.

His face went for her cleavage, his hands on her upper back supporting her against him. He loved how the white popped out against her mocha skin. A little lace here and there as a nice touch, too. What was even better was that he would have been able to touch her like this. If he'd ever tried this with any woman he'd only met a few months ago, he'd indeed have a red patched hand print on his face. The exact same one he'd received when they'd first met at the train station.


I believe it's meant to be, darlingI watch you when you are sleepingYou belong with meDo you feel the same?Am I only dreaming–Or is this burning an eternal flame?


There were more kisses as he roughly removed the top portion of her dress. She got up and stood away, allowing the rest of her outfit to fall to her ankles. She stepped out, noting that he had taken a good look at her almost bare form. Her body suddenly became hot as she bashfully brought her hands up to her face, as if hiding behind them would take back what she had exposed to him.

A cool smile was on his lips as he'd gotten up, taking off his coat and vest. He untucked his shirt and took it off, revealing the chiseled features that were once hidden beneath. There was nothing shy about him, she noticed. She backed away a few steps then froze in her spot when she noticed him coming for her.
Say my name sun shines through the rainA whole life so lonelyAnd then you come and ease the painI don't want to lose this feeling, oh


He couldn't keep his hands off of her. They went everywhere, feeling the soft, smooth skin under them. Again, he pulled her into him. She could feel his heavy breathing on her neck as he kissed her all over. On the neck, shoulder, breast bone and then eventually her bra.

His teeth nipped at her bra as he reached behind her to unsnap it. With that done, he gently pulled it off of her. After kissing her, his mouth went down to explore the regions he'd longed to touch. Goosepimples rose on her skin as his tongue trailed down to her nipple. With a few flicks, he felt it good enough to suckle them. And he did.

Solf lapped his tongue around on her breast, feeling the nipple harden in the moist arena of his mouth. Gently, he nibbled it getting a reaction out of the Chicana. She let out a noise that was unfamiliar to her. It was something entirely new.

Being embarrassed, she covered her mouth with a hand and gasped. What on earth was that?

He released her and came up to be eye level with her.

“Something wrong?”

“I.. I don't know. Why did I make that noise?”

“It's normal to make those kinds of noises when it feels good.”

“Oh, okay.” There was a shy, unsure smile.

“Just relax.”

“...Okay.” She blinked, looking him over. He'd definitely had hair on his body. He wasn't as hairy as she would have expected someone such as Buccaneer to be but it was enough to make his masculinity stand out. Not that it was a bad thing. It was just one of those things she'd noticed out of blue.

Regardless, it still made Solf sexy in her eyes.


Say my name sun shines through the rain
A whole life so lonely
And then you come and ease the pain
I don't want to lose this feeling, oh


Her arms went around his neck as he cradled her in his. He leaned over her, lying her gently on the bed. He pressed his hard body against hers, lying on top of her. Their lips were no stranger to the others' now. It felt hot. It felt good. It felt powerful. Nothing was going to ruin this.

She could feel his hard member through his pants on her thigh. That was when she knew that this wasn't going to be just one of their regular meetings. She should have known when he ripped her dress off but it didn't hit her until just now. This was really happening.

Was it too fast? Maybe a little bit. However, she didn't really care. There seemed to be no hope in getting her home. She would probably just have to accept that she is an Amestrian now. Just like Luke. That blonde didn't even give her any information on how to get back. He probably thought of it as impossible, too. That, or he just didn't want to deal with stress of being there anymore. Maybe it was
something she needed to discuss with him later.

Close your eyes, give me your hand
Do you feel my heart beating?
Do you understand?
Do you feel the same?
Am I only dreaming –
Or is this burning an eternal flame?

This was probably for the best, to give herself completely to him. She just wondered, though, would he still want to be with her after the fact? Before she could formulate another thought, his hand went down into her panties. The pads of his fingers rubbed over her most sensitive areas. She let out a squeak but it was caught in his kiss.

Further his hand went down over her. There he found the moist area of her labia. It had soaked through his hands and through her panties. It was when his finger trailed inside of her when she gasped, breaking the kiss.

“Please be careful,” she said softly.

“Don't worry, I won't hurt you. If it hurts, go ahead and tell me and I'll stop.”

“Okay.”


Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling
Do you feel my heart beating?
Do you understand?
Do you feel the same?
Am I only dreaming –
Is this burning an eternal flame?


Feeling around inside of her a bit, he got comfortable and started pumping his finger in and out, his lips over hers once more. Those funny noises started coming out again. She wasn't sure what it was so she held her breath.

“Keep breathing,” He whispered in her ear, “And keep making those noises. I'm getting harder just listening to you.”

“Wh –“ She gasped, “What are you doing to me?”

“Foreplay.” He answered bluntly, still filling her up with his digits. Then with a raise of his brows he asked, “Haven't you done this before?”

“Um..” Her eyes strayed away from his over the room and then up to the ceiling, “..No.”
“Oh man..” He took his hand out of her panties and reached up for her face, “If I would have known this was your first time I would have had a candle-lit dinner for us. Wine and everything. I'm so sorry.”

“No,” She replied, “Please continue. If it's with you then it's special. We don't need all that fancy stuff.”

“Well, next time I promise we'll have those other things.”

“Anything. I think I felt this way in that dream I had.”

“Oh, you have fantasies about me?”

“No. It was the dream we had in the woods after the carnival. Something about aliens then..”

“Heh, that's funny.” His nose twitched, “I had a dream exactly like that.”

“Then..” Her eyes zipped from the ceiling to his, “Do you think it really happened?”

“Could have.” He smiled, “I remembered seeing you naked. I could have easily taken advantage of you then.”

“Which was your original intention.”

“Yeah, well..” He gave a lop-sided smile. “What was weird is when I wake up from a dream like that I'm hard as a rock. I woke up without a hard on.”

“I wonder if something else happened while we were there...” Her fingers trailed along his chest as he lied next to her, though leaning over her.

“I think something did happen.”

“You do?”

“I remember pieces of it. We didn't have intercourse but I do remember you..”

“Remember me what?” Her brows rose. She was curious now.

“I think you gave me head.”

Immediately, her face turned red. “Do you think that was a dream?”

“How can it be if we both remember it?”

“You're right.” Her eyes went down.

“Don't be ashamed. We both wanted it.”

“And now?”

“What do you think?” He kissed her forehead then her lips.


Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling
Do you feel my heart beating?
Do you understand?
Do you feel the same?
Am I only dreaming, oh
An eternal flame


“Those aliens sure got a show, didn't they?” She giggled, watching him get off the bed.

The alchemist knelt down at the foot of the bed and pulled her closer to the edge. He spread her legs open in front of  his face and took in the natural scent.

“Mmm..”

“What?”

& #8220;You smell nice,” He stated before allowing his tongue to go over the curves hidden by her panties.

There was a small yelp on her end.

“My, my. Sensitive, aren't you?” Again, he went over the damp piece of clothing. She squirmed in pleasure at his touch. Reaching around her hips, he slid the under garment off of her legs, revealing the lush mound of her head. There was some hair though it wasn't wild. A lot of women he'd seen shaved theirs but he didn't mind either way. This just proved to him how inexperienced the Mexicana was.

He took pleasure in her squeals and squirms as he laid in on her. When he could see the moisture dripping out of her, he knew that she would be ready for him.

“What –“ She said, sitting up somewhat. “Why are you stopping?”

“It's time for the real fun.” He smiled as he stood before her, undoing his belt and unzipping his pants. Her eyes went from his face, to his chest, to his abdomen and finally down to his boxers. He pulled them down. It wasn't really much of a surprise to see his cock out, seeing as she'd seen it before. However, it made things ever so exciting that he was going to give it to her. Just for her!

She sat up, reaching out for it. “Is it okay to touch?” She asked.

“Certainly.” He took her hand in his and placed it over it. “How does that feel?”

“Aren't you supposed to ask me that once it's inside?”

He chuckled, “I suppose.”

“To be honest, Solf,” She said, “I haven't even seen pornography. The slightest mention of anything sexual makes me go into a blush fit. Growing up Catholic, I rarely even  masturbated. I don't even know if I'm doing it right. So, I'm about freaking out right now.”

“Just relax. Lie back. I'll do everything. You'll like it, I promise.”

With that, she did as she was told. He pulled one of her legs over his shoulder and spread the other away. He directed himself with his hand, rubbing the head of his cock around her labia before trying to make an entrance. When he felt comfortable enough, he tried to gently push inside. Unfortunately, though, he hadn't predicted that he would slide right in at the speed that he did. He filled her completely up, his head roughly bumping into her cervix. With a wince she hissed in pain.

“I'm sorry. Do you want me to stop?” He asked, looking down at her.

“No. No, it's fine. I just wasn't expecting that.”

“Me either. You're just so wet, it was unexpected.”

“Yeah.”

“So, you've never had anything in there before?”

“No, not even tampons.” Not that he would know what a tampon was.

“Not even a dildo or something like that?”
“No.”


Close your eyes, give me your hand, darlingDo you feel my heart beating?Do you understand?Do you feel the same?Am I only dreaming –Isthis burning an eternal flame?


“Wow, so this is new for you. I'm so glad I could be your first.” He leaned over her to embrace her lips with his.

“So, what are we supposed to do?”

“You'll see,” He said as he pulled out somewhat and pushed back in. He did it slowly at first then built into repetitions.

“Ohhh,” She moaned, “...That feels nice. It feels weird, something different but goo~ood..”

“..Yeah it does~” He smirked, hearing the sounds of their skin slapping together. He watched her facial expression change. Every so often he'd watch her supple breasts bounce with their movement.

One hand went on a single breast and his mouth went over the other, licking around as his hips bucked into her. It was as if he'd had no control over his body anymore. It was moving just as nature had intended it. He was enjoying this very much.


 I believe it's meant to be, darlingI watch you when you are sleepingYou belong with meDo you feel the same?Am I only dreaming–Or is this burning an eternal flame?


Meanwhile, back at the ranch... Or rather, in a walk-in storage closet of Fort Briggs; Edward and our small team of soldiers sat in front of the radio to listen in on what they'd expected as a conversation between the Crimson Alchemist and the Chicana. Boy, what they got was a bigger surprise. It had been a while and they could barely make out what they were saying. All that was heard was moaning and skin slapping together.

“What the hell are they doing?” Edward chirped, having been very inexperienced himself. Which wasn't much a surprise seeing as he was what? Fifteen?

“They're having sex you idiot!” Buccaneer slapped the back of the teen's head, a big blush on his own face. “I think you'd better leave, this is adult stuff, you know.”

“Just turn the radio off.” Major Miles interrupted.

“What? What about our information?!” Fullmetal grumbled.

“Just turn the damned thing off!”

And the midget alchemist did just that. The tall Buccaneer gave a small whine while leaving the closet. “Looks like we're not getting what we want just yet.”

Even though the device was off, he could still hear the noises of their lovemaking in his head. It made him angry. Drove him mad.

What on earth did Kimblee have to offer her that he, Major Miles, couldn't give her?



Say my name sun shines through the rainA whole life so lonelyAnd then you come and ease the painI don't want to lose this feeling, oh



Hours had passed and different positions were used. However, by the end, they went back to the traditional pose they'd tried in the beginning. She was loving this more and more. Never ever had she remembered having as great an orgasm as when she was with him. Masturbating on her own hadn't helped at all, seeing as she wasn't doing it right. That was what she needed, someone to teach her. Someone to tell her. Someone to love her.

And her gave her that release, again and again. She knew by the way he was holding her, fondling her, fucking her.. That he'd had others. He'd had practice. Of course, though, she wouldn't do so much as bring something as trivial as that into a conversation with him. It was one of those things that simply were and that she couldn't do anything about. Not that it was worth giving a damn about, anyway. He was doing her good and that was all that mattered.


Say my name sun shines through the rain
A whole life so lonely
And then you come and ease the pain
I don't want to lose this feeling, oh


“Okay,” He started, “One more time for you then it's my turn.”

Maria could feel herself starting to build up to another one.

“Before you go,” He whispered in her ear, “Tell me something..”

“..What?” She asked, exasperated. By this time she was sweating. So was he.

“Tell me you love me.”

“What?” It shouldn't have taken her a second to think about it. She instinctively knew how she felt about him.

“Tell me.. Tell me you love me.” Which was kind of weird. Isn't it usually the chick who asks the guy before they have sex if they love them or not? Which was usually a steady “Yes” simply so they can do the deed and he can leave.

“I.. I..” Her breathing was indeed very heavy. It was enough to keep her from thinking straight. But this she knew. She definitely knew.

“Say it!”

“I love you! I really do!” That was when she had her final release. He could feel it, just as he had the other times. Her insides tightened around him as she came. There was no lying here, no denying anything. He knew how a woman's body would react to such stimulation.


Close your eyes, give me your hand
Do you feel my heart beating?
Do you understand?
Do you feel the same?
Am I only dreaming –
Or is this burning an eternal flame?


“Okay, good.”

“I love you..” Her lips pouted up for his and they came to her.

“Now it's my turn. You look tired. I'll try to make this quick, I promise.”



Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling
Do you feel my heart beating?
Do you understand?
Do you feel the same?
Am I only dreaming –
Is this burning an eternal flame?


Pulling himself out, he turned her over so he could get to her from behind. All she would have to do is lie her head on a pillow and relax. There wasn't anything hard about this, he was hoping. He didn't want to drain her more than what she already was.

He noticed that when he pulled out the first couple of times there was blood. Which was a good indicator that she was telling him the truth about being a virgin. He also wondered about how they were going to plan things after this. Naturally, he hoped she included him in her dreams about the future.

This would prompt second thoughts about being involved with the homunculi.

Suddenly, he'd felt something he hadn't felt in a long time. Or even if at all.


Fear.


He wouldn't let those monsters rain on his parade, though. He was making love to the most beautiful, incredible and loving woman he'd ever met and he wasn't about to let her go for anything. He'd protect her with his very life.


Pumping inside of her he felt great. His hips moved automatically, without any effort on his part. He was getting close to his own relief. It did, however, take a lot of effort on his part to keep from coming so early on. He wanted her first time to be special and he made that possible.

“Oh, Mariaaa..” He lifted her up from her pillow and hugged her from behind. He placed his face against her neck and shoulder, pounding her as hard as he could. “Oh God, I'm gonna~”

He reached his climax.


He took himself out slowly, feeling the cream of his insides run all over her inner thighs. It was not only there, but dripping out of her as well. He let her down gently and lied down next to her.

With lazy eyes, he stared at her. She gave a small smile. He kissed her.

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

Then that was when he remembered.
“Aw, shit.”

Maria blinked, “What?”

“I came inside you.”

“Were you not supposed to do that?”

“Oh well, it's too late now.”

“I guess so..”

With a slight shrug, he let it go and pulled her into him, holding her closely.


Close your eyes, give me your hand, darling
Do you feel my heart beating?
Do you understand?
Do you feel the same?
Am I only dreaming, oh
An eternal flame