Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Descent ❯ Chess ( Chapter 35 )

A/N: I just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has left me comments and support on this story. MM.O makes it a little difficult for me to respond to reviews individually, so please just know that I do read your comments and I really appreciate them.

 

 

Descent

 

Chapter Thirty-Five

 

Chess

 

 

A beeping sound and hushed murmurs brought Ed slowly into awareness. He was lying down in a bed it seemed. Covers were drawn up under his arms and over his chest. The air in the room was cool, but not so much as to be unpleasant. He wanted to sink back into the dark oblivion from which his mind had just emerged, but the beeping and the murmuring, which he couldn't quite make out, kept him from doing so.

 

With an effort he opened his eyes, and blinked a couple of times. It wasn't bright; in fact it seemed the only light in the room came from a small source behind him… a lamp perhaps? No, he blinked because the world was blurry in his vision and blinking was the only thing he could think of to help the situation. As his eyes began to clear, he started to make out the lines and little dots that marred the off-white ceiling.

 

A touch on his arm made him aware that the murmuring had disappeared and only the beeping remained. Slowly, he slid his gaze to his left and military blue filled his view. His eyes traveled up the well made uniform and settled on dark, worried eyes.

 

“How are you feeling, Edward?” the man standing beside him asked in a whisper.

 

Edward? he thought vaguely, then realized it was the dream. Not just any dream, but The Dream. The first time he'd dreamt of Roy; the first time he'd felt something for him. Ed knew what should come next. He'd feel confused and tired, then Roy would frown slightly. Ed would close his eyes and he would feel a touch on his arm, a soft rubbing motion, and it would comfort him.

 

Ed searched Roy's face, and waited for what he knew would come. He wasn't disappointed. The man's mouth turned down into a slight frown, lips pressing slightly, and his eyebrows crinkled a bit, slightly moving a few strands of the black hair that rested lightly against his forehead. Ed watched and let himself be drawn into the predictable actions.

 

Tears pricked his eyes as he stared up at Roy. It was a dream. He knew that next he should close his eyes and Roy would touch him gently on his arm. He craved this touch, but he also feared it. To get it, he'd need to close his eyes and he didn't want to. He wanted to stare at Roy forever. Once he closed his eyes, the dream would come to an end. It always did.

 

Unable to stop himself, Ed's eyes closed and he felt a tear escape one of his eyes and trickle slowly down his cheek. The tears were new, not part of the regular routine. Ed swallowed and waited for Roy to touch his arm, because that's what always happened.

 

Instead, he felt his tear being wiped away, then, “What's wrong?”

 

Ed's eyes flew open and he no longer stared at a dotted, white ceiling, but at the smooth, cream colored one over Roy's bed. Or at least, what he could see of it. The room was dim, perhaps dimmer than the other room, and the only light came from the street lamp out the window.

 

“Ed?” he heard whispered in his ear, and he turned to see Roy's eyes staring at him in concerned silence from where he lay next to him... Ed thought he could drown in those black pools; they were so dark and deep.

 

He swallowed hard and croaked, “Roy?” Another tear trickled down his cheek because he understood that this too was a dream. It wasn't real. Reality was him sleeping alone in Roy's bed. Reality was Roy missing and possibly dead. Reality was...

 

“Hey...” Roy whispered affectionately, then gently wiped the new tear away. “What's this?” A small sob broke from Ed and he slipped one of his arms under Roy's neck, and the other around his body. Warm arms encircled him, returning the embrace.

 

“Where are you?” Ed moaned desperately into Roy's chest.

 

There was silence from the other man for a moment, then, “I'm right here, Ed...” Roy sounded somewhat confused.

 

“No, you're not,” Ed whispered heartbrokenly and sniffled. He could feel Roy beneath his fingers, feel his body pressed close and his face being tickled by the little hairs on Roy's chest, but he knew... He knew this was a dream, and eventually all dreams ended.

 

“Are you calling me short?” Roy asked, amused. Ed blinked and pulled back to look into his lover's face.

 

“What?” Ed asked in confusion.

 

Roy grinned while reaching up to wipe gently at Ed's tears. “I just thought you were saying that I was so short that it didn't even look like I was here.”

 

To this obvious attempt to pull him from his sadness, Ed couldn't help but laugh. “That's my line,” he said, and felt more tears flow from his eyes. His laughter turned into sobs and he rested is forehead against Roy's bare shoulder.

 

So real.

 

It all seemed so real...

 

He could smell Roy, could feel him under his fingers...

 

“I don't know where you are,” Ed moaned through his tears. “I don't even know if you're alive, and now I'm supposed to do something and I don't know what. I don't want to be used anymore, Roy. Why can't everything be just fine? What can't we just be together and not have to worry?”

 

There was silence from Roy and this made Ed cry harder. This dream Roy wouldn't know what he was talking about. Suddenly, he felt the man move to sit up and Ed let himself fall against the bed in the empty space where Roy had just been laying. Hands grabbed him and pulled him into a sitting position.

 

“Come here, Ed,” he heard Roy say softly before he felt a small pull forward. Ed scooted in the indicated direction and found himself sitting on top of Roy's crossed legs. His lover wrapped his arms around him and tenderly kissed his cheek before slowly rocking him back and fourth, and making hushing noises.

 

“I'm here, Ed. I'll always be here,” Roy whispered soft reassurances in his ear. Ed felt a dull ache in his chest at that and snaked his arms around Roy's torso, holding on tight.

 

“Will you?” he asked breathily, his voice laced with pain. “Will you really?” When there was no answer, Ed pulled back and stared the man in the eyes. To this, Roy glanced away and wouldn't meet his gaze. “You bastard...” Ed sobbed angrily. “You bastard! Even in my dreams you try to keep things from me!”

 

Roy looked back at him sadly and asked, “What else can I do?”

 

“Trust me!” Ed hissed through his tears, then hiccupped. Again Roy said nothing, and Ed begged softly, “Why won't anyone trust me?” He paused. “They just want to use me until someone comes to take your place... I...” His lip trembled and more tears spilled from his eyes. “I know they just want to do what's best, but they're doing it at my expense!” He poked himself in the chest when he said `my'.

 

Ed shook his head and continued on. “I don't know what to do. I feel so trapped, Roy. Won't you tell me what to do?” He looked pleadingly into those black eyes.

 

Roy lifted a hand and gently touched Ed's face before leaning in and kissing his swollen lips. When Roy pulled back, Ed felt the man's hand on his and moments later something was pressed into his palm. He looked down and saw a black pawn and queen. It looked to be from the chess game some general had given him as a going away present when he left the East.

 

He glanced up and gave Roy a questioning look, but the man merely smiled. “Chess is an important game, Ed. You can apply it to your life as a soldier. I've just given you two valuable lessons right there in your hand.”

 

Ed crinkled his forehead in thought. Personally, Ed didn't play chess. Al had learned to play over the years from both Heymans Breda and Kain Fuery—he'd even played with Roy a few times—but Ed had never been able to get into it. It took too much patience, and it frustrated him to no end. He always ended up rushing into things, and ultimately losing the game.

 

Ed opened his mouth to speak, but felt himself pushed onto the bed. Lying on his back, Ed said, “Just tell me what you're getting at.” That was just so Roy... Only giving him some vague hint for him to figure things out on his own...

 

Roy smiled fondly and kissed his lips. “You'll figure it out,” he whispered. “I know you will.” A moment later, Roy leaned in and pressed his lips down lightly against Ed's. Ed sighed at the contact and closed his eyes. He'd missed this so much... Finally, Roy's lips lifted off of his and when Ed opened his eyes, Roy was gone.

 

He sat up quickly and looked around Roy's bedroom, but didn't see anyone. He glanced down at his hands and saw that they were empty. Tears pricked at his eyes as he realized that this wasn't a dream.

 

This was reality, and he was alone.

 

Lying back on the mattress, Ed stared up at the ceiling and softly sniffled as more tears leaked from his eyes and down his face.

 

It had been so real!

 

So real...

 

He pressed his lips together as if that would keep them from trembling. Grabbing Roy's pillow, Ed buried his face in it and sobbed. It still smelled like him, but it wasn't Roy...

 

Ed cried for a time, then finally was able to calm himself. He would be fine. Everything would be okay because he was sure Roy was alive. He was sure of it... He had to be.

 

Reaching over to the night stand, Ed picked up his watch and checked the time before moving the pillow back to where it had been. He didn't feel tired anymore, but it was the middle of the night—into the morning hours in fact.

 

He sniffled and thought about the dream he'd had. A chill ghosted over his skin as he thought of being touched and held by Roy. Ed closed his eyes, squeezing more tears out and tried not to think of that. He'd already cried enough. Instead he tried to concentrate on what Roy had said.

 

What did a pawn and a queen have to do with anything? Ed shook his head. It was a dumb question. It was a dream, after all. But still, it bothered him. With a deep sigh, Ed forced himself out of bed and headed toward the closet where Roy kept his chess set. Fishing it out, Ed laid it on the bed, opened the case, and peered at the pieces.

 

He touched the queen, then one of the pawns lightly before snorting to himself. He didn't even know what the pieces did... Ed shut the case and sat on the bed next to the game, trying to figure out what to do next.

 

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

 

Ed walked into the hospital and squinted at the bright lights. He knew that he shouldn't be out late alone, not with Scar(1) killing off State Alchemists when he could get his hands on them. But Ed hadn't been able to sleep. He'd felt too preoccupied with the dream he'd had to do anything else.

 

Finally he'd decided to come to the hospital and talk with Kain Fuery. Breda had said the man would be released soon, so he must be feeling a lot better. Of course, it hadn't been until Ed was almost to the hospital that he realized that it was the middle of the night and the man would probably be asleep. It was also then that he remembered what else Breda had said, the part about Fuery not being able to remember anything.

 

Ed sighed and made his way to the counter. Instead of turning around and going home, Ed had decided to come to the hospital anyway. He could at least drop by and see if Fuery was awake...

 

Shifting the chess case in his hands, Ed said, “Excuse me...”

 

The man behind the counter looked up from what he was doing and said, “Can I help you?”

 

“Yeah...” Ed paused. If they were going to release Fuery soon, then he might have been moved from the secured floor. In that case, he wasn't sure where to go. “I'm looking for Kain Fuery's room.”

 

“Hmmm...” The man shuffled through some papers, before giving him the floor and room number. Ed thanked the man and started off. With an inner sigh, Ed realized that it might have been nice if he'd brought a card or something... Not that it would matter really if Fuery didn't know who he was...

 

It didn't take long for Ed to reach Kain's floor and when he started to pass by the nurse's station, a woman who looked to be in her early twenties said, “I'm sorry... visiting hours are over, you'll have to come back tomorrow.”

 

Ed frowned and nodded before shifting the game in his hands. The woman looked down at it, then back up at him, “Are you here to see Kain Fuery?”

 

He blinked in surprise, then said, “Eh, yeah... How did you know?”

 

She smiled softly and nodded toward the game. “A handsome, dark-haired soldier often comes at night sometime to play chess with him. Sometimes he's in uniform, sometimes not.” She shrugged. “I've talked with him a little. He seemed rather nice.” The woman sighed, then said a little dreamily, “Too bad he's already taken...”

 

Ed's frown deepened and he said, “How do you know he's already taken?”

 

She raised an eyebrow and said, “I mentioned that we should go get drinks together or something, but he said he was already taken.”

 

To this, Ed felt like crying again. Even while he was gone, Roy had stayed faithful to him... Guilt welled up within him as he thought about how he'd been wondering if he had anything with Roy or not... He swallowed hard. How could he have doubted?

 

Then what she'd said dawned on him and he said, “I thought you said visiting hours were over...”

 

She grinned, “Well, I do make exceptions sometimes.”

 

Ed smirked. “To good looking soldiers?” To this she laughed and nodded. Ed fished out his pocket watch and said, “I just happen to be a soldier; will that do?”

 

She looked him up and down before saying, “Well, I suppose I can let you see him since you fit both of the criteria.” Ed blushed deeply. He wasn't told all that often that he was good looking by anyone other than Roy. When she saw him flush, she grinned and pointed to one of the rooms. “He's in there.”

 

“Thanks,” Ed murmured.

 

She nodded. “Sure. Maybe we could get a drink together sometime,” she said, and gave him a wink.

 

Giving her a sheepish look, Ed said, “Actually...”

 

The nurse held up her hand, “No, don't tell me... You're taken.” Ed nodded. She sighed. “The story of my life. Okay, go see you're friend. Just don't tell anyone I let you, okay?”

 

Ed nodded again as he started toward the door with a grin on his face. He'd never been hit on so openly before and it kind of made him feel good about himself... Ed didn't think he was as good looking as Roy was, and, in fact, he often didn't think much about his looks at all. Ed had thought himself to not be exactly ugly, but nothing really special, so he never went out of his way to make himself look good. Not like Roy who...

 

Ed reached the door and tried to push that line of thought aside. It was too painful, thinking about how Roy would keep himself so clean and well kempt. Roy would always take such good care of his hair and his... Shaking his head, Ed turned the doorknob and opened the door.

 

The room was dark, but with the dim light from the hall, Ed could see that there were plenty of flowers and cards, and he was suddenly kind of glad he didn't bring one. After all, what was one more card? Letting himself inside, Ed shut the door and slowly made his way to one of the chairs.

 

He was about to sit down when he heard, “Who's there?”

 

Ed blinked. He was sure that Fuery would be asleep... “Did I wake you up?” he asked.

 

“Eh, no. I was already awake...” A pause, then, “Who are you?”

 

“Edward Elric,” Ed answered, not sure if the man would recognize his name or not.

 

Silence filled the room for almost a minute, then he heard the bedding rub together as the man moved and suddenly a dim light turned on near the bed. Ed blinked, then watched as Fuery moved away from the switch, picked up a pair of glasses from a small table near the bed, and settled into a sitting position.

 

Ed frowned. “I thought your glasses were broken...”

 

The other man smiled and said, “They got me new ones.” Fuery let his eyes move over Ed, then said, “You're... a little different than I though you'd look...”

 

Ed's forehead crinkled in confusion. “What you do you mean?”

 

“The man... um, Roy Mustang, he talks about you a lot.” He frowned. “I heard... I heard that he was hurt.” Ed nodded. “He's the only person who really visits me regularly...” Fuery's voice trailed off, and Ed couldn't help feeling bad at the sad look painted across the man's face.

 

“I... eh, I was away...” Ed said, feeling the need to explain why he hadn't visited.

 

Fuery nodded, as if he'd known that, then pointed to the game in Ed's hands. “Did you come to play?”

 

“Well, I...” Ed glanced down at the chess set. Did Fuery even remember how to play? He must if he'd played with Roy, right? Or... “Well, actually, I don't really know how to play,” Ed confessed sheepishly.

 

The other man tilted his head and gave him an amused look before pointing at the small table near the bed. “Set up here and I'll teach you what I know. It's not much, I've got to warn you. I only know what Roy taught me.”

 

Ed, already up and moving toward the table, stopped and said, “Roy?”

 

Fuery frowned. “That's his name, right?”

 

“Well, yeah... but...” Ed set the game down and opened the case. “You never called him by his first name before... You usually called him `the colonel' or sometimes `Mustang', but...” He trailed off, looking at the pieces. He didn't even know how to set the board up...

 

“Well, I don't know him as `the colonel', and he said I could call him `Roy' if I wanted,” Fuery answered, sounding defensive and a little irritated.

 

Ed glanced up, “Yeah... sorry...”

 

The two stared at each other for a moment before Fuery sighed and started setting up the board. “It's fine...” he said, a little bitterly.

 

Ed suddenly felt guilty. It wasn't Fuery's fault he couldn't remember anything, and Ed supposed it wasn't nice to remind him of what he was forgetting. Looking down, Ed silently watched how the board was set up for future reference. When the game was ready, Fuery pointed to each piece and explained what moves each was allowed to make.

 

“...and that's it,” Fuery said. He seemed pleased that he'd remembered it all. “Roy says that we can learn a lot from chess and that everyone should know how to play it.”

 

Ed's head snapped up from looking at the pieces. “Like what?” Ed asked. “I mean, what could you possibly learn from say...” He glanced back down to the board and pointed to one of the pawns. “...one of the pawns?”

 

Fuery nodded. “The pawns are the smallest, and seemingly the most unimportant, pieces in the game, but the pawn can still kill the king.” He paused, then, “That's like us...” he said quietly. “We may feel like we're small and unimportant, but we can do anything if we try.” Another pause. “Also, some people tend to overlook those who seem unimportant.”

 

Ed nodded. That sounded like something Mustang would say. “What about the queen?” he asked.

 

“The queen can do everything the other pieces can, except for the knight,” Fuery answered.

 

“And?” Ed asked impatiently.

 

“And... well, we should realize that we can do most things if we put our mind to it, but we also need to recognize our limitations. There are some things that we can't do.”

 

Ed mulled over that. He supposed that if he'd been younger, he would have thought his dream Roy giving him the pawn had been a slight on his height. But he was older and hopefully a bit smarter than he used to be.

 

Letting out his breath, Ed frowned down at the board. What could he do? What were his options? What were his limitations?

 

“In chess, and in life, we need to also understand when to be willing to sacrifice.” Ed glanced up at Fuery. “We can't grow so attached to our pieces that we forget what we're trying to accomplish. Finishing the game without losing any is the best, but it's not practical.” Ed stared at the man in a strange fascination at all that he'd said. It was as if Roy was speaking directly to him...

 

Fuery shrugged, looking a little uncomfortable with Ed's intense stare. “That's just something he would talk about a lot. Sometimes he would say things referring to the pieces, but sometimes I think he wasn't referring to the game at all, but to something real. `Each piece has a part to play, and sometimes we must make dangerous plays to win the game,' he would say.”

 

Fuery frowned. “Something dangerous is going on. I asked him about it, but he wouldn't tell me.”

 

Ed gave a small half smile. “You're not the only one he wouldn't tell.” Looking down he pointed to the king. “What about the king?”

 

To this Fuery frowned in thought for a moment, as if searching is mind for the information, then nodded and said, “The king is pretty much a useless piece since he can only move one space at a time. He can do a little more than the pawn, but not much. Also, the king's vulnerability makes moving dangerous. There were several things he said about this.”

 

He paused and gave a small embarrassed smile. “I can't remember them all... I kind of have a hard time remembering things people tell me... but one was that people with a lot of power are always spent being guarded by others, but on their own they're practically useless. Another is that drawing a lot of attention to yourself is dangerous because then everyone wants to kill you.” Fuery glanced up into Ed's eyes, and said softly, “Beware of being like the king.”

 

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

 

Al yawned tiredly as he scratched idly at his chest. He'd stayed up late with Russell discussing this and that theory. Usually, his discussions with the chemist were deep and insightful, but last night...

 

Well, it wasn't as if it had been uninteresting, but it just felt lacking. Whenever they delved too far into a subject, Russell moved the focus of the discussion somewhere else. That somewhere else generally seemed to be another prod to get Al to join the People's Army. Al shook his head as he descended the stairs. That was so Russell though; he was naturally pushy.

 

He yawned again and stretched his arms as he headed toward the back door. Letting himself out, Al breathed in deeply. Mornings in the summer were just wonderful. It was still cool, yet not so much as to be uncomfortable. The world around him was only faintly lit by the soft light in the east where the sun was still well behind the horizon. A few bugs chirped here and there, and the birds were staring to sing a little, making this the perfect morning for a work out.

 

Al wandered out onto the grass and warmed up a little. Pulling off his shirt, he tossed it aside before plunging himself into the forms he'd been taught. It felt so good to be well enough to do things like this again. Al frowned as he punched the air, thoughts of the fight he'd had with Ed suddenly filling his mind.

 

Al dropped his stance and shook his head slightly. That wasn't what he wanted to think about right now. Taking a deep breath, Al pushed the bad memories out of his mind. He concentrated hard on what he was doing and let his body flow smoothly with each movement. He lost himself in the fluidness of each move and when he was done he felt refreshed and ready to start the day.

 

Bending down, Al picked his shirt up and wiped the sweat off his face before turning to the house. He blinked in surprise when he saw Winry leaning on the railing as she watched him. He suddenly felt embarrassed and thought about putting his shirt back on, but with the way she was watching him, he almost got the feeling as if she liked what she was seeing.

 

Well, he'd have to get used to her seeing him without a shirt, and…other…things, if they were going to get married. Walking back to the porch, Al climbed the steps and moved to stand beside her.

 

“Good morning,” he said quietly as he looked down at her.

 

She smiled up at him and said, “Morning.” A pause, then, “That looked really good.” A slight blush lit her cheeks and she glanced away from him and out to the grass beyond. He grinned and closed his eyes, enjoying the thought that she'd been checking him out. Leaning on the railing, Al smiled happily at the slight breeze that was cooling his body.

 

They stood there in silence for a time before Winry said, “Al...”

 

“Hm?” Opening his eyes, he turned and looked at her. She glanced at him, then away. He frowned. She seemed nervous about something... “What is it?”

 

“Well... It's your friend, Russell. I don't like him.”

 

He laughed. “Well, Ed doesn't either. They can get along sometimes, but usually they don't.” He glanced at her and let his laughter cut off when he saw she was staring at him seriously.

 

“He gives me the creeps,” she said, almost defensively.

 

“He's harmless, Winry. Don't worry. That's just his personality.”

 

She scowled. “That doesn't mean I have to like him.”

 

Al searched her face and wondered if she thought this way of Russell because he was constantly on Al to join the rebellion. He knew that she didn't like it, but he also knew that she tried to support him in what he thought was right too.

 

“Don't worry, Winry. I'm not going to join the People's Army,” he said, trying to soothe her.

 

To this, her eyes crinkled slightly and she said quietly, “I'm glad... But, Al... It's not about that... I can't put my finger on it, but he really makes me uncomfortable.”

 

Shaking his head, Al said, “I told you, he's harmless. Now, maybe if your name was Edward Elric you'd have something to worry about.” She raised an eyebrow at him, and he said, “He's used Ed's name before; pretended to be him.”

 

“And you call that harmless?” she asked a little irritably.

 

Al made a sound of exasperation and glanced back out over the yard. “Well, what do you want me to do? Send him away?” When she didn't answer him, he looked at her and saw it written plainly on her face. “You do...” he affirmed softly. “Winry, look, I've known him and his brother for a few years and I know he can be trusted, okay?”

 

She folded her arms and glanced away for a moment before saying, “You're just too nice Al...” A pause. “Fine. If you say so, then I'll trust you...”

 

Al felt a shiver pass through him and he pulled his shirt back on before stepping close to her and giving her a small hug. They stood like that for a time before she spoke up again.

 

“Al?”

 

He pulled back and looked down at her. “Yeah?”

 

Winry looked down and said quietly, “When are you going to leave to find Ed?”

 

He frowned. Not this again... “Why do you ask?” Why did she keep asking this? Did she want him to leave? Or perhaps she just wanted to see Ed again...

 

“Well... I just thought that you would want him to come to the wedding...” she said softly.

 

Al let go of her and leaned against the railing. Of course he wanted his brother there, but... Guilt rushed through him as he thought that he kind of didn't want Ed there. He knew it was distrustful of him, but Winry had always been very fond of Ed, and what if she still was? What if she wanted to see if there was a chance with Ed before she really went through with marrying him?

 

He hated himself for being suspicious like this, but he loved Winry and he didn't want to lose her... He did believe that she loved him too, but... what if she... He swallowed hard and tried to push aside his negativity, but it didn't work. Instead, he couldn't help feeling a little bitter that his brother should always get the better deal when he was such a jerk sometimes.

 

“Al?”

 

He blinked and realized he'd been scowling at the yard. With an effort, he smoothed his face, and glanced at her. “Hm?”

 

“What's wrong?” she asked, looking concerned.

 

Al knew he should probably just ask her about her feelings instead of dwelling on what might be, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. Instead, he sighed and said, “Nothing... If you want, I'll go find him before the wedding... I think I know where he is anyway...”

 

She frowned. “You don't sound too happy about it...”

 

What could he say? He did want to see Ed again. Of course he did. He missed his brother... It was just his irrational fears eating away at him. If Ed did come and if Winry decided that she wanted to be with him more...

 

Anger filled him, but he kept his face smooth. He knew he was being illogical, but he was just so worried. He felt confused and hurt too because he needed them both in his life, but if they ended up together instead... He'd just feel so... betrayed...

 

“Al?” Winry said, her voice filled with worry.

 

“I'm fine... I'm just... I'm just worried that brother might not have changed any. I don't want to get into another big fight with him.” All very true, but not the real reason he was holding off going to see Ed.

 

She smiled softly and said, “I'm sure you'll be fine. I'll bet Ed will be glad you came to find him.

 

I wouldn't be so sure, Al thought. Ed wasn't the type to run off and hide with the hope that someone would come after him. If Ed was staying out of touch, it meant that he didn't want to be found.

 

Winry watched him closely for a moment, then said, “I'm sure it will be for the best. You guys shouldn't be so distant from each other.”

 

“Yeah...” Al said. He felt like a real jerk. Winry did love him, and Ed would not try to steal his fiancé. He shook his head and wondered why he was letting this eat at him. He needed to relax and trust them.

 

Wrapping his arms around her, he bent down and kissed her gently on the lips before saying softly, “I trust you, Winry.”

 

She blinked in surprise, then smiled happily back at him. “I trust you too, Al.”

 

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

 

Ed yawned as he walked down the sidewalk. He'd spent hours talking with Kain Fuery, and now it was morning. The birds were singing and the world was getting light again. He blearily looked at the small set of apartments in front of him before walking the last span toward them.

 

When he was almost to the front door, he heard a crash. Shaking his head, Ed headed toward the apartment that belonged to the little old lady who owned the place. As he passed by her window, he could hear her murmuring to herself. When he knocked on the door, the murmurings stopped and he could hear her hurrying toward the door.

 

When the woman opened the door, she blinked at him in surprise. “Good morning, Edward...” she said.

 

“I heard something break, and thought I'd come see if I could help,” Ed said more cheerfully than he felt.

 

She practically melted before his eyes. “Oooooh, you're such a nice young man!” she exclaimed and waved him in. Ed grinned and headed toward the mess on the floor. Before he'd come, Roy had been the one to help the lady whenever she broke anything, but now they took turns. Ed would have never thought the man would be so nice to an old woman, but she was the landlady, so...

 

After fixing the cup, Ed handed it to her and said, “As good as new!”

 

“Oh, thank you! I just don't know what I'd do without you two boys.”

 

Ed chuckled. “No problem. I'll be going now.”

 

“Wait...I've been meaning to ask...” She paused, and her mouth turned down into a concerned frown. “How is Roy? I read in the paper about him being shot, but the article didn't say if he was alive or not,” she said worriedly.

 

Ed sighed, “No one knows yet. The military isn't telling. All we can do is wait...”

 

She frowned and patted him on the arm. “I know you two are good friends, so this must be very hard on you. If there's anything I can do for you, just let me know.”

 

Ed gave her a small smile. “That's nice of you, but really the only thing I need right now is to be able to see Roy.”

 

The old lady nodded gravely and continued to pat his arm. “I'll see what I can do,” she said seriously.

 

“Sure,” Ed said with a weak smile. “Thanks.” No need to tell the woman he didn't think she'd be able to do anything. After all, it was the thought that counted, right?

 

With a small wave, Ed headed back to Roy's door, but instead of going inside, he sat down on the ground near the door, pulled out his pack of smokes, and lit one up. Taking a drag, Ed put his mind to work, trying to decide what to do.

 

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1 - As said in the A/N in the first chapter, Scar is still on the loose.

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Thanks to:

MasamuneReforged for being my beta.

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Well, okay, originally this chapter was supposed to have more in it, but it's already 11 pages and we're not really even half way through what I'd planned out for this. So, after much thought I decided to split it into 2—could end up being 3—chapters.

 

I'll get the next one out as soon as I can, but it's still in the works.

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Please Review.