Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Fateful Abyss ❯ Five ( Chapter 5 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa, Square Enix, Funimation, and others who are not me.

The hallway was quiet but for the click-clack of her shoes as Riza slowly made her way to the office. She had not been back since the attack, having taken Edward's facetious advice and stayed away during her leave. She was not yet fully recovered enough to return to work — she still walked with a slight limp and her side ached a bit when she moved too fast — yet she had heard from Fury earlier today that Edward was finally back from Rizenbul. Her time had run out.

Suppressing a sigh, Riza continued down the hallway. She had thought long and hard the last few weeks, about Edward, about her life; she had yet to come to any final decisions, however. So here she was, on her way to see him, hoping the answers would somehow magically materialize when she saw him again. She had, at least, become more accustomed to the idea of him. After all, Edward was no longer a child, younger than her, yes, but by no means a child. It was just… that feeling of attraction had been so sudden. In all likelihood it was but a mere side effect of the traumatic ordeal they had shared together, which meant that although the feeling was undeniably strong, it was destined to fade in the light of reality. Only… the feeling had yet to fade.

It was true that she had always cared for Edward. How could she not when he was so impishly brash and high-spirited? Yet wanting him, desiring him, physically… she found that terribly disturbing. In fact, everything about Ed was now terribly disturbing.

Even so, she was glad he was back; she needed to see him. She needed to get these feelings for him resolved.

As she neared the office, however, her determination began to crumble. Her feet slowed to a standstill.

From the open doorway, she could clearly ascertain Havoc's voice as it came drifting out, artfully needling with amusement and insinuation, as it was commonly known to do.

"Come on, Boss, you can tell us the truth."

"Shut up!"

Now that was definitely Edward, and Riza could plainly hear the tinge of anger and embarrassment in his voice.

"Come on, now," Havoc went on, regardless. "You were down there alone with her practically the whole day. Something had to have happened."

Breath hitching sharply, Riza froze. Did they know? Had her emotions been that transparent?

"It's none of your damned business!" Ed roared back.

"Oh, so something did happen then?" Breda chimed in slyly.

"Does this mean you've won the office pool, Boss?" Havoc asked.

Riza felt herself relax, releasing a sigh. It was only wild speculation, then, to get under Ed's skin. She immediately rolled her eyes. Men.

"I told you—"

"Oh, come now," Roy's voice interrupted smoothly, "even if Fullmetal had wanted to kiss her, how could he have reached her mouth without a stepladder?"

The room went deathly quiet.

Oh, boy…

This would be a good time to make her presence known… before Edward killed someone. Riza squared her shoulders.

"Good evening, gentlemen," she said, stepping casually into the room, greeting each of them with only the briefest of nods. "Ah, Edward," she said, calmly addressing the red-faced alchemist as if there was nothing at all amiss, "I've been looking for you."

Impossibly, Edward's countenance reddened further and his face lowered to hide behind his own bangs. That did nothing to stop the abrupt pounding of her heart as she took in the sight of him, however. His automail arm had obviously been restored, as both of his hands were now tight fists at his sides and shaking uncontrollably. Ed's first day back and already they had him reduced to a quivering mass of rage. Her eyes narrowed imperceptibly.

"You didn't forget, did you?" she asked him suddenly, deliberate warmth entering her tone.

Carefully schooling her features into a tranquil smile, Riza reached up and tugged the clip from her hair, letting it fall into a long curtain around her shoulders. Then, completely ignoring the other men, she slipped casually out of her long coat and tossed it aside to reveal one semiformal, medium-length red dress.

Edward's head jerked up in surprise, his eyes going extraordinarily wide — and he wasn't the only one. Havoc's cigarette fell unthinkingly to the floor and Riza thought she heard a strangled gasp come from somewhere in the vicinity of Roy. However, she refused to pay them any heed. Only Edward deserved her attention.

Her eyes gleamed brightly as she zeroed in on him, moving purposely forward. Edward blinked once in stunned bewilderment as she slowly leaned in and gently pressed her lips to his. And with that single touch, all the stress and doubt flew vaporously from her mind.

Moving leisurely against him, her arms curved around his neck to draw him closer, her tongue flicking out experimentally to taste him. Edward squeaked in surprise, his mouth opening just enough to allow her inside. She kissed him deeply and thoroughly, blithely savoring the sweet, warm flavor of him and the feel of his tongue sliding tentatively against hers. Her fingers threaded eagerly into the thick braid at the base of his neck as her toes slowly curled up in her shoes.

It was then that she caught herself, quickly squelching the tiny moan of pleasure that had been building in her throat, breaking off the kiss with a start. She could feel the heat surge into her cheeks as she quietly cleared her throat. Waiting until she was once again fully composed, Riza finally looked up to find Edward staring at her as if she'd just sprouted wings, his face flushed with color.

Then she became aware that she still had her fingers completely enmeshed in his braid. No one said a word as she quietly extricated them, and then, on impulse, pulled the tie from the end of his hair.

"A promise is a promise," she murmured softly, a smile quirking her mouth as she deftly loosened the braid. "Shall we go then?" Her smile grew confident once again as she stepped back from him. "We have a reservation to keep."

"Dieter's?" Edward said, blinking in dazed confusion.

"The very place. If you will excuse us, gentlemen." Then, tucking her arm under Ed's, she led him regally from the room. The others still said nothing as they swept out into the hall, yet Riza knew she would remember that pale, poleaxed look on Roy's face for many years to come. Her smile grew positively luminous.

"You didn't have to do that."

Startled, Riza's smile faltered at the sound of Edward's quiet voice. "What do you mean?"

"You didn't have to do that," he repeated, his face once again shielded by his bangs. "Kiss me, I mean. I take it you heard them teasing me?"

Riza halted abruptly in her tracks, turning to gape at him in surprise. Her mouth opened, a vehement denial perched conveniently on her tongue, but her lips closed over it almost immediately. "I did," she said instead, owning up to the truth of it. "I did hear them, and I have to admit that that was why I kissed you back there. However," she went on, reaching out to gently lift up his chin, "that wasn't the only reason."

Edward's eyes slowly rose to meet hers and Riza nearly winced at the hurt and confusion she saw churning within him. "Then why?" he whispered thickly. His question demanded a reply, as did the ache of heartfelt emotion in his gaze.

Swallowing the large, dizzying lump that had suddenly lodged in her throat, Riza found herself responding to Edward's question without words, reaching to coil her arms around his body, her lips capturing his once again. This time, she allowed the soft moan of pleasure to rumble through her freely.

It was Edward who broke away first, gasping for breath and peering intently into her face. Riza silently allowed him to read her, hiding nothing of the desire she felt nor the powerful emotions that accompanied it. She saw his eyes widen in abrupt comprehension, his breath catching in his throat. Then he was the one kissing her, arms of flesh and steel crushing her tightly against him.

It was marvelous: the strength of his arms enveloping her, the force of his lips as he clumsily ravaged her mouth, the feel of his body, hard and lean, pressing against her own. He was marvelous. Why was there ever a question in her mind?

Edward finally released her after several more glorious moments, then immediately blushed crimson as her eyes wandered slowly over his features with open admiration. "W-we should go," he stammered suddenly, to which Riza merely nodded, a small smile curving her mouth.

"Come on, then," she said, drawing back a bit to take hold of his arm once again. "You promised to show me your favorite spot by the river."

"Yeah," he said, visibly gathering his composure. "I really think you're going to like it."

"I'm sure I will," she replied.

It was strange, the way she felt, the way fate could be so easily altered. The components were the same as they had always been — she was the same, Ed was the same — and yet their world, their reality, had been changed forever, transmuted in some arbitrary array by a crazy ex-soldier who wasn't even an alchemist. She could almost forgive the man if not for the pain he had inflicted upon Edward.

Even so… the change in the path before her was undeniably delicious, the physiognomy sweet and the proffered journey compelling. Riza was more than willing to chance the walk forward.

The End