Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ The Storm Within ❯ Dangerous Intentions ( Chapter 6 )

Chapter 6: Dangerous Intentions

 

Some annoying, insistent person was knocking on the door, and Hunter didn't appreciate the fact that it was still partially dark out as they did so. He was not a morning person and never had been. Groaning, he rolled over to try and block out the noise. When he found he couldn't move, he realized a woman was hanging onto his hand as she slept peacefully beside him. Everything Celeste had said to him only hours ago came flooding back. She'd offered herself to him. Sweet God, she'd said she was a virgin! Hunter jumped when a voice outside the door called him and knocked again. Reluctantly, he released Celeste's hand and headed for the door to answer it.

 

At the door he met Risa. While her hair was neatly pinned up and carefully put in its place, his was mussed from sleep and standing in ten different directions. He automatically smoothed it out and saluted. “Risa, sorry to have kept you waiting.”

 

“Officer Phillips, I've come to escort you and Artillery home.” She pushed the door open and let herself in before he had a chance to react.

 

“She's still asleep. We had a little scare last night, so I'd imagine she may sleep a while yet.”

 

“What happened?” Risa knelt by the bed and looked over Celeste. Finding nothing wrong, she turned her attention back to Hunter. “Did the Homunculi come after her again last night?”

 

Shaking his head, he sat in the chair that had been pushed aside when he'd decided to sleep beside her. “A nightmare dealing with…” He paused. Telling Risa the truth about Celeste's dream was bound to be dangerous to his health. Their relationship was about to take a giant step forward if Celeste allowed it. Risa's discovery of their growing feelings would mean certain termination of his rank and separation from Celeste.

 

He wasn't going to risk it. “…the Homunculi she encountered. It was more of a flashback, but it still scared her out of her mind.”

 

“How is she otherwise?”

 

“Exhausted.” He gazed over at her as she stirred in her sleep. “We shouldn't wake her. I'll carry her to the car.”

 

Even though he hadn't caught on, Risa knew by the way he looked at her that he was smitten. His signs had been ever so subtle, but a woman's intuition read him like he was a dictionary. She watched as he carried the girl out of the room, his eyes averted to her sleeping face. She frowned when she recalled how he'd lied about Celeste's dream. Even if the feelings were one sided, both Alchemists needed to be put into place.

 

***

 

The call had come suddenly. Mustang had insisted he come to his office immediately, no matter that he was still tired and recovering from overtaxing his alchemy. It was either be there or have his head blown off with a simple snap of a finger.

 

As Hunter climbed the stairs to Central's main military branch, he passed two higher ranked officers and saluted. Neither of them acknowledged him. Thinking nothing of it, he continued his climb.

 

It wasn't until he'd arrived at Colonel Mustang's office that he realized he was in deep shit. All of the military personnel, rookie or experienced officer, hadn't even looked at him. Only the Colonel had such power and influence that he could get the entire military to ignore him. What had he done though? Did he commit some evil deed unbeknownst to him? Did he make fun of Colonel Mustang? Nothing made sense.

 

He gulped once before knocking on the door. A sharp “come in” announced that he was right: the Colonel was downright pissed at him. And he was about to find out why.

 

“Colonel Mustang, you called me here?” He poked his head in, half-expecting to find his superior's fingers ready to send a spark his way to blow his head off. Instead he was bent over a rule book, scanning the pages quickly. His eyes were moving so fast, you could almost swear they weren't moving at all.

 

When he looked up, his cobalt eyes were clear and steady, yet behind them was a raging inferno. “Officer Phillips, take a seat.”

 

The chill in his voice sent shivers racing up his spinal cord. “Y-yes sir.” He sat, back straight and stiff.

 

It was another moment before the Colonel moved from his spot to stand at the window. The fury never left his voice when he started to speak. “Phillips, explain your intentions toward Miss Dominique.”

 

“I was instructed to train her, sir.” Hunter answered. “Are there any other reasons that you'd think otherwise?”

 

“Two reasons. One, you ran off to look for her, completely ignoring my commands. And two, Risa didn't like the way your face looked earlier today when she came to pick you up. She said you lied to her about a dream Celeste had had last night.”

 

How does she know these things? Hunter remained silent outwardly until the Colonel turned around to face him. With his emerald eyes glued on Mustang's, he continued with, “I don't know what you're talking about sir.”

 

“The hell you don't!” His sudden outburst had Hunter stepping back with one foot in surprise. “You don't think I can't see that you're hiding your own tail to keep yourself from being found out?! Take another guess, Phillips! I'm not naïve, nor am I stupid! This isn't the first time I've had to deal with a horny soldier before! I know the signs!”

 

Hunter remained at attention, but his mind was buzzing with fear. He'd been busted, big time. The last time he'd gotten into trouble had been when he'd chased a pretty skirt three years ago without the intention of saving her from any danger. There'd been no threat to her life, but he'd disobeyed strict orders to get into her bedroom. Luckily, he'd been caught before they'd gone too far. While she'd been a Private 1st class, he'd been a Major, and higher-ranked Alchemists weren't allowed to chase those of lower rank.

 

Roy's frown deepened, off-setting the lines around his eyes. “I'd rather not dismiss you Hunter. But if you continue to break rules, that's what I'm going to have to do.”

 

“But sir…”

 

The Colonel was in his face, holding the man's collar with a hard fist. “I'm serious Hunter! Any sign I find about you and Dominique will result in immediate expulsion. If I were you, I'd keep my hands safely tucked in my pockets.” He released Hunter and went to sit at his desk, determined to find a loophole before anything serious blossomed. Then he added, “And anything else overeager to touch her.”

 

Dismissed, Hunter saluted and exited the room. Once he was outside the office, he let out a breath he'd been holding in a giant whoosh. His job and position had never been threatened before. And all because he wanted a woman. He asked himself as he sulked away from the door if he was willing to risk his job for Celeste?

 

The answer scared him shitless.

 

***

 

Two weeks later…

 

Hunter studied and brooded over some notes he'd prepared for Celeste's training test. Something was missing, he just knew it. Whatever it was he couldn't place it. He swore mentally and threw the pen down on his meager desk. Nearly scattering the messy piles of paper, he commanded himself to calm down and think it through one more time.

 

Yet no matter what he did, the tiny detail escaped him. Pausing in his mental melt-down, he leaned back against his chair. Maybe asking Celeste if she knew…no, she didn't know what was on the test.

 

Am I losing my touch? He thought, mildly annoyed. Ever since the Colonel had threatened him with expulsion for chasing after Celeste, Hunter had tried his hardest to stay away from the girl. In fact, he'd barely said a complete sentence to her while they were alone in the house. He scowled at the ceiling. It's not my fault. Mustang was the one who assigned the house to Celeste and me. Isn't it natural for us to kind of like each other after being alone like this? He heard the shower door open in the bathroom and closed his eyes. It would help if I didn't have such an active imagination. He couldn't suppress the image of water running down Celeste's body as she stepped out of the shower. True, he didn't know what her body looked like without clothes on, but he knew what her breasts might look like…he'd seen her in just a bra, didn't he? He felt himself grow hard at the memory…

 

“Hunter?”

 

The surprise of hearing Celeste's voice resonate within his room sent him reeling out of his dirty thoughts and out of his chair. He swore when it tipped back, sending his body sprawling on the hardwood floor.

 

Celeste winced when he crashed. Holding her towel-turned-turban to her head, she bent over him in nothing but her robe. “Sorry, sir. Did I startle you?”

 

He gazed up at her, instantly regretting doing so. Her robe might've been concealing the most intimate parts of her body, but it didn't hide her luscious curves. He blushed and sat up quickly to hide his growing erection. “No, of course not. I fall out of my chair all the time while I think. By the way, haven't you ever heard of knocking?”

 

“Sorry sir, it's just, I've had this nagging question for the entire morning, and it can't wait anymore.”

 

He picked himself up off of the floor and righted his chair. “Okay, shoot.” He couldn't stay mad at her with her blue eyes glittering at him like that.

 

“When I draw a transmutation circle, do I…?”

 

“You don't need to draw one though.” Hunter interrupted, grabbing an alchemy book from his bookshelf.

 

“Not right now I don't. When this necklace comes off, I'll be back to normal.” She clutched her pendant, thinking morbidly, If it comes off.

 

“True,” he sat again, flipping through the pages. “Now, what's your question?”

 

“Do I need a specific type of material for equivalent exchange?”

 

“More specific please.”

 

She sat on his bed lightly before she continued. “Well, what if I'm transmuting a gun. Do I need metal to make it or can I just use the material around me?”

 

He almost hit himself over the head with his book. Her question was the exact one he hadn't been able to find for her mock exam. “No, of course not. You can use any type of material available.”

 

“Wouldn't the gun be made of dirt? And what about it's effectiveness?”

 

“Yes, the gun would be made of dirt if you used the ground, or concrete, or whatever it was you used.” He wrote down some other notes before continuing. “However, the gun would still be just as deadly as a regular gun, depending on if you transmuted a real gun or not.”

 

When she crossed her legs, the robe's folds parted slightly, allowing a thigh to stick out. “What if I wanted the gun to be made into metal? Is that possible?”

 

It took him a second to think of an answer. She was distracting him, and she didn't even know it. “Um…it's possible, but very dangerous. It shouldn't be done.”

 

“Kind of like turning dirt into gold, right?”

 

He turned to her, surprise registering on his face. “No, turning anything into gold isn't just dangerous, it's forbidden. I don't know what they taught you in America, but it wasn't the same thing I learned.”

 

“I wasn't implying that I thought it was legal.” Celeste stood, defense raised and ready for battle. “It was just a statement.”

 

Realizing he'd over-reacted, Hunter sighed and said, “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have reacted that way.”

 

There was something hidden behind his eyes. After she'd mentioned transmuting something into gold, he had gotten angry. At the same time, there had been guilt tucked behind the mask of anger and shock. Now that he'd apologized, he'd neatly put the expression away. While he still seemed a little troubled, it was as if she'd never mentioned it. “Sir, is something wrong?”

 

Yeah, you're sitting on my bed with your thigh sticking out of your robe and I'm aroused by it. “Of course not. I'm perfectly fine.” He coughed, leaning heavily against the desk behind him. “If there's nothing else you'd like to ask, could you please leave? I have some research I need to finish up.”

 

“Oh, of course.” She stood and walked past him to the door, leaving a fresh, clean scent in her wake. He nearly groaned in need after she'd closed the door. He waited ten seconds before he even breathed again. When he did, he found that her scent was still there.

 

“I gotta find a way to get her out of my head. I'll go totally mental if I don't.” He slumped at his desk, trying to cool his heated blood so he could get back to work.

 

***

 

Celeste took her robe and hung it on her bedroom door after entering her room. Naked, she strolled over to her dresser. A picture sat on it and she looked at it fondly. Damion, I hope you're ok over there. Her only family left in the world was her brother. He had been taking care of her ever since their mother and father had died in a freak accident in Chicago about four years ago. She still remembered hearing about the deadly car crash on the news and feeling sorry for those people who had died. It wasn't until the police officer had knocked on her door and had told her the news of her parents' deaths that she had related that story on the news to the accident the officer had told her. As any scared 17 year-old might do, she had called her older brother, who lived 80 miles north of their home in New York City. He had already received the message and was on his way down.

 

He had taken her into his home, she remembered, that same day. He was a struggling artist, but he'd had enough to support them both from their parents' earnings in the stock market. The transition to her new high school had been difficult. Too many of her peers had looked down upon her because she studied alchemy, a foreign science that fascinated her. She made no friends and eventually dropped out of that school to finish with home schooling.

 

As her love of alchemy grew, so did her knowledge. Damion started looking around the area for career fields in alchemy, but the only thing he had found in America had been the military. He had reluctantly told her about her option, and she had accepted it almost instantly. As long as she was involved in alchemy, she was happy.

 

Her test had gone smoothly, and she was accepted into the academy. While the training had been difficult, she had enjoyed it immensely. She made friends with fellow alchemists, both female and male. As she went up in rank, she found herself faced with a difficult decision. If she wanted to advance to a high ranking alchemist, she had to transfer to Central City, based near Germany.

 

She came to her decision to leave for Central City after much consideration was put into it. Damion had stood with her on her decision, but she could see the concern in his face when she'd told him she was leaving.

 

It had taken an entire year for her to get her papers and registration ready for Central City and then nearly another year to finalize her specialized alchemic needs for her training. During her wait, she trained herself to draw more complex transmutation circles for her guns.

 

Her friends had wished her a final farewell two days before she'd left. She had just turned 21, so they took her out to a local bar to celebrate both her birthday and her new career over in Central City.

 

Amy, a girl with a lot of attitude and a body to go with it, had given her a pair of gold earrings which she had left at home. She didn't want to lose her best friend's gift in Europe, so she only thought it logical to leave them at home with Damion. Karen, who was a little shier, had bought her the bathrobe she'd just hung up. The warm, fuzzy, white robe had been just what she'd needed; a little comfort every now and then couldn't hurt. Finally, Seth had given her a journal with a fancy pen. The blond boy with striking blue eyes had been her first friend and first crush. They had liked each other almost passionately, but when Celeste had decided to join the army in Central City, they both thought it would be best to keep things casual between them.

 

They had all gotten tipsy that night. Celeste had been more so since it had been her birthday and they had toasted her multiple times. She had forgotten that alcohol was the prevalent drink of the night and had kept on drinking. Seth had escorted her home and she, in her drunken state, kissed him feverishly when he'd brought her to the door.

 

The next thing she remembered was waking in the arms of Seth in her bedroom, both of them naked under her covers. The scream that resonated in her apartment had startled the entire floor and had caused all of her neighbors to rush over to see if she was ok.

 

Seth swore to her that nothing had happened except for some foreplay. He said that she had passed out before he had had the chance to go all the way. His mind had been clear enough that he had stopped and simply slept beside her. He left that morning after dressing and hardly saying a word.

 

On the day that she departed, Amy and Karen had been there to say tearful good-byes, but Seth had never shown. While the girls and Damion hadn't known the reason for his no-show attitude, Celeste had and felt hurt by it. She had held her tears in nonetheless and had promised her friends that she'd write often.

 

Now realizing that she'd backed out of her promise to write often, Celeste quickly dressed and sat at her desk to start her compositions.

 

She finished her letters quickly, leaving out the details about the Pendant of the Gods and her horrendous ordeals, but she had included Hunter in her letters to Amy and Karen. All she said about him was that he was very handsome, but a prick with a cocky attitude. She smiled when she reread her letters, thinking about what her friends would write back when they found out she was living with Hunter.

 

With the letters safely tucked into envelopes and stamps on, Celeste descended the stairway to head into the living room to grab her jacket and walk to the post office. Summer had ended only a week ago, but it was already starting to get chilly. The leaves on the trees were turning brilliant shades of red, orange, and yellow. She admired the colors as she walked briskly, keeping her hands warm in her coat pockets.

 

She walked past Central Headquarters and admired the giant pillars. When she saw a man in a red jacket and blond hair walking out, she smiled and waved. “Edward!”

 

Ed looked up from the ground, a smile absent from his face and lines of weariness surrounding his eyes. He faked a smile as he approached, but Celeste had already caught his grim expression. “Hey Celeste, how's it going?”

 

“I've been good. How about you?” Celeste started walking with him even though she needed to go in the opposite direction to reach the post office.

 

He hesitated, and then answered, “Not too bad. I hear you got teamed up with Hunter Phillips from the Elite Forces team.”

 

Sighing heavily, she nodded. “Yeah, Colonel Mustang even made us live together.”

 

“That's a new one. He should know that putting a man and woman together in a house is a sticky situation. Especially with the Midnight Alchemist.”

 

She looked over at him briefly before asking, “Did Hunter do something that I should know about?”

 

“So Mustang never told you about why Hunter came back to Europe?”

 

“No, I never even knew that he was from Europe. I assumed he was from America like me.”

 

Ed stopped walking and turned to look at the girl. “He fled Europe when the war in Ishbal started. He wasn't in the military, and at the time they were looking for alchemists to join. They were going to start a draft and he didn't want to get caught in the middle of it. He went over to America where he did eventually join the military since they don't offer much over there for alchemists. While he was over there, his superiors found him flirting with a lower-ranked cadet. He got in trouble, but they continued to catch him flirting.”

 

“So he flirted a little,” Celeste let the little pang of jealousy pulse then fade. “Everybody does.”

 

“That wasn't why he was kicked out of the military.”

 

Kicked out? Celeste's eyes widened. No one ever told me he'd been kicked out. I assumed he'd just been transferred.

 

“The last straw came when they caught him and another soldier concocting a scheme to get a girl into bed. They were going to turn some cheap metal chain into a gold one. They also had the bright idea of turning a pebble into a diamond that would go on the chain. He was kicked out and sent here as a transfer. He's serving here during the most crucial part of the war because they knew that was his greatest fear.”

 

With a sudden realization, Celeste handed her letters to Ed and said, “Can you take these to the post office? I have something else to take care of.” She turned and fled from him, heading in the direction she'd come from.

 

***

 

Hunter was lounging downstairs in the living room when the rain started. It came down in clear sheets, covering the window and making the world outside blurry and distorted. He checked his watch once, noticed that his battery was dead because it was too light to be 8 o'clock already, and wondered if Celeste was caught in the storm or not. Hopefully she was smart enough to wait in H.Q. while the storm passes. He thought in boredom, tinkering with his watch to see if it was really dead. Deciding it was time for a new battery, he put it back in his pocket and passed the time drawing transmutation circles in his head.

 

The door slammed open, rain pouring into the hall and wind sending the scent of the woman that stood in the doorway into the room. Hunter turned to look at Celeste, who was dripping wet with rain running down her face like tears.

 

“Are you out of your mind?” He rushed over to the girl and closed the door as she entered. “I thought you'd…”

 

“I got caught in the rain returning from dropping off some letters for friends back home.” Her voice was cold, almost as chilled as her skin was when Hunter removed her sopping coat from her body. “I ran into Edward Elric on the way so he took my letters for me.”

 

“Come on, I'll help you get dried off in the bathroom.” He urged her forward with a gentle arm, but she didn't move. Turning to look at her, she saw that her eyes were narrowed in anger. A heavy frown took the place of her normally radiant lips, creasing her forehead. “Don't turn into a mule on me now! Get upstairs and change out of those clothes; I'll make you some hot cocoa.”

 

“Hunter, you once told me that you should never try to change other objects into gold. I suppose that doesn't apply to flirtatious, higher ranked officers such as yourself.” Her head was still reeling from the news she'd received from Ed, but her voice was surprisingly clear and firm. “Why would you do that, Officer Phillips? Were you that desperate to get her that you were willing to break laws?”

 

Rendered speechless, Hunter lowered his eyes and looked away from her. What could he say that would make his actions allowable? Nothing… the little voice said inside his head. There was nothing he could say that would make his mistake right in any sense. “Celeste… it was a long time ago. I'm not…”

 

“Am I just another girl that you'd be more than glad to break the law for in order to sleep with her?” While her voice didn't waver, her eyes gave away her heartbreak and distrust. Tears started to build, but they refused to spill over. “I won't be another girl like that. Find someone else to flirt with.” With that, she raced past Hunter and up to the sanctuary of her room.

 

No words could describe how guilty Hunter felt at that very moment. He stood in silence, his gaze not leaving the floor as he realized that nothing he could say to her would make this alright.

 

***

 

The tears finally spilled over once she realized that she was alone again. Celeste wiped at them furiously, shaking from more than just the cold, wet clothes clinging to her frame. Ignoring the chills that went up her spine, she went over to her bed and picked up the journal that was beneath it. She began to write in it furiously, describing her hate and ferocity towards Hunter with bitter detail.

 

By the time she had finished her entry, tears were freely falling from her eyes and sliding down her cheek. In her misery, she hadn't realized that the pendant around her neck had begun to warm and to vibrate against her skin. She assumed her sobs were making her chest hurt and put her journal back in its designated spot. By the time her chest was hurting more than it should have after a good cry, it was too late to call out to Hunter for help as she passed out on her bedroom floor.

 

From her bedroom window, a figure watched, waiting for the opportune moment to break in. When it saw the girl go down, the dark figure opened the glass and stepped towards the girl. A boy with long, spiky green hair looked down at the girl, smirking. “Well, Celeste Dominique, I think it's time for you to meet the rest of us Homunculi. By the way, I'm Envy…” He brushed a finger over her cheek, then bent over to pick her up with timeless grace. After he'd left, it was as if no one had ever been there.

 

~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~