Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Future Memories ❯ Roy Mustang ( Chapter 3 )

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Future Memories

 

Chapter Three

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Roy Mustang

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Colonel Roy Mustang groaned and rolled over onto his side. When he opened his eyes the first thing he saw was…

 

Himself…

 

His eyebrows knit together in confusion and he blinked rapidly, trying to see if the other him would go away.

 

When it became clear that this was no phantom of his imagination, Roy crawled over to the other man. The mirror image of himself was younger by maybe ten years, he wasn't sure. What he was sure of was that this man was a Major. Roy felt a morbid sense of satisfaction wash over him. He was a Colonel, and this man was a Major; the lowest rank possible for a State Alchemist.

 

He was still in charge.

 

Roy had become so lost in himself that he hadn't noticed the other man's eyes opening. What he did notice was the gasp that came from the young Major. The other man was clearly frightened by being confronted with someone who was himself, yet older.

 

“Calm down. Unless you have some great insight as to what's going on, I think we're both pretty clueless here. We need to keep our heads.”

 

The younger version of Roy swallowed, sat up, then looked around. For a moment he seemed lost in thought, then he stood up and stared down at the ground. Roy followed the younger man's example and saw an incredibly complicated array drawn beneath them.

 

“It doesn't make any sense…” The young man murmured.

 

“What doesn't?”

 

“Alchemy is equivalent exchange right? Well… What did we give up? I mean… you're here… and I'm here… but… “The Major looked around in concern, as if there should be someone else in the room.

 

Roy nodded. “I see what you mean.” He mulled it over for a minute then glared at the Major. “Did you draw this?”

 

His double opened his mouth, but before he could say anything, Roy said, “No, of course you didn't. You're too stupid to have done this.”

 

The young man's face instantly darkened in offended anger. “I am not stupid.”

 

Roy raised an eyebrow. “How long have you been a State Alchemist?”

 

“About… about a month…”

 

Roy nodded knowingly. “Then you're stupid.”

 

The young man folded his arms and said, “You know… I have a feeling we're the same person somehow, so by calling me stupid aren't you calling yourself stupid?”

 

“No.”

 

The Major folded his arms. “Oh really? Why not?”

 

Roy gave the younger man a well practiced `I am better than you' look and said, “Simple. If we are in fact the same person, then I am obviously the older one and you are the younger one. Now, if you were to call me stupid then you would indeed be insulting yourself because it would imply that you are now stupid and you never became smarter. I, on the other hand, have the vast knowledge of years and can look back and see how stupid I actually was and how I have progressed over time.”

 

The Major glared at the Colonel flatly for a moment then said, “You are an arrogant man… Whatever professed wisdom you lay claim to doesn't seem to have made you a better person. What a disappointment.” The young man's voice held a note of bitterness in it and Roy flinched inwardly.

 

Suddenly he felt angry. “I'm arrogant? You listen to me, you high-minded, little piss-ant. You've been in the military almost two years,(1) been a State Alchemist for one month and you think you know everything? You know nothing. Don't you even think you can judge me, because you can't!”

 

The two men stared hard at each other for several minutes before Roy spoke again. “Do you know why we're here?”

 

“I don't know why you're here, but I just happened to stop by this house. I… was headed toward the train station…and I saw a woman doing laundry and asked her for… asked her how long it would take to get there. She said she'd draw me a map… um, of the shortest route, so I came inside and we were talking when suddenly…”

 

Roy listened impatiently to the younger man's `version of the truth'. Over the years, Roy had worked hard to rid himself of the outward signs that he was lying. He had been a terrible liar when he was younger, and he knew full well what his giveaways were. Finally, when he couldn't take it any longer, he said, “So you got lost and the woman said she'd draw you a map them what?”

 

The Major flushed, in anger, or in embarrassment at having been caught in the lie, Roy wasn't sure, nor did he care. “There was this … noise… and screaming… I... ran in here and there was this little blond kid just screaming like there was no tomorrow then… then after that… I don't remember anything…” He shrugged and the concerned look returned to his face. “You don't think…?”

 

Roy shook his head. He had a good idea what the Major was thinking, and he only hoped that it wasn't correct. He didn't like the thought of being brought here while some little kid was wandering around in Central, lost and afraid. Then suddenly something the man said hit him and he asked, “A little blond kid?”

 

The Major nodded. “Yeah. Some lady lives here with her two boys… ages… six and seven, I think she said…”

 

Roy frowned. A little blond seven year old that could do alchemy… “How old are you?” He asked sharply.

 

The younger man glared at him and said, “Twenty-one.”

 

Roy thought out loud for a moment. “Twenty-one… Seven… Twenty-nine… Fifteen…What's this kid's name?”

 

The young man shrugged. “Don't know, but the mother's name is Trisha Elric.”

 

Elric.

 

A sound came from beyond the door and Roy thought it sounded suspiciously like his teenaged subordinate.

 

If that little blond kid was who he thought, that might mean Fullmetal was here too…

 

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When the two men walked into the room, the four people at the table looked up at them. The brunette woman looked worried, the two little boys were curious and a bit frightened, and Fullmetal looked slightly amused.

 

For a moment none of them spoke then the woman, who Roy supposed was Trisha Elric stood quickly, and said, “Would you two like some stew?”

 

“Please don't trouble yourself.” The Major said, as the Colonel said, “Yes, that would be great.”

 

The two men looked at each other, and Roy saw a flash of irritation in the younger man's eyes. The Colonel shook his head. He remembered being so young and proud… and stupid. He knew the younger man would probably starve first before imposing on a woman and her children, but Roy was older and he didn't mind leaching off of people anymore. He frowned. Okay, not leaching but…

 

“We'll both have some stew, and thank you.” Roy said before he could let his thoughts continue down that path.

 

The Major opened his mouth to protest, but Roy pushed him toward the table and motioned him to sit down. “She wants to feed us.” He hissed into the younger man's ear as they took a seat. The Major looked unsure, but when the stew was served, he ate hungrily.

 

“Oh my… how long as it been since you've eaten, Major?” Mrs. Elric asked.

 

The younger man paused, and a faint blush crossed his cheeks. “Uh… I ate this morning, but it wasn't much. I was planning on buying something from one of the stands at the train station, but…”

 

She nodded and pushed the plate with the bread toward him. “Please eat as much as you'd like.” She said, and smiled at his grateful look.

 

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When he'd finished half of his meal, Major Mustang finally took the time to look around at those seated at the table. The two young boys were jabbering on about some hideout they had made and about someone named `Winry' not being allowed inside. He was relieved to see that the exchange for his older egotistical self hadn't resulted in the young boy being lost in the future. Although, it was interesting to see that an older version of the child had shown up as well.

 

The man beside him, his older double, was quietly eating his stew. Occasionally, he would look up at the two little boys with an amused smile, but usually his gaze fell on the blond teenager with the long red coat.

 

In turn, the blond teenager would look at each of them periodically, but his gaze most often stayed on the beautiful brunette woman who had been so hospitable. The Major supposed it would be natural, after all, if that teenager was the little blond boy's older self…

 

Speaking of older self...

 

Roy turned and glanced at the older man next to him. In one way he had been pleased to see that this other him had advanced in the ranks and was a Colonel. He had become a State Alchemist so that he could help the people, and he was sure that as an officer with a higher rank, he'd be able to do that.

 

Another part of him was slightly confused at how to act. This man, this other him, out ranked him. But… should he treat him as a superior officer, or… It wasn't as if the other man could get him in trouble. This Colonel wasn't even a Colonel right now…

 

He shook his head, took another bit of stew, then let his gaze fall on the teenager. He had heard someone say that the blond was fifteen, but he looked a bit younger due to his height. Roy had been instantly attracted to the teen and quickly did the math in his head. He was twenty one and the blond was fifteen. There was only a six year difference. That wasn't bad at all. Except that sixteen was the legal age…

 

The dark haired Major frowned. What was he thinking? Even if the teen would be interested in him, and that was a big if, what good would come of it? Somehow they'd have to find a way to send the doubles back… It just wouldn't work.

 

Roy glanced at the seven year old blond boy, and did the math. Twenty one minus seven was… He winced. Fourteen years! He glanced nervously at the brunette woman who was watching the group with a slight smile. If she had any idea what he was thinking…

 

His gaze went back to the teenager for a few minutes, then to his double. When his eyes stopped on the Colonel, he flinched. The older man was glaring at him intently. Roy opened his eyes wide as if to say, `What?'

 

The Colonel's gaze flitted to the blond teenager then back to Roy before the glare deepened. The Major swallowed. Did his double know what he had been thinking? It wasn't as if anyone knew that he was attracted to both sexes… well… the Colonel would because he was the same person…

 

Roy blushed deeply and stared at his stew feeling frustrated and confused. Jeez… the old fart acted as if he was trespassing on his property or something…

 

His eyes looked up at the little blond boy again, but once more he dropped his gaze as a kick under the table from the other man let him know that the Colonel knew exactly what was going on in his head.

 

The Major rolled his eyes and took another bite of the stew. It wasn't as if he was going to try anything on the kid… after all… the blonde boy was seven! He wasn't into little children like that!

 

A fourteen year difference… He thought.

 

No.

 

Hell no.

 

Even if he waited until the kid grew older, there was no way a relationship with that much of an age difference would work.

 

 

 

1) In the manga Roy was first part of the regular military then a State Alchemist. Since the series doesn't exactly elaborate on this fact, I am going to use the manga's perspective for this point.

 

 

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