Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Memories ❯ Of fragile hopes ( Chapter 4 )

az: ^=^ Suddenly I felt so much as loved.... Wished I had the courage to tell me friends about this fic.... though it might give her da spoilers.. she had cosplayed as Ed on two of our M'sian Comicfiesta and CosMas.. ;p

'Sensei!! Why don't you let me go too??! If it really was brother that they've found...', cried Alphonse as he bit his lips.

Izumi sighed as gazed over the kid, remembering the old armor that had the same manner of speaking towards her. She sighed. Now I understand why that time Al seemed a little too straight. Even if the brothers had been journeying around for four years... Al's soul that has been attached to the armor was always been an innocent 10-year-old child's soul... Despite what they've convinced themselves to believe...

'Sensei!!'

Izumi blinked as her thoughts returned to the child. Al was looking at her with determination in his eyes. So much the same... yet, if Ed had done the successful transmutation and brought the brother back... does that mean the something else in exchange have been taken?

If Ed's disappearance had anything to do with this... why was it that Ed had returned? Something doesn't seem right...

'Al... I'm not even sure that it's really Ed. It might be someone else... Winry said that she'd check. Al, even if it really was Edward... remember--'

'The equivalent trade.... huh? Sensei.... I don't care!! Just so... that I can... meet him, I'm okay with it. Please--', begged Al as Izumi's look had softened a little. 'Seemed I could never win against the two of you, huh? Okay then...', she said in the end.

--

Winry noticed Hawkeye's obvious anxiety as the nurse came towards them. 'Err, miss... do you know where I can find a man who's brought a child here this morning--?'

The nurse suddenly lights up at the mentioning of it. 'Oh... you mean that handsome military man with the military suit?', gasped the young nurse as Hawkeye tried to ignore the tone of girl's voice. 'I said.... where are they?!!', said Hawkeye again, gritting her teeth as she pulled out her handgun. Noticing the look she wore, the nurse immediately stuttered her reply. 'Room 510 and 503!! The man had collapsed right after coming here with the other person!! He... he's at the first room!! Sorry!!', cried the poor nurse as Winry tried to call her before she scurried away.

Winry sighed as she turned towards Riza, before noticing the pale look she had.

'He... collapsed--?', gasped Hawkeye as she suddenly ran into the corridors, towards the aforesaid room. 'Riza-sa--n?', sighed Winry as she scrambled alongside her...

--

--

'Roy!!', cried Riza as she stormed into the room only to find it empty save Roy's blue military jacket on the edge of the bed, the only evidence that Roy had once occupied the room. Riza blinked as she felt a hand beside her. She turned to find Winry sighing at her. 'Perhaps... he's in the other room?', quipped the girl as Riza nodded.

'Of course...', she sighed to herself.

'Riza-san... what happened? Did something made you worry... I mean, to make you so anxious about Roy-san?', asked Winry as Riza looked away.

Winry noticed the gesture as she quickly tried to apologize. 'Umm, Riza-san... gomen, I shouldn't have--'

'Did... Sheska told you anything about what had happened a year ago?', suddenly she heard Riza spoke. Shaking her head, Winry answered slowly. 'Not much. She wrote in the letter that the government was recovering... about the Ishbar people... and something about Roy-san being relieved from his duty for a while... What had happened to him?'

Riza smiled weakly at her as both started to walk towards the room no. 503.

'That time when Ed had gone after the homunculus secret hideout, we had gone to King Bradley's house to defeat him. I had been assigned to divert the escorts away from the house. The previous fuhrer told the escorts to take his family and I to the headquarters. But then... in the middle of the way, Archer crashed onto us and went straight to the Fuhrer's house...'

'Roy... had already weakened after finally defeating the previous fuehrer and he had been carrying the fuhrer's son. When I rushed back to stop Archer, I thought it would be fine... That I was still able to protect him...'

'But--?', asked Winry as Riza kept quiet. Both of them paused in front of the room as Riza slowly turned the door knob...

--

Inside, true enough... sat Roy Mustang on a chair, sleeping as he leaned beside the patient's bed. And lying quietly on the said bed, was the Fullmetal Alchemist, whom they have been long searching for...

Winry cast a longing look at the lad and started to walk towards him but Riza stopped her. She looked up as she noticed Riza's soft gaze towards the direction. Puzzled, she turned towards Mustang before noticing the black eye-patch.

She gave out a soft gasp. 'What... happened to his eyes?', cried the girl as Riza took off her military coat and wrapped it over the man. Roy stirred awake as he noticed Hawkeye and Winry in the room.

He yawned before muttering his apologies. 'Hi... Winry. Seems we didn't need to search for him anymore. Ed's already here... safe and sound.', said the brigadier general before turning towards Edward, and started brushing off some of the golden bangs that had covered the lad's face. It was only then that the girls noticed the heavy bandage over Ed's forehead.

'Roy--', said Hawkeye as the man spoke again. 'Wrath told me that he'd found Ed on the desert, injured. He didn't do it though... it fazed me that he took Ed here without any thoughts.' Roy gazed towards the unconscious Ed gently as he smiled to himself.

Winry noticed it as she remembered that Ed had used to wear that kind of look, especially when the cause of his concerns revolves around Al. The look of an elder brother, caring for the younger one...

'Roy-san... your eye... what happened to it? Tell me--', she asked again.

Rou paused in action as he turned his attention towards her. His remaining eye widened in surprise as he smiled weakly at Winry. 'Happened right after I've defeated King Bradley. I was carrying Selim and barely able to walk after taking the harsh beating. At the time... it felt more like a dream as I walked out of the mansion, barely acknowledged the danger in front. And then... a sharp pain exploded on the side of my head and I passed out. It was almost a miracle that I survived at all...', he explained as Riza had her eyes cast down.

Roy sensed that look as he glanced up towards the woman. 'I already told you, chuuii.. It's not anyone's fault. Don't you wear that look again whenever I mentioned that incident...'

Hawkeye snapped out of her reverie as she muttered her apology.

Winry grinned as she walked closer towards the soldier. 'Riza-san was only worried about you. She was very distraught just now when she saw your empty room after hearing what the nurses have said..'

'Oh--?', sighed Roy as he glanced back towards Hawkeye. 'Sorry... I forgot my own strength when I was worrying myself over Ed's condition. The old wound reopened just as we reached the infantry... Heck, I'm still alive, right? Don't worry too much...', he muttered apologetically as Hawkeye ruffled his hair.

'And it was just this morning that I reminded you to take care...', she sighed as she placed a hand over his shoulder. 'Aah... you're burdening me with more needless work, Mustang-junsho--'

Roy grinned as Winry sat on the edge of the bed. 'It sure is weird, huh? Just because he's back, everything seems alright again... As if nothing had happened--', she mused as she held Ed's limp hand tightly. The other two adults glanced at the sleeping lad, agreeing to what she'd said.

Roy leaned towards his side as he smirked. 'Of course. Ed's an important person... How could we afford to lose him...'

Riza smiled earnestly as she noticed the cheer finally returned into Roy's features after so long. 'Couldn't said it any better, sir. Edward... is like a piece of a puzzle inside our heart. Without him, we're incomplete in that sense...'

'That was sweet of you... Riza-san... Mustang-san...'

And Roy looked to his side as he noticed the tears of happiness dwelling in the young girl's eyes...

(TBC)