Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Memories ❯ Concerns.. and relief ( Chapter 8 )

[ A - All Readers ]

az: *sigh* no more reviews? Or you guys read so slow ...? Aa, well....

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Hagaren of either the anime or the manga. Well, I DO own a state alchemist pocket watch and Ed plushie and the anime dvds.... Though if I OWNED Hagaren... won't I really be able to transmute anything? Hmm... wonder if there's an automail set ready... Characters and original excerpts from the fic are copyrights of Arakawa Hiromu WARNING: If you don't like any normal pairings or the anime/manga, shouldn't you NOT be in here?

Memories.... Concerns... and relief Written by Azzie/Az .. Alienna Azuani .. Yami Azzie

'I'm going out for a while, okay? Don't trouble yourselves too much...', said Winry as she walked out of the room, leaving Ed alone with Roy. Roy started to get up but then sat back as his old wound started to hurt again. 'Rats!! Just when I wanted to act so cool...', he hissed as Ed looked at him strangely.

'Oii... taisa! What's wrong?', he asked as Roy looked at him almost absurdly. 'Hey!! I was already promoted to Brig. General!! I've told you so!! Why did you kept calling me taisa----', cried Roy again as Ed started laughing merrily. 'It just suited you!! I'm so used to call you taisa that it felt so natural---- Can't get it why you're so worked up about it...'

'Edo----!!', cried Roy as he started wrestling with the young lad. He sighed as he pulled away. Edward smirked. 'Hey! If you sighed so much... you'll be shorter than before--'

Without warning, Ed received a smack on the head. 'I'm not going to heed that, coming from you... shrimp!', snapped Roy back at him as Ed looked at him red-faced. 'Hey!! It hurts!! Don't bully the patient!', he cried as he looked away, rubbing his head. Roy glanced at him, puzzled. 'Eek? No more extended shrimp remarks?!', chipped Roy again as Ed kept mumbling things.

Roy smirked again. 'What--? I can't hear you----', he chirped, feeling very delighted as he could tease Ed again after so long. Ed gritted his teeth as smoke seemed to evaporate out of his ears. 'WHO-YOU'RE-CALING-A-SHRIMP-THAT-WAS-SO-SHORT-THAT-YOU-COULD-TEASE-ABOUT-HI S-MINUSCULE-HEIGHT-AND-TREAT-LIKE-A-KID-WHEREVER-HE-GO----!!!', shouted Ed finally as Roy burst out in tears after laughing so much...

Riza Hawkeye smiled as she walked away from the door. 'Now, will you feel alright, Hawkeye-san?', asked Winry as both sauntered towards the stairs.

'...yes. Seeing both of them laughing like that.. had eased my worries. Musta-- emm, Roy... hadn't been that cheerful ever since he found out about Ed's disappearance. That was one of the reason that his recovery was quite slow...'

Winry glanced at her before giving her a smile. 'Did he--? Aah, Hawkeye-san! Since everyone else was off to take some air, why don't we make a party for both of them? Ed... seemed a little sad just now, when he realized he could not remember Al and uncle Hohenheim...'

Riza smiled at the idea. 'Nice one, Winry! But, let's give the two some time to talk things together... okay? We'll get something for them to eat... and made plans for the party tonight...'

Winry grinned as she nodded her head. But suddenly, something came from the back of her memories as Hawkeye blinked. 'Nani... Hawkeye-san?', asked Winry as Riza shook her head. 'Un... nothing! I just remembered... today was--- Ohoho... what a lucky day this is... truly indeed!!', said Riza, chuckling as she continued walking.

Winry looked at her puzzled as she darted after her. 'Hawkeye-chuuisa.... nan desu ka---?!'

Ed groaned after half an hour of being ridiculed by the said brigadier general. 'Enough already... I'm tired of shouting anymore----', moaned the lad as the man chuckled again. 'Okay, I'm also tired of laughing at you...', he said as Ed frowned dangerously at him.

'So... can you finally tell me what happened to you after all this time? And about your eye and everything. Why did you got hurt so much like this?', asked Ed as Roy sighed.

'You probably can't remember all of it, but since you and your brother had journeyed all around Amestris, searching for the Philosopher stone... there were some secrets that you guys had stumbled into. Secrets that caused a lot of deaths and suffering... including those of our friends. You've found out about the people who were involved... the homunculi, those who had instigated everything...'

'And at that time... when you were off trying to save your brother, I had left to fight with one of the homunculus that had played the most dreadful role, as he was the one that controlled the military... and us, the State Alchemist...'

Ed's eyes widened as he looked at him. 'King Bradley was a homunculus..?', he gasped as Roy smirked at him. 'Yup.. you were the one that told me. And I fought him... and he was dead.'

'So the eye--?', said Ed as Roy shook his head. '--it wasn't him. But it was because of him that I am badly injured. He was so strong... and the fact that he was a homunculus made it harder. If his son hadn't brought his decadent's skull... I might have just died. Free of charge...'

Roy took a long breath as he looked away. 'When I was taking the child out of the burning house, that was when it happened. Though... I never blamed anyone for it. Not even that half-machine Archer who was so crazy over his military ideals! But she... she had always blamed herself for what happened to me...'

'Hawkeye-san--?'

Roy nodded. 'She said... that when she had rushed towards King Bradley's house, she hadn't heard any gunshots. Therefore... it was highly possible, that the bullet that had pierced the side of my head... had came from her, as she was shooting at Frank Archer. The bullet, she said... might have ricocheted from Archer's metal plating... and hit me.'

Ed looked at him dumbfounded as he could find no words to say anything. But then, Roy smiled weakly. 'Though truthfully Ed... my memories at that time were so blurry. Didn't even realize anything before getting my head popped up for no reason. But I'm still alive now. I'm gratefully just like that. And then... you were finally found, safe and sound. I couldn't be anymore happier than that.'

'Err... Thanks. I never knew I meant so much to you guys--', Ed started to say as Roy grabbed his shoulders suddenly. 'You idiot! Who else would be my little brother that I can bully at will, other than you? Besides... it'll be no fun without you around. I already lost Hughes... and I'm unwilling to lose you either...'

Ed sweatdropped at the remarks before looking away in sorrow. 'Taisa... Can I ask you something? Will... will they hate this new me? I had no memories of them... yet, that kid... he was looking at me with this kind of disappointment. And the old man... he seemed so sad...'

Roy glanced at him, knowing who was it that he meant. 'You mean... your father and Al. Don't worry Ed... they'll understand...'

Ed clutched the bedsheets tightly as he let out his frustrations. 'But I felt like... I'm the cause... of their grievance!'

'You're not...', said Roy again as he lightly embraced the young lad that he had long considered a brother to him. '--don't trouble yourself like this. They loved you... that's all that matters...'

Ed smiled as he realized the truth in those sentences...

Winry and Riza burst into the room to find that both Roy and Ed were busily reading some magazines. 'Hi... we're back!!', cried both of them as Winry put aside some of the groceries they bought. 'We've got you guys something to eat!!', chirped Winry as the two guys looked at her in puzzlement.

'You two still needing to be looked after. So... we bought some nutritious food when we met up wit the others--', said Riza as Ed suddenly straightened up and hid behind Mustang. He started to shiver. 'That familiar sentence... could it be--', said Ed as Roy looked at him, puzzled.

And as if knowing what is it that they were thinking, Armstrong popped in as the two started to scream. Winry and Riza sweatdropped as Armstrong started to cry. 'Edward Elric... you are safe! I was so very happy----', said the lieutenant colonel as now, both Ed and Roy had clung to each other like mad and Roy looking too much than just alarmed. 'Aaa..... Armstrong!! D-don't...', he stuttered as Roy closed his eyes and braced for the attack. But it never occurred to him to receive a gentle pat on the head as he cautiously opened his eye and looked up at him.

Ed did the same as he too received similar pat on the head. Armstrong smiled. 'Mustang-junsho... I am also glad that you were in good health--'

'Huh?!', gasped Roy as the rest of his men marched into the room. Havoc gave salute towards them as the others did the same. 'We immediately rushed over after Lieutenant Hawkeye called us up yesterday. She had been telling us that you finally had recovered yourself and Ed was found, certainly we wanted to come see...'

'So much had happened these past years... that all of us felt concerned over your welfare, Brigadier General--', said Maria Ross as she bowed towards him. She walked towards them and held out her hand towards Edward. 'Glad that you finally come back... Ed-kun.', she said, smiling as Ed shook her hands. She bent forwards and embraced the lad as she said again. 'I was so anxious when you had went... missing.'

'Gomen...' muttered the lad as Maria edged away. Breda also smiled at them as Fuery helped out with the girls to take out the foodstuffs. 'You guys had been making the rest of us worry too much!', he said as Ed and Roy muttered their apologies. 'Haii... I never knew you guys cared about me. For Ed... it was to be expected, but me?', said Roy as he raised an eyebrow. Havoc shrugged. 'Brigadier General has been taking care of us far too well... it's almost natural for us to repay the kindness..', he said as Riza shoved them their late breakfast.

'You guys must have been hungry, right?', said Winry as both of them shrugged. 'Naa... not that much--', said Ed as he picked up a turkey sandwich and took a bite off it. Roy also sighed at it while eating his own sandwich as he caught sight of two medium-sized milk cartons before him. He smirked.

'Edo... lookie here...', he said, pointing at them. Edward paused from eating as he saw what it is. His face turned from pale to that of horror as Roy's smirk grew wider. 'Heeheehee....'

Ed gave a look that says Don't make me drink that horrid thing at Roy as the man started chirping, 'Do you want to drink it or have us forcing you to do it? Or much better... do you want to drink it from the bottle--?'

Steam flew out of his head as Ed glared at the smirking brigadier general, red-faced. Winry and Riza chuckled at this scene as the others tried to restrain themselves from laughing out aloud.

Winry held out a hand as she called to Ed. 'Edo.... here's a straw!!', she said as Ed looked at her almost pleadingly.

'Winry----'

Hohenheim, Izumi, Sig and Al were all dumbfounded to find so many people inside Ed's room as they were also startled to find Ed, quietly sipping with a straw from what obviously looked like a carton of chocolate milk. 'Nii-san!! You've drank your milk!!', cried Alphonse in glee as Hohenheim sat beside him, smiling. 'I thought you really hated milk. You've punched me before for mentioning it... and as far as I could remember, you always made a horrid face whenever Trisha asked you to drink your milk...', he said as Ed turned his face at him in mock anger.

But as soon as he saw Hohenheim, his expression faded as he looked away... his anger faded into embarrassment as he felt his face flushing harder. 'Did I...?', he muttered as he thought about what he said. 'Uh... yeah. And it doesn't taste so bad... either...', said Ed, as he kept focusing on his feet.

Hohenheim patted his back. 'Edward... it's okay. If you still felt awkward to call me father, you could call me whatever you want--'

'N-no... I-I...', Ed stuttered as Al lunged forward and hugged him. 'Nii-san. I'm glad to finally see you after so long. It's enough for me... just like that--', said Al as Ed looked at him with awkward feelings. 'Alphonse-sa... err, Al--', gasped Ed as suddenly, tears started flowing from his eyes. Ed wiped away the tears with his hand. 'Eeh?!', he gasped again as he stared at his hand, looking towards the droplets of his own tears.

'What--?! Never seen your own tears?', Roy chided as Ed immediately tossed away the empty milk carton. 'WHO-YOU-CALLING-A-KID-THE-SHRIMP-WHO-CAN'T-STOP-CRYING-THAT-HE-WAS-BIG-CRY BABY-AND-NEEDED-HIS-MAMA-TO-CALM-HIM-DOWN-WITH-A-PAT-ON-THE-HEAD------??!!' , he shouted as he jumped on Mustang. Everyone else just stared at the two of them as they found no words to express their surprise.

'Ouch!! My head--'

'Haha... serve you right.... Get off me, now!!'

'You.... stupid TAISA!! Eat this!!!'

'For the last time.... I'm not a colonel anymore!!! JUNSHO!!! NOT.... TAISAAAAA---!'

'Hyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! (I don't caaaaaaaaaaaaaare!!!)'

And the rest of the people sweatdropped as they continued watching the two...

(TBC)

az: hihi... and I will be going out with some online friends to make the military suit!! hehehehe...