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Descent	By : ZaKai Category: Fullmetal Alchemist > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 14665 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Alchemist, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
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Review Replies:

stupefiedNarutard: aww *hands you a tissue*�
heh, you�ll find out about Al�s body soon
enough.� But see, I�ve updated!� ^_~� Nomme de
Plume: �Thanks for saying they were
nice touches.� ^_^� I kinda
liked them as well.� MustangsHavoc: *grins* I�m really glad you think the
people�s army and the homunculi add a lot to the story. ^_^� Kuragari: That,
my dear, is a very good question.� I
suppose we�ll just have to wait and see.

-

Descent

Chapter Thirty-Six

Deliberation

-

Jean
Havoc walked slowly toward Central Headquarters.� It was still early, but he hadn�t slept well
last night, or the night before, or the night before that... How could he sleep
well when everything had gone so wrong?�

He
stopped at an intersection, waiting for the traffic light to change so he could
cross.� Closing his eyes, he took a deep
drag on his cigarette and frowned as the memories from that night filled his
mind.� Memories of
running, lots of running.� Memories
of Riza shouting at him in an almost uncontrolled panic as she raced toward the
colonel�s office...

He opened
his eyes and started walking across the street and across the well taken care
of grounds of headquarters.

It wasn�t supposed to happen that
way, he thought
to himself as he sat down under the nearest tree.� He flicked his current cigarette, now smoked
down to the filter, away before fishing another one out.

Lighting
it, Jean leaned against the tree and closed his tired eyes again.� The sound of the office door crashing open
and that one moment of horrified silence as he took in the broken window, the
blood, and Riza�s horrified expression before she rushed into the room.

He�d been
too stunned to move and he�d watched with a heavy pain in his chest as Hawkeye
knelt down next to the colonel.� It had
been Colonel Mustang�s voice that had prompted him to move.� Jean hadn�t been able to understand just why
Mustang would ask for Ed of all people.�

He�d
walked to the desk and stood there.� He
hadn�t been able to tear his gaze away.�
She�d denied being Ed and turned to Jean telling him to call the doctor,
which he did, though now he couldn�t remember what he�d said or what they had
said back.� He hadn�t been able to
concentrate on that because Mustang had kept calling for Ed, kept thinking that
Hawkeye was Ed.

And Riza
had cried.� Jean had never actually seen
her cry.� He�d seen evidence that she
had, but Riza Hawkeye was a strong woman who didn�t like to show that kind of
weakness in front of others.� But she had
cried and begged the colonel to hold on; tried to tell him that she wasn�t Ed.

It was
then, that Mustang had said it.� He�d
said it and Jean had felt his body stiffen and his blood run cold.� He�d been too shocked to even know what to
think, but he�d needed to force it away.�
He had to because it was after that the colonel had passed out.� The medics rushed in after that and then...

And then,
he was gone.

He had
been taken away, and Riza had cried more.�
At first, Jean felt a little unsure what to do, but the only thing he
could think of was to hold her and comfort her.

So he had.

Jean
opened his eyes and sighed.� He could
still feel her body pressed next to his.�
He could still feel her uniform and hair the way he could that night
when he�d held her and comforted her.� He
could still smell her.

He wanted
to hold her again...

He looked
up at the branches of the tree as if he would find her there.� He�d always thought Riza Hawkeye a beautiful
woman, and he�d always had respect for her, but seeing her like that...� She�d been so real, so human...�

Jean took
a puff on his cigarette.� It had been as
if he could protect her.� In that moment,
he�d seen her for the woman that she was.�
Yes, she was strong, but that didn�t mean that she couldn�t be weak
sometimes.� It didn�t mean that she
couldn�t let someone take care of her.

And Jean
liked that.� He liked it a lot.� He wouldn�t want to be with a woman who
wouldn�t let him protect her sometimes, and he supposed that�s why he�d never
really looked at Hawkeye as a �woman� before.�
She had always seemed like the type who could never let herself rely on someone emotionally, but now he wondered if
he was wrong.�

He was
wrong, he was sure of it.

He felt a
wave of depression as he flicked his cigarette away and lit up a new one.� Of course, Riza Hawkeye would never feel for him
what he felt for her, of that he was sure.�
And they were co-workers, which would probably not go over well, and she
was a rank above him...� She was much too
professional to consider a relationship with a coworker.

Jean
frowned when the colonel�s words came back to him in full force.� Could it just be that the man had been
delusional?� Well, of course he had been;
he�d mistaken Riza for Ed, but... the other...

Could the
colonel have been having an affair with Edward
Elric?!� Sure, it was possible.� They�d lived together.� How could he have not seen this before?� Was all the ranting and poking fun at each
other just some sort of messed up foreplay?�
But then... they�d seemed to get along rather well since Ed had come
back from Rizembool a few months ago.� It
must have been then that...whatever...they had together must have started.

Jean
pressed his lips together around the cigarette in anger.� If this were all true, and he couldn�t see
why it wasn�t, then Ed being gone must have been the reason why the colonel had
been working so much.� Maybe if Mustang
hadn�t been working himself into the ground these past few weeks things would
have been different.� Or perhaps, if the
colonel and Ed had never started...

Jean
shook his head.� Well, there was no
knowing now, but he was pretty sure that things would have been different.� Somehow, this was Ed�s fault.� There was no way Mustang would have been so
sloppy otherwise.

Movement
from the corner of his eye caught his attention and he looked over to see Riza
walking toward headquarters.� He felt
surprise and concern flash through him, mixed with a little suspicion.� She hadn�t shown any surprise at what the
colonel had been saying.� Maybe it was
that it hadn�t sunk in, given the circumstances, but he didn�t think so.�

His eyes
moved with her as she walked down the sidewalk toward him.� She�d seen him, but she�d looked away
slightly, as if a little embarrassed.�
When she was close enough, Jean said, �You never answered any of my
phone calls.�

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

Ed rubbed
his eyes before looking at himself in the mirror.� He was tired.�
He�d hardly had any sleep at all, but he knew he couldn�t afford to miss
today and just sleep.� He had to be at
that meeting, and he had to do...

Sighing,
Ed picked up his brush and dragged the bristles through his hair.� He�d thought a lot this morning after helping
the landlady.� He�d thought about the
dream.� He�d thought about Kain Fuery and
the chess games they�d played.� He
thought about Breda and Hawkeye, and he�d
thought about what was going on in the military with Roy gone.

He�d come
to a conclusion too.

Ed wasn�t
willing to let people use him for their own gain, but he wasn�t about to let
things go to hell while Roy
was gone either.� So he�d come up with a
plan.� Hopefully it would work.� He wasn�t sure it would.� Truthfully, he was worried it wouldn�t, but
he was going to do it anyway.

Ed put
the brush down and stared at himself.� He
couldn�t help remembering the nurse�s comments.�
Was he really an attractive person, or was she just playing with
him?� He reached up and fingered the
long, blond hair that hung loose and flowed past his shoulders.�� He usually put it in a braid because that�s
what was the most convenient, but...�

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

�I needed
to think,� Riza answered softly.

�I was
worried about you,� Jean said just as softly.�
He had the urge to get up and wrap his arms around her, but he
resisted.� The time for physical
condolences had long since past.

�I...�� She swallowed hard and nodded.� �I know and I appreciate that, it�s just
that...�� She pressed her lips together
for a moment and shook her head.� �I just
needed time.�

Jean
frowned slightly.� �It�s only been a few
days.� Maybe you should take more time
off,� he suggested.�

To this,
Hawkeye shook her head.� �We have the weekly
meeting later this morning.�

Jean
scowled.� �You came for the meeting?�� He shook his head.� �With the colonel... not here... I don�t
think the meeting will last long.� I
could give you the rundown over the phone if you...�� He trailed off when she started shaking her
head.

�We�re
all supposed to be at the meeting, if we�re able.� I�m able, so I�ll be there.� Besides,� she said, her voice losing
volume.� �I have a job to do...� We all...��
Her voice caught and he could see her eyes glisten with unshed
tears.� �...have jobs to do.�

�Lieutenant...�
Jean began, but she simply waved a hand at him.

�I think
that more will happen today than you believe,� she said, her voice stronger
than it had been a moment before.

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

Ed
reached back and held his hair up in a ponytail.� He�d put it up in a ponytail when he was in a
hurry or just wanted to get it out of his face for the moment, but it was
generally something quick and nothing especially nice.� He turned his head this way and that before
grabbing the brush and neatly brushing it back, then tying it carefully in
place.� Ed checked himself again with a
critical eye.�

Roy liked his hair.� Would he like this style?� Ed tilted his head as he studied himself,
thinking that it kind of made him look a little older; maybe a bit more mature.

Sighing,
Ed left the bathroom and quickly headed to the bedroom where he retrieved his pocket
watch, then stuffed it in that little pocket sewn into the uniform specifically
for the damn thing.� He stuffed his
almost empty pack of smokes�most of which had been smoked that morning�into
another pocket, along with a small book of matches.�

With one
last look around, he headed for the front door.�
Letting himself out, Ed started walking, then stopped and pulled a
cigarette out.� He was so nervous.� What if it was the wrong move?

He kept
asking himself, �What would Roy
do in this situation?�� It helped... a
little.� He was pretty sure that Roy wouldn�t do what he
was about to.� Most likely, Roy would have a nice
formulated plan and slowly go about it without anyone noticing.

That
wasn�t Ed, so he�d just have to do the best he knew how.

Someday,
maybe he�d be like Roy
in some ways�mature, commanding, and respected�but today, for now, he�d simply
have to pretend the best he could.� He
had to be all that Roy
was, even though he couldn�t take his place.

Ed tucked
the matches away and glanced at his reflection in the window.� Today, he was going to have to try to be like
Roy, and maybe
tomorrow and the day after...� He was
going to have to try making most of the moves Roy would.�
Of course, there would be some things that he couldn�t do, but he�d do
what he could.

Ed took a
drag and started walking towards Central Headquarters.� Today, he was going to stop being the pawn,
and try being the queen.

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

Jean�s
eyes narrowed a little.� �What do you
mean?� he asked.� Riza shrugged a little,
but said nothing, making Jean�s mouth pull down into a deep frown around his
cigarette.� She knew something.

That
really didn�t surprise him. �Riza always
seemed to know something, always seemed to be �in the know�.� This brought his mind back to that night with
the colonel and he studied her face.�

If Roy
Mustang and Ed Elric really were having an affair, did she know?� If he asked, would she tell him?� It was a dangerous thing, and dangerous
things were generally better kept to a small group, or even not at all.

Of
course, there was always the big question of: Did he really want to know?

Jean took
a drag on his cigarette and scrubbed a hand along his chin, trying to decide if
he should attempt rocking the boat on this.�
Sticking one�s nose in where it hadn�t been invited could cause more
problems than it solved.� But then, as
they say, curiosity killed the cat, and while Jean wasn�t a cat, he sure was
damn curious.

�Lieutenant,�
Jean finally said cautiously.� He
hesitated asking her about that night.�
In his opinion, she looked as though she was barely holding herself
together as it was.� He knew she blamed
herself for what happened and that made it even worse.

�Yes?�
Hawkeye said after he�d been silent too long.

�About...
that night...� I...�� He paused, then, �I need to ask you a
question.�� Another
pause.� �About the colonel and...�

�You
came,� a voice said, cutting him off.�
Jean looked over and saw Ed walking toward him.� Frowning, Jean studied Ed.� The teen was wearing his military uniform and
had his hair pulled back in a high ponytail.�
A cigarette was nestled between two of his fingers and he brought it up
to take a drag before speaking again.

�I was
worried that...� Ed started, then trailed off and shook his head.� �Never mind,� he said instead as he stopped
beside Hawkeye.� Ed studied them both for
a moment with an unreadable expression before saying, �I�d like the two of you
to come with me.� I think...�� He trailed off again as if he was half
talking to them, half talking to himself.

Hawkeye
nodded, but Jean shook his head, �No thanks.�
I�ll stay here.�� He had no desire
to go anywhere with Ed.� Right now, what
he wanted to do was clobber the kid and demand answers.� Anger bubbled hot beneath his calm fa�ade and
he was barely holding himself back from demanding why he had interfered with
the colonel at all.

Ed
frowned and glared at him for a moment before his face smoothed out.� �That�s not a request, lieutenant.� It�s an order.�

Jean
raised an eyebrow.� Ed was ordering him
around?� Well, the kid was a superior officer, but Ed had never
bothered to order anyone around before.�
This only served to deepen Jean�s resentment.�

Flicking
his cigarette away, Jean stood and brushed off his uniform.� An order was an order, and for now he didn�t
see any harm in following the kid around to wherever he was going.� Or at least, he didn�t see the point in
causing problems for himself when it was just one little thing.�

With a
scowl, Jean motioned forward with his hand and said,
sarcasm heavy in his voice, �Lead us then, Major Elric.� In your wisdom we trust.�

To this,
he saw blood rush to Ed�s smooth face, though whether in embarrassment or
anger, Jean couldn�t tell.� Instead of
the outburst Jean had expected, Ed turned stiffly and started toward the main
entrance of the building without a word.

Jean
glanced at Hawkeye, who was giving him a disapproving look.� She glanced at Ed, then back to him before giving
a small shake of her head as if to say, �Don�t do that� or even �That was a
little childish, don�t you think?�

Jean gave
her a wry look in return before following Ed.�
Riza might think that following the brat�s orders were okay because he
was higher in rank, but he didn�t.� Of
course, he wasn�t about to tell her that until he knew where she stood.� He didn�t want to look like a fool in her
eyes, and he didn�t want to cause problems for himself.� He�d wait to see how things played out before
deciding where he�d cast his lot.� �

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

Fletcher
sighed as he sunk into the kitchen chair.�
His body was sore, but he felt really great.� Who knew that this physical training could be
so addictive?� Sure it hurt sometimes and
he was sore a lot, but it felt good to get out there and just focus on the
moves and forms.�

A plate
was set in front of him before his teacher sat down in one of the chairs.� Her husband sat in one of the others and they
started on their breakfast.� Fletcher
eagerly picked his fork up and was about to take a bite when the phone
rang.�

They all
looked at each other for a moment before Fletcher got up, walked to the phone
and said politely, �Curtis residence.� Fletcher speaking.�

�Fletcher?�
came the voice on the other line.

�Yeah.�

�This is
Alphonse.�

�Oh! Al!�
Fletcher exclaimed and a smile spread on his face.� �I heard about you getting your body back!�

�Yeah!�
Al said a little more cheerfully than he�d sounded a moment before.� �It�s nice to be �real� again.�

�Yeah...�
Fletcher said, then asked, �Did Russel get there
okay?�

�He
did.� He�s fine,� Al answered.

�Can I
talk to him?� he asked eagerly.

�Well...
I actually don�t know where he is right now... I think he went into town, but
I�m not sure...� Al said, sounding a little confused.� �I�ll tell him to give you a call when I see
him. �That okay?�

�Yeah...�
Fletcher said, his shoulders sagging in disappointment.� �Um... Ed was here a few days ago...�

�What?!�
Al exclaimed.� �How long was he
there?� Was he okay?�

�He was
just here for a couple of days,� Fletcher said.�
�And he looked okay, I guess... but he said he needed to go back to
Central.�

�Central...�
Al said, frustration saturating his words.�
�Figures...��

Fletcher
heard Al sigh and felt a little bad for him, so he said, �But, he said he might
be going to Rizembool some time soon...�

�He did?�
Al said, and Fletcher wasn�t sure if the other alchemist sounded happy about
that or not.

�Well,
yeah, but he didn�t say for sure...�

�I see,�
Al said, and for a moment there was silence before, �Is teacher there?�

�Yeah,
just a second,� Fletcher said, then held the phone out
to Izumi.� �It�s Al.�

Izumi
stood and took the phone from him and Fletcher heard, �Hello, Alphonse,� as he
sat back down in his chair.� He took a
bite of his food and heard, �Oh, he did, did he?�� A pause.� �That�s right, I had
my reasons for taking him on as a student.�

Fletcher
glanced up as he realized they were talking about him, and probably Russell
too.� Izumi was looking over at him and
he ducked his head and took another bite of his food.

�Yes, he
was,� Izumi said after a moment, and Fletcher felt the need to glance back at
her.� �It�s not my responsibility to
report Edward�s dealings to you, Alphonse.�
If he didn�t call you himself then that�s his business.�� A pause.� �Am I your nanny now?� If you want to talk to him, then take the initiative
to do so.�

Fletcher
shivered and took another bite of his food.�
His teacher sure was scary sometimes...

�What do
you want, Alphonse?� Why did you call?�
she said, not sounding very happy

There was
a longer pause, then, �Really?� Well,
congratulations, Alphonse!�� Congratulations?� Fletcher glanced back and saw that Izumi was
smiling now.� �I approve of your
choice.�� Another
pause.� �And when will the wedding
be?��

Fletcher
blinked.� Wedding?� Al getting married?� He looked at Sig
who returned his glance.� The big man
didn�t seem very surprised, but then Fletcher had found that Sig was just that way...

�I
see.� Well, you should decide on a date,�
Izumi was saying and Fletcher glanced back at her.� �We�ll try, but...�� Izumi pressed her lips together.� �We�re having some...issues...with the
military here right now.� They�re making
it a little difficult to travel out of the area.�

Fletcher
nodded.� He remembered the meeting with
the military.� It had been frightening
how that military man, Colonel Olsen, had laid out the rules and punishments
like killing someone for a small offense was nothing.� He�d assured them that if they cooperated
everything would be fine, but Fletcher hadn�t felt that everything would be
fine.

It was
then that they�d brought out a man who belonged to the People�s Army, and had
publicly executed him right there.�
Fletcher had cried because he couldn�t help but think that if Russell
was there, he�d be in so much danger...�
He couldn�t bear to think of his brother in danger.

�I see,�
Izumi said, interrupting Fletcher�s thoughts.�
�So the military is in Rizembool as well.�� To this Fletcher stood quickly.� He gripped the table and bit his lip in
worry.� If the military was in Rizembool,
then Russell was in danger!

�Sit down
and eat your breakfast!� Izumi barked at him.�

�But...�
Fletcher whined.� Instead of speaking,
Izumi�s eyes narrowed, making Fletcher shrink back down into his chair.� His heart was beating wildly and his appetite
was completely gone.

�I expect
you�ll be careful,� Izumi said into the phone, ignoring Fletcher�s pleading
look.� �It would be better if you didn�t
associate yourself with the rebellion or anyone from it, yes.�

Fletcher
whimpered.� She wasn�t telling Al to kick
Russell out, was she?

There was
another long pause, then, �I agree with Winry, but that is between you and her.�� More silence, then she said, �It was good
talking to you as well,� before hanging up the phone.� She stared at the phone silently with a
serious look on her face before glancing over at Fletcher.

�Eat!�
she commanded and walked back to her chair.

Fletcher
contemplated asking her some questions, but decided to wait until later.� With a heavy heart and fear welled up within
him, Fletcher took a bite of his food, and tried not to worry about Russell too
much.

--

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Descent