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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
- 36
- 37
- 38
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The
Moo-Moo: I miss Mustang too.� :(� stupefiedNarutard:�
*nods* Havoc is acting a bit immature, but I think he�s hurting just as
much as everyone else is right now, well, probably not as much as Ed, but you
know what I mean.� Nomme de Plume:� *nods* Good
question about Mustang.� Hopefully there
will be news about him soon.� Sasurto: �Wow!�
That�s a lot of reading!� Sorry
the update wasn�t sooner.� yummietummy: Thanks ^_^� MustangsHavoc: yeah�
it was short, I�m sorry.� Actually, it
was the middle of what was supposed to be chapter 35... Chapters 35, 36, and 37
were originally all supposed to be one chapter, but it was just too
long...� This one is longer though ^_^� kuragari: �*nods* yes.�
It is true.� I am evil. Haha �empress-eerian-sadow: Thank you. <3� *nods* yes, I did
leave you hanging, for which I do apologize.�
*chuckles* I will try to get the next chapter out sometime soon, though
being in my last year of college drastically decreases the amount of time I
have to write.� *cries*� Anyway, I have your email address and
you should have gotten an update email for this chapter.

-

Descent

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Responsibility

-

Riza hurried after Ed, wondering exactly what he
was up to.� It was still too early for
the meeting, yet the kid was walking down the hall with such determination that
people were scrambling to get out of his way.

Out of the corner of her eye, Riza saw Havoc catch
up with her.� She turned her head to
glance at him and he gave her a questioning look.� She shrugged to let him know that she was in
the dark on this as well.� He scowled and
she simply shook her head.� Ed was their
commanding officer, and he�d ordered them to follow him; Lieutenant Havoc may
not like it, but that�s the way it was.�

She sighed slightly and hurried her pace to keep up
with Ed.� Havoc had called her several
times since... since that night... but she hadn�t been able to get herself to
answer his calls or to return them.� What
happened had torn her up.� She should
have stayed... should have convinced him to go home... should have refused to
go along with his dangerous plans... should have...

Riza swallowed hard.� She felt so responsible.� If only...�

Ed turned the corner quickly and there was a loud
yell of surprise before he and someone else went down in a heap.

�I�m so sorry!� a female voice exclaimed.

Ed groaned, then looked up and said in surprise,
�Sheska...?� before getting on his knees and helping her collect the books
she�d dropped.�

�I�m really sorry,� she repeated, to which he told
her that there was no need.� After a
couple minutes of each insisting it was their own fault, Riza stepped forward
and held a hand out to help the girl up.

�Oh, thank you so much,� the mousy girl said,
taking her hand.� Riza pulled her up, but
when she was about to take her hand away, Sheska held on a little more tightly
and said softly, �I heard what happened...�
I... I�m really sorry...�

Riza blinked her eyes at the sudden tears the
condolences caused and thanked the girl, then her eyes
flitted quickly to Ed.� The boy was
standing there, watching the exchange, with a heart wrenching look of
grief.�

It hurt her to see that look.� Many knew that she and the colonel had been
good friends for a long time, but no one knew of the relationship Ed and Roy
had with each other.� No one would know
either.� If they did, it could be
disaster.� She was pretty sure Ed
understood this on an intellectual level, yet on an emotional level...�

Riza was sure it hurt him to know that no such
condolences would come his way.� There
really was nowhere Ed could go to share his grief.� Even what had happened last night between Ed
and her had been very mild; but then, they were the type to keep their pain to
themselves except with one or two very close people.� For Ed, those people were most likely his
brother and the colonel.� For her...

She squeezed Sheska�s
hand before letting go when Ed turned around and started walking.� Again she and Havoc moved quickly to keep up
with him.� Riza glanced quickly at Havoc,
then away.

It had been a long time since she�d let anyone hold
her the way Havoc had held her that night...� All of her close supports had long since
died, and with her devotion to her job, Roy Mustang was the closest friend
she�d had over the last few years; and even then, they really weren�t that
close...

Riza felt a small blush come to her cheeks and
tried to force it away.� The way Havoc
had held her... he�d been so tender, so caring.�
It was embarrassing, but she felt grateful he�d been there.� She�d been such a wreck that night.

She glanced quickly at him again as they turned a
corner.� It actually felt a little
uncomfortable having to see him again.�
She had a feeling he was wanting a little more from her than just a
co-worker relationship�or at least, that he�d like to take her out�and she
wasn�t sure how she felt about that.

He was good-looking, but they worked together.� That was never a good thing.� She glanced at Ed and shook her head
slightly.� No, Havoc was a good man, but
it wasn�t going to happen.� She didn�t
want to risk her career like the colonel had.�
Besides, she wasn�t into kissing a mouth that tasted like an ashtray.

Suddenly, Riza blinked when she realized where they
were headed and she began to feel a little wary.�

�Ed?� she asked, but got no response from him.

She wanted to try engaging him in conversation
again, but they�d already arrived at their destination.� Instead of stopping to open the door
respectfully as any normal, and sane,
person would, Ed slammed open the door and marched through the doorway.

�Are you really sure you want to follow him in
there...?� Havoc asked, sounding extremely nervous.

Riza took a deep breath and let it out slowly.� No, she really didn�t want to follow Ed in
there.� He was a time bomb waiting to go
off right now and he had no idea what he was doing.� Giving Havoc a look of both sympathy and
frustration, Riza turned and followed Ed through the door.

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

Ed barged into the large room and stalked over to
the woman seated at the desk.� She was
turned a little away from him and the phone was pressed to her ear.� As he got closer, the woman hung the phone up
and turned to look at him.

�Can I help you?� she asked in a slightly cool
tone.

He stopped and stared at her for a moment.� Ed had only seen the fuhrer�s
secretary a couple of times, but it never ceased to make him stop and stare at
her when he did.� She looked so damn much
like his mother that it caused his chest to constrict and his heart to hurt.

�I�m here to see the fuhrer,� Ed said with a
confidence he didn�t feel.

�I don�t believe you have an appointment,� she said
looking down at a ledger.

He flinched.�
An appointment...� He hadn�t
thought of that...� He quickly thought on
what he should do.� Should he try to make
an appointment or should he insist on seeing the man right now?� The seconds ticked on, yet the woman�s
expression never changed, she simply waited for the only answer he could give.

�You�re right, I don�t have an appointment,� Ed finally
said, and turned on his heel to head toward the large double doors that led to
the fuhrer�s office.�
�I�ll only be a moment.�� Sweat
trickled down the back of his neck as he walked quickly across the large
antechamber.� This couldn�t wait for some
appointment that could be weeks in the future.�
He needed to talk to the man right now.

�You can�t go in there,� Ed heard the woman say
behind him and again he was reminded of his mother, though this time it was an
unpleasant memory of when he�d been scolded as a child.� Reaching out his hand for the door handle, Ed
stopped when it moved and the door opened.�
Military blue filled his view and Ed swallowed hard before looking up at
Fuhrer Bradley.�

For a moment, the older man seemed displeased, then
his expression changed and he said lightly, �Fullmetal, this is definitely a
surprise.�

In that moment, Ed nearly lost his nerve.� He was so tense and he suddenly had the worst
craving for a cigarette that he�d ever had in his life.� Yet, he was here.� He was talking to the fuhrer; to leave now
would probably mean he�d never get another chance.

�I�m here to speak with you on urgent business,� Ed
said more calmly than he felt.

The older man raised an eyebrow.� �Is that so?�
I have a few minutes, why don�t you come inside,� the man invited before
turning and moving back into his office.�
Looking back at Hawkeye and Havoc, Ed beckoned to them before following
the man.

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

Riza let her breath out slowly, then
followed Ed into the fuhrer�s office.� She couldn�t believe what Ed had just done!�
You just don�t barge in and demand
to see the fuhrer, let alone walk into his office unannounced.� She glanced nervously at Havoc, who seemed to
be thinking the exact same thing, then let her gaze fall on the back of Ed�s
head.

�What brings you here, young man?� the fuhrer asked
mildly as he situated himself behind his large desk.

Ed walked confidently to the man and said, �I would
like to take over Mustang�s duties while he�s away.�

Riza nearly gasped, but she refrained with an
effort.� Did Ed have no idea what he was doing at all?�
She glanced at the fuhrer, who was studying Ed thoughtfully.

�As I recall,� Fuhrer Bradley said.� �Roy Mustang is a colonel; and you,
Fullmetal, are only a major.�

�Yes, that�s correct,� Ed said.

�Colonel Mustang�s job requires at least a
lieutenant colonel.� You�re not qualified
to fill his position,� the man said dismissively.� �Your request is denied, major.�

�Right now, I rank the highest among the colonel�s
staff,� Ed pressed, and Riza thought she could have strangled him.� It had been obvious enough by the fuhrer�s tone that their meeting was over.� Couldn�t Ed see that he was lucky enough to
have been invited into his office at all?�
Didn�t Ed realize what problems he could cause if he said or did the
wrong thing here?�

The fuhrer raised an eyebrow and the corner of his
lips pulled down into a frown.� Riza
could see from those small gestures that the fuhrer wasn�t pleased with how Ed
was pushing this, but Ed continued, seemingly oblivious to both the fuhrer�s demeanor and also the danger he was putting
himself in.� �Someone needs to do
Mustang�s job.� Right now I have some
small amount of authority to do a few things while the colonel isn�t here, but
there are many things that I don�t have the authority to do.�

�As I recall, General Hakuro
is looking into filling Colonel Mustang�s position as we speak,� Fuhrer Bradley
said.

�Yes, sir, I understand, but where is he going to
find someone to do the job?� With the war
in the east, there are already many positions here in Central that are vacant.� I�m here,
and I can do the job.� I don�t want to
take Mustang�s place; I simply want to be sure that everything gets done in his
absence.�

�Do you really believe that Colonel Mustang is
alive?� the fuhrer said flatly.

From Riza�s point of view she could see Ed�s eye�s
darken slightly with pain before he said, �Yes.�
I do.�

Fuhrer Bradley eyed Ed up and down before saying,
�You seem to be very loyal to Colonel Mustang.�

Riza�s eye twitched slightly and she desperately
wanted to slap her hand over Ed�s mouth and drag him bodily from the room
before he made a huge mistake, but to do so would have been extremely
suspicious.� All she could do was watch
in dismay as Ed answered the question.

�That�s right,� Ed said calmly.�

The older man made a �hmmmm� sound, then continued to study Ed silently.� Riza felt her hands twitch at her sides and
she was beginning to feel uncomfortably warm.�
She knew Ed meant well, but he was doing a good job at digging himself
into his grave.

Finally, the fuhrer said in a low tone, �Very well,
Fullmetal...� I�ll have my secretary send
word to General Hakuro that you came to me and asked
for the job.�� Riza could have groaned at
that, and what the man said next did nothing to soothe her.� �I�ll also inform him that you�ve been promoted
to lieutenant colonel seeing as how the position calls for at least that rank.�

Ed blinked, then
grinned.� �Thank you, sir,� he began, but
was cut off.

�That does not mean I�m giving Colonel Mustang�s
brigade to you.� You�re filling in for
his office job, not his military obligations. �Also, I expect you to take the training meant
for a lieutenant colonel.� You should
already have had it to be promoted, but I�m making an exception for you.�

Ed frowned.�
�Training...?��

The older man leaned forward and gave the teen a
hard look.� �We�re at the beginning of a war, Fullmetal.� As a lieutenant colonel, you will be assigned
your own battalion.� You need to know
what to do with it.�

Riza glanced quickly at Havoc, then back to the fuhrer.� State Alchemists generally didn�t get
promoted unless they also became part of the regular military as well�like
Colonel Mustang had.� State Alchemists
were in a league of their own.� They were
the fuhrer�s �private army�, so to speak.� They had higher rank because of their
abilities, but...

Her mouth went dry and she swallowed hard.� If the fuhrer was talking so seriously about
giving Ed his own battalion, the problems in the East were much worse than she
had previously feared.� Of course, with
the way things were going, Ed might not live to see the war...

�Ah, yes, sir,� Ed said, and though Riza could tell
he was trying to be calm, his voice shook slightly and confusion was woven
through his words.� Of course he was
confused, Ed probably never really understood that there was a difference
between their every day office lives and the responsibilities of being a
soldier.� He�d always been able to run
about free, doing his research and whatever jobs he was sent on.

�Dismissed,� Fuhrer Bradley said in an emotionless
tone that held no room for argument.

At that, both Riza and Havoc stood straight and
snapped a sharp salute.� For a moment, Ed
just stood there, as if unsure what to do next, before glancing back at
them.� Quickly, he saluted too, then headed out of the office.� With a sigh of relief and frustration, Riza
followed him.� That went very badly, and
Ed didn�t even realize it...

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

Kyle (1) yawned and shifted on his feet.� Supposedly it was a good thing that he�d been
asked to be one of Kagegkuski�s runners, but so far it was just boring.� All the man did was have meetings and wander
around talking to people and write things up...�
He sighed and stared dully at the big man.� If he was lucky, Kagegkuski actually had
something for him to do, but usually not... Just like now.��

Shifting his weight again, Kyle thought longingly
of his home back in Youswell.� It hadn�t been all that much, but their inn
had been home to him.� Everyone suspected
that the town was dying, but all the miners tried to hold on, tried to make it
last...

With the help of Ed Elric all those years ago,
they�d finally been able to get the mines back from the military; they�d been
able to regain their pride...� Many
people in the East called Ed �The Hero of the People�, and they had good right to.� He was the only one in the military who was
willing to stand up for something right...

What he�d done for the town, what he�d done for his
family by restoring their inn...� In that
day he�d become Kyle�s personal hero, along with his brother Al who�d saved his
life, the night Lieutenant Loki had ordered their inn to be destroyed...

Unfortunately, Ed Elric hadn�t been there when the
military had decided to destroy their town.�
The government had gotten word that they had been supplying rebels with
coal, back when the rebellion was helping Lior and wasn�t yet The People�s
Government, and they�d come down on the small mining town with a vengeance.

The men had urged the women to run while they tried
to fight, and the women had begged the men to flee with them.� There had been a big debate until they�d
found out that the government was sending more than one small detachment to
�deal with them�.�

Most of the town fled, though some remained,
thinking it better to surrender to the military than be forced to go somewhere
where there was no guarantee of a roof over their heads and food to eat.

Kyle swallowed hard and blinked his eyes
rapidly.� They�d watched from the
mountainside as their town burned to the ground.� He�d hated the military then, but not so much
as when they�d finally left and a few men had been sent to see if there was
anything left.� When the men had
returned, they�d told in somber, horrified voices of the fate the remaining
towns folk had faced.� No details of how
they�d been killed had been given, and no one had wanted them.

Suddenly the flap on Kagegkuski�s tent opened and
Kyle was pulled from his dark memories.�
A soldier walked in and held the flap open for an older, tanned-looking
man with a little white hair on his head, white bushy eyebrows and a long white
beard and mustache.� He used a long
walking stick and his faded yellow and red clothes were worn and ragged.�

The next man to enter the tent was a tall, bald
man.� This one was even more tanned than
the old man.� The only hair the taller
man had was a long, dark mustache.� He wore
a tight, dark shirt and a faded vermillion robe.� A sash striped with yellow and black was
draped over one of his shoulders.

Following that man, another soldier walked in and
the tent flap was closed.� Kyle couldn�t
tear his eyes away from the two strangely dressed men.� He�d heard of these people, but he�d never
actually seen one before...

Kagegkuski stood and made a small bow to the two
men.� �I would like to thank you for
accepting my invitation,� he said politely, then motioned to a couple of chairs.� �Please sit.�
Can I get you anything to drink, or perhaps something to eat after your
journey here?�

�No, thank you,� the taller man said as he sat in
one of the chairs.

Nodding, Kagegkuski sat, then
thanked the soldiers before asking them to leave them.� Kyle nodded a little.� That was one of the reasons why the people
loved Bartholomew Kagegkuski.� He was a
good man.� He treated everyone well, yet
he was passionate about what he believed and willing to fight for it...

�Why have you asked us here?� the younger, tanned man
asked.

Kagegkuski smiled a little.� �To the point...� Well, then I will be too.� I would like to invite your people to join
with my people.�

The men were silent for a moment, and then the old
man said, �We do not fight.� It is not
our way.� If you are looking for
recruits, you will have to look elsewhere.�

�You misunderstand,� Kagegkuski said mildly.� �I have no desire to ask you or your people
to defy what you believe in.� I know the
people of Ishbal are peaceful.� If you were to join with us, we would protect
you from the persecution of the military.�

�And why would you do such a thing?� the old man
asked again.� �Surely it would take
resources you do not have to protect us.�

Kagegkuski nodded.�
�I had hoped that if we protected you, then your people would be willing
to help supply us with things that we need.�
Food and clothing are only the beginning of things we need.� We could give you lands in the heart of the
East and you would be protected you while you peaceably grew food and made
clothing for our soldiers.�� He paused, then said, �We also have women and children in our
camps.� They do the best they can to
help, but...�� Kagegkuski stopped when
there was a small tap on the flap of the tent door.

�Come,� Kagegkuski said loudly.

The flap was moved aside and a young teen about
Kyle�s age walked in and made a small salute.�
�I�m here to replace your runner.�

Kagegkuski nodded and turned his attention back to
his guests.� With a sigh, Kyle headed for
the flap.� He was interested to know what
the Ishbalans would say, but he knew better than to
try to stick around.� Letting himself out
of the tent, Kyle waved to the two soldiers guarding the tent before heading in
the direction his family was camped.

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

Ed walked down the hall feeling slightly relieved
and elated.� That had gone so well!� He�d gotten permission and he�d been promoted!� He�d
been so worried that he wouldn�t be able to convince the fuhrer, but he had!� Without warning, Ed was grabbed and thrown
against the wall.�

�What the fuck do you think you�re doing?!� Ed
raged angrily as Havoc stepped in front of him.

�I�d like to ask the same thing of you!� Havoc
returned, just as angrily.

�I�m doing what I need to!� Ed returned with a
growl.� What was Havoc�s problem?� Why was he yelling at him?� �I don�t��

�Stop this!� Hawkeye snapped.� Pressing her fingers to her forehead, Riza
looked at Ed and sighed before saying, �Ed...�

�No!� he shouted, angry that she seemed to be
taking Havoc�s side.� �I�m in charge and that�s what I decided
to do.�

�You little son-of-a-bitch!� Havoc
snarled and slammed his hand against the wall near Ed�s head.� �Why the hell didn�t you tell us you were
going to do that?!�

Ed slid around the taller man and glared at them
both as he straightened his uniform.�
�Because, lieutenant, I work
on a need to know basis, and you
didn�t need to know.�� Havoc�s eyes
widened and he took a step forward as if he wanted to get into a fight with Ed,
but Hawkeye stepped forward and grabbed ahold of
him.�

Voice tight, Ed said, �The two of you are dismissed
for now, but I expect you to be at the meeting today.�� With that said, Ed
turned on his heel and stalked down the hall.

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

Winry tightened the bolt on the piece of automail
she was working on, the wiped her arm against her forehead.� She�d spent a lot of work on this piece and
it was really paying off.� Finishing a
job was probably one of her favorite things about working with automail because
she got to see it all come together.

Her eyes slid from the automail to the ring Al had
made her.� Smiling, Winry turned her hand
slightly so that the metal glinted in the light.� She loved the ring, and loved the fact that
Al was so aware of what she liked that he�d made it for her.� She only wished that there was something she
could do for him...�

Humming to herself, Winry placed a cloth over the
automail and turned to leave the room but stopped short and gasped when she saw
someone in the doorway.

�You do very good work,� Russell said smoothly.

Winry tried to smile, but she was sure it came out
as a grimace.� �Eh... thanks...�

�Do you mind if I come in and take a look?� he
asked while letting himself in anyway.

�Actually, I�m finished for now,� she said and
watched as he shut the door.� �I have
things to do, but perhaps I can show you another time.�� It was a lie.�
She had no intention of showing him her work anytime.� Walking to the
door, Winry said, �Excuse me.�

The blond teen moved, and, as she started to reach
for the doorknob, his hand pressed against the door by her.� When she turned, he placed his other arm on
her other side, pinning her between him and the door.

�I want you to move.� Now,�
she growled.

�Alphonse is lucky to have you...� he said
quietly.�

�I�m lucky to have him too.� Now move.�

Russell smiled a little and said, �It�s too bad he
doesn�t trust you.�

She narrowed her eyes and said, �Yes, he does.�

�Oh?� Really...� Why does he
tell you not to go to town without him?�
Why is he always keeping an eye on you or wanting you to tell him what
you�re doing?� It sounds like he�s trying
to control you...�

Winry scowled.�
She and Al had already had several discussions about this and it was
still a sore spot with her that he kept trying to coddle her.� But whatever her feelings on the subject, it
was none of Russell�s business.�

�He�s trying to keep me safe from certain
people.� He means well,� she said
tightly.

�But you don�t like it.� I can tell,� Russell said with a small grin,
then moved his hand down to caress her hair.�
�I personally agree with Alphonse. �Weak women like yourself shouldn�t be let
out.� Who knows what could happen to
you.�� Winry growled angrily, but when
she tried to speak, he just talked over her.�
�Though I don�t know what you�ll do when you don�t have him here to look
out for you.

�He�s not going anywhere!�
she said, and angrily moved her head away from his touch.

�We need him.�
He�s very... important... to us.�
He will come with me when I
leave,� Russell said with a small smirk.

Pushing him out of her way, Winry opened the door
and stormed out of the room.� Al would not go with him.� She knew he wouldn�t.� And she could
go wherever she wanted!� It wasn�t like
Al was her boss!

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

Ed reached out to open the door, but at the yelling
from within the office, he simply let his hand rest on the doorknob.� It was obvious that the other officers were
arguing... and arguing about him...� The
urge to turn around and leave was strong, but he knew he couldn�t.� Instead, Ed took a deep breath and let
himself into the room.�

When he stepped inside, the noise died and Hawkeye,
Havoc, Breda,
and Falman all turned to look at him.� It
seemed that Breda and Havoc were the ones who had been yelling�their faces were
flushed and they were looking at him with blatant anger�and Hawkeye and Falman
had been trying to be the voices of reason.

As the seconds ticked on, Ed felt increasingly
nervous.� His palms started to sweat and
suddenly the uniform seemed too constricting.�
Ed worked to keep himself emotionless and calm as he said, �Good, you�re
all here.� We can start then.�

He walked over to Roy�s desk, then
paused as he tried to decide whether he should sit behind the desk or if he
should stand in front of the desk and lean against it.� Roy
often did both, but...

Quickly, he decided that standing in front would be
best.� It seemed less formal, plus he
felt that, with him standing and them sitting, it would give him a little
more... well... something... At least
he�d be taller than them...

After situating himself in front of the desk, Ed
let his eyes move over their faces and he felt his mouth go dry.� How did Roy
do it?� They were looking at him so
expectantly... and unhappily.� Roy probably never had to
deal with that...

Taking a deep breath, Ed tried to remember
everything that was supposed to happen in these weekly meetings and he suddenly
wished he would have paid more attention...�
He watched as Breda
plucked a doughnut from the box on the coffee table, then the man said flatly,
�Congratulations on your promotion, lieutenant
colonel.�

The red-haired man slowly bit into the doughnut,
and chewed deliberately as he stared reproachfully up at him.� Ed pressed his lips together in anger.� There was no missing the contemptuous sarcasm
that dripped from the man�s words.

Ed wanted to start cursing the man, but he held his
tongue.� Roy wouldn�t let insults get to him.� Roy
would be calm and he�d simply deal with the situation in a detached sort of
way.

�Well, thank you,� Ed said tightly.� He was going to be like Roy.�
He wasn�t going to let things get to him...

Scowling, Breda
sat forward and said angrily, �Do you have any idea��

�Lieutenant,� Hawkeye said in a low voice.�

He clenched his teeth and stared at her before
saying, �He�s not a child, stop babying him.�

She drew in a sharp breath and said, �You�re going
about it the wrong way.�

�Well, then at least he won�t be alone!� Breda growled, and Ed
could see that Havoc was nodding angrily.

�I will
handle this,� she said tightly.� They
didn�t argue, but then, of course they wouldn�t.� She outranked them...� Turning to him, she said, �Edward... listen...� We really
need to talk to you about what happened today.��
He could tell she was trying to be calm and polite, but her voice was
strained.� �You really went about it the
wrong��

�Why?� Ed interrupted. �Because now I�m officially
over all of you and you can�t use me?�

Havoc opened his mouth to say something, but Riza
held up her hand to cut him off.� Trying
to remain patient, she said, �No.� The
fact that you have more authority actually works for us as a whole.�

Folding his arms, Ed frowned and said defensively,
�Okay, fine, then how was it bad?�� He
was starting to lose what little control he had on his anger and he gripped his
arms tightly in an effort to stay calm.

�First of all, your raise in rank is going to earn
you a lot of enemies.� The colonel�s quick climb of the ranks has
made many people resent him, and he was much older than you when he reached the
rank of lieutenant colonel.�

She paused, then said, �When you became a state
alchemist the news spread like a wildfire; I don�t expect it to be less so with
you becoming a lieutenant colonel.� By
the end of today, everyone is going
to know that you were promoted.��

She paused, then said, �Do
you remember what the fuhrer said?� He
said that he�d let General Hakuro know that you asked
for this.� The fuhrer wasn�t very pleased
with what you did, Ed.� Not only will Hakuro hate you for being promoted, but he�ll also be
furious that you went over his head.� The
proper way to do things would have been to go see him first.�

Ed swallowed hard.�
He wanted to rage at her, but the words were stuck in his throat.� What she said made sense.� He hadn�t even thought of that...

�Also, when the fuhrer asked about your loyalty to
Colonel Mustang...� Ed... he�ll be watching you from now on...� A soldier should be loyal to the military and
to the fuhrer.� Loyalty to a superior
officer should only be because they�re in the chain of command, not because of
who they are.� What you said today... well, let me just say that you�ve earned yourself some very
powerful enemies...� You�ve made yourself
a target in something that you don�t really understand.�

Ed swallowed.�
The king... he�d made himself the king... Ed wanted to bury his head in
his hands, he wanted to hide, but instead he worked to keep his face impassive.

�Ed...� Hawkeye said in a pleading voice.� �You need to trust us.� You need to let us help you...�

�I don�t see why we should help him,� Breda said angrily.� �If he wants to go it
alone, fine.� I don�t want to be
dragged down by his stupidity.�

�That�s fine, because I don�t trust you anyway,� Ed
snarled, completely forgetting that he wanted to try to be more like Roy.� �Trust goes both ways, you asshole!� You just wanted to use me!� You didn�t trust me, so why the fuck should I have trusted you?�

�There�s a reason
why we don�t trust you,� Havoc said contemptuously.� �You act without thinking!� You�re smart, but do you actually use those brains of yours?!� Don�t you understand that this isn�t some
sort of game?�

Hawkeye turned and opened her mouth as if she was
going to say something, but the taller man stood up and growled, �I�m not
staying in this sorry excuse for a meeting another minute.�

�I didn�t say you could leave,� Ed barked angrily,
but Havoc simply walked out the door and slammed it shut behind him.� Standing up, Breda began following Havoc, then he stopped, turned around, and grabbed the box of
doughnuts before stalking out the door.

There was silence in the office for a moment before
Falman cleared his throat and said, �Permission to be excused...?�

�Yeah, whatever...� Ed said in frustration, then watched as the man quickly left the room.�

�Ed...� Hawkeye said hesitantly.�

�Just leave me alone,� Ed said in hurt anger, then stalked past her and out of the office.� He needed to go outside.� He needed to think.� He needed a fucking smoke...� He hadn�t even left the building before he
was pulling out a cigarette.�

Those
bastards... Ed thought angrily, then
stopped to light the cigarette when he was finally outside.� He was so angry.� He
was the one who had put his neck on the line by going to the fuhrer.� Hawkeye even admitted that him
being a higher rank was better for them.�
So what if he became a target?�
It�s not like they were the
ones who were in danger.

Ed puffed hard and fast on the cigarette as he
stalked across the lawn, but stopped when he heard his name called.� Turning, he saw Lieutenant Havoc striding
toward him with a furious look on his face.

Folding his arms, Ed waited.� When the taller man was to him he cocked back
his fist.� Ed only had time for his eyes
to widen at the realization that Havoc really meant to hit him before the blow
landed.

Ed staggered and fell back with a hard thump.� He felt a pain in his eye and cheek where
Havoc�s fist had connected with his face.�
His teeth bit his cigarette in two, and he quickly sat up and spat it
out before scrambling to his feet and assuming a fighting posture.

�You can�t hit me!� Ed yelled, looking at him
through only one eye now.� �I�m your
commanding officer!�

�Well, apparently I did just hit you, so I guess I can!� Havoc returned mockingly.� �Go ahead, report me.� I don�t give a rat�s ass.� I know that you could probably beat the shit
out of me too, so sure, why not go ahead and do that as well?�

Right now, Ed felt very much like taking his anger
out on something, and if Havoc was volunteering, then he�d be happy to grant
his request.� He was about to rush
forward when the man�s next words stopped him.

�You interfering son-of-a-bitch.� If it hadn�t been for you, then the colonel
would still be here.� It�s your fault that this happened!� It�s your
fault, and now you�re going to get the rest of us killed with your
irresponsible stupidity!�

Ed felt a stab of pain in his chest and he
swallowed hard before saying, �I wasn�t even here!� How is it my fault?�� It wasn�t his fault...� It couldn�t be...

�That�s right, you weren�t here.� I think that was part of the problem!� Havoc
snarled.

�What do you mean by that?� Ed said
defensively.� Havoc was just being an
ass...� It wasn�t his fault...

The taller man stared at him for a long time before
saying in a low voice, �Do you know what the colonel�s last words were before
he passed out?�

�Like I said, I wasn�t there, so, no.� Obviously I have no idea what he said,� Ed
answered tightly.

Havoc�s face crumpled a little in pain before he
said in a hoarse whisper, �He thought Hawkeye was you... He said, �I love
you...Ed...��

Ed�s eyes widened in shock and, letting his hands
fall, stumbled backward a couple of steps.�
Roy...
loved him...?� That�s what he�d
said?� A torrent of emotions raged inside
of him; amazement that Roy loved him, shock that Havoc knew, bitter despair
because of all the time he�d wasted by being gone and being angry...

�If he hadn�t been so obsessed with you, then maybe
he�d still be here now,� Havoc said, pain lacing his voice.� �So you see Ed, this isn�t a game.� Every move you make needs to be carefully
considered because it affects us too!� If
you want to be treated with respect, then you have to earn it...�� Ed stared at
Havoc in stunned silence for a few moments, then watched as the man turned
around and started walking away, leaving Ed alone with his thoughts.�

--

1 � Kyle is the son of the innkeeper in Episode
9.� His father has already made a slight
appearance in this story in chapter 12.

--

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