Adult-FanFiction.org : Gundam, Beyblade, DBZ, FMA

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
- 44
- 45
Note: Previously I was answering reviews
in chapter, but because it does sort of clog up the chapter, I�ve decided not
to do it anymore.� If you leave me an
email address on your comment, I will try to reply that way instead.� :)

-

Descent

Chapter Forty-Five

On the Job

-

Ed
watched as Kain Fuery shifted the bag on his shoulder, then
stepped into the dorm room after Vato Falman unlocked and opened the door.� This particular dorm building was for long
term living purposes and was sectioned off into bedrooms big enough for one
person.� Every eight rooms shared a
common space including kitchen and bathroom.�
The sections and rooms weren�t big, and there wasn�t much in the way of
privacy, but they didn�t have to pay rent, so in Ed�s mind that was equivalent.

Walking
in after everyone else, Ed took a quick glance around the room.� There was a bed, nightstand, and a small
writing desk with a chair.� There was
also a small closet and window.� The
short term dorms�the ones he�d usually stayed in during the years him and Al
had traveled together�were smaller and had a bunk bed for two people.� Basically it was a place to sleep and not
much more.

�Welcome
home,� Falman said, then held the key out to Fuery.� �I�ve been keeping it dusted while you were
gone.�

Fuery
looked at the key for a moment, then took it with a
small, �Thanks.�

There was
a moment of uncomfortable silence before Havoc cleared his throat and said,
�Where do you want us to put this stuff?�

They�d
all come to bring Fuery home from the hospital, partially because they�d wanted
to be there for him, and partially because Fuery had amassed so many cards,
flowers, plants, and posters, that it had taken all of them to carry it.

�Oh...
uh...�� Fuery looked around the small
living space, looking a little lost and forlorn.� �Anywhere, I guess.� I�ll go through it all later.�

Ed set
the box he�d been carrying down by the window, then looked at Fuery.� The man had a pathetically despondent look on
his face, and Ed couldn�t help but think he looked a little misplaced, as if he
were unsure what to do next.

�Is there
anything we can help you with, or...?��
Ed trailed off.� He wanted to
help, but he wasn�t really sure what to do or say.

�No, I�ll
be fine,� Fuery said, sounding a little uncomfortable.� He gave them a smile, but Ed thought it
seemed forced.�
�I really appreciate you all coming.�

�I�m in
the room next to yours,� Falman said, and made a gesture toward the left.� �If you need anything, I�ll be in
there.�� Again Fuery nodded with that
slightly confused look on his face. �Ed
wracked his brain trying to come up with something that he could do to help,
but nothing was coming.

�I�ve
never been in this building before,� Hawkeye said suddenly to Falman.� �I�d love a tour.�� He blinked, seeming surprised by the request,
then he nodded in understanding.� She turned to Fuery and smiled.� �I think we should go as a group, what do you
think?�

The
confused look was suddenly replaced with relief and gratitude.� �Sure,� he said nonchalantly, as if it was no
big deal to him.� They all filed out of
Fuery�s room and Ed shook his head, amazed that Hawkeye had not only picked up
on what had been bothering Fuery, but had been able to propose a solution in a
way that wouldn�t embarrass him.

It didn�t
take long for them to tour the place and as everyone was saying their goodbyes,
Ed said, �Enjoy the rest of your Sunday and we�ll see you tomorrow morning.�

�Yes, sir,�
Fuery said, and gave him a salute.� Ed
blinked in surprise at the unexpected formality, but returned the salute
nonetheless.

With a
laugh, Breda
said, �Don�t salute him when it�s not necessary.� It�ll just feed his already overinflated
ego.�

�Really?�
Fuery asked hesitantly, as if worried he�d done something wrong.

�Oh, shut
up,� Ed snapped, when Breda
and Havoc both started to chuckle.� He
looked at Fuery, then said, �You didn�t do anything wrong.� Those two are just assholes.�

�Only to
you, chief,� Havoc said with a grin.

Ed opened
his mouth to retort, but stopped when Hawkeye lifted a hand.� �I�m leaving.�� She glanced at Fuery with a smile.� �I�m glad you�re back with us.�� He returned her smile and nodded
gratefully.�

As she
started toward the door, Havoc said, �I can walk you home, if you�d like.�

�I�ll be
fine on my own, thanks for the offer,� she said lightly.

�Yeah, but
it could be dangerous and...�� He trailed
off when she turned and looked at him, eyebrow raised.� �But... I guess you�ll be fine on your
own.�� Hawkeye gave him an amused smile
and nodded.� Ed watched several emotions
play over Havoc�s face as he shifted, then stuffed his hands in his pockets.� �Okay... well... have a nice rest of your
weekend...�

�I�m sure
I will,� Hawkeye said, and Ed thought he could hear laughter in her tone.� Then she turned and headed out the door.

Ed
frowned.� Was it just him, or was there
something going on between Havoc and Hawkeye?�
He didn�t think there was, but he had kind of noticed something at his
birthday lunch and now...� Ed looked at Breda, then at Falman,
then to Fuery before turning his attention to Havoc.

�So,
you�� Ed began, but Havoc cut him off.

�Sorry, chief, gotta run.�� He gave his good wishes to Fuery, then hurried out the door.�
Fuery and Falman said their goodbyes to Ed and Breda, then wandered back to their rooms,
leaving the two of them standing there alone.�
There was a long, awkward silence, then Ed
stuck his thumb out the way Hawkeye and Havoc had gone.�

�Are
they...� You know...� Ed started, then trailed off as Breda
began shaking his head.

�Not a
chance,� Breda
said.� �Havoc isn�t smooth enough to get someone
like her; besides, Hawkeye isn�t into smokers, so he�s outta
luck.�

�Are you
sure, �cause they kinda��

�You can
never be sure, but if they were,
would you really want to know?� Breda
asked seriously.�

Ed
smirked.� �Well... maybe.��

Breda laughed and shook his head.� �You have a dirty mind.�� Then he turned serious again.� �Think about it.� Those two are your friends, but they�re also
under your command.� If you knew about
their fraternization, what would you do?�

Ed
frowned.� �What do you mean?�

As Breda started to talk,
the door opened and two soldiers came into the common room, laughing and
joking.� They eyed Ed and Breda, most likely wondering who they were�neither Ed nor Breda were
in uniform�and why they were there.

�How�s it
goin�?� one of the soldiers said in a friendly tone.

�Good,� Breda answered back.� �We were here bringing Sergeant Fuery back
from the hospital.� We�re just on our way
out.�

�Kain�s back?� the other one asked in surprise.� �He remembered anything yet?�

Breda paused for a moment before
saying, �Not really.� His memory for
recent events is a little shoddy too, so you�ll have to be patient with
him.�� He looked at Ed and nodded toward
the door.�

After
they were out of the dorm, Ed said, �What did you mean by what you said before?�

�What?� Breda asked, his eyebrows
knitting together in confusion, then he remembered and the tension was gone
from his face.� �Oh, right.� Well, think about it.� Havoc and Hawkeye are your friends, but
they�re also your subordinates.� It�s
your job, no... your responsibility to step in if you know somethin�s
going on with them, but what will you do?�
Hawkeye has rank over Havoc, not much, but it�s there.�

At that,
Ed couldn�t help but let out a snort of laughter.� �You�re saying I should be worried about
Hawkeye abusing her power to get into Havoc�s pants?�

Breda laughed and shook his head.� �No, but it�s the idea of it.� We should go somewhere.� You hungry?� he added.

�Not
really,� Ed answered truthfully.

�Okay,
let�s just walk instead.� I don�t really
want to be standing around here talkin� about this.�

As they
started away from the dorm, Ed said, �Okay, so go on.�

�There
are also other concerns.� Both of them
are trustworthy subordinates, but if they�re in a relationship, technically
you�re not supposed to have them working together.� So what do you do?� If you acknowledge the issue,
that means you might lose one of them.�

�But if I
ignore it...� Ed mused.

�If you
ignore it, just be sure you can lie real good if you�re ever questioned about
it by your superiors,� Breda
said seriously.� �But I don�t really
think I�d want to know if something was going on between them.� As a soldier, I�m supposed to be loyal to the
military, and reporting anything... untoward... is part of being a loyal
soldier.�

There was
a moment of awkward silence and Ed looked down at the sidewalk.� He kicked a rock and watched it clatter
noisily down the pavement until it reached the grass, then disappeared.� They were talking about Havoc and Hawkeye,
but Ed had a feeling Breda
meant more than what he was actually saying.

�Good
thing we�ll never have to worry about that, eh?� Breda said, suddenly jovial and amused.� �Can you see those two together?� Havoc is a great guy and a good soldier, but
like I�ve said before, he needs to tone it down with the ladies �cause he comes
on too strong. �Hawkeye�s tough.� She�s classy, and a wonderful woman, but
she�s one tough broad.� I don�t really
think Havoc has what it takes to win her over.�

Ed nodded
silently as he thought about what Breda
had said.� If knowing about a
relationship between Hawkeye and Havoc would put a burden on Breda,
how much more of a burden was knowing about his and Roy�s relationship?� And not just Breda,
but the rest of Roy�s
crew as well.� The thought made him feel
so selfish.�

When he
and Roy had first started living together and sleeping together, it had all
seemed so simple.� It was as if he had
been living with Roy
in their own little bubble.� He hadn�t realized that such a thing would
affect anyone else.� All he�d thought
about was himself and how everything was affecting him.�
It had been that same selfishness that had caused the problems with
Al.� He�d wanted Al all to himself,
hadn�t wanted to share, and he�d been selfish and jealous when his brother
wanted to experience life on his own terms.

Ed
stopped and looked up at the sky.� The
day was perfect, one with bright blue skies and fluffy white clouds.� It showed nothing of the turmoil Ed felt
inside.� Ed had always thought he was so
mature, but life was doing a good job of showing him that he still had a long
way to go.

Bringing
his gaze down from the sky and to Breda�who
had stopped as well and was now watching him silently�Ed shook his head.� He may have been in his own little bubble, he
may not have known better, but Roy
should have.� Roy would know that his actions would have an
impact on his subordinates, on himself, on them
as a couple.� So, the question was, why
had he done it?� Why, considering all the
risks, had he allowed himself to get involved with Ed?

�If Havoc
and Hawkeye ever did get together,�
Ed started slowly.� �What would you do?�

Breda stared back at him with a somber
expression, then walked over to Ed and said in a quiet tone, �I�m more loyal to
my friends and to Roy Mustang, than I am to the military and the fuhrer.� You understand?�

�Yeah...�
Ed said, suddenly with a lump in his throat.�

�Good.� Always remember, don�t ever doubt it, and
tell no one.�� When Ed nodded, Breda stepped away and
patted his stomach.� �I�m starving.� Think I�ll go grab some chow.� Ya sure you don�t
want to come?�

Ed nodded
again.� �Yeah.� I�m sure.�

�Alright,
see you tomorrow then,� Breda
said, raising a hand in farewell and turning to go.

�Lieutenant
Breda,� Ed said.� Breda turned, and Ed took a deep breath.� He wanted to apologize for all the trouble
he�d caused, for being an immature asshole at times, but at the last moment he
settled on, �Thanks...�� Breda�s lips quirked up
into a smile and he gave a small nod before turning and walking away.

0-0-0-0

Pinako
leaned against the doorframe and quietly watched Winry work.� After Alphonse and Russell had left, Winry
had gone off by herself for a while, but by noon she had returned to the house,
changed out of her wedding dress, and had announced that if Alphonse thought she
was going to mope around while waiting for his return, then he was wrong.� She�d immediately started to work and that had
been the end of Winry�s tears; or, at least, the tears Pinako saw.

She had a
feeling that there were tears when she wasn�t looking, maybe at night when
Winry was all alone, but whenever Pinako tried to talk about it, Winry would
stoically claim that she was fine, and that Alphonse had better come back soon
if he knew what was good for him.� So,
Pinako let it be.� After all, Alphonse had
only been gone a few days.� She would
give it time and if Winry wanted to talk, she would be there for her.�

In the
past few days, Winry had been working a lot.�
She�d thrown herself into her work, working late into the night and
starting far earlier than usual.� Last
night Winry hadn�t slept at all.� If she
kept this pace up for too long, Pinako was worried that Winry�s health would
suffer, but she was also afraid that if she intervened, Winry would be without
something to vent her emotions on and might break down.� Pinako hoped that this would only be
temporary, but she could understand the need to do something to not think about being alone, and about having your
loved ones in danger.

Puffing
on her pipe, Pinako said, �It�s almost lunch time.� What do you want?�� Winry tightened a screw, then set the
screwdriver down and turned to look at Pinako.�
�And you better not say you�re not hungry.� I know you didn�t eat breakfast.�

Winry
gave her a sheepish look.� Pinako might
be willing to let the extra work slip by for a while, but she refused to let
Winry skip more than one meal a day.� It
wasn�t healthy, and with the extra work Winry needed to eat.�

�I guess th�� Winry began, but was cut off when they heard the front
door crash open.� Pinako turned and started
hurrying to the living room.� She could
hear Winry right behind her and the girl bumped into her when Pinako stopped
dead when she saw who was in her house.

�Get out!�
Pinako snapped angrily.

�We�re
here on official business,� Archer said calmly.�
�Please have a seat.�

�You will
not tell me what to do in my own home!� Pinako shot back.�

�Yes, I
will,� Archer said blandly.� �And you
will obey.� Unless
you�d like to spend some time in a cell?�� He glanced behind her.� �And your...
sweet... granddaughter as well?�� Pinako
clenched her teeth together as she glared at him, then glanced at the man
beside him�Kimblee�then at the four soldiers standing
next to the door. ��

�Very
well...� she growled. �Looking back at
Winry, Pinako gave a small shake of the head when Winry looked down at
her.� This could turn ugly very fast, and
she didn�t want that.� She was an old
woman, and she�d lived her life, but Winry still had years ahead of her... good
years that would come after this pathetic war had ended.�

When they
were seated, Archer settled himself into another chair, crossed his legs, and
folded his arms over his chest.� �I hear
that congratulations are in order,� Archer said, looking at Winry.� �You�re now an Elric,
isn�t that right?�� Instead of answering,
Winry glared hatefully at him.� �Where is
your husband right now, Mrs. Elric?�� He
waited, but when Winry again refused to speak, Archer added, �Because, I know he�s not here.� All of Rizembool knows he�s not here.�

At that,
Winry�s eye�s widened slightly in shock, but Pinako didn�t feel any surprise at
all.� Most likely, the mayor had told his
wife what had happened.� And, in turn,
she had told her friends, who had told their friends, who had told their
friends.� Rizembool was large in size,
but comparatively small in population, and unless you were really good at
guarding your own business, it became everyone else�s business.

Archer
gave a flat smile.� �We recently found
the bodies of some soldiers�very dead
soldiers.� I can imagine whoever killed
them would have wanted to get away before they were found out.�� Winry was trembling slightly now, though with
anger or fear, Pinako didn�t know.� Archer
leaned forward in the chair and fixed his gaze on Winry�s.� �You wouldn�t happen to know why Alphonse left in such a hurry...
would you?��
Winry opened her mouth to speak, but Pinako overrode her in an attempt
to stop Winry from saying anything foolish.

�Perhaps
you should keep better track of your men,� Pinako said evenly.� �There are many people in Rizembool who are
not happy with the military here.�

�And
Alphonse Elric was one of those?� Archer asked.

�Do I
look like a mind reader?� If you want to
know, ask him,� Pinako said.� Winry
opened her mouth again, and Pinako said, �Winry, keep quiet.��

�Oh, no,
by all means, please do speak your mind,� Archer said with a smile, and Pinako
glared at him.�

�You�re
just looking for someone to blame,� Winry finally said forcefully.� Pinako could almost physically feel the rage
and pain coming from her granddaughter.

�Now, why
would I want to do that when I have a perfectly good suspect already?� Archer
drawled easily.

�You�ve
had it out for Al since you came here!�
For all I know, you set this whole thing up just to get him!�� Winry�s eyes were shining with unshed tears,
and Pinako shook her head.� Winry was too
distraught and emotional for this right now and the more she spoke, the more
likely she�d end up as putty in Archer�s hands.�
She worried for Al�s safety too, but this was no time to get emotional.

�Winry,�
Pinako said, putting a hand on the girl�s leg in an effort to silence her
without causing a reaction from Archer.

But Winry
ignored her and continued, �How do we know you didn�t murder those solders
yourself just to blame it on Al!�

�Soldiers
are valuable resources,� Archer explained.�
�I don�t have so many as to want to kill them needlessly.�

�What are
the lives of five regular soldiers in comparison with a skilled alchemist?�
Winry asked bitterly, and one tear finally escaped her eye and trickled slowly
down her cheek.� �People like you don�t
value life.� You use it up carelessly to
get what you want.�

A wide
grin spread on Archer�s face and he sat back in his chair looking pleased.� There was also a knowing smirk on Kimblee�s face, but he kept quiet.� �I... don�t recall saying that there were five soldiers,� Archer said
smoothly.� �But you�re absolutely
right.� There were five.� How did you know
that, Mrs. Elric?�� The color drained
from Winry�s face, and Pinako felt her heart sink in fear.� When neither of them spoke, Archer snapped
his fingers and motioned for one of the soldiers.� The soldier stepped forward and saluted
sharply.� �Put a warrant out for the
arrest of Alphonse Elric.�

�No!�
Winry cried desperately.� Pinako could
see the devastation in her face, and her own heart was sinking with fear for
Alphonse, but there was nothing she could do.�
She wanted to; wanted to stop what was happening, both for Winry�s sake
and for Al�s, but there was nothing.� �He
didn�t do it!�� Winry�s body was
beginning to tremble and she balled her hands into fists.

�Didn�t
he?� Archer asked, standing up and looking down at her.� A triumphant smirk spread across his face.� �Prove it.�

Winry
stood as well and they were suddenly nose to nose.� �Prove that he did!� she snapped back.

�After
having a quick and unplanned wedding, he immediately leaves the area when he knows residents are supposed to remain
in their respective towns unless they have clearance from the military.� Leaving in and of itself is a violation of
martial law.� Even if he isn�t guilty of murder, which I have no
doubt in my mind that he is, he is guilty of treason.�

�That�s
ridiculous,� Pinako said incredulously.

Archer
just stared at her for a moment with a controlled expression, then glanced at the solider.�
�Alphonse Elric is wanted for the murder of military personnel and
treason.� He is a highly dangerous
alchemist and should be approached with great caution.� Use whatever force is necessary to stop him.�� The soldier wrote quickly on a notepad, then saluted sharply.

�You
can�t!� Winry shouted with quivering voice.�
Her face was still pale, but her nose and eyes were red now, and her
cheeks were wet from her tears.

Stepping
forward, Archer whispered, �If I can�t have him, no one will have him.� Do you
understand?� I will not allow The
People�s Government to acquire such a powerful tool�a tool that should be mine.�

Without
warning, Winry punched him hard in the face.�
�You bastard!� she screamed in rage.�
She lashed out again and again in fury as Archer worked to defend
himself.

�Winry, stop!� Pinako shouted in horror.� The
situation was already bad and Winry was only making it worse.� Archer grabbed her wrists and pulled back
hard on them, making Winry scream in pain, then
dragged her to the floor.� She thrashed
about, trying to kick him now, and he was shouting for the soldiers, who ran
over and separated them.

�You
could have helped me!� Archer snarled breathlessly to Kimblee,
who was chuckling in amusement.

�I could
have,� Kimblee said calmly.�

Making a
sound of disgust, Archer put his hand to his face where his cheek was already
starting to swell.� �I should arrest
you,� Archer said menacingly to Winry.�
�Maybe word of your mistreatment would bring your husband running back.�

�If you
arrest me, I�ll kill myself.� Then Al
will have no reason to come back,� Winry returned forcefully.

�You�re
bluffing,� he said, still breathing heavily.

�Am I?�
she asked, her voice filled with pain and anger.� �Do you really want to take the chance?�

Archer
breathed deeply through his nose, making his nostrils flare, as he considered
her words, then without a word turned quickly and marched out of the
house.� The soldiers followed, but Kimblee stayed behind for a moment, staring at Winry.� He smirked, tipped his hat to them, then turned
and walked out of the house, closing the door behind him.��

0-0-0-0

Ed held
the phone to his ear as he listened to the civilian supply company clerk.� The man was angry about something that had
supposedly been promised him two weeks ago, but it didn�t sound like something
Mustang would have approved and Ed couldn�t find any documentation about it at
all.� Apparently the supply sergeant at
the warehouse had gotten tired of the guy and sent him Ed�s way when he
wouldn�t back down.

Flopping
a folder onto his already messy desk, Ed opened another one and flipped through
it.� This was a ridiculous waste of time,
and he was already behind as it was.� The
door opening caught his attention and he saw Lieutenant Hawkeye walk through
and smile at him.� He tried to smile back, though he had a feeling it was more of a harassed
�help me� look than anything else.� She
gave him an �it�s all part of the job� look of pity, then
held up a folder with a sticky note on it that said, �You have a meeting with
General Hakuro in five minutes.�

Ed just
stared at it, not comprehending for a moment, then he said into the phone,
�Look, talk to Mustang about it when he comes back.�� When the man protested again, Ed snapped, �If
you didn�t get it in writing, then it didn�t happen.� �And with that, he slammed the receiver down
and bounded out of his chair.

�What do
you mean I have a meeting in five minutes?!� he exclaimed.� �For what?!�

�Just
like you have weekly staff meetings with us, Hakuro has weekly meetings with
the high ranking officers under his direct command.� That includes you.�

Ed
tightened his ponytail and brushed down his uniform with his hands.� �Why didn�t you tell me before?� he complained.

�I did.�

�You
did?�� He wracked his brain trying to
remember when this could have been.

�Yes.� I did.�

�When?� he asked suspiciously.

�Right
after our meeting,� she said respectfully.

�But I
didn�t go to a meeting last week,� Ed pointed out.

�The
general canceled the meeting for last week,� Hawkeye returned, then smiled and
handed him the folder.� �You might need
this.�� Ed snatched it and rushed out of
the office.� He heard her call out to him
what conference room it was in and he waved a hand in the air to show that he�d
heard.�

As he ran
down the hall, people pressed themselves against the walls to avoid being run
over.� He pushed the button on the
elevator, then dismissed it and used the stairs instead.� When he got to the designated room, Ed opened
the door, and saw a large, rectangular table filled with colonels and lieutenant
colonels.� Most were men; there was one
woman.� General Hakuro sat at the head of
the table.� As he entered, they all
turned to look at him.

�Uh...�
Ed said, breathing hard.� �Sorry I�m
late...�

�Elric, I
don�t make allowances for tardiness,� Hakuro said coldly.� �Please remain after this meeting has
adjourned.�

�Fuck
you� was at the forefront of Ed�s mind, but instead he nodded and found an
empty chair near the back.� He felt like
a schoolboy being reprimanded by his teacher while the rest of the class laughed
at him.� It was a horrible feeling, but
he was determined not to react.

�For
those of you who haven�t heard, Edward Elric here has just been promoted to
lieutenant colonel,� Hakuro said flatly.�
Ed pressed his lips together, trying not to glare.� �Congratulations, Colonel Elric.� We all know how much you deserved your
promotion.�

Die.� Just die... Ed thought angrily.� The other officers in the room were giving
him looks that bordered on hostility.� If
there had been any of these people who hadn�t hated him before, Ed doubted that
was the case now.� ��

As the
meeting began, Hakuro had each of them give a report
on their sections.� Most of these reports
took only minutes, but Ed started to feel panicked.� He hadn�t prepared anything!� Embarrassingly enough, Ed hadn�t a clue what was
going on in his section.� In desperation,
he opened the folder Hawkeye had given him and on the top page was a neat and
concise report for him with another sticky note that said, �Next week be sure
to prepare your own report.�

Ed was
going to bring that woman some flowers, or chocolates, or some gun cleaning
stuff, or something!� He�d only been doing Mustang�s job for a
short time, but he wasn�t sure how he�d be able to survive without her.� He quickly memorized the material and gave
his report with no problems.

There
were some superficial items of business, then Hakuro
had them turn their attention to a large map on the wall where he began to
inform them of the dealings in the east.�
Apparently there had recently been several small battles with factions
of the People�s Army, many of which were won by the rebellion.�

Having
not kept up with the details of the war recently, Ed found this particularly
interesting.� He was also intrigued with
the way the rebellion continued to grow in numbers.� Surely they couldn�t think they could really win this.� The People�s Army might win some battles;
but, in the end, the military would stop messing around and send a sizable
force to deal with them.� At least,
that�s what Ed would have done.� He
tapped a finger against his lips as he studied the map.� Surely the military could have already dealt
with this threat... why hadn�t they?� It
didn�t make sense...

�Isn�t
that right, Colonel Elric?�

Ed
blinked and looked at Hakuro.� �Huh?�

�Paying
attention is also a requirement for these meetings,� Hakuro said.

�I was paying
attention,� Ed explained. ��I was just wondering
about something.�

Hakuro
folded his arms and gave him a condescending look.� �What?�

�Why
hasn�t the military just sent out a large number of troops to deal with the
People�s Army?� Wouldn�t it make more
sense than just engaging them in small skirmishes?�� Some of the officers looked at each other,
and there were a few whispers.

�Colonel
Elric will be starting tactical classes tonight,� Hakuro announced.� �I�m not sure it will do him much good since
he is still having trouble grasping the concept of obeying orders without
question.�

Ed felt
his face heat with anger and embarrassment.�
Hakuro wasn�t really taking him seriously.� He just wanted to humiliate him in front of
everyone.� Roy wouldn�t let this get the better of him,
and Ed decided that he�d try to follow that example.�

�I didn�t
know this was about obeying orders,� Ed said as respectfully as he could
manage.

�It�s
always about obeying orders,� Hakuro said.�
�The fuhrer commands the military.�
He gives the orders.� We don�t question those orders, we just do
them.� Understand?�

Not really... sounds like a load
of shit to me, Ed
thought, but instead said, �Yes, sir.�

Hakuro
seemed pleased by the humility in his voice and nodded in satisfaction.� Then he said, �If there are no other
questions�intelligent questions�this
meeting is over.�� The other officers
stood and began filing out of the conference room.� Some were speaking to each other in low
tones, and there were more than a few who glanced Ed�s
way as they passed him.

�Fullmetal,�
Hakuro said, catching Ed�s attention.� Ed
forced himself out of his chair and wandered over to where the general was
sitting.� �You were late to my meeting by
two minutes.�

Not by my watch, Ed thought, but instead said,
�Sorry.�

Hakuro�s
eyebrows rose.� �Sorry?� Don�t you think you�re being a little too
informal with me, Colonel?�

Ed moved
his gaze away for a moment, trying to hide the fact that he felt this
conversation was ridiculously idiotic.�
Looking back at Hakuro, Ed said, �I apologize for not being on
time.� It won�t happen again.�� Probably,
he added mentally.

�It had
better not.� Professionalism is important
in the military.�

�Professionalism, as in making jokes at your junior officer�s
expense?� Ed
asked without thinking.

�You are a joke!� Hakuro snapped
angrily.� �I have no idea why the fuhrer
advanced you.� You weren�t even in the
regular military before that!� The very
idea of you leading men into battle
is absolutely ludicrous!�

Ed wanted
to reply with something snarky, tell Hakuro to go to hell and that he was not a little boy, but he didn�t.� It was an effort, but Ed closed his eyes and
thought of Roy.� Roy
wouldn�t let himself be drawn into an argument like this with his commanding
officer, would he?� No.� He�d back down and scheme behind the
bastard�s back.� The only thing was that
Ed wasn�t Roy.�
He didn�t scheme.� He faced everything head on.� So, he wouldn�t scheme, but he would back down
for now.� Nothing would be gained by
getting into a shouting match with Hakuro.

�Is that
all, sir?� Ed asked, his voice respectful, but strained as well.

�It
is.� Get out of my face,� Hakuro said
with disgust.

Pressing
his lips together to avoid another outburst, Ed gave a bow, then turned and
walked swiftly out of the room.

--

A/N dealing with this chapter: This particular chapter was
originally supposed to have more in it, but I decided to cut it in half because
I realized if I didn�t stop here then it would be too long.�

General A/N: It has been quite a while since I
posted anything on this story.� I
apologize for that.� It hasn�t been
because I was out of ideas or didn�t know where the plot was going, for those
of you who were wondering.� Mostly it is
because I had a lot going on and because this story is so complex, it was
difficult to continue working on it because I was afraid that I would screw
something up.� That�s the problem with
writing a story and posting it chapter by chapter.� You have to be sure you have it right the
first time.

But
anyway, I haven�t forgotten this story.�
I love it very much and intend to finish it whether anyone continues to
be interested in it or not.� For those of
you who have given me gentle (and not so gentle) nudges over the past year or
so, I think you and appreciate your interest.

-

If you would like email update
notifications on this story, please let me know in a comment or in an email to zakaii(at)gmail(dot)com.� If
you let me know in a comment, please be sure to include your email address in the comment.� Thanks :)
- 44
- 45
You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.You need to be logged in to leave a review for this story.
Report Story

Descent