Soldier Blues

VI.

“Thank you for bringing Edward home safely,” Pinako said to Roy as the black-haired man nursed a mug of tea, watching the three teenagers outside in the yard. “I know he can be quite a handful.”

“It was no problem,” Roy replied. “So, may I ask why you’re taking care of the Elrics and not their parents?”

Pinako looked up from her automail design and stared out the window at the two blonde boys cavorting with the Rockbell family dog, Den, and Winry. “Their father left them when they were very young. Their mother succumbed to a disease when the boys were just ten or so.”

“So they’re orphans?”

“Why all the questions?”

Roy tore his gaze away from the boys to look at the old woman. There was something fiercely protective in her eyes, something that warned Roy to ware his tongue. The Lieutenant Colonel shrugged. “Edward didn’t talk much on the way over here.”

Pinako sighed and accepted the evasion. “He’s very protective of his family. Edward’s a smart boy; he’ll usually leave you guessing unless he’s intending to involve you.”

“Yeah, seems about right.” Roy muttered. “Do they have an older brother?”

Pinako frowned. “Not that I’m aware of.”

Roy hid his discomfort of Pinako’s stare by drinking his tea. So, the boys evidently knew about Envy but had neglected to inform everyone else. Of course, the same was said about Envy. No one – not even Roy – had known about the familial ties between the Brigadier General and the Elrics. Or, that was at least as far as Roy knew. Finally, he put the teacup down on the table and moved to fetch his jacket, shrugging it on. He felt Pinako’s gaze on him every step of the way and fought against asking her what was on her mind.

“You’re leaving?” came the question.

Roy nodded. “I have some things I have to take care of.”

“I bet all you soldier types do.” At Roy’s stricken glance Pinako couldn’t help but laugh. “Did you really think I didn’t know? Ed’s been quiet about you since you two first arrived, but I’m pretty good at figuring that boy out.”

“And you didn’t tell anyone?”

“Have I a reason to? You saved that boy’s life, and Ed is as dear to me as a grandson. So I’m simply returning the favour.” Pinako smiled and waved a screwdriver at Roy. “Take care of yourself.”

Roy gave the woman a half-hearted smile. “Thank you. I’ll try to come by again.”

He gave the woman a tilt of his head before he made his way to the door, hoping to sneak by the teenagers so he could make it out to the road. Occupied as they were, Roy needn’t have bothered with the stealth, but it still gave him something fun to do. Despite the thrill that ran through him at escaping unnoticed, Roy knew he had a job he had to do, information he had to discover. It was his only chance to get to the bottom of whatever the hell was going on. He was pretty sure he’d be on his own in the endeavor and he wasn’t that willing to risk lives other than his own. The Brigadier General Envy had warned him not to go digging, but that’s what Roy was going to do.

Because he’d seen the Ishbalans crouching in the shadows on his way out of Resembool, and he was sure they weren’t surrounding the place for a picnic. Roy stepped onto the train heading to Central and settled in his seat, careful not to look out the window. He propped his fist on his chin and waited for the train to start up before he changed his seat, watching the dark-skinned people follow the train as far as the shadows allowed them. Roy’s frown deepened when he noticed the weaponry the Ishbalans carried and wondered why the guns looked so much like the weaponry that the Amestris military used.


“So he’s gone?” Ed asked Pinako when he returned inside with an armload of firewood, frowning when the old woman gave the barest nod, so focused on her work she probably would nod at anything at this point. Ed stacked up the logs by the fireplace and turned to look out in the direction Roy would’ve run off in. Well, it suited Edward just fine that the bastard Colonel was gone. Without his permanent babysitter, he could get some well-deserved rest in and play with Alphonse and Winry to boot. Except, he didn’t feel much like playing. Instead, he needed to talk to Alphonse about Envy and what was going to happen now.

He was pretty positive Winry was going to bully her way into the conversation, so Edward had to devise a plan where he and his brother could be alone. It wouldn’t be simple, because now that he was back, the blonde haired girl would want to be with him until she was satisfied he was okay. For Winry, that could be an hour to a year from now. Ed heaved a sigh and went back outside for another load of wood when he spotted the Ishbalan staring at him from the crest of the hill. Edward froze in his place as the Ishbalan man began to move closer, and perhaps it was a good thing, because the muzzle of that machine gun was aimed right at his chest. Edward was even about to cry out when the Ishbalan simply stopped a good hundred feet away and simply stared at something over Edward’s shoulders.

Ed turned his head to stare at Alphonse who’d frozen just behind his brother, eyes wide at the sight of the armed Ishbalan. Alphonse quickly crossed to Edward and took hold of his arm, hugging the limb to his chest in some sort of claim that the Ishbalan seemed to accept. Then, the man simply turned and walked away.

“Alphonse?”

“Yes, Brother?”

“What in the name of hell was that?”

Alphonse blushed. Edward paled. “That’s not your…”

“No! No, Ed, no!” Alphonse’s blush grew deeper. “I just… I just helped his people while you were away. Brought them supplies and things like that.”

Edward wasn’t sure if the relief came from the fact that the man who’d held a machine gun to his chest wasn’t involved with his little brother or the fact that the man who’d held a machine gun to his chest had been helped by his brother.

In retrospect, neither idea did Edward’s breathing a whole lot of good.

“So, you snuck out of here to give the refugees help,” Edward said slowly, “and you didn’t think they’d come here to get more?”

“I kind of always anticipated it,” Alphonse replied meekly, “but I didn’t think they’d come armed.”

“He obviously did.”

“He’s their leader, I guess. He had an X-shaped scar, right? On his face? He let me go.”

Edward frowned. “You mean he tried to hurt you before?”

Alphonse gave the elder Elric a nervous grin. “Not him.”

Edward didn’t say a word; he just simply stared at his brother for the longest time and let Alphonse squirm under the stare. Finally, Edward heaved a sigh. “So long as you weren’t hurt. I guess they’re still out there, huh?”

“Probably will be for a while. I mean, they’re still being hunted down.” Alphonse said quietly.

“Why?”

“I don’t know… something about a plot or a planned uprising. The Amestris military took over here just after you got dragged to the front lines and they started staging raids into Ishbal.”

“I guess that’s something I’ll have to ask the bastard,” Edward muttered, voice low to keep his brother from overhearing him. But Alphonse heard anyway and gave his brother a questioning stare. “Envy.”

“Envy…? I thought he died…?”

“Apparently not. He’s alive and well as a Brigadier General in the Amestris military. He had one of his subordinates bring me here for safekeeping, I guess.”

Alphonse was silent for a moment. “So what does Envy want?”

“Not a damn clue. Beyond our safety, anyway.”

Alphonse frowned and looked out onto the hills and grasses of Resembool. He knew well enough to keep a secret. He’d kept the Ishbalans a secret for months. He’d kept the secret of Envy for even longer than that. “But… we have to find out why you were taken and I wasn’t, and why the Ishbalans have come here, to Resembool.”

“I think Resembool’s just a pit stop. Sure, some might remain behind to guide their brethren on, but I think the main body of survivors is going to go somewhere else.”

“But we still have to find out why.”

Edward looked at his little brother and gave a smile. “Winry is going to kill us for leaving her behind.”

“We’ll just bring her back presents.” Alphonse said with conviction, returning the smile of his older brother.

“Yeah. Lots of presents.”

“When do we leave?” Alphonse asked, letting go of Edward as the elder blonde moved to pick up more pieces of firewood.

“Tonight, if you want to,” Edward said. “We’ll just have to be quick about it.”

“Tonight then,” Alphonse agreed. He waited until Edward had gone inside with his newest burden before he turned to find that scarred Ishbalan staring at him again. Except the scarred Ishbalan wasn’t there, and Alphonse shivered, knowing he was out there somewhere. He grabbed up a few logs and hurried inside, if only so he could find his brother and start up their packing. They’d have to leave in the dead of night, when Winry was asleep, so she wouldn’t wake up and beat them senseless. Alphonse just hoped that they weren’t hindered by anyone but Winry because he didn’t know how his brother would react to a stranger trying to hurt them anymore.