Logic of a Child

Chapter 8: The Awakening

by: IMBSA

IMBSA: Well, the last planned chapter is at hand. Please. Save the sobbing and the blubbering for later. I don't really feel like getting drowned today. We had enough rain with Dennis. (Yet miraculously the Internet still works. :knocks on wood: )

Disclaimer: "Three things happen when you get old. First your memory goes, then…um…um.…"

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Alphonse sat at the desk in the room. He was very worried about Winry's condition. Maybe it lasts longer than we thought? Alphonse opened up the journal he had started after the lettuce incident. Much of his time was taken up carefully studying the lettuce since the mere sight of him sent the girls into a paranoid state. He thought it useful to be writing down observations and note any changes. Today would not be any different, would it? He secretly hoped it would. The closet smelled funny and it was a bit cramped for someone of his size, yet that was the only place he could be confined and still observe the effects. Al unwrapped the towel and looked at the incriminating head of lettuce. It looked just like it did prior to the experiment, except much of it was chopped into bite sized pieces. The green leaves still looked relatively fresh for day old, chopped lettuce. Maybe that was a good sign.

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Edward Elric slept soundly for the most part. He turned over, with some difficulty. Something was heavy on the top of his covers, Alphonse must be sitting on the bed again. He's always sitting there. As if I wouldn't notice. He weighs so much more than he thinks. But hey, it's not like I can tell him to lose weight or anything. He peeked through one eye. Oh. It's only Winry…and I thought Al weighed this much. He paused. Ed opened both of his eyes this time being nose to nose with the unmistakable, full sized Winry Rockbell, who slumbered closely at his side. A smile was on her face that didn't quite match up with the panic that was on his. "Winry!" he shouted in surprise. Her blue eyes opened to take in an extreme close up of Ed's face as they shared a pillow beneath their heads.

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Roy Mustang had to come up with a plan, just in case. He mentally rehearsed what he would tell the men at another impromptu meeting if Hawkeye's condition was unchanged from yesterday's state. He needed his coffee and so he left the office to put some water in the percolator.

The 1st Lieutenant opened her eyes from her happy dream. She was suddenly aware that she wasn't at home but in the Colonel's office. Isn't it morning? What am I doing here? She sat up and looked at her uniform. It was very wrinkled and had some stains on the sleeves and front. She sniffed them to see if the smell would possibly generate some memory of a time and place. Strawberries? Wait. I wouldn't come into work with a uniform looking like this. God, it's so wrinkled it looks like I….slept in it. Sheer panic ran through her bones. She vaguely remembered a party. She looked around the room and saw a high ball glass on the coffee table. She picked it up. It reeked of bourbon. Oh no….Did the unthinkable happen? Maybe I just fell asleep here alone. Yeah, I fell asleep here alone, trying to catch up on some work….Don't panic Riza… But if the Colonel comes in (he's usually not in this early, is he?) then maybe it would be safe (gulp? would that necessarily be safe?) to assume that… Her thoughts were interrupted by Roy who was setting up the coffee maker. She stood up and watched him momentarily. She didn't know what to say. Roy turned to see Riza, hair slightly disheveled, uniform definitely not as crisp as usual, with a confused look in her eyes.

"Lt. Hawkeye," he said almost breathlessly, quite shocked but in any case elated to see his 1st lieutenant had returned. "Did you sleep well?" he asked. The question caught her quite by surprise.

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Ed jumped out of bed, precariously balancing on one foot. Noting he only had his boxers on, he quickly grabbed up the sheet and blanket with his automail arm and held it in front of him like someone who was rudely interrupted while drying off from a bath. But as he did so the force caused Winry to flip off the top of the bed and land on the floor below on the opposite side. THUMP! He was still forced to balance himself. A futile effort as turned out to be.

Hearing the ruckus, Alphonse turned around to see Ed, still holding on to the sheet and blanket, checking the condition of the fallen Winry. The older brother was also babbling almost incoherently. "Winry, don't make any assumptions! Nothing happened! We didn't—please—" He was cut off when a wrench came flying at his head, knocking him to the ground.

"WHAT THE HELL!" Winry screamed as Ed used the bed post to help him get up. "What happened? If both of you are in this together, someone's gonna get dismantled!" She gestured to both of them, brandishing another wrench threateningly.

"I already have been!" Ed yelled back. Another wrench soared past his ear.

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!" She turned to the hulking metal giant in the corner. "AL! What does he mean?"

A thoroughly terrified Al answered, "Winry, don't get mad, okay?" He asked, hands ready to deflect anything that might have flown through the air at him. "But you really did dismantle his foot!" He cringed, anticipating Winry's wrath.

"What, but—" She turned toward Ed. "Why didn't you use alchemy to fix it?"

"I couldn't because you hid all the parts when you were…..like-like four-years-old!" Ed yelled back and then immediately cursed himself for letting slip that little detail.

"What-? Are you saying I was acting like a child?" Winry asked.

There was a pause as both Elric brothers looked at each other and then both said, "Well, yeah…" both winced. Alphonse still had his hands up, ready to block a flying wrench, Ed crouched by the bed. He peeked at her, trying not to be conspicuous. But his antic was met by another one of Winry's soaring tools.

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Riza sat down on the couch pondering her predicament, as Roy set up a coffee cup and prepared a cup of tea. She happened to realize that her holsters were missing. My pistols! They're gone! She felt her back and looked at her waist making sure she was not mistaken. Then she cleared her throat nervously,

"(Ahem) Sir….do you….know where my pistols are?" Roy walked over to his desk. He opened one of his drawers and took out some very familiar looking holsters.

His mind churned in conflict. Disclosing too much might be detrimental to the state of things. How much does she remember? Does she recall anything from yesterday? She seems confused. He found that worrisome

"I put them in here for safe keeping because," he paused searching for the right words, "I thought they would get in the way."

"I see," she said, assuming the worse. It would be like him to think they would get in the way and disarm me! Roy cautiously picked up her packed holsters from the drawer and then thought better of that idea. Suppose she doesn't remember who I am and takes aim at me? That would not be good… Of course, the 1st Lieutenant would feel quite lost without her pistols. He left them on his desk and brought her a cup of tea.

"Here you go….Lieutenant Hawkeye," he said with a smile and handed her a cup. She smiled nervously back for a second and placed it down on the table. She seemed to be preoccupied with the high ball glass that was very visible on the tabletop. Roy sat across from Riza and noticed her distraction. "That was from yesterday," he began, "we sort of had a….a party," he stated, still unsure of how much information he really needed to tell her. Suddenly the door flew open; Maes Hughes was on the other side.

He looked at Riza, taken aback by her appearance, but seemed happy to see her, "Lieutenant Hawkeye, you're awake! Wow! Did you sleep well?" Maes asked.

Oh-no….Why is he asking about how I slept? Does he know what happened too? What a disastrous situation! How many people know about this? She nodded tensely and crossed her arms, as though giving herself a hug.

"First Lieutenant, you take your tea with sugar, correct?" Roy asked.

"Uhm…yes, actually I do," she replied trying to wipe away the wrinkles on her jacket.

"Maes, could you get that sugar bowl for the Lieutenant, please," Roy asked.

Lt. Col. Hughes smiled as he approached her, "Don't mind if I do," he obliged, holding out the sugar bowl to Riza, who could not help but notice his bright pink nails. She took the bowl from the grinning man and placed it by her cup on the table. "That was some party last night!" Hughes said, maniacally smiling.

"P-party, sir!" Riza's voice broke and shivered.

"Yeah, it started over here and carried over to Lt. Col. Hughes' house," Roy explained.

"And Gracia was…OK with that?" Riza asked, obviously trying to fit events together. Good, she mentioned Gracia and connected her with Hughes, that's a good sign, Roy thought

"Oh yeah! It was an all nighter…or just about anyway! Wild stuff—fun stuff!" Maes enthusiastically explained with a glimmer in his eye.

What the hell did we do? Wild? Fun? Party…? Pink fingernails? Riza shifted uncomfortably on the couch.

"We brought you back here," Maes grinned.

"So I…I never went home?" she asked, unsure if she wanted to know the answer to that question.

"Heavens no.…We couldn't leave you at home in your condition," Maes stated matter of factly. She suddenly felt very warm under her collar.

"Sir, may I… be excused?" Riza asked; she was very pale.

"Of course, Lieutenant," Roy replied, with concern in his voice.

"Thank you, sir," she said and left the room.

Trying desperately to comprehend what happened, Riza made her way to the ladies room and met up with Breda, Havoc and Fury as they came in for the day.

"Lt. Hawkeye," Havoc announced. All three men stopped and saluted her. Havoc's face crumpled, noticing her unusually disheveled appearance, "Did you spend the night here, Lieutenant?" Havoc asked. Riza shook her head, said nothing and quickly made her way to the ladies' room.

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Winry sat on the floor of Ed's room. An obvious frustration made Alphonse ask, "Winry, do remember taking Ed's foot apart?" She was quiet, and obsessed with far away thoughts.

She bit her index finger then said, "I think so….Your foot…The parts are in Ed's other boot in the closet," Winry stated suddenly, as if just coming to a realization. Alphonse stood up and walked to the closet for Ed's boot. Sure enough the missing pieces were deep in the boot's toe. As Alphonse carried the boot to her, his huge, alarming presence sent a shiver down her spine, especially the view of Al from where she sat. For a second, Alphonse saw a flash of the four year old Winry staring up at him.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Oh—no, Al….I was just reminded of something, that's all," she replied smiling.

"Well, how about it Winry…Do you think you can fix my foot, now?" Ed asked with the bed sheet and blanket wrapped around him like a toga.

"Of course I can, silly," she told him, picking up her tools from the ground.

"I'm so glad you're here….Seriously, Winry, I really am," Ed stated with relief.

"Well, you can't let curious little kids dismantle things they have no knowledge of, Ed," Winry stated as she opened up the tool box and began her work. Ed smiled and Alphonse began an entry in the journal.

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Finally, the coffee was finished. Roy and Maes thought they could both use a cup of java.

"The Lieutenant was acting pretty strange this morning wasn't she?" Roy remarked as he stirred his coffee.

"Well, yeah, but given the circumstances…I guess anyone would feel out of sorts to spend a day reverted to a child and come back again. She was pretty spooked. You think it could have been my pretty fingernails?" Maes concluded trying to ease the tension with humor, looking at his nails thoughtfully and smiled. "Gracia ran out of nail polish remover," Roy smirked at Maes who was trying to scrape off the pink artificial coloring on his thumb, "Really, she did. The girls decided to play beauty salon last night. They were so precious giving me a make over. You should have been there."

"Ah…No…thank you. I was fine being excruciatingly worried about them in the privacy of my own home," Roy laughed momentarily. But then his voice took on a more serious tone. "I wish I knew what was going on in her head," Roy pondered, "Do you think she has any memory of what happened yesterday?"

"I don't know…I guess we could ask her….Or Winry…I wonder if she reverted back too," Maes thought out loud

"Yes, call Gracia and ask her if Winry turned—"

"I don't need to call Gracia. We just need to talk to Ed," Maes interrupted.

"Ed? As in Elric?...No, Maes…Don't tell me that you?...No…No, that's against policy!" Roy almost choked on his coffee realizing what Maes had done.

"Who's policy? Mine? Yours? Or the military's? Yeah, she's with Ed what did you expect me to do? Ed would NEVER forgive me if I left her with you. Besides, I thought it was necessary to observe any side effects or what have you from the experiment, and to do that she had to be here. It was all in the name of science…or alchemy, which ever you prefer."

Roy knew Maes was right. Whether he liked to admit it or not, they had inadvertently made Winry an unwilling part of an experiment and that meant that he had done the same to Riza. He had to know what happened to both subjects. The men left the room to Edward Elric's quarters.

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There was an urgent knock at Ed's door.

"Alright, alright! Hold your horses," Ed exclaimed as he opened the door. "Oh it's you, Mustang!" Ed still had his sheets wrapped around him like a toga.

Roy gave Fullmetal a quick once over, "Are you trying to start a new fashion trend?" Roy asked. Maes elbowed Roy, "Where's Winry?" Roy continued.

"I'm right here," she chimed in. She was a sight for sore eyes. "I was just putting some finishing touches on Ed's foot…Rumor has it some lispy four year old took it apart and hid some of the pieces," she disclosed jokingly.

"She seems to remember most of the things that happened yesterday, sir" Alphonse reported, journal in hand.

"Mr. Hughes, thanks for the great party. I haven't done something like that in a long time," Winry remarked.

"I really loved my make-over, but…well, you understand," Maes commented touching the top of his head, still sporting his polished nails.

"Oh Colonel," Winry added, apologetic look on her face, "could you possibly tell Lt. Havoc, Warrant Officer Falman, and Lt Breda that I'm….I'm so-o sorry?"

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Riza washed her face in the sink, hoping the cold water would somehow erase the events that occurred the night before. She remembered flashes of a party or two. But somehow sleeping on the Colonel's couch, and any sordid events that took place there, seemed non-existent. I must have been really, really drunk. How could I let this happen? And the Colonel's acting as if nothing…Riza could not go on thinking or feeling that way. She took a very deep breath. Then tried to clean off some of the strawberry stains from the sleeve and front of her jacket. Riza took her hair down, combed through it with her fingers and tidied up her tresses. She let out a sigh and opened the restroom door.

She walked towards the office and was greeted by Master Sergeant Fury who sheepishly asked, "Are you feeling alright, Lieutenant?" Riza was at a loss for words.

Finally she sputtered, "Uh—y-yeah, kinda," she managed a weak grin and continued towards the office.

"With all the fun we had yesterday, I'm sure there maybe some residual effects, ma'am," Breda said with a sly grin.

"Yes, Lieutenant….I believe you owe me a cigarette, ma'am," Havoc stated with a smile.

"What do you—" Riza began, but then stopped. A flash of something came back, of her standing on a desk, holding Havoc's cigarette up and taunting him with it. 'Oh God, I was flirting with him!'

The door opened and the group turned as one to see Roy and Maes walk in. Riza looked quite like a deer in the headlights. "Sir," she saluted, voice breaking once again on the word as the others stood and followed her example (minus the embarrassing vocal acrobatics).

"At ease." Roy answered. "Lieutenant Hawkeye, I need to see you and Hughes in my office."

Riza eyes widened imperceptively. "Yes sir." She answered.

When the three were safely behind the closed door of Roy's office, Roy asked, "What do you remember?"

Wondering exactly what he was fishing for, Riza replied hesitantly, earnestly trying to fit bits and pieces together,"Well….I remember there were…two parties….One at Lt. Col. Hughes's house….It was…in a bedroom…and I was…." She gave Maes an incredulous look, pointing at him slightly accusingly, "Playing with your hair?" She noticed Roy's increased attention at that.

"Played with his hair?" He repeated, seemingly enviously.

"But I wasn't…the only girl there…." She put her hands to her mouth. "What happened last night?" She was almost in hysterics. "What did we drink?"

Roy and Maes exchanged confused looks. "We didn't drink anything." The Colonel answered.

"Didn't—" That seemed to distress her even more. She was covering her face completely in her hands now, and seemed on the verge of tears. "It's worse than I thought!" She wailed like a child. THAT alarmed the men. She peeked above her fingertips at them. "Did I really do all that? Play with your hair?"

"Yeah," Maes answered casually for the situation.

"Tease Havoc with his cigarette?... That I stood on his desk?"

"Uh….Yeah…." Roy answered.

She let out another despaired wail and recovered her face. "What possessed me to do all that!"

Maes and Roy shared even more startled looks than before.

"Uh, do you remember eating a salad?" Roy asked tentatively.

"Um….Um….I don't know….I…think so, around the same time yesterday…."

"Well….That lettuce….It was….Let's not go there…."

Riza looked up at them from the cage her hands made around her face. "No! Tell me! What happened?"

"There was…." Roy sighed, unable to go on, So Maes broke out his pictures.

She took the one he offered her and stare at it for a moment. Her eyes widened. "What!"

"That's why you were playing with my hair….You guys wanted to play beauty salon and give me a makeover." Maes wiggled his nails in front of her to emphasize.

Riza put a reassuring palm to her forehead. "So….I was a little girl?"

"Pretty much." Roy answered with a nod. "But if you ask Breda, Havoc, or Falman…they might call you…a…four-year-old hellion….Or a harpy."

The word brought back a slight memory, one of her hanging from a certain yellow part of a certain 2nd Lieutenant's uniform. She smiled slightly.

"Do you remember a water pistol?" Roy asked.

"A black one…." Riza replied, faint smile once again forming on her lips.

"You gave her a water pistol?" Maes asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Not within the confines of an office! That's an outdoor toy!"

"Oh."

Maes's remark about the confines of an office brought back an earlier point. Riza frowned. "So….I…didn't…spend the night wi—here?"

"No." The men answered simultaneously.

She sighed in relief. "Oh, OK. That's good. Th-that's really good." She repeated as if to reassure herself that nothing disreputable happened between herself and her superior officer upon the couch she woke up on.

"Why?" Roy asked.

"Nothing." She answered. There was still a slight tremor to her voice, but she slowly yet surely seemed to be regaining her composure.

Something clicked in Roy's mind. At the risk of being presumptuous, he asked, "You didn't think we—"

Knowing exactly what he was going to ask her this time, she shook her head quickly, praying he couldn't see through her little white lie. "No, of course not, sir." Out of the corner of her eye she saw Maes raise his eyebrows, the beginnings of a smirk on his face. She silently promised painful retribution if he even so much as thought about bringing it up.

Slowly, so slowly, her memories of the previous day returned and she was no longer the panicked, half-crazed woman she was when she had awoken. She colored slightly when she thought of her behavior (especially the close proximity she kept instigating with the Colonel), but for the most part, she accepted what had happened.

Once Maes had helped with Roy's explanation and was sure that the day would progress as normal—or as normal as a day ever was with Mustang's raggle-taggle band of freaks—he left to return to the work he had missed the day before.

Riza settled back into the chair at her desk as the door closed behind the Lt. Col. "So, sir, how much paperwork did you manage to finish yesterday while I was…'away'?"

"All of it, actually." She gave him a disbelieving look. He swept his hands in a 'See for yourself'' gesture at the wood before him, and lo and behold, it seemed to be clear of everything except the paperwork that had arrived that very morning. Riza sighed and looked at the mountainous heap of documents that were piled on her desk. "You know, I think we could scale up that and claim it as Mt. Amestris, what do you think?"

"I'm not catching you if you fall to your death, sir." She dead-panned.

"Why don't I help you scale it down, then?" She looked up as sunlight seemed to pour down on her due to the amount of paper he had removed. Her eyes widened slightly.

"I can get it, sir." She told him.

"Hawkeye, let me help you for once." He smirked. "It's a one time thing though, so you'd best take advantage of it."

She nodded. "Yes sir. Thank you sir." However, that simple phrase did not seem to be enough. So as he walked back to her desk for another stack, uncharacteristic streak of diligence seemingly undaunted, she quickly grabbed his wrist to prevent him from leaving. He looked at her, slightly surprised. "Thank you….For everything…Uncle Roy." She released him from her grip.

Roy couldn't help the crazy grin that spread across his face as he walked back to his desk.

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IMBSA: If you guys were wondering why it took Riza a longer time to regain her memories, you gotta remember that she's around 11 years older than Winry. She's got 21 years worth of fog to cut through while Winry's got half that to sort out. And if the EdWin or Royai wasn't enough for you guys, sorry. That's as far as it goes in this fic. This is the last planned chapter, and even if you do review and beg for another one, we can't promise you anything. But one reviewer's comment intrigued me, and I might be persuaded to do a sequel if we finish all the projects we've already got on our plate, but once again, no promises on that. Thank you all for the support and the kind reviews. You guys really made my day! Thank you, so much! Y'ALL ROCK!

The Celestial Tiger: My dad never let me do that. Guess he had some shred of dignity. That must mean my mom didn't because she used to let me do that. Not dad though. I'm glad the tribute was good!

AnimeFreaks13: Uh-oh, was I not supposed to say that? O.O Sorry if I spoiled anything for you. Coffee? I don't like it much either, so I guess it's all right. Instant humans! Just add coffee.

Presea Combatir: I want to see the movie too! (Who doesn't?) I also want to see the episodes first too, but since school is gonna be starting up when the new episodes are on, I might have to just beg my lil bro to give me the tapes of it he gets. Rorouni Kenshin? I love Aoshi! I'm sorry….That reason is one of them. The other's just because it's damn funny. Thank you. Any mistakes in spelling or whatever really irk me. My parents say I'm anal, but my story is I'm organized…though looking at my room…. :laughs nervously:

IceWitch101: I'm sure you'll find a way….I want my cookie, so you better find a way. I'm sure there's a virtual cookie out there in cyberspace….Though it may be a bit moldy and green and crap….

Tsunamimbw: You do, you really do.

Kyia Star: Maybe they did, but the question is, "Which do you prefer?"

Sanji: We're just slick like that. We've also got wire taps on all the lines in your house, so resistance is futile.

Tsunade-chan: :hugs Hughes plushie to chest: NOOOOOO! MY PLUSHIE! GET YOUR OWN::hisses: We thought it would be better if Winry was the one who had a lisp instead of Riza. It was somehow…just cuter on her than the Lieutenant.

Runa: I have my inklings about the end of the series, so I'm not completely oblivious (though some beg to differ). Thanks for the offer, but no thank you. I have my reservations about downloading things from the Internet. I've gotten viruses and stuff, so I'm still wary. Thank you, again.

crazyanimefreak15: I thought all that made a cute picture….

invisible johnny: I know, right? It's the same problem I have with everything. Once, I was watching this movie and there was this one guy who was really cute, and I said as much to my mom. The moment the words were out of my mouth, his head got hacked off and he died. It sucked. In everything I'm writing (but not posting) everyone gets all pissy at Envy and it's like my therapy. I'm glad you liked the tribute, you especially since you're one of my favorite R&R'ers.

DojomistressAmbyChan: Thank you for the suggestion, but as you can see, we've got it. I always like innovative readers, though, so it's not a problem.

cadydid: We didn't understand it either, but the Fuhrer's got his reasons….Well, Riza wasn't there, Roy's holding a miniature version of her like she's glass and about to break. I mean, I'd probably think the same thing too. Besides, you know that's what'll happen in a couple of years….

Apparition7: Well my hope for him coming back has been successfully killed. And it's strange. I loved him alive and I hated it that he died, but I almost feel like it would be an insult to his character if he somehow inexplicably came back to life. His death has endeared him even more to us, has made him that much more beloved than before. And sometimes I think he is perfect laid to rest as he is. Then the insane part takes over and screams, "Are you kidding me? You crazy, man?" NAd that philosophical mood fades away….

Winry the Alchemist: You don't know how proud it made us feel to see the quotes from the fic on your profile, displayed for all to see. It really gave my self-esteem a boost, and truth be told, I really needed it then. Thanks so much! Sorry it almost made you cry, but hey, we suffer for our loves, don't we?

C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only: I'm not sure if you got my e-mail or not, so I'll reply here anyway. I'd be happy to help with a fic that you write, as long as I get specifics and details and what not. Just e-mail me, and we'll be good to go.

Aquabubble/SwordmasterKevin: I thought you had a perfectly wonderful SN, why did you go changing it?

aNiMe-AzN-aNgEl: :scuffs foot on floor: Well garn….We all just love Maes, judging from all the responses we've received about him. But thank you for the compliments. He would just be that nice to let them do that. You know he would.

Everto Angelus: Yes, the dimwits thought that Riza was actually their daughter since she looks so much like her and Roy was the one carrying her. Of course their petty minds jumped to conclusions. Well we're together in our indecision….Maybe….Good to hear that we're doing a god job. (Though I do have to admit that soda is probably more addicting than this crap we're turning out.) I'm sorry it made you cry….Want tissue::holds box of Kleenex out. bursts into laughter as she reads the insult towards Envy: ROTFLMFAO!

Maylin-chan: It's OK, you're here now. Oh, believe me, he doesn't need your sympathy. I'm not being cruel it's just true.

Alchemist Jade: Chibis make it all better, don't they? We have trouble stopping ourselves from trying to hug her whenever she opens her mouth too. :blinks at puppy dog eyes: Actually that only works for her on Roy and Fury. And since I happen to be neither, that won't work. But I'll update anyway. So be happy!

Kirusuchinu-sama: It's disturbing, but funny somehow at the same time.

NNNNN: O.o Er….I wouldn't do that to Teddy-sama. Thanks though.

Kagetsukai-Fox: It's OK, as long as you're reading it now, right? We tried to fit them into the patterns of behavior of children we saw, yet be true to what we saw as the child-like versions of themselves. But yes, we make Riza a little more of a brat than usual. I can't say that I've had that problem with the kids I babysit, but my mom says that she knows "only all too well" that that can happen.

To Mutsu Okato, xeledhwenx, candidus-lupus-full Moon, My Dream's Shadow, Selene12, and winXed4eva, thank you for your kind reviews.

Additional thanks to everyone who has read/reviewed during the course of this story. You helped with the warm fuzzies and they're— :gets cut off by a series of yipping noises and looks down at a multitude of fuzzies on leashes tied to her wrist as they bark up her leg reminiscent of little puppies: Oh hush. :they calm down: Anyway, as I was saying, I now have new pets that I would be happy to give away for free. :they growl at her. she growls back and they cower: I think they've been with me too long. They're starting to take after me now. :sighs: Oh well. Thanks once again! Byeses!