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Chapter 29

The Blooming Rose

It was frustrating how little they would tell Kate and Gracia about what happened to Maes Hughes and Kate found it difficult to remain calm when people she knew were acquainted with Roy and who knew who she was to him still refused to tell her anything because she wasn't a part of the military. These reminders were not meant to be harsh and she knew that, but they angered her and made her feel like she was helpless and powerless.

She began to realize just how much of a fool she had been when she had first met Roy, she had wanted to help him, to assist him in his climb to the top. But how was she supposed to do that as nothing but a secretary? She had already seen that as a secretary there were going to be many times when she was going to have to be excluded from things and the higher Roy rose the more she was likely to be excluded since she was not enlisted in the military.

She had agreed to protect those that couldn't protect themselves when she had started working for Roy, she had no problem doing that, but she didn't see how someone with no power could actually help the people of Amestris. She could protect them all she wanted, but she didn't see what it would matter if she never knew what was going on and wouldn't be able to actually reach anyone from an outside line to call for help. She was nothing in the grand scheme of things, unimportant, and she would remain that way unless she decided otherwise.

Golden eyes stared straight ahead calmly, taking in the incredibly intimidating sight of Central Command. The walled in compound was enormous and as she strolled towards the stately building that housed not only the military headquarters of Amestris, but also the Fuhrer and his family since this was their actual residence she had to wonder how often people got lost inside. Her heart was fluttering in her chest and her palms were beginning to sweat with each step she took towards Central Command.

When she reached the steps that led up to the building, she stopped for a moment and stared up at the gold and green crest that was so prominently displayed above the set of several doors that would lead into the main lobby.

"Well," she sighed under her breath, letting out a long, slow rush of air to calm her nerves. "Here we go."

Ascending the stairs with even, controlled steps Kate walked through the doors and into the spacious, sparkling clean lobby. Chatter filled the air and footsteps clicked against the tile floors as she headed straight to the main desk in the center of the room. A young man with dark brown hair and brown eyes sat behind the desk. He looked up as Kate stepped up to the desk, taking a deep breath and raising her head high and proud.

The day was clear, the sky was bright and blue with only a few fluffy white clouds that lazily floated along overhead. A cool breeze rustled the green grass, making it ripple and sway like ocean waves. A chill worked its way up Kate's spine as the door to the car that she, Gracia and Elicia had shared opened so that they could step out and into the cemetery where Hughes was to be buried that morning.

Several soldiers had already arrived and stood in lines quietly, their downcast eyes glancing at Gracia and Elicia as the two stepped out of the car first. Kate followed after them after a brief hesitation. When she stepped out of the car her black boots clicked lightly on the ground. Standing up straight, she smoothed her black wool peacoat with her black gloved hands and adjusted it before finally looking up and into the cemetery. Her gold eyes scanned the crowd already gathered and she fidgeted nervously. Following after Gracia and Elicia, her eyes still scanning the crowd, Kate wondered if Roy had already arrived.

When she saw a familiar blond woman standing beside a rigid black haired man she faltered in her steps and when Gracia turned back to her and called her name, she sucked in a shaky breath.

Roy had heard Kate's name and had turned to see where the woman he hadn't seen in days was. He couldn't very well comfort her or even show her any kind of affection given that the function was a military one and it wouldn't have been appropriate. When his eyes met Kate's he tried to offer her a smile, but had a hard time of it. Kate managed a wan smile of her own and lifted her hand to timidly offer a small wave. When the smile faded, she looked down before continuing after Gracia and Elicia. Elicia was lifting one of her small hands towards Kate as she neared them.

She took the hand and gave it a light squeeze. Elicia's other hand was in her mother's and when Kate looked up at the woman, she could see the tears threatening to pour from her eyes. Looking away, Kate silently walked with the two to the open grave of Maes Hughes. They took up position in front of the crowd, opposite the military personnel that had turned out to honor their fallen comrade.

Kate had kept her distance from Roy during the funeral ceremony, not only would it not have been appropriate to go to him, she wasn't sure what to say to him. After helping Gracia and Elicia into a car and assuring them that she would see them later that day, she had turned to see Roy standing over the grave of Maes Hughes by himself. Taking a deep, uncertain breath she slowly walked to him and stepped up beside him. She kept her eyes on the polished stone that bore Hughes's name, just as Roy did as she stepped up to him.

Not knowing what to say she remained silent beside him. For several moments they both simply stood there, side by side, staring at the stone of a man that had been very well loved by everyone who had known him. Hearing footsteps on the grass behind them, Kate looked over her shoulder to smile as best she could despite the situation at Hawkeye.

Hawkeye offered a weak smile of her own. "Colonel, we should be going. It's getting a bit cold and we're expected at Central Command."

"Yeah, we should go," Roy agreed quietly before continuing on almost absently. "Alchemists really are horrible people, First Lieutenant. Right now.. a part of me wants to develop a theory on human transmutation. I can understand now why those boys did what they did."

Kate unintentionally flinched at the mention of her brothers and their attempt to bring their mother back to life using alchemy. The movement caused a soft tinkling sound to emit from beneath her coat. A noise that she hoped Roy hadn't noticed.

"Are you alright, Colonel?" Hawkeye asked, sensing that the man she had served for years was not himself and seeing the hurt in Kate's eyes that she knew he would never have put there intentionally.

"I'm fine." He put his cap that he had been holding by his side back onto his and adjusted the brim of it with more care than was necessary as his eyes were cast into shadow. "..Oh, no. It's raining."

"It's not..." Riza trailed off, she was going to correct him, but upon seeing the tear that slid down his cheek understood what he had wanted. He didn't want anyone to judge him for shedding tears over the death of his friend, he was a soldier and it would have been a sign of weakness.

Kate discreetly took his hand in hers and gave it a loving squeeze. He returned the gesture, wrapping his fingers around her gloved hand and briefly tightening them.

"I'm sorry for what I said," he told her quietly, eyes still on the stone in front of them. "I saw you flinch, I wasn't thinking about what I was saying."

She squeezed his hand once more before letting it go. "It's alright."

Finally turning to look her over in her black slacks and black coat, Roy sighed and cast a quick look around. There were still several people milling around the cemetery and as badly as he wanted to hold Kate, to comfort her because not only did he think that she needed, but he certainly could have used the contact as well.

"It's alright," Kate said quietly, knowing why Roy was looking around. Sniffling, she let her eyes stare down at the ground. She had been trying not to cry all morning, it wasn't that easy. Tears had been flowing from her eyes almost constantly, but she had managed to keep herself from full on crying.

Roy looked Kate over, she looked tired and worn. He had also noticed that she had been trying to avoid direct eye contact as much as possible. He frowned at her, but figured that the past several days had been hard on her.

"I'm going to Central to do some of my own research on Hughes's murder. Would you like a ride back to the Hughes's apartment?" Roy asked.

Kate bit at her lip and shook her head.

"It's a long walk, Kate," Roy pointed out uncertainly.

"I would like to go with you... To Central Command." Her eyes were still on the ground as she spoke.

He seemed unsure of Kate's words and the lack of eye contact. He had the feeling that she was hiding something from him. "What's going on, Kate?"

She chewed on her lips for a few seconds before pulling her hands from her pockets. There was a bulky object in one of her hands now. She looked down at her fist for several moments before meeting Roy's eyes and opening her palm.

Sliding his eyes from Kate's to the glimmering object in her hand, Roy's eyes widened and he blinked at the silver pocket watch she was holding. "Please tell me that's your brother's and he just happened to leave it on accident."

She shook her head. "It's mine, Roy. You should be getting the paperwork when you return to East City. I'll be under your command. It was one of the stipulations of me agreeing to be a State Alchemist."

Despite not being happy about her new job choice, Roy couldn't help but be curious about what she meant about having agreed to be a State Alchemist. Usually interested alchemists would take the exam because they wanted to be a State Alchemist, that meant they had already agreed to being a certified alchemist beforehand. "What do you mean one of the stipulations? Since we're engaged you shouldn't be allowed to work under me."

She fidgeted uncomfortably. "Knowing about Scar and what he's been doing, I know that the number of Alchemists is fairly low. Which means they could use more skilled alchemists. So I refused to become a State Alchemist unless they would allow me to work under you. Given how skilled I was the Fuhrer himself agreed."

There were a few seconds of silence before Roy reached for the pocket watch in Kate's hand and picked it up to get a closer look. There was little point in telling her he wasn't happy with her decision to became tied to the state without even consulting him. Nothing he could do or say was going to change the fact that she was a certified State Alchemist.

"State Alchemist, huh?" He said with a sigh, still studying the silver watch.

"Major Kate Elric reporting for duty, sir," she replied, a weak smile on her face while she offered a quick, neat salute.

"Well, Major, lets get going. We have work to do," Roy said, adjusting his cap and striding off towards the last waiting car. "Oh, and..." He paused in his stroll to turn back towards Kate, a dark glint in his eyes. "You will have a lot of explaining to do once we get back to East Headquarters, got it?"

She chuckled pathetically, but nodded at Roy to say she understood. "Yes, sir," she mumbled, following after her fiance and now superior officer.

Hawkeye shook her head at the couple, a soft smile on her face as she walked alongside Kate to the car that was waiting for them.

"Blooming Rose?" Roy asked, sounding like he was trying not to laugh while he glanced out of the car window.

Kate's eyebrow twitched. "Yes, my second name is the Blooming Rose Alchemist."

"It's nice," Roy said, trying not to laugh as he raised the sheet of paper that proclaimed Kate to be a State Alchemist so it would hide the smirk on his face.

"It may not be very intimidating, oh great Flame Alchemist, but all roses have thorns of some kind," Kate snapped impatiently.

"How did you get the name Blooming Rose?" He asked, figuring a change of subject was wise before Kate attempted to hurt him.

Kate sighed and shrugged. "Organic alchemy has always been easy for me. Don't know why, just like I didn't know why I could just clap my hands to create an alchemical circle... It could also have something to do with how I attacked the Fuhrer.."

"You attacked the Fuhrer?" Roy asked after a moment's pause. He sounded rather amused.

Kate wiggled in her seat and it was her turn to look out of the car window. "Yes, after I trapped all of the examiners in vines of rose bushes created out of the marble, not organic exactly, but you get the idea. He was far more amused than anything else. Said something about my brother and about how small the world was or something."

Roy chuckled. "That's because your brother attacked him too. Ran at him with nothing but a spear and told the Fuhrer to rethink how the examinations are held."

With a snort, she shook her head. "Yeah, I may have said something like that too..."

"You and Ed really are so much alike," Roy observed with a small smile. Folding the sheet of paper she had handed him and placing it back in a crisp envelope, he handed it back to Kate. "What made you become a State Alchemist, Kate?"

"I.. I made a promise," she answered softly, fiddling with the engagement ring on her finger.

"A promise? To who?"

She looked up and smiled. "To you. Remember? I promised to protect anyone I could while you work your way to the top."

"This isn't exactly what I had in mind..."

"I know, but I also know that without the certification I wouldn't have been able to really do much. Being a civilian would have meant I would get left out of a lot, I wouldn't be allowed to know what was going on.. I would have gotten left behind.. I didn't want that, I want to be able to stand beside you through as much as I can. Becoming a State Alchemist was the only way I could do that."

"I can't say that I'm happy, but if this is what you want... then... Welcome aboard, Major Elric."

Kate followed along behind Roy, keeping a respectable distance any time he spoke with someone whose rank didn't allow her to overhear what was being discussed. Central Command had turned out to be a waste of trip. At least in terms of information. All there was was a blood trail from a library room where important documents were kept to the phones and a young woman who was still quite shaken by what she had seen. A bleeding Lieutenant Hughes picking up a receiver before appearing to realize something and leaving the building as quickly as his wounded body would take him.

From Central command they were shown to the phone booth that Hughes had attempted to call Roy from. It was still taped off so no one could go near it and a guard stood on duty to make sure nothing was tampered with. Blood still stained the floor of the booth and was dry and flaking from the lower portion of a window.

Upon seeing the amount of blood, Kate cringed and looked away. She couldn't imagine how hard it had to have been for Roy to see his best friend's blood and to be standing where he had been murdered. It was hard for her to keep tears from filling her eyes, Hughes had been a good man. He did not deserve to die in such a brutal manner.

"Colonel, I've found Major Armstrong for you."

Looking over her shoulder Kate saw Riza approaching with the large major behind her. He looked tired, but there was a hint of eagerness in his eyes. As if he knew something they didn't and wanted to share it.

"Good to see you, Major," Roy greeted professionally. "Why don't we go for a little walk?" He didn't wait for a response and began to casually stroll away from the guarded phone booth.

"What's being done to find Hughes's killer?" He asked when they had retreated away from the booth and were on a lonely stretch of sidewalk.

"His killers have not yet been found. We're doing all we can to search for them," the major replied. "We don't know who they are, but they are being tracked."

Kate was walking along behind the two men, Riza was beside her. She noticed that the blond woman was a bit too close, but figured that the limp that was beginning to make itself noticeable because of her left leg had something to do with that. The air was chill and it was making the connection of her remaining leg to the mechanical one ache. It also didn't help that they had been walking quite a bit, she walked everyday and usually good distances, but with breaks so that her body could rest and not overwork itself.

"They haven't been caught? Why on earth not? Explain yourself," Roy demanded.

They came to a stop, stepping in to an out of the way alley. Kate shivered and stayed near opening where the rest of the world was clearly visible as it went about its daily business. She knew Roy wasn't trying to be rough, he wanted answers and he had to be careful how he got those answers.

"I cannot," the major replied, shaking his head apologetically.

Roy's eyes flickered, something clicked behind their intelligent surface. "As a superior office I am ordering you to explain yourself. If the criminals are being tracked then why haven't they been arrested?"

"I cannot say."

A silence enveloped them in the alley, Roy studying Armstrong with a partial frown that indicated he wasn't happy with the refusal, but that he understood it as well. "Alright, I get it. Thank you for coming out here, you can go."

As he turned, his eyes met Kate's and he paused. Turning back to Roy, he said, "I forgot to mention it, but the Elric brothers were in town up until a few days ago."

"Oh, is that so?" Roy asked.

Both of the men looked at Kate, who blinked and fidgeted under the sudden scrutiny. "Yes, but you already knew that... That's why I came here."

"So, did he find what he was looking for?" Roy asked.

"No, he did not. It's a rare artifact after all," Armstrong answered.

"That's true. Thank you, Major," Roy replied.

The large man nodded and continued on his way.

"Well I take it he's under orders of some higher up to not speak about what happened to Hughes and what it involved, but bringing up my brothers? Is he implying it had to do with the Philosopher's Stone?" Kate inquired stepping closer to Roy.

"I think so. He was quite helpful."

"Helpful?" Riza asked. "He hardly said anything."

"But he managed to say a lot at the same time," Kate said. "He said that they were searching for Hughes's killers, so there's more than one."

"Meaning a group or organization may be to blame," Roy continued. "And by refusing to answer my question, even when I pulled rank, definitely means one of the brass has ordered him to remain silent about whatever events led to Hughes's murder."

"I can try to contact Ed, he may be to tell us what it was he was doing that landed him in the hospital. I never had the chance to ask, I was always a bit distracted either by Hughes or Al's little breakdown. I can leave a message with his teacher in Dublith, it may not reach him for a few days since they're stopping in Rush Valley, but-"

"I think I already have an idea. An abandoned research facility was destroyed the same night Ed landed himself in the hospital. If your brother was there then that facility must have something to do with all of this," Roy said.

"And probably with the Philosopher's Stone, too," Kate sighed.

"It would be dangerous to go investigate there so soon after what has happened," Roy mused. "It might be better to wait until my transfer to Central goes through. Then I can-"

"Transfer to Central?" Kate cut in. "What transfer?"

Roy smirked his devilishly charming yet mischievous smile at her. "It's not official yet, but it won't be long."

She tweaked an eyebrow. "I had forgotten how much of an arrogant ass you could be."

"Well," he piped up with a grin, "Too late to turn back now. You're stuck with me."

"Don't remind me," Kate muttered, rolling her eyes playfully and gazing down the street while trying not to grin at Roy. The grin that threatened to break out on her face was drowned by the need to grimace when a chill breeze worked its way down the alley and into her bones. She shivered and the ache in her leg intensified, she shifted all of her weight to her still whole leg to try and lessen the pain.

"You alright?" Riza asked, stepping up beside the woman and placing a hand on her shoulder to help steady her.

Nodding, Kate offered a forced smile. "Yeah, just a little cold."

"Lets get back to the Hughes's home," Roy suggested. "We'll get your things and then head back to the hotel. We'll be leaving for East City in the morning."

"We will?" Kate inquired. She hadn't been aware they would be returning to East City so soon. She also knew that they would be taking the train, it was the quickest way to the city. That meant that there would several hours with little to do except for her to explain her actions to Roy who was still rather unhappy with her induction into the State Alchemists.

"Yes," Roy replied, smirking when he caught the hesitation in Kate's voice. "The train ride should be interesting, don't you think?"

~A/N~

Sorry about the wait... I'm back in school and don't have much time to write. I've also been having issues with out internet service provider... Anyways, though, hope this chapter was alright. I have plans for this story I just need to get them down on paper. Which is not as easy as it sounds unfortunately...

Thank you for all of the support as always!

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