Ishbal dreams ch4

[okami_hu]

Disclaimer: World & characters are the property of Arakawa Hiromu & Square-ENIX. However, the fic itself belongs to us (kira_k & okami_hu). We have to stress that – sadly – we’re not making any money from this.
Beta: midorigirl
Rating: PG for some psychological warfare
Pairings: none actually


Ishbal Dreams – Speak to me


When a soldier comes running, she knows something is wrong. The list is short, but sounds nasty, and the soldier can't answer any of her questions. So she grabs her things: bandages, painkillers, cleaners and goes to the basement level. The smoke isn't thick, but stays between the walls, and she asks for another alchemist who could refresh the air. There’s a sitting figure next to a door, and she hurries towards him. "Are you all right?"

Scar raises his head and smiles at the girl. "No," he shrugs. "I'm sorry, Rose."

"What happened?" she asks as she starts to check him for injuries. The burning isn't that bad, but it’s quite painful and dangerous. "Give me your dagger, I want to cut away your shirt. It's already ruined and it's less painful like this." She tells him, a little ruder than she intended, but she is worried.

"Here." Scar has no strength to protest. Since that "accident" happened with that Central alchemist... he takes burn wounds worse than anybody else. "After you’ve finished here, gather that bloody Central scum... I think I broke his jaw."

"Another central alchemist?" she asks in a small voice, as she takes the dagger. She works quickly, baring him in moments, and she can't stop herself from admiring his body for a long moment before grabbing the cleaning lotion and a cloth.

"Aaa." Scar grits his teeth. "I was careless. I could..." He hisses. "Tell me that you can fix me with alchemy later. Or if not, knock me out."

"Yes, you were," she nods before stealing a kiss. "And sorry, but I think it's better to clean with hands."

"Then let me get up at least..." Scar closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "I don't want my men to see me like this. It won't do them any good."

"It doesn't do any good for me, seeing you hurt," she answers before standing back. "Go, but I'll finish this today." She smiles at him.

"I... I'll inform the Prince." Scar struggles up and tries not to clamp a hand on his wounds. "Thank you, Rose," he nods to the girl with an honest look.

"Wait!" she pulls out two pills. "Here. Painkillers."

Scar takes them and walks off to find some water. And after that, to tell everything to the Prince.



Roy opens his eyes as gentle fingers touch his face. He sees a young woman with beautiful eyes and a serious expression above him. When he starts to open his mouth to greet her, the pain catches up with him. Now he remembers not to move his jaw – the First Warlord must have broken it with his last punch.

She checks his face for more injuries, and she sighs with relief when she doesn't find anything serious. Scar can be brutal if angered. She sees the man come back and smiles at him. “Welcome to the living. Don't speak; I haven't set your jaw yet.”

Roy allows himself the tiniest nod, acknowledging her warning.

Rose pulls out a faded piece of paper with an array on it. It is an ancient healing array, to knit together the bones. “This'll hurt, but you mustn't move your head!” She puts her hands onto the paper and there is a soft green light around Roy's jaw.

The broken bones arch together; the millimeter-long way seems like a painful eternity to Roy, as he clenches his fingers into a fist but otherwise remains motionless. When they meet, the alchemy allows the two halves to become one again. The light fades and Roy brings up his hand to cup his jaw. It still hurts, but not with the sharp throbbing of broken bones.

Rose bats away his hand and probes his jaw with her own skillful fingers. It knitted together well. “Please, try to speak,” she asks, and pulls away a little.

“Thank you, my lady,” he tells her and smiles. As the bruised skin stretches, it hurts a little – but it’s nothing unbearable, just a reminder of Scar's power.

Rose blushes a little at his tone and smiles, before remembering this man is just a prisoner from Central. She goes back to being all professional. “You still have some black and blue spots, so please, be easy on them. I'll clean these cuts, and re-bandage your ribcage,” she tells him and grabs a cooling lotion, which smells like menthol and some other herbs.

Roy simply endures her ministrations, hissing when she reaches the half-closed cut on his lips, but other than that, he is silent. When his whole face feels like it has been bathed in freezing water he sits up and takes off his shirt.

Rose tightly bandages his ribs, and when she is finished, she puts away her things. Oops, she forgot the painkillers again. She pulls out two pills and puts them into his hand. “If you're feeling worse, please swallow these.”

“Thanks, beautiful lady,” Roy answers with a smile and puts away the pills for later. “I'm sure after another match with the warlord I'll need them...” he says as he buttons his shirt.

Rose's face becomes sad at the reminder. “Don't do this to yourself.”

“It's not me who beats me...” Roy grumbles, and touches his stubble.

“You don't understand, soldier. Scar-san will have his answers. But it'd be better for you if you cooperated,” she explains with complete faith in Scar.

“Possible. But not probable.” Roy shakes his head. It's touching that this nice girl is worried about him, but it won't change his mind. “I'm not about to break my oath, and if it means another broken bone, so be it.”

Rose understands somewhere that Roy is willing to sacrifice his life for his beliefs, but the seemingly inescapable and meaningless loss saddens her. “Don't throw away your life, please.”

“I'm not throwing it away – you are trying to take it away from me.” Roy's anger is in his voice, and as Rose pales he almost regrets his words. But it's the truth, so he just stands up, and steps towards the waiting guards.



The warlord never stops until he reaches the Prince’s chambers. He asks a servant to announce him and when the girl returns, he steps into the main hall.

Maes comes to him and his eyes grow wide at the sight of Scar’s burn wounds. He immediately leads the man further into the room and pushes him down to sit on a bench.

“What happened to you?” the prince asks, concerned. “I thought you wanted to interrogate our prisoner.”

“Quite right, my Lord Prince,” the warlord nods wearily. “I come straight from the prison floor. It turned out that he’s an alchemist.”

Maes gasps lightly but he doesn’t forget about his current task, so he gathers the balms and other medicines and starts to tend his warlord’s injuries.

“How did it go, the questioning?” he asks quietly, and in his heart, dread rises; there are very few people alive who have ever hurt Scar.

“Not too well, my prince.” The warlord winces a little, when the cooling balm touches his skin. “He refused to speak although I was quite harsh with him. His grin… is like a demon’s. It made me… so angry; I nearly lost my mind when he began to insult me. Next time, I’ll kill him.”

“DON’T YOU DARE!!”

Scar pulls back with a painful twitch because the prince hit his arm lightly. “My… Lord?”

“I forbid you to lay a hand on the general!” Maes can’t hold back his anger and worry. “If you hurt him any further, I’ll make sure that you’ll endure the same pain he had to!”

Scar stares at the prince. He saw this expression once… about ten years ago, when he was merely a young lad with a sword and lots of ambition. He had a row with some older soldiers and he angered them so much that one attempted to rape him. Only the young prince saved him, as he happened to pass by. He looked at that soldier the same way, as he shielded the trembling boy from him. Soon enough, the young Scar, who had a name back then, learned why there was that gleam in the prince’s eyes when he looked at him. It lasted until he found Rose.

“My Lord Prince…” he speaks up, voice carefully measured. “You frighten me with that tone. Please, don’t tell me that you… have fallen in love with the foreign general.”

Maes gasps and looks at the warlord like he had hit him in the face. His shoulders slowly sag and he draws his arms around himself as if he were cold. He doesn’t dare to look into the warlord’s eyes.

Scar sighs. “You know very well that this could be a trap. It’s possible that he’s just trying to seduce you.”

“I know,” the prince answers in a small voice.

“You can’t put your country at stake.”

“I know.” The voice is barely audible.

The warlord feels desperate. “If I kill him now, it’ll pass. You’ll be free and you’ll forget him soon. I… I’m willing to help.”

“I don’t doubt that,” Maes finally looks up, smiling fondly. “You were so sweet back then. And you still are, when you can shed that morose expression.”

Scar smiles, despite his best effort. The prince is getting into great danger, when he’s in love, he’s vulnerable. That foreign general can wrap him around his little finger if he wants to, perhaps he could get valuable information out of Maes… the Amestrisian is an alchemist; he could even kill the prince.

“Then, allow me to get rid of him before it’s too late,” the warlord pleads. “Or at least, lock him up on the basement level with the other prisoners.”

Maes sighs deeply. “I… can’t. I crave him, I need him, I want him… so much it hurts. I’m aware of the danger and my soul is torn between desire and duty… I’m perfectly aware that we need the information he could provide us with but at the same time, I can’t bear seeing him be hurt… I’m lost, Scar, so deeply lost in his beauty, his midnight eyes. When I first saw him, it was like an angel’s touch. Forgive me. And please… If I’m about to do something questionable, remind me of my responsibilities. Will you do that?”

Scar sighs deeply. The prince is in love and he can’t do anything about it. “Let it be then, my Lord. I’ll keep an eye on both of you, I swear.”

Maes smiles and surprisingly enough, be bows to his warlord. “Thank you. And now, let me tend to your wounds…”

Scar nods.



Roy's lying in silence, and he sometimes tries to move his jaw. It still hurts, and it's an ugly bluish-purple, but the bone is in one piece again. He still wonders if he was lucky or not with the way the interrogation went.

He has no idea that the Prince stands in front of his door, with shaking hands and trying to decide – whether to knock or just walk away. Finally, concern and worry wins in him over the fear and Maes knocks softly; he doesn't expect an answer though.

Roy does not believe his ears - someone knocked on his cell's door. But to be sure, he calls out, watching the entrance to see if he was hallucinating or not. "Come in."

Maes' heart jumps and he places a shaking hand on the handle, slowly pushing it downwards and peeking into the room. "General Mustang...?" he breathes as his gaze falls on Roy.

Roy glances up, before climbing onto his feet to greet the prince. He smiles and ignores the pain of his bruised skin and jaw. "My prince."

Maes can’t hold himself back, he can't help it, and it’s not his way to do things but... He was so worried! "Please, sit back down!" He steps in, concern clearly written on his face. "How are you feeling?"

Roy sinks back carefully, his defenses a little lower than he'd like it. " I’ve been better, but worse also. I'll live-" he stops abruptly, and turns away his head. Or not, and maybe that's why the prince came.

Maes walks up to him and gently touches his shoulder. "I'm... I'm sorry... I never thought..." Oh, Ishbala, it hurts so much to see his beloved like this...

The lie hurts. Surely the prince knows his own fucking warlord and he knew that Roy won't speak! The prince is not some clueless child, who doesn't live in the real world! Roy shakes off the hand from his shoulder. "Why are you here, Prince Maes?"

"I..." Maes swallows and straightens, forcing his voice to sound clear and humble. "I came here to apologize in the name of my warlord. I never thought he could lose his patience so much. I'm sorry." And he bows his head.

"You once apologized in the name of your soldiers," Roy says "And now in his name. You know... it's almost humorous." But he knows the prince is sincere, that he didn't wish him any harm. And it's a nice gesture. However, the words won't stop the pain, or the Ishbalites the next time...

Snap! This is how Maes' patience gives up and he embraces Roy from behind. He can't stop the tears from coming and he clings to the other man like he was a lifeline. He doesn't want this to continue! He doesn't want Roy to be hurt! But on the other hand, his country is depending on that information the fair general refuses to give out.

Roy is biting his lips against the pain - his ribcage isn't healed yet. He takes one hand into his own, to pry the prince down away from him, and not because he wants to calm him. No way. It's unsettling, that his enemy is this upset over a little beating... "Hey, hey... It's alright," he finds himself saying anyway.

Maes' breath hitches with a sob. He has to say it. He has to ask him. "Roy... I can't prevent them from questioning you. We need the information or we'll suffer great losses and it might end up with us losing the war. Please, Roy... I beg you... Tell them... at least some of what you know...!"

Roy tenses, and he draws his hands back. His eyes are hard as he answers, "I won't be a traitor."

"You don't understand!" Maes hisses painfully. "I can't protect you. Scar will break you and the only thing I can do is watch because my country depends on that information..."

"You don't understand!" Roy's patience has run out. "I'm your enemy. You're my enemy. I won't help you to win this war. I have honor; or did you think that barbarians like me don't know the concept? And Scar is welcome to try and break me. He doesn't have anything left.”

It... hurts. Maes straightens. His head is spinning lightly. He wipes off the tears from his face and bows deeply. "I'm sorry," he whispers. "I won't ask you things like this again." His heart feels like it would crumble to tiny pieces as he walks to the door.

Roy stares at the distressed prince's back before standing up and leaning against the door, effectively trapping Maes inside the room. He wants to see the reactions in those burgundy eyes to his words. "I'm sorry, but we stand on different sides."

The prince lowers his head and looks away. "I forgot that. It... won't happen again, I promise. If you'll excuse me now..." He wants to get away, to curl up on his bed and cry, maybe drink himself unconscious but he can't stand it anymore, that accusing glance...

Roy is quite comfortable against the door. He smiles a little, trying to comfort the prince, before he remembers it should be in the other way. The anger is still there, but there is an odd curiosity in his voice now. "Which is more disturbing? That I may break under your Scar's fist and arrays, or that I may not?"

"I don't want you to endure Scar's treatment." Maes still refuses to look at Roy. Strange coldness washes over him and he can think clearer now and his voice doesn't shake either. "He can be very persuasive. He's an old hand concerning the act of interrogation, despite his age..."

The worrying makes him warm all over, and he can't help it, he lets his anger go. "Despite his age?" Roy blinks. He didn't consider the warlord young. "And, as I already said... he can try. Sooner or later he'll realize that I'm not easy to break."

"He has seen more battles, suffering and pain in his twenty-five years than I have in my thirty." Maes smiles sadly. "That scar... He got it from a Central Alchemist. His hair turned white when his family was slaughtered... he hates you." The prince sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "But he won't kill you. You're too valuable to us. But he already broke your jaw and I'm not sure he'll stop there."

"Well, I prefer the broken jaw to rape," Roy murmurs more to himself than the prince as he gingerly touches the bruise. It hurts, but it'll pass. He smirks, (because grinning is painful) as he thinks about the age factor. "I don't think he'll change his opinion of me if I mention to him that I'm his senior? Or that I probably know his previous offender?"

"Definitely not," Maes nods. He feels a little better now that Roy's mood has lightened some. A sudden thought crosses his mind and he looks at the fair man. "Are you feeling well enough to learn? You wanted me to teach Ishbalian to you."

"Sure, if you don't have any more pressing things to do," he nods, surprised. He almost forgot about his request, even though it was only this morning. There is one more thing he needs to know. "When is my next appointment with your warlord?" he asks with only a hint of bitterness.

"I don't know…" Maes shakes his head regretfully. "Maybe tomorrow, maybe when his wounds are healed completely... in three days perhaps." He walks back to the bed and sits down. "Shall we begin...?" He wants to forget about everything and simply enjoy the time spent with his beloved.

"Of course." Roy sits next to the prince, waiting for the lesson and noticing just now how Maes' clothes cling to his body. He tears his glance away from the shoulders and chest, and stares into the burgundy eyes. Now the prince shouldn't avoid the contact, but who knows what goes on in his mind...

"Do you want to learn our writing as well?" The prince is calm, he's used to the teacher's role and won't let anything divert his thoughts, even if it's damn hard to resist...

Roy wants to answer something witty with enough free time, but changes his mind and just nods. The prince could probably snap out of this mood and try to leave again. And Roy needs him, here, to ease his loneliness. This is a weakness that no-one should know, and he tries to fight against it from time to time, without much success. He stops thinking and listens to Maes.

The Ishbalite grabs paper and a pen and starts to write down the letters of the Ishbal ABC. His hands move gracefully. "These are syllables actually. This here is "ba", this is "da", and so on."

Roy listens, his fingers following the symbols. When he accidentally touches Maes’ hand, he freezes. It's awkward. Not the way it was (bold), nor how it should be (hostile). Roy is insecure - was he only a body to fill the gap between two lovers or was it something more?

Maes notices the touch - it's hard not to. The urge to cuddle the other man close is strong but he fights it off. He knows he shouldn't do this. They're enemies. Roy won't return his feelings so it's pointless to torture himself by being gentle and lighting the flames of passion again...

When the prince's hand continues its course, Roy is disappointed. This wasn't unexpected, but he dared to hope... He murmurs to himself "gap filling" and smiles bitterly as he withdraws his hand. He asks a question about the drawing of a syllable, just to show he’s listening and awake, and forces his mind to learn, just learn and do nothing else.

Maes answers kindly first; then, he ventures to ask back, "What did you just say...? I couldn't hear it." He keeps his tone calm and gently inquiring.

"Nothing important, your highness," the polite answer comes. Roy doesn't want to compromise himself more than he already is. He still has his pride.

Maes nods and continues his explanation.

This is his worst class ever.

Comments

[the-aki.livejournal.com]

DAMN,now im not only in love with hughes and roy,im now in love with u!!!I love ur fanfic!!

[okami-hu.livejournal.com]

Don't hope too much though... I'm extremely picky when it comes to girls. XD But thank you for the comment, it feels nice to know, that some people actually read this fic.

[the-aki.livejournal.com]

well,honestly i think theres alot of people who read the fanfics but they're just too shy to comment*XDD!!who said taht im a girl??XDD

[okami-hu.livejournal.com]

You, in that long survey.

[lenihanfighter.livejournal.com]

*giggles* About being in love with the author... that should be being in love with two authors, right? I suppose people tend to forget that Kíra worked on this as well.

Hmm... grammar wasn't all that bad as the warning suggested. A few typos and some obvious mistakes was all I saw. And I'm so glad I have access to the internet again. Oo We had some problems with it after dinner, and I could sign in on MSN, but internet explorer didn't work. And I just wanted to read the next chapter!

*sighs* Poor Hughes... Poor Roy... Both in love and yet they can't have each other. It's not going to be like Romeo and Juliet, right? A pair of star-crossed lovers take their life That both Hughes and Roy have to die to end the war... it's not going to be like that, right? Happy ending?

Anyway, the masterly sentence of this chapter was: Roy is quite comfortable on the door. XDDD I like that description. The cutest scene was when Hughes and Scar were alone, however.
Scar sighs. “You know very well, that this could be a trap. It’s possible, that he’s just trying to seduce you.”
“I know” the prince answers on a small voice.
“You can’t put your country at stake.”
“I know.” The voice is barely audible.
That was SO cute. Oo I can really imagine Hughes sitting here, curled up like a little child... and with Scar bulking over him while he tries to protect his prince... I'm so in love with this AU. Next chapter! ^_^

[okami-hu.livejournal.com]

Rest assured, we aim for an incredibly sweet and happy ending... There will be hard moments, blood, sweat and tears but it'll all wotk out in the end. XD I hope, I'm not spoiling the fun now...

And I LOVE Hughes and Scar together...! They're too cute for words! Scar is really a good character here. Te took his family's death a little easier... And he's not that bent on revenge. Maybe because Maes was there to love him.

[lenihanfighter.livejournal.com]

Incredibly sweet ending? *laughs* I hope I won't die of an overdose sugar then. Nah, probably not. I love incredibly sweet, happy endings. ^^ Especially if all those other moments you promised come true. ;)