Flamed Out (Roy Mustang X Oc)

Chapter 29 (revised)

I smiled at her and then glanced at the four guys behind us. None of them stood up or looked at me.

"Uh-" I turned back to Winry. "I'll be escorting you to Briggs. Um, sorry, give me a second." I walked towards the men.

"Major Devlin." I spoke to them. "I'm the state alchemist Kimblee requested. I assume you're the men he requested?" None of them spoke, none of them even really looked at me. "Um.. okay."

I sat down, putting my heavy Briggs coat next to me and looking out the window. I could feel Winry's eyes on me.

"Um, Major?"

"Hm?" I turned to her.

She gestured behind us. "Who are the men sitting behind us?"

I took a breath. "Uh, they're coming with us to Briggs."

I looked out the window again and the train started moving. There was this dull ache in my chest and I felt lonely. And then my mind drifted back to Bradley, I disliked him before but now? Now I hated him.

He had moms brooch.. could it have been him?

No.. there's no way. He's 'leading' the country. There's no way he could've left to murder my mom.. so then, who?

Envy? The one who attacked me? Hmm... There's just no way of knowing.

Ugh! I hate not knowing!

How unlucky of me to get recruited and sent back North at a time like this. I want to be at home, with Roy and my bed.

And I'd have to explain to Armstrong and the others why I was demoted and discharged.

"Major?" Winry's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

I looked at her.

"Can I ask you a question?"

I nodded. "Go ahead."

She fidgeted with her hands. "Ed told me you served with my parents-"

My heart sank as she spoke. Not exactly a question but- "Yes, I did. I wasn't with them when they were attacked, I had been sent to the city." I looked at her. "They were good people, hard workers, and they helped a lot of people. I am grateful that I had the opportunity to work with them."

She kept her eyes on the ground, this sad look in her eyes.

"I know what that's like, to have the important people taken from you." I took a breath. "My father left us, I felt that loss. My son died in a freak accident, and I buried my mother a week ago." I felt my emotion piling up again and I just unloaded on a kid, great, 10/10 moment Hunter.

"Why do things like this happen?" Her voice broke.

I shrugged. "Shit happens, people die. It's not our job to understand why. We're just the ones who get left behind to deal with it. The only thing we can do is remember them as they were. That's how you keep them alive, you remember them."

She didn't say anything more, instead she looked deep in thought. I sat back and looked out the window again.

"Thank you.." Her voice was barely audible.

Some time passed and we finally made it to N city. I slipped my Briggs coat on as I stepped off the train. I looked up at the sky and watched the snow flakes fall.

Winry and the four others followed me along the streets, I kept my guard up around the four guys. Something about them seemed off, very off.

"The train to Briggs will leave in 30 minutes, and then we'll have to walk the rest of the way." I explained to Winry.