Substitute Alchemist - Bleach X FMA Crossover [HAITUS]

Chapter 9 - Transferred

She relaxed slightly and smiled in relief. "I'd be really glad if you could stay and watch over him, Lt. Jean. I know that most people don't like Chimera – enough to want them to disappear from this world. But you've not shown any sort of resentment towards this guy so I'll feel reassured if you're the one watching over him."

"In all honesty, Kiana san, I'm not all that comfortable being around Chimera either but I don't hate them, I suppose." I confessed and glanced at the battered Chimera lying on the bed.

"That's more than enough reason for me to trust you with him." She responded and I tensed as she gave a soft pat to my upper arm. "Well, I'll leave him in your care, then. I'll sleep for a while and come back to take care of him myself. Thanks for offering to stay."

"No thanks required." I answered with a chuckle. "I'm just helping out a good friend."

Her hand on my arm twitched and I was almost certain I saw disappointment in her eyes. But it was gone in a flash and was replaced by the warm affectionate expression she always had in her eyes when she spoke to anyone she considered close. She smiled and nodded before giving the Chimera another glance and walking to the door. She paused near the door for a moment though, silent and lost in thought perhaps, and I watched her curiously. Just before I could ask her if everything was alright, she turned her head to look at me with a smile much different than the others I had ever seen her give – it was so tender and reached her eyes so strongly that my heart skipped a beat.

"You're a really good and kind person, Lt. Jean. The person you're dating is surely a very lucky girl." She said and then walked out of the room with a chaste bow, leaving me baffled.

It took me a moment to snap out of my daze and look away from the door. I was really surprised to hear her say that about me. Sure, the girls I had dated were nice and appreciated my sincerity in the relationship, but somehow things never worked out in the end – it was either because of my job and responsibilities that didn't allow me to spend enough time with the girls I dated or because they ended up falling in love with Col. Mustang since they found him more attractive than me. Never once had I seen genuinely positive feelings towards my thoughts and affectionate gestures from any girl I dated – I would be rude to say so but they were all taken for granted.

In all the years I had dated, never once had a girl said I was good or kind and, most of all, never before had any girl said that they felt lucky to be dating me. I felt really appreciated because of Kiana san's comment.

Kiana san had become good friends with most people in Central's Headquarters during the time she had been working there. She was particularly close to us though – Col. Mustang and the five of us subordinates of his – because even though she was under Col. Archer's command, we ran into each other often in the corridors, had passing conversations and hung out to eat together a few times too. She was a cheerful and friendly person, and encouraging, so we really enjoyed spending time with her.

We had all become close enough to talk on first name basis, though she hadn't dropped the formal military title when speaking to us. When questioned about it, she had merely said that she highly valued the jobs and places in the military that we filled and wanted to be respectful. This too was something I found really appreciable in her.

She was refined in the way she carried herself but more open-minded than most people I had met, women in particular. Perhaps this is why she was really easy to talk to and quite comfortable company to be around. And not to forget that she was strong – the other State Alchemists that had fought alongside her said that her ice alchemy was really incredible! And she had captured the miscreants all by herself while suffered much less damage than all of them.