Broken Bonds? I Didn't Know YOU Were Here

A Chapter by Emunah June.

I sat in square, waiting to see when Central's car would get there. I was starting to think it had already passed by, but that was before I heard the gasps of everyone in square when a large black car pulled up. It pulled to a stop. Then, a blonde haired man in a blue military uniform came out. "Miss Koda, are you here?" the man yelled, and I stepped up to him. "Here I am," I said softly, and he opened the back car door. "Get in, Miss," he said politely. I obeyed. The seats were comfy and pillowy, and I wondered if only the best got to ride in cars like these. The man went to the front and said, "It's gonna be a bumpy ride. Hold on tight." I nodded my head, and I told him I had Tailor's Child. "Allright then. Keep the window open and tell me if you need me to stop."

Surprisingly, I didn't need him to. My stomach behaved well the whole ride to Central. When we arrived, it was raining. The man pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "Here it is, Central in the flesh. Be careful with your step out," he warned. I nodded and said my thanks. After I stepped out of the car, I asked if he was coming too. He shook his head as he exhaled a cloud of smoke. I shrugged and walked to the main gate.

The gate was large and scary, and I was almost too scared to go in. My knees knocked and my stomach screamed at me. I shook my head. I was NOT going to get sick. Not now. I clicked the button to the intercom and waited. "Come in," a staticy voice said, and then the gates opened.

The doors to Central lay ahead.

I planned my steps carefully up the stairs, trying to take it in. If all went well, here was my new home. I walked to the doors and pushed them open, and soon enough, I was standing in a lobby. There was a mousy looking girl with large glasses behind the desk. "Um...excuse me," I said. She looked up from her book. "Oh! Hello there! How are you? I mean...uh....how can I help you?" she asked, looking nervous. "Oh...well, I'm here to apply for the postion that's open. There was an ad in the newspaper. Roy sent me to come here to finish our meeting," I explained. "He's busy right now. He's in a meeting with Fullmetal. I'll buzz him and let you know you've arrived," she said as she pressed a button on her desk. 'Yes, Scheizca?" I heard the voice that was on the phone ask. "There's a young woman here who said you brought her here," she spoke into the speaker. It was awhile before he spoke again. "I'll be finished here in 15. Have her sit in the lobby until then," he answered. "Yes sir," Scheizca replied. Then she smiled and went back to her book. I sat in one of the chairs and looked around the room. It wasn't long before I began to wonder who-or what- was Fullmetal. I pondered this for awhile before Scheizca pointed to a stack of books. "There are some military manuals over there if you'd like to take a look," she offered, and I blushed as I took one.

CENTRAL DO'S AND DON'TS was the title.

I hadn't read much before I heard loud screaming. "That's not fair, Colonel!" a voice said. Then it got quiet again before I heard more screaming. "Don't treat me like a kid! I can so handle myself! Just you wait and see!" the voice said before I heard the slamming of a door and footsteps bounding across a nearby corridor. As I had expected. Scheizca's intercom buzzed. "I'll see her now."

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The first thing I saw when I walked in were toppled over chairs. "Hello, you must be Koda. I'm Roy Mustang. Nice to see you in person," a black haired man said when I walked in. "Yes I am, sir," was my weak response. "Come in. Sorry for the mess. My last client was....a little edgy," he explained. I smiled, trying to look positive, and picked up both chairs. "Thank you," he said, sounding surprised that I did such a task. I sat in one of them and looked straight at him. "Sir," I began, "I'd like this job because I need to support my foster mother and foster sister. Plus, I can fight. I can be strong," I said. He smirked. "I like your attitude. Well, let me ask you this: what qualitites do you think you have?" he asked, folding his hands over his desk. "Well, I work well with machines and the like, and I am pretty good with First Aid. I know how to use a gun, and I can make fabulous repairs to AutoMail," I said, trying to sound confident. Roy looked right at me, squinting his eyes. "How old are you?" he asked after a while. "I am 15 years old,sir," I answered obidiently. He closed his eyes for a moment, then turned his chair so he could look out the window. "How well can you work with AutoMail? How 'fabulous' are you, exactly?" he asked a moment later in a cold voice. "Well, I have a friend that was in a horrible accident when he was little. My foster mom gave him an AutoMail arm and leg, and my foster sister and I make brand new models for him. Their all updated and used with the best technology," I explained. Roy's face stiffened, and he mumbled "Oh God," under his breath. Then he sighed. "Give me a moment," he said. He buzzed his intercom. "Yes sir?" Scheizca's voice asked a minute later. "Send Fullmetal to me if he's still in the building," he said. "Yes sir," Scheizca agreed. Roy then looked at me. "Well, I must say that you sound like a good candidate for a backup unit. You look confident and in your prime, so I'll say....welcome to the family," he said in a monotone voice. Then he smiled, and I think it's because my whole face lit up. "And I must say, I've seen your AutoMail. You're not half bad," he said. "How?" I breathed just as the doorknob rattled.

"That's how," he said.

I turned over to see what he meant, and my whole heart stopped. There, standing in the doorway, was a very confused looking Edward. My eyes widened, and I didn't say anything. I didn't have to, because Ed did all the talking for me. "W-W-What are you doing here?!" he screamed, pointing at me. "I should ask you the same thing!" I cried. He only looked at me before he got angrier. "Mustang, what the he__'s going on here?! Why is she here?!" Ed screamed. Roy smirked. "I'll have you know, Edward, that she's applied for a job here as backup," he answered. "What?!" Ed screamed before he averted his gaze to me. "Why?" he cried. "At home, we all have holes in our pockets. We aren't going to be able to fend for ourselves much longer. Besides, you know Grandma's age, she can't deal with welfare and debt and all that, so I had to do something! This was the best job in the newspaper, so I had to! But Edward Elric, why didn't you tell us you were in the military?! Why did you keep that from us?!" I screamed back. I looked at Roy, who seemed to be enjoying our little trifle. "What I do is none of your concern, but really Koda? The MILITARY?!" Ed cried back in his defense. "Now now you two, take this out to the playpen if this is going to go on any longer. But Ed, she's now your aquaintance here in the military, so be respectful. And Koda, the same goes to you. Any more nonsense and I'll fire both of you," Roy said firmly. I breathed "Yes sir," and Ed stayed silent.

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"This is so exciting!" Winry said to me as we sat outside the Elric house, waiting for Ed and Al to come out. I nodded, and I watched as the door opened. But instead of Ed and Al, it was Mrs. Elric. "Hello girls, are you looking for the boys?" Mrs. Elric asked. We both nodded. "They have the flu, so they can't come and play today. In fact, I don't think they can for the rest of the week. But I'll tell them you stopped by," she said sweetly. I gave out an "Awww...." noise, and Winry frowned. "Oh...well, tell them to get better soon so we can play again!" she said. I was slowly walking away when I heard Mrs. Elric say "G'bye Koda! G'bye Winry!". Winry came and pat me on the shoulder. "It's okay. You and I can play shadow tag today."

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"Of all the places in the world, you pick the military? How dumb are you!" Ed told me as I walked to the phones. "It paid the most out of all the jobs. Besides, I'm still upset you didn't tell us, Ed, that you worked for the military. Is there anything else that you want to tell me? Hmm?" I asked in a quiet voice. "Like I said, it's none of your bussiness! But the military is a scary place sometimes! It's also real dangerous! Why put your life on the line to save an old hag that doesn't have much longer to live anyways?" he asked, shrugging his shoulders. "Don't say that! Grandma has plenty of time left! Don't you dare!" I cried. He looked at me, then brushed his bangs out of his face. "Well, whatever the case, you're stupid for looking for help from the military. Trust me, there are some lowlifes around here," he warned.

"I know," I mumbled, then began to dial the phone number to the Rockbell household.

When the phone picked up, the first thing I heard was "She found out! She found out!" and then I heard Grandma say "Hello?". I gulped.

"Grandma?"

She gave me a long lecture about getting a job behind her back and going to the military to do so (wow...they're all critics....go figure) and how I'd get my punishment for not only being sneaky, but lying to her. "I know Grandma, but I really wanted to help...." I complained. "Well, I thank you, but you're still not off the hook," she said. I stomped my feet. "Grandma....I'm sorry I lied to you. But on the bright side, I got the job," I said weakly. "Yeah! Tell her she's stupid for it!" Ed screamed, hoping Grandma would hear. "What? Who's that?" she asked. I sighed.

"No one, Grandma. No one."

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