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With even birds silenced by the quiet storm, the wood was hushed, and the dull thud of flesh and steel on mud was the only sound other than that of the dripping water. Because of the lush umbrella of green hanging above them, they were only a little damp, but were wet enough to know they needed to find shelter. Rust and illness were two things neither the older nor younger wanted to deal with.

Traveling around would often bring them to places like this: Unfamiliar and hard to navigate. It always seemed to be raining when they entered strange territory, as if the sky were crying tears of laughter that they were possibly wandering in circles again. And as they didn't have the desire, or the room, to hold an umbrella, they were at the mercy of circumstance.

"Brother, we're lost," Alphonse's soft voice echoed within the hollow armor.

"We're not lost, we're just…taking the scenic route," Edward replied, grinning. "Besides, fresh air's good for you."

"Not when that 'fresh air' is full of water!"

"Don't worry about it, 'kay? We'll both dry off once we find a house or something."

Alphonse sighed and nodded, choosing not to emphasize the fact that their finding a house in this wilderness was about as likely as finding himself swimming in a lake.

Their walk through the forest, though moist for both and cold for one, had been rather pleasant as well. As the rain fell it would pool at the base of various leaves, creating glittering splashes of green to shine in the dull light of a cloud-covered sun. Drops would cling to the flower petals, and when their strength diminished, would slide down bud and stem to join their brethren in the roots. It was a blanket of brilliant threads of green, brown, blue, and lilac, and it seemed to go on forever in each direction. But as unending as the patchwork seemed, it came to a sudden halt just a few yards after Edward had spoken.

In place of the dense forest they had come to identify as the norm was a sudden patch of meadow. Shaped like a lop-sided circle, it used the trees to create a sort of boundary around the surprisingly well-kept grass. Near the upper round of the circle was another abnormal structure, made undoubtedly from the family of the trunks that served as a fence around the clearing.

"See?" Ed began, making his way to the cabin's partially-fenced, ground-level deck. "I knew we'd find something."

"Talk about timing," Al replied, looking over the hovel. "But what would a cabin be doing out here in the middle of nowhere like this?"

"Who cares, it's shelter," with a rap of his knuckles, Ed signaled his presence to the inside of the cabin. After a pause, followed by another louder knock, he murmured, "Huh. No one's here…"

"Well, if there's a cabin then we might just be getting closer to the city. It shouldn't be too much farther-Ed! What are you doing?!"

It was made clear through a look in one of the side windows and a toggling of the doorknob that, though it was unoccupied now, its owner was recently here. The door was unlocked, a few lamps were still on, and the dull embers of a put-out fire could be seen in the fireplace. As it was still raining and this house looked very much dry, Edward saw no trouble with just waltzing over the threshold.

"What's it look like? I'm cold, wet, and there's a roof available. C'mon, you were the one worried about rust weren't you?"

"Yeah but that doesn't mean you can just walk right into somebody's house!" Al shouted, following his brother. "What if they come back!? What if you break something or something?!"

"Calm down, Al! It'll just be for a little while alright?"

"…Fine. But if anything happens, I blame you."

"Right, right," Ed said vaguely, now looking around to examine their temporary abode.

Placed in the center of the front room and turned to face the eastern wall was a faded gray couch; in front of that was a small wooden coffee table, and next to the right arm was an end table holding a reading lamp aglow. Against the western wall, the carpet ended briefly to give way to linoleum in a kitchenette-which possessed the main cooking necessities: a stove, sink, refrigerator, pantry, and a few drawers leading to under the sink and countertops. A section of the north wall jutted out in the center to hold the fireplace, and on either side of the protrusion was a door: One open and showing a bedroom and one closed to most likely lead to a bathroom. On the ceiling just above the coffee table was a fan with still wooden blades and a lit trio of bulbs.

"Wonder why such a nice cabin's out here in the middle of nowhere," said Alphonse as he closed the door. "Do you think it belongs to the military?"

"Doubt it. They wouldn't make an outpost this luxurious. I can reimburse 'em," he added with a wave of his hand, upon receiving a reprimanding look for taking a small loaf of bread from the pantry.

"You'd better be right," Al said jokingly. "I don't think the military would be too happy if they found you stealing supplies."

Ed just chuckled and, taking a bite out of the bread's heel, sat down on the couch. He might've put his feet up on the coffee table, but there was some force that seemed ingrained into the walls that, reading his mind, immediately began to frown at his desires. Instead, he decided to busy himself with noncommittal glances to objects placed randomly on the surface his boots might've touched.

There was a grocery list, containing a noun he hated like a certain adjective, an adding machine with its paper unrolled a few inches and dotted with inked numbers and symbols, some bills for the water and electricity he and his brother were currently taking advantage of, and multiple receipts for grocery, pet, and ammunition sales. All in all, it didn't show anything very odd about the owner; however, he thought this preceding what he saw at the corner of the table.

"Hm," he placed the loaf on his knee and picked up the new object curiously, gingerly, "what's this?"

He held in his hand a black, leather-bound book. It had no title or author, no words on the spine, and was only about as thick as his thumb. The pages it held had gold trim on their edges, making the sides glitter when it was closed.

Mystery radiated from this alchemistic text, and it had him instantly intrigued.

For a few moments he had a rousing internal debate. This was not some manila envelope with CLASSIFIED stamped across the front; this book didn't have anything on the front for that matter. If it did indeed possess strange information, the owner would've most likely put it in someplace safer. But, said another side, perhaps the information was so secret that the lack of security was a lock on its own-few would expect crucial plans and the like to be held in such an obvious place. Plus, it was not really his business what was in it, and it would be his own fault if he found something out he didn't want to know. After all, curiosity killed the cat.

But Edward was more of a dog person anyway.

He smiled and told me good morning, as he has always done for a few days now. Rather, he's told a part of me good morning. He's told the Lieutenant good morning. I've contemplated for a while just asking him to call me by my first name. At least outside of work. He'd be the first, and the only, I'd ever want or allow to. But every time I see him smile like that, I end up giving the shortest response possible or nothing at all. Just like an embarrassed child who can't say what she wants to say or even ask a simple question. I've also been wondering why I can't talk as well as I wish to around him, and why I want him to refer to me with a friendlier title. There's one possibility I suppose but…maybe I'm just not ready to admit it yet. Just like a child. I know him quite well, you'd be hard pressed to find someone who didn't. But he doesn't know me. And I wish so much that he did.

It looked like the opening to a melodrama, but the writing and grammar was too unrefined to have been run past editors and publishers. What he had was a soldier's diary. On the final realization he shut the book once more. Any and all other words of potential romance the pages held were not meant for his or anyone else's eyes.

And yet…

Feeling thoroughly intrusive, but promising himself that they would be gone soon and most likely never even see whom the diary belonged to, he flipped to two pages after where he'd first began to read.

Is it wrong of me to feel the way I do when I've taken the opportunity away from so many others? Is it terrible to want the things I desire when I've stolen those same fulfilled wishes away as well as made it impossible for them to ever come true? Should I be allowed even to dream of the things I so desiderate let alone possess them? All this inner conflict makes me feel weak. Not the way a soldier of my status should be feeling. My face at the office tells everyone that it's just a normal day. There isn't a single obstruction in the sobriety I strive for. They would never expect a battle waging behind these peaceful features.

"Lieutenant, are you…alright?" he asked me today, just as soon as everyone else was gone and the sun was starting to go down.

"Yes, I'm fine," I lied without looking up from my spot at the table, but I recognized his voice even without the face.

I heard his rather loud footsteps start, slow as he pulled out a chair, and then stop when he sat next to me.

For a minute or two, the dull tapping of my lifting and replacing the pen to paper was the only sound. But I began to grow curious and soon found myself glancing over at him through the corners of my eyes. He was looking at the table as if to see through the wooden surface; with a frown on his lips and a large crease in his forehead. There appeared to even be a hint of red in his cheeks.

"…" I heard him mumble something obscure.

"I'm sorry?"

He flinched dramatically, and then spoke again for me to hear.

"People are always telling me to talk. A-and while I guess I'm not very good with my lips, I'm…pretty good with my ears so…I-I mean if-you know…"

His voice trailed off and we both lapsed into silence. I had turned to face him all the way now and my pen rolled from my loose hand until it fell with a clack to the ground. We both gasped a little, but I somehow managed to stay mobile. Leaning down to retrieve my pen I started to grin, then found a full-out smile on my face when I grasped the metal and rose from my chair. I could literally feel my apprehension fading. His speech may have been simple, but I suppose it was just a few words that I really wished to hear.

"Thank you, Edward. That really…means a lot."

He looked up at me, turning what appeared to be red again, when I put my hand on his shoulder. I looked, still smiling, into his widening eyes and he looked back into mine. After our eyes were locked for a few seconds, he looked down, nodding once weakly and then three times in quick succession.

To say I found it easy to not kiss his cheek right then and there would most definitely be untrue. I couldn't understand why so suddenly I wished to taste his skin, especially since it took so long to come to terms with speech. But somehow I got away with just squeezing his shoulder and exiting the office.

I may not be sure if it's right or not, but I'm sure of how I feel. And if that feeling is wrong, god willing I will never be right.

That had been the end to his last day in Central a few months ago. Everything from the sound of the pen to the warmth of her hand on his shoulder flew back to him in a single shocked second as he reached the bottom of the page-just like the blood flew into his cheeks.

"What'd you find, brother?" Alphonse asked from behind the couch.

Fighting to steady his hand enough so as not to drop the journal when he placed it on the table, Ed stood up. This was her cabin; he'd eaten her food, sat on her couch, and even left traces of mud on her carpet. He wasn't sure if he felt more shocked at the coincidence or rueful at his expedition through her home and personal thoughts. Whatever overcame his mind, however, had him suddenly claustrophobic.

"Hey, Al, it's freezing in here. I'm going to go get some firewood."

"Huh? But-"

Edward was already opening the door and had taken one step outside when he said, without looking back, "I'll be back soon." And with that, he shut the door and stepped off the deck.

Alphonse watched the door for a moment, glanced to the stack of wood by the fireplace, and then chuckled, "I'll bet she's out there, brother. Good luck."

It had stopped raining. Clouds still hung in the sky and the breezes were still chilly, but there was no longer water falling onto him, the leaves, and into the soil. Everything had a new air of freshness, a feeling of peace, and that was just what he had hoped to find coming out of the cabin.

Edward didn't really like leaving his brother in the dark the way he had with his sudden exit and minimal information behind it. But if he'd said, "I'm going for a walk because I think the woman I love loves me back and I need to think about it alone," he would've never gotten out.

Sighing, he placed his hands behind his head as he walked in a straight line through the underbrush-when it eventually came time for him to turn back, he wanted to assure he had easy steps to retrace.

Perhaps it was his own disbelief that him waffling back and forth over what he'd read. Denial had had him thoroughly convinced that what he felt was one-sided, and that same abnegation was doing all it could to stay afloat on the rough seas of subconscious. Yet on the other hand, she'd wanted to kiss him, found it hard to speak around him, was struck close to, or totally, silent by his smile-he'd experienced those exact sensations, and knew all too well the feeling that fueled his desire's flame.

Was it possible he and she shared the same fire?

Already blushing and sighing again with confused annoyance, Ed put his hands down. Uncertainty was a much worse feeling than that of being rejected. At least if she did say no he'd be able to move on, but being unsure gave the butterflies in his stomach a permanent home.

Though it amazed him that he was able to notice, the scenery changed drastically at the end of his reverie. He could feel more, warmer, air, and there was the quiet splashing of a miniature waterfall.

"Hm?" Once fully focused, he looked around to further examine where his feet had taken him.

Much like the one in which her cabin resided, this clearing was rimmed with a large fence of trees. However, unlike the first expanse, there was a large lake to cover the meadow-like terrain-but the body of water was still small enough for him to see the other side clearly. The shape which the lake took on was that of a bean with its tips to his left and right when he stood facing east on the rounded side of the beans dip-and-round design. What might be called the sprout was represented by a river on his right that wound its way back into the trees and out of sight.

But if there was a lake, he should be feeling more cold air blowing off its surface. Prurient, he crouched by the water's edge and slid his flesh-covered hand into the deep-blue liquid.

It seemed this lake was the faraway basin of a hot spring. The river must be flowing runoff from an unseen geyser, and it was far enough away to lose the off-putting aroma of sulfur, but close enough to receive a safe-to-touch amount of the heat.

"I wonder…" Ed thought to himself as he rose to his feet.

He looked left: There was no one to greet him, and he slipped off his heavy boots. He looked right: A chipmunk squeaked near a tree trunk, but otherwise it was quiet in the clearing as he took off his long coat and jacket to place atop his boots. This was a secluded wilderness, he assured himself when his tank-top found its way to the pile that he might grace the placid waters with the reflection of his robust chest and abdomen, if seen by anything it would be by a bird. After taking off his belt, which had stuck stubbornly for a moment at the buckle, and tossing it with the rest of his clothes, he removed the tight leather from his lower half. And then the tower of apparel was topped with a wrinkled pair of baby-blue boxer-shorts.

To check the firmness of the gradually sloping underwater bank, he first touched his right foot into the mud. Once the clay was deemed sturdy, he then proceeded to imprecisely stomp his left foot into the water; wading in deeper with cautious strides of his strong, yet slender, legs.

After a few steps to submerge him, his left foot made a dull clunk beneath the water. Upon looking down, he saw an arbitrary boulder jutting from within the wall, creating a sort-of seat underneath the surface. He took what almost seemed like an offer to ensconce, and eased his backside down onto the rock; the tepid water creeping up his body until it created a line at a point to just barely call his appearance "censored."

A content sigh accompanied an equally complacent shiver; he could feel the heat rising up to his neck. It massaged with its incalescence the contours and scars of the skin both in and out of the water, it warmed with comforting radiation the muscles beneath, and, while his uncertainty still remained, it cleared his mind enough to temporarily calm the raging ocean. Thankfully, his leg and arm were not of conventional steel, so the exposure to water wouldn't dot them with corrosion; just as long as he made sure to dry and air them out thoroughly. He might've been worried about the impending need to remove and replace his limbs, had he not been so focused on other matters.

Looking with distant eyes towards the mouth of the river, he felt his mind wander back, back onto the couch of her cabin, back into the uncomfortable office chair, back to bask in the amiable glow of her smile and the light touch of her hand. How he wished to see her, talk to her, apologize for his earlier intrusion. He could almost see her right now even, in this lake.

Wait a second…he could see her!

As if to grant his wish, she emerged with the river from the trees, and into the only ray of sunshine coming from the clouds. Smiling down at her reflection, she trailed her fingertips over the surface of the water. The thick blonde veil of her hair cascaded down her back and shoulders. Even with the distance separating them, he could see the sunlight dancing across her cheeks and in her glittering amber eyes as it followed her elegant stroll from the rivulet into the millpond.

His breath came out in a low sigh of awe at the angel he now shared the water with. Just seeing her smile sparkle the way it always did sent his heart racing and his mind into a stupor. But when coupled with this new beauty he found himself in an absolute trance. Brilliant sunbeams set her skin agleam; gentle breezes blew through the strands of gold as her head, sensing with regard his eyes upon her, slowly turned to face him. When their eyes met, he noticed hers widen with incredulity, and he vaguely wondered why. Then realization edged its way past his daze:

Both she, as well as he, were significantly lacking in clothing.

A bomb exploded with mortifying force, sending the heat and hue of fire into his face. The explosions force made him recoil sharply, making a rather loud splash on his rock, and he squeezed his eyes shut on instinct. Any and all remnants of the peace were shattered indefinitely when he shouted blindly in what he thought was her direction, "I-I-I'm sorry! I-I'll just-!" His unfinished sentence was left to hang on the wings of rapidly fleeing birds, as his hectic feet caught a snag in the mud he was attempting to use to get him out of the water. And instead of taking him from the moisture, it only sent him face-first into it.

This just didn't seem to be his day…

He sunk a few feet down the muddy slope, heaviest leg leading the way, before he clutched the edge of his unoccupied seat and breached the surface; gasping and coughing.

"Edward, are you all right?!"

His knuckles turned white against the stone. Somehow his eyelids lifted without his consent, and then his pupils found hers in the same manner. The eyes he glimpsed weren't angry or shocked as he'd expected; they were serious, worried, as if their current state was non-existent, "Yeah…I-I'm okay."

Relief overcast the worry and she sighed, "I'm glad."

Edward had slid down enough to now have coverage to his stomach. Riza, who stood down a bit from him, had to keep her arms crossed, lest what bathing suits cover above the navel be shown. His back was lightly touching the tip of the rock, and she was inadvertently making him back up more with her close proximity. Had he noticed that he wasn't the only one still bright-red, he mightn't have been moving away.

"L-l-lieutenant, I, uh," Ed looked down and mumbled ashamedly to the water, "I'm really sorry."

"Don't be," Riza replied, both looking and sounding infinitely calmer than was the actual case. "It was an accident; no harm done." When he nodded a response without looking up she chuckled, "Am I…really that unpleasant to look at?"

"No, of course not!" he jerked his neck up. "That's not it at all, you're beautiful!"

A gasp, a flinch, and then a light smile came to Riza's lips, "Ed…I was kidding."

Ed desperately wished he could sink into the mud under his feet; if he was part of the dirt, his heart would stop taking control of his mouth. "O-oh…"

"How did you manage to find this place, anyway?" Riza said, changing the subject quickly.

"Coincidence. We didn't really know what we were gonna find wandering aimlessly through a forest." Amen.

"Yes, this forest is rather difficult to navigate your first time. It's easier with a map."

"Map? But I've never seen these woods on any record before…"

"I have a house out here," she turned away to glance in the direction that Ed already knew her cabin was located. "I figured the only way I was ever going to find anything around here was to make a map myself."

Feeling a pang of guilt again he blinked. "You must…come out here pretty often than, huh?"

"You'd think that. This is only my 2nd time out in a year. I only come on vacation."

For a couple who'd had such a crazy beginning to their encounter, they talked quite easily. It was almost as if this forced pairing was what they needed, as well as their current nudity-upon resigning themselves to their exposure, they obtained a much milder attitude. Their clearness of body gave them a clearer mentality as well.

Something registered in her mind then, and she turned back to him, "You said 'we', correct? Where's Alphonse?"

"Er-," Edward stiffened, and then exhaled; accepting his fate with a sigh. "Back at…your cabin…"

"What?"

"Like I said, you never know what you're gonna find when you're wandering. It was raining and…we found your cabin. B-but if we'd known it was yours we wouldn't have gone in at all, I swear! We just, needed a place to dry off…"

"You didn't put your feet on the coffee table, did you?"

"Huh? N-no."

"Then don't worry about it," she assured him with a quiet chuckle.

His smile was forced; he knew with this little confession off the list another was fast approaching.

"Speaking of, you're welcome to it this evening. It's not very big, but you won't find a hotel until daybreak if you continue on foot." He looked down, preparing himself to speak, but Riza merely saw it as an objection. "Don't think of it as an imposition, Edward. You weren't then and you wouldn't be intruding now."

Ed glanced at her through his eyelashes. "Riza…?" he mumbled bashfully, his tone much like that of a dog expecting punishment.

She gasped, it wasn't Lieutenant Hawkeye he was referring to anymore, "What-what is it, Edward?"

"I-I…I read your diary."

Where silence had once been peaceful, it was now awkward and chagrined.

"Oh…" Riza managed after a soundless eternity. "I see."

Once again his mind went into somnolence, but not only because of the beauty his eyes beheld upon his looking up; his mind had now taken a backseat to his heart, and it was under this new manager that he said his next words, "I'm truly sorry about trespassing the way I did. But I can't change what happened. I can't deny doing what I did and I can't ignore my questions. Riza, I just…want to know one thing."

"Yes," she breathed, "Edward?"

"Is what you feel for me the same as I feel for you?" His tone had risen considerably, and it suddenly returned to a slight murmur with the blood in his face. "Riza, do you love me?"

All the forest, all the animals, all the world, all of time froze around them. Louder than gunshots came each beat of her heart, faster than the river her head swam, and hotter than the spring burned her cheeks; it took all she had to stay on her feet. And yet, through all the incongruity raging in her mind and chest, she managed to keep gazing into the nervous, inquisitive, determined eyes of who anxiously awaited her answer; and she could tell just by the honeyed glow from which each of these emotions extended that, had she asked the same of him, his answer would've been the same.

Slowly, Riza let her arms fall, not caring about what was hidden and what was not anymore. Then, with a smile and a gentle nod, she closed her eyes; parting her lips ever so slightly before pressing them to his in a kiss long desired to be given, and equally yearned to be received.

Comfort rushed over him like the wind in his hair, as he closed his eyes in return and wrapped his arms tightly around her. The kiss he gave back to her seemed almost desperate; filled with want to taste the sweetness of her lips forever. Sensing this, she smiled once more, and gradually increased the pressure. He then lifted his lips up slightly and placed them back down with the same feeling behind a new kiss.

The words of a long-forgotten diary had said that her true-self was unknown. But soon new pages from the same notebook would be filled with how they were very much familiar. By word of mouth, by touch of lips, by warmth of skin, by each breath and beat of heart, they would truly understand who it was their soul belonged to.

Nothing would be hidden, no secrets kept, no laugh or tear concealed; for now they were certain their feelings were right. And in this new genuine light, all would forever be visible.