(Edward) The Truth Isn't Always Hurtfull (Elric) 4

"I am going to KILL that man!"

"But, Caitlin! In taking another's life, there's BOUND to be a great loss for you!"

"Or a great gain for everyone else."

"Ed! You're not helping!"

The yelling could be heard throughout the whole HQ. Some of the other soldiers that happened to be walking by stopped to turn and look at the younger three. It was odd to see kids so young walking around like it was their own home. Most of them had gotten used to seeing Edward and Alphonse, but the girl was a different story. So, naturally, she gained the most attention. Not only for her presence, but also for the fact that she was wearing a miniskirt.

Edward laced his fingers behind his head in a casual fashion. He seemed almost bored, "I say we let her rip off Mustang's face. It'll be a great improvment." Caitlin paused her rampage shortly to look back at the blonde. A mischievous smirk replaced his bored appearence. That smirk that held so much scheming and playfullness... The one sheremembered all to well.

*Flash Back*

"Paige! I towd you!" A two yearold little girl tried to pry away the small notebook from the grasp of the small chubby fingers that belonged to her sister. "Daddy said 'Do. Not. Touch'" The older of the two released the book when repeating her fathers words, wagging her finger for each word she pronounced. Paige, the younger, merely laughed a cute little laugh and dropped the book. She clapped her hands together, hoping for the show to continue.

Caitlin stomped her foot and placed her hands on her hips. She didn't like it when she wasn't taken seriously. She was always being babied by her parents and looked down upon by other adults. She wanted to be thought as an equal by everyone. Caitlin knew she was a strong and independant toddler; her Daddy told her so.

"Paige! Stowp laughin'!" She angrily bent down and picked up the book that had fallen to the floor. Her dad told her to always protect that book for him when he was gone. He said if she could do that, he wouldn't call her "Daddy's Little Girl" anymore. She couldn't wait for that day.

Paige looked at her older sister with bright baby-blue eyes. Even though Caitlin didn't know it, Paige looked up to her and thought of her as an adult. She was the youngest daughter, after all. Paige thought of Caitlin as an idol that she should worship; a toy that couldn't be broken. In a baby's view, of course. So when their father told Caitlin to watch over the book, Paige took it upon herself to do the same thing. She was going to help her sister with this mission in hopes to be appreciated by her best friend.

Caitlin turned the book over in her hands a few times, making sure that nothing was ruined or out of place. She ran her hands over the leather cover, looking for any marks or stains that could have been applied by her sister. She wouldn't want such a pretty book to be in bad condition. Especially when she was in charge of it's saftey.

"Caitlin! Paige! Come here, please!" Caitlin almost dropped the book out of her hand when she heard the booming voice of their father. He had come home earlier than expected. It was a great treat for the girls; their dad would always bring them something from work, or make them something using Alchemy.

Caitlin clutched the book to her chest before running out of the small sanctuary she called "The Secret Spot". It was a small shack they had in the back yard of their small country home. Caitlin didn't know the name of the town. All she knew was that it was her home and that she loved it dearly.

"Caiwun!!" Caitlin stopped dead in her tracks. She slowly turned her head to look at the blonde-haired, blue-eyed little girl. She stood wobbily on her two chubby legs. Her blue dress was wrinkled and the bow that rested in her golden curls was crooked. Her face held an expression of consentration as she took a few steps then looked up to see her older sister staring at her with shock. Paige repeated what she said before, "Caiwun."

Never had Caitlin heard her sister speak before. Momma had said something about her trying to form words with her mouth, but she never really spoke, and hearing her sister's first word to be her name, she couldn't help but feel special. Sure, it wasn't perfect. But it was still there and out in the open.

Caitlin felt a smile flutter across her face. She walked over to the struggling toddler and grabbed her hand. This surprised Paige. Her blue eyes widened when she saw her sister actually smiling a warm, happy smile at her. One that would be remembered everyday of her life. It made her feel like she accomplished her goal in pleasing her. She was happy, and so was Paige.
"C'mon, Paigey." Paige felt her ever-present smile widen at the sound of her knew nick name, "I bet Daddy has a suhpwise!" Caitlin tugged on her arm and helped her walk her way back to the house. She couldn't wait to brag to her Mommy and Daddy about Paige's first word. Maybe then they would look at her as if she could be an adult and not a weak little baby.

As the girls approached the back door, they could hear the voices of their parents. But that wasn't all they heard. There was a third voice. A voice that was deep and calm. It was friendly, but at the same time mysterious. It almost made Caitlin want to run back to The Secret Spot. Almost.

She reached a brave hand to the door knob and swiftly pulled it open. She ignored the tall figure she saw standing by her father and walked straight to her mother, Paige in tow. "Momma! Guess what, Guess what!" The voice died down as he noticed the two girls that had walked in.

The woman known as Jackie Wells looked down at the children with warm brown eyes. Her soft blonde hair was tied in a loose bun; random strands fell into her brown eyes. "What is it dear?" She smiled.

Caitlin couldn't contain her pride as she said "Paigey said her frst word!"

That's when their Dad decided to join in. He held a broad smile upon his handsome features. His blue eyes seemed to hold so much emotion that it was hard to look away. His shaggy brown hair was slicked back for work, but his loosened tie and untucked shirt told the children that he was deiffinately off work for the day. "Is that so? And what word would that be?" He knelt down to be at eye level with Caitlin.

"She said my name!" She beamed.

Jackie's smile grew, "Oh, that's wonderful!" She bent down to pick up the blonde little girl, "Can you say it again, sweety?" But Paige wasn't listening. She was to nervous to even think with that scary stranger in the house. There was something about his appearence that screamed "Stay Away".

Caitlin noticed her sister's hesitance and glared at the man. She took in his appearence; He was tall. Really tall. He had messy blonde hair that was pulled back in a ponytail and a small beard thing going on. His eyes were hidden behind a pair of seeing glasses; not to mention that he was wrapped in enough clothing to withstand a blizzard. "She won't say anything 'cause the scawry man is hewr." She crossed her arms and continued to look at the man.

"Now Caitlin, don't be rude. Hohenheim is an.... Old friend of mine. He just came by to see how we were doing." Caitlin couldn't help but catch the glance her father sent toward the man- Hohenheim when he mentioned the word "old". She didn't understand why, but she knew it wasn't to be over looked.

Hohenheim smiled and knelt in front of Caitlin, joining his friend in the eye-to-eye talk, "You sure don't like to hold back now, do you?"

Caitlin just frowned before replying, "Stop scawring Paigey." This made the man chuckle; His smile turning into a smirk. A smirk that held playfullness. A smirk that held authority and smugness. It was a smirk that Caitlin would never forget.

"You're just like your father."

*Flash Back End*

"Uh... Caitlin?" She snapped out of her daze to meet the concerned, and slightly freaked out, amber eyes of Edward."I'm pretty sure you won't be able to injure Mustang if you're just gonna stand there and stare at me." That smirk returned to his face as he placed his hands on his hips in an arrogant manner, "I guess my devistatingly handsome looks captivated yet another victim."

Caitlin would have blushed if she hadn't taught herslef how to keep on a game face. She just settled for glaring as she thought of something to say. Al could tell this might not end to well, so he decided to sneak off to the mess hall, which was just a few doors away.

Caitlin couldn't help but smile as she said the very words that would set Ed off, "Or maybe I was wondering how someone so big-headed could have such a short body." The look on Edward's face made Caitlin smile wider. There was something about angering this teen that was amusing. Not to mention he looked kind of hot when he was angry.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT THEY COULD FIT IN YOUR POCKET!?" His arms flailed as he yelled at the dirty-blonde. She didn't seem the least bit intimidated.

But of course, all Caitlin could do was smile, "You know, that's pretty good." She patted Ed on the back. His heavy breathing stopped abruptly as he looked at her confusedly, "Thanks for the the tip. I'm gonna have'ta use that sometime." She laughed, "You're pretty good at insulting yourself."

Edward just settled for glaring at her, before mumbling and turning away. He headed for a set of double doors. Above those cream colored doors was a gold plack that read "Mess Hall" in a complicated design. Caitlin didn't look into that too much, though. She was to busy thinking of why Edward's little smirk reminded her of the tall man known as Hohenheim. But the other thing that stuck in her head were the last words she remembered him speak, and couldn't help but get the feeling that she wasn't the only one that could be described with this sentance.

"You're just like your father."
_________________________________________________
You HAD to read the memo to understand why I wrote this like I did. I just think it gets the characters better, ya know? Anyway, I hope you liked it! It was basically a filler.... sorta. It'll be important for later on, SO DON'T FORGET ANYTHING!!