WTF?! THE COLONEL'S BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT?! Cheryl.

Her heart fell to the ground. It shattered into a million tiny pieces. "WHAT?!" she yelled, her voice frantic. Cheryl's golden eyes were wide with shock. She'd just walked into Central Headquarters... Minding her own business, going to sentence herself to Char's torture again... When the officer came up, his eyes worried. "Colonel Char Mustang-sama's been in the hospital since last night," he explained again quietly. "His wounds weren't fatal, but he's... He's in a comatose state. The doctors don't know if he'll make it."

She didn't hear the rest of his sentence. She bolted down the steps, nearly tripping several times, her dirty hair whipping out around her face. She had to get to the hospital. What had that idiot done now?! Her terror was lodged right in her chest, above her ribcage. Was that her heart aching?

Cheryl didn't care that she was nearly frozen from Briggs' icy, sinful wasteland. She didn't care that melted snow made her hair damp, made it stick to her face uncomfortably. She burst through the hospital doors, panting, "Where is Colonel Mustang's room?" she demanded, slamming one hand down on the front desk. The fair-haired woman there flinched. "Twenty-nine forty-two," she said, her voice gentle.

She felt a pang of guilt for frightening the poor girl, but she needed to see him. She sprinted through the halls, stopping outside his door just as the doctors came out, shaking their heads. Her frayed heart lurched. She saw an image of Alex's body, bloody, bruised, dead, in her arms. His hair fell limply into her hands, his eyes wide open and staring for the hope of reinforcements that never came.

The image shifted. The boy in her arms was now older, his hair more brown instead of blond. "C-Char-kun?" she whispered, waiting until the men were gone before sneaking into his room.

Instantly she wanted to retch. The smell of the room was too clean. Too sterile. In the middle of it all was Colonel Mustang. He looked frail and thin under the sheets, stark white. She instantly went to the chair beside his bed, her steps quiet, like the first day she'd joined the military. Like her namesake. She sat, her eyes hollow with grief she didn't know she could spare, and stared at the man's face. As if she could will it to move.

OOC: o.O I imagine.

She hesitantly reached out, her hand gloved. If one hadn't known her they couldn't tell her hand wasn't real. Cheryl's searching fingers found Char's limp ones, and she gently tangled them, her eyes sorrowful. "Wake up," she whispered, desperate. "Wake up, Char." She squeezed his fingers, feeling stupid for talking to a comatose man. "Wake up!" Her voice rose with distress.

Cheryl frowned, her eyes almost drooping with exhaustion. She curled her fingers more tightly in Char's, desperate to hold on to him. She'd gotten another call. For another mission. Tears burned in her eyes. She didn't want to leave his side. She thought that it was her fault. She could have stopped him... From stepping in front of that car.

She let out a shuddering sigh, signaling to the waiting soldier that she needed a few more moments. He nodded and his head disappeared around the door frame.
Another sigh. "Char-kun..." she murmured, squeezing his hand again and gently letting go. "If you're dead by the time I get back, I won't forgive you." Unknown to her, the soldier had poked his head back in. He was watching as she moved, her body positioned over the Colonel's, faces just inches apart. Then she gently pressed their lips together, kissing him tenderly. After an instant she pulled away, blushing deeply, and walked towards the door, not seeing the soldier. "Sorry," she told him, her voice unusually brisk.



Cheryl stalked into the hospital, her face streaked with worry. "Is he OK?" she demanded of the nurses.

((Now or Later... XD))

Cheryl's eyes turned hopeful, and she ran off, praying he wouldn't have found out. She stopped just outside his door, getting ready to peek in. "Char-kun?" she asked, feeling excited. She let her fingers wander to her pocket, where the leash was. She was still wearing the collar.

Cheryl felt a flash of anger on her face. "I'm not a chibi!" she protested, trailing into the room. Something about his smirk... It made her blush. "I didn't have time to," she said, lying. She stopped and sat in the chair next to his bed, eyes wary. "How are you feeling?" she asked, changing the topic.

Cheryl snapped. "Hey!" she yelled, standing up abruptly to glare at him from a higher standpoint. "I am not a bean-sprout-midget! And I've been coming to see you every time I could! And..." She growled and trailed off.

"And...." She trailed off again, a dark red blush growing on her cheeks, She sat back down with a huff, turning away from him. "I shouldn't have come to check on you! Jerk!" she accused, crossing her arms.

((Idk... DX))

Her eyes widened and she turned to look at him with a look of embarrassed fear on her face. "C-Char-kun..." she stuttered, her face burning bright red. Cheryl was forced to lean forwards when the leash was pulled, and she let out a small yelp, putting her hands out to catch something. Unfortunately that was Char's shoulders. Their faces were close together now. Her blush darkened. "G-g-gomensai," she started, beginning to pull away.

Her eyes were wide and gold, huge with shock. Her face burned, and she tipped her head down, trying to hide her face. "I.... I... Er..." she stumbled, feeling the Colonel's hand against her chin as she desperately tried to hide the silly blush on her face. Cheryl tried to jerk her head away to no avail, her lips tightening into a scowl. "Are you saying I shouldn't have done it....?" she asked, her voice a whisper tinged with embarrassment and anger.

Cheryl narrowed her eyes in a glare. "I don't know." she growled, blushing furiously.

Cheryl let out a cry, being tugged ever closer to the Colonel. Her blush darkened, eyes went wider. "Jerk!" she accused in a raspy voice. Then she grimaced. "I-I really don't know...." Fearing she would get yanked again, she blurted, "Because... Because I wanted to!" She pulled back on the leash, looking extremely uncomfortable.

She pressed her lips into a tight line. "I don't know," she admitted in a quiet whisper. "B-because... I thought... I thought it was my fault you got hurt...." Cheryl's blush went deeper than crimson as she admitted this. She instantly averted his gaze. "I... Wanted to repay you. So.... There."