Automail Eyes

Chapter One

Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. I don't own anything. I don't even own MY COMPUTER! Okay? Just give me a break! Just leave me alone! *Proceeds to have mental breakdown*

AN: I'm sorry to those of you who read this earlier. I really didn't like the name Aura, so I changed it after a few messages back and forth with the great and wonderful Soul Maiden 24. You might find out about the spelling of Luci eventually…

…

Trudge. Trudge. Trip. "Dammit!" Screamed one rather… vertically challenged, blonde-haired, gold-eyed state alchemist named Edward Elric as he plummeted towards the sand for what felt like the millionth time that day. (In reality, it was only the fourth.)

The suit of armor that contained the soul of his younger brother, Alphonse, reached down and caught him by his right arm before he hit the ground. "Brother," he asked concernedly, "Are you alright?" Ed nodded as he stood and brushed himself off. "What was it you tripped over?"

"It doesn't matter," Edward replied, "Let's just keep going."

"But brother," Al suggested, "Maybe we should move whatever you tripped on, so no one else does." Ed shook his head and set off again into the endless stretch of sand. He hated deserts. The sooner they were out of this one, the better. But Al hung back. Ed glanced back at him, ready to snap that he wasn't going to waste his time digging out a log of rock or dead coyote or whatever it was he had tripped on, when he saw that the sand was moving.

"Al," Ed said, "What are you doing?" Al shook his head.

"I'm not doing anything brother," he answered. "But…" he trailed off and knelt down in the sand. "Brother, there's a girl here." Ed swore. He didn't have time for this! "Brother, please… she's hurt." With another few choice words, Ed walked back over to Al.

"Al, c'mon then," he said, "We'll take her back to wherever she's from and-"

"No." The girl didn't look hurt, but rather she appeared to be starved and malnourished. Her breathing was shallow and harsh, and her eyes were closed. Her blue hair was full of sand and her arms were bare, though a blue cloak lay near her. She was dressed in black.

"Her- your arms!" Ed said in shock. "They're automail!" A small smile spread across the girl's face, though her eyes remained closed.

"Yes," she said, "My arms have both been lost. But not just them… one leg, a few ribs, over half of my spine…" her eyes shot open and both boys jumped back. "And my eyes." Her eyes were metal, with shockingly green irises. They moved easily enough, but there had obviously been no attempt made to hide their falseness.

"What happened to you?" Ed asked. He'd never seen a person who had so much automail, much less found a blue-haired girl in a desert with so much of it!

"Help me up," the girl replied, "And please, excuse my manners. My name is Luci. I don't know if I could have lasted another day, even moving only by night, if you hadn't found me." Al helped her up carefully, and though her left leg shook a bit, she appeared to be fine.

"I'm Edward Elric," Ed said, "And this is my younger brother, Alphonse Elric." Luci laughed.

"I see… so why is it you're wearing that suit of armor- Wait, did you say Elric? Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist?" Her voice, instead of sounding impressed or awed, seemed small and scared. "They sent you, didn't they? They knew I got out!" She took a step back, and another, bending down to snatch her cloak as she did. "Get away from me!"

"Wait Luci," Al said, stepping forward, "Who're they?" Luci hissed at him, retreating further.

"Like you don't know," she snarled, "You and your runty little brother there. They don't want me telling anyone about what's going on!" Ed was glaring daggers at Luci, but she ignored him and stared at Al like she was wondering exactly how she'd get away from him.

"Look," Ed snapped, "I don't know who you're talking about, but we aren't with anyone." Luci glared at him.

"I don't trust alchemists," she said, "Not after my life." She took another step back. "Not after being used by them for –for human transmutation…" she trailed off. "But you wouldn't know, would you." She sighed and turned away from them. "My eyes used to be blue…" she smiled, reliving old memories that no one else could see.

"Wait," Al said, "They used you for human transmutation?" Luci smiled weakly; her high cheekbones and sunken eyes making her look like a skeleton, and nodded. "What on earth… Brother, we have to do something about this!"

"About what?" Luci asked, "After all, it was a pair of state alchemists who told us to start experimenting over a hundred years ago." Then she threw her cloak over her shoulders and clasped it at her neck, and set off. "My town is the other way!" She yelled, "If you can survive the riots!" Ed looked at Al, who nodded.

"Hey," Al called, "Wait. Don't you have a family back there?" Luci went rigid, and turned back to them.

"Don't ever," she hissed, "Ever mention my family again." She whirled around and continued walking off, leaving Edward and Alphonse stunned.

"Wow," Ed whispered, "I wonder if she lost everyone…?" Al shook his head.

"She's going to die out here brother," he said, "We have to change her mind somehow." Ed sighed.

"Okay, fine," he said, knowing Al wouldn't be talked out of this. "Hey, Luci-ann or whatever your name is!" Luci spun around. "We know exactly what you're talking about! I have automail limbs too!" He pulled off his own red cloak to reveal his automail arm and waved it at her. Luci's eyebrows shot up, but she made no move to go back over to them. "My leg too, and Al lost his whole body!" He yelled. From a hundred feet away, he could see Luci instantly become alert. Her eyes whirred audibly as she turned back to the horizon and looked out at the world.

"Fine," she said. "I'm not coming with you, but I'll only take you as far as my town. I told myself I was leaving for good, and I meant it." With cautious steps, like a wild animal approaching a human, she walked back over to them. "I just hope I can trust you."

…

AN: Now, I know this isn't the longest, but I promise that chapters will be getting longer as the story progresses. If you would like to see this continued, please go to my profile and vote for it on my poll! (And check out my other stories, if you wish.) And please, REVIEW!