"…and the first thing I could think of was…I loved her…and I wanted to cry…"

April 3

It was a sunny day.

Early April, so we were lucky it wasn't raining.

We got to play outside.

-Al

[THERE'S A FIRE IN MY CHEST!!
Chapter 1: Anyone with eyes

Sakura sat up in her bed; she was a morning person so this was easy. She stretched and got dressed quickly.

A black T-shirt, fading black boy-shorts, and some sandals. She combed her short dark brown hair and rubbed the sleep from her crimson eyes.
She put her black necklace on, also her locket. She tucked that between her breasts. Last she put her gloves on. Then walked out.

Sakura walked down the halls of Central to her brother's office. Roy Mustang.

Sakura's brother loved her very much and ever since they were little he kept her safe and secret.

Sakura opened the doors quietly and saw her brother sleeping on his desk. She patted his black hair softly and he mumbled then went back to sleep. She walked past him and looked out the large window in his office.
Sakura's skin was pale against the bright sunlight. She could see the whole back courtyard.

"It's so nice out…" She said quietly to herself and smiled, "I really want to go enjoy it."
Sakura was fourteen, so she still had a huge inner child. She liked to act like a little kid, it was fun to her.

She danced around a little and giggled. She couldn't keep the excitement in.
"Big brother!!! I'm going outside!!" She yelled and burst out the doors of the office.
She ran down the hallway, down the stairs, past the infirmary, past the cafeteria, past the soldiers rooms, and finally burst out the back doors into the back courtyard.

She went towards the tree she always sat under next to the pond. No one ever came back here except military personnel and they all knew Sakura, so she wouldn't be disturbed.

She tucked her knees into her chest and hugged them a little. She closed her eyes and started to sing an old lullaby her Mother used to sing her…softly…and sweet…

When the sun goes down,
The plants go to sleep,
When the sun goes down,
The animals fall asleep,
Hush now and–"Sakura?"

Sakura stopped short when a familiar voice called her name; she opened her eyes, "Al?"
She said, "How embarrassing! Why'd you do that?!" She frowned a little fake frown.

Alphonse chuckled, "I thought it was cute, did your Mother used to sing that to you when you were little?"
"…Yeah." Sakura blushed madly and didn't know why.
Most people could tell that Sakura was instantly love-struck by anything that the Armor said. But anyone with eyes could see that they were in love…but they failed to see that in each other and tell themselves their feelings. They both hadn't realized what that burn was yet, and they didn't dare guess what it was.
They were still young, so…they didn't think about it.

"Where's Ed?" Sakura asked.
"Library." Al replied.
Sakura smiled and nodded.
Sakura and Alphonse had been best friends for two years now. Sakura had met the brothers when they came to become State Alchemists. Instantly they became friends. Every time Al came to Central he made sure he paid Sakura a visit. If it was up to Al. he and his brother wouldn't leave Central at all; and if Sakura was lucky Ed and Al would take her with them on trips and things to help with research. Sakura didn't look it but she was pretty could at Alchemy, like her brother.

When Sakura would keep freighted or embarrassed she would huddled behind Al, clenching unto his arm like it was her last hope. Compared to Al, she was nothing but something small. She could hardly measure up to Ed; she was almost as tall as him, but she only came up to Ed's nose. But, when she was with Alphonse, she felt protected, and she liked that a lot.

Sakura stood up and puffed her chest proudly like Ed would, "Do you want to catch insects? I like butterflies! There should be some now! Let's go get 'em!" She grabbed Al's arm and held it tight, "Let's go! Go! Go!"

She ran around in some circles to confuse Al, clanking behind her, then towards a patch of flowers then stopped, "Okay! Okay! Now we wait!" Sakura's excitement grew.
Al sighed a little, he knew it was one of those days were Sakura just got instant energy because of the weather. But, he didn't mind, he liked Sakura no matter what mood she was in, he didn't know why. He shrugged it off.

Sakura sat down and waited. Al sat beside her.
"So how long are you guys staying?" She asked.
"Two days."
Sakura nodded her head as a calm look captured her face. The wind blew from behind them and some petals flew up.
"My birthdays in June." Sakura said softly.
Amestis' (the country they live in) cherry blossoms don't bloom 'til late June. Sakura means cherry blossom.
Al was silent.
"Did you guys find any leads?" She asked.
"Not really, so that's what we'll be looking for when we leave."
"If guys don't find one…I think I might have one…"
Al looked over at Sakura, her face still had a saddened calm expression.
She looked over at him.
"You know my Father, Stephen Mustang, right?" She asked.
"Of course." Alphonse looked Sakura over, "You talk about him all the time."
"Before he and my Mother died in 'you know what' they left me and my Brother a lot of their notes back in Memore in the library; you know in the room you can't get in." Sakura sighed a little, "You can see them if you want, it's worth a try."

Memore was a town with no military office, so many retired military soldiers and scientist's lived there. The largest building was the library, at four stories tall. The large almost city town was surrounded by a gigantic forest and when the Colonel and her sister were young they lived on the outskirts of town in the forest in a two story house with a tire swing in the backyard. Sakura's father was a military hero for many years; he had many connections to the Fuhur King Bradley. Her mother, Elizabella Mustang, was once the assistant to King Bradley. They fell in love, and when Stephen found out that she was pregnant with their first child he quit and moved to Memore where Roy was born.

Many years later Sakura was born. She could still remember all the people who would come to her house and beg her father to come back, but he refused. He taught them basic Alchemy, but mostly they had their own hobbies. Sakura liked to draw, and she was very good at it, and well…Roy liked to…woo girls.
One day the Fuhur came to their house for a visit and gave Roy a box. Inside were his flame gloves and a note that said, "Soon enough you will learn how to use these."
Sakura got a little jealous and begged her Dad to give her his old flame gloves and he did. She wore them everyday, except for when she slept, and promised her Dad to never use they unless she really need to, same for Roy.

Then one night, August 16, it happened…
An armed man had snuck into their house; he had a deep unknown grudge against Sakura's father. He had both Elizabella and Stephen tied up, he hadn't noticed Roy or Sakura. Hidden in the darkness of the hallway Roy ran back to his room and grabbed his gloves.
Sakura pleaded him no but he pushed her aside and held his hand up to the assassin.
Sakura ran in front of her brother and spread out her arms to stop. Roy's eyes were shut tight.

Roy snapped his finger.

Instantly the assassin was burned beyond recognition. He had killed his parents as well, and Sakura, she had just simply caught to flames and fallen to the floor. Quickly he ran to the bathroom and drenched Sakura in water. The house was on fire, Roy remembered something he had read in one of his Father's Alchemy book that he had wrote. Roy drew a gigantic transmutation circle on the floor with four corners. He dragged one body to each corner but found out he was one body sort. He quickly ran outside and saw a black dog walking by. He cornered the dog and dragged him inside still yelping, he was running out of time, Sakura was fading fast. He put the dog on the last corner.
Roy put his hands down.

When Sakura came to, it was like she had woken up from a very long sleep. She saw her brother pasted out and the house in flames, she grabbed Roy and what was left of there belongs and dragged them outside. She walked down the road to town until she collapsed.

They woke up in Central; apparently the Fuhur was going to visit them again, and found them collapsed in the road. Roy told Sakura everything. They both cried for a very long time. When Sakura finally looked in a mirror, she had small black dog ears and a tail. Her eyes went from hazel to crimson, the pigments in the dogs eyes mixed with hers to make the color; she had bigger canine teeth too.

In the end Roy joined the military to keep it all under wraps and Sakura was given special privileges to stay with him if she continued to study Alchemy and help State Alchemist study for the exam.
They never really wondered how or why it worked, but it did because of their Father's book, it truly saved them. Sakura knows something was taken from her but she doesn't speak of it to the brother's, but she told them her story because she felt she could trust them. It's one of the reason's she doesn't grow very tall though.

"We should when we get back." Al said, "I want to see Memore again, we went there once with you, but that was when you wanted to tell us about 'you know what', but I want to go back. It's pretty there."
"Yeah." She said, "It is."
Alphonse patted Sakura on the head, and stood up.
"Come on, did you eat breakfast yet?" He asked.
Sakura shook her head no.
"Then lets go get you some, I'm sure Ed will be there by now." He helped Sakura up and they walked back into the building.

Author: PHEW! It's been awhile since I wrote a Fan Fiction, but I was reading my old one and I had an urge to make a new one!! I hope you like it! Sorry about the long back stories and stuff, but I guess that's what a first chapter is right? Ah, well I'm satisfied I actually made a good back story that was pretty clear. OoOoh! Foreshadowing!! Oh my god!! Wish me luck