Hey guys, I'm sorry that there was another delay for this chapter. There has been so much going on in my world recently and it has unfortunately took my time away to work on this chapter. Luckily, I had some time today, and have finally gotten this chapter up. Again, I'm so sorry for the delay.

I think I might have jinxed myself last chapter when I said I was proud with myself for keeping up with updating. Go me...

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of its characters, I just own my OCs.


Chapter Four

An Awkward Remeeting

Steam billowed up from within the shower, quickly filling the bathroom with a humid cloud. Boiling hot water cascaded down onto my body, scalding my skin but I made no move to turn down the temperature. It had hurt for a moment at first but then I welcomed it, standing under the shower head with my forehead resting against the showers wall. The water was hitting the back of my neck, flowing down over my back and helping to soothe the tense muscles there. Faintly, just outside the bathroom door, I could hear movement. I paid it no mind, knowing that it was only Havoc or Alphonse.

Subconsciously, a small smile came to my lips. That poor boy, I had really given him quite the shock. His eyes had gone the widest I'd ever seen them go and he was stunned into silence. Even after timidly inviting me inside, he still didn't quite know what to say, shifting from one foot to the other. A few minutes of awkward silence passed between us and during that time he seemed to notice my hellish appearance. He offered to let me use the shower in a tentative voice and I immediately took him up on that, if not to escape from any awkward explanations for just a while longer.

I sighed, reaching forward to shut off the water. Even though I wanted to stay in there longer, hoping the shower would wash away the anxiety coursing through me, I had to get out. I had to get this over with. I preferred to skip over the explanation, already knowing how tense and awkward it would be, but I knew it was necessary. Alphonse wouldn't let this go without me telling him something. I just wasn't sure if I could get two words out, let alone the whole story, without collapsing into tears. Telling it over out loud would make all those emotions I had been trying to bury come right back up to the surface.

Upon stepping out of the shower, I wrapped myself in a towel and started making my way to the mirror when my gaze was drawn to a pile of clothes sitting atop the white counter. I raised an eyebrow, confused, and glanced over to where I had thrown my original clothes on the floor. They were missing, most likely taken and replaced because of how disgusting they were. I hadn't even heard anyone come into the bathroom. I was either too deep in thought to notice or they were extremely good at sneaking, or a combination of both.

Walking over to the pile, I lifted the clothes to inspect them. The shirt was a simple white t-shirt and the pants were black and baggy, looking almost like some sweatpants I had owned in my world. I noticed that they were a tad larger than my usual size and as I put them on my suspicions were confirmed. They were a bit loose on my thin form but otherwise fit well enough. Besides, it felt comforting to have some clean clothes on and I would take what I could get if it meant that I didn't have to put my bloodied and torn clothes back on.

I wiped the steam covering the mirror and looked at myself. When my green eyes connected with my reflection, I cringed. I really did look like hell. Along the side of my face was a line of fading bruises, the worst being more towards my forehead while the ones littering my cheek were smaller and much more faded. You could see others lining my arms as well, but thankfully the worst was hidden beneath my shirt. Although the seat belt was probably the thing that saved my life, it sure did a number on my chest and I was reminded of it each time I took too deep of a breath. I was just thankful that my ribs had stayed in tact.

Along with the bruising, there were scratches scattered across my pale skin, the worst of them stitched up and hidden beneath now damp bandages. I thought of changing them for a moment but then decided against it. I didn't know where the brothers kept any sort of medical supplies and I wasn't about to go rifling through their drawers. I could live with some damp bandages until I could ask Al if he had any. I would assume so, considering his brother was a walking hazard.

My eyes trailed back up to my face. I looked so tired. My green eyes weren't as vibrant and below them large dark bags stood out against my far paler than usual complexion. My skin almost seemed to glow, especially with the contrast of my damp dark hair framing my face. Self-consciousness began to creep in as I examined my appearance and I ran a hand through my long locks only to wince when the strands irritated the cuts on my palm. Frowning, I glared down at my beat up hands. That glass had really done a number on them.

A sudden knock sounded on the door, breaking me from my thoughts and making me jump.

"Katrina? Are you okay in there?"

I let out a breath when I recognized the voice. Who else would it have been anyways? This was his house after all. I shook my head at my own jumpiness, braced myself and then opened the door to look at Al. I gave him a small smile and, taking that as my answer, he returned it. Turning, he motioned for me to follow him down the hallway and I obeyed.

As we walked, I examined the space around me. The walls were just white in color and the plainness of it was only interrupted with a wooden door here or there. There wasn't anything for decoration; no pictures or plants of any sort. I wasn't too surprised. The brothers never did seem to be the type for decorating.

At the end of the hall was a stair case. After making our way down it, we were met with the sight of the living room, the same place I had seen when I first entered the Elric's residence. It was a decent sized room with a large window overlooking their front yard and the streets of Central. Two cushioned chairs were placed in front of said window with a coffee table in front of them and a couch just on the other side of it. Instead of staying in this room, Al continued walking, turning to the right and leading me into what could only be the kitchen. It wasn't small but it wasn't overly large either. Like the hallways and living room, it too was plain with no form of any decoration. The only thing I really took notice to was the wooden table to my left where Havoc sat with a cup of some sort of steaming liquid.

Havoc smiled at our entrance, "You're looking better now."

"Thanks," I said, a tight smile on my lips. In my opinion, I still looked like crap.

I moved over to the table to join Havoc while Al went to go retrieve something from the counter. When I took a seat, he set a white mug in front of me, it too having a thin stream of steam rising from it.

"I made tea," The boy explained as he took a seat to my right. He shifted a little, still awkward, "You liked it with just sugar, right?"

I looked at him with my eyes widened. How in the world did he remember that?

"Was I wrong?" Al asked, shifting again under my gaze.

"No! Um… no, I just… didn't expect you to remember that," I muttered, turning my eyes down to the amber liquid. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

It went quiet again. I wrapped my hands around the mug, ignoring the sting from some of the worst cuts on my palms. The slight pain died down shortly after and I savored the warmth seeping into my skin.

"Havoc was just telling me that you were in the hospital. He said that you were hit by a car?" Al inquired. I kept my gaze downcast. I could tell by his tone that he wanted to know more but settled on that for now.

"Yeah… It all happened so fast," I responded. Reluctantly, I peered up at him through my bangs. He was staring at me intently, his unasked question laying just below the surface. I knew that as soon as Havoc left that question would explode right past his lips.

Appearing to sense that Al had more questions, ones that he could only ask if it was just the two of us, Havoc sighed and stood. Al and I looked over to him, breaking our tense stare off. "Well, I should probably head out now and get back to work," Havoc said casually, flashing me a reassuring smile.

My stomach dropped at his words but I swallowed down the nervousness curling in my gut. "Havoc." I stood too, walking over to him. Before I could hesitate, I hugged him, "Thank you, for everything."

I could feel him tense for a moment before patting my head. I owed him so much more than just some mere thanks. This man had saved my life. If he hadn't of found me and brought me to the hospital, I didn't know what would have happened to me. He had been so kind to me, even going so far as helping me find a place to go when he could have just let me be somebody else's problem. As I pulled away, he reached into his pocket to retrieve something. Once finding it, he grabbed my hand and placed the small box onto my palm. I looked at him in confusion when I realized what it was.

"I think you need them more than me right now," He smiled, patting my head again. I smiled too, curling my fingers around the pack of smokes and shoving them into the pocket of my sweatpants. I felt tempted to make a joke about him not helping my bad habit, but refrained from doing so. He may not have been helping it but I still appreciated the gesture. With this stress, I was sure I was going to crave it.

Alphonse went to stand but Havoc waved him off. "Don't worry Al, I can show myself out. Thanks for the tea."

With that, Havoc disappeared into the next room, leaving the youngest Elric and I in another wave of silence. I sat back down in my original seat and avoided Al's curious eyes by again staring down into my tea. I could hear a door open and close in the direction that Havoc had gone, signalling that he was officially out of the house.

"What did Havoc give you?" Al asked me curiously.

His question surprised me a little. I was expecting a different one, though I was sure that one was coming next. The curiosity about whatever Havoc had given me must have been just a tad stronger than his curiosity about how I got here. Or he was just easing into it before firing the question at me. Regardless, I waved my hand, "Nothing really." I didn't want Al to know I was a smoker, even though he would find out eventually. It was kind of hard to hide that sort of thing from somebody, especially since I was going to be staying at his house. He just didn't need to know just yet. Before Al could speak again, I asked, "Where's Edward?"

I had noticed his lack of presence as soon as I had gotten here. If he had been here, I was sure he wouldn't have waited for privacy, let alone let me take a shower first, before firing his questions at me. If he was here, I would have already been deaf from his yelling.

"He's out on a mission," Al answered simply.

"Mission? Did he rejoin the military?" I continued to question, looking at Al with a raised brow.

Al nodded, "When brother and I got back, we went and lived in Resembool for a while. The quiet and sitting around started to get to him though, so he decided to rejoin and I decided to come and live with him. He wouldn't know how to take care of himself if I wasn't around."

His comment caused a smile to come to my face. That was probably true. Ed would probably forget to sleep or even eat if Al hadn't have come along.

"Katrina," The serious tone the younger boy used turned my smile to a frown, "How did you get here?"

"By accident," I chuckled drily, leaning back in my chair.

"Accident? Please, tell me what happened. You're all banged up and I can see it in your eyes. Something happened," Al continued on softly.

Tears began to form in my eyes as everything replayed in my head for probably the millionth time. I blinked them away and bit my lower lip while I considered what to say. I wanted to tell him but I still wasn't sure if I could spill the beans without breaking into sobs.

"I wasn't lying when I said I was hit by a car. Back in my world, there was a car accident. Another car just came out of nowhere, hitting the side of the one I was in with enough force to flip it," I choked out. My throat was getting tighter with each passing moment. "I know you want to know more, but I just… can't do it right now. I promise I'll tell you though. When Edward gets back, I'll tell you both, okay?"

Alphonse hesitated for a moment and I could see in his eyes that he wanted to know more. However, he nodded reluctantly, and said, "Okay." No matter how badly he wanted to know, he kept himself from pressing for more details and I was thankful for that. "I was going to phone him later anyways. I'll tell him what's going on and-."

"No!" I exclaimed, making Al jump, "No, please don't. I don't want him to know I'm here yet. I don't know what kind of mission he's on, but if it has even a hint of danger I don't want him to be distracted cause some dumb girl from his past popped up on his doorstep."

"Okay, I won't tell him you're here. It's okay Kat," Al reassured me, placing a hand on the one I had rested on the table.

"Thank you," I sighed.

To try and calm myself, I took a deep breath and breathed out slowly. After a few blinks, the rest of the tears that had taken up home in my eyes had disappeared. I trusted Al, even after all these years, and I knew that he would understand but I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I broke down crying the first day I saw him. I'm sure that he was already worried about me, I didn't want to give him another reason to be.

"I'm sorry for making you lie for me. I know you and Ed tell each other basically everything," I said after I had gotten my composure back under control.

Seeing that I was okay, Al smiled and retracted his hand, "It's okay, Kat. I understand where you're coming from and I agree."

"Thank you," I said again, a grateful smile coming to my lips. "When is Ed supposed to be coming home?"

"In a few days. Don't worry, you have time to relax a bit," Al replied. He wanted to say more but cut himself off. I was pretty sure that I knew what he was going to say.

"Before he comes home and freaks out that I'm here? Oooh boy, I'm looking forward to that," I said sarcastically, doing a tiny fist pump.

"He might not, you know," Al shrugged.

"You don't sound very convincing."

"Well, you know how Brother is…"

"So obviously, he hasn't changed too much since the last time I saw him. I can already hear him yelling at me… I'm really happy you were home alone. Now I can visit with the sweet brother before the mean one yells my ear off."

Al chuckled, "Can you please try not to pick a fight with him? I remember that being your guys' favorite hobby."

"I'd never," I mock gasped, making Al laugh a bit harder.

"I missed you Kat."

My eyes widened, staring at him in surprise. His eyes widened as well, apparently realizing what had slipped off his tongue, and he retreated back into his nervousness. I watched him dart his gaze down to the table top and he began to shift uncomfortably in his seat. It was then that I started to come to a realization. I wasn't the only one who was wary about reactions. I could already tell that Al was uncomfortable but I had just assumed it was only because I put him into an awkward situation. In reality, he was just as nervous as I was. It was understandable, really. They didn't exactly leave on good terms. More than likely, he felt guilty, thinking that I would be bitter. If I had shown up a couple of years ago, I would have been, angry even. It had been four years. hell, maybe even five. Any bitterness that was in my system was already drained dry. If there was any left, it wouldn't be directed at him anyways. It would be directed toward his brother.

I smiled over at him, placing my hand on top of his, not unlike what he'd done not too long ago, "I missed you too, Al." His gaze slowly settled on me once more. There was guilt shining in them, the guilt I knew he would be feeling. "I missed you so much after you left, you and Ed. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't angry though... I tried to hate you both for a long time, but I could never hate either of you. I was just sad and bitter. Besides, it's been so long, it'd be unhealthy of me if I kept holding onto those negative feelings." I gave his hand a small squeeze. "So don't worry, alright? I'm not going to start yelling at you or anything."

"But why? We lied-"

"Alphonse, stop," I said softly. He did so, continuing to stare at me with those guilty eyes, a question coming to rest in them as well. "I forgave you both a long time ago." The younger boy looked shocked at my words. The two of them were probably no where near to forgiving themselves, let alone be anywhere near to believing that I would be able to forgive them.

"You did?"

"It's been years, Al. I couldn't be bitter forever," I smiled at him. "Besides, how could I stay angry at a boy as sweet as you?"

A small blush came to his cheeks and he smiled back at me. How could I stay mad at him? Al was nothing but a caring, kind hearted person. He could be stubborn, even occasionally adopting some of his brother's personality, but he had a heart of gold. This caring boy had been there for me on so many occasions too, all those years ago. He was always there for me, always willing to lend me some advice. He had become an incredible friend, practically a brother to me. It didn't matter how much time had passed, I still felt that same bond, still felt comfortable with him. I couldn't hate him even if I tried.

I gave his hand one last squeeze before retracting my own and giving him a grin, "Now that that's out of the way, tell me what you've been up to. I wanna hear everything."