CM: Sorry for not updating this story in a while. I figured no one was interested so I wasn't going to continue it, but since a couple people have taken interest (finally), I decided to continue it for their sakes. So enjoy! ^_^
Chapter Four: Recalling the Painful
Once they got back, Kat and Elly were sitting in a room with the two brothers as well as all of Roy's group where Armstrong was offering to fix up Al, flexing his muscles all the while.
"So where's Colonel Ego?" Elly asked getting her old attitude back.
"That's none of your business," Mustang said as he walked into the room. "And I would suggest showing proper respect to an officer."
"Oh, sorry I didn't see you there," Elly amended. Upon listening to the conversation, consisting of much Edward bashing, Ed revealed that he and Al would go back to their hometown for repairs. Roy thought it best that the boys have protection but one by one each of the people in the room declined until Armstrong eagerly volunteered.
"Stop treating us like children!" Edward shouted.
"Geez, do you all have to be so rough on them?" Kat asked. "They've been through enough as it is."
"Kat's got a point," Elly said standing up. "They just got pieces of them blasted off I think it would be best to give them a break. However, I do agree that it would be best if they had someone with them…at least until they get themselves put back together."
"Well, since you both seem to have grown so attached to them, you can go along as well," Roy said with a light smile.
Kat stared at him with a weary smile. Neither she nor Elly had gotten a wink of sleep last night. "Something tells me either you really don't like having me around or you're trying to kill me with all the assignments you keep giving me."
"Not at all, this is merely a sign of my trust in you. I would only send those I trust on assignments such as these," Roy told her with a grin.
Elly rolled her eyes not buying a word of it, "Whatever, I don't mind going."
Kat didn't mind going with the brothers either. In fact, this would be a good chance to get to know the pair. And if Elly was fine with it, then so was she. "In that case, Colonel, I humbly accept the assignment."
Kat could have sworn she heard a chuckle escape his lips. "Glad to hear it."
"You can't treat us like kids!" Ed said in protest.
"The train leaves soon," Armstrong announced. "We better go pack our bags."
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"I understand why we have to put Al in the cargo area but couldn't it have been somewhere besides with the sheep," Elly asked as she sat with Kat, Armstrong, and Ed in one of the passenger carts.
Just then Hughes tapped on the window getting Ed's attention, "Hey there I got a message here for you from Roy."
"You mean the Colonel?" Ed asked angrily.
"He said 'don't die on my watch, you're enough trouble without the paperwork'. That's it," Hughes said. Kat couldn't help but let out a small giggle.
"Tell him, 'don't worry, there's no way I'm dying before you do you morally bankrupt colonel with a god complex'."
At that Elly burst out laughing, "That's a good one Ed. I couldn't have said it better myself."
"Oh by the way Nina was found to have shown signs of having been killed the same way as the state alchemists," Hughes added softly.
Edward looked stunned for a moment before smiling. "Thanks Hughes, now I can take him."
Hughes smiled before looking at Kat and Elly. "Remember, be safe. And stay out of trouble."
"Don't worry Lt. Colonel Hughes," Armstrong stated flexing his muscle and nearly crushing Ed. "I, Major Armstrong, shall make certain that these two young ladies shall come to no harm."
"Great, if Scar doesn't get me first Armstrong's speeches will," Elly muttered under her breath. "There really is no reason to worry Hughes, we'll be just fine."
"Yeah, later bro," Kat said giving her brother a high five through the window before the train carried them to their next destination. Little did they know that a dark skinned man with a scar on his face was not far off holding a kid's sister hostage for information of where they were headed.
The ride took a long time and Elly slept through half of it. "Man I've never seen anyone sleep like that. Does anything wake her up?" Ed asked watching as Elly slept in the most uncomfortable looking position.
She wasn't the only one. Kat was also asleep using Elly as a pillow. "They're probably tired. They've only recently returned from a previous assignment and haven't had any rest since then," Armstrong inferred.
"So what's the story behind those two?" Ed asked. "I think this is the first time I've ever seen a female state alchemist before, and to top it off, she's partners with an Ishbalan who can also use alchemy."
"Well it's not really my place to say, but I will tell you that they met completely by chance and have been traveling together as partners ever since," Armstrong explained. "Other than that there really isn't much that I know about them….except what the other soldiers have said."
"And what have they said?" Ed asked curiously.
"That Elly was a stray before she was brought to headquarters. It's also rumored that Kathleen was close to the Colonel before she became a state alchemist."
"Really? How so?" Ed asked getting curious.
"Well because the Colonel and Lieutenant Colonel Hughes have been close friends for several years now, he became acquainted with her as well. According to Hughes, Roy used to treat her like a sister himself…until she went off to school that is."
"Heh, didn't think the Colonel had such a soft spot," Ed said with a sardonic smirk. "Still, considering the Ishbalen's beliefs, it's just hard to believe that one of them could also be an alchemist. And something else has been bothering me."
"Hm? What would that be?"
"Well… when we were fighting Scar--" He didn't get beyond that, Elly's foot jerked, kicking him in his right leg.
"Ouch," Ed shouted holding his leg.
"It must have just been a sleeping twitch. Now what was it you were saying?" Armstrong asked.
"Nothing, forget it," Ed told him glancing back at Elly.
The conversation then changed to the Armstrong Family line where Armstrong went on and on and on. Edward finally got fed up with it and stood up heading for the cargo car to hang with Al.
Kat stirred awake just as she heard the compartment door slam shut. She sat up and yawned. "That was such a wonderful nap."
"I'm glad that you were able to get some rest," Armstrong said to her.
"Should we wake Elly?" Kat asked, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Suddenly the compartment door slammed open and Ed rushed in. In his hurry to their window, he accidentally knocked Elly onto the floor.
"What was that for midget?" Elly asked angrily from the floor.
"We've got a problem. Al must have been taken off the train at the last stop," Ed said climbing out the window.
"Hold on Edward Elric. We'll wait for the next stop and then make a trip back," Armstrong said holding onto Ed's leg.
"You know if you go jumping out the window you're only going to hurt yourself," Elly added as she stood back up.
"We don't have time to wait!" Ed shouted.
"Edward, it's important for you to be patient," Armstrong said not releasing him.
"He's right Ed," Kat said giving him a reassuring smile. "We'll find him and get him back, so don't worry."
Reluctantly, Edward agreed.
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When they made it to the station where Al was taken, the man standing guard there said that he saw Al run off.
"Are you sure you saw him *run* off?" Elly asked remembering the state he was in before.
"Yeah, he ran out that door and down the road but I couldn't tell where he was going," the guard explained.
"Right I'm going after him," Ed said turning for the door.
Armstrong caught him by the coat causing him to stop in his tracks. "You need to calm down Edward. There is no need to rush out there, we will find him and bring him back," Armstrong said reassuringly.
Edward shouted at him to leave him alone trying to get after his brother. "We know what you did at Ishbal," Ed shouted ending his rant.
This statement caused Armstrong to let go of his coat in shock and Ed dashed out the door. Elly attempted to ignore the statement and tried to busy herself with staring out the window. She couldn't stop herself from wondering about which one he had been during the massacre, however, and glanced at his face looking for some sign that he regretted what had happened.
"Major Armstrong," Kat said softly. "What DID happen?" She had heard much about the Ishbalen rebellion and even did research on it. But the most she came up with were the death counts and status reports. Whenever she had asked her brother about it, he'd tell her that it wasn't something she needed to know about and to never bring the subject up to Roy or the other state alchemists. So she had always wondered. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want," she added politely.
"It was an event that I never want to see happen again," Armstrong said sadly. "I would appreciate it if you didn't bring it up again." He turned toward the guard and asked when the next train was coming while Elly sat in one of the corners and Kat kept glancing between Armstrong and Elly with curiosity.
"The next train should be here around 7:00 tonight. If you miss that one there will be another one at noon tomorrow," the guard answered.
"Major, should we go look for them?" Kat asked.
"I shall go locate the Elric brothers," Armstrong told them. "You two stay here and wait for the next train."
Kat did a salute. "Yes sir."
Elly watched him leave, heaving a sigh as soon as she could no longer hear his footsteps. "Not to be mean to those three but I'm kind of glad to be away from them. It's actually quiet and I can finally hear myself think," Elly said leaning back against the corner wall and placing her hands behind her head.
"I dunno, I enjoy their company. You have to admit, they're very interesting people." Kat later she awoke with a start by the train whistle. Checking her watch, she saw it was almost seven. If they missed this train, they'd have to wait until tomorrow for the next.
"If those guys don't hurry up we'll miss the train," Elly said standing next to the window. "At least you're awake now," she added turning toward Kat with slightly red eyes looking as if she hadn't slept a wink. "Maybe with your help we could stall the train if we needed to."
Kat smiled. "Hehe, sorry about falling asleep on you. I guess I was a lot more tired than I thought." Just when she thought that she really would have to freeze the train on its tracks, Armstrong suddenly rushed past with the two Elric brothers on his shoulders. "I guess we can get on."
"Yeah I guess we can. They were really cutting it close though huh," Elly said stepping onto the train behind Kat.
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They made it to Raizenbul the next day and Kat marveled at the beautiful landscape. When they reached the house they introduced themselves to Pinako and Winry. They spent some time around the house chatting with everyone and getting to know their two hostesses. Once things settled down and the two were busy rebuilding Ed's arm, the two soon grew bored sitting around the house. "Major Armstrong, would it be alright if we took a walk around town, Elly and I?" Kat requested.
"I don't see why not. Yes, go and have fun while I help out here with the medical skills that have been past down the Armstrong line for generations," the major told them going into one of his rants.
"Right we'll be going then. See ya later Ed, Al," Elly said stepping out the door quickly to get away from Armstrong's tirade. They walked down the road always enjoying the scenery and momentary peace. "Wow does it feel good to get out of there," Elly commented stretching a bit.
"Haha, you really have a hard time being around people, don't you?" Kat said with a small laugh. "Though I suppose I can't really blame you." Kat stared up at the sky, curiosity weighing heavily on her mind. She remembered the days when she was little, around the time when she first met Roy. She remembered how unhappy he had seemed. And she would go to him and try to bring a smile to his face. But she always wondered what could make a person so sad…
"I don't mind being around people. I just have a hard time being around soldiers…. especially those who were in the war. I'm sure at least some of them are as sad as Marco was but unless I hear it for myself it's really hard to tell." Elly looked to the sky too, watching the clouds move by so slowly they appeared to be standing still. "It's strange how the sky stays the same no matter where you go," she said finally with a smile.
"I don't believe that in the slightest," Kat said smiling also. "If there's one thing I've learned in my life, nothing ever stays the same. You could go to the exact same place, at the exact same time of the year, day, and hour, but it won't ever be the same as the last time. It will always be different. That's the beauty of life."
Elly chuckled, "Yeah I guess you're right. Still the sky always seems to look like it's standing still to me….as if time itself has stopped in its tracks." She shook her head and started walking again, "I'll bet that sounded pretty dumb huh. Oh well, it's best to enjoy life while you have it right?"
"Definitely," Kat said with a nod. She was silent for a few moments longer. Should she ask? "Hey… Elly. I know I really shouldn't be asking but…. Do you know anything about the war in Ishbal?"
Elly stopped in her tracks, her face hidden in the shadows caused from her hair. She took several deep breaths unsure of what to say as the memory of what happened dashed through her mind. "I guess it's only fair to tell at least part of what happened," she finally said. "Let's go over by that tree to talk," she added turning toward a tree that sat just off the road in the middle of a field. When she reached it she sat down heavily, using the tree as support. "What exactly would you like to know?" she asked.
Kat sat down beside. She picked her words with caution. "I just want to know… what it was like through the eyes of someone who was there. Every time the topic comes up, people turn so grave. And when I ask about it, no one ever gives me a straight answer. I just want to know the truth." She wanted to know more about her friend, but also, she wanted to know… what brought such grief to her brother's best friend's eyes.
"To put it bluntly, that wasn't even a war…not really anyway. It was more of a slaughter than anything," Elly started. "The army came in when I was just a kid and introduced us to alchemy. The older ones said it was a sinful technique and refused to accept it. Years passed without many problems between us until a member of the army killed a child in his own home. After that everything changed. The army came in forces of great strength and all the men and some women took up any weapon they could find to fight them. We were no match for them….that was obvious from the beginning."
Kat listened intently. She could hear in her friend's voice just how painful it was recalling all of this. She had read in a report that an Ishbalen child had been "accidentally shot" thus triggering the rebellion. She continued to listen until Elly finished her story.
"For four long years I went from place to place hiding with the other children as each place was destroyed by the army. As time went on there were fewer and fewer of us that hid, until only I was left. All of my friends had been killed in crumbling building or ricocheting bullets. After four years had passed most of Ishbala was in ruin and that's when they sent in those heartless killers, the state alchemists. By that time I had finally found my two older brothers, the oldest one looking like he had lost his mind. I tried to get close to them but Mat…my oldest brother…was killed on the spot by one of the alchemists while the other one got hit in the face with a strong blow." She paused as tears started running uncontrollably down her cheeks.
Kat stared at the red headed girl in amazement. She would never have imagined she had lived such a hard life. She couldn't help but have a deep respect towards Elly for being able to endure so much and still be able to smile. Not saying anything, she scooted closer to her partner and wrapped a comforting arm around her. "I'm truly sorry. I shouldn't have… I'm sorry."
"No…it's…okay. You have….every right…to know. Besides….I guess I needed….this too," Elly said in between sobs. "Where was I? Oh yeah, my brother shouted at me to run for it so I did only to run into another soldier just around the corner. I tripped over my own feet in fear, landing hard on the ground as the soldier raised one hand. Our eyes met for a second before and explosion appeared right in front of me before I fell through the ground and hit my head. That's all I remember about the battle. If there is anything else you want to know you'll have to ask someone else."
"No… that's all I needed to know," Kat told her quietly.
*Flashback*
Kat crept tentatively down the dark hallway. Her heart was beating rapidly against her chest as she heard another moaning sound. Slowly she reached the doorway where the noises were coming from and quietly pushed the door open. Inside the room, a dark figure was tossing in their bed. "Pony boy?" She asked quietly. She moved closer to the bed, feeling a little scared seeing the person in such pain. They let out another cry. She reached the bed. "Wake up… please wake up." And she took hold of one of the hands that clutched the bed sheets in a death grip. They sat up, flinging out the arm and knocking Kat hard to the floor.
The figure sat there for a long moment panting hard and trying to erase the images that were running through his head. After several minutes he noticed Kat lying on the floor groaning from the pain. "Kathleen? What are you doing in here?" he asked getting up and going to help her up.
"I… I was worried about you," Kat said trembling. "You were making noises in your sleep."
The man's dark eyes stared down at the frightened child. "I see. I'm sorry I woke you. You don't have to worry, I'm fine now."
Kat stared up at him and it made her sad to see him look so unhappy. She moved forward and wrapped her arms around his torso, taking the man by surprise. "I don't want you to be sad, Pony Boy… Cause when you're Fuhrer and people see you sad, they'll be sad too."
"Thanks, but I'll be just fine. You don't need to worry about me," Roy told her ruffling her hair. "Now go back to sleep."
Kat didn't want to leave him alone but she didn't want to disobey him either so she reluctantly let him go. "I promise, one day I'll be a state alchemist too and join the army. That way you won't ever be lonely anymore. And I can be there whenever you need me."
"Yeah yeah whatever. Just get back to bed or your brother is going to be mad at me," Roy told her rolling his eyes but smiling nonetheless. He watched as she left the room, then he laid back down to sleep once again.
*End Flashback*
He may have forgotten, but she never would….
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CM: Awwww... sadness. Well no worries, the next chapter is gonna be all grins and giggles. Stay tuned!
