Scar has been gone for a few weeks now, and you're beginning to miss him desperately. He's been a part of your life for what feels like forever, and being without him is difficult.

Although, being with Yoki is even harder.

Up until now, Scar had been happy to let you do as you please, not expecting you to contribute anything other than your company. Yoki however has been working you like a slave, making you do everything for him. So far this morning, you've had to start the fire, cook, and try to find more firewood. Yoki has spent most of the morning sat on his ass, complaining about your situation. Still, he has at least heeded Scar's warning, physically keeping his distance from you. You've caught him peeping on you a few times, but you're willing to let that slide for the sake of peace; if Scar finds out, he'll poke Yoki's eyes out.

After a while, you'd finally had enough of Yoki's whining, and convinced him to go out and find food. He'd made a loud noise of disapproval, until you'd reminded him that Scar will be expecting a full report on his actions when he returns. Yoki had then turned remarkably pale, clearly taking your threat seriously. He'd left your hiding place like a rat up a drainpipe, finally granting you some much-needed peace and quiet.

That was a few hours ago, and you're starting to grow concerned. Well, as concerned as you can be for Yoki. As much as you dislike him, you don't wish any ill on the man. Besides, if he doesn't return, what are you going to do for food? You'd have to sit tight and pray for Scar's return, probably. You have no experience in hunting or foraging, and you'd make a poor thief. Maybe when Scar comes back he'll teach you how to fend for yourself…

Your fear are put to rest when, not ten minutes after you think about him, Yoki returns, albeit not as you'd expected. You'd expected him to bring back food.

Instead, he's brought back a small child, and an even smaller black and white cat.

You stare up at Yoki, your face one of pure bewilderment. Where the hell did he find her? Why is she here? Does he intend to cook her? Is her pet really a cat?!

Before you have the chance to say anything, the little girl starts talking. 'Hello, nice to meet you. My name is Mei Chang, and my friend here is Xiao-Mei. We've travelled all the way from Xing to look for something. You must be Mrs Yoki!' She grins at you, but you don't smile back. You're far too busy glaring at Yoki.

Yoki's eyes suddenly fill with fear. 'O-oh, she's not my wife. I'm just looking after her. Nope, she's got nothing to do with me.' He lets out a nervous laugh, in an attempt to get you to stop glaring. You soften your expression slightly, and turn your head to face Mei.

You introduce yourself to her, and she gasps when you tell her your name. 'That's so pretty!' She says, gaze filler with awe.

You smile softly in response. 'Thank you, Mei. Now tell me, how did you meet Yoki? And why are you here?' She opens her mouth, ready to answer your questions, but she's interrupted by someone entering your hideout.

Scar has finally returned.

All three of you turn to look at him, not expecting his arrive. You stand up, and start to walk over to him, until you see something that causes you to freeze halfway between him and your original spot on the floor.

His leg is bleeding. Someone has injured him.

You begin to feel a bit faint; his target must have put up one hell of a fight if he managed to injure him. Does that mean god target still lives? Will they pursue Scar? More importantly, how serious is Scar's injury? If worse comes to worse, will he be physically able to avoid his potential pursuer?

Scar doesn't appear to be in any pain however. He seems far more concerned with the newest editions to you group. 'Who is this girl? Why is she here?' He scowls at Yoki, almost as if he knows he's the one responsible for her being here.

Before Yoki can stutter out his reason, Mei introduces herself. 'Pleased to meet you, sir. My name is Mei Chang. Your master found me collapsed by the side of the road, and decided to help me. So, here I am.' She grins up at him.

You watch the scene unfold in total disbelief. Not only has this girl just said that Yoki helped her (although you're willing to bet a kidney that he was trying to rob her, too), but she's actually talking to Scar just as she would anyone else. It's refreshing, finding someone else who doesn't appear to be scared or intimidated by his gruff nature. You think you could warm to the youngster rather quickly, given the chance.

Scar gives Yoki the most menacing look you've ever seen, clearly none too happy about Mei calling Yoki his 'Master'.

Yoki stutters out a laugh. 'The poor girl is confused, sir. She's travelled all the way from Xing, don't you know?'

Scar looks thoroughly unimpressed. 'If you've recovered, it's time for you to leave. We're not staying here much longer.' Oh, so Scar intends to move you all on? He must be after Central's other alchemists. Either that, or your initial suspicious was right, and he failed to kill his target. A part of you prays that he has failed, as harsh as that seems. His soul slips further away from redemption with every life taken. If he keeps going, you fear that you'll be unable to save him from himself. The thought saddens you greatly…

Scar looks you dead in the eyes, almost as if he can read your thoughts. He strides over to you with purpose, stopping just in front of you.

His voice is low as he speaks to you. 'Did he touch you?' You slowly shake your head. 'I'm glad he heeded my warning.' He walks past you after he finishes talking, and slouches against the wall. You make to assess his injury, but Mei beats you to it.

'That's a nasty wound, sir. Here, let me fix it for you.' She draws a pentagram on the floor, and you begin to panic. Is she planning to use alchemy?!

She flicks out five knives, all of which land on the points of the star inside the circle. There's a flash of light, and before you know it, Scar's leg is completely devoid of all injury. It's amazing, but also worrying. If the little girl is an alchemist, does that mean that Scar will try to kill her?

She smiles happily. 'There, all done. I used alkahestry to heal your injury. It's similar to alchemy, but it comes all the way from Xing!' Ah, so not an alchemist then. Good. You'd really hate to have to beg Scar not to kill a child…

Scar looks at Yoki, questioning Mei's words.'Ah yes, you weren't here for that. This young lady travelled all across the desert by herself. An absolutely ridiculous endeavour...'

Mei turns around to face him, hand on her hips. 'I wasn't alone, I had Xiao-Mei!' Scar catches a glimpse of the small creature clinging to Mei's back, and for a moment he seems to undergo a personality transplant. Gone is his stern stare, his eyes now filled with awe over the cute creature before him. He raises his arm to pet it, but Mei turns around before he has the chance. In doing so, she gives herself the opportunity to look at Scar's tattoos.

She gasps. 'That's the Dragon's Pulse! This tattoo is alkahestry!'

Scar grunts. 'My brother was a student of both alchemy and alkahestry. The tattoo is the result of his research.' Scar's words break your heart a little. From the way he's talking, you're almost certain his brother is dead. Not an uncommon thing, given how many lives were lost in the war. Still, the thought of him losing a family member cuts you deeply. Would Scar be different if his brother was still around? Maybe one day you'll have the guts to ask him...

Yoki interrupts your thoughts. 'Well, now that you're all healed, sir, shall we leave for Central? Or do you wish to see for yourself if the woman is still in good health? I guarantee you won't find a scratch on her, sir, not one single scratch!' He's being especially jittery at the moment, probably due to making the mistake of bringing a small child to your hiding place. He's almost certainly trying to big up the only one thing he did right while Scar was gone; he's kept you alive.

Mei interjects. 'We're going to Central?! Cool, let me grab my stuff!' She bolts over to her belongings, leaving you, Scar, and Yoki to stare at her in confusion. Has she decided to stay with you now? Why? Scar had told her to leave a moment ago. Part of you hopes the men won't call her out on it though. It would be nice to have some female company, even if said company is still a child.

Unfortunately, Yoki calls her out. 'Ehem, I think you'll find Scar told you to leave. Why do you want to come with us anyway? Is it that stupid immortality thing you were going on about all the way back here?' Oh, so she came over to Amestris for a reason, then. That makes a lot more sense then her coming over here for no reason.

Mei glares at Yoki. 'It's not stupid!' Yoki begins to argue back, only to be cut short when Xiao-Mei bites down hard on one of his fingers. He lets out a loud howl of pain, one that you're certain everyone within a mile radius could hear. Maybe it's best if you all move in sooner, rather than later.

As Mei begins to talk about finding some legendary alchemist or another (Elric, maybe? You really can't tell with her fawning and screeching), Yoki approaches you and Scar, getting close enough to block Mei out of the conversation. 'Sir, do you really want that girl following us? We already have one load of dead weight with us, why should we load ourselves with more?' Now it's your turn to glare at Yoki again. Is that really how he sees you? 'Dead weight'? Does Scar think the same? Are you only still here because of their pity? Because they don't think you'd cope by yourself?

Scar turns to face you. 'What about you? Do you want her to stay?' His question comes as a relief. If he's still willing to respect your opinion, it must mean that he sees you as more than an inconvenience or a burden. At least, you hope that's the case…

Your voice is quiet as you answer. 'I want her to stay. She's clearly a skilled healer, and it would be nice to have some female company. That, and she's only a little girl, we can't just kick her out and expect her to fend for herself.' Your reasoning comes out a lot better than you'd hoped, and you're sure it'll give Scar something to think about. Still, if Scar's earlier sentiment still lingers, it's two against one in favour of her leaving.

When she turns around to face Scar, he gives her his final answer. 'Do as you please, girl.' It's a diplomatic answer, one that doesn't side directly with either yourself or Yoki. However, given her clear intent to stay, perhaps Scar is siding with you…

Mei lets out an excited shriek. 'Eee! You won't regret this! We're going to be the best team ever!'

Yoki sighs heavily, before muttering something under his breath 'If the woman wanted a child following her around, she should have mentioned it sooner. I'm sure Scar would be more than happy to put one inside her...'

Unfortunately for Yoki, he's not the quietest mutterer in Amestris. Everyone in the room hears his mutterings, yourself included. You're ashamed to admit it, but the thought of doing such a thing with Scar sends a wave of heat through your body, as your mind begins to conjure up images of the two of you intertwined, body performing a dance as old as humanity…

You're not entirely sure what Scar thinks about his comments, but he's made no move to hurt him yet. In fact, he doesn't seem to be that angry at Yoki's words (which makes a change). Instead, you're sure you can hear the cogs in his brain turning, possibly even thinking the same things you are. You only wish you were facing him, so you could see what's going on behind those gorgeous eyes of his…

Mei has a completely different chain of thought, though. 'Oh, so you're Mr Scar's wife? That makes sense. The two of you seem really well-matched!' Xiao-Mei makes a noise of approval too, clearly thinking the same thing.

Scar stares straight into your eyes, as if he's trying to find something. He clearly finds it, as he turns his gaze back to Mei. 'Make sure you're ready to leave soon, girl.' With that, he stands up, and walks straight to the door.

Panic sets in. 'Wait, you're not leaving without us, are you?' He stops a few inches from the exit, turning to look at you again.

His stare is hard at first, until he notices the fear and upset in your eyes. His expression softens, albeit so subtlety that you're not certain if it has softened. 'I need to relieve myself. I'll be back in a few moments.' Oh. He's going to the toilet. You really need to get a grip on your paranoia…

You smile softly at him. 'Don't be too long. I've missed you.' He seems taken aback by your words, so much so that he doesn't answer you. Instead he leaves, presumably off to find a tree to pee behind.

You continue to smile at the doorway, mind going over your previous conversation. More specifically, the part where Scar hadn't corrected Mei's presumptuous response. It raises an important question in your mind;

If Scar doesn't mind Mei thinking you're his wife, does that mean he's come to accept your growing feelings for him?

-POV-Switch-

Scar ends up hiding behind a tree as far away from the hideout as possible. Shame flows through his body, temporarily replacing his anger. He should have known something like this would happen.

For the last few weeks, life had returned to the way it was before he was attacked. He was on his own, free to hunt alchemists again without having to look out for anybody else. However, as much as he tried to tell himself that, he couldn't stop his mind from reminding him that things are different, that he does have someone to look out for.

He has her.

Every night, he has dreamt of her, her gentle smiles filling his mind with a sense of calm unlike anything else he's ever known. His desire for revenge had been momentarily lost as he thought of her, his mind instead desiring only to see her again. In his minds eye, he spoke to her, and told her of things he knows he'll never be able to say in the waking world. He told her of his past, and of his mistakes. He told her of his regrets, and how he wishes more than anything that he could give up this vendetta of his. He can feel himself slipping further and further away from his true self with every life taken, but he doesn't know how to stop. Revenge is all that he's known for so long. It is his redemption, his raison d'etre. He must destroy those that butchered his kin.

She listens to his confessions, her angelic features focused on him. When he has finished speaking, she takes him into her arms, her beautiful soul wrapping itself around his ugly one. If vengeance is his redemption, then she is his salvation, taking him away from the cruelness of reality and into a world where there is no pain, there is no death. There is only her, and the gentle smiles that she seems to reserve only for him. And even though they have only known each other for a short while, he feels a connection with her that runs deep, so deep that it almost scares him. Never before has someone affected him like this, and he's certain that no one ever will again.

However, it's not just her soul that affects him.

When he'd returned, and seen her get up and approach him, for a moment his arms went to open for her, to embrace her, just as she embraced him in his dreams. He'd caught himself at the last minute, reminding himself that just because he can hold her in his dreams, that doesn't mean he can touch her in reality.

When he'd asked her about Yoki, he had dreaded her response. He had left her alone with a man who hasn't stopped staring at her chest since the day they'd started travelling together. If he had done anything to her, he would have hurt him in ways that would have ensured his eternal damnation. He would have made him suffer for daring to defile such an angelic being.

'A woman,' he reminds himself. 'She's a woman, albeit a special one.' He desperately tries to hold on to that thought, as he shoves his trousers down to his ankles.

He's tried so hard to contain his carnal desire. Truly, he has. He's spent years trying to master his own mind, to gain the level of focus and control that warrior monks such as himself are infamous for. However, he is still a man at the end of the day, and men can only resist their urges for so long.

He has been fine up until now, content to ignore the bulge he wakes up with every morning. He doesn't want to sully her beauty by doing something so base and crude, but he can't contain himself any longer. Yoki's snide remark about putting a child inside her had finally caused his self-control to falter. He only hopes she doesn't discover what he plans to do out here, and that she didn't notice the bulge in his trousers when he'd made his hasty retreat.

Speaking of said bulge, the cause of it is currently standing proud between his legs, weeping with need. He grabs it with his hand (his own hand, not the one his brother gave to him), and begins to let his imagination run wild.

He imagines life after his goals are complete. All of the state alchemists are gone, and he has somehow managed to survive. He imagines owning a tiny cottage somewhere, one with a roof so low that he bangs his head from time to time. He imagines her giggling softly every time he does, which is the one reason he insists they don't need renovate or move. He lives for those little giggles.

One night, he sits naked on the bed, reading something by candle light. She's been in the bathroom for a long time, but he isn't concerned. She's probably brushing her silken locks, making sure to carefully remove all tangles. He hears the bathroom door open, and looks up, gasping when he sees her.

Her chemise is so thin and translucent that she would have been better covered if she was totally naked. He can see everything, and it makes him harder than he's ever been before.

She gently pries the book from his hand, setting it on the bedside table. She straddles his lap, and he grabs onto her hips, making sure she remains balanced. Her sitting down has caused her chemise to ride up completely, allowing him to touch the bare flesh of her hips. Her skin is so soft, so warm. He wants her so badly, he needs her more than he need oxygen.

She brings her mouth down to his ear. 'You know, this house doesn't feel right with only two people. I think we need to make a third.' Her words spur him into action, and he enters her without saying a word, hoping that she understands that he agrees with her wholeheartedly. She feels so warm and wet around him that he fears he won't be able to last long. He can feel something building in his gut, a feeling totally alien to him. He's been a fool to deny himself his for so long. He has committed so many sins in his life, but this may be the only one he doesn't regret. After all, is loving a woman so pure, and so divine as his really a sin? She is too innocent, too heavenly for sin. He is the light to his darkness, and he wishes to bask in it forever.

His fantasy is cut short when, in reality, he finishes, coating the tree with his release. His laments having to do such a thing, but he couldn't bring himself to dirty his trousers. If he did, he'd feel the evidence of his shame every time he walked, and he couldn't do that to himself. Although he knows he deserves to feel ashamed by sullying her in his mind, it's the her in reality that concerns him. She's remarkably astute, especially when it comes to him. She'd sense his shame, and ask him about it. She'd be disgusted with his answer, and probably abandon him as soon as they reach Central. Even though he knows he'll never be worthy of her love, he doesn't want to be the recipient of her hate. So, he'll leave the evidence of his indiscretion behind him, and pray that no one finds out.

He pulls his trousers back up, and heads back to see the woman he's falling in love with.