Geez, I take forever to update.

Sorry everyone for taking so long. I literally dragged myself through this chapter. It's kinda just filler with some mildly entertaining parts in it, but in the next chapter, there's actually going to be some action.

Enjoy... Chapter 7!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. If I did, I'd kill Wrath.


I ran for my life, weaving between people on the streets and darting into alleyways to avoid Ed. He was still chasing me, even after ten straight minutes, and I couldn't help but laugh at his determination.

"What the hell are you laughing at?" he yelled.

"You!" I said gleefully, turning my head to look at him just as he tripped over a garbage can. Cursing, he fell onto his face and I rounded a sharp corner onto a main street.

And crashed right into a military officer.

I swallowed hard and took a few steps backwards as the officer glared down at me. His face changed with the realization that I was probably just some kid that was running though the streets.

"You should be careful around here, kid. There are dangerous people out here." he pulled a slip of paper out of his pocket and he looked over it, his eyes narrowing. "Would you mind taking your hair down, miss?"

They've found me, I thought. Terror coursed through me as I reached for the hair elastic, but Ed came up behind me and saved the day.

"What's going on here?" he asked. "Is this girl giving you trouble? I'm a State Alchemist. I can help." He pulled out a silver State pocket watch and showed it to the officer.

"No, sir." I half expected the man to snap to attention, but he remained still. "Both of you should watch yourselves. There are two dangerous criminals on the loose."

"Thank you for letting us know, officer." Ed said. "We'll be off now." He put a hand on my shoulder and steered me away. I let out an explosive sigh once we were out of earshot.

"They almost had me... That's three times I owe you my life."

"Eh, don't worry about it." Ed said, and then he smirked. "Dangerous criminal? Are you sure you weren't lying the first time I asked you?"

"Oh, shut up."I mumbled. "Let's get out of here before more military officers come along."

"Sure, whatever." Ed said, and added, "Miss Criminal." I punched him between the shoulder blades and he glared at me.

When I opened the door to the hotel room, I was almost decapitated by a flying wrench. I ducked as soon as I saw it flying at my head and it hit Ed in the chest. His breath came out in a startled whoof, and he glowered at me.

"Why'd you duck?"

"Um, I don't quite like having my head removed, thanks." I said sarcastically. Winry was sitting on the couches, glaring at the both of us.

"Why did you two go off like that?" she questioned.

I sighed. "I didn't want to be beaten up by a runt." Winry nodded knowingly as Ed started to shout.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SHORT THAT THEY COULD USE A NAPKIN AS A BLANKET!"

"Oh, I don't know." I rolled my eyes. A collective sigh went through the room. "I'm hungry."

"And now she says it, after we get back." Ed grumbled. "Just go."

"You expect me to find the food, how?" I tilted my head to the side and smiled evilly.

"Damn it, you're so frustrating."

"I'll take her down, brother." Al offered. "Jonathan, are you hungry?"

"Not particularly." Jonathan scratched the back of his head. "I probably will be by lunch." Al nodded and we left the room. I half expected something to come flying at my head, but Ed refrained from doing anything.

There were only a few people still at breakfast, and the food was almost gone. I plucked a few things from the buffet there and sat down at the table where Al was.

"Have you been out of the city since you left, Louise?" he asked. "Sorry, it's just that I haven't caught up much with you, since you and Ed have been yelling at each other all the time."

"No." I said simply. "It's not like I could just buy a train ticket and ditch everyone living at my house."

"Well, brother and I were thinking of going to Dublith, and we were wondering if you wanted to come with us."

"Dublith?" I put my fork to my chin thoughtfully and looked up at the ceiling. "That's in the south, right?"

"Yes." Al said. "We're going to visit a relative there." I frowned slightly; there was something in Al's words that didn't make much sense.

"You're from Resembool, right? And all your relatives are from there, am I correct?" I asked. Al nodded. "Liar. You have no relatives in Dublith. What's your plan?"

Al laughed sheepishly. "We thought that you'd be safer there, since you're being hunted here."

"Oh." I said, a little dumbstruck. They really cared that much? They barely knew me. "Well, I guess it'd be okay if I went... It's not like I have anything better to do."

"What about your, er, kids?"

"Oh, crap." I hissed. "Thanks for reminding me, Al. I'll be back in a few." I dashed out the door, ignoring Al, who was yelling at me to wait. I took off at a speedy walk through the streets, and it was only ten minutes later that I realized I was lost.

Damn it.

Sighing in aggravation, I tilted my head to the sky and tried to pick up a scent. Faintly, I could smell the kids somewhere, and I turned in a full circle until I could latch onto the smell.

"West." I announced, walking in that direction and getting several weird looks from the pedestrians around me. I kept following the scent, trying not to look to odd by keeping my nose down instead of in the air. When I finally reached the building I was looking for, I sighed with relief as I heard the low chatter of children inside.

"They made it." I said definitely. The building was falling to pieces- there were holes in the roof that had been patched up but still leaked, and it was horribly insulated. It was no colder or warmer than the old house. It was made of all wood painted a dark brown, so I reckoned it was once a barn. There were two large doors to prove my point, and they were currently open.

"Look! Its mama!" a kid squealed. Soon, I was being tackled by a large amount of kids, laughing and shrieking with delight. A few of the older kids came out and pulled them off and I took a few seconds to catch my breath.

"We thought you weren't coming back." Eric said.

"We thought the military caught you!" one of the pre-teen kids, Rose, said. "We were worried."

"I'm not dead yet." I reassured them. "I just came to check on you guys."

"You mean, you're leaving again?" Rachel pushed though the crowd and looked up at me.

"...Yeah. Come inside, everyone. I have something to tell you." I said. The kids filed inside the barn. They seemed to have made cots and stuff, and a couch from the old house had been hauled in. Barrels and pieces of aluminum, along with various other objects, were strewn about the inside of the barn. People perched on them, watching me intently.

"The military is after me," I began, "and I need to leave the city. I might be back here, but it's likely that I'll be gone permanently."

"But why?" one of the younger kids asked.

"I'm getting to that." I told them. "Before I lived in the old house, I met a man called the Fullmetal Alchemist and his brother. The last time you saw me, I was with the alchemist's brother and being chased down by the military. I've been staying with them for the past week or so, and they've offered to take me to a city in the south called Dublith, where the military won't find me." I took a breath, not used to talking for this long. "I'm leaving you with all the money I have, but one of you might have to get a job to keep funding the... family."

"I'll take the job." Ryan offered.

"No, I'll do it. I don't do enough work around this place." Clay offered.

"I don't care who takes the job. Hell, you can both get one." I said. "I'll try and come back to you guys, but I don't know if I ever will. I promise that if I ever come back, I check on you as soon as I can."

"Don't leave!" Jacob cried. "We'll miss you!"

"Life's just not fair like that, Jake. I have to go. Oh, and you should probably stay here for a few months or so before you go back to the house. I don't... I don't want the military to find you. You'll be safe here- they don't know where you are."

"Hey, Louise!" I whipped around with my arm extended, ready to knock out whoever called my name. Instantly, every person in the barn scrambled behind something, ready to hide. I saw a panting Ed, along with Al, standing in the doorway.

"Stop running off like that!" Ed gasped.

"If it helps, I told Al where I was going." I said. "Guys, it's alright. You can come out now." Slowly, the kids peeked out from behind various objects and stood up. I heard someone wailing, and Amy came up to me, holding a baby. She handed him to me and I began rocking back and forth, whispering reassurances to the child.

"It's okay, Gannet." I soothed. "Nothing's going to hurt you." The little baby boy was indeed called Gannet. He was dark skinned with dark hair, and he loved me. I could calm him down better than anyone else for some reason, and I grew attached to him. I guess he was kind of like a baby brother

"Woah." Ed breathed. "You... you've got a whole family here."

I turned to him, still rocking Gannet back and forth. "Yeah, I do. Is there a problem?"

"No." Ed said.

"Good." I guess I should probably go before Ed tries to kill me and scares all the kids... "I'm going to leave now."

"But mama!"

"You can't!"

"It's not fair."

"Do I need to repeat myself?" I asked, trying to keep the cold tone out of my voice. "Life isn't fair. But, I promise, promise that I'll come back to you when I'm in Central again."

Rachel and Dan came padding up, a worried look on their faces. Rachel's eyes were glassy, and I could tell she was holding back tears. Damn it, don't make that face. You remind me too much of the other subjects...I crouched down in front of them, shifting Gannet so he wasn't crushed.

"You're really gonna come back?" she asked. I nodded, offering a smile.

"Really, really?" Dan piped up.

"Yes, I've said that twice already." I grinned at them, and they smiled weakly back. "I need someone to take care of Gannet. Can you help me?"

Rachel's face brightened. "Yes!" I handed her the baby, warning her to be careful with him.

"You can ask the older kids for help, if you want." I said, hoping they'd take the hint. They both nodded with determined faces. I stood up and surveyed the group.

"Alright, guys." I said. "See you... whenever I see you." There were a few good-byes exchanged between the kids and me until Ed finally called me and said that we had to go. I took one last look at everyone there and turned, hoping they'd be okay.

"Those kids really looked up to you." Ed said. "You're like... their mom or something."

"I suppose." I hummed. "So, Dublith? What's the occasion?"

"Well, I'm tired of just sitting on my butt all the time, waiting for you to heal yourself." Ed said. "So, we're taking you to Dublith, where you'll be safe, so we can continue with our research."

"Oh, I feel so loved." I muttered. "But, I guess it's alright if you need to get your bodies back." Well, it's more like "I wish I could help you guys instead of just being a dead weight and slowing you down," but that's okay too.

"Great!" Al said. "Now, let's hurry back before Winry starts wondering where we are." We hurried, as Al suggested, and thankfully no wrenches were thrown at us when we arrived back in the room. Winry was looking a little peeved, but she didn't seem to be in a violent mood.

"So, what are you three up to now?" she asked.

"I'd like to know, too," Jonathan piped up, "so I can get out of here when there's time."

"We're going to Dublith this afternoon." Ed said. "We've got tickets already. We'll be back by tomorrow."

"Today? I don't remember you saying anything about leaving today." I said.

"Well, yeah, we're leaving today." Ed snorted.

"I have to pack." I said.

"It's not like you have much." Ed smirked.

"Don't make fun of me because I'm poor!" I snapped. "We can't all be rich State Alchemists!"

"Guys," Winry interrupted, "will you stop bickering now? It's giving me a headache."

"Yes, ma'am." Ed said. I rolled my eyes at him and stooped over to grab some clothes from my bag. I walked into the bathroom without another word and changed out of my slightly bloody pyjamas. I did the regular morning routine stuff (do I honestly need to describe this?) and walked back outside.

Ed, Winry, and Alphonse were talking. Jonathan was no longer in the room and I asked where he was.

"He left." Ed said simply. "And he said something along the lines of 'Thanks for saving my ass. I owe you one.' I wasn't really paying attention." He shrugged.

I blinked. "Well... that's weird." I sat down on the couches next to Al, where the only available seat was. Ed and Winry were on the opposite couch, arguing about something already. Al and I chatted about nothing worth mentioning until Ed finally declared that he was starving and needed food.

We went and ate, trying to keep the arguing to a minimum. I didn't eat anything; I wasn't really hungry since I ate only a couple of hours previously and I was good at keeping myself full for long periods of time. Al sat there patiently, watching Ed and Winry eat as I sipped on a drink of water. I wondered how he had the willpower to watch people eat and not be able to.

After two more hours of being bored and listening to Winry and the Elrics talk, it was finally time to get to the station for our train ride to Dublith. Winry bid us good bye at the front of the hotel and we lugged our bags to the station. Well, I was the only one really lugging a bag, as Ed only carried a suitcase and Al carried himself. My bag weighed almost as much as I did, and I was under 80 pounds.

I was overwhelmed by the closeness of the station, and immediately started to feel claustrophobic. Everyone was so packed together and I lost sight of Ed and Al several times as we made our way to the train, which was fifty or so feet away from the entrance. Also, the smell of burning coal was not exactly a pleasure to my sharp nose. I tried to smother the smell with my shirtsleeve, but it didn't have much effect.

It got worse when we boarded the train.

We got the car at the very back, which was full, like the other ones. The thing that made the car so bad was the people in it. There was an old man with a smoker's hack, a lady with a baby that wouldn't shut up, and a family with two young children that kept arguing with each other. I covered my ears to muffle the sound, but it didn't do anything.

"Damn it," I mumbled, putting my bag over my head and curling up in a ball against the window.

"Are you okay, Louise?" Al asked.

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. The amount of noise in here is not bothering me at all." I muttered. "As if I'm not motion sick already." I unzipped the zipper of my bag and stuck it on my head to drown out the noise. I could hear Ed snickering, even through an inch of fabric. I kicked him, injuring my foot as I hit his automail leg. He burst out laughing, and I stuck my head further into the bag. Finally, the noise became too overwhelming and I left the train car. I stood on the balcony at the end of the train, trying to enjoy the fresh air.

"It still smells like coal." I muttered. "But at least I don't have to listen to those people being loud anymore." I was out there for the remainder of the train ride, which was about two hours. We stopped at Rush Valley (which smelled like Winry; I almost puked over the end of the train because the smell was so strong) to let some people off and then continued on our journey to Dublith.

The train pulled into Dublith station, and I went back into the car to reunite with Ed an Al. They were staying in Dublith overnight then leaving in the morning, according to Al. It was around 8:00 when we arrived. I could see people stumbling drunk out of bars already. Cigarette smoke formed a thick haze of stink around me and I wrinkled my nose.

"Welcome to Dublith." Ed said.

"It stinks." I declared. "But I'd better get used to it, 'cause I'll be living here from now on."

"That's the spirit." Ed said. "Now, come on. We have to get to the place you're staying." A little shudder went through him and his brother, and I was suddenly worried about where I was staying.

Oh well. I'd have to suck it up.


I was aiming for 3000 words for this chapter, and I got 3003 XD

So, is anyone going to FanEXPO Toronto in August? I AM! And I'm going to the FMA panel. Vic Mignogna (I can't remember how to spell his name- don't kill me, fangirls), Caitlin Glass, Armstong's Voice actor (can't remember his name), Colleen Clinkenbeard, and Mike McFarlan are going to be there! And TOM FELTON FROM HARRY POTTER. And the author of a manga called Carciphona. I highly suggest looking it up.

I probably won't be updating for a while- I have final exams and a school trip to go on :/ But, then I'll have a MASSIVE amount of free time during which I'll write. Bear with me!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go watch the mid-season finale of Doctor Who.

Typos? Questions? PM me or REVIEW!

See, down there? There's a magical button that says REVIEW. Please click it if you fave or subscribe to this story.

|
\/