Ah, yes, next part. Um, no big important things for me to say about it, so yeah… here ya go…
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"Okay, how the heck did they manage to fit a hundred people on the rooftops without us noticing?" Ed muttered, bringing his hands together and forming a blade on his arm.
"I noticed it a while ago," Anakin replied.
"Well, good for you," Ed shot back just as someone tried rushing him. Ed dodged the man and cut his belt, causing the man to become entangled in his pants. Ed took a moment to laugh before continuing the fight. It took him a moment to realize that they weren't aiming to kill any of the three.
After a bit, they managed to get far enough away for Ed to get a chance to use alchemy. He made a wall behind them and collapsed on the ground panting.
"Jeez, what the hell was that?" he asked.
"We can figure that out later, but right now we need a plan."
"Right…" Ed said, knocking on the wall with his right hand. "First off, we need to see if there's really an alchemist here. That's probably the biggest-"
Ed didn't finish that sentence, because at that moment, there was a flash of light and the wall changed shape, putting Ed on the wrong side of it. Ed lost his balance and fell on his back. He looked up to see a bunch of people pointing their weapons at him. "Oh, crap," he muttered, just as he saw two shadows on top of the wall. Ed used the distraction to stand up and use alchemy to knock most of the people out. After a while, only two people were left. One ran off when he realized what had happened, but the other stood her ground, glaring at Ed. Ed was startled to see how young the person was. She was just about Ed's age.
Before any of them could react, she pulled out a piece of paper and placed it on the ground beneath her hand. The ground moved, but Ed saw it coming and easily avoided it. In an instant, the girl was completely disarmed.
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Ed sat in the back of a very small ship, right next to the female alchemist, who was constantly trying to kick him. Eventually it got to the point where Ed couldn't stand it any more.
"Hey, what's your problem?" he asked. The girl stuck her tongue out at him and turned away.
"That's none of your business," she replied.
"Yeah, as if I'd believe that," Ed shot back.
"Figures someone from the military would be such a jerk."
"What? Hello, you're the one who started it!"
"So? You're the one who's a stinking dog of the military!"
Ed paused. "So that's your reason? Because you don't like the military?" he asked quietly.
"Would you like them after they destroyed your home and killed off everyone in your family?"
Ed was quiet for a while. "No, I wouldn't. I barely like it now."
"Then why are you in it?"
"That's none of your business."
There was a long, drawn-out silence. After a while, Ed looked back over at her. "What happened to your family?" he asked quietly.
"They were Ishbalans. The only reason I made it out is because my mother was smart and sent me away. And then nobody ever realized where I came from because of how I look." She looked Ed straight in the eyes. Her eyes were a mix between blue and green. "My mom had an affair with someone, so I'm only half Ishbalan. Since I don't have red eyes, and my skin's lighter than most Ishbalans, nobody made the connection, even though I was living with my uncle, who was clearly an Ishbalan."
"So that's why you hate the military?" Ed asked.
"Yeah, that's right, shorty."
If the two of them had been alone, Ed would have punched her in the face hard enough to break her nose and knock out all her teeth, but since Obi-Wan was two feet away, Ed was silent, choosing instead to give the girl a death glare. She smirked and turned away.
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Ed looked up at the stars, trying to think of something to say to the girl. They were standing out on the balcony of a small hotel room, hundreds of feet above the ground. Obi-Wan had decided that the female alchemist wouldn't be a danger to Ed, especially since she had nothing she could draw with. After a bit, she hoisted herself up on the railing and sat staring at the door.
"You know, you could fall off if you sit like that," Ed muttered.
"Yeah, I know, but I'm careful when I do things like this. I'll be fine."
"Why did you help them?" Ed asked.
"Didn't I already tell you? I have a score to settle with the military."
"Yeah, but why did you choose to do that? There's plenty of ways to strike against the military."
"Well, I guess it's because they asked me. If they hadn't, I probably would have joined a terrorist organization or something."
Ed sighed. "So they just walked up to you and asked if you wanted to travel around the galaxy and kidnap some kid?"
"You're saying you're just 'some kid?' I thought you'd be a little more proud of your rank, regardless of the heartless organization you're working for."
"I never wanted to join the military, so why would I care about my rank?"
"If you never wanted to join, then why did you?"
"Like I said, that's none of your business."
"Do you think I care? You know my secret, so why can't I know yours?"
Ed paused. "I… Okay, you really want to know?"
"Yes, I do."
"Fine. I joined because I did something really stupid and I want to find a way to help my brother."
"So you're taking advantage of the power you get from being a dog of the military?"
"Pretty much."
The girl looked up at the stars. "You really are a moron."
Ed sighed. "Yeah, I know. But, I don't know what else I can do. Besides, I try not to hurt anybody that doesn't deserve it."
"So you're fine with hurting people who do deserve it? What kinds of people deserve that?"
"People who've been hurting others. Sometimes they're in the military, sometimes they're not."
"So you get back at corrupt officials?" the girl laughed. "Maybe you're not so bad after all."
"Hey, what's your name?" Ed asked.
The girl shrugged. "You mean the name I was born with or the one I go by?"
"Just… whatever you want me to call you."
"Okay… well, I don't really have a good name at the moment, so just call me Jessica. That's the name my mom gave me. Or actually, just call me Jess. It's easier. You're Edward Elric, right?"
Ed nodded and turned back to the sky. "I'll be glad when we're back. I've had enough of this."
"Enough of what?"
"Having to be separated from my brother. I don't think we've ever been apart for this long."
Jess jumped off of the railing and leaned against it instead. "I know that feeling. Before that war, I was always with my family, and now…" she jumped lightly to the floor and walked to the door. "I'm tired. See ya tomorrow."
