/Sorry about any previous confusion guys. This is the last chapter I'm going to post for a while. Writer's block is a cruel mistress eh? Anyway please enjoy~
Chapter Nine
Edward Elric's POV
I remember talking to Marco before we left. In fact, I talked to all the people we originally brought from Maria to Amestris.
My mechanic was the best to say the least. Now, although the Bodt guy was missing a couple limbs like me, it wasn't so bad. Fortunately, only two of the Marians needed auto mail. The rest made it by the skin of their teeth.
And as for Marco? He sure seemed excited to be going back.
I wouldn't blame him though. He probably had family, people he cared about.
And for that reason, anyone would go back to hell.
The thing I found most worrisome was the fact that we had faked his death. This wasn't the first time Mustang had pulled a fake death, and sadly it probably wasn't going to be the last. The incident with Ross a while ago was what was going through my head. Would they greet Marco with the same excitation that we had greeted Ross? Or would they be angered and confused? Either way, there was no changing Marco's mind about going back.
Along with a select few of the state alchemists, I took the lead, waiting for the Führer to give the ready signal to advance forward. It was rare that the Führer Bradley would make an appearance, but being the first time in many years that the military actually made itself known to Maria, it was crucial. We had finally convinced the leader of Maria to allow us to take people back with us for simple alchemy training, although it hadn't been the easiest task. They wanted their soldiers to learn this form of science to fight, but from laws that dated back to when the walls were first erected, it had been forbidden within Maria, as it was believed to have originally been used to create the giant humanoid creatures we fought against today. I didn't believe this, honestly. It was, more than likely, stated that way to scare the people within the inner walls from performing alchemy, and to cover up the real reason for throwing the alchemists away and casting them outside of the walls. From there, alchemy was completely wiped out of Maria. Priests who sought opportunity for fame and fortune claimed the walls were a gift of God. Heh. I can't say I believe in this God and even if I did he'd probably send me back to this hell.
Once again, this place was hell.
I sat in the back of the main airship and sighed at all these thoughts rushing through my mind when suddenly… I heard a voice behind me, small, perhaps timid, but firm.
"May I talk to you about… something trivial?"
It was Marco. He was, to say the least, a soft, kind-hearted man.
"Yeah… What did you want to talk about?" I turned, allowing him enough room to sit next to me. I hate to admit it, but I was small enough to make enough room for him.
"I wanted to say that I really appreciate what you guys are doing for us." He quivered with slight intimidation. "I might not have lived if it wasn't for you all. I… I was ready to accept my own death, but…" He took a deep breath. "I know you can't save everyone, but the few people you did save… well, it makes all the difference in the world. Even if you may not think it does."
"We don't do it for thanks kid…" I smiled slightly. "Besides, it's probably hard to believe half of the things we can do here. You know we even have a system of people who turn into weapons and people who can wield said weapons. It's interesting to say the least, and I can't remember who founded it exactly but it became a crucial component in our defense system."
"I don't think anything's unbelievable or even impossible you know." He smiled. "But I… I do find it disappointing, how you've had these abilities for all these years and never once decided to help us…"
"We did. We still do. More than you'd think." I sat up a little more from where I was. "I knew we couldn't do much when I first started… We're under tight rules, we're not even allowed to make our presence known to anyone." I sighed and peered out the window. We were getting close. "I remember saving a young woman who had fallen off the side of the wall. Her gear stopped working and she would've died if she had fallen. But I had broken the rules and saved her anyway. But I kept myself covered, so she probably couldn't tell I was a person or anything really. I doubt she even knew I was there. But I couldn't… let her die…"
I felt a hand on my back. "You have a good heart Ed. Don't let it take advantage of you."
