SCARLETT

"Oi."

She'd found Edward surrounded by Ishvalans after they'd found out Maria was still alive. Now, all of them looked at her.

"Let 'im go." she said, climbing the stairs up to them. Her hands were in her pockets. Her hood was up and her glasses on. They probably couldn't tell she was of their race.

"Who the heck are you to tell us what to do?" someone growled.

"I'm the one that knows Edward won't fetch a hefty price if you ransom him. He's been a little rough on his leash lately." she said. "I also have more tricks up my sleeve than any of you, literally. If needed, I'll take him back by force." she warned.

"Scarlett, you won't attack yo-"

"Shut up. I'm still miffed at you." she told him.

"For what! Going in your room?"

"Genius, figure it out!"

"So, who are you again?"

"Call me Scarlett. and I'm serious when I say I'll take him by force if necessary." she sighed, pulling up her sleeve and tracing a few of her tattoos. "I didn't ask for this curse, but it comes in handy." she sighed, shaking her hood down and taking her glasses off.

"What...?"

"My name before was Yuuki." she said softly. "But that was before I became a Chimera."

EDWARD

"Yuuki?"

He'd released his attacker by then. But now an old woman and young boy were approaching Scarlett.

"Yuuki? The one that went missing?"

"Yes. I'm still trying to find my family and friends." Yuuki answered. "Or even..."

"Your family was all killed. We're sorry."

"But... They were..."

Scarlett's eyes were full of innocent sorrow. "They shouldn't have... They were with... They were with them, weren't they?"

"With who?" he asked.

"Winry's parents... The Rockbells." Scarlett said softly, putting one fist over her heart. "What happened?"

"Wait! These guys knew the Rockbells?" he yelled, jumping down the stairs two at a time to her.

"You knew them?"

There was a little explanation, then Scarlett asked something. "Wh... What about my friends?..."

"When you went missing, they were frantic. They searched everywhere for you. Eventually they gave up and tried to forget about you, but they never could. And then..."

"Are they okay?" she almost shouted.

"Scarlett! Calm down!" he told her, reaching up and taking her shoulder.

"Their group was attacked by a State Alchemist. The older brother died, and the younger one wasn't found."

"Thanks..." Scarlett said, fists clenched and teeth gritted. "Thank you for telling me... Sorry for any trouble we've caused..."

Scarlett turned and walked away, waving smally. He waved and followed her.

She has hope now... He could see it in her heart...

She acted coldly, but she's hiding warm feelings in her heart. She has hope that someone she knew survived...

SCARLETT

Edward was a little confused as to why she was acting so coldly. She knew that. She could read it easily even without the vision she had in her eyes.

He may be alive...

She smiled smally. If he was alive, she wanted to see him.

"Why? Do you love me?"

"Shut up. I'm not listening to anyone right now." she smiled. "I've got a heart to listen to and follow on my own. I don't need to listen to anything but that... The beating of my heart is what I'll follow..."

They all faded. She was left alone, but not in the dark. Now everything had a rosy pink light surrounding it. She stood... Facing herself?

Tears ran down 'her' cheeks. But also down hers.

"You've chosen the right path, Yuuki... Brave One... Follow it. Don't listen to anything but your heart..."

'She' dissolved into petals. She knew those petals.

They were of the supposedly scentless camellia. Everyone was wrong when they said that. She'd found that they did. It was just faint, over-laid by the scent of the surrounding flowers.

"Thank you..."

"Scar-lett... Hello?..."

She opened her eyes. "Mm? What, Edward?" she asked.

"You're starting to freak me out with these passing-out spells. What's going on?" he asked.

"Nothing, just another development in my combination!" she smiled.

"You always say that!" he whined.

"Whatever, when are we going back to Central? I want to see what I can find out..." she smiled, putting two fingers on her heart.

EDWARD

A few days later, they were back in Central. Both he and Scarlett panicked at the sight of Al.

Al was in pieces. So they had a good reason!

Afterwards, they shortly discussed Al's soul and body. Ling butted in at one point, and they got onto the subject of the Homunculi.

"They apparently want you alive for some reason. There has to be a good one behind wanting first one and then both." Scarlett said. "If you could..."

"Could what?" they all asked, looking at her.

"It's silly, but what if you were... to catch one?" Scarlett blushed.

"Scarlett, that's genius!" he yelled.

They quickly made their plans. He, Scarlett, and Al were to attract the attention of Scar, while Ling and Lan Fan found the Homunculi when they came to prevent Scar from killing Ed. Scarlett made it perfectly clear that she was going with him and Al. When he objected, she threw a lamp at him.

The very next day, they set their plan in motion.

A lot of people had things that were broken or needed some little tweak. He offered that through Alchemy!

The idea was to attract Scar by being very theatrical. Theatrical he was!

However, a certain someone came to ruin his fun...

"Hello, Fullmetal. I don't remember you being so public before."

Sighing, he turned around to look in the rolled-down window of the car behind them.

"Oh, screw that. There's a plan he's following. So there, don't spoil his fun." Scarlett told Mustang.

Afterwards, they went into an alley and had a heated conversation.

"Hi, you. Long time, no see."

Scarlett's brisk comment shut them all up and made them turn to the front of the alley. Scar stood there. "So, tell me... Did you know a girl called Yuuki?"

Scarlett's question had a startling affect on Scar. He didn't answer, but lunged at them. They fought long and hard. There was no answering flare from Ling to signal the capture of a Homunculus. Eventually...

Winry heard him.

She heard him say who killed her parents.

SCARLETT

Winry was upset for obvious reasons. To keep them safe while Edward comforted her, she struck out at Scar, chasing him away. She and Al chased after him.

They wound up in a train-yard.

...a wrecked train-yard...

"Alchemy may have trapped me in this body, but it also does good things! If I didn't believe in Alchemy, I wouldn't be believing in Brother!" Al cried.

Before anyone else could act, she did. She stepped between them. "You never answered, Scar." she said, lifting her face.

"What was the question?" the man asked.

"Did you know Yuuki? Answer honestly, please."

"Yuuki... How do you know her?"

"Answer me please."

"She was our friend. But then she went missing."

"Scarlett... Do you mean... This is your... Scar is your..."

"'Probably happy' and 'probably unhappy' are equally and cruelly divided in this world, Elric. So I guess..."

Her hand came up. "Hello. I'm Yuuki. I almost forgot you." she said, lifting her face, a small smile on her face as tears flowed down her face from closed eyes.

SCAR

"Yuuki..." he said softly, in shock. "But you went missing..."

"I was taken to a lab and tested on. Eventually, I was tattooed inside and out, then combined with the strongest material known to man to make the ultimate Chimera." she smiled, taking off the white sweat-shirt she wore to show her arms and face, covered in black lace.

"Well, now I know who you are. Unfortunately, we're on different sides now..."

He whipped his hand into the water passing by. The resulting steam hid him, and he leapt at the young Elric brother. But his hand landed on something that wasn't metal...

"I can't let you... And you don't understand my composition, so you can't hurt me." she smiled.

He was kicked away. The Fullmetal Alchemist was back.

Yuuki's head whipped to the side. "Incoming! Gluttony!" she yelled.

There was a small dust-cloud as something large landed near him. "No! Your attack won't do anything to him either! He'll just regenerate!" Yuuki warned him.

Then what was he to do...!

There was an explosion as a close-by man-hole cover flew off. A young man flew out and rashly attacked the thing.

Yuuki moved to stand in front of him. "I used your face as an image to keep going... I'm alive... Because of you." she said, raising her head. Her eyes were dull, yet full of sorrow. "I missed you, but now we have to fight. I'm sorry..."

There was a ripping noise as the tattoos on her right hand and left forearm glowed. Large silver blades were jutting from her skin. Long knife-like ones followed the bones in her fingers and one large wickedly curved one stuck out of her arm. "I'm sorry it has to be this way..."

There was a gun-shot, and he felt pain in his leg.

A woman drove up in a truck and took away the bound monster and the young man that helped the Elrics. But Yuuki didn't turn to watch. She just stood there, smiling softly, tears running down her face.

"I've done it again. I've made you cry." he said.

"No... This time it's my fault."

"Great! You kept 'im busy! Good job, Scarlett!" Fullmetal cheered, he and his brother taking up positions on either side of Yuuki.

Someone small toppled Alphonse, knocking over Edward next. He quickly identified it as May. "Don't-" he tried to warn her about Yuuki's unusual properties, but too late.

"Yow! What's up with her, mister?" May asked.

"She's a Chimera. Two things combined into one. She was combined with something she calls titanium, the hardest thing known to man. It's taken unusual twists in affects on her body. Including the fact that using her Alchemy, she can turn her bones into blades." he said. "She's also someone I knew when I was younger."

"Yuuki was my name then. My name now is Scarlett. I can tell a lot about something just by looking. I'm the ultimate Chimera. I'm the only Ishvalan to have been spared just to make a Chimera. I'm the only surviving creation of Lab Five. I'm a lot of things. But I don't know what I'm doing... Unless I listen..." Yuuki said softly, putting two fingers over her heart.

Her head rose up, shaking rhythmically. "I was Scar's friend... He and his brother were my only friends... But now I'm not so sure... I'm not so sure any more... Unless I listen... Don't you listen? Listen..." she said softly, smiling still. Tears still poured down her face. "Listen... Right now, it's saying that you're the enemy..."

Her smile vanished, replaced by a hard face.

That's the face she'd wear when standing up to a bully or soldier.

Did that make him the bully?

"This is for Yuuki!"

SCARLETT

Confusion.

That's what she wanted.

Yuuki was the camellia-blossom girl.

She was Scarlett.

She leapt at the two, bringing her arms down.

At the last moment, the young Xingese girl performed some quick Alkahistory. She stopped, coughing in the choking coal-dust. She saw them disappear, but something was missing from them...