Sei Alchemist, Chapter 11

"Al, have you seen Satori?" Ed asked from the kitchen.

"No, brother!" Al called from the other room of the small apartment the four of them shared—he was cleaning up the dining room.

Ed's brow furrowed. It wasn't like Satori to stay out so late, and then not come home for breakfast—man that woman loved food! All the more reason for him to worry. What if something had happened to her??

"I'm going to go find her!" Ed told Al. "Ryo has school in two hours, so make sure he's up and ready in one."

"Got it!" Al replied.

But Ed had already left the apartment.

Satori sat at a table in one of the few coffee houses in the small town. She had bought coffee and a breakfast roll. The coffee had been refilled twice while the roll sat on the plate untouched.

She didn't know who she was anymore, let alone what she should eat! Was she Seiji or Yabusame? What did a name have to it than the personality of the person who had it?

But to Satori, her name was a small part of herself that no one could change or influence, and to be so confused on that matter….

She took another long drink.

Ed entered the bar, tensing as at least four pairs of eyes turned to him. Keeping his sleeves down so as to not attract attention to his automail arm, he spotted Satori and quickly sat down across from her.

"You skipped breakfast," he said, looking at the cold breakfast roll.

"So?"

"You never skip breakfast. And you didn't come home."

"I have a lot on my mind."

"More 'a lot' on your mind than Ryo?"

"It concerns Ryo."

"Oh really?"

"Yes, really. Now go away, Ed."

Ed didn't get up. Satori stared at him across the table. Ed winced as he saw the bags under her eyes—she obviously had not caught a wink of sleep. Her chestnut brown hair— still short like before—was in a disarray: finger-combed and slightly greasy.

"Satori, you need to come home," Ed begged, whispering now. "This is not a good place for you to be."

"Why not?"

Ed looked around again and cringed. Those same four guys were watching them from the bar, trying to look like they weren't watching them. They had the same appearance: slacks, collared white shirts, nicely kept hair—and poisonous glares that made Ed look away as one of the men caught his gaze.

"It's not safe here," he pleaded.

"Who says, Ed? You? Last time I almost listened to you, you were ready to kill my fiancé!"

"Please, Yabu!" Ed got up and tugged her towards the door. "Trust me!"

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the four men casually get up and follow them. Satori got up and followed him, not drunkenly, but with the swagger of someone who needed more sleep than they got—which, in Satori's case, would probably be none. Ed got them outside and used some of the water from a barrel to splash her face.

"Get a grip on yourself, Satori!" he hissed. "We're being followed, and we have no alchemy to fight them. Wake up and be ready to run!"

The water dripped from Satori's hair, and her eyes were sharper by the minute. At the sight of the four men coming out of the building toward them, it was she who grabbed Ed's arm and ran.

"So, friends of yours?" she asked.

"Uh, no; and not funny." Ed snapped.

They rounded a corner and had to skid to a stop. A brick wall blocked their path. And by the huffing and puffing behind them, they were trapped on their other side too.

Satori turned to face their pursuers. The men were fairly similar in appearance. All were blonde with blue eyes, and wore blue work pants and white shirts—with rolled up sleeves and ruffed up collars. The only real difference between any of them was each individual man's jaw-line and the wear-and-tear on their hands.

One of the men stepped forward, away from the group.

"We heard you were back, Ed," he said.

Satori shot Ed a glare.

"Thought you didn't know these guys!"

"I don't!"

The guy chuckled.

"What's the matter, Ed?" he chided. "Can't remember back to the factory days? You were as hyped as the rest of us of building that rocket. You caused quite a bit of trouble for the rest of us, escaping to Shambala with it."

"I didn't belong here," Ed said, "and I still don't. I'm stuck here now, so deal with it."

"We just wanted to show you how much we missed you!" the guy shrugged, pounding a fist into his other hand.

Satori slid to stand in front of Ed.

"You want him, you'll have to take me on first." She said.

"Satori…" Ed cautioned.

"Beat up a girl to get to a puny little man that shouldn't be worth my time?" the guy laughed. "That's a hoot. Out of my way, woman!"

"No."

The guy's eyes narrowed. "Excuse me?"

"I'm an officer of the law here," Satori informed him, "and I can nail your ass faster than you could blink. Threatening to beat up two officers? I can have you booked for quite a while."

The guy fell into the traditional I-have-no-idea-how-to-fight (otherwise known as the-working-brawl stance) stance, and ran at Satori. He swung a punch, and she sidestepped, bringing her knee up, and a fist down onto his lower back.

He grunted, flipping backwards from the force of her blow. Satori quickly unlaced her boot and tied his hands. The other two men tried coming at her from both sides. Satori stepped backwards, letting them crash into one another.

"Not very smart, are they?" she commented, unlacing her other boot and tying both men's hands together.

"So it would appear." Ed said. "I could have taken them."

"Don't try and be macho, Edward." Satori scolded, "It doesn't become you."

She got up and began to make her way back in the direction of their apartment. Ed reached out and touched her arm.

"Seiji, I—"

"You had your chance." Satori pulled away. "And any chance you had of another one died along with Envy."

"That wasn't my fault!" Ed pleaded. "He killed my father!"

"He was his father too. And maybe he deserved to die. The man did abandon his children not once, but twice."

"He was still my father, and I would rather see Envy die than him!"

Satori paused, fighting back the urge to break down. Otou, Okaa, she had left them both behind in her hurry to follow into this new world, to help give Ryo a better life. If things had unfolded differently, could she have brought them with her? Probably not, but it hurt just the same….

"Ed?" she asked finally, "Do you...hurt, sometimes? Is there a hole?"

Ed didn't answer for a moment. "Maybe, if I think of Winry too long." he admitted. "But other than that I don't miss anyone."

"Then consider this:" Satori said. "I knew my fiancé was a killer, and yet I loved him. I came into this new world to make a better life for myself and my son—his son. I left my parents, my powers, and people that cared. In this world, Edward, no one cares save the people you live with. No one has powers save for what they make themselves. My powers, family, and connections were all I had, and now I don't have anything except Ryo. I would say thanks a ton, but you're one of the reasons I'm here."