Caroline: agh… I finally got this chaptr so I can post it!

Tyler:…….

Jordan:…...

Caroline: & JUST IN CASE UR WONDERING- tyler is not rel8d 2 me… & he is not rel8d 2 jordan

Tyler: Nope, I'm just commenting on the shrimp's fabulous work of art.

Caroline: (growls) im not short…

Chapter 20: Just Like Me

Caroline woke up, her brown eyes examining the ceiling of an unfamiliar room. The smell of coffee was what woke her, her keen sense of smell noticing it. She began to hear familiar voices from a room close by.

"I wonder if she's dead," her brother said. "I knew that cage of fire was no good!" he snapped.

"Hey it wasn't my fault," Jordan responded. "I was just trying to protect my brother."

'Yeah right,' Caroline thought. "Protect him my ass," she grumbled quietly standing up.

"She's just sleeping," Roy said. "Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Yeah, well…" Kagome said, standing up, & pushing her chair in. "I'm gonna go check on her, just in case."

Kagome walked into the living room from the kitchen. She was suddenly stopped by a raging Caroline.

"Oh," Kagome said, surprised. "Caroline, I didn't know you were- huh?" she stopped as the white cloth that had been on the girls head was suddenly shoved into Kagome's grasp. "What are you… doing?"

The brunette looked at Kagome, her brown eyes on fire with anger, almost like an angry wolf's.

"I'm gonna do what I shoulda done a long time ago…" she growled.

The girl stomped into the kitchen, leaving a confused Kagome standing there.

"Jordan!"

The three's conversation immediately ended as Ed, Roy, & Jordan noticed the girl in the entryway.

"So you're finally awake, are you?" Jordan asked, raising an eyebrow.

The brunette panted from trying to hold her anger in.

"I'm… going… to kill you…" she growled.

Jordan took a sip of the hot drink in front of her, sighed, & then stood up, calmly as ever.

"Figured you would say that," she said.

She pushed her chair in as both stood in silence, then the older girl turned her back, & both stood quietly for just a few more seconds. Then the black-haired girl glanced over her shoulder smirking.

"But only if you can keep up, shrimp."

With that, she bounded out of the house, shutting the door completely. The brunette stood there, somewhat surprised, then angrily ran after her.

"Caroline get back-"

Slam!

"Here…" Ed finished quietly. He sighed as he sat back down.

"You guys," Kagome said.

The two looked up. "Yes?"

"I'm gonna go take a bath," she said. "You four can spend the night here, if you want to that is."

Ed opened his mouth to say something, but Roy stood up politely instead.

"Thank you," he said. "We'd be happy to."

She smiled & ran off upstairs.

Caroline bounded down the streets, but slowed down as she got deeper into the city. She was surrounded by crowds of locals, tourists, & other assortments of people. There was no doubt Jordan had lost her in the crowd. Defeated once again, the girl sighed. She looked up at the sky. It was entirely too hard to find even one star, due to the city lights. But the city lights were what made it so beautiful… She smiled, but suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted by a scream.

The blonde took a sip of his drink, & sat it down, his eyes resting upon his feet. Roy could tell something was troubling him.

"Something wrong, Fullmetal?"

"Nothing," Roy said. "It's just…"

There was a pause.

"Yes?" Roy asked.

"I can't help but… worry about her," he finally said.

Roy raised an eyebrow.

"I mean," Ed said. "She's never been in a real… fight before," he continued. "Not with me watching her," he said, his gold eyes rose upwards.

Roy nodded. "Nor with I," he said, choosing not to bring up the street incident months before.

"& it's just…" he continued. "She's… my sister. A girl." He took a pause, then gave a 'Heh.' "She'd kill me if she heard me say that."

Roy smiled weakly. "I see what you mean," he said. "You've never had a real sister before right, Ed? Only that pretty little blonde Winry you seem to know so well, right? You & Al have relied on her to be your sister, haven't you?"

Ed frowned a little at first, then stopped. He never thought of it that way, yet Roy seemed to put it in order just like that. Slowly, the blonde nodded.

Roy stood up & walked over, placing a hand on Ed's shoulder.

"You've always been able to protect Winry, Ed. You're getting used to protecting the weak & they're grateful for it," he said. "But Caroline… she doesn't want help…" he continued. "The things she's faced…"

"Abandonment?" Ed asked.

Roy looked him in the eye. "That has made all the difference. She's gained all of her strength on her own, learning to protect herself well."

"So you're saying don't protect her, is that it?" Ed asked, frowning.

"The exact opposite," Roy said. "But give her time… let her trust you."

"She does trust me!" Ed yelled, standing up furiously. "She knows I'll be there for her through & through! I'm her brother!"

Roy stood there as Ed grabbed his collar. "She thought the same thing of her father, Ed."

The blonde let go of him realizing the cold, hard truth.

"Ed," Roy said, turning. "If there's a weakness in Caroline… any weakness at all… it's her naivety."

Ed looked confused.

"She's only a child, Ed," he continued. "Being so young, she hasn't begun to realize the nightmare of human depravity. Each new dive, each new adventure into the darkness…" he said. "It frightens her."

Ed's eyes widened, understanding.

"It scares her to no end. She can't take it," Roy said.

Ed looked down guilty that he could do nothing.

"Not alone at least," Ed said slowly. "I swear, Mustang…" His head shot up. "I'll do whatever it takes… whatever I can to protect her… no matter what."

Roy raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" he asked.

"I promise."

The brunette panted, running towards the direction she thought she heard the scream from. Suddenly she tripped.

"Ow," she moaned. "Godammit, what the hell was that f- Huh?" she asked raising herself up from her elbows. She crawled over into the alley. There Jordan sat on her knees, her feet hanging into the street. At the moment, she was trying to comfort a crying child.

"What's wrong?" Caroline asked, tapping her friend on the shoulder.

"She got hurt," Jordan whispered.

"Hey, you okay, kid?" Caroline asked.

The girl winced, her brown eyes overflowing with tears. It was the same girl they had seen earlier that day. She hugged one of her legs. Sure enough, blood was running down it.

"How'd this happen?" Caroline asked, worried.

"I… I didn't do nothin," the girl mumbled. "I was just walkin & then…" with this, she began crying again.

Caroline's teeth gritted, wanting to do something to get avenge the child. "& then what?" she asked, sounding a bit angry.

The girl continued to sob a few more minutes, before she answered. "& then… I was teased by some mean old boys.. I tried to teach em a lesson but… but…"

Caroline frowned. "They got you first, huh?"

The girl continued sobbing.

"That cut doesn't look too good," Jordan whispered to Caroline.

Caroline nodded. "I know," she whispered, her mind flashing back to those days.

It was back in the days, that year & a half when Roy had left the girls & gone off to war. Hughes, the girl's temporary guardian had sent the two girls to school. Jordan had been placed two grades above Caroline, who was only in first at the time. The girl laughed as she ran out onto the playground.

"Hey you! New kid!"

The girl turned around, her long ponytail playing in the wind. She was smiling.

"I bet you think you're so cool. Sayin you're an orphan & all."

"No!" the girl yelled. "I'm not an orphan! I've got a family…the Colonel… & his sister!"

Why were they saying those things? Didn't they know she had a real family who'd return to her one day?

"I doubt it!" another boy taunted. "That guy & his sister are so mean, they'd kill you if they saw you on the street."

"No!" she yelled. "No they wouldn't! You don't know what you're talking about! You're lying!" Her fists clenched tighter around the bear she held.

Why wouldn't they believe her? What had she done to them?

"Hey, what's this?" one of them said, grabbing the bear. "Your idea of a friend?"

"Hey, quit it!" the girl yelled defensively.

"Her only friend," the other boy added. "Babies like her don't have friends!"

"I do too have friends!" Caroline yelled. "& I am not a baby!"

"Maybe I should just... tear him apart," the boy said, starting to grab the neck.

"No!" the girl yelled, baring her sharp little teeth in panic.

She lunged for the bear, one of her many, many mistakes in life.

The girl felt the small, hardly noticeable scar on her forehead. She never went back to school after that, scared of being accepted.

Suddenly, her stroll down memory lane was interrupted by sudden footsteps. Then a shadow loomed in the alleyway. The girls turned. There stood the boy… the same boy they had seen earlier, a long white coat on. He sighed as he saw the pitiful sight.

"What have you done now, shrimp?" he asked, kneeling down by the girl.

She tried to turn more in his direction, but whimpered as she tried to move.

"Don't move," he ordered. "Just tell me what happened."

The two spoke amongst themselves, the two girls watching intently.

Soon enough, the boy, Tyler as they now knew, was bandaging the girl's wound. Within a half hour, he had the girl on his back, her arms thrown over his shoulders, sleeping. He nodded to the two.

"Thanks for keeping watch of her," he said.

"No problem," the two replied, smiling.

With that, he & the girl were off. The two girls looked at each other, smiling & nodded happily, heading off to the Higurashi household.

& as they walked, Caroline noticed something.

That girl was just like her.

To be continued…

Caroline: so… wuddya think? kinda another filler chaptr but hey! we need sum of those rite?

Jordan:…..

Tyler: u make me sound so nice...

Caroline: well u can be… if u wanna…

Tyler: I think either you or Ed should work with Inuyasha (Because of your impatience.), Roy & Miroku (Because they act a lot alike.), and you with Sango (Because it seems to me you and her act alike…. Just a bit.) I have no clue with Kagome though, or Jordan for that matter…. (Sorry, kid, but I don't know you all that well.)

Caroline:………….iono. PhysicAlchemist says inu & ed, roy & miroku, sango & jordan, & me & kagome

Jordan:………

Caroline: neways…. PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEAZ VOTE WHO UR FAVE OC IS! THE SCORE IS TIED! WE NEED 1 VOTE FOR EITHER CAROLINE OR JORDAN! AND IF U HAV ANY IDEAS ON WHICH CHARACTERS U THINK SHOULD WORK TOGETHR- PLEAZ EMAIL ME (LINK ON PROFILE) OR REVIEW THEM! R&R!