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Chapter Thirty-Six

Insurance

Elias ran through the alley, checking behind him, afraid of what may be lurking there. Each time he checked, no one was there, but he couldn't shake the image of that monster that had nearly torn his head off. Just what kind of people had Marina befriended to get mixed up with a monster like that? He couldn't believe they were good. Though, Elias owed his life to that masked person, who assured him that they'd rescue Marina from that thing as her companion gave chase. He was going to put his faith in them, not denying their combat skills. It at least delayed him having to come to terms with what he's done. The masked person had requested something of him before they took off, which he wasn't too keen on fulfilling, but here he was, running off to do it.

"You have to find Edward," the masked person said, helping Elias to stand.

"The Fullmetal kid?" he asked. Elias had just gotten him and Marina away from yet another person trying to kill them, and they wanted him to go back? "Why?"

"Tell him that the plan is working."

"You mean to tell me you planned that?" he asked disbelievingly.

"In a way, yes— though we didn't account for you. Now go."

How they had planned on facing off against such a monster, he wasn't sure, and truthfully, he didn't want to know. That was their prerogative. He wasn't sure exactly what compelled him to fulfill the request, though he felt like he owed them that much for saving him.

Once I deliver the message, I'll get out of here, he thought, slowing when he thought he heard voices and fighting. He recognized the alley he and Marina had torn off from, but what lied in it startled him. The two boys he had once faced before in combat over Marina stood on either side of that Ishvalen that had nearly killed them. An alley full of enemies, perfect. He hid around a few crates in the opposite alley, watching the exchange, staring at the Ishvalen man with a prominent 'x' shaped scar over his face. He looked like so many of his people did— maimed, and scarred, and irreversibly damaged. Elias absently touched his own scars, both fresh and old, before tracing the first one at the nape of his neck. The first of countless.

"You're so self-righteous," the boy spat. The small one, the Fullmetal Alchemist. He looked worse for wear. Blood dripped down his face, and he seemed to be buying time with talk. "But do you remember two Amestrian doctors named Rockbell?"

Elias's grip on the back of his neck tightened at the name. Horrid memories of that meager hospital came flooding back to him in a dizzying frenzy. He grit his teeth, trying to wipe the images of all of the people suffering, all of his people dying around him. He tried to wipe his mind before images of his parents invaded it. By the time he had a hold of himself, a new person had stumbled upon the scene. It was that Winry girl, the daughter of the Rockbell's. It still baffled him how much like her mother she looked. Her voice quivered, and she swayed as she spoke.

"You mean, he's the man who killed them? My parents? He killed them? What's worse, they helped save you, and you killed them?" she asked, dropping to her knees.

Something in Elias snapped. His head ached, and his heart clenched as he propped himself up on one of the crates. He bit down on his tongue until he could taste copper, but he couldn't stop himself from spiraling right back to that day.

"Please, Elias, wake up!"

He knew that voice. It was his sister, but her voice was distant as his eyes attempted to open. The back of his neck hurt, but he couldn't remember what had happened.

"Sis?" he called out, feeling a pressure against the back of his head.

"I'm right here," she said, in a tone that put Elias on edge. He had never heard his sister sound so frightened. "Elias, open your eyes."

Elias fought to open his eyes, his vision a bit blurry at first. He looked up at his sister, tears streaming down her cheeks, billows of dust racing toward the sky beyond her. His ears were buzzing, but he could hear explosions erupting around them. One hit close by, and she raised him to her chest, shielding him from the dust cloud that engulfed them. He could feel her hand slip from the back of his neck, something slimy sliding between her fingers. They both coughed up the debris, and Elias tore from his sister, noticing the red that stained her calloused hands. He remembered what was going on. It was the beginning of the war, and the military had moved in. Moments ago, he, his parents, and his sister were all running, their house decimated, nothing left of the olive tree or his childhood home. They had barely escaped. He remembered feeling something heavy strike him down, explaining the acute pain in his neck, but he didn't know where their parents had gone.

"Mama, Papa," he whispered, the words scratching at his throat. "Where are they?"

He coughed again, and his sister scooped him up and tore from the dust cloud. He kept calling out for them, and she did too. Up ahead, they noticed two figures hunched over something, or rather, someone, performing what looked like CPR.

"Stay with us!" one of the figures called, her blue eyes flashing over Elias.

They looked just like the soldiers that had come and ravaged their land. Blonde hair, unmistakable blue eyes. They were Amestrian. She looked back down to her patient and resumed as the man at her side held a bloody and tanned arm. One Elias knew well.

"Sis… is that…" he trailed off.

She placed him down gently before she went to stand above the now clear presence of four people. She started breathing erratically as Elias joined her, as the woman continued to press on his mother's chest.

"Don't die on me!" she yelled to their mother.

She wasn't breathing. The Amestrian woman looked at the man. He shook his head as he placed their father's arm gently to the red earth, removing the stethoscope from his ears and hanging it around his neck. She pumped considerably slower before gritting her teeth and pumping harder. His sister collapsed to her knees.

"Papa!" she screeched, the sound tearing from her like a bolt of lightning, frightening Elias. "Mama!"

He took a step back, unable to look at the face of the Amestrian man who was addressing him. He didn't hear him at all. He couldn't even hear the cries of his beloved sister as the woman ceased resuscitation. He could only see the blood, red as their eyes, redder than the dirt of his beloved homeland. The man had reached out for him, but Elias stumbled back, the world spinning around him before turning dark.

When he opened his eyes again, that woman, the Amestrian, was hovering over him. A relieved look crossed her face.

"Where… where am I?" he asked, looking around. It seemed like he was in a makeshift hospital.

"The Rockbell medical tent, dear. You had a nasty cut on your neck, but we patched you up," she said, and she called for someone. His sister came into view. She rested her hand against his cheek, and he realized what had happened.

"Mama, and Papa— are they…" he trailed off, as tears sprung to his eyes. The two women looking to one another, grief-stricken.

"I'm so sorry. My husband and I did all we could," the woman said, as the man from earlier came into view, wrapping his hands around her shoulders. Elias looked to his sister, who sobbed silently.

"Mama, and Papa," he said through sniffles. "Why did they have to go? Why'd they leave?"

"My dear Elias," she said, her voice wavering. She leaned down, embracing him as sobs shook her shoulders. "I promise I'm not going anywhere. I'm right here."

Elias was jolted back into the real world when the angry blonde kid yelled out.

"Don't do it!" he pleaded, and Elias noticed the Rockbell girl had managed to get her hands on a gun, her arms trembling, tears streaking down her face, and aimed at the Ishvalen.

"This girl is the doctor's daughter? You have the right. Shooting me would be justified," he said coldly, and Elias grit his teeth. A flood of emotions drove him to stand, some he didn't quite understand. He staggered out of the shadows as they continued. "Go on, shoot."

"Don't do it Winry, put down the gun."

"You know you don't want to do this. Winry!" the strangely child-like voice of the suit of armor implored her.

"Shoot, girl. But know, the moment you pull the trigger, there's no going back," the man said, cracking his hand.

"He's right," Elias said, garnering the attention of the alley. They all looked at him in confusion, and the annoying one yelled at him.

"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked. Elias did not answer the Fullmetal kid, just reared his fist back, socking the Ishvalen man in the jaw. "What the hell?"

The man stumbled back but recovered quickly, lunging at him with his tattooed arm. Elias remembered what he had managed to do with it as he and Marina had run, and he ducked into a roll landing in front of Winry, who still held the gun in her trembling arms. The man stood upright, his hand crackling with an energy Elias understood but despised.

"You're Ishvalen," the man said, easing up, taking a good look at Elias. The armored kid and the tiny idiot were positioned to fight, the air dense with malice and scorn. Elias gazed into the eyes of his blood brother in a disquieting mix of disgust and brotherhood. "Do you defend these Amestrians?"

"No, these people have gotten in my way more than once," Elias said, standing. The short blonde scowled at him. "But those doctors, this girls' parents— they did everything they could to save mine. They saved me. You may be my brother, but I can't easily forgive you for their murder." The Ishvalen man nodded in a solemn understanding.

"Then you, too, my brother, are my enemy," he said, and Elias scowled.

"Move," Winry said from behind him, causing Elias to turn to her. Her blue eyes were trained on the man, unwavering and laser-focused on her objective, the gun still trembling in her grasp. Elias exhaled heavily, seeing far too much of himself in this girl. He saw the desire for vengeance in the glint of her eye as tears stained her cheeks. Elias turned fully, standing in the way of the gun. She shook her head fervently. "I said 'move'!"

Elias stalked up to her, her gaze still trained forward, but he noticed that she had gone rigid as he crouched before her. He reached out and wrapped his hand around hers, startling her. She pulled back, but his grip was much stronger as he pressed the barrel of the gun to his shoulder.

"Shoot me," he said simply, as she finally met his gaze. He could tell she was terrified, likely of him, but he couldn't help but think a little of herself too.

"Let her go!" the meek-voiced armor called, but Elias just pushed the gun harder against his shoulder.

"I had hurt you once, in the very same spot," he said evenly. "If you think you could kill him, it should be easy to shoot me."

"I— I…" she trailed off, her gaze falling to the ground.

"Elias!" the blonde kid yelled, and he met his gaze briefly. He looked pissed as ever but didn't make a move. Elias ignored him.

"If you had enough conviction, you'd be able to shoot me, tit for tat. An eye for an eye. If you had enough conviction, you could shoot him. A life for a life," Elias said as she lifted her head to look at him. She seemed less confident, a little unraveled. Elias frowned, gazing down at their clasped grip on the gun. Her hands were callused, a little unexpectedly, but it reminded him of his sister. She had the hands of an honest worker, of someone with goals and aspirations. "But I promise you, taking his life won't return theirs. It won't satisfy you because it's not what you really want. I had to learn that the hard way."

"Until one of us dies, this chain of hatred will continue," the Ishvalen man chimed in from behind him.

"Scar!" the small one yelled.

"You'd gladly make a murderer of this girl?" Elias asked, narrowing his eyes at the man, apparently named Scar.

"Don't ever forget, it was the Amestrians who first pulled the trigger in the civil war. It was your people!" Scar yelled out. Elias dropped his grip on the gun, having heard enough as he moved aside. Her arms remained aimed, though the look in her eyes had faded just a touch as she looked to him questioningly.

"Do what you must. But vengeance will never fill a void where love once resided. It will only grow emptier with the weight of your sin. I'm sure you know that best, don't you, brother?" he asked Scar, who flinched just slightly. He could see both sides; he was Ishvalen, after all. What Scar had said was undeniable. He himself had lived through unimaginable hell during the war. But he had been Scar not nearly a month ago, and he was still paying for it. He felt he may pay for what he had done for the rest of his life. Elias looked back to Winry. It was the last thing he wanted for her. The choices she made from there were her own, but for some reason – maybe that thing called empathy Ivey spoke of – something inside of him made him hope that she'd be better than he was. Made him hope that she wouldn't do something she'd soon regret as he had. Made him hope that her burdens wouldn't be so large to bear. "I can't help but feel the potential of your purpose is greater than that fate." He shifted to his feet and looked to the angry short stack, who seemed a little more relieved than he had been to start.

"Winry— put the gun down and get out of here," the armored boy instructed, though when Elias looked back to Winry, it seemed she was caught between which choice to make.

"If you won't shoot, then do as the boy told you. You're in my way!" Scar yelled, slamming his hand to the ground and pulverizing the cobblestone street beneath the blonde kid, who jumped and vaulted over the Ishvalens shoulders. Elias readied himself for combat, standing in front of the girl.

"Don't shoot!" the kid yelled out before landing protectively in front of the girl, next to Elias.

They both stared down Scar who had reached for them, but for some reason, stopped short. In his moment of hesitation, the armored boy kicked at the man, who jumped back as he swung again. The armor clapped its gauntlets together and then to the ground, blue sparks flying and creating a sculpture-like path to the Ishvalen, who used the momentum from the moving earth to jump up and away. He blasted a massive hole in the wall of a building higher up, an effective escape route.

"What the hell are you guys doing?" the armor scolded. "You could have all been killed! Hurry and get Winry somewhere safe."

With that, he leaped up onto the structure he had created, leaping from pillar to pillar after the escapee. Ed and Elias looked to one another and then to Winry, whose hands were still trembling. Ed moved to console her, and Elias went to wait in the other alleyway. He needed to talk to Ed, but he knew he wasn't equipped to talk her off the ledge or comfort her. He'd let the Fullmetal boy handle it.

Ed finished consoling Winry and left her in the care of a few MPs nearby, wrapping her in his coat. He promised to explain everything later, and the look in her eyes made him cringe just a little at the thought. He just had to go and open his stupid mouth. He shook the thought away and went running off after Al, but stopped short when he noticed Elias was waiting around the corner.

"Edward, right?" he asked. Ed's eyes narrowed.

"Yeah," Ed growled. "Just so you know, I'm not happy with you."

"Trust me, I could feel your glare burning into the back of my skull," Elias said dully.

"What are you even doing here?" Ed asked, marginally annoyed.

This guy had a knack for popping in at just the wrong moment, though he was a bit surprised that he had helped Marina escape and at the little speech he had given Winry, considering what Marina had told Ed. It didn't seem like him at all.

"I came to deliver two messages," he said, leaning against the wall. "The first; your friends wanted you to know that the plan was still in motion."

Ed nodded, his worry easing just a bit. He had wondered where Marina had gone off to when Elias showed up alone, but if what this kid was saying was true, there was a good chance she was with Ling.

"What's the other message?"

"I need you to tell Marina something for me. I didn't get a chance to."

"Yeah?" Ed asked, a bit skeptically. "And what would that be?"

"I can't send her back," he said, stone cold. Ed recoiled, blinking rapidly.

"What?" he whispered, the words not seeming real to him.

"I can't send her back," Elias repeated, his eyes trained on the ground. "To her side of the Gate. It's impossible."

Ed's shoulders slumped, and he staggered back, trying to process this new and detrimental information. His jaw tightened, and he clenched his fists— his rage bubbling to a boiling point. He had already been holding back on clobbering this guy, and that was the last straw. He began toward Elias, and then he was running, and before he knew it, his metal fist connected to Elias's cheek, sending him to the cold cobblestone. Elias groaned, holding his cheek, but Ed had no sympathy for him. He grabbed him roughly by the collar, forcing Elias to look him in the eye.

"Are you kidding me?" Ed asked incredulously, jostling him. "Do you even understand the extent of what you've already done to her? Do you?"

"I deserved that," Elias said flatly, and Ed nearly punched him again.

"Don't take her lightly! Do you get what this will do to her? You can't— and you want me to be the one to tell her? You're insane if you think I would ever pick up your slack just so you don't have to face the consequences!" Ed yelled, and this time, he did punch him. He used his flesh fist, wanting to feel the impact of the blow for himself. His knuckles stung, but it was a small price to pay. He looked down at Elias's bruised face, breathing raggedly, his words taking hold. If she couldn't be sent home, she'd stay here, in Amestris. She'd stay. For a moment, he thought that maybe, he should be happy at this development. But he wasn't. Far from it, really. He could only be angry for her, angry at how he knew she'd be let down again. She didn't ask for any of this. She didn't ask to be sent here or to get involved with his mess, and now she couldn't return to the life, to the home she once knew. All because of some stupid kids' need for revenge. He dropped Elias's collar as he stood, shaking out his fist. "I won't hurt her again because of you. Tell her yourself." Elias started chuckling, and Ed frowned.

"I'm pretty foolish for thinking it'd be that easy, huh?" he asked, sitting himself up against the wall of the alley.

"I'd say so," Ed grumbled. Elias used his sleeve to wipe the small streak of blood that dribbled from his mouth before running his hand through his hair.

"I know I can't escape it," he admitted quietly. "I know that I've done something irreparable. It's what I wanted that Rockbell girl to avoid. I'll take full responsibility." Ed stared down at him a moment before extending a hand. Elias looked at the outstretched limb a little quizzically.

"I'll thank you for your help with Winry, but nothing more," he said as Elias took his hand. He helped him to stand, and Elias dusted himself off. Ed looked down the alley, where Ling and Lan Fan had gone chasing after them earlier. "You said the plan was working?"

"That's what I was told. Though, I can't fathom what exactly you all had in mind," Elias said with a nod.

"Don't you worry about the details, pal. We're supposed to rendezvous a little later, but I have to take care of Scar, first," Ed said, looking off in the distance from where his brother and Scar had taken off. He looked back to Elias. "You can tell Marina yourself when we make it back." Elias heaved a sigh.

"I suppose I'm being dragged into this mess then, aren't I?" he asked as they began for the structure Al had erected in his battle with Scar.

"You catch on quick," Ed said, his eyes trained on the pillars he was about to scale. He heaved himself up the structure, climbing as swiftly as he could.

"What is that girl to you, anyway?" Elias asked, stepping up.

"She's my automail engineer," Ed said, reaching for a higher pillar. "A childhood friend." Elias's face creased in confusion.

"No, I meant Marina," Elias said, halting Ed.

He looked back at the bruised face, thinking a moment, not sure how to answer. For some reason, calling Marina just a 'friend' didn't seem right. It almost felt insufficient, but he couldn't think of a word to accurately describe their relationship. What was she to him, exactly?

"Let's go," he muttered, lifting himself over the final pillar.

"Marina!" Ling called out, his voice ringing painfully in my ears. It seemed so distant I hoped it meant he was already on his way out.

"Surprised? Did you think I wouldn't dare injure a precious sacrifice?" Wrath asked lowly, inching closer to me. "Don't be a fool."

"Shut up," I growled, my face twisting in agony.

"You strut out making deals when you don't even have the chips to bargain with. Did you actually believe that you had that kind of pull? How laughable. You thought you were a player in this game, but you're just another pawn," he said, his eye studying me carefully. I met his gaze with a glare. "It's not the first time you were overconfident, either. Don't think I have forgotten your little uprising here in Central."

"I don't regret it," I managed to say through gasps against my better judgment. My mind was working a mile a minute, and somehow not at all. Wrath pressed the sword in deeper, and I let out a guttural sound.

"If you just accepted your role in our plans, things like this wouldn't need to happen to remind you of your place," he snarled.

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but I've never been good at doing what people want me to," I wheezed, and Wrath frowned just slightly. I clapped my hands together and grabbed the section of the sword that still protruded from my abdomen, and in a flash of brilliant blue, the blade snapped. I stumbled back, managing to put some distance between us. "Ling, run now!"

I unsheathed my knife, clutching onto it for dear life as I stared Wrath down. If he was surprised, he didn't show it as he moved forward to me. I went to rush him, but a burning pain ripped through me, and I lost my footing momentarily.

"You can't even stand, let alone fight," Wrath said, lifting his second sword. "You haven't learned your lesson, it seems."

It looked like he was about to skewer me again, but he instead used his blade to deflect the sword he had once thrown at us as it soared by his face. I felt my body give as my vision grew dim, but I was grabbed just before hitting the floor. There was a loud bang and an even louder crash that made my stomach drop as we propelled from what I imagined was a window. I felt like I was flying, but I couldn't for the life of me open my eyes. They were too tired. The wind rushed past me and suddenly stopped, and I heard a groan as glass fell around us. We were on the move again, but I couldn't tell where I was or who I was with. My whole body ached, breathing was difficult, and I was barely maintaining what little consciousness I had.

"Hey, can you hear me?" someone asked.

I thought to answer them, but no sounds came out. I heard another voice, and then the two voices were quarreling, going back and forth with one another. I pushed the noise further and further away until there was quiet. Unfortunately, it didn't last long, and the voices only got louder, and eventually, I could make out their conversation.

"You can't do that to them. My Lord— think of our clan! You must live for their sake!"

"I won't leave you!" someone yelled back.

They sounded familiar, whoever they were. I tried to open my eyes, but my eyelids were just so heavy. I could move my fingers around if I concentrated hard enough, but it was a difficult task, and only one arm seemed to be responsive. I was holding onto something, but I couldn't tell what.

"Sometimes someone must be left behind," the other voice responded, and something in their tone felt disquieting to me. It reminded me of something. I started to wonder if there was something I was supposed to do, or maybe I was supposed to prevent. But what? "For the greater good."

"Lan Fan? What are you planning?" a voice I recognized as Lings asked, his tone desperate. I finally managed to open my eyes, and the glint of sunlight off a blade caught my eye. I squinted, finding it too bright at first, but I remembered what it was I was supposed to do. "No, don't do it!"

I swung my arm up with all my might, and the faces of our blades crashed together with a clang, creating a small spark. I gripped down as hard as I could over Lan Fan's kunai, using whatever strength I had to hold it off. She looked at me with wide eyes as I exhaled.

"I won't let you," I said, finding my voice. She scowled at me, pulling harder on the kunai. I was losing my grip.

"Don't interfere—"

We were both tossed to the ground, propped against the wall of an alley. I hissed as my back hit the wall. I looked over to Ling, ready to curse him out for the rough handling, but I saw that he had Lan Fan by the shoulder, shaking her violently.

"What the hell were you about to do?" he asked, enraged. She looked terrified, feeling the ire of her King as his grip on her good shoulder tightened. He inspected her wound, his hand hovering over the limb. "What would you do with no arm, huh? What!"

"B-but my Lord," she tried.

"No! Don't— ever pull a stunt like that. It's not worth it," Ling said, dropping his head. His shoulders shook, and his voice wavered as he pulled her into a tight embrace. She reached over his back with her viable arm, returning the embrace.

"My Lord…" she trailed off, her voice barely a whisper as she hugged him tighter. A small smile crept up onto my face, but it was quickly erased with a jolt of pain that shot through my whole body. I whimpered, and they parted, turning their attention to me.

"Marina, are you alright?" Ling asked.

"Oh, just swell," I grumbled. "You were supposed to run."

"And leave you with the man who put a sword through you? Yeah, not happening," he said, looking around. "It looks like we've lost them for now."

"Ling, her arm," I nodded to his jacket, shrugging out of mine, and he seemed to catch my implication. He tied it around her arm tightly, creating both a tourniquet and a sling. I tossed my jacket over my arm, but I couldn't do much. I needed help to tighten it into a sling, my left arm completely numb now. I looked to Ling as he knotted Lan Fan's arm off. "Help me out here."

"You're putting it in the wrong place," he said, glancing at my abdomen. He seemed to do a double-take, looking at me in disbelief. "Is the blade still in you?" I nodded.

"Yeah, and I need you to pull it out," I said, and he sat back a little stunned.

"What? No, you'll bleed to death if I do that," he said frantically. "We'll just tie your jacket around it to hold until we can get you somewhere." I shook my head.

"I won't bleed to death right away. I think I have an idea, but I need your help to pull it off," I said. He narrowed his eyes at me.

"Yeah, to just go and die on my watch? I don't think so," he said, moving to instead fasten the jacket around my torso. "Ed would really kill me then." I grabbed his hand, meeting his gaze with intensity.

"I don't plan on dying here today. I'd like to think you don't either. We can't all escape here and capture a Homunculous. So, hear me out, would you?" I implored him.

I swallowed a lump in my throat, keeping my gaze as steady as I could. I realized at some point that I was way in over my head, but there wasn't much I could do about that now. I just had to keep moving forward. He frowned, standing, and looking at our surroundings. He stepped back in front of me, his arms crossed.

"I don't sense them at present, but I can't imagine we have much time. Speak quickly."

Ed rushed into the smokescreen Scar had created and aimed a well-timed kick at the Ishvalen, sending him backward.

"Brother!" Al called in relief as Ed jumped back beside him. "Where's Winry?"

"She's safe," Ed said, wiping a bead of sweat from his chin. Al looked over and noticed their third companion, who stood a few feet off over the train tracks.

"What's he doing here?" Al asked, shooting a look at Elias. Ed furrowed his brows.

"I'll explain that later. Let's end this," Ed said, he and his brother taking on a fighting stance.

"Oh, I found you!" an unfamiliar voice called out, prompting Scar to turn. A man jumped down on the other side of Scar, his landing creating a crater in the ground hidden in a cloud of dust. "Ishvalen!"

"You again," Scar said lowly. It didn't take long for Ed or Al to notice the ouroboros tattoo on his outstretched tongue.

"Look at his tattoo!"

"A Homunculus!" Ed realized.

"That's the thing that snatched Marina!" Elias said, startling Ed, who whipped his head around to him. He looked extremely pale for his complexion.

"Wait, what?" Ed said, a little breathlessly.

The unsightly beast charged at Scar; mouth wide open, looking as if he were ready to take a bite out of him. Scar quickly neutralized the Homunculus, using his size and weight against him as Scar slammed him into the dirt with a force that shook the earth. A flash of blue emerged from Scar's right arm, and not soon after was the creature bleeding from its head, gurgling and growling as a red spark of energy surrounded it. He turned his bloody face to Scar with a disquieting smile. He headbutted the Ishvalen into one of the train crates, and Ed could only watch the battle between them unfold with a wary mind. What Elias had said unnerved him, and he grit his teeth, trying to maintain his focus on the current situation.

She's fine, he thought to himself, his gaze hardening as the plump Homunculus was thrown from Scar. He and Al took the initiative to land a hit on the Homunculus, kicking him away from Scar. A manhole cover close to where the Homunculus landed sprang up from the ground in a cloud of smoke. Ed looked up to the sky to see a Xingese acrobat.

"It's Ling!" he shouted, watching the Prince unpin an explosive mid-air before landing atop of the Homunculus, shoving the grenade down its throat in one quick motion.

"Go, move it!" he said after he removed the blade he had clenched between his teeth. He jumped from the Homunculus as Ed and Al sprinted away, hearing what sounded like a hundred balloons popping all at once. Ed was thrown to the ground at the force of the blast as blood splattered about. He turned over, and as he did, the tongue of the Homunculus landed at his feet. Ed looked at it with disgust before it disintegrated into ash. He looked up as Ling landed between him and Al, and they watched as the body that had been blown to bits began to reassemble itself. "Get me some strong cable!"

"Right, on it!" Ed said, leaping over to the metal train tracks, clapping his hands together, and then to the metal. The tracks sprung up into a thick and hefty cable, and one of them nearly hit Elias, who jumped out of the way at the last moment.

"Hey, watch it!" he griped, staggering away. Ed ignored him as he handed Ling the wires.

"Your own regenerative ability is working against you! Your flesh won't stop expanding, and it'll keep you tied up nice and tight," Ling said, finishing the wrappings around Gluttony, his cries muffled by the cables. "You're mine now, Homunculus!" The group looked at the Homunculus and Ling in awe, all except Elias, who Ed noticed had helped Lan Fan emerge from the hole Ling had appeared from. Ed rushed to them, noting that Lan Fan's arm was severely injured.

"What the hell happened?" Ed asked as Elias helped her to stand. He investigated the hole, expecting to see a third member of their party. He frowned when he noticed no one was there. "Where's Mari—"

Gunshots rang out above them, and Scar hit the ground with a groan as a car screeched to a halt in front of them. A blonde woman with a gun stared them all down, her gaze settling on Ling, who had jumped down from Gluttony.

"Put him in. We're getting out of here," she commanded, motioning to their new captive.

He and Al seemed to realize simultaneously that the woman with the unassailable presence was none other than Riza Hawkeye. In a show of brute strength, Ling lifted the Homunculus nearly above his head, throwing him in the backseat of the convertible before jumping in himself. Ed watched as Elias handed Lan Fan off to Ling.

"She's badly injured. She probably needs stitches and fluids and—"

"Wait, do you have medical experience?" Ling asked. Elias nodded. "Get in." Elias looked back to Ed, who frowned as he entered the car. No one had answered his damn question, and he wasn't about to let Elias run from his responsibilities.

"Hold on a second, Lietan—"

Hawkeye shushed him and put the car in gear, tearing off before Ed could say another word.

"Wait, what's going on?" Al called after them.

"Al," Ed said, feeling a little uneasy himself. "The MPs are watching. Just pretend you don't know her."

"They're getting away! After them!" one of the MPs directed.

"Right!" the men chorused after him as Ed and Al watched the car fade in the distance.

"The Colonel may be a creep and a jerk, but at least we can trust him," Ed said. He looked back briefly to the upturned manhole cover. That idiot better be alright, he thought before clenching his fists, his sights set on Scar. "We have something to do."

"Alright, on three," I said, my voice muffled through the fabric of my jacket. Ling had twisted it up into a sling for me, and I simply angled my head to the side to bite down on the tanned leather. He positioned above me, and Lan Fan sat at my head, her knees over my outstretched arm. We had to make sure I wouldn't try to stop Ling from what he was about to do. "One—"

Ling pulled immediately, and my body jolted at the sudden movement. I cried out as the silver of the blade rushed from my skin covered in a ruby red. It was quick and anything but painless, and as soon as Lan Fan lifted from my arm, I instinctively went to touch the wound. Just as I imagined it would, blood bubbled at the site, and I cried out again. I could even feel the warm liquid begin to pool slowly beneath me. Ling flung the blade away and helped me to my feet, which was quite the task. He leaned me against the wall and handed me the canteen I had removed from my hip. The sudden rush of blood seemed to taper just a bit.

"Are you sure about this?" Ling asked, his voice unsteady. "Can you even move?" I nodded, though I hadn't even tried it.

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

"And if they get you?"

"They won't kill me," I said. At least, I hoped. The whole getting stabbed thing was beginning to make me question that little tidbit.

"Well, that may be true, but they clearly don't mind wounding you."

"And they wouldn't hesitate to kill you. Wounds heal, Ling. You can't bring back what's lost," I said. His eyes darkened as he turned to Lan Fan, who knelt uneasily next to the uncovered manhole. "Now go, both of you."

"Don't die," he said simply, jumping into the hole after Lan Fan, pulling the cover over.

I nodded and headed off in the opposite direction, blood dripping behind me. I started at a jog, managing to run in stints, and when I rounded on a three-way split, I took a moment to take in my surroundings. Ling had said that they were inching closer, so he couldn't be too far from me now. I had to work quickly before too much blood pooled at the divide. I opened the canteen, crouching over it, and clapped my hands, taking about half the canteen. I balanced the bubble of water in my slung hand while I screwed the cap back on and refastened it to my hip, standing with a little effort. I replaced the water with my good hand and touched my wound, sucking in a sharp breath at the contact as the crimson of my blood tainted the water. Introducing the water produced a sting of its own, unpleasant but at least tolerable. I had Envy to thank for this little idea when I had transmuted the water tainted with his blood. When I had transmuted it around him, I found that blood moved as smoothly as water during transmutation. Which was mostly thanks to the fact that blood was about ninety percent water, I found out later. You learn a lot of neat stuff studying alchemy.

The transmutation threatened to waiver, but I just focused on maintaining it as best I could. As they mixed, the transmutation steadied out, and I counted a minute in my head as the water resembled the deep red-almost-black of my blood, and I was satisfied. I heard distant footsteps behind me, and I knew it was time to move. I divided the deep red orb between my two hands and prepared myself to do something I hadn't attempted before, had only imagined could be possible after what I had read about manipulation. It was risky, but I figured worst-case scenario, I get abducted and taken to Father. If I were lucky, I'd be important enough to save. If I weren't— well, I wasn't trying to dwell on it.

I angled my body so that my good arm was directed at the alley originally to my right. I was going to back down the one that had been to my left, noticing a manhole at its end. My left hand struggled to maintain the transmutation, my whole arm straining past the numbness. One minute and forty-eight seconds. I took a step back, and to my surprise and joy, the orb of water floated in place steadily without my hand beneath it. I took another step and another, but the transmutation maintained its shape beyond me. Two minutes three seconds. I swallowed hard as I heard the footsteps growing louder, and I took a few more steps back, this time willing the water to move on its own. It was shaky at first, but the water eventually floated mid-air, taking direction down the two alleys. The orb at my left disappeared around the corner, but I could still feel the energy crackling at my fingers, a sign that it hadn't broken. Three minutes twenty-five seconds. The further I moved, the harder it became to maintain the transmutation, but it worked in my favor. Droplets of water splattered to the ground as if they came from my own body, which I guess, they technically had. It mimicked the perfect trail; now Wrath had three to follow. Three minutes fifty-seven seconds.

I lost my concentration and my slipping hold on the transmutation. My hands and my body were buzzing, and I huffed, my chest rising and falling rapidly as I clapped my hands and upended the manhole at my side. I managed to slip in and close the cover over me before I had been seen. I stepped down the ladder, slipping from it at the bottom, but I managed. I transmuted the manhole cover out of existence, hoping to buy myself some more time. I ran as far and as fast as I could. I had no idea where I was headed or how close it would put me to the group. I didn't have the tracking skills of our Xingese friends. I just kept running until I couldn't. I eventually needed a breather, and I let myself lean against the wall. Sunlight spilled in through the grates on the surface, and I rested in its warmth a moment. I thought I heard a noise, so I kept moving.

At some point, the small glimpses of the surface ended, leaving me to mill around in the dark. My body was humming all over, and there were occasional sharp stints of pain or moments where I was hyper-aware of just how much pain I was actually in. I had convinced myself that the amount of adrenaline pumping through me was keeping me moving, but it was beginning to wear. I slid down the wall at an excruciatingly horrid pang in my side, and I sat anxiously waiting for the contraction to pass. As the pain dissipated, replaced by a honied numbness, I let myself rest my eyes and think. Ed was going to be pissed that I had gone at gotten myself stabbed. Like, beyond pissed. I could already picture the look on his face as he'd scold me, rightfully so. Al would probably be angry, too, though I pictured him being a bit gentler about it. I was definitely in for the lecture of a lifetime. I had the stab wound to prove it. Another jolt of pain numbed me, and I felt myself slipping. It was dark and cold enough that my body seemed to enter a hibernated state.

Stay awake, a voice in my head called, but I ignored it. Sleep seemed so inviting. It was easy to sit in the darkness. To push away the pain and the thinking and everything that seemed just so difficult. It was like I had walked into a dark room, and the walls enveloped me in a warm and comforting embrace. I could sleep peacefully here. I could sleep, and I could forget. I could forget everything I had been through, everything I was going through. I could forget it all if I wanted to. The idea seemed nice for a while, soothing even, but something felt off. I looked around the darkness, trying to find the anomaly, but there was nothing but black for miles around. I couldn't even see myself in the darkness; could only feel that I was there. I curled my fingers around something and frowned. It was a small thing, but it was attached to my arm and made a comforting tinkling sound when I tapped my nails against it. I grasped it in my hand tightly and felt something burn in my chest.

Insurance.

I was suddenly pushed from the darkness, the world and its sensations coming back to me. I opened my eyes, and there was still darkness, but it wasn't pitch black. I breathed raggedly, feeling around my body, reawakening my senses. I could touch and feel the fabric of my shirt scratching at my fingertips, and I could smell the putrid water whose current rushed noisily in my ears. My hand traced along my abdomen, and I gasped, running my hand over my open wound. I cursed and tried to relax, wondering just how much blood I had lost and how much more I'd have to lose before I'd...

"No," I groaned, rolling over a bit.

I grabbed the canteen at my hip and opened it, setting it on the ground. I rolled up the bottom of my shirt, biting down on the fabric as I exposed my wound. If Mustang could do it with fire, why couldn't I with ice? It wasn't cauterization, but I didn't have a better solution. With one arm out of commission, a wrap was out of the question. I clapped my hands as gently as I could, mindful of my shoulder, and dipped my hand in the water. The transmutation was shaky, but I wasn't striving for perfection. I hovered over my wound for a minute, trying to prepare myself, but I knew what I had to do wasn't going to be pleasant. I slammed my hand down and cried out in agony, biting down on the fabric so hard I was sure I'd put even more holes through it than the one Wrath had so kindly made. I panted erratically as I watched myself in a nearly out-of-body experience transmute the water into a block of thick ice, plugging the hole in my stomach. I banged my head against the wall behind me, trying to distract myself from the pain with more pain. As the transmutation finished and the blue spark left my fingertips frosty and trembling, I let out another outcry, nearly passing out from the shock of cold that ripped through me. My hand fell to my side, and I sat there limply, my body adjusting to the new sensation that was almost worse than the pain of being stabbed.

After a few frozen moments, I clapped my hands together again, rolling a bit to my side, transmuting the water to my palm. I repeated the process over the wound in my back. My strangled cries echoed out around me, but I could barely register them as mine anymore as tears, salty and warm, rushed down my cheeks. I slumped to the ground laid out on my side as I finished, another sting of cold rushing through me. My body twitched, my eyelids grew heavy, and the numbness that had taken hold at my wound stretched to my very fingertips, to the very tips of my toes. I let myself rest for a moment before I forced myself to stand, using the wall as a crutch. I leaned into it heavily, my steps leaden. But I moved. I could still move.

This wasn't going to be the day I ceased to exist. Not when I was just beginning to figure out who I was and who I wanted to be. Not when I hadn't yet found the answers I was still looking for. Not when I had people counting on me to come back. Another shock tore through me, and I could feel something rip at my wound site.

Damnit, what now? I thought, just before falling to my knees. My vision was blurred, and with a shaky hand, I touched my abdomen. The ice seemed intact, but I was still dizzy. I grasped the wall, taking a few more labored breaths. I couldn't breathe to the fullest else a sharp pain would rattle me. I managed to move one leg from under me, sitting in a lunge, but I couldn't get the other to cooperate. Even still, I used my leg to drag myself forward. I resorted to crawling on my knees awhile but halted when I heard a rush of frantic footsteps reverberating around me.

"Marina!" a voice echoed around the chamber, and I twisted to face the source but sucked in a sharp breath at the suddenness of the movement. "Marina?"

I recognize that voice, I thought, looking around more carefully. I couldn't see anyone, but the footsteps were becoming louder.

"Ling?" I called out as loudly as I could. A cough wreaked havoc over me, and I doubled over, feeling more blood escape me, dripping from my mouth. I slumped to the floor, my hand still clinging desperately to the wall. I couldn't tell if I was weak from the blood loss or the transmutations I had performed.

"Marina!"

I'm here, I thought desperately, my hand sliding to the ground. It rested over the strawberry charm, but I didn't even have the strength to grasp it fully. Ed's words echoed in my mind.

Don't get caught.

I had done it; I had managed not to get caught, and I managed to stay alive. I felt a hand at my back.

I'm coming, Ed— just wait for me.

Writing this chapter was ridiculously fun for me. I started it earlier in the week, and I had it nearly completed like, two days in. I agonized over the scenes where Elias interacted with everyone, so I hope I did them justice. I especially loved the little quarrel between him and Ed, who just finds him to be a major asshole, which Elias most certainly is. He do be trying, but he's still an asshole. Oh, Marina. Sweetie. Sweet, naïve, impulsive girl. One of the reviews of the last chapter hit the nail on the head; Marina is kind of mistaking arrogance for bravery. I wanted to play into the trope of the whole 'I know what's gonna happen, so I'm chillin' thing, and especially after finding success in changing the way things happened with Hughes, give her a little bit of an overconfident mindset. Sort of like a 'well, if I did x y z, I could certainly do 1 2 3.' She's starting to get it a little bit here, but she's still pretty assured. I like the idea of playing around with ability vs perception of ability. So yeah, I hope that came across because I have a feeling it may get her into some bigger trouble before she snaps to, but I digress. That's what character development is for, right? (Or maybe I just really enjoy torturing my own characters, who knows). Anyway, I hope y'all enjoyed it nonetheless. I had a pretty tough end to my week, so in all honesty, there might not be a chapter next week. I pushed through to make this one happen, and I have past me to thank for that. I know I just took a break, and I apologize for another possible one, but life has just been real awful these last few days. Though, I'm finding some solace in my writing, so that's been good at the very least. I love reading your reviews and your interpretations of what's going on, so that has been a nice little motivator as well. So, anyway, hopefully, I'll see y'all next week, and if not then, certainly the one following! Have a good few weeks!