Silent Song

Chapter 39: Like Wildfire

Disclaimer: Copyright still has not lifted from FMA. But I do own this AU.

Quick Summary (because it's been a while):

After escaping from the underground city, more than a month has gone by while everyone has been under military scrutiny and Edward Elric prepares for his court trial for going AWOL. Lark Levington has stayed by his side, relaying messages between him and those stuck in the hospital (Alphonse, Wrath, and Envy). Meanwhile, Envy has awoken from his coma, only to find he is human.

"This is the weirdest thing I've ever seen."

Ed and I made eye contact on the mirror and I barely concealed the amused grin spread across my face. "You look fine. Just a bit to get adjusted to it."

The look he gave me reminded me of what a bad liar I was. I sighed. "You're right. This is weird."

"I don't understand how the hell people walk around in these all day," he said, kicking around his legs in the billowy pants. "I get why the colonel bastard is such an asshole all the time."

He stomped his boots around, probably to spite out downstairs neighbors. Stepping away from the mirror, he let me take a better look at him. "Anything else?"

"Let me fix your hair. You still have to put your cap over it," I said. Taking another glance at his face, I squinted. "Is that stubble?"

As I rebraided his hair, Ed inspected himself in the mirror. "Huh. I haven't really noticed. Should I do something about it?"

"I think you're fine for now. You'll just cut yourself if you try right away. I can help you out later."

"You know how to shave a guy's face?"

"Mhm." I hummed. "Some patients had extended stays. They weren't always well enough to do things on their own."

Ed had a sort of blank expression on his face when I looked up from my braiding. I reassured him: "Don't worry—I have steady hands."

"I'm not doubting that," he said, snapping out of his reverie. "It's just...I've never had stubble before."

"It means you're growing up." I paused. "You're sixteen now, aren't you?"

"And you're seventeen."

"Getting close to eighteen now. Should we have celebrated? I mean…"

"Uh, I think we were busy dealing with other stuff."

As I rifled through my bag for my peony oil, I wondered aloud, "We should do something, though. When things calm down."

"Is that even possible?"

"It'll be something to look forward to. We need that." I pulled the oil out of my bag and dabbed some onto my fingers. Returning to Ed, I smoothed it over his flyaways and applied the rest to my wrists. I motioned for him to turn back around. "I think you're good."

Ed grunted to himself, but then flashed a cheeky grin into the mirror. "Think the Council can say no to this face?"

I couldn't help but snort. "If that's the thing that's supposed to make the court believe in you, then I think you've failed. To be honest, though, it'd work on me."

In a way, I meant it. I missed Ed's boyish smile that would show up when I had been teaching him sign language and he'd started getting the hang of it. This smile was different from the one that appeared when he was fighting or scheming—a certain type of innocence was present. Of course, being Ed, innocence wasn't quite the term I was searching for. Maybe...less calculating and adult.

The smile on Ed's face disappeared as quickly as it had appeared. "Shit," Ed muttered to himself, "it's almost time."

"Then go. It's best to get there early." I brushed an errant hair from his uniform. It felt like I was trying to stall him, even if my words were saying otherwise.

"I know." He looked reluctant as well.

I breathed in again and finally, pushed Ed towards the door. "Please go. Before I storm into the courtroom and make a fool of both of us."

"That'd be hard to do, with the state of the military itself right now," Ed said, letting himself be moved by my meager strength. "We have to try to get you into the courtroom."

"What could I do? I'm basically an accomplice." Also the daughter of two fugitives. Two treasonous fugitives who had known too much.

"Don't say that. I'm sure you could…" He trailed off.

I didn't need Ed to try to patch up my ego. I had more to worry about. Yes, I hated being a sitting duck, but I wanted to avoid doing something foolish. I couldn't be so desperate to possibly cause more harm, whether it was to myself or my friends. Reformed or not, this was still the military government that had taken six years from me because my parents made bad decisions.

"Ed, please. Just go on without me," I said. "We'll be separate just one last time. You don't need me around to be the Fullmetal Alchemist."

He snorted at my attempt at a motivational speech, but took a step towards the door. "One last time, huh?"

"One more ordeal alone, and Al and I will be back by your side."

"You don't know how much I want that."

"I think I do."

Some part of Lark must've really been broken, for apparently her first line of comfort was to go see Envy in the hospital.

It was the day of Edward's trial, he knew. She had been trying to avoid talking about it—and he wouldn't blame her, with his and the Elric's whole antagonistic relationship and maybe possible attempts at murdering one another—but she'd dropped a few bits of information here and there, and Envy had spent too many years piecing together small threads into coherent stories.

No one was hopeful about it. With both Dante and Fuhrer Bradley—Pride—being gone, the shadow figures had disappeared. Yes, the Council has been handpicked by them, but they had to have their own ulterior motives. It was too early for anyone to let down their guard.

"Could you stop that?"

Lark looked up. "Huh?"

"Your leg is shaking. Someone'll think you brought a bomb in here."

With apparent difficulty, her leg stilled. There was a moment of silence where she kept reading her book, a blank expression on her face. However, not five minutes later, her other leg began to shake.

The sound of the shoelace bouncing on the leather boot seemed to be amplified by the silence of the wing, and Envy sighed. "If you don't stop doing that, you'll wear a hole in the tile."

"Sorry," she said. "I'll leave if it bothers you this much."

"Don't," Envy said.

He saw Lark's lips part, like she wanted to say something. But she didn't. She just gave him a look that he couldn't quite read.

Ever since he'd woken up from his coma, Lark had kept a distance from him. Envy distinctly remembered her hovering over him when he had awakened, her eyes wide with relief and her hands warm in his. But that had changed once he'd gotten his bearings. Everyday, Lark came to visit him. She sat with him to keep him company, and they exchanged small talk. Yet, there was nothing else.

Those intimate—Envy hated that word, but that's all he could think of—conversations in Percole were long gone. They'd been gone since he'd kidnapped her and kept her captive under the city. She knew who he was now, and she didn't trust it.

He couldn't blame her.

Her leg drummed on. Finally, it was Envy who gave. "It's his first day in court, isn't it?"

Lark glanced behind her to the open door. The guard stationed outside of Envy's room didn't react.

That was the other thing—the guard. By the time Envy had gotten his bearings enough to process the fact that he was human, he'd realized that every one of his and Lark's movements was trailed by a solemn guard in impeccable military uniform. With him outside, and Lark's newfound aloofness, there was no way Envy was going to have the conversations he wanted.

"Yeah. I'm worried." Lark finally sighed. "I feel—" She paused. "I just feel like it's gonna be tough." Lark slumped back into her chair and absentmindedly flipped through the pages of her book.

Envy wanted to pry open her mind and just simply figure out what the hell was going on in there. Lark had always been a mystery, but now he could almost feel her physically holding every thought back. Yet, he still wanted to help her.

Edward Elric is still the people's alchemist.

Lark couldn't conceal her surprised expression when Envy signed to her. It took a moment for her to process, before she answered: What do you mean?

Civilians are on his side. The military is keeping hush on the court martial. Envy said.

You think the people can do something? Lark asked.

You can always do something.

At that time, a nurse shuffled in, the usual one in the rehabilitation ward that was assigned to Envy. He didn't care for her too much—she did her job well and asked very little questions about the soldier stationed in the hall.

"Good afternoon!" she said cheerfully. "We nearly had a boy from central services run into your guard."

"I'm so sorry," Lark said. "If I had any control over him, he wouldn't bother you half as much."

The nurse shrugged. "He's not a problem as long as he doesn't go into the break room."

Subtly, Envy perked up. He asked, in a slightly bored tone, "He's not allowed in your break room?"

"Not the friendliest fellow. He and some of the staff don't get along. It's the best for all of us if he doesn't go there.."

"Again, I'm so sorry," Lark said. "I can see if I can get another guard."

The nurse shrugged again. "It's really alright, sweetie." She paused. "Oh, I left some papers elsewhere. You two stay where you are."

As soon as the nurse ducked out of the room, Envy tugged on Lark's sleeve. She looked around, and, hesitantly, she leaned down, her ear hovering inches from his mouth. He could feel the heat of her skin, and his mouth went dry.

"Hm?"

Envy swallowed, finding his voice again in the process. As softly as he could, he whispered, "Get to the break room. I don't care how you do it. There should be a phone in there for the staff. You know the names of the news radios and newspapers around here?" She nodded. "Good. Call as many of them as you can. Tell them about the trial. The more the merrier."

Footsteps approached the room, making Lark straighten up. She had never been a natural actress and it certainly was not going to change now. Thankfully, the nurse was too busy apologizing for her forgetfulness to notice Lark's pensive expression.

Lark got out of her seat to let the nurse examine Envy, but over her shoulder, he could still see Lark awkwardly fiddling with her bag. Though she was at least quiet about it, Envy wanted to get her to calm down. He had faith that she would figure it out. Maybe not too soon, but she'd figure it out.

After what seemed like an eternity of furiously digging through her bag, Lark held up a tea bag and asked, "Can I borrow your kitchen?"

It wasn't much, but it seemed to get the job done. The nurse responded, "Of course. The kitchen's off to the side of the break room."

Lark gave the nurse a bright smile. It was surprisingly genuine, and Envy felt a part of him ache. As she was stepping out of the room, Lark signed to Envy, Thank you.

Envy couldn't help but smile as well, though only returning a terse nod. He'd had to trust that she knew what she was doing.

"That's sweet."

Envy's eyes darted to the nurse. Did she understand sign language? "Huh?"

"She doesn't look like a showy gal, so I never thought she'd be one to blow kisses. I feel like I'm intruding here, sometimes."

In the back of his mind, Envy registered that signing thank you was nearly identical to the action of blowing kisses. However, he could only say, "What?"

"I don't think I've ever mentioned it, but she was coming here everyday when you were out of it. Even the most dedicated of friends can't keep that up for a month."

"She visits other people here, too."

The nurse shrugged, not minding his flat tone. As she wrote her reports on her clipboard, she said, "But a coma patient? She was staying here until visitor hours were over." She chuckled. "You're a lucky man. I hope you'll appreciate her."

Envy didn't know what he did to get this woman to talk to him like this. Snidely, he asked, "Do you always give advice to your patients like that?"

She laughed again, a little too cheerfully. "I'm just a nosy old woman working in the hospital. There's not a lot of happy stories here."

"Ah," Envy said sardonically. "Glad that we could be of service to you."

When the nurse let out another chuckle, Envy had the distinct feeling that she was making fun of him.

"Oh, don't act so tough," she said.

Envy narrowed his eyes. When the hell was Lark coming back?

"Don't be so put off about it, sweetie," the nurse said nonchalantly. "It's hard to be scared by someone when you've changed their bedpan."

Envy winced internally. He could not wait until he was allowed out of this place. The next time he got hurt, he'd just have to deal with it on his own.

He shut his mouth for the rest of the checkup, which the nurse, again, seemed completely fine with. He didn't want her to spout more of her biased observations, especially since she barely knew of his situation. There was also this feeling that if he brought anything else up, she'd find a new way to make fun of him.

Lark didn't return in time to save him from some few more cheeky jabs from the nurse. But that was a good thing, considering that Lark basically melted into the chair. The cup of tea in her hands trembled as she brought it up to her mouth.

"How did it go?" Envy asked.

"Fine. A little pressure's never hurt me."

"I know," Envy said. "Wouldn't have helped you if you were completely worthless."

Lark pursed her lips. She had a look on her face that indicated that a million thoughts were running through her head. Envy knew that it wasn't threatening, yet he couldn't help but realize how...isolated it made him feel.

What are you thinking about? He wanted to ask.

I want to know what goes on inside your head.

I want to know what you think of me.

Quietly, almost so much that Envy couldn't catch it, Lark said, "The rest is up to you, Ed."

Ed didn't know what was going on in the courtroom, but he assumed that it wasn't good.

He had never seen the five officers on the jury before, which could swing good or bad. If they were close with Hakuro, he was probably screwed. He'd have to hope that Hakuro was as unlikeable to them as he was to Ed.

Speaking of Hakuro, the damned bastard who'd court martialed him was talking to the smug-faced prosecutor. They'd barely started, but Ed wanted to punch one of them.

"What are they trying to charge me with?" Ed asked his lawyer. The man had worked as a military defense counsel for two decades, so at least he'd know what was going on.

The military lawyer dabbed at his forehead and said, in an almost dismissive way, "Desertion, treason, sedition, all in time of war."

"Do I want to ask the maximum sentence for that?"

"Are you prepared to face your own mortality?" A knot formed in Ed's stomach and he glanced over at the jury again—they seemed way too emotionless. Ed had trusted his instincts for his entire life, and they had done him well, er, semi-well.

He hoped this time was one of the times he was wrong.

Just as the unpleasant feeling was settling into Ed's stomach, the main entrance opened. It wasn't quite a burst, but the man bee-lining towards Hakuro was enough for Ed to suspect something was up.

He watched as the men whispered furiously, trying not to let curiosity creep into his own expression. Before Ed could ask his lawyer what the hell was going, Hakuro turned to him with a menacing glare, "What kind of stunt are you pulling?"

Ed kept his face neutral. "What are you talking about?"

"All the damn reporters outside, Elric. Did you call them here?" Hakuro's face was turning a curious sort of red.

The defense lawyer cut in, his voice quiet yet firm. "My client won't answer such misleading questions, General. The court session hasn't begun yet."

Hakuro, looking one step away from assaulting the man, was stopped by one of his own men. With one more threatening look toward Ed and his lawyer, he shrugged off his soldier's arm and stormed out of the court.

Ed's lawyer sat them down again before demanding, "Mr. Elric, do you know about those reporters the general was talking about?"

"No," Ed scoffed. "They threatened me with everything they had to keep me quiet about this. You might think I'm some rebel, but I'd prefer to keep those close to me safe. So, no, I didn't blab."

"Then who did you speak to?"

"No one who can't keep a secret," Ed said. "I've kept a low profile, like you told me to."

"That's what I'm hoping." The lawyer pointed a threatening finger at Ed, who felt an urge to laugh in his face. "If someone you know did this, they better have covered their tracks."

Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, Ed said, "Sure. So, what am I supposed to do about this?"

As his lawyers settled down to wrack his brains for something, Ed began to wonder who could've been the culprit. This was too much of a coincidence that the reporters would show up after they were in the room. If someone had reported this earlier, then they would've been swarmed by reporters the moment they set foot inside the building. The only people who knew the exact start time were the lawyers, the soldiers escorting them, and...Lark.

Could Lark have done this? Lark, the girl who shrunk like a shadow in the sun when faced with the attention of many. Lark, the girl who wanted the quiet life with her and those she cared about. Lark, the girl who would do almost anything to keep the ones she loved safe…

This was too underhanded for Lark. There was no way this was her.

Ed leaned back in his seat. "Whoever did this, what do you think they were trying to accomplish?"

"I don't see how the military could benefit from this," said the lawyer. "Whoever did this could be trying to help your case. Hell of a guardian angel you've got."

I was on the verge of sprinting down the hall when I entered the hospital, but somehow I managed to keep my composure. That didn't stop Al from doing a double take when I burst into the room, his eyebrows rising in surprise.

Wordlessly, I handed Al the newspaper I had picked up in the morning and waited. His eyes widened even more. "Is this real?"

I was nearly vibrating with excitement now, but I'd had the same reaction when I saw the paper this morning. "They didn't let me see Ed this morning, but I picked this up as soon as the newsstand opened."

Al's eyes darted across the headline. It read Fullmetal Alchemist Desertion Charges Dropped.

When Al finished reading, a relieved smile spread across his face. I couldn't help but do the same. "Everything's going to be okay." It was the first time in a long time when I'd said that and meant it.

"I almost still can't believe this," Al said. "Wasn't the press not supposed to know about this? How do you think they found out?"

"Maybe someone blabbed?" I said.

"Who would've done that?" he said.

Hoping that he wouldn't take note of my reddening cheeks, I shrugged. "Whoever they were, they made the tides turn toward us. The military needs people on their side right now after that attempted coup."

"How did they talk Brother into giving an interview?" Al speculated aloud. "Those quotes sound really...proper."

"We've been training him for a month," I said. "It's really paid off. He'd do anything to get this over with."

"How long until I can see Brother again?" Al asked.

"I don't know," I said. "There might be some more things that he—"

"Brother!"

My heart leapt into my throat. I whirled around to see him. Edward Elric, in all his glory, was free.

Before he could say anything, I wrapped him up in a hug. He was warm and smelled clean—he must've taken a shower before he'd gotten here. It was all very familiar, and tears welled in my eyes. Relief rushed through me.

"Lark, you're choking me."

"Sorry." I released Ed from my apparent chokehold and sat him down in the chair next to Al. Ed embraced his brother gingerly, mindful of Al's weakened state.

"You're looking so much better, Al," Ed said. "I guess they've been treating you well."

Al nodded. "They are! I should be good to go soon."

Ed grinned. "Good. I've got a few things to do, but I called Granny Pinako. We can go stay in Resembool, finally take a break." He glanced at me. "There's room for everyone, if you want to come. Even… y'know."

"You're alright with that?" I asked.

"If that's what you want, Lark. I owe you. Big time."

I smiled. "You've done everything here, Ed. The most I can do is stand by your side."

"No, Lark," Ed gave me a meaningful look. "For what you've done for us. Thank you. So much."

Oh. Of course. Ed wasn't an idiot, and I'd have to be one to expect to pull the wool over his eyes. By the expressions on Al's face, the realization was beginning to dawn on him, too.

Embarrassed by my own audacity, I said, "Yeah, uh, you're welcome." I gestured to the door. "I'll let you two catch up then. I'll go tell everyone else the good news."

I wanted to beeline straight to Envy's room, but my cheeks were still aflame. I ducked into the restroom, happy to find it vacant. The water sputtering out the faucets were blessedly cold, and I splashed it onto my cheeks in hopes that it could calm them down.

As I carefully dried off my face, I took a good look at myself in the mirror. My reflection stared back at me, and I did a double take. I had been avoiding the mirror for a while, the image of the ghoulish self I had become in the underground city still haunting me. However, I saw that the dark circles, gaunt face, and waxy skin had faded away. That face in the mirror was the happiest I'd seen it in a while.

At the same time, an image of my mother flashed in my mind. I knew my eyes had always looked like hers, but my baby fat was starting to give way to her nose and cheekbones. My hair and jawline was undoubtedly my father's, only barely softened by femininity. An unsettling feeling crept through me and my heart tightened in my chest.

I didn't want to think about this. I didn't want to think about them.

Determined not to let this ruin my mood, I exited the restroom and headed right to the rehab ward. I waved to the nurses at the station on my way to Envy's room, where I noticed that the guard stationed there was gone. Relief settled back into my chest.

Envy was watching the usual nurse hand him his lunch. His expression was cautious, though I couldn't tell if it was because of the nurse or because of the unappetizing nature of food being placed in front of him. The nurse gave Envy a pat on his head that deepened his scowl, before she turned around to give me a cheerful smile.

"Good afternoon, Miss Lark," she said. "I don't know what you did to get that guard to go away, but I think congratulations are due!"

I chuckled to humor her. "Thank you. I hope it didn't bother you too much."

"He's due to be out of here soon anyways," she said, motioning to Envy. "But we're all glad that it's sooner than later."

Envy cut in dully, "That really is all of us."

The nurse ignored him. "As always, Miss Lark, it's good to see you. I'll let you two be."

As the nurse exited back into the hall, I settled into the chair by Envy's side. The annoyed tone in his voice disappeared when he asked me, "I take that the case is going well?"

"Better than that," I said. I dug through my bag for the newspaper but then remembered that I had left it in Al's room. I turned back to Envy. "They dropped the charges."

Envy didn't look surprised. "That's about what I expected. They really can't risk another uproar."

"You were right," I said. The look Envy gave me for my admission was one of shock. I ignored it. "Thank you so much. I really couldn't have done this without you."

"You just learn these things from my line of work," he said. "Do newspapers even exist where you grew up?"

"Yes, but not really." I couldn't help the smile that crept onto my face. "Still, from the bottom of my heart, thank you."

Envy averted his eyes and turned his attention to his food. As he picked at the dull greens, he asked, "What's the plan now? Aside from the loose ends with the case."

I was suddenly self aware. I began to pull out the book I usually brought with me, when I remembered the original reason that I came in here. "Right, yeah."

Envy glanced at me expectantly. I straightened my back and said, "Ed called his family in Resembool. There's room for everyone there, if they want it."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. You're welcome to stay there," I said.

"Do you want me to?" Envy asked. His voice was quiet, and I was strangely afraid to look at him.

"I went to the bookstore and got some books on physical therapy," I said. "I mean, I've done that for patients before but I just wanted to read up on it, in case. You know. If you needed it."

That didn't feel...right to say. Hastily, I added, "And if Al and Wrath need my help, too."

"Of course. Anything for those you care about," said Envy. He sounded almost...happy?

"It's the least I can do," I said. "I want to stay with everyone and help you guys."

"Stay with me?"

I realized that my hands were beginning to tremble. My heart was hammering in my chest, but for once, it didn't feel bad. "So, will you come to Resembool?"

Envy was silent. Ignoring my strange case of nerves, I looked up at him to get an idea of what was happening. There was a jolt in my chest when I realized that he was studying me as well, his eyes unreadable.

My mouth felt like it was stuffed with cotton, but I rambled out, "Only if you want to. I know that there's been a lot of changes for you, and I won't blame you if you don't want to. Just—"

"I'll come. I want to stay with you."

It's been four years, but I guess I finally found my muse again. I've kicked this chapter around quite a bit, not sure how to go with it. Hopefully, you're all satisfied with what I've done.

Thank you so much for those that have read this chapter and are still waiting for updates. Lark and Envy have been in my mind for a while, and it'd be a shame for you all not to know what happens with them. I can't promise regular updates, but know they are in my heart always.

All my love,

JaylatheCerealKiller