Welcome back to The Water Alchemist. I don't own any of the intellectual property of Fullmetal Alchemist.

Chapter Forty-Four

Bittersweet Parting

"I'm sorry, but Miss Wayde checked out yesterday morning," the hotel clerk said, checking his records. Kimblee took a shallow breath, resting his hand against the counter.

"You wouldn't happen to know where she's gone, would you?" he asked.

"I'm afraid not, sir," the clerk shook his head apologetically, and Kimblee tipped his hat.

"Well, thank you for your time," he said, his voice a touch strained as he turned and stalked through the lobby.

Tracking down this girl wasn't supposed to be as troublesome as it was proving to be. She barely had a record, and even with a physical description for his men, she looked like most girls from Amestris. Envy wasn't exactly forthright with information either, though he did provide Kimblee himself with a clear idea of what she looked like, though seeing the Homunculus as a young girl was quite strange. The most he had given up beyond that was that she was currently staying with the Elric brothers at this hotel, but it would turn out she had just checked out. She couldn't have gotten far, he rationalized, but there was still the task of tracking Scar, who they hadn't had any useful intel on yet. The latest sighting still put him and Marcoh in Central, but that had been two days ago. Luckily, the military had been searching for them quite actively, so train stations and borders were on the lookout. If they tried to flee, which Kimblee knew was only a waiting game, someone would see a six-foot Ishvalen with a prominent scar and report the finding directly to him. It was a bit thrilling, anticipating their next move, waiting for when the time was right. There was no need to rush it. Kimblee didn't mind putting in a little effort to claim his prize. It was the chase that excited Kimblee the most, after all; the more elusive his prey, the surer they were that they escaped his clutches right before he pounced, the better. A slight grin pulled at the corners of his mouth just thinking about it.

"Mr. Kimblee, sir," a soldier came running up to him as he descended the stairs of the hotel.

"Yes, what is it?" Kimblee said, walking to the car awaiting him.

"One of our men reported a sighting," he said hurriedly. Kimblee perked up, turning to the soldier.

"Of Scar?"

"No, of the girl, sir," the young officer clarified.

"Oh?" he said, intrigued. "Where?"

"The train station at Rush Valley, sir. Spotted with two boys – one – missing his left arm and a suit of armor."

"What an interesting bunch," Kimblee noted. "Did you make contact?"

"No, unfortunately not, sir," he lamented.

"I want a tail on her, but don't get too close. We'll keep an eye on her for now," he announced, to which the soldiers saluted. Having an idea of her whereabouts made things a bit easier, but chasing down Scar took a bit of priority. As far as Kimblee knew, the girl wasn't murdering pawns for the Homunculi and kidnapping disgraced scientists. He slipped into the car, and before they were off, another soldier climbed into the backseat. Kimblee looked up at him as the driver began toward Central Command.

"Sir, Scar's been sighted still in the city," the soldier said. At this, Kimblee glowed. Things always seemed to work in his favor in the end.

"So," Elias said, cutting the tension in the train car after a calculating silence as the train shifted into gear, trapping us together regrettably for the duration of the ride. He looked at me, ignoring the other occupants of our little corner. "Why are your boyfriend and his brother here?"

"Elias," I chided. I was too tired to deal with his smarminess so early in the morning. Ed looked like he wanted to retort something, but Al just nudged him back against his seat, which he sank into with a frustrated pout, glaring out the window.

"We're sorry for intruding, but brother needs to update his automail before we leave," Al explained, and I was grateful for his calm and easy-going demeanor.

When Ed had made the call to Winry looking for a recommendation for an automail engineer to do Elias's surgery, she said something along the lines of, 'well, it turns out that I'm an automail engineer, who can, in fact, perform automail surgery'. Ed wasn't too keen on that but let it go after a bit of arguing. Our good friend Winry, being the good friend she is, then asked Ed what he was getting himself into next, to which he replied very simply— North. Winry was horrified that Ed would even think about going North before getting re-fitted for winter automail that she could have ready in a few short days. She implored Ed to come along with Elias and me to get refitted, and when he refused, claiming he was in a hurry, Winry threatened to find him anyway and beat him with a wrench. Which lead to our current situation— a long, deathly silent ride to Rush Valley, which to everyone's relief was over-with in just a few short but wrought hours. When we departed the train, Ed was first off.

"Let's just get this over with," Ed grumbled as we gathered on the platform.

"Agreed," Elias said, the first thing they had been in agreeance over, and Al and I looked to one another a bit relieved.

"Maybe they can get along," I pondered until it was clear they each thought they were leading the way, competitively trying to out-walk one another.

"You don't even know where we're going!" Ed griped as we followed them, weaving through the station.

"I have a better sense of direction than a shrimp," Elias retorted, and Ed looked about ready to strangle him.

"Who are you calling shrimp, you—"

"So much for that," Al lamented.

"Yeah, really," I sighed, jogging ahead to separate them. Ed had Elias by his collar, and Elias had Ed by his, exchanging colorful insults. I pushed them apart. "Knock it off, both of you! If it's so much of an issue, Al can lead. Right, Al?" I looked over my shoulder, giving him 'help me' eyes.

"Right!" he exclaimed triumphantly, marching ahead proudly. "I'm mature enough to handle it." I let out a chuckle as the two idiots grumbled at either side of me.

"C'mon, let's go," I urged them, and we followed Al to Winry's shop. We made it there in no time, and when we entered, she was working on the leg of a little boy. She wiped her brow with the back of her arm, wrench still in hand.

"Alright, now keep this dry and keep yourself out of the quarry, you hear? This isn't the first time you've let it rust up," she scolded the young boy, who jumped down from the table he sat on.

"Right, sorry, Miss Winry," he said, though he was busy bending his leg, testing its durability. In a flash, he was off, running out into the street, and Winry giggled.

"He'll be back in a week," she sighed in passing before her gaze found us. An excited twinkle sparkled in her eyes, and she grinned widely. "You're here!"

"Winry!" I squealed excitedly to greet her, wrapping her in a tight hug. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you! Too much testosterone lately."

"I can tell," she laughed, greeting Ed and Al before her gaze fell to Elias, who looked pale like he had seen a ghost.

"Oh, Winry, this is Elias," I introduced tentatively, gesturing to him. "And Elias, this is Winry. She'll be the one performing your surgery." I wrung my hands together, remembering their last interaction, but I wasn't sure to bring up that day on the path or not, and I looked to Ed for help. He just shrugged as they stared silently at one another until Elias broke the silence.

"She's the one doing my surgery," he stated more than asked.

"She is," I assured him. He blinked a moment before trying to turn to go. Ed grabbed the back of his shirt and pulled, barely keeping him in the shop.

"Nope," Ed said, and Elias pulled harder. "I pay, I pick."

Elias stopped struggling at the remark. Ed had a strangely wicked grin on his face, that little self-satisfied smirk he'd get when he'd win an argument or a round of rummy, but I wasn't exactly sure what was going on there. I looked to Winry quickly, worried she'd be offended, but she looked just as off as Elias did. I tugged on her sleeve, redirecting her attention.

"Hey, if you aren't comfortable doing the surgery, I totally understand," I assured her quietly, but she shook her head determinedly.

"It's fine, really. I knew what I was getting into when Ed called," she said, patting my shoulder, looking to Elias. He flinched slightly and averted his gaze, his hair hanging heavily in front of his face. It felt like there was this weird energy between them all— as if something had transpired between them that I wasn't made aware of. "I've got everything prepped already. I'm fine to perform the procedure if he is." We all looked to Elias expectantly, and he scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah, fine," he agreed, and Winry plastered a smile to her face.

"Alright then," she said, rushing to the window, flipping the sign from 'open'to 'closed'. She turned to us cheerfully. "Let's get going."

"Now?" Elias asked, his voice cracking slightly.

"Now," she said, leading us into a back room. When Winry opened the door, it was like a portal to a hospital. Everything looked white and sterile, and Mr. Garfiel was already there, dressed in a gown and gloves, arranging instruments. Winry made quick re-introductions and an introduction for Elias to Mr. Garfiel, explaining he'd be the assist for the procedure. She gave us a general but incredibly detailed run-down of what they'd be doing, from re-opening his wound to connecting the nerve endings of a port to him, essentially fusing it to his skin. It sounded long and painful, and I noticed Ed tense beside me as she explained it. I leaned against his shoulder just slightly as she spoke. Winry eventually got around to explaining that she wouldn't be attaching a limb until a few weeks after the surgery to give his port time to heal and to ensure it was attached and healing properly. She even had a few different port options for him to choose from that she had picked out based on what she knew about his height and general build. It was a little scary how meticulous she was but also incredibly enviable. She truly was the best person for the job. "I think that's about everything. I may be an apprentice, but I've done this countless times now. But if you're still feeling iffy about it, Mr. Garfiel will be here the whole time too. Any objections or questions so far?"

"No," Elias shook his head as Winry began to move things about.

"Alright, well, this is the part where I kick you guys out to do my job," she said, shooing us from the room. Elias still looked a bit uneasy. I wondered if it was all too much for him.

"Are you ready?" I asked him gently.

"As I'll ever be," he sighed.

"You're in good hands," I assured him, patting his shoulder once.

"Right. Thanks," Elias said, taking a deep breath with a nod. We left the room and Winry to work her magic.

"Elias?" a melodic voice called his name, but he couldn't quite place it. It was smooth and unlike anything he'd heard before, and it made him want to continue resting. "Elias, it's time to wake up now."

"Why?" he asked, the black of his eyelids seeming the most inviting place in the world until they were forced open, and a bright light invaded each one. He groaned in protest, trying to turn, but he became aware of how sharply his shoulder burned. He hissed through his teeth. "Agh!"

"Easy, easy," the voice coaxed, gentle hands falling to his chest and setting him back against whatever it was he was laying on. A cloud? He wasn't sure. Everything seemed hazy. He blinked his eyes open, strands of gold invading his vision before the figure before he pulled back, and Elias was trapped in pools of blue. He blinked rapidly as the figure became clearer, and he realized it was Winry.

"You? What went where?" he said, but the words that left his mouth didn't exactly match what he had formed in his mind. They were definitely less eloquent, and she giggled.

"The surgery went well but try not to move so much. You... kinda passed out during the procedure," she said. He remembered hazily feeling like he was going to die at how painful it was, but passing out? That was just embarrassing. The shorties taunts of being able to handle it came back to him and he groaned. "It's alright, it happens all the time. It's tough when reconnecting the nerves. I did give you something earlier for the pain, though it's probably wearing off. How are you feeling?" She produced a pen and clipboard from seemingly nowhere. How was he feeling? Well, his shoulder hurt like hell and felt heavy, like lead, pinching at his skin.

"Heavy," he articulated. Winry nodded, jotting something down.

"Any discomfort or pain?"

"I— I think my arm hurts," Elias said, and she nodded.

"You may be experiencing some phantom pains, but hopefully, that goes away. How about here?" Winry asked, pointing to his shoulder. He turned his head, taking it in for the first time, and he audibly gasped. He traced the space where his port met his skin, the flesh pink and taught, and she grabbed his hand away. "Careful! It's still healing." She held his hand a moment, and he felt the hands of someone who worked hard to hone their craft, calloused and characterized by every bit of metal she had molded and melded together, but even in their rough texture was a gentleness that allowed her to blend that metal to flesh. He looked up at her in wonder.

"You're a genius," he said without processing it first, and she sucked in a breath, releasing his hand quickly.

"Thank you," she said blushingly, returning her attention to the clipboard. Elias went back to staring at her handiwork. Where there was once a stub of flesh he couldn't bear to look at was now intricate and meticulous bits of metal and steel and wires that made nerves. A mechanism that promised he'd have an arm again. Soon, he wouldn't have to look at himself and only see what he'd lost. "Um, any tenderness?"

"It's sore," he said, a little more coherently. The world was slowly but surely coming back into focus. Winry gave him two pills and water, instructing him on how often to take the pain killers and announcing that she'd be wrapping his shoulder up.

"It's hard to tell what hurts all bandaged up," she said, putting gloves on and grabbing some ointment and gauze. She applied the ointment to his skin ever-so-gently, and Elias flinched a little at the contact, but it didn't deter her. "I also thought you might like to see it before I wrapped it up."

"Yes, thank you," he said, easing up a bit. He looked around as she worked and noticed that the other man who had been there before the surgery wasn't around, leaving the two alone. They were quiet as she wrapped his shoulder, but as she finished up, she broke the silence.

"I, uh, didn't get a chance to thank you properly for what happened that day, in the alley. So, thank you," she said a bit curtly, and Elias tried to look at her, but she faced away, disposing of the gloves. Her shoulders shuddered a breath. "I… I don't think I would have been able to live with myself if you hadn't stopped me." Elias thought a moment.

"I wouldn't have blamed you if you had, but I was relieved when you didn't," he admitted, and she turned to him, waiting a moment before she took a seat at the stool at his bedside.

"Me too," she confessed, wringing out her hands. "I've just… I've never been so angry, and sad, and— I'm sorry, this probably isn't something you want to hear right now, and I'm just babbling on." Her gaze was avoidant. Elias shook his head.

"It's alright. I'm getting used to… talking," he said, and Winry nodded. "I... I'm sorry. For that incident on the path."

"Oh, uh, that's alright," she said, twisting a strand of hair around her finger. Elias wasn't sure how he had mistaken her once for Marina, seeing her up close. Her hair alone was an entirely different shade of blonde. "I've nearly forgotten it, so no worries. I guess that makes us even."

"I guess so," Elias said, feeling the strange tension that had lingered between them lift even if just a bit.

"Right, well, thanks, again," she said as if she wasn't sure what else to say, clearing her throat.

"Sure, but I didn't do anything that kid wouldn't have done."

"You mean Ed?" she asked, and he nodded. "Well, you might be right about that, but still."

"Alright," Elias conceded, accepting the thanks though he didn't feel he much deserved it. Her eyes got wide as if realizing something, and she leaned in.

"Speaking of, do you know what's going on between him and Marina?" she asked. Elias blinked at her, both at her proximity and the question.

"It's pretty obvious, isn't it?" he asked. "They love each other, though I don't think they've confessed it yet."

"You think so too, huh?" she asked. She sat back a moment, gazing into her lap with a melancholy smile.

"What, you like him too?" he asked.

"What? No way, he's a childhood friend," she said, shaking her head fervently. Elias quirked a brow, not exactly convinced. She groaned out a sigh. "Look, it's not what you think at all! If anything, I'm happy for them. I care about Ed, and I care about Marina, and I know they care about each other. Ed's like a brother to me, so I'd hate to see him hurt, but I don't think I could ever care for him beyond that. It's strange to think about him being with someone, but I think if it had to be anyone, I'd want it to be Marina."

"So, you're not jealous then," Elias edged. She shook her head, this time with a genuine smile, one that strangely made Elias's heart skip a beat. Probably the medicine kicking in.

"Nope. If anything, I need all the details. Nothing this exciting has happened in a bit," she grinned.

"Those two are pretty dense. There's probably not much to tell," Elias said, and she nodded.

"Maybe all they need is a little nudge in the right direction."

They had gone into surgery quite some time ago, and I could barely sit still. I mostly busied myself writing notes in my journal or helped Ed and Al work through more of my father's journal, but without our external resources, we didn't make much progress. I had copied down things I thought would be useful from the books before we returned them to the library so I could work on it, but really, I knew I wouldn't make much progress until I returned to Central. I'd have plenty of time after to research to my heart's content, and Ed and Al could focus on their own research. It was strange to think I'd be doing the work alone, but I knew it was ultimately for the best. When I wasn't doing that, I was pacing the room or sitting upside down on the couch or looking through the materials lying around the shop, careful not to touch them. They looked expensive and breakable, and I kinda already owed Ed more money than I could imagine. Eventually, Mr. Garfiel came in and let us know about how the surgery went an hour before Winry did, excusing himself to his quarters shortly after. Apparently, he lived above the shop and Winry below. Then we were just waiting for her confirmation.

"Elias's surgery went great," Winry announced, emerging from the back room, looking proud and exhausted. "He'll be resting there for a few days, which works out so I can work on Ed's automail."

"You just came out of surgery; don't you need a break?" I asked, paling. Ed gave me a look, but I didn't much care. I didn't want Winry to work herself to death, especially after so kindly taking Elias's surgery on kind of last minute.

"Well, I know he's in a hurry, and honestly, I'm looking forward to working on it. It's not like anything I've done before, and I've already got a working prototype! I could have it done in two days max," she said, drumming her fist to her chest confidently.

"I believe in you," I smiled. Winry put her hands on her hips.

"Alright, let me show you guys where you'll be so I can get to work," she said, waving us to follow. She led us to the back – near the room where Elias was resting – but when she opened the door, it was much less sterile. A bit homier. There was an oak vanity and dresser combo, and on either side of the room were two beds.

"This one mine?" Ed asked. Winry shook her head.

"Yours," she corrected, pointing between us, and I blinked at her a moment, turning the word over in my brain. Yours. As in a room, together. My heart rate quickened. We've shared a room in Dublith just like this. No problem. No big deal, I reminded myself, taking a breath. Though that was before you knew you loved him, a small and annoyingly accurate voice pestered. I took a deeper breath. "I hope you guys don't mind sharing. Our other rooms are either a mess or set up for surgery and repair."

"Nope, not at all," I said, maybe a bit too quickly, glancing at Ed. "Right, Ed?"

"Right," he agreed, and we looked at one another and away just as quickly.

There wasn't anything to be weird about. Not at all. Everything was super normal. I set my bag down by the bed I wanted, and Ed plopped into his, turning from the door. We had waited long enough for Elias's surgery to be finished that it was about to be dinner time, and Winry pulled me aside to the kitchen so she could show me where everything was and how it worked. While she worked on Ed's automail and Mr. Garfiel ran the shop, I had appointed myself in charge of making sure everyone ate for the next few days.

"Alright, I think that's everything," she said, closing the oven door. I moved to the fridge, inspecting what I had to work with.

"Looks like I could make up some stir fry if that sounds good," I said, picking out some eggs and veggies.

"Yeah, that would be great," she said, running her hand along the counter. She looked like she was itching to say something, and I gave her a look.

"What is it? Is everything alright?" I asked.

"Um, Ed told me," she said, looking a bit sheepish. I furrowed my brow at her a moment, not realizing what she meant. Then it hit me. She knew I couldn't return home.

"Oh," I said simply.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to bring it up, but I just wanted to let you know that I'm here for you if you need anything at all," she said, rubbing her arm. I shook my head, forcing a smile.

"No, it's alright. Thank you, Winry. I appreciate it."

"Of course! It's what friends do. We take care of one another," she said, patting my shoulder. I nodded a bit weakly, silently grateful Ed had handled the news for me. I'd have to thank him later. I got back to gathering ingredients, thinking she'd leave to start Ed's automail, but she swayed nearby. "So, uh, Elias mentioned something interesting when he came to. He was pretty talkative for being such a brooding guy." I paused my gathering of ingredients, blanching.

"Was he?" I asked, slowly resuming. "What did he say?" He could have said any number of things. So, what was the thing he said that made Winry giggle and grin like an idiot? She padded up to me, whispering into my ear.

"When were you going to tell me that you're in love with Ed?" she asked softly.

"What?" I hissed, nearly dropping the bounty in my arms. She jumped back as I caught a bunch of green onion between my hip and the counter, fumbling the rest of the ingredients I had picked out onto the counter haphazardly, my ears burning. She began laughing inconsolably. I tried to shush her, gathering up the green onion before it hit the floor.

"Oh, don't deny it!" she said, helping me sort the things I had dropped. "I need details! When, where, why, how, all that!"

"Winry, please," I said blushingly, trying to urge her to keep her voice down.

"Come on! It's not every day your friends get together!"

"We're not... together," I corrected her, and she tilted her head at me. My heart was beating out my chest, and my voice came out meek. "I don't even know if he feels the same."

"Elias sure seems to think so," she said, crossing her arms and shifting her weight over her hip. I rested my hands over the counter, leaning into it.

"Elias thinks a lot of things. It doesn't mean he's right," I pointed out.

"But what if he is?" she asked, and my heart skipped a moment, the same way it always did, thinking Ed could love me back.

"Honestly, I don't know," I admitted, gripping the edge of the counter. "There's still so much going on, and the last thing I want is to become a burden."

"I don't think Ed would think of you that way," she said gently, patting my back. "Look, if it's something you both want, you'll figure it out." I looked up at her a little helplessly, feeling suddenly choked up.

"What about you? What about our talk?" I asked.

"I gave you my blessing then, and I'm giving it to you now. I realized that then, you meant you couldn't be together because you weren't from here, but what's stopping you now?" Winry asked, and I blinked at her a moment, feeling tears well at the corners of my eyes. She managed a reassuring smile. "I see the way he looks at you. I've never seen Ed look at anyone the way he looks at you. Have some faith in what you're feeling." A tear ran down my cheek, and I wiped it away.

"Is it really alright to feel like this?" I asked quietly. I wasn't sure if the question was for her or me.

"Oh Marina, of course, it is," she said soothingly, moving to embrace me. I nodded into her, hugging back tightly.

"Thank you, Winry," I said, pulling myself together as we parted. I shook my head, taking a breath, and wiped my face, looking back at the idle ingredients. "I uh, I'll get started here." She grinned, ruffling my hair with a laugh.

"Good, cause I'm starving!"

"Thank you again for all your help!" I said to the clerk with a smile, handing the cens over.

I turned and adjusted the bag of parts over my hip, heading back out onto the streets of Rush Valley. We had been there for almost three days, passing the time as best we could, mostly researching until this morning when Winry announced having finished Ed's Northern automail. She got to work almost immediately attaching the limbs but needed a few spare parts, and with her working on Ed and Elias resting, Al and I were sent out to retrieve what she was looking for. We decided to split up to make quick work of the trip, and it helped that most of what Winry required I remembered getting the last time we were here. Though there were some items on her list that I had no clue what they were or what they looked like. I had to ask the young woman running the shop for help, and luckily she was super helpful. It was getting a bit late, with the sun dancing lazily over the horizon, falling into a slow and gentle slumber. The lights from the shops still brightened the way, but it was clear the town was following the sun's example and preparing to rest. I pulled the list from my bag of goods, checking if anything was missing. When I checked, I realized I had gotten everything she needed— all I had to do was figure out where Al had gone off to and head back, hopefully before dark. I turned down one of the streets I thought I'd find him on, but he wasn't around. I rounded the corner of an adjacent street, but instead of finding Al, I noticed a man had followed me down the street.

At first, I thought it was a coincidence. He was pretty plain looking, in a brown suit and hat. He was looking through the windows of shops, so I figured he was looking for a specific one or something. But with each street I stepped down in search of Al, the man got closer and closer, until he was just a few shops behind me. I was beginning to think I was being a little unreasonable to think he'd be following me, so to shake the paranoia, I slipped into a back alley and came out of it onto another fairly busy street. I hooked a left and weaved through the crowd, checking my back now and then, but it seemed like I had lost him. I shook my head with a little laugh. See? Nothing to worry about, I thought, wiping the sweat at my brow. For an autumn night, Rush Valley was as hot as I remembered it being earlier in the year in broad daylight. I turned just to check, expecting to see nothing until I spotted the brown fedora he wore above the crowd. I rushed onto the next street, not too far from the shop now, but before I made it, I ran headlong into a steel body plate. I cried out in surprise, stumbling back a step, rubbing my sore nose.

"Marina?" Al asked, and I was flooded with relief that it was him I ran into.

"Al! Al, I think someone is—" I turned to point the man out to him, but as suddenly as he had appeared, he was gone. I noticed at least three more people in the crowd in brown hats, and my hand faltered and fell back to my side. Did I imagine it? I wondered to myself.

"What?" he asked. I shook my head.

"Sorry, Al, I— the heat must be getting to me. Are you done with your list?"

"Uh, yeah, but are you okay?" he asked, placing a comforting hand on my shoulder. "You looked pretty freaked out there."

"Yeah," I said, waving him off. "It was nothing. Let's just go back."

"Alright," Al said a bit reluctantly, and we traveled back to the shop without further incident. By the time we made it back, the sun had set completely, and the moon shone brightly over the horizon as if it were still daytime.

"We're back!" I called out into the shop, Al and I setting our haul down. Winry emerged from a back room with a bright smile as her eyes fell upon her bounty.

"Thank you, guys!" she said excitedly, already digging into the parts. She motioned to the back, where the kitchen was. "I finished Ed's arm and leg a bit ago, so I went ahead and handled dinner. There's some on the table for you, Marina."

"Oh, thanks, Winry," I said, glad I was free of the obligation for the night. I glanced around the shop. "Is Ed around?" Winry shook her head.

"He turned in already. He's always a big baby about getting his automail re-attached."

"Ah, I see. I'll be quiet, then," I said, excusing myself. "Night!"

"Goodnight!" they called back.

Winry could finally get some rest now that both Ed's automail and Elias's surgery were complete, but I heard her ask Al for some help moving some of the heavier pieces around the shop to prepare for her regular customers. I seriously envied the girl's energy. It baffled me. I ate the plate she had set out for me quickly and retired to the room Winry had set up for Ed and me, which we had shared without issue the last few nights. I opened the door quietly and tip-toed my way into the room. Ed was fast asleep, his foot poking from the side of the bed. I shook my head with a little smile. I grabbed my clothes to change in the bathroom and returned, quietly placing my clothes back in my bag. Ed groaned out my name, and I stiffened.

"Ed?" I asked quietly. He didn't stir. I must be hearing things, I thought, turning back to my bag.

"Marina," he groaned a little louder, and I stopped. I stood and carefully padded across the floorboards, cringing when they creaked. I eventually made it to the side of his bed and examined his face, troubled at the way his brows creased as he tossed violently beneath the sheet. "No, don't!" He turned fitfully, and I realized whatever he was dreaming wasn't pleasant. It stung a little in my heart as I reached for him.

"Ed, it's okay, you're dreaming," I said softly, as I traced his shoulder lightly, intending to wake him before the dream went on further.

"Marina, don't go," he whispered, and I pulled back— my breath hitching. I wondered a moment what exactly it was he was dreaming of that had put him so on edge that had to do with me, but I didn't have much time to. Before I knew what was happening, he had me by my wrist, and I cried out in surprise as he flipped me over and onto the bed. I inhaled sharply as my back hit the duvet, and he came crashing down over me, his knees at my hips, pinning me to the bed with a straddle. I was speechless beneath him, heat rising to my face in an instant. He was breathing raggedly, and I could see the cold sweat that beaded at his brow. "Give her back!" I suddenly realized that his eyes were still closed. He was still dreaming.

"E-Ed, it's me," I said barely above a whisper, my heart thrumming in my throat.

"Don't touch her!" he yelled, his grip on my wrists tightening, and I winced.

"Edward! It's me!" I shrieked. He jolted back suddenly, having finally opened his eyes, but when I looked into them, I noticed they were dim and unfocused. He blinked a few more times, breathing raggedly, his grip around my wrists loosening as his golden eyes returned to normal.

"W-wha… Marina? What—" he breathed out. He seemed to realize the position we were in and let my wrists go with a startled outcry. He climbed off me so fast he nearly fell off the bed altogether. He managed to stay on the bed, looking quite astonished as I sat myself up, trying to reign in my own labored breathing. He ran his hands through his hair as if the gesture were helping him process whatever it was that just transpired between us. "Marina, I— shit, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean… argh! Damnit!" I noticed his automail got caught on the strands of his unbraided hair, and he pulled his arm roughly, trying to break free. It was clear he still wasn't used to the new limb.

"Ed, stop, you'll make it worse," I said as gently as I could, though it came out more shaken than I had intended as I moved toward him. He shuffled back, shaking his head.

"No, don't, I—"

"Ed," I said a bit more firmly, resting my hand between us, gazing up at him. He looked at me with such fear, such guilt in those golden irises. "It's alright. Let me help." He dropped his gaze but relented as I made my way to sit behind him, using the glow of the moonlight at my back to assist in my detangling. We were quiet as I worked to release him, but I could hear the rapid beating of our hearts. I eventually loosened his hair enough for him to remove his hand, and he sighed, seeming calmer.

"Thank you," he said, letting me tug through the tangled mess his automail left. "Marina, I'm really sorry. I didn't realize what was happening, and—"

He cut himself off, and I could feel the tension rising in his shoulders all over again.

"I know, it's alright. You had a bad dream. I can't fault you for that," I assured him, pulling a strand apart. "No harm done, just a little startled is all."

"Yeah. I'm sorry," he apologized.

"What... what were you dreaming about?" I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me. Ed shifted, rocking a moment before he spoke.

"I dreamt about— well, that bearded bastard had taken you, and I… I still couldn't do anything to stop it," he admitted quietly. My heart sank. Had he been upset about what had happened back under Central?

"Ed, you know I don't blame you for what happened," I said, leaning forward. His profile was creased like he didn't believe me. "You know that, right?"

"I thought he was going to take you away for good," he said, his voice strained and soft. I sat back a little over my knees.

"Ed, it's alright. I'm right here, and I'm alright," I assured him, and he nodded. The air was stale with tension as we sat there, my hands still working to detangle his hair. "You know, this reminds me of a really embarrassing story." Ed perked up a little, turning slightly to look at me.

"Embarrassing?" he asked, and I nodded, recalling the harrowed details.

"When I was younger and did swimming, I had to wear a swim cap because my hair was too long, and my mom always complained about how terrible I was about sitting still for it to dry. Well, one really hot day, for some reason, I refused to take it off. I think I saw a cute boy and got self-conscious about having cap hair, so I begged my mom to let me take it off when we got home," I said, already cringing at my younger self and her bright ideas. "Well, I fell asleep in the car with my head against the window. Did I mention it was hot? Remember how you felt crossing the desert to Xerces?"

"Uh-huh?"

"Yeah, that hot. Well, by the time we got home, and I woke up, my head was stuck to the window," I said, pinching the bridge of my nose in residual embarrassment. He turned suddenly, his eyes wide.

"What?" he choked back a laugh, covering his mouth. I giggled.

"Yeah, the plastic melted and fused to the window— and my hair," I laughed, finishing my detangling, moving to sit by his side. "Getting my head removed from the window was fairly easy. My hair, on the other hand, not so much. My mom spent hours combing through my head, picking strands apart so that I wouldn't have to cut it."

"That's some dedication," he commended. There was a moment of quiet. "When I was a kid, I set Al's hair on fire." I looked up at his confession.

"You what?" I asked. He chuckled, leaning back on the bed, looking up at the ceiling.

"Yup. It was Mother's Day— I think I was five, and Al had to be four. Dad had just left, and we wanted to do something nice for her. She went into town that morning, and Al and I got to work; we were trying to make her breakfast. I went to light the stove, but I had the gas on too high, and there… may or may not have been a small explosion that resulted in my brother's hair catching fire," he exhaled, chuckling. I put a hand over my mouth, trying to contain my reaction, humming a chuckle.

"You're kidding," I said.

"Yeah, Al was running around screaming. I was trying to get ahold of the fire on the stove and put him out— then our mom walked in on the chaos," he said, and I leaned forward in pearls of laughter.

"She walked in?" I exclaimed, laughing harder, and he started laughing so hard he had trouble going on.

"She sure did. I remember Al had singed hair for a week. I think Al's so sensitive about his 'hair' now cause of that incident."

"Poor sweet Al, how could you?" I teased, the laughter buzzing in my chest. My cheeks and stomach hurt as we composed ourselves. "What a Mother's Day surprise."

"No kidding. She took it in stride, though," Ed said, a sweet nostalgic look on his face. "After putting my brother out, she cooked, and we ate together. Wasn't so bad." I thought for a moment.

"She sounds like a great mom," I said wistfully.

"She was," he said, but there was something in the quality of his tone that seemed different somehow. Before, when he had talked about his mother, mentioned her in passing, there was a deep, underlying sorrow that dipped into regret. But just then, at that moment, there was just the fondness that had always been there, shining through easily. I smiled up at him.

"Alright, I have another one for you. When I was even younger, I had this really tacky costume tiara. I loved the thing— wouldn't leave the house without wearing it most days," I began, and Ed quirked an eyebrow at me.

"Somehow, that makes sense," he jabbed, and I hit his arm playfully.

"Oh, stop. So, anyway, one day, I go to take it off before bed, and at the time, I had super long hair. Not as long as you may remember, but pretty long. Well, I had some issues removing it, and it got tangled at the top of my head. I tried for a while to get it un-stuck, but I got impatient, and I snuck a pair of scissors."

"No," Ed said, drawing the word out, his eyes going wide.

"Yes, I'm afraid. I got the tiara off and went to bed. I forgot what I had done until the morning, when my mom came to wake me up and screamed in horror at the clump of hair still attached to the tiara and the absolute hack-job I had given myself," I said, laughing, nearly to tears. "And to fix it, I was forced to get a bowl cut, of all things."

"A bowl cut?" Ed asked incredulously, looking at my hair, suppressing laughter. I tried covering my head with my arms.

"Stop picturing it! It was awful!" I whined, still chuckling, dropping my arms.

"You say that, and yet, I can't help but imagine it," he laughed, flicking a piece of hair from my face.

Our laughter died down, and his hand lingered near my cheek, twirling the piece between his fingers. I was suddenly aware of how close we were— how my hair drifted in a silent breeze and grazed against his shoulder; how warm his breath was on my face. As much as I had denied it to Elias, to myself— when I looked into those eyes, shimmering beautifully like pools of amber in the moonlight, my feelings for him were crystal clear to me. My gaze drifted to his lips, and I sucked in a breath. We had been here before, back when I had denied my feelings to be anything stronger than a crush. Back when it might have been innocent, without any weight or expectation behind it. It was that electrified tension, that question of 'what if?' that neither of us really knew how to answer. What exactly did it mean now, when we were set to part? When the feelings I harbored had only grown to proportions I couldn't rationalize with coherent sentences? When I still wasn't sure if he felt as strongly as I did?

Even in all my uncertainty, I didn't move away as he inched closer. I probably should have. It might have made things easier for both of us. But I leaned in, and it wasn't long before his lips met mine. He just barely grazed them at first— a gentle means of gauging my reaction before deepening the kiss. I responded in kind, my body moving on its own as I eased into him, into the sweetness of his lips. His hand traced my cheek, his other resting at my hip, sending a spark up my spine, my whole body humming under his fingertips. It was soft and sweet, and it was everything I had imagined, had hoped my first kiss to be. He took a shuddered breath as he pulled away, and I looked up at him a bit uncertainly. I couldn't read him at all. I couldn't tell if he had hated it, or if he was surprised, or what.

I thought to break the tension, to rationalize it away, all my fears of rejection bubbling to the surface but any words I had left to say died the moment his lips crashed against mine, eliciting a soft moan that escaped my throat unexpectedly and a fire bloomed in my chest. He took the lead, which I was grateful for. I had no idea what I was doing. I had no experience, no inhibition— just pure instinctual desire that urged me to quell the burning in my chest, to trace the pulse in his neck with my fingers as tenderly as he kissed me. He let out a deep growl that resonated against my lips as my hands glided over his collar, trailing into his hair as I laced my arms around his neck. Our noses bumped together as we shifted, and I could feel his smile against mine, both of us a little clumsy as we learned, trusting one another implicitly— realizing at some point that if we stumbled, we'd at least stumble together.

He wrapped his automail around my back gently, the cool metal a deep contrast to the heat that overwhelmed me as he pulled me in closer. I could feel myself quickly unraveling in his arms, getting completely lost in him. It was the culmination of every 'almost' I had envisioned between us, only real and more intense than I could have even imagined. It was like every inch of me was breathing him in. His scent, his warmth, his touch— just him. My heart was nearly bursting from my chest, welling with feelings that I had stamped down as impossible, now rising to make themselves heard, dancing at the tip of my tongue. Could I really let myself enjoy this? I wasn't sure, but the thought didn't stop me from doing so. I was spent and unsure and so many other things but – in that moment, with his lips against mine – I was at ease.

We eventually parted, both of us gasping for air, the exchange leaving me dazed. My mind swam as I noticed the bright red hue of his face. I imagined I wore the same shade. I pressed my lips together, still feeling the whisper of his against them. I wanted to kiss him again, to forget everything that was going on around us, and just enjoy the ease of his touch that set my body on fire. Instead, we gazed at one another, neither of us having a word to give the other that would suffice as the reality set in.

We kissed. Several times, we kissed. Holy shit.

"Marina, are we… are we good?" he asked eventually, tentatively, his voice wrought with uncertainty.

"I… think so," I said, just as discomposed. "Are we good?" I gazed up at him hopefully, my chest tightening with each tick of silence.

"I— I think so too," he answered finally. "At least, I… really want us to be." I felt a swell in my chest, the bindings of doubt breaking with a few simple words. He wanted this, whatever this was.

"Me too," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, the corners of my mouth rising. We untangled from one another, taking a moment to gain our bearings. "What do we tell Al?" Winry and Elias already knew, but our third companion was out of the loop, arguably the most important person to have that sort of discussion with.

"Oh, trust me, he knows," Ed groaned, and I gave him a sideways glance. What did that mean? He shook his head. "I'll handle him. Don't worry about it."

"Alright," I said a bit skeptically, pulling away. We'd have to circle back to that eventually. Instead of explaining, we sat in another pause of silence. "I'm not… I'm not really sure what to do now."

"I'm not sure either," he admitted.

"You're going North."

"Yeah," he said, a bit defeatedly. "The timing isn't ideal, but I... Damnit." He ran a hand through his bangs, exhaling harshly.

"You're right, it isn't ideal," I said, grabbing hold of his hand, gripped down on it. He looked at me, and I smiled. "But whatever this is, I want you to know that it'll still be here, waiting for you to get back to sort out. It's not… it's not something I think I can make go away, even if I tried." He pulled his hand from mine, and I averted my gaze, thinking I had misstepped, but he grasped beneath my chin gently with two fingers, forcing me to look into his eyes. For the first time, I saw something I hadn't noticed there before, something I imagined was reflected in my own.

"Me either," he said before moving to meet my lips as if he meant to seal his words. I could feel every bit of how sincere he was, and I could only hope he knew I felt the same. He pulled away, touching his forehead to mine. "I swear, when we get back, we'll figure this out. Together."

"Alright, this is us," Ed said as their train pulled into the station. He and Al were headed North, and Elias, Winry, and I went to see them off at the platform. They said their goodbyes, and I hugged Al tightly.

"I'm gonna miss you, Al," I said, my cheek warm against his armor. He chuckled.

"I'll miss you too. We'll call when we make it there," he assured me since I knew Ed wouldn't.

"Thanks, Al," I said, pulling away, turning to Ed. "Take care of each other."

"Yeah, yeah," Ed said with a huff as I approached him. My throat was suddenly dry, and my chest was tight. I had been dreading this day, but it was here whether I wanted it to be or not. We looked at each other a moment before embracing, holding onto one another as tightly as we could.

"I'll be waiting," I whispered into Ed's shoulder, and I felt him nod.

"Yeah," he affirmed. "We'll be back before you know it." I smiled at the thought and pulled away just enough to place a light kiss on his cheek. He pulled back, his face pinker than usual, and I chuckled.

"You're blushing, Elric," I teased, releasing him.

"Whatever," he said, brushing me off, checking our surroundings. Al was busy talking with Winry and Elias. Ed took my hand, folding something into my palm. I opened it up to the strawberry charm, and the corners of my mouth lifted. "Insurance." The whistle of the train blew, diverting our attention. The thing was starting to roll from the station, and I looked up at him a little frantically.

"Ed, the train," I pointed out.

"Shit, Al!"

"Already on it!" Al called back, gathering their bag and hopping onto an opening. Ed and I began running alongside the train, steadily picking up speed, and Ed reached out for Al's arm and jumped on board. I ran alongside them as long as I could take it, to the edge of the platform as they waved.

"We'll be back! Count on it!" Ed called with a grin.

"I'll hold you to it!" I yelled back, slowing my pace as they disappeared into the train, growing smaller in the distance. I stopped and caught my breath.

"Marina!" Winry called excitedly, wheeling Elias over to me. He had protested against it, but Winry insisted he be wheeled around since he just had major surgery. "Well? Did you tell him?"

"I, uh… kinda?" I said, shuffling my feet against the platform.

"Took you long enough," Elias grumbled in his wheelchair, and I felt my ears burning with embarrassment. Winry smacked the top of his head, and I held in a laugh. Serves you right, I taunted him with my eyes, and he just rolled his.

"So, what happened? What did you say?" she asked eagerly.

"Well, uh, we kissed," I said, feeling redder than before. Winry squealed in delight and I tried shushing her gently. "But really, that was it. We didn't really know what to do, so we decided we're going to talk more about it when they get back."

"Ah, I see," she said, a bit calmer, glancing around. "Speaking of, when does your train come in?" I looked up to the big clock of the station.

"Another hour or so," I said, taking my bag from her gratefully. I looked to Elias. "Are you sure it's alright?" I had been worried about Isabelle, and I wasn't sure how to contact her to find out if she was alright, so I had brought up the idea earlier to visit her, which everyone had agreed to. Ed and Al didn't care much, thinking it a decent idea since the trip was only a day from Rush Valley to Bethanie, and with Winry back to her regular schedule and Elias resting, I didn't have much else to do anyway. I'd been unsettled at the thought of the Homunculi using her as a hostage since it happened, and I just wanted to make sure she was alright.

"I don't see why not," he said, looking bored.

"Alright," I said, double-checking. He was the reason I had come here at all, anyway. "It'll only be a day or two, and once your arm is healed, I'll take us back to Central."

I opened my eyes to a black abyss, cold and dark. I was floating in it, unsure of what direction led where or if I was alone. There was no sound, no sensation of movement, just me and the black. I squinted at the distance, noticing a red light beckoning me forward, and I couldn't tell which of us was moving, but we eventually met one another, the light glowing even brighter the closer it came. I had to look away a moment and let my eyes adjust before the light lessened in harshness, allowing me to gaze upon the object before me. It was my necklace. I touched my fingers to my chest, searching for the chain somehow in front of me, realizing its absence. I reached forward as if my hand was drawn to the light, and as soon as I laid my fingers upon the stone, a burning sensation swallowed me and dispelled the cold black that surrounded me. I cried out as the heat invaded my being, hunched over in it. I let out a series of rushed breaths before I realized I was on my knees in the snow, but instead of the ethereal white you'd expect, the snow was a sea of crimson. My vision doubled as I tried to gain my bearings, my eyes trailing up to notice a figure in the snow at the center of the blooming river of red. Golden hair cascaded over his shoulder like a halo, and a single strand of light from above highlighted the pale color of his face, the metallic sheen of the beam that rose from him. I gasped and choked out his name frantically.

"Ed!" I screamed, tumbling forward, my footprints trailing heavily behind me in blood-soaked snow. I fell over him, inspecting the wound, my hands shaking as I grasped his cold cheek.

"Marina," he choked out, blood pooling from his mouth terrifyingly. He was choking on it.

"No, Ed, no," I croaked, my heart racing and my mind going numb. "Ed! Ed, please, stay with me!"

"Sorry," he said, just a whisper of the word before going limp.

I stopped breathing as he did. His eyes had lost their luster, replaced instead by a dull film that shattered me. Tears streamed down my face as I begged him over and over to say something, to move, to come back to me.

I sat up suddenly in a cold sweat, a hand over my heart to keep it from jumping from inside my chest. I looked around at the bright train car, grounded myself in the details of green fitted chairs and golden accents. I managed to calm my breathing, taking in the calm of the passing countryside. It was a dream, I assured myself, taking a moment to pinch myself to be sure. I sighed shakily. Just a horrible dream. They're gone one day, and I have a dream like that? I must have really been feeling the effects of withdrawal from them. I shuddered a moment. It had seemed so real, though— too real for my liking. It reminded me of the brief glances I had into the future or the story before I knew what they were. I frowned. I didn't remember something like that happening, but eerily enough, it was cold, and snow was on the ground. I pulled out my journal and quickly jotted down every detail I could remember, promising myself I'd call Ed and Al as soon as I made it to Isabelle's to check on them.

My train rolled into the station about thirty minutes later, and I was strangely relieved to be back at the beginning, to have returned to where my journey had begun. The little town was as lively as ever, and I bought a little danish for Isabelle and me to share when I arrived. By the time I made it to her door, it was twilight, and my mouth started watering a bit, recalling the roast she had once made me, and I wondered if she'd be alright having another dinner guest, though I was coming a bit unexpectedly. As I strode up the road, I noticed a few empty cars parked along the way, and I furrowed my brow, a little confused. Was someone having a party? I had never seen this many cars there before, not even in town, but then again, I hadn't stayed long. Still, it weighed on my mind as I scaled the steps of her home, knocking once.

"Isabelle?" I called into the night. I looked to the little window at the front, where the living room was. She liked to sit in a chair there most of the time, but the house was dark. Not even the porch light was on, which she usually lit. I backed away from the door, about to look through the window, when it swung open, and I was dragged inside roughly by my arm. I cried out as the door slammed behind me, struggling to see in the dark as whoever just grabbed me pinned my arms behind me. "Let go of me! Who the hell are you? What's going on—"

I stopped dead when I heard the click of a gun and felt the barrel at my back. I was breathing shallowly as my eyes adjusted to assess the situation. Someone had me restrained and held a gun to my back, but that wasn't all. As I looked around, I realized that it was more than one gun pointed at me. I was surrounded by Amestrian soldiers, all armed. My eyes darted around the room at each of them, but I had never seen any individual soldier before.

"Name?" one of them barked, but I must have taken too long to respond, feeling the gun being pressed harder into my back.

"Marina," I bit out. One of them nodded to the man behind me, looking a moment at a piece of paper and back to me. I was pushed forward as the men parted, and light spilled out from the kitchen. I was shoved into the room, and that sickly feeling settled in the pit of my stomach as it had beneath Central. A man's voice took command of the space.

"What's all this commotion?" he asked, and I blinked my eyes open to quite the scene.

"Marina?" Isabelle asked, and though very confused I was relieved to see her alright, even as she sat casually at the dining room table having tea with the man across from her, dressed in white with a snake-like face and tar-black hair tied in a neat ponytail at the nape of his neck. He looked up, and my blood ran cold at his icy gaze. I recognized him, but I couldn't think from where. I thought I caught a grin on his face as he stood, but his face returned to neutral so swiftly I wasn't sure if I had imagined it or not.

"Oh, so this is Miss Marina," he said, standing and removing his hat, laying it over his chest. He made quick orders to his men to have me released, and I rubbed my wrists skeptically, watching the man warily. "I'm quite sorry about that. My men can be a little over-cautious sometimes."

"Who are you?" I asked.

"You may call me Kimblee. A pleasure to make your acquaintance."

THEY KISSED! YAY! Holy hell, what a long and windy chapter! It's certainly my longest chapter to date, and I'm hoping that makes up for last week's goings-on. To those of you who read the last chapter before I changed it, things are going to look similar, just kinda moved around. I hope you can now see the vision I had and can understand why I changed it how I did. To those of you who didn't see the change, pay no mind to the woman behind the curtain and keep it pushing. I have never written romance or a kiss scene at all before— and because it's both their firsts, I really wanted to nail not only that but also render their experience in the moment that it's happening in, so I had to do some research on how to write a kiss scene and then make it my own. I tweaked the hell out of it, referencing other FMA fanfics as well as regular old fiction to get a feel for what I thought Ed and Marina would do in the moment and how they'd feel and all that jazz. So, uh, I hope it was satisfying as an audience because it was sure as hell satisfying to write. And now the boys are gone, and Marina is on her own— of course, she's run into Kimblee. I can't wait for this arc to play out, you guys have no idea. I spent an ungodly amount of time this week starting to flesh this next part out and set some concrete plot points. You should have seen the number of sticky notes and notepaper I had. RIP to the poor tree I demolished. But anyway, I hope this little cliffy has you guys excited for what's to come because I sure am! I hope you all have a great week, and I'll see you next time!