"AL!"
Lin had managed to grab her dropped dagger, and turned just in time to see Al about to be killed by Scar, only to be knocked out of the way by a red and gold blur.
Scar's hand of destruction touched the ally wall.
The wall exploded, and chunks of flying rock went everywhere.
A piece of debris smashed into Lin's leg, causing her to give a grunt of pain and fall backwards.
She fell against the wall, its roughness grating against her back.
A small throwing knife, similar to Lin's daggers but smaller, cut through the air and caught scar in the shoulder.
Scar faltered for the space of a moment, then regained his balance and glared at the newcomers.
Hughes pulled out another knife.
Rae tremblingly picked up an iron bar she found on the ground.
Scar muttered something about reinforcements, then hit the ground and escaped into the sewers.
Hughes sighed and put away his throwing knife.
"He got away again.
Oh well. I'm not sure we could've beat him away way. Say Rae, what-"
He was cut off as Rae rushing up to Lin.
"Lin!"
She looked up from her wound, an expression of complete shock, and then delight, crossed her face.
"Rae!"
Rae raced over, and it looked like she was about to hug her, but then she backed off.
Lin looked worried now, and she opened her mouth, but Rae cut her off before she could even begin.
"Lin, what are you doing here? The last time I saw you, you were back in Ryon!"
"What was I supposed to do, stay in a city that was full of sick, dyingpeople, with no one I cared about, or follow you?" Lin retorted, and then winced.
"Lin, what's wrong?"
"Nothing, my leg's just broken again, that's all."
Someone whistled.
The two of them blinked, then remembered that Hughes was there, and turned to look at him.
"You're pretty calm about injuries." he said.
Lin shrugged.
"I'm always getting into trouble, so I'm always getting hurt. I'm used to it." she said, then remembering Al, turned to him, "Hey Al, I guess you were right. We-" and then she stopped.
She smiled.
Well, it looks like Al's brother caught up to us.
---------------------------
"No way! That's impossible." Winry exclaimed.
"Nothing is impossible." the woman corrected, shaking her head slowly.
"But-how could something like this happen?"
The red eyes narrowed ever so slightly, and she gazed into the darkness of the abandoned house.
"I do not know. I shall have to a visit to an old ... acquaintance of mine...
You are tired?"
The sudden change of topic threw Winry off balance.
Well, more off balance then before.
"Huh? Well, yes but-"
"Come." she swept down the hallway.
Winry looked after her, and then glanced back at where the body had been, and then followed the woman to the spark of light that was the exit.
Better the living then the dead.
------------------------------------------------
"This is the ugliest hospital I've ever been in." commented Lin in a loud whisper.
The nurse turned and gave her a look.
Lin responded by giving her an innocent smile.
She huffed and turned away.
Lin gave an evil grin and quickly hid the newly stolen purse under her pillow.
The door banged as the nurse left, and swung quietly as someone else entered.
"Lin, why are you smiling like that?"
"Nothing." she said innocently, but her lips twitched.
Rae sighed, and pulled up a chair next to her.
"You know, once they're done talking, they're going to want an explanation."
Lin groaned.
"I'm trying not to think about that."
"That's not very mature."
"So? I don't have to be mature yet, I'm only...only…"
"What?"
"..I forgot how old I am."
"How can you forget how old you are?!"
"Hey, can you remember?"
"Of course, I'm...I'm…um…"
"Ha."
The door banged again.
"Hey, what's the joke?" asked Hughes.
"Nothing." answered the two girls, smiling at each other, Rae with more than a touch of expirastion.
Everyone gave them a look and raised their eyebrows at them, but said nothing.
"So, " Roy asked pulling up a chair and letting himself drop into it, Hawkeye standing behind him, "can we have an explanation now?"
Lin sighed.
"Alright. Rae, mind if I start?"
The tall girl shook her hand.
"Okay. Let's see, where do I start?"
"Begin at the beginning. That's what they always say." Suggested Ed.
Lin glared.
"Like that helps. Where is the beginning in this whole mess?"
"Start with where you're from then." Al offered, hopping up on the bed next to her.
"..Well, see...we're kind of...here..."
"Lin you're being immature and putting it off."
"Fine..." Lin sighed, "We're from another world. And before you say it's impossible, yes I know, but it's true.
I guess you could say it started with the Black Death, a plague that swept through Aopolyn, the city we lived in.
It was a fatal disease. Once you got it; you were as good as dead."
"It was horrible," Rae said quietly, picking up the tale, "it was sticking down people lift and right. I think every other person in the city had it.
People barred themselves inside their homes, but it didn't work."
"Nothing worked." Inserted Lin, looking out the window, unconsciously gripping the rough sheet. "There was no way to survive the stupid thing, and no way to avoid getting it either."
"I think it poisoned the air." Rae said slowly, looking down, "And that's how it was able to find you, no matter
where you went."
"Yeah," Lin said sadly, but also a bit angrily, "no matter whom you were or who you knew, no matter how strong you were, it found you. Too bad he could never figure that out."
"Who?"
Lin jumped.
"Oh, did I just say that out loud? Sorry, where was I? Okay so there was a deadly plague, and," she looked at Rae, suddenly unsure.
"My parents died from the black plague." Said Rae clearly, but she didn't look at them, and she gripped her knees tightly. "And right after that, Lin got sick too."
"I thought you said this sickness was fatal?" Roy interrupted.
"Oh, it was. Very fatal." Lin said.
"Then how did you survive?" asked Al.
Lin pointed to Rae.
Rae fidgeted.
"I-I made a deal."
"With who? The devil?"
"She might as well have." Lin said.
"Lin…" Rae said, almost whispering.
"I'm not blaming you!" Lin said quickly. "I'm not even blaming her! I'm just saying, no matter what kind of deal you make with her, you get the short end of the stick."
"Huh? What are you guys talking about?"
Rae sighed.
"The black angel."
