Chapter Title: Restoration
Characters: Scar, Ed, Clara
Pairings: None! I can't write romance for the life of me!
Spoilers: Nope
Warnings: Cursing, medium-ish violence
Disclaimer: If I owned the show, Scar would smile, even if it was only once. Unfortunately, I don't own it. XP
A/N: Haha! Not only have I now seen the entire series, but I have also read up to chapter 47 in the manga! Ph34r my l337 informed-ness! Also, I'm sad to say that…well, this story is drawing to a close. It's just one more chapter left. But never fear, for there will most definitely be a sequel!
Envy: We've already started bugging her with plot bunnies.
I don't know when it'll be posted, but there will be one.

"regular speech"
'thoughts'
cat speech-


Scar glared menacingly at the sneering face of Clara, his eyes narrowed to mere slits and his ears pressed flat against the back of his skull. She only laughed softly in response, the sound causing an irrepressible growl to rise in Scar's throat.

"Why, Scar-kun, I thought you hated State Alchemists. And here you are trying to save one's life. How noble of you," she crooned, a malicious expression on her face, and stroked one finger along the underside of his chin. He flinched away from the touch, disgust written plainly on his face, before swiftly raking his claws across the offending hand. With a cry of surprise and pain, she dropped him onto the floor and clutched her now bleeding hand tightly to her chest.

Scar had begun running as soon as his feet touched the ground; brave he was, but foolish he was certainly not, and he knew when he was outmatched. Unfortunately, in such an enclosed space there was nowhere to run. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a horribly familiar bright yellow glow coming from Clara's direction, and suddenly he had an idea. He raced towards the crate where Fullmetal was trapped, hoping that this would work, hoping that Clara would not see what he was trying to do. He was in luck; Clara flung the sphere of condensed energy at him as he was in front of the crate, and it was smashed open. But the victory was a double-edged sword; although the purpose of getting Ed out of the crate was accomplished, Scar suffered a direct hit from the energy blast and was flung backwards into the wall. He landed hard on the floor, where he lay fur singed, shoulder bleeding freely, and certainly at least one rib fractured.

Ed crawled out of the wreckage of the crate, gasping and dizzy from lack of air. He looked around worriedly, having heard some of what was going on outside the crate but unable to actually see what was happening, -Scar?- he caught sight of the injured Ishbalan and ran over, -Scar! You'd better not be dead!-

Scar glared at him out of one eye, -What could you possibly do to me if I was already dead?-

Ed sighed in relief, -I don't know, but I'd figure out something. But you aren't dead, so it doesn't matter right now.-

"Well, I'm terribly sorry to interrupt your little reunion, but it would seem that there are more important matters at hand, don't you think?" as Clara spoke, there was the glow of a transmutation, and two large hands rose from the floor, one holding Ed and one holding Scar, leaving only their heads free and holding them at Clara's eye level. She stalked over to the pair, stopping in front of them with a smug smirk on her face, "You know, the idea of killing the two of you as cats doesn't really seem as fun or satisfying as killing you as humans. It's so interesting to see one's expression before they die, and you don't quite get the same effect from a cat's face. Oh, but you will be needing these first, won't you?" she walked over to the desk and opened one of the drawers, pulling out…the pair's clothes. "I went to all the trouble of getting these from the military Headquarters. You should feel special; I don't normally do this for my victims. But you two are exceptional, aren't you? Well, it's time to get started," she gave a soft chuckle, walking back over to the hapless pair and inscribing an altering array onto the floor beneath each of them. She then stepped back and used the circle on her glove to make the hands holding them recede back into the floor, and at the same time raise a high circular stone wall around each of them, effectively separating and trapping them. And then, the arrays beneath them glowed with a familiar yellow light.

It was just as strange a feeling as it had been when they had been turned into cats, one of shifting bones and skin, everything lengthening and rearranging. And then it was over, and they lay on the dusty floor…human again.

Scar shook his head to rid himself of the disorientation, and clenched and unclenched his hands as though to make sure they were really there. He would never take them for granted again. Several things were thrown over the wall, and he was relieved to find that they were his clothes. He pulled them on quickly and stood shakily, having to lean against the wall when he was assailed by a short bout of vertigo. But oh, it was wonderful to be in his proper form again. A loud clap and a flash of blue light brought him out of his short reverie, and with his usual frown now back in place he destroyed the wall using his right arm.

He was just in time to witness Fullmetal being thrown backwards into the wall by an alchemical energy blast from Clara. Seeing an opening, he darted forward…but his speed had slowed due to the recent species change, which she anticipated, ducking his brightly glowing arm and slamming her gloved palm into the ground, using the floor as a conductor to send a painful surge of energy through his body. It was enough to stop him for a moment long enough for her to swing around and land two vicious kicks: one in his ribs causing at least one of the injured ones to crack, and the other squarely onto his shoulder wound. The pain nearly caused him to black out, and before he could recover she had kicked his legs out from underneath him. He landed hard, and found that he was unable to get up. 'Dammit…'

"Scar!" Ed had gotten back up from his own fall, but then again it had not been nearly as bad as Scar's.

"Worry about yourself, boy!" Clara dashed forwards to attack, and Ed attempted to flip out of the way…but, like Scar, his agility level was rather less than normal, and Clara caught him with a kick to the legs just before he landed, causing him to fall onto the ground. And before he had a chance to get up, she used the same energy surge that she had used on Scar; not having nearly as high of an endurance for pain as the Ishbalan did, Ed was now only just barely conscious.

"Well, now, that was far easier than I expected it to be. Not much of a challenge, I'm afraid. But, now I've had my fun, and it's time for you both to die. I think…it'll be you first, Scar-kun," she slowly walked over to stand over his still form, and if looks could kill, Clara would have been dead in less than an instant. She withdrew a slender knife from a hidden sheath on her leg, and knelt over him, sneering, "Isn't it ironic, Scar-kun, that even the strongest man in the world can be killed so easily by a simple stab in the heart?"

As she sadistically drew out the moments until his demise with barbed speech, he thought furiously, 'Damn her…I…will…not…die…HERE!' and with the last word, forced his right arm to move, to grab onto her ankle, and before she could react there was a crimson flash, and Clara was suddenly short one leg. She fell onto the floor next to him, and he was now able to reach her face, which he gripped tightly in his right hand.

"Your fate rests with Ishbala now," was all he said before there was another flash and Clara was no more. And with this done, Scar willingly slipped into the blissful oblivion of unconsciousness.


A/N: Oh man, I am so sorry this took so long. I got stuck around near the beginning, and…yeah. I'm really hoping to get the last chapter out on Monday at the latest (I'm going to Japan on Tuesday!); I probably will, because I know what I want to do with it and it probably won't be all that long.
Scar: But finally, I'm not a cat anymore and Clara has gotten the bloody demise that she deserves!
Envy: Yeah, but both you and O'Chibi-san are horribly injured.
Geeze, I'm sorry, Scar-san. I keep hurting you. I think it probably is some kind of weird way of showing affection.
Scar: Eh, I'll live.
Thanks, Scar-san. Now, time for review answering!

crazyanimefreak15: Nope, and they're still not dead. Yaaaay.
Uniasus: You certainly don't have to worry about Scar. And Al…well, you'll see what happened to him next chapter.
steph: Thanks!
Anase the Shadow Alchemist: All hail Scar-san!
Scar's fangurl: Sorry to make you wait; here's the next one!
Lunatic Pandora1: Because it doesn't work when he's a cat.
The Great NeoDragon: Hehe, thank you very much. Glad you think I'm keeping Scar-san IC.
Night-Owl123: Here you go!
critical-blow: Well…he did, and then he went and lost 'em again.
LadyRiona: Yay, I'm glad you like it!
Darkness Shadow of Hatred: Thanks! Hehe, don't freak him out too much…
Anasazi Darkmoon: Yay! Thank you!