Chapter 7: Reunited

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Lauren and Dirt had been walking for over a few hours before they took a break. Lauren clapped her hands together and put them on a nearby tree, which bent over and made a nice shady spot to rest under.

"You're an alchemist then?" Dirt sat across from Lauren as she sat under the tree.

"Yes, The Feline Alchemist to be exact, I'm with the state." Lauren leaned her head back and closed her eyes.

"Has alchemy always come easy to you?" Dirt asked.

"Yes, I've been able to do it since I was about five or so, my father taught me." Lauren spoke calmly.

"Well, your father must be very proud of you now, seeing as how you are with the state."

Lauren couldn't answer that statement, so she stayed silent and her and Dirt just rested for a while.

"I think Hero's found Dirt's trail!" Rain said excitedly as she hopped after the now trotting leopard.

Ed sighed and still followed them. He had given up almost all hope of finding Lauren. Maybe I should just go back to central and wait for her to come back to…but what about Kaara…she's only eight, I can't leave her with those homunculi and Tucker, especially Tucker…Ed left his red coat and black jacket back where they had stopped to rest an hour ago, now he only wore his black pants, blank tank, boots, and his gloves. "Well how long will it take for him to find Dirt…why is his name Dirt anyway…why is your name Rain…?" Ed was bored…so he figured to ask some questions.

"Hold, Hero." Rain halted Hero and turned to face Ed. "It won't take long if we don't keep stopping like this. And his name is Dirt 'cause I named him, he was always getting dirty, and my name is Rain because I like the rain. Anymore questions?"

"Yes…you had said he's your older brother, correct?"

Rain nodded.

"Well then how could 'you' name 'him' when he's older than you?" Ed was confused.

"He never spoke until he was seventeen, its only been three years since he's first spoken, he couldn't name me, so I named us both." Rain smiled slightly then turned back to Hero. "Go, Hero."

The leopard growled quietly then continued moving.

Ed followed. "Why did you name him Hero?"

"Well it's the only name that seemed fitting since he saved my life when I was about six, he pulled me out of a fire…but then Dirt tried to fight him off, and he ran with me in his teeth, gently though. My brother followed, then Hero just set me down when we were a long way away from the camp. And he stayed watching us, in the shadows, fighting off snakes or other predators." Rain shrugged and jumped over a rock, which Ed tripped over.

"Oh." Was all Ed said then kept silent, wanting Lauren to be walking next to him.

Lauren started to feel a bit odd, walking in her blood red halter dress. She had lost her white cloak a while back.

"Are you alright?" Dirt called back to her.

"Yes, just…tired, of all of this, of the trees, the dirt, not you though…" She smiled at him, then continued to follow him as he turned back around.

Dirt stopped and opened his compass again, then turned a bit to the right, and started walking again.

"Hero, don't eat that!" A girl's voice rang out from not that far away.

"Rain..?" Dirt whispered, then ran, leaving Lauren standing there.

"Yea…DON'T EAT ME!" Ed called out from the same direction.

Lauren's eyes widened a bit. "Ed..!" She ran after Dirt. "ED!"

Ed stopped climbing the tree he was halfway up and turned to see Lauren stumble out of the bushes. "Lauren!"

Rain ran into Dirt's arms and they hugged each other tightly, Hero standing at their feet.

Lauren ran up to Ed as he jumped down from the tree. "Ed…I'm sorry I left you, but I couldn't carry you or wait for you to wake up."

"It's alright…but next time, just don't put me in a tree please." Ed smirked then was very surprised when Lauren drew him into a hug.

"I know…sorry."

"It's alright." Ed patted her on her back then they turned to Rain and Dirt, breaking their hug.

"Thank you so much, Dirt." Lauren bowed a little.

"And thank you, Rain, and Hero." Ed smiled, scratching his head.

Dirt and Rain both smiled and bowed back and Hero growled/whined.

"Well…now what will you do?" Rain looked into Ed's golden eyes.

"Lauren and I have to hunt down some homunculi and an ex-state alchemist, then rescue a little girl.

"Homunculi…those…are made from…human transmutations…correct?" Dirt stepped forward a little and Rain sat down, followed by Hero.

Lauren and Ed both nodded, looking at the ground.

"You have made them." Dirt said, eyeing Ed's auto-mail arm and Lauren's auto-mail leg.

"Perhaps…we can never really be sure which ones we made…they usually look like the person we tried to bring back." Ed said quietly.

Lauren's eyes widened even more, realizing that she hadn't been talking to her father, she knew something was wrong…"He didn't have gray eyes…he had brown eyes…" Lauren whispered.

Ed looked at her. "What are you talking about?"

"I…" Lauren couldn't talk. Who would want to bring a guy like that back from the dead!

They all looked at Lauren, waiting for an explanation…one that Lauren couldn't give them, not yet at least……..

Another chapter done. Tell me what ya think, plz review, let me know if ya like the way the story's going!