Chapter nine:
Vincent awaits the trade for Full Metal for this little flower at his feet. Looking at her, her tattered dress no longer as lovely as it was four months ago. The dress now only being the bodes, with mud and blood stains covering it, it's old beauty could never be fully returned. Watching the girl shiver against the cold only made him grin all the more. It was obvious that he had taken very little care for her.
Dried blood on her arms and legs, where lashes once were and now have turned to scars, as she sits in the snow hugging herself, shivering as the snow slowly hits her cooling skin. Her hair no longer shoulder blade length, it now was a mess between ear length and down to her jaw line; the only thing that had grown was her bangs. Her bangs having grown long enough she hides her shamed face. Trying to hike up her dress to at least keep her breasts covered, she quickly feels the pain of a smack against the back of her head. She lowers her head showing that she won't try anything that night, but only for that night. She looks to the ground seeing the snow turn pink and quickly to red, she knew that little blow at hurt something. Her pale skin she almost feared that they wouldn't be able to see her she could tell her skin had become very close to the color of the very snow around her.
Hearing the sounds of foot steps against the fallen snow, Kat lifts her head slowly her eyes slightly lost the sparkle they once had, and terrible dark circles show underneath her eyes from lack of sleep and lack of nourishment, her pale skin not helping much in hiding this fact either.
She shivers as she sees her cousin, and Alphonse Elric, 'I knew it they wouldn't bring him.' Kat mentally grins to herself, coughing lightly feeling terrible.
Speaking to herself too soon she sees Edward standing there between the two. 'Damn it! No!' She glares at the three as tears brim her eyes.
Kat squeaks against the pain of having her hair, or what's left of it, pulled forcing her up. She stands for all to see her bruised and broken body, she stumbles lightly against the pain of her knees they obviously had been beaten to keep her running too far. Showing her broken nose as it still hadn't healed yet looking a week old. Her lips black and blue with slaps, love bites down her neck and chest, showing he'd done more than just attack her with whips and chains. The large cuts and bruises around her wrists and ankles making the terrible thought that much closer to reality. The tattered dress only barely making it over her bottom, she tries to pull on it to keep from showing anything, if she had the blood to do so she'd have blushed.
Vincent grins looking at the other men, "I though we agreed that you wouldn't be embarrassed about yourself." Vincent whispers into Kat's ear, tempted to nibble on it.
"I'm embarrassed that they can tell by what I look like now what you've done!" Kat grits through her teeth. Vincent responds with only tugging on the girls' hair all the more. She moans lightly, getting a warning growl from the man. Closing her eyes she gasps slightly at the pull on her hair, only nodding slightly in showing that she understands that he is not pleased with her.
Returning his attention to his visitors he smiles, "You have brought Elric I see, good job any last requests?" Vincent yells out, rubbing his cheek against Kat's.
"Only to have one last embrace with Kat before we part once more!" Edward yells out calmly and coolly.
"Are you sure this is going to work brother?" Al whispers.
"Yes now be quiet!" Ed responds and starts walking toward Kat as she's pushed to walk forward an obvious frown of disapproval on her face. She limps to the young man seeing that he'd grown slightly, or it was just that she wasn't used to seeing him. Ed looks at her with worried eyes seeing her labored steps, and breathing. Ed hugs her holding her tightly, "Did he slip any bombs on you?" Ed whispers, his hands slowly moving around making it seem like he's giving her a loving hug.
"No… And you shouldn't be doing this!" Kat glares at her cousin, whispering in return.
"I'm just glad that you're safe." Ed speaks up for everyone to hear, as he caresses her right cheek. "I ask to safely take her to her cousin and I'll walk back, you have my word!" Ed yells out.
"Fine but make it quick we have fun things to do Elric!" Vincent grins as Edward shivers at the thought of that meaning.
Ed takes Kat to her cousin and walks back showing that he shows no means to get away.
Though in an instant Ed drops to the ground making it look like he tripped, "Ha!" Vincent starts to laugh though stops instantly when he sees the giant wall surrounding the people he made a deal with. "DAMN IT!"
"We told you Elric is a better alchemist than you gave him credit for…" Lusts voice whispers into his ear.
"Then let's kill them!" Vincent pulls out two shotguns firing at the wall.
"That's enough Vincent!" Comes a commanding feminine voice from above.
"Baka…" Lust speaks up and quickly crushes the captures' throat with one grip fading into the darkness.
Ed puts down the wall seeing the signal to do so; everyone sees that the capture had died, not by gunfire but something else.
Roy holds his cousin as she cries into his jacket; petting her head slowly he gets a blanket wrapping her in it. He lifts her up bridal style carrying her to the medic standing by.
(SC)
At the military hospital Roy, Ed and Al wait in the waiting room as well as many others from Roy's office. Waiting for an answer about how the little flower was doing. They'd been waiting for about five hours since she'd gone into the doctor's care.
The doctor walks in with his operation clothes still on, letting a towel hang from his right shoulder after using it to clean himself, everyone waits to hear how bad she is. The doctor sits across from Roy looking completely serious. "Colonely Mustang, your cousin is doing well she's stable though she's been through a lot. She'll need at least a month or two to recover." The doctor stands up and offers to walk with Roy knowing that he wont want the others to listen to the rest. After getting far enough away he starts up again, "She's filled with drugs, and her body is badly hurt, a lot of the wounds wont heal fully because they were not treated quickly enough. She's been raped several times, and it seems that once she was pregnant but some how lost the baby, not through abortion, more likely through poor treatment and being so terribly beaten." The doctor sighs feeling for the young man. "Do you want to talk to someone? Or use the bathroom?"
Roy looks at the doctor in pure terror, his face paling at every word. "I… I need to see her!" Roy stammers out.
"Not right now Colonel, She's stable but very weak, we're still finishing up on her, when she's in a room, we'll let you see her ok?" The doctor pats Roy's shoulder.
Roy grips the collar of the doctor's shirt, "I want to see her now! I've waiting FOUR MONTHS FOR THIS!" Roy yells out.
Hearing the yells the others run to find Roy about to beat the doctor, Al quickly runs up to the distraught man taking him away from the doctor and holding him in mid air by his hands, "Sir calm down please!"
"I WANT TO SEE KATHERINE! SHOW HER TO ME!" Roy bursts out trying his best to get away. Hawkeye walks in front of him smacking him across the face quickly silencing him.
"Sir, there is probably a good reason why you can't see her now! Now calm down or you wont see her at all for the rest of the night!" Risa glares at Roy seeing the hopelessness in his face. Risa turns to the Doctor, "I'm sorry for the Colonel's actions sir, he's been through a lot."
"Understandable." The doctor speaks up fixing his shirt and getting ready to go back to his work. "A nurse will let you know when she is ready." The doctor waves as he leaves.
Al helps Mustang back into the waiting room, and helping him into a seat. Everyone starts talking trying to lighten up the atmosphere. Ed only watches the Colonel seeing him hunched over his hands clasping one another, covering his lips in a form of praying, though his eyes were completely open. Ed pats Roy's shoulder feeling for him, nothing could be done until the doctors where done. Ed knew a little too well what it was like not to know what to do while watching your family being hurt. "I'm sorry sir…" Ed speaks up as he gets up to get something to eat, only to be stopped by Roy's hand.
"Will you help me…" Roy mumbles.
Ed leans closer to hear, "What?"
"Help me watch over her… since you helped get her…" Roy looks at the teenager; he used to think the kid was such a stupid little punk, using excuses to get by. He was only being himself to protect Al and himself, and to return themselves back to normal. The looks of understanding in both their faces, Ed doesn't give him some smug look trying to tease him about Roy needing help it was a request not an order. Nodding Ed makes his grip on Roy's shoulder a little tighter in understanding.
"Want something to eat sir?" Ed takes back his hand as Roy returns to his staring contest.
"Sure why not…" Roy speaks up.
Ed leaves to get something to eat and quickly returns with some candy for them both. "It'll help you calm down." Ed gives his commanding officer the candy bar letting him open it himself.
After another half an hour a nurse finally enters the waiting room with a clipboard, "Roy Mustang?"
Roy looks up, quickly stands up and walks up to the nurse, "Yes?"
"This way sir." The nurse leads him to the room in which Kat is resting. Walking up to her seeing that she's still asleep, Roy pulls up a chair hearing the nurse leave and close the door.
Looking at his little Kitty-Kat, her poor face, her poor body, bandaged to the point where she could almost be considered to look like a mummy, Roy smiles half heartedly, "You look like shit Kitty-Kat."
Receiving a smile from his words throws the Colonel off a little, "I knew I would." Kat gets out hoarsely
"I'm so sorry I wasn't there." Roy holds her right hand her left having and IV in it. "I'm sorry I couldn't come sooner."
Kat turns to look at him with her good left eye the other having bandages over it. She lifts her right hand up to his face flinching at the pain. Roy lowers his head as a tear slowly rolls down his face. "Roy… It couldn't be helped."
"Yes it could have!" Roy nearly roars instantly regretting it seeing Kat flinch away from her cousin in terror. "Kat… Kitty-Kat, I didn't." Roy tries to reach for her as she holds her hand away from him. His regretful and pitiful eyes look into her hurt and terror filled ones. "Kat…"
"Just don't… Just go…" Kat looks away from her cousin showing no sign of looking back, tears building up in her eyes.
Feeling like an idiot Roy lowers his head and nods leaving Kat alone to sleep and to think to herself. "I'm sorry… I shouldn't have yelled." Roy speaks quietly, holding the doorframe not really looking into the room.
"It's ok…" Kat whispers.
"Get some sleep…" Roy speaks up closing the door behind him. Kat watches for a moment, and does just as she's told and gets some sleep.
(SC)
Kat slowly awakens to the sound of a chair rocking; her eyes flutter a little, hurting just to open them. She looks around seeing Ed looking out the window of her room, his left foot rocking him back and forth in his rocking chair. It looked as though he'd been there for a while, then again it did look like it had been day for a long time. Kat tries to move around in her bed moaning in pain feeling the lashes on her flesh hurt twice as much as they did before.
Kat looks up feeling someone holding her, blushing at the site of Edward trying to help her up. "Come on, you going to sit up or not?" Ed smiles at her.
Kat smiles back and gets up the rest of the way. "Thank you."
"Sure thing." Ed speaks up as he grabs his rocking chair. Sitting back in it he puts his left foot on her bed. "I know this is a silly question, but how are you feeling?"
Kat smiles wider though quickly regrets it and holds her mouth laughing a little at the irony. "In just a bit of pain. You know the kind that's between excruciating and knock yea out kind."
Ed thinks about it and points at her, "Is it that feeling that you get when you've been stabbed by a thousand knives?" Kat giggles and nods. "Yea not a fun feeling." Ed sits back in his seat smiling at Kat, "I heard about what happened between you and Roy. Believe it or not he'd been through hell and back again worrying about you." Ed scratches his head looking at the door seeing no one there, "I think if we didn't find you, he might have just wasted away there, his only friend being his booze. He's been through some bad stuff, but I think it's beyond him to lose family when he thinks he could still have had time to do something about it. When he had a chance to get you and keep you from harm though failure to do so is just torture enough. You know that right?" Ed looks to Kat, seeing her nod, a little startled and confused by what Ed was saying. "I'm sure he didn't mean to yell, if he could have he'd have cried right there with joy… I wouldn't have bugged him either." Ed looks at the ceiling smiling to himself, "I think I'd like having a happy cry, but I'm not much of a crier either, but a happy cry is 100 ok with me." Ed gets up putting his chair back, "Listen to me yak like I have a story to tell!"
"Ed…" Kat speaks up looking at her covers.
Ed looks at Kat a little unsure what she might want. "Yes?"
"Please stay…" Kat speaks up blushing a little. 'He doesn't need to know what happened.'
"Ok." Ed walks back sitting in his rocking chair. "So how does it feel to be free?"
Kat looks at him a little confused, and then smiles, "It feels really good."
"That's good!" Ed nods looking at Kat for a moment, rocking in his rocking chair.
"How did you lose your arm Ed?" Kat speaks up suddenly.
Ed looks at her a little confused, and nods, 'Only fair since I kind of got an idea of what happened to you…' Ed sits up strait in his chair, telling her about his mother and how he and Al tried human alchemy, and how he had almost lost Al in the process. He told her that he first lost his leg to save his mother, and sacrificed his arm to save his brother.
Kat leans back into her bed, after asking Ed to be put in a sitting up position. She sighs and looks out the window, "You and I are a little bit a like we share the same pain. Our goals are different, but we understand the pain. The pain of loosing such great things and great people."
Ed looks at Kat for a moment, a little confused, "What do you mean you haven't lost anyone."
"My mom and dad died by some thugs, after we gave up the farm, everything became harder for us. Papa couldn't keep up with the rent really well so mama had to go searching for a job. On their anniversary they went out to eat, and never came back. After that I spent a couple years to myself, in grief and at the old farm. No one bought it, and it hadn't been torn down yet. That's where I taught myself alchemy, and it was easier to work with plants because well, our family has always been great with plants, why not broaden that factor?"
"Does Roy know?" Ed looks a little disturbed.
"No he doesn't, I wrote a letter that was supposed to be from my parents warning Roy. Cause I know that's what they would have done. He got it later than I thought he would but still he got it. I don't want him to know that they're gone. If I have to go anywhere I'll go back to the farm." Kat finishes.
"But what if he wants to see them?" Ed argues.
"Then he'll have to learn then, I don't want him to know now at least, he's too fragile at the moment." Kat points out.
Ed nods in some agreement, "At least you're going to tell him."
"Yes." Kat smiles, "You're the first person I've told that to. I feel so much more comfortable around you than many of the other officers. They look at me differently than you do."
Ed brows knit together as he looks at her curiously. "How so?"
"They look at me like if they get close to me, they'll get close to Roy, and that I'll give them a good word. Others look at me like a piece of meat, but you, you and Roy are the only ones that look at me like I'm a real person, that's worth talking to, that's worth understand, that's worth protecting." Kat looks at her bed as a tear falls down her face. "Will you two be the only men in my life to see me like that ever again?"
Ed stands up and sits on Kats bed petting her head sympathetically, "There will be someone someday."
Kat takes Ed's right hand from the top of her head and putting it on her right cheek, "The coolness of your metal feels real nice on my cheek." Kat smiles softly, her right cheek being obviously swollen.
Ed takes off his glove and puts the metallic hand on Kat's swollen cheek. "That better?"
"Yes thank you so much." Kat keeps her eyes closed, her smile slowly fading, hearing the jerks orders, remembering that he always loved to use a gun as a last resort. 'I'll listen for now…' Kat unconsciously kisses Ed's hand thinking its Vincent's. "Until Ed and Roy find me."
"What!" Ed pulls back his hand looking at her like she's insane. "Kat… what were you doing?"
Kat slowly opens her eyes, glassy and obviously not focused, "You will never fully have me! Do you understand Vincent?" She slowly starts to move towards Ed, "You can't have me like…" Kat trails off falling into Ed's lap unconscious.
"NURSE!" Ed yells out seeing that one of Kat's wounds had opened and she was hallucinating.
"What is? Oh my! What happened? Did she over do it?" the nurse helps Kat onto her back, rushing Ed off the bed and outside.
Ed looks at the door for a moment confused, he looks at himself seeing that he has a little bit of her blood on his coat, he quickly takes it off running to the bathroom. 'What in the world was she talking about? She probably mistook me for that jerk-off! Still what did she mean by not being able to have her like, someone, and WHO was she talking about?' Letting his thoughts linger a sudden image of himself and Kat came to mind. 'BAKA! She doesn't want me like that! Besides I have Winry, we've been life long friends!" Ed blushes and almost smacks himself for even thinking what he thought.
Finishing up on cleaning is coat Ed returns to Kat's room waiting to be let back in. 'I hope she's ok…'
"Fullmetal." A familiar voice speaks up. "Your jacket looks a little wet."
Ed looks up seeing Roy with Hughes, "Hey guys, I-" 'I probably shouldn't say why I was on that bed with Kat, make something up!' "I spilt something on my jacket, the doctor's in there with Kat she opened one of her wounds, and passed out."
"Man that girls been through way too much, has she given you any idea of what might has happened?" Hughes looks to Roy getting a no from him, he turns to Ed in hopes of an answer.
"…" 'Should I tell them?'
"Did she, Edward?" Roy asks stoically. "It's alright if she didn't, but I'd like to know if she said anything."
"She did say something…" Ed speaks up looking at the floor not wanting to look his higher ups in the eye. "Though it was right before she passed out. It was a little bit of nonsense. I just worry how much longer he's going to torture her in her dreams…" Ed gets out.
"What did she say?" Hughes asks, putting his hands on his hips, a little irritated by Ed's avoiding the first question.
"She said something about 'until Ed and Roy come and save me' and about… ermmm…" Ed blushes not sure how to really put it with out sounding really weird.
"I understand, she was remembering a time when he was about to be hurt her. Thank you FullMetal." Roy walks up to Ed patting his shoulder; his smile shows that Ed doesn't really have to tell the rest.
"Also, when she does get a little bit better you might want to talk to her, about, erm meeting the right guy." Ed speaks up blushing a darker shade of red going off to walk around the building. Since he really couldn't go out into the snow with only his under shirt.
Roy lifts an eyebrow at Ed, "I wonder what that means." Hughes asks practically taking the words out of Roy's mouth.
(SC)
Ed goes to the vending machines at the waiting rooms getting something to eat, 'I probably sounded like an idiot with that last little whatever.' Walking back he tries thinking about what Kat meant by the last thing she said, 'Is there someone she really likes? Maybe she really likes Al, well when I get a body for him I'm sure she'll love him! Still it would have to be someone immediate, and there isn't really much of anyone else. Roy and her…. No ew, just ew! Anyone over eighteen seems wrong! If it isn't me then who… I think it is me… oh boy.' Ed scratches his head not even sure how to deal with this.
Ed gets back to Kats room seeing that Roy and Hughes were able to get into Kats' room. Walking in he sees Roy holding up Ed's slightly bloodied glove, "Elric why is your glove on my cousins' bed?"
Ed officially begins to panic, 'oh shit oh shit oh shit oh shit. Oh hell tell him the truth!' Ed sighs, "Well she was feeling crappy, and was telling me that she's more comfortable around me, and while I still had my glove on, I gently patted her head, to comfort her. She took my hand and put it on her swollen cheek I took it off to let her use it to cool her cheek. I do the same thing with Al it feels really nice on aching muscles if you MUST know." Ed glares at his higher up, giving a look that says, 'did you really need to know?'
"Well you forgot it, and it seems she accidentally bled on it." Roy tosses the glove to Ed and places the flowers he'd gotten for her by her bed. "What else did she say?" Roy asks ignoring the fact that Ed's red jacket is on the back of the rocking chair and sits in it anyway.
'Ok now I know he's back to normal!' Ed mentally fumes.
"Well?" Roy asks with his usual smug grin.
"Ask her yourself, she's your cousin!" Ed grumbles grabbing his jacket and leaving.
'I love pissing him off.' Roy returns his attention to Kat, 'thank you Ed, for helping us both.'
(TBC)
Trom: Isn't that cute :3?
Ed: Yea except Roy turns into an asshole again ¬.¬!
Roy: Well It's what I do shrimp.
Ed:Glares: WHO ARE YOU CALLING A LITTLE MICROSCOPIC ORGANISM IN THE OCEAN!
Trom:Smiles, rubbing her aching head: Oy… ;. Well here's another chappy to make up for the long wait, again I'm really sorry ;.
Stary Angel: Awww thank you so much I'm so glad you like this story so much :hugs: