Kirina moaned a little. Her right hand felt warm and wet. She opened her eyes to see Ed grasping her hand to his face. He looked as if he were asleep

"Ed?" Kirina whispered. "Wake up. Why are you crying?"

Al gasped. "Brother, Winry, she's awake!"

Ed's eyes popped open. Kirina drew in a deep breath. Why were his eyes red and swollen? Had he been crying? And if so, for how long?

"Kirina!" he exclaimed, hastily rubbing his face.

Winry stood up from her chair and hugged her. "Oh, I'm so glad you're alive!"

"What happened?" Kirina tried sitting up, but felt a sharp pain in her back. She winced and fell back down on the bed.

"Don't move," Winry instructed. "I'm not done repairing your back."

"My. . ." Kirina sighed. "You saw?"

The threesome nodded.

"You've been out for a week now," Ed said, smiling with relief. Suddenly, his face became serious. "Kirina, was Anger right? Are you really Kimiya? Did you know Dr. Marcoh?"

Kirina shook her head.

"Come on!" Ed cried. "Why won't you tell us anything? You got hurt saving me."

"I can't tell you. You'll cry."

"I'm already crying, dammit! What difference will more grief make?"

Kirina closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

With a groan of frustration, Ed let go of the girl's hand and stood up.

"Brother?"

Without answering Al, Ed slammed the door shut and ran outside.

"Edward," Winry whispered.

"She's just like my brother, isn't she?" Al asked.

Winry sighed and sat back down. "Ed's more of a pain, but yeah. They are the same."

"Maybe that's why Kirina won't say anything. She did say it would make him cry."

Winry sighed. "Poor kid."

"What's the matter?" Pinako asked Ed.

Ed sat down at the kitchen table. "Nothing. I'm just pissed."

"At Kirina, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Can't blame her. I wouldn't exactly confess anything to you either."

Ed spun around to face Pinako. "What!"

Pinako calmly inhaled and exhaled. "You don't tell her anything, so how can she be expected to tell you anything."

"You don't get it," Ed snapped. "I did tell her!"

"Everything?" Pinako asked with unmasked skepticism.

Ed backed away a little. "Well, not everything."

"Thank you for illustrating my point." Pinako took out a box and started sorting the various odds and ends in it. "You two may be friends, probably more than friends for all I know, but you're still perfect strangers to each other."

Ed frowned. "I want to tell her everything. She seems so trustworthy. But I get the feeling that even if I tell her everything, she still won't tell me a thing."

"Have you considered that maybe she doesn't remember anything?"

Ed's eyes widened. "I hadn't thought of that."

"Before you came bursting in the room, Kirina was talking about other people. One of them was a Mr. Marcoh I believe. Two others were Mr. Armstrong and Mr. Mustang. She kept saying, 'Don't go! Don't go!' What's your opinion?"

Ed smacked his hand on the table. "That bastard! Saying he didn't remember her."

"Careful. Winry finished repairing your hand only yesterday. Don't give her another motivation to hit you with her wrench and knock you down another inch or so."

"Grams, I'm really in no mood for short jokes. I got get back and get some information out of Mustang."

"Why don't you just call him?"

"Because then I can't beat his face in!"

Pinako watched Ed go back upstairs.

"Idiot," she mumbled.

"Al! Al, where are you?" Ed called.

Al poked his head out of the room he and Ed were sharing. "Yes?"

Ed threw a suitcase at him and ran into the room. "Start packing. We're going to get some information out of Mustang."

"But he said he doesn't know Kirina."

"He's a damn liar. Trust me; if Kirina knows him, then he's bound to know her."

"But what about Kirina? She's in no condition to travel."

"Then we'll leave her here."

"Brother, aren't you being unreasonable."

Ed turned to Al and grinned. "This is the most reasonable decision of my life."

It was dark when Ed and Al decided to leave. Al was outside. Ed was still inside.

"Brother, what are you doing?" Al whispered.

"Hang on a sec."

Ed walked down the hall toward Kirina's room and took out the newly repaired necklace.

"I will figure out your past," he whispered. "And I won't ever let anyone hurt you again. I promise."

For a moment, Ed hesitated. Finally, he leaned over and kissed Kirina.

"Good bye," he said softly and left.

"Wait," a voice said faintly.

Ed turned around. "Kirina?"

Kirina sat up slowly. "You're leaving?"

Ed nodded.

"Back to being a dog of the military?"

Ed smiled. "Guess so."

"Were you scared?"

Ed blinked, caught a little off guard. "Scared?"

"In that place with Anger. Were you scared?"

"Of course." Ed sat at the edge of the bed. "Were you scared?"

Kirina nodded. "It was scary. Dark and semi-lonely. Why do you think she attacked us? Is it because I'm a bitch of the military?"

"Don't say that. You're nothing like that."

"If military personal are considered dogs, then I must be a bitch because I'm a female dog." Kirina frowned and turned to Ed. "Besides, what would you know? You're not the one trying to make up for misdeeds!"

Ed's eyes widened with surprise and hurt. "Kirina . . ."

Kirina sighed and stared at her hands. "I'm so sorry. That was unfair of me. Well, if you're going to leave, you better go now. I'm sure your brother is waiting."

Ed stood up. "All right. Well . . . see you later."

Kirina nodded and sank back beneath the covers.

"Kirina, just one question."

"What?"

"Why did you protect me?"

Kirina yawned softly. "I didn't want to see your brother cry."

"What about that song?"

Kirina started to sing it. Each time she said a word, her voice dropped a decibel. The word 'darling' became no more than a slight wind, barely audible to the human ear. Ed stood at the doorway, wondering what the words have meant, and then he left.

I wonder if I should make that list. It would take a couple hundred pages, so I probably won't. In Fullmetal Alchemist, my favorite character is actually Al (What can I say? I like nice guys). Ed is the main guy here because he can identify with the main character, Kirina. There will be a fanfiction in the future that revolves around Al and a girl, but that'll probably take a year since I intend to build up some suspense. (If you reread the summary, you'll figure out what I mean).