(Skip to the ~ if you want to get to the chapter-pertinent notes!)

Went back and forth on this and finally decided I was gonna post this, whiny or not. Ah well. So, fun times, I had not one but TWO pretty sharp negative reviews last night and today - one of which got deleted, but it lives on in eternal glory in my email. (Coincidence? I don't think so, psh.) Either way, I'm not upset to receive negative feedback. It's part of being a writer. I'm bemused that it was worth leaving me a review to say they wouldn't keep reading. I have no issues with someone not liking this story, and one point they made (that my OC isn't changing the storyline much), is really very accurate. That's not why I wrote this. It's a "what if" kind of scenario, a character I couldn't get out of my head and so I put her down on digital paper. No one is required to read it if they don't like it.

They did make a comment about Lissa's abilities/mental capabilities not seeming "badass" or "smart" enough... And I do want to actually hit on that, which is why I'm acknowledging this at all. Regardless of her training, she's still 15. She's a kid. She received a lot of mixed COMBAT training, and some alchemical training, but she was supposed to be working on her alchemical abilities by training with Edward. Obviously most of that time she's been helping them try to find the Philosopher's Stone instead of outright training, too. I tried to create a balance with a character who has something to offer, without being overpowered for her age or obscuring the existing characters. She shouldn't be stronger than the Elrics. That's kind of the whole point. And as far as her alchemical abilities, as I wrote it - the ability to work with "intangible materials" is rare because it requires control over so many tiny, independently-moving particles. The ability to harness those at all is rare and it's difficult to control, regardless. There are serious limitations as to what she's willing to do, as well, because the darker side of her abilities would fall into things like - removing the air from someone's lungs, breaking bones with increased air pressure, etc - and her nature doesn't really fit with that. It's about a quarter of the way through the story at the moment, and you will see her abilities grow and change... But the fact is, having a unique alchemical ability doesn't necessitate that she'd be that much "stronger" than anyone else. I hate feeling like I'm whining and trying to justify this, but I did think maybe I hadn't been clear enough, or maybe some of my earlier chapters talked her up too much. The ABILITY she has is difficult and rare, with few actual resources on it. Unless she wants to be 100% lethal, as the military would use an ability like that, she has to learn and create a lot of it on her own.

Also...it'd be no fun to see a character so overpowered she just blasts through every difficult fight. Yeah? Because I think that'd be really boring. I mean, besides, the enemies Ed and Al face tend to kick really seasoned alchemists' asses too. (Scar with Armstrong, for example - and the homunculi kind of kick everyone's asses.) What do you guys think? I'm not going to take offense, and I don't mean this as a call-out - I just wanted to ensure I'd conveyed everything properly in the story. And I mean, there's 300k words left. Not everything has been addressed or answered yet.

~ ANYWAY. Yeesh. After getting those acidic little reviews I thought I'd bounce right ahead to Dublith - because I still love my story and I still love Lissa, and it just fueled my desire to put down more of her story. :D Whole lotta fluff, too, because apparently I'm a glutton for punishment and want to drag this out as looooong as possible. Dublith involves a little deviation from Brotherhood and into the manga, which you'll see in a couple chapters, but for now, enjoy my impromptu early update!


Leaving Rush Valley felt…strange, somehow, almost bittersweet. Though so little had really changed, Lissa felt like the whole world had shifted around her. Winry stayed behind, after Dominic got her an apprenticeship with a shop in town that he recommended highly—and even the boys were in decent spirits, heading down to Dublith.

Lissa glanced over at Ed, asleep beneath her legs with his head propped in his hand. She would've offered him the window seat, so he'd be more comfortable, but he'd passed out like that and neither she nor Al had the heart to wake him. It was kind of like old times, and yet not… The same way they always sat, with her legs draped across him in her usual manner, Ed sleeping in weird positions and way too frequently, Alphonse watching over them… But she still couldn't shake the feeling that something had changed in the world.

Or maybe it was just inside her that something had changed. That moment, in Dominic's shop… When she'd felt like her entire being was tumbling right into Edward… She hadn't been able to forget that for a second.

Ed jolted awake with a gasp, startling her and Al out of a companionable silence.

"Brother… We've almost reached the Dublith station," Al told him quietly, though Lissa knew he sensed something was wrong.

Rather than replying, Ed just slumped down in his seat, under the bend at Lissa's knees, and folded his arms over his chest.

"Were you having a dream?" Al pressed, his tone carefully even.

Ed averted his gaze. "Yeah… I was dreaming about him," he muttered, his tone bitter and tight with some kind of restrained frustration.

Lissa knew who that was without asking. Him, in that sharp tone of voice, could only mean one person—Ed and Al's father. While Al didn't seem to harbor the same deep resentment, she knew very well that Ed effectively hated the man. She didn't even know his name, let alone much about him besides the fact that he'd abandoned the boys and their mother when they were little. It still lingered around them, even so many years later.

"So, what else can you tell me about your teacher?" Lissa asked, searching for a distraction. "All I know at this point is that she's terrifying, and is probably gonna murder you for what happened… And I know she's an incredible alchemist. But that's it."

"Uh, let's see…" Al tapped his fingers on his leg in thought. "It's kinda hard to explain Teacher until you've met her, to be honest. She's kind of…unique."

She wrinkled her nose. "Why do I feel like unique is code for likely to murder me too?"

"Because it is," Ed told her with a grimace. "Teacher isn't gonna like any of this—and she hates the military, too."

But Lissa brightened at that. "Does she? Good. So do I."

Al and Ed exchanged horrified sort of looks. "I have a bad feeling about this, brother," Al mumbled.

"Yeah, me too…"

Lissa rolled her eyes. "Shut up."

They exited the train at Dublith station, and the boys led Lissa through town easily, ducking through alleyways and side streets like they'd lived here forever. She got the feeling they had spent a lot of time doing this exact sort of thing when they trained here, as kids, running around and causing mischief or playing games…or, hell, maybe even training. It was possible.

Finally, they stopped outside an innocuous-looking butcher shop, which was, well…probably one of the last things Lissa had expected.

"Well, Al… We're finally here," Ed announced, his voice a bit too high-pitched.

Al nodded solemnly. "Yeah."

Ed sighed wearily and hung his head. "It'd be nice if Teacher wasn't home," he muttered dejectedly.

"Uh-huh," Al agreed shakily.

Lissa stared at them, torn between amusement and blind terror. "C'mon, it can't be that bad, can it?" she asked.

But then, footsteps thundered from inside the butcher shop, and Lissa took a step back in alarm. Maybe it could be that bad. She was filled with a sudden tidal wave of regret as an enormous man stepped out of the shop, as big as Alex—which meant more than three times her size and able to crush her at will. And he was holding a wicked-sharp knife too, still sporting a little blood on the blade.

I'm gonna die, aren't I?

"Uh… Hello, Sig," Ed greeted weakly.

Al tapped his forefingers together anxiously. "Long time no see!" he chirped.

This giant man—Sig, apparently—raised his free hand like he'd smack Ed to the ground… But he just placed his hand on his head and patted him, instead of destroying him. "Good to see you," he rumbled, smiling. "You've grown up a little, huh?"

Maybe feeling a bit more comfortable now that they hadn't been instantly murdered, Al lifted his hand and stepped forward. "Y-you probably don't recognize me, but it's Alphonse." He bowed his head. "Sorry we've been away so long."

Sig didn't rebuke him—he just switched brothers and began patting Al's head fondly. "Looks like you've grown up more than a little."

Then, his gaze alighted on Lissa and she tensed, almost ready to be shouted away from the shop. "Oh, and who's this? Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend, you two?"

Ed grabbed Lissa's arm and tugged her into his side. "R-right. Sig, this is Lissa Caito, she's, er—my trainee. Lissa, this is Sig Curtis. He's our Teacher's husband." He grinned anxiously, trying to hide the fear behind his eyes, but she knew Sig had to know he was terrified.

"It's nice to meet you," Lissa told him, smiling and sticking out her hand. Propriety never hurt, right?

Sig returned the smile and shook her hand. She almost shrieked to see her entire hand obscured inside his, but just barely managed to keep it in. "It's nice to meet you too, Lissa. You been keeping these boys in line?"

She couldn't stifle the giggle. "Of course."

With that heart-stopping moment over, Sig led the three around the back to a quaint little white-walled house façade that mirrored the butcher's shop at the front, where they waited around the back door while he spoke through the window to someone. It had to be the boys' teacher, this mysterious alchemist Lissa had only vaguely heard of. But if she was married to someone like Sig…

"Lying down?" Al murmured, concerned. "That's not a good sign."

Ed looked up at him worriedly. "I guess she hasn't gotten any better since last time."

Lissa frowned. "Your teacher's sick?"

"Yeah, she's sick all the time—but usually she can be out of bed more, this seems kinda bad," Ed admitted, seeming genuinely concerned about her.

Suddenly, the door banged open like a gunshot, and Lissa jumped back in fear.

Ed wasn't so lucky—so he was directly in the line of fire when a foot came through the open doorway, and a firm, powerful kick was planted right into his face. He went flying, end over end, to land on the far side of the road in a heap.

Lissa stared, openmouthed, as the single most unassuming person she had ever seen walked from within the shop. She was a woman of fairly average height and build, with dark hair strung into a mess of smaller braids and tied up in a loose ponytail, dressed in casual street clothes and house slippers. Nothing like what she'd imagined.

Then the woman opened her mouth, her glare fixated on Ed, and Lissa felt genuine fear slide down her back, icy cold. "Hello, my stupid pupil," she snapped. "I hear you've become one of the military's dogs!"

The door creaked, and the woman turned, her rage never faltering as she turned her attention to Alphonse.

"Uh—Teacher—you see—it's because, um…" Al spluttered helplessly.

But then, the woman's face softened, and she gave him a confused look. "Al?" She smiled at him widely, almost…motherly, somehow. "Look at you, you've gotten so big!"

Al sighed in relief, slumping from his tense stance. He crossed to her and held out his hand like he was going to shake hers. "Teacher, it's really good to see y-" His greeting turned into a yell of surprise as she grabbed his arm, shifted her weight, and flung his entire armor body up and over her head to slam him into the grass behind her.

"Your skills are rusty," she told him bluntly.

Lissa flinched away as the woman stared her down next. "And who might you be?" she asked, not entirely kindly.

Shaking himself off, Ed darted back into the yard and told her quickly, "She's our friend, Teacher. Lissa Caito, she's—she's my trainee."

He's telling his teacher…that I'm his trainee… Lissa paled. That wasn't going to end well.

Sure enough, she rounded on Ed with almost a sneer on her face. "Oh? Your trainee, is that right? I see. Well." She stuck her hand out towards Lissa expectantly. "I'm quite interested to meet you then, young lady."

Lissa approached her tentatively. "You're gonna flip me too, aren't you?" she mumbled.

The woman grinned. "No, nothing like that."

With no other options, Lissa tensed herself and extended her hand, conscious of her gloves for a moment and wondering if maybe their teacher was going to rip them right off her hands. It wouldn't surprise her. Nothing would surprise her at this point.

She felt the disturbance shifting the particles in the air as the woman brought her opposite hand up, rolling her weight back for some form of attack.

Lissa twisted her hands and leapt back with a yelp, the air crackling blue around her as she decreased the resistance and slipped between the particles, just narrowly avoiding the flat-palmed strike headed right for her face.

"Hm. You're quite fast, aren't you," the woman observed. "However…"

It happened so quickly—Lissa sensed the disturbance again and tried to shift in time, transmutic energy flaring to life around her, but she just wasn't quick enough. Her legs were knocked right out from under her and she went down hard, into the dirt, landing flat on her back and staring up at the sky for a moment, stunned.

"Not fast enough, it seems."

Ed appeared in Lissa's vision, grimacing and holding out his hand. She grabbed on and accepted his help up, though she didn't feel much better with her feet under her—it was difficult to get the drop on her, really, especially when she knew an attack was coming. This woman…was terrifying.

No wonder the boys had been so scared.

"Still, I suppose it wasn't a horrible effort," she continued, eyeing Lissa thoughtfully. "Lissa, was it? I'm Izumi Curtis. I trained these two idiots."

Lissa waved at her tentatively. "It's nice to meet you."

Al sat up and rubbed his head as though it hurt. "You've got lots of energy for someone who's not feeling well," he mumbled.

"Not feeling well?!" Izumi demanded harshly, her voice rising to a furious yell. "What are you talking about?! I'm perfectly-" Her tirade was cut off as she coughed a deep, body-shaking thing—and when she coughed again, harder this time, she coughed up blood.

Lissa recoiled in shock, pressing a hand to her mouth. Coughing up blood? She was that sick? How the hell had she just kicked all three of their asses, then?!

Sig stepped up behind her and put an arm around her shoulders, looking down at her in such concern and adoration. It was almost out of place on him, somehow. "You shouldn't exert yourself," he cautioned gently.

Izumi turned to him immediately, smiling, her entire demeanor changing in a heartbeat. "How sweet of you to worry, dear!" She leaned into his arms happily. "Thank you!"

"You okay?" Ed murmured, looking sideways at Lissa, his expression troubled.

She managed a determined sort of smile. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just caught me off guard, that's all." Lissa wanted to say more—but Izumi cleared her throat, and all three looked up sheepishly to where she stood in the doorway, arms crossed.

"Well? Are you coming?" she asked impatiently, tapping her foot.

The boys moved first, following Izumi and Sig inside, and Lissa trailed behind them sort of drowning in trepidation. She was still a bit afraid of being murdered, honestly… Or maybe jumped again. Lissa didn't think she could lower her guard for a second here, not if Izumi was looking for openings to knock her on her ass again.

Once they were settled in at the table just off the kitchen, provided with tea like proper guests, and it was clear Izumi wasn't attacking anyone for the moment, Lissa allowed herself to relax, just a bit. She hadn't been treated badly, besides the one startling attack—but that was how Izumi had greeted the boys, after all… So maybe it was just her way of handling things. Her way of testing her own pupil's trainee as well, which would make sense, if she thought about it. Izumi would want to see just how well Ed had been doing as a teacher.

Lissa surreptitiously glanced at him as she took a sip of her tea. Ed seemed calmer now, and so did Al, as though they felt they were out of danger after the initial burst of wrath.

I guess that means I can trust she won't kill me, Lissa surmised. She'd been seated between Ed and Izumi, after all, so she had to be worried about facing sudden attacks from her non-dominant left side.

"Well, go on," Izumi sighed, giving the boys an exasperated look. "I can tell by the sheer level of anxiety you're emitting that this isn't just a social call."

"No, it isn't," Al told her quietly.

Ed looked up from his lap, his shoulders set with resolve, and apparently decided to just go for it rather than waiting around and making it worse. "Teacher, we wanted to ask you something. Do you happen to know anything about the Philosopher's Stone?"

Izumi regarded him curiously, but a bit passively at the same time. "The Philosopher's Stone? I don't know much about it, no. It holds no interest for me."

"I see." Ed carefully kept his expression neutral, though the tone of his voice dropped. "Okay."

Lissa bit back the worried frown that wanted to crease her face. She knew the boys wanted to come here and train, certainly, but they'd really been hoping to get a new lead from her. It kind of seemed like they believed their teacher knew everything, or at least had a better grasp on the world than most anyone else.

"Hm… There was that one alchemist," Sig noted, looking up at Izumi thoughtfully. "I thought that one man from Central knew a good amount about the stone."

Central? That'd be really lucky.

Lissa exchanged hopeful, eager looks with the boys. This could be a huge lead, to find somebody who actually knew a lot about the Philosopher's Stone—and who lived in Central, their own backyard!

"So who was this guy?" Ed asked almost impatiently, leaning forward over the table.

Izumi brought her hand to her chin thoughtfully. "Hm, let me see… Now, what was his name again? It was something strange, I believe…" She snapped her fingers and nodded as the memory solidified. "Oh, that's right. Hohenheim."

Al reared back, gasping in shock—but Ed's reaction was much sharper. His face contorted in anguish and rage, his hands clenching into fists in his lap, shoulders trembling faintly in absolute fury.

"What is it?" Izumi asked, raising an eyebrow when she noticed his reaction.

Lissa didn't know the name, but she knew it had to be bad. She so rarely saw him rush into anger so quickly, not like this, not such a soul-deep kind of anger. "Ed?" she asked softly, reaching out and touching his shoulder lightly. "What's going on?"

His head bowed further, breath coming much too rapidly. She could feel it in the air. "Then he's alive," Ed hissed.

Izumi narrowed her eyes. "Someone you know?" she pressed.

When Ed couldn't bring himself to speak, something just…clicked inside Lissa's head. The name… The profound effect it had on both boys, bringing out Ed's wrath at the same time as knocking Al's legs out from under him… The fact that just hearing this man be mentioned was some kind of confirmation that he was alive, as though they hadn't been certain before…

Was this Hohenheim…Ed and Al's father?

After a moment, Al confirmed it in a soft, timid voice. "He's our father."

The admission startled even Izumi, who sat back in surprise. "The one who ran out on you when you were little?" she clarified, her gaze softening then, going almost…maternal.

Lissa tightened her hand on Ed's shoulder, fingers digging into the worn fabric of his jacket. It had been startling enough to hear her own parents mentioned, back at Dr. Marcoh's, but she scarcely remembered them… This must have been…almost shattering to hear, to find out that the parent who had abandoned them, the one Edward loathed so much for leaving them behind, was supposed to know about the damned Philosopher's Stone.

"Yeah, that's the one," Ed snarled, trembling underneath Lissa's fingers. "It's all because of that bastard that our mother's dead… And…if it wasn't for him…" But he trailed off, his teeth clenched tight, jaw spasming, too overcome to continue.

Al shifted uncomfortably, clearly unsure how to handle his brother's reaction. "Um…" He looked at Izumi hopefully. "Did our dad say anything about the Philosopher's Stone?"

"Something about a lifelong dream coming true… He seemed very happy when he said it." Izumi paused, and scowled across at Edward, who still hadn't looked up. He wasn't trembling anymore, Lissa noted, but he still just seemed…upset. Apparently Izumi noticed that too. She got up and stepped between him and Lissa, forcing her hand off his back, and whacked him right on the back of his head.

He yelped and sat up, staring at her in confusion and holding one hand to his head, wincing.

"Now we're going to eat!" Izumi told him fiercely.

Ed gave her a petulant look as she headed for the kitchen. "Okay!" he snapped, almost a rebuke in itself. But thankfully Izumi didn't seem bothered by that, or if she was, she decided to let it slide.

Lissa reached over and touched his leg, just lightly, right above his automail. She didn't ask aloud if Ed was okay, just gave him the most concerned look she dared with Sig right there with them, hoping he'd understand. Thankfully he did. He quirked a faint smile and rested his hand atop hers, squeezing down just a bit. So he was all right…at least for the time being.

Dinner was…nice, actually, if a touch awkward at times. Ed and Al had to cover for Al not eating, only managed by Ed's timely distraction by talking about Satera's baby, and the delivery they'd been involved with in Rush Valley. That was enough to throw anybody off the trail.

Afterwards, Izumi rather kindly took Lissa upstairs to show her the bathroom on that floor and give her a couple towels. "I don't let the boys use this one," she explained, folding her arms, "because Edward always makes a terrible mess of the place. They're relegated downstairs. But I'm willing to give you a chance to prove yourself, since you haven't stayed here before." She leaned into the doorframe and gave Lissa a sort of…questioning look. "I'm sorry we only have one spare bedroom… Though Edward and Alphonse assured me you're used to sharing. Is that true?"

Lissa nodded quickly. "Yeah, we usually don't bother to pay for an extra hotel room on the road," she admitted. "It's been three years now, so it's not really strange at this point."

"I see." She inclined her head towards the bathroom door. "Well, feel free to use whatever you'd like, then, as long as you don't disturb us. Sig and I are quite early risers, tending to the shop and everything else in our lives."

"I'll keep it down, Ms. Izumi," Lissa assured her, feeling a bit anxious about the whole thing.

To her surprise, though, the woman smiled at her. "I hope so. You should get some rest when you can, Lissa. You might be Ed's trainee, but he's my pupil—I'll be treating you no differently than the boys, I assure you."

Though she was…well…terrified, Lissa summoned up a grin anyway. "That's definitely fair."

"Hm." Izumi gave her a contemplative look, before nodding and heading off down the hallway. "Goodnight, Lissa. Sleep well."

"You too, Ms. Izumi." Lissa waited until she was gone, and the bedroom door had shut, before she stepped into the bathroom with her borrowed towels and armful of bedclothes, really looking forward to a hot shower after so much time on the road. They would've stayed at a hotel in Rush Valley, but after getting trapped at Dominic's shop… Well… Lissa was starting to feel really gross. Not to mention her bandages were days old and pretty worn down by now.

Ed needs to change his too, she realized, frowning. I'll pin him down in a bit.

Lissa stripped out of her rather gross road clothes—Izumi had said earlier on they could all do some laundry while they stayed in Dublith, thankfully—and stepped into the shower eagerly, not even waiting for the water. She just dealt with it on the fly, nearly scalding herself before she found the right temperature, but it was just so nice to rinse all the dirt off that she didn't mind. Hot showers had been a luxury over the past few years, honestly, something that they just didn't always have time for. Lissa never made a fuss about it, though. After all, she'd orchestrated her whole presence there, her participation with the boys' journey, so it'd be stupid to complain. She wouldn't trade them for all the hot showers in the world.

Keeping Izumi's words in mind, Lissa borrowed her shampoo, though she was careful not to use too much. She was allowed to use anything she wanted, supposedly. Sighing, she raised her arms to scrub the soap into her hair, digging her fingers down to her scalp, and waited for the twinge of pain from her broken ribs.

But it didn't come. Lissa rolled her shoulders experimentally, tested by pushing them forward and then squeezing her shoulderblades together, both actions that had caused her some pretty serious pain before…but nothing happened this time. Weird.

She shrugged it off and ducked under the spray to rinse her hair, chalking it up to just having a good healing factor.

Lissa finished up in the shower, wrapped herself in a towel, and twisted her hair up in a second one, ignoring that part for a minute. She first dried herself, and then stood there in her underwear for a minute, feeling awkward and embarrassed at staying half-naked in someone else's house… But she had to redo her bandages before she got dressed, even if her chest didn't really hurt anymore. Doctor's orders and all that.

It took her a good ten minutes to clean the bathroom back to its former state, but she wasn't going to risk being booted out of what she understood to be the larger bathroom. Apparently the downstairs shower was tiny and sparse—hence why the boys had to use it.

When that was finished, Lissa re-twisted her hair into a towel and left the bathroom behind, padding in sock feet straight down the hall and into the room she'd be sharing with the boys. It wasn't as awkward as Izumi thought it could be, since it only had two beds, because Alphonse didn't need one. She and Edward would each get their own, though it did mean Lissa was yet again taking a bed that had once been Al's. She'd have to make it up to him somehow.

Lissa stepped inside and shut the door behind her, a little baffled to see just Al sitting between the beds, reading a book. "Hey, Al," she greeted, tossing her dirty clothes down onto her backpack, where it sat against the foot of her bed. "Where'd your brother run off to?"

"Oh, hey, Lissa. Brother's still showering downstairs, I think," he told her brightly. "I'm surprised Teacher let you use the bathroom up here, she used to get so mad at us for messing it up too much."

Lissa smirked at him. "Well, I cleaned it up. She warned me ahead of time." She sighed and crouched down, digging around in her backpack for her stash of first aid items. "I need to make sure Ed takes care of his stiches, otherwise he'll forget… Do you think you'll be okay here if I just run down right now?"

Al bobbed his head. "Yeah, I'll be okay." He tipped his head and gave her a look that felt like he was smiling—she knew the shifts in his emotions better nowadays. "I'm glad you're looking out for him. He'd never remember on his own."

"Eh, that's what I'm here for," she dismissed. Lissa patted him on the head and stepped back out, armed with antiseptic, cotton balls, gauze, and skin-safe tape to handle the stitches, just like she'd seen at the hospital. This was why she'd paid so much attention, after all… If she didn't do it, he'd just leave them alone and risk the infection.

It was a bit awkward to walk through Izumi and Sig's house while they slept, though Lissa didn't really have a choice in the matter. If she waited for Ed to come upstairs, he'd be dressed and she might not convince him to let her look after his stitches. He was stubborn like that when he wanted to be.

The shower wasn't running when Lissa approached the bathroom door—but she didn't take that as a signal to just…go bursting inside. That was just asking for trouble, either in the form of walking in on something she didn't want to see, or giving Ed way too much fuel to tease her with. And she really didn't want to give him more fuel than he already had. So she paused at the door and knocked twice, careful not to be so loud she risked walking Izumi and Sig up.

"What's up?" Ed called through the door.

Lissa grabbed onto the knob and turned, pushing past it and stepping into the bathroom. He would've told her to wait if she needed to, after all. "I need to clean your…stitches…" She froze in place, one hand still on the door, staring wide-eyed at Ed…who was standing in the middle of the bathroom dripping wet, with just a single towel wrapped loosely around his waist.

"Um…r-right, yeah, my…stitches…" Ed mumbled faintly.

Her brain had just…short-circuited. Lissa knew she ought to turn away, to go right out the way she'd come in and apologize, but she just…couldn't tear her eyes away. A slow flush was creeping up his neck the longer she stared, standing utterly immobile like an idiot with her jaw hanging.

The supplies clattered to the floor as Lissa's arm muscles gave up, and she squeaked at the sudden noise, finally breaking whatever stupid spell was on her and dropping to her knees to collect it all. "I'm so sorry," she blurted, keeping her eyes firmly on the damp tiles. "I thought—you didn't say—I shouldn't have just…" She trailed off, feeling so stupid, both for just bursting in like that and for babbling at him. This was ridiculous, it wasn't like they hadn't showered in the same hotel room plenty, and she'd seen him in just his underwear plenty of times. This wasn't new.

But it was, somehow… She just didn't want to unpack why.

When Lissa had gathered her supplies and looked up, she was only a little better prepared for his…distinct lack of clothing. He was still damp from the shower, his golden-blond hair hanging around his shoulders, wet bangs drooping over his face… In this light, cast from a bulb above the sink, she could see the definition across his abdomen, the lean cut of his arms, how every inch of him seemed to be toned down to muscle and little else… And…she could see the scars, too, from all the injuries he'd sustained as well as…on his right shoulder and chest, where the automail met his skin, harsher and older than the others, discolored, cutting deep ruts into his muscles. It had to hurt. Lissa knew it did sometimes, when the weather was bad, but really taking a moment to just…look… She thought it must be more painful than he let on.

"I know," he muttered, reaching up and pressing his hand over the marred skin. "It's not exactly pretty, is it? Sorry, I'll… I'll find another towel."

Lissa shot to her feet, abandoning everything on the floor, and grabbed his automail wrist before he could turn away. "No!" Her voice rang out against the tiles, echoed too harshly in the little room, much sharper than she'd intended it. Ed just stared at her, eyebrows furrowed in confusion, and didn't dare to speak. "You don't need to hide from me," she told him softly. "Not this… Not anything, Ed. I promise."

His lips curled into a self-deprecating smile. "There's a reason I don't walk around with my automail out, Lissa. I'm not stupid, I know it's kind of horrific to look at."

"But it's not." She lifted his arm, the automail one, and held it out in front of her. It was already banged up, dented, scratched, like he'd been through a hundred battles instead of just a few. He wasn't exactly careless with it, but he did rely on it a lot… And it spoke to what kind of life they led, to see the state of his automail.

Lissa frowned when she spotted water still lingering on the metal. "You haven't dried it," she murmured.

"Oh, yeah… I hadn't gotten to that yet," Ed admitted, giving a slight tug like he'd move away.

But Lissa didn't let go. She took a hand towel from the rod by the sink and set about it herself, meticulously drying all along the prosthetic, tucking her fingers into the smaller cracks to make sure she got all the water out. "You've got to look after yourself," she reminded him softly as she worked, conscious that his eyes never left her once. "That's why I came down here to clean your stitches… I knew you wouldn't be thinking about yourself, Ed. You never do."

He sighed roughly. "I have other things to worry about."

"Which you won't get to keep worrying about if you don't take care of yourself," Lissa pointed out. But it wasn't a rebuke—she kept her voice gentle, even, totally fixated on her task. Once the automail was dry, though…she found she didn't want to step back. Instead she carefully began to dry off his shoulder, the skin around the automail, watching his throat constrict at her touch.

Lissa rested the towel against the automail, held in place by her left hand, and gently brushed her thumb across the scarring beside his port. Ed flinched in surprise, his breath hitching in his chest. "Liss… Don't… It's horrible, you don't need to pretend it's not."

She smiled faintly. "When do I ever lie to you, huh?" She let the towel fall to the floor and smoothed her fingers up and over his shoulder, tracing the edge of the discolored scars, her touch feather-soft. "It's not horrible, Ed. Don't say that, not about this…or…or any part of yourself." Lissa traced her right hand across his chest, just the pads of her fingers leaving chills in their wake, and pressed her palm over his heart. "You of all people have nothing to be ashamed of. Not a single thing."

His golden eyes met hers, his jaw trembling faintly, the expression on his face so vulnerable it took her breath away. And Lissa accepted then, with her whole entire being, what she'd been denying so vehemently—she wanted Edward, in any capacity, any form he wished… She wanted to kiss him, to soothe the heaviness he carried on his shoulders, to call him hers, wrap him in her arms, protect him from everything that might try to harm him… Lissa knew, down to her very soul, that she was completely lost to this boy.

And for once…she wasn't afraid of it.

Lissa felt a smile tug her lips upward as she leaned into him, feeling his muscles shift under her palm as he tensed, and pressed her lips to the skin of his shoulder, the place causing him so much grief, so much pain… His left arm shot up with a sudden jolt, his fingers tight against her hip, her lower back, as though he couldn't decide whether to push her away or pull her closer.

"Liss…" It was scarcely a word, just a sigh that rushed past her ear, both a plea and a warning.

"It's okay," she soothed him, and pulled back far enough to meet his frantic gaze. "Trust me, please… You've trusted me with your life before, Ed… You can trust me with this…"

He sucked in a breath as she leaned back down, stepping closer, and kissed him again just above the last one, then again, her lips trailing the curve of his port to the top of his shoulder, the side of his neck…and then back down, to the base of his throat, the hollow dip there. All through it, Lissa kept her palm against his chest, over his heart, feeling his heartbeat pounding against her skin. She could feel how anxious she'd made him, how much she affected him, just by how rapid his heart rate had turned. But he didn't ask her to stop. He didn't flinch again.

Lissa slowly lifted upright, her breath catching in her throat when she realized Ed's eyes were shut… Not clenched in distress, but lightly, his lips parted, his own breathing steady and calm. He really had given up control to her… He'd trusted her, allowed himself to be completely vulnerable, opened that side of himself in a way she'd never seen before…

She knew she couldn't act on what she felt. Lissa knew without a single doubt she had to continue on as though she didn't feel that way towards him, as though she weren't utterly lost to him—for his sake, if not her own. She had to take care of this boy, who couldn't seem to do it himself, who had to carry the whole fucking world on his shoulders every day. And taking care of him… It didn't entail giving in to her emotions.

"I told you, Ed," she murmured, stepping back and smiling as his eyes fluttered open. "You don't need to hide from me. Not ever."

Edward looked at her a moment, his expression conflicted, like he was wrestling with something—then he smiled back, ever so softly, and reached out to brush his thumb across her bottom lip. "I'll try to remember that," he told her quietly.

Lissa caught his hand in hers and squeezed, just once. "I need to clean your stitches now, okay?" She had to move on—because if she didn't…she'd do something they both might regret. "I'll—step out so you can at least put some clothes on, but it'll be easier if you keep your shirt off for now, if…if that's all right."

He blinked, maybe caught off guard by the change in her demeanor, but nodded anyway. "Yeah, I… That does need to be done."

She gathered her first aid supplies and stepped outside then, and shut the door behind her, sucking in a deep breath and pressing her back into the door. Lissa had never lost control like that… Ed had been vulnerable, true, but she hadn't realized just how vulnerable she felt too, like her soul had been put on display, out in the open for anyone to see. A hundred things could've gone wrong. He could've rebuked her, he could've been angry she'd crossed a line, she could've entirely ruined their friendship…

But I didn't. Ed wasn't angry with me. He seemed…content. Happy. But that would mean…

Where there had been a door at her back one second—in the next second, Ed pulled the door open, likely with the intent to let her know he was ready… But the sudden loss of support behind her unbalanced Lissa, and she toppled backwards right into his chest.

Ed caught her under the arms and hoisted her upright, laughing as she scowled at him. "Sorry, Liss. I didn't know you were right there."

"Yeah, well…" She wrinkled her nose at him. "Thanks for catching me, at least. Here, come sit down in the dining room, there's better light in there." Lissa led him across into the dining room and nudged him into one of the wooden chairs, while she flicked on the overhead light, set out all her supplies, washed her hands, and got ready for the rather anxiety-inducing task ahead. Still… It had to be done.

Lissa knelt on Ed's left side and carefully peeled back the bandages he'd left on. They were the same ones he'd gotten at the hospital, which meant they'd not only been through Rush Valley and his frantic chase after Paninya, but also through his shower.

"Dummy," she mumbled, rolling her eyes. "You're supposed to change these at least once a day. Didn't the doctor tell you that?"

"Eh, probably. I just wanted to get out of there, to be honest," he told her bluntly, shrugging. "I've healed stitches before, it's no big deal."

She frowned up at him. "Oh? And when exactly did you have stitches in the double digits, hm? I don't remember that happening since I've known you." Lissa watched him sniff and look away, feigning ignorance. "Honestly," she sighed wearily, "what would you do without me?"

Ed smirked at that. "I really hope I never find out."

There wasn't space to handle that comment, so Lissa just moved on with her task instead. First she sterilized the area around the stitches with a cotton ball and some antiseptic, in case any dirt or debris had found its way in. Then she took a little cup of water and some antibacterial soap, got the suds going on her fingers, and carefully washed off the stitches themselves. He winced at that, his automail fist tightening where it sat atop the table, but he didn't make a sound. Once the stitches were rinsed—another painful moment—Lissa carefully patted the whole area dry with a fresh paper towel. She had a little ointment from the hospital in a jar, which was applied atop the stitches as a protectant underneath a nonstick gauze pad. The pad she taped down with a few ripped-off pieces of skin-safe tape, careful to keep it flush with his skin, ensuring the whole wound was covered.

"There," she announced, standing up and grinning at him. "That wasn't so bad, was it?"

He touched his finger to the tape almost thoughtfully. "Not too bad, no… You're a lot gentler than the nurses at Central, y'know."

Lissa crossed to the sink and washed her hands again, drying them on the hand towel as she peered over her shoulder at him. "Well, I'm not as used to doing it, so that doesn't really surprise me. How does it feel? I hope it's secure enough, I don't want it falling off during the night or something."

"It's perfect, Liss, don't worry," he reassured her.

She leaned back into the countertop and sighed, feeling the threads of guilt stabbing into her chest like tiny little knives. "Al's going to be worried," she murmured. "I left him up there ages ago, he's probably wondering where we got to."

Ed quirked a smile. "He's a smart kid, he'll know you got held up dealing with me."

"Dealing with you," Lissa repeated, the words sour on her tongue. "I don't deal with you, Ed. Don't be a dummy."

"Though that's what I am," he quipped.

She couldn't help but smirk at him. "Only sometimes."

Ed sank back into the chair, folding his hands together, his thumbs worrying against each other. She knew something was weighing on him—and there was no reason to pry. He'd tell her. "Earlier… Al and I were talking, thinking back about when we trained here with Teacher… And…we realized something. Lissa…" He met her gaze. "Teacher can perform transmutations without a circle, like I can. She's seen the Truth."

"You mean…" Lissa felt the world tilt beneath her for a moment. "Ms. Izumi performed human transmutation?"

He nodded tensely. "Yeah. She must have—that's the only way I know to gain that ability." Ed stretched out his legs in front of him and crossed his ankles, his eyes turning faraway as he drifted into his thoughts. "We're going to ask her about it tomorrow. Even though she doesn't know about the Philosopher's Stone, since she's been through the portal, she might have an idea how to…get our bodies back. Not that we're going to tell her."

"She might already have guessed it," Lissa pointed out reluctantly. "I hate to say it, but it's kind of hard to miss Al being hollow."

Ed grimaced. "It's easier for you, sensing all the little shifts in the air. She might not know."

"Still, I'd hate to be the one to ask her," she muttered. "Ms. Izumi told me earlier she's going to treat me how she does you and Al—like I'm her pupil too. So…I think I'm gonna die tomorrow, Ed. I really do."

He gave her an apologetic look. "I probably shouldn't have told her that you're technically my trainee, huh?"

"Oh, I dunno… I think telling your teacher that you took on an apprentice was a great idea."

"Just rub it in, why dontcha…"

Lissa giggled and crossed back to him, gathering up all the supplies she'd brought down and holding them to her chest. "C'mon, dummy. Let's go before Al comes looking for us. Besides, it's late. I'd like to go into my death well-rested."

He rolled his eyes and stood up, draping an arm around her fondly. It was such a familiar gesture that it made her feel warm all over. "Stop talking like that, Lissa. Seriously."

"Okay, okay," she relented, and let him guide her out of the kitchen and back upstairs. "So, any pointers for fighting your teacher? She's better than me, I know that, and apparently it's gonna take a lot of effort to be faster than her… I'll take anything I can get at this point."

"Um…" Ed grinned sheepishly. "Try to lose gracefully?" When she glared at him, he laughed and shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. Al and I can give you some tips before we go to sleep."

"You'd better," Lissa told him firmly. They paused outside the bedroom door, and she moved into his path, just for a moment. "Ed… Please… Try not to forget what I said earlier, okay?" she asked of him softly, hopefully much too quietly for Alphonse to hear. "I'm not going anywhere, so you won't lose the reminder, but… Really try to remember it. Okay?"

He smiled gently and rested his forehead against hers. "Okay, Liss. I'll try."

Lissa kissed his cheek, making him flush pink. "That's all I ask."