So this was simultaneously one of the most fun, yet frustrating chapters to write thus far. You'll see why! This also serves to fill in the gap of why Wrath went to Dublith in the first place, which FMA:B kind of glossed over though it was explained in the manga. As always, I hope you enjoy, and please let me know your thoughts!


"ACHOO!"

Lissa dangled her handkerchief in front of Ed's face. "I think you caught something on the train," she told him wryly, earning a glare as he wiped at his nose for the tenth time in just under an hour. She'd started counting before they arrived in South City, at first just for fun but then out of genuine concern when he didn't get the sneezing and sniffling under control. They'd already managed to reach Southern HQ without the barrage ever letting up for more than a couple minutes.

"Or it's allergies," he shot back, pressing the handkerchief into her hand and ignoring the grossed-out scrunch of her nose. "Stupid southern weather."

"Resembool isn't exactly in the north, y'know."

"Yeah but I'm not used to being so far south all the time anymore," he half-whined, punctuating the statement with a watery sniffle. "This is so stupid, I never get sick!"

Lissa patted his shoulder encouragingly. "Well, you might not be. I can admit that much at least." She scooted their suitcase forward with her foot, inching up in the ridiculously long line at Southern HQ's check-in desk. Ed sneezed again, covering it in the crook of his elbow, and she passed him the handkerchief again. "And you make fun of me for carrying that thing," she muttered.

He rolled his eyes. "It's still lame. Little old ladies carry around handkerchiefs, not teenagers."

"This teenager does."

"It's still for little old ladies."

Lissa stuck out her hand and beckoned with her fingers. "Oh? So you don't want me to let you keep borrowing it?"

Ed pressed the little white square to his chest. "Nuh-uh."

"Then don't make fun of it." Lissa grinned, so he knew she was just messing around, and bumped her shoulder into his. "So what are we thinking, once we get out of this place tonight? Hotel or dorms?"

"Mmph, hotel please," he mumbled past the handkerchief, which he was now holding against his nose to keep a sneeze back. "If I am getting sick I don't wanna do it in the dorms."

Lissa nodded, understanding that. "Maybe they'll have room service and we won't have to go wandering around here. We can take the night off." She scooted the suitcase again, nudging it with her foot, and made sure the tail of Ed's cloak didn't get under their feet as they shifted forward with the line. Thankfully they were almost at the front by now.

Soon enough they reached the desk, and after a brief conversation with the receptionist they were directed to the technique assessment department deeper in the building. Lissa snagged Ed's cloak before he could pick it up, though he stuck out his tongue at her for it—he preferred to carry everything himself, the dummy did—and they set off in search of the department. Central HQ was pretty well marked, with signs and directions and such, but Lissa and Ed quickly realized Southern HQ was, well…not.

"So where the hell is it, then?" Ed grumbled, sticking his head around the next corner and scowling. "What kinda stupid place doesn't have signs?!"

Lissa shrugged, feeling a bit frustrated herself. "Apparently this one." The hallway they were in was pretty deserted, but she could hear voices up ahead around the next corner, so she got Ed's attention and pointed in that direction helpfully. "Here, maybe we can ask somebody where the hell to go."

He nodded in defeat. "Yeah, probably a good idea." Ed hurried around the corner, Lissa at his heels, and asked the very first person he saw, "Excuse me? Where can I find the technique assessment department?"

But then he recoiled, yelping in surprise as none other than Major Alex Armstrong turned and beamed at them.

"Major?!"

Lissa just grinned up at him while Ed stumbled away. "Alex! What are you doing here? I didn't realize you'd been attached down here." She popped onto her toes and hugged him, ignoring the way her ribs creaked as he returned the gesture.

"Oh, no, I haven't been transferred," he assured her. "I was merely assigned to escort Führer Bradley for his inspection of Southern Headquarters."

Ed and Lissa exchanged poignant looks. The Führer? They'd managed to stop in when the Führer was here? This was some bad timing, exceptionally bad timing. She really didn't know how they got into messes like this. Because here they were, far from Central, researching the Philosopher's Stone—the exact thing Bradley had told them not to do.

"In fact, the Führer is currently inspecting the technique assessment department," Alex continued. Lissa saw Ed's jaw drop. "I'll take you there myself. Come along."

With no other choice, they fell into step behind Alex, Ed still clutching Lissa's handkerchief and sniffling into it every once in a while. She didn't blame him—she'd had a cold once, only once, around Alex…and the reaction had been astonishing. The man was as overprotective as a person could be, she thought. Edward definitely didn't want to admit he was feeling a bit under the weather.

Soon enough, they found themselves standing in an office, shut inside with Alex and Führer Bradley himself, plus a couple other guards. Lissa had snatched the handkerchief back from Ed just before they went in, knowing damn well he'd out himself as sick otherwise—and then they really might get into trouble for bringing germs around the Führer or something equally inane. She just didn't want to risk it.

"Ah, Fullmetal and his lovely young trainee," the Führer greeted brightly. "I'm glad to see you're both well."

"Thank you, sir," Ed mumbled a bit awkwardly.

Alex regarded him curiously from above. "You two came here for the assessment, did you not? We will handle that as quickly as possible."

"Ah, the assessment." Bradley extended his hand towards Ed. "Let me see your paperwork."

Looking baffled, Ed passed the sheet over, though Lissa could tell he wasn't entirely fond of just handing it over like that. She knew why—it'd be a whole other layer of paperwork hell if he had to get a replacement for that one.

The Führer waved to one of his other guards. "My stamp, please." The guard brought a stamp, sitting on a sponge soaked in black ink—and right before their eyes, Führer Bradley quickly stamped Ed's assessment paperwork and signed it, without so much as asking or even looking up for a moment. "There," he declared, pleased, and handed it back across to Edward. "You've passed. Assessment complete."

Ed turned a bit pale as he took the paper back. "I—thank you, sir. You didn't need to do that."

"Oh, it's no trouble at all," he dismissed. "I've heard plenty of your accomplishments this year, Fullmetal. That's good enough for me." He relaxed back in his chair, totally at ease, while Ed and Lissa were still floundering. "So, have you come down south to cause a little trouble, then?"

Ed raised his hand quickly, shaking his head. "No, no, nothing like that!"

"Ed and Al's old teacher lives in Dublith," Lissa piped up to save him from scrambling too much. "We just came down to visit. I'd never met her before, either, so I was interested." There. It's purely a social call, nothing more… No other research…

"Hm, I see." The Führer looked thoughtful. "Well, if she trained those boys, she must be quite a force to be reckoned with. Perhaps I should recruit her as a state alchemist."

Lissa very nearly laughed at the idea. Izumi, a state alchemist?! She hated the military and state alchemists most especially—Ed only narrowly skirted by with a pass, and that was just because Izumi cared about him before he joined up.

"Oh, no, I don't think that's a good idea," Ed muttered, grinning at the thought.

Bradley raised an eyebrow. "No? Are you sure?"

"Yeah, she…" He bit back a laugh. "It's not really her sort of thing, that's all. She's more of a housewife."

"Ah, that's too bad, then. Well, I don't want to keep you any longer than we have to, so I'll let you head back to Dublith." Bradley smiled widely. "Keep up the good work, you two. I look forward to seeing what else you'll accomplish. Oh, and Cadet Caito?"

Lissa tensed at the mention of her name. "Yes, sir?"

"You turn sixteen this coming year, don't you? So you'll be eligible to take the state alchemy exam yourself at that point."

She nodded slowly, unsure what he was getting at here. "Yes, sir, that's correct."

Bradley laughed a bit. "So formal! Is that what our academies teach nowadays?" He shook his head, more amused than upset, thankfully. "Well, I'll be looking out for your file, Cadet."

What did that mean? Lissa didn't really think she wanted to know—though she was still curious. How did the Führer know when she was turning sixteen? Had he actually been paying attention to her before now? He'd referred to her in Central as the institution's most promising trainee, but she'd really thought it was all just for show, something nice to say. Ed was really the focal point, carrying that title and really making a name for himself. She just…tagged along.

Both a bit shaken, Ed and Lissa managed to say their goodbyes and get the hell out of Southern HQ—and not a second too soon. The moment they stepped out the front doors, Ed doubled over and sneezed, hard, his braid flipping up along his head from the force of it.

Lissa patted his back as he hung there, bent in half, just dangling his arms and recovering. "C'mon, let's get you some tea," she told him gently.

Ed finally straightened up and shook his head, frowning at her. "We need to get back to Dublith."

"Not fighting off a cold you're not," she scolded him. "One night won't make a difference, we already thought it'd take a couple days to get this whole thing dealt with anyway. We'll get the first train out tomorrow, but you need a little time to shake this before you just jump right back onto a train, dummy. Slow down for two seconds, Ed."

He wrapped his arms around himself and sighed. "Yeah, okay," he relented immediately—and that was when Lissa knew he really didn't feel well. "You're probably right."

Smiling gently, she took his arm and guided him onto the pavement. "I think I saw a hotel back near the station. We'll see what they have available and go from there, okay? If anything I'll go poke around myself, I don't want you running yourself ragged."

Thankfully the hotel just a couple blocks away from the station had a vacancy—just one, with a queen-sized bed, but that was nothing new. And Lissa was too anxious to get Ed off his feet to even consider going somewhere else. So within an hour, she had him settled on the room's sofa, hands curled around a mug of peppermint tea, wrapped in a blanket and just…resting. For once he'd actually let her fuss over him a bit, which was yet another sign he really didn't feel too great.

What he'd said earlier was true. Ed almost never got sick, not in the three years she'd been around him. Every once in a while they both had the faintest trace of something, but for the most part they'd remained pretty healthy. It had only been a matter of time, of course, though it still was odd to see Edward even slightly under the weather.

"It's gotta be just allergies," he muttered, scowling into his tea.

Lissa just smiled to herself, not wanting to argue with him. He could have it for now, and later on, he'd just have to admit this was a little more than allergies. "We'll see," she agreed softly. She'd taken up the spot beside him, curling her legs underneath her body and working on a design for a new transmutation circle. There wasn't any total rest for them, not with everything they still had to handle, and she always was looking for ways to improve her skills too. Since her particular skillset was pretty rare, there weren't a lot of resources—which meant Lissa had to do a lot of work from scratch.

Ed took a sip of his tea and sighed deeply. "Hey, Liss… Is it cold in here or am I just crazy?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Cold? Ed, we're in the south… There's no such thing as cold down here." Frowning, she set her notebook aside and rested the back of her hand on his forehead for a moment. His skin was hot underneath her hand, his cheeks flushing pink, his eyes a little glassy… "Oh, no," she murmured.

"What?" He pulled back and stared up at her. "Oh, no what?"

"You've got a fever," Lissa told him reluctantly.

Ed groaned and tilted his head back. "You've gotta be kidding me. I don't get sick, I haven't been sick since I was a little kid!"

She sighed and got up from the sofa immediately, not wanting to sit around doing nothing about it. "Until now," she pointed out. "Hopefully it'll pass by tomorrow, but until then, you need to just take it easy, okay? Please?"

"But Lissa…"

She rounded on him, setting her hands on her hips and giving him her sharpest look. "Do you wanna try and kick this tonight, or do you wanna get sicker?"

Ed pouted at that, but didn't argue any further—so Lissa set about her tasks. She called down to room service first, picking out everything she thought would be most helpful for the situation, all comfort foods, plus more teabags of a couple different kinds. Then she took a couple washcloths from the bathroom and ran them both under the cold tap, squeezing out the excess water before taking them back with her to the sofa, conscious that Ed was watching her the whole time.

Lissa tugged the blanket off him and set it aside for a moment, then fixed him with what she hoped was a stern look. It was difficult to actually order him around when he looked like this, fever-flushed and pale at the same time, his bottom lip jutting out a little, but she did try. "Sit forward, okay?"

He sighed at her, but did as he was told anyway, putting his tea on the table and leaning forward obediently. Lissa slipped behind him and sat on the back of the sofa, perched there with the two damp washcloths sitting on the table to her right. Then she unfastened the clasp of his jacket and slid it off his shoulders, though he complained that he could do it himself, which she set aside atop the blanket. "Just…relax," she told him as she tucked his braid forward over his shoulder.

Lissa waited until he'd stopped squirming, folding up one of the washcloths while he got himself settled—and once he had finally calmed down and relaxed into her legs, she carefully lay the washcloth on the back of his neck.

Ed hissed and flinched forward, but Lissa caught his shoulder and tugged him back into place. "Ugh, what the hell, Liss?" he muttered, tugging halfheartedly against her hold.

"I need to bring your fever down," she told him gently. "Come on, like I'd do anything bad to you when you're sick."

"M'not sick."

"Right, and I'm not brunette," Lissa deadpanned. "Seriously, Ed, what's your problem with being taken care of? There's nothing wrong with it. I'm not sick and I care about you, so I might as well help, don't you think?"

He shifted against her, uncomfortable with something. When his shoulders slumped, she regretted being so flippant about it, when this might actually be…a bigger thing for him. "It's just… Well… Al's only a year younger than me, right? So…when we were little…it was always him getting sick, not me. I hardly ever did. I got so used to looking after him every time, especially once—once Hohenheim left. It didn't feel right to wake mom up in the middle of the night when I could take care of Al myself. And…once she died…" Ed swallowed hard. "I guess I'm just…used to being in your position."

Lissa stroked his hair softly as she listened, aware with a sharp ache in her heart that he was revealing something private to her. "I bet that meant the world to him, you know. Having you look after him. But you know what? I don't think he would've hesitated for a second to do the same thing for you, if you'd gotten sick."

That made him smile, at least. "Yeah. I'm sure you're right. It's just weird being on the other side, that's all… I have this instinct that tells me I need to be doing something other than just sitting here on my ass."

"Well, not right now you don't," she reminded him gently. "Right now, you're going to let me look after you. Okay?"

Ed turned far enough to give her a sweet, soft smile that made her heart stutter in her chest. "Okay, Liss," he agreed quietly. "I'll do my best."

"That's all I ask." Lissa took the cloth off the back of his neck and set it aside, using a little flick of her fingers to transmute the air particles nearby, cooling the air around Ed just enough to make a difference. As she worked, her left hand traced absently to the bottom of Ed's braid, to the hair tie wrapped around there—and after a moment, Lissa mustered up the courage to tug it free of his hair.

"Why'd you do that?" he mumbled, confused.

Lissa was glad he was facing away so he wouldn't see the embarrassed flush of her cheeks. "You're still dressed like you're going to fight someone," she pointed out, her voice mercifully steady. "It's silly." She worked her fingers through his hair, unwinding the braid and smoothing it down, her pulse racing in her chest as she went.

Ed snorted faintly. "So are you."

"I'll change in a minute," she dismissed. When his hair was free, Lissa slid the hair tie onto her wrist and climbed out from behind him, still not quite finished. She pushed Ed back until his head was tilted into the cushion, watching his confused gaze for any signs of discomfort—but he seemed totally fine. That gave her just enough confidence to fold the second cool washcloth, carefully brush his bangs aside, and set that one on his forehead. "Just keep that there for now, okay?" she asked of him.

"If you say so," he agreed, smiling crookedly.

She left him there with the cloth on his forehead, just long enough for her to change into a loose pair of trousers and a big t-shirt, for comfort. Afterwards she brought Ed's casual clothes back with her too, though she didn't want him taking that washcloth off yet. "Leave that on until it gets too warm to be useful," Lissa told him when she returned and passed him his clothes.

Ed nodded faintly, trapped by the cloth. Apparently not concerned about propriety or the fact that she was standing right there, he reached down and fumbled his belt open, shimmying out of his trousers only seconds later, totally unbothered.

Well…there's no harm in just…looking, right?

Lissa busied herself at the table in front of the sofa, clearing away the empty mug and grabbing her notebook… All the while peeking out the corner of her eye. It was…both easier and more painful to be so hyperaware of her feelings towards Ed. On one hand, it hurt so much less to just accept it and allow herself to feel that way, to stop smothering the emotions. But on the other hand…she knew she couldn't have that, couldn't even consider it until after Ed and Al got their bodies back. That had to be the priority. Not a damn thing mattered more than that—and when, not if, they managed to get their bodies back… Only then would she allow herself to imagine it.

Still… She couldn't keep her eyes off him. Lissa was going to have a list like Al's ready for the right moment, if he kept this kind of thing up.

They ate dinner there, once it arrived at the room, just sitting and talking through the evening. Lissa kept up with the cool, damp washcloths as best as she could, but she could see Ed was flagging a bit by the time he'd finished the soup she'd ordered for him—so she convinced him, with a little difficulty, to accept a cup of chamomile tea. It wasn't his favorite thing in the world, she knew, but hopefully it'd help him sleep this off.

"I'm sorry I kept us here tonight," Ed murmured, giving her a sheepish look. So he could eat and sit up properly, she'd switched to cool cloths on the back of his neck for a bit. He still looked flushed, though.

She shook her head at him. "You didn't keep us here, Ed. It's okay, I don't mind—it's like a mini vacation or something." Not exactly…but she didn't want him to feel guilty.

"Eh." He shrugged and gazed down at the mostly-empty mug in his hands. "Still, you're going to all this trouble… I'd be fine just sleeping it off, y'know, you didn't need to do all…this." He spread an arm wide, indicating all the food and teas and supplies she'd been using off and on to try and help him, to prevent him from getting any worse.

"I don't mind doing it," Lissa told him gently, reaching over to touch his knee lightly. "You don't need to sit there feeling all bad about it, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't want to."

Ed nodded, and stared down at his cup for a moment, thinking. "We…should probably get to sleep soon," he mused, with a quick glance at the clock across the room. "If we're taking the early train in the morning."

Lissa sensed that it was more about him being exhausted—but he didn't want to voice it. So instead of arguing, she just nodded and set about cleaning up, placing the room service tray in the hall to be picked up, clearing away the cups and plates, and just generally trying to leave them less to do in the morning. By the time she was finished, Ed had sort of struggled to his feet and was leaning into the edge of the sofa, head tilted down, hair obscuring his face from view.

"Ed?" Lissa crossed to him and gently rested her hand along his cheek, getting him to look at her. His eyes were still glassy, but with food and liquids, he did seem a bit better. "How are you feeling?"

He shrugged at her. "Dunno. Better, I guess." He wrinkled his nose. "I hate being sick."

She grinned and put the back of her hand against his forehead, checking his temperature for the millionth time that evening. "Well… The good news is, you don't feel nearly as warm as you did earlier. Hopefully that means you'll be fine in the morning."

"Fingers fucking crossed."

Lissa looped her arm around his back and walked him into the bedroom, her heart skipping a beat when she recalled they only had one bed—but Edward was ill, so it was better in the end. She could keep a closer eye on him this way, rather than watching him from across the room. Even if it did make her chest ache with the loss of things she couldn't have.

Once she'd gotten Ed safely in on his side, she crossed back over and hopped up beside him—then she began going through her little nightly routine, having to brush her curls out before bed to avoid her hair being a total rat's nest in the morning.

"Here, Liss…" Gentle hands plucked her hairbrush away, and Lissa's breath caught in her throat as Ed shifted to his knees behind her, holding the brush aloft. "Lemme do that."

She bit the inside of her lip and nodded, not trusting her own voice just yet. If she spoke…she might give everything away.

Ed's touch was feather-light as he lifted her hair from her shoulders, carefully arranging it down her back before he began to work the brush through. She hadn't been able to tell him no—and she didn't want to, honestly—but she still hadn't expected him to be so…gentle. Lissa couldn't remember the last time someone had treated her with such care, treated her like she…like she truly mattered to them, on this level… As he worked, his fingers infinitely gentle against her skin, Lissa's eyes drifted shut as she simply let him do what he wanted, let herself be taken care of for just a few minutes.

When he finished, he crawled across to deposit the brush on her bedside table, and Lissa opened her eyes to see him still kneeling right next to her, his gaze soft and embarrassed. "Thank you," she murmured, reaching out and resting her hands on his knees. "You didn't have to do that… And you're sick, besides…"

"I didn't mind," he assured her quietly. "You're always taking care of me… It's the least I could do." Ed looked down at his knees a moment, at her hands, and then back up at her. Lissa watched him in the dim light, trying to read his thoughts on his face—she could see him wrestling with something internally, could see him biting his lip and scrunching his nose faintly, the way he did when he was trying to make a decision. And she saw the moment when his expression turned resolute, firm. His gaze lifted to hers, his eyes molten gold staring right into her soul…

All the breath rushed from her lungs at once as he leaned forward, his hand reaching for her, resting along the side of her neck, thumb tracing her jawline. Ed moved closer, and closer, until she could see the faint scarring on his skin, the whorls of deeper amber in his eyes, the pink flush to his cheeks that had nothing to do with his fever…

Lissa could only sit there, her heart racing in her chest, knowing what he was doing but utterly powerless to stop him, not when she wanted this, when it was all she could think about…

Suddenly Ed jerked back, eyes wide with shock. "I—shit, Lissa, I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking, I just…" He rubbed his left hand over his face and glared down at his lap. "I'm sorry. Just—ignore that, please, I'm completely fucked up right now… I don't…" Ed swallowed hard and clenched his fists tightly. "I don't want to screw this up."

She licked her lips dryly, breathing in shakily, trying to regain some kind of control. If he hadn't pulled back…she wouldn't have stopped him. "It's okay," she managed to tell him, even as he retreated to his side of the bed like she'd slap him or something equally bad. "You won't screw anything up, Ed."

Did I just…give him permission?

But he didn't interpret it that way. "Can we just forget that happened?" he rasped. "Please, Liss. That's not… I shouldn't…" Edward shook his head fiercely and stuffed himself under the blankets. "Just forget it. Please."

Lissa kept her eyes on him, searching, but he wouldn't look at her. "Okay," she agreed quietly. "If that's what you want."

Ed nodded, mumbled a quick goodnight, and turned away from her as if he was going to sleep. Shaken, Lissa mirrored him—but she faced him instead, staring at his back, trying to understand. He hadn't said he didn't want it… He'd said he didn't want to screw things up… And she knew, she knew he'd wanted to…

He wanted to kiss me. He was about to—but something stopped him.

Lissa touched two fingers to her chest, where her heart still fluttered like a sparrow in a cage. It was something he didn't think he should do. Yet right now, when was still sick and had so much hanging over him… There wasn't time for her to fix this. Not entirely.

But I can make sure he doesn't fall asleep thinking I hate him.

Slowly, as carefully as she could, Lissa slid across the mattress until she was mere inches from Ed's back. From here, she could feel the tremulous wavering in the air from his unsteady breaths, could see the way his shoulders quivered, the distress he was barely holding in… No, she wasn't going to let him fall asleep this way.

Lissa reached out and smoothed her fingers across his left shoulder. He gasped and jolted, flinching like she might hit him—but she'd expected that. She carefully traced her fingertips down his arm, over the back of his hand, and finally dipped between his forearm and his waist, sliding her palm over his middle, encircling him. For a moment she stayed like that, rubbing the softest circles into his abdomen through his shirt, letting him adjust, showing him she wasn't going to lash out. Then she curled him into her, pulled his body back against hers, like puzzle pieces slotting together. "It's okay," she whispered when he shuddered, screwing his eyes shut in some kind of fear. "It's okay, Ed, I'm right here, I'm not going anywhere…"

"Liss… I… I can't…"

"Shh, don't… There's nothing you need to explain to me," she murmured. "Just relax, I've got you, I won't let you go…"

So fast she almost missed it, he shifted and flipped over, suddenly pressing his face into her chest and wrapping both arms around her middle, folding in against her with every part of himself. "I'm so sorry," Ed choked out, his voice muffled by her shirt. "I'm so fucking sorry, Lissa, you shouldn't have to deal with this…"

"Stop beating yourself up," Lissa told him gently. "Just—sleep, Ed, okay? You're sick and you're exhausted, and it's making you read so much into this…" She stroked her fingers up and down his spine, her heart just shattering inside her chest. She had never seen him this unhinged.

"But I-"

"Look at me," she insisted. When he hesitated, she tipped his chin up herself and got him to look right into her eyes. "I promise, you did nothing wrong. Just get some sleep, you'll feel better about it in the morning."

He swallowed hard, his throat bobbing—but then he nodded and relented, burying his face in her shirt and letting out a rough, shuddering breath. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." Lissa adjusted so she'd be comfortable to sleep, keeping her arms firmly around him, and rested her chin atop his head. She hardly knew what to do here—yet she was going to try anyway, try to soothe him and put those worries out of his head. Edward already had enough weighing on him… He didn't need anything else.

Lissa awoke first the next morning, with Ed still sleeping peacefully twined together with her. She took a moment to just lie there, to let him rest, and tried to make sense of the night before. She only knew a few things for certain, in the wake of it all. She knew Edward had nearly kissed her. She knew he'd experienced some kind of guilt over it—not regret, that came out differently—and panicked about it. And lastly, she wished desperately that he would've gone through with it. No matter how selfish.

Oops.

She sighed and closed her eyes for a heartbeat, wondering. Her priority still needed to be getting Ed and Al's bodies back—but now, for the first time, she had the flickering of hope beginning in her chest. Maybe afterwards… Maybe in a calmer world…

Ed stirred, and Lissa's eyes flicked open again. "Hey," she greeted, smiling at him as he blinked up at her. "How are you feeling?" Just act normal… Show him everything's all right…

"Better," he admitted.

Lissa pressed the back of her hand to his forehead, pleased to feel that most of the unnatural warmth had faded. "It feels like your fever's down too. I'd say be careful for a day or two but, well… I know you, and I know what we have waiting for us back in Dublith. So I'll just keep an eye on you instead." She grinned and carefully extricated herself from him, though she ran her fingers through his bangs once on the way just to show him everything was all right. "We're in time for the train, too, so we'll be back in Dublith by lunchtime."

While she got up, Ed sat there watching her for a moment, his gaze troubled. "Liss… I just wanted to-"

"If you say apologize, I'm gonna smack you," she quipped, smirking as she reused the phrase he'd said to her in Resembool. "Look, you know me, Ed. Would I sit here and pretend everything's okay if it wasn't?"

He smiled reluctantly. "No. Not for a second."

"So, clearly, everything's just fine." Lissa rested her palms on the bed and leaned across to him, kissing his nose quickly and making him blush a deep crimson. She knew she was flushed too, her cheeks going pink, but she twisted away and headed for the door before he could catch her. "C'mon, dummy. If we miss the train the next one isn't until after seven tonight."

By the time they got dressed, gathered their things, and left for the train station, Ed seemed much more himself. There was a brightness in his step that made Lissa smile, and gave her hope that they could just…go back to normal. It was all she could think to do, in the wake of what had happened.

What had almost happened.

The ride proved that, though, beyond a doubt. Lissa and Ed spent the entire ride chatting, making fun of each other, generally enjoying themselves without any real strings attached. She adored making him laugh, making him smile, even momentarily easing the weight he carried. Really, when he smiled so wide it showed all his teeth, when it made his eyes sparkle amber and gold…Lissa thought she'd do anything to keep him smiling like that.

"You won't tell Teacher that I was sick, right?" Ed clarified as they stepped out of the station and into the omnipresent heat of Dublith.

Lissa rolled her eyes. "I know better than that, don't worry."

"My, Dublith certainly is a pretty place!"

She choked on her next words and turned, grabbing Ed's arm reflexively, to see the damned Führer walking out of the station and coming to stand just a few feet away. It was startling to realize he'd followed them there—but even more shocking was the floral-printed shirt he wore.

"Please tell me I'm hallucinating that shirt," she hissed to Edward.

"Then I must be hallucinating too," he mumbled, gawking at Bradley.

Behind the Führer, weighed down by several suitcases and looking out of place, Alex came shuffling up like Bradley had gone running off without him.

Ed gaped at them both. "Wha—how—why-"

"What do you mean, why?" Bradley asked, grinning. "I'm here to take a crack at recruiting your teacher, Fullmetal. Izumi Curtis, right?"

Lissa felt her own jaw drop too. He'd come…to recruit…Izumi?! Oh, this was gonna be a show. It was going to be a complete spectacle and she absolutely wanted to watch. Izumi wouldn't be bothered by his position—she already hated the military—and she seemed completely unflappable to the point of being an absolute terror if she wanted to. Bradley… Even though he was Führer and even though he could be a nightmare if he chose to be… He didn't stand a chance.

"Wait a minute, you were on the same train as us?!" Ed yelped, taking a step back in shock. "How the hell did we not see you?!"

Alex scoffed at him and folded his arms. "It's very easy to hide from children. My stealth technique has been passed down in the Armstrong family for generations—it would be impossible for two teenagers to detect me."

Lissa wrinkled her nose at him. She didn't like being out of the loop.

Ed growled under his breath and grabbed Lissa's hand. "C'mon, Liss. We'll take the shortcut." He stomped away, ignoring Bradley waving cheerily—he was in street clothes, after all, so military propriety could be fudged—and pulled her down an alley she recognized easily by now.

"We should probably warn Ms. Izumi," she observed as she kept pace with him.

He nodded reluctantly. "Yeah. Oh, man, she's gonna be so pissed I brought the damn Führer into her shop."

Lissa grimaced, imagining Izumi's impending wrath at the discovery. "Shit. Um… Yeah, you're kind of screwed. Sorry, Ed." She squeezed his hand and tugged him a bit closer. "I'll distract her while you run?"

That got him to laugh, loosening up a bit. "Nah, I'll handle it. She's too fast to run from anyway."

As they approached the storefront, where Izumi and Sig would be during the day—and Al, for that matter—Lissa began to feel that…buzzing around her ears and neck. It was common in crowded places, but when she'd been here before it hadn't been so present, and the way it crept up every step they took was enough to make her pause right there in the street.

"Liss?" Ed jerked to a halt, caught on her hand, and turned to her worriedly. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"I'm…sensing something," she admitted. "It's weird… Can you just…keep an eye out while I try and figure out what the hell this is?"

He nodded without hesitation. "Of course."

Lissa sighed and focused inward, letting that sensation build, grow, until it filled out into a full-blown reading. Immediately she was flooded with that horrific wriggling, writhing sense she'd felt in the Fifth Laboratory. "Ed," she breathed, suddenly petrified. "This is…what I felt below the Fifth Laboratory."

"What?!" Ed grabbed both her hands and pulled her towards him, his eyes narrowed and serious. "Are you completely sure? The exact same thing?"

She nodded weakly. "Yeah… The same as what I got from those two creatures with the ouroboros tattoos. Something bad is going on here, I know it. I've never felt this anywhere else and it's really distinct."

"Shit. Okay, we need to get Teacher involved, I know you don't like telling people about your ability but we need her help, Liss." Edward took her shoulders and gave her a very fierce look. "I won't let anything happen to you, okay? I promise. Besides, she's like me, she's seen the Truth… It makes you a little more accepting."

Lissa hated it, but she knew he was right. Izumi would be an enormous help if they had to face one of those creatures. "I trust you," she murmured.

They left the alleyway behind and raced straight to the shop, Lissa smothering her senses back down as that same awful one became more and more prevalent—only to skid to a halt in the doorway, finding the shop much fuller than it usually was.

"They beat us here?!" Ed groaned, peering past Alex's bulk to see the Führer at the desk, talking to a very obstinate Sig. "Ugh, screw this. Let's go around back."

Lissa caught his wrist, though. "No, we can get past Alex, he'll let us through. We don't wanna waste time going the whole way around the block, Ed."

He grimaced but nodded. "Fine. You lead the way then."

She slid her fingers between his and tugged him forward, under Alex's arm and around him, bypassing the desk quickly and finally stepping into the back room. And by some crazy stroke of luck, Izumi was there, looking more than a bit frustrated and through with the situation.

"You're back," she observed, seeming a bit surprised. "I thought you said it would take a few days." Before they could launch into anything, though, Izumi held up a hand. "Never mind that. I'm glad you're here—I'm afraid we have a bit of a…situation." She scowled, seeming a bit…unsettled somehow. "Alphonse has been kidnapped."

Ed reared back in shock. "Al's been what?!" he yelped. "Kidnapped?! How—how the hell could he get kidnapped, he's a freaking giant suit of armor!"

Izumi sighed wearily, shaking her head in a kind of exasperation. "It's complicated."

"What do they want for him?" Lissa pressed, fearful. Alphonse… He was still just a kid, being abducted could be terrifying to him… And they'd left him alone here, dammit, he should've come with them and it never would've happened! "Is it for ransom or something?" There had to be a motive… Al couldn't have been easy to take down, after all.

But Izumi shook her head. "Nothing like that, no. They're demanding information on transmuting a soul in exchange for Al's release. They specifically want you to come down there, Ed."

He looked utterly disgusted at the idea, the fact that this was all about how he'd transmuted his brother's soul. "Who the hell would want information on that?" he asked, repulsed.

"He's a creature who goes by the name of Greed," Izumi told them. She pointed at the back of her hand, drawing attention to the fact that her right was bandaged up pretty intensely. "With an ouroboros tattoo on his left hand. He called himself a homunculus."

A homunculus?!

"But…that's not supposed to be possible," Lissa breathed, feeling horrifically unsettled. "Homunculi only exist in theory, but to actually create one…"

"He certainly wasn't human," Izumi told her bluntly, displaying her injured hand and shrugging. "He has some sort of skin-shifting ability to protect himself. What a coward. But absolutely not human, not any kind of human I've ever encountered. His followers were chimeras as well, fully-functional, but they were different than him."

Ed's expression darkened, his face turning harsh, a scowl contorting his features. "So this man—this Greed—he hurt you, Teacher?"

Izumi lifted an eyebrow. "This is nothing. I let my guard down, that's all."

Lissa felt a wave of nausea roll over her. A creature who could get the best of Izumi… Supposedly a homunculus, a damned homunculus, with an ouroboros tattoo… Did that mean the creatures she and Ed encountered at Laboratory Five were supposed to be homunculi too?! What the hell was going on here? And why did one want to know how Ed bound Al's soul to that suit of armor? It was a puzzle without all the pieces, too sparse to see the final picture yet, and Lissa hated it. She hated feeling this lost.

"Okay," Ed murmured, giving a slow, decisive nod. "I'll go to this—this Greed's place and talk to him, then. Alone."

Lissa's heart sank.

"Alone?!" Izumi thundered. "You think I'll let you go into that dangerous place on your own?! Just how stupid are you!?"

Ed lifted his hands quickly and shook his head. "It's not a big deal, Teacher! Look, they just want information, right? That means it's a simple trade. My info for Al. I'll be fine." He shot Lissa a smile like he knew she was panicking inside. "This is mine and Al's mess—I won't drag anyone else into it, not this directly. S'not like I'm gonna get killed just trading for information or something."

Izumi glowered at him and threw up her hands. "Fine. Do whatever you want." She narrowed her eyes. "Just be back for dinner, understand?"

"You got it." Ed took Lissa's hands and squeezed down, giving her a sweet, encouraging smile. "I'll be okay, Liss. And I'll bring Al back too, don't worry—I can handle this one." She knew the subtext—that she'd taken care of him the night before, so he was going to keep her safe now in return.

Stupid! What a damned idiot she'd lost her heart to!

"Just…" Lissa groaned and pulled him in for a hug. "Come back safe, please? You and Alphonse."

Edward raised onto his toes just a bit to kiss her forehead. "Promise." He stepped away then, and Izumi gave him a slip of paper telling him where to go—and with that he was gone, bounding out the door and striding confidently away from the shop.

Lissa wrapped her arms around herself and stared after him, even once he'd disappeared. "I'm not sure I-"

"Let me give you some advice," Izumi interrupted, eyeing Lissa severely. "When someone you care about, really truly care about with all your heart, goes off on an idiotic mission and tells you to remain behind… Do you actually stay?"

She tightened her fingers on her own jacket. "I—but he…"

"When you really care for someone, you recognize why they want to handle something on their own." Izumi glared pointedly at the door. "You also recognize when they're being an idiot and completely reckless to go off by themselves and deny assistance, all for a stupid desire to be a hero. In such a situation…" She swung her head around to Lissa so fast it almost gave her whiplash by association. "You ignore their ridiculous notion that they have to handle everything alone, wait long enough that they believe you've listened—and then go after them. Or have I misread your intentions with my ex-pupil?"

She knows, Lissa realized with a fearful jolt. Then-

She wants me to go after him!

Had…had Izumi really disliked her? Or was she just…reserving judgment, trying to feel out Lissa's own emotions towards Ed? Maybe she'd only been assessing if Lissa was worthy of Edward. But if that were the case…then this…this was her own version of giving her approval.

Lissa disentangled her fingers from her jacket and gave a firm nod. "You're right, Ms. Izumi. About all of it. Thank you." She felt one corner of her mouth curl up at the strange relief of somebody knowing what was in her heart, though she never would've wanted to say the words herself. "In a situation like that… With someone I really do care about, heart and soul… How long should I wait?"

"Hm." Izumi tapped her foot on the floor thoughtfully. "Fifteen minutes sounds about right to me."

"Fifteen minutes. I can do that."