Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or its characters, nor do I own or claim to own the FMA series, manga, or movie. I am just a fan.

Author's note: Just a few facts to get you into the story. First, this story takes place three years after the movie, so five years after the anime series. Therefore, the year is 1925, and Ed is 20, and Al is 19.

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Chapter 5: The Dark One

Edward turned quickly. He shielded his chest with his right arm and braced himself the best he could for the sudden impact.

And me without a weapon… he thought to himself.

The two of them collided with such force that they stumbled backward. Edward had to take a few steps to stay on his feet. The other person, however, fell backwards. Ed steadied himself and prepared for another attack.

To his surprise, his 'attacker' was gasping for breath on the ground. It sounded to him like a no… it couldn't be… a woman!

The woman dragged herself for a few feet with her hands, and then finally managed to get onto all fours. She was still breathing heavily.

Voices… that means there's more coming. Ed quickly turned his attention to the dark alley from where the woman came from. He squinted in vain, hoping to make out a figure.

He noticed the woman was clutching her side as she struggled to stand. She took a few shaky steps forward, and then leant against the brick wall of the restaurant.

Ed was in shock. He couldn't do anything but watch. Help her, you idiot!

Suddenly, the woman turned her gaze from the ground to Edward. He couldn't see her face properly through her matted hair, but he could see her hazel eyes flash as their eyes met.

"Get back inside! Quickly!"

With unsteady legs the woman pushed herself forward and turned to face the darkness from where she emerged.

"Didn't you hear me?" she yelled back to Ed. "I told you to go inside."

At that moment, two large men with handguns came out of the shadows. They were both wearing dark green uniforms.

"You little bitch." Said the largest one. "Thought you could get away? Ha ha ha… you're going to regret that." He had a twisted smile on his face. His accomplice just stood there angrily glaring at the woman. He had a large gash on his left cheek.

"Hey!" The two men turned their attention to Edward, to whom, until that moment, they hadn't even noticed. "That's no way to speak to a lady! And shame on you for attacking her…"

"What the…"

"I told you to get out of here! I-"

"You what? Have it under control? Sure, sure…" Ed whispered to her as he stepped in front of her.

"Who do you think you are!" said the man with the cut on his face.

"Don't waste your breath, Ken! We'll kill them both." The larger man put his gun away and took out a sharp dagger. "From the looks of it, the girl is pretty much done for. We just need to wait until she drains all to blood from her body. She's already standing in most of it right now!"

Huh? Ed hazarded a glance backwards. He only then noticed the man was right. The woman was standing in a pile of blood!

The two men laughed maniacally.

"And this other kid – he shouldn't take more than two minutes. He's small…"

"WWWHHHATTT!" That was all Ed needed to hear to set him off. "YOU MEAN I'M SO SMALL THAT I'M NOT EVEN WORTH YOUR TIME TO LOOK AT? YOU MEAN YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST USE YOUR PINKY TO KILL ME?" He was fanatically waving his arms about.

"I… ugh…" The two men looked confused.

Suddenly, without warning, the fight began.

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A blinding pain shot through her body. Even though her eyes were closed, she could feel herself falling backwards. All of the remaining air in her lungs was forced out of her as she slammed into the cold stone ground.

Breathe… breathe! She couldn't think properly. Her eyes shot open, but under the dim light and the blinding pain she couldn't see very much. She attempted in vain to stand up – the pain in her side was so immense that it nearly caused her to scream out.

Don't let him know you're vulnerable.

She wouldn't let herself cry out. Somehow she managed to get onto all fours. She could see stars before her eyes. Although her vision was very blurry, she could see a figure standing not 5 feet away from her.

Why isn't he attacking! He should have finished me by now… unless…

From the darkness, the footsteps were getting closer. She could hear loud whispering, as well, between her gasps.

Voices… they're nearly here.

She stood up, but her legs were too unstable. I can't… no more… no more… NO MORE!

With her last surge of energy, she pushed herself off the wall she was leaning on and she yelled to the man.

There's no point getting some innocent man killed.

All she could do was wait. She was fairly certain she was going to die at the hands of her assailants. To her surprise, her life wasn't flashing before her eyes.

Why isn't he leaving? "I told you to get out of here! I-"

The man whispered back to her as he stepped in between her and the men.

"WWWHHHATTT! YOU MEAN I'M SO SMALL THAT I'M NOT EVEN WORTH YOUR TIME TO LOOK AT? YOU MEAN YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST USE YOUR PINKY TO KILL ME?"

Lub dub… lub dub…

Her heart was pounding loudly in her ears… The rest was a blur.

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"Brother!"

Edward suddenly snapped out of his white-hot rage, ran forward, and punched the man named Ken in the gut. He grabbed the man's right hand and crushed a few of his fingers as he broke the blade with his auto mail arm. Ken cried out in pain and fell to his knees, grasping his right wrist with his left hand. He looked up at Ed and his eyes flashed with intense fury.

"You little…" he growled between clenched teeth. Edward didn't let him finish the sentence. He ran around to the back of the kneeling man and struck him hard behind the head. Immediately, Ken fell forward on his face.

Ed cautiously stood over the fallen man.

You bastard. Attacking an innocent girl…

When Ed was certain the man wasn't getting up, he looked over at Al, who was now kicking the other man in the face. Compared to Al, the man was much, much larger. However, Al was more than able to handle a thug such as him. With one more kick, Al managed to knock his opponent out cold. He fell backwards into the wall and slid down until he slumped into an unconscious pile on the ground.

The two brothers gave a quick grin to each other.

Ed turned his gaze towards the woman and frowned. She appeared to be breathing shallower than before. Suddenly her eyes rolled up and she fell forward. Al and Ed both ran to catch her, but they couldn't make it in time.

Her body crumpled into a pile on the ground.

"Is she…" Al was afraid to finish his sentence.

Ed gently turned her over and rested her head on his jacket. He put his cheek near her face to check for breathing.

"No. But we need a doctor."

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Soo… how was it? This one took much longer, but I knew it would. I wanted to lay it out properly. I also have a fairly good idea of how the next few chapters are going to play out. Please R/R! Thanks all!