AN: The characters and concepts of Fullmetal Alchemist belong to Hiromu Arakawa. This story revolves around the first anime of Fullmetal Alchemist, not the manga. Do not flame because of that small difference, I've read the manga and seen the real anime that follows it, but the first anime is what captured my heart about FMA, so this story is tribute. Enjoy the story. The lyrics are "Young Girls" by Bruno Mars, I do not own the lyrics to the song. - Carrie.
"I get lost under these lights, I get lost in the words I say.
Start believing my own lies, like 'Everything will be okay'.
Oh, I still dream of a simple life; boy meets girl, makes her his wife.
But love don't exist when you live like this."
The doctor looks ready to continue as one of the boys falls to the ground, "My ankle!" Marcoh moves forward with the Philosopher's Stone, "Let me help you, son. During the war, there were doctors who would treat the wounded. It didn't matter what side you were on, Ishbalan or with the state, if you were in need of help, they would treat you. How's that feel?" The boy experimentally rolls his ankle before grinning, "Thanks! I'm it!" The children get up and run away to resume their game, the doctor watching them as he speaks, "However, they were casualties, too…...So I left with the Philosopher's Stones, and all the research that explained how to create them. But I acted much too late. The people of Ishbal had largely been exterminated. I heard that our military let only a handful survive."
Carlina, having heard enough for a lifetime, shakes her head and breaks away from Ed rubbing her back. "Lina," Ed reaches for her but she shudders, angling her face away and toward the ground. "Finish story time without me, I don't have the heart to listen to it….Apologies, Dr. Marcoh," the girl begins walking away from the opening of the alley, a slight limp from the worsening pain in her leg. All three men look concerned, but nod among themselves and keep enough distance to watch the girl, while being far enough that she cannot hear their conversation.
She stops at the end of the alley, watching their impassioned conversation continue. Leaning in a way that takes the weight off her bad leg, she sighs and stares up at the sky. "Mom, Dad, today I met a man who knew you when you were dogs of the military. He had calm brown eyes and nothing in them showed malice when he said your names, only regret, sympathy. Today I met a man who walked through Hell with the two of you, the twins, and Carlton," her gaze falls back to the ground as she plays with the ends of her soaked braid, "I wish you could have seen the look he gave me when he realized who I was...almost like Mustang when I returned to Central but, less familiar. Like someone who has heard a name but never seen the face...God, I wish you were here."
Pain briefly shoots through her rib cage and the hands playing with the braid clutch at her sternum. She closes her eyes and concentrates on the cold stone against her back until the pain goes away, opening her eyes in time to see Dr. Marcoh running toward her. The Elrics are ten paces behind the older man, Carlina has a head start but still lags a few steps behind the doctor due to her leg.
"Doctor Marcoh, stop please, it's dangerous," she calls but he ignores her, continuing to run. The brothers are still behind her, the girl trying to go fast enough to catch up to the doctor and tackle him if possible. The wind through alleys before he stops to catch his breath, the girl putting a firm but comforting hand on his shoulder, "Doctor." He brushes her off and takes a step to the side from her as the brothers stop a distance from them. "Marcoh! Wait! It's your call. We don't have to go anywhere you don't trust. We're not trying to steal your research," Ed pleads, Carlina nodding her head with everything he says. "No, Ed. There are other reasons I can't go there with you. I'm a stained man." "Please, Doctor Marcoh, we just want to help," Carlina takes a few steps back to give the man space.
The group looks up as they hear gunshots, Scar vaulting over the balcony above and landing on the pavement between the brothers and Carlina. He glances back and forth before seeing Marcoh, lunging at him with his right hand outstretched. "No," Carlina yells, darting to try and get between the men.
Alphonse shoots forward and grabs Scar's arm, the Ishbalan turning with a grim but determined expression, "This time I have an attack made just for you!" Scar makes contact with his palm against the side of the armor, obliterating half of the torso from the suit. "Al," Ed cries out, Carlina lunging forward but being stopped as Marcoh grabs her arm from behind. "No, don't," the doctor restrains the struggling girl, who looks on at the brothers with horror. Ed begins throwing punches and kicks at Scar, who dodges them all until catching Ed's automail fist in the palm of his right arm. "By clasping your hands, you make an array with your body, and circulate the alchemic reaction within. I know your secret, and without this sinful arm you can't transmute quickly. That is your weakness," Scar's statement is followed by a small jolt of red electricity before Ed's automail explodes.
The force knocks the blond alchemist back on his right side, motionless from the loss of his arm. Time seems to slow for Carlina, hearing Al's cries in the background but being unable to make out the words. Her body feels numb as Ed sits on his knees, his and Scar's conversation muffled to her through the rain and pounding in her ears. Voices begin filtering through as Ed turns and says something to Al.
"I promise before God I won't hurt your brother. But you should listen to him, Fullmetal. Your life for another is not a fair exchange. There is nothing in this world that can equal the loss of my brother and my people. Nothing will make it easier to bear," Scar shows the arm beneath the sleeve, revealing tattoos as he lowers his hand to Ed's head. Carlina elbows Marcoh in the ribs, forcing him to let go. She runs past the screaming Alphonse, throwing her shoulder between Scar's shoulder blades and knocking him forward so his hand loses contact with Ed's head. Carlina rolls unto the ground with Scar, struggling on top of him with her hands locked against his. Something swings from inside the folds of her jacket, Scar noticing the State Alchemist pocket watch.
His eyes narrow as he looks up at her, Carlina increasing the grip strength in her automail to keep the destructive arm locked in place, the Ishbalan below her on the ground. "You, girl, will also meet your maker on this day," Scar says, his arm beginning to glow. "Carlina!" Ed scrambles on the pavement, slipping from the rain and falling on his chest. The red electricity crackles up her automail arm but nothing happens, her eyes narrowing down at him, "I have a sinful arm of my own."
"Another sinner. But, now that I know, I only have to destroy your arm to free myself to get to your skin," Scar locks his fingers with the fingers on her automail as she tries to pull her hand from his grip. The arm begins to glow for a second before Scar cringes, kicking Carlina off of him to clutch his arm with the other. She lands on her side close to Ed, clutching her ribs and coughing. Scar looks up to see Marcoh holding the incomplete stone in front of him, the fake stone also glowing red. "Doctor Marcoh? Don't you have any sense? You should be long gone by now," Ed sounds angry but looks relieved, managing to crawl forward to brush Carlina's hair from her face with his human hand. Carlina's eyelids flutter and she props herself up against Ed, her breathing deepening as she coughs more.
"I investigated some ancient texts written by your people in Ishbal. I remember discovering the alchemic drawing you have tattooed on your arm. Maybe this has flaws, but it is a Philosopher's Stone. And sure enough, your arm is responding," Marcoh sounds satisfied but his expression does not waiver. "Don't say it, you know nothing," Scar sounds livid, grunting and running at Marcoh with his palm at the ready.
The Doctor tosses the fake stone forward where it makes contact with Scar's open palm, causing the Ishbalan to clutch his arm tighter and beginning screaming. "It's some kind of reaction. Doctor Marcoh, what's going on? Is there a different way of using the Stone," Ed tries to ask the doctor but it seems like Scar's screams block out his voice. The fugitive turns and runs past the two teenagers before freezing in the street, causing them to look. Mustang stands with Hawkeye and his men, guns aimed at the Alchemist killer. He slams his glowing arm into the ground with a yell, causing a large cloud of dust. When the air clears the man is gone and a large hole down into the sewer system is left behind.
"Hey, hey, you're okay right," Ed asks Carlina as she sits up, not showing the extent of her injuries. "I'm fine," her voice is flat as she looks away, even as Ed grabs her chin and tries to make her look at him, "No, hey, are you actually okay? What the hell's gotten into you all of the sudden?" "Don't you have to check on your brother," her voice comes out colder than she means to, but it seems to go unnoticed as Ed lets go of her face and looks panicked.
The older Elric runs to his brother, sitting next to him and beginning to speak. Hawkeye approaches Carlina with her jacket outstretched to cover the girl. She stops as the female alchemist begins to cough again, covering her mouth and pulling her hand away to show blood splattered on the white glove. "Hey, I need a-" "-don't you dare say medic," Carlina cuts off her godmother, staring at the ground in front of her with dull eyes. She doesn't flinch as she hears the brothers arguing off to her side, clasping her hands together in her lap. "Your ribs probably unset themselves, maybe even fully broke this time," Riza speaks, freezing when she notices Carlina biting her quivering lip, "Lina…"
"Why does everyone try to leave me when I'm around," Carlina presses the heels of her palms into her eyes, beginning to shudder, "They don't have the courtesy to just- fucking leave if they're going to die. They just do it in front of me and there's nothing I can goddamn do about it and I hate the ache in my chest and the shortness of breath." Hawkeye grabs the girl and holds her against her chest, the alchemist beginning to sob, her words unintelligible.
"Shhhhh you did something. Everyone here is okay and I won't listen to you talk about being useless or powerless anymore. You're so strong and you do a beautiful job of making sure the people you love are okay," Riza strokes the girl's hair as Carlina continues to cry, the rest of the military personnel looking on at the scene. A woman with brown hair in a suit speaks to Mustang, Riza loosening her grip as Carlina begins to cough again. "The two doctors that we executed in Ishbal, their names were Rockbell," Marcoh says to the brothers as he passes the two women, stopping long enough to offer a sad smile to Carlina, "You are exactly the sort of woman your parents hoped you would be." He climbs into the car with the Fuhrer's secretary before they drive into the rain.
A few hours go by, the Elric brothers are seated against some wooden cabinets while Carlina sits under one of the windows in an Eastern office room. "Shouldn't you be getting medical attention," Al asks Carlina, sounding concerned and noticing the distance she puts between them. "I can hold out until after we speak to the higher command," her expression is stoic, continuing to stare at the same spot of the floor when speaking.
The Elric brothers speak in hushed voices, Carlina paying them no mind until Ed starts speaking at a normal volume again, "Listen, Al. I don't know if we can trust them anymore." Carlina begins to laugh, clutching her hurt ribs but smirking at Ed, "Anymore? If you trusted the military in the first place, the two of you are fools indeed." "Okay, what the hell is your problem, military brat? You start speaking like a machine, you don't show emotion, and now you're making us out to be idiots for trusting the same people your whole family worked under for generations, so what gives," Ed glares at Carlina, moving Al to sit on the counter before turning around to hoist himself up as well. When he turns however, he's face to face with the girl, face flushing from the proximity of their faces and bodies.
"Alright, I'll answer all your questions and set the record straight, starting from the easiest question first. Yeah, you're idiots for trusting the military, take it from one of the brats raised from it. If you don't comply or submit or march to the beat of the drum you're given, the best you can get is thrown out, if you're lucky enough that they don't have a reason to kill you," she takes a breath, taking a second to stare at Alphonse before her eyes flick back to Ed.
"As dogs of the military we are no better than the fodder they stuff their cannons with. So, the next easiest answer covers both the remaining fields. I'm isolating myself, cutting me off from the two of you emotionally-" "-Lina-" "-Al let her finish," Ed blinks into the bright green eyes as they go glassy, Carlina feeling more pain in her sternum and rib cage. "Thanks...where was I, isolation? Yeah, that was it. I have watched my family die before my eyes. I held my cousin in my arms as she died and I was told I didn't do enough. And then, I meet you two and I start to think maybe those years of being mute were stupid because I like having voices who listen and care, and then you go and nearly commit suicide using Scar as your weapon."
Her eyes are still filled with tears but none roll down her cheeks, the brothers staring at her with shock. "You don't think it hurts me to see you two in this pain? Almost dead in a back alley? We've been travelling companions for months and-what? You thought I was just tagging along for shits and giggles?'
One tear rolls down her cheek and hits the floor, her expression still stoic as her gaze burns into Ed's, "You two, you've shown me life again. Warmth. I actually wanted to live these last few months and despite how it seems on the outside I am feeling way too much on the inside." Carlina clutches her chest with both hands, "So stop keeping secrets from me. Stop trying to protect me by not telling me you're going after the stone or trying to play macho and save me. I can handle physical pain because it's familiar but if something happens to you because I don't know what's going on to protect you then that's the pain that will kill me." She bites her lip and leans her forehead against Ed's, a shudder going through her body. Edward takes a deep breath and places his hand on the back of her head, leaning her head against his shoulder and playing with her hair.
"I'm sorry. We won't do it anymore, okay? I won't do it anymore," he says softly, Al nodding in agreement over his shoulder. Carlina nods against his shirt, too emotional to speak yet. A few minutes go by before the door bursts open, causing the teens to jump and stare at the door. "Is this a bad time for the lovebirds," Hughes asks, causing the teens to blush as he and Armstrong come inside with the rest of Mustang's team. Ed hops up to sit on the corner of the counter while Carlina leans against the metal cabinet against the wall.
Armstrong starts flexing and tears his shirt off, offering to fix Alphonse before Mustang comes in and interrupts. The girl doesn't pay too much attention to what everyone is saying, until she notices Ed and Al staring at her expectantly. "I'm sorry, what?" "I was saying that we don't need an escort to the Rockbell's automail shop because we have you, and that is more than enough fighting power for the two of us- enough for us to get away at least," Ed grins, the rest of the room staring at the girl. "Ed, I'm not coming with you," Carlina takes a second to register his hurt and defeated look before her eyes widen and she starts waving her hands, "No no, that's not what I meant! I have injuries that are pretty extensive and I need medical care and probably bed rest for a few days. I can meet you wherever you're going after Winry's, but I need to take the time you're gone to heal first."
Ed looks relieved before noticing the Major staring at him expectantly, his face falling with a defeated sigh, "Okay, okay, Major Armstrong, it looks like we have no choice but to travel with you." "Excellent, a train leaves in an hour and we must get going immediately if we are to catch it!" Armstrong leaves to find a box to put Alphonse in, while Ed gets off the counter and stares at Carlina.
"Don't worry, I'll meet you wherever you tell me in nine days' time. That should cover the three days to get home, time for repairs and time to travel to meet me wherever," Carlina takes his left hand in both of hers, rubbing her human thumb across the back of his hand. Ed seems relieved, watching as Armstrong returns and boxes up Al. "Alright, nine days from now, we'll meet at the First Branch of the National Central Library," he gives her hand a squeeze and grins. "Sure, it's a date," she teases him, giggling when he blushes and lets go of her hands, waving as he leaves the room. "I forbid you from traveling with them anymore," Mustang says low to her, a stern look on his face. Carlina grins up at him, her gaze burning into his, "Try it. By the time you revert the assignment paperwork and find some new bullshit assignment to send me on, I'll be long gone with the Elrics. You may not approve, but being with them is the safest place for me."
AN: Well it's been since July when I last updated. Life has happened a lot and got between me and updating. I can't promise it won't happen so all I can do is apologize and say I'm grateful to those who are still reading after all this time. Shoutout to E.C.K for reviewing the last chapter! I assembled a playlist for the series, this one is just a playlist of the tracks featured in the chapters, I'm working on one for the life of Carlina with other music. I'll post both links on my homepage but only the Chapter soundtrack is ready. Check my homepage for the link if you're interested! Please leave reviews or messages about the chapter, and again, thanks for being awesome and patient with me! -Carrie.