Manami was on her way back to the hotel when it was dark, thinking back to what Elicia had said to her earlier.
"Everybody is leaving…"
"What if you don't come back, like daddy..?"
She stopped walking for a moment and sighed. It was so hard to hear Elicia say that, but it was true…
What if she didn't come back? What if Ed or Al didn't come back? She didn't know what would happen in the end.
Like Al said, even normal bodies could get sick or die in an accident in the blink of an eye...
Tomorrow wasn't guaranteed.
Manami bit her lip, looking down to her feet as her thoughts led to Al's situation… for whatever reason, the reminder of their morality and now knowing that Al was just as vulnerable, even more so now…
"Manami!"
"?" She looked up, wondering for a moment if she was just imagining Al's voice, but she squinted her eyes to see Ed and Al coming out of the shadows and running to her.
They looked alarmed.
"Phew…" Ed went to hunch over as he panted, holding himself up at his knees.
"What's up?" Manami asked, looking up to Al.
"That partnership program might be reenacted." He answered.
"Scar is back, apparently." Ed straightened up so that he could look up at her, seeing her eyes widen. "We gotta go inside as soon as possible."
"Scar…" Manami's expression hardened. "You mean the guy that…"
Ed frowned as well. "Yeah…" He looked to Al.
"I've been meaning to tell you something, Al. Something else we found out while we were gone…"
"Scar killed Winry's parents..." It took a good while for Al to process that. "Why didn't you guys tell me before?"
"Because, Winry was around…" Ed mumbled as they approached the entrance of the hotel stepped inside. They went upstairs and quietly went to Ed and Al's room.
After all, they assumed Winry was sleeping by now, since she was taking an early train to Rush Valley in the morning.
"Are we really not going to tell her?" Manami asked once the door was shut behind them.
"How could we? I don't want to make her cry again…" Ed muttered.
"..." Manami sighed. "Still, she has the right to know…"
"Well, I want to make sure it's even him before we say anything to her, okay?" Ed looked back at her with a frown.
That was fair…
"So, is that next on the agenda? Asking him if he was really the one who did it?" Manami asked.
"..." Ed sighed. "Yeah… but..." He looked back to her. "I'm also thinking that we could use him to draw out the Homunculi."
Manami's eyes went wide. "H-Huh..?!"
"If they need us alive for their 'sacrifice,' I doubt they would let Scar kill us so easily." Ed said, matter of factly.
"Yeah, and that sounds like way too much of a gamble," Manami shook her head. "There's no guarantee they'd even know, much less come out, before we're all killed."
"You got any better ideas?" Ed frowned at her. "Besides, if you're scared, you can just stay here."
"I'm not scared!" Manami barked. "I'm just trying to think realistically here!"
"Brother, Scar literally tore us apart once…" Al added, and Ed began to sweat at the memory.
"W-Well, we've gotten stronger since then…"
"And how do you even think we can catch a Homunculus?" Manami added, making Ed sweat more.
"I-I'll think of something, okay?! Both of you need to back off and let me thin—"
"Hello!~" They heard a familiar voice chime in, and they all looked to the window— to see none other than Ling Yao.
"I hear you guys need help!"
"Why was the window open…" Manami grumbled.
"Come on, friends help each other out, right?" Ling grinned as he climbed in, along with Lan Fan.
"Count us in!" Ling clapped his hands together in glee. "We'd be glad to help you in the upcoming battle!"
"Why is that?" Ed looked him over skeptically.
"I'm just as interested in these Homunculi," Ling answered. "You guys lure them out, and then we'll capture them and meet somewhere after. Easy!"
"I wouldn't say easy… how are you supposed to relay when to get away from Scar once a Homunculus is found?" Manami asked.
"A smoke signal?" Ling shrugged, and Manami shook her head.
"We need something quicker…"
"Well…" Ling thought for a moment. "You can make sure to stay in the same quadrant, then one of us can come to you to inform you?"
"Then that's one less person going to capture the Homunculus. We can't afford that…" Ed crossed his arms.
"... unless it's one less person fighting Scar." Manami spoke up, and everyone looked to her.
"I can probably get across this whole town in minutes, especially when I'm up on the rooftops." Manami looked back to Ed and Al. "But…"
"No, it's a good idea." Ed assured her. "If too many of us are fighting Scar, it's more of a chance that we'll get in each other's way and get hurt. Sometimes less is more, y'know?"
"We'd rather it be us getting hurt than you, Manami." Al added.
Manami groaned. "I don't want anyone getting hurt…"
"We'll be fine. We got a solid plan here." Ed assured her, then looked to Ling. "Ling, you can help us, as long as you don't run away with the Homunculus."
"Promise!" Ling raised a hand. "Besides, I owe you for food expenses."
"What food expenses?" Ed raised a brow.
"Seventy five thousand Cens..." Manami glared to Ed.
"S-Seventy?! How do you remember that exact amount?!" Ed's eye twitched.
"Because I emptied my entire account to pay it!" She yelled back at him. "And I want my money back, you cheapskate!"
"I'm not a cheapskate! I just haven't gone to the bank yet, you impatient brat!"
"WILL YOU GUYS SHUT UP!" The door flew open to reveal Winry holding a pillow. "DO YOU REALIZE HOW EARLY I HAVE TO GET UP TOMORROW?!"
"S-Sorry, Win…" They squeaked.
"That' right, you're going to Rush Va—..." Ed trailed off midsentence, thinking of the damage Scar would probably do to his arm tomorrow…
If not smash it entirely.
"Actually… why don't you stay in Central a bit longer and relax?" He asked sweetly.
"Huh? Why?" Winry blinked.
"W-Well you see, uh…" Ed began to sweat. "Um… well… there's a good chance that I may break my arm… s-so…"
"You're PLANNING to break it?!" Winry went to smack him over the head with a wrench.
Manami sighed and smacked her hand against her face.
"Why are guys so bad with their words..?"
The next day, Manami went with Ling and Lan Fan to the rooftops to look over Central. In the distance, they could see sparks flying, which meant Ed and Al were on the move.
The plan was for Ed to show off, doing some flashy community service to draw out Scar. The hope then was that a Homunculus would come out to interfere. Once it was spotted, Manami would go to assist Ed and Al, get away from Scar, and meet Ling and Lan Fan at the rendezvous point with a captured Homunculus.
Though, Manami couldn't help but be nervous. This plan had so many holes in it… so many things could go wrong…
Ling looked over from the corner of his eyes to see her gripping her closed fans tightly in each hand.
"You shouldn't worry so much," He said, his eyes moving back to look over the cityscape. "Have some faith."
"It's not a lack of faith. It's not underestimating the enemy." Manami replied with a huff.
"You're a cautious one, aren't you?" Ling looked over to her now. "Clearly that's not an Amestrian trait."
"This again, huh?" Manami rolled her eyes.
"I'm just curious where you're from, that's all!" Ling laughed. "Your name intrigues me."
"Well, I was born and raised in Amestris, and so were my mom and dad." Manami answered. "But I remember he told me stories that his dad— my grandpa— traveled all the way here from an island east of Xing."
"The Eastern Islands?" Ling inquired, seeing her nod.
"Mhm. Though I don't know anything more about it." She admitted.
"My guess would be Nihon." Ling hummed, and Manami looked over to him.
"Nihon, huh..?"
BOOM!
Manami quickly looked over to see smoke start to rise in the sky. The sparks and explosions continued, and she bit her lip.
They were fighting.
"It's started. Any minute now…" Ling said. "Stay alert."
They were silent as they looked for any sign of a Homunculus, though Manami was distracted every now and then from the sound of the explosions.
She hoped Ed and Al were okay...
"!" But suddenly Ling stood up.
"Go, they're here!"
"A-Ah, right!" Manami stammered, a little confused at the fact that they could sense the Homunculi before even seeing them, but there was no time to waste!
Ling and Lan Fan jumped off the roof in one direction, and Manami flicked open both of her fans to boost herself to jump off the roof and land on the next building, jumping from roof to roof towards the sounds of the explosions.
But the explosions suddenly stopped.
"..?" Manami stopped for a moment to listen, confirming that there was no action now. She ran ahead, hoping that Ed and Al were where the last noise came from.
She made the right choice, because she heard a conversation ensuing as she got closer.
"Winry, drop the gun and get out of here!"
Winry?! She was here?!
And she had a gun?!
She had to hurry.
"YOU'RE IN MY WAY!"
"DON'T SHOOT!"
There was an explosion, and Manami jumped down from the rooftop once she saw Ed in front of Winry on the ground.
Scar was right in front of them.
"!" Manami landed behind Ed and Winry, readying her fans.
"AL!" She yelled out as she waved her fans, sending a gust of wind that blew Scar backwards, towards the suit of armor. Like on cue, Al went to kick Scar aside and then transmute pillars that pushed him back, down the other direction of the alleyway.
"Brother, you idiot!" Al yelled back at Ed.
"No time for yelling now," Manami went to run past them towards Al. "Get Winry somewhere safe and then meet us at the rendezvous point!" She yelled to Ed before she and Al turned the corner and went to run down the alley where Scar had gone.
"Are you alright?" She asked him as they ran.
"Yeah," Al answered. "But, Winry…"
"..." Manami sighed. "I knew there was going to be a hole in this plan…"
She stopped when she noticed a hole in the wall. She could see a water tower in the distance...
"Manami!" She suddenly felt Al grab her and throw her to the side as he went to deflect an attack from Scar.
Manami finally got a good look at the man known as Scar, seeing the tattoo on his right arm and immediately recognizing it.
"!" It was the transmutation circle she saw in Lab 5… the circle of deconstruction!
"So, you're the reason I can't be independent anymore. Scar, is it?" She asked him, getting into a battle stance.
"And you're the Wind Alchemist, Manami Kami…" Scar straightened up as he looked to her, fire in his eyes.
She was his new target now.
"Wow, you know more about me than I'd like you to." Manami let out a chuckle. "I have a question. If you hate alchemists so much, why do you use alchemy to kill them?"
Scar frowned, not replying before going to lunge at her. She quickly waved her fans, summoning a gust that sent him flying and crashing into the water tower.
Al quickly clapped his hands and launched himself to the water tower after him. When he landed, he quickly clapped his hands and touched the water tower to create a faucet that sprayed water at him. Scar barely managed to jump off the tower and dodge the water, righting himself as the water poured down behind him. Al jumped down as well, sure to be between him and Manami when he landed.
"You'll get in the way for this one, too?" Scar asked.
"I won't let you lay a hand on her!" Al yelled back.
"Hmph…" Scar huffed. "You ask why I use alchemy to kill State Alchemists, girl, but I ask you— why do you use it?"
"Huh?" Manami blinked.
"Look at him," Scar gestured to Al. "He's completely hollow... alchemy trapped him in that body, and yet you all continue to believe in it!"
"..." Manami noticed that Al clenched his fists, and looked up to him.
"True, there's lots of things about this body that are inconvenient… but it's nothing I can't live with." Al said quietly. "I don't need pity from anyone… especially you, of all people."
He took a step forward. "My brother used alchemy to save my life. To regret it now would mean not only rejecting alchemy, but also turning my back on him. I believe in my brother, and I choose to believe in alchemy!"
"Do you now?" Scar reached for the water from the tower behind him, and Manami quickly realized what he was going to do.
"Al!" She cried.
WHOOSH!
A cloud of steam came rushing at them, and Manami went to wave her fans and blow the steam away, but she heard footsteps coming from in front of and behind her.
She knew who was in front, but... who was behind her?
It took a moment of seeing a blur of blonde hair rushing by her for her to realize who it was, and she quickly waved her fan to give him a boost.
BANG!
The smoke cleared, and they looked up to see Ed jumping backwards towards them.
"Good thinking." Ed grinned to give her a thumbs up.
"Good timing…" Manami smiled weakly back at him.
They basically worked together to launch Ed to kick at Scar, so that he would have enough force to be able to send him backwards and make a decent gap between them.
"Brother! Where's Winry?" Al asked.
"She's safe now…" Ed went to wipe his bloody chin with his sleeve. "But… I made her cry again…"
"What was she even doing out there?" Manami frowned to him.
"No idea…" Al answered. "But she probably didn't like seeing us all beat up and fighting..."
Ed's frown deepened. "I-I know…"
"We'll talk about this later," Manami saw Scar start to stand up from his crouching position. "Any minute now, Ling should be—"
"I FOUND YOU!"
THUD!
Everyone's eyes widened in surprise when they saw a giant man land from behind Scar, his tongue dangling out of his mouth to reveal…
An Ourosboros tattoo!
"A Homunculus..!" Manami gasped, watching with the Elric brothers as the giant man went to tackle Scar and pin him against a crate.
He seemed to only be interested in Scar, which was good.
"Damn it, where's Ling?!" Ed went to run after them, Manami and Al following.
Manami bit her lip. "What if he's—"
SHING!
They quickly stopped when a manhole cover in front of them suddenly shot up in the air, and they saw someone launching out after it.
It was Ling!