Chapter 3: "What I've Done" – Marie Digby cover
Ed woke up to a white and sterile looking room. There were wires sticking out of his chest connected to beeping monitors. He felt like his chest had been exploded from the inside. His body was aching and sleep seemed to beckon to him. However, pain was all he could feel and would not let him sleep again. His body wanted to completely black out, but the pain had an ulterior motive to keep suffering for as long as possible. Annoyed he emitted a small groan. "Edward?" asked a distant voice, "You awake?"
"Song, is that you?" he mumbled softly. Song approached him and her hand held his gently, her soft smile comforting him.
"How're you feeling?" she said massaging the back of his hand with her thumb.
"Like I was hit by a truck," he replied. "Where am I?"
"The hospital in East City. I managed to get you here in time, and trust me that was difficult. Stupid train people almost wouldn't let me get a ticket, because it was too late for some reason. Morons. Anyway, once they saw your condition they let us on for free. It was funny actually they were so apologetic. Anyway, you should get some sleep, kid," she said standing up and bending down to kiss him on the forehead. It was a friendly kiss not romantic, but rather one that showed deep concern. "I'm going to go get the doctor and tell him you're awake," she said and with that she left the room.
Ed lay awake in his pain, thinking what had happened. The last thing he remembered was fighting Buren and he must have hit him with his electricity. However, he would have died, if it had hit his heart. Then what happened? As he was pondering this a young doctor entered the room, "What happened to me?" asked Ed.
"You received a large amount of electricity to your heart, and you're very lucky to be still breathing. We're still not entirely sure how that happened, but what matters is that you're among the land of the living. Now, you're to stay here for a while longer, and your partner is contacting your commanding officer concerning this matter. Your partner is insisting that she stay with you, she's a brick wall just so you know. Girl's crazy, but she saved your life kid. She was able to restart your heart somehow, what she is the mystery. She seems to claim that nothing really happened, but I really do need to know how she did it. If you are able get that information out of her that would be very helpful, Major Elric. We also need to make sure that your heart is healing properly from the attack, so we're monitoring its activity at all times. Once you're in the clear, we'll send you back to Central."
"Great, I wonder how the Colonel will take this?" Edward pondered aloud.
(o.o) Line Break :{
"WHAT HAPPENED, UCHIHA?" shouted Mustang over the phone line.
"Sir, it was an accident. He escaped that night, while I was sleeping."
"I don't care if you were shot in the leg, you stick with him. He can't be left alone, he's attracts trouble."
"So, I gathered."
"Don't give me that."
"Edward went out on his own after Buren, and he got seriously injured, but he's recovering, sir," without giving Mustang a chance to retort, "We discovered his alchemic style. He uses electricity, to attack the heart's electrical system."
"Well, that's good to know. I'm sending more men to Homsfield to finish up this matter. I want you to stay with Fullmetal to make sure he's alright. We'll talk later."
"Thank you, sir," she hung up. She was expecting a lot worse, and she was then able to relax a bit. Mustang was not going to kill her. She did a highly embarrassing dance next to the phone, which was stopped by the presence of several doctors walking down the hall.
"Did you hear about the State Alchemist that was brought in? Heart was shocked, but his partner was somehow able to restart his heart…" They did not need to hear of what she was capable of. So, she had some medical training under her belt, and that information was in her file that Mustang had read. She had managed to help save several members of the Amestrian military before. In her mind it did not matter how it happened, but rather that it did and her partner was still breathing.
Her mind quickly became occupied with what would happen once she returned to Central. Having your partner critically injured on the first mission, never boded well for her future. Great, why did he have to be so reckless? Really it was kind of her fault, it was her who had the Curse Seal not Edward. It was Edward who lying in hospital bed after getting injured, not her. Why did this always seem to happen to her? You're not going to have a pity party, she thought to herself. However, she could not shake the feeling that it was entirely her fault and guilt began to hang heavily upon her shoulders. She let down another person who depended on her. She finally sank into the floor by the phone and let it all out in the form of tears on the sleeve of black shirt. Her arms wrapped around her knees in a fruitless attempt to stop the shaking of her whole body. Finally, she got a hold of her emotions and began to stand up on her shaky legs. After finding a bathroom and washing her face to get of the tear tracks that had formed, she headed for Ed's room. She wanted to check up on him before returning to Homsfield. Song needed closure in her own way, without the military knowing.
Song found him sleeping peacefully, and not wanting to disturb him she left him sleeping there. She found the nurse in charge and told her to tell Ed that she would be by in the morning. Leaving the hospital she caught a train headed to Homsfield.
#.# Line Break .
Song stalked Buren's hideout, where she and Ed had first met him. Instead of waiting for him to come out, she approached the hideout with all her stealth. The cover of night was beneficial, probably making her completely invisible to the untrained eye and Buren did not possess the right kind of training that would enable him to be able to see her.
Buren was having a conversation with three other men. They were discussing how the military could have possibly discovered their organization. "How could let this happen, Buren? Now, you've killed a State Alchemist, the military will be here in a matter of days and we're not ready for that."
"You don't need to wait for the military," she said with a smirk now appearing right behind the speaker, "You get to deal with me." She slit his throat with her specialized kunai, before any could react. "Buren, nice to see you again. Sorry, I got a little too excited last time. I get that way sometimes, I like to make things a little dramatic. It's a personality flaw. However, now you've gone and pissed me off and my flair has been put on hold. I only care about your demise. Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu," she aimed her attack at the two other men in the room. The smell of burning flesh hit her nostrils and she smiled. "Three down," she declared triumphantly, "How do I want to do this? Simple or dramatic?" Her eyes changed into her Mangekyo Sharingan, "Tsukuyomi."
Buren was transported to an entirely red world where the girl in front of him appeared completely black. Then she smirked again, and approaching him said, "Let the fun begin." Buren for the next twenty-four hours felt the most excruciating pain he ever felt, before Song even considered releasing him from the red world. Buren lay on the ground twitching violently, "Make it stop!" he cried out. Song then set her kunai on fire and stabbed him in the back. Buren's crying ceased as he lay in a pool of blood.
Song then began the task of covering her tracks, before abandoning the place. "God, that was so dull," she muttered. She thought why had she not done that earlier, but then she remembered Ed was with her. There was no way she could do that in front of him, he did not need to what was she was entirely capable of and how quickly she could kill without any hesitation or second thought. Even now, she felt no guilt for what she had done. A shinobi's responsibility was to protect those on their missions not seek revenge, but Buren needed to be disposed of even if emotions played a major role in her actions.
After changing back into her tank top and shorts, and burning her bloodied clothes, she caught the next train to East City. She thought to herself that maybe she was had behaved rashly, but the deed was done, Buren was dead, and the mission was complete. That fact was all that mattered to her right now.
0.o Line Break ;)
Edward woke up to find Song sleeping peacefully in the chair in his room. She had brought her knees tightly to her chest, and wrapped her arms securely around them. She looked like she had been there all night, except she had changed out her all black attire into her civilian clothes and she had twisted her hair into a bun held together with sticks. Edward had no desire to disturb her, because she looked absolutely beat. He could see the dark circles beginning to form under her eyes, and he just realized she had not fully slept for two nights now, unless one counts curled in a chair actual sleeping. Ed sighed a bit, which sounded quiet to him, but brought Song around.
"Ed?" she muttered sounding completely beat. "Do you need something?"
"No, Song, why don't find a hotel and sleep?" he asked actual care coming out of his voice.
Yawning, "I'm fine. I'll just find some coffee or tea or something caffeinated and hot…"
"Song, I have a question, and I need you to answer me honestly. What did you do to me back at Homsfield?"
"I restarted your heart with Lightening Style Ninjutsu. I didn't have many options at the time. It was worth the risk, my options were to attempt to save you or letting you die. Are you mad that I saved you?"
"No, the doctors were curious that's all."
"Just tell them I applied electricity to you restart the heart. Fine?" Just as Song was waiting for a reply, the door to the room opened, and one Colonel Roy Mustang was standing in the doorway.
"Major Elric and Second Lieutenant Uchiha, good morning. Though I'd like to say you're looking well, but I don't want to lie," Song glared at him, "Though apparently you're on the mend Fullmetal and should soon be out."
"Great," Edward said. That was the best news of the morning.
"Also news came from Homsfield that they found the remains of Buren and his co-conspirators last night. Apparently someone had attacked and killed them, though we don't know who yet." Song glanced back at Edward to check his reaction.
"What? I wanted to be the ones to get those bastards, now someone else gets the credit!"
"Ed, what matters is that they are no longer a threat to the stability of Amestris, right, Colonel Mustang?"
"Correct, now Ed get some rest, I'd like to speak with Uchiha for a minute outside." Once the two of them had found an empty room, Mustang turned to her, "What really happened last night? The night nurse said you left around eight and came back around one. Two of the bodies were burned alive and as far as I know the only other person who can do that is myself. A blade killed the other two and I know you carry an impressive blade arsenal. Explain yourself, were you in Homsfield last night? It's only an hour and half train ride from here it all seems to fit. Song, I need to know what happened."
"So what if I went back to Homsfield? Buren's dead, isn't that what needed to happen. Look he managed to injure my partner, and I couldn't let that go unpunished. I admit emotions clouded my judgment a bit back there, but I figured the end result was what actually counted here. I knew I could did it quicker and more efficiently than any of your men."
"Then, why didn't you do it the first time you met up with Buren?" asked Mustang. He knew the killings were quick and done by a professional. If that kind of speed was what Song Uchiha was capable of, then why had she not done it the first time? It would have saved time and possibly Ed would not have ended up in the hosital.
"I didn't want Ed to see what I was capable of. I'm a killer, Colonel. I was trained at a young age to fight and kill that what shinobi do. We kill quickly and efficiently, but I didn't want Edward to see that side of me. Ed doesn't seem like the kid who kills ever. I didn't want to come off as a bloody killer that's all. Does that make sense?" she asked looking up at Mustang. His eyes stared at her in disbelief. He had this opinion of her as a strong and capable fighter, but here she was just being nervous over how her new partner would see how ruthless she really was. Shame graced her face in the most unbecoming way possible. Her tired body began to shake, "I don't want him to know what I am or what I've done. He doesn't need to know I'm a just a hired assassin for your military."
"Song, I'm not mad about what you did. You killed a serial killer going after innocent civilians. You saved my subordinate's life. In this case you've done everything you could that was honorable in this world. You've earned my team's trust and you've earned my trust. Protecting Edward's innocence is okay, but remember he's not that innocent himself okay? Now, I have a further item of business to discuss with you. I want to make this partnership a permanent arrangement. You are someone I can trust with Fullmetal. Contact me when you two get back to Central, that's an order Uchiha."
