"You're the who?"

"I didn't expect an upstanding woman like you to know who I am, but I'm the most feared bounty hunter in all of Amestris, if the price is right I can get the job done."

"Oh great." thought Rose "As if it wasn't bad enough that I'm still alive and naked in the presence of some lunatic dressed head to toe in black and wearing a mask, he turns out to be a money hungry bounty hunter."

"Why's a big shot bounty hunter like you running across the desert saving women who don't want to be saved?"

"I'm on a job that's presently leading me to Xing. Like I said, I just happened to be passing you along the way. But since I can see that you still don't seem to have any desire to continue living, it looks like you're coming with me."

"Since when do bounty hunters care about girls that don't want to live?"

"I'm not like other bounty hunters, in more ways than one."

He took out four red dice from his coat and placed them upon each of the ice blocks that bound Rose to the ground.

"What are those?"

"Hold still."

He touched each of the dice with his fingers, and then they began to glow and surge with energy, just like that the ice melted.

"What was that?"

"That's one way I use my alchemy."

"Wait, you can't just use your hands?"

"No, you need a transmutation circle to do it, like the ones carved on the surfaces of these dice."

"But Ed… the Fullmetal Alchemist did it with his bare hands."

"Did he now? I guess I'll have to look into that. But right now I'm on a job, and you're coming with me."

Rose could see that it was pointless to argue with this guy. She had already tried to take her own life once, and for some reason he was very determined not to let that happen again.

"Could you at least provide me with some clothes?"

"Unfortunately I don't carry women's clothing with me, but you can use what I have. Put on a coat, it's freezing outside."

"Since when is it freezing in the desert?"

"Clearly you've never had to cross one at night."

Night had indeed fallen over the desert. Rose was wearing a thick leather jacket and she still felt the cold. The Masked Alchemist collapsed his makeshift shelter with his alchemy and then loaded his things into the vehicle which had been parked a few feet away.

"What is this thing?"

"It's a special all terrain transport I designed for occasions like this. Get in."

If Rose tried to run away she figured this guy would no doubt freeze her legs again. For now there was no other choice. As they drove across the desert sands she silently cried and wondered how things could have gone so wrong.

"Why couldn't I just die in peace?"

The Masked Alchemist looked over his shoulder just in time to see Rose wiping the tears from her face. He decided that he needed to break the silence.

"You mentioned earlier that you've seen the Fullmetal Alchemist in action before. I'd like you to tell me about it."

"Why?"

"I make it a hobby of mine to study any persons of interest, just in case someone ever hires me to take care of them."

Rose could see no reason why she shouldn't tell this man what she knew, after all the Elric brother had destroyed the only hope she had left, and the uprising that had followed left the streets of her home covered in blood.

"Human transmutation? That sure explains a lot."

"Is it true what they said, that's it's absolutely impossible to bring someone back?" asked Rose.

"Unfortunately it is. Alchemy is built on the principle of Equivalent Exchange; in order to obtain something, something of equal value must be given. Human lives and souls are priceless, not just according to the laws of alchemy, but the very flow of the universe itself, once a soul has left the mortal plane it can't be called back by human means. That's what happened to their bodies, they attempted too much out of too little, result in a deadly rebound. Even with a Philosopher's Stone it would be impossible."

"And you know that for a fact?"

"Educated guess… But if I thought there was even the slightest chance that loved ones could be brought back from the dead than I would have tried it myself."

"So… you have lost someone."

"It's why I do what I do. I realized long ago that I could either sit around and feel sorry for myself, or take my grief and do something about it. Though I think it's a safe bet that my circumstances are a lot different from yours."

"You kill for money."

"The people I hunt down are criminals, the money is just a perk, and I don't always kill them. It depends on the situation."

"The money is just a perk? He enjoys doing this?"

"So what did happen to you?"

"I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill you."

"So go ahead and tell me."

"Nice try, but the only people I kill are criminals. I wouldn't dream of hurting an innocent young woman, least of all one as beautiful as you."

"Are you just saying that because you've seen me naked?"

Once again it struck Rose that the first man to see her naked was a bounty hunter, and she didn't even know what his face looked like under that mask, much less what his real name was.

"Not at all. You should never judge a book by its cover, and woman's naked body certainly isn't the first thing you see. What caught my attention the most when I bumped into you earlier today was your hair… even though it was mostly buried in sand."

"The bounty hunter likes my hair?"

Rose was quiet for the rest of the night.

(To be continued)

Masked Alchemist Illustration on deviantart