A/N: Chapter Four. Yes, it's different then the series. Read past warnings, mmkay? I'm feeling lazy tonight and dont feel like typing them. I appreciate the reviews I get, and if you dont like this story, thats fine. Im gonna keep posting it anyway. :-D! Chapter Five coming in one week at the earliest. I want to get several more chapters ahead before I post another chapter.

Read and Review, people. Thanks.

Warnings: Some selfmutilation in this chapter. May be removed at a later date. Language.

Disclaimer: FMA not mine. Ria Karma is.

Fullmetal Alchemist

-and the-

Sin Alchemist

-Four-

Roy Mustang stood in the doorway looking down on the Sin Alchemist, who was sound asleep. Every fifteen minutes, the Colonel would stand from the couch in the living room, make his way down the hall to the back of the house, and peer in on Ria. After they had returned to Belsio's house, everyone exclaimed over Edward and Ria's condition. Mustang had waved Russell and Belsio away from Ria, ordered that they bring warm water to her room, and informed Belsio he would be staying the night. He then turned, and led Ria back to her room. She had not made a sound; her crying had subsided by the time they reached the gate. She was covered in dirt, even more than Ed, and she kept Mustang's coat wrapped tightly around her, even when she fell asleep.

Ed watched the Colonel from where he stood. Mustang's face, which was usually as blank and empty as Ria's, was full of concern. Sighing, Ed turned to go back to the living room.

"Fullmetal."

Ed turned back to face his commanding officer. Mustang was still peering into the room, but he motioned for Ed to come over. Doing as he was ordered, Ed approached the room cautiously, with no desire to wake Ria up.

"Sir?" He said, softly.

"Tell me what was going on. Ross said that Bloch witnessed Ria running into town with you chasing her only a few minutes before the attack," Mustang ordered quietly.

Ed looked into the room, the guilt from earlier rising up in his chest. What he had done earlier was foolish, childish, and now he was going to have to confess it to Mustang. If only he had not looked into the watch, then Mustang would have come upon Ria and Ed getting along and friendly with one another.

"I looked at her watch. Al caught me and told me to confess it to her, so I did. She was really angry, and she shoved me. The next thing I knew, she was running down the road, so I went to try and talk to her. I ordered Bloch to stay behind because I didn't want him there, otherwise-otherwise she wouldn't open up to me again," He spoke in such a whisper that he wasn't sure Mustang could hear him.

"What was in it?" The Colonel asked.

So he had heard him. "A picture of her and her parents."

The colonel nodded. "I was wondering what it was," He said, more to himself than Ed. "You two are very much alike."

"Sir?"

Roy moved away from the door, and motioned for Ed to follow him. They made their way to the empty kitchen, and took seats opposite each other at the table. Mustang looked directly at Ed, and sighed.

"I am only going to say this once, Fullmetal, and you had best listen well and dare not repeat it to anyone. Even to Ria herself, I don't want her to know exactly how much I've caught on to her, otherwise, she will disappear."

Ed sat up straight, willing to hear whatever Mustang had to tell him.

"Ria came from a small village up north. I was the one that tracked her down up there, after a subordinate came forward with information on her. My intentions were to bring her here to protect her. I knew her alchemy would bring her very close to danger. When I got there, I asked around town. An old woman told me a story about Ria, of how she had been living with her crazed father for years, after her mother died…."

So, Ed thought, Ria's mother was dead.

"The woman said that Ria's father had disappeared two years before, and since then Ria had been living on her own. I went to Ria's house to find her. What I found was a living doll. The house she lived in was a mess, with arrays drawn all over the floors and walls. There was no furniture in the house; she had broken it all down for firewood. I think she lived off of animals she transmuted. The old woman to whom I had spoken had said Ria rarely came into town. I found Ria outside, in the back yard. Her clothes were ragged, her hair was a mess, and if she hadn't been standing before me, I could've sworn she was dead."

Mustang paused. "Edward, I want you to realize something about her. Even though Ria gives out that empty aura, she is nothing short of a deeply complex and scarred person. And like you, she is using her position as a State Alchemist to reach a goal. What that goal is, I cannot say. But in someway, that picture you saw in her watch is connected to that goal."

Ed was surprised to see the Colonel pull out his own watch. Mustang clicked it open, and dangled it in front of Ed's face. Inside was a picture of Mustang holding Riza Hawkeye close, while his friend Maes Hughes stood beside them, a goofy grin on his face.

"We all have our secrets, Fullmetal," Mustang whispered. "What's yours?"

//-//

Ria sank down onto a pile of hay in the barn, and watched, as a few kittens appeared to greet her. It had taken her nearly all morning to be left alone. The morning itself had been rough. After impatiently explaining to a confused Mustang that since the town of Xenotime didn't have running water, he needed to remove all male creatures from the house so that she could bathe, she succeeded in bathing very quickly while Maria Ross stood near by. Breakfast had been awkward, as Ed constantly shot her sad looks. It took twenty minutes to argue Colonel Mustang into agreement that since the house was filled with people constantly going in and out it made perfect sense for her to go to the barn on her own. Perhaps just weary from arguing with her, Mustang had agreed on the condition that he could station Bloch ten feet away from the barn.

She pulled off Mustang's coat, and laid it beside her. She didn't like his coat, but she couldn't make herself go to Edward for his, not after the last twenty-four hours. Her anger at him had abated quickly, knowing that it mostly wasn't his fault. She could hardly explain to him why exactly she didn't want to be touched without diving into her life story. Her anger about the watch had stemmed from the fact that maybe he could figure out what her plan was, and prevent her from accomplishing it. Now, as she reached down to pet the kittens, it didn't matter. If Edward found out, she would head back home to her village, and finish there what had been started sixteen years ago.

Pulling away from the kittens, she reached her hand in her pocket, and pulled out her small pocketknife that she had stuffed into her pants earlier. She flipped the small blade open, and placed it between her teeth. As she bit down on the cold metal to prevent it from falling, she rolled her left pant leg up. She took the knife into her left hand, and holding her breath, pressed the blade into her skin once, and then again above the first. Blood ran down her leg, but Ria did little to stop it. Closing her eyes, she raised her face to the ceiling.

"One for the leopard, one for the bear. I am sorry," She whispered. "I'm sorry to have used those lost souls, and I pray they find peace."

She didn't hear the barn door open, or the clanking of armor. She didn't hear heavy footsteps as they entered. She was so lost in her remorse; she didn't even see Alphonse beside her.

"Ria, what happened to your leg?"

Ria whipped around and stared at the suit of armor beside her. He was looking at her leg, where the blood was steadily trailing down. He turned to face her finally.

"Ria?"

She could barely find her voice. "Al…."

The suit of armor sat beside her, its voice full of concern. "Ria, tell me please."

She hesitated. If she didn't tell Al, she knew he would go to his brother, or worse, Colonel Mustang. If she did tell him, at least she had a chance to persuade him to keep quiet. It was more likely that he would tell Edward or Mustang even is she did admit what the scars were, but she had to try.

"Alphonse, I'm going to tell you, but you will never understand. I'd like you to make me a promise though." She spoke quietly.

"What is it, Ria?" He asked.

"Promise me that you wont tell anyone about this," She put it bluntly. "I'm going to warn you now, if you tell anyone, even Edward, I will be gone by the end of the night."

Al was silent for a few minutes. "I promise, Ria."

She looked down at the kittens at her feet. "Each scar is a sinful transmutation. There should be more, but the ones on my leg are from when…."She faltered, before continuing. "They are from when my father left me, and I was forced to fend for myself."

"You track your sins?" Al whispered. "Like this? Why?"

"The pain helps me repent, and the scars are a constant reminder of why I must reach my goal," She answered.

"Your goal?" Al asked.

She nodded. "I have a goal just like Ed does. Mine just happens to be a little… different."

Al leaned over and picked up one of the kittens. "Speaking of Ed, you should talk to him, Ria."

She looked at Al. "What?"

"He's really upset that you're angry at him. He knows he was wrong to look at your watch, but for some reason he's desperate to know more about you. And, if you ever give yourself the chance to get to know Ed, you'll realize he doesn't sit back and wait for things to get done. Sometimes, he does the wrong thing to accomplish his aims," Al explained.

The kitten he was holding crawled its way up his arm, meowing, and batting at the spikes on Alphonse's helmet. It was cute, and persistent; she was vaguely reminded of Edward. The blood on her leg, she noticed, was dry, and the cuts had ceased bleeding. She rolled the pant leg down, covering the evidence of what she had just done. She'd clean it later.

"Where is he, Alphonse?" Ria asked.

"He was heading to the fruit fields when I last saw him. He'll be by himself," Al answered, stroking the kitten with his finger. "Don't be too hard on him, Ria."

Ria nodded, and left the barn. Bloch moved to follow her, but she stopped him.

"I'll be all right, Sergeant, I'm just going to find Edward," She called.

It took her a little while to find him, but eventually she spotted him by a circle of apple trees that were found on one of the farthest fields. He was kicking fallen apples and muttering to himself. As she approached him, his mutterings grew louder.

"I don't understand…what did I do to make her hate me so? It couldn't have been the watch, could it have?"

With each musing, an apple went flying. Some smashed as he kicked them with his automail leg, other simply landed bruised in the grass a few feet away. Ria stepped forward.

"Edward."

At once, he turned to face her. He looked shocked to see her standing before him, as if he had expected her anger to stay permanent.

A moment later, words came tumbling out of his mouth before he could stop it. "Ria, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to look at your watch; it was stupid of me to do it. It was there. I just couldn't help myself. I really thought it was empty. I thought I was the only one who would have something to hide in his watch."

"Edward, relax. I'm not angry about the watch anymore," She spoke softly so that he would have to stop talking to hear her.

"You're not?" The Fullmetal Alchemist stopped a foot in front of her.

Ria shook her head. "I'm not angry anymore about anything. I just want you to know that there are things I cannot tell you. You just happened to come very near to both of those things yesterday with the watch and during the fight, and it was all too much for me at one time. That's why I was so angry."

She could see the wheels in his head turning, absorbing this new information. He was still surprised that she was in front of him, let alone speaking calmly and openly. She looked at him as he stared dumbly back at her, his mouth open, and eyes wide.

'Don't make me call you short to get a reaction out of you," She whispered.

//-//

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SHORT HE COULD ARM WRESTLE A MICROBE?"

Ed felt stupid even as the words fell out of his mouth, but he noticed Ria smile faintly. Her eyes were full of life, something that Ed quite enjoyed seeing when it happened. He noticed she had Mustang's coat in her arms, and he frowned.

"Why are you wearing that piece of junk?" He asked.

He turned and went over to underneath one of the apple trees. His own coat was folded neatly on the ground. He swept it up in his arms and returned to Ria. He pushed it into her arms, all the while staring at his feet.

"I think my coat is better," He murmured.

"It is," was the soft response.

Ed grinned goofily again. Why did she make him feel this way, he wondered. Edward Elric had never felt this way around anyone in his life. He had saved many people and he would die for his brother, but Ria was somehow different. There was no thinking involved with her; it was either just do it, or lose her completely. He didn't want that. He wanted to make Ria smile; he wanted to hear her laugh.

"Fullmetal."

Ed felt his face drain of all color. Ria was staring behind him at the owner of the intruding voice, her eyes narrowed in such a way that would have sent even Colonel Mustang running. Ed turned, and came face to face with a man with red eyes. An x-shaped scar crisscrossed his face, and his right arm was tattooed with an alchemy array. Scar had finally found them, even worse he had found them alone. It figured that even though both he and Ria had the best protection the army could offer Colonel Mustang was nowhere near the two of them at the moment. He probably had no idea where they were.

Scar's eyes traveled over Ed's head, and spotted Ria. Though no smile crossed the Ishbalan's face, Ed knew there was a sudden rise of elation in Scar. He obviously knew that Ria was the Sin Alchemist, and not some ordinary village girl. Ed clapped his hands, and held his right over his left arm, transmuting his automail into a long blade. He held it up across his chest, ready to fight as soon as Scar made a move.

"The Sin Alchemist. I am not surprised to find her with you, Fullmetal. At least now I can kill you both," The deep, hate-filled voice of Scar carried clearly towards the two teens. "You get to choose who dies first. You, or her?"

Ed crouched, planning to move first. "Ria," He whispered. "Run. Get Mustang."

"Edward, I am not leaving you," She whispered back. "He'll kill you."

"He plans to kill us both. Just go, I can hold him off until you get Mustang." Ed snapped. "I'll follow you!" He promised when she refused to move.

Without a second glance, Ria had turned and bolted in the opposite direction. Scar didn't hesitate; he flew past Ed after Ria.

"So you chose that she dies first," Scar shouted as he ran after the surprisingly quick Sin Alchemist. "How very military-like of you, Fullmetal."

Ed was stunned; he had expected Scar to attack him first. Pulling himself back to reality, Ed ran after Scar. He could see Ria was at least thirty feet ahead of Scar, but it was still a long way to Belsio's house, and that meant plenty of time for the Ishbalan to catch up with her. Ed pushed himself to run faster.

"DAMN THAT FLAME BASTARD! OF ALL THE TIMES HE'S KEPT AN EYE ON ME, WHY DOESN'T HE HAVE ONE NOW!" Ed shouted angrily.

It was true that in the last few months before the introduction of the Sin Alchemist, Roy Mustang had lessened the secretive protection that he always had around the Fullmetal Alchemist and Alphonse. He had only done it after Ed had run into Breda on one of his missions after a particularly embarrassing moment in which Edward had been kissed by a drag queen after rescuing the town. Word had quickly spread about the incident back at headquarters, causing Ed to be the butt of many jokes. He returned to Mustang's office, and destroyed the man's desk with a smash of his fist. After that, Mustang agreed to only send the protection in situations that were likely to turn incredibly dangerous. Ed had wondered whether or not the protection had been reenacted since he had left on his journey with Ria, but now it was apparent that it hadn't. All the protection they need was inside of Belsio's house, perhaps sitting back, relaxing, and laughing. And he and Ria were about to die for it.

Suddenly, the house came into view. Ria was very close to it, but the distance between her and Scar had diminished. One false move, and Ria would fall to the murderer. Ed watched as she ran past the house, out the gate, and down into the town. She couldn't stop running, he realized, otherwise Scar would be able to literally get his hands on her. He heard a faint shout as she disappeared from sight, but he couldn't make out what it was or who had said it. As he approached the house, it was only just in time to see Al dash inside, calling for Mustang. Ed continued forward, hoping to catch up to the two in front of him.

People were screaming and running out of the center of Xenotime. Ed had to push his way through the crowds, slowing him down further.

"Don't go that way, kid!" A man shouted, trying to pull Ed back. "There's some mad man trying to attack some girl! He destroying everything in his path."

As if to prove the man right, there was a loud explosion followed by several screams. Ed freed himself from the man's grip, and charged in the opposite direction of the crowds. There was another explosion, much louder than the first. At least Ria's still alive, he thought, at least I still have time.

The center of Xenotime was empty, except for the lone Scar. A pile of rubble lay at the man's feet, surrounded by a cloud of dust. The Sin Alchemist was nowhere to be seen.

"Come out, girl, and face your doom!" Scar roared.

There was a sudden flash of green light, leaving in its place a black wolf, growling and baring its teeth at Scar. Ed spotted a flash of black hair as Ria ran from one building to behind another. Scar turned from the demolished building and faced the wolf. It ran at Scar, and launched itself in the air. Scar reached out his right arm, and caught the wolf's head in his hand just as it sank its teeth into his wrist. A flash of red light was followed by a yelp, and the wolf was blown to pieces. A moan came from somewhere behind Ed, and he turned to see a weakened Ria staring down at the mutilated wolf. Two things were clear; she had no idea what she was up against, and the wolf hadn't been her first transmutation. Scar had heard her moan; his body twisted around to face her, a malicious smile on her face.

Ed couldn't wait anymore; he threw himself at Scar, bring the automail blade down across the man's chest. There was a spurt of blood as Ed dodged the destructive left arm. He rolled away from Scar, and ran back to Ria. She was knelt down on the ground, her hands hovering an inch from the ground. It was clear she was hesitant to perform another transmutation.

"NO!" Ed cried. "Don't do anymore alchemy!" He pulled her up, and pushed her out of the way, as Scar's foot swept over their heads. Ed clapped his hands, and slammed them to the ground, causing a ripple to arise in the dirt. Scar fell back, deterred by the newly shaped earth. Ed leapt at him, bringing down his blade again. Scar's fist slammed into Ed's jaw, throwing the Fullmetal Alchemist backward. He heaved himself to his feet, and charged Scar again. This time the Ishbalan's foot caught Edward in the stomach. He groaned, clutching his abdomen. In that split second, Scar's fist began to rain down on the boy, forcing him backward, moving to corner him. Ed felt his head slammed back into a wall, and a hand crushed his forehead, holding his head back against the wall. His body wasn't moving; Ed moaned silently, he was seeing stars. Scar was going to kill him right where he stood.

"It's time for you to die, Fullmetal," Scar whispered, his mouth so close to Ed's ear it actually tickled.

"EDWARD!" Ria's voice echoed all around him.

There was a sharp clap, and with in seconds Scar was ripped away from him. Ed slid to the ground and slumped over.

"Ria," He croaked, but it was the only word he could get out.

He was only in the darkness for a minute, but as soon as Edward came back, he forced himself to his feet. His eyes searched the horizon, to where the only entry into the center of the village could be found. He could just barely make out two figures running towards them. He turned, looking for Ria.

"No." The whisper escaped his lips.

Scar was standing only a few feet away from him. In front of the Ishbalan, Ria was on her knees. Tears were streaming down her sweaty, dirt covered face. Her eyes were closed as Scar's left hand tightened on her forehead. Scar was looking down on her, his face like nothing Ed had ever seen before. It was actually full of pity.

"So that's why they call you the Sin Alchemist. You ARE a sin, and you're suffering for it as well. You shouldn't even be alive, and you know it. That's why you aren't going to stop me," Scar's voice was cold, but there was pity in that too. "Your soul is so broken. I will help you find peace, girl."

Ed dashed towards Scar, pushing the man away from Ria. Scar, almost losing his balance, grabbed Ed's automail arm. His hand began to bleed, but it didn't stop him. A flash of red light engulfed the two of them, and Ed's automail exploded into large shards. A jagged shard gored Ed's flesh arm, and a second one lodged itself in his lower abdomen. He moaned, trying to stay on his feet. His moan was drowned out by a painful scream from behind him. He pulled away, and turned, wobbling for a moment. A length of his blade was sticking out from Ria's shoulder. Her left arm hung limply at her side, as her right fumbled against the blade. Each of her fingers on her right hand was bleeding; blood was steadily dripping down her left arm. There was a second, smaller flash of red light surrounding the blade; a moment later the blade blew apart. Ria screamed again, her head falling forward to the dirt as the blade's pieces embedded themselves into her injured shoulder. Ed swayed where he stood. His own blood was spilling out of him at an alarming rate. He felt himself drop to his knees. He could see the limp form of the Sin Alchemist at the feet of Scar; he could hear voices calling their names. Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, could do nothing. His eyes were feeling heavy, as his body slowly crumpled under the loss of blood.

"Ria," he whispered, as the darkness over took him. "I'm sorry."

//-//

A white light swam above Edward's eyes. He desperately wanted to reach out and catch it, but he couldn't. Neither of his arms would move. He blinked, and the room around him became clearer. The white light he had seen was nothing but the moon light from a nearby window. He could also see why neither of his arms had moved. His left was bandaged tightly. He had no right arm; the only thing left there was the port to attach the automail to. His mind was flooded with images from the battle with Scar, and a fallen Ria. Ria. Ed struggled to sit up, but his body was so heavy, he couldn't. He resigned him self to looking around the room. He spotted Alphonse sitting in a corner, his head bent. Beside Al was a machine that looked very much like one he had seen during his first automail surgery. So he was in a hospital, he thought, but where's Ria? He turned his head, and focused on a sleeping form at the foot of his bed.

Colonel Mustang was slumped over in a chair, his eyes closed. He looked as if he hadn't shaved for a few days, and his normally shiny obsidian colored hair was greasy. His uniform was wrinkled, and his white undershirt was stained. The jacket top of his uniform was balled up and shoved under his neck, a makeshift pillow. Ed nearly laughed; he had never seen Mustang so unkempt. His grin faded as he noticed the bed beside his. A tangled mess of matted, blood soaked hair framed the scratched face of the Sin Alchemist.

Ria's face was dotted with tiny droplets of sweat, and every few seconds her head tossed. The moonlight fell across her shoulder, and Ed could see it was bandaged. The bandage was stained red, and the center of the stain was scarlet. Her blood was still coming from the wound. Ed turned guiltily away; it was his fault.

"Edward." He heard his name moaned from the bed beside his.

She was dreaming of him. He turned towards her again. He wondered when she would awaken. He wanted to talk to her.

Dawn rose without another word from the Sin Alchemist. Ed had taken to staring at the ceiling. He couldn't find the strength to talk, so he would have to wait until someone moved and noticed him. After an hour a so, the sun was in the sky, and Al finally moved. He got to his feet, and stared at the sleeping Colonel. A moment later, he walked over to Ed's bed.

"Brother! You're awake!" Al gasped.

There was a sound of chair being pushed back, and sleepy looking Flame Alchemist appeared at the foot of Ed's bed.

"Fullmetal, how nice of you to join us," The Colonel said gruffly.

Ed smiled faintly. He wanted to ask how Ria was, but with no voice, it was hard. He nodded his head in Ria's direction, hoping either Al or Mustang would get the idea. Mustang cleared his throat.

"Ria hasn't woken up yet, Edward. She has an incredibly high fever from the infection in her shoulder where the shards of your automail were embedded." Mustang said. He glanced down at the small clock on Edward's beside table. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go. I'll see you later, Fullmetal. Alphonse, please…."

"If there are any changes, I'll let you know immediately, Colonel Mustang," Al nodded.

The Colonel nodded, and turned, pulling his loose clothes along as he went. Al watched him go before turning back to Edward, who gazed up at him questionably.

"Brother, you and Ria have been in the hospital already for three days. The Colonel and I were starting to wonder if we had lost both of you. I mean- by the looks of it when we finally got to you…." Al paused. "The Colonel carried both of you one at a time to Belsio's house. He refused to let me help; he was muttering something about how it was his fault. He…he was really upset, Ed. It was kind of weird. He arranged for you and Ria to be transferred here, and every evening after he gets out of work, he's been coming here and spending the night. The nurses have been joking; they ask him if he wants them to set up a third bed in here, besides the Colonel's Chair."

Ed stared pointedly at Ria again. A sigh came from deep within the armor.

"The doctors said once her fever breaks she'll come around. It took them until yesterday afternoon to get all of the pieces out of her shoulder, which is where the infection came from. Hopefully, she'll wake up soon."

Ed nodded. His eyes were feeling heavy. Perhaps he would sleep a bit more. A moment later, without another thought, he was engulfed by the darkness again.

//-//

Three days later, Edward was out of bed and walking around his hospital room. He spent a lot of time leaned against Ria's bed, watching her, hoping she would wake. Colonel Mustang had returned the past two nights, speaking little and taking his place in what the nurses and Al had dubbed the Colonel's Chair. The days had a schedule. Ed would wake as soon as the sun was in the sky, harass Mustang for a little while, and then a nurse would bring breakfast in as Mustang left for the day. After breakfast, a nurse would change Ed's bandages, while a second one changed the one on Ria's shoulder. After they left, Ed would send Al out of the room for a while on some meaningless task so he could watch Ria alone. After Al returned, they'd play some silly board game that a nurse had brought them, until lunch was brought. After lunch, Ed would either nap, or read. As soon as dusk had fallen, Colonel Mustang would show up with a subordinate, both carrying hot food from a local restaurant.

Ed found himself staring at Ria as the nurse changed his bandages. The second nurse was carefully sitting Ria up to unwrap her shoulder. The Sin Alchemist's head lolled to the side, her eyes closed. Ed flinched as he saw the wound on her shoulder. The circular wound was flaming red around the edges, and a putrid smell was flowing from it. The nurse beside him noticed the disgusted look on his face.

"Just her body trying to purify itself, get rid of the dead cells. It's much better than it was when you two first came in here. Unfortunately, she might not be able to move her arm like she used to," She murmured.

Ed nodded, as his eyes caught sight of Ria's leg peaking out from underneath her sheets. The nurses had stopped tucking in her blankets and sheets as Ria ended up pulling them loose anyway when she tossed and turned. Ed narrowed his eyes. He could see a series of scars on her leg. He made a mental note to check them, after the nurses had left. He leaned his head back, and saw the tall form of Alphonse standing on the other side of his bed.

"Al?"

"Yes, Brother?"

"Could you get me an apple pie from the hospital cafeteria?"

"Edward! You just ate!"

"Please, Al? I'm really hungry!"

With a sigh, Al turned and left the room. After a few minutes both nurses followed him, leaving Ed alone in the room with Ria. He stepped down onto the floor from his bed, and crossed over to Ria. He looked at her. The wound was already leaking onto the new bandage, but at least it was no longer blood. It was just pus that meant the wound was cleaning itself. Her face was still covered in sweat, but she was silent. Her mutterings had stopped the day before. He turned away, and pulled the blanket from her leg, reveal the line of scars traveling upwards towards her knee. Two of them were still red; they were recent. He placed his hand on her leg, and instinctively, she jerked it away. Even in her feverish state, she obviously didn't want anyone to see. He waited until she was still again, before pulling the blanket away from her leg again.

"Edward."

Alphonse stood in the doorway, cradling a slice of apple pie in his huge hand. He stared down at Ed, who still held the blanket. Ed let the white fabric drop back over Ria's leg, and guiltily retreated to his own bed. Alphonse handed him the pie.

"Brother, must you always know things you aren't supposed to?" A weary voice asked from inside the soulless hunk of steel.

"What do you mean, Alphonse?" Ed asked, raising a blonde eyebrow suspiciously. "Do you know what those scars are? Did Ria tell you?"

Al's body creaked as he made his way over to his usual spot in the corner. As he clunked down onto the floor, he stared up at Edward.

"Trust me, Edward, you don't want to know what those scars are to her. Besides, I promised I wouldn't tell anyone." Ed stared down at Al.

He was insulted; he an Al always told each other everything. "Why can't you tell me? I won't tell anyone."

"No, brother. I am not going to tell you. If she finds out you know, she will leave," Al's head creaked louder as it turned from side to side.

"Leave?" Ed asked.

"Yes," Al responded. "She told me if anyone besides me found out, she would disappear and make sure no one could find her."

"All over some little scars?" Ed asked. His mind was whirling with possibilities; what was so horrible about those scars?

"Edward, trust me. You don't want to know."

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