Hello to all! Yes, I have returned for a second chapter. I greatly enjoyed writing the first, but I also hope that you enjoyed reading it. I want to thank SeaLover456 for the review. I found that reading great stories helps an author improve their own, so don't worry.

I encourage you all to leave a review, and to please recommend this to your friends who visit this site. I could use the hits.

That said…enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own or claim to own any of the properties maintained by FUNimation, VIZ Media, Studio Bones and Fullmetal Alchemist or anything associated with or owned by the four. Pretty obvious. But I'd like to.

To Heal the Wounds of the Heart

Chapter 2: Recount

It was 2:45, and although his watch lay open and facing him at his side, Edward did not realize it, nor did he hear or see the steam train as it rolled sturdily out of the station. He did not even notice that he had made a one-hour mistake in his time calculations before his nap. His golden eyes wide open and fixated on the body in front of him, he whispered out shakily to Alphonse.

"A-Al…this girl, she's a…state alchemist?"

"I guess so. I mean, she does have the pocketwatch," Al mumbled timidly, hardly paying attention to what he was saying, "And look…it's just like yours."

"She's a mess…"

"What happened to her?"

Ed shook for a moment, looking her over from face to feet. He then rose to his own feet and raised his hands. "I'm not sure Al, but she doesn't have much of a chance. We have to fix her up fast." He clapped his hands together firmly, then kneeled and placed them on her arms. The blood that remained wet quickly dried and spread out, leaving a clear view of her cuts. While he repeated the process on her stomach, face and legs, Al quickly transmuted a small quantity of leaves into bandages.

"That should do it," Ed declared, lowering his other leg until he rested on both knees. The brothers wrapped her up tightly, covering every abrasion flawlessly. It was not until their task was finished that, with a deadly serious face, Ed turned around and viewed the empty station behind him. "Well, Al, it looks like we missed our train."

"I guess we did, Brother," was the younger Elric's only reply.

"Al," Edward said softly, "Hand me your ticket." Al complied, and Ed retrieved his as well. Glancing at the time listings board posted at the station's front, he brought his hands together once more and placed one each on a ticket. A blue light flashed briefly, and then he held the two slips of paper up to get a good look at them; the times on both had been changed from 2:45 to 3:50—the next time a train would pass through Orwell headed to Central. "I know it feels like we're cheating the system Al, but we need to get back to Central. And we need to bring her," he added, gesturing to the limp body on the ground beside his brother, whose only reply was a nod.

Then both stood, and Ed bent down slightly to gather her in his arms. Her weight seemed adequate to her appearance and apparent age. Holding her delicately for fear of causing more damage, the brown-clad young man nodded to his brother, who smiled weakly. Slowly, they proceeded to the station, taking up a temporary residence on the bench closest to the tracks. Setting the girl down carefully, Ed took a seat as well. Al departed to find a restroom and a phone.

It was 3:45. Alphonse waited patiently near the still-slumbering form of the girl, watching Edward, who stood facing a public telephone. He was fidgeting anxiously, apparently not eager to be making the call he had just made.

He was nearly ready to set it down when a loud female voice answered.

"Hello?" It was obviously a secretary in Central Headquarters.

"Uh, hey," Ed replied, "This is Major Edward Elric, State Alchemist. I'm looking to speak with the Major General."

"Of course. One moment please."

Ed impatiently waited for something nearer to a minute than a moment before a familiar gruff voice sounded from the other end of the line.

"Fullmetal. I'm sure you have a report for me."

"Listen, you…" Edward began, then righted himself, "…Look. I don't have time for that now, but I'm sure I will later."

"Oh really, Fullmetal? Then what can I do for you?" he asked smugly.

"Honestly Mustang, can you try not to act like an egomaniac for ten seconds?" Ed whined, then continued before Roy could reply, "I need to tell you something. We found a girl here, she looks about eighteen, and she's been badly hurt. It looks like she was attacked and beaten to a complete pulp."

"I have to be blunt, Fullmetal…what does this really have to do with me? I mean, plenty of people are—"

"She's carrying a silver pocketwatch."

Thump

That was the only sound audible from the other end of the line.

"I'll need you to repeat that."

"I said she's carrying a silver pocketwatch. It looks like she's a state alchemist, or she stole it from one."

"…what does she look like?"

Ed sighed and scratched his head, looking over at where Al and the girl were resting. "I'm not really sure. We bandaged her up pretty good. I mean, she was bleeding in ten different places."

"…"

"Hey, sorry Mustang, but we gotta go. Our train's just pulling in."

"Hey, Fullmetal, wait!"

"Listen, we're coming to Central. You can figure everything out then."

Mustang tried to reply, but it was too late. A sharp click sounded. Ed had already hung up. He sighed and tapped the tabletop with his fingers, resting his head on his hand. Captain Hawkeye glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, but remained content to continue her work and leave the General to his thoughts.

"Alright Al, let's get going!" Ed shouted, a bit cheerier than he felt.

Alphonse simply nodded and stood up. Ed stooped to pick the girl up once more, and they slowly made their way onto the train. Wisely, Edward chose a double-facing seat in the very back left corner of the car, near to a door and out of view for most passengers. He set the unconscious form down slowly and proceeded to take a seat opposite. Al silently sat next to the girl and nodded to Ed, who stretched and sprawled out over his seat.

It would be a long ride.

The sound of a whistle penetrated the air loudly, and the train set into motion. Ed glanced out the window, observing as it gained momentum and departed, leaving Orwell and the station behind. He shrugged absentmindedly and yawned. Another nap would do him some good. They were going to see Mustang—he needed all the rest he could get. As his eyes fluttered shut, he caught one last glimpse of the girl sitting beside his brother, and a curiosity for what had done that to her came over him. The fleeting thought left his mind as quickly as it had come, however, as he quickly fell into a slumber.

Edward groggily opened his eyes as the train came to a screeching halt. Nearly thrown out of his seat, he recovered and sat up, waiting for his senses to return. Alphonse was awake, and appeared to be perfectly composed. Slowly waking up, the older Elric got to his feet and retrieved the small brown suitcase from the luggage rack above his head, glancing around.

It was then he noticed the stares of the other passengers. Their eyes were all affixed on him, and some on the girl laying slumped in the seat.

Knowing his visit with Mustang was drawing nearer, Ed's temper failed him, and he let an outburst slip.

"What the hell are you all lookin' at!"

He looked around once more. There were no more eyes on him, and the train was rapidly emptying. He stared blankly at Al, who smiled and stood, leading the way off of the passenger car, his brother following close behind with the victim in his arms.

The two boys stepped off of the train and observed their familiar surroundings. They were in Central once more, and this particular station was a place they had frequented many times. Still cradling their third traveler, Edward continued to follow Alphonse as they strode forward, through the large opening that led out to the streets of Central. A black vehicle parked at the edge of the sidewalk to their left caught Ed's eye. It was a military vehicle.

The driver and passenger doors swung open, and two uniformed men stepped out of the car. They approached the brothers and saluted smartly to Edward.

"Good evening, Fullmetal Alchemist sir," the one on the left ventured. He was of medium build, about 5'10" with short, muscular arms and a round belly that extended the blue military uniform outwards. A mop of dark brown hair graced his head, and large square glasses were perched on his also large nose, framing hazel-brown eyes. His companion was the opposite, tall and lanky, thin with little hair and sharp green eyes. Ed flipped open his watch, surprised that it was already evening, and checked the sky. It was nearing dusk; the sun was setting. He hadn't noticed.

"Yo."

A bit taken aback at his casual attitude, the large man continued. "I'm Staff Sergeant Gene Sunder. This man here is Corporal Kelly Brockman. The Major General sent us to pick you up and bring you to Headquarters. Are you prepared to leave?" Ed nodded in reply. Sunder opened the rear left door for him to set the girl inside. He and Al circled the car, getting in on the right side, with Al positioning himself in the middle and Ed by the door on the right. The pair of low-ranking officers returned to the car, and Brockman took the wheel. Quickly, the car began moving and they pulled out of the station circle, making a left turn onto a main road that passed directly by Central Headquarters.

Ed rested with his head against the window, watching as the dull buildings of downtown Central flashed by. He turned his head for a moment, his gaze catching on the victim. Her eyes were open, and she seemed to be looking right through him, but she neither noticed him nor said anything. Returning to his former position, Edward rubbed his temples and waited for the coming meeting with his superior.

Brockman and Sunder had long since departed from the brothers' presence. The girl had retained her consciousness, yet she still needed heavy support from Al to progress forward. It was an extremely slow pace, but that was just fine with Edward as he grumpily shuffled his feet along the long white-walled corridor. The banners that had contained the Führer's emblem had long since been removed, making the hallway even more bland. Edward just stared at the polished oak door they were approaching, knowing what was on the other end.

They finally arrived. Edward gulped loudly and gave Alphonse a pained look. The younger brother just shook his head. Sighing, Ed turned back to the door and raised his right hand, knocking softly. A shuffling came from within the room, and then the door opened. Riza had let them in, and her pretty face was always a welcome sight. She moved to the left, however, giving Ed a clear view of the man lounging behind his desk.

Mustang.

He smiled and waved his hand, ushering the Elric brothers in. Al and the girl took a seat to the right of the desk, and Edward stood at attention in front.

"So, Fullmetal, you've returned."

"I have," Edward managed. He was struggling to keep his temper under control. Mustang just pissed him off.

"Do you have a story to tell?"

"No, I don't. But I have the letter right here," Ed placed the envelope on the desk, "and we brought this girl back with us. She has a state alchemist watch and some pretty bad scrapes."

Mustang glanced over, and his eyes rose expectantly.

"Lyncia?" he ventured.

She nodded weakly and brought her arms up to remove her facial bandages. The pain made her cringe, but she continued anyway and successfully got them off. Just above waist-length, shiny, sailing, soft hazel-brown hair fell gracefully and spread against her back. Her face was slightly pale, but the shine of soft brown eyes reminiscent of her hair could still be glimpsed. A thin line served as her mouth, spread over extremely soft and smooth skin. She then removed the rest of her bandages, revealing slender arms and a large, attractive breast area. Ed blinked hard and followed his eyes as they ran down her thin yet healthy-looking waist, her just-as slender legs, and back up, tracing her soft-looking pale skin.

"Uh…" he got out.

"Edward, this is Lyncia Asuna. She's a certified state alchemist, has been since she was sixteen," Mustang informed the older Elric matter-of-factly.

"Uh…okay," Ed mumbled, "What…erm, what does she do?"

"In most aspects, she's just like you. She can perform many kinds of alchemy when needed. However, she has a name, also like you. A special ability. Can you guess it?"

Ed was in disbelief that, even now, Mustang was making him guess. "What is it?"

Mustang looked at her once more. "We call her the Catholicon Alchemist."

"The what?"

"You heard me. The Catholicon Alchemist. Besides being able to extract solutions and scents from certain species of medical plants, she's an extremely talented healer."

Edward looked at Lyncia once more. She gazed back at him, expressionless, neither saying a thing nor clarifying or authenticating Roy's comment. Ed scratched the back of his neck nervously. Even in this state, she was drop-dead gorgeous, and it was making it a bit hard for him to remember what he was going to say.

"So you're saying that if we hadn't come along, she would still be fine anyway?" Ed mumbled, a bit annoyed.

"Come on, Ed. Are you that stupid? Look at her. Judging from her appearance, I'd say that you two pretty much saved her life."

She still said nothing.

Ed and Mustang continued to converse, each continuing to annoy the other until the conversation became rather pointless. Alphonse leaned over in Lyncia's direction.

"What did this to you?" he quietly asked.

She finally spoke, and her barely-audible whisper was somehow heard by each and every person occupying the room.

"A…homunculus."

A/N: Phew, that chapter was a little more excruciating than the last one, or at least for this author anyway. Yet I still sincerely enjoyed writing it. Anyway, on the note of necessity for those who don't know, Asuna is pronounced Ahs-na or Aus-nah. Same thing, really.

That joy I received will be quickly taken away if I don't receive some hits, and maybe some helpful reviews hint XD

Due to school and life, I will probably update once a week to once every two weeks. It depends on how much time I find each day to write (these are pretty long chapters).Once again, a shoutout goes to SeaLover456, Merodi-chan,and BlackMercifulFaerie (sadly, no, he indeed has only one eye) for their reviews. Thanks a lot!

If you're actually here, thanks very much for reading. I promise things will only continue to get better. Next time:

Chapter 3: Begin

Lyncia Asuna, the Catholicon Alchemist. A true beauty, her revelation will be fully explained and fully explored. Ed and Al set out once more, a new partner in tow, to discover the secrets of this turn of events. Before any one person can progress, however, it is neccessary for one to look back. The Elric brothers find that their first destination can be none other than Resembool.

See ya soon!