Hey people! Yes, I'm actually alive...let's sum things up quickly cause I know you might want to start reading. Italy was a blast, the whole high school/college transition is done and I'm still as insecure as ever about my chapters. My beta says that it's good so I'll take his word for it...

Review replies have/will be sent in the next few moments, enjoy!

I don't own FMA...just Amber and everything else that doesn't belong in the original. And now...onto the fic!

Chapter Fifteen
Caring is not possible...is it?
Amber

We'd just arrived at the station closest to Santorini in good time. Ed and Al had left to get our bags while I waited for them at the platform. The breeze played with my stray bang as I adjusted my bun and looked around.

"Hey there," started a voice from beside me. "What's a girl like you doing here alone?" he continued as he grabbed my arm and pulled me towards him.

"I'm not alone," I defended, frustrated that he held my right arm, the one I usually used for my one hand alchemy.

"Yes you are, girly..." he said while twisting my arm.

"Let me go!" I growled, getting angry. "I'm not alone!"

"Come here," he said, pulling me towards him.

"Pick on someone else!" yelled out Ed's voice as he pulled my other arm and brought me towards him. "Everything okay?" he asked as I felt my right arm again.

"I'm fine," I said with a small smile. "Thanks."

"Now leave her alone and get a life," Ed said as he turned to his side. Suddenly, he screamed and I noticed a bleeding wound on his left arm.

"We need to go," I said while applying pressure to Ed's wound and dragging him outside with me. "Your arm okay?" I asked as he pushed me away.

"It's fine, now let's go," he said while walking. "Which way?"

"Straight ahead for now," I said as I led. The walk became silent, as always. Al stood between Ed and me to stop any probable fights that might start up. I shivered after a while, noticing that we were getting there."Now we need to climb a little...but we're not that far off," I said as I started to climb the mountainside.

"I hope not," Ed muttered as he followed. I'm glad I decided to go with jeans today...

"Brother be careful, Amber you too," Al said as I heard his armor rattle in the background as he also started to climb.

"I will," Ed and I said at the same time. I reached up and grabbed the closest rock to me before pulling myself up. "We're almost there..." I said with a smirk. 'Wait until he sees that there's a path to get up here without this climbing...he'll be furious...' I thought as I finally reached the top. Ed climbed up and quickly noticed it and scowled at me.

"If there was a way of walking...WHY DID YOU MAKE ME CLIMB UP HERE?" he yelled, charging at me. Al suddenly appeared and held him back while I smirked.

"Shortcut," I said while walking off. "We're just thirty minutes away from Santorini," I added as the hills were lightly covered in snow.

"You like to make me suffer, don't you?" Ed asked me.

"I'm hurt," I said, half honest and part lie...but why would I be partially honest in the first place? "I'm only doing what you do to me..." I then added, running off, desperate to get there.

Ed

I ran to catch up with Amber and I could hear the creaking from Al's armor as he caught up to us. The snow at our feet cushioned our steps and at the same time making them less noisy. I stopped beside Amber and found myself facing a small village where people were bustling about and little kids were all around.

"This is Santorini?" I asked.

"Uh-uh," Amber said with a small nod. Suddenly, she was on the ground and two kids were on top of her. "Hey Chris, Maya," she said as they hugged her. "It's nice to see you too."

"Mama!" cried the girl as she got off Amber and ran to a woman. "Amber came! Just like you said!" The little boy named Chris got off her and Amber sat up, smiling.

"Feels good to be here..." she whispered.

"Hey stranger," said a deep male voice. I looked in the direction the voice had come from and saw a guy close to our age with messy brown hair and blue eyes. "You finally decided to tumble on in..."

"So I did," Amber started as she got up. "Is that a good thing?" she asked.

"You tell me," he said suggestively while hugging her. "Nice to see ya Amby."

"You too Louis," she said while hugging him back. "So...what's the damage?" she asked as he slipped his arm around her shoulder and lead her into the village.

"Hey!" I cried, following. "Amber wait for us!" I added as Al ran next to me. She and Louis stopped and turned to face me and Al.

"Snow isn't that deep and it's not that cold," Louis said. "It might melt by morning...we've always had unexplainable weather here," he added.

"They weren't asking about that," Amber replied. "Lou, this is Edward and Alphonse Elric," she said, pointing and introducing each of us. "Better?" she asked me.

"Yes," I replied. I watched as Lou's arm dropped from Amber's shoulder to her waist and she quickly pulled away. "Where are we staying?"

"Kira's," Amber said as she started walking to a certain house. "Kira! It's Amber!" she said as she knocked on the door. "I need a place to stay for three people!"

"Come in Amby!" a voice from inside called out. Amber opened the door and walked in. "Are you two coming?" she asked me and Al.

"Yeah!" Al and I said, walking up the steps and stepping inside. Amber closed the door after us and I took in the sights. The place was kind of big from what it looked like on the outside. A plump woman became visible from the kitchen doorway, a mixing bowl in her arms. She smiled at us before placing the bowl on a nearby table and starting to squeeze the living daylights out of Amber.

"Nice to see you too Kira but, I need air," Amber said as the woman stopped squeezing Amber and turned to us.

"I'm sorry!" the woman began. "Who might you two be?" she asked us. "Is the short one your boyfriend?" Amber's fists were clenched at the words and shook her head. I could care less about being called short right now, I was just called Amber's boyfriend!

"No!" she and I growled. "We're not even friends in the first place!" we yelled at the same time. This was getting out of hand... "When are you going to stop repeating me?"

"Just shut up Ed!" Amber cried.

"No, you do!" I cried as I was suddenly smacked on the head by metal.

"Shut up both of you!" Al cried as he hit me again.

"Why don't you hit her?" I yelled.

"Because I don't hit girls," Al said simply. Amber smiled at him and turned to Kira. "Where will be staying miss?" he asked Kira sweetly. I'm sure that if he had his body, he'd be smiling...

"Follow me..." Kira replied, smiling. We all followed to a room with three beds and a bathroom, Amber quickly claimed the bed on the corner closest to the window while I took the middle one. Since Al can't sleep, it would've been hard to have him choose.

"Sorry about this Al," Amber whispered as I threw myself onto the second bed.

"I'll be starting dinner soon so feel free to wander around," Kira said as she left us three alone.

"This bed is nice..." I said with a smile.

"Then stay there pig..." I heard her reply. I was just about to snap when the door opened and Louis stepped in.

"The kids want to see you," he said simply. "And I want you to meet my wife."

"You're our age but you're married!" cried Al.

"Yeah," Louis said, embarrassed. "I got her pregnant...so it was the right thing to do..."

"Oh..." Al said almost inaudible.

"Coming Amby?" he asked. Amber nodded and Al followed. I decided to stay behind and skip out on the rest of the things they might want to do. I just want to recover from the climb...but what I'm having a hard time grasping is why I covered Amber earlier...I even got hurt protecting her. I shook it off, closed my eyes and napped the day away.

"Wake up Ed," Amber's voice called, snapping me out of my slumber.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Let me take a look at your arm...it's still bleeding," she said softly.

"No!" I said while looking around. "What time is it?"

"A little past eight," she started while going into the bathroom. I heard the water running for just seconds when she came back out with a bowlful and a first aid kit. "Now let me take a look at that arm, I'll be done fast..."

"No!" I cried, applying pressure to my wound. "Where's Al?"

"The kids took a liking to him...he's playing with them outside," Amber answered as she sat down next to me on the bed. "Now, take off your jacket."

"I said I wasn't going to do it!"

"Let me just take quick care of you...the quicker this is done...the sooner I'm out of your hair."

"Fine," I said while taking my jacket off and showing her my arm. She gently held it as she examined the wound closely. "Well?" I asked.

"You've let it bleed too much...I can't tell how deep it is..." she said while soaking a towel. "Hold still," she said while starting to clean my arm. The silence was incredible as she wrung out the towel, I could hear the water drop onto the bowl again as she took hold of my arm. I still can't get over what she'd said just moments ago..."care", she actually used the word but, that's not possible!

"Ow!" I cried as I tried to take my arm back and snapping out of my trail of thought. "It stings!" I continued as she started to clean my wound. The touch was gentle...I could barely tell it was her that was doing it. I watched her soak in a clean towel and start again with the same amount of pressure. Once that was done, she patted the wound dry before looking at it closely. "Well?"

"It's deep," she said while pulling out some bandages and something else I couldn't see well. "But not enough to require stitches," she said while holding my arm a little tighter now. "Hold still while I finish up. I'm almost done..." she said softly as she applied something on my arm before starting to wrap it up. "It'll be a little tight at first but, you'll get used to it..."

"Thanks," I said softly as I watched her work. Her gaze was firm as she wrapped my wound tightly, making sure that it'd begin to heal properly. The eyes that I usually denominated as cold, were full of concern as if she did care.

"You'll need to stay off it for 2 days, to avoid reopening it..." Amber said while picking up the stuff she'd used. "I'll get you a sling...I have one in my bag," she finished saying while going into the bathroom.

"It'll be hard for me...I'm not used to hurting this arm much..." I said as Amber came back from the bathroom empty handed and proceeded to look in her suitcase. Suddenly, a sling flew and landed on my lap. I put it on with just one hand and watched Amber get ready for a shower.

"I'll be back in a moment...if you need any help in getting dressed, just tell me-"

"I don't want you seeing me half nude!" I yelled, cutting her off.

"If you'd let me finish, you'd hear me say that I would fetch Al for you..." Amber snapped while going into the bathroom and locking herself in.

"Sorry..." I whispered as I heard her turn on the shower. I can't believe that she cares...that's not possible...just like I don't care about her at all...if that's true then, why did I save her? Twice for that matter...why did I do it? Do I...care? No way! It's not possible...

"Hey," I heard Amber's voice call out as she stepped out of the bathroom. "Feeling better?"

...is it possible that I just might care?

And so ends another chapter of Steel and Ice...I hope you enjoyed it!

Until next time peoples!

Laski