Author Note: Here's chapter 2

Disclaimer: FMA and its characters belong to Hiromu Arakawa

Chapter 2:

"I can't believe we had to stop here before heading back to Central." Edward complained, stomping down the street with a suitcase thrown over one shoulder.

"There's nothing we can do brother. That's just what the schedule is. We just have to wait a bit." The younger brother tried to pacify him. It was a little strange at first to hear that young, kind voice come from such an intimidating suit of armor. I accepted it rather quickly though. Considering some of the things I had been exposed to, it wasn't that strange.

"But we need to get to Central as quickly as possible."

"I doubt Dr. Marcoh's notes are going anywhere. For now, why don't we get you some food." The mention of food lifted Edward's spirits. He ran off towards the only tavern in town.

The fact that they were heading to Central was a problem. I was reluctant to go there until I had some allies but I had no choice but to follow. I left the two at the tavern and went to purchase my own train ticket. I then returned to my job. I went and told the manager that something had come up and I could no longer work there. The look she gave me showed she was concerned but she didn't ask questions. That was something I always appreciated about the woman. She was the type to know when not to ask questions, unlike the others that worked there. They didn't bluntly ask anymore but still subtly fished for the truth.

"Alright. I'll tell the boss." She said. "Take care of yourself, Carter."

"I will. Thank you." I gave her a grateful smile.

I rushed back to the apartment that I never really called home. I grabbed the suitcase that I always had packed in case I was ever found and needed to flee. I paused to put on my long, dark, hooded coat. I went to leave but stopped as I remembered one last thing. I slowly walked over to the bedside table. I pulled open the drawer and gently took out the box from inside. The wooden box was old and worn but well taken care of. I felt my heart ache as I opened it. Inside were two items. The first was a mask.

I had run into an old man not long after my escape that let me stay the night at his inn for free. He gave me the mask as a parting gift along with supplies for my travel.

"Why are you giving me this?" I asked, staring unsurely down at the mask. The man put a hand on my shoulder. I tensed at the touch but he kept it there and spoke softly to me.

"I don't know what you've been through but it's left a mark on you that won't heal. You need to learn to accept it and love yourself regardless. Until then, you can wear this. It's a little conspicuous I know but it's the best I can offer. My sister liked to collect these types of things." His smile turned sad, showing that his sister had either passed at some point or he hadn't seen her in years. "If you can't wear it, at least keep it as a reminder of my words." He smiled warmly. "I hope there will come a time when you don't need it."

He was the first person to ever treat me with selfless kindness and compassion and I could see in his eyes that he meant it. I decided to heed his words and kept it close by as a reminder. It was one that I had been sure I would always need as I was far from accepting my past and loving myself. I was trying to move on from it now so maybe there was hope.

While the mask represented hope and promise for the future, the other item represented the complete opposite. I took the gun into my hands and stared intently at it. On the days when my memories were too much to handle, my mind went to the gun and reminded me that I had a way out, a way to make the pain stop. I kept the gun with the mask though because whenever I opened the box with the intent to blow my brains out I would see it and be reminded of that sweet old man.

I didn't even know the man and he probably had forgotten about me or had passed by then but knowing that he gave me something that held so much meaning to him was enough for me to put the gun down. It didn't feel right to betray the faith he had in me. There was a part of me that wondered if it would have even worked.

Having little time left, I quickly but gently packed the box into my suitcase. I stopped to drop off the key with the landlord then rushed off to the train station. I made it with time to spare. Edward and his brother barely made it though. They came running as the train whistle blew. I chuckled to myself when I saw that Edward had a sandwich stuffed into his mouth even while running. There was another person with them now. It was a massive man covered in muscles. His head was bald except for one curl of thick blond hair and he had a thick curled mustache to match.

They ended up sitting in the same car as me. A decent distance away but close enough that I could hear them. The brothers talked some more about the notes that were mentioned earlier while the big man sat silently with his massive arms crossed. They never went into detail about what they were talking about so I couldn't determine what they were looking to learn from the notes written by the man named Marcoh. I eventually tuned them out and stared out the window instead.

I thought about what I had just left behind. It wasn't much but there was some stability in the life I had created for myself. I might regret leaving it later but at that moment I was trying to focus on what I might succeed in doing for the country and all the kind people that lived in it. I knew that I would lose my life if I were to fail, whether it was through death or being locked up once more. I hoped I would at least be at peace with myself for having attempted. I wouldn't know for sure unless it happened.

Every part of me screamed at me to run when I found myself in the busy train station of Central. Being in Central could be the end of me. I pushed my fear down and focused on finding the Fullmetal Alchemist. I kept my hood up as I wormed my way through the crowd, using the massive bald man and Alphonse as a marker for where Edward was. I kept my distance though when I saw the military officers speaking with them. I started to sweat, thinking that they would notice and recognize me at any moment. They didn't though.

The blonde officer said something that infuriated Edward. I couldn't really understand what he was yelling as he was yelling too quickly. This must have been a regular occurrence though as Alphonse acted more amused then concerned or upset. I found it rather amusing myself to be honest. Edward threw his arms around as he yelled, looking much like a kid throwing a tantrum, except much more violently. The massive man, now known as Major Armstrong, left Edward and Alphonse with the new officers. Edward didn't look very happy about it. He seemed to get over it quickly though.

"Finally we can go to the First Branch." Edward announced cheerfully, loud enough for me to hear. I sighed. Of course they'd be going somewhere I couldn't follow them. Edward's sudden yell drew my attention.

"What?! Burned down?!" Curious, I moved a little closer. Thankfully there was still quite the crowd so I didn't have to worry about standing out too much.

"What do you mean the First Branch burned down? When?" Edward asked the officers, looking horrified.

"Last night." The female officer informed him.

"No! Then Dr. Marcoh's notes are gone." Edward and his brother both sagged in disappointment, looking quite pitiful.

"There might be someone who could help." The officer said, lifting their spirits. "Come on."

I panicked when they left and started getting into a car. I could probably keep up with the car but that would draw attention. Having little choice, I ran into an alley and wall jumped onto the roof. I jumped from roof to roof while keeping an eye on the car. I regretted wearing the coat now; no doubt I was easier to notice because of it. It didn't seem like anyone did though, which was good. The car pulled up in front of a nice small house. I tried to peer in through the window to see what was going on but all I saw was books. Mountains and mountains of books. I resigned myself to waiting outside for them to leave.

Edward and Alphonse were in much better spirits when they left. Whoever they saw was clearly a great help to them. They made their way to a hotel and I was forced to go another way. The hotel was much too nice for me to afford. I found a cheaper one not too far away. I booked a room then quickly went to see if the brothers were still at their hotel. Their room had a window that I could see into from across the street. They were talking but I couldn't hear what about but I could guess what about.

The brothers did nothing of significance the next four days. I would have been bored if I wasn't still on edge about being in Central. They went back to that house again on the fifth day. This time they had armfuls of written notes with them when they left. Those must have been the notes they kept going on and on about. They holed themselves up in a different branch of the library. Still one I couldn't enter though. I stared at the library entrance from a rooftop, waiting for them to leave once more. I had started to wonder if it was really worth following them since I wasn't learning a damn thing about their allegiance or intentions. They were still my best bet though so I continued to watch and wait.

Author Note: I started to get tired of including details of Carter's following the brothers at the end there, could you tell? ;)

Don't worry, he'll be talking to them soon.

I don't know where the whole thing with the old man and mask came from but I liked it. I had just wanted a reason for Carter to wear a mask later but I really like it.

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