TN: Sorry, about the late update guys! I got grounded forever! But, hey, I'm back! ^_^" Please don't be angry at me!

It's been hours since I left the Elrics in the back. I still hadn't called Aunt Riza or anyone else yet. Why was I stalling? Was it something that I ate? Not enough sleep?

"What I mean, is that if the surgery fails, it will result in killing off an artery in her shoulder. The artery pumps blood throughout that part of the body. And it also is connected to the heart. When the artery dies, so will the heart," Auntie Amber said grimly. "And will result in Seiren's death."

A shiver went up my spine at the description. If the surgery will fail, I will die. I bit my lip at the memory of how nonchalantly the Rockbells accepted my request at getting the surgery. It was supposed to be fatal! Do they not care if I die or not? I suppose it won't bother them since I'm not close to them in any way, but shouldn't they at least warn me about it? In some light persuade me against this option? I suppose they will simply not care; I mean, what benefit was I to them in any way? I shook my head. No; their hearts aren't lost. They are the type of people who would happily put themselves in harm's way for a complete stranger. They do not give me the impression that they would stand by and watch someone die. Is this perhaps their way of showing reassurance? Or are they that confident that I will survive? I need to stop taking a small reassurance so seriously. Besides, they might just be tired from all the all-nighters they have been pulling. It is not like anyone's life is on the line, that is certain. The only life in danger, really, is myself. I have no problem with that. I have lived a life of fulfilling my duties. The only regret I will have is that I will not be around to protect the Elric Brothers longer. It was strange, but I find their presence rather adventurous. I have not had so many emotional outtakes since I turned into a vampire.

I shook my head. My mind was going offset. I need to fulfill my priorities first. I walked along the hall and downstairs to the kitchen where their phone stood. I took the courtesy of looking at the time. It was pretty late at night; that would explain the lack of boisterous behavior that usually upholds the home. Everyone must be asleep, the Rockbells at the very least working on Edward's automail. Major Armstrong as well seemed to be fast asleep on his spot on the cot inside the living room. I will not have to deal with him either. It was strange; with the house so still and lifeless, I was full of life. I missed these tranquil nights when I have the world to myself for just a moment. I shook my head again. I was going off into my own imagination once again.

I picked up the phone and dialed the number, and the voice that triggered home sickness picked up. "Lieutenant Hawkeye," came her answer. I smiled for real this time; there was no one to hide it from at the moment.

"Aunt Riza, it's me; Seiren," I said, finally happy to hear her voice once again.

"Seiren, it's good to hear from you." I rolled my eyes at her suppressed tone. I knew she was happy to hear my voice, too. "Why haven't you called?"

I giggled slightly. There was her maternal side coming into play. "I figured it wasn't proper of me to call for you when I have not obtained my main objective for coming to Risembool," I answered logically. With the night out and the air still, I had no reason to suppress my accent and old speech from her. She knew of my circumstances as well as the rest of the subordinates of Uncle Roy's team.

I detected a small chuckle come from her. "As straightforward as ever, I see," Aunt Riza said. "Are you feeling well? Is everything fine over there?"

I chuckled. "Look who has decided to become my mother for the time being," I joked. "Yes, I am quite fine. No real danger has presented themselves, and Edward even managed to find a lead to his goal."

"Edward? You're calling him by his first name?" she asked. "And don't you mean "we found a lead" instead of "he found a lead"?"

I simply smiled mournfully. "I am merely here for protection. I am not interested in assisting him discover something as the Philosopher's Stone," I said resolutely.

"But I'm sure you're probably his best bet at finding it," Aunt Riza pressed.

"I am sorry, but that matter is something I am simply not yearning to assist with," I repeated. "Enough of me, but how is Uncle Roy and everyone doing? Are they well?"

"Everyone is in perfect health; don't go worrying about that," she said. "Speaking of health, what's the answer to the surgery?"

I looked at my feet. "They accepted my proposal. I am waiting on their preparation." I wonder what Aunt Riza will think of it. I mean, automail bones? Is it going to be a benefit or a disadvantage? I decided to find out later. "If it's not too much to ask, may I speak to Uncle Roy?"

I heard Aunt Riza chuckle over the phone. "Of course."

I found it rather embarrassing that I actually cared enough to ask if I could talk to him. How is it that every time I meet someone, I find the need to care for them somehow? It takes quite a while for the bond to grow, but all the same I feel this obligation to…oh, I don't know, protect them? I do not understand how the care even forms, but I find it quite troublesome. It becomes a great disadvantage when one gains a soft spot for someone. It will become a weakness. The shuffling soon ended on the phone and I realized that Uncle Roy was perhaps ready to talk. I didn't speak first.

"Hello?" came his annoyed tone.

"Uncle Roy, it's me," I said, bringing my voice back into the normal speech. Every time I speak my old accent, it seems to bother him a bit. I don't know why, maybe the fact that he doesn't quite accept it, but I figured it was better to not talk that way around him unless direly necessary.

"Ah, Seiren," he said, his tone becoming less annoyed. "Do you know what time it is?"

I laughed nervously. "Yeah, well…I figured it'll be best if I called you when no one's awake. I didn't want to bother anyone, and I really didn't need anyone knowing how nervous I am about the surgery," I admitted. Oh, who was going to be there to hear me? My only weaknesses are shared with Uncle Roy, Aunt Riza, and Auntie Amber only. No one else knows about them. The Elric Brothers don't even know about my cute trances.

"So, you're getting the surgery after all, eh?" he asked.

I glared as if he were in the room talking to me. "Of course I am. Think I'd just have my arm useless forever?" I said, angry how he thinks I'd leave it in the state it's in. He knows me better than anyone, besides Aunt Riza and Auntie Amber of course, so why would he have such a stupid question?

"I shouldn't be all too surprised, considering who I'm dealing with," he said.

I nodded even though I know he can't see me. "Yeah, that was a stupid question," I agreed.

I heard him chuckle. "Don't worry about it, alright?" he said. "Everything will be fine."

All joking immediately died at that point. I knew what he was talking about. I looked down dejectedly. "Did you hear the consequences if it doesn't?" I asked quietly.

He didn't answer me for the longest time. A minute passed by until he responded. "…Yeah." I stood in silence. "That's not going to happen though," he immediately reassured me. "I know you. It hasn't happened before, it won't happen now. No matter what, you always pull through right? You'll find another way to cheat death, I know it." I had to smile at that. "Besides, you won't go out without a fight. It'll be eternity until you lose to surgery, right?"

"Right," I said as confident as I could muster. At this point I wasn't even sure if I will. I'm no longer my past self. I'm no longer her. I'm now Seiren Smith, not whoever I was back then. I've changed; I had to accept that. I had to accept that there is a chance of dying. No matter who I was before.

"Okay," Roy said. "Get some rest, alright?"

"Yeah. Goodbye," I said and hung up the phone. My anger started to grow inside each time I rethink what I just said and I couldn't help but feel so defeated and frustrated with myself. I balled my working hand into a fist and punched the wall as hard I dared do with everyone asleep. I put into order the sound control I've learned and made just a small 'thump'. When I pulled my hand back I didn't find the expected dent but droplets of dark cherry blood instead. I scoffed and cradled my hand near my chest. I walked toward the sink and had to turn the faucet on with my injured hand and washed my cuts with the water. I was unable to scrub the wound clean with my left hand and had to make do with an unattended cut.

"Need some help there?"

My head snapped to the direction of the voice to find none other than Edward standing in the hallway. His face was traced with pity and sorrow so I turned and hid mine quickly before he saw the shame that registered on it. How did I not sense him before? "How much did you see?" I asked in a hushed tone. He didn't answer me as he walked over and grabbed my hand. I stared at him incredulously. "What do you think you're doing?" I snapped as I pulled my hand away roughly.

He turned his golden eyes up at me in an annoyed expression. "Would you just calm down so I could see how badly it's cut up?" he asked and without my consent took my hand again and started examining it.

"Tch." I was tempted to pull my hand away again but I couldn't bring myself to do so somehow.

He sighed as he looked at it. "You didn't cut it up that bad but you still need to bandage it up," he said.

"I could've told you that much," I muttered. He brought my hand to the sink and started up the faucet again. "I can clean it myself." He ignored me and continued to wash my blood from off my hand. I watched in shock as the black cherry dripped down the drain. I completely forgot! He's seeing my blood! I wiped my horrified expression off my face as I remembered that Auntie Amber had lied to him and covered up for this fact. My heart rate slowed as I calmed down. With my hand in his hold, I hoped that he didn't feel my pulse to see how my heart was betraying me. As the water's sound died out, only small remnants of the scent littered the air and I found it as some sort of shield from Edward's. I wasn't sure my suppressed blood lust was lasting any longer, and I really didn't want to feel the pain and distortion I had felt when I had drank my own blood. Edward dropped my hand and allowed me to move it freely once more and instinctively I put it near my chest.

"Go out to the patio and wait there," he ordered rather than suggested. I was shocked at the tone he had used when telling me to do so. His voice was soft and delicate, unlike the harsh and loud tone he had used on me previously. Somehow I felt compelled to obey, even if he didn't say that it was an order.

I nodded my head, and just so he knows I am not bound to follow any other orders anytime soon, I said, "Sure; it'll give me a better view on the perimeter for any predators, anyway." He gave me a confused stare at me before turning around signaling me to go to the patio. I turned on heel and walked delicately out the door, making sure to close the door as silently and stealthily as possible as if I were never there in the first place. As I stepped outside the night air greeted me coolly, brushing my raven hair from out of my face. It was colder than I expected it to be, and I bit my lip in order to stop a chill from going down my spine. Steps led down to the ground and I seated myself at the top of the steps, bringing one knee to my chest. I rested my left arm over it as a cushion for my head. I put my chin on my arm and I was surprised to find that there was no bone to keep it structured. I just felt flesh as my chin sunk into my dead arm. I jolted up in alarm at the feeling and abandoned the idea of resting my head on my left arm. I could probably ball my arm up into a sphere and it would have no protest.

Just then the fleeting smell of Edward's intoxicating scent reached my senses and I couldn't help but yearn for blood. I almost vomited at the fact that I was desiring Edward's blood….I was sickened with myself. I was also embarrassed by the fact that I was even thinking of such trivial things. The door opened as soundlessly as I had done and closed. I turned my head and Edward was standing there; bandages and antiseptic in his hands. He ignored my shocked stare and sat down beside me, taking my hand without me even saying a word of approval. I sat still as he rubbed antiseptic over my cuts and proceeded to bandage them.

"You don't have to do that…" I murmured as he wrapped the white cloth around my hand. He didn't answer me once again and continued to wrap my hand. I hummed softly in recognition that whatever I say about this, he was still going to make sure my hand was okay. We sat in silence for a while, the only sound we hear being the stillness of the night breeze and the only scent we smell is the medicine.

As he was close to finishing my hand, he said, "Are you okay?" I was still unused to the tone he was using.

I turned my head back to him in confusion. I shook my head dismissively. "Don't worry; I didn't hurt my hand all that bad. It's just a small cut."

"You know that's not what I'm talking about," he said, casting his golden eyes upward. "Is there something you want to talk about?"

I looked down at my feet. "There's nothing to talk about," I said softly, "Look; if you're worried about me or anything, you're wasting your energy. I am perfectly fi-"

"Quit lying," Edward said in his usual hostile tone. "I saw you; you were upset. What were you talking about on the phone?"

"That's none of your-"

"What were you talking about on the phone," he repeated, louder.

I sighed. "Why are you two Elrics' so bent on worrying about me…" I muttered.

"It was about the surgery, right?" Ed answered for me, making my eye twitch. When I didn't answer, he pressed, "It was about the surgery, right?"

"Yes," I replied quietly. I glanced over and realized he was still holding my hand even though it was wrapped up completely. I pulled my hand away quickly, putting it near my chest. I felt my cheeks burn at the thought of him holding my hand for that long point of time. "But it's nothing to think anything on. It's just the jitters before a surgery; no big deal." I lowered my voice as I rested my chin on my knee. "It's nothing to worry about, anyway…."

"If you want to talk about it, it's okay," Ed grumbled, a bit annoyed. He rested his hand on his lap as he looked up at the sky. "To be afraid of something is only-"

"I'm not afraid of anything!" I snapped, glaring at him while doing so. "Why in the world would I be scared? There's nothing to be scared about! I'm just getting damn automail bone surgery and being on my way," I said defiantly, my eyes narrowing with irritation. I absolutely hated when people assume I am afraid of something; as if they know! As if they know what exactly I'm afraid of. As if they know why. You can't go around assuming things. Maybe if they got it right, I wouldn't be so perturbed about it.

"Then tell me!" Ed yelled back, sending me an icy glare. " I know that you're scared; I know that you're afraid. But of what, Seiren, of what?"

I was momentarily stunned by his use of my first name. Never once had he used it; not one. My shock was a mixture of that, his piercing golden eyes, and the fact that he…the fact that he…asked me what I was afraid of. So, before, he wasn't assuming what I was afraid of. He was just using it in a general sense. God, I feel like such a cold-hearted witch! I haven't even given the benefit of the doubt to him. Do I become so blinded by my anger that I just impulsively snap?

"I'm sorry," I quickly murmured, not intending to stay too long with an apology. I moved on. "I called Aunt Riza and Uncle Roy. I told them that I was getting the surgery."

At this Ed's eyes softened. He eased his position immensely, relaxing his tensed muscles. "So, why did you punch the wall?" he asked.

"I was angry with myself," I replied. I was surprised to find that I was answering him honestly and completely. It must have been those damn golden eyes that persuade me to do so.

"Why?" he asked again.

"The consequences of the surgery is that if it fails, I will die," I said, "When I was talking to Uncle Roy….he told me everything will be fine about the surgery. He told me that I won't die; there was just no way for me to…I had lied and said that I agree. But…But…." Despite myself, I felt a lump earn its way in my throat. Tears began to prickle at my eyes and I hated the fact that they dared reveal themselves in front of Edward. I do not want to cry. I do not want to cry in front of the one I am supposed to protect. Crying shows emotion; emotion leads to emotion; crying will lead to caring and by him caring he'll feel compelled to protect me. That's not how it is supposed to be. I protect him, not the other way around.

"I'm just not sure anymore…" I said, smiling mournfully. "I'm not who I was before, and I'll never return to being my past self. I was able to survive anything, overcome anything, overcome everything…But now…" My voice decided to crack at my last word. I swallowed hard to try and get rid of the lump that settled itself in my throat. Instead it became bigger. I tried to hold back my tears, but my tears began to well up in my eyes so that my vision became blurry. The more I pushed to get away from it, it just became worse so altogether I just gave up on suppressing it. I took a breath to calm myself. I turned to him and smiled through the tears. "I guess I'm afraid of dying and leaving everyone behind."

He stared at me with a certain look in his eyes that I just couldn't place. I broke under his gaze as I ducked my head down to stare at my feet. My words came out in a rush. "Well, I guess it won't really matter since no one really needs me, or must have me there or crumble. The only possible people I can really suffice for having to have me there is you and your brother, but of course I'm becoming rather terrible at my job as your guard, so I guess there isn't much difference…" I began to ramble on. Whenever I became a bit overwhelmed, I start to ramble. My mother found it quite endearing, while my father found it absolutely hilarious. I just find it embarrassing because I can't control it.

I heard a sigh and I looked to where it came from. Before I can look, a blanket was draped over my shoulders, encasing me in warmth. I looked up to find Edward standing over me, not making eye contact for the first time. "You'll catch a cold if you just sit there," he said. I clutched the blanket in my hand. He walked to the door and held onto the doorknob. I was about to call if he can stay out here with me, but I couldn't allow myself to do so. And besides, he cut me off before I could say anything more.

"You know, when you're scared you tend to ramble." I glared at him. "But, don't worry, alright? Nothing bad will happen to you; I'm positive. Winry and Granny are the best mechanics I know; they've never failed a surgery in their life. I'm pretty sure they won't mess up with you." I just managed to stare. "I won't feed you the 'everything will be okay' crap everyone seems to tell you about stuff like this. I'll tell you straight: something might go wrong and we can't help it if it does. I can't guarantee that it'll all go perfectly, but I won't lie and say that it will. Your best bet is to just let them do their part and you do yours," he stated. He gripped the doorknob tighter. "But I will say one thing."

"And what's that?"

"You're not terrible at being my guard. Quit being so hard on yourself." He opened the door. "Get some sleep. You have a big day tomorrow."

Before he left, I stopped him. "Thank you," I said, putting him frozen in place. I smiled as he glanced back at me. "For staying with me out here and patching me up." I rose my bandaged hand. Out of spite I added, "Even if you did a pretty shitty job at it."

He just chuckled. "Just get some sleep, Cat Ears."

"Goodnight," I said, just to have the final word. He stopped and looked back at me, and for some reason his cheeks gave up a tint of pink. He didn't respond and just closed the door behind him. I stared at him, blinking my eyes out of confusion. Was he…blushing? I slapped myself in the forehead. Oh, great God. This isn't good. This isn't good at all. I groaned.

"You just have this affect on people that makes them care for you."

"Just shut up, Finnian," I snapped aloud and clutched the blanket around me tighter.

"You also hate it when others are right when you're wrong."

XoXo… The Next Morning …XoXo

"One."

"Two."

"Three!"

At that moment all I wanted to do was scrape my ears off and throw it into the bloody abyss of hell. That would be more pleasant than this unbearable sound.

"Ow, ow, ow!" I heard Ed yelp in pain as the nerves connected in his automail.

I clamped my hands over my ears to somehow muffle the noise of the connecting of nerves of automail. This screeching, screaming, scratching bastard of a sound was just pure agony. Since I was a vampire, my hearing was entirely enhanced and that didn't really be much of a benefit at the moment. I'm not even sure if everyone else's ears hear the noise of connecting the nerves; maybe this was one of the dog whistle moments of a vampire. I REALLY hope that I won't have to deal with this when I get automail bones.

27.) Vampires have enhanced hearing, like an animal.

"I hate the moment when the nerves connect…" Ed muttered as he rubbed his shoulder and leg from the pain.

"Oh, quit being such a baby. See? Seiren isn't even cring-" Winry stopped short as she glanced over at me.

I would have stopped too if I had seen me. I was doubled over on the floor, in a fetal position and covering my head with my arms while I shook violently with the echoing sound in my ears of the nerves connecting. "My…. Ears…" I murmured under my breath with multiple moans of pain.

"Your ears?" she asked.

"Oh! Seiren has 'heightened senses,' so she might have hurt her ears," Armstrong answered cheerfully.

At that moment I couldn't think of anything more to be thankful for than him explaining a lie unknowingly to cover my vampirism up. I nodded weakly but did nothing more than cover my ears tighter so the echoing would stop from that blood-curdling screeching. Winry just turned to Ed and bumped him on the head with her wrench.

"Quit screaming; you're hurting Seiren's ears," she said matter-of-factly.

"Like it was me what Cat Ears was complaining about!" Ed yelled back and pushed the wrench off his head.

Winry just sighed. "I know you're not the type to do any kind of daily maintenance…So this time I used steel with a high percentage of chrome to make it rust resistant," she explained. "But it's less durable this way, so don't be too rough on…HEY, ARE YOU LISTENING?"

Me and Winry just watched hopelessly as Edward ran off to God knows where shouting something about Alphonse waiting or something. I knew that Winry was sulking so I just sat up, still woozy from the nerves connecting and patted her on the shoulder. I winked to her when she looked up. "Don't worry; I was paying attention. I'll make sure that everything's good." And with that I sprinted to where Edward ran off to.

XoXoXoXo

I made it just in time to see Edward bent over Alphonse's body with Armstrong trailing by his side. I rushed over to see; the Major isn't the only one interested in seeing the Fullmetal Alchemist perform alchemy. I peered over his shoulder, and Alphonse had his head taken clear off and inside, a rune transmutation circle was written. Before I even saw it, the sweet smell of blood reached my nose. I came just in time to hear him explain how he fixes Alphonse.

"See that rune on the inside? That's what binds Al's soul to the armor," he explained. "I have to fix his arms and legs without destroying this rune."

"It's written in blood," I stated, rather than asked. He nodded as confirmation.

"It is. My blood."

At that comment, I didn't even pay attention to what he and Alphonse were saying afterwards. I just covered my nose, bit my lip, and ground my heels into the earth below me. The sweet, although four year old, scent had already invaded into my senses. And, boy, was it even better than his scent. In fact, a million times better. The sweet, intoxicating smell was almost unbearable. Intoxicating and sweet. Citrus mixed with vanilla. Nature filled and yet only a small remnant of metallic like qualities remained with it. I couldn't help but almost drool thinking of new and fresh blood of Edward's.

I could have smacked myself in the face if it weren't for Edward's alchemy.

All I saw was Edward clap his hands and touch Alphonse's body. Blue lightning shot up into the sky, the blue and red light reaching my eyes and encasing the whole perimeter of the four of us. Slowly, magically, did Alphonse's disheveled armor branch out into his missing limbs. First a bicep, then an elbow, then a forearm, and finally a hand with attached fingers sprouted out. Then his hollow hole spread into his abdomen and the abdomen formed into the hip, thigh, shin, and then the foot.

Before I knew it, Alphonse was completely restored as normal, if not better. I was almost disappointed when the last sparks of sapphire dissipated and returned to the air. I found myself missing the way the lightning brightened up Edward's golden eyes and made them bloom, making it almost impossible to take your eyes off it the most. When I realized I was staring, I ducked my head down and tried to suppress the smile that wanted to appear. Please do not tell me that I was thinking of that!

Ed quickly twisted his hair back into a braid and with a grin, said, "All right, then…Shall we?"

For the first time, I was truly confused as to what Edward had meant.

….XoXo….XoXo….XoXo….

Edward charged forward, arm raised as if to punch. I saw how open he had made himself, making me shake my head in disappointment. Alphonse scooped him up easily, to my own actions if I were in his position, and thrust him down to the ground. To my surprise, Edward spun in great agility and landed on his feet. Alphonse punched down, almost catching Edward by full force. Luckily, Ed had jumped out of the way in time in a handstand. Swinging his automail foot forward, he aimed for a direct hit right across the chest. Alphonse saw the opening I did, and clasped Edward's leg, throwing him forward and right onto his back.

"What is this? A brother's quarrel?" I called out in half teasing and half testing how well they work multi tasking.

"No; not at all," Edward replied easily, still deflecting hits and dodging attacks when necessary. He sprung forward, ready to attack. "I'm sparring to make sure my arm and leg move correctly."Alphonse just barely managed to dodge and deflect a surprise attack coming from the other side. "And I haven't used my body in so long, I'm trying to get my instincts back," he answered.

I nodded in approval. I observed how they fought, every move, detail, step, expression, power, agility, speed, and breath taken; I've scanned them all. The most I could do in my current state, and what I was allowed, was just to observe. And I took full advantage. I tried to see every fault and weakness the two had, and to my surprise, there weren't many. I wanted to help improve their combat, help in any way possible (Just to protect them, of course). The difficulties they seem to have is very typical, and can be improved and fixed easily.

Edward relies too much on his right arm and left leg. His speed and agility seem to be amazingly developed, but even with his speed and agility he is too slow to take opportunities to attack and results in the opponent knowing what he is going to do. He doesn't enforce enough power in his attacks and once again relies on his automail to deliver his force. His dodging, due to his size, is quite impeccable and blocking the attacks are quite easy to him as well. He can get around the enemy easily and can deliver clever tactics that can benefit his win with multiple hits instead of just one power hit, ensuring victory.

Alphonse has much power. He can deliver blows like anything and knows when to seize an opportunity when one shows itself. He can block very easily due to his sheer size and doesn't tire because of his condition. His agility is alright, enough to survive, at least. Most of all, he lacks in speed and rushes himself with attacks. If he would wait just a bit longer on the opportunities that are shown, his hits can be far more effective. Due to his size, his speed suffers the most and when faced with a fast opponent they can get the upper hand on him by dodging his attacks.

Their overall styles are complete opposites. Edward is very much on the hostile and aggressive side, and he bases his attacks on impulse. Those very impulses make his moves predictable because he goes for the direct way rather than the latter. Alphonse, on the other hand, is very hesitant and doesn't wish to hurt someone. His hesitance costs him dearly in battle because the opponent has another way to get the upper hand on him when showed with brute force. What they have in common is that they base their styles on their emotions.

Which can either be a good thing or a bad thing. It's not worth to take the risk.

Armstrong's boisterous laughter cut into my thoughts and he tore off his shirt. "ALLOW ME TO HELP YOU!" he proclaimed, charging after them. When they both ran away, Armstrong caught them by the back of their clothing. "NO NEED TO HOLD BACK!"

I burst into laughter myself seeing them struggle to get away from the Major, and for a moment, just a moment, I forgot about all my troubles.

XoXoXoXo

"Aww, Ed! You'll catch a cold if you keep sleeping with your stomach out," Alphonse scolded, bringing a blanket over his older brother's body.

Pinako cackled heartedly as she surveyed the scene. "It's almost as if you're his parent, Al."

Alphonse sighed. "It's true. It's not easy having a high maintenance older brother…"

Winry smiled. "I can hardly tell which is the older brother," she said, fixing the blanket over Ed's body and sitting beside him.

I smiled, seeing them converse about Edward while he slept soundlessly on the couch. They were talking about some trip Al and Ed went on to this mining town. Alphonse relayed the events in perfect memory, casting an image into my mind. I blushed, realizing that I was spying on them and turned to leave.

Pinako laughed, " 'This is our home,' huh?" she asked. "I understand…you guys know better than anyone what it feels like to have a home and then lose it."

"Yup," Al agreed. "That's why I appreciate how you and Winry welcome us back like we're you real family. My brother does too, even though he doesn't say it." Suddenly his voice softened. "At the same time, the reality is that we no longer have the house that we were born and raised in. We don't regret burning our house down, but sometimes…we feel this overwhelming sadness." He laughed softly. "Maybe we could get over it if we just had a good cry. But with this body I can't cry even if I wanted to…"

"And then there's that idiot who has a body that can cry with but won't," Winry said. She sighed. "He really tried so hard…to be tough. That idiot…"

I let my hair fall over my face. I really shouldn't be here. This is a private conversation between them. Hell, I probably shouldn't have even come downstairs. Tomorrow I can ask about the surgery. Not during the night when Winry and Pinako were trying to go to bed. I was stupid to come down here. Swallowing a lump in my throat, I look at the bandaging on my hand, remembering what Ed had told me.

"I'll tell you straight: something might go wrong and we can't help it if it does. I can't guarantee that it'll all go perfectly, but I won't lie and say that it will. Your best bet is to just let them do their part and you do yours."

That's right. Just let them do their part, and me do mine. And my part is to sit back and relax while they do their thing. I walked up the steps and into my room. Closing the door behind me, I sighed. The lump in my throat had minimized, though it still somewhat hurt. To my confusion, my window was opened wide and the curtains blew ominously in front of it. I looked up and the first thing I perceived were two glowing red eyes beading down on me from my window. Immediately I grabbed my pocket knife and swiveled myself into a battle stance in impeccable speed. I narrowed my eyes, a low growl easing from my throat.

"Who's there?" I called out harshly, my voice low and emotionless. A breeze blew into my room, pushing back my hair and giving me a chill down my spine. As the wind subsided, I finally saw the cause of the red eyes to find a black raven, perched up on my windowsill staring at my incredulously. I frowned as I loosened my battle stance and stood up straight again. I sighed, and shooed the bird away. "Shoo!" I motioned my hands as if to push it out the window but it stood there, staring at me. Cocking its head to the side as if studying me. We maintained gazes until more wind eased itself into my room, low laughter carried on its breeze. I narrowed my eyes again and as I was about to move forward, the black raven had disappeared.

Furrowing my eyebrows, I walked forward and shut the window closed, making sure to lock it. Two red eyes….why does that seem so…familiar?

15.) Red eyes are the symbol of war for vampires.

I breathed in sharply, my heart racing for just a small amount of time. Could that have been…? No, I told myself. It was just the raven. The…black raven. I reached behind me and brought my hair to my face. No, my hair wasn't black. It had a reddish-purple shine to it. So why was that bird…? I shook my head as I crawled into my bed. It was just a bird….A weird bird at that.

I drifted my eyes closed, intent on falling asleep with the thought that something wasn't right stuck in my head.

XoXo…. The Next Morning …XoXo

Amazingly I couldn't remember what I had dreamed of last night. I just have snippets and pieces with me from my nightmare. The black raven, the two red eyes. And most importantly…two large fangs dripping with blood. Just thinking about it makes me shudder. Throwing my sheets off my bed, I sat up in my bed furiously rubbing at my eyes. I glanced lazily out the window. The orange glare and non-blue sky told me that it was dawn. I yawned cattishly, stretching my right arm above my head.

I really detested mornings.

Still half-asleep, I drug myself out the door and down the stairs into the kitchen where breakfast was being prepared. As I entered the room, all eyes darted toward me and the room fell silent. I blinked my eyes drowsily, and with a lazy attempt I raised my hand in a fail of a wave.

"Yo," I said simply, trudging down to the table. I knew my streak of staying awake in the morning had broke because as I sat down, my head dropped onto the table with a large thud. I groaned, drifting my eyes closed.

"Oh no! Seiren, are you okay?" I heard Alphonse ask worriedly.

I shook my head 'no.'

A yelp came from the door. "Seiren!" this time it was Winry's voice. I heard her feet patter down to where I sat as she gingerly touched my shoulders. "Are you alright? You're not too terrified of the surgery, are you?"

Someone scoffed to my right. "Please. She's just fine," I heard Edward's grumpy voice say. "Her lazy ass just doesn't operate in mornings. Isn't that right, Cat Ears?" he asked teasingly, flicking my ear.

Growling, I shoved my right fist right into his stomach. I heard him grunt in pain as I hit him, and raising my head so I could glare at him I said, "For your information, this lazy ass is risking her own life for your dumbass's sake. So shut the hell up," I snapped.

"At least I'm decent enough to get ready in the morning," he snapped back.

I narrowed my eyes at him. I was still in my pajamas and I still had a bed head, but to be honest, I could care less. Thinking that he got what he deserved, I pulled my fist from his abdomen, and resting my head on my palm, I stared at him as he rubbed his sore stomach. "You know, in the end I'll always win."

He shot up from his seat, glaring at me. "Like hell you will!" he shouted, and aimed to punch me in the stomach back. I quickly caught his wrist in my hand, stopping him from moving any longer. My eyes narrowed darkly, and with a flick of my wrist, I shoved him back a few steps. He lost his footing and bumped into the wall behind him. They all stared at me with wide eyes as I yawned cattishly again, blinking drowsily.

"I absolutely detest mornings…." I grumbled, banging my head on the table again.

After a moment of silence, Edward got his jaw working again instead of letting it fall open because he said, "H-How'd you do that?"

I glanced back at him with bored eyes and I found that his expression was confused. "I'm always stronger in the mornings," I offered simply.

Pinako chuckled as she set breakfast on the table. "When a girl's irritated, nothing can stop 'em. Now all of you stop gaping and eat," she said with a smirk on her face.

Hours went by and it soon turned to noon. After breakfast I kept catching Edward staring at me incredulously, as if I were some lab experiment or something. I glanced over and found him staring at me about three times an hour. I guess he was still puzzled on how I could shove him a good two feet away from me with barely moving my hand. I probably shouldn't have shown him even a millimeter of my strength, but if he hadn't confronted me in the morning (the time when I'm most aggravated) he wouldn't have encountered it. Alphonse and Winry had completely forgotten about it, but from time to time I'd catch them staring at me the same way Ed was.

From breakfast to now Winry had been prodding me with measuring tapes and placement tests for my arm. She had asked me several times about the condition of my arm and how it got to be so. After explaining for the fourth time, she finally decided to ask my about it because she saw how annoyed I was getting by the same questions asked of me several times over. In fact I'd basically spent all my time being with Winry and just hanging out and doing tests on my arm. It turned out that I didn't need to give her the measurements for my tendons and bones because she seemed to not have a problem at getting the measurements herself.

"You know," Winry said as she wrapped my arm in the measuring tape again. "Rockbell Automail hadn't had to perform automail bone surgery in over a decade…"

"What?" I screeched, jolting up from the couch. "You mean to tell me that this place hadn't done the surgery in ten years?"

Winry bounced up in surprise as she heard me talk. A light blush lined her cheeks as she smiled nervously at me. "Oh, did I say that out loud?" she asked sheepishly. "Must be saying my thoughts out loud…But, yeah. The last patient that asked for it was about twenty years old. He just got released from the Civil War and his arm got messed up in an explosion from an Ishvalan that wanted revenge. I think his name was Percival Green…" Winry shook her head as she looked back up at me. "Anyway, don't worry about it. I'm pretty sure she remembers how to do it."

" 'Pretty sure'? Aren't you certain?" I screamed. "I'M GONNA DIE!"

BN: And that's the chapter! ^^" Sorry if it isn't really good...I add too much detail on things. Sorry if that annoys you.

Anyway, who was that black raven? What's up with Ed being nice all of a sudden? Why is Seiren hearing voices in her head! ^o^"

Until Next Chap! =:D