DISCLAIMER: Ed Elric, Al Elric, Hawkeye, Hughes, Mustang & co., Scar, Marcoh © Hiromu Arakawa / Marina © author / Shukaku © Masashi Kishimoto.

Key:

Normal text - speaking/narration

Italics - thoughts

Bold Italics: jutsu

Ch 7: Getaway

The four of us ran like bats out of Hell and ended up in a city in the pouring rain. What's up with this weather?! It was just sunny a minute ago, and now it's raining! Plus, I'm getting hungry………. Shukaku complained.

Quiet you! Wait a minute………since when do you eat anything?! We hid behind some potted plants as a couple of military trucks drove by.

"We don't have to run anymore……I don't care if that man kills me. He has the right to do it." Marcoh further explained the reason for the Ishbal Massacre, and how his creation was used. He then got paranoid and ran. We chased after and reassured him, and everything seemed to be peachy. Suddenly, we heard several gunshots and Scar appeared, vaulting over a balcony and landing in the middle of our group.

The Ishballan lunged at Marcoh, but Al grabbed his right hand before he could do anything. "I know that you're just an empty suit of armour!" Scar freed his right arm and Al's right side exploded into hundreds of tiny pieces.

"AL!!!" Enraged, Ed attacked the Ishballan. Scar gripped the alchemist's right arm in his hand.

"By putting your two hands together, you create a circle, then transmute with the circulated power. You cannot transmute without this annoying arm. I will destroy it." There was a flash of red light, and like Al, Ed's auto-mail arm became mere shards of metal. Ed fell to the ground, paralyzed with shock.

"EDWARD!!" I internally took a deep breath. With both Elric brothers down for the count, it was up to me to protect the doctor.

What can I do? It's raining, but I don't know any Suiton jutsu. Let's see…………….. A lit light bulb appeared out of nowhere. Of course! Water and electricity don't mix! I don't want to steal their jutsu, and I've never done it before, but……..here goes nothing! Ushi, U, Saru; CHIDORI! The chirping of a thousand birds filled the air as a ball of chakra-turned-lightning formed in my left hand.

I charged at Scar, left arm ready to strike. He dodged to my right at the last second, but I managed to change my path in time and graze his right side with the condensed sphere of lightning. Wounded, the Ishballan retreated and took off around a corner. With chakra, I created a magnet out of my hands and pick up most­––if not all––of the auto-mail and armor bits, and gave them to Marcoh for him to hold.

"Al, are you OK?"

"Stupid brother!" Out of the blue, Al punched Ed.

"What was that for?"

"Why didn't you leave me and run?"

"You would've been killed!"

"Um, guys?" I tried to get their attention.

"That's not a good enough reason, stupid!"

"Guys?!" The second time didn't work either.

"Don't call your older brother stupid!"

Al grabbed the front of his brother's jacket. "I'll tell you as many times as it's needed! We need to––" Al's hold on Ed loosened and the suit of armor stopped arguing. "Look, my arm came off! Brother, you retard!"

Ed smiled wryly. "We're a mess."

I hugged the blond from behind, and gave him a soft kiss. "But we're alive."

"……….Yeah." He kissed me back. Marcoh gave back the remains of auto-mail and armor I had him hold, and departed in a military car. However, before he left us, the doctor surreptitiously dropped a note on the ground. I noticed, picked it up, and pocketed it before either brother could spot anything.

We were taken back to Central HQ, and given time to recuperate from the adrenaline fest.

"Hey Ed, Marcoh left us a note earlier. Here." I un-crumpled the note and gave it to the state alchemist.

"National Central library, 1st branch. The genuine truth behind truths. What the hell does that mean?!" Colonel Mustang and company entered the room, interrupting our mini brainstorming session.

"Al, in order to fix you, I need to do something about this arm first."

"Yes……If Edward can't use alchemy at all……." my guardian mused.

"He's just a foul-mouthed brat." Havoc became the recipient of my death glare and I lobbed a pen-turned-semi-dangerous-projectile at him.

"Don't listen to them Ed. You did your best, and that's what matters." I gently kissed him and hugged him protectively.

"Awwwww, you guys are so cute together! Almost as cute as Elysia!"

"Anyway, I'm going to see my mechanic."

"That's going to be a long journey. If that's the case…I have to accompany the Fuhrer and his party." Hughes contemplated.

"I can't leave," announced the flame alchemist.

"I have to keep an eye on him because he'll ditch work." Hawkeye stated.

"I don't think I can protect you three from that dangerous guy."

"Same as him!" The rest of the Colonel's subordinates declared.

"Then it's decided. During your journey, I will escort you three!" Major Armstrong flexed his muscles, shirtless in front of a pink, flowery background.

"I don't need an escort!"

Hawkeye wanted to know, "What will you do if Scar attacks you again while you're like that? You can't carry Al like that either."

"……………"

"Now then Edward Elric, let's begin packing."

We––Ed, Armstrong, and I––boarded a train early the next morning. Al was in another car because he had to be checked as luggage. As we found our seats, Lieutenant Hughes approached Ed from the outside of the train. "Hey, I have a message from Roy; 'Taking care of the details is troublesome, so try not to die within my jurisdiction.' That's all."

"Roger. 'I will never die before you, stupid Colonel.' Tell him that. While you're at it, take this escort with you." After delivering his friend's message, Hughes departed, minus the major.

I stifled a yawn, and Ed kissed me. "Go to sleep sweetheart. We won't get to Risembool for a while."

"M'kay." I curled up on the seat, head in my boyfriend's lap.

"Night babe." He kissed me again.

"Night." Where the hell are these pet names coming from??? With that thought, I drifted off to dreamland.