"Fullmetal…"
The self-proclaimed alchemist clapped his hands together and a spark of light pierced the spears. They crumbled and the girl met the ground, landing stealthily like a cat.
"Are you okay?" the alchemist asked. The girl smiled and nodded. They turned their attention to the men and charged.
The girl jumped and spun three hundred sixty degrees, kicking one man in the face before landing. The force knocked him into the river.
The blonde boy uppercut another, knocking him to the ground.
"Brother!"
A suit of armor fell from a high branch of a tree, successfully landing on the last man and knocking him out.
"Hey Al," the alchemist said. The armor got up and walked over to the two fighters.
"They're…tough," the only conscious man said. He slowly rose to his feet. "You'll never find the Philosopher's stone though."
"You know something?!" Fullmetal asked. The girl put a hand on his shoulder and shook her head. The man slowly walked away.
"They don't know anything, Ed. I already asked," the girl said.
"How do you know my name?" the alchemist asked.
"It's me, Maria. Don't you remember? You saved me when my village was burning," the girl said.
Edward and Alphonse had saved many people from burning villages. They stared her down until something clicked.
"The little girl, Maria?" Edward asked. Maria nodded, smiling that her childhood hero remembered her, if only a little bit.
"It's been a while," Alphonse said.
Maria nodded in agreement. She looked at Edward and saw a scratch on an automail arm. "I seem you haven't found the stone yet," she whispered.
The Elric brothers exchanged shocked glances. How did she know about the stone?
"I'm so sorry. Even after all this time, I haven't found it either," Maria said. She looked at her feet and clenched her fists like she was expecting a scolding.
"Why are you looking for it?" Alphonse asked.
"I wanted to help you."
"What?"
"You saved my life all those years ago. I wanted to help save yours."
Edward brought the girl into a hug. "Thank you, Maria. Putting all that time and effort into us really means a lot."
"Brother's right. You haven't gotten hurt looking for the stone, have you?" Alphonse asked.
Maria made a sound to say no. Edward pushed her away, keeping his hands on her shoulders and staring into her brown eyes. "Please stop searching before you do get hurt."
"But I can't!" Maria protested.
"Maria, what'll happen if you get hurt or even die?!" Alphonse asked.
She looked at the suit of armor and thought about her answer. In all the years she searched, her injuries were never life threatening. She didn't really think she'd die searching. "Then I'd search in the afterlife," she said semi confidently.
"Don't be stupid. If you die, saving you all those years ago would have been pointless. Don't throw away the life others saved," Edward said.
Maria was completely speechless. She never though she was throwing her life away, but maybe that's what she was doing. "So…what do I do now?" she muttered.
"Live. Be a wonderful women and live. That would be the best thing for you to do now," Edward said. Alphonse nodded in agreement and Maria looked at the ground.
She had made it her goal in life to find the stone, so she had no desire to live a peaceful life. But since it was her saviors telling her this, she would of course reconsider.
She looked up and nodded. "Alright. I'll return to my village right away then. Thank you for everything, Ed and Al." Maria bowed and turned on her heels, walking about with a stride full of pride.
"Goodbye, Maria," the Elric brothers said. They too left on their own path.
Years later, Maria settled down in her village with a nice man she met upon returning. They were madly in love and Maria lost the will to search for the Philosopher's stone. They had two sons that Maria named.
Edward and Alphonse.
Author's Note
So this is the end of my first FMA fanfic. I didn't really like how it turned out though, but I guess this is the best I can do with my shitty understanding of FMA...Oh well. ^_^ I hope you enjoyed it!
Until next time, sayonara~!