Chapter 4: Showing Her True Colors

Ed was thankful that he ordered two beds in the hotel room when he awoke the next morning. Al had to put him to bed once Dayna was through with him. Al slept next to the bed and noticed that Ed was awake.

"Are you ok Brother?"

Ed rubbed his head and groaned in pain. Dayna really hit him hard and he made a mental note to really think before acting from now on.

"Yeah, I'll be fine"

Ed got up and walked to the bathroom, but not before shuddering and checking that Dayna was still in bed before going in.

"Just making sure" he said to Al as he walked in and closed the door.

Al watched the door close and the turned to see Dayna rising up from the other bed.

"Did you sleep well?" asked Al.

Dayna stretched her arms and yawned, the turned her head towards Al.

"Yeah, I did. It's a lot better than sleeping on that couch at my place" she said with a smile on her face.

There was a knock at the door and Al got up to answer it. It was Roy, wearing just his military pants and sporting a black t-shirt.

"Good morning Al. Good morning Dayna. Where's Ed?"

"He's in the bathroom getting dressed. Brother! The Colonel's here!"

The door opened and Ed stepped out.

"Oh, good morning Sir".

"Good morning Colonel Mustang" said Dayna, walking up to him after slipping on her dress again.

Roy suggested that they go out for the day and just enjoy themselves and everyone seemed to agree. Ed turned to Dayna,

"I'm sorry for yesterday. I really didn't mean it"

"It's ok Ed, I forgive you"

"What was that song you were singing? It was really pretty," asked Al.

"That was a song that my mom used to sing to me when I was little, it's one of the only memories that I have left of her"

They started to walk out of the building with Ed and Al up front and Dayna and Roy bringing up the rear. Roy turned to talk to Dayna,

"What happened to your parents?"

"What?"

"I just want to know, what happened?"

Dayna stopped in the hallway, everyone stopped too.

"I don't want to talk about it"

"Well I do. We don't know anything about you, except for the fact that you have no home and no family" said Roy, stepping towards her.

"I don't want to talk about it! Leave me alone!" she cried out, pushing Roy away.

Roy grabbed her arm and stared hard into her eyes, which were now filling with tears.

"Well, where did you get these bruises? Did someone hurt you? I only want to help Dayna!" yelled Roy.

"You want to help? You can start by leaving me alone!" she screamed, kicking Roy hard in the shin and taking off down the hall.

"Dayna! Come back!" called Ed.

Dayna ran down the street with tears running down her face. She never turned her head back to see if they were behind her and she didn't care.

'Why don't they mind their own business? I just don't want to talk about it'

Dayna looked up to see if there was anyone in her way when a group of five boys moved in front of her. She stopped in her tracks.

'Oh no'

"Well, what do we have here? I thought we told you to not come around to our territory Rat, I guess she didn't learn her lesson from the other day" said the lead boy. The other boys started to laugh, pounding their hands together.

Dayna tried to run, but the boys surrounded her, forcing her into an alleyway behind a butcher shop.

"Why don't you guys leave me alone, huh Jim?"

"Hey cutie, where'd you get the dress?"

"I bet she stole it"

"I bet she looks better with it off!"

"Fuck off assholes!"

"Hey, bitch! Watch your mouth! Now we're going to have to teach you some respect," said Jim, the leader, as he started to walk towards her.

A few boys ran towards her, but Dayna quickly threw them off. One boy came up from behind her and grabbed both her arms and held her. Jim came up and smiled at her, then he started ramming his fists into her stomach and throwing a few punches to her face.

Dayna dropped to the ground and Jim proceeded to kicking her in the stomach, after a minute, he bent down and pulled her up by her hair so that she looked in his face,

"Had enough bitch?"

Dayna whacked his hand away and stood up, just when another boy came up from behind her and hit her in the ribs with a plank of wood, Dayna cried out and fell to the ground again, holding her side.

"She's tough Jim. This is the longest she's ever held up"

"Yeah. Hey baby, wanna have some fun with me? I'll let you go if you do anything I ask"

Dayna stared hard into his face as he positioned himself on her stomach, taking off his belt and started to unzip his pants.

"Burn in hell you pussy mama's boy!"

Jim's face turned into a scowl and brought his hands hard up to Dayna's neck, choking her. She was gasping for air, but never taking her eyes of Jim, blood poured from numerous cuts on her body and a large bruise was forming under the dress where she was hit by the wood plank.

Her vision started to blur when she heard a cry come from behind her,

"Hey! Let go of her you fucking assholes!" Then a foot flew and implanted itself into Jim's face, knocking him five feet into the air.

Dayna was having trouble breathing when the hands let go of her throat. A shadow loomed over her and a voice came from it,

"Dayna? Are you ok? It's me Al"

Another shadow came up beside her and picked her up, Dayna cried out in pain.

"She's in bad shape, I think some ribs may be bruised or broken. Don't worry, you're safe now"

She recognized the voice was Roy's. When her vision cleared she turned her head to see Ed fighting of the gang of boys.

"Hey Jim, Shorty here thinks that he can take all of us on!" one of the boys said, and all of them roared with laughter.

Ed's face turned bright red with rage and he gritted his teeth.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT WHEN YOU TRY TO STEP ON THEM THEY CAN ESCAPE THROUGH THE GROOVES OF YOUR SHOE!"

The boys stopped laughing as they saw Ed advance on them.

"You're guys are going to pay for what you did!" Ed said, bringing his hands together and placing them on the ground.

Dayna watched as blue sparks and light surrounded his hands and the ground started to quake, knocking the boys to the ground.

'He doesn't need a circle? He's just like…'

"Hey Rat! Getting too weak that you have to get someone to fight for you? Did you pay for him like your mother did all around town?"

"Yeah, nice one Jim. I guess her crazy father wasn't enough for her!"

The boys started to laugh, when a fist and feet flew at them. Dayna stood there with rage in her eyes.

Suddenly, the door to the butcher shop opened and a strong-looking man came out with a gun.

"Jim! What the hell's going on?"

"It's the Rat Pa, she just punched me in the face. Holy crap, I just pulled a tooth out!"

Dayna looked at Jim, the raging fire still in her eyes.

"You're going to fucking pay for what you said about my mother!" cried Dayna as she clapped her hands together and put them on the ground, causing hands to come out and grab the boys, trapping them.

"What the hell?" whispered Ed.

"Oh my God" said Roy.

"She can use alchemy without a circle too!" cried Al

Jim's father cried out his son's name as the hand trapped him in its grasp.

"You little bitch, this ought to teach you to mess with my son!" he cried as he brought his gun up, pointing it at Dayna.

"DAYNA! LOOK OUT!" Ed shouted as he saw the man pull the trigger.

Dayna quickly clapped her hands and keeping the palms open, moved them behind her and then forcefully bringing them in front her.

The bullet raced towards her and then stopped in mid-air. It stopped in front of Dayna's hands and a flash of light surrounded her.

Amazed, Ed looked closer at Dayna's transmutation.

"She's created some kind of energy shield around her" he called out to Roy and Al.

A short while later the light faded away and the bullet fell to the ground. Jim, his father and the other boys gapped at what they just saw. Dayna stood there and lowered her arms to her side. Ed ran to her as she started to fall, he caught her in his arms and stared at her face; her green eyes were dim and was having trouble breathing.

"Dayna! Wake up! Please wake up!" cried Ed.

When Ed caught her, the hands released the boys and they along with the father ran into the shop, but not before Roy blocked them,

"Hold it. You guys are under arrest, I'm Colonel Roy Mustang and you are going to stay here 'cause the authorities are on their way".

Al ran to his brother as Ed brought Dayna's beaten face up to his and cradling her in his arms.

Al looked closer to see tears running down Ed's face as he whispered Dayna's name over and over again.