Hi! I hope everyone is enjoying this little fanfic. I'm honestly not sure where this is going at all. Honestly the previous chapter was supposed to be a standalone slice of life style short story, but after some people I know encouraged me to continue, I packed my bags and began this journey of a longer fanfiction. I hope to share the love of FMA and do the wonderful characters justice.

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~ One Month Ago ~

"What have we done, Alphonse?!"

I gasped, and wanted to shriek in pain as spasms of needles shot through my every vein. My innards felt twisted and smashed, like I had just gone through a blender and then met the wrong end of a hammer. The world was hazy and I couldn't quite make out the shapes in front of me. One was a large, gray blur, the other a smaller, louder blur.

"This wasn't supposed to happen!"

That voice came from a higher toned voice. Probably the smaller blur.

"Wait, Al. She's breathing! She's alive!"

The small shape bent towards me, its features barely being made out in the haze. A memory jolted into the emptiness I assumed was my mind. Human.

Rough hands jolted my shoulders. I shrieked when I was suddenly shaken, my ribs clashing inside me like broken glass.

"Careful, nisan! She's probably seriously injured from her experience in the Truth. I'm extremely surprised she made it out alive."

The shaking stopped. "I'm sorry," the smaller person mumbled.

I slumped to the ground, my head nearly knocking against the ground, if it weren't for hands catching me. How strange, I thought in the foggy void of my mind. One is soft and contours to my face, while the other is akin to stone.

That was the last thing I thought before I lost consciousness.

–––

"Hey, she's waking up!"

Light. It was everywhere. It blinded me from every angle, devouring my thoughts. I made out some vague shapes once more before I gave up the war of keeping my eyelids open, and let them slump closed again.

Violet.

This time, my eyes shot open, regardless of the light. "Violet," I mumbled, if you could call it mumbling. It was barely more than a breath of air.

"She said something," a voice noted, and I noticed the shapes were more distinct this time. The owner of the voice was tall, with a mop of unruly black hair cresting his scalp. Or, I assumed it was a he, judging by the depth of their voice.

"What did she say?" Said a lighter, sweeter voice. Slightly familiar, I realized. Perhaps belonging to one of the people who recovered me, whatever happened to me.

"Violet," I answered him, managing to say it stronger and more confidently now. "My name, Violet."

My eyes were slowly but surely adjusting, and the world became clearer around me by the second. I was in a white bed, with wires and bandages attached and wrapped around me. To my left was a tall, stern looking man with aggressive dark eyes. To my right was a relatively short, blond teenage boy, his bright saffron hair tucked neatly into a braid. What stood out most to me was his eyes.

They were the eyes of torture, guilt, and bright flame of determination. Burning deep within his butterscotch eyes were fires I would be afraid to cross if I were his enemy.

Most likely so different from my eyes right now. My blue eyes were probably shallow and milky from sick.

To the boy's left was an armor clad person, towering over the blond boy. Something was off about him. Something that I knew that was tucked deep away into a memory, but that I couldn't quite place.

"Violet," repeated the dark haired man. "Slightly ironic, I suppose." What did that mean?

"My name is Roy Mustang, and this is Edward and his brother, Alphonse," Roy continued, gesturing to the blond boy and the armored person.

"Older brother," Edward clarified. I couldn't keep back a snort, no matter how hard I tried. I regretted it, as blood dribbled from my nose and I also earned a vicious stare from Edward. I tried to stare right back, but I doubt I looked intimidating.

"So, Violet," Roy started. "Edward and Alphonse here found you in an alleyway in Central. Do you think you could explain why they found you there so injured? Our doctors had to fix several badly damaged organs and shattered bones."

That explained the many bandages and needles. But when I tried to remember what on earth I was doing in that alley, I found I couldn't remember.

I couldn't remember anything.

"I...I can't remember," I said, starting to breath heavily. "I can't remember anything at all!"

"Nothing at all?" Roy said skeptically. "You remembered your name."

Perhaps it was just me, but it seemed like Edward had an awfully guilty look on his face. Even the unreadable look of Alphonse seemed awkward.

"That's it," I said in defeat, trying not to breathe too hard and hurt my damaged ribs. "I don't know anything at all."

Roy let out a large sigh. "Well, that's all we can do, I suppose. I guess you don't know where you live, either?"

I pursed my lips, not answering. The silence answered his question well enough, anyways.

"It seems you're staying with the Elric brothers, then," Roy said. "You'll stay here for a few more days to heal, and then they'll pay for a couple hotel rooms." Perhaps it was my face, but something about me must've given away that I was afraid. "Don't worry, Violet. We'll figure this out."

"What?!" Edward exploded, his face twisted in anger. "How much money do you think we have?" Then it settled into a smirk. "Guess I'll have to keep borrowing from you, Lame Alchemist."

Roy rolled his eyes. "Your pay is perfectly fine, Edward. You flaunt it often enough for me to know."

He spun on his heels and walked out the door. Edward was right after him, grumbling to himself. He shot one look at me before he left. "You'll slow us down," he mumbled, and shut the door behind him. Alphonse was a little slower to leave.

"I'm terribly sorry about what happened, and even more so about my brother's manners," he apologized. "He has a lot to learn about what a gentleman is. But don't worry. We'll take care of you."

I didn't respond. I didn't know what to say. I just looked at him as if I was a beached whale on my bed as he left the room.

I heard yelling and arguing from beyond the thin door. The only sentence I heard was, "you might've ruined her life. You owe her some hospitality."

Confusion, anger, and hurt struck me. I didn't know anything about what this place was. I didn't know who I was.

So I let a tear slide down my parched skin.