Chapter Nine: Bird's Foot Trefoil/Lotus

Bird's foot trefoil means revenge. Its scientific name is Lotus corniculatus.

In Hinduism, lotus flower represents divine beauty and purity. In Buddhism, it represents purity of mind, body, and spirit. In Japanese culture, it is revered to for its ability to rise from the dirty, murky waters to bloom into a beautiful pure flower. This process symbolizes attaining enlightenment.

Once upon a time, there lived a girl who loved fairies, and sought all knowledge of it. She went through a lot of pains to be able to see them, and once she could she befriended the fairies around Faeburn. She was sweet, and nice, and Fletcher had no doubt that she was the only thing in the world he needed, if all came down to it.

That girl was dead.

It was a figurative death rather than a literal one. She was still around, but the sweetness, the caring nature, the lovable smile that Fletcher had fallen in love with could no longer be found. Instead, there was a hardness that came after one was forged with pain, cold exterior that hid bitterness and resentment to the world, and a cold, somewhat angry smile hanging almost permanently in her face.

He knew she had her reasons. After she found out that fairies use trees as their houses, she had begged the people of Faeburn to stop, or at least minimize, the amount of wood they use as firewood. But once they heard her plight not to rob the fairies of their homes, they thought of her as a lunatic and paid her no heed. In her fear that the fairies might get angry, she planted a rowan tree to ward them off from the town.

But then a girl lit the tree on fire, thinking that the so-called lunatic needed something to help her snap out of it and get back to the real world. This single action was the thing that finally drove her over the edge.

Agnes Caster, bitter and angry, forged her own disappearance with the help of the two newcomers of the town, Mimosa and Ives Fennel, who had connections to the outside world, and Fletcher Nash, who was also the only person to ever believe her.

He stared at the girl. She had changed so much in the span of weeks, and it frightened him. She was no longer the person he knew, but there was no way he could leave her. Not now. Not ever.

And so there he was, driving through the woods beyond Faeburn, going to the warehouse where he knew she and Mimosa were keeping Edward and little Kelly captive, desperately trying to warn them of the upcoming danger of being captured. It seemed like forever before he finally saw the rundown building come into view, and he couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief. He quickly parked the bike next to the car that had been parked in front of the building and rushed to the door before knocking quickly. It didn't take long for Agnes to open the door, and her blue eyes widened, color growing intense to the point that he felt as though he could drown in them.

"Fletch," Agnes acknowledged, tone hushed, "what are you doing here? I thought we agreed the town will be your permanent territory."

"The military's here," Fletcher dropped the news without wasting any time. "Ives is captured. He told me to warn you and Moss."

"The what?" Agnes hissed. "Are you fuc – this isn't good."

"I know. Is it possible to move locations?"

"No. Borya's been informed to come here. We can't move until he comes." Agnes hissed, a hint of panic seeping into her voice.

The sound of an upcoming vehicle made them both freeze in panic for a bit before they realized it was Borya's. A rush of relief momentarily flooded Fletcher's veins before he realized they weren't out of the problem yet.

"Do we tell him that the military's here?" he asked nervously to Agnes.

"Are you kidding me? Borya's scary enough as is!" Agnes whispered forcefully.

"What do we do then? It's not like withholding information will get us somewhere!"

"Just make sure we move as soon as possible, that should be enough of a plan – "

"Is something wrong?"

The conversation was stopped immediately. Both Fletcher and Agnes turned to face Borya's dark eyes, and both spoke at the same time, "No."

Borya's brow lifted, clearly skeptical, but he made no move to prod the two further. "Alright," he said instead. "I was told that today's goods would be more interesting than usual." His eyes glinted. "Show me."

"Right this way," Agnes smiled and threw the door open. Light spilled into the building, and Fletcher heard Mimosa giving a few curses.

"Ah, Borya," Mimosa gasped when she realized that the man was there. "I didn't think you'd come this early."

"I'm curious about your goods," the man answered almost casually. There was an unspoken command in his voice, one that Mimosa obeyed almost instantly.

"Right, you can see them there," Mimosa pointed to the center of the room, where Edward and Kelly was kept. Borya strode forward to them and bent over Edward, examining him closely.

Fletcher watched with slight amusement when Edward jumped back when he realized Borya was staring at him intently, but then he averted his gaze to Agnes.

She was staring forward with cold detachment, and Fletcher felt another pang. Was the cheerful girl who simply loved fairies really was gone? He turned away and closed his eyes.

All his friends had their reasons of doing what they were doing. Both Ives and Mimosa's parents were in the hands of Drachman authorities for reasons they were unwilling to share, and they found the job to be the easiest way to please the Drachman aristocrats, and thus the easiest way to bribe them into releasing their parents. Having a personal vendetta against the people in Faeburn, Agnes was more than willing to provide them with the information about the girls and children in the town, enabling them to spirit their victims away.

Fletcher's only reason was to make sure Agnes would stay safe, and his designated job to lead the townsfolk attention away from the actual smuggling by spreading the rumor that fairies were taking them away was beginning to wear him down. He wanted out… but he didn't want to leave Agnes.

He opened his eyes and stared at Edward. Their eyes met, and he shuffled awkwardly, not sure how to react. He saw hope filling the golden irises, and seeds of guilt began to grow in his heart. He turned his attention to Borya, who came to him with sure steps.

"I need you to stay here and help while we prepare to go away," he ordered calmly, though his eyes glinted greedily, no doubt calculating how much he could sell Edward for. "There aren't as many personnel as I'd like, and any helping hand is welcome."

Fletcher simply nodded. He glanced at Edward, who had placed a crushed look in his face. Guilt made itself prominent in his head, and he could feel his heart clench as a voice in his head whispered, Look at that. Your fault. Your fault. All your fault.

"Borya, can I ask you something?"

The question drew Fletcher's attention to Agnes, who was staring at Borya intently.

"Of course, dear," Borya smiled at her. He always seemed to have a soft spot for her.

"How's Cadie Lotus?"

Borya's smile widened. "I can tell you that she has been sold with a great price. One Drachman noble seemed to be extremely happy to get her. He's probably already trained her to please all his whims no matter the circumstances."

A satisfied smile stretched itself across Agnes' face. "That's all I need to know."

The preparations to go, as Borya put it, didn't take long to do. It didn't take long until they finally began to move outside. Fletcher hoisted Edward up his shoulder, mumbling in annoyance to when he found the young alchemist heavier than he expected.

"I can walk on my own," Edward hissed.

"With that leg? I don't think so," Fletcher replied easily. He calmly walked out of the door, following Borya who already stepped outside.

"Why are you doing this?" Edward asked, sounding desperate. When Fletcher didn't answer, he began cursing angrily and wriggling like a worm under intense exposure of sunlight. It took Fletcher so much energy just to keep the boy from falling. Behind him, he heard the door slamming close loudly.

He followed Borya almost thoughtlessly and nearly rammed his face into his back when he stopped suddenly. "What's wrong?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"My guards," Borya mumbled, almost to himself. "I don't understand…"

It was only then did Fletcher realize that Borya's two guards were sprawled on the ground pitifully. They were extremely pale, and Fletcher couldn't help but wonder what happened to them. Even Edward stopped struggling and was instead staring curiously, and without even seeing his face Fletcher could tell that he was thinking hard about what had happened to the guards.

Then, all of a sudden, an explosion boomed up above their heads, and Fletcher shouted a curse as he ducked away, amazingly still managing to keep Edward on his shoulder. Around him, Mimosa, Agnes, and Borya scattered away like blown dust, instincts taking place as logic was forgotten. From behind a thick bush, Alphonse and the three military personnel emerged.

Seeing them, Borya snapped out of his stupor and began barking orders. "If any of you know how to fight, get ready right now!" he shouted. "Get the girl and the alchemist in the car. Prepare to fight and flee as soon as possible!"

As soon as possible? Fletcher's mind questioned as rage suddenly boiled in his veins, out of all times it could overtake him. Why not now?

Against his better judgment, Fletcher dropped Edward to the ground with the loud thump, resulting in a cry of pain from the boy, followed with a string of curses and even a few suggestions where Fletcher could stick his genital into. Ignoring the boy, Fletcher dashed and took Agnes' hand and got on the bike. In her own surprise, Agnes almost automatically followed his example, and he let the engine roar.

A loud bang that cut through the air prompted him to drive away as soon as possible. He quickly drove into the woods, away from the battlefield.

"Wait, Fletch, stop!" Agnes screamed into his ear. "Mimosa's still out there!"

"I'll get her back soon!" Fletcher shouted back.

"No! we can't leave her! You have to turn back!"

"We'll get caught. I'll get her back on my own in just a bit!"

"Fletcher – "

"No!" Fletcher snapped, and he abruptly stopped the bike. For a moment, they stayed there in the middle of the woods, accompanied only by the sound of the engine, Fletcher's pants, and the faint gunshots in the distance. Fletcher took a few deep breaths to calm himself.

"Fletch…?" Agnes called tentatively.

"I won't let you get back there," Fletcher whispered. He nearly couldn't hear himself in the sound of his own rushing blood. "I can't. I need to keep you safe. I can't lose you. Not now, and not ever."

"W-why…?"

Fletcher unmounted the bike, and Agnes followed his example. They stood facing each other, and Fletcher finally looked into her deep blue eyes. "You're important for me," he finally settled. "I can't let you get hurt. Your safety is my top priority, alright?"

"I – but."

"Agnes, please," Fletcher begged. "I'll go back right now to make sure Mimosa will be fine. Can you drive the bike?"

"Yes… Ives taught me before."

"Great," Fletcher gently shoved her onto the bike, and she obediently followed. "Go to the borders. I'll meet you there with Mimosa. If we didn't get there in… I don't know, an hour at most, go by yourself."

Agnes opened her mouth to protest, but thought otherwise and nodded grimly instead. "Promise me you'll be there."

"I promise," Fletcher answered levelly. Satisfied by the answer, Agnes nodded and drove away.

When the last echoes of the roaring engine were gone, Fletcher took a deep breath and turned back, and began running back to the warehouse. He had to make sure Mimosa would be fine, too.

When the bullet she fired missed its intended target – the tire of the bike – Riza cursed inwardly and prepared to fire another bullet to stop the bike, but it had already driven away, too far for her to get a clean shot. Riza had no choice but to choose another target.

But instead she had to duck away. The dark haired man had pointed a gun at her face and fired, and she was lucky to dodge it. She could feel the bullet whizzing above her head. Beside her, Havoc sent a bullet to the man, who threw his body to the ground to avoid being hit.

She quickly straightened up to aim at the man again, but he had sprang up and turned to Edward, who was still bound, and yelled, "Come closer and I will shoot him!"

But before he even finished the sentence, Alphonse had come close to him and punched as hard as he could. The man was sprawled on the ground, and Alphonse took a stance in front of Edward. "Touch him and I swear I will hurt you," he threatened.

"Al!" Edward yelled. "Unbound me, quick!"

"Brother, this isn't the time! Your leg's wrecked, it's not like you can fight in that state!"

"I know, but I can't do anything this way!"

For the first time, Riza realized why Edward hadn't been fighting effectively. His hands were bound with wooden cuffs, and it was impossible for him to clap or draw a transmutation circle that way. Alphonse seemed to realize this too, and quick as a lightning, he broke the cuffs open with his bare hands. Instead of clapping to help the fight like Riza had suspected he would, Edward pulled the dazed girl beside him – Kelly, she believed – and put his arms protectively around the girl's shoulder.

"Mimosa! Use your alchemy!" the black-haired man barked furiously.

The sudden order snapped the brunette out of her stupor, who had dropped Kelly when she heard Riza's first gunshot. Seemingly out of nowhere, she pulled out a pair of gloves and extended her hands. Blue sparks jumped out and the air rippled, and suddenly Riza saw fragmented images of herself, as if she was seeing into a broken mirror.

"I don't think so!" Edward's voice rang loudly through the broken image, and once more the air rippled. It didn't stop rippling, but at least Riza could see what was beyond. "I already figured out how you make those illusions. I may not be able to make them myself, but I can at least mess with your process enough to stop you from making them!"

The girl gritted her teeth and blue sparks jumped again. Pulsing lights and colors danced in front of Riza's eyes. From beyond the colors, Edward yelled, "Mustang, make explosions! Small ones! This alchemy requires the use of water molecules in the air – once they're rattled the illusion is sure to break!"

"On it!" Roy didn't bother question Edward's explanation. "Hawkeye, Havoc, that other guy is yours," he ordered, even as he began snapping his fingers to create seemingly random explosions in the air.

"Sir!" both Riza and Havoc responded. They turned back to the man. To their surprise, the sound of gunshot met their ears, and they both threw themselves to the ground almost on reflex. The sound was quickly followed by the roar of engine, and when they looked up they saw that the man had dragged the two fallen guards into the car and jumped into it during the distraction caused by the girl's alchemy. He drove in serpentine movement, making it hard for Riza to actually shoot.

"Wait – Borya!" the girl, who was still stubbornly trying to transmute in spite of Edward's attempt to block her and the mini explosions in the air Roy made, shrieked in surprise. "Borya, stop!"

The car didn't stop.

The girl was clearly distracted, and that was more than enough for Roy. The illusion melted away, and he sent a tiny explosion near the girl's right arm. The force knocked her off her feet, but Riza knew the damage wasn't heavy. The girl sat on the ground clutching her wound, gritting her teeth, tears glistening at the edge of her eyes.

"That's it?" Havoc spoke up, lowering his gun. "That's gotta be the shortest gunfight I've ever encountered in my military life."

A rustle from the trees drew their attention away, and Riza's sharp eyes quickly located a person in the shadows. "Not over yet," she said to Havoc as a response to his comment and lifted her gun to aim.

Havoc shot first, but his bullet didn't find its target. Riza pulled the trigger right after Havoc's gun went bang, and a cry of pain informed her that she got her target. Both she and Havoc rushed ahead to apprehend the man. They jumped over the bushes that separated them from their target and found him sprawled on the ground, clutching a bleeding calf in his hands. Riza recognized him immediately as the man who ran away on the bike. As she and Havoc secured the man, she couldn't help but wonder where the bike and the girl that escaped with him was.

"We found him in there," Havoc informed Roy as they dragged the man back to the clearing. They quickly sat him down near the girl, who was still clutching her wound without giving any response to them.

"I seem to remember that there are more of you," Roy told the man coldly. "Where is she?"

"You're not finding her," he answered simply.

Roy sighed. "Treat his wound," he said to Havoc. "We're heading back to the town. I'll ask for reinforcement and scour the woods once we're able. Hawkeye, stand guard. There's no telling if there is someone else here. Alphonse… can I ask you to guard the girl?"

"Of course," Alphonse immediately stood by the unresponsive girl, who still hadn't moved at all

"Yes, Sir," Havoc kneeled next to the man and started examining his wound as Alphonse answered Roy. Riza simply nodded and stood straighter, both hands holding her gun, ready to fire.

"Are you alright, Fullmetal?" Riza heard Roy ask Edward.

"I'm fine, just have some automail problem is all," he answered easily. "Kelly, you okay?"

The little girl, still in Edward's arms, answered softly, "I'm fine… I think." Her voice trembled pitifully.

"Kelly… wasn't it?" Roy asked the girl. She nodded slowly. Roy knelt in front of her, and while Riza couldn't see his face she could hear his tone getting softer. "Don't be scared. I'm not here to hurt you. I want to help you."

"Will you take me back to my mom?" Kelly asked.

"Of course I will," Roy replied. "In fact, we're getting back to your town. It won't take long, now."

"Sir," Havoc called, "the wound isn't deep. We can easily go back to the town."

"Good," Roy nodded. "Havoc, you take Fullmetal, Alphonse, and Kelly with you to our car. Hawkeye and I will take the other two by that car over there," he pointed at the car that most likely had been used to bring Edward and Kelly there.

"Yes, Sir," Havoc nodded. He turned to the children and his demeanor changed instantly. "So! Let's get back to the town, shall we? I'm sure you two are hungry. I wonder if there's a nice restaurant there."

When they finally returned to the town the sky had changed its color into a fiery hue. The people talked in hushed tones, staring at the two bound captives that two of the military personnel pushed. Their eyes also strayed over to the alchemist with broken automail, though they refused to meet his eyes, guilt slowly filling their gaze as they realize they had accused someone wrongly.

Riza exhaled as she saw one of them openly throwing an apologetic look to Edward, but refused to actually come forward. How come none of these people dared to apologize? What cowards.

They walked to the town square, where they had decided to detain Mimosa Fennel and Fletcher Nash together with Ives Fennel. The townsfolk followed them with their eyes. However, slowly but surely, a small crowd followed them, slowly growing in number as time went.

The walk was relatively quiet. None of them really felt the need to speak, and Kelly had been told beforehand that they needed to secure the criminals, and they'd walk her back home if her mother hadn't picked her up first.

The quiet was quickly disturbed when the crowd suddenly started yelling and shouting. Alerted, Riza turned, hand resting on her gun as she scanned the crowd for a possible threat.

It didn't take long for her to find it. There, in the middle of the parted crowd, was Kaiser Lotus himself. He almost seemed like a hungry tiger; eyes glaring, shoulders tight, standing as if he was ready to leap and pounce at any time. But what was most threatening about him wasn't the stance. It was the large hunting rifle he held in his hand.

"Mr. Lotus," Roy called, a slight wariness in his voice. "What's the matter?"

"Were you the ones who took the children?" Lotus paid him no heed and instead asked Mimosa and Fletcher. He got no response from Mimosa, who remained unresponsive even after so much time had passed. He directed his attention to Fletcher. "Answer me. Did you take them?"

Fletcher didn't answer, but he averted his gaze. It was answer enough for Lotus, who started to shake.

"Did you take my daughter?"

Still Fletcher refused to answer.

"Answer me!" Lotus roared. "Did you take Cadie?! Where is she?!"

"Mr. Lotus, I need you to calm down," Roy stepped forward. "There is no need to be hasty. We will interrogate them in due time."

"I want answers now," Lotus hissed. "Nash. Talk. Where is Cadie?"

"I don't know," Fletcher finally answered.

"Lies!"

"I don't know!" Fletcher suddenly snapped. "I have no idea, okay?! It doesn't matter where she is, you're not going to find her again! No one is going to see her again! She's been sold weeks ago. Hell, she's probably whoring herself to some horny Drachman man right now!"

Something within Lotus snapped. Riza could see how the logic, the common sense, was thrown out of the window as Fletcher spoke his last words. Riza saw, immediately, how the man's hand clutched the rifle tighter and swung it up, muzzle facing forward. As quick as she could, Riza took her gun into her hands and aimed, but she wasn't fast enough.

A loud bang resounded through the air, quickly followed by the townspeople's horrified screams. Too late, Riza's finger pulled the trigger, and her bullet dug into Lotus' shoulder, who lost his balance immediately and fell to the ground, the still smoking hunting rifle clattering next to him. Havoc tackled him to secure him immediately. Fletcher crashed into the ground like a rag doll, blood pooling immediately, and by her side Mimosa finally snapped out of her stupor and started screaming. Roy dashed to Fletcher immediately, desperately trying to save him, but quickly realized that it was impossible.

Riza didn't even bother. She had seen where the hunting rifle had been aimed. She knew that saving Fletcher would need human transmutation. Instead of going to see the fallen man, she turned to the children behind her.

All three were frozen in place, eyes staring in horror at Fletcher. Edward was holding Kelly protectively, his body positioned so that any projectile that was thrown to them wouldn't hit her. Kelly, herself, was staring with wide eyes, mouth open in frozen scream, tears glistening in her eyes but never actually fell. Alphonse, who had helped Edward walked all this time, could only stand a little behind his older brother, crouching a bit, looking so much like a young, shocked boy that he really was.

Riza felt a pang and walked to them, gently pushing so that they turned away from the scene. "Look away. You don't need to see this."

"Lieutenant," Alphonse croaked, "Fletcher's… Mr. Lotus is… he's…"

"I know," Riza pushed again, more urgent this time. "Please, turn. Turn away. Don't look. You don't need to see this…"

A/N: yayyy! Finally done! There's still an epilogue to wrap up some loose ends but yes, this is pretty much the story.

You know, it took me a real long time to decide on the chapter title. I gave Lotus his name with that last scene in mind. I love ironic names, if you will. But at the same time I also want to use the revenge bit, since it's also a large part of him. Imagine my happiness when I stumbled across bird's foot trefoil and found out its scientific name. And yeah... that's pretty much why this chapter has two flower names instead of just one.

I feel that the middle part of this chapter is a bit weird, dunno why. But I don't seem to be able to fix it? Sorry about that.

Anyway, I guess that's all I need to say. Please leave a review, share your thoughts. Hope you have a great day!