Leave A Scar

I woke up in a hospital bed. Ed was sitting in chair close by, the daytime light from the window catching onto the metal of his automail. His coat was off, set onto the back of the empty chair beside him. I was transfixed by the prosthetic arm for another moment before memories came back to me. My eyes scanned over his human arm, fully revealed by the tank top. There was no wound... It was perfectly healed.

But that didn't make any sense; his muscle had been torn out.

My thoughts had naturally made my head turn downward, and soon enough I caught sight of the splint tightly capturing my right leg. That's right—the memory, and the pain, of my own muscles shooting out of my body came back. I shuddered the feeling away before hearing someone gently smack their lips together—like they were waking up from a long sleep.

When I looked back, Ed was raising his head up a bit more, giving me view of the lines beneath his half-lidded eyes. He looked exhausted.

"Ed..." I called to him, bringing his golden stare to me.

He perked up, his eyes seeming much more alive. Normal, even.

He grinned at me. "Oh, hey." he greeted. "I'm glad to see you're up! How're you feeling?"

"I..." Memories came back again, and I shook my head in pure confusion. "How are you feeling? Your body..."

"Perfectly normal." He moved his arm so I could see the side of his forearm. Just like I suspected, there was no sign of any injury. Not even a scar. "Well, as normal as my body could be, of course."

I didn't echo his self-deprecating laugh, continuing to think. Again, I gave up trying to figure everything out and just asked him.

He leaned back in his chair, putting one arm on the back of the seat beside him and crossing his legs.

"Well..." he began, "After Greed grabbed you and I told him to shut up, my transmutation light went red again." His brows came closer together in thought. "I was able to drive a spike through him; he has this shield that's supposedly the best thing ever and can block anything but really it's just made of carbon." He waved a hand, dismissing his ramble. "Anyway, some of my spikes went through, like the material was adapting as it pierced into him."

"That's..." I let the stunned expression on my face speak for itself.

"I know; it's impossible."

I looked down, thinking for a moment before asking, "Okay, then what happened? How are you healed like this?"

Ed shrugged, bringing his human arm in front of himself to look at it again. "After I took care of Greed—"

"Took care of him?!"

He looked to me. "Well, yeah, I wasn't about to let the guy just walk out of there—"

"What..." Words failed me, and part of my brain felt horrible for interrupting him like this. But... He couldn't have killed that guy, right? Not Ed; he wouldn't have...

A memory of Ed's voice came back, the sight of him holding Envy up by the shirt.

"Tell me where Al is or I'll kill you again."

I looked up at the sound of my name. Ed spoke it softly, his eyes turned away.

"They're... Not really people..." he told me. He shook his head. "A few years back, I would've completely agreed with never taking their lives... No way. But now... If they're going to fight me like this, especially like they did before, I can't risk leaving them alive."

"What do you mean 'before?'" My voice was a whisper. "This happened before?"

Ed raised a shoulder, metal clicking at the action. "Well, yeah. Sort of. Maybe Al can help me fill everything in when he gets back."

"Where'd he go?" A better reply came to me. "YOU LET HIM GO OUT ALONE?"

Ed waved away my yell. "He left a few minutes ago. He's filling in a report on what happened for me. No big deal; he's probably surrounded by military officials we've known for years!"

I blinked. "They'd let him do that?"

"Yeah, I mean, he was an eyewitness to everything, even if he was bound to the wall the whole time." His expression soured, narrowed eyes sweeping to the doorway. "They'll probably ask me to give reference when he gets back... I hate doing this kind of stuff..."

I allowed myself to laugh, the sound muted by my knuckles against my mouth. I saw Ed look back to me, a soft smile curving his lips.

He sank deeper into the chair, still smiling as he asked, "How're you feeling?"

"Wait, you never answered my question." I remembered. "How are you healed like that?"

"Oh yeah." A characteristically large grin came to him. His hand went to the back of his hair. "Sorry. Um, so after I told Greed to put a cork in it—" His eyes curved in a light smile as I tried to stifle my laughter again "—and those spikes went through him, sorta, I started healing, too."

His metal hand reached around to his human arm, as if he were gathering the muscles and sweeping them back in again. "All my muscles came back and reattached like it was some kind of transmutation."

"And you're perfectly fine?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I feel great." He smiled again. "You didn't answer my question, though."

"Oh." I grinned, feeling foolish we were bouncing around topics like this. "Sorry." As he shook his head to dismiss my apology, I looked down at my leg. "I don't really feel much of anything. Not in my leg, anyway."

I moved my toes, relieved to find that at least those were functioning perfectly. I couldn't shift my foot around, though; doing so caused a light spike of pain.

With a soft concern, Ed looked over at the door again. "Doctor was telling me around an hour ago that the recovery time shouldn't take too long." he said.

I nodded, trying to smile through my guilt. "I wouldn't want to slow you two down, though."

"Um..." Ed turned away, avoiding my stare. "That's kinda what we need to talk to you about, actually..." He added my name, and there was a sadness in there that told me what he wasn't saying aloud.

"You're..." I couldn't even say the words. I swallowed, forcing myself to blurt it out and watch Ed turn further away from me. "You're leaving me here?!"

"It's not because you're slowing us down." he responded quickly, looking back. "We just don't want you to get any more hurt."

There's no way... I wanted to say this, but the words stopped themselves inside my mouth, dying from my own anger. I could feel myself breaking, the walls and all those layers I thought made up my personality quickly slipping.

I couldn't go back there...

I turned away from Ed. "I can't believe you would just kick me out like this!"

'Kick me out?' I repeated in my head. 'They'd never agreed to permanently take me anywhere!'

Luckily, Ed fell for the guilt trip. I could hear the small sound that came from the back of his throat as his mouth dropped into a frown, eyes going wide as he kept his hands in front of himself.

"Uh... Well..." He tried to smile. "Maybe Al can explain it better when he gets back..."

"Explain my rejection notice?!" I retorted. "How could you do this?"

"Listen." Ed leaned forward, one arm on his knee. "This is for a long-term good. We're trying to help you."

He added my name, and I relaxed; something about him still saying it that softly when he seemed completely ticked calmed me down. I looked back to my leg, moving my toes again.

"I'll recover really soon." I said. "I'll make—"

Ed called me again as he leaned back. He sighed. "This isn't a negotiation." he told me. "As much as you want it to be. We can't let you stay."

I growled, hand clenching the bedsheets as I made a fist. Ed seemed surprised, focusing on my hand before he looked back to my face. I held his stare for a long time, seeing nothing but subtle interest in those golden eyes.

He looked away.

"I'll talk to Al when he gets back."

Yes!

I grinned for a few solid moments, noticing Ed look over and give that small smile. I hadn't seen that one in a while, come to think of it.

Al opened the door to our hospital room, the motion cautious and quiet. His head perked up, surprised to see I was awake.

"You're up!" he exclaimed.

I nodded, a bit shy as I grinned a little. "Yeah, I'm feeling pretty much all better!"

"Can't really move your leg..." Ed muttered, ignoring my flash of irritation.

As he stepped further into the room, Al looked down to the splinted limb. "You can't?" he repeated. He turned to his brother. "Well, the recovery couldn't take too long, right?"

Ed nodded. "Yeah, probably only a few weeks."

"A few weeks?!" I repeated, swaying a little in worry. "That's horrible!"

Ed opened his mouth to respond when Al suddenly spoke, both hands on his hɨps.

"That's okay!" he said. "I know you can do it! We'll be back on the road again in no time!"

"Al..." Ed growled.

Al's eyes shrunk, realization hitting him. "Oh. Right. Sorry, force of habit, I suppose."

"Ed!" I brought his focus back to me and watched realization dawn on him as well.

"Oh, yeah." His hand reached to the back of his hair again. "Change of plans, Al."

"Huh?" Al asked.

"Um..." Ed scratched his face with his metal hand, looking away as a light blush came to him. "So..."

Suddenly he was pushing Al out the door. "Can I talk to you for a sec'? Just take a moment." With his back forcing a confused Al out into the hallway, Ed sent me a grin and gave a small wave. "We'll see you in a bit!"

His laughter was incredibly weak and nervous, leaving me to stare at the door as it slammed shut.

I looked back down to my leg, straining to hear their voices from the other side of the wall. But I could only make out clips of sound; broken pieces amidst the buzz of the hospital staff.

Al's voice, however, was the clearest.

"What?" he asked, shocked. "I thought we had to let her go! You were the one that told me that!"

"I... I know... But..." The rest of Ed's voice was overtaken by an intercom speaker. Some announcement I had to strain to try and hear through. I couldn't, and by the time the voice faded away, Ed's had as well.

Silence from both brothers. Then, Al sighed, his breath echoing out from his suit.

"I don't even know what to say..." he said. "What about—"

The heavy sound of wheels cut through his voice, and I heard the shouts of medical staff. People yelling at them about how they couldn't just stand in the hallway.

The door to my room opened, a familiar metal hand holding the knob. "Oh, right." Ed's voice, much clearer now as the hospital bed rolled down the hallway, staff running beside it. "Sorry."

A woman who looked to be around my age gave them a look as she walked past, an air of authority about her. Ed sighed as he stepped back into my room, both hands finding his pockets.

Al followed behind, guiding the door and making sure it closed as quietly as possible. I looked back to Ed, surprised to see a grin on his face.

"So, good news!" he said. "Hurry your buŧŧ up and get better, because we're heading out with you as soon as you recover!"

I was ecstatic, bowing forward instantly. "Thank you! I'll get better as soon as I can!"

Ed just smiled at me, and Al suddenly spoke.

"You're feeling better?" he questioned before a sudden embarrassment came to him. "I'm sorry I didn't ask you that before."

I dismissed his apology with a shake of the head, saying how I was feeling alright. Much better than before!

Al nodded, seeming pleased with the answer. "And your hair?"

I remembered suddenly, recalling how Greed was holding me. My hand rose, unconsciously finding the roots he had suspended my body from, and my voice fell in a quiet whisper.

"Yeah, it's fine. Maybe I should cut my hair... So that doesn't happen again..."

"Well..." Ed's voice was a little different; like his lips were pinched together. "It is a lot to cut off..."

I looked up, seeing his stare turned away. Al just smiled at me, eyes perfectly curved. My sight swept back down to my leg again.

"I should be walking around soon..." I mused, and a moment later an idea came to me. "But maybe I should try walking now."

Ed and Al both looked alarmed. "Uh, maybe that's not a good idea..."

I had already shifted out of bed, my toes grazing the floor before I tried to stand, leaning most of my weight on the leg that wasn't hurt. Sounds of panic came from the other side of the room, my name occasionally spoken in fear.

I put more weight on my leg, again having to silence a scream against my lips. It almost felt as bad as when I was trying to activate the transmutation circle on my shoe. Hands were suddenly on each of my shoulders.

"Just relax, alright?"

I looked up, watching Ed guide me back into bed. He pulled away before I was totally settled in, hands finding his pockets again. The worry on his face didn't let up, and I could only grin sheepishly from below.

"Sorry." I said.

He just shook his head and took a step back, thumb hooking out to point behind him.

"I was going to grab some dinner. You want anything?"

I nodded. "Yeah, just take some money out of my bag—" At his snort, I shouted. "DON'T PAY FOR ME WHILE I'M IN THE HOSPITAL!"

"All the more reason I should!" Ed replied cheerily. He shifted around, heading towards the door. "I'll stop by some nice restaurant and pickup their most expensive item. Something classy to go with the hospital food here."

Before I could do more than growl at him, he finished his wave goodbye and closed the door. Immediately, I heard wheels run by again, someone telling him once more to get out of the way.

"Sorry! Geez..."

A few minutes after Ed got back, the doctor showed up. The odd man held open the door as he poked his bald head through, repeating my full name in question.

It was more than a shock, to hear everything like that. I felt like my insides were glass.

I pulled myself back together, answering with a silent nod and smile. The doctor smiled back, giving a quick introduction as he walked up to the foot of my bed. Upon stopping, he turned to the right, looking to Edward.

"May I borrow that chair beside you?" he asked the alchemist.

I glanced towards the seat in question, my heart leaping in fear. Ed's jacket had been resting on it a moment ago along with the bags of food he had brought in. And now... They were nowhere to be seen.

I watched Ed sweep the chair to the doctor with a polite reply. The man thanked him, pulling up the chair and seating himself at the foot of my bed.

"Well, let's see how you're doing!"

He started inspecting my leg, talking about this and that. Things related to the surgery they had done in order to re-attach the muscles. I listened closely, trying to match what I was hearing with my limited medical knowledge. Eventually, I gave up trying to compare, which was right around the time Ed started peering over the doctor's shoulder. A smile twitched onto my face as I watched his head continue to poke over; first the left shoulder, then the right. The doctor remained oblivious, now continuing to inspect my leg in silence.

I watched Ed's golden eyes narrow in playful suspicion, stare turning to the bearded man as he spoke again.

"Well, it seems that recovery is coming along just fine! You should be out in no time!"

"That's so good to hear!" I replied. "Thank you!"

The doctor nodded. "The muscles need a few days or so to heal, but after that we can begin rehabilitation."

My smile fell. "How long will that take?"

"Hmm..." His hand made a gun-like shape as it rested below his chin in thought. The bright smile returned to his face as he spoke, and I saw a similar one on Ed's as well. "Shouldn't take too long! No more than a week, especially with the medication we'll be giving you!"

That sounded a little odd. "What kind of medicine is it?" I asked.

The doctor was standing up when I said this, his movements stopping and a look of surprise coming to him at my question. He lifted a hand in defense. "Oh, no. Just some new developments in pain relievers. Only the good stuff, don't you worry!"

I smiled, relieved as he laughed loudly. Ed stepped away, grinning a little as well as the doctor passed by. Before he had taken no more than a few steps, the doctor looked to my friends.

"Oh, that reminds me. Visiting hours are almost over."

Ed reacted like he had seen this coming. The watch was withdrawn from his pocket, our nation's symbol reflecting off the window's light.

I stared, completely stunned in a mixture of shock and horror as Ed started talking. Saying how I was involved in some criminal activity and I needed to be held for questioning.

The doctor nodded. "Well, alright then. Take all the time you need."

He started away again, and as soon as he turned his back to Ed, the alchemist winked at me. I got the message, my irritation fading: I suppose I was involved in some criminal activity. Even if I wasn't the cause of it.

The doctor suddenly stopped again, and I noticed Ed's face drop into one of pure irritation.

"My, whatever that place down the street is cooking just smells delicious!" The doctor smiled at us. "I just might have to go get something to eat when my break starts."

Ed gave a few horribly fake laughs, waving to him as he followed the door shut. "Yeah, goodbye..."

The alchemist set his back against the door, letting out a sigh. Then his stare trained on me, a mischievous grin on his face. I blinked at him, watching him stride over to Al.

"What're you up to, Ed?"

He just grinned as Al opened the lid of his front plate, revealing the bags of takeout and Ed's jacket. His coat, however, was reduced to a bundle, as if something was being wrapped around it.

My attention was taken as Al smiled, Ed putting his fists on his hɨps.

"Ha! And that guy thought he was smelling food from outside! Nice response time, Al!"

They slapped each other five, their hands sliding back before fist bumping. Al handed his older brother the food in his body, and I had to look away, feeling my appetite leave me at the sight of Al's hollow insides.

A thought occurred to me. "I don't have to go in for questioning, do I?"

Ed glanced to me as he walked over to my bed, mostly focused on digging the right takeout box out of the bag he was carrying. He shook his head at my question.

"They wouldn't take your testimony." he said, picking one box up and turning it over to see the writing scrawled on it. The carton was returned. "Past relations with those involved."

I heard Al give a low, short giggle and looked over to see his eyes curved in a smile. Like he was laughing to himself... Why would he be laughing?

Ed was blushing a little bit, scowling at the ground as he stopped beside my bed, extending a small white box with chopsticks balancing on top of them.

"Thank you." I took the food with a smile, watching him softly return the expression as he stepped back.

I looked down to the box, picking up the unbroken sticks in between two fingers before opening the food. The smell wafted to me in a burst of pure goodness.

"Ah, thank you so much, Ed!" I was practically drooling.

"Yeah, no problem." Ed fell back into the chair he was sitting in before, popping open his own box.

"Ooh, it looks delicious!" Al swooned beside him.

Ed nodded, agreeing as he pulled noodles into his mouth. "Tastes really good, too."

I suddenly heard the click of a pen and watched Al flip open a small notebook. One filled with a seemingly endless list.

"I'll put it down in my list!" Al was saying.

He had Ed recite the name of the restaurant before turning to me. He showed me the list, seeming proud of himself.

"This is a list of all the things I'm gonna eat when I get my body back!"

My heart almost broke but I smiled through. "That's wonderful, Al! What's on the top of your list?"

"Hmmm..." Pages of the notebook were turned over, his eyes scanning over for a moment before looking up to the ceiling. A finger was tapping his chin, too, and I couldn't help but laugh lightly at how cute he was being.

"Well," he began, oblivious to me, "I guess it'd have to be Winry's apple pie."

The smile on Ed's face flat-lined. He shoveled more food into his mouth, tipping the carton back. I turned back to Al, not wanting to question Ed's behavior.

"It's that good, huh?" I asked the younger Elric.

"Yeah!" Al nodded. "She says she'll have one waiting for us when we get our bodies back!"

His eyes descended downwards, a sadness coming to them before those lights perked up again.

"Oh, and Mrs. Hughes' quiche." His eyes widened, a hunger in them. "I'd really like to try that. The dish is really significant, too; that's the first time Mrs. Hughes' invited us over and the first time we met her and Elicia."

"Oh, yeah." Ed recalled. He was digging around the bottom of his carton with the chopsticks, seeming calmer now. "I forgot about that dish. We had that years ago."

Al nodded. "We should go back and say hi to the Hughes family when we're in Central again."

Ed returned his nod. He tossed his empty carton back into the plastic bag, and I suddenly had a thought.

"You guys found some kind of hotel to stay at, right?" I asked, concerned. Especially about them even being outside the hospital...

"Uh... Well..." Ed was avoiding my gaze again, searching the floor for a moment. "It wouldn't really hurt to stay here; spend the night together and all." He suddenly grew alarmed, and I'm sure my face was just as hot as his was. "NOT LIKE THAT! I mean, y'know, security purposes and all. Make sure everyone's accounted for and safe."

I nodded a little, understanding. I thought back to what had happened in Dublith, tried to shake all the confusion and horror away. I wanted to ask what had happened; Ed did say he could explain when Al got back...

But the elder alchemist was busying himself with testing out his bed for the night. He had moved the chair beside him, propping his feet up and slumping down to create a makeshift mattress.

"Yeah, this would work." he murmured. He suddenly caught my stare, and his expression grew nervous, hands still lifting his body half-way up in mid-test. "I mean, ȧssuming you'd even want us to stay in the same room."

I blinked. "Of course." I returned, a little lost. "Why wouldn't I?" Especially after what happened... I was nervous just having Ed go out to get something for us to eat...

The alchemist in front of me was already embarrassed by his own statement, raising a hand to the back of his hair again, grinning as pink dusted his cheeks.

"Yeah, sure! Right!" He busied himself with sweeping the other half of his bed, the other chair, back to its normal position beside him. "Guess I just wasn't thinking!"

I shook my head a little bit, dismissing the apology he didn't need to voice. Ed cleared his throat against his metal fist, stare going to the jacket he had set on the other chair. He'd bundled his coat around something when he came in with the food, and come to think of it, he didn't mention anything about the alcohol he alluded to getting.

It dawned on me just as he unwrapped his coat from the bottle. I was such an idiot! Why didn't I notice before?!

"Ed!" I hissed, my voice a whisper. "This is a HOSPITAL! You can't bring that stuff in here!"

Ed just grinned. His thumb flicked out, uncorking the champagne.

"Ah, c'mon, this stuff is great!" He pulled out a few pricey looking glasses from the bags, pausing to wipe away a spec of food that had jumped out from his carton. "And besides, it's to celebrate you still being with us."

I couldn't fight the deep blush that swept up to my cheeks. He didn't seem to notice, focusing on pouring the two glasses he held in one hand. I held my breath, worried one of the cups would slip and break. Then they definitely wouldn't be allowed here...

Luckily, he kept them both balanced and soon he was leaning forward, handing me a tall glass with bubbling alcohol. I held a sigh down; I'd never been much of a drinker before, but I'd had more with Ed in the past few days than I had... Well, in my entire life. Considering the frequency alone. It hadn't even been more than a few days since we bumped into each other at the station, and already this was my third drink and my second with him. I was a little worried about what it'd be like when he was finally legal...

My focus came back as he finished setting the bottle down beside him and leaned forward, his glass extending out to me. His grin became a bit wider.

"Cheers."

I tapped the edge of his cup with mine, the light clink ringing as I finished the toast.

"To a quick recovery!"