Leave A Scar

It happened in the worst of times.

I never saw it coming; I don't think I could've done anything to prevent it, even if my eyes had turned enough. Even if my head had moved away from whatever I was fighting.

I can't even remember the type of creature, the humanoid Homunculus that was before me. Recovering in snaps of red.

I just saw Ed, I heard the cry that came from anger. A final yell, a hope of resonance.

I looked, seeing hand connecting to claw, watching the metal ripple out. The front plate dribbling to a skidding stop near me. And here I was, bruise and cut, staring as the flash of power cleared.

Red lightning cracked from the Homunculi's ċhėst, snapping out as Ed stood with one boot on the monster's upper-torso.

I didn't want to look, but that expression, that sense of determination in Ed's eyes. I could only think back, think to his first drawing. The sense of urgency, the rough promise...

I swallowed down my screams of agony, my brain splitting in two.

We...

We had killed so much... So many...

"B-Brother..."

Ed stepped off, twisting and flashing a round kick. Testing wounds as they healed. "I'm fine, Al," he said, and we left it at that.

But...

"But... your arm."

"Hm?" Ed brought his arm up, wires exposed from the lack of a front plate, and bolts dropped from the opening.

His hair stood on end, and quickly he stopped down to gather them from the ground. "We-we need to fix this!" There was a high-pitched panic in Ed's voice; something I'd never heard before.

Al was by his side immediately, as I gently made my way closer.

"Well..." the small voice in the large suit examined his brother's arm, turning it this way and that. "I'm not sure it can be fixed like last time, Brother..."

"It has to!"

"Well, can you fix it?!"

"I..." Al fumbled with his arm, and another bolt fell out of his brother's elbow. Nervous, Al started shaking a little. "Sorry! I can't do anything without the pieces!"

"And those were all totally obliterated, thanks to that damn Homunculus' power..." Ed sighed, falling into a sitting position, and my stare went back to the shrapnel surrounding us. They were microscopic, those pieces, if they'd even survived at all.

"What're we going to do?" I asked, cautiously watching Ed in case he needed my help.

He got to his feet with no problem, and I felt a guilt press into my stomach. His arm was broken; not his leg.

He didn't respond to my question. His gaze only swept up to Al, and when he looked away, another small sigh fell from his lips.

"Gotta go get it repaired, probably."

"O...okay..." I shifted my gaze between them, completely lost at why this was such a big deal. But I remembered all the strange ways Ed reacted when Winry was mentioned... And a little bit of me understood.

Neither of them moved for a long moment. Then Al stepped back a little bit, head turning to survey the cliffs outside of West city again.

"So..." he began, looking back to Ed. "We should probably get going."

There was a tension between them. Another thing they weren't tell me. Another piece of the puzzle that I wasn't being given. I shut away the curiosity, resolving that I didn't need to know. The best thing I could do right now was to help, and I couldn't do that by whining for things that didn't concern me.

At his brother's statement, Ed gave a small sigh. His hands found his pockets, and I realized his coat was lost in the fight. He seemed to read my mind, golden eyes turning to me.

"Don't worry about the coat." he said. "Gets destroyed all the time. I'll pick up some fabric as soon as we pass some shop; it'll be fine."

He tried to wave a hand as he did this, tried to use his metal hand, but as soon as the first few flicks of his wrist happened, another bolt fell off. All of our eyes went wide, and I had my hands against my mouth as Al spoke into our silence.

"Maybe... You shouldn't move your arm very much, Brother."

"Huh." Ed looked down at the small number of broken parts, like they would somehow float back up and reattach themselves into the right spaces. Then he grinned, perfectly wide. "Yeah, guess you're right! We'll probably be leaving a trail of bolts for these bastards to track us with!"

The joke didn't make me feel any better. It just made my stomach feel even worse. How the heck was he going to fight like this, if needed?

I didn't ask, and soon my curiosity faded, becoming some lost part in the back of my head.

We were at nearest station when Al spoke, his head turning to Edward.

"You should call first, brother." Al said, and there was a hint of sadness in his voice.

Ed looked behind his shoulder, some part of his new cloak moving with him. Some exchange passed between them, a moment of something I couldn't read. It frustrated me to no end, but I only watched as Ed replied.

"Oh yeah." he said, looking over to the phone close by. "Guess I should, huh?"

Al and I waited while he was on the phone. I thought it was strange that he left the door to the booth open like that, allowing us to hear one side of the conversation.

"Uh, hey. Winry?"

His voice was a tad rough; the way it got when he was upset about something. My knuckles curled against my lips, nails digging into my palm. What. Had. Happened?

"Yeah." Ed responded, even quieter now. "I-I know it's been a long time. Um, listen, I'm kind of in need of a fix up..."

I heard him wince, glancing over to see he was holding the phone away from his ear. But his expression of pain vanished, and the phone was held up to his ear again.

"You still there?"

Al shifted a little beside me, head tilting to watch the clouds crawl along the sunset. I smiled, following his gaze. Every part of my mind was screaming to ask him what had gone on, but I shook the thoughts away.

"Why do you like nature, Al?" I asked. A small breeze blew by, and I closed my eyes to the tickling feeling.

"I like how calm it is." Al replied, voice just as soft as that breeze. I glanced at him again, seeing those lights curve in the smallest of smiles. I couldn't help but smile just a little bit more, listening as he continued, telling me how things were nice and in order. An ebb and flow that made up the world. A balance that made sense.

Ed's voice floated in between his words, and I listened in, hearing him dismiss some question that was asked.

"N-no." he said. "I mean, it's not completely destroyed..."

I stifled a laugh against my lips. I expected Al to give some amusement, too, but the younger Elric remained absolutely quiet. That solemness set in, interrupting that temporary peace I had hidden away in.

"Alright. Yeah. Talk to-" Ed's voice suddenly cut away. I turned around, seeing him quietly hang up the phone.

He stepped out of the booth, golden eyes rising to meet mine. They smiled instantly.

"So? How'd it go?" Al asked.

He just shrugged, looking away. "She's actually going to stop at old hag Pinako's place within the next few days, so if we head to Resembool, we should be able to catch her in time."

I blinked. "Old hag...?"

Ed smiled bashfully, a blush coming to him. "Well, I dunno, I guess it is a little embarrassing to call her Granny still."

Al's fist suddenly met his head, causing a large welt to form. Ed held it, tears streaming down his face as he hunched over.

"Granny's family to us, Brother!" Al declared. "How dare you be embarrassed over family!"

Ed straightened, rubbing the welt on his head. "Yeah, alright. She's family." A thought suddenly came to him; he grinned, putting both fists on his hɨps. "Ha-ha! I'm finally a decent height! She can't call me short anymore!"

I laughed behind my hand, hearing Alphonse laugh a little bit too as he replied.

"She's still gonna find a way to. You're bȧrėly average height now."

"BARELY?!"

Our amusement lasted, becoming cheerful conversations and lighthearted laughter. And then Ed suddenly stood, going against the sinking sun.

"We should get off and spend the night here."

I glanced out the window. "We could make it another stop, at least..."

Edward shook his head, and I once again felt like there was something he wasn't saying.

"We've got a few days before she gets there." he replied. "And there's really no need to rush in general, anyway."

I glanced down at his arm, then thought of all the Homunculi that were after him. I looked over to Al, expecting some kind of protest. He gave none, and I felt like I was in the dark now more than ever.

Ed slid his foot a little bit further down the aisle, still keeping his stare on me.

"Well, c'mon," he said, "Dinner's not going to pay for itself."

I shot him a look, knowing he was casting a line and I was taking the bait. "You're not paying..."

He grinned, and for a moment I was back in Lautoxan. Back in a hotel room with my hand lowering down the menu he was holding out to me.

"Let's just see who gets the bill first."

Ed repeated these exact words now, and I felt my heart swell a little bit. I smiled, heat touching my face. Ed just gave a curt motion with his head as he turned around, eyes leaving me only when they had to. That soft smile on his face, however, didn't fade.

Moonlight stripped the floorboards, creating a line that separated both beds. One of them ours. One of them the bed we both should be using, creating warmth in such a cold room.

But Ed was no longer himself. He was no longer smiling and full of good intentions.

It was like... he was breaking again.

He was weak, putty in my hands. This was... this was how I was supposed to hide myself, and here HE was, breaking like I always did.

"I..."

"I..."

"I can't." And he bowed forward, hands to his hair, leaving me to try and clean up the mess of his consciousness.

It was like fixing a broken mirror, my fingertips running along the cracks and gathering shards in my skin.

It was like a mirror, that moment.

So I did what I do best. I touched him with a gentle hand, letting those fingertips splinter him with glass. I didn't ask what or why or how. I knew better than to speak.

I just avoided every part of myself. It's what I did best, after all.