Hiding In The Shadows (a Full Metal Alchemist FanFic)

Remembering the dead

Alphonse's P.O.V.

Scarlett is a really good singer. I sat in the corner of the room, leaning into the wall as her voice filled the room. Edward stared intently at the window. For the second night here, the drama has escalated pretty quickly. Scarlett's dad tries to kill her, we find out that Mustang raised Scarlett because she was abused, became a state alchemist at the age of eleven. That part made Ed pissed. He thought he was the youngest alchemist, guess not. Once the song finished, Ed laid back down in bed, still keeping his gaze on the window. A loud coughing fit filled the air, Ed sat up again, listening carefully.

"Shit..." Scarlett whispered from the tree she slept in. I really am worried for her now. She's been coughing like that ever since she found me in the rain. the rest of the night was quiet, and only a soft rustling of leaves as the sun began to climb over the valleys in the distance.

"Ed. Ed. Hey, Ed, wake up." I poked at my brother's sleeping face as he became annoyed and woke up.

"What?" He said sleepily.

"I think she's gone." I whispered, pointing to the window to emphasize my meaning. He rolled his head back down on the pillow.

"Who cares? She's probably fine." Ed rudely grunted, falling back asleep. I relaxed back by the wall. Winry came up later to take me out of the room, and I am happy she did. I sat in the corner as she worked diligently at the automail.

"Winry?" I ask her, "What do you think about Scarlett?" She looks back at me from her work, taking off her goggles.

"She's cool." Winry shrugs. "The way she thinks on things, Scarlett's totally different from Ed." I chuckle at the fact. Scarlett always kept her cool, even when she fought. Ed blows up when he hears the word short. Wherever she was now, she'll never give up, and she'll always come out on top.

Edward's P.O.V.

I waited for Winry to close the door behind her as she took still half broken Alphonse out of the room. Then I jumped out of bed, braiding my blonde hair into a quick braid. Scarlett left earlier, and in planning on stalking her all the way to see what kind of top secret mission she is on. I snuck quietly out the window, and made my way down the gravel path. I had followed her black silhouette through town, and- oh, where did she go? She turned this corner, where the hell was she?!

Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain at the back of my head, and soon enough I was face planted into the dirt path. I groaned, only to hear someone let out a chuckle at my pain.

Oh, there she is. Her foot pushed my head further into the ground.

"Edward." She whispered.

"Scar." I nicknamed her; it's a lot easier. Her eyes rolled as she helped me up, and we stood, facing each other. She sighed before continuing to walk with one of her hands shoved deeply into a pocket while the other clutched a bouquet of blood red roses. I walked behind her, the only noise that split the silence was the clinking of my leg.

"Hey, where are we going?" the question piques my curiosity, but she didn't answer. Oh, that's how it's going to be? I am not a fan. She's hard to understand, and she always believes that she can do everything while only relying on herself.

I look up at the darkness taking over the sky. Pinako's gonna be pissed that we didn't come home before sunset, but who cares? Scarlett finally turned off the road and into the cemetery, keeping her head low. She walked to the back of the cemetery, and I had to run to catch up to her stride. There in the shade of the tree, a wooden board stuck out of the ground.

"This is my mother's grave.." She finally spoke up. I stared at the wood. How can that be her mother? My mom got a tombstone, why not her? "We were too poor to pay for a burial, so I buried her near others so she wasn't lonely." I bit my lip as I finally got my answer. Oh, that's pretty sad... is there anything I can do..? I kneeled down toward the earth, clapping my hands together, I set them atop the grave. I used the iron in the ground to construct a small tombstone. The slate was blank, but it was still better than a stick.

"...How long has it been since you left this town?" I asked. Scar said that her mom died when she was three, then was taken away from her father at the age of six.

"Thirteen long years." She tried to tug her lips into a smile, but failed and only made a larger frown. We sat and talked at her grave for awhile, and we visited my mother's grave. Scarlett transmitted a pile of flowers into my mother's grave, then we turned to head back home.

"Hey." Winry casually smiled at me as I came walking in. Scarlett insisted on sleeping up in the tree again, and I had no objections. We argued all the way home about Alchemy, so I don't want to see that bitch for the rest of the night.

"Hey." I sighed, falling onto the couch, and falling into a deep sleep. I awoke the next morning to Winry poking me to wake up. Why can't I ever wake up on my own? Anyway, Gearhead finally got my automail fixed, and she and Pinako began connecting my limbs. I grimaced as the nerves connected. The pain was enormous, like always, but it could be worse. Winry throws wrenched that hurt more than this. Once they connected the nerves, they set me on a couch where I lay now, twitching ever so often.

"How do you feel?" Winry asked, sitting on the armrest of the couch. I sat up and began to stretch out my newly attached limbs.

"Pretty good. Thanks Winry" I pay her, then she sleepily trudges upstairs to regain three days worth of sleep. I walk outside with Armstrong, and I show him how to repair Al.

"Ready Al?" I ask my brother, and he nods. I take off his head to show the transmutation circle I drew in blood.

"Hey!" Scarlet exclaimed, setting a hand on my shoulder, a smile on her face. I jumped into the air. How the hell did she get behind me?!?

"Anyway," I continued, shaking off the scare. "See that transmutation circle? That's the medium between my brother's soul and the armor. I have to be careful not to ruin it." I instruct the two. I clap my hands and set them atop where Al's arm should be. The materials left over from his arm and hand reconstruct back onto the armor. He moves his arm and hand to make sure it was a success. Scarlett claps her hands slowly.

"Brilliant work." She smirks. "Brilliant for a dwarf that needs anger management." I blew up in her face.

"I'M NOT SHORT!!! THERES A SCIENTIFIC WAY TO EXPLAIN WHY IM NOT LIKE ALL OF YOU FREAKISHLY TALL PEOPLE!!" I screeched at her face, only causing her to laugh harder.

"Let's make our way back to Central, shall we?" Major Armstrong smiled.

____________

Another chapter done! I'm making good progress! I've thought about working on two stories at once, just so I can keep the good fanfiction ideas fresh. But don't worry, I'm still going to work on the Attack On Titan story right after the Alice in the Country of Hearts.

Boy, have I got an ending for you, readers. :)

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~ Saturnthehero