Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Metal and Tears ❯ Rember Me ( Chapter 4 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
Ishbal was burning and Kiri could only watch. She stood atop a tall rocky dune wrapped only in a white sheet, her waist length hair billowing in the searing wind. She didn’t know why but her pale eyes were wide and tears were pouring out of them in a steady stream. She took two steps forward and plummeted. She landed on a pile of rocks and bounced off to land with a sickening thud. She opened her eyes and stood scratched but alive, she was still crying as she strode into the burning town. The flames burst high into the sky as her flesh was scorched. She screamed, it was the scream that woke her out of her nightmare. Kiri looked over and Edward had moved to lay curled up next to his brother, his head on Alphonse’s arm.
“You okay?” She jerked and saw Alphonse gazing at her, concerned. Kiri smiled and wiped the sweat off her forehead; she nodded and seemed to relax.
“What are you doing up so late?” He hung his head slightly.
“I can’t sleep in this body.” Kiri bit her lip and whispered an apology, suddenly she cried out as the wound from the cafeteria opened once more.
“OW!”
“What’s wrong?” Alphonse asked rising slightly from his seat trying not to disturb his brother. Kiri dabbed at her lip and nodded.
“Yeah, its nothing.” She clapped her hands together and passed a hand over her lip, instantly the bleeding stopped.
“What type of alchemy is that?” Alphonse asked quietly.
“Liquid alchemy, I can use it for blood too, after all what is blood but a red water?” Alphonse sat there quietly, wishing there weren’t so many questions buzzing around in his head, mostly about how Kiri had become entangled with the Ishaballans and Scar. He started to say something but Kiri stood and Alphonse could see her face was beginning to become flushed. She started to walk away.
“Uh…where are you going?” Kiri turned and smiled.
“Don’t worry, I’m just going to get some fresh air.” She hurried out and Alphonse noticed she’d kept her right hand hidden the entire time.
Kiri raced out the luggage car out onto the back platform and fell against the railing gasping for air. Slowly with sweat pouring down her face, Kiri pulled off her right glove. She looked at the tattoo on her palm and slowly traced a finger over the burgundy line feeling the burning flare up her arm.
“Damn tattoo, burns every time I use alchemy.” Kiri placed the glove back over her shaking hand and looked sadly out over the desert landscape.
“Scar…” She thought sinking into the cold corner and feeling the chill wind whipping past her ears.
“Where are you now?”
Heading toward Ishbal, two headlights burned out of the dark. Scar with his foot on the floor over the gas pedal, guided the open top jeep toward his hometown, smelling the smoke of his long burned home stronger and stronger the closer he got. The smell triggered memories that he surprisingly held dear.
Scar had just wrenched free an extra rifle from a dead state solider, when he turned a corner to find a lithe blonde girl wrapped in a sheet surrounded by four State Dogs. Scar whipped the gun off his back and aimed.
“Get away from her!” He cried as one of them made a move towards her. Both girl and soldier turned to face him. Scar saw the soldier sneer and the girl’s light blue eyes fill with even more tears that flowed down her face. The solider pulled out a pistol and the girl’s head snapped in the direction of his weapon. Suddenly a ball of water shot out and froze around his hand. The soldier fell screaming as his companions stepped back and drew their own weapons. The soldiers prepared to shoot when Scar raced into their midst and grabbed the girl’s wrist pulling her out of the line of fire. Shots rang around them striking walls of buildings as the pair made their way deeper into the city and deeper into cover. They stopped behind a building near the center of the city and Scar checked his stolen weapon. He cursed under his breath and threw it to his left, disgusted to find the cartridge empty. He leaned back against the building side and closed his eyes, his breath ragged and in pants. His companion stared at him, pale eyes unblinking. Scar cracked and eye and saw her staring, he groaned as he sat forward and glanced sideways at her. That was the first time he’d gotten a good look at her and it made him confused. The girl had a pallid complexion and blue eyes; she was obviously no Ishballan, so why had the Military surrounded her?
“What does the Military want with you?” The girl shrugged and cocked her head as Scar raised an eyebrow. He shook his head and rose to his feet. Dizziness overcame him and he stumbled forward and would have fell if two small arms had not wrapped around his waist and hauled him back onto his feet. He turned to find the girl standing there, he started to speak but she placed a hand over his mouth motioning him to stay silent. They quickly ducked out of the way as soldiers ran past. When they had passed, Scar heaved a sigh of relief and turned back to the girl.
“Thank you.” He said.
“I’ll never forget this.” He started to race away but found the girl following him.
“Leave me before the soldiers think you’re an Ishballan and kill you too!” The girl shook her head.
“You……have need………of the …assi…stance…I can offer…” She fumbled with her words but they were understandable.
“I…will…stay.” After a moment’s hesitation, Scar reluctantly agreed.
He smiled inwardly at the thought feeling the chill air whip around him as he drove. It was blasphemous to use alchemy to him and his kind, and yet it was alchemy that had helped his people when they needed it the most.
It was just outside the burning town when Scar had run into the alchemist with the tattooed hands. He was laughing and talking, the words had all but faded into his memory now, when the girl stepped from the middle of the crowd Scar and his brother had joined. The man had jeered but she stood solid.
“Move.” She commanded quietly, but he didn’t pay any heed to her, instead he’d smiled and raced into the group blasting the ‘X’ into Scar’s forehead. The girl whipped around and slapped her palms together, then the Ishballans had watched in horror as she pulled water from her own body to use to attack the State Alchemist. She had been too slow however; the man had come in close and knocked her away and unconscious with a swing from his double fisted hands. While she was blacked out, Scar had lost his brother and almost his own life.
He whipped back into reality. That was then and the past could not erase the future. While she had stayed with him, Kiri had trailed Scar; imitating everything she had seen him do. She had been like a little sister and he had enjoyed the company and the slight release from his heavy burden, now she was part of the Dogs of War, but though she had betrayed him, Scar would die with her secret untold. He could still see in his faintest memory the very day she told him.
He and Kiri had been hiding out in small town not too far from Ishabal, they hadn’t the funds to go anywhere farther. Scar had traded his traditional dress to adopt a more modern style, and wore dark glasses to hide his eye color, and he’d helped her to cut her hair to her shoulders so neither of them would be easily recognized. Since she had no real idea of who she was or where she had come from, Scar had picked Kiri’s name from a book he’d read where it was the equivalent of ‘fog’. Fitting enough for her memory. When Kiri had finally remembered something, the day she told him, it had been raining. A chuckle escaped Scar’s throat as he found the idea that he’d remembered something as trivial as that after such a long time, funny. Yes, it had been raining; just like the day Scar had last attacked Central. He and Kiri had been rooming together for a few months in a hotel still hiding from the State. He had just returned from a much needed supply run and when Scar unlocked their boarding house door, he found her standing at the window, her hair down about her shoulders, wearing the white sundress she’d made from the sheet she’d been found in. Her bare feet were planted side by side and in her hands she carried a large worn book. He lay aside the bags of food he held as Kiri turned to face him. The leather bound book held strange markings on the cover, Scar’s eyes widened as he found some of them similar to the ones on his arm. Kiri’s face was sad yet she smiled, tears ran down her cheeks to hit the cover with a plop.
“Kiri, what’s wrong?” He asked walking to her.
“I’ve begun to remember. A man by the name of Doctor Tim Marcoh came by right after you left. He gave me this book and said that I should read it if I wanted to learn what I could not remember. I have Aniki, I’ve learned so much more than I ever wanted.” Scar was getting worried about her at this point.
“Kiri what are you--“
“You know I can use alchemy,” She interrupted.
“And we’ve agreed to keep it a secret from the outside world, but I have another confession to make.” He stepped forward and grabbed her shoulders tightly.
“Kiri, you’re really starting to scare me now! Tell me, who is this Doctor Marcoh and what is it you’ve learned!?” Kiri hung her head and pulled her right palm from under the book, to Scar’s horror, there lay a purple tattoo that Scar had only seen in his brother's study books.
“You’re a--“
“You okay?” She jerked and saw Alphonse gazing at her, concerned. Kiri smiled and wiped the sweat off her forehead; she nodded and seemed to relax.
“What are you doing up so late?” He hung his head slightly.
“I can’t sleep in this body.” Kiri bit her lip and whispered an apology, suddenly she cried out as the wound from the cafeteria opened once more.
“OW!”
“What’s wrong?” Alphonse asked rising slightly from his seat trying not to disturb his brother. Kiri dabbed at her lip and nodded.
“Yeah, its nothing.” She clapped her hands together and passed a hand over her lip, instantly the bleeding stopped.
“What type of alchemy is that?” Alphonse asked quietly.
“Liquid alchemy, I can use it for blood too, after all what is blood but a red water?” Alphonse sat there quietly, wishing there weren’t so many questions buzzing around in his head, mostly about how Kiri had become entangled with the Ishaballans and Scar. He started to say something but Kiri stood and Alphonse could see her face was beginning to become flushed. She started to walk away.
“Uh…where are you going?” Kiri turned and smiled.
“Don’t worry, I’m just going to get some fresh air.” She hurried out and Alphonse noticed she’d kept her right hand hidden the entire time.
Kiri raced out the luggage car out onto the back platform and fell against the railing gasping for air. Slowly with sweat pouring down her face, Kiri pulled off her right glove. She looked at the tattoo on her palm and slowly traced a finger over the burgundy line feeling the burning flare up her arm.
“Damn tattoo, burns every time I use alchemy.” Kiri placed the glove back over her shaking hand and looked sadly out over the desert landscape.
“Scar…” She thought sinking into the cold corner and feeling the chill wind whipping past her ears.
“Where are you now?”
Heading toward Ishbal, two headlights burned out of the dark. Scar with his foot on the floor over the gas pedal, guided the open top jeep toward his hometown, smelling the smoke of his long burned home stronger and stronger the closer he got. The smell triggered memories that he surprisingly held dear.
Scar had just wrenched free an extra rifle from a dead state solider, when he turned a corner to find a lithe blonde girl wrapped in a sheet surrounded by four State Dogs. Scar whipped the gun off his back and aimed.
“Get away from her!” He cried as one of them made a move towards her. Both girl and soldier turned to face him. Scar saw the soldier sneer and the girl’s light blue eyes fill with even more tears that flowed down her face. The solider pulled out a pistol and the girl’s head snapped in the direction of his weapon. Suddenly a ball of water shot out and froze around his hand. The soldier fell screaming as his companions stepped back and drew their own weapons. The soldiers prepared to shoot when Scar raced into their midst and grabbed the girl’s wrist pulling her out of the line of fire. Shots rang around them striking walls of buildings as the pair made their way deeper into the city and deeper into cover. They stopped behind a building near the center of the city and Scar checked his stolen weapon. He cursed under his breath and threw it to his left, disgusted to find the cartridge empty. He leaned back against the building side and closed his eyes, his breath ragged and in pants. His companion stared at him, pale eyes unblinking. Scar cracked and eye and saw her staring, he groaned as he sat forward and glanced sideways at her. That was the first time he’d gotten a good look at her and it made him confused. The girl had a pallid complexion and blue eyes; she was obviously no Ishballan, so why had the Military surrounded her?
“What does the Military want with you?” The girl shrugged and cocked her head as Scar raised an eyebrow. He shook his head and rose to his feet. Dizziness overcame him and he stumbled forward and would have fell if two small arms had not wrapped around his waist and hauled him back onto his feet. He turned to find the girl standing there, he started to speak but she placed a hand over his mouth motioning him to stay silent. They quickly ducked out of the way as soldiers ran past. When they had passed, Scar heaved a sigh of relief and turned back to the girl.
“Thank you.” He said.
“I’ll never forget this.” He started to race away but found the girl following him.
“Leave me before the soldiers think you’re an Ishballan and kill you too!” The girl shook her head.
“You……have need………of the …assi…stance…I can offer…” She fumbled with her words but they were understandable.
“I…will…stay.” After a moment’s hesitation, Scar reluctantly agreed.
He smiled inwardly at the thought feeling the chill air whip around him as he drove. It was blasphemous to use alchemy to him and his kind, and yet it was alchemy that had helped his people when they needed it the most.
It was just outside the burning town when Scar had run into the alchemist with the tattooed hands. He was laughing and talking, the words had all but faded into his memory now, when the girl stepped from the middle of the crowd Scar and his brother had joined. The man had jeered but she stood solid.
“Move.” She commanded quietly, but he didn’t pay any heed to her, instead he’d smiled and raced into the group blasting the ‘X’ into Scar’s forehead. The girl whipped around and slapped her palms together, then the Ishballans had watched in horror as she pulled water from her own body to use to attack the State Alchemist. She had been too slow however; the man had come in close and knocked her away and unconscious with a swing from his double fisted hands. While she was blacked out, Scar had lost his brother and almost his own life.
He whipped back into reality. That was then and the past could not erase the future. While she had stayed with him, Kiri had trailed Scar; imitating everything she had seen him do. She had been like a little sister and he had enjoyed the company and the slight release from his heavy burden, now she was part of the Dogs of War, but though she had betrayed him, Scar would die with her secret untold. He could still see in his faintest memory the very day she told him.
He and Kiri had been hiding out in small town not too far from Ishabal, they hadn’t the funds to go anywhere farther. Scar had traded his traditional dress to adopt a more modern style, and wore dark glasses to hide his eye color, and he’d helped her to cut her hair to her shoulders so neither of them would be easily recognized. Since she had no real idea of who she was or where she had come from, Scar had picked Kiri’s name from a book he’d read where it was the equivalent of ‘fog’. Fitting enough for her memory. When Kiri had finally remembered something, the day she told him, it had been raining. A chuckle escaped Scar’s throat as he found the idea that he’d remembered something as trivial as that after such a long time, funny. Yes, it had been raining; just like the day Scar had last attacked Central. He and Kiri had been rooming together for a few months in a hotel still hiding from the State. He had just returned from a much needed supply run and when Scar unlocked their boarding house door, he found her standing at the window, her hair down about her shoulders, wearing the white sundress she’d made from the sheet she’d been found in. Her bare feet were planted side by side and in her hands she carried a large worn book. He lay aside the bags of food he held as Kiri turned to face him. The leather bound book held strange markings on the cover, Scar’s eyes widened as he found some of them similar to the ones on his arm. Kiri’s face was sad yet she smiled, tears ran down her cheeks to hit the cover with a plop.
“Kiri, what’s wrong?” He asked walking to her.
“I’ve begun to remember. A man by the name of Doctor Tim Marcoh came by right after you left. He gave me this book and said that I should read it if I wanted to learn what I could not remember. I have Aniki, I’ve learned so much more than I ever wanted.” Scar was getting worried about her at this point.
“Kiri what are you--“
“You know I can use alchemy,” She interrupted.
“And we’ve agreed to keep it a secret from the outside world, but I have another confession to make.” He stepped forward and grabbed her shoulders tightly.
“Kiri, you’re really starting to scare me now! Tell me, who is this Doctor Marcoh and what is it you’ve learned!?” Kiri hung her head and pulled her right palm from under the book, to Scar’s horror, there lay a purple tattoo that Scar had only seen in his brother's study books.
“You’re a--“