Eight

"Your arm...is attached again," Lucy said, grabbing Edward's wrist and pulling on his AutoMail. "That's amazing!" A relieved smile was spread across her face, and her eyes were shining.

     It occurred to Edward that the colonel had never explained how her eyes gained color. It was obvious that she was happy now, but Edward couldn't understand why. Because she had made friends, per chance?

     "Can this happen with regular arms and legs?" Lucy asked curiously, fascinated with Winry's work. She was acting like an impressed five year old.

     "No, it can't," Alphonse said (He had been with Lucy the whole time because he got bored, and Lucy didn't want to sleep anymore). "Only with AutoMail."

     "What about using that thing you used to put my rabbit's ear back on?" she asked. "isn't it called alchemy?"

     Images of the night of the failed Human Transmutation flooded back to Edward, and he lowered his head. "That kind of thing can't be done with alchemy," Edward said, a dark tone in his voice. "Trust me. It's fatal and stupid to try."

     Lucy's smile disappeared, and she backed away from Edward, letting go of his AutoMail. She lowered her head as well. Edward looked at her, thinking that might've been too harsh to say to her.

     "Lucy, what's the matter?" Alphonse asked.

     "It's connected to that hell," she said. "the one that you don't like to talk about. I'm sorry for bringing it up." She shifted from one foot to the other and said, as if trying to change the subject, "The floor is really cold today. I need a rug or something. I'll ask mama when she comes down here later."

     "Lucy," Edward said. "do you want to know what our hell is?" Alphonse lowered his head.

     "No," she said. That caught Edward and Alphonse off guard.

     "What do you mean?" Alphonse asked.

     "I mean what I said," Lucy said, walking across the cold floor to her bed and picking up her rabbit. "I don't want to know." She paused, and then looked at them. "Its up to you whether I should know or not. I don't really care one way or another."

     The brothers glanced at each other, and Edward said, "Alright, that's fine with us."

     "Just let me ask this," Lucy said, not looking at either of them. "Did it result in Edward losing an arm? And Alphonse losing his body?"

     "Not just an arm," Edward said. "I lost my left leg as well."

     "Is that a machine, too?" she asked, looking at his leg curiously.

     "Yeah."

     "That's sad," was all that she said. She sat cross legged on her bed and held her rabbit close.

     Not as sad as your story, Edward thought. There was a knock at the heavy door to Lucy's room, and the lieutenant came in.

     "Hello, boys," she said, saluting.

     "Hey, Lieutenant," Edward replied. Alphonse just waved.

     "How are you, Lucy?" Lieutenant Riza asked as she walked in the room.

     "Cold," she replied. "I think my feet are going to freeze. The floor's cold. I don't like how it's concrete."

     "She wanted to ask you if she could have a rug or something for the floor," Alphonse said.

     "I'll talk to papa about it," was all she said. "Lucy, there's something I want to talk to you about."

     "Mama?" Lucy said curiously.

     Before she said anything, the lieutenant told Edward and Alphonse to leave. Without asking why, Edward and Alphonse reluctantly left, with the question on both of their minds: What did she need to talk to Lucy about?

 

"Heather?" Alphonse repeated. "Her name was Heather?"

     "Yeah," Edward said. He had just finished telling Alphonse everything that the colonel had told him about Lucy.

     "That thing about her eyes kind of bugs me more than the fact that she's killing people," Alphonse said. "What did he mean by her eyes just recently gaining color?"

     "I think that means that she's happier now," Edward said. He had been thinking about it. "Maybe she's happier now than she's ever been, so her eyes have gotten brighter or something. Remember that night when we first found her in the hall? Her eyes looked dead and colorless. Now they're shining and she smiles a lot and..."

     "When did you take the time to notice that?" Alphonse asked suspiciously with a hint of amusement. "And those details you threw in there. Hm, do you per chance have a crush, Brother?"

     "Eh--no!" Edward shouted, his face feeling hot. "You're acting just like Winry!"

     "You told Winry about Lucy?" Alphonse said. "The colonel said we weren't supposed to do that!"

     "Hey, all we said was her name," Edward said calmly. "And Winry's staying in a hotel, by the way. She's leaving tomorrow."

     "Hey, I have an idea," Alphonse said suddenly. "It's off topic, but it's something I've been thinking about."

     "Shoot," Edward said. "What've you been thinking about?"

     "Well, when I was down there with her while you got your arm fixed up, she went on and on about how she's never seen the city before. Not even out a window. It was kind of cute, really, because she sounded just like a small child who had never seen snow for the first time and really wanted to.

     "She kept saying that she really wanted to explore the city, but she knew it was a dream that wouldn't come true, because the last time she asked, Colonel Mustang said no."

     "Why'd he say no?" Edward asked. "She deserves, and needs, to see a place outside the military's walls."

     "I asked the lieutenant about it, and she just said that Colonel Mustang doesn't think the world is ready for Lucy yet."

     "That excuse again?" Edward grumbled. "You know what? No one's gonna know! We'll take her out for her first ever Central City experience. Maybe I can convince Colonel Hothead to let us take her out. What d'ya say, Al?"

     "I say," Alphonse said with a small laugh. "that you like Lucy!"

     "Shut up about that, already!" Edward shouted.

Author's Note

:3

The next chapter should be exciting! XD

Reviews

[C.S. Posthumus]

Her eyes are regaining color? Interesting... It’s almost cute how Edward has a crush on Lucy, an isolated military experiment... I wonder if Lucy feels the same. It’ll be amusing to read how their romantic relationship progresses... I’m enjoying this story very much.

[Emunah June.]

Lol crushin!!!

[Anonymous]

Hehe! Edo-cheese has a crush on Lucyyyyyyy! XD