The Water Alchemist

Difficult Discoveries

"Sure, you do that, Hughes," Mustang said, catching himself smile. "Talk with you soon."

*** 

When Ed woke up, he wanted to go back to sleep. He grunted at the sunlight pouring in to the room, attempting to turn away from it. A shockwave shot up his side as he tried, and he jolted awake. With wide eyes, he took in the plain and barren hospital room and examined his pitiful state.

What the hell, he thought, vaguely remembering the events of infiltrating the fifth lab. He had encountered the Slicer brothers, who likely put him here, but there was something else. Two people Ed had never seen before, going on about sacrifices and plans and...

"Marina!" he said aloud, his heart quickening with realization as he looked around. He heard a small noise and looked to his left, where the person in question was resting on the side of his hospital bed. He breathed a sigh of relief as he watched her back rise and fall slowly. There was a small bandage around her hand, but she seemed otherwise unharmed. He leaned back gently into the slightly raised hospital bed as not to wake her. He noticed that his hair was undone, not feeling the familiar bumps of his braid. The missing silly pink elastic was tied around Marina's bandaged wrist. She must've taken it out, he thought. How long has she been here? How long have I been out? He studied the restful face, her mouth slightly agape, drool dripping over her arm. He chuckled slightly at her inelegant appearance and found himself reaching out to brush the hair from her cheek when the door opened.

"Ed?" Ross called from across the room.

"Ah! I wasn't doing anything!" he exclaimed, retracting his hand, and flailing about as Ross and Brosh entered. He looked up at them as Marina stirred.

"What's going on?" she asked drowsily. Ed turned to her, and the sleepy girl became alert with apprehension. "Ed, you're awake!"

"Sure am," he said.

He was startled as she soared from her chair and wrapped her arms around his neck in a tight embrace. A flush rushed to Ed's face.

"Let's give them a minute," Ross whispered to Brosh with a slight smile, and they ducked out quietly.

Ed and Marina didn't even notice. Edward held his working arm awkwardly in the air around her, not returning the embrace but not avoiding it either. He was stuck in a limbo, gradually becoming more embarrassed and unable to discern whether to hug her or not. Just as he had decided, she pulled away and sat back in the chair at his bedside.

"I was so worried," she said, wiping her face. He couldn't tell if the liquid on her cheek was tears or leftover drool.

"You were worried?" he asked with a laugh. "You weren't even supposed to be there; what the hell happened?"

"Don't get mad," she said, fidgeting in her chair. He frowned slightly. "I may or may not have climbed into the vent after you."

"I should have guessed," he sighed. "Why would you do that after I explicitly told you not to?"

"Because I wanted to know what was so bad about what you found that you couldn't tell me," she pouted.

"So, you followed me into an abandoned building and almost got yourself killed," he argued. "You're so impulsive."

"Well, in my defense, Al had a situation of his own, though I don't know the details. It was quite lucky that I got into the vent when I did, I'd say. Besides, I'm not the one in the hospital bed," she retorted.

He grabbed her bandaged hand and held it up, the strawberry charm lightly tapping against his arm.

"But you got hurt. And with the way that guy swung you around, I'm surprised you're not more injured," he said, clenching his jaw as he remembered that guy putting his hands on Marina. It made him sick.