The Bloody Alchemist

Haven't Seen Your Face

Cecelia sat relaxed in a window seat on a train. She stared out the window, watching the landscape pass her on the way to Rush Valley. Cecelia had called and warned Winry about her planned arrival. And while Winry was not happy to hear that her automail had broken, she said that she appreciated the fair waning, something that Ed never bothered to do.

        Cecelia was excited to see Winry. Though she hadn't been gone long, to Cecelia it felt like she hadn't seen Winry in ages. Cecelia missed having a girlfriend her age and she really needed that in her life at the moment.

        Before Cecelia had left Central, she talked to Lan Fan as well. Cecelia apologized for not being able to stop Ling, being sure to leave out the part of her owning a philosopher stone. Lan Fan insisted that Cecelia had nothing to apologize for and that now she had to put faith in Ling or "The Young Lord" until she was able to fight again. But Cecelia still felt guilty, if only she had warned him beforehand. If Ling had known what happened to her brother, maybe he would have never volunteered to host a philosopher stone. Cecelia honestly doubted that. Ling probably would have done the exact same thing.

        And now there was this Greed character. Not even the same Greed as the one in Dublith. The one that had separated from the other homunculi and his ties to the government. The one who Bradly killed. The one whose friends, or lackeys at the very least, were all slaughtered in a government cover-up.

        Cecelia wondered what this new Greed would be like. She wanted to find out if Ling was alright, trapped inside his own mind. But more than anything, Cecelia wanted to know if there was any hope for her brother. And while Cecelia wanted to track that man down and force him to tell her everything, she did not want to accept help from him. The product of a horrible murder and monster.

        Before long the train barreled into the desert of Rush Valley, slowing to a halt in the train station. Cecelia stood with a heavy sigh, shouldering her bag and prepared for the terrible heat. She was still wearing the outfit Gracia had chosen for her, and the loose floral shirt was actually quite nice to have in Rush Valley. Cecelia didn't expect to see anyone waiting for her at the station, but a wide grin spread across her face when she saw Winry rocking on her feet, searching the exiting crowd for Cecelia.

        When Winry spotted Cecelia the girl jumped into a run and ran into a hug that Cecelia gladly returned.

        "It's so good to see you!" Winry cried, squeezing Cecelia tightly.

        Cecelia grinned, hardly able to breathe with Winry gripping her so tight. "Me too! It feels like forever!"

        "Seriously!" Winry lead Cecelia through Rush Valley, helping the girl avoid nosey mechanics who wanted a look at Cecelia's arm. "I know that only your fingers are broken," Winry started. "But when you called I got carried away!"

        "What's that supposed to mean?" Cecelia laughed as they approached Garfeil's shop.

        "Well," she said slipping behind a counter, pulling out a brand new prosthetic. "I made you another arm!"

        Cecelia's mouth fell open. The craftsmanship on this arm was incredible. And the etching designs on Cecelia's current arm were redone with spectacular detail. The arm was sleeker and shiny, glistening like pure silver. Cecelia took the arm from Winry and felt how light the arm was. "It's beautiful, Winry."

        "I've been working on it since the first time I made you an arm. Oh, and the best part!" Winry shouted, taking the arm back into her loving hands. "It's even stronger than your last arm! I figured since you three are always fighting, I'd figure out a way to make it more durable for you, but don't worry, it's still pretty light. And I saw that scalpel thing in your last arm and thought 'Of course! Her alchemy uses her blood!' So now there is one!" Winry twisted and pulled off the tip of the index finger to reveal a simple scalpel, perfect for a clean incision. "It's even changeable so you can clean and replace it when needed, so you can ensure there is no chance of infections!"