Rewriting Fiction
KarmaHope
40: Tuesday, 20 June (1916) (Part I)
05.06.2019

Last time: Karmyn toured colleges, the boys ran into the Tringham brothers while birthday shopping, and Envy overheard something interesting...

'All right, Captain,' Roy demanded, sweeping into his office. 'What was so important you had to call me back from Ishval?'

Part of him hoped it was nothing important. Part of him hoped his captain had called him back for no other reason than because she wanted to see him. He knew it was unlikely – impossible, even – but he never had been good at quashing his personal desires.

Captain Riza Hawkeye straightened, her already upright posture settling into something even stiffer. Roy swallowed his disappointment. This was how it had always been, and this was how it always would be. It didn't matter. That was the last thing that mattered in this moment. Riza wouldn't have called him back from the field unless it was for something incredibly important. He knew that.

He racked his brains as to what it could be. Did it have to do with the girl? Roy couldn't remember her name. Katherine? Corinne? Riza had returned to Central a little over a week ago to help the girl apply to colleges, he knew that much. Of course he did. He had signed her leave request.

Still, to receive such a summons out of the blue was unusual. He was worried.

'Calm down, sir.' Riza said crisply. Her words did calm him, but there was something wrong all the same. She was worried about something, too. They'd worked together far too long for him to not know her tells.

And she was telling.

'I am calm,' he snapped. 'Now tell me what's wrong.'

Riza took a deep breath. 'After the return of the Elrics and the subsequent arrival of Karmyn Dallas, the Führer put an alert on several key words relating to the situation, with instructions that he, I, or you be alerted if any were spoken.'

'Yes, of course.' Karmyn. That was the girl's name. Then he put it together. 'You're saying–'

Riza nodded. 'A man appeared on the grounds of Central Command yesterday. The guards' report stated him to be nonthreatening, but unusual. Blond, mid- to late-twenties. He didn't speak, but he carried several notecards in his hands. I went down to Acquisitions this morning to retrieve them. Here.'

She handed him a stack of notecards. The top card had his name written upon it in a neat, albeit crunched, script. Colonel Mustang, it read.

I hope this card finds you well. More so, I hope it finds me well, and not dying somewhere in an Amestrian prison. Contained in these notes are some things that are probably considered state secrets. Therefore, they are written in a language that only three people in Amestris should know. Please contact Edward Elric, Alphonse Elric, or Karmyn Dallas to help me explain myself to you before deciding to have me executed on the spot. Thanks!

Roy read the signature on the card. His blood ran cold. 'Call Karmyn. I'll call Edward.'

'Yes, sir.'

One week earlier…

"Kai! Kai, wake up!"

Karmyn woke with a start. Blinking the sleep from her eyes, she looked up to see Edward staring down at her, his face dimly lit in the soft morning light. He was already dressed. She blinked again.

"Whassup?" she asked blearily. "What time's it?"

Ed shushed her. "It's early," he whispered. "I need your help."

Well that woke her up. "Why? What's wrong?"

Ed shook his head. "Nothing's wrong. I just–" He shot a glance toward the other couch, where Winry slept soundly. "I need your help with something. Get dressed and meet me outside?"

"Y-yeah, sure," Karmyn said through a yawn, rubbing her eyes. "Give me a minute."

Edward stepped back. "I'll wait outside."

Once on her feet, Karmyn rifled through her suitcase as quietly as she could. Clearly, Edward didn't want Winry to know about this little excursion. Her thoughts raced as she dressed in a simple button-down blouse and a pair of brown slacks with suspenders. Edward said nothing was wrong, but why else would he be waking her at the crack of dawn? There was something about this that didn't sit right with her, but she couldn't for the life of her figure out what it was.

Catching her reflection in the bathroom mirror as she brushed her teeth, she paused. She looked different. She knew she did, but she couldn't put a finger on why. Her hair was the same as it always was. She still wore the glasses she'd worn for the past year. The only differences were the flamel pendant around her neck and the style of shirt she wore.

Huh.

On her way out the door, she grabbed her new coat. It was mid-June, and therefore technically too warm for a coat, but it was also early. The sun was barely up. She'd probably appreciate it until she didn't.

"Okay," she said as she stepped into the hall, thrusting an arm into her coat sleeve. "What the hell is going on, Ed? Why are we up this early? Why all the secrecy?"

Ed thrust his hands into his pockets as they walked. "I, uh. I need your help."

Karmyn rolled her eyes. "You said that, dingus. I may have been half-asleep, but I wasn't that asleep! What do you need help with?"

"I, um. I wanna buy a ring for Winry."

He spoke so fast, Karmyn barely made out the words. When they registered, she gasped. "A ring? Like, an engagement ring? Really?"

Edward didn't quite meet her eyes. "Al and I came across a jewelry shop the other day when we were looking for birthday presents, and I started thinking. I mean, I know we're technically only seventeen, but she was the only one for over a hundred years…"

Karmyn smiled as he trailed off. "So you know."

"Yeah," he croaked, looking at her. "Yeah, I know."

Karmyn couldn't suppress the excitement bubbling in her throat. She squealed quietly. "That's so exciting! Besides, you don't have to get married right away. Long engagements are totally a thing."

"Exactly," Edward said. "Hiromi thought we'd be married with kids by like, nineteen. Maybe we would have, if I'd stayed, but I think I want to wait a while. I'm probably not even going to propose for a few months yet, but we're leaving for Rush Valley tomorrow and… I want your help picking a ring."

Karmyn couldn't believe it. It had been a long few months since she'd last thought of Edward and Winry and Alphonse and everyone else in Amestris as characters from her favorite manga. The thought now actually made her a little uncomfortable. Still, she had to marvel at the fact that Edwin had been one of her first and favorite ships, and now she was helping Edward pick Winry's engagement ring!

How many other shippers could say that?

None, that's how many.

Okay, that was it for that train of thought. She felt gross. These were no longer characters in a series, but real people. Her friends.

Something occurred to her as they stepped out of the hotel onto the street. "You're not going to make a ring using alchemy?"

Edward made a face. "Well, we're not supposed to transmute gold, for one thing. I don't know. I use alchemy so much, I thought it might mean more if I actually went out and bought one."

Karmyn nodded. "Well, you'll probably want to get her something simple," she said. The crisp morning air made her glad for her coat. "I can't see Winry being one of those girls who wants something super glamorous, especially if it gets in the way while she's working."

"She'll probably just put it on a necklace," Edward said, "but you're right. Honestly, I think she'd be happy with a lug nut for a ring, but."

Karmyn hummed. "You want to do it right."

"Yeah."

They filled the rest of the walk with inane chatter. Later, Karmyn wouldn't be able to recall what exactly they talked about, but it didn't matter. As comfortable as she was with Ed, the very fact they were shopping for an engagement ring was an indicator that things were on the precipice of change.

Things had been on the precipice of change for a while. She was looking forward to college. Really, she was. She just didn't want to lose some of the best friends she'd ever had along the way.

They spent what felt like hours poring over rings. Between what he'd made as a State Alchemist in the military and his subsequent back-pay upon his return, price wasn't an issue for Ed. Karmyn was mistaken for Ed's fiancée by salespeople more than once, and it sent them into hysterics each time.

Karmyn quickly realized why Edward asked her to help him. His sense of style really was atrocious.

In the end, they settled on a traditional gold ring with a small diamond set in the center. The diamond was flanked by two smaller rubies.

'The rubies are red, like the coat you used to wear,' Karmyn said when she saw it, speaking Amestrian in front of the salesman. She switched to English to say, "Or like the Stone that got you home to her. It's symbolic."

'Yeah, sure. If you say so,' Edward muttered, a flush across his cheeks.

They bought it then and there. Ed didn't know what size Winry was, but he could adjust it later using alchemy or by bringing it in. He just wanted to have it. He told her it was unlikely he'd have another opportunity to slip away.

"You know, you'd probably have lots of opportunities, what with Winry working in the shop and all," Karmyn pointed out as they walked back to the hotel.

"Yeah, but I'm a terrible liar. She'd figure it out in a heartbeat."

"And she won't figure it out when she asks why we were out so early this morning?"

"Ah."

Karmyn laughed. "I'll handle it, don't worry."

"You're the best, Kai."

"I know."

They bought breakfast on the way back, subsequently distracting both Winry and Alphonse from detailed questioning about their absence early that morning.

When Winry did ask, Karmyn simply shrugged. "Ed was up. I was up. We thought we'd surprise you guys." When Winry let it go, Karmyn and Edward exchanged glances across the table. Their secret was safe, for now.

The excited gleam in Alphonse's eyes as he looked between them told her he wasn't fooled. Duh. Of course Al knew Ed was planning on buying a ring for Winry. Karmyn kicked him under the table before his face gave him away. A hundred years, and he still wasn't great at hiding his emotions.

It was adorable.

He shot her a look. Her heart skipped a beat, and she dropped her gaze down to her plate. Her right hand drifted up to toy with her necklace. She let it go just as quickly. There was a conundrum she didn't want to face quite yet. For now, she'd just soak in the knowledge her silly little crush was returned.

After her whirlwind trip through the city with Ed that morning looking for engagement rings, they had a rather slow start to their day. They ate breakfast. They lazed about the hotel room in their pajamas. Well, Winry and Alphonse lazed about the hotel room in their pajamas. Edward tried to teach Karmyn how best to stab someone with a hatpin. Karmyn even had a hat to practice with; they'd passed a milliner's while they were out and she'd picked a small, understated hat that went well with her coat.

She felt silly, wearing a hat. She'd never worn one before. She couldn't remember the women in the manga or anime wearing hats, but she'd seen quite a few in the months since she crossed over. Hiromi couldn't get everything right, she supposed. Besides, she imagined hats were annoying both to draw and to animate.

Now, she was no expert in historical fashion, but the hat she purchased had a much later look to it than she would have expected from the late 1910s. If she had to place it, she'd say maybe 1930s or -40s. It made sense, though. Amestris seemed to be ahead of America industrially, technologically, and militarily. The Ford Model A cars that were popular here wouldn't be produced in America until sometime in the late 1920s.

Man, who knew the trivia she picked up from Kathy would one day come in so handy?

Edward looked incredibly silly in her hat as he practiced pulling out a hatpin himself so he could show her how to do so. He struck a pose before getting down to business, and they were quick to assure Karmyn that the hat looked much better and more natural on her head than it did Edward's.

By the end of the morning, Karmyn could almost grab a pin in time to stab Ed when he played the bad guy, but she knew she needed more practice.

Alphonse and Winry eventually got dressed, and they headed out to wander the town at a much more leisurely stroll than the breakneck pace of that morning. They window-shopped. They hung out at a park. They avoided paparazzi and fans and – yes – did some running. At one point, Winry dragged Karmyn away from the boys.

'Are you sure you're going to be okay here on your own?' Winry asked as they wandered through a small boutique. 'You're more than welcome to come back to Rush Valley with me and Ed.'

Karmyn smiled, her heart swelling at the other girl's generosity. 'I really appreciate that, Winry, but I can not impose on you like that. I want to be my own person, you know?'

'Yeah, I know,' Winry said. 'Still, if you need anything, we're only a five hour train ride away. You have to promise to come visit. I can introduce you to Paninya! I think you'd love her.'

'I think I would, too,' Karmyn said. 'Although, we should probably just tell her I'm from Aerugo.'

Winry laughed. 'Probably so.' Neither of them said anything for a long minute as Winry pulled out a dress to look it over. 'What about Al?'

Karmyn considered playing dumb, but she couldn't. Not anymore. 'He is going to Xing. So, nothing.'

Winry hummed. 'What if he wasn't going to Xing?'

Karmyn sighed and rolled her eyes. 'Okay, fine. Yes, I like him. I think. And I know he likes me, I heard him talking to Ed. But even if he was not going to Xing, I meant what I said about trying to be my own person.'

Winry's face shifted from excitement to sorrow in the blink of an eye. 'Oh, Kai. Are you going to at least talk to him about it before he leaves?'

She shrugged. 'Probably not? I do not really see the point.'

'I think you should.'

'Yeah, maybe. We will see.'

Thankfully, Winry dropped the matter. That didn't change the fact Karmyn could barely look Al in the eye when they met back up. She could practically feel Winry's eyes on her. And Ed's, for that matter.

She ignored them.

They spent the rest of the day together. Karmyn tried to remember the last time she'd felt so at home amongst a group of friends. Perhaps elementary school? Sometime during their freshman year, she and Kathy had broken off from their old middle school group. Sure, they had other friends, but not friends with whom they would spend a day out in Boston.

They had been perfectly happy to remain a duo, but part of Karmyn had always wanted the 'friend group' experience. It only took the most traumatic experience of her life and a parallel universe, but she finally had it.

They all slept out in the common area that night, curled up on transmuted blankets spread across the floor. Karmyn laid back and listened as the three childhood friends traded stories, reveling in the tales Arakawa never told. They tried to include her as best they could, but she waved them off as she drifted in and out of consciousness.

Karmyn couldn't remember falling asleep, but she must have. When she woke, her glasses had been moved onto the table and the blankets pulled up around her. The morning sunlight streamed in through the windows. Around her, she heard her friends' gentle breathing.

She wished she could live in that moment forever.

But she couldn't. When the others woke, they scrambled to set the room in order and pack Ed's and Winry's things. Their train wasn't until the afternoon, but it felt like there wasn't a moment to lose.

And then, before she knew it, she was saying goodbye.

'I'll come visit,' she promised, hugging Winry and Edward in turn. 'You'll get sick of me.'

'We could never,' Winry said.

Karmyn stepped back to let Alphonse say their goodbyes to them in private. Despite how close she had felt with them in the last few days, the so-called Resembool Trio shared something she could never and would never be a part of. And that– that was okay.

She took a seat on a bench toward the back of the platform, stretching out across the worn wood. The train came. The train stopped. The train left again. Edward and Winry waved at them from the carriage. Karmyn waved back until they were out of sight.

Alphonse stood alone on the platform, watching the space the train had just left. Even with his back to her, he looked… so alone. So lost. Karmyn's heart hurt for him. Wasn't she there, just a few short months ago, wondering how she was going to live after losing everyone who had ever been important to her?

She crossed the platform to stand beside him. He didn't turn to face her. "That's it," he said. "They're gone. Brother's gone."

Her heart in her throat, she reached out and took his hand. He did look at her then, but only for a second. Carefully, ever so carefully, his fingers curled around hers. Her hand burned where his touched.

"Come on," she said. "Let's go back."

Gently, ever so gently, she pulled him away from the platform.

He didn't let go of her hand until they got back to the hotel.

Karmyn felt Edward's absence keenly. Without him there to act as a buffer – whether inadvertently or otherwise – there was no ignoring this thing that hung between her and Alphonse.

They didn't talk about it. Despite not talking about it, though, something changed all the same. Something in shared smiles. Something in lingering glances. Something in fleeting touches. It was as though Edward had been a wall standing between them, and now that he was gone, everything began to spill over.

It shouldn't spill over. It couldn't.

Alphonse hung behind for nearly a week, dithering over when to leave for Xing. Karmyn didn't mind him staying– it wasn't like she was ready to move on, either– but the heaviness between them was beginning to drive her crazy.

They visited Gracia. They explored Central. Alphonse showed her where he and Mei entered the sewers to find Father, though it had long since been blocked up. It wouldn't have been much trouble for Al to transmute his way through, but Karmyn shuddered at the thought. Some things were best left buried.

Like these feelings.

Ugh. Despite everything they did, despite everything they talked about, despite… despite… everything, her thoughts always returned here. She hated it. Perhaps if she weren't dwelling on it, it wouldn't be an issue.

But she was dwelling on it.

"Is something wrong?"

Karmyn startled at Al's query. Curled up in the hotel room after a long day of wandering through Central, the only sounds were the gentle whirring of the ceiling fan above them and the muted strains of big band music drifting from the radio. The sun set several hours ago, but neither of them were much inclined to go to bed. They had so little time left and Karmyn, at least, wanted to make the most of it. She suspected Alphonse felt the same… but again, they hadn't talked about it.

Calming her racing heart, Karmyn peered over the edge of her history book and met warm amber eyes. Something knotted in her chest at the sight. She suspected it was her heart. "What? No. Why do you ask?"

Al shrugged. "You sighed. I thought… Well, I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

Karmyn smiled despite herself. "I'm fine," she lied. "Really."

Well, it wasn't a complete lie. She was fine. She was happy and healthy, and that was more than she'd been a few short weeks ago. Now, not only was she happy and healthy, but laying across the couch with her legs thrown over Al's lap, she was almost content.

The only thing eating her was that it couldn't last. It wouldn't last. Al had finally made his decision, and he was leaving for the East.

Tomorrow.

An oppressive silence settled over the room as the heaviness bore down upon them. Alphonse didn't believe her lie, of course. He never did. The ceiling fan continued to whir, its soft rhythmic squeak mocking her.

Tell him, tell him, tell him.

The big band continued to play over the radio, the swinging melody building to a crescendo. Tell him, tell him, tell him!

Fuck it. What didshe have to lose?

"Kai–"

"I heard you," she blurted. "On the train."

Al cut himself off. He gazed at her quizzically as he tried to parse her words. "You heard me? On the train?"

Karmyn's cheeks burned. Was she really going to have to explain this? Suddenly, she saw the wisdom in all of the Just Not Talking About It they'd been doing over the last week– month, even. Her gaze dropped to her book, but she stared through the pages. "When we left Dublith. I wasn't– I wasn't actually asleep."

"O-oh?" Alphonse said nothing more, but the lift in his voice told her he knew exactly what she was talking about. That incident occurred barely over a week and a half ago. There was no way he could have forgotten.

She waited for him to continue, but nothing was forthcoming. She glanced up to see him beet-red, twiddling with his thumbs as he looked anywhere but at her. As nervous as she was just a few moments ago, she suddenly felt herself losing her patience.

"Were you ever going to, y'know. Actually tell me?" Her words came out meeker than she intended, and perhaps– just perhaps– she was still a little nervous.

"I was! Really!" Alphonse insisted, risking a glance at her. She met his gaze as levelly as she could. He hung his head. "No," he mumbled. "I wasn't. I'm sorry, Kai. I didn't want to make things weird."

"You– you didn't… you didn't make things weird." She tripped over her words. "I mean, I– I kind of–" Jesus Christ, how did she do this with David? Oh, right. She had been young, naïve, and stupid. Getting together with David hadn't required a confession. It had only required a 'yes.'

"You kind of?" Al prompted, knowingly.

She kicked him. "Ugh. I like you too, okay? Shut up!"

Hearing it out loud knocked him silent. "Oh."

"Yeah. Oh."

"Um. Cool?"

Karmyn couldn't help it. She laughed. Alphonse joined her, and the tension between them diffused into the night.

"So," Al said.

"So."

"What now?"

Karmyn shrugged. Setting her book aside, she pulled her feet from Al's lap and hugged her knees to her chest. "I dunno," she said truthfully. "Nothing, I guess. I just… wanted you to know."

Al gazed at her, a pained expression cast across his face. "If I weren't leaving tomorrow–"

"But you are leaving tomorrow." She winced at the snap in her voice. "I don't know, Al. I guess I thought telling you would help me get over it."

"Kai–"

"I mean, do I even actually like you? Or have I just latched on, given everything that's happened? You and Ed and Winry have been the only people I've known these last few months–"

"Kai–"

"–and like, what if I just like you because I heard you say you liked me? That wouldn't be fair to either of us, and–"

"Kai!"

Karmyn looked up at the sharpness in Al's tone. It was only then that she registered her shaking hands, her elevated heartrate, and her shortness of breath. Aw, fuck.

"Breathe," Al said gently. "Please."

Karmyn nodded, taking measured breaths as she tried to calm herself. God, she hadn't suffered an anxiety attack like that since… since… well. She couldn't actually remember. It had been a while.

"It's okay," Al continued. "I don't– I mean– this isn't exactly the first time I've been through this. You know, ninety years and all. I get it. This sucks."

Karmyn nodded again, still not quite able to find words. A stab of pain shot through her at the thought of there being others, many others, and the thought that maybe– just maybe– she wasn't any different. She dismissed the idea as soon as it came. This was different, but that… that didn't really change anything, did it?

Al sighed. "We'll still be friends. You'll have a great time at college, and I'll go do… whatever it is I'm gonna do in Xing. It'll be good."

"I didn't mean it, what I said about only liking you because you said you liked me," Karmyn offered. "I was thinking about it before then."

Alphonse bit his lip and nodded slowly. "Well… I don't leave for Xing until tomorrow, so. Uh. If you want, we could, um." A blush rose on his cheeks, and he rubbed at the back of his neck. He opened his mouth to say something more, but shut it again. His teeth clacked gently. When he opened his arms to her, she understood.

Carefully, Karmyn let go of her knees and rearranged herself on the couch so she was sitting beside him. She leaned into him tentatively at first, but relaxed when his arms settled around her.

It was nice.

It was safe.

It was temporary.

But that didn't matter right now.

"Remember when we stayed up that first night we were in Amestris?"

"You mean that night I held your hair as you puked your guts out?"

Karmyn rolled her eyes. "Yeah. That one."

"Yeah, I remember it."

"This is kind of the same, isn't it? Did you ever think then that we would end up here? Like this?"

She felt, rather than saw, Al's smile. "I think I hoped it would. I just didn't realize it until a little later."

Tears pricked her eyes, and despite valiant attempts to hold them back, a couple trailed down her cheeks. She kept quiet. She didn't want to worry Al any more than she already had tonight. Keeping her voice remarkably level, she asked, "Could you tell me another one of those stories?"

And he did.

They fell asleep at the break of dawn, waking only a short time later as the sunlight flooding the room became impossible to ignore. When Al groaned and turned his face into her hair, Karmyn smiled into the empty future between them. She couldn't think of any other moment in which she had been more content than she was now.

Soon, they would rise and say goodbye. Soon, they would go their separate ways. The thought hurt, but it was more of a dull ache than a stabbing pain. These things happened, and at least they had the chance to clear the air between them before it was too late.

Oh, who was she kidding?

This sucked.

She wanted time to stop, to preserve this moment. She wanted to stay on this couch, with Al's arm slung over her side and his face buried in her hair, forever. Well, maybe not forever. She had other things she wanted to do, too. Eighty percent of forever, maybe. Eighty-five?

But it wasn't to be.

An hour later saw her dressed and hovering nervously as Al packed. "Are you sure you have everything?"

"I think so," Alphonse said. "If I'm missing anything, I'm sure I can get whatever it is in Xing."

"Right. Being friends with the Emperor, I'm sure you can get whatever you want!"

Al paused in cramming the rest of his belongings into his duffel bag. He made a face. "Well, you won't be there, so no, I can't."

Karmyn's cheeks burned. "Shut up. I didn't mean it like that."

"I know," Al said lightly, resuming packing. "But it's still true."

Karmyn didn't know what to say. "Yeah, I guess so."

Secretly, she felt like it wouldn't be long before Al got so wrapped up in studying alkahestry and whatever else he was planning to do in Xing that he forgot about her. Well, not forgot about her, exactly, but his feelings would fade. He'd find someone else in Xing, she was sure of it. She knew it was just as likely that she'd find someone else at university.

That didn't stop her from watching Al as he gathered the last of his things. It didn't stop her from admiring the way the sun glinted off his blond hair or the way he shook his head when his bangs fell into his amber eyes. She wished things were different. She wished they had more time.

Unfortunately, they didn't have more time. They had less and less of it with every passing moment.

Al finished packing and slung his duffel bag – the same duffel bag he'd had back in California – over his shoulder. The scuffed-up nylon bag sat in stark contrast to the tie, slacks, and waistcoat he wore.

Karmyn forced a smile. "You ready to go?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

Al gently took her hand in the elevator. Karmyn didn't hesitate in pressing closer to his side, the warmth of his arm against hers a fleeting comfort. They didn't let go until they reached the station.

The train was already there when they arrived, looming ominously beside the platform. Karmyn tried to think of something to say that wouldn't sound lame, but she came up short. What could she say? She suddenly realized that for all she lamented not being able to say goodbye to her family, it was better that she hadn't. This was hard enough, even knowing she would– most likely– see Al again.

Luckily, Al spoke first. 'So uh… I guess this is it.'

'Yeah,' Karmyn said. She pulled away and released his hand. 'I guess so.'

'Are you going to be okay?'

'I will be fine,' she said quickly, with a confidence she didn't quite feel. 'I have Riza, and I will start school, and then I will be too busy to miss your sorry ass.'

Alphonse laughed, and Karmyn relaxed a fraction. 'Ed and Winry are only a train ride away if you need anything,' he assured her, 'and I promise I'll write.'

'Write,' Karmyn said derisively, albeit with a smile. 'What I would not give for email and texting.'

Al shrugged. 'We'll manage.'

'Yeah, but–'

She was cut off by the train's whistle. They didn't have much time.

Alphonse stepped forward and wrapped her in a hug. She clung to him, her fingers no doubt leaving wrinkles in his freshly-pressed shirt. As tears welled in her eyes, she realized he was speaking.

'–Sorry. I'm sorry. If you want me to stay, I'll stay.'

'You can not stay.' She chided him gently, her face buried in his shoulder. 'We both need this. We agreed about that, and all… this… does not change anything.'

'Yeah, I know. I know. You're right.' Al pulled away with a sigh and adjusted the strap of his bag. 'Okay. I guess I'm gonna… go…'

'Good luck.' Her voice cracked.

Alphonse hesitated a moment, but turned toward the train all the same. Karmyn watched him go, Winry's quote about Ed's shoulders from the series echoing in her thoughts. She couldn't say she loved him– not yet– but she knew the potential was there. Whether or not anything would come from it… well, she'd never know.

But she could know one thing.

"Wait!"

Al stopped in his tracks and turned, confusion written upon his face. Karmyn knew this was a bad idea, even as she ran forward, but she didn't stop herself. She didn't allow herself to think too much as she stopped in front of him and pulled his face down to meet hers.

The kiss was nothing more than a simple press of lips against lips. It was over nearly as soon as it began, but Karmyn knew she would relive the memory time and time again. When she let go and stepped back, Al stared after her, stunned.

Then he smiled.

"Thanks, Kai. I'll see you soon, I promise."

Karmyn, jittery with residual adrenaline, nodded and waved. Al disappeared into the train and took a window seat where she could continue to wave at him until he was long out of sight.

Which is exactly what she did.

When the train finally disappeared over the horizon, Karmyn sagged as though all her strings had been cut. Finding a nearby bench, she clutched her pendant with one hand and pressed the fingers of her other hand to her lips as she sat. That was it. The past twelve hours had been a whirlwind of change, and now he was gone.

Did she tell Edward about this? She probably should, although she knew he would hear it from Al soon enough. She shook her head. She'd worry about that later.

It was beginning to sink in that, for the first time in her life, she was well and truly alone. Seventeen, without any of her family, and her friends now beyond her reach. She didn't even have the internet to help her. She fought back tears, not wanting to cry in the middle of Central Station. She needed to get back to the hotel. There, she could have her anxious breakdown in peace.

Alas, it wasn't to be.

'Excuse me? Are you Karmyn Dallas?"

Karmyn took a deep breath and looked up at a man wearing a Central Station employee's uniform. 'Yes, I am. Why?'

The man shifted nervously. 'You have a call from Central Command. You're needed there immediately.'

Immediately? Her? But… but Ed left a week ago, and Al… What could Central want from her?

Shit. Had Riza changed her mind? Were they going to throw her out now that she was on her own, and neither Ed nor Al were around to defend her? No. No, she was pretty sure Riza wouldn't let them. What was going on?

'Um, yeah. Sure.' She stood. 'Thank you for telling me. I'm on my way.'

The man scurried away, and Karmyn sighed. Maybe this distraction would do her some good, everything considered.

She started walking.

22 YEARS, 8 MONTHS
Thusday, April 3, 2036

A/N:

I know it's been almost a year since I last updated (again). This year was much better for me, but we finally reached the Almyn chapter I've been building toward since 2011, and the pressure of getting it perfect left me dead in the water for a long time. But! I did it! And I already have the next chapter plotted in my brain.

I'd like to thank everyone in my discord server for being so encouraging. If you want to talk about this fic and get updates in between, well, updates, come join us! The invite link is here (take out the spaces): discord . gg / E5rT8kH

Thank you for sticking with me!

12.20.2019