Any reviews, comments and overall opinions are much appreciated!

Disclaimer: I do not own the song Let the Flames Begin by Paramore. I also don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of it's characters. I only own my OC, Colonel Lillie Valenteen Shieziki.

"What a shame we all became such fragile, broken things.
A memory remains, just a tiny spark.
I give it all my oxygen,
To let the flames begin
To let the flames begin."

It was just suppose to be a simple mission. A mission to find out what our state and government were hiding. A mission to find the death of the undying. A mission for revenge. But instead of finding what we had been searching for, that mission had taken a turn for the worst and ended up being a fight for survival, for all of us.

As I lay on the unforgiving concrete floor, I was dazedly staring up at the charred ceiling, clinging to that one small spark left in order to keep my dying flame of my life lit. I could barley keep my eyes open. Oh god I didn't want to die. I didn't want to leave behind those who I cared for and those I loved. The ones I had gotten to know so well and the ones I found out were worth living for. My legacy as the youngest woman to make Colonel would be all for naught.

But I didn't want these last few moments to be about me. I wasn't about to center the few minutes I had remaining and spend the time thinking about myself. I wanted to think about Mustang. I wanted to know that my alchemy had saved his life. I wanted to know that he had killed that Homunculus, and to know that she had gotten what she deserved. But it was too late. I already felt the last few ounces of blood I had leave my body and stain the concrete below me. Goodbye Mustang...

"Oh, glory.
Oh, glory.
This is how we'll dance when,
When they try to take us down.
This is what will be oh glory."

Mustang, Hawkeye, Alphonse, Havoc and I were all deep inside the third laboratory, chasing after Barry the chopper, who happened to be on a rampage to track down his real body. We were running frantically down the hall, trying desperately to catch up to find Barry and we soon decided that we would have to split up in order to find him. Little did we know what was soon about to go down.

"Alright, Hawkeye you go with Alphonse and take the left corridor. Shieziki, Havoc and I will take the right one. We'll meet back at these stairs when we find Barry. Alright?" Mustang's stern and commanding voice took over the situation and we all willingly agreed without a single word.

Our group stormed down the dark hallway and then we slowly went into a regular walking pace. We passed by old cells filled with dust, worn out chairs, broken test tubes and other such items. It wasn't until we entered one of the main laboratory rooms that we slowed down even more to take a look around.

"It doesn't look like anyone's used this lab in a while." Mustang commented just as Havoc took off his face mask.

"I guess not. What is this stuff?" havoc asked as he motioned to some of the tables that had various odds and ends scattered atop them.

"I have no idea. But whatever they did down here, it was painful for someone." Mustang answered back as I happened to look at a pair of old blood stained tweezers and scissor next to a clip board at the nearest table.

I shuttered at the thought of the sick experiments that could have occurred here. Science was such a useful thing to all of mankind in the way of medicine and even alchemy, but at times I wondered, was it really worth the price innocent people had to pay? Was it really worth all the secret and twisted experiment that went on right under our very noses? I just shook my head with disgust.

"Well now. I am just shocked." A woman's voice echoed around the room and the three of us went on the defense.

Mustang quickly pulled out his pistol and aimed it in the direction of the mystery woman's voice while Havoc pointed his shotgun. I raised my arm up to get ready to use alchemy because I was so against using guns.

"It's bad enough you stood me up on our date, but now you point a gun at me...?" her voice lingered in the air as she stepped out of the adjacent room from the shadows.

I immediately noticed Havoc's face turn to utter shock as she stepped closer to us, her black heels clashing with the concrete floor.

"You've got some nerve. Don't you?" She questioned as she smirked slightly at Havoc.

"Silarus? Whats going on?" Havoc questioned as he still hesitantly aimed his gun at her.

He must have known the woman if he knew her name but one had to wonder, what was she doing down in a place like this? I took a good look at her carefully. She wore a long black strapless dress and had quite the chest on her. Her dark hair was long but at the same time framed her beautiful face. Then I quickly looked back at her chest. Just above it was a tattoo, just like the one the fat guy had on his tongue. But before I could bring anyone elses attention to it, Mustang had already beaten me.

"Hey Havoc, look! Your girls got the tattoo." He spoke in a calm tone but I could tell he was just as freaked out as I was.

"Yeah, first I've seen of it sir." Havoc replied as he continued to stare at the woman's breasts.

The woman in turn laughed lightly.

"Quit staring, its not very polite." I cringed a bit when she crossed her arms and noticed how Havoc lit up as he continued to stare at her.

"Well, I can see how she tricked you so easily. You always were a sucker for big boobs." Mustang cracked a joke and I was the only one who seemed to find it funny because I started to laugh.

Mustang looked at me and smirked, just as Havoc broke into an enthusiastic rant.

"I can't help it! I love em!" He said as he clenched his fist with his gun holstered by his side.

As soon as he was done with his shining moment, we all seemed to become serious once again.

"Did you tell this woman anything?" Mustang asked just as he held his gun firmly back up at her.

"No! I never said a single thing about work sir!" Havoc replied factually.

The woman stood there smiling but it soon became clear that we were now getting down to business and her pretty smile soon became an uneasy frown.

"Tell me, do you know who Maes Hughes is?" Mustang was very serious now and I looked over at him with sympathy.

It was such a shame Hughes had to die the way he did. It was such a shame that not only Mustang but I as well had become such close friends with him and he had to just go off and die on us. It was also a shame that I couldn't have saved him. I blamed myself everyday since his death, because I felt I was the one whom had killed him, even though I actually hadn't been the one who shot him. I sighed with irritation and glared at the woman who smirked when she had heard his name.

"If you know something, you better tell us!" I warned, feeling a sudden rage fill my veins.

I could see Mustang peer over at me quickly in surprise and then quickly looked back at the woman when she began to speak.

"Oh, yes. He was quite the intelligent man wouldn't you agree? I only wish I had had the opportunity to pick his brai-" She was suddenly cut off from speaking when Mustang forcefully fired a shot into her left knee.

She gasped as she fell over a bit and Mustang pointed his smoking pistol back on his target.

"On your knees! I want to know everything!" He spoke with that controlling and overpowering tone of his.

My eyes were still wide with disbelief. I couldn't believe he had just shot her like that. Then they widened even more when she slowly stood back up and smirked. Her hand was over her wound and it sparked with a red light as it began to heal itself.

"Sorry to say, but it's gonna take more than what your capable of to make me get on my kne-" She was cut off from speaking again as Mustang fired a few more rounds at her, but this time they stuck in her chest, three bullet dead center around her tattoo and one in her forehead.

I looked over at Havoc who seemed to be in just as must disbelief as I was as she slowly backed up and held her head down. She was neither dead nor dying. Her wounds slowly began to heal just as the one did from before.

She laughed with a sadistic tone.

"How merciless, did you pick that up in Ishval, huh?" She smoothly looked up at us through dark red eyes and licked the blood as it trailed down from her forehead wound.

"Your a homunculus." Havoc stated as she grinned with delight.

I had all I could do to keep myself from shaking.

Why am I so scared? This wasn't the first time I had faced one of these things. I thought in worry as I clenched my fists.

"How very astute of you Jean, but I've doubt you've seen his one." She said as she lifted her right hand up and claws briskly shot out.

But that wasn't the worst part. She then cut into her own chest to reveal an oval shaped crimson stone that snapped out sparked of bright red every few seconds.

"Take a good look, it's a philosophers stone." She smirked as she continued to hold open her chest.

I heard Mustang growl in disbelief as he stared at her in utter shock. I also couldn't believe it. It was a philosophers stone, and she had it inside her.

"I was created with this stone at my core. It's not just a legend, it's my heart." She seemed to be impressed with our reactions and so she let her chest slowly heal back up so we could no longer see the precious red gem.

"You're a monster!" Mustang declared as he raised his pistol a little higher and aimed it at her head.

"That was uncalled for. I do have feelings. Apart from a few things, I was created nearly identical to you. I am human. " The homunculus retorted in an unpleased voice.

Havoc looked over at me and all I could do was give him a grimace as he swallowed hard.

"I have a funny feeling the only reason why you're telling us this is because you don't plan on letting us live." Mustang said in an uneasy tone.

"Yep, it's such a shame." She immediately extended her ungodly claws further and slashed at Mustangs hand which held the pistol, making his drop it quickly.

Havoc and I stepped back swiftly as we saw him pull out his glove and slip it on in one swift movement but the Homunculus was quicker.

"Too slow!" She yelled as she slashed the large rusty pipe above our heads making water spray all over us.

It quickly stopped thereafter and the pipe fell to the ground in twp pieces. I gave Mustang a side-long glace and he gave me a worried one back.

The homunculus raised her claw up and smirked with satisfaction.

"Oh no! Did I get your ignition glove all wet?" Her smirk grew wider and she seemed ready to pounce at us.

"Run!" I yelled out as I pushed Mustang and Havoc out of the way.

I moved quickly, turning towards the female monster and touched the floor with both my hands, forcing a tidal wave of water up and purposely causing it to crash into the homunculus. The last I saw of her was her body being pushed back into the concrete wall wicked hard behind her and so I turned around and ran outside to see Mustang and Havoc. I slid behind the wall right next to Mustang and sighed heavily.

"That's only going to last so long. We have to think of something!" I was trying to hold my composure as best I could.

This so called search for revenge was getting way out of hand, way too fast.

"Well what are we gonna do? If we don't do something, she'll just shred us with her freaky fingers!" havoc exclaimed as he held onto his gun.

I looked over at Mustang who seemed like he already had a plan in mind.

"No, she made a big mistake, she flooded the room with water. A simple transmutation, and we have hydrogen gas." He smirked at me and I smirked back.

This had to be one of his best ideas yet. With out even asking to, I put my hand down and focused on changing the water into our new deadly weapon. The area where my hand had been flashed a brilliant bright blue and as soon as I sensed the change, I gleamed at Havoc who quickly lit his favorite lighter and tossed it into the room where I could now hear the homunculus walking toward us from.

"Somewhere weakness is our strength,
And I'll die searching for it.
I can't let myself regret such selfishness.
My pain and all the trouble caused,
No matter how long
I believe that there's hope
Buried beneath it all and
Hiding beneath it all, and
Growing beneath it all, and..."

There was no screaming. No pleas for help. No asking for a second chance. Just a silent bang and the remnants of a charred body smeared all over the walls, floor and ceiling. The smell of burnt flesh and death filled the air, making it difficult to breathe. I knew that no one could have survived such an explosion, but I had yet to determine the resilience of a homunculus.

"Aww, crap. This was a gift from one of my ex girlfriends." Havoc complained as he tried to light up a cigarette with his newly charred lighter.

I was too weary to make a smart comment toward him and decided to just look around for any sign of life left. It was just seemed too easy. How could I compromise with the fact that that Homunculus was dead?

"Hey colonel Mustang? You mind giving me a light here?" he questioned as he looked over at Mustang.

Mustang gave him an angry look. I thought he was cute when he got angry, but he looked even cuter now that he was covered from head to toe in old pipe water.

"Oh, that's right, you're all wet." Havoc remarked as he turned away with a dry cigarette in his mouth.

I couldn't help but smile at Mustang when he growled as water dripped from his soaked hair.

"Oh yeah? Well those things will kill you, you know that!" Mustang retorted with fury.

"Yeah, Havoc." I added on in agreement with Mustang.

Havoc just rolled his eyes at us and started to walk about the room. I joined in and walked beside him and watched as he snapped a large piece of wood. It easily broke in half and I looked down it. For some reason that broken piece of wood made me worry even more. Just because it was broken didn't necessarily mean it could be used for something else and be given a new life. I was of course comparing it to the charred homunculus that had exploded all over the room. I felt like she could reappear at any second, but then again maybe I was just being paranoid.

"She's dust. I definitely cremated her." Mustang spoke so surely out of nowhere which made me bite my lip.

"How can you be so sure, sir?" Havoc asked with a hint of doubt in his voice.

"The stench. I'm pretty familiar with that smell by now." he said, clasping his nose for a second.

"You mean from that time you spent in Ishval?" Havoc questioned as he turned around to face Mustang.

Mustang didn't reply but looked over at me. He raised an eyebrow when he saw the doubtful look on my face.

"What? You don't think she's dead?" Mustang inquired as he looked at me with his dark eyes.

"No. I think she'll come back." I spoke in straight forward tone and looked up at him from the piece of broken wood I had been staring at.

"And why do you think that? It's because you weren't the one to kill her right? Well believe me, you're not the only one who can kill abominations." Mustang said in a defensive tone.

It was like he thought I was being self centered and selfish when in all reality I really wasn't. Ever since I had been ranked a higher alchemist than him, he always seemed to have a jealous and defiant tone with me. Especially when it came to killing or winning a battle against an enemy or just winning in general.

"No! That's not the reason at all! Mustang listen to me, I have a bad feeling. Please just trust me for once?" I begged as I saw him cross his arms and sigh in frustration.

"Fine. Maybe you're right. For all we know she can still regenerate. So stay alert. You hear me Havoc?" he spoke without looking back at his officer and I sighed with relief.

I was glad he actually listened to me for once and agreed on his own. He usually would never do such a thing unless Riza convinced him other wise. Maybe he was finally getting over his jealousy of me.

"Yes sir-" Havoc was cut off and soon started to scream loudly as I looked over to see long sharp black nails had entered his lower back, pierced his spine and jutted through his stomach.

My body shook with panic. The death claws retracted and Havoc's cigarette fell out of his mouth and then to the ground, becoming swallowed in the ashy remnants of the monstrous woman's first body.

I couldn't move from where I was standing until the claws retracted back into the ground and Havoc's limp body fell forward.

"Havoc!" Mustang shouted as he ran at him to catch him before he hit the ground.

He clenched his limp bleeding body in his arms and I had all I could do to get over there with him. I was speechless when I ran over to sit next to Mustang and saw the dead homunculus ride from the dead. Her body quickly regenerated from the ground up and she had a devious smirk upon her lips.

"Havoc, hang in there." Mustang spoke in a frantic voice and I took Havoc's right hand in mine.

"Heh, don't kid yourself. He's a dead man." The Homunculus chuckled as she looked down at us.

All I could do was hold onto his weak hand as Mustang stood up and took Havoc's shotgun and aimed it at her head.

"No he's not!" Mustang pulled the trigger and shot her right between the eyes.

"Stay with Havoc." he commanded.

"But!" I tried to stand up to protest, wanting to help him fight the bitch who just harmed my friend and knew the homunculus who had killed Hughes and almost killed me.

"This is personal." Mustang said as he commanded me to sit back down next to Havoc with a wave of his hand.

I bit my lip and just watched him walk towards her no regenerating body. It wasn't fair because it was personal for me too. I had lost Hughes because I didn't fight hard enough against that shape-shifting bastard Homunculus a few weeks ago, and now I was loosing Havoc. I wasn't about to leave his side but on the other hand, I wanted to get my revenge for Hughes.

I sighed angrily as I took Havoc's hand again. It was better to try and save him rather than get revenge for someone who was already dead. I guess Mustang would have to get her for the both of us.

I kept looking back at Havoc and then at Mustang who shot the monster again, but this time in the chest.

"Give up! There's nothing you can do that will kill me!" She spat as he stomped on her stomach to make her lay back down.

"Then you won't mind if I borrow this!" he quickly reached down and into the hole in her chest where the philosophers stone was visible.

She hesitantly looked up as he pried the red stone out of her, making her eyes widen with disdain and a cry escape her lips. Her skin slowly started to turn brown with loss of life and she evaporated into a black cloud of dust.

"what are you doing?" I asked in haste, still holding Havoc's dying hand.

"I need it to save Havoc." he turned away from the ash pile and walked over and bent down next to Havoc.

"I don't know much about medicinal alchemy, but this should amplify my abilities." He held the bright red stone in his hand and I gasped in horror when a body started to form around it.

It happened all so quick that I couldn't have even made a move to pull him away from her.

"It seems like you should buy a girl dinner first before you go sticking your hand in her chest." Her voice came out demented and raged sounding.

Mustang tried pulling himself away from her but it was too late. My body went numb when I saw her claws stretch to their limits and pierce right through his left side. He started to bleed profusely almost instantly and he coughed up a large amount of blood.

"Mustang!" I shouted just as she leaned in to speak her final words to him.

"I told you, the philosophers stone is my core." She threw him to the ground and it was then that I realized that I couldn't move.

Of all the times I needed to fight and protect the one I loved, I couldn't move.

She slowly pulled his glove off and smirked while she did it.

"I hate to do this to you, you were a prime candidate for sacrifice and all. But you've forced me to kill you." She continued to smirk as she ripped up his glove and I watched the pieces swiftly fall to the floor.

Mustang turned over and barley muttered under his breath,

"Damn you.."

"Save your breath. I want you to watch poor Jean bleed to death. Then you can watch that girl over there die." She turned her attention to me and I shook with agony.

"Run..." Mustang managed to mumble as he tried to turn his pained face to look at me.

I couldn't move. God dammit! Why couldn't I move? I thought frantically trying to focus.

"Oh, I don't think she'll be going anywhere. I've seen how useless she is. She couldn't even save poor Hughes. She just stood there and watched him die. Then she practically let herself get shot." She smirked at me and started to take little steps towards me.

I felt tears roll down my face, leaving hot suffering in there wake. I didn't mean for Hughes to die. I didn't mean to let him slip away. I wanted to fight, but I couldn't find the strength to move. And now, it was happening all over again. I was going to loose Havoc and Mustang and I knew for damn sure I wasn't going to get lucky and make it out of this alive like I had last time. Not unless I stood up and put up a fight.

Don't fight unless you have to. I'd hate to see a pretty girl like you get hurt. But when you do find yourself in a situation in which you are forced to fight, make sure it's for all the right reasons. You told me yourself you'd hate to see a good friend of yours die. Those are the kind of reasons I mean. The last words Hughes had spoken to me the night just before he died had managed to find a way into my mind.

Then something inside me snapped. I stood up and glared at the Homunculus who dared to call herself human. If I couldn't go back and fight for Hughes, I was going to stand up and fight for Havoc and Mustang. There was no way in hell I would let them die, not today at least.

"This is how we'll dance when,
When they try to take us down
This is how we'll sing it.
This is how we'll stand when
When they burn our houses down.
This is what will be oh glory."

"You stupid bitch!" I screamed as I collected all of the water from the floor and forced it to push her against the wall behind her.

She gasped as I heard the back of her head smash against the wall and crack. Just as fast as I had pinned her to the wall and smashed her skull, she managed to regenerate and break through the thin veil of liquid.

"Do you really think that you can kill me? After what Colonel Mustang tried to do? Do you humans ever lear-" I cut her off by repeating the same action.

I heard the sickening snap of her skull against the wall again and she regenerated once again.

"Now I'm just getting annoyed." She extended her claws again and managed to swipe the side of my face before I jumped back behind Havoc's limp body.

I noticed a few drops of my own blood hit the floor and I ignored how bad it began to sting.

I won't let you win. I've lost too mush to let you win. I thought as I remembered my best friend Hughes smiling face from when I first met him in central.

I quickly bent down and touched the floor of dirty water and manipulated it so it began to rap around her body before she could lunge at me with an open clawed hand. I lifted my left hand into the air and focused, making the liquid slowly squeeze the life out of her. She gasped as it slowly began to freeze and span out across her entirety. I glared at her as she began to suffocate and squirm under its icy reign.

She was now a block of ice. I quickly took notice of how she had been icebound in one place and found the way her face had frozen to be quite amusing. It was twisted and cynical yet it held fear and disbelief.

"Bitch." I cussed triumphantly, feeling that there was no way she could get out of her current state.

I then wasted no time in running over to Mustang who was barely breathing.

"Mustang! Stay with me!" I felt worried and shaken.

"Shieziki... You gotta save Havoc." he mumbled and I took his hand in mine.

"I have to save you first." I was clear with my words.

It seemed selfish of me to want to choose, but Mustang meant the world to me. True, he was a jerk to me most of the time, but we had our moments. True he didn't know how I really felt about him, but I swore one day I'd tell him, that is, if we made it out alive.

I reached into my jacket and pulled out a vile of crystal clear water. I didn't know if the new alchemy I had been working on was going to work, but I had to try, for Mustang and Havoc's sake.

Just as I was about to open the vile and pour some of the water on Mustang's continually bleeding wound, I felt two long dagger like fingers pierce through my stomach and went straight into the floor. I gasped in pain as I coughed up blood and watched the vile roll across the floor near Havoc.

"Dammit!" I shouted as I tried to turn around and face the Homunculus.

She chuckled and retracted her claws from my now wounded gut.

I chocked up more blood and fell over on my side as I gripped my bleeding stomach. It felt as if I was being ripped apart from the inside out and I couldn't breathe.

"I tried to tell you that I couldn't be killed, but you humans never learn." She smirked at me and I glared back, trying to lift myself up from the ground.

I felt Mustang weakly grab my shoulder to keep me from getting up.

"Don't..." he mumbled and I fell back down on my side, watching myself bleed out and leak crimson liquid all over the hard concrete.

My innards burned and my vision blurred.

"Have fun dying." Was all I heard from her as she sauntered out the door and down the right corridor of the hallway.

I felt my head spin as I tried to get up. I could see the copious amount of blood I was loosing by the second and I knew if I wanted to live I had to stop the bleeding or I'd pass out and die.

Mustang continued to hold onto my should with what strength he had left, but his hand soon fell off when I sat up.

I felt tears well up in my eyes. I didn't want to die. I didn't want Mustang to die. I didn't want Havoc to die and hoped he was still alive. I slowly made my way over to Havoc to retrieve the vile of water. I couldn't give up, not now. I was the only chance they had left. I left a trail of blood as I crawled over to Havoc and swallowed hard when I felt the tears start to fall.

Quickly without even realizing it, I managed to rip off a piece of my military jacket. I lifted up my shirt and shoved the small piece of cloth in my wound and clenched my teeth to keep from screaming in pain. I had to stop it from bleeding as best I could or else there was no way I was using my new healing alchemy to save anybody.

After a few seconds of waiting for most of the pain to subside, I took a deep breath and reached my hand out to grab a hold of the little bottle filled with purified water. I inched over to Havoc as best I could and popped the top off of the vile. I then proceeded to pour a few drops over his wound and waited for them to seep deep into his wound. I covered the vile back up and placed it on the ground next to me.

I closed my eyes and focused.

This had to work. It just had to work. I've been practicing for too damn long for this not to work! I placed my hands on his wound and pressed down lightly feeling how weak and lifeless he felt; it was amazing that he was still breathing.

For a few vital seconds I noticed no change in his condition and almost bit my lip in angst. Then finally I could feel the water in his wound fizzing and could feel the hot steam rise from beneath my shaking hands. A flash of light blue light covered my hands and blinded me for a bit. The warmth and light enveloped Havoc and I could slowly feel his wound start to close. I had to press down a little harder in order for the alchemy to keep working, but eventually the wound in his lower back closed up and I could feel him breathe easier.

I sighed and almost fell over when I pulled away. The alchemy itself was astonishing, and couldn't believe that I did it, but at the same time, it only made me feel weaker. I took hold of the vile when I felt Havoc was going to be okay and crawled over to Mustang.

I prayed he was still breathing. His face looked pained yet peaceful at the same time when I reached him. Just like Havoc, he was barely breathing and was sprawled out on the concrete but he had his eyes still open.

"Mustang..." I called to him as I held onto the vile, grasping my pained stomach.

His eyes fell wearily but managed to look over at me. He didn't say a word for lack of energy and just eyed me sheepishly. I felt my heart twist seeing him in such a weak state. He was usually the one who was so full of life but now he looked as if he was on the verge of death.

I better hurry. I thought as I lifted up his shirt to pour the water into his wound.

He didn't move but instead slowly closed his eyes and his chest slowly stopped breathing. My eyes widened and I quickly pushed my hands on his wound.

Don't die! Don't die! Please I need you!

I manipulated the water in his wound and felt relieved when I felt it warm up and fizz like Havoc's did. The flash of light came about again and wrapped around Mustang's entire being.

Please tell me its not too late...

I felt agonizing tears roll down my cheeks as the light quickly left, leaving his body motionless. I started to sob when the wound had healed but his condition didn't change.

"Please... No... I need you to live." I managed to cough out along with a bit of blood.

I felt dizzy again and my head spun along with the vision of Mustang stirring from his motionless state. My stomach ached and I placed a hand over it where the wound was. It felt wet. The blood was leaking through the cloth.

"Shieziki!" Mustang's voice sounded vibrant and full of life again.

I gazed up at him through half lidded eyes and tried to smile.

"You're alright." I stated, hearing my voice trembled just about whisper.

He quickly looked over at Havoc and then down at his side where the wound he had had been.

"I don't know what you did, but our wounds are gone." He was now kneeling down next to me with his hand on my hand that was covering my wound.

He lifted my hand up and gasped.

"We need to get you to a hospital! Your going to bleed to death!" he shouted as he tried to pick me up.

I used what strength I had left to lift my hand up to his cheek.

"No... You have to...save Riza... That Homunculus... is going to... kill her..." I was speaking in shortened breaths and I was starting to no longer feel the pain.

He looked down at me and I couldn't really make out his facial expression.

"I can't just leave you here." he stated as he placed his hand over the hand I held to his cheek.

"I'll be... fine. Please... save her... I can't bare to see... another friend die..." My voice was wispy and fading.

He squeezed my hand tightly and I felt something warm and wet fall on my cheek.

"Please promise me you won't die. I need you." I could hear his voice was shaking and I tried again to smile.

"I promise." I tried opening my heavy eyelids but it was no use.

With those final words Mustang let go of my hand and ran out of the room and towards Riza and Alphonse.

So this is how I die then? Fate is so cruel. But I suppose I did alright in the end... At least I was able to save the people I cared about. Sorry I couldn't keep my promise Mustang. I'll tell Hughes you said hi when I see him, if I see him... And with those final thoughts at hand, I let the black abyss claim me and I fell into the darkness.

"Reaching as I sink down into light.
Reaching as I sink down into light."

My head spun wildly as I slowly entered a large area filled with light. It was wrapping around me and pulling me up into the sky. I felt neither dreary or suppressed by emotion. I didn't even feel any sort of pain. I felt like I was free from my body and was flying above it all. All the pain and all the heart ache and loss. I reached out to grab hold of the white light that was wrapping itself around me but soon found that I couldn't grab onto it. Then I slowly was starting to be tugged down by it and hurtled back towards the ground.

When my eyes finally shot open I was surprised to see that I was laying in a white hospital bed. I tried to sit up but a strong hand on my shoulder kept me down.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A commanding and deep voice authorized.

"You can't tell me what to do. I'm the same rank as you dammit." I spoke softly because for some odd reason my throat hurt.

Mustang chuckled and moved his seat closer to my bed. Just as he moved closer and I caught a glimpse of his face, the events in the third laboratory soon flooded back to me.

"So, how are you feeling?" he asked as he gazed down at me.

I took noticed of how perfect his face was. There wasn't a scratch on him. That alchemy I had used really did work wonders. Too bad it had almost killed me.

"A little groggy, but other than that I feel fine." I smiled and then gave him a serious look.

"Where is everybody?" I asked as I tried to sit up but he still kept me from moving even an inch.

"Riza is in Havoc's room. He's still hasn't woken up yet. I was starting to think you wouldn't either." He looked away from me and out the window.

"Oh. That bad huh? Well what happened to that homunculus?" I questioned as he turned back to me.

"She's dead. I managed to kill her after torching her body about ten or twenty times." he spoke sternly and I could tell he didn't want to talk about it any more than he had to.

"Oh." I shuttered at the thought of hearing her screaming as her body burned to ashes.

"You could have died you know. It took the doctors here all they had to bring you back." I sighed and closed my eyes.

"So? I came back didn't I? That's all that matters right?" I crossed my arms over my stomach and opened my eyes again.

"No! That's not all that matters!" He growled with irritation and it kind of scared me a little.

"I was really afraid you were going to die. Just seeing you there, laying in your own blood... It tore me apart!" He looked down and clasped his hands together tightly.

"Roy, I-" I was about to ay I was sorry but he cut me off.

"Don't tell me you're sorry. I don't want to hear that you're sorry. Just don't act so foolish next time! I don't ever want to see you get hurt again. Especially over trying to save me." he continued to stare down at the floor and I felt something in my chest twist.

It hurt me to see him so worried and strung up over me. I hadn't realized he cared so much. I didn't know what to say to him now and felt stupid because I had acted so recklessly and hesitantly when I had fought the homunculus woman. I felt tears come to my eyes and I clenched my fists.

Roy managed to look over at me and he put his hand back on my shoulder.

"Hey, don't cry. I didn't mean to upset you." he spoke softly which only made me cry more.

"Roy please forgive me! I didn't mean to be so useless and to cause trouble! I just couldn't bare to see you two die! I would have done anything to save you! Even if it meant me having to die!" I sobbed and covered my face with my hands.

Just then, he pulled me into him and I looked up with a confused expression on my face. He brushed my auburn hair from my face and smiled down at me. I wiped the last of my tears away and could feel my face redden slightly.

"You don't have to risk your own life to save mine. I need you just as much as you need me. I couldn't live with myself if I let you die because you saved me. That's why I asked you to promise me not to die. Lillie I need you to be in my life." He held me tightly against him and I almost cried again because I was so shocked.

All this time... he had felt the same way. All this time... he needed me to be with him.

He leaned down and kissed my forehead just as I somewhat regained my composure.

"Now promise me you'll get some rest. I need to go see if Havoc's awake. I'll be back later, alright?" He smiled at me sincerely as he adjusted my quilt a little so that it was covering my feet more.

"I promise." I smiled back at him just as he leaned down and kissed my forehead again.

He was about to walk out the door when he turned around to me again.

"Can you promise me one more thing?" he looked unsure if he wanted to ask me but my answer made him continue.

"Or course." I smiled as I stifled a yawn.

"Promise me you'll be there when I become Fuhrer. Help push me to the top, and we'll stand together and make this country a better place." he used a serious tone and I couldn't help but feel honored because he never before asked me for that kind of help.

"I promise."

"This is how we dance when,
When they try to take us down
This is how we'll sing it.
This is how we'll stand when,
When they burn our houses down.
This is what will be oh glory. "