Swords & Scars Original Concept

Chapter 1

Kady plopped down on the steps to headquarters. She had the locket her mother gave her so long ago around her neck. She wore it to remember her. She had passed away a few months after Louise had been murdered. She rested her fingers against it, feeling the "K" that was engraved into it. She sighed quietly. Kady looked up, watching people pass by as she thought about her lost brother and mother. Her brother had left so quickly, she never even got to say goodbye like she did her mother. He had so much left to achieve in his life. As she sat, her attention was drawn to some folk standing nearby. She recognized them immediately, despite how blurry everything was. They stood out, with one of them being quite short, and the other being a literal suit of armor. Their names were Alphonse and Edward. They had been working as alchemists for quite a while, starting at quite a young age. Kady noticed how hard they worked, even with both of their parents being dead. She had never spoken to the two herself, just settled paperwork that involved them for Mustang when she wasn't involved in her studies. They were very destructive. "Al, I don't wanna go! Mustang's just gonna yell at me again..." Edward whined. "Too bad, you can't hide forever, Ed." Alphonse spoke in a softer, higher pitched voice as he pushed his brother through the entrance, both of them struggling. Kady did her best to stifle a small laugh, but the boys heard it. "What are you laughing at?!" Edward shouted. Kady looked at him. "Oh, nothing. I can take you to General Mustang if you want." Edward said something under his breath and answered angrily. "I don't need a girl's help. They're so lower-class." Kady stood up, offended. She wanted to slap him for his beliefs, even if it was wrong. She went to turn towards them, but they were already gone. They had already gone inside.

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Kady grabbed her cloak out of her room and buttoned it around her neck, pulling the hood over her head. She was going to the market, even though she was out of money. She was finding it difficult to get her basic needs while still paying rent with such a low salary. She grabbed a basket she had made herself and went out into the streets, rushing towards the markets. She had to move fast if she wanted to get away with this. She wandered over to where the larger crowds were and snagged a few different things from different stalls when she was sure no one was looking. She walked away from the crowd and looked at what was in her basket. Eggs and fruits. No meat... dang it. Kady looked back up. I still need to snag bread. She looked over her shoulders and spotted the bread. She hid the basket back under her cloak as she neared it. She reached out for a loaf tentatively, stuffing it in her basket quickly. She began to walk away, letting out the breath she had been holding. She didn't get far before she heard shouting from the owner of the stall she just came from. She looked over her shoulder at him. He was coming towards her, looking quite angry. He was demanding she bring the loaf back. She rested her hand on the hilt of her sword and began walking faster. She didn't want to have to threaten someone in front of so many people, or give away her identity. If Mustang found out she was a thief, he would be mad. She heard the man begin to run at her, and she dodged him. She ran into the crowd, weaving around at random, and lowered her hoodie. She hoped that would make it harder for him to recognize her. She closed the basket after she had lost sight of the man, and glanced around. She came out of the crowd cautiously, and began walking back home. That was close. She hardly got away from the bustle before she felt a large weight on her back and was shoved to the ground. "Sorry!" A familiar voice exclaimed. She pushed herself up off the ground, turning around angrily as she grabbed her things. She recognized Edward and Alphonse right away. She huffed and grabbed their arms, dragging them to the nearest alleyway. "What are you two doing out here-" She glared at them. They were supposed to be on a mission somewhere else. "Why's that matter?" Ed crossed his arms angrily. "Aren't you supposed to be in Ishval?" She narrowed her eyes. "On General Mustang's orders?" Edward looked away. "How would you know if we were or not?" Kady rolled her eyes. "I work for him. I know what everyone is supposed to be doing." Edward huffed. "Right. You're that Kady girl, aren't you?" Kady nodded. "Sure am." "Isn't your face messed up or something?" Edward pointed at the eye that Kady had covered with her bangs. Kady looked him in the eyes. "No." She was lying to him, but luckily, she was a good liar. Her eye had been turned into a reddish bulb, with the surrounding area black. Kady tried to cover it up with different things, but the area could not be touched. There was nothing there, like a projection. Kady had realized the area wasn't even hollow. It was strange to her, knowing she could put her hand, or sword, into her head and it would not affect her in any way. She had been more open about the incident before, until people found it less attractive, or scary. She had been made fun of, and no longer wanted anything to do with it. She just covered it up with her bangs and hoped people would forget about it, but it still stuck around as gossip. She tugged on her hair, hoping Edward wouldn't ask anymore questions. She could remember everything so vividly, her brother's death and the pain of Scar messing up her eye being the most memorable. She was surprised that day no longer brought tears to her eyes. She hadn't even felt a prick since that day ended. She no longer felt sadness, only anger and fear. "So... Do you take after your brother? With learning alchemy?" Alphonse asked. Kady put her hand down and turned away, walking away. "Kind of." The two of them followed. "What do you mean kind of?" "Why's that matter?" Kady looked back at them. "Oh, right. It doesn't." Edward shot her a glare. "You're a lot ruder than Mustang makes you out to be." "Sorry, I didn't notice." Kady gave him a smile. She looked forward and kept walking. She was pretty sure she knew where they were. She would be coming up on where her friend, Rea, lives soon if she was correct. She walked a little further, proud of herself when she saw the familiar door of her friend's home up ahead. Kady walked up to the door and knocked on it, hoping Rea was home. The door opened a crack, and a face peered out. "Hello?" "Hey." Kady gave her a small wave. Rea opened the door all the way, showing her holding a bloody pipe she used for killing pigs for dinner. "Kady?! What are you doing here?!" "I'm on my way home." Kady responded. She looked down at the basket she was holding. "I had to take a trip to the market and this was the only way I could come, if you know what I mean." Rea nodded. "Did that go well?" "In its own way." Kady glanced at the two boys waiting nearby. "Uh... I found two idiots that weren't doing their job like they were supposed to." Rea hung out of the doorway enough to look at them. "Ooh... I never thought I'd see those two with my own eyes." Kady laughed a bit. "I never thought I'd have to talk to them." Rea waved at them, and then gave Kady a big hug. "I should get back to making dinner." "Alright... I guess this is good-bye then?" "Yeah. My birthday is in a few days though, so I'll see you then, right?" Rea looked at Kady hopefully. "You sure will." Kady smiled at her proudly. "I've never missed one of your birthdays before!" Rea smiled back, breaking apart from the hug. "You sure haven't." "Well, I'll be taking my leave then." Kady took a few steps back. "Don't kill anyone." Rea laughed as she closed the door. "I won't." Kady began walking towards the end of the alley. Her home was only a little ways away now. Edward and Alphonse kept following her. She turned to them. "Why are you two still here?" "We wanna make sure you don't tattle on us." Edward stated. Kady stared at him for a moment. She wondered if she could make a deal with him. "My friend's birthday is here in a few days. The location you two are supposed to be is a place she has always wanted to go. It's also the place her childhood home is. I won't tell Mustang you two aren't there yet if you allow Rea and I to go there with you." Edward froze. "I don't want to be around two girls." "I'm sure you'd prefer being around us much more than around an angry Mustang." Kady smirked, feeling offended over how much he disliked girls. Edward huffed. "Fine. Be there at noon tomorrow. Don't be late." He spun on his heel and started the other way, dragging Alphonse along with him. Kady smiled. This would be the first time she would get to leave Jourl. She'd been stuck in this small town since she was a kid and had been looking for a means of escape for a long time. She turned and headed home, calling today a successful one. She noted to tell Mustang she wouldn't be home or at work over the phone, and to tell Rea to pack. She knew Rea would be quite happy. The only problem the two of them would have is scraping up enough money to get on that train.