Soldier Keep On Marching On

Rain

This fleeting bright new morning
I wish would last a moment more
But again, time isn't on my side
I'm realizing at last, I've been chasing the past
I've been heading in the wrong direction

You tried to give me a hand
So I could start again as best one can
But I was a fool and couldn't turn to you
So far I've held it back, but any moment now I know I'll crack
When all my pain is pouring down my face

Eyes like yours
Don't wanna know about a past like mine
Hands like yours
Gently brush away the tears I cry
But these scars, I know they'll only heal if I give them time
That distant future no longer seems far away

**********

"She's gone," Winry said.

Alphonse nodded. "She sure was lively."

A sly smile grew on her face. "So I guess you'll miss having her around, huh?"

"Why are you smiling?"

"Mei's a royal princess of Xing, right? If you play your cards right, it could be like a reverse Cinderella story!"

"Reverse Cinderella story?" he whispered. Cinderella was a peasant that went from rags to riches. If Winry was implying the opposite then did she mean that Mei would go poor? "That doesn't make sense..."

Ignoring the teens, Jerso looked to Zampano. "So, Liore then?"

"Seems like. And Scar? You and the doctor are headed over the desert as well?"

Scar nodded. "Yes. We'll meet you in Liore when we're finished."

The group bid them farewell and then Scar and Marcoh headed in their own direction, leaving Aiden as the odd person out who hadn't shared her travel plans. Al seemed to be the only person to notice. "Miss Aiden? Where are you headed?"

The Lieutenant Colonel paused to think. Where would she go? At first she had panicked and got the hell out of Central before Pride or one of the others came after her and heading North seemed like the best option, given that she knew where Al was. Finding Edward would've been easy, but he wasn't due to leave the hospital for another few days and she didn't want to draw attention to him. There was a chance that she could find Jean in the East and lay low with him... and yet Aiden found herself not liking the idea.

Where else could she go? She could go with Scar and Marcoh across the desert, but she felt her presence wasn't wanted or needed in their journey. Back to Maes and wait for the Promised Day to arrive? No, she'd find the urge to check in on Roy too strong so she had to stay away. How did Maes keep away from his own family?

"I've got nowhere to go," Aiden admitted, shrugging. "I booked it up here as fast as I could to get away from the homunculi. If you don't mind the company..."

Al and Winry nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah! We'd love for you to join!" he said.

With that settled the group left for Liore. Traveling in the snow became one of Aiden's least favorite things to do. The upside to traveling with a group was that she had other people to talk to other than herself, the environment, and those who happened by. The downside was that as the third adult in a group that also consisted of two teenagers and Yoki, she had to teach them how to survive in the winter. Alphonse picked it up rather quickly, crediting his success to his teacher who he said left them on an abandoned island for a month. As military officers, Zampano and Jerso knew what they were doing and could survive in the wilderness for a long while. Winry and Yoki took some extra time to get their bearings in the winter plains of the North.