A Raven Comes Calling

The Scar-faced Man

At Anna's confirmation, Nina jumped off the bed and walked to a small bookshelf where she pulled a thin book out. When she walked back, she handed it to Anna. "This one. Daddy used to read it to me before he got too busy."

Anna felt her heart break a little at that point, but she took it anyway. "Okay. Let's get you fed, and then I'll tuck you in and read it for you."

A surprisingly short time afterward, the girl had the meal finished and was back under the covers. This time she was not huddled under them, but instead was watching Anna as she read from the tiny book. By the time the last words were read, the girl's eyes had started to flutter closed.

Anna stayed long enough to make sure the girl was asleep before setting the book to the side and lifted the tray to take it with her. She did her best to stay as silent as possible when she closed the door. However, all thoughts of silence fled when she turned and came face to face with a man coming from another room down the hall. Her voice came out low but full of shock. "You!"

The man froze when he saw her, and his eyes narrowed before they widened. "You are the woman that was in the alley. Why are you here?"

Anna suddenly realized what must have just happened, and she felt ice race down her spine. She knew she should be afraid, but her heart was shredding for the little girl that had just wanted to see her daddy once more. She took a step forward and tried to keep her voice low. "I know what you just did. I understand why, but your revenge will not accomplish anything except perpetuating an endless cycle of violence. Someone has to be the one to say enough!"

His eyes flashed, and he took a threatening step toward her. His voice lowered. "Who are you, and why are you here?"

"Who I am doesn't matter. It was only by circumstance that I am here even, but you, you are here for murder." She paused and took a deep breath. She knew he was not irredeemable, despite how livid she was on Nina's behalf. She tried to push her anger aside. "I understand your resentment, but this is wrong."

At her last words, the man finally lunged toward her. Anna realized at that moment that her mouth may have gotten her into more trouble than she could get herself out of. She threw the tray at his face and managed to distract him long enough to duck back, but she knew it would not keep him long.

She immediately screamed, hoping that one of the males downstairs would hear before she slammed her palms together and then to the closest wall. It wasn't that she didn't know the scar-faced man in front of her couldn't destroy any barrier she made with ease, but hopefully, it would buy her time.

Unfortunately, it also gave him something else to want to kill her for. As soon as the barrier went up, she heard his growling voice. "You are an alchemist!"

"Not for the state!"

"It matters not! All who use alchemy are blasphemers."

"Like you? That's alchemy, too, you know!"

By that time, the flimsy barrier she had erected was demolished, and Anna was backed into a corner. She cursed her big mouth and hoped like hell someone was coming because she couldn't fight to save her life, literally, in this case.

Both she and the man stalking toward her were shocked when the door behind her opened. Her heart came up in her throat when she heard the little voice behind her. "What's goin' on?"

Anna couldn't take her eyes off the man, but she dropped to her knees and tried to push Nina back. "Nina, honey, lock your door. You can't come out!"

The girl started crying almost immediately, but Anna knew that taking her into the room herself wouldn't solve anything. She had to keep him away from the girl. As much as she hated doing it, she turned away from him long enough to push Nina back gently so she could slam the door. She then put her back against it and slapped her palms together once more before placing them on the floor next to the door. The action caused the door to seal shut. At least she hoped that would be enough to keep Nina safe until help arrived.

When she looked up at the man, he had stopped a few feet away. He was giving her an odd look that she couldn't quite understand. It wasn't allowed to go on for long. A bullet passed close by his head, and he was forced to duck. It was quickly followed by the sound of several male voices, including those of Ed and Al.

He gave her one last unreadable look before he ran down the hall and into one of the other rooms. Havoc, Ed, and one of the other soldiers chased him as he presumably tried to get away. Al had stopped to check on Anna. Her heart was still trying to beat out of her chest as he helped her to her feet. They turned when they heard Nina crying in the room.

Anna felt nearly panicked as she instantly moved to undo the seal she had placed on the door. As soon as it was open, she grabbed the girl up into a hug and tried to reassure her it was safe again.

In the end, she had to lay down with Nina before the girl would calm down, and Al had to sit with them both before Nina finally fell asleep again. By that time, everyone had returned, though Ed was in a foul mood. The scar-faced man had gotten away.

When they all assembled downstairs, Anna was shocked to see a rumpled Roy Mustang with them as well. He looked up as she entered the room and gave her a strained smile. "You know, you and I are going to have to stop meeting like this."

All of the tension from the night suddenly seemed to leave Anna in a rush. She knew he was doing it on purpose, but she couldn't help herself. She sat down in the chair next to him and laughed for several seconds before she was finally able to settle enough to speak. When she was calm, the first thing she did was look over to Ed and Havoc. "Thank you both. You saved my ass."

Ed rolled his eyes, but Havoc grinned at her. It was Roy that spoke. "What the hell happened anyway? We found Shou's body."

Anna had known they would, even though she hadn't seen it herself. She rubbed her temples before she managed to answer. "That was the same man I saw in the alley the other night. I had just managed to get Nina to sleep and was leaving her room when he was leaving Shou's. I guess he recognized me, and I realized what must have happened. I was so upset for Nina that I- well, I said some things I probably shouldn't have. I made matters worse when he attacked me, and I defended myself with alchemy. He told me I was a blasphemer and told me I had to die."

Roy cursed under his breath at that news. It wasn't shocking, as he probably had a good idea what it meant. Anna knew he had been a prominent figure in the Ishvalan war. She wasn't done yet, so she tried to ignore it and kept going.

"It was at about that time that Nina came out of the room. I couldn't let him hurt her, so I pushed her back into her room and sealed the door. I thought I was dead at that point, honestly. I am not really a fighter, but thankfully, the guys must have heard me scream. Plus-" She cut herself off because she wasn't sure how to explain the man's last actions. Or rather, lack of actions.

Roy leaned forward to get her attention again. "Plus, what?"

Anna shook her head. "I'm not really sure. He stopped attacking when I sealed Nina in the room. I don't know why."

Roy sat back with a sigh and ran his hand down his face. "It's late. Why don't you try and get some sleep? I doubt he'll be back tonight, and we have posted an extra guard. Tomorrow I'll have Havoc bring you all to headquarters. By then, I should have something figured out for Nina as well."

Anna wasn't thrilled with the idea of sleeping in that house for several reasons now, but she also didn't want to leave the little girl upstairs. She finally gave him a nod and a smirk. "Hopefully, this time, it really is goodnight."

He stood with a chuckle and returned her smirk with one of his own. "Until tomorrow."