WE WERE THE COST CHAPTER EIGHT

Chapter Eight

(SARAH)

I was getting very annoyed with all of Travis's stupid crap. He just didn't know when to quit, and you'd think the incident with Kain would've put a bit of sense into him, but he acted like an idiot all the way the the train station.
"Alright," Kain said as we were walking to the ticket window. "We'll take a train to the edge of Amestris and walk the rest of the way to Ishval. We'll strategize from there."
"Who made him the leader?" Theo mumbled quietly. I elbowed him in the ribs.
"Cool it," I commanded.
Theo sighed. "Fine. I'll go get the tickets." He walked over to the ticket window and we stood and waited for him.
I avoided looking at Kain, out of fear. I hoped he hadn't heard much of me and Clint's conversation. I also hoped Travis wouldn't try anything stupi--
"'Sup, babe?" Travis twirled my hair around his finger. Not quite as stupid as I was anticipating, but still annoying.
I smacked his hand away.
"She obviously doesn't like that, Mustang," Kain said, arms crossed.
Travis widened his eyes and started chuckling in amusement. "Oh, so now you think you know what Sarah likes?"
"That isn't what I said, Mustang. But anyone could see that she is annoyed by you."
I had to try and suppress a grin. I enjoyed it when someone told Travis off. Put him back in his place.
Travis walked up to Kain to the point where their noses were about 5 inches apart, Travis glaring at Kain. They were about the same height, despite Travis being probably about a year older.
Kain wasn't getting agitated by Travis. Yet. Just more neutral at that point. It was odd how angry he could get and how calm he could be. He was definitely an interesting person.
Travis grinned slightly. "You wanna say that again, Ishvalan?"
Oh no... He did it. Just about the STUPIDEST thing possible!
Kain's eyes narrowed as he grabbed Travis's wrist and put his right hand over Travis's heart, ready to end him right then and there. "I don't like it when people talk down to me," Kain growled, twisting Travis's wrist.
It had stopped being a funny thing to put Travis in his place. Now I was scared.
Clint went over and tried to pull Travis by his arm, but Kain's grip was too strong. I went over and put a hand on Kain's arm. "It's okay, Kain. He's just an idiot. I'll make sure to knock some sense into him. Alright?" I said.
Kain looked at Travis, then at me. "Alright." He released Travis, who stumbled backwards. "But as soon as he says one more thing to me, I'm leaving."
Theo came back with the tickets and I decided not to tell him what had just happened. He would have probably made Kain leave after having tried to kill Travis twice in one day already. And...I didn't want him to leave.
--
We boarded the train without incident, which I was relieved about. I swore to myself that I would kill Travis later. Honestly, how stupid can one person be? I sighed and leaned against the window. Theo and Maes sat to the left of me, Travis, Clint, and Kain across from me. I was glad that Clint was sitting in between Kain and Travis. We didn't need another incident.
The train ride would last until the next day, so we all tried to get comfortable. We weren't going anywhere anytime soon.
Theo got a jacket out and placed it over he and Maes. I had to admit that it was kind of cute.
Clint and Kain were actually reading the alchemy book together. It was a bit ironic that Clint would be so casual around the guy who he knew was dangerous, and just tried to kill his brother. I guess that's the power of books, or alchemy. Whatever it was that made a sort of bond between them.
Travis leaned back and slept. When he wasn't sleeping, he was playing with his hair, which was flawless by the way. It was a bit shorter than Theo's and blonder, flipped out every which way, but in an attractive way. I looked over to Kain and noticed how interesting his hair was, too. I wondered if all Ishvalans had that color of hair, pure white, like snow. It came down almost to his shoulders and was cut a bit unevenly in some places, which I assumed were his attempts at cutting his own hair. But it actually didn't look all that bad.
And what was I doing on this fine train ride? Looking at boy's hair. I'm such a girl.
Clint finally gave out and was sleeping like a rock, leaning on Travis. Kain took the book from Clint's hands and started reading again. Maes and Theo were most likely asleep, cuddled up with each other. And I sat there, not knowing what to do. I wasn't tired, so I couldn't sleep, and I didn't necessarily want to talk to Kain. He just made me feel a bit uneasy.
I looked out the window, watching the sun set over the fields. In the few minutes that passed, I looked over and noticed Kain had fallen asleep. There was no telling how long he had been awake the night before.
He looked less...menacing in his sleep. I wished I could take a picture of all of the boys sleeping. Theo and Kain because it made them look vulnerable, which they tried so hard to hide. Travis because, well, just to show him he didn't look as attractive sleeping as he probably thought he did. And Clint because it was kind of a rare sight.
I giggled to myself and decided to try to sleep.
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(THEO)
Okay, train rides? Really boring. It's not like you could fly over in a day, it's like, really long. We woke up the next morning with a long way to go.
I kicked Travis in the foot when I realized no one else was up.
"Huh?" he groaned, ruffling his hair.
"Come to the breakfast car with me. I need help carrying everyone's food."
"Alright, bro," he said, hopping up. I frowned.
"I am not your bro."
He smirked,"Bro-in-law?"
"I am going to throw you off this train, Mustang."
He just laughed.
We walked along, and we went slow because Travis thought it necessary to flirt with every girl we met. He's never allowed to touch my sister. Ever. Again.

Travis and I practically took the breakfast car with us, mainly because I didn't know when we were going to eat again. We'd been lucky so far with the vendor, the mustangs, Elicia, and everything else. But this was different. Now we must've been completely on our own.
When we entered our car, I turned immediately to the left, and sat down the food, my back to the group, so when I felt the cold, pale arms slip around my neck roughly, with Maes screaming in my ear, I was a little freaked out.
"Theo!" she screamed, holding me tight, her breathing labored. I held Maes back, not sure what to do, but my heart was pounding.
"Maes-"
"We woke up and you were gone, and I-"
Maes did something I've never seen her do before.
Maes Mustang started crying.
"Gosh..." she said, with a dark laugh, trying to stop, but couldn't.
"Don't wipe your eyes on the glove," I said, handing her a napkin.
"I'm so sorry...I-I should've left a note...."
I looked over at Sarah, eyes red around the edges, but no tears. Her lips were pursed tight, and her arms crossed over her chest and clinched fists told me how worried she was.
"I'm so sorry..." I whispered. Maes wrapped her arms around me again.
"Never do that to me, again," she said into my neck. I nodded, looking like a deer in the headlights.
"You miss me?" Travis said to my sister, to which, she promptly slapped him. I smiled. That's my girl

---------------------------------
(SARAH)

We still had a long ride ahead of us. About 10 more hours at least.
We all happily ate breakfast, knowing it might be our last actual meal for a while. The food wasn't that great, but we were all starving so we ate a lot. Kain probably ate the most though. I wondered when the last time he had eaten was.
After everyone was done eating, no one talked. We sat in silence, listening to the clacking of the train and just kept our thoughts to ourselves. I looked out the window, as I did for most of the train ride, and just tried to put everything into perspective. I quit doing this after my anxiety was about to swallow me whole. I looked over and could tell Theo was a bit nervous too, even if he tried to hide it. Maes was comforting him, something to which he did not object. Travis was trying to make conversation with Clint, who kept telling him to let him read. Travis huffed and crossed his arms, then decided to start flipping his hair for fun. Kain just sat there across from me, staring at the floor.
"I apologize if my behavior has been rude, Sarah Elric," he mumbled, still not looking up. He said it quiet so no one else could hear.
"N-No! Not at all!" I assured, shaking my head.
He shook his head. "It was wrong of me to think my problems were any bigger than yours." He looked into my eyes. "I am sorry."
His eyes... They were beautiful, yet frightening. You could almost see sadness and rage in them, and a spark of hope as well. They were almost hypnotic, and scared me a little. The color of blood.
I was so transfixed that I forgot he was even talking to me. "Oh! Um... It's totally fine, Kain. You don't need to worry. Theo just made a big deal out of everything. You have a right to be angry at any Amestrians, and Theo didn't need to be so harsh."
Kain sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "But I knew that the right thing to do was to help you, and I'm making you pay for my help. It's not right for me to do that, and God will punish me for it. I'm not going to take money from you." He leaned his head on the window. "... I wanted to come anyway. I thought that maybe... If we did go after those terrorists, I could..." he trailed off into a quieter mumble. "...Get revenge..."
It took about all of my self control not to go over and hug him. I was overly-sympathetic all the time. I inherited it from my mom, while Theo got Father's hardheadedness.
Did I really have any reason not to feel sorry for Kain?
I didn't know how to respond. I guessed I didn't need to. Kain didn't look like he wanted to talk. He just looked out the window.
I decided to just leave him alone for the moment.
*********************************************************************
(THEO)
The train's hush got even eerier as night fell. Sarah had crawled over to Clint, who found the floor a better reading place, and sat tightly between he and Kain's leg, reading the alchemy book with him.
Maes was sighing in her sleep, her head placed gently on my shoulder, her fingers laced through mine. Her eyebrows pinched together, and she shook a little. I wondered if she was having a nightmare. I leaned down and kissed her forehead, and her body stopped shaking. I smiled weakly, taking a strand of misplaced hair with my freehand, and tucked it away. Travis snored loudly in his sleep, and I noticed Sarah was sleeping too. Clint either desperately needed glasses and was squinted terribly, or the kid was actually asleep. I looked straight across, and Kain was staring right at me.
"It's a shame you're leaving us when we get Alphonse back," I said softly. "I could really use you if it comes to a fight."
He didn't say anything for a moment, then turned and looked out the window. "It will."
I frowned at him.
"Get some sleep," I groaned, starting to bury my head on Maes soft hair. "I don't know when we'll be able to again."

Sarah shook me just before the train bolted Maes and I onto the ground, coming to a stop.
"We're here," she whispered sheepishly, with a smile after the silence spread. I frowned.
Maes rose to look out the window, her dark lips forming a smile as the white gloves pressed against the glass.
Kain didn't say a word as he rose, slung a bag over his back-Sarah's-and left the compartment.
"C'mon, they won't stop here long. Or do you want to head back to Central?"
Sarah followed immediately, Travis lumbering behind her, Clint behind him. Maes intertwined her fingers with mine, and she lead me off the train, smiling and skipping the whole way.

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(SARAH)

"We have a long walk across the desert ahead of us," Kain said.
I found it odd that there could even be a desert near where we were. All you could see in the distance was grassy hill after grassy hill. It was very pretty land that seemed oddly familiar.
Then I realized how stupid I was for not noticing as soon as we got off the train.
"We're in Resembool!" I blurted out. Somehow we had made it back to our hometown. Freaking irony.
Theo whipped his head back and forth, just then realizing it. "What the heck!" he shouted.
"You're the one who bought the tickets! How did you not know?" I asked.
"Kain just told me the train number! He never said where it went!"
Kain raised his eyebrows. "This is the closest train station to Ishval. You didn't know that?"
"No!" Theo and I said in unison. All we knew was that we had to get out of here fast. What if Father had already come home? If he saw us there, there would definitely no going to Ishval, and we weren't about to quit.
"Let's hurry up and go," Theo commanded.
Kain nodded and waved for us to follow him.
I stood there for a minute, looking at the town I had no idea when I'd get to see again. The town I loved, but wanted to leave ever since I was little. Standing there, thinking I'd give anything for things to just be normal again. What if we didn't come back? What if... What if something happened that can't be undone? I wanted so badly just to be a little kid again, having mom whisper 'It'll all be okay,' into my ear like she would when I cried. Mom... Dad...
"Sarah! C'mon!" Travis shouted back to me. I hadn't even noticed how far away they'd gotten. I took one last look of Resembool, then I turned away without looking back.
--
Kain led us to the very outskirts of Resembool, the grass below our feet slowly fading and being replaced with sand.
I looked out into the desert before us, seeing nothing but sand going on forever.
"So... How're we supposed to know which way to go?" Theo asked.
"Ishval is Southeast," Kain replied. "We're close to Ishval, but all there is for a few miles is just desert."
"Well," Maes chirped. "Good thing we all got a good night's sleep." She started walking Southeast.
Kain made his way back up to the front of the group, the rest of us following behind, lugging our pillowcases. I regretted bringing all of the heavy clothes considering how hot it was all of a sudden.
Theo and Maes never left each other's side as we walked. Travis was getting a little closer to me than I would've liked, but I decided not to complain, thinking that if I did it would've led to another fight between Travis and Kain. Clint walked between us and Kain, carrying 2 of the books. Kain had the other 3, and a pillowcase that contained our meager food supply. I regret to inform you that Travis was carrying the bag of weapons. How HE ended up with it, I have no clue. Theo carried the bag of clothes, and I had the bag that contained personal hygiene products. Theo said that if I was going to bring it I had to carry it. I was fine with it, considering we all probably needed a bath at that point.

Minutes dragged on like hours and the heat got to all of us quickly, except for Kain. He probably thought we were all wimps for letting the sun get to us so quickly.
"Hey, Kain," Travis said, walking up beside him after a shockingly long amount of silence.
"Not in the mood, Mustang," Kain replied, irritated at the very sound of Travis's voice. I supposed Kain still hadn't forgiven him for what he had said earlier.
"I just wanted to say that I like your tattoo," Travis said, glancing at the pattern running down Kain's right arm.
Kain flung the pillowcase over his shoulder and walked slightly faster until he was ahead of Travis.
I don't know if it was just Travis being nice or stupid, but he walked back up beside Kain. "It's a cool design," Travis continued, seeming not to notice how agitated Kain was getting.
All Kain did was keep looking forward, trying not to get violent. "... Thanks," he said bitterly.
Travis started walking beside Clint for a while. "It's a transmutation circle," Clint said to Travis, kicking sand as he walked. He looked up at Kain. "Scar had a tattoo like that, didn't he?" he said a bit accusingly, though it was just a simple question.
Kain looked back at Clint. "...Yes. How did you--"
"Don't even ask," Travis laughed. "Just always assume the answer is 'Military records' when dealing with Clint."
Clint glared up at Travis, then looked back at Kain. "I saw a picture of it in an old newspaper. And I read records of what the pattern enabled him to do," Clint said pointedly at Kain.
Kain turned back around, continuing to walk forward, not saying a word.
And now there was another Mustang boy who had made an enemy of Kain. This was going to be a long trip.
"What my father did was his decision, and what I do is my decision," Kain said calmly after a while.
"It seems you've both made the same choice. Well, the only difference is that Scar only killed State Alchemists because they were directly related to his revenge, whereas you think it's alright to kill dumb teenage boys for no good reason other than them ticking you off."
And up until then, I had thought that Clint was the smart one.
-----------------------------------
(THEO)

I knew bringing the little Mustang was a bad idea from the get-go.
Kain looked over at him, blood eyes angry, as always. Kain was actually a pretty cool guy, despite the murders. It's not like my dad hadn't killed people. Granted, they were all bad....
Kain turned on Clint, stopping in our tracks.
"I kill when I need to. I am not going to be bullied to the point of injury or worse, my own death. And I will never accept an insult to my race, ever. And if you ever mention my father again, I will personally-"
Clint squealed as Kain's hand found his chest.
"No!" Sarah screamed, bounding over, and trying to rip Kain's hand from Clint's chest. It would've been comical, had Maes not been screaming and I thought I was going to pass out from heatstroke, dehydration, stress, and totally freaking out. Sarah looked funny with her little body dragging on Kain's thick bicep, pulling with all her might, heels dragging into the sand.
Kain, however stopped, and looked at her, the anger dissolving from his eyes. Sarah didn't notice and just kept pulling on his arm, till he grabbed Sarah's arms, and put them back at her side. She blinked, and realized Clint was out of danger.
"What Clint said was awful," Sarah supplied,"but you can't hurt them! I won't let you!"
Kain pursed his tan lips, and stared at Sarah for a moment. He then picked up the food bag, and started off again. Sarah stared after him. I didn't know what to say or do, a more frequent occurrence lately. So, I too just kept walking.

As nightfall came, we got our first look at a small village of the Ishvalan people. And, they met us with guns leveled at the backs of our heads. Great country, Ishval.



Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist
A/N:Comments are once again VERY appreciated. I thank those who do, and if they are continued, may get a shout out! (Or if you don't want a shout out, just say so. Some people are like that, it's cool.) Next chapter will be up soon!