Now I can't go on, I can't even start.
I've got nothing left, just an empty heart.
I'm a soldier: wounded so I must give up the fight.
There's nothing more for me, lead me away...
Or leave me lying here.

**********

The boot camp wasn't so bad compared to what Aiden had gone through once before. Sure she had gained a little chubbiness in the five or six years she had been retired, but during that time she had also been pregnant. And she wasn't sure how much of that weight was still left. Either way, she had little to work on besides her stamina. She was proficient in strength and martial arts, her sniping was even better. The other recruits found it strange how well she knew to do things and how easily it came to her. And Aiden earned snide comments for it as well.

The moment she graduated from the boot camp Aiden was granted the rank of Sergeant and sent off to the East. No doubt the work of Bradley to see how she would do under sudden fire and a few ranks above other new recruits. In all honesty she was lucky to have been assigned to the front lines, as strange as that may sound. A sniper like her would be no use anywhere else.

Or perhaps he hypothesized that Aiden was in fact lying was trying to take down the military from the inside. Sending her to the front lines would give him an idea of her skills and if she really was there to infiltrate the military, then it would be a pity if a gifted soldier such as herself was killed in combat. And sure, while that was her aim, it wouldn't happen for another six or seven years. And it wouldn't happen without Ed and Al or Mustang and his men.

Aiden entertained the thought of bringing down the military before everything happened, but of course, no one would know what would happen next. Plus, she had no contacts and no means of doing so. If one of the homunculi or Father didn't get to her first, Aiden was sure Truth would obliterate her for taking his fun away and damaging the timeline so badly.

Oddly enough Aiden wasn't supposed to report to a commanding officer. Maybe it was because she was an immigrant and they should go before actual Amestrian citizens. When she asked about it all she was told was that her orders were probably lost in the mail. Two weeks of the same answer and Aiden gave up, lost in the mail her butt. So she spent her time with random squads and patrols, centering herself near the larger sources of soldiers, but kept to herself.

Months passed and Aiden knew her way around the battlefield known as Ishval and was surprised when she was given a recruit to look after. Another one of Bradley's doings, probably. Luckily it was only one person. Lord only knew how long he had been tracking her down, she wasn't exactly a person to stay in one place for long. He had probably startled her to death the day he had approached her.

Aiden had been resting outside the tent they had given her. It could fit two, but her last tent partner hadn't made it back. She was supposedly being assigned a new one soon. Her eyes were closed and her arms were folded across her chest. An empty bowl sat to her left, few remnants from her stew remained.

"Private Kain Fuery reporting for duty!"

Aiden shot to her feet. "Jesus crimeny almighty!" She held a hand to her chest and another held a gun at the source of the voice. One look at the man made her put the gun away. "Please don't do that again." The frightened private nodded. "Sorry, but who are you again?"

"P-Private Kain Fuery," he stuttered, adjusting his glasses.

"You can't be over eighteen, why are you here? And I don't mean the battlefield, that's obvious. Why are you reporting to me?"

"I was ordered to report to Sergeant Aiden Wilson."

Aiden cocked her head in curiosity, a movement Fuery copied with a raised eyebrow. "I don't remember being notified of gaining a subordinate, but if those are your orders then I can't do anything to stop you. Do you have your tent number and necessities?"

"Everything I need is in my backpack," Kain pointed at the bag on his shoulder. "My tent was supposed to be with you. But I can change it if you want," he hurriedly said.

"Don't sweat it. The last guy and I were able to snag and an extra blanket and put up a wall of sorts to cut the tent in half. As long as you don't snore we'll be good. You don't snore, do you?"

"Er, no, I don't think so."

"So go ahead and set your stuff on the left side of the tent. After that I'll show you around."

From there Aiden learned how good Kain was with radios and electronics. From then on he was given a radio to pack around when Aiden and he went to the front lines. Aiden would call out distances, Fuery would relay them, and a few seconds later a bomb would go off in the exact location. Soldiers around them called them the dynamic duo. It wasn't very original, but they accepted the name.

One day Fuery came rushing over to Aiden. He was gasping with the weight of the radio on his back and accepted a drink from the canteen Aiden offered him. They were gaining attention from some onlookers. Those familiar with the two knew that Fuery only ever ran so hard was if there was big news.

"The state alchemists have been ordered to war," he said. "It just came in over the wire. All state alchemists are to report to duty in the defense of Amestris as of March 4th, 1908."

Murmuring rose through the crowd, each with their own opinions. For Aiden, it meant that the war would be over in a year or just over. According to the journal it ended in 1909. A wave of relief washed over her, and it must've shown on her face.

"Yeah I know," Fuery said. "With their help everything is sure to move quickly."

That night Aiden could find no sleep or comfort within her tent. The war would come to an end soon, and while Aiden was happy with that, a sense of dread never left her. The closer she was to the end of the war, the closer everything became. Ed and Al's transmutation, Scar, Laboratory 5, homunculi, the death of Maes. Aiden growled in annoyance, life wasn't going to be easy. But then again, what life was?

The days from then on passed in a blur. The Ishvalan's had somehow gotten word that the alchemists were coming and they fought harder than before. Luckily the Amestrian soldiers fought just as hard for the same reasons. Aiden and Kain were under more fire than before, which made it harder for Aiden to do her job as a sniper. The most they could do was call out distances with only a split second of seeing them and hope for the best.

Then the alchemists arrived, producing a lot of damage in one fell swoop. Aiden could only guess who was where. Formations of rock walls, flames twisting around broken buildings, explosions destroying both land and abandoned homes, even ice remnants found had blood in them. From what Aiden could gather, they sent the alchemists out in groups all around the Southern East, not just Ishval. Although many of the most destructive alchemists seemed to have been centered in Ishval. It made sense to take out the root of the problem and the most people at the same time.

It was a late day in June when she found Roy Mustang. He was by himself wandering through the rubble. Aiden shouldered her rifle and took off to join him. She hopped over the white bricks silently and with the ease of a practiced soldier. A movement caught her eye.

"Duck!" Aiden yelled.

Roy hit the ground faster than an ostriches head. Aiden rounded on the Ishvalan and took a careful shot. The man landed on the ground dead, a bleeding hole stuck through his chest where his heart should have been. Aiden finished the jog to Roy and held out a hand for him to take.

"You okay there?" she asked, pulling Roy to his feet.

"Uh, yeah. Thank you," he said in uncertainty.

"Sergeant Wilson!" Kain called out, jumping over fallen brick and wall pieces. "I heard the shot, are you okay?"

"Kain we've discussed this, my name is Aiden. As for the shot well that was just another Ishvalan trying to kill the Major here," Aiden paused thoughtfully. "I'm being rude, what's your name Major?"

Roy had been standing off to the side watching the two in interest. Few people he'd met behaved like actual people while still on the battlefield. Kimblee was a whole other story and category away.

"Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist," Roy introduced himself. He noted Kain's sudden snap to attention and Aiden's eye roll when he did so. Obviously Aiden had no sense of rank in the battlefield. Or perhaps she did only she ignored it.

"Well, as you may have heard Kain here say, I am Sergeant Aiden Wilson. This here is my subordinate Private Kain Fuery, he specializes in technology and radios around here. When he's not with me, you'll find him in communications."

"Subordinate, huh?" Mustang questioned. "I didn't know anyone with the rank of Sergeant could have a subordinate."

"Neither did we."

Suddenly the radio Kain was wearing crackled to life. He put a headset over his head and listened closely to the incoming transmission. Then he gasped, thanked the person on the other side of the line, and switched off the radio.

"Major Mustang, Aiden, you're both needed at the Western edge of Ishval, for a final assault." Fuery informed.

Aiden quickly checked her rounds and counted them off. There were plenty left for the day and she had a hidden pistol on person so she would be fine. She cracked her neck, shook out her arms, and shouldered her rifle once again. A glance to the boys watching her.

"Time to storm the castle."

Then suddenly Aiden was far away skipping and jumping over fallen debris. Roy and Kain watched her go, one in astonishment and the other in exasperation. If one were to look closely, they could see a sweat drop appearing along the side of Fuery's head.

"Is she always so cheerful on a battlefield?" Roy asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Kain nodded.

Both men took off after the woman to make sure she didn't get herself killed. Aiden knew this, she just didn't care and kept up her skipping.

Aiden met Maes Hughes when she had been talking with Roy during a break. He'd introduced himself as a friend of Roy's and requested a conversation in private before dragging the man away. Aiden didn't really know how to react to his appearance and sudden disappearance, but she took it like a champ. Or so others said. Apparently Maes had a habit of doing things and leaving others in a state of confusion.

She met Riza when Roy and Maes had come back from their talk. The woman thanked her for looking after Roy that one time and then practically ignored her the next minute. Aiden got the feeling Riza didn't like her, if she did she sure as hell didn't show it. Perhaps she didn't like sharing Roy.

Aiden smothered her laugh with a cough and turned away from the three. A high-pitched whistle sounded for three seconds, paused for one, and then continued for another two seconds. She replied with a four second whistle, followed by a two second break, and then a three second whistle, gaining strange looks from Maes, Roy and Riza. All other soldiers ignored her, this was normal. Aiden noticed the looks, grinned, held up five fingers, and slowly counted down. When she reached zero Kain Fuery walked around the corner and waved at the other three before turning to Aiden and saluting.

"How many times must I tell you not to do that?" Aiden mumbled in annoyance.

"At least once more," Kain chirped.

"Okay. You're going in timeout." Aiden snagged Fuery's wrist and dragged the man toward Riza, Maes, and Roy. She stopped in front of Roy and shoved Kain forward. "Here you go Mustang! Your very own subordinate! I'll pick him up in four hours!"

With that Aiden turned tail and took off.

"What? I'm not a babysitter!" Roy yelled to her retreating back.

True to her words Aiden was back four hours later carrying five bowls of soup. Everyone was in relatively the same position and place as when she left, except for Kain. He was sulking in a corner with a rather large blue and purple cloud above his head. Aiden added gloom clouds to a growing list of things that really happened in anime. None of the four people really knew how Aiden was balancing the bowls or how she ended up with so many, but they accepted the meal anyway.

When the bowls were safely away from Aiden, she gently poked Kain in the side. Suddenly a huge weight slammed into her.

"Please don't let Major Mustang babysit me anymore!" Kain sniffled. Tears were streaming down his face, or rather, fake ones. She added that to her list as well.

Aiden slowly trailed her eyes from Fuery to Mustang. She narrowed her eyes and Roy froze. "What did you do to my subordinate?"

"Big sister is angry," Maes whispered to Riza.

Roy then ran from the clearing with Aiden hot on his heels. Maes watched them go and then turned to Riza. Riza was sipping her soup as if there were no concerns in the world.

"You're not concerned for him?"

"He can take care of himself."

Weeks passed and Aiden lost track of time once more. She had no idea what the date was, but she was sure the war would come to an end soon. It'd been a tough day for all of them and they were all sitting in a circle around a fire. Even with the area being a desert it did get cold at night. Roy was facing the fact he had almost died yet again and the brooding look on his face meant that today something had happened that everyone had missed. Maybe the war was getting to him. The constant gunfire, screams, and blood soaked ground would get to a lot of people. Riza too was having a hard day, probably for the same reasons as Roy. Hughes had almost been shot, his cracked glasses where he fell was a reminder of that. Fuery was sticking by Aiden's side, making sure her bandage wasn't going to loosen anytime soon. Aiden herself was tiredly rubbing her forehead and yawning while she ignored the pain in her arm where she had been shot protecting Fuery.

"Sorry," he mumbled when Aiden winced as he wrapped the bandage too tightly.

"I swear to god Fuery if you say that one more time..." Aiden left the threat unsaid.

"Sorry."

"Smart ass." Fuery gave a quiet laugh and tied off the bandage. Aiden looked around the group. "You okay over there Flame? You look like you're having some serious thoughts. And while it's not dangerous, care to share with the rest of the class?"

"Do you ever stop joking?" Roy snapped. "All we ever hear from you is jokes and sarcastic remarks. Do you ever take anything seriously?"

The rest of the group paused and held their breaths as Aiden's green eyes became colder than the ice of the North. It was scary. All they would ever see from her would be the warmth and light she spread. Now all she was showing was the cold, darkness they could see. Hell, they could feel the air drop several degrees. Aiden stood up and approached Roy, only stopping a few feet from him.

"Oh I take things very seriously," Aiden said lowly. "I only joke around because of a defense mechanism I developed when I was younger. It wasn't healthy for me and I still haven't grown out of it. I've been at war for seven years compared to your three. I can tell you right now that if I hadn't developed that defense mechanism you so easily threw to the side, I wouldn't be standing here today. I can also say that even if I was here, you wouldn't like who I would be. If anything, I'd be worse off than Kimblee."

With that Aiden stalked off and left the group in silence. It probably wasn't wise to do, but with the amount of alchemists and soldiers surrounding her it wasn't likely to be singled out and attacked by an Ishvalan. Aiden stopped when she reached the edge of the encampment. No one else would be around besides the few soldiers doing rounds.

It was stupid to have said that to Roy, yet she didn't regret it. It was true that Aiden's sense of humor kept her sane. Without it she would need to face the fact that she had died and left a four-year-old without a mother! Then she was suddenly whisked away to another world just for the amusement of a God. Now she was alone with knowledge of future events and not a clue on how to stop them or change them. If she were honest with herself, Aiden wasn't sure if she wanted to change anything. Let history take its course.

Aiden snorted, god it was so stupid. She wondered how Tristan was doing without her. If Jessica was taking care of him or if her parents were. Selfishly she hoped he would never forget her, even as an adult. A song came to mind and Aiden hummed the tune. It was Tristan's favorite song, she would sometimes sing it to him when he had a nightmare. He was her big, strong, soldier boy. Reaching up, she brushed a stray tear away.

"It's a nice song," Roy commented. Roy walked forward and joined her in looking out over the destroyed city. "I am sorry. Sometimes I don't think before speaking."

Aiden hummed in agreement and nodded. "We should get back to camp. We have an early day tomorrow."

Aiden followed Roy with no complaints. She took up her spot next to Kain who was nodding off, as was Hughes. Riza was gone, more than likely making her rounds around the camp. Roy stood off to the side across from the fire. Aiden threw an arm around Fuery and leaned back against the wall behind them, humming the song softly.

She didn't notice when Kain slipped away from the waking world or when Hughes joined them by sitting on her other side. Aiden didn't notice how her eyelids became heavier and her breathing deeper. She also didn't notice how Fuery slipped an arm around her and fell deeper into sleep like the little brother and young adult he was.

The final day of the Ishvalan Civil War came. Any able bodied man was sent in, alchemists and soldiers alike were under orders to not hold back, to give everything they got. With the close range Aiden opted for two handguns rather than her sniper, but that didn't stop her from bringing it. She'd given Fuery orders to stay toward the back, to call out distances for bombs. He didn't want to, but he agreed to the orders given.

Somehow Hughes ended up next to her in the lineup. For once he wasn't going on about his Gracia who was waiting for him. He was a soldier of the military. Before they were sent off to do their job, Hughes grabbed Aiden in a side hug and wished her luck. Aiden responded with a threat.

"I swear Hughes if you die, Mustang will barbecue me. Then I'll come back to life, bring you back, and then I'll kill you for making me go through all that trouble. So don't die."

In all honesty it was her nerves that were talking, though it didn't show outwardly. One would've figured Aiden would not be jittery around battlefields. While it's not correct, it's not wrong either. Aiden didn't mind being around the battlefield, she just hated taking lives.

Hughes laughed at her words and Aiden punched his arm in retaliation. Then she smiled and nodded her head in the direction he was supposed to go.

Hours later Aiden was panting in exhaustion under the heat of the desert sun and overexertion. The sector was clear, then she was on to the next one. A commotion caught her attention and she followed the noise. Aiden watched from an alleyway as an Ishvalan man threw a soldier into a wall. Other bodies were littered around him but as far as she could see they weren't alive.

The Ishvalan turned as if sensing her presence. Aiden walked from the alleyway, her gun held up tightly. A glance at his attire and physique announced to her that he was a soldier like her. His face however made Aiden pause, a spark of recognition coursed through her body. Did she know him?

"Brother!" a faraway voice called.

The Ishvalan turned from Aiden and looked toward the direction of the voice. A mistake on his part, never turn your back on the enemy. When he turned back Aiden's gun was at her side and she looked like she was contemplating something.

"Go on then," Aiden said, gesturing for the man to leave. "Get out of here before you die." Without a word the Ishvalan turned tail and ran, presumably toward the voice.

Aiden turned and left the empty street, now back in the persona of a soldier. She had a job to do, no matter how hard it was.

And then suddenly, the war was over. One huge explosion, more than likely of Kimblee's doing, destroyed Ishval and left nothing but ruins. When paired with every other alchemists destruction, one could see why they were considered for the extermination. The damage done in one huge assault was astounding.

Many people were promoted during the war and after. They promoted Roy from Major to Lieutenant Colonel, Maes went from Captain to Major, Riza up to Warrant Officer, and Kain from Private to Corporal. Aiden herself became First Lieutenant, a rather huge promotion that raised a lot of eyebrows.

Roy was given the option of having his own team and he took the chance. He was going to try to climb the political ladder like every other person in the military, except Roy wanted peace instead of power. He took Riza with him and they were stationed in the East. Aiden wasn't sure what they did there.

Maes too chose to have a team, but he went into the investigative branch of the military stationed in Central. Which was good as that's where Gracia lived. As far as she could tell, Maes would look into murders and crimes and try to figure them out. A strange version of NCIS, Aiden thought.

Instead of making her own team, which she was fairly certain King Bradley thought she would do, Aiden stuck with Maes and helped him begin his team. Now that she had a commanding officer, she could no longer have a subordinate. Aiden was sad to see Kain go, but she was able to put in a quick word to get him transferred over to Roy's team. Just like it should be.

It was difficult in the beginning, adjusting back into a semi-civilian lifestyle, however Aiden adjusted quickly. She'd gone through the reintegration process before. Maes took longer than she did but he took it like a champ and became a model citizen. If it weren't for the photos he loved showing everyone that is.

**********

Roy: Why you so happy?

Aiden: Hell if I even know I've lived through a war, I'm going through a second one, I was forcefully ripped away from my family, and I really want to punch God because it's all his fault.