Chapter 2:: The Stranger's Book

"Alright. We've gotten permission to give you a little bit of money, seeing as how you don't have any possessions." Mustang said, handing Sakura a few bills.
She held up the money and smiled. "That's really nice of y- OH MY GOSH!!! This is a whole lot more than a little bit of money..." She cried, staring wide-eyed at the 50,000 sens in her hand.
"Well, you need clothes. You can't just wear the same thing every day." The Colonel replied dismissively. "Fullmetal will be going with you, of course. And..."
Edward sat up at that. "And? Who else?" He demanded.
"Edward Elric! It's so wonderful to see you again!" A voice boomed. Sakura turned to see who the voice belonged to when suddenly a very VERY muscular man bounded into the room and enveloped Edward in a death grip.
Through his pain, a look of utter horror crossed the short alchemist's face. The other man put him down as pink sparkles began randomly appearing around his head. He turned to Sakura and held his arms out. "And I can't forget the newcomer~!" He called, stepping forward.
Sakura shreiked in terror and fled to hide behind Alphonse. "NO! Al, save me from the scary, sparkly giant!" She wailed. The suit of armor sweatdropped.
"Sakura, that's Major Armstrong." Al whispered.
"Would you all quiet down? It's getting late, so you should head out now." Mustang growled. Armstrong nodded and cheerfully led the way to the city.

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Edward groaned and lightly banged his head against the wall of the clothes store. "Why do girls spend 3 hours looking at one rack?" He complained. Sakura walked over and huffed indignantly. She adjusted the brand-new backpack on her shoulders.
"Well excuse me. I'm done now so we can leave." She muttered. Maj. Armstrong followed behind her, lugging a rather large bag of clothes.
"Are you sure you can carry all that?" Sakura asked.
"Of course! Carrying heavy loads is a talent that has been passed through the Armstrong family line for generations!" He replied happily. Sakura chuckled nervously and took a large step away from him.
She, Edward, Alphonse, and Armstrong headed outside and began walking down the sidewalk. Sakura looked around curiously. This place was so different from what she was used to.
'Then again...what exactly am I used to? I don't remember where I came from.' She thought sadly.
Suddenly, something caught her eye. Sakura looked up and saw a small store nestled in between two larger buildings. The door was painted black, with little strings of beads hanging in front of it. A wooden sign read, 'Last Resort Thrift Store'.
"Oh...that place looks interesting. Can we check it out?" She asked. Edward groaned again, but Alphonse jabbed him in the side and nodded.
The group entered the store a bit reluctantly. Sakura squinted in order to see in the dimly lit room. There were rows and rows of shelves containing miscellaneous items of varying type. She turned and began walking down the aisle on the far right, carefully examining everything on the shelves. Sakura came across some interesting items, but was actually a bit afraid to touch them. Especially the shrunken head in the very back.
Just then, Sakura felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned slowly and gasped when she came face-to-face with a hooded figure.
"I think...you'll be wanting this, Miss Sakura." A raspy voice wheezed. The figure pulled a small, leather-bound book from its cloak and held it out to her with shaky hands.
Sakura blinked, but took the book hesitantly. She dusted it off and coughed when the dust came flying into her face. "Um...thanks but-" She cut off suddenly when she realized the cloaked figure was gone.
"Sakura, come on. Can we lave now?" Edward called impatiently from the front of the store. Sakura nodded slowly and shoved the book in her backpack before running up to the boys.