Braiding the Noose with Indian Rope

Disclaimer: Don't own. All I can claim is the crazy masked psychopath… Great…

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO HAVE READ THIS FAR, BUT STILL HAVEN'T GOTTEN IT YET: Rated for the three M's: Murder, Mutilation, and general Mayhem…. And one L: Language.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 8: Of Revelations and Confrontations

December 1, 1919—10:53 AM, Central Headquarters

"Well Sir, we've found something that might help with the investigation," Sheska said tentatively.

The dark-haired Fuhrer swiveled his mahogany chair toward the green-eyed woman, opening both ivory hands for Sheska to place the folders in. Mustang flipped through them quickly, and then looked at her expectantly. The Fuhrer loudly cleared his throat when he saw that Sheska had closed her eyes -sleeping, it seemed- so that the woman visibly jumped. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, as they had slid down, and then tried to look alert, but only succeeded at appearing flustered.

"S-Sorry sir. We were both up late last night trying to figure out what was going on!" Sheska exclaimed, quickly looking Falman for confirmation, but frowned when she couldn't tell whether he was asleep or not, from the way his eyes seemed perpetually closed. She continued on, ignoring her research partner, "You see, Mr. Falman and I have been researching the flower-"

"Anemone hupehensis var. Xinogica, more commonly known as theXingese Anemone, and the Dryopteris Filix-mas, or a common Fern," said Falman, making all of the occupants in the room blink in surprise and turn towards him.

"Yes," Sheska interjected, giving a cautious glance to the man that had all but been invisible before he had cut in the conversation. "Well, we figured that if we could first determine the origin of the flowers that we could decide what the flowers meant, to figure out where they came from and whom had used them. After that had been achieved, we found out that the Xingese Anemone means 'Forsaken' and the Fern represents 'Magic', both of which seemed appropriate for the way that this man had been executing his crimes. We then looked through the military database, and found several cases that were compatible, but the most corresponding incident where the plants were used was by a man named Jin Lee--"

xxxxxxxx

December 1, 1919— Central City

"Always so persistent with that question now, aren't you? Why, why, why… I suppose that's what makes you a good scientist. So, if I tell you, you won't whine about it anymore?" Edward nodded adamantly through a big mouthful of soup. "All right, if you really want to know, I'll tell you, so at least you know why you're going to die by my hand."

The masked man proceeded to circle around Edward, his robes dancing in the rhythm of his legs with each swish of fabric, "You see the people in your country are so very skeptical, what with the use of alchemy as science. But in my homeland, the only source of renkinjutsushi is used as a medical procedure, so the people wanted entertainment. They were less inclined to dissect every move that I made, and they were more accepting of my magic, for they believe in their gods and the supernatural. And of things that didn't have to be explained."

The blonde snickered, "Then you won't find much of an audience in this country."

The golden-eyed boy glanced at the man to see a smile crawl across the visible half of the magician's pale face, "Ah. But, you see, I'll make them believe once they see that their great 'Hero of the People' was brought down by my art. And that's precisely what it is, art. Because the people won't be able to explain away how it is that I have made these things happen!"

"Well… I'll know…"

"Yes, but you won't be alive for much longer, so it won't really matter," the cloaked man said in a matter-of-fact tone, lazily flicking Edward's nose with his thumb and forefinger, causing the blond to snort with annoyance.

"So… The only reason that you're going to kill me is to prove that your 'magic' is better than my science? Why did it have to be me? Couldn't you have chosen someone like the bastard Col-Fuhrer?" The blond asked in disbelief.

"Well art, I believe, is better when passion is involved," said the wraith, balling his palm into a fist and baring his teeth, "And I think vengeance is the greatest form of all consuming passion that there is."

"Vengeance!? Again with these cryptic speeches! Are you ever going to actually tell me what's going on?" Edward focused his fiery gaze on the man concealed in the shadows and tried, mentally, to burn a hole into the exposed part of the man's face.

"I'm getting to that! Just be patient. I haven't been able to use my stage presence in many years, so you must allow me to monologue for a little longer. Besides, isn't patience the first lesson that I taught you? You remember our deal. If you're not able to contain yourself, then you must give me your other hand," the man chimed with a snicker.

xxxxxxxx

December 1, 1919—11:09 AM, Central Headquarters

"Jin Lee? That name sounds very familiar," the dark haired Fuhrer interrupted, thoughtfully placing a finger to his chin.

"That is quite possible, sir. When we found the name, we used the military archives to find newspapers that supported our hypothesis. After we had found the name in the papers, we read articles featuring Lee and found that he was a famous magician for the emperor in Xing," Falman stated, before going silent again.

"Oh, that's right; Madame Christmas took me to see his shows when we went to visit Xing when I was younger. He did some impressive tricks, but I didn't really buy into it. I think the only reason that I remembered is because that was when we also saw the emperor's palace," Roy commented, his dark eyes turning to the window in a faraway stare before Sheska brought him back to the conversation.

"Well, it appears that he was sent into exile, the details weren't very specific, but the paper made it clear that they forcefully chased him out of the palace and his wife died when they banished him as the emperor's magician. But the paper also stated that he escaped with his life and the lives of his two sons."

"Sons?" The blond secretary and black-haired commander asked in unison.

"Yes, sir. Twins. After that, he immigrated to Amestris and began his act again in East City," Sheska announced, leafing through the newspapers in her arms to provide them with the proof that was written in ink. "But it was hard to find more information about that except that they showed up again several years later for a memorable trick called the Indian Rope Trick," the brunette concluded, absentmindedly flipping through the papers at the bottom of the pile in regard to the missing information.

xxxxxxxx

"When I moved to this land, I was in a panic," the man's smirk promptly fell to a frown as he began to pace around the small room, his floor-length coat making it appear that he was floating. "I had my two sons with me, but my wife had been taken from me, so I didn't believe if life was worth living. The guards had stolen the most precious treasure from me, and I couldn't raise two boys on my own. But then I started to rebuild," he stopped pacing and slammed his fist into the wall, and Edward could hear the resentment echoing around the room.

"I began to rebuild the life we had together. We moved to a quaint place named East City. Well, I suppose anything is quaint when compared to the Emperor's palace. But that's where we worked."

"The Emperor?" asked the blonde.

"But I thought this would be a better place, or at least a different one. I thought that I'd be able to start over. Make a life for my sons and me. I started the old business, and this time my sons were able to help. And they even offered to help me, my sweet boys. We had perfected a new trick- the Indian Rope Trick- and were making enough money to get by; we were going to reveal it. It was one of the best that I had come up with. And since I was new to the city, no one knew that I had twins, so they wouldn't have figured it out for a long while," Edward could see the man's back start to tremble from where he sat as the words were ground out of the wraith's mouth.

"What was the Indian Rope Trick?" the golden-eyed boy asked hesitantly.

xxxxxxxx

"In the papers it said that, The Indian Rope Trick- as it was named- was one in which one boy- one of the twins- would climb up a tree after getting in a 'fight' with his father. The trick was conducted inside, but the stage lights didn't shine up to the top of the theatre where it was performed, so the boy wouldn't have been seen. After that the boy would be sitting in a tree to catch the rope that the man threw up to go after him, bringing a sword with him to represent his anger. Another 'fight' would commence and shaved monkey limbs would be tossed down, showing that the man had cut the boy into pieces," Roy and Riza exchanged a horrified glance, which Sheska caught before they could conceal it, "Yes, barbaric stuff, isn't it? It's absolutely fascinating," she conceded, then continued with the explanation.

"The man would then climb down and place the limbs into a wicker basket. That's where the other boy would be hiding- the other twin. And as the other twin is sitting in the basket all along, he gets the monkey limbs dropped all over him. But what the audience saw would be the boy being disassembled and then reassembled after the other twin jumped out of the basket. He must have calculated the advantages of having twins at his disposal, because it became a widely known trick after he performed it," she concluded with a quick nod.

"Well, if it was so popular, then why isn't he more well-known?" Riza asked, shooting the brunette a puzzled look.

"Well, there was only one reported story on the trick and it proclaimed that it was real magic, but then tragedy struck before it could be fully introduced. We had to research many other sources after the trick's performance to see how it worked, because it took the reporters' years afterwards to discover the mechanics of it. But it was obvious that the trick was supposed to bring a great crowd of tourism into East City," Sheska answered.

xxxxxxxx

"But you see there was a problem. There happened to be a serial killer on the loose, one that we were afraid would drive away all of the people whom were potential customers," the masked man told the blonde boy, his back still turned to Edward.

"Oh, yeah? And who was that?" Ed asked sardonically.

"It was a man who went by the name of Scar. And unfortunately for my family and I, and even the inhabitants of East City, a military brat called the Fullmetal Alchemist was also in the city at that time"

xxxxxxxx

"Oh, yes. I remember the East City incident. Fullmetal was sent there when Scar wasn't as well known to investigate the recent deaths of alchemists," Roy contributed.

"Yes. That was also one of the most expensive assignments that he's been on thus far. I remember seeing the bill. It had seemed as if he had wrecked the entire city chasing after Scar," Riza said, a grimace quickly crossing her features before she hastily concealed it.

xxxxxxxx

"And apparently you had some sort of conflict with him, because you decided to throw the entire town into ruins. That was the day of our second performance, the first had been in the paper as a flawless masterpiece, and had even brought people out of hiding to see what all the fuss was about," the man lamented, his back hunching over, as if he was going to be sick.

"But before we could even finish the trick for the second time, you had to intervene," the man said, beginning to turn toward Edward.

"Me? I don't remember that?" the shorter man admitted.

The masked man whipped around, racing to Ed's side so quickly it seemed as if his had only just appeared, his eyes conveying barely hidden rage, "Oh, you wouldn't, would you?" he snarled. "But as it happens, you had decided to build a canon on the side of our building that had thrown many of our supporters across the room, giving most of them concussions or worse. I saw the damage in the paper afterward."

"And when it fired, it had shaken the rafters and had let my son fall to his death and caused the support beam to collapse on my other me and my other son. He hadn't survived either. And I can't remember anything that had happened that day, except that I woke up in the hospital a week later with half of my face torn off," shaking with rage the man paused, appearing to gather himself before he continued icily, "I wasn't even aware that they had already buried the bodies of my sons in Amestris soil until I was released. I can't help but remember that my wife was buried in Xing, so now my family will always be separated. Always. And you are to blame for that Edward Elric, the great Fullmetal Alchemist."

xxxxxxxx

"So Edward brought the building down on him and his sons? Then why did it take so long for him to catch up with Ed?"

xxxxxxxx

"It took so long to find you, because you were running around the county, but you had finally settled down for the big production."

xxxxxxxx

"And now there are several signs up advertising the man's upcoming shows. I almost think the murders were some sort of promotional stunt. And now he's going to take it out on Edward."

xxxxxxxx

"I've even put fliers up for the show. And they're decorated in the most elaborate of manner, so I'm sure we'll have a good turn-out. Not to mention all of the publicity I've been providing the public with."

xxxxxxxx

Mustang gripped his desk, "When is the show?"

"It's on December the fourth, the anniversary of his son's death," Vato provided, eliciting a scowl from the dark-haired man.

xxxxxxxx

Ed sat unmoving in his chair, feeling the hot breath of the masked man on his face.

"What? You're finally speechless?" the magician asked with sadistic pleasure. "Well then, perhaps I should have told you this sooner. But how about I show you had much you've ruined my life."

He began to peel off the mask; the sound of skin catching on porcelain reverberated through Ed's ears. The blonde gasped as the other half of the face was revealed to be blotchy and red. Puckered scar tissue, some still scabbed or bleeding from being attached to the mask, was wrapped around an empty eye socket and sprawled to the edges of his face.

"Perhaps I should finally introduce myself, since you are the only living person to truly know me. My name is Jin Lee and I'm going to make you pay for everything you've cost me. That's the entire principle of your science, so you should have no problem with this logic. You'll have a couple more days to live, and I expect you to be obedient." With that, he turned and disappeared into the shadows.

Ed sat in his chair, feeling the cold of the winter creeping into the room from the open door somewhere in the shadows. He could practically feel the noose tighten around his neck, but the man who had tormented him wasn't to blame. He had transmuted it when he had wrecked the city, when he had allowed the rafter to fall on his sons. He had wrapped it around his own neck and the only way to atone for what he had done was to pay for his sins. Equivalent Exchange, after all, a nagging thought informed him acidly.

xxxxxxxx

Wow… Another chapter finished. And this one only took… 8 months *hides from debris thrown her way*. I can only say: IMSORRYIMSORRYIMSORRY!!!! RL got in the way… In a big way… But again, I'm so sorry about this! I did just the thing I said I wouldn't (8 months for an update *hides in shame*).

So anyway, I'm going to be very chatty in my A.N. this time, just to explain some things. First of all, I'm surprised that Ed hasn't killed anyone yet with his destruction! The kid's kinda a menace to society, but to each his own I suppose. Ah, well. It was bound to happen sometime.

Right. Secondly. So, I know that 'India' wouldn't have existed in Amestris, but I figured you guys could just play along, because the trick is actually called "Indian Rope Trick", and I didn't want to change the name (it is a classic, ya know? …And I wasn't thinking with much creativity at first…).

Thirdly, the name of the flowers and their meaning is true, although the 'Xingese Anemone' (Botanical Name: Anemone hupehensis var. Xinogica… Had to improvise from the real one…), is actually a Japanese Anemone (Botanical Name: Anemone hupehensis var. japonica). And the name of our masked magician is a Chinese name, but in the series, the names seem to come from the Chinese culture (Ran fan, Mei, Ling… etc.), but the culture seems kinda a mix of the Asian cultures.... Or so I gather…

Another thing, Madame Christmas (in the manga), is Roy Mustang's foster mother, and he refers to her as such… For anyone isn't reading the manga!

And one other thing. The format is from Brave New World. There's a part in the book where they're all explaining something to each other and it uses this kind of split sequence (at the end of this chappie, although you can still tell who's who.), so you don't really know who's talking, but it still gets the story told and it merges them into one. And sometimes, if they don't directly answer each other, it still explains the dialogue from the next section; I was just too lazy to describe the Trick two times by each party. But I just thought that was an interesting way of writing and I wanted to try it out.

Lastly, if anyone is wondering:

"The Indian Rope Trick, first performed in 1890, is a classic of street magic, having been witnessed by such notables as Marco Polo. It is always performed at night, for reasons that will soon become obvious.

"In preparation for the trick, the magician must find a tree so tall that its lowest branches cannot be easily seen at night. Before the crowd gathers, the magician lights a number of torches beneath the tree (to make it even harder to see up into the darkness), and in the tree's branches places a large, hungry tiger.

"As the trick begins, the magician throws a rope up to where the tiger rests. The hungry cat, seeing movement, naturally snaps at it, catching the rope in its powerful jaws. The rope is thus held for the assistant to climb.

"After the assistant is in the tree, the magician yanks the rope out of the tiger's mouth, hurting the animal's jaws and angering it. The animal inevitably roars and leaps on the defenseless assistant, tearing him apart.

"Safe on the ground, the magician gathers the bloody crumbs of the tiger's meal and puts them in a large basket that was prepared ahead of time. The basket actually has two chambers -- one for the icky bits, and one for the twin of the former assistant. At an appropriate time, the twin pops up, pretending to be his late brother, and walks into the crowd to begin gathering donations.

"It is surmised that this trick was originally invented not so much as an entertainment but as a convenient method for disposing of extra twins." (that's-uhh… That's pretty sick).

If you wanna learn any more about it, I got my know-how from this site (along with others, but mostly this one: http: // www . mallusionist . com / streetmagic / indian-rope-trick . shtml (without the spaces, of course!).

As I used it, instead of a tiger, one twin would be sitting in a tree to catch the rope and instead of the tiger eating the boy (what kind of parents were these people!). The boy, instead, tossed down shaved monkey limbs (although not much better than a tiger!), while the other twin was sitting in the basket all along, and then got the monkey limbs dropped all over him… yuck…

So, thanks SO much for those of you who stuck with me! I'm sorry again (I'll keep saying it until someone hits me with a brick to shut me up *hides* SORRYSORRY…), but I'll work harder for the next chapter to come out sooner. And please review! I really appreciate it when you guys do!