I don't own Death Note or Fullmetal Alchemist

Chapter 8

"Aren't you a little short to be an alchemist?"

Al turned his head so quickly L was surprised it didn't disconnect from his neck entirely.

Al made wild motions, shaking his head furiously and pointing at Ed. L raised an eyebrow as the younger Elric attempted to pantomime messages at him.

Shadows covered Ed's eyes as he lowered his head. His hands curled into fists at his side, shaking uncontrollably. His teeth visibly clenched and ground together slowly.

"Short?" Ed growled.

Ed's fury simmered as he met L's uncaring gaze.

Then he exploded.

"Who are you calling a tiny pipsqueak smaller than a microscopic miniature baby-sized grain of sand who's so little you need a telescope just to see him?!" Ed roared.

L, not entirely sure to make of this.

Ed marched up to him and glared. "I'm not short!"

Winry and Pianko seemed thoroughly amused and held back their laughter behind their hands. Al grabbed his brother by the arm and attempted to drag the boy back.

"Ed! Stop insulting my customers just because you're tiny!" Pinako called sternly, and rather hypocritically too.

Ed turned to face the elderly woman. "Midget grandma!"

"Pint-sized pipsqueak!"

Winry stepped next to him where he had remained leaning against the table throughout Ed's one sided rant.

"Would you like something to drink? I'm sure Ed will have exhausted himself soon enough." Winry gestured to Al and the boy abandoned his attempts to placate the feud.

"Bite-sized punk!"

"Shrimpy senior!"

Apparently this was a regular thing. L shrugged in reply.

She led L to the kitchen, Al following and throwing glances over his shoulder towards his bickering brother. The younger Elric cut off the argument as he closed the kitchen door behind him.

"So, are you an alchemist then?" Al asked curiously.

"No. I was a soldier."

Al was silent for a moment. "I see. And you were in Ishval?"

"Yes. In fact, that reminds me." He turned back to Winry's curious gaze. "I met your parents in Ishval. They asked me to tell you they'd see you soon."

"Really?" Winry exclaimed in delight. "Oh, thank you!" Then she hugged him.

L hadn't really ever been hugged before, especially not by an excited child. He awkwardly patted her golden hair and gently tried to pry her arms from around him.

She mumbled into his shirt and Al grinned at him. "That's great news!"

L pulled Winry away and cleared his throat.

"Oh! Yes of course, your drink. Tea?" He nodded and Winry set about pulling a mug from the cupboard. Al sat at the table with a wide smile. "I can't wait to see them again!"

L noticed Al smile sadly at Winry's words, the blonde boy too kind to be envious of her joy, it was obvious to L that something had happened to his parents.

Winry sat the steaming mug on the table as she sat beside Al. L sat himself opposite from the two children, drawing a curious stare to his peculiar posture.

L reached for his mug before hesitating. "Do you have any sugar?"

"Oh!" Winry placed her mug back down. "Of course, let me just get it out." She practically skipped across the room and pulled a ceramic jar from the cupboard and placed it in front of L.

He pulled the lid off and placed it to the side before reaching in and plucking a snow white sugar cube from the confines of the jar. With experienced grace L dropped the sugar cube into the cup.

L grudgingly realised he enjoyed their company, despite Winry's overly cheerful disposition, both were rather bright for children their age. He found Al to be as disarmingly intelligent as he was kind.

The tea probably helped his mood.

Resembool

L didn't sleep that night.

Instead he sat and read books pilfered and pinched from the Rockbell's bookshelves, as well as alchemical manuscripts Ed and Al had been willing to temporarily part with.

Alchemy was. . . interesting. It wasn't like anything he'd ever read before. The power to manipulate the world around you. Equivalent exchange seemed simple on paper but the actual theory of giving to receive disturbed L immensely.

A deal of equal value. But a deal with what? Nature? Perhaps a deal was merely a simplified explanation of the exchange of equal energies.

Was it a deal with God?

The thought of being able to make deals with a deity chilled L to the bone. L dealt in factual truths, not magic and alchemy.

He had witnessed the destructive power of alchemy first hand in Ishval.

And he never wanted to see it again.

It was power no one should have. The power to change the world. And with power like that, the bad users outweighed the good.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

But still, the Elric brothers were alchemists. L knew Ed and Al didn't have it in them to abuse their alchemy, the naïve children that they were.

And of course, alchemists had a creed, they had rules. But rules were made to be broken.

He immersed himself in his research, flying through page after page of alchemical theory. It was mainly based in terms of Chemistry, rather advanced chemistry as well. Alchemy wasn't as simple as just drawing a circle in chalk apparently.

L finally looked up when a beam of sunlight slithered through the window shutters and landed on his pale hands.

He hummed thoughtfully and stood. Dawn had come and the sun was rising. L's brain worked furiously to process the accumulated knowledge from hours of research.

L reached for the coffee mug he had placed beside him and raised it to his lips. His lips curved downwards slightly into a frown as he stared into the empty cup.

He pulled himself to his feet and swayed for a moment before tucking his hands into his pockets and heading downstairs.

L arrived in the kitchen, leaning against the doorway as he noticed someone had already beaten him to the coffee pot.

Pinako glanced over before waving him in. L cleared his throat as he sat.

"Good morning, Pinako." She looked over her shoulder, adjusting her round spectacles.

"Good morning, L." He decided to be blunt about it.

"I had a few suggestions about my automail, if you don't mind of course."

"No, no. It's fine." Pinako reached up and grasped the warm coffee pot before setting it down before L, who obliging refilled his cup and took a long sip. "What did you have in mind?"

They chattered on for a while on the numerous suggestions and requests for his automail.

"Hmm, I suppose I could manage that." Pinako smiled slyly. "It'll cost you extra, though."

"Very well." L was about to start another spiel about the possibilities when the doorbell rang.

Pinako frowned as L continued on about the possibility of a lock pick being installed into the little finger. "Young man, aren't you going to get the door?"

"Oh." L paused. "I assumed you were going to do it."

Pinako harrumphed. "I'm not as sprightly as I used to be, so do your elder a favour and open the door before they leave."

L shrugged and slid from his seat. He turned the door knob and opened the front door.

His interest peaked when it revealed a young soldier standing outside. The young man hurriedly bowed and held out an envelope.

"Pinako Rockbell?"

"I'll give her the letter."

Pinako Rockbell was written in neat drawl over the front over the envelope as L gingerly picked the evelope from the soldier's hands.

An awful feeling settled and L frowned as he held the letter.

"My condolences." The soldier saluted before stiffly turning and walking away. L watched as the man climbed into a car and drove off. He turned and closed the door behind him as L returned to the kitchen.

"Who was it?" Pinako asked, sipping slowly from her own mug. She frowned at his silence as L slipped back into his seat. "Hello? You still there?"

He placed the letter on the table between them before sliding it across to her, his normally neutral face tinged with a look of grave seriousness.

The awful feeling resurfaced as he watched the elderly woman's expression as she read the letters contents.

Her lips twisted into a disbelieving scowl before dropping into a dismayed gape. Pinako set the letter down and let out a shuddering breath.

L felt like his fears had been confirmed.

"I'm sorry for your loss." It sounded pathetic even to him, but it was all he could muster.

"My loss. . ." Pinako's head dropped further. "Winry. . ."

Yuiry and Sarah Rockbell were dead. Murdered by one of their Ishvalan patients after returning him from the brink of death.

It would have been ironic if it weren't for the fact that it was tragic.

L could confidently say he was intimate with death. He had seen death, taken lives in Ishval, even met his end at the hands of Kira.

But he had a connection with these people. They saved him. Went out of their way just for him when they could have easily saved themselves the trouble and left him for dead.

L knew the list of people who cared for him had always been short. But it had grown immensely since arriving in Amestris. Roy Mustang, Riza Hawkeye, Maes Hughes even Armstrong had saved his life a few times and had searched him out just for an conversation for the sake of having a conversation.

L supposed they were his friends. And it was an odd concept. He had always been a loner and that was how he liked it.

Light might have been his friend, but he wasn't so sure anymore seeing as L was pretty sure Light had killed him.

But now he somehow found himself pulled into having friends. And he enjoyed it, despite his outwards expression.

The Rockbells had done him a kindness. And now they were dead.

He supposed this was what grief felt like. L didn't get to experience grief that often, so it was rather a shock to him.

"Granny Pinako?" It was Ed and Al. Their heads peered around the corner to look into the kitchen. But by then, Pinako had already schooled her expression and wiped at her teary eyes.

"Ed, Al, bring Winry down, would you." Her tone was grave and the Elric brothers were smart enough to understand the mood.

As their footsteps sounded against the wooden stairs, L looked Pinako in the eye.

"Justice will prevail." L offered, mind whirring through the details of the murder.

"I can only hope you're right." Pinako sighed as Winry appeared besides Ed and Al, taking in the sombre mood.

"Granny? What's going on?" She was frightened intimidated by the atmosphere around them.

"Winry." Pinako sounded ancient, nothing like the peppy old woman she came across as. "I want you to read this." She held out the letter.

Winry took the letter in her shaking hands. Her mouth slipped open as she read, horror written across her features.

The letter fell from between her trembling fingers. "N-no." It landed with a quiet thud against the wooden floorboards. "That can't be."

"I'm sorry, Winry. It's true."

She burst into tears. The newly orphaned girl slid to her knees and held her face in her hands, sobbing into her palms.

Small arms wrapped around her as Ed and Al enveloped her in a hug. Winry cried and cried as Pinako held her head and stroked her hair.

L closed his eyes and exhaled slowly.

Justice would prevail. He'd make sure of it.

"Winry." She looked up and the Elrics met L's gaze. "Justice will prevail." He said again.

He'd say it a thousand times.

End

I had a case of writer's block for a while but I'm back now with many more ideas for future chapters.

I had to rewrite this chapter many times because it just came across as incredibly boring when I read it over. Hopefully, it wasn't too boring but next chapter will be better.

Unfortunately, the summer holidays have ended, so update times are going to longer as I'll have less time to work on them.

l pulled winry. "rher. rowing bervous