Disclaimer: FMA and Inuyasha aren't mine.
Pairings: Kagome/Edward and Winry/Alphonse
Rating: M
Summary: Upon witnessing both Inuyasha's betrayal and her best friend's death, a broken Kagome returns home. Now, she's determined to become stronger. Strong enough to protect her loved ones. But finding love was the last time on her mind.
The Sacred Alchemist
-0-0-0
Edward balled his hand into a fist as he looked over his shoulder at his girlfriend. He, too, has not told her the whole story of how he and Alphonse lost their bodies to the rebound of Human Transmutation. Flashbacks of what happened that led up to that fateful night. Winry crying over her parent being shipped to Ishaval. Their usually strong and caring mother sick in bed, telling that the money their father left them and for them to use it wisely in something were to happen to her. To Edward screaming in agony from his leg being taken. When he and Kagome first became dogs of the military as Mustang put it. Biting his lip, Ed began to tell everything that happened from the very beginning. "Where should I start?"
'In all my memories, I only remember Dad burying his head in his books studying. Dad was an alchemist, but in my memories, he hardly spoke to me.' Edward could remember peeking into his father's office late at night, watching his mulling over one of the man books that he had piled up on the corner of the desk. 'When he left without telling us, Mom just smiled and said, "Its inevitable." But she would cry when she thought no one was looking.'
-0-0-0
"Ed! Al!" Trisha called out for her boys. "Where are you?" she scanned each room before going into the one room she knew she should have just checked first. Opening the door to her husband's study, she found her two children on the floor, the many books that were usually neatly stacked on the desk and in the book shelf scattered over the floor. "Well, really. You boys messed up your father's study again." She placed the basket of apples against her hip as she propped the door open, "Do you boys really enjoy reading? Hey! Don't do that! You can't just draw anywhere." She scolded Edward when she noticed the white chalk in his tiny hands. Trisha walked closer to her sons to get a better look at the mess they made of her husband's study. "You are going to get a scolding when your father returns!"
Edward frowned as he finished making his circle. "We're not messing around. Look!" he placed his hands around the transmutation circle and a white-blue light flitted over the center and a small wooden chick emerged from the light.
Trisha dropped to her knees in awe as she gazed at her eldest sons creation. A smile creased at her lips as she asked, "This is alchemy? Did you father teach you?" she was hopeful that her husband spent some time with their children before leaving on his journey.
"How's he gonna teach us if he's not here!" Ed said with his cheek puffed out in annoyance.
"We learn it from the books!" Alphonse chimed in happily.
Trisha looked at her sons in wonder before shifting her gaze to the many books that were scattered over the floor. The test written in those books looked like they were written in another language and caused a mild throbbing in the matriarch's head when she tried to decipher a sentence. "The books here, you boys can understand theses difficult texts?" She mouth dropped open when they nodded confidently. "If other alchemists find out that a six and five year old can understand such difficult books, it'll make a mockery of their efforts..." Trisha laughed.
Ed moved closer to his mother, his head hanging in shame, "Did we do something wrong?"
Their mother gasped as she quickly grabbed her boys in a loving embrace. A soft smile eased its way to her lips. "Not at all. Nothing wrong." she cuddled closer to her children, smothering them with her love and affection. She was proud to have such intelligent sons. They were taking after their father more and more every day. "You truly are your father's sons. Mom's proud of both of you!"
-0-0-0
"It was a simple idea." Edward reminisced the last remaining days he had with his mother. He glanced over at his girlfriend and saw that she was staring at him with wet eyes, her dainty hands pressed against her chest as she listened intently to his story. "To make our mom praise us. This simple wish started our interest in alchemy." Vivid images of spending time with his beloved mother flashed through his mind. The time he and Al caused the books in his father's study to collapse on them, his mother trying to encourage him to drink milk even though he hated the white substance with a passion, them helping out with the landry. 'Mother...' Another memory of her watching intently at them as they practiced their transmutation circles, producing a small origami crane. 'Mother...' The final memory brought a tear to his eyes; it was of his mother holding both him and Alphonse close as they gazed up at the stars, pointing out constellations. 'Mother...'
-0-0-0
Young Edward could only stare in shock as he and Alphonse walked into the kitchen to find their mother collapsed on the floor, dinner scattered to her side. Their eyes widened in shock as they called out to their mom when she did not nor respond to their cries. The next few days were a blur as people came and took their mother away to place her in the cold, unforgiving ground. Some claimed it was the plague. Others spoke about how tragic it was for her of leave behind two orphaned sons. The rest asked about their father. No one except Granny Pinako seemed to care about the two sobbing boys who were mourning over the loss of their beloved mother.
Over the past couple of days, Edward and Alphonse sat at their mom's grave, lamenting that she was taken from them far too soon. They missed her terribly and wanted nothing more then to have her back. To be embraced in her warmth once more.
"Brother..." Alphonse said out softly, his eyes still damp from crying. "I'm hungry." He turned to look at his older brother when Ed did not reply. "I'm cold..." he tried again with no luck. Edward still remained silent, just staring blankly with his bangs hiding his eyes. "Let's go back!"
Ed said nothing for a long moment, his thoughts on his mother and nothing else. After a few minutes of silence, he finally spoke, "The Alchemy book spoke of Homunculus; humans composed of the mind, soul, and flesh."
Al looked at his brother curiously, "Yeah...I read that, too."
"Then," Edwards began, his eyes still staring straight ahead and not really looking at anything. "Maybe we could revive mom!"
"But the book wrote that Human Transmutation was forbidden!" Alphonse rebutted his eyes wide with shock that his brother wanted to try to do the forbidden. Sure, he missed his mother almost as much as Edward, but he was scared of the consequences that would come with doing what was not allowed. But his rational side was slowly being overshadowed by his need to see his mother again to be smothered by her warm embrace,
Edward scooted closer to his younger brother, tossing his arm around his shoulders. "That's why. This is our secret."
-0-0-0
"We believed wholeheartedly we could bring mom back..." Edward looked at his sensei, cringing at the scowl that was settled on her face as she crossed her arms over her chest. He wanted to look away but Izumi's piercing grey eyes would not let him look away. He decided that he would skip the part of how he and Al met Izumi and her wretched training. Edward would tell Kagome about it another day. "We wanted to see her smile one more time." he began to recall that fateful night. The night they tried to bring their mother back from the dead. The day they attempted Human Transmutation and, even though they studied day and night for nearly a year since her passing, failed.
-0-0-0
"The average human adult body is composed of 35 liters of water, 20 kilos of carbon, 4 liters of ammonia, 1.5 kilos of line." Edward recited from his list as they poured each ingredient into a large basin, He flashed his brother a smile as he continued to read from his notebook.. "Phosphorus 800 gram, niter 250 gram, sulphur 100 gram, magnesium 80 grams, iron 5 grams, silicon 3 grams..."
Alphonse cringed as the heat from one of the pans burned his fingertips as he carried it over to the tub. "Hot, hot!" he yelped out as he moved more quickly to the spot where their were constructing everything. Al giggled when his brother scolded him for n0t being careful with part of their mother. "What should be say to her when we first see her?"
Edward flashed his sibling a grin as he carried over more supplies to the table near the basin. "Isn't it obvious? He asked as he set the box down. "Don't tell our Sensei!" He laughed along with Alphonse as they slowly and carefully began mixing the ingredients together. "Basic ingredients that construct an average adult..." Together they drew out the large transmutation circle that they saw in the book of transmutations. "The alchemy circle..." They rose to their feet and walked over to the basin, pulling small knives out of their pockets. "And for the soul..." they each cut their index finger with the blade and poured a little blood into the basin.
The two young boys walked back to the outer layer of the circle and dropped to their knees, placing their hands on it. Edward looked at Alphonse with hope alit in his golden eyes. Slowly they focused their energy into the circle, watching with glee as the bright blue-white light of transmutation lit up the room. As the pile began to shift, flecks of black light joined with the normal light, mixing with it until the whole room turned black.
Alphonse moved his hands away from the circle in a panic. "Big Brother, something's wrong..." He felt a tingle run across his arm and watched in terror as little black hands ate away at his wrist.
"Al!" Edward screamed as he tried to reach out for his brother, but a tingle in his leg stopped him. His terror filled golden eyes looked down and saw that it was being taken from him and realization struck. 'It's a rebound!' He snapped his gaze back to his younger brother who was calling out to him in fear. "A!" he called out, stretching his hand out for the other blond. Just as their fingertips brushed against each other, the black light took Alphonse away, evaporating him in front of Edward's young eyes. Darkness overshadowed Ed and the next thing he knew, he was staring up at a huge stone gate. "Al?" he said, confused. "What the? What was I doing?"
"Hey!" A voice called out, startling the older Elric.
"Who's there?" Edward called out, his eyes wide.
The voice coaxed the boy. "Here. Here. I'm right in front of you."
Ed turned his head left and and right, trying to find the source of the strange voice. Suddenly a white shadow-like creature popped into his vision. While it was hard to distinguish any of the being's features, Ed could easily see the large, toothy grin that was plastered on its face. Tilting his head in confusion, he replied, "Who are you?"
"Ah!" the being exclaimed. "Thanks for asking! I'm what you humans refer to as the world." It began, sitting calmly in front of Edward, its large smile never leaving its face. "Also known as the "universe" or "God" or "True knowledge" or "All" or "One" and..." it trailed off, raising a white, shadowing finger to point at Edwad. "I'm you!" As the being spoke those words, the door behind the child slowly creaked open. "Welcome ignorant fool!" It frowned when Edward began to cry and struggle when the wispy black hands began to pull him into the gate. "Be quiet! Isn't this what you wanted? I'll show you "true knowledge."
The blond squirm and writhe in pain as flashes of immense knowledge flew passed him. The black hands pried his eyes open, prevented him from looking away. 'Stop!' He pleaded mentally as more ribbons of knowledge filled his mind. 'My head's gonna explode.!' He felt that same tingling in his leg again and knew it was being taken away like it was before, 'I'm gonna be mutilated! Please stop!' His eyes widened when a shadowy figure appeared before him. Was that? "Mom..." he smiled when the figure acknowledged him, holding its hand out. Edward stretched his hand out for the figure and just as he was about to grab its hand, the door to the gate slammed shut. His breath came out in quick pants as his wide gold eyes stared ahead, his mind processing everything he had just seen.
"How was it?"
Edward said nothing for a minute, his mind still reeling. "I feel like..." he paused. "Unbelievable amounts of information has just been crammed into my head." He placed his hand on his forehead, trying to rub away the ache that was forming there. "My head hurts, but now I finally understand. This is true knowledge." Ed began walking towards the gate, his hands outstretched. "That's right. Our Human Transmutation theory wasn't wrong, but it wasn't enough." He touched the cool surface of the door, his hands pressed firmly against the stone. "Just a little more! What I needed to know is just ahead! There was true knowledge regarding Human Transmutation!" He turned to look at the white, shadowy figure sitting behind him, "Please! Let me see it again! Just one more time!"
The shadowy being rose to his feet, his smile no longer on his face. "No can do." it said, placing its hand on its hip. "That's all I can show you for this much passage fee."
"Passage fee?"
"That's right." the being echoed as he began to move over to Edward, its left leg materializing as it took a step forward. "Passage fee." It grinned giddily when the look of terror ran across the boy's face as he realized that his leg was leaving as the being's leg formed. "Equivalent exchange, no?" it laughed when Edward looked at it with absolute fear in his eyes. "Ain't that right, Alchemist boy?"
-0-0-0
Ten-year-old Edward screamed as he grabbed his severed leg, agony ripping through his body. His eyes scanned the room, searching for his younger brother. Tears swelled in his eyes when he only saw the empty clothing that Al was wearing. "Al! Al!" he screamed, blood pooling around his body. "Alphonse! Shit! This can't be happening! It wasn't..." pain rocketed through his body, settling in deep within him. "...wasn't supposed to be like this. Shit..." he cursed. "He was taken away. Help...someone...Mom..." He raised his head when a noise in front of him reached his ears. "Mom..." Edward turned his eyes towards the basin and nearly screamed at what he saw. It was not his beloved mother, but a monstrosity.
It lifted its arm in anattempt to touch Edward, but the boy scooted back until his back hit the wall. Edward let out a terrified gasp as the thing choked out blood and died before his very eyes. "No... Can't be...Not like this..." His stomach lurched, wanting to empty its contents and Edward heaved. He bent over and vomited, his eyes still wide with pain and fear. "No... This is not...what we wanted. Al...it's my fault. My..." Edward grit his teeth as he ripped the bottom edge of his shirt and tied to his severed leg in a makeshift bandage. A suit of armor fell on the floor and an idea formed in his pain straked mind. The blonde struggled to crawl over to the fallen arms. "Shit..." He dipped his fingers into the pool of blood that collected around his leg, drawing a symbol in the neck of the armor. "Return him. He's my only little brother. Whether it's my legs or both my arms!" He screamed out, "I can even give you my heart! So please! Return him to me! He's my only brother!" Clasping his hands together in desperation, Edward begged for the life of his only little brother.
Back with Truth, it noticed that an arm was materializing on his body. "That fool." it sighed as it rose to its feet, "He's back for more."
-0-0-0
Edward glanced over to Kagome, who had covered her mouth with her hands, her eyes shining with tears. He knew that she wanted to rush over to him and hold him so he held his arm out for her. The priestess rushed into his side, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her face in the crook of his shoulder. His heart twisted painfully in his chest at the sounds of her sobbing. She was shedding tears for him again after he promised to protect her smile.
Golden eyes pleaded with his sensei to not make him keep going for Kagome's sake. But Izumi's grey eyes were hard, her arms crossed and lips pulled into a thin line. Edward was going to finish telling her everything that happened during the time they attempted the forbidden. His little girlfriend would just have to toughen up. Especially since this was what she was trying to study and perfect.
A sigh left his lips as he tightened his arm around Kagome's slender waist as he prepared to finish out the rest of his tale. The visit from Mustang that inspired him to get his automail limbs instead of being bound to a wheelchair for the rest of his life.
-0-0-0
"Stop being noisy Den!" Pinako yelled at her dog who was barking loudly at the sounds of the heavy knocks on the door. "Be nice to the guests." She gasped when her door was suddenly forced open and a soldier with jet black hair and slate grey eyes burst into her home, saying a word of apology. She narrowed her eyes when a woman with short, blonde hair flanked the intruding man, her confusion and anger that her home was being intruded on finally got the best of her. "What does a military man want barging in here like that?"
The blonde flashed the elder an apologetic smile. "My apologies, we heard that the Elrics should be here so..."
In a dark corner in the next room over, the black-haired soldier spotted the older of the brothers sitting in a wheelchair, his long bangs covering his eyes, that were devoid of any emotion. He was wearing a long sleeve shirt, but the left sleeve hung limply in his lap as did the right pant leg of his pajamas. Anger flared in the man's chest as he rushed over and snatched the blond brother out of his chair by his shirt.
"We went to your house!" he yelled, his voice taking on a commanding tone as he grey eyes burned with frustration. "What the hell is that mess? What the hell did you make?!" His face neared the child's, eyes trying to burn holes in the Elric's soul.
Edward said nothing as his eyes shifted from the soldier's face to the ground. Tear swelled in the boy's eyes as the memory of what happened a few days ago ran fresh through his mind. He pulled his bottom lip between his teeth and bit down hair to stop the sobs from leaving his already raw throat.
"Sorry." a voice called out as a metal grabbed the black-haired man's wrist to ease the blond back down into the wheelchair. "Please forgive him. We're sorry." The suit repeated, its glowing red eyes shining sadly. "Sorry..."
The man sighed as he released his hold on the child's shirt and introduced himself as Lt. Colonel Roy Mustang. He walked over to the table in the kitchen and sat down in one of the chairs. Mustang watched as the suit of armor wheeled Edward over to the table beside him, remaining idling behind the boy. Pinako hopped into the remaining chair and adjusted her glasses before waiting to see what the soldier wanted with her boys.
Roy placed his elbows on the table and intertwined his fingers. "Research funding, access to secret documents." he began, locking his eyes with the blond who still refused to look up at anyone. "The country's research data and technology will be at your disposal. You will get these privileges, if you become a State Alchemist. However, in return, you are bound to follow military orders. Only then will you be able to access information average people cannot get." He turned to face the younger brother, as Pinako told him that the older Elric bound his soul to the suit of armor.
"So, you may be able to find something that would help return them to normal." Pinko questioned with narrowed eyes.
The Lt. Colonel saw the suspicious look in the elderly woman's eyes and finished her statement for her. "But I thought alchemy is for the public." he sighed. "That is correct, thus we are called the military's dogs."
The elderly woman peered at the dark-haired soldier over the edge of her glasses, glaring hard at him. "Are you sure that these kids are skilled enough for State Qualification?"
"The Alchemy circle found in the Elric home, and the subject of Human transmutation..." Roy began as he nodded his head, his slate grey eyes meeting with Pinako's to match her intense stare. "Along with the ability to transmute a soul, there is no doubt."
Pinako sighed as she lifted her pipe to her lips, lighting the tobacco with a match. She took a long drag from it, blowing out the smoke before she spoke. "Lt. Colonel Mustang, after this boy came in all blood," her gaze shifted to Edward, who was still looking at the ground with a blank look in his normally bright eyes, "I went to their house to see what had happened. That...I buried it in the back of the house. That..." The image of what she found in the house of the two boys flashed in her mind. It was a bloody lump of flesh and bones with a very vague face of something. "That wasn't human at all! A method of creating such monstrosity? Is that what alchemy is?! You! You want to take these kids along that path again?!"
Mustang looked at the enraged elderly woman with an impassive look on his face. "Mrs. Rockbell..." he began slowly, carefully. "I'm not trying to force them to do anything. But I'm only stating the possibility!" His eyes hardened as matched Pinako glare for glare and his voice raised in octave. "To live your life with hopelessness and a piece of armor for a brother or to sell yourself to the military for the possibility that you can recover!" Roy turned his burning gaze over to the young boy in the wheelchair. "It is your choice. Even if the path is a muddy river." He caught sight of Edward's hand gripping the armrest of his chair slightly and hid a smirk. "That'll be all for today. If you decide to, come to come to the Headquarters in the East City." He handed a letter and card to Alphonse. "This should be helpful. Let's go." he called out to his companion, who was talking to a young Winry.
-0-0-0
Edward sat up in the hospital bed that was provided by Pinako whenever she was operating on her automail patients. She held a needle that was filled with the numbing agent she used during the procedure. "Are you not gonna regret this?" she asked as she adjusted the amount of liquid in the needle, double checking the CCs.
The elder Elric nodded his head, balling his right hand up into a tight fist. His mind replayed the visit the Lt. Colonel and what he said to him. There was a bigger possibility for him and Alphonse to return to normal if they were to join the military. "Yeah. I've already decided. How long will the surgery and rehabilitation take?"
"It would probably be three years until you can move properly." she placed the needle that she had filled into the tray Winry was carrying and picked up another vial filled with an antibiotic that would help the skin better adhere to the steel she was going to implant.
"One year!" Edward declared, his eyes lit with determination.
Pinako forced a grim smile. "You'll be coughing up blood."
Edward could only nod in agreement. He's seen other automail patients who tried to rush the healing process and how their bodies began to reject the prosthetics, causing internal damage to their bodies. But the blond was determined to finish his rehab in one year so that he could restore his younger brother. "Al, please be patient." he said to Alphonse with a smile on his face. "I'll return you to your old body."
Alphonse's glowing red eyes burned with a happy glow. "Yup. When the time come, you too, Big Brother"
-0-0-0
"A few months later after I healed from the surgery, Al and I burned down the house we grew up in and headed to Central. We were sent to Shou Tucker's house to prepare us for the Exam." He tightened his arm around Kagome's waist, making her look up at him shyly as he gave her a soft smile. "Where we met Kagome since Tucker was her uncle on her father's side. It wasn;t until the practicals that I found that I could use alchemy like you, Sensei. Is it because I saw that thing?"
Izumi said nothing for the longest of time. The silence was beginning to worry the two boys. Why was she quiet? Their Sensei was never this quiet. Izumi sighed as she covered her face with the palm of her hand, "Along Third Avenue..." she began, confusing the teens until she exploded with a fierce, menacing aura as she smashed her fist in the palm of her other hand. "There's a coffin store, so go get one that'll fit your sizes!" She watched as Kagome let out a little shriek and quickly moved to hide behind her husband, Sid. "Well, enough jokes...After I told you repeatedly not to do Human Transmutation, you still..." she slid her eyes over to the priestess that was still hiding from her with sweat beading at her hairline. "Both the Sensei and the apprentice...and now we have a girl who has nearly completed Animal Transmutation and studying Human transmutation...oh boy..."
Edward's eyes softened as he looked at his master. "So, you too, Sensei."
She sat down on the stone bench that erected behind her with a light clasp of her hands. She placed her hands over her stomach, her grey eyes averted sady. "My organs...many of them were taken away. "You guys sure are big idiots." she began a triad of degrading words to her students, ending with an insult to Edward's height which he had no choice but to accept. Izumi sighed as her eyes soften. "It must have been painful."
"Well, we were asking for it." he smiled as he motioned for Kagome to come back over to him, signalling that it was safe and that his sensei was no longer angry with them. "Besides, meeting Kagome made it a lot easier to handle the burden."
Kagome blushed as she reached for his human hand and squeezed as she did the same thing with Alphonse's hand, making sure to squeeze hard enough for his faint sensory receptors to respond. "I didn't really do anything except accept you for who you are. You're family to me."
Izumi saw the look of pure adoration on the faces of her students when the young priestess took hold of their hands. They truly loved this girl and she has helped ease the pain they felt since losing their mother. She had an inkling that Edward had never told Kagome to full story of what happened to them. 'He probably only told her that they committed the Taboo of Alchemy' But what still concerned her was that Kagome wanted to study Human Transmutation. That would mean that this kind-hearted child would have to face that thing that took her organs, Alphonse's body, and Edward's limbs. Izumi could not allow her precious students to lose another person they cared about. She invited them back inside her home.
"Still, Edward, being able to become a State Alchemist at the age of twelve and the youngest female State Alchemist at thirteen." Izumi smiled at her blond student and his girlfriend. "Must be what we call a genius."
Edward shook his head. "Kagome may be a genius, but that's not true about me." his eyes gleamed sadly as he tried to catch up to his sensei. "I'm not a genius at all. It was only because I saw Truth..."
"No. You were already a genius for being able to come back alive after seeing that." Izumi said, turning away from her students plus Kagome. "Pretty impressive for my apprentices..." she sighed as she felt a heavy feeling tug at her chest at what she was about to do next. "But, we still have to settle things. You guys are out." Izumi said in a strong, clear tone, her eyes hard as she faced the three teens. "I didn't teach you alchemy so you could turn your bodies into that. I no longer consider you apprentices."
Kagome was shocked that Izumi dismissed Edward and Alphonse as her students and was even more shocked that Ed had accepted the fact without so much of an argument. This was not like her hot headed boyfriend. She felt her heart clench painfully when Izumi turned her back on them once more and told them to go home. She watched the beautiful master alchemist walk into the kitchen before following her two companions out the door. "Thank you, Miss Izumi. I enjoyed your company." 'I suppose I should tell Edward more about my past now...'
-0-0-0
Sid walked the teens into the town so that they could take the next train back to Central. It was dark now and he did not want the children out walking by themselves, especially when they had a young lady accompanying them. The large man reminisced the time his wife commited the Taboo. "She got sick while carrying her first child. She tried hard, but she couldn't give birth." Sid sighed as he remembered the tears that flowed down his wife's face. "After than, she became infertile. She apologized about it throughout the night. It was not like she did anything wrong. She probably started thinking about Human Transmutation around then and," he choked up slightly. "She ended up like that. I'm a fool too, for not being able to notice."
Kagome placed her hand on Sig's arm, smiling when he looked down at her. "You're not a fool, Mister Sig. You've been a dutiful husband to Miss Izumi." Her blue eyes sparkled with admiration for the large man. He reminded her of her father in a sense. "I can tell that you love her despite her being damaged because of the rebound. I promise you once I get my research where I want it to be, even if I have to someday face Truth, I'm going to restore Miss Izumi's organs that were taken."
"Thank you, Kagome." He smiled as he placed his hand on her shoulder, squeezing it affectionately. As they approached the train station, Sid turned to face the teens, his face morphed back into his usual expression. "Come over if you are passing by again."
"Huh?" Edward said very intelligently. "But...We got kicked out..."
Sig rolled his eyes. "Idiots!" he yelled at the two boys. "You don't get it? Now that you guys are no longer Master and apprentices, you guys can still communicate with each other as normal people." His eyes narrowed as he stared at the two teenage boys. "Is there anything holding you back?"
Kagome giggled as she saw the dumbfounded look on her boyfriend's face. She knew that he had forgotten that even though he was no longer an apprentice of Miss Izumi that he could still talk with her about Human Transmutation as comrades. She crossed her arms over her chest, shooting Ed a cheeky grin similar to his own. "Well what are you waiting for, you goof. Didn't we come to Dublith for two reasons?"
Edward and Alphonse looked at Kagome for a few seconds longer before connecting eyes and nodding. "Mister Sig, we're going back."
"Don't get yourselves killed!" He called out to the teens.
"We'll try not to!" they called back.
-0-0-0
Izumi was in her kitchen sharpening a knife as she her mind replayed the hurt expressions that were on her former students faces when she banned them. She sighed. It had to be done. She could not allow defiant students to be using her name. Just as she was finishing up sharpening the first on the three large steak knives, rapid footsteps echoed from outside her door. Izumi shifted her grey eyes up to the door to see Edward burst into her home.
"Sensei!" Edward cried out as he opened the door. He immediately pushed Kagome back who was pressed up against him, trying to enter after him and the ducked to narrowly avoid the sharp blade that his former master threw at him.
"Why the hell are you showing your faces here again?!" The master alchemist exclaimed, her brow furrowed in anger. "What "Sensei" is this?! You are not my apprentices!" Her eyes glowed with ferocity as she glared at her former students. "Go home now!"
Kagome smiled uneasily as she pulled the knife out of the wall above her paralyzed boyfriend's head. She handed the sharpened blade back to Izumi, "Calm down please, Miss Izumi and hear them out?"
Edward finally came out of his fear-induced coma and slammed his fist on the ground, crouching on the floor in front of the master alchemist. Alphonse followed after his brother, kneeling beside him. Both of them were vaguely surprised when Kagome joined them on the ground, her hands folded pleadingly on her lap. "We came here for clues on how to return to our original forms and for possible information for Kagome's alchemy. We won't go home empty handed!"
"Go home!"
"We won't!"
She took the knife that Kagome handed her, holding it menacingly. "I'll chop you up!"
"We won't go even if you chop us up!"
"Just go home!"
"No way!"
Izumi glared down at her former students, watching them glare back at her with the same eyes that they held when they asked to be her apprentices. She glanced over at Kagome and saw that even her eyes shared that same determined look as Edward's. 'Same eyes as that time...' She sighed, "Idiots..." and placed her hands on her hips, wiping her hands off on her apron. "Did Al see "Truth?" Izumi directed the question towards the younger Elric brother.
Alphonse jolted when all attention was on him. He shifted nervously as he placed his finger against his temple. "I don't know anything about "Truth."
"Hmm..." their former sensei hummed. "Could it be that he lost his memory from the shock?" Izumi placed he hands on her hips as she stated, "Let's try getting Al's memory back, considering he lost his entire body."
Edward placed his fist into his open palm. That's right. Since Alphone's whole body was taken, he should have be the closest to Truth and saw everything the entity had to offer them. If Al could get that memory back, then maybe... He looked over at Kagome, who was sitting at the table, listening intently to their conversation until she felt his gaze on her. She flashed him one of her beautiful smiles as he made his way over to her. "Kags, You've been helping Al feel more human, right?"
Kagome nodded. She's been training with Alphonse almost everyday since before they left Resembool. With her aide, the younger brother could now sleep for a few hours and even dream; his sensory receptors, while still faint, were growing stronger with each session. "Yeah, Alphonse's soul responds really well with my priestess powers."
Izumi's eyes widened. This young girl was strong enough to manipulate a human soul that was chemically bound to a suit of armor. 'This girl may be able to crack the code to Human Transmutation... Maybe even restore their bodies.' "Kagome, do you think you can unlock Al's repressed memories with your abilities?"
"I can try." The priestess smiled as the back of her gloves glowed softly with her powers, but Izumi held her hand up to stop her.
"That can wait." the master alchemist said with a smile on her face. "You're probably hungry. Dinner will be finished in a few." Izumi handed a knife to Kagome, "Will you help, Kagome? Because I'm sure your little boyfriend won't go back until he finds a solution."
Kagome giggled when Ed sent his former sensei an annoyed look for the jab at his height since he could not do anything unless he had a death wish. She followed Izumi to the kitchen slab and helped her finished slicing the stew meat and vegetables for the meal. She looked over her shoulder at Edward, "Don't just stand there. You come help too."
-0-0-0
"There has been an order for a transfer." Lt. General Grumman said as he placed a pawn down the chess board. He waited for his opponent to make his move as he said, "You will be working in Central starting next week."
Mustang placed his bishop in front of a black pawn and took the piece from the board with a calculating look on his face. "Yes."
Grumman placed a black rook on the board and took one of the white knights, taking its place. "It'll be lonely here." he sighed as Mustang took another one of his pawns before he, too, claimed one of the white pawns. "You've been interesting." The elder man frowned when the dark-haired male claimed one of his knights.
"No. No." Roy claimed as he moved one of his knights to a space closer to Grumman's side of the board. "Not as much as the stories of you when you were young." He eyed the board carefully after the General played, putting him in Check. Mustang smiled when he saw an opening.
"Ho Ho Ho." The General chuckled as he stroked his chin. "When I was a young officer, it was so..." he trailed off as he watched the Colonel move a bishop closer to his Queen, stopping his Check. Grumman smiled goodnaturedly at the younger man as he moved a pawn to over take one of Mustang's. "Thanks to your hard work, you made my job easier."
Roy replaced one of Grumma's rooks with a pawn with a slight smile tilted at his lips. "I, too, was able to learn quite a lot from the work you gave me here." He leaned back and scanned the board for more openings to place the General in Checkmate. He was getting closer to finally besting the elder man in a game of chess.
Grumman felt sweat forming at his browline as he saw that Roy was getting closer and closer to catching his first win against him. "I heard that Brigadier General Halcrow will be replacing you." He smacked his bishop against Mustang's advancing rook. "I don't like him, he's too stern. Eat that." he muttered out the last sentence as he prevented the Colonel from taking over his side of the playing field.
Mustang picked up one of his white knights with a smirk. "I wish you luck," and placed it in front of the remaining black rook that was supposed to be protecting Grumman's Queen and placing his King in an inescapable position. "Checkmate." he declared.
"Aaaahhhh." the old general exclaimed in a satisfied voice as he scanned the board and saw that he had indeed lost to Checkmate. "I finally lost." He took out a pen and notebook that he kept hidden in the folds of his coat. "Mustang's record of 1 win, 97 loss, and 15 draws." Grumman scribbled down the track records in his book with a smile. "This one is special."
"I'll gladly take that win." Roy announced as he cleaned up the playing pieces and rose to his feet, handing the closed chess board to the older man.
Grumman followed Roy to the door. "Talking about special, when are you going to take my granddaughter as your wife." Of course Grumman knew of Mustang's secret relationship with his beloved granddaughter, Riza. She could not hide anything from him even if she tried. "She'll become the future Führer's wife."
Roy shot the man a smirk as he reached for the doorknob. "Only time will tell, General. Talking about special..." he trailed off, giving the man a knowing look. "I have some subordinates that I want to take to Central with me."
"Yep, it's okay." the General said with a smile on his face as he held up the chess board. "Take them." he handed the kit to Roy.
"You have my thanks."
-0-0-0
Breda lifted his placing piece and slammed it down on the board. "Checkmate!" He lifted his fist into the air and laughed deep from his belly at his triumph. "15 straight wins!" he continued laughing when he heard some of the other members comment that they should not judge people by their appearance. And Breda knew with his burly stature and buzzcut mohawk, he did not seem to be a genius Shogi player. "You have to play it using this." he tapped his forehead.
Falman walked into the room, the noise from inside piqued his curiosity. "Oh? There seems to be a commotion." He walked up behind Breda and noticed the board game on the table. "Oh, what a rarity!"
"You know about Shogi?" Heymans questioned. "It's the kinda chess played by the Easter Island Countries."
Vato seemed to be visibly annoyed that Breda thought him to be incompetent of the game. He stood a little straighter as he went into his full knowledge of aforementioned game. ""Shogi" - it's a type of board game. To win you must move to surrounded the opponent's Kings using all 20 of the pieces on the board. The point of the game is -" he was cut off.
"Yes, next...Next!" Heymans said in a bored tone.
"Oh yeah!" Vato said as he remembered what he had come in here for in the first place. "I came to tell you something." His face turned stern and his silver bangs brushed against his forehead from the movement. "The Colonel said that he wants us to along."
Breda pointed at himself with a confused look on his face before scratching his head. "Me along?" He watched as Falman nodded. "With you?"
Again Falman nodded his head. "Yes."
-0-0-0-
Using a cauterizing gun, Kain Fuery fused a wire to the connector. "And..." he hummed, making sure the wires were connected properly and would not come loose. "Like that, it should work." He closed the box and handed the ear piece to the man standing next to him. He smiled briefly when the man praised him for his work when the phone connected. Kain walked off the platform and took his heavy blue military coat off and loosened the top button on his shirt.
A car drove up next to Fuery as he was wiping sweat from his brow. "Private Fuery." the driver called out, gaining the small man's attention. "Colonel Mustang is calling you." He then offered Kain a ride back to where Roy was waiting for him.
As Kain hopped into the back of the car, he said his thoughts aloud, "I wonder what it is?"
-0-0-0
Havoc hefted another large bag of debris from the destroyed building and tossed with the many other bags. He grunted as he placed a cigarette in his mouth and lit it. "There." he took a drag from the cig and let it out in a cloud of smoke. "Scar's corpse hasn't been found yet?" Jean rubbed his neck with the towel that was draped around his shoulders.
"Nope," another worker said. "It's hasn't shown up."
"Second Lt. Havoc, please leave the rest to us and take a break." One of the other workers said, hefting the heavy rope onto his shoulders.
"You're working more than us enlisted."
Jean took another drag from his cigarette before smiling sheepishly. "Really? I feel bad then." He blew the smoke out and took a step to walk away from the destruction site. "Then I'll take a rest..." He paused when he title was called out before him from the tent. His smoke fell out of his mouth in a deadpan look when the soldier announced that it was the colonel calling.
-0-0-0
Shots rang out as bullets hit their target with deadly accuracy, hitting the smallest bullseyes on the human shaped board. Riza took her earmuff off and lowered her rifle to reload it with more bullets. She glanced over her shoulder when she heard someone address her.
"Ohh! You're doing well, Riza." He lifted his binoculars to his eyes when the blonde lieutenant raised her gun and resumed firing. "Your aim is good as always."
"Not good enough." She replied as she shifted one earmuff off of her head to listen to the man speaking to her.
"The colonel called." he smiled as Riza took her aim once more. "Transfer to Central has been confirmed."
Riza took the shot and the bullet struck the center bullseye of the target's head. "Yes." a ghost of a smile spread over her lips as she lifted her rifle and emptied out the bullet casing from the chamber.
-0-0-0
Mustang rose from his desk, his fingers splayed out over the desk. "So," he began, his slate grey eyes locking with each person in the room. "Private Kain Fuery, Sergeant Vato Falman, Second Lt. Heymans Breda, Second Lt. Jean Havoc..." His gaze softened a bit when he paid eyes on his beautiful blond woman, "First Lt. Riza Hawkeye, you five will all come with me to Central. I will hear no with me."
Jean blinked when he suddenly remember something important. "Wait Colonel," he said, "There's a problem. I just got a girlfriend recently."
"Leave her." Roy stated bluntly, his face a blank slate. "Get a new one in Central." He then turned his back on JEan when the Second Lt. shoulders fell. "It's a good thing you guys just started going out, so it's not much of a loss. Since the relationship isn't that serious yet." He let out a devious laugh when Jean shot him a dejected look as the others led him out of his office.
-0-0-0
Kagome hugged her new books to her chest. She and her two companions had just left the Dublith Library and there were a few books that would aid her research in Animal Transmutation and about how she could intertwine her priestess powers with her alchemy to potentially bring back animals that have been dead for a longer period of time. "Thanks for bringing me to the Library, you guys. This should help my research a lot."
Edward flashed his girlfriend a smile as he placed Kisara on his shoulder when the little cat had woken up from her nap. He grimaced slightly when she dug her tiny claws into his skin to get a better grip, but he stroked the kitten under her chin affectionately. "It's no problem, Kags. But man it's gotten so late already."
"Brother always loses track of time when reading books." Alphonse teased.
"You too!" Ed shot back as he took the heavier books from Kagome's arms and grabbed her hand as he picked up the pace. "Let's take the shortcut. If we don't hurry, Sensei is gonna yell at us."
The Sacred-Life Alchemist giggled behind her hand. Edward was no match for the wrath of Izumi even if she was no longer their master. He still held her in deep respect. She opened her mouth to say something teasingly when the warning bells in the back of her head went off. ""Edward, something is coming."
"Mister. Mister, over here." A man wearing a tattered cloak. "Would you please give me some money?"
Edward looked at the man with a dead look in his eyes. Gripping Kagome's hand tighter, he and Alphonse took off in a sprint. "Shut up, go get a job!" He laughed when his girl whacked him over the back of his head, but shot an annoyed look over his shoulder when the man was being persistent and chased after them.
"Hey, aren't you a little cold?" His beady vermillion green eyes shifted over to Alphonse. "Hey armored mister!"
"Sorry, I have no money." Al said quickly.
The beggar turned to Kagome. "Come one! State Alchemists should be loaded with money." he rubbed his fingers together in a greedy manner while his eyes flashed at her.
Kagome shot the man a very annoyed look. Something about this man's aura was making her feel uneasy. It felt very familiar. Like she's encountered the type of aura before. She squeezed Edward's hand for comfort only to realize it was his human hand she was holding. "I don't know what you're talking about. Leave us alone."
"Don't try to act dumb." the strange man chuckled out goodnaturedly. "Your boyfriend's brother is quite famous in the world, you know." His next words caused the group to stop in their tracks. "He transumated his brother's soul, right?" He tilted his head to the side when Edward turned venomous eyes on him. "Bingo?"
Edward grit his teeth as he removed Kisara from his shoulder and placed her in Kagome's arms. "You're annoying." he growled out.
"That armored fella there, doesn;t have a body, right?"
Kagome sighed as she knew what was going to happen next. Edward quickly slammed his automail leg into the beggar's face, sending him flying into a row of trash cans. She shrugged her shoulders, pitying the man who angered her temper prone boyfriend. Alphonse's body was always going to be a tender topic for Edward. But she could not shake the feeling of that man's aura from her mind. Kagome knew that she's felt it somewhere before. The feeling was too similar for her to forget, but it must have been a long time since she's felt it.
Edward grabbed Kagome's hand again, this time with his automail. "Let's go." he announced.
The beggar rose out of the trash, holding his nose tenderly. "You broke my nose!" he whined out, his voice a bit nasally. He jumped to his feet and pointed his finger at the trio angrily. "Hey, you! You don't have to act like that just because I guess right! I wanna see the face of your parents..." He never got to finish his sentence due to a trashcan being slammed into his face, busting his nose once more. "Getting so worked up over it probably means that the armored fella there isn't human. Huh..."
"Bastard! You won't stop talking!" He stopped when Kagome wrapped her arms around his waist and his little brother approached the beggar with a dark look on his face.
"Mister." Alphonse said as he shadow cast over the man laying on the ground. He reached out and grabbed him by the back of his cloak. "Please, cut it out." His blood red eyes glowed ominously as brought the man closer to his face.
The beggar let out a sheepish laugh. "Sorry about it. I was just..."
Kagome noticed something creeping out from under the man's cloak. But before she could warn Alphonse, it wrapped around her friend's head and knocked his helmet off his body. The result was instantaneous, Al yelled out in pain from having his head removed from his body, his faint senses being ripped apart as his hands instantly reached for the empty spot his head was. The priestess could feel her anger rise as she glared at the man who basically undid all her hard work with Alphonse. She'd have to immediately begin to restore his senses of she was going to be able to save them. "You bastard!" her eyes widened when she took notice of the beggar. He had a tail!
"Yea!" the man shouted in victory. "There's no mistake! You're the one with the transmuted soul!"
The priestess froze as she finally realized why this man's aura felt so familiar to her. He has a tail similar to a gecko's, and patchy skin that looked to be covered in scales. He was a human chimera! He was like her precious little cousin, Nina. She vaguely saw Edward attack the man once more. 'Why? How did this man keep his human features?' Kagome stared blankly when Edward transumated a wall to block the man's escape. 'Tucker was apprehended and died in prison for harming Nina. So who made this man into a human chimera?' She snapped out of her shock when Edward grabbed her hand when the man suddenly scaled up the wall and left the scene. Tears swelled behind her lids as she sobbed out, "Edward..."
Edward's initial shock and anger quickly vanished when he heard the broken voice of his girlfriend. "Kagome, what's wrong, baby?" he quickly pulled her into a soft embrace and stroked her hair with his human hand.
"That man..." she cried, her tears flowing down her cheeks. "His aura...his aura was like Nina's!" Kagome clung to Edward as she let out a wail as pain gripped her chest. She felt like she could not breath as she was reminded of her beloved cousin that she failed to protect all those years ago.
-0-0-0
"Good work, Bido!" A man's voice praised the beggar. "You're awesome!" He leaned back into the sofa he was relaxing on, wrapped his arms back around the two women. "Coming over to Dublith on their own sure saved us a lot of trouble. The girl traveling with him, she had dark blue eyes, right?" He cracked a grin when Bido nodded his head.
"What should we do." a large blond man asked.
"Hurry and get them to come over." The obvious leader waved his hand at his underlings. His spiky black hair shifted slightly as he ran his fingers through it. "Use force or capture his pretty little girlfriend if they resist. But!" he announced, his shades gleaming in the light. "They're big guests. Don't kill them no matter what." The mark of ouroboros could be seen clearly on the back of his left hand as he lifted his middle finger to his comrades.
-0-0-0
I have no excuse for this year long hiatus again! Other than I got a serious case of writer's block, then I work a shift that makes writing virtually impossible. But I will try to upload either "As Fate Would Have It" or this fic again this weekend. I'm making it priority number one!
I hope I have not lost any of my loyal readers and pray that this chapter was up to par with the others!
And since I wanted to get this out as soon as possible, please excuse any grammatical errors!
Ja ne,
~Kirei Ai Tenshi