A Teacher's Mistakes
When the first train from the neighbouring city arrived in Dublith, no one paid attention to a middle-aged, moustached man, who was dressed as though he was having a vacation trip. On the other hand, every passer-by noticed the three soldiers that were accompanying said middle-aged man, and they could only stare at them in wonder. Then again, no one imagined that that moustached man was no other than King Bradley, the Führer of Amestris, officially travelling with the intention of inspecting every military base in the south area of the country.
“So this is the city of Dublith,” Bradley commented, scrutinising the buildings that surrounded the train station. “Not bad. Not bad at all.”
“With all due respect, Sir, why did we get off the train?” Armstrong asked, looking around as well. “There are no military bases for you to inspect here.”
“I’m well aware of it, Major,” Bradley answered, a broad smile on his features as he picked up his luggage and started walking. “But it has come to my attention that the Elric Brothers are here and I want to speak to them about Fullmetal’s future… purposes.”
Armstrong quirked an eyebrow and looked at his superior. “You mean concerning the events in Liore, Sir?”
“Quite right,” Bradley said. “There’s a war brewing, Major, and we’ll need every enlisted man we can get in order to win.”
Armstrong didn’t say anything this time. Bradley, however, noticed the major’s frowning expression.
“You may speak freely, if you have any objections to my decision.”
“Thank you, Sir,” Armstrong said with a courteous nod. “In all honesty, I have several reservations concerning Edward Elric’s involvement in the matters of Liore because of his young age. He might not have the physical and mental strength required from soldiers at times like these.”
“If Major Edward ‘Fullmetal’ Elric had the physical and mental strength to pass a qualification exam to become the youngest State Alchemist within the military ranks, he can handle the duties of a soldier. Or do you suppose we should start making exceptions, Major Armstrong?” It was Lieutenant Colonel Archer who said that, and his expression revealed nothing but cold apathy as he spoke those words.
“You got your answer, Major,” Bradley said. He stopped on his tracks and turned to face Armstrong and Archer. “Now that that matter has been cleared up, you had better go find young Elric and bring him to this hotel.” Bradley pointed at a small building on his left. “He most likely stays with his teacher, a certain Izumi Curtis; so you might as well start your search from there.”
“Understood!” Armstrong and Archer said at once. After saluting respectfully, they went to see to their errand, while the young female private who had been silent throughout the conversation, Private Cecilia Howard, chuckled cruelly.
“Dublith, huh? Now that’s what I call ironic,” she said.
“Do you think she knows of their presence?” Bradley asked thoughtfully.
‘Howard’ shook her head. “If she did, she would have sent word to us. Well, it’s time somebody informed her. May I take your leave, Führer?” she said, hardly concealing her sarcasm as she addressed Bradley.
“Of course,” Bradley answered. “I’ll wait for our new orders at the hotel.”
“Good.” With that, Envy changed into a small bird and flew away to give his report to their master.
Ed and Al were still in their bedroom, sitting cross-legged on the floor, so deeply lost in thought that they almost jumped when the door suddenly burst open. And, to their shock, Mason hurried inside in a state of panic, with Winry close behind him.
“What’s wrong?” Ed asked, not liking this at all.
“We need to hurry,” Mason said. “Izumi is in the hospital.”
The brothers immediately sprang to their feet.
“Is it because of… her condition?” Al dared to ask.
“Yes, it is,” Mason answered at once. “Now come on, Boss is already there.”
Ed and Al didn’t need to be told twice. At the next moment, they hurried down the stairs and outside the butcher shop.
That afternoon, Roy was alone with Maes in the make-shift recovery room Dr. Knox’s house provided – but not alone. Dr. Knox was there too, checking on Maes’s vital signs to make sure that the injured man was healing without much problem; while Sarah Abbot was seated close to Roy, telling him her own piece of news.
Roy didn’t like what he heard at all.
“So you didn’t find anything?”
Sarah shook her head. “Nothing at all.”
Roy sighed and rested his elbows on his knees. “That certainly proves that our good Miss Douglas wants to hide something. But we also need some tangible proof.” He stood up and started pacing the room, softly murmuring to himself as he tried to think of a solution… only to freeze in place when realisation hit him.
“A woman who’s dead…” He faced Dr. Knox’s direction, who was regarding him curiously. “Knox, all the death certificates are safely stored in the morgue, isn’t that right?”
“Yes,” Knox said, nodding hesitantly. “What do you want to find out?”
“See if you can find a death certificate with the name Juliette Douglas on it. I’ve got this feeling that the Führer’s secretary isn’t who she claims to be.”
Knox sighed in understanding. “A case of stealing one’s identity, I see. That wouldn’t be the first time,” he said grimly. “Nevertheless, I’ll look into it.”
“You need more.”
Roy, Knox and Sarah immediately tensed at that weak voice, for it was Maes’s.
“What do you mean?” Roy asked, facing his friend.
“More proof,” Maes whispered. Though his gaze was now locked on his friend, he kept blinking to stay in focus. “Ask Scieszka. She can give it to you.”
Roy shook his head though. “It’s too risky; they could be watching her. Why do you think I didn’t go to her in the first place?”
“The military’s in danger, Roy. It’s being used to create the philosopher’s stone. You know this,” Maes said. “You have to risk it, or it will probably be too late.”
“I’m afraid he has a point, Mustang,” Knox said. “Do you want to have another Ishbal in your conscience?”
Roy bit his lip and bowed his head. He knew both men had a point; but Roy had worked hard to create the image of an obedient officer to avoid suspicion. He couldn’t just destroy that image and not pay the consequences for it.
“Colonel?”
Roy turned to Sarah and looked at her curiously, for her eyes seemed alight with a determination Roy had seen on very few people in his life.
“I’ll go.”
All Roy could say to that was: “All right.”
Winry, Mason and the Elric Brothers arrived at the hospital in less than a half hour, but they didn’t get permission to see Izumi. The doctor explained that she was too weak and she needed as much sleep as possible, which meant only one person should stay with her, her husband. Ed tried to object, saying that they were all aware of her condition; that they had been aware of it for the last six years and so they knew what they were dealing with. And he tried not to notice the dumbfounded look Winry gave him at those words.
The doctor was adamant, though. He declared that, if Ed and his friends were really aware of their teacher’s condition, they would understand that Mrs. Curtis needed all the rest she could get.
Ed and Al bowed their head at that. “We’re sorry, Sir,” the younger brother said.
“Just a minute!” Winry said, finally finding the chance to speak. “Your teacher has been sick for that long?”
“Yes,” Al answered, nodding weakly. “It’s just that she’s so strong that we sometimes forget.”
“But what kind of sickness is it? Maybe a hospital in Central can cure her,” Winry said.
“Unfortunately, it can’t be done,” the doctor said with a shake of his head.
“Why not?” the girl insisted. “No offence, but she’ll get better treatment there.”
It was Mason who answered for the doctor this time, and his tone was sad and full of regret. “Her condition is incurable. She’s missing a lot of organs.”
Winry’s eyes widened in shock. “Missing? How is that possible?” she asked.
Ed, however, understood perfectly well. “It is possible…” he whispered, his flesh hand rubbing his automail one in an uncomfortable manner.
The doctor shrugged. “Indeed, but this is the first time that I saw anything like it. It looks as though somebody cut the missing organs out of her body, while the remaining ones intertwined to make up for the loss.”
“It’s still not enough though,” Mason completed. “That’s why she keeps coughing up blood.”
Winry lowered her gaze as she realised how things stood. Al, on the other hand, turned to Ed, his red eyes flickering. “Brother, that means Teacher tried… what we tried.”
“Yeah, everything makes sense now,” Ed replied grimly. “What I don’t understand is,” and at that he turned to Mason, “why didn’t Mr. Curtis try to stop her?”
“Because I didn’t know anything.”
Everyone turned at hearing Sig from so close. Sure enough, the burly man had exited the room where Izumi was and he was now approaching them, a rueful expression on his usually austere features.
“She got sick while carrying our child,” he explained further on. “Though she tried hard, she couldn’t give birth to it; and the doctors said she wouldn’t be able to have any other children.” He sighed. “It wasn’t her fault, but she apologised a lot of times throughout that night.”
“A baby?” Winry mused. At the next instant, she bit her lower lip, because she remembered her carefree question about children. “I see.”
“Yes,” Sig said. “I was foolish enough not to notice her sadness; how strongly she took the matter in her heart. So hard that she even thought of human transmutation.”
Al gasped. “She tried to revive the baby?”
Sig nodded. “She did it all by herself. I don’t know what she saw when she did it. But when she came back, she was covered in blood and her chest and abdomen were all but torn apart.”
And that’s where Sig finished his tale. Silence reigned in the room for many long moments, and no one seemed comfortable enough to break in.
That is, until Ed asked one question:
“When did all this happen?”
“About ten years ago.”
“Right.” Suddenly, Ed turned on his heel and grabbed Al by one of his metal gauntlets. “Come on, Al.”
“Where are you going?” Winry exclaimed.
“Back to the shop,” Ed answered.
If Winry ever intended to say anything else, she never got the chance. Ed and Al were outside the hospital in seconds, sprinting towards the shop.
“What’s in your mind, Brother?” Al asked, unsure what to think of Ed’s odd behaviour.
“That there’s no such thing as too many coincidences,” Ed answered, panting slightly as he still ran at top speed.
“What do you mean?”
“Think about it, Al! You were the one that started figuring it out! That boy has my limbs; I remembered seeing him in the gate; and his age would match Izumi’s kid’s if he were alive now.”
To say Al was shocked, it would have been an understatement.
“You mean… The kid is her son?! Teacher did it?!”
But Ed kept his gaze focused on the road. “We’ll find out as soon as I talk to him.”
It was then that another voice sounded on their left.
“Mister, would you please give me some money?”
Ed looked at the beggar from the corner of his eye. The man was wretchedly-clothed, covering his dirty face with a tattered hood; his eyes were large; and his nails where long, almost claw-like.
Even so, Ed had no time for charity. “Go get a job!” he said indignantly, and he continued running.
The beggar proved quite persistent though. In fact, he started running after the boys.
“Come on, aren’t you a bit harsh?” he asked in a pitiable tone. “What about you, armoured man? You must have something you could give a poor soul like me.”
“Sorry! All I have on me is a small box with a screwdriver in it!” Al replied.
“Screwdriver?” Ed wondered, looking at his brother quizzically.
“Long story,” the suit of armour said, his tone indicating that he was actually blushing.
“A State Alchemist with no money on him? I find that hard to believe,” the beggar insisted.
Ed huffed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now go away already!”
“Don’t act dumb! You’re famous around here,” the beggar said with a grin. “You transmuted your brother’s soul, right?”
Ed finally stopped on his tracks and turned to face the beggar. The ragged-clothed man chuckled, seeing that he got the reaction he wanted from the boy.
“I’m right,” he declared smugly.
“Annoying, more likely,” Ed said. His tone was low, but the menacing quality in it was quite audible.
“Still, that armour is empty, isn’t it?”
That was what ultimately made Ed snap. In the next moment, he had kicked the insolent beggar right in the face and sent him flying into a couple of bins nearby. He didn’t even heed the loud banging noises the man’s rough landing caused. All he did was turn around once more and say: “Let’s go, Al.”
“Hey, you broke my nose!” the beggar exclaimed, his voice sounding quite nasal now. After wiping the blood that flowed down his face, he pointed an accusing finger at Ed. “Listen, you! Didn’t your mother tell you not to--”
He never completed his sentence, because he was rudely interrupted when Ed decided to shut him up by throwing one of the large bins on his face. Such was the young alchemist’s force that the beggar was sent flying again.
For all his injuries, the beggar didn’t give up.
“I see,” he commented with a chuckle. He stood up and smirked as though he had discovered something very important. “If you’re getting so worked up over it, it means you don’t want to admit your brother is a freak!”
Now that was too much, even for Al’s gentle heart.
“Who are you calling a freak?” the suit of armour demanded indignantly and grabbed the beggar from the scruff of his neck.
The beggar swallowed hard. “Hey, now… can’t you take a joke?”
Before Al had the chance to say his opinion about the particular joke though, the beggar suddenly revealed from underneath his clothes a large tail which he used to swipe Al’s head off. Taken by surprise, Al let go of the beggar and tried to locate his head.
The fact that the beggar started laughing didn’t help matters much.
“So it really is empty! Tucker was right!”
“Tucker?!” Al exclaimed, flabbergasted to hear the familiar name after all this time.
“It’s time for your head to roll!” Ed cried, now quite beside himself in fury.
The beggar didn’t stick around to get beaten, of course. He simply ran off, all the while taunting Ed.
“Don’t get upset, it’s not like I hurt your brother or anything!”
“You won’t get away that easily!” Ed said. True to his word, he clapped his hands and used his alchemy to transmute a wall to stop the beggar’s escape. It seemed that the hunt was over before it even started; but the beggar only laughed.
“Your powers are uncanny! Then again… I’m uncanny too!” And with that, he quickly climbed the wall with the ease and agility of a monkey. In a matter of seconds, he jumped on the other side of the wall.
Ed could only stare in shock as he watched the creature disappear out of sight.
“What the hell was that thing?” he murmured in bewilderment.
“And what is Tucker doing with him?” Al wondered. He had found his head once again and placed it back between his shoulders to look at his brother’s direction.
“That was a chimera; probably one of those that escaped from Lab 5 along with Tucker… or, should I say, the Sewing-life Alchemist?”
At the sound of yet another unfamiliar voice close to them, the boys turned around and set themselves in defensive position. They didn’t know the pale, apathetic-looking soldier that was now standing behind them. But they certainly knew the great bulk of a soldier that was beside him.
“Save your energy, young Elric. We’re on your side,” Armstrong said softly.
“Major! It’s been a while!” Al exclaimed in surprise.
“Indeed,” Armstrong replied. He motioned his hand to the other soldier’s direction. “This is Lieutenant Colonel Frank Archer. He’s in charge of the military court.”
“Oh, that’s the same position as Lieutenant Colonel Hughes’,” Al noted.
Armstrong flinched, but neither of the brothers noticed it.
“And I see you’re already aware of the Lab 5 incident,” Ed completed, looking warily at Archer.
The lieutenant colonel didn’t seem fazed in the least. “After certain… incidents… the Führer deemed that I was worthy of his trust, so he has disclosed everything that has been happening this last year,” he said. “I suggest you show me the same trust, Major Elric.”
Ed wasn’t so sure about that suggestion, but he had to admit that there was nothing he could say to that either.
“All right,” he said, perhaps a bit more grudgingly than he had intended, “So why are you here?”
“You like getting straight to business,” Archer noted. “Very well, I won’t beat about the bush. The Führer is here too and he wishes to see you. Now.”
Ed frowned, not expecting that kind of news. “What is it about?”
“It’s not my business to tell you; you’ll find out soon enough,” Archer replied. He regarded Ed almost contemptuously and smirked. “Unless, of course, you’re planning on defying orders. Colonel Mustang let you pick up some nasty habits, after all.”
Ed clenched his jaw. Normally, he wouldn’t mind if someone practically insulted his superior officer like that - he had done so himself many times before in the past. But the more he talked with Archer, the more he felt that this man was nothing like the Colonel. True, Mustang was manipulative, but Ed had come to realise that he was manipulative in a mischievous, teasing way – Mustang would never really harm anyone. Archer, on the other hand… he seemed ready to step on dead bodies to get what he wanted.
“Fine,” he finally said with a sigh. He turned to his brother. “Al, will you check out matters for me?”
Al caught on. “I will. Don’t worry.”
“Thanks.” With that, Ed looked at Archer and Armstrong proudly. “I’m ready to go.”
Dublith wasn’t a big city. Nevertheless, it still had its fill of people who were ready to act against the law for their own personal gain. Such people dwelled in one particular area of Dublith, and it was exactly to that place the beggar headed as soon as he was done spying on the Elric brothers. It didn’t take him long to reach a decrepit, filthy-looking bar with the name The Devil’s Nest written on a signpost just above its entrance, or give his report to his boss; a tall man, whose spiky coal black hair and sunglasses contrasted with his pale face.
“You did good work, Biddo,” the man said. “It looks like the Elric Brothers were exactly where our good Mr. Tucker told us.” He turned around to see a huge form, which was so heavily clothed that it was difficult to make out either his face or his body. “It would be a pity if you had lied to me.”
Tucker flinched. “I would never lie to you, Greed,” he said in his usual hushed whisper. “And I assure you they will be useful to you.”
Greed made a small humming noise as he got immersed in thought. “You say that both of them will be useful but… I really need only one of them.” He turned to three other chimeras that were nearby: a bull of a man, a shorter one who kept sniffing the air like some sort of dog, and a woman with thin, albeit powerful limbs.
“Loa, Dorochet, Martel… you know what to do,” Greed said to them, waving a hand dismissively; a hand with the tattoo of an ouroboros on it. “If he resists, bring him here by force. But remember,” and at that, he raised a warning finger, “he’s a big guest. Don’t kill him, no matter what.”
The three chimeras didn’t say anything. They just bowed and walked out.
Still, there was someone who was displeased with his boss’s decision.
“You should have let me go with them,” another man said from his comfortable spot by the bar, his yellow eyes now locked on the homunculus. “I know this territory like the back of my hand.”
“Relax, Kimblee; you will get your chance soon enough,” Greed answered, taking a big swing out of the whiskey in front of him. “However, know this: the others have already vocalised their distrust in you, since you are a former State Alchemist and all. I’m only willing to put that aside as long as I think you can offer me good service.” He removed his eyes so that he could look Kimblee straight in the eye. “But if you betray me, I will show you no mercy.”
Kimblee smirked and placed his hands in his pockets in a shrugging manner. “Do whatever you like. I just want to create chaos once more.”
In spite of his words, he still locked his eyes on a small bundle placed in the darkest corner of the room.
TBC...
“So this is the city of Dublith,” Bradley commented, scrutinising the buildings that surrounded the train station. “Not bad. Not bad at all.”
“With all due respect, Sir, why did we get off the train?” Armstrong asked, looking around as well. “There are no military bases for you to inspect here.”
“I’m well aware of it, Major,” Bradley answered, a broad smile on his features as he picked up his luggage and started walking. “But it has come to my attention that the Elric Brothers are here and I want to speak to them about Fullmetal’s future… purposes.”
Armstrong quirked an eyebrow and looked at his superior. “You mean concerning the events in Liore, Sir?”
“Quite right,” Bradley said. “There’s a war brewing, Major, and we’ll need every enlisted man we can get in order to win.”
Armstrong didn’t say anything this time. Bradley, however, noticed the major’s frowning expression.
“You may speak freely, if you have any objections to my decision.”
“Thank you, Sir,” Armstrong said with a courteous nod. “In all honesty, I have several reservations concerning Edward Elric’s involvement in the matters of Liore because of his young age. He might not have the physical and mental strength required from soldiers at times like these.”
“If Major Edward ‘Fullmetal’ Elric had the physical and mental strength to pass a qualification exam to become the youngest State Alchemist within the military ranks, he can handle the duties of a soldier. Or do you suppose we should start making exceptions, Major Armstrong?” It was Lieutenant Colonel Archer who said that, and his expression revealed nothing but cold apathy as he spoke those words.
“You got your answer, Major,” Bradley said. He stopped on his tracks and turned to face Armstrong and Archer. “Now that that matter has been cleared up, you had better go find young Elric and bring him to this hotel.” Bradley pointed at a small building on his left. “He most likely stays with his teacher, a certain Izumi Curtis; so you might as well start your search from there.”
“Understood!” Armstrong and Archer said at once. After saluting respectfully, they went to see to their errand, while the young female private who had been silent throughout the conversation, Private Cecilia Howard, chuckled cruelly.
“Dublith, huh? Now that’s what I call ironic,” she said.
“Do you think she knows of their presence?” Bradley asked thoughtfully.
‘Howard’ shook her head. “If she did, she would have sent word to us. Well, it’s time somebody informed her. May I take your leave, Führer?” she said, hardly concealing her sarcasm as she addressed Bradley.
“Of course,” Bradley answered. “I’ll wait for our new orders at the hotel.”
“Good.” With that, Envy changed into a small bird and flew away to give his report to their master.
Ed and Al were still in their bedroom, sitting cross-legged on the floor, so deeply lost in thought that they almost jumped when the door suddenly burst open. And, to their shock, Mason hurried inside in a state of panic, with Winry close behind him.
“What’s wrong?” Ed asked, not liking this at all.
“We need to hurry,” Mason said. “Izumi is in the hospital.”
The brothers immediately sprang to their feet.
“Is it because of… her condition?” Al dared to ask.
“Yes, it is,” Mason answered at once. “Now come on, Boss is already there.”
Ed and Al didn’t need to be told twice. At the next moment, they hurried down the stairs and outside the butcher shop.
That afternoon, Roy was alone with Maes in the make-shift recovery room Dr. Knox’s house provided – but not alone. Dr. Knox was there too, checking on Maes’s vital signs to make sure that the injured man was healing without much problem; while Sarah Abbot was seated close to Roy, telling him her own piece of news.
Roy didn’t like what he heard at all.
“So you didn’t find anything?”
Sarah shook her head. “Nothing at all.”
Roy sighed and rested his elbows on his knees. “That certainly proves that our good Miss Douglas wants to hide something. But we also need some tangible proof.” He stood up and started pacing the room, softly murmuring to himself as he tried to think of a solution… only to freeze in place when realisation hit him.
“A woman who’s dead…” He faced Dr. Knox’s direction, who was regarding him curiously. “Knox, all the death certificates are safely stored in the morgue, isn’t that right?”
“Yes,” Knox said, nodding hesitantly. “What do you want to find out?”
“See if you can find a death certificate with the name Juliette Douglas on it. I’ve got this feeling that the Führer’s secretary isn’t who she claims to be.”
Knox sighed in understanding. “A case of stealing one’s identity, I see. That wouldn’t be the first time,” he said grimly. “Nevertheless, I’ll look into it.”
“You need more.”
Roy, Knox and Sarah immediately tensed at that weak voice, for it was Maes’s.
“What do you mean?” Roy asked, facing his friend.
“More proof,” Maes whispered. Though his gaze was now locked on his friend, he kept blinking to stay in focus. “Ask Scieszka. She can give it to you.”
Roy shook his head though. “It’s too risky; they could be watching her. Why do you think I didn’t go to her in the first place?”
“The military’s in danger, Roy. It’s being used to create the philosopher’s stone. You know this,” Maes said. “You have to risk it, or it will probably be too late.”
“I’m afraid he has a point, Mustang,” Knox said. “Do you want to have another Ishbal in your conscience?”
Roy bit his lip and bowed his head. He knew both men had a point; but Roy had worked hard to create the image of an obedient officer to avoid suspicion. He couldn’t just destroy that image and not pay the consequences for it.
“Colonel?”
Roy turned to Sarah and looked at her curiously, for her eyes seemed alight with a determination Roy had seen on very few people in his life.
“I’ll go.”
All Roy could say to that was: “All right.”
Winry, Mason and the Elric Brothers arrived at the hospital in less than a half hour, but they didn’t get permission to see Izumi. The doctor explained that she was too weak and she needed as much sleep as possible, which meant only one person should stay with her, her husband. Ed tried to object, saying that they were all aware of her condition; that they had been aware of it for the last six years and so they knew what they were dealing with. And he tried not to notice the dumbfounded look Winry gave him at those words.
The doctor was adamant, though. He declared that, if Ed and his friends were really aware of their teacher’s condition, they would understand that Mrs. Curtis needed all the rest she could get.
Ed and Al bowed their head at that. “We’re sorry, Sir,” the younger brother said.
“Just a minute!” Winry said, finally finding the chance to speak. “Your teacher has been sick for that long?”
“Yes,” Al answered, nodding weakly. “It’s just that she’s so strong that we sometimes forget.”
“But what kind of sickness is it? Maybe a hospital in Central can cure her,” Winry said.
“Unfortunately, it can’t be done,” the doctor said with a shake of his head.
“Why not?” the girl insisted. “No offence, but she’ll get better treatment there.”
It was Mason who answered for the doctor this time, and his tone was sad and full of regret. “Her condition is incurable. She’s missing a lot of organs.”
Winry’s eyes widened in shock. “Missing? How is that possible?” she asked.
Ed, however, understood perfectly well. “It is possible…” he whispered, his flesh hand rubbing his automail one in an uncomfortable manner.
The doctor shrugged. “Indeed, but this is the first time that I saw anything like it. It looks as though somebody cut the missing organs out of her body, while the remaining ones intertwined to make up for the loss.”
“It’s still not enough though,” Mason completed. “That’s why she keeps coughing up blood.”
Winry lowered her gaze as she realised how things stood. Al, on the other hand, turned to Ed, his red eyes flickering. “Brother, that means Teacher tried… what we tried.”
“Yeah, everything makes sense now,” Ed replied grimly. “What I don’t understand is,” and at that he turned to Mason, “why didn’t Mr. Curtis try to stop her?”
“Because I didn’t know anything.”
Everyone turned at hearing Sig from so close. Sure enough, the burly man had exited the room where Izumi was and he was now approaching them, a rueful expression on his usually austere features.
“She got sick while carrying our child,” he explained further on. “Though she tried hard, she couldn’t give birth to it; and the doctors said she wouldn’t be able to have any other children.” He sighed. “It wasn’t her fault, but she apologised a lot of times throughout that night.”
“A baby?” Winry mused. At the next instant, she bit her lower lip, because she remembered her carefree question about children. “I see.”
“Yes,” Sig said. “I was foolish enough not to notice her sadness; how strongly she took the matter in her heart. So hard that she even thought of human transmutation.”
Al gasped. “She tried to revive the baby?”
Sig nodded. “She did it all by herself. I don’t know what she saw when she did it. But when she came back, she was covered in blood and her chest and abdomen were all but torn apart.”
And that’s where Sig finished his tale. Silence reigned in the room for many long moments, and no one seemed comfortable enough to break in.
That is, until Ed asked one question:
“When did all this happen?”
“About ten years ago.”
“Right.” Suddenly, Ed turned on his heel and grabbed Al by one of his metal gauntlets. “Come on, Al.”
“Where are you going?” Winry exclaimed.
“Back to the shop,” Ed answered.
If Winry ever intended to say anything else, she never got the chance. Ed and Al were outside the hospital in seconds, sprinting towards the shop.
“What’s in your mind, Brother?” Al asked, unsure what to think of Ed’s odd behaviour.
“That there’s no such thing as too many coincidences,” Ed answered, panting slightly as he still ran at top speed.
“What do you mean?”
“Think about it, Al! You were the one that started figuring it out! That boy has my limbs; I remembered seeing him in the gate; and his age would match Izumi’s kid’s if he were alive now.”
To say Al was shocked, it would have been an understatement.
“You mean… The kid is her son?! Teacher did it?!”
But Ed kept his gaze focused on the road. “We’ll find out as soon as I talk to him.”
It was then that another voice sounded on their left.
“Mister, would you please give me some money?”
Ed looked at the beggar from the corner of his eye. The man was wretchedly-clothed, covering his dirty face with a tattered hood; his eyes were large; and his nails where long, almost claw-like.
Even so, Ed had no time for charity. “Go get a job!” he said indignantly, and he continued running.
The beggar proved quite persistent though. In fact, he started running after the boys.
“Come on, aren’t you a bit harsh?” he asked in a pitiable tone. “What about you, armoured man? You must have something you could give a poor soul like me.”
“Sorry! All I have on me is a small box with a screwdriver in it!” Al replied.
“Screwdriver?” Ed wondered, looking at his brother quizzically.
“Long story,” the suit of armour said, his tone indicating that he was actually blushing.
“A State Alchemist with no money on him? I find that hard to believe,” the beggar insisted.
Ed huffed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now go away already!”
“Don’t act dumb! You’re famous around here,” the beggar said with a grin. “You transmuted your brother’s soul, right?”
Ed finally stopped on his tracks and turned to face the beggar. The ragged-clothed man chuckled, seeing that he got the reaction he wanted from the boy.
“I’m right,” he declared smugly.
“Annoying, more likely,” Ed said. His tone was low, but the menacing quality in it was quite audible.
“Still, that armour is empty, isn’t it?”
That was what ultimately made Ed snap. In the next moment, he had kicked the insolent beggar right in the face and sent him flying into a couple of bins nearby. He didn’t even heed the loud banging noises the man’s rough landing caused. All he did was turn around once more and say: “Let’s go, Al.”
“Hey, you broke my nose!” the beggar exclaimed, his voice sounding quite nasal now. After wiping the blood that flowed down his face, he pointed an accusing finger at Ed. “Listen, you! Didn’t your mother tell you not to--”
He never completed his sentence, because he was rudely interrupted when Ed decided to shut him up by throwing one of the large bins on his face. Such was the young alchemist’s force that the beggar was sent flying again.
For all his injuries, the beggar didn’t give up.
“I see,” he commented with a chuckle. He stood up and smirked as though he had discovered something very important. “If you’re getting so worked up over it, it means you don’t want to admit your brother is a freak!”
Now that was too much, even for Al’s gentle heart.
“Who are you calling a freak?” the suit of armour demanded indignantly and grabbed the beggar from the scruff of his neck.
The beggar swallowed hard. “Hey, now… can’t you take a joke?”
Before Al had the chance to say his opinion about the particular joke though, the beggar suddenly revealed from underneath his clothes a large tail which he used to swipe Al’s head off. Taken by surprise, Al let go of the beggar and tried to locate his head.
The fact that the beggar started laughing didn’t help matters much.
“So it really is empty! Tucker was right!”
“Tucker?!” Al exclaimed, flabbergasted to hear the familiar name after all this time.
“It’s time for your head to roll!” Ed cried, now quite beside himself in fury.
The beggar didn’t stick around to get beaten, of course. He simply ran off, all the while taunting Ed.
“Don’t get upset, it’s not like I hurt your brother or anything!”
“You won’t get away that easily!” Ed said. True to his word, he clapped his hands and used his alchemy to transmute a wall to stop the beggar’s escape. It seemed that the hunt was over before it even started; but the beggar only laughed.
“Your powers are uncanny! Then again… I’m uncanny too!” And with that, he quickly climbed the wall with the ease and agility of a monkey. In a matter of seconds, he jumped on the other side of the wall.
Ed could only stare in shock as he watched the creature disappear out of sight.
“What the hell was that thing?” he murmured in bewilderment.
“And what is Tucker doing with him?” Al wondered. He had found his head once again and placed it back between his shoulders to look at his brother’s direction.
“That was a chimera; probably one of those that escaped from Lab 5 along with Tucker… or, should I say, the Sewing-life Alchemist?”
At the sound of yet another unfamiliar voice close to them, the boys turned around and set themselves in defensive position. They didn’t know the pale, apathetic-looking soldier that was now standing behind them. But they certainly knew the great bulk of a soldier that was beside him.
“Save your energy, young Elric. We’re on your side,” Armstrong said softly.
“Major! It’s been a while!” Al exclaimed in surprise.
“Indeed,” Armstrong replied. He motioned his hand to the other soldier’s direction. “This is Lieutenant Colonel Frank Archer. He’s in charge of the military court.”
“Oh, that’s the same position as Lieutenant Colonel Hughes’,” Al noted.
Armstrong flinched, but neither of the brothers noticed it.
“And I see you’re already aware of the Lab 5 incident,” Ed completed, looking warily at Archer.
The lieutenant colonel didn’t seem fazed in the least. “After certain… incidents… the Führer deemed that I was worthy of his trust, so he has disclosed everything that has been happening this last year,” he said. “I suggest you show me the same trust, Major Elric.”
Ed wasn’t so sure about that suggestion, but he had to admit that there was nothing he could say to that either.
“All right,” he said, perhaps a bit more grudgingly than he had intended, “So why are you here?”
“You like getting straight to business,” Archer noted. “Very well, I won’t beat about the bush. The Führer is here too and he wishes to see you. Now.”
Ed frowned, not expecting that kind of news. “What is it about?”
“It’s not my business to tell you; you’ll find out soon enough,” Archer replied. He regarded Ed almost contemptuously and smirked. “Unless, of course, you’re planning on defying orders. Colonel Mustang let you pick up some nasty habits, after all.”
Ed clenched his jaw. Normally, he wouldn’t mind if someone practically insulted his superior officer like that - he had done so himself many times before in the past. But the more he talked with Archer, the more he felt that this man was nothing like the Colonel. True, Mustang was manipulative, but Ed had come to realise that he was manipulative in a mischievous, teasing way – Mustang would never really harm anyone. Archer, on the other hand… he seemed ready to step on dead bodies to get what he wanted.
“Fine,” he finally said with a sigh. He turned to his brother. “Al, will you check out matters for me?”
Al caught on. “I will. Don’t worry.”
“Thanks.” With that, Ed looked at Archer and Armstrong proudly. “I’m ready to go.”
Dublith wasn’t a big city. Nevertheless, it still had its fill of people who were ready to act against the law for their own personal gain. Such people dwelled in one particular area of Dublith, and it was exactly to that place the beggar headed as soon as he was done spying on the Elric brothers. It didn’t take him long to reach a decrepit, filthy-looking bar with the name The Devil’s Nest written on a signpost just above its entrance, or give his report to his boss; a tall man, whose spiky coal black hair and sunglasses contrasted with his pale face.
“You did good work, Biddo,” the man said. “It looks like the Elric Brothers were exactly where our good Mr. Tucker told us.” He turned around to see a huge form, which was so heavily clothed that it was difficult to make out either his face or his body. “It would be a pity if you had lied to me.”
Tucker flinched. “I would never lie to you, Greed,” he said in his usual hushed whisper. “And I assure you they will be useful to you.”
Greed made a small humming noise as he got immersed in thought. “You say that both of them will be useful but… I really need only one of them.” He turned to three other chimeras that were nearby: a bull of a man, a shorter one who kept sniffing the air like some sort of dog, and a woman with thin, albeit powerful limbs.
“Loa, Dorochet, Martel… you know what to do,” Greed said to them, waving a hand dismissively; a hand with the tattoo of an ouroboros on it. “If he resists, bring him here by force. But remember,” and at that, he raised a warning finger, “he’s a big guest. Don’t kill him, no matter what.”
The three chimeras didn’t say anything. They just bowed and walked out.
Still, there was someone who was displeased with his boss’s decision.
“You should have let me go with them,” another man said from his comfortable spot by the bar, his yellow eyes now locked on the homunculus. “I know this territory like the back of my hand.”
“Relax, Kimblee; you will get your chance soon enough,” Greed answered, taking a big swing out of the whiskey in front of him. “However, know this: the others have already vocalised their distrust in you, since you are a former State Alchemist and all. I’m only willing to put that aside as long as I think you can offer me good service.” He removed his eyes so that he could look Kimblee straight in the eye. “But if you betray me, I will show you no mercy.”
Kimblee smirked and placed his hands in his pockets in a shrugging manner. “Do whatever you like. I just want to create chaos once more.”
In spite of his words, he still locked his eyes on a small bundle placed in the darkest corner of the room.
TBC...
Subtitles
- Brother's Debt
- Fullmetal Body, Fullmetal Heart
- A Quiet Day
- In The Night
- Two Men's Faces
- Transfer
- Making Plans
- Shadows Of The Past
- Underworld
- The Price Of Immortality
- Departure
- The Key
- Enemy Revealed
- A Step Back
- A Step Closer To The Truth
- A Race
- Rush Valley
- Responsibility
- Izumi
- Time To Stand Still
- Wild Child
- Encounter
- Riddles In The Dark
- In Search For Answers
- A Teacher's Mistakes
- Complications
- Visits
- The Nature Of A Homunculus
- Dante Of The Deep Forest
- Kidnapped
- Fight At The Devil's Nest
- Innocence Lost
- Blood Spilt
- Recovering
- Bearers Of Ill News
- The Flame Alchemist
- True Colours
- Markings On The Ground
- The Mission
- Heading To Liore
- Change Of Plans
- The Scar
- Holy Mother
- A Mother's Face
- Final Moments