Author's Note: This is the sequel to "Metal, Jealousy, and Human Transmutation", "Rules and Reasons", and "The Cicada", but you don't necessarily need to have read those to understand this story. I was originally intending to write another short oneshot about Nina and Trisha becoming State Alchemists, but then when I told my brother about it he helped me come up with a much better idea, which you will see unfolding before you. Probably because we had just watched it, the anime movie Jin-Roh: Wolf Brigade became a major inspiration for this story; if you've seen it, you'll no doubt recognize elements from it, but it's no real loss if you haven't. I've worked through this story so many times I don't think I can improve it much more. I'm reasonably happy with it, and especially with the OCs I've created, but feel free to give any constructive criticism you have. I always appreciate it. Enjoy!
Acknowledgments: Thanks are due to my betas, DevLeigh and my brother. Especially my brother, who helped me all through the process of developing the plot, outlining the story (something I rarely do), and proofreading the story twice. Without him, this fic would not exist, so thank you!
Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Alchemist or Jin-Roh: Wolf Brigade; they belong to their respective owners (because FMA has too many to remember and I'm too lazy to list them all). I can only lay claim to the many OCs in this story.
Legacy of Loss
Chapter One
Once upon a time, there were two sisters whose father loved them very much, so much that one day he gave them matching riding cloaks with pointed hoods, as red as blood. The girls, who loved their father as much as he loved them, wore these hooded cloaks so often that they became known as 'Red Riding Hood' and 'Little Red Riding Hood.'
- from the fairy tale "Little Red Riding Hood"
"The written exam for State Alchemist Qualification will commence...now!" Fuhrer Roy Mustang banged his gavel against the long oak table, and with a flurry of papers turned over, the exam began. The room filled with the sound of scratching pencils, shuffling papers, the occasional soft cough or a creak as someone shifted his position. It was a quiet, almost sleepy atmosphere. Roy cast his gaze lazily over this year's batch of hopefuls seeking the silver watch. Just the same as every year, they were a group of nearly fifty people scattered about the descending seats of the classroom made for the express purpose of this exam. Most were young, but a few were older – the ones who came back each year, never seeming to notice how they always failed. Few women applied, for few had an ambition to become a dog of the military.
This time, however, Roy saw two golden-haired young women wearing matching red coats, sitting next to each other and scribbling away feverishly at their exam papers. The one on the left had close-cropped hair, like a boy's, and bent over with her nose mere centimeters from the paper; the one on the right had wavy, shoulder-length hair that she was absently twirling around her finger as she wrote. Both were so fixated on the exam that Roy doubted whether they would have glanced up even if a bomb exploded in the examination hall. He glanced over at the man standing at attention to his right, who surprisingly enough had worn his dress uniform for this event, and smirked slightly. This man hardly ever wore his uniform, preferring to express his individuality, but Roy supposed there were exceptions to every rule.
Roy amused himself over the next three hours by watching the many candidates. Some seemed nervous, others overconfident. One man towards the front was chewing his pencil to splinters, while the man sitting next to him scrawled each answer with a lazy flourish. The two golden-haired women, however, never looked up or paused in their writing. When Roy banged his gavel down again at the end of the exam, he saw them cradling their hands and complaining to each other.
"Those two young ladies..." Roy mused as he got to his feet, watching the candidates standing and stretching all around the room. "They look...oddly familiar."
He could have sworn that the man at his side snorted, but it was masked by a hacking cough.
Roy gave him a sly look and continued, "Of course, they're so short that I can't be sure-"
That was all it took. The man exploded into a raging mountain of fury, yelling at the top of his voice, "HOW DARE YOU CALL MY DAUGHTERS SHORT?! I'LL TEAR YOUR LIMBS OFF AND THROW THEM TO A SHARK!!"
All the candidates turned in astonishment to see the renowned Full Metal Alchemist screaming bloody murder at the Fuhrer; perhaps they were even more surprised to see the Fuhrer laughing good-naturedly and clapping Full Metal on the back. But the two golden-haired young ladies strode quickly out the door, paying no attention whatsoever to this outburst.
Nina Elric paused outside the heavy silver-coated oak doors that led to the room where State Alchemist interviews were held. Nervously smoothing down her close-cropped, straight hair, she gazed up at the daunting double doors. Ornate carvings adorned the doors, carvings of a man and a woman standing waist-deep in a river and holding out branches that crossed in the air over their heads. Nina wondered what this was supposed to symbolize, but the nervous somersaults her stomach was performing made her forget the question. The small, oak-paneled waiting room was too quiet; the only sound was a lone fly buzzing monotonously around the ceiling. She wished her sister had been able to wait with her, but the applicants who had passed the written exam were called in one by one for the second half of the qualification exams. The interviews, each half an hour long, ranged over several days and proceeded in alphabetical order. Nina's was the last interview for the day, which meant the evening would be spent suspended in anxiety over the outcome of her sister's interview the following day. As always seemed to happen when she was nervous or upset, Nina's nose began to itch, and she rubbed it vigorously.
Just then, the great doors swung open and a deep voice called out, "Enter, Nina Elric."
Nina swallowed hard and stepped into the darkened room. The doors swung shut silently behind her, and for a moment her heart beat faster as the darkness closed around her, blocking her senses and disorienting her. Then a bright spotlight snapped on, revealing a spindly golden chair standing in the middle of the room.
"Sit, Nina Elric," the voice said again.
Nina squared her shoulders and crossed the distance to the chair, her footsteps echoing hollowly in the darkness. She tried to remain confident as she perched herself gingerly on the small, uncomfortable seat. The gold bars of the seat dug into her, but she forced herself not to fidget. Her eyes adjusted somewhat to the darkness; she could see the vague outlines of people sitting behind a long desk in front of her. The one directly across from her leaned forward with his elbows on the desk, and the light seeping from the edge of the spotlight revealed him to be the Fuhrer.
Nina's nose itched again, but she forced herself to remain still by clenching her hands on her knees, letting the worn cloth soothe her.
"Now," came the deep, smooth voice of the Fuhrer. "Why do you want to become a State Alchemist?"
Nina's eyes darted along the indistinct shapes at the desk, the lumps of heads and shoulders, and she wondered whether her father was one of them. He said he'd be there during my examination... Then her eyes returned to the Fuhrer, whose expression was inscrutable, and she swallowed down her nervousness. "Because..." she began; her voice wobbled a little, and she cleared her throat. "I want to be a State Alchemist who sides with the public," she said in a stronger voice. "I want to change the way the public views State Alchemists. I want to show people that we are not soulless dogs of the military."
She knew State Alchemists didn't have to be dogs. She knew it from personal experience with one of the most acclaimed State Alchemists of all: her father, the Full Metal Alchemist. But many people still thought of State Alchemists with disdain. She had heard angry whispers about her father, and that had hardened her resolve. Nina looked defiantly into the shadows where the Fuhrer sat; she wasn't sure if he would understand, but it didn't matter.
Then the Fuhrer slowly smiled.
The next week, Nina was much more confident during the practical exam, the third and final part of the State Alchemist Qualification Exam. For one thing, her sister Trisha was with her. For another, they had discussed this exam months in advance; from their father's stories, they knew what sort of things would catch people's attention, and they had decided exactly what to transmute.
According to plan, they waited for all the other applicants to go first. They had discussed this as well, and it had been Trisha who had suggested they go last so that their transmutation would be the most vivid in the examiners' eyes. Some of the other applicants possessed amazing alchemic skill; murmurs of appreciation passed through the small crowd every now and then as they performed particularly tricky transmutations. Trisha started to grow nervous, nibbling on a strand of her hair, but Nina was enjoying herself.
Finally, the last applicant performed his impeccable transmutation, and the two sisters were the only ones left. "Please, sir," Nina said, too excited to feel very self-conscious about speaking directly to the Fuhrer himself. "Can we both go at the same time?"
"It's not standard..." The Fuhrer rubbed his chin in thought, his dark eyes travelling from one upturned face to the other. Then he smiled. "Show me what you've got."
Nina grinned excitedly at Trisha, who was already rushing forward, chalk in hand. Nina hurried to join her, and they drew two large circles on the flagstones. Neither of them would have been able to complete this transmutation by herself; the energy demand was simply too much for one body to sustain. But together, with two simple circles working to take half the strain each, such a transmutation was possible.
The sisters had practiced their circles many times; Nina felt she could draw hers in her sleep. They had even gone so far as to learn each other's circle as well, just in case. The squares and triangles and squiggly Latin phrases intertwined seamlessly in their separate circles, and when they were finished the sisters drew identical swirls in the exact center of their circles. With a simple scritch-scratch, they created the marks that would connect the two circles together in the same transmutation. Nina knelt at the edge of her circle, and Trisha knelt by hers. They shared a look, then pressed their hands against the rough stone and smooth chalk lines.
The blue glow of the transmutation shone twice as bright as any of the other applicants' transmutations, and Nina watched in delight as the stone shot up from the ground, molding into the design she and Trisha had outlined with their circles. The familiar rush of excitement flowed through her as she felt the power running through her whole body, tickling her nerves with sparks of electricity. The fizz and hiss of electricity filled her ears as the smell of steam and that curious unidentifiable scent that followed every transmutation filled her nostrils.
Finally, the glow subsided and the transmutation was over. Nina got to her feet, wiping the thin layer of sweat off her forehead, and looked up happily at their creation. It was a complex fountain of water with stone statues of angels pouring water from jugs of varying sizes. The fountain was enormous, every statue was life-size, and there were twelve angels in all, each in a different pose. On closer inspection, one could see that the stone pillar erupting from the very center also turned the fountain into a gigantic sundial. Even the rival candidates had to murmur in appreciation for such a work of art, and Nina grinned at her little sister around the heels of the nearest angel as the clear water slapped happily into the basin of the fountain.
Then Nina turned to see what the examiners would say. Some of them spoke to each other in low tones, and the Fuhrer cast his eye up and down the fountain, taking in each detail critically with a little frown. A stab of worry shot through Nina's heart. Was it not good enough? Maybe it was too fancy; maybe smooth precision was more what they were looking for, not flamboyant elaboration. This was, after all, the military. Then her eyes fell on her father, who couldn't seem to keep himself from grinning broadly. His golden eyes shone with pride as he looked back at his daughters, and Nina's heart lifted.
"'We give the name Cornerstone to thee, Trisha Elric, in the name of the Fuhrer Roy Mustang,'" Trisha read for the third time that day as the sisters strode down the street together. "Isn't it awesome, Sis? We're State Alchemists at last!"
Nina just smiled; her happiness was so great that she couldn't even talk about it. She had been dreaming of this day for years, almost as long as she could remember. Ever since she understood the meaning of a State Alchemist, she had wanted to be one, to be like her father. And now their goal was reached, after years and years of studying and practice. She looked down at her own certificate, a simple block of text printed on surprisingly cheap paper emblazoned with the seal of the military and signed by the Fuhrer's own hand, which announced that her new name was Solid Stone. She liked the sound of it; it spoke of strength and determination, and made her sound so much more than simply a seventeen-year-old girl with high ambitions.
The Elric sisters had received word that they were under the direct command of Lieutenant Colonel Maes Mustang, the Fuhrer's own son. Nina had heard the gossip that Mustang had used his heritage as a means to gain such a high position in so short a time, but her father had told her that he could easily have done so on his own merit. Nina was immensely flattered that the superior officer she would be working under was so skilled.
The sisters passed a newspaper stand, and the large headlines caught Nina's eye: Sect Riot, 5 Killed; Fuhrer Mustang Delivers Response to Sect Threats; Hunley Continues to Evade Arrest. A cold shiver ran down her spine, dimming the happy euphoria of the morning. The Sect again. When would they ever give up?
Nina wrenched her mind away from her worries. Not even the Sect was going to ruin this day for her. "What do you think the Lieutenant Colonel will be like?" she asked again, to give her mind something else to focus on. She and her sister climbed the wide white steps to the main entrance of the Central Military Headquarters and passed under the thick marble pillars to the giant revolving doors.
Trisha rolled her eyes. "For the fifth time, he'll probably be nice or something."
Nina frowned. "Are you sure? Just 'cause his dad and our dad are old buddies doesn't mean he won't be strict. This is the military, Trish. And we've never even met the guy, even if he is the son of Dad's friend!"
"Well, one way or another, we'll find out soon, I guess," Trisha replied impatiently, pushing through the doors. Nina quickly followed, but all thought of continuing the conversation faded from her mind when she saw the entry hall. Black and white tiles coated the floor, so shiny she could see her reflection in them. A fountain stood in the middle of the hall, reminding Nina strongly of the one she and Trisha had made, though this one was simple and unadorned. Hallways and doors opened on all sides, and twin staircases rose up against the far wall. There were more pillars holding up the vast ceiling, and off to one side stood a polished black desk with a small sign reading 'Information' in a simple typed script. Many men (and a few women) strode purposefully to and fro about the hall, some carrying folders or books under their arms, and all of them dressed in military blue. The tinkling of the fountain mingled with dozens of sharp, echoing footsteps and the indistinct babble of distant conversations. Everything looked strict, efficient, and business-like. Swallowing down her nervousness, Nina cautiously approached the information desk and asked for directions to Lieutenant Colonel Mustang's office.
The nervous knot of Nina's stomach twisted tighter and tighter as they approached the office, passing through several halls and climbing a few staircases, but Trisha seemed perfectly tranquil by contrast. Nina wondered how she could be so calm. Traitor, she thought darkly. The past few days had been a rollercoaster of emotions; one moment she was so excited she could scarcely contain herself, and the next she was so nervous it felt like a stomachache. She wondered whether she would feel this way all through her new career. All such thoughts fled her mind at top speed, however, when she looked up to find that they were in a green-tiled hallway, directly in front of the door that bore a small plaque reading, 'Maes Mustang, Lt. Col.' Her knotted stomach tightened even more; she wondered if she was going to be sick. She wiggled her nose a little.
"Well?" Trisha suddenly hissed, cutting into her sister's thoughts. "Aren't you going to knock?"
"You knock, if you're so keen to do it!" Nina retorted fiercely in a whisper.
"What?! Why do I have to? You always make me do everything you don't want to do yourself! Stop bullying!"
"Bullying?!" Nina's voice rose slightly. "Who's bullying? Stop being a pest, Trisha! You knock!"
The sisters would have continued this whispered argument, had the door in question not opened just then with a little squeak. A tall man stepped into the hallway, looking over his shoulder and calling into the office, "Got it!" Before he had time to turn around, before the sisters could step out of the way, he ran right into them and sent them crashing to the floor.
"Oops!" the man cried, helping them to their feet. "Really sorry about that, I wasn't looking where-"
"Lieutenant Colonel Mustang!" both sisters cried in unison, snapping to attention. "Nina and Trisha Elric, reporting for duty, sir!"
"Woah." The man held up his hands defensively and took a step back. "I'm not the Lieutenant Colonel, I'm just-"
"You're not?" Nina let out a breath, not sure whether to feel disappointed or relieved. Relaxing again, she took a closer look at the man before her. He was at least six feet tall, his dirty-blond hair pulled back into a short ponytail, his light blue eyes widening with surprise as he saw how young they were. She thought he looked a little confused to see them wearing military uniforms.
"Did you say Elric?" he asked, the surprise leaking into his voice. "So you're the new recruits, then? The State Alchemists?" When they nodded, he saluted with a grin. "Then I guess I'll have to call you 'ma'am' now, won't I?"
"Huh? Why?" Trisha asked.
"State Alchemists are automatically given the rank of Major, remember?" Nina said quickly before turning back to the man. "So where's Lieutenant Colonel Mustang? We're supposed to report."
"Right through here," he replied, opening the door wide and stepping back so they could enter first.
Nina stepped through and found herself in a plain, white-walled office, neither very large nor very fancy, and for some reason this surprised her. She realized she had been expecting banners on the walls, lush carpeting on the floors, expensive leather-covered chairs, but that was her father's description of the Fuhrer's office. This room had a large map of Amestris on one wall instead of a silk banner, bare linoleum instead of soft wool, and plain, hard-looking wooden chairs set around a long, bare wooden table that served as desks for the men seated there. The smell of ink, pencil shavings, and something that might have been tea assaulted her. It was an almost cozy smell.
The tall, blond-haired man who had bumped into the sisters now closed the door behind them and said to the room at large, "The Elrics are here."
The three men seated at the table murmured in interest and got to their feet with a scraping of chair legs. Nina felt very small as she looked up at them.
"The name's Dirk," the man who had announced them said with a smile. "Lieutenant Anthony Dirk." Turning to the man seated on the left side of the table, he added, "This is Lieutenant Fuse."
Fuse saluted in greeting, and Nina noted dark rings under his eyes, as though it had been a long time since he had had a full night's sleep. His dark, wiry hair was a little unkempt, his blue uniform slightly crumpled, as though he had fallen asleep at his desk and hastily tried to make himself presentable. Even as he saluted with his right hand, his left was fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. "Hello," he said awkwardly with a swift, almost nervous smile.
"And Sergeant Bones." Dirk gestured towards the man on the right side of the table, who saluted, then stepped forward to shake their hands.
Bones's wide hand closed about Nina's, crushing it in a firm handshake. Nina looked up at the large man as he shook her hand solemnly, and he met her gaze with two small eyes so dark they almost seemed black. Bones was a broad-shouldered man, his muscles evident even under his loose uniform, his square jaw locked as tightly as if he had lost the key and never intended to find it. His dark brown hair had been cut short in a standard military crew cut. Then Nina caught a whiff of something on his clothes...lilac, she thought, and blinked with surprise.
Before she could even register this contrast, Bones turned to shake Trisha's hand and Nina looked over Bones's shoulder to the third man, the one who had been sitting at the head of the table. Nina drew in her breath sharply and saluted again. This time, she knew it was indeed Lieutenant Colonel Maes Mustang; there was no doubt about it. She had seen the Fuhrer in the exam, and this man was merely the younger equivalent of him, with a few slight differences. Maes Mustang's face was rounder, his nose smaller, his ears a little more prominent. His jet-black hair was just messy enough to give him a dashing, adventurous look without making him seem as though he had just woken up, like Fuse did. All these features together might have given one the impression of a carefree, lighthearted young man, had it not been for his sharp chestnut-brown eyes. They seemed to pierce Nina right through, examining her inside and out, and she was sure her pockets were hanging out, or one of the buckles on her new military uniform had come undone.
Suppressing the urge to smooth down her close-cropped hair or wipe her sweaty palms on her thighs, she said again, "Nina Elric reporting for duty, sir." Her nose began to itch so fiercely it was all she could do not to scratch it.
Trisha hastily saluted as well, but the words she murmured were lost on Nina's ears as she continued to stare at her commanding officer. Her stomach, which had loosened its knots somewhat in greeting her fellows, now strangled itself in a hopeless tangle and made odd flip-flops, as though trying to leap out of her throat.
Then a smile split the Lieutenant Colonel's face, and Nina felt as though her stomach had simply evaporated; she felt almost giddy, as if all her insides had vanished. "The Elric sisters," Mustang said, his strong voice laced with an almost musical grace, like the toll of a bell, only much gentler. "So you are the daughters of the famed Full Metal Alchemist." He saluted them, allowing them to lower their arms again, and his face grew serious. "I'll have you know that I'm expecting great things from you two. I demand unwavering loyalty and respect from my subordinates, is that understood?"
"Yes, sir!" the sisters cried together.
"If you disappoint me, you will be instantly transferred. Am I clear?"
"Yes, sir!"
The smile flitted briefly across his face again. "At the same time, my father has often told me that one's subordinates should be one's best friends. With that in mind: Welcome, and please have a seat."
He gestured towards two empty seats on the left-hand side of the table, and Nina sat down, feeling a little overwhelmed. She discovered, as the men found their seats as well, that she sat between Trisha and Fuse, who gave her a brief smile before returning to the mess of papers on the table before him. Nina looked up at Mustang, who suddenly stood up again. He clicked his tongue in irritation, glancing up at the clock hanging above the door. "I completely forgot; I'm due in the General's office. Dirk!"
Dirk immediately straightened in his chair. "Sir?"
"Give the Elrics their first assignment. And I expect those papers waiting for me when I come back! Bones – carry on. Fuse...get some sleep." With that, he swept from the office, leaving Fuse looking irritated, Dirk frowning glumly, and Bones minding his own business, scratching away with his pen and completely ignoring everyone else.
"Get some sleep..." Nina heard Fuse mutter to himself. "How on earth am I supposed to sleep when he demands..." His voice faded away in a sudden yawn.
"What's our first assignment?" Trisha asked eagerly, standing up. "Remember Dad's first assignment, Sis?"
"The Youswell coal mine!" Nina stood up as well, the excitement of being a State Alchemist returning to her full-force. The tale of how her father had been sent to the Youswell coal mine several days after being accepted as a State Alchemist, and how he had liberated the people there by tricking the corrupt lieutenant in charge to sell the people the deed to the mine, had always been a favorite of hers. Vivid images arose in her mind, images of herself and Trisha charging forth to liberate those under oppression, to show the world that State Alchemists actually followed their motto Be thou for the people. She turned to Dirk as well. "Yeah! What's our first assignment?"
The next moment, a veritable mountain of paperwork landed in her arms. Dirk, grinning down at her, announced, "First assignment: file these records. And you," he turned to Trisha, who gaped open-mouthed at her sister. "Take these reference books back to the Central Library, First Branch." A teetering stack of books cascaded into Trisha's arms. "And here's a list of materials Fuse needs from there as well." He stuffed a long list into Trisha's hand and sat back down, oblivious to the stunned and outraged expressions on the sisters' faces. "Oh, and get me some tea while you're at it."