Before Note: Heyo everybody :) First story! :D
At the very beginning, there's not much action. But it picks up. Haha, try to survive through it. :P
Disclaimer: No, I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, sadly :( The amazing Arakawa-sempai does. :D Though I do own Liz, the milkman, and other OCs later on.
Thanks for reading ^_^ ~
Third POV
Beyond the rolling hills of Resembool, a great plateau stretched far into the horizon. Plowed land, scattered trees, the occasional home, and a highway system were scattered across the otherwise endless field of green. This highway system was really just a straight dirt road with many other roads branching off from it. However, along the main path starting from the train station, it would eventually lead to a dilapidated school.
The school consisted of only one classroom of twenty-one: twenty students and a teacher. The building, straying from the rest of the village, appeared to be a welcoming place for desperate travelers, but when they approached, a menacing aura shrouded them. Rumor had it that souls of students' and victims' souls haunted it, their whispered voices eerily cutting through the deadly silence. Soon, the travelers would lose themselves to a labyrinth of lunacy. Most blacked out before complete insanity overwhelmed them, but the unfortunate ones were left facing their greatest fears dwelling within the crevices of their imagination.
The core of this threatening presence lay within the classroom: the blathering from a certain monstrosity known as teachers.
"All you have to do is multiply this by six to find the answer. Who can tell me what six times thirteen is?" The teacher's beady eyes scanned across the room and lingered over a boy indulged in a book as large as himself. He unsteadily clutched the hefty book with his left hand as he gripped the page with his right.
"Edward—listen up! Could you tell me what six times thirteen is?" she snapped. Two surprised golden doe eyes peered over the alchemy book to meet the teacher's stern gaze.
"Huh?" Eleven-year old Edward Elric glared at the teacher, refusing to advert his gaze from the teacher's challenging stare.
"I thought so. You'll be executed the next time I catch you reading again. It's great that you're so eager to learn, but please don't do it in class." Catching onto her words, a brief look of surprised flashed on the student's faces before they zoned back into a state of deep daydream.
"But it's so boring. And I already know all that stuff," Ed complained. He glanced across the room for support, but the spell of Zone Out was already in effect.
"Who said you're supposed to have fun at school?" she scoffed. "Anyways, if you're really so smart, tell me what six times thirteen is, right on the spot." She paused, waiting for a response. Its absence brought a wicked smile to her lips. "I rest my case." She guffawed before turning around to the blackboard to scratch in the answer with a decaying piece of chalk.
Ed stuck out his tongue at her, his cheeks slightly flushed with embarrassment. But the incident was soon forgotten when his younger brother Al caught his eye and flashed him a grin. Ed returned it with a thumbs-up.
Ten-year old Al was a gentle guy, with soft features, wide, innocent golden eyes, and satisfyingly genuine smiles. He could make anybody happy just by being around them.
Two seats ahead of Ed, ten-year old Liz Athersman snickered—loudly. It was a delight to see her arch nemesis getting into his usual trouble. Not that she was fully attentive herself. But she already learned everything the textbooks had to offer.
She stared at the clock, willing the minute hand to tick to ten, and glanced across the room to find eleven-year old Winry Rockbell, her best friend, asleep, nose-deep in her notebook. Winry's straight, light blond, shoulder-length hair fell into her book and around the sides, and her matted bangs, usually swept sideways like Al's, was pushed out. A faint smile tugged at the corners of her lips, probably from a peaceful dream.
Sleeping in class was common for her; she usually stayed up late at night to read up on Automail. Liz accompanied her for a while reading alchemy books alongside her, but she, not quite the night owl, always fell asleep much sooner than her friend.
She sighed and absentmindedly brushed a few strands of hair out of her eyes. They always fell across her forehead and reached her eyes, but it usually didn't bother her. Her dark brown hair, pulled into a quick high ponytail, was always messy anyways.
Liz had bright, large dark brown eyes. Liz was short and skinny for her age, but still had chubby baby cheeks. When she grinned, dimples dotted them. She provided the perfect image of the typical Amestrian ten-year old, except for one feature of hers: her Automail left arm. Grannie Pinako had designed and built in the arm four years ago, when she had just moved in with the Rockbells.
The teacher finally finished her lecture as the minute hand ticked to 2:10. "Okay, that's the end of it for today. And don't forget—Edward! You're lucky that it's not class time anymore. You, always with your nose caught up in a book! Your nose might just get trapped in one someday."
Ed slowly backed away from his book, eyebrows raised in suspicion to the teacher, who had just realized what a good idea she had said and now smiled...strangely at him. Almost predator like. Who knows what sorcery the witch was up to.
"Anyways, everybody, don't forget to simplify your fractions. Class...dismissed!"
Students who broke out of her monotony spell sprang back to life, rushing out the door, seeming to vanish before the teacher's eyes. For the other half of the class, the spell's effect slowly faded as they woke from the enchantment. They processed the mysterious disappearance of fifteen students before disappearing as well. And Ed, as soon as he reassured himself that he still had all his limbs on and wasn't going to be attacked by the teacher anytime soon, he rushed out of the classroom as if milk delivery had just come.
Liz strode over to a half-asleep Winry clumsily jamming her notebook into her duffel bag. They always ended up being the last ones to leave, as Winry took her time to snap back to reality.
"Hey Winry, Liz—hurry up!" Al shouted at the door, resisting the effects of lingering boredom. Winry shoved the rest of her belongings into her bag and shuffled out the door. Liz respectfully mumbled goodbye to the teacher before rushing to catch up to the rest.
Outside, Liz waited for her eyes to adjust to the brightness before taking in the view before her. The sun casted a blanket of heat waves, and many students sat under nearby trees, fanning themselves with their hands. The colors along the hills popped out at her and even when she squinted her eyes shut, the colors still bounced on her eyelids. The heat zapped energy into her, jolting her to life like stuffing a fresh batch of homemade cookies all at once, which she had learned not to do after burning her tongue and receiving a lecture from Grannie about diets, though Liz suspected Grannie was just upset she didn't try stuffing her face herself. She spread her arms wide, inviting the bronzed pancake—she meant the sun, excuse her—the sky, the pure, fresh air, this glorious, beautiful land, free from the horrible land of learning, pure bliss pervading her and—
"Liz, hurry up, would you? What are you doing there, sweet talking to the teacher?" Ed said in the whiniest, stupidest voice to grace the earth. Whiny, stupid, short boy.
Liz shot him a deadly glare. Leave it for Ed to ruin the moment. "Shuddup, squirt. Just 'cuz you're a troublemaker doesn't mean we all are. The teacher just likes me more. And I like sweets. Don't group them with the teacher."
Ed whimpered under her glare. Even he couldn't stand Liz's wrath. "Don't all me squirt." He pouted. "I'm older than you!"
"But I'm taller than you," Liz snapped, though not as viciously. Ed's annoyance was enough to keep her spirits up.
"HEY! DON'T CALL ME A COOKIE CRUMB SO SMALL THAT YOU WOULDN'T EVEN BOTHER LICKING OFF THE PLATE, YOU PEANUT!"
"No, I wouldn't,'" Liz said. "Because I like cookies." Al and Winry suppressed giggles, whispering through cupped hands.
"Hey, you know that Ed is CENSORED centimeters tall, even with his dumb antenna thing. If you don't count it, he's actually CENSORED centimeters," Al said.
"Wow! I'm taller than him and I'm a girl!"
"You're taller than all of us, Winry."
"Well, you all are just short!"
"Hey! I heard that!" Ed growled. Liz and Al ran a few steps ahead, knowing that he could full out rage on them at any moment.
"See what a jerk he is?"
"Shut up—I'm only like that to people like you," Ed said. "But to you guys, I'm always nice, right?"
An awkward silence passed as Al and Winry looked away.
"Well, better than Liz, right?"Two nods.
As they continued their quarrel, Winry turned to Al. "Hey, do you and Ed wanna play with me and Liz today?" she asked.
"Sorry, but Ed and I are busy today. Maybe tomorrow." He smiled uncomfortably, knowing her usual reaction to his response.
"Like what? Seriously, I promise not to tell anybody."
"It's a secret." Al's grin reached his eyes. "But we're almost done." He couldn't wait to see the result of his and his brother's little "secret."
Winry huffed and stomped her heel. "You never tell me anything!" Her annoyance rose inside her and felt like blowing her up, for a moment, but the sleep deprivation didn't allow room for more energy use. She dazed off for a moment, much to Al's surprise, and absentmindedly plucked one out and twirled it between her forefinger and thumb.
Meanwhile, Ed and Liz had finally gone into a heated discussion of who was the better alchemist. Liz really only took part because she enjoyed teasing Ed and seeing his priceless reactions. When his fits of anger began to irritate Liz, she kicked him in the shins and left him to massage his throbbing leg.
As Liz strode alongside Ed and Al, she noticed subtle differences from their common movements. Al's usual long strides were shorter and quicker. He swung his arms unnaturally, clenching his fists and using more force than usual, occasionally, his right hand twitched, if only slightly. He also put too much strain on his face; he tried a nonchalant look, but his jaw tightened too much, and Liz could tell he was biting back a smile. But his deer-in-the-headlights eyes screamed EXCITEMENT to Liz. Honestly, how could none of them really not notice anything?
Not that Ed was doing any better. He tried to slowly look around the scenery of overlapping hills but cocked his head too quickly. Not to mention that the idiot's never been interested in scenery. His posture was straighter than his usual slouch; his eyes suspiciously darted to Winry and Liz every once in a while; his strides bounced in every step.
Liz returned their movements with her own screaming SUSPICIOUS. She returned Ed's peeks and cleared her throat every once in a while, casting them long glances before averting her gaze back to the road. She grinned when she caught them exchanging tense looks.
"Liz, are you alright?" Winry finally noted. Did Liz's compulsive eating finally take toll on her? Not that she didn't always eat excessively, but yesterday she had stolen a fourth of Winry's dinner in one go, besides her usual six servings. And a third of her desert besides her own tripled amount. And more of the leftover dinner. And a midnight snack—which was more like a day's worth of food for a hungry man. Winry guiltily pleasured this idea as she probably wouldn't be missing anymore cookies from her lunch box anymore.
"Yeah," she said slowly, looking back at the boys. They tried to ignore her without success.
Winry groaned, but quickly stopped herself.
They walked in silence for a few more moments until they neared a familiar figure.
"Hi Milkman! How 'ya doing?" Liz shouted. The others politely waved to him. The milkman looked up from his low squat when milking the cows, dried his hands off on his pants, and went over to greet them. He had frizzy, tousled brown hair with a few gray streaks, and a bushy coffee-brown mustache to match it. The milkman was plump, yet seemed to be in good shape.
He always had a twinkle in his eye, whether crafty or happy the townsfolk couldn't tell; he was a well-known prankster among the townsfolk during his milkman days. Everyone around called him Milkman out of habit—most didn't even know his real name by now.
He especially liked Liz for her wit and "cuteness" and offered her cartons of milk whenever she visited him. For a few days after her visits, Ed always seemed to have found extra milk in his morning helpings, much to his annoyance.
"Good afternoon, Liz, Winry, Ed, Al. A bit warm out to be taking a stroll today, isn't it?" the milkman replied.
"Nah, we're just walking home. A bit warm out to be milking cows, isn't it?" Liz replied sarcastically.
"Ahahaha! Every day's a workday for me! There's no time of the year when you don't need milk." The milkman grinned.
"Yes, there is," Ed mumbled under his breath. But the milkman caught onto his words.
"Ed! Have you been drinking your milk recently? Last time Pinako came over, she was complaining about you sneaking your extra milk in Liz's cup behind her back!"
"Shut up! I've tried to drink it—it's just gross." He stuck his tongue out at the milkman, ignoring Liz's clenched fist beating against her palm.
"Ahahaha! A word of advice for all of you, you'll always be at that height you are if you don't drink your milk, especially you, Ed! Ahahaha!"
"Yeah, Ed…wait—hey! Don't group me with him!" Al grimace. Winry and Liz nodded.
"Ahahaha! He's quite the grouch, isn't he?" The milkman chuckled, and pretty soon, everyone but Ed was holding their sides from laughter, already have forgotten the subject of it.
Ed growled, sending them into more fits of laughter. "Hey, what did I ever do to all of y—" A brief pause. "What did I ever do to you, Milkman?"
"You don't like my milk!" The milkman's booming laughter rang throughout the fields. Ed couldn't help it; pretty soon he fell too down from laughter, holding onto his sides.
"Ah, we all ought to have a good laugh every once in a while! Why don't you guys come over for a while?"
"Okay, sure!" Liz said. Winry nodded. Winry glanced over to the brothers.
"Sorry, not today—but we'll come tomorrow for sure." Al said.
"Make sure to come over today! Soup today—Pinako's special!" Winry shouted at their retreating backs.
"Okay!" Al shouted over his shoulder. Ed waved without looking back.
"What's up with them? Goodness, they're always doing alchemy stuff these days," Liz sighed.
"Look who's talking—what about you?" Winry teased.
"Oh, c'mon, you're the one who's been pulling off all-nighters reading up on Automail!" Liz shot back.
"Ahahaha! I ought to tell you, I pulled off five all-nighters in a row before! Pretty good, huh?" the milkman said as he strode towards his handmade, shabby but beloved home. "You guys ought to have heard about it, haven't you? Ask any of the old townsfolk—they'll surely know."
"What would you girls like? Milk, or milk?"
"We'll take milk," Liz and Winry said simultaneously. And turned to each other simultaneously. And grinned, simultaneously.
"Ah, right to it!"
Liz and Winry took their seats, and Milkman quickly came out with his promised milk.
"Oh and, by the way, what're the boys doing today? Heard they're quite the alchemists," Milkman said once he settled down.
"Whatever alchemy crap they're usually doing," Liz said.
"Studying?Those boys should be enjoying their young lives! Studying and working's for the old men like me. Ahahaha!"
"Yeah, they never tell us what they're doing," Winry mumbled, her voice edged with frustration. "But at least they said they're gonna be finishing today." She sighed. "I just wonder what they're so caught up with. What do you think they're doing?"
"Me? Probably planning a surprise for you lot. I remember the good ol' farmer once threw me a surprise party. Acting all suspicious for weeks! You know him, don't you? The one that used to work here?" Liz shook her head, but Winry nodded vigorously, glad to know something that Liz didn't. "Eh, you came after he left. You should have met him—he was a great man." He smiled, his eyes peaceful as he recalled memories.
Liz shrugged. "Where's he now?"
The milkman chuckled, a bit nervously, as Liz noted. "Dunno 'bout that. Probably traveling around. I think I still have a picture of him. I'll show it to you if I ever find it." He looked out the window, concentrating harder than necessary.
Liz bore in mind his change of attitude, but didn't press any further. "Hey, Winry. Let's check out what the boys are doing."
"But then it won't be a surprise," Winry whined.
"I don't like surprises."
"Why not? They're fun!"
"I hate surprises. It throws me off."
"But then it's not fun anymore!"
"Do you really think they're gonna throw a surprise for us?"
"Well, it's almost your birthday."
"Winry, my birthday's in five months."
"Well, mine's in seven!"
"So?"
"Well…"
"It wouldn't hurt, would it?"
"I guess not…"
"Anyways, don't you wanna know what their secret is?"
Winry finally agreed, giggling. "I really wonder what it is."
"Yeah—we've all been—for the last two month." Liz peered back at the milkman. "Hey, sorry for the short visit, but we're gonna go."
The milkman grinned. "Something I would have done in my young days. Don't get caught! Ahahaha!"
Liz and Winry waved goodbye. Winry wore a crafty grin, giddy with their plan. Liz wearing a grin as well, but an evil, devilish grin, ready to find out what the boys were up to.
Ed and Al finished the last preparations for the procedure. They worked in a small room of gray walls and musty stone floor. Everything was pushed aside in a corner, leaving an empty space in the center of the room. To the right of the entrance, there was a table of peculiar ingredients.
Ed reread all of these ingredients for Al to check off. "So we've got...water, 35 liters; carbon, 20 kilograms; ammonia, 4 liter; lime, 1.5 liters; phosphorus, 800 grams; salt, 250 grams; saltpeter, 100 grams; sulfur, 80 grams; fluorine, 7.5 grams; iron, 5 grams; and silicon, 3 grams. That's everything. We have all of them, right?"
"Yeah—wait I think there's too much water… Never mind, it's all ready." Al poured the ingredients into a metal bin and mixed them together with a wooden spoon as Ed sketched a strange picture on the floor with chalk.
Al couldn't believe they were finally doing this! And actually doing it in the first place. It was an unaccomplished feat, something that no one had ever done—but something they would definitely do so. Something that they would definitely do, and would do perfectly.
And they were going to see Mother again! A grin tugged at Al's lips. Mother will come back! He couldn't wait to see her smile again, to feel her assuring embrace, as she praised their alchemical skills. And they would all live, happily ever after, a complete family, until the end of their days.
Though he hung onto this thought, a sinister voice in the back of his head warned him. How could a couple of ragtag children achieve the unachievable?
But he brushed it aside and let the lasting warmth of the previous thought remain.
"Winry, hurry up, would you?" Liz yelled to her. Winry was quite the distance behind and tried unsuccessfully to catch up to Liz with her slowing pace.
"Slow down…would you?" Winry huffed between ragged breaths. She ran to a slow stop, holding onto her knees for support.
After catching her breath, she called out, "Hey, I can't run that fast. What's the rush for, anyways?"
"C'mon, we're almost there. You can see their houses there!" Liz pointed to a two story house perched not far from where she stood. It overlooked the other houses, as it stood on the hill's apex, but at a closer inspection, it wasn't all that grand. It appeared taller from its position on the hill, and the weathered wood that held it up was slightly moth-eaten. The supposedly bright coat of white paint was a dirty gray, with flecks peeled off to reveal wood.
"Yeah, so can't we just walk the rest of the way? I can barely move."
"We're wasting time arguing. We could've ran a quarter of the distance with that time. They might be done with it already!"
"But I can't run anymore!"
"Fine! We'll walk, just hurry!" Liz impatiently shifted her weight from foot to foot as Winry jogged up to her. They speed-walked together the rest of the way home, Winry every so often breaking into a jog to catch up to Liz's brisk strides.
An exasperated Liz and a breathless Winry eventually reached their destination. Liz quickly opened the door, leaving it an inch from the wall. If she opened the door slowly, its hinges would sound a low creak. Liz tip-toed in, and Winry followed in after her, tracing her footsteps. She remembered which floorboards produced a groan when stepped from her visits to the Elric's home.
As Winry cautiously hopped her last few steps, Liz slowly pushed ajar and peeked in. Al faced a table opposite her; he poured in a white, powdery substance into a bin of a strange gray substances. Ed crawled on the floor, filling in the last few details of a picture, grinding the piece of chalk in with as much pressure as possible so that the pictures were bolder and didn't fade as easily. It took a moment for Liz to comprehend what it was—a transmutation circle. Liz's disbelief tried to sway her mind without effect.
Because it definitely wasn't an ordinary one.
"Hey Liz, let me see..." Winry froze when she looked up to Liz. Liz's entire body shook, uncontrollable, her mouth hung agape. Incredulity filled her watery eyes, along with something else.
Fear.
Winry knew those eyes, so wild, so full of insanity. When Liz first came to live with them, she overlooked reality to the horridly vivid memories. Winry remembered Liz's instability at that time, how she would flail and shout and cry in the middle of the night, during meals how she would see her reflection in the spoon and burst to tears, when she would sit at the fireplace, staring at the flickering flame and cry for help.
Those fearful, mad eyes, they looked just like before.
Liz's vision blurred. She wiped away the tears. Things came in a frenzy, it was all over, her mind was jumping and racing and screaming and screaming and screaming.
But she drew a breath and put a hand over her madly thumping heart. Closed her eyes. Let out the breath, though it came out in heavy whimpers. Tried again.
And opened her eyes, knowing that she had to stop the boys.
She cocked her head towards Winry. "Get Grannie!" she whispered, her voice wavering.
Winry didn't move, frozen in place from Liz's frightening gaze. "But—"
"Just get her! Hurry!" This time, too fearful to object, Winry scurried out the door, ignoring the creaking that followed.
Liz peered back at the boys.
And...it was too late.
The boys grinned at each other and clapped their hands together in unison.
"You ready, Ed?" Al whispered, shaking with excitement.
"No..." Liz said, her voice choking off.
"Never any better!"
"N-no!"
They didn't hear.
When the boys slapped their hands against the rock, they felt a surge of energy flowing throughout their bodies and discharging through their open palms. The energy flow from whenever they performed alchemy was tremendous this time. Their eyes widened with exhilaration as a bright blue light flashed upon their faces.
Slowly, the intense blue turned a menacing purple. The boys looked around, their confusion mingling with fear.
And finally, when it was too damn late, something clicked in Liz, and she sprang to action.
Liz thrust the door open. A blood-curling scream rose from her throat.
But still. Too. Damn. Late.
A thin S curled in the circle, and it blinked open as an eye. Mysterious puffs of smoke rose from it, becoming small hands clawing at the boys and holding onto them as their body broke off and dissipated into indiscernible fragments. Before Liz's mind could catch up to her, she leapt towards them. Unbearable pain reached her as her body broke off. "Ed! Al! No, no, n—" Her words were abruptly cut off when her vocal cords disappeared.
The boys screeched as they fell down hard against the floor. Ed clawed at the ground, trying helplessly to raise himself. All of him, his face, his body, his hands, broke off as the little hands pulled him towards the eye. Al pushed his fingers toward Ed's, but as their fingers met, they dissolved into the air. Liz was left to stare into the open before she was sucked away too.
Whiteness. Complete, utter whiteness.
That was what she saw first. Or what she could perceive in this place so whole, complete.
Just void, empty whiteness.
Suddenly, bits of black gradually appeared. It outlined the figure of a person, shrouded in darkness. But on its right arm, a human arm appeared.
It was her arm. The one she lost to Truth four years ago.
A mouth materialized and smirked. "Well, seems that you still haven't learned your place. Welcome back."
After Note: Hehe, cliffhanger :) Please review, follow, and favorite. All that stuff. Especially review! Reviews are my happiness.
I might not write regularly—it all depends on how much time I have :/ However, I've been pretty into writing this, so I'll at least try to update as soon as possible. And try not discontinue :P
~OrAngESouL6D6M6