"Hey, lady! Are you gonna finish that?" Ragnarok demanded. It was lunchtime at the DWMA, and Liz had only eaten half of her lunch. She was staring intently at a tiny chip in her otherwise perfect nail polish. "HEY! LADY!" Ragnarok was eyeing Liz's half-eaten sandwich hungrily.
"Huh?" Liz stopped staring at her chipped nail long enough to slide her plate over to Crona, so he could give it to Ragnarok. "Here. Now will you leave me alone?" She dug into her purse for her nail polish and started fixing her chipped nail.
"So did you all hear the news?" asked Tsubaki. "I heard we have a new teacher. I think he teaches alchemy?
"
Blackstar jumped up. "YES! Another skill I can master! Soon I will be the master of ALL skills! Umm, one question, what's alchemy?" Before he knew what happened, Maka grabbed the book she was reading and Maka-CHOPPED Blackstar in his thick head.
"You've never heard of alchemy? It's a form of chemistry, based on the transformation of matter. You better start studying if you hope to master it, Blackstar. Plus, I heard we have a State Alchemist as our teacher, whatever that means." She returned to her book as everyone discussed what a State Alchemist could be. At that moment, the doors to the cafeteria opened and in walked a giant suit of armor and a little blonde kid. The short kid walked up to the table where Maka and everyone were sitting.
"Hey, can anyone tell me where I could find professor Franken Stein? I'm supposed to see him about a job opening?" As he was talking, the right sleeve of his long red coat slipped up, showing some sort of metal underneath. Kid was the first to notice, since it made the short guy un-symmetrical. Kid made a face and looked away, disgusted that someone could live without being perfectly symmetrical.
Soul spoke up. "Sure, he's probably in the teachers lounge. You said you needed to talk to him about a job opening? Like, as a teacher?" He looks a little short to be a teacher…
The short kid knew what Soul was going to say. "Yes, as a teacher. I'm Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist! And this is my brother, Alphonse. I'll be your new alchemy teacher." He stood there, met by awkward silence, then an uproar of laughter from all the surrounding tables. Shouts came from all over the cafeteria.
"Aren't you a little short to be a teacher?"
"I'm taller than that pipsqueak!"
"Are you sure you don't mean the guy in the armor? He fits the title!"
Alphonse shook his head, looking embarrassed. Then, "Brother!" He grabbed Edward by the waist, keeping him from tearing the kids to shreds for calling him short.
"DON'T CALL ME SHORT! YOU WANNA SEE SHORT, I'LL SHOW YOU SHORT!" Edward wriggled out of his brothers' grasp and clapped his gloved ands together. Suddenly, a bolt of blue lightning shot out from between his fingers and he put his hands on a chair. Before anyone could blink, the chair shrunk to the size of a thimble. "THAT'S SHORT!" he bellowed. He picked up the tiny chair in his palm, and flicked it at one of the kids who had insulted him. Everybody gasped and applauded at this wonder. Ed accepted the praise, and walked out of the cafeteria to find Professor Stein.
"What was up with that other guy, in the armor?" asked Soul.
Everyone was silent, and the only sound was Maka flipping the pages in her book about alchemy, trying to find the part about transmutation circles. "How could he have done that without one?" she wondered to herself. "Only really talented alchemists can do that. He must be pretty good then." She sighed, knowing how much she would have to study to pass her new class.
"Brother, are you sure that was the best thing to do?" Ed and Al were on their way to the teachers lounge. "I mean, we're here on business. This is the first concrete lead we've gotten from Marcoh's notes in a while. We can't mess this up." Al's footsteps echoed through the empty halls.
"Ah, don't worry, Al. I was just giving them a little… demonstration of what their new teacher can really do!" Ed replied. He put his arms behind his head. "Besides, all I did was shrink a little chair. I didn't cause any real damage. I'll be able to do a lot more than that if the Philosopher's Stone is here." He stopped at the end of the hall and looked at the sign on the door: TEACHERS LOUNGE. NO STUDENTS ALLOWED. He sighed, and pushed open the door. He and Al were met with quizzical stares from the occupants of the room.
One teacher, who appeared to be blue, with a hole in his head, was the first to say anything. "Hey, didn't you read the sign? No students allowed."
Ed started twitching. Before he could say anything, Al spoke up. "We're looking for Professor Stein. He said to meet him here about an alchemy teacher position."
The blue guy stood up. "Oh, I'm so sorry. My name is Sid, I'm a teacher here. You must be the new teacher Stein's been talking about, the Fullmetal Alchemist," he said as he reached out to shake Al's hand. "You certainly fit the title, what with that armor!" He chuckled to himself.
Al looked worried. "Oh no, you're mistaken. My name is Alphonse Elric, and this is my older brother, Edward. He's the State Alchemist." Alphonse pointed to his brother, who seemed ready to explode.
Sid scratched his head. "Are you sure? He looks a little short to be a teacher, let alone work for the military."
That did it. Edward exploded in a fit of rage from being called short. "WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SHRIMP-FACED TINY MIDGET?!" Again, Alphonse grabbed Ed by the waist to keep him from hurting Sid. "I'M STILL GROWING, DON'T YOU KNOW THAT! I'LL BE TALLER THAN EVERYONE BEFORE YOU KNOW IT!"
Everybody was staring at the two brothers. Suddenly a door near the back of the room slammed open. A man came hurtling out, riding on a chair with wheels on the bottom. Just as he was about to stop, his long white lab coat got stuck in the wheels of his chair, knocking him to the ground. He stood up, brushed off his lab coat, turned a giant knob in his head, and walked over to Ed and Al.
"Hello, you must be the Elric brothers. I'm Professor Stein. I hope you made it here safely." He held his hand out to Edward. "And you must be the notorious Fullmetal Alchemist, right?" Ed nodded, surprised that someone actually realized he was the State Alchemist. "If you'll just come with me, we'll discuss the job opening." Without another word, Stein walked back into the room he had just hurtled out of. The boys looked at each other, shrugged, and followed the professor.
Sitting at a desk, Stein picked up a folder. Elric was written on the front of it. Must be my resume, thought Ed. After flipping through the pages for a few minutes, Stein looked up and twisted the giant knob in his head. He seemed to become more focused after doing it. "So, you're here for a job opening. Don't you think you're a little young to be a teacher? We have students as old as you, you know." He repositioned his glasses and looked at Edward for an answer.
"Believe me, sir. I may be young, but I'm a skilled alchemist. My brother and I have been practicing alchemy since we were very young; it's helped us get out of some major scrapes." Ed chuckled. "But we've decided we need a break from said scrapes. Thought settling down in a nice town for a while would be a relaxing change."
"I'm sure you are quite skilled," replied Stein. "It says here that you passed the test to become a state Alchemist at age twelve. That's almost record-breaking. But Alphonse, it appears you failed to complete the test. Any particular reason?" The professor looked up at Al's towering figure.
"Uhh, well… You see, um… That's because—"
"Look, professor," Ed interrupted his sputtering brother. "We're on a mission. I can't tell you what this mission is, but I will tell you that part of it wasn't possible without military privileges. We found it best if both of us didn't have to suffer being the dog's of the military." Al looked at his older brother, afraid too much information was given. What if he thinks coming here is part of our mission? Fretted Al. Then how will we be able to follow our lead?
Professor Stein peered at them for another moment, then slid a paper over to the brothers. "If you would just sign here," he instructed, "you're all set. You start tomorrow, 7 o'clock sharp. You'll be teaching in room 206." He smiled at the boys. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have some important dissections to complete." With that, he left the room. The brothers looked at each other, shuddered, and left to their hotel in Death City.
The next morning, everyone walked into room 206 and sat down, waiting to see how their new teacher would do on his first day. Maka had been up late the night before, trying to learn as much about alchemy as possible in one night. Despite her determination, she didn't learn much. There was just too little information, and the books she could find we're hard to understand. Suddenly the door burst open, and the Elric brothers walked in.
"Good morning, class," Edward said with a grin. "Today we're going to learn how to draw a transmutation circle." His words were met with silence and puzzled looks. He sighed and turned to his brother. "Al, care to draw one while I explain?" Al nodded, picked up a piece of chalk, and started drawing. For the next hour, Edward—I mean Mr. Elric—explained what a transmutation circle was and its importance. Alphonse walked around the room and looked at the students circles. When he got to Kid's desk, he paused and looked at the tiny bit that had been drawn. Kid's head was resting on his desk.
"Having some trouble there?" Al inquired.
Kid looked up, surprised. "I can't do it! My circle isn't symmetrical enough!" He looked Al over, and suddenly he broke into a huge smile. "But you! You are perfect! Whoever crafted this armor was a true artist! It's perfectly symmetrical! You… I… Ahhh." Suddenly, Kid passed out.
Al was worried. "Did I do something? What should I do? Brother," he called, "a boy fainted! Help!"
Soul and Blackstar laughed while Liz explained: "Kid is obsessed with symmetry. If he sees something perfectly symmetrical, he gets a little…over-excited. He'll be fine in a few minutes." She seems used to incidents like this, so Al moved on to the next student, Maka Albarn.
Al looked at Maka's transmutation circle, then picked it up and held it up towards the light. "Uhh, brother, you should see this," he called to Ed, who was on the other side of the room, trying not to yell at a kid who had called him 'Shorty.' Ed looked up from the cowering kid and walked over to Maka's seat to see her circle. He grabbed her paper from his brother and inspected it. He blinked and held it closer to his face, not sure he was seeing correctly. After he looked at it for a good few minutes, Maka started to get embarrassed. What if I made one that did something really bad? She thought to herself as she started blushing.
Ed looked up into Maka's bushing face, and immediately felt bad. Oh no, I probably hurt her feelings. She probably thinks it's terrible. He cleared his throat and looked at Maka. "Well, I wasn't expecting such talent in our first class."
This made Maka blush even more. "You really think so?" She asked shyly. "I've been studying since I heard about this class." Unlike some people, she thought good-naturedly as she looked over at Blackstar, who had his book upside-down, trying to figure out the symbols. Tsubaki was next to him, trying her best to help her clueless partner. Maka's eyes drifted towards Crona, who seemed to be doing better than the rest of the group. Ragnarok seemed to be subdued at the moment, which was good for Crona's concentration. Maka could tell he had a lot of skill in drawing. His pencil seemed to glide over the paper, as if he already knew all the symbols. I wonder if Medusa knew any alchemy. Maybe she taught Crona… Thinking about Medusa made Maka's blood boil. Ed's voice brought her back to the present, and smothered her thoughts about the evil witch.
"Yeah, this is a really good transmutation circle," Ed was saying. "This would be used for bigger, more advanced things. For fixing something more complex, like a radio," he said with a grin. He and his brother shared a look that implied they had been in that situation before. Ed handed the paper back to Maka as the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day. "Okay class!" Ed called before everyone left, "Don't forget to study tonight. Tomorrow, we'll be working on the chemical components of objects, and if they can be transmuted with other items. Have a good day!" Everyone filed out of the room, eager to get home.
Kid had regained consciousness by then, and he was shielding himself from Soul and Blackstar's jokes about his little "episode." The girls followed, except Maka. She stood near the door, but made no move to leave. "Hey, Maka," Soul called, "You coming?" He looked back at his meister, who looked deep in thought. He walked back and took her by her shoulders, looking in her eyes. "Hey, what's up?" She leaned into her weapon and whispered in his ear.
"There's something strange about their soul wavelengths. They're so… strong, yet so fragile at the same time." She looked confused, like she wanted to know more. She's Maka, thought Soul, of course she wants to learn more.
"Hey, Mr. Elric!" Soul called to Ed, who was picking up the papers from all the now-empty seats. He looked up, startled that anyone was still here. He walked over to Soul and Maka. "Hey, we were wondering if you were up for a game basketball? We're gonna play for a little while after school. You and your brother wanna play?"
Everyone had stopped to wait for Soul and Maka. Kid overheard Soul's invitation and quickly walked away, leaving everyone confused by his speedy exit. He walked outside before his hatred of unsymmetrical things got the best of him. Their new teacher had disgusted Kid even from across the room. How was he supposed to play basketball with him? Kid knew he wouldn't be wearing his red cloak while playing basketball, which meant his arm would be in view. Kid paced angrily, his mind racing with symmetrical thoughts to calm him down.
Back in the classroom, Ed was pondering going to play basketball with everyone. "Okay, sure," He finally decided, "We'll come. But you guys can call me Ed now, okay? It would be weird playing with a teacher." He smiled at his new friends and told them he had to drop off his things and change, and that he would meet them at the court. Soul smiled, grabbed Maka's hand, and they left the room. Ed was happy that the kids seemed to accept him, except that kid with the weird lines in his hair. I wonder what was up with him, thought Ed. He doesn't seem to like me much. Oh well, the others seem to like us well enough!
Al wasn't as happy as his brother. He wondered what the other kids thought about his armor, and if they would let him play. "Brother, what if they ask me to take off my armor?" Al asked his older brother. "I really want to play, but what if they don't let me?"
Ed didn't seem to think this was an issue. "Al, plenty of people have asked about your armor. Just tell them the same thing you tell everyone else. They all seem nice enough to me. Except that one kid, with the stripes in his hair. I wonder what his problem is."
Al had seen how Kid had run away when Soul asked the brother's if they wanted to hang out. "Well, did you see how he reacted to my armor? He passed out because of how symmetrical it is. The older girl, I think her name was Liz, said this happens a lot because he's obsessed with symmetry. Maybe he saw your arm, and doesn't like you because you aren't symmetrical."
"But that's insane! Nobody is perfectly symmetrical! But maybe you're right. Maybe I'm too un-symmetrical for him. Well, whatever his problem is, I hope it doesn't ruin our game with the others!" Ed shut his briefcase and looked at his brother. "C'mon, we don't want to be late!"
Kid was pacing the floor in the house he shared with Liz and Patti. "C'mon, Kid, calm down," urged Liz. "It's not a big deal. Edward and Alphonse are new, and Soul was just being polite by inviting them to play basketball. I don't see why you're freaking out."
Kid paused his pacing and looked at Liz. "Not a big deal? Of course you might think so, but as a reaper I must retain my honor, and I'm not going to lose it to some pipsqueak showoff." He continued pacing, which made Patti laugh, as she does anytime Kid throws a fit.
"How is he hurting your honor?" Liz asked.
"He comes in to the DWMA, shows off his fancy little skills, and now he has everyone wrapped around his little metal finger. He thinks he's better than a reaper. But of course he's not, so I think I might have to put him in his place." An idea was forming in Kid's head.
Liz sighed and shook her head. "Well, we're going to play b-ball. If you decide to get over this tantrum, we'll be there. Come on, Patti, let's go." With that, they walked out the door.
"Fine!" Kid exploded. "Choose him over your meister! I don't mind at all!" He shut the door behind the girls and went back to pacing, his idea growing with each pass across the floor. A mischievous smile began to plaster itself on his face. He knew exactly how he would regain his honor from Edward.
At the court, Blackstar and Soul were shooting a few hoops before Ed and Al got there. Liz, Patti, and Tsubaki were on the sidelines cheering them on. Crona had said he had a headache, so he didn't want to come. Maka was sitting on the bench, keeping an eye out for the Eric brothers and Kid. Nobody was too worried when Kid didn't show up with the rest of them; they all assumed he was throwing a symmetry-fit. I hope he gets over this soon, thought Maka, Ed seems like a nice guy, and I don't want Kid to not like him for not being symmetrical. Maka was so lost in thought that she didn't see Ed and Al until she was engulfed in the younger brother's shadow.
"Oh! Hi guys!" Maka said. "We were waiting for you. The boys look pretty eager to start playing." She looked over at Soul and Blackstar, who were now wrestling about what counts as a foul. She couldn't help but laugh at their antics. "We usually play a few 3-on-3 games, so that some people can take a break." As she turned back to the new arrivals, she saw something glinting in the corner of her eye. It was Ed's automail arm, shining in the bright sun.
Edward, realizing his arm might be making Maka uncomfortable, put his arm behind his back and grinned. "Yeah, that sounds great. 3-on-3, perfect. So how do we pick teams?"
Maka shrugged. "I'm not exactly sure. I don't usually play much; I'm not very good at basketball. But Soul and Blackstar can tell you. Hey, Soul! Blackstar!" She called the two boys over to explain the rules. After a few minutes, the three boys ran over to the court, while Maka and Alphonse sat on the bench; they had offered to sit out the first game.
After a few minutes, Alphonse broke the awkward silence. "Wow, they're pretty good. Do they play a lot?"
"Any opportunity they have, they'll play. It takes our minds off things like school, and the Kishin. Edward is pretty good, too. He doesn't even look tired!" Maka stared in awe as Ed ran across the court, back and forth, almost without effort.
Al nodded. "We do a lot of sparring and we exercise a lot. He hasn't beaten me in a skirmish yet, but he's gotten close." He chuckled at the memories of him and his brother, practicing fighting techniques on old Pinako's lawn, while Winry watched, a cup of cold water always at the ready for Ed. He sighed, thinking about how long it'd been since they'd seen the Rockbells.
Maka took advantage of Al's reminiscing to try and read his soul. She was having trouble getting to his soul. His wavelengths were unlike any other she had seen. They didn't seem to radiate from his whole being like other people, but from a fixed point right below his helmet. Well that's different, she thought. It's almost as if it's …anchored by something. She concentrated harder, trying to find out why this younger boy's soul was so different. She was concentrating so hard that she didn't notice Kid walking past her until Al said hi to him.
She looked up to see who Alphonse had addressed. "Kid, you came! We were worried about you. Are you alright?" Kid walked past Maka without even acknowledging her. She looked over at Al, who just shrugged. The others were too involved in their game to notice Kid until he walked to the middle of the court and grabbed the ball. He threw it without looking and it landed right in Maka's lap, a safe distance away from the court.
"Hey, Kid, we're in the middle of a game!" yelled Blackstar. "What's your deal?" Blackstar tapped Kid's shoulder, trying to get his attention. Kid was facing Edward, his back turned to all his friends. Without turning around, he told them to get off the court. "But…our game…" Blackstar argued feebly.
"Blackstar, Soul, Tsubaki, get off the court." Kid's eyes were locked on Edward's, two pairs of golden eyes equally determined not to back down. "It's not going to be safe here. Liz, Patti, weapon form. Now." The Thompson sisters changed to twin pistol form and flew into Kid's waiting hands. He spun them around a couple times, stopping them with his pinkies on the triggers.
"So," Ed mused, "It's come to this. We don't even know each other, yet you challenge me to a battle. You do know you're talking to the youngest state alchemist in history, right?" While he was talking he had clapped his hands together, and a blue lightning-like substance surrounding him. When the blue light cleared, his right arm had become a sort of sword or dagger.
There he goes again, alchemy without a circle, Maka reaffirmed. Kid better know what he's getting into. This guy is all business. Although she was worried for her friend, she was also excited to see who would win, as was everyone else. On one hand, Kid had his flying skateboard, which gave him an advantage. On the other hand, Edward seemed capable of creating practically anything with what the surroundings had to offer. It seemed to be an even battle, but who could tell?
Soul came to stand by Maka. "Hey, we don't need to get a teacher to validate this fight, do we? Since one of them is a teacher?" Soul was always ready for a fight, whether he's fighting or just watching. Either way, he wanted to make sure it was a legitimate fight.
Maka hadn't thought about that. "I dunno. I guess since it's not against students, and since one of them is a teacher, it's probably alright." She and Soul sat down, anticipating the oncoming show.
Back on the court, Kid was talking to his newfound rival. "Well, well. You think that just because you're a state alchemist you can defeat a reaper? You think a little pocketwatch makes you as powerful as the son of Shinigami?" He laughed a dry, humorless laugh and called on his flying skateboard, Beelzebub.
Ed grimaced. Huh, this kid's gonna be tougher to beat than I thought, with that skateboard. Without a moments hesitation he clapped his hands again, then put them on the ground, sending giant pillars out of the earth. He hopped onto one that was still growing so he was at the same height as the young reaper. "It's not just the pocketwatch," he called, "It's also the fact that I've been in more fights that you could possibly imagine!" He surveyed his pillars, deciding the best route to his foe.
The pillars weren't only an advantage to Ed, but a disadvantage to Kid, making it harder for him to ride Beelzebub smoothly. Keeping an eye on where he was going and an eye on Ed was proving to be difficult. Especially since the latter was so tiny. He finally closed in on the pillar Edward was standing on, and started shooting at him. "You think any of your fights match up to what I've seen?" he called over the explosions left by his soul wavelengths. "I aided in defeating the worlds main source of darkness, the Kishin. I'm pretty sure the dog of the military hasn't seen more than a few petty thieves!" With that, he flew a few yards away, letting Ed compose himself after the onslaught of soul wavelengths.
The young alchemist wasn't going to be beaten that easily. He quickly composed himself and ran towards Kid, who had rested on a pillar for a moment. He pulled his right arm back, ready to stab Kid. Or so it seemed. Instead, he aimed for the seams of the left arm of Kid's jacket. His arm-dagger sliced cleanly, tearing the arm from the jacket. It fluttered to ground far below and Kid just looked at his one bare arm. Before Kid let his asymmetry get to him he ripped off his jacket and threw it down, where it lay with the detached sleeve, far below the brawling rivals in the sky. His pale, bare chest gleamed in the midday sun. He looked up at Edward and gave a small chuckle. "Is that all you've got, Shrimp?"
Before Edward could react, Kid was already soaring down to a lower elevation. Ed, now burning with the fury of a thousand suns from being called "Shrimp," didn't even bother to give chase. Instead he clapped his hands onto the pillar he was standing on, and his alchemic forces created a giant stone wall that the young reaper slammed headfirst into, which knocked him off Beelzebub and onto the ground.
Feigning unconsciousness, Kid and his twin pistols started Soul Resonance while they waited for Edward to get to ground level. By the time Ed had gotten to the ground, Kid had his death cannons leveled at the alchemist. Edward stopped short, seeing the power behind those cannons. Very slowly he clapped his hands together and touched them to the ground. Right as the flash of blue lightning crackled across the ground, Kid fired. One cannon hit Ed square in the chest, knocking him back a few feet. The alchemy that Ed had sent towards Kid hit the other cannon, knocking it so it shot off center, right into the stone wall that Kid ran into earlier. The wall towered over Kid, at least twenty feet tall. It started to rumble from the impact of the Soul Resonance wavelength. Suddenly it collapsed, toppling to where Kid sat. He braced himself for the impact, but was hit from the side instead, sending him flying away from the now-collapsed pile of rubble.
Kid blinked, surprised that he hadn't been crushed by tons of stone. As he looked towards the pile of rubble, a figure came out of the dust that permeated the air. It was Edward. He was holding his right shoulder, as if it had become dislocated. He walked up to Kid and held out his left hand. Kid looked at it, dumbfounded.
Ed laughed. "Well, are you just gonna sit there all day?" Kid took his hand hesitantly, and gave him a quizzical look.
"You-you saved me. But… why?" Kid asked. He couldn't understand why his foe would risk his life to save the person he was fighting just a minute ago.
"If I left you there, you could've died! I couldn't just leave you there. Even if it did mean I would win," replied Edward.
Kid was speechless. Here he was, willing to protect his honor by any means necessary, while Edward was willing to protect Kid's life over his own. What kind of person does that make me? thought Kid. A worse person than Edward, a little voice in his head replied. He sighed, then said, "You were willing to risk your life to save mine. I thought honor was about being able to uphold your name in battle. But now I see that real honor is knowing when to stop in a battle." Feeling embarrassed by how immature he had acted, he looked down at the ground and held out his hand. "Good fight, though."
Ed shook Kid's hand and replied, "Yeah, well, I've been in situations where it's hard to stop." Like with Shou Tucker, and what he did to Nina and Alexander. "And I can't have another person's blood on my hands. My own brother's in enough," he mumbled, more to himself than Kid. Kid had no idea what Ed was talking about, but he decided not to press it, at least for now. "But the important thing is that neither of us was hurt too badly." When the young alchemist said that, he involuntarily reached for his right arm as a spasm of pain radiated from his shoulder. "That's another story for my arm though. Winry's gonna kill me if it's actually busted." He tried to move his right arm. It could move, but caused him terrible pain.
When the dust finally settled, everybody ran towards the ex-foes. Kid was hanging back, ashamed at how a pipsqueak like Edward was more honorable than he was. He had given his torn jacket to Ed to use as a sort of sling, so it didn't jostle too much. Everybody was full of questions: Who won? Was anybody hurt too badly? How were they going to explain the giant pillars of earth to the teachers? Liz and Patti turned back to human form and sat on the grass a few feet away from everyone else; they were tired from Soul Resonance and needed a break.
The most concerned was Alphonse; he knew how careless his brother was with automail. "Brother!" he called, "Are you okay? How is your arm?" He walked up to Ed and Kid. He tried to reach for Ed's arm, but Ed wouldn't let him come too near. "Its okay, brother, I'll be careful, unlike you are." Ed grinned sheepishly.
Kid was reluctant to join the others but when Maka started walking over, he discarded the hope of being left alone. "How badly are you hurt?" She looked him over, checking his bare chest and arms for any major cuts. "You have a pretty deep cut on your left shoulder, but other than that you only have a few minor cuts and bruises." She ripped a strip of fabric from her jacket and wrapped it around Kid's arm.
"Thanks, Maka. I didn't realize he cut me when that happened." He rolled his shoulder a few times, then stood up. "Now, if you'll excuse me for a minute," he continued, "I have other matters to attend to." With that, he walked over to where the Elric brother's were sitting.
"Brother?" Alphonse called to Ed. "How bad is your arm? Winry is going to kill you if it's broken again." He grabbed his older brother's arm, which caused him to flinch and cry out. "Sorry, sorry! I didn't think it was that bad." When Ed cried out, Kid started running towards them.
He was out of breath when he got over to them. "What's wrong?" he cried. "I didn't break it, did I? Is it fixable? I'll be more than willing to pay for it." After Ed had been willing to sacrifice himself to save Kid, he was willing to do anything to repay the alchemist.
Ed shrugged, which made him flinch. "It's probably just got a few spots that need to be fixed. No trouble at all, if Winry was here." He frowned, mentally calculating if it would be cheaper to go back home for a repair and tune-up, or send Winry money to come to Death City. He decided Winry should get a vacation to the big city, which would also mean they could stay to look for any trace of Marco's research.
"Winry?" inquired Kid.
"Oh, she's a friend from home," replied Edward. "She's a whiz with automail. She made my arm and leg, actually. She's going to throw a fit if she knows I broke this model so soon, but there's nothing else I can do." He sighed, mentally anticipating Winry's arrival. "What did you do this time?" she would screech. "Honestly, if you can't take better care of your automail, I'm going to have to plate it in titanium!"
"Don't worry, I'll take the blame. It was my doing anyway" Kid assured Ed. "And don't worry about train fare, I've got that, too."
"Are you sure?" hesitated Ed. "My brother and I get by on a state alchemist's pay. We could afford it."
"It's no problem," declared Kid. "I owe it to you; after all, you did save my life."
The two boys sat and talked for a while longer, each regaining the strength they had lost in the battle. After about half an hour Soul and Blackstar were ready to get back to their basketball game. "Hwy," called Soul, "you lovebirds coming or what?"
Kid was appalled. "Lovebirds? What do you mean by lovebirds?"
Soul grinned. "Oh, nothing. Nothing at all." He threw the ball at Kid. "Although, you could prove to me you two aren't lovebirds by beating Blackstar and I in a two-on-two game."
Kid didn't hesitate. "Of course we can beat you two amateurs. A reaper and an alchemist? We'll be practically unstoppable! Hey, Ed, you up for a game?"
Ed looked over, startled. "A game? Now?" He looked at his useless arm. "Umm, I'd be more of a burden than anything. But after I get my arm fixed up, we'll beat 'em to a pulp!" He laughed and went back to examining his arm, seeing if anything rattled when he moved it.
Oh yeah, I forgot about his arm. Wow, I must be more tired than I thought to forget something like that. Now that he thought about it, Kid realized how tired he was. He could sleep for a week, it felt like.
Maka seemed to be reading his mind. "Hey, it's getting pretty late. Maybe we should get going for now." I bet those two are tired from their brawl, she thought, I bet they don't want to do anything but sleep. I hope Edward's arm will be okay. Everyone said their goodbyes and walked off in their different directions.
"See you tomorrow, lovebirds!" called Soul with a laugh. Ed and Kid gave him a death-glare; they were too tired to do anything else. But it seemed to do the trick. Soul grabbed Maka's hand, mumbled "come on, let's go home," and started running in the direction of the setting sun. Kid and Ed just laughed and continued walking until they went their separate ways.