Hey, everyone!
Well... I've decided to take a stab at my first Fullmetal Alchemist fic. Yay for me! ^.^ Of course, I'm not quite sure how good, or popular it will become, (considering the fact that my first fic on here was a huge hit); but, this is the first chapter after all :)
Oh, yeah, just so you guys know, this is kinda going to follow the Brotherhood series for a while, since it's a little closer to the manga everyone's familiar with, with a bit of my own plot twists. So, hopefully, you all won't get confused.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, or anything FMA-related. Just my OC ^.^
Chapter I: Tremor in the Night
I panted as I gave chase down the barely lit sidewalk after the crook, barging through unsuspecting pedestrians along the way. Man, this guy sure could run. He may have the speed, but he sure didn't have the stamina. I smirked to myself once I noticed that I was gaining up on him, who glanced over his shoulder every once in a while. Sorry, buddy. I wasn't going anywhere. This was going to be a piece of cake.
Suddenly, right before the crook had the chance to turn a corner, he whirled around to face me and stooped down towards the sidewalk. In mere seconds, he slammed a gloved hand on the concrete, and I caught a glimpse of a matrix with a few shapes and symbols to decorate his leather glove. As soon as I was close to tackling the thief, a blue light outlined the patterned sketched on the sidewalk, and soon I found myself slamming face-first into a wall of concrete. I was out cold for about a second or two before shaking myself out of a daze.
"Damn it," I hissed under my breath, as I glared at the retreating figure of the crook.
Not wanting to waste another moment, I quickly scrambled to my feet and hurried after the felon. So, Mr. Speedy knows alchemy? That would explain why he stole my jacket, containing my silver pocket watch. It was the only evidence that I was a State Alchemist, and if someone, specifically a military personal, saw thisguy with the watch…. He could gain access to top secret stuff in the military! I had to get it back from him. If Mustang found out that I lost my pocket watch, I wouldn't hear the end of it from him…
Suddenly, the thief turned a corner, leading into a benighted alleyway. I slid to a halt, and then proceeded to chase down the thief, swiftly flipping over tin waste bins he shoved down. They rolled right underneath me, and my feet stuck the landing. This guy just wouldn't give up, would he? Seriously, if he weren't so greedy to get his hands on one of the State Alchemist Pocket Watches, he would become a great track runner.
As soon as I slid to a halt upon turning yet another corner in the maze of alleyways, I found the crook leaning over with his hands placed on his knees, panting from exhaustion. I smirked in triumph as I gazed down the alley at the exhausted man, and then I placed my hand on my hip. This chase was just about over. The crook probably thought that he lost me while climbing over that chain-link fence a while ago.
While running his hand through his thick locks of brunette hair, he glanced over his shoulder and gasped. "H-how long have you been standing there?"
"Oh, a few minutes or so," I answered, nonchalantly.
Then, I eyed at him sternly, and he began to slowly back away. After chasing this guy for almost an hour through the city, I was growing exhausted, and somewhat pissed off. I wasn't going to let this guy out of my sight, not until I retrieved my State Alchemist Pocket watch back from his cold, greedy hands; hell, I'd even kill him if he pushed me close enough to my breaking point.
"Now look here, buddy," I began, leaning my body against a dumpster with my arm resting on the lid. "I'm not much of a forgiver, but I do believe in second chances. Of course, if I were you, I'd hand over the jacket before things got ugly. But," I stood straight up again, shoving my hands into my pockets. "It's your choice. We could do this the easy way, or the hard way."
The crook only laughed. "I'd take any way if I'm getting it from a kid like you."
A pang of irritation struck through me. I glared at him with gritted teeth, while my hands formed a tight fist in my pockets. He did not just say the "k" word. This guy was just asking for it... Sure my looks lead people off at times (hell, a few of them have actually thought I was much older than I really was), but I hated it... no, I trulydespised it when people just saw me as nothing but a meek, insignificant little kid. Honestly, didn't anyone have common courtesy nowadays?
"That's it!" I screamed, yanking my fists out of my pockets.
After that, I dashed at full speed with my hand reeled back, ready to knock a few teeth out of the felon's insulting mouth. He swiftly dodged my punch; and then he swooped down to the ground, swiping his feet from underneath me. I landed flat on the cold, grimy floor of the ally, but quickly placed my hands on the ground, pushing my lower body into the air, and then I flipped backwards, landing on my feet.
Instantly, the man swept his leg around, ready to introduce my face to his foot. With the right timing, I quickly ducked underneath his leg as it twirled over my head, and then I lifted my own leg up, slamming my foot into his bulky abdomen. The crook was swept backwards, gliding across the grime that covered the ground, until his back hit the wall on the opposite side. I swept my leg around until I was in a crouching position, and kept my eyes focused on the fiend, who was struggling to regain his breath that had been knocked from him.
After a few moments passed, I smirked and stood up, folding my arms across my chest. "Had enough yet?"
The man only laughed weakly. "You're not too bad, kid."
Even though he, once again, said the 'k' word, I took his remark as a compliment. "Well, I have been known to deceive my adversaries by my appearance, but then I strike them with so much fear that they were trembling for weeks."
"Is that so?"
I grinned. "They don't call me the Tremor Alchemist for nothing."
With that, I quickly scratched a circle, with a few other shapes and insignias, in the ground and placed my hands on the edges. In an instant, the outline of the symbol began to glow a bright blue; and soon after, the ground began to shake violently. I could feel the vibrations within the Earth from hundreds of miles away as they coursed through my body, wracking every nerve within me; but, I was used to that feeling now. At first, it would always frighten me as soon as my body felt the slightest surge while transmuting; but now, I was confident in my abilities.
The tremors gathered together in the alleyway, and soon, a long, thin crack in the concrete began to widen into a gaping crevasse. The crook gaped in horror as the gap edged his way closer towards him, ready to swallow him whole, and then the fiend frantically glanced around for an easy escape. I smirked with satisfaction, knowing that I had him cornered this time; but suddenly, the fiend dropped down to the ground again, placing his gloved hand on the cold concrete. I didn't have time to counter his attack, until I received a face full of concrete.
The impact sent me flying backwards, until I landed roughly on the ground, sliding on my back against the concrete. Groaning in pain, I slowly sat up tenderly rubbing my stinging backside with my hand, and then I moved my hand upward towards my face, but then winced as my fingertips barely came in contact with my skin. That was going to hurt in the morning... And from the impact with the concrete pillar, I was sure to wake up to one hell of a shiner. Once my eyes locked onto the structure jutting out of the ground, I glared in frustration.
The transmutation circle was torn apart, and a few chunks of rubble with the designs still etched on them lay scattered around the protruding column of concrete. Great, just when I had the crook in checkmate. My eyes widened in realization at the thought; and then I quickly scanned passed the ruined circle for the thief, but to no avail. He had already disappeared.
Not on my watch...I thought to myself as I quickly scrambled to my feet.
As soon as I was upright, I dashed to the end of the alleyway, and then frantically glanced from left to right. Oh, when I found the fiend, I was going to open up the largest can of major pain on him! Glancing to the right, my eyes landed on the thief as anger began to boil up inside of me. He was crouched down on the ground, still wearing my black jacket with the chain of the watch hanging from the side pocket. I gave a quick glance at the brick wall behind him, and the walls surrounding him. He was trapped in a dead end.
This was it. No mercy this time.
I glowered at the man as I raced over to him. "You son of a-"
Suddenly, I noticed the corner of his mouth curl up into a smirk, and then I glanced down at the etching in the dirt in front of him. Before I had time to react, the felon placed his hands on the ground, activating the transmutation circle in the dirt. Once the glow lit up the insignia, the moisture in the air combined with the dirt on the ground, saturating it into thick, slippery mud.
I gasped as I placed my feet on the ground ahead of me, trying to slide to a stop, but I was too late. I slid across the patch of dirt, flailing my arms around in circles to keep my balance. The thief took off once again, while I closed my eyes, waiting for yet another impact with a solid, wall. Suddenly, two, leathery hands grasped my arms; and soon, I felt my body being pulled to the side, until my stinging back came in contact with chilling metal.
"Gotcha," a child-like voice echoed from behind me.
Arching an eyebrow in confusion, I slowly glanced up at my rescuer. I had to incline my neck up at far as it would allow me because of the height difference between us; but as soon as I was able to make out the figure's head, my eyes landed on a helmet, reflecting the moonlight off its metal.
"Al?" I inquired.
"Hey, Dani," he answered cheerfully.
Then, that must mean...I thought, as I gazed out into the ally where the crook had taken off.
He was still in the same alleyway, thank goodness, so there was still a chance for me to regain my stolen pocket watch. Of course, that was when my eyes landed on an undersized blonde brawling against him, swiftly dodging nearly every attack thrown at him. His long, crimson coat swayed to and fro as he twirled and dodged every attack that was thrown at him. I shot a glare at the boy, who busied himself with fighting off the felon by taking him on with his assortment of combat moves.
"Edward," I growled.
Seriously... he thought he was so amazing just because he was favored and gossiped about through Central. I scoffed at the mere thought. Please... Just because he could transmute things by clapping his hands without a circle didn't make him Superman. Of course, both of us were the youngest state alchemists known around the city, I was actually younger; but everywhere I traveled, it was always "Fullmetal-this" or, "Fullmetal-that". Come on, people! What am I? Chopped liver?
After a minute or two, Edward clapped his hands together and placed them on the ground. Instantly, icy-blue bolts of lightning shot out from around his hands, and the cement slithered its way over the thief's feet, leaving him immobile. Ed smirked at his handiwork, while I only rolled my eyes at his cockiness, and then the miniscule blonde picked up the jacket that had fallen on the ground and slung it over his shoulder.
"You should learn to keep an eye on your stuff, Dani," he spoke, handing me the jacket.
I only growled in reply and snatched the jacket from him, not really in the mood to talk to him at the moment.
"What?" Ed asked, placing his hands on his hips. "No 'Thank You'?"
"I could've taken care of him myself, Elric," I grumbled, slipping my arms through the sleeves.
"Really?" he spoke, in disbelief. "Because it looked like you were having fun on your little slip-and-slide."
"I weakened him for you!" I snapped, whirling around to face him. "That's why you took him down so easily. No pipsqueak like you could take on a guy like that."
At that moment, Ed glared up at me with his eyebrow twitching in annoyance. I returned his glance with my own icy stare. His golden eyes were burning with rage, and I was sure that my emerald green ones were just as piercing. The suit of armor was shrinking away from Edward and I as if our fiery rage were a blazing bonfire surrounding us, and poor Alphonse was worried about being scorched. I ignored him and continued my stare off with the oldest Elric brother.
"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SMALL THAT HE CAN'T EVEN BE SEEN WITH A MICROSCOPE?" Ed screamed.
"YOU, DUMBASS!" I retorted. "WHO DID YOU THINK I WAS TALKING ABOUT? AL?"
"WELL, YOU'RE JUST AS SHORT!"
"BUT, I'M STILL TALLER THAN YOU!"
"BY TWO INCHES!"
"Guys..." Alphonse spoke calmly. "Let's not fight..."
"HE STARTED IT!" I snapped, pointing at the blonde.
"SHE STARTED IT!" Ed hollered at the same time as me, while jabbing his finger in my face.
"Is there a problem here?" a deep, calm voice spoke, right before I was about to strangle to living crap out of the blonde.
Edward and I snapped out of our quarrel and turned to find a tall man dressed in a dark, blue military uniform. With his piercing, black eyes and clean-shaved visage, he was bound to attract attention for admirers (heck, he was probably a heart-breaker as a child!), while his jet black hair was unkempt, and fell over his eyes somewhat. Needles to say, he was the very picture of an attractive, sophisticated man in the prime of life.
"Colonel Mustang," Edward spoke, as he and I both stood straight in salute.
"At ease, boys," the colonel spoke coolly. "What's with all the commotion?"
"Well, sir," I began. "I was in the middle of catching the crook, and almost had him, until the blonde hobbit here showed up."
Edward twitched once again in annoyance. "Oh yeah? Well for your information, Iwas the one who took him down!"
"Only because I weakened him for you!" I retorted.
"At least I don't have to use transmutation circles!"
"JUST BECAUSE YOU CLAP YOUR HANDS AND PUT THEM ON THE GROUND DOESN'T MAKE YOU MR. AWESOME! BESIDES, I'VE BEEN PRACTICING!"
The blonde scoffed. "AND FAILLING!"
I growled as I gritted my teeth together and clenched my hands into fists. Okay, now he was starting to push my buttons again. I glared down at him, holding back the urge to enter a full-fledged brawl.
"That's why they call it practice, shortie!" I snapped.
"HUMAN TOOTHPICK!" Edward screamed.
"BIG HEAD!"
"LONE WOLF!"
I flinched at his last remark. Up to now, the two of us were nose-to-nose with our eyes locked onto one another's'; hazel versus green. I could feel the fiery rage in my body ready to burst, giving Edward one hell of a punch in the kisser! But, I stood up straight releasing a deep breath to cool myself down. Man, Ed sure knew how to push me to my breaking point; but, as much as I wanted to knock his lights out, I couldn't force myself to; mainly because the colonel was still standing there.
I sighed as I ran a hand through my cropped black hair with a blonde streak on my bang, but I didn't speak a word to either of the men before me. Adjusting my black military cap on my head, I whirled around on my heel and walked off down the alleyway.
"And just where do you think you're going?" Edward called out.
"For a walk," I answered, blandly, not turning back to them.
The blonde alchemist sighed. "Well, just be sure to be back at HQ before dawn. We have to catch the train to Lior first thing tomorrow morning."
I gave him a wave, indicating that I understood him; and as soon as I turned the corner, I released a sigh before continuing down the alleyway. As soon as my feet reached the sidewalk, I glanced over to find the other military troops were hauling the cuffed felon into the back of the military car. Some of the troops acknowledged me, but I only returned their gesture with a wave.
After taking a few paces down the sidewalk, I came to halt and gazed up at the clear night sky. The moon hung in the sea of darkness like a fishing hook; but, sadly, the stars weren't able to be seen, mainly because of the city lights brightening up the sky somewhat.
"Hey, Dani!" a cheery voice called out.
I gasped, startled; but before I had the opportunity to stop and glance over, an arm quickly wrapped around my shoulders, pulling me towards another body.
"I was so worried when I received the call about you chasing after that crook!" the figure added.
His paternal voice was easy to identify; and when I glanced over at him, I discovered that my intuition was right. It was a tall, lean man, dressed in a sharp, blue military uniform that was identical to Mustang's. He had spiked, black hair ending in a forelock that hung in front of his face, while a thin chinstrap of a scruffy bear was placed on his face. His rectangular specs protected his sparkling hazel eyes, which were filled with so much joy that it spread a smile across his face.
As glad as I was to see him again for the first time in a long time, I sighed, "Hey, Hughes."
"What's the matter, Dani?" he inquired. "Aren't you happy to see me?"
"I am," I answered. "I'm just not really in the mood to talk."
"Oh," the soldier spoke glumly, releasing me for a moment. He stood up straight, placing a hand on his chin in thought as he glanced away; but then, his smile returned as he held me once more. "I know just what'll cheer you up!"
With that, he fished his hand around in his coat pocket and drew out a photo graph of a little girl with light brown hair and pig tails, playing outside in the snow. She was wearing a thick coat and leggings, along with a pair of boots, gloves, and a knitted hat. The little girl was smiling at the camera as she placed a giant ball of snow on top of the larger one.
"Isn't she cute?" Hughes inquired. "This one is of her very first time making a snow man!"
I mentally deadpanned. This was the umpteenth time the man had shown me pictures of his daughter; heck, he would wander around the cafeteria and show of a new picture everyday to anyone he could find.
"It's hard to believe how much little Elicia's grown," I commented.
"I know," the proud father spoke, standing up as tears welled up in his eyes. "It seems like only yesterday I was holding her for the first time! They grow up so fast!"
I sighed. "Listen, Hughes... Thanks for trying to cheer me up, but I think I'm going to take a walk now."
With that, I turned away from him and continued down the sidewalk. At least he had only one photo of his daughter and not an entire album, or else I, and pretty much everyone else, would be up all night.
As I continued my walk through the city, I couldn't help but listen to Edward's voice echoing in my mind. It was true that I had been a lone wolf for a long time, as long as I could remember actually. Typically, whenever I was around Hughes, I felt more comfortable and at home. He was a father-figure to me, mainly because of his overflowing love, especially for his own daughter. Now that I was a military dog, all I had were the memories of my life to hold on to while every day I risked my life, staring death in the face. That was the life of a soldier in a nutshell.
Upon reaching headquarters, I stopped as I gazed into the window of a small home. It was a large window with the curtains drawn open, revealing a fairly large, and well-lit living room with the furniture arranged with the sofa sitting just a couple of meters in front of the fireplace. On the couch sat a man in his late twenties/early thirties smiling down little girl, who was around the age of eight or so. A book was placed in front of them, as the father read aloud to his little girl; and after a while the mother walked into the room, smiling at her husband and daughter, who had fallen asleep in her daddy's arms.
I sighed as I turned my attention back down the road, wishing that I was as lucky as the little girl.
So? Love it Hate it?
Please let me know! It's my first Fullmetal Alchemist fic, and I just want to make sure that everyone is in character! Oh, and also that my OC, Dani, isn't a Mary-Sue.
Well, until next time everyone!
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