(So you all know, Nashkali is pronounced "NAHSH-kahh-lee" (soft 'a' the second time, like in 'august'), but Kali is pronounced "Kah-lee" ('a' as in 'apple'). Also, Georg is pronounced "gay-ORG". Hope you enjoy, and I'll have the second one up as soon as I can.)
"Brother, why are we coming here?" The metal suit that was Alphonse Elric looked down at his older brother.
Edward Elric, the already well-known FullMetal Alchemist, shrugged. "I dunno," he said. "Mustang just said to drop by and see him today when we had the chance."
"Well," Alphonse said as they reached the Colonel's door, "I guess we'll find out soon enough."
Edward nodded and knocked on the door. "Come in," the voice on the other side said. Edward opened the door and looked at Colonel Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist. "Ah, there you two are. We're just waiting for one more."
Just as he spoke, Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes poked his head in and said, "She's here. A little unsure, but here." Mustang nodded as Hughes opened the door wider and walked through. He was followed by a girl of about fifteen or sixteen. Her black hair was long, as were her bangs, which she had dyed red. Her shoes and pants were black; and her tank top shirt was a very dark shade of maroon, with a thick beige stripe across the chest. She also wore a military cap. Around her neck was a silver necklace with what looked like a 'C' connected to a backwards 'C' by three loops, one of which was upside-down.
"You wanted to see me?" She spoke softly, and seemed a bit tense.
Mustang nodded. "I'm sure you've heard of Edward Elric, the FullMetal Alchemist, correct? He's here with his brother."
She nodded and looked at the brothers. "FullMetal..." She pointed at Edward. "That's you, isn't it?" He nodded, a somewhat cocky grin on his face. It wasn't often someone guessed correctly as to which of the brothers was really the State Alchemist. "I thought so. Your brother, he's not really in there, is he?" she asked.
Edward nodded again. "Yeah, but how did you know that?" he asked, watching her carefully. He was surprised to see her eyes, which had turned from green to grey, were locked with Alphonse's. She smile, but just barely, and blinked a couple of times, causing her eyes to return to their normal emerald green color. Edward looked at Hughes. "What the hell just happened!?"
"This is Nashkali Karin, the Ghost Alchemist," he explained.
"She...she saw right through me!" Alphonse exclaimed.
She looked at the floor. "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you or anything."
"Nashkali's been transferred here from Millor. It's a small town out west," Hughes said. "They've had a recent massacre in Whitin, the city nearby, where she was stationed; all there younger State Alchemists are being killed, so all of the ones under twenty-four have been stationed elsewhere for the time being. But since her father, another State Alchemist with the alias 'Chemical Bonds Alchemist' lives here, her transfer has been made permanent."
"Well, that's all well and good, but why are you telling me all this?" Edward asked, not seeing the point.
"Because I want you to show her around for the day," Mustang said. "Her father won't be back until tonight. Beside, like you, she's been doing some side research, and though it's a different kind, you two will most likely be working together from now on."
Edward clenched his fists. "What!?!" The girls before him crossed her arms and mumbled something no one could understand.
"Come again?" Mustang asked.
"I said I don't need a babysitter!" she replied. "All due respect, but I got here on my own, Colonel, so I'm pretty sure I'll be okay by myself. I'm not a little kid, sir. And anyways, it's not right to have to make Edward take the role of babysitter. I'm sure he has better things to do." She looked at the two brothers and added, "It was nice to meet you." She then turned and walked out the door.
The brothers watched her go. "I've never met someone as...courteous as her," Edward commented. "What made her like that? She couldn't have always been that way."
"Her father is her only living relative." Mustang propped his elbows on his desk, his hands folded over each other with his chin resting against them. "His research has made him many enemies, and somehow he wanted her under the State's protection, but once the head honcho out west in Millor found out about her...ability, he had other ides, and convinced her to join the ranks as a State Alchemist by taking the Alchemy Exam. Needless to say, she passed, and works here too now."
"Well that explains it, I guess," Alphonse said thoughtfully. "But...what happened to the rest of her family?"
Mustang looked downwards as Hughes said, "We're not really the ones you should be asking. Maybe if you asked her, she might tell you."
"Huh, maybe we should," Edward suggested. "Besides, what else have got to do?" He turned and started to head out the door, Alphonse soon following, when Mustang got up and stopped them.
"Watch what you say," he warned. "As you saw, at one moment, she's calm; the next, she's trying not to sound angry."
Edward nodded and stuck his hands in his pockets. "Yeah, yeah...I'll be good," assured the Colonel. "C'mon Al," he added, leaving. His brother nodded and followed him outside.
"Brother, are you sure about this?" he asked.
"Don't worry, everything will be fine." Edward smiled and walked over to Kali, who was leaning against the wall of a nearby building. "Hey...Kali, right?"
She looked up from the ground and smiled. "Yeah, that's me," she said. "What are you doing over here? I figured you would be busy."
Edward shook his head. "Nah, I'm off now." He smiled. "So, have you ever been here before?"
Kali nodded. "Once, when I was around twelve, but not since then."
"So, I take it you don't remember too much about where things are. Mind if I show you around?" Edward asked. Kali gave him a suspicious look. "Don't worry, I'm not under Mustang's orders," he assured her.
She thought about it, then nodded. "Yeah, okay," she said at last. "I haven't got anything better to do for a couple of hours."
"Cool," Edward said. "Oh, I don't' think you know Al here."
Alphonse waved. "Um...hi," he said, a bit unsure. "I'm Alphonse, Ed's little brother."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Kali said. "And, I'm still sorry about earlier."
"No problem. It was actually pretty cool."
Edward nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I never met someone who could see through transmuted souls," he said.
Kali smiled slightly. "I can see ghosts, too. It's a strange trait, I know. I wish you hadn't found out. Yes, I know they told you two; they always do," she said.
"You say that as if it was a bad thing," Edward said. "That's a cool ability, and I don't see why you think it's not."
"It doesn't matter," she replied. "Anyways, ever since I heard about you, I've been wondering: How did a kid get a name like 'FullMetal'?"
Edward grinned. "Like this." He removed his right glove and pulled up his sleeve, showing her his automail arm. "My left leg's the same way."
Kali's eyes widened. "It all makes sense now," she said. "You two...you tried to bring someone you lost back to life, didn't you? That's why you have automail and Alphonse's soul in that suit of armor."
The brothers nodded. "Brother sacrificed his arm to keep my soul, even though he had just lost his leg," Alphonse said.
"It was no big deal," Edward said, shrugging. "But I still want to get Al here back to normal. That's hwy I joined the Military in the first place."
"I want to get Ed back to normal, too," Alphonse added. He paused, then said, "Lieutenant Colonel Hughes told us how you got in the Military."
Kali nodded. "I figured he would. But I'll bet he told you something lame like...Like how the commanding officer out west 'convinced' me to take the exam, or something like that, right?" The boys nodded. Kali continued, "Thought so. That part isn't really true. When my father joined the ranks as a State Alchemist, he sent me to live in a western city while he got things straightened out, and settle into life as a Military dog. While I was there, I made the mistake of using alchemy to help out a married couple with a broken clock."
"I don't get it, how is that a mistake?" Alphonse asked.
"Simple: No one in that town studied Alchemy. I was told to 'lie low', and try to blend in with the other people there, but that didn't really go as planned." She laughed. "I guess it didn't help that I went to the local cemetery. Stupid ghost-seeing thing automatically kicks in; I can't control it. Anyways, one of the commanding officers was in town, and soon found out about it. He asked if I wanted to take the Alchemy Exam, and I accepted. I was going to try and take it when I turned eighteen, anyways, it just happened sooner than planned. I never thought they would have accepted me, but as you see, they did."
Edward raised an eyebrow. "Why would you want to be a dog of the Military?"
Before Kali could reply, though, a young man of about eighteen or nineteen came up behind them. He had deathly pale skin, black hair, and dark green eyes that glowed with resentment and rage. He wore a short-sleeved shirt, pants, and shoes, all of which were black; and though Edward, Alphonse, and Kali couldn't see it, he had a red Tattoo of Oruborus on the back of his neck. His voice was icy-cold. "Well, well, well. It seems my little sister has made some new friends!"
Kali clenched her fists as she turned to face him. "Get out of here Betrayal."
"Betrayal?" Edward looked at the two. "Betrayal" looked oddly similar to Kali, yet at the same time, there was something that reminded him of Envy, Wrath, and Greed. It finally clicked in his mind that "Betrayal" wasn't some kind of nickname. "That he's a...A Homunculus!?!"
Kali nodded. "Yeah, he is," she said. "You and Alphonse should get out of here, I don't want either of you to get hurt."
"No way!" We're staying right here!"
Betrayal laughed bitterly. "So, Nash, you're not totally heartless after all. Tell me then: did I just do something wrong four years ago?" He smirked, noticing her tense up.
"Shut up!" Kali yelled. Betrayal grinned and ran at her, but she was quicker and jumped out of the way. A red transmutation circle, tattooed on the palm of her right hand, was visible for only a few seconds before she placed her hand on the back of the Homunculus's neck.
"I could get rid of you right now," she said. "I have all I need to do so, and I tricked dear Envy into telling me how."
"You wouldn't dare," Betrayal replied coolly. "Not after our stepmother died trying to fix your mistake, to bring me back." When Kali's grip around his neck tightened, he added, "I guess you didn't tell them, did you?"
"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't get rid of you right here and now!" Kali snapped.
"Uh, not to interrupt, but you two are kinda starting to draw a crowd," Alphonse said.
A mischievous grin crept across Betrayal's face. Knowing what he was thinking, Kali said tensely, "Don't even think about it. You're not going to hurt more people."
The Homunculus made himself look disappointed, but not for too long as another grin spread across his face. "All right," he said. "I'll just settle with you!" He grabbed Kali's wrist and pulled her into a small alleyway.
"C'mon," Edward said to his brother. "I've got a bad feeling about this." He took off after the two, with Alphonse trudging along behind him. When they stopped, they found Kali and Betrayal fighting each other with all they could.
Kali turned, dodging one of Betrayal's attacks, and seeing Edward, her eyes grew wide. "What are you doing-" She was caught off guard, and Betrayal knocked her to the ground. She pushed herself to her feet and pulled out a transmuted rope from the ground. She tied it up, forming a loop, and tied Betrayal's hands together. He pulled the rope out of her hands, though, with a quick jerk of his wrists. Kali winced as a white-hot pain burned her palms.
A deep growl-like sound came from the back of Edward's throat as he clapped his hands together, using Alchemy to change the form of his right arm into his signature armblade. HE ran at Betrayal and slashed his blade at him, but to no avail; the Homunculus dodged the attack. He stooped down and picked up a small but very sharp piece of scrap metal.
"It's true, I only aim to kill Kali," he said. "But I wouldn't mind getting rid of you as well." He threw the piece of metal at Edward's chest, but Kali pushed him out of the way. The metal scraped against her shoulder, leaving a deep gash.
Edward turned to face Betrayal once more, but he had already fled. Edward's eyes narrowed angrily as he looked back at Alphonse and Kali. "Are you all right?" he asked her.
Kali had her hand pressed tightly over the cut on her shoulder, and her eyes were shut tight, but she nodded. "I've had worse, I'll live," she said after a minute.
"Here, let me help." Edward ripped off a small part of his jacket. He gently moved Kali's hands away from her cut, surprised to see how deep it actually was. He tied the strip of cloth to her shoulder, gently enough so it wouldn't hurt her too much, but tight enough so it would stay, and slow the bleeding. He then transmuted the cloth into a real bandage. "There."
Kali smiled halfheartedly. "Thanks," she said. "And I'm sorry you met my damned once-brother."
"So he really was your brother," Alphonse said. "What happened? I mean, how did he, you know...die?"
Kali looked at the ground. "It was all my fault. My father taught my brother and I Alchemy before he joined the Military. My mother died a few months after he started teaching us, and after a while, he started dating again. Once he remarried, my stepmother decided I should stop learning, that it 'wasn't proper' for a girl to know it. But Jonas, my brother, kept teaching me in secret. One day, when we were sparring, he had gotten too close to the edge off a river. I tried to set a stone wall behind him, but I guess I wasn't focused enough. I don't know exactly how I screwed up so badly, but instead of a wall, a bunch of stone spikes came out of the ground instead. One of them was at an odd angle, and..." She paused, momentarily losing her voice. "It went right through him."
Neither Edward nor Alphonse knew what to say. Luckily, the awkward silence was broken soon enough by the voice of Second Lieutenant Jean Havoc ran up to the three. "There you are," he said. "Kali, your father is back from his trip early. I'm sure you'd like to see him now, right?"
Kali nodded. "Yeah, thanks." She followed him out of the alley, pausing just long enough to say, "Well, come on. I'm sure my father would love to meet you two!" The brothers nodded and ran after her and Havoc. They got into one of the Military's cars and havoc drove them to the train station. Once there, he led them to Hughes, Mustang, First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye, and a man with dark brown hair and chocolate brown eyes. He was dressed casually, in blue pants, a red shirt, and brown shoes, and had on a Military jacket as well.
Kali rushed over to greet him. He hugged her tightly, spinning her around in the air. "I didn't think you'd be here until tonight!" he said.
"I thought the same about you," Kali said. She waved Edward and Alphonse over. "Dad, this is Edward Elric-" she pointed to Edward- "the FullMetal Alchemist, and you little brother, Alphonse Elric. Guys, this is my father."
Kali's father shook hands with Edward. "It's nice to meet you. I'm Georg Karin, the Chemical Bonds Alchemist," he said.
"It's nice to meet you as well, sir," Edward replied. "I'm looking forward to working with your daughter."
Georg smiled. "I'm sure you to will get along well."
It started to rain at that point. "Let's continue this inside," Kali suggested. The others readily agreed.
"We should be going anyways," Mustang said. "Come one Hawkeye, Havoc..." His voice trailed off as he risked a glance in Hughes's direction.
"Isn't she the cutest?" he asked, showing Georg and Kali a picture of his daughter, Elicia. "She's so talented, it's truly amazing!"
Mustang sighed. "You too, Hughes. Come on now, there's work to be done. Brag about your kid later." Hughes sighed dejectedly and followed the other three back to the Military car. They got in, and began the drive back to Central Headquarters.
"Why don't you and your brother come with us?" Georg suggested.
Edward looked at Alphonse, who nodded. "Edward shrugged and smiled a bit. "Hey, why not?"
"This way!" Kali said as she and Georg led Edward and Alphonse to their home. The two brothers were surprised to see it was a Military-provided mansion.
"Whoa," Alphonse breathed.
"Nice place," Edward added.