A/N: Hi guys! Yes, it is Leah, back again! I decided to try my hand at writing a fic with an OC in it, so this is the story of James Campbell. I hope you guys like it! I am excited to write this. Please read and review! Even if your review is short, I promise to reply to every review I get! Because your opinions matter to me. Thanks! :D
Disclaimer: It hasn't changed. I still don't own FMA. But now I do own an OC! YES!
"James, I'm disappointed in you."
My father's words rang in my ears as I walked down the street towards headquarters. I didn't think I would ever get his face out of my mind. He had seemed so . . . betrayed. I hung my head in shame as I walked. It had been such an awful morning, but all of it was necessary.
I had gotten up and pretended as best I could that today was the same as any other. But I couldn't fool my parents. I kind of regretted my decision to not rent my own place when I saw the look in my mother's eyes. She had remembered that today was the day. But, she gave me a hug all the same as I had walked out the door. She even wished me luck. It would have been better if she had sided with my dad and accused me of going against the family. But I had to do this. It felt like my duty.
I walked into the main part of headquarters and was met by a stern secretary. She led me to a chair and told me to sit until it was time. I was all nerves, checking to make sure I had everything: my paperwork, my chalk, and my shoes. Shoes are very important. Everything was there, so I focused on calming myself. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to relax.
Then I heard a familiar voice, "Jim? Is that you?"
I opened my eyes and saw the face that went with the voice. "Jean!" I stood up to greet my old friend. "I didn't know you were in the military!"
"Yup," he smirked, his cigarette hanging out of his mouth like it always did. "I've been here a few years now. What are you doing here?"
I opened my mouth to speak, but my nerves overcame me. I just wanted to get this over with!
"Oh, wait!" he smacked his forehead. "You are the reason why I'm here! I was told to come get you for your alchemy examination. I forgot you were into that."
I nodded and he signaled for me to follow him. I walked next to him in silence. The moment had come, and I was scared out of my mind.
"Here you go," Jean smirked at me as he opened the door. "Good luck, Jim."
"You aren't coming in?" I finally found my voice.
"I can't. Only The Fuhrer and a few select State Alchemists are allowed in the examinations. Sometimes things don't go according to plan, so they need people who can clean up and not be in the way." After seeing the look on my face he quickly added, "But, I'm sure you'll do fine!"
"Thanks, Jean," I said, my sarcasm a bit marred by my fear.
"James Campbell," a voice called when I entered the room. It sounded friendly, but official at the same time. I immediately looked for the source of the voice and met the gaze of an older man who looked like he had seen his share of battles. His hair was black and slicked back and he wore an eye patch over his left eye. A few others were standing close to him protectively, so I assumed this was Fuhrer Bradley, even though I had never seen the man in my life.
"Uh. . . ." I hesitated. "Yes! I am James."
"Well, it's nice to meet you James." Bradley smiled kindly. "I am glad you came to take this examination. We have had a decreasing number of participants lately."
"Um, thank you, sir?" My fright turned the sentence into a question.
He smiled again, "Well, get to it then," he ordered a soldier who was standing next to me. "I will observe."
"Do you have chalk?" the man asked me.
"Oh!" I fumbled for my chalk and pulled it out, displaying it. "Yes."
"Let's get started then."
And my alchemy exam began.
"We will begin with simple transmutations," the soldier to my left announced. Another man brought a pitcher of water to me. "Transmute this water into ice," I was ordered.
I grabbed the water with shaking hands and carefully set it on the ground, afraid of spilling any. I drew a circle around and pressed my fingers to the chalk lines. The pitcher glowed for a second, and when the light subsided it had frozen completely.
"Good work," the soldier said, though his face showed no kindness. "Now make a sculpture out of it.
I smiled slightly, focusing on my transmuting once more. This time when the light faded it revealed a dazzling statue of a bird, its wings spread in flight. I gazed at my creation; happy it had gone exactly as I had hoped. Suddenly, it started tipping towards me. I scrambled back, realizing it was about to fall on me. It crashed to the ground and shattered into a million pieces. To my great shame, a let out a small yelp as it broke. It was then that I realized that Bradley had pushed it over with his foot, and he was now glaring at me. Had I done something wrong?
"Well, you aren't an amateur, that is obvious." His eyes were boring into me as he spoke; his face had lost all of its friendliness from before. "But I can see you are hesitant and unsure. These are not qualities we seek when selecting State Alchemists. Remember you will be called upon to fight in the front lines. What skill do you have that makes you feel you are ready for war?"
My breath caught in my throat as I tried to think of a response.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
When I stepped out of the room, Jean was waiting for me.
"Hey, Jim!" His face brightened when he saw me. "How did it go?"
I couldn't speak. My hands were shaking as my nerves got the best of me.
"You don't look so good," he looked closely at my face. "Let me buy you a drink."
Once we had arrived at the small bar and I had taken a seat, I was able to talk again.
"How did it go?" he asked again, right after our drinks were given to us.
"I got shot. Twice."
"What?" Jean spat out his drink in alarm. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah," I showed him the two holes in the sleeve of my shirt.
"How are you not even bleeding?" He grabbed my arm and examined it with concern and shock.
"Well, I developed this," I pulled out a piece of what looked like hard plastic. "It is a bulletproof piece of armor," I answered his perplexed expression. "Extremely light-weight and very effective. I found a way to arrange the molecules in the plastic so that it is extremely strong, yet still flexible. I demonstrated how it works today. I told them I could create a full body suit if they needed it."
He gave me an awed look. "You showed them that? You're in for sure!"
"I don't now," I set the plastic down. "Bradley said a few things that have me worried, about my nervousness and how I always hesitate. They probably won't take someone like me."
"I'll bet you did fine," he punched my shoulder. "You always were pretty good at alchemy."
"But I always fail when it comes to having guts. I fall apart at the mere mention of pressure. I started freaking out when it started."
"Yeah, you should probably work on that," he admitted.
"Hey!" I said, slightly offended.
"Well, you're trying to be in the military! You need a backbone!"
"I know," I sighed. "I try."
"Why are you joining up anyway? Military life doesn't seem like it would suit you."
"I didn't do this for me," I told him. "It's for Scott."
"Oh." He looked down at his drink. He had known my brother almost as well as I had, and he missed him just as much.
"I don't know," I admitted. "I just feel like if I join the military I could help preserve his memory or something. I think it is the right thing to do for him. But this morning I had my doubts."
"What happened?"
"My dad called me a traitor. He said I was betraying the entire family by trying to follow in Scott's footsteps. I only wanted to make him proud. But I guess that won't be happening any time soon." I took a big gulp, but I knew it wouldn't help me feel any better.
"It will all work out," Jean assured me as the door to the bar opened.
"Campbell!" I heard a rough voice call my name. I turned to see three men clad in Amestrian uniforms staring at me. "Your results are in," the foremost continued. "You are to report to headquarters immediately."
"This soon?" Jean seemed shocked.
I turned to him, "Is that bad?"
"I have no idea." He looked baffled. "I'm no expert in the exam process, but this seems really early."
"Well, I'll have to just find out." I said, but in my mind I had already failed.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
We were back at HQ in no time, back to the nerve-wracking plain walls and long hallways.
The secretary glared at me in a way that said, "Not you again," as she pointed me down a hallway. "Go to Mustang's office."
Jean was following behind me and I heard him greet the secretary kindly. How did he get along with her so well? She seemed so irritable.
"So the Major is still here, too," I commented, trying to stifle my nerves again, this time with casual conversation.
"Which Major?" Jean asked.
"Major Mustang. He was here when Scott enlisted."
"Oh, yeah. He's still here. But he moved up to Colonel."
"Wow. He is climbing the ranks quickly."
"Sure is. I'm under his jurisdiction, come to think of it."
"You forgot?" I gave him an incredulous look.
"Eh, we don't really do much unless Hawkeye is around. It is easy to forget things while she is on vacation."
"Hawkeye?" The name was unfamiliar to me. Then again, I had only associated with the military while Scott was a part of it.
"You'll meet her. Ah, here it is." Havoc opened another door for me.
"Major Campbell," the man in the office called.
"Yes?" I replied instinctively to my name as I stepped inside the room. This time, Jean followed. Then I realized exactly what the man had said. "Wait, 'Major?' I'm in?"
"Indeed you are." Mustang hadn't changed much since Ishval. I remembered seeing the same black hair, same cold eyes, and same cynical expression at Scott's funeral. "Congratulations. You will now be known as the Guardian Alchemist. Strange name, if you ask me, but I don't come up with these. Welcome to the military."
"Thank you, sir," I said as I took the official looking paper he held out to me.
"This is a pretty big achievement for someone who is only twenty-two years old, so you should be proud." he continued. "You are under my jurisdiction, though. So report back here tomorrow at oh-eight-hundred hours."
"Yes, sir!" I saluted for the first time, my nerves gone for the first time all day.
Jean and I left the room without another word.
"Guardian?" he asked me after we had walked for a few feet. "Where did that come from?"
"It is because of my defensive transmutations," I said. "At least, I assume that is where it came from."
"Wow, I've never heard of anything like that before."
"Yeah," I laughed worriedly.
"Well, we are in the same team at least!" he smacked my back.
"Yeah! This may be better than I thought, Jean."
"It will be great. But remember to call people by last names. It is how we are identified in the military."
"Okay, Havoc," I tried it out. It sounded weird to me.
"Good work, Campbell!" he laughed at my expression. Then his face became more serious as a thought crossed his mind. "What will your parents think?"
My heart, which had been soaring a moment ago, was dragged back down to Earth in a brutal fashion.
"I guess I have to tell them."
"I guess you do."
And that is when the nerves decided to kick in again.
Weeeell, what did you think? Please review! I will update soon! See you next chapter!