Intuition Will be Our Map (May it Guide Us to an Actual Map)

"Ahh… I'm starving…"

"I told you we should have spent the night at that hotel back there."

I glanced toward the girl at my side and scowled, trying my best to ignore the blush of embarrassment creeping up my neck.

We had been waiting at the train station for the past two hours (what city we were in was lost on me shortly after we arrived), with nothing to keep us company but the unbearable heat. I had long since discarded my jacket and the leather gloves I wore, leaving me in rolled up jeans I wore too often and a gray shirt stained with things I couldn't even try guessing the names of. My legs were tossed over the back of the bench, my head hanging off the edge. A finger of my gloves stuck out of my brown bag, which was resting underneath me.

"Shut up," I muttered as I rested my elbows on the bottom of the bench.

She shrugged her dainty shoulders, looking away with an air of indifference. She was much better off than me, that was obvious. How Hannah managed to sit with perfect poise in her blouse, jacket and intact jeans, I did not know. Not a strand of dusty colored hair was out of place on her and not a single drop of sweat rolled over her light eyes, while my hair was a chaotic mess in this heat and I could hardly keep my eyes open. Perfect little snob, I thought to myself with a pout, She better be the first to go if we die out here.

An elderly woman began to walk by, eyeing my lazy position with disdain, to which I responded to with a noticeable scoff. She inched away, clutching her purse with a tighter grip as she passed us by. Old hag, not minding her own business. With a large sigh at my apparent bad mood, a thought struck me as I glanced to the old woman's purse. I craned my neck to look up at Hannah, ignoring the ache in my neck and the rush of dizziness as I did so. "You have any food in Miss Snuffles?"

Hannah shot me a sharp look, no doubt catching the mocking tone of my voice. I snorted in response, but she ignored it and opened the large purse that had gained a personality all its own. She peered deep inside it, shoving her hand inside and shifting around the mysterious contents. Several minutes passed as I waited for results, until she closed her purse with a light snap, and began looking back and forth for the train.

"…Well?"

"Nothing."

My head plopped back down, letting gravity take over, and I let out a loud sigh of disapproval. She was quiet after this and, not long later, I began kicking my legs back and forth to gain a breeze. It was small, but it was better than nothing. We became engulfed in heat and silence. My eyes trailed along the upside-down horizon across from the train station, and my nose wrinkled at the sight of heat waves. I deserve a raise for this. Groaning, I reached for my neck as it began to cramp.

"Where are we going?"

My cramp went ignored. I looked up toward Hannah, appalled at the question. Not once had she asked for our destination before that moment – and we'd left Central City three days prior. She couldn't have asked any sooner? Then again, why didn't I tell her any sooner? I shook my head at my thoughts and sat upright. Facing the back of the bench, I stretched my arms into the hot air as I answered with a simple, "Xenotime."

Hannah nodded in response, looking off into space with the same monotone expression she reserved for the very boring of moments. It wasn't until a small gasp left her that I looked her direction once more, and saw delight on her features. I followed her line of sight, only to see a miracle darting down the tracks in the big, steel shape of a train. As Hannah stood from the bench, I jumped off of it, falling to my knees in the process. She ignored my clambering, Hannah holding her bag in a tight grip of excitement.

"Let's go!"

Snatching my own bag from the ground, I followed her to the edge of the platform, where the train was coming to a slow stop. "Food, finally! Do you think they'll have those triangle sandwiches? I love those," I commented with a large grin, already imagining the kind of junk I would spend the next four hours stuffing down my throat.

I bumped into Hannah upon trying to board the train, who came to a quick and sudden stop in front of me. Frustrated at this, I looked up to complain, but shut my mouth when I saw the barrel of a gun aimed at Hannah's forehead.

Perhaps waiting for the next train was a better idea. The two thugs in front of us were tall, towering over our own heights. One was thinner, and he sneered at us through from over his gun. The other was bigger and balder, and glared down at us.

At that point, my anger began to seep through. I was starving, having not eaten all day, and it was hot as hell. Inside her purse, Hannah carried a gun her father had given her when she left home; I had knives hidden away in my jeans, and alchemy in my hands; and they were in the way of food and cool air. Nodding toward us, he motioned to the exit of the train with his gun as he said, "You made a mistake coming onto this train, girls."

And apparently I didn't have a name, either.

I looked toward the people on the train, my fists clenched and shaking. I couldn't start a scene – no, I shouldn't start a scene. I most definitely could. My capability of starting a scene was not in question. That was never in question. The bald one eyed me and scowled, asking Hannah, "What's with this chick?"

My body tensed even more.

Hannah glanced my way and her eyes widened. "Um…," She hummed, her hands fiddling with the strap of her purse. It was an act strangers would assume to be a nervous habit, but it was one I recognized as wanting her weapon. She needed a distraction if she were to retrieve it, however, and that was something I could gladly offer up for her.

"You assholes!" I yelled, glaring up at the two men. They jumped in response, not expecting an outburst from either of us. "You're the ones who made the mistake!" I shoved past Hannah, who was now digging into her bag as I threw my fist into the face of the balding thug.

He fell backward, stumbling until he landed on the floor against the opposite wall of the train. The thinner thug was surprised, to say the least, and was slow enough in raising his gun that by the time he did, Hannah was already aiming hers. He hesitated upon noticing this, giving me time to kick him in the chin. He was lifted into the air a little from the impact, falling back down a few feet away. This gave me the room to enter the train fully.

The balding man climbed to his feet, attempting to pull out a gun of his own. Yanking my bag off my shoulder, I swung it in front of me and could hear the bullet he shot off lodge itself into an item in my bag, but I had no time for that concern.

Changing grips with my bag, I continued its swing so that it slammed into the side of the thinner fellow's head. He fell back to the ground for good, and I heard a shot ring out to my right followed by a masculine scream and a thud. Hannah ran forward to pick up the gun she'd made the other man drop and I approached the man himself. I grabbed hold of his bleeding wrist and twisted it back, retrieving one of my knives to place at his throat.

I guided him onto an empty seat, where an exasperated Hannah tied him down. "I think we've scared the passengers," She whispered to me as she tightened the knot at his wrists.

Scoffing, I took the offenders' weaponry and shoved them into my bag. Before I replied, I perked up, looking toward the door leading to the other booth. "Oh, Hannah, they do have the triangle sandwiches, I can smell them!" I exclaimed, a grin replacing the scoff as I tossed my bag over my shoulder and headed off.

"H-Hey! What do you want me to do with these two?!"

. . .

I hummed in delight, stuffing yet another triangle sandwich into my mouth. Hannah's brows rose at me, her half-intact sandwich still sitting in her hands. With a small smile, I leaned back in the booth as I let out a content sigh. "So…," Hannah trailed off, glancing out the window as she took a bite of her sandwich, "Why are we heading to Xenotime, exactly?"

I didn't respond right away.

The day Hannah started traveling with me was a curse and a blessing, however cliché the statement might seem. She asked me, while I was visiting her in between jobs, where I had been before and where I was going next. My response had been dramatic and yet at the same time, an honest reply. "I've been all over Amestris, sometimes even further," I had told her. She asked me why, to which I explained that it was for the sake of photography and journalism.

She didn't need to know the truth.

With a small shrug, I turned my attention back to the present. "An Alchemist is trying to save the town with his research. Doctor Mugear," I explained with vague detail. Looking out the window, I rest my chin on my palm as I muttered, "I wonder how much longer we have to go."

Hannah didn't have the answer, but from the left of our booth, I heard, "To Xenotime, right?" We both looked in the direction of the voice.

There was a boy standing in the isle; he looked our age, though the muscles and callouses told me he wasn't a usual teenager. He sent us polite smiles, shiny black hair gelled back behind his head. He had slanted green eyes, a long nose, full lips – and I could hear Hannah sighing in infatuation across from me. "Er, yeah," I nodded to him, ignoring her reaction to the boy.

"There are two hours left," He told us in a kind tone. Motioning to the booth, he shifted his eyes between Hannah and I before asking, "May I sit with you? I was kicked out of my booth, and there are no empty ones left on the train."

"Of course!" Hannah replied quickly, sitting straighter to appear proper and posh, just as Mama Hannah taught her.

He smiled at her and as he lowered himself onto the seat, I glared Hannah's way. She returned the gesture with a quick scoff before looking back to the boy with a smile. He situated himself before glancing to the bags beside me in the booth. "Packing light, are we?" He questioned with amusement, eyeing Hannah's large, yellow garbage-bag sized purse in particular.

Looking toward Hannah, I couldn't control my grin. "Yeah, real light."

My friend glared at me and the subject was dropped after a few more laughs. He shifted, asking, "I didn't introduce myself, did I?" At the enthusiastic shake of Hannah's head, he introduced himself. "I'm Daisuke Kuroda. It's nice meeting you both," He spoke, holding out his hand for either of us to take.

Hannah jumped at the opportunity. She shook hands with him, smiling as she said, "I'm Hannah, and that's Riley. It's nice to meet you, too." She turned her gaze toward me, nodding her head in Daisuke's direction. "Isn't it nice meeting him?" I gave a small pause before shoving the rest of my sandwich into my mouth. Hannah grimaced before thrusting her leg forward to kick me in the shin. "Disgusting," She whispered under her breath as I groaned, caressing my knee.

Daisuke only chuckled. He looked toward me, holding his hands together in his lap. "I heard you two took down some thugs? It's amazing – I didn't even know the train had been hijacked," He commented, smiling, "Glad you ladies were here." I stared at him, trying to assess what he was up to. No one just said, 'glad you were here,' after you stopped a crime. They got angry. It usually sounded more like, 'you ruined my property!' Or, 'that's my husband - what the hell are you doing in my house?'

I try not to think too much about that last one.

"Where are you headed?" I asked him rather bluntly, resting my elbow on the window sill.

"Xenotime," He nodded, "I'm going to visit my grandfather."

"That's so sweet!" Hannah cooed, twisting her torso to face him better. I kept quiet after that, finding nothing in the conversation worthy of interest. Counting trees was more fun.

. . .

"Xenotime! The city of...-" Looking around, I took mental note of the arid atmosphere that surrounded us as we stepped off the train. "-Heat. And gold, and.. Stuff."

Hannah eyed me with annoyance before turning on her heel to smile up at our fortunately-temporary companion, Daisuke. "It was really nice talking with you. Take care," She told him.

Daisuke ducked his head in a deep nod. "You too," He told her. The yells of his name echoed above the crowd and he found his group of friends waiting for him across the road. "I'll see you around!" He called to us as he ran toward them.

"Hannah!"

The girl turned, spotting me on top of a waist-high brick wall that led the way into town. I wove my hands about, shrugging as I watched her impatiently. She rolled her eyes and upon making her way toward me, she said, "So can we get a hotel before we do anything? I want a shower."

We began our journey into Xenotime, which was not as great as I'd expected it to be. The sun scorched the land, which was dry and cracked, and I was pretty sure everyone we passed was a serial killer. I kept these thoughts to myself, considering that wasn't the sort of thing you share when sight-seeing."Not just yet," I answered my friend with the shake of my head, "I want to scope out this doctor's place before I talk with him."

"Alright," She replied, stopping once we reached the end of the wall. I jumped off it, landing roughly in front of her. With crossed arms, she asked me, "Where's his place?"

We shared another moment of silence as my mouth inched open. I wove a hand around as if I was explaining something, but no sound came out. Inhaling a deep breath, I started over. "Well, it's... Here!" I exclaimed, smiling bright as I opened my hands and held my palms toward Hannah, "In Xenotime!"

Pursing her lips, Hannah turned and strutted away.

"W-Wait a minute, I know where he lives!" I exclaimed, watching her leave. "I wouldn't bring us all the way out here without... Knowing.. That. I'm not..." Realizing it was a lost cause, my shoulders dropped and I tilted my stance, muttering, "Okay."

It was up to me, then. My friend had left me in search of greener pastures – or at least, in this case, a bathtub and a hotel room.

A bathtub with running water. And a cooler hotel room. With a bed, probably. A bed with pillows. And a mattress. Beds usually have mattresses.

"H-Hannah!"

. . .

"This was a much better idea than mine."

Hannah nodded in agreement as she stretched out on the second bed in the room. Staring up at the ceiling, she said, "Yeah, let's not listen to you anymore."

"Okay," I nodded, too blissful to really care much about what she'd said. The rooms weren't much cooler than outside, but the beds were soft, and neither of us had been in something that comfortable in over a week, so we weren't going to complain.

"Oh!"

I looked toward Hannah as she pulled a slip of paper from her pocket and rolled a few times until she reached the edge of her bed. She held out the paper toward me and with much gusto, I rolled to the edge of my own bed and plucked it from her grip. "I asked someone for directions to your doctor's place. The housekeeper told me the Elric brothers are working with him! Do you think we'll meet them?"

"Who knows?" I unfolded the paper and scanned the address, along with the scribbling of directions and an added map. "This is great!" I held up the paper toward the ceiling, reading over the words. After a few seconds, I lowered my arms, letting the paper rest on my stomach. "Let's wait a day or two," I grumbled.

"As tempting as that is, you have to work," Hannah reminded me. Sighing, I listened to the reluctant voice of reason and pushed myself up. I pulled my gloves and my notepad from my bag in the corner of the room, and the two of us left, only to find a familiar face in the lobby.

"Daisuke!" Hannah greeted, beaming.

He turned and smiled to us. "Oh, hello. It would make sense to run into each other again - this is the only inn in town."

"Why not stay with that grandfather you were visiting?" I asked, not hiding the blunt suspicion in my voice.

He gave a small laugh. "There's no room, and I don't want to inconvenience him."

"Right," I murmured, "Well, we really need to get going."

"Where are you headed?"

Before I could refuse the question, Hannah replied. "We're going to see Doctor Mugear. Riley's interviewing him."

"You're a journalist?" He asked me. I merely shrugged. As Hannah nudged and glared, Daisuke kept to his stupid smiling face. "Why don't I give you a ride?" He offered, pointing to the window with a thumb. We looked out to see a car waiting at the sidewalk.

Damn it.

. . .

By the time we arrived, the sun wasn't far from setting. Doctor Mugear's place was large. Walls guarded the building, and officers guarded the wall. Hannah hummed, stepping up to my side. "Are we going to be able to get inside?" She asked, eyes running up the walls which stood at least twice our height.

"Of course we will! Don't worry!" I exclaimed, waving her off. I turned and nodded to Daisuke, who still sat in the car. "Uh, thanks for the ride."

"No problem. Do you want me to stick around?"

"That's not necessary."

For the first time since we'd met the stranger, he let a subtle frown sneak through. "It's going to get dark soon... I don't mind. I'll wait."

I gave up trying to argue with him (he was right, even if I didn't want to admit it) as I took long strides toward the gate entrance, my camera hanging at my neck. I reached the gate entrance and held up a press pass I'd received in Central. I flashed it for just a moment, not allowing the guards time to examine it. Putting the pass away, I told them with a deep frown and a confident tone, "I'm here for my interview with Doctor Mugear."

"He has an interview?" One man whispered to the other.

The second shrugged, "How the hell should I know? They don't tell me anything."

I sighed. "Are you letting us in or not?"

The first rose a hand and turned, "Alright, alright, go on in."

Hannah and I walked through the gates, Hannah gripping the back of my shirt and radiating anxiety as we climbed the front steps and approached the door. After three loud knocks, I tugged at my gloves and gripped my notebook tighter as I looked around the yard. The lot was large, and the house was several stories high.

At the sound of footsteps, Hannah and I stood straighter. The door opened to an armed guard - was that really necessary? - who nodded to us and stepped aside. The radio at his help told me the men at the gate must have let him know we were coming, so we stepped inside and waited. The guard turned, leading us down a hall and into a living room toward the back of the first floor. No words were exchanged as we stepped into the room, and he shut the door before we could ask any questions. I turned to face three love-seats, portraits on the walls, two windows, and a fireplace with a gate over it.

"That was... Strange," Hannah said, watching the door with mild concern.

"Maybe the guards are for wildlife?" I offered, trying to calm her nerves. Regardless of what I said, I sat at the edge of the nearest couch to the window, readying myself for anything.

Hannah sat beside me. "Maybe you're full of it," She muttered, crossing her arms over her chest.

Our wait didn't last much longer. The door swung open and Mugear came rushing in. He straightened his lab coat as he stepped around a couch, and lifted a hand when we stood to greet him. "Ladies!" He exclaimed before clearing his throat and shaking my hand, "I'm Mugear. And you must be Riley Mauler?"

I nodded. "I am. This is my assistant, Hannah." Hannah smiled, shaking his hand. "Is there a security issue?" I asked, glancing to the doorway.

Mugear stepped to the side, waving a hand as he laughed. "Oh, them? Hah! No, no. When you're doing research as important as I am, it helps to have some... Authority at the door. You understand."

"I see."

The three of us sat down, and Mugear chuckled to himself. "When you called, Miss Mauler, I admit I was a bit nervous. You write for Central newspapers, you say?"

"The Daily," I lied, "We're very interested in your research, Doctor Mugear."

Mugear beamed. "Not to ring my own bell, but as well you should be! I plan to put Xenotime back on the map for gold resources. This could save the whole town."

"That sounds wonderful," Hannah interjected. The weariness began to ebb away as her expression turned curious.

I nodded in agreement. "You say you're going to do this with a Philosopher's Stone. What is that, exactly?"

"You want the history of the stone, do you? Very well!"

. . .

"It all sounds so surreal."

The interview was reaching the end of its time, several minutes having gone by since we first arrived. Mugear had delved into an eager story about the history of the Philosopher's Stone, and the origins of his education and interests. It was all very... Unhelpful, especially with the twisted lies that seemed to hide behind many of Mugear's answers.

"How close are you to a final product?" Hannah questioned. Poor Hannah. She thought I was honestly interested. She thought he was honestly helping. She was going to be so bummed.

"Extremely." Mugear's face was set in stone, his voice confident. "We'll be prosperous very soon."

I leaned forward a little, hoping for a truthful answer to one of the more important questions. "How much you can tell me about what's gone into creating the stone so far?"

Mugear sat straighter, and shook his head. "Well it's largely confidential at this stage, everything still being experimental and all - but I think I can give you a... Suitable explanation for your newspaper."

It was this point that a guard appeared in the doorway. "Doctor, you need to come with us."

We all turned to face him, and Mugear visibly scoffed. "What's the meaning of this? I told you not to interrupt-"

"There's been a breach, Sir," The guard said, his tone gruff. Mugear grunted, and faced us with tense civility. "I apologize, but I have to cut this short."

"But the interview-"

"Is cut short, Miss Mauler. Stop by tomorrow afternoon and we can pick up where we left off." Mugear turned and left the room.

Hannah let out a dejected sigh, and just as we left the living room, there was a loud crash on the opposite end of the building. Hannah jumped, reaching for my arm, and I watched over my shoulder as we passed the main hallway. I got a brief glimpse of a broken window, and two boys standing before Mugear. They were fair skinned, light haired, nervous as hell, and more importantly, not the Elric brothers. A guard blocked my sight, so I nudged Hannah and sped up our pace to the door. "Riley?" She whispered, taking note of my quiet demeanor.

The second we were outside, and after I noticed the gates were no longer guarded as everyone's attention was on Mugear's lab, I made a run for Daisuke's car. He was waiting with a panicked expression as we climbed in, Hannah in back. "What's going on?"

"Go that way," I told him, pointing down the road.

"What?"

"Go!"

Sighing out of frustration, Daisuke started the car and jerked the steering wheel. We drove down the road, Hannah continuing to ask questions I didn't answer. It took only a minute or two to find what I was looking for. There was a suit of armor on the ground, and a blond boy putting the head back on it. They turned when they heard the car, ready to fight their way out, and they didn't ease up when I made Daisuke stop beside them.

Hannah looked to them, then the fence. A quick calculation in her mind led her to a small gasp of air and the exclamation, "You're the ones who broke into the lab!"

"I think you're mistaken, Miss," The boy said with nervous laughter, "We're just simple travelers, right, Al?"

The one in the armor looked up, still trying to adjust his helmet, and gave a small hum. "Uh, right," He - Al - nodded.

At the sound of rushed footsteps and the shifting of weapons, they perked up. I nodded to them, and motioned to the car. "Get in."

"What?" The unison of the people in the car, and the two on the street, was loud enough to make me wince.

"Just get in, idiots!"

"Hey, I'm not goi-"

"GET IN!"