He could still hear the explosions and gunshots ringing out into the night. Flames ate their way across the city. Screams of panic and terror. Blood covered the ground and stained it a deep vermilion. No, don't think about it! It only brings back the pain! Suddenly his head shot up. He was sitting back in his office with his cousin.
He was breathing hard as his red eyes searched the office. "Are you alright Reki?" his cousin asked. Reki shook his head to clear it of the gruesome image. "Don't worry Mitsuru, I'm fine." Of course, what was true and what Reki said were two different things. Ever since the Alchemist Killer had become a major threat, he kept flashing back to his past. A place of horror and bloodshed.
Reki had always been seen as a very unique State Alchemist and he knew it. He was set apart by his unusual past. Back then, when things were peaceful and Ishbal prospered…
Ishbal was always a volatile place. The military stationed soldiers to help keep the peace. My father was one of them, Reki thought contemptuously. No matter where Reki went, he was an outcast. He was a half-breed, of neither side. His Ishbalan mother did her best but the prejudice was still present. And then one day his father just left and never came back.
Still, Reki managed to keep a brave face. Then it happened. The so-called battle. He saw the few friends he made fall victim to the massacre. He wanted to fight. But which side did he belong to? His homeland or the father he barely remembered? Of course, his mother wouldn't let him make that choice. She refused to allow him to fight. At least until that one, terrible day.
Reki had gone out scavenging. It was the only way to find food after all. He wasn't gone that long. He knew where to find all the good stuff. It had been seven years and he had learned to cope. If only he had gotten back sooner…
The house was in shambles. Reki heard his mother scream and dropped the food. He raced into the living room to come upon a terrible scene. His mother was lying on the floor, bleeding to death. There was a bullet hole in her chest. The bullet had managed to hit one of her ventricles and so her fate was sealed.
Standing over his mother was a stranger. His face was void of emotion. He had a scar running down from the top of his hairline to the left side of his chin. His long black hair covered his face as he looked down at the body.
"Mom!" Reki cried distraughtly while running towards her corpse. He looked up at the stranger and said, "What happened?" The stranger motioned with his head to his hand where a weapon was held. It was a golden-tipped sniper rifle. In that instant, Reki knew who had killed his mother. "Why?" he cried.
Because," he replied, "she deserved it. Ishbalans don't deserve to live. Especially her." "You're not answering my question," Reki growled. Anger was coursing hot through his veins. "She was a part of my past I wanted to forget. Whether you believe me or not, this fact is true- we share the same blood of our common father. Don't worry, I took him out too. He was trying to kill me and I couldn't let that happen. I think I'll let you live. It's always fun to have an enemy to toy with."
As the stranger turned to leave, his last words were burned into Reki's mind forever. "I'm Rico Akebi. Remember that Reki Nakajima. We'll meet again." Then he was gone.
Reki blinked and it was once again… a memory. A scar instead of a gaping wound. He shook his head clear of the images. His sensitive hearing could detect someone walking down the hall towards his office. A large black panther who was lying next to his desk heard it too. She raised her large head to stare intently at the door. "Relax Yami; it's probably just another assignment." Mitsuru said.
Sure enough, the door opened to reveal their commanding officer, General Grumman. "You two have another assignment. It's not the most exciting thing but I think you'll both enjoy it." Both Reki and Mitsuru saluted as the general left the file on Reki's desk and departed.
As soon as Grumman was gone, they opened the file to reveal the picture of one of the most famous State Alchemists. The golden eyes of Edward Elric pierced both of them from the paper. "We're supposed to guard him?" Mitsuru asked in dismay. "This has to be a joke, we don't babysit." "I don' think there's much choice," Reki replied. "Plus it should be a relaxing assignment." They would both turn out dead wrong.
In case anyone is interested , I'll put up the character profiles of Rico, Mitsuru, and Reki.