In case of hunter, run for life, a fullmetal alchemist fanfic

Chapter 1:

A/N: Beware, cussing . I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. This is my first fanfic of this genre, please do not be too harsh.

Justice Shows Her Face

'Twas a bright and beautiful day in the midst of the Amestrian bazaar; birds twittering through the sun streaked sky. The scent of delicious foodstuffs wafted gracefully, rising to a heavenly peak. The entity known as 'crowd' seemed to engulf all the open tents, save one. A dingy little structure on the edge of the market, so devoid of life it seemed to stand alone. But, thankfully, this has nothing to do with our story. No, our story resides with a young pickpocket, snaking in the shadows of the fruit pastry canopy. Our miniscule, dirty thief was a boy so emaciated, you felt hungry just looking at him. His clothes were worn and tattered, old scars peering through the faded pseudo-mesh. Our pre-teen pickpocket was eyeing an apple turnover on display. The pastry glistened with a radiant sheen of gooey, apple coating, its warm, flaky crust just waiting to be snatched. Slightly drooling, the child slowly reached for the oozing, tantalizing prize. As fate would have it, however, the shopkeeper was a very hairy, scary, and attentive man.

In which case, the grubby, groping paw of the child was rudely grasped, lifting the now shrieking boy into the air. "Ahahahaha!", the shopkeep roared, "thought you could pull a fast one on me, eh?"

"Uwah!! Wait! I-I-I'm sorr-!". The boy was cut off by a prompt slap to the face, blood spouting from his nose. Tears welled in his eyes, leaving clean trails through his dirt caked face.

"We'll see how sorry you are, you wretched thief!" The man growled, lunging for his bakery knife. By now, the crowd was abuzz at the spectacle before it. Men cheered, women gasped and covered their children's eyes. Suddenly, the earth rumbled mightily. The crowd parted, revealing a girl riding horseback, her brown hair flowing in the breeze. Dismounting, she brushed the dust off her jeans. Standing up, she calmly strode over to the two men, turning to the baker. At the surprise and awe of the crowd, she began to pry the fruit smothered blade from the baker's fingertips. As she did this, in a calm tone, she began to speak.

"Tsk, tsk, really now, shame on you sir! About to lop up this poor, helpless child in your unprecedented wrath… can'tcha take some pity on the lad?"

"That boy was going to steal my profits!! How dare you refer to him as something that can even be considered as 'pitiable'? He doesn't even deserve to be helped, the worthless scum!" The man spat.

"You greedy, yuppy bastard! You're only sellin' 'em 50 sen (5) apiece! If you were really concerned about profits, you'd raise the price, dipshit! But as obnoxious as you are, here's yer dirty money, I'll pay for his pie", she barked, flinging the faded coins into his grimy hands. Several of the onlookers were astounded. Men had long since silenced themselves to hear all that would unfold, several children complained as the mothers proceeded to cover their ears for the sake of the girl's foul mouth. The clerk stood seething at the girl's verbal rebuttal, far too enraged to speak. He balled his greasy hand into a fist, launching it straight for her. The crowd gasped, cringing with bated breath for the blow. In its stead, the girl slid backwards, dodging the shot by a mere inch. "Tch!" She grunted. She turned her weight and spun back, outstretching her arm, catching the man square in the jaw with a jarring knuckle right straight.

There was an ungodly cracking sound that echoed hollowly throughout the hushed streets, followed by the man dropping in agony to his knees. He clutched his face and moaned, spitting out several jagged lumps that could barely be recognized as teeth. As the man continued to writhe on the ground in pain, she faced the crowd with a sincere look gracing her face. She spoke again, this time with utmost clarity, "Any fool, man or women, child or elder, should never harm the helpless. Wrath is such a useless thing, it's so much easier when kindness is in its stead. With generosity, the world can be made so that children like this young man can live peaceably. As for this greaseball, he's probably been bitter for so long that wrath has festered where love should be". The sun shone on the once swarming market place, its pleasant warmth pervading the air, as though her words had pleased it. She trotted over to the boy, nearly forgotten in this entire ordeal. He cowered slightly from her, expecting some form of retribution. Instead, she held out the delectable to him. He hesitated, sensing a trap.

"Go on, I don't bite", she stated, sensing his discomfort. At last, the boy reached for the turnover. She grinned as he began to devour it with gusto. "Enjoy kid, see ya soon". She remounted her steed, riding off onto the trail that led west of the city. The flabbergasted crowd simply stood and stared, a wave of dust showering them in her wake. The boy simply continued to eat his pie, tears of joy now streaking down his face.