-CAT OF THE MILITARY-
Disclaimer: I don't own any characters of FMA. Characters by me [Mew and Birel are mine.
In a world where the science of Alchemy exists, two brothers Edward and Alphonse of the Military take on missions always unknowing what's to come.
Prologue: First Stop
"Alphonse! Alphonse!" 17 year old Alchemist Edward Elric called running to his younger brother. "We have a mission from Colonel Mustang!" Ed's golden yellow hair waved in his face, as he stopped within' inches of his brother.
The boy of 14 looked up from his book. "What is it Nii-san?" he asked curiously. Edward removed the task papers from his long red coat pocket and handed them to him. Alphonse's eyes scrolled the paper and then met back to his brothers. "Another out of town trip, eh? It sounds easy enough though."
Edward grinned. "Yeah, the Colonel said nothing much was happening. You realize we haven't had a mission in 9 days?"
"Wait… brother look here." Alphonse said pointing to a sentence close to the bottom. "It says… we leave in three hours."
"WHAT?" Ed said snatching the document away. His hair fell over covering his eyes. "Aw, crud."
"Brother… when did you get this?" Alphonse questioned eyeing the date on the heading.
The Alchemist whispered. "T-two days ago…"
Alphonse sighed. "Let's get packing."
Chapter One: Getting places
Alphonse checked his watch. "Ed! The trains leaving in 5 minutes!" He squeaked.
"I'm coming! I'm coming!" The older brother replied out of breath, and trains whistle blew as the boys boarded. "I knew we'd make it!" Ed said taking the first bench inside the door of the small train.
A tall blonde woman appeared in front of their table. "Tickets Sirs?" she asked.
Ed smirked, "MY NAME IS EDWARD ELRIC, FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST OF THE MILITARY!" he held up his state military pocket watch. "I don't need a ticket."
A sweat drop appeared on Al's head. "Don't show off." The woman winced at the Alchemists loudness.
"Yes Mr. Elric sir. Carry on." She said fumbling her notebook.
The sun had gone down and both Elric brothers had fallen asleep. Alphonse's head rested on his brothers and Ed's to the window.
The train lurched slowly starting to come to a stop. Edward's head banged on the window and his eyes jolted open. "Eh? What's goin' on?"
People on the train stirred, and many voices asked the same question. Suddenly the same ticket woman from before burst through the curtain at the front of the Number 6 car. "Please do not be alarmed everyone! This train is stopping at the town of due to some major engine problems. We apologize for the inconvenience!" She said above the other voices, before running off.
"Engine problems?" Alphonse whispered. "That means we won't make our mission."
Edward sighed. "I guess were stuck for a while."
Alphonse thought a moment before making a suggestion. "We could visit town while were here." He said. Edward looked out the window. It was about midnight and the stars shone brightly over the small town, being so late most of the town's lights were dim. The old train they were riding sat in the station steaming quietly. Very few people passed by outside boarding other trains.
Ed turned back to his brother and smiled. "Alright, but only because I'm hungry."
Chapter 2: Kitty
Edward and Alphonse sat in a small town diner. Alphonse sat eating on one side of the table, quite mortified at his brother's rude eating habits. Edward was stuffing his face and rice was flying through the air. One after another empty rice bowls sat at the far end of the table. The other occupants of the restaurant stared at him in the same disgust as his brother.
The older brother looked up from his 13th rice bowl and stared blankly. "What?" He said looking around and then looking to his brother. Alphonse just shook his head.
After completing their meals the boys paid their bill and left. Ed walked down the street picking his teeth with a toothpick. "That was a good meal."
"Brother, where are we going to stay for the rest of the night?"
Ed pointed to a building across of the street and pointed to it. "We can just find an Inn like that one." The younger brother's eyes followed the end of his brother's finger and across the street.
Al laughed. "That'll work."
As the Fullmetal Alchemist reached for the door of the Inn it swung open and he retracted his hand. A young man with large green eyes looked at the two boys. "You're looking for a place to stay aren't you?" He beamed. "This is the right place!" He continued dragging the boys inside.
The Inn's interior was soft color toned wood, and bright lighting illuminated the room they had just entered. The young man that dragged them inside stood staring at the boys as their eyes looked around, a smile pasted on his face. "HELLO?!?! Hey! Are you guy's travelers? Where ya' from? What's your name??"
"Slow down!" Alphonse chuckled. "Too many questions! My names Alphonse and this is my brother Edward. And no were not travelers, we got stuck here because of the broken down train."
"We're from the Military." Ed added. "And we're looking for a place to stay too."
"Nice to meet you Edward and Alphonse my names Birel! I'll show you to a room ok?!"
"Thanks!" The brothers grinned.
Ed and Al followed Birel up a flight of stairs and down a small hallway and to a room with the number 19 on it, the door looked worn and dirty. Birel opened the door and flipped the switch to the lights. "I hope this will be okay. We don't have many guests." Ed ran over and crash landed on one of the beds closest to the door and started snoring. Birel turned to leave. "Goodnight!" he whispered disappearing through the door slowly closing it behind him.
Alphonse let out a small yawn and glanced at the clock. Now it was 1:30… at night. He didn't feel all that sleepy. So he walked over to the window and pulled it open about halfway. Below was the street they had walked across before arriving at the Inn. Al looked up and down the lonely street. After he looked one direction he looked to the other. While looking he stopped. Something was making noise. He strained his eyes to see where the sound was coming from. First sticking his head out the window followed by is upper half.
"It looks like an animal." Al commented to himself before letting out a yelp. His body was halfway out of the window and he was losing balance. After catching himself he slid out of the window, to the door, and back down the stairs to the main room. It was still lit and Birel lay asleep in his desk chair with a book on his lap. Alphonse opened the front door and ran into the dark road. The noise was still coming from the same spot. The closer he got the more it sounded like muffled meowing.
Alphonse approached the meowing object. It was a cat, a little white cat with a large brown spot on its back. "It's…so…cute!" Alphonse cried with tears of happiness in his eyes. He had always loved kitties but never had one. "You poor little thing! You can't stay here all bye yourself!" he said scooping it up and rocking it in his arms.
Chapter 3: No?
Edward snored loudly in his bed. Hearing this strange noise the little kitten jumped up on Ed's chest and started to sharpen its claws, immediately waking Ed from his rest. The Alchemist sat up quickly with a short whimper. "What the…?" He said looking at the adorable face now frighten and clung to his shirt. "ALPHONSE!" he yelled.
A head peeked back inside the door holding a small plate of food most likely for the kitten. Edward glared at his brother. "Oh good morning Ed! I see you've met Mew!"
Ed was not amused. "Why is there a cat here?" he said harshly removing the cat from his shirt by its scruff and placing it on the floor. "Don't even ask me."
"Oh c'mon brother! It was so lonely! And the poor thing was hungry and crying! Can we please keep her?!" He pleaded.
"No." Ed said strait up.
"Please?" Al cried with a pouty face.
Edward frowned "The answer is no Al. We don't have the means to care for her."
"But brother…" Alphonse said sadly. He held the kitten in his arms, and it purred loudly. Its large brown eye's looked intently into Al's blue ones. "I've always wanted a kitten." Mew meowed at Al and then was turned around to face Edward, as she continued to meow.
A flashback went through the older brother's head of when he was younger.
Ed and Al's father had left them and their mother was starting to grow ill and could no longer work. One day Edward brought home a kitten, and pleaded very similar to his brother.
"But mom! He's all alone! Wouldn't you be sad if you were alone too? Can I please keep him?"
"No Ed," she replied sorrowfully. "We can't afford to care for a cat right now."
The moment replayed over and over in his head. "Alphonse, I change my mind. You can keep the kitten." He said staring into the kittens eyes.
"But Ed!" Al started to whine. "Wait… I-I can keep her?"
Ed nodded picking up the kitten and stroking its back. "Welcome to the Military and our little family Mew."
THE END