"Mom?"
The dark haired woman looked up at her young son, who was gazing sleepily at her from beneath the folds of sheets.
"What is it?" she asked. "There's nothing under the bed, I checked already. Nothing in the closet, either."
"It's not that," the little boy told her. "It's… when's Dad going to come home again?"
She picked up a small blue stuffed toy that had been sitting in the corner and knelt down next to the bed.
"Well, you see," she said, "it's very complicated. Your father has a lot of work to do and he does it for everybody. If it wasn't for your father, we'd be knee-deep in who knows what by now."
"So Dad can't come home because he's too busy being a hero?"
She sighed. How was one supposed to explain this to a four year old?
"Pretty much," she said, "but I promise he'll come home at the end of the month."
"But you said that last month. And he still hasn't come back."
The woman ran a hand through his already tousled hair. He yawned, and she passed him the toy, which he drew into a tight cuddle.
"Don't you worry about this now," she said. "Daddy will come home soon, I promise."
The kid was clearly unsatisfied with the answer, but it looked as though he was too tired to continue his questioning. He yawned again, and this time his eyes stayed closed.
Still stroking his head, the woman began to sing.
"Carry on, my wayward son,
There'll be peace when you are done,
Lay your weary head to rest,
Don't you cry no more…"
By the time she was finished, the little boy was sound asleep.
She leaned forward and kissed his forehead.
"Sweet dreams, Aerrow," she whispered. "See you in the morning."
"Uh… Aerrow?"
Green eyes blearily opened, their owner still half dead to the world due to sleep.
"Aerrow, I don't think the librarians would appreciate it if you drooled all over their books."
"Mmph?"
He sat up far too quickly and the world only stopped spinning after he shook his head a few times. Embarrassing, to say the least.
"You okay?" asked Piper as he wiped his mouth on his arm.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied. "Sorry about that. I don't think I got very much sleep last night. Any luck?"
Piper sat down next to him, slamming down a book that was about the size and weight of the average paving slab.
"Next to nothing," she muttered in an annoyed tone. "Someone must have been pretty eager about crystals; almost the whole section's gone! If I didn't know any better, I'd suspect Master Cyclonis of-"
"Isn't she supposed to be some you-level crystal mage?" Aerrow asked with a small smile that he hoped was reassuring. "'Sides, she's probably still busy yelling at Dark Ace over that whole Suit of Untold Vengeance thing."
The girl smiled, but only briefly, and then tried to engross herself in the book (wow, even the writing was so faded it was like a paving slab).
"Are you okay?" He felt like it was his turn to ask.
"I'm fine," she replied, rubbing her face in clear exasperation. "Just a little frustrated, that's all."
"Frustrated? Why?"
She jabbed her thumb over her shoulder, and Aerrow leaned back and peered down the corridor.
He couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, save for a rather lost-looking kid. Must have been about twelve or thirteen – it was hard to tell since his face was covered by a hood, so Aerrow had to judge by his height – and yet he was looking around some of the heaviest and oldest tomes the library had to offer. As the Sky Knight watched, he knelt down and dusted the spines with his gloved fingers, sighing every now and then.
It couldn't have been him that Piper was angry about. He was a complete stranger who was hardly doing anything.
"Marco!"
"Polo!"
Ah. That was it.
"Marco!" called Junko from somewhere in the depths of the bookshelves.
"Polo!" shouted Finn from somewhere else.
"Apparently," Piper said, "'silence in the library' just became optional."
"Aw, cut them some slack," Aerrow said dismissively. "It's not like they're causing any…"
He couldn't help but trail off when he saw what that boy was doing now.
"Any what?" asked Piper.
"…harm," he finished weakly. "Could you excuse me for a sec?"
He got up.
It truly was a pitiful sight. Perhaps the most pitiful since Finn got his head stuck in his skimmer's wing last week, and nobody was any closer to figuring out how that happened. The hooded boy was trying desperately to reach the books on the upper shelves, but his diminutive stature meant that even though he was jumping and scrabbling with all his might, he couldn't even come within six inches of the tome he desired. Apparently he hadn't thought to use a chair or something.
"Hey," said Aerrow, and casually leaned against the bookcase. "You need a hand?"
No eyes were visible, but the boy glared at him with more menace than should have been possible for someone his age.
"It's nothing to worry about," the Sky Knight said calmly as he approached. "I bet tons of people have trouble reaching those shelves. Most of the guys who work here are all about a hundred. Which book do you need, this one?"
The nod from the boy was almost unnoticeable, but Aerrow pulled the book down all the same. The boy yanked it from his hands and stomped away without even looking back.
"You're welcome!" he called to the empty air.
"What was that about?" asked Piper, who had watched the entire peculiar spectacle.
Aerrow shrugged.
"No idea," he confessed.
"Marco!"
"Polo!"
Finn shuffled around the corner and waited for his Wallop friend to approach, then scampered as quietly as he could to the far end of the shelves. It wouldn't be nearly so funny if they hadn't been doing this for the past ten minutes or so.
"Marco!"
"Polo!"
And the hilarious part was that he still hadn't caught on!
"Finn, are you just making me go round in circles?"
Oh crud.
"What? No, man!" he lied. "C'mon, I'm your best buddy, would I do that to you?"
"Yeah, you would!" Junko pointed out. "You totally would! Marco!"
"Polo!" Finn responded, and straightened up once more, grinning in the knowledge that he would never be located.
But when he rounded the corner, he froze.
He couldn't make out any eyes in the shadows cast by the child's hood, but he got that weird tingling feeling that meant he was not only being watched, but glared at with a feeling of unfiltered poison. He didn't really get it: judging by his height, this kid was only around eleven or twelve, he was holding a book the size of a tombstone and his hidden eyes were like lasers boring right into the back of the blonde's head as if he had threatened to burn the place down.
Eventually, after around ten seconds that felt like an eternity, the kid turned around and skulked off around the end of the bookcase, leaving a very bewildered marksman in his wake.
"Did I say something?" he wondered aloud.
It was almost like that kid thought he owned the place or something. He didn't make the rules. What was his problem?
"Marco!"
With perhaps the least manly scream ever emitted by human vocal chords, Finn leapt around a metre into the air and almost brought a whole bookcase crashing down on top of him when he tried to grab it.
"Junko!" he cried. "Who said you could sneak up on me like that?!"
"Well you're not playing by the rules," Junko pointed out, "so why should I have to?"
"I, uh…" Words failed Finn as he prized his fingers away from the shelves. "Um… you still shouldn't have snuck up on me!" He stuck a finger in his ear and twisted it around.
"And did you have to yell so loud?" he asked. "I think you busted something in my ear."
"Heh, sorry," Junko said with an embarrassed smile, "but I thought the whole point of the game was to yell?"
"Yeah, but-"
"Are you guys finally done with your glorified shouting match?"
They stopped their chatting and turned to look at Piper, who was glaring at them with not quite the ferocity of that weird boy, but she was pretty close.
"He started it," Junko said as he pointed at Finn.
"I don't really care who started it, so long as it's over!" said Piper. "This is a library – we're not vacationing on Terra Tropica! I know you guys probably think this is boring, and I'm really sorry about that, but-"
"-but we don't need a repeat of the SUV incident," Aerrow finished for her as he approached. "So did you guys find anything worth investigating?"
"We did find a bunch of really weird scrolls back there," said Junko, indicating with his thumb.
"Not sure how much good they'd be, though," said Finn. "They're mostly just weird circles and symbols that look like something out of a boring fantasy novel, along with a bunch of rubbish about stones and stuff."
Piper craned her neck to look at the table at the end of the aisle, where the aforementioned scrolls were stacked.
"It's worth looking at," she said, and walked over to them. "Why didn't you say anything?"
Finn and Junko didn't answer though, on account of Aerrow asking who won.
"Junko did," Finn replied. "Very loudly. In my face."
"You had it coming, Finn," said Junko. "You were just making me go around the same book case over and over, weren't you?"
"I… uh…"
Now there were two pairs of eyes shooting accusation at the nervous marksman.
"Okay, fine," he said, "but it was funny while it lasted, okay?"
"Whoa! Hey guys, come over here and look at this!"
Subject officially changed, they hurried over to where Piper had unrolled a scroll on the table, revealing oddly designed circles, numerous strange-looking symbols and an image of a small red stone.
"What is it?" asked Finn. "I found something good, didn't I?"
"Surprisingly, yes," said Piper. "Listen to this."
She read along the scroll with her finger.
"'If thou shalt ever need to combine the fifteen strongest and most powerful of crystals yet discovered'," she read, "'then thy efforts shalt be rewarded with the infinite substance, most wondrous of all creations of mankind, the Philosopher's Stone'."
Another of the images showed a bearded man in a white robe, reaching up towards the glowing red crystal with an expression of awe.
"'Without payment, thou shalt be granted the power of the gods'," Piper continued, "'to smite thine enemies to dust and rend the world asunder with nary a word. Conversely, the stone can heal the sick and injured should thou so desire, and grant thou riches beyond thy wildest dreams'. Wow."
"Yeah," said Aerrow, "that sums it up."
"Man, what I wouldn't give to get my hands on one of those," Finn said wistfully. "Just think of the possibilities…"
"…which for you would mean an indestructible skimmer ten times more powerful than the Condor," Aerrow recited as though he had planned this beforehand, "more girls than you could ever hope to fit on it and a lifetime's worth of endless vacations, am I right?"
Now it was Finn's turn to shoot a poison-filled glare at Aerrow, and he got up and stomped away in a huff while Aerrow and Junko unrolled more of the scrolls.
"They just keep going on and on about these really weird things," said Junko. "I don't even know how to say some of these words!"
"Yeah, and what's a… hom… un… culus?" Aerrow wondered aloud. "Is that how you're supposed to say it? What is that? Sounds like some kind of ooze."
"I could be mistaken," said Piper, "but I think the word means 'little person'."
She looked for a while at a diagram of concentric circles and pentagons as if expecting it to tell her the answer, and when it didn't, she sighed.
"It's worth looking into," she said, "but there's no point looking over these scrolls if we can barely even read them. I can't believe I'm saying this, but it looks like Finn was right."
"What was that?"
A tuft of blonde hair poked around the corner, followed by the rest of Finn's head.
"Didn't quite catch that," he said, lips curling up at the corners. "Could you repeat it loud enough for me to hear?"
"Fine, Finn," said Piper. "You were right-"
"CHICA-CHA!" Finn cried joyfully.
"-these scrolls really are useless."
"Aww." Finn pouted in disappointment.
"We could keep looking, but-"
"NO! No!" All three males leapt up in protest.
"-but I doubt any of us would stay sane for long enough to get some real research done," said Piper, sniggering a little, "so we may as well go home."
Aerrow, Finn and Junko heaved a sigh of relief and bliss.
"Finally," said Finn as they headed for the door. "Junko, buddy, I want a rematch when we get back to the Condor, 'kay?"
"What for?" asked Junko. "You lost."
"Only 'coz you cheated!"
"You were cheating first!"
"Do you want to put these away or shall I?" Piper asked Aerrow.
"No, I can do it," the redhead replied. "It shouldn't be hard to figure out where they go."
"Are you sure? It's no trouble, I promise."
"No, you go on ahead, I'll catch up."
As she walked away, Aerrow dragged a stool out of a corner and started slotting the scrolls back into the shelf they had sat on with the rest of their companions. The strange boy from earlier was bent over the book he'd needed help with, completely and totally engrossed. He didn't seem to notice the Sky Knight opening one of the scrolls for the last time and looking at the image of the shining red stone.
"Weird," he commented, and stepped down and made for the door.
"You wanna be careful with power like that. Fly too close to the sun and you'll get burned."
He stopped.
When he looked around, all he could see was the back of the weird child, which displayed an equally weird symbol emblazoned in black on the red fabric: a cross with a snake coiling around it, a crown above it and a small pair of wings on either side of the crown. Was that some squadron's insignia? If so, he didn't recognise it.
"What was that?" he asked.
The boy looked up, hood still hiding a majority of his face.
"Oh, I'm sorry," he said calmly in a voice that sounded far too old for someone that height, "I talk to myself sometimes."
He went back to poring over his book.
Aerrow could have stood there for hours just staring in confusion. If this boy was talking to himself, why had it sounded so much like some vague warning? He'd been eavesdropping, hadn't he? And why did he sound so friendly then when earlier he had looked so angry and mean?
He didn't seem to be paying any attention, so Aerrow gladly took the opportunity to leave, taking a deep breath of fresh non-musty air the moment he was outside.
"What was with that guy?" he wondered aloud.
He shrugged. It was probably best not to pay him too much attention. It wasn't likely that they'd meet again.
There was only one thing left to do before he went back to the ship.
"Radarr!" he shouted, cupping his hands around his mouth. "It's time to go!"
His co-pilot had scampered away not long before they entered that snore-fest of a building. Where could he have gone to?
"Radarr, where'd you go?" he called. "Better hurry it up, you don't wanna get left behind again, do you?"
It didn't take long after that for a small ball of blue fur to ram into Aerrow's chest like a mini living wrecking ball.
"There you are!" said Aerrow. "Where've you been? I was worried I might-"
Radarr ignored him, clambered over his shoulder and hung off his back like a bat.
"Radarr?" Aerrow said, struggling to look at him. "What're you…"
He trailed off again.
A small flock of chickens had trotted into view, clucking and ruffling their feathers, and the one at the head of the group looked up at Aerrow with a strangely inquisitive expression. It even tilted its head to one side.
"Umm…" Aerrow said, "…he went that way!"
He pointed in a random direction and the happy hens waddled out of sight.
Radarr watched them leaving, his eyes the only part of his body visible over Aerrow's shoulder. It was only once they were gone that he allowed himself to breathe.
"What is it with you and hens?" asked Aerrow. "What do they see in you?"
Great. Yet another accusing glare to add to the list.
"Not that there isn't anything to you!" he insisted. "You're the best co-pilot in all the Atmos, remember?"
With a small nod Radarr smiled in self-satisfaction, while Aerrow made a beeline for the parked Condor.
"Sorry, but I just don't get it," he continued. "You're an even bigger chick magnet than Finn!"
He halted again, having just realized what he'd said.
"That was a pun, wasn't it?"
Radarr nodded.
"And it was awful, wasn't it?"
Another nod.
"Oh man, I'm such an idiot!" said Aerrow, and slapped a hand on his forehead in disbelief. "There are lumps of coal that make better jokes than that! Radarr, buddy, can you ever forgive me?"
Radarr cuddled his head in a way that said, 'I already did.'
"Yeah, I get it," Aerrow said, and returned the hug as much as he could with only one hand. "Let's just go home, okay?"
Finally alone.
The boy slammed the book shut with an echo that resounded throughout the building, then got up from his chair and looked up at the shelf.
Up there was the information he needed. Up there were the things he had been looking for.
He climbed onto the stool and found himself cursing his body. Even with the added help, he was still too short to reach those damn scrolls. He didn't want to risk jumping and breaking his legs in the inevitable fall.
It was a hopeless endeavor.
Unless…
He got down and looked around. He seemed to be the only one in the room.
Good. No witnesses.
If there were any, they would have heard a clapping noise and seen a flash of light, followed by a rather nervous looking young boy walking hurriedly to a more secluded corner with a scroll under one arm.
And if they were to check, they would see that the stool had grown half a foot taller.
I know I said that I was going to wait until Quantum of Solace was up before I made a start on this, but the simple fact is that the very prospect of an FMA/Storm Hawks crossover was just too tempting to not dive into. And having recently finished rewatching all 52 episodes, the time just feels right. The only issue is that I haven't written Fullmetal Alchemist or Storm Hawks before, so I'm a little nervous about making everybody out of character. As I always am when writing fanfiction – I'm constantly going to wikis and TV Tropes to make sure I'm giving them the representation they deserve.
However, unlike my SoulHeta stories which are always (at least almost) complete by the time I start uploading them, this one is going to be the more mundane update-as-I-go-along type thing, since I'm starting my last year of high school soon and I don't know when I'll get time to write. I'm also not going to bother with special names for the chapters.
The next chapter is most likely going to be longer, I promise.
Leave a review and let me know what you think!