Disclaimer : Fullmetal Alchemist isn't mine, Daniel is.
Rating : K+
Note : Well, I first thought of translating my oldest one shot that is the only one still getting comments from other people than complete fanatics of my work from time to time, but it just had too much things that only worked in French in it. I thought I could put off the translation project a little, since University work was piling up… but I just wanted to do it again. Than I remembered these two stories that I never wanted to translate because they were too long… but also were certainly the two best. Than I remembered some chapters in these were written like one-shots and an idea sparked : translating selected chapters from them and putting links at the end for anyone who would want to read more… that's just until I decide myself on an actual one-shot to translate or have time to do something longer.
A little company
(1911)
The train stopped at the Resembool station and Daniel alighted. He followed the path to a house that wasn't far away from the cemetery. It was recognizable because of the very big suit of armour standing next to the door that was holding a sign with "Elric brother's repair shop" written on it, and in smaller letters "For the umpteenth time, it' next-door for the automails!". He knocked at the door, Edward opened:
-Yes, it's for what? Oh, hi Daniel.
-You and Alphonse must certainly be doing good work, because people surely don't come here for the welcoming.
-So, Hughes found something?
-Everything's in that bag, he indicated with his right hand, the only one he could use.
They sat at the table in the dining room. When Daniel got the files out of the bag, Edward noticed the toys that were in there too:
-What's this? You left the army and got a new job as Santa Claus?
-No, these toys were hers before and the were still lying around the house. I thought she'd be happy to see them again. Now, let's talk about serious stuff.
Edward opened the file that Daniel was handing him:
-What is a photo of Hughe's daughter doing in there?
-It's the danger when you ask Maes to build a file.
Edward removed the photo and looked at the first page:
-Shou Tucker? Who's that one?
-A leading researcher in the chimera domain. In 1909, he passed the State Alchemist exam by presenting the very first chimera that could speak. All we know is that it just said "I want to die" and that after she refused to eat and is dead of hunger. He was recently supposed to take his second evaluation, but he seems to have plainly disappeared.
-And the girl's mother?
-From the information we have, he was a widower.
-What? But from what she said, her mother went back to her parents' house.
-He could have lied… in both cases.
Edward put on a horrified face:
-No… don't tell me that…
-Yes, it's highly possible that the chimera he presented at was his wife mended with another animal. And you're keeping the evidence that he's able to go that far under this roof. Keep that file, it will be better worth than any explanation if someone discovers her. By the way, where is she?
-She went out with Al. It's really cute, she follows him everywhere, said Edward with a softened look he very rarely put on.
-Are you sure it's a good idea? Someone could see her.
-If we kept her locked in here, we'd already be not treating her as a human being.
Daniel smiled:
-Roy apparently did a good choice putting her in your care.
Edward took the bag of toys:
-Do you mind guarding the shop while I go put that in her room?
-She has her own room?
-We had a free one, it might as well be used.
Edward went upstairs.
Daniel heard the door open and a few seconds later, something enormous was tackling him on the ground:
-Big brother!
-Hi Nina, said Daniel trying to move from under the chimera that kind of looked like a weird dog. Can you get off my back, please?
She moved a little and the young man was able to get back up:
-Sorry, said Alphonse. But apparently, it's one of the dog's habits. What's bringing you here?
-I found information about her that will be useful, including the reason she's like that. And it's far from being a nice story, as you must be expecting.
In his mother's former room that had become Nina's, Edward heard a few pieces of the conversation between Daniel and Alphonse that was sure to last. He started to put away the different objects where he could and found a framed photo of a little girl with chestnut brown hair and a quite big white dog.
-What what monster could have dared to do that to her.
He decided to keep it to put it on the mantelpiece. Seeing that room looking like it had someone in it again, and in particular how much it had changed in the last few days, had a funny effect on him.
Alphonse opened the house's door:
-Here Nina, this is your new home.
While the two brothers were going upstairs to their room to unpack, Nina walked around the house to quickly realise nobody else seemed to live in it. She went to see Edward and Alphonse in their room:
-Where are your parents?
-Gone since a long time, Edward answered firmly.
-So you live here alone?
-Yes.
-Where can I sleep?
Edward petted the chimera and led her to a door he opened:
-Sorry if it smells a little stale, it hasn't been used for two years.
Saying that, he opened the window and Nina went near it:
-It's pretty, everything's green here.
-Certainly, you're only four. It must be the first time you come to the country.
-Yes. Am I going to stay like that forever? And I'm not going to see my dad and my mom again?
-I think that yes, unfortunately. What your dad did is very bad and we can't put you and your dog back like before, you may both die.
-Die?
-It's quite hard to explain… Let's say that when someone dies, they go and you don't see them again. Well, I need to go see someone.
As he was going into the graveyard with flowers, Edward saw someone that wasn't far away from his mother's grave:
-Hi Winry. You came to see your parents?
-Hi Ed! How was Central?
-Lots of people. We saw lieutenant-colonel Mustang again and met some of his colleagues. Want to know something funny?
-What?
-The daughter of a very good friend of his is born the day of my twelfth birthday. I have to admit that they were quite nice for people of the military.
Winry seemed to look behind him:
-What's wrong?
-Do you think it's a dog behind you?
Edward turned around to see Nina who must have followed him and suddenly got nervous thinking she could talk in front of Winry:
-I told you to stay home with Al!
-What? It's yours? said the young girl surprised. Since when?
-Uh… today.
Edward seemed more and more nervous and what had to happen happened:
-Something's wrong, big brother? asked the chimera in a worried tone.
-It talks? said Winry surprised.
The situation had to be explained to her.
-So our friend Winry knows the little we knew before we brought that file. We told her we would keep her informed, explained Alphonse.
-I going to go see her myself in that case, said Daniel.
-Wait, it's not a good idea to go there alone, the Rockbells have a kind mixed opinion about the army. It would be better if I went with you. Ed! Could you keep an eye on Nina and the shop, I'm taking Daniel to Winry's place.
-I'm coming down!
Daniel and Alphonse arrived in front of the workshop:
-Oh, she works in the automail workshop right next to your house?
-Her grand-mother's the owner.
-And her parents?
-They were doctors in the Ishbal war and they got killed there.
-I see.
-By the way, how come you didn't replace your arm yet?
-A big irony about they army's engineers: they can make automails with the most sophisticated weapons but can't find a way to integrate a simple stamp into a prosthetic. And won't get something installed than arm that could make that less cumbersome.
-Why do you want that so much?
-The alchemy that consists of making "artificial souls" and bounding them to statues is quite complicated. Among other things, you must put a seal on the statues you want to bring to life and since it's quite complicated, I made a stamp out of it. But each time, I need to get it out of the little bag then put it back in and I already lost it several times. So I would save me time and be sure to always have it with me, that way.
Winry opened the door:
-When are you two going to decide yourself on coming in?
Daniel had just told Winry what had happened to Nina:
-Poor little girl, she said when he was done. By the way, aren't you a little young to be in the army?
-You didn't hear about that boy who passed the exam at the age of fifteen last year? Well, it was me.
-Aren't you a little short to be sixteen?
-I am, but I can't change it, he answered smiling. Apart from that…
-Yes, I understood that we're supposed to hide the fact she's here as much as possible. Anything else?
-Can I have a look at your catalogue?
Alphonse went back to the shop alone and saw two kids that were leaving it.
-Bye, and don't tell your parents about that big price cut I gave you!
-Well, considering how frequently he breaks his toys, it's only a question of time before it's compensated anyway, answered the older of the two.
Edward saw Alphonse:
-Hey, where's Daniel?
-He stayed at the Rockbell's, apparently they had exactly the kind of automail he wanted to get installed.
-Good for him. It's getting late, could put that we're closed?
-Yes.
Alphonse took the "open" sign that was hanging from one on the armour's fingers and saw it was stuck. He decided to pull harder on it, but amour fell on him and the helmet ended up on his head.
Edward came out and put the amour back up:
-Are you alright, Al?
-No problem.
Through the helmet, his voice seemed a little metallic.
I think this is a good sample of the story that's from. The only thing actually missing is another original character that is quite important in the story. Well, you must be thinking that it is a kind of AU fic… you're right and wrong at the same time. You're right with the fact that the context is different, but apart from sticking Daniel in the army much earlier than in "Soul's Alchemist", everything you see has been triggered by one little change; a change that occurs during an event showed in episode 1 and 3. Instead of just standing there and looking at the Elric's house glow, Mustang didn't stop walking a second after arriving at Resembool and got there just in time to pull them away from the black hands. As consequence they both have bad scars that don't stand cold weather too well, but they didn't actually loose anything. No lost limbs, no reason for Edward to become a State alchemist and since Mustang didn't see them surviving it, he had no reason to offer the job. Now, Daniel is the best one placed to tell you what happened next because of the part he has in the story.
Daniel: Well, she could have left the story there, but she decided to develop it a little. First thing, in this story I became a State Alchemist while Roy was in Resembool because the 1910 exams were around that time and joined his team without knowing it at first since he was away. The second thing that happened is that little after the exam, I was walking around in Central when I went by the Tucker's place while Nina was playing with Alexander in her garden. She came to talk to me and even though we became quick very close friends, I never met her father. Around a year later, the after my first evaluation I went by her house to see she wasn't there anymore. The Elric brothers came to visit Roy in Central around the time we were dealing with Barry and actually helped us a little in his capture (I faint the second I see a big blade under a particular angle, remember that). At some point during their visit, we went by the Tucker's old place and ran into Nina who had been turned into a chimera and apparently just escaped from somewhere. For her own safety, we needed to get her away from the military as fast as possible… and Roy more or less used the fact that he knew about their human transmutation to get the Elric brothers to take her with them.
Me : In France the story is technically finished but on the site it's published on it's easier to insert a new chapter between two already existing ones and I really take advantage of it. Sorry, but knowing a little French is the only way you'll ever read the whole story. If you're interested in spite of all, here's a direct link to it :