Long story short, my very persistent friends finally wore me down and we decided to collaborate on a story. So why not make it about our favorite Anime Fullmetal Alchemist? My friend's posting her story on her wattpad and (possibly) her quotev account. Her username's Eclispse3456. Now, without further adieu, we present to you, Inside Fullmetal.
Two girls were crowded around a lone computer in the library. They were on a wooden table surrounded by tall bookshelves, forming an almost enclosed space. It was a very old and private library in which one could get lost. The castle-like library was the girl's favorite of all the study places. The dark, blood red rug, old furnishing, and dim lighting only added to the library's mysterious feel.
All of a sudden they burst out laughing. The one with wavy hair fell out of her chair and rolled around the floor among the old and cluttered bookshelves. The gothic one laughed silently while banging the table. The one on the floor finally regained her composure and stood up.
"Poor Edward getting called short all the time." She said while patting off dust from her jeans.
Axle snickered as she reread the text. "Who are you calling so short that if I eat a shrimp it would be considered cannibalism?"
They burst into hysterics again.
"This has to be the best one yet!"
Axle held on to her treasured X necklace for support and Ly continued laughing. Another girl emerged from the shelves. She had dark skin and short curly hair. Her dark brown eyes were hidden behind black glasses. She sported a volleyball shirt from one of her many tournament and dark blue jeans.
"Ly, Axle, what are you guys laughing about? I can hear you all the way at the other end of the library." The girls burst into another round of laughter, trying to form sentences.
"And Ed...and he...he...shrimp!" They managed to say through their laughter.
Jackie raised an eyebrow and walked passed them.
"I hope you guys get a chance to start on your report, instead of looking at animes." With that she disappeared from sight and settled into the table outside of their enclosed space. She was never one for imagination. Always with the facts.
"Like that's ever gonna happen." Axle murmured. She toyed around with her X logo on her necklace and glanced back at the stack of animes. She was always jealous of Anime and basically fiction. They had such an interesting life, even if it was fake. Axle leaned her head back. She wanted an adventure to start already. Her adventure. There had to be more to life than...longing. She was fourteen and nothing had happened, but a few broken bones and mischief. She wanted something to proudly say that this was her life.
"I think we should." Ly interrupted. "Maybe they'll have an alchemy book or something."
"As if..."
Ly cut off Axle's sentence by giving her a little glare.
Groaning Axle finally agreed to search an alchemy book, and she disappeared in the dusty shelves.
Axle started to gather all the material she could find about Alchemy. After reading and watching Fullmetal Alchemist, both girls became entranced by alchemy, wanting to know every ounce of knowledge there was. Hoping to get information for their report (which was on alchemy! No surprise there.) due next week, they came to the ancient library in town to gather more information. They were already experts, but since the library contained older books, maybe they could find something the internet couldn't supply...
Axle came back a few minutes later holding a stack of books in her arms. Mostly manga, of course. Ly looked up from her book to Axle, whose face was hidden by a 3 foot stack.
"Wow. You thinks that's enough?" She asked sarcastically.
Axle dropped the books into a messy pile and dusted her hands. Putting her hands on her hips, she matched Ly's sarcastic mode.
"Hmm... I don't know." She said leaning forward a little, "Think we should get more?"
Ly rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her book, but something caught her eye in the pile. An old leather bound book with a weird red colored trim, and the name was a bit odd also 'Instruction to Human Transmutation'. Ly's eyes widened a bit. Thoughts raced around inside her head.
'But human transmutation isn't that supposed to be taboo?' She began to think, 'But if that's the case why would there be a whole book about it?'
Ly looked back up at Axle who was stretching her arms and adjusting her smoke-colored fingerless gloves.
"Uh, Axle you have to see this..."
Axle absentmindedly looked at Ly. She waited for a response, but Ly was staring intensely at something. Axle followed her gaze to the book. Noticing it, she tilted her head to get a better look at the cover. Her mouth slowly opened wide as she read the title. She knelt down to pick up the book. Strange. She furrowed her eyebrows in concentration. She didn't remember getting it.
The two slowly lifted their heads up, and as their eyes met their surprised expressions turned into ones of mischief.
Axle picked up the book and slowly stood up. She lifted the front cover, but frowned when it didn't open. She tried again in vain. It wouldn't budge! She stepped over the dumped books and placed the spine on the table. Ly followed her every move with curiosity. Axle put a hand on each side of the covers and tried to pry them apart. Still nothing. She grunted in annoyance.
"Here let me try." Ly said as she put her hand out.
Axle slid the book over to the table, and plopped down in the chair next to her completely aggravated. She crossed her arms and put her feet up on the table, watching Ly's every move. Ly placed the book flat on the table and tried pulling at the cover, but it still didn't open. She tried again but still nothing happened. She grit her teeth getting annoyed.
"Why in the name of soba noodles won't this thing open?!"
Axle grinned, "May I suggest nuking it?" Axle did have interesting theories she always wanted to test...
Ly gave her her signature glare and turned back to book. Axle just sighed, propping her elbow on the table to rest her head on her palm. She looked at Ly a little bored from the sudden lack of excitement, yet still curious. What could this book mean? Was it real, or was it false information gathered from an alchemy obsessed nutjob. And even if it was the latter, that still wouldn't explain why they couldn't open it.
Ly continued to inspect the foreign book.
'Maybe there is something on the book to open it?' She thought.
As if reading her thoughts, Axle pointed to the familiar homunculus symbol in the back of the book. A dragon curled into an almost closed circle. A symbol both girls would recognize anywhere.
"How about that?" She said, pointing to the insignia. It seemed to have a small uneven hole in the middle of the lizard. Maybe it was a key hole, but it looked more like someone stabbed it with a sharp edge. Still, it might be something.
Ly turned the book around, laying the back cover facing up. She examined the hole and shook her head finding that it was nothing more than a dent. Ly continued to inspect. She ran her hand over the dragon then jerked her hand back when she reached the open mouth. Something about it was...off.
Axle tilted her head noticing the misplacement.
"The mouth, it's...it's completely biting the tail."
Ly relaxed, glad that they noticed the error, but that only confused her farther. Why was it drawn like that? Any amateur could google what the homunculus mark looked like. How could the author make a mistake like this? Ly scoffed at the author's lack of knowledge. Amateur.
Axle was also completely clueless to why it was drawn like that, but found herself having a newfound appreciation for this style. A dragon eating its own tail. Wicked cool, she thought. Wait, but a dragon eating its own tail. A HOMUNCULUS dragon eating its own tail. Wouldn't that mean-
Her thoughts were interrupted by Ly's frustrated grunt.
"Fudge buckets!" She said as she threw her arms in the air. "This thing won't budge!
"Shhh! This is a library." Axle said mockingly, laughing a bit at her friend's reaction. This only angered Ly even more as she crossed her arms and sank further in her chair, still seething with anger.
"Calm down, Wrath." Axle said using Ly's much fitting nickname. Ly stuck out her tongue.
Axle reached over held the book once more. She ran her finger along the spine looking for something of significance.
Meanwhile, Ly was running all this through her mind. "If this is real, maybe it'll give us an insider for our report. Maybe we'll give the fandom an insider on alchemy! Something not commonly known about alchemy! I mean, human transmutation? That's a topic barely known to us. Mayb-" Ly calmed down, "No, it might just be a fake. Human transmutation? Impossible.
Axle set the book down, trying to think. 'Okay, a book that won't open. Analyze. Problem? It won't open. Why? It's stuck. No, it's not stuck. It just won't open. It won't open.' Axle closed her eyes chanting the words in her head. 'Wont open. Won't open. Won't. Open.' Axle eyes shot open with a smile. 'A key!'
She absentmindedly stroked her X necklace, the only jewelry that she would ever wear, and glanced over the cover for a keyhole. There was none. She frowned and pressed the book to her ear. Nothing. 'Well, what did you expect? A beating heart?' Axle smirked and pressed the book against her heart as if following her conscious.
Ly glanced over to check how Axle was doing only to see the book glowing.
"Axle!" Ly cried.
"What?" Axle asked a bit surprised at Ly's anxious tone.
"T..The b...book!" Ly cried frantically pointing a finger at it as the light grew brighter.
Axle looked down to see the illuminating book. She threw it out of surprise and it landed with a thunk in the middle of the table. The book begin to glow brighter and the light engulfed the whole table but it's hunger didn't stop there. It's hypnotic glow seemed to consume the whole alcove. The beam was so bright the girls could barely stand it.
"What going on?!" Ly screamed as she rushed next to Axle, who was up against the wall.
Axle only shook her head, "I...don't know" They tried to go to the exit only to realize that they were surrounded by the light and the wall.
The light continued to grow and grow until it was about to touch Ly and Axle. Just before they went in Axle turned to Ly.
"For the record, I blame you."
As suddenly as the light came, it disappeared, leaving not even a trance of what happened.
All too soon, Jackie emerged from the from her section to come and check up on the two only to see that they weren't there...and that they had left behind a stack of books. 'What a disgrace! They could have at least cleaned up after themselves.' She continued to look around. She was sure she heard yelling, but that didn't strike her uncommon for it was almost impossible to stop one of their arguments. Jackie shrugged it off and left for the free coffee and donuts they served right about this time. She headed off, oblivious to the fact that the girls were there.
...or at least they were.