Chapter 1:
All my life I've been told that the Ishballans were the worst race of people. Their dark skin and red eyes set them different from the rest of the world. They believed in a god who possibly didn't exist, and we're persecuted for their beliefs. "Personally, I never found anything wrong with their beliefs. I myself am a godless person who only believes in fate as my guider, but their beliefs aren't anything to be persecuted for."
That thought occurred to me three years ago, on my thirteenth birthday. Everything about the Ishballans changed last year though. After events last year that surrounded boys named Edward Elric and Alphonse Elric, Ishballans names were brightened. They are still discriminated against by the majority, but a large group of people have begun helping them out. My journey began when I joined a group heading to Ishballa, the city, to help out with repairs.
"Ah!" I complained, stepping out of the bus. My grey scarf flushed in the wind, and my blue jeans were dusted with sand in seconds. My grey t-shirt flickered in it, and I burned in the heat. "It's burning out here!"
"Duh, we are in Ishballa after all." Another helper said. I felt stupid for complaining, and rejoined the group's line to head into the city. Walking around, I saw a lot of the buildings were broken and people looked injured. I saw a boy splitting his bread with a little girl, and they had such little.
"Here." I smiled, handing them two of apple packs, giving them eight apples in total.
"Eh…but…" The boy began to protest.
"Hehe, really, take it. I don't mind. I came here to help your people." I smiled gently, and then hurried off to the group. A Ishballan women walked over to kids and asked them something, when they pointed at me she smiled and waved. I waved back and giggled.
Repairs started as soon as we could begin. I gladly helped as many people I could. When it was break time, the children I saw earlier ran over to me. "Um…can….you come with us?" The boy asked.
"Hmm? Where to?" I giggled, watching the little girl hide behind her brother. I was 5'9", so I probably looked giant to them. My green hair probably looked even scarier. Though, I doubted they fear my physical body, as I didn't look strong enough, nor was I, to harm anyone.
"Um…our…house."
"Sure, is there anything you need my help with?" I asked, carrying wood and my tool set towards where they were guiding me.
"Mama, we brought him." The little girl said. The woman I saw earlier was standing in the front door, and their home didn't look very damaged so I figured there was another reason I was called over her.
"Um…would you like some tea?" The woman asked.
"Hehe…no, I couldn't take anything from you." I responded.
"Oh? I though all alchemist believed in equivalent exchange." She whispered. I paused for a moment, then sighed.
"I see. So you watched me, and realized my use of alchemy."
"Yes, and…it is looked down on here." She said, her eyes staring at me with emotions I couldn't define.
"I…," I broke off. "I know. I'm sorry." I said.
Just as she was about to speak, a large sound echoed through my head. I rushed outside, and headed to the work site. Diving for my bag, I quickly engulfed the pills. Sighing, I returned to the house. "Um…I apologize for my rudeness." Rubbing my head slowly, as the echoes still vibrated some. "I have a medical condition." As I said that, I realized I was too late.
"Are you ok?" She asked, as I fell to my knees.
"I'm going to take my leave before something happens comes."
Returning, I changed. "Hey Note, I need help over here. Got a hand to spare?"
"Sure, be right there." I said, climbing onto the roof of the building. I noticed faintly that I was beginning to black out, but had enough attention span to see that the woman I had seen was talking to a strange man. His face was unlike other Ishballans, it had a whitish X scar across it. Then, I fell off the roof.
"Hey! Hey! HEY!" I heard shouting overtop of me.
"Eh…" I cough. "I'm…eh….sorry….for fainting." I got up and saw the man over top of me was the scared man I'd seen before.
"Are you alright, kid?" The man, who looked barely over twenty, asked.
"Yeah. Sorry…I…just have a medical condition." I answered, coughing up blood.
"Well. I heard you're a alchemy user." The man said, his eyes filled with disgust, after the concern left them.
"Yeah. I control the wind by destroying and recreating the molecules of water vapor in the air."
"Hmph, you know us Ishballans forbid alchemy."
"Yeah, yeah. I've heard." I said, in an immature voice. "But I came here to help your people in the first place. I'm not very physically strong, so using alchemy is the only way I can lift and carry heavy objects."
The man looked down at me like I was saying nonsense. "Fine, fine. I understand. I'll stop using alchemy as long as I am here. Though,"
"Hmm?"
"I can see the tattoos on your arms are of alchemic design." I whispered, leaning up and leaning of to grab his left arm. Holding the warm limb in my hand, I examined the white symbol.
"Hey…don't just grab me…" He started.
"Hush. I'm trying to decode it's origin. Sorry, but…I'm a maniac for ancient text and symbols."
"Uh."
Examining the symbols…I became interested in them. Looking at his right arm…I saw his red eyes flick with pain and sorrow, so I decided to give up on examining the black text. I looked up at his eyes, and his frown was…adorable. His glare was painful and sorrow filled, but at the same time his frown gave off this look of embarrassment from me touching his arms. "So, I have a question."
"Yeah?" He said, looking like he was bracing for a tough question to answer.
"That woman who was talking to you earlier, what did she say about me?"
"Huh?" His eyes went wide.
"You know, the women with kids. She was talking to you and pointed at me during the conversation. I'm not blind."
"Uh."
"Ok. Well…I have to get back to work."
As I got up, he gripped my arm. "I have a question." He said, in a very pissed off voice.
"Huh?" I turned around, giggling at his frown, yet flinching at his eyes.
"Don't you know who I am?" He asked.
"Nope. Though, I would love to know your name. Hehe, I would love to make an Ishballan friend." As the words left my mouth, his face went expressionless.
"Hmph."
"Wait!" It came to me. Shamelessly, (I would've never done this had I been stable, but my pills were still kicked in) I touched the scar between his eyes. Tracing my fingers over the parts on his forehead…I felt a sensation pulse through me. His face was both of shock and rage.
"You're Scar. The Ishballan hero who helped fend off Fuhrer Bradley. Hehe, your younger than I expected."
As I was walking off, I noticed him watching me. Giggling, I turned around. "Hey, if you were ordered to watch me because of my alchemy, then wouldn't it be easier if you were to just get to know me?" I asked. Once again, rage and shock in his expression. But those painful eyes.
"Uh." He seemed to stumble with his words. "Fine!" He said, in a rage filled voice.
"Hehe! Yay!" I said, as we walked back to the work place together.
The pills wore off about ten minutes later. "Um….uh…um…" I hesitated, as the broad shouldered man, Scar, asked me to help him carry the wooden board. "Su…sure." I hesitated, grabbing the board and helping lift it, but then his eyes narrowed on me.
"What that matter with you?"
"Uh…." I blushed, and almost died.
"Hey, answer me."
"Wh…at….what do…you mean..?"
"A minute ago you were jumping up and down, giggling, laughing, and helping everyone."
"Oh…well…those…were my…pi..lls…"
"Huh?"
"My…pills." I answered, finally, as we lifted the board against the broken wall.
After nailing it into the wall, which took forever…as I had no strength to even use the nail gun, I walked over and got into my bag. Biting down on a candy bar, Scar sat down beside me. I jumped up like a cat and fell over the bench. "You ok?"
"Hehe….yeah…" I laughed, getting back up. Digging into my bag again, I shyly offered him a milky way bar. He ate the entire thing in two bites…which is a lot comparing to my soft nibbling on mine. I pouted in shame and embarrassment.
"Um." I was about to ask something…but I couldn't make it out.
"What is it?" Scar said, growling.
"Your….arm." I pouted.
"What about it?" He said, seeming to glare at me.
"Your right arm isn't yours…is it?" I asked. The minute I said it…I began apologizing and begging forgiveness.
"No, you're right. It is the arm of my brother. During the Ishballan wore, when I got this scar, the alchemist who did it also burned off my right arm. My brother, using alchemy, reattached his arm as mine. Before he….died."
"I'm…ugh….I am…so sorry!" I said, my tears coming. I wanted to hug him…but I know that would just make thing worse. Wiping my tears, I saw his eyes filled with pain and sorrow.
"Let's get back to work." He said in a growl, then stood and walked over to where people were helping put a roof together. I got up, and looked at the pills in my bag. I took them.
I began dancing around and singing out of nowhere. Scar looked at me like I was insane. Everyone around looked all sad. So, I started singing. Standing in the central town square, near the fountain, children ran up and started giggling. The children began dancing, and women setting around began clapping and laughing. Giggling, I twirled with the little girl I had helped earlier, and continued singing. Scar's eyes seemed to stare at me with shock, and a little less rage.
"Shit, I ODed on them." I thought to myself. Knowing very well I would never do anything like this normally. I shouldn't have taken them before the migraines. I felt so stupid. But, seeing all the children smile and giggle made me happy. Even if it was just the pills, I was really smiling. Scar's frown slowly turned to a small grin, and I giggled. Rushing over to a friend of mine, I asked him to start playing some gypsi music. He did indeed. The children were laughing, their mothers and fathers clapping and dancing with them.
I grabbed Scar's right hand. "Dance?"
"Eh!" He asked, in shock.
"Please?"
"No…n…," he broke off for a moment. "Fine." He said, grunting and growling. I smiled at him and held tight to his right hand as I dragged him to the center of the fountain. Everyone, though still dancing and clapping, stared. I spun around Scar in a twirl, as the female gypsy's would dance. Grabbing his hand again, I spun under his arm. His body slowly came to the will of the music as he caught me during my final turn, and spun be back. Tapping he foot I giggled as I danced around him and spun into him, and he shyly moved to the beat. Giggling I spun in once more, and as I spun out…I heard a scream.
Turning around, Scar's right arm was burning bright red, and red electric strikes vibrated around it. "I can't…control it!" He screamed out in pain.
"The arm of destruction." I whispered, remembering that with his right hand, Scar destroys, and with his left he creates. "It is going to blow up!" I screamed.
"What?"
"If the power releasing it is force of destruction, it'll blow up if it can't destroy anything."
"Ah!"
"I have an idea." I whispered. Holding his arm to me, I placed his palm on my stomach. "Sorry, I have to break my promise." With that, I alchemically forced the wind to gain around my body. Boom.
The explosion rocked my body, and left a circular scar over my stomach, but nothing serious except for some blood. By manipulating the wind, I caused the explosion to give me all the pain, instead of Scar's arm. "Sorry."
"No, this was my fault." Scar said.
"I'm to…blame...Scar…" With those words out, the pills wore-off and I passed out.
