"Hello?" Al called to the empty house he had come back to check out. No response came for him as he entered the house fully. "Who are you?" he asked as more questions came to mind. "Are you even still here?" he asked walking into the living room at the end of the hall.
He looked into the kitchen and the floor contained pools of white flower. The small island counter coming from the side wall was covered and the rest of the bag was still in place on the top of it. The chairs were moved, an uneaten plate of food sat on the round table in the center of the room and the hanging pots were on the stove in the sink and on the counter. The flower was freshly fallen and footprints led to some books shelves not far off. The pots and pans that were hanging on the rack above the counter were swinging a tiny bit but still noticeable. The rafters creaked a bit and Al's gaze shot up to the spot that moved in his vision.
"So you are still here!" Al exclaimed with happiness. "Come on down." He called cheer in his voice. The shadows moved more and the somewhat familiar voice came from they're direction.
"What are you doing here, who are you, and what do you plan to do with me?" it demanded.
"I would just like to talk." Al said sitting down in the chair placed in front of the cold food that now was identified as cake and tea.
"Why do that?" she asked sounding closer to the wall. Before Al could answer she continued more. "Have I done something wrong?" she asked skittishly. "Has master ordered you to come and take me back to that place?" she wined softly.
"No not at all." Al said; he found he should just make her happy then he could get answers.
"Oh then why come to me?" the surprised voice came from the black dressed figure now climbing down a few nearby book shelves silently.
"You're the only one I would like to talk to?" Al tried confused about that as well.
"Fine." She sighed and slowly and cautiously walked over and sat in the chair across from him.
"Who are you?" he asked first off.
"I'm not sure but many people called me by many numbers and letters. I took out all the letters and arranged a few into a name, master doesn't like that I'm smart, but I have to read the titles of the books to be able to bring them to her." she told Al a little about herself. She was smart that he was sure of.
"So what did you call yourself?" he pressed further.
"I can't tell you it's a secret between me and master." She stated sadly.
"Oh, well my name is Alphonse Elric." He tried to change the subject but let her know what to call him.
"So, Alphonse Elric, it's nice to meet you." She smiled brightly and that's when Al noticed how her eyes were slightly hazy and didn't reflect light.
"Are you?" he started to ask but had no bravery to continue asking her.
"Yes I am blind. Master has to get me books with brail titles on the edges so I can find them for her." she explained. "I'm surprised as well I have to cook and other tings with only touch, smell, and hearing."
"Oh I'm sorry." He sighed disappointedly. "I was looking for a special book and I was hoping you could help but I don't think I even need to ask any more."
"It's no problem, what book are you looking for?" she asked.
For once Alphonse was at a loss for words; what should he tell her. "Human alchemy?" he stated unsure she could help him.
"Those are behind the book shelves." She nodded the ones behind her. "Alchemy was born in the kitchen so she keeps the secret ones in that room behind all the cook books set as decoys." She continued. "You need a key to get in." she said.
"Oh thank you." Al said and made a move to get up and look when he noticed the time. "I think I have to go." He said. "Thanks for your help I might come by with my brother again once we get the key from your master." He started to the kitchen door.
"Before you go," the words brought Alphonse's sight back to her. "Could you tell me about what time you saw on the clock?"
"It's about 11:00 at night." Al stated moving to the door once again.
"I meant what does it look like outside around this time." She cleared up her meanings. "Are people still walking around outside? Are the birds nesting? How cold is it out there? What does wood in its normal tree form fell like? Is there dew on the grass?"
Al didn't know what to say. She wanted to see the outside world. She wanted to feel. The same as he wants. He smiled a bit. "Why don't you come with me?" he asked.
"I can't I have chores to do while master is out." She smiled anyway. "If I could I'd run away and never come back but master will come back. She always does, and if I don't do like I'm supposed to then she'll lock me in the closet again." She sighed not really disturbed by that sentence at all.
"If I come back will you run away with me?" he asked and her droopy ears perked up to 100% happy but then folded back into concern. "I can keep her away from you." Al reasoned.
"If you can get the keys to the back room then I'll go." She said standing up and walking to the book shelves and climbing back up them with ease. "I'll see you again, Alphonse Elric." She said making a retreat.
Al left the kitchen and back into the hallway then when exiting the building he ran into his brother, Edward. "Uh brother it's not like you think!" Al stated holding up his hands in defense.
"Al when did you?" he asked looking along with pointing from the house and back the way he had come; making quick actions, still confused. "You snuck out too?" he asked.
"So we were trying to trick each other." Al sighed putting his head down in defeat with a depression cloud above his head as it rained purple streaks of disturbance. "We're so stupid." He stated.
Al convinced Ed to go back to bed when they got home but on the way to the dorms Al could hardly stop talking about how much of a connection he felt with the girl.
Alphonse and Edward gave they're verbal report along with the written one the next day and after decided to check on that girl after having a quick visit to a certain prison.
"Hey, I know you have an extra room in your kitchen. We need something from there so where's the key?" Ed demanded walking up the crazy lady's cell not even bothering to call her by her name.
"Oh it's the young boy that brought down my guard dog." She stated back talking about how he had to fight the large wolf-monkey. "You're looking for my key?" she asked and Ed nodded. "Well you see a lot of strange things happen at my house." Ed looked at the darkness covering her. "But I guess it's easy to find, you just have to look at Midnight because that's when you can see it." She said.
"What?" Ed asked confused by the riddle but the woman said nothing more. "Hey say that again I didn't get it!" Ed shouted putting his fists around the bars. Shifting could be heard but the silence never lifted giving Ed the feeling she had turned away. "Hey!" Ed shouted louder this time. Then…
Bam!
The lady was right before him her hands keeping his in place so he couldn't move away.
"You really want me to repeat that?" Ed tried to pull back a little slightly frightened by the crazy woman. "I don't think you really want to deal with that." Ed managed to get his hands free but she grabbed his elbows and pulled him back again but even closer this time. "She's dangerous, you know that right?" she whispered to him her eyes dilated. "She's something you can't handle." She removed her hands and let Ed go. "My key's at my house. It can't leave because I got the whole place electrified." she asked as she walked back into the dark part of her cell were the light from the raised celling did not reach. Ed just stared at her for a moment.
"Yeah." He said shakily. "I get it." He added trying to calm down from being so close to a crazy lady. He had bad experiences with crazy people; like Shou Tucker.
He walked back out and joined with Alphonse outside; because of the metal detectors he wasn't allowed in while Ed… well, he had a lot of trouble getting in.
He told Al what the woman had told him so they could both try to understand it. They headed off to their dorm rooms in the military housing part of the offices. That's where they stopped to actually think about it. Coming up with nothing Ed decided he wanted that girl's name and if he had to he'd black mail her into it.
"Excuse me; we're back!" Alphonse called as he and his brother came back to the house at Midnight.
"Alphonse Elric is that you?" she called back down the hallway.
"Yeah." He answered. "Where are you?" he asked when he walked into the kitchen and she wasn't there.
"In the basement!" she called back and sure enough her voice was coming from that direction.
Ed and Al looked around until the only place left to look was the closet. Ed's heart was beating somewhat fast because of the frightening atmosphere so when they opened the closet door the girl was right before him. His heart gave a little jump at her suddenly being there and she took a step forward when his heart jumped. Pushing it off as she was walking when they opened the door he calmed down for a second. She wet her lips and then looked at the ground. "Would you like to come in?" she asked as she moved out of the way and pulled back the jackets in the closet to show a black door.
Ed nodded and walked past her. When he opened the door there were black stairs leading down and on them was old browned and moss covered blood. He swallowed and calmed his heart down. He walked down the blood crusted stairs and came to a stop when he came to a room filled with dead and failed chimera. He walked up to a pile that was organized compared to the one by it of just random animals. "Looks like she was trying to make a certain one." Ed stated dumbly.
"Yeah." Al agreed looking at the pile as well. "Look, brother, some look-" but he was cut short.
"Almost human." Ed finished. "This one is a mutt." Ed said looking at a one. He looked to another. "This one looks like it could be a fox." He stated. "This one's a wolf."
"How can you tell brother?" Alphonse asked.
"By the size and fur cuticles." He said pointing some of the different ones out. Then he remembered the book of chimeras. "The wolf-fox-dog-girl." He stated he looked back at the chimera behind him. "Witch reminds me." he stated. "What's your name?" he asked.
"What time is it?" she asked back her emotions not showing anything. Ed grew concerned. Al said the girl was happy and full of life but now he was noticing how dull she was being right now.
"It's almost Midnight." He said.
"Correct." She nodded.
"I don't get it." Al stated.
"She's talking in another rime." Ed said annoyed. "I asked for her name and she asked for the time." Ed stated. "Time." He mused for a moment. Then it clicked. "It's not a time it's a name!" he said happily to himself. "Midnight." He stated turning to look at the girl still in the shadows. She nodded slowly.
He walked up to midnight. "Where's the key?" he asked almost demanding.
"Come on up to the kitchen." She stated walking away; Ed and Al caught the movement of moving hair out of the way which was obviously wiping away tears. She was walking faster than them and came to the kitchen book shelves right as they walked in the door. "Here." She stated taking a leather strap out from her shirt. She took the necklace off and placed it on the table as she walked past them. "You'll need that I bet." She said and exited the kitchen before they could say anything else. The key was black and it had a skeleton head on it. It was a skeleton key.
They found the key hole on the side of the book shelves and unlocked it. Once down there the door closed behind them but lights came on and they came to more stairs; only this time coved in books about different animals and they're DNA. They searched for quite some time but soon gave up being too concerned about the girl, and some of the noises they were hearing up stairs.
The used the key to get out and when they started to look for her they found no traces. No one answered they're calls. And no noises were made. That is until they found the girl in a pool of white hair. Running to her side Ed shook her awake. "I told you I can never leave." She whispered slowly closing her eyes and opening them again just as slow.
"Why?" Al asked.
"Al, look." Ed said before the girl could answer. Ed was looking down at a black collar around her neck they hardly noticed how bulky it was or the blinking red light. Ed made to remove it but it didn't budge.
"Brother," Al addressed. "Try the key." He stated.
"The key won't work on this one." Midnight said. Ed continued to try to pull, rip, or break the metal shock collar around the slim neck of the albino.
Suddenly Al saw a flash of white and thought of something. "Ed, check the inside."
"What do you mean?" Ed nearly shouted at the sleeping girl hoping to wake her up again.
"Brother, stop." Al said and Ed removed his hands from the necklace.
"Look its white." Al said as he took the bulky thing and flipped it over and the back was white and had many silver screws in it. "You're a genius, Alphonse!" Ed exclaimed, making his trademark blade but with a Phillips head screwdriver tip at the end. Removing one of them made the whole white inside of the thing fall off. Ed turned it around until he found the place where it parted. He pulled the little lever next to a red switch witch said off.
"I'll carry her brother." Al stated picking her up and sticking her into his armor once Ed pulled it off completely.
"Then let's get back and get someone to take a look at her." Ed said and started to the door when electricity shot up his metal arm and into his body. "Shit!" he cursed jumping back with what little control of his body he had. "And that was around your neck?!" he asked looking shocked at Alphonse's chest plate where he knew the girl was behind. He tossed the thing down in the hallway and walked outside taking the time to use the key to lock the door. He didn't want any kids coming in and picking that thing up and then trying to go show it to mommy.
They raced to their dorm in central HQ and lay her in Ed's bed. Ed whet to get some 'real' girl's cloths, while he left Al to watch her and keep her alive. In other words change the wash cloth on her head, and call a doctor they could trust, Dr. Marcoh. Witch he did. Ed returned and laid the cloths on the edge of the bed after trying to change her, but noticed all she had on was the t-shirt gloves and boots. By the end of the next day, Dr. Marcoh came, and the boys left the room, hopping she would be okay. During the time waiting for the answer Al talked about how confused she must be, how lost and broken.
Marcoh came out after wards sighing as if in defeat.
"How is she doctor?" Ed asked frightened of the large sigh.
"Fine, Ed, she'll be fine. She's stable and asleep, but I have to tell you, she has a complex design. Her human ears are not functional and her human ear drums completely connect to her animal ear drums -witch connects to her animal ears. Making her hearing twice as good. She has a tail that helps keep her balance, and could help in acrobatic fighting style. Her eyes are blue, and react to light and emotional stress like an animals, but move like a normal persons, even though they are dead. On her face are some scars that were covered with cover up- a form of actors make up. On her back is a snake on a cross with wings from the side and a floating crown above them. Now, the damage done to the body is just as interesting. She not only has she been starved, normally found in tortured patients, but electric waves are flowing though her body, but they're slowly leaving her body, by the time I was done looking at what was wrong, the charge looked like an extreme case of socks on carpet." Dr. Marcoh said dumbing it down for the brothers being a doctor and all knew a lot of people wouldn't know what the heck he was talking about otherwise.
"That sounds like Teacher's tattoo." Al whispered to Ed, knowing that all the girls in teacher's family all have a tattoo like that some ware on them.
"Yeah it sounds interesting. Could she have been a drop-out-student of Teachers or something?" Ed asked all possibilities in his head. After all he had to wear the mark in his clock to signify that he was her student.
"Brother, Midnight's our age, if she was a student, at all, we would have known." Alphonse said.
"Maybe if you saw her, you might remember her." Dr. Marcoh kindly interrupted they're conversation." She's asleep, so why don't you go take a look."
"Uh, right." Ed said and they walked into their dorm from the hallway, but were not reward with a sleeping girl. She was awake; she had white hair what would drag on the ground if she were standing, white ears around half the size of her head each, and tail the tip would drag on the ground as well, and the previous two things would twitch with each move they made. She stared at them with her blue eyes, filled with worry.
"Alphonse, where am I, and why am I wearing different clothes?" She asked looking around the room then tugging on the new shirt she wore that Ed had got for her guessing about one size to big.
"You're in our room recovering, Midnight." Al offered security. "We're going to help you get your old body back so you can return to your family."
She looked shocked and happy for a moment but then like a wave of memory she lowered her head and replied. "I don't have any left."
"Really, no one you can go back to?" Al asked sadly.
"Not that I know of. Not even the animals inside of me have family anymore." She seemed to mope.
"Oh, right you're made of multiple animals right?" Ed asked.
"Oh, yeah, the wolf is where I get my strength from; the fox is my small stature and speed, and the dog, my loyalty and kindness." She smiled kindly at them." Could you get me a washcloth to get this pound of makeup of my face?" She asked randomly but kindly from the bed.
"Sure" Ed grabbed an extra wash cloth and walked down the hall to the drinking fountain for some water.
Al finally gathered enough courage to ask, "You don't happen to know a woman named Izumi Curtis? Do you?"
"Well, yes and no." she replied as Ed walked back in and sat down in a chair by the bed, handing her the wet cloth.
She replied a quick 'thanks', and then Ed asked. "How do you know but not know Izumi?! She's one crazy lady!" he was almost frightened.
The girl continued to calmly wash her face and then looked up at them, "well I know more about you two Elrics, from the island." Then they both saw it, the blue eyes are from an animal, but now it was an animal they remembered. One of the little foxes from the island. The one that had that run in with a sleeping bear.
The fox was scratched on both sides of its face almost evenly. It luckily happened when the Elrics were being picked up by their teacher on the last day of their month on the island. They're teacher went and got the little fox, brought it home, and patched it up as best she could, but it still had scars when they had left it back in the place they found it. Over the time they watched it the thing would hardly leave the brothers' side, the thing would yip and bark at them when they were doing bad things, and would cuddle the brothers when the little boys would dare to glance back at they're mother, or when they had nightmares about it, at least in Alphonse case. With Ed he had to be alone so no one but the fox would see him cry or at least tear up otherwise he'd push the fox away and claim he didn't know why the fox was trying to comfort him when he clearly 'wasn't' upset.
The girl had three sets of scratches on her face that almost looked like whiskers from faraway, but were obviously scars.
"What?!" They yelled in unison." You're the fox cub from the island!" Ed continued. Her eyes widened and she looked nervously from side to side as if to look for something to put the blame on. Now they know what Dr. Marcoh meant when he said, they move like a human's despite the fact she's blind, her eyes move as though she is looking around the room.
"Yeah I am," she sighed. "when Alphonse told me his name, I had a feeling it was you two."
Silence filled the room for a while letting everyone grasp hold of this new information. Then suddenly a low growl was heard. Everyone looked to the noises direction.
"Sounds like somebody's hungry." Al almost giggled.
Ed sighed," I'll go get you something to eat." He said as he got up and walked out the door.
"So..." Midnight said expanding the word carelessly. "You must be good with braids?"
Ed walked down the dark hallway to the food court and ran in to Roy and Riza who almost always worked after hours considering Roy was always trying to skip out on it. "Hay, Fullmetal, I heard you had Dr. Marcoh visit your room, are you okay?" he asked
"Yeah... just...peachy..." Ed seamed to sigh with annoyance.
"Peachy?" Roy asked more to himself than anyone else.
"Ed if something is wrong you can tell us we'll keep it a secret. We have to stick to gather after all." Riza said concerned for Ed's unusual actions.
"No I'm fine...just hungry..." Ed said before he left to go raid the large fridge for some food.
"So that's why he said peachy." Roy inquired.
"Come on, Sir. Let's just drop Edward's stuff off at his room. Al should be there, if not, we'll just leave it in his room." Riza told her upper officer what to do.
"Right, Riza, let's go." He said broadly.
"Yes, Sir." She replied somewhat making it look like it was his decision.
They a rived at the Elrics' room and knocked on the door. It was opened by Alphonse, who was expecting his brother, and he opened the door wide letting Roy and Hawkeye clearly see the girl with white hair, ears, and tail in a new black jacket, white shirt, a white mint skirt, black skin tight pants, and black boots; white straps around the ankles, and white triangles, from the bottom, stop at the end of the rubber soil, creating a form of teeth, standing, and putting her jacket on all the way.
"Alphonse... who is this?" Roy asked angered.
"Uh... she... uh..." Al was trying to find some words to cover but none came to mind.
Riza pulled out her gun and aimed it at her "if she is holding you hostage I will put this dog down."
thanks for readin this next chapter and once again i'll change any mistakes you find so be sure to review like if you enjoy and follow to know when the next come out
