"Nobody's on board," Alphonse said.
I looked around the cabin and seen that he was right there wasn't anybody on board. I was sitting by Al and Edward was sitting across from me.
"I heard the rumors but I didn't think that they were this bad." I said a bit surprised.
"That's mainly because there's nothing to see here." Edward said folding up a map or something.
"The town at the end of the east, the Youswell coal mine." The three of us arrived at the train station. When we got off everyone the town was really slow and all the people looked tired and unresponsive.
"I thought a coal mine would be a little livelier but everybody's really tired." I heard Al say from behind me.
I turned around just in time to see Ed get hit in the head with a large wooden board that a boy a few years younger than us was carrying. I covered my mouth with my hand trying my hardest to laugh at him.
"Whoops sorry," the boy said he had dirty blonde hair that was cut short with gray eyes. He had a bandage on his cheek and wore a white shirt under some overalls.
"That hurts, you little-" The boy seen Ed and got all excited.
"What? Tourists?"
"Ah, no-"
"Where'd you come from?"
"Hold on-"
"Want food? Decided where you're staying?" The boy said looking really happy.
"And you said this place wasn't lively." I laughed looking up at Al.
"Dad, customers!" The boy yelled at a man up on a ledge above us.
"Listen to what other people are saying!" Ed yelled at the boy letting his anger get the best of him again.
"Hm, what is it, Kayal?" The man asked.
"A customer, revenue!" the boy I guess was Kayal said.
"What do you mean by revenue!" Ed yelled.
The man took off his hat and I seen that he looked a lot like Kayal. With short dirty blonde hair and grey eyes but he had a beard and was really bulky like he had been working here for a long time.
The two guys led us to a tavern in middle of the small town.
"Sorry if it's a little dusty. The salary for coal miners is a little low, so I'm working at this store at the same time." The boy's father told us when we sat down.
"What are you saying boss! You're the one who's taking cash away from the guys with money problems! The wife would cry." Some men at another table yelled.
"If you got any complaints pay your bar tab!" Halling yelled at the men.
"One night and three meals for you guys right?" A woman asked us.
"How much?" I asked.
"It's expensive." Halling said getting an evil gleam in his eyes.
"Fear not, I have plenty on me." Ed told the man.
"300, 000," Edward fell out of his chair and I hit my head on the table. Damn three hundred thousand?
"There's nothing good about a rip-off like that!" Edward yelled.
"That's why I said expensive. We have to get cash from the rare tourists." Halling said completely serious.
"Don't joke around. I'll go somewhere else." Edward said holding up his hand and heading towards the door. I looked over at Al and shrugged getting ready to get up. Before Ed got out of reach Halling grabbed his head and got a menacing aura around him.
"Trying to get away, Revenue?" Halling asked scaring the shit out of Ed.
"You'd better give up, bro. It's the same price everywhere else." Kayal laughed.
Ed, Al and I huddled in the corner of the tavern counting our money.
"Shit we don't have enough." I mumbled.
"In this situation I could change this rock to gold using alchemy." Edward said evilly pointing at the rock he was holding.
"Gold transmutation is illegal by national alchemist law, isn't it?" Al sounded a little worried when he said that.
"Well if nobody finds out we would be fine right?" I asked and Ed agreed still having that evil gleam in his eyes.
"You two are evil." Al said scooting away from us like he would become evil he was too close to us. That was around the time when we finally noticed Kayal crouched beside us with a small smile on his face.
"DAD THESE GUYS ARE ALCHEMISTS!" He yelled loud enough for the entire to hear.
"Really?" Some guys asked looking over at us.
I watched Ed fix a broken pick-axe that one of the guys asked him to fix. When he was done the pick-axe looked better than it did when it was first made. I smirked lightly when I seen the happy look that was on Halling's face, but that look soon turned into a grimace when I seen Ed gloating standing up on the table.
"Well, I'm happy! It's been awhile since I've had alchemists for customers. I used to do a little bit before. Didn't have any talent, so I quite studying it. I'll give you a discount as a fellow practitioner." Halling said handing food to Ed and me.
"Thank you very much." I said smiling.
"That'll be 100, 00. With the huge discount." Halling said and I grimace getting the familiar burning in my stomach that told me not to eat this. I didn't pick up a fork and waited for the burning to go away hoping that I didn't start coughing up blood again. So far I had kept the fact that I had lost various parts of my organs when we tried to bring back their mom. The only reason was because I knew that I had half a year at the most and they would blame themselves for it.
"Hmm, you still haven't told me your names." Brought me out of my depressing thoughts.
"Oh, right, I'm Edward Elric." Ed said getting ready to start eating, but before he could do it Halling swiped the plate right out from under him and grabbed mine too. I looked up at him confused over why he was being so fussy over his name.
"If you're an alchemist named Elric. That would make you a state alchemist?" Halling said with a very serious look on his face and the mood in the entire tavern changed.
"And if he's Edward Elric that would make you Lissa Hughes, another state alchemist."
"Maybe a little on the side." Ed said reaching for his coffee but Halling grabbed that too.
"What's your problem?" I could see that Ed was getting annoyed now, but before we got an answer we were thrown out into the streets.
"Hey we're customers!" Ed yelled I couldn't really do anything because my world was still spinning and the burning in my stomach got worse.
"Shoo, we don't have any meals or beds for dogs of the army." I heard Halling yell.
"I'm a normal person! I'm not a state anything!" Al yelled to them and they welcomed him back in with welcoming arms. I shot up just in time to see him waltz back in.
"Traitor!" Ed and I yelled at the same time.
It had been a while since Al had betrayed us and Ed and I were sitting outside the tavern. Ed was hunched over his suit case complaining and I was trying not to throw up.
"I'm hun-gry," Ed whined and I smiled lightly looking over at him. I sighed lightly placing my hand on his head. He looked up at me and I seen that he had little tears in his eyes. He looked like a small adorable puppy. I smiled at him again and I seen his eyebrows furrow slightly.
"Lissa are you alright? You look really pale." He said sitting up trying to get a closer look at me. I tried to speak once but my voice failed me.
"I'm fine just didn't sleep well last night." I said after clearing my throat. He didn't look convinced and it looked like he was going to press it further but his stomach started growling again saving me from the twenty questions I knew would come.
"Dammit…damn you Al." He groaned forgetting about my paleness. I laughed and heard the familiar sound of metal footsteps coming up from behind me. I turned around and was met with a tray that had two sandwiches and one cup of water and another cup of coffee.
"I secretly brought what they gave me." Al said, and Ed pushed me out of the way yelling 'little brother' while hugging Alphonse almost knocking him over.
"You only care for yourself… jeez." Al muttered setting down the tray and helping me up. I smiled and said thank you walking over to the tray picking up the sandwich and water.
While Ed and I ate Alphonse told us about how the town is losing all of their money from a corrupt officer named Yoki and that was why they hated the military. I had drank all of the water but only nibbled on the sandwich and gave the rest to Ed. Who happily took that one too.
"Yeah… corrupt officials are everywhere." I told Al looking up at the sky. It always pissed me off when they did that because I knew my brother would have been on the verge of killing them. He was a very proud man who hated people that abused their power he thought the military was for protecting people and that was why he joined in the first place.
"And because of them they can't get enough food."
"I see," Ed muttered not eating the sandwich I gave him drinking the coffee instead.
"Thanks to that first lieutenant Yoki, we were treated pretty badly. Even in the good times, but we wouldn't get treated that badly. When I decided to be a state alchemist I was prepared for a little criticism, but to be hated this much…" Ed trailed off shaking his head.
"Maybe I should try to get a state alchemist license." Al muttered.
"Quit it, it would be enough for me to just sit on the bed of thorns beside Lissa not you too."
"Lissa why did you become a state alchemist?" Al asked me.
"I was wondering that too why did you become a state alchemist." Ed said looking over at me too. I smiled slightly looking down at my empty glass.
"Well I mainly did it to help you guys get your bodies back, but also I couldn't let Ed beat me when it comes to alchemy could I?" I said laughing lightly.
"What about you? Don't you want to get your body back too?" Al said innocently.
"Come on I'm tough I can take this body worry about yourselves before you worry about me." I said with a big sort of fake smile. I still couldn't bring myself to tell them the real reason. Ed frowned and looked at me.
"No good if we get our bodies back so do you."
"Alright but you guys are first." I said.
"To go as low as to be dogs of the army. I don't really have anything to say about that." I muttered.
"Plus we ignored the ban and got these bodies." Al said.
"I wonder what sensei would say." I said out loud and instantly regretted it the thoughts of the things that woman would do to us scared me so much I forgot about everything that we were talking about before.
"We'd be ki-killed." We stuttered at the same time each of us in various states of panic.
"Out of the way!" An annoying voice brought us out of our little world of panic. I looked over and seen three men interring the small tavern. All of them wearing military uniforms. I walked around just in time to see the leader who was a short man with black hair that looked like it was thinning and a skinny creepy pointy mustache hit Kayal across the tavern and told his lackeys to attack him. Ed and I rushed into the room. Ed was blocking the sword while I helped Kayal up off the floor.
I guess the sword broke because I heard a metallic sound not too far from where Kayal and I were.
"What the! Who are these ruffians." The creepy man yelled.
"Just some passing by ruffians." Ed said drinking his coffee like he did this every day. I heard one of the men let out a girly scream so I guessed that he met Al.
"This has nothing to do with you guys! Stay out of this."
"Nah, I saw the first lieutenant and figured why don't we say hi." I said pulling my watch out of my shirt just as Ed pulled his from his pocket. The man I guessed was Yoki examined Ed's watch then mine and he seemed to be putting two and two together. Suddenly he started sweating and having a little panic attack.
"First lieutenant who are these kids?" One of the goons asked but only got hit on the head by Yoki. The two men started whispering and I thought I heard something like 'pip-squeaks' I felt myself get an anger mark on the back of my head and Ed must have heard it too because I seen him tense up a lot.
"I apologize for my subordinate. I am Yoki, the governor of this town." He said getting very close to Ed and me.
"It must be some sort of fate that we met like this. Don't stay in this filthy place! This might be a town in the country, but we have the perfect lodgings." Yoki said putting on this really creepy smile.
"Then I'll let you take care of things, because this old man wouldn't let me stay here because he's stingy." Ed said and I heard growling behind us. I didn't know what he was thinking but Ed might get himself attacked if he didn't shut up.
"Come on Lissa." Ed grabbed my wrist and led me out of the small tavern followed by Yoki and his goons.
Ed and I were sitting at a large table with Yoki in a fancy looking house.
"Don't hold back. Please eat." Yoki said and I looked down at the food placed in front of me it looked great but my stomach had other plans. I felt a cough start to rise up in my throat and I covered my mouth and looked away to do so when I pulled my hand way from my mouth I seen that I had started coughing up blood again.
Before anyone could see I quickly clenched my fist and excused myself from the table to go find the bathroom. Leaving Yoki and Ed to talk about whatever. I ran as fast as I could to the bathroom and when I got there I could hear the angles singing and the harps playing. I started coughing again as soon as I walked into the door shoulders shaking I stumbled over to the sink and coughed up blood until my throat felt like it was raw. Every time this happens I remember those hands reaching down my throat and grabbing whatever they could find. I winced remembering that little white bastard holding a large red floating orb with my hand and standing with one of my legs.
After that was over I quickly cleaned up all of the blood from the sink and what not.
'It's getting worse.' The little pessimistic voice inside my head reminded me. At first it was just something that happened once a month but now it happened almost every two days.
"Hey are you ok?" Ed said knocking on the door. Before letting himself in.
"ED WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF I WAS NAKED OR SOMETHING!" I yelled throwing my bag at him.
"Well you're not so everything is fine." He said like we did this all the time.
"I overheard that the bastards are going to burn down the tavern." Ed told me and my eyes widened.
"What are we doing here we have to get down there." I said rushing past him but he grabbed my hand stopping me.
"I know just follow my lead and trust me." I bit my lip and slowly nodded following him out of the bathroom and out of the house.
"Oh, and by the way this is yours." He handed me a small bag of gold and I looked at him like he was crazy.
"What the hell is this?"
"A bribe so we don't tell what's going on here." I looked down at the little brown bag in disgust and threw it back at him.
"Keep it I don't want it."
I felt my rust colored eyes widen as I looked at the scene in front of me. The tavern that we were just at was nothing but a pile of burnt ruble. I seen Halling and his wife standing in front of what once was a tavern. I felt my heart give a rough pull when I seen the look of hopelessness on their faces. I looked over at Edward and seen that he had an emotionless face on but I could see the anger hidden deep in eyes. I seen Al and Kayal standing a little ways off I walked over to them and Ed followed.
"Last night, Yoki's men were hanging around here the boss's store. I saw it. Damn it they really pulled something dirty. The reason why dad did alchemy was because he wanted to save this town." Kayal looked over at Edward and his eyes grew a sense of false hope.
"Hey Ed, you have enough power to transmute gold, don't you? Transmute in a jiff and save dad and the town." I winced slightly and looked away because I knew what Ed was going to say.
"No,"
"No way, isn't it ok? You won't lose anything either."
"The alchemic standard is 'exact trade' I don't have any obligation or responsibility to make money for you." I hoped Ed had something up his sleeve.
"And you're supposed to be an alchemist!" I turned around and seen Kayal grab Ed's collar. It looked like he had finally snapped and was going to try and beat him up.
"In any case even if I do give you money, it'll be taken away by taxes and then it'll be over. I won't get anything either if I do anything for your little problems. If you have that many problems, get out of this town and look for a different job." Ed shrugged the boy off and started to walk off again.
"Kid you don't get it." Halling said and I looked back at the rest of the town as they turned their backs to us.
"This is our home, and our coffin." I felt my gut twist as he said that. I looked over at Ed and I could see the gears turning inside his Ed. I slowly felt a small smile coming on my face when I finally understood that he did plan on helping these people one way or another.
Ed started speed walking off and I quickly followed with Alphonse right behind me.
"Brother wait! Are you really planning on leaving those people al-" Al didn't get to finish because Ed cut him off.
"Al, how much do you think this pile of sludge weighs?" I looked at the carts filled with sludge and my small smile got wider.
"Around one or two tons?" I watched Ed start climbing up the cart.
"I'll break the law a little, so pretend you're not watching. You too Lissa." I smiled and Al made a sound like he was surprised.
"So are you telling us to become an accomplice?" I asked.
"Don't want to?" Was my answer
"If we said no you would still do it, right?" Al asked.
"And if he wouldn't do it, I would." I told him still smiling.
"If nobody finds out than we're okay." Ed said transmuting all the sludge in the cart into gold bars.
"Oh, well looks like we're just going to have to deal with it, right Al"
"I guess so."
When Edward, Alphonse and I walked into Yoki's house with all of the gold bars Yoki's eyes looked like they would pop out his creepy little face.
"I would like you to sell me the deed to the coal mines." Ed said with a small smile.
"Excuse me?" Yoki asked.
"I said I would like you to sell me the deed to the coal mines."
"Is it not enough?" I asked looking back at Yoki's men gawking at the bars.
"D-don't be absurd!" Yoki waved his hands in a dismissing fashion.
"With just this, I can say good-bye to this town. Then…" Yoki said trailing off.
"Yes, I'll be sure to inform my friends among the higher-ups about the first lieutenant." Ed said with an innocent smile.
"Sir Alchemist," Yoki said grabbing Ed's hand with tears running down his face.
"But gold transmutation is illegal so." I started and Ed finished for me.
"I would appreciate it if you would write a memorandum stating 'this deed was transferred free of charge amicably,' so nobody will find out." Ed finished.
"I don't mind! Very well, let's skip to the legal process. But sir Alchemist you are quite evil." Yoki said snickering.
"No, no not as much as first lieutenant." Ed said pulling out his paper fan and snickering with Yoki.
"Well they look like their having fun." I said and Al nodded.
Ed got the deed and left we all left and headed down to the small town. We heard a commotion going on inside a small shack like thing and Ed decided to go strolling in.
"Hi everybody! All the people who owe me money line up, and be very happy." Ed said with a large smile. I rolled my eyes and snickered at the annoyed faces of the people inside the shack.
"Why did you come here?" Kayal asked glaring at Ed.
"Hey, you wouldn't say those things and drive off the owner of this place would you?" When he said that several of the men in the shack started freaking out.
"What the hell are you saying?" One of the men yelled and Ed held up the deeds to the town.
"Mining, management, sales, etc. the deed of all the businesses."
"Why are you holding this, Ahhh! The signature says Edward Elric!" The same man yelled and Halling and Kayal started freaking out too.
"Right! In short, presently, this coal mine is mine!" Ed said putting on a large show.
"NO WAY!" The three men yelled.
"It is what I said. We're the wandering sort that goes from journey to journey." Ed said.
"Something like this would just get in the way." I smiled sweetly.
"Are you saying you're going to sell this to us? How much?" Halling asked.
"It's expensive, if you want to get something; you have to pay the price." Ed said.
"This is vellum embossed with gold." I started.
"And its storage box has a wonderful design, finely carved in jade." Ed said.
"Yes, the work of a craftsman."
"Oh, the key is silver." I watched them nervously fidget around with a small smile.
"Well to the untrained eye, all of this lumps together…" I said smirking over at Ed and nodded.
"Equals the price of one night and three meals for three at the boss's place. Is this reasonable?" Ed finished.
I smiled at the looks of pure shock on everyone's faces.
"Exact trade." Kayal breathed out.
Halling started laughing saying that it was expensive and slammed his fist on the barrel beside the deeds.
"Alright bought."
"Sold!" Ed said laughing with him.
"Sir Alchemist, what is the meaning of this!" Yoki said throwing the door open. I groaned this was the last man I wanted to hear from right now.
"Well if it isn't the first lieutenant. I just sold the deed to this man." Ed said smiling like a small child.
"WHAT DID YOU SAY!" Yoki screamed freaking out.
"No, more importantly the gold bricks you gave me all turned to stone! Why did this happen please explain!" Edward looked over at me and we both smiled evilly.
"When did you turn it back?" Al asked.
"Just before we left." I heard Ed say with an evil laugh.
"I don't know anything about gold bricks. Do you Lissa?" Ed said putting the innocent smile back on.
"I don't remember gold bricks either." I said with a sweet smile.
"Don't play innocent with me! Didn't I trade the certificate for that mountain of gold! This is fraud!"
"But I received the certificate free of charge, but… oh look, there's also a memorandum." Ed smiled like a little kid in a candy shop pointing at the document.
"This transaction is invalid! You two take back the deed!" Yoki yelled but was soon silenced when one of the large coal miners walked in front of us.
"You shouldn't take our private property through force." He smirked.
"Isn't that abuse of authority?" Another asked.
"S-silence! Out of the way, if you don't want to get hurt hurry up and-" Yoki was cut off when the miners started growling and cracking their knuckles.
"Not taking coal miner power seriously is a no-no, first lieutenant." One said with a large evil grin on his face.
I watched the miners beat up Yoki's two goons. They left Yoki for last.
"I'll be sure to inform the higher-ups about the first lieutenant's incompetence." Edward said waving at Yoki as the miners advanced on him.
"Please take of it from here." I said sweetly.
After that was over the coal miners brought out barrels of beer and all the food Ed could eat. They were pouring it on our heads and trying to force Ed to drink. I laughed as I watched him with a beer in my hand. Even though I was a minor I figured drinking once and a while wouldn't hurt me any more than I already am.
"Hey how come you aren't eating?" Al asked walking up behind me.
"Because I'm not hungry." I said sticking my tongue out at him.
"Hey you're a minor why are you drinking!" Ed yelled at me. I just smiled goofily and took another swing while the miners made comments about how I was a 'real woman' and not a pansy like Ed.
After we were done Ed was passed out on the floor with the rest of the miners and I was leaning on Al half asleep I wasn't drunk but I did have a nice little buzz going on.
"You're drunk and brother is passed out with his stomach exposed again. You two are really embarrassing." Al said.
"Hey I'm not drunk just a little dizzy." I said with a goofy smile making Al groan and face last thing I remember was falling asleep beside Ed.