A/N:hey people! Wow I am so happy for all the positive reviews this story got, I'm so glad you guys liked it. This chapter is chock-full of Motherly Izumi, something that I hope I did justice to. Hope you guys enjoy!
"I-I-I'm-m-m so-so-sorry t-t-teacher. I di-didn't know wh-what else to d-d-do." Edward sobbed out.
"Well I can tell you for sure that trying to cut them off isn't the right thing to do Edward." Izumi lectured as she placed bandages on her students back.
Edward didn't say a word however his back still rocked with sobs running through his body.
"When did this start?" Izumi asked.
Edward looked down at his dangling feet. "About a week ago." he answered quietly.
"Why didn't you come to me?"
Edward began to shake again. "I was scared teacher. I didn't know what else to do." he repeated.
Izumi sighed and brushed a hand against his back smoothing any wrinkles in the bandages as she stood up.
Edward looked at her as she said "Well first things first. Let them heal and we'll see just what we're dealing with here."
Izumi thought for a moment before deciding. "I'm going to take you to my doctor."
"Okay then. You say that they have been here for a week now?" Dr. Benson asked looking at Edwards back.
Edward didn't say anything but nod his head.
"Mm hmm." the doctor mused to himself as he wrote the information on his clipboard. He nodded to himself as he stood up. He ran his fingers over the bumps on Edwards back, careful not to reopen the wounds.
"All right then. This ointment should help heal the cuts on his back." Benson said, handing Izumi the bottle. "And Mrs. Curtis since you are here I would like to talk to you about your medicine."
Izumi nodded and said "Edward please go wait in the other room."
Ed nodded as he pulled his shirt back on and walked quickly to the door and left.
Izumi turned to the doctor and said "So what is on his back really?"
"Truthfully? I have a guess and what I am going to suggest to you, you might not like." he said looking over his papers again.
"Which is?"
"Take him to a vet."
Izumi started for a moment before her eyes narrowed. "If that was some kind of a joke then I don't appreciate it."
Benson shook his head. "No joke. I told you that I have a guess as to what is happening to that boy but a vet can tell us for sure."
"And what is exactly happening?" Izumi asked her fingers curling slightly.
Benson shuffled the papers on his desk and didn't look Izumi in the eye. "There have been about three reported cases in history all together. There might be more however they weren't documented."
"Will you just cut to the chase and tell me what it is." Izumi said her temper running out.
Benson bit his lip. "When the mother is pregnant there are many things that can happen to the child in the womb. Some lethal. Some physical. Some…I can't even name them. This is one of those times."
"What I think is happening to Mr. Elric is that last one. A change on both his insides and the outside. In this case I have reason to believe that he is growing wings."
Izumi blinked. "Wings? As in the wings that birds have?"
Benson nodded. "Like I said this has only happened three times in recorded history but it has happened."
"And does this happen because of the mother? Drugs she might've taken? Did something?" Izumi asked.
Benson shook his head. "This happens entirely in the womb with no fault to neither the mother nor the father. Mutations are rare but they do happen."
Izumi swallowed the lump in her throat. "And the vet? What can he tell us?"
"He will be able to tell if it is truly what we believe it to be. He can make sure that the new growths will grow properly and not interfere in his natural growth."
He took out his wallet for a moment and took out a business card which he handed to her. "If you want my suggestion then go to Jennifer Cather, she'll keep quiet on this if you ask her and she will do the best job."
Izumi nodded taking the card and looking at it. Her student. Going through all this.
Benson cleared his throat gaining her attention. He held up the papers that he had written Edwards evaluation on them.
"You know everything I have written on this?" he asked.
As soon as Izumi nodded he threw the papers into the fire.
"Just for safety measures if you want, the only reason I saw you today was for your medicine." he said, before turning back to papers on his desk.
Izumi smiled and nodded. She stood up and bowed slightly. "Thank you for your help." she said before leaving as she looked at the card once more.
"We're going to a vet? Why?" Edward asked.
"I will tell you later Edward now hush." Izumi said, staring at each building looking for number 304.
"Edward, the vet will explain after taking a few tests." Izumi said. She placed a hand on his back and led him into the office.
The smiling face of Jennifer Cather greeted them. "Hello there you two. Charles had called me ahead and let me know you were coming." she bended down in front of Edward and ruffled his head. "So this is the little guy?"
"'M not little." he said smiling slightly.
Jennifer smiled. "Of course your not, that's just how I greet ya. Now come on, lets do those tests shall we?" she said taking his hand gently.
Edward looked over at Izumi fearfully until she said "I'll be right next to you Edward, don't worry."
"If you'll just hoist him onto that table we can begin." Jennifer said, taking her place behind the machines.
Izumi nodded as she lifted the shaking boy onto the table. As the lights dimmed and the machine came to life she gripped his shaking hand in hers tightly.
"Well Mrs. I have one thing to say. Charles Benson was right. That boy is now a living legend." Jennifer said, looking at the x-rays.
Izumi looked at the papers as well but wasn't able to see what Cather saw. "Explain."
Cather tapped the x-ray that showed Edwards arms. "His bones are clearly made out of a more…lighter substance than the normal human being. Birds have those in order for them to be able to be light enough to fly."
She then tapped the bumps in Edwards back. "These are the beginnings signs of a birds wings. An avian wings are similar to humans just a more modified form. The arms and these future wings should be the only bone changes."
"Bone changes. So there will be other changes as well?" Izumi asked.
Cather was silent for a moment before saying "His lungs might change as well to accommodate the air needed, birds need more oxygen then humans. Physical there should be no changes save the eventual wings themselves."
Izumi leaned back against the counter. "So what can we do?"
Cather took a deep breath and looked at izumi. "Truthfully? Nothing. We have no experience in this and therefore cannot stop it. This sort of case only happens once every few hundred years, maybe even more I don't know. We were never able to get any samples from the person or watch their progress. Most of the time when this sort of thing happened the person was killed because they were seen as an abomination against g-d." Cather bit her lip. "Some saw it as an abomination others saw them as angels sent from heaven to protect the people."
Izumi ran her hands through her hair. "You said that we can't stop it. So then what do we do?"
"Let his own nature take its course. Let the wings grow and let him learn to fly." she smiled slightly. "Truth be told I'm envious, I wish it happened to me."
"You're jealous of a child going through something he has no idea about. Something that no one has any idea about. Something that is considered an 'abomination against g-d'. You are sickening." Izumi snarled out before marching out of the room grabbing Edwards who had been waiting in the other room.
Cather walked over to the window and watched Mrs. Curtis and the Elric boy leave. She looked over to the x-rays once more and bit her lip. Before she even knew what she was doing she had strolled to them, ripped them off the projector, and threw them in the fireplace.
Izumi took a deep breath as she watched the sun set. All these appointments had taken all day and now they were heading home.
She glanced over at Edward who was crying again, she had just finished telling him everything.
"So what happens now?" he asked looking up at her.
She smiled at him, bent down, and gathered him in her arms.
"I'm your teacher. I look after my students." she whispered to him. "I will protect you Edward. And I will teach you how to use this to your advantage."
Ok. It's done. How did I do Izumi? I'm not really used to writing her. I hope you guys understood everything that was going on here. I don't really have that much more to say I guess. This is Phoenix-Fire Power over and out.