(Note: I don't own Arturo or Fuhrer Bradley. Arturo belongs to my friend, Wolfborg007. Fuhrer Bradley belongs to the genius of Hiromu Arakawa.)

Chapter 2

"Conflicting State of Mind"

Jeff stood outside the large building, taking the time to soak in the fact that he is standing outside the Central Command.

"Time for the exam," he said, mentally preparing himself.

Jeff made his way up the steps and opened the doors to the building, only to find himself swimming in a sea of people. They all turned to look at the 19 year old standing in the doorway. To them, he looked like just some random kid. Jeff had a problem carrying himself with confidence after that day. One of the larger men in the room walked towards him; he looked to be in his mid-30s.

"Well, well… It looks like some kid is here to visit the military facilities. What are you doing here, kid; a school project?" the guy asked, with a tone that suggested that he was speaking to a child.

"No…I'm here to take the State Alchemy Exam. I'm guessing that's what you're here to do, as well," Jeff replied.

"HA!" the older man retorted, "You honestly think that a little kid like you has a chance at becoming a State Alchemist? That title is reserved for the elite alchemists of this world; not for some kid who makes a little clay cup that his mommy puts on the window sill above the sink."

The figure of a tall man in a military uniform peeked out from the shadows, staring in the direction of the commotion, looking unphased. He looked to be about two years older than Jeff. One hand was in his pocket, while the other was resting at his side; Jeff instantly noticed the intricate transmutation circle that was embroidered on his gloves. A silver chain was hanging out of the other pocket, indicating his status as a State Alchemist. Not a soul in the room noticed his presence; they were all too focused on the circle that had formed in the center of the room.

As Jeff looked around, he realized that he was being surrounded by other applicants, many of which were at his height, but those that weren't were the same size as the first one to harass him.

"Go back home kid; you don't want to embarrass yourself."

"This place is for men like us, not some little boy."

These comments were tossed around from one person to another, but were obviously directed at Jeff. After all of the constant berating, he lowered his head, so that his hair covered his shameful eyes.

The State Alchemist started to show a slight grin when the thought of the teenager in the center of the circle breaking down crying in front of these multiple rivals, passed through his mind.

Just then, Jeff ran out of the circle, past the State Alchemist with his head still bowed. As the boy passed, two things about him caught the Alchemist's eye; the symbols tattooed on Jeff's hand and the lack of tears. He decided to follow Jeff, wanting to follow his own curiosity and ask the kid some questions.

~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~

The Alchemist tracked Jeff to a dead end hallway, where he found the kid kneeling on the ground, his head as down and submissive. He was panting heavily, but the Alchemist noticed that there was still no evidence of tears to be found.

"Hey," the Alchemist said, with a tone of slight annoyance. Jeff looked up with a sudden look of surprise. "Will you get off of the floor and stop being such a little bitch?"

"Who are you?" Jeff asked, somewhat confused as he moved from a kneeling position to a squatting one.

"My name is Arturo, Arturo Mustang. I'm a State Alchemist," replied the older Alchemist, pulling out his silver pocket watch, "I noticed you out in the other room with the other applicants. You seem to be lost about the entire State Alchemist process…"

"Yeah, it's my first time applying to become a State Alchemist. There are still some things I'm unsure about the whole thing," Jeff replied truthfully.

"I figured that out by watching how many times you turned your head. I guess I could give you some help, but you have to tell me a few things about yourself in exchange. First of all, what's your name?" Arturo inquired.

"My name is Jeff Kaiser. I'm the son of Verde Kaiser, the Plant Alchemist; he was better known by his other name, Verde the Sorcerer," Jeff replied quickly.

"Ok…whatever… You know that in order to apply, you need the recommendation of someone in the military, right? Who's your State Alchemist recommendation?" Arturo asked, leaning against the wall comfortably.

"Well, my father was a State Alchemist before his death. I thought that would count enough as a recomme-" Jeff started to say, but he was cut off by Arturo firmly slapping him in the back of the head.

"You idiot! This isn't some kind of easygoing league where your daddy can get you in. No wonder the assholes out there were walking all over you and you came back here to cry. You're a dumbass!" Arturo scolded.

"Enough!" Jeff said his tone completely changed.

Arturo looked surprised at the sudden change in the boy's voice, losing all air of immaturity. He watched as Jeff lifted his head, and the person that was staring back at him had the same features, but his aura and expression revealed a darkness and evil that could only be paralleled by a demon straight out of hell.

"I think you've said enough about me," the darker version of Jeff said.

"Who are you?" Arturo asked, intrigued by this change.

"I never really gave myself a name," he started, "but then again, there aren't many good names for someone like me. So, why don't you just call me, Resiak; if you make it long enough to say my full name," he ended, with a fiendish grin and a blood-thirsty stare.

"Hmmm?" Arturo questioned.

Resiak, in one smooth motion, grabbed a seed from the pouch on his right hip, held it to Arturo's throat, and transmuted it into vines that wrapped around the Alchemist's neck. In shock, he tried to jump back, but the constriction of the vines caused him to fall back, hitting the floor.

As he looked up towards the demon, Arturo was able to catch a better glimpse of the circle on his hand. He remembered seeing the symbol in a book in the library, but he couldn't remember exactly what it was; all he remembered was that only a few select people were able to utilize it. He would have remembered more but he met the gaze of the person who pinned him to the ground, and the thought was quickly lost.

Resiak started to growl and hiss through a fiendish grin as he looked over his prey. The grin widened as he decided to tighten the grip of the vines he was holding around Arturo's neck. He didn't notice that Arturo hand pulled one of his hands out of his pocket.

"Glllk," Arturo gasped airily as the vines tightened. As he raised his quivering hand, he couldn't help but think to himself: "Like hell I'm going to let you kill me you asshole!"

The instant he snapped his fingers, a small thread of blue light emerged and went in Resiak's direction.

The small bolt was one that would've gently subdued a normal foe. As it flew, it hit Resiak's forehead, stimulated his brain and stunned his entire body. The hand holding the vines loosened considerably and fell to the side. Arturo stood up, taking deep, gasping breaths and looking back at the motionless body kneeling upright.

He looked back, just as Jeff's eyes seemed to click back.

"What just happened? I have a killer headache," Jeff said, back in control of his body. He glanced over at Arturo, and saw the marks he had been left. He looked down at the ground and saw vines, quickly realizing he had something to do with both. "Oh crap, did I do that to you? I'm so sorry," Jeff quickly said, bowing his head in a sincere apology.

"It's nothing… it's not like I haven't been strangled before," Arturo said, rubbing his sore neck, "I just never thought I'd have the actual intention to kill someone…especially some newbie..."

"I-I'm really sorry, I-I don't know how this happened, but I'm truly sorry," Jeff said hurriedly, his head still bowed.

"ALRIGHT!" Arturo muttered loudly. "God, get up off the floor and stop apologizing. You won't get any respect from those assholes outside if you keep acting like a little bitch."

"Wow… no need to get so angry over an apology," Jeff retorted, as he returned his feet. "Besides, I'm screwed about going out there if I don't get a recommendation fast."

"Fine… How about we make a deal?" Arturo said, his voice dripping with a hint of cunning. "I'll be your recommendation." He said with a smirk.

Jeff seemed to light up a bit, but hid it quickly. He opened his mouth to say something else, but Arturo raised a finger to stop him.

You couldn't forget Equivalent Exchange…

"But… you have to tell me about the weird transmutations circles on your hands after the exam ends," Arturo said, pointing at Jeff's hands.

"That's a fair trade off, I guess," Jeff said almost immediately.

"Good, now get going. The written portion of the exam is going to start in 10 minutes," Arturo said looking at his watch.

"Oh, crap! Thanks, Arturo. I'll talk to you later," Jeff said, quickly bolting down the hall, towards the entrance area.

~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~

Several hours passed and slowly, the applicants left the testing room one by one… Eventually, Jeff was one of them, and he gave a sigh as he finally finished his exam.

"Wow, that written test wasn't as hard as I thought it would be," Jeff said, walking out of the room.

"Nah. That was the really easy part. Basically, it's just to weed out the overambitious fools who think that they can just pick up the title and pick up chicks," said a familiar voice to his left. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Arturo leaning up against the wall, his arms folded over his chest. "The harder parts have yet to come; the interview and the field test." The older Alchemist replied coolly.

"Ok then, when's the interview?" Jeff asked eagerly, mentally preparing himself.

Arturo couldn't help but chuckle at Jeff's enthusiasm.

"Well, seeing as they have to grade the exam… and calculating the amount of applicants and the probability of each of them succeeding…" Arturo muttered as he looked up at the ceiling, doing his mental calculations, "I'd give it…about…"

He glanced down at his watch,

"And hour… maybe a little bit more…"

"One hour? That quickly?" Jeff asked, looking surprised.

"Yeah…" Arturo responded, "Usually in the case of a huge influx of applicants, they fail anyone who gets the first question wrong. However… they always make it a vital question that all alchemists should know, as to pick out the amateurs or the flat-out slackers." Arturo said, smirking.

"Wow, I wonder how many people are going to make it, then," Jeff said as his mind started to wander. "The question was, 'What is the most crucial part of any transmutation?' The answer is obviously 'equivalent exchange.'"

Arturo smirked as he heard the correct answer.

"Well, someone did their homework." He thought to himself, rather impressed.

"Out of all of them… I'd say about… 12 are going to make it. So, you better get ready to do your interview today," Arturo said, glancing at the office, "And you have to prepare for this part… improving it isn't going to cut it… Come on… let's go get you ready for that interview…"

Jeff nodded, his eyes blazing with determination.

"Okay! Let's do it!"

~J~J~J~J~J~J~J~

"So, tell us. Why is it you wish to become a State Alchemist?" one of the shadowy silhouettes asked, eyes focused on Jeff.

Jeff remained silent for a few seconds, pondering his answer before giving it, "When I thought about it, the only thing that popped into my head was to continue my family's legacy. But, it hit me that I could also become a State Alchemist as a way of helping my country. I figured that doing both would be the best use of my life, instead of not doing anything at all."

"You said 'continue your family's legacy.' That means your parents are…" a familiar voice started.

Jeff was awe-struck by person who spoke; Fuhrer King Bradley.

"Y-yes sir. My father was The Plant Alchemist, Verde Kaiser and my mother was one of the top medics in the military, Sarah Kaiser," Jeff replied, suddenly growing nervous.

Just as Jeff gave his answer, the Fuhrer opened his right eye for a moment to look at Jeff. The expression was hidden well, but he was thinking about something… Nevertheless, he quickly returned to his more cheerful façade.

"I see… Well, if you pass the field test tomorrow, then you may get your chance to do just what you said," the Fuhrer said with a smile, "You may go."

"Th-thank you very much, sir," Jeff said, standing and bowing respectfully to the panel of interviewers.

He walked out of the room and Bradley opened his right eye once more. "Zero, you damn fool… You seemed to have neglected finishing the job," Bradley thought to himself as he waited for the next candidate to walk into the room and take his place.

Chapter End