The words stung. Celeste looked down at the thing in her hands. He was right, no matter how much it hurt, she couldn't play. She felt she couldn't control her hand and it became reality, she couldn't . Celeste didn't sleep that night. The thoughts were her nightmares.

OoO

She around her home as she put together a small breakfast and put on her uniform. She had left after the yelling started, but because of that and the worry of a case which was personal with the leader of the mission she had overslept. She ran around and hit her shin on the coffee table, letting out a few choice words and grabbed her boots from the floor.

When her phone started ringing she sighed and headed to the kitchen. She didn't have time to answer when a yell came through, "Baske, get your ass to the station now!" it was Edward, her boss. She was supposed to be at the station soon and she was a good fifteen minute run away.

"I'm on my way." she said and promptly hung up. After putting on her blue getup and tying the combat boots she ran out of the apartment, towards the station.

The easiest way to put her trek was, danger. God only knows how many times she had almost been hit by a truck.

Ed was talking to Celeste, who seemed more or less shy or sad about something. Maybe she had missed something when she left. When she approached the two and Ed turned to her and spoke, "It's about time, what took you?" he asked her.

"I'm sorry I was running a bit slow today." Danny told him and looked at the train, "Should we get on?"

"Yes, go, move!" Ed ushered the girls to the door between the cars and got on. The girls walked around and sat in a seat when the girls slid in together. He sat across from the girls, and spread himself across the seat.

As the girls whispered to each other about why Danny was late, Ed opened his pocketbook and read his notes over again, like there was somewhere an imperfection.

"Danny," Celeste whispered to the girl.

"Yes?" she asked and Celeste glanced at Ed before answering.

"Do you think we're going to Dublith for a reason?" she asked Danny and the other girl shrugged.

"I'm just following orders, but if I had to say so, yes. We're definitely going for a reason." Danny told Celeste and the pale girl nodded and rubbed her thumb across the case of her violin. Danny saw her blush and wondered what would cause a reaction like that.

OoO

Without much warning, Danny was jostled awake. It appeared the train had stopped in a side town, a few miles out of Dublith. Celeste was pushing Danny out of the seat and dragging her along as they follow Ed.

Every now and then he would glance back at them. The two girls walked hand in hand as they followed him and kept a good distance away. When he stopped her lightly clapped his hands together before touching his uniform, watching it mold into regular city clothes, he did it to Danny as well; then made Celeste's jacket a dirty brown color.

"Don't say anything while we're here. Danny, don't even act like you've been near a military base. Theses people hate the military way too much." Ed mumbled the last part barely loud enough to hear.

As they walked into the town the girls noticed that the women never uttered a word, this place seemed like it was controlled by the men. To anyone's surprise, Ed led them into a tavern and smiled.

"Broadski." he called. A man soon came around and beamed.

"Edmund Law." he drew on, "It has been too long." the older man patted Ed on the back and handed him a key. "The room is yours tonight."

Ed smiled and the man, but as soon as they were up the stairs and out of sight his face showed pure disgust. At the top of the stairs and down a small hall there was a door, Ed used the key the man had given him and it opened up to a big room.

"You can do anything as long as you don't talk too loud or leave." he said, shutting the door behind him.

"Ed, why are we here?" Danny asked keeping her voice low to follow orders.

"It's not a good day in Dublith." he answered quietly. Taking a seat on one of the chairs he removed his coat and sat it across his lap. The girls watched him, something had happened.

OoO

It was the day she had done it, the day she had lost almost everything. The hair she had in dreads was pulled back and her normally white blouse was switched with a modest black one. Mourning every year had become a ritual for some time now, Sig let her and was in charge of the shop with the assistant. She smoked the incense burn in one room and cried in another. She didn't want to live that day every year.

That one transmutation haunted her, human transmutation. She was glad Ed hadn't arrived yet, she didn't want her student to look at her like that. With pity, feeling of superiority, her being weaker than him. She never wanted that, she had basically raised him and his brother to be the men they are today.

OoO

Edward had stayed up the night before, he had talked to truth. He had asked for forgiveness upon Teacher. Truth was his God, the one he prayed to, begged to, and worked for.

He had walked out of the damned town and paid for a carriage into Dublith, carrying the still half asleep girls with him. When the horses started moving the two fell asleep on each other, to the rhythmic beet of the hooves. Ed opened his newest edition of notes, he had begun researching behaviors. The subject had intrigued him, captured his interest, the human behavior was so full of things.

He wrote down his observation on the two girls, that they had some kind of connection, click or something like that, a similarity in the two. It was fascinating to watch them, listen. He had done it the whole time the two had been together. It was strange how they could talk so openly. Men weren't like that at all.

Ed couldn't wait to see Teacher either, he wanted to see her with that motherly glare of hatred. Because once he remembered the date of her sin was so close he could get that image of her out of his head, no matter how he tried to see her.

Celeste opened her violet eyes and saw Ed, he was looking at his ungloved hand. "May I?" she asked him and he looked up at her.

"Sure." he said and Celeste moved across the seats to sit next to him. He held his right hand out to her and she grasped it lightly. Ed let her hold his hand, she look surprised at the workmanship.

"Your mechanic is good at his job." she told him and he stifled a laugh. "What?"

"My mechanic is a she." he told her and Celeste blushed.

"I'm sorry." she said and let his hand go. She moved back and looked at the floor.

"It's fine. She's just some gear head, don't wanna see her half the time." he sighed and slumped into the chair.

"Oh, really? How long has she been doing your pieces?" Celeste asked him and his face darkened a little.

"Since I was eleven, with her grandmother." he told her and rubbed his left hand on his knee, above the placement of the port.

"What about her parents?" Celeste asked another question and allowed a confused expression on her face.

"Died in the civil war."

"Soldiers?" she asked after his answer.

"Doctors. They stayed after they were supposed to evacuate, their killer's a diplomat now. Went flying up the ranks." he said and smiled. "What about you? Have any particular mechanic?"

"No, I don't. how do you know so much about your mechanic?"

"Family friends. My dad was her grandmother's drinking partner and my brother and I were raised with her." he looked at his arm, "She's crazy about her work. That's why she's so good at her job." he looked at Celeste and smiled, "We could find you a good forever mechanic, if we go see her. She works in Rush Valley, city of automail!"

Celeste blushed at the offer, "That would be amazing." she thought about finally having a single complete piece of automail.

OoO

"I'll meet the two of you at this address three, okay?" Ed handed them each a piece of paper with an identical address on it. They were just outside Dublith, and Edward was intent on leaving the two to their own devices. Ed walked away and began towards the club.

OoO

The Devil's Nest was still going and a joint full of chimera, old and new. When Edward walked in a few heads turned. The newer chimera recognized his smell and began to take defensive positions, but a few others settled them down, saying a few words before the others backed down.

"I'll tell the boss you're here, Ed." one very big chimera with dark skin said and walked through another door. Edward muttered a word in response and leaned on the counter.

He was still getting funny looks, the mixed breed of human and animal sniffing at him. The obviously wondered why a human like him was in here, the thought stopped when s familiar face came into the room. "Edward!" the gorilla chimera patted Ed on the shoulder.

"Darius!" he replied with a smile. The men conversed under the constant watch of the others, suspicious glares all over.

"That's it! I won't do it any more. Darius, this guy is military, I can smell it on him!" a small pale girl yelled and then lunged at Edward, only to have Darius catch her around the waist and set her down away from her target.

"I know, but he's a friend." he turned to the golden haired boy, "Edward, this is Makayla, the daughter of one of my friends." he said, then to Makayla, "This is Edward, back during the second war, he risked his life and became a fugitive to help us escape the military. He would never betray us, I know someone who would kill you for it." he said the last to Ed and smiled.

"Yeah," he sighed, "I stayed in the other town last night because I forgot about Teacher. Do you think she'll be okay?"

"You should see her soon, I saw her this morning and she still looks like yesterday." Darius told the other and held his hand out to Ed, "I'll see you before you leave."

Ed shook his hand and smiled, walking up the small stairs he heard Darius called out for luck. He headed to Teacher's house, he opened his pocket watch and saw it was only a few minutes before three in the afternoon. The girls should be there soon.

As he walked around back to the house he saw Izumi, looking like she had been practicing alone for some time. She was out of breath and her body gleamed with sweat.

"Teacher," Ed spoke and the woman looked at him. She was surprised at how she saw him, he looked broken, something only she would notice.

"Edward, what happened?" she asked and quickly walked to her loyal student.

"Al is gone, he went missing a few weeks ago." he told her his voice starting to break. The woman ignored the rest and pulled him into an embrace.

"We'll find him, Ed." she told the younger one. Ed nodded at he stood there in her arms.

OoO

The girls met up and walked down the road of the address, it was quiet and a short road. A few children here and there playing in their yards.

They walked around and saw a butcher shop listed as the address, the sign read closed though, so the girls walked around back and almost gasped in shock at what they saw. The woman was obviously older, she was hugging Edward and he seemed to be a little shocked as well. She spoke something to him that the girls didn't hear. Their steps broke the special moment between the two and Ed looked at them.

"Hey, girls." he said and stepped back behind the woman who walked quickly to the newly arrived persons.

"Hmm," she glared at the two and suddenly whirled on Danny.

Danny barely missed Teacher's attack and didn't have time to try and retaliate. The woman struck again at her and got Danny in the arm.

"Teacher, what are you doing?" Edward asked Izumi as he pulled Celeste away.

"Well, I don't want to fight you today so another alchemist will do." Teacher called back. Ed sighed and jumped in front of Danny.

"Come on, I need a good sparring partner Teach," he held up a defensive stance and attacked the woman's legs. When she fell she used the advantage of being down to sweep his legs from under him as well. When Ed fell, Izumi jumped back up and sprinted to Danny but it came.

Ed caught teacher ad she fell, the blood dripping from her mouth. He sighed, "Celeste can you go in there and call for Sig or Mason?" he asked and Celeste scurried away. Danny knelt next to Ed and Teacher.

"What happened, will she be okay?" Danny asked Edward and he smiled.

"Sure, it happens a lot around here." he said and picked Teacher up, trying to cradle her head on his arm and focusing on not dropping her while he walked towards the door at the back of the house.

Mason looked curiously at Ed when he walked in with teacher. "Hey, Al, that you?"

"Ed, Mason, Ed." the taller Elric smiled and sat Izumi in a chair, who was starting to wipe her face with the back of her hand.

"So, it happened again? Thank you for bringing me in Edward." Teacher said and looked at Mason, "Why don't you get supper ready, tell Sig Ed's here." Mason nodded to his boss ands walked out of the room.

"So who are theses ladies?" Izumi asked, not to any direct person, just wanting an answer.

"I'm Danny Baske, the Scarred Sky Alchemist. Nice to meet you." Danny held her hand out to Izumi.

"I won't shake with a dog, especially one who can't stand up for itself. Not one who makes my most adored pupil fight for it." Izumi said sternly.

"I'm Celeste Bankov, a friend of Ed's." Celeste smiled and Izumi, to her surprise, held out her hand.

"Izumi Curtis, housewife." the two shook hands, Izumi only let it last a second before she turned to Ed. "So why are these young ladies with you, Edward?"

"I guess Celeste is with me for music and Danny is here because she's my partner in the mission to find Al." Ed let the words glide of his tongue. "What else is there?"

"Hmm, I don't know Edward. So, my dearest associate. I was meaning to discuss something with you, what do you think of the construction of this circle?" Izumi asked her former student and showed him a piece of parchment with and alchemical circle on it.

"Put a line there and there." Danny said sliding her finger on the paper.

"No, the symbol for hydrogen here is one thing messing up the circle. Another line would make it worse. Diaminophosphene Oxide would be the symbol you need, the magnetic reaction you would get from it would make the circle stronger, and all in all, the outcome greater. Simple." Edward corrected Danny the girl's brow curled as she thought about it.

"Thanks Ed, I couldn't figure out why is wasn't working." Izumi wrote down the work on the side and looked at Danny. The girl was thinking hard, obviously struck at her incorrectness.

Edward thought of something and grabbed a piece of paper off of the counter and began to draw a circle, drawing the attention of the other alchemists. He leaned back and the women observed the circle, "This would be the simpler way of performing that transmutation. There would be a smaller window for mistake."

"How do you know?" Danny asked skeptically.

"I have all faith in my work. If I was wrong I would get on my knees and beg you for forgiveness." Ed honestly answered.

"Then let's find out, if my way of doing it is better than yours." she said cockily. Ed sighed and handed her a piece of paper, she copied down the original and edited it herself. Ed led Danny outside and placed his on the ground, Celeste and Izumi followed out to watch.

Danny stepped back and watched as Ed drew a replica of his own on a piece of concrete. He lightly put his hands together and lay them on the circle. Energy coursed through the ground, sparks of electricity swirling around.

The outcome of the transmutation, what Ed had predicted, a small magnetic ball that Ed had envisioned it as, became.

"Well, that was nice, but it is so small." Danny said and smirked as Edward stepped away. She drew her circle a few feet away from where Ed had and slammed her hands onto it.

Crackling sounds roused her excitement, but as the reaction came into place she was tackled by Izumi and saw Edward, out of the corner of her eye, clapping hardly and landing his hands on the ground near the transmutation. The reaction quickly stopping and the blowing of the electricity ceasing, Edward's bangs dying down to his forehead.

"What the hell!" Danny yelled and Izumi slapped Danny across the face.

"He told you that your way was going to make it worse!" the teacher yelled and pulled Danny, who was trying to stand, to her knees. "No apologize." Izumi bowed her head a little bit, Danny following suit.

"No, she was wrong. I know, but we're equals. Raise your heads, you too Izumi. It's embarrassing." Ed said and helped the women up.

"I am sorry Edward, I shouldn't have done that. I'm sorry."

"Nah, it's okay. Just listen and observe more often, if you're ever absolutely positive go ahead. I just don't like it when you argue with me, because I know I'm right most of the time." Edward held Danny's arm at the elbow and made sure she looked at him.

"What do you mean almost?" she asked, back on her high horse. But when Ed looked at her, he had a stern look on his face but only his face, his eyes showed pain or hurt.

"That we make mistakes." he replied and stalked off, fuming with anger. Izumi hit her again.

"Don't ask him about that. Wait for him to tell you, asking yourself will demolish his trust." the teacher told Danny and walked back into her home.

OoO

Celeste walking in and saw that Edward was on the phone. She was going to keep going and head to the other room but she glanced at him and saw a single tear trail down his cheek.

He said something to the other person and hung up. That was when he noticed Celeste was there, he feigned a smile but saw on her face that she new he was faking.

"Ed, are you okay?" she asked walking up to him and looking in his eyes, so sorrowful and angry at the same time.

"Yeah, I'm fine it's just arrogance find me always, either in myself or others and when something happens I end up remembering things. Things I don't want to remember, ever." he told her and she smiled.

"Why don't you tell me, I can listen. Then use a little of your equivalent exchange and I'll talk to you about my problems. Or at least what I haven't already told you." Celeste suggested.

"Yeah, why not." Ed held her automail hand in his, and led her to the study, somewhere no one would interrupt a serious talk, one that he probably needed to say things in. one that he had almost had with her father, but unfortunately had been interrupted.

"So, to start off, why does arrogance bother you? Where did it start?" Celeste asked.

"I guess it started when alchemy began for me." Ed told her and she sat across from him.

OoO

Danny sat across from Mason, the man reading something. Izumi said that she heard Celeste and Ed were talking and told Danny to stay away. She was still thinking about the look in his eyes and how the teacher had reacted to it. Like how she had acted caused something. And she felt bad about it.

AN; I hate you people. This is not fun. It takes too long and that gets on my nerves, I should give up. But hey, no one knows me and I feel the need to expand my writing out there capabilities! Sooooooooo, my only request(besides reading this)is to help and review, constructive comments appreciated!