XxXWeAsHumanXxX: Guten Tag! Enjoy ze story!
Ed's POV:
I shoved through the wall of students on my way to the lunchroom, my red jacket trailing behind me.
In the cafeteria, I saw Al and Ann at our usual table talking excitingly about something. Al turned and saw me and he waved me over,and shoved a paper so close to my face it made me cross eyed.
Snatching the paper from his hands, I looked at the poster. It had elephants, and lions on it with men wearing bright colors and tomatoes on their noses. My eyebrow raised.
"It's the circus, brother! Can we go? Please!" I looked back to the poster and saw that the 'circus' was Sunday from 9 to 11 at night.I didn't have word Sundays... I brought my index finger to my chin and pretended to think. Al squirmed on the bench and I smiled.
"I guess we can go... " Al jumped up from his seat and did a mini victory dance.
"Hey Ed." I turned to Ann. "Maybe at the circus there will be someone shorter than you? Probably not though... Your as small as they get." My face turned red.
"Who are you calling a tiny bug that escapes the wrath of a shoe because he's so small that he fits in the grooves and can't get squashed?!" Ann grinned and took a bite of her burger. She chewed and swallowed.
"You." My face turned even redder and Alphonse fretted in between the two of us trying to break our mini quarrel.
I sighed and sank onto the cold lunch bench and opened the packed lunch Alphonse prepared earlier this morning. I pulled out a ham and cheese sandwich, a mini red apple, and a purple Hug. Alphonse sank his teeth into his green apple while he laughed at the She-Devils antics. I picked up my sandwich with my left hand and took a bite, while I rested my head against my right automail palm.
"Brother! Are are you excited about the circus?" I swallowed my food and nodded my head."Ann tells me that there's going to be elephants and lions, and candy floss too!" I licked my lips an the mention of the delicious candy.
"Candy floss?" Ann tilted her head in confusion and Al scratched the back or his head.
"Candy floss is more commonly known as cotton candy." I dryly explained to Ann and took a quick swig of my Hug. The teachers began dismissing the students from the cafeteria. I stood and ruffled Al's hair before walking to the exit of the lunchroom.
Al sat across from me as I dried my shoulder length blond hair with a towel.
"Brothherrr, hurry up! You take more time than Winry to get ready." Al whined impatiently, and I sighed.
I took my hairbrush and ran it through my hair before pulling the soaked strands into a tight braid. Grabbing my usual red cloak and white gloves and herded Al to the bathroom door.
"Geez, don't have an aneurysm, Al." Said man rolled his eyes as he pulled his shoes on. I grabbed my wallet and keys in our way out of the front door.
Al and I approached the tan tent that was crowded with civilians and clowns giving out balloons. Ann stood under a lamp looking at her phone.
"Hey, Ann!" Al shouted over the bystanders while waving frantically. Ann's head perked up and she shoved her cell in her back pocket.
"Hey guys, you ready?" Al nodded enthusiastically and I just shrugged. Ann grinned and stood tall while pointing a finger at the tent.
"March my loyal servants." I rolled my eyes at Ann's comment and gave her a mocking salute.
"Aye, aye Captain."
We maneuvered through the throngs of people and made it to the ticket booth.
"Hello, how many?" A chubby man with cake loads of makeup on his face inquired in a monotonous tone.
"Three." I handed the man the money and he placed three sweaty tickets into my palms.
"Enjoy the show."
We walked away from the booth and headed toward the snack booth and bought some Candy floss and other tooth rotting sweets. I took a huge bite of my candy floss while we sat in the stands. The lights dimmed and a spotlight shown on a short stubby clown.
"Hello ladies and gents! Welcome to the circus!"
The stands erupted into cheers and hollers and the clowns came in on unicycles while juggling bowling pins. The spot lights spun and a metal cage rolled out. Inside the cage, a lion paced back and forth and some acrobats swung from ropes and walked in the ropes too.
Al's jaw was practically on the floor. I chuckled and ruffled his hair.
"Come on Al, your gonna catch flies." Al blushed but continued to stare awestruck at the performers who were currently doing crazy flips in the air and being caught by the ankles by other performers.
Every time they landed, the crowd bursted into a loud applause. The lion was let out of its cage and began to jump from pillar to pillar. The lion tamer stood by the lion and took a bow before herding it back into the cage.
Once it was wheeled out, dozens of men on elephants came out and circled the arena. In the middle of the arena, a man on stilts had a brown monkey on his shoulders. I took another bite of my candy floss.
"Ladies and gentlemen." The man on the stilts addressed the crowd.
The men on the elephants looked confused. The man in the middle held out his hand and his ring began to shine a bright red glow. "Are you ready to be amazed?"
The monkey on his shoulder jumped and grew more than half it's original size. Al and I gasped and eyed each other for a split second. I finished my candy floss and set the stick to the side.
"Thinking what I'm thinking, Al?" Al nodded his head with a serious look on his face. Ann looked lost. The man on stilts let out a laugh that sent chills down my spine.
"Get 'em, boy"
The giant monkey charged at the crowd and everyone began to scream and try to get to the nearest exit, while Al and I remained in our seats.
"Come on guys! Let's get out of here." Ann had a fearful expression on her face. I grinned and stood up, Al following suit.
"You ready to rumble Al?" The stands were empty besides the three of us and the strange man with the monkey chimera in the middle of the arena.
"Are you guys crazy? Let's get out of here!" I sent Al a look. He nodded and grabbed Ann's wrist.
"Let's go Ann." Ann seemed conflicted.
"What about your brother? Isn't he coming too?" Her voice shook. Al shook his head.
"He'll be okay. We just need to get out if here and let him take care of it." He began to pull her away. She sent me a wary glance and I nodded. Al and her disappeared through the exit. I turned toward the man.
"It seems we're the only two left... " He sent me a creepy grin and held up his hand. "I take it you know what this is." I clenched my fist.
"The Philosophers Stone... now hand it over!" He shook his finger at me.
"Now, now Eddie-Kun. Let's not get carried away. I gritted my teeth and tensed my shoulders ready to spring.
"How'd you know my name?" He chuckled and my anger grew. "TELL ME!?"
"There's no reason to be angry Edward Elric. Tell you what. If you defeat me, I'll tell you how I know your name." I smirked.
"Alright... Let's go!" I lunged at the man.
Ann's POV:
After we were out if the tent, I planted my feet down into the dirt. Al gave my a nervous look.
"How could you leave your brother like that?!" Al blinked and rubbed the back if his neck nervously.
"Brothers going to be fine, don't worry. He's tougher than he looks." I gave him a disbelieving look.
"There was a giant gorilla for gods sake! What the hell do you mean he's going to be fine?!" Al sighed and gave my a smile.
"You're just going to have to trust me." I sighed and rubbed my temples.
"Bullshit." I muttered under my breath. Al smiled even wider and pulled me toward a rusting bench under a lamp. Moths buzzed around the bulb and the moon was covered in clouds.
We sat down and waited.
Ed's POV:
I chapped my gloved hands and pressed them to the dirt floor. A blue light crackled and a spear made of stone stood at the ready in my palms.
He touched his hands to his wooden stilts and a red light erupted. When the alchemical reaction dissipated, I saw two machine guns in his possession. He laughed manically and fired randomly in my general direction. I quickly clapped my hands and pressed them to the dirt and made the earth climb up into a wall to protect me from the bullets.
"Your a worse aim than that phony priest in Liore." He sent me a glare. "My turn."
I charged at the man with a spear, his monkey jumped toward my right side and gabbed my automail arm. The chimera flung me toward a wall and I made a dent.
I stood up and wiped some sweat from my brow. The man looked at me with wide eyes before ordering the giant monkey to attack again. I pushed myself off the wall and jabbed the monkey away with the butt of my spear. The chimera hit a ladder and was down for the count.
The man backed up and began to sprint toward the nearest exit.
"You coward!" I ran after the man with my ripped cloak trailing behind me.
Ann's POV:
While Al and I were sitting on the bench, the man from the arena ran out of the exit with Ed on his tail. Edward's jacket was in shreds, but he looked practically unharmed.
Al stood and ran after the culprit as well. Ed clapped his hands and pressed them to the dirt. A blue light crackled and the ground under the man trapped him in a cage. What the hell?
Ed stood up from his crouched position and walked up to the caged man.
"Now, who are you and how do you know my name?" The man glared at Ed, then he smiled wickedly.
"Eddie-kun, Eddie-kun... Your forgetting something." He raised his hand and emphasized his ring. Ed's eyes widened and he quickly backed away from the cage.
"Shit!-" the man placed his palm to the bars and made the medal stakes shoot towards Ed's torso.
"Ed!"
"Brother!" Al pulled Ed out of the way just in time so it only grazed his right shoulder and I collapsed to my knees in relief. I'm SO going to kill him when this is over.
Ed ripped his shredded jacket the rest of the way off exposing some gleaming metal. Al sent me a glance and whispered something to Ed. Ed looked at me and I gave him a look that said 'you better explain what the hells going on'.
Ed told Al something and they seemed to argue for a second before Al consented.
Alphonse walked over to me and helped me stand up. "I'm going to take you home, okay." I stiffly nodded and we began to run towards the bus station.
Ed's POV:
I watched their retreating figures for a second before focusing on the problem at hand.
The bastard looked at me and smiled even wider. He pisses me off. I tensed my legs and prepared to fight him. He grabbed the armrest of the bench Alphonse and Ann were previously on and transmuted another machine gun.
"I heard the rumors, but I didn't know they were true... You really did commit the taboo! Your really interesting... But your in the way of our plans, so DIE!" He began to fire and I clapped my hands and slammed them on he dirt again and a pillar of each shielded me yet again.
"That won't work!" The dust cleared and I saw the man running toward me with two pistols in his possession. I transmuted my auto-mail arm into a shield and darted towards him. The bullets deflected off my armor and one of them hit him in his left thigh.
He released a pain filled screech and fell to the dirt, clutching his leg and dropping his weapons. I walked forward slowly in his direction, watching for any signs of foul play. His eyes widened and he backed away from me.
"Stay back!" He swung his arm wildly in an attempt to ward me off.
"A deals a deal. I defeated you, so you have to tell me what I wanna know." He glared at me and backed into a tree. He opened his mouth and a loud crack resonated through the lot. The man collapsed to the side with blood gushing from a hole in his head. blood splattered on my face and my eyes widened in horror.
Ann's POV:
Al pulled me through his apartment door by my wrist and flicked the light switch. I tugged my wrist away and shot him a glare while I massaged my sore arm. He sent me an apologetic look and gestured towards the couch.
"Do you want to take a seat while I make some tea? " My glare lightened and I sat down.
Al walked into the other room and I heard some pots and pans clattering. A few of minutes later Al returned with two glasses filled with some steaming tea. He handed me a glass carefully and took a seat as well. He cleared his throat.
"I guess you have some questions..." I nodded and took a sip of my beverage.
"Ed's arm... why was it metal?" Al sighed and took a sip from his own cup and leaned back onto the couch.
"I guess I should start from the beginning... this could take a while." I nodded and took out my phone.
"I'm going to call my mom and let her know that I won't be coming home tonight." I dialed her number and it rung a few times before it was picked up.
"Hello Ann, is the circus done already?"
"Yeah, since it's so late I'm staying at Alphonse's house, is that okay?"
"That's fine, just don't do anything you might regret!~~" I blushed.
"M-mom! It's not like that!" I cleared me throat. " Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow. Love you."
"I love you too sweetie, remember to use a cond-" I hung up the phone. Al smiled at me.
"What did your mom say?" I blushed and shook my head. Al stood up with his empty glass and held out his hand for my left to the kitchen with the glasses in hand.
I sighed and sunk further into the couch cushions. My eyes roamed around the room and took in the light walls and the dark oak floor. I jumped as Al settled next to me on the couch.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." I shook my head and gestured for him to spill the beans. "Well, to start my brother and I grew up in a small town called 'Resembool' which is a small village in Amestris.
When we were young, our father, Van Hohenheim, left us at a young age, and we lived with our mother, Trisha." Al had a sad, faraway look in his eyes. " Our mother would always smile when we used alchemy." I gave him a confused look.
"Alchemy is the science of equivalent exchange. To make something, you must give something of equal value in return. Alchemy is typically done with a transmutation circle."
He stood up and grabbed a pulled out a piece of chalk out of his pocket and knelt on the floor. He drew a circle onto his wooden floor boards and returned his chalk to his pants pocket. Al then clapped his hands and placed them on the edge of the circle.
A blue lightning like light crackled and when it dissipated, there was a small horse figurine. Al picked it up an put it into my out stretched palms. I looked at all the little details on the tiny wooden horse.
"My brother was always better at transmutation than I. Our mother passed away from a terminal illness, and my brother and I made up our minds to try and revive our mom."
I openly gawked at this. Bringing people back from the dead? Al ignored me and continued.
"One day there was a severe rainstorm and my brother and I tried to transmute a giant wall of earth to stop the advancing water, but our wall crumpled under the force of the water.
A lady came out of nowhere and transmuted an earth wall many times larger than ours. We asked her if we could train under her, at first she refused our requests, but eventually she agreed to train us if we could pass her test." I cocked my head to the side.
"Test?" Al nodded.
"Yeah, the test was to figure out what 'All is One, and One is All.' meant. if we couldn't figure out what it meant, she wouldn't teach us."
"That doesn't sound really fair to me." Al stood from his crouch on the floor and settled back onto the tan couch.
"That's what we thought at first too. I'm just going to skip the month on the island, it's not really important. Basically we weren't allowed to use alchemy while we were on the island.
Eventually, Ed figured out what it meant and we trained under our teacher, Izumi Curtis. After we completed our training, we returned to Resembool and attempted human transmutation.
Human transmutation is a forbidden science. Ed lost his leg and I lost my body. In order to save me, bother sacrificed his arm to Truth, and bound my soul to a suit of armor." Al smiled lightly.
"A man named Roy Mustang came and offered brother a chance to become a state alchemist. Ed asked Winry and granny Pinako to make him an artificial arm and leg, which is typically called auto-mail.
After a year of rehabilitation, Ed became a state alchemist. (Al purposely avoided talking about Nina).
Through our journey to get our bodies back, we came across many things like humonculous, or an artificial being.
On a day labeled as 'the promised day' we fought the humonculous one last time and Ed was killed by a humonculous called Envy. I tried bringing Ed back and I succeeded, but I was taken into the gate. Ed brought back my body and soul," He gestured to himself. " but we were both sucked into the gate and turned up here. That's basically it." I sat there and processed all of this for a second.
"Damn..." Al blinked and then laughed heartedly. As he was laughing a worn Edward entered through the white front door. He appeared to be slightly dazed, but he didn't look like he was hurt. Al stood up.
"Brother... What's wrong?" Ed looked up into Al's brown eyes.
"He shot him..." Al's eyebrows scrunched up.
"What are you talking about?"
"The man I was fighting... was murdered by the man that I sent to prison..." My eyes widened.
XxXWeAsHumanXxX: I'm not the best at fighting scenes, but I tried! *steals oscar*