Chapter 2. We get a bit of insight into Kaia's everyday life. All is going well, or so we think, but will it last? Will Ed be able to keep out of the trained eyes of his subject? Will Kaia put up a fight? Will I ever stop talking in this stupid announcer voice? We may never know.
Ed: You should really shut up now.
Mustang: Yeah, we really need to be moving along. Get back to work.
I control you all! You may not command me! I could have you eaten by a giant giroctopus at any time!
Ed: But you won't.
No, I won't. I love you all too much for that.
Al: Now to the story!
- Chapter 2: Initial Contact
She was twirling a strand of that long blonde hair around her right index finger. With the other hand she was tapping out some complex rhythm on her over-the-shoulder messenger bag. Ed quietly checked the file again to see that she played no instruments, but was often seen doing this. Perhaps she was a musician at heart. Perhaps it was just a nervous twitch. It didn't really matter. Ed was put off a bit by her behavior. People just passed by her as though that was her customary place. That was cruel. Letting her watch with no way inside the normality of life must be painful. The papers crinkled, making the slightest noise, and Ed flinched. If Kaia were really as into the martial arts as the file said she would surely detect him now. Luckily for him she was in deep thought and didn't even notice. She was actually in such deep thought that when the bell rang a couple seconds later she jumped and just managed to stifle a gasp by clapping her hand over her mouth.
She hurried into the classroom in order to be seated and ready by the time the other students came in, so she wouldn't have to mingle with them. All normal according to the file. As the door shut Ed slunk around to the window on the other side of the modular. Kaia sat right in the front so he had a perfect view of her. A group of anorexic-looking girls entered the classroom gossiping loudly enough for Ed to report without being detected.
"She's gone completely according to routine. She noticed that I borrowed some power though. She was rubbing her temples and looked kind of confused when she got to the school. No responses now, it's going quiet," Ed whispered into the mike. He watched Kaia straighten her pens so they were perfectly aligned with both edges of her desk, red on the outside, and black on the inside. They were, not that Ed knew, exactly one point five inches apart, the way they were every morning. As the group of noisy girls in the back ran to their seats when the bell started ringing, Kaia stared at her pens as if daring them to move. One girl bumped into her desk and knocked the pens askew. Not only did Kaia catch them as they fell off the desk she almost immediately returned them to their perfect alignment. She tucked her hair back behind her ears and concentrated on the pens again. Ed noticed that more quiet girls and a few boys had seated themselves while he was watching Kaia's little pen affair. Whenever someone looked in Kaia's direction it was over her head to talk to someone else before the teacher came back with their morning quizzes. It was as if Kaia didn't exist. Which, to most people, she didn't. Ed felt sympathy towards the girl. It probably wasn't all that fun to be thin air to most everyone. It would drive a normal person insane. Who knows? Maybe Kaia was a bit insane from all this solitude. The teacher bustled through the door with quizzes in hand. Ed checked the file to see that she was called Mrs. Thompson and she taught AP English.
"Kaia, please pass these out while I collect homework," Mrs. Thompson said sweetly. Kaia mumbled something while standing. Ed noticed that while one would think she would walk without showing her face, she walked straight and tall with abnormally good posture. Ed also noted that she had a worksheet of what was probably homework perfectly centered and lined up with the edge of her desk. No one else had theirs out yet. Kaia took the quizzes from Mrs. Thompson and started passing them out. Ed also noticed she lined them up perfectly in the upper left hand corner in every desk, so they were flush with the square edges. One person, just to make fun of her, tweaked it as soon as Kaia put it down. She instinctively reached out to fix it, but pulled her hand back and moved on. Ed checked her medical report. In the personal comments section the doctor had written,
'This is probably one of the most severe cases of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) I have ever seen. Kaia has the unnerving habit of straightening everything in sight. In one of our tests we had her sit in a room by herself with a crooked picture frame on the opposite wall. We told her to resist the impulse to straighten it for as long as possible. I am amazed she lasted as long as she did. Kaia sat tapping her feet and staring obstinately up at the crooked frame for almost two minutes. By that time she was shaking and grinding her teeth. Right before the two-minute mark she jumped up and straightened the picture frame. I may add that she did this with a carpenter's leveling tool which she took from her backpack. I am seriously worried if she cares enough about straight picture frames to carry that sort of tool around. If any obsession gets worse please contact us.'
Sheesh. Even the doctors knew she was abnormal. It was on the record that the foster parents decided not to get her medication for her disorders. Also noted was the fact that it was getting consistently worse, but they had not yet contacted the doctor and more than likely did not plan to. That was just sad. Kaia finished passing out the quizzes and returned to her seat. All of the homework had been picked up, so she centered the quiz in the exact middle of the desk and started. She was the first finished, and, after the test's completion, she returned the pen to its previous position, aligned the quiz in the upper left hand corner of her desk, and got out another piece of paper and a pencil. Kaia bent down over the paper and her hair swung around her, making an immediate curtain. Ed shifted to the skylight window so he could see what she was doing. She was drawing.
'Uh oh. That can't be good,' Ed thought when he saw what it was. The picture was amazingly detailed and had talent that was usually only achieved by years and years and years of practice and only by naturally talented people. He checked the file again. Nope, she was only fifteen years old, well, not technically. She was still fourteen, but her birthday was the next day. So much younger than her twelfth grade peers. According to the file she had skipped a couple grades. How traumatic it would be, to be dragged to another dimension on your birthday, but that wasn't the point of his thoughts. It was that, despite her age, she was apparently good at art. She could have won a couple of awards already, if she bothered to submit, but that wasn't what worried him. It was the subject matter of the picture. It was unmistakable. It was an incredibly detailed drawing of the Gate. Next to it was some scratchy writing that Ed couldn't read from that distance and in about the middle of that writing was another, smaller, sketch. This one worried him even more. It seemed to be a faceless version of... himself. Or at least someone who was identical to him. There was no mistake. He had to get that paper so he could read the writing. Despite the file information Ed had almost no idea what he was up against. The file didn't specify her being a fortune-teller. Geez. This was going to be difficult. Kaia tucked her pencil back into the second slot from the left in her backpack and sat up straighter. Ed could practically see her counting. In fact, he could. Kaia was counting backwards with her fingers underneath her desk. Three... Ugh! She made her three with her index, middle finger, and thumb! That was just weird. Two... index finger and thumb. One...thumb. Zero! That one was normal!
"Quizzes in!" Mrs. Thompson called from the lectern up front. Kaia stood and brought her quiz up to the basket on a table in the front. She centered it exactly and went and sat back down again. She clenched her teeth. Someone had moved her pen again! The red one wasn't perpendicular to the desk! But she wasn't about to let whoever did it have the satisfaction of seeing her fix it. Oh no, that wouldn't happen. She watched the pen as if silently willing it to move by telekinesis, but it didn't. As everyone else went up to put their quizzes in the basket, Kaia glanced around slyly to make sure no one was watching. She bent down and fixed her pen. While doing this she gave Ed a perfect opportunity to steal the paper. He silently dropped a retractable clawed rod (Yes he carries these sorts of things. It was Mustang's paranoia actually being helpful.) down from the skylight and was about to snatch the paper when Kaia, apparently still too deep in thought to notice the slim silver rod, snatched the paper up and tucked it into her backpack. Ed stared at her incredulously and almost dropped from the open skylight.
"Damn it." He had come so close. Kaia snapped up to attention and he barely had enough time to get out of sight. Once everyone else put their quizzes in the basket Mrs. Thompson passed out numerous previously done assignments that they spent the rest of the period grading. Ed noticed that by the end of the period Kaia had put away her black pen, and Ed could tell that she was ready to slide the red pen into its previously assigned spot the moment the bell rang. The bell sounded and she flicked the pen into its place. Mrs. Thompson, her usual scatterbrained self, started panicking to collect the graded assignments. She had the last person in each row collect everything to bring up front. No one could leave until they did. Kaia straightened her papers again and Ed could see her tensing. This would be the first example of contact with her peers. A rather sporty looking guy was slowly loping up the aisle with a long pair of legs. He had flaming red hair and a mass of freckles across his cheeks and nose. As he came up to Kaia he tweaked her papers askew. Her only reaction was the very slight tightening of her neck, but the guy noticed.
"Awwwwww… Did I mess it up? Is this not to your… satisfaction?" Kaia's hands tightened on the strap of her bag. The boy laughed and snatched up her papers to massive amusement of the class. Mrs. Thompson didn't notice. She was too busy with the other papers. The class thought that Kaia's tension was due to her embarrassment, but Ed knew better. He could see her muscles flexing and her teeth grinding. She had been trying as hard as she could to restrain herself from attacking and seriously injuring the impudent brat. Mrs. Thompson dismissed them and Kaia bolted for the door.
She rushed out and toward her next class. Ed jumped back beneath the stairs and consulted the file while trailing a bit behind her disguised by a large clump of students. Before he was able to check, Kaia turned into another classroom. A quick peek through a secluded window revealed Kaia to once again be front and center. He found a good vantage point and re-opened the file. This was an AP US Government class taught by a woman called Mrs. Clarabaugh. This class went basically the same as the first. Pens were perfectly aligned, the teacher seemed to adore her, she cringed at any contact with her peers, and she added to her drawing of the Gate. Hunched over to one side of the Gate was Truth. He wore a small smile. Smaller words were squished by him. Ed had to get that paper to read what it said.
Kaia's day continued in much the same fashion. Her classes were Health and Economics, Calculus, Physics, and Latin Five. She drew more with each class. Characters covered the page. All seven homunculi were drawn with Dante in the lead. There was extraordinary detail on Envy and… Ed caught his breath. There was Sloth, but she didn't look like Sloth. She was wearing a light purple dress and apron and she was smiling warmly. That was strange. Hoenheim appeared in the shadows. Al, Winry, and Pinako stood in front of his old house, the way it looked before they burnt it down. It was also shown after the third of October in year eleven. The drawing of Ed became more detailed. Eyes and a body appeared. Other familiar faces appeared. Mustang, Armstrong, Havoc, Hawkeye, Breda, and everyone else from the office joined the group. Color bloomed on the page, and by the time the bell rang dismissing the sixth period class the page was a tumult of vivid people and places belonging to another dimension. How did she know all this anyway? Any space not taken up by the drawings was filled with tiny chicken-scratch writing.
"I thought girls were supposed to have nice handwriting." Ed scratched his head.
"What was that Fullmetal?" Mustang's tinny voice came through the earpiece.
"Nothing." Ed watched Kaia slip the page into her backpack. She rushed out of the classroom. Ed slipped off the roof he had been crouching on and darted between shadows, just managing to keep her in sight.
"This stealth crap really isn't my style you know," Ed complained vaguely.
"Hang in there for a bit longer brother," Al's voice piped up. Ed smirked. Apparently Mustang had grown tired of listening to him.
"Tch." Ed rounded a corner and shrugged his coat back into place. When he caught up again he saw that Kaia had already grabbed a few textbooks from her locker and was almost to the exit. She skirted a group standing in the middle and had reached the door.
"Damn it." Ed dashed back the way he came and around to the front, scattering several groups of students in the process. He nearly tripped over himself as he skidded to a halt and crouched down in some conveniently placed bushes. A couple of branches broke and he winced. The hydrangeas and there caregivers wouldn't be too pleased come tomorrow. There was, however, a real threat within those snapped limbs. Kaia was standing not even six feet away and she was staring pointedly at him.
Ed froze, holding his breath. She shifted her bag slightly to allow more freedom to her arm. She advanced. Her feet fell lightly on the pavement and her body tensed, leaving her with a low center of gravity. She would be very difficult to knock over. She was ready for an attack. Fortunately, she didn't get the chance. A pack of students slowly made their way through the gap spanning between Ed and Kaia. Ed darted between their legs and escaped, barely. He was safe for the moment.
Or so he thought.
Unknown to the young alchemist, Kaia had caught the slightest glimpse of him, but it was enough for her with her photographic memory. This confirmed that the strange flood of images that had come over her this morning was somehow linked to that boy. He was obviously hidden in a small patch of flowers. The very top of his blond hair stuck out over the tops of the flowers. Kaia sighed and ignored his presence. This wasn't the place to confront him. She turned off in her normal way, her feet carrying her in a well known course. There was no need to think where she was going.
'I've heard of some pretty bad stalkers, but this is crossing the line. I spotted him in every class period today and was even able to pick out some of his communications. There were some strange phrases. They were talking about alchemy as if it were a pretty normal occurrence. And then there was 'the gate.' Perhaps this is the name they have for that door I saw. If so I at least know that they aren't very creative with their titles.' Storing these tidbits away to be mulled over later, Kaia concentrated on finding her new friend. It wasn't difficult. He was struggling to keep up as he fought his way through vegetation on the side opposite the fence she was walking along. She couldn't see his face, but the clothes were clear enough. This was most definitely the guy breaking into her mind and flooding her with all the images.
'Let's see what else he can do.'
Ed slipped into some flowers after detaching himself from the throng. He had to lay flat on his stomach in order to remain unseen. Quite a few flowers met their doom that day. Kaia seemed to be a bit detached, obviously thinking hard. He waited.
"Hey, Mustang." Ed spoke in a low tone, checking the mike to see that it had remained as it was supposed to.
"What is it brother?" Came the reply.
"Just following orders. Mustang said to report everything. School just ended, but there's a bit of a discrepancy with the file. It says that she leaves immediately. She's not leaving. Actually, she's just been standing there for about five minutes now." Ed kept his eyes on Kaia as she continued to stare into space.
"Huh. Well, nothing we can do but wait it out and see what happens next. Have you stayed out of sight?" Mustang was back on the line. Apparently this was interesting enough for him.
"Yeah. Do you think that I'm stupid enough to be seen?" Ed replied sharply.
"No. I'm merely taking your comment from earlier into account. After all, stealth really 'isn't your style.'" Mustang smirked as he tapped on the mike, causing an annoying echo on Ed's end.
"Psh. You know I really—Wait, she's moving." Ed slipped quietly into an obviously man-made nature walk on the opposite side of a fence from Kaia. Or, he thought he slipped quietly. In reality he stumbled in, got his jacket caught on a tree, and tore almost the entire bottom half off.
"Damn it."
"Try to keep it down Fullmetal. You do know that the object is to not be seen, don't you?" Ed could practically see the Colonel's smug expression. He chose not to respond. It was difficult enough to keep up with the girl without the distractions.
"Could she walk any faster?" Ed stumbled over a stray branch and fell face first into some moss. This continued for about fifteen minutes. Ed was really regretting his chosen path. He was panting and covered in scratches. His clothing had suffered too. He was taking a short break to catch his breath and looked over to Kaia. She was gone.
"Damn it! Where'd she go?" Ed was practically foaming at the mouth. This girl was really starting to get on his bad side. He looked around frantically, but his panic was short-lived. She was crossing the street right beside him, heading towards what appeared to be a no-build zone covered in trees. Unfortunately there was no cover to cross the street, so he was forced to wait for her to disappear and hope that he would be able to find her again.
He was finally able to move and dashed across the street after hopping the fence. Out of the corner of his eye he saw several people giving him strange looks. He couldn't really blame them. His clothes were all ripped up, his auto-mail was visible through the gaps, and he had twigs and leaves stuck in his hair. He ducked into the trees and resumed his search. It wasn't difficult. Kaia had started singing some unfamiliar song in a different language that Ed didn't recognize. He let out a sigh of relief. Mustang would have given him a major lecture if he lost her now. He obviously didn't know that Kaia had made it so he could find her. She was waiting for the right place to confront her new friend. He had to be taught not to screw around with her head.
They continued through the trees with Ed thinking he was staying out of sight and Kaia taking a winding route as to thoroughly confuse him. She couldn't have him escaping on her. Her plan was working and Ed had lost track of where they were going. He hoped she knew where to go because otherwise he would just have to wander until he found an exit.
She stopped suddenly. Ed nearly tripped over a tree root, but corrected himself. Kaia started walking towards him and he panicked. There was nowhere he could go without her noticing, so he settled for scuttling up into the leaves of the nearest tree. She dropped her bag not two feet from where he had been moments before. Ed pulled himself further out onto a branch. Kaia turned and strode back into a small clearing that Ed had failed to notice they had almost entered. If she hadn't stopped, Ed would've strolled right after her and been left without cover.
'I've gotten sloppy. Oh well, this will all be over by tomorrow.' He shifted his weight on the branch. Down below Kaia had tied her hair into a ponytail and had moved into the center of the gap. She inhaled audibly and settled into an unfamiliar stance. Ed identified the goals as a low center of gravity, good balance, and easy maneuverability. She performed a series of quick punches and a swipe with her leg which could easily knock someone's head off their shoulders. She had perfect form, just like he had seen in the picture. She moved lightly on the pads of her feet, exercising a series of dodges. She exhaled and returned to her original stance. She brought her hands to her chest and closed her eyes.
A few moments passed and Ed counted his breaths. Then Kaia attacked. Her eyes flashed open as she started a mock battle. She attacked and defended as though she were facing a real opponent. Some of her moves were expected, but most were of a style Ed had never seen before. He checked the file. It didn't have any information on who had taught her. Could she have made it up on her own? That couldn't be. It looked too refined. Her span widened to include multiple enemies. Ed continued watching, transfixed by the fluid movements. Her hair rippled in the sun. What time was it anyhow? According to the information they had gathered, students at her school were guaranteed at least two hours of homework per night. He had no idea if his watch was set to the time here, or if this dimension even used the same time system as Amestris. Ed heard her exhale. She returned to the beginning stance once more, and relaxed. Her posture returned to normal. Normal for her at least. She held herself high and lifted her shoulders. Ed wasn't sure how she kept it that way all the time.
"Now," Kaia said without turning around. "I hope you liked my demonstration. Get out of the tree. I have no intention of putting off our meeting any longer. Tell me why you have invaded my mind, and about these images I see. I'm waiting."
Ed froze. No way. There had been no sign that she had detected him. There was no way she could have seen him. He decided to act as though he wasn't there.
"I'm getting impatient." She didn't face him. "You have three seconds before I force you down." Ed continued to act like air.
"Three… Two… One… Zero."
Instantly there were three weighted knives in her hand. How did she even have those? She was a poor orphan brat. As quickly as they had come they disappeared from her hand. One appeared above Ed's head and one to either side. The effort of dodging all three made Ed loose his balance and topple to the ground.
Kaia turned to look directly at him as he lay in a heap at her feet.
"Hello," she said simply.
Things are finally speeding up. To those reading this thanks for hanging in. Ed's looking like a real mess now. Sucks to be him.
Ed: It's not my fault…
I know it's not.
Mustang: Whose fault is it if it's not because of the pipsqueak?
Ed: DON'T CALL ME SMALL!
Kaia: Guilty.
She's just too smart for him and 'stealth's not really his style.'
Ed: Leave me alone…
Al: Review so the authoress has something to do other than torment Ed.
