Magik
AN: Drabble number two – this time, it's Izumi. For anyone who knows about tarot cards – yes, I'm aware that 'I – The Magician' is a deeply masculine card, but Izumi fits.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist or any of the characters associated with it. They all belong to Ms. Hiromu Arakawa.
I – The Magician
Izumi Curtis
I never thought I was a magician. I never felt like I could do things others couldn't.
But I can.
Alchemists are funny people. Some of them think they're far superior to others, merely because they have the ability to rearrange a few atoms and molecules. And others, like me, can even feel like we're below normal people, because alchemy transforms us.
I'm not a magician. I'm a human. A human who has done terrible things with the help of my 'magic'.
Alchemy isn't magic. Most people don't seem to realize that. It's not that you can make something out of nothing. Alchemy has been compared to art, magic and science, but it most resembles science. It is a precise art, and you need to know what you are doing before you begin to transmute any substance.
Common people don't understand that. They see a performing alchemist, and all they realize is that some people can draw a circle, some squiggles and 'magically' make something appear inside the circle. I've known many cheap alchemists who desecrate their honor and perform as street magicians to earn easy money.
We're not magicians, though. We should stop pretending we are. We're not sorcerers, or witches, or anything. Come up with any other name you like, but in the end, it is the single word that describes us – al-che-mist.
Many children in the town of Dublith come to me to have their numerous broken things fixed. A cracked figurine – a torn doll – a mangled toy train wheel. They're always disappointed when I use common household tools to fix their things. They always ask me why I don't just clap my hands together and fix it.
And I tell them the same thing every time. You can't always rely on alchemy.
I know my history. I know that many years ago, during the beginning of Amestrian history, a man came to us from the great desert in the east. He taught us the basics of alchemy. What most people don't seem to realize is that this means there was a time we humans did not know the science of alchemy.
There may be a time again when we will not be able to depend on alchemy to solve everything for us. Because I am prepared for that eventuality, I use my hands as often as possible – to mend, to heal, to comfort.
It's amazing what a pair of hands can do. Much more than any magic wand.
AN: 413 words. Much shorter than the previous one. I can't write Izumi, either. Sigh.