Song of the Alchemist
A Fullmetal Alchemist/Scrapped Princess crossover fanfic

Disclaimer: I do not have the pleasure of owning Scrapped Princess or Fullmetal Alchemist. This is mearly a "what if" situation, written for entertainment purposes (mainly my own), and if you think otherwise, perhaps you shouldn't be reading this story at all.

Chapter 3: Explainations and Lies

Have I said how much I hated trains? They are literally, a pain in my ass. Sitting on one of those for more then and hour is equal to sitting on a rock for two. Lets not even take into account the number of times I've been on one when some idiot tried to hijack it. Still though, when given the option between that and walking, I'd choose that any day, hands down.

"Brother!" yelled a voice from across Central's train station. Alphonse swept me up in his arms, giving me a bone breaking hug.

"Can't....breath....Al..." I managed to gasp.

"Oh, right." He put me down.

"Why did you meet me here? I'm just going to go back to Headquarters."

"Oh, um...I'm actually here with someone Brother."

I took two steps and quickly understood who. Towering over all of the heads in the station and even giving Al's height a run for it's money, stood Major Armstrong. I groaned loudly.

"Why is he here?"

"Colonel Mustang sent him. He said he wanted to make sure you came right to headquarters."

"Edward Elric!"

I cringed and fought the urge to hide behind Al. Seconds later, however, another set of arms swept me up in a bear hug.

"My ribs...." I hissed.

"It is good to see you! It's been far too long!"

Not long enough, actually.

"You didn't need to come here, Major," I told him as politely as I could.

"It's quite alright," he said. "The Colonel said he wanted a uniformed officer down here to pick you up and I promptly volunteered."

"I'm sure you did. Let's go Al."

"Good to see you Fullmetal. It's been a while."

I scowled at Mustang but didn't say anything.

"Did you have a nice trip?"

"Peachy."

"Tsk tsk tsk Fullmetal. Keep that up and I might make you go back. You're report?"

I tossed my report on his desk. It had been written on the train. He glanced at it without picking it up and looked back at me.

"You should take penmanship lessons," he said with a smirk.

"You should take basic work lessons," I retorted, looking at the tall pile of paperwork on his desk. "I thought Al said he was helping you?"

"Alphonse was actually quite helpful," 1st Lt. Hawkeye said. "He worked all through the night organizing the filing room."

"Yeah," 2nd Lt. Havoc said as he walked in with a new stack of papers. He happily placed them on Mustang's desk. "Al found loads of papers Mustang hadn't filled out or signed yet."

"Get out of here, Havoc," Mustang growled.

"Sorry Sir," he said as he left, though he didn't sound sorry at all.

Mustang picked up the report and shifted his eyes over it, getting a better look. "'So much wood that if the town flooded it'd all float away'?" He quoted. I nodded. "What's that supposed to mean?"

That somewhere, a forest was crying from all of the wood it had lost. "I had more metal on myself then the entire town had in use. Honestly Mustang. You couldn't have sent me to a more ridiculous place. It's like this place was back in time or something. You never really did tell me why exactly I was there. That report is just my general observations."

He skimmed the report some more and nodded. "Yeah, that's all I sent you there for."

"Sight seeing?!" I asked, a little miffed that that was actually the reason. "I have more important things to do then look at your little towns." I held up my right arms and slammed my left foot onto his desk, lifting up my pant leg in the process. "Incase you haven't noticed, mine and Al's bodies are still messed up."

Mustang looked at my leg and raised an eyebrow. "Try to look like you are in the military Edward."

I yanked my foot back and folded my arms. "Are we done? I need to see my mechanic."

"Problem with your automail?"

"Yes. There's too much dirt caked in it from that little excursion you sent me on."

"Go ahead."

Happily, I walked toward the door.

"Oh, and Fullmetal?"

Scowling, I turned around. "What?"

"Keep an eye out for those travelers." He watched me for my reaction, and added, "personally, I'd like to meet them myself. I'm told one wields magic."

I raised an eyebrow. "You're an alchemist Colonel. I wouldn't think you'd believe in things like magic." Hell, I wouldn't have if I hadn't seen Raquel use it with my own eyes.

Mustang continued to watch me for a while, then dismissed me.

The next day, I was on my way to Resembool.

"Why are we going back Brother?" Al asked on the train. "You're automail looks fine."

"Don't you want to visit Al? We haven't been there in a while."

"Of course! I just don't see why you suddenly want to go. Usually you have Winry come to us."

"It's easier that way," I told him, wishing the conversation would end. I wanted to tell him about the Casulls, but on this crowded train that wasn't an option.

"Look Al," I said once the train had made a stop, and half of the passengers were gone, "there are going to be some people that are staying with Granny and Winry." Hopefully anyway. Assuming Teacher didn't kill Pacifica, which I could totally see happening.

"Who?" It was clear that Al thought it was somebody we'd know.

I checked around the train, making sure the Colonel hadn't sent anyone trailing me. "Their names are Shannon, Raquel and Pacifica Casull. Their visiting from another country."

Al nodded. "Okay. Why are you acting like it's a big secret?" He looked at my hunched over state.

I sat back up. "You remember those travelers Mustang kept warning me about?"

"The ones the military are looking for, right?" He gasped, understanding. "Brother you didn't!"

I rolled my eyes, ready for the lecture I was sure would come.

"Ed, we can't harbor fugitives!"

"They haven't done anything wrong Al," I tried to explain. "They're victims of circumstance."

Al leaned forward then, and folded his hands on his lap. "So what are they wanted for?"

"There's this story of the Scrapped Princess in their country. Says that when the queen gives birth to twins, the girl needed to be killed. Supposedly, she's supposed to bring all this death and destruction."

"That's ridiculous. People can't know that when you're born."

"I know that and you know that, but the people of that country don't think so. They took it to heart, and want this girl, Pacifica dead. They all think she's this Scrapped Princess."

"But, Brother, what if they're right?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Self-fulfilling prophecy. If she's told she'll bring death and destruction her entire life, wouldn't she start to?"

I thought for a moment. The Casull's had been quiet about what they had been through before coming to Amistris. For all I knew, Shannon could have taken out an entire army. But Pacifica? I shook my head of my thoughts and replied, "Pacifica isn't like that at all. You'll see when you meet her, she doesn't have it in her to hurt anyone."

"Hey Granny Pinako!" I called once we neared the house. "We're back!"

Winry suddenly appeared at a window, and vanished just as quickly. Seconds later, she sprinted from the house and ran up to me, dropped down to her knees and hiked up my left pants leg. I blushed slightly (don't tell Al) and yanked my foot away, to which she grabbed my right hand and pulled back the sleeve.

"Why are you here?" she asked once she had made sure both my arm and leg were still there.

"Can't we visit?" I asked, sure she would see through the lie.

She eyed me, and I was certain she would catch on, but instead she turned back toward the house and led us in.

"Edward," Granny greeted from the table. She had scraps of metal laying around her; pieces of some automail limb she was trying to repair. "Alphonse."

"Hey Granny! Hi Winry! Din!" Al greeted, walking over to their dog, Din in the corner. A clang echoed through Al's armor as Din leapt up on him, his automail leg hitting Al's hollow one.

I sat down at the table. "Granny, did Teacher come here?"

Winry grabbed my right arm and tugged it to her as she sat down at the table beside me. She began giving my automail a look-over.

Pinako nodded. "Yes, came with visitors too."

"Oh! Good! Where are they?" I looked around the house, hoping she had let them stay there.

"Last I talked to Izumi, she was making them stay at the inn in town."

I tried not to laugh. That inn was so small, there was no way it would please Pacifica. I had hoped Granny would let them stay with her (it was where Al and myself had always stayed while we were here), but it didn't surprise me that Izumi had forced them into the inn.

"Come on Al," I said, starting to stand up. "I need to go speak with them."

"Can I come?" Winry asked as she yanked my arm back, forcing me to sit.

"That's not such a good idea yet," I told her. Now that I thought about it, the less people that come in contact with them, the less there is for the military to interrogate.

Winry stopped looking at my arm and glared at me. "What kind of things are you guys getting mixed up in now?"

I didn't answer, but instead pulled my arm away and stood.

"You boys going to be here for dinner?" Pinako asked as Al followed me toward the door.

"I'm not sure," I answered honestly. Who knew where this was going to lead? Mustang obviously suspected me, so I wouldn't put it past him to send somebody to tail me. It was best to move the Casulls' onto the next town as soon as possible. "Probably not?" I guessed.

I walked out the door and made it a few feet off the porch when a metal object connected hard against the back of my head.

"Brother!" Al called, crouching down to where I now lay on the ground. Stars swam hurriedly in front of my eyes, making me dizzy. Despite that though, I leapt to my feet and spun around, desperate to see the culprit.

"Winry! What the hell was that for?!"

Winry stomped purposefully to me with a determined look on her face. Instinctively, I backed away at seeing another wrench in her hand.

"You boys never tell me anything," she mumbled as she walked up and grabbed my metal hand. Despite having no real feeling in that hand, I felt heat surge up from her fingers. "Give me your arm," she ordered.

"I--wha?"

She started to pull off my jacket. "Your arm. I need to make some adjustments."

"And how long with that take?" I asked, thinking of the Casulls.

"Who do you take me for?" she asked, regaining her former attitude. "It'll be done tonight."

I sighed. "Just in time for dinner?"

A smile swept across her face. "That's right! And your guests are more then welcome to join us."

"Winry, I don't exactly have the time--"

"It's settled then!" She yanked my jacket off then, and started unscrewing the outer plate away from my arm.

"Winry! Hey!" I wanted to fight, or pull away, but in our current positions, I would end up breaking some of the wiring in my arm. That wouldn't be good.

Finally she broke away, my arm in her hands. She looked down at my leg.

"No," I told her, knowing what she was about to ask. "My leg is fine. Promise."

She looked back up at me, as if contemplating weather or not she wanted to attack me to get to my leg. Thankfully, she thought better of it, and turned back towards the house.

"See you tonight!" she called back.

Dammit. Now I'm going to have to explain to the Casulls' just why I'm missing an arm.

"Come on Al," I told him as we started to walk towards the small town.

A/N: Please excuse the lack of recaps at the begining of each chapter. As I mentioned before, the story is finsished, I'm just breaking it up into chapters because it's easier to find your place in something that is not a "read-in-one-day" kind of story. And, since I'm updating this with two chapters a week, I didn't think recaps were really nescessary. R&R please!
~*Figurine889