Chapter 4: The Water Alchemist
"Just draw a circle," Ed explained pressing a stick into the ground making a perfectly round circle in front of my feet. "It's easy!"
I tried again and gave a groan of frustration as I shoved my stick into the ground but only managed to make a half-oval half-circle shape. "I can't do it," I said, chucking my stick away. I still couldn't see how Edward was so happy when he'd burned his own house down the day before. At least I hadn't gone with him… But how was he so happy? In the anime I always thought he was depressed about it for weeks. Or maybe that was just Winry's reaction.
"Oh, come on! You can't draw a circle?" he laughed. I tried not to blush too much as I came back from my thoughts.
"It's not drawing a circle that's the problem," I said. "It's drawing a perfect circle. How do you guys do that?" I asked incredulously. (I had always wondered how they did that.)
"We don't draw 'perfect' circles. We just draw goddamn circles!"
"That is not true! You and Al are always able to draw a perfect circle no matter what! Even when you—" I stopped myself before I said something stupid, knowing what I was thinking.
"Even when I what?" Ed asked not seeming at all skeptical but I was panicked.
"Uh…"
"And besides, how would you know? You've only been here for two days—now almost three."
"Um… well, I… it's just what I assumed. From what I picked up off of your pulse with my Qi, I mean," I added, lying deeply. Ed scoffed.
"Look," he started. "I know you're hiding something, and I'd ask you what but I know there are some things in their life that people don't like to talk about." He paused for a moment, stopping himself from gripping his automail. "So I get that part."
He paused again as if waiting for me to scream, "No you don't! You don't know what it's like!" like everyone always did at him—or in any other story—but I remained silent. I wanted more than anything to tell him I knew about what he'd done and I didn't care. I was here to help him. But then that would give me away and what would I say when he asked me how I knew about him? I couldn't think about this much longer though, because then Ed continued my lesson.
"So, however you know so much about alchemy, this country, and somehow you know about… me and Al so much, I don't care." I stared inquiringly at him.
"Did Alphonse say anything to you?"
"Well, no. But I know that you said something," he said. I now felt surprisingly pretty calm and stable talking around everyone from this world, though I still didn't want to talk about… that.
"Anyways, how about I just get you a glove or something you can wear so you don't have to draw a circle?" he asked.
"But it's not like I'm going to become a State Alchemist or—" Ed interrupted me.
"Why not? And besides no one said anything about becoming a State Alchemist. Just an Alchemist, that's all."
I noticed he said, "That's all" as if it were so… casual. But to me, it was so alien…
"That's true…" I said vaguely. "But if I'm not going to use my alchemy—if I can even preform it—to serve this country, then what would I do with my ability?" I asked even though I knew that all of the State Alchemists were just pawns for the homunculi. (But Ed didn't even know that yet, so sorry for spoiling it for those of you who haven't watched it.)
"Well I don't know, but you should at least try!" Ed said.
"Okay… after the circle, then what?" I asked.
"Well you still haven't drawn a circle. I'll just draw it for you." He outstretched right in front of me, his back was right against my face. As he drew his 'perfect' circles—one inside the other—I got a whiff of his shirt. Hearing me inhale Ed withdrew after drawing his circle, looking at me strangely.
"Di… did you just sniff me?" he asked. Even I didn't know why I did it…
"Yes…" I answered slowly, not knowing what else to say.
"…Why?" he finally asked as I was thankful there was no one else around to hear or see us.
"I… I don't know…" I responded shrugging my shoulders, trying to keep a straight face but let slip one chortle. Ed still stared. All of a sudden Ed's face twisted into a smile, and he started chuckling with his hands clasped over his mouth. Then he broke into a solid laugh and bent over with his hands on his knees gasping for breath. I couldn't help myself; I snickered too and I started laughing so hard my stomach hurt. I panted with pain, but couldn't catch my breath, so just laughed even harder. By this point, Ed was already on the ground and I followed right next to him.
Once all of the afterward giggles were over, Ed turned on his side to face me next to him on the ground.
"That's the hardest I've laughed in a long time," Ed told me still chuckling. I blushed, but Ed must have seen me and he stopped the giggles at once. I felt saddened by this but tried not to show it in my face. Ed stood back up and cleared his throat.
"W-we should continue. Otherwise you'll never learn alchemy," Ed said as he extended his hand down to me. I tried not to think about taking it too long and grabbed the metal fingers rather hard as he helped me up. I let go immediately after I caught my balance to ensure I wasn't acting strangely while Ed cleared his throat again.
"Anyways, this is how you draw the runes in the circle," he resumed drawing two squares into one of the many example circles he had drawn for demonstration earlier. I copied easily once he handed me the stick.
"And now, all you have to do is think of what you want to make in your mind, put your hands to the circle, and make it," he said as he clapped his hands together and pressed them to the ground. A blue light emitted, and the ground was bent into the shape of a flashy throne. "Well, you won't be able to do that on your first try, but you get what I mean," he said eyeing the tall chair with admiration for his own taste in style. I snickered a little at the sight of it. I always knew Ed liked making showy designs for his transmutations.
"So, most soil is comprised of inorganic compounds of Silicon, Oxygen, Potassium, Aluminum, Sodium, Calcium, Magnesium, Iron, Phosphorus, and Carbon with a small percentage of organic compounds of Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Sulfur," Ed told me. I barely caught what he was saying. "All you have to do is think 'comprehension', 'deconstruction', and 'reconstruction', and then you should have whatever it is you are trying to make. Let's start with something simple, like… the shape of a pen or something else small."
I blinked. "What?" I croaked.
"What?" Ed repeated. "Don't you know what elements are?"
"Yes, I know what elements are but I just don't know and remember everything about all 118 of them," I said breathlessly.
Giving me a look of confusion Ed asked, "There aren't 118 elements—that are known, anyway. There are only 74." Suddenly I remembered this was Amestris, not Earth—though I don't see how I forgot.
"But I do suspect there are many more than those we've recorded, and your guess sounds about right. Though I don't see how you could guess so close to the right number if you don't even know that much about the Periodic Table," he said with his arms crossed and eyes closed. "That has something to do with your secret, doesn't it?" he asked, arms still crossed across his white shirt.
I didn't want to lie any more than I had to. "Yeah," I whispered looking away.
"Well, it doesn't really matter how you know so much about everything it seems—except for drawing a circle and what elements are. I'm just here to teach you alchemy. If you want, that is."
"Of course I want to!" I sputtered a little loudly.
"Well, do you know what Silicon, Oxygen, Potass—?"
"I kind of know what they are, but not really…"
"I'm not sure myself how to explain what they are… Let's just say bottom line they are solids that make up soil. Now try transmuting something!" Ed urged impatiently.
I took a deep breath and told myself that even if I didn't succeed it didn't matter, especially from the very little information I was going on. I stood straight, knelt down to the circle and slammed my hands on it. Thinking of all of the elements the dirt under my palms was made of though I couldn't quite remember all of them. I thought about how to strip down every little element, every little particle, and bend it to the shape of a solid rock rod—I wasn't going to try to make anything, really, the FIRST time. I closed my eyes. When I peeked back through them, nothing had changed. I sighed.
'I knew I couldn't do it,' I thought. 'I need more experience. This isn't something people usually learn like the piano.'
"Here, just try again," Ed said, though not really comforting my failure. I gave him a reproachful look as though saying, "Don't encourage me if it isn't going to work!" and he answered, "Look, NO ONE gets it the first time. Just try again."
I gave the ground a determined stare and pushed my palms back there once more, this time watching the ground with my eyes open as I thought of all the elements that made up dirt.
It was like it was all animated before me. Blue lightning rods danced in front of me for a moment and the ground coughed out a rocky rod with a point on one end like a knife. I watched it. It was… real! I slowly took my hands off of the circle and touched the knife. It was solid! Though it did have many rough edges, I didn't care. I was real, it was sitting right in front of me, and I made it! That's all that mattered.
"Wow." Ed tried to suppress a smile. "That's pretty good," he said reaching for the rocky knife in my hands. He bent it with his metal hand and with little trouble it snapped right in half. I chocked on my own words of anger and distress.
"What are you doing?" I wanted to yell, though I knew.
"You just need to make your transmutations more compact with themselves. The matter is too loose, so it can therefore break and bend really easily," he explained.
"Yeah, I thought so," I said.
"Well, here, I'll help you." He moved behind me to get to some soil we hadn't touched yet. I couldn't help but smile to myself as I heard him say those words.
'I'll help you'… No one had ever said that to me before in my life…
'That girl is pretty good at alchemy…' Ed thought to himself on the train. She was sitting right next to him. 'It's only been a month and she's already better than most other Alchemists I know besides Al…' He glanced over to her sleeping body, yawning himself.
'Maybe she could become a State Alchemist…'
Ed wondered. He never thought a foreigner who had never tried alchemy before could be so devoted to an art that she had never seen and maybe even possibly become a State Alchemist. He only told her that at first to make her feel good—though he didn't even know why—but now… she may actually have a chance.
The three of them were a strange sight to see; people stared as they passed by their car. The suit of armor who never needed food or sleep, and the short kid who wore a red coat to match his huge temper sat there in the train car. Except, unusually, he wasn't sitting alone. There was a girl his age sleeping soundly right next to him. Her eyes were hidden under her long blonde hair and her clothes looked very high-end, yet casual enough to be traveling in one of the normal train cars. She slept better than anyone Ed had ever seen but wasn't at all like anyone he'd ever known.
She whispered something to herself in her sleep as she held her new silvery-white gloves which had blue alchemic symbols inscribed into them. They helped her preform the type of alchemy she was best at. Ed couldn't quite make out what she said, but then he heard her whisper what sounded like the same thing she had before. "No, Ed…"
Surprised, Edward looked over to Alphonse to see if he had any idea why she did such a thing but his brother was staring out the window lost in thought, paying no mind to anything that was going on around him.
Finally Ed asked, "Hey Al, did you hear what she said?" Alphonse turned with a start and shook his head. "She whispered my name…" Ed told him.
"No she didn't. You're just imagining things, brother," Al whispered. "And talk quieter, Nayru's sleeping," he said watching Ed.
"Well, she did, though you don't have to believe me," Ed informed, turning his back to both of theirs and crossing his arms like always.
"Her name is Nayru, brother," Al said a little annoyed, though Nayru herself had never said anything about it. "You should start calling her by it." Ed never called her by her 'name'.
"I know," Ed said. "But I don't like calling her that."
"Why not? That's her name, isn't it?"
"I wouldn't be so sure," Ed said, still staring into the train's halls as the busy people passed by.
"What do you mean? She isn't telling us her real name?"
"Well, maybe not." Ed twisted his whole body to face Nayru, and Al turned back to the blackness of night on the other side of the window. Ed looked past her sleeping figure to the window and saw a couple twinkling city lights in the distance. They were from East City. They were close. But then Ed noticed that the lights were already going off and dawn was arising.
'Is it really that late…?' Ed asked himself and before he could think about anything for long, he drifted off to sleep.
I wasn't allowed in the room while other Alchemists were testing, none were, but I knew Ed would pass with points to spare. As for me, however, I had no idea. Would I pass? Would I get to become a State Alchemist? I just had no idea.
I paced back and forth as I heard gasps in the arena. What if I didn't pass? Then would I be stuck with the giant suit of armor all day while Ed got to go murder people? …Well, aside from that part I'd much rather be stuck with Ed.
I went through my routine one last time in my head as Ed came through the grand door leading to the arena with a bewildered look which made me feel even more nervous. "The—the Führer cut my spear in half," Ed complained. "I didn't even see him swipe or draw his sword and he cut my spear in half!"
I turned white. I had totally forgotten about that part. The Führer was Wrath, but no one except his son, Pride, and the other homunculi knew that. Then I also remembered after slicing Ed's spear in half he walked off in the other direction laughing quietly to himself. So didn't have to worry about him slicing me to pieces as I tested.
"You are next, Miss," A guard announced after pushing the giant wood door open. He gave Ed a suspicious look for his performance as I pulled on my fingerless gloves and headed through the door shaking horribly. My legs nearly gave in under me as I marched as briskly as I could to the center of the testing arena.
'It's just like a piano recital,' I told myself. 'Just you are being tested, that's all. And there's a winner, and—' I decided to stop there before I made myself even more nervous than I already was.
"Another 12-year-old?" I heard someone enquire. I forced all the nerve out of me at once and stopped shaking as I realized I knew that voice. I quickly glanced up to the balcony above me and saw Colonel Mustang sitting, arms crossed, staring down on me with dismay. He never did really like children much, especially when they were trying to get into the military. Though he was considered young himself by many of his superiors.
I hadn't seen him earlier in front of East HQ as Ed had this morning while I was snoozing, so he had no idea who I was or what I was doing here.
I cleared my throat and once given the word clapped my hands together. A bluish-greenish light appeared in between. I took water particles around my hands out of the air and made them circle all around me. I clapped my hands again and pressed them to the floor to make a large basin. Once I directed all of the H2O into it, none of the water sparkles touching me the whole time, I stood panting nervously like an idiot. Some nodded in approval, but most just observed. Their eyes told me, "Nice, but nothing new there…" I bowed to them, and left without a word.
As soon as I came back into the hall and the next Alchemist—who also looked very young, in his 20's, probably—went in I slumped on the wall still panting. I slipped off my half-fingered gloves and folded them so the blue symbols on the back of the hands weren't facing each other. I gripped them hard. After staring at my hands for a long time I finally got to my feet and walked over to the waiting area just as the other Alchemist who went in after me came out. Some of them looked even more exhausted than me.
"How did you do?" I was surprised Ed was asking this question—not Al—but answered immediately all the same.
"I sucked," I said plainly, sitting next to him. And then realizing where I had sat down without even noticing. I scooted somewhat the opposite way, though I wanted to sit next him. Ed didn't even seem to notice but I turned a little red anyways.
"Why do you say that?" he snorted.
"Well no one said anything once I was done, so…" Though I wanted to add, "And compared to you I don't see why anyone would say anything after that lame performance," but bit my tongue as always.
"I'm sure the military won't let a talented young Alchemist like you slip right past their fingers so easily," Ed said making me feel a lot better, and as always, I blushed so red I'm sure I saw some of the other Alchemists were watching me. Thankfully for me, Ed didn't see—again.
"Well?" Al asked as Ed came out of Colonel Mustang's office.
"'Well' what, Al?" Ed asked him holding a piece of paper in one of his hands. "Obviously I got in if I was summoned to the Colonel's office!" Ed crowed. Though I failed the test I couldn't help but feel happy that Edward got in. Even when I knew it was coming.
Ed could still see a sad look on my face. Giving me a sympathetic look he wondered to himself how he ever thought she could actually have gotten in when she was against an Alchemist who didn't even need a transmutation circle to transmute.
'I wish I could transmute without a transmutation circle too…' I thought, though I knew it was a foolish thing to think. 'I wish I could transmute without a transmutation circle, so I could also be a State Alchemist.' Now I'd just be stuck with Al most of the time—the giant hunk of metal who could show no emotions (my sincere apologies to Alphonse Elric)—most of my day, never doing anything exciting. I sighed.
"Congratulations," I commended, reaching my hand to Ed.
Ed stared at it, wondering why I was being so formal but took it anyways. Feeling a sudden urge of guilt, pity, and understanding, Edward turned straight around and strolled right back into the Colonel's office.
"Nayru,"—that was the first time I ever heard Ed speak my 'name'—"follow me." He beckoned his hand. I did so without hesitation.
"Back again already, are we?" Mustang asked when saw me and raised his eyebrows.
'He sounds like Truth when Ed returns to the portal to exchange his arm…' I thought, giggling madly to myself in my head.
"What's this?" Mustang inquired. "The other young Alchemist?" He stared at me, but with bored eyes. Seeing the look on Ed's determined face, he leaned his chin on his hand and groaned. "Don't tell me you want her to become a State Alchemist too or you aren't going to join. Besides, I thought you'd try to make that engineering-otaku friend of yours one instead not… who is she anyway?"
"I'd do nothing of the sort. I know the only way to be a State Alchemist is to successfully pass the exam," Ed said. I still no idea what he was thinking.
"Then what do you want?" asked Mustang impatiently.
"Well, I was thinking of getting an assistant but they'd have to be, urk, small and nimble—small and nimble,"—Ed emphasized the 'and' to ensure no one was just paying attention to the 'small' part—"—like me to be able to help me with whatever I need. Unlike my brother, he's kind of… big to be my personal assistant and much too clammy. Not to mention he would draw way too much attention on a stealth mission." Edward watched Mustang's face with his arms crossed.
He was unmoved, but said, "Go on."
"Alright, I'm just going to ask. Can she be my assistant?" I didn't think I heard right. Waiting for Mustang to answer a totally different question I stood quietly, so did the others.
Mustang sat back up, took a deep breath, and muttered, "I don't see why not," as he slid open a drawer in his desk and took out a pen reaching for Ed's certificate. I wasn't so sure this wasn't a dream anymore. Why would Ed do this for me? He wasn't that nice! …So why me?
Mustang scribbled something on the thin paper and handed it back to Ed, who handed it to me.
I read right under the Führer's signature. "…and to be accompanied by his assistant Alchemist, The Water Alchemist."
