Kairi: Heehee, it's been awhile ya? Sorry about that. I've got so many things I want to do but never enough time to do everything. But I wrote two chapters now and decided to combine it all into one big chapter here. By this point, you might have figured where we are in the anime. If so, no one's told me yet. I claimed the reward of imaginary cookies all for myself. Well I suppose I should warn all you readers that this isn't like a lot of other fanfics out there. It will closely follow the plot line of the anime, close enough I occasionally borrow quotes but remember nothing really belongs to either Kara or I except for the Hitames themselves which are mine. So you find paragraphs of stuff going on but no real details or specific lines of dialog it's because I'm assuming, since you're reading a fanfiction, that you've seen the anime and kinda know what's going on. Wow.... that's a lot of talking. Okay, well, I'm done. Here's another chapter for our loyal readers out there.... I wonder how many that is...?
Kara: Like she said, sorry for the late update….so much to do, so little time!
Ch.6
Kara had finally caught up to her sister Kairi in the small, old time, European fashioned village where Dr. Morrow was said to live. The two Hitame sisters had just met the Elric brothers and agreed to look out for military persons.
Stopped at the town square, Kairi was scanning the people wandering through with a concentrated look on her face. When Kara saw her sister, she laughed. "Kairi, what are you doing?" She asked, amused.
"Looking for the military. Maybe not all of them wear the blue uniform like Mr. Armstrong. Edward wasn't," came Kairi's distracted reply.
Her sister's seriousness had once again surprised Kara and she stopped laughing. But she soon recovered. "Well, if you want to stay here, I'll go wander the town Kairi," she offered.
Kairi replied with a nod and said, "Sure, sounds good."
The two sisters had kept lookout for about 20 minutes before Kara spotted a stern looking uniformed man talking to some villagers. As she passed by unnoticeably, she heard the man asking about Ed, Al, and Marcoh. After she turned the corner, she ran to her sister in the town square.
"Kairi!" She yelled out. Kairi turned to her sister who was rapidly approaching.
Upon reaching Kairi, Kara gasped for air, trying to catch her breath.
"Are you alright Kara?" asked Kairi.
Nodding, Kara replied, "Yes but... there's someone... looking.... for them."
"State Alchemists?" Kairi questioned and Kara nodded. "Then let's go! We gotta tell Edward!" Kairi said before taking off toward Marcoh's. Groaning, Kara chased her sister.
When they reached the doctor's residence, Kairi pounded on the door and yelled, "Edward! Alphonse! Let us in!" Her sister Kara stood beside her trying to catch her breath again.
Alphonse opened the door a moment later and the girls rushed inside before quickly shutting the door. Edward was seated at a table across from a troubled looking middle aged man. "Dr. Marcoh?" Kara asked.
"I am, but who are you girls?" The man replied.
"That's not important right now," Both Edward and Kairi replied. Then, struck by a thought, Ed ran over to the wall and clapped his hands..
"Brother, what are you doing?" Al asked.
"Guesswork," replied Ed as he placed his hands on the wall to make it flash and open, revealing a hidden stash of tiny bottles filled with red water.
"Don't need a circle?" Marcoh marveled while Kara and Kairi watched confused.
"More Alchemy?" Kara wondered softly.
"Must be," her sister replied. "Is that what you were looking for Edward?"
But she was ignored as Alphonse lifted Edward away from the wall and Marcoh rushed to stop Ed as well.
Edward protested and dropped the tiny bottle he held. As the bottle broke, the liquid crystalized into a stone. Al dropped Ed and they mentioned something about a priest. Kairi wondered at it, but Kara elbowed her and whispered harshly, "Kairi, the military."
"Oh! Right. Ed, we think the military is coming." No sooner than the words left Kairi's mouth, the military indeed burst through the front door. And the stern looking man Kara saw earlier came in and started rattling off a bunch of names for a stone.
"Brig- Brigadier Gran," Ed stuttered.
As everyone's attention was on everyone else, Kairi pulled at her sister, "Come on, let's go before they notice us Kara," She whispered.
So they slipped out the door and snuck into the gathering crowd to see who came out first. A couple minutes later, Marcoh was dragged out of the house pleading not to go back to the military. He exclaimed that his hands were already stained and pleaded some more.
Ed and Al just watched from the doorway. The military men forced Marcoh into the vehicle and when Gran entered, they started to drive off.
Edward took off after the car and Kairi, then Kara and Alphonse gave chase as well. But the car didn't get very far into town when it suddenly stopped with a white haired young man with a cross shaped scar blocking the way of the vehicle. The strange man placed his hand on the vehicle and there was a large cloud of smoke. Edward, Al, Kairi, and Kara all stopped, wondering as the smoke gradually cleared.
After some brief dialog between Gran and the strange man, the man grabbed Gran's face and then Gran's brain exploded from the inside. While Ed and Kairi stood scared stiff, Kara fell, weak kneed by the display. After Gran dropped, Scar turned to Marcoh. "Crystal Alchemist Doctor Marcoh, I heard you were dead," he said before he continued, "I'll have to take special care... to wash you out of this world for your transgressions." Then, Scar approached Marcoh who was kneeling in the road. Marcoh put up no resistance.
As Scar reached for Marcoh, Kairi suddenly screamed, "NOOOOO!!" That seemed to jolt Edward who rushed forward and grabbed Marcoh to run away. Scar soon followed them.
Standing up, Kara yelled at her sister, "Kairi, we've got to get help!" before running off. Kairi shook herself out of shock and ran off as well. She soon found Mr. Armstrong and briefed him on the situation. Then he ran to help the Elrics.
About 30 minutes later, Kara was standing on a raised level of the city overlooking one of the underground tunnels exits to the countryside. Suddenly, Ed, Al, and Marcoh burst out of the tunnel and stopped under some trees to catch their breath. She saw them talking, apparently about the stone from earlier but she was too far to hear anything.
After a couple of minutes, Alphonse turned and spotted Kara. He waved and she returned the wave before running off to find Kairi, so they could leave together.
- - -
Later on the same day that the Elrics and Hitames had found Marcoh, they wandered around in the same village while the Elrics told Kara and Kairi about what had happened earlier between them and Scar in the tunnels until Armstrong arrived to save them. Ed and Al had escaped mostly unscathed but Al's armor was cracked on the right forearm. It began raining while the five of them (Ed, Al, Kara, Kairi, and Marcoh) were wandering the village while occasionally hiding from the military people or vehicles that were searching the city for Marcoh. Eventually they reached a back alley where some kids were playing.
Kara and Ed moved to go on, but Kairi and Al watched Marcoh who suddenly put his head down and said, "I can't do this. I've run away from it long enough, I won't do it now. I don't care if that kills me. How can I when it's something I deserve?"
When Ed questioned why, Marcoh proceeded to explain, "The Ishbal Rebellion was no war, it was a massacre." He told the Hitames and Elrics about the Ishbalans, their beliefs, and how they first distrusted Amestris' alchemy, then hated it. That it was because alchemy went against their teachings. This is what spawned small rebellions from the Ishbalans. Then they started and massive uprising when an officer accidentally shot and killed an Ishbalan child.
"It escalated into a full-scale rebellion that lasted seven years until the Fuhrer had had enough." He sent in the State Alchemists, the problem solvers. When Brigadier Gran, back then a Colonel, asked for Marcoh's red stones to be given to the Alchemists, he protested saying the Ishbalans wouldn't possibly be able to defend themselves. But despite all his protests, the stones were distributed.
"So what happened?" Ed asked, "How did the Ishbalans respond to your weapon?"
"They didn't," came Marcoh's flat reply.
Every place an Alchemist was sent to... "The Ishbalans were wiped out in a single night."
The two girls, Ed, and Al stared at Marcoh in disturbed disbelief. But the silence was broken when a boy cried in pain from a twisted ankle. Marcoh pulled out his red stone and healed the boy who laughed and ran back to play.
Marcoh then explained to the Elrics and Hitames that there were doctors who would heal anyone and everyone who was injured. Eventually they were killed by the military as well, for helping Ishbalans. After the incident, Marcoh fled, taking with him all his research and material and only Mustang knowing where he went. But it was too little, too late. The Ishbalans were mostly wiped out.
But Ed was still confused about why Scar was hunting Marcoh and other Alchemists down. He stated it's just personal vengeance hiding behind the excuse of "God's will."
"Edward..." came Kairi's softly spoken sympathy.
Al interrupted saying he might do the same as Scar if someone had killed Ed.
"Al?" Kara now asked surprised but unheard as Edward yelled at his brother that revenge is not Equivalent Exchange.
"Destroying lives doesn't bring lives back," he said, "We all just need to live and be content while we can."
Then, after a long pause, Ed clapped his hands and fixed Al's cracked armor alchemically before turning to Marcoh, suggesting he hide in the Elric's hometown. "Of course, you girls can come with us if you want," he added to the Hitame sisters. Then he mentions their friends, the Rockbells and Marcoh flinched.
Backing away, Marcoh said trembling, "Rockbell? No, I can't. I can't go there. I'm sorry" before he turned and ran.
Kara and Kairi looked at each other confused while Ed chased Marcoh. The girls soon followed with Al.
They found Ed trying to apologize to Marcoh in another alley, reasoning they don't have to go anywhere Marcoh doesn't trust. Marcoh began to explain it wasn't that, but rather, other reasons but Scar suddenly dropped in and went to grab Marcoh.
Al tried to intercede, but Scar reached for him and shattered his armor.. Kara and Kairi screamed. Ed charged and after a few useless attacks, Scar shattered his automail arm. As Ed fell, Kairi screamed again but Kara was now watching in silent horror.
Al begged Ed to run as Scar approached Ed but Ed sat up and declined Scar's offer to pray. Instead he mentioned Scar's older brother and offered his life if Scar will then leave. "That's an Equivalent Exchange, don't you think?"
"No Ed!" Kairi yelled and Al protested as well, reminding Ed of what he just said about "a life doesn't equal a life."
Ed yelled at Al to stay out of it and tells Scar that Al is not an Alchemist so he shouldn't be hurt. Scar vowed not to hurt Al but agreed with what he was saying. As Scar approached Ed, Kairi flung herself at Scar but he pushed her away.
Hitting her head on the alley wall, Kairi fell unconscious. "Kairi!" her sister exclaimed and rushed to her side. Scar placed a hand on Ed's head.
But before Scar could kill Ed, he was stopped by Marcoh who was holding up his red stone to prevent any transmutations. It seemed the stone and transmutation circle on Scar's arm were connected but Ed was confused about the relationship. Kara didn't know enough about Alchemy and Kairi was knocked out.
Scar ran at Marcoh who threw the stone into Scar's arm which caused a reaction. Scar ran out of the alley into the military. Before they could do anything, he broke up the ground underneath and escaped into the tunnels.
Ed approached Al to see if he was still there and Al suddenly punched Ed and began lecturing Ed on all the things Ed had been telling him but just now ignored when Scar was going to kill him. Afterwards, Al's right arm fell off and he started ranting about his not-so-perfect day.
But Ed interrupted him slightly depressed, "We're really falling apart at the seams aren't we? Everyone who sees us must think we're a joke."
"But we're alive right?" Al asked.
"Yeah, we are that Al," Ed responded.
Kara watched the scene between the brothers when she noticed Kairi stir beside her. "Mmm," Kairi moaned before she sat straight up. A bead of blood ran down the side of her head from her temple.
"Kairi..." Kara said worriedly.
"What...?" asked Kairi confused before exclaiming, "Oh! Ed!" She ran over to Ed and hugged him. "Ed! I'm so glad you're alive!" The she moved back and slapped him. "You idiot! Giving your life doesn't mean anything! A life doesn't equal a life! Haven't you been saying that?!" She shouted before starting to cry, looking at him concerned.
"Kairi..." Ed said before looking away, "I'm sorry."
"Don't scare me like that, alright?" Kairi asked.
"Yeah, okay. I won't. Besides, I'm still alive…right?" He looked at her reassuringly and she managed a small smile.
"Well yeah, but..." Then Kairi touched the side of her head and pulled away her hand, fingers wet with her blood. "Ah! I'm bleeding!" The knock to Kairi's head sent blood flowing steadily down the side of her face. Kara ran up with some bandages and began to tend her sister's head. "Huh? Where'd you get those Kara?"
"One of the military guys gave it to me. Geez, Kairi, you're so uncontrollable, rushing in and getting knocked out and injured like that," She replied, cleaning up some of the blood. "You really scared me, you know?"
"Sorry," replied Kairi, sounding appropriately contrite.
A woman arrived to arrest Marcoh and he complied and explained why he couldn't go with Ed. The Rockbells were the doctors killed in the war. Ed turned away from Marcoh who went willingly into custody.
Al remarked he'd heard Mom's voice and replied he shouldn't be going unstable on him.
Then a black haired uniformed man walked up to the Elrics and started talking, "Edward, Alphonse, we'll need you to come back with us to HQ until we figure out what to do with you two... And who are they?" He asked, looking at the Hitames.
Ed followed his look. "Ah, that's Kara and Kairi Hitame. Kairi's the one who tried to help stop Scar and got injured. Kara's her little sister."
The officer continued, "Well they're witnesses and tried to help Marcoh escape. We'll have to take them in as well."
He turned to leave but Ed yelled, "Now wait a minute Mustang! They only did that because Al and I were trying to help Marcoh. They're innocent!"
Armstrong walked up to talk to Mustang, "You should believe Fullmetal, Roy. I found those girls following the Elrics upon reaching this village. I don't think they really know anything about Marcoh."
"They're still witnesses," came Mustang's reply.
So the Hitames were escorted back to East City with the Elrics by the military into the large official building surrounded by the thick wall they once stood outside listening to a battle.
Kairi: Okay, well that's it for now! Hope you're enjoying this. Cyas next time I feel up to another chapter but until then.... REVIEWS AND COMMENTS ARE GOOD!!!
Kara: Please review :) We'd really love that!!!