Hey my peeps! This is Salem52, signing in.
Well, I bet you didn't expect a chapter so soon now did ya?
I don't really have much to say right now, except that night-step is a life saver when you are up at four am, still writing.
Now without further ado, I present:
For Those Who Remember
Naruto took in another deep breath of the fresh mountain air, relishing the feeling of being able to breathe properly. He turned and looked across the long expanses of fields and meadows surrounding Resembool.
Resembool was a small agricultural town located deep in Eastern Amestris' mountain range, bordering the area that was once known as Ishval. The city was not well known, but it was a popular rest stop for those making the commute between South City and East City and was the unofficial hub of the surrounding villages. During the Ishvalan war, it had been a staging point for many excursions into Ishvalan territory, but had not been used for anything since and was left in relative peace.
The dirt path that the group had been traveling for the last half an hour apparently led to Ed's auto-mail mechanic, whose house was located a little farther up the mountain. The path was lined with low stone walls on either side that seemed to be quite old and barely did their job at keeping the rangy bovine from crossing the dirt path.
Naruto looked up to Ed, who hadn't said much as they walked, instead getting a far-away look when he saw particular objects or places. Ed had even stopped for a while to gaze at an apple orchard that they had passed on their way out of town.
"We should be nearly there," mumbled Ed, more to himself than anyone else.
Not a moment later, the group crested the small hill that they had been trudging up to see a large two story house. The house was an inviting yellow, with green beams contrasting against bright walls. On top of the house were three chimneys, smoking from use, and in front of the house was a large painted sign that read "Auto Mail Here" in large white letters. There was a balcony on the second floor of the house, above the main entrance, with a red banner hanging off of its railing. Any words that might have been written on it, however, had been worn away with the passage of time. On the front porch was an old woman sitting in a rocking chair and smoking her pipe. Upon seeing the group reach the top of the hill, the woman quickly got off of her chair, before rushing inside.
As the group approached the house, the woman reappeared, this time without her pipe, and walked down the steps of the house, stopping in front of the group. Ed stepped forward so that he would be the first to be addressed.
The woman was old, seeming to be in her late seventies, although one couldn't be too sure. She was rather short in stature, being even shorter than Ed in this instance, standing at roughly four and a half feet tall. She had her gray hair tucked into an odd top-not that extended strait from the top of her head, giving her an additional half a foot in height. She wore a pair of circular, wire-framed glasses that reflected the light of the sun, preventing one from seeing her eyes. The woman smirked, pulling her hands out of her white apron and folding them in front of her.
"Well, if it isn't young Ed. What have you done and gotten yourself into this time?" inquired the old woman, flicking her eyes toward the group behind Ed.
Ed laughed, putting his hand behind his head sheepishly.
"Yeah, Al and I have kinda fallen apart. Do you think you could fix us up?" asked Ed, his voice reflecting the embarrassment he felt.
The old woman nodded, "Sure, Ed. Winry and I are always here to help." The old woman then looked passed Ed and up to Al, who was still being carried by Armstrong, "How's it going Al?"
"Well, not a great as I'd hoped, but better than it could be," replied Al, still sounding happy, despite his inconclusive answer.
Ed seemed to remember that he had company and stepped to the side to introduce his companions.
"Granny," began Ed, "this is Major Alex Louis Armstrong,"
The colossal man placed Al's box on the ground next to him, before reaching down and grasping the old woman's hand.
"Pleasure," stated the woman, "I am Pinako Rockbell."
Ed then held his hand out towards Naruto.
"And this, is Naruto Uzumaki,"
Once again, the woman shook the taller man's hand before stepping back and sizing the group up as a whole.
"Well, it's been a while Ed, and to me, it seems as though you've gone and grown smaller." Pinako smirked at the look on Ed's face, as the compliment he had expected to receive was turned upside-down.
"You're doing it wrong Granny," stated Ed, his face depicting the epitome of annoyance, "you're supposed to say 'my, how big you've grown.'"
"Why would I say something so blatantly untrue?" inquired Pinako, still smirking at how easily Ed was riled up.
"I'M STILL TALLER THEN YOU! YOU OLD HA-" anything that Ed would have said further was silenced by a small wrench colliding with his face.
"Ed, I told you to call ahead if you needed maintenance," called a young woman from the second floor balcony of the house.
The lady was lovely, possessing a beauty only held in youth. She must have been about the same age as Ed, although she was a good few inches taller than him. She had long, blonde hair to the middle of her back, which was kept out of her face by an olive-colored bandana. Two bangs, however, seemed to have escaped the bandana's confines and were instead hanging loosely around either side of her face. She wore a grey jumpsuit, however the top portion hung loosely around her waist. A tube top was the only thing protecting her modesty, although this seemed to be more for ease of work than any fashion statement. Her most prominent feature, however, was her bright blue eyes that shown with an intense curiosity seldom seen in one so young.
"What the hell, Winry," cried out Ed, getting up off the ground and rubbing the rapidly forming bruise on his forehead, "are you trying to kill me?"
The young woman laughed mirthfully, before leaning back from the balconies railing, "It's good to see you back, Ed."
XxX
Naruto watched with mirth as Winry opened the box that Ed had brought with him from East City. Inside was his auto-mail arm, or what was left of it. The lady reached into the box, various cables and wires slipping through her fingers like sand.
"Yeah, I know, it's a little smashed up," stated Ed from his place on the living room couch. Next to him sat his brother, although Alphonse was still in pieces and required assistance to even move.
Winry turned to look at Ed with sorrowful eyes.
"A little smashed up?" accused Winry. "It's in pieces. Do you know how long I slaved over this? It was my best creation!"
"It's the same thing," replied Ed, taking a sip of the tea Pinako had provided. "It's just in smaller pieces." Ed quickly moved his head to the side as Winry threw one of the larger remaining pieces of the arm at his head.
Winry sighed as she rubbed the bridge of her nose, before replacing the lid on the box. She turned and leaned back against the kitchen table, where Pinako and Armstrong were currently sitting, watching the spectacle with amusement. Naruto, on the other hand, was leaning on the wall near the living room door, watching from a slightly greater distance.
"And you're all smashed up as well," stated Winry, addressing Al, to which the embodied armor laughed nervously, "I swear, you two only exist to worry me."
"So," began Pinako, pulling out her small pipe, "What happened?"
Ed leaned back into the couch, taking a comfortable position, before sighing.
"Where to begin?" stated Ed, putting his hand on his chin, "Well, I guess you guys have heard of the serial killer who is targeting alchemists, right?"
Winry's face visibly paled and Pinako pulled out her tin of tobacco, filling her pipe and lighting it before nodding.
"Yeah, we've heard about him," replied Pinako, taking a drag of her pipe and getting the leaves burning, "He killed some general recently, or something like that."
Ed nodded in confirmation.
"Yeah," Ed stated hesitantly, "Well, we fought him, but were incredibly outclassed in the matter."
Winry gasped, putting her hands up to her mouth.
"Needless to say, after that, we were hard pressed to do anything other than run. He cornered us, and in our attempt to escape, Al lost his most of his body and I lost my arm." Ed rubbed his arm stump, before looking over to Naruto guiltily. "Naruto saved Al and me from Scar, and if it wasn't for him, we would surely be dead. He lost his arm in our defense, which is why I also needed to ask a favor of Winry and you."
Pinako looked over at Naruto, before nodding her aged head.
"Done," stated Pinako, answering Ed before he could even verbalize the request.
"Thanks," replied Ed, actual gratitude in his voice. Despite how he acted, he knew how much effort it took to make auto-mail, especially something as complicated as an arm.
"Continue your story," prompted Pinako, taking another drag from her pipe.
"Well, there is not much more to tell," stated Ed. "On the way up here, we met an old acquaintance of Major Armstrong, who gave us a very promising lead on the Philosopher's stone. On that note, how long do you think it will take to make the auto-mail?"
Pinako didn't immediately respond, instead taking one more long drag from her pipe, before tilting it upside down and emptying its contents into an ashtray on the kitchen table.
"So, you need to get this done as quickly as possible so you can procure this lead, am I right?" inquired Pinako, sliding off of her chair and walking over to Ed.
"Yea, it's kind of a rushed order, sorry," replied Ed, taking another sip of his tea.
Pinako bent down and lifted his auto-mail leg, comparing it to his real one.
"It's not just your arm, your leg will also needs adjustments," stated Pinako, holding her hand to Ed's auto-mail foot and measuring the distance between it and the real thing. She contributed the image to memory, before walking over to Naruto and looking up at him.
"Young man, I will have to ask you to remove your coat and sit down," requested Pinako, reaching into her apron and pulling out a measuring tape.. Naruto stripped off his cloak, revealing his red dress shirt, sleeve still ripped off from his ordeal with Scar. As he sat down, Pinako moved closer, measuring his shoulders and his other arm.
"So, how long do you think it will take?" inquired Ed, reiterating his previous question.
"You know, Ed," began Pinako, measuring Naruto's chest width, "Patience is a valuable trait to have."
Ed grumbled indignantly, but waited until Pinako had finished taking Naruto's measurements.
A few minutes later, Pinako backed away from Naruto, taking her pipe out of her mouth and putting her hand onto her chin.
"Well, leg aside; with the state your arm's in, we're gonna have to start from scratch, not to mention Naruto's arm," stated Pinako, walking over to the kitchen table and picking up the box which contained the remains of Ed's arm.
"Do you think you could complete it in two weeks?" inquired Ed, his voice slightly hopeful.
Pinako snorted in a very unladylike manner.
"Please, Ed, give us some credit," replied Pinako, turning around with the box in her hands, a challenging look on her face, "Seven days, that's what we'll need,"
She then turned to Winry.
"Winry, darling, could you go and fetch the spare for Ed?" Winry nodded, and left the room, heading upstairs to her workshop.
Pinako turned to Armstrong and Naruto.
"Sorry boys, but we've only got two spare beds, so one of you is gonna have to take the sofa."
"I shall take the sofa," stated Naruto, leaning off the wall.
"Mr. Naruto, I must protest," argued Armstrong, not liking the idea of taking the bed away from the injured. Naruto laughed, before shaking his head.
"Sorry Major, but if YOU slept on the couch, I'm afraid they would need to buy new furniture by the time we leave." Naruto walked over to Ed and Al and sat in between them, as if he were claiming the couch. Armstrong huffed indignantly, but didn't protest any further, acknowledging Naruto's point about his abnormally large size.
A moment later, Winry entered the room again, this time carrying a normal prosthetic leg. She walked up to Ed, kneeling down and undoing the hydraulic restraints on Ed's auto-mail leg that kept it locked firmly onto his thigh.
"Well, I guess this proves that your growth isn't COMPLETELY stunted," stated Winry, smiling as she unscrewed his last release valve.
"OH SHUT UP WINR-" Ed didn't say anything more as Winry yanked his auto-mail leg out of its socket. Ed hissed in pain as the nerve endings connected to his leg forcefully severed. "God I hate that feeling."
Winry wordlessly snapped the normal prosthetic into place, locking it with a few screws instead of the hydraulics that his auto-mail used. Ed stood up, but stumbled forward a little bit, unused to the feeling of a non-responsive leg.
"Well?" inquired Pinako.
"It's weird, not being on my normal leg, but I'll get used to it," replied Ed, leaning from side to side and getting a feel for the prosthetic.
"Well, don't get too comfortable," commanded Pinako, retrieving the leg from Winry. "We'll have your leg ready and back to you before you know it. In the meantime, I suggest helping around the house, maybe giving your friends a tour around the town and showing them the orchard."
"Sure thing Granny, and once again, thanks," Ed walked around a little more, before gaining some confidence in his stride and walking toward the kitchen door.
"Don't thank us just yet," replied Winry. "We charge extra for rush orders, and that's on top of the small fortune you're already spending for a leg adjustment and two arms."
"Yeah, yeah," dismissed Ed, as he walked out of the kitchen. "Come on guys, let me show you round the town," stated Ed, addressing Naruto and Armstrong.
"Do you think you could get me a book while you're out?" inquired Al, his tone a little sad that he couldn't join his brother in the tour. But he knew that even with how strong Armstrong proclaimed to be, carrying a three-hundred pound suit of armor up a hill for thirty minutes was no small feat and Armstrong was probably pretty taxed from that.
"Sure thing Al," replied Ed. He would get Al some fantasy books and any cookbooks that he could find in the town's small bookstore. Ever since Al had ceased to have taste buds, he had made it a personal hobby of recording any food he saw that looked particularly tasty, so that when he had a body again, he could taste them all.
Ed smiled at that, his brother's faith that they would find a cure for his body. Al treated it like a "when" not an "if", and that only further strengthened Ed's resolve to find a way to get his brother's body back. He had to, because no matter what, Ed would not make Al suffer for his own mistakes. Never again.
XxX
Naruto watched in mild fascination as Armstrong relentlessly turned all the excess logs that Pinako had into fire wood. The reason that this normally mundane act was made fascinating, was that instead of using the conventional method of an axe and hammer, Armstrong was using his bare fists to do the cutting. Or in this case, smashing. Next to him sat Alphonse, who was reading a cookbook on Xingese curries.
It had been three days since the group had arrived at the Rockbell residence, and Naruto had learned a great deal about his new friends.
The Rockbells were an old family in this community, apparently being one of the patron families of the town, having been around since its conception. The Rockbells used to own the orchard down the road, but with Winry's parents pursuing a more academic profession, they deigned to sell the orchard. Using the money that they had gotten, they renovated Pinako's house, adding a second story as well as eight more rooms. The people that they sold the orchard to just happened to be the Ed and Al's parents, Trisha Elric and Van Hohenheim. They, in turn, sold most of the orchard to the railroad company for a lucrative sum of money. Pinako had apparently known Trisha and Hohenheim intimately, so no ill will was held towards the two, despite most of her family's orchard having been uprooted.
Naruto leaned over to look at what Al was currently looking at in the cookbook.
"Find anything good Alphonse?" inquired Naruto, trying to make out the name of the dish.
"Yea, it's a Xingese pumpkin curry with a thing called squid. It sounded interesting and I was considering adding it to my list," replied Al, the decision seeming to actually be a difficult one, since his notebook was already so full.
"Mmm, that sounds tasty. Squid is one of my personal favorites," replied Naruto, leaning back against the barrel he and Al were using as a backrest.
"Were do you get squid? I've never heard of it," inquired Al, genuinely intrigued.
"I'm not surprised, since squid can only be fished in the ocean," replied Naruto matter-of-factly.
"You've been to the sea?!" exclaimed Al, very surprised. Amestris was a landlocked country, with the closest access to the ocean being through the country of Aerugo to the south. Aerugo was a country with which they were currently at war and with which they had been at war for the last two hundred years. Needless to say, very few Amestrians ever saw the ocean.
"Aye, I have," replied Naruto, smiling at the young soul's curious excitement.
"What's it like?" asked Al, closing his book and paying rapt attention to Naruto.
"Well, I would start by saying it's indescribable, but that isn't a satisfactory answer. The ocean is, well, it is the largest thing I have ever seen in my life," said Naruto, placing his hands behind his head and staring into space.
"That must be pretty big," inferred Al, his voice filled with wonder. Naruto looked over at Al, before chuckling.
"You have no idea. When you look at the sea, you just see blue for all the way to the horizon and the sky reflects off the water and you just think you are walking among the clouds. The air is moist and salty and smells wonderful. You and your brother have never experienced anything else, but the air here in Amestris is pretty dry," Naruto seemed to lose himself in his description, thinking of all the things he associated with the sea, good and bad.
"The ocean sounds beautiful," stated Al, enraptured by Naruto's description.
"It is, I will never tire of seeing the ocean, it is one constant that will always be there, no matter how old you live to be," stated Naruto, still lost in his world of description. Naruto turned his head towards Al once again.
"Hey Al,"
"Yes?"
"Promise me, if you ever get the chance to see the ocean, take it. Nobody should have to go through their life and not see it at least once." Naruto, looked up into Al's red eyes.
"S-Sure," replied Al, a little put off by the intensity of the question, "So long as my brother can come along."
Naruto looked up at Al for a moment, before smiling and nodding.
"Good," Naruto leaned back and closed his eyes, "I'm going to rest for a little bit, wake me up when it is time for dinner.
"Sure thing Mr. Naruto," replied Al. Sensing that the moment was over, he turned back and opened his book but couldn't concentrate and closed it again. Al looked up into the cloudless sky, to see an expanse of clear blue as far as he could see.
"I wonder," thought Al, "Is that what the ocean looks like?"
XxX
"You know, mom, Al came up to me yesterday and told me he wanted to see the ocean, just out of the blue." Ed was sitting in front of a small headstone in Resembool's small cemetery. The headstone read, "Trisha Elric, Beloved mother and wife, 1878-1904." On top of the headstone was a bouquet of white flowers that Ed had bought in town.
"But only when he's human, he says that he wants to not only see the ocean, but also feel it. It amazes me how easily Al rebounds after finding out about the Philosopher's stone. I think Naruto must have had a hand in Al's desire to see the sea, since I don't think anyone else we know could have possibly been there. That is unless Granny is a surprise explorer that we don't know about." Ed laughed half-heartedly at his own joke, playing with some of the grass to pass the time while he talked with his mother, "He and Naruto have gotten pretty close, and I think Al views him as one of his best friends. That's good though, Al needs more friends that aren't associated with the military,"
Ed looked up at the sky, noticing the changes in hues as the sun started its slow descent into night.
"I'm going to have to go. Granny is making stew tonight, and she'll be really irritable if I'm late. I'll see you again tomorrow," Ed slowly stood up, placing his hand on the headstone for a moment, as if he were trying to feel his mother through the cold gray stone. He lifted his hand from the stone, looking down at it, before turning around and heading out of the cemetery, eventually making his way to the Rockbell house.
XxX
Naruto watched Pinako as she diligently twisted each screw into his, soon to be, auto-mail arm. He looked to the wall clock and saw that it was nearly three in the morning. The Rockbells had been working like this for the last five days, taking only one day to rest in between the creation Ed's arm and Naruto's. Pinako took to doing most of her work on the kitchen table, leaving Winry the shop. This lead to Naruto having a first-hand view on what went into making auto-mail.
Pinako put down her screwdriver, took out her pipe and stuffed it with tobacco. She turned to look at Naruto, who had been watching quietly for the last six hours, since dinner had ended and everyone went to bed, or in Winry's case, upstairs to work on Naruto's auto-mail. This had been their routine for the last five days. She would work and Naruto would watch silently. They hadn't really talked much, except for the occasional question from Naruto about the auto-mail.
"You know," began Pinako, lighting her pipe and taking a long drag, "You are one of the most patient individuals I have ever met,"
Naruto smiled.
"Thanks," replied Naruto, shifting his position on the wall slightly, "As you said though, patience is a quality that is highly valued."
Pinako snorted in amusement.
"I said that just to get Ed to shut up," she took another drag.
"Even so, there is truth in those words," replied Naruto.
Pinako nodded in agreement, just sitting there for a moment and feeling the small head rush she got from the tobacco.
"So," began Pinako, "How'd you, Ed and Al meet,"
Naruto looked at Pinako confused.
"Didn't Ed and Al tell you?" inquired Naruto, surprise in his voice.
"Well, yes, but that is their half of the story. They said you appeared out of nowhere when they were in some backwater city named Lior and have been following them ever since," said Pinako, smiling at their description of the meeting.
"Heh, that is actually not too far from the truth," replied Naruto, chuckling. "Lior is a city that is heavily religious, to say the least. Although they didn't see much danger at the time, alchemy and religion don't usually mix too well. Needless to say, they were making a show of their State Alchemist status,"
"That's Ed, showy as ever," interjected Pinako, getting up, walking toward the kitchen and getting a kettle ready for some tea, "Please continue."
"Anyway, I shadowed them for a while, finding out why a state alchemist would be in Lior, a city that has relatively no value to the military whatsoever." Naruto saw Pinako stiffen slightly when she heard that he had basically stalked the Elrics for a small time. "Apparently, they were after the religious leader there, a man named Cornello. He had been using a pseudo Philosopher's stone to make the people of Lior believe he was the prophet of their 'Divine God Leto.' I introduced myself to them after that, helped them out of a few scrapes, and I've been with them ever since. Ed and Al caught Cornello red handed and exposed him for the fraud he was. The stone, however, was unusable,"
Pinako listened to the story with rapt attention, and, when the story was finished, she took one last final drag, before tipping the contents of her pipe into her ashtray.
"Thank you Naruto. We rarely hear from the boys. The last letter we received from them was a note saying that Ed was a State Alchemist and that he wouldn't be around for a while." Pinako laughed, "Three years is a long while. It's good to hear that they are doing well,"
Pinako turned her head to the tea pot, hearing the low bubbling that signified the boiling of the water. She got up and walked over to the kitchen, taking the kettle from the stove and pouring its contents into a small tea pot, which she then brought over to the table along with two mugs.
"They are doing well," began Naruto, taking the cup of tea that Pinako offered him, "but their success has not come without fault."
"How so?" inquired Pinako.
"Ed's headstrong, and even outright rebellious at times. And, given his status as a State Alchemist, he has knocked heads with more than a few military higher ups," replied Naruto, taking a sip of his tea, "He also has a knack for finding trouble in even the most mundane situations."
Pinako laughed, taking a sip of her tea before turning back to the auto-mail arm and resuming her work.
"That sounds like Ed," replied Pinako, placing down her screwdriver and holding up part of what would soon be Naruto's elbow.
"Despite that, they've also made quite a few friends as well," stated Naruto walking over to the couch and sitting.
"That's good," relied Pinako, placing the elbow down and picking up her screwdriver, "Friends are a valuable thing, one that most of us take for granted,"
"That they are," agreed Naruto, leaning back into the couch, "Pinako, may I ask a personal question,"
"Depends," replied Pinako.
"What happened to their father? I know that Trisha died in the plagues, but they haven't even spoken about their father,"
Pinako sighed, placing down her screwdriver and taking a sip of her tea.
"Van Hohenheim, the boy's father, was an old drinking pal of mine. He and I go way back and I was actually the one that introduced him to Trisha. The only reason I even let my son sell that orchard to them was because I knew that it would help them, being newlywed and all. One day though, about a year before the start of the Ishvalan war, he just up and left the village, abandoning his wife and sons." Pinako sighed, "I don't even know whether he is alive or not,"
"What happened to Winry's parents? I haven't seen them about," inquired Naruto, slightly angered about the whole abandonment issue.
"Gone," replied Pinako, sadly, "They both died in the war,"
"I'm sorry for your loss," replied Naruto, not liking that he had brought up a sensitive subject.
"It's alright. I accepted their deaths a long time ago. They were surgeons you see. There were never enough doctors to fix up the injured, so they went to see what they could do." Pinako sighed before picking up the arm and resuming her work on it.
"The war was a terrible, stupid thing," stated Naruto darkly.
"Yes," agreed Pinako, "Yes it was,"
The conversation halted there, neither one saying anything. Silence once again reigned, the only sound being Pinako's screwdriver clicking against the mail. After a while the first light of day began to peek through the kitchen window. Pinako looked over to the wall clock and noticed the time. It was five-thirty.
"I better get breakfast started," said Pinako, more to herself than to Naruto, who heard the statement anyway.
"I can go get the wood," stated Naruto, leaning off the wall and stretching forward a little bit, bending down and touching his toes.
"That would be lovely," replied Pinako, getting off of her chair and making her way into the kitchen, bringing the tea pot and cups along with her, "Oh, and Naruto,"
Naruto stopped at the front door, turning around to see Pinako regard him with a kind smile.
"Thanks for the company."
Naruto smiled and nodded.
"Anytime," replied Naruto, before walking out into the cool morning air.
XxX
Naruto, Armstrong, Ed, Al were all sitting at the kitchen table. Pinako and Winry were currently up in the second story workshop, so they had relative privacy. Naruto was sitting on one side of the table, while Armstrong, Ed, and Al were sitting on the other.
"So, I believe you guys have some questions for me," stated Naruto, leaning forward so that his elbows rested on the table.
"Yes, I believe we all do," replied Armstrong, "If you don't mind boys, I would like to ask a few of my questions first."
"Sure," replied Ed, leaning back in his chair.
"I don't mind," seconded Al.
"All right, so first off. In Marco's house you mentioned that your people do this soul manipulation. Where do your people come from and why hasn't Amestris ever come into contact with them?"
Naruto nodded, it was a reasonable question.
"The land I come from is known as Konohagakure and is located on the far side of Xing, way to the east," replied Naruto.
"We've sent scouts out as far the Great Ocean to the east. How come they didn't encounter your people then?" inquired Armstrong.
"I guess your scouts passed through a large forest on their way," replied Naruto, obviously leading up to something.
"Unfortunately, I have not looked at the maps directly, so I wouldn't know," answered Armstrong, shrugging his large shoulders.
"Konohagakure is located deep within the forest. So I'm not surprised your people didn't find us," informed Naruto.
"If you are from another land, one that we have not contacted before, then why didn't you speak to our government when you arrived? If you've been here as long as you seem to have been, wouldn't you at least try to set up contact between your people and Amestris?" Naruto smiled, Armstrong was being very thorough.
"My people are quite xenophobic. We don't even trade with Xing and we guard our lands vigilantly. My views on other countries are quite frowned upon in Konohagakure and were one of the main reasons why I left," Naruto answered, his responses smooth and without hesitation.
"You claim that you can manipulate your soul? How did your people learn such a thing?" Armstrong crossed his arms, interested in all that Naruto had said thus far.
"Well, we don't know how he did it, but the first person to learn of chakra manipulation-"
"What?" Naruto was interrupted by Ed.
"Chakra, it is basically our word for soul," explained Naruto, getting a nod of understanding from Ed, "Anyway, the first person in our culture that learned chakra manipulation was the Sage of Six Paths, who taught us the secrets of our soul."
"Brother," exclaimed Al.
"Yeah, I know Al, that sounds an awful lot like the Philosophers of the East and West," replied Ed, completing his brother's thought.
"So, do you guys have any other questions?" asked Naruto, directing the question towards Ed and Al.
"Yeah," replied Ed, "what exactly can you do with your chakra? I mean, it sounds cool and all that you can manipulate your soul. But if it doesn't really do anything then what's the point?"
"Good question Ed," commented Naruto. "Given enough time, work, and ingenuity, a person who has access to their chakra can accomplish practically anything, and this is not an exaggeration when I say anything,"
"So what, can you like, breath fire or something?" inquired Ed flippantly.
"Yes, actually," replied Naruto, grinning at their reaction.
Ed, Al, and Even Armstrong were looking at Naruto as though he had just grown a second head.
"Bullshit," replied Ed.
Naruto laughed, before getting up and out of his chair.
"Come on, I'll show you guys something cool," stated Naruto, heading towards the backdoor of the house. Ed, Al, and Armstrong followed closely behind, still questioning the legitimacy of Naruto's statement.
XxX
The Rockbell house didn't really have a backyard, so much as the whole mountain was their backyard. So when Naruto left out of the back door of the house, he continued walking up the mountain until the Rockbell house was quite out of sight. He stopped when he found a decent sized cutout of the mountains were the slope was minimal. It was cover in grass and flowers and there was a large tree near the steeper part of the cutout, where the mountain resumed its steep incline.
"Naruto, I swear, if you brought us hiking all the way up here for nothing, I'm gonna kick your ass, one arm or no," threatened Ed, plopping down on the ground, rubbing his thigh where his prosthetic was located. While Armstrong didn't show it, he was of a similar mindset, having had to carry Al all the way up as well.
"You guys knew what you were getting the moment you started that hike," replied Naruto, amused. Ed looked up at Naruto annoyed, before Naruto put his hand up in peace.
Naruto walked a little way ahead of the trio, before turning and bowing.
"Gentlemen and gentler men, I present to you Gokakyu no jutsu," suddenly Naruto turned, his left hand going through several odd movements, before finally stopping. His hand was being held in place just below his mouth, with his pinky and ring fingers tucked and his middle and index finger pointing straight up, the tips of which were actually touching his lips. Naruto took an immense breath, holding it for a moment, before yelling.
"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!" (Fire release: Great Fireball Technique) he then exhaled, but instead of air he released a massive ball of fire about ten feet across, which launched around thirty feet in front of him, before finally dispersing. The grass where the ball of fire had passed over was completely blackened, just showing how hot the fire was. Naruto turned around, breathing heavily and placing his hand up against his chest. He smiled at what he saw, and despite his haggard breathing, laughed.
Ed looked astonished, while Al clapped his arm against his breastplate. Armstrong, while amazed, was frowning.
"That is one of our lower class techniques, although generally it would be a lot bigger, but due to certain circumstances most of my chakra abilities are somewhat restrained and do not have as large an effect as they should," informed Naruto.
"You just breathed fucking FIRE!" exclaimed Ed, still looking at the scorched earth where Naruto's fireball had passed over.
"It's not that impressive," replied Naruto sheepishly, "I mean, look at Mustang, he can create Firestorms at the snap of a finger."
Ed shook his head in denial.
"No, you don't get it. Mustang like, ignites the air or something. You just created fire. According to the law of conservation of mass, that is not supposed to be possible. You are not supposed to be able to just create matter," Ed shook his head, trying to come up with a logical answer.
Naruto shrugged,
"In all the time I've lived I've never really found an answer. And after so long I just decided to go with it," replied Naruto nonchalantly. "And, as I've said before, the soul is an ever- replenishing resource. All it needs to grow is emotional or physical stimulation."
"That is another thing I meant to ask you," began Ed, "How can our souls grow? I mean, don't we all just have one soul? Like one equals one. No matter how big the one is written it still equals one."
Naruto shook his head.
"Your and my ideas of souls are different," explained Naruto. "The soul you're thinking of is personality, not the actual soul. The soul, at least when in relation to chakra, is one part of two halves that represent a usable resource for which I can perform my techniques."
"What is the other half?" inquired Al.
Naruto looked over at Al, before brushing his hair back with his hand.
"Boy, this brings me back to my days in the academy," stated Naruto, sitting down with his legs crossed. "Alright, so chakra consists of two parts, physical and spiritual. Every person that exists has chakra in varying degrees, although most people are born with close to the same amount of chakra in them. Chakra flows through the body along pathways, similar to your circulatory system. This is called the 'chakra network.' You with me so far?"
Ed, Al, and Armstrong nodded.
"Alright, so as you live longer your chakra pool grows with you. Someone who has done a lot with their life, such as reading the most books, or working out the most, will inevitably have a larger chakra pool than someone who has done nothing. Armstrong has spent most of his life working out, bringing his body to its physical limits, and thus has a much larger pool of physical chakra. But if you look at someone like Marco, he has spent his life studying and as result, his pool of spiritual chakra is much larger than Armstrong's. However, if a person has too much of either, then their chakra techniques will be biased toward that form of chakra." Naruto stopped when Al lifted his hand to ask a question, "Yes Al?"
"Is the chakra dependent on the age of the user? Like, what if an old man has spent most of his life working out and reading, but his age makes it so that his mind is not as sharp as it used to be, or his body is not as strong as it once was?"
"That is very astute question Al," replied Naruto, "and to answer your question, no, a man who is eighty would still be able to use the chakra that he had within him. His body or mind, however, might not be able to take the strain of the techniques,"
"You say that there are techniques that align themselves with the state of your…chakra…what would those be?" inquired Armstrong, still frowning, but quite intrigued.
"In my culture there are three paths of technique which a person can take. These are called jutsu, which roughly translates into technique. A person who has balanced out their studying and physical training would be able to use techniques from all three, however specialization is the most common practice. The three paths are called Ninjutsu, Taijutsu, and Genjutsu. The fireball that I created earlier would be listed under Ninjutsu. Ninjutsu is a very neutral path, and one often taken by those who don't have an extreme physical or mental bias in their training. I, myself, am a Ninjutsu specialist. Taijutsu, or body technique is the path that focuses primarily on physical combat, such as using chakra to augment ones movements to superhuman levels as well as straight up martial arts,"
"So in East City, when you disappeared…" inferred Armstrong, his eyes widening in comprehension at the, until then, mysterious disappearance of Naruto.
"Yes, I used chakra so that I could find Ed and Al quicker," replied Naruto.
"What is the final path?" asked Ed, just as interested as Armstrong.
"Genjutsu, or Illusory Techniques, is probably the most terrifying of the three paths to take and is just as difficult. Genjutsu focuses on disrupting an opponent's senses, making them see, hear, feel, taste, or smell differently than what is actually there. I guess the closest thing to Genjutsu would be hypnosis, just on a much more advanced level and much more effective,"
Naruto took a deep breath, finishing his explanation and watching his friend's reaction.
"Wait! You're saying that you can control people?" inquired Ed, looking at Naruto with apprehension.
"Well, not me per-se, but there have been a few people in our history who have been able to, more or less, control the target," said Naruto, putting his hand behind his head. "For the most part, however, Genjutsu is used more as a distraction than anything else,"
"A distraction? How do you mean?" inquired Armstrong, not really liking the idea that there is a race of people who could control others at a whim.
Naruto sighed, before flipping his hands through more motions, similar to what he had done when he created the Gokakyu no jutsu.
"Prepare yourself," stated Naruto, closing his eyes and seeming to concentrate.
"Kokuangyo no jutsu," (Bringer-of-Darkness Technique), to the eyes of Armstrong and Ed, the world began to fade to black, until they couldn't see anything except their own bodies. It was as if they were in a world of black, with their bodies being the only light source.
"What the hell happened?! I can't see anything!" cried Ed, leaping up and looking around, the clearing, although to him, it was just an endless expanse of black.
Armstrong was much calmer in this situation, looking around his world of black, before holding his hand up, still being able to see it with perfect clarity.
"Most unusual," stated Armstrong, "So this is Genjutsu."
Then, as soon as the darkness came, it left, leaving two scared alchemists and one suit of armor which was more confused than anything.
"Why wasn't I affected?" inquired Al, looking at both Armstrong and Ed and noticing their shaken state.
Naruto shrugged, wiping the sweat off of his forehead from the intense concentration the technique required.
"I don't know, perhaps it's because you don't have any senses for me to affect. I mean, by all rights you shouldn't even be able to see, speak, or hear, yet here you are, a direct contradiction to science," replied Naruto, trying to lighten the slightly tense atmosphere with a joke. "But then again, I'm no Genjutsu expert, so don't take my word for it."
"That was a most terrifying experience," stated Armstrong, getting up and walking about, "I can definitely see possible combat applications of that technique alone, and you say there is more?"
"Thousands more," replied Naruto, much to the distress of the three alchemists. "But don't worry, most of them are not as effective as that one. In fact, the only other person to be able to use it was my old master and man named Hashirama Senju, one of the most powerful practitioners in our history,"
"How are you able to use it then?" inquired Ed, still a little shaken by the experience, "I mean, you said that you specialized in Ninjutsu right?"
"Yes, that is true. However, the limitation on that technique is not skill, although that is a major part of it. It uses a tremendous amount of chakra, far more than the average Genjutsu user would generally have," replied Naruto matter-of-factly, "Luckily, I have chakra in spades."
The trio of alchemists nodded, before sinking into their own individual thoughts. After a while Naruto got up and brushed off his jacket, before walking over to the group.
"So, are there any other questions?" inquired Naruto, looking down at the trio.
"Just one," stated Armstrong, standing up, "Will join the Amestrian military?"
Naruto looked at Armstrong for a moment, before laughing.
"I almost forgot that you gave me that offer," stated Naruto, before shaking his head, "Sorry, but I'll have to refuse,"
Armstrong sighed, before standing up, looking quite imposing.
"Then upon returning to Central, I will have to place you under arrest and bring you to the Fuhrer for further questioning and study," replied Armstrong, placing his hands behind his back.
Ed and Al looked at Armstrong in absolute surprise, not expecting this kind of reaction from the Major.
"Major?! What the hell?!" exclaimed Ed, walking up to the larger man.
Armstrong looked over towards Ed, still frowning.
"Ed, this man just displayed abilities that are far superior to our own. Not only that, but he claims that there are thousands more that he can draw from. If he were allied with Amestris, then this would not be a problem and would be encouraged. The fact of the matter is that he is not. He poses a great threat to, not only Amestris, but her people and her Fuhrer," stated Armstrong, turning back to Naruto. "Now, having heard my reasoning and the consequences, will you not reconsider?"
Naruto sighed annoyed, looking up to the skies.
"I need to think," replied Naruto, turning around and walking towards the tree on the edge of the cutout, which had been partially burnt by Naruto's Gokakyu no Jutsu.
Armstrong, Ed, and Al looked towards Naruto, then turned and made their way down to the Rockbell house, leaving Naruto alone with his thoughts.
XxX
Naruto sighed as he looked up at the full moon hanging over his head. It was so bright that the field Naruto had been sitting in was illuminated with perfect clarity; the only thing letting an observer know that it was night was the silvery tint the moonlight cast upon the landscape. A snap of a stick prompted Naruto to look away from the moon, finding Armstrong's hulking form ascending the steep hill. Naruto waited a few moments, before standing up and placing his conical hat on his head. He turned toward Armstrong, who had just reached the final crest of the hill and waited.
Armstrong stopped when he saw Naruto, the black coat, high collar, and concealing hat giving the shorter man a sinister look.
"You're still here," stated Armstrong, his tone showing the slightest hints of surprise.
Naruto nodded.
"I assume you thought I was going to leave," replied Naruto, slipping his hand into his pocket.
"I had hoped you would," stated Armstrong.
"Why is that," inquired Naruto.
"Despite my accusations, I respect you very much and I do not wish to harm the Elric's savior," stated Armstrong. "Have you thought about my offer?"
"I have," replied Naruto.
"And?" inquired Armstrong.
"I will not align myself with any armed force. I fight for only myself and those I deem worthy of protecting," replied Naruto, much to Armstrong's sorrow.
"That is what I thought," replied Armstrong, taking off his military coat and pulling out his metal gauntlets from their confines in the process.
Naruto sighed.
"Are we really going to fight?" asked Naruto, his voice sounding weary.
Armstrong finished strapping his gauntlets on, letting his arms rest by his side. His coat was lying a few feet behind him.
"That decision is up to you," replied Armstrong, "Should you join, there will be no need to fight."
"Is there any way you could just, not tell?" inquired Naruto.
"Unfortunately not," replied Armstrong. "As you are, you present a large potential hazard for Amestris. From what you showed me, you could move at great speeds, render most blind, and kill large amounts of people. Not only that, but you are not a citizen of Amestris. You have no allegiance to Amestris or her people. Maybe, one day, Amestris will declare war on Konohagakure and no one will know or be prepared for someone who can blind, evade, and kill massive amounts of people. I like you, and would even call you a friend, but my duty demands that I do this. Now, for the last time, please reconsider. I don't want to hurt a friend,"
Naruto sighed.
"Sorry, but as you said, I am a man who can blind, evade, and kill massive amounts of people. If I joined your military, I would be used as a weapon to wage a war for domination of the known world. Think Armstrong, how many lives would be lost?" Naruto held up his hand. A small, Marble-sized, blue sphere appeared floated above his palm, rapidly growing in size until it was the size of a large softball. The sphere tinted red, translucent blades circulating around its outside, making it look like a demented, bladed, windmill.
"What is that?" inquired Armstrong, entranced by the red orb.
"The first stage of one of my most destructive techniques," replied Naruto, closing his hand over the orb, compressing it until it was back to its initial marble sized state.
"How destructive is that?" inquired Armstrong.
Naruto laughed grimly, closing his fist and dispersing the small orb.
"Fully formed, it could easily destroy most of this mountain. At the moment, however, I am incapable of doing so," stated Naruto, sighing.
"Why?" asked Armstrong, hoping to get something to get Naruto to join Amestris.
"Through very…unusual…circumstances, much of my power has been lost. I've been unable to perform as I once could and activities that would usually be child's play to my people now tax my body quite heavily," Naruto sighed again.
"We could help you!" pleaded Armstrong, "Amestris has some of the best medical facilities in the world; we could find a way to rehabilitate you!"
Naruto laughed grimly, his eyes showing weariness.
"Armstrong," stated Naruto, taking off his conical hat and bowing, "You truly are a good man, and I wish we didn't have to cross paths. However, I will not be the engine of war for Amestris, and if I have to eliminate you from the equation to prevent that from happening…so be it,"
Armstrong nodded, his body tensing up and his features steeling.
Naruto placed his hat back on his head, getting into a combative stance.
"Before we start," stated Naruto, his hat tipping forward so Armstrong could not see his face, "is there any unfinished business that you have; any regrets or objectives you have not completed?"
Armstrong frowned, not liking the implications of Naruto's question.
"I have only two regrets," replied Armstrong, lifting his gauntlets up in a classic pugilist stance, "That I couldn't get you to join, and that I could never earn my sister's respect."
Naruto nodded.
"Thank you. While I will not become a part of Amestris's military, I will attempt to acquire your sister's respect in your stead," Naruto lifted his head, showing Armstrong a very surprising sight. Instead of Naruto's piercing blue eyes, he saw deep purple. Even more surprising, was that around the pupil was one black circlet that looked quite unnatural.
After a moment's hesitation, Armstrong shook his head, before taking a deep breath.
"Well," thought Armstrong, "If I die, at least it will be at the hands of a worthy opponent." With that thought in mind, Armstrong charged forward, closing the distance between him and Naruto in less than a second.
As he reached Naruto, he lifted his fist, attempting to bring it slamming down on Naruto, who still hadn't moved. Then right as Armstrong's fist was about to impact on Naruto's head, Naruto moved forward, getting into Armstrong's guard. Armstrong, still invested into his first punch, couldn't even try to move as Naruto's hand reached up and grasped his forehead. Armstrong didn't have even a second to be confused, before Naruto's eyes lit up.
"Sorry," stated Naruto.
Naruto then dug his fingers into Armstrong's face, red light shining from his fingertips. Naruto pulled his hand from Armstrong's head, the red light shining brightly for a moment, then dimming down to nothing.
Armstrong's body immediately went limp, collapsing onto Naruto, who dodged out of the way, allowing the body to fall face first into the grass.
Naruto gasped, seeming to be in major pain as he grasped his head with his remaining hand. All along his body, veins started to bulge as excessive amounts of energy flowed through Naruto's chakra pathways.
Naruto stumbled over to the tree he had been sitting at before Armstrong had come up. He rubbed his hand over his temple as the purple color in his eyes receded, the normal blue seeping back to the surface. Naruto shook his head, as if he had a fly incessantly buzzing around his ears that wouldn't go away.
"Shut up," whispered Naruto, shaking his head. He looked over at Armstrong's body. "It had to be done," stated Naruto. A shiver went up his body, before he seemed to get control, leaning off the tree. He walked over to Armstrong's body, looking down at the hulking man, before reaching into his coat and pulling out a small red scroll. He flinched, pressing the base of the scroll against his temple, "You're supposed to be locked away," stated Naruto, once again, talking to himself. He kneeled next to Armstrong's body, placing the scroll on the ground next to the hulking mass. Naruto reached forward, placing his hand on Armstrong's neck, searching for the signs of a pulse. After a moment, Naruto pulled his hand away, sighing and unraveling the scroll so that it was parallel to Armstrong's body.
Along the scroll were many circles that looked similar to transmutation arrays. However, instead of mathematical numbers and polygons, there were kanji. Naruto reached forward and grabbed the larger man's shoulder and flipped Armstrong onto his back so that he was lying across the scroll. Naruto reached into his coat and pulled out a penknife. He placed the knife on Armstrong's abdominal, but flinched before he could do anything more.
"Do you have a better idea?" inquired Naruto, the one-sided conversation he was having with himself still continuing. Naruto shook his head, before sinking the penknife into Armstrong's flesh and start to make inscriptions into Armstrong's abdominal. After a while, the cuts started to take shape, eventually mirroring the seal that was on the scroll Armstrong's body was lying on. When he was finished, Naruto took his knife and wiped it on Armstrong's pants, before looking over his work. Satisfied, Naruto placed his knife in his coat and then placed his hand on the center of Armstrong's abdomen. Naruto closed his eyes, pumping chakra into the scroll. A moment later, the scroll glowed blue and a mass of smoke covered Armstrong's body. When the smoke dispersed, the only thing remaining was the scroll, with the seal now glowing red.
Naruto rolled up the scroll, tucking it into his coat and looking over to Armstrong's blue military overcoat. He walked up to the piece of clothing, before sighing. He put his remaining hand in front of himself, pointing his index and middle finger up.
Without a sound, a perfect copy of Naruto appeared next to the original, the only signal of something even happening being a small puff of smoke. Naruto looked to his clone, before tossing the copy Armstrong's coat.
Wordlessly, the copy place its hand in front of itself, much in the same manner Naruto did when he created the clone. A moment later, the clone was surrounded by a puff of smoke, and when the smoke disappeared, an exact copy of a shirtless Armstrong stood in the clone's stead. The clone donned Armstrong's coat, moving around and getting a feel for the article of clothing. Naruto reached into his own black cloak and threw the scroll containing Armstrong's body to his clone. The clone caught the scroll with ease, before saluting Naruto and making its way down the hill, heading toward Resembool's train station.
Naruto watched as the false Armstrong disappeared down the mountain, then sighed and walked back to the tree, sitting down at its base. He folded his legs so that he was in a meditative position and closed his eyes, steadied his breathing and focused on his body. After a moment, Naruto's body relaxed as his consciousness left him and he entered his mind for the first time in over four hundred years.
XxX
Obviously, that AN at the begining was a LONGGGGGGGGG time ago. My editor has been a little wonky as of late and couldn't fininsh editing until JUST NOW. I had the chapter done, literally four hours after the posting of the last one. So, sorry for the delay, blame my editor.
Anyway.
How was that? Armstrong is dead. In the words of one of my favorite authors, "I have taken the series, turned it onto its side, and shoved a pineapple up its ass."
Anyway, I hope I see you guys soon, until then.
This Salem52,
Signing off.