Crona looked around warily as she walked through the front door, Marie following close behind her. No blood. That was a good sign that they weren't back too soon. She sniffed. A bit more rubbing alcohol than usual. He'd already cleaned up. She stepped in and looked through the doorway into the lab. She saw his back hunched over his desk.
"Dad? Are you awake?" Crona walked up to him and carefully slipped the scalpel from his fingers before shaking his shoulder gently. He let out one small moan, then sat up, blinking and taking in his company. He smiled tiredly at her.
"Welcome home Crona. Marie? What time is it?" He look behind him as the smiling woman entered the lab.
"It's ten in the morning Franken." She looked around and was glad to see no evidence of whatever had transpired in their absence. Stein stood and stretched, yawning for several seconds before he finally relaxed and opened his eyes fully.
"I suppose it is too late to go to bed now. On with the day then!" He smiled a bit and just looked at the two women intently for a while. "I'm glad you're both alright."
"Only thanks to you." Crona hugged her father then smiled up at him before turning to leave the lab. "I'll fix breakfast today!" Marie and Stein smiled after her.
"She adores you, you know." Marie smirked up at him. He grinned.
"Yes, but I adore her just as much. I never imagined that having a family could make me this happy. The two of you amaze me every day." Stein pulled his wife into a tight hug and kissed her forehead, then stretched once again. "I will have to go to Shibusen after breakfast. This so called angel is very worrying. He'll want my report immediately."
"What is it?" Marie's eyes were wide.
"It was a male witch that had devoured the souls of many Keshins." Stein's tone was grave. "It was unable to explain where it came from or how it happened, but I have the feeling someone or something intentionally created it, and there will be more where it came from."
"This is bad, Franken." Marie held onto his arm tightly.
"I know, Marie. I know. But luckily, he was unable to return with a report on out forces. All the enemy will know for sure is that he was defeated. That will make them more cautious, and harder to find. But it should stop them from making any more specific advancements against the advantages we have."
"You mean like alchemy?" Marie asked, glancing toward the kitchen.
"Exactly."
"I... do not understand even a tiny bit." Maka's mouth was hanging open slightly as she stared at the diagram Crona had stretched out. Kid had his head tilted to the side, deep in concentration. Whether it was about the content of the display or its asymmetry, the world might never know. Lord Death had his usual blank mask on, but made no sounds to indicate excessive levels of understanding or confussion. Stein looked intently at each detail, his face showing concern.
"You're saying if there is one other world residing around us, there can be infinitely many. Even assuming we could only become fused with adjacent worlds, we have no idea how many that might be. So, in conclusion, the fallen angel could have come from anywhere at any time and we would have no way of knowing or tracing it, nor determining if more are on their way." Stein shifted his gaze to his daughter. She nodded.
"That is troubling to say the least." Lord Death sounded far from his usual chipper self. The effortless defeat of him and his son had sobered him greatly on this matter. "What are our options?"
"The enemy seemed surprised by my use of alchemy. He was also unprepared for Professor Stein's style of fighting. He was, however able to best Black Star, and yourself. We need to take these things into consideration and begin work to prepare the students and staff of Shibusen to fight these creatures if more should appear." Crona said formally.
"You are quite right. Being prepared is likely our best defense. Professor Stein, would you please work on a new training program for our students? One designed to combat these creatures. If it requires teaching advanced techniques, I leave that decision to you." Lord Death addressed the scientist calmly. Stein nodded.
"I understand. I'll be ready to begin tomorrow. Crona, would you please continue your research into alchemy as well as your parallel word theories? Any information you can turn up will be invaluable in the battles to come." He gave her presentation one last look and smiled. She nodded.
"Yes, I'll do my best." Crona already had a thought forming in her mind.
"You're serious about this?" Kid looked at her incredulously. Maka had agreed immediately, and even Black Star had agreed to help. It was only Kid who was wary. Probably due to the fear he felt last time.
"Going back there could greatly improve our chances of defeating these creatures. They may even know what they are." Crona was determined.
"How many souls will we need?" Kid asked, trying to find a practical reason to veto this plan.
"It would require a total of three keshin souls, but since it would be dangerous to wait for full Keshins to appear, I think nine keshin eggs would be enough. Three to get there, three to come back, and three more to send back anyone I bring back with me." Crona counted off on her fingers. She was certain that three eggs would be close enough in energy to a full keshin.
"And you are sure you can get back again? At the right time this time?" Kid was still not sold on the idea.
"Absolutely. I ironed out the wrinkles in our calculations as soon as I got back, just in case. I can definitely pin point my location on that side and my time on that side to within an hour and within a meter." Crona grinned. Kid was out of objections. "Will you help me get the souls I need?"
"Yeah! Lets do this!" Black Star was eager to get to it. He had been as willing to get behind Crona's schemes as he had always been with Souls recently. He now respected her as his teacher to some degree, and even considered her a friend after the evening of sharing secrets.
"I'm with you all the way, Crona." Maka smiled at her.
"I guess I have no choice. If I want to keep an eye on you, I have to help I suppose." Kid stood up and looked at the others. "What are you all waiting for?"
Three young meisters stood, staring in shock. In an instant, Crona had vanished in a ripple of light, and reappeared not ten feet away with a man at her side. He was slightly taller than her, and dressed in crimson that contrasted with her white, and with a matching symbol on the back. The two looked around, then Crona grinned and walked over.
"How long did it take?" She asked as the man followed her over. He looked to be only a year or so older than the others.
"Not even seconds." Kid stated, finding his voice first.
"Excellent!" Crona looked up at her friend who had a slightly confused look on his face. Crona's eyes widened and she smacked a hand to her forehead. "Oh that is a bit of a problem..."
"What is it Crona?" Maka stepped forward, feeling a small amount of jealousy toward the stunning man next to her girlfriend.
"He... speaks german. You guys don't speak german." All eyes turned to her, then moved to her friend. He gave them a half smile and waved. Crona looked as if she wanted to sink into the ground. How had she carried on full conversations with him and never remembered that he would be unable to communicate with any of her friends?!
"Hey Crona... I picked up a bit of this language while I was traveling. I might not be able to understand everything, but I won't be helpless." Crona stared at him as he spoke in perfect english.
"What the hell Ed?! You let me stumble my way through german for a whole year and never told me you could understand english?!" The man in red stumbled back a bit, startled by the girls temper.
"Woah, sorry, I never realized you had any trouble with Amestrian... You spoke it a lot better than Ling ever did, so I never thought about it. Sorry." He chuckled despite the glare he was receiving.
"Well, since that's settled, it is nice to meet you. I am called Death the Kid. Welcome." The young shinigami held out his hand. Ed looked him over and silently wondered if that was a normal name here.
"I'm Black Star, but since you're new, you don't need to kneel!" The ninja jumped forward, pointing proudly at himself.
"I'm Soul Eater. Crona's told us all a lot about you." The white haired weapon nodded to the new comer.
"I-I'm Maka. Nice to meet you." The blonde meister blushed a bit. Crona hadn't been kidding. He was something else. Those eyes... Crona poked her side pointedly. She blushed a little harder and looked away. Way to go, stupid hormones.
"It's nice to meet you all as well. I hoped i'd get to meet some of the people Crona told me stories about. I wish I had more time to spend here." He looked around at the group and the buildings. It was like nothing he had seen.
"How long do you have?" Kid asked.
"Exactly two months before I must be back here to catch my ride home. Crona decided it would be..." A death glare from the pink haired girl silenced him.
"Would be what, Crona?" Maka looked at her with suspicion. Kid looked like he might actually strangle her.
"I... well the truth is it would only be a problem for him really! I was sort of worried that if I went through, I would end up in the wrong time because I was passing through the wrong direction. But for me, I could have just immediately come back. He would be stuck out of his time! I was able to make my way through the same crack I returned through before, though, so no harm done! I left the last three souls with his brother and the location to open the gateway to bring him back." Crona explained, trying to convince her friends that she hadn't been in any greater risk than she had led them to believe.
"Woah! What planet are you from?!" Patty, who had apparently taking a rather lengthy nap in her weapon form, leaped from her holster and inspected Edward from golden hair to pitch black boots.
"Patty, this is a guest from another world. The one Crona went to. How long have you been asleep?" Kid looked amazed at his weapon's unawareness.
"I wasn't asleep! I was thinking about drawing a giraffe on the ceiling in Professor Zombie's room!" Patty grinned innocently at him. She then turned back to the alchemist. "He's friekin' cute!"
"Patty, he's taken. Married, actually. Winry asked me to make sure I kept him in line, and that menas returning him home unmolested." Crona stepped between the attractive young weapon and the slightly alarmed alchemist.
"Awww..." Patty immediately lost interest and transformed again, falling back into her holster.
"She mentioned giraffes. That must make her Patricia Thompson? The other gun, I assume, is her twin. That is incredible. Is it human transmutation? How can you do this without dying? You would have to make an enormous sacrifice to do something like this only once, but repeatedly?" Edward was looking intently at the gun. Soul smirked and took the opportunity to show off. He transformed his arm into a scythe blade and held it up for inspection.
"Soul, could you save that until we get home? He'll want to stay out here and study you all evening, and I want to get home for dinner. Besides, my parents will want to meet him." Crona once again stepped between the alchemist and one of her friends, realizing just how tiring this could end up being.
"So, he's the most powerful meister around?" Ed asked Soul quietly. They all sat in the living room, watching as Crona and Stein talked in the lab.
"Yeah. He is scary when he fights. A lot more frightening than any keshin." Soul shuddered, recalling the battle in the death room. "Don't ever piss him off."
"I hadn't planned to, but I will keep that in mind. Show me your arm again. Can you transform slower?" Ed inspected the appendage yet again.
"Not really, it's a lot like flipping a switch. It is sort of either flesh or blade. I don't have much control about how fast it changes between them." He transformed his arm for the hundredth time and Ed kept his golden eyes focused on the process.
"Alright, if you're done studying my friends, I would like you to meet my dad. Professor Franken Stein." The taller scientist extended his hand to the red coated alchemist.
"So you are the Fullmetal Alchemist that Crona told me about? I'd like to thank you for insuring my daughter made it home safely when she fell into your world." The group was amazed. None of them had expected such a greeting from the insane doctor.
"It was an honor to be able to help her." Edward bowed formally to the man. Maka smiled and immediately decided she liked him and would have no problems seeing him as a friend. Crona grinned.
"Ed, he is a scientist too. He has about the same opinion on formality as you do." The alchemist looked back at her then back to the man. He smiled widely.
"That's a relief. I'm very curious about the soul energy you use in this world, and Crona says you are a renouned expert on the subject. Would it be okay for me to see your research?" Edward asked. Stein grinned, always glad to meet a fellow scientist.
"Absolutely. But it will have to wait until after dinner. Marie will kill us all if we skip the meal she prepared for us." Ed laughed.
"Yeah, I know what that's like. Winry is the only reason I eat at all some days. Then again, other days she can't keep food in the house. It really just depends how interested I am in my current project." Stein nodded in understanding. Crona walked away, beginning to regret introducing the two.
"A fight? Like sparring?" Ed looked at the ninja in surprise. It had been a long time since he had been in a real match with someone that didn't have too many limbs.
"Yeah!" Black Star was determined to see if the man was as formidible as Crona had said.
"Alright! Let's go!" Ed stood up, his cocky smile plastered on his face. He slid his coat from his shoulders and Black Star's jaw dropped. Ed laughed and peeled off his gloves, tossing them aside as well. "Don't go easy on me. It's as much a blessing as it is a curse!"
"That is awesome! Tsubaki, I want one. If I ever lose an arm, i'm getting one. But I won't ever lose an arm, because I am a god." Ed laughed and walked to the middle of the area.
"I punched a hole through the last person I met that claimed to be a god. Lets see how you measure up." That made Black Star falter a bit. He shook off the feeling and stood at the ready.
The fight lasted over an hour. By the time Black Star finally colapsed from exhaustion and blood loss, quite a crowd had gathered around. Edward finally dropped to his knees, panting as he held himself up on all fours. Black Star laughed from his place on the ground.
"That was one hell of a fight... I can see why a lesser god would have lost to you... Tsubaki, I can't move. Can you bring me a drink?" Tsubaki stared down at her meister for a moment, face covered with concern, before going to fetch a drink and a doctor.
"If he'd been half as tough, strong, or fast as you, I'd have had a rough time of it, but I did use alchemy in that fight. You'll have to fight my brother some day." Ed gave up and rolled onto his back, mirroring his sparring partner. Crona walked over to the two.
"You guys are morons." Crona grinned down at them. Maka nodded and Soul laughed at the sight of the two, completely drained, laughing like idiots. Tsubaki returned with two bottles of water and Doctor Nygus in tow.
Half an hour later, two bandaged men still lay lazily in the middle of the room.
"Are you guys going to get up?" Maka pokes Black Star with her toe. He glares up at her.
"Kneel before me, woman!" He shouts from his place on the ground. Maka pokes a little less gently before walking away. Soul comes over and offers a hand to his best friend. Black Star laughs and takes it, pulling himself up. He then goes and offers the gesture to Ed.
The alchemist straightens up and dusts off his arms and legs, then pulls on his coat. He stretches.
"That was the best work our i've gotten in ages. We've got to do that again sometime." Ed looked around. The crowd had left, but their friend remained. The ninja nodded.
"Yeah, then I can kick your butt again!" Black Star laughed.
"We'll see about that!" Ed clapped his hands together and touched the ground the floor shifted and engulfed Black Star's feet. The alchemist laughed and began walking away. Black Star laughed and punched through the stone with a fist coated in his wavelength.
They were quite an act to watch.
"Mmmm..." Maka let out a content sigh as she snuggled close to Crona. It had been over a week since they got to sleep together like this. "I like your hair long." She ran her fingers through the loose pink strands.
"I'm glad I didn't have Kid cut it then. I've gotten used to it. I didn't know how to deal with it at first. There is a lot more to wash and brush, but as long as I keep it tied back in a pony tail, it doesn't get in the way any." Crona looked at the locks of hair in Maka's fingers.
"You're happy to have Edward back. I can tell. He means a lot to you." Maka slipped her hand down Crona's back and onto her hip, pulling her close and nuzzling her neck.
"I had missed him. He gets along with everyone better than I had expected. Winry has been training him well." Crona giggled. "Although I always sort of pictured him and Black Star either being best friends or worst enemies. With two egos like theirs, it was going to be extreme." Maka nodded in agreement.
"I see what you mean. Kid still isn't completely sold though. I think he's worried you'll vanish before his eyes again." Maka looked into the girl's eyes and touched their noses together. "You won't, will you?"
"No. I won't be going anywhere. No relax. We need to get some sleep. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day." Crona kissed her lips softly and closed her eyes, enjoying the sound of her love's heartbeat.
The next weeks passed quickly. They worked daily, assembling techniques and data on how to fight this enemy. Edward had never heard of such a creature in his world, but contributed his knowledge of alchemy any way. He was determined not to waste a day of the time he had here.
By the end of the first month, no one could tell that english was not his first language. He claimed it was a lot easier than trying to learn Xingese, which they decided must be japanese. They also decided he was just stupidly smart, and no one should be aloud to know three different languages.
He sparred with Black Star nearly every day, until finally they decided to use their full abilities. Tsubaki agreed, knowing she could stop if either of their lives were in danger. No one expected the difference the new rules would make in the new comers fighting power.
Black Star was left winded and bruised more than five times without ever laying a solid blow on the alchemist. When he had full access to his life long passion, he was ten times more dangerous. His moves were faster, smoother, and stronger. Black Star hadn't realized just how new Crona was to alchemy until he saw a real master.
Stein insisted he learn the art himself. No one wanted to think how scary the man would be with yet another deadly weapon in his arsenal. They were, however, curious what a fight between the tall scientist and the young alchemist would be like.
The mad man learned the basics of alchemy in two days, and had sharpened his skills well beyond his daughter's in only five. Ed was amazed time after time at the surprises these people had in them. He was slightly scared when Maka informed him that he had a Grigori soul, just like hers. He had never heard of the ability to see souls.
The weeks past quickly, each day filled with new surprises for the students and the alchemist. When it came time for him to leave, they were even considering ways to let him stay longer.
"I can't. I wish I could. It is so different here! It's amazing. But I have to go home. They need me there. And I miss Winry. I hope you have what you need to fight this new enemy. Sorry I can't take you with me Blair, but i'm pretty sure my brother would die if he was petting a cat and it turned into a gorgeous naked woman. That, or Mei would kill him."
"It's alright, I would have missed everyone here too much!" The cat licked her knuckles, ignoring the fact that she was in her human form. Ed laughed and waved at her and the group he had gotten to know. Only Crona, Maka, Soul, and Black Star would be accompanying him to Germany.
"It was good to meet all of you. I'll remember this place fondly. Soul, you're the coolest guy I know. You're lucky to be able to transform your body like that without an immeasurable toll. Black Star, sparring with you has been the most fun i've had in years. And you are a hell of a lot stronger than the last creature I met that became a god. Maka, you have a remarkable ability, being able to see souls. You really are something else. I see why Crona loves you. Take good care of her. Crona..." Ed turned to his friend.
"Yeah, I know." Crona grinned at him. He smirked and then laughed. He hugged her close, then held her away, looking her over.
"You've become an impressive alchemist. Wear that symbol with pride. My teacher would have been proud to claim you. I hope we meet again some day!" He smiled at them all, then a ripple passed through the air before them and he was gone. Soul was smiling.
"Why are you so happy? Did it bother you having someone cooler than you around?" Black Star teased, nudging his shoulder.
"No way. I'm happy cause i'm the only one who knows the next time we'll see him." The group stared at him in surprise.
"What?" Crona stared, then she grinned and giggled. "Well played, Soul Eater." The others stared at her now, as she began to walk back toward their cab.
"What? What happened? Crona! What does he mean?" Maka ran after the girl.
"He sent him back with some more souls, and probably made the appointment himself. I can't believe you didn't notice that he hadn't eaten all of them!" Maka blushed.
"It's not my fault... As soon as we're out of danger, I always end up watching you fight."
"Well, come on. I'm sure Ed won't forget where we live. We should get back home. We do still have school tomorrow." Crona slipped her hand into Maka's and pulled her along.
"S.W.A.R.M. ?" Kid raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, that's right. Soul Wavelength and Resonance Manipulation. It will be an optional course for our best students. It will be taught by Crona and Stein after regular class hours three days a week." Lord Death nodded happily.
"And... Why do all of our classes need to have acronyms that spell unrelated words?" Kid looked up at his father with an expression of distaste. E.A.T. And N.O.T. And now S.W.A.R.M.?
"It just happens that way. Purely coincidence." The elder shinigami laughed cheerfully. His son walked away before he began to dwell on the asymmetry of all of the words.
"I can't believe I'm sleeping with one of my teachers." Maka giggled. Crona laughed with her and pulled the blankets tighter around them. It was getting colder during the nights. Of course, they were in Nevada, so it never got that cold, but when you were used to 90 degree nights during the summer, the 40 degree nights were chilly.
"Well I won't let our relationship effect your grade. Not like you need it. You're top of the class already anyway." Crona lifted her head and tucked Stitches under her neck as a pillow. He now permenently smelled like all the things she loved. Maka's shampoo, Stein's lab, Marie's food. He was a soft bundle of memories.
"Crona, we need to get some newer pictures of you. The only one I have is back when you first came to Shibusen. You've changed so much since then, it is barely recognizable as you!" Maka smiled and reached over the side of the bed, digging in her discarded pants for something. She came back up with a thin metal box.
She pulled it open and slid out several pictures. The first was of her as a young child standing between her father and a woman that must be her mother. The next was of her and Soul, dancing. The next showed her laughing with Tsubaki and the Thompson twins. The last one showed a thin, shy girl, nearly cowering, in a long black dress, and short choppy hair. She looked ill at ease, and possibly just ill. Maka was next to her, grinning happily. Crona smiled. She hadn't noticed how much she had changed.
She had long ago traded in her black dress for bright and colorful outfits, and a pure white lab coat. She had grown her hair and Kid would never let her keep it uneven. She was confident and healthy, able to stand tall and proud alongside her friends. She had a family and friends. She had lost her birth mother, who had tortured and used her, and her first friend and weapon, who had hassled her, but stayed with her through hell. But she had gained so much more. And she still had her memories.
"Maka, I love you. Lets go get some new pictures of the two of us tomorrow." Crona rolled on top of the blonde and kissed her softly. Maka giggled and made an expression that reminded Crona of the time she had given herself over to madness. Crazy Maka had scared her, but this face was too inviting to be afraid of.
So, i hadn't planned on bringing Ed back, but i sort of wanted to, so i did. I promise, he will not make more than one more appearance for the remainder of the story.
Please leave me some reviews! I'm neglecting a few other stories because i am enjoying writing this, so leave me some feedback. Constructive criticism is always helpful, i know i am far from a professional author, and you could write a lengthy book on my mistakes.
If you have any questions or comments, or requests, let me know!
