Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto or Full Metal Alchemist, two geniuses own them, not me…
Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's First Law of Equivalent Exchange.
In those days, I thought was its one and only truth, as my teachers carved that into my skull. Then it came.
The Philosopher's Stone.
Those who possess it, no longer bound by the laws of equivalent exchange in alchemy, can gain without sacrifice... create without equal exchange. We searched for it... and we found it.
Looking back at Rush Valley… yeah, there is no way to describe it in just one word.
-Uzumaki Naru, 1917, Age 13
Chapter 7: Rush Valley
Naru grumbled as she looked over her map of Rush Valley. "Y'know, I should have asked for a new map of this place when Uncle Havoc asked if I wanted anything…"
"Great, the dobe got us lost again." Sasuke glared at his teammate.
Sora narrowed his eyes. "At least she is trying! Not everything stays the same for years on end!"
"Wait a minute!" Naru kneeled down and started looking through her backpack. After a few seconds, she pulled out a screwdriver. "Hey Kiba, how good is Akamaru's nose?"
Everyone looked up at a sign that hung above a workshop that read LeCoulte Automail.
"This is the place." Naru mused as she looked at the tool in her hand. The handle had the name Winry Rockbell engraved on it. Gripping it, Naru pushed open the door, causing the welcome bell above the door to ring loudly.
"Hello!" A girl with three mechanical limbs walked out of the back room. "Welcome to…" She trailed off as everyone filed in, but kept her sights on Naru.
The young kunoichi smiled. "Hey Paninya!"
Paninya gasped and ran back into the room she came from. "Dominic! Naru's here! Naru's here!"
This time, an older man stepped out of the room, a scar evident on his chin. He looked wide eyed at the girl, as if he had seen a ghost. "Well I'll be…"
"Is everyone going to react to seeing Naru like they just saw some deity or something?" Tenten questioned.
"So, Winry isn't here anymore, is she?" Naru asked.
Dominic shook his head, giving a bark-like laugh. "She left the day before yesterday to go back to Risembool and her grandmother."
"I see." Naru mumbled. It was evident that she was disappointed.
Paninya then grabbed the girl's arm and dragged her out of the room. "Her number hasn't changed so let's call her!"
Once the two girls had left, Dominic smiled. "That girl was something else. Winry is the granddaughter of an old… colleague of mine. She's a prodigy to boot. I remember when she challenged that brat Edward to catch my assistant Paninya to get his watch back." Dominic's face then turned sober. "Then I find Winry waiting at my doorstep one day, asking to be my apprentice. Edward and Naru both disappeared and her friend Alphonse, Ed's little brother, had gone off to improve his skills. Last I saw of that kid, he wore a giant suit of armor. Next thing we know, he doesn't have any memories."
Naru swallowed as the ringtone became louder that her own heartbeat. She had not spoken to Winry in two year, except for the rare letter that was answered by her grandmother. The genin now knew it was due to Winry being apprenticed at Rush Valley.
"Hello? Rockbell Automail, Pinako Rockbell speaking."
Naru gasped and cradled the speaking end of the handset with her free hand. "Auntie Pinako, is that really you? Is it really, really you?"
"Uh, yes, like I said before this is Pinako, but WHO ARE YOU CALLING AUNTIE?"
Naru was ready to cry. She had missed that voice. "Auntie, it's me! It's Naru Uzumaki, Ed and Al's student! Is Winry home?"
Pinako was silent for a few moments. The next thing Naru heard was the old woman yelling for a certain female mechanic.
Naru was taking deep breaths to calm down, but lost her composure as a new voice came through the phone.
"NARU? IS THAT REALLY YOU?"
Naru broke down crying. "Winry, it's me! I'm so sorry! I-I should have called but-"
The next half hour was incoherent sentences and sobbing from both girls.
"Dad! Please, I need your help!" Came a new, panicky voice from outside. Everyone turned to see a man with a bandana and glasses rushing in. Along with him was a pregnant woman who was clearly in pain.
Dominic stood up. "Ridel, what is it?"
Ridel paled even more. "It's Satella! Her baby is coming and the doctor is out in the outskirts!"
Dominic yelled for his step-daughter. "Paninya, get Satella to the guest room now!"
Minato rushed to Ridel. "Do you have any idea what to do?"
Naru sniffled as she walked into the room. "What just happened?"
Ino started shaking the girl. "A WOMAN IS HAVING A BABY! WE HAVE TO HELP HER!"
"Does anyone have experience with this kind of thing?" Chouji asked.
Minato asked. "Yeah, my wife but…" The blonde Hokage shook his head. "Never mind that for now, we need to help this man!"
It was then Shino brought up a good point. "How many of us are medics or know medical jutsu?"
Sakura, Hinata, and Minato raised their hands.
Naru raised her hand. "Um, I've helped deliver a baby before, does that count?"
Kiba raised his hand as well. "I've helped my mom deliver some pups."
"I really don't think that Mrs. Satella will care about the experience right now!"
Minato took charge. "Okay! We need towels and hot water, stat!"
"I'll get the towels!" Ridel shouted as he opened the guest closet.
"Paninya, where is tub of water I was going to use today? The one that I use to cool down my tools?"
"I'm going to need help lifting it, but the water is cold by now!"
Naru clapped her hands. "I can fix that!"
"Hurry please!" Everyone turned to Satella, whose face was contorted in pain as she leaned back in her bed. "I think I can feel the baby coming!"
"EVERYONE WHO IS NOT HELPING GET OUT RIGHT NOW!"
Naru laid on the roof, arms outstretched, as the first star of the night began to twinkle brightly in the desert sky. She could hear the laughter coming from downstairs.
The baby had survived. Ridel and his wife were now the proud parents of a baby boy.
Naru covered her eyes remembering what Minato had said earlier. "He had a wife… who was most likely killed on the 10th…"
"You're not going to join in on the celebrations?"
Naru turned her head to see Shikamaru hovering over her. The genin of the duo sat up.
"Shikamaru, I have a question to ask, since we're best friends and all."
The chunin raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"What do you think of this?" Naru motioned to the town. "This journey and alchemy, I mean."
Shikamaru sat down next to her. "It's new, it's troublesome, it makes my head hurt trying to understand, and it fits you. You have this power at your hands that lets you do anything you want."
Naru laughed. "Yeah right. It's a wonderous power that lets me have anything I desire as long I can give up something of the same price. I can never have my parents back, people say that it's demon magic back home, and I have seen the horrors it can create, what it was used for."
"Stop, thieves!"
The two turned their heads to see a few hooded figures running into the mountains.
"Let's follow them Shikamaru!"
"How troublesome."
Naru and Shikamaru looked up the canyon walls that lined the path as they ran.
"For thieves, they doesn't seem professional." Shikamaru pointed out.
"We're not thieves!" Someone shouted.
The two Konoha shinobi felt something hit them on the back of the head before they passed out.
"What did you think you were doing you fools!"
"They were following us!"
"That didn't give you the right to hurt these children!"
Naru groaned and shook her head. Sitting up, she found that she was tied up with Shikamaru just a few feet away from her. Blinking a few times, Naru was able to make out the shapes of people, all of whom had dark skin and red eyes.
"Shikamaru! Shikamaru, wake up!" Naru hissed. "Shikamaru I know you are awake now get your ass up before I run out of here and tell Temari and your mom that you died because you wanted to take a nap!"
The Nara was immediately awake and started to untie his ropes. "I'm up. So, who are these people?"
"They're Isvalans." Naru answered, making sure that their captors heard them.
The Ishvalans turned around and raised their weapons to defend themselves.
"That is enough!" An old woman with a wrapped eye stepped out, followed by a boy with a scar on his shoulder, an older man dressed in the garb of a warrior priest, and two more boys following him. The last three were immediately recognized.
"Master Cleric, Rick, and Rio? How are you guys?"
"Naru!" Rick cheered and hugged the girl. Rio ran over and gave the girl a hug too.
"So, this is the infamous Naru you two have told us about, Rio, Rick, Master Cleric."
The three nodded. Rio smiled. "We haven't seen each other in almost 2 years. We're happy that you're safe."
Naru nodded. "Oh, this is Shikamaru Nara. He's a warrior from my village, just like me! He has a higher rank though."
The elder woman smiled. "It is nice to see that not everyone is out to exterminate us."
Shikamaru looked confused. "Why would they do that?"
His best friend sighed, her eyes looking dead. "The leader of the country at the time was just a puppet controlled by a small group of people. The Isvalans were a peaceful people, but riots broke out when an Amestrian soldier, who was one of the members of that small group in disguise, killed an Isvalan child. Later, a strike force was sent in the cover of night to kill off people to instigate a civil war. The soldiers of the strike force were later used as lab rats for chimera experiments. State Alchemists were deployed to control the riots, but it was more of a bloodbath than anything. Most turned in their certifications after the war, and I know that one was imprisoned, then later released, then killed by the serial killer Scar."
Most flinched at the mention of Scar's name. Naru continued. "After that, the Ishvalans were kept in camps and treated like animals until the new Fuhrer was put in place. So, what are you all doing out here? You're very far from any refugee colonies."
The woman smiled. "We are meeting up with the remainder of our people, and we plan to make our home across the seas. We cannot return to the ruins of our homeland and this country hates us. It will take more than a new leader to change that."
Naru thought for a moment before taking out a notebook. "Shikamaru, I will need your signature as well."
"What are you doing?" A boy asked as Naru tore out the sheet of paper and handed it to Shikamaru. The Nara sighed before signing the paper and giving it back to Naru.
"Listen. You need to go to the Village of Waves, you will be able to sail there. There, you will meet with a man named Tazuna. From there, send a message to a woman named Tsunade Senju, my village leader. We will welcome you and your people with open arms if you so wish. As proof, show this to Tazuna and send it to Tsunade later. If you prefer more of a desert home, send this to the Kazekage, Gaara of the Sand."
The boy looked at the elder woman. "Madame Shan?"
Shan looked at the paper in Naru's hands for what seemed like hours before taking it. "I thank you, Naru Uzumaki, Shikamaru Nara. We will never forget you."
"WHERE. HAVE. YOU. BEEN?" Screeched Sakura and Ino once the two dead last students of the year walked in the door.
"We were saving a race of people this country almost killed off." Shikamaru explained.
"Shika!" Naru was horrified.
"Kakashi-sensei could make a better excuse!" Sakura yelled at him.
Naru rolled her eyes. "It is true Sakura. We pretty much saved the Isvalans."
Minato walked up to both younger shinobi and glared down at them, causing them to pale. "I want an explanation about where you two were, Naru being our team leader be damned."
Shikamaru pointed to his team leader. "It was all her idea. We followed some thieves and saved their race by sending them to our country."
"Oh thanks a lot Shika!"
AI: Hey there! Yeah, haven't been around for this fic lately. FMA Muse has been weak as of late but I got this done at least! If any of you know of good FMA fics out there, let me know. Hope everyone keeps up with Naruto, it has been getting crazy!
Meanings:
Dobe- Loser, Dead-last, Dumbass
Kazekage- Wind Shadow
Shout Outs:
Shan is the old Isvalan woman from the manga and Brotherhood anime. She reveals to Edward that Scar killed Winry's parents.
