NOTE! THE ENDING WAS EDITED!
Hey guys! Welcome to the NEW Chapter 7! (PS, I also edited a little of Chapter 5)
Yeah, after seeing how difficult it would be to write the story with the plot it already had…. I decided to go on ahead and edit the plotline from here. ^^; Hope you don't mind! I kinda had to.
I'm amazed with how this story is coming along so well, and how a lot of you love it! In fact, I got two new reviewers in the last chapter, which makes me super happy! I'm actually going to be updating every weekend from now on (whenever I can...). Just because it seems easier that way, and it gives you guys something to look forward too.
Anyway, enough of my babbling, you guys have waited long enough to see what happens to Dani, so let's get this story on the road, shall we?
Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist be owned by its creator, Hiromu Arakawa, and Bones studio and Aniplex owns the rights to the official release, with FUNimation owning the official DUB release. To sum everything up, I OWN NOTHING!
Claimer: All I own is my OC, Dani. ^^
Chapter VII: The Truth
It took about half an hour to travel to the little white farmhouse from the cemetery; and by the time I took a few steps up the dirt pathway leading to the front porch, night began to roll in. I had to keep my hand on the rail for fear of falling down the porch steps, while I maneuvered through the benightedness. Once I knew I was on level ground, I held out my hand, and slowly moved forward until my fingertips brushed against the brass doorknob.
Twisting the knob, I slowly pushed it open, revealing the ravaged state of the household. A cold chill ran down my spine as I gazed around at the interior and uneasiness began to settle in the pit of my stomach. Hughes and his men were going to inspect the area tomorrow morning, for any further clues leading to the murder case of my mother. Visions of that day passed through my mind, and I clenched my hand and gritted my teeth tightly.
It was my fault that my mother was gone. If I had just stayed, I could have protected her; hell, maybe even with alchemy! My mother may have been cold and harsh towards me in the past, but she didn't deserve to be brutally attacked and bleed to death! I released a few deep breaths and relaxed my muscles. All of that was going to change now.
Because the lamps were busted, with pieces scattered across the floor, I had to maneuver my way through complete darkness. I slowly strode through the benighted living room, with my arms extending in front of me. From time to time, I would either bump into a wall or into a fallen piece of furniture, or step on a shard of pottery or picture frame, causing it to crack even more. I could visualize the layout of the room in my mind, but it was difficult arriving at the destination with all these obstacles in my way.
Eventually, my hands landed on the smooth wall, and I ran over the ripped and tarnished wallpaper and over the molding a few times until they rested around an icy doorknob. My face lit up, and I slowly twisted the knob, pulling the door open with a creak. I gazed down the staircase, leading into the dark abyss. My eyes had just adjusted to the darkness in the room, but gazing down into the dark cellar was like trying to look through a glass of ink.
There was the uneasiness again, followed by a wave of nostalgia. I stood at the top of the stairs frozen in place as I stared downward into the benighted basement. I hadn't been down there in years! What if my mother had cleaned everything out, leaving all of my father's belongings? If that was true, then there was no way I could perform this "Human Transmutation". Shaking the thought away, I stepped down into the basement.
Keeping a hand tightly grasped on the handrail, I slowly made my way down the creaky wooden steps. So many thoughts were racing through my mind at the time. What if I didn't perform the transmutation in time before Hughes got here? What if I didn't have the ingredients? Well, I would find out the answers once I was downstairs.
Just take it one step at a time, Dani, I thought.
As soon as I knew I was standing on the concrete flooring, I strode around the benighted room, while the only light source was the faint moonlight filtering in the room from the small window near the ceiling. At least it was illuminating the area where the desk was, allowing me enough light to pull open the drawer of matches and candle to fully light the basement.
After setting the candles around the room, I stood up straight; however, I stared dumbstruck at the decor of the basement. It was left exactly the same as it was when I ran away from home. My text books and notebooks were organized on the shelf, practice transmutation circles still adorned the walls, and even my hand-made poster of the periodic table was left on the wall above my father's chest.
"Huh," I mused as I strode over to the book shelf. "Guess Mom decided not to burn everything."
I swept my hand across the spine of the books, ridding them of the dust they had collected for the past three years. Three Years... it felt like forever ago, too. So much had happened to me during that time period: I changed my appearance, joined the military, and became a State Alchemist (in a plutonic partnership with Edward Elric). Now, it's all come down to this moment.
Pulling out one of my notebooks, I carried it over to the desk and sat down. Placing Edward's notebook on the desk beside me, I flipped to the page with the topic of "Human Transmutation", and then I studied the detailed matrix and copied it on a blank sheet of paper. I would have to practice drawing the matrix first, especially since the text read that it was supposed to be fairly large.
This could take a while...
~ . . * . . ~
Outside, the wind blew harshly, causing the trees to sway and bend in their force. Branches scratched against the side of the little farmhouse, while a few leaves surrendered to the strong winds, and left their former places on the branches to be taken away by the rushing breeze. Ravens cawed ominously on the roof of the farmhouse, but then quickly retreated to a safer place.
From what I read in Edward's notes, alchemists had tried and failed at Human Transmutation. I looked like a huge risk, but I was willing to accept it. Those alchemists who dared to perform the transmutation must've not had their bodies or minds well-prepared. I was ready, I was fully prepared. I didn't spend hours upon hours in the middle of the night in this very basement doing nothing but studying and practicing alchemy for nothing! I was willing to take on this challenge.
If I preformed this transmutation with as much effort as I could muster, I probably would be the first ever alchemist to successfully perform Human Transmutation! In fact, if I was successful, Edward would have to cut me some slack! I smirked and closed my eyes picturing myself in Central Headquarters, standing at the podium in front of thousands of cheering fans, alchemists, and military troops. I would be the most renowned State Alchemist in all of Amestris; hell, maybe even the world!
That was just a distant dream now, and the only way to make that dream a reality was to give everything I had into this transmutation process. I'll bring both my parents back. I'll hug my father, make amends with my mother.
But most importantly... rub it in Edward's face.
Finally, after spending three and a half hours non-stop of studying and practicing, I managed to outline the matrix on paper free-hand. Trust me, with all the details and text within the circles, my hand would start to cramp after about an hour. Of course, it took another hour gathering all the ingredients I would need in order to perform the transmutation, plus rummaging around for a proper bin to place all the ingredients in. Hell, after studying the Fullmetal Alchemist's notes, I practically had them memorized:
Water: 35 liters.
Carbon: 20 kilograms.
Ammonia: 4 liters.
Lime: 1.5 kilograms.
Phosphorus: 800 grams.
Salt: 250 grams.
Saltpeter: 100 grams.
Sulfur: 80 grams.
Fluorine: 7.5 grams.
Iron: 5 grams.
Silicon: 3 grams.
And 15 other elements in trace quantities…
Of course, those were only the ingredients to bring back one human being. In order to bring both my mother and father back to the land of the living, I would have to double the recipe. It wasn't written in the notebook about a double transmutation, but it was simple math. If you want two of something, you had to double the recipe.
Standing up, I strode across the room and opened the cabinet. Cobwebs adorned the back corners of the cupboard that had been abandoned for years. At least my beakers and test tubes were still inside... dusty, but still inside. I grabbed as many as I would need, and then I set them gently on the table. I measured, poured, mixed the ingredients accordingly as the recipe called for, doubling them in the process. I couldn't mix too much or too little, because that would cause a traumatic rebound; something I did not want to happen.
Once I had each ingrediant measured precisely, I poured them into the aluminum bin, mixed in with the 70 liters of water. I shifted and swished the basin until the water was absorbed into the ingredients, leaving a mound of mushy gray substances. Now came the tricky part: the constructional part of the formula. Clearing the floor of any objects, I made enough room to draw the massive transmutation circle. Laying on my stomach with my arm extended, I slowly traced the outline of the circle, turning my body every so often. After that, I sat on my knees, tracing the intricate designs on the concrete flooring.
I wasn't sure how long it took, but as soon as I finished, I checked Edward's notebook, just to make sure I hadn't missed any important details. Nope. Everything was there. I stood up to stretch my aching muscles, and I gazed in awe at the massive transmutation circle with the shapes of stars, squares, and half-circles adorning its interior. All I had to do was finish it off with the symbols and the writing. I carefully stepped to the center of the circle, wary not to smear any of the pre-drawn lines. The white stick of chalk danced across the concrete as I worked my way towards the outer rim.
"The peacock's feathers in bright colors,..." I mumbled as I wrote, "...the rainbow in the sky above, the spotted panther, ... The green lion, the crow and beak, blue as lead. ... They shall appear before you in perfect white. ... Pale white and black with false citrine, imperfect white and red. ... After the perfect white follows the grey, ... and after these shall appear the substance. "
Maneuvering my way out of the circle, I sighed and wiped my arm across my sweating brow. Would I have enough energy left in me to perform the transmutation? Leaving the circle alone for a while, I stood up and walked over to the desk, grabbing the clock and examining the face:12:03 PM. I had plenty of time to bring my mother and father back, make amends, get some rest, and head back to Eastern with Hughes the next day.
I smiled as I pictured my mother and father appearing in the center of the circle. Of course, they would be confused as to why they were brought back to earth, but I wouldn't care. I would hold them tight and never let, go especially my father. Two years, I had only known him for two years and a few months of my life before he left me and my mother. All of that was going to change now.
Pulling out Edward's notebook one last time, I scanned the picture of the hand-drawn transmutation circle, comparing it with my own. If I was missing any important parts of the matrix, I would be in one hell of a mess. Was I paranoid? Possibly. But, hey, this was the first time I've preformed alchemy that was this technical. I had to make sure everything was perfect.
"Matrix... check," I mused as I scanned over the text. "Container for ingredients... check; ingredients... che- Wait..."
Narrowing my eyes, I took a closer look at the one ingredient I missed. It was a good thing I had caught that mistake, or there definitely would have been hell to pay. Of course, as soon as I read over the final ingredient, I paled, and covered my mouth with my hand, holding back the urge to regurgitate.
Soul data... A.K.A. Blood. How ironic...
My first thought was: There's no way in hell I'm going to cut myself. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I. Can't. Stand. Blood. A festering scab or wound was fine, depending on the severity; however, fresh blood oozing out from a newly made wound... I shuddered at the mere image. Swallowing hard, I ventured up the staircase to the main level of the house, maneuvering my way around the obstacles to and from the kitchen. I was more wary of where I was walking when I was striding back from the kitchen, especially since I was carrying a knife.
As soon as I was back down in the cellar, I sat on my knees in front of the basin on ingredients. I stared down at it for a moment and then hesitantly brought the knife up to my finger. It took forever to make myself stop shaking; and, eventually, I brought the knife down to my finger, sliding the sharp blade across the flesh. Sinking my teeth into my lower lip, I winced as the stinging pain shot though my arm. After a few seconds, the all-too familiar sight of blood began to seep out from the wound, and I quickly held my hand face-down over the basin watching with one eye open as the drops of blood dripped from my hand, staining the ingredients.
Immediately, after that, I quickly stood up and set the knife down on the desk. Then, I wound my finger up in my T-shirt, putting as much pressure on my throbbing finger. I waited a few minutes, and then I checked my finger to find that the bleeding had ceased; however, there was a small red blotch on my white shirt. Oh, well. It would wash off.
I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down, and then I grabbed the basin of ingredients, and plopped them down in the center of the matrix. Afterwards, I sat down on my knees at the edge of the transmutation circle, staring at it for a few seconds. This was it. As soon as I put my hands on the edge of the circle, I would be in the midst of performing human transmutation. So many thoughts began buzzing around in my mind a mile a minute. This was a life or death type of situation; I mean the odds of living were against me at the moment. However, the risk was all too tempting to resist.
"I can do this..." I whispered to reassure myself. "I will perform Human Transmutation. I will bring my parents back. But mostly..." I glanced up and raised my voice, "I'll show Elric who's the better alchemist!"
With that, I stared down at the transmutation circle once more, and then I took a few deep breaths. I began to feel uneasy in my abilities again, no matter how many times I reassured myself. All I had to do was slam my hands down on the floor and activate the array. It wasn't that hard.
Just when I raised my hands up, I heard a voice shriek from the doorway. "Dani!"
Startled, I jerked my head over in the direction of the voice. Of course, all I could see was a blur of navy blue before I was tightly grasped around the waist and hauled away from the circle etched in chalk on the ground.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" I screamed, attempting to wriggle myself free from the person's grasp. "Let me go!"
"I'm not going to let you throw away your life so recklessly!" the person behind me hollered.
I nearly gasped in shock familiarizing the voice, and then I twisted my body around to face whoever it was that was holding me. Yep, my hunch was right. It was none other than the lieutenant colonel, Hughes.
"Let me go, Hughes…" I hissed warningly.
When he gave no verbal response and denied my request, I only squirmed even more. Finally, I was able to tear myself from his grasp, and I raced over to the array. Just when I was mere feet away from falling to my knees and slapping my hands down on the edge of the circle, I felt Hughes' hand clutch my wrist and jerk me back.
"Dammit!" I snapped, swinging at the man with my free hand. "I said LET GO!"
When my fist was only inches away from breaking his glasses, he grabbed my other wrist with his free hand and twisted me around so that my back was to him and my arms were crossed. I still fought back no matter how long it took. I'd wear the lieutenant colonel down sometime.
"Why are you doing this, Danielle?" he inquired.
"Because I want to start over again!" I retorted. "I'm just one step closer to bringing my parents back, so…" I continued to struggle out of his grasp as I added: "just… let me… get it over… with!"
"Did you even stop to think what would happen if it failed?" the lieutenant colonel pressed on.
"I don't need to!" I shot back. "It was in Edward's notes-"
"But that doesn't mean that he succeeded!"
I stopped squirming for a minute and thought over what Hughes said. So, Edward tried human transmutation? That would explain why he had it written down in his notes. But…he's still alive, so his attempt at the transmutation had to have worked!
...right?
"He's still here, so wouldn't his transmutation be a success?" I inquired.
"That's something you're going to have to ask him yourself," Hughes answered, more calmly this time.
So, that means that if Edward didn't succeed, then there was no possible way to bring back my mother and father. More importantly, I had doubled the transmutation from Edward's notes, so if I failed, it would've been one messy rebound.
As I gazed out into the dimly lit room with the giant transmutation circle etched in the center, my throat began to choke up with tears. To think that if I tried to perform the Double Human Transmutation, it would've been more of a suicide. I'd see my parents, all right; but, not in this world. What was I thinking?
"But..." I stammered, my voice cracked as my eyes moistened.
Then, I dropped to my knees, allowing a few tears to run down my cheeks and onto the concrete floor of the basement. I nearly threw my life away if Hughes hadn't have barged in and stopped me just in time. What an idiot I was...
Hughes released my wrists and knelt down beside me. "I'm sorry, Dani. I understand how much you want to bring them back, but death this permanent."
"I should be the one that's sorry..." I spoke, trying not to make it evident that I was crying (although I was sure that Hughes had figured it out). "I just wanted to see dad one more time, and..." I could feel more tears wracking my throat as I the words ran through my mind. "... and I wanted to start over with mom..."
With that, a river of tears began flowing from my eyes as I hung my head, allowing them to drip down to the floor. I sniffled and shuddered as more waves of tears overcame my body. Tears of sadness, tears of guilt, and tears of fear were all mixed together.
It took a few minutes or so for me to finally be able to cease the water works. Sniffling once more, I continued to sit on my knees in the still silence, and I nearly flinched when a felt a warm hand placed on my shoulder.
"I'm sure your mother is very proud of you, Danielle," the lieutenant colonel spoke calmly.
I groaned at the mere thought of the woman. "No she isn't. She never was."
Hughes sighed. "Listen, I know you had issues with your mother, but she loved you, Danielle. She still does."
I scoffed. "Puh-lease, she never let me use alchemy! It was pretty much forbidden. I did it anyway though, and that's what caused our falling-out." I sighed and laid the side of my head on the Hughes' shoulder. "I just wanted to impress her, and show her that I was good enough."
"Well, I think you're good enough, Danielle. I'm sure both of your parents think that."
"It doesn't feel that way..."
And it sure didn't. I sacrificed a lot to make it to the top and become a State Alchemist, but I was just one of the many in Amestris. In order to make myself renowned for years and years to come, I would've had to step up my game.
After a few moments, Hughes broke the silence. "Well, it's late. I'm sure you're probably worn out by now."
I nodded, and then Hughes helped me stand on my feet. The lieutenant colonel and I spent a good half-hour of cleaning the transmutation circle off the floor, and disposing the ingredients in the bin. We made sure to put everything back where it belonged, especially blowing out the candles and storing them in the drawer.
I grabbed Edward's notebook on the way out of the room, and then I followed Hughes up the staircase. Before ascending the last few steps, I glanced over my shoulder at the basement one last time and then sighed, climbing the last few steps and closing the door behind me.
Well, I may have learned the truth about death. But what I was really interested in was Edward's little secret about his transmutation. Hell, maybe that would answer why he was so renowned through Amestris.
~ . . * . . ~
I gazed out the window of the military van, taking in the night scene of the rural countryside of Risembool. I must admit that there were tons of starts glistening in the sky, because of no light like in the city to absorb it all. Was I going to miss it when I left? Of course not.
Hughes and I had just returned from the inn, gathering my luggage, and we were on our way to some automail workshop to meet up with Edward. I guess that because we now knew where he was, I could stay with him; that way, when Ed heads back to HQ we could continue finding that stone.
I sure was lucky that Hughes barged into the basement before I was able to activate the array. Who knows what would've happened to me if he hadn't showed up in time? Come to think of it, I never mentioned to him where I was going after leaving the cemetery, so how did he know I went back to my house?
"Hey, lieutenant colonel?" I asked, breaking up the silence. "How did you know where I was?"
"Call it a hunch," the lieutenant colonel answered. "When I got back to the inn, I waited about half an hour for you to show up; when you didn't, I went back looking for you. I first stopped at the cemetery to see if you were still there; and when I couldn't find you there I knew there was only one place you could have gone off to."
"Why did you even decide to rescue me?" I inquired. "I mean, you could've just let me learn my lesson the hard way."
"First of all, I'm not that kind of person. I may not know everything about alchemy, but I do know the consequences of a taboo. Secondly," Hughes paused and rested his elbow on the window sill, gazing out the window. "I made a promise to your dad."
Raising an eyebrow, I turned my attention from the window and faced him. Right. Almost forgot that Hughes knew my dad back during the Civil War. But I never would've guessed that the two of them were actually buddies or something.
"What was it?" I asked.
The lieutenant colonel didn't answer for a minute. He continued to gaze out the window as if reflecting on a distant memory. I sat there as patiently as I could, holding back the urge to press on in order to get an answer.
"It was his last words," Hughes spoke, continuing to gaze out the window. "He held on to every last bit of energy he had until I made my promise." The lieutenant colonel smiled as he faced me. "He said: 'Hughes, if anything happens to my wife, I want you to take care of my little girl'."
Those words really pierced through me. My father must've trusted Hughes a lot since he offered Hughes the role as my surrogate father. It would've been nice living with the lieutenant colonel and his family; heck I lived with them for a year when I failed the first try at the Alchemy Exam. Of course, I sure messed that plan up when I became a State Alchemist.
"You know," Hughes spoke up, breaking the silence. "You do remind me a lot of your dad, Dani."
Raising an eyebrow, I turned to face him. "What do you mean?"
Hughes smiled. "Well, for starters, you both have green eyes."
"Yeah," I added, nonchalantly. "That's the only thing I got from him. Everything else was from my mom."
"Appearance-wise, maybe," the lieutenant colonel spoke, "but, you're devoted and hard-working like him."
Huh. I never would've thought of that. Growing up, my dad only stayed home for about a week every year before heading back over to Ishvaal. As a child, I always saw him a kind, and loving like any child would see their parents. As I reflected more on the resemblance… I did work hard, sometimes pushing myself to my breaking point.
"You know how he died, right?" Hughes inquired.
"Yeah," I answered. "He was shot."
That was when I noticed a ghost of a grin spread across the lieutenant's lips. "There's more to that. You see, when he and his squadron were entering the battlefield, getting ready to open fire, all the Ishvaalan families were running to find safety. Once his troops were ready to open fire, there was a young Ishvalan boy who got lost from his group and was stuck in the midst of the battle. There wasn't enough time to call off the attack, so your dad ran out and moved the boy to safety. As soon as he turned around to run back, he was shot."
At first I was about to scream 'Are you kidding me?! That is the stupidest and most reckless thing anyone could ever do!'; however, after a second thought, I realized that it wasn't so insane after all. My father wouldn't just allow an innocent child to get brutally murdered. Even though it was a stranger's child, he played the "good Samaritan".
"Giving up his life to save another..." I mused. "It's almost like Equivalent Exchange."
Hughes chuckled; but before either one of us could say anything else, the car rolled to a halt in front of a two-storied home with a green porch and balcony railing at the top. The lieutenant colonel was the first to step out of the vehicle, while I grabbed my bags and hopped out to join him.
As the lieutenant colonel took the lead, I gazed at the little farmhouse up the hill. This is where Edward and Al were staying? Shouldering my bag, I followed Hughes up the trail to the shabby home. Hughes knocked a few times on the door, and then the two of us patiently waited outside.
Barking echoed on the other end of the door, followed by a rasp chide to hush the dog, along with a set of footsteps. The door opened revealing a dwarfish, elderly woman with gray hair pulled back into a stiff ponytail.
She looked from Hughes and then to me, and raised an eyebrow. "Can I help you?"
"Uh… yeah," I answered. "Is Edward Elric here?"
Before the old woman could answer, the blonde alchemist popped into view on the other side of the door, with a puzzled countenance. "Russo? Hughes? What're you guys doing here?"
"You know them, Ed?" the old woman inquired, turning to the blonde.
"Yeah," The Fullmetal Alchemist answered, walking over to us. "Granny, this is lieu-"
"Lieutenant Colonel Hughes! Pleased to meet ya!" Hughes spoke with that cheesy smile as he saluted.
"Yeah," Edward continued. "And this," he added, placing a hand on my shoulder, "is Daniel; a little tag-along."
Well, once again Edward crossed the line. "I'm you're State Alchemist partn-!"
At that moment, as soon as I whirled around to retort, I fell silent and my eyes widened as I scanned the blonde from head to toe. Edward was wearing a long, light blue T-shirt and a pair of briefs. Of course, that wasn't all... He was missing his right arm! And on top of that he had a plastic left leg!
I stared at his lack of fleshy limbs, blinking a few times, and then backed away with a shriek. "Wh-wha?" I shouted pointing at the blonde. "What the hell happened to your arm? And your leg?"
Edward rubbed the back of his head with his hand (which technically was the only one he could use at the moment). "Eh... long story..."
The old woman hummed thoughtfully, and then she gazed up at me. "Well, I guess you'll be staying as well, dear. There aren't any rooms left open, so you'll have to stay with Edward."
"SAY WHAT?" the blonde alchemist and I retorted at the same time.
The old woman adjusted her circular specs, unfazed by our outburst. "You two are together anyway, so you might as well make the best of it..."
I continued to stare dumbstruck at the Fullmetal Alchemist, but Hughes clapping a hand on my shoulder brought me back into reality.
"Well… I'll see you around, kiddo~" Hughes spoke.
"Come along, dear," the old woman spoke, turning and walking down the hall. "Let me show you to your room."
I nodded, and then followed the old woman down the hall. She opened the door to a small room with one bed off to the side, and a sofa at the other end. Edward's black jacket and slacks were sprawled out on the floor by his bed, while his long, red jacket hung limply over the edge of a chair. Typical boyish nature...
That was when I noticed Alphonse propped up against the wall at the back of the room. Well, at least his armor was anyway. There was a giant tarp covering a gaping hole in the side of the armor, with a few pieces laying on a tarp beside it. Where the actual Alphonse was, I wasn't sure; I mean, wouldn't he be the one sharing the room with Ed?
"Hey, Dani," the young boy's voice echoed from inside the armor.
Holy shit! I thought. He's still inside that thing?
"What're you doing here?" the boy inquired.
"Uh..." I began, still shocked that Al was still inside his suit. I mean, did he camp out in there all the time? "Well... Hughes is heading back to Central in the morning, so he just dropped me off here with you guys..."
The boy nodded, while the old woman walked over to the couch and pulled it away from the wall, folding the back downward. Huh, and adjustable couch that turns into a bed... Whoever invented that was a genius; hell, maybe even a millionaire by now.
"Well, I'll let you get settled in," the elderly woman spoke.
"Thanks... uh..." I began, realizing that Edward hadn't introduced me to her yet.
The woman smiled. "Pinako Rockbell."
"Right. Thanks, Mrs. Rockbell," I spoke.
"Sure thing," she answered. Then she turned around and began walking out of the room. "If you need anything else, just call."
As soon as her miniature figure disappeared around the corner, I sighed and tossed my bag onto the bed. Zipping the bag open, I pulled out my pajama bottoms. Slipping out of my jacket, exposing the white T-shirt underneath, I hung the jacked over the edge of the headboard of the futon.
"Hey, Al?" I inquired. "Could you look away for a minute?"
"Oh... sure, Dani," the boy answered, turning the helmet of the armor to the side.
I stared at him for a few more moments, checking to make sure that there weren't any holes in the side of his helmet, and then I quickly slipped off my pants and pulled on my pajama bottoms.
"Okay, you can look now," I told the boy.
After packing away my clothes in my bag, I tossed it onto the floor by the bed, and then I stretched my arms. Man, was I ready to get some sleep. Who knows how long I stayed up? Well, one thing was for sure was that studying Edward's notes and decoding them for who knows how long took some energy out of me.
Just when I was about to climb into bed and pass out, a male voice growled: "What were you thinking?"
Startled, I jerked my head up to find Edward standing in the doorway. His hand was clenched, and his golden eyes were lit up like fire as he glared at me from across the room. I raised an eyebrow in confusion, wondering why he was so livid.
"Hey, Elric," I spoke, calmly. "How long have you been standing th-"
"What were you thinking, Russo?" he asked again, his voice rising to a crescendo.
I flinched at his sudden outburst, but then I quickly regained my composure. "What are you talking about?"
"You know damn well what I'm talking about," Edward hissed, shutting the door behind him. "Hughes told me everything. What you tried to do earlier."
My eyes widened as I stared at Edward bewildered. Was Human Transmutation that bad? "Oh, shut up... He stopped me from doing it."
"Yeah, thankfully!" He groaned, and ran his hand through his blonde bangs. I just still can't believe you! After what I told you at the cemetery, you still had the audacity to go on and try to perform Human Transmutation!"
I heard Alphonse gasp in shock from behind me as the room grew deathly silent. Edward's fiery, golden scowl was the most intimidating look I had ever seen! Even if he did have to incline his head somewhat to look up at me, it was still terrifying. Of course, I wasn't going to let my guard down.
"It's not like I had a choice!" I retorted.
"Yes, you had a damn choice!" the blonde alchemist answered, slamming his hand down on the side table. "You could've just accepted the facts, and just moved on with your life. But no, you, a novice alchemist, decided to go on and try human transmutation for the first time without honing your skills or practicing with a teacher!"
"Well, I didn't do it," I snapped back. "I mean, yeah, I doubled the recipe and everything but-"
"WHAT?" Edward cried. Then, he grasped the collar of my shirt, and tugged me forward, so that my face was mere inches away from his. "YOU DOUBLED THE RECIPE? Geez, I knew you were a stubborn idiot, but this just proves it!"
"Shut the hell up, Elric," I screamed, placing my hands on his shoulders and shoving him away from me. His hand released the collar of my shirt, and I continued to glare at him, but I felt hot tears pricking the back of my eyes. "You don't understand..."
Edward released a deep breath. "I understand completely." Then, he propped the plastic leg up on the bed and pointed to it. "You see this?"
I nodded.
"This is what happens when you play 'God'," the Fullmetal Alchemist continued.
"Wait... So you did try to perform Human Transmutation?"
"Ed and I both did," Alphonse chimed in.
Wait? Both of them attempted Human Transmutation? I glanced from the boy in armor to his older brother, who only gazed off into space, probably reliving the memory.
"Al and I tried to bring our mom back," Edward spoke, taking his leg off the bed. "We failed, obviously. I lost my left leg, while he lost his entire body."
I backed away in shock. That can't be right! Glancing over at the younger Elric on the floor, I raised an eyebrow in confusion.
"Lost his entire body?" I repeated. Then I extended my hand outwards, gesturing to the boy behind me. "Alphonse is right there!"
"That's the second part," Al spoke forlornly.
Okay... this was starting to get really confusing...
"In order to bring Al back," Edward continued for his brother. "I had to give up my right arm."
With that, Edward rolled back his sleeve, where his arm was missing, revealing a large metal port attached to his shoulder. He even slipped the sleeve off completely to reveal that the port was attached to half of his torso, while pinkish scars extended from the metal. My eyes widened even more as I stared dumbstruck at Edward's missing right limb.
"Of course," the blonde alchemist added, slipping his sleeve back over his shoulder and walking over to the suit of armor. "I had to make a Blood Seal to anchor his soul to the suit of armor."
Standing next to his brother in armor, he lifted his helmet off. Like any logical-thinking person, I was expecting to see the head of a young boy under the helmet. Unfortunately, that was nothing. Slowly walking over to the two brothers, I gazed down into the armor to find that there was absolutely nothing inside. Inside the armor, however, at the back of the collar, was a blood-stained transmutation array, which, I presumed, was the 'Blood Seal'.
So, the Fullmetal alchemist did indeed perform Human Transmutation, which would explain why it was written in his notes. But, at that time, I had no idea the great price it would be to bring back an actual human being from the dead, even if it did fail. Ed lost a leg, while Al lost his entire body. Man, if I had actually preformed the transmutation, who knows what I would've lost?
"I... I had no idea..." I murmured, hanging my head.
Edward didn't answer. Instead, he placed the helmet back on the suit of armor, and then turned around, walking towards his bed. Man, learning about what really happened to Edward and Alphonse overwhelming. Sighing, I walked across the room, flipping the light off and climbed into bed, while Ed did the same.
"Good night, Brother," Alphonse spoke. (man, it was going to be hard getting used to the fact that he was really hollow inside). "G'night, Dani."
"Night, Al," I answered.
Of course, Edward didn't answer, so I presumed that he had already fallen asleep. I wouldn't blame him. I mean, it was late anyway. Pulling the covers up to my shoulder, I nuzzled my head into the pillow waiting for sleep to take over.
"Alchemy is the reconstruction of matter in new forms based on the knowledge of natural laws," Edward's calm, but piercing, voice spoke from across the room. "The world flows by obeying those laws. Life, and even death, are a part of the flow. Accept the flow of the world."
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I inquired, gazing across the room as the boy.
Of course, he didn't answer me. He was probably still pissed off. Well, he'll be back to his egotistical old self in a few days...
Dun Dun Duuuuuun~
Well, there you guys go! It was obvious from the cliffhanger in the last chapter that she was going to do it. Of course, she really didn't, which made the plot-twist even twistier! :D And, for those of you who are wondering, the writing in the circle is really what the writing is. (Trust me. Google it.)
On another note... YAY! Winry makes an appearance! ^^
So, hope you guys enjoyed~!
And I'll try to post the EDITED chapter 8 sometime this weekend!
Oh, and that little rectangle button below? Yeah, that's the Review Button ^^ If you click it and leave a review you'll help donate to Al's "Kitten Rescue Shelter" :3 So click it if you wanna save the kitties~
