Moxxie: Ahhhhhh maaaaaaannnnnnnnnn. Are you gusy ready for an adventure!
Brosh: YEAH!
Ross: YEAH!
Armstrong: MOST CERTAINLY MY GOOD MADAME!
Edward: Jesus Christ, everyone is insane!
Moxxie: Mommy! Eddy-Chan is being mean! *Glomps Kyoya Ootori*
Kyoya: What am I even doing here?
Tamaki: Isn't that quite obvious, Kyo-Pu, This damsel is in need of assistance! *Throws rose petals*
Edward: Oh good lord. Where on gods green did he get rose petals? STOP THROWING THEM AT ME *Smacks rose petals out of Senpai's hand*
Tamaki: Mommy! Eddy-Chan is being mean! *Blubbering ensues*
Kyoya: *Sigh* Lets just do the Disclaimer so we can go back to our own anime. *Pushes glasses higher on nose* The writer acknowledges that Fullmetal Alchemist, it's characters and storylines are creative properties of Hiromu Arakawa, Square Enix and it's subsidiaries. All OC's and original storylines are, however, creative properties of Moxxie Russo.
The train ride to Central seemed to take no time at all in comparison to the ride out to Resembool. Even if it did seem shorter, Johanna was itching to get off the train and as soon as it pulled into the station she made for the door.
"Looks like somebody was ready to go." Edward huffed as he, Al and Major Armstrong finally caught up to her.
"Trains make me motion sick." Johanna shrugged, stretching as she did. Johanna noticed the station at Central seemed to be bustling with activity and she raised her brow suspiciously.
"-The fire was HUGE! I could see it from my house!"
"No way! How did it happen?" She heard a few of the passersby say excitedly.
"What do you think they're all huffy about?" Edward asked, watching them walk past. He eyed a group of them huddled over a newspaper with growing suspicion, he wanted badly to snatch it from their hands.
"Not sure... Something about a fire. I could ask if you want?" Johanna offered, her curiosity also piqued.
"Nah, I'm not too worried about it. We gotta get to the library anyways." Edward brushed off, slinging his suitcase over his shoulder.
"Wait up brother!" All called, running off after Edward. Johanna hesitated, watching the nearest newspaper stand.
"What is it Johanna?" Major Armstrong asked. "Are you feeling okay?" Johanna shook her head and smiled.
"It's nothing, I guess i just spaced out." Johanna lied. Again her eyes flickered over to the paper stand, before she too picked up her suitcase. "Let's catch up to the before they get themselves in trouble."
"Yes madam. Are you sure you're alright?"
"I'm fine, I promise." It wasn't a total lie. She wasn't ill or injured but a feeling in the pit of her stomach left her uneasy. Call it a woman's intuition but something told her that that fire was important.
As they approached the library, Johanna's unease didn't lessen. Military personnel ran back and forth excitedly, yelling and shouting orders. A vague smell of fire caught Johanna's nose and she shared a look with Edward. He smelled it too.
"Excuse me," Edward said, catching the attentions of a nearby soldier.
"What's going on here?" He flashed his pocket watch and Johanna lost interest, her eyes falling to a newspaper that had been discarded on the street. Johanna walked over, picking it up and reading the front page. She gasped in shock, the headline reading: FIRST BRANCH BURNS!
"Late last night the first branch of the National Central Library caught fire in what appears to be an act of arson..." Johanna read quietly to herself. It seemed she'd finally caught Edward's attention, as both Elric brothers slowly approached her. Johanna frowned at them, her eyes trailing from the boys to the paper in her hands. Slowly she held it out for Edward to take. He snatched it from her greedily, reading the front page. Edward gasped.
No way! This can't be happening!FIRST BRANCH BURNS! It was like the paper was mocking him! Edward turned on his heel, darting past the soldiers and around the corner.
"Brother!" Alphonse called, watching as Edward took the corner. Johanna groaned, grabbing Al's metal hand and pulling him after his brother.
"Come on, we better catch up." Johanna sighed as they turned the corner. Her eyes fell to Edward before she even bothered looking at the building. Edward glared up at the ruins before him, both fists clenched at his sides. Johanna noticed he was shaking furiously, the newspaper still clutched in his hand.
Johanna frowned at him, her eyes drifting to the building to her left. The ruins still sat smoldering, the fresh fire smell heavier here than down the street. Johanna sniffed, the paper was right, the First Branch had indeed burned to the ground.
"Uhg! It's all gone!" Edward growled, his shoulders dropping considerably. Al dropped Johanna's hand, both brother's slouched in defeat. Again she looked at the ruins, shaking her head. There had to be something there. Silently, Johanna approached the building, tearing at the caution tape that had been placed at the doorway.
"What... What are you doing?" Edward asked despondently. Johanna turned, grinning at him mischievously.
"Do you wanna look around or are we done here? Because to be honest, I'm tired and I'd rather go to the hotel." Johanna told him, the mischievous grin never leaving her face. Edward paused, shocked at her words. Johanna was going to look through the debris with them? Edward stood, re-composing himself before looking at Al.
"Alright, let's hurry up so Queen Shiva here can get her beauty rest." Edward teased, causing Johanna's face to turn red.
"You jerk!" Johanna yelled, clenching her fists. She watched as he grew ever closer to her, muttering something about 'god only knows she needs it.' I'm going to hit him, right in his smug face!
It didn't take long for them to realize that nothing really remained of the First Branch. Johanna frowned as she tossed another pile of burnt wood to the side. Soot flew from the debris and Johanna coughed as it blew into her face.
"There's nothing here but ashes." Edward sighed from a few feet away. He tried to pick up what remained of a book, only to have it crumble in his hands.
"I'll keep looking, there has to be something left." Johanna told him, walking off to the remains of several book shelves. Edward watched he go, smiling as she grabbed something from the shelf, only to have the entire structure crumble around her. Sheepishly she stepped away from it, rubbing her hands on her pants. If she wasn't ready to give up then neither was he.
"Major Armstrong!" Johanna turned, startled at the new voice. Behind them, at the door way, sat two soldiers, both saluting.
"Oh, second Lieutenant Ross and Sargent Brosch. To what do we owe the pleasure?" Major Armstrong said sounding surprised to see them here. Johanna joined Edward and Alphonse at the door.
"You have been ordered to report back to the Command Center!" The woman with short black hair, Lieutenant Ross, told Alex.
"We will be taking over supervision of the Elric brothers and Johanna Albrecht, sir!" The man said, both soldiers easing off their salutes. "Effective immediately."
"Very well then, They're yours." Johanna felt her jaw drop and Edward groaned from next to her.
"What is this? Just when I think we're home free they saddle us with more body guards?" He whined. Johanna had to agree, she felt rather silly walking around with baby sitters. "This is getting old!"
"All might not be lost. There's a woman who was well acquainted with the materials in the first branch." Second Lieutenant Ross told them. Johanna, Edward and Alphonse had followed Ross and Brosch to their waiting car and now the five of them sat awkwardly in the tiny space. Johanna groaned, sighing up at Alphonse. He took up most of the room, leaving Edward and Johanna squished into the doors.
"Really?" Edward asked, his attention piqued. Ross nodded, a tight frown finding a way to her face.
"Unfortunately, she wasn't working there at the time of the fire." Edward groaned, crossing his arms.
"Well that sounds incredibly helpful." He muttered sarcastically.
"Brother!" Al scolded, shoving him with his elbow. "Be nice, Lieutenant Ross and Sargent Brosch have been really helpful!"
"Yeah, yeah..." Edward brushed him off, looking out of the window. Johanna shook her head, her attention returning to the soldiers in front of her. She couldn't help but noticed the way Sargent Brosch stared at Alphonse and her.
"Is something wrong?" Alphonse asked suddenly, apparently he had noticed as well.
"Oh nothing!" Brosch stuttered, realizing he had been caught staring. Johanna narrowed her eyes at him and he swallowed nervously. "Although, if you don't mind me asked, why are you wearing a suit of armor? And miss, your tattoos, are they a part of a gang initiation?"
Johanna's eyes widened and she looked to Edward for help as she readjusted the collar of her shirt. Now that she was completely self conscious, Johanna slouched back into her seat, staring uncomfortably at her thighs.
"It's uh... a hobby they both enjoy..." Edward said unsure of himself. Brosch and Ross exchanged looks, as if the didn't believe them. "So... Lovely day isn't it guys?"
"Yeah, yeah, it's gorgeous!" Al squeaked, looking down at Johanna. He frowned inwardly as she bit her lip, arms crossed tightly across her chest.
"So uh, so this woman. Do you know where she lives?" Johanna asked quietly, not looking up from the window.
"We're already in route." Ross told her quietly, the obvious awkward tension heavy in the air.
The car pulled up to a small apartment building a few minutes later. It was cute, seemed to be in a nice neighborhood. Johanna was ready to have space to move again and she happily stretched as she hopped out.
"This is it, huh?" Edward asked, following Johanna's lead.
"Yes, she lives in apartment 302. Her name is Cheska." Brosche informed them as he helped Ross out of the car. Johanna watched the pair suspiciously, a small smiling playing on her face.
"Well, what are we waiting for?" Edward said happily, walking up to the front door. It didn't take long to find Cheska's apartment. The doors were numbered and Johanna was pleased to find that the layout of the place was fool proof.
"302... Here it is." Edward knocked on the door, his heart pounding. To say he was nervous was an understatement, the butterflies in his stomach wouldn't stop. He was was so close, all of his answers just beyond this door. Edward placed a nervous hand on the door knob, going to turn it.
"Edward!" Johanna hissed. He flinched, looking up at her. She crossed her arms, tapping her foot in disappointment. "Remember what happened the last time you opened someones door?!" Johanna shuddered, seeing Marcoh's gun in her face again.
"Johanna's right, brother. Maybe she isn't home?" Alphonse chimed in, remembering How Armstrong had chucked him. Edward shook his head.
"She has to be home!" Again Edward knocked, taking his hand off the knob. He didn't want to risk another lecture from Johanna.
"Help!" A very faint voice came from the other side. Johanna gasped, looking at Edward with wide eyes.
"That sounds like an invitation to me!" Edward told her matter of factly. He threw the door open, ready to make a mad dash, when suddenly he stopped. Cautiously, Johanna peaked around the door jam. The apartment was stacked, wall to wall, with books.
"Holy hell..." Johanna muttered, staring at them with wonder. Johanna liked to read, yeah, but she'd never considered herself a nerd until this point. The huge collection of books in front of her was beautiful nearly bringing a tear to her eye.
"There's a million of them..." Edward said, shocked. He'd never seen so many books in his entire life. The apartment was literally floor to ceiling with them.
"Help me!" The cry came again. Johanna pushed past Edward, diving into the sea of books in front of her.
"Johanna!" Edward tried to grab her wrist, but it was too late. Johanna didn't grasp how dangerous it could be. If someone knew about Cheska's knowledge, especially whoever it was who torched the library...
"Hello? Cheska?" Johanna called, pulling Edward from his thoughts.
"Is there really someone living in this place?" Brosch groaned as he followed Edward. Edward ignored him, his eyes focused on Johanna.
"Miss Cheska!" Johanna called again.
"Please help me!" The call came again, this time louder. Johanna paused and Edward froze, ready to grab her at any moment. "Please!" Johanna squinted, glancing down into another dark corridor.
It was faint, but in the darkness Johanna could make out a pile of nooks, something Johanna found odd considering how neatly stacked the rest were. Upon further inspection, however, Johanna realized it wasn't just a stack of books. Sticking out of the pile was a hand.
"Oh god!" Johanna cried, taking off down the hallway.
"Johanna!" Edward followed her, watching her kneel in front of a large pile. Johanna turned back to him, her eyes wide.
"Don't just stand there! Help me dig!" Johanna pleaded, tossing book after book to the side.
"What? Why?" he asked. The he saw it, the hand that sat precariously in the middle of the stack. "Oh... OH HELL! JOHANNA START DIGGING!"
Johanna was exhausted. A pile of books isn't that intimidating until you realized how many books it takes to completely bury and person. There were a lot of them, enough to keep the four of them digging for about ten minutes.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I got myself trapped under a mountain of books! I thought i was gonna suffocate!" Cheska babbled apologies over and over again. "Thank you so much!" She said again, grabbing Johanna's hand.
"Don't mention it." Johanna pish poshed, still winded. "Really, we were happy to help!"
"So, are you Cheska? Edward grumbled, pulling an open book off of his head. Cheska nodded, still looking like she was on the verge of tears. Apparently being trapped under a mountain of books can really take its toll on a person.
"Yes."
"And you worked at the library?" Edward continued. Cheska flinched, her eyes growing wide.
"Oh the library!" She shouted suddenly, catching Johanna off guard. Johanna jumped as Cheska flailed wildly in her arms. The woman began to go on and on about her loves of books, blushing and gushing like crazy. Johanna giggled, glanced over at Edward and Alphonse who watched Cheska, shocked. "I forgot that i was supposed to be working..." Cheska said sadly, coming down from her book high. "So the fired me! If I don't find another job I'll never be able to move my mother in to a better hospital!" Johanna frowned at Cheska as she told her story, sitting up straighter. It was sad, knowing that she had a parent who depended on her, a parent that Cheska could do nothing for.
"But I'm hopeless!" Cheska continued. "The only thing I can do is read! I'll never find another job as long as I live! I'M USELESS!" Johanna's eyes widened at Cheska's sudden outburst and she shared an uneasy look with the brothers. Cheska collapsed onto Johanna's lap, sobbing.
"Excuse me..." Edward said sheepishly while Cheska bawled into Johanna's thighs. The girl looked up, her tears gone, as curiosity replaced her woe. "There was something we wanted to ask you."
"Yes?"
"Do you remember seeing any research notes by Doctor Tim Marcoh?" Edward watched Cheska expectantly, the nervous butterflies returning to his stomach. Cheska scrunched her face, thinking hard on it and Edward glanced at Alphonse.
"Oh yes! I remember now!" Cheska grinned, clapping her hands together.
"Really?" Edward asked. Johanna grinned and Alphonse and Edward high five each other.
"I'm absolutely positive! There were some hand written notes stuffed into a book case where they didn't belong!"
"The notes really were there after all..." Johanna thought outloud. She felt her heart sink as the words sunk in. "Which means..."
"They birned up along with everything else in the library." Edward finished her sentence, his shoulders drooped. They were back to where they started!
"Did you want to read them?" Cheska asked innocently. Johanna nodded, placing a hand on each of the brother's backs.
"It's too late now." Edward sighed, standing up. "They're nothing but ashes."
"Sorry to bother you..." Alphonse apologized, following Edward's lead. Johanna frowned as they began making their way to the front door.
"I remember everything that was in them. Would that help at all?" Cheska said, a thoughtful finger on her chin. Edward froze, had he heard her correctly? "I'm able to remember the content of every book I've read. It make a take a few days, but I can write them out for you!" Suddenly Edward was in front of Edward and it was hi turn to gush.
"Oh thank you book worm!" He told her happily. Johanna shook her head, the boys were practically dancing a jig around Cheska's apartment. "You're my hero!"
"You're... welcome?" Cheska was taken back by their gratitude, these notes must have been very important.
A/N Okay! So i know i said I wouldn't post again until Friday buuuuuuuut. This is a gift. I'm feeling generous because I made lotsa money at work tonight. But seriously, I'm only posting on Fridays from now on.
Also. I'm re-reading the Ouran High School Manga... in case you haven't noticed...
Stay Beautiful!
