(A/N: Here's chapter ten! The moment you've all been waiting for! Sasuke finally makes his appearance! Yep, introducing him in the same episode Brotherhood starts getting good. Enjoy!
Carrie1696: Thanks for the review! Naruko won't be revealing her ninja skills for quite a while. But there would be moments that she would drop her 'weak civilian' facade in front of Ed and Al when she gets into that 'battle ready' mentality.
clonetrooper29: Thanks for reviewing! Well, I'm not going to satisfy everybody. But I think you're forgetting that Greed's Ultimate Shield is harder than diamonds. And diamonds are said to be harder than steel. And I've watched Naruto four times [mind you, re-watching part one Naruto was absolutely cringe worthy. Pre-timeskip Naruto was so annoying and irritating that eighty percent of the episodes was aggravating to listen to. I can't tell you the number the times I wanted to punch my computer screen. So glad that Naruto matured and mellowed out after the timeskip]. Naruto had never once shown the strength to shatter steel in his regular mode [not using Sage or Kurama Mode]. Maybe rocks, but not steel. I think you are forgetting that Naruko's Sage Mode was deactivated. And maybe you've read too many OP Naruto fanfics, and just picked up on that misconception. And Naruko is similarly to canon Naruto, except she was, for a short time, she was raised by a loving family. So, she might be a little different from canon Naruto, seeing as she wasn't completely unloved during her childhood.
Greer123: Thanks for reviewing! Oh, good. Thought he might have turned out a bit OOC.
Awesomeness: Thanks for the review! It would be little bit longer before Ed and Al would see Naruko fight. But I do tend to make it as epic and thrilling as possible. I have thought about Ling recognizing Naruko and Sasuke. But seeing as many other FMA/Naruto stories do the same, I've decided not to. Make it different. Plus, it leaves room for drama since Xingese people are able to see people's ki. More people, unintentionally, trying to blow Naruko's cover.)
Meetings of the Times
Winry just finished fixing up her next customer for the day. Ever since she started working for Garfiel, her skills as a mechanic improved tremendously. Garfiel may be a eccentric, but he was a great automail engineer!
The mechanic opened the garage of the shop, making her way outside. She stretched out her tired limbs, enjoying the beat of the sun's rays against her skin.
"Winry!"
The blonde girl perked up when she heard a familiar feminine voice call her name. The figures made their appearances known in her line of vision.
"Ed! Al! Naruko! Welcome back!" Winry called out to them, waving happily.
Naruko sprinted up to the younger blonde with a speed of hurricane, and clasped her hands, cerulean blue eyes beaming with excitement. The older woman was practically bouncing on her fight.
"Hehe! What's gotten you so excited about, Naruko?" Winry questioned with a smile.
The blonde kunoichi whistled. "Oh, nothing!"
"Hey, Winry."
"Hi, Winry!"
Both Edward and Alphonse greeted their blonde childhood friend as they approached the duo.
Winry's pale blue eyes threw Ed an accusatory glare. "What have you done to your automail this time, Ed?"
"We haven't seen you in over a week, and that's the first thing you have to say to me?!" Ed shouted, indignantly.
The blonde mechanic crossed her arms, frowning. "Well, excuse me! Because every time you do come to visit me, it's because you need repairs on your automail."
Her frown seemed to soften into a small, pleased smile. "But it looks like for once, you didn't ruin all my hardwork. We should probably give your automail some maintenance, Ed, because I highly doubt you did it yourself," she finished, motioning for them to come inside.
Edward grumbled under her breath, and proceeded to walk inside the automail shop with Alphonse by his toes.
"While you guys do that, I'm going out!" Naruko announced, gleefully before racing off, leaving Winry somewhat confused.
"What was that all about?" she asked herself.
Naruko eagerly hopped from rooftop to rooftop across the streets of Rush Valley, her two inch heels clicking silently against the hard surface. A brief sudden conscious reminder to act inconspicuous. She could help the burst of adrenaline and excitement she felt.
She was finally going to meet him!
She was finally going meet Sasuke!
Can anyone blame her for being this thrilled at the prospect of seeing her old teammate? This is the first time they are seeing each other that Sasuke wasn't out to kill her, and she wasn't chasing after him.
She wondered what the bastard had been up to for the past year since he left on his redemption journey. She ignored the fluttering of her stomach and the rapid acceleration of her heartbeats as she jumped over another rooftop, landing in front of a familiar black haired man.
The man's onyx eyes took a moment to regard her before softening.
A wide, bright smile spread across Naruko's face. "Long time no see, Sasuke!"
Edward laid down on a makeshift bed, already stripped down to his boxers.
"Do you guys have any idea where your sister ran off to?" Winry asked as she dug through her tool box to pull of the necessary equipment to prepare for Ed's maintenance.
"No clue," Ed said, pondering that himself.
"Sister's been giddy and excited like that since last night," Alphonse informed.
The blonde mechanic blinked. "Last night? Any particular reason why?"
"She got this letter from a guy," Ed shrugged. He instantly flinched in confusion when Winry let out a loud squeal. "What?!"
The blonde mechanic ignored his annoyed shouting, off in her own little world. "A letter? From a guy? And she went off to meet him?!" Another chorus of girlish squealing erupted from her.
Ed and Al could only blink in puzzlement, wondering what's gotten Winry so excited?
Sigh. Girls are so weird.
Naruko felt so incredibly happy. She had never felt as blissfully happy as she did at this very moment. She eyed the dark haired man walking next to her under the blazing heat of the sun. Man, Rush Valley was hot! Not as hot as Suna, but still… How could Sasuke be wearing his cloak under this searing weather? Doesn't the heat bother him?
"Not that I'm not glad to see you, Sasuke, but what brings you here of all places?" she asked, genuinely interested. "I thought the next time I'd see you was when you returned to the Hidden Leaf."
Naruko honestly wanted to know what brought him to Amestris. He couldn't have known that this place existed, right? Most of people, including her former classmates and Team Gai doesn't.
"Kakashi sent me," Sasuke replied, simply.
"Oh." There was a short pause. "Oh!" Naruko's cerulean blue eyes widened at the sudden realization of the implication of what that meant. No wonder he seemed kind of upset with her. For many, it would be heard to tell what Sasuke was thinking or feeling due to his expressions of indifference and aloofness, but she had known him for a long time, she was his closest friend after all, she could read the subtle signs of his body language. The way his muscles tensed, the tighten of his jaw, his slightly arched black brow… All signs of his unpleasant mood.
The blonde Uzumaki let out a short sigh. She already knew the reason why he was upset with her. Even Kakashi sent him, then he must've told him. Told him that she has a two adoptive younger brothers here. Clearly, he was a bit hurt that his best friend kept such a secret from him. Hell, she would be, too, if Sasuke kept such a secret from her.
But Sasuke could cut her some slack. These past few years weren't really the best time to tell him. With him being overwhelmed with insanity driven madness. What was she supposed to say then? 'Hey, Sasuke! I got a two younger brothers, if you want to kill them, too'. She inwardly snorted at the absurdity of it. As if she let any harm come to Ed and Al. Over her dead body!
"Look, Sasuke. I'm sorry."
Sasuke tilted his head towards his old female teammate, only an arch of his brow indicating his slight puzzlement. Naruko bit her bottom lip, unable to look at him in the eye, a pink tinge of embarrassment grazing her cheeks.
His coal black eye stared straight ahead again as they were strolling down the streets of this dry and arid town. All around him, people were working on metal prosthetics. It didn't necessarily pique his interest, but he did note that it would make a convenient use for some puppet masters, if they were willing to make puppets entirely mechanical. Makes them more sturdy, for one.
He closed his eyes, breathing out, calmly. "Don't be, dobe."
Naruko smiled at the familiar nickname, seeming to relax. "Teme." She eagerly grabbed his single arm, pulling him forward. "C'mon, let's go eat dattebayo. We have a lot to discuss about our mission."
Edward took a leisure stroll down the streets of Rush Valley. He opted not to wear his leather jacket and red coat because the sultriness of the town. He took a sip of his orange juice as he looked around for his sister. They were leaving to Central as soon as Winry was done getting some supplies. She was excited to meet the Hughes family again.
He stopped when he noticed the distinct lack of metal clinking behind him. He tilted his head back, and, sure enough, Al was nowhere to be found.
"Al? Where'd you go?" Ed wondered, confused. Something gray and metallic was caught in his peripheral vision. He turned his head to confirm that it was Al crouched down in front of any alleyway. "What? Did you find another cat?" Ed grumbled as he approached his little brother, already preparing a speech about how they can't keep pets.
Alphonse, in response, sheepishly scratched the back of his head. "Well… Not exactly." He lifted his other arm to reveal a collapsed young boy.
Ed shockingly did a spit take at the absurdity of it.
"How much can these guy eat?" was Edward's first thought as watched with a grimace of annoyance as he scarfed down another bowl.
"Whoa…! You guys are lifesavers!" the stranger exclaimed, happily patting his stomach. "Your treat, right?"
Ed glared at him. "Who says I'm paying?"
"Don't get worked up over something so small," he chuckled.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SMALL?!" the blond alchemist furiously roared.
This only caused the strange boy to laugh even louder.
"So?" Alphonse started, trying to break the ice. "What were you doing collapsed in the middle of the street like that?"
"Oh, I ran out of food," he answered, simply.
"We could tell," Ed griped, wondering how much this was going to cost him.
The dark haired boy ignored him. "I come from Xing."
Ed and Al took a moment to ponder that new information. "Xing? That's...east of the desert!" they both exclaimed in alarm.
"Why would you cross the desert?!" Edward demanded, questioning the Xingese guy's insanity.
"Well, I wanted to visit the ruins of Xerxes," he replied, simply, almost offhandedly.
Ed's expression contorted into one of confusion. "Xerxes? I heard there was nothing there."
The Xingese stranger began explaining how wanted to know more of the foundation of alkahestry, and, to an extent, alchemy. He explained that alkahestry is a form of alchemy with practices in healing and medicine. But he wanted to know about Amestris's alchemy, so that's why he came to this country, to study it.
Fascinated by the prospect of learning a different form of alchemy, Edward and Alphonse eagerly asked the Xingese male to show them some alkahestry. However, much to their surprise and Ed's added frustration, he didn't know how to perform alkahestry.
"Then why are you studying alchemy in the first place?" Ed cried, feeling irritated with this guy.
"Well, I came to require a certain object," he said, cryptically. "An item that said to grant immortality." Ed and Al tensed, knowing where this was handed. "The Philosopher's Stone." Of course. "You guys know about it, right?"
Ed scoffed. "Look, we don't know anything about the stone."
The Xingese fellow leaned back, regarding the two with a subtle look of incredulity. The blond alchemist was not a very good liar. "You wouldn't happen to be lying to me, would you?" With a snap of his fingers, two figures covered in black entered the seen, holding Ed and Al at knife point.
Great. Somehow, without planning to, they got into another fight. Why does trouble seem to follow them wherever they go?
Through the window of a small diner they found, Naruko and Sasuke could spot the alchemic streaks of alchemy as large, earthy walls was raised from the ground. Sasuke rose a questioning eyebrow, wondering if there was a battle happening in the middle of town.
Naruko sighed, resisting the urge to slap a palm against her forehead. Couldn't her brothers behave for one second while she was gone? "Just ignore it," she told Sasuke, exasperated.
She took a bite of the coffee cake she was eating for dessert. "So, there are these creatures called homunculi," she said after swallowing.
"Homunculi?" Sasuke questioned.
Naruko nodded, an expression of seriousness shown her face. "That's what they call themselves." Sasuke eyed, sternly, telling her to elaborate. "In my opinion, these homunculi aren't all that threatening." She leaned back in her seat, crossing her arms. "There are nothing like the Tailed Beasts, Madara, or even Kaguya. They seem to each possess one single superhuman ability. One could use shadows, similar like the Nara clan. The only difference is that while the Nara use shadows to immobilize enemies, this homunculus uses it as a straight out offensive attack, stabbing and slashing anything in sight. Another one can shapeshift, no different from using a transformation jutsu. And the last one I had a brief skirmish with could encase his body in some sort of diamond hard armor."
The blonde female leaned back to take another bite of her cake. "If I remember correctly…" She swallowed. "There names were Pride, Envy, and Greed." Her yellow eyebrows scrunched together in distaste. "If you ask me, there names are really dumb. Like the were named after some sort of human emotion or human desire or-"
"The Seven Deadly Sins."
Cerulean blue eyes glanced at the dark haired, young man sitting across from her, confusion clear in her blue orbs.
"The Seven Deadly Sins," Sasuke repeated. He was quick to pick up on the pattern of the theming names. "But this isn't something you could handle yourself? There must be more to it. Otherwise, you wouldn't need me."
"Aw! Teme! Aren't you glad to see me?" Naruko whined. She took a quick sip of her orange juice. "You are right. If it was simple as kicking all these homunculi asses and driving them out of the country, I would be able to handle it no problem! But it's more complex than that?"
"Complex?" Sasuke inquired, onyx eye narrowed.
"The Fuhrer, King Bradley," the blonde Uzumaki growled out the name. The black haired ninja could immediately tell that she felt some animosity towards this guy. "He's a homunculus as well. His real name is Wrath. And he's the leader of this country! I learned all this after the bastard tried to assassinate me because I called him out on his bullshit."
The young man hissed out a small breath. "That is a problem. If the enemy had slipped so far into power, we can't exactly kill them unless we want to be deemed as bloodthirsty murderers."
Naruko nodded her head, feeling aggravated by all this. "Yes, exactly. We can't really do anything to them. At least, not to Wrath." She let out a deep sigh. "I'm just stumped."
"Couldn't we just infiltrate the military?" the dark haired Uchiha suggested.
The blonde Uzumaki blinked once, then twice before her eyes widened and she let out an astonishing gasp. "That's a good idea, Sasuke! You could become part of the military! You'd be able to enter the enemy's base without drawing suspicion, not to mention it would cover any citizenship problems."
She pumped a fist to her chest. "Don't worry, bastard, I'd be there to support you all the way."
Sasuke rose an eyebrow at the implication. "Aren't you going to join, dobe?"
Naruko immediately panicked, becoming instantly flustered. '"Uh… Well… You see… I know a way for you to join the military!"
Naruko grabbed his arm, leading Sasuke out the diner, not before slapping a few bills on the table. The Uchiha, however, did not dismiss the way she blatantly ignored his question.
Edward was in a incredibly pissed off mood. Not only did that bastard, Ling, sick his lackeys on them, the resulting fight destroyed his automail. Oh, Winry's going to kill him!
When he entered Garfiel's shop, thankfully Winry wasn't there, his golden eyes immediately glared, heatedly at the Xingese boy casually sitting inside. "What the hell are you doing here?!" he shouted, furiously.
Ling laughed, wholeheartedly. "Relax. We're all friends here."
Another heated and tiresome argument soon escalated. This Ling guy was really starting to push Ed's buttons. The revelation that he was a prince of Xing left him and Alphonse into fit of laughter at the bizarreness. A prince begging people for food? That's hilarious!
Unfortunately, Winry arrived soon after, and Edward received a long and bloody lecture. The sun was starting to set and nightfall took its place.
"Sister's still not back yet?" Al wondered, starting to get a little worried.
"Oh," Winry perked up, beginning to reattach Ed's renewed automail. "I saw her a little while ago."
"Well? Why didn't you bring Naruko with you?" Ed asked with a slight impatience to his voice.
"Ed, I couldn't do that!" Winry shouted, horrified. Then she let out a small, girlish squeal. "Not when Naruko's on a date!"
"Wha?" Al trailed off, the puzzlement clear in his tone, wondering if he heard her right. "Sister is on a date?"
The blonde mechanic nodded enthusiastically. "Saw her with this great looking guy," she sighed, dreamily. "She looked really happy!"
Ed tsked. "Naruko doesn't have time to be flirting. We have to leave for Central!"
Winry blue eyes glared him, icily, sending a frosty chill down Ed's spine.
Luckily, the aforementioned woman made her arrival. "I'm back, you guys! Dattebayo!" Naruko announced, cheerfully.
Edward rolled his eyes in exasperation. "It's about time you showed up, Naruko!"
The eldest Elric sheepishly scratched the back of her head. "Well, I've been kind of busy, and lost track of time."
As Ling was witnessing the little family bickering and greetings, his eyes narrowed at the new blonde woman. Something about her seemed off. He might not be an alkahestrist, but he was taught, like any other Xingese citizen, to feel a person's flow of ki.
And therein lays the problem. The young woman seemed to possess to types of energy flow. One was obviously hers. She felt like any other living human being. But the other… The other one felt much more dark and sinister. The thickness of its ominous aura left beads of cold sweat rolling down the back of his neck. It was so thick with malice and animosity that he could feel the pressure around him engulfing him into a sea of darkness.
This woman was not normal!
Naruko hummed as she glanced up to see an unfamiliar male approaching her. "Oh, hi!" she greeted, politely. "I didn't see you there, dattebayo. Can I help you?"
Much to everyone's shock and surprise, Ling pulled out his sword on her. "You!" he glared at her. "Just what the hell are you?!"
Naruko frowned, but internally she was beginning to panic as she took a sideways glance at Ed and Al. This guy… Was he some type of sensor? Could he sense Kurama inside her? Not good! Not good!
"Ling!" Al shouted in disbelief, stepping in front of his older sister, protectively. "What are you doing?!"
"Um, did I do something to offend you?" Naruko asked, trying to play up the innocent act. She was mentally begging the guy to just drop it. Don't blow her secret. Don't blow her secret in front of younger brothers, dammit!
"You're aura feels weird," Ling hissed. "It's unnatural and inhuman like. What the hell are you?"
Edward, Alphonse, and Winry gazed between Naruko and Ling with obvious looks of confusion and bewilderment.
Two of Ling's retainers, Lan Fan and Fu, entered the fray, knives and swords pointed at the poor blonde Uzumaki as she was beginning to sweat bullets now, her panic mode and anxiety raising to new heights.
"What she is, is none of your business."
Everybody, except for Naruko who let out a relieved sigh, perked up in puzzlement. They turned to see a dark haired man entering the shop.
Ed's golden eyes widened as he immediately recognized the guy. "You! You're the guy at saw back in Dublith!" he exclaimed, pointing a dramatic finger at Sasuke.
Sasuke took a moment to eye Edward before swiftly dismissing him. "Hn."
Naruko pursed her lips, pouting. "Teme, don't be rude to my brother." She glanced over to Ed, Al, and Winry, knowing full well they wanted an explanation. "Ed, Al, Winry, this is Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke, these are my adorable, little brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric." She pulled both of them into, pinching Ed's cheeks, much to his aggravation and annoyance. "And our childhood friend from Resembool, Winry Rockbell."
"Stop that, Naruko!" Ed shouted, angrily and feeling embarrassed, pushing his sister away. She pouted in response.
"You're Sasuke Uchiha?" Al inquired in slight awe.
Sasuke rose a brow, looking at the strange, walking, talking suit of armor that Naruko considers her brother. "Do you know me?"
Alphonse rubbed the back of his head. "Well, no. Sister talked a little about you, that's all."
The black haired Uchiha threw his questioning gaze at the blonde Uzumaki who blushed a deep, red crimson color, knowing what started the conversation they had when she told them about Sasuke.
"He's Sasuke?" Winry squealed in delight. "The Sasuke you told us about when you had your first kiss, Naruko? And you went on a date with him!"
Naruko blushed even more, feeling more flustered and embarrassed. A light dust of pink tainted Sasuke's cheeks as well as he remembered their first kiss. It was the day the graduated from the Academy. Why would she tell them that?
"Edward!" Naruko called out to her younger brother. "Do you know when the next State Alchemist Exam is?" she asked. She swiftly wanted to drop the subject of her and Sasuke kissing.
Ed rose questioning golden eyebrow at her strange question. "Next week, I believe. Why?"
The blonde kunoichi smiled, feeling satisfied. Her cerulean blue eyes gazed into the Uchiha's coal black ones, confidently. "All you have to do, Sasuke, is take the exams next week and pass it."
"Wait, you're an alchemist?" Al questioned, his interest piqued.
"What kind of alchemy do you use?" Ed asked, curiously.
Sasuke arched a brow. "Alchemy? I do-"
"Lightning!" Naruko shouted, quickly cutting Sasuke off. "Sasuke uses lightning alchemy!" The desperation and panic did not go unnoticed by the observant Uchiha.
Edward's and Alphonse's eyes widened in awe and disbelief. "No kidding? You can actually transmute lightning?" Ed shouted, awestruck.
Naruko nodded her head so rapidly, it felt like her neck might snap. "Yes! Yes, he can! Excuse us for just a sec."
"Don't move!" Lan Fan ordered, sending a death glare at the duo.
Sasuke glared at the young, wannabe ninja girl, coldly. "Move." The command was spoken so icily it left the three Xingese slightly frozen at the threat behind him. Their instincts immediately told that this guy...this guy was dangerous.
"Um, you guys really don't want to pick a fight with Sasuke," Naruko dissuade them. She really didn't want to cause a scene.
Both Fu and Lan Fan got into a battle ready stance, obviously ignoring her warnings.
"You guys really shouldn't fight," she tried again.
Fu scoffed. "Don't get cocky, thinking your alchemy would help you win."
"I'm not being cocky," Naruko retorted. Her expression turned grim. "You guys couldn't even beat my brothers, what makes you think you can take Sasuke on? That's like going from fighting a snake to challenging a fucking dragon."
Edward and Alphonse stared at their sister and then at Sasuke with wonder, awe, disbelief, and some incredulity from Ed's part.
"Plus, I don't like boring fights," the blonde kunoichi continued. "I caught a glimpse of your fight earlier with Ed and Al, and seen the aftermath. Does this look like the face of a girl who's afraid, intimidated, in awe, or even amused?"
"Uh, sister?" Al said, hesitantly. Ed, Al, and Winry were all staring at Naruko with various expressions of fear, puzzlement, awkwardness, and dumbstruck. Uh, where was this going?
"You guys fell for such an obvious trap and distraction, no less," she continued to rant, boredly. "A trap an eight year old would make at playground. It was like watching a circus act. And you guys want to fight Sasuke? That'd be like witnessing a clown show. If I have to watch that, then I'd be like a woman who's unsatisfied after having- And I'm just going to stop talking!"
Naruko instantly stopped herself from talking too much when she noticed the gobsmacked expressions she received, especially from her younger brothers. Crap! She only meant to scare the wannabes off. Trying to use a bit of psychological warfare. She really needed to watch what she says.
"A trap an eight year old would make?" Ed growled, angrily, brow twitching, tick marks forming.
She waved her hands in front of her face, innocently. "Hey! I was just talking out of my ass."
Sasuke seemed to take notice that the three Xingese people were gone. It didn't allude him to the fact that they used the window to escape while Naruko was ranting on about his strength, making him feel a bit smug.
"Uh? Who wants dinner?" Naruko quickly asked, taking out her bag to reveal several bento boxes.
The group of five gathered around a small table to eat Naruko's dinner. It was already too late to take the train, thanks to the little incident with Ling and cronies, so they opted to just head to Central first thing tomorrow morning, much to Ed's irritation.
"Okay, Sasuke," Naruko turned towards her wayward teammate. "We need a strategy on how we're going to tackle these exams." She swallowed a bit of rice. "I heard that the enemy has a fortress with three base of operations. One to the left, right, and one at top. While everyone is going there, guns blazing, you job would to sneak in back when the enemy's attention is drawn towards the commotion out front. Of course, it won't be easy. But with your skills, Sasuke, you shouldn't have any problems taken out any lookouts. You would invade into the enemy's blindspot and destroy his base of operations. Though, the enemy throw some tricks up his sleeve, so don't let your guard down. Rise. Repeat. Victory," she finished, triumphantly.
Sasuke resisted the urge to roll his eyes, wondering if she was trolling or being serious. She's not even taken these exams seriously.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Edward asked, incredulously. "The exams are nothing like that."
Naruko sighed, disappointed. "I know. But it would be so much cooler if it were. Imagine how much more intense it would be."
"Uh, Mr. Sasuke?" Alphonse called. "Where are you from?"
Naruko and Sasuke glanced at each other, already coming up with a decent cover story.
(FLASHBACK)
"Sasuke, I need to ask a favor," Naruko suddenly spoke when it was just the two of them.
Sasuke eyed her with slight interest. "Favor?"
The blonde Uzumaki frowned, a bit of guilt showing in her cerulean blue eyes. "My brothers… Ed and Al… They don't know that I'm a ninja."
The black haired man scrunched a brow, silently telling her to elaborate.
The blonde Uzumaki fidgeted with her hands, nervously. "I never told them I went off to live in Konoha. They don't know that I became a kunoichi, about the ninja war, or even the fact that I have Kurama sealed inside me."
The dark haired Uchiha frowned, knowing what it was like to have an older sibling keep one in the dark. "You need to tell them," he lectured.
"I know. I know! It's just...not that easy."
Sasuke narrowed his eyes at the blonde woman. Naruko was never one to back out of anything. The Naruko he knew was headstrong and charged at anything without a second thought, consequences be damned. Too see how so tense, so afraid was completely out of character.
"Please! Please!" Naruko begged. "Sasuke, don't mention the fact that your ninja to Ed, Al, and Winry. I promise to tell them when the time's right. Just… Not now."
(END OF FLASHBACK)
"Sasuke's from South City," Naruko answered. "He wanted to go to Central to take the State Alchemist Exam."
Edward's golden eyes narrowed at the dark haired man. "Why would you want to take the exams anyway?" he asked, suspiciously. "You do realize that in time's of a national crisis, you would probably be asked to take a life?"
Sasuke breathed out, calmly. "I'm well aware of that," he replied. "There's a mission I must complete. No matter the sins I must bare or the darkness that consumes me, I would complete it." He wanted to grunt of annoyance. That line sounded like something his old, revenge obsessed self would say.
Naruko jabbed his ribs. "Cool your jets, teme."
"And what goal is that?"
Uh, oh. Ed was getting more and more suspicious. This was not good. Ed had always been natural inquisitive and evasive. She had to think of something to distract him or satisfy his curiosity.
"None of your business."
The blonde kunoichi slammed her head against the table at Sasuke's blunt response. "Teme!" she shouted. "You don't have to be so rude!"
"Are you forgetting the reason why I'm taking these exams, usuratonkachi?" Sasuke whispered at her, coolly.
Naruko deflated a bit. "Yeah, I know, bastard." She sighed, heavily.
"Hey! Not to be rude," Winry spoke up. "But you only have one arm, don't you?" She's been noticing throughout the entire dinnertime that Sasuke had never so much as lifted his left arm. Handling everything with such skill and grace with his right arm, that it didn't seem to require two arms. Nobody would even notice the difference.
Naruko tensed up slightly at the question as memories of their final battle entered her thoughts. The enormous amount of anguish and heartache she felt was crushing her very soul. She thought that these emotions would soon come to past now that she saved Sasuke. But it wouldn't be that easy, would it? She couldn't just ignore the pain, no matter how hard she believed she could.
Sasuke eyed the disheartened blonde, a sensation of guilt plaguing at his heart, bitterly knowing how much he had hurt her in the past. What a selfish idiot he had been back them. If it wasn't for Naruko, he would still be that same, rage filled, revenge obsessed fool. His missing left arm is a constant reminder of his sins.
"I'm an automail engineer. I could make you an automail arm, if you like."
They seemed to have taken Naruko's dispirited expression as a sign that something tragically horrible had happened due to their looks of pity and sympathy. Something horrible did happen, but not in the way they were thinking.
"No thanks," Sasuke replied, simply.
"Look, buddy," Ed said, rudely. "Winry's a great mechanic. What reason would you have not to get automail? Two working arms are better than one."
It was at that moment, Naruko slammed her hands on the table, startling everybody, except Sasuke.
"Sister?" Al spoke, tentatively.
A split second later, Naruko ran out the door.
"Sister! Wait!" Alphonse called after her.
"I'll go after her," was Sasuke's response before he disappeared after her.
Ed, Al, and Winry could only look on with various expressions of bewilderment. What had gotten into Naruko?
Naruko didn't run very far. In fact, she was sitting on the roof of Garfiel's shop. She just needed to get away. Needed to time to cool the dull ache in her heart.
Ever since she realized her true feelings for Sasuke, being reminded of the past hurt a lot worse than it usual did. There was always this unbearable feeling of heartbreak and intense betrayal that would just never go away. Is this what people felt when they are betrayed by the person they love? This crushing river of anguish and despair? God, it hurts! It hurts so much!
Naruko felt Sasuke move in behind her.
"Dobe," he called out to her.
They glanced at each other, eyes meeting, cerulean blue looking into coal black, no words exchanging. No words needed to be exchanged. They could read each other's thoughts and emotions without having to utter a single word.
Sasuke smirked.
Naruko smiled, softly.
The gentleness of the night wind blowing through their clothes and hair.
Indeed, no words needed to be said.
(A/N: Well, that's the end of chapter ten! How'd you like Sasuke's introduction into the story, and his and Naruko's reunion? The chapter went like how I always imagined it would, though it was a bit longer. Naruko and Sasuke discussing plans about infiltrating the military, Sasuke finally making his presence known to Ed, Al, and Winry, Naruko trying to keep Sasuke from blabbering about his shinobi business, and Winry quickly discovering that Sasuke's one armed. Being a mechanic, I thought she'd be observant like that. Though, it's not like he was trying to hide it.
Well, honestly, there's not much to say. Leave any comments, suggestions, or questions in a review, and thanks for reading!)