"Where have you two been?" Yoki asked when we got back. By now, the sun was rising and most people in the city would be eating breakfast. We were probably going to skip breakfast again, because we had a bigger concern. Behind Yoki sat a small girl, maybe only eleven or twelve at most and held black and white cat closely. The girl didn't look lost; actually, she didn't even look like she came from this country. She looked like she came from Xing. Her appearance was enough to give it away, but she also gave all of us suffixes. She called Yoki "sama", and Scar and me "san". She introduced herself as May Chang and the cat as Xiao Mei. She explained how she had indeed come from Xing and was looking for the secret of immortality so she could raise her family's standing.
May also said that she was in the alley because she had collapsed out of hunger and Yoki had found her. She seemed to be under the impression Yoki was our, Scar's and my, master. Scar told her she didn't need to thank Yoki, and he began to tell her she should leave, but Lieu bumped into his leg and he saw the adorable seen of Xiao Mei and Lieu playing together. Scar didn't finish his statement. Did he have a sense of humor and a soft spot for cute animals? I wanted to ask him, but I was pretty sure he'd be angry, and the last thing I wanted to do was make Scar angry.
I was worried May might though. A gust of wind blew through the alley and the cloak Scar was wearing lifted just enough for the child to see the tattoos on his arm. She immediately looked intrigued, but before Scar had a chance to notice I announced that I wanted to ask her something that was "girls only". I pulled her out of Scar's range of hearing.
When I stopped, she asked me what was wrong. "Don't say anything about those tattoos," I explained, "He was given them by his brother who…died, ten years ago. But I knew his brother too, so if you want to know anything about them please ask me."
"But Alison-san looks upset, too," May said.
"I knew his brother well. But Scar is the kind of person who would get angry, not upset." May seemed to understand, because she changed to subject and asked about the tattoos. She wanted to know if they had anything to do with her country's Alkahestry. I explained how Daein's interest in Alchemy came from some journals he bought from a traveler from Xing. Most of Daein's work was based of those journals.
"But what about this county's Alchemy? Does Scar-san know anything about it?" May asked. I answered, "No, Scar never cared for Alchemy or Alkahestry. I am…used to be a State Alchemist. I might be able to help you, but I don't know anything about immortality." May looked disappointed, but then se perked up. She asked me if I knew the Fullmetal Alchemist.
"I've known him for years," I told the girl, "I was good friends with his friend's parents." She became overjoyed and asked if I could take her to meet them. I reluctantly told her I how and why I was avoiding anyone from the military for now. Her joy dwindled, but it didn't completely diminish. She said good friends have a way of finding each other and seemed to cling to the idea that we would meet soon.
When we walked back to Scar and Yoki I announced May would be traveling with us for a while. Scar didn't object, actually he looked like all he could focus on was Xiao Mei, but when Yoki started to both Lieu and Xiao Mei attacked him. Lieu attacking Yoki was still redundant, but with Xiao Mei helping I couldn't stop myself from laughing.
Needless to say, Yoki gave in. Looking at the alley, though, I noticed the only form of shelter we had was a small lean-to that Yoki insisted on having. I wanted May to have a better place to sleep at night, and I remembered something someone told me earlier. A few days ago my boyfriend had moved to Central. I was told where he lived now and everything. I know the last thing we did was fight, but I clung to the idea that he would help me now.
I voiced my thoughts and added that his house wasn't far away. May and I left while Yoki and Scar stayed behind.
Scar waited in the alley for Alison to return. Yoki was blabbering about something, but Scar ignored him. He was tired and wanted to rest until Alison and May got back. However, now that Lieu and the strange (adorable) cat, Xiao Mei, were gone, Scar realized he wasn't sure why he didn't object to Alison's announcement that May was staying.
When he thought about it, Scar wasn't sure why he allowed anyone to follow him. Yoki was utterly useless. He complained about everything and never stopped talking. Yoki should consider himself lucky Scar hasn't killed him out of frustration yet. Scar also doubted whether May Chang would be worth keeping. She was just a child and Yoki had found her half starved after all.
Alison hasn't been too useful yet either. She did have knowledge of treating injuries, but since Yoki nearly ran her over the only wound that posed a problem was entirely Alison's fault to begin with. If she had been paying more attention, Scar wouldn't have needed to interfere and never would have been injured.
Then again, Scar knew Alison could fight. She hated to, but if her life was in danger she wouldn't hesitate to defend herself. Based on her personality, Scar thought Alison would fight for him as well if the situation called for it. Maybe she does have some used after all, Scar thought.
Scar mulled over these thoughts until he saw May and Alison return. May looked upset and confused, but Scar was more focused on Alison. She was furious. Her face was red and twisted in a mask of anger and her arms were folded across her chest. She began to rant about how she was wanted for "Causing bodily harm to the Fuehrer". She went on to say that her boyfriend tried to lure her into a trap so he could hand her over to the military. She was enraged because they had been dating for over a year, but when she needed him he stabbed her in the back.
"I thought Alison-san was going to kill him. When she left she slammed the door so hard it shattered!" May explained. Still fuming, Alison sat against the wall of the alley and glared at the other wall. Not long after, her eyes drooped and she fell asleep.
The next few days passed without event. Scar traveled throughout the city, but the only alchemist he heard word of was Colonel Mustang. The Colonel must have heard about Scar by now though, and he would have plenty of guards and personnel around him. Scar couldn't use Alison to get close to him either, because of the warrant for her arrest. But, Scar didn't know if he would have gone after Mustang anyway. Although Alison was upset about what she had heard about Maria Ross, Scar thought she'd still be hurt if anything happened to him. She obviously held great respect for him before she heard, and she probably still did. Scar thought she was the kind of person who would try and find anyway to prove Barry the Chopper wrong.
So, Scar spent the next week doing absolutely nothing. Alison, on the other hand, was quite busy. Unlike before, she didn't simply follow Scar around. More often than not, she would walk around with May and explore the city. May wanted to find the Fullmetal Alchemist, and Alison wanted to learn more about what happened the other night.
Instead of just listening in on conversations, I began to ask people about Mustang. I was careful, though. I knew I was wanted, and I knew my strange eye and hair color would give me away immediately. After a bit of experimenting, I found I could use alchemy to create the illusion that I had brown hair and brown eyes. I also changed my facial structure a bit. My face was uncharacteristically childish. May thought this was amazing, but Yoki insisted I still clearly looked like myself. Scar only nodded. I knew he didn't care for alchemy, so I've been reluctant to use it, but I couldn't think of any other way to stay hidden.
With my altered appearance, I had no trouble asking around. An elderly woman selling flowers told me Mustang had been in an accident recently and was in a local hospital. I asked if she knew if it was related to an event that occurred one week ago. The woman explained that the event, a jailbreak, actually was a completely separate occurrence. I thanked her and she pointed me to the hospital.
I knew getting into the hospital would be hard, but I didn't expect the entire building to be filled with military personal. Even if I wasn't recognizable, some random girl won't be able to see an injured Colonel without a good reason, which I didn't have.
But I had an idea. My appearance changing illusion was working perfectly. I decided to try something a little bigger and bend light so it completely erased an object from sight. If I could bend light to alter colors, then I should be able to bend light into a picture of whatever is behind me. For example, if I were standing in front of a brick wall, then I'd need to create a cloud of mist and use the droplets as mirrors. I tried it out with Lieu and it worked perfectly.
Thankfully, the walls inside the hospital were white and bare. I still had to concentrate, but I didn't have to worry as much about getting the patterns wrong. I must have been doing a fine job, because I made my way through the hospital without drawing attention to myself.
It was easy enough to find Mustang's room. Half the staff was talking bout him after all. Apparently, First Lieutenant Hawkeye found him and Second Lieutenant Havoc severally wounded. The story is that they were chasing an escaped convict. The convict seemed to have gotten away, though, because guards were stationed outside the room Mustang and Havoc shared. This whole situation seemed unbelievable to me, though.
Havoc might not have had sufficient field experience, but he was no idiot. And Mustang did have experience. Also, if Hawkeye found them, then she must have been nearby as well. Her aim is legendary. Whoever did this wasn't simply an escaped convict.
When I made it to Mustang's room, two burly guards were standing outside. I knew I needed to get around them, but I didn't know how. I could create a distraction, but that would only cause the officers in the hospital to raise their guards. Everyone would be looking for me, so I wouldn't even be able to move.
But then another thought occurred to me. These guards wouldn't be here all day. They were human, so they would need to eat or rest eventually. And not soon after I thought this, both were called on break. The guard inside the room also left. When he left, I saw Hawkeye round a corner and walk towards the room. While the door was open and waiting for her, I ran inside.
I stood against the wall across from Mustang's bed. Havoc was asleep, but Mustang was wide-awake. He wasn't looked at the wall, though, so I assumed my illusion was still flawless. Hawkeye, however, pulled out her gun as soon as she stepped in the room.
She didn't point it at me; she just scanned around the room. Mustang asked her what she was doing, and his voice woke Havoc. He sat up in his bed, and the sudden movement caught my eye. For only a moment, my concentration wavered, and so did my illusion.
The waver should only have appeared as a slight shimmer, but the infallible Hawkeye caught it. She pointed her gun at me, and looked about to pull the trigger. I quickly checked the windows and door, and seeing that they were both closed, I shattered the illusion.
Hawkeye's eyes flared, but before she could move I said, "Don't shoot! It's me." I held my hands up in front of me as the last wisps of mist dissipated. "I learned a new trick," I said and tried to smile. Hawkeye's still focused gun and my own mixed feelings made it hard to sell it though.
Mustang told Hawkeye to lower her gun. Hawkeye objected, but Mustang asked her if anyone else could pull off that alchemy. She subsided, so then he asked me, "What have you been doing? And where have you been?"
"Well, after you sent me on the wrong train," I started. I placed extra emphasis on the 'you' and glared at Mustang. "I ended up in Dublith. And I got a little…mixed up." I gave a short explanation of the Devil's Nest, and about how why I attacked the Fuehrer. Then I just told him I came to Central alone. He didn't need to know more; I was already in enough trouble.
"Ah, before I go on," I said, "Can I ask what happened to Maria Ross?" Mustang looked surprised that I knew about her, but then he just sighed.
"Is that why you came here?" he asked. When I nodded he continued, "I can't tell you know, for obvious reasons. Speak to Hawkeye later. But first tell me, are you still loyal to the military?"
I thought about it for a moment, then said, "No. I gave up my title as a State Alchemist when I fought Bradley. Without that, I have no reason to remain."
"Are you still loyal to me?" Mustang asked next. Thinking about Maria, I told him, "Ross was my friend. Can I trust you?" I already suspected Mustang was up to something. He told me to 'ask Hawkeye later'. As I've said before, Havoc is no idiot. But he's not a genius either. Mustang and Hawkeye know something that they don't want him to know, probably because he's the most likely out of Mustang's entire team to leak it. And Mustang's plan was working. I knew what he meant, but Havoc looked confused.
"Yes," Mustang answered. I looked directly into his eyes, and they were not the eyes of a murderer. He didn't kill Maria. No, it's far more likely that he actually helped her. But if he helped her, then that means the military is definitely corrupted.
"If I can trust you, then yes, I am still loyal to you," I told him.
Mustang's entire face lit up and his smile stretched ear to ear. "You've just become an invaluable asset!" he said. "I've been needing a reliable player who can move outside of the military." Mustang's smile was contagious, because I felt my face light up a bit.
Mustang went into a lengthy explanation that detailed what he'd discovered since Hughes' death. Something was going very wrong within the military. His voice grew quiet as he explained what a Homunculus, an artificially created human, was. He said the enemy, whoever they were, created at least four of them. They were Lust, Gluttony, Greed, and Envy. He knew very little about the Homunculi, but he knew their appearances and some of their abilities. Envy could change his appearance, Greed appeared to be able to turn his skin into a powerful shield, and Gluttony just appeared to eat everything. I asked about Lust, and Mustang smiled, but then his eyes grew dark.
"I killed Lust, but not before both Havoc and I were injured," Mustang said. "But that proved they can be killed. Fullmetal fought Greed, but the only thing we learned from that was that Homunculi have amazing regenerative abilities. This was also proved by the number of times Gluttony has been shot by numerous officers. But if they are 'killed' repeatedly, they will die."
"So one down, six to go right?" I said. In answer to Mustang's confused look I continued, "'Lust', 'Greed', 'Gluttony', and 'Envy' are four of the seven deadly sins. I highly doubt that's a coincidence. I'll bet 'Sloth', 'Wrath', and 'Pride' are out there somewhere."
Mustang nodded, but Havoc wasn't convinced. He was ignored though, and Mustang said, "Then that's what I need you to do. Find the last three. And any others, if there are others." I nodded and saluted. "Yes sir!" I said, almost comically. Mustang and Havoc smiled while Hawkeye let out a small chuckle.
"Oh, wait!" I started, "How long will you two be in here?" I asked. Mustang's face melted into a mask of anger, and I was afraid I had offended him. But I didn't know why. This time, Havoc spoke. He told me Mustang was supposed to stay for a few weeks, but he'd probably leave earlier. But Havoc had much more severe injuries. He explained how both of them had gotten the wounds, then finished by saying, "And I still can't feel my legs."
"Jean…" I murmured sympathetically. He laughed, but he sounded like he could cry. "What will do know?" I asked him. He told me his parents owned a small shop out west he could work in, but he didn't think he could return to service.
Mustang grew angry because of his statement, but Hawkeye and Havoc managed to convince him this was best. Havoc apologized to me, and I could feel a tear come to my eyes.
But I steeled myself and pushed back that tear. I needed Mustang to think I was as confident and strong willed as I always am, so I said, "Jean, I'll find a way to fix this. There has to be an answer some where, so until I find it you better not leave the Colonel's side." Havoc smiled at me, and so did Mustang. Havoc laughed and told me, "This world really needs more people like you."
"Now, Hawkeye, I need you to escort Citrona out of this hospital. Act like you're arresting her, and then when you're outside, explain the rest," Mustang said. Hawkeye saluted, but I told them to wait. I did my appearance trick and changed my hair and eye colors. Mustang seemed impressed, because he said, "How skilled are you with that, what can you do?"
After a moment's thought, I explained I could probably do almost anything. This was much simpler than invisibility, and I didn't have to focus as much. I demonstrated a few forms, more to see if I could do it than to impress Mustang. I created the illusion that I was Hawkeye then Havoc. I also created an illusion of Mustang walking around the room. That was very difficult; I had to concentrate harder then when I was doing my invisibility.
"But it's really not all that practical. I have to focus, and if I'm fighting or have to listen for followers I wouldn't be able to maintain the illusion," I explained. Colonel Mustang was still impressed, however. He asked me hid my appearance so Hawkeye could escort me from the hospital with the story I was lost and climbed in through the window. The tale was shaky, but it worked.
Once we were a few yards away from the hospital, Hawkeye stopped leading me and I broke my concentration. My brown hair and eyes shimmered into silver and blue-purple. Hawkeye looked amazed, but then she focused and began to explain what had happened to Maria Ross.
She said Mustang knew Maria was innocent. And he knew her sentence was a cover-up. Whoever killed Hughes didn't want to be found, so he blamed Maria for it. Mustang decided he cold take advantage of sneaking her out of the country. In the process, he could find information about the enemy.
Hawkeye finished by telling me Maria was alive and healthy in Xing. Ed had gone to see her and he said she was taking this whole situation well enough. I was happy that Maria was all right, and that I was right about Mustang. But the news about Havoc still troubled me. I felt like every time I heard good news, someone had to be there to give me more troubling news.
"Don't worry," Hawkeye told me, "he'll be in the hospital for a while, and he and the Colonel are both looking for a way to cure him. He won't leave." I smiled and thanked Hawkeye. She smiled back and told me to come back soon. I waved goodbye and left to find Scar and the others. The sun had begun to set and I knew May would be upset that I was gone for so long. I imagined Scar getting angry, and I ran home. On the way, Lieu ran towards me out of the alcove he had been hiding in. He ran close to my feet all the way back.