HOLY CRAP!
I got seven reviews in one day...!? That is awesomeness! It usually takes a couple days to get five... Dayum, seven! XD (insert readers' death by hug here)
AAHHH!! OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH OH MY GOSH!!! My friend Sherry went to the Anime Convention in NZ, and got me Dave Wittenberg's autograph! AWESOMENESS!!!! Lurvs her lots X3 Dave's most notable character has been Kakashi Hatake from Naruto. He's also done Yazoo from FF7(I'm a huge FF7 fan), Solomon from Blood+, and he's the announcer for Ninja Warrior and Unbeatable Banzuke.
Oh, and just so you know.. Ed's reaction to Riley being a State was completely random. How? I wrote different reactions on slips of paper, then threw them in the air. Whichever my kitten attacked three times was the one I used XD And Neko picked "calm"... So... Yeah.
The Lovely Daaaarlings
AnimeFanGirl167: Aw! And LOL! I think Ed's a Major too, actually. Sorry, but his reaction isn't too huge... Like I said above, Neko chose calm, so I worked the best I could XD
Emalee Roze: Thanks! Glad you like Riley XD
Kaijukote: Haha, I bet he wasn't! Thanks XD
Ria44: ROFL, yeah, I posted the wrong document, then deleted it to post the right one. I was wondering if anyone'd mention that xD Hehe, thanks! And I believe Armstrong scares a little bit of everybody XD
Giant-flying-radish-of-doom: Thanks! I can't wait either.. (insert nervous laugh here)
vampgirl16: Thanks! Here's the next one XP
hitorijinsei3: Alright, way to go on finishing school! Yeah, I made everyone wait long enough xD Oh really?! Awesome. I think my mom's friend's from there... (shrug) She really misses the place. And thanks!
WhiteWingAlchemist: I'm sorry! I've been uber busy. Halloween's coming up, my friend had a birthday so I was updating my other story for her, and someone asked me to do a One-Shot for her (sweatdrop) so I've been working on that. Yep! I wondered too, lol.
Aqemy Von Stein: Thanks, and yeah, not much recently. Hopefully there'll be more! And I do believe you're psychic o.O Because the reason her state name is the Sulfur Alchemist is indeed in this chapter... Weird. But yeah, there's chemistry involved XD I'm not the greatest at it (another sweatdrop) but I'll do my best!
Want To Be a Lovely Daaaarling? Review! Bwahaha...
I Don't Own: Al, Roy, Riza, Armstrong, Maes, The Train Station And Their Egineers, Any Location in FullMetal Alchemist, 1915, Any Passer-Byers That May... Pass By, The Pocket Watches, Marcoh, And Anything Else Seen in Anime, Manga, Video Game, Or Any Other Merchandise Of FullMetal Alchemist. Oh yeah, and Ed... So short, I forgot about him!
I Do Own: Riley.
Don't Steal What I Don't Own, Or You Will Be Sued. Don't Steal What I Do Own, Or Riley Will Further Annoy You, And Piss You Off So Badly, You'll Wish You Were Sued Instead.
(Longest Disclaimer Ever.)
Toward the end, the original content has less and less, but that's partly because it's a sadder moment.
The Sulfur Alchemist:
Chapter Twelve:
You're a Dill Weed!
"What?" Ed asked, looking to me. I just rubbed the back of my neck. I didn't know what to say! "Does Hannah know?" He asks me firmly.
"No... And you can't tell her either, ok? She worries enough!" I exclaim.
Ed shook his head at me and Roy smirked, "You should probably go. The train's waiting."
Ed and I walked out of Roy's office, completely silent. I had every reason to be too! I most likely wasn't going with Ed and Al now. Which meant I would be stuck in this Godforsaken place with Roy.
And as amusing as his reaction to things randomly exploding in his office is...
I stopped walking then. Ed finally noticed a couple feet ahead, and stopped to turn to me. "Riley?"
Hm... Why was I wanting to go with them? Obviously not my camera. Because Roy's reaction to my prank explosions is waaay funnier than any reaction I've seen Ed have. And I could always extract revenge on Ed by doing something next time he comes to HQ. So there really was no need, was there?
"Riley!" Ed shouted, shaking me by the shoulders. Which was kind of a lopsided shake, since he only had one arm to shake me with.
Finally I cam back to reality. "Eeeee-ya ya ya..," I shouted, jumping back in surprise.
He sighed, and said, "We have to hurry or we'll miss the train."
"Train?" Was my intelligent response.
"Do you expect us to walk?" Ed asked, an obvious tone in his voice. He began to walk again, and I, quite confused, ran after him.
As I caught up to his side, I asked in a ridiculously long run-on question, "So... I'm still traveling with you guys even after you found out I lied and I'm military personnel and you decided not to trust the military?"
Ed glanced over at me before looking back ahead. "I thought I owed you a camera," He muttered, almost stubbornly.
I paused a moment, only to gain a Cheshire cat grin. Somehow I managed to get from behind Ed, to in front of him, as I slowly rose upward from the ground, grin not fading.
He stopped to look at me, a brow raised, and a little bit startled. It was silence as he stared. Eventually, I said in a low, sing-song voice, "You like me...~ You'd miss me...~ You want to... trav-... You-You want me... trave-..."
As my tongue-twisted self tried to figure out how to word it, Ed rolled his eyes and walked past me. "H-Hey, wait a minute!" I shouted, running toward him again.
"If you don't shut up, you're not getting so much as a roll of film," He said, causing me to shut up.
Hannah and I walked down the isle of the train, toward the booth Armstrong and Ed sat at, while my brown haired friend glared holes into the back of my head. "Can't believe you forgot me again," Hannah muttered angrily.
Yep. We ended up getting to the train early, and just as I sat down, I noticed a tiny little thing wrong. Hannah was missing.
Again.
So I had to run back to HQ, where Riza was watching over her. "You're becoming the Colonel," She said. Feh. Like Hell I'm becoming Roy Mustang.
As we sat down, I caught a glimpse of a folder in Ed's jacket. "What's the folder for?" I asked curiously.
"Nothing," Ed replied immediately. Weeiiird...
Hannah looked around before asking, "Where's Al?"
We all were silent for a moment. "He's... Um... Spending time with sheep," I mutter. Hannah's eyes widened.
"LUGGAGE?!"
Ed and I winced at the volume of her voice. It was then I noticed Hughes looking through the window. He must have given the folder to Ed. But what was it about? "Oh. Hey Hughes..."
He nodded at me, "Hey Riley... And who's this?"
"Hannah, sir," Hannah answered. Sir...? Hughes? Psh.
Hughes raised a brow, but smiled and nodded, "Maes Hughes."
Hannah smiled, "I saw you at the fight between Ed and the Lt. Colonel. Your daughter's so cute." Ed twitched and looked to me, who shrugged with the 'I-Didnt-Ask-For-This' look.
"You should see-" I interrupted Hughes quickly, "Sorry Hughes, but the train actually has to leave today." Hughes scowls and backs away from the window.
"Be careful, you three," He says, waving, just as the train leaves.
. . .
Third Point Of View
Ed felt the folder beneath his jacket as he looked out the window, remembering what it said...
"Here, Ed. Roy thought you'd like to see this," Hughes said, handing Ed a yellow folder through the window.
Ed hesitantly took it, "What is it?"
"See for yourself," Hughes shrugged. Ed opened the folder and his eyes widened at the sight of Riley's name at the top of the page.
Riley Mauler
Rank: Major
Unit: Roy Mustang
Age: 15
Date Upon Join: 4-6-11
Blood Type: O
Height: 5'0"
Weight: n/a
reason: attacked nurse when asked
Specialty: Sulfur based attacks, generally explosions. Hand-to-Hand combat.
Misc.: Military News journalist. Able to perform alchemy with no need for a circle. reason: unknown. Timothy Marcoh's apprentice.
"Thanks Hughes," Ed murmured, keeping his eyes on the "Misc." area. Riley didn't tell him about that.
First Person POV
I kicked my feet back and forth as I counted each tree we passed.
5,679.
5,680.
5,681.
Whoa... Deja Vu...
Anyways, I was counting the trees for two reasons. One, it was either this or listen to Armstrong. And two, last time I tried to count the trees, I was rudely interrupted.
"Shit!" I mutter when a huge forest comes into view. I lean toward the window and begin to furiously count the trees, ignoring the looks I got from Hannah and Armstrong.
Suddenly Ed came barging over, and opened the window. Making me lose concentration. "SON OF A BITCH!" I shout, which everyone ignored. Bastards.
"Al's been mistaken for someone else's luggage-"
I interrupt. Of course.
"Excuse me? Someone else's? He wasn't luggage to begin with!" I protested. Hannah nodded in agreement.
Ed looked at me dully for a few seconds before turning back to the window. "He was dropped off at that stop!"
"We'll turn around at the next location," Armstrong said.
"Are you crazy? I can't wait that long!" Ed shouted, getting ready to jump out the window.
Which, I mean, is pretty effin stupid. So as we all grabbed for his legs, I stuck my head out the window. Glaring at him, I shouted, "Dumbass! Don't use the window! You're supposed to go to the Railway Gauge and jump from th-"
Hannah yanked me back in the train, shouting, "Don't tell him that!"
Ed glared back at us all, "Get off my back!"
"It is important that you calm down Edward," Armstrong.
I rolled my eyes. "Oh yeah, and Al's most likely remaining calm in a strange place he's never been to before! And especially when he's only got half a body!" I exclaim.
"You both just need to calm down! Al'll be alright until we get there. He can take care of himself, you know," Hannah stated, looking at us firmly.
Ed and I shared a glance and sighed, plopping back down in the booth. No use arguing.
Of course, that doesn't mean I'm not going to try and leave... Heh.
. . .
"What do ya mean, he ran off?! He wouldn't have done something like that!" Ed shouted at the officer, who rubbed the back of his neck.
I snorted. "He couldn't have done that." Hannah elbowed me, so I shut up. Reluctantly, of course.
"Are you sure this is what you saw?" Armstrong asked, showing the officer a sketch of Al.
When I peaked around it, my jaw dropped. It looked exactly like Al! Kinda made Al seem almost intimidating...
"Yeah," The officer said, nodding, "You're quite the talented artist there sir." I rolled my eyes. Great idea. Give him a bigger head.
Armstrong nodded, "It's been passed down the Armstrong line for generations."
Finally Ed exploded.
"How can you act so casual?!" He shouted before trying to run off. Trying to being keyword...s. Armstrong grabbed his jacket and pulled him back.
"It's too dangerous. We can wait here," Armstrong stated.
Ed jerked back, "None of you understand us! We don't work like you!" Hannah went wide-eyed at the outburst and glanced to me, wondering what was up. I knew, but I wasn't going to say right out that Ed was having problems with the military because he found out the true story of the Ishballin Massacre.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Armstrong asked.
"Dr. Marcoh told us the truth! We know what all you did in Ishbal!" Ed shouted. Armstrong's eyes widened, and his grip not only loosened, but let go completely. I felt bad for him.
I mean, I've known this guy since I was eleven. And while the statement, "He wouldn't hurt a fly," isn't exactly true, it's pretty damn close. As annoying as Armstrong is, I knew he had regrets about war. Every soldier does.
Ed ran off, and I sighed. Stepping forward, I shouted, "Ed!" When he didn't stop, I ran after him.
"Riley!" Hannah shouted. I glanced back and saw her standing with Armstrong. I looked back ahead, and kept chasing Ed.
And let's just say, the lace-up boots I were wearing, as cool as they looked, weren't helping me run down the wet and slick road.
"Hey, wait!" I heard him shout after several minutes. I looked around him and saw a little girl. Her eyes were wide as she ran down another road.
Ed darted down the road, and I sighed, speeding up. Finally turning the corner, I stopped when I saw the same girl standing at the end of the road, holding of all things, Ed's leg. "Hey!" I shouted. She jerked to look at me and her eyes widened more. "GIMME BACK THAT LEG YOU LITTLE WORM!" I shouted, darting after her. I completely ignored the knocked out Ed as I ran by him.
"Hey, get back here!" I heard Ed shout, before hearing a thud.
I stopped and turned back to see him on the ground, trying to stand. "Damn it!" I mutter, running toward him. As I threw his arm around my shoulder I began running off. Only to stumble toward the ground. We let out a yelp but I managed to catch us, and I shouted, "Ok, three-legged run here!! Let's go!" He glared at me for my, quite awful, pun and we continued to chase after the girl.
"Ah, stop hopping damn it!" I shouted as we began falling to the ground. Again. Landing with a painful thud, I got back to my knees as I sighed.
"If only I could have more limbs," Ed muttered.
I scowled, "If only you could have limbs." He glared at me and I smiled when I saw that the girl was standing right in front of a house.
The door to the house opened and a man walked out. He had only one leg, and held himself up by a crutch. That seemed to make Ed and I both understand.
"I'm sorry about this. It's been tough on her to live out here with an old broken man like me. Watching me hobble around all day long. Funny the way a child's mind can work," The man said as I helped Ed put his leg back on.
Haha, boy does that sound weird!
"Just looking out for her grandfather. You have a good eye, girl, noticing the leg. But I can't give it to you. I've got my own needs. If you want, I can point you to the engineer that designed it for me. She's got a sharp tongue, but amazing skills," Ed said.
I nodded as I continued putting the leg on. "From what I can see, it's pretty good auto-mail," I muttered.
The girl smiled and looked up at her Grandpa. "I appreciate the offer, but I don't need a fake leg," He said. I could almost feel the pride radiating from him. I gained respect for this guy right there.
"It's handy once you get used to it," Ed said.
"Probably so," He started, "But that's not the point. There are more useful things than walking. I'd rather keep my leg the way it is."
Ed's eyes widened. The girl left and I sat on the floor still, beside Ed's chair, once we finished putting his leg on. The man began to talk about the war, how it changed him. "That's your reason? You don't want auto-mail that could make you functional just so you can wallow in your guilt?" Ed asked, causing me to shake my head.
"That's not the only reason," He stated. "It's true I've lost my leg, but I've gained something in return. Something much more important. Quiet. Peace of mind. The chance to live with my grandchildren, watch them grow. It's only after we've given something up that we obtain the thing we really want, isn't that the way of the alchemists?"
"Yeah, that's right. But what about all those men who went to war and came back in one piece? That's the whole dream of a soldier, right?" Ed asked.
I had a feeling I knew what he'd say. "Those men who came back without a scratch have lost something just as real. Even if it's something you can't see on their skin," He says. I glanced to Ed to see him looking at his watch. "Looks like you've had your share of losses yourself. Surely you gained something back. You do believe in equivalent exchange, don't you?"
Ed looked up at the man and I noticed his grasp on the watch shaking. "How can that be... I've spent years devoted to alchemy. That damn principle. Getting my arm and leg back, and my brother's body... That's our dream. And we keep looking for something we can do to balance the equation. To earn it back. But I've never turned it around the other way. Where was the equivalency then?!"
I looked up at the now standing Ed in slight concern. I hadn't seen him come to close to crying until then. "What have we gained for our losses? It's always been a one-way current. Everything's been taken from us!" He shouted, before slamming his hand down on the table, causing his cup to fall over and off the table. I let out a small gasp as I pushed myself back to avoid the oncoming cup, and tea.
Ed sat there with his head down and I remained silent. I honestly couldn't think of anything to say. Not that anything I'd say would help the mood...
"A dream to get everything back the way it was? But, once you have it, what will you do with your life?" The man asks. "The pleasure of a dream is that it's a fantasy. If it happens, it was never a dream." Ed's eyes widened, again.
Silence.
I was too afraid to break it. The tension could have been cut by a knife. "Maybe you're right," Ed muttered, "But I'm still going to try." As he stood, he grabbed his jacket and stepped over the cup, walking out as he mumbled, "Thanks for the tea."
I looked at the door than at the cup laying before me. "I'm sorry about him breaking the cup," I said before leaving. Ed stood there staring out to the sky, and I decided to confront him. Somebody needed to.
But how should I? Should I be subtle, or blunt? Ugh, this is why I hate confrontation.
Twitching at the mental argument I was having with myself, I groaned and shouted, exhausted, "You're being a real dill weed!" Ed looked back at me surprised at my outburst and I blinked a few times, silent. "Ok... I didn't really mean to be that straight forward, but yes. You're being a dill weed."
"About what?" Ed asked, looking back ahead.
"I dunno how to explain it, alright? But your whole demeanor has gotten crankier," I said, walking to his side.
Ed rolled his eyes, "You're right, next time Al goes missing I'll be a little happier."
I twitched. "And that's what I mean. You can have as much angst as you want, ok? Just be nicer to people," I commented.
"You're one to talk," Ed mumbled.
"Ok, yeah, I'm not the nicest person around, but with that attitude of yours, it sure feels like it! I know why you're acting like this, but really Ed, get over it! You tell him not to wallow in guilt, yet here you are wallowing in your own! Don't preach if you're just that bum in the back of the church stealing money from the Offering Plate! Look, I'm just saying - who's that?"
Ed raised a brow and looked ahead to see a boy rush by, and into the house. "Brother's home!" The girl shouted.
The Elric sighed, and then blinked in realization, "Wait a minute, I forgot!" I smacked my forehead as he ran off, before darting after him. "AL!" Ed shouted as we ran down the path.
"Yes?" Came the voice of Alphonse.
Judging by the fact Ed tripped and fell to the ground in a heap suggested it startled him. Unfortunately for me, I was only a mere foot behind him, so I ended up tripping on Ed and falling down as well. I let out a groan as the dust cleared away. "Oww...," I muttered when I felt Ed's braid shoving into my stomach.
I rolled off, and laid on my back as I rubbed my stomach. Ed looked up, dirt marks on his face, and smiled at Al, "You're here..."
"You're aware that you reek of sheep, right? It's disgusting," Ed said as we pulled Al down the road.
I shook my head as I muttered, "And who's fault is that?"
"Excuse me for being cargo!" Al exclaimed, "I'll wash out at Pinako's house, happy?"
"Listen Al," Ed started, "Remember when Lt. Colonel showed up at Resembool, at the Rockbells? He said he came in response to one of the letters we sent out."
"Sure, I remember. He said he was looking for Dad," Al answered.
Ed stopped a moment. "Yeah, well... Do you think that was his actual reason? Or was he coming for something else?"
Suddenly the bar we were pushing jerked up, and straight into my stomach. I grunted, wincing in pain, on yet another attack on my poor stomach. "Son of a... Bitch," I grunt, flipping over the bar and onto the ground. From there, I could see Armstrong holding Al on his shoulder. Show off...
"I was worried about you," Armstrong said.
"It's my fault," Al stated.
"What's the matter?" Armstrong asked, looking down at Ed.
"Sorry, Major," Ed commented, "About earlier. What I said." Armstrong smiled a bit, and I saw Hannah bend down beside me.
She smiled at me sadly and asked, "You ok?" I only groaned in response. She sighed as she helped me stand, and then we all heard the train.
"That's our train. If we don't get on now, we'll have to wait until tomorrow!" Armstrong said.
Oh hell no. I was not spending the night here with Armstrong.
Just as Hannah and I were about to start running, Armstrong grabbed and pulled us onto his shoulder. He then picked Ed up and began running. "Time to sprint! This short distance running has been passed down the Armstrong line for generations!"
"Put me down, I'm gonna be sick!"
"I'm gonna break!"
"I'm going to fall off, go slower please!"
"EEEEYAYAYAYAYAYAYAAAAA!!!!!!!"
Ok, done this time! Hehe XD
Ok, here's the chapter translations:
"Deici! That's 10!" Deici is Italian.
"Yhdestoista! That's 11!" Yhdestoista is Finnish.
"Doze! That's 12!" Doze is Portuguese.
If I spelled any wrong, please tell me!
Be Resonpsible! Don't Flame and Drive! Rawr.
