Disclaimer: I applaud Mrs. Arakawa for her creation of this wonderful anime (and manga and movies). Thanks for making the most heart-breaking, and yet hilarious, series. You deserve an Oscar.

Chapter 11 - The Crystal Alchemist and the Eastern Rebellion
.:Rachel Hughes:.

I stretched my arms above my head, yawning. Stupid dad. Talking all night to mom. Could've been a little quieter...

"Miss Hughes!"

I turned, watching as Al ran up to me. I smiled, "You don't have to address me so formally, Al. I'm only a few months older than you."

He rubbed the back of his head, "Right sorry. Have you seen my brother? Last night he was really angry at Colonel Mustang and I'm afraid he's going to do something rash."

I chuckled, "Who Ed? Actually though, I have." I pointed my thumb behind me, "I'm afraid you're alittle late. He's out in the courtyard, about to do something stupid. Care to join me?"

He sighed, hanging his head, "Yes please."

"Does he always act like that? Acting before thinking," I clarified.

Al nodded, "Unfortunately yes. So Brother said that you two met in Central three years ago."

I nodded, "Yup!"

"How?"

"He tried to attack the Fuhrer and I nearly killed him," I answered simply.

Al froze, "He-He did?" He bowed, "I'm very sorry."

"For what?" I giggled. "It's not like Ed was trying to kill him. He was just showing off. Anyway, we didn't, technically, meet until later that day. He saved me," I finished, shrugging.

"Saved you? Why?" After a pause, he began waving his hands in front of his face, "I-I didn't mean- Of course he wouldn't not save you- I just meant why did he have to?"

I shook my head, patting his shoulder, "You need to calm down. I didn't even take it like that. But, well, the why is a little complicated."

He nodded, "I understan-" His words were cut off by an explosion.

I smiled, excitement filling me. Grabbing Al's arm, I pulled him through the crowd of military jackets, "Come on. I'm dying to know who'll win."

"Win what?" he asked as we came up to the barricade. In front of us was the ruined remains of, what once was, a spacious courtyard. Ed was running around like an idiot, while Mustang was barely breaking a sweat. Al gasped, "How is he doing that?"

"His glove is made from this special material called ignition cloth. Whenever Mustang rubs his fingers together, it creates a spark, allowing him to manipulate the concentration of oxygen and hydrogen in the air, raising the density to a point where it becomes volatile. He also has the ability to control how much power is put into the attack. He can make his 'fire bombs' as devastating as he wants."

"That's amazing."

"Yeah," I shrugged, "it would be if he was actually trying."

"Wait, what do you mean?" he asked, looking down at me.

I sighed, "Take a look. He's got one hand in his pocket, his shoulders aren't set. His posture is too relaxed. If he was really trying, he wouldn't let Ed be running around like a chicken with its head cut off. He's too calculating for that. This is just a lesson, not a challenge."

"Oh," he said slowly. "But we're so far away. How can you tell all of that from back here?"

"I made it my job to familiarize myself with that kind of stuff," I answered.

"Why don't you fight him then?" Al asked. "Don't you have a State Alchemist assessment every year?"

I looked up to him, but I didn't answer. Finally, I shrugged, "I don't know. I guess I never really thought about that."

"Could you win?"

"If I wanted to fuel my own ego, I'd say yes. I'd kick his ass within the first five minutes, but, well, there's no way I could know for sure." Memories of that night flashed through my mind. I couldn't even beat him. The only reason I came out of that fight was Ed and the guy's still out there. I sighed, turning my attention back to the courtyard.

~
I leaned back in the chair, stretching my arms. My gaze traveled to Mustang's office, or what used to be. Bradley and Grand were in there now. Talking about something. I sighed loudly, kicking off the desk, sending the chair spinning.

"Comfy?"

Stopping the ride, I looked to the five people standing in the doorway. I smiled, "Maybe."

"You know, I believe you forgot to say hi when you first arrived," Hawkeye said, walking forward.

I rubbed the back of my neck, "Yeah, sorry 'bout that." I pushed myself from the chair, giving the blonde a hug, "Hi."

"Well I'll be damned," Breda said walking up to us, "you sure did grow up kid."

I giggled, "Yeah, it's nice to see all of you again."

"Oh, there are some people you haven't met," Hawkeye said, looking behind her.

I followed her gaze, confused.

She motioned to the two people who didn't look familiar. "Rachel, this is Master Sergeant Kain Fuery, and Warrant Officer Vato Falman. Men, this is Rachel Hughes."

I smiled, waving, "Hello. It's nice to meet you both."

"Wait," Fuery said, walking closer. "I think I've heard of you. Rachel- You were the personal body guard to Fuhrer Bradley right?"

I let out a breath, nodding, "Yup! That was me."

"With all due respect ma'am, why are you here?"

"Um, well, it's kinda a long story," I answered, scratching my eyebrow.

"How come the kid is the one keeping the secrets?" Havoc asked, putting his hand on the top of my head.

I glared up at him, "I'm not a kid. And it's not really my place to say-"

"When has that stopped you befor-"

I cut off his words, elbowing the smoker in the stomach, "Alright fine. It's Scar."

"Scar?" Breda repeated.

I nodded, glancing over to the closed door, "Yeah, he's also known as the Alchemist Killer. The top guns, like Grand, wore Fuhrer Bradley down. Convinced him that coming here is the best option."

"And you're here because of the Fuhrer," Feury concluded.

I sighed, "I wish. I'm here because of Grand. I was reassigned to protect him. For how long? I have no freaking clue."

Havoc patted me on the back, smiling apologetically, "Don't take it so hard kid. You're a dog of the military, demotions come with the job."

"Could've wished for a better demotion," I grumbled.

The door flung open, Grand storming out. He located me, scowling, "Follow me Eternal. We're leaving."

I narrowed my eyes, but moved forward, with some help from Riza and Havoc. I glared back at them before following the Brigadier General out of the building. "Where are we going?"

"For a little trip."

I rolled my eyes, entering the train behind him.

~
I let out a breath, playing with the ends of my hair. "Are you going to tell me why we're in this nameless village?"

No response.

"Fine," I growled, crossing my arms, turning my head. But my posture straightened when I spotted a familiar red coat. What's Ed- I sighed, "Grand, why are we following Ed and Al?"

He faltered, looking back at me in shock. "That is not your concern," he said through gritted teeth. "Have you seen them?"

I smiled, shrugging, "Maybe. But that's not my concern, so it shouldn't matter. Carry on."

He growled, "The Elrics are in pursuit of the Crystal Alchemist. We are following them in case they find him."

"And if they do?" I asked.

"Then he is taken into custody," Grand answered simply. "Do not look at me like that. He is a fugitive. A filthy deserter. Spending the rest of his pathetic life in prison sounds fitting."

"How in the hell is that fitting?" I countered. "He-"

"This is not up for debate, Eternal. Now, where were the Elrics heading?"

Reluctantly, I pointed him in their direction. It's so wrong. So what he wanted to get away. The Eastern Rebellion- It was awful. There was so much bloodshed. So many people were killed- "Hey, is that the Major?"

"What are you babbling about?"

My head snapped in Grand's direction. Did I really just think out loud? I shook my head, "Nothing, just wondering what my mom and sister are doing."

He glared at me for a few more minutes before turning away. I let out a small sigh, turning my gaze back to Armstrong's large form. I wonder what he's doing here...sneaking around. "Hey Grand?"

"What?" he snapped.

I rolled my eyes, "I'm hungry. Would you like for me to get you something?"

He ignored me, continuing with the spying.

"Fine," I mumbled, opening the car door. "Excuse me for being considerate." I walked away, heading for the major. I reached out, tapping the beefy man on the shoulder.

He jumped, spinning quickly. Though, once he saw my smiling face, he calmed down, "Goodness Rachel, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same thing Major," I responded. "I'm with Grand. We're following Ed and Al, in the hopes that they'll lead him to Marcoh. Your turn."

He sighed, "I wish I could find that as a surprise. I am following the Elric brothers on Colonel Mustang's orders."

"Why's everyone so interested in him?" I growled. "Just leave the poor guy alone!"

"You know-" he stopped himself at my expression. "Right. Though I have a feeling I understand why the Brigadier General is here, Colonel Mustang wishes for Marcoh to live freely."

I straightened, "He does? Hey, Major, do you know why he ran in the first place? I mean, I know he took some top secret government material, but how top secret could it be?"

I watched the debate going on in his blue eyes. So this is really serious. Whatever Marcoh took was important or dangerous, or both. Finally, he sighed, "You know of the Eastern Rebellion?" I nodded and he continued, "Well, what I am sure you don't know is Marcoh was instructed to create something that would increase the power of the State Alchemists sent to war. He succeeded. Though it was merely a prototype, the outcome was extraordinary. The power gained was enough to drive a man mad. But Marcoh saw the destruction he caused. After the war, when the soldiers came back, he took the stone, all his research materials and ran."

I nodded slowly, just trying to soak everything in. "So," I started, "so I was right. He just wanted to get away, to forget all the horrible things he, and the others did. Major, what's going to happen? What'll happens to Marcoh if Grand captures him?"

He shook his head, "Honestly, I don't know. That is why I am hoping to get to the doctor before Basque Grand."

"Is there anything I can do?" I asked, hopeful.

He smiled, "All you would have to do is stall the Brigadier General until I am able to hide Marcoh."

I nodded, my eyes set with determination. A smirk slid across my lips at the thought of 'betraying' Grand. "Stall? That I can do."