Edited 11/17/2016

Nothing I Won't Give

The boy was very young. No older than eight, with scruffy brown hair and honey colored eyes. His skin was lightly tanned, like he spent many hours a day in the sun. He sat in a graveyard, in front of a small, in-ground gravestone with a single first name on it and two years on it. His knees were drawn up to his chest, his face hidden in his knees and arms. His small body shook with sobs.

"Why? Why did you have to go? You were all I had. You promised we'd always be together!"

"Ohh, you poor thing," a female voice cooed behind him, as if she were talking to a baby animal or an infant. "You must miss them so much. I know what it's like to miss someone terribly. Worst kind of pain there is."
The boy raised his head and looked back. The girl was slender with long brown hair and green eyes. Her eyes, though bright in color, were dark and frightening. He couldn't tell if the smile on her face was genuine or plastered on. Either way, it didn't seem to fit her face.

"Wh-who are you?"

"Someone who can help you."

"Help me? What are you talking about?"

"The person in the grave…" she walked forward and kneeled down next to him. She extended her arm and pressed one thin finger into the surface of the gravestone. "I can bring them back. You can see them again."

The boy's face lit up and he leaped to his feet. "Really? You mean it? How?!"

Her smile grew wider and she nodded slowly. "But… you'll have to do something for me in return…"

"Anything!" The boy clenched his hands in front of him. "I'll do anything! Please bring him back!"

The girl's eyes flashed as her grin grew wider still. "Alright. You have a deal."

"Oi! Trisha Elric!"

Trisha turned around at the sound of someone calling her name. When she turned around, she saw the one person she wasn't expecting. Sergio Black came walking towards her, a messenger bag slung over his shoulder. His eyes were just as hardened as a week ago. The small bun he had pulled his hair up into was loose and slightly messy. Parts of black hair fell around his face. Today he wore a black tank top with a white long sleeved button up that he left open and a pair of dark gray jeans with his black boots. Around his neck was a pendant on a silver chain. The pendant, made from a piece of obsidian, was set in silver. One word came to mind when she took in his appearance.

Damn...

"Sergio Black," she said as he came closer, for lack of a better greeting. "What are you doing here?"

"Hunting," he shrugged the bag further up his shoulder.

"Hunting? For what?"

"You wouldn't get it. You're an alchemist, not a mechanic," he said bluntly.

Trisha narrowed her eyes and turned to walk away.

"Aw, what? Did that hurt your feelings, little alchemist? Now you're gonna run away?"

Trisha pulled out an apple out of her bag of groceries and chucked it at him. He expertly dodged and caught it in his hand. "Shut up! My brother was right. You really are a rude, arrogant jerk."

"I'm sure he says a lot of things about me," Sergio followed her, biting into the apple.
"Don't eat that! It's mine! I bought it!" Sergio held the bitten apple out to her but Trisha faked a gag. He shrugged and continued eating it. "You owe me 90 Sen (A/N: about .76 cents)."

Sergio pulled out a coin pouch out of his pocket and fished out two 50 Sen coins. He shoved them in her pocket. "Keep the change."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "I thought you only talk to the best of the best."

"You complaining?" He chuckled at her slight growl. "You're the sister of the best and the daughter of the best of the best so you're more than covered on that part."

"I really don't get you."

"Get in line," he crunched into the apple. "You picked a good one. It's really sweet."

"Mom planted a ton of fruit trees and vines. We have four apple trees, four orange trees, two fences of grapes, two lemon trees, a cherry tree, a huge strawberry patch, and a bunch of vegetable plants. Her thumb is greener than Risembool's grass."

"I bet she makes kick ass pies."

"Best in the country. She's won so many blue ribbons you could stitch them together and wrap them around a spool." Just then, a thought occurred to her. "Wait, Allan said that you were the son of one of Mom's patients here in Rush Valley."

"Yeah. My dad. He was a few years older than she was. He worked for a mechanic and blacksmith in town. He was working with some metals and he had an accident. There were some boxes with heavy equipment and they fell over. His arm ended up caught in the furnace. They had to take it off. That happened around the time Miss Winry was here. She did the surgery on him and everything. Years after, she still did maintenance on his arm. If he couldn't get to her, she'd come to him. I think he had feelings for her, cause after he found out your dad and her were together, he married my mom. She was a mechanic and an automail lover like Miss Winry. Spunky and feisty. Didn't back down for anything or anyone. She was really hard headed and iron willed, but Dad loved her because of it. I'm sure he saw a lot of Miss Winry in Mom."

"Um... your parents..." Trisha treaded lightly around the question.

"You're wondering why a sixteen-year-old like me is living alone, making a living off of high end automail. Mom went to Ishval to help with the rebuilding efforts there and to help with refugees of the conflicts between Arugo and Amestris. She never came back. Dad left to go looking for her and left me with my aunt and uncle on her side. They hated me though. They were really cruel and abusive, so I stole some money from their safe and high tailed it back here to Rush Valley. That house belongs to my parents. Mom taught me everything she knew, so I picked up where she left off and used her designs to springboard my own. That was three years ago."

Trisha hung her head, the thought of Sergio having to fend for himself at such a young age churning in her stomach. She fished out the 100 Sen and put the two coins back in his pocket. "You keep it."

Sergio narrowed his eyes at her and pulled out the coins, putting them back in her pocket once more. "I don't need your pity. I can take care of myself. I've done it for three years. I'll do it for three more if I have to."

She huffed and shook her head. "That's not what I meant. It's just… everyone deserves to have a family and people who love them. Both my parents grew up without their families. I'm lucky enough to have both my parents and my aunt and uncle around. But you… you haven't seen your dad for three years and your mom even longer than that. And on top of that, your extended family hates you. You don't deserve that."

He tossed the apple core into a nearby dumpster as they walked by. "Yeah, well. We can't always get what we want. And you've been through worse hell than me. Courtesy of Little Miss Psycho."

"I have to find her. I can't let her damage anyone else's life."

"I'd be overly cautious of her if I were you. People who are so obsessed with something that they go crazy are the most dangerous people around. And when another person is involved in that obsession, the other person usually ends up hurt as well, or worse."

"I don't need you to tell me that. I know I could end up hurt chasing after her. She has help, and we have no idea what that other person is like. They could be worse than her. But I have to do this anyway. She's my mistake. No one else's."

"She's not your mistake, Trisha. She made her own choices. She dragged you into them with her. After finding out just how crazy she is, I have to say giving her, her legs back is leaving a bad taste in my mouth."

"I know you're her mechanic, but you really shouldn't have anything to do with her," Trisha warned.
"I thought we had a deal? When she comes in I'll tip you off," Sergio's tone was irritated.

"It's not worth it. I won't let her drag anyone else into this mess."

"I told you, I can take care of myself," he repeated with more bite.

"You don't know anything about her. You don't know what she's capable of," Trisha snapped back, stopping to glare at him.

Sergio stepped forward and loomed over her, his black eyes burning into her blue ones. "And you don't know what I'm capable of. Franky, I don't care about her. I know she's dangerous, but she's not the one I'm worried about."

Trisha blinked several times, unsure of how to answer. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Sergio took off the obsidian pendant around his neck and held it out to her. "This is a treasure of mine. It's very important to me. I'm lending it to you. I get the feeling you're not going to be here in Rush Valley much longer, so give it back to me when I see you again. And then I'll lend it to you again the next time you leave."

Cautiously, she took it in her left hand, her thumb stroking over the smooth black stone. "But why?"

"Because you're not allowed to lose it. I want it back. And to give it back to me, you have to come back. Get my drift?" When she blinked again in confusion he scoffed and rolled his eyes. "Meaning bring it back to me in one piece, got it? Don't you dare lose it. And you'd better bring it back to me."

A small smile painted her lips and she closed her hand around it. "Fine."

"Allan worries about you. He's talked about you before. Don't get yourself hurt, cause if you do, I'll be the one who has to deal with him."

Trisha shook her head and turned to walk away. "I still don't get you."

"I don't get you either. Winry Rockbell is your mom and you choose alchemy?"

"Shut up, Grease Monkey Genius the Second."

"What did you call me?" Sergio stomped after her.

"You heard me! I'm not repeating myself!"

"I dare you to say that to my face."

"Go back to your dungeon, you Emo Mechanic!"

"Ok, my turn: What the hell does that mean?!"

"I'm not telling!"

"You're even more frustrating than your brother!"

"Good! Then I'm living up to my reputation!"

"What reputation?!"

Confused gazes followed the two as Trisha rushed off with Sergio chasing after her, the two of them yelling back and forth. By the time Trisha reached the Jensen brothers' shop, neither of them remembered what it was they were yelling about. When she entered the shop, waving to Sergio who continued down the road, Allan smirked, only imagining what kind of conversation the two had been carrying out. He chuckled when he noticed Sergio's pendant in her hand.

"And what are you laughing about?" Trisha spat at him.

"Nothing," he replied nonchalantly.

"Yeah right…"

She went to the back of the shop to find Joshua flipping through reports and files, obviously sent by Mustang. Nina looked up at Trisha and immediately broke into a wide smirk. Trisha rolled her eyes and sat across from her at the table after putting the groceries away, glancing at Joshua over on the couch out of the corner of her eye.

"Who were you talking to?" Nina asked in her typical "time to gossip" voice.

"Nina, you need a boy to be interested in, that way you'll stop bugging me about mine," Trisha sighed. She thought for a minute then shook her head. "No, on second thought, that would just make it worse."

Nina threw the pencil she had been drawing on a notebook with at her, pouting. "You need to be more girlish, Sister. You're the only one I have to talk to."

"I know, I know. Just be glad I'm at least a little boy crazy."

"A little?"

"Oh, shut up," Trisha said in a tone not unlike the one her father would usually use. Nina laughed at this. "I was talking to Sergio Black. I ran into him coming back from getting groceries. Well, more like he flagged me down."

"Really? But Allan said that Sergio Black was really snobbish."

Trisha huffed in frustration and leaned against the table, slouching over as she propped her head up with her hand. "Yeah, well, he's also really hot."

"How old is he?"

"Sixteen."

"Wow. Really?"

"Yeah. He's pretty… I don't even think there's a word for him. Other than 'black.'"

"Black?"

"Yeah. He wears mostly black, he's a bit mean and rude like the color, but also mysterious like it too."

"I guess that's… wow. Is he really that bad in terms of personality?"

"He has his reasons."

"But is he that bad?"

"Well, let's just say I've met worse people. He's more bad with words than anything. And prideful."

"So you have to choose between black and blue," Nina smiled widely.

"Sometimes I really want to smack you." Trisha glanced over at Joshua once more who was completely absorbed in his work, not paying the slightest bit of attention to what they were talking about. "They're both good looking." She pulled out the obsidian necklace that Sergio had "let her borrow." "But then there's this…"

Nina slipped it out of her hands and inspected it gently. Suddenly it hit her. She gasped. "Sergio gave this to you?!"

"Shhhhh! He didn't give it to me. He let me borrow it." When Nina gave her a confused look she elaborated. "Basically he let me borrow it as an insurance policy that I'll come back in once piece."
Nina put her hand over her heart, mouth agape. "Oh, Trisha."

"I know! I know!" She pushed her hands into her hair and pulled, placing her forehead on the table. "I don't know what to do! His attitude is terrible in the sexiest way!"

"And yet he gave you this to get you to come back. Which means he wants to see you again."

Trisha looked up at her sister-cousin. "You switching sides?"

Nina sighed and pouted, putting her chin in her hands. "I don't know. Joshua is really good looking, but Sergio has actually shown interest in you. But I haven't seen Sergio, so I can't really speak for his looks."

"He's dark and dangerous and handsome. He's like the color black. And you know how much my side of the Elric family loves black."

"And red."

"Well, both of their blood is red so that doesn't count…" Trisha deadpanned. Nina laughed and shook her head.

Suddenly Allan walked in and tossed the morning paper down onto the table in the middle of the two girls, then made his way to the fridge. Trisha picked up the paper and flipped through it. It wasn't long before she glanced over a headline that piqued her interest.

LAST COPY OF BANNED BOOK STOLEN FROM MILITARY LIBRARY VAULT IN PENDLETON.

She read through the text then jolted up from her slouching position. Nina blinked at her. "Joshua!"

"Hmmm?" He hummed absentmindedly.

"Come here!"

"One minute," he chewed his lip, scanning a file.

"Just come here! You can read those later!"

"Alright, alright. I'm coming," Joshua peeled his eyes off the file and stood from the couch, taking his time walking over to Trisha, which irritated her enormously.

"Read this!" She shoved the paper at him.

He shook the paper out and looked over it, easily finding the headline Trisha was obviously excited over. Joshua barely had time to wonder why she was so excited about a book being stolen when he read the phrase "human alchemy" in the text. The stolen book was a banned book on human alchemy.

"Oh… That can't be good," he read over the text again.

"I want to go there! We have to find that book and burn it!" Trisha clenched her fists and pounded them down on the table.

"I agree with you that the book needs to be found, but I'm not so sure the military would be happy with us helping them find it just to burn it instead of giving it back," Joshua folded the newspaper and set it down on the table.

"And what the hell does the military want with a book on something that's taboo?! The files said that all the military experiments and projects were stopped and destroyed after The Father was killed. Grumman, Mustang and General Armstrong made sure of it."

"Have you stopped to consider that they kept it in military custody for that particular reason? To keep it safe and out of the wrong hands?"

"Well they obviously didn't keep it safe enough," Trisha crossed her arms. "That thing should have been destroyed from the start."

"I can't say I disagree," Nina pitched in. "And you'd think your dad would have all of those materials burned given that he was an unwilling victim of human alchemy as well."

"Honestly, I couldn't tell you why my father does half, or even a quarter, of the things he does. He's lost with me," Joshua sighed. He looked to the paper once more then glanced back at Trisha. "We'll go there and see what we can do. But we're not burning that book. It was in the military vault for a reason."

Trisha huffed but nodded, partly satisfied that Joshua was even agreeing to go to Pendleton in the first place.

"We'll go first thing in the morning. It'll take a while to get there, so by the time we get there it'll be late afternoon if we go now. We'll wake up early and catch the first train out," Joshua said as he went back to his files.

The three of them stepped off the train in Pendleton. It was about 9:45 in the morning and the air was crisp and chilly. Nina wore a blue shawl around her shoulders with her hair down. Trisha wore her white and black jacket, and Joshua was dressed in his military uniform with a long, black pea coat.

"Why are you wearing your uniform?" Trisha raised an eyebrow

"Do you really think the MPs will talk to people dressed as civilians?"

"Good point."

When they arrived at the library, a clerk at the desk let them in upon seeing Joshua's uniform. It wasn't hard to find the vault in question. The very back of the library was taped off and there were two male MPs and two library staff, a man and a woman, standing at the hallway entrance talking.

"Gentlemen," Joshua greeted them as they approached them. "Mind if we ask you some questions about the theft from the other night?"

"A soldier?" The shorter of the two MPs raised an eyebrow. He had short hair about as dark as his police uniform and dark blue eyes. "Did Central send you? We can take care of this ourselves. We don't need help finding a stolen book."

Joshua raised his hands submissively. "Relax. I'm not here to take over. We're just curious. We're worried that a book like that could end up in the wrong hands."

"Well, I'm the officer in charge of this investigation," the taller MP said, turning to face Joshua. He had green eyes and short blond hair that he kept slicked back. "We appreciate the concern, but it would be a waste of time to get you up to speed on the case while we could be out investigating a lead. Who are you, anyway?"

Joshua pulled out his pocket watch. "Joshua Mustang. And out here in the field, I have the distinction of Major."

And just like that the two MPs jolted upright at attention, saluting. Sweat dripped down their necks and foreheads. "S-Sir! Pardon our rudeness! We didn't know it was you! Please don't report us!"

"Relax. I don't have any interest in that," Joshua said as he put his watch back in his pocket. "So. May we join you in your investigation?"

"Yes, Sir! We appreciate your help!" The chief said enthusiastically, still saluting.

"At ease, guys. You don't have to salute for so long. So, what's the quick and dirty version of the reports?" Joshua questioned as Trisha and Nina slipped underneath the tape and looked around, Trisha heading towards the back to the vault.

"Yesterday morning, around eight, the morning staff opened the library for the day and noticed the vault had been broken into. They immediately took inventory and discovered that the book was missing. They called us right away and we took statements from the morning staff. So far, we've questioned all the library staff and cleared them," the police chief briefed him.

"Did anyone witness the actual theft?" Joshua asked.

"No," the head librarian shook her head, tucking her brown hair behind her ear. "Since we're not a twenty-four hour branch, we don't have any night staff. The library is empty at night."

"You don't have any guards to patrol the library at night?"

"Pendleton is very short staffed on police personnel," the shorter MP explained. "Decisions were made to put more staff in town than at the library."

"I see," Joshua nodded. "What about alarms? Is the library equipped with them?"

"Yes," the second librarian, the man, nodded. "But the alarms didn't go off, which is why the vault was not discovered broken into until the staff for that morning arrived."

"Which is why we interviewed all the library staff first. We assumed since there was no alarm, the thief had keys to the library and its security systems."

"So then how could the thief have broken in and out without disturbing the alarms?" Joshua said mostly to himself, looking around.

"There!" Nina shouted all of a sudden. She pointed up to a window on the second floor with busted out glass.

"Oh no," the head librarian said, putting a hand to her forehead. "That window was broken last week and the alarm was damaged. We replaced the glass, but we didn't have the funds to repair the alarm on it."

Nina trotted over to the stairs that lead up to the second floor, and a few minutes later, she appeared near the window. Joshua watched her stoop down then stand back up. She held up a fist-sized rock with her thumb and index finger. Joshua turned to the MPs.

"I would dust that area for prints," Joshua advised them.

Trisha appeared from the vault and walked back down the hall, jerking her thumb back towards the vault. "There are security cameras back there. Do they work?"

"Yes," the head librarian nodded. "They're running. However, the person who installed them never explained how to access the recordings. They come once a week to replace the cassettes. We have a security room where all the tapes are kept."

"I'm sure I can figure it out," Trisha crossed her arms and grinned.

The male librarian turned and made his way over to a paging phone on a support pillar nearby. He picked up the phone and dialed a number before calling for the chief of security over the PA system.

Nina returned from the second floor. Joshua turned to her and said, "I'll go with Trisha and see if we can look over the tapes."

Nina nodded. "And I'll look around down here and bag any evidence I find."

"We'll have our personnel look over the second floor," the MP Chief added.

"Let's get to work then," Joshua said when the chief of security arrived.

About fifteen minutes later, more MPs arrived with cases containing evidence bags, brushes, and everything else needed to examine and process any evidence found. In the time it took them to get there, Nina had looked over the inside of the vault and around the immediate area. None of the other items on the shelves and in the drawers and cases in the vault were disturbed. The only thing touched and taken was the book. In the lock of the vault were long strands of brown hair. The lock itself was picked skillfully; not broken or messily picked where the tools scraped the metal of the lock. It was the kind of work a locksmith would be capable of doing. Scattered across the floor inside the vault and down the hallway were trails of dirt, some shaped into shoe prints, or more specifically, boot prints. When he MPs arrived, she took one of their kits and gathered her findings; picking the hair from the lock and bagging it, taking pictures of the lock, gathering samples of the dirt and snapping pictures of the boot prints. When she was done, she headed up to the second floor to help the MPs.

In the security room, the chief of security showed Trisha and Joshua the control panel and the security monitors.

"When the police were notified of the theft, the company who set up the system came out and put in all new tapes and set aside the ones from yesterday," the man said. He took out a cassette tape from a box on a desk and handed it to Joshua. "This is the tape for the camera closest to the vault. The rest of the tapes in this box are all the ones from the cameras the thief should have passed on the way to the vault, both from the first floor and the second floor."

"Well, we'd better get to watching," Joshua sighted lightly. "There's a lot of footage to look over."

The chief nodded. "I'll leave you two to it then. Good luck."

When the door closed behind him, Trisha took the cassette from Joshua and walked over to a projector in the corner of the room. "This must be how you play them. It's a newer model. No wonder they didn't know how to work them. They've only been out for a little while."

"Do you know how to work it?" Joshua asked her.

"Yeah. Izumi bought one before I finished my rehabilitation," Trisha dragged the table the projector sat on to the middle of the room.

She fiddled with it while Joshua pulled down the screen against the wall. After a few minutes, she pushed the cassette into the slot and closed the lid. She pressed in the play button and footage of the hallway in front of the vault from the day before the previous popped up on the screen.

"Look at that," Joshua pointed to the bottom of the image. "It's time stamped."

"Thank god. I didn't want to have to sit here and watch surveillance tapes for hours."

"The MPs said that the librarians found the vault broken into at around eight yesterday morning. So I would start at the time the library closed the previous day."

"Which would be ten the previous night," Trisha nodded and hit the fast forward button, watching as the recorded day flew by and things gradually got darker and the library emptied out. As the tape took its time fast forwarding, Trisha sighed and pulled up a chair. Joshua did the same.

They were silent for a while before Trisha glanced at him out of the corner of her eye and said, "You know, I was thinking…"

"Hmm?"

"I don't really know that much about you aside from your career choice and your ambitions."

"That's true… A person isn't really wholly defined by their dirty laundry…" Joshua trailed off. "In which case, I don't know anything about you either."

"Definitely not," Trisha half scoffed and half laughed.

He turned and grinned at her. "Okay then. Enlighten me."

She pursed her lips, not really expecting, nor wanting to go first. "What should I say?"

"I don't know," he laughed. "You're the one who brought it up." When she grumbled he smiled and said, "How about you tell me something you've never told anyone else? Or make a confession or something."

"Okay fine…" She searched her mind for something juicy enough worth "admitting." "Growing up, my brother never really dated or was interested in girls, or so I thought. The day before he left for Rush Valley, I asked him why. He said that whenever a girl seemed interested in him or he seemed interested in a girl, I would get all defensive and protective. Or maybe the word he used was possessive… Anyway, I would always drive the girl away, so he just gave up and decided not to date until he was out living on his own. I never really realized it until he was gone. I always did it subconsciously. When I realized it, I called him to apologize, but he just laughed."

"Allan is a great guy. Any girl would be lucky to have him."

"If he heard you say that about him, he'd probably puke," Trisha deadpanned.

Joshua laughed humorlessly.

"So, why does he hate you?"

"Like I said before, I was a real jerk when I was younger. It was early middle school and a bunch of schools from across the country were visiting central for a culture festival. Your brother's school was one of them. Your brother was involved in a few stalls in the festival that focused on country life and what it's like to live on a farm. Well, from what I remember, some of my 'friends' and I started making fun of your brother and the other students from that area of the country. Allan got pissed and embarrassed to the point of tears. That just made it worse. He punched me in the nose and my so called 'friends' jumped him for it without me even saying anything. I didn't want them to beat him up. It was rude and just downright mean of us to do that. I realized that later on in life. The next time I saw him was for a national science fair. I tried to apologize to him, but he told me if I ever so much as breathed on him again he'd break my nose a second time. I knew I was going to win at the fair, so I backed out the last minute so that they'd have to give him first place. I'd hoped that would show him I really was sorry, but it just made him even angrier."

Trisha gaped at him as Joshua went silent. The guilty look in his eyes was so potent it leaked into the air. She closed her mouth and looked back at the fast-forwarding tape. "Well, on one hand, I can't really blame him for holding a grudge. On the other hand, that's a really long time to hate someone. The one thing my brother did get from my dad in terms of personality is his ability to hold a grudge. And on top of that, you're Roy Mustang's son."

Joshua's brow furrowed in something Trisha couldn't quite put a finger on. "Do our dads really hate each other that much?"

"They don't hate each other. They just don't get along most times. But they respect each other." Joshua only grunted. "Maybe you should write him a letter."

"Like he'd read it. He'd only crumple it up."

"Yeah that's true."

"Then why'd you suggest it?!"

"I guess you'll just have to win him over with persistence."

"I guess…" Joshua turned to her. "So how about you? Ever do something you regret? Other than the obvious things."

"…. It'll sound really stupid…"

"Mine sounded stupid. Idiotic really."

Trisha was silent for a while before she answered. "When I was eleven, there was this boy I really liked. We hung out a lot. He was really rebellious. He liked to go to the caves in the foot hills and into the forest at night. Lots of dumb stuff that our parents always told us not to do. My parents told me to stop hanging around him and that he was a bad influence. I always ignored them and got angry when they told me that. One day he accepted a dare from another friend of his to jump onto a train while the merchants were loading their goods. He asked me to go with him. I didn't want to at first since I knew my parents would kill me. But he said if I didn't do it I was a chicken. So I agreed. That evening I told my parents I wanted to go watch the trains the next morning. They figured out I was going with him and said no. I got so angry I said I was going to run away. I mostly said it to scare them. So that morning I went with him. I was able to get on, but he was caught. When he got caught they had someone stand watch at the car entrance so I couldn't get out without getting caught myself. The train ended up leaving with me in it. Hours later, I ended up in East City. The merchants found me crying when they unloaded the cargo. They took me to the police station and an MP rode the train back with me after calling my parents."

"Wow…" Joshua's expression was surprised. "You pick out the bad boys huh?"

"Shut up," Trisha sighed, with no actual bite.

"I lost my virginity at fourteen."

She froze and slowly turned and looked at Joshua, who seemed to be gauging her reaction. "You win." Joshua laughed. "But… why…? Who could you have possibly wanted to… at fourteen?!"

"This blonde senior girl in high school. Really popular. Loved expensive things. Gold digger type. I was a perfect target for her. Of course I didn't realize any of this until I invited her over for dinner. That's when it happened. I had fallen asleep and she managed to take some cash I had stashed away, plus snuck out and managed to find my parent's vault in the sitting room. She stole thousands in cash, jewelry and other valuables. I didn't know till months later that her parents were a pair of thieves that were notorious in Central. Apparently, they told her about me and without being told anything else she targeted me. I was grounded for two months."

"That's…. so outlandish. You're joking. That's got to be a joke."

"Unfortunately no. I was really that stupid back then."

"So you were a jerk, then a pushover, and now you're…"

"Hopefully just your typical twenty-year-old guy who lives well under his means and just so happens to be a state alchemist."

"Right, because lots of twenty-year-old guys follow that career path," Trisha said with so much sarcasm she almost believed herself.

"Coffee or tea?"

"Tea. Coffee is gross. Jam or jelly?"

"Jam. Jelly is just processed sugar."

"Agreed."

"Fall, Winter, Spring or Summer?"

"Summer, duh."

"Nuh, uh. Spring is the best."

"How so?"

"It rains which makes the air smell good and makes things grow. It perfectly in between hot and cold."

"So you're a fire wielding alchemist who likes the rain. Ain't that a hearty helping of irony."

Joshua chuckled. "Yeah. One of the many things that makes me different from my father."

Trisha was deep in thought on all the things that made her different from her own father when she realized she had let the tape run too far. "Dammit! I went too far!"

She was just about to press the stop and rewind buttons when Joshua grabbed her shoulder. "No wait!" He jammed the play button and pointed at the image on the projector screen.

On the screen, sneaking into the hallway to the vault was the moving image of a short figure with long, dark hair. The person was seemingly feminine. However, the face was hidden between the angle of the camera and the hair. Trisha grinded her teeth.

"Charity."

"We can't confirm that. There isn't a clear picture of the face and it seems like they're purposely not showing their face, which means that they know the cameras are there. There's a lot of people, including girls, that have dark hair. And we can't really tell the shade or even if it's brown or black."

Trisha sighed and sat back down. "You're right. I shouldn't jump to conclusions so quick."

Joshua stood up and placed a hand on her shoulder. "We'll find her. Don't worry."

Trisha nodded silently, rewinding the tape and watching the figure disappear down the hall again.

Back at the police headquarters, the three of them plus the two MPs from earlier stood in the lab part of the headquarters. The five of them spoke to the head analyst of the lab.

"You gathered a lot of great samples for us. We'll definitely be able to get compelling evidence out of them. But it will take a while for the results to come back."

"Then we'd better busy ourselves in the meantime," the Chief said. He turned to the others. "We would do well to head out into town and question some of the locals. See if anyone noticed anyone acting suspicious."

"Agreed. We'll join you on that," Joshua nodded.

"We should split up so we can cover more of the town," Nina suggested.

"Good idea," Joshua pulled out the map of the town. He pointed to the heart of the town: the marketplace. "I'll take this area. Trisha, you take the area surrounding the library. Nina, you take the area next to that."

"And we'll take the northern area," the dark haired MP chimed in.

"Alright then. Head out and get us something we can use," the Chief gave a stern nod.

It was about a half an hour in and no one had dug up anything. It seemed as if this person had just vanished. No one saw anything; not even in the immediate area surrounding the library. Joshua sighed as he walked around the marketplace. He spotted a long line of produce stalls and walked up to them. He stopped at the very first one—a fruit stand ran by an older woman.

"Good morning, young man. A bit young to be a soldier, aren't you?" The graying woman smiled.

Joshua smiled and laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his head. "Well, it's the family business so… I don't think there was really any other option for me. But it's not all bad. Thankfully soldiers have a better reputation now than two decades ago."

"True, but still. Keep yourself safe. You have your whole life ahead of you," the woman handed him a bright red apple.

"Thank you, ma'am," Joshua took the apple and shined it on his jacket. He pocketed it and pulled out a notepad with a description on it. "Actually, I was wondering if you might know anyone that fits this description. Someone that might act suspicious."

The woman set out a basket of apples and took the notepad. After giving the description a thorough read, she shook her head and handed it back. "No, I'm sorry. That's a very general description, and I can't think of anyone who looks like that who acts suspiciously. Is this about the theft at the library?"

"Yes ma'am."

"You might want to try the bookstore down the road. The man who owns it always struck me as odd. He always has the strangest books on his shelves. He's been in trouble before for having books he shouldn't have. I guess it's like they say. When someone tells you that you can't have something, it makes you want it even more."

Joshua nodded sternly. "Very true."

"He's probably out to lunch now, so you might want to wait until about one o' clock," the woman went back to pulling out crates of different fruits.

"Thank you very much, ma'am. Enjoy the rest of your day."

He moved towards the middle of the road, stopping to pull out his pocket watch. He flung it around his hand, the watch landing in his palm and the lid snapping open. It was at that moment he heard a crash. He looked up to see a young boy, no older than ten to twelve with short brown hair, brown eyes and tan skin. At his feet were a bag of groceries. The boy's expression was horrified as he looked at Joshua. As Joshua took a step towards the boy, he turned and dashed off in the opposite direction.
"Hey! Wait a minute!"

He ran after the boy, weaving through crowds of people. He barely kept the boy in his sights, but as they reached an intersection, the boy made a sharp turn left. By the time Joshua turned as well, the boy was gone.

"Damn he's fast!" He turned back and jogged back to where the boy dropped the groceries. The bag was filled with cheap foodstuff and flowers. When he picked up the bag, he heard a call from the produce stands.

"Young man!"

He went back to the fruit stand. "Who was that boy? Do you know him?"

The woman nodded slowly. "Yes. That boy was Kali. He's an orphan. He likes to cause trouble around town. He was in an orphanage here in town until the orphanage got closed down. Now he lives by himself."

"Alone? But he's so young," he turned and glanced down the way the boy had run off. He turned back to the woman. "Do you know where he lives?"

"No," she shook her head. "No one does, and he won't tell anyone. He's a very troubled boy."

Joshua sighed and nodded. "Alright. Thank you again for all your help."

"It's no trouble. Take care of yourself, young man."

It was later in the day when everyone gathered together again at headquarters. Joshua had visited the bookstore owner after he returned from lunch, but that turned out to be a dead end. He didn't even have any female employees who remotely resembled the figure in the security tapes, nor did he or anyone else affiliated with the bookstore have the proper knowledge to break into the library vault. When they all met back up, Joshua told them about the boy. The chief and the other MPs were skeptical about trying to track Kali down. He was only a child who liked to cause trouble. Certainly not a thief. Where would he even learn the necessary skills to get into the vault, and what would he do with a book on human alchemy? Trisha refrained from pointing out that technically Charity was a child as well, and so was herself.

It wasn't much longer and the evidence had finished processing.

"Alright, first the hair sample," the head analyst pushed his glasses up. "It's not human. It's synthetic. In other words, it came from a wig."

"So the figure Trisha and Joshua saw in the video was wearing disguise," Nina spoke what they all were thinking as Trisha grinded her teeth. "So it wasn't Charity."

"Don't worry," Joshua squeezed Trisha's shoulder. "We'll find her."

The analyst looked back at his report. "As for the dirt samples from the footprints, they contained a specific type of clay soil that's only found in the outskirts of town, near the frontier area."

"Good, that narrows it down," the police chief nodded. "We can start combing that area rather than scrambling ourselves around town."

Another MP glanced down at the pictures on top of the table they stood around. He picked one up that Nina had taken of the vault lock. "I know this lock. It's very intricate and complex. The only person who could pick this lock is the person who made it."

"Do you know who made it?" Nina tilted her head.

"Yes. The town's best locksmith. And his shop…" The MP lowered the picture with a solemn look on his face. "He lives in the outskirts of town…"

"Officer, we're going to need this locksmith's address," the chief demanded.

"Yes sir," the MP took out a piece of paper and a pen.

The chief turned to the trio, crossing his arms. "I'd appreciate it if the three of you could handle this. We've still got work to do with the evidence we already have, and the faster we get information out of this locksmith, the quicker we can find that book. Bring him in if you have to."

"You got it," Joshua agreed, taking the slip of paper from the MP.

The three of them quickly crossed town to the outskirts where the locksmith's home and shop was located. Joshua pushed open the front door of the store and walked in to the older looking house. The entire place smelled of metal and grease. The front part of the shop was wide and open with a front counter spanning the space from wall to wall. And behind the counter tinkering with a door lock was an older man with salt and pepper hair and a well-groomed moustache. He squinted at the lock through a magnifier, picking at it with a metal pick.

"Excuse me, sir. You're Mr. Andrews the locksmith?" Joshua walked up to the counter with Nina and Trisha behind him. The two girls looked around, glancing at the area behind the counter with interest.

Mr. Andrews looked up from his work at the front of the store. "Ah, yes. Hello. What can I do for you this afternoon?" He stood up and wiped his hands on a cloth, walking over to the counter. He took notice of Joshua's blue uniform. "I don't think I've ever had a soldier come into my store before. Is something wrong?"

"I'm sure you've heard about the theft at the library, correct?"

"Ah…" Mr. Andrews' eyes widened then appeared concerned. "Y-yes… I have."

"I've been made aware that it was you who made the lock for the vault the book was stolen from. And that only the maker of the lock would know how to pick it open. Is this true?"

"Yes, it was me. And it is true that only I would know how to pick that lock," Mr. Andrews hung his head and sighed. He then lifted his head back up. "But please, hear me out?"

Joshua nodded. "Yes, of course."

"I'm just a locksmith. It's been the family profession for generations. I've never once thought of doing anything else. Certainly not alchemy! And certainly not taboo alchemy! That would be absurd!" Mr. Andrews defended himself adamantly.

"Well, Mr. Andrews, in all honestly, we know you didn't do it," Joshua smiled reassuringly.

"Y-you do?"

"The vault's security camera," Trisha explained. "You're nowhere near the description of the person we saw on the tape. Unless you magically grew three feet and put on about sixty pounds." She grinned.

"Mr. Andrews, did you by any chance teach anyone how to pick that lock? Say an apprentice?" Joshua questioned him further.

"…." Mr. Andrews lowered his head once more.

"Hey, what are those?" Nina perked up as she scanned the back of the shop. She ducked underneath the gate on the counter and trotted over to the back door.

"Nina! Don't just go behind someone's store counter!" Trisha scolded her, about to lift the gate to go after her.

Nina lifted up a pair of boots, caked in dirt. "These are way too small to be yours, Mr. Andrews. And look." She held up an evidence bag with a sample of the dirt from the vault hallway as well as the picture of the footprint. "It matches the dirt and the shoe size from the library."

Trisha turned to Mr. Andrews while Joshua turned and walked back outside the store to the payphone outside. "Please, Mr. Andrews. We really need that book back. It's dangerous. Please tell us who took it."

"Alright," Mr. Andrews sighed. "I haven't seen the book, but I'm sheltering a young boy. He's an orphan. He gets into a lot of trouble. He usually only comes around during meal times and to watch me work. I teach him some of the tricks of my trade while he's here… including that vault lock…"

"And when will he be back?"

"Well, probably around dinnertime, so a couple hours."

"I guess we're hanging out here for a bit," Trisha said to Nina as she ducked back under the counter.

"There's an anteroom back there. The door was open. I spotted a wig the same shade of brown as in the tape you and Joshua watched," Nina nodded in the direction of the back of the shop.

"Looks like this kid is our thief."

"The chief is up to date. He's given us the go ahead and to call for back up if we need help," Joshua came back in.

"Now all we do is wait."

It didn't take long for the boy to show up. Just like Mr. Andrews said, the promise of a hot meal and a warm bed made him come running back even quicker. Nina moved outside, knowing that when he came in and saw Joshua in his uniform, he'd bolt back out. When dinnertime rolled around and Mr. Andrews had finished preparing the meal for the night, the young boy with brown hair and eyes and tan skin ran into the store. The bell chimed when the door swung open.

"Mr. Andrews! I'm back!"

Joshua and Trisha turned around to see the boy, who had stopped dead in his tracks. Joshua's eyes bugged out of his head. "It's you! Kali!"

Kali about faced and dashed out the door. However, Nina wrapped her arms around him and snatched him up into a bear hug before he could get away.

"Gotcha!"

"Let me go! Let go of me!" Kali kicked and flailed in Nina's arms.

"Hey, it's okay! Calm down! We just want the book back, okay? If you give it back, they won't put you in jail, okay?"

At that, Kali calmed down and looked back over his shoulder at Nina. "R-really? I'm not going to jail?"

Nina smiled brightly down at him and let him go, turning him around. She put her hands on his shoulders and leaned down to meet his eyes. "Let's go inside and talk, okay? Mr. Andrews has dinner ready. You're hungry, right? You should go inside and eat." She continued to smile at him warmly.

Kali blinked and his cheeks and nose tinged pink. He made and uncomfortable grunt and turned his head away from her. "Okay, fine."

Nina hummed and nodded, standing up and leading him back inside the shop.

"Kali," Mr. Andrews sighed at the boy and crossed his arms. He shook his head sternly. "What have you done?"

Kali hung his head, his hair hiding his eyes. "I-I'm sorry. I had to. I didn't have a choice."

"Well. Come and eat. You can explain yourself over dinner," Mr. Andrews lifted the gate on the counter and stepped aside as Kali walked through. He patted the boy on the head as he went past.

The five of them moved into the house part of the store to the left where a large pot of stew, a fresh loaf of bread, fruit, and drinks were set out. There were five sets of dish and silver ware set out around the kitchen table. They sat around the table and Mr. Andrews served them all. Joshua and the girls thanked him and dipped their spoons into the thick, hearty stew. Trisha hummed in delight at the creamy sauce, tender meat and vegetables and the mouthwatering spices.

"This is amazing. Dad and Uncle Al would go nuts for this," Trisha beamed.

Nina laughed and turned to her. "They sure would."

Kali devoured his stew, dipping his bread into the sauce and gobbling it up. "Mr. Andrews makes the best stew in Pendleton! Even the restaurants can't make stew better than his!"

"It's very good," Joshua nodded in agreement.

Mr. Andrews chuckled and smiled gratefully. "Thank you, all of you." He took a swig of iced tea then turned to Kali, lacing his fingers. "Alright young man. Start talking."

Kali sighed and set his spoon down. "There was a girl…" He turned to Trisha and Nina. "About your age. She told me… She told me she could bring him back."

"'Bring him back'?! Who?" Trisha turned her body in the chair, facing Kali.

"My best friend from the orphanage. He got sick. Really sick. The orphanage was broke as it was and couldn't afford the medicine. They said the only thing they could do is make him comfortable. They let him die! Then, a week ago, the girl showed up and said she could bring him back to life. But she said she would only do it if I did something for her."

"She asked you to steal the book?" Joshua said more as a statement than a question.

Kali nodded. "She gave me the wig that matched her hair so if anyone saw the camera footage, they'd think it was her."

"It's Charity. No doubt about it," Trisha clenched her fists on top of the table.

Nina laid a hand on Kali's shoulder. "Kali, how were you supposed to give the book to her?"

Kali looked up at her, his eyes frightened and worried. "She said she'd come and get it. She told me to meet her in the woods at dark… tonight…"

Abruptly, Trisha stood up, her chair screeching across the floor. "Joshua, you go back to the station and tell the chief what's going on. Nina and I will stay here and wait till dark."

"What?! Are you crazy?! And do what?!"

She looked at Joshua with determination in her eyes. "We're going to stop Charity and bring her back with us."

"By yourself?! You said yourself she's crazy!"

"I won't be by myself," Trisha smiled. "I have Nina with me."

"Don't worry, Joshua. We can take care of ourselves," Nina smiled in reassurance.

Joshua sighed and shook his head. "Alright, fine. But just know if either of you get hurt, your fathers will have my ass for it. Especially yours Trisha."

"You worry too much."

Kali tugged on Nina's shirt sleeve. She turned and blinked at him. "Miss Nina… what's going to happen to the girl?"

Nina faced him completely and pursed her lips as she thought of a proper response. "Well… she's gotten herself into a lot of trouble, so we have to take her in. But she won't be going to jail here in Pendleton. But just know that none of this is your fault, alright? She coerced you into it."

"B-but Jack! My best friend! She said she'd—"

Nina silenced him by pulling him into a hug. "Don't worry. It'll be okay." She smoothed his hair down and pulled away smiling. "We'll protect you. Okay?"

Kali's nose and cheeks turned pink once more and he went back to his food. "Yeah, okay."

Mr. Andrews chuckled as he watched, spooning stew out of his bowl. He smiled happily as he watched the four youngsters chat as they finished their meal. It had been a long time since his home was this lively.

Night had fallen in Pendleton and Joshua had left to the station a short while earlier. Kali went and retrieved the banned book from a safe in the backyard and brought it to Trisha.

"Here it is. I haven't even opened it. It's been in the safe the whole time."

Trisha nodded. "Okay. Here's what we'll do. I'm going to make a fake of the book. You'll take it into the woods and wait for Charity like she told you. Nina and I will be close behind, out of sight. When Charity shows up, Nina will get you out of there, and I'll get Charity."

"You're really going to take her on?"

"Of course. I have to." She patted his head, grinning. "But you don't need to worry about her."

Trisha set the book on the counter of the locksmith shop, then set next to it a pile of leather pieces, paper, staining paint that matched the cover of the book, and a binding glue. She clapped her hands together then placed her hands over the materials. Blue light flashed and the materials shifted and morphed, binding together and taking the form of a book. When the light disappeared and Trisha pulled her hands away, there was a perfect copy of the book. Nina picked up the two books and flipped them back and forth.

"Wow. There's not even any alchemy marks. It looks flawless," she handed Kali the fake.

"Just make sure Charity doesn't open it," Trisha told him. "If she does, it's over."

Kali nodded and grasped the book tightly. "How did you do that? You made a fake without binding it by hand."

"It's alchemy," she winked at him. "And it's how we're going to stop Charity."

Kali's eyes lit up in fascination. He ran his hand over the cover of the book then opened it. The pages were blank.

"Time to go," Nina announced.

Kali left first, getting a head start, and disappeared into the forest, clutching the fake book close to his chest. Once Kali was far enough ahead, Nina and Trisha set off to follow him.

"Do you really think this will work?" Nina asked worriedly.

"It has to, otherwise she'll be gone with the wind. We can't afford that," Trisha gritted her teeth.

"How's your dragon senses today?"

"Lacking, unfortunately. Yours?"

"Sharp. He feels like he's standing right to me."

"Good. Then you'll feel Charity when she shows up."

They walked for about ten minutes before Nina stopped Trisha. She lifted her hand and signed the number 2 and 0, then drew an "m" in the air.

20 meters.

Trisha nodded and set off in a circular path around the approximate location where Kali was standing. Then she felt her.

Charity.

Nina moved quietly to a spot with more trees. She knelt down and peered through the trees. The darkness of the night and the trees blocking the moonlight made it difficult to see, but she could feel them clearly. Slowly, she crept closer, trying to listen in.

"Here. The book from the library vault. Just like you asked."

"Good boy," Charity cooed.

Her voice sent chills down Trisha's spine. It was so desperate and broken… warped.

"You… you said you'd bring him back."

Both girls' stomachs churned at Kali's words. He still believed she would be able to resurrect his friend Jack. They had to get to them as fast as they could.

"Did I?" Charity tilted her head at the boy, putting her finger on her chin.

Kali's heart sank and he shouted at her, clenching his fists. "Yes you did! You said if I stole that stupid book for you, you'd bring Jack back to life! You promised!"

"I did?"

Kali growled and lunged at her. "Liar! You lied to me!"

Trisha rushed forward instinctively, but her boot hit a stiff patch of fallen tree brush and echoed loudly through the forest. Charity grabbed Kali by the throat and whipped around, pulling him against her chest, squeezing his throat. She whipped a slip of paper out of the pocket of her coat and slapped it against a tree, holding it in place. Lime green light flashed and the trunk of the tree swelled and burst forward in the shape of a jagged spike. Too late, Trisha realized the speed of Charity's alchemy and by the time she got halfway to her, the spike was in front of her. It sunk into her left shoulder and nailed her to a nearby tree. She cried out and grabbed the spike with her right hand. Blood oozed out of her shoulder and streamed down her coat sleeve, dripping off her hand and fingers. She tried to break it but the wood was too thick and strong.

Nina quickly and silently ran up behind Charity and spun on her toes, snapping her leg around and up, catching Charity on her shoulder hard enough to hear it pop. Her hand went slack and Kali threw off her hand and ran back towards town. As Charity turned, Nina threw a right hook with her palm flat, hoping to catch her in the chest to wind her. However, Charity caught her hand and twisted, then lifted her left leg. Her automail glinted in the moonlight and she snapped it forward, slamming her boot into Nina's stomach. Nina let out a strangled groan of pain as the wind left her lungs instead. Her eyes rolled back and she fell forward into the grass.

"Nina!" Trisha screamed.

She clapped her right hand against her left and grasped the spike in her arm. Blue light flashed and the wood disintegrated into pieces. She pulled the stake out and clapped her hands once more, wincing. Pulling her hands apart, the top plate of her automail arm shifted and elongated into a blade. Shouting in rage, she charged towards Charity. However, even with the slight gap between them, Charity still was able to pull out another piece of paper and press it to the ground. Trisha barely saw the transmutation circle inscribed on the paper before the same green light flashed and a tree root burst from its confines in the ground. It whipped out and slapped against Trisha's stomach and chest hard enough to throw her several feet. She rolled in the grass, and by the time she stopped, she was out cold.

Charity whispered Trisha's name and strode over to her, bending down to pick up the book. "Did you forget my alchemy was botanically based? I learned it from Gloria after all. You entered my domain the moment you set foot in this forest." She sat down next to Trisha's unconscious body, rolled her over and pulled her hair back from her face. "I really didn't want to hurt you anymore than I already have. But I'll fix you. I promise."

Charity peeled back the shoulder of Trisha's white jacket and pulled out yet another slip of paper. She pressed the paper to the wound and quickly transmuted before the blood could render the drawn circle useless. The wound closed rather quickly, main arteries repairing instantly and the skin pulling together until only a blotchy bruise remained.

She sighed and turned to look at Nina. "You're going to hate me for hitting her so hard, aren't you? But that's okay. You're allowed to hate me. At least that way I know I'll see you again."

She opened the book and flipped through the blank pages. All but one was blank. The very last page was stained with black ink in Trisha's writing. For a moment, she admired Trisha's ability to transmute words that looked like her handwriting. Then she actually read and comprehended their meaning.

Dear Charity,

If you're reading this, it means my plan was a flop. And in that case, I want you to know that I will find you. I won't let you continue to destroy your own life and the lives of others. I won't let you break the laws of alchemy again. No one is above the law. And death is one of those laws.

-Trisha Elric

Despite failing Jun's task, Charity smiled. She ripped the page out of the fake book and folded it up. Placing it in her pocket, she leaned over and kissed Trisha on the forehead.

"I know you will. I look forward to it."

Joshua ran like a mad man, his stomach dropping further down to his soles with each heavy footstep.

I knew it! I damn well knew it! Why didn't I just go with them?! I swear to God if that chick hurt them, I'll…

"They're this way! Hurry!" Kali shouted as he led Joshua and the Chief, along with three other MPs deeper into the forest. After one last minute of running, two figures laying in the grass came into view. "There! You have to help them!"

"Stay here," one of the MPs took Kali by the shoulders.

The chief knelt down next to Nina while Joshua knelt next to Trisha. The sight of her soaked in blood made him want to puke. "She's hurt…! Wait. There's no wound." He peeled a piece of bloody paper off her skin and lifted it up. The paper was soaked beyond recognition, but he had a good idea of what was on it previously. "She… healed her? But why? Why, when they're enemies?"

"Let's get them back to the station, then we can theorize," the chief said, picking up Nina carefully.

"Right." Joshua tossed the paper and picked Trisha up, not caring that blood was soiling his uniform. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you and Nina alone."

It was a very long walk, and then a short car ride back to the station. Kali checked in with Mr. Andrews then decided to go to the station with Joshua and the MPs. Nina and Trisha were examined by a doctor they had called upon returning. A couple of female MPs shooed off the men while they cleaned up Trisha and changed her shirt. Joshua discarded her tank top once he was let back in, then took her jacket and borrowed a bottle of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide. After a long soak in the vinegar, then the peroxide to finish it off, it was good as new.

"That's some trick. I never thought that would come out," one of the female MPs who helped Trisha smiled at him. Her hair was long and blonde.

"Yeah. My mom taught it to me. We've all taken out our fair share of blood stains," Joshua chucked.

He picked up a lighter he borrowed from the chief after slipping on a red glove with an intricate black transmutation circle with sun, and phoenix ruins on it and held up the jacket. He flicked the lighter and crimson alchemy lights flared from his glove. The jacket became engulfed in burning fames and the observing police officers cried out and stepped several feet back. After a short while, the flames went out, leaving the jacket unharmed, but dry. The police "ahh"ed at the display of alchemy and clapped.

Joshua laughed and scratched his temple sheepishly. "Aw, it wasn't that impressive. I just made a sort of heat vacuum around it to flash dry it. Kinda like a super powered industrial dryer."

"Could you come home and do my laundry for me?" The second woman who had short, brown hair grinned as she put her hands on her hips.

"Marry me," the blonde woman whispered to herself.

"Uh, s-sorry…" Joshua replied awkwardly, tossing the chief's lighter back to him. He had just laid the now warm and clean jacket on top of Trisha when both she and Nina flickered their eyes open. "Oh good! You're awake!"

Nina tried to sit up but quickly doubled over. "Ugh… My stomach."

"You've got some bruising, but you should be fine once you take it easy," the doctor, a middle-aged man with black hair, patted her shoulder. "I'll give you something to take with you for the pain. You took quite a hit, so eat light for a while and go to a hospital if the pain or nausea gets worse."

Nina nodded and took the pills the doctor handed her in a small paper cup with some water. "Thank you."

"You're a strong girl to take a hit like that," he stood up and moved over to Trisha, who was able to sit up, but remained in a daze. "Same goes for you. A sling for a few weeks and you should be fine. Most of the work was done for me it seems." The doctor handed her two pills and some water as well.

"She's fast…" Trisha took the pills and swallowed. "It was stupid of me to think she was weak and unskilled. After all, her alchemy is biological. Her sister taught her and used her alchemy to farm and raise crops. Fighting her alone in a forest was a dumb move."

"Trisha…" Joshua sighed, sitting next to her, in between her and Nina. "I—"

Trisha set her water down and punched him in the arm with her right hand, wincing when she pulled a muscle wrong. "Don't even start. Nothing irritates me more than people blaming themselves for the mistakes of others. And don't start calling me a hypocrite. I know that sounds ridiculous coming from me."

"Still though…" Joshua shook his head. "I should have went with you."

"Just be glad I'm alive. That both of us are alive."

He smiled and nodded. "Yeah. You're definitely right there," he pulled Trisha against him and put his arm around her, then did the same to Nina. "You two are pretty awesome."

Both girls groaned and coddled their wound. "Can I kick Sergio in the stomach when I get to meet him?" Nina curled up into a ball against Joshua's side.

"Be my guest. I'm gonna kill that guy for giving her weapons like that," Trisha growled.

"Please tell your brother that as well," Joshua deadpanned.

"Whatever. You're guy. You can take a few love taps."

"Your punches are anything but love taps!" He sighed and patted their shoulders, apologizing when Trisha hissed. He carefully stood up and moved Nina over to lean against her cousin. "I gotta go fill out paper work for the chief, so sit tight until I get back. Also, Kali could use some comforting as well. He's not in the best shape either."

The girls looked up and across the room at Kali who sat in a chair at one of the police officer's desks. His head hung low and his shoulders hunched over.

"Kali," Trisha called out to him. Kali's head popped up and he turned towards them. His eyes were blood shot, his cheeks stained with tears. He wiped his eyes and trotted over to them. "It wasn't just that Charity wasn't going to bring your friend back, it was also that she couldn't."

Kali's eyes widened in disbelief. "W-what do you mean? What do you mean she couldn't? She said she could!"

"It's like you said," Trisha sat up from her leaning position. "She lied to you. In more ways than one. Human transmutation—specifically trying to bring back the dead—is taboo in alchemy. It's forbidden, and it's also impossible. Believe me. Charity tried and failed. As did our fathers. Charity even dragged me into it. That's how I lost this," she raised her automail arm up, making a fist. "I tried to stop her, but I failed as well. I lost my arm, Charity lost her legs. And even if she did try and bring Jack back to life, she probably would have dragged you into it too. Do you want that? Do you want THIS?"

"No, but…! But how am I supposed to live without him!? He's everything to me!" Tears fell from his face as he sat on the coffee table behind him. "He was my best friend!"

Trisha came up blank. She sighed and slumped back against the couch. "That I don't know… I tried to help Charity overcome that, but look where it got me…"

"Kali," Nina sat up and took his shoulders in her hands. "My mother is from Xing, the country to the east. In Xingese culture, they believe in reincarnation."

Kali looked up at Nina with interest. "Reincarnation?"

Nina nodded with a smile. "When a person dies, their soul and spirit is reborn as something or someone else. I promise you, he's out there somewhere. He may not be human, but he's not suffering anymore. Or he could be human. He could be beginning a new life with a new family. A happy family. Believe in that, and believe that he's gotten another chance in his new life. Okay?"

Kali nodded and Nina hugged him tightly. He sniffed and wiped his eyes. "Alchemy is pretty cool though, even if it can be scary." The wheels turned in his head and he looked at them with determination. "Teach me alchemy!"

"Eeehh?!" Trisha gawked at him. "What the hell are you talking about? That's no way to ask someone for something!"

"But you're an alchemist! Both of you are! And that soldier guy is too! One of you can teach me! Besides, since you couldn't help this Charity chick it's your fault I had to go through all this! She made me steal!"

"What was that you little punk?!" Trisha grabbed his head with her right hand and squeezed. "You're the only person who can make decisions for you! Coercion or not, you decided to steal that book, so it's your fault Nina and I got hurt!"

"You're alive aren't you?! So teach me alchemy!" Kali tried to pry Trisha's arm off of his head.

"Hell no!" Trisha leaned back and crossed her arms and legs, turning her head to the side.

"Why not!?"

"Cause I don't like your attitude!"

"Fine! I don't like you anyway!" Kali growled and turned to Nina with a much softer expression. "Miss Nina, will you teach me alchemy?"

"Uh. Well, we travel a lot, Kali. And we're going to do dangerous work sometimes. Today was a prime example of that. It wouldn't be the right environment for you to learn in. And I don't want to put you in danger. I'm sorry."

At that moment, Joshua came in from the chief's office. Kali turned to him. "Joshua, will you?"

"Sorry kid," he shook his head and patted Kali's. "Nina is right. Also, I'm not much of a teacher. Especially with my alchemy."

Once again, Kali's shoulders slumped and his head hung low. "No way…"

"Alright guys," the chief came out of his office and walked over the group. "As a thank you for all your help, I've arranged for the three of you to stay at the inn here in town tonight until the trains start running tomorrow. Also, you'll have a late night meal and breakfast on me. We couldn't have done it without you three."

"Food~" Trisha sang. "We get free food!"

"And a warm bed," Nina fell over onto Trisha's lap.

Joshua laughed and shook the chief's hand. "Thank you for the hospitality."

The chief nodded then patted Kali's head. "As for you, young man, one of my officers will escort you to Mr. Andrews' place."

"I'm not going to jail?" Kali looked up at him.

"No, of course not. We understand what happened. Plus, I'd rather not slap cuffs on a kid."

"I'm sorry I stole it. I just wanted my friend back…"

"Don't worry about it," Joshua assured him. "Just worry about being a kid. That's your only responsibility."

"True that," the chief nodded. "When you're all ready to go, we've got cars waiting outside."

Trisha's arm was put in a sling by the doctor before he left, leaving them with some pain relievers. Joshua helped Nina out to the car then dragged Kali over to his after he decided to ask the girls about learning alchemy once more. By midnight they were fed and in bed, ready to sleep of the day's exhaustion.

The next morning the three of them had breakfast at the inn's restaurant then packed up and headed out to wait for the train. Once on the train and relaxed for the ride, it wasn't long before someone plopped down next to Trisha, squashing her arm painfully, a huge knapsack over their shoulder, stuffed to the brim.

"Kali!?" Trisha and Nina shouted.

"What the hell?! How did you afford a ticket?"

"I didn't," he hissed to Trisha.
"What?!" Nina squealed.

"I snuck past the conductor. He's not very observant for a conductor. Can you imagine how much money they've lost cause of him?" Kali pulled out a sandwich and took a huge bite out of it.

"Yeah, and now you're part of the problem!" A vein popped in Trisha's temple. "Get off the train! It's about to leave!"

"No!"

"Kali, what are you doing here?" Joshua asked before Trisha could lose her cool even more.

"I'm not going to take no for an answer. One of you is going to teach me alchemy," he said with a mouth full of sandwich.

Trisha let out a growling sigh. "You're a pain in the ass, you know that?" Just then the whistle blew and the doors were locked. "Dammit. We're still not going to teach you."

"Huh?! Then what am I on here for?!"

"But… maybe our dads will take you on as an apprentice…" Trisha put her elbow on the windowsill and looked out as the train slowly started to move.

Kali's expression brightened tenfold and he went back to his sandwich. Nina and Joshua laughed as Trisha growled.

"Heeeeeyyyy!" A faint voice called from outside the train. Joshua looked out to see the chief of the Pendleton MP branch, one of his subordinates, and the head librarian from the library all running at the train at full speed. The librarian carried the banned book in hand. "Stooopp!"

Joshua narrowed his eyes and turned to glare at Trisha. "Trisha?"

She bit her lips and hummed. "Hmmm?"

"What did you do?"
"I don't know what you mean."

"What did you do to the book?"

"Nothing!" She closed her eyes, planning on taking a nap. "It really is a useless book. But I guess with all that blank paper they could make a flip book out of it."

"Uuuugghhh! You didn't!" Joshua's head fell into his hands, groaning in mortification. "Dad is gonna kill me!"

Kali laughed and pulled a bag of cookies out of his sack. "Want a cookie? Mr. Andrews made them for me. They're chocolate chip."

Joshua groaned again, folding over like origami paper.

*waves proverbial white flag with this chapter...* Coming in at over 13,000 words... I believe this makes this chapter the longest one yet... And also the most difficult one. This year has just been... no comment... Especially when it came to my writing. So far, 2016 has been kicking people's asses as far as I can tell. Also I got back into RPing... Omg my brain is so broken i cant even remember if I mentioned that last time.

Anyway, I liked this chapter at first... then I hated it for several reasons... and now I'm kinda like: Okay. This is good. End on a good note. (I hope I hope ) I had really bad writer's block with this chapter also. And on top of that, this was the last chapter I actually had planned out so far. ( I wrote faster than I could plan) So hopefully once I get going even more with this, there won't be any multi month long haitus. Haituses? Hai... whatever.

And finally... *whispers* Joshua gets center stage for a bit. (Then hopefully Nina gets her turn. I've been struggling with her also. But I had fun writing the Kali and Nina interactions. They're adorable. x3 And Kali is a little shit. He's definitely going to bug Trisha and Edward.)

Enjoy! I'm sorry! Please forgive me! Until next time. (No haitus this time. Next chapter is an easy one.)