Spirit Animals

by TheFullmetalBitch

This is my retelling of FMA where every character has a Spirit Animal. Major canon divergence. Please give it a go and R&R! I do not own FMA or it's characters. *Art by Procastinagoat* This story is now under review and each chap will be updated each Sunday. Off hiatus

14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14-

As optimistic the feeling Ed had in his gut, it didn't stop him from feeling tired, stiff and sore from the train ride when they finally arrived in Liore. Either Al's sixth sense was working over time or Ayala had told Chester who'd told Al that Ed wasn't in the best of moods because his younger brother had taken it on himself to talk to the first train station employee they'd come across for instructions to the hotel they were booked into. Directions were given and the woman thanked and the Elric brothers and their Animals soon found themselves in front of the correct building. It didn't look impressive but it certainly wasn't the worst they'd seen. They were pleasantly surprised by the inside of the building. The atmosphere was quiet and almost too warm but that may have been a combination of the big fireplaces and the fact that it was nearly 2 in the morning. Ed was a lot friendlier towards other people now that he was so close to a bed. Their room was basically the standard room the military always booked them. Two beds, a small kitchenette, a small bathroom and smaller dining room, if a table and two chairs counted as such. They did get a pleasant surprise when they saw the beds were two doubles as opposed to the regular king-singles they got. This meant both humans and Animals had more room to spread out, something Ed took immediate advantage of. He kicked his boots off, took off his leather pants (having discovered how uncomfy they were to sleep in) and removed his two jackets and collapsed onto the closest bed. Al, far too used to this behaviour, simply gathered his brothers discarded items and placed them next to his suitcase. Ayala thanked Al in her own way, rubbing up against the armour equivalent of his knee and lower thigh, before she joined Ed on the bed and curling up on him. Al gathered his reading material from the suitcase and carefully placed it on his bedside table before he turned to his brother. Ed had curled onto his left side, Ayala resting her massive head on his flesh arm and had tucked herself up underneath his automail arm. Al carefully watched his brother's face to make sure he was well and truly asleep and, once satisfied he was, carefully tucked both wolf and boy into the bed properly. Ayala barely cracked a golden eye open at Al's slight manipulation of her and Ed's bodies, far too used to the man-handling. Once he'd tucked his brother in and had checked the locks, he sat next to the only light source in the room and settled in for a night of reading. Chester had already claimed his side of the bed and Al rested one of his massive gloves on the leopards rib cage, pretending he could feel the rise and fall of every breath.

Ed awoke slowly and comfortably, if a little overheated thanks to Ayala's thick fur coat pressing on half his body. As comfortable and content as he was, he really needed to use the bathroom. Disentangling himself, he headed for the small bathroom. It was only when he reemerged that his brother spoke to him for the first time since they checked in.

"Good morning, Ed. Did you sleep well?" Al asked, chipper as usual. Ed blinked the last of the sleep out of eyes.

"Yeah, actually. The beds are pretty comfy. If this was a normal, boring military mission, I'd be tempted to drag it out a few more days than needed." Ed half-joked. The dorm beds he rarely slept on weren't exactly great. Ed almost preferred the times they'd had to camp outside when motels had been booked out or they'd been in the middle of nowhere. Ed scratched the back of his head and stretched. "What time is it?" He asked, stifling a yawn with his flesh hand.

"Uh, a little past 10am. I asked one of the employees as they made their morning rounds. There's a little coffee shop not far from here that serves a good breakfast. We can go once everyone's up." He said, glancing pointedly at the sleeping forms of Ayala and Chester. Ed was surprised to realise that neither Animal was awake now that both humans were. Normally, Ed was the last of the four of the to wake up, on the nights he actually went to sleep. Edward took the opportunity to have the shower he'd foregone for the sake of sleep the night before. Clean and now wide awake, Ed was greeted by both Animals when he came out of the bathroom. Once they'd gathered the items they thought they'd need for today, considering they only planned to do recon work, they headed for the coffee shop Al had been recommended. It was a rather warm day so a lot of the citizens had their windows and/or doors open in hopes of coaxing a breeze into their homes. They were roughly halfway to their destination when Ed realised the radios the townspeople were listening too were all broadcasting the same person. From the snippets Ed heard as they maneuvered around people, it seemed to be a religious channel. Ed couldn't stop an eye roll. He and Al hadn't been raised on any religious beliefs. They'd believed in science and alchemy for as long they could remember and never put any stock into any belief that spoke of an invisible being or beings who controlled the world or destiny or anything like that. Fortunately, they hadn't come across many people who tried shoving their religion down their throats. Those who did left them alone after Ed made his views very clear, usually rather vocally and sometimes, when they were a tad more insistent than normal, violently. They made it to the coffee shop and were greeted and served by an older gentleman. The radio in the joint was tuned to the same channel as every other radio in town was. Ed ordered drinks and food for himself and the Animals and both brothers and Animals took the time to people-watch.

"Gods children who live upon this land. Pray in faith and thee shall be saved. Those who've lost their way, the Sun God Leto shall shine..." The voice on the radio droned as their order was placed in front of them.

"So what are you guys? Street performers or something?" The waiter asked them as he filled Ed's glass up. Ed stared at him incredulously.

"Seriously? Do we look like street performers to you?" Ed asked, kinda miffed he hadn't been recognised immediately like he normally was.

"Well, yeah." The older man said, sounding a little apprehensive. Ed rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Al. Let's go look around." Ed said as he hoped off the stool he was seated on. Ayala and Chester stood and stretched off the post-breakfast laziness they'd gotten thanks to the over-sized meal. As Al stood though, his head hit the bottom the shelf the little cafe had their radio sitting on. It fell and hit the ground with enough force to smash it into dozens of pieces. Ed didn't really think the lack of preaching voice wasn't a loss but from the looks of his face, the waiter disagreed.

"Hey, easy! What's your problem?!" He exclaimed, looking mournfully at his broken radio.

"Sorry, it was an accident. We'll fix it." Ed said soothingly. The man looked at him like he'd grown an extra head.

"How'd you expect to do that? It's smashed in a million pieces!" He exclaimed. Ed rolled his eyes.

"Watch and learn, gramps." Ed tactfully said. He turned to his younger brother. "You wanna give it a shot?" Al nodded enthusiastically. Arming himself with a piece of chalk Ed had handed hum, Al drew out the appropriate transmutation array. With a glance to and an encouraging nod from Ed, Al placed the radio pieces inside the array and stood, hands placed directly above the array and activated it.

"Okay, here goes!" A few seconds later, the crackle of alchemic energy cleared, revealing the radio restored in better the new condition. Al was pleased with himself and Ed thought the look on the old mans face was worth having that voice speaking again. Ed could tell that Chester was praising Al for the successful transmutation.

"There, see? How's that?" Ed preened. The shopkeeper stared as Al placed the mended radio back in its spot.

"It's a miracle! You've been touched by the Sun God! Just like Father Cornello!" He exclaimed in awe.

"Been touched by who what now?"

"It's not a miracle, it's alchemy." Al explained. Understanding crossed the old man's face.

"Oh, you two are alchemists. I've heard of them." He sounded less enthusiastic than he had when he thought they'd been blessed by some god.

"Then perhaps you've heard of us? We're the Elric brother's!" Ed exclaimed a bit smugly. The crowd that had gathered when Al activated the array suddenly started commenting to each other.

"The Elric brother's huh?" The coffee shop worker mulled over the information.

"I've heard of them!" A random towns-person called out. Others soon joined him.

"The Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric right?"

"Wow!"

"So you're the young prodigy we hear so many stories about?"

"I see his wolf! Wow, her fur is beautiful!" Ayala puffed up at the compliment. Ed wasn't as pleased as her considering, like always, the crowd had gathered around a flustered Alphonse and amused Chester. Ed felt his eye twitch in annoyance. Alphonse held his big, metal hands up in a half-apology.

"No... It's not me!" He looked at his rather angry looking brother. Chester still found this sort of situation hilarious, no matter how many times it had happened. At least Ayala was the voice of calm and non-violence thoughts in this moments. The citizens turned to face the irked blonde.

"What?"

"You mean Fullmetal is the little guy?" One of the braver or stupider men asked. Alphonse restrained him before he could do anything that would be frowned upon. Something like planting his automail fist in the man's face. Something Ed totally hadn't planned on doing.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING LITTLE?! COME HERE AND SAY THAT TO MY FACE!" Ed thrashed pointlessly in his brother's iron grip as Al apologised and bodily hauled him so he wasn't in arms length of the unfortunate towns-person. It took several apologies from the man and Al and Ayala's joint efforts to calm Ed down so he was back in a civil mood. Once Alphonse was convinced Ed wouldn't hurt anyone, he let his brother go. Straightening his jackets, Ed shot one last nasty glare at the crowd and turned back to the half-terrified, half-amused coffee shop employee.

"So what's the deal with this guy on the radio?" Now that he'd had a moment to cool down, Ed realised that this preacher may very well be the one the rumours were talking about.

"Th-that's our leader, Father Cornello." The old man was obviously still wary of the volatile blonde. The citizens also had to put their two-cents in.

"We were lost until he came to town and taught us the divine ways of the Sun God, Leto."

"He grants eternal life to the soul of the faithful!"

"He can even resurrect the dead!"

"His miracles are proof that what he says is true!" Ed and Al exchanged glances at the comment about resurrection.

"So this guy claims he can bring the dead back to life, huh? That's something I've gotta see." Ed commented casually. Al nodded in agreement. Their server had evidently decided Ed wasn't going to get violent again and had turned to clean up the mess left from other patrons.

"Well, if you'd like to see proof of his miracles, you'll need to wait until tomorrow. Every day at 9am, Father Cornello performs a miracle for us, to show us proof of the Sun God's blessings." He told them.

"Really? Where do these miracles take place?" Ed's mind was already planning their next moves. The first thing they needed was an idea of what they were dealing with. That meant seeing the Father in action.

"He demonstrates his miracles in front of the Sun God's temple. If you'd like, you're welcome to meet me here tomorrow at 8:30 and I'll show you the way there?" The older man offered. The boys seemed genuinely interested and he wasn't one to deny such young ones an easier path to witness Father Cornello's miracles.

"That would be wonderful. Thank you so much for the offer, Mr...?" Al accepted before Ed could tell him to shove it. A ginger cat, darker than normal thanks to the red sand, suddenly leapt down to sit on the bench people ate their meals from. The man looked at it, an exasperated expression on his face. Ed and Al assumed the cat was not allowed up there.

"You can call me Dave. This here is Mick. He's my Animal who apparently has selective memory loss because he knows he's not allowed on the bench." The last words were emphasised and aimed at said Animal. The cat appeared to not care, instead focusing his attention on the two new Animals below him.

"Well, thank you for the offer, Dave. We'll see you tomorrow morning." Al thanked him and once the Animals had finished their secret conversation, the Elric group moved off to explore the town. It was bigger than Resembool but not by much. They found a couple of shops, a bookstore and a couple of promising restaurants. Al was excited about the bookstore and Ed was pretty keen to try the restaurants. Both fulfilled their wishes by the end of the day. Al walked out of the bookstore with five new books and Ed had grabbed a couple he'd never read. They grabbed food on their way back to the hotel and ate in the room. They passed the rest of the time reading and discussing theory. Al had tried getting Ed to get some sleep but the blonde had gotten more sleep in the last 48 hours than what he usually got so he wasn't tired. Al gave up after a while and Ed did end up nodding off for a couple of hours so he counted it as a small win.

They went through their normal morning routine and headed out early so they could meet up with Dave. Ed had made the decision to grab all of their stuff from the room just in case they needed to make a quick get away. It wouldn't be the first time they'd had to take off quickly after a mission was completed. They met up with Dave and Mick and followed the two of them through the streets, moving towards the busier town centre until they came to a stop at the back of what appeared to be every towns-person and visitor in Liore. Even with the mass of people, Ed and Al had no trouble seeing the unbelievably huge temple. Ed reckoned the Fuhrer's mansion was smaller than this temple. Dave and Mick had wandered off to get closer to the stage area. Ed used his suitcase as a stool and stood on it so he could get a clearer view of these so-called miracles. It wasn't long before a figure came to stand at the front of the platform, having at least two other people behind him. From what Ed could see, the central figure was the man supposedly blessed by this god. Father Cornello was a large man with little to no hair and squinty eyes. He wore black robes and a white sash and the only piece of jewellery Ed could see was a ring that glinted in the sun. He used a walking stick but didn't seem to need it as he stood tall in front of his followers. Ed nor Al could see his Animal on stage with him so they were left to assume it was either small or was back inside the temple. Cornello held up a hand to quell the noise the crowd was making and held up a simple flower. Ed watched him carefully and with no movement he could see, the flower was encased in a crackling red light and Cornello was left holding a small version of the statues that were scattered throughout the town. Ed narrowed his eyes as the crowd went wild around him.

"So, that's it, huh? What do you think?" He asked his brother. Al crossed his arms over his chest plate.

"There's no question. That's alchemy. No doubt about it." Al said.

"It may be alchemy but there's something wrong about it." Ayala said quietly. Neither she nor Chester had actually seen the transmutation what with all of the legs in the way but they certainly sensed it and neither liked it.

"It felt like the night you two attempted that array only not as intense." Chester added, speaking to both Ed and Al. Both boys let that sink in.

"The problem is, this guy is completely ignoring the law of equivalent exchange. He should've only been able to transmute that flower into something of equal mass. Even we had to obey that law." Ed pointed out.

"And he's changing organic matter into inorganic matter. He shouldn't be able to do that. Unless..." Al trailed off, looking at his brother, who was grinning.

"Yeah. There's just one way. Bingo."

They didn't have to wait long for the crowd to disperse so they could even approach the church. They made their way forward and entered the church barely half an hour after the demonstration and sermon had ended. They took their time, checking every room they saw before they came to the main room. There were dozens of pews set up and a shrine for their god Leto at the front. Next to it was a podium and behind the podium was a magnificent statue of Leto and a beautifully crafted stain-glass window. It wasn't until they were halfway down the aisle that they noticed there was someone else in the chapel with them. She was dressed in a simple, white dress and sandals and was currently praying.

"Oh merciful god, please hear me. Hear my prayer, I beg of you. Please bring him back to me." She startled and spun around when she heard a scoff behind her. She faced a short, golden haired boy with a red jacket and piercing gold eyes, a wolf with golden fur and eyes that matched the boy, a seven foot tall suit of armour with glowing red eyes and a beautifully dappled leopard. She could honestly say she'd never thought she'd see such an odd group in the church. The blonde boy was staring distastefully at the statue of the great god Leto.

"Hah. So this is the almighty Leto?" He looked at the woman, taking her pretty features, brunette hair with the pink fringe.

"Welcome." She smiled warmly at them. "Are you interested in Letoism?" She looked so hopeful and innocent when she asked.

"Nope, can't say I am. Not really the religious type." Ed watched the woman carefully for anything suspicious. She looked genuinely crestfallen at his answer.

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that. To know God... It's to know hope. If we believe in divine grace than through him, all things are possible. If you believed, I'm sure Leto would bless you and make you grow taller!" Chester's laughter rang in both Al's and Ed's heads.

"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN?" Ed screeched at her, causing her to flinch back in confusion. A small, white and grey bird fluttered onto her shoulder, sensing the brunette's fright. Al grabbed the back of Ed's red jacket.

"Easy, brother! She was only trying to help!" He implored Ed to calm down. Ed sat on a wooden pew with a huff and glare. Ayala joined him and offered him her comfort, even if she did find the whole scene rather amusing.

"What about bringing the dead back to life? Do you believe that's possible too?" He asked the woman. She seemed hesitant to answer.

"Yes..." Ed pulled out his journal from an inner pocket and flipped it to a certain page before leaning back and reading it out loud.

"Water; thirty five Liters, carbon; twenty kilograms, ammonia; four Liters, lime; one point five kilograms, phosphorus; eight hundred grams, salt; two hundred and fifty grams, saltpeter; one hundred grams, and various other trace elements..." He didn't really need the book. That recipe had been ingrained into his memory ever since that night. The mood was somber as he read the list out. The woman was the only one confused.

"Huh?" She asked, weakly.

"That list represents the complete chemical make up of the human body for an average adult. It's been calculated to the last micro-gram and yet there has never been a single reported case of successfully creating a human life. And you're telling me something modern science can't do, you can do with prayer?" The skepticism couldn't be mistaken. The woman looked offended.

"Lift thy voice to god! And the prayers of the faithful shall be answered!" She said, an effort to combat what Ed had said.

"Did I mention; all those ingredients I read off? A kid could go down to his local market and buy every one of them with the spare change in his pocket. Turns out, humans are pretty cheap." Ed spoke like he was talking about something mundane. The brunette shook her head in horror.

"No! That's blasphemy! People are... We're all children of god! We're created in his image!" Al was starting to feel sorry for the woman. Ed was rather tactless when it came to dealing with religious people.

"You have to understand. Alchemists are scientists. We don't believe in concepts like gods or creators. We observe the physical laws that govern this world in order to learn the truth. It's ironic, really. That through the application of science we have, in many ways, been given the power to play gods ourselves." Ed mused out loud. The brunette now looked scandalised.

"So you're putting yourself on the same level as god? That's... that's sheer arrogance!" Ed mentally granted her that point.

"Ya' know, there's this old myth about a hero who flew on wings made of wax. He thought he could touch the sun but when he got to close, his wings melted and he crashed back down to earth. Isn't that right, Al?" He glanced at his brother.

"Brother..." Al said in a way that told Ed to stop teasing the woman just because of her beliefs and to carry on with the mission. Ed turned his golden eyes back to the woman and saw that she looked devastated. He sighed.

"I'm sorry, Miss. This is difficult for me too ask but do you think your Father Cornello could save even an arrogant scientist like me?" He lied through his teeth but she never realised. Instead, she lit up like he'd given her the best gift she'd ever received.

"Of course! If anyone can lead you to our creator, Father Cornello can!" After a moment of debate, she indicated that they should follow her. After shrugging his shoulders at the others, Ed did as she asked and the others followed him. Her little white and grey bird perched on her shoulder, watching the four of them out of the corner of its eye. "Oh! How rude of me! I forgot to introduce myself! I'm Rose and this is Molly." She'd come to a sudden stop in a hallway and turned to face them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Rose, Molly. I'm Alphonse and this is my older brother, Edward, his wolf, Ayala and my leopard, Chester." Al, forever polite, introduced them before Ed had a chance to speak. Just as Rose was about to respond, a man in a black uniform of some description entered the hallway and started when he realised he wasn't alone. Ed saw the flash of suspicion and slight paranoia cross the man's features before they smoothed out into a pleasant and slightly questioning look.

"Rose, what a surprise to see you away from the chapel. Who are these two strangers?" The man sounded mild mannered and curious but Ed, Al, Ayala and Chester could see the assessing look he gave them all.

"Brother Cray! These are..." Ed interrupted her before she could go any further.

"We're the Elric brothers. We're here to see Father Cornello." Rose looked annoyed at the interruption but didn't say anything.

"They're here to ask Father Cornello about Letoism." She added brightly. Brother Cray raised a brow slightly at that but didn't question her.

"I'll go talk to Father Cornello and see if he can spare a few moments for two young souls such as yourselves. Please wait here." He spun on his heel and marched down the hallway, turned the corner and disappeared out of sight. Al and Rose made small talk but Ed was dissecting the man's movements and words.

"Did you sense his Animal with him? It must've been small or well hidden if it was on his person." Ayala hummed at the question.

"I believe it was a gecko of some description. I can't be sure the species, not without seeing it." Ed thanked her. If Father Cornello's Animal was also something small, Ed might not have to worry about it. At least he wouldn't have to worry about Cray's Animal.

"Can you sense the other Animals in this building?" He asked, looking at her. She closed her eyes in concentration.

"From what I can tell, most of the Animals around here are small. There's a few large breed dogs and a an antelope but it's mainly reptiles or amphibians or birds here." She told him after a minute or so. Ed nodded in acknowledgement before turning his attention to Rose and Al's chatter. A few minutes later, Cray made a reappearance.

"If you'll please follow me, I'll escort you to Father Cornello." He smiled politely and lead the way. Ed knew something was up. The man was tense, like he was forcing himself to turn his back to the group as he lead them through hallways and down some stairs. "As you can imagine, Father Cornello is a very busy man but he has decided to spare a few minutes for you two." Cray opened a door and stood aside to let them go through first. Rose looked confused, like she'd never seen this place or like it wasn't wear Cornello usually hung out. Ed took in his surroundings quickly. It was a large room, lit only by a few torches with massive pillars holding the roof up. There were a couple of doors, including the ones behind him and there were two sets of staircases that lead up to a balcony and, Ed assumed, out another door.

"Yeah, thanks! Like we said, we'll only be few minutes." Ed said as he heard the doors shut behind him. Spinning around, he was faced with Cray and two other men dressed similarly, only their uniforms were white. Rose gasped as she saw the weapons.

"Good. We'll make this quick." He sneered, the three men hefting their weapons.

"Brother Cray! What is this?! What are you doing?!" She asked, words muffled slightly by the hand she'd thrown over mouth. Cray turned his attention to her.

"They're heathens, Rose! They're here solely to discredit and ensnare the Father! This is God's will!" He spat.

"Brother Cray..." Rose whispered. Ed's grin turned slightly feral even as the two men moved to quickly stop Ed with staffs crossed in front of his chest as Cray pulled a gun out of his waistband and aimed it at Al.

"Like you said... Let's make this quick!" Ed exclaimed as he knocked the spears away from him, landing an automail elbow on one guys rib cage, hearing a satisfying crack and pained gasp before they even knew what was happening. Before he could react, Ed grabbed the second by one arm and threw him over his shoulder, wrenching the arm back and hearing a loud crunching pop as the man's shoulder dislocated. Before Cray could pull the trigger, Alphonse punched him square on the nose, knocking him out instantly and the gun clattered to the floor near Rose's feet.

"The first guy!" Ayala cried out as the injured man tried to make a run for it only to trip over the staff Ed aimed at his legs and knock himself out cold on the paved floors.

"Oh yeah! Strike!" Ed exclaimed proudly as Ayala shook her head at his antics. A foreign voice drew their attention to the balcony and Ed's gaze grew hard as he spotted the old man who they were here to see.

"What's all this commotion?" Father Cornello asked, as though it were merely a group of children running amok. His eyes landed on Ed. "Ah! The Fullmetal Alchemist. Welcome to our sacred order." Ed scoffed at what would've been a pleasant welcome were it not for the three unconscious men at their feet.

"Father Cornello!" Rose looked at the man like he could tell her something that would make all of this make sense.

"I must apologise for my disciples behaviour. It appears they've been misguided." Cornello didn't sound overly apologetic.

"Sure. Let's say I believe you weren't the one guiding them. What next?" He certainly sounded like he didn't believe him. Ayala and Chester had taken up their customary protective stances in front of their humans. Rose stood off to the side, closer to Al. Ed spotted a large brown lumpy thing sitting on Cornello's shoulder and, thanks to Ayala's keen eyesight, identified it as a cane toad. Presumably, this was Cornello's Animal. Rather fitting.

"Are you here to learn the ways of Leto?" Cornello inquired.

"Well, there are a few things I'm curious about." Ed admitted. "For example, how you've been deceiving your followers with second rate alchemy." Cornello actually looked offended. Rose gasped and looked at Ed.

"My dear boy! You're mistaken. What you undoubtedly see as alchemy is really the miraculous power of the Sun God Leto." He placed his hands together and a red glow could be seen between his fingers. As he pulled them apart, a small version of the Leto statue materialised out of no where. "Look again. Could mere alchemy create something out of nothing in this way?" Ed eyed the statue.

"Yeah, that's what I didn't get at first. How can you perform transmutations that ignore the law of equivalent exchange?" Ed asked as he rubbed the side of his head. Cornello grinned, like he'd won.

"As I said! It isn't alchemy!" He slammed the small statue on the wooden rail to prove a point.

"Then, I started thinking." Ed continued as though Cornello has said nothing. "What if you somehow acquired a certain object to amplify your alchemy. One that's said to make the impossible possible. That would explain everything." Ed met Cornellos eyes as he glared knowingly at him.

"What?" Cornello looked a tad nervous. Ayala knew they were about to catch him out.

"I'm talking about the Philosopher's Stone!" Ed's eyes zeroed in on the red ring Cornello wore. "Your ring! That's it, isn't it?" Cornello's expression flickered and they knew they were right. "I've been looking for that." Ed started walking towards the old man.

"The ring is just a ring! I am god's humble servant and it's from him alone that I derive my powers!" Cornello said confidently. Ed snorted.

"Still trying to sell that line, huh? If that's the way you wanna play it, I guess I'll have to come up there and beat the truth outta you!" Ayala trotted next to Ed, determined to protect her human. Chester, Al, Molly and Rose stayed where they were. Cornello didn't look phased by the approaching blonde or wolf.

"My, you really are the incorrigible heathen, aren't you?" He sneered before addressing the only woman in the room. "Rose, dear?" She startled slightly.

"Yes, Father?" She asked nervously. Ed paused in his approach.

"That gun there beside you? Pick it up." Cornello ordered the woman. She looked stunned.

"Uh, okay." She scooped it up carefully. Molly twittered frantically. Cornello looked pleased.

"Now child, I want you to shoot the Fullmetal Alchemist." Ed spun to face Rose as Al did the same. She was the bigger threat at the moment. Ayala prepared herself to intervene if necessary.

"No... Father, I can't do that!" Rose looked absolutely horrified he'd even asked.

"I am the Sun God's chosen emissary! My word is the word of Leto himself! Shoot him, Rose! Why hesitate? It's gods will! When you lost your fiance due to that tragic accident last year, who was it that saved you from the very depth of despair? Have you forgotten?" Cornello ranted. Rose cradled the gun to her chest as she started crying.

"It was you, Father." A couple of tears slowly ran down her cheeks. Cornello grinned.

"That's right! It was I who took your hand and led you into god's light! And you recall what it was I promised you then?" He continued his manipulation of the fragile woman.

"You said if I had faith, you'd bring him back to life!" She shouted, aiming the gun at Alphonse. Ed felt a tiny twinge of annoyance as once again his brother was mistaken for him. Chester arched his back at the threat to his human, letting a continuous warning growl sound as he readied himself to act.

"Wait, it's not me! I'm his..." Al started saying, hands up defensively.

"LISTEN! I'M THE FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST! YOU GOT THAT?" Ed yelled at her.

"Him?!" Cornello was honestly shocked. "The short one?" Before Ed could yell at him for that comment, Rose aimed the gun at Ed.

"I'm sorry but... I have to do this. I don't have any choice." She pleaded for Ed to understand.

"He's lying to you, Rose." Ed pitied her. He knew what the play was here. Cornello had taken advantage of a grieving woman and turned her into someone willing to do anything for him in return for the impossible. Rose closed her eyes as she clung to her faith.

"No! You're wrong! I've seen his miracles! Father Cornello will bring him back to life! I have faith!" She yelled. Molly was making frantic noises. Ed leveled her with a cool look.

"Fine. Than shoot." Ayala looked at him almost comically but Ed was focused on Rose. She'd pulled the gun back to her chest and was shaking worse than a leaf in a windstorm. She was very nearly in full tears as she closed her eyes to pull the trigger. She couldn't watch herself do it. Her shaking had ruined her aim though so when she squeezed the trigger, the bullet hit Alphonse's helmet instead. The armoured boy let out a surprised grunt as his helmet flew off and he hit the ground.

"AL!" Three voices called out even if only one could be heard by the others. Rose trembled and dropped the gun as she shrieked. Chester, Ayala and Ed all headed towards the boy. Cornello grinned at the turn of events.

"Good. God Leto is pleased. You have done well, my child. Now, pick up the gun and shoot the other one." He ordered the near-catatonic woman.

"Haven't you made her do enough already?" Al's voice asked. Cornello and Rose's jaws both dropped in disbelief.

"How?" Cornello gaped.

"But your head... I thought I had..." Rose stumbled through the words. Ed picked up and dusted off his brother's helmet while Chester made sure Al was okay and Ayala stood guard. Al stood up, standing slightly to the side and behind his brother, facing Rose.

"Don't worry about it." Ed said as he knocked a fist on Al's armour, making a hollow banging noise. "He's pretty solid."

"Yeah, see? I'm not harmed at all." Al bent down so Rose had a full view of the blood seal and hollow armour. Al took his helmet from his brother's arms and put it back on. Rose looked ready to faint.

"An empty suit of armour that walks and speaks? Do you still doubt it, Rose? This unholy thing is an abomination! Evil of this kind must be purged!" Cornello retreated a couple of steps and reached for something behind him and pulled down. Everyone below him instinctively turned to face the door that was opening. A chimera walked out from the darkness. It looked to be a mix of lion and two other things Ed couldn't identify. "And I believe my chimera ought to up to the task." Cornello grinned evilly. Ed barely gave the chimera a second glance.

"So this is the sort of thing you do with the Philosopher's Stone? That's just twisted." Ed said, disgusted. Rose backed away from the creature in shock. Ayala and Chester both prepared themselves for a fight. "Anyway, looks like I'll need a weapon." Ed sighed as he brought his hands together. The clap rang out in the stone room and he placed his hands on the paved floor before drawing his hand up as he stood. Blue energy crackled across the area he was using as a spear followed his hand up, materialising from the ground. Once the spear head was finished being created, Ed snatched the weapon before it could fall. He admired the extremely tasteful dragon that had its tail wrapped around the base of the head and wings extended to make the hilt of the weapon. Satisfied, Ed held the weapon and himself in a defensive stance, Ayala protecting the side the spear wasn't covering, his back.

"No transmutation circle? So your State Alchemist title isn't for show! You truly are gifted." Despite himself, Cornello was impressed. "However, your little spear is no match for a chimera who's claws can tear through iron!" He crowed as the chimera dashed forward and swiped at Ed, forcing him to defend with the spear. It's claws ripped the spear head off, turning it into a staff and useless, before it's second swipe connected with his left leg. Ayala came to his aid, throwing herself bodily at the creature so it was forced away from Ed, giving him some space before she retreated back to his side. Rose had gasped in concern but soon her face turned to confusion as she noticed the lack of blood.

"Aw you ripped my pants." Ed whined before grinning. "Guess those claws are useless against steel!" He called as he used his automail leg to land a kick at the charging chimera's face. It whined in pain as it was thrown backwards and was shaking its head to rid itself of the double vision it undoubtedly had. Cornello was furious.

"Attack him, you stupid beast!" He screamed at the chimera. The beast shook its head once more but it was too late. Ed and Ayala rushed it, using the teamwork Teacher and Koda had taught them. Ayala was careful to dodge any attacks, though one claw connected with her right front leg. Ed made sure to use his automail to block any blows he couldn't dodge. The chimera managed to tear his right sleeves before Ed managed to knock the creature out for good. That's when he noticed Ayala's injury. Since it was on the corresponding limb as his automail arm, he never felt the sympathy pain.

"Damn, Ayala. How bad?" He asked as he approached her. She walked over to him, barely limping.

"Barely a scratch." She told him. Ed nodded. It wouldn't need his help to heal than. Facing their enemy once again, Ed ripped his jackets off so he wouldn't be burdened by them should he have to fight some more. The automail caught Cornello's eyes and they widened in understanding.

"Your arm. A brother trapped in armour. I see! It's all becoming clear now!" He gloated at his own genius at figuring it out. "You did it, didn't you? The one thing even the most novice alchemist knows is strictly forbidden!" Ed's face screwed up at the insult.

"Why don't you come down here and try me?! I'll show you real quick who the novice is!" He challenged the elder man. Ayala and Al honestly wondered why Ed felt the need to challenge everyone who insulted them. Cornello's face turned gleeful as he realised what an opportunity this gave him.

"You see, Rose?" He said smugly. "These fools attempted human transmutation and this was the price for their sins! That transmutation is the greatest taboo for any alchemist! In their arrogance, they tried to bring someone dead back to life!" Rose barely heard him. She was too busy staring at Edward's arm and the mass of scars that adorned his shoulder and chest. She gasped as she realised the true meaning behind the story he'd told back in the chapel. Tears welled in her eyes as she realised the true meaning behind what Father Cornello had just said.

"Oh no..." She whispered, letting a tear slip down her cheek. Ed glanced at her before looking back at his right arm and flexing it at the elbow. Ayala looked at him sadly.

"This is what happens when you try to play god or whatever you want to call it. Took a good look, Rose. Is this what you want?" Edward'd voice grew quiet and completely serious. A huff of laughter drew his attention away from his metal arm and back to Cornello.

"So, this is the great Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric! Not even half a man! Hell, not even half a boy!" He sneered. Ed narrowed his eyes.

"And what're you?! You're just a phony alchemist who can't do anything without the stone!" Ed shot back.

"Father, we just want you to hand the stone over before you get hurt." Al's quiet and polite voice sounded as he stretched his hand out for Cornello to place the ring in. Cornello laughed at him.

"Don't be absurd! Why? So you can use it for yourself?" He raised his cane and placed the other end in his hand. "Please. If you fools are really so eager to play god, perhaps I should send you to meet him instead!" His ring flashed red as he activated the stone, turning the simple wooden cane into a mutli-barrelled machine gun before their very eyes. He fired the gun at them, turning the pavers into dust as dozens of bullets pulverised them. A flash of blue alchemy caught his eye and he stopped in surprise. Once the dust cleared, he found himself facing a hastily constructed wall hiding his targets.

"Nah, me and god? We don't get along too well." Ed's voice called out from behind the wall. "Even if I went, he'd probably just send me right back here." Cornello scowled. Al saw his opportunity and took it. Picking Rose up and telling Chester to follow, he raced from Cornello. The Father saw this and took aim at Al's broad metal back and fired, the bullets pinging off the metal. Rose curled in on herself as much as she could and screamed as the bullets flew by.

"This way!" Ed shouted as he clapped his hands together and alchemised a new door a dozen metres away from the original and threw it open in time for Al, Rose and the Animals to race through before he followed them. Molly had taken to the air at Rose's order as soon as Father Cornello had started firing. She lead the way for them to escape. They could hear Cornello shouting orders at the men who were waiting outside the original door. They turned a corner and faced a wall of men, blocking their way.

"That's fair enough." One man said as they approached.

"What are you gonna do, boy? You're outnumbered and unarmed." Another pointed out. Ed flashed a feral grin as he slowed his sprint to a run and let Chester and Ayala overtake him. At his telepathic request, both large Animals tackled the men and cleared a path through the remaining men, still following Molly.

"You don't wanna mess with angry wolf or big cat!" Ed threw over his shoulder as he sprinted away. They turned down a few more hallways before Ed called for them all to stop. Al allowed Rose to escape from his arms. Her eyes were wide and she was still reeling from the shock of what had just transpired.

"What's wrong, brother? Were you hurt?" Al asked worriedly. Ed waved off his concerns.

"Couple of scratches. I'm fine. But we need to come up with a plan." Ed said. "We can't let him keep getting away with using these people like this or that stone!"

"I agree, Ed. What do you have in mind?" Al asked, knowing his brother had undoubtedly made a plan the moment Cornello unleashed that chimera. Ed's answering grin confirmed that.

"I need you to get a few things and I need to know how to get from here to wherever Cornello has been giving his sermons over the radio." He looked pointedly at Rose for this but she was still in shock. Sighing but not really blaming her, he looked at the bird who had perched herself back on her human's shoulder.

"Molly? I need you to tell me how to get from here to Cornello's radio station." He asked as nicely as he could at that moment. The little bird cocked her head to the side and Ed cursed as he realised he'd asked out loud instead of telepathically. Before he could, Ayala spoke.

"She said she can't tell us but she can show us if you'd like." Ed was a little surprised Molly was willing to leave Rose after such a major ordeal. The first time someone fired a gun in Ed's general direction, Ayala had damn near torn their throat out and refused to budge from his side for a week. Ed was glad the shooter hadn't been Hawkeye.

"You sure?" Ed asked. A chirp and Molly headed down a hallway, circling until Ed took the hint. Rattling off some things he needed from Al and the plan, Ed and Ayala took off. After she showed them the room, she took off again, undoubtedly heading back for her human. Ed broke in using alchemy and set the room up how he needed it. Once done, he waited on the desk for Al's confirmation and Cornello to show his ugly face.

Al was dragging Rose along behind him. She never put up a fight but Al didn't want to leave her alone after the trauma she just went through and the fact that Cornello had fired, knowing she was in the way. Molly had rejoined them and was softly chirping while calming Rose down. Al set about gathering what they needed, the last being the big brass bell hanging in the church's tower.

"What do you think of Cornello now, Rose? He just opened fire. He didn't care that you were in the way." He said, almost sadly. He wished she hadn't been in that situation. She was too innocent and good-hearted for that.

"But... that's because..." She faltered, not being able to find a way to rationalise Cornello's actions with the kind priest she knew so she changed the subject. "What he said back was true, wasn't it?" She felt Al's mood turn sad.

"We are not evil." He said. "All we wanted was to see our mum smile again. But our transmutation failed. What we brought back... it wasn't even human. We learned our mistake the hard way. People don't come back from the dead. Not ever." He sounded like he was going to cry only she realised, he couldn't.

"That's not true! I mean..." She again faltered. Father Cornello had promised her he'd bring her love back but Al and Ed openly admitted what they'd done and they'd failed and this was their price? She didn't know what to think. She felt like her whole world had been turned upside down.

"Alchemy is based on 'the Law of Equivalent Exchange'. The price of even a failed human transmutation was enormous. It cost my brother his left leg and it cost me my whole body." He placed the bell on the ground and removed his helmet, bending down to show her his blood seal. "Do you see it? My brother drew that with his own blood. His leg had been taken. He was bleeding. I can't imagine the pain he was in..." He trailed off but pulled himself together. "But through all that, he still gave up his right arm to transmute my soul and bonded me to this suit of armor. And now? I just want to help him get his body back to the way it was. He wants to find a way to get me back to normal too. It won't be easy. We might even get killed along the way. But that's the path we chose and all we can do is keep moving forward." While he was speaking, Al was also drawing out the array his brother had suggested they use.

"But... Father Cornello said... he said he could do it, he promised me! Just because you and your brother failed, it doesn't mean he will!" Her voice rose with every word as she clung to the last of her faith. Al sighed and asked Chester to send Ed the message they were ready. All he had to do now was wait for Ayala to tell them to activate the array.

Ed was seriously considering taking a nap. Fucking hell, he was fairly certain he'd seen Mustang do paperwork faster than it took the Father to find him and Ayala. At last, Ayala's ears perked up as she heard fast paced footsteps approaching the room they were waiting in. A few seconds later, Ed straightened up as he heard them too. A chubby black blur ran past the open doorway before skidding to a stop and backtracking. Father Cornello's triumphant grin was ruined slightly by his red face and panting breaths.

"There you are, you infernal brat!" He shouted. Ed sighed at the dramatics. He noticed the brown lump of a toad had moved shoulders at some point during the confrontation.

"Nice toad. Anyway, let's cut the crap here. All I want are some straight answers and I'll be out of your hair, or lack thereof, or we could get the military involved..." He let himself trail off, the threat being obvious. Cornello took all of a second to think it through.

"Urgh. Fine. Asks your questions." He grumbled, the pudgy toad moving a bit to make itself comfortable.

"You can do anything with the Philosopher's Stone, right? So why waste all of the power performing phony 'miracles'?" Ed swung his leg down so he was now sitting on the desk like one would on a wall and watched the Father carefully.

"Because with each miracle, I attract more new believers. Believers who would lay their lives down for me. I'm slowly building an army! A legion of holy warriors, unafraid to die! In a few more years, I'll be ready to unleash this mindless horde on the world! And I'll use the Philosopher's Stone to tear this country apart! Who knows? I might even carve a slice out for you!" He cackled evilly only to stop when Ed started laughing hysterically. Even Ayala couldn't hide her toothy grin from him. "Wait, why are you laughing?" He was so confused, which made Ed laugh even harder.

"You really are a novice, aren't you?" Ed cackled as he tried to get his breath back. Father Cornello looked absolutely perplexed until Ed lifted up the switch that activated his daily live broadcast. It was in the 'on' position. His eyes followed the lead all the way down to the microphone at his feet. It took another couple of seconds for his mind to make the connection. His jaw dropped in shock before he lunged for the irritating blonde boy.

"Turn that off!" He yelled, voice higher than he would've liked. "Why you little... How long has that been on?!"

"Pretty much the entire time. The second you ran past the door, Ayala here sent a message to my brother's leopard. He then activated the array we came up with. Every single person has just heard your plans. All of your believers." Ed gloated. Cornello let that sink in.

"How could you?! You'll pay dearly for this!" He shouted as Ed looked thoroughly unimpressed with the threat. Lifting his cane, Cornello once again started transmuting it into his weapon but Ed wasn't about to let that happen. Racing forward, he clapped his hands and placed one over his automail, turning it into his blade and sliced clean through the Father's gun, rendering it useless.

"Not today, I won't. Just face it, you're outmatched." Ed said as he came to stop, Ayala moving to take her spot next to him. Cornello was absolutely furious and humiliated. He couldn't let this child beat him. Hefting the half of the weapon he still had hold of, he activated his ring again.

"I am without rival!" He shouted as the red energy crackled around him. Ed launched into a backwards flip, putting as much distance between them as he could. Ayala moved next to him and they both watched as the light faded to reveal what the Father had done. Except, none of them were expecting what they saw. Cornello gasped in horror as he saw what was once his entire arm and hand melded with the weapon he was trying to make. Ed looked like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"I-it's a rebound." He sounded kinda shocked. Ayala was too. Everything they'd heard and read about the stone said it was a perfect material. It shouldn't cause a rebound.

"No! I won't be disgraced like this!" Cornello placed the ring over his ruined arm and activated it once again. The red energy glowed before mutating it's wielder. Cornello's eyes glowed red and his body expanded so fast, his clothes were torn to shreds. His Animal let out a high pitched shriek of terror as it was ensconced in the wayward alchemy. "Now, boy! Behold! The chosen emissary of the Sun God Leto!" Cornello's voice grew deeper and Ed wasn't ashamed to admit he was scared by what he saw. He'd never seen such a harsh rebound. Even Ayala was cowering a bit from the monstrosity that was in front of them. Ed didn't stand a chance as one of Cornellos arms hit him and Ayala, sending them both straight threw the wall to their left. Ed managed to get a hold of Ayala around her waist and flipped, ensuring they landed relatively safely in what Ed identified as the chapel. They had Teacher to thank for that move. Cornello aimed a punch as soon as he got his footing, forcing Ed and Ayala to separate lest they be hit. Ed was relieved to find Cornello's glowing eyes were focused on him and not his wolf. He could defend himself against this but Ayala would be hard pressed doing the same. Cornello's other fist tried to hit him but he blocked it with his automail arm.

"My word is the divine word of god himself! My fist is the almighty fist of judgement!" Cornello's demonic voice rang out. Ed was straining to keep Cornello's fist at bay and Ayala was whining, wanting to do something but unable. She could tell that she'd never be able to break Cornello's skin with her teeth or claws and she doubted he'd notice if she tried to body tackle him like she did that chimera. She was powerless to save her human and she hated it. Ed could already feel the bruises forming when he got inspiration from Cornello's words.

"Oh yeah? Fist of god huh?" He grunted as he shoved Cornello's hand away from him and fell sideways. Before he hit the ground, he'd righted himself and rushed straight past Ayala. "If that's what you want, you got it!" He shouted as he clapped and threw his hands on the statue of the Sun God himself. Ayala dove out of the way as she realised what he was planning. The energy of his transmutation crackled and ran up the length of the statue. Cornello tracked the energy and only realised what Ed had done a second before the giant stone fist of the Leto statue slammed into him, driving him mercilessly into the stone ground. Ayala and Ed ran around to the other side of the fist to confront him. Cornello had shrunk down to his normal size but his toad was no where to be seen and his arm was still affected by the original rebound. Ayala placed her paws on his chest and snapped her teeth at his bared neck, ensuring she had his undivided attention. Ed approached them and Cornello opened his mouth, probably to demand he get his wolf away from him.

"Just shut up. Give me the Philosopher's Stone." He demanded, even as he reached down to forceably remove the ring himself. Just before his fingers touched it, the bright red stone suddenly darkened and fell out of its setting. Ed and Ayala's eyes followed the stone as it bounced and came to a rest and then disintegrated before their very eyes. Ed's mind couldn't comprehend what he knew about the stone and what he just saw.

"What the fuck? The stone... it's supposed to be the perfect material! How the fuck did it just break like that?!" He demanded, not even making a move against the priest but his glare still had the old man flinching away from him.

"I-I don't know! I don't know anything about it! P-please spare me! I-I was wrong! Please, I beg you!" Cornello cried actual tears. His toad finally showed itself, unable to resist it's human's strong emotions. "Donald! I thought you were dead!" Cornello exclaimed, temporarily forgetting he was still at the mercy of very irate alchemist. Ed sat back on his butt, Ayala shifted closer to him, looking extremely worried as his face went slack.

"You mean we went through all of this... for nothing? We risked our lives for this one chance and the stone is a fucking fake?!" Ed's voice shook with anger and disbelief. Cornello was reminded of the danger he was still in.

"So, uh, what about me?" Cornello chuckled nervously. Ed turned angry gold eyes on him and Cornello was only slightly more unnerved when the wolf turned identical eyes on him.

"I don't give a fuck. Get out of my sight." Ed growled out. Ayala just growled. Cornello did as he was told. Scrabbling up and making sure Donald was still with him, he took off out of the volatile blondes sight. Ed didn't even watch the disgraced priest flee.

"Edward." Ayala said sadly. She was literally the only being who knew exactly what he was feeling. The hope he had allowed himself to feel when they saw that first 'miracle' had only grown in size the more Cornello had used that ring and demonstrated its power and now all of the hope had literally been ripped away and torn to shreds. Chester had felt Ed's emotional turmoil and had sent a question through their link but all Ed could do was send him a message back not to worry. Chester was obviously not soothed by that message but elected to just wait for Ed and Ayala to reappear. Once Ed had collected himself, he and Ayala headed for the front entrance. Al and Chester were waiting for them there.

"Brother!" Al called as soon as he spotted the short blonde trudging over to them. Ed looked worse for wear but he wasn't in the worst shape his brother had seen. A few minor cuts and scrapes were all Al could see and Ed wasn't limping so that ruled out leg injuries. He wasn't cradling either arm or rib cage so not arm injuries or busted ribs. There was no blood staining Ed's gold hair so no obvious head injuries. Ed gave Alphonse a tired smile.

"Hey, Al. Good job with that array. The plan worked perfectly." Al glowed at Ed's praise but didn't let it distract him.

"Are you hurt?" Al asked, hands reaching forward to grab Ed and look him over but Ed twisted out of his reach.

"I'm fine Al, just the usual bruises and cuts." He was being honest this time. Surprisingly, he had no major injuries. The cuts he had would literally only need cleaning and that was it.

"That's good. What happened with the stone?" Al asked, looking for the elusive red stone. Ed grimaced.

"It was a fake, just like him." Ed sighed, looking straight at Al. "I'm so sorry, little brother. For a moment there, I really felt like we'd found what we were looking for."

"It's okay, Ed. At least this trip gave us some really useful information that will help us in the future." Al said, forever the optimist. Ed had never been more grateful for that particular trait.

"Yeah. You're right." He gave Al a small smile even though he still felt like shit. The sound of a gun being cocked had them turning around and finding Rose holding the gun from the original fight in trembling hands.

"Give me the Philosopher's Stone!" She demanded, the effect kinda ruined by her trembling hands but the threat was still taken seriously.

"Rose." Al said pleadingly.

"Like I was just saying, the stone was a fake. It's gone." Ed said dispassionately. He was far too tired to give a shit right now.

"You're lying! You kept it for yourself, didn't you?! So you can use it on your bodies! That's right... and so you can try and bring your mother back!" She sounded like she was trying to convince herself that she was in the right.

"You shut up!" Ed yelled at her, shocking her into silence. The intense anger on his face sent a shiver of fear down her spine. "People don't come back from the dead, Rose. Not ever! Not ever." He added the last part quietly, like he was reaffirming that point for himself. She knew without a doubt that he wasn't lying about anything. She'd been played by Father Cornello the whole time. She dropped the gun and sank to her knees, sobbing as she realised there was no way and had never been a way for the love of her life to come back to her. Molly landed on the ground in front of her, trying to comfort her as best she could.

"But he promised me! He said if I prayed enough, it would happen. A miracle, that's what he said. That was all the hope I had left!" She sobbed into her hands. "What am I supposed to believe in now?! Please! Tell me!" She looked up at Ed, tears staining her pretty face, eyes swollen and red and desperate. Ed turned his back and walked away, talking as he left.

"I can't tell you that. You need to figure that out for yourself. Stand up and walk. Keep moving forward. You've got two good legs so get up and use them. You're strong enough to make your own path so do it." Rose stopped crying as she let the words of the boy who'd seen and been through way too much wash over her. She watched the armour, wolf and leopard follow him down the stairs of the church. Molly felt the small flame relight in her human's soul and hoped she had the strength to keep it lit.

Ed had been ready to head straight for the train station and put this town behind him as soon as they recovered the suitcase but Al had talked him into waiting until the next day when there was actually a train to catch. So Ed allowed himself be shepherded to their hotel room and was shoved into the bathroom with strict instructions to wash all the grot off himself. Once he wasn't covered in an inch thick layer of dust and grime, he had a look at his minimal injuries as best as he could. Like he'd thought, there were no major injuries. It was all shallow cuts, bruises or scrapes. He had a massive headache he hadn't noticed that he was sure was from being thrown through that wall. His automail arm hurt at the port from struggling to hold monster-Cornello's fist from flattening him but it was nothing a couple of days of not using it wouldn't fix. Grabbing the fresh clothes Al had shoved in his arms before he'd been shoved in the bathroom, he dressed and emerged to find it was nearly dark outside.

"Brother. I asked the hotel clerk to ring the train station and we're booked to leave tomorrow at 9am. Do you want to call the Colonel now or before we leave?" Ed groaned. He'd almost managed to forget that he was required to check in with Mustang when he'd completed his missions at the earliest opportunity.

"Fuck. I'll call him in the morning. The last thing I want right now is to hear his stupid voice." Ed moaned as he laid down on his bed.

"Okay, brother. Do you want me to go get dinner?" Al offered as a peace treaty. Ed thought about it for a moment. The walk back had revealed that the townspeople were torn between disbelief their hero had been lying to them the whole time, despising the two Elric's for exposing him or being grateful they'd done so. It was kinda hit-and-miss with the confusion in the town. While Al could handle himself better than Ed could and he would have Chester with him, Ed wasn't totally sold on the idea of him going out by himself just for food. "Brother, you need to eat, especially after using so much energy and alchemy." Ed hated it when Al used logic.

"Okay, Al. Stay safe though." Ed caved. The idea of food and knowledge that Al could kick anyone's arse winning him over.

"I will, brother. We'll be back soon." Al said as he grabbed some money and left with Chester. Ayala climbed up on the bed with her human. Ed took one look at her dusty fur and groaned.

"What's wrong?" Ayala asked, concerned. Ed scrubbed his face with his flesh hand.

"You're absolutely filthy. You've still got blood on you. Go into the bathroom and I'll give you a bath." It was Ayala's turn to groan. She wasn't fond of baths but she didn't argue. Ed had literally forced her to get in a bath with his alchemy before and it wasn't an experience she wanted to repeat. Ed washed her fur out and towel her dry before inspecting the scratch she'd gotten from the chimera. It was nothing to worry about, like they'd first thought, and he left it alone, simply cleaning the blood away and disinfecting the wound. Both collapsed back on their bed and waited for the arrival of food. They were waiting for a lot longer than they thought necessary and were considering contacting Chester when the aforementioned leopard and Al walked in through the door.

"What took you so long?" Ed asked concerned. Al unburdened himself and Ed zoomed straight for the delicious smelling food. He dished himself, Ayala and Chester dinner and waited for Al to answer.

"Oh, I decided to duck by the train station and grab our tickets so we weren't in as big a rush in the morning." Al said, producing said tickets.

"Oh, good idea." Ed praised around a mouthful of food. Al mentally frowned at the lack of manners. Ed didn't notice. Al was right about him needing the food though. While not the biggest fight he'd been in, he'd still performed a decent amount of alchemy, not to mention fought a chimera and an over-sized and angry Cornello. All that amounted to a lot of used energy and what would be an irritable Edward if he didn't replenish as much energy as he could. So that meant eating as much food as he could shove in his mouth and sleeping as much as he could. It was one of the few times he'd sleep for more than a couple of hours at a time without complaint. Once he'd eaten, he grabbed one of their new books and made himself comfortable as he started reading. It was only a couple of hours later that Al was placing the book on the bedside table and tucking his sleeping brother into bed. Ayala placed her head on his chest and let his heartbeat lull her to sleep.

Ed woke up before dawn the next morning because why not? Al didn't complain because he knew it would be pointless. Once Ed woke up, he was up until he decided to crash again. They used the time to have a proper breakfast and Ed had a shower before they finally packed all of their belongings and made their way down the train station. They weaved through the Liore citizens who were up and about. Their skin crawled with the pent up tension that permeated the town. Ed didn't know what happened with Cornello after he ran away after Ed discovered the stone was a fake and he wasn't sticking around to find out what the townsfolk would do now that they were coming out of their collective shock. Neither human nor Animal saw the overly fat man or the sinfully beautiful woman watching them carefully from the shade provided by a nearby building. Ayala and Chester could feel the same wrongness Ayala had sensed in Central when Ed was taking the State Alchemist exam, though this time it felt slightly different. Chester could sense it and a quick confirmation from Ayala told him this was what she'd described over a year and a half ago. Both Animals scanned their immediate surroundings but they were too late. The woman and man had moved on. Neither Elric brother had noticed anything unusual about the pairs behaviour.

They made it to the station with no one stopping them for any reason. Edward figured the town had more important things to deal with than the two strangers who'd uncovered the plot leaving. The train station employee checked their tickets and let them board the waiting train, even though there was still half an hour to go before they were scheduled to leave. They spent the time playing cards until the train conductor announced their imminent departure. No one else had boarded the carriage they were in, something they were kind of grateful about. They watched as the train slowly pulled away from the station and soon enough the town was behind them.

"I wish we could've said goodbye to Rose and checked to see how she was coping." Al said quietly. "We kinda put her through a lot yesterday."

"I know but we can't change that now. You know it was better for those people to realise what was going on." Ed said, not looking up from his book.

"I know, brother. We did the right thing. I just wish she hadn't been as involved as she was." Al felt guilty. Every other citizen had had the news broken to them over a radio station but Rose had actually had to witness the entire ordeal and her priest turn on her.

"Maybe it was for the best that she did. She was a firm believer. Maybe even Cornello's strongest believer. I doubt she would've been convinced by that broadcast alone. Not after what he'd promised her." This time, Ed locked his eyes with his brother's glowing ones. "There's no point in worrying about what's been done, anyway." It was something they told each other when a mission didn't go as smoothly as it could have or they'd done something they wished they could've done differently.

"You're probably right, brother. You also didn't call Mustang this morning." Al's swift subject change told Ed he'd come to accept the events soon. Ed flashed him a not-so-guilty smile.

"Whoops." Al mentally rolled his eyes.

"You need to find a payphone when we stop so you can call him." Al told him. Ed rolled his eyes.

"Sure, Al. Whatever you reckon." He said, pointedly going back to his reading as Ayala and Chester laughed at him. Al resolved to simply nag him until he did. The trip back to Posterim seemed faster than it had been from Posterim to Liore. Ed, Al, Ayala and Chester deboarded when it was safe to do so and went to speak with the ticket seller about a train back to East City. Ed was annoyed that the connecting train wouldn't be leaving for another two hours but Al thanked the lady and paid for their tickets before he could complain.

"It's not the lady's fault the train isn't leaving sooner." Al scolded as they went to get some food from a nearby vendor, neither willing to leave the station. Ed scowled but didn't say anything. "Look brother, a payphone. You can contact Colonel Mustang now."

"Subtle, Al. Let me eat first. It's been forever since breakfast." Ed complained as he started unpacking his less-than-stellar lunch. Handing Ayala and Chester theirs, they all dug in as Al spent the time people watching. The town was a lot more busy than Liore was but not in East City's league so Al had fun watching the different Animals and their humans wander past. He saw a duck, wolverine, panther, rat, gazelle, black bear and even a giraffe. He almost missed Ed finishing his lunch and sneaking his book back out to avoid calling Mustang.

"Go call the office, Edward." Al's no-argument tone ordered. Ayala and Chester sniggered.

"Fine. Maybe he'll give me an excuse to see if I can injure him over a phone line." He said, somewhat wistfully as he stomped over to the payphone. Placing the phone against his ear, he rifled for some change but frowned when he came up empty. He thought he always had some in his pocket. "Oi, Al! You got any loose change?" Al managed to scrounge up enough money, much to Ed's disappointment, and Ed fed the phone and dialed the number for Mustang's office.

"Colonel Mustang's office." A woman said smoothly.

"Hey, Miss Riza. It's Ed." AL was hovering nearby in case he actually had to stop Ed from following through with his semi-threat.

"Hello, Edward. I'm assuming you're done with your mission?" She said.

"Yup. I'm in Posterim at the moment. Gonna catch my connection in about an hour so I'll be East City tonight." Ed told her.

"Glad to hear it. Colonel Mustang is busy with a meeting at the moment. Would you like me to pass along the message?" Thank fuck. He dodged a bullet there.

"If you could, please." Ed said gratefully.

"Of course. I'll let him know. Have a safe trip, Edward." Ed could hear the slight amusement in her tone at his evident happiness at avoiding Mustang for a bit longer.

"Thanks, Miss Riza. I'll do my best." He said before they both hung up.

"Well, there was no screaming or swearing so I'm assuming you never spoke to Mustang." Al said dryly.

"He was in a meeting. Hawkeye's gonna pass along the message." Ed said happily. Al shook his head at his brother's oddities. He honestly didn't understand his brother's continued hatred for the man. Especially since he knew Ed actually respected Mustang and, to a certain degree, cared about him.

"You know you still have to write up a report for him." Ed groaned as he placed his head on the open book in his hands. Al chuckled at him. "You know, if you just did it before the Colonel had to ask, you wouldn't get into trouble."

"You have an excellent point, Al." Ed conceded as he lifted his head from the book and turned back to reading. Ayala decided to join him, resting her head on his shoulder.

"You're not going to write that report until he's ordered you too, are you?" Al sighed, already resigned.

"Yup. It's the principle of the matter." Ed said stubbornly. It wasn't that he hated doing the reports. He just found them irritating, unnecessary and he didn't like giving Mustang the satisfaction of him doing something military ordered without any arguments. Al didn't bother pushing the matter. Chester curled up next to his armoured thighs and napped as much as possible. Forty minutes later, they were asked to board the train bound for East City with the rest of the passengers. Securing two benches, the four of them settled in for the long haul back to the base.

The train ride was uneventful, something they all were happy about. It wouldn't be the first time after a difficult mission that they had to stop some dumbass from trying to hijack the train they were on. It was nearly midnight when they came to a stop in East City station. They trudged through the streets, following the familiar route that took them to their dorm room. Dumping their gear, Ed went for a quick shower before they all headed for the library. Ed wanted to see if there were any books on fake Philosopher Stones. He argued that he'd gotten plenty of sleep in Liore and on the train ride home when Al told him he should get some sleep first. Ed didn't budge and eventually told Al he could stay in the dorm if he wanted but Ed was going to the library. Resisting the urge to alchemise his brother to his bed, Al followed him, muttering curses about his stupidity. Ed ignored him. A librarian they'd only met a couple of times, Ed thought his name was Tom, greeted them but left them in peace once they reached their table. It looked exactly the same as they'd left it. This time, when they took up their books and pens, they were looking for clues about false stones as well as real ones.

At 8am, Havoc found them hunched over their research. Funnily enough, Ed was the first to spot him.

"Havoc? What's up?" He asked curious. Havoc didn't go to libraries all that often. He wasn't a fan of reading.

"Bossman sent me. He says you're to turn in your report by the end of the business day." Havoc dutifully reported. Ed rolled his eyes. No matter how many times he suggested it to them, the members of Mustang's team refused to just let their Animal's pass along the message and spent the time they were supposed to be finding him doing something else. Ed didn't understand it until Fuery had finally told him it was simply because they liked spending time with him, even if was only a couple of minutes. Ed had been stunned by the admission and couldn't say anything other than a simple 'oh' in response.

"What's his paperwork pile like today?" Ed asked, brow raising in question. Havoc's grin turned amused when he understood what Ed was really asking.

"Considering the Lieutenant found his newest hiding place? Extremely tall. He'll probably be there long after the rest of us." Havoc informed him. Ed snorted.

"Where'd he try hiding them this time?" Ed had though he'd have learnt his lesson last time the Lieutenant had discovered his hiding spot. He hadn't been there but from the stories he'd been told, he almost wished he had been.

"Under his couch cushions." Havoc almost sounded impressed. Ed laughed. It was a pretty clever spot, if he was being truthful.

"Solid choice." He sniggered and Havoc joined him. Al was more amused by their behaviour than he was with Mustang's antics. "So Hawkeye has strongly recommended he stay behind and finish all of paperwork?" Ed asked, laughing still.

"You know it." Havoc confirmed. Ed nodded. That meant he had plenty of time. To dawdle, that is.

"Thanks for letting me know. Tell him I got the message." Ed smirked. Havoc returned the smirk, knowing full well Ed wouldn't turn up until late that night. With a salute they both knew Havoc only gave because he was in public, he left and headed back for the office. Al and he resumed their research before Al obviously couldn't help but make an observation.

"You're not going to turn that report in until late." Al asked, already certain of the answer.

"Hey, Havoc said at the end of the work day. It's not my fault Mustang didn't specifically say 'the end of the normal work day'." Ed pointed out.

"Brother..." Al sighed.

"Alphonse..." Ed mimicked his tone. "I'll contact Nala and make sure Mustang plans on staying late." He offered as an olive branch.

"Only if you promise that you'll go by the end of the normal working day if he doesn't stay late." Al compromised.

"Fine. I promise. And you'll be coming with me. I still need to ask for that trip back to Resembool." Ed told him. Al accepted the deal and Ed contacted the lioness.

"Hey, Nala. Is Mustang gonna hang back late today?" He asked, straight to the point.

"Hey, yourself. Yes. Hawkeye was very persuasive in her argument that he gets all his paperwork done before he goes home." Nala sounded much more amused than Havoc had. Hawkeye's tactic must've been very entertaining.

"Excellent. Let me know if he considers making a break for it before he's done so I can turn the stupid report in." Ed requested, a little reluctantly.

"I will. How are you, anyway? I sensed something was wrong two days ago." Ed flinched when he realised she talking about the emotional bundle he'd felt when he'd discovered the stone wasn't real.

"I'm okay. I'm sure I'll had to verbally give a report as well, considering my real mission, so you'll find out then. I just don't want to talk about it twice on the same day. I'll see you tonight." Nala hummed, concerned but agreed to wait for answers. Their connection was broken.

"So? What'd she say?" Al asked nosily.

"Mustang will be staying back rather late tonight. She'll let me know if that changes." Ed shortened the story. Al accepted the plan. Ayala nosed his flesh hand, concerned he was upset again but Ed gave her a reassuring smile. Chester yawned from the top of the bookshelf he'd adopted as a bed and offered an encouraging feeling that Ed appreciated. The day passed with only a couple of disruptions. Namely, Allysha and Bruce came by to say hello when their shift started and they were informed the brothers were there. There was also a break for lunch, which Al forced Ed to go get so he got some fresh air. Ed grumbled but did as he was told, both Chester and Ayala joined him, the need to stretch their legs too great. They stopped at the first place they knew sold decent food and grabbed some sandwiches and drinks before heading back. When the time most military members went home approached, Nala contacted Ed informing him that Mustang was getting cranky. Ed laughed and made sure he was still planning on finishing his paperwork lest he be shot by his First Lieutenant. Nala promised him he was. Ed took the hour before he planned on leaving to write out his stupid report, purposefully leaving out a few details and Rose's involvement. Al was happy to see him doing as he was supposed to until he realised his brother had decided a purple texta had been an appropriate writing utensil. He didn't know who he felt more sorry for, Ed for Mustang's lecture regarding the pen and lateness or Mustang for Ed's usual behaviour added to any resulting grumpiness from having to leave the library.

When Nala contacted Ed to tell him Mustang was in a really foul mood, Ed decided to leave. He'd just finished the report so he didn't really have an excuse not to go, other than his usual 'I don't want too'. The walk to the office took barely any time and they were there by 7, only an hour and a half after Hawkeye usually left. Since Ed couldn't sense any Animals, aside from theirs and Nala, he knew everyone else had gone home and he didn't bother knocking. Kicking in Mustang's inner office door resulted in the Colonel shooting Ed an exceptionally irritated look.

"What part of 'by the end of the work day' did you not understand, Fullmetal?" He ground out.

"Hey, Nala. Also, you're still working. Therefore your working day has not ended. I'm not late." Ed retorted. Mustang's left eye twitched in annoyance.

"You knew exactly what I meant." He wasn't amused. Nala was though and he shot his lioness a dirty look.

"I did. That's why I got here before you left for the night." Ed argued back. Al groaned.

"Brother, please don't irritate the Colonel." He pleaded. Ed sighed.

"Fine. Here's your stupid report." He said as he tossed the paper at Mustang, who caught it out of reflex. Spotting the purple ink, he quirked a brow.

"Ran out of black pens, did you?" He asked sarcastically.

"Nope." Ed said simply. Mustang refused to argue. The little shit was intentionally trying to get a rise out of him. Taking a deep breath, Mustang forced himself to use his calm, professional persona.

"Good job in Liore, boys. I appreciate you resolving this matter." Ed rolled his eyes as he sat next to Nala.

"Whatever. We didn't do it for you." Ed dismissed the thanks.

"Right. The Philosopher's Stone. I'm assuming from your lack of excitement or changes, it was another false lead." Mustang observed. A crestfallen expression flickered across Ed's face before he could fully stop it.

"Yup. After all that shit, the stone was a fake. Though the power was real enough. That Cornello prick was able to transmute a chimera right in front of us." Al silently agreed. The power of a fake stone was almost phenomenal. He wondered what a real stone would be like.

"I'm still curious as to how he did that. I'm not familiar enough with bio-alchemy to make any theories." Al wondered out loud. Ed nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I was curious about that as well. Might be worth adding to our research list. Who knows? Maybe we'll find something that could help us reach our goal." Ed added. He wasn't sure what answers he thought bio-alchemy could hold but he refused to leave any stone unturned.

"I think it's a good idea." Al agreed. Ed hoped East City Library had some informative books on this alchemy.

"It might be helpful if you consulted a specialist in that area." Mustang suddenly said. Both boys turned to face him.

"What?" They echoed each other.

"The Sewing Life Alchemist, Shou Tucker. He's commonly referred to as the expert on chimeras. He lives in East City. I'll introduce you to him." Mustang didn't know where this offer came from, only that he didn't want Ed or Al to be overloaded more than they absolutely needed to be.

"You'd do that for us?" Al asked like he couldn't believe Mustang would offer to something as simple as introducing them to someone who could help. Ed, naturally, didn't believe him.

"What's the catch? You want something, don't you?" He immediately accused, ignoring Al calling his name as he turned so he could see Mustang.

"There's no catch! I'm just trying to repay you for your work on the Liore case! Doing you a favour is better than being indebted to you." He said the first thing that came to his mind that sounded believable enough. Judging by the look on Ed's face, it worked. Sighing, Mustang turned to sit back at his desk, having wandered to the window while Ed and Al were talking. "If you swing by before work, I'll take you guys over to meet him. He's not too far from the dorms, if my memory serves me right." Ed let the obvious 'old man' comment slide since Mustang was helping them.

"Oh! Alphonse, do you still want me to ask?" He whispered to his brother. The whispering caught Mustang's attention.

"Yeah. How long do you think?" Al asked back. Ed considered the question.

"Let's say a week at Tucker's, if he's willing to let us look at his research. Than how long there?" Al nodded in agreement. Mustang was very curious now.

"The same? Is that enough time for everything?" Al wasn't sure. Ed nodded.

"Should be. It normally doesn't take more than a couple of days if there's nothing major to deal with." Ed said after contemplating for a moment. He finally turned to Mustang and found the man looking slightly amused at the conversation.

"Is there something you'd like to ask me?" Mustang asked as though he wasn't already aware they did.

"Yes. We need a week to go back to Resembool. I need to get my automail looked at and Winry can make sure Al's armour is in good nick." Ed didn't bother with politeness. Mustang wouldn't buy it anyway.

"And I'm assuming you'd like to head off in a weeks time?" Mustang gathered this from the whispered conversation.

"Yup." Ed confirmed.

"Is your automail damaged?" Mustang asked, a bit of concern showing in his voice. Nala echoed the concern but to a deeper degree.

"No but it's been months since I've had them checked. Wouldn't want them to fail in the middle of a mission. My mechanic is far scarier than you and I'm not above blaming you for me not being able to get them checked." Ed threatened. Mustang had been privy to the many stories of Miss Rockbell's wrath and the threat was more effective than he would've cared to admit.

"As long as there are no extenuating circumstances, you may take your leave starting a week from tomorrow." Ed grinned at Al and could feel the joy rolling off the younger boy.

"Thank you, Colonel Mustang." Al said gratefully.

"What he said." He grouched after Al elbowed him in the side. Mustang smirked.

"You're welcome. I'll see you boys tomorrow morning at 7am sharp. Dismissed." Mustang waited for them to leave, Ed calling out a goodbye to his lioness, before sighing and looking at the still mountainous stack of paperwork he had left to get through. He doubted he'd be home before midnight. Picking up his pen and groaning at the thought of dealing with Edward on little sleep, he got back to work before his Lieutenant decided to follow through with her threat of giving Edward a pair of his gloves.

Ed didn't bother heading back to the dorms. They'd been in the middle of an interesting theory when Nala had contacted him and he was determined to get back to it. Al debated whether it would be worth wasting his breath trying to get Ed to go get some sleep and decided against it. Ed had an irritating habit of putting off sleep or eating if it meant he'd find some small piece of information that could potentially help them. Al had long since given up trying to break him of that habit. Aside from a detour to grab some dinner, something that took both Chester and Ayala reminding Ed he needed to eat before he agreed, the trip back to the library was as uneventful as always. Ed scoured the library and even roped Allysha into helping in his search for anything written by Shou Tucker. They didn't find much so Ed settled for some books that covered the broader aspects of bio-alchemy. The night passed without much talking between any of them, with Ayala and Chester sleeping for most of the night.

Al was the first one to notice the time and, for once, Ed was glad he had since they barely had enough time to get to the office to meet Mustang on time. They ran most of the way there, only slowing to a walk once they were close to the base. They spotted Mustang waiting near where the car park was and headed over. Mustang made a show at looking at Ed then his watch and looking surprised. Level ten eyeroll activated. Al laughed at him, the traitor. A car pulled to a stop in front of them all and the window rolled down to reveal Havoc.

"On chauffeur duty again?" Ed asked as he gave Havoc a smirk in lieu of an actual greeting.

"You know me, chief. Anything to prolong exposure to Hawkeye's sour mood when she realises the bossman won't be in on time." He grinned back and Ed laughed as he climbed in the backseat next to Al and the three larger Animals. Mustang claimed the front seat and shot Havoc an unamused look. Havoc cleared his throat in an effort to avoid laughing at Ed who was struggling to keep a straight face.

"We're heading to the Tucker residence." Havoc nodded at the instructions and headed presumably in the direction of Shou Tucker's home. It was a silent car ride. Ed and Al passed the time looking out the the window and, in Edward's case, chatting to Nala and Mark about anything interesting (i.e embarrassing) that had happened in the office or to any team member. He was kinda disappointed nothing, aside from Havoc epically failing to pick up some woman, happened. He'd already been told about the discovery of paperwork under the couch cushions, which Mark was upset about because he wanted to tell him. He shot his human a dirty glare that Havoc couldn't figure out a reason for. Nala was happy to keep passing on stories of Mustang's childhood from when she arrived, which Ed was kinda pissed he could never use against him. Nala had told him she'd been questioned about whether she and Ed could actually talk to each other and that she'd denied it but they both knew Mustang still suspected them.

They finally pulled up just outside of the biggest house Ed and Al had seen yet. It had a huge sprawling yard and wrought iron fence. The walkway lead to two massive doors Ed was certain could rival the East City Library doors. Havoc stayed with the car with instructions to wait for Mustang to come back out. Mustang lead them all up the path, Ed followed him and Al followed Ed. The Animals generally stuck with their humans but Nala did kinda bounce between Ed and Mustang.

"Two years ago," Mustang started talking, capturing Ed and Al's attention as they approached the door. "Tucker transmuted a chimera who could understand human speech. That's what earned him his certification as a State Alchemist."

"By 'understand human speech' you mean... wait you mean it talks? A chimera?" Ed asked. If he was right in interpreting Mustang, it was no wonder Tucker had gotten certified as a State Alchemist. Mustang nodded.

"That's right. Supposedly, anyway. It said only one thing. 'I want to die'. After that, it refused to eat until it got its wish." Mustang told them. Ed frowned out that. Why would a chimera want to die? Maybe he'd find out after he looked at the research of it's creator.

Ed suddenly found himself looking up at the sky as Ayala stood just beside him, snarling at something. Getting over his slight shock, Ed sat up and spotted the formidable enemy Ayala was challenging. A massive, white, fluffball of a dog that looked ridiculously happy considering an Arctic wolf was currently threatening to tear it's throat out. Before Ed could reprimand Ayala for overreacting again or tell the bastard colonel to shut his laughing face, one of the massive doors swung open to reveal a small girl looking at them curiously.

"Daddy! There are people out here! Look!" She yelled over her shoulder, twin red-brown braids swinging with her head movements. Ed figured she couldn't be anymore than 5 or 6 years old so the massive white mutt was obviously not her Spirit Animal, if it were one at all. Ayala quickly told him that it wasn't. A man with glasses and a weary expression approached the door and gently placed a hand on the little girls shoulder. He had the biggest spider Ed had ever seen on his shoulder and he looked completely okay with it, which is something Ed didn't understand. Chester was the one who informed him that the spider was the man's Animal and Ed shuddered. He wasn't the biggest fan of spiders.

"Nina, this is why I told you to keep the dog tied up. He's too big to be jumping on people. One of these men could've been hurt." He lectured the little girl, who looked horrified at the idea.

"Alexander wouldn't hurt anyone, daddy!" She insisted and the fluffball boofed in agreement. Nina's big blue eyes crinkled with the size of her smile. "See?" She said, as though that made her win the argument.

"I apologise, Colonel Mustang. I hope Alexander didn't cause any problems for you or your group." Tucker said with a slight bow.

"He didn't bother us." Mustang dismissed the apology. Tucker visibly relaxed and the spider shifted. Ed couldn't help but stare it down. Whenever there was a spider near him, it garnered his undivided attention until someone made it go away.

"I'm glad to hear that. Would you like to come in?" Tucker asked, stepping out of the way and creating a welcoming gesture with his arm.

"Thank you." Mustang said as he accepted the invite and walked through the door. Ed followed but he made sure he was as far away as humanely possible from Tucker and his spider. Al sighed, knowing why Ed was behaving that way, and brought up the rear. Ayala was torm between amusement and sympathy regarding her humans behaviour. Chester didn't have that problem. He laughed at Ed, who promptly shot the leopard a glare that would render a normal foe quaking. Chester just continued his snickering. Mustang had also noticed Edward's behaviour and quietly slowed down so he was level with Alphonse.

"What's wrong with your brother?" Mustang whispered, keeping an eye on Ed in case the blonde heard him. Al panicked.

"I can't tell you. Brother would kill me!" He whispered back. He wasn't lying either. Edward hated people knowing about his weaknesses and he considered his arachnophobia embarrassing. Mustang sighed.

"Alphonse, what is it?" He asked nicely but Al shook his head.

"I'm sorry, Colonel. It's up to Ed if he wants people to know. I promise it's nothing that'll majorly affect his missions." Al reassured the black-haired man, which just made said man all the more curious. Tucker finally finished leading them to a dining room of sorts and indicated they should all sit down. Ed sat where he had the best view of the spider. Al sat on one side and Ayala on his other as two sources of comfort. Mustang remained standing.

"I believe some introductions are in order. These two are the Elric brothers. This is Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist," he indicated to Ed, who barely managed to incline his head, "Alphonse Elric, Fullmetal's younger brother," Al raised a massive hand and waved, "Fullmetal's wolf, Ayala and Alphonse's leopard, Chester." Tucker acknowledged each introduction with a small smile. Nina was busy staring at Ayala, Chester and Nala in obvious awe as she sat with Alexander. Mustang took the seat next to Ayala.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all. I apologise for the mess. Ever since my wife ran out, the place has been a wreck. I'm afraid I'm not much of a housekeeper. Now that we're all settled in, please let me say that it's a pleasure to meet you, Edward. I'm sure Colonel Mustang has already told you but I'm Shou Tucker, the Sewing Life Alchemist and this is my Animal, Ivana. She's a Goliath Birdeater." He said, a bit quietly and Ed wasn't sure if he was trying to keep Nina from hearing or if he was always that soft-spoken. Ed repressed the shudder he felt at the species name of Ivana.

"Fullmetal is interested in the field of biological alchemy. He would like to have a look at your research, if possible." Mustang explained. Tucker looked a little surprised and Ed thought he saw a flash of something else but it was gone before he could identify it. Before he answered, he turned to Nina and told her to take Alexander outside and play, which she did with some whining. He faced the group of alchemists again.

"Oh, yes, certainly. I don't mind. However, if you want to me to show you the tricks I've got up my sleeve, it's only fair that you show me the tricks you've got up yours as well. It's the code we alchemist's live by. Equivalent exchange. Now, why do you want to know about biological alchemy?" Tucker hid his mouth behind his folded hands and watched Ed carefully. Ed and Al were both impressed with Tucker's forwardness. Most people would've tried to sugarcoat what they wanted with Ed. Mustang was the only one who had an obvious reaction.

"Oh, um... Ed... Well, you see he's-" He stuttered and stopped when Ed held a hand up.

"It's okay, Colonel." Ed's eyes were on Tucker. Mustang was almost surprised to realise Ed hadn't followed his rank with an insult. Ed steeled his eyes and gave Tucker the shortened and heavily censored version of what had happened and why he wanted access to Tucker's research. He showed Tucker his automail arm which seemed to be the only proof he needed of his story.

"You transmuted your mother... as an eleven year old child? I see. So your automail inspired your State Alchemist title? You've had a rough time of it for someone so young. I can't say if it's going to be of any use to you or not, but why don't you go ahead and take a look at my laboratory?" He offered. Ed and A looked at one another.

"Are you two cool with that?" Ed asked their two Animals, just in case they wanted to hang back. The Chimera in Liore had unsettled them all and he wouldn't force them to see more of the creatures. Both said they'd go with them.

"We would appreciate the opportunity." Al accepted before Ed could. Tucker stood from the table and, once he ensured Nina was still outdoors with Alexander by looking out the massive windows, he led the way down to his lab. Ed and the others were overtaken by the various noises coming from the darkened lab when Tucker opened the door.

"It's kind of embarrassing but I'm widely regarded as an authority on chimeras. The truth is it hasn't been going that well." Tucker said sheepishly and sadly. Ed could sympathise. After a quick scan of his notes, Ed realised he needed to know more about the actual alchemy than just the part that focused on chimeras. This was something he relayed to Tucker who nodded in understanding. He led them to another room and once Ed saw what was inside, he almost forgot about the massive spider still perched on Tucker's shoulder. It was a massive room of books.

"Wow! Amazing!" He exclaimed at the same time as Ayala let out an appreciative noise.

"This is my library. Feel free to look around." He barely finished the offer before Ed and Al were already moving towards the first shelf.

"Alright, than. I'll start with this shelf!" Ed called out to Al. Ayala knocked books down and created a pile for Ed to read.

"Okay, I'll start over here!" Al called out, somewhere behind Ed. Mustang watched all of this with a bemused expression. His eyes lingered on Ed for a moment. He'd been worried Ed hadn't been getting enough sleep but right now he looked as alert and awake as ever.

"I'm going to head back to work now. I'll send someone by later to pick you up." Mustang told them. He couldn't linger anymore or he'd be killed by a certain blonde haired lieutenant. He also knew what the brothers were like when they got to deep into their reading, hence why he said he'd organise a pick up for them. To his and Tucker's amusement, neither Elric nor Animal acknowledged what he'd just said.

"They've got some ability to focus. I'm not sure they even know we're here anymore." Tucker observed. "Quite a catch, these two. A couple of prodigies." He said, a little quieter as he watched Ed absorb the book he was reading. Ed and Al never noticed Mustang, Nala and Tucker leaving them to their own devices. They devoured book after book, trying to learn as much as they could in the time they had. Ayala and Chester watched them carefully. Neither Animal could shake this slightly wrong feeling they had whenever Tucker was nearby.

A/N- I know right?! I added another chapter within a week of my last update! Don't get used to it, though. As you realised, I used as many original lines from the episodes as I could. I also had a couple of days spare and pulled an all-nighter to get this chapter up as I want as much of this story up before Christmas as possible. I cut it off where I did because I want to write Nina and the boys interacting as much as I can before the inevitable happens as I do not plan to change that event for reason I'll explain at a later date. Also, not sure if I actually said this in the story but Molly is a Quarian or Cockatiel, depending what you called them growing up. I also gave Tucker a spider mainly because I despise spiders with every fiber of my being. I also hate Tucker that much. As always, thank you so much for reading this story and please leave me review with any praises, critiques or comments you have!