Yo! Sorry it took so long to update. I've been having...mental difficulties. Heh, to tell the truth I got writer's block towards the end of this and couldn't figure out how to end the chapter. I finally got my muse on though and finished it. WHO HA!

Chapter 14:

(-Kayla-)

"…so?"

I held up my hand to hush Al. My ears twitched as I strained them to hear for any signs of movement out in the hall. Nothing.

I turned to the suit of armor and nodded, "He's gone. I can't hear his footsteps anymore."

"Great!" Al chirped enthusiastically. He opened his chest plate and reached in to retrieve a little black and white fur ball. The kitten gave a relieved meow, happy to be out of its confined space. In the early hours of that morning, Al and I had returned to the hotel along with our hidden friend. After a short nap, I woke up minutes before Ed did and once the blonde was fully awake he decided that the day would be best spent going over the chimera sighting reports. He had just left a few moments ago to retrieve them from the library, none the wiser about the kitten stowing away in Al's armor. I didn't think I would be able to but I was immensely enjoying sneaking around with Alphonse in our mission to hide the stray from his older brother. I found myself grinning at it all.

"You should do that more often," Al said, rousing me from my thoughts. I cocked my head to the side in a silent question and he explained, "Smile. It suits you."

I felt my cheeks warm and for the life of me couldn't find a proper verbal response. So I hid my face behind my bangs to avoid Al's careful gaze and planted myself on the couch, folding my legs under myself gracefully. I pinched my arm in an effort to get a hold of myself. Before I had spent those long, grueling months in the lab I had been a timid girl, always easy to blush and more than a little unsure of myself. Since becoming a chimera I had lost most of that part of me, the only timid feelings remaining ones mixed with an extreme fear and caution. Although, the more I stayed here with the boys the more like my old self I was feeling. I didn't like feeling so shy but it was a vast improvement over the fearfulness.

The kitten jumped into my lap, nuzzling me and seeking affection. I gave a tender half smile and fully obliged. Al sat on the other end of the couch, watching us. I tried not to let that unnerve me or even wonder about why it unnerved me in the first place.

"So I get why cats are attracted to me," I began in hopes of easing the tense atmosphere. I gestured to the feline who was now contently purring in my lap to further imply what I had just said. "But what about you attracts cats? From how critical Edward's reacted I can tell you find a lot of strays."

Al laughed, rubbing his neck self consciously, "Oh that? I like all animals really but I guess there's just something about cats I really like. It probably has something to do with Brother."

I looked up at him, waiting for him to continue. He was staring fondly at the kitten in my lap like he was reminiscing.

"Ed was the first one to bring a kitten home. He had found it out in the rain and begged our mom to keep it but she said we didn't have the means to keep a pet and that he was too young to take care of it. I was watching from the other room and saw the whole thing. I went with Brother to put it back where he found it but I kept going back there to feed the kitten with food I snuck from the kitchen. Eventually the kitten grew up and I guess he wandered somewhere else cause I never saw it after that… That was around the time mom died…"

I had slowed in my petting as I listened to him. His voice held many things, among them was yearning and regret. I stared at him as I tried to understand his feelings. I'd never experienced the bond a child has with its mother. So how does it feel exactly to lose a mother? Was it different than losing a sibling? A friend? Would I feel Alphonse and Edward's pain if I truly lost Serah?

"What's it like? Having a mom?" I asked him softly.

He puzzled over my question, coming quickly to the realization that I was trying to comprehend his feelings since I had never known my mother. It was hard to judge due to his lack of expressions but I think he was touched that I was trying to understand. "Mom was…the greatest person in the world. She'd always be smiling; even when she was scolding us she couldn't stay mad for long. I can't ever remember her acting selfishly, especially for Brother and me. She did everything for us, despite her own pain of dealing with our dad leaving. She was always there for us. We never had to worry. If we were scared she'd sing to us. And when we'd perform alchemy she would tell us how proud she was. Whenever I was around her I just felt so happy and loved and safe…"

My lips curved upward as I imagined such a woman. While listening to Al I sat there quietly in rapt attention, my chin resting on my fists as my elbows were propped up on my legs. Even the kitten seemed to be listening from his place on my head. Not sure how he got there though, and I wouldn't have even noticed it had Al not pointed it out.

"Aw! That's adorable!" Al cooed. "I wish I had a mirror to show you how cute you look right now!"

To my astonishment, I gave a startled, "Mew!" and had to look away as my cheeks colored a nice shade of red. The blush deepened when I couldn't stop my tail from wagging with a pleased air. I covered my face with my hands in embarrassment. Al took my reaction the wrong way.

"Oh, I'm sorry! I'm making you uncomfortable! I didn't mean to. Please don't switch!"

I peeked at him from between my fingers and had to hide a smile at how genuinely concerned he looked. The least I could do was swallow down my shyness and reassure him. "No, it's okay Alphonse. It's not like that. I usually only switch when I'm afraid. Right now I'm just…well…I'm just not used to receiving compliments…" I let my sentence trail off in a subdued mumble, not daring to look up from fidgeting with my sleeves.

"Oh, that's all?" his voice held both relief and amusement. "So you won't switch if I tell you how cute you are?"

My blush deepened and my stomach did a weird flip-flop, causing me to stammer, "N-no. I s-suppose not."

A hand entered my field of vision and slowly reached towards me so as not to startle me. I didn't flinch when he gently lifted my chin to face him. My breathing ceased and the moment seemed frozen as he said, "Good. Cause you are, ya know."

Then his hand slid away and I abruptly began to breath again. For the first time I noticed how fast my heart was racing and it worried me. I may have acted shy in the past but it had never been this bad. Oh Alphonse, what are you doing to me?

"Thank you," I replied in a breath of a whisper but he heard me. My skin still felt hot so I tried to change the subject to a safer ground. "Speaking of my switches, shouldn't we be working on a way for me to control them?"

He chuckled, "Alright then." He reached over to pluck the kitten carefully off of my head, having went to sleep and on the edge of falling off. Al placed the little guy in between us so softly that he never woke up. "If you want to control your switches we have to face the source of them. You said that when you're afraid you'll usually switch. I think we should have you face your fears little by little until you can overcome it."

I blanched, "I don't think I like the sound of that."

"I didn't mean for you to do anything dangerous. Remember when we were looking for Serah and you became overwhelmed by the large crowds on the streets? Well, maybe we should start off there."

"Like, walk around Central while I try not to avoid people and not freak out at the same time?"

"Exactly! And if you start to feel a switch come on try to fight it and keep calm."

I nodded slowly. It was a sound plan and had potential. "Okay. Let's try it."

(-Serah-)

She stood there and gaped at the fuming blonde guy that had just yelled at her. After a moment Serah burst into loud guffaws, holding her sides as tears formed at her eyes.

"What the hell's so funny?!" the blonde huffed angrily.

"You! Dear God, that was hysterical!" Serah said, still laughing. She attempted to get a hold of herself and, wiping a tear from her eye, she came to a decision, "Alright. You made me laugh so I guess I won't maim you for running into me. I won't even make you apologize."

"Apologize? You're the one who should be apologizing to me for yelling at me one moment and then laughing at me the next. Are you mental?"

To his surprise, she snorted, "I wouldn't doubt it." Serah bent down to retrieve the books scattered on the floor, giving the blonde furtive glances. He looked like a regular kid; long blonde hair tied in a braid, a bright red coat that just screamed I'm-a-rebel, with black clothes underneath. However, Serah's eyes caught the shine of the chain going into his pocket, a sure sign that this kid was a full-fledged State Alchemist. There could be no other conclusion as to what he was doing in the National Central Library, despite his young appearance. Damn, now they had kids doing the military's dirty work? Did those bastards have any sense of morality?

Serah gathered her books up, annoyed that the guy didn't even offer to help but relieved at the same time. She didn't want him seeing just what she had been reading up on. He might get suspicious and connect the dots together. So she made sure to turn the covers upside down and away from his prying eyes.

"Well, it's been real!" Serah began cheerfully and went to pass him but halted as his scent hit her. The boy had already begun to walk away and Serah had to snatch his sleeve to get him to stop.

Startled, the boy whipped back around to her, "What now?"

Invading his personal space, Serah leaned towards him and gave an audible sniff, "There's something about you that smells familiar. Have we met before?"

"W-what?!" the boy stammered, his face flaming.

Just then, Serah's nose caught a waft of another familiar scent coming their way. If he caught her here in a place like that there would be no getting around the man's questions. Without preamble, Serah released the confused boy and fled down the aisle. The fox chimera hid a couple rows down and, with her extraordinary hearing abilities, listened as Maes gave the boy a cheery hello.

"Yo! Fancy seeing you here Edward."

"Yeah…" the boy answered somewhat distractedly, seeming to be shaking off his odd encounter with Serah. She snickered at that. She just loved to mess with people. "What are you doing here Lt. Colonel?"

"Oh just picking up some files for an arson case I'm working on. You?"

"I was on my way to get the chimera sighting reports. Thought they might be useful."

"I heard about you getting that case. I guess it makes sense."

"I suppose," Edward replied irritably. It sounded as if working on this case was the last thing he wanted to be doing.

It surprised Serah that a shrimp like him would be in charge of hunting her and the other escaped chimeras down. She thanked her lucky stars that he hadn't seen any of the books she was snooping through, otherwise he would have for sure gotten into her business. She'd have to make sure to avoid him in the future…which Maes wasn't making easy when he was issuing out dinner invites.

"Gracia's making lasagna tomorrow night! You should bring Al over and we'll make it a party!"

"I don't know. I've got a lot of work to do," Edward sounded reluctant.

"Oh! And look at these pictures of Elysia I just got developed! She's gotten so big and her cuteness is growing every day!" Serah could imagine Maes shoving a bundle of pictures at the poor boy's face.

Edward eventually had enough and relented, "Okay, okay! We'll come over!"

"Great! I'll let the girls know to expect you." By the sound of Maes's footsteps he was walking away.

Edward grumbled something under his breath and stomped away.

Serah figured the coast was clear now but didn't want to push her luck. It sounded like Maes had left the building but Edward was still on the prowl. It wouldn't due her any good to stick around. So she returned the books back to where they belonged, all the while thinking about the exchange between the man and the boy.

So a State Alchemist and his brother are coming over for dinner tomorrow, Serah mused. She would have to either stay up in the guest bedroom or find a reason to stay out of the house that night. That would be the safest course of action and yet, it didn't really appeal to her. She'd much rather stick around for the dinner party and possibly get some information out of Edward. Maybe manipulate the conversation towards the case he's working on and get him to divulge some things.

Then Serah smacked her head at her own stupidity, You idiot! The first thing he'll do if he sees you is ask what you were doing at the library, right in front of Maes. Stop being such a dumbass!

Serah snuck out of the library, still pondering what to do. Her thoughts strayed to the familiar scent that had lingered around the boy. It had been faint but she just knew it from somewhere, although she also knew she couldn't have met Edward. She would have remembered a kid like that. But his name did sound familiar. Maybe she knew the brother, Al was it? Hm…where has she heard those names before?

She put the pieces together slowly. Brothers, Edward and Al; Edward being a young State Alchemist and being assigned to investigate about the chimeras in Central; what Maes said about it making sense that Edward would be the one that it was assigned to. It all added up. Edward and Alphonse Elric were the guys who had infiltrated laboratory five on their own and had subsequently been the reason for her current freedom. Heh, these guys couldn't be too bad then, right? Edward even sounded put out about being assigned this particular case.

Serah shook herself and reminded herself that he was still a State Alchemist with the military. As a rule, she didn't give soldiers the benefit of the doubt. She was even wary of Maes and the man seemed like the most easy-going cheerful family man in the world! So talking with these boys were out of the question…but stalking them wasn't.

The fox chimera grinned. Tomorrow night was gonna be interesting.

(-Padma-)

She stood in the alley beside the hotel, confirming she was a hundred percent positive. The mouse chimera smiled gleefully. Yes, this had to be her. The feline scent was strong in this area. Serah's friend had to be somewhere inside.

Instead of venturing inside, Padma shied away from the building. She'd go tell Serah first of what she'd found. The older girl certainly possessed courage that she herself lacked. She'd be brave enough to search inside. Plus, it would be more prudent since Serah could look normal. Padma just had to go find her and they could come back here together. And maybe once Serah was reunited with her friend Padma could ask the both of them to help her find Gillian.

Padma slinked down the shadows of Central, ghosting her way down alleys without a sound. The twelve-year-old had only talked to Serah once but had learned after their conversation of where she was staying. She didn't remember the address but she could still sniff her out as she had last time.

Suddenly, the hair on the back of the young girl's neck rose and she stiffened in response. Padma whirled around and peered down the seemingly innocent empty alley. Something was wrong. She wasn't alone.

Padma fled, jumping onto a trash can to reach a second story window ledge. Before she could haul herself up to the roof, something snagged her jacket. With a squeal that sounded anything but human, Padma fell back to the concrete. She winced and scurried away from the figure that had pulled her down.

"Hey, relax there Padma! It's me."

With tear filled red eyes, Padma looked up at her presumed attacker. She'd know that voice anywhere. "G-Gillian?"

Gillian gave her a happy closed mouth grin, a fang poking out under her lip. Her eyes were pools of onyx jewels, just as dark as her tapered midnight hair. Her face had changed somewhat since becoming a chimera, taking on more of a wolfish appearance. But Gillian herself had never changed, still as determined as ever.

Padma gave a cry and launched herself at her friend. Gillian patted her head and made soothing whispers to the younger girl. Though not related, Gillian had always taken care of Padma like a little sister when they lived in Aquarion. The wolf chimera was four years older and always felt it was her duty to protect the fragile, tender hearted Padma ever since she had initially rescued her from a group of bullies. They had been happily stuck together ever since.

"I w-was s-so worried! I was s-scared that you…that you…" Padma trailed off into sobs that shook her frail frame.

"Shh, I'm here now. You know I'll always find you." Gillian gently pushed the small girl back and used her thumbs to wipe at the tears on her cheeks. "I'm glad you're okay, little bit."

Padma swiped at her face with her sleeves to rid herself of the remaining wet streaks and sniffled, "What about you? Are you alright? Are you hurt? Have you been eating?"

"Honestly, shouldn't I be the one asking you that?" Gillian rolled her eyes but smiled.

Ignoring her question, Padma stomped her foot impatiently, "Well? Are you?"

She grinned, her heart warming at the sight of the younger girl. Padma was a shy little thing to everyone she met, with Gillian being the only exclusion. The girl was as protective of her as Gillian was of Padma, not to mention how Padma could get downright motherly at times.

"Yes, I'm fine. Stop being such a worrywart."

Padma's lips tugged up and she hugged her again, "Good. I missed you. And now I can tell Serah that I found you."

"Serah? Did you go off and replace me while I was gone?" The question was meant as a joke but there was an undertone that Padma couldn't put her finger on.

"No. She's a chimera like us that I met a couple days ago. She was looking for her friend too so we promised we'd keep an eye out for each other. I was actually just on my way to tell her that I found her friend."

Gillian smiled eagerly, showing her sharp canines, "Any chance you'd take me to see this Serah?"

Padma frowned, studying the older girl, "But…"

"But what?"

She shook her head as if to clear it, "It's just that I thought you'd be against it. I figured you'd want to get out of the city as soon as possible…Gillian, has something happened?"

Her smile faltered, "What do you mean, little bit?"

Padma crossed her arms, "You're hiding something from me. You know you can't hide things from me. I can always tell."

A look crossed Gillian's face that let the younger girl know that she was cursing in her head. She shuffled from foot to foot guiltily, "I should have known that you'd know something was up. You always did have a sharp eye."

"Gillian…" Padma said, urging her to answer her.

"It's not anything bad really. I just met some people who want to help us. They promised to keep us safe from the military. They even helped me find you. They've been great to me since they found me."

Padma's expression was anything but certain, "What kind of people do you mean? Who would want to help us?"

"Some humane animal rescue group society kinda thing," Gillian shrugged. "They're into giving charity and I'm not averse to milking it for all it's worth."

"They'd really help us? Just like that?" hope gleamed in her red eyes.

"Yep! And not just us. They want to help the others like us. Just trust me on this. So tell me where these chicks are at so we can help them out too."

Hesitantly, afraid that it was too good to be true, Padma told her. This was Gillian. Gillian always took care for her. She knew what was best. Things would be alright now.

(-Al-)

"We should remember to ask Mrs. Hughes if we can take some leftovers home with us. That way we can bring it back some dinner for Kayla," Al said as he and Ed walked down the sidewalk. It had been yesterday when Ed had come back to the hotel in a disgruntled state, complaining about how they had to go to the Hughes's home for dinner the next day. Al was excited since they hadn't been over in a long while and he knew that secretly Ed was pleased as well, but there was just one problem. They couldn't bring Kayla over with them, for obvious reasons. She had opted to just stay at the hotel until they returned but Al still felt a bit guilty for leaving her by herself.

"How thoughtful of you," Ed said with a wolfish grin. "I'm sure Kayla will be very happy. She might even reward you with a little kiss."

"Brother!"

"Haha, relax Al! I was only joking," Ed laughed as he ran away with a flustered suit of armor on his heels.

This hadn't been the first time that Edward had teased him so. The blonde had taken to giving him pointed looks and knowing grins whenever Kayla wasn't looking. It made Al extremely uncomfortable and even more awkward than usual around the girl herself. He felt so embarrassed about it but then Kayla would just look up at him with big eyes and cock her head to the side, something Al found incredibly endearing, and he'd just lose himself in those amused pools of green. In those times Al would feel the overwhelming urge to just hug the kitty girl!

Before Al had the chance to exact his revenge, Ed ran up to the house and rang the doorbell. Little Elysia answered it, her smiling face faltering for a moment before she beamed up at them, "Big brothers!"

Al puzzled over her reaction. It was as if she were expecting someone else. He wondered if there were any other guests invited other than them.

Elysia pulled the boys inside and led them to the dining room where Hughes was finishing setting the table. He greeted them cheerfully as Gracia entered the room, arms loaded with steaming food, and did the same.

As they sat down Al noticed there was an extra place set up for someone, deepening his suspicions.

"Mr. Hughes? Were you expecting someone else?" Al asked, hoping that it wouldn't be the colonel. Not that he found the man unbearable but his brother did and their bickering could get out of hand at times.

"As a matter of fact, yes! She's been staying here with us for the past few days."

"Poor thing didn't have anywhere to go so we insisted she stay here," Gracia finished explaining.

That's when Elysia chimed in, "Big Sister left earlier today to find her friend but she said she'd be back. Right Daddy?"

"Sure did, pumpkin." Then Hughes dropped his fork with a horror-struck expression, "I can't believe I didn't realize sooner."

Al and Ed exchanged a look and the older of the two asked, "What do you…"

"I haven't taken any pictures of you together! As soon as your big sister comes home Elysia we're gonna fix that!"

"Yay! And Ed and Al can be in them too!" Elysia cheered.

Ed groaned, "Elysia, you're just as heartless as your father."

Everyone then began to dig into the mouthwatering lasagna. Al asked Gracia for the recipe and began jotting it down in his book of foods that he would eat once he regained his body.

Of course, the peace didn't last for long.

The windows shattered with incoming gunfire, causing the occupants of the house to yell out in surprise and duck for cover. Things were as chaotic as a war zone. Al grabbed a crying Elysia and held her with his body between her and the window. Ed ushered them into the corner and from there Al could see Hughes and Gracia across the room huddled in their own corner. A nasty gash marred Hughes's shoulder, probably from throwing himself in front of his wife when the shots were first fired. Gracia was looking around with wide eyes as Hughes crouched in front of her protectively with his gun at the ready.

"Is Elysia okay?" Gracia called above the sound of gunfire.

Despite her crying, Elysia was perfectly fine. "She's okay, just frightened," Al assured her.

"Mommy!" the little girl wailed.

"Elysia, be a good girl for Mommy and stay there with your big brothers," Gracia consoled her. Then she turned to her husband, "Maes, what in the world is going on?"

"I have no idea," he replied, his gaze slipping over to the boys, "Unless you two have something to do with this?"

From the look on Ed's face he was about to give a snappy retort when the front door was bust down and people stormed the house. They were all dressed in black, wearing masks, and armed with assault rifles. The first one aimed to shoot directly at Ed but a shot from Hughes made the man drop his gun and grasp at his leg. Two more men readied their guns beside their fallen comrade.

Acting swiftly, Al handed Elysia over to his brother and rushed the armed men. He grabbed the gun of the first one, the bullets ricocheting off his armor plating and actually hitting the guy in the arm. With both the gun and the man holding onto it, Al spun in a circle and knocked the other one aside. With them down for the moment, Al quickly ran to the open doorway and, drawing an alchemy circle, closed and barricaded the door. When he turned around he found the intruders starting to get back up. They never had a chance though.

Another armed man came flying down the staircase as if someone had thrown him down. Another one followed after him but this time he slid down the stairs with an unidentified girl riding him like a surfboard. She hopped off of him and danced to the side of the pile of men.

Al stared dumbfounded at the girl. Her long red hair whipped around her shoulder as she turned to everyone else and grinned, "Ladies and gentlemen, the shit has officially hit the fan."

She sure does know how to make an entrance. Three guesses as to who she is. XD

I must give a shout out to Rokuchuchu for letting me borrow his characters Padma and Gillian. They're a lot like how Roku created but I changed Padma's looks somewhat and Gillian's as well as making Gillian into a chimera. If you didn't catch on, Gillian is a wolf chimera. ...Hm, I just noticed that all the chimeras in this story are females... Oh well, it's just how things turned out I guess.