Chapter 6: "Pasts That Shine Brighter Than Aluminum"

Part C– Start

Corona's hand reached forward, seconds away from touching Roy.

His hand suddenly jolted, a bullet flying past it. He recoiled, leaping back, turning to see who it was.

Hawkeye glared at him from the top of her gun, the barrel leveled at his head.

"Hawkeye, stand down, that's an order!" Roy shouted. Rizelle shook her head.

"I have to disobey that one, sir," she replied, glaring at Corona. Her hand trembled as she glared at the Vishyan.

"Hawkeye damn it! You heard what he is! Get the hell out of here!" Roy roared.

"I'm not leaving you!" she screamed. Roy flinched.

"You can't protect me all the time," she said, "I'm here to protect you too."

Corona glared at her. His eyes were sore from the transmutation, so he didn't bother to try to transmute anything. That, and his eyes couldn't deconstruct anything as complex as a gun.

"What does it matter what Corona is?" Ed asked. "What does that have to do with " Roy's hand hovered over Ed's mouth, quieting him.

"Hawkeye, I order you to stand down. I'll take your stripes for this," Roy threatened. Rizelle stared onward, disregarding him.

"I have no interest in you," Corona said, rising. "Leave. I don't want to kill you. But I will if I have to." His black shirt caught the wind, flaring a bit. A few silver hairs dangled in front of his face.

"I have interest in you," Hawkeye said darkly, "and I have a little revenge planned out myself." Roy grimaced, useless without his glove. He could only stand and watch as Rizelle and Corona glared at each other.

"And what is that?" Corona asked, stiffening.

"The Hell Lord," Rizelle said, "the alchemist you tortured to death..." Corona's eyes widened as Rizelle spoke the words.

"He was my father!" Rizelle cried.

Ed stared at the two. Rizelle's dad was killed in the Vishyan War? And wasn't the Hell Lord also Roy's teacher? So...

The nerves connected, and Ed gasped.

"You promised... you promised him you'd protect Rizelle?" Ed asked Roy, understanding. That's why there were always together. Why Roy was always worried about her.

"Rizelle!" Roy screamed. The man rushed forward, and for the first time, Ed noticed something about the man. He had tattoos all over his body. Transmutation circles inked into his skin. His arm lit up with light, a few of the inked in circles glowing. His hand reached forward.

To Hawkeye.

Rizelle moved, the man's hand grabbing the end of her jacket. The fabric lit up, unraveling thread by thread. The jacket fell apart, Corona's hand ripping the back of her shirt too. Everyone gasped as Rizelle fell to her knees, Corona sidestepping away from her.

On Hawkeye's back was an intricate circle. Ed noticed the designs etched on them. They didn't look like a regular circle. The markings were weird, occult and seemed more like symbols than instructions. The designs were more artistic, not solid and significant. Hawkeye turned to see her back exposed, clutching the inked in circle.

"She's got a circle on her?" Ed whispered. Roy ran forward, standing between Corona and Rizelle.

"That circle," Corona said, "the Cursed Circle. The mark of death..."

"Made by the Vishyans," Roy finished. He pulled his jacket off, putting it on Rizelle's shoulders. She gazed up as he grabbed her gun, pointing it at Corona.

"She should be dead," Corona said, "anyone branded by the Cursed Circle shouldn't survive!" Roy's hand was steady, but Ed could see that he was trembling.

"That's where you're wrong," Roy said. Everyone hung on his words, a weird silence settling in.

"Back in the Vishya War, I was assigned to Major General Lawrence Hawkeye's division," Roy said, "Back then, I was still learning. I was a Federal Alchemist under his jurisdiction. He... was a great man." Corona did nothing as Roy kept talking.

"When we raided the center of the Vishya territory, they swarmed our division. Lawrence was taken by the Vishyans. Tortured, over and over, so that he would side with them, and go against Eritth. He refused, and they left him to die," Roy said.

"I found him, too late. He was still alive, but I couldn't do anything. He grabbed me, and told me to promise him one thing." Roy shut his eyes as he recalled the memory.

"He made me promise to protect his only family," he said, "his daughter Rizelle Hawkeye." Rizelle said nothing, but pulled Roy's jacket closer on her.

"When I ran back to camp, I found that she was taken. She was kidnapped," Roy said, "I had already broken the promise I made. I tracked the bastards down, and saved her. Not before, however... not before they had put that curse on her back." Roy cocked the gun.

"She could have died," Roy said, "and you're the closest thing to revenge we will ever have." Ed noticed Roy had said we.

The gunshot fired, and Ed saw a spark fly as the bullet shot out of the muzzle. Corona had moved, the bullet missing him. But the spark hung in the air, slowly fizzling.

A flash of blinding orange and red knocked Ed back, and everyone else around. The enormous fireball that Roy conjured up consumed Corona, leaving a smoldering crater.

Roy blinked.

The charred earth erupted, a hurt but still living Corona leaping out of the ditch. He clenched his hand, his palm crackling.

"Then let me put the final touches to the seal," Corona said.

Roy kicked him, the two brawling in the place. A large man with built muscles came forward and pulled Rizelle back, as Corona's hand nearly touched her.

"Stop it!" Roy shouted, "If an alchemist touches her, then the circle will activate! She'll get hurt!" Corona nodded.

"But did you know that if a Vishyan touches it, the circle will be completed?" Corona asked. From the look Roy had, he did know that. "Then, she will die."

Part C – End

Author's Note:

Hm... so now we know Roy's and Hawkeye's relationship. But, Roy can't touch her. Which explains why he always pulls away. But, does he WANT to pull away? Oh Roy, do you have something to tell Rizelle? Like... oh I dunno... "I love you?" Do you? Well, that idiot's still fighting Corona, so we'll see what happens. Oh, and about the guy in the last chapter, was it? I think so. Well, I wonder if anyone got it... just so you know, it's Saturday, and I haven't uploaded all that I've written, so I don't know about your reviews yet. Don't worry though – once I do read them, I'll be sure to take note of it.

The chapter's close to ending, so let's see what comes next!

KthnxBye!