It only took the rest of the day for Steve to be made right at home. Chanticleer showed his uncle the jewel; Steve had examined it and explained that it was originally created it as a power boost for alchemy.
"How did you get this to work?" Steve asked, holding the jewel up to the light. "How did you figure out to use it?"
"I didn't." Chanty said. "After two days of running the five of us hid in a rain pipe under a bridge-"
"The thing was huge, but I still am convinced a family of raccoons lived there first. I know none of us were making those chattering and scratching noises."
"Anyway," The Dawn said, giving Mark a look that said, 'you don't like it when I interrupted your stories.' "I took out he gem just because it looked pretty in the moonlight. My mind wandered…"
"Couldn't have." Luke whispered to Gox. "First time he let it wander it got lost."
"…And I started thinking about mom and dad. Next thing I knew my right middle finger started to burn."
"What if it was your wrong middle finger?"
"Lucus shut up!" Brody threw a pillow at him.
(this conversation could take a really bad turn so I'll stop before I round the corner.)
"After that," Chanty continued, so used to those kind of interruptions it didn't bother him in the least. "I discovered my new talent in alchemy. After the twins volunteered to combined their wits, which gave them a wit and a half, they amazingly figured-"
"By themselves with no help I might add." Brody piped in.
"Shocking as it may seem." The Dawn agreed. "Reasoned the jewel was the cause of the alchemy."
"It amazes me even today." Mark teased.
"So all you had to do is touch it and such strong alchemetic talent was transferred to you just by doing so." Steve mused quietly. "Your emotion about your parents must have been the trigger. I can't even begin to remember how many people tinkered with it and nothing happened. Then again, the only emotion within their hearts or on their minds was greed. Maybe the gem knew these weren't the correct people to give its power to."
"You saying that jewel has a conscience?" Lame asked?
"It's just a theory." Steve said.
"That can't be possible." Edward said matter of factly. "A being with no brain can not possibly think for itself."
"That may be so," Ren said. "But have you ever tried to make an object work and you think you've done everything in your power to get it to work and-"
"Then you ask it please and it works like a charm." Clen finished.
Ed shrugged and got more comfortable on the couch. "Never saw the purpose to trying to talk reason with an inanimate object."
"Believe it or not, Lucus has had inanimate objects get the better of him!" Brody announced with a somewhat raised voice.
"We believe it." Everyone else in the room said in unison.
"I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE!!" Lucus harped at his twin. "You've been…"
the sound of breaking glass stopped him in mid-sentence.
"What the devil was that?" Steve asked alarmed.
Everyone had gotten up and zipped to every window to find the one that had shattered and why. On the kitchen floor was a round stone with a piece of paper tied to it.
"Who did this!" Annie almost shouted.
Ed and Chanticleer saw the answer running away from the house for all he was worth, and it made their hearts sink.
It was Keith.
With the speed that would make lightning to a double take the two alchemists were outside. Ed clapped his hands and pounded the ground, a wall of rock shot up in front of Keith to slow him down. But that was enough of a distraction for Chanty to have created a Komodo Dragon out of grass and it was running after the nemesis of every person under the roof of Yoyo Manor, its thorn filled mouth open ahead of time…ready to bite.
And it didn't take long to get those two-inch long thorn teeth to dig themselves in Keith's leg. He screamed in pain and tried to shoot it, trying to make it let go. But since you can't really kill grass with a bullet nothing happened. Nobody got any where near Keith until he'd used up all the bullets in his handgun and then he was pile-drived into the dirt by the two friends. (the giant grass lizard hadn't released its grip on his leg either, on the contrary it bit harder.)
"ALL RIGHT!" Keith yelled. "You got me already now get off me and call off the lizard!"
The Fullmetal and The Dawn got up, taking their elbows out of where they had been embedded…in Keith's gut.
"How did you get here!" Chanticleer demanded. "How did you know where to find us!"
"Whether I tell you or not there's nothing you can do at this point. If you had read the note you would have been horrified to know that Ryan left before me to inform Caradon where you are. He'll be so pleased the lot of you will finally die that he'll probably come himself to watch such a glorious event."
The pain of the thorns seemed to bother him but not enough to let the triumph he felt sit back and pick its nose.
"By the time Ryan gets there and comes back with reinforcements will give you maybe a week or less to live."
By that time Mark, the twins, Clen, Lame, Ren and Al had caught up outside. Lame looked down on him and scowled.
"Give me a large rock and I'll crush his head in myself." He said, pawing the ground with his hoof to prove he wasn't kidding.
Keith chuckled. "You let kids ride on your back at carnivals?"
Fed up with his mocking tone Ed slugged him in the head with his automail arm, knocking him out instantly.
"HEY!" Lame shouted. "I thought I said that I wanted to do that!"
"Nobody's killing anyone." Ed told him.
"Not yet you mean." Clen said.
"No, not at all. Even if you did what good will it do? You may feel satisfied but it still doesn't help our current situation. Just think about it, if you were to kill him you would still hate him."
"Killjoy." Lame muttered, knowing The Fullmetal was right.
Steve, Brody, Annie, Gox and Dixie came out at about the time Ed knocked out Keith.
"So what do we do now?" Gox asked. Annie had read the note and still had it in her hand.
"I'm sure Mustang or someone at Central will be able to help." Al suggested. "You guys could lie low for a while and-"
"No."
Steve cut him off.
"No?"
"Kun?"
"That's right, I said no. No that we're not going anywhere; at least I'm not. I've had my share of running." He turned to face Chanticleer. "And I'm not going to do it anymore."
"Then what are we gonna do?" Mark asked.
"I may be able to help you there." Brody said.
The Dawn knew that smirk all too well. It meant he had an idea cooking in his mind and they usually proved to be really good ones.
Me – Well, wasn't that fun.
Chibi me – Whatever you say. What could they possibly do that will be able to ward off Caradon and his goonies?
Me – Yeah, like I'm gonna tell you. Well, I guess that's just about all I can give you for a preview, the gang is going to act upon Brody's idea. And, (turns to Chibi) Remind me to never let you out of your cage as a reward for good behavior.
Chibi me – (watery puppy eyes) Why not?
Me – Cuz last time you invited Emptyhearts Light self over and not only did the two of you have a girly girl tea party under the skylight you tried to put little pink ribbons and bows on the cats.
Chibi me – But Pearl and Akira would look so cute in a bow! And Mitsuru needs more color to him he's too black!
Me – (sigh) Whenever you think your patience can't be stretched any further…think of me.
