Kamaitachi Chronicles

By: Aviantei

Nine

"What were you thinking?" I asked after Maes had given me at least fifteen farewell hugs, Hanna had done the same to Mustang, and we had managed to extract ourselves long enough to make it back into the car. Clouds deepened the darkness across the night sky, street lights looking like oversized fireflies hanging above the roads. I rubbed my arms through my jacket, trying to adjust back to the chill of the outdoors. "You couldn't have bothered to tell me that Hanna was this hell colored little girl who seems to want to make an enemy of anyone who wants to steal your attention?"

There hadn't been any incidents, but I knew a child who was very good at hiding what they were planning when I saw them. Just the right lick of sweetness in Hanna's words suggested she was selling it. Or maybe I was just frazzled and paranoid. At least we had been able to agree that me fighting Mustang again was a great idea. She was withholding judgement on me until then.

"I think I'm the one who should be asking what you were thinking," Mustang said, sparing me a glance before looking back to the road. Considering the street ahead was dead empty, there wasn't much point in criticizing his poor driving etiquette. "There's no point in both of us fighting each other. You just got that certification. Don't go making a spectacle of yourself."

I rolled my eyes and slumped further down into my seat, propping my knees against the dashboard. It wasn't that late, but sleep sure did sound nice. "I'm not making a spectacle. The kid wanted to see my alchemy, and I don't think Maes would appreciate me swinging my scythe all around his nicely furnished living room." I tapped my fingers against my knee, trying to distract the sudden energy swelling in me. "Besides, you didn't give me a fair fight last time. I don't want or need you to go easy on me."

Mustang snorted, though it was at half force. The evening must've done its toll on him, plus he'd woken up before me to get to work. "You were the one looking all pleased when you realized I was hiding my second glove. Don't tell me you didn't suspect it."

"That's different than letting me win."

"How so?"

"Because it implies that even with that handicap you could've beaten me." I shifted my fingers into a fist, bouncing that on my knee instead. It didn't help much. "I want to know if that's true or not. If I'm going to be a military asset, I should at least have the right to spar with someone who's in the same position as I am, right?"

Mustang didn't respond, and the rumbling of the car's engine filled the silence. The heater had started to kick in, but frustration fueled most of the heat under my collar. Outside the car, a stray cat slinked into a nearby alleyway, disappearing into the shadows. Even such a pretty city had its dark spots.

"You're going to be taking on basic combat training as part of your enlistment anyways," Mustang said to the windshield, his voice possessing the even and metered tone of a school teacher on the verge of losing their patience. "If you want to have a short match, I can accommodate it, mainly because Hanna won't let it go if I don't. But let's sort out your enlistment and paperwork first, and I'll make a gap in my schedule once my investigation calms down a bit."

Well, it would have to do. At least he wasn't running away from it. I shifted my weight a bit as numbness attempted to settle into my calves. "What are you investigating anyway? Maes mentioned that, too." He hadn't let any further details slip, though, as to not ruin the celebratory mood. "You said I'm going to be under your supervision, right? That means I'll work on your cases, too, so I should know what's going on."

Pulling to a stop at an intersection, Mustang turned to me with a challenging look. "Sort out your training before getting too far ahead of yourself."

It turned out that sorting out my enlistment involved far more jumping through hoops than I'd expected. Most of them had to do with filling out special forms regarding my status as a State Alchemist, from my immediate position as Major General to a notice that laid out all the kinds of loopholes it would take to discuss my alchemical research with anyone outside the government or my immediate family.

I didn't have any acquaintances outside of those two areas, so it wasn't a hard set of rules to follow.

Mustang let me fill out my own paperwork that time, as he had to go out as part of his investigation. The familiar face of Kain was missing, so he must've been out doing the same. That left me with Rito as my only point of familiarity, and she wasted no time in clearing me out an empty spot at the joint work table and introducing me to the other two officers who had been left to desk duty for the day.

Vato Falman had lines in his face that made him look a bit older than I thought he was and apologized for being so brief as he returned to his intelligence gathering. Rito yanked me away before I could so much as get a glimpse at his papers to meet Heymans Breda, a heavyset redhead who chatted with me a bit before returning to his own work as well.

"And Jean and Hawkeye are out with the Lt. Colonel today, so you'll have to meet them another time," Rito finished. It was her second time mentioning Jean by his given name, so they seemed close in comparison to the others. Then again, Jean was the man Rito'd gone off to tell about my presence in Mustang's office the first time, so maybe meeting him later could wait. I tucked the names away for later reference. "I'll let you do what ya gotta do, but if you need a breather, don't be afraid to take one. It gets real dull around here real fast if you just go all out all the time."

It seemed Rito and I had very different philosophies on life.

Despite the invitation, she left me alone as I worked through all my paperwork and forms and combat waivers, reviewing all my duties and benefits as a State Alchemist. In addition to my regular pay (which was way more than I'd ever thought I'd make in my life beforehand), I also received a research fund, both of which I could access with my State Alchemist watch once I got it. I resolved my first purchase to be new materials to sturdy up my scythe.

The next few days went by in mundane tasks from getting fitted for my uniforms, sorting out my move into the military dormitories and the fuck out of Mustang's apartment, and, just what I had always wanted, more paperwork. I did meet Jean—a tall, blonde haired man who smelled like cigarette smoke—but Hawkeye stayed out in the field. Watching everyone else, I couldn't help but wonder if this whole thing had been a ruse for Mustang to get someone else to help sort through the infinite amounts of paperwork that shuffled through his office each day.

I did catch onto a bit of information about the investigation—that multiple attacks had been taking place over the past few months, several citizens ending up in the hospital, and the first death had occurred while Mustang and I were away for the State Alchemist exam. Most conversations cut off once the team realized I was listening, and I had to spend most of my time calculating the different materials I would need for upgrading my scythe.

I know I'm a kid, but they can't keep me out of this forever. Or maybe Mustang's been telling them to keep quiet about it? I should've kept my mouth shut with that recruiting kids comment. As I'd finished moving into my military housing the previous afternoon, I couldn't even grill Mustang about it when he got home.

"Dissatisfied with your decision already, young Miss Caiman?" a familiar soothing voice said from above my shoulder. "Or I should be calling you Major General Caiman now?"

I leapt up in shock at the sight of Rosomak. "Major General!" I had meant to refer to him, but the explanation just sounded like I was demanding my referral. I smoothed out my uniform jacket, trying to make it look like I hadn't been slouching over my ever rotating position at the group table. Despite its questionable color, the fabric was resilient enough to not wrinkle from something so small. "Sorry, I wasn't expecting to see you. I hadn't heard you'd be coming to East City."

"It wasn't planned, I'll tell you." Rosomak stroked his chin, nodding to the rest of the officers in the room. They returned the nonverbal greeting and got back to work, though Rito had a curious glint in her eyes that spelled inattention for her workload. "But they needed someone to pass on your final certification paperwork and watch, so I thought a bit of travel would do me some good." He held up an envelope and box I hadn't noticed before. "We're glad to have you on board, Sickle Weasel Alchemist."

"Thank you." Steadying my hand, I received the load, placing the envelope on the table. It just held my official title certificate and confirmation of my successful documentation. The State Alchemist watch was much more exciting by far.

I slipped off the top of the cream colored box, revealing the splash of silver inside. The dark green lining in the box just made the watch stick out more. I'd heard about them, but never seen one in person. Holding it in my hand seemed like some sort of daydream. But I could run my fingers over the bumps of the Amestrian lion engraved into the front cover, and the latch popped open with swiftness to show me the time inside. The weight of pure silver rolled across my palms as I traded it back between one hand and the other, the chain wavering with each movement.

This is actually mine. On instinct, I started trying to calculate just how much money the thing could get me if I pawned it off. Idiot. You have plenty of money now. You don't have to sell things anymore.

"Again, congratulations," Rosomak said. He glanced to my papers, noticing the notes and scribbles along the edge. "I take it you haven't found your purpose here as easily as you'd hoped."

I ducked my head a bit, trying not to blush. Rito had leaned back in her seat to peer at Rosomak's back but dodged the glare I gave her for eavesdropping. "Well, I knew it wouldn't be easy. I just underestimated the amount of busywork that would need to come before I could start trying to find an outlet for my energy."

Rosomak nodded, a contemplative smile on his face. "Yes, there are plenty of difficulties on the way to finding yourself," he said. I nodded, working on fastening my watch's chain into my jacket. "You're young, so I'm sure you'll work out all sorts of things about yourself while you're here."

"I'll try my best." The fastener secured, I tucked the watch into an inside pocket of my jacket. The weight didn't press into my ribs as much as I'd thought it would, but the presence was still there—the reminder to not just be a dog, but for the people. "If you don't mind me asking, Major General, what made you want to become a State Alchemist yourself?"

"Oh?" Rosomak raised an eyebrow, then chuckled, the laugh warm. "Back then, I was mostly interested in the funding I could get for my research. I couldn't go a day without thinking of some alchemical formula or another, and I supposed that if the government wanted to throw money at people like me, then I'd be remiss to take it."

It was a pretty self-centered reason, but most alchemists I had met in my travels could at least sympathize with wanting more money to support themselves, with the lust of discovery. And even though most seemed to think in terms of using those discoveries and wellbeing to pass the good onto others, Liaoning was one of the few I'd met whose primary goal was to bring a town back to life. Or maybe I was just being cynical.

I tapped the toe of my boot against the ground. "And what about…'be thou for the people'?" I asked, hoping I wasn't pushing into too personal territory. A terror still clung to my insides, of what other alchemists would say about me since I'd joined the ranks of the military's dogs. "Did you ever feel like you were betraying that?"

Rosomak let out a deep hum, closing his eyes for a moment to think. Across the room, Kain chattered into a radio while Falman took notes beside him. Rito tapped a pen against her stretch of table in a nonsensical rhythm. "Back then, I didn't think about such things. Becoming a State Alchemist was the best decision for me at the time." Rosomak adjusted the cuffs of his sleeves. "Then again, I'm a researcher, so I didn't face the same things more combat oriented alchemists did. Struggles like the Ishval Civil War seemed distant to me, even as I helped develop more effective circles for combatants."

I grimaced. Even Rito stopped her fidgeting and looked away. Ishval had happened when I was a child, but I knew plenty from newspapers and word of mouth. Mustang must've been a solider for a long time to have the rank he did now—had he been involved?

"But looking back now, I wouldn't have been able to accomplish as much progress in my research without becoming the Metamorphic Alchemist first. And every piece of progress I've made has been published so that others can learn from it, State Alchemist or no." Rosomak sighed, a touch of age and wisdom glistening in his eyes. "For me, young Miss Caiman, that's my answer of how I've contributed to the people. Of course, the answer that works for me might not work for you, especially as you face the path of a combatant."

"I understand," I said, even though I realized how little I understood. Minor or no, I'd sold myself as a combat piece. As a military nation, the chances of me getting put into some conflict or another seemed high. If I had to face something like that, would I break? "I appreciate your thoughts. It gives me some things to consider on my own."

Rosomak tapped a finger to his temple. "Oh, I have no doubt that brain of yours is working constantly." I almost stuttered at the compliment. "Sometimes you only need to act on what you can do today for the sake of tomorrow. I'd focus on that for the moment. Oh, and…" His palm touched down to the table, on top of my list of scythe materials with a wide grin. "If you ever need more experimental material, don't forget the network of comrades you have available to you. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few other errands to run…"

I almost choked out my farewell as I processed that I'd just been offered access to the nation's leading alchemist's research materials.

[Author's Notes]

My apologies for the slight delay from intended update with this chapter. I had company over the past week, plus Pokemon Sword came out, so you can guess how my weekend turned out. I'm getting this back up as soon as my energy and focus levels balanced out.

Thanks to the unnamed Guest, TwlightNinja00, and HikariTatami for the favorites, follow, and review! I really do enjoy seeing the alerts pop up for this fic.

With that in mind, to the guest reviewer, I'm currently trying to balance out my fanfiction posting between the too many stories I've started, as well as my other work and life responsibilities, so updating this fic every month isn't yet in the cards. I do promise I'm regularly working on it and trying to keep it in the cycle, though. In fact, I'll be posting chapter ten as part of my fanfic anniversary celebration in December.

Mostly this chapter gives transition material, but I'm enjoying filling in a lot of pieces and such in the pre-canon world. Next up will be that exhibition match for Hanna, so please look forward to it!

-Avi

[11.18.2019]