Notes/Disclaimer: I do not own FullMetal Alchemist, it belongs to Hiromu Arakawa, so yay.

Successful Transmutation

"One…two…" She placed her hands on the transmutation circle. Nothing happened. Pushing her hands down, she concentrated every bit of energy on the transmutation. Still nothing. Frustrated, she pushed the objects aside and erased the circle in the dirt with her free hand. Pointing one finger, she redrew it, making sure that everything was right. Slowly, she placed both hands on the edge. Once again, nothing happened. At a loss, she sat down and stared at it, frustration rising within her.

Out of everyone in her family, Armony was the only one who was unable to do it. Her father called it lack of talent. It wasn't right. Selene had the talent, her father had the talent. Then there was Armony, who was unable to do even a simple task. Armony Eselstein was the family failure. Even Edward, who was an incredible alchemist, was unable to teach her.

The usual unnecessary tears came to her eyes. Clenching her teeth and holding them back, she stared up at the night sky. The moon had changed position and for the first time, she was realizing that it was colder out. It had gotten late, but that wasn't an excuse to stop. She couldn't go home, not until she could prove to Edward that she could do alchemy. Ed could do it all effortlessly, and even then he had the patience to teach her. She allowed this stray thought of him to consume her. Silently, in her heart, she hoped that maybe he would be searching for her. Maybe he would find her here.

The odd feelings that arose in her brought her back to reality. Why had she been thinking that, anyway? He was her small, hot-tempered teacher. Why would he even want to look for her? Sighing, she shifted. For now, she needed to concentrate on this transmutation. Clearing her thoughts, she stared at the transmutation circle and the objects scattered in the middle. It was only then that it occurred to her that she was unsure of what she was trying to create. She could always make a…well. Her mind was stuck. What was there to make with string and sheet metal? It wasn't her strong side to be creative. She felt tears of frustration running down her cheeks.

"Armony?" The voice was quiet, weak, and it startled her. An odd noise came out of her throat as she turned to face the person, whoever it was. Wait, was it…? Edward. Edward was standing behind her. Suddenly aware of her tears, she looked away. If there was one thing she would prevent him from seeing, it was her crying. "What are you doing out here so late?" No response. She used her sleeve and tried as subtly as possible to wipe the tears away. "Armony?" This time, his voice was a bit louder. Finally, she turned to face him.

"Er, Hi, Ed. I was just practicing alchemy, that's all…" her words sounded unconvincing, but at least it was something. Edward squatted down beside her and stared at the array. Nervousness overcame her as she watched his eyes scanning it.

"What were you trying to make with string and scrap metal?" He looked clearly confused.

"Something…" She said, trying to give an answer that made a little sense. It would be awkward to say that she didn't know either. Their eyes met briefly and she noticed how lifeless they looked. "Edward, what are you thinking about?"

"Oh, um, nothing! It's nothing important so you really shouldn't worry about it, okay?" He was always stubborn, as was she. Tonight, they didn't really question it. There was less fighting and more silence, maybe because they were tired. Maybe it was because they were both thinking over things. Maybe it was none of the above.

"Hey, Ed?" She broke the silence first, looking back at him. He glanced up at her questioningly. "Thank you. For someone small, you really are strong." She smiled at him, but his expression was the polar opposite.

"For the last time, stop calling me…" He started, but his rage was stopped quickly by an unsuspected movement. Quickly, Armony moved and touched her lips to his. As this took place, Edward stopped in shock of what was going on. When she backed away, his face was bright red. "Hey, what the hell was –that- for!" The response was half anger, half confusion.

"Can't a girl kiss someone she loves!" Her reply was at the same level as his. After it, they both fell silent, red-faced. Well, if there was any confusion about her feelings, it was gone now. He cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure.

"Armony…" His mouth tried to form words, but they didn't come out. She moved in and kissed him again, this time allowing it to linger. This time around, he leaned in slightly, giving in to his own impulses. He turned a brighter shade of red as she moved away the second time.

Edward snapped out of his daze quickly. "You…really need sleep. It's late anyway." Quickly, he gathered her things and began to lead her back home. She followed obediently, but couldn't help but notice his eyes on her, watching her movements, watching the girl who had just admitted her love to him and kissed him twice.

"Ed, if you want to do something, then just do it." Her words were blunt, hiding her hopes. Strangely, she felt a shock through her body as Edward turned and kissed her back. Impulse took over as she moved into it, putting her arms around him. The objects Armony had been trying to transmute fell out of Edward's hand, soon to be forgotten. This was something that required no thought, only willingness. This time, they were both more than willing.

"Come on, let's get you home." He broke away from her, suddenly realizing what he was doing. "We shouldn't be doing this at all." There was another silence as they continued back to her home, every so often locking eyes. Edward's hand would brush hers and they would both pull back slightly. They wanted to continue, but they were afraid to here.

When they finally did arrive, Edward closed the door to her room behind him. Neither Al nor Professor Wilhelm could find them here, not now. Casting a nervous glance at the door, he locked it. "We can't tell anyone about this, okay?" Edward asked in a whisper. She nodded in understanding.

"We're just studying…alchemy, that's all. We're studying alchemy that…um…" she trailed off.

"Alchemy that involves quite a bit of experimenting and testing?" Edward asked, and she nodded. "That's what I thought. We're just studying alchemy."

"Then how does it work?" There was a confused look in her eyes as she looked at him. She almost looked as if she were inwardly begging him to teach her something new to practice, something alchemic. Was it even possible to learn this thing that they were doing, or was it only able to be controlled by uncontrollable feelings and impulsive trial-and-error?

"Well…" he snatched a book off of her desk and pretended to look at it while really hiding his face. It did very little to hide the slight blush on his face. To her, he looked somewhat embarrassed. Oops, maybe she shouldn't have asked that question. "The reasons behind it are unknown, but it is known that the best way to do this alchemy…" He closed the book. "…is experimentation." The sentence was punctuated with his lively grin.

"Well, should we try it?" Eyes not leaving him, she grabbed a piece of chalk.

"Oh, and there are two conditions. One, this can't leave the room. Telling anyone else will make it invalid, and two, you don't need a transmutation circle." He touched his hands together for effect.

"Hmm, whatever you say, Shorty." Armony then smiled as Edward's anger levels rose rapidly.

"FOR THE LAST TIME, DON'T CALL ME SHORT!" With that, he tackled her. She simply fell back on the bed, laughing at him. He lay there, glaring at her for a fleeting moment before he realized what position they were in. "Gah!" He jumped up again spastically.

There was a long silence, and Edward glanced back at Armony, his face going red again. His annoyed expression wasn't holding up well. Silence remained as they once again locked eyes and then turned away. She had an odd little smile on her face. He couldn't help but notice it; She could tell by his expression.

Somehow, that was convincing enough. He sat down beside her again. "Should we start now?" he asked, clearing his throat.

"Yes." It was a simple answer for a simple question. Slowly, cautiously, he moved to face her. She made the same motion. For a second time, they sat there in silence, observing.

Edward was the first to move. He put his hands on her waist and moved close, unsure of himself and the situation. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "This is right, right?" She asked him. He paused a moment, thinking it over himself, and then he nodded.

"Perfect." They stared, but it only lasted briefly. They moved into each other slowly, trying to make this work as accurately as possible. After all, one mistake could make one thing something entirely different.

The moment before their lips touched, Armony did the same thing she had done earlier in the night, when her transmutation had done nothing. The only difference was that this time, Edward was the cause of the cutoff.

"One…two…" Another difference. This time, it was a very successful transmutation.

A/N: Hopefully that didn't imply the wrong thing...it probably did, but ah well. Please review this, and I have a confession to make which may explain any and all OOC: I have yet to play this game. Sorry. Hee.