PhantomAlchemist: It took a while, but yeah, I updated. –grins- And yes, it must have been very hard, but I see animals do it all the time on Emergency Vets and other Animal Planet documentaries without any problems.

FantasyFreak: Yes, it COULD be worse. It might be, depends on what you guys think of the later chapters. And I'm like that, too. I read it all at once and then have to wait impatiently for the next chapter of volume of something. Like mangas. That happens a lot.

Dragonizer: -squee- Thanks! And, by the way, cats can eat chocolate. Chocolate Pocky, too. Silvie's cat Tetsuya can prove so.

LegacyRBluesummers: It is up on the DA site, actually. For some reason, the website didn't show up. Anyway, yeah. It's under Deviant Art, under the artist Vagabond Priest.

Well, nothing truly funny has happened yet, buuuuut, I'm getting there. About chapter six will have something a bit amusing. –evil grin- Well now, this chapter will have copyrighted beasts in it. My chimeras which I've labored through long hours designing and created, (Okay, only a matter of minutes, but they're still my own personal creatures. MY chimeras!), shall not be stolen. Mine. MY Chimeras, I tell you! And now, more answers to reviews! X3

Unlucky

Chapter Three: Another Mystery

"Well, Brother, I know one thing..."

Ed blinked lazily at him. 'What?' he thought quietly, purring.

"You really are small now, Niisan." He giggled, but not for long. Within seconds, the purring had ceased and Ed was on his brother's head, hissing up a storm.

"What! Small! I'm not small! You make it sound like it was my fault! I'm not a bean-sprout midget!" he snarled, claws scratching up his brother's armor. There were retractable claws built into his new automail, like his normal cat paws, which now left dents and scratches one his brother's silver hued metal.

"Get him offa me!" the boy struggled. The group stood by and laughed, watching the boys struggle around. Things seem to be going to be going back to normal. Sort of.

Ed growled as he felt himself slide and bump around within a cold, metal enclosure. Folding his ears flat against his head, he dug his claws into the metal, trying not to get jumbled around any longer. With a hiss, he growled at his brother.

Alphonse tried to keep walking straight as the hissing and growling emitted from the chest cavity of his armor, with many people looking at him, a very confused look on their faces.

"Ed! Be quite! People are staring..." he whined, turning a corner into an alleyway. He opened the armor, and Ed hopped out swiftly, his claws clattering on the sidewalk. He turned to glare at his younger, yet so much bigger, brother. Flicking his tail, he managed to brush some of the upstanding fur down again with a paw.

For a few minutes, the two sat there and stared at each other, Ed purring angrily as Al remained motionless. Soon, Al gave in to his brother's stubbornness, and decided to get a move on.

"We're supposed to be getting you to exercise that automail, Brother. So we better get going..." he suggested, getting to his feet under the groan of chinking metal. Ed yawned and stretched, forepaws in front of him, rump in the air. Swaying his tail twice, he stood straight once more and shook out his coat. Perking his white-tipped ears, he followed after his brother in a gently trot, metallic claws clicking on the concrete.

Enjoying the sunshine playing on his face and the breeze that brushed through is fur, it wasn't long before he was resting on Al's massive shoulders, basking his underbelly in the pleasant sun warmth. Paws were curled over his chest, and a peaceful purring vibrated from his throat, but his pleasure was cut short as a man bumped into Al, knocking Ed's small form to the ground.

He landed on his paws, but that didn't last very long either, for he was lifted into the air by that man. Ed's eyes widened in shock as he saw an only too familiar face in front of him. Tanned skin. Red eyes. Cross scar. The Ishbalan known as Scar.

He struggled about, hissing, trying to dig his claws into the man's tattooed arm. As Scar grabbed his small feline head into his hand, Ed stood stock still in shock. He stared between the fingers up at him, hanging by his head. His neck was starting to ache after a few seconds, and he burst into movement in those few seconds, the moment Scar's hand began to glow red.

He growled, digging claws into his hand, biting a finger or two. With a gasp of pain and a scowl, Scar had released Ed and the cat darted back to his brother.

"Leave him alone!" Alphonse yelled as he lifted the red form into his hands. "He's done nothing to you, Scar! Why do you keep bothering us?"

"Not you, him. You're not the State Alchemist," he growled, poised for another attack. "Because that...'runt' joined the dogs of the military, he's against Ishbala and my people, and he must pay with his life. You know I can't forgive--" He never finished his sentence.

Once the word 'runt' had registered in his mind, Ed had pounced from his brother's arms, leaping at Scar's face with his claws extended to full length. The last thing he remembered was seeing a full blast of crimson light before all was dark.

Ed blinked his eyes, waking up to a headache for what seemed the umpteenth time. With a moan, he looked around.

Eyes widened in surprise as he glimpsed his brother's once more mutilated armor. Scar was nowhere to be found. When Ed investigated where Scar's scent had ended, the strong scent of a chimera intertwined with it, both shrouding his sensitive nose. Well, there was nothing he could do at the moment, exactly.

With a sneeze, he trotted back to his brother. Sniffing at the trashed metal, he pawed aside the scraps here and there, until he found the helmet, as well as the bloodseal that bound his brother's soul to the armor.

Thank God, he thought as he saw that the seal was unscathed. He sat down on his haunches, sitting up straight as he could, his two forepaws curled up against his chest. Taking those forepaws forwards, he clapped them together with the most effort he could muster, the pad on his left paw barely touching the metal on his right.

With a stressed effort to stay upright, he placed his paws on the armor. He sat there, waiting for the alchemic reaction, for the brilliant flash of light.

None came.

He tilted his little head in frustration and mewed angrily.

Time for plan B.

Using only one claw on his right, forepaw, he began to walk in circles, drawing his transmutation circle: a circle circumscribed with another, two triangles facing opposite directions in the center, one facing up, the other down.

When he had completed the drawing of the Renseijin, he used his paws to bat Al's armor into the circle, then he used his quivering pink nose to nudge the scraps into place.

He wiped his paw across the irritated nose and prepared to place his paws on the circle.

However...

Ed's ears perked and his fur shot on end as a loud, gruff sound emitted from behind him. He turned his head around to see a large bloodhound rushing his way.

"With a sharp intake of breath and a feline yowl, he bolted in the opposite direction, down the path away from the dog. In his attempt to bound away in flight, his four paws landed in the Renseijin, and there was a flash of illuminating light. Ed looked back with such speed that he caused a crick in his neck, but he swished his tail in satisfaction.

Behind him, in the canine's path, stood Alphonse, shaking a fist at the dog's whimpering, retreating form. Ed sneered and snorted once as the bloodhound ran away with his tail between his legs.

Alphonse stood there as good as new, calling after it, "Pick on someone your own size! It's not cool to pick on someone so much smaller than you!"

Ed sat there, jaw agape, taking a minute to absorb Alphonse's comment. With a growl and a shrill hiss, the red-furred feline leapt from the ground to once more attack his brother's head like a flash of lightning.

"Brother--? Aaaaack!"

Who the hell are you calling small? What else you want to call me, huh? Huh? I am NOT small, dammit!

Ed trotted quietly beside Al as the two walked back to HQ, Al filling Ed in on what had happened after he had backed out.

"Well, after Scar had tried to kill you, Ed, I pushed you out of the way, and his attack destroyed my armor. However, I...uh...Well, I had hit you in the head in the process, so that is why you kind of lost consciousness." He let out a laugh that was a tad nervous, and then continued. "Anyway, I was blown to the bits, and Scar was about to finish you, but..."

But! Ed mewed impatiently, head shooting in Al's direction.

"But, of all things, a chimera appears out of nowhere! And to top it all off, it kidnapped Scar! It looked like a white tiger, one with two tails and the build of some massive stature. Oh yes, and a bird's skull kid its face, with many feathers and plumage on its head. It was very shocking!"

Ed blinked in wild surprise as Al described Clause's own chimera. He stood there, unmoving, right in the middle of the front doorway to Central Headquarters, dumbstruck. Alphonse walked inside, turning to wait for Ed.

"Come on, Niisan!" he whispered

With a jerk, he came back to Earth. Shaking his head furiously, he trotted in after Alphonse, his head swimming with odd thoughts.

A/N: Yes, my fanfic happens to take place before Scar is no longer an enemy, and before... -sob- Hughes died. Or I could leave the fact that that had happened out...-shrug- Either way works for me. Hughes was cool. So, as long as he's not dead, then I'm happy. Scar's cool too, even if he did try to kill Ed. Anyways, sorry it had taken so long to update.

I've been writing on another one of my fanfics for InuYasha, and its been awhile since I've been able to get on my computer.

So, what do you guys think? I'm glad some people like it, at least. Chapter three is now finished! Completed chappie, whoo! So, everyone out there who reads, please R&R! Arigatou!