Chapter Three: The Brigadier's Agenda.

As Ed lay awake in bed, staring at the ceiling like he often did, he heard a sound. A creaking of the hardwood floor, barely anything, sounded like a shotgun blast in the pure silence. Ed stayed there, waiting to try and guess who it was. He guessed it was right above him, being either Tsukenta or more likely that freak InuYasha. Ed then heard a window being opened and soon expected to see a rope or something.

Instead a red blur dropped down and started jumping off into the distance. Ed was up in instant, leaving Al behind, and was out his own window. He bolted after Inu, expecting that he stole something or was up to no good. He soon realized that he was running along the path to where his house used to be. He suddenly stopped and felt the wind blowing full in his face.

At the top of the hill was InuYasha. He just stood there, looking down, his back towards Ed. Ed slowly crept up the hill, darting behind trees and such, to see what was happening without being discovered. He heard faint whispers being carried by the wind, but couldn't make them out. Soon he was pretty close and was able to see that Inu was standing with his fists clenched, muttering angrily. Ed caught what sounded like, "…stupid monk, stupid fox, stupid Kagome, stupid, stupid Kagome. If you never went through the bone eaters well, this never would have happened!"

Inu's voice trailed off and his head snapped upwards. He sniffed the air and Ed now felt the breeze was now hitting his back. "IRON REAVER, SOUL STEALER!" The tree that Ed was hiding behind was suddenly torn apart by four invisible forces. Ed ducked and rolled away. He clapped his hands and touched his automail arm, transmuting it into a blade. He ran at Inu and then jumped into the air, ready to launch an aerial attack. Instead of dodging, like Ed expected Inu pulled out his sword and parried the blow.

"What the hell are you doing here, Runt?" Ed didn't answer with words, instead he launched another attack. This time Inu jumped into a nearby tree and then jumped into the air. He clapped his hands in mid air, and then with one hand made a downward slash of his claws. "IRON REAVER, SOUL STEALER!" This time Ed saw that he was creating four vacuums at once with his claws and sending them forward, ripping apart anything they hit. Ed clapped his hands and hit the ground. A wall suddenly sprung up, that stopped the vacuums, even as it crumbled under their force.

Inu landed nearby and matched Ed's new attack with his own. As their faces were right next to each other they glared into each others eyes. Inu held on to the tetsusaiga with one hand and suddenly reached over to Ed's shoulder. He suddenly twisted Ed's arm at the socket and twisted. He then pulled Ed's arm out and promptly threw it to the side. Ed let out a loud yell and collapsed to his knees. Inu sheathed his sword and held out his hand to Ed.

"Don't sneak up on me." Ed looked up with his eyes filled with amazement and something else. Fear? Inu thought. "How did you know? How did you do that?" Ed sounded helpless as Inu helped him to his feet. "I could smell where your flesh ended. I also saw how Tsukenta's leg was attached, so I assumed it was the same with your arm, and by the smell of it, your leg."

Ed looked at him in disbelief. "You smelled my what?" Inu pointed to his ears and twitched them. "My ear's aren't a fashion. They are actual dog ears. I have the sense of smell too." Comprehension dawned on Ed. "You're a chimera then. Its totally obvious, not like the ones Tucker and the military created." Inu just shook his head and said, "No, that's what Tsukenta thought at first too. I'm a demon, and I'm not from here…"

Inu went into detail and told Ed of his past and how he came to be in Amestris and why he snuck out to see Ed's house. Ed nodded his head in understanding when Inu talked about the gate and his trip to the other side, being Amestris. At the end of the story, Ed realized he had a new comrade, one who also is in search for the philosopher's stone, only for a different reason. As they walked back to Pinako's, Inu holding Ed's disembodied arm, they both realized that they would become traveling partners, and this was the precursor to a new chapter in both of their lives.

Authors Note:

once again, not a full chapter. just the begining. lately i haven't had the initiative to write, but i felt a little guilty, so here is the first installment of the third chapter, in which i hope to introduce the main plot. If all goes acording to plan, the main villain will be forshaddowed, if not make an appearance. My character will make his intro as a person, not an apostrophe, hence the chap. title. we will also go into a little detail involving Tsukenta's and Roy's rivalry. well until next eve i post...-J.T.