Chapter 3: Exam

The Elric brothers' had awoke the next morning rubbing their eyes a little. Al gets out of his bed and knocks on Edward's bedroom door. All he hears is a groan and Al decides to just open the door and walk in. "Brother…" He calls softly trying not to startle him since he was still tired, but not asleep.

"What do you want Al?" He asks smashing a pillow on to his head. "I wanna go back to sleep, my dear brother!" Ed spat in an annoyingly weary tone. Alphonse sighs and sits in a chair in Edward's room. "Get out…" he says softly to Al, but loud enough so that he can hear since his voice was slightly muffled.

"Bu-" Al's plead is cut off in a second.

Ed pulls the pillow off of his head and stares at Al. "Get out of my room…" he pauses as he yawns, "And I'll get ready, okay?" Ed asks to make sure his brother was okay with it. Al nods smiling happily and walks out of the room, closing the door. Standing up Ed changes his clothes, putting on his black pants and black shirt, placing the black jacket, that was outlined in whitish silver, over the shirt. He opens the door that Al had just moments ago closed and Maria Ross offers to braid his hair, since lately, he has been keeping it in a ponytail just as he had when he crossed the gate. "Sure, I don't mind." Was all he said in reply, sounding as tired as ever.

Sitting at a table in what was probably a kitchen was Alphonse, who was talking to Alicia Hughes, she was just about seven now, but that was just a guess made by Ed and Alphonse. Usually Maes Hughes would go on and on about her, how old she was, what she learned and all that stuff. But, not that Maes was dead it left them only to guesses. It was a good thing not to be continuously informed of this stuff, but, they missed Hughes a lot, and they were regretting not being there to help him. It partially was their fault, as it was their 'sin' that killed him.

"Hey there…" Ed says trying to sound cheerful, as he sits down on a chair while Major Ross braided his hair carefully. His greeting was directed towards Alicia. She smiles at him and waves from the table. Al and her were now playing a game with dice and a makeshift game board. He grins and stands up when Maria taps his shoulder to inform him that she was finished. Walking over to Alicia and Alphonse he looks down at the board. Al had landed on 'go back four spaces' about five times in a row. Ed laughs and then notices that Alicia was about ten spots from completing the game and beating Al. "Sorry to interrupt your game, but Al we have to get going," Ed says expressing a slight feeling of sorrow. He hated to have to stop their game. It was the feeling of 'as if she doesn't have enough sadness to begin with' kind of thing.

Alphonse nods and gets to his feet and smiles gently at Alicia. "We'll continue when I get back." He assures her and then follows Ed who was already making his way out the apartment-like room. Catching up to Ed he looks at his stern expression questioningly. "Ed, is something eating at you?" Al asks curiously in concern for his older brother. He simply shakes his head and continues on, his facial appearance still serious. "Your mad about yesterday? Worried even?" He questions trying to get more out of him instead of just a dumb old shake, shrug, or nod.

He stops in his tracks and looks at Al. "Are you going to keep asking me questions?" Ed says asking a question of his own. "If you don't stop you I'll go straight back to the apartment and you can go to take the State Alchemist Exam on your own." His mind was completely on his behavior yesterday. Now he was beginning to regret stooping low enough to follow such stupid orders given by Mustang, just to have his brother take a damn test. "One more question and mark my words, I'm leaving," grunts Ed speeding up his walking pace as people begin to point and call.

"Looks it's the Full Metal Fool!" One man called laughing with his wife.

A crowd of people began to chant, "Pipsqueak! Pipsqueak!" As if it were to be a call to a dog. "It's the Full Metal Shorty…" One of the men in the crowd says pointing at Ed.

Stopping completely Ed turns to glare at them, his eyes almost hidden by the fierce shadows his face was giving off as his anger flared up. "AHHHH!" He yells loudly as if he was in pain. "WHO'RE YOU CALLING A DWARF, RUNT, MIDGIT SIZED IDIOT!" He roars charging at the man fiercely. Al chases after him and holds him back as he flails around trying to kick at the man who had called him short.

"I didn't…say any of that." The man says, half frightened by Ed's ferocious expression, and half taken aback at how Ed had added so many other words for short without even having heard them come from that man's mouth. "I…I'm sorry…" he mumbles and runs off with his crowd of friends.

"THAT'S RIGHT! RUN YOU LITTLE FREAKS! MESS WITH ME AGAIN AND I'LL.." he is cut off by a sudden rush of pain. Ed drops out of Al's grasp and rolls around on the ground.

Hawkeye stared down at him and sighs. She had kneed him hard between the legs to shut him up. "You really are an FMB…" she says laughing jokingly.

"FMB?" Al says becoming reasonably confounded. He hadn't heard that one yet. Since he had basically heard every little hysterical crack that was shot at Ed.

"Full Metal Baka." She replies plainly watching Ed still rolling around on the ground. "I see this puppy has learned a new trick…" Riza says gently then looks at Al. "Your exam is being held in the large courtyard that your brother and Roy fought in a while ago to renew your brother's status as a State Alchemist," explains Riza who was pointing in the direction that the courtyard existed.

He could see it in the near distance. They had definitely fixed it up a lot since that day. It was now surrounded in a large circle by a variety of different trees in order to conceal it from peering eyes. Some of those eyes were most likely ones that they believed had no business in watching what was being held. "Right…" he says softly looking back at Lt. Hawkeye. "I'll be there in a few minutes Lieutenant." Al informs her with joy.

"Good." Was all she said. Al watches her make her way toward the large circular courtyard. Bending over he grabs his brother's hand and pulls him to his feet where he saw him stagger around and swing back and forth in an attempt to keep himself on his feet. The pain must still have been excruciating since he practically waddled to the courtyard yelping every five steps.

Reaching the outer, tree covered area of the circular enclosed courtyard. Ed moaned in pain as they made their way through the trees. One branch Al had pushed out of the way had lunged back and slammed Ed in the same spot Lt. Hawkeye's knee came to impact. "AHHH!" He flung backwards from the branch and landed in a pile of mud. He growled at Al who ran ahead and saw that there where many people who were going to try to become a State Alchemist.

Ed managed to crawl his way to the grass-covered courtyard in immense pain and sprawled across the floor beside Al. "You…I hate you!" he groaned. Ed said this out of pain, and Al knew it. "You sold me out to a needle a while ago! And now you leave me behind! What next my dear brother!" He says in a loud whisper so that his younger brother could hear him.

He shrugs and sighs looking down at the ground to see his brother covered in mucky mud. "Brother…what are you covered in….?" He asks, awaiting his angry response.

His mouth seems to close, eyes narrowed as he stands up to stare at Al. "What….am I covered in…" He repeats. "MUD!" Ed erupts flailing his arms around trying to fight against the pain. "But! Of course everyone will think I accidentally found a present that one of my fellow 'doggy' friends left me, right!" He exclaims purely annoyed by now. Ed was even ignoring the roll of people whose names were being recognized for how great of an alchemist they were or still are.

The names that were announced were: Major General Maes Hughes, Lt. Colonel Roy Mustang, Second Lt. Riza Hawkeye, Edward Elric, Alex Louis Armstrong, Jean Havoc, amongst many more.

Al went through the test answering questions and transmuting things from regular metal such as tools to creating a large statue that can slightly move around on his command. He was informed that he would be given the State Alchemist's pocket watch to help, just like for every other alchemist, his alchemic drive. They explained to him that through the mail he would receive his State Alchemist name. Examples would be: The Crimson Alchemist, The Full Metal Alchemist, and The Flame Alchemist. His would be something to do with what he specializes in. That 'what' were earth and a little bit of water. It was going to be a strange, semi-difficult decision, but the many state alchemists would decide it.

Please R/R

Thanks:

K40Sohma: Thanks! I'll start on chapter 4...probably later tonight (7/25/05)