Hey everyone! I finally updated! This chapter is REALLY long. In fact, its actually 2 chapters in one but I couldn't find a place to split it so I just hung onto it a little longer and finished the second part. Hope you guys enjoy. Let me know if my writing is getting too long and drawn out. I have a tendency to get too detailed, to the point where it drags the story out and makes it a slow and boring read. Also if I get too out of character let me know. I'm trying to keep the integredy of the series as best as possible. This is roughly the halfway point in the story. I'm trying to work Chimera back in and of course Ed and Al are in this chapter (though they don't play a big part... yet)
Oh... Some questions to answer.
1. Why does Sage refer to Morrison as her 'brother' when they are not related and Sage clearly states she was a foster child?
Nina refers to Ed as 'big brother' in the series when he was just a temporary guest. Sage lived with Morrison for years and they were pretty close. Why wouldn't she call him 'brother'?
2. This isn't really a question so much as an author's comment. For those that have read the spoilers or seen the end of the series and know what the 'truth behind truths' is, you might already see some significance and connections in the story. I'm doing my best not to spoil things for those who want to wait and seen the 2nd half of the English version.
3. Sorry to dissappoint some of you guys but Roy's 29. I'm not making this up. It says so in the manga. Read it! I guestimated Kain at around early to mid twenties. Certainly no older then 24 or 25. Havoc and Hawkeye look to be about the same age as Roy so I just kinda implied that.
The Sage Alchemist CH 6:
High Treason and the Phantom Sage Alchemist
In her semi-lucid state, she was only vaguely aware that she was hurt. Her head swam, caught in the feverish delirium of semiconsciousness. Sights, sounds, smells; they all bled together while thoughts and memories seethed into an incoherent string as all sense of time escaped her. In her earlier rage she had nearly lost control of herself, nearly been consumed by hate and wrath. It was terrifying, like being trapped in someone else's terrible nightmare. She was frightened of what she had done, of what she could have done. She bore no grudge against most of her fellow soldiers as most were just doing their jobs, unfortunate pawns in this abominable atrocity. Her memory was a fuzzy blur, self awareness coming back in waves. Someone was shouting to her in the darkness. Wake up! Wake up damn it! Was it her? Wake up! She was so tired, so weak. She finally relaxed and gave in just as a drowning victim resigns to the sea; her body and mind collapsing in unison and subsequently reuniting with each other. So this is what its like to die. It was remarkably peaceful.
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"You had us worried there for a minute." Sara commented as the young woman propped against her kitchen wall began to stir. "You've been unconscious for nearly four hours." She could tell by the Corporal's expressions that she was in a great deal of pain. There were deep punctures in her right shoulder that pierced all the way through and out her back, a hole in her hand most likely from a gunshot wound, and there was a bullet lodged in her left leg around mid calf. Every muscle had seized up from the red lightening causing her broken body to tremble from time to time as she lay unconscious. While Corporal Morrison was incapacitated Sara had done her best to massage the tension from her limbs in an effort to lessen the agony she knew was coming.
"Where's my unit?" Morrison asked through clenched teeth, downcast eyes hidden by the shadow of her bangs.
"Putting out fires, helping the wounded... doing you proud as usual." She took a cold washcloth and continued to wipe the blood, sweat, and grime from the woman's feverish face. "You know, people are calling them the jewel of Pascolo. Fitting, like a diamond in the rough. They've done a lot of good for this community. Can't say the same for the rest of the military but I should hope your unit is a model for everyone else." Finally Morrison relaxed and much to her suprise even managed a brief, weak smile.
"Where's Tristen?" She asked, once again serious and grave. Sara was touched that she had remembered her daughter's name.
"She's asleep now. I made her spend the night in the wine cellar underneath our feet." There was a long silence as Sara once again tended her wounds while the exhausted, injured woman drifted in and out of consciousness. The stab wounds to her shoulder and upper chest were once again bleeding profusely and needed to be rewrapped. Those piercings had come real close to puncturing a lung and for the life of her, she could not figure out what the hell the poor girl had gotten herself into. Her shredded uniform jacket and undershirt suggested some sort of knife fight while her punctures resembled to bite of an animal or the pattern made by a human hand. Even stranger was her bloodstained cloak that strangely bore no sign of damage at all. Morrison grunted as she tightened the fresh bandages for the last time and tied them off. The woman protested weakly as she rolled up a bloodied pant leg.
"You shouldn't worry about me." Sara was beginning to loose her patience as she tried to clean the obstinate girl's wound. " Really... you don't need to..."
"Yes I do." She snapped. "Now sit still! Your only making this worse." Such a stubborn woman! I find her unconscious and bleeding to death and she wants to argue about it! "This is going to hurt a bit." Morrison clenched her teeth and writhed as she widened the hole. "Sorry. I guess it hurts a lot." Still the young woman endured without a sound, holding her leg completely prone as Sara pried the bullet out with a sterilized kitchen knife. Thankfully the shell was intact had avoided splintering or chipping the bone, allowing the pristine piece of metal to pop out easily.
"I saw you using alchemy to put out the fires in the fields. You didn't use a circle." Sara stated as she applied pressure to the leg. "Even people who don't use arrays still have to create a circle by clapping their hands or some other similar motion. Your alchemy, all that energy; you weren't just controlling it, you were a part of it. And that wasn't only alchemy you were doing either." Morrison smiled, looking mildly impressed. "You were summoning something."
"Your must have an open, flexible mind and a sharp intuition. Not many people can sense that on their own without any experience or practice and even fewer can interpret the sensation." Sara rested against the wall next to her guest. They must have looked like quite the pair; both blood covered, disheveled, and exhausted. After a moment, curiosity got the better of her.
"So who's Kain?" Morrison seemed caught off guard by her question.
"Er... he and I both work for Colonel Mustang back in Eastern City. He's kinda shy and soft spoken so I really didn't get to know him well until recently."
"You sounded quite fond of him in your sleep." She didn't think it was possible for someone so blood drained and pale to become so red.
"He writes me every day."
"How romantic."
"...I know." The woman closed her eyes and leaned her head back.
"...so... is he handsome?" The Corporal's dreamy half lidded expression spoke for itself.
In the silence, they could hear the sound of birds chirping in the dark hours before dawn. Gunfire had died out long ago, shortly before she had found the Corporal in a pool of blood in the middle of the country road. There was something that was still bothering her, something that had been nagging her for some time.
"The Phantom of Pascolo, the person one that's been helping the people behind the military's back, its you isn't it?"
"You caught me."
"And the ghostly rumors and sightings, its not just an illusion or a trick. You really are a phantom."
"In a manner of speaking."
"Mommy?" Tristen asked, eyes shinning in the light of a candle lantern as her head poked from the hidden hatch in the floor. "I couldn't go back to sleep." Sara went and lifted her girl from the trap door.
"Well its almost morning, why don't we go ahead and make breakfast? Corporal Morrison, would you like..."
She was gone.
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Roy stood in front of Sage's dorm with the master key in hand. He could not shake that strange feeling in the pit of his stomach, that slight twinge of anxiety. Over the weeks he had found himself standing in front of her room several times but he always managed talk himself out of going in. At last his self restraint had reached its limit. There was something nagging at him that he could no longer ignore. He had worked closely with the girl eight to ten hours a day for nearly two months yet just when he thought he had her figured out... well, that was Sage for you. While he could not explain it, Roy just knew something was very wrong and he was growing increasingly more concerned for his young assistant. Never one to sit around when he felt any of his subordinates were at risk, Roy had taken it upon himself to fish for some answers. The door refused to budge, blocked by something very heavy. However the entrance to the adjacent room, also registered in her name, opened without trouble. He couldn't help but notice the motorbike that was being stored near the door while its owner was away.
"I see my money's being well spent..."
Her room was simple enough though a lot more customized then a typical military dorm with a settled appearance that was rare for one of such a 'mobile' occupation and lifestyle. All the furniture, with the exception of a small coffee table, had been pushed against the walls and Roy was impressed with the amount of free space. It was open and airy and gave the illusion that the room was much larger. Her bed was pushed underneath the windows, providing an additional back to lean against and making use of natural light for reading or whatever other things she did in her spare time. A banner bearing the crest of the military and the yellow bar of Eastern Region hung over a small fold up bookshelf. Various decorations and possessions littered the room in an unobtrusive, semi-ordered fashion; potted plants he could not begin to name, works of art left unfinished, loose books wandering hithero out of place, colorful maps of Amestris and beyond, and several objects that were so foreign he could not even begin to wonder what they were. He was particularly fascinated and distracted by a suitcase sized box near the adjoining door that made occasional noises from time to time. (AN: its a refrigerator for those who haven't figured it out) Damn it, focus! What the hell's got me so scatterbrained? He willed himself back to his feet and unlocked the divider but like the other entrance, would not open easily. Something was in the way. Throwing his weight into it, he succeeded in tumbling into an undignified heap after the third try.
Roy felt like he had trespassed on to sacred ground, that his presence somehow defiled the sanctity of this unique untouched space. The first thing that hit him was an overwhelming, pungent smell that burned his nose and made his eyes tear. Something crunched underneath his boots and by the way it glittered, he first thought he had trampled onto broken glass.
"Salt?" This is getting stranger by the moment. Unfamiliar symbols were scratched into the door frame and streaks of something red were smeared across the mantle and inner handle. It had to be oil of some sort by the smell of it. Roy sighed as he casually traced the etchings. "That can't be good for the door."
The array of junk within was mind boggling. It was as if he had walked into some fantastic book, every page at once that is. Candles, loose herbs and other plant matters, semiprecious stones and gems, colorful fabrics and tapestries, jars of powders and other various things, sticks of incense left unburnt in their censers, wind chimes that eerily clattered from time to time in the unmoving air, bits and pieces of incomplete projects and experiments that were mostly beyond the grasp of his understanding, research notes and materials left open and strewn about as if their owner had only just stepped out; this was just a small sampling of the clutter mixed in haphazardly amongst the small library worth of literature.Every inch of free wall space was occupied by shelves and book casings the largest of which covered the far stretch of wall completely blocking all sunlight and masking the existence of windows altogether. Three flags hung above a familiar hardwood desk to the right of the entrance; France, Spain, and the United States. The center emblem matched the the patch the young Corporal had sternly refused 'come hell or high water' to remove from her uniform jacket.
"Hmph. Americans sure have a fetish for flags."
Only now did he recognize the desk below as the one he'd destroyed during an arguement with the obstinate teenager herself. He'd forgotten he was still wearing his gloves and well... long story short never slam your fist onto a wooden desk if your the Flame Alchemist. Only now did he realized he'd been tricked. Still, organics was an extremely tricky field of alchemy even for the most skilled of alchemists and he was mildly impressed with her handiwork. "Hmm?" A card labeled 'ROY' in bold letters was tied to a rather large amount of mail.
"Eastern symphony orchestra?" It was a check." 'Pay to the order of Colonel Mustang'." In fact every envelope contained money. Bars, restaurants, Jazz clubs, art dealers; he could see Sage had been very busy. It was all for him, every cent that had been borrowed from his account and even a little extra as 'payment for his aggravation'. Rummaging around some more he came across many sketches and what appeared to be blueprints of several of those flying contraptions Sage always talked about. Thoughts, opinions, and complex mathematical equations he could not even begin to solve were scribbled all over stacks of notes and material lists. Occasionally the word 'does not exist' would appear next to an item with notations about suitable replacements. Papperclipped to the stack was a deed to a piece of land, about one hundred acres or so, in a sparsely populated area outside of the city. A perfect place to hide a project like this. I don't believe it, she's actually trying to build one of these things.
Another desk had been devoted entirely to alchemic studies. Some of the literature in the nearest case were extremely old and long out of print. Books open to important pages lay piled upon one another, notes lay scattered about, studies conducted by other alchemists had been dissected and analyzed, and various illustrations and diagrams were left floating around amongst the clutter. He was not liking what he was seeing. Soul bindings, human transmutation, biological alchemy of the forbidden kind, the oraborus; none of this bode well. Ah! Sage what the hell are you getting yourself into! Don't you know this is taboo? There were several large packets of research stacked neatly to the side of everything else. The Complexities of Organics in Alchemic Transmutations? Medicinal Applications of Alchemy? Out of curiosity he flipped through one of the booklets. This is good, very good. Her grasp of cutting edge scientific principles was incredible, as if it was second nature or elementary knowledge, and her theories were simply genius. There was one last packet labeled 'PRIVATE' in bold letter heading with the word 'Elrics' written hastily in Sage's smooth handwriting. What the hell could this be?
"Bark!" Roy's heart jumped into his throat as none other then Black Hayate plowed into him. There in the doorway was Riza Hawkeye, looking completely unfazed by his presence and stoic as ever.
"What are you doing here?" he blurted out suddenly, feeling the need to say something.
"Watering the plants." Roy slumped back into his chair with a relieved sigh. He'd nearly jumped out of his skin. "Sage said you'd wander in here eventually."
"She did now did she?" One upped by a teenage girl. If that was not a blow to his pride then nothing was.
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The envelope bearing Sergeant Major Kain Feury's name sat untouched where it had been left. With the barracks deserted, Sage stole away to the privacy of her room to saver the lines of print in solitude and silence. His words were comforting, sincere, and genuine and at the moment that was better for her injuries then any medicine. In his letters, he was uninhibited by shyness and his words flowed with passion and confidence.
I received your latest letter today. It seems like you have your hands full in Pascolo. Hawkeye has been kind enough to forward any new information the Colonel receives regarding conditions on the peninsula (she's been unusually nice lately for some reason). I worry about you constantly but I know you are a strong, resourceful person and a capable leader. Your comrades are most fortunate to have you and they should be honored to serve with you. Still, I feel the absence of your presence more everyday and would give anything in the world just to see your face or hear the sound of your voice. You are deeply missed here in Eastern and we all (even the Colonel) look forward to your return.
It was amazing how eloquent he was with the written word. One would never know he was so poetic underneath his timid, soft spoken exterior. There was something else still inside the envelope. A little shaking and out slid a beautiful pendant on a sterling silver chain made of two pieces of metal that had been melted together into one medallion. One side was silver, a beautiful stylized moon carved into its surface, while the other side was gilded in gold and bore a brilliant sun.
I came across this and thought of you.
Sage was stunned. It was the perfect gift, symbolic and personal on so many levels. The alchemic, metaphysical and spiritual significance alone showed that Kain had put a lot of thought and care into it. That alone made it more special then any engraving or piece of metal. She read through the rest of the letter as he talked of more casual things. Nothing of great interest had happened in Eastern since his last letter. Jean had broken her refrigerator again but Kain had managed to fix it as usual. She had to admit, he was quite talented with machines and technology. Given an afternoon, he could usually figure out on his own how the various gadgets in her own era worked. Knowing she was a foreigner, he talked about all the places he wanted to take her upon her return, things he wanted to show her. She signed as she started what would be her last letter to Eastern. This conflict in Pascolo had gone on long enough. She saw through the corruption in the chain of command, she knew what Brigadier General Lyon was doing. She also knew that no one was coming to help the people of the peninsula, keeping the peace and securing the border had just been a front. Sage knew what she had to do. What Lyon was doing was nothing short of criminal and if she didn't do something quick there would be no Pascolo left to defend; if she didn't stop this madness, no one would. There was still so much to do first...
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It was nearly five in the morning when Private Douglas wandered back to the barracks, exhaustion being an understatement at this point. He was very worried for his superior. After a busy night of putting out fires, tending the wounded, and helping people get safely back to their homes, Mathew had still found no trace of her. Admitting he would be of little use to anyone in his current condition, he resigned himself to some desperately needed rest though he doubted he'd ever get to sleep after what he'd seen and heard that night. It was sickening to say the least. Rage ate and gnawed at his stomach and made him want to vomit. He was disgusted and appalled by the actions of the military and secretly he was glad that nearly five units of soldiers had been incapacitated by that Phantom character. In the past, the few people to challenge the Phantom had barely lived to tell of it and now he had seen first hand what that thing was capable of. If it could do that, then it was truly a force to be reckoned with. Shame it didn't just kill those bastards. It certainly would have been easier and quicker then individually disarming everyone.
One or two other soldiers were already in bed, completely dead to the world, but the majority of his unit were still out and about. There was a light on somewhere and in the silence Mathew could hear a rhythmic dripping noise like that of a leaky faucet. He took his dirty boots off at the door and followed the faint glow in search of the source. That noise was getting annoying too. He had enough distractions within his own head and didn't need external help to keep him awake. The light in his superior's office was still on, just as she had left it earlier that evening. The last thing Mathew Douglas expected to find was the Corporal herself sitting curled up in her desk chair like a wounded bird; legs drawn up within a bloodstained cloak that hung unfastened around her shoulders like great folded wings.
"Sir! Thank God your all right!" But she wasn't all right. The noise he had been hearing was actually the sound of thick blood dripping onto the concrete floor. It ran from her fingertips in a constant stream, the dead weight that was her right arm hanging uselessly at her side. She looked to be asleep; her breathing slow and regular, body limp and relaxed, and her head resting lightly on her knees. Pulling the cloak off her shoulders he saw the source of the dripping, a hole that had been blown through her right hand. Mathew blushed fiercely when he realized she wasn't wearing a shirt. It wasn't like he could see anything but it was still a bit... awkward there for a moment. Blood oozed through the wrappings and seeped out the top and bottom. Her pant leg was rolled up and revealed dressings in similar condition. There was blood all over the floor in front of her her desk and near her bunk and there were smears all over her paperwork as if she'd been looking for something. A bottle of wine lay half empty on her desk and an envelope was clutched tightly in her left hand.
"Go to sleep Private. I can take care of myself." He must have jumped at least three feet in the air. She was awake?
"Why didn't you tell me you were conscious!" he yelled, forgetting his place.
"That's an order Private!" Her tone was frightening to say the least. Her body tensed in pain as she spoke through clenched teeth, her breathing becoming ragged and irregular. Mathew made himself at home on Sage's cot; the woman's piercing, unreadable stare fixated on him. It was remarkable how animalistic that gaze was, like locking glances with a red eyed wolf. Wait... red? He blinked and saw brilliant emerald.
"You never said it had to be my bed." She was obviously not amused.
"Care for a drink as long as your here?"
"Don't mind if I do. What's the occasion?" She was already changing into her old traveling clothes, brown paints and a white fitted shirt. As she adjusted her rust colored cloak it once again became the trademark bell-sleeved, ankle-length green outer garment she had been wearing when they had first met. He had to be seeing things.
"I'm leaving."
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A single boat made its way across the river under the shadow of early morning. Green uniformed men held their rifles at the ready to intercept the intruder.
"Looks like another refugee." The hooded figure extended a hand and was helped up.
"I need to see whoever is in charge." The soldiers laughed but the figure replied with a sterner, colder voice that sent chills down their spines. "People are dying and you dare laugh at my request? If you want to avoid a war and stop this useless quarrel you will take me to your superiors now. Refuse and I shall seek them out myself."
"Watch your tone refugee. On what grounds do you think you can order us around?"
The silver watch spoke for itself.
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"Arr! Damn it! Another dead end!" Ed kicked a rock angrily, the stoney projectile ricocheting off a mailbox and beaning Al in the head with a hollow clank.
"Brother!" Al scolded the scowling teenager as he readjusted his head. Ed trudged down the country road with his shoulders slumped over, arms swinging limply as he dragged his feet one agonizing step after another.
"Sorry Al." Ed apologized as he moaned in exasperation. "We're getting nowhere with all these dry leads. At this rate we'll never get our bodies back." Al reassured his older brother like he always did in this situation and by the time they reached the nearby farming town Ed was back into his usual spirits. As they neared the small train station, the younger Elric noticed quite a few people milling about that afternoon, all seeming to be on edge about something.
"I haven't heard from my friend in almost a month."
"This whole fiasco has really messed up my business."
"I've got some land down there that I can't even get to. Whole crop's ruined, probably picked bare by looters at this point."
"Price of grain's gona go sky high with this blockade."
"I really feel for those poor people on the peninsula." Ed happened to overhear bits and pieces of the unsettled chatter as he purchased a refreshment from one of the local watering holes.
"Hey, what's all the commotion about?" He asked curiously and received strange looks from some of the other customers.
"You haven't heard? Where the hell you been kid? Its only talk of the entire Southern region!" Yelled a weather worn old farmer type.
"Sorry Gramps but we're not from around here. Just passing through." Ed continued to slurp his drink passively. Al was reserved as usual, having long ago learned to ignore his brother's questionable manners.
"Figures. No one outside of Southern gives a damn about the Areugan conflict. What concern is it to the rest of the country if the border towns bite the dust?"
"Areugo? Sounds serious." His straw ran dry and Ed busied himself with delicately examining his cup in search of the elusive last drop.
"Military hasn't done a damn thing except muck things up even more. Conditions in Pascolo keep getting worse and worse by the day."
"Pascolo...?" Al thought out loud. "That sounds familiar for some reason."
"Yeah, it does now that you mention." Ed replied nonchalantly, although his interest in the conversation had perked up a bit with the vague recollection.
Another of the locals, a scruffy looking man of about forty, decided to speak up as he lit a cigarette. "Can't figure out why Areugo would suddenly stir up all this trouble. Either way, the stalemate can't last forever. Southern keeps sending more and more troops there by the day."
"Well its not doing any good!" Shouted an exhausted looking woman who seemed to be deeply distressed by the whole matter. Hearing the faint whistle of their approaching train, Ed nimbly hopped from his barstool.
"That sounds like us Al. We better get going if we want to make it back to Eastern by the end of the week." He dusted himself off out of habit and paid his tab as Al stood with a metallic shuffling sound.
"Yes, the Colonel is expecting us." He rolled his eyes.
"Pff. I'll report in when I damn well feel like it. This wild goose chase was all Mustang's fault."
The man with the cigarette did a double take. "You know the Flame Colonel?"
"Unfortunately." Ed muttered under his breath. "I work for the bastard."
"Hmph." He said as he unfolded his newspaper. "Your awful young to be working for the military."
The old guy had gotten out of his seat and was examining him more closely with a curious, inquisitive expression.
"Kinda small for a soldier..." Al jerked. Uh oh...
"Who you call'n so short he'd get lost in the grass you withered old geezer!" Al just shook his head as he drug his brother kicking kicking and screaming by the scruff of his jacket, less they miss their ride back to Eastern City.
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Roy slouched back in his desk chair leaning on his elbow like he often did, face cradled by his thumb and index finger. He imagined he looked pretty unprofessional at the moment, his tousled hair and discarded jacket thrown haphazardly over the couch not helping his image. Frankly he was too tired to care and at this point, the thought of an angry Hawkeye was almost inviting. Perhaps she would end his suffering and put a bullet in him once and for all. The voice of his best friend could be heard coming from the phone held away from his ear. It was useless to try to shut him up as nothing could stifle his cheerful banter and hanging up was pointless as Hughes would just call back five minutes later. So instead he held the receiver to the side and waited to see if Maes would figure out he wasn't listening. Sometimes it was best just to let him say his piece and get it out of his system so that they could move onto more pressing matters. Frankly, it was a well needed diversion from the massive amount of work he still had left to finish.
"But enough about my daughter!" Finally "I think Sage is really onto something with this whole Pascolo thing."
"Go on..." Hughes had his attention now.
"Well, we both know Areugo's the bad guy right? What with closing the border and all, a clear violation of the trade agreement. At least it appears that way on the surface. The tariff reports tell a completely different story. The import/export taxes Amestris has on Areugan goods are through the roof. No one can afford to buy from or sell to us."
"So the burden was eventually siphoned off to the consumers, right?"
"Bingo. Nasty little corner those border towns got pushed into if you ask me. Whole market bottomed out. Closing the borders was the only way to keep the people from being bled dry by the sudden tax increases." Roy was impressed.
"Sounds like someone's skimming off the top."
"Definitely. Seems there's a loophole in the treaty that allows for unregulated tariff increases and Brigadier General Lyon's name keeps turning up everywhere. He was the one that authorized everything."
Roy huffed. "I never figured you for an economist."
"You kidding? I don't know the first thing about business. This is all Sage. I'm just reading off her notes. You should see the volume of stuff she's sent me. Everything's written in in code, completely unbreakable! If it were not for that multilingual dictionary she sent me I'd still be sorting through gibberish."
"Multilingual dictionary?" What the hell is Maes talking about?
"I don't know how she does it but somehow Sage has figured out how to reproduce books and a few other things from her own world. Everything she sends me is written in other languages from her world for confidentiality. Its brilliant! Even with the dictionary it took me weeks to sort out just this much of it and some of my translations are pretty terrible." He could tell by the excited tone that Maes had obviously taken a real shine to linguistics. "When you come to Central in a few weeks, I'll have some more of this translated. You've really got to see this for yourself, its absolutely mind blowing."
"Hmm." Roy casually thought out loud. "That explains a lot." He'd found quite a bit of strange unexplainable stuff when he searched her room earlier that morning (AN: There's a time difference so while it was like 4 in the morning in Pascolo, it was around 7 in Eastern) and a good bit of her non alchemic related paperwork was encoded in case of prying eyes. And then there were those complicated looking, note scribbled blueprints for a variety of those flying contraptions Sage talked about so much. One set was over fifty pages long and was far to complicated to have been designed and drawn from scratch in the time she had spent in Eastern.
"I'm telling you, that kid is too smart for her own good. I might just have to steal her from you and put her to work in investigations."
"Not if I can help it." He snapped, but he couldn't help but sound slightly bemused. "I'm not about to give up the best assistant I've ever had."
"Hahaha! Just listen to us, two friends fighting over a girl. Never thought I'd see the day." At this point they were both laughing.
"As much as I'd like to chat some more, I've unfortunately stalled for about as long as I can afford to."
"That reminds me! I have to finish up a few more things myself if I want to take off early. The family and I are going out to dinner tonight." Oh no, please don't start start talking about Elysia again. Thankfully he didn't. "Oh... and one more thing... get a wife!" Roy slammed the phone down angrily. Hawkeye chose the moment to return to her desk, raising a brow in responce to his irked scowl and disheveled appearance. The phone rang again.
"What!" A young sounding male voice stuttered nervously on the other end. "Who is this?" he asked in restrained, less aggravated tone.
"Mustang sir... uh Colonel... er Colonel sir..." Roy chuckled.
"Slow down there. You sound like you've been rehearsing this."
"This is Private Mathew Douglas first battalion unit three, Pascolo." Roy suddenly had a sinking feeling.
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Ed and Al were engaged in a tournament of cards to pass the time as their train trudged onward toward Eastern City. Ed had been winning at first, that is until Al discovered he was cheating. With only a few more hours till they reached their destination, the tables had turned and Al was emerging victorious.
"Hey brother, I remember now. That girl that was staying with Lt. Colonel Hughes, I think her name was Sage. Didn't she get transferred to Pascolo?"
"That weird chick that pals around with Mustang? She did now that you mention it. That explains why Pascolo was so familiar."
"Ed, you shouldn't call her that."
"Well its true! Anyone that's chummy with that smug arrogant bastard is bad news in my book. And did you see those eyes of hers? They're freaky..."
"Like she'd looking through you not at you?" Al finished. There was a pause as both remembered their first meeting with the girl. "...Well, I like her. She's nice."
"I don't!" Ed huffed as he drew another card and hunched over in concentration. "She called me a pea brain." He muttered angrily over his hand.
"Well at least she doesn't call you short." Ed twitched.
"Just draw your card already!"
Ed was all too eager to get his meeting with Mustang over with. No sense letting it hang over his head and ruin his weekend. The office was unusually quiet and had a rather gloomy and morbid atmosphere.
"Jezz, did someone die or something?" Havoc shot him a cold glare and excused himself from the room while Hawkeye narrowed her eyes threateningly. Ed noticed that the office was short one person.
"If you wish to speak with the Colonel you better make it quick. He's leaving in a moment to catch a train." Ed stormed into Mustang's office.
"You've got a lot of nerve calling us back to this dust bowl just to ditch us!"
"Not now Fullmetal." he growled as he fumbled through the disordered mess that had become his office. Mustang was an absolute wreck; hair uncombed, jacket unbuttoned, the collar of his wrinkled undershirt standing up. He looked like he had not slept in days. "Hawkeye, where did you put my ticket!"
"What's going on Mustang! Your not supposed to leave for Central for another week!" Ed was fuming. He was fed up with being ignored and cast aside.
"There's been a change of plans."
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Ed watched lazily as the scenery drifted by. Once again, he and Al found themselves on a train, only this time bound for Central. He'd chased that bastard Mustang all the way to the station demanding an explanation. At one point he was so frustrated he'd resorted to shouting obscenities at the Colonel, just to get some sort of response from the man. Since when did Mustang become so stoic any ways? Where was his pompous swagger, his obnoxiously arrogant demeanor, his condescending whit and rhetoric?
"Get on." Those were the only two words the man had spoken and his tone suggested there was no room for arguement. Since they were late, they were all seated in coach which was not a problem considering the car was mostly empty.
"Damn it! I left my suitcase back in the dorms at Eastern!"
"Don't worry brother. I'm sure we can find anything we might need in Central."
Ed peaked over the long rows of seats at Mustang who was seated by himself closer to the front of the car on the other side of the isle from them. Hawkeye had told him on his way out that Sage had gone missing. Was that really what the Colonel and everyone else was so worked up over?
"Do you think there was something between the Colonel and Corporal Morrison?" Al added.
"What? Gross! He's like... nine or ten years older then her!"
"I didn't mean like that Ed! I just mean they seem really close." They peered over the back of the row in front of them to better spy on their superior. He appeared to be asleep, curled up in as comfortable of a position as one could manage on a wooden bench and using Sage's pack as a pillow. It was a worn, green military type courier/ messenger bag decorated with a variety of patches and ensignias he did not recognize. In fact, he had yet to remove the strap from around his neck and Ed noticed that he was wearing his gloves. Damn, there must be something really valuable in there. Ed and Al pushed their luck and moved closer.
"He sure looks like hell doesn't he Al?" Ed whispered
"Kinda like a raccoon." Al snickered and tried to hold back his laughter as Ed made faces at the comatose Colonel. Mustang suddenly stirred and they both quickly sat back down in their seats just as he opened one eye suspiciously. Ed thought for sure they'd been caught. He sighed and made himself comfortable. It was a long ride to Central and he might as well be rested for whatever it was that awaited them.
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They followed in silence to Lt. Colonel Hughes' home.
"Woah, Roy you look terrible." Hughes commented in his usual open frankness. Truth be told, he looked a little tired himself. "Oh, hello there boys. Didn't see you there."
"They followed me to the train station. I figured we could get more done with their help. They're pretty good at finding patterns."
"Well, lets see it." Roy tossed the pack across the table like some diseased thing. "Her last notes, courtesy of Private Mathew Douglas." Maes helped himself to the thick folder within, knowing Roy had already read everything. Ed's curiosity got the better of him and he began picking at the bag that up until then the Colonel had been so obsessed with. Mustang growled threateningly and sat him down next to Hughes. "If your going to stand around, then get to work and help Maes sort through this." Ed gasped, jumping out of his chair and shoving the stack of papers away as if he'd been burned.
"Gah! Its covered in blood!" Hughes looked him in the eye over his squared spectacles, quickly telling him without words to drop the subject.
"Perhaps I'll take those. You can work on translating this." Hughes grinned and tossed a stack of pristine white notes and a book.
"What the hell is this?" He thought out loud in both confusion and wonder.
"Brother look at this" The book was a dictionary. English-Spanish-French-German?.
"Its written in a three word repeating sequence. First being Spanish, second German, and third French with English being the base language of comparison."
While Maes and the Elrics immersed themselves in their task and drowned out the rest of the world, Roy made himself at home at Gracia's beckoning. She smiled sympathetically and managed to convince him to go with her to the market. After weeks of intensive paperwork and a long nonstop train ride, some fresh air would do him good. It was going to be a long week.
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Things were bad in Pascolo and in Corporal Morrison's absence, they had quickly gone from bad to worse. The whole peninsula was in a state of open civil war. People were doing what they could just to survive as the military relentlessly pursued them for reasons that had long been lost in the confusion. At the moment, Private Mathew had his hands full driving off five soldiers that were adamantly shooting at him. He'd taken up Sage's previous duties, one of which included helping the citizens undercover. Unfortunately he was no 'Phantom' and he had gotten sloppy. With his unit exposed, they had all gone underground to help the resistance any way they could and buy some time until Sage returned from Areugo. If she returns. He dared to look around the corner when the shooting suddenly stopped...
"Did you miss me?" Mathew yelled in suprise and pointed his rifle at the green uniformed Areugan next to him. Shit! Now the Areugans are invading? "Hold on there Mathew! Its me!"
"Sage?" He dropped his gun and hugged her for dear life.
"Oh thank God! If I didn't think you'd kill me I'd kiss you!"
"Air!" Mathew grinned sheepishly and released his friend.
"Freeze!" They were surrounded. Sage smirked as a ribbon of fire sprang from the palm of her hand, causing two of the men to run away in fearful recognition. In the confusion, Mathew dove for his gun and brought it to the ready.
"If you want to live I suggest you put your riffles down." Sage warned in a haughty amused tone that clearly conveyed that they were hardly worth her time. Lucky for them, her advice was well taken. "Now round up your company and follow me." She rolled her eyes at the men's confused expressions. "I'll explain along the way."
The Areugans were waiting at the river front for their guide and leader. Under bold white banners they had crossed the river, boats overflowing with crates of rations and medicine from the other side of the border. Everyone, both citizen and soldier, foreigner and national worked together to unload and dispense the desperately needed relief. There was much reason to celebrate as hope had been restored and it seemed the end to their troubles was in sight.
"What's all the commotion? Why isn't anyone at their stations?" A very angry Brigadier General Lyon pushed his way through, accompanied by his most loyal troops. "You!" Sage grinned slyly and Lyon sneered disdainfully.
"You look to happy to see me." Riffles were raised and Lyon laughed.
"On the contrary. I'm quite delighted to find you here. I was hoping to arrest your deserting rebel scum, men you yourself abandoned, and who should I find engaged in this most treasonous of acts but the Phantom Sage herself. I have to admit, I was quite disappointed when you disappeared weeks ago but catching you red handed... You're little slip up has made me a very happy man Morrison. You've been a thorn in my side since day one and your execution will be most enjoyable."
"Hmph. Killing me right here in front of all these witnesses? Very bold Lyon." Sage purposefully omitted his rank as a sign of defiance and disrespect.
"High treason during a time of war. Its all very cut and dry. Goodbye Morrison."
Bang!
People screamed as Sage fell backwards under the force of the firing squad. Lyon smiled in satisfaction as the ex-Corporal lay very still. As he walked away, people yelled and gasped in shock and looking back, he was struck dumb with fear at the sight of the woman he'd just slaughtered standing shakily on her own two feet. How was this woman still alive much less standing? Blood oozed from holes in her uniform yet through clenched teeth and with shaking legs she endured. "Executing a military officer without a trial during a siece fire? That's low even for you... and its a war crime." There were whispers among the troops at the mention of a temporary truce.
"I've authorized no such thing!"
"No but the Fuhr did." She tossed a copy of the telegraph at his feet. "All hostilities on both sides are suspended and exchange of relief authorized until the ratification of the new trade treaty is made official." Soldiers in both green and blue drew their weapons against the Brigadier General, including his most loyal followers. "Under the jurisdiction and authority granted unto me by the military of Amestris, condoned and aided by the military of Areugo, you are hereby under arrest for extortion and embezzlement of military funds, war crimes, conspiracy, and treason." In a rage, Lyon fired his pistol at the weakened Corporal but Private Douglas jumped in the way.
"Mathew!" As Lyon was dragged away, Sage rushed to his side and focused all of her energy on the bleeding chest wound. With a blue aural glow, the bullet slid out and the wound began to heal itself as the crowd watched in stunned silence. Morrison panted heavily as her body shook, drained to the core from the exertion and her own wounds bleeding profusely. Her healing was incomplete but it was enough to spare the young man's life. Sage's head swam and her vision was becoming blurry. By all logic she should be dead already. With the last of her strength she clapped her hands. After an aural glow and brief alchemic flash, the corporal collapsed into an unconscious heap; seven bullets in her hand and the bleeding stopped for the time being.
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There seemed to be an unusual amount of commotion at Central Headquarters as Hughes made his way to the investigations department.
"Hey Lt. Colonel, did you hear? A siece fire has been declared on the peninsula."
"Really?" He snatched the paper from the subordinate's hands. Sure enough, negotiations had begun between the two countries and the border temporarily reopened tax free for relief purposes.
"I know you have a friend down there so I took the liberty of putting the new stuff on your desk." Hughes thanked the woman and busied himself with the new pile. It seemed a state alchemist was responsible for opening up a channel of communication for negotiations and had been acting as mediator between the nations. Funny, there's no information on this alchemist or who sent her. There's not even a name. The only thing anyone knew was that it was a woman.
"That alchemist sure works fast. She's has already helped draft a new trade treaty. Fuhr still has to add his signature to make it official. Who knows how long that will be. These things tend to go through several drafts before being ratified."
"Get me a copy ASAP." While she was busy with his request, he forewarded Sage's findings to the higher ups.
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"Why are you so happy?" Roy asked questionably. Maes was grinning in his usual cheery 'I know something' look. He dropped a packet in front of him. It appeared to be treaty for the resolution of the border conflict. The new trade agreement had been authored by a 'Major S. R. Morrison' and under the signatures, along with heads of state and high ranking military leaders was her signature. Major S.R Morrison, Phantom Sage Alchemist.
"She's alive."
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"I always knew you weren't the brightest in the bunch but honestly, foiled by a teenager? If that's not an all time low then I don't know what it." A deep and warm voice mused maliciously. The enraged Lyon turned and glared at the distinguished gentleman who had appeared in his room. He was a man of about his age with cloudy gray hair and of regal posture with an intelligent eye that hinted a certain... sinister quality.
"Chimera." He hissed wrathfully. The man chuckled in amusement.
"Lyon my dear friend, you look so pleased to see me."
"You promised me my war." Chimera sighed and rolled his eyes back in exasperation as he crossed his arms.
"Oh, you warmongers are all the same. For someone that spends all their time preparing and planning for the next battle, you lack any semblance of tact or cunning." He uncrossed one of his arms and waved his hand delicately in flippant gesture. "I all but hand you your chance at promotion on a silver platter. I can't be held responsible for sheer incompetence on your part." Lyon growled dangerously.
"But what about our deal?" Chimera lightly rested his chin against his free hand, giving Lyon an incredulous, bored look.
"I kept my end of the bargain. It was you that broke the deal when you put a bunch of holes in my favorite specimen."
"Morrison? That manipulative, rebellious little gutter rat?" Lyon spat disdainfully.
"That's a little harsh don't you think?" The Brigadier General growled underneath his breath. "Personally I'm rather fond of the girl. Quite a bit of spunk to her."
"What's so special about her then?" Chimera leered slyly.
"I believe you've seen that little trick she does." He hinted mischievously. "Twenty of your men shot her at point blank range. Only seven bullets were removed from her. Ever wonder where the rest of them went?" Chimera grinned maliciously at Lyon's dawning realization, the wheels in his head beginning to turn. "Still seven gunshot wounds, five of them to the chest? A single bullet should have been more then sufficient to put her out of commission. Might take a while to bleed to death if it was not done right but... " He paused, enjoying the stunned look of revelation. "considering the limited medical care and supplies available I don't think that's much of a problem.
"She's not human..." He spoke in a stunned whisper. "She's another one of those... abominations..."
"Not quite. Similar in nature but still different." He whirled to face Chimera, rage in his eyes.
"You! This is all your doing! She was just another one of your creations."
"Wrong again Lyon but closer this time. True, I ensured her transfer but other then that, I had little to do with the girl. I believe the credit must go to Colonel Mustang." Chimera mused, leaving Lyon very confused. "Well, I'm afraid this is where we part but we must not leave any evidence of our pact. Confidentiality is most important to my research..." Lyon backed into a corner at the sight of glowing eyes in the darkness of his private barracks. "But first I thought you might enjoy seeing the results of your assistance."
"You were planning this from the start! Morrison was just a pawn!"
"Very good! You finally got one! While I admit the girl was far outside of my influence, I knew her incorrigible idealism would get the better of her eventually. She's a crafty one much like the Colonel, perhaps even a little too smart for her own good. Placing her here was a good idea after all. I got fresh materials for my research and got to see my prize subject in action, Amestris rids its corrupt military of one more war criminal, and my pets get a fresh meal on top of it all. I'd say its a win win situation.
"You can't to this... " Lyon trembled, Chimera savoring his fear and his wide-eyed panic.
"Oh but my dear friend, people go missing all the time during war..."
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Sage awoke to find herself on board a train bound for Central. There were no passenger lines from Pascolo, only freight but a special arrangement had been made and now she along with other wounded persons were on their way to the capitol via an express nonstop train. To make matters worse, she received a summons to have her record reviewed. She sighed as she adjusted her uniform. Her dress uniform was all she had left as her casual uniform and the one her Areugan friends had given her were damaged. The formal outfit was more suiting for an audience with the top brass any ways. After seeing that Mathew was taken care of she followed her escorts to the hearing.
The Fuhr and his top Generals watched as the staightbacked young woman entered and took her place, completely unfazed and unintimidated by the whole situation. The rumors were true; she did have a powerful presence about her, a certain... aura of poise and dignity.
"Do you have anything to you wish to offer in explanation of your actions?" General Haruko asked.
"No sir. You and I both know what I did and I offer nothing in my defense. I acted with full knowledge of the consequences and I regret nothing."
"This is quite a long list of offenses Miss. Morrison." The Fuhr stated casually. "Insubordination, disorderly conduct, assaulting a superior officer, attacking your own battalion, abandoning your post, breaking rank, smuggling, desertion, impersonating a state alchemist..." His tone grew more grave and aggravated in an unsuccessful attempt to intimidate but suddenly he smiled. "and thousands of people owe you their lives for it." Wait... Sage was confused. The others on the panel were also smiling at her.
"The king of Areugo was most taken with the 'Phantom Sage' alchemist. I must say, so far you do live up to your reputation." Sage chuckled.
"That could be either a bad or a good thing, depending on who you talk to." General Haruko found her comment most amusing.
"Your treaty is most impressive and demonstrates a powerful grasp of economics and international politics." Sage bowed respectfully at the generals. While politically involved youths were becoming a minority in her generation, she was still an American. She'd consider herself an insult to her nation if she didn't know at least little about government and economics.
"Thank you. I only hope it meets your approval so that this conflict may find resolution."
"That is precisely what we wanted to discuss today..."
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Mustang waited impatiently with Hughes outside the main entrance to Central Headquarters for the closed hearing to end. He was pissed at Sage for all the grief she'd caused him. Maes knew he was just frustrated because he had been genuinely concerned for his young charge. He teased and prodded all morning but still could not get the man to outwardly admit he was attached to the girl or at least that he missed her, despite the fact that he had been using her messenger bag as his personal briefcase while he was in town. Maes eventually admitted defeat and dropped the subject before his short-tempered friend turned him into charcoal. Soon people began to exit and they made their way through the throng to the top of stairs where the girl was chatting merrily with the top brass and waited for a moment to cut in. Mustang smirked as he watched Sage hold court amungst the higher ranks as if it was all old hat. He found it funny how she managed to be the focus amungst such a distinguished crowd. Sage flashed him and Hughes a smile over an officer's shoulder.
"Congratulations on your successful treaty Morrison." General Haruku complemented. "You're a natural diplomat."
"Thank you sir."
"Oh! Now I remember where I've seen you before!" Another General stated cheerfully. "My wife and I saw you perform with the Eastern symphony a few months back. Wonderful performance by the way. My wife still talks about it. I had no idea someone so young could be so talented." Sage smiled politely and ignored the teasing looks the Colonel was giving her.
"I was a musician before I joined the military and I guess old habits die hard. Plus the money was a nice addition to a Corporal's salary."
"There you are Morrison." King Bradley said warmly and everyone else, save for Hughes and Mustang, excused themselves. "Or should I say, Phantom Sage Alchemist." This got Roy's attention. "I have great expectations of you Major." Sage shook his hand warmly.
"Thank you sir."
"I know your not originally from Amestris but I can't seem to place your accent. It is very beautiful and distinguished." He was commenting about her faint but still noticeably 'foreign' tone of voice. Her southern dialect had a lilting, sophisticated tone to it that stemmed from the heavy French influence of her native Louisiana and lacked the twang that most outsiders typecast all southerners with.
"Oh its Acadian." Roy grimaced and Sage mentally kicked herself for the slip. But Bradley did not press the matter.
"Well, it was a pleasure to meet you Major." Hughes ruffled her hair as the King left.
"You promised me you'd stay out of trouble Phantom Sage. What do I have to do to keep you from wandering off? Put a leash on you?"
"Its good to see you too Maes." She smiled weakly, swaying slightly. He placed a had on her shoulder in a jovial manner, though in actuality it was to steady her. He could tell she was hurt pretty bad and had been hiding her injuries well.
"Hey kid." Mustang stated with a half smile, eyes and posture betraying his relief and concern. She looked terrible. Aside from her clean uniform, she looked fresh from the battlefield with blood and dirt still on her face and in her hair. Sage reached out and gave him a big hug. For once Roy didn't flinch or stiffen. In fact he even returned the embrace slightly. He was shocked at how underweight she was. She looked different too. Her skin, though pale and sickly, was much darker then before, kind of a diluted brown like the color of watered down tea. Her hair was different too. He always thought it was a kind of a dirt brown color but it was actually a rainbow of reds, browns, and blond. The sun exposure had served to highlight the color roaned in with the rich base shades of brown. He was broken from his reverie when the girl suddenly went limp in his arms, nearly slipping from his grasp as her legs buckled beneath her.
"Damn. And that was my only shirt too." She was looking at her uniform. Blood was seeping through her jacket.
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Sage was now completely drained. It had taken all of her strength to mask her fresh injuries for the hearing and now the raw pain was beginning to overtake her. She was beyond fatigued and exhausted. In fact, she did not even remember how she got back to Hughes' house. Gracia doted on her like only a mother could. Being the only other woman around, she had been kind enough to properly tend to her wounds and had lent her some clothes to wear; one of her husband's more looser fitting button up shirts to slip over her wrapped torso and a pair of pajama bottoms. She had shown her shredded uniforms to a horrified Maes. She... kinda left out the part about being full of holes when she mentioned she had untreated wounds. After that, she had promptly passed out on the couch in her sock feet. A hot shower, a comfy 'bed', and a clean pair of clothes had never felt so good. From time to time she'd register noises and sounds through her groggy haze and at some point, someone had thrown a blanket over her. Her stomach growled fiercely as the scent of something delicious wafted from the kitchen. She had not eaten in days and had not had anything other then military rations in over a month. Sage had the vaguest feeling that she was being watched. Lazily opening one eye like a cat, she found herself nose to nose with a pigtailed little three year old.
"I remember you!" She proclaimed happily. "You're daddy's friend, the pretty magic lady." Sage chuckled, then suddenly regretted the jar to her chest.
"That's right, I'm the magic lady."
"Are you sick?"
"Ok sweetie, daddy's friend needs some rest." Hughes ushered as he scooped little girl up onto his shoulders and carted her off. While Hughes was off doing 'daddy' things, the groggy teenager decided to slowly make her way to the kitchen and investigate the wonderful smell. Roy chuckled slightly at the sight of his charge leaning against the kitchen door frame in her oversized clothes, dragging the excess blanket behind her like a child would do.
"Oh, your awake. I did not expect you to be up so soon." Mrs. Hughes greeted warmly.
"I couldn't sleep." The older woman smiled halfheartedly. The girl's condition seemed to have worsened since that morning. She looked so sickly and weak and Gracia could tell by her stiff, careful movements and shuffling limp that every movement pained her. It was obvious that whatever painkillers she had taken to make it through the hearing that morning had long ago worn off.
"You look like shit kid." Sage carefully sat down rather unceremoniously at the kitchen table next to the Colonel.
"Uh, I feel like shit."
"I suppose that's to be expected when you're full of holes." Sage growled.
"Shut up." She was so not in the mood. "I'd like to see you survive the wrong end of a firing squad and then suck it up for an audience with the Fuhr." That knocked the smug grin right off his pompous mug. "And don't call me kid. I'm almost twenty you know." Gracia poured her a bowl of stew and Roy watched with fascination as she literally inhaled her food.
"Eat as much as you like Sage. Your far too underweight."
"Where are you putting it all?" Mustang asked as he watched her all but eat the bowl as she devoured her second and then third helping. Sage grinned contentedly.
"Your just jealous because I get to eat before you do." He laughed and helped her ease her way back to the couch. She was out like a light before her head hit the pillow. He sighed and draped the blanket over her, making sure she was in a comfortable position and tucking her in. She really had been through hell and back. A little bird had told him she was a bourbon drinker and he made sure to leave a bottle for her for when she woke up. She was going to need it.
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Maes stared passively into his drink in a manner that said something was on his mind.
"Did you see it?" He asked, his tone lacking any trace of his usual aloof cheerfulness.
"See what?" Roy inquired over the lip of his own glass as he finished the round.
"Her uniform."
"No I havn't." Roy waved the bartender off as he came to refil his glass.
"Its a sobering thing. Five bullets to the chest... surviving just one is something to brag about." Mustang growled to himself at the reminder and Hughes backed off. He knew it was a touchy subject for the Flame Alchemist but Roy knew what Maes ment. He too had wondered the same thing earlier. How was she still alive?
"When is Lyon's trial going to be. I want to be there for it." Mustang's voice was even and calm but his eyes had a dangerous glaze to them.
"That's the problem. He's already dead."
"What?" The glass in his hand shattered but Roy was to shocked and furious to notice his bleeding hand. Hughes held his hands up in a submissive gesture.
"Hey! Calm down there buddy. I'm just as mad about this as you." Roy calmed down with a heavy sigh.
"I'd rip him to shreds with my bare hands if I could."
"And probably burn the remains too." Hughes downed his drink at long last. "All that remained of him were a few pieces. He appeared to have been ripped apart and eaten." Roy grinned maliciously as he slumped over the bar counter, taking some form of satistic pleasure from the bastard's grusome death. He hoped it was a slow one after what he'd done to his charge and to the people of Pascolo. "His death matched Chimera's MO."
"But why would Chimera be involved. You don't think they had some sort of pact do you?"
"I'm almost certain that's what was happening. He's been linked with a rash of dissapearances in the South."
"People dissapear all the time in war. It would be the perfect place to kidnap someone."
"There's something else..." Hughes paused, grappling with some heavy information he was not sure he wanted to divulge.
"Before you took the case some people from Central intelegence discovered a small research lab, abandoned apparently." Mustang could sense that what was coming was not good news. "Roy... he used live humans in his experiments." Live humans. It all made sense. What better way to aquire materials for illeagal research on a forbidden alchemy? Chimera truely was a fiend. Sage had exposed Lyon, both helping and hindering him. Chimera had to tie off loose ends and cover his trail. She had put him at risk and also provided a convienant out both at the same time. Hughes watched Roy's wide eyed shock change into a angry, disgusted expression. Finally he relaxed and stretched his back casually.
"This was a real downer." He whined, lazilly yawning and looking thoroughly tired and bored. "How come every time we go out drinking its always bad news and business."
"Well, its still technically business but I think this qualifies as good news." Maes grinned, his voice regaining its chipper tone. Roy opened the envelope his friend had handed him, careful of his bleeding hand. Out slid a crisp new state alchemist licence and a new silver watch.
"For impressive allpied use of alchemy in battle, for diplomacy, and for continued dedication and loyalty to the nation of Amestris I , King Bradley do here by award thee... S.R Morrison..." Roy read off the first few lines of the formal letter attatched to the otherwise normal certificate.
"Phantom Sage huh? Its a perfect fit." Hughes laughed.
"I agree. You know, she's got a reputation in the South that rivels that of the Elrics in Central and the East." Roy chuckled.
"That girl really is quite a handful, like a cross between a tyhoon and a stray dog." He paid his tab and thew his jacket over his shoulder with a bemused smirk as they made their way back to Maes' house. "I think you had the right idea with the whole leash thing."
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Hughes, Gracia and Elysia accompanied Mustang and Sage to the train station to see their friends off. Roy carefully helped Sage limp along, bending over slightly to compensate for the difference in height. At the moment he stood with his free arm wrapped protectively around the girl as she leaned into him, ready to catch her at a moment's notice. His right hand held the strap of the green courier bag slung over his shoulder. Sage said her goodbyes and thanked Maes and Gracia for their hospitality, giving Elysia as best a hug as she could manage. The little girl sniffled on the verge of tears, upset that her 'big sister' and favorite story teller was leaving so soon.
"Don't cry Elysia. I promise I'll come visit soon."
"Next time make sure your in one piece. Got it?" Hughes teased, ruffling her hair for good measure.
"Here, take this. We were reading it last night before you came home." She dug through the bag at Roy's side and procured a beautiful display quality, leatherbound book with gold scrollwork. The Brothers Grimm.
"Come on Ed, if we don't hurry we won't get a good seat!" Al yelled at his brother as they entered the station shortly after Mustang and Hughes. After helping Lt. Colonel Hughes with the Corporal's notes, they had split off to do some research at the Central library as long as they were in town and were now taking advantage of a free train ticket by hopping a ride with the Colonel.
"Hey look, there's Lt. Colonel Hughes." Ed commented. Sage turned her head at the sound of shuffling metal and saw the two boys heading her way.
"Corporal Morrison!" Al shouted excitedly. Ed smiled curtly at the sloppily dressed girl clinging to his superior. She wore her now ill-fitting uniform slacks and tails but no jacket. Instead she wore one of Roy's button up shirts.
"Oh, hello Al. I'm sorry I wasn't awake when you guys stopped by last night." She grinned. "And that's Major now." She held up her new watch, effectivly grabbing Ed's attention.
"No way!" Roy brushed him off gruffly as he reached for the watch.
"Careful Fullmetal. In case you havn't noticed she's injured." He growled threateningly. Ed noticed the bandages showing through the top two buttons that were unfastened. He softened slightly, feeling a little guilty with himself for being so rude. So it wasn't just an over embelished rumor.
"Oh the compassion! The selfless dedication! The heroism!" Ed grimaced at the booming voice of the Strong Arm Alchemist. Mustang held Sage possessively, ready to shield her from the bone crushing embrase of Major Armstrong. "Major Alex Louis Armstrongmy dear lady." Sage instantly regretted shaking hands with the enthusiastic man.
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Mustang glared daggers.
"My appologies Phantom Sage. It is an honor to meet the famous 'Savior of the South'."
"The pleasure is all mine. I've heard many stories about the Armstrong line." If it was even possible, Armstrong glowed and sparkled even brighter.
"Oh! So charming!" Feeling his charge growing heavy, Roy excused himself and boarded the train. Unlike last time, they arrived with time to spare and managed to get a private compartment for their trip back to Eastern.
"Come on Phantom Sage." He teased. "Everyone's waiting back in Eastern."
"She really is a remarkable young woman." Armstrong mused quietly. He sounded almost sad for some reason.
"It must be hard on her, being a foreigner in a strange country." Gracia relpied.
"Sage is a pretty adaptable kid. She can handle herself alright. The question is can Roy handle her." Hughes stated humorously, Gracia laughing under her breath at the image of the hotblooded teenager and the short tempered Colonel in one of their famous spats she had heard so much about. Ed listened quietly, gears in his head beginning to turn.
As the train made its way towards Eastern, Al and Ed went to invite Sage to join in a game of cards only to find both her and the Colonel completely comotose and dead to the world. Mustang slouched like dead weight in his seat, head resting against the window sill with his feet propped up on the bench opposite of him. Sage lay on her back with her knees bent, using Roy as a human pillow with her green cloak draped over her like a blanket. They both looked utterly exhausted and drained but they looked content and relaxed. Al was right. Mustang did seemed unusually close to the girl.
"Looks like the bastard's human afterall." Ed muttered casually to himself as he went back to coach. Even a jerk like Mustang couldn't be a heartless amoral asshole all the time.
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Havoc tapped his foot impatiently. Kain was a nervous wreck and it was frankly driving him nuts. Truth was, he was a little antsy too. Sage was finally coming back to Eastern. No more drinking cheap coffee, no more boring days at the office, no more eating terrible caffeteria food. Sage was the best thing to happen to HQ in a long time. Not to mention he missed their regular poker games and nights out on the town. That girl could drink like a fish. It was a shame she had no romantic interest in him. It was probably for the better though. True, she was drop dead gorgious but she was a tad on the young side for him. Still she was real handy in helping him pick up other women. Sometimes having female friends had its advantages. Hawkeye acted normal enough though she seemed unusually cheerful and there was a slight bounce to her step as she went about her work. And well... Kain... don't ask. Poor guy. He really had been emotionally beat to hell lately.
The smoky steam settled and the all clear was given for passengers to exit. Sage hopped off the train and took a deep breath of air before stretching. She ran around excitedly, looking for her friends. She knew they were there, even if she couldn't see them. There were alot of people to wade through. Roy tried his best to keep up with her, frantically trying to rein her in lest she get bumped or jostled too hard and reopen a wound. Kain tried to spot Sage but with no luck. There were just too many people, all crammed together into an indistinguishable mass. He was beginning to thing this was all a cruel joke, that she was not coming. Afterall, until a day or two ago he thought she was dead. And then all of a sudden, there she was... standing there in front of him smiling warmly with a sly grin. He struggled to find his words but he found his mind had gone blank.
"Damn it, just kiss her already!" Hawkeye elbowed Havoc hard. Kain was caught off gaurd when Sage suddenly grabbed his collar and pulled him into a forceful and passionate kiss. She felt him relax and melt; all the tension, all the worry, all the stress washed away by an overwhelming wave of relief. She laughed softly at his goofy far off expression as she leaned back in his arms. He drank in her presence, noticing with a swell of joy and pride that she was wearing his necklace.
"I missed you." This time Kain pulled her in, returning her kiss with one of his own,
"I missed you too."
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Well? What did you think? I love Kain. He doesn't get much face time in the series. He plays more of a role in the manga though. He looks so young in the comic book! The tv show makes him look so much older. He comes across to me as a little unsure of himself and because of that is easily intimidated. I always pictures him as a really strong and passionate person just waiting to come out of his shell. Oh well. How will poor, shy reserved Kain handle this Spanish Acadian fireball? Should this become a romance or should this remain just a 'crush'?
What to expect in the next chapter:
-Some down time and well needed R&R for our heroine.
-Sage goes to Risembol and meets Winry
-automail and avionics
-Elrics are partnered (against their will) with the Phantom Sage
-The mystery scarred past of the Phantom!
-Strange happenings! The plot thickens!
Stay tuned for the next installment: Where the Heart Lies