AHHH! HELP! i'm being attacked by wild carrots! AHH- hey! that little one kinda looks like Ed! gasp oh no! that bunny just ate Ed! DAMN YOU BUGS!

so...anyway, now that my crack has worn of, enjoy the story!

legal crap- I OWN AKA not ed. AKA.

i also own a rubber band. don't steal it.

-----Part 13-----

Recap- You and the Elric brothers tried to look up some info on Virvaine, but it seems to be extint. Good luck with that.

"You sure you guys don't want to stay for a few more days?" Asked Hughes. He, along with Armstrong, had decided to see you off at the train station.

"Nah," Ed answered, "I kinda miss traveling."

Liar You thought, But I guess he's gone too far to give up on the Philosopher's Stone now... The Elrics had told you a bit about your travels, mostly to discourage you. It hadn't worked, but you were a little nervous. I'm sure we'll be fine if we're watching each other's backs you thought.

Suddenly, you heard a slight crack in your back as Armstrong pulled you and Ed into a bear hug. Your cheeks were squished up next to Ed's, and your back felt like jelly.

"I shall miss these young faces around Central. I bid you all a safe journey!" Armstrong said in a booming voice.

"We'll...miss you to...Armstrong!" Ed gasped, sounding as squished as you felt. Finally, Armstrong let go, but you were pretty sure your ribs were broken. Waving weakly, you let Al help you onto the train.

"Oh, Aka! I almost forgot!" Yelled Hughes. Turning around, you saw him running towards you waving a piece of paper. Taking it, you scanned the first lines, reading it aloud.

"We give the name...Spark? to thy Akaro Maron in the name of Fuhrer King Bradly..." You looked at Hughes in surprise. "My name is the Spark Alchemist?"

"Yep. Better get used to it. I think it suits you pretty well."

"Thanks...I, think...well anyway, bye Hughes! You to Armstrong!" You tried to wave, but felt a shot of pain run through your back. Hugging the wall, you made your way to where Al and Ed were sitting. Almost falling forward as the train started to move, you slumped down next to Ed with Al sitting across from you.

"What did Hughes want?" Asked Al. You handed him the document.

"License thingy. Apparently I'm the 'Spark Alchemist' now." You said, wincing as you spoke. Talking hurt. Ed gave you a weak smile.

"Don't worry." He said in a weary voice. "The crushing feeling goes away after about twenty minutes." Groaning, you hugged your stomach.

"Armstrong's said goodbye to ou before?"

"Yeah, one time he put a dent in Ed's automail." Al told you, "Winry almost murdered him. You looked at the ceiling thoughtfully.

"Winry...? Oh yeah, the automail mechanic. Dose she have to fix your automail very often?"

"Pretty often. Ed tends to break it a lot." Al answered. Ed glared at him.

"It's not like I go around banging it into walls!" He said defensively.

"Yeah," You said, "But you do use a lot of alchemy on it."

"So? It's not like it changes!" Ed cried.

"Brother, quiet down! We'll disturb the others on this train!" Ed grumbled, but quieted down.

"How long is this trip anyway?" he asked.

"It'll be about three hours before we get there." Al told him.

"Um...guys?" You asked, "...Where is 'there' anyway?" Ed and Al almost fell out of their seats.

"You don't know where we're going?" asked Ed unbelievingly.

"Well, it's not like you guys told me!" You exclaimed.

"Oh, um...sorry about that." Al said. "We're going to a town called Iselia (ee-sail-ya. from tales of symphonia. BEST GAME EVER!) It's famous for its alchemy history, so we thought it might have information about the Philosopher's Stone."

"Maybe it'll have something about Virvaine in it to!" Ed said, grinning at you. You grinned back.

It feels so nice to be around these guys You thought Guess it was pretty lonely back in Trezanga Ed suddenly slumped against the window and closed his eyes. You cocked an eyebrow and grinned at him.

"Tired?" you asked.

"A little..." Ed admitted. Sure enough, he was asleep within a few seconds.

"Ed sure does sleep a lot on trains." Al commented.

"Really? He didn't sleep on the train to Central." You recalled. Al gave a metal shrug.

"Maybe it was because he was too excited about meeting you." You looked at your lap and blushed.

"I-it was probably something else... you stuttered. Al chuckled. Suddenly...

Roy jumped up wearing nothing but a speedo! (joking, i'd be blind if it didn't kill me) A man stopped by your seat. He looked to be about thirty or forty with dark brown eyes and hair. His clothes were a pair of brown pants and a white shirt under a blue vest.

"Excuse me," he said, "But have either of you seen a pair of reading glasses around here? I lost them while I was finding my seat, my wife will kill me if I don't find them..." You exchanged a quick glance with Al and turned back to the man.

"I didn't see any, but do you want some help finding them?"

"Would you?" The man asked, "That would be so kind." Nodding, you stood up. Al started to stand to, but you waved a hand at him.

"No, you'd better stay here Al. Ed'll be confused if he wakes up and finds both of us gone."

"I doubt he'll wake up that soon, but alright." Al agreed. Turning back to the man, you asked, "Where do you think you lost your glasses?" He looked thoughtful for a moment before answering.

"Hm...I passed through this cabin and three others before I realized they were gone..."

"Okay then, let's look in all the cabins you passed. They'll show up."

"I do hope your right." You and the man started walking.

"I'm sorry young sir, but I don't believe I caught your name." The man suddenly said. Jeez, what's with all the politeness? I mean, who really talks like this?

"Uh, yeah-I forgot about that. My name's Akaro, what's yours?"

"My name? It's Vharley (var-lee. from tales of symphonia again. that game flippin rules!) My name is Vharley. It's nice to meet you Akaro."

"Uh, thanks- same here." You were just getting to the next cabin when Vharley suddenly tripped, grabbing your arm as he fell. Still feeling weak from Armstrong's hug, you weren't able to hold his weight and fell also, landing near Vharley's shoulder.

"Oh, I'm terribly sorry!" He exclaimed, helping you up.

"No big, I didn't fall that hard." You felt something bang against your thigh and looked down to see that your pocket watch had fallen out of your pocket and was now dangling from your belt.

"My word!" exclaimed Vharley, "Is that a State pocket watch?"

"Uh, yeah. I'm sort of a State Alchemist."

"Amazing! And at such a young age!"

"Not really, there have been younger..." You thought, recalling that Ed had received his at age 12.

Ed warned me about talking about military stuff...better change the subject

"So, uh, did you walk by here?"

"Hm? Oh yes! The glasses! They must be here somewhere..." with that, the two of you resumed your search. Vharley didn't ask anymore questions about your watch, but you did notice that he kept glancing at you. You decided to get back to Ed and Al as soon as the glasses were found. You and Vharley searched for about ten more minutes. But just as you reached the last cabin, Vharley smacked his head.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" He exclaimed.

"Sorry for what?" You asked, looking at him confused. Vharley put a hand in his pocket...and drew out a pair of reading glasses.

"I'm sorry, they were in my pocket the whole time! I suppose I've led you on quite the goose chase..." You shrugged.

"Don't worry about it. It was kind of fun, and it did help pass the time. I should probably get back to my friends though."

"Oh, yes- you should get back to your seat. I hope the rest of your journey is pleasant!"

"Thanks, see ya!" You said, racing off. There was something weird about that guy...but it's not like I'll be seeing him again You thought as you got to your seat.

To your surprise, Al was gone, and Ed was actually awake.

"Nice to see you up." You told Ed.

"Where's Al?"

"Some little girl's showing him her kitten. You know how Al is with cats." You smiled. Actually, you did. During your time at Central, you'd helped Al sneak out food to feed a stray cat. You had a feeling that Ed had known all along, but if he did, he gave no sign of it.

"Al said you were helping some guy find his glasses. Did you?"

"Sort of, they were in his pocket the whole time."

"So it was a waste of time?"

"No! It was actually pretty fun."

"Liar." Ed said with a smirk. You suddenly got a sad expression on your face.

Liar...

"Hey Aka, what's wrong?" asked Ed, noticing your face. You looked at him reluctantly.

"Um, can I...tell you something?" You asked quietly.

"Uh, well-sure. Of course you can." said Ed, confused.

"Well, I've been meaning to say it for a while, but-it's not that I didn't want to! I just-"

"Aka." Ed interrupted, "Just tell me."

Spit it out Aka! You screamed in your head. I'm a girl! I'm a girl! Just say it!

"I'm...

"...glad I'm traveling with you and Al. NO! WRONG ANSWER DUMBASS! Ed blinked, confused.

"Uh...thanks. Me to..." You gave him a fake smile. Great...I'll never be able to do this, I'm such a wimp!

---------------Two Hours Later---------------

You felt a jerk in you sear as the train finally came to a stop. Grabbing your bag, you followed the Elrics off the train and onto the platform. The platform was packed with people, and the loud sounds almost made you want to cover your ears. But since you didn't, you heard a specific yell.

"Akaro! Mr. Akaro!" Turning, you saw Vharley waving the other side of the platform.

"Gimme a sec guys." You told the Elrics, running off. Vharley beamed down at you as you approached.

"Hey Vharley, what's going on?"

"I told my wife how you helped me, and she wants to thank you. Will you come with me to meet her?"

"Your wife? Sure, I guess."

"Thank you, she's just outside the station." Following Vharley, you exited the train station and walked a couple of blocks.

"Uh...didn't you say she was just outside?" You asked, having walked farther than you thought you would.

"Oh, she's not much further. She should be right around the corner." But when you rounded the corner, you saw no woman.

Instead, you caught a glimpse of a tall man and a flash of metal before you blacked out.

Ed's POV-
"Hey Al?"

"Yes Brother?"

"How long has Aka been gone?"

"Um...about ten minutes I think."

"...I'm going to look for him."

"Brother, I don't-"

"I know you don't, but I'm going to look for him." Al sighed.

"Fine, I'll come with you..." He said sullenly. You smirked and left the train station, going the way you'd last seen Aka.

Damn, where is he? You thought, not seeing him anywhere.

"Brother! Over here! Hurry!" Al suddenly shouted. Rushing over, you saw Al kneeling on the ground.

"What is it?" You asked breathlessly. Al didn't answer, but stood up and turned around. In his outstretched hands were Aka's sunglasses. You stared at them for a while before turning to the street.

"This town is too small to hide for long." You said in a low voice.

"Let's go Al."

"Right." He answered. And with that, the two of you took off down the street.

Aka's POV-

Ow...my head... You thought groggily, waking up. You started to open your eyes, but quickly shut them. Dammit! Where the hell are my glasses? Thinking back, you realized that they must have fallen off when- That jackass hit me! Oh, I have some serious payback to dish out!

Straining your ears, you heard the sound of distant voices. They were slightly muffled, so you figured that they were in a separate room. Deciding to risk it, you opened your eyes and looked around. You were laying on the floor of a dirty apartment, your hands and legs bound with rope. Winkling your nose at the smell, you tried to memorize your surroundings.

Hearing footsteps approach, you quickly shut your eyes. The footsteps grew louder and stopped right next to you. You fought back the urge to gag as beer-smelling breath hit your face.

"He's still asleep...lazy dog." The breath said. A familiar voice answered him.

"Maybe you shouldn't have hit him so hard...but it did make taking his watch easier."

Vharley! You thought, recognizing the voice. Why the hell did he take my watch? Can he even do alchemy? You heard the footsteps near you walk away and almost sighed in relief.

"Hey Vharley," the beer-guy said, "You really think this'll work?"

"Of course it will you imbecile. With his pocket watch, we can disguise ourselves as the military. One show of the watch and people will be begging to do our bidding!"

Oh jeez...you'd think I could have been kidnapped by someone a little more original... Getting tired of hearing these jerks talk, you tensed yourself to get up. But just as you were about to go kick their asses, you stopped yourself.

Wait, thisis an apartment...what if other people live here? If Vharley and his friend had wepons, it would take alchemy to beat them. And your alchemy wasn't very 'indoor friendly.'

If other people are living here, they might get hurt by the lightning. Or by Vharley and his friend...damn! What do I do? Then, low and behold, the jackass who hit you actually gave you an idea.

"Hey Vharley, didn't you say he had friends? What if they come looking for him?"

Ed and Al...? THAT'S IT!

Praying neither of your captors would see you, you slowly made a fist with both of your hands. You were laying on your side, Vharley and Friend on the side you were facing and your hands were bound behind your back. Not hearing any reaction of your movement, you slowly pressed your hands to the floor. A breif flash of red shone, and you quickly returned your hands to their original posisiton.

"What was that?" Vharley asked.

Shit! He saw the flash!

"What was what?" Asked his friend.

"...Nothing, must have been my imagination." You caught yourself before you sighed in releif.

Now I just have to wait for the guys...I hope this works.

Ed's POV-

You and Al had been looking for half an hour, but there was still no sign of where Aka had been taken.

"This isn't getting us anywhere!" You yelled angrily. "No one we ask even knows what he looks like, and no one's seen that Vharley guy either! How are we supposed to find either of them?"

"We can't give up Brother," Al said, "We may be Aka's only chance to escape!" You turned around to face him.

"I'm not giving up! I'm just saying that we won't find him by just asking around. We need some kind of clue..." Al jerked back and pointed behind you.

"How's that for a clue?" He asked. Whirling around, you saw a strange ball of red light hurtling towards you.

"Ahh!" You yelped, throwing up your hands to protect your face. But nothing happened. Slowly dropping your arms, you saw that the ball of light had stopped in front of your face. Squinting at it, you saw small red sparks emitting from it.

"Aka made this!" You exclaimed. As if reacting to Aka's name, the ball of light circled your head once and started to float away.

"Brother!" Al exclaimed, "Maybe it's trying to lead us to Aka!" You quickly nodded.

"C'mon! We can't let it get away!" Following the ball of red light, you chased it down the streets of Iselia. Just as you were beginning to wear out, the ball went through the door of a tall building. Quickly opening the door, you saw a series of staircases leading to the top. There was a door on every landing.

"An apartment building?" You asked.

"They must have Aka in one of these!" Al said from behind you. Looking up, you saw that the ball of light had begun to rise. Quickly running to the staircase, you started to hurl yourself up them one by one, following the light.

Finally, at an apartment near the top floor, the red ball stopped and went through the door. Checking to make sure Al wasn't far behind, flung the door open...

Aka's POV-

Where are they? Didn't they get the message? You'd been waiting for quite some time now, and there was still no word from Ed and Al. Instead, you'd had to listen to Vharley and his friend bicker over who got to use your watch first.

They're more childish than Ed! You thought angrily. Suddenly, Vharley said something you did not want to hear.

"...You know what? I think keeping him alive is too risky...he might try to warn other State Alchemists..."

OO WTF?

"Ya think so?" asked the friend.

"Yes." Vharley said, "I think we should kill him. Let's do it quickly before he wakes up."

Dammit, looks like I'm on my own! Gritting your teeth, you made a fist with both hands. ...3...2...1-

"What the hell is that?" Vharley yelled. Your body tensed up as you felt a strange warmth shoot into your stomach.

My lightning ball! That means-

"GIVE US BACK OUR FRIEND YOU BASTARDS!" Came a yell. You felt your stomach flip.

Ed! Just in time!

"You! You're the ones from the train! I should have known you'd come to find him!" You paled as you heard the click of metal.

Shit! They do have guns! Guess it's now or never! Shoving your hands together, you used the lightning to cut the rope. Sitting up, you quickly did the same to your legs and stood up.

"Y-you're awake!" Yelled Vharley's friend, who was finally visible. Not that he was much to look at. He was completely bald and a bit fat, wearing dirty clothes. Glaring at him, you slammed your fist into your hand.

"You're the one who knocked me out, aren't you?" You asked, looking pissed. The friend visibly paled and started to back away. Too late. Lurching forward, you landed a punch in his gut. He doubled over, clutching his stomach.

"You'll regret that!" came a yell. Whirling around, you saw Vharley pointing a gun at you.

Shit! He's the one with the gun? Should've gone after him first... Ed and Al started to charge towards him, but he held up a hand.

"One more step and I'll shoot your friend." He said in a low voice. Ed and Al froze in their tracks. Vharley turned back to you, chuckling.

"You were awake the whole time, weren't you? Well, I guess I don't need to explain things then. You already know that I intend to kill you." You glared at him.

"All that for one pocket watch? Seems pretty drastic to me."

"Quiet you fool! If I show people that watch, they'll think I'm from the State! And you know how much citizens fear the State...they'll think I'm some kind of all-powerful alchemist, ready to tear them apart if they don't do my simplest commands. With that kind of power, I'll be able to do whatever I want!"

"You...sick bastard..." Ed muttered. Vharley merely chuckled.

"Call me what you want. None of you will be able to call me anything for much longer...but there is something that I'm curious about. Why would an Ishbalan be a State Alchemist?" You gulped, remembering that he could see your eyes.

"That's...none of your business." You said. Vharley smirked.

"I suppose not...I don't really care I guess. After all, you'll be nobody's business in a few minutes. But there is something I would like...something to remind myself that I was able to kill a State Alchemist...Some sort of souvenir...ah! I know, give me your bandana." Your eyes widened.

Why...of all things... "Isn't my pocket watch enough?" You demanded, trying to avoid it. Vharley shook his head.

"No no, I'd like the bandana as well. Now give it to me..." he said, pointing his gun at Ed. "...Or I'll shoot your friend first."

"You...monster..." You hissed, giving Vharley the deadliest glare you could.

"Now now, hurry up. I don't have all day to waste on you fools."

There's...no choice... You thought, reaching up. Fixing your eyes on Ed's, you grabbed your bandana.

"Ed..." You said, "I'm so sorry..." In one fast motion, you tore your bandana off your head. Still watching Ed, you saw his eyes widen as your long hair spilled down your head...making you look entirely and undeniably like a girl...

ahaha! i finally did it! you were wondering when i'd do it, and i finally did! but what now? what if vharley kills ed? what if he kills aka? why did i put ed before aka? why am i not considering al at all? why am i saying why so much?

um...anyway...stay tuned to find out how everyone handles the cat once it's outta the bag!

procrastinater of tomorrow-

-zago