Yes, this chapter is very much inspired by Paramore's song "For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic" off of their second album "RIOT!"

Alchemist Chronicles

Chapter 16 - For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic

Walking to HQ the next day, AJ recalls what she and Roxy spoke about the night before.

{Flashback Begins}

Roxy - "Before we continue with anything else. There's one favor I need from you." Ari looks at her confused.

Ari - "Alright. What is it?"

Roxy takes a deep breath. She then points to Ari. "Me vs you."

Ari leans her head to the side. "Huh?"

Roxy becomes infuriated. "I'm serious, Marisol! I wanna fight you! The both of us, give it our all and don't hold anything back!"

AJ puts a hand to her head. "Like why? Out of all the things you could have asked me for?"

Roxy - "You said that you're a survivor now, right? Then prove it. Show me that no one including myself can bring you down ever again like Adam did. I need to see it with my own eyes."

AJ takes a deep breath. "Fine. But not here or right now. Tomorrow once I get done work. There's a meadow on the edge of town. That is where the warehouse once stood where I was kidnapped at. Roy and a few friends of his burned it to the ground. The area's been deserted ever is where we will fight. If I'm gonna conquer my past, I need to confront it first, right?"

Roxy points to Ari again. "Now that's what the fuck I'm talking about, Janine." Smirking at Roxy, AJ grabs her hand and shakes it.

{Flashback Ends}

When she makes to the Fuhrer's office, she enters with permission. Making her final trip for the day to Roy's office to drop off his requested folders, she walks in seeing only Chris sitting on the sofa.

AJ looks at her surprised and confused. "Ma?", then walks over to his desk, placing the folders on top it.

Chris - "Easy baby girl. You left out of the blue last night. That's a first for you."

AJ puts her head down. "I'm sorry. I've should said something at least."

Chris - "That's alright. I've should of told you that I already met her."

AJ raises an eyebrow. "For how long?"

Chris - "About two weeks ago." Swatting her hand momentarily. "That's not important. What I want to know is if you and Roxy made up? I would assume so."

Rubbing the back of her head, she replies. "Yeah. But we still have a lot of stuff to talk about." She looks down briefly. "I made plans with her after work today. She's waiting for me down out front. I shouldn't keep her waiting any longer, since well you know eight years is a pretty long time." She smiles at Chris.

Chris chuckles. "Alright then, I'll see you later at the bar. Don't be late." AJ nods her head. Then walks forwards wrapping her arms around Chris, hugging her, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Luv ya, Ma."

Chris - "Love you too, Ari." She then starts walking away. "Oh and one more thing, Ari." Ari turns around. "Don't let her corrupt you."

Ari laughs. "Actually I'm pretty sure Riza or Olivier would corrupt her first before she has a chance to corrupt me." Chris joins in the laughter.

After closing the door, Ari changes clothes and then leaves HQ with Roxy. They head over to the meadow. Roxy starts. "Remember what I said. Don't hold anything back. Give it your all." They face one another, stance-wise.

Roxy then starts walking sideways, AJ follows her lead. "Now that we are getting things off of our chest, let me start by saying how much I hate the fact that you have a family here that loves you. Meanwhile little old me has always been by myself."

Ari - "What about your mom?"

Roxy - "She died the same day the red light in the sky happened. I was picked up by our next door neighbor who was there when she collapsed. But you weren't there for me like the crew was. Apparently, you weren't even in Amestris at all when that happen."

Ari stops and stands still. "I was in Aerugo. New Ember City to be exact. But I did see everything. The red light. The black snakes, lightning bolts and then..."

Roxy stops and stares right at Ari. "And then what?"

Ari looks at Roxy dead in the eyes. "Then this gigantic dark figure appeared. I don't- I don't know how to explain it. But it definitely wasn't human, Roxy."

Roxy looks at her friend. She then sighs. "There are even people wearing human skin that aren't human at all. Only pretending to be something that they're not."

Ari - "We all know or knew someone like that."

Roxy - "So what are you trying to say?"

Ari looks down briefly. "Everybody wears a mask to hide an identity, Roxy."

Roxy - "So what's your identity right now, Marisol."

Janine cracks her fingers. "Just call me AJ, Tori."

Roxy tackles AJ to the ground. AJ grabs her fist before it makes contact with her cheek. She then pushes her feet against Roxy's stomach pushing her off of her. AJ rolls over and stands up. Roxy stands up, holding her stomach. "Damn that hurt."

AJ - "You said don't hold back right? Your words, not mine."

Roxy grins. Then rushes toward AJ, swinging her arm. AJ ducks, dodging the fist. She then elbows Roxy in the stomach. "Stop hitting me in the stomach!" She yells as she holds her stomach again, catching her breath.

AJ - "Then quit leaving it open for an attack!" Roxy spins kick AJ in her stomach, knocking her to her knees. "OW!" "Doesn't feel good now, does it?"

"Damn." AJ replies, catching her breath and clutching her stomach. She then stands up, struggling a bit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(SS)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roy enters his office with Riza and his men behind him. He makes it to his desk noticing the folders. "Hey, Colonel? Where's Janine?" He asks Riza.

"She's already left for the day, Sir." Riza replies. "Is that so." He says. She nods her head. After a few minutes of silence. "Last night she left without saying a word. The both of us were worried until we stopped by her place and seen her in bed." Roy tells Hawkeye. "Did she tell you want she was doing after work before she left?"

Riza - "Yes. She told me that she was giving Roxy a tour of Central."

Roy - "Who's driving her around?"

Riza - "She is." Roy glances at Riza, concerned. "She's not a child anymore, General. I believe that she will make some mistakes as well as some smart decisions. I trust that she has a good head on her shoulders. You should too." Roy sighs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(SS)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wiping her mouth, AJ notices a cut on her lip. "Damn it, Roxy! You cut me!"

Roxy - "Deal with it bitch! This fight isn't over!"

AJ lunges forward, tackling Roxy to the ground. AJ grabs Roxy's hands placing them on each side of her friend's head. "You wanna know what pisses me off the most about you, Roxy!" Roxy doesn't say anything, only stares at AJ. "You had freedom to go outside whenever you wanted to as a kid. You have faith in a god that you believe will right your wrongs and can do you no harm. Meanwhile, I was locked up in a house, only allowed to go outside with Ma or Roy. And after both incidents involving Adam, guess who had to change the color of their hair and move to a completely different city with a new identity? Me. And here you are bitching and complaining about how perfect my life is!"

Roxy takes the opportunity to shove Janine off of her. She crawls backward, then stands up. AJ stands up as well. "Well maybe if you-"

AJ - "Maybe what, Roxy? Should I of let Adam kill me, so then even if you sent Ed to find me. All that he would of found was a gravestone!" Roxy stays silent. "I fought my way through HELL just so I could see you and everyone else again! Two words kept me going every time. Stay Strong. That's what Riza told me when Adam had that gun pointed at my head when I was 9. And ever since then I've taken those words to heart and you should too."

Roxy sighs sadly as a few tears start falling from her eyes. AJ starts walking slowly closer to her. "Just stop, Janine." AJ stops in her tracks, biting her lip. Trying to stop her own tears from falling. Wiping her eyes, Roxy asks. "Did it ever occur to you that maybe I thought you were dead? That I would never see you again, Marisol."

AJ - "I- I thought you were dead too. Both you and Ti." Her own tears began to fall."

Roxy looks away from AJ briefly. "I just don't understand, Ari."

AJ wipes her eyes. "For A Pessimist, I'm Pretty Optimistic, Roxy."

Roxy - "But how?"

Ari looks Roxy straight in the eyes. "Stay Strong." Roxy observes Ari. "Let's go home, together sis." Ari tells Roxy, extending her hand out.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(SS)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As Roy is leaving HQ, a military police officer flags him down. "Major General Mustang! Sir!"

Roy stops and looks at the officer. "Yes? What is it?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(SS)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Falling on her back with a thud, AJ holds the back of her head with one of her hands as she tries to lift herself up. "Ouch!" She shouts, holding her stomach as well. Roxy hovers over her. "We are not sisters anymore. Remember, your words, not mine."

AJ - "Damn it, Tori! You didn't have to hit me so hard!"

Roxy - "Shut the fuck up and stand the hell up, Janine! We have a fight to finish!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(SS)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roy runs down the sidewalk, about a block away from HQ. A car stops directly in front of him. "What the-"

Riza - "Get in, Sir! Your kitten ran away and we need to find her."

Roy smirks as he gets into the car. Riza starts driving again. "My kitten, huh?

Riza - "With all due respect, sir." "Hm?" Roy replies. "Shut up." She says.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~(SS)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Roxy, who is sitting on the grass, holding her cheek after AJ punched her. She then spits on the ground and stands up. Putting her fists up, she faces AJ. "Lucky punch there, Janine."

AJ - "I'm a clover, Roxy. Get used to it."

Roxy smirks then laughs. "Hahaha! That was cute, Ari. Really cute." AJ nods a thank you to Roxy.

AJ motions for Roxy to come and get her. Roxy lunges for AJ but she catches her with her hands. Hands locked with hands, both girls are trying to push at the other one. "You call yourself tough, Marisol!" "Shut up, Tori! I'm not weak!" "Then prove me wrong then!" AJ then moves one her legs behind Roxy's leg, causing Roxy to fall backward. AJ then falls on top of her and punches her in the face. Roxy catches AJ's attempted second punch. Bleeding from the side of her mouth, Roxy tells Janine. "Is that the best you got?" AJ scowls at Roxy.

Roxy rolls them over leaving her the one now on top. "Now. For a little payback." Roxy punches AJ in the stomach. "Argh!" AJ yells. "Damn!" AJ says as she blocks Roxy's next punch. Roxy then hears something in the distance and turns her head.

Taking advantage of a distracted Roxy, AJ rolls them over, leaving her on top of Roxy again. AJ puts a fist getting ready to punch Roxy. She then feels a hand covering her wrist. She turns her head and sees Roy, who tells her. "I don't care who started what. Get off her right now, Janine." He lets her wrist go as she sighs and stands up.

Riza walks over next to Roxy and helps her up. "Grab your stuff and start walking. I don't want to hear any talking at all for either of you." Roy tells them. They walk over and grab their belongings. Roy and Riza then walk the both of them over to the car.

Roy takes the both of them to his house. Instructing them to go sit on his couch when they get there. While the girls are sitting on the couch, Roy makes a phone call. When he returns, he sits on his coffee table in front of them.

Roy - "Start talking Ari, what happened?"

Ari - "Me and Roxy wanted to prove to each other how stronger we've become over the years. She wanted me to show her that no one not even her could bring me down again like the way Adam damaged me."

Roy looks at her, concerned. "Damaged, huh?"

Roxy - "Look, I'm sorry if I got her in trouble. It was my fault for why me and her started fighting in the first place. As she just said, I wanted her to prove to me that she really was strong and not just saying it because of an ego or something."

Roy who's now looking at Roxy, says. "Ego, eh?" He then stands up and leaves.

Roxy - "Did he just completely ignore everything we just said to him?"

AJ - "Nope. He's a very smart man. Those two words he just said moments ago are now his guns."

Roxy looks at Ari flabbergasted. "Are his what?"

AJ then closes her eyes. She then hears his footsteps walking back. She opens her eyes. "Get ready, Roxy." Roxy nervously bites her lip briefly when she sees him walking back into the living room, proceeding to sit back on his table in front of them.

Roy - "So now that we have that curved out the way, does she know about the stone?" Ari nods her head.

Roxy looks at both Ari and Roy confused. "What is he talking about, Marisol? What stone-" Roxy stops talking once she sees Ari taking a deep breath.

Ari glares at Roy. "You're a jerk you know that!"

Roy raises an eyebrow to her. "That's the best you got? Ed's called me worse."

Ari yells back. "Quit comparing me to him!"

Roy - "I'm not. Stop changing the subject and just show her already!"

Ari bites her lip quickly then she reaches underneath her shirt and pulls out The Metatronic Stone that is hanging from her neck by a chain, holding the stone itself in between her fingers. Taking another deep breath, she then looks at Roxy the same time that her eyes changes to the same color as the stone and the stone itself begins to glow brightly.

End of Chapter 17