Author's Note

I don't own FMA or SM… if I did, I wouldn't be here.

I'm sorry, but I'm kind of butchering the FMA timeline a little. Al will be much closer to his teenage years, just because they perform the forbidden transmutation three years before the plotline of this story. Ed is his normal age, but Al is a little older. He's still a kid though!

Okay, so I had hoped to cover a little more this chapter, but a lot did come out, so I hope you all enjoy it.

Playing Pretend

Chapter 4: The Chesire

"How's Serena?" Al asked Ed as he took his seat, waiting for Teacher to get mad at him again for being late.

"She's staying with Winry. She'll be okay," Ed replied, thinking back to that night.

"FREEZE!"

"Hold on a minute!" Ed shouted to them. Serena was still in his arms as the soldiers began to surround them.

"So you were the one. We thought it must have been one of your kind."

"Yeah, you freak. Now you're going to die."

"Stop jumping to conclusions!" Ed shouted at them.

"Ed," Serena's frail voice whispered. "Thank you."

"Enough!" a masculine voice called over the soldiers, as they cleared the way. A very familiar man came upon the two, smirking some as he looked at Ed.

"Prince Darien!" the guards gasped. Ed held a strong glare as he held Serena close.

"It's the siblings after all," Prince Darien said with a light chuckle. His black hair ruffled with a slight wind and his blue eyes danced with anticipation. Ed feared the worse. He knew the man had been upset with Serena earlier. With a snap of his fingers, they would be dead. Al would never go back to normal. It would be all his fault. He couldn't stand for that.

"Calm down Ed," Serena whispered. "We are safe."

Ed looked around, and sure enough, even though they were surrounded, the sparkling had remained, and the soldiers could not progress further. The black-haired prince drew closer however, and kneeled by the two.

"What happened then?" the prince asked, as Ed rose his bladed arm, pointing to the doorway. The soldiers all looked, in shock, as Ed looked to Serena.

"She was unconscious when I arrived. There was a figure in the shadows that I chased off. Dark Fairies appeared and she used a spell to protect us," Ed explained softly.

"It'll be gone when the sun rises," Serena explained. "But it drains more of my energy without—without—without—"

"She's had a hard night," Prince Darien said, ruffling Ed's hair. "Good job."

"Condescending bastard," Ed thought venomously.

"FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST!" Teacher roared, as Ed jumped up to his feet. "So glad you could join us. Please explain where you were this morning."

"I was tending to a sick friend."

"You don't have friends Edward," Teacher reminded him. "You have a brother."

"Then I slept in," Ed said spitefully, as he sat down again.

"Edward," Teacher said softly, shaking her head as she returned to teaching the class. Her heart scolded her sometimes for being so harsh to the boy, but if she didn't, he'd never understand the errors of using the forbidden alchemy. He was lucky he had only lost his arm and leg. Some people had lost way more to that devilish alchemy.

…

Serena had stopped crying two days ago. Now she only sat on the bed Winry Rockbelle had so generously given her while the alchemists scoured her home. They'd been at it for three weeks. She was certain that they were looking for her ritual room, where most of her spells were performed and her magical books and heirlooms were kept. That room was sealed off by her strongest locking charm. Only—only—she stopped thinking about it as Winry came in.

"Serena, they said you could go home."

"Do you know anything new Winry? About the murderer?"

"They led a massacre. No one was left Serena," Winry replied. "The alchemists went in as a police force, and they couldn't find any traces of forced entry or anything. They told me that they were sure it was something alchemic in nature, only because of the symbol left. They didn't show it to me or anything, but I think it's hush hush."

"I would think that if something magical were let loose on the alchemists, I'm sure the mages would be quiet about it too," Serena said softly, picking herself up.

"Look Serena, I know it's not your birthday or anything, but Grandma thought it would be better if you had something else with you in the house besides yourself," Winry said softly. She presented a pair of cats, each with a crescent-moon shaped bald spot on their foreheads.

"Cats?" Serena asked, confused.

"Grandma said that they protect mages, just like dogs protect us normal people!" Winry said with a warm-hearted smile. Serena chuckled.

"Thanks Winry. And two to boot. She really wants me to be safe, huh?" Serena asked, as the two cats came to life. The first of the two, a black one, jumped right onto her shoulders as the second, a white cat, jumped to atop her head. "They're so cute Winry! Do they have names?"

"It's written in a foreign script on their collars. We couldn't quite read them," Winry admitted sheepishly. "Do you mind if I walk you home?"

"Thanks Winry. I'd give you a hug, but my hands are a little full. So my new friends, let's get you home," Serena said, plastering the goofiest grin on her face. In her mind, she whispered doubts and fears of going home. Would she want to see those rooms again? Was she ready to face them? How could she live life without her friends? Her mother? She was going to talk to Hotaru and her fairies again soon, but right now, she needed to calm down. Then her mind drifted to Ed. He'd been there most of the morning. Certainly he was late for class. Why did he care so much about her and what happened to her? The black cat purred, as Serena smiled. So this one could sense her hidden sorrow? It seemed that cats really guarded mages after all.

…

Ed sat in the cafeteria quietly with Ed, as the regular groups made their rounds. He saw the black hair, and his anger rose. Flame was coming—again.

"So Shrimp, how's it going?" Flame Alchemist asked smugly.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SEAFOOD SPECIALTY THAT'S SHORTER THAN A WORM!" Ed roared, Al merely holding him by the shirt and lifting him off the ground.

"Brother," Al sighed.

"Let me at him Al! LET ME RIP HIM TO SHREDS!"

"I bet that mage you were taking care of this morning would love to hear this," Flame Alchemist continued. Ed gave him the coldest glare as he silenced. "Oh wait, you're not supposed to be near those people, are you?"

"I'm warning you," Ed hissed, Al refusing to place him back on the ground.

"Relax Fullmetal," Flame Alchemist laughed. "I wouldn't tell anyone. But I do wonder what you're getting yourself into. Seriously, no one has ever seen this happen before. The Royal Family had to send us to the ancient archives just to find out what they should do."

"Did you find a passage?" Ed asked, the threatening tone dropping some. "A passage about royalty?"

Flame Alchemist set down his tray, staring dangerously at Ed.

"How did you find out about that?" he asked, as Ed smirked. As long as he didn't say anything about the fairies, maybe he could find out more.

"I'll tell you if you give me the password to the archives."

"What?" Roy hissed. Ed kept his smirk, and was set down by Al, carefully, as he proceeded to sit down and eat his lunch again. Al was amazed at how impassive the group was to the situation. They all seemed absorbed in books and girls and whatever else entertained ordinary alchemists. He and his brother used to be like them. Not anymore.

Five years ago…

"Ed!" Serena cried, as Al watched from behind the bushes. "You're it!"

He didn't want to be tagged next, as he watched his brother pout. Hotaru popped up next to him.

"Get lower," she whispered, as Al quickly lowered himself. Ed spun in their direction. "Oh no! He heard us!"

"Run!" Al cried, giggling and running at the same time. He ran right into the leg of a tall, burly man.

"Hello there. Are you Alphonse Elric?" he asked. This man was a Cleric Mage. Al didn't know why he knew.

"Mommy said to never talk to strangers," Al replied dutifully. Ed ran out from the brush behind him.

"I gotcha—now?" he said. The two were in for the shock of their lives. Two hours later, they were at their mother's bedside, crying.

"Mom, don't go," Ed whispered, sobbing.

"Now now Ed, be strong. You're the man of the house, remember?" Trisha Elric told him calmly. The burly mage was behind the two boys. "I need you to take care of your brother."

Two years later…

"This will work Al, I know it will!" Ed proclaimed. The two stared at the arrays that their father had drawn onto the books, as they smiled, hopeful, dreaming. Back then, Al was a still a vibrant young boy.

One year later…

"Brother, don't throw that!" Al proclaimed, as Ed threw the book down on the playground.

"It's stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" Ed roared, intending to jump on the book. Al lifted him before he could. Metallic clangs were heard at Ed's kicking feet hit Al's metallic body.

"Brother!" Al shouted. "Quit kicking me!"

"I hate it Al! I hate that lying piece of crap!" Ed shouted. Al sighed, as he carried his brother home on his shoulder. After awhile, instead of the futile tossing and shouting, gentle tears streamed down his metal back. "I'm so sorry Al. I can't believe this happened. If I had known, I would have never done this."

"Don't put the blame on yourself. I helped," Al replied angrily, as Ed chuckled slightly.

"Al," Ed whispered. "I really am sorry. I didn't want this to happen to you."

Al, at that moment, wished that he too, could cry.

Al sighed. This was not a time to reminisce. His brother was still waiting patiently, as Flame Alchemist was staring him down. Finally, he laughed.

"Is that all you want? Information? Why don't you just go to the library?"

"I was there yesterday," Ed replied smoothly, eating some corn from his plate. "They didn't have what I needed information on."

"You're railroading me here Ed!" Flame Alchemist whispered.

"I need to know, Roy," Ed replied simply, using Flame Alchemists real name.

"Hey, how did you find that out?" Flame Alchemist demanded in a fierce whisper, as Ed's face became even smugger.

"I'd tell you, but as I said, I need to know," Ed replied, as Flame Alchemist sighed. He looked around, and knelt close.

"You want that password so bad that you are holding a possible snitch over MY head?" Flame Alchemist asked, his eyes fierce.

"Hey, I can't help that I have reliable sources," Ed replied with a shrug. "So your name is Roy Mustang? For real?"

"Seriously, how did you get that information?" Flame Alchemist demanded.

"I still am short a password."

"That's not all he's short on," Roy muttered miserably. Then to Ed, "You're not going to budge are you Ed?"

"Not a chance Roy."

"You're an annoying li—twerp, you know that Fullmetal?" Flame Alchemist said, moving back to a normal posture, and tossing his hair back. "Go visit Hughes, the secretary. He'll tell you what you need to know."

Flame Alchemist abruptly stood, and left.

"He forgot to ask how you found out, Brother," Al said, as Ed laughed.

"That bastard made me owe him one," he explained through laughs. "He really is a calculating devil. The Flame Alchemist is our new friend here Al."

"Are you going to see Hughes? I hear strange things about him," Al asked. Ed put on a giant, ridiculously cheesy grin.

"Yup, he can't be as bad as the rumors say!" Ed said, sounding like a laugh could pass his lips at any moment.

"You're spending way too much time around Serena. You've got her grin all over your face, Brother."

"No time like the present. Let's go Al!"

"And you're talking like her," Al muttered, as the two left the mess hall, Ed's half-eaten tray still on the table.

Winry waved goodbye, and gave Serena a departing hug as the cats sat on the doorstep. Serena waited until Winry was out of sight. She took one deep breath, and looked back at her house. Two days ago, this had been the prettiest home in all the lands. Now, it was a haunted house, the magic gone, and the tree where the fairies used to be dead, the leaves absent and the ground barren beneath it.

"Well, it looks like I have some work to do," Serena said softly. She stepped over to the tree first, her eyes watering. Only a short while ago, her fairy friends and she had been at this tree. Only a short while ago it had been the healthiest tree, blossoming beautifully in the spring breezes. Now it looked like an eternal autumn. Her left hand touched the trunk, as she tried to calm herself down. After stifling her tears, she placed her right in her satchel, pulling out the broach. The cast wandered over, watching Serena curiously.

"This will be the first time without them here to cheer me on," Serena whispered, looking at the broach. She looked back to the cats. "Guess you two are my cheering squad now. I bet you would have loved to have met the girls."

The two cats meowed. Serena smiled, as she let the hand on the tree fall to her side, and rose her other hand.

"Moon Prism Power!" she cried. "Please heal this home!"

Lights erupted in rays, shooting out from the broach in her hand. As a ray hit anything, the life that had vanished returned abundantly, as the wildlife came to its natural green hue. Serena smiled as the lights stopped. Magic was in her home again. The heart of a home was the people in it. They gave life to everything inside, and since her mother had claimed the home with magic, when she died, it became open again. Serena could have moved to any other home just for that fact, but too much was here. She would never leave it. As Serena entered the home, all the magical appliances were hard at work, cleaning up the mess the alchemists had made.

"Bastian?" Serena asked tentatively. A mop came into view, hopping up from her basement. At the sight of this, Serena gave the mop a big hug, and the cats who had moved to the doorway crashed. Serena giggled, and turned to them. "Cats, this is Bastian. He keeps the house tidy and reports of any incidents in our—my absence. Speaking of Bastian, don't tell me about that night where—I can't take it. You can tell me later, when I'm ready."

"Of course milady."

The mop formed a mouth and spoke back! The cats jumped. Serena smiled.

"Can you tell me where the alchemists got into?"

"It was horrible milady! They were trying to break into the ritual room and they said they were looking for a library—tch—they never got in though! I would have stopped them before they tried blowing the door, but the magic was gone so I couldn't even move. They had the nerve to throw me across the room and treat me—like a mop!"

Serena smiled, as she pat Bastian the mop on the head. Her mother had been very clear that Serena was to tie herself to that room even though her mother already had. Now she understood why. The only way to properly enter a ritual room is with permission, or posthumously. Since her mother had died, yet she still lived, it was still improper to enter that chamber of the house. Using her magic to claim the room had actually protected its secrets in her absence.

"Bastian, these new cats are going to be living here. Will you get a shopping list ready for me so I know what to get from the store?"

"Good call milady. They cleaned out the food when they were here," Bastian said, sounding upset. "What are their names, milady?"

"Um," Serena chuckled nervously, as the black cat jumped into her arms again, and Serena lifted it to see its collar. The name was emblazoned cleanly in a magical tongue.

"Luna Chesire," Serena read, as the cat blinked, and then jumped back. The white cat shook its head, as Serena knelt to it. "Artemis Chesire."

It was instant. The flash. When Serena could see again, before her were a man and a woman. She squeaked and jumped back, Bastian jumping in front of her.

They were a strange sight. The man had long white hair, blue eyes, and a crescent moon mark on his forehead. His outfit was also white. It was strange though. The white pants seemed normal enough, but the long-sleeved shirt had a few strips that went longer than the rest of the shirt and clipped to his pants, causing a circular hole near the bottom, exposing his navel. The top had a crescent-shaped hole, and just above it a golden crescent plate.

If he wasn't any help, the woman had blue eyes too and wavy, black hair with two heart-shaped buns. The hair went all the way down to the end of her back. She wore a yellow tutu-style dress with spaghetti straps, with the layer beneath being black. Two black fluffs were attached at the start of the sphaghetti straps, and she wore a long necklace with a giant golden crescent.

They smiled, and bowed to Serena.

"We thank you Bunny," they said in unison. Serena was dumbstruck. "We are of a rare magical breed of animals, the Chesire."

"Chesire?" Serena asked. She sat there for a few minutes, thinking it over. The woman sweatdropped.

"We have two forms, a humanlike one," the woman continued, as a poof occurred. The woman was replaced with the black cat, Luna!

"And the feral one," the man added. "When we are born, we are cursed, unable to change freely between forms."

Luna changed back into the woman.

"But since you have read our full names from our collars, that curse is lifted, and we now can change whenever is necessary. We have been searching for you Bunny."

"For me?" Serena asked. "This has got to be a dream. Cats don't turn into people and start talking to me."

"Yes, for you," Luna pressed. "We have been searching for the true Yamir Mage since birth, in order to serve and protect them with our lives."

"Serve and protect?" Serena exclaimed. "It's not like a war is going on!"

"But there is," the man, Artemis, replied. "Even now Dark Mages are trying to rule everything. We were the last lines of defense of Royalty for ages."

"Royalty? Really?"

"Yes," Luna said. "That is why we've come to you. You are special Bunny, and need our protection."

"When did this happen?" Serena asked. "Why am I special?"

"You were labeled as a Cleric Mage, correct?" Artemis asked. "What if we told you they were wrong?"

"Now I have to be dreaming," Serena said. "Bastian, are they really there? Please tell me they aren't."

"Sorry milady, I cannot lie."

"Ahem," Luna said, getting Serena's attention again. "Actually, you probably noticed it yourself. You're very in tune with the moon, aren't you?"

"Sorta," Serena admitted quietly. "None of my spells work unless I call upon the moon in some way."

"You are the Yamir Mage," Artemis said. "That alone is proof of this."

"And as such, you have the abilities of Cleric Mages, true, but your strongest powers come at night, and they are even strong enough to resurrect fallen magical creatures."

Serena shot up at this. Could she really? Was it true?

"What do I have to do?"

Next time…

Chimeras are not the only mistake of mankind.

Chapter 5: The Homonculi