Disclaimer: same as always.
7 The Night the Chimera Cries
Edward Elric stood in Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang's office. Mustang opened a drawer. "Here," he said, tossing an object carelessly towards the young boy.
Grabbing his coveted watch out of the air, Ed studied it closely then looked up at the Lieutenant Colonel. "Isn't there a more ceremonious way of giving it to me?" he asked dryly.
Mustang smirked at the boy's impertinence. "Congratulations," he said, "you are now a dog of the military." He gestured to his blond lieutenant who sat at a table behind Ed.
Dismissed, Ed followed Havoc out of the office.
Ed sat sulking in the back seat of the black military-issued sedan. Havoc glanced back. "Hey, don't worry. The Lieutenant Colonel is working on a tough case right now," he said by way of apology for his superior's behavior. "A serial murderer who only kills women."
Ed frowned. "Isn't that a job for the police?"
"It would be quite shameful for it to get out that the military has a killer right under its nose," Havoc pointed out.
"He's just doing it to get another promotion," Ed muttered.
The car came to an abrupt halt sending Ed crashing into the other end of the cabin. Rubbing his head, he glared at the Second Lieutenant.
"It's true that the Lieutenant Colonel will do anything to get a promotion," the blond officer admitted without looking back at his passenger. "But if that was the only thing driving him, the rest of us wouldn't follow him."
At Ed's silence, he bobbed his cigarette and started the car.
"Look." Ed brandished the silver watch proudly, standing in the middle of the driveway.
Al looked up from where he was playing with Nina. "Is that it?" he asked eagerly.
Ed smiled. "Yup," he said. From his right a giant blur of white came charging at him. Ed braced himself for the impact, but none came. Instead, he felt the watch being snatched from his hand. Ed stared incredulously at his empty fingers.
"Hey!" he screamed after a running Alexander. The dog turned around and grinned a doggy grin around the silver watch clamped in his teeth. He turned back around and took off as Ed broke out into a sprint.
Nina and Al smiled. "He's playing with him again," Al said, referring to Alexander. Amused, Havoc watched the young boy chase after the dog, yelling "Give it back." For what he lacked in height, the boy certainly made up for in volume.
The front door opened and Tucker stepped out into the sunlight. He took in the scene with some surprise. Havoc spotted him and saluted, "Major."
"Second Lieutenant," Tucker greeted. He watched the blond teenager and his dog running in circles around the lawn. Through the blur of red, black, and white, Tucker caught a glimpse of a silver chain. "We should have a celebration tonight." His announcement brought smiles from all the children, including Ed who finally managed to wrest his prize from Alexander's jaws. "Will you join us?" he invited Havoc.
Caught off-guard, Havoc almost dropped his cigarette. "Uh, no, thank you," he said hastily. "I still have work to do."
"All right." Tucker turned back to the children, dismissing the soldier.
"Wait, Major. The Lieutenant Colonel has a message." Tucker paused at Havoc's words, his shoulder's stiffening beneath his dark brown jacket. "'Don't forget this year's assessment.' He is looking forward to your report."
Tucker smiled sadly. "I am aware of that," he said, his back still to Havoc.
"The assessment Second Lieutenant Havoc mentioned, is that the one to renew your State Alchemist qualification?" Al asked at dinner that night.
Tucker looked down at his potatoes, his round glasses reflecting the lamp light. "Yes. I have to do well this year," he admitted to them. "I didn't receive very high marks last year. I'll have to try harder."
From beside him, Nina raised her fists in the air holding her fork and knife. "Do your best, Papa!" she cheered, drawing smiles from across the table.
Ed leaned forward, putting down his utensils. "Are you going to create another chimera that can understand human words?" he asked anxiously.
"Can we see it when you're done?" chimed in Al.
Tucker's glasses glinted then cleared. "Of course," he laughed nervously.
Later that night, Ed hunched over the desk in their room, painstakingly composing words with his left hand. Even with the auto-mail, he couldn't quite get the hand of fine motor skills with his right arm. He was halfway down the page when Nina poked her head over his shoulder.
"Whatcha doing?" Her curious voice startled Ed into dropping the pencil. "Who are you writing a letter to?"
Ed swore Al's eye-lights turned mischievous. "You're writing to Winry, aren't you?"
"I'm giving her a report!" Ed declared, red creeping up his neck. "'I became a State Alchemist, how's that?'" he defended.
Nina looked back up at Ed. "Is Winry your girlfriend?" she asked innocently.
Ignoring Ed's outraged yowl, Al, who was sitting on the bed, leaned forward to Nina. "Well, actually…" he began.
Bolting to his feet, Ed waved his hands frantically in denial. "No!" he exclaimed.
"I'm going to write a letter to my mom, too," Nina said, unimpressed by her big brother's outburst. She plopped down on the ground on her stomach between their beds and spread out her crayons.
Ed and Al both quietly watched the little girl carefully choose crayons. "Nina, where is your mom?" Al finally asked.
Nina looked up. "She went away. She said Daddy was good-for-nothing and she left," she promptly recited. She dropped her gaze back down to her drawing. "I hope she answers me," she wished softly.
The brothers exchanged a meaningful glance. Al slid off the bed and knelt next to the little girl and fondly rubbed her head with his metal hand. Ed gave a soft smile as Nina's laughter filled the room.
In a few hours, the room had lapsed into silence only to be broken by the soft scrape of the door. "Sorry if she's bothering you," Tucker apologized. He knelt down to pick up a now sleeping Nina.
Ed bent down to pick up her drawing. "Here, she drew this for her mom," he said, handing it to the older alchemist.
Ed couldn't see Tucker's eyes behind the glare of his round lenses as he looked down at his daughter. "Gambatte, Papa," Nina murmured, slightly stirring in her father's arms.
Ed rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "All right, all right," he said to the big white dog tugging at his leash. "We're going." He let Alexander lead him down the hallway. As they passed the door to the dining room, Ed paused, drawing up on the leash.
Ed slowly entered the room and looked in the bowl in the middle of the dining table. In it was the charred remains of Nina's drawing. In the dim morning light, Ed could barely make out the figures of Tucker, Nina, Alexander, and a woman he supposed was her mother.
Confused, Ed took Alexander out then headed for First Central Library to make use of one of his privileges of being a dog of the military.
He stopped at the front desk. "Can I see reports on Shou Tucker's chimera?" he asked the black woman in the front.
"Tucker," the woman repeated thoughtfully. "Sheska," she called to the other worker. A young girl with mousy brown hair and thick glasses turned. "Do you know anything about Shou Tucker's reports?"
"They're classified," she replied, juggling the huge stack of books in her arms.
Ed unclipped his watch from his belt. "I'm not an ordinary person," he insisted, showing them his proof.
Sheska swayed back and forth with the precarious stack. "Sorry," she said, "but his research is classified. If you want to see it, you need permission from Brigadier General Grand."
"Brigadier General Grand, the Iron Blood Alchemist," the first librarian explained at the boy's confused expression. "He was the first one to propose using alchemists for military purposes."
Disappointed, Ed turned and walked out of the library. On the stairs, a shout drew his attention. A brown skinned man with a yellow jacket and sunglasses was marching up the stairs.
"Hey, hey," the officer yelled. "You can't go in there!"
As the stranger passed him, Ed reached out and grasped the man's right arm with his auto-mail hand. The man glanced down at him through his dark glasses. He had an unusual X-shaped scar on his forehead, the lower two legs going over each eye.
"Sorry," Ed said apologetically, "but it's the rule."
Turning back to the library, the man kept walking. The material of his jacket ripped in Ed's fingers, the sound ripping through the air. Ed stared at the intricate tattoos covering his skin.
The man gritted his teeth and stared at Ed's hand where his sleeve dangled from. Growling, he clasped his other hand over his arm, hiding the tattoos. As more military personnel came running in to remove the intruder, the man sprinted back down the stairs and left.
Shrugging off the bizarre incident, Ed dropped the sleeve and turned his mind back to the issue at hand. He headed toward the Hughes' house. He needed questions answered, and the intelligence officer owed him a favor.
Maes Hughes bounced his baby daughter on his knee. "Elysia, say hi to Ed," he cooed over her gurgles, making baby noises, waving her hand at Ed who sat on the sofa opposite of Hughes.
Glacier swept in and plucked Elysia out of her father's arms. "Talk to Ed," she instructed to his crestfallen face.
The object of his adoration taken away, Hughes rubbed his hands over his stubble and turned a resigned face to Ed. "So what's up?"
"What do you know about Tucker's chimera?" Ed inquired. "The one that spoke human words."
Hughes leaned back. "Not much," he admitted, pushing up his rectangular glasses with his middle finger. "But it definitely said two things. 'I want to die.' After that, it refused to eat and died a few days later."
Ed digested that information. "What do you know about his wife?" he asked next.
Surprise flickered across Hughes' face. "You mean the one who died before he became a State Alchemist?" Ed's eyes widened. "You didn't know?" Hughes surmised from his stricken expression.
The shrill ring of the phone pierced the air. "Hughes," he answered. Ed sat in silence as the older man finished the conversation.
"He's killed another one," Hughes told him, standing up. "That makes it five."
Realizing he was talking about the serial killer Mustang was trying to catch, Ed stood up as well, wordlessly following Hughes' to his car.
They arrived at the scene to the sobbing cries of a young boy. Ed trailed after Hughes, his boots softly scuffing against the ground of the alleyway. The boy was hunched over a blanket covering the corpse. Ed assumed it was the corpse. Brown hair and a slim hand peeked out from under the blanket and the whole area was soaked in blood.
An officer stepped over to take the distraught child away. The boy's fingers were still clenched in the rough material, and as he was lifted, the blanket went with him. Ed's eyes widened in horror when he saw the mutilated body the blanket had hid.
Flashes of his mother spun through his mind, the distorted, grotesque creature that was supposed to be his mother. The boy's sobs had escalated to screams, but Ed didn't hear anything. He didn't hear the yelled concerns of the other officers. His golden eyes glued to the mass of flesh and blood sprawled on the ground, the world around him spun around that one focal point. Ed drew harsh, ragged breaths. Then the alley stopped spinning and Ed fell into a merciful blackness.
Ed awoke in a bed. Tucker's face slowly swam into focus. "It must have been terrible, your mother," Tucker's voice came. He was seated in a wooden chair next to Ed's bed.
It was then Ed realized that his jacket was gone and his auto-mail was plainly visible with only his sleeveless black shirt on. From the sympathetic look in Tucker's eyes, Ed surmised that he had figured out the truth. "Yeah," he softly agreed, intently studying his hands.
"What you two did was unforgivable," Tucker continued, noting the younger alchemist's silence, "but I understand."
Ed sat motionless. He didn't see how anyone could understand. The sounds of a commotion from downstairs drifted up the stairs and the two went down to investigate.
They stopped at the base of the stairs. Al stood just inside the front door, his arms protectively wrapped around Nina. Standing at the entrance was the Iron Blood Alchemist, Basque Grand. Bald with a black handlebar mustache, the general's tall and muscular frame filled the doorframe.
"I hear you are interested in Tucker's research," he boomed, eying Ed from his considerable height. "It's classified."
With that, a bunch of soldiers saw to it that Ed and Al packed their belongings and were escorted outside. Grand watched his subordinates load up the car from a window in Tucker's study. "Mustang has one up on me now since he discovered that kid," he said staring at the blond boy and his armored brother.
"I was able to cover for you last year," he said to Tucker. "But you had better present something good at the assessment this year. I will get in trouble, too, since I am your supporter. You don't want to give up your title of Sewing Life Alchemist to that little brat and go back to your previous lifestyle, do you? Wandering down the streets with an empty stomach."
Tucker looked out the window, the sunlight casting a glare on his glasses. "No," he admitted.
Nina had been very quiet as the soldiers invaded her house. Now she stood on the front step, holding her dad's hand. "Niisantachi, where are you going?" she asked, tears making her blue eyes even brighter.
Ignoring the soldiers hovering over them, Ed and Al faced the little girl. "Don't worry, we'll be back to play with you," Al promised her.
Nina lifted her eyes to Al's, then to Ed's, seeking reassurance. "Really?"
Ed smiled. "Yeah."
Through her tears, Nina smiled. The brothers smiled down at their little sister before allowing themselves to be ushered into the awaiting cars. Nina stood on the porch step staring after the car long after they had disappeared at the bend clutching her father's hand.
Tucker sat at his desk, his shoulders hunched over papers covered in his scribbles, but he wasn't looking at any of them. His hands cradled his bent head. A single lamp dimly lit the room.
"Papa?" Nina's soft question filled the room. Tucker turned to see Nina and Alexander silhouetted in the doorway. "Are you hurt somewhere?"
Tucker pushed back from the table and walked over to where his daughter stood. She was still in her blue overalls, one small hand on Alexander's collar. He knelt in front of her and gathered her close. "I'm at the end of the road, Nina," he huskily admitted, burying his face into her tiny shoulder.
Surprised at the sudden gesture, Nina blinked then relaxed into the hug. "Papa," she murmured, closing her eyes.
Ed and Al silently strode through Tucker's hallway in darkness. The lights were all off in the house and no moonlight shone through the windows.
"Niisan, we could get in big trouble for this," Al warned his brother.
Ed kept on walking. "If we find nothing here, I'll be glad," he said.
Confused, Al followed his brother, knowing better to argue with him when he had that look in his eyes. Descending down a flight of stairs, Ed quietly pushed open the door to the basement.
Dim orange-yellow light spilled into the stairway. "Come in." Tucker's raspy voice beckoned.
Hesitantly, the brothers entered the basement, warily eyeing stacked cages and boxes that lined the walls. They walked towards the source of the dim light. They turned the corner to find Tucker standing against a backdrop of transmutation circles painted on the walls and floor. The dim candlelight cast a maniacal gleam to the older alchemist's glasses.
"Look," he rasped. "A perfect chimera that speaks and understands human words."
Ed and Al stopped in their tracks. In the middle of a transmutation circle sat a dog-like chimera. Its shaggy fur was an off-white color and a brown mane of hair went from the crown of its head to its tail.
"I finished him just in time for this year's assessment," Tucker said, rubbing the back of his neck. "Now I won't have to worry about research funds." Ed and Al took a few steps forward. "Say hi," he prompted the chimera. "This is Edward."
The brothers were rooted to the spot. The chimera lifted its head. "Ed-ward," it formed the words haltingly. Ed's heart thumped loudly.
"Good job," Tucker praised.
"G-good job," the creature repeated, slowly forming each syllable. "Ed-Oniichan," it said again. Ed fell to his knees, coming nose to nose with the chimera.
"Let's play." It turned its head to Al beseechingly. With a soft gasp, Al knelt down beside the chimera. Turning back to the shorter boy, it tugged on Ed's red cloak with its teeth. Hearing the soft clink of chains, Ed watched, paralyzed, as it nosed his silver watch. Ed's heart stopped beating altogether.
His hand shaking, he raised them to the chimera's neck and gave it a gentle stroke. Eyes downcast, Ed got to his feet. Al watched his brother clench his fists at his sides.
Shoulders shaking, Ed brought his chin up slightly, his golden eyes and hair catching the flickering candlelight. "Tucker," he ground out, his voice quavering slightly.
"Yes?" Tucker turned to face the younger boy, his gaze innocent and questioning.
"When did you say your wife left?" he asked softly, his eyes still pointed at an area around Tucker's knees.
"Two years ago" came the blithe reply.
Ed clenched his jaw. "And when did you create the first chimera that spoke words?"
Al listened to the conversation with growing apprehension.
"Two years ago," Tucker replied again. "Why?"
Ed lifted his gaze and met Tucker's dead-on. "Where are Nina and Alexander?" he demanded, his voice loud and strong.
Al let out an audible gasp at the implication, his hands freezing above the chimera in mid-stroke. The chimera whined plaintively.
Ed watched, taking deep breaths to control his anger, as Tucker heaved a sigh, looking away. "I hate kids like you," he finally said. The glare cleared from his round glasses and he eyed Edward. "You're too smart for your own good," he bit out, confirming Ed's accusations.
Ed's eyes narrowed. He took a lunged at Tucker and grabbed the man's collar with his left hand, pinning him to the wall. "You heard him. He used his own wife... and now he used his own daughter and dog to create a chimera," Ed spat out in disgust. "Is it so easy to toy with a human life?" His eyes blazed with golden fury.
"A person's life?" Tucker echoed blankly. He chuckled. "Yes, a person's life," he repeated. "Isn't that what you did?" he accused. "Your arm and leg, your brother's body, your mother."
Enraged, Ed slammed his fist into Tucker's jaw. He pulled his fist back for another one, but Al caught his wrist. "Why, Tucker-san?" he asked quietly. "I thought you need to preserve your lifestyle with Nina."
"I have no reason to create a chimera," he admitted coherently. "I just wanted to see if I could," he continued, ignoring the brothers' gasps.
"The possibility of creating a chimera that spoke and could understand human words. It was so tempting. It's human nature to want to experiment. That's what scientists do." He looked pointedly at Ed's arm then at Al, a deranged gleam in his eyes. His glasses had fallen off when Ed punched him. "You and I are the same."
Ed's precarious hold on his temper snapped. With a scream of denial, he tightened his hold once more alchemist's shirt collar and brought his right fist down into Tucker's face. "I… I…" he panted, his harsh breaths punctuating each blow his fist landed.
"Niisan!" Al called out in alarm. "He's going to die." Al's warning fell on deaf ears, and Ed continued to pummel an almost unconscious Tucker.
He brought up his fist again and felt a tug on his jacket. He looked over his shoulder. The chimera dropped the mouthful of red material. It gave a faint whine. "Let's play," she beseeched.
Drained of his anger, Ed turned to the chimera. "Sorry, Nina, this might hurt a little," he said clapping his hands, "but bear with it for a little while, okay?"
"Niisan, you're not going to re-transmute her?" Al questioned worriedly. "We can't do that yet…" A broken laugh from the man on the ground interrupted him.
"My chimera was created perfectly. It cannot be changed back." Tucker lifted his head from the ground, wiping at his bloodied lip.
Ed ignored him and lifted his hands above Nina, ready to place them on the dog's head. "Be careful not to let her end up like your mother," the alchemist warned.
Ed froze, his eyes wide. He dropped his hands to his sides. "I'm sorry, Nina."
Sensing his pain, the chimera nudged his shoulder.
"What's happened here?" Brigadier General Grand's voice bounced off the walls. The room's occupants looked up at the newcomer, four soldiers brandishing rifles fanned out on either side of him.
Ed didn't look up as the soldiers hauled Tucker to his feet. "He used his daughter," he ground out, "to make a chimera."
Grand raised an eyebrow at the kneeling boy. "I see," he rumbled. Hands clasped behind his back, he stood slightly apart from the scene and shouted orders at his subordinates.
Ed stood at the gate of the Tucker mansion, listlessly watching the soldiers load Tucker into the waiting car. Al stood next to him, a comforting presence.
Basque Grand approached them. "Tucker will be tried. Mention what happened here to no one," he told them brusquely.
"What?" Ed exploded. Two soldiers grabbed him as he lunged at the general. "You knew about this all along – oomph." His outburst was ruthlessly quelled with a metal fist to his midsection.
Grand stood over the gasping boy, indifferently changing his blunt metal limb back to a normal hand. Casting one last glance at Mustang's newest protégée, he spun on his heel. "Let's go," he ordered, his boots clapping smartly on the cobblestone road.
Al helped Ed struggle to his knees in time to see them load a caged Nina into the back of the car. The last of the soldiers piled into the car. The engine started and the car began pulling away.
Ed gritted his teeth. "I'm not letting you take Nina," he vowed, clapping his hands and slamming it to the road.
Blue light danced a path from Ed's hands to the car driving away, uprooting the street. As the ground broke beneath it, the car bucked, skidded then fell to its side. The back doors fell open and the cage tumbled out. The chimera made its way out of the now broken cage.
"Nina!" Ed called. She looked up at the sound of her name. Her eyes met Ed's, then she quickly turned away, ashamed, loping down the street and into the alleyways.
Ed and Al surged to their feet, chasing after her.
A man sat alone against the wall of a deserted alley, hands resting on upraised knees. Soft whimpers caused him to look up and see a shaggy white dog pad into the alleyway. It walked up to the man to sit between its knees. The man's eyes sparked with curiosity behind his dark glasses. He placed his hands on the animal's head.
The tattoos on his right arm flashed pink. Startled, he drew his hands away. "You're something animal and human combined," he murmured in awe. "How do I know this?"
Looking back down at the creature, he saw the pain in its eyes. "You poor thing," he said, placing his right hand between its ears. He closed his eyes. "Honorable God who created all things," he prayed, "please welcome this pitiful soul with open arms." His arm glowed pink again.
A couple minutes later, he emerged from the alley. "God," he said, clutching his right arm, "now I know why my brother gave me this arm. It's so I can get revenge on those who destroyed us by using their own cursed alchemy."
Ed and Al ran through the alleys, looking for Nina. A splash of red caught Ed's eye as they dashed past a dead end. Ed skidded to a halt.
Al stopped as well. "Niisan?" he asked. Ed was frozen in place, staring at something, his eyes wide with horror. Al traced his gaze to the dead end wall and gasped.
Splattered over the mildew and grime of the alleyway was a huge blood red stain. The blood seemed to shoot out from the inside, forming the imprint of a human head and canine hind legs and tail.
"Nina." Ed's lips formed the soft plea.
Al stepped closer. "This looks like she was decomposed using alchemy," he quietly observed.
The pain in Ed's chest grew unbearably tight and his breath hitched. He haltingly took a few steps toward the wall. He wanted to reach out to the wall, to touch what was left of the little girl who made him smile, made him laugh. But he couldn't. His hands wouldn't budge from his sides.
He couldn't look at the blood. He couldn't look at the end of another life. So he looked at the ground. A chill skipped down his spine, followed by waves of heat. He bit the inside of his lip.
The gray skies finally gave way to rain, and the drops pattered softly on Al's armor. He watched a few steps behind as once again his brother's shoulders shook with a ferocity that would have frightened anyone else.
Ed clenched his jaw tighter. "I'm sorry, Nina," he whispered brokenly.
With a hiccup, Ed lost the battle and hot tears slid down his cheeks, splashing on the ground. But it didn't matter. The sky opened up and heaven's tears poured out of the sky, washing away the drops at Ed's feet.
The two brothers stood motionless in the alleyway. The rain poured off of Al's metal body, but he didn't give a thought to rust. Thunder rumbled in, drowning out Ed's anguished sobs. The rain pelted the boy with its fierce drops, soaking him and hiding the tears he wanted no one to see.
A/N: Probably one of the best episodes in the series. I wanted to cry for Ed in this one. But even more so in the next one. I hope I did them justice