'FAIR WARNING! A SPOILER FOR THE SERIES IS INVOLVED.'
A shadow slipped into a forgotten room, one that was covered with the color of faded pink. There was a light dust covering the room, though the figure didn't kick it up once. The sound of steps had the figure anxious, and they stuck themselves to the wall.
"Honey, maybe we should change this extra room into a study for Shingo." A male voice offered.
"No, it will stay the way it is, in hope that we shall have a daughter." The female voice argued.
"As you wish dear." The male voice surrendered. The figure grew relaxed, happy that her princess's room would stay the same. Yet, they also grew angry, angry at the fact that there would be any need to replace this room at all. For a minute they wondered at the heart's memory of the Tsukinos. Then they sighed, it seemed both Rei's and Setsuna's powers have grown stronger over time.
Peeling themselves from the wall, they again resumed their searched. Frantically they searched for something out of place of the supposed personality. Yet, it seemed being a good actor was part of her princess's personality. For she found not a single book that didn't belong, or any other item. Sighing, she started tapping on the walls, looking for a hollow. After an hour of searching the walls and a sore right hand, they switched to their left and tried the floor boards.
She could of screamed in frustration at not finding anything. Obviously her princess could hide things well. Sighing she stepped to the window and leaned on it. A thought hit her then as she leaned into the wind. 'What if Usagi thought that she would never return to that place.' The thought bothered her. To be without a true home? Then she shook her head, her princess's home was with her, with her senshi, her sisters! Clicking her tongue against her cheek, she allowed the wind to cool her quickly healing hands.
A light from the full moon sliced through the canopy tree that perched before the forgotten window. The light struck the angle of the balcony just right for eyes to widen. 'Yes,' she shouted mentally, there was a weathered groove in the trunk of tree. Easily leaping off the balcony she landed before the groove.
Then she huffed, the groove was too high for her to reach from the ground. Springing from the ground she landed on the closest to the branch to the groove. Again she huffed, the groove was to low to be reached from the branch. Tapping into her senshi ability, she swung from branch and hug from her knees. Upside down, she was hit from the light of the moon. Navy hair was suffering from gravity, and navy blue eyes were focused on the groove. Angling she reached with an ivory hand, and curled her fingers around the smoothed edge of the groove. Wenching the groove away, she was rewarded by the bark opening revealing a hollow.
Twisting a little more she delved into hollow, her fingers brushed hidden secrets. Wincing that she was breaking the privacy of her princess, she realized that this was far more important. Finally she wound her fingers around a spine, and then pulled back drawing out a dark book. Satisfied, she unlocked her knees from the tree, and did a tight flip, landing on her feet. Un-kinking her knee muscles, she flipped the book under her arm and took off for home. Her blue senshi boots easily eating up the pavement.
Usagi sighed, they were drawing close to Drachma, now she was being pressed for an answer. What could she tell Gracia so that she wouldn't freak out. Again Usagi mourned her senshi, right now Ami would have a plan for this, sighing she mentally shrugged. It was time to survive without the constant fallback, learning the self-independence she once had.
The gravel crunched under the tire wheel, before smoothing out to a hard packed dirt road. Her concentration was detracted when Gracia shifted. "Where are we?" She asked, and Usagi gave a gentle smile.
"Near Drachma." Usagi answered. Assessing from the corner of her eye when Gracia gasped.
"So far, how long have I been asleep?" Gracia inquired.
"Half the day." Usagi answered, she however didn't comment on the quick transport of everything while they were sleeping.
"Amazing." Gracia clipped, and Usagi nodded. With the buildings leering in the distance, she eased off the gas, and eased the vehicle into a slower run. Thirty minutes passed and the vehicle entered the semi-bustling city of Drachma. Parking off to the side, Usagi gestured for Gracia to step out. Seeing her still tired, Usagi offered to carry Elysia silently, Gracia didn't object.
Gracia trailed after the silent Usagi with a bit of wonder. Her eyes dipping to the silver pocket watch poking out of her pocket. Thoughts buzzed in her head, and she couldn't help but ask one. "Usagi, how old are you?" Gracia asked. Usagi let out a small giggled at the unimportant question, but none the less answered.
"Fifteen." Usagi told her. Gracia marveled the abilities gifted to the young women, before another question built up.
"Where are your parents?" Gracia inquired, and didn't miss the almost stumble.
"Gone." It was a even answer, locking away the memories. Her parents here, died in the Ishbalan war, slaughtered by friendly fire. The Tsukino's are out of her reach in another dimension, and the parents of her princess life had long since passed on.
"Oh." Gracia responded, what else could she do. She then made a promise, much like the one she made after listening to Edward and Alphonse. Gracia would make every effort to include the young blond girl in their life every time she visits.
"We are here." Usagi chimed ahead, and Gracia looked up. The building wasn't quite dilapidated, but neither was it in wonderful condition. 'Here,' wasn't inspiring much, but Gracia trusted the young girl's judgement, not that she had much choice as Usagi reached to knock.
Scar blinked as the familiar coded knock rung in the small house. Only three people knew that knock, himself, his dead brother, and Usagi. Figuring it was her, he approached, and slowly opened the door, sticking to the shadows. Seeing others, Scar withdrew into the darken weld between the door and the wall. "Hey, Scar, who was at the do.." Maes questioned was cut off as he saw the people who trooped in. Scar cursed silently, wanting to knock the military man into unconsciousness.
Usagi bit her lip, as she saw the wife's reaction. Shock stained Gracia's face, she silently thanked any god listening that Elysia was still asleep. Suddenly her brain and mouth connected and she surrendered to what passed.
"How?" Gracia whispered silently, reaching for Maes in front of her. Maes quickly walked forward and hugged his wife in relief.
"Behind you." Maes chimed, and Gracia glanced to see just Elysia and..Usagi. Her mouth tried to work again, but Usagi must of fathomed her question.
"I told you, I am the Crystal Wielder." Usagi reminded quietly, trying not to wake Elysia. Smoothly she walked over, while handing Elysia over to her parents, Maes happened to glance down and see Elysia's prize.
"Where did she get a doll of Ed?" He inquired, far off subject, but he was known for these tangents. Gracia let out a strangled laugh, still getting over the shock of having her husband back.
"That would be my doing." Usagi told him. Maes glanced at the blond with a measuring glance before smirking.
"Oh." Maes chimed, and laughed when Usagi threw up her hands.
"Between you and Pluto, I'll be married to Ed before tomorrow." She stated frustrated.
"Pluto?" Scar's voice pinned behind her. Usagi gasped and covered her mouth, scolding her juvenile slip.
"Merely a planetaria alignment." Usagi covered coldly. Though no one in the room believed her. Gracia had finally calmed down to question Maes a little along with a bit of input from Scar and Usagi.
"So, you have a Philosopher's Stone?" Gracia inquired. Usagi sighed, and shifted slightly from her position.
"No, not quite." Usagi stated.
"A Catalyst then?" Maes offered, and another sigh escaped Usagi.
"The Crystal isn't bond by those properties." Usagi surrendered and then she tightlipped her expression. "Enough now, I have to get back to Central to do some research, Scar here will keep an eye on you." She ordered.
"What if we need to get in touch with you?" Maes inquired. Usagi waved her hand, and a small blue communicator appeared in her grip. She handed it over, and then threw her cloak back on.
"Emergency's only." Usagi warned them, and opened the door.
"Go get him Usagi!" Maes called out, causing her to face fault, and Gracia to laugh.
"Brigadier.."Usagi growled out, before brushing her bangs out of her eyes to allow them see flash silver. "I have other things to do then hunt down boys." She stated, and then walked a little.
"Sure, like kiss them!" Maes called back, Usagi once again was reintroduce to the ground. Hopping back up, she brushed herself off and then vanished in the growing crowd.
It was a simpler transportation this time, and she slid into Central Headquarters. Easily she plied into the shadows and made her way to the record office. Slipping in she pulled several drawers open, her eyes skipping over several alphabetical letters. Catching the 'E,' drawer, she pulled open the drawer. Her eyes quickly scanning over the names, and one caught her eye.
"Elric, Trisha." Usagi murmured while flipping through the papers. "Deceased." She stated sadly, before reading a little more. "Poor Ed, Al, and Honenhime." Usagi whispered, before searching the drawer a little more. "Elric, Alphonse, and Elric, Edward." Usagi commented reading her friend's files. "Hmm, hah, I still graduated a year before him, mister prodigy!" She whispered excitedly. "Though, I was right, he tried human transmutation." Usagi commented. A groaned escaped her then, a bit of her tutelage under Dante coming back. "So, which Homoculus is theirs then?" She inquired silently to the air.
Her memories shifted as the tutelage came back piece by piece. "It's obviously not the one who tried to make pincushions out of me and the Brigadier." Usagi remarked. "She wouldn't of be able to approach me." She commented, and pulled out her pocket watch. Opening up her alchemic pocket watch, she pulled back the silver tape on the inside cover. It revealed several different locks of hair for remembrance, and a tear stained photo. Her fingers picked at a senna-tan brown lock before shutting the watch. Usagi instead turned her attention back to the drawers, she pulled open the 'H,' drawer.
Easily she skipped over 'Hikarinotsu.' Her last name in this instance, and opened to Honenhime. Usagi scanned the file, and sighed when she noticed the 'MIA,' stamp. Her eyes fell to his alchemic symbol he was so proud to wear. A winged Ouroboros circling a spaced pointed six star. He had gotten that tattooed on his upper right shoulder when he first made the alchemic rank. Usagi sighed and placed away the folder, shutting the drawer close.
Figuring she would get more answers from the ranking officer in Central, Usagi slipped out of the records room. Melting back into the shadows, she slid toward the higher rank officer wing. Seeing an empty office, Usagi languidly made her way in, still sticking to the shadows. It was dark in the room, the curtains drawn close, it felt like the whole room was in mourning. Shrugging, she weaved her way under the desk and beside the cabinets in the desk. Seeing a lock, she reached up and grabbed one of her hairpins, swiftly she jimmied the lock. In a moment she heard the promising clicked and then re-pinned her hair. Mentally she spared a second to thank Minako for her lessons, for Usagi was always forgetting her keys to her home.
Springing the cabinet open, she dipped her fingers in the drawer. Then she reviewed every piece of information she had missed over the pass few years. 'The end of the Ishbalan War, the constant attacks by Scar, hmm, I'll have to have a chat with him.' She muttered mentally, while flipping through the papers. 'Hmm, Edward is pretty popular.' Usagi commented while reading. Then her eyes fell on an abandon folder, snatching it up she opened it. 'Why is my folder here?' Usagi inquired, before laying it back down. Her eyes then fell to the folder resting on the middle of the desk. Grasping it quickly, she flipped it open and began to read, immediately she wished she hadn't. 'Lab 5, the stone, all those people, given they were criminals, but still!' Usagi cried mentally while standing up. Delving deeper into the mysterious of the folder.
"Having a good read?" A voice asked and then a snap resounded in the office.
Hmm, fun, I'll leave it there. Well, Usagi's a bit in a trap isn't she and the senshi are sure active. I think it's almost the first crux of the story. Anyway, enjoy and please review. Much Care, WCB.
