Izumi leaned back and folded her hands. The group was now crowded around the Curtis' dining room table, having tea. Edward and Alphonse had just finished telling the story, with the others' help in some of the later parts.
"So?" Edward prompted her for a response.
"First of all, I'd like to say that you are complete idiots!" Izumi yelled, leaning over and smacking Edward on the side of his head. "Why would you attempt human transmutation when you know it's against the law? They made it illegal because something like this happens when you do it!"
"Now we know," Edward winced, touching his head, which was quickly swelling up.
"Secondly, it's very nice for all of you to accompany them here. I'm glad Ed and Al have found friends as loyal as you," Izumi smiled at the group.
"We're awesome!" Naruto declared, stuffing tea biscuits in his mouth.
"And last, but definitely not least… did you really team up with homunculi!" Izumi pointed at Gluttony and Lust, the latter who was still passed out.
"I know what your thinking. Evil incarnations of sin created because of human error, right?" Ed guessed.
"That may be true, but they have definitely helped us," Harry defended them.
"Is that one going to be okay?" Izumi pointed at Lust.
"She's been unconscious for quite a few days now," Sirius said in a worried tone. "What made her pass out, anyway?"
"I know it had something to do with that Scar guy," recalled Harry.
"Scar… I will not forgive him for hurting my Lust!" Gluttony snarled.
"You can both transmute without circles now?" questioned Izumi.
"Yes. I couldn't until recently, though," replied Al.
"What brought about the change?"
"Well, I was in a battle… it jarred back a memory… and then I could do it…" Al reminisced.
"So what are you going to do now?" asked Izumi. "Going back?"
"Actually, I'm glad we landed here," said Ed. "I need to find someone who might have the Philosopher's Stone. Mustang has avoided the question all summer, saying we don't need to know because we were too far away from Amestris. Well, now I'm going to make him tell me where Tim Marcoh is! Harry! Mirror!" Harry handed Ed the mirror. He forcefully shook it. "Mustang! Where are you?"
"Hello, Edward. Good to see you're well," McGonogall was the one who answered. "Everyone else okay? Where are you?"
"Yeah, they're fine. We're in Amestris, and we're going to be here awhile. Can I talk to Mustang?" Ed requested.
McGonogall conjured some flames into her fireplace. She sprinkled some Floo powder into it, and when bright green flames popped up, she yelled, "Mustang!" Someone who sounded like Hughes yelled that he wasn't there. McGonogall commanded him to get the Colonel.
"He's coming," McGonogall assured Ed. "So you got out? Who was sacrificed?"
"Luna's mother," Ed hissed. "But don't talk about it too much. She's still a bit sensitive."
"I can imagine why," McGonogall replied. "You're not coming back? Does that mean you've found the whereabouts of the Stone?"
"We're pretty close. We also have some other business to take care of. For example, a Fuhrer to overthrow," Ed told McGonogall.
"I'm here, ma'am," the door to McGonogall's office opened.
"Good. Edward would like to speak to you," McGonogall passed the mirror to him and went back to her paperwork.
"You're alive! Good!" Roy congratulated Ed.
"I know. It's time for you to make good on your promise and tell me where Marcoh is!" Ed informed his superior.
"Well, the conditions were that you had to beat me, and seeing as how you never even fought me, I don't think I have to," teased Roy.
"Just tell him so they can come back!" McGonogall commanded irritably.
"Fine! Some years back, there was something called the Ishbal Rebellion. You've heard of it, right?"
"Sure. The Ishbal Massacre. My friend Winry's parents were killed in it," Ed reminded him. Roy's face twitched.
"Yes. Many died, but Tim Marcoh wasn't one of them."
"He's still alive?" gasped Al.
"He deserted the military… the smartest one among us. I'm sure there are some things you can learn from him. Maybe you should pay him a visit," Roy smiled.
"You mean it?" Ed was surprised. He quickly grabbed a pen and a napkin to write down the address Roy told him.
"Edward, as long as you're there, I'd like to assign you another task," said McGonogall when Roy went back on duty. "I want you to find your father."
"What?" Ed demanded. "Why!"
"Find Hohenheim of Light and bring him back here. Bring Marcoh, too, if you can. I think I've found a way to seal away all of our enemies, but it requires someone skilled in magic, the jutsus and alchemy. I can fill the magic slot and Jiraiya fills the ninjutsu one, but we still need someone who is really talented in alchemy," McGonogall explained.
"What about my teacher?" Ed asked, turning his mirror towards Izumi.
"Bring her, too. Just hurry up and return. Be careful! Good-bye!" McGonogall put her mirror facedown onto her desk, ending their conversation. Ed made a face and handed the mirror back to Harry.
"Okay, so we'll get a train and go to Marcoh's town," decided Ed, getting up. "It was good to see you again, sensei."
"Wait. I'll come with you," Izumi stood up as well.
"Really?"
"The fate of the worlds rest on the shoulders of the Order of Phoenix, and frankly, I'm a bit worried that an idiot like you is entrusted with saving the world," Izumi informed Ed. Ed made a face at her. "I'd better keep an eye on you. You might need my help later."
"Suit yourself," shrugged Ed.
"I'll be back," Izumi kissed her husband good-bye.
"Take care," Mr. Curtis told her. And so, the group departed for the train station. When they arrived, Lust finally woke up.
"Huh? Where are we?" she asked groggily.
"Amestris. We're going to find the Philosopher's Stone. I'm Sirius Black, by the way," Sirius introduced himself.
"Solaris Lust, Defense Against the Dark Arts instructor," Lust shook hands with him. She pulled herself up. "Since we're allies, I may as well tell you that there are experiments concerning the Philosopher's Stone going on in Central. If anyone's interested enough, I'm willing to give them a tour."
"Okay," agreed Ed.
"But brother, aren't we looking for Marcoh?" Al pointed out.
"We'll split up. Half of you go with the homunculi to Central. The other half, come with me to find Marcoh." Ed quickly bought tickets and assigned groups. "Our train's here. We'll meet you at the Central library!" He, Izumi, Gaara, Luna and Naruto all boarded the train to the East. The train soon departed, with Naruto sticking his head out the window and waving enthusiastically at the other group.
"Haven't been here in a while," Al remarked as he stepped foot outside the train.
"Amestris is pretty nice," Sirius commented. "Much nicer than the white room."
"Fullmetal Alchemist?" two military officials approached the group. One was a tall man with blonde hair, and the other was a dark-eyed woman with short brown hair. They introduced themselves as Sergeant Denny Brosh and Second Lieutenant Maria Ross.
"We have been assigned by the Fuhrer to protect you, Fullmetal," Brosh told Al.
"But I'm not Fullmetal…" said Al. "That's my brother, Ed. He's not here."
"The Fuhrer told us to watch Alphonse, too," said Maria.
"Why would he do that?" asked Al.
"Have you forgotten who the Fuhrer is?" Lust raised an eyebrow.
"Oh… right." Al sighed. He turned to Brosh and Ross. "I'm sorry, but please don't follow us. We have something important to do here."
"Their clothes, Denny. They're not from around here," Maria hissed to her partner.
"They're friends from Xing and Aerugo," Al lied.
"You do realize that Amestris and Aerugo are at war?" Maria asked.
"Um… they're friendly?"
"We're required to write a report," Denny informed Al. "We'll take your friends down to the HQ now."
"Let me handle this," Lust pushed Al aside. "Have you noticed how high the mortality rate has gotten in Amestris lately?" Maria and Denny nodded. "I'm sure the government has made up some kind of excuse, but I'll tell you the truth. The world that you live comfortably in will soon come to an end. Your beloved Fuhrer has a hand in this. These people are from places even further away than Xing and Aerugo. They come from a different universe. They're here to stop our worlds from deteriorating. I'm here for a different reason, but I've teamed up with them, so don't hinder us. They're above wastefully shedding blood to get what they want, but I'm not. Understood?"
Denny and Maria noticed how uncomfortably frightening Lust was up close. However, they stood their ground.
"I'm sorry, but we're under orders to guard this boy," Maria told Lust. "Go where you wish. We'll follow."
"Let them come," Sirius shrugged. "What harm could they do?"
"Just keep your mouths shut," Lust warned Ross and Brosh. "We're going to a place called Laboratory 5. The rest of you, try to keep up, okay?" They walked through the streets of Amestris, finally arriving at a large, abandoned building. The perimeter was fenced, but Lust easily cut through with her fingers. By this time, night was quickly approaching, and the building looked very creepy.
"I think Dante has already found out about our betrayal," Lust told the group. "Elric, Hyuga White-Eyes and annoying officers, you stay out here and keep guard. We will be back shortly." She, Gluttony, Harry and Sirius went into the building. The rest of the group stood outside, jumping up at the slightest of noises.
"What's taking them so long?" wondered Al.
"I think somebody's coming…" Hinata was using her Byakugan to scan their surroundings.
"Who?" asked Al.
"Someone really bulky… AAAAAAHHHHHH!" Hinata, Maria and Denny all screamed in unison as two large suits of armor came flying at them from either direction. Al quickly clapped his hands on the ground, making fists fly up and knock them down.
"No way! The little brother can do alchemy without circles, too?" Denny gasped. "Why didn't you try out for State Alchemist?"
"Long story," Altold himbreathlessly. The attackers picked themselves up.
"You!" one of the attackers, a man who was wearing skull-faced armor, pointed at Al with a knife-wielding hand.
"Do I know you?" Al asked.
"I'm called 66," the skull-faced armor pointed at himself.
"I'm 48, but I'm also known as Slicer," the other man told Al.
"Alphonse… they're hollow inside!" Hinata gasped.
"So you know our secret! Are you scared? We're freaks of nature, huh? You should all be wetting your pants right about now! We'll, are you? Are you?" #66 prompted for a response by taking off his head.
"How embarrassing…" a voice came from Slicer's helmet.
"So full of himself," a voice coming from Slicer's torso agreed.
"Actually, I'm just like you," Alphonse explained, taking his head off.
"GYAAAAAAAA! A freak!" #66, Denny and Maria screeched.
"That's not nice," Al pouted.
"Alphonse, Slicer holds two Chakras," Hinata told Al.
"Because there are two of us," said Slicer. "We were a pair of murderers, known as the Slicer brothers."
"And you'll be pleased to know that I was none other than Barry the Chopper!" #66 announced gleefully.
"Barry? I thought you were executed!" pleasant memories of their last encounter flashed through Al's mind.
"Well, they sort of ripped away my body, and put my soul in this armor," Barry explained.
"Same here," one of the Slicer brothers agreed.
"Did that happen to you, too?" asked the other one.
"Nope. My brother put me in this armor," said Al.
"Ahhh, I remember your brother. Wee little fella, wasn't he? He looked particularly plump to chop. So much juicier than your average teenage male…" Barry's tone conveyed that his lust for chopping had transferred with his soul.
"That's disgusting!" Hinata yelled.
"Haven't you heard of me? Barry the Chopper… butcher by day, murderer by night. I chopped up many, many victims, I did! My wife was the first! I particularly liked little girls… yes, little girls like you… so juicy, delicious…" Barry jumped in front of Hinata.
"Don't you dare touch her, you sick pervert!" Al flew towards the enthusiastic butcher. They began a round of hand-to-hand combat.
"Your brother must've really loved you to put all this effort into transforming you," Barry told Al.
"Yes. I love him to. He's all the family I have lift," Al replied sentimentally.
"The love between brothers is sweet. Just look at Slicer! They remain together even though their bodies are gone!" Barry cackled. "Yes, a brother's love is beautiful. Even though it is fake."
"What?" Al and Barry kept on fighting.
"What I mean to say is, we are all 'souls', fixed into these pieces of armor, right? But how can you prove that a soul really exists? Something that can's be seen, felt, tasted, sliced… it's scientifically impossible!" Barry brought his knife towards Al.
"No it's not! What about my memories? My emotions? My personality?" Al dodged all of Barry's blows.
"Can't be seen! Can't be felt! Can't be proved! What if this brother who loves you so much created them all, eh? What if everyone else was going along with this charade?" Barry laughed. "What if you were being fooled all along?"
"No way! A person named Alphonse Elric really exists! That person is me!" Al cried.
"Prove it! Where's his body?" yelled Barry.
"I don't…"
"You're nothing more than a lie!" Barry shouted, sending Alphonse flying backwards.
"My turn now," Slicer, who had been too inactive for his own liking, stepped over Al. "Now, where's your seal?"
"What's all this commotion?" a sultry voice came from behind them. Sharp blades extended through the air, causing Barry and the Slicers to jump back.
"Lust!" Al had never been so glad to see a homunculus in his life.
"#48's seals are right… here!" Lust sent her fingers first through the back of Slicer's helmet, then his torso. The armor gave a sputter, and toppled over backwards. Sirius came up behind her, breaking Barry's seal.
"You're… a lie…" Barry stammered out before he, too, crashed to the ground.
"Is everyone okay?" Sirius asked. He was supporting Harry, who seemed to have a broken leg. Lust and Gluttony looked fine, but Sirius and Harry looked like they had been beaten up good.
"Yeah. Did you find anything?" asked Hinata.
"Chimaeras. Lots and lots of them," Harry shuddered.
"The stone?" asked Hinata.
"We found materials used to make them, but we had to retreat," explained Sirius, pointing at Harry's leg. "We'll go back later."
"What are you all doing here so late?" a voice came from outside the gate. Amestrian soldiers were standing around the perimeter of the building. Their leader was a man with an eye patch clad in blue that looked at the group suspiciously.
"Fuhrer King Bradley!" Al gasped.
