"Train rides are so boring!" Naruto complained. The group was sitting in seats facing each other on the train. This trip would not be as long as the one from London to Hogwarts, but Naruto complained like it was.
"You've made that very clear to us the last few hours," Izumi snapped beside him. "Shut up!"
"We should be there soon," said Ed.
"Good. I'm sick of listening to him whine." Gaara growled.
"Do you think he still lives in that town?" asked Luna. "If I deserted the military, I wouldn't stay in one place for long."
"He may not be there anymore," agreed Ed. "But the townspeople will definitely remember someone like him."
"I don't mean to alarm you, but that man over there with the big moustache has been watching us since we got on the train," Izumi hissed. Ed turned around to look. The mustached man was not in his blue uniform, but he recognized him just the same.
"Brigadier General Basque Gran," he murmured. "Last I knew he was in the East. But I guess with Scar gone, the state alchemists feel safe to roam again."
"A dog of the military, eh? I don't like the look he has in his eyes," said Izumi.
"He was in the Ishbal war. He seems to know Marcoh. He mentioned something about Marcoh being a traitor," Ed told everyone.
"Maybe he's following us to find Marcoh," suggested Luna.
"How would he know?" asked Naruto.
"I saw him around Dublith yesterday. I think he was doing an inspection. Perhaps he stuck around, and heard us talking about it earlier," said Izumi.
"The next stop is Marcoh's village. Maybe we can lose him in the crowd," suggested Ed. The train came to a stop, and the group got off.
"What crowd?" Gaara asked. If he had eyebrows, they would've been raised right about then. They were the only people at the station.
"He didn't follow us," Izumi sighed in relief. Ed saw Gran looking at the through the window before the train passed out of sight.
"This is certainly a peaceful place," Luna breathed in the fresh air. "You'd never guess that they harbored something so powerful and dangerous."
"What are we waiting for?" Ed started running towards the houses. "Let's go find the Philosopher's Stone!" The rest of the group followed him, stopping at a small farm where a man and his son were working.
"Good morning," the man cheerfully greeted the group. "Can I help you?"
"I was wondering if you know a guy named Marcoh," said Ed. "He's a doctor. I was told I could find him here."
"The town doctor's name is Mauro," replied the farmer. "He's pretty amazing, though. A few months ago, I had my leg crushed by my tractor. I thought I was never going to be able to work again. But then, Mauro came, and completely healed it! I was back on my feet in no time!"
"He also healed my little sister from a terrible infection with just a flash of light!" the boy beamed.
"You don't say…" Ed and Izumi exchanged thoughtful looks. A woman came out of the house, carrying a healthy baby who cooed cutely at the group. The man introduced them as his wife and daughter.
"Dr. Mauro cares about the common people. He takes time to examine and treat us. He doesn't care how much money we have, or if we even have time at all. He just wants to make sure we get better," the man's wife praised the doctor. "He has done many things to help this town.
"Maybe he's trying to right his wrongs," said Ed. "Can you tell us where he lives?"
"Certainly," the man replied. He gave the group directions, and they soon departed.
"This sounds like Marcoh," Ed told his friends. "A flash of light… that has to be alchemy. And something that heals that fast can only be a Red Stone… or maybe even the real thing!"
The group arrived in front of a small house with all the curtains drawn. They waked to the front door. Ed rapped on the wood sharply with his automail hand.
"One second!" a man called from inside.
A moment later, the door opened. A tired-looking man with salt-and-pepper hair peeked out. Edward stood before everyone else, holding out his State Alchemist watch. Marcoh also faced a girl sending out bubbles from a piece of wood she was holding, a boy with an expression like he'd like nothing better than to murder him, a fierce woman who had to choose that moment to start coughing up blood and a flamboyantly dressed kid who picked his nose and flicked it at him. It was no wonder that Marcoh slammed the door shut.
"No! I won't go back! You can't make me!" Marcoh yelled through the door.
"What's he talking about?" Izumi wiped her mouth with a napkin.
"Are you Tim Marcoh, the Crystal Alchemist?" asked Ed.
"Who wants to know? You're from the military, aren't you?" Marcoh demanded.
"Well, yeah… I'm Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist," Ed announced proudly.
"I'm Naruto Uzumaki, future Hokage!" Naruto yelled.
"I'm Izumi Curtis, just a housewife," said Izumi.
"I'm Luna Lovegood, Hogwarts student," said Luna.
"I'm sure you don't want any more of your time, so why don't you let us in?" Gaara guided some of his sand to the handle. He easily broke the lock. What little strength the old man had couldn't compare with Gaara's.
"Go away… I'm not going back… Leave me alone!" Marcoh cried, inching away from the group as they stepped in to his house. He tripped and fell. Marcoh covered his face as if he expected Gaara to rip his guts out any second.
"Gaara cut it out. You're scaring him," Ed snapped. He extended a hand to help Marcoh up. "We know you deserted the military. We're not here to take you to them."
"Just like those dogs to chase after an innocent man," Izumi scoffed.
"We're here because we want to learn about the Philosopher's Stone," Ed told him. "We know you researched it. We just want to take a look at your research."
"How do I know I can trust you?" Marcoh demanded.
"My brother and I, we did something stupid. We paid dearly for it." Ed rolled up his sleeve to show his automail arm. "It was all my fault, but I only lost an arm and a leg. My brother lost his whole body. I have to atone for my sins!"
"I've been trying to do that since I left the military, boy," Marcoh told Ed grimly. "Have you ever heard of the Ishbal Rebellion?"
"Yeah. A lot of people died," said Ed. "Big bloodbath, right?" Gaara's ears perked up at the word 'bloodbath'.
"You have no idea. I didn't have a clue what was going to happen going in, but I left when I finally had enough. It finally got to the point where an inexperienced soldier killed two doctors were killed because they were helping injured Ishbalans. I just couldn't take it anymore," Marcoh sighed. "But it was too late. My research helped the military kill."
"You wouldn't happen to have it, do you?" Edward was hopeful that there were other ways to create the stone.
"Do you plan on making one?" asked Marcoh. Ed nodded. "Oh. You won't like the ingredients."
"I already know what they are, but maybe there's another way?" Ed asked optimistically.
Marcoh shook his head.
"Tim Marcoh!" a large figure suddenly blocked the sunlight from the doorway. Basque Gran had arrived, and he had brought a quartet of subordinates with him. Terrible memories were brought back to Marcoh when he saw their crisp blue uniforms.
"You said you weren't working with them!" Marcoh looked at Ed and his friends accusingly.
"What? These foreigners?" Gran scoffed at the way Luna, Naruto and Gaara were dressed. "No, they are not helping us. Search this house! He may have more stones!" Gran commanded his soldiers. They obeyed. One soldier came across a bottle with a reddish liquid in it. Marcoh quickly snatched it away from him and put it in his pocket before Gran saw.
"It doesn't look like he's got anything," said Gran. "Let's go."
They turned away and left his house. Two soldiers were holding onto Marcoh to prevent escape. Ed & co. followed them. They walked down the street, with passerbys staring. A few called 'good afternoon' to the doctor, who kept his eyes trained on his feet the whole time. They arrived to the place Gran had parked, and forced Marcoh in. The soldiers crowded in after him, with Gran in the driver's seat.
"The Fuhrer is expecting you in Central," Gran told Ed. Then, he slammed the door shut, and sped away.
However, the car didn't speed for that long before a new foe stepped in front of it. His hair was white, and his sunglasses flashed in the sunlight. An X-shaped scar adorned his forehead, and a scowl was formed on his mouth. He was a mass murderer Hinata had already had the misfortune of encountering twice. You guessed it… it was Scar.
Gran slammed on the breaks before he could hit Scar. A second later, he realized who it was. Gran tried to hit the gas pedal, but Scar got through with it before Gran could. Scar slammed his right hand onto the hood. Before you could say "psycho", the car had exploded into a million pieces. Luckily, the seats had remained intact. Gran, Marcoh and the soldiers sort of crashed to the ground while still strapped in their seats.
"Iron Blood Alchemist, the right hand of Ishbala judges you!" Scar grabbed Gran's forehead. "I give you time to pray." Scar waited for a few seconds before he squeezed. Gran gasped. There was a sound liking something exploding. Blood flew out of Gran's ears. Scar tossed him aside, and stepped towards Marcoh.
"The Crystal Alchemist. It was your research that annihilated my nation," Scar placed his hand on Marcoh's head.
"No! Don't touch him!" Ed screamed.
"Petrificus Totalis!" Luna yelled, hitting Scar with the spell. He was only frozen for a few moments before his alchemy cancelled the effects. However, that gave Marcoh and the soldiers enough time to flee from their seats.
"You're the murderer. I will avenge my parents' deaths!" Luna glared at Scar. She stepped forward, facing him with her wand extended. "Avada Ka-".
"Don't do it, Luna!" Harry had warned Edward about the spell. He pulled Luna back. "Don't sink to his level!"
"A murderer should be dealt with by another," Gaara agreed, stepping between Luna and Scar. Ed guided Luna back to safe watching distance. Scar and Gaara faced each other. They started a fight similar to their last one. Gaara's sand protected him from much harm, but Scar's speed easily rivaled the Sand Nin's. Suddenly and very randomly, Naruto jumped up onto the roof of a house.
"Transform! Ninja Harem!" Naruto cried. Hundreds of female Narutos burst throughout the street, surrounded by white mist. All of the males on the street stared at them, bursting into nosebleeds. All the males excluding Gaara, but including Scar. His moment of inattention provided the right opportunity for Gaara to encase him in sand. Izumi and Luna sweatdropped at how easy it was.
"Alright, talk! How did you get here?" Ed demanded after Naruto had turned himself back.
"I followed you into the arch," said Scar.
"That's impossible! We didn't see you there!" cried Luna.
"That's because I was allowed out before you. It must be this arm," Scar waved his right arm, which was not enveloped by sand. His sleeve had ripped, showing his tattoo. "It was just chance that we cross paths again."
"What's so special about that arm, anyway?" asked Naruto.
"My brother was interested in alchemy, which was an art forbidden to the Ishbalans. His lover died, and he tried to bring her back, but was unsuccessful. Then, he died in the Ishbalan War… but not before giving me this arm." Scar's tattoos glowed faintly.
"Why do you go around murdering innocent people?" Luna demanded.
"They are not innocent. They are sinners who distort nature. But the souls of innocents are gathered in this arm. My brother collected the souls of dying Ishbalans." Scar told them.
"It must be an incomplete Philosopher's Stone…" Marcoh gasped. He opened the little flask with the red liquid, pouring it into his palm. Instead of running off his hand, it formed into a small, red stone.
"Scar, I know how much your people suffered. What the military did was wrong, but it's not totally the Amestrians' fault. It's our leader. Fuhrer King Bradley is a homunculus." Ed told Scar.
"A homunculus?"
"The result of a failed human transmutation. The black-haired woman and bald man you saw before were homunculi, too," explained Ed. "They deserted the bad guys and joined our side, though. The Fuhrer is part of a bigger plan to take over our worlds. We're trying to stop them."
"So the black-haired woman is created from another…" Scar mused. "Where is she now?"
"My brother went to Central with half of our group," said Ed. "That's where we're headed."
"Central… homunculi… this Fuhrer was the one who ruthlessly went through with the Ishbalan War? If he is overthrown, will Ishbal be rebuilt?"
"I suppose," said Ed.
"You know, the actions of the military make a lot more sense if their leader is a homunculus," said Izumi. "I never trusted those dogs."
"I'll join your side," Scar decided.
"What?" Ed blinked.
"No!" Luna refused.
"Why?" Gaara demanded.
"I was given this arm to avenge the deaths of my people. But perhaps rebuilding Ishbal will be better for them than killing State Alchemists," said Scar.
"How do I know you won't blow us to bits the second we turn our backs?" Luna asked suspiciously.
"We let the results of failed human transmutation join. We might as well give the murderer a chance, too," shrugged Ed. He and Scar shook hands. "Welcome to the team."
"I guess we'll go to Central next," said Izumi.
"Actually, there's a little town I want to stop by on the way," said Ed. He turned to Marcoh. "Would you like to come along? We'll go to Central after that. Then I probably have to report to Mustang and listen to him make fun of me for not finding the stone." Edward made a face and proceeded to do bad impressions of his superior.
"Wait… you're not talking about Roy Mustang?" Marcoh clutched his chest.
"Yeah. Why?"
"He was involved in something that made me leave the military. He was the young, clueless soldier who shot the doctors Rockbell," Marcoh explained.
"Rockbell?" Ed gasped.
"Isn't that Winry's last name?" asked Luna.
"Yes. Are you sure it was Mustang? Are you sure the doctors were named Rockbell?" Ed grabbed Marcoh by the shoulders and shook him.
"How could I forget!" Marcoh broke free. "Listen, I have to leave. My research is in the Central library. Look for the truth behind the truths." Clutching his Red Stone tightly, Marcoh sprinted back to his house.
"We should go," Ed glared at Gran's subordinates, who were huddled together in fear. "You should go back to the Eastern HQ and report Gran's death."
Edward, Gaara, Luna, Izumi, Naruto and Scar, who was freed, all ran towards the station before the soldiers came to their senses and get backup.
"I still think you should've taken his stone," Gaara told Ed crossly.
"Didn't you see how happy the townspeople were?" Ed replied. "I can't do that to them."
"Are we there yet?" asked Naruto.
"If you say that one more time, I will…" Izumi suddenly stopped, getting a strange expression on her face.
"You'll what?" Naruto stuck out his tongue.
"I will cough blood all over you," Izumi started coughing madly, spitting out blood onto her seatmate.
"Ewww! Gross! Gross!" Naruto yelped, jumping away from her.
"We should disguise Scar," said Ed. "Someone might recognize him. Luna, can't you do something?"
"It's his own fault for being a mass murderer," Luna glared at Scar.
"Come on, Luna! If he gets caught, we'll get into trouble, too!" Ed pleaded.
"Alright," Luna pointed her wand at Scar, and did a transfiguration spell. Scar's hair lengthened into pigtails, and turned blonde. His trademark scar was blended to the same tone as the rest of his skin, which was lightened. His red eyes changed into large, blue eyes, much like Naruto's. In fact, he looked just like the Ninja Centerfold version of Naruto.
"What the hell!" Scar yelled, looking at his reflection in his sunglasses.
"You look like Naruto's sister!" Ed laughed.
"No one will recognize you now," Luna pointed out matter-of-factly.
The train soon arrived at Resembool. The group shuffled out, expecting someone to recognize Scar any second.
"It looks so peaceful!" Luna remarked. They were still walking by the fields, and hadn't seen the houses yet. But when they did, they got a nasty shock.
"Everything's gone…" Ed gasped. When he left four years ago, he and Alphonse had burnt down their house. Now, all the homes they saw were like that. There was only one word to describe Resembool's aura. Dead. Edward shuddered to think how many were buried under the rubble.
"Edward… I'm sorry…" Izumi comforted her student.
"We burnt our house so we wouldn't give up and come back," Ed told everyone. "Now we can't. Because everything's gone. Everyone's dead."
Edward struggled to hold back his tears. He hurriedly walked towards the direction of his house, and everybody followed. Their path was gloomy. The trees were gnarled and lifeless, and the flowers were withered. Every home that had once held a family now only added to the air of emptiness. Ed's heart beat faster as he neared his house. Many memories were brought back. He remembered racing Al home. He remembered playing with Winry. He almost expected to see his house, standing whole, with his mother waving at him from the window. He imagined that his childhood friends were running behind him. Luna's long, blonde hair easily reminded him of Winry.
The illusion was quickly shattered when he saw his home. It was just as broken as when he had left. There was a man standing in front of it as if he were paying his respects. He was tall, with long, golden hair and glasses. There was something familiar about him. Ed suddenly realized who he was. He put on so much speed he was practically flying. The man turned around, finally noticing them.
"Bastard!" Edward cried, punching the man in the face.
"Edward!" Luna gasped.
"You must be my son," the man smiled good-naturedly at Ed. "Good, you can help me. I seem to have trouble finding our home."
"You didn't even return for her funeral!" Ed yelled, punching the man again. "She died because of you! You just upped and left, and mom died of a broken heart!"
"So this is your father who abandoned you," Izumi looked at the man coldly.
"Hohenheim," the man introduced himself. "I see Edward is taking his friends on a tour. It is too bad there is so little to show. I wonder what could have caused this?"
"Death Eaters," Edward growled. "I don't know if you know about them or not…"
"Voldemort's cronies," Hohenheim nodded. "Oh yes, I know them very well. I know more things than many think."
"Then you'll also know that the world is in danger?" asked Luna.
"Yes. I was just recently visiting Konoha. I had quite a nice chat with the Hokage. He introduced me to a woman named Minerva McGonogall. She wanted me to join the battle. I requested for more time to think about it. She told me that you were trapped in something I manufactured, but I suppose you got out," Hohenheim smiled at Edward. "It's been too long. How have you been?"
"Fine, no thanks to you!" Ed spat out. "And under any other circumstances, I'd stomp away, but McGonogall wanted me to bring you back. We're going to Central to unseat the Fuhrer, and the next train leaves in twenty minutes. Let's go!" He grabbed Hohenheim by his scarf, and they marched back to the train station.
Hinata and Alphonse sat silently in the waiting room. Sirius and Harry had been hospitalized for their injuries, and Lust and Gluttony had gone AWOL. Alphonse seemed deep in thought about something, and Hinata was not going to interrupt.
"Hinata?" Al finally spoke.
"Yes?"
"Do you think what Barry said was true? That my brother created me?"
"Oh, Alphonse, why would you believe something like that?" replied Hinata. "He was just messing with your head! It's something my cousin would do."
"But I barely remember my childhood at all. All I can remember is that gate, and things from after I became armor. What if I really am artificial?" Al had never felt so scared. Hinata put a hand on Al's shoulder to calm him down. "You can't see anything inside me when you use the Byakugan can you? What if I'm just a suit of armor that Ed brought to life?"
"You're a real human being! You're not artificial! You're a soul trapped in a suit of armor, and your body's still out there! We're going to get it back!" Hinata informed Al fiercely.
"Al! There you are!" Ed and crew chose that moment to burst in. "Look who I found!"
Al stood up and walked over to Ed. "Big brother, I have to know something."
"What's up?" Ed was aware that Al's voice took on a very serious tone.
"I want to know how you created me."
