Hello again everyone! I know there are probably mega grammar errors in this chap, but I do plan to go back and severely revise this story once I'm finished. I also feel like I should say this is not a mary-sue. I really don't think we're anything alike. Aakarashan is just the child of my deluded mind. And so I slowly corrupt readers all over the internet……

Aakarashan continued to huddle in a pathetic ball whimpering in fear for her own useless life. She could not even hold her own in such conditions when the famous Fullmetal Alchemist she had practically worshiped managed to do so daily with grace and unmatched wit. Her whole life she had pushed herself to live by her military family's high expectations and her hero's inspirational values. Now it seemed it was all for nothing as she could practically smell the sour breath of the beast who was bearing down on her. She waited for the blow that never came.

Aakara looked up to see a towering figure looming over her. It was no doubt Alphonse Elric shoving aside the destitute being that had been stupid enough to mess with his friends and comrades. His gauntlets were balled into fists pressing against one another forming his arms in a circle. His soulful eyes sparkled leaving her in awe of the sight. He looked truly magnificent, like a legendary titan, steadfast and impenetrable.

"A….Al," she managed to say, grateful for his intervention. His actions gave her courage and she smiled slightly, her own sparkly aura breaking through.

"Hurry!" he shouted ushering her towards a vacant corner of the room. There were slight protests from Havoc whom was tossed over the boy's shoulder and taken out of harm's way. There appeared to be no real injury to the man, but Alphonse was not about to leave the Lieutenant behind.

Meanwhile the elder brother was picking a fight with their crazed host. His unreadable agile movements were almost accurate enough to dodge his attacker's onslaught. Apparently the man was also versed in the martial arts combining God-like speed and a few cheap tricks. Edward was near the entrance in the floorboards but desperately needed to regroup and delay the madman's punches. He had escaped the hits so far but had not managed to land one of his own as of yet.

"You can run but you can't hide!" William the Third chanted in a sing song tone. He aimed for Ed's face who immediately ducked out of the way. Edward propelled himself backwards in order to put some space between himself and the nutcase. "Once you're mine I will be back to my former glory!" he roared.

"Are you still talking?" Edward stated rather then asked in order to shut the man up. His ignorance was really starting to irritate the young alchemist. The repetitive statements were interfering with his one track mind. He needed to get Alphonse, find the red water and perform the human transmutation.

Edward transmuted a few sacks of feed to his left when he was slightly out of view from the older man and dashed behind the storage compartments for security. Fortunately for Ed, his little ploy had worked leading the man to believe he was still there when in fact he had gone in search of his brother. While scanning the area the teen prodigy sprinted along the outskirts of their little battle arena and found his sibling shielding two familiar faces.

"I said I'm fine kid don't worry about it," Havoc replied hastily to Aakara who was fussing over his well-being. He sprayed another round of bullets towards a new wave of chimeras sending them to their doom. 'This is why they shouldn't let kids in the military,' he thought cocking the gun back for another attack. His young companion flinched at the sounds as she watched the military men at work.

Farman and the others across the room were desperately trying to fend off several of the monstrosities and were running dangerously low on ammunition. They were attempting to reload when a chimera came barreling straight towards them. Aakara searched her person desperately to find a peace of chalk hoping to create a barrier to protect them until they could fire again. It was one of the few alchemic tricks she could perform, pathetic as it was. Instead she only found another one of her dog biscuits which seemed to appear from a black hole in the depths of her pockets. This particular beast was only distracted for a moment when she tossed the treat his way. He took advantage of the little snack, which proved to be fatal for the chimera. Farman had reloaded and pummeled the beast with a series of blasts rendering the chimera to a pile of matted fur and blood. Beads of sweat were beginning to form on the faces of Breda and Fuery in both embarrassment and at her particular weapon of choice. Aakara sighed in relief seeing that her friends were safe and returned her attention to her immediate companions.

"Lieutenant, have you seen Brother?" the suit of armor asked between punches. Alphonse had become one rather violent power house in order to protect his friends. It was one of the few times the older man was reminded that Alphonse was a child prodigy as well.

"Haven't seen the boss since this whole mess started…." Havoc shouted over the mayhem.

Aakara glanced around the room surprised that she had momentarily forgotten her hero in a time of crisis. Then again, since she had thought her life was about to end she supposed she had more urgent matters on her mind. 'Where is he anyway?' she wondered giving Al and Havoc a look of concern.

"Al!" an all too familiar voice called out to him. The owner of the voice slide behind the barricade the Lieutenant had made.

"Speak of the devil," Havoc muttered still concentrating on the enemy at hand.

"Ed! Where on earth have you been?" Al asked grateful that his sibling didn't appear to be injured.

"We need to get down to that room pronto before a certain pyro goes too flame happy and takes out the whole building!" he shouted so he would be heard over all of the racket. He vaguely heard Alphonse agree while his mind ran a million miles a minute. The mad man was searching for him alone so he only had seconds to spare. He needed a distraction. But how could he be in two places at once? He had already used his little alchemic diversion so it was doubtless that the man would fall for it again. He needed more convincing bait. The problem was they were a bit lacking in blonde state alchemists at the moment.

That's when he caught site of a certain blonde girl taking shelter behind his younger brother. He was sure to be going to Hell for what he was about to ask of her, but considering his past track record he was pretty sure there was already a place for him there. Why not get a comfy seat for the ride?

"Hey, um, Arakawa, I need you to do me a favor," Ed asked almost sheepishly trying to get her attention.

"It's Aakarashan," she corrected shouting over the noise. What ever could this famed alchemist want of an ordinary secretary? "What is it?" she asked curiosity overtaking her.

"I need you to distract Psycho the Third over there so Al and I can get downstairs," he looked down at his feet ashamed of even thinking of putting someone else in danger," I need you to be my twin for a few minutes. Can you handle that?" Edward's golden eyes pierced right through her as realization flooded through her.

He wanted her to be him? It was like a dream come true! She wasn't sure she could pull it off though. She wasn't nearly as strong. Plus she possessed a few certain assets that would surely give away her identity. But she wanted to show Al that she wasn't a burden. She wanted to make up for causing him distress earlier. She wanted Edward to notice her too. Most importantly, she wanted people to stop calling her 'kid' or 'kiddo' as Havoc and the others were often guilty of. With her current height and blonde hair perhaps she could be successful. Maybe…

"I'll do it!" she said with very little hesitation causing Ed to jump slightly. Ed sighed with relief and handed his state watch and trade mark jacket over to her. It smelled of oil and old library books. The girl was suddenly dizzy with giddiness and swiftly braided her hair to pull off the look. At least the black gear she wore was slightly similar. She noticed ancient blood stains on the hood and a small prick of fear quickly sobered her up. What in the world had she just agreed to?

"Brother this is crazy! She's not a soldier! You need to think things through more, " Alphonse protested remembering that he had just saved the girl from a chimera. How could she possibly go against an enemy who had lost all of his senses? More importantly, how was it possible for someone such as his brother to be so smart and so incredibly stupid at the same time? He supposed he would never know.

"It'll be fine. It only has to be for a few seconds. We'll be long gone before then." Ed replied nodding to the girl to reassure her. Al sighed knowing perfectly well how stubborn his brother could be. Havoc on the other hand wouldn't hear of it.

"You got a death wish or something boss? If Roy finds out he'll scorch us all," the Lieutenant reminded him. Honestly, was he the only one there with any sense at all today?

"We don't really have a choice. We're a little limited on time in case you haven't noticed and there's a chance I could get AL's body back. Besides, no one else can do it." The young alchemist reasoned trying to convince even himself that this was going to work.

Jean sighed not wishing to provoke the wrath of the shrimpy state alchemist. Still, he felt he should at least try to protect the girl if nothing else. "What happens to her afterwards? Did you ever stop to think about that?" he asked while trying to keep a level head.

"That's where you come in. We need you to watch our backs." Ed grinned malevolently trying to hide his shame. Was he really willing to risk the lives of everyone present to get his brother's body back? He watched the Lieutenant's facial expressions soften as he reached for a spare gun.

"Well if you're going to be that stubborn about it, at least be careful ok?" Havoc requested giving the extra gun to Aakara. "Just aim and pull the trigger," he instructed and then turned to the boys to reassure them, "I'll watch your backs."

"Okay," Aakara responded and willed her face to show any other emotion then the slight fear she was currently feeling. She wanted and needed to do this. Not just for Ed and Al, but for herself as well. It was time to put up or shut up, and there was no chance of backing out now. She balanced the deadly device in her quivering hands praying to God that she could pull this off.

"Now!" Edward commanded suddenly shoving his brother into action. Aakara jumped at his sudden action and watched the brothers take cover. She took a deep breath in order to calm her nerves a smidgen. Now she was ready. Aakarashan dashed out into the open before she had the chance to change her mind.

For a fleeting moment she thought perhaps that Mustang had already apprehended the criminal during their little debriefing and she would be spared her current distress. A millisecond later she discovered she had no such luck. William flew down a stack of crates revealing his presence. He was a little too close for comfort.

"We can keep playing games for as long as you want Mr. Fullmetal Alchemist, but I will have my body back one way or another," he growled lashing towards Aakara with one of his gangly clawed paws. She was grateful that her head happened to be turned downward at the moment so he didn't recognize the mistaken identity. She turned and fled as fast as her legs would push her.

"What's this, no witty comeback and now you're running? What on earth is the military teaching these days? You should just give up now and we can get this over with," William taunted attempting to slow down his opponent with words. Elric's silence vexed him somewhat but no matter, he would have his way soon enough. The alchemist produced a hidden red stone and transmuted an elegant spear. Once he had what he needed he would rid the military of the annoying brat once and for all.

The scientist was so focused on Edward's decoy he didn't even notice the genuine object of his desire slipping below the surface of the first floor accompanied by towering six foot soul filled armor. Aakara sprinted as far and as fast as she could while preparing to draw the weapon Jean had given her. The brothers had disappeared and she had served her purpose as long as one could be expected under such conditions.

Underneath the floorboards Edward and Alphonse Elric could only hear muffled sounds of the scrimmage taking place upstairs. Never mind what he heard, he only saw two things: his younger brother and the red water. He felt a tingling sensation spread throughout his body, his eyes were wide in awe and excitement. He barely heard Alphonse whisper "Brother" in amazement before he went to work on the complex arrays necessary for the taboo he was about to perform.

Meanwhile Jean Havoc fired away at the crazy man chasing the supposed state alchemist. He was amazed at how fast the female impersonator flew and gained a new sense of hope. She was having better luck then he had fist conceived possible. A series of blank shots signaled him that he was out of ammo. He cursed himself and reached for another cartridge. A chimera rushed him before he retrieve it and braced himself hoping someone would come to his rescue.

Aakara had turned her head just slightly as she ran to see what had caused her backup to cease so suddenly. The sight she beheld stopped her in her tracks proving to be a monumental mistake on her behalf. William leaped and pummeled her full force knocking her down face first. She reached for the gun stored within the inside coat pocket while grunting as she received another brut assault. It nearly took her breath away.

William was losing patience with the chase and was ready to achieve his goal. The Fullmetal Alchemist was his, or so he thought. "I'm done playing games child," he sneered reaching down to grab the shirt collar and yank his victim up. His eyes widened in anger

"How dare you, impertinent girl!" he hissed fully invading her personal space. Aakara took hold of the gun desperate to get free. She had completely forgotten Havoc's simple instructions to aim and shoot and opted to bash his skull instead. Even with her adrenaline laced strength William swatted the weapon away as if it were a child's toy. He pinned her to the wall so hard and fast her vision became hazy and she swooned in dizziness. She couldn't free herself. She could only watch in desperation as the slender weapon came speeding down on her.

A/N: Okay, Firstly I realize I have done this ending before but I couldn't think of any other way to reveal Aakara's identity to the psycho. Secondly, if anyone noticed Ed's little faux pox when he called her Arakawa you're probably rolling your eyes about now. Sorry for the bad pun, but when I edited this chap, I realized I had changed her name to the creator's name the whole time! I couldn't help myself. Actually, Aakarashan's name is originally spelled Aakarshan and is a male Hindu name meaning attraction (not that the meaning has anything to do with it). I just added an "A" for femininity and wallah! Lastly, Ed's line "Are you still talking," is actually something my obnoxious sister says to shut people up. Of course that usually makes people annoy her more, hehe. Much has happened in this chapter so I hope it makes up for lack of action earlier. Thank you for reading. Peace out!