Disclaimer: See part one.
A/N: This is it, the awaited conclusion! The language gets a little vulgar for my taste, but we all know what happens when Edward explodes. This is the only reason the rating was changed. I hope I haven't offended anyone, just know that I was trying to keep in character.
Special Note: This is in honor of my best friend who is getting married tomorrow! Wedding cake all around! W00T! I will get her into anime one of these days, I swear it!
Roy Mustang dealt a searing blaze of a raging inferno to a horde of nearby chimeras nearly depleting most of William the third's rogue army. He surmised the situation at hand was nearly at it's conclusion and glanced around the room to take stock of his subordinates' progress. Falman, Havoc, Breda and Fuery seemed to have rallied together making the most of their combined efforts. His loyal First Lieutenant was no doubt in all her glory, discharging bullets with flawless aim.
Then there were his youngest subordinates. The girl and Alphonse Elric appeared to be missing for the moment. He hoped that was because the boy was protecting his newest team member. Roy spotted a flash of red and gold in his peripheral vision. It was indeed Fullmetal, but his movements were way too slow and clumsy for the Colonel's liking. The wanted criminal was closing in on him. Roy concluded he must be injured, why else would the Fullmetal brat be so awkward?
Mustang thought it would be wise to end the battle in one swift movement now that the individual chimera skirmishes were coming to a close. In a second glance he witnessed Fullmetal slip up, becoming apprehended by the psycho they were trying to arrest. Something was very wrong.
"Lieutenant!" Roy yelled getting the attention of his only other female subordinate. The woman in question nodded in understanding once she apprehended the situation. Turning on her heels, Hawkeye deployed a quick round of ammunition to throw William off balance. He was momentarily caught off guard and lost his grip of the one who was supposed to be his ticket to glory.
Mustang took the opportunity his right hand woman had given him and dashed to take his place in between the pair. Now came the fun part, at least for Roy. His fingers tingled in automatic defense mode as he snapped creating his infamous spark. William was repealed from the force of a blast. A blast that left him severely burned and huddling in the fetal position whimpering like a child.
"That takes care of that," Mustang smirked noting his fellow soldiers had successfully completed their job as well. The ordeal had come to a close and now all that was left was a final briefing and more dreaded paperwork. Not to mention the actual arrest. Or so he thought.
"Sir, I think you've overdone it a little," Riza stated as she strolled over to check the work of the Flame Alchemist.
"You know, I never did know when to hold back," he smirked at the lieutenant. It was one of those smiles that made most women back home fall over themselves for him. Hawkeye chose to ignore it in order to preserver her sanity. If she had been so foolish to fall for those antics, she would have never made it to the position was in now. Instead she turned her attention to the rest of the party.
"Edward are you al-" the first lieutenant stopped dead horrified to learn that the alchemist in question was no alchemist at all. Her concern melted into shock as the truth was revealed.
Aakarashan slipped the hood of the coat off sheepishly, trying her best to look extremely innocent under the circumstances. But she knew there was no chance of hiding now. She was so busted.
"What the hell where you thinking?" Mustang scolded nearly grabbing the girl by the collar of her shirt to get her on her feet. Roy would never be able to create a flame big enough to echo the rage he felt right now. Not in a million years. 'How could he?'
"Where are they?" Hawkeye demanded in a calmer tone. The girl was already terrified, it would only make matters worse if she lost it as well.
Havoc had crept up from behind and was ready to claim responsibility, when the girl spoke up for herself.
"I'm sorry Colonel, Lieutenant," Aakara broke and sobbed, clearly shaken by the interrogation and events of the afternoon. The young trainee was about to expound in detail, ready to sing like a canary, when she was interrupted by a shrill scream.
"Damn it, Damn it, Damn it!" the foul string of cusses reached their ears from down below. Mustang instantly recognized Fullmetal's voice and picked up the girl in one arm as he moved to sprint down the stairs.
Upon reaching the doorway to a hidden room the gang stopped in their tracks fearing the worst. They were amazed to find intrinsic arrays on the floor and ceiling. There was a system of glass tubing that looked so delicate it could almost be considered a work of art. There was a mist of red substance that seemed to be evaporating from their very eyes. They assumed this substance was the reason that it had suddenly become slightly difficult to breathe causing them to put protective hands over their nose and mouth.
In the thick of this awe-inspiring room, was the Fullmetal Alchemist Edward Elric himself throwing a hissy fit. Falman, Havoc and Breda knew the routine well, but Aakara looked on in amazement as Edward continued to destroy the place in a manner quit fitting for a two year old.
"Brother, it's okay. Now we know one more way that doesn't work. It kind of narrows the field. We can try again," the younger sibling tried consoling his brother. Alphonse was having no such luck as he watched his brother shatter glass and scream hysterically.
"That stupid idiot wanted me to do something with that worthless crap? It was just a cheap imitation that broke the minute I touched it! How the hell did he even manage to create those hellions with such a lame ass excuse for a lab?" Ed raved completely unaware of the audience he now had.
Alphonse froze in the shell of steel upon hearing Mustang clear his throat loud enough for him to notice. It never ceased to amuse the others how a boy who was considered immortal by his enemies would continue to cower despite his physic. Still, the boy sighed in relief seeing that Aakara was safe and sound. Well, safe at any rate. She was practically bawling in Jean Havoc's arms who looked like he was about ready for a whole pack of cigarettes.
"Um, brother," Al stuttered successfully capturing his brother's attention.
"WHAT?", he yelled turning around in order to properly berate Alphonse for interrupting a perfectly good anger management session. His face fell when he caught sight of his oh so favorite Colonel glaring at him. 'Damn,' he thought knowing full well that he was in for it when they got back to Central.
Riza knew that look on Roy's face as his eyes tore into Edward. He was ready to fry himself a shrimp shiskabob. She concluded it would be in everyone's best interest if she intervened to end the ordeal once and for all. "Colonel, perhaps we should finish this once we've completed our job."
Ah that Riza, always the level headed one. "Fine," Roy muttered. Even though he was called the Flame, his aura couldn't have been colder.
Exhausted, the group gathered what little wits they had left and headed for the entrance of the building, careful not to disturb the corpses strewn about in the vicinity. The wear and tear was instantly lifted from the gang as the fresh crisp air hit their faces. They were greeted by unexpected visitors when they emerged from the aftermath of the battle.
"Colonel Roy Mustang!" a familiar voice welcomed the small squadron. "Glad to see your safe. Though you could have left some of the fun for us," an incredibly muscled man joked as pink sparkles danced in the sunlight.
"Nice timing Major," Mustang replied sardonically," What brings you here?" He was not merely referring to the major himself, but the few subordinates the man had banded together as well.
"We finished with our duty that prevented us from apprehending this criminal in the first place. Thought we would give a helping hand is all." He smiled ordering the men to arrest the wanted man while performing a few well-muscled poses.
"Uncle Louis!" a small voice shouted. Major Armstrong turned toward the familiar voice that had beseeched him only to find his niece eagerly rushing to meet him. Aakarashan flung herself into his arms and kissed him on the cheek. She now radiated with blue sparkles that now meshed with the blinding pink aura.
Edward and Alphonse froze at the word uncle. She was an Armstrong? 'Oh hell,' Ed thought as realization dawned on him. The major would definitely hear of their exploits and be ready to absolutely murder him. The boy's face paled as the man approached the group and loomed over them, every muscle and sparkle seeming to have a life of it's own. It was enough to make a man blind and nauseous all at once, and Edward was now a witness to this testament.
"You're an Armstrong?" Al asked timidly wondering why he had never bothered to ask the girl's last name.
"Yes, on my mother's side. Grandfather thought it was time to jumpstart my career so Uncle Louis set me up here. But I'm not a real Armstrong, I don't even have superhuman strength."
"That just means your sane,' Ed commented causing the others to snicker. At least the mountain of a man hadn't noticed his nervousness yet. Aakara smiled and her dear uncle beamed full of pride.
Alex Louis was glad that his niece seemed to be doing well and fitting in with his comrades from Central City. He was one hundred percent correct when he listened to his instincts and had her transferred under Roy's unit. However, he didn't quite understand the strange get up she was wearing. That's when he recognized the bright red trench coat he knew so well. If she was sporting Edward's jacket, there could be only one reason.
Edward watched in horror as the giant of a man scratched his chin and observed him in curiosity. He was certain he saw him glance between himself and Aakarashan. 'He knows, damn it! He knows what we did!" Ed's mind babbled while waiting for his inevitable fate. He cringed when he saw the man throw his arms up in the air.
"Oh what a beautiful day! My darling niece has grown up right before my very eyes! Edward Elric all the luck in the world wouldn't find you a more precious girl!" the man ranted as the two boys looked on in absolute horror. Aakara just seemed too stunned and embarrassed to do much of anything.
"This is it!" Ed's thoughts screamed as he tried anything he could think of to protect himself. This of course was useless in the presence of the Strongarm Alchemist.
The aforementioned alchemist hoisted Ed up to his feet (who's face was getting paler by the minute) and ushered Aakara to join them. Upon having the two together he held their hands like a proud parent on their child's first day of school. "I couldn't be happier! You two have my blessing."
Ed felt time stop for a split second and finally noticed Havoc standing nearby. He and the others were laughing hysterically and he couldn't help but feel that he was at the heel of a very cruel joke. "What the hell is he talking about?" the young alchemist demanded.
"Nice going boss. Didn't know you had it in ya!" Havoc joked smacking the boy hard on the back. The other various cat calls and whistles he caught only succeeded in ticking him off.
Aakara realized her uncle's mistake and went along anyway. "Oh Edward!" she smiled throwing herself on the confused state alchemist. If he was really this dense, then she could take advantage of the misconception without worrying about Ed catching on. Not that she wouldn't mind being guilty of her uncle's accusation.
"Are you crazy?" Ed yelped as they crashed to the ground. Wait, he knew that answer. She was an Armstrong apparently. So naturally the squirly girl was crazy.
"Al a little help here?" he pleaded while trying to pry the girl off of him. The girl gave herself too little credit. She was definitely an Armstrong. Those damn sparkles were enough to blind him.
"Sorry Ed. A girl shouldn't come between brothers, ya know?" he laughed enjoying Edward's torment. But Al was grateful that armor couldn't show embarrassment as well as human beings. Ed was crimson red from ear to ear. And the younger brother was sure to hear a lot of complaining later on in the day; first the disappointment with the stone, and now fun at his expense. It was going to be a long train ride back to Central. Alphonse was grateful when they finally said farewell to the major and started the journey back home.