AN: The characters and concepts of Fullmetal Alchemist belong to Hiromu Arakawa. This story revolves around the first anime of Fullmetal Alchemist, not the manga. Do not flame because of that small difference, I've read the manga and seen the real anime that follows it, but the first anime is what captured my heart about FMA, so this story is tribute. Enjoy the story. The lyrics are "Latch" by Sam Smith, I do not own the lyrics to the song. - Carrie
"You lift my heart up when the rest of me is down,
You, you enchant me even when you're not around.
If there are boundaries, I will try to knock them down,
I'm latching on, now I know what I have found."
Screaming and crying pierces the night. Carlina jolts awake, fists gripping her bedsheet. Jumping out of bed, she realizes Winry is still sound asleep, wrench dangling from her hand. Not wanting to waste time, she sprints out of the room in only her nightgown, feet bare. Running down the hall, she bounds down the stairs to the first floor. Izumi and Sig burst open a door as she turns the corner. She slides on the wooden floor, scrambling into the room behind the adults. The scene before her is chaos. A twisted mass of wood and cloth stands near the wall, the forest child bawling near the ceiling. His lower body merges into the mass that was once his bed. "No alchemist I trained would transmute something so unrefined. Not even mixing animals into chimeras is this crass," Izumi sighs. She runs a hand over the transmuted object. The child continues to sob and shake his head, "Let me go! Let me down!"
"Stop crying," Izumi snaps at the child. After the kid goes silent, she holds his hand and begins coaching him. Bright blue light shines from the bed form and it begins to transform again. In seconds, the bed is back to normal and the child falls into Izumi's arms, crying. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Carlina's gaze locks on to the child's arms. They wrap around Izumi's back, and in the night, they appear to be different colors. The girl opens her mouth to speak, but stops when the woman lifts the sheet to drape it over the boy. "Now explain yourselves," Izumi barks. Even though she is innocent, Carlina jumps and straightens up from her tone. When Ed voices his theory that the boy is a homunculus, Carlina shudders. "Who, or what, is hunting you," Sig steps closer to Izumi and the child.
"Who knows, they say they're homunculi," Ed looks at his teacher. Carlina watches the shock flash across the Curtis' faces. "Carlina has dealt with them too. They're part of the reason she's traveling with us," Al pipes up. As all eyes turn toward her, the girl shifts. "You could say that," she shrugs, looking down at the floor. Izumi and Sig look at each other before turning to the children. "Alright, back to bed for everyone," Izumi motions toward the door, Sig corrals the teenagers out of the room. The three teens stand around as the door shuts behind them. Ed shakes his head and blinks as if noticing Carlina there for the first time. His eyes widen and he averts his gaze, staring at the wall as he speaks, "So. You heard the commotion, huh?" She nods her head and motions to the stairs. The group climbs to the second floor. Putting a finger to her lips, she slips into her room for a moment to grab her cloak. They creep across the floors to the small balcony above the meat shop.
Once the door closes, they sit for a while, listening to the sounds of the house. After the sounds of people moving end, Carlina clears her throat. "Do you actually believe the child is a homunculus," she looks at Ed, playing with the hem of her nightgown. He nods his head in response. "I don't have any concrete proof yet, but he might be. It seems like he isn't sleeping, and some of his actions don't seem natural," Ed lowers his voice as he speaks. Al shrugs, "Brother, don't you think this is extreme? What if he isn't used to being around people, since he was in the wild?" The brothers turn to their friend. Carlina turns around to face the skyline of Dublith. She runs her hands along the stone edge of the balcony, closing her eyes. "I don't know what to say. Something about the child seems, off. I can't place it. I thought, earlier," she shakes her head and turns around, "Nevermind. I don't have proof, but something is not right."
"Can you stop getting me in trouble," Carlina groans in exasperation. She flops down on one of the beds in the Elric brothers' room. "Sorry guys, Izumi doesn't want you bothering the boy while she's gone," Mason's voice drifts through the door. "Me too? I didn't even do anything," Lina sits up to glare at the door. "Sorry, boss' orders. She's wary that you might do something for the boys," Mason laughs. Ed shrugs, raising an eyebrow at his brother, "What are you doing Al?" The younger Elric puts a finger to his lips as he completes his transmutation circle. He transmutes the radio sitting in the middle and it turns into a mouthpiece. "Winry, sorry, but since we can't come out of our room," he trails off. "Hi Al, what did you guys do to this boy anyway? He's terrified of you guys," her voice drifts through the microphone.
Carlina slides off the bed, kneeling next to Ed on the floor. "Winry, this may sound strange, but there's something I need to ask. It's about the boy's body. Will you check something for me," Al speaks into the device, Carlina raises an eyebrow. "You mean the scars? Yeah, I was surprised too. What do you suppose happened to him? They go around the base of both his arms and his right leg," Winry's concern is evident over the speaker. Al gasps and looks up at the other alchemists. Carlina's stomach churns, clutching it with one of her hands. "Al, wait a minute, you don't think," Ed trails off. "Think about it brother, you said you saw his face on the other side of the gate," Al's tone turns serious. Carlina's eyes widen as her own experience with the gate flashes before her eyes. Staring into the abyss beyond the large doors, a familiar face grins at her. Her thoughts end as Ed transmutes a hole where Al's circle used to be. Ed drops down into the room below, blocking the door as Sig tries to open it.
"Guys, if Izumi finds out about this, she'll kill you," Mason enters the room as Carlina drops through the hole. "This won't take long," Al goes through the hole as he speaks. "Come on guys, Izumi told you not to come near this boy. I can't let you do this," Winry stands in front of the child. "Like he said, this won't take long," Ed pushes Winry aside. He slams his hands against the wall at the sides of the child's head. Carlina walks forward on trembling legs, standing behind Ed. She drowns out Ed's talk about equivalent exchange as she attempts to peer around him to see the boy. "I thought it was an equivalent exchange," Ed's voice rises before he shreds the arms off the boy's shirt. The fabric hangs around the kid, the collar the only part still intact. Carlina rotates to Ed's right side in time to catch the color difference where the right arm connects to the torso. As Ed grabs the child's arm and gets closer to his face, her eyes drift to the child's other arm. "No," her voice breaks, hearing Al gasp from behind her.
The left arm also has a tonal difference where the arm connects to the body. Although not noticeable before, the left arm is leaner, and the hand is effeminate. In the light, standing against the plain wall, the skin color is easier to see. While the right arm is only a few shades darker than the torso, the left arm is much tanner than the right arm or the torso. Carlina reaches forward with her half human hand, a sound coming out of her mouth as the skin tone matches. "My arm," her voice breaks again, covering her mouth as she stares. Ed's shoulders shake as he looks the boy in the eyes. "This is my arm," Ed's voice raises again. The boy pushes away from Ed, using alchemy to break the window before he escapes. "Wait, no," Sig yells as he drops from the hole in the ceiling. Ed vaults out of the broken window with Carlina close behind him.
"Hey kid, wait up! Hold on a sec," Ed calls out as they run behind the boy, "Listen, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to attack you like that back there!" Carlina's chest burns but she pushes it to the back of her mind. The boy turns toward them, running next to a wall. He puts his hands against the stone. Phasing through the wall without clapping to perform alchemy. Carlina surpasses Ed, slamming the side of her fist against the wall. "He slipped through a solid brick wall, but how," Ed feels the wall with both hands. Carlina steps back, catching her breath for a second as Ed claps his hands. He puts them against the wall but doesn't activate his alchemy. "If you can't tell, I'm a little busy right now," his voice sounds cross.
Before Carlina can question him, the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Sensing another presence, she turns around. A figure in rags stands behind the teens. His face hides under the hood of the green cloak he wears. Seeing the large hook nose, the girl takes a step closer to Ed again. "They say you're a genuine State Alchemist. Who's looking to get his hands on the philosopher's stone," the voice trills, "Is that correct?" Ed raises an eyebrow, "I don't know what you mean." "Oh, you do. Rumor has it you used your brother's body as a sacrifice and had to transmute his soul. Though why you used his and not your own, they don't say," the figure moves closer. Ed kicks the stranger in the face, causing him to stumble back as his hood falls off. Carlina tilts her head at the strange appearance, eying the spots on his skin. "Ungrateful bastard, I'm trying to take you to safety. That means you two and the freak you call a brother," he points at the teens.
A smile blossoms on Carlina's face as Al lifts the figure by his hood. "Who are you calling a freak?" Al's statement is met with a look of surprise from the odd man. A large tail emerges from the cloak, whipping Al's head off his shoulders. Laughing, the man stands, "It's true! You are as hollow as a tin can. Tucker was right." Carlina's brow furrows, not knowing who they are talking about. Both Elrics seem tense as the man laughs and runs away. Ed claps and presses his hands against the ground. Stone surges from both sides of the alleyway, walling off the man's escape. "Your powers are uncanny," the man scuttles up the wall like a lizard, "Then again, I'm uncanny too."
Al stands with his head in his hands. Ed and Carlina gape up at the top of the wall as the man scrambles over. "What the hell was that thing," Ed blinks as Carlina shakes her head in disbelief. Hearing voices, the teenagers turn around. A new man stands next to Major Armstrong. Al twists his head back on, "Major, we haven't seen you in a while!" Carlina smiles at the large man and waves. Her heart sinks a little when he doesn't wave back. "Yes. This man here is Lieutenant Colonel Frank Archer. He's the ranking officer in charge of the military court," Armstrong introduces his superior. A shiver runs down Carlina's spine. She takes a step closer to Ed, their shoulders touching. Ed's hand brushes against hers, "Then what are you doing this far south?" "The military court? You must work pretty close to Lieutenant Colonel Hughes then. How's he doing," Al sounds cheery.
The two men shift at the question. "We'd like to ask you some questions about that chimera, and a few other unexplained events," Archer stares. "I'd love to stick around and chat, but we don't have time right now. Let's go," Ed creates a hole in the wall, beckoning at his companions. "Right behind you," Al chirps as they begin running off. "Send my love to Hughes," Carlina waves at Armstrong before running off, ignoring the pit in her stomach. Spotting the wild child on the roof of a nearby building, the teenagers scale the side. "We have to be careful not to scare him," Al whispers, the others nod in agreement. They creep up behind the boy, trying not to startle him. He presses his hands and feet together, beginning to roll forward on the roof. Yelling, he loses his balance near the edge.
Carlina slides down the roof after him, grabbing the waistband of his pants. Edward holds her around the waist, Alphonse holding on to his brother's arm. "What happened," the child looks over his shoulder at them. "We saved your dumbass," Ed sighs as they pull him back on the roof. They sit in a line on the edge of the roof. Both Elrics sit on either side of the boy, Carlina sitting next to Ed. "Why do my arms look different than yours," the boy extends his arms. Ed and Carlina share a look before turning to the boy. "That's because this arm and one of my legs aren't real," Ed holds up his automail arm. Holding up her own automail arm, Carlina nods at the boy, "This arm isn't my real arm either." The boy blinks for a few moments, looking between the two, "Well that's dumb. What did you guys do with the real ones you were born with?"
Ignoring the pain in her chest, the girl forces a smile. "It's hard to explain," Ed looks over the side of the roof. "Where are they now," the child presses the issue. "What about you? Are you sure you don't remember how you got this scar," Al changes the subject, pointing at the scar on the boy's bicep. Staring down for a moment, the boy replies, "No." The brothers look at each other before climbing up the roof a bit to have a private conversation. Carlina slides closer to the boy. He swings his legs as he stares off into the distance. "So, do you know why your arms look different," she speaks through the cotton feeling in her mouth. The boy holds his hands next to one another. Her heart skips a beat when she sees the resemblance to her hand and Ed's, almost touching. Turning the hands over, the boy shrugs, "No, I don't know why." "That's okay. We have to work with what we've got," she forces a smile.
"Hey, is everything okay? Or did I do something wrong," the child looks between Carlina and the boys. Opening her mouth to respond, her words die as she hears alchemy from below. "Brother," Al's voice comes from behind her as she looks down. An explosion echoes behind her as Armstrong hits the clock on the roof with a projectile. "Major, what the hell are you doing," Ed grips on to the roof. More projectiles hit the surface. One shakes the tile close to Carlina and the boy. He cries out as he loses his balance and slips off. Carlina grabs his wrist as she falls off, pulling him close to her chest. She closes her eyes, waiting for impact with the ground. To her surprise, she feels arms underneath her. Looking up, she sees Armstrong holding her and the boy. Before she can react, he rips the boy from her grasp and tosses her aside.
Stumbling to catch herself on the ground, Carlina manages to steady herself. Armstrong wraps the unconscious boy with the chain from his state alchemist watch. Her blood freezes as she watches Archer sling the boy over his shoulder. On the bottom of the child's right foot, she sees the unmistakable red ouroboros symbol. The blood pounds in her ears, drowning out the sound. Her focus zones back in as Edward talks to Armstrong about the possibility of the boy having his limbs. "My arm too," her voice sounds far away to her own ears. Armstrong's gaze snaps to her, looking more invested in the topic with her involved. "Tell me, what would you do if the boy did have both your limbs? Would you tear them off and sew them back on your bodies," Armstrong looks between the teens. "Of course not," Ed responds, Carlina nodding in agreement. "Then you're better off not knowing," Armstrong walks away.
Izumi stands in the middle of the room the boy was staying in the previous night. The three teenagers stand by the door. "What did you kids do to him," her voice shakes a little. "We didn't do anything," Ed answers, Carlina stares at the woman's back. "Why are you making such a big fuss over him anyway? Teacher," Al tilts his head as Izumi turns around, "It could be the best thing for him. The military might be able to track down his identity. And besides-" "-Al," Carlina interrupts. "He's not human," Al continues, not noticing Izumi's hand twitch, "You may not believe they exist, we didn't. But we've seen more than our share of homunculi recently. They're real and they're terrifying. They've powers that ordinary humans don't. A mouth that can chew through metal. Fingers that can stretch and pierce anything. There's even a homunculus that can morph into anyone."
Carlina's hands move up her arms, hugging herself as Al speaks. "That child might have special abilities. Teacher, but that's because he's a monster," he finishes as Izumi walks toward him. She shoves him back, "Do you have any idea how a homunculus comes into this world, Alphonse?" Winry says something Carlina doesn't catch, focusing on Izumi's every word. "Do you take me for a fool? That I'd be so blind to not realize, exactly what this child is," she stares at the teens. Carlina grips the tops of her arms, her knees tremble. Ed gasps, but before he can speak their teacher coughs up blood. The room erupts into chaos for a moment as she hunches over, coughs racking her body. Sig rushes forward to gather her in his arms, running past the teenagers.
They wait in the hallway of the small hospital, Sig in the back with Izumi. The brothers sit on the bench, Carlina stands against the wall while Winry stands in front of them. She listens to the discussion about Izumi's mystery illness. Nodding her head in agreement when Winry suggests taking her to a hospital in Central. "Young lady, I'm afraid that won't do her much good," a doctor comes around the corner toward them. "No offense doctor, but a big city hospital would be better equipped-" "-He means what she's got can't be cured," Ed cuts Winry off, looking at the ground. The doctor beckons the teenagers into a room, rolling out an anatomical mannequin. "All her internal organs from here to here are missing," the doctor points from below her lungs to her intestines. "Missing, how," Winry stares at the mannequin.
Carlina stands in the back of the room, a knot growing in her stomach. "It's like they were cut out of her. All her other organs have adapted, but I'm amazed she's alive," the doctor shakes his head. As the brothers ponder out loud if Izumi also tried human transmutation, a nurse storms into the room. Running down the hall, they find her hospital room empty with the window open. Carlina's held breath rushes out, her brain struggling to process the new information. Rushing from the hospital they head toward south headquarters. Stone formations erupt at all angles from the building as they approach. Running past Sig, Carlina runs inside with the Elric brothers. They run through the halls, splitting up after a few moments.
An explosion shakes the ground, throwing the female alchemist off her feet. She catches herself on a nearby wall, looking around. "I don't think that was Mrs. Curtis," she exhales, regaining her balance to keep searching the building. As she turns a corner she catches sight of Ed's braid down the hall. Carlina runs toward him, almost colliding with Izumi, as she sprints around the corner with the boy. She turns heel in time with Ed, standing next to him as an explosion goes off in the hallway she came from. The strange man from earlier stands next to a man in a red suit with black hair. His yellow eyes peer at the boy in Izumi's arms. "The military, teacher, and these guys? I guess it's a four way standoff," Ed clenches his jaw. Carlina turns to see the Fuhrer walk from behind Archer and Armstrong. Did he say that he makes five, she puzzles, thinking she heard the Fuhrer wrong.
The fire alarm rings over the voices, muddling out some of the words. The only person Carlina can hear well is Ed. As he remarks about the man in red being a State Alchemist, she turns her gaze to him. His hands sit in his pockets and his demeanor seems calm. His presence makes her feel on edge, even though she doesn't know this man. She hears Archer mention arresting everyone in the room. "Teacher we've," Ed rushes toward Izumi, but she kicks him in the stomach. He falls to his knees as she runs away. Izumi's retreat ends as Alphonse blocks her path. "Nice work Al," Ed's encouragement cuts off as a blue blur moves past him. In the blink of an eye, the Fuhrer rips the child from Izumi's grasp. Carlina blinks again in time to see the Fuhrer move past her with the child in his arms. Izumi uses her alchemy to create a giant fist, but Armstrong stops it with a single punch.
Carlina rushes past Armstrong, ducking under the flying rubble to reach Ed's side. Turning around, she sees spikes flying toward them. Izumi performs a transmutation that causes a wire to erupt from the wall, impaling the spikes. She and Armstrong begin transmuting and fighting one another in earnest. In the blink of an eye, Ed disappears from her side. The hybrid man from earlier pulls Ed through the hole in the wall. Carlina runs toward him with Al, sliding underneath the man's arm as it shoots from the shadows. "Interesting body you've got there." the man in red smirks. Al dodges before a small explosion bursts from the man's palm. As Ed explains the process of turning a human into a bomb, Carlina looks between the two men. "Your boss wants the kid, what for," her eyes narrow on the lizard man. Before she can get a response, Ed transforms his arm into a blade and digs it into the tail around his leg.
The little man yelps as Ed throws him into the wall next to the other man. Grabbing his comrades tail, he smirks. "Wait, you aren't considering turning me into a bomb," the little guy squeaks, climbing up on the wall. As the allies squabble, Carlina transmutes her finger automail into sharp spikes. The shape is reminiscent of Lust's finger nails. "We aren't coming with you," she stands up between the men and Ed. Al shifts toward them, the two men beginning to chuckle. "It isn't a choice you can make," the man lets go of his comrades' tail. Springboarding off the wall, the gecko man lunges for Ed. Carlina grabs at him as he sails past, her hand gripping his thigh. She curls her fingers inward, feeling the automail sink into his skin. His tail whips toward her head, but she raises her automail. The appendage wraps around her automail and her throat. It tightens, the automail preventing her airway from closing. Carlina releases her grip to slash at the man's face.
He dodges, using the momentum to flip her on her back on the floor. The impact jostles her automail down, her wrist being the only thing keeping her airway open. She closes her eyes and struggles against the tail, feeling it loosen. Ed has shoved the blade against the side of the tail, pressing it closer. The man leaps, scratching Ed's left cheek on his way past. "These brats are going to make me lose my precious tail," he whines, holding it in his hands. Carlina's hands rub her throat, wincing from the pain. "We'll drag them to the boss some other time. We need to find a way to get the kid for him," the man keeps his eyes on them as he backs out of the room. The two sprint through another hole in the wall, out of sight. Ed grabs her arms, helping her get to her feet. "Are you okay," he looks at her hands on her throat. She moves them, grinning as he winces. "Turning pretty colors already." she quips, coughing a little. He nods his head.
Raising her hand, she uses her black glove to wipe the blood off his cheek. "White gloves are impractical," she smiles, tucking her glove back into her pocket. "We have to find teacher," Al gestures toward the hole in the wall. The teens rush out into the hallway. Rubble lies against the walls and covers the floors. They sprint through the hallways as the boys call for their teacher. "That stupid chimera cut my face pretty deep," Ed touches the side of his face. "You know, you're going to get your gloves bloody and I warned you," Carlina grins. The grin grows as Ed smiles and rolls his eyes. "Major Armstrong," Al points at the man sitting on a slab of rock. "Oh the agony, the pain! That woman is most definitely your teacher. Even with my elegant attack, I was defeated," Armstrong clutches the right side of his ribs with both hands.
Ed smiles, "Thanks for your help Major. I had a feeling things would turn out like this." Looking down, she notices what Ed is talking about and starts giggling. Armstrong looks up at the children, looking confused. "You're holding the wrong place," Al points to the place on the other side of his ribcage with bruising. He shrugs, "Ah, well, the pain has gone down over there. I guarantee, this side hurts much worse. Oh my, what about you kids?" Armstrong looks at Ed's cheek, his gaze turning to the dark bruises spreading on Carlina's neck. "Who did this? Was it Kimblee? I swear on the honor of the Armstrong family I will protect you from that monster," Armstrong stands, wincing. "No, no, I'm okay. It wasn't that guy in the red, if you meant him. I made a mistake but I'm okay," Carlina smiles, helping the man sit back on the slab. "Thank you Armstrong, I hope we see you again soon," she gives him a light hug around his neck. The teens run off down another hallway.
After searching a few rooms, they come to an ajar door. Al opens it but stops when there is nothing inside. "Brother, it looks like teacher is gone," Al lets go of the door and turns around. "Dammit. She's going to be too weak now to escape here with that kid. What's she trying to do," Ed clenches his fists and looks down at the floor. Voices come from a few hallways away, making the hairs on the girl's neck stand up. "We're not supposed to be here. We should go," Carlina shifts, gesturing down the other hall with her eyes. "I can hear Mustang's smug remarks already," Ed sighs, walking away from the voices. "Only for you two. I'm an angel, so he wouldn't reprimand me," she bats her eyes as she speaks. The brothers are silent for a second before they start snickering. "Why do I feel like you don't believe me," she teases, sticking her tongue out at them as they run out of the building.
AN: Izumi and the boy are missing, and the teens now have to worry about another group looking for them. The plot thickens. Leave any reviews or send messages if you want to give me feedback on the chapter. Check my profile for updates between chapters. Currently, between st. updates, I'm rewriting the old chapters for clarity and detail. Hope everyone had a fun and safe St. Patrick's Day! -Carrie.