A/N: Hi Minna-san! This is the first Chapter of Rejection! The other really really long one was just the prologue believe it or not! Well, Here's where the story really begins, so...Enjoy!
It had been three months since the incident with the Human Transmutation. Al had started getting used to his new body and Chise was surviving well with the surgery she had. The Elric brothers were still visiting from time-to-time, however their work load had gotten a lot heavier. It was rumored that another Hommunculous had been created, so they had to deal with those leads. It was one such mission that lead them to something they had not been expecting. And Chise was with them, being babysat during the mission under Colonel Mustang's orders.
"Nii-kun-tachi? Where are we going?" Chise-chan asked as they sat on the train towards the town of Sudar in the south. She had been on the train only a few times and she always loved the view from the widow as they whizzed past trees and fields.
"Sudar. Sorry we have to take you on the mission with us. It could get pretty boring." Ed told her, giving her a look of sympathy.
"I don't mind! With you two there, I know it won't be boring! Nothing boring ever happens when you two are around! I hear that from the Colonel!" Chise announced with a smile before looking back out the window and bouncing on the seat. The Elric brothers sweatdropped as they heard what things the Colonel had influenced on the child.
"So...what else did the Colonel tell you...?" Al asked, a little afraid of the answer.
"He told me when I grow up I have to join the military and wear a miniskirt...But I'm not gonna. Miniskirt don't look good on me." She stuck her tongue out innocently. Ed was shaking with a sudden urge to punch out a certain kuso taisa..
"B-brother! I'm sure he's kidding! Calm down!" Al said, seeing his brother's evil look.
"Of course, Al. Don't worry, I'll go easy on him. I'll stop once he can't breath anymore..."
"B-Brother!"
"Anou...I think we're here!" Chise said, unsure why her older brother was fuming with a scary face. Ed smiled at her.
"Thanks Chise. Let's go. This shouldn't take more than an hour...These leads never actually help us." Ed said, as he stretched after the long train ride. He stood up and started towards the door, Chise and Al close behind.
"So, Al, what was this lead again?"
"Oh, uhm, it said that there was a suspicious looking singer that just started her career here."
"They're so desperate to blame someone, they're calling a singer a hommunculous! I really don't get these people. Well, c'mon. Let's find this singer and get this over with." They walked out of the train station and into the town.
"Ooh! A poster! Nii-kun-tachi! I think this is it! It says that there's gonna be a show today...starting in a few minutes. I think this is the singer you're looking for...It says "Rejection" is the song she's gonna be performing..."
"Good Job, Chise-chan! Where is it?" Al asked, smiling at her and petting her head to show her she'd done a good job.
"Uhm...It says in the tavern...Which is...right there!" She smiled as she pointed at the store they were standing in front of. The Elrics sweatdropped.
"Well, at least we don't have to go looking around for this place!" Ed said with a small smile.
The three of them walked into the tavern, which looked smaller on the outside than it really was inside.
"You're here for the show, I'm guessing!" A perky girl wearing a waitress outfit told them as she walked up to them. "You're just in time! There's a few tables left and she's gonna start singing once the lights go off. Here, follow me to your table!"
The Elric brothers and Chise looked at each other before following the happy waitress-girl. She led them to a table near the front with three chairs. "Do you want anything to drink?"
"Uhm...do you have juice...?" Chise asked in a tiny voice. She was always nervous around people she didn't know.
"Sure, sweetie! What kind? Apple or orange?"
"Apple please."
"Sure coming right up!" The cheery waitress smiled at them before going to get Chise her juice.
"I wonder how this performance will be. What could there be about a singer that would make people suspicious that she's a hommunculous?" Al said in a low voice so no one could over hear.
"That's true. Maybe it's something about the way she looks or acts...We might be able to get some clues by watching her..."
"Here's you juice sweeite!" Thw waitress came back and placed Chise's drink in front of her. "Anything else, guys?"
"No, we're fine..."
"Actually, I have a favor to ask you."
"And what may that be?"
"Is there anyway that you could get us backstage after the show so we can talk to this singer?"
"Well, I guess so, since we're pretty close after all. And why are you calling her "this singer"? Shouldn't you know the name of the person you want to see backstage?" The waitress asked, looking a little taken aback.
"Look, I didn't want to have to let anyone know, but we're from the state. We're here to check some things out with this singer...They never told us a name."
"Oh dear! What did she do to get the state's attention? She always seemed like the quiet, stay-outta-trouble type to me. Well, as far as a name goes, she never tells her real name, but her stage name is Yoko."
"So...she's from the east?"
"Seems so. That might be why her voice is so beautiful, nothing like I've ever heard from Amestris. Oh! The show's starting! Meet me up front after to go backstage, okay?"
"Thanks. We will..." The light went out and a single spotlight went on in the middle of the stage. A girl stepped out under the spotlight ad smiled at her audience before she began to sing.
As she sang, a peaceful calm washed over the audience, an effect that was very hard to do. The whole time, however, Al felt something tugging at his heart, but he didn't know what it was.
After the song was finished, she bowed to the audience and smiled. "Thank you all so much for coming here to see me. I know I'm not big time or anything and I really thank you for the support you've all given me."
At that Al suddenly knew what had been bothering him. That voice, those words, that melody. He had known all of it...from Miyo. She wrote that poem and came up with the melody with his help, and he could never forget her voice. Chise looked up at him and the look on her face showed she felt the same as he did. That was Miyo. No doubt about it. Their lead was actually right.
The person they knew was Miyo then sang another song, once again with words and melody that Al recognised. Ed so far seemed to be the only one who didn't notice. He did have a strong sense of familiarity. He knew this person, but he couldn't put his finger on it. After the second song, the performance was over. They clapped with everyone else, however Chise and Al were uneasy, while Ed seemed a little bothered. They went to the front where the cheery waitress said to meet her. Soon enough they saw her coming towards them with a smile.
"Hey guys! Did you like the performance? Isn't Yoko the greatest?" she said in a dreamy tone.
"Yeah, she's definitely something else. Can you take us to her now?"
"Sure! She'll probably be in her dressing room. Follow me!" The waitress smiled widely as she walked down a long white corridor, towards what seemed to be behind the stage. She reached a door that was identical to the rest and knocked.
"Who is it?" a voice floated out of the room. Al took this time to get his brother up to speed about the truth of what's going on and who Yoko really was.
"I knew she seemed so familiar! So...It's Miyo...Seems like this lead was right after all. Never thought it would be someone this close to us...
"It's me, Yven! I brought some guests from the state who wanted to meet you!"
"State...?" Yoko opened the door and quietly looked at the visitors. Immediately Chise, Ed and Al felt the sense of recognition. Chise sobbed once, no tears, as she saw her sister standing in front of her. "Please...Come in...Yven, stay away for a while, okay?" They caught the evil look Yoko gave Yven, who smiled slyly and walked off.
"Don't forget we have to go see your manager after this! I'll come by later," She said, waving her hand as she walked away. Yoko sighed and turned towards the people in her dressing room. Luckily for her, Yven had given her enough warning to hide her swords before hand.
"YO-YO!" Chise hugged Yoko's legs and started sobbing. "Y-you're back...Y-you really...came back..."
"Wh-what are you talking about?" Suddenly a flash of Chise's memory flickered across Yoko's mind.
A small shivering girl, soaked with red water, was sitting in puddle next to a pocketwatch and a lock of hair. She looked around, calling for her sister, terrified and unsure of what was going on. She was all alone...
Yoko shook her head. She looked down at the little girl, a look of sadness on her face. She felt a tug at her own heart and she felt an overwhelming sadness.
"Yo-yo...I know it's you...It has to be you...You're voice...your songs...It's you Nee-chan...It has to be..." Chise was sobbing and fell to her knees, still clutching part of Yoko's skirt in her hands. Yoko knelt down beside the little crying girl.
"I'm so sorry, but I'm not your sister. I'm really not much of anything. Please don't take this the wrong way, but I don't know you...Any of you..." She looked up at the Elric brothers, a sad look in her eyes. She hung her head and stood up. She hugged her self and faced them. "Really, if that's all you're here for, I'm going to have to ask you to leave."
Ed, unsure what to do, sighed. "Okay, we're leaving, for now. We're going to come back later, though. So don't leave. C'mon guys. Let's give her some space." Ed walked out of the room, Al and Chise following behind. Al looked at Yoko and touched her arm with a sad look and continued on his way, closing the door behind him. Another memory flicked across her mind.
The gate appeared, the second time he had seen it. Getting pulled through and returning to something. Getting pulled back, everything intact. Chise, coughing up blood and crying before fainting. Looking at what should have been Miyo...but wasn't...something...else...
Yoko fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. Memories never affected her like this. She's seen so many horrible memories, she couldn't count them all, but this time it was so deeply affecting her. Her heart was in pain and she didn't know what to do. A single tear ran down her cheek as she sat on the carpeted floor.
"Having fun?" a voice asked her from the window. She turned to see Yven, the cheery waitress sitting on the widow sill. In the blink of an eye, sitting on the window sill was none other than Envy.
"What are you doing here? And why did you lead those...people to me?" She asked in a pissed off tone, her cheeks still shining with tears.
"What's wrong? Previous life bothering you?"
"What...? What are you...talking about?"
"You didn't know? The little kid, the FullMetal Brat and that other one who you just so happen to have feelings for are the people closest to you when you were still...what did she call you..? Oh, right, Yo-yo."
"Envy, shut up. I don't want to hear it. And don't you dare make fun of her."
"Oh, seems you've gone sensitive for them. You're still such a defensive big sister, huh, 'Yo-yo'."
"Envy, SHUT UP! Go away, I don't want to see your face right now..."
"Really."
"Yes! Yours or anyone elses!!!"
"Not even mine?" She turned to the voice and saw Al's face, although she didn't know why he was just yet.
"Envy, stop it!!!! Just leave me alone!!!!!"
"Don't be mad, please, Yo-yo!"Chise's voice and face accompanied the statement. Her eyes welled up with tears.
"Envy, don't mess with me!" She unsheathed her sword and held it at the Chise look-alike's throat. She had a look of complete hatred on her face.
"Calm down there, Imoutou-chan. Don't kill me just yet," Envy said as he transformed back and pushed the blade away with his fingertip.
"Don't call me Imoutou-chan! What right do you think you have?"
"Well, we're all siblings in a way, aren't we? Us more so than the others, actually."
"What are you talking about?!?"
"You'll find out in good time, Rejection."
"Nii-kun-tachi? Was that really not Yo-yo?"
"No Chise, that was her. She just doesn't know it yet. It seems you two created the new hommunculous we were looking for. Never thought it would be her...of all people..."
"Why would Yo-yo go to the bad side?"
"I'm not sure that she had a choice, Chise-chan. At least she's trying to live a normal life. I hope the other hommunculous haven't gotten to her yet..."
"Can we go back and check on her...? I wanna see her even if she doesn't remember being Yo-yo."
"Sure, why not. Maybe she'll listen to us now."
"She's not gonna kill them. She just found out who they are. It'll be too hard for her at this stage."
"Yes, I agree. She'll only be able to do it once she's had enough red stones to take control of her body. She has yet to learn the full extent of her power."
"And you're gonna let me be the one to teach her, is that it?"
"Of course. You are Rejection's older brother, are you not?"
"She doesn't seem to think so."
"She will come to think of us as family in due time. After all, she doesn't have much of a choice does she."
"Nope, not much of one at all."
Rejection was sitting in her dressing room, holding her swords in her hands, unsure of what to do. Her mission was to kill the Elric brothers on sight. But she couldn't do that. They were special to her past life...She could still feel the affection she had for them. More for one than the other, though. She shook the thoughts from her mind and she stood up, brandishing her swords. She knew that next time she saw them, she would have to kill them. She sighed and took a deep breath. She would have to go against everything her slowly recovering memories told her and think only of the life she was now living. A hommunculous. A puppet. A murderer.
She opened her dressing room door and stepped out into the hall. She blinked. It seemed she didn't need to find the Elric brothers. They came to her. She smirked; she couldn't have asked for a more convenient situation. "Well, look who it is. The Elric brothers. The two most important people in my previous life. I was just going to look for you!" Rejection said, smiling widely and hiding her swords behind her back.
"Yo-yo...Does that mean you remember us?"
"Not exactly. I do have some memories of you all, but that's not where got my information from." Rejection smirk as she pulled the swords from behind her back. "I'm so sorry I have to do this, but hey, orders are orders!"
Chise's eyes widened and tears sprung from them. She hid behind Ed and Al, afraid of what her sister would do. Rejection held her swords out, crossed in front of her. Ed transmuted his metal arm into the sword and Al, who ever since going through the gate and back could do alchemy without a circle, held his hands, ready to clap. A sudden sharp pain went through Rejection's heart. She winced slightly and shook it off. 'No, my past life will not control me. I have to do this. It's my job...'
A/N: WOOT! SEMI-CLIFFY!!!! See, this is like half the size of the prologue...If I were to make every chapter than long, it'd take me forever to actually get where I want to! Well, this is the end of chapter one! I hope you liked it! Please review!!!!