AN: So I've gotten a few reviews saying I've got Tanya acting like a girl despite, you know, being a guy inside. I have no idea how that conclusion was reached. I tend to write characters neutrally, and so these accusations make no sense to me. Since they didn't specify what they meant by that, I would like to ask them to PM me on this issue so that we can discuss it in private. For now, some responses to those who did not post while signed in:

Loli: Uhm… I can't exactly say when we'll see her doing it, but hopefully soon-ish. After all, it's not like Tanya wants to go to the front lines. ;)

Okay, with that done, on with the show!

Disclaimer: Youjo Senki is the property of Being X. Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa.


III. MORNING SNAPSHOT

ROOF, ALPHONSE'S CENTRAL APARTMENT, 12 MARCH, 1917

Spring was in the air. The sun was just about to peek from behind the mountains to the east, and the local early songbirds had begun to sing their wakeup calls to tell their chicks that it was time to get up because they'd brought them a nice breakfast of worms. Such efficiency in nature was something humans in general struggled to replicate. Instead of instinct, they would use alarm clocks and mobile reminders to get themselves out of bed and ready for work.

That was the general population, at least. But some individuals, myself, for example, had created something called a system, which, when applied consistently enough becomes something called a habit, which one might consider an artificial instinct. It certainly works with the same efficiency as animal instinct. This was why despite the clock reading half past six, I was already up and about, watching May performing her morning ritual.

The Far Eastern girl was performing smooth, one might say 'watery' movements, due to how her limbs seemed to flow from one stance to the next. I'd kept myself fit in my past life. Good health was necessary to maintaining peak work efficiency and minimizing the loss of productive hours from things like diseases. Even the common cold could throw a real dampener on even the most productive employee, after all.

As such, it shouldn't have been surprising that I picked up a bit of insight on the different exercise regimens out there. This one, in particular, reminded me of Tai Chi. In fact, it might as well have been Tai Chi, considering how it was a more or less spot on session. It only made sense then, that she would do something like this. Alchemy – or in May's case, Alkahestry – was like any other line of work. A healthy body meant you could be more productive throughout your practice.

The only thing that made this otherwise generic morning exercise ritual stand out into something of a bizarre scene was the fact that her panda, Xiao Mei, was parroting each and every movement that she made. Not only that. She did so with alarming accuracy. It was telling that they called her their 'friend', rather than pet. They must have been together for many years for a panda to so fluidly replicate the movements of its master's Tai Chi regimen.

"So Tanya," May spoke up while in the middle of performing a form. She didn't even look at me, her focus remaining on a plain oak table standing across the roof from her as she continued to practice. "Al wouldn't tell me why you wanted to become a State Alchemist. What's in it for you? Money? Power? Knowledge? Maybe you want access to the military's research on human transmutation so you can bring a dead loved one back to life? That last one's illegal, you know."

I kept a straight face as she probed me. The first one was somewhat on the mark. You need a good salary for comfortable living. And from what I've read, a State Alchemist's annual grant was a delicious sum that was easily capable of funding an exciting globe trekking lifestyle in a world where airplanes – and therefore cheap aerial travel - didn't seem to exist just yet. Which meant that a comfortable and relatively decadent living was easily doable with that grant. All I needed to do was produce results once a year, and I'd be set for life.

So yes, in a way, I was after the money.

Power? That was just another perk. But it was a perk that came with strings. The 'power' of a State Alchemist came from their insertion into the chain of command. Which meant that, while I held power over anyone I outranked and couldn't be bossed around by my peers, I would be at the mercy of the remainder – my superiors. I imagine the power would come in handy when requesting materiel from the PX to be delivered to my lab. At least I wouldn't have to go get it myself.

Knowledge? I wouldn't pursue it for its own sake like some ivory tower intellectual. I'd use it for practical purposes. Like producing results for my annual review, and developing the Amestrian military in a field that would put them yet another cut above the rest. If you lived in the most powerful nation in the world, a nation that stood head and shoulders above all of its competitors in terms of technology, strategy, and tactics, you wouldn't have to worry about losing a war.

That last one, however, was just oddly specific. Maybe she knew someone who tried that and they ended up getting executed for it. Perhaps May was trying to warn me about such dangers. Well, she needn't worry. I have no intention of performing such a suicidal ploy. Breaking the law? That was the fast track to oblivion.

"I just want to serve my country is all," a lie, of course. I just want the money and the cushy lifestyle. But a silver tongue goes a long way to winning hearts, establishing connections, and creating useful pawns. I have to be a fine, upstanding citizen. "And since I already know quite a bit of alchemy, I figure it's better to start applying it earlier than later. Edward Elric started at the age of 13. Why can't I start at the age of 9?"

"Al tells me the people don't like State Alchemists that much," May went on, as she performed a semi-complex form that looked like it could easily be used for a fight. Tai Chi wasn't just some exercise plan after all. It was also, in itself, a martial art. I wouldn't be surprised if this girl could beat up a man twice her size. "There's an old saying in this country. 'Alchemist, be thou for the people'. I'm sure you've heard of it before, so I'll skip the details. But a lot of folks think State Alchemists have sold out to the military for money and power, rather than doing civil service on their own terms, you know?"

It's true that in some western nations on Earth, the government is seen as a potentially abusive force whose power must be kept to an utter minimum. But see, where I come from, the government is a force that works with business, rather than tyrannically dictating it like a certain Union that collapsed a while back. We had something called the 'Economic Miracle', which was brought about by heavy collusion between private corporations, the government, and the civil servants, raising Japan up from a ruined war-torn twice-nuked mess into a global economic power – second highest of the G7, and third in the world. As such, while I have a somewhat theoretical understanding of this skeptical attitude, in practice, I've never actually seen much of it.

"But doesn't the military serve the people? And can't a well-funded and properly empowered State Alchemist do far more good than a private practitioner who probably can't even pay for his own materiel?" It's a socialist argument rather than a free market principle. In a truly free market, the private alchemist can only succeed if he delivers the best quality service, which will guarantee him good pay and thus more resources to improve his business. Compare this to a fully government subsidized firm that gets paid regardless of how poor their product or service is. They might lose business, but the tax money continues to pour into their accounts, rewarding their inefficiency. It's been demonstrated by the destruction of the Soviet economy that sooner or later, too much government involvement will lead to an eventual collapse. There needs to be a balance for this sort of thing to work out.

But you know what? Something like total economic collapse takes decades, even with dictatorial government strangulation. I'm going to milk that government cow for all it's worth, and when I've earned enough, I'll resign my commission and start my own alchemy firm. A private practice where I can apply free market principles and set myself up for life.

"Yeah, but try arguing with the oppressed people about that," May performed another form, this one likely to take down a grizzly bear or something of similar size. A handy move, I'd imagine, considering she also probably spars with Xiao Mei. Said combo was still aimed at the table. She really seemed to have a grudge against it or something. "I'd suggest you keep your pocket watch out of sight once you get it."

"Thanks for the advice," I smiled warmly and performed some stretches of my own. It was a lot better than standing out here on the roof staring at her while waiting for the sun to rise. "So when are you gonna start using Alkahestry?"

"I've been doing it this whole time, Tanya," the Xingese girl smirked as her body swayed from side to side in preparation for a series of sidekicks. "You see, one difference between alchemy and alkahestry lies in their power source. Alchemy takes its power from geothermal and tectonic energy. Alkahestry gets its power from the Dragon's Pulse, the chi that flows through the leylines across the surface of the world. It starts from the tops of the mountains, and like a river, flows down into valleys and lowlands, eventually bottoming up in the ocean."

"Wait, so then…" I froze as she explained this surprising twist. The 'Dragon's Pulse' principle wasn't some fancy Xingese way of describing geothermal or even hydrodynamic energy. It was literally talking about 'chi'. As in, the mystical life force allegedly present in all things, uniting them together. It was an absurd idea, of course. No alchemist actually believed in chi. They believed in the principle of All is One, which was something else entirely. There wasn't a literal life energy uniting all things, so much as a natural connectedness that binds all things together in causality. Things like the food web. The water cycle. The mineral cycle. But this? "You use chi?"

Maybe that was why all of Tucker's books covering the subject had a lot of speculation and question marks. They were looking at it from a purely materialistic perspective. I thought so too. Yet I'd seen alkahestry at work for myself. And now this girl was saying her people got their power from literal chi…

"That's right!" May giggled. "By practicing my forms, I've been attuning myself to the flow of chi around this area. And this morning, it's looking nice and smooth!" In one swift motion, she had drawn a Xingese pentagram into the roof with what apparently looked like a stick of chalk she'd held between her toes. Without warning, she flipped into the air, spinning like an airborne top for a few seconds, during which a set of five kunai – presumably something she pulled from somewhere on her person – struck the five points of the star.

She landed with her hands touching the circle, activating it…. but what was she transmuting? I continued to watch, dumbstruck as alkahestric energy arced from the hilts of the ninja daggers, and connected… with another set of kunai that had apparently embedded themselves into the table while I wasn't looking. Given her ninja-like speed, it was clear that she had probably done that around the same time she threw the first set at her pentagram. And just like that, a brief flash of light enveloped the table, quickly fading out to reveal that it had been transmuted into a chair.

"Wow! That's amazing!" I couldn't help but applaud. Of course the cheering might have been a bit of an exaggeration, but this was obviously a demonstration she was giving me here. Might as well make it look like I was "super" impressed, instead of just "very" impressed. "The books never mentioned you could perform alkahestry at a distance!"

And if university books didn't know about it, then someone with a sufficient proficiency in alkahestry would have a decisive edge in the test. Combine this long-range transmutation with my own specialization, and you have a winning recipe for a sure spot as a State Alchemist! And even if there wasn't enough time for me to learn it for the test… I could always use it during my evaluation next year.

May wiped the sweat from her forehead and gave me a thumbs up. "There's not a lot of contact between our two countries thanks to that great desert. I'm not surprised they know so little about it. But ranged transmutation is just one of a few other differences our two styles have. By the way…" Her eyes narrowed again as she looked in my direction. "From the way you say it, you sound pretty familiar with chi. You didn't even say something like, 'what's that'? You sure this is the first time you've heard a correct explanation of the Dragon's Pulse?"

"Well I mean uhh…" Think! Think!

"Al tells me most western books explain it away with some scientific-sounding mumbo jumbo about using energy from the 'water cycle'." May emphasized the last two words with air quotes and huffed. "I mean we use watery analogies because that's the best we've got for the physical world, but ki is an immaterial force. It surrounds us. It penetrates us. It binds the world together."

Why did that description sound like it came from the mouth of an old British-sounding desert hermit…?

"So why do you sound like you know what chi is?" She leaned in, staring down at me like some kind of police officer interrogating a perp.

"I mean, it wasn't just alchemy books…" Yes, because chi is not just an alchemic principle. "I also had a book about traditional Xingese medicine. Things like acupuncture, herbal medicine, tui na, chi kung… It was written from an Amestrian scholar's perspective, and he thought…"

"Thought it was some kind of pseudoscientific garbage, yeah?"

I nodded sheepishly.

May only sighed and rubbed her forehead before muttering something about Amestrian scientists being ignorant in their arrogance. To be fair, where I come from, it is pseudoscientific garbage. But apparently, it's a legitimate means to power alchemy in this world. And well, alchemy itself is a functional branch of science here too. What's next, I wonder. Psychic powers?

She finished with her tirade on arrogant scientists with a frustrated grunt. "Alright. So, if you're going to learn how to use alkahestry, we've got to get those notions of 'pseudoscience' out of your head. Science is a great system, I'm sure! But the people who use science aren't perfect, and they have to experiment in order to find the truth, right?"

"Right."

"Then that's what we're gonna do. Set the science straight." May leaned in again. She really did seem to like intimidating me for some reason. Perhaps it's because, aside from presumably thinking that I'm after her boyfriend or whatever, she also thinks I'm some kind of arrogant proponent of scientism. Of course with this body, and her superior combat skill, there was no way I'd be able to win in a physical battle anyway. I stared up as she spoke again. "Just promise me that whatever happens at the test next month, you'll stick to using what I'm going to teach you for good things."

… So I guess that makes her Uncle Ben. Though she's being far less subtle than 'with great power comes great responsibility'. Well I suppose if by 'good', you mean something that ultimately benefits the nation – and my reputation – no matter what the immediate effect is, then sure, I can promise to do that. For a certain definition of 'good'. After all… when you enter the service of a utilitarian body such as the military, the end justifies the means, whatever means that might be.

I nodded, sticking out my pinky for a pinky swear. You know… because that's something girls and little kids do. It would certainly add to my girlish image. "I swear. I'll only use this for good."

"Great!" May lightened up and smiled, shaking my pinky with her own before standing back up straight. "Then let's get started! Lesson One for Alkahestry is House Chang-style Tai Chi!"

So it was Tai Chi. Heh. Guess watching videos to identify the best morning exercise routine for my own purposes paid off.

That being said, the degree with which she changed attitudes was, I'd like to think, a result of an effective ruse of making myself look like some sort of goodie-two-shoes. Either that, or she's easy to sway with a convincing enough performance. One or the other.

Conclusion on May Chang: She might put up a suspicious, alert front, but she's ultimately easy to convince.

~O~O~O~

"There's something… unusual about her, Brother." Alphonse Elric spoke into the phone receiver as he gazed out the window and down at the street, which was beginning to stir to life with all sorts of people, from the milkman to the paperboy. Telephones were a luxury these days, and it took a lot of money to get a line. But it was well worth it. "I mean, aside from her aptitude. We spent a couple of days talking on the train. She knows as much as we did when we were her age. Maybe even more. But the way she presents herself is… I can't pin it, exactly."

A voice on the other end of the line answered. Alphonse nodded, as if the other end of the line could see him move his head.

"She seems to be a very good girl, except for this one moment when we first met. That one time, it was as if she had a very ambitious air about her."

The voice spoke again.

"I mean there's nothing wrong with being ambitious, of course. And I guess you can put it off to childish pride too, yeah. Back then, we thought we could take on the world-" the younger Elric cut himself off. "I mean we did kind of take on the world in the end, but not without learning a lot about respecting it." He cleared his throat. "Anyway, I'm letting her stay with the Mays and I. We should be able to get a better grasp of her this way. Personally, I'm very interested to see what kind of alchemy she can do too."

A questioning tone from the other end.

"No, she never demonstrated it on the train. Come to think of it, I guess that wasn't much of an equivalent exchange." He chuckled. "She wanted me to show her some alkahestry, and… well see, there was an accident, so I had to do it in a rush. Anyway, I showed her my trick, but she never showed me hers. Looks like I'll have to ask her for a demonstration too, huh?"

One could almost imagine the person on the other end cracking up as his laughing could be heard even at a distance from the receiver.

"Well I guess it might be considered cheating…" Al mused aloud. "You're right, it's probably better if I let her surprise me. I can just leave the direct training to May too. It seems Tanya's more interested in Alkahestry at the moment, anyway…" he added, stroking his chin in thought. "But I wouldn't be surprised if she went back to asking me about the 'clap' trick later on. I tried to be evasive about it on the train, but she'd bring it up every now and then."

A stern warning from across the line.

"Yes, of course. I wouldn't want her to try human transmutation, just to be able to 'clap'. We both know what that will cost her. Don't worry. She'll never know." Al didn't need to be reminded of that experience he had, spending several years trapped in a suit of armor while his body was kept barely alive in the Truth's custody.

While that had its own advantages, as Barry the Chopper had once told him, like never having to sleep or eat, there was nothing quite like having a real human body. After all… it was what he was born with. And while he valued the experiences and time he spent in that suit, it was only because of the adventures he'd shared with his brother, and the people he'd met. The iron body was a vessel for all those things. That was all.

Alphonse nodded to himself, reaching a clear conclusion. "I'll be sure to keep a close eye on her from now on, Brother. We'll see what kind of person she turns out to be…"

To be continued…


AN: Almost two months. Wow. Didn't realize things would get this hectic. Sorry to have kept everyone waiting. I'm not sure what happened, really… time just seemed to go so fast with work and… well anyway, it's here now (barring two days of acting weird).