Kamaitachi Chronicles

By: Aviantei

Ten


With my watch secure and Rosomak's research offer to encourage me, I was able to access my starting funds and go wild on purchasing supplemental materials, plus a cabinet to store them in. East City Headquarters, while large, didn't have dedicated spacing to research facilities like Rosomak enjoyed in Central, so I had to set up the storage in my military dorm. A few boxes of materials worked their way into Mustang Unit's office, and no one complained when I set up shop in the corner and fiddled with my scythe to waste away the days while everyone else communicated in hushed whispers behind me.

A week after dinner with the Hugheses, while I was adjusting the nickel ratio to see how it affected the stability of the blade, Mustang entered with a flash of red at his side. The Lt. Colonel looked exasperated, while Hanna Lindell could have been the sun herself with how bright her grin was.

"Good, you're here, Kamaitachi," Mustang said, crossing over to me. Hanna bounced along at his heels. Breda found a very intense interest in aligning the papers sprawled out before him just right. I was right to assume the girl was a little hellion. Mustang appraised the weapon in my hands. "Am I interrupting something vital, or are you and your weapon ready to go for a short run today?"

The look in his eyes very much suggested he would like it if the answer was no. Wanting to make him sweat, I stood with a smile. "I wasn't aware you wanted to be so worldly with our referrals now," I said. For some reason, being associated with the myth felt nice, even if Mustang had limited context. Maybe Liaoning would know. "If we're taking that route, should I call you Honoo then?"

Hanna snickered. "That sounds so lame, Uncle Roy. Kama is way cooler." I smiled at the girl, stopping just short of ruffling her hair. We might've just have been able to get along after all. "But you know Xingese? That's so cool! I think alchemy's awesome, but I wanna learn about alkahestry someday."

Having her look at me with such a look of admiration was enough to make me want to sweat instead. Still, I hadn't expected someone her age to even know about the eastern variation of alchemy. "Well, I just know a few scattered words. Not enough to become fluent."

"Aw, too bad. I need a tutor…"

"As much as I encourage your dreams of travel, Hanna, that's not what we're here for," Mustang said. The door opened, Rito entered, caught sight of Hanna, did then an about face back into the hall. "We're at a stakeout period of our investigation, so I caught enough time for that exhibition match Hanna wanted. Of course, if you're not ready, Caiman, it can wait 'til later."

I shrugged and transmuted my scythe back to its capsule form, already feeling lighter than before. If I could accomplish this much with standard materials, I could bet I'd be able to do something impressive with Rosomak's input. Hanna watched the entire process with rapt fascination. "I think the tune ups I gave it could use a test drive. No time like the present, right?"

As someone who often had to do the same while in polite company, I very much recognized that struggle in Mustang's eyes to not drop a curse word in front of Maes's niece. "Well if you're ready, we might as well take care of it." He glanced around the room and sighed. "We're not going to make a big show of it, but if you guys wanted to take a break and watch, I'll allow it."

Breda regarded Hanna, then nodded. Rito's head popped around the edge of the door, proclaiming her exuberant conferral. Kain declined in order to stay with the radio in case there was development from the rest of their unit. Lead by Mustang, Hanna skipping at his flank, we made our way out of the office area of the building and towards the training areas.

I had been given a tour of the headquarters, so I knew where all the rooms were, from shooting ranges to outdoor areas where solders could run. It wasn't anything in comparison to an actual military academy, but it had more than enough accommodations to keep every member of the East City headquarters in top shape.

Bypassing the shooting galleries, we approached one of several sparring and training areas. The layout was comparable to the practical exam area, except there wasn't a gallery overhead. One of the outdoor stretches might have made a safer arena, given our alchemy, but Mustang hadn't been kidding about not making a spectacle of the event.

Rito, Breda, and Hanna lined up at the edge of the room, the youngest bouncing up and down like she was about to watch a circus performance. Mustang and I took our positions at the center of the room, him putting on his gloves while I rolled my shoulders. I tossed my capsule back and forth between my palms a few times before triggering the transmutation to scythe.

Spinning a few times to get used to the weight distribution of one blade on each end, I widened my stance to better my balance. "You better not go easy on me this time," I said. "I want you to treat me like a real enemy, alright?" Sure as hell I was going to take the opportunity to not go easy on him.

"Short of death, I'm assuming." Mustang raised a hand, poised to snap, but didn't follow through on the movement. "It wouldn't do us any good to have our newest asset go up in flames so soon."

Hanna giggled from the sidelines, cupping her hands around her mouth. "Kick her ass, Uncle Roy!"

"Hanna, language—"

The frustration I had numbed away by constant tweaks on my scythe erupted, and I took the first rush forward, keeping my swing close enough to defend myself if need be. Mustang's charcoal eyes flicked over the situation, and he stepped back. His snap burst through the air, and a thin jet of flame crackled down on my right side, hot enough for the heat to sear my skin even through the thick fabric of my uniform.

I pivoted out of the way, whipping one blade at Mustang's chest. He read the blow, and snapped right in the path of my blade. I had tempered the metal enough that it wouldn't break from such an attack, but warmth pressed into my palms. What a ridiculous concentration of heat and fire.

I skidded back, taking a quick check over my shoulder to make sure I didn't hit the wall. As before, he had the advantage in range. The difference from the first time we fought was his accuracy. He knew very well how to hit precise areas and burn them to a crisp.

A thought crossed my mind: Maybe I got lucky that he went easy on me.

Oh, shut it!

I spun my scythe for a quick stabilizing transmutation. I hadn't lost any material from the attack, so I could keep it from breaking, though the compound was holding up as well as I had hoped. It was a marked improvement from my stumble during the practical.

Too bad backing up had been a mistake.

Other than experience, the biggest disadvantage I had against Mustang was that he was a long range fighter. My scythe may have granted better reach than someone swinging their fists around, but I still needed to be closer to swipe at someone. Mustang knew that as well as I did, setting off a series of small explosions that kept me running along the edge of the arena and far away from him.

I skimmed over the wall, finding nothing but plain walls, save for a few cracks from sparring damage. Nothing worthwhile besides the door and the audience. Well, it may have been a dick move, but it was a move I could make. Setting a course that looked like I was letting Mustang corral me into a corner, I swerved off guard, right for Hanna, Rito, and Breda. Breda yelped and dived backwards, Rito watched me, ready to follow suit if necessary, and Hanna grinned, leaning closer to watch.

Sure enough, the closed space meant Mustang could keep firing at me, or fire at the bystanders—and since Hanna was there, I didn't think he'd be willing to set off explosions near a child. Recognizing my path, Mustang shot his next flame in front of me, cutting off the route. Ready for it, I twisted myself in the other direction and skidded towards the Lt. Colonel, aiming a ground level kick at his legs, my scythe scraping against the floor behind me.

Mustang jumped back, a fresh snap sending fire right into my path. I jammed the back blade of my scythe down, cutting off my momentum enough that I missed the blast, though the floor took a nasty hit. Plenty close enough, I hopped to my feet, arcing my scythe overhead and managing to rip through the transmutation circle on Mustang's right hand. Rito let out a surprised hoot.

Unlike our first fight, he was also wearing one on his left.

Smoke clouded my eyes and mouth, and I swerved right, trying to get a clear shot at his second ammunition. The speed of his fire cut in half from the loss of one glove, but Mustang could still set up a line of fire that was tricky for me to get around. Refusing to lose ground again, I zigzagged back and forth to stay out of his way.

Performing long range transmutations wasn't difficult, but I only had the circle on my scythe to work with, as Mustang had his gloves. Prepared circles were a necessity for fighting—for the role I was taking on. I shook my head free of the distraction. This fight wasn't about finding my purpose; it was about showing the ass in front of me that I didn't need a handicap to win.

Mustang continued to lie down fire, half the shots cutting off my path, the rest trying to knock out my scythe. I may have been nimble, but I couldn't outpace a chemical reaction like his alchemy. Dodging on instinct, I caught sight of a skipped line of fire and took the chance, whisking through the lines of soot on the floor. Scythe still pulsing heat against my sweating palms, I took the short swing, snagging the remaining glove and tearing it away, just as Mustang readied his next attack. Rito and Breda provided a short burst of applause, while Hanna let out loud humph.

The next sound I heard wasn't a snap, but a click.

It took me a moment to register the gun pressed into my diaphragm.

"If I was taking this seriously, you'd be dead," Mustang said. The blossom of euphoria in my chest was crushed under the press of metal. Even with the layers of my uniform, it felt way too close. "I don't deny that you can put up a good fight, but don't assume the opponents you'll take on will be so helpless they don't have ways to stand against your blade." Mustang lowered his gun and reset the safety before returning it to its holster with a frown. "Have you ever used a gun before?"

Still remembering how to breathe, I shook my head.

"Right, you're going to be required for basic instruction before you do anything like a mission." Mustang brushed a hand through his hair and turned to the side. "Happy now, Hanna?"

Hanna took her cue, racing over to hug Mustang's side with a grin. "That was super cool, Uncle Roy. I knew you'd win!" My tongue was too stuck to the roof of my mouth to even think about clicking it. Hanna regarded me, then the scythe hanging at my side. She leaned forward, observing her reflection in the blade. "That's kind of cool, but is it still alchemy if you just use it to make a weapon?"

"There's lots more I can do," I said on instinct, clutching the handle tight enough that I could feel the blood flow still in my fingers. "Like I said, I just needed to test out my adjustments in a fight." They had done fine. It was the opponent that was the problem. Stepping back so as not to whack Hanna in the face, I transmuted my scythe to its capsule and away from the girl's scrutiny. "Just wait 'til I get the materials worked out. I'll give you an even better show next time." I ignored the sideways look Mustang gave me.

Hanna nodded. "When you do, fight Uncle Roy again. He'll still beat you, though."

Why you—

"No more exhibition matches for a while, alright?" Mustang said, extracting Hanna to a more reasonable distance. She pouted. This time, I was in perfect agreement with Mustang's decision. "I need to be finishing up this investigation as soon as possible. Speaking of which—Breda!" The man nodded and crossed over to us, Rito right behind him. "I'm going to need you to switch onto stakeout duty this evening, let Havoc have a break."

"Yes, sir!"

"And Rito." The woman saluted, still smiling. Mustang patted my shoulder (I did my best not to flinch). "Kamaitachi here needs some combat style variety. I want you to work that out with her and make sure she's at the required standard for fieldwork. Take as much time as you need."

"You got it, Roy." Rito wasted no time in commandeering my shoulders as her personal armrest. I regretted putting my scythe away for the moment. I didn't need to stab the woman, but the weapon tended to work as a personal contact determent. "You and me are gonna have a great time, Caiman. I'll show you some neat tricks, then we can work out more stuff to do with that scythe of yours."

I took a slow breath through my nose and tried not to sound like I thought this was an awful idea. "It'll be nice to work with you…"

Mustang nodded. "And we'll have Hawkeye help with firearms training once this mission's over," he concluded.

"Oh, oh!" Hanna bounced in place. "What about me, Uncle Roy? What do I get to do?"

"You," Mustang said, putting his hands on the girl's shoulders and steering her towards the door, "are going to go home before your aunt sends Maes after me to get you back for lunch."

Hanna acquiesced and trounced out the room. "Aw, that's no fun…" Breda dismissed himself back to the office, and I tried to wriggle my way out from underneath Rito's arm.

"God, what a fucking mess…"

"What was that?"

"Nothing," I sighed, then looked around the scraped and singed floor. "Do you want to start this here, or should we go somewhere that doesn't look like a warzone?"


[Author's Notes]

Ready...Fight! Happy chapter ten!

Thanks to Minecraftian1213 and Heitor for the story follows since the last update! I appreciate the support. Hope this counts as a good Christmas/Holiday gift in return~.

One of my major goals of this fic is to make Ivy strong, but not OP. Thus, she's pretty inexperienced still and can only handle so much combat against veterans like Mustang. Shall we say this is going to be something like a training arc coming up?

I really do appreciate everyone's support throughout the year. Here's to having a great 2020, and you'll see the next update in a few months. Please look forward to it!

-Avi

[12.25.2019]