(Ichigo: After much a due... here's the 2nd chapter!

Orenji: Sorry to those who waited, we took a break to work out our original plot...yes it took almost a year...scary huh?

Ichigo: Either way, read&review!)

Disclaimer: We do not own Fullmetal Alchemist...just Claire, Mikko, Melissa, and Karin.

2nd Transmutation: How Liberations Began

Creaking open the large black, metal door Ed peered into the dark room, the light creeping in from the hallway only illuminating a small portion of the stone floor, "Can't see a church social down here can you?"

Swallowing nervously Karin peered around Ed and into the ominous room located in the churches basement, "M-Maybe if they put in some nice lights, painted it nice colors and put in some pictures of angels…and lights, don't forget lights! Maybe some candles too…for some more light…"

Peering down at the girl two years his junior Edward Elric was silent for a brief moment as the gears of his brain ticked away before a wide mischievous grin spread across his face, "You're still afraid of the dark aren't you Karin?"

"NO!!!" The girl protested as her face became painted a bright cherry red from embarrassment.

Raising a blond eyebrow Mikko exchanged a look with his long time companion Melissa, 'This guy's making fun of this poor girl…' he thought, 'and she's almost his height too…'

Snickering slightly Ed began to pat his surrogate sister on the head, "Sure, sure, sure, whatever you say." referred

"Then if I say you do this to cover your insecurities about your height," Karin began crossing her arms over her chest as she gave Ed an uncharacteristic glare out of the corner of her green eyes which were unusually cold and unfriendly, "Would I be right?"

Golden eyes becoming hard and annoyed Ed turned to Karin a pulsing vein appearing on his forehead, "I'M NOT-HEY!"

Too late, Karin has already darted into the refuge of the dark room, her fears either expelled or the fear of her "Nii-chan" overpowering her fears of the seemingly endless darkness.

Sweat dropping Mikko cleared his throat as he headed past Ed and after Karin, "Well, that takes my mind off the creepy church…"

As Ed stomped into the room after Mikko and Karin three pairs of eyes peered at his retreating back. One symbolically through the eyes of an old suit of armor(these were looking a bit apprehensive), a pair of brown with a look of exasperation and the final pair, a brilliant orange-gold, with mild boredom.

The brown eyes, belonging to 16 year old Claire Hart, closed as their owner sighed, "He was in such a good mood this morning too…"

Al sighed as he and Claire walked into the dark room, "Oh well…" he muttered.

Melissa watched there backs for a few more moments and glanced around, as though making a mental plan before she too walked into the dark room not even showing a hint of surprise or emotion as the doors swung shut behind her extinguishing the light.

Suddenly the room became bathed in light and the form of Roze could be made out standing at the extreme other end of the room.

"There she is!" Ed exclaimed, "Roze!"

"Thank you for bringing them here Roze," the "miracle worker" Cornello said before turning towards the new group, "National alchemists huh? I knew you would come here eventually."

Ed snickered, "Well, let's not chalk that up to some stupid premonition okay!? You knew we'd come for the stone!"

Containing his contempt and surprise Cornello raised his hand showing off the gold ring with the red spherical stone set in the center, "Are you speaking of this??"

The eldest Elric smirked, "I knew it. Alchemy without a transmutation circle! Completely ignoring the principles of equivalent exchange, it could only be one thing…"

"Correct! It's said to only exist in legends, the legendary amplification device! The Philosopher's Stone!"

Ed's smirk widened and a hungry, greedy look lit up his molten eyes, "I've been look for it up Cornello! If you hand it over nicely I won't tell the people what you've been up too!"

"You want to take this away from me? If I lose my miracles what will happen to the village? What do you think Roze?"

"Don't listen to him Roze!" Ed cried, "He's a fraud!"

Roze was silent regardless of Cornello and Ed's statements; she seemed unable to make up her mind.

Smirking lightly Cornello faced the alchemists again, "I revived this city when a civil war was going on and threatened this city with destruction. I made water, turned it into wine, created buildings and even gave people money! I am the avatar of God! Are you trying to take God away from this city? Is the order of the military that absolute?!"

Sighing slightly Ed raised his arms and swept them in front of them as though brushing away dirt off a shelf, "Well, I don't really care about that. We need that stone, to set something right!"

"Why!?" Roze cried in a mad panic as Ed's words seemed to strike her like a physical blow would and snapped her out of her stupor, "You still want it even if it means taking hope away from us!?

"Roze! We-" Al yelped out.

"Don't jump the gun!" Claire cried.

"Ai-neechan," Karin spoke up, her voice soft and meek as she tugged on the hem of the older girl's shirt, "That pun is getting old Ai-neechan."

Ed sweat dropped regarding them with comedically narrow eyes, "Doesn't matter, like either of them would listen anyway."

"Now then!" Cornello spoke up, his voice booming and echoing around the large, empty chamber, "Let's take a look at the power of the Philosopher's Stone shall we!?" as he spoke these words, right on cue, the blood red stone encrusted into the gold ring Cornello wore on his head, emitted an eerie red light and suddenly the hard, "stone floor became sand, and fluid like the ocean.

"Guys!!" Ed cried as a sudden 'wave' pushed his friends and his brother to other parts of the room.

"Mou…this is such a pain…" Mikko drawled from his spot beside Claire at the other side of the chamber. The interesting thing was…they had managed to remain on top of the sand instead of being buried and swept away like Al was. Not only that…but Karin and Melissa were right beside them!

"How'd you…" Al began in amazement only to be cut off by Mikko.

"We pay close attention to things!" Mikko beamed as Melissa bowed, her way of saying "you're welcome"

"Erm…however you did it…thank you Mikko-san."

"Ah…no problem," Mikko assured Claire with a smile, "I'd do anything for a girl."

Karin smacked her forehead while Ed sprouted an anger vein on his forehead; suddenly Mikko's "coolness" had dissipated as quickly as it had appeared.

"Oooh…" Mikko moaned pointing at the chimera that had appeared behind them, "Look at that thing! It's…looking at me…without blinking…so scary…!"

Unlike Mikko, whom took refuge behind her, Melissa was fixing the lion chimera with a steady gaze, not daring to take her eyes off it should it pounce again and the need to move become necessary.

Wiping around at Mikko's words Ed's eyes bulged at the sight before him, "A chimera!? You fused two animals together!?" suddenly the chimera lunged forward ready to sink it's fangs into the cornered pray, "CLAIRE! KARIN!" Ed cried as the chimera crashed into the ground where they stood, fangs first…but….there was no blood, "What?"

"Nii-chan!!!!"

Ed snapped his head towards Karin's voice so fast his head nearly cracked, and he was shocked to find her, Mikko, Melissa and Claire perfectly unharmed…..and at the opposite end of the room.

"How'd she…?" Claire muttered pulling Karin close, "Oh…never mind…"

"Hey…" Mikko leaned close to Claire whispering in her ear, "If you want us to get your little sister out of here just say the word." he smiled when Claire looked at him unsure, "Its bad enough she's afraid of the dark…but with a chimera it'll be worse."

The brunette turned her head slightly, unbothered by the boys close proximity to her and held him in her steady, analytical gaze, the kind she bore when calculating the pros and cons of any situation, fictional or not, "And how would you do that?"

The boy's mouth suddenly stretched into a smirk, his eyes alit with mischief, "Just watch us…" he commanded gently as he reached over and grabbed onto Melissa's hand before grabbing onto Karin's shoulder.

"What…" Claire breathed stunned as her arms were suddenly encompassing, not Karin, but thin air…

"Hey! Where'd they…!?" Ed began stunned before hearing registered the sound of heavy footfalls, indicating the approaching lion chimera, "OH! Never mind!" he yelled as he clapped his hands together and pressed them to the sand below which began to grow as a rod began to rise out of the sand in the end tapering into a spear.

Now prepared to defend himself the young alchemist swung the spear and caught the chimera heavily in the chest with the shaft of the spear and send it flying backwards, "Claire! What the hell happened!?" he yelled as he took the brief reprieve giving to him as the chimera shook the cobwebs out of it's head, "Hurry!"

"They just poofed out of nowhere!" she said, frantically wringing her hands and spinning in circles, half expecting to trip over them, "It makes no sense!"

"Since when…have our lives….MADE ANY SENSE!?" the blonde yelled as he tried to spear a bird Cornello had grew to enormous size using the stone. However, the attack failed as his leg was grabbed, "Ah!"

"How do you like that!?" Cornello cried in glee.

"But…then again, maybe it's better if she's gone…that way she's out of danger…!" Claire reasoned only half realizing the situation Ed was in.

Ed raised his head towards Cornello revealing the wide grin on his face, "Doesn't hurt at all!" he cried as he was suddenly dropped by the bird and taking the opportunity to swing out with a strong hook punch and send the bird crashing to the ground a good many feet away before turning to reply to Claire, "She may be out of danger…but that Wuori guy…" he muttered barely acknowledging the fact the lion chimera had returned with a vengeance and clamped it's strong jaws onto his right arm.

"What!?" Cornello cried in shock as he tightly gripped the railing before him, "You're being bitten by a chimera and you're having a casual conversation!?"

Irritated at the interruption and what was, in his opinion, a waste of time, Ed slide his golden eyes from the corners(where they had been focused intently on Claire) to their natural position at the front and fixed Cornello in an icy gaze, "What's the matter, bastard? Upset you're not seeing any blood? Or, is it the fact your pet doesn't have a good chew toy? Please. I've been though…" he swung his arm forward, snapping the chimera's fangs, successfully dislodging the beast and at the same time swung his leg out and kicked it across the room, "…WORSE!"

"What…it couldn't cause any it be!?"

Gripping his nearly shredded, red jacket, Ed began to pull it loose effectively tearing it into shreds, "This is what happens…when you trespass into God's domain!" and with a final tug, the fabric was pulled free exposing a steel arm, his artificial leg already visible through the tears in his pants leg from where the bird's talons had grabbed him.

" An arm and leg made out of steel!?" Cornello gasped slightly, surprised, "You performed human transmutation? You violated the most forbidden taboo!" he smirked, "I see, so that's how it is. I was wondering why a kid like you had such a stern name like Fullmetal. Rose, it is forbidden to transmute things to gold in alchemy. In addition to this, there was one thing that was forbidden: Human transmutation. Foolish children, you experimented with alchemy without knowing the consequences!"

"No, we…!" Al began to protest finally having dislodged himself from the sand trap.

"Al!"

Al faltered slightly. If he had been in a human body at the moment the face would most likely show a sad, troubled expression, "We just wanted to see Mom's smile again…"

"But you failed!" the priest shouted, his glee becoming only more and more evident. He seemed to take pleasure in the misery and misfortune of others.

"Yeah," Ed concurred, "My little brother lost his body and I lost my left leg and right arm. This is what happens when we tried to resurrect just one person with two people. Rose, this is a result of trying to resurrect someone. Are you prepared to face the consequences!?"

Frightened by Ed's harsh words and the even harsher expression on his face Rose backed up in fear only to stop when Cornello placed a hand on her shoulder and smiled at her, "Do not worry. I have the Philosopher's Stone that Leto gave me and I'm not an amateur like them."

"This…this...geezer doesn't know when to shut up…" the bespectacled girl stressed the insulting word as she walked over to join the two boys, Cornello's words beginning to cause her eyebrow to twitch.

"Don't kid us!" Ed yelled at Cornello, "There are things that cannot be done no matter how much you try!"

"Then why do you seek the Philosopher's Stone? You must think you'll be able to transmute you mother with this!"

"Stop assuming things Baldy! We just want our regular bodies back…" Ed gripped his shoulder feeling the cool metal underneath his palm, "Although…there is the chance that it might not work…"

"We'll say it one more time…" Al spoke calmly as he raised his palm towards Cornello, "Please give us the Philosopher's Stone."

"National Alchemists…God's wrath will fall upon you…"

Fed up Ed swung his arm at him in a fit of rage, "Get down here you third-rate magician! I'll show you how inferior you are to us!"

Cornello could only laugh, however, as he used the ring to transmute his cane into a large machine gun and began to spread bullets across the expanse of sand below.

When the dust settled however…instead of finding bleeding corpses now resembling Swiss-cheese…a large wall had been erected before the three alchemists that had shielded them from the shots, proven by the numerous holes dotting its face.

"That was….too close…"

"Yeah…" Claire breathed in agreement to Ed before looking behind her towards the door when she heard footfalls, blue lines appearing on her head as dread filled her, "You're kidding me…he has reinforcements…"

"Al, this way!" The blond alchemist cried as he seized Claire by her wrist and dragged her towards the nearest wall of the room.

"I'm coming!"

"If there aren't any exits…" Ed released Claire's wrist to clap his palms together and pressed them against the wall and produced a large door and threw it open, "I'll just make one!"

Once a safe distance from the church, the three alchemists slowed their running to a stop, coming to rest in something of a side street and Ed and Claire paused to catch their breath.

"Jeez…why..." Pant. "Do you always…" Pant. "Drag me out!?" Claire sighed as she finally caught her breath and leaned against a nearby railing, "I have legs, you know…"

"You don't…" Pant. "Run fast enough…" Pant. "That's why!"

"Suuuuuuurreeeee." Claire agreed rolling her eyes, her tone and eye movements indicating her severe sarcasm.

Used to his brother and Claire's pointless and unrelenting arguments, Al began to take in their surroundings when,with a jolt, he noticed what had been nagging him for the past few moments…

"Where's Karin?" he asked, worried that she had fallen too far behind them and he hadn't noticed.

"I dunno…" Ed shrugged his shoulders after tearing his gaze away from his and Claire's staring contest, "That Melissa girls just grabbed her and POOF! Gone! Bye-bye!"

"Yep…" Claire agreed as she began to pass as she mused a bit, "She made a nice, quiet escape with no explosions, noises or utter destruction…" she paused as she stopped near Al and whispered to him, "So basically, the opposite of your brother's escape plans."

Hearing them both laugh quietly an anger vein sprouted on Ed's forehead, "Hey, what are you guys laughing about!?"

"Oh…umm…." Claire cast her mind around for a worthy subject, "That Wuori guy?"

"Him!" "That guy's creepy!"

Claire shrugged, "Whoever or whatever he is, Karin's with him…"

Multiple veins sprouted onto Ed's head at Claire's statement, "I'm gunna kill that guy if he touches one hair on her head!"

"H-He was the one who wanted to help!" Al protested raising his hands in an attempt to keep the peace.

"Besides," Claire added, "From the looks of it, he has to be in his late teens. So he's probably not interested in hurting little girls. Generally guys your age, Ed, don't have an interest in 12 year olds you know…"

"There ARE some crazy people out there." Ed countered.

"Like YOU?"

"I meant like YOU!"

Al sighed, a sweatdrop gracing his metal head as his brother and Claire broke out into another scuffle, and was forced to wait until the scuffle died down until he could talk again, "Anyway…we could've just taken the Philosopher's Stone if that's what you wanted…"

While Ed mumbled something indistinguishable, Claire looked up at a street post topped with a megaphone that had begun emitting a shrill sound.

Tonight four heretics tried to kill our high priest! One is short, ones in some old armor; one is carrying a bear and the other wearing glasses. The high priest does not wish for anyone to be harmed. He told us to refrain from going outside!

The warning was no use however, as soon the streets were filled with an angry mob that soon cornered Al, Claire and Ed.

"It's these guys alright!" one man said, "There's the short outsider kid!"

Suddenly Ed was in front of the crowd, spazzing and yelling violently, "WHO DID YOU SAY WAS A SUPER-ULTRA SHORT KID!?"

"I didn't say that!" the man countered, even more furious, "Anyway! You better not resist!"

"How dare you try to kill the high priest!" Another man spoke up.

"Such a cute kid like him tried to do that?" an elderly woman asked, "How terrible!"

Ed could only sigh as other people in the crowd made similar retorts, "Listen!" he began in an irritated, tired voice, "His 'miracles' are just the works of alchemy! By decomposing and recreating something…"

"It's a lie!"

Startled the crowd parted to reveal Rose, who had fisted the front of her dress and stared at the ground, remembering what she just witnessed, "A moment ago…my boyfriend Kain…he came back to me!"

"Congratulations Rose!" the first man to confront the heroes offered.

"See?" the lady said turning towards the boys, "Rose is not the only one who has experienced such a miracle!"

"Has anyone actually met these people!?" the blond countered irritated, "Or maybe he said they left the city."

"Stop!" a voice suddenly cried and the crowd gasped in shock as many statues of a man, presumably the sun god Leto, began to move towards the three alchemists.

"The statues of Leto are moving…it's a miracle!" someone cried.

Surprised Claire looked ahead of her. She wasn't surprised because of the statues moving…she was surprised because she suddenly found herself staring at Ed's back as he threw his arms to the side shielding her, "Ed?"

"Go find Karin…" Ed whispered, "Hurry up and go find her…"

Claire nodded, "Alright…don't get into too much trouble…"

Ed turned his head to look at her and grinned, "You know me, and I never do."

Claire grinned in return, "Yeah…"

With that simple exchange concluded, and Ed covering her Claire ran towards the fencing surrounding the area and vaulted over it, disappearing amongst the darkness. Ed had the satisfaction to smirk at the chaos Claire's sudden decision to run had caused, he was suddenly knocked to the ground by a statue and his final sight before loosing consciousness was the site of two of the statues attacking Al…

…One is carrying a bear and the other wearing glasses. The high priest does not wish for anyone to be harmed. He told us to refrain from going-

"Jeez…" Mikko cursed silently under his breath as he clicked off the radio, "What did those guys do?" suddenly becoming aware of a rattling sound coming form the other end of his and Melissa's apartment Mikko raised his head to see that Karin had grasped the handles attached onto the window framing and was rattling them in an attempt to dislodge the outside lock having already pulled free the inside one.

"Sorry," he said with a grin, "I can't let those mobsters get you! Tomorrow we'll go look for your friends, but right now its better we stay calm and quiet." Mikko sighed as Karin turned her head and glared at him lightly before returning to shaking the window frame, "Jeez, you can still talk, they'll be fine!"

"You have no clue what we're doing, no clue what it's like…" Karin muttered as she produced a piece of chalk from a pouch strapped across her waist that was uselessly hiding underneath her yellow, waist-length jacket, "No idea!"

"Jeez…don't draw a transmutation circle on the window please…"

"You can't tell me what to do!"

"But it's such a pain if you draw on the frame, besides, that circle won't do much to get you out of here!"

Karin simple replaced the chalk into the pouch and pressed her thumb against the tiny circle, "It doesn't matter…like Nii-chan said…it'll explode no matter what I do…"

And sure enough, for a second the wood underneath Karin's thumb glowed a purple-blue before the window was blown out from it's framing by a violent explosion and smashed onto the stone road below with a crash. And before Mikko or Melissa (whom had just entered the room upon hearing the noise) could do anything, Karin had slid her tiny frame through the window's frame and had scrambled along the narrow ledge outside the window and up towards the building's roof.

"Oh man…I'll be right back Melissa…" Mikko groaned as he hurried towards the window brushing away the shards of glass from the edges of the frame, "We got a stubborn one…" Melissa simply nodded and with that Mikko had grabbed his bag and heaved his broad shoulders through the window and scrambled after the young girl.

"You have to stop being so rash!" Mikko scolded as he grabbed Karin's arm as she neared the edge of the roof and was preparing to jump to the next one.

"Let me go!" she jerked her arm back, "I didn't ask to leave Nii-chan, Al-chan and Ai-neechan! You didn't have any right to take me…however you did it!"

"Jeez, I know you're against me and Melissa SAVING you. But you have to admit, if you had gotten hurt those guys would be in a lot more trouble now."

"I…I'm not helpless! I would've been fine!"

Mikko rolled his eyes, "If you're not helpless, then why are you going to run over to them when you should be planning on how you're going to help them?"

Feeling as though she had been slapped, Karin fidgeted a little, "That's…you don't understand our situation so don't be telling me what to do! You're not my parents OR my brother!"

"This is getting old!" Mikko groaned as he grabbed Karin's arm again as she tried to run off, "LISTEN for a second! You don't know anything about me. So stop assuming things. I know what I'm talking about so do try to understand what I'm saying and stop being so rash! If you keep running someone will find you, and that person may not be friendly."

Getting fed up with being treated as though she was a tiny child; Karin jerked her arm away for the third time, "Why do you care about helping us? You hate Nii-chan!"

"…no I don't."

"Yes you do! Jeez..." the girl shook her dirty blond locks and threw her arms skyward, "Why does it matter!? I can take care of myself," she gestured towards the shattered window on the ground, "See? Just let me go."

"No." Mikko sighed after a moment of thought, "Look, I told your sister where you'll be so you'll see them come eventually…we'll stay out here and when you see them...then you can go. Alright?"

Karin thought for a moment. There was no harm staying there…she should be alright…and if she saw the others he said she could go…

"Alright…" she said.

"Good!" Mikko smiled and plopped down onto the roof and began drawing a transmutation circle and placed some raw materials from his bag onto the circle, "Hey, Karin. Watch this."

There was a blue glow and suddenly Mikko was holding a thin stick.Karin watched in awe from her seat beside him as a ball of yellow-white sparks crawled its way up the stick before fizzling out in a shower of sparks.

"It's so pretty!" she gasped in glee.

"Aren't they?" Mikko concurred.

Karin nodded, "Mm! Mm! They are! They are!" suddenly she sighed causing Mikko to laugh.

"It's easy." he reassured her as he drew a circle beside her and placed some more materials onto it.

"Really…? I always blow stuff up though. Nii-chan says I'm a half-alchemist. I can only break-stuff down; I can't put them back together."

"Just try it. I'm sure it'll work."

Karin swallowed and muttered a small "Okay" as she pressed her hands onto the circle her eyes squeezed shut afraid of an imminent explosion. However, there was a small glow, and a puff of smoke, but once it cleared there was a unlit stick of firework laying on the circle.Mikko picked it up and compared it to the one he had made earlier that day,

"See? Can you even tell the difference?"

Karin shook her head, "No."

"See? I know you could do i-"

"There!" Karin cried as she stood up excited as a loud thumping sound filled the air, "There!" this time she pointed to two shapes coming down the road, "It's them! I have to go now! Bye!" and with that she scrambled down the side of the roof and jumped down to the road level and ran to join the two approaching figures.

Mikko could only smile as he watched her go, "Just as I thought…wait until I tell Melissa…" and with that he grabbed his bag and disappeared back into his apartment to tell Melissa the exciting news.