United
By Steph O'Dell
Based on the fanfiction "United We Stand" by Anime Master Zero Chapter 5: Full Metal(Note: I'm so sorry! Killing Tai was one of the worst things I could have done! But Yamato needed that as part of his character development and drive. You'll thank me later, trust me.
P.s.—This chapter is dedicated to the great Vic Mignogna, who is so funny and smart and really, really nice, and who, after having met in person, inspired me even more. You sir, r0x0r3d my s0x0rz. .
P.P.S.—This is going to be one LONG chapter due to a backlog. Expect it to be twice as long as the others. Fair warning.)
Takuya lifted his goggles away from his eyes, and wiped away the sand that had built up on his cheeks. Sighing loudly, he snapped his goggles back down into place, and turned to look at the others.
Kai had his scarf up over his nose, and his eyes were squinted into slits. Rei was clinging to Kai's shirt, covering his own mouth and nose with his gloved hand, trying not to breath in the flying sand. Sora was sheltering his eyes with a gloved hand, while spitting out the sand he was inadvertently swallowing. Syaoran was the only one not affected by the sand. He had explained that his home world was a large desert, and because he'd spent so much time exploring ruins out in the midst of sandstorms, he was quite used to the blowing sand.
"Sand, sand, sand!!" Takuya yelled finally. "I'm sick of all this sand!"
"It is strange," Syaoran said. "Why would they build a railroad that goes through a desert?"
"To make people angry, that's why," Kai griped.
"Well…" Takuya grumbled, turning back around to keep walking. "All I know is that…this desert is driving me nuts."
"This desert is driving me nuts, Al."
Alphonse Elrick looked up into his older brother's face. Edward's face was sour, as if he'd just eaten a raw lemon.
"What…do you mean by that, Brother?"
"Well…" Edward began, scratching the back of his head irritably, "I'm the one that's gotta DIG YOU OUT EVERY TIME YOU SINK!!"
Alphonse looked sheepish (well, as sheepish as a suit of armour can look) as he looked down to the sand he was stuck in and then back up to his brother. Alphonse, being as heavy as he was, had sank up to his armpits in the soft sand, and it was up to Edward to dig him out again.
Edward grumbled and griped as he clapped his hands together, and slammed them down onto the soft sand, using his alchemy powers to transmute a shovel.
"Sheesh, Al, you really know how to cause problems, don't you?"
Alphonse made a sad sigh, and then pulled his arm free. He helped Edward dig his armoured body out of the sand.
Edward stopped shovelling for a moment, a sad look on his face. "Of course, it IS my fault that you're in that body…guess I shouldn't complain quite so much."
Alphonse wrapped his arm around Edward's waist and gave him a gentle squeeze. "No, Brother. We're both to blame. But it's like you said, 'We'll get our bodies back eventually. No matter what.' So I can't be sad…and neither should you."
Edward game a wide grin, and started digging again. "You're right, you know?"
Alphonse finally was able to craw out of the sand. Opening his chest plate, Alphonse released the sand trapped inside his suit of armour into a large pile on the ground.
"Y'know, we'd have been in Eastern City by now, if that train hadn't have had to stop," Edward mused.
"I heard it had something to do with the track…apparently, some of it got blown up. They'll have to repair the damage before the train can run on the track again," Alphonse explained.
Edward scratched his neck the way he always did whenever something was definitely wrong. "Seems suspicious, the way the track was blown up like that. Haven't there been a lot of terrorist attacks lately?"
Edward stiffened suddenly, and motioned for Alphonse to be absolutely still. In the silence, Edward listened for the noise he swore he'd heard.
Whirling around, Edward transmuted his automail arm into a blade, and slashed apart the SoulHunter who had tried to attack him from behind.
Alphonse stared at the shadowy form as it vanished. "Wh-what was that?!"
Edward re-transmuted his automail back to normal. "I don't know, Al. Looked a little like those golems we had to fight a while back. Remember those?"
Alphonse shivered. "Yeah, I remember. I was hoping I wouldn't have to ever again!"
Edward turned, and realized that him and Alphonse were surrounded. On every side were hoards of SoulHunters, all of whom glared at the two brothers with beady red eyes.
"Didn't something like this happen when we were fighting those golems too?" Edward asked Alphonse, shakily.
"That's…a lot of …things…" Alphonse replied, his voice quivering. "Are…are we going to be able to take them all on?"
"Not alone!" a voice called out from behind the brothers. Turning, Edward found himself looking at Takuya and the other boys.
Takuya pointed at the closest SoulHunter. "You…come get some." He taunted the creature, daring it to attack.
The taunt worked, and a large group of SoulHunters descended upon Takuya's group. In a flash of fire, several of them vanished. Sidestepping the rest, Takuya released another huge burst of flame, incinerating several more.
Syaoran hack away at the enemies that tried to attack from behind, while Kai sniped several airborne ones with his chi bow.
Rei found himself occupied with the faster, grounded SoulHunters. He relaxed, and allowed instinct to take over, allowing his movements to be a blur, and his body to move into some rather awkward positions with ease. He unleashed his clan's style of feline martial arts with chilling precision, and most of the SoulHunters never stood a chance.
Sora was occupied with his own brand of trouble. Large crowds of SoulHunters encircled him on every side, and it took all of his energy to swat them off with his Keyblade. When they got to be too numerous, he'd pause, and shoot some magic at them. His eyes were hard with determination, and his jaw was clenched with an inner anger, and while his swings seemed wild and unpredictable, he had a rhythm to them. Before long, the thick crowds of SoulHunters began to fall back.
Edward studied the strangers who were helping him. They seemed undisciplined, but he could see a definite skill in each person. They were masters of their own art.
Edward gave Alphonse a nod, and the two began to tag-team the rest of the SoulHunters. Alphonse used his power and size to trap and dispatch the slower ones, while Edward's fast footwork helped him slip easily in amongst the remaining creatures, and destroy them easily with his blade. Before long, the desert was once again silent, and all of the shadowy creatures had disappeared once again into the shadows.
Takuya wiped his brow, and huffed tiredly. It had been one heck of a fight, but they'd done rather well. Sora beamed at the others, proud to have survived in a fight with his peers. Rei plopped tiredly at Kai's feet, and proceeded to go to sleep, tuckered out from the intense battle.
Edward walked over to Takuya and the others, pulling a spare glove from his pocket as he did so. Takuya took quiet note of Edward's metal right hand, and decided it best not to say anything.
Edward slipped his glove on his right hand, and reached out with his left hand to Takuya. He had a grin on his face, and his eyes twinkled friendly.
"I'm sure glad you guys came to help," he told Takuya, his voice warm and courteous. He laughed loudly, and Takuya felt himself relax a bit. Edward shook Takuya's hand vigorously.
"The name's Edward Elrick, and this is my brother, Alphonse. You may have herd of us…we're kind of well known." Edward seemed proud of this fact, and grinned slyly at Kai.
Kai looked less than impressed, and quickly deflated Edward's ego. "No, not really. To be honest, up until today, I had no idea you existed."
Sora stifled giggles. Kai was mean, and Sora was glad he wasn't on the receiving end for once.
Edward's temple twitched, irritated. His kind demeanour dropped, and the real Edward came forward. He gave Kai a death glare. "What? You been living under a rock all your life?"
Alphonse shook his head and sighed. "Oh boy, here he goes again…"
Kai forced a grin, and clenched his fists. "Don't push me, midget."
Edward seemed to visibly snap at Kai's comment. His whole body twitched, and his eyes became hard and cold.
"Piece of advice…don't call me a bean sprout midget!"
Alphonse, seeing where the conversation was going, stepped in-between the two boys and help up his hands in a pacifistic manor.
"Now, now! Let's not go there, okay Brother. Let's all try to be friends, okay?" Alphonse's voice was pleading. "Please?"
Edward settled down, but he shot Kai several more dirty looks. Takuya realized that Edward and Kai didn't get along because they were so much alike—surly, irritable, and pushy.
This…could be fun…Takuya thought, smothering giggles.
Syaoran was introducing himself politely to the brother, while Takuya prodded Kai gently in the arm. Kai was irritated, but didn't snap at Takuya. He did give him a dirty look, but let him ask his question.
"Kai…" Takuya chose his words carefully. "Is…can Edward really be a StoneHolder?"
Kai snorted. "I certainly hope not. But the SoulHunters obviously think so, or they wouldn't have sent such a large battalion down on top of that runt…"
Edward snapped again at the word 'runt' (that he mysteriously heard over a great distance), and stomped over to Kai again, shoving his nose into Kai's nose. A considerable feat, considering Kai was several inches taller than Edward.
"DON'T…CALL…ME…SHORT!!" Edward punctuated his words to make a greater impact.
Kai glared back. "Make me."
Edward slowly broke out into a mischievous grin, one Alphonse knew right away was bad news, but he also knew that stopping him was impossible.
Edward gave a savage growl, and, much to Kai's surprise, lifted Kai a foot off the ground, and suplexed Kai into the sand. He then grabbed Kai by the ankles, and proceeded to spin Kai around and around in a vicious circle.
"Had enough? Huh! Or are you gonna insult me some MORE! Maybe shrimp cake? Or bean sprout? How about short stuff?" Edward's fury wasn't calmed until he'd actually let go of Kai and sent him skidding across the ground, and Alphonse had a firm hold of his arms.
Takuya, Sora and Syaoran howled with laughter. This was by far the funniest thing that had ever happened to Kai, and they couldn't hold it in anymore. They laughed so loud that Rei woke up with a jolt. Rubbing his eyes, he realized that Kai was hurt, and ran over to his side. Kai pushed himself to his knees, shaking angrily. The boys instantly silenced.
"Hey, half-pint midget," Kai said, his voice low and angry. Takuya and the others knew what was coming, and took off for cover. Kai turned his head, and grinned evilly at Edward.
In a flash, Kai was up, and charging Edward, who gasped, and took off at a breakneck run, with Kai close behind him. The two raced across the desert, with Edward running this way and that, trying to shake Kai. But Kai was out for blood, and eventually caught Edward, who he then beat to an almost bloody pulp.
The whole incident sent the boys into hysterics. They sat on the sand, rolling with laughter, clutching their sides, and wiping tears. If even for a moment, they forgot all about their troubles; their hardships…they were having the time of their lives, and didn't want to stop. Even Alphonse was laughing; his brother had finally found someone with just as bad a temper as him.
Edward had (sort of) patched things up with Kai…enough that they could walk together with the others to Eastern City. Edward explained that his commanding officer, Colonel Mustang, has some business to attend to in Eastern City, and had called a summons, requesting Edward and Alphonse come see him there.
Kai apparently didn't like the idea of them delaying, but he also seemed sceptical that Edward was really a StoneHolder. Any excuse to prove he wasn't was all the reason Kai needed to sidetrack.
Eastern Headquarters was a bustle of activity. Everyone seemed to be running to someplace, carrying a huge stack of paper. Officers were yelling across the room to each other, relaying messages, and asking where certain people were. The boys stood, rather dumbfounded. Edward scratched his neck, irritated.
"Damn it…I bet Roy isn't here." Edward glanced about the room, surveying the chaos. "And even if he was, I'll bet he won't have time to talk to me."
"Oh…Edward," a female voice sounded out beside Takuya, who jumped in surprise. Turning, he saw a tall young woman, with sharp eyes, and blond hair tied up tightly in a knot on the back of her head.
Edward turned, and smiled wide. "Oh! Lieutenant Hawkeye! Good to see you!"
Hawkeye smiled kindly. "I suppose you're here to see Colonel Mustang, am I correct?"
"Yeah…he gives me a summons, and then vanishes on me. Nice…" Edward grumbled, stuffing his hands into his pockets.
Hawkeye sighed. "The Colonel apologizes. But with the recent hostile activity lately, things have become hectic. He's become trapped here, under mounds of paperwork. The more he does, the more comes in to replace it." Hawkeye shook her head. "He really is sorry, Edward."
Edward was unimpressed. "And yet, he somehow manages to catch up on his sleep…"
Hawkeye turned, and suddenly realized that the other boys were standing beside Alphonse. "Oh…hello. We haven't met before. I'm Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye. Can I help you?"
"Uhh…well, actually…" Kai seemed at a loss for words at that moment.
"They were on the train with me when it stopped," Edward broke in. "They helped me out with a couple of hostiles, so I thought they could come along…get some rest."
Takuya stared, amazed. Edward had just fabricated a lie to a superior officer's face, and hadn't batted an eyelash. Obviously, Edward was accustomed to lying.
Hawkeye smiled softly. "Ahh…well, I'm sorry to say this, but we have no beds to spare."
"That's fine," Kai replied hastily, recovering himself. "We're not planning on staying long anyway."
"Just passing through!" added Sora cheerfully.
Hawkeye smiled, and was about to reply, when a gruff call cut through the clamour of the room.
"Fullmetal! Get in here!"
Edward grumbled, and turned towards the call. "Yeah, yeah…I'm coming…"
"It seems Colonel Mustang has found time for Edward after all…" Hawkeye mused out loud.
Hawkeye turned at that moment to address another officer who had come up behind her, and the boys used the opportunity to follow Edward down the hall. The short boy entered an office at the end of a long corridor, and closed it behind him. However, the stop in the door bounced off the doorframe, and popped back open an inch. Kai and the other boys crowded up to the crack to watch and hear what was going on inside.
A young man, probably no more than twenty-five, was seated at a large oak desk. He stared at Edward with dark eyes from under a fringe of jet-black hair, his chin resting on his hands in a thoughtful look. Edward was standing at attention, but by the way he was clenching his fists, he obviously didn't like the person he was speaking to.
"Colonel…I'm here, like you asked me to. Now what the heck was so important?"
Colonel Mustang, for that was indeed whom Edward was speaking to, grinned a tired, yet mischievous grin at Edward. "Fullmetal, have you ever heard of the People's Liberation Faction?"
Kai couldn't see Edward's face, but he pictured a scowl. "No…should I have?"
Colonel Mustang shrugged, indifferently. "Not really. They're the terrorist group who's claiming responsibility for all the attacks lately. Apparently, they're stationed somewhere East of here, in the desert regions." Mustang rubbed his neck, tired. "Because of the backlog, I've been stuck here in Eastern Headquarters again." He looked at Edward seriously. "That's where you come in, Fullmetal."
"Me?" Edward sounded slightly disgusted. "What do I have to do now?"
Mustang looked at Edward as kindly as he could. "A city just a few miles south of here needs an alchemist to check into some local disappearances."
Edward crossed his arms. "Why an alchemist?"
Mustang rotated his chair to the left, so he faced the far wall. "Do you remember the Crowley incident some time back? Well, apparently, some strange black monsters have been sighted around the city for a few weeks now, about the same time people started going missing."
Edward turned his head slightly, to look out the window behind Mustang's desk. Edward's face was sharply outlined in the late afternoon light. Kai could tell, by both the tension in the air and by the look on Edward's face, that Mustang wasn't telling his subordinate everything.
"Any…connection between the missing people?"
Mustang's face flickered for a brief moment, as if struggling with a personal problem. Then, it went blank again. "No. None in the least."
Edward tuned away from his superior officer, his face drawn. Kai pulled back from the door slightly.
"I…see. Well then…I guess if I don't agree to go, you'll find some nasty way to court martial me for insubordination, huh?"
"You make it sound as if I'm forcing you, Fullmetal." Colonel Mustang didn't smile at his weak joke. "It's not an assignment that's on record or anything. I just thought you might be…interested."
Edward ground his teeth. Mustang had him and he knew it. He turned back around to face him. "Fine. I'll do it."
Mustang nodded, and Kai saw the dark rings under the Colonel's eyes. "Then you'll be heading out to Killashandra tomorrow, then."
Edward shook his head. "Tonight. I'll catch the next train. There's no reason for me to be here."
Kai turned his head. Sora looked about to sneeze, and Takuya quickly cupped his hand over Sora's nose and mouth. Kai gave him a withering look, as if to say, "Sneeze, and you'll regret it."
Sora looked helplessly at Kai, and then managed to stifle his sneeze. Takuya removed his hand, sensing the danger now past. Kai turned to look through the crack again.
"—Feel more safe if you rested first. I can't have you collapsing on the job, now, can we?" Mustang had just finished his speech to Edward, who was shrugging it off.
"Since when do you care about my well-being?" Edward retorted forcefully.
"WHA—CHOOOOOOO!" Sora sneezed loudly.
Kai whipped around to see Sora guiltily looking at Kai, the victim of an uncontrollable sneeze. Takuya and Syaoran were panicking silently, trying to figure out what to do.
"Who's there?" Colonel Mustang's voice rang out clearly through the crack. He seemed upset, and Kai wasn't about to be caught there, red-handed. He seized Sora by the hood on his jacket, and raced down the corridor, with the other boys in tow.
Edward looked though the gap between the door and the doorframe. He studied the group's frantic retreat with misty eyes. Something told him there was a reason they'd all met like this, in one place. He shut the door properly.
"It was nothing…just some noise from the front room." He turned to Colonel Mustang, his face calm. "Where were we?"
Kai kicked Sora for the umpteenth time. "Damn you! You nearly blew it!"
Sora rubbed his shin, embarrassed. "Sorry. I really did try to hold it back, but…"
Takuya sat against the wall, staring off into the bustling town. The long shadows from the streetlamps, cast by the setting sun, stretched like evil fingers towards him. He closed his eyes, and tried to think calmly, but something was eating at his subconscious. He itched his left hand, irritated.
"The Stone…is it…does it bother you?" Sora asked Takuya, worried. Kai had moved on to grumbling in a corner, and Sora had noticed Takuya's irritated itching. Takuya looked at the Stone embedded in his hand. It did seem to be glowing faintly. Was it reacting to something?
Takuya nodded, hesitantly. "Yeah…I think it may be reacting to something. Maybe it's reacting to another Stone."
"Where did Syaoran go?" Takuya asked, frowning. He hadn't seen the older boy for a while now.
"He went back…Yuko needed to see him about something. So it looks like it's just the four of us now," Sora said, grinning.
Takuya heard his communicator crackle on, and he looked at it with interest. Without warning, a small holographic image of Ritchie appeared, hovering just above the small device on Takuya's wrist.
"Hello, sir!" Ritchie's cheerful voice spoke loud and clear, as the small image of the transporter saluted in greeting. "You like the new addition?"
"An…image?" Takuya blinked. "Wow, that's…cool."
Ritchie looked proud. "We just installed it. Thanks to Mr. Largo, we've made quite a few new changes to the computers. To be honest, Chaud isn't very happy, but…"
"They're MY computers, and you can't muck with them!" Chaud's voice came through faintly. He was obviously arguing with someone just outside of visual range.
Ritchie shook his head, bemused. "Him and Largo seem to be at odds about things."
Takuya smiled faintly. At least some good was coming out of all of this.
Ritchie turned to look at someone, and the picture flickered and changed to Piro, who gave a small smile and wave to Takuya.
"Hello…Takuya, was it?"
Takuya smiled wider. "Yes, sir."
Piro laughed. "Just 'Piro' is fine. I'm rather uncomfortable with titles."
Takuya looked embarrassed. "Sorry…"
"Anyway, I'm just calling to correct the information I gave everyone earlier. I was getting ahead of myself, it seems," Piro admitted, sheepishly. "The civil war I was talking about isn't for a while yet, you see. What you're seeing is the events that will eventually lead to the civil uprising. The terrorists are simply adding fuel to the fire."
Takuya chewed his lip. "Well, war or no war, it's getting sticky here."
Piro nodded. "Anything that might be handy?"
Takuya nodded. "Well, according to a Colonel around here, there's a small village just to the south of here where black monsters have been sighted. Apparently, people have also been going missing."
Piro looked thoughtful. "Hmm…I don't remember reading anything about that, so it's probably the work of the SoulHunters. If that's the case, then you'd better take care of that yourselves."
Edward appeared suddenly on the roof of the building closest to the boys, but with them all intent on the communication, no one noticed him. Edward looked down on Takuya from his perch on the roof. SoulHunters…?
"Are they here looking for the StoneHolder too?" Takuya asked, worried.
Piro adjusted his glasses. "Most likely. I heard they attacked Edward, so it's possible they're after him."
Takuya sighed. "Kai's praying it's not Edward. They're so much alike, they hate each other."
Piro laughed. "It'll be good for him."
Edward tried to figure out what he was hearing. StoneHolder? What's that? He gritted his teeth, thoughtfully. Maybe it has something to do with the Philosopher's Stone…?
Edward made up his mind. He needed to know what was going on. He jumped down to ground level, startling Takuya.
"Ack! Edward! How long--?!" Takuya seemed flustered. This is bad…how much did he hear…?
Edward gave a mischievous grin. "Y'know, the area you're intending to explore is off-limits to civilians…" The mischievous grin became an evil smirk. "It'd be against the law if you went in there…plus, spying is a pretty big offence too. You could be looking at, at the least, ten years."
Kai fumed. "That's blackmail. What do you want?"
Edward's grin became a smug smirk. He knew he'd won. "I want to go with you."
Sora blinked, confused. "What? But…we were going to go with you…"
Edward clucked his tongue, and waggled a finger. "Tsk, tsk. It doesn't work like that. If you were to follow me out of here, the State would be on you in an instant. But…" Edward drew out the pause for effect. "If I followed YOU, then they don't suspect anything. So how 'bout it?"
Kai made a "hmph!" sound, and turned, tossing his scarf over his shoulder as he went. "No deal. We're outta here."
Edward's face fell. He was losing them. "Wait! Hey! You don't know where you're going! Do you?"
Kai flinched. Bull's-eye, Edward thought.
Takuya looked at Edward. His face was hard and set, determined to find out what Kai and the others knew about the fabled Philosopher's Stone. Of course, Takuya had no idea that's why he was so determined to come with them, but he knew Edward was after something.
Kai sighed, loudly; defeated. "Fine. Get over here."
Edward made a silent act of victory, and trotted over to Kai. Takuya thought he heard a faint metallic sound when Edward walked, but he figured it was his imagination.
"Here's the deal," Edward informed Kai. "You guys head towards the fork about a mile south of here. Wait for me, and I'll be there about thirty minutes after you. I have to clear up some things with Headquarters, and get Alphonse ready." Edward scratched his neck.
Kai glared, but merely nodded. "Fine, the crossroad then. But don't be late, or I'll grill your ass, got that?" Kai's voice was low and cold as ice. Edward made a barely visible swallow, and nodded.
The fork, as it turned out, was hardly even a road. It was a tall, wooden sign, with fading markers that told which towns were in which direction, and how far. Some ways back, up the road, the thin tree line had ended, and both roads that branched off on both sides of the sign seemed to disappear into the desert.
Kai leaned against the signpost, his eyes closed, and his arms crossed. Rei sat at his feet, head resting against his leg, fast asleep.
Takuya was throwing rocks into the shimmering desert heat. He wondered how far out the oasis of sand reached.
Sora was calm. He was standing a little ways up the road, peering anxiously into the trees, looking for the blond boy and his heavily armoured brother.
"He's not coming," Takuya announced finally, irritably.
"Shut up," Kai quipped, keeping his eyes closed. "It's only been twenty minutes. He's got ten more before I go up there after him."
Sora's hair swayed gently in a hot wind. He turned his head to look at Takuya, his blue eyes twinkling.
"They're here. I can hear them."
Takuya listened silently. He could hear the metallic footsteps of Alphonse, and a constant stream of profanity from the eldest Elric brother.
Rei woke up then, yawning and stretching. Kai stood up straight, his scarf flapping angrily in the quickening wind.
"—I mean, sheesh! Enough paperwork to bury me in! What's he thinking?! If Lieutenant Hawkeye hadn't stepped in, I'd STILL be there. Ungrateful bastard…" Edward adjusted his suitcase on his shoulder, and waved at the boys with his free hand. "Hey, sorry about that. You been waiting long?"
Takuya waved back. In the ensuing banter that followed, Edward explained that to get to Killashandra, they needed to walk another mile and a half southeast to the train station, and then take a train for two hours to get to the outset town.
Surprisingly, the trip to Killashandra was uneventful. Kai kept giving Edward digs about his height, and Edward bit him several times, but there were no attacks from the SoulHunters, or from any terrorists.
It was dark when they all finally arrived in the small town of Killashandra. The boys decided that it would be best to sleep at the nearest inn, and start out in the morning.
The town inn (which was also the town bar, as was common among small towns) was a hive of activity. Several groups of people were seated at several tables, disusing things with very serious faces. Edward's face went stiff and pinched as he looked around, and motioned Alphonse to stay back.
People looked up at the group of boys as they quietly entered. Alphonse proceeded over to the innkeeper to question their lodgings.
The whole bar was silent…so quiet, Takuya was sure if he'd dropped a pin, the kitchen would have heard it. Then, a loud noise broke the quiet. A young boy, with corn-silk hair, and wild brown eyes, ran out of the kitchen, and straight at Edward.
Before Edward could react, the boy had thrown his arms around the confused Alchemist, sobbing loudly.
"Brother! Oh brother! You're back! I thought I'd never see you again! You had me so scared, Jet!"
Edward blinked several times, before breaking out into a nervous, but relieved laugh. "Uhh…sorry, kid. I'm not—"
"Malinar…" one of the men seated spoke up, calling the boy harshly. "Leave that boy alone. Can't you see he's not Jet?"
Malinar looked up into Edward's sympathetic face. "But…oh. I-I'm so sorry…it's just that…"
Edward gave the boy a sad smile, and petted him on the head. "It's fine. Happens a lot with me."
Alphonse stifled a cough, and Takuya felt certain Edward was making a white lie.
"This Jet…is he missing?" Kai asked gruffly.
The man who spoke up nodded. "About two weeks ago."
The innkeeper had returned, and told Alphonse about the rooms. She gave him the keys, and Alphonse picked up Edward's suitcase and went upstairs, while the innkeeper set up chairs for the boys.
The man introduced himself as Clive, and began to explain the situation the Edward, who listened intently. The innkeeper served everyone hot cups of coffee as Clive talked.
"About three weeks ago, a bunch of little black creatures were sighted up by the mine. At first, no one paid it any mind. We all figured it was shadows, or some kind of animal. But then, children started going missing. Jet was one of the ones who went to go figure out what was going on, but…he never came back."
Edward sipped his coffee. Takuya made a face. He never drank coffee, and Sora didn't seem overly impressed by it either. Only Kai seemed unfazed by it, and was drinking it quietly as he took in his surroundings. Rei was sleeping soundly with his head on Kai's lap.
"Do you have pictures of these kids?" Edward asked. There was a subtle undertone of fear in his voice.
All the men at the table began pulling out photos of their missing children. The boys gasped.
Every single child pictured was a boy, about Edward's height. Every one of them had blond hair. Every one of them bore an odd resemblance to Edward.
Everyone shuttered. Edward went pale, and his pupil's dilated.
"I…see…" was all he said. He stood up, shaking slightly. "Thank you. I'll be sure to look into this."
Everyone began thanking him. Edward shook his head.
"Thank me when they come back."
"What about payment?" Clive asked. "We can't possibly pay you."
Edward cracked a smile. "Hey…you got anything that needs fixing?"
Twenty minutes later, fixed tools surrounded Edward. Everyone had brought him their broken tools, and Edward had nodded.
"Okay…watch this."
With a clap of his hands, Edward began repairing the tools one by one with alchemy. Kai and the others looked on in amazement.
"It's like…magic!" Sora gasped.
"Is it….?" Takuya questioned.
"No…it's not a Stone," Kai clarified. "It's something else."
"You're an alchemist?" Clive asked, amazed.
"The real deal," Edward bragged. He produced a silver pocket watch, emblazoned with a chimera.
"A State Alchemist?" someone asked. "Him…?"
"What's your name?" another asked.
Edward smirked, and Kai rolled his eyes in disgust.
"It's Elric. Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist."
Everyone from the village gasped, and began talking all at once. Kai had had enough, and began walking up to the rooms.
"Then….the State's going to investigate this…?" The people sounded anxious, which puzzled Takuya. Shouldn't they be glad? They're going to get their children back…
"Obviously, there's little love for the State, even here," Sora remarked. "That would correspond with what Piro-san said."
"No," Edward replied firmly. "This is a private matter I'll solve myself. I happened to be passing through, but I'll detour for a few days to take care of this for you."
Takuya suddenly realized how Edward got to be such a good liar. It was necessary.
The next morning, Edward was gone when the boys got up. A hastily scrawled note was lying on the table by the door, which read;
"Dear people,
I've gone to check out the mine. Take your time. I should be back soon.
-Edward-
Kai crumpled the note up, and ate it out of pure frustration. He hated it when people went behind his back, and Edward already rubbed him the wrong way. He had no choice but to head out after him.
(Several hours earlier, at the mine…)
"Brother…don't you think we should have taken the others with us?"
Edward looked at Alphonse, and gave his little brother his trademark smile. "Don't worry so much. Something fishy's going on around here, and I'm going to find out what."
"But…they could help us…"
Edward scoffed, and lit a torch that was on the wall with his lighter. "Yeah…help us get into more trouble. Relax, Alphonse. It'll be a snap. Trust me."
Alphonse sighed. Somehow, his instincts told him that his brother was wrong.
(Fast forward to the here and now…)
Kai and the others raced down the dark halls of the mine, their only light the eerie light Takuya's stone gave off, which seemed to grow brighter and stronger the father in they went.
It had been several hours since Edward had left that morning, according to the innkeeper. Kai's stomach was flip-flopping with dread. As much as he hated Edward and his smart mouth, if Edward WAS a StoneHolder, they'd need him. Alive.
The small passages finally gave way to a large room, with several paths leading out into the outside. The air here was hazy with smoke, and coal dust. Kai's trained ears heard a strained cough.
"Is he here?" Takuya asked, worriedly. "I can't tell…"
"One way to find out…" Kai replied, grimly. He took a deep breath.
"Hey…midget…" he whispered, barely audible.
Everyone stared at Kai, perplexed. Suddenly, a fierce scream rang out.
"WHO'RE YOU CALLIN' MIDGIT?! WAS IT YOU? HOW ABOUT YOU?"
The sounds of several bodies being flung around at high velocity could be heard through the haze, and without warning, a SoulHunter slammed into the wall not two feet from where Takuya was standing.
Takuya yelped, and jumped into Sora, who was also startled. Kai smirked evilly.
"He's here. Now, get in there, and get him out," he barked. The other boys began to dive into the haze, when Edward charged out of the smoke, arms waving, and his face red with rage.
"It was you, wasn't it? I could tell! Stay there! I'll get you, you cocky bastard!!" Edward shrieked in fury. Kai laughed, and held Edward back.
"Shut your trap," Kai told him. "You're lucky you didn't get killed."
Edward made an angry noise in the back of his throat, and tried to charge Kai again.
Alphonse's arm shot out of the haze, and grabbed his thrashing bother. "You can calm down now," the armoured one told Edward.
The shock alone of having Alphonse grab him from out of nowhere made Edward stop, squealing in shock. Alphonse chuckled, nervously.
"Sorry to scare everyone," he said. "I got a little caught up in what I was doing."
Everyone made motions, as if to say, "It's fine."
"There's an exit over on the far side," Alphonse informed. "Maybe we should all head out there."
"Good idea," Kai replied, gruffly. He was still rattled from Alphonse's sudden appearance.
The group trudged out the gaping entrance of the cavern. There were mounds of earth here and there, and broken and abandoned rail carts lay on their sides.
"This must be were they sorted the minerals from the dirt," Kai pondered out loud.
Edward scratched his neck, finally calm. "Apparently, this place has been abandoned for quite some time," he explained. "The mineral vein dried up."
Takuya felt a pulse throb through his stone, and the back of his neck bristled.
"Get down!" he yelled, pushing as many people as he could down to the ground. A moment later, a large fireball smashed into the ground, not far from where they'd been standing. Edward's eyes hardened.
Flipping over, Takuya saw the silent form of Rikku, outlined against the bright sky. The ends of his bandana fluttered in the wind.
"Who's that?" Edward asked, irritably.
"Rikku!" Takuya yelled, but Sora leapt to his feet.
"Rikku? Is that you? It's me! Sora!" Sora looked relieved, while at the same time a little confused. "What are you doing? It's okay; we're not your enemy! Why're you shooting at us?"
Rikku seemed to hesitate, but he lifted his Keyblade, and pointed it at Sora threateningly.
"Get out of the way, Sora. My fight's not with you."
Sora seemed even more confused. "But…Rikku…? They're my friends! Why are you trying to hurt them?"
"Moron…" Kai muttered.
"We may have been friends once, Sora…but that's gone. I only obey the darkness now. It's my duty to destroy them," Rikku answered, his voice flat and cold.
Sora looked shocked and hurt. He became mad. "Rikku!"
Rikku shot another blast at Sora, but Takuya pushed Sora out of the way. The fireball fizzled out against the hard boulders behind them.
Rikku used the opportunity to attack. He leapt at the only vulnerable person—Rei.
Kai gave a quick cry of terror, and threw himself between Rikku's blade, and Rei's frail frame. He screamed in agony as the blade pierced his shoulder.
Rei stared, wide-eyed in terror as Kai fell into his arms, bleeding heavily. Rei realized, wincing, that he too was bleeding profusely from the shoulder. Lifting his sleeve, Rei was shocked to see no wound. It was as if his skin was spontaneously bleeding, but the pain was also there, intense and piercing. Rei clutched Kai's deep wound, trying to stop the flow of blood.
Takuya suddenly realized the danger Kai and Rei were in, but his ankle refused to move. He realized he had injured it when he'd saved Sora. The young Keyblade master lay, unconscious from a small head injury. He was otherwise okay, and Takuya breathed a small sigh of relief.
Rikku raised his blade again, ready to deliver the fatal blow. But as the blade dropped down on the two boys, there was a clang of metal on metal.
Edward stood blocking the blade, his coat and vest removed, and his automail arm morphed into a blade. The bright sunlight glistened off his metal limb.
Takuya stared in amazement. His whole arm?! Takuya had thought it had only been his hand.
Edward threw the Keyblade back, and took a fighting stance. Rikku readied his blade again.
"Edward…your…arm, it…" Takuya choked. Edward's eyes were sad, even in the fury of his face.
"A long time ago, me and my brother made a bad decision," Edward explained, his voice low and steady. "Ever since, we've been looking for the Philosopher's Stone, in order to right what we did, and get our bodies back." He clenched his fists. "So…I'm not about to let something so trivial get in my way."
Rikku laughed, harshly. "Trivial? I'll teach you…" With a snap of his fingers, a small group of SoulHunters materialized, and leapt to attack. Alphonse knocked them away.
"Hey, fight fair," he growled menacingly. Edward grinned. "Thanks, Alphonse. I'll take pretty boy over here. You clean up behind me."
Alphonse nodded, and busied himself with removing the SoulHunter menace.
Edward swung at Rikku, who dodged smoothly. However, Edward sung his foot in a sweeping arch, catching Rikku off guard, and sending him to the ground. Edward drove his blade at Rikku's head, but the platinum haired boy moved his head out of the way as fast as he could. Edward's blade sank into the hard ground several inches, as Rikku rolled out of harm's way.
Edward yanked his blade free, and cartweeled out of the way of Rikku's attack. Clapping his hands together, Edward transmuted a wave of stone spikes, which Rikku dodged effortlessly. Another transmutation produced a rock blocker, which Rikku buried his sword into several inches. Cursing, Rikku yanked his blade free, just in time to have Edward plant his boot in Rikku's face. Rikku flew several feet across the yard, and smashed into a large pile of stone.
Edward wiped the corner of his mouth, panting heavily. Rikku pushed himself to his feet, using his blade as a brace. The two prepared to clash again.
Rikku lunged at Edward, who leapt backwards. Using his momentum, Edward skidded to a stop, and leapt up, firmly planting his foot on Rikku's chest, before kicking him in the face as he flipped backwards. Edward landed on his hands, and flipped onto his feet, while Rikku flew backwards, landing heavily on the ground, and skidding several feet.
Rikku slowly got to his feet, his entire body shaking with rage. Edward looked exhausted, and was gasping for air. The next clash would decide the battle.
Rikku slashed downward towards Edward, who blocked it with his arm. Grabbing the blade with his free hand, Edward yanked it free of Rikku's grasp, and threw it several feet.
Edward smirked. "It's over," he said, his voice low, but with a definite air of victory. Rikku, however, simple began to laugh.
"Fool," he explained hoarsely. "This isn't over yet." He willed his Keyblade back into his hand, and shoved Edward to the ground. Edward landed with a gasp, and Rikku plunged the blade at Edward, certain it would be his doom.
Edward gave a cry of rage, and clapped the blade between his hands. Suddenly, a bright light burst from Edward's left hand, and a silvery stone appeared.
Takuya and Rei gasped. Edward WAS a StoneHolder after all!
"Wha-what is this?" Edward asked, surprised, staring at the Stone in his hand.
"A Stone! You're a StoneHolder, Edward!" Rei explained excitedly, still supporting an unconscious Kai on his lap.
"Use it, Edward! Tap into its power and use it!" Takuya cried, equally exuberant.
Edward refocused on Rikku, who was gritting his teeth angrily. "So…you are the StoneHolder after all. Shame…I'll have to kill you and cut off that hand."
"I've already lost one arm in my life…I ain't gonna lose the other one!" Edward replied fiercely. The stone glowed faintly as his blade extended. Edward was surprised. I didn't even use alchemy! What's going on?
Rikku swung at Edward, but Edward blocked it with his blade. The stone in his hand began to glow brighter and brighter. Edward grabbed Rikku by the collar, and threw him down. The alchemist stood over the platinum-haired boy, his pupils contracting to pinpoints with rage.
"This is it…it's over," Edward said gravely, and a fierce battle aura began to gather. His hair whipped in the flow of energy that swirled around him, and his stone glowed with a fierce white glow.
The steel ties that lay around the area, once part of a rail track that transported carts of rock outside, began to morph and twist with a life of their own as Edward used the power of his stone to manipulate them. The steel formed a restraint that restricted Rikku, and captured him tightly.
Rikku struggled, crying out in rage. He refused to accept defeat. With one last curse of rage, he disintegrated into black mist that melted back into the shadows, and vanished.
Alphonse caught his brother as Edward collapsed from exhaustion.
"I'm…so sorry, sir," Syaoran said, his face twisted with guilt and shame. "If I'd stayed…"
Ryo shook his head. "Syaoran, being there wouldn't have changed anything. What's done is done, and no one is blaming you."
Kai sat up in bed, propped up against his many pillows. Rei sat beside his bed, folding origami to keep Kai interested. Kai cleared his throat.
"For once, I agree with Ryo," Kai spoke seriously. "Be it five or five hundred, we still would have ended up the same way. So stop feeling sorry for yourself, and go find something to do."
Syaoran glanced at Kai's right arm in its sling, and sighed. "Yes sir…" he said, and left the ward.
Takuya hobbled over to Ryo on his crutches. "Heh, these are hard to use," he joked weakly.
Ryo smiled. "How's the ankle?"
"Good. They say it's just a really bad sprain, and should heal in a few weeks." Takuya looked crestfallen. "Guess there's no work for a cripple, huh?"
Ryo grinned. "You should rest. We'll have someone fill in for you for a little while."
Ryo glanced over at Alphonse, who was sitting patiently beside his sleeping brother. The gentle giant had refused to leave his brother's side, and no one really felt like using force to remove him. Edward lay, sleeping soundly, his cuts cleaned and dressed, and his hair laying gently about his face like spun gold. He seemed peaceful…as if he knew his brother was keeping watch over him.
Sora lay in the bed beside the young alchemist. His head was wrapped in bandages, due to his concussion. He, too, was sleeping peacefully.
Takuya passed Ryo silently, and made his way down the hall towards his room. Ryo stood for a moment, in thought. He looked at Kai seriously.
"We…need to talk."
Kai stared at the paper crane in his hands, and made a noise in his throat. Rei stopped folding, and looked at Kai, puzzled.
"Rei…go…play somewhere for a little while, alright? I need to talk to Ryo…" He looked into Rei's innocent face. "…In private."
Rei looked upset, but obliged. He stood up, and walked quietly out of the room. A moment later, Alphonse, too, got up and left the room, giving Ryo a small nod of respect as he passed.
The room became strangely quiet. The only sounds were the bleeps and bloops of the machines, and Edward and Sora's gentle breathing as they slept soundly.
Kai sighed, and Ryo sat down beside him. Kai looked the young Tamer in the eye.
"What I'm about to tell you…what I'm about to explain…doesn't leave this room. Understand?"
Ryo nodded, realizing Kai was about to explain something vitally important. Kai was rarely this open.
"I…made a deal with Yuko."
Ryo was thunderstruck. "What—?"
Kai made a face, and averted his gaze. "Rei…had his heart crystal destroyed. And it was my fault. If I'd been protecting him…"
Ryo said nothing, but his eyes told Kai he thought Kai was wrong. Kai's eyes grew hard.
"There wasn't any other way to bring him back! I had to do it!" Tears began to form on the corners of Kai's eyes. "Rei…needed a piece of my heart…so that he could reform his…I couldn't just leave him like that!"
Ryo couldn't believe what he was hearing. "So…your heart…and his are…joined?"
Kai nodded.
Ryo shook his head. "So…you'd feel each other's pain…"
Kai nodded again. Ryo clenched his teeth.
"I don't expect you to get it—"
Ryo slapped Kai smartly across the cheek. Kai's eyes were wide with shock, and a bright red mark appeared on his cheek. Ryo shook with rage.
"Baka! Why couldn't you just come to us? We could have found another solution!" Ryo felt the hot tears streak his cheeks. "We…could have found another way…"
Kai glared angrily at Ryo, but did nothing. His jaw was hard and set.
"I made my choice, goddammit."
Ryo stood up, and walked over to the window. He chewed the side of his finger in deep thought.
"What did you pay…to do this…"
Kai swallowed. "Ten years of my life."
Ryo whirred around; he couldn't believe what he'd just heard. "Ten years?!" Ryo cried, flabbergasted. Preposterous!
"My life for his! If you think about it, it's a fair trade!" Kai fired back angrily.
The two boys silently glared at each other for a few moments. Then Ryo rubbed his eyes. He was unsure of how to continue.
Kai stared at the paper crane on his lap. "Please…don't tell him…" he whispered, on the verge of tears. "If he knew…about what I've done…he'd never forgive me…"
Ryo felt another tear slip down his cheek, which he wiped away angrily. "Yeah…I understand…" Ryo replied quietly. "I won't tell him…I promise."
Ryo suddenly hugged Kai, in a fit of spontaneous affection. Kai, in a rare moment of weakness, didn't resist the hug, and actually hugged back, sobbing into Ryo's shoulder.
Ryo realized, then and there, that the situation around the AMGDI was a lot more serious than even he'd thought. He knew just how urgently they needed to find the remaining StoneHolders.
Ritchie yawned and stretched, and his back popped. Sparky itched its ear, and gave a sigh…of sorts.
"Gets pretty boring in here, huh buddy?" Ritchie asked his partner brightly. Sparky made a happy noise, and rubbed its cheek against its friend's hand.
A beeping sound from the terminal caught Ritchie's attention. He looked over to see a small red light flashing.
A message appeared on his screen. WARNING INCOMING WORLD TRAVELLER
"Whoa!" Ritchie yelped in surprise, leaping up. He began imputing commands.
No one's due back…so who's this? Ritchie thought frantically.
"Ritchie!" Hien's voice barked through the intercom. "What the heck's going on? An SOS beacon just went off!"
"There's an unauthorized world traveler, sir," Ritchie said. "Apparently, whoever tripped the SOS beacon is trying to transport here, but with the system in wait mode, they're in limbo."
"Reactivate the system, and get them in here now!" Umi ordered, angrily. Ritchie swallowed. "Yes, ma'am!"
A few tense moments went by as Ritchie re-activated the system. Then, the transporter hummed to life, and, with a flash of light, the traveller landed in the room with a heavy thud.
Ritchie stared in shock at the traveller, who lay facedown on the floor. They wore a dull green army uniform, and had a shock of blond hair. Ritchie edged over to the form, and poked it gently.
"Uhggg…what…where…am I…?" The person mumbled into the floor, still trying to cohere themselves to their surroundings.
"Uhh…hello…" Ritchie was unsure of how to react.
"The figure pushed itself to its knees, holding its head in its hand. "Urk…that's one nasty headache. I've had better hangovers…"
Ritchie was surprised. This…person…sounded just like…
…Like Edward! Ritchie thought.
The person lifted his face to reveal a young man, with bright eyes and a hansom face. He smiled widely at Ritchie.
"So…mind telling me what just happened?"
The man had introduced himself as Kurz Webber, and had begun telling them everything that had happened, as he wolfed down some food in the mess hall.
"Well, you see…I was stationed in the South Pacific, and I had just come back from the demolition of an illegal arms factory, when I noticed something amiss." Kurz took a long swig of milk before he continued. "There was this…I dunno, thing in the leaf litter, so I hopped out of my M9 to check it out…
Kurz crouched down over the leaf litter, and, using his pen, lifted the dead leaves away to see the small, metal object. It almost looked to be a remote mine, and Kurz gave a whistle.
"Can't have this lying around," he said to himself. "Guess I'll just have to disarm it and take it back with me. So I'm a little late…" He chuckled. "Looks pretty sophisticated…"
Kurz's brow furrowed. "Hmm…let's see…" He gently picked it up, and flipped it over deftly. He had braced for it to go off, but it hadn't. He smirked. "Must be shut off…or in standby. Still…can't have it here."
He pulled a small tool kit out of his pocket, and began to gently remove the back plate. He made a face at the mass of wires in the back.
"Man…don't these things come with an off switch?" he complained. Sighing, he got to work figuring out which wires went where.
Suddenly, his screwdriver slipped off a screw, and jabbed a small button on the motherboard. Kurz cussed, and dropped it as it made a high-pitched squeal. He thought for sure that it was all over…he was going to get blown up.
A bright light shot out of an LED sensor on the device and seemed to pierce the clouds. Kurz, however, had covered his eyes, and couldn't see what was going on.
"What was—" he had started to say, but then, he was suddenly transported out of the area.
"…And that's all I remember," Kurz finished with a laugh.
Ryo sighed. "I see. So, he mistook our monitor droid as a remote mine, tried to defuse it, and accidentally set off the SOS beacon, resulting in his transport here."
Hien did not look amused. "Which world was that? We need to send a replacement droid ASAP. And, we also need to send this shmuck back."
Kurz looked offended.
"Quadrant 009, World 3855-63825-72642, in the Gatou Universe," Ritchie replied, and then seemed puzzled. "Sir, isn't that—"
"Sagara and Chidori's home world? Yeah. It is." Hien made a face. "So, this nut job knows…"
"Kurz!" Kaname Chidori's voice rang out through the mess hall. Everyone turned to see her standing at the door, with Sosuke right behind her.
Kurz brightened, and leapt to his feet, arms open wide. "Miss Chidori! What a pleasant surprise! What are you doing here?"
Kaname put her hands on her hips and scowled. "I'd like to ask you the same question."
Kurz made a helpless motion. "It seems fate brought us together. Can't we be happy? C'mon! Give me a kiss! Tell me you missed me!" He tried to hug Kaname, who got very upset, and flattened him with her rasaban.
"Baka!" she yelled.
Kurz rubbed his head and whimpered. "Ohh…so mean!"
Edward chose that moment to enter the mess hall. He gave the small group by the door a dirty look, but gave Kurz the nastiest look of all. He walked down the stairs, shaking his head and muttering, "infants" under his breath.
"Hey!" Kurz called, running over to Edward, while Kaname and Sosuke exchanged looks. They both knew hoe fun loving Kurz was. And, from what they'd seen, Edward was anything but fun loving.
Edward turned to face Kurz slowly. Kurz caught up to Edward, and put an arm over Edward's shoulder in a friendly gesture. Edward's face became more irritated.
"Sorry! Didn't mean to give you the wrong impression…honest! Hey, look…let's start over, okay? I'm Kurz," he said, holding out his hand.
Edward stared at his hand for a moment, then the briefest glimpse of an evil grin flickered across his face. Kurz was holding out his right hand.
Edward firmly grabbed Kurz's hand with his hand, and squeezed. Kurz grimaced at Edward's, quite literally, iron grasp.
"Wow! That's quite the grip you've got there," Kurz told Edward, his voice weak. He was sure Edward was going to break his hand. "Didn't expect such a strong grip from such a little guy…"
Ryo and Hien's eyes widened in fear, and they took cover under one of the tables. Edward's eye twitched violently.
"…Little…" Edward became suddenly violent. "WHO THE HELL ARE YOU CALLING SMALL?" He threw Kurz into the wall, then picked up the nearest table, and threw it at Kurz.
Ryo and Hien shuttered. Edward had grabbed the table they'd been hiding under!
Edward breathed heavily, trying very hard to calm down, and stomped off to the counter to order lunch.
Kurz peeled himself off the wall, and rubbed his sore nose. "Did…I say something wrong?" he asked.
Everyone made exasperated noises, and turned to leave. Kurz was hopeless.
Edward, still angry, sat down to eat. Kurz tentatively approached, and Edward shot him a look that could kill.
"I'm really sorry…I didn't mean to make you so angry," Kurz apologized. Edward grumbled through his food.
Kurz noticed that Edward had a cup of coffee instead of milk. He laughed nervously. "You know, I've heard coffee stunts growth. Maybe you should drink milk—"
"I hate milk!" Edward cut Kurz off angrily. "And I'm not that short!"
"Well, it's just that milk—"
"I don't care!" Edward blasted. "I'm not drinking some opaque white liquid secreted by some cow's udder!"
"It's not that bad, really!" Kurz replied, pushing an unstable Edward closer to the edge. Edward finally snapped. He kicked Kurz with his left leg, and began bringing his foot down repeatedly on Kurtz's body in a series of nasty stomps.
"My god! Could you get any more annoying! Man, I hate this guy! I didn't think anyone was more annoying than Roy, but this guy, he takes the cake!" Edward gave a savage growl, and stomped off out of the mess hall.
"Well…" Ryo said suddenly, breaking the quiet. "I'd say that went quite well, don't you agree?"
The alarm had gone off several minutes before, and the entire assembly had come to the meeting room. There was a sense of great urgency in the air.
"We have two distress signals this time," Hien informed everyone, tiredly. "One is in Quadrant 023, World 534363-63-93532, in the NINtenDo Universe, and the other is in Quadrant 027, World 3473-362l36, in the same universe." Hien made a solemn face. "Because of the severity of the attacks, we'll have to send two separate teams in at the same time to handle this.
"Team one—your target is a young man who simply goes by the name of Link. It says contact may be hard, due to the fact that he rarely says anything at all." Hien made a face.
"Team two—you have two targets. One is a young noble by the name of Mars. The country of Durhua invaded his kingdom of Akanea recently. The other is another noble by the name of Eliwood. His kingdom of Pherae was invaded by Bern." Umi looked worried. "Plan carefully, and pick the best teams for these two assignments. I'll pray for your safety."
Everyone looked at Ryo and Kai. Who was going where?
NEXT CHAPTER: (To be completely honest, I have no clear idea what's going to happen! That's right, I'm not writing next chapter, my good friend, Acme-Rian is! All I know is it'll have Link and Mars and Eliwood in it! So, you'll just have to wait! ) Find out in Chapter 6: "The Exile and the Dragon"