Hola guys! I can't believe I have 200+ reviews for this story. O.o
Not only that, but I have reached thirty chapters for this story! And it only took two years. Hurrah! I've never gotten this far and still liked writing the story before.
I'm updating sooner than usual because this is proving to be a hard month. Not only is MomoCon nearing(I'M TOTALLY COSPLAYING SUPERTOBI AGAIN. 8D), but my cousin's birthday is coming up, along with my boyfriend's prom. (Deadpan Face Here.) Then there's the fact I'm stressing over college and my future and what colleges I want to apply to and what colleges I'd love to go to but I know there's a fat, fat change I won't be able to go to and just how I'll get into college and what the hell it is I'm going to do with my life(Historian? Commercial photographer? Writer? AUGH. This was easier when I was six and could just say, "Screw this, I'll be a Pokemon Trainer!"). But at least I survived the entire weekend that was spent looking for a dress and shoes! Hurrah.
The Lovely Daaaarlings!
IceFire Dragon Alchemist73: Very big trouble, indeed!
SoftcoreOtaku: I know you've been reading(I stalk you all. Rlly.) and thanks! I'm glad you think it's awesome. xB And yeah, I originally put a dash in between it, but Title Chapters don't allow dashes. Poo.
Katsekala: Ed must save her! Thanks again~ x33
Fmagurl123: Yeah, they're little troublemakers, alright. And thanks! I'm glad you liked that. That's one thing I always keep in mind. Relationships shouldn't progress too quickly. I'd love to write Blackburn in on this chapter, but I think that's a bit too early. Seriously, I had a huge debate over it with myself. (Deadpan Here)
yumixjaganshi: Yes! I'm evil, aren't I? Mwahaha! And by the way, I considered not updating, just to see the Sea Monkeys. So. Yeah.
xXKaminari-TsubasaXx: Hehe that should've dawned on her. She was just too tired. (Not to mention emotional. xP)
Rabid Cream Puffs: They'll definitely be answered in this chapter! Aww, thank you. I'm glad you like it. COOKIES. 8B
The Psychotic Cherry Blossom: Wowww, thank you! I'm glad you liked it!
PixieStixys: I'M SO FLATTERED. 8D And yay, skittles! (Less Than Three Here. 8D)
ThankfulMemories(Chapter One): Why thank you!
(Chapter Three): After looking around some, I realize I had an error in the Chapter Title. While "Drei" is German, "Drie" is Dutch. So, yes, "Drei" is German. But I was using Dutch, which according to translators, is "Drie". (Kind of like how "No" Is English, and "No", is also Spanish?)
Want to Be a Lovely Daaaarling? Review! Bwahaha…
I do not own FullMetal Alchemist. I do own Riley, other original characters, and the current plot. Yay. 8D
Chapter Thirty:
Riley's Saviors in Question.
Hannah sighed as she paced the hotel room quickly. Riley had been gone for two days. Obviously she had reason to worry. "Damn her… Disappearing like this…," Hannah muttered under her breath as she chewed on her nails. She knew she should have gone with her friend. But no. She didn't.
When she heard a knocking on the door, she rushed over. Hannah swung the door open and in her disappointment and surprise, saw Ed, Al and Winry standing there. "What..? What are you three doing here?" Ed scowled as he remembered earlier that morning.
Ed groaned, fidgeting. He had a bad feeling about something. "Fine!" He shouted, standing quickly. Al jumped in surprise as Ed glared, "We'll go check on Riley and Hannah! Happy now?!" He stomped out of the room as Al and Winry looked to each other in silent victory.
"Al wanted to make sure you two were alright," Ed mumbled in rushed fashion before squeezing himself into the room. He looked around and not seeing what he was hoping, peered into the closet and the bathroom. He pulled back and looked over at Hannah, "Where's Riley?"
Hannah was about to respond with a comment along the lines of, 'What do you care?' But the situation didn't call for that. With a downward look, she shook her head. "I don't know…"
The three widened their eyes in surprise. "You don't know? What happened?" Winry asked.
"We were looking for Blackburn's old home. Riley went to check the outskirts and she sent me back here. That was two days ago," Hannah replied.
Ed began to worry again. He had a bad feeling; Was this it? Taking off out of the room, he ignored his friends calling him back.
. . .
Winry and Ed ran along the outskirts of the village, looking for Blackburn's house. The two were quiet, too worried to bother with conversation. Winry was thinking. She never cared for Riley, and still really didn't. But it was obvious that Ed and Al had taken to the girl and her friend. Denying that would be stupid. They were all close, she could tell.
She was jealous.
She had been around for the Elrics since they were all kids. She had helped them, supported them, watched them grow and yet, they never opened up with her. Never called. Never talked. "They probably have with Riley," Winry thought to herself bitterly. She knew she couldn't stop them from trusting other people, but it didn't matter. It still hurt to watch them bond with Riley, of all people.
Her thoughts were interrupted by Ed shouting, "Who in the hell are you two?!"
Winry stopped running to look up and see two kids standing in front of them. Mark and Lisa. She blinked curiously, "Ed, you don't need to be so harsh."
Lisa nodded, "Yeah, Ed!" Said boy scowled in annoyance, causing the girl to smirk. "My name is Lisa! This is Mark and we're the rulers of these outskirts!"
"So who are you?!" Mark shouted, glaring at them. They weren't expecting any more people around Radley's house yet, here they were.
"I'm Winry. This is Ed. It's nice meeting you both," Winry replied politely.
Ed wasn't so trusting. "What are you kids doing out here?"
"I already told you," Lisa repeated in annoyance, "We watch over these lands. What do you two want?!"
"We're looking for a friend of ours. Maybe you've seen her?" Winry asked hopefully.
"Is it a girl?" Mark asked. The two nodded. "Brown hair?" They nodded. "Kind of clumsy?"
"That's her!" Winry exclaimed.
Lisa nodded, placing a hand on her hip, "We've seen her. What do you care?"
Ed scowled, "Listen kid, we don't have time for your stupid games! Tell us which way she went already!"
"I don't want to," Lisa retorted snottily. "And even if I did, I wouldn't tell someone as rude as you!"
The Elric glared at the girl. These two had to be hiding something, and he didn't have the time to find out what. Who knew what Riley could have gotten into to. Quickly, Ed clapped his hands and placed them on the ground. Winry shouted her protest as the rock bulged from the ground and spikes shot their way toward the two kids. Despite Winry's worry, Mark slipped a piece of paper onto the ground and placed his hands on it. Spikes formed on their end, and when Ed's and Mark's spikes collided, they crumbled to the ground. "I thought so," Ed stated, "You two have been trained. Who exactly are you and where is Riley?"
"We won't tell you anything, Shorty!" Lisa exclaimed.
Ed snapped. With a quick transmutation, two trees had wrapped around the children, holding them in place. "H-Hey!" Mark shouted, "I didn't call you short! She did!"
The blond glared at the kids before running passed them, continuing his search.
Elsewhere. Oooh.
I sighed as I leaned against the wall in the living room. There were no chairs. I stared at the door in a weak, hungry fashion. There was nothing in the fridge of the kitchen except for jars filled with body parts. I tried alchemy to break through the wall and door, but there were hidden circles covering the inside of the place, and I almost blew myself up. I tried the old fashioned away too. Nothing there would break a metal door, and the windows had a coating of protection on them.
Food. I wanted food. A nice ham sandwich. Maybe some caffeine, too. That sounded good. I was tired; I want to sleep but I couldn't. I wouldn't let myself. "I hate this," I muttered under my breath as I lay on the floor. Maybe one little nap wouldn't have hurt…
Sleep began to catch up with me, when I heard a familiar voice. "Ed!" My ears perked at it, but I didn't sit up. I was too tired. It sounded like Winry. "Ed, hold up!"
I ignored it though, dismissing it as sleep deprivation. Just as I was about to fall asleep, I heard footsteps on the porch outside the house. "Riley!" My eyes shot open as I sat up. That couldn't have been my imagination.
Staggering to my feet, I rushed to the door, "Ed?!"
I began to bang on the door. He stopped a moment, and when he heard it clearly, I heard him rush to the door. Unlocking it from the outside, he swung the door open. I leaped forward, hugging him as we fell to the ground of the porch. "R-Riley…," He mumbled.
Sniffing, I shook my head, "I never thought I'd have a ham sandwich again…!"
His expression turned deadpan. "Riley, that would've been…" He trailed off when he heard me snore a bit.
…What? I was locked in a room for two days. I could've been laying on Winry, and not care.
. . .
I groaned a bit as I woke from my slumber. Opening my eyes, I saw the Elric brothers. I slowly sat myself up and Ed looked over. "Hey," He said as Al looked over as well.
"…Hey," I muttered, rubbing my head. "Where's Winry and Hannah?"
"They went to get everyone something to eat. We decided to stay back and watch over you," Al spoke up, "How are you feeling?"
I shrugged. "Hungry." Glancing to Ed, I scowled stubbornly, "Thanks…"
He paused before nodding and looking away as well. "Sorry about earlier."
"…" I sighed, wanting to still be mad at him. But I knew I couldn't be. "It's fine. I guess I would've been suspicious too," I replied before muttering bitterly, "Wouldn't have taken it THAT FAR, but I would've been suspicious…"
Ed twitched at this but ignored it, knowing it was the nicest reply he'd ever get from me after an apology. "So… What about this Blackburn guy?"
I let out a sigh as I began to explain, "All I really know is that he's killed several men and used their bodies for anatomy research to advance his alchemy. He does a lot of alchemy on the human body, it's how he kills. There are things he knows about the body that most people don't know…"
"Sounds like a charming guy," Ed mumbled sarcastically, hands in his pockets as he slouched in the chair he sat in.
"Very," I replied with a roll of my eyes.
Al spoke this time. "What have you found out so far, Riley?" He asked.
With a sigh, I shook my head. "Not much. No one wants to tell anything. They're either too scared or just too stupid to…," Was my response as I positioned myself more comfortably in bed. "Though… There was a murder three days ago."
"What?" The brothers asked in surprise, looking over at me with widened eyes.
I nodded, "Yeah. His neck was broken, and his eyes were exploded. Or, well, melted for a better term. I looked around afterward but didn't see Radley."
"What about his house?" Ed asked in interest.
"Looked like there was just a bunch of information on his researches. I didn't really get a good chance to look around closely though, considering…," I replied as Winry and Hannah walked in.
Hannah smiled, rushing over. "Riley! You're awake. How do you feel?" She asked as Winry walked over silently.
I shrugged at her, "Do you have food?" She nodded and held out the bag. Snatching it from her, I grinned, "I feel great!"
She normally would have deadpanned, but smiled instead. "I'm glad you're alright."
Winry nodded with a small smile. "Yeah. Good thing Ed found you…," She mumbled softly. I twitched, a bit afraid of what her real thoughts were. Probably murderous, evil ones. She had to have them. I just knew it.
"So what are we going to do?" Hannah asked as she sat down, looking in between us all.
Ed looked down in thought as he began to speak, "I think we need to go back to Radley's house and see if we can find anything, Al and me."
The girls didn't reply when they saw me glaring at Ed. "No way, little man," I growled.
The blond jerked his head up, glaring at me. "What was that?" He hissed out.
"I said, No Way Little Man!" I repeated, only louder. I wasn't going to just sit around and do nothing!
"You just got stuck in a house for two days! You don't need to be going back there!" Ed shouted, glaring down at me as he stood to make himself feel taller. Hah. I'd show him who was taller!
And that's exactly what I did. Standing, I walked over to him and glared down at him, poking my chest out to seem tougher. "I'm going, and that's that," I growled down at him.
He glared, brow twitching as he realized what was going through my mind. "You're staying here."
"DAMN IT ELRIC!!" And so, the arguing ensued.
. . .
A few hours had passed, and Ed, Al and I were headed to Radley's house. Ed was reluctant about it, but with the help of Al, I persuaded him(Basically, Al reminded Ed if he didn't shut up about me staying, he'd be the one that would have to stay because of the damage I'd cause him.) The blond was glaring at me stubbornly as we walked. Finally, I sighed and spun around on my heel to glare at Ed. "Will you stop it already?!" I exclaimed.
His glare didn't phase as he replied, "You shouldn't be coming!"
"Will you both stop?" Al asked, exhausted. Between Ed and me, I'm sure Al really was tired. I kind of felt bad for him.
Kind of.
We looked over at Al with a glare and he sighed. "Brother, Riley's coming because it is her responsibility. And Riley, be careful. You're still w-"
"What, weak?" I retorted, "I'm not weak! I had enough sleep, and I even ate! I'm fine."
Al shook his head, "You still need to be more careful."
Ed was nodding victoriously, to which I stuck my tongue out at him. But we both quieted down for the sake of Al, and continued our walk. After several minutes, we had reached Radley's home. I paused, glancing around the place to see if those snots were anywhere near. I was pleased to see they weren't. Silently, we walked up the stairs and entered the house.
The inside of the room looked the same as it did when I was there last. There were books galore, and for the most part, an empty home. Ed and Al made their way to the bookshelves while I looked around the home. I wanted to find those transmutation circles that kept me locked inside that damn house in the first place. And so, the job of tearing off every poster, painting, and picture hanging on the wall began. After several minutes, I let out a long sigh of defeat; so much for that plan. After a while of thinking about it, I had decided to be more thorough. I began to move furniture and looking in and behind appliances for any sign of a circle. But I found none. Biting my lip, I looked downward in thought. My hands caught my eye and an idea was struck.
"The skin they will use for her hands… I can draw a circle on the inside, with an ink that won't dissolve into her skin or blood. If my plan works out, she'll be able to use the circles through her skin. It won't hurt her if the plan doesn't work, it's completely harmless," Kevin said, looking straight ahead.
Maybe… I grabbed a knife from my bag(That I had been thoughtful enough to bring this time) and cut off a square piece of the wall. Just maybe… Tearing the wood paneling away from the wall, I saw it.
My eyes widened. A thick, black line was painting onto a deeper layer of wood. Radley had to have covered it with a second layer. Just to make sure my assumptions were correct, I began peeling off the top layer of the walls. Al, who was quietly engaged in a journal, paused to glance up when he heard some noise. "R-Riley…," He mumbled off in confusion and shock.
Ed blinked and looked up as well. His eyes widened in surprise. "What in the hell are you doing?"
"I think–," I paused to pull at the section of the wall, "There's a transmutation-," Finally yanking it off, I toppled over, "Circle… Behind the walls." Seeing Ed's confused expression, I explained. "When I was stuck in here, I tried to transmute my way out but something backfired and I almost exploded myself. I think this is why." Finally realizing what I mean, he walked over and began to help me pull apart the walls. When Al placed his journal away, he began to help us. He was a lot better at it, as he was pretty much armor. Within a few minutes, most of the top layer had been removed, and my assumptions were indeed right.
A large transmutation circle had been drawn onto each wall. It was no wonder I almost blew myself up. It was like a damn Jack-In-The-Box for alchemists. "Let's check the floor, too…," Ed said wisely before moving the rug out of the way. Al and I nodded and got to taking apart the floor. Immediately we were able to notice the ink lines of a transmutation circle.
About an hour had passed, and we had probably taken apart half of the walls, the floor and the ceiling. Each had a large transmutation circle. It really was like a box. While Al and Ed were examining the circles and reading journals to learn more about them, I was looking intently at the ink of the circles. Something about it was familiar. As stupid as it sounded, I had a bad feeling about the ink. "It's definitely durable… To be able to put a layer of wood and gloss and paint over it, and still have the circles effective… It isn't ordinary ink," I thought to myself as I glanced to my hands.
Was the ink inside my hands the same as the ink on the walls? If so, this Radley had some explaining to do. My father created that ink specially. No one else had access to that kind of stuff, so what was Radley's secret?
Ed noticed my deep expression and raised a brow. "Riley?" I jerked to attention, looking over at him. "You alright?"
Sighing as I stood up, I nodded. "Yeah, I just… There's something odd about this Radley guy," I replied.
"You don't say…," He mumbled sarcastically. I was about to retort with narrowed eyes, when we heard footsteps nearing the door. We all fell silent and looked over, preparing ourselves for battle.
The door swung open and as Ed readied his automail, Hannah and Winry walked on. Ed twitched as I almost fell over in suprirse. Al sniggered. Che… "You idiots…! You had us worried there for a minute!" I exclaimed, glaring at the girls.
Hannah shrugged as Winry scoffed, "What's the big deal?"
"The big deal is that we thought you were Radley," Ed explained, just as annoyed as I was.
With a chuckle, Hannah shook her head, "I doubt he'd so obviously enter his home when you three are in here tearing it up."
Ed and I shifted uncomfortably at that. "Well, what are you two here for anyway?" I asked as they both walked further inside and looked around in surprise.
"We got tired of waiting," Winry said with a shrug. Hearing the floor creak as they walked in wasn't a big deal, but when we suddenly started to feel the floor sagging, we began to get concerned. "W-What's that?" Winry asked, growing nervous.
All of us looked at the floor for sign of movement, when it dawned on me. The circles, the metal door, the unbreakable windows, and now the floor sinking in. "Radley's rigged this place!" I shouted suddenly. They looked over at with widened eyes and we made a beeline for the door.
Before we could even get there, the floor caved in. We let out yells of shock as we felt ourselves falling. Landing hard on rock ground, I could hear us all groaning in some way. All but Al of course. I sat up and looked around our surroundings. It was dark and rock was all around us. A small desk sat against one wall with a few things placed on it, but that was pretty much it for furniture. Aside from that, transmutation circles were drawn on the floor and walls as well.
"What happened?" Hannah groaned out as she got up from her stomach.
I sighed. "I'm guessing Radley built that floor just sturdy enough for a certain amount of weight. Once that was exceeded, it most likely meant there were more than a few people inside the place, which probably meant intruders… When you and Winry walked in, that pushed the weight passed its limits and caved the floor in…," I explained as I rubbed my ass, standing up.
Al helped Winry up as Ed stood also. "Seems like Radley's a bit on the paranoid side," Ed grumbled, looking up as he began planning a way to get out.
"Very," I nodded as I walked over to the desk to examine its contents. There was a small photo album, along with a small container of what looked to be black ink. That must've been what he was using on the walls. To the corner of the table, a picture frame was lying on its front. Grabbing the picture, I turned it over and my eyes widened. The picture was of Radley, and a familiar black-haired man. "What… Is this…?" I mumbled under my breath.
Hannah walked over and gasped slightly at the sight of the picture, recognizing the second man as well. "Riley, what's that about?"
I shook my head, unable to produce a reply. It was confusing, even for me. What could he have been doing around Radley? Handing Hannah the picture, I opened the photo album, a bit afraid of what would be inside. Instead of pictures, there were letters. Looking closely at them, I could see that some were address to Radley, while others had been addressed his name. What the hell was going on? Ed noticed my uncomfortable silence and walked over curiously and somewhat concerned. "What is it, Riley?" He asked, looking over my shoulder. He didn't get it. "Who's this guy Radley's writing letters to?"
"…" My frown had become a scowl as it all began to add up as I read the letters.
Hannah, knowing I wasn't going to give Ed the answers, handing him the photo. "That picture is Radley and… And Riley's father."
Yeesh, I wasn't expecting to write that. But at least it's coming along nicer than most of my other original ideas, no? x'D
Chapter Translations!
Chapter Twenty-Eight is Danish.
Chapter Twenty-Nine is French.
This chapter is Slovak.
If I got a translation wrong, let me know. I've currently started using Bing Translator, so I have a whole new set of languages to use! Hehehehe.
Be Responsible. Don't Flame and Drive! Rawr.