Only one man owns Fullmetal Alchemist. But that man is not me.
Several weeks had passed since Ed met Rose in Central. As promised, Ed had gone back to the orphanage that Rose ran and began making basic repairs. It was a slow process, further inspection on the building had revealed a startling number of building code violations, a fair number of them of which couldn't be fixed with a simple clap and flash of alchemy. Of course, Ed's military duties also kept him busy. Not to mention Riza's ongoing training.
Which brought Ed to where he was now. The previous weeks had shown significant improvement in Riza's alchemy, bolstering her 'reserves' so that she could perform even more complex and energy-draining alchemy. Now, the two were back on the parade ground. After the park incident, which Grumman and Roy together managed to sweep under the rug, the Fuhrer allowed the prodigal duo unlimited access to the large, and more importantly empty, parade ground for the purpose of controlling the unpredictable flame alchemy.
Well, controlling wasn't exactly the right term. The thing was, they had actually managed to reverse-engineer Roy Mustang's (or rather Berthold Hawkeye's) infamous flame alchemy. Of course, Riza also managed to make a pair of Roy's sparkcloth gloves. Even Ed, who confessed to having little interest in the alchemy, had found a way to utilize the alchemy. Taking advantage of his military-sponsored custom automail budget, Ed replaced his metal thumb with a crafted piece of flint, and had designed a removable metal plate that attached to the back of his automail hand with the flame circle engraved on it. This even had the additional benefit of letting Edward use flame alchemy in the rain, something that had Mustang sulking for a week.
So what were they doing on the parade ground if not for the purpose of learning flame alchemy?
Flashback
"I think we've finally done it." Ed said, snapping his fingers and sending out a medium-sized fireball. "We've got the formula down, though that part was quite frankly the easiest. And our control is impeccable. So, how do you feel Riza? Do you think you've managed to properly honor your dad?"
Riza was silent as she watched the dissipating fireball. "…I don't know." She confessed."It was my goal to perfect his alchemy. To prove that I was worthy of his legacy. We've managed to reverse-engineer the alchemy, and we can perform it almost as well as Roy can. But somehow this victory seems a little… Hollow."
Ed walked up to Riza and put a comforting arm around her waist, his diminutive height keeping him from wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "Well, screw that bastard!" Ed said with a smile on his face. Disrespecting the Brigadier General always brought a smile to his face. "The only reason he's able to use it better is because of how much experience he has with it. I mean, he's got years on you practice-wise!"
"That's not quite what I meant Ed." Riza said, a small smile of her own appearing as her brother-figure tried comforting her. "In fact, I'm not sure how to describe it. I feel like I made my father proud by learning his alchemy. But at the same time, I somehow feel like he's disappointed in me."
Ed thought for a moment. He was unsure about how a fathers thought process would work, his only true interaction with his own father being a variety of insults and a major battle. Well, that and…
"My father left a note, before he died that is." Ed finally said. "It had a counter for every insult I ever threw at him. Pissed me right the fuck off. Vindictive old bastard. After that though, it had an actual message. It told me that he was proud of me, that I had managed to surpass him. That I managed to do more than he ever could." Ed looked at the metal plate fitted to the back of his hand. "Maybe… Maybe that's it. My father was proud of me because I managed to surpass him. Maybe, for you to properly honor your father's memory, you have to not only learn the alchemy that he left behind, but also improve it."
"Improve it?" Riza muttered in shock. The sniper turned to look at Ed. "Edward, it took my father years, and eventually his life, to perfect flame alchemy."
"So?" Ed asked challengingly. "In science, there is no such thing as perfect. And alchemy is just that, a science. There can always be improvement. Your father died because he neglected his body in favor of his research. He didn't have nearly enough time to try improving it further. He only had enough time to properly encrypt his notes on your back."
Riza thought about it before turning to Ed. "Maybe…" Riza suddenly smiled. "Maybe we can figure out a way to up the input of energy for a longer dispersal range. Maybe even find a way to make it a long-distance alchemy."
Ed's smile mirrored her own. During the course of Riza's training, he had awakened a scientific curiosity and great thirst for knowledge in the blonde sniper. In short, he had created a monster.
"Yeah, let's do it!"
Flashback End
"What do you think of this configuration Edward?" Riza asked, showing Ed a modified flame transmutation circle on a piece of paper.
Ed took the paper and looked over it in thought. "You doubled up on the energy compression and lessened the air input. Explosion based? No… At least not entirely. It's more… Focused, for lack of a better word. This cluster of runes here… They're boosters. So more energy, less air, and a power converter? This… You're trying to make a lightning bolt!"
Riza smiled and nodded at Ed. She was amazed at how he had instantly deciphered the circle, one that she had purposely kept hidden from him so as to see his reaction to it. The blonde sniper could only shake her head in amazement at Ed's instant comprehension. Truly, he was a prodigy.
"Lightning alchemy." Riza said, a glint in her eyes. "Alphonse once told me of how he ran into a man who was using it on a small band of Ishvalan refugees. One of the few men to be killed by Scar who wasn't a state alchemist. The morbid details aside, I found the concept fascinating. The man had to wear a bulky apparatus to use it, but I had an idea."
"Does this idea of yours have anything to do with this outer alkahestry circle?" Ed asked dryly, a smile on his face as he saw Riza getting caught up in the frenzy that affected so many alchemists.
"Precisely! This allows the energy to flow better as well as letting us activate the circle remotely for the purpose of testing and… And… Since when do you know anything about alkahestry?" Riza asked, confused as she knew that while Ed was a genius with Amestris's alchemy, Xing's alkahestry was difficult for the young blond.
"Al's a genius with the stuff." Edward replied casually. "Kind of reversed really. I'm talented as hell with alchemy but I only really know the basics of alkahestry. Al's a genius with alkahestry, but he can only do the basics with alchemy. Of course, he's taught me as much alkahestry as he could while I also still send him books on the more modern alchemy practices."
Riza nodded. "Makes sense." She said, taking the paper back from Ed. "So, do you think it's good enough to practice with?"
Ed thought for a moment. "I suppose it's good enough for testing purposes. But I think that after we test the theory, we should place an overhaul on the circle. As it is, it's kind of patchy. And I don't think you'd want to trust a patchy circle in any situation."
Riza nodded and they went to work. Using a metal rod that Edward had transmuted, the air carefully sketched the circle into the packed earth. After an hour of hard labor, in which Riza and Ed had to re-draw the circle three times so as to make sure there were no imperfections, they were ready to test Riza's prototype circle.
"Ready Edward?" Riza asked, crouched behind the barrier that Ed had transmutated for them, her hand hovering over the activation circle.
"You mean ready to test an unstable alchemy made from the bastardized remains of alkahestry and flame alchemy? Of course." Ed replied, a cocky smile on his face.
Riza pushed energy into the circle. And then she screamed.
What some people didn't understand about alchemy was that it was a lot more of a more-or-nothing art than people realized. If you had the energy, you got a reaction. If not, then the energy was wasted and the alchemist usually fell into a coma of sorts. Of course, something would still happen. You can't expend the energy and get nothing. If you were trying to raise a wall of earth, you would still get a small mound for your trouble. If you were trying to freeze a lake, you would still get a patch of ice. But alchemy based off of energy was much different. If you tried to transmute a fireball but didn't have enough energy, the transmutation would rip at your life force to complete itself. And what is lightning but the mother of fire?
Riza screamed in pain as she felt the energy being ripped from her. But it wasn't enough. She could feel the tendrils of force searching deeper, looking to rip her soul from her body for her foolishness. But suddenly, the draining sensation stopped. Riza looked up to see Edward with his hands on the circle and a look of determination on his face, inserting his own energy. His energy depths were much larger than Riza's own, and while she had been drained Ed managed to complete the energy transfer. And the energy was twisted and condensed until…
KSHHHOOOOOOOM!
With a mighty roar and a flash of light, a bolt of lightning shot from the circle, shooting up into the sky. Ed and Riza watched as the blinding flash faded and the echoes of thunder stopped. Ed looked over the barrier and saw a massive crater where the transmutation circle had once been, the ground partially melted from the intense heat. Ed then turned to Riza.
"Next time, don't use a modified circle." Ed panted. "The energy absorption is enormous."
Riza could only nod before the world turned black and she passed out.
It took three days for Riza to recover in the hospital that she had been checked into for her severe energy depletion.
Ed visited her every day. He himself had not been hospitalized, his energy reserves were much larger than Riza's and the energy she had poured into the circle had already fueled a good portion of the transmutation. He had the good graces to wait until the second day before ripping into her.
"…I mean honestly, how could you NOT check the energy consumption?! I KNOW that I had taught you better than to ignore the energy costs! You're just lucky that I was able to insert my own energy!" Ed rambled, pacing back and forth in the small room.
"I showed you the circle, you managed to disassemble it in seconds!" Riza snapped back, irritated by the way in which Ed was treating her like she was the child. She was a full decade older than him!
"I gave it a passing glance!" Ed snapped back. "I had trusted you enough to compensate for everything needed!"
"I made a mistake Edward! Despite any and all claims to the contrary, I AM human!" Riza said, fighting to keep her voice calm. "You of all people should know that mistakes can be made! So why are you ripping into me, of all people, for things that you yourself have done multiple times in the past!"
Ed flinched at the reminder of his past stupidities. He sighed and gave Riza a level look. "I had promised Grumman when we began all of this that I wouldn't let your newfound desire to learn alchemy consume you. To him… That's what this incident was. I've already got an official order from him to cease teaching or otherwise enabling you."
"But… That…" For once, Riza was stunned and was at a complete loss for words. A burst of anger surged through her. "He can't do this! He stayed out of my life until I was already a woman grown, he has no say in my life now!"
"…I tried saying the same thing to him." Ed confessed. "Well, the second bit. I had assumed you knew who he was growing up and that was why you joined the military. But that's beside the point. Considering how dangerous it is, Fuhrer Grumman has arranged for an official tribunal. He's attempting to place a restraining order on me, to ensure that I can't go near you ever again."
Dramatic tension! Now, I know what you all are thinking. 'Grumman would never be that cold to Ed and Riza!'. Well, yes. He would. He earned his rank, and not by being sentimental. As a career soldier, there's not a doubt in my mind that he's made a lot of hard decisions. This one would probably be less hard for him. He saw Riza's father go mad because of alchemy, and he knows the truth as to why Ed has a metal arm and leg. In his mind, he's protecting his daughter, who might had inherited her father's madness for alchemy, by removing Ed, who is well-known for pushing the limits. Also, if you look carefully, you'll find another reference to the 2003 anime. And to those few noting the lack of Rose in this chapter, I'm giving her a good role in the next chapter so hold off on the flames for a bit. Anyways, I apologize for making ya'll wait so long. My laptop, faithful companion for four years, died on me. It took a week to get the data off of it and then finish the story, not to mention finding the old and slow as hell XP laptop I am now forced to use. Hopefully I can afford a new laptop come tax return time. Double hopefully it'll be Windows 7. I hate 8. And now, review responses!
Fire From Above: I've always imagined Rose to be a rather gullible, but strong-willed woman.
Quinn1989: Ed is indeed a clueless Casanova. It comes from having a proper upbringing and a deep-seated respect (fear) of women. And also, Al being great with alkahestry will play a big part in his soul-based alchemy. It'll be awhile though.
ZakuroU: I'm almost done with the 'training arc'. One or two more chapters and things will get more exciting.
Guest: It does indeed seem like I'm purposely diffusing any possibilities of an Ed/Riza relationship. But in all honesty, it wasn't intentional. After I initially decided against Ed/Riza, I wanted it to be Ed/Rose. And in order for me to allow Rose to ask Ed to dinner, I wanted her to catch Ed alone. And the best opportunity to write this in came after Roy asked Ed to leave his office. It's all coincidence I'm afraid.
And finally, this chapter's shoutout goes to JMLMonkey! He's written a few FMA fics, the one premier among them being Waltzing into Hell! Until next time then, enjoy!