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Gunslinger Alchemist: A Crossover Fanfiction

"The boy has a mechanical body, but he is still an adolescent child…"

Chapter 4: A Broken Heart in my Hands, The Truth Revealed

3. Invitation

Libraries in a sense were created for people who either had no where to go, nothing to do, or just wanted the pleasure to read without being interrupted. The countless surrounding books gave off a somewhat calm comforting security as if all existing wars were having a temporary cease-fire in order to enjoy the gift of reading.

The Social Welfare Society like any other structured organization had a fairly nice sized library filled to the ceiling with books, medical files, Military records, and alchemical essays. The material was up to date and easy to find making it quite useful to the staff. Only authorized card carrying adult members were even allowed to set foot inside as there was just too much information that could be against them. All members needed to obey the rule except one and he was only fifteen years old.

…

The conditioning experiment Edward Elric had come accustom to his weekly visits to the library. It wasn't as if he was forced to come here; it was the exact opposite, actually. The boy had been coming here ever since he recovered from his automail surgery. He had an odd connection with the simple want to read not even the doctors could fully explain. The need to gain alchemic information had always beckoned him as he willingly processed down the path of their teachings. Ed remembered when he was little he and his brother used indulge in the knowledge from their father's notes, often doing all-nighters to finish paragraphs. Even now as he thumbed through an alchemic text, the teenager still strived toward the truth.

By the time hewas twelve, Edward had read over one-fourth of the reference books despite the sheer volume and thickness. And these references weren't just lengthy. The boy was taking in and perfectly understanding college level texts that most gown-ups wouldn't make heads or tails of. His reading comprehension and mathematical breakdown had surpassed conditioning expectations. He was a certified genius all on his own.

As the young protégé turned the page, he turned his gaze from the heavy-set book to stare fondly at stacks of thick reference around him. Whenever he went to the library, he would collect a large number of books, around fifteen to twenty each time, and sit down at the nearest desk. All articles that he didn't finish in his allotted hour Edward would put back and read the next week or borrow to read in his room. The stacks grew and gave the library staff a hard time.

Edward scribbled down a few notes on a spare sheet of notebook paper, shutting the book and putting it back on the third stack, taking the one next in line. He sighed, brushing back a stray hair. There were two uniformed Society employees talking literally behind his back, shielded by the shelves.

"Hey, what's a kid doing here?" the first less-experienced officer questioned, pointing a finger at Edward.

"Dumb ass, he's that conditioning reject from the lab!" the second said roughly. Judging by his voice he seemed to be in his late thirties.

"No fucking way! I heard rumors about a kid doing the killing job for us, but I didn't know he'd be this young!"

"Yeah, scary isn't it? You can't really imagine anyone like him doing a something as heinous as that. He must really be a machine."

Edward slammed the book shut, clenching his teeth as the two men walked away. His right hand balled into a tight fist, unbeknownst to the employees to be artificial. It wasn't uncommon for staff members to gossip about him. The week barely went by before some newbie jackass exclaimed that he was their "little lab rat". Edward usually just ignored it the best he could, keeping his eyes on his own business, but the comparison to him and a machine really shook him up. He sat shaking in disgust outweighing anger, taking several deep breaths to settle himself. His eyes felt remarkably dry and his limbs stiffening. Fixating his gaze to toward the hardwood desk, he muttered under his breath, "So I'm their machine now, huh?"

"Um, Mr. Edward sir, are you alright?" A voice of a young woman snapped the blonde out of his thoughts, forcing him to look at her directly. Her name was Sheska and she worked as the Assistant Library Director at the Society. She had a fairly attractive physique with shoulder length brown hair and a pair of thick glasses taking up the majority of the upper half of her face. Despite her looks and being in her early twenties, she was the type of reclusive person that would prefer books rather than human company. This fact alone often goaded her unfortunate nickname, "Bookworm".

"What? Oh, I'm fine, just a little tired," Edward said in reassurance. He picked up a stack of books, handing it off to Sheska. "Could you do me a really big favor and help me put these back? Thanks a lot."

"Huh? Um, yes sir!" The woman struggled with the weigh of the stack, her arms tensing and her glasses sliding down her nose. Her eyes flicked over the title on the cover of the top book. "'Modern Alchemical Renderings of Anatomy'? You've been reading about human transmutation?" Sheska asked a slight hint of worry in her tone. She'd read the book once, but stopped less than half-way through due to the disturbing subject matter. It was the only book she'd ever read that she didn't finish.

Edward shrugged sheepishly. "I'm just interested in the topic, I guess," he answered. "There's something about it that seems so familiar, like I've tried it before." The alchemist flexed his gloved metal joints. "Maybe that's why I got these in the first place…" he trailed off his sentence.

Sheska fidgeted, biting her lip. The subject of alchemy somehow bringing back someone from the dead scared her deeply, especially since a boy as young as Ed was involved with it. There was talk of sacrificing part of your body as payment and that alone was enough to make her sick.

Just as Edward was about to stand up from the desk and grab another stack of books, he suddenly felt the approaching presence of someone he didn't want to deal with. Sighing, he leaned away bracing for impact as the tall figure strode in.

"Yo, Ed! How's it going, Sheska? You'd never guess what Elicia did!"

Edward barely managed to push the Lt. Colonel's photographs out of his face and out of his personal bubble. "What the hell are you doing here, Hughes? I thought you said you were so swamped in your work you couldn't even move?"

"Ah, don't be so uptight! I'm just here on break. Besides, I wanted to get a chance to deliver the cuteness of my daughter around. She called my office this morning, y'know. She said 'Good luck at work, Daddy!' Isn't that just the manifestation of adorableness?!" Hughes swooned, nuzzling the photo.

The blonde rolled his eyes, shifting back into the seat. "Whatever," Ed replied sighing monotonously and gathering the books. His face again bore a pained expression that the Lt. Colonel picked up almost immediately.

"Sheska, why don't you go take those books back? I'll talk to you later." Hughes sent the librarian away as gracefully and gently as possible, giving her a slight push toward the shelves. Then he casually sat down next to Ed at the desk. "Elicia's birthday is tomorrow. She's gonna be five years old!"

"Good for you," Edward narrowed his eyes.

Hughes leaned over grinning ear to ear. "It'd mean a lot to her if an older kid would join us at her party."

A subtle laugh hitched from the back of Edward's throat. "You're joking, right?" he said backing away and giving the Lt. Colonel an odd look.

Hughes slung his left arm around Edward's shoulder. "Why would I do that? It'll be a lot of fun! Here's a picture of the party dress she'll be wearing."

Ed felt that if the Lt. Colonel's grip wasn't going to choke him, his Military uniform collar would. He forcefully shoved the man off him. "I can't just leave the Society to go to a little kid's birthday party! Besides, I don't feel comfortable barging into your house."

"Don't sweat it! The more the merrier!"

"Definitely not! The Colonel's not going to agree to this!"

"The Colonel's not going to agree to what?"

Edward jumped as he frantically turned to stare at his handler who was standing behind him. " Roy! Perfect timing! I was just inviting Ed here to join in Elicia's special day!" Hughes smiled pointing at the objection of his invitation.

"C'mon Colonel, spare me!" Ed pleaded.

Mustang rubbed his chin in thought. "Isn't the party this Sunday? That's your day off, right?" He smirked enjoying the moment. "Alright, I'll allow it. I'll drive you there and pick you up later on."

"You can not to serious?! I'll be the oldest one there with all the kids half my size!"

"Go ahead, Edward, I'm sure it'll be a lot of fun. You'll have a good time with the Hughes family."

"Great! Now that we've got that settled let's talk about the gift you're getting for my daughter! It should be something cute and cuddly, just like her! Maybe a big stuffed animal-"

Edward groaned wearily as he was dragged by the arm out of library with the Colonel snickering in the background.

This chapter was my most anticipated to do mainly because of Hughes's part. He's so awesome! I also wanted to take a break from the violence and move to a happier plotline. Guns are very scary things and it really makes me sick how a lot of people take them in humorous tones. It hit me really hard when I heard of the Virginia Tech Massacre. I actually thought of stopping the story all together. But don't worry, I'll keep writing for you guys. I also like that I included Sheska, too. She's so funny in the anime. Ed gives her a hard time. XD