Fullmetal Alchemist and Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood are owned by Aniplex USA and Hiromu Arakawa.
Fun Fact: Anne is slightly taller than Edward, standing at 5'1. The reason for this is because of Edward having two automail limbs unlike Anne who only has one and the weight having severely stunting his growth. People don't tend to notice the height difference though due to Edward using slightly elevated shoes. He refuses to admit that Anne is taller than him.
"This will be the first time that I will meet an automail mechanic," Armstrong said to his charges, breaking the peaceful silence, "I am quite intrigued by such a job position."
"To be more accurate," Anne said as she gazed at the rolling countryside, "she's sort of a surgeon, a prosthetic harnesser, and an automail tuner. She's an old friend, so she'll make it cheap and do a good job."
"Hmmm. What sort of place is Resembool?"
The short alchemist smiled. "Oh it's an amazing village. There isn't anything special there if that's what you're asking," the smiled dropped, if only slightly, "Ever since the East Area Civil War, interesting stuff just didn't happen there anymore."
She smiled wider as she rested her head against her hand and leaned against the window. "…..It's a really quiet place. There's nothing there, but it has a lot of stuff that the cities are missing," she turned and gave the group of men behind her a big, closed-eye smile.
"But, it's home."
A few hours later, the train stopped at one of the stations along the route to Resembool. The young blond was roused from her light nap when she heard her brother let out a pained groan. She opened her eyes to see Armstrong squishing her brother to the window as he was gazing out of said window.
"Dr. Marcoh!" Armstrong shouted at a passing gentleman with black short hair, traveling cloak, and brief case. "It is I, Alex Louis Armstrong, from Central!" The man gazed and, as if he just remembered a frightening memory- suddenly started to run. He was gone within minutes.
"Do you know him?" her brother asked as he was released, his annoyance changing to one of curiosity.
"Yes. He is a very capable alchemist from an alchemic research agency in Central. He took part in research to use alchemy for medical purposes, but he disappeared after the Civil War."
Anne could feel what her brother wanted to do. Standing up, he said, "Let's stop here."
She began to walk down the aisle before the Major's voice stopped her.
"Oh?" Armstrong said as he too got out of his seat and followed them, Anne's empty coat sleeve flapping against her body as she walked. "Were we not supposed to get off at Resembool?"
Anne turned her head to gaze at the bewildered Major, as Edward and Alphonse walked out of the train. "If that guy researched what you said he did, he might know something about Human Transmutation!"
Once off the train, Anne turned to the bemused conductor and said in a polite tone, "Sorry about the trouble, we're getting off here."
As the two caught with the runaway Elric men, they began asking around about this 'Doctor Marcoh'.
"Excuse me, sir?" Anne asked to a passing couple. "Did happen to see an elderly-looking gentleman pass through here earlier?"
Further ahead of her, she gazed uninterestedly; her brothers and Major Armstrong had asked a few farmers who had stopped for what seemed to be a work break.
"Well, we saw Dr. Mauro pass by in a rush. He seemed to be in a hurry to get home," answered the man as he gazed a little into the distance.
She perked up at this. "Can you tell me where his current place of residence is?"
The woman nodded as she pointed to the far end of the road, "Sure, sweetie. He lives right over there in that stone building, next to the big oak tree."
She turned around and, just as the lady had said, there was a stone building at the end of the dirt road. Well, she couldn't really see it but she saw the smallest flash of blue in the general direction. She quickly faced the couple and made a small bow.
"Thank you very much!" she said sincerely and she turned around and headed to where her brothers were.
"Did you guys find anything?" she asked the group.
"We found out that Dr. Marcoh has gone under a pseudo name. But the farmers did not catch any glimpses of the man today," Armstrong said solemnly.
Anne grinned at this. "Well, the couple I was talking mentioned he passed through here in a hurry to get home. He lives over there," she said as she pointed to the same house the lady had shown her.
"But why did he run away when he saw you, Major?" Edward asked the man as they began in the direction of the small house.
"When the doctor disappeared a few years ago, I heard that some important classified files had also disappeared. There was a rumor that the doctor stole them," the older alchemist explained as they neared the house. "He might have thought we were agents of his agency."
They reached the house and were about to go up the steps when Anne turned around and faced the group of men behind her, and put her hand on her hip, standing with an air of authority.
"This is what we will be doing. Since he knows someone's coming after him, he's probably inside taking safety precautions. I want you all to stand behind the door when it opens so he doesn't see you. I will pretend to be someone looking for treatment. If things go wrong, say he's carrying a weapon; I want Al to quickly disarm him, since he will be the one less likely to be hurt. If he makes a run for it, I want Edward to run after him since he's the fastest out of you three. I want Armstrong to restrain him. Do I make myself clear, Majors?
Armstrong and Edward quickly saluted, "Sir!"
Anne nodded. "Let's go."
She walked up the stone steps and the boys got into position where the door would open. She knocked three times and raised her voice slightly, "Hello? Dr. Mauro? Are you home? I was told to come to you because you were the only doctor in the area and I require your services. Hello…."
Anne knocked on the door one more time- and it opened on its own.
"Hello….?" She called into the dark house as she peered in it.
Ka-click!
Her eyes widened before she screamed and jumped aside, causing the bullet to just miss her and bounce off the ground.
Al quickly got in front of her and shoved the barrel upwards towards the ceiling.
"What do you want? Why did you come here?!"
"Please calm down, doctor," Armstrong said as he raised his left hand. Anne just stood there, trying to calm down her racing heart, as Edward fanned some air unto her face.
"Please just leave me alone!" the doctor begged.
"That's not true," the major said. "Just calm down and listen to what I have to say."
"Then did you come here to silence me by killing me?!"
"Please just release your weapon and hand it to the armo-,"
"I won't be fooled!"
"I SAID TO CALM DOWN!"
"AAHHH!"
The major had grabbed the nearest object, being Edward, and threw him at the hysteric doctor, causing the three Elrics to go "Wah!" in surprise.
Things had settled down in Marcoh's home. After helping Edward get off the older doctor, Armstrong had managed to convince him to allow their group to enter his house to talk to him. They now sat at his table in the center of the room, Alphonse standing from the lack of available seats. The room was big but it felt small from the many medical supplies scattered around the room.
"I couldn't bear to do it…even though it was an order from high command, I couldn't bear to dirty my hands on it…..But I couldn't refuse. It was used as a weapon in the Civil War in the East area. It was a truly terrible battle…Too many innocent bystanders died…"
As Armstrong and the Elrics listened to the doctor's somber words, the tragedy of the incident being explained washed over them all, filling them with sorrow. Anne couldn't help but think of her blond-haired best friend waiting for them at home.
"What I have done are things that cannot be atoned for by just taking my life. Even so, I am acting as a doctor here for as long as I can.
"Just what did you research?" Armstrong asked. "And what documents did you escape with?"
Marcoh raised a hand to his forehead, looking as if the questions pained him. "I made the Philosopher's Stone." Anne gasped and the Elrics' eyes widened.
"The research files and a stone are what I brought with me."
"You have a stone?!" Edward cried.
Anne eyes glazed over at the possibility of having her eyesight back. 'Our search could be over! I could give my brothers back their bodies!'
"Yes," Marcoh answered, then moved over to a chest of drawers, and opened the topmost one, taking something out. He lifted it up for the group to see. Anne lifted her head up. She gasped. The stone was a raging red; it looked as it were on fire, as it was….alive.
"This is it."
The man was holding a very small, cylindrical bottle with a cork sealing it shut. Inside the bottle was a red liquid.
"A 'stone', isn't that a...Uhhh!" the doctor poured the 'liquid' onto the table, where it formed into a circular solid. Armstrong, Edward and Anne leaned forward to examine the object. To Anne, the object was still flaming red inside its shape.
"Ed, it's on fire."
Everyone stared at Anne as if she'd gone insane.
"I can see the life inside it. It's a truly magnificent sight." She whispered at the last sentence. Marcoh was sweating just enough that it wasn't noticeable.
"'The Philosopher's Stone', 'The Celestial Stone', 'The Great Elixir', 'The Red Tincture', 'The Fifth Element," Marcoh watched as the oldest Elric prodded the stone a few times and as his twin watched in fascination. "Just as the Philosopher's Stones have several names, their shapes are not limited to that of stones," the former state alchemist explained.
"However, they remained experimental creations up until the end. Imperfect objects that will eventually reach their limitations and become unusable," much to the Elrics' disappointment, Marcoh guided he stone back inside its bottle. "And yet, they were used secretly during the Civil War, and their overwhelming power was demonstrated."
'Imperfect… I see…using them too much could have serious consequences….Just like what happened to that priest back in Liore,' Anne thought, before a grin crossed her features. 'But with enough research, I know one can make a perfect one!'
The twins placed their hands on the table simultaneously, and stood up and enthusiastically asked, "Dr. Marcoh, can show me the research files you took!" They both stopped though and stared at each other when they realized what they have just done.
"What?!" the alchemist said in surprise at the sudden double request.
"That…was weird…." Armstrong whispered to Alphonse.
"You get you used to it," he whispered back.
Marcoh turned to Armstrong, "Major Armstrong, who are these children?"
"State Alchemists."
The doctor looked pained once again. "And now even children….young children such as yourself…you were probably lured in by its privileges, such as to obtain enormous research funding. What foolishness! After the Civil War, how many practitioners do you think there were that couldn't bear to remain a human weapon and relinquished their licenses!? And yet you still…"
Anne's only hand balled into fist on her lap. Edward began to defend their choices but stopped as Anne's voice broke though the tense silence. "I know it was a stupid choice. But…" she raised her hand to her empty shoulder port. "Until I accomplish my goal, I will continue to blindly walk down this path, for however long it takes!"
"I see….
"So…..you ignored the ban? I am surprised. I didn't believe it possible to successfully transmute the soul of a person…You might be able to create a perfect Philosopher's Stone."
"Then..!" Anne responded with a hopeful smile.
"I cannot show you the files!" the man said sternly.
The smile quickly faded. "But….Why!?"
"This is the end of the discussion. Go home. I cannot give you the stone for something as minor as restoring your bodies!"
"MINOR!?" the twins shouted in anger.
"Doctor, that isn't fair!" Armstrong added sadly.
Marcoh walked away from the table, his back to his visitors. "It is better if you didn't see it. That's the research of the Devil. Once you know about it, you will face Hell itself."
"I'VE ALREADY BEEN THROUGH HELL!" Anne shouted, near tears, as the images of blood and deformed bodies flashed though her mind. She stormed out of the room and slammed the front door on her way out.
"Why didn't you just take the stone from him?"
Anne found herself on a bench waiting for the train that would take them to Resembool. They boys had caught up with her not long after she left. She had wanted to take the stone, but in a rush of negative feelings she remembered the happy and healthy townspeople she had passed in her rage.
"I wanted to…..but like my mother before me…..I can't bear the sight of those happy people turning into one of sadness and despair," she said, staring blindly to the sky above.
"When I was born, my parents didn't expect me. They believed that Ed was to be their first child. They were surprised, however, when I came out after him. Though they were surprised at how God had given them another child, they deemed it appropriate to name me Anne, as 'he has favored me' [1]. Though you can laugh at the irony, I still try to see my blindness and missing limb in a positive light. I wouldn't want anybody else to suffer as I did."
"I remember that story," Ed said with a soft laugh, "Mom named me Edward because of its meaning. I was supposed to be a 'guardian' [2] to God's favored child."
"So taking the stone would take away this town's happiness. And I refuse to do that." Anne stated.
"Oh yeah, Major," Ed turned toward towards the man next to him, "are you fine with this too? You didn't report anything to Central about Dr. Marcoh."
"The man I met today was only a town doctor called Mauro."
The blonde twins smiled at each other, but their faces still held disappointment. "Gonna have to start from scratch again. Man, this is a really long road." Ed said sadly.
"Hey!"
The group turned their heads in the direction of the shout, the entrance of the station. Dr. Marcoh walked up to them.
"I've thought about it, and…" the former State Alchemist held out an envelope, which confused the Elrics' but Edward took. "…..this is the place where the research files are hidden. Look at this if you won't regret knowing the truth. Maybe you'll uncover the truth behind truths."
"Thank you, Dr. Marcoh." Anne said.
"No, I've said too much." The doctor stated, shaking his head
The Elrics' bowed and the Strong Arm Alchemist saluted in tears.
As he walked away from the group, Marcoh waved, "I pray one day you'll restore you're bodies."
The National Central Library
1st branch
-Tim Marcoh
"So he 'hid a tree in a forest'," the Strong Arm Alchemist said. "The amount of books within that library is staggering."
"There is a clue about the stone there!" Edward said happily.
"Nii-san, this road isn't a dead end!" Alphonse cheered.
"No, it really isn't," Anne said as a smile broke through her somber look.
Pinako walked down the stairs leading to her home after dealing with a customer and lit up her smoking pipe. Suddenly, Den stood up and began to bark towards the direction of the road.
"Hm? What's wrong Den?" the automail engineer asked her pet. The canine continued to bark as a two familiar head of golden-blonde hair walked in their direction.
"Oh, they've come back," Pinako said. She turned back to the house and called, "Winry! We've got guests!"
In her room, the hard-working teenager looked up at the sound of her grandmother's voice. She put down the tools that she had been using to work on an automail part, and adjusted her green bandanna.
Back outside, Pinako was observing her 'guests', which were none other than the Elrics (along with Armstrong) while Den licked Edward's face in greeting. Anne laughed and stared at the image of her 'grandmother' figure.
"Hi Granny Pinako. I need your help again!" she said with a smile.
"I can see that. You're sleeve's flappin' in the wind." She said.
"This is Major Armstrong," she said pointing to the huge man behind her. "He was our escort here."
"Escort?" Pinako questioned.
"Hahaha, it's a long story, Granny." She said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.
"You're hair's shorter too. You look like your brother did when he was little." She said trying to meet eyes with the young girl in front of her.
"Uhhh well….. Major! This is Granny Pinako!" she said changing the subject.
"Pleased to meet you Pinako Rockbell," Armstrong said. She turned back towards Edward this time. "Ed got small."
The boy exploded into another rant. "WHAT DID YOU SAY, MINI-HAG!?
"OH YEAH, ULTRA SQUIRT!"
"MIDGET HAG!"
"MICRO SQUIRT!"
"FLEA-SIZED HAG!"
Winry sighed as she padded out onto her balcony. She unzipped the top of her jumpsuit and tied it around her waist, securing the sleeves in a knot at the front. The black and white sports bra was sticking to her skin after the many hours of work. Along with the light-pink colored jumpsuit, she wore a pair of tan slip-on-sandals on her feet.
"That idiot. Barely home five minutes and already making a fuss!" she said to herself as he came to a stop. "Hey Ed!"
Before he could react to the call, a large, silver wrench came flying and spinning and smacked him on his head. The boy gave a yelp of pain and fell to the ground with a thud.
"Only five minutes and you're already becoming a pain!" Winry shouted at her 'best friend'.
After a few dazed, painful moments, the Fullmetal Alchemist rose into a sitting position, rubbing the painful lump on her head.
"WINRY, YOU JACKASS! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME!?"
"HAHAHA! Welcome home!" she said happily.
"Yeah…" Anne had to chuckle at her dense brother. If he couldn't figure out Winry's feelings, than no one will ever help him. And he would receive many wrenches to the head in the near future.
A little later, everyone had settled in the house.
"WHAAA!"
Winry's jaw was hanging open, her hands falling to her sides at the sight of her best friend in her spaghetti-strap tank top, jeans and knee-high boots, sitting on the couch with a cup of hot chocolate on one hand and a missing arm.
"I'm sorry about it getting all busted up," Anne said, taking a gulp from the mug Pinako had given her. "That's why I didn't tell you on the phone."
"'Busted up'?!" Winry said, rounding on her best friend. "Just what were you using that first-class automail that I had so painstakingly made?!"
Anne took another sip from her mug. "I was fighting a serial killer who mistook me for Ed in the pouring rain. HE was the one who smashed it into little pieces, not me."
Winry swooned slightly before another wrench met Edward's head, who was sitting identically-clothed next to her on the couch with a mug of tea instead.
"You guys are always getting into trouble! You guys need to be more careful!" She mother-henned.
"Just be glad that it wasn't all of us, Winry and be done with it," Anne said sourly.
Later on, after a few more arguments between the blondes, Winry and Pinako started their work on Anne. As was custom when receiving new automail, Anne had changed into a thin-strapped top and a pair of shorts for easier access to the limbs and comfort for the patient, along with Edward. Edward's faced soured when Pinako had told him that he needed to be checked as well and needed to undress.
"So, you want to go to Central as soon as possible to get the files on the Philosopher's Stone?" Pinako asked as she examined Edward's automail leg and compared it to her flesh one while Winry was examined Anne. "Sounds like you're making progress."
"Yeah," the Fullmetal Alchemist replied.
"Right, it's not just the arm you'll need," the old mechanic said, "Your leg's going to need some adjusting."
"Oh my, you've gotten bigger," Winry said with a smirk from Anne's left side. "The last time we measured you, you were-,"
"Shut up!" the alchemist cried. "I grew, so that's what counts!"
Pinako ignored the two as she continued her examination.
"We can still use the base of the leg and arm for Ed, but we'll have to start over from scratch on Anne's arm," the bespectacled woman explained.
"So about a week?" the Anne said rubbing her chin with her only arm.
"If it was just Ed's limbs it would take three days tops, but since your arm has to be made from scratch we need more time. Don't worry about it and enjoy yourselves."
"But we need-," Edward's sentence caught as Anne slapped her hand over his mouth, a shiny wrench tightly held in her hand.
"Thanks a lot Granny! We'll stay. Right, Edward?" Anne said, spinning the wrench in front of her older brother.
"Yeah, n-no problem," Edward answered.
"Good," the old woman said. She carefully unscrewed Edward's automail leg, and handed it to Winry who hauled it over her shoulder, and unscrewed his arm as well. She then attached another leg, rather lesser quality one, in its stead, leaving him without an arm. "You'll have to wear this."
The oldest Elric flexed the limb, then cautiously stood up and wobbled as he tried to take a step forward. Anne quickly went to help her brother balance himself on his new temporary leg. "It's pretty hard to walk with a leg I'm not used to."
The younger Rockbell was not listening. "After carving, there's assembling, adjusting, connecting and finishing," she muttered to herself, counting the processes off on her free hand. "Ack, this is going to take all night."
"Sorry for asking you to do so much, Winry," Anne apologized.
"Ah, it's Okay," Winry replied, "You want to go to Central as soon as possible right? So shouldn't I do as much as I can?"
"Yeah, but…"
"Cause in exchange, I'll be getting oodles of cash from you right away!" As the blond girl said this, she slapped Anne's shoulder playfully, forgetting that without her automail she weighed a lot less, and instead ended knocking her into Edward and both of them crashed onto the floor in a heap of golden hair and limbs.
"Oops," she said immediately, "I forgot you weigh a lot less without your arm."
The twins refrained from another shout of anger.
A/N: Hahaahahaha I finished it! FINALLY! Kami I'm exhausted. Well, hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Edward's reactions will forever be entertaining to write.
Don't forget to Read and Review!
~Natsu