A/N: Wow, I can't believe I'm on Chapter 7 already! Well, it just gets more interesting from here on out, so enjoy! ^.^

Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I don't own any rights to any of the animes in this story. If I did, Al would still have his body, Haruhi and Tamaki would freakin' GET TOGETHER ALREADY, and Medusa wouldn't be such a . . . well, you know what I mean.

Chapter 7

The next day, Ed and Al seemed to have a newfound interest in Crona; as soon as they had seen the shy boy that morning, the brothers had stuck by his side whenever they could, trying to get him to discuss his ability to see souls. While Crona was a little taken aback at their sudden enthusiasm, he was also pleased that they were being friendlier with him.

When Crona had refused to talk about his abilities at school (for fear that other people might hear and guess that something was up), Ed, Al, and Tamaki had invited him over to Tamaki's house to discuss his strange talents. After consulting with Medusa (who fervently encouraged him to go), Crona soon found himself sliding into Tamaki's sleek, black limo and heading over to the Host King's house.

"I'm so glad you could come over, Crona!" Tamaki said as the limo started to move. "I've been meaning to invite you over for a while, but I've just been so busy with Ed and Al . . ."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Ed exclaimed, and Al put a hand on his shoulder.

"Brother, calm down . . .," the suit of armor sighed, and Ed crossed his arms and pouted. The Host Club meeting that day had put him in a bad mood, since all of the girls had once again been cooing over how cute he was. Admittedly, he had sort of gotten used to it by this point, but the squeals seemed to have increased after the return of an otaku named Renge. She had been visiting France, but when she returned to Ouran she immediately stared assessing what "type" of Hosts Ed, Al, and Crona were, and just being generally annoying.

"Oh, you know what I meant, Ed," Tamaki said, used to Ed's fits. "Anyway, Crona, as I was saying, there's lots of stuff we can do at my house; we could play a game, or sit under a kotatsu, or I could give you a tour of the garden, or-"

"He's not here to play, Tamaki, he's here to talk about how he can see souls," Ed cut in, and Tamaki's shoulders slumped.

"Oh, right."

"Um, m-maybe you could give me a tour after," Crona suggested, and Tamaki's mood immediately brightened.

"Really?" he asked, and Crona nodded. "Wonderful! Oh, here we are now!"

The limo slowed to a stop and the boys climbed out, Crona marveling at the magnificent mansion. Tamaki led them inside to a sitting room and Ed flopped down on one of the couches like he owned the place. Al sat down next to him, pushing his brother's dirty shoes off of the pristine furniture. Crona sat down awkwardly on the couch across from them, and Tamaki took the chair in-between Crona and the brothers.

"So, Crona," Ed began, putting his hands on his knees and leaning towards Crona intently. "You have to tell us: how can you actually see souls? I mean, what do they look like?"

"Um, well, I've always been able to see them, ever since I was little," Crona told him, gripping his arm nervously. He wasn't quite sure exactly how much to reveal about himself, and he didn't want to accidentally give away too much.

"So you were born with this ability?" Alphonse questioned.

"Yeah, I guess so . . ."

"And what do they look like?" Ed asked eagerly.

"Well, it's kind of a sphere with a little tail on it," Crona tried to explain, but everyone just looked confused. "Uh, maybe I could try and draw it . . ."

"Ah, hold on, I'll be right back!" Tamaki said, jumping up and running out of the room. He appeared a few seconds later with a sketchbook and some pencils and handed them to Crona, who proceeded to do a basic sketch of a circle with a squiggly tail coming out of the top.

"That's what it looks like," Crona said, tapping the drawing. "But I can usually only see this if the person is dead. Normally-"

"What do you mean 'if the person is dead?" Ed interjected. "Can you just go to a cemetery and they'll all be floating above the graves?"

"Well, no, they have to have died recently . . ."

"And you've seen people who've just died?"

Crona was silent, knowing that if he said "yes" he would have to tell them where he'd seen the dead bodies; he knew he couldn't tell them about Ragnarok's unnatural appetite for human souls and that he, Crona, was the one who had to supply them. Ed and Al stared at Crona questioningly until Tamaki spoke up.

"Guys, Crona obviously doesn't want to talk about that right now."

"Sorry if that was a touchy subject," Al apologized. "Anyway, does that mean you usually see something different?"

"Uh, kind of," Crona said cautiously, worried that he was accidentally going to let something slip. He hoped that Ragnarok would speak up if he went too far. "I can see people's soul wavelengths when they're alive, but it just looks like a glowing orb around the person's body. Sometimes, though, if the soul is really strong it will have some distinct marking on it. Once, I met this boy with these stripes-"

He suddenly stopped, snapping his mouth shut. He thought it would probably be best not to mention any encounters with Weapon Meisters to Ed, Al, and Tamaki.

After a moment of expectant silence, Ed sat up and stretched, guessing that he wasn't going to get much more out of Crona at this point.

"Well, that's some talent you got there," he said, grinning at Crona. "So, I'm guessing since you told us about your abilities, you want to know a little about ours, right? About how we can do alchemy, I mean."

"Oh, yes!" Crona exclaimed, not believing that this amazing opportunity had presented itself. The boys raised their eyebrows, surprised at Crona's enthusiasm. Crona shrunk down in his seat.

"I-I mean, if you really want to show me . . ."

The brothers nodded and stood up, saying that it would be best if they went outside so Al wouldn't have to draw a transmutation circle on Tamaki's lovely floors.

"I think you'll be impressed by their skills," Tamaki said to Crona as they walked towards the driveway. "I've seen them do alchemy before, and it's amazing! Ed doesn't even need a transmutation circle!"

"A transmutation circle . . .?" Crona said, not knowing what Tamaki was talking about. Before Tamaki could answer, the group reached the driveway, and Ed produced a piece of chalk from his pocket, which Alphonse promptly took and started to draw with on the black surface. Meanwhile, Ed ran around the side of the house and came back with a piece of firewood, which he then placed in the center of the circle when Al had finished drawing it.

"Alright, Crona, first thing you need to know about how alchemy works: most people need to use a transmutation circle, which is this thing that Al just drew," Ed explained, gesturing to the drawing. Crona tentatively stepped forward to examine it, noticing all of the intricate writing and designs that Alphonse had drawn.

"I personally don't need to use one of these things," Ed continued. "But that's a whole other story. Anyway, so this circle . . . hones your alchemic powers, I guess you could say. That is, it enhances and enables you to control the power that's inside you, if you're an alchemist."

"Yes, but you have to actually be an alchemist for this to work," Al took over, and Ed nodded in agreement. "Some people are born with an affinity for alchemy, while lots of other people aren't."

"I wasn't born with it," Tamaki muttered sourly, and Crona turned to see him pouting. "I tried to do alchemy, but it didn't work . . ."

"Well, you only heard of it a week ago," Ed said, rolling his eyes. "It's no surprise that you can't do it. But whatever, that's beside the point."

"Yeah, Crona, we'll just show you what we can do," Al said. He put raised his hands over the circle but then he paused. "Oh, and there's going to be some light and probably a little smoke given off, but don't be alarmed, okay?" Crona nodded warily, stepping back, and Al placed his hands on the circle.

After a few seconds, a light burst out from beneath his palms and engulfed the chunk of wood, and smoke started to spill out over the circle. Crona's eyes widened and he took a hasty step back, but Tamaki placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's alright," he said reassuringly, grinning. He gestured to the circle. "See?"

Crona glanced back at the circle as the smoke cleared and his eyes widened in surprise. In place of the block of wood, there was now a little wooden horse that could easily fit in the palm of someone's hand. Al picked up the horse and held it out to Crona, who cautiously took it.

"That's just a little taste of what alchemy can do," Ed said as Crona examined the horse. "As long as you have the right materials to start out with, you can make almost anything!"

"This . . . this is amazing," Crona said quietly. The only other type of person he knew who could do something like this was a witch, and he was positive that Ed and Al weren't magical in the least. He would have to tell Medusa about this later; maybe she could use this to her advantage . . .

"Crona, you should try it!" Tamaki said suddenly, startling everyone.

"Tamaki, didn't you hear Al's explanation a few minutes ago?" Ed said, looking at Tamaki like he was an idiot. "You can't just all of a sudden start doing alchemy; you have to be born with the skills. What makes you think Crona can do it?" His brother gave him a chiding look.

"Ed, that was rude!"

"Oh, uh, no offense, Crona," Ed said quickly, but Crona hadn't seemed to notice his comment; he was gazing at the transmutation circle with fascination, wondering if he could actually do alchemy. After all, he was the son of a witch . . . but, then again, he was never really good at anything, so why would he be good at something like this?

"Well, you never know until you try, right, Crona?" Tamaki said, bringing Crona out of his thoughts. Crona looked at the transmutation circle uncertainly.

"Um, I guess . . .," he said. Tamaki placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on, try it!" he urged.

"You know, actually, now that I think about it, Crona just might be able to do alchemy," Ed said, his forehead crinkled in thought. "I mean, he can see souls after all . . . maybe he has some hidden, undiscovered alchemic powers!"

"Come over here, Crona," Al said, gesturing to the spot next to him on the driveway. "I'll help you!"

"Do it!" Ragnarok hissed in the back of Crona's mind. "You never know- you might actually turn out to have a useful talent!"

"Well, okay . . .," Crona said tentatively. He walked over to Alphonse and crouched down next to the armor. Ed waved his hand over the horse Crona placed in the circle and with a crackle of light it returned to its original form- a plain block of wood.

"Alright, Crona, here's how this is going to work," Al said as Ed and Tamaki sat down to watch. "It's really simple; put your hands on the circle and just imagine that block of wood breaking down and then reforming into the shape of, oh . . . let's say a dog this time."

"Aw, come on, Al; give him something simple to start out with!" Ed piped up. "How about a snake or something?"

"A s-snake . . .?" Crona said, his eyes widening as he thought of Medusa.

"Oh, you don't like snakes? Fine, then just stick with a dog. Whatever."

"Okay, a dog it is," Alphonse spoke up before his brother could make any more suggestions. He addressed the pink-haired boy next to him. "So, Crona, just put your hands on the circle and imagine the wood turning into the shape of a dog. If you can do alchemy, it should transform; but if you can't, nothing will happen. Got it?"

"Yeah, I think so," Crona said, and Al nodded and scooted back to give him some more room.

Crona nervously put his hands on the circle, aware of everyone's eyes on him. He stared at the block of wood, envisioning it transforming into a wooden dog, putting all his focus on that image. Nothing happened for a few seconds and Crona was about to give up, when suddenly a huge cloud of light and smoke burst out from his fingertips, actually knocking Ed and Tamaki back a few inches. Crona gasped and stared at the center of the circle, frozen with amazement that something had actually happened.

When the smoke cleared a moment later, a detailed wooden dog was sitting where the block of wood had just been. Gingerly, Crona reached out and picked it up, turning it over in his hands.

"I . . . I did it . . .," he said quietly, still in shock. Ed, Al, and Tamaki crowded around him, all wanting to see what he'd made.

"Wow, look at it, Brother!" Al exclaimed. "That's pretty detailed for a first attempt!"

"Yeah, who knew Crona was an alchemist?" Ed said. He held out his hand. "Can I see it?"

Crona nodded and handed him the dog. Ed took it and walked a few feet away with his brother, marveling at the craftsmanship. Tamaki scooted over next to Crona, who was once again staring at the ground.

"You don't look too happy," Tamaki commented. Crona jumped, startled.

"What? Oh, no, it's just . . . I've never been able to do anything like that before. I don't know how to deal with it," Crona tried to explain. Tamaki noticed that the boy did look a little shaken up. "Every time I've tried to do something like magic- er, alchemy when I wasn't told to, I was punished . . ."

Crona shivered at the memories and Tamaki put a tentative arm around his shoulders. Crona flinched but didn't make any attempt to push him away. Tamaki took this as a good sign that Crona was becoming a little less reserved.

"Your parents must've been very strict, huh?" Tamaki asked, and Crona shook his head ever so slightly.

"My mother . . . I've never really had a father . . .," Crona said, struggling to find the words to explain. He knew he was dangerously close to revealing too much, but Tamaki's comforting arm around his shoulders made Crona feel like spilling his heart out to the blonde, though he didn't know why.

"No father? Oh, you poor boy!" Tamaki exclaimed, a sympathetic expression on his face. "Well, then your mother must be a wonderful woman to raise you all by herself, am I right?"

"Well . . ."

"Hey, you'd better shut your mouth before you let something slip!" Ragnarok snarled in the back of Crona's mind. Crona immediately stopped talking and abruptly pushed Tamaki's arm away. The strange spell Tamaki seemed to have cast instantly vanished and Crona shook his head, wondering what that had been about.

He stood up and Tamaki followed suit, gazing at him worriedly. Tamaki opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything, Ed and Al came over to them.

"What were you guys talking about?" Ed asked, and Crona noticed Tamaki's face immediately brighten.

He sure can hide his emotions fast, Crona thought, impressed that Tamaki was able to make it seem as if he hadn't been concerned about something just a few seconds ago.

"We were talking about Crona's mother," Tamaki informed Edward. Ed frowned at Crona.

"You're mother? What about your dad?" he asked. Crona gripped his arm and stared at the ground.

"I don't have one . . ."

"Just like you two!" Tamaki said, happy that he was able to make a connection between them. Ed rolled his eyes and Al cleared his throat.

"Well, not exactly," Al said kindly. "We do still have a dad-"

"No we don't!"

"- he's just currently missing," Al continued, ignoring his brother's outburst. "But, as you already know, our mother is gone for good."

"Yeah, Crona, at least your mom's still around," Ed said, smiling sadly.

That's not necessarily a good thing, Crona thought, but he didn't dare utter such a thought. Instead, he stayed silent and mentally scolded himself for thinking such a thing.

"Anyway," Ed said after a moment of awkward silence. "That dog you made was amazing, Crona! Really advanced for a first try! How about we work on making something else? Who knows- with training, your alchemic powers might even make it to State Alchemist level!"

"Uh, no, actually, I should probably be getting home," Crona said. Ed and Al seemed disappointed, but they said goodbye anyway. Tamaki offered to lend Crona a limo to get home, but Crona insisted that he could walk. He started to head down the driveway, waving to Ed, Al, and Tamaki until they were out of sight.

As Tamaki's mansion disappeared from sight, Crona wondered what Medusa would say when she learned that he could do alchemy. She would either be happy that he had a useful talent and implement it into her plans, or she would be angry and Crona would certainly get punished. Crona gripped his arm nervously; he would just have to wait and see . . .

A/N: Ooh, another cliffhanger! Heh heh, I'm so evil . . . Anyway, I hope you all liked this chapter! Oh, and I've been trying not to ask this very much, but please review! I'd love to hear your feedback on how you think this story is progressing!