Chapter Six

Where Edward and Sara escape.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist.

"What the devil is going on here?"

Sven Amsel stood in the parlor doorway, his sharp eyes glaring into the room. Edward noticed that the blue irises were cloudy and his pupils were graying. The way his eyes darted aimlessly around the parlor hinted that he could not see very well. Edward shifted, bringing his feet under him so he could rise to his feet. He did not dare make any big movements; he could see that he was in enough trouble as it was at the moment. Sven advanced into the room, Edward tensed. A Nazi pin was clipped the collar of his coat.

"Please just let him play innocent," Sara thought. She squeezed the hem of her blanket nervously, wrapping it around her fingertips and pulling at it roughly. "I do not need to deal with anything else right now."

"Who are you?" Sven demanded, stomping angrily into the parlor. His light eyebrows were knit together and his lips were pressed into a thin line. "What are you doing in my house?"

Behind him, Sara stammered, stumbling amongst her words as she searched for an answer. Edward could hear that she was having difficulty separating two languages; French words seem to slip into her apologies and explanations. He slowly brought his hands around to his back, flexing them as if to tell her to stop talking in her panic. He did not need her to wear herself out trying to make excuses to her father; she was going delirious enough with the fever as it was. Her beryl eyes flashed with frustration at him, but her mouth snapped shut.

Edward held out his hand politely, thinking it best to stick to formalities. "My name is Edward Elric, sir," he introduced himself. "My brother and I have been looking after Sara."

"Where do you come from?" the older man hissed viciously. "Your eyes aren't German."

He was still waiting patiently for Sven to shake his hand. Edward thought the man was lucky he did not want him to touch his automail; that would have gone over much worse. "Can't say," Edward remarked stubbornly. "I have been all over the place, most recently in Munich. This was very fortunate for your daughter."

Sven eyed him cautiously, as if Edward's hand was going to bite him. "What have you done to her, Elric?" he sneered, his icy eyes narrowing. "What's wrong with her?"

"Oh my God," thought Sara. "I did this to myself!" She scowled at her father, glad her face was hidden by Edward.

"She is suffering through what is called acute radiation syndrome," Edward explained, "Well, I suppose it is not so acute anymore. The symptoms are fever, nausea, infection of the blood, and burns across the skin. I have been helping cure her for the past weeks since it would be in her best interest to stay out of the hospital." He dropped his hand slowly, resting it at his side, seeing as Sven had no concern for formalities. "I can promise that I did not do a thing to her."

"Tell me, then, Elric," he spat, emphasizing his name cruelly. "Why are you exposing yourself to such a fatal disease if you just meet Sara a week ago?"

Edward's gaze on the blonde, obviously aged man focused suspiciously. Sven Amsel knew more than he was letting on; he was slightly ashamed that he had not seen through the act sooner. "I never said that it was fatal," said Edward with raised eyebrows.

Sara grinned. Any worry that she had about the confrontation had melted away. She was now more concerned that her own father was trying to lie. It was surprising that she was already recognizing the man as her father, considering that she has known him for only a month and talked to him all of four times.

"I am not dealing with this," Sven announced. "Get out of my house." He pointed to Sara. "I want the whole story."

It was as if Edward had used cleaner to wipe the cloudiness from his eyes. He was going to use his own daughter for the same reason that he originally had. Sven Amsel, the genius chemistry professor that lectured at Munich University, was planning to exploit Saraphine for his own research – most likely, anyway, but there were plenty of other reasons why he would want her information and her knowledge. "I am not leaving," he protested defensively, "and certainly not with Sara on the brink of death."

Sara was momentarily confused. Edward was reading into things, she could tell. Even she was having trouble processing the motives of the two men in the room. She cleared her throat, bringing attention to herself. "No," she interrupted, just as Sven had opened his mouth. "It would be best if Edward leaves. But you should know that I plan on going with him."

Edward glanced down on her, surprised at her declaration. He was seeing numerous knew sides of her now that it was trouble to keep up the act of stubbornness.

"Fine, then," Sven sighed. "In that case, I want you both out of this house by the morning."

Seeing that Sara was struggling to rise from the couch in her condition, Edward slung his arm under hers and assisted her to hobble out of the parlor. He fought back against himself to keep from scowling at the blonde professor as he practically dragged Sara from the room. Based on her reactions, it was clear that Sara had not entirely figured out what her father was up to. But to him, the motivations of Sven Amsel were as clear as his vision. He continued to help Sara shuffle up the staircase and down the hallway towards her room, kept tucked away in the back corner of the manor. She broke away from him stubbornly, glaring, and sat on the edge of the mattress independently. Edward stepped back to look at her, folding his arms under his chest.

"You were stupid to tell him you wanted to come with me," Edward sighed. His brain was running on hyper speed, he could not think his words fast enough, though. His mouth just did not catch up to his mind. "You were stupid to hint that you wanted to leave at all. Do you know why he let you stay here?"

Saraphine knew that she did not think very far into things she had no interest in, and currently she had no interest in her father. "What are you talking about?" she rasped.

"How did your mother die?" he asked suddenly, stepping closer to her curiously.

Her expression was quite easy to read, she did not know that he knew anything about her. "Acute radiation syndrome," she answered, hissing through her words. Sara was matching his snarky attitude. "Just like I am going to. Why? What does it matter?"

"Did you tell Sven this in the letter you wrote to him before arriving in Germany?"

Sara's thoughts trailed back to the beginning of the summer, the time when she had requested to live with her biological father. She remembered the feeling of desperation to leave France, and now the only thing she wanted to do was return. Germany, aside from the Elric brothers and Kerstin, had not been worth it at all. It was not worth skipping her mother's funeral. "Yes," she confirmed. "What are you getting at, Edward?"

He sensed her swelling chagrin with him, especially in her angry eyes. "One last question," he promised. "Before you arrived in Munich, did your father know of your studies and your research thesis when you were experimenting at the University of Paris?"

"I believe that he did, yes," said Sara, nodding. She was beginning to catch on to what he was telling her. Sven was planning to use her for information just like Edward had. She deduced quickly that her father wanted the research for his own chemistry experiments. The gleam in golden irises told her that he was looking for an explanation to her answer. "My mother, since he was sending her money for me, sent him letters to update him on the major events in my life. Surely my studies at the university would have made it his way."

"Sven only wanted your research," Edward spit fiercely through his teeth. "That is why he let you move in with your sister! That is why you are in Germany at all! He wanted to use your knowledge for himself, and most likely the Nazis as well."

Sara was deft to backfire at him. "Just like you did?" she roared, losing control of her tone.

"I was not working for the Nazis!" he reviled, raising his voice. "That is the only reason that he would want to know about your discovery, he wants to help them and the Thule Society open the Gate again!" Edward was pacing now, stomping his feet dramatically. "They invaded my home several years ago, there is nothing stopping them from doing it again."

"Why…why would they attempt that again?" she gulped. She was asking for the sake of hearing the answer, not because she did not know already.

He froze. "There is talk of another World War. Germany needs weapons," Edward replied coldly.

"I just wanted to explore," Sara muttered, overwhelmed with guilt. "I just wanted to research my passion, but the Thule Society was on my tail from the moment after I opened the Gate. I never thought it would happen."

"I believe you," he assured, "but it did more damage than you could have imagined. Surely Sven is going to tell his colleagues about your whereabouts and they will begin searching for you once again."

"He does seem to know a lot about what they plan to do," Sara thought suspiciously. She dismissed it that he was simply acumen, good at reading personalities and other's thoughts. "Fine," she sighed aloud. "In that case, what do you propose we do? The only thing that comes to my mind is to leave the country."

Edward nodded in agreement, his golden bangs falling over his eyes. "I don't see why not. I will tell Alphonse and we can leave by sunrise tomorrow morning."

"Do we have enough time?" Sara questioned, fearing the worst.

"Are you saying we should pick up and leave sooner?" Edward demanded. He had no idea how he could manage that with her radiation sickness slowly them down. She nodded. "As soon as possible?"

She nodded again.

He sighed, contemplating several scenarios. The risks appeared to be at a minimum the sooner they left the manor, especially if it was just going to be the two of them. He could not leave Alphonse if he was fleeing the country, but that was not going to slow him from getting out of the house. "Then we can leave right now."

She did not even think to ask to bring Kerstin with them; Sara had not grown that attached to her sister over the month that she had been in Germany. She was content with packing her things and making it as far as she could with her condition.

"Great," Sara acceded.

"What is going on?" Kerstin exclaimed, dashing from the porch down the hallway. She darted around sharp corners and slid across the newly polished floors until she reached the parlor, only to find her father standing in its doorway. The brightness of a child's eyes on Christmas morning filled her eyes, a smile tugged at her lips. "Dad!"

Despite her excitement, she nearly snapped her mouth shut at the sheer shock of the immaturity of her voice.

Sven, even though he should have been happy to see his daughter again, did not flinch. The hardened look in his eyes did not fade away, even as Kerstin grabbed his shoulders in attempt to bring his attention to her face. It was the emptiness that brought back memories of how he looked after her mother left. Her father was just as good as hollow. The blithe within her flooded away; Kerstin was beginning to panic when Sven did not blink.

"What's wrong?" she asked, her voice merely more than a whisper.

Her father took his time mustering up a calm tone to speak with her. "Your sister has been kidnapped," he announced. "Edward was working against Saraphine the entire time. He plans to turn her in as soon as morning." His blue eyes remained deadened.

Kerstin gasped, mostly for show. She was having an obvious trouble processing and believing the story, both she and her sister had come to trust Edward and Alphonse. She bit her lip, studying her father's eyes discretely. It was said the eyes were windows to the soul, or at least the inner being, and Kerstin could almost see the devious excuses and plans forming in her father's mind. "No!" she breathed, unsure of what to believe.

"I want you to get out of this manor," he instructed, eyes focusing abruptly on her worried face. Sven honestly considered her expression to be in a real state of panic. "I am going to the police in Munich in the morning. You will be coming with me and staying in your dorms until we can find you another safe, uninfected house for you to stay in."

The young blonde nodded, clasping her hands together in front of her chest. She closed her eyes and began mouthing words towards the ceiling. "Please, whatever is really going on," she prayed, "just let Saraphine be safe. That is more than enough." Kerstin thought her pleading was not unreasonable, she was not asking for her sister to miraculously saved from radiation poisoning and she was not asking for her knowledge to disappear. She just wanted Sara to live a little longer, just until they could figure something out.

"Darling, will you please go to the safe in the basement?" he asked, placing his rough hands protectively on her shoulder. She nodded and dashed off to follow her father's orders.

In the hallway, Kerstin passed Alphonse. He wore a worried look on his face. She had almost forgotten that he was still sitting on the porch. He began asking where his brother was, and she could not fight the swelling sorrow inside of her. Kerstin burst into tears as she ran away from him, hoping that he did not hear her sobs. Alphonse had much better perception skills than his brother, he knew there was trouble. He silently slipped through the hallways and up the staircase, looking for where he was sure he had heard Sara and his brother escape to.

It was a surprise to the younger Elric when he did not hear the bickering between the two echoing down the wooden hallways when he approached the bedroom. Alphonse stood in the doorway, gaping at the scene laid out before him. The comforter on the bed had been ruffled, the drawers had been rummaged through, and the old cases of painkillers that were kept on the dresser had been taken. The window beyond the bed was left wide open. Placed on the nightstand was a small slip of paper, addressed to him.

Alphonse,

Venez nous rencontrer à la cathédrale de Strasbourg dans deux jours à midi.

Saraphine

"Alphonse," he read aloud, lifting the note from the nightstand. Al had to hold the slip of paper a mere inch from his face before he could read in the dim lighting. "Meet us at the cathedral of Strasbourg in two days at noon."

The writing was clearly better than his brother's, more legible by far, and if the French was not a dead giveaway, Alphonse knew Sara wrote it. It was a very good choice, if the language would not confuse Sven or whoever else might have found it before he had, there is also a Strasbourg in Germany. However, there is no cathedral. He bit his lip nervously, wondering how in the world he could make it across the border in two days.

Sven had taken advantage of the moments in which he found himself alone. He stow away into his office, a room that had thankfully remained untouched since his daughters had shared the house alone. He was still able to search through his desk and his bookshelves for the list of important contacts – comprised mostly Nazi officials and close colleagues from the university – without finding anything disturbed. Sven scowled, thinking how lucky it was that the brown-noser Elric did not go on an escapade through the office to look for anything that could occupy his time. He plopped heavily down into the chair behind his desk, taking a moment to sigh and collect his thoughts.

When his mind had been cleared and calmed, Sven threw open the top drawer to his right, scooped up the scraps of paper he kept tucked inside, and slid them out on the desktop like a deck of cards. His fingers danced across the slim pile, searching for the correct business card. Finally, the name Karl Haushofer stood out in bold lettering at the top of one of the cards. He reached for the phone on the wall behind him, gripping the business card in his palm. Sven dialed the number with a quivering hand. He had to get the information out before anyone made any moves. Once again, they found themselves running out of time.

After nearly going insane from listening to the monotonous busy signal, static ran through the phone lines and into Sven's ear. "Hello?" Haushofer sounded like he had just been pulled out of bed; his voice was groggy and slurred in an almost-drunk sort of way.

"Haushofer," Sven sniffed, masking his desperation to send the words across. "It is Amsel. I have news regarding the girl."

"Yes…?"

"She was here, but she was kidnapped before I had the chance to talk to her. We are looking for a man named Edward Elric and his younger brother; they claimed to have been caring for her after she came down with acute radiation syndrome. Whether they kill her or the disease does, we need to hurry before she is out of the picture forever."

"What do you propose that we do, Amsel?" The man on the end of the line had tensed when the name Elric had been spoken. "I guess we have not seen the last of the boy from Shamballa after all," he thought, sneering.

"Send a troop of your finest men to my manor; I am sure they will need to get a little bit of prompting before anyone heads out looking for her."

"Right away." His voice was almost a salute.

Sven hung the telephone back up on its hook, returning to sit in his chair. He wore an overconfident smirk on his face like he had tied up all of the loose knots he could for the time being. He was planning to do whatever he possibly could to track Saraphine down. The Gate was going to be opened again, and this time, they had their payment for it.

SEVERUS SNAPE! That is who Sven so kindly quoted. Unfortunately, I don't own Snape either, so don't go thinking that I do. (Aiame, your answer does not count considering I told you the answer before you posted your review.) A little Harry Potter slid into the fanfiction for you :D

Also, I had a ton of fun writing this chapter. I think I tied up more loose ends than I originally planned too. Sven may be a sleazy bastard that is only going to make brief appearances as an antagonist, but he is fun as hell to write about. And now, the real story gets a kick start!