Author's note: (Disclaimer: I do not own either the story of concept of Fullmetal Alchemist)
I think it's for sure-I have finally almost completely mastered, or at least I now understand the concept, of how to correctly edit and format documents :)
Sorry...this is exciting stuff for me. Anyway I know that there is a huge time gap between chapter three and four...I was too lazy to write out her whole year of training so instead I'm going to incorperate snippets of the past year she spent training into the future chapters.
This one seems a bit quick...I didn't have much time to write it. Oh! But another exciting thing- the name Abel means 'Son of spirit that breathes life' in Hebrew, thus his name The Breathing Life Alchemist :D
I found out that Skyla means 'fugitive' in Dutch...I wonder what that means for the future of this story :p
Well, I hope you like this next chapter, thank you for reading!
Love, AL
Never before had I realized how pampered of a life I had led.
I hadn't been rich or spoiled or anything of the sort but it was a simple, comfortable life at that. I had family and friends, we always had a place to stay and warm food to eat...it was a life that shielded me from the true horrors and disciplines of the real world. I'd never given much thought to the ugly side of life…I had been content with what I had and didn't feel the need to think of a life that was worse or better than the one I was living.
Maybe that's why my first month of training was like a cold, stinging slap in the face.
I sighed and looked up at the large, fluffy clouds that were slowly rolling across the pale blue sky.
I felt silly every time I looked back at when I had first arrived in Resembool…even though hardly any time had passed I'd grown up as the true meaning of the world unfolded before my very eyes.
"It's already been a year…" I murmured, mostly to myself. The leaves on the trees were already beginning the transition from vibrant shades of green to the warm, welcoming colors of autumn.
"I know, I can't believe it!" Mischa sat behind me and braided my long blonde hair-apparently just another feature I'd inherited from my father. "You've got to remind me again Sky, why the hell am I doing this? Ugh, I don't belong in the military; I belong in a quaint little salon that's right next to the local florist so that every day when I'm working my husband will come in with a fresh bouquet of beautiful flowers…"
I laughed and tilted my head back to make it easier for her as she braided, "After he's finished his time at his office where he makes oodles of money selling ideas to corporate business men,"
"Of course," I could hear the smile in her girly voice as she spoke. I knew this fantasy of hers by heart.
"Ah, and once I've finished cutting and trimming and styling hair for the evening and all of my customers have gone, he'll sweep me off my feet and take me upstairs to the bedroom where we will make sweet lo-"
"You do know I'm still here, right?"
We both turned our heads slowly, surprised to see Rolland lying in the grass with his eyes closed, his mouth twitching in annoyance. In all honesty I'd completely forgotten about him.
"Don't be jealous," Mischa shrugged and then proceeded to unbraid my hair.
"Yes," Rolland began, covering his eyes with his forearm, "that's what I'm jealous of, having hot se-"
"What's the point of playing with my hair when you're only going to unbraid it afterward?" I interrupted him, knowing that it would irritate him even more.
"I like playing with it, it's so long!" I found it slightly disturbing how excited Mischa could get over another person's hair.
Mischa's father had been my teacher for the past eleven months or so. At first we were wary of each other, but as the long, painful months raged on we became closer than anyone could possibly imagine. For the first time in my life I had found my other half. When she was through playing with my hair she scooted forward so that she could sit right beside me.
Her wispy, chocolate-colored hair tickled my bare shoulders as she rested her head against me.
"Don't sweat it about the military; we won't be in it for long…only until we both get what we need, remember?"
She nodded.
"We'll always have each other's backs, right?"
She smiled warmly and linked her arm through mine, "Right."
"Ugh, I feel like a third wheel…" Rolland muttered and rolled onto his stomach.
"You're just mad because I get to cuddle with your girlfriend," Mischa stuck her tongue out at him playfully and snuggled into my shoulder.
"Shut up," he grumbled and buried his head in his arms. I exchanged a curious glance with Mischa, who shrugged it off and began talking about the military once again.
In a matter of days we would be catching a train to Central City to begin our careers as faithful dogs of the military.
Mischa continued to ramble on, now talking excitedly about my upcoming alchemy assessment.
I nodded patiently as she spoke yet my mind wandered to other places.
What's eating him?
I longed to find out the answer to that question but no matter how many times I tried, my lips remained sealed.
"I would want my name to something pretty and light, but not too girly to the point where people wouldn't take me seriously, you know? Like 'The Opal Heart Alchemist'." Mischa smiled as she thought up names for herself.
Rolland raised his eyebrows, "How does someone even earn a name like that?"
I stared out the window and watched the countryside blur by as the two began their routine bickering. The rural meadows and farmland were slowly fading and the city rested just beyond the horizon. We would be in Central in a matter of minutes.
I let my thoughts stray to my alchemy assessment, the very thing I'd been hiding away from for quite some time, although I didn't let others know this. The written exam would be easy beyond belief; it was the physical exam that caused me to worry.
A memory popped into my head as I thought of these things…
I sat in my teacher's workshop, idly playing with a piece of string that had fallen off of my tank top. He instructed me to show him what I knew of alchemy, and what I was able to accomplish.
Determined, I got up onto my knees and clapped my hands together in order to circulate the energy within me. I pressed the palms of my hands down against his cold, dusty, wood floor and carved out a small wooden bird.
Having set his expectations extremely low, his large jaw dropped as he stared at the simple sparrow. The incredulous expression on his face had confused me at first but then I remembered my lack of a transmutation circle. I had discovered I didn't need one when practicing with Roy Mustang.
"So you've seen it, eh?" My teacher asked, rubbing the stubble that was beginning to form on his tanned chin.
"Seen what sir?"
"The truth."
"Skyla?"
I blinked in confusion. Mischa's voice had brought me back out of my own memories. It took me a few seconds but then I realized we were no longer moving. The train had stopped.
"This is it," She began, her voice full of excitement, "we've made it Central."
And so we had.
I couldn't see it. I stared into the mirror, desperately trying to see what they saw, but I just couldn't find it.
"You have such kind eyes…"
It's what the little old lady at the train station says, or the driver who takes us to the headquarters in Central City while all of the older state alchemists or military officials I had been introduced to would say something along the lines of,
"I've seen those eyes before…"
They're thinking of the eyes of my father. But as I stared into the slate of reflective glass I couldn't see a damn thing. I only saw my eyes, wide and hazel with a golden undertone. They were just eyes…
They weren't kind, they were plain. If eyes are supposed to be a reflection of one's heart what did this say of me? I didn't see my father's eyes; I saw my eyes staring back at me and no one else's.
My chest tightened as I struggled to breathe. This wasn't like me. I was cool and collected but now, all thoughts of calm had been thrown out the window.
"Skyla?" Rolland rapped his knuckles lightly against the bathroom door. I could hear him sigh.
"I know you're in there."
I remained silent and tightly gripped the edges of the porcelain sink.
"Okay, fine, what's going on?"
"I'm not doing the assessment," I called back, and twisted the lock on the door. There was a pause and then he tried twisting the door knob, but found that it wouldn't turn.
"Damnit, that thing was unlocked this whole time? Ugh, Skyla!" he knocked again, this time louder.
"The assessment is starting soon, all alchemists who don't make it to the starting station in five minutes will be automatically cut, why aren't you going to do it?"
The answer had been in me since the day Mischa first started talking about the assessment, but I had been too stubborn to let it. It raged within me until I could no longer control my feelings.
"Skyla, I swear I'll arrest you right now if you don't give me a freaking answer!"
I took a deep breath, "because I'm not him!" I had yelled it at him a bit louder than I had intended to and I could hear people stop and mutter on the other side of the door.
Rolland let out a heavy sigh, "Unlock the door."
With shaky hands I did so, and watched as he swung it open. "Everyone keeps comparing me to my father," I whispered, feeling like a child again as I diverted my eyes away from his empathetic gaze.
I expected something soft and comforting to come from him, but instead he smacked the side of my head with a newspaper he had rolled up in his hand. My state of patheticness was slowly evaporating to be replaced by a slowly developing sense of irritation, "What the hell was that for?"
"Go out there and show them that you aren't Edward."
I blinked in surprise. I had seen the assessment as way for me to live up to my father's skill rather than form a reputation of my own.
"Thanks," I smiled and pushed passed him. I didn't look behind me as I ran to the starting platform, my heart pounding in my chest, but a familiar feeling in my gut told me that he'd be watching as I stepped out onto the performance field.
"I heard that the Fürer is here…" A young, raven-haired woman whom I placed to be about twenty murmured whispered to the nervous fellow next to me as the announcer explained the rules and regulations of the assessment. "Yeah, I saw him myself…I'm surprised he could make it in his present condition," the man nodded solemnly.
I tried listening to both their conversation and the announcer, hearing snippets coming from both sides.
We would be set out onto the field in groups of three and try to show off our skills however we thought best by using the materials that had been supplied for us.
"You three," the large, well-muscled man pointed to a young boy, the Chatty Cathy, and the man she'd been talking to, "you will be the first ones out."
I stepped to the side, which allowed the three easy access to the expansive field in which we would be performing. I slowed my breathing, thankful that I would be able to watch what others would be doing first before giving it a go.
The raven-haired woman was drawing out her transmutation circle in the dirt while the red-haired man huddled secretively at a far end of the field. "What's he doing?" I turned to my left to see a girl perhaps a few years older than me. I shrugged, "Improvising?"
The girl laughed off my answer as if it were the silliest thing she'd ever heard.
"I heard that he brought his own animals," a boy beside her whispered scandalously, "he's a bioalchemist and he's going to attempt creating a chimera!"
"I didn't think anyone would be able to smuggle their own materials in, let alone animals," I pointed out while trying to get a good look at the man, who was now surrounded by an array of golden light. The girl beside me snickered, "Oh please, of course he can. They love that kind of stuff; it's what makes boring crap like this interesting."
I opened my mouth to speak but didn't get the chance. Someone let out a sharp, terrified scream and all eyes turned to the performance field. A large, mangled creature roared furiously, trying to free itself of the chain that constricted it. The man smiled proudly at his creation and pumped his first in triumph.
The girl casually threw me a dirty look, "I told you."
Murmurs broke out through the crowd as people stared in awe at the strange thing with the torso of a gorilla and what looked to be the distorted head of a male lion. Its back limbs belonged to the lion while the forearms were the muscled, black-haired arms of a gorilla.
The other two alchemists pouted, angered by his marvelous creation. The girl began to furiously transmute, and thousands of ice crystals shot up from the ground, glimmering in the sunlight as they showered down into the grass.
"Lame," the last boy alchemist who stood beside the girl, pretended to hide his comment with a fake cough. I rolled my eyes as the girl giggled, her eyes filled with false amusement.
My eyes widened as I watched the scene play out before me. One of the woman's dazzling ice crystals splintered into sharp slivers, which came crashing down upon the chimera and sliced through its iron chain. Before the alchemist responsible for it could react, the beast leapt into the air and smashed its great fists into the ground as it landed, causing chunks of upturned earth to shoot into the crowd.
Civilians began to run back to their shops and homes, screaming as the thing swung its head in fury. His creator attempted to restrain him once again, but the chimera swept him aside with a massive paw when he tried to draw out a transmutation circle.
"A-Aren't you going to help?" The boy asked the girl incredulously, his young eyes wide with fear. She tossed her dark blonde hair behind her shoulder and shook her head, "Hell no."
The boy glanced from the raging chimera and then to me, finally making up his mind he followed after the other alchemist who was already running towards Headquarters.
"Fine," I sighed and jumped over the make-shift gate that had been constructed to keep civilians a safe distance away from the field. The chimera roared as guns began to fire. I ran down the middle of the field, staying low as the soldiers fired away. Suddenly the chimera froze, whipped around and caught a bullet in its massive paw. It crushed the shell, which fell to the ground in the form of a fine silver dust.
"Holy crap," I muttered, watching as it took out the alchemist who had been shooting out the ice crystals. The woman slid across the field, throwing up dirt as she did.
"Elric!" I didn't turn to see who had called my name; I recognized the Lt. Colonel's voice.
"Stop firing you idiots!" he ordered and then 'pop' of the handguns ceased. The chimera took a swing at me as I got closer. It clipped my side and I winced, but continued on. Pushing off its leathery palm I swung around to kick it in the face. The creature grunted, as if I'd barely made a dent, and seized my wrist, throwing me down. My head smacked against the cold, hard earth and a giant shadow fell over me as the chimera came toward me. It raised its fist above my head. For a brief second it hesitated and I stared into its shimmering red eyes. They were filled with pain.
The chimera let out an enraged, blood-curdling cry and stepped forward as its fist fell through the air, ready to slam down on my fragile human head. I clapped my hands together and rolled to the left, out of the line of danger, before pressing my palms against the cool earth. Rearranging the iron and other metallic compounds within the soil I produced long rows of black metals bars and then a slab for a roof, caging in the chimera.
I coughed as my lungs inhaled the clouds of dust that had been thrown around during the little episode. I could hear footsteps approaching as the soldiers scrambled to regain order. I spit out a mouthful of blood and quickly wiped the corners of my mouth to make sure that no one would know before I turned around breathlessly.
Roy Mustang's shadow fell over my face as he clapped his white-gloved hands together in applause.
Then, when I least expected it, he smacked me across the head. I fell onto my back and muttered, "Why does everyone keep hitting me today?"
The Flame Alchemist smirked, "Good work but next time don't be so reckless, that was a close call."
"Abel," he called out as he turned and began walking away, "we need clean-up over here."
I squeezed my eyes shut and filled my aching lungs. My side throbbed in pain that radiated throughout my body as my chest rose up and down with each sore breathe I took.
Another shadow fell over me, and I hesitantly opened my eyes.
"Well aren't you a mess."
I looked up to see a tall young man in standard military uniform grinning, with his hand held out toward me. I took it and pulled myself up onto unsteady legs.
"Thanks," I smiled wearily. I scrunched my nose as the chimera snorted angrily, spraying a cloud of hot, stinky breath all over my arm. The man laughed, he was taller than I had originally thought, and lean, with shaggy orange-blonde hair.
His pale, leaf-green eyes were filled with amusement. "Abel Wright, the Breathing Life Alchemist."
Breathing life? What an unusual state name…
I quickly shook his hand before slipping mine away and letting it drop to my side, "Skyla Elric, nice to meet you."
His face flickered with surprise when he heard my last name yet he didn't say a thing, instead he turned to the caged chimera with a smile on his face, "Alright my friend, let's see what I can do."
He clapped his hands together and slowly pressed against the iron bars, forcing them slightly apart so that he could reach his arms through. The chimera snorted, it had calmed down but was still frustrated, and watched Abel warily. As he reached out to rest his hand on the chimera's panting hide, I caught a glimpse of the unique transmutation circle that was tattooed in the palm of his hand. Abel closed his eyes, his face full of a deep concentration.
A flash of blinding, bright blue light erupted from the chimera and it let out a pained, pitiful cry. I turned away, not wanting to see the poor, distorted creature as it wriggled to get away.
I don't know how long I stood with my eyes focused on the torn up ground beneath me, maybe three minutes, maybe more. I had spaced out and was brought back to reality by the gasp of an astonished soldier. His mouth hung open foolishly as he stared at the cage, "Y-You're the Breathing Life Alchemist!" The soldier exclaimed, his empty eyes wide with surprise. Abel nodded with a smirk on his face.
"You just separated a chimera, why that's impossible!"
I finally turned to look at what he had done, and sure enough it was no longer a tormented beast. He had made the bars into iron chains and shackled the two animals so that they were constrained and away from one another. The lion was sickly with sunken in eyes and a mangy coat while the gorilla, who was at the prime of his youth, seemed to have very little fight left in his magnificent body.
"Nothing's impossible," I muttered as my lips began to form a smile. I suddenly understood his name. He had given back the freedom and individuality of two helpless creatures…he gave them back their lives.
Abel began chatting up the dumbfounded soldier, explaining that he too, like the man who had originally created the chimera, was a bioalchemist.
"The chimera was poorly constructed so it was fairly easy to…"
I didn't pay attention to the rest of his explanation. I looked around at the soldiers and commanders who scrambled around the destroyed grassy field, trying to reinstate order.
It was dizzying and exciting all at once…I sighed, ignoring the sharp stabbing sensation that ripped through my ragged lungs and the pain that radiated from my side. At the moment I only saw the world before me, and the possibilities that were to come.
Suddenly it didn't matter if I would have to re-take the exam again; I would take it a million times over. I would tolerate another year of ruthless training and even another round with the big, bad chimera.
I found myself slowly growing fonder of the new, strange world that was laid out before me and from that moment on I was determined that I would get my piece of it in the end.