Fullmetal Exorcist – Chapter 12 – A Lost Sister
"As from now on, you will need to be escorted by a Central official on your missions from now on…"
Those words echoed in Chaoji's head. At first he had initially not really respected Allen Walker when they first met, especially when he accused Allen for siding with the Noah when the younger boy decided to help Tyki. His conscience was always knotted with regret when he remembered he had never apologized correctly, because at that time he couldn't forgive Walker. Now he probably didn't have a chance to, since Allen is probably in a dungeon, rotting away like a disappearing light.
And now, he wondered if he himself would fade, too. With a Central official around, he was bound to be showered with derogatory remarks from that person, and to think that the escort would be this teenage boy! Maybe this Edward person, would be a seriously obnoxious little boy that would bug everyone. After all, he only met him for an hour when Lavi was taking him on a tour. He had yet to see this Edward's personality rise.
Krory was feeling the same way. He watched as Ed was trying to talk to Kanda, who was actually beginning to answer his questions. He was surprised just how quickly those two got along, unlike with Allen. However, Kanda, being himself, always remained quiet. Chaoji began to wonder if his prompt to converse with Ed was from Ed's personality, or the samurai's own personality.
They were descending the cold marble steps from the old cathedral that housed Home, and the ferry was waiting to take them to a village in Northern Italy. Krory's face was sullen as they continued to walk down the steps. Kanda was looking up at the sky in annoyance, since he had just come back from a mission just lately. Edward Elric was up in front, not noticing what was going on behind him. He then stopped, and then turned to Chaoji, his eyebrow raised.
"Is something wrong?" He asked politely, alarming Chaoji very much. Krory was slightly bristled.
"N-Nothing," Chaoji shook his head furiously. Ed then frowned.
"If there's anything you need to talk about, you can always ask," Ed smiled and then turned around promptly. Krory sighed. This boy was almost acting as if he were a replacement for Allen Walker. Ever since this teenager and his younger brother and master stepped foot onto the headquarters, the place was a lot more lively than it had ever been. Somehow he hated that fact, and sometimes he was quite happy. But Allen Walker was Allen Walker. No one can replace him. Ed probably was just some kind inspector stopping by, and he'd go away, and Home would be so uneventful and dreary again. Yes. He and Chaoji should give the boy a chance.
"Here's the mission," Komui put on his serious face as he pointed to the country of Italy on the map. "There have been sightings in a small village of a ghost that wanders the graveyard of that village. The abnormalities have been attributed to a man named Majihal. Many people have disappeared because of the ghost, they claim."
Komui's information was met with complete silence before someone stood up.
"Sounds like a hoax," Ed sighed. "But we'll go check it."
"Oh, and take this," Roy tossed small bundle of cloth to Ed, who caught it easily. "You just might need it."
fEd stared dismissively at the cloth package. He knew exactly what was in there, but he dared not question it. Roy always had his reasons, so be it.
The train ride ended quickly, and the four boarded off the train. Immediately, they were caught off guard by a masked man running past them, a gun in hand and a purse in hand. Chaoji's breath hitched as he looked around, and then noticed that Ed had gone. Kanda was taking flank from behind and was rushing away, and Krory followed Kanda. Chaoji had no choice but to follow.
They cornered the thug on the streets of the train station, Ed on one side, and the three other Exorcists on the other side. The thug was cornered like a little mouse, and he then pointed his gun at Ed.
"I wouldn't shoot if I were you," Kanda began dangerously, unsheathing his Mugen and about ready to strike. Ed took a deep breath and clapped his hands, producing a fascinating hum to Chaoji's ears. Ed stooped down and slammed the hands to the floor, and a crackle of blue electricity caused poles of concrete to spring form the ground and form a tall cage. The gun was easily disarmed by a pole running past the thug's hand, and he was left hopeless.
"I think you're the one who crawled out of the crib too early," Ed smirked at the man in the cage.
"Foolhardy Exorcists!" The thug smiled, and he exploded to a mere level Two, and before the demon could calculate its next move, Krory and Chaoji went in and destroyed the Akuma before it could do anything. The Akuma exploded and a great deal of dust showered above them. Chaoji looked at Ed again. So this boy had Innocence, too…
"Oh, are you people Exorcists?" A man's voice made them turn around.
"Yes, we are," Krory answered. Usually Krory had to answer most questions whenever on a mission. Chaoji was the inexperienced one, and Kanda tended to be rude and silent. Ed, was probably new to this, but little did Krory and Chaoji know…
"Edward Elric!"
The three Exorcists watched as Ed began to shiver uncontrollably in fear.
"Oh… damn…"
"Edward Elric!!!" A big giant buffy man stomped up to the blonde, looking down, since the height difference was just so easily seen. His mouth was covered by a curly, whiskery blond mustache, his hair almost bald, with single look of curly blond hair sticking up from his head. The man's bright blue eyes were almost girly, and Krory was immediately reminded to Majoha, the woman who served as Anita's right hand woman.
"Hi, Major Armstrong," Ed stuttered, but before he could say anything else, the man pulled the boy into a back-splitting hug, crushing poor Ed. Ed's feet were dangling in the air as he was lifted a foot off the ground.
"You've been gone for so long!!!" Armstrong bellowed. Krory and Chaoji sweatdropped. Wait… was that emotional tears coming from the big man?
"M-Ma-Major…" Ed choked out the few words, and everyone at the station was staring.
"Oh! My apologies, Edward," Armstrong let go, and Ed fell to the floor, gagging and coughing.
"Edward!" A female voice made him jump. "Are you okay?!"
Ed turned around and saw a woman with dark brown hair in a boyish cut and a beauty mark under her left eye.
"Ross!" He cried, and she stopped before him. The woman then looked up at Armstrong.
"Be careful when you give Edward a welcome back."
"That was nothing, really…" Edward sighed. "I get crushed a lot of times…"
"Edward!!" A young man's voice made everyone look over to the next direction, and they saw a man with sandy brown hair.
"Brosh! You're here, too!" Ed chuckled.
"Reporting for duty, sir," Brosh saluted Ed, since Ed was of higher rank, but the boy waved it away. Armstrong began to eye Kanda, and his Exorcist uniform.
"Who are these Exorcist friends?" He asked, and Kanda began to glare once he realized that the big buffy was staring at him.
"These are one of the best from the Order," Ed introduced them. "This is Kanda, this is Chaoji, and here's Krory."
"Oh!!" Armstrong smiled. "It's nice to see you all! I'm so glad to meet you!!!"
"Chief!!!" Ross pushed Armstrong away from the nervous Exorcists. "Don't go hugging the Chief!"
Kanda then raised an eyebrow. "So you three Finders are part of the Silver Shield, too?"
"Absolutely!" Ross showed her uniform under her black longcoat. The uniform was a navy blue version of the Exorcist uniform, just that instead of gold, there was silver. The crest of the Black Order was different, though, since there was a lion that was inscribed under the cross.
"Where's the outpost for the Shield here?" Kanda then continued to ask.
"We're well on our way." Brosh began. "Let's get going, shall we?"
"Edward," Kanda asked gruffly. "Who are these people?"
"Oh, right," Ed smiled. "Armstrong here is one of Master's subordinates back at Central. Brosh and Ross here are mine. I don't have as much as Master does, though. I'm kinda new at office life."
Kanda tilted his head slightly. The outpost for the Silver Shield here was almost the same as the one he and Al had visited, but this one had more navy blue and silver tapestry than the first one. Brosh was looking in Kanda's direction and grinned as if he read the samurai's mind.
"Yeah…" He said outwardly. "This base is a bit older than most of the others in Europe. Edward and Alphonse had assisted in the construction of this very base. It used to be a small village, but ever since this base was built, the families of Shield members have moved here to stay close to family. It's now a pretty good booming city. Guess that's all our fault, isn't it?"
Kanda looked at Brosh and then nodded as he continued to follow Ed and the others into the conference room.
"Take your seats," Ross commanded to Chaoji and Krory, and Kanda, too. Normally, they would question her for authority, but since she was an acquaintance of Edward Elric and a Finder from Central's Silver Shield, it was best for them to stay quiet and obey.
Ed took his seat of his own accord and faced Armstrong at the front of the room.
"The briefing, if you please," Ed smiled. Kanda raised an eyebrow. Somehow, Ed seemed to be completely polite to those in the Silver Shield. It was safe to assume that obviously Ed had lived with them for a longer time than with the Order. Goodness! He could compare this shorty to the beansprout we all know. They can be polite gentlemen, mean, nasty teenagers, or fierce fighters whenever they want to be. A man of many faces, one could say.
"Yes, Edward," Armstrong bowed. "Apparently, just recently in the town we are currently in right now, people in the town have reported sightings of a ghost in the form of a woman with dark brown hair and blue eyes. She roams the streets at night, they say. They claim that it is the ghost of a young florist who used to sell blue roses."
"Blue roses?" Chaoji spoke up. "Isn't that impossible?"
"Apparently it's true," Ross answered. "We were checking in on this case before you came, and we visited the said woman's grave here. As a matter of fact, we actually found blue roses growing around the grave."
She placed a fresh rose, and surprisingly, the petals were azure blue. It didn't matter if the lighting in the room could change the perception of color. The rose was actually blue, no doubt about it. Ed eyed the flower a moment, and turned it over, and then looked at Ross.
"You saw a rose plant growing around the grave, or did you just dip this in blue dye?"
"It's the real deal, sir," Ross nodded. "We don't know much about the story, but there should be someone in town who knows."
"The thing we're worried about most," Armstrong continued. "Is the fact that people have been disappearing frequently these days and never come back. I believe the ghost and the vanishings are the work of Innocence and Akuma, respectively. It's about time you boys got here. Otherwise, casualties would be worse."
"Now," Ross caught their attention again. "When I said we'll find someone who knows the story, we'll be visiting him tonight. We met him during our investigations at the cemetery. He seems to be really close to this woman who had passed away."
"His name, Ross," Ed asked. "Can you give me his name?"
"His name is Majahal," said Ross. "He apparently has no surname."
"Then we should get going," Ed got up from his seat. "I'm sure a lot of us want a good night's rest back at the Order really soon. Isn't that right, Kanda?"
Kanda gave a small snort of discontent that Ed actually cared for him, and stalked out of the room. Ed sweatdropped and smiled politely to the baffled Finders.
"That's his way of saying 'Yes,'" Ed explained. "He likes to bottle up his feelings a lot. I hope you guys understand."
"Not to worry," Armstrong looked with understanding. "Isn't Scar like that, too? I'm admired that you can tell the feelings of subordinates and allies alike, Edward."
"Hey, well, what can I say?" Ed smiled. "You can actually learn a few tricks or two from my idiot Master."
Chaoji and Krory were beginning to loosen up around Edward as they watched his loose personality.
"Um… Edward?" Chaoji asked, and Ed looked at him, acknowledging his attention.
"Yes?"
"When do we go?"
Ed reached in the pockets of his jacket and procured a silver watch. "In about five minutes. I'll need Ross, Brosh, and Armstrong prepared to go out."
"Oh," Krory nodded. "Thank you, Edward."
"Call me Ed," the younger boy smiled. "I'm not a big fan of the formal."
He immediately brushed past all of them after Kanda, and Krory was silent, along with Chaoji.
"Surprised?" Armstrong's bold voice alarmed them for a second.
"Y-Yes…" Krory stammered. "Very much."
"Well, Edward tends to do that," Armstrong smiled. "Well, more like he has to. If he doesn't behave, he gets a lively conversation with his brother's teacher Izumi Curtis."
Krory began to wonder what the burly man really meant, but was interrupted by Ross.
"We should get going. First stop is the cemetery."
Chaoji and Krory, as much as they've been to a bunch of cemeteries during their mission, they could never still get over the fact they're walking on land that had dead people under their feet. Ross, Brosh, and Ed were up ahead, one of them holding a lantern in the pitch black night. This time of day scared the two even more.
"Here, look," Maria pointed. "This is the grave we were talking about."
"Indeed," Armstrong nodded.
The marble plaque read an unidentified name Ed could not make out, but he saw… blue roses hanging from the gravestone.
A small crack of a disturbed twig caught everyone's attention, and they spun around to see who it was.
"Who's there!?" Kanda demanded in a rough manner.
"S-Sorry!" A young man's voice timidly replied, and out clambered a young man himself, his cheeks sweaty, and his brown hair in complete disarray.
"What brings you here, Joe?" Brosh asked. Joe sighed and panted.
"I was coming to visit the grave of my friend," He gasped out the answer. "But… I saw you guys and got real nervous. Sorry to scare you."
"You know anyone by the name of Majahal, by any chance?" Ed jumped to the question. Asking a local around here would be a lot helpful…
The man shuddered as he answered the question… "He lives outside town, but… you really don't want to go up there, boys. I've heard this town's become a dangerous place. They say that he raises people from the dead and brings the villagers to them."
The Exorcist's eyes flickered with interest.
"Why does it remind me of the Earl?" Chaoji suggested.
"Krory, Brosh, and Armstrong," Ed began his command. "You guys patrol the town for anything suspicious. Should you find anything, contact me by golem. Or send a shout, just do something, kay? Meanwhile, Kanda, Chaoji, and Ross will be off to see Majahal. I think a little visit will do, and if we need anything, we'll call for you guys. Understood?"
"Yes, Major!" Brosh and Ross saluted in a military way, and Armstrong nodded in satisfaction.
"Let's get going." Ed smiled, and he turned on his heel followed by the people he designated to come with him. They picked up a carriage on the way there, too.
The Exorcists were wearing black coats, save for Ed, of course, who always wore his trademark red longcoat instead. The cart reached the a small countryside road before coming to a complete stop. Immediately after, they all hopped off, one by one.
"Are you all right, Ed?" Chaoji asked, and Ed was massaging his poor back.
"Yeah, I'm just peachy," Ed's cranky self sarcastically replied. "I just love turbulent carriage rides and seats as soft as granite. Hey, Kanda, didn't it bother you at all?"
"No," Kanda answered flatly and walked on ahead. Ed sighed in frustration that the aching pain wouldn't go away, and then stopped short. He turned and saw several picnic tables empty in the clearing of trees, but set with newly lit candles.
"Well, would you look at that?" Ed exclaimed. "Someone's thrown a party, with torches and everything, but they forgot to invite us."
"We haven't been around here for three months," Ross clued in, tugging on her hood. "And-"
A big crackled of bright yellow fireworks erupted behind the four of them, and Ed and Chaoji began to shudder at the sound.
"That one came a bit too close to the town…" A girl's voice came up from behind him. Then a gasped followed. "Hey! You're not supposed to be here!!! This place is off limits. You could get yourself killed!"
Ed clenched his teeth. How many times… Just how many times does he have to deal with angsty children?! Well, that's hypocritical, considering that he is one himself…
Ed turned around with his irritated look on his face.
"… testing in the middle of fireworks for the-"
"Yeah! We've noticed that!!!" Ed snarled, and Kanda didn't turn his face on them just yet. The teenage girl, seventeen, and surprisingly, was dressed up like a boy! Her hair was tucked under her newsboy hat, and she wore green vest over a light green blouse, along with brown pants.
"For the festival." The girl ended her sentence. "And I'm in charge."
She then took a closer look at Ed and sighed. "Let me guess, you're not from these parts, are you?"
Kanda then felt a twinge of discomfort as he was being poked on the side by a young boy who looked up at his angry eyes.
"Who is this person?" The boy asked. "I've never seen some girl who would look so manly…"
The man's hand was slapped away by the angry samurai.
"Quit it!" He snarled. The girl immediately smirked in a way that made everyone see that she was planning something.
"Show 'em how we welcome… strangers…" The cross-dressing girl smirked, and Ed narrowed his eyes. Kanda was getting really ticked off as he was preparing to unsheathe his Mugen. Chaoji and Krory sweatdropped at the former two's temper, and was rushing in when a taller boy, Ed's age, came rushing in, and pouncing on Ed. Ed's eyes quickly sharpened as he grabbed the jumping boy by the scruff of the neck and pulled him into a neck lock, and simultaneously, taking out an item from the package Roy had given him, the familiarly angled knife.
"You should be careful when you get sassy with strangers…" Ed began in a dangerous voice, while Kanda fully drawn his sword before them, causing the children to shiver in fear. Chaoji and Ross sweatdropped again. Man… these two boys were just so hard to control sometimes…
"Claire!" Ross began to tighten down on discipline. "Just what do you think you were doing, setting off your friends against an Exorcist? Correct that, two of them?!"
Claire's eyes widened in shock and she began apologetically. "I'm terribly sorry!!!"
"Oh…" Ed slacked his grip and let the boy go. "It's my fault, too… for losing my temper like that… I promise it won't happen again."
Ross sweatdropped again. You always say that!!!
"Well, we need to keep on with the fireworks!" Claire smiled. "And if you're looking for Majahal, he's that way…"
"Who's she?" Krory asked. Armstrong leaned over to answer.
"She's Claire, Majahal's niece."
They stopped before a small cottage, and Ed let his hood slide down for a moment.
"Wow." Ed sighed. "Looks pretty homey to me."
Indeed the small home looked like Ed's short description. A chimney on one side of the roof was billowing towers of smoke from a supposedly crackling fireplace. The glow from that fireplace was illuminating from the curtained windows, fading in and out once in a while. Red shingles dotted the rooftop, and whitewashed walls on the outer layer of the house were the exterior of the house.
Ross took a deep breath as she knocked lightly on the door, and a shuffle of footsteps could be heard. The door opened and an elderly man peered through the small opening made by the door. His eyes seemed to be wearing out from lack of sleep, and his hair was matted brown. His eyes seemed somewhat unfocused and gray, and he wore simplistic attire: a decent pair of pants, a white puffed blouse, and brown vest.
"Sorry to intrude, sir…" Ross smiled warmly, and the man lightened.
"Oh! It's no problem, Ross, dear," He allowed all four of them to step inside. "It must be very cold outside. Please hurry through."
"You must be Majahal, right?" Ed asked. The man nodded to the question as he came in with several cups of tea and an accompanying teapot, all packed on one tray. He gave them each one cup and took the final one for his own as they settled on the large dinner table he had in the spacious living room.
"Majahal…" Ed frowned. "We would like to ask about the Legend of the Blue Rose the folks talk about here…"
Straight and to the point, like Kanda, Chaoji observed. Apparently, Ed had many sides similar to the other Exorcists. A great heart for others, like Lenalee, a steely side, like Kanda, and a resolve to save Akuma from suffering, like Allen.
"Your friends…" Majahal turned to Ross. "They're quite charming… boys like these tend to jump to conclusions, no?"
"Well… um…" Ross was about to answer.
A moderately loud rapping on the door alerted everyone as Majahal calmly got off of his seat and opened the front door. An elderly woman, just as old as he was, was standing before him, her hair surprisingly still brown, with some graying in it, but her face earning wrinkles from old age.
"Hello, Mr. Majahal," She smiled tenderly and held out a small jar of glass. "I've made a batch of rose jam and had some extra, so perhaps I thought you might enjoy."
Majahal smiled back. "Of course, you spoil me, Lenny. You're too kind."
She tucked her head in a small nod, laughing nervously. "Not at all…"
Majahal looked up at her with doubtful eyes, but kept the kind smile on. "Was there something else, then?"
"N-No…" was the answer she stammered. "I'm sorry. Excuse me…"
"Well, all right. Take care."
The door closed softly, and Ed began to look in a strange way at the woman who departed the steps and off down the hill.
"So…" Chaoji began, finding his inner confidence he earned from his first missions long ago. "What is it about this festival that's taking place here?"
"Ah," Majahal smiled. "It's called the Requiem Festival. It's when the spirits of the dead are sent up on fireworks to be returned to heaven to where they belong."
"And what about these rumors we heard about the dead coming back to life…" Kanda added.
"Yeah," Ed followed. "And as murderous zombies on a bloody rampage? Did that have anything to do with this festival?"
Majahal chuckled. "Silly rumors of a superstitious town."
Apparently, Majahal seemed to be getting lots and lots of visitors these days, since a gentle rapping on the door came through, and he opened the door again.
"Claire?" Majahal was alarmed by the teenage girl at the door.
"I'm sorry… and…" She noticed the four people inside and glared at Ed and Kanda. "I was going to ask for some help on the fireworks…"
"We can help!" Ross got up from her seat. "Come on boys, let's go."
They followed young Claire along the path back to where they first met. Several boys were crowding around many fireworks, and were trying to get the wiring correct.
"Oh, great!!!" One of them complained. "We can't use this one anymore! This one has a cut wire! We can't fix it!"
"I can." Ed's voice startled them all. The boy frowned.
"Hey… aren't you the boy who tackled Peter an hour ago?"
After that they had a pretty swell time, fixing fireworks and setting them up. Krory then had a small burning question to ask Brosh.
"Why do you address Ed as Major, or Chief?"
Brosh laughed. "You're pretty new about the Silver Shield, aren't you? Well, the Silver Shield is ranked just like the army. By default, all Alchemic Exorcists are at the rank of Major. I'm still a Sergeant, since as Finder, you start at the very bottom, and I mean the very bottom. Roy Mustang is a Colonel. Hughes is Lieutenant Colonel. Hawkeye is Lieutenant… and so on so forth. It's kinda weird, though…"
They watched some boys talking to each other as well, while Claire was directing everyone to jobs and helping along as well.
"Quit chatting and get to work!!" Claire snapped, and she turned to the Exorcists she was helping. "Well, these damn boys are plain jerks sometimes, you just have to deal with them for now."
"Who are you callin' a jerk!" Another boy, but taller, shouted.
"You, idiot!!!" Claire began a heated argument so easily it escalated to oaths and everyone sweatdropping at the sight.
"Well what would you sister think if you swore right now?!"
"Shut up!" Claire shouted at the boy, showing that she broke. "You aren't the one who lost her sister to a ghost freak!!! Shove off, you damn jerk!!!"
She raced off to the rest of the path. Ed sighed before Ross could say anything.
"Okay, I'll go…"
"Hey!! Wait up!!!" Ed was chasing after Claire as she ran her frustration out by running aimlessly. Kanda had no point to go along, but went anyways. Claire tried to spin around, but she immediately tripped off the path and was tumbling down into the river, but Ed's reflexes were better.
He clapped his hands and placed them on the grass, and a trail of ice began to appear down and reach the river, freezing it to the condition where Claire could softly land and not break the ice. She slowly got up, shocked by Ed's ability.
"T-This…" She gasped. "This is your power as an Exorcist?"
"Yeah… Now could you calmly tell us about your sister?" Ed asked. "If you tell us, I'm sure if you could help us solve the mystery around here…"
She nodded and was helped back up by Kanda, surprisingly. She took a seat beside Ed on the grass. Kanda kept himself standing, listening in if necessary.
"It was five months ago when my sister died…" Claire began. "I'm still surprised the Earl was unable to find me… Well, we had no idea how or why… one of the villagers found her when she was asleep, but she wasn't asleep."
Ed listened intently, and so did Kanda.
"And then," Claire added. "On the night of her funeral… My father and I saw a strange woman with long flowing brown hair, and deep brown eyes… My father was so shocked at what he saw, and he whispered, 'Karin.' I asked her who she was, and his answer was that she was a woman who used to live in this town a long time ago before she died… Don't you see? From there it was hard to put it all together… The dead lady came back to life and killed my sister! And others, too! It's all because of her!"
She then turned to Ed and Kanda. "But you're Exorcists, right? You should know about phenomenon like this! Maybe you could help avenge my sister's death! I've begged Majahal to help me, but he kept saying no… What do you say?"
Ed turned back to the frozen river again. "I can see why Majahal wouldn't consider it…"
Kanda nodded in agreement, and Claire gasped as Ed got up to pace.
"The theory's as logical as a ghost's tale," Ed began. "I'm sorry, Claire, but I don't prefer using revenge as a motivations for everything I do. As much as I fight Akuma, you could say one could avenge those whom the Akuma killed, but I don't see it that way… And Majahal… he cares for your safety as your uncle… I'm sure he will not want to give your life up for the Earl to tamper with…"
Claire then stomped her foot. "You're just saying that because you're a bunch of chickens!! Posing as Exorcists when you're really a pipsqueak and a manly girl!"
"Pipsqueak?"
"Girl?"
The two of them immediately got angry.
"Geh!!! Nobody calls me a pipsqueak and gets away with it!!!"
"Let me cut off your head with Mugen here!"
"I won't!! Not even a little girl!!!"
Claire decided that it was fun to play with their minds. "Oh really? Gosh I'm so terrified of the whiny little pipsqueak…"
Crack.
"Shut up and take a good look at yourself, and I'll say it!!!" Ed ranted. "If you're a girl, then why do you look like a paper boy?!"
Oopsie Daisies…
"None of your business!!!" Claire angrily kicked dirt in his face and ran off, leaving him hacking away.
"Damnit!!!" Ed was enraged, and then he fell face down on the ground. "And I though we were supposed to help her!"
A/N: Well, this week, early update, so double chapter again this week, to pick up the pace. Wow! So Kanda looks too OOC. Anyways, if some may have noticed, I am currently not posting anything (or anything cool) on my DeviantArt page for a while, because, I'm testing this hand-drawn animation thing. What I'm trying to animate is something with -Man characters. Whether or not I'll finish it is pending. Details and progress announcements will come later. Maybe possible if I posted on DA some parts of the mini project. And rejoice!! I have decided to never EVER kill Hughes in this story! Even if Envy will appear, we'll have someone else finish the guy up, not Roy... if not Roy... what would you say if I said Allen will be the one to defeat Envy!? With Ed's help, of course... review!