Well, the third installment. I guess my update times aren't very efficient since in America it's probably around 8 p.m. but here where I live it's 8 in the morning so… it would be more efficient to update at night. Either way I was itching to post this chapter since the morning so here it is!
Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist does not belong to me, so does many of the characters that I use in this fanfic. I do not gain anything from this and am only doing this for my own entertainment.
Chapter 3: Under the Mask
Dao heaved a sign when finished clearing the table, the young boy ate plenty and even asked for seconds and thirds from her.
She showed him to his room later on in the night and she swore after she closed the door she have already heard slight snoring from it. A small giggle escaped her lips, she have never thought it would come to this.
When she had accepted the letter from the emperor she had been wondering what was going on, it wasn't to her surprise that Ling wanted to see the rumored prodigy. Since Ling was the former prodigy after all, and it wasn't a surprise that he was her student.
After finishing clearing the table Dao climbed up the stairs and stumbled onto her bed staring at the white ceiling above her. She was thinking about how to work the situation out, Ling isn't going to come for a few months but then again it would be the chance to learn more about her student.
Shoving the thought off, she closed her eyes, and within minutes fell asleep.
Jin awoke in a state of confusion. It wasn't the fact that he was in a proper room and that he wasn't surrounded in the walls of books, it was the fact that there was actually breakfast wafting from somewhere outside the room.
Like a hurricane yesterday's event crashed onto him, leaving him with difficulty to breathe, of course, he was in his teacher's house because the emperor requested to meet him. Slipping a plain black shirt on, he wobbled down the stairs, his stomach couldn't wait.
Dao was already cooking breakfast which was simply a pot of rice and small sardines? Whatever they were it was luxury to Jin, for the first time he doesn't need to eat rabbits, and gut them at that.
It was a rather pleasant day as Dao make the table for two people; it was a strange scene for her, normally with only one set. Then the beloved guest entered the room looking not fully awake yet. Dao needed to suppress a chuckle, the boy looked nothing like the image that was built for him at school.
Jin was in fact, nothing like the school boy or a goody two shoes, he could pass off as a lazy school boy in that moment. Due to only being awake for a few minutes his hair was a mess, in contrast of the tidy low pony-tail it was supposed to be in, at the moment it was let loose spilling over his shoulders and reaching a little lower than the middle of his back. Glasses nowhere to be seen, there were dark bags under his eyes but the bright blue eyes easily covered them up.
"Here's your breakfast," Dao said handing him a bowl of rice with two sardines lining the face of it, along with some chop-sticks. Jin mumbled a polite Thank you and with care ate his breakfast that was one he thought he would never taste ever again; he was really getting sick of rabbits.
"So how was your sleep?" The teacher asked trying to start off a conversation.
Jin shrugged "It was quite pleasant, Lao Shi," he answered politely, he was living off her after all, and it was only manners to do so.
"I see, you fell asleep almost immediately," she said, it was hard to start a conversation, the boy had a very "end of conversation" tone of voice that it was unnerving, she actually planned to change that, if he did he might get some friends that actually don't cower away from him.
"Right, Jin, I would need some help today," she said getting to business; she received a nod saying that he was listening. "My family owns a bookstore and I was wondering if you could help out around there, my parents are having a long time vacation," she said.
"That isn't a problem Lao Shi," he answered, "I would feel bad to live off of you without helping in anything at all,"
Dao breathed a sigh of relief, it was good he didn't question it any further, it would be to her discomfort, and after all she did ignore the fact that her nephew was going to help around the shop too. Of course Dao's plans were to get the boy at least a little bit less like a walking robot, so a company about the same age wouldn't hurt. Besides her Ming was quite excited about meeting a new friend, he was always so social able.
"Now go wash yourself the store will be open around 8, and wear the clothes I have brought for you, I wouldn't want you wearing your school uniform to work," Dao said noticing the child have finished his breakfast.
Jin said another quick thank you a scampered at the stairs feeling a leap of joy. It was always to his liking when the word book was mentioned in front of him. And furthermore he have heard of his teacher's family business before; he always wanted to read the books in the store but because of the price it was hard to afford being in the poor state he was in.
After taking a quick bath he slipped on the cloths that Dao prepared for him. They were the normal clothing for a civilian: a plain T-shirt that is quite wide around the neck, and a pair of khaki pants, also clothed in black, but the rims were dipped in red, his favorite color to begin with. He couldn't stop the tickling smile that reached his lips thinking about how his teacher knows it, maybe it's because of his tendency to use red strings to tie his hair, but it was unlikely.
Calmly walking down the stairs to mask his excitement he caught sight of another boy looking slightly older than him, engaged in a quite serious conversation with his teacher.
"Is something the matter?" he asked breaking the silence, the boy turned to face him, and for some strange reason he stumbled. The boy was wearing a pair of rectangular looking glasses, his hair cut short with strands flying out at the top, green eyes that were kind and humorous.
"Ah, Jin, have you met Meng yet? He will be accompanying you in your line of work," Dao said gesturing at the boy who had his hand held out.
"It's a pleasure really, I have heard plenty lot of you from my sister," Meng said offering a hand, nervously Jin shook it although firmly.
"Meng will probably tell you what to do," Dao said gesturing at the shop that had a way connected by a tunnel. "I'll be coming back in the evening, good luck," and with that she bounded out the door, hopping from roof to roof.
"Jin Lao was it?" Meng asked leading the younger boy towards the book store. "Mind to demonstrate your IQ?"
"You will see when the time comes," Jin answered stiffly, "It isn't something I could turn a button at all times," Meng pursed his lips.
"Look if you're going to welcome customers you need to drop that attitude," Meng said waving a hand around, "That mask, smile more or something,"
"I tend to smile when I am enjoying myself but at the current time I am not," Jin answered slightly annoyed by the overly energetic boy.
"Maybe this will help you…" Meng said digging into his pockets stopping abruptly from their underground walk. He grabbed pieces of paper from his pocket and shoved it at Jin's face. "It's my precious Guan-Yin! Isn't she just beautiful!"
Jin squinted his eyes to get a better look at the picture; it was off a girl around Meng's age with light brown hair and calming dark almost black eyes. Her name fitted her quite ironically. Meng kept producing more pictures shoving it into his face with speed until Jin couldn't keep up with them.
"I see Meng, your girlfriend is indeed very beautiful," Jin said stiffly, trying very hard to not scream in the man's face.
"Everybody says that!" Meng said happily, his face darkened slightly, "But if you touch her…"
"Yes I understand," Jin said calmly not feeling the least scarred by the older boy, "Shall we get going? We are losing time,"
"Let's go then!" Meng said brightly the dark aroma earlier disappearing completely, "I have more pictures at the shop ask if you want to see them," and with that he sprinted into the darkness, footsteps echoing against the cold stone.
Jin heaved a sign; he has never met a person as energetic as that. It reminded him of what he used to be… before that night of course.
The shop was explained in one word: Paradise. Jin wanted to be the customer and grabbed every on book on the shelf, it was his small addiction. Columns of white marble supported the shop with books in every corner.
"Like it?" Meng asked slyly. "Come on I'll give you the official tour, then we'll work on what you could do." Meng grabbed Jin by his wrist and dashed into the store into every corner.
After the "official tour" Jin has already memorized every book on every shelf, he was determined to go back to the history section later.
"Hm, would you like to sort out the books?" Meng asked, before Jin could answer Meng already started on another smart remark "Nah, you're too short for that."
Here's the deal Jin has a problem with the s word, it gets on his nerves. Although he is a fair 165 he's still sensitive about the subject. Of course it was due to his lack of height in his childhood years where he was a mere 135 at the age of 11.
"Don't call me short!" he snapped, "People are just too freaking tall!" he said suppressing from yelling, it wasn't like him to do so.
"Touché," Meng mumbled tapping his chin carefully, "How about the information center?" he asked pointing at the stand near the door where Information was written in Xingese.
"Fine," Jin signed, "Is that all I need to do?" he asked, Meng shrugged.
"I might assign you to something else if you have too much free time," he said "The store's about to open, and ditch those glasses, it makes you look like a stalker,"
Reluctantly Jin took off his glasses and loosened his ponytail, leaving him to not look like a book worm, even if he is one.
The day passed by swiftly, not counting the female customers who were strangely always asking something at the information center of course. Obviously Jin didn't have time to spare, leading somewhere there and grabbing a book here. When the last customer left the shop Jin heaved a heavy sign.
"The ladies seem to like you," Meng mused carrying a stack of purchased books.
"I find them quite annoying," Jin snapped slipping his glasses back on, "That is why I prefer to be in the shadows at school."
Meng dropped the book onto the ground and looked at Jin, interested. "You don't seem to be an ice statue as most people say you are," he pointed out.
"It's one of those rare moments," Jin replied "Next time you see me I'll be an ice cube."
"Loosen up a little bit, maybe that will make you have some friends at school," Meng said "And if they know you're a Lao you would probably rule the school, along with ditching those glasses."
"I'm not interested, in those types of things," Jin said swiftly, it wasn't to his liking having the life that attracts attention.
A silence overcame them before Meng broke it "Ah right, have you seen the new pictures yet?" He asked shoving pictures into Jin's face again. "This was when we gone to the beach, isn't she purely beautiful?" and he rambled until a tick mark appeared on Jin's forehead.
"Yes, she is," he said his voice trying not to shout at the boy, "You are surely very lucky."
"Yep, I'm the luckiest man on earth to have such a goddess to be with me," Meng said continuing on his rambling.
"Meng," Jin muttered quietly "Shut the hell up!" he shouted feeling agitated at the black haired man's rambling about his oh so lovely girlfriend.
"Why so cruel Jin?" Meng asked pouting slightly. Meng didn't fail to notice at the boy's agitation and his eyes flashing a strange color of gold under the thick 3 inches glasses.
"Shut up Hughes!" Jin grumbled before slipping out into the night, and Meng was frozen stiff and unable to move.
With a smirk Meng dialed his sister with a swift movement "Yo, sis," he greeted "You might want to hurry the meeting with the emperor, old habits are returning," there was a silence as Dao did the talking, "Of course he's still agitated about his height, geez Ross this is Edward we're talking about,"
Grumbling all the way Jin kicked a pebble seeing it bouncing on the cobbled stone path. He was never good at expressing any emotions but lately he found it quite difficult, and he was sure it was because of those annoying hormones most teenagers have. "Stupid Hughes as loud as ever," he grumbled then he paused.
What the hell? Hughes? Jin shook his head trying to clear his hallucination with his messed up brain. Must be lacking sleep he thought before shoving his hands into his coat's pockets. "Wonder what's for dinner today?" he asked himself out loud "Hope its soup," and with that thought the boy walked down the street trying to clear his mind.
"You took your time Jin," Dao said as the boy stumbled into the house, "Meng arrived here earlier using the passage did something happen?"
The boy shrugged "I wasn't feeling too well," he answered before taking his seat at the table, "Thank you Lao Shi," he said before digging in into his dinner.
"I thought I told you to lose those glasses," Dao said serving the boy a bowl of soup.
"I did, for the whole day," Jin said politely, "It seems that your female customers are increasing in unusual amounts."
The elder woman giggled, "That is why I told you to lose them Jin," she said starting on her own dinner, "Tell me why you aren't feeling well?"
"I was having weird hallucinations that's all," he answered, "I called Meng a different name and didn't realize it until I was already out on the streets,"
The rest of dinner was spent in silence; Jin excused himself and climbed the stairs. He took a quick hot bath and climbed into the bed he was provided. He shook off his hair and took off his glasses and slumped into the soft pillow that supported his head. He was certainly acting weird, it was since the day he had the fight with Ta, and it wasn't a pleasant experience, apart from the reason he beaten the large boy to a pulp of course. Recalling the name he called Meng he decided he was studying too much of Amestris' military record.
Of course he remembered now, the man's name came from Maes Hughes name's close friend of Roy Mustang and an almost fatherly figure to the Fullmetal Alchemist. Don't ask how he has gotten this information; it would take quite a time to explain it fully.
Blue eyes gazed at the ceiling, deep and in thought. He haven't been doing any research recently, if he could he'll grab all the books from the shop, he'll probably to that sometime later, it wouldn't take him long to finish them anyways.
The moment he closed his eyed s they were plagued with nightmares that seem to disappear from his memories at the sign if the rising sun.
The Sunday was a peaceful one, birds were chirping and there was no sign of movement in the small house hold. That was until a piercing scream exploded into the calm scenario.
"What's going on?!" Dao asked/shouted, bursting into the room.
"Damn it Meng learn to respect one's privacy!" Jin shouted at the older boy who was now on the floor with a rather large bump forming on his head. It was a rare sight that morning, Jin without his glasses and hair let loose, not counting the fact that he was showing some emotion on his face, namely: irritation. And his eyes were dangerously flashing gold switching with blue.
Meng and Dao were talking with each other in a silent conversation before deciding with a final pop quiz for the black haired boy. "That hurts you know Edward?" Meng whined in a way that would score an A in drama class.
"Whatever Hughes that wouldn't kill you," Jin countered looking ignorant his eyes still switching colors like crazy.
There was a silence as Jin processed what he just said; "There it is again!" he exploded.
"What do you mean?" Meng asked, they need to keep this innocent act until the boy meet up with the emperor, then they could explode his brain with the memories.
Jin paused, "I'm sorry, I'm not feeling too well. Please excuse my bad behavior," he said before slipping into the wash room. The two people left in the room also didn't fail to notice the eyes that stopped flickering and returned to its usual blue.
"The boy's going to be in on a shock," Maes mused.
Looking forward to the reviews guys! The last chapter I posted at 10 so a lot of people might already be asleep by then, I'll try to update in the evening if my fingers would move for once. You know, the end of the day is just the time that I want to kick back and relax. ReViEw PlEaSe!