"Sam!"
The younger Winchester lifted his face from the paper he was reading to find the familiar metal form of Alphonse waving at him from a distance. The train-yard was packed with people coming and going from the bustling town of Dublith. This town was not as big nor as excitable as Central, but it definitely held its own grace and charm. The houses were almost crammed together, each perimetered with a white picket fence, seemingly like the fair towns of Italy with each home adjacent to the next. Though the closeness would bring even someone like Sam to a phantom form of claustrophobia, it didn't seem to bother the townspeople at all.
Sam waved Al over, disengaging himself from his comfortable propping against the wall, having been engrossed in the local newspaper. It was more or less instinct rather than simple curiosity that motivated him to read the stories, or at the very least glance over the titles. As a hunter it was essential to check out the local news of whatever town they happened to be staying in, just in case something in their particular category of "strange" was abroad and needed taking care of. A town like Dublith held no such qualms, in fact it was peaceful. Too peaceful for Dean's standards because according to him there was "nothing to do".
On the contrary, they'd had plenty to do.
"Hey Al, long time." Sam reached out to grasp the younger Elric's glove-hand, feeling almost relieved to see him. The last two months hadn't been the easiest, and it was almost nice to see a (somewhat) familiar face that wasn't screwed up with intense concentration and sternness.
"Same to you," Al responded pleasantly, his attitude towards Sam having evolved from cautious curiosity and politeness to that of someone who regarded you as an equal if not a friend. Al still held back on fully trusting Sam to some degree, but the boy was willing to give the Winchesters the benefit of the doubt. That was all Sam could hope for at the time, not wanting to push things too far.
"So where's Ed?" Sam noted that the older Elric was nowhere to be seen. Usually the two were inseparable, so having just the one was almost unsettling. The way it was unsettling for Sam to be separated from Dean, especially during a hunt.
"He's over at the food stand," Al pointed. Sam followed the direction of his finger to find Ed stationed at a nearby food-stand that sold a variety of snacks. Ed was busy scanning through the choices, his youthful face creaseless and full of childish delight. So there was yet another similarity to Dean, whose own stomach seemed to be a bottomless pit.
"Never ceases to amaze me that your brother is just like mine," Sam admitted, making a huffing sound with a half smile.
Al gave a small laugh, "You'd think that would put them on better terms."
"Not so much. I don't think Ed has forgiven him for calling him short," Sam pointed out.
"He'll get over it if he hasn't already," Al reassured him, understanding that the trivial information regarded much more than a simple conflict of attitudes. "So how's the alchemy training?"
Sam huffed again, almost cracking into a full smile. "I'm sure you know Al."
Sam was sure if Alphonse could smile, he would've done it just then. However the way he was focusing on Sam, and the carefree stance to his posture, not to mention the small laugh, gave the impression that he was in agreement. "Oh boy do I," was all he said, and all he really needed to say.
Because Al did know. Truly. And now Sam and Dean knew as well.
"I've just returned from a trip and am looking forward to resting," the woman folded her arms across her chest and regarded the Winchesters with suspicion as well as a touch of sternness. "Besides I do not take on students."
Izumi Curtis was sixty-some-odd inches of pure badass. That's all there was to it really. She had black hair that was kept in braids, all of which she tied back with a red band save for a couple of strands that hung around her face acting as bangs. Her eyes were black, her mouth firm and seemingly permanently set into either a frown or thin line. She wore a white button-up dress that reached to around her knees, the top few buttons undone to reveal that the woman was really…..well…..gifted would've been Dean's way of describing it. The openness also revealed a tattoo just above her left breast, the same symbol Sam had witnessed on the back of Ed's red coat. It was the symbol of the Flamel he'd come to learn, and it was Izumi's signature trademark. She also wore black capris to about her ankles and red single-strapped sandals with the initials "W.C" adorning them.
To say that Ed and Al obviously looked up to Izumi, or "Teacher" as they called her, was the understatement of the century (the 20th century at that). Although Sam understood that the admiration the Elrics felt was more or less a product of respectable fear rather than being in awe of her abilities. And boy did she have abilities, the kind that even Dean would be crazy to attempt challenging, but he needn't the necessity to instigate anything. Izumi displayed her own brand of skill and affection without question or request, her fist having slammed into Dean's head on more than one occasion.
When she had turned down the boys' request for alchemy lessons, Sam had been sure they were officially screwed. But part of the note Ed had given him had been a personal message to Izumi from Ed himself, requesting that she take them on as pupils in order to help them with whatever troubles they were having. Sam had the feeling that Ed was subliminally mocking their plight (and so-called "wild tale" of alternate realities), in some vain hope that she would turn them down altogether without giving them the chance they so desperately needed.
But turning back was not an option, so the only option left at the point of her initial refusal had been persuasion….or in Dean's case humorous charm.
"You taught the Elric's didn't you? " he gave her a sly grin, leaning back in his chair. "You're not discriminate against teaching foreigners are you?" He'd meant it as a joke, but it only made Izumi frown even further.
Dammit Dean.
They had been sitting in the Curtis' kitchen on that day, Izumi watching them as though they were criminals of some kind and her husband, Sid, looming over her protectively. Sid was taller than Sam unbelievably enough, his height reaching roughly six-foot-five or more. His vertical advancement wasn't the only amazing thing to behold, the man was built. Seriously built. He was rippling with muscle, the strained marks on his shirt evident of the kind of muscle power he obviously had. He had hair that was dark, though not as dark as his wife's, cut short with a small beard and a mustache. Even though he appeared dangerous, the look in his eyes spoke of something peaceful, giving off the impression of him as the equivalent of a gentle giant. The way he showed tenderness to Izumi was further proof of this, specifically in the way he held her or spoke to her, full of patience and concern.
Sam had hoped like hell he wouldn't ever have to fight the man.
"I'm not taking on any students and that's final," Izumi responded firmly, forehead creasing with her vehemence. Her eyes were focused mainly on Dean but she had cast a glance or two at Sam over the course of their discussion. The only time she had given him her full attention was when he'd presented Ed's note to her, hoping she would honor Ed's written request for her help. But at the moment it didn't seem to be doing the trick.
"What about Ed's note?" Sam attempted, knowing it was more than likely a useless effort.
"Tell me this," Izumi leaned forward to place her elbows on the table, hands placed together in a thoughtful manner, her frown lessened slightly as she did so. "What is it that drives you to learn alchemy? Do you think it is simply made up of cheap parlor tricks? I can assure you there is more to it than a way to do a quick-fix if a plate is broken or your clothes are torn."
"You mean Equivalent Exchange?" Sam offered.
Izumi's eyebrow shot up the slightest fraction, "You are familiar with the Laws of alchemy?"
"Just the one," Sam admitted, almost ashamedly. "We need you for the rest."
"Look Mrs. Curtis," Dean had abandoned the comedic strategy and chose to be serious instead. "We get that you think we're just a couple of morons trying to learn something to impress people with or do stupid stuff," he continued, placing a fist on the table, "but we need you to understand that what we need it for is more important than that…It's our only way home. I wish we could tell you more but there are some things you wouldn't understand."
"And if you're worried we'll attempt Human Transmutation or something you don't have to be," Sam reassured her. "We know the consequences of messing with life that way, it's not on our agenda." Izumi's eyes had widened slightly at the mention of Human Transmutation, but she had remained rigid nonetheless.
"We're willing to pay you for your troubles if that's the case," Dean pointed out.
She sighed heavily, leaning back into her chair and replacing her arms to their former position folded across her chest. "That won't be necessary…..I'll teach you as much as you are capable of learning."
Sam felt as though a weight had been lifted just a fraction off of his shoulders, having finally found a way to learn alchemy.
"But understand this," Izumi went on, lifting her face to make direct eye contact with the two of them, her gaze clear and steady. "I am doing this upon Edward's request and nothing more. His note of reference is not a method of clearing you from my teaching standards. I am tough but I am fair. If you are willing to learn alchemy you must accept the responsibility of all that learning implies."
"Which is what exactly?" Dean seemed almost afraid to ask.
Her face smoothed over into a casual smile, one that spoke more of a challenge than pleasantry. "You'll see soon enough."
Thinking back on it now, compared to the alternative, they had been rather lucky. Izumi still regarded them with a level of suspicion, but she more or less kept her opinions to herself in what she thought of their situation and reasons for learning alchemy. As long as they had her as a teacher, the boys were willing to take the ball and chain that came with it. Dean had had a particularly tough time adjusting to her teaching methods, but after years of hunting and training with dad, it hadn't taken very long to pick up on the patterns. It hadn't been just the alchemy lessons that had been tough, it was everything that came with it, including sparring which neither Sam or Dean had ever done in their entire life. Their father had always taught them how to fight military-style, not a single lesson in martial arts was ever included.
But they had asked for it, more specifically Sam had asked for it. It had been his idea after all.
"So where's your friend Bobby? And Dean?" Al asked Sam, raising his voice slightly to exceed the steady (yet loud) hum of the train-yard.
Sam turned to face the younger Elric again, "Bobby's in Central right now, he decided to do some research and keep us posted on whatever he finds. Dean's back at the house, probably eating or getting his ass kicked…..or both."
Al laughed at that, "Sounds about right. So Teacher hasn't changed at all then." Ed had just left the stand and was making his way to them, a suitcase in one hand and a sandwich in the other, to which he was greedily munching on.
"You know we'll be eating once we get there," Al reminded him sternly. "And stalling isn't going to help."
"I'm just trying to calm my nerves that's all," Ed wasn't trying to be cocky or anything. In fact he looked almost…..fearful. Sam didn't have to ask why, he'd already figured it out.
"You know when Dean gets nervous about something he usually hums Metallica," Sam told him, subtly offering a suggestion to help the boy.
"What's Metallica?" Ed asked him, mouth full of sandwich.
"It's uh…..it's a band…..they're famous back where we're from," Sam explained.
"Huh," was all Ed responded with. He didn't seem to particularly care to learn more, but if Sam were in his shoes he'd probably be the same way with information like that. It wasn't necessarily important after all, but it was still strange to live in a place where no one even knew about the band, much less any other band from their old world. Even though Sam wasn't even a fan of them, he was still familiar with their music, he had Dean to blame for that.
"So how was the island?" Ed asked him, gulping down a large bite of sandwich and chomping off another. He seemed eager to learn about this particular part of their time with the Curtis'. Too eager in fact, and Sam didn't have to ask why. He knew what Ed was referring to.
"She's kidding right? Please tell me this a joke," Dean spoke half-heartedly, the two of them knowing that Izumi was more than likely the last person on the planet to ever attempt a practical joke. "This is so wrong."
Sam had wanted to voice his agreement, but encouraging Dean's degrading attitude would only make things worse. Glancing around, he noted the immense forest behind them, white sandy beach at their feet, and the steady rippling of the waves as they came crashing in softly. That same water was helping to carry Izumi and Sid who were rowing casually away in their little rowboat, Izumi waving at them cheerfully. It was that kind of cheerfulness Sam associated with villains just before they took of their victims head or something. She had left the two of them stranded on a remote island in the middle of some big damn lake, with nothing but the clothes on their backs and a knife she'd given them.
"All is one, and one is all. You have one month to figure out what that means."
A month? A whole damn month? Here?
"That woman is nuts, I'm telling you something's not right up here," Dean pointed at his head and whistled a "coo-coo" tune as he twirled his finger in a circular motion to imply that Izumi was crazy. "I mean I've seen Lost, cool show and all, but living it? That was never on my bucket list."
"What should we do first?" Sam turned to face their current challenge, which was to become familiar with their temporary island home without food or shelter. "She said alchemy is strictly forbidden…..not that we know how to use it anyway."
"I think she just told us that for kicks," Dean suggested in a grumble, reaching down to retrieve the knife form where it had landed by their feet. "We've never gone hunting-hunting a day in our lives, how the hell are we supposed to just pick up on it now?"
Sam shrugged, he was equally as lost as Dean. "People have been surviving that way for thousands of years. Who's to say we can't do it?"
"My stomach for starters," Dean pointed out, emphasizing his words by placing a hand across his belly and looking disgustedly at the woods behind them. "I don't care how bad it gets, I'm not going on some rabbit-food diet."
"If you're hungry enough Dean you'll eat it, trust me." Sam didn't have the energy nor the patience to argue with him right now. If Dean was going to be stubborn than he would end up starving as a result. Sam on the other hand was used to snacking on salads and attempting to maintain a healthy diet, so this shouldn't be too bad for him. It was getting things going that would be the problem. After all they had to survive out here for a whole month, and they needed to get the essentials first.
"We should probably build a shelter or something, in case it rains."
"You're enjoying this aren't you?" Dean ask him, one eyebrow arched with his accusation.
"Are you implying that I'm so much of a masochist that I'm willing to torture myself in hearing you whine about not having any pie?" Sam looked at him pointedly, having attempted to say all of that with a straight face.
Dean did his famous smile-shrug with his mouth and scoffed. "Point taken."
It hadn't been easy to say the least, getting motivated into capturing and preparing their own food was the hardest part. Neither of them had ever gone hunting aside from what their job required, so it was only natural that even Dean felt sickened when they had finally caught a live rabbit and Sam had handed him the knife.
"What the hell am I supposed to do with that?' Dean looked at him in astonishment, baffled that his brother would even suggest that he bring harm to a rabbit.
"I caught it, now it's your turn," Sam had replied almost harshly. He sure as hell wasn't going to skin the thing, the very idea of it made his stomach knot up.
Killing monsters was one thing. Killing animals was something else.
"Damn it," Dean had growled in protest but he'd snatched the knife from Sam's grasp anyway. "Why does the rabbit always get screwed in the deal huh?"
"You want to eat don't you?" Sam had pointed out to him for about he fifth time. "Something other than vegetables and fruit?"
Dean was all for returning to a carnivore-approved diet, but he still had trouble motivating himself into cutting the thing up. It was over quickly, and Sam came to find that if you tried not to focus on the situation too much, it wasn't as bad as it could be.
They'd spent their next month like that, pulling stunts they'd never dreamed they would ever have to do. The worst of which was the lack of proper hygiene, but they tried to make due with the natural elements as a way of compensating for that. They even went as far as using water and leaves to attempt "brushing" their teeth. It wasn't until the end of the first week that the two of them actually attempted to discuss what Izumi had ordered them to figure out.
"What do you think it means? 'All is one and one is all', what is that?" Dean had been lying on his back gazing at the stars when he'd asked that question.
Sam shrugged, sitting Indian-style and leaning against a tree-trunk, doing some glancing of his own at the night sky. "No idea. Sounds like some Disney crap."
"Disney crap?"
"Yeah, like with The Lion King," Sam had pointed out. "The circle of life."
"I always forget how girly you are," Dean had sat up at that point to face his brother. "What do you mean 'the circle of life'? Like with how we die and we become the Earth, and then some poor bastard feeds on our remains? It's the food chain right?"
"I guess," was all Sam said in response to that. "I mean everything's connected right? We die, we become the grass, cows eat grass…."
"And I love to eat cows," Dean replied, licking his lips. "I could go for a steak right now. That rabbit just doesn't cut it like beef does."
"I get the feeling she's expecting more than just a biology lesson about the food chain though," Sam ignored Dean's voicing of his meat-cravings. "What does the circle of life have to do with the phrase?"
"You got me," Dean rolled over to lay on his back again, bracing his hands behind his head like a pillow. "I plan on sleeping on it for now."
"We're down to three weeks Dean. If we keep sleeping on it than we might as well just give up."
"Sammy take a chill pill…..or a chill rabbit in our case. Three weeks is plenty of time, besides," Dean yawned, "I'm too full and too tired to ponder over it right now. Let's get some shut-eye. I'm sure with your geek-engineered mind you'll figure out something in the morning."
Another week had passed them by, and still they couldn't quite wrap their heads around it. It wasn't until one afternoon, when Dean was drawing designs into the sand out of sheer boredom, that it occurred to Sam. He'd been watching his brother make little "doodles" with a stick, a couple of stick figures (he was guessing they represented the two of them), what looked like waves to represent the lake itself. He'd drawn an "island" for the stick figures to stand on, with a few trees here and there, and a circle representing the sun in the sky. Sam had stared at it for several moments before clarity hit and he'd grabbed the stick from Dean's hand.
"Hey get your own, there's plenty!" He'd snapped at him, but Sam was too wound up with excitement to care.
"Look!" Sam ordered him, using the stick to draw a series of shapes as well as a second larger circle around Dean's "sun". When he finished he looked expectantly at Dean, as though they were silently on the same page, but Dean had stared at him with raised eyebrows and a Should-I-have-you-committed? expression.
"If you keep this up, I'm voting you off the island." He shook his head, "What am I supposed to be looking at?" His tone had reflected the annoyance he felt with Sam having snatched his precious stick.
"It's a Transmutation circle," Sam explained.
"Yeah, one that you made out of my sun," Dean snapped at him. "That was a damn good circle too, I was actually enjoying an artistic moment and you ruined it." Obviously the island life had done a number on his temper after all this time.
"Dean think about it, what does the sun do?" Sam asked pointedly, hopeful eyes glued to his brother's face waiting for him to understand.
Dean looked at him as though he were crazy…."It gives off light so we can see."
"And what is light?"
Dean frowned, "It's energy isn't it?"
"Exactly," Sam smiled for the first time since they'd arrived on the island. This was the part of research that always gave him a unique kind of adrenaline rush, that moment when he discovered the missing piece to whatever puzzle they were trying to solve with a case. It was always quite thrilling to experience it, even though it was a constant reminder of his geeky ways. Still he couldn't help but feel proud with his accomplishment. "And what is the one thing about energy that they always tried to knock into our heads in school?"
Dean let his eyes scan around absent-mindedly as he pondered the question. "Wait a minute….," a crooked grin started to form at the corner of his mouth, "you mean all that nonsense about how energy is neither created or destroyed? That it flows continuously?"
"Yes that's exactly it," Sam mentally gave him brownie-points for remembering that. Dean may be sarcastic with an education hat didn't exceed past a GED, but there was no denying he was intelligent in his own boyish way. "That same energy works in the food chain. It starts off with the sun, goes down to the plants, those are eaten by rabbits, and predators eat the rabbits."
"And then nature does its duty and the predators eventually die," Dean jumped in on the explanation. "Their bodies are broken down, they become a part of the plants, and the cycle just keeps going."
"Alchemy is the same way," Sam explained, his excitement increasing now that Dean had finally caught on. "Al explained that it's a three-step process. You have something made, you break it down, and use the materials to create something else."
"Just like our bodies break down the food we eat and we use it as part of our own systems," Dean finished for him. He had folded his arms across his chest at that point, face screwed up with concentration, "So everything is connected in a way."
"Yeah there's a flow to everything, it's an entire ecosystem technically," Sam continued. "If you think about it like a machine, you take out one part and it ultimately affects other parts. The whole system could fail."
"Just like what happened with the Elric's," Dean had pointed out, "they messed around with the flow with trying to resurrect their mom and got screwed in the end."
"That's what it means to mess with the flow," Sam finished for him, "messing with the flow means messing with the natural order of life. We're all born and eventually we die, that's just how it is."
"Well I hate to break it to you little brother but based on our experience that's not entirely true…..for us anyway."
"True," Sam agreed, shaking his head. "But they don't need to know about all that."
"I'm with you there."
Then had come the official training, which Sam had become too inwardly excited over to fully understand just what they were getting themselves into. It took more than simply drawing circles into the ground and attempting to activate the alchemical power, there was a level of intense concentration that came with it. It was a method of thinking that you had to adjust to using, not only was it important to visualize what the outcome should look like, but you also had to be mindful of the components involved in the production process and eventually the final product. It wasn't simply knowing what elements were involved with whatever object, it was understanding the exact amount (or close enough) required of each element. Thankfully Sam had taken Honors Chemistry back in high school, and he remembered most of the elements and what things they were associated with. But that hadn't stopped him from spending countless hours looking over the periodic table with Dean and discussing what worked with what else. Izumi's main issue with their learning was that they were limiting themselves to weapon-centered basics, but for some strange reason she never pressured them to drop it altogether. Though that didn't stop her from strongly encouraging them to learn about the common components of other things as well.
And by "strongly encourage" it more or less meant that she would either yell or hit you on the head if you didn't listen.
From what Sam remembered, based on the things he read in the letters Al had sent him over the past few weeks, it had taken the Elrics' years of reading and practicing to get the full grasp of using alchemy. Sam and Dean didn't have the luxury of time in that regard, and were at the moment trying to cram all of that information in only a few months if possible. Sam hated the idea of spending a year here much less several just to learn the alchemical arts, but if it meant finding a way home he was willing to take the risk. Thankfully Dean appeared to be of the same mentality for his whining about learning it had ceased after the first couple of weeks of official training.
"Heard you busted up your automail," Sam pointed to Ed's metal arm, "but it seems to be okay now."
"Yeah we paid a visit to my mechanic, it's all good now," Ed subconsciously put a hand on his right arm, one finger tapping against it as though testing to be sure it was truly there.
"I think Al mentioned that your mechanic, Winry right? She's an old family-friend?" Sam was attempting to make polite conversation, more or less testing to see if Ed's attitude towards him had improved during their two-month-long separation.
"We've known each other since we were little, we practically grew up next to each other," Ed explained, shifting his position as though he didn't like where the conversation was headed. "So Al was still calling you right up to now huh?"
"Basically. It was only to keep tabs," Sam reassured him.
"Uh-huh," was all Ed responded with, but Sam had the feeling he disapproved of his and Al's constant communication.
It had been a slow-go at first, Al having left a number for the next hotel he and Ed would be staying in case they needed to contact them for an emergency, and continuously giving numbers for each of their stops as he went along. There was one incident where Sam had come close to using that emergency-card, but things had turned in a different direction and the gesture had become unnecessary. Other than that, Al and been sending Sam letters each week to keep him up-to-date with their mission to find the Stone and all that entailed. Sam naturally couldn't respond with a written letter, the Elric's never stayed in one place for too long no matter what. Instead Sam resorted to waiting for Al to call him whenever he got the chance. Initially the calls were Al's method of checking up on the Winchesters and their progress in learning alchemy, naturally unable to know about how their first month had gone considering their time on the island. However Sam had caught him up on all that, particularly Dean's struggle with living out in the wild. That had gained some laughter from Alphonse, but also a sigh because he remembered his time on the island perfectly well and was fully sympathetic with Sam and Dean in that regard.
Al's letters had included bits of their journey mixed in with paragraph-long (or more) explanations about so-and-so and what did what and what was found where. Sam now knew all about the boys run-in with a famed serial killer nicknamed Scar, Dr. Marcoh's hidden message, the truth behind the components of the Stone, the incident at the Fifth Laboratory, as well as the fact that the Elric's had witnessed a birth. Sam had learned that Scar could use alchemy as well, no circles or anything, and part of his master plan was to rid the world of State Alchemist so inevitably Ed and Al had become mixed up with the guy who Al explained was an Ishvalan. Sam had had to ask Izumi about the story regarding that, since Al's letter never explained anything further than the man's ethnicity. He did however go on to tell him that Ed's arm had become busted up in the fight, and Al had lost a majority of his body as well. This speed-bump had lead them Ed's mechanic Winry, and from what Sam could tell of how Al spoke of her, she was really quite something.
But what intrigued him the most was the incident that lead to their little road-trip to Risembool, particularly Scar's ability to use alchemy without a circle.
"I've even seen Ed and Izumi do it, how does that work?" Sam had been speaking to Al over the phone after reading the letter that addressed the particular incident in question. "I thought the whole mess with alchemy in general was that you needed a circle."
"I'm not sure," Al had tried to think of a way to explain, but he himself was still confused by it all, well Scar's part of it anyway. "He shouldn't be able to do that, and besides alchemy goes against his country's teachings. The Ishvalans hate alchemy for what it did to their people, they think it violates the natural order."
"Well that makes sense," Sam had paused to think for a moment but had come up with nothing. "So what about Ed and Teacher?" He'd eventually started calling her that since that's how the Elric's addressed her and that was the only way Al referenced her at all in his letters and phone calls.
"I'm not sure, she's always been able to do that ever since we first met her," Al had explained. "Ed was only able to do it too, but only after…"
Sam waited for him to answer, but was met with silence. "Yes? After what?"
"Never mind…..I don't know," was his only answer.
Sam sighed mentally, having wondered at the time if it would be worth it to continue asking about it, but instead he'd allowed the subject to drop. Al would get back to it when he could. Besides Sam had had enough on his plate at the moment to keep him occupied, there was still some reading he'd needed to finish.
But Al never did get back to it. In fact he never brought it up again.
"How's Teacher?" Ed's question broke through Sam's flashbacks, the older brother's blatant concern reminding Sam of the first time he'd witnessed Izumi on one of her rough days.
She'd been teaching them a lesson as usual, describing to them the concept of the flow of energy in all things, and to harness that energy you needed a structural matrix on your circle that was specific to the alchemy you wish to perform. In the midst of this lesson, when she and Dean were sparring (it had taken him quite some time to get used to the idea of fighting her), she had opened her mouth to let out a gush of blood. Needless to say Dean had believed he'd done something wrong, and had been on the verge of flipping out altogether. Sam had yelled for Sid, who'd come rushing outside to gather Izumi in his arms with tender care and escort her to her room where she stayed for the rest of the day. When Sid had eventually emerged from her room, Dean had spent the first five minutes of their conversation with the man in apologizing for his actions, telling the big-guy that he'd had no intentions of hurting her and hadn't realized at the time that fighting with her may be riskier than she let on. Sid had waved them both off, explaining that it wasn't the lesson nor the sparring that had brought this on, but a natural occurrence alone. He'd told them that incidents like this will happen from time-to-time, and that they shouldn't worry so much, but it was best to be mindful in not allowing Izumi to push herself too far. For now she only needed rest.
"She's doing fine," Sam reassured Ed, a soft smile playing at his mouth. "She was getting onto Dean about something when I left to come and meet you two so I get the feeling she's on cloud-ten right now."
For the first time since Sam had met him, Edward Elric laughed, actually and honestly laughed. And why not? The concept alone was comical enough, but for Sam it was like sharing an inside joke with friends, and even more importantly it was a good sign. Ed may not like the Winchesters all that much, but knowing they could find some common ground was reassuring that their future wasn't as bleak as it once seemed.
So maybe the kid was on their side after all.
"And the lessons?" Ed's curiosity seemed to be overriding his instinct to distance his own concerns away from the Winchesters', either that or he was merely attempting friendly conversation. "Al and I were only capable of making little figurines and origami when we first started out."
"That sounds about right for us," Sam was willing to play along with this temporary truce. "Dean attempted to 'clean' his semi-automatic once and well….let's just say it needs fixing now."
The actual attempts to transmute objects out of whatever materials were given had been the hardest part of all. Dean's first attempt to create a bikini-clad figurine out of the sidewalk had resulted in Sam smashing it to bits before Izumi could witness what had become of their lessons so far. But it hadn't mattered either way since Dean's "work of art" had ended up looking more or less like a deformed troll rather than a beautiful woman. After a couple more days of trying to make different figurines and transmuting elements into small mundane objects he attempted to make another one. This one had turned out a little less scary-looking, but had ended up on the Teacher Radar and Izumi had snapped at Dean for taking something as complex and sophisticated as alchemy and using it to create something so "vulgar".
Sam remembered biting his tongue during that moment, knowing good and well that Izumi's idea of what was vulgar and Dean's own perspective were as far apart as the East was from the West. He knew his brother could've done much more than a half-naked female if given the chance. But he eventually gave up on it, and settled for attempting to create stone models of his beloved Impala instead, which Sam knew he must be missing like crazy after over two months without it. He'd come close to getting it just right a couple of times, but would always exclaim that it just "didn't do Her justice" and would inevitably smash the transmutation in the end. Sam never said a word about it during those times, but he had mentioned to Alphonse that Dean's attempt to recreate old-life concepts was his way of coping with everything, and that he didn't blame him for wanting to. Sam missed his iPad, his notes, his old clothes, hell he missed the food. But living at the Curtis' more than made up for some things because the food here was excellent. Sam often wondered if Izumi was attempting to make up for the hardships they endured by providing them with borderline-gourmet meals every day. Dean certainly enjoyed it, and Sam had the feeling that Ed would be the same way once they got back. That is, after he got over his initial fear of facing his teacher again.
"Should we go then?" Alphonse glanced between them, from Sam's tired expression to Ed's anxious one.
Ed sighed heavily, bowing his head, shoulders sagging. "It'd be nice if she wasn't home right now."
"Come on Ed," Sam tried to motivate him. "Just get it over with, it's not that bad."
"You don't understand," Ed didn't lift his head, but rather strained his eyes to gaze up at Sam. "She doesn't know…..that is….we never told her that….."
And then Sam understood, "You never told her about your mother….or what happened to you."
Ed shook his head in response, straightening up to place his hands on his lower back and press into it in an attempt to crack it. "Well it's like you said….let's get it over with already."
When they were not involved in alchemical deeds, the Curtis' were butchers by trade, they even owned their own personal shop in the middle of town. It wasn't difficult to overlook, though it was rather on the small side, the sign out front might as well be neon and flashing. It was at least a three-by-six foot, white with red trim, and the word "Meat" painted respectfully in black as the shop's title. The two windows in the front had red trim and the door was red as well, with a small festive-looking wreath hanging from it and a little sign that dangled just inside it depicting the shop's status as being either "open" or "closed". Their home could be found behind the shop, but where the shop's color coordination was red, the house had green instead. The backyard was small but quaint, with a white picket fence and a short sidewalk. The back of the house and part of the shop created an "L"-shaped architectural setup for the back yard, where two sides were composed of brick walls painted over with white, and the other two sides were picket fence. Beyond that part of the boundary was the street and even further were the neighboring homes.
They had gone to the shop part first and, after running into Sid, had moved on to the backyard of the house, where Sid had leaned into one of the open windows to let Izumi know that they had guests. Sam had become familiar enough with Izumi's habits to know that if Sid was talking to her while she was in her room, it wasn't because she was getting dressed or sitting at her desk reading. That could only mean that she had had another "attack" while he'd been gone, and was now trying to rest. The thing about Izumi, which was also the thing that made her so fascinating, was that regardless of her physical condition she always maintained an aura that she could tough out anything if given the chance. It didn't seem to matter how much pain she could be in or how much blood she lost, she still got up each time and shrugged it off as though it were nothing.
Which scared Sam, both for the sake of her well-being, and the fact that even injured she could still kick his ass.
Ed and Al had understood immediately that Izumi must not be feeling well, their familiarity with her habits evident in the concerned expressions they revealed once it was made known that she was in bed on such a fine day. But it had only been a matter of moments before she'd come bursting through the backdoor of the house and kicking Ed in the face, landing the poor kid flat on his back.
"Hello my stupid pupils!"
And then the official reunion had begun, Izumi calling Edward out on becoming a "dog of the military", right before she through Al over her should and landing him flat on his back. Based on their conversations, Sam understood that Izumi was highly disapproving of Ed's choice of joining the military, her belief being that all military personal were nothing but trained dogs that didn't think for themselves and were trigger-happy at best. He'd become accustomed to the idea that Izumi would express her upset at the Elrics upon their arrival, but he hadn't expected it to be a physical display much less a vocal one. Well…okay so maybe he'd had the tiniest feeling this would happen.
"You've got lots of energy for someone who's not feeling well," Alphonse had pointed out, ignoring the look on Ed's face that clearly stated he shouldn't have said something like that. If there was one thing that Izumi and Ed had in common, it's their ideal method of response when a part of their physical deficiency (in this case health in general) was criticized in any way shape or form. Her reply was explosive to say the least, reminding Sam of Ed's short rants.
"NOT FEELING WELL? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT? I'M PERFECTLY…!"
But they never found out what she perfectly was because in that moment she spit up a small fountain of blood. Sam had felt his stomach drop at the sight of it, even though he'd become accustomed to seeing her do this once in a while when she exerted herself too much, it wasn't something he enjoyed watching. Ed and Al were set into a panic, both wanting to help but unable to do anything for her. However Sid immediately stepped in, lovingly chastising her for allowing herself to get worked up, the two immediately became enamored with each other, leaving the other three to stand and watch with gaping expressions.
Dean had come rushing outside, one hand on the door-handle and the other holding a sandwich, a look of concern on his face as he sought out Sam, "Is everything okay?"
The younger Winchester shook his head and shrugged. Everything in this world was so topsy-turvy, "okay" was certainly something to strive for, and at the moment "okay" seemed to be the case…ish.