OMG, it'sa Miracle! Has Wolfy actually updated? YES, YES SHE HAS! *shoots confetti gun*
Yeah, sorry about the whole "I'm gonna go away for a month and not tell anyone. Buh-bye!" thind... ehehehehe... But yeah, I've actually had this chapter for a while now, just didn't put it up here... *dodges tomatoes* HEY!
Now, I've noticed that I haven't been the best with the disclaimer _ Yeah, well, this'll go for the WHOLE story, mmk?
Disclaimer: I, Wolfy, do not own Fullmetal Alchemist, the characters, the plot, ANYTHING, other than MY character and HER ORIGINAL story. There.
Now, another problem I'm concerned about. After all this time (around 3 months, I think) I've only gotten TWO REVIEWRS! You know how sad that makes me feel? I spend a whole week on each chapter, and I only get TWO REVIEWERS! And I KNOW you people are reading this, since I've gotten 100-something hits, so HIT THE DANGED BUTTON AND TELL ME TT_TT I dun wanna feel alone...
STORY START
Edward sighed in this dusty, old library. We had stopped by to see if there was any books for us to research, but alas, none so far.
"There aren't any books here about the Philosopher's Stone..."The shorter brother said ruefully."Just shoot me in the head, would'ya?"
"Bam!"I replied out of the blue from my crouching position atop the rickety bookcase, my hands mimicking a pistol."Well, crap. Ran outta' bullets..."
Edward gave me a scowl and I snickered. It was just too fun, picking on him like this. Alphonse put a leather hand to his iron chin, somewhat thoughtfully.
"I can't believe Cornello's stone was a fake..."He thought aloud."Now we're out of leads again..."
"Mustang's gonna scream our ears off..."Edward closed the book he was flipping through, looking sickly.
"Joyous,"I muttered, grabbing the side of the bookcase and flipping forward, watching my new alchemised-from-a-random-curtain ebony cloak flow before my feet hit the wood floor and I stood perfectly straight. Edward ave me that 'Show-off' look and I smirked triumphantly.
Suddenly, Al leaned forward."Brother! Look!"He rose again, showing Ed an old book. I couldn't actually see it, though, in my position. I peeked over the shorter brother's shoulder and looked at the aged leather-bound book."Introduction to Alchemy."It made me smile. I remember reading that in my Aunt and Uncle's old place..."Takes you back, doesn't it?"
"Uhm, I guess."Edward replied, taking the book as Alphonse gave it to him. He looked at it thoughtfully for a moment, before opening the bounds and flipping to a page with the holy Transmutation Circle on it (or, at least the beginner's version). As I looked at it closer, I could remember it... that first time I used that very circle...
It was a beautiful day out in the garden, the river flowing softly, making just the slightest splashes, and the butterflies floating from one gradient flower to another. The sunbeams seemed to make the crimson petals of the rose bush shine with a light so beautiful that no man or woman would ever proceed it. I, myself, was sitting on an old, rusted iron bench swinging my short, 4-year-old legs in a rhythmic pattern, my brightly-colored skirt flopping and my short chocolate hair bouncing, all as I flipped page through page of my favorite book, Introduction to Alchemy. Oh, I had read it at least two times before, but I only seemed to find more and more possibilities each time I did. Now, I hardly knew any of the words, but putting two and two together wasn't that hard.
As much as I adored this science, I had never even thought about using it. Well, that is, until that day. You see, it was my Aunt's birthday. Oh, how I loved her dearly. She was so nice and kind, reminding me of my mother. Although, Momma was a bit more stern than Auntie was. Not that I minded, of course. Momma was always busy, so I made sure to do as told so I wouldn't bother her. Anyways, Auntie's birthday was today, and I knew how much she just loved horses. She even had a small stable near the large garden, where her horse, Rosemary stayed. Rosemary was a very fine a prim horse, and very beautiful. Auntie had won many horse shows with Rosemary, but even before that, she was the Champion with Rosemary's father, Ciel. Now, Ciel had died recently, since he was quite old. That's when an idea popped into my head. Since Auntie loved Ciel so much,why not make her a doll or something that looked like him?
I went to work, gathering all the necessary ingredients to make the little plush I was planning on. Now, it needed some cotton and some twine, maybe a petal or two for color...
After a while, I had gotten the ingredients to my wonderful recipe. Some cotton balls from the nearest bathroom pantry, a bit of thread from Auntie's sewing room, and then a couple of dark gray petals from the garden, just like Ciel's pelt. Running through the halls of the mansion, my arms full of my supplies, I searched for my Aunts red hair. She always stuck out, since her locks were always as red as a rose and tied into a long braid. Finally, I could just see it as she walked into our library.
"Auntie! Auntie!"I yelled happily, my young voice bouncing through the huge room full of books."I've got a present for you!"
My aunt turned to me, smiling broadly, some wrinkles framing her grin."Oh, Bailey, you didn't have to get me anything!"She said in that bright voice of hers. I grinned a smile of my own, putting the many items on the floor. She gave me a perplexed look as I put them in a group on the shiny, wooden floor.I looked up to her, holding up a hand
"Chalk!"She laughed and walked over to a blackboard (where I usually played when Auntie was in the library), picking up a piece of white chalk, then waltzing back and handing it to me.
I got on all fours, drawing furiously. I squirmed around, excited about my first try. i bumped into Auntie's legs as i was about to finish my circle. Looking up to her, my tail twitched slightly.
"Auntie, would you-"
"Of course."My aunt walked over to a squared table nearby, sitting in one of the sturdy stools. I began drawing again, before finishing my project.
I then stood, looking at my masterpiece. I poked my tongue at the top of my lip, just as Momma used to. Turning to Auntie, I grinned one again."It's ready!"
"Well, that doesn't seem like a... common present..."Auntie said, walking up to it. Just as she was about to step on the chalk, I put my hand out.
"No, no, Auntie! You'll mess up my present!"
Auntie smiled and stepped back some, staring at it fully."Now, is this it?"
I shook my head violently, my smile still glued to my face."Nope! Just watch!" I turned to the circle, bending down, one knee on the floor. My ears twitched with excitement as I set my hands on the circle.
The library gleamed with a harsh, blue light as the cotton balls, thread, and petals swirled around before morphing together. I looked behind me at auntie, to see her completely awestruck. Turning back to my work, I saw it already taking shape. The body was sorta oval-ish and the head was quite long. Before I knew it, I had a plush Dappled Gray horse in front of me.
"That's your gift, Auntie!"
Before I could turn around, my aunt picked me up and swung me around in a huge bear hug, squeezing the breath out of me.
"Oh, that's amazing, Bailey!"She chimed, setting me down. I quickly sat down, my eyes swirls. That was a bit too fast...
as I was out of it, auntie picked up the plush, looking it over."Why... it's Ciel..."I looked a her and nodded, somewhat confused.
"Yup. I thought you would like something to remind you of him. I hope you like i-"
"Like it? I love it!"
And that... was my first use of alchemy...
*AUNTIE*
Me, my aunt, and my uncle sat at the dining table, Auntie holding her Ciel plush close. She hadn't parted with it since early this afternoon.
"Now, Robert, are you the one who taught Bailey Alchemy?"Auntie asked, looking at him from across the table. He looked at me, surprised.
"Alchemy? Is that how you got that plush? And Bailey's the one who did it?"Auntie nodded, setting her little Ciel beside her plate."Oh my... I let her see that old book of mine, but I never thought she would learn... and at such a young age!"He now smiled at me, pointing his fork towards my small figure."You, my dear lady, are quite bright indeed!"
I blushed a small bit and giggled. It really wasn't anything, in my opinion, but at least they were happy. Swinging my legs and wagging my metal tail some, I ate some more of my tender steak.
"You know, Dahlia, I bet she would like all of my old alchemy books. You know, in that old room behind the Library?"
"Oh, yes! I almost forgot about that old, dusty place. I guess it's a good thing we didn't clean it out, all those years ago, huh?"She and my uncle laughed. I, myself, wasn't listening to them go on and on. All this Alchemy has made me starved! As Auntie wasn't watching, I stuffed my face with meat and mashed potatoes. She was quite the one for being proper, you know.
Later on that evening, Auntie showed me tot he back of the library. I had never been there before, since Auntie had always complained about spiders and cobwebs and such. Not that I cared, really. I actually liked those things, but if Auntie saw me covered in dust, I was sure to get punished. And I didn't want that anymore than Auntie wanted dust tracked through the whole place. As we entered, i smiled wide. It was almost as huge as the main Library,and full of books galore! But, even more exciting, there were many diagrams and notes of my Uncle Robby's old research. This was going to be fun.
"Now, I want you to stay here while I go get my cleaning supplies, alright?"My aunt said, heading out.
"Kay..."I replied, not really listening. As soon as she walked out, I ran around the room, gasping at all the knowledge I would soon learn. A certain book caught my eye, and I walked up to it, ears twitching ever so slightly, and took it's bind in my small hand. I pulled, but it wouldn't budge. I jerked and jerked, but to no avail, it stayed put. I huffed and crossed my arms for a moment, glaring at the book. With a sudden idea, I grinned and brought my tail up. I poked it's tip in-between the book and another, opening a small gap. I gripped the book again, now yanking as hard as I could. Finally, the book was set free, and I fell on my behind. Though, it didn't hurt. I was more interested in the large bookcase falling on top of me.
"GYAH!"I screamed, curling into a ball and trying to shield myself of books with my tail. A moment later, they stopped, though, and i looked up to see most of the bookcase above me. The large replica behind me had kept it from falling completely and squishing my guts onto the floor. I sighed a quick sigh of relief, before the rest of the books fell onto me in a mound."Ow..."
"Bailey!"
I poked my head out of the mountain of books, looking at my aunt. She had her hands on her hips, left foot tapping at a steady beat. I gave her a sideways smile."Uhh... sorry?"
Auntie sighed and laughed a little, taking her duster and tickling my nose with it."You silly little wolf!"She laughed as I sneezed, my ears folding back."What part of 'Stay right here' do you not get?"
"Umm... all of it?"
Again, Auntie laughed. I always seemed to keep her in a good mood.
I then looked at the book in my hand, which I had clenched onto. I read the large letters on the front, and grinned wildly.
Alchemy: The Science of Silver
You see, I had been at Auntie and Uncle Robby's for a while now. Momma and Daddy had to go to work, so they had Auntie and Uncle Robby to watch over me for the time. I don't really mind, as long as I'll see them again some said I looked almost exactly like Momma, and Uncle Robby said I reminded him of Daddy, with how mischievous I am and all. Anyways, I started studying Alchemy, ever once-in-a-while sending Momma and Daddy a letter, telling them how far I was and stuff like that. Sometimes I got them back, while others, they were too busy to answer. And whenever I asked Auntie and Uncle Robby why they were taking so long to get back home, Auntie would suddenly get sad and Uncle Robby would go get some Whiskey. I knew it was a sore subject (for some reason, anyway), so I tried to avoid as often as possible. But that was sorta impossible with me.
I ran up to Auntie, taking the apron of her dress into my hands, grinning up at her.
"Auntie! Auntie! Look!"I held up my other hand, which held a small, metal rose. As she looked down,my aunt gasped, taking it in her hands.
"Oh my! Is this for me?"I nodded, my long, metal tail waving happily as my ears twitched."It's amazing!"She looked back down at me and smiled that kind smiled."I love it."I grinned even wider than before.
"Do you think Momma and Daddy will love it, too?"
Auntie's eyes wavered, turning kinda sad. But I didn't notice that. She smiled again, though it seemed strained."Well, of course they will."She set the silver rose on the counter, going back to her tea."Of course they will..."
As I walked out of the kitchen, I smiled to myself, happy of my works. And to think, I'll get even better!
Walking past Uncle Robby (who has sipping some Whiskey again), I skipped back to the library, determined to learn even more of this beautiful metal, Silver.
Tonight was dreadful... It was raining, pouring down droplets of water onto my face, and Auntie had a hold of my hand. She had gave me a black cloak that she had sewn and took me out. She didn't really say why, only that Uncle Robby had some friends over, and they were going to play games. I wanted to stay at there, with Uncle Robby and play games, but Auntie said no and took me out. I dunno why, though. It didn't seem so bad.
Auntie walked me around town some, but it all seemed boring and sad. Everyone was inside, waiting for the storm to hit, while we were out here roaming around, like absolute idiots. Why was she doing this? She had never done it before...
Now, Auntie took me over to a house. I had never seen it before, actually. I had a dark, dark green roof and white bricks covering it. She rang the doorbell, and one of her friends... umm... Ms. Maya was her name, I think, opened the door. Quickly, Ms. Maya ushered us in, before we caught a cold.
"Oh my! What are you doing, Dahlia? You could get sick with Pneumonia!"Ms. Maya said, taking her coat. I had never seen her up-close before. Auntie had always told me to go to my room when we had visitors. I guess it's because I look weird..."Oh... and who's this?"
"Deloris, this is my Step-Niece, Bailey. Bailey, this is Deloris Maya."I did the 'proper' this and curtsied (oh, how I hated to), smiling up at her. Though she couldn't see it under my hood.
"Nice to meet you, Ms. Maya."I said in that sweet tone that only a little child could have.
"Why, aren't you just adorable!"Ms. Maya squeeled."I can't believe I've never met you before!"
I giggled slightly as I was led into the Living Room. I wasn't as happy as I seemed, but I'll keep up the act...
It wasn't long before I had gone to sleep. I don't really remember what happened when I woke up, either. Only Uncle Robby coming into the door, and then talking to Auntie. Then Auntie got mad, and next thing I know, they're yelling at one another. Soon, though, they're done, and Auntie picks me up. It must've been midnight, since It was pitch black when she took me out of the house with Uncle Robby. I don't really know what happened next, but when it was morning, I was told that we had to live somewhere else now, and that we had to work to eat and stuff... I was also told never to take my cloak off, for some reason. Was I really that different?
Next thing I know, I've been living like this for a couple of years, at least. We had all stopped counting. I was walking through an alley with Auntie, who was skinny as a toothpick from famine and possibly as frail as one, and Uncle Robby, who used to be so strong, and was now probably worse than Auntie. In just so many years, her strong self had plummeted into the scrap on the side of the road. It was really hard, living on the streets. Though, all that time, studying Alchemy and even all those Gymnastics that I took (and hated) were paying off. Every once-in-a-while, we would come across some regular, every-day criminal and I would scare him off, leading him to the military. Although, I wasn't a big fan of the military, at least they got things done. Sighing, I kept walking through the small walkway between two buildings, passing by a large man who reeked of Alcohol. Suddenly, he pulled me back,smirking at me.
"Hey there, lil' lady. How are you toda- AYE!"I kicked him, right under the belt. God, I hate these people..."That... hurt... you lil'..." Suddenly, he reached up and grabbed my hood, tearing it off. I looked at him, terrified now. My pupils adjusted to the brighter light, though it was still quite dark, and saw the man's face turn from angry to horror.
As he started to back away, he started screaming, attracting even more people. Auntie and Uncle Robby were scared, trembling out of their skin, and ran away. I was devastated. They would just... leave me?
I was angry. No, I was furious. I reached behind me, touching an old, carved Transmutation Circle that I embedded into my tail about a year ago, and it suddenly morphed into a drill with a harsh cerulean light. As the others around me were scared out of their lives, I dug underground and ran away from that place, finding myself walking through the tunnels of the sewers. After a while, I Transmuted my cloak back and came back above ground, and you wouldn't believe what I saw. I didn't see building after building after building, no, I saw blue skies and green fields. Is this what the real world looked like?
That's when i made my decision. I would travel through Amestris, and see the world to it's fullest. I walked down that paved road at the age of eight, ad kept traveling until I was fourteen years old. That's when that day came, the same day i met Major Maes Hughes.
This guy... he was tough...
It was raining, no, pelting down, the clouds crying mercilessly. I was going against this guy, Jacob 'The Slinger', and he was just too much.
Well, either that, or it was taking the Military just a bit too long.
I really couldn't handle him. I was bleeding, and I was bleeding a lot. But I couldn't focus on that now. I had to focus on this Jacob guy.
"I've got you now, babe!"He yelled, running up to me and slamming me onto the road. He gripped my neck tight over the black cloth that held my identity. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't muster the breath to do it. My eyes became rimmed by black, and it was closing in. This wasn't good... Bracing myself for the sight, I raised my tail suddenly out from under me, stabbing him dead in the center of his stomach. If that wasn't the goriest thing I had ever seen, then his eyes rolling back and his mouth hacking up blood was.
Suddenly, his grip on my neck ceased, and he fell on top of me, completely limp.
He was...
Dead...
I pushed him off quickly, standing up and wiping myself off. I seemed cool and collected, but on the inside, oh boy, I was a mess. I mean, I just killed a man! But... he was a murderer, so he deserved it, right?
...right?