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Edward Elric stared at the golden haired woman who was watching his brother test out his arm. She had been found in their basement along with that thing they created. The loss of her legs made him curious as to what had happened. Why had she appeared? She blinked as though feeling his gaze, she met his deadened eyes and gave him a look of understanding before wheeling herself towards the suit of armour that housed his brother's soul. She said something he couldn't make out and Al changed the way that he struck out with his arm. The open palm seemed to work wonders with him, and she gave a thoughtful smile as Alphonse thanked her. That thoughtful nature made him wonder what she had planned. Their teacher had gotten that look when she planned something against the two boys. That worried him greatly.
"Are you going to be alright?" She softly asked and he mutely nodded his mind turning to the horror's his foolishness had created.
"Where are the Elric brothers?" A male voice roughly asked and Ailne's eyes widened when Alphonse quickly pulled his brother closer to the two of them, as though he was going to protect them.
She grasped at the hem of the borrowed light blue dress, something that came from the boy's mother. Pinako had told them that she had to wear something that let her blend in. Shirts and pants with elaborately designed embroidery showing that she came from a family of wealth would make her stand out too much. Edward knew that she had agreed to help them, mainly out of guilt from not being able to stop them in the first place. Yet, she never looked at them with pity. He wondered why that was.
The door slammed open and Ailne kept in a flinch as a man in a blue military uniform entered the room with a dark scowl on his face. His dark eyes took them in, and his expression darkened further. She could hear eerie laughter in the back of her head, it sounded too much like Truth for her to be comfortable. The man took quick strides and physically lifted Edward out of his wheelchair, making sure they were eye level. Ailne's eyes narrowed dangerously, and Al found himself holding the woman back. She was prepared to attack the man for getting physical with Edward, legs or no legs.
"We went to your house!" The man stated his anger was nearly palpable, "What was that mess? What the hell did you do?!"
Edwards expression became one of complete grief and his head slowly tilted down until his chain touched his chest. Ailne relaxed a bit and sent him a concerned expression. Alphonse moved and placed his hand on the man's wrist. It caught his attention and he turned to look at the suit of armor. His eyes widened slightly when Alphonse made a concerned sound. The echo was loud, and informed him that the suit held nothing inside of it.
"We're sorry, please forgive us," Alphonse quietly pleaded.
Pinako entered the room as the man released Edward. He gently set the boy back down in his chair, a departure from his previous behavior. Ailne brought a hand up and placed it on Edwards back, where his remaining arm was. The shoulder where his right arm had been would have been painful to even attempt touching. Her legs ached the second she thought about her stumps, even if she wasn't touching them. The man let out a strange sigh through his nose, as though he felt unprepared for the insanity that was going to greet him.
"We'll talk at the table," Pinako stated. "This young woman here is their older sister who was out traveling."
Ailne didn't even react to that story. She simply gave a polite nod of greeting and the man returned it. He bought that lie, she believed that Pinako needed to be given more credit where it was due. She was sitting in as a guardian of the two boys, Pinako the other. Roy Mustang, that was the man's name. She looked at the ranks on his shoulders and frowned in thought, it was different from the embroidery that her people did. Or rather, used to do.
"What are you offering them?" Pinako asked and Ailne gave the conversation her full attention.
"Research funding, access to secret documents, and the country's data and technology will be at his disposal," Roy answered and Ailne gave him a sharp look. "These are the privileges that come from being a state alchemist."
Alchemy, it was something she could do. Xerxean Alchemy was different than what Truth showed her. Both had such great uses, even if she had never been fully trained to do so. She folded her hands in her lap, her shawl finding its way to her shoulders. Roy quickly studied the Elric's before looking back towards her. She was thoughtfully staring at a wall, as though figuring something out.
"In return you'll have to join the military and follow any orders given to you," Roy continued, and he watched as Ailne's eyes widened as she got what he was saying. "You'll also have access to information that civilian people cannot."
"The trade off negates the cons of the military," Ailne muttered to herself.
"What do you mean by that?" Pinako questioned and Ailne blinked as her train of thought was derailed.
"Information is key to alchemy, or to any plan in general," Ailne answered, her calm tone only betrayed by the slight furrowing of her brows. "If Edward joins the military, then they might be able to find information on returning their bodies to normal."
"The main library in central has that kind of information?" Alphonse asked.
"It might, but you'd have to become dogs of the military to access it," Roy nodded.
"Are you sure that these kids are skilled enough for National qualification?" Pinako asked, and Roy did a quick glance at the Elrics.
Edward would be the one he'd bet money on. Alphonse was one he wasn't too sure about. He didn't know what the soul in the armor could do. The woman was the unknown factor. She was smart, that much was shown with how quickly she caught onto what he had been implying. She reached up and tugged on the cloth around her shoulders. A slight tell of the anxiety she was possibly feeling, either that or her leg was causing her great pain. It was most likely a mixture of both.
"The alchemy circle in the basement showed talent," Roy answered the old woman. "The ability to transmute a human soul also weighs in his favour."
"Lieutenant Colonel Mustang," Pinako stated, and the man sat up straighter in response. "After these three came in covered in blood I went to their house to see what had happened, and what they created wasn't even human!"
Ailne looked at the table at those words. She knew exactly what they had created. A facsimile of a human, one that was so warped and twisted that it was a perversion of the natural world. The sacrifice of a leg was a fairly lax punishment, until one looked at Alphonse. His body had been completely taken, the steepest price one could pay.
"A method of creating such a monstrosity, is that what you're trying to call alchemy?!" Pinako questioned and Ailne looked towards Edward to see him glaring at his leg stump. "You would throw those two boys back into that path again?!"
"I'm not trying to force them to do anything," Roy stated, folding his hands together on top of the table. "I am only stating the possibility. To live your life with hopelessness and a piece of armor for a brother! Or sell yourself to a military where you can possibly regain what you lost! It's completely your choice."
It was quiet in the room as he let those words sink in. He studied the Elrics again. He saw the fires in those eyes. The woman across from him was staring at him with such determination that it was almost scary. She then gave him a slight smile, the first form of positive emotion he'd seen from the group. At least they were starting to heal. Alphonse leaned down to say something in Ailne's ear and she gave him her full attention.
"Ailne, will you stay here for a few seconds?" Alphonse requested. "I wanted to talk to my brother for a few seconds."
"Of course, let him know that whatever he chooses I'll have his back completely, even if I have to join the military as well," She softly muttered back.
Alphonse was surprised by that, but saw the smile she was giving him. She wanted to protect them, and they didn't even know her full story yet. It was odd but he felt as though he could trust her. He wheeled his brother out of the room and Pinako paused for a few seconds before hopping down from her chair to retrieve some tea. It would be impolite not to get their guests anything.
"Your brothers are quite spirited," Roy commented to the young woman.
"That they are," Ailne agreed. "I'll have my hands full making sure they don't destroy any cities while in the military."
"You're an alchemist as well," His observation brought about a thoughtful look on the young woman's face.
Ailne wondered what sort of alchemy would best suit her needs. Having seen the truth, the absolute information of alchemy itself, she was sure that she could use just about any type if she put her mind to it. She remembered the circles her brothers used to draw to bring about flames. The bright blue flames they created had burned hotter than anything she'd ever felt before. She could remember the triangle in the circle imposed on the symbol for copper. It was one of the few things her brothers had shared with her before she started etiquette lessons.
"I work in battle alchemy such as fire, metal, and explosions," She found herself saying. "You seem surprised by the first one."
"I'm the state alchemist known as the flame alchemist," Roy stated, and she saw that the idea of someone else using flames bothered him a bit.
"If it makes you feel any better my flames come out as blue, I use the traces of copper in the ground to help it burn hotter," She found herself explaining.
Roy Mustang really didn't know what to make of the woman in front of him. She had figured out how to use flame alchemy on her own? It had taken his teacher most of his life to perfect it! Those secrets had been destroyed and no one else should've been able to create it. The genius of the Elrics had been misunderstood. The children could perform human transmutation and create something, while the eldest was able to create her own form of flame alchemy. The old woman came back into the room with tea and shot the two adults a strange look before nodding to the golden haired woman.
"You make a good speech," The compliment from the woman came out of nowhere and forced his mind to focus on her. "I suppose someone of your rank would have to be."
"You seem to have a low opinion of the military," Roy picked up and she narrowed her eyes in thought.
"I was engaged once," She stated. "He was a military man, it only takes one man putting his hands on you to form an opinion of a whole group…such is human nature."
He nodded his agreement at that before looking at the time. He needed to leave. He heard the quiet chink of china on wood and turned to see the young woman turning her cup towards herself and picking it up. She seemed happy with the warm tea, even though it was an abnormally warm day. He left with his Lieutenant, his mind pondering the strange nature of the Elrics before a smirk appeared on his face. Those siblings were going to end up as dogs of the military. They were too stubborn for their own good.
0o0
"Are you two sure you want to go through with this?" Pinako asked.
Ailne was nervously looking at the needle in the woman's hand. Alphonse sat between his brother and their pseudo older sister. A silent pillar of comfort. She nodded her head as Edward gave the elderly woman a determined look. They needed automail to be able to move around and join the military. He'd keep an eye on the older woman who was acting as a guardian just as she would for him.
"Yeah, we've decided already," Edward stated. "How long will the surgery and rehabilitation take?"
"It will most likely be three years until you can move properly again," Pinako stated as she pulled on a clean pair of disposable gloves.
"We'll do it in one," Edward grinned.
"You'll end up coughing up blood," Pinako informed him as she put Ailne under for her surgery.
"Don't worry Al, we'll get our bodies back," Edward informed his brother, a painfilled grin on his face. "Please be patient with us."
"Of course," Alphonse stated, nodding his head.
Pinako put Edward under as well. Alphonse watched as the Rockbells operated on the two. They had to reopen the wounds on the stumps to fit in the mechanism that allowed the nerves to attach to the Automail and let it move like a real limb. Winry was being shown how to do so by Pinako and the young girl soaked up the information like a sponge. She had already helped to design Automail before, but doing the surgery to install it was something else. They hit a single bump in the road when the anesthetics wore off for Ailne and she woke up through the surgery, right at the painful part.
"We can put you back under," Pinako kindly stated, already pausing in her work.
"Just keep going, please," Ailne stated, her teeth clenched slightly. "I'll be fine."
Pinako stared at the woman in thought before continuing her work. It wasn't the first time that someone was able to wake up during the surgery. A few grown men had done so, and they'd all cried and screamed as though someone was murdering them. Ailne was clenching her jaw and fisting the sheets in silence. The tense muscles made things a bit difficult, but she could finish the procedure with ease.
Edward woke up two hours later to hear the turning of a page in a book. He looked over towards the older woman and saw that her attention was on the book in her lap. A history book? He didn't know that Pinako had handed it to her so she wouldn't be caught off guard while in central. He groaned and she blinked, looking towards him with concern.
"Will you be alright?" She softly asked.
"Be glad you didn't have to get an arm done," Edward groaned, and she let out a soft sound of amusement.
"I owe both you and Alphonse some information in thanks for allowing me to help you," Ailne stated. "That is the law that alchemists live by, equivalent exchange…yes?"
"Yeah…" Edward trailed off.
Alphonse chose to enter the room at that point, a tray of food in his hands. He set it down between the two and sent them a curious look, well as curious as a suit of armor could manage. Ailne nodded towards a chair and waited until he sat to make a strange sound. How was she going to tell them that she was a citizen of Xerxes that had been stuck in the gate of truth for almost four hundred years if not longer? The sounds of surprise made her pause and she looked towards the two brothers. They were gaping at her in disbelief and watched as her expression changed from confusion to self-deprecation within seconds. She hadn't meant to say that out loud. She was supposed to be the sneaky one, not the one who blabbed.
"What happened to the other citizens of Xerxes?" Edward questioned and she knew that he would focus on that.
"That's the thing, I don't know what happened, not truly," She stated, and she frowned in thought. "My memories of the full event could be scrambled due to having spent so much time in the gate…but I do know one thing, immortality is an unattainable joke."
"One million people just gone," Edward muttered.
"They all dropped to the ground in unison," She informed him. "My brothers and I had no clue what was happening before we too were affected."
"Then you woke up at the gate," Edward concluded. "I don't think your legs are the only thing it took from you."
"You're probably right," She agreed.
"Man, a Xerxean that came from the past…no one would believe that if you hadn't just appeared from nowhere like you did," Edward grumbled, and she let out a quiet laugh at that.
"I wouldn't blame them, it sounds incredibly insane," She stated before leaning back into her pillow and staring at the ceiling. "I want to know what happened to my people, but at the same time I want to keep you both safe…you might be descendants of a lost civilization, congratulations."
Edward gave a halfhearted fist pump in the air with his remaining hand and Ailne smiled at that. She closed her eyes to get some rest and Alphonse watched as she easily succumbed to sleep. He found himself placing a blanket over her, something his mother and teacher used to do for them. Edward sighed in thought, and he turned towards his brother.
"A citizen of Xerxes…she doesn't have a reason to lie about it," Edward rationalized. "And it's so farfetched that it wouldn't be believed even if she did."
"She'll have to keep pretending to be our sister," Alphonse added. "I always wanted a sister."
"Yeah, a baby sister not an older sister," Edward grumbled, still that eleven year old child.
Ailne woke up when the sun went down, she could smell food being cooked and her stomach growled for substance. She sat up in the bed, a blanket falling from her form and pooling in her lap. She blankly stared at it for a few seconds before shrugging. She reached around for her wheelchair and found it with some difficulty. She made her way down the stairs, glad that Pinako had made a few adjustments to them where there was a bit of a ramp, and wheeled herself into the kitchen.
"Ah, glad to see you're awake," Pinako said with a slight grin. "Now come on and join us already, I made stew."
Ailne smiled at that and took a seat at the table next to Alphonse. It was nice being part of a family, even if it was a facsimile of one. She could get used to it. Even as she sent Edward a strange look as he practically inhaled the stew. Winry took care of it for her and slapped the boy round the head. A huff coming out of her as she did so. Ailne made a mental note to never make the blonde mad, she seemed to have one hell of a hit.