Ch. 8

Drips and splashes of water echoed throughout the hotel, a calm hum that filled what would have been a deathly silent building. Outside, streets flooded with puddles and mud enveloped corners, just as it did every day in the tiny town. Creatures ventured out, more comforted by the weather as the soldiers standing guard took shelter from the downpour and were forced to leave them be. Young chimeras, damned by the outside world and normal society, ran through the miniature lakes, giggling and screaming with joy as they played with one another. The adults gathered together and those who could communicate conversed about the day and about their miserable state. Soldiers under awnings tensed when the children neared or when a thunderclap rolled above, ready to unlock their guns for a standoff.

False peace.

Edward watched the events play outside the cold, rain-speckled window, paying no mind to the meeting he was supposed to be holding. He wasn't cut out for the "take it slowly and rationally" approach; that was Mustang's job, not his. He exhaled silently, his breath whitening the glass and blurring the world beyond it. He raised his hand slowly as too not raise any suspension of boredom to his subordinates and began to draw doodles into the fogged window.

A circle.

Two dots.

A toothy smile.

Edward smirked faintly.

Angry eyebrows and a forked tongue.

He stopped abruptly when he saw what his subconscious was wanting him to deal with and wiped away the portrait quickly, causing a soldier to look up at him. "Sir?" Edward looked back at him. "Yeah? What is it?" The other men looked up from their diagrams and maps of the town and the mansion, worried looked all round. "Well… Does that sound like a plan?" Edward groaned and rubbed his shoulder port, tight squeaking riveting through his frame, with only himself to hear it.

"I don't know…" Edward rested his chin on his folded hands. "It seems a bit risky…"

The soldier to Ed's right piped up. "Well, yes, sir. But I'm afraid it's the best option we have besides going straight up to the actual door and knocking… Sorry for the bluntness of my response, sir." Edward waved a hand dismissing it completely. "You're right, I guess. Who all would be willing to investigate and carry out this mission?"

No hands rose and a thunderclap sounded off in the distance.

Edward felt his eyebrow twitch. "Okay… Let me rephrase that. Who is the most qualified in each needed field for this mission? That is not to say you WILL go, but as a best option."

Four hands went up, two of which were of Ed's team who had discovered the injured Colonel Mustang earlier. "You four, come with me, the rest of you, keep up the good work." The five left the other soldiers to discuss the situation from behind a closed door.

Edward stood and analyzed each man, taking into account the experience and age of each man. "Okay, I would hate to send you two back there since you've already gone, but I think you're our best bet. Would you be willing?" Christopher nodded, but Martin remained still and silent. Edward and Christopher looked at him questioningly, surprised by the lack of acceptance.

"If it's all the same, Edward, I would really rather… Not…" Martin trailed off. He shoved his hands into his pockets, an old schoolyard habit from when he got nervous, and always gave him trouble in the military. Edward noted the shakiness of his fingers before they had disappeared behind the blue of the uniform and nodded understandingly. "You can go."

Martin left quickly, almost sprinting.

"Why did he do that? He's usually so eager to help…" Christopher looked down at Ed and saw he was frowning sadly. "Sir?" Edward shook his head. "Leave him be and don't bother him about it unless he wants to talk. He probably needs some time to adjust." Christopher nodded knowingly.

"But you know what I'm wondering, 2nd Lieutenant? Why you of all people are willing to help? I mean… Last night you made it pretty clear your views on this town…" Edward said nonchalantly, glaring at the cinnamon-haired man. The soldier looked down at his feet and bit his lip. "I feel I need to do this, sir. I just thought that these… chimeras… were just weird messed-up creatures, not people… But now…"

The man looked out the large windows of the lobby, watching the children of the damned run about, screaming gleefully as they played.

"I… I want to make up for my wrong judgments and help not only your friend but all the people suffering here."

Edward smiled throughout his whole being at this revelation. "You have my support, Mache!" Ed saluted, receiving one in return from the man. Edward relaxed and turned to the other two with a look of gratitude and they saluted. "Now," Ed continued. "Since Lieutenant Mache here knows the way back to where we… Ventured last night, I'm placing him in charge. Understood?" The two men nodded and Mache smiled weakly. "Good. Remember, don't be seen and do not, under any circumstance, shoot unless it is a literal life-or-death situation. You will leave tonight at twenty-hundred hours, so I suggest you all get some rest now to prepare you. Dismissed!"

The four saluted each other and left their separate ways.

Edward pulled out his pocket watch and sighed when he saw its face. "Great, Mustang's probably bored beyond belief… Can't blame him—it's been two whole damn hours…" Edward walked back to the den where he had left the chimera as he imagined it sprawled out, staring at the ceiling with a look of complete disinterest. He smiled to himself. "Well, maybe not… Especially if Hawkeye's there… Eheheh!" he giggled, covering his mouth as to avoid being overheard.

"Oh, hey, Brother!"

Edward ran into the wall.

"AL!? What the hell? Don't do that…" Ed stammered, trying to catch his breath. Alphonse laughed warmly. "Sorry, Brother. Hey, where's the colonel? I thought he was with you?" Edward shrugged and wove his hand. "He was but I got pulled into a meeting (and now I understand why Mustang hates them so much…) He should be in the living room or somewhere around here."

Edward stopped waving his hand and pointed at nothing in particular. "Actually… Could you maybe help us out with something, Al?" Al's helmet nodded with a tiny clang. "Like what?"

Edward continued walking, more slowly as to converse with his little brother.

"Well, the colonel and I were gonna go to the town library to see if we could find any information on chimera transmutation and on what animals he was fused with." "But… Doesn't Colonel Mustang KNOW what he was fused with?" Edward shrugged. "I mean, he should, but he can't really tell us what they are, so looking through books and letting him point them out would be a hell of a lot quicker than playing a guessing game." Alphonse nodded understandingly.

The two reached the den and Edward began looking around for the chimera.

"Agh… Where the hell is he? I mean, he's a huge black chimera—he isn't hard to miss!"

Roy lifted his head from behind the couch back and growled, being quite pissed off. "Oh…" Edward responded awkwardly. "Uh… Hey, Colonel! Long time no see! Eh heh… heh…" Roy's scowl only grew as the boy felt a pang of guilt. "Sorry." Roy rolled his eyes and rested his head back down. Edward and Alphonse exchanged looks of confusion, and the elder walked around the couch to see what the creature was doing.

Ed almost smiled at the sight. A large mass of fluffy black feathers and fur, wrapped in on itself like a ball (a faint "Awe!" heard from Al, presumably due to the likeness to a cat) and its head pulled under one of the wings in a protective fashion. The only problem was that this was a grown man stuck inside the body of a monster—an adorable monster—but a monster nonetheless. Edward nudged Roy's tail with his foot, getting a twitch in response. "C'mon, big guy, we have to go to the library, remember?"

Roy groaned, voice almost completely human in comparison to the usual gruff, clacking one he now had. He curled in on himself more tightly, like a young child with a blanket. Edward lifted his leg higher and nudged the chimera's butt with his boot, moving the entire body. "I said we're going to the library. Get up." Roy groaned again, noticeably louder and more animal-like. Edward felt his jaw tense up from oncoming frustration. He grabbed Roy's tail and pulled, not hard enough to hurt, but enough to move the chimera from his spot. He was almost immediately face to face with a snarling set of teeth and angry white eyes.

Edward was unfazed though and motioned to the entryway with his thumb. "Come on." He turned and walked out of the den, leaving Alphonse and the pissed off chimera behind. Roy whipped his head around, almost 180 degrees and glared at Al. The suit of armor staggered and hurried after his brother. "E-Ed! Wait for me!" Roy stood alone, feathers fluffed and teeth grinding. He felt his temple pounding hard and he closed his eyes. Taking in a deep breath, he tried to calm himself down.

The young alchemist could've picked a better time to bother Roy as the man had been deep in conversation with his inner demons and was not prepared for human interaction.

The chimera begrudgingly followed the brothers with a quiet growl resonating within his chest. He wasn't tired, he wasn't lazy, he just needed to talk to the others. The only ones I can talk to… He lifted his head when he reached the front lobby to see the brothers waiting for him by the open door. He jerked to a stop with wide eyes.

FREE

SELF FREE

WANNA RUN WANNA RUN WANNA RUN

FLY

FLY AWAY

FLY FREE AND HIGH

No! No… We aren't leaving them.

Other self is not healthy in head.

Yeah… I believe I have an infestation of unwanted pests.

Roy shook his head, trying his best to ignoring the angry remarks inside his soul, and continued on. He slowed as he reached the door, glancing at the blonde who was giving him a very quizzical look. He huffed a sigh and walked out the door, feet walking right over the thick mud of the entryway. Edward tred carefully on it and Al just went ahead and hopped over it. Roy raised a brow at the brothers' avoidance of the muck.

"It's easy for me to sink into it and Brother got stuck in it last night," Al explained to the silent question.

Edward blushed slightly. "Yeah, well, I was also CARRYING THE COLONEL so my weight was increased!" Roy blinked in surprise, but then scoffed. Edward fumed in return, his face so red that the rain almost steamed as it hit his head, "I'M NOT FAT!" Roy laughed, bent over himself and using his knees as support for his shaking frame. Alphonse and Edward stared at the chimera confused. "What's so funny?!" Edward stuttered, crossing his arms. Roy's laughter quieted down and he shook his head.

I just forgot how short-tempered you were!

Edward let out a small "Tch!" and pulled his hood over his head. "C'mon, let's just get moving already. I'm soaked enough as it is…" Alphonse wrung his hands. "Um… Colonel, do you need an umbrella? I mean…" Roy shook his head and then his whole body, sending water everywhere. He pointed to his feathers and let them see that they—once cleaned as they were now—repelled water. "Oh… Well, if you're sure…?" Roy nodded and followed Edward.

The three of them walked along the stepping stones that adorned the sides of buildings along the road. Edward and Alphonse chatted ahead of Roy as they went on their way and Roy, for the first time really, got to see the two acting normal. Without any military around or citizens to criticize their looks the brothers smiled and joked with each other despite the rather gloomy setting. Edward would joke about something ridiculous like his automail or his mechanic girl and Alphonse would return a witty and sometimes inappropriate comment about them. The two bantered and laughed and shoved, all in front of the boy's boss, whether they had meant to or not.

Roy felt his heart warming as he watched the siblings acting like… Well… Children.

It was so rare of them to act their age, and Mustang had assumed it always was what with their mother dying and leaving them at such a young age. But seeing them now, away from all adult hardships and judgments, they were just… Themselves. Just themselves. Not the Fullmetal Alchemist. Not a bonded soul. Just two brothers.

"Hey, Colonel Bastard, you're falling behind! I mean, we could leave you out here, but I doubt Hawkeye would like that very much!" Edward joked back to the chimera who was now a great many paces behind them. Roy scowled and hurried back behind them, glaring at Edward with a slightly pink face. The teen smiled devilishly and turned back around and kept talking with his little brother. Roy frowned as one of the animals inside him laughed.

"So this is the Limixi Library, huh? Not as impressive as Central's, but nice," Edward commented. He took off his coat and snapped it, freeing as much water from it as possible before hanging it on a statue head. Alphonse dried himself off as best he could and chuckled when Roy shook himself dry, soaking Edward in the process. Roy gave Edward a smug grin as the dripping teen growled at him.

"I'd lay off the pranks, Bastard, we're here to help you remember?"

Roy's grin faded and he nodded slowly.

"Alright then, let's see if we can dig up anything. Al, you can go look for alchemy research documents or reference books, here." Edward threw his pocket watch at the armored boy. "Use that if they ask for verification. Alphonse put the watch in his thigh holster and nodded before heading off to the right and behind a book shelf.

"Okay, Colonel, let's go see if we can find what makes you tick!" Ed joked as he headed toward the left. Roy sighed with an eyebrow raised. This kid is even worse when off duty…

The chimera followed Edward around a large bookcase which opened to a seemingly endless number of rows. Edward stood with his hands on his hip and whistled, clearly impressed. "Again, pretty impressive for such a tiny town!" He almost giggled, "C'mon! Let's see what we can find!" before running down the line, leaving a rather flummoxed Roy behind him.

Roy walked the same path that Ed had taken and found himself alone. He wandered along, absentmindedly looking at the books that surrounded him. Thunder rumbled loudly outside and the rain picked up again. The creatures within were all chatting and arguing with each other as they normally did. Roy had learned to ignore them almost entirely since his transformation. It wasn't until a few minutes later that he realized something was terribly off. All of the animals inside him were deathly quiet. Roy knitted his brows. Guys? You there? Where did you go?

He got no response.

He swallowed, his throat growing parched.

Guys, come on now, this isn't funny.

Silence.

He stepped farther into the row, his talons making tiny clicks as they glided over the marble floor. His breathing slowed and blood pounded in his ears, making his vision blurred. He swiveled his head around and saw nothing; he swiveled it back and saw nothing. He felt his knees shake. He knew this feeling. He knew it now almost equally as well as he knew how to breathe. He felt his spine tingle and his muscles tensed. He crouched; hoping to hide from the thing he knew was watching him. His senses heightened even more so than they already were and he began to hear the rain outside falling as if he were in the middle of a hurricane. Every drop was a pounding pain and every splash was cannon fire. He froze, sweat dripping from his cheek.

He heard a growl from outside.

It wasn't one of his animals either.

He held his breath.

The growl resonated and grew louder and louder as Roy became more and more paranoid.

The animals within him began screaming RUN over and over and over and over again.

RUN

RUN

RUN

Roy leaped up onto the bookshelf in front of him and he scouted and plotted his surroundings. He saw the tiny flicker of gold to his left and he immediately pounced.

"WHAT THE—Colonel!? The hell do you think you're doing!?" Edward scrambled away from the beast and his chest tightened as he saw the look of fear in Roy's face. The chimera gasped and scurried backward. His back touched a book and he screamed, spinning around and slicing the entire shelf with his wing's talon. Pages and pictures fell from their bindings and the wood creaked as it began to snap apart. The entire shelf came crashing down, nearly crushing Roy's feet.

Edward stared as his tried to form words.

"H… Hey now… It's… It's okay…" Edward stuttered quietly as he moved toward the creature.

He slowly and gently placed his hand on Roy's shaking shoulder, raising his automail in precaution. Roy cried out and tried to slice through whatever it was that was trying to kill him. When his body jolted and the clanging of metal rang out he froze. He looked up slowly, shaking, sweating profusely.

Edward stood with Roy's talon wedged deep in the protective grill of his automail, mere inches away from his eye.

Oh my God…

Oh my God I almost killed him…

"Colonel! It's me! It's okay… Ssh, it's okay… You're safe, you're safe…" Edward cooed, petting Roy's head protectively. He pulled the chimera into his shoulder and rubbed his neck. "You're safe… I'm here…" Roy relaxed and his feathers drooped as he felt his knees beginning to collapse. He fell into the boy and the two knelt down. "Colonel… What were you scared of? There's nothing here to hurt you…" Roy was gasping for air as adrenaline continued coursing through his veins despite the removal of danger. He shook his head weakly as he could still hear the growling outside, and even though all the rain and thunder he could tell it was turning into a sinister laugh. He lifted his head and tilted it to hear better, tuning out the worried teen in front of him.

The creature laughed and backed away.

Then it vanished completely.

Roy blinked hard, trying to make sure it was really gone before returning to the boy. He turned back to Ed and stared deep into the boy's face. His eyes were focused, his brows pulled together tightly and a bead of sweat began to slowly drip down his forehead. But he was frowning. Sadly. Roy scrunched up his face and shook his head hard, trying to rid himself of the excess blood in his ears. The animals inside him relaxed and started to talk to each other again, but more quietly than before. "Colonel…?" Ed asked sadly.

Roy looked back at the boy, smiled faintly, and he wiped his face with one of his wings.

"Did you see something, or…?"

Roy shook his head.

"Did you hear something?"

Roy didn't respond.

"… Damn…" Ed cursed, looking around for the presumed enemy. "Are you sure it wasn't your imagination?" He looked back at Roy and saw the chimera hang head and weakly shake his head. Edward opened his mouth at the response, but gritted his teeth as he looked around again. He started to stand back up but Roy hooked his talon on Ed's sleeve, a tiny whimper escaping him. The claw pulled tighter at the fabric as the chimera shut his eyes.

Edward stood up straight and looked down at the pitiful creature that hung onto him like a child. Don't… Don't leave me… Please… Please… Edward closed his eyes and sighed. "Don't worry… You'll be safe as long as I'm around. We are going to get you back to normal and… " he trailed off. "And you won't have to be afraid anymore." He wrapped his hand around the claw and squeezed it gently.

"You'll be okay, Colonel."

"DAMN IT! Ugh… Why are all these books on farming!? The only farms around here are gardens and vineyards—so why in God's name are there so many books on freaking sheep!?" Edward threw the book hard and Roy ducked nonchalantly, still reading his book. Edward flopped on his back. "If I'd known animal research would be so tedious I'd have called Fuery or something." Roy looked up from his book to flash a smirk. He looked back down at his book and turned the page, carefully avoiding ripping a page with his talon. Unlike Edward, he cared whether or not the books stayed well-kept.

He sighed and closed the book, rubbing his eyes with his wing. He stood up and put the book back on the shelf—upside down—but still in its proper spot. He looked back at the sprawled alchemist and gave a bark, telling him to get back to work. "Alright, alright! It's just hard to keep reading when all you've learned so far is how to properly sheer a spring sheep!" Roy smiled and turned back to the bookshelf. He looked over every title there and he too groaned.

This is getting us nowhere…

"Hey, guys!"

Roy and Edward looked out from behind the shelves to see Alphonse walking toward them with arms full of papers and books. "Woah, Al! How did they let you get all that?" Alphonse froze and slowly organized the documents on the floor. "There was no one there and the room was a mess. As if…" he stopped. "As if someone had ransacked the place before we got here." Edward gasped quietly, but Roy remained stone-faced.

So that's what he was doing here…

"Well… Whatever the case, these were all still there, right? So there's bound to be something they missed! … Whoever they were…"

Are… And I doubt it—not with his eye.

Edward picked up on of the books Alphonse brought and flipped through the pages, his eyes dancing on the paper, mind taking in all the information that he now had in his hands. "This… This is incredible!" Roy raised a brow and looked down on the page Ed had the book open to. It's literally just a bunch of scribbles, Ed. Edward continued reading, apparently able to read the cryptic writing. "This is really old alchemy—from the time of Xerxes—which means…" The boy turned to Roy with a look of concern. "We're dealing with some seriously messed up stuff."

Roy raised a brow, clearly ticked off by the comment.

Edward caught himself. "I-I mean, more so than we thought. No one uses this alchemy anymore due to its high failure ratio and its effects on the user. If this is the kind of alchemy the bastards who transmuted you used then we are in some serious and dangerous game." Roy stared hard at the page, trying to understand it, but he couldn't. He pulled back and shook his head, a headache beginning to emerge from the strain. Edward smiled and patted his shoulder. "It's okay, we'll figure it out." Roy nodded in return and he went back to looking through the books he had pulled down for his own research.

Edward and Alphonse exchanged worried looks as the chimera flipped through pages of animal categorization and classification, frowning at the apparent lack of identification. The brothers sighed and each opened one of the ancient texts and began to dive into a sea of forgotten knowledge.

The town bell sounded twice as they read and at the end of the third chime Edward closed the book and rubbed his temples. "Ugh… I haven't had this much trouble reading alchemic formulas since from when we were kids!" Alphonse nodded and closed his book as well. "Maybe we should take a few books home to try and read in a better light? It is almost 18 hours."

Edward yawned loudly with a stretch. "Yeeeeah that might be best. Colonel, you have any luck over there?" Roy continued reading, apparently not hearing the boy. "Colonel." He flipped a page and blinked. "MUSTANG!" A loud squawk came from the startled chimera as it fumbled to try and catch the book it had jolted out its wings. "Raagh!?" Edward sighed. He cupped his hands over his mouth as though they were a mile apart even though they were really only about a two meters apart. "Have. You. Found. Anything. Yet?!" he shouted, getting a growl from Roy. The man threw the book at Edward's head and it met its target.

"OW! What the hell, Colonel!?" Roy motioned to the book and stood up to stretch himself. Edward looked at the book angrily as he rubbed his hurt forehead. He noticed one of the pages was dog-eared and he turned to it. On the page, there was a list of canines—wolves, foxes, coyotes, jackals, poodles—all sorts of animals. He looked up at the chimera and raised a brow. "You're part… Poodle?" Roy shot a glare at the boy and growled. "So… Not a poodle?" Roy groaned and nodded. "So a wolf?" Roy shook his head annoyingly. "A… A fox?" Roy tensed up and finally gave up.

He barked loudly and clearly.

Edward blinked in surprise.

"So… Just a dog? No… No specifics?"

Roy moaned and smacked his head against one of the bookcases. It's a start, Ed! Give me a break… It's bad enough being stuck with one and having to resist the urge to sniff everything… Edward sighed and closed the book. "So part dog… But you have wings, meaning there's also a bird… Anything else?" Ed questioned, trying to find some sort of foothold. Roy nodded. He turned around and pointed to his left wing. He moved his claw away and moved it up once. Twice. He waited for the boy to understand. "… Two birds?" Roy nodded. He barked and raised his claw once and stopped. "Two birds, one dog… Is that it?"

Roy sighed and looked at his tail. It was long and covered in feathers and fur, but it was far longer than a dog's tail and certainly longer than a bird's.

Hey, hungry guy, mind telling me what you are?

Hungry…

Well yeah, but your species? …

Hungry…

Ugh screw you.

Roy shook his head, but was clearly troubled. Edward stood up and rested his hands on his hips. "So, just to recap, two birds, a dog, a bastard, and one unknown?" Roy glared but nodded. Ed scratched his head. "Well, at least we got something… Have you tried asking your little critter friends what they are?" Roy raised a brow. "Oh… You've tried?" Roy replied with a sarcastic, "Mmhmm~" If I had a clear answer, would we really be doing all this stupid research?

"Well… Is the fourth one big or small? Or can you not tell that?" Ed asked, motioning a small form and a massive form with his hands. Roy looked up near his forehead and thought hard about the question. He looked back at Edward and motioned a small form with his wings. "So small but with a really long tail?" Roy nodded. "Okay… Okay…" Ed mumbled to himself, lower lip pursed out. He walked over to his pile of books and struggled to pick them all up. "Well! Let's get back then, we can look at these tonight and come back tomorrow for more."

Alphonse sighed at his older brother, "Ed, you don't need to carry all those by yourself!" Edward's face was growing pink. "Psh! Like hell I can't!" Al turned to face his brother as the teen walked slowly forward, leaning back from the weight. "I didn't say you couldn't!" "Yeah, but you meant it!" Roy chuckled as Alphonse groaned. "That idiot…" He organized the papers and put them in a book binding to keep them safe from the rain. "Come on, Colonel, we should make sure he can actually make it to the door." Roy smirked and shook his head at the thought of Edward collapsed under a pile of tiny books, begging for help.

The two caught up with Edward quickly even though the boy had left them behind a good couple of paces. Roy noticed that the boy was actually carrying more books than he originally thought and he began to feel concerned for the child's load. More than once while walking to the lobby Roy braced himself for catching a book or even the boy himself. Once they reached the lobby and Edward needed to put on his coat the books were dropped on the floor, heavy enough that they remained in a neat pile. "Damn those are heavy! Ugh, my back…" Ed groaned, massaging his lower back and hips.

Roy furrowed his brows and looked down at the books. He hadn't tried to carry more than one book since his change and he worried if he even could, but he didn't feel right just walking along while letting his subordinate do all the work. As Edward put his coat on the chimera bent down and carefully placed three books in his wing, a fifth one being held by his claw. He piled them against his chest and smiled as he saw the pile was drastically reduced, even though he left the largest books for Ed to carry. Better to be carrying heavy books with hands than claws…

Edward bent down to grab his load but gave a surprised exclamation when he found it smaller. He looked over at Alphonse but the armor pointed to Roy. Edward turned around and saw the chimera smiling guiltily with a stack of books cradled in his arms. "… Uh… Thanks?" Ed mumbled, clearly not expecting the act. Roy grinned and began walking toward the door with the books, his tail slightly higher than normal to counterbalance the new weight.

The three walked back along their old path and the rain fell in a cool mist.

A green eye watched them from the shadows and a growl escaped its throat.

Roy turned around at the sound and looked around nervously before sprinting back to his group.

The growl turned into tut as the green eye faded into the darkness.

"Damn…"