Chapter Five:

Lessons and Practical Application

"The basics of alchemy is 'Equivalent Exchange'. That means to obtain something, something of equal value must be lost."

Annora looked up from the book on alchemy that she had been reading and blinked.

"You're kidding," she asked incredulously. "That's it?"

Ed smirked as he flopped down on the couch opposite to where she was sitting and put his feet up on the coffee table next to where Annora's history book and partially completed vocab assignment lay.

"Pretty much, but that's just the very basics. There's a lot more to alchemy than just 'Equivalent Exchange'."

Annora frowned thoughtfully as she closed the book that Alphonse had given her, carefully setting it down on the coffee table before she picked up her history book and assignment once again.

"Sounds kind of like my chemistry class back home," she muttered as she began to search through the back of the book for definitions. "Just when you think you've got the basic concepts down, you find out that there's a lot more to it than what you originally thought."

Ed made a face at this. "Chemistry? Why would you bother with that?"

"Because it's a required class," Annora pointed out, not looking up from her book. "I can't graduate from high school if I don't take it."

A thoughtful look entered the teenage alchemist's eyes as he glanced over at Annora.

"You know, I've been wondering about that," he muttered. "Al told me that you asked him about alchemy, and apparently you don't know a thing about it. How do you do that?! Everyone knows about alchemy!"

"Not where I'm from. The last time I heard about alchemy, it was in my European History class, and my teacher said that it had died out in the 16th century."

"WHAT?! What the hell was your teacher smoking?!"

"As far as I know, nothing."

Ed just stared at her in response, his golden eyes wide, before he let out an aggravated sigh. Annora looked up from her homework and decided to change the topic before Ed got upset at her lack of alchemic knowledge again.

"So, did you hear anything new from Colonel Mustang?"

"On what?"

"Ohhh, I don't know, maybe on whether or not the bastard's going to let me go home anytime soon," Annora remarked acidly before she realized what she had just said. "Crap, did I just say that out loud?"

The teenage alchemist smirked knowingly at her, mischief dancing in his odd colored eyes.

"So I take it that you don't like our mutual friend the Colonel either," he said. He received his answer in the form of the skeptical look that Annora sent his way.

"No, you think?" she asked sarcastically. "I'm sorry, but something about some pompous jerk telling me that my older brother is just a figment of my imagination just pisses me off. Not to mention the fact that I've been gone for almost three days already, and my friends are probably getting really worried about me by now."

At this point, Alphonse came downstairs just in time to hear Edward ask. "Why would only your friends be worried? What about your family?"

"Both of my parents are away on business trips and won't be back in the states for the next month," Annora explained. "They try to make sure that they're home on the important dates, like birthdays and stuff, but still… it gets a little lonely at times without them."

Ed looked at the girl with an unreadable expression in his eyes and opened his mouth to say something, only to be interrupted by Al.

"Brother, you're back! What did the Colonel say?!" he asked eagerly as he came into the room. The Fullmetal Alchemist looked up at his younger brother and scowled darkly at the reminder of what he had been told.

"According to the Colonel Bastard," he began acidly, his golden eyes flashing with annoyance, "we have to keep Annora here with at least one of us at all times. So that pretty much means that she's staying with us until further notice."

"Wait a sec, so that means that he basically assigned you guys to baby-sit me until he tells you not to?" Annora asked incredulously. "That's messed up!"

Ed frowned and rolled his eyes as he made an irritated noise in the back of his throat.

"He didn't use the term 'babysitter', but he did say that I have to make sure that none of the homunculi attack and try to eliminate you," he muttered. "He also made some snide comments about how you were able to defend yourself against Envy the other day was some kind of fluke."

"What?!" Annora yelped in outrage as she stood up, her homework falling off her lap as her hands automatically clenched into fists. "I'm sorry, but the only lessons in self-defense that I have ever had were given to me by my brother, and they're more for brawling and schoolyard fights. Besides, the only experience I actually have is from dealing with the morons at my school that like to start crap. I've never had to deal with shape-shifting lunatics before!"

Both brothers looked at Annora in amazement as she tried to reign in her rapidly rising temper before she hurt someone, namely a certain Flame Alchemist that happened to be the source of her ire. The teenager failed, and before she could do something stupid, namely punching a wall in frustration and breaking her hand, she decided to verbally express her displeasure instead.

"That slimy, arrogant son of a bitch! When I get my hands on that prick, I swear that I will shove my foot so far up his ass that it'll connect with that tiny little thing that he mistakenly calls his brain!!"

Ed and Al both looked at her with identical expressions of surprise as the teenager continued to curse Colonel Mustang, using words that neither of them, even Ed, had ever heard before. Once he had recovered from the shock of hearing a girl swear like a sailor, Ed began to roar with laughter. Annora stopped her tirade in mid-rant and blinked in surprise.

"What?"

Ed just continued to laugh while the bewildered teenager stared at him in shock. Finally, Annora's curiosity got the better of her.

"What's so funny?" she asked. Ed looked up at her just as he was on the verge of calming down, only to burst out laughing once again. A vein began to throb on Annora's forehead as an irritated scowl formed on her mouth. The sixteen-year old's eyes narrowed dangerously as she crossed her arms over her chest and began to tap her foot against the floor.

"Alright, now I'm getting annoyed," she remarked quietly with a hint of steel in her voice. Ed finally managed to calm down and wiped away a few tears that had sprung up in the corners of his eyes.

"Do all girls talk like you do where you come from?" he asked. Annora looked at him in surprise before she gave a disbelieving snort and raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, no. The only reason that I talk the way I do is because when I was growing up, the only kids my age on the street that I lived on were four boys, so I learned pretty quickly not to hold back in taking a stand for myself and fighting."

"So you're a tomboy," Ed pointed out bluntly. To his and Al's surprise, Annora merely smiled at them.

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," she admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "I didn't really have any friends that were girls until I got to 7th grade, when I met Katie."

"Katie…" Ed began slowly before realization dawned upon him. "Isn't that the person that you were talking to the other day, the insane one?"

Annora nodded as she sat down and once again picked up her history homework.

"Yeah. She can be a little nuts at times, not to mention annoying, but she's still a good friend," she admitted. Ed made a noise in the back of his throat that sounded skeptical. Annora pretended not to notice this as she started work on her homework. All of a sudden, Alphonse piped up.

"Brother, why don't we teach Annora alchemy?"

Ed immediately sat up straight and stared at Al while Annora looked up from her homework curiously.

"What?" the teenage alchemist asked slowly. Al looked at him nervously before he explained.

"Well… if Annora doesn't know alchemy, we could teach it to her. We don't know how long she's going to be here, so it might be a good idea. Besides, it might be fun!"

Annora looked thoughtful for a few moments before she shrugged.

"Sure, why not? It doesn't look like I'm going to be leaving anytime soon."

"But-" Ed began, only to have Al cut him off.

"C'mon Brother. Please?"

Ed pulled a face before he made a noise loosely resembling a 'yes'.

"Fine. But it's not going to be easy. You're going to have to do a lot of studying to actually learn anything," he pointed out. "Alchemy is very difficult to learn, and even harder to master."

Annora grinned confidently at him, her chocolate eyes sparking with a hint of mischievousness.

"I can do that, so stop trying to psych me out before I even give it a try."

Ed just rolled his eyes in response. Al cheered softly as he stood up, his red eyes shining with slightly hidden joy. Ed cast a questioning glance over in his younger brother's direction as he leaned back against the couch.

"What are you so happy about, Al?"

If it was at all possible for a suit of armor to grin, Alphonse would have.

"You're finally learning to not act so anti-social, Brother."

"What?!"

Annora began to laugh as Ed shot up out of his seat and began to chase Al around the room, hollering angrily all the while about what he was going to do to his brother once he caught him. The sixteen-year old just shook her head and chuckled at the sight. Even though she still wasn't entirely sure that this wasn't some strange dream, she was actually having fun. It looked like this was going to be an interesting experience.

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Two weeks later

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Annora frowned in concentration as she meticulously drew a transmutation circle in chalk on s square of concrete. Al watched her closely as she placed her hands firmly on the outer edge of the circle, resulting in a flurry of electric blue sparks. Awe dawned upon the girl's face as her efforts began to take shape. Once the energy had died down, a small stone ball stood in the center of the transmutation circle. Annora's expression drooped, and she stared at the ball morbidly as a massive sweatdrop ran down the back of her head.

"I still keep getting it wrong," she muttered. Al peered over her shoulder to look closely at the transmutation circle that the girl had drawn, and immediately spotted the problem.

"I think I see why you're having trouble. You wrote down a symbol wrong over here," he said, pointing at the afore mentioned object. "That might be why your transmutation isn't taking the proper shape."

"Okay, I see what you're talking about now."

Annora reached out and corrected her mistake, making sure that she thoroughly erased the original marking before replacing it with the correct one. She then placed her hands on the transmutation circle once again. It was at that point that Ed came around the corner into the yard just in time to see Annora successfully complete the transmutation. The teenager didn't notice Ed standing behind her as she looked at the small stone horse she had transmuted and gave an enthusiastic cheer.

"Yes! I did it!"

Ed raised an eyebrow as he crossed his arms across his chest and leaned up against the gate.

"So, when did you finally stop transmuting balls?" he asked in a semi-joking tone. Annora looked over her shoulder from the spot where she was kneeling and made a face.

(AN: By this point, Annora and Ed have come to a sort of truce by now, so they sort of consider each other friends, but they still get on each other's nerves.)

"Ha ha, very funny," she muttered. "Although that is now no longer true. I can do horses now, so be afraid."

Ed just rolled his eyes in response.

"Tch, yeah right. So what you're really saying is that you've gone past your original level of incompetence and have finally managed to master the basics?"

Annora raised an eyebrow skeptically as she looked at the boy.

"This is coming from the same guy that sets off the smoke alarm every time he tries to cook?" she asked.

"Hey! I do not!" Ed protested angrily. Annora just rolled her eyes upwards.

"Sure you don't. And all that smoke that filled up the kitchen the other day just magically appeared while you were trying to make dinner," she pointed out sarcastically. "Here's a hint Ed; when the smoke alarm goes off while you're cooking, that's not the done timer."

Ed scowled at her, his face turning red from a mixture of anger and embarrassment.

"Are you saying that I can't cook?"

"No, what I'm saying is that I'm surprised that you haven't poisoned yourself yet."

Al was forced to grab his older brother as he lunged at Annora, who wisely stood up and backed away, keeping a wary eye on the irate State Alchemist.

Finally, once Ed had calmed down enough so that Al could safely release him, he fixed Annora with an irritated glare.

"I'd like to see you do better," he growled. The girl looked at him for a few moments before she allowed a slow grin to cross her face.

"Deal," she announced. Ed and Al both stared at her in shock, the former with his jaw hanging open.

"What?" he began, confusion evident in his golden eyes. Annora looked over at him and shrugged nonchalantly.

"You said that you'd like to see me do better, and I said yes," she pointed out with a knowing grin. "Believe it or not, I actually do know how to cook."

Ed stood rooted to the ground in shock as the girl turned around and went into the house, headed directly for the kitchen. He looked over at Al and pointed wordlessly in the direction that Annora had gone in.

"… what the hell just happened?"

The suit of armor shrugged as he looked at his older sibling.

"I'm not sure, Brother. But I do know that Annora's going to be coming back out here soon."

"And why is that?"

"Because there's nothing to eat in the kitchen."

Al's words soon proved to be true, because a few seconds later, Annora came out with a slightly exasperated look on her face.

"Okay, it's blatantly obvious that a teenage boy has been living here," she muttered. Ed raised an eyebrow in question and grinned at her.

"And what makes you say that?"

"Because the only things that could even remotely be considered food in there is a stale loaf of bread and a wrinkled old apple," she pointed out. "Not to mention that you had some dried out, unidentifiable thing sitting in the back corner of one of your cupboards. It looked like a fruit cake, but I didn't want to risk finding out if it was or not. Sadly, it has now been thrown away, so if it was one of your experiments or something, I'm sorry."

Ed made a face at this comment. "No, it wasn't. That stupid thing has been in there for two or three years." He paused to look at the aghast expression on Annora's face in satisfaction before he continued.

"So, why are you out here?"

Annora suddenly became nervous and a little embarrassed.

"Umm… I was wondering if I could borrow some money to get some stuff to make dinner with," she explained.

Golden eyebrows arched upwards in mock surprise as the boy smirked at her faintly.

"How about this; I'll lend you money if you promise not to come back with something that's already been cooked," Ed remarked. "I want to see you do this myself."

Annora looked over at the teenage alchemist and raised an eyebrow.

"You're acting almost as though this was a bet," she pointed out suspiciously. Ed looked thoughtful for a few moments before an evil smirk slowly made its way across his face. A chill ran down Annora's spine at the sight as she looked at Ed uneasily.

'Why do I have a really bad feeling about this?' she wondered. Within moments, her question was answered.

"Why don't we make it into one?" Ed suggested. "The looser has to do the laundry and dishes for a month."

Annora made a face before she agreed. "Fine, but if I win, I get to do something besides stay here all day."

"Like…?"

"Come with you to Central H.Q."

Ed looked taken aback for a moment, obviously surprised at the girl's request, before he nodded in agreement.

"Sure."

The two teens reached out and shook hands, sealing the deal. Ed then handed over some money, which she recognized to be something that he called sens. The reason that she recognized them was the fact that Al had convinced Ed that Annora needed something besides her jeans and tee-shirt to wear, which had resulted in an extremely disastrous shopping trip.

If there was only thing that Annora had learned during her stay in Amesteris, it was that you never take Ed with you when you're looking for clothes, especially girls undergarments. Not only was it embarrassing as hell for her when she realized that she had to purchase them, but it was a little humiliating to find out that her money wouldn't work here as well. When the cashier had told her that they didn't accept the kind of money that she had, (two twenty dollar bills), she had been surprised when Ed had actually offered to pay for her clothes. The walk home had been very quiet with both teens not saying a single word, although it had been apparent that both of them were embarrassed. The only good thing that came out of that incident was the fact that Annora now had something else to wear, even though most of the clothing that she had picked out were boys' clothes.

Once Ed had given her the money, Annora pocketed it and headed out the front gate. Al watched the girl intently until she disappeared down the street before he looked over at Ed.

"I'm not going help you do the dishes if you lose," he warned. The Fullmetal Alchemist glanced over at his brother and raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"And who said that I would ask you to?"

"You didn't have to. You were thinking it."

Ed scowled before he turned back around and went into the house.

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"Here ya go, missy. Six buns and your change."

Annora smiled politely as she reached out and accepted the paper bag of hot dog buns and the ten sens that was her change.

"Thank you."

The baker, a big hefty man, grinned at her.

"No problem. It's always a pleasure serving a polite girl like you. Most kids these days have no manners, so it's refreshing to see that some of you still have them."

Annora just smiled, ignoring the last comment as she put the bread in the large paper grocery bag that contained the rest of her purchases. Once she had done that, she picked it up and walked out of the bakery, humming the tune to 'I Write Sins Not Tragedies' softly.

'Finally. This is the first time I've been able to go out and do something without someone hanging over me!' the teenager thought happily as she walked down the street. 'It's so nice to get out of that house for once!'

Annora shifted the bag over to the crook of her left arm and began counting off the items that she had already purchased on her fingers.

"Let's see… I've got the onion, a tomato, buns, mustard, and a quart of milk… that just leaves the sausages then."

The girl grinned as she increased her pace, heading for the butcher shop that she had passed by earlier. She was almost done, and once she finished the last part of her shopping, she could go home, cook dinner, and win the bet!

Annora couldn't help it, she began to hum happily again as she entered the butcher shop. The moment she entered the shop, her grin faltered as she saw the butcher standing behind the counter, hacking away at a particularly bloody cow leg. The blood slowly left the girl's face as she stared uneasily at the spray of blood that came up every time the meat cleaver bit into the cow's flesh.

'Okay… that's a little gross.'

The sixteen-year old swallowed nervously, shoving the thoughts involving every single urban legend she had heard involving butchers out of her mind before she walked up to the counter and rang the service bell. The man stopped chopping and set the meat cleaver down on the counter before he turned around to face Annora. The girl relaxed when the man smiled at her, his broad craggy face lighting up. When he spoke, it was with a thick Scottish accent.

"Ach, weel now lassie, what brings you 'bout te my shoop?"

(AN: If anyone reading this is Scottish and I offend them with my horrible grammar in this, I'm sorry. All I have to go on how to write a Scottish brogue is in a few books written by Brian Jacques. -.-;)

Annora grinned sheepishly, mentally berating herself for her earlier thoughts.

"I was looking for half a dozen sausages," she said. The butcher smiled at her as he ran a meaty hand through his gray-streaked hair.

"Weel then, you've come ta the right place. I'ave some ah the best sausages you'll evah eat!"

With that comment, the butcher removed six thick, juicy sausages from the display case and wrapped them up in white butcher paper before tying the package shut with a length of twine. He handed the package to Annora, who accepted it and handed over the amount needed for payment.

"D'ya need anythin' else, lassie?"

Annora looked thoughtful for a few moments before an idea came to her.

"Ah yes, I'd like some bacon too, please."

The man looked in the display case, and frowned when he found that he had no bacon in there. He straightened up and let out a hoarse bellow in the direction of the back room.

"Oi, Jack, ah've a pretty young lass out here that wants some bacon! Stir yer stumps lad and bring some out!"

Annora's cheeks turned pink from being referred to as a 'pretty young lass' while the butcher looked at the door expectantly for a few moments. When Jack didn't appear, he let out an exasperated sigh before he faced Annora.

"Sorry lass, looks like 'e's asleep back there. I'll go an' wake 'im."

With that comment, the butcher opened the back door and went in, shutting the door firmly behind him. Annora placed her newest package in the brown paper bag that held her other purchases and was just about to sit down on a bench when she heard a startled yell and a loud 'thud' come from the back room.

The girl looked over at the door and frowned. It sounded as though something had fallen on the butcher and had probably knocked him out. Annora gave a soft sigh as she set her bag down on the bench and went over to the door to the back room. When she opened it, she couldn't believe the sight that met her eyes.

The assistant, at least what she assumed was the assistant, lay on the concrete floor in a large pool of blood, chopped neatly into what looked almost like cuts of meat. The butcher lay not far from what was left of the assistant, out cold, and with somebody standing over him holding a butcher knife dripping with fresh blood. Annora's eyes widened as the blood drained from her face. It was all she could do to keep from screaming as she took a step back, clapping both hands over her mouth. Even so, she still let out a small gasp of fear. The person that was holding the knife turned around to look at her, and Annora was surprised to see that he was wearing armor.

(AN: Three guesses who this is, and the first two don't count.)

"Well lookie here," he growled as he faced her. "A little mouse that decided to wander in where she don't belong."

Normally, Annora would have immediately responded to anyone calling her a 'mouse' by kicking them in the shins. At the moment though, her mind was attempting to process the fact that a murderer was currently standing right in front of her, and the bloody butcher knife he was holding wasn't helping matters either.

"Ahh… oh… oh my God…" she managed to gasp out as she went white as a sheet. The man let out an insane laugh as he took a few steps towards her.

"I wouldn't be asking him to help you, beautiful," he sneered. "Besides, what is God anyway? All he happens to be is some shmuck that ignores you when you close your eyes and make a wish."

Annora didn't respond as she began to back away while she stuck her hand in her jacket pocket, feeling about frantically for anything that might help her. The only thing that she found that might be remotely of any use was a stick of chalk left over from her alchemy lesson with Al. The girl frowned as a cold chill crept up her spine.

"Say sweet cheeks, do you know who I am?" the man asked suddenly. Annora became even more nervous as she continued to back away.

"No, I can't say that I do," she replied honestly. The man looked at her for a few moments before he threw back his head and laughed.

'This guy's nuts!' Annora realized as she stared at the man uneasily. After a few moments, he stopped laughing and fixed the girl with a look that made her blood run cold.

"I'm Barry the Chopper, kid! I kept all of Central terrified for months, killing over thirteen women!"

Annora's eyes grew to about the size of dinner plates before she whipped out the piece of chalk from her pocket, hastily drew a transmutation circle on the floor, and slammed her hands down on it, all in a matter of seconds. A stone slab shot out from the floor and collided with Barry's face, knocking off his helmet. When Annora caught sight of what lay underneath the serial killer's helmet, her face went white.

There was nothing inside the armor.

Annora began to hyperventilate as she stared at the empty armor that was walking towards her, chuckling.

""Never fails to shock people," Barry pointed out smugly as he picked up his helmet and put it back on. "Always freaks 'em out, me being empty. Although that makes things easier for me. It's been a while… since I've killed anyone."

That did it. Annora immediately lashed out, kicking the serial killer in the legs, which caused him to fall over. The teenager then bolted for the door, slamming it shut and locking it firmly. Just as the sixteen-year old backed away from the door, the tip of a meat cleaver was punched through the middle, accompanied by an angry shout.

"You little brat! I'll kill you for this!"

Annora didn't wait for any further threats; she grabbed her bag and hightailed it out of the butcher shop.

To say that Annora ran like a bat out of Hell would have been a gross understatement; the girl would have left any of the best long distance runners in the world behind as she raced frantically through the streets of Central in a blind panic. The consistent clanking sound that was Barry running after her also contributed to her fear, making it so that she didn't try to find someplace to hide and catch her breath. It was only when she dashed around a corner at full speed and slammed into someone that she stopped, almost falling flat on her face in the process. The sixteen-year old looked at the person that she had almost knocked over and gave a small gasp of surprise.

"Mr. Hughes!"

Lt. Colonel Maes Hughes looked down at Annora in surprise before he smiled at her.

"It's Annora, am I right?" he asked. "What are you doing out here? It looks like you're in a hurry to get somewhere."

Annora stared at the man before she suddenly realized that he might be able to help her.

"There's this empty suit of armor like Al that's chasing me, but it's not like Al because it's carrying a freaking butcher knife and it's trying to kill me!"

Hughes looked at Annora curiously before the clanking sound that Barry made while he was running became evident. The man's eyes narrowed as he pulled out his gun from its holster and removed the safety.

"There's someone after you, correct?" he asked in a deceptively calm voice as he focused on the corner that Annora had gone around only moments earlier. Annora nodded furiously as she scooted slightly behind Hughes.

"Yeah, there is."

It was at this moment that Barry the Chopper came around the corner and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the gun that Hughes was pointing in his direction.

"Stop right there before I put a bullet right between your eyes," Hughes warned as Annora opened her mouth to protest. Barry looked at him before he threw back his head and began to laugh insanely.

"You think that a couple of lousy pieces of lead can hurt me?! Good luck with that theory, chump!"

Hughes immediately opened fire; sending two rounds right into the serial killer's helmet and knocking it clean off. The man paled slightly at the sight while Annora made a face.

"I tried that one already. It didn't work," she pointed out shakily. Hughes fired off one more shot as he glanced back at Annora.

"Well then, I have the perfect solution for a situation like this."

"What?"

Annora looked at the Lt. Colonel as he holstered his pistol and grabbed her left hand.

"Run like hell!!"

And with that comment, they took off.

Annora held on to Hughes hand with a death grip as she half ran, and was half-dragged away from the serial killer. After a few blocks, they looked back to find that they had somehow lost Barry, not that that was a bad thing. Annora let out a huge sigh of relief as she sagged against the wall of a building that they were next to while Hughes looked around them intently.

"Looks like we lost him," Hughes stated as he pulled out his gun and reloaded it. Annora nodded as she placed her hand on her legs, which were shaking.

"Thank goodness. That was one of the weirdest things that I have ever seen in my life."

The man nodded in silent agreement as he returned his gun to its holster.

"Somehow, I think that it would be best if I escorted you back to the Elric's house."

"Thank you. Geez, I'm going to be jumpy for the rest of the week now!" Annora muttered as they set off down the street.

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Alphonse stood out on the front walk of the house that he and Ed were staying at, watching the sun set. He was a little worried over the fact that Annora had been gone for over an hour, and silently hoped that the girl was okay.

'It's strange… I've gotten so used to her being around here that it seems odd for her to be gone. Brother's worried too, even though he'll never admit it…'

There was truth in Al's statement; Ed was currently sitting out on the couch in the living room, staring at the clock on the mantle and drumming his fingers nervously. All of a sudden, a shot broke through Al's trance.

"Hey Alphonse!"

Al barely had time to turn around before Annora ran up to him and hugged him tightly.

"Boy am I ever glad to see you!" she declared as she released him. "You won't believe what happened to me!"

If Al had possessed a body at that moment, his face would have been beet red.

'Did I… just get hugged… by a girl…?' he wondered in a stunned daze. It was only then that he noticed Hughes standing by the gate with a grin on his face.

"Lieutenant Colonel Hughes, what are you doing here?"

"I met up with your friend here a couple of blocks away from a butcher shop with some loony in a suit of armor running after her with a bloody meat cleaver. It turned out that the armor was empty an, and we managed to get away. Right now the MP's are looking for him, but we really have no idea as to where he is."

Ed had come out just in time to hear the 'loony in armor' comment, and was frowning.

"Did he ask what his name was?" he asked suddenly. Annora looked over at the teenage alchemist in surprise as she switched her bag over to her other arm.

"Yeah, he called himself 'Barry the Chopper'."

At the shocked looks that she received from both brothers, Annora frowned slightly in confusion.

"What?"

"Are you serious?" Al asked hesitantly. Annora nodded in response before she grinned sheepishly.

"Thanks for the alchemy lessons by the way, they saved my life."

Hughes looked at the three teens and then at his watch before he waved at them.

"Well then, it looks like I had better get going! See you later Ed!" he called out as he set off down the street, leaving three very confused teenagers in his wake. Sweatdrops ran down the back of their heads as they all contemplated the strangeness of what had just taken place.

"Well, that was weird," Annora finally commented after several long minutes of stunned silence.

"You got that right," Ed agreed as he stared in the direction that Hughes had suddenly departed from. Annora cocked an eyebrow in surprise as she looked over at the other teenager.

"You're actually agreeing with me for once?" she asked in mock disbelief. "Wow, now I know that hell has frozen over."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ed growled as he glared at her. Annora just gave a neutral shrug in response before she turned around and began to head inside.

"Alright then, I don't know about you two, but I'm hungry. Who feels like having dinner and a movie?"

Both Ed and Al gave the girl odd looks as they followed her inside.

"How are you going to manage that?" Ed asked skeptically. Annora glanced behind her and smirked knowingly.

"Just wait and see."

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"Brother, what do you think Annora is doing?"

Ed, who was sitting on the couch after being chased out of the kitchen and being told in no uncertain terms that he was to stay out by Annora, rolled his eyes.

"I have no clue, Al, but it's starting to smell good."

The teenage alchemist turned a bright red when he realized just what he had said, while Al snickered. After several seconds, Ed began to get annoyed.

"What's so funny?" he demanded. Al finally managed to get a hold of himself and looked at his older brother.

"Brother, you're drooling," he pointed out before he erupted into laughter once again. The Fullmetal Alchemist, if possible, turned an even brighter shade of red as he hastily wiped away a thin trail of drool from the corner of his mouth with a gloved hand while he glared at Al.

(AN: Ha ha, Ed's drooling!)

It was in that moment that Annora came into the room holding two plates, each with a large sausage, mustard, and cooked onions on a bun. The girl set down both plates on the coffee table with a small smirk on her face before she dashed back into the kitchen and came back holding silverware and two glasses of milk. Ed's reaction was immediate.

"Where the hell did you get that crap?! Keep it away from me!!"

Annora looked at him in surprise.

"You don't like milk?"

"No, I don't! And don't say I'm small because I don't drink it!!"

"… I wasn't going to."

"Good!"

The sixteen-year old stared at Ed for a few moments before she rolled her eyes and shook her head. Ed cocked a golden eyebrow as he looked at her.

"What?"

"Nothing. Okay, who wants to see a movie?" Annora asked. Al raised a hand immediately while Ed scowled slightly. Annora shook her head as she turned around and ran upstairs to the room that she and Al had cleaned out over a week ago for her to use as a bedroom. Within a few minutes, she came back carrying a black cloth case in her hands. The girl ignored the curious glances that both brothers sent in her direction as she knelt down on the floor and unzipped the case, removing her laptop from inside.

Ed stared at the flat black rectangle that Annora set down on the table incredulously. Even though he would never admit it, he had absolutely no idea as to what the object was.

"This is a laptop computer," Annora explained as she pressed the catch on the front and flipped open the laptop to reveal the screen and keyboard. "It lets you do a lot of things on here, like typing up documents and stuff. It can also hold music, pictures, and movies. I have a few movies on file, so that's what we're going to see in a few minutes."

Annora grinned as she selected a video file and clicked on it before she got up and turned off all the lights in the living room. She then picked up her plate and sat down on the couch.

"Just what exactly are we going to watch?" Ed asked as the beginning credits started to roll. Annora looked over at him and smirked knowingly.

"Let's just say that you'll find out what a hobbit is," she replied cryptically. Ed raised an eyebrow and returned his attention to the computer screen just in time to see the words 'Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring' come up.

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Two and a half hours later

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The famed Fullmetal Alchemist, who had gotten his State Alchemist license at the tender age of twelve, stared slack-jawed at the screen of the laptop as the image of Frodo and Sam setting off down the river faded and the ending credits began. Annora leaned back slightly and crossed her arms over her chest while a faint smirk played about her lips. I took several minutes before Ed could actually regain the use of speech.

"So let me get this straight," he began, looking over at Annora, who was gathering up the dirty dishes. "A hobbit is some runty little kid with pointy ears, runs around barefoot, and lives in some place called the Shire?"

"Pretty much."

Ed scowled as he clenched his right fist angrily.

"I am not a goddamned hobbit!!"

Later that night, when everyone was asleep, Annora was forced to burry her head in her pillow as she burst out laughing at the memory of Ed's response.

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Woo hoo! Five chapters, I am on a roll! Not to mention all the reviews! I have 34 reviews! (Does the happy dance. Ed, Al, Mustang, Hawkeye and Annora all stare at her.)

Annora: Okay, it's official. She's lost it.

Ed: Oh yeah, definitely.

Al: Brother, she's scaring me.

Wandering Hitokiri: (Twitches) I'm still perfectly sane! So stop treating me like I'm mentally unstable!

Mustang: What, are you saying that aren't?

Wandering Hitokiri: … I hate you all.

Anyways, I now have a picture of Annora on DeviantArt, so if you want to see it, just go to my Fan Fiction profile and click on the link. And now for the reviews!

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Reviews

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The Maine Coon Cat: I'm glad that you like Annora's personality. She can be a real spitfire when she wants to be, but sometimes there are just things that can catch her off guard. Take the whole incident with Al in chapter three for instance. Ah yes, she hates Envy with a passion, as do I, so that makes things a little more interesting. There will be more trash can puns in the future, that's a promise.

Liah Cauthon: I'm glad that you liked my chapter. There are grammar whores? Scary.

Mew Sarin Alchemist: Yeah, Annora does have a weak side, and her tomboyishness often tends to get her into trouble. Not to mention the fact that she absolutely loathes snakes. Hmm… maybe I should put that in a later chapter. (Smirks evilly)

Fullmetal Archer: You like my story? That's awesome! I love your story Across the Void, and I can't wait for the next chapter! Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story!

Lightning Dragon Alchemist: Sorry I haven't been able to reply because Fan Fiction decided to be stupid, but intelligence will prevail!! I will send you a message! Thank you so much for your complements, and I agree. It always helps to bounce ideas off of a friend.

Siacatmesecat: Yay, another RK fan! I'm glad that you enjoy my work.

richard9311: I like to harass Mustang, can't you tell? Oh, there will be more harassment in chapter six, so keep watch!

Kamisori Kaze no Renkinjutsu: Nice name. Thanks for all the reviews, they made me laugh. Out of curiosity, do you have the rest of the 'I pledge allegiance to the flag, that Colonel Mustang is a fag…'? I really would like the rest if you have it. Yeah, Envy is really gay.

Rikdo Osaka: I'm very happy that you enjoy my story. I enjoy writing it and getting reviews, as well as laughing at some of the comments I get about Envy being gay.

-holy- priestess: Nah, I don't mind people getting ideas from my story. It's all out theft that I hate, like people stealing my characters or my story. Anyways, I liked that Hughes quote as well, which is why I use it. I found it on YouTube after many hours of laughing my butt off.