The next day, I take my packed bag to meet Ed and Al to catch the train. I just hope that we can find some information of the philosopher's stone there. The whole train ride, I read through my alchemy books, Ed giving me pointers every now and then. I catch Al looking at us and I give him a cheeky grin before looking down at the books again. Soon enough, we reach a kind of run down town.
"Do you really think we're going to find the philosopher's stone in a rundown place like this?" Al asks the two of us as we walk down a path towards the heart of the city. Ed and Al talk about this place being a previous gold mining town but I don't pay too much attention, looking around at the condition of the buildings and such instead.
"Elica! Hey, give me a hand." I hear someone say and I stop in my tracks, looking towards the sound of the voice. I can hear a little girl crying too, so I walk over, knowing Ed and Al will follow me.
"It's no use; it won't budge." A guy says. They're standing around a mine cart, a little girl trapped underneath.
"Daddy?" The girl asks, tears running down her face.
"Don't worry; we're going to get you out. I promise." A man says, who I'm guessing is the girl's dad.
"What's wrong?" Ed asks and the guy stands up, turning to us.
"My daughter, she's trapped!" The guy exclaims. The three of us run over, Ed kneeling down to inspect while I stand beside Al. Ed claps his hands together, touching them to the mine cart, and freeing the girl by changing the cart into something else. He then smiles down at the girl, making me smile a bit too.
A while later, we rest in a tavern, the people gathered around us thankfully. "Really, we're lucky to have an alchemist like you show up when you did." A guy says thankfully. "I can't begin to thank you enough."
"And don't forget about his metal father!" The little girl says, causing Ed to crack up laughing.
"No, you've got it all wrong. Al's not my father; he's actually my younger brother." Ed grins and I just roll my eyes.
"Younger brother? But he's so much bigger than you are." The girl says in confusion and now I start to laugh, as does Al.
"Anyway, we're just glad you're okay, Elica." Al says kindly. Then another guy suddenly runs in, the girl claiming him to be his uncle. But the girl's father shouts at him to get out before Elica breaks into a coughing fit. He gives her some water to drink and the guy leaves some lemons. Elica talks about lemon pies until a man mentions the philosopher's stone.
"The philosopher's stone?" Ed asks, suddenly interested. I perk up as well. But then they talk about how we're here to help some guy make the stone. "Wow, that's a lot of pressure." Ed jokes.
"Before you go, could you tell us the names of our saviors?" A man asks.
"Certainly." Ed smirks, getting that overconfident look again. "I'm Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist."
"And I'm his brother Alphonse. Alphonse Elric." Al says modestly. "And this is Jade, our student." I smile sweetly at them.
"The, uh, Elric brothers?" Someone asks, their smiles fading. "State alchemist, hero of the people Elric?"
Ed points his thumb at himself. "Yep." Two seconds later and the people kid Ed and Al out of the building, the both of them landing harshly on their faces.
"Hey, that's rude!" I exclaim before they toss me out too, a little more gently though. "Ouch!"
"What was that about?!" Ed asks angrily as the people glare at us.
"Shut up! The real Elric brothers are already working to save our town up there with Mugiar! Come back when you're ready to tell us who you really are!" And then they slam the door in our faces. Sighing, Ed decides that we should sneak in to investigate.
"Now why would someone go around using our names?" Ed asks quietly as we hide behind a wall. Al looks as uncomfortable with this as I feel.
"Brother, are you really going to sneak in there?" Al asks as Ed peeks around the wall at the guards.
"Of course we are." Ed says as he turns back to us, putting emphasis on 'we'. "To confront these imposters and get them to tell us all about the philosopher's stone!" We sneak through the grounds and I flinch every time we pass a guard, afraid the slight clinking of Al's armor will give us away. Ed claps his hands together, pressing them to a wall to make an entrance.
"Careful!" I hiss quietly at him. "The flash of your alchemy might give us away!"
He ignores me and we sneak into a place with a bunch of books. "Look at this." Ed whispers as we look over a few of them. "All these books are about the philosopher's stone!"
"Then this must be where they're making it, right?" Al asks quietly.
"No doubt about it…" I sigh; peering over Ed's shoulder a he studies a book. I hear what sounds like a door opening so I turn around quickly, just before a voice speaks.
"In case the guards weren't a clue, this place is off limits." I see a tall boy with blonde hair covering one eye, the one that spoke. Hiding behind his leg is a younger boy with the same blonde hair.
"By any chance are you guys the ones-" Al starts off a bit more politely, but Ed cuts him off.
"-stealing our names?"
"I take it that means you're the real Ed, in the suit." The tall boy says and Al points to himself in confusion. I resist the urge to smile.
"Me?" Al asks as Ed goes all insane again.
"No you dolt, I'm Ed! Why does everyone always think that?!" I put my hand on his shoulder to try to calm him down, though I know it probably won't work.
"Huh? So you're the older brother?" The little boy asks in confusion.
"Damn right!" Ed shouts, scaring the boy and making him hide behind the other.
"Ed, chill out! You're scaring him!" I scold Ed, giving him a serious look.
"Try to tone it down a notch." The taller boy suggests. "Or the gunmen will realize you're here." He starts walking towards us. "How bazaar. The younger brother wears a suit of armor to protect himself. It's hard to believe you're only fourteen."
"How do you know so much about us?" Al asks and Ed stands in front of me protectively.
"You want to start something with me?" Ed asks as the boy stops in front of him.
"No I don't want to fight with you Ed, so why don't you turn around and go home and leave us to take care of things here?" The boy suggests again.
"That's not the way you beg someone to do something." Ed states, glaring at the boy who's a few heads taller than him. "On your knees… I said get down on the ground!" Ed says, repeatedly pointing at the ground.
"What, so we could see eye to eye?" The boy asks nonchalantly, shrugging with a sly smile. "Surely you must be used to people looking down on you." Ed pretty much blows his top again, trying to punch the boy but failing. "An automail arm, huh? Guess the real Ed's seen some action too."
"And I'm glad to see you have some skills; I'd hate for you to be damaging my name!" Ed shouts, bringing up his automail leg to kick the boy. Ed then charges at him, but the boy lands a good hard hit on his cheek, making Ed fly back into one of the bookshelves.
"Ed!" I exclaim in worry, but I know he'll be alright.
"You know I've always wanted to find out what a certified State Alchemist is capable of." The boy smirks at Ed.
"Well, I think you're going to be sorry you asked." Ed claps his hands together and touches them to the ground, spikes going towards the boy.
"Not bad; you don't need a circle, huh?" The boy calls out to him, appearing around the corner, touching the ground, and emitting red sparks while summoning spikes of his own.
"The fake you doesn't need a transmutation circle either!" Al shouts as Ed barrels into him, pushing him out of the way of the spikes. A look of terror shows on my face as I draw the quickest circle I've ever drawn, touching it and creating a wall of ice to save me.
"Jade! Are you okay?!" Ed asks quickly, looking up from the ground. I nod, wiping away a drop of blood from a small cut on my cheek. "How did you..?" Ed asks the boy as he walks towards me. "You have a philosopher's stone?!" The boy simply smirks, first at Ed, then at me.
"What was all that commotion?" A new voice asks, probably a guard.
"It came from in here!" Another person says and we all look to the doorway in worry before the three of us, Ed, Al, and I, exit the place.
"Damn, I feel sore all over." Ed states, laying back on the ground where we sit.
"To think he was pretty powerful, huh?" Al asks and I put my arm over my mouth as I start to cough a bit. "You okay, Jade?" Al looks over at me. After the coughing has subsided, I nod to him.
"He had something giving him a boost." Ed answers Al's previous question with a scoff.
"Does that mean they finished making a philosopher's stone?" I ask quietly, leaning against Al.
"I don't know, but we're going to find out." Ed says with determination. It's quiet for a moment as we just watch the moon and the clouds that pass over it.
"You know, I wonder what those brother's real names are. Or if they're really even brothers at all." Al says quietly in thought. I can't help but wonder the same thing. It's quiet for another moment. "And I wonder if the older brother is actually much older than you are or-"
Ed cuts him off with a swift hit of anger. "Size doesn't mean anything!" I sigh, helping Al back up before I start to cough again.
"Are you sure you're okay, Jade?" Al asks me as I lay down, resting my head on his legs.
"Yeah, I'm fine." I say, though I'm not positive that's true. It's like there's something in the air, something bad… I can't help it but to soon fall asleep.