Here we are and I can't believe this story is already at the 20th chapter~! OH MY FREAKING GOODNESS YEAAAH:) I'm more than a little bit excited because this FMA fanfiction story is by far more fun and fulfilling than I'd expected! Oh, and does anyone remember the blood transmutation that Liz and Ed did when they were little? It's baaaaack!
Enjoy this chapter!
(Age 15)
It took about only an hour or two for me and the Mustang Unit to catch up on all the paper work that Roy oh so effectively left for us to do. Though I may sound slightly bitter, I really do enjoy this work. Everyone laughs and jokes around the moments of silence and concentration, making it a really fun environment. And it's an ever-changing environment at that, mind you. One day could be polar opposite the next with how the moods of some of us work and effect the others.
Our original seating changed, as I took a seat nearer to Kain. I definitely consider him a really good friend of mine, and he keeps me calm. He just seems to radiate serenity. Havoc, on the other hand, makes me agitated and irritable.
By lunch time, we were just goofing off and joking around, with no more papers for us to file or fill out. I struck up conversation with Kain about some books, which turned to arts, which turned to culture, which turned to our own little unit, which brought us into the others' main conversation. I loved how I could talk to Kain about anything, he's like another brother to me.
My fun time was cut short- by my standards, anyway- when a call came through Mustang's phone requesting me at the private phone room. Riza had to finish a few signatures on papers, so Jean escorted me there, where I now stood, on the phone.
"Edward?" I asked tentatively into the phone, waiting for his reply. There was a bit of a shuffle on the other end, along with a few small clanks of metal somewhere in the background, most likely Winry tinkering with Ed's automail.
"Sister!" Alphonse cried excitedly in place of him, "Brother's watching Winry work, so he can't come to the phone. Granny had to bring it to me 'cause I'm still immobile, though." he explained. Somewhere in the background, I'm sure what Al said registered in Ed's mind because I heard him snap, 'I'm not watching her, that's creepy!' back there.
I laughed lightly, about to respond, but Al interrupted me to continue, "I have to tell you what we found in Tucker's house," My mind flashed to the poor little girl, Nina, with the long brown braids and big brown eyes. No wonder Ed wasn't the one telling me. "I found a transmutation reversal book. There's even a way to reverse you and brother's blood transmutation." I blinked in surprise and felt my jaw freeze over. A Blood Transmutation Reversal? How is it even possible, to reverse a human transmutation? And more importantly, why would they think to look for something to do that?
I sighed, completely confused. "Are we going to do it?" I asked, finding myself whispering into the phone. It was a bit childish and totally ineffective, but I couldn't help it.
Alphonse remained timidly silent on the other end, so I repeated myself. He still hesitated, but finally relented, saying, "Edward has already started the process." Once again taken by surprise, I let out a nervous laugh.
My humorless laugh falling, I reiterated, "Edward already started it?" I inquired incredulously, pushing it further, "Without even asking me, he started the separation process?"
The conversation went downhill from there. I suppose my tone was a bit too harsh for Al, after all, he'd only been the one to fin the book. Ed was the one who insisted on starting the process without so much as a word with me.
"Liz, listen to me," Edward reasoned, "I knew you'd be opposed to it, so I wanted to start it before you could say anything." I gritted my teeth, so going behind my back was a way to convince me to go through with it? I don't think so.
"Edward Elric. You know damn good and well that I would have gone along with it if you'd just explained it. As long as there's not a big risk or anything, I'm not concerned at all." I took a breath, "After all, what if Scar used his alchemy on one of us? It'd do the same to the other, and then no one would be able to get Al back to normal." I had managed to calm myself down very quickly, convincing myself of Edward's plan to undo our transmutation.
On the other end of the phone, Edward made a grunt of reluctance, "Eh, about that risk..."
Havoc watched as Elizabeth paced in a small circle, obviously distressed about her phone call with her brothers. Perhaps they'd been delayed? Or found a dead end? She froze in her pacing and glared at the receiver as if it were the person she was talking to.
"You're telling me that you began this process behind my back, while you are miles away, and without considering the risks?" she seethed into the microphone, a fire blazing in her eyes. She paused, listening to Edward's response.
Surprise flooded her face as she wavered slightly. The sudden change of attitude had Havoc wondering what the risks were. He knew how protective Edward was of Beth, so he'd never do anything that put her directly in danger, would he?
"Really, Edward? Even if it would only directly affect the one performing the alchemy, if the reversal process failed, then we would still be connected and it would still hurt me, too." She muttered disappointingly into the phone, just barely audible to Havoc. She sighed sadly, "But it seems we're too far into it to stop now, huh?"
Elizabeth bid the boys goodbye begrudgingly and slowly pushed the phone onto the receiver, cutting the line. Havoc took a small step forward, his sudden movement causing Elizabeth to snap her attention to him. "Is everything all right?" He asked, biting his tongue not to call her Beth. It seemed to him that he said her name every other sentence when talking to her. She definitely didn't use his name that much, or he'd have noticed it.
An unsettling mood stirred in Elizabeth, He'd been listening in, hadn't he? "You were listening?" she asked quietly, wondering what to expect as an answer. With Havoc she never knew, it could be genuine, it could be professional, or one acting like the other.
"Yeah," He answered sheepishly, ducking his head, but still much taller than Elizabeth. "I didn't really understand what I heard, but you were pretty pissed and..." He hesitated momentarily before adding, "afraid. You were a bit afraid, too. What's this 'Process' going to do?" he asked concernedly, trying to look into Beth's down turned eyes.
Barely audible to Havoc, she muttered out, "Internal or external injuries ranging from the size of paper cuts to whole limbs, psychological damage extending into insanity, possibly death." At the last and faintest word, Havoc's eyes widened.
"Death?" He parroted, "How possible is 'possibly death'?" He cried, astounded that Edward would even consider doing something like this if there was a chance of Elizabeth dying in the process.
She fidgeted nervously, curious as to why he was so concerned. She already had a hunch of course, but her pride and temper kept her from believing it. "Of the hundred and four confirmed cases in their book, forty five died instantly, another twelve due to complications of the process." She gritted her teeth angrily, wondering why her diligent brother didn't read up on this like he should have. She already knew the answer to that, however. He'd been close to getting hurt, or killed, by Scar. Death or injury by alchemy would have hurt or killed her as well.
Havoc let out a frustrated groan, "That damn boy." He moaned, shoving his fingers through his hair, "Why doesn't he think before rushing off and deciding things?" Elizabeth smiled slightly and let out a little laugh.
"Because then he wouldn't be Edward. He's always been like this," She laughed again at her realization, "it's just that I've always been at his side when he decided things, making it seem like I had a say in it." She smiled brightly at Havoc, trying to give him some reassurance, "It'll be fine, Jean. We'll make it out okay, just like always."
He couldn't help but smile back at the innocent and sweet smile she held. In the back of his mind, the thought was definitely present that she'd used his name. His first name.
"Elizabeth?" Riza called, walking into the room. She'd just finished up some last minute paperwork in Mustang's office and was headed to meet Elizabeth and Jean.
"Yes?" she replied, stepping towards her. Riza glanced at Havoc from the corner of her eye, and an invisible smirk played at the edges of her lips.
"I saw your file and noticed your birthday was coming up soon." She stated, digging through her pocket very ungracefully and out of character. She seemed to be drawing something out, and Havoc knew exactly what it was. He glared at her angrily as she continued, "And I wanted to give this to you in advance." Riza smiled slightly at Elizabeth, an emotion gracing her face.
The moment her hand was completely out of her pocket, there was a small white box with a scarlet ribbon tied around it clearly visible. Only a split-second later, the box was snatched away by Jean, and now in his shaking hands.
"Hawkeye, that's dirty." He remarked, shoving the box into his pocket, leaving a very confused Elizabeth in his quake, "first giving my gift to her in front of me, then saying it's from you?" He shook his head disapprovingly, "Shame, shame." He turned to walk out, but Elizabeth grabbed his jacket sleeve, snapping out of her slight daze.
"W-Wait, what gift?" Elizabeth stuttered, why had Havoc gotten her a gift? Havoc looked over his shoulder at her and smirked playfully.
"Well," he drawled, "guess we'll find out on your birthday, Beth."
Her surprise melted into curiosity instantly, leaving her mind to wander to the possibilities of the contents of the box, the meaning behind it, and how Jean had thought of a gift for her. As she tread along the corridors and slowly gathered people to eat with, the whole Mustang Unit soon had gathered and were headed to the mess hall with her. Though the thought would normally make her smile, she was too wrapped up in her own thoughts to care too much at the moment.
By the time she was seated and thoroughly zoned out of the conversation, irritation evaporated any curiosity as she realized what Havoc had done. He'd gotten her just interested enough in the box to stay fixated on it for weeks. And that was how far away her birthday was, a few weeks.
Angrily, she stabbed her mashed potatoes and started eating, trying to get her mind off of that by wondering if she'd have another nightmare tonight.
Meeeeh. Are these last two chapters shorter, or is it just me? This is pretty tedious, setting things up for the future chapters, and I now have a great deal of respect (More than before) for writers of all genre. These slower/filler/setup chapters really suck to type out.