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Chapter Eleven - Research Resumed

It was the end of his first day as official members of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads and Ed decided to make his way out to the courtyard that was located in front of the Squad Five barracks. He was somewhat tired due to his exertions in his placement tests and all he wanted to do in that moment in time was relax under a tree. Life as a full fledged Shinigami was nothing like the life of a student and Ed was beginning to realize this. There was always something to do, even in the most lax squad in all of the Seireitei.

It was true that Captain Kurosaki was one of the easy going captains however Ed found out that he did have a sense of duty and expected his squad members to do their jobs. Not that he minded this fact, after all he was always up for a new challenge, it just wasn't the same as being a student.

When the young Squad Five member reached a large tree he sat down underneath it and leaned against the trunk, his arms immediately going behind his head. Closing his eyes he thought about the research that he was dying to resume. It had been temporarily placed on hold in order for them to concentrate on their finals however now that they were graduates of the Academy it was time for their research to continue.

"Ed!"

Opening his eyes the young man turned his gaze in the direction that the voice had emanated from and Ed smiled widely as his brother walked toward him, his zanpaktou hanging from his sash. "Hey," he called out as he waved to Al.

"Hey Nii-san," Al said, returning his brother's friendly wave as he walked over to the spot where Ed was sitting. "So how was your first day?"

"It was okay I guess," Ed replied as Al joined him beneath the shade of the tree. "All I did was take some placement test to see where I ranked in the squad. It was difficult but it was also kinda fun."

Al waited for a few minutes, to see if his brother was going to be forthcoming with the information, however Ed didn't elaborate. "And?" Al pressed, wanting to know how well his brother had done. Sometimes Ed could be so dense.

"I made fifth seat," Ed replied, still not sure how he felt about this fact. Captain Kurosaki had told him that he should be proud of the placement however Ed had discovered that some of his fellow squad members were rather annoyed that he had entered the squad in such a high position.

"That's great Nii-san!" Al exclaimed, offering his brother a broad smile. "Congratulations!"

"Thanks Al," Ed said in a quiet voice. Then he turned toward his brother, a questioning look in his golden eyes. "So what about you?"

"Sixth seat," Al replied, a pleased look on his face. He was proud of his position and was really happy about his placement in Squad Four. They were all really nice and Captain Unohana was the greatest.

"Good job," Ed said, proud that his brother had also became a ranked officer in his squad.

"Thanks."

"So," Ed said as he placed his hand on his brother's shoulder. "Are you ready to continue with our research?"

Al nodded.

"Right," Ed said, getting quickly to his feet. "Let's head out to the Rukongai."

Al nodded, now familiar with the fact that his brother refused to conduct their research where anyone else might learn of it. He still thought that their research would progress further if they let Hughes in on it however Ed maintained that no one could know about it.

Getting to his feet Al quickly fell into step behind his brother. Together the two siblings left the Squad Five courtyard and made their way out to District One of the Rukongai. They had discovered an abandoned section on the outskirts of District One that was perfect for their purpose.

"So," Ed said once he and Al had reached their usual spot in the Rukongai. "Shall we begin with our usual sparring match?"

It was customary for the brothers to practice their combat skills before they resumed their research. It was something that had been ingrained in them since their days with Izumi-sensei. In order to train the mind you must first train the body. She had imparted that lesson to them and they took it to heart.

"Of course," Al said as he drew his zanpaktou from the sheath that he was wearing secured in his sash. "But don't blame me when you lose."

Drawing his own blade Ed said, "I have no intention of losing to you this time."

"You never intend to lose," Al said as he lunged toward his brother. "It just always ends up that way."

"Not this time," Ed said as he blocked the blow.

The sound of metal clashing on metal rang out through the air as the two brothers engaged in battle. To the uninitiated observer it would appear as though they really didn't like one another, they fought that hard, however it was out of respect that they did so.

It would have been the height of disrespect for one of the Elric siblings to go easy on the other and they had an unspoken agreement to never insult one another in that manner. So they always gave each sparring match everything that they had.

Respect ended there however and taunting was a regular part of these training sessions. Just as it was a regular part of any sibling relationship.

"Is this all you've got?" Ed asked as he blocked a blow from his brother's sword and then jumped away from his.

"Not even close," Al said, jumping toward his brother and twirling his zanpaktou. "I just wanted to make you think that you had a chance before I totally kick your ass."

"Yea right," Ed said with a smirk.

Neither boy used their Shikai however Ed still managed to end up wounded. He was unable to block or dodge a rather fierce blow from his brother and he hissed in pain as the blade sliced through the skin of his upper arm. The cut was deep and blood poured from the wound and dripped to the ground.

"Nii-san!" Al exclaimed as Ed stared at the wound, a horrified expression in his gray eyes. "I'm so sorry."

"It's no big deal," Ed said in an attempt to be tough even though the wound hurt like hell.

"Here let me," Al said, deciding that it was time for his brother to see his Shikai. He could heal the wound with kidou however it would be quicker and easier to use his zanpaktou. And from the amount of blood that his brother was losing quicker would definitely be better. Holding the blade out in front of him, pointing it's tip toward his brother, he called out, "Turn back time, Sunadokei!"

Ed watched as the blade of his brother's zanpaktou was engulfed in a golden glow and he gasped in surprise as his wound completely vanished. He didn't even feel any of the normal pain associated with healing kidou. It was as though it just vanished.

"How did you do that?" Ed asked, his golden eyes wide in surprise.

"My zanpaktou is kinda weird," Al said, running a hand through his short hair.

"But incredibly useful," Ed said as he tentatively probed the spot where his wound had been mere seconds before with one finger tip.

Al nodded. "Listen Nii-san, I haven't exactly perfected the use of my zanpaktou so I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention what it does."

"I won't say a word," Ed promised.

"Thank you," Al murmured.

"No problem," Ed said with a smile. Then he sheathed his blade and gazed at his brother. "So are you ready to resume our research?"

"Of course," Al told his brother, sheathing his own zanpaktou.

"I think I've discovered the main flaw in our method," Ed told his younger brother once they'd finished with their sparring match.

Al's eyes lit up in excitement. "Really?"

Ed nodded. "Think about it. We learned in the Academy that the physical make up of this world is different from the world that we came from. Everything in this world is comprised of spirit particles."

"That's right," Al said, unable to believe that he hadn't thought of that.

"So it's only natural that our process is flawed," Ed said. "But I still think that it's possible. I think we really can learn to use alchemy in this world if we can managed to manipulate the spirit particles."

"Excellent," Al said.

Both Elric brothers had lamented the loss of their ability to use alchemy however Ed had been convinced that there was a way and now they may have found it. Not that either boy thought it would be easy however they did think that it was possible. And this caused a euphoric feeling. Both boys held excited expressions on their faces as they thought about the possibilities. Alchemy on top of all of the powers they had gained upon becoming Shinigami.

That was a rather intoxicating thought.

A/N - The end of another chapter and now we know what Al's zanpaktou does. And the name translates to hourglass. Hope you enjoyed this chapter, please review and tell me what you thought. Til next time this is Hitsu-taichou signing out.