Seven Seas Alchemy: Elric's Live Start!

by The wielder of the blue flames

A promise made long ago as children, now a commitment as teens. Edward and Alphonse take a leave of absence to East Japan, reuniting them with a young girl they had befriended as children. Now they are tangled in an adventure they had not expected and they must help restore the seven seas to peace. "You want me to SING?" This is going to be a long vacation. Rated M.

5. Surfing Competition: First Live Start!

Hey guys! Wielder here with another chapter!

I am SO sorry I hadn't got to this or my other stories, but my writers block struck again! I promise to get to my other stories and others as well!

So meanwhile, enjoy this new chapter as well as the new cover!

Luchia and Edward encounter their first foe and Luchia has just begun totapinto her new powers!

So enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own a thing!

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The Next Morning… Beachfront…

"Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the 34th annual Surfing Competition!"

Loud cheers and chatter arose from the crowd as the sun shined upon the crystal clear water and the shining, golden sand. It was certainly a beautiful day and the surfers that were participating in the competition were looking to take advantage of it.

"It is a nice sunny day out here and we are looking forward to a few big waves and some good stunts today!" The commentator, a young man with blonde hair, sunglasses and a lifeguard shirt and shorts spoke into the microphone enthusiastically. "Which is really a huge surprise considering a few days ago, this beautiful beach was beset by large torrent conditions! But now everything has cleared up and we have the 'go ahead' for this competition to get underway! Be sure to stay to the end folks! Theres word that 'The Big One' is coming!"

At this statement, more cheers rang out from the crowd as they were really looking forward to it. This was the scene Luchia, Edward, Alphonse and Hippo walked into as the three teenagers looked around, somewhat surprised by the large crowd… Mostly Luchia and Alphonse. Ed just looked bored as he had his hands behind his back, not wearing his large red coat due to the heat from the sun. Hippo meanwhile was busy looking at the Pearl radar, not paying attention to the noise of the large group of teenagers.

"Wowie! There really are a lot of people here! I don't think I've seen such a huge crowd before!" Luchia marveld with wide eyes and a huge smile on her face. Never before had the young mermaid princess had seen such a huge gathering hereon the surface. Not even on that festival when she first met Ed.

Speaking of which, the alchemist just let out a long, exaggerated yawn before giving a flat look. "Yeah. It's really something alright… can we go now?"

"Brother, we just got here." Al pointed out in a somewhat scolding tone, shaking his helmet at Ed. "Your automail can't be burning your arm already. At least TRY to enjoy yourself."

The older brother groaned as his head drooped. "But it's so hot! And I hate sports of any kind!" He whined, making his younger brother sigh.

"Hey, you promised to come with Ed and you even made a pinky promise!" Luchia reminded him with a huge smile, making the Alchemist groan. "And think about it, if you left me by myself, you'd never hear the end of it from him." The mermaid pointed at the penguin who was still distracted by the radar.

The alchemist winced and nodded. "True… but I think I'd be more scared of Nikora." He shuddered in fear as he remembered the older mermaids threat the other day, the wet towel still in her hand, whipping. "It's bad enough she dosen't know about this, but she'll have my damn head if I left you!"

"Hey Luchia! Over here!"

The three turned to where the excited voice came from and Luchia smiled when she saw a familiar face. "Hey Hanon!" She waved back as the blue haired girl ran over to them. She wore a white summer dress with pink flowers on it and sandals. "You were right! This competition does look exciting!"

"First time, huh?" Hanon stated with a smile as she looked over Luchia. "Cute outfit by the way!" She complimented the other girl as she observed her outfit. She wore a red and pink, button up, strapped top and yellow beach shorts, along with her red knee-high boots. She wore her seashell necklace around her neck.

The girl blushed at the praise and smiled back. "Thanks. Yours is great too!"

"Ahem."

The two girls turned back to see Ed and Al staring at them with Ed folding his arms and raising an eyebrow at them while Al just looked confused at the sudden arrival. "Oh, right! Sorry! Ed, Al, this is Hanon Hosho, the girl I met yesterday and the one who showed me around town." She then turned to Hanon and gestured to the brothers. "Hanon, these are the Elric brothers, Edward and Alphonse. Ed was in the same class as us yesterday and Al is the one in armor." She introduced her to them.

Hanon smiled and held her hand out to Ed for him to shake. "Nice to meet you Ed!"

Ed smiled and returned the handshake with a friendly smile. "Same to you Hanon. Thanks for looking after Luchia yesterday. I would have done so myself, but I had to enroll Al first before I could do anything else."

The girl gave a confused look before looking at Al. "Why? He looks old enough to do it himself. It's usually the older brother entering school first- YIPE!" Hanon quickly pulled her hand back when she noticed the grip of Ed's getting tighter.

"What… are you… trying to imply?" Ed hissed out with a fake smile, somewhat creeping the girl out.

"Um, actually Miss. Hanon, Ed is the older brother. I'm the youngest." Al politely interjected quickly, wanting to defuse another one of his brothers tantrums before they began.

"Really? I thought you were because he's-" Hanon cut herself off when she noticed Luchia and Al wave their hands in a frantic manner, telling her to stop as Ed grew more irritated. "Uh… nevermind. My fault for assuming. Sorry!"

"It's okay." Al said in a cheerful tone while Ed grumbled with a sour look as Luchia patted his back. "It's nice to meet a new friend of Luchia's!" He held his gloved hand out and shook hers.

Hanon was surprised to say the least from two things. One, the grip of his hand was much more gentle than his brothers and two, the person inside sounded way too young to be an adult. "Same here… well, old friend in your case." She said with a chuckle. "So, what's with the armor? Aren't you too hot in there?"

This question made the trio look at each other nervously, sweating as they tried to think of an excuse. "Um… it's a disability!" Al yelped out loud before calming down significantly. "I… had a very TERRIBLE accident when I was younger. Crushed bones and all, so I have to wear this armor from now on."

Hanon gasped and gave an apologetic look, feeling very guilty. "Oh I'm really sorry! I shouldn't have asked!"

"It's okay." Al waved off. "It's understandable. Luckily, it's a special type of armor. Self-cooling."

"Oh." Hanon nodded before smiling again. "Well, enough gloom! You guys are gonna enjoy this Surfing Competition! Come on, we'll get a better view of the action near the shore!" She said happily as both she and Luchia started talking, leaving behind two relieved Elric brothers.

"That was WAY too damn close." Ed breathed out, leaning on his knees before standing upright. "That girl needs to learn to keep her nose out of other people's business." He muttered, glancing at Hanon's direction.

"Brother, there is no need to be rude. I don't blame her for being curious about my armor." Al reprimanded him before turning to her direction too.. "Besides, I like her. She seems nice."

"Yeah, whatever." The Alchemist waved off, still annoyed at the girls implications of his height before the two followed the girls… leaving behind Hippo who was completely ignorant of the conversation between the four teenagers as he fiddled with the radar.

"The Pearl's reaction is considerably higher than normal…" He muttered to himself quietly as a yellow blinking dot appeared on the screen of the radar. "But if it's right, then it should be close by and-"

"Wow, there's a penguin here!"

"And its wearing a sailors suit!"

Hippo froze in fear when he heard two young voices behind him and turned his head slightly to see two boys looking down at him with both excitement and curiosity. "Oh no…" He whispered, but his eyes widened when he realised he said that outloud.

"Wait, did it just speak?

"SQUAK!" Hippo shouted out at the last minute, hoping to cover up his slip of the tongue and quick. Luckily, they seemed to buy it.

"Nah dude, I don't think it did."

"Aw. Well, lets see if it can do any tricks!"

Hippo can only gulp in fear at the looks he got from the children. 'Oh sweet seven seas, Luchia help me!'

But unfortunately for him, Luchia and the others had already walked ahead to get a better view of both the ocean and the impending action. Hanon smiled and with a sly look, nudged her, getting her attention. "So, Edward eh? You really picked the best target for sure."

Luchia blushed madly at the statement, but before she could once again, falsely deny any of it, the two girls suddenly found themselves surrounded by two surfers who both had somewhat cocky looks on their faces.

"Say, you girls are really cute!" The blonde one grinned as his partner nodded in agreement.

"Be sure to cheer us on during the show!" The one with brown hair added in enthusiastically.

"Better yet, whats say we go play around a bit after the competition, eh?" The blonde gave a flirty look to them and added a wink. Hanon however, was not impressed and neither was Luchia.

"In your dreams." The blue haired girl scoffed before pulling Luchia along. "Let's go Luchia. We're gonna lose the good spots to watch the others." She insisted to her friend, mostly wanting to get away from the obnoxious surfers.

But just as Luchia was about to follow, she was stopped when the blonde placed his hand on her shoulder. "Hey, come on now. The least you could do is talk to us a little bit." He tried to persuade her with a smile.

'Okay, starting to feel very uncomfortable here!' Luchia thought with a small gulp, shivering a little, desperately praying for a miracle to get this guy away from her.

Luckily, her prayers were answered when the blonde winced and let out a small squeal of pain, making the girl look over his shoulder to see Ed, holding the guy's arm, twisting it slowly and with a dark look on his face. "The least YOU can do is leave her and her friend alone and get on your boards. They are NOT interested." He growled out, letting go of the surfer's arm.

The brown haired teen suddenly felt his eyes widen when he recognised the blonde by his hair style and outfit. "Wait a sec! It's that Fullmetal Alchemist guy from Amestris!" He yelped out as both he and his friend began to sweat nervously.

"Oh wait, they were with you? S-sorry about that!" The blonde apologised sheepishly with a nervous chuckle before he and his friend decided to make themselves scarce and get ready for the show. The girls and Ed watched them leave, the Alchemist still sporting an annoyed look.

"Tch. Amateurs." He scoffed shaking his head before he turned his head to see Al standing beside him. "You know, you could have helped bro." He pointed out with a smirk.

"You had it under control." Al waved off, humor echoing from the tone of voice he was using before he folded his arms. "But while I am glad you got them to leave, don't you think using your automail arm was a bit excessive?"

"Hey, they were making eyes at her and not the friendly kind!" He growled before turning to face the girls with Luchia looking at him with an admiring gaze and a small blush on her face. Ed suddenly realised what he did and looked down to the ground, a small blush adorning his face as well. "Um… Are you okay?"

Luchia slowly nodded, her eyes still locked on to Ed, not even blinking for a good thirty seconds. "Y-yeah… I'm fine… Thank you."

'Edward… Even now, you still protect me… Just like before…'

Her thoughts were interrupted when Ed, his composure regained and his blush forgotten, walked up to her and smiled. "By the way, I never got to mention that your new outfit… Well… Its cool." He paused a bit, trying to find the right word for them, though as not to damage his own personal pride.

Luchia blushed once more and looked down at her outfit again. Even though Hanon commented on it first, hearing Ed give his views on it made her heart flutter. "T-thank you!" She smiled with a grateful nod before she shuffled her feet. "Nikora picked them out for me… She said it was more my style."

"Well, if your style is 'cute and adorable', then she got it one hundred percent right!" Alphonse complimented with a laugh, making the girl blush, both embarrassed and yet flattered by his comment. "Besides, brother likes that style on you as well, right Ed?"

"AL!" The two teens faces glowed bright red, but with two different reasons. Luchia was for embarrassment while Ed's was filled with anger… But he was embarrassed too.

The younger brother laughed a little and the mischief he made at his brothers and his girlfriend's expense before the megaphones screeched into life with an announcement.

"Attention all participating athletes: please gather at the reception gate! We are wbout to begin the event! Repeat: we are about to begin!"

Hanon smiled and turned to the others. "Well, looks like thats our cue to get a spot quick! Let's go!"

Luchia nodded. "Alright!"

But just as Ed was about to pitch in another moan of disagreement, he felt something vibrate a little in the right pocket of his pants. He looked down to see a small pink light shine, trying to escape a little, but he quickly shielded it. "Um… Actually… You guys go on ahead… I'm gonna go grab a drink first."

"Huh?" Luchia tilted her head to the side and a little confused at her (boy) friend's sudden action. "But why? The shows about to start. If you go now, how will you find us?"

"Well for your first question, like I said before, it's hot as hell out here and coupled with my automail, it's even worse for me, so naturally I'm thirsty. And second, don't worry." He grinned before he gestured to his brother. "I've got a 7ft giant looking out for me." He said before he ran off to the snack bar. "I'll see you guys in a bit!"

"Oh, okay!" Luchia waved a little, a tiny bit upset, but reassured herself that he would be back soon. "See you then!"

She suddenly felt a nudge and turned to see Hanon giving her a wink and a sly look. "Hehe! Not bad Luchia! You scored a few points! Much better than I expected!" She whispered with an excited tone.

Luchia blushed in embarrassment before shaking her head. "I TOLD YOU BEFORE IT'S NOT LIKE THAT!" She denied once again.. But the blush told Hanon otherwise.

"Yeah right!" She giggled before leading her to another spot. "Come on. The shows about to start." She walked away, taking the girl with her who was still sputtering in a mess.

Meanwhile, Alphonse drooped a little before followed them and he spoke in a dejected. "...it's not like I asked to get this big." He moaned at his brother's joke. "It's not like armor can thin out….. Or can it?" His mind piqued at the sudden thought before he began running through multiple ideas in his head.

Who knows? After all… He had Alchemy. Anything was nearly possible.

Meanwhile… With Edward…

The Fullmetal Alchemist managed to push through the enormous crowd that had surrounded the beach before sighing in relief. "Gah! Finally!" He breathed in and out before wiping away a few drops of sweat from his brow and standing up straight. "I've crawled through enough tight spaces before, but that was exhausting enough without this heat!"

Another glow from his pocket snapped him back to attention and he proceeded to pull out the object inside. It didn't surprise him to see it was the Pink Pearl making the vibrations within the small container that held it inside. But what did surprise him was the fact that it was glowing, something it never did before.

"What the heck?" He quietly muttered to himself as he stared at the treasured gift before it dimmed a little. Curious, he waved it a bit before it glowed again when is pointed in the direction of the sea. He moved it away and it dimmed again… Then back to the sea. "Huh… That's new." He rose an eyebrow in both fascination and confusion before he looked out to the ocean. "Well… Might as well."

Against his better judgement and to satisfy his growing curiosity, he quickly tied the pendant holding the pearl around his neck and walked to the ocean, a part away from the crowd.

He didn't notice the pearl glow a little brighter… Nor could he hear the soft wail it made that could be heard all the way to the shore line.

But someone else did.

A mile away from the shore, a dark shadowy figure underwater grinned maliciously, showing her teeth, which were sharper than a sharks, letting out a laugh. "I've found it! I've finally found it! The first artifact and the same one that belonged to the original ruler of the ocean! The brilliance!" The figure let out another laugh, revealing it to be a feminine one before she swam deeper, ready to put her plan into action.

This was the perfect opportunity and she could not pass it up.

Meanwhile… Back on the shore…

"WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON!?"

That cry came from the poor Hippo, who was right now being put through the worst experience in his entire life and possibly the most humiliating situation.

Being rolled around on the beach with a stick by the same kids who found him.

"I DON'T HAVE-"

'Thump!'

"BLAGH! TIME FOR-"

'Thump!'

"BLAGH! THIS!"

He coughed once again as sand entered his mouth as he continued to speak. Luckily, this prevented the boys from hearing him shout and discovering him… But it did nothing to cure his dizziness.

'I think I'm gonna be sick!' He thought, his whole body turning green.

Alphonse watched from afar as he was scribbling notes in his book, shaking his helmet and feeling sorry for the poor penguin. "He really should have been paying attention."

"Hey Al? Are you okay?"

"Huh?" He turned his helmet to see Luchia looking up at him curiously. "Oh I'm fine Luchia. Just taking a few notes on, uh… The moves! They're really good!" He quickly nodded at his excuse, thinking it was the perfect cover up.

Luchia bought it, but judging by the raised eyebrow, she didn't fully believe it. "Well..l alright. But you should pay more attention! They say last years champion is supposed to be up next!" She smiled and turned her attention back to the contest.

"Yep! I heard he performed two flips overhead and caught the wave perfectly!" Hanon listed with a smile, making the armored giant look down in interest.

"Really? What's his name?"

"Hm, dunno… I think it was Kai-"

"Say… Where's Ed?" Luchia asked out of the blue, looking around and then turning to look over the crowd. "I don't think it takes someone that long to get a drink."

Hanon, realising they had lost their fourth member, observed their surroundings, spotting no sign of the Alchemist. "Huh? You're right, he's gone!" She groaned before folding her arms. "Did he bail on us?! Typical!"

"Your wrong!" Luchia glared at her, surprising the aqua haired girl. "Ed isn't like that! Sure, he complains a lot and he's not all that into things that don't involve explosions, but he wouldn't leave his own brother and his friends high and dry!"

"She's right Hanon." Alphonse stated flatly… Before he pointed to far left side of the beach. "Besides, brothers over there with her pendant."

"Exactly… Wait, he's got my WHAT!?" The girls eyes widened and she followed Al's finger to see Ed at the far side of the beach, holding the pendant and her pearl in the air, pointed in the direction of the sea. "What's he doing all the way out there! And with my pendant!?"

"Wait, he stole your pendant?" Hanon asked with wide eyes.

"No! I gave it to him when we were kids seven years ago!" Luchia exclaimed, making the girls eyes widen even further, shocked at this information.

'When they were kids? But… If that's true… And judging by how close they are… It can't be!?' Hanon thought as she started putting the pieces together, unknown to Luchia and Alphonse.

But her thoughts were broken when she noticed something, making her eyes widen in horror.

"That… That… Wave…!"

"Wave? What wave?" The two friends asked her in perfect unison before she pointed in the same direction as Al pointed out.

"THAT WAVE!" She cried out in alarm. "IT'S HEADING RIGHT FOR HIM!" This made the two gasp and turned around, and their own eyes widen.

A huge wave, large but small enough to take an entire person and drag them into the water, was heading straight towards Ed, who was still distracted by the glowing pearl.

Luchia watched in growing fear, her eyes widening before both she and Al called out to him.

"ED! BEHIND YOU!"

"BROTHER, LOOK OUT!"

Even from that amount of distance, Edward could always recognise his little brother's voice and he had now memorized his girlfriends from heart ever since they arrived. And he could immediately recognise the urgency in their tones… And the sound coming from behind him was enough to make him gulp in fear before he turned around and his own eye widened in terror at the incoming wall of water.

Knowing he had no time to transmute, he could only utter these words before he was swallowed up by the wave.

"Aw crap NOT AGAIN!"

'CRASH!' 'SPLASH!'

And with that, the Alchemist was taken under horrifying the bystanders that caught the incident.

But none more so than Luchia and Alphonse.

"EDWARD!"

"BROTHER!"

"Hey, did anyone else see that!?"

"That kid got swept away!"

"We can see that!"

"I don't see that poor man resurfacing!"

"You don't think he's..?"

The commentator for the competition was quick to act and spoke into the microphone in an urgent tone. "Rescue squad! We have a civilian at sea! I repeat: there is a bystander drowning!"

Underwater… Edward…

'Dammit!' Edward thought in anger as he desperately tried to swim back up to the surface or at least the closest speck of land or a nearby reef. But the currents it seemed had a mind of their own and continued to force him deeper into the depths, but not too far from the surface. And it didn't help that he was running low on breath already and the extra weight from his automail limbs made him fall ever faster than an average person. 'No way! I can't die here! I will not lose this fight!'

But as he was trying and failing to reach the top, he didn't notice the female figure swimming behind him with a dark smirk on her face. The woman quickly bopped his head hard, knocking him out and quickly grabbing him, keeping him from drowning any deeper.

"Hm… You have half of what I want. But I'm willing to bet the other is just hiding close by." The woman spoke clearly through the water, not even worried of drowning. She then smirked before raising an arm up to the surface as she begun her little attack. "She just needs a little encouragement!"

Back on the Beachfront…

Just as soon as Ed was pulled under, the once clear, blue skies were quickly covered by black and grey storm clouds, swirling around the beachfront before harsh winds started to blow, causing the once clear water to rock back and forth into miniature waves, steadily growing larger.

Hanon felt her fear grow as she watched the skies darken and the weather change for the worst. "This storm… Could it be?!"

Alphonse stood beside her and caught the small whisper. He then noticed the other citizens run back to higher ground to take refuge. He would have to question the girl later. Right now, these people, but most importantly his brother needed their help.

"Luchia!" He spoke to her, getting her attention. "Me and Hanon will get these people to safety… So I'm asking you… No, begging you… Please, save my brother." He pleaded with a bow.

Luchia looked deep into her friends glowing red eyes and she could see the desperation, the fear and the hope inside them. She was silent… Before her eyes hardened and she nodded. "I did it before Al… And I'll do it again!" She declared before she ran to the ocean, past the other fleeing people.

"Huh?! Luchia wait!" Hanon called out to her before the winds pushed her back. Al quickly grabbed her and covered her. "Wait, what are you doing?! She'll die!"

"No she won't!" He said defiantly as he lead her away to assist the others. "She's done this before and I believe in her to make it back again! This isn't the first time she's saved my brothers life!"

Hanon felt her eyes once again widen at the implications of the boy's statement as he pulled her along. Soon, the pieces started to fall into place inside her mind. 'Then that means.. Both he and his brother… they SAW her in that form?!'

As this was going on, Hippo groaned as he was neck deep buried in sand by the two kids, who also left. "Great… this is just perfect." He stated sarcastically to himself. "This is what my job has lead up to… becoming a part of a human sandcastle… Aqua Regina, put me out of my misery."

'BEEP! BEEP!'

"Huh?" The penguin turned his head to see the radar right next to him, beeping and showing two blinking, white dots on screen, one further away from the other. "Wait… I'm I crazy or… there are TWO high level Pearl reactions?!" He squawked, trying to wiggle out of the pit and grab the radar.

Hopefully he could get this to Luchia… providing she hasn't done anything reckless yet.

With Luchia…

'This maybe just about the reckless thing I've ever done!' Luchia thought as she ran towards another oncoming wave, a determined look in her eyes. 'But if being reckless helps to save the one I love, then to hell with the consequence!'

As soon as the wave was about the come crashing down on her, she dived inside the wall of water as the rest of it hit the surface, vanishing from sight.

The very second her upper body hit underwater, her form was surrounded by the same spiral red/pinkish light before he clothes dissolved, her legs disappeared before her eyes turned back into crystal blue, her dirty blonde hair now bright blonde and longer, back into two pigtails, wearing her pink seashell bra and her signature pink tail, finally completing her transformation back into a mermaid.

'No time to be refreshed girl.' She thought before she kicked her tail into gear, heading deeper into the water and the source of the problem. 'You've got a boyfriend to save.'

She kept her eyes focused and her ears sharp, watching and listening for anything indicating Ed's whereabouts. But then, to her surprise, she heard rushing water being forcibly pulled and followed the noise. 'But… water can't be used like that… can it?' She soon got her answer and was surprised to see a small whirlwind of water, concealing something inside of it like a shield.

It soon cleared up revealing Edward unconscious and in the hands of an attractive woman, with long dark red hair, purple eyes with slitted pupils. Wearing a purple hairband with purple spikes coming out of it like a crown, a purple headband with a jewel in the centre. But what was most striking about her was that her sleeveless purple dress, that supposedly covered her legs, was actually a tail, if a bit spiked at the end.

While this would have surprised others, Luchia gasped in slight fear at what she really was.

'That woman! S-she's a… Water Demon!' She thought as her thoughts drifted into one of her memories as a child back in her kingdom.

Flashback… 10 years ago… North Pacific Palace…

"...And with that, the seven mermaid kingdoms finally found peace once more and the fierce monster storms around globe stopped altogether. The End." Nikora smiled as she read one of 'Little sister's' favorite books called 'The Unity of the Seven Kingdoms'. She smiled as Luchia giggled.

"Yay! Again! Again!" The four year old mermaid chanted with a laugh, inciting one out of Nikora too.

"Now, now Luchia, I've already read it to you three times and it's starting to get late." She stated with a small smile before picking the young mermaid up and swam over to her bed.

"Aw! No fair! I love that story!" Luchia whined with a pout. It quickly vanished when Nikora started to tickle her. "Hahahaha! Sissy, no more!"

"Only if you promise no more pouty face for me!" Nikora laughed as she continued to tickle the princess.

"No more pouty face! No more pouty face!"

"There!" The two laughed once more with Nikora ceasing her tickle barrage before softly tucking her 'sister' into bed. "Now if you're a good princess, like always, I'll read it to you again tomorrow night."

"Yay! Pinkie, fishie promise?" Luchia brightened up again as she held up her pinkie finger before it interlocked with Nikora's who smiled at her.

"Pinkie, fishie promise." She promised before they raised them to the air, making glubbing sounds like a pair of fishes and they giggled.

"Big sissy… I have a question." Luchia said softly as she held onto her blanket, her eyes looking up at Nikora's pale grey ones.

"Sure. What is it?"

"...What was that scary monster at chapter 6?" She asked curiously while Nikora smiled a little.

"Well Luchia, that monster is what's known as a 'water demon'. They were once fierce creatures that lived in the sea like us. But they weren't nice like us. In fact, some are nasty that want to harm other mermaids." She explained, getting a soft squeak out of Luchia who his half her face with her blanket. "It's okay Luchia. No one has seen a water demon in years. They've all been defeated by the ruler of the ocean long ago."

"Oh!" Luchia smiled as she let go of her blanket. "Well, I'm not scared of any water demons! When I grow up, I wanna beat one and be brave like Aqua Regina!" She declared proudly with no fear in her eyes, making Nikora giggle at her actions.

"I'm sure you will." She laughed before kissing her on the forehead.

Present time…

'But I never thought.. I would see one up close!' She thought as her eyes gained a small look of confusion. 'She looks a little bit like a mermaid… but a bit like a shark too.'

Her thoughts were broken when the woman spoke with a mocking smirk. "So, you finally came. I was beginning to think you would take the coward's way out and run."

Luchia glared at the water demon and pointed an accusing finger at her. "You're the coward! Creating a storm, terrorizing humans and even kidnapping one!" She shouted at her. "Now, release him at once and tell me who you are!"

The woman laughed as she held onto the Alchemist who groaned. "I can do only one of those things and you can bet it's not the former!" She hefted him up a little, getting a better grip as the boy's automail made him difficult to get a grip on him. "My name is Izuru and I've come for the owner of this Pearl." She grinned and gestured to the pendant Ed was wearing around his neck.

"Ed!" Luchia cried out in fear.

"Oh don't worry. He's not dead." Izuru stated with a smirk. "I'm using my power to keep him breathing. After all, it seems like you really care for this human. How dramatic!" She mocked and laughed once more before grinning evilly again. "Hear this Mermaid Princess: I've been waiting so long for this day… to make both your Pearl and you MINE!"

With that declaration, Izuru quickly waved her right hand as a large body of visible water appeared, forming into the body of a chinese dragon, the face screeching.

"Go play my pet!" She ordered as she sent the serpent at the young mermaid.

"WHOA!" Luchia quickly swished her tail, dodging the dragon in the nick of time. "This- this is unreal!" She gasped in fear before she dodged another strike.

But unfortunately, that was what the water demon was expecting to happen. "Got you." She smirked and waved her hand again, quickly turning the dragon as it collided its body with the mermaids.

"AGH!" Luchia shrieked in pain was she was forcibly pushed back, holding her side in pain from the force of the huge body of water.

Her pained cry was so loud, it echoed around their part of the water.

Loud enough to wake the Fullmetal Alchemist up.

"Wha? What… that voice…" Ed mumbled as he forced his eyes open and to gasp when he realised he was underwater and breathing, held by a woman! "But.. how the-"

"AGH!"

"That voice… Luchia!" He cried out when he saw her get smacked again by the water dragon. He was stunned to see how beautiful she had grown as a mermaid since their last encounter before he noticed the pearl around his neck glowed once more. "The Pearl.. That's it!" He realised before he surprised Izuru by elbowing her stomach.

"GAH!" She yelled in pain, letting go of Ed and held her sides in pain. "How did you-!?" She couldn't finish her sentence because she noticed him grabbing something around his neck and her eyes widened when she realised what it was. "NO!"

"Luchia! Catch!" He shouted as he threw the pendant towards the mermaid who was recovering from the attacks dealt to her. He was quickly pulled back by Izuru and growled at her. "Let go now or this will get messy lady!"

"What the do you think you're doing you brat!?" Izuru hissed at him before her eyes widened in fear as she watched the pearl glow once again, brighter than before. "NO! NOT NOW!"

The pendant cracked suddenly, letting the pearl free as it floated towards Luchia. Then, surprising everyone, it glowed once again before it vanished and in its place... was a blue and white microphone. Luchia gasped at the sight before she felt herself being surrounded by a flash of light.

Before she knew it, her entire body was covered in a rainbow/chrome light before her tailfin split in two becoming human legs again. She opened her eyes to see she had become a human, but she noticed upon her reflection that her eyes were still blue, her hair was still the same long bright blonde color.

But she could also see now that she wore a new outfit. It was now a pink dress with a small hint of white, with a short pink skirt, lacy pink gloves and pink boots. Her seashell necklace was still in place. She smiled and grabbed her new microphone before, as if on instinct, posed, a white orb of light surrounding her like a bubble.

Luchia was stunned. "Is this… Me?" She asked herself as she inspected herself. "I'm not a human or a mermaid." She then gained a huge smile before she bounced a little with joy. "But I know this… These clothes are SO CUTE!"

"LUCHIA! A LITTLE HELP HERE!?" Edward, a first stunned by his girlfriend's transformation, quickly shouted out to her as he continued to thrash in Izuru's grip.

"Oh right! Right! Sorry!" She apologised before she stopped her train of thought.

'But... How?'

"Sing."

"Huh?" Luchia looked up in confusion when she heard a heavenly voice speak to her, echoing. "Who… Who said that?"

"Your voice is your defense and offence. Sing Princess Luchia!" The voice commanded gently with slight urgency before it faded completely.

"Sing?" She voiced in confusion. But then her eyes widened once more when she heard something soothing playing. Something she recognised.

Music.

But it wasn't just any form of music… It was something she cherished as a child.

'This… This is.. My song! The one I always sang as a child!' Her mind drifted in nostalgia as she remembered all the times she sang it.. Especially on one particular memory. 'The day I met Edward.' She smiled fondly as she turned her head back to the boy she loved, who was grinning ear to ear as he too recalled the song.

Izuru meanwhile, snarled as she heard the music play. "Whatever you plan on doing, you won't get the chance!" She quickly threw Edward away harshly on a nearby reef and created two more water dragons, the two creatures roaring as they charged at the orb of light once more.

Edward groaned as he looked up to see Luchia, not at all bothered by the impending danger. "Lu, what are you doing?" He questioned weakly as he struggled to get up. However, with either the pearl or Izuru's power, he was slowly losing the ability to breath underwater. He had ten minutes at best he wagered.

Luchia smiled as she tapped her foot to the rhythm of the song before she announced loudly. "Show time! Pichi Pichi Voice Live Start!"

And then, finally after seven years, with no worry of her voice cracking, going off-key or being too loud… Luchia began to sing.

"The rainbow colored is being blown…"

"Aming for the distant cape…"

As she sang, the water dragons finally reached the orb and were just about to clamp there jaws down on it… Until the screeched in pain before they dispersed into multiple bubbles in a flash.

"W-what!?" Izuru's eyes widened at the scene, shocked that her creations were destroyed right before her very eyes. That was NOT supposed to happen at all.

"The melody I could hear before sunrise…"

"Is a very nostalgic song!"

Luchia continued to sing, dancing away to the beat, the rythem and the melody of her song in full concentration. Nothing was distracting her at all, not even the foe that had launched the water dragons at her.

"The birds fly towards the sky in the east, 'Cause it's the shortcut to the end!"

"The paradise of the seven oceans…"

"After the night of the storm…"

"To be born again to convey love!"

As she continued to watch, Izuru suddenly gasped in pain, her eyes widening before shutting them tight, her hands covering where her heart was, as if it had been struck by a needle or worse! A burning sensation grew inside of her.

'M-my chest! It-it hurts!' She thought, wincing as the mermaid continued her song. 'What… What is this magic!? It's just a song, right!?'

Little did she or the mermaid knew… It was something more than a mere song.

"The melodies of the seven countries, even the day comes when everyone will leave from here…"

"I won't forget!"

Edward, meanwhile, was stunned. By the song… By the display… But most importantly, by Luchia. She was stunning!

The way she danced.

The way she sang.

The way she carried herself.

She was no helpless little girl.

She was a brave, strong young woman that was like an Angel from the heavens!

And she was doing all of this… For him.

'That's… My girl.' He thought weakly with a small smile as the spell was slowly wearing off. 'Never backing down… Just.. like… always…' Were his last thoughts before he fell unconscious just as the song ended.

Luchia looked down at Izuru and posed with a wink. "Love Shower Pitch!" She called out as a samm pink aura surrounded her.

Izuru finally sighed with relief as the pain subsided and glared at the girl. "So… this is their power?!" She asked herself before she realised that due to the pain of the song, she had lost her concentration over the storm and it had vanished, revealing the sun. "Damn! I've spent too much time here as it is!"

"So, how about an encore?" Luchia asked mockingly with a giggle, happy to see she had succeeded in stopping both the storm and this water demons rampage.

Izuru growled before giving her a dark smile. "Oh, believe me when I say this Princess: This is not over! The next time we meet, it won't happen again! This is just the beginning!" She proclaimed before she vanished in a swirl of water, leaving no trace.

Luchia just glared at where she once was before sighing. "That was close." She muttered before looking at her outfit and the microphone again and smiled. "So… this is the power of one of the seven mermaids?"

Then her eyes widened when she remembered the reason why she came down here. She looked around before spotting her boyfriend who didn't look as though he was breathing.

"Edward!"

Later… Sunset… Beachfront…

Alphonse kept lookout for any sign of either his brother or Luchia, combing from one side of beach to the other even as the sun started to set. The younger brother was still searching for any sign of his friends, even if he feared the worst.

'SPLASH!'

"AL!"

His helmet shooting up quickly and eyes widened, the armored giant turned to the water to see Luchia's upper body, one arm around his brother and trying to keep him afloat while also swimming towards the shore.

"Luchia!" He called back in both relief and fear, the former that they were alright and the latter at seeing the poor state Ed was in. He quickly ran to the edge of the water, careful not to fall in and helped dragged his brother out of the water, Luchia crawling with her arms before he set him down and the mermaid sat beside him, her tail folded. "Whats wrong with him?!"

"He was underwater for too long! He had a spell cast to make sure he was breathing, but I might have vanished after the water demon disappeared!" Luchia explained before she leaned her head on Ed's chest and breathed a large sigh of relief. "I can hear his heart. He's alive." But she quickly grew concerned again as she pressed his chest.

"Let me try." Al quickly got down on his knees before throwing an apologetic look to his brothers prone form. "Sorry about this Ed." He said… before he promptly slammed a fist down on his stomach.

"GAK!" Edward managed to gurgle out before he coughed up water, shooting back up and thumping his chest with wide eyes. His brother and girlfriend gasped with happiness as he continued to cough before he finally stopped. "I said seven years ago… and I'll say it again… Worst. Swim. Of. My. LIFE!" He ended with a yell before turning to see Luchia before smiling lamely. "Hi." He blushed, the girl doing the same.

"Hi." She greeted while twirling a finger in one of her long pigtails. "...Deja Vu, huh?" She giggled making the elder brother chuckle.

"Deja Vu." He nodded before leaning into her arms with a soft smile. "This twice you saved me again from the same thing." He stated as they nestled together. "But let's not make a habit of it. I owe you two now."

"No." Luchia said surprising the Alchemist as a hand went to her seashell necklace. "You owe me just one… it was thanks to you, I was saved today from a fate I don't even want to know about." She looked to him as tears trailed down her cheeks. "I can't thank you enough."

Edward smiled as he leaned up and wiped away the tears with a smile. "It's not just my job as a State Alchemist to protect the people… It's also my job as a boyfriend to protect the one I love."

The two stared at each other lovingly… before they wrapped their arms around each other, leaned in…before their lips had made contact, turning into a soft, passionate kiss between the Fullmetal Alchemist and the Mermaid Princess. They threw their worries aside as the sun shined down upon them, adding beauty to the view and to the feel of the moment.

Alphonse, happy to see that both his childhood friend and older brother safe and sound, sat down a foot away from them and allowed them to enjoy their privacy.

They would have to explain things to Nikora later. For now, they were happy to catch their breaths.

But not far from them, as they enjoyed their time, Hippo, who had finally crawled out of the sand, was looking at the Pearl Radar in his flipper as it continued to beep as he walked along a rocky shore before stopping.. "The Pearl… there are still two Pearl reactions. But… the other one is nearby?"

"So, I was right. Luchia has one too."

Hippo squeaked in surprise before he looked up to see Hanon standing beside them, pulling out an item out of her dress pocket. It was a blue seashell necklace with blue tiny wings beside it before it opened up…

Revealing an Aqua blue pearl inside.

Hippo gasped in surprise as he started at the girl, once thought to be a regular human teenager. "Y-you! Your a-!" He stuttered before Hanon looked forward from him and held a look of both worry and slight shock.

"Just… How long as he known she was a mermaid?" She asked the penguin who looked at rhe scenes as well with slight contempt, like it was crime or something.

"Apparently for seven years, since they were kids." He said, shocking her even further. "I only found out two days ago, but they've hugged, held hands and even kissed!" He stuck his tongue out with a 'bleh' and shook his head. "Honestly, how the girl thinks is beyond me."

"Seven years!?" Hanon gasped loudly, her eyes widening. "But that means she confessed and… Why is she not-?" She trailed off as she watched the two continue to kiss.

'A relationship between a human and a mermaid is impossible…. And yet these two… Have been together for seven years… Since as children too.'

She quickly shook the thoughts out of her head before a serious look appeared. "Nevertheless, if Luchia continues to be together with that human-"

"IF SHE FALLS IN LOVE WITH HIM, IT'LL BE BAD!" Hippo screeched before he began to panic and dance around like a madman. "THE WORLD WILL BE DOOMED, BOTH LAND AND SEA!"

Hanon shook her head at the penguin before looking back at the couple out there, ignoring the wind that started to blow around the two. She had to think of something to stop this love from progressing. Even if it had been going on for seven years, she was determined to put an end to it.

Because if Luchia continued this… She would die.

---

Whoo! Finally finished this! Hope you enjoyed it!

Hope you liked the new cover as well! It was done by Bramhistory on deviantart! Be sure to credit him and look him up!

I'll be working on my other stories so please be patient before i return to this one!

Next time: Nikora explains the dire situation of the sea world and the true reason of why Luchia's pearl is needed, and the Elrics it would seem are now drafted into this watery adventure, weather they like it or not!

And Luchia and Edward have to deal with Hanon's attempts to get away from each… She can try.

Please read and review!

This is the Wielder of the Blue Flames, signing off!