Kamaitachi Chronicles

By: Aviantei

Thirty

When the light faded, all the furniture had reconfigured itself into some sort of cage, and Liaoning had bolted out the door in our moment of temporary blindness. Mustang cursed, and so did I, but louder; then we both got to work. He was in the middle of pulling on his gloves, while I found one of my premade circles and slapped it onto the cage, giving us an opening a few seconds later that we hopped through and set out on our pursuit.

If Liaoning didn't make it back and fix up his family's living room himself, I'd do it later, but I had more pressing matters to attend to.

But don't you think that the story of someone who impersonated a State Alchemist and managed to escape will be a pretty good piece of tourist bait?

He wasn't done with trying to make use of his impersonation yet. Had he planned to do so? I had no idea. All I knew in that moment was that I needed to be the one to catch him, to bring an end to everything.

"No excessive force," I told Mustang, which was hilarious that I was giving orders to my superior. He didn't argue, though, and I didn't bother to look back at his face to see his reaction. Up ahead, Liaoning was sprinting away from town and further into the fields. Since it was going to be harvestable in a few months, the wheat stalks had some decent height, and Liaoning, with his shorter stature, was able to slip into it and gain some cover. "I'd also rather not destroy too much of the crop." The town was already on the lower economic end; we didn't need to wreck that.

"I'm not arguing, but what are we going to do then? Your fake over there has home field advantage. At this rate, if we don't do something drastic, he will get away. I can tell you, finding a person in a haystack isn't much easier than picking out a needle."

Something drastic, huh? "I…should be able to do something drastic." We'd made it to the edge of the field, and I'd pulled out my capsule, flicking it into the air and completing my usual transmutation. Then, without stopping, I spun it, making a second, smaller transmutation that would have seemed to make no change, unless you looked at the blade from up close.

There, on the surface, I'd added a second transmutation circle.

And then, one more spin, for the third transmutation—

Concentrating, I slammed the blade of my scythe into the earth, sending up a wave of sparks from the transmutation that snaked around the perimeter of the wheat field and into the distance, as far as I could make it go. In its wake, the earth started to rise, creating a wall that was several meters tall, effectively making a trap. It took a few minutes, but I managed to contain the entire area, taking several gasping breaths in the aftermath as a wave of tiredness crashed into me. A lot of my specialty was small detail work, so big transmutations like that took a lot more mental energy.

"Liaoning's an alchemist, too," I said between gasps for air. "So this won't hold him for long. But we have an effective area to keep him in for now, so we have a much better chance of catching him." I pulled my scythe out of the ground, resting it on my shoulder. "Let's get to work before he gets to a wall and transmutes his way out."

Mustang was already walking forward to the door I'd left for us, looking beyond satisfied with my work. "Ma'am, yes, ma'am."

With a much smaller search area involved, it didn't take all that long for us to catch up to Liaoning. Mustang was the one that apprehended him, putting him in a pair of handcuffs that I hadn't even known the Lt. Colonel had had, and while I cleaned up the wall I'd put up around the field, Mustang got to work on calling in some MPs from the nearest town. It was a little over an hour away by car, but we'd be dropping off Liaoning there ourselves. He seemed to be out of fight, though, going along with us without a fuss, even as we managed to attract a crowd of concerned citizens on our way out.

Liaoning had said just the one thing after we'd caught him: "No wonder they picked you over me, Caiman."

And so began the most awkward car ride of my life, which might not be saying much since most of my time in a car had been concentrated into the past year, but the point still stood. With his hands bound and any transmutation materials taken away from him (like the pencil and paper he'd used to make his circle on the chair for his transmutation in the living room), he didn't have any weapons, so it was a peaceful transport, all the tension in the vehicle aside.

"You know, Kamaitachi," Mustang said as the shape of the town had disappeared behind us, "you're the officer in charge of this case. That means you get to make the final report." I looked at him, but his expression remained serious without any opportunity for me to get a read on him. In the rearview mirror, I could see Liaoning's eyes watching me. "The results of your investigation will affect the punishment for this case. So what's your assessment?"

It seemed like a dick move for him to bring that up in front of Liaoning, but it wasn't like we could put the guy in another room or something, so I could see his logic. Even so, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was being tested. Well, I did know the law, so that served as a starting point. "Like you mentioned, we're looking at jailtime and/or fines for this case." I could also list the exact times and figured from memory, but that didn't seem pertinent. "Nothing happened here extreme enough to warrant execution, either. But even if Liaoning wasn't operating with malicious intent, he still broke the law." Just because I knew him didn't mean we could make exceptions. That just seemed like the first step on a road to corruption, which I would rather avoid. I couldn't be thou for the people if I started serving my own selfish needs.

But was I serving the people if I condemned Liaoning for trying to help the people himself? And hadn't I already compromised with Nikola? I was getting into a position where I was getting told to pick between my job and my values, and I didn't like the bitter taste that was starting to leave in my mouth.

"That said, as far as our investigation went, there was no extortion, and the impersonation seemed to be for a short period of time," I continued. "Without a past criminal record, I believe the situation was contained and that a short warning along with some community service and probation should suffice. In the end, Nicolaus Liaoning used my name for nothing but good deeds. That's good PR for the state, so I think it warrants a pass. Wouldn't you agree, Lt. Colonel?"

I gave Mustang my most pristine smile. It was a risk—such a choice could be seen as a wrong answer. Mustang, being my attending superior, would have every reason to go ahead and report me. I could lose my own certification in the process, which would go against my larger goal of trying to help people from a position of power. But when it came down to it?

I don't give a fuck. And if he disagrees now, I can bust this car down with alchemy and help Liaoning make a run for it. I'd proven that my scythe was much more versatile than I'd given it credit for. It wouldn't be that hard.

Liaoning looked stunned in the back, as if he couldn't believe my words, while Mustang remained poker faced. We waited through the long silence that followed—until Mustang's lips quirked up into the smirk I'd gotten so used to seeing, and for once, it didn't piss me the hell off.

"What a coincidence, Kamaitachi. I was thinking about the same thing."

Even with my willingness to give Liaoning some slack, we still had to drop him off with the MPs the next town over, and I had to fill out a substantial amount of paperwork. At least Mustang wasn't exempt from the chore, and we both completed our reports while Liaoning remained in holding. By the time we finished everything, it was late, but it seemed Mustang had a friend or two from the Ishval battlefront in the station, so they processed our report, assigned Liaoning a probation officer, and set him out onto the streets just in time for dinner. I paid for his food, and then his lodging as we all camped out in a much nicer hotel than the one we'd been in before. The events of the day had taken a toll on us, and we all passed out, one by one.

When I woke up the next morning, Mustang was still asleep in the next bed over, a quiet snore emerging from him every now and then—but Liaoning was gone. Or at least that been what I thought, until I noticed him on the outside balcony of our room. Turned out flashing your rank around could get you into some pretty nice suites, so long as you had the cash to back it up.

Leaving Mustang to his rest, I made my way outside, trying not to make too much noise and startle Liaoning. He may not have fought, but he had every right to be on edge around me. "Good morning."

"…Morning." I walked up beside him, leaning on the railing. We were halfway through sunrise, the sky tinted a pale orange, while the city was still asleep below, just a few people out and about, going for a morning walk or setting up shop for the day. "You didn't have to lie to protect me."

"I didn't lie," I said, which was true. "I also didn't do it to protect you." Liaoning looked stunned again, and I harrumphed. "You're helping your hometown a lot. I heard it from everyone while we were investigating." Even before he'd picked up my title, Liaoning had always been using his skills to help people out—and he even chipped in manual labor where alchemy wouldn't help. "It may not be the most prosperous town, but it's still a nice place. You make it possible for them to live good lives. I'm not about to take that away just because you pretended to be me."

"But—"

"Nothing you say is going to change my mind." What, did he want me to march back into the military office and change my report? What a pain in the ass. "If you want to be punished that bad, go and turn yourself in. I won't stop you. But I don't think you've done anything to be ashamed of." My hand in my pocket, I ran my thumb over my capsule's transmutation circle—the one that Liaoning had helped me figure out. "You're a great alchemist, Liaoning. Keep using that. If you want to try and join the State again, do that, too. But don't underestimate what you're capable of." I gave him a sly smile. "If you feel that bad, help me out with my research. I'm sure I can make that count as part of your community service. I'd even be willing to call you my apprentice if you like." Nikola had been put under Rosomak's care. No reason I couldn't do the same.

Liaoning's mouth flapped open and shut a few times before he burst out into laughter. It was a full-blown belly laugh, and I could almost see the stress melting away from him. "You're serious, huh? I should've expected as much." Hey, I didn't think I liked the implication of that. "I appreciate the offer, but I'll pass for now. I'd like to keep refining my own skills first." He let out a joyful sigh, stretching his arms up above his head. "I don't know about becoming a State Alchemist anymore, but I'll save that for later. Right now, I want to keep helping out my hometown in a way that I'm capable of." It wasn't a bad resolve in the slightest. "You know, Caiman, if I had to lose out on that test to anyone, I'm glad it had to be you."

For some reason, I experienced a swelling of pride and embarrassment all at once. "I'm sure it wasn't a competition. Besides, I had a recommendation, so I kind of cheated anyways." When it came down to it, I couldn't help but be relieved that Liaoning hadn't gotten his certification. Even if he was research-based, I didn't think he had the heart to fight. "Well, even if you're not my apprentice, we can still keep in touch, got it? And if you need anything, just say something; I'm willing to help. Of course, I guess if you don't want anything to do with me now, I would—"

"Sheesh, you two are making a racket early." Mustang made his entrance with a yawn. "You damn kids with all your energy. Just wait a couple years, and you'll be worn out, too." He took one look at us before taking on us usual condescending smirk. I took back everything I'd said about not minding it from the day before. "You're looking rather red there, Kamaitachi. Am I interrupting something?"

"Shut up and go get some coffee, old man!"

And as Mustang and I bickered, Liaoning laughed, and I hoped that happiness was something he'd be able to carry with him back home.

We'd offered to take Liaoning to his town, but he said he'd take care of it. He had to finish sorting out his schedule with his new probationary officer, so we considered our job done and headed out. The drive from our current location to the nearest train was much shorter than the one before, and it wasn't long at all before we'd bought tickets and were on our way back to East City.

"Not bad for your first outing," Mustang said after we'd gotten settled in our train compartment. "I figured you'd take an unorthodox approach, but I don't mind at all. I like people with that sort of attitude on my team."

"People with a flagrant disregard for rules and a penchant for bending them?" While I didn't regret my decision, it didn't change the fact that I was making such a mess for myself. Between my earlier exploits during the serial murder case and now, I was developing a reputation, and I wasn't sure I liked it.

"People who recognize the system has flaws and want to change things to do better." That was a much more noble answer than I'd expected from him, but I had no interest in inflating Mustang's ego further, so I kept that to myself. "You still want to use your position to do good, and that's a great start. But of course, you're gonna have to go higher up if you want to make any real change."

I raised an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge?"

"Take it as you will." Which meant it was so a challenge. I didn't care if he was reading me like a book and using that to get me to act a certain way; I wasn't about to back down. "But that being said, I'm glad you figured out your alchemy block. I was starting to get worried."

I scowled. "Oh were you now?"

"Just a bit. Your recertification is just around the corner, after all." Right. Every year, I was required to show that I was still worthy of my title. As a combat alchemist, part of my active duty—such as the mission I'd just completed and the terrorist incident in Central—would count for that, but that didn't mean I was exempt from showing off my skills. "Of course, you have my recommendation again, but it will be good to show off what you can do. It's time to put your studying to work."

I pressed my hand to my capsule in my pocket. I had made a breakthrough. There was no way I wasn't going to pass.

I owed Liaoning that much, after all.

The next month disappeared in a flash, and soon Mustang and I were heading to Central. I insisted I was capable of going on my own, while he insisted he had business to attend to there anyways, and so together we went. To no one's surprise, my new long-range transmutation earned me a pass, and so I was able to keep my shiny pocket watch and ridiculous piles of money for another year. My plan was to go visit Rosomak and maybe Nikola (if they'd let me near them), but Mustang stopped me.

"They're testing the new crop of State examinees right now," he said. "There's someone I want you to see."

Given that Liaoning wasn't going to test (even if he wanted to, his probation prevented it), I'd had very little interest in the candidates, but now that Mustang had said something, my interest was piqued. The written test was already done, but the practical evaluations were happening, scheduled on the same day as the recertification demonstrations for logistical convenience. Unlike my own test, the new crop had open military viewing, so Mustang and I watched from on high as everyone ran through their demonstrations.

All in all, the group wasn't the most impressive. Some people had excellent foundations, but nothing groundbreaking to share. There were a handful who went the combat route, though they were a mix in terms of skill level. I could see some of them passing, while others didn't have a clean shot. Still, no one seemed so spectacular that they were worth changing my plans for, so I was already planning how I'd complain at Mustang whenever he stepped onto the field.

A young boy, with golden blond hair. He was short, and no doubt younger than me. And yet he completed a transmutation without even drawing a circle first—and then pointed a weapon right at Bradley himself with no remorse.

"That's him," Mustang said, his voice oozing smugness. "My first great find last year—besides you, of course. His name is Edward Elric."

When the results of the test came out, that boy was named the Fullmetal Alchemist.

[End of Part One]

[Author's Notes]

And, far too many years later, I finally wrapped up part one of this fic! I've always known I would end this section on Ed's certification, so it was satisfying to get here at long last.

Here we have Kama at long last getting her long-range transmutations. By transmuting the patterns on her scythe, she's able to increase her range of circles without having to draw them out, which gives plenty of extra options in battle. :)

Since we finished part one, I'm gonna take a break to organize my thoughts for Part Two, so I can hopefully release them all in a batch should all go well. After finishing some other big life goals, I decided I'm gonna try and finish drafting all my currently active fics in the next five years, so hopefully that'll be sooner rather than later.

So what can you expect from me in the meantime? I've been doing a lot of writing on my Moriarty the Patriot fic, and I've finished up Arc Three, which ballooned way more than expected. That will come out for this year's [Shibuya Operation - Story Storm]. I'm also putting out regular chaps of my -man fic, Exception, so there's that, too. Keeping an eye on other things I'm writing is the easiest way to hear news of what I'm working on and what's going to release, so there's that.

Also since ff dot net seems to be crumbling at the seams and not giving update emails, I do have an account on AO3 with my complete archive, so you can always find me there if you wanna know when the next chapter drops.

Otherwise, I'll see you all in Part Two: Seventeen. Please look forward to it!

-Avi

[10.28.2023]