FMA Fanfiction- Part Two

I'm going to re-name this. This Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood Fan fiction that will possibly be my longest fan fiction yet, that Thalia keeps poking me to write.

God, I'm tired now.

Comment, If you'd please.

-

PART TWO

NOT TOO LONG AGO, NOT TOO FAR AWAY...

It was a quiet day. In a town not too big to be a city, but not too small to be considered a cluster of buildings, the sun was shining gently. Birds were singing, children were playing, and the mood completely didn't fit the bad news that was about to fall unto a certain family. In fact, it would have been better is it was raining, shadows downcast upon the world. But not everything can go according to plan.

The view looking down upon a small house, where there was a small study, with three men in there, talking with hushed tones. Directly outside, in what seemed to be the living room, There was a mother gently cradling her child, long, flaming red hair flowing after her. The baby shared the same hair, albeit a bit shorter. It could've been described as so, but it could also be considered a light scarlet, or a soft crimson. However, when the sunlight hit such hair, it gave off a light glow, that gave the illusion of it being aflame. So we'll just stick with that for now.

The two could nearly forget the latest national issues (that were ironically being spoken of in the study next door); ignoring the fact that the baby girl was too young to know what an issue even was. She just laid in her mothers arms as her mother quietly sang her a song, and watched as the world gently rocking by.

In the study, the talk was serious.

“Are you sure about this?” One man asked, his dark black hair hanging into his blue eyes. His question was directed to the two men in front of him, both in military uniform, while he was not. One of the other men nodded, his gloved hands making a small steeple.

“We need your help in Ishval. I saw you during training. You're a good alchemist, Erebus.”

Erebus, the father of the baby in the other room, lowered his gaze. “Maybe...”

“You seem attached to your wife and child.” The other soldier spoke up. “Keep in mind that if you help end the war quicker, then it will have less of a chance effecting them.”

Erebus looked at the other soldier. “Sorry, who are you?”

“John Circe.” John said. Erebus nodded his head in greeting, and John nodded back.

“Erebus, eventually there will be an order or something for all state alchemists to go out to the war for service.” The first soldier said.

“I know, Roy.”

Roy Mustang fell silent. There was a quiet in the small study, the only faint sound the song that the mother was humming just outside the door.

“...I'll have to tell Alida.” Erebus said after the moment. Roy and John nodded. Erebus spoke again, after a moment. “When...when do we leave?”

“Whenever you're ready.” Roy said calmly.

Erebus got up. “Now's fine. If you'd now excuse me, I need to go and tell my wife.”

He stepped into the other room, gently shutting the door behind him. Alida turned around to look at him, amber eyes meeting blue.

“What is it, Ere...” Alida trailed off when he stepped forward and hugged her. After a second, she hugged him back with one arm, the baby skillfully cradled between them. When they pulled apart, Alida looked at him. “You have to leave, don't you?”

Erebus nodded. In no more then ten minutes, they were downstairs again, Erebus having changed into his own military uniform, and gotten a small suitcase. Roy and John were standing by the door, both having dawned black trench coats. Erebus gently pressed a small pendent into Alida's hand, and Roy vaguely saw something glint.

“When she's ready. Worst case scenario, you tell her before I come home.” He whispered in Alida's ear. She nodded wordlessly. Erebus looked down to his baby daughter, and two pairs of sparkling blue eyes met. Erebus smiled, and kissed the baby on the for head. “Until later, Maramarine.” March, the baby, tried to grab his nose.

“Ready?” Roy asked. Erebus turned around and nodded. Having already said goodbye to his wife, he followed the two other soldiers out to the black car waiting for them, having no idea that they would grow to be close friends, and that one of them would never come back to this house.

Alida Saxon was left with her barely a year old daughter, looking at the small, blood-red stone attached to a chain that gave off the erie feeling that it was the one watching her.

A GOOD AMMOUNT OF TIME LATER...

“Israel! Wait for me!” March was older now. Her hair went just below her shoulders, and she was doing things on her own now, without any help. She was running through the small forest besides town, chasing after the boy down the street, Israel Elysium. His name was strange, according to her mother, and it had been chosen from accountings of the gate.

Israel was just barely in sight, running in his fathers' big brown boots. March, however, had chosen to run barefoot. In her opinion, she was quite good at not stepping on random rocks in the pathways.

“Catch me if you can!” The boy called back. Suddenly, March was struck with a brilliant idea. She took a sharp turn off the path, jumping from stump to large tree stump, sometimes using fallen trees. She couldn't see Israel anymore. But then she came upon something that wasn't there before.

A large house was built in the trees, old and rickety. A ladder hung down from one of the trees, and March looked at it, wondering if she should go up.

“Whoa...”

March turned around to see Israel, coming up behind her. He looked at her, questioning.

“Did you know about this?”

March shook her head. “Just came upon it...” She walked to the ladder and put a hand on the first ridge. About to climb on it, a head popped up from the opening of the window. March jumped back, knocking into Israel.

“Wait! It's not human!” Israel said. And indeed it wasn't. It nearly looked so, however. First of all, it was too small. It was covered in a white fur around the face, and the fur got darker when it traveled down the body. Two ears stuck out from the sides of the head, and dark eyes stared back. A tail flicked behind it. “I...think it's a monkey.” Israel guessed.

“What's a-” Mid-sentence, something else jumped out of the window. Israel yelled and pulled March back, as a second, small monkey landed gently on the forest ground where they were just standing, with the peculiar additions of...speckled brown wings.

Now, March loved this. Her mom had read her dozens of bedtime stories on strange animals from far-away lands, and animals right in Amestris, called chimeras. She may not know what a monkey was, but it looked friendly enough. She squatted down before the chimera, and held out a hand. It leaned away and opened its wings in a menacing manner.

“Mar, what are you doing?” Israel asked.

The smaller girl turned around to him, and asked. “Do you still have that half orange?” Upon receiving one, she held it out to the chimera, who grabbed it, little nose twitching. March grinned as it sat down and quickly devoured it.

“Woah, what the-”

March looked back, and burst into giggles. An awkward looking Israel was standing frozen, the first monkey having jumped down onto his head. The tail was curled comfortably around Israel's left ear, and the monkey was grasping little bits of his hair in its little hands.

“I think he likes you!”

A BIT LATER...

A slightly older March leaned out her windowsill. Through the town, in the dusk, she could faintly see Passerine flying her way. The small chimera soared into March's room, and landed with a bounce on her bed, a roll of paper clutched in her hands. Hopping besides her, March looked at the paper, brushing a bit of her hair out of her eyes.

Lei's okay, but still sick. His fever's not too bad. Can Rin stay with you again tonight? I don't really want her to get sick.

-Israel

March frowned slightly, and looked to the door. Beyond, the hallway was silent. So Leviathan was still sick. That rascal. He better get well soon. This was the last night that Rin was staying with her. Any more nights, and her mom might find out why she and Israel spent so much time in the woods.

“Take this back to the fort.” March whispered to Rin as soon as she had scribbled a reply on the back of the paper. “Then come back here.”

Passerines head bobbed once as if nodding, and she squeaked, and swiftly flapped her wings and took a jumping start off the bed, going through the window back into the growing night.

“Mar...? You up here?” The door opened gently, and her mom, Alida, looked into the room, eyebrow raised as March stood up from where she was putting down a book.

“Just reading.” March said.

“I thought I heard talking.” Alida replied, looking to the window, missing the movement that March made of kicking a orange peel under the bed. March shrugged when she looked back.

“Sometimes I talk to myself.”

Alida came and sat on the bed. “What's up?”

March blinked. “What do you mean?” She asked innocently.

“The book is upside down.” Her mother said simply. March looked to it and grumbled something unpleasant. Alida tried again. “What's going on...?”

All too soon, Rin soared through the window again. Surprised by the new person in the room, she chittered something. Alida looked to the chimera. Then to her sheepish daughter. Then back to the chimera. Curtly, she asked “Who's this?”

March laughed. “Well, actually...”

CENTRAL, PRESENT TIME. WELL, AT LEAST AS MUCH AS YOU CAN GET IN THIS SERIES....

“You're leaving?” Mustang asked, his eyes slightly wider then usual.

“Just taking a break.” Israel said. “A week, at the most.”

“You're leaving?” He repeated.

“Taking a bit of time for training.” Thalia added. “Y'know, Alchemy and...stuff.”

“You're leaving?” Mustang asked again.

“Yes, Colonel, we're leaving.” Israel said. “A break.”

“You're leaving?”

“Yes!” March said suddenly, leaping up from her seat and slamming her hands on Mustang's desk, leaning forward and saying the next few sentences quicker and with more force. “We're leaving! Get over it! Quit saying it! We're going to go to some discreet town that's probably right in front of you, dressed as normal people, go get a sandwich or something, and quietly laugh at the soldiers and about how uptight they look! We're going to train, look into sword fighting or whatever, and if you say 'You're leaving?' one more time, I will prove that we practiced sword fighting by screwing you like a cork!” The small girl leaned back suddenly, falling back on the couch and breathing heavy.

Mustang opened his mouth, but March's head snapped to look at him before he could say anything. “Think very carefully about your next words.”

“I...think...” Mustang looked like he didn't know how to place his words. Thankfully, Hawkeye stepped in before he could fit in another word.

“I think a break would be fine. It'd be the first break since they've really been in the military.”

Mustang cleared his throat. “Ah, yes. This would be a good few days to practice your alchemy again.”

“Wait.” Thalia said. “Few days?”

“Around two or three days. At the most four.”

Israel crossed his arms. “What? That's just...”

“May you keep in mind,” Mustang said, “That last time, you didn't know people were allowed to take such breaks, and you snuck out. It took us a moment to realize that that was all of your paperwork left, and we found you buying a steak at a restaurant at the next town over.”

March sniggered, and elbowed Israel as he sat down and had a look of regret on his face. “I bet I can tell who's paperwork it was...!” She sang softly. There was a small thump as kicked her sideways with his foot.

“We...understand.” Thalia said. Mustang nodded, satisfied. Then Thalia opened her mouth again. “We won't buy steak again.” On that note she pulled Israel and March to their feet, half dragging them out the door. “We'll meet you back at East City!”

Five seconds after the door closed after them, it opened a crack again, and then Hughes stuck his head in.

“Who wants to see a picture of my little Elicia?” He said. Mustang visibly winced.

“Ah...”

BACK IN THE PAST...

March popped open a book on water alchemy. After a moment, she stuck out her tongue and looked up to Israel, who was looking at a book on transmuting. “Too gentle.” She said, and tossed it back on the table. Israel lowered his book and looked at her, both monkeys sitting on respective shoulders.

“What is?” He asked.

“All this...stuff. The alchemy that we have on books here. I don't want to learn in.”

“Well...” Israel pushed another book forward, on mixed arts. “Remember that we're not going to learn it all right now. We're just reading. Try this.”

March looked and saw a big sword. She drew out her next word. “Cool.”

There was a sudden pounding on the door. Alida poked her head out from where she was working around the corner in the kitchen, wiping her hand on a towel. Whoever it was knocked again. Alida looked at the two kids at the table.

“Any of you expecting anyone?” The kids shook their heads. Even the monkeys looked lost. “Well let's see who it is...” She placed down the towel and walked into the main room. There was the sound of a door opening, and quite a sudden exclamation of surprise, which caused March and Israel to jump a foot or so.

March wiggled her eyebrows. “Ooh. Something interesting.” And looked at Israel. Israel raised an eyebrow, not sure if they should go and see.

“March, come here.”

The books were placed down. Israel walked out first, holding Leviathan, and March followed, Passerine perched on her shoulder.

There were two men standing by the door, Alida standing next to them. They both had dark hair, and were wearing a blue uniform of a soldier. March had read about it and saw a picture before. But one man had her eyes.

“Mar...” Israel said, not sure who the men were. “That...his...you have the same eyes...”

The man with her eyes crouched down so they could see face to face. March blinked. He blinked. March blinked again. Then he came forward, scooping her up in a hug. The man whispered something in her ear. “I'm your dad, Mar. Hi.”

When he set down the slightly-shocked March, she opened her mouth. “Uh...Hi.”

Alida spoke. “Erebus, Roy, what are you doing here?”

“We...” Erebus frowned, and trailed off.

The other man, Roy, took off his hat. “The war is going well, but we recently lost a good group of soldiers. You were a former State Alchemist, where you not?”

“What does that have to do with anything? I quit. That was a while ago.” Alida said.

“Come to Ishval.” Erebus said. “Fight with us. It'd be less then a year there. We need your alchemical abilities, and everyone there can come home sooner.”

“I don't...Who...who died?”

“Er...” Roy looked to March and Israel, who were standing together awkwardly. He looked to Alida and Erebus. “Alida, Erebus, I feel that this matter should be spoken of behind closed doors.”

Alida nodded. “Of course. I've kept your study clean.”

Erebus smiled, and the three walked into the study. “Wait here, kids.” Alida said as she gently closed the door. There was an awkward silence in the air around the two.

“...wow.” March finally said.

“My thoughts exactly.” Israel agreed. “So you have a dad.”

“I...guess I do.” March nodded.

“Do you think your mom's gonna go to Ishval?” Israel asked carefully

“I...don't know.” March shook her head.

“I don't know either, but whatever the cause I'm staying.” A new voice said, causing March and Israel to jump. Lei toppled off of Israel's head. Rin fell back onto him, the two apparently attempting the feat of falling on each other. Or it could have been an accident, but no one will know but them.

There, stood a girl. She was about Mar's age, but was dressed in dark clothing. She had big, grey pants that were tied around her waist with a leather belt, bit black boots, and a black shirt. Her hair was black and fell in short waves, her eyes were a stormy grey, and her tanned skin just added to the whole stealth-like effect. Her hands were folded behind her back, and March could just see a pouch attached to the back of the belt. Impressive.

“Who are you?” Israel asked. The girl grinned, showing a row of pearly white teeth.

“Thalia Jane Circe, at your service.”

March blinked. “Well. Hello there.”

“Have you...been standing there this whole time?” Israel asked. “Or...?”

“I came in with Saxon and Mustang.” Thalia said and strolled over and into the kitchen.

“Hey, where are you going?” Israel asked, walking after her. March blinked, then walked after the two, silent; more puzzled then anything. She entered the kitchen to see the girl that went by Thalia pushing aside a large stack of books on the table and heaving a large bowl of apples in the table, jumping onto the seat and taking a large bite out of the closest one (Apple, not book).

“You know, you don't live here...” March said, still not sure what exactly was going on.

“I know.” Thalia said simply and took another bite out of the apple. Israel shifted from foot to foot, and jumped out of the way as Rin and Lei ran over to the table and jumped into the basket of apples. Thalia blinked and murmured. “Who are you guys, anyway...?”

But at that moment, Alida walked back into the room, wearing a dark coloured coat, and holding a small briefcase.

“March,” She said, “You're going to need to stay at the Elysium's house for a few weeks. Thalia here will have to come too. I just need to go on a little trip. Business stuff.”

“What?” March said. “What do you mean?”

Alida exhaled out deeply, and reached into her pocket, leaning down. She extended a hand and held out a small box, gesturing for March to take it. She did so, and held the box in both hands, hesitantly opening it. Inside, was a small, ruby stone, attached to a gold chain, like a pendent.

March blinked. “What is-”

Alida leaned forward more and hugged March, before standing up and walking out of the room. “Your parents will understand, Israel.” She called to the boy who was standing in the middle of the kitchen, mouth slightly agape.

Israel jumped at he suddenly noticed Thalia standing next to him. Her face was cracked into a smile.

“Cool! We get to be roommates!”

“W-What?”

THE LAST FLASHBACK...FOR THIS PART....

A mortified scream split through the silence of the night. In a flurry of feathers, a murder of crows shot up into the air, cawing with alarm at the sudden noise, settling once more at different trees, further away from a dark house. The lights through the windows were dim, and not many were turned on.

Inside, the daughter of Erebus and Alida Saxon had just walked into the room to find her parents' dead bodies, lying in pools of their own blood.

"Oh god..." March Saxon whimpered quietly, falling to her knees. "Oh my god..." The small girl crawled over to her parents, shaking them slightly.

"Mom?" Her eyes watered. "Dad?"

Her parents had been downstairs. Thalia had been out who knows where, and March had been upstairs, curled in a rather large chair and reading a book.

Leviathan and Passerine had been huddled in a small hammock, trying to preserve warmth on the un-usually cold night. The two Capuchin Monkeys (one more monkey then the other; but neither fully monkey to begin with,) had just finished off a large orange, the peel in a good-sized pile on the desk below them.

It was when March heard two small, but audible thumps downstairs, as something fell to the floor, that she decided to investigate.

Little did she know it was her own parents falling to the ground.

"Mom? Dad?" March tried again, tears running down her cheeks in a steady stream. She pulled her moms head into her lap, stroking the flaming red hair that was so much like her own. A small chitter told her that Rin and Liu had come down, both shocked as well.

March was sobbing so hard now that she could only see blurry images of things. But she could see the blood.

And she wasn't making a sound.

Liu darted off somewhere. Rin padded forward smoothly, hugging March's arm.

Something creaked behind her. March's head snapped up, and she didn't see anything. But she had lived in that house long enough to know what a creak meant. Someone else was in the house too. But it wasn't Thalia. She never made a sound.

Lunging forward, March grasped onto her dad next. She laid her head on his chest. It was silent.

It'd just been a few years. Just a few. He had been at war practically half her life.

Rin leapt in front of March, tail flicking back and forth as if to say something. She squeaked, and started tugging at Erebus's waistcoat pocket.

Why?

Slipping her hand in there, March could barely see. The world was crimson. It covered her, her parents, the floor, and the walls.

Too much like her necklace.

What did it mean?

World tilting, March clutched a small pocket watch that she had retrieved from her father's pocket. There was a dog engraved on it, the sign of the military. It was beat up and dented in places, but still well used.

March fumbled with the latch. She let out a single sob.

Why her?

Watch popping open, small papers fell out, spiraling into the crimson. March grabbed through them, through photos and notes, until she came to a phone number and a name.

The house creaked again.

Dropping the phone the first time she tried to pick it up, March's bloody fingers scrambled with the handle. Dial up the numbers. Put phone to ear. Listen for tone. It was almost like instinct. She didn't even know who would pick up.

A voice broke through.

"Hello?" Someone said. March recognized the voice faintly, like a childhood memory. Memories that were coming back now. "Erebus, is that you?"

March let out another sob, un-able to form words. The voice on the other line became slightly more urgent.

"Hello? Who's there? Alida? It's me, Roy. Roy Mustang."

Roy Mustang? The name sounded familiar. A figure came back through memory. She needed to work better on remembering things.

"This i-is March..." March stuttered, having trouble forming the words. "Mom and dad are...t-they're..."

"You're their daughter? March, what happened?"

"D-Dead." March gagged slightly. "S-someone...murdered...please help!"

"They were murdered?!" Roy yelled from the other line. In the background, March heard him starting to yell orders to someone else in the room. "March. Where's the murderer?"

"I-I think they're in...house." She hiccuped. Rin jumped onto her shoulder, curling a tail around her neck comfortingly.

"March, hide!" Roy ordered. "Stay alive until we get there! Don't try and confront the murderer, they may be after you, whoever it is."

"...soon..." She stammered, the rest of the sentence lost.

"We will." The other end of the conversation hung up.

March dropped the phone, suddenly tired beyond belief. She slumped against the table, breath shallow. Was this called shock?

In her other hand she still clutched the pocket watch, and a majority of the letters and pictures. She tried to her best to put them back neatly, snapping it shut with some difficulty.

Rin jumped off her shoulder, hissing at someone who had just entered the room. March span around and tried to look at the person in the dim light. “What...who are you?” She called loudly, standing up on shaky feet, pocket watch gripped in hand.

No response.

Furiously wiping away her tears, March gritted her teeth. “I know you killed my parents.” She said, mustering the rest of her strength. “So why. Did. You. Do. It?”

Whoever it was took a step into the room. March lost it and sprinted into the kitchen, grabbing a book on alchemy and sprinting out the door in her bare feet, rushing into the woods, Passerine and Leviathan at her side. She took the path through the woods, in the dark, merely by memory. The murderer was hot on her heels.

She took a random right into the un-pathed territory of the trees, and automatically heard cursing from behind her, fading as she ran. March continued running as fast as she could, the time passing by. She had no idea what she was about to do with the alchemy book. Should she got back? Where was Thalia? When would the military get here? What on earth was going on?! Rin chattered and grabbed onto March's ankle, clinging on and curling around her leg as she ran.

“What? Oh...” March realized that she had been running for god knows how long. She skidded to a stop and crouched behind a tree, listening.

Only the sounds of the forest.

Letting out a breath she didn't know she had been holding, March opened the book, looking by the light of the moon at faded words. There was a large picture, that look up a whole page. It was an elaborate and complicated transmutation circle.

Human Transmutation: The Major Taboo.

Bringing people back to life.

Mom. Dad.

March sucked in the breath that she had let out a few seconds ago. This was- this could- this could bring her parents back to life!

A stick cracked behind her. March jumped and dropped the book, falling to her knees and spinning around. Here stood a figure that killed her parents. It was like a horror story playing in her own life. They extended a hand, and March saw a old gauntlet, covered in alchemy circles.

She span around, but there was a sudden heat behind her and the ground fell out underneath March Saxon.

ON A TRAIN...IN AMESTRIS...AS THE REST OF THE STORY WILL BE UNCOVERED LATER....

“Mar-Chu was here!” March yelled out the train window, grinning as the window blew her hair around and out of her face. In the distance she could see small towns, but at the moment there was only rolling farmlands and little, dense forests.

“Close your mouth, you'll catch a bug!” Thalia yelled as she repeatedly poked March from the inside of the train. March shrugged her off and ignored her, lolling her tongue out like a dog. Rin sat on her head and chattered happily, opening her own mouth and...actually catching a bug.

For now, everything was fine.

But it wasn't always that way.

…

“Hey, why didn't I get a line in this scene?”

…

“You just did. Congratulations Israel, you're a full fledged...whatever they call people in these last second credit things.”

…