Categories > Anime/Manga > Full Metal Alchemist > Fullmetal Alchemist and the Shadows of Darkness
Legion of Female Alchemist
1 reviewEdward and Alphonse return to Central. But the Colonel's got them on assignments left and right. Then a mysterious girl appears that only the Colonel knows about.
-1MarySue
Episode One
"This should be easy," said a blonde haired boy. He had long bangs and his hair was braided in the back. He wore a long red coat with an alchemy symbol on the back.
"Oh you think so?" said a crazy looking man with three tufts of hair. He dodged the others punches. But as he turned, something hard and heavy hit him on the head. The man fell to the ground in a daze.
"Good job, Al," laughed the blonde. He looked at the huge suit of armor in front of him.
"I didn't really try though," the suit of armor replied. "Ed, here comes Colonel Mustang!"
They both turned to see a black haired man walking toward them.
"Well done there Edward -- Alphonse," he said. "We'll have this guy in jail soon enough."
"Yeah, I don't think he'll be waking up anytime soon. Al hit him pretty hard," Ed laughed.
"Sorry," Al sighed.
"Anyway, Ed, I have a special assignment for you," said Colonel Mustang.
"Another one? Colonel, you're gonna kill me with all these assignments," Ed complained.
"Calm down, Elric. It's just a job at the Exam testing grounds." Ed looked at him.
"What for?" Al asked.
"You will be an Official Onlooker for the State Alchemy Exam," the Colonel answered.
"Wasn't the exam held two weeks ago?" Ed asked.
"This is different; it's the first exam for the first Female Alchemist group."
"Female?"
"Yes, seems we've had some complaints about too few women as State Alchemists, so--"
"I see," Ed replied. "When would I be needed?"
"Tomorrow. The first two parts of the exam have already been held. The applicants who passed will be at the practical tomorrow. So, do you accept this assignment?"
"Do I really have a choice?" Ed muttered. The Colonel continued to look at him. "Fine, I'll do it."
"Good. Tomorrow, 0800 hours," Colonel Mustang said, walking away. He stepped into a car where a blonde haired woman sat waiting.
"The office appears to be having difficulty with your orders," she said.
"How so Lieutenant Hawkeye?"
"They're asking questions that are not to be asked."
"Damn them! But -- she knows --"
"So, do you suppose you'll meet any girls there?" Al asked.
"I doubt it, besides, I'm not looking," Ed replied.
"Oh, I forgot. You have your eyes on Winry."
"WHAT?! No! No! We're just friends! That's all!!"
"Okay," Al laughed.
"If you weren't my brother, I'd hit you."
"I know there's more!" yelled a voice from down the street. Two figures stood under a streetlamp; both military officials.
"We can't get anymore information, sir. We were told not to ask --"
"You idiot! Mustang's got no say in what the Board Officials can and can't do."
"Sir, he has the right to say --"
"I don't care what he says he is! He hasn't proven it! No papers, no nothing! For all we know he could be -- get in the car!" Both figures climbed into the car and it drove off.
"I think he saw us," Al pointed out.
"What was that all about anyway?" Ed asked.
"Why was Colonel Mustang mentioned?"
"I don't know, Al, but I have a hunch it has something to do with this exam thing."
"Do you think so, brother?" Al asked.
"Absolutely." Ed swished his coat and continued walking.
A bright light filled the next street. Al and Ed looked at each other and ran down to see what had caused it. There was a figure moving around. It was too dark to tell who it was, but it was doing something.
"Damn it, that's too much! I have to use less!" said a voice. More light came out of nowhere and surrounded a lamp post. It glowed brightly and then changed shape.
"Don't try so hard," said Colonel Mustang's voice.
Ed tried to squint through the darkness, but he couldn't make out anything.
"Just concentrate, and --" Colonel Mustang's voice cut off. Everyone stood in silence, then --
"Go, now!" yelled the Colonel. Flames suddenly shoot at Edward and Alphonse.
"Whoa!" Ed yelled, jumping out of the way. He could hear footsteps running toward him. Colonel Mustang came into view.
"What are you two doing here?" he asked, sounding a little irritated.
"We were on our way home," Al said.
"Well, I suggest you be getting there," Mustang said, turning quickly and walking away.
"Man, is he moody," Ed said.
"More than usual," Al replied. Ed thought for a moment.
"C'mon, we need some sleep," he said, yawning. Al nodded and followed his brother.
The next morning, there was a knock at the door of the Elrics' house. Ed staggered to the front door and yawned.
"Who is it?" he asked.
"It's me!" said a cheery voice on the other side. Ed opened the door and there stood a blonde haired girl holding several luggage bags.
"Winry?! Er -- why are you here?" Ed asked.
"Just here to check up on my two favorite people," Winry replied, pushing her way in. "Nice place."
"Thanks. How long do you -- plan on staying?" Ed asked, looking at all of her bags.
"Oh, just a few weeks," Winry smiled.
"A few weeks?!"
"Yeah, it'll be great!"
"Hello, Winry," said Al, coming from the bedroom.
"Good morning, Alphonse."
"Yeah, well, I hate to be rude, but I've got to go to this Military Examination thing --"
"Brother, it's 8:30!" Al yelled, looking at the clock.
"What?!" Ed yelled running out the door.
"He's an onlooker for the first group of female alchemists," Al explained.
"Oh. Female alchemists?" Winry asked.
"Yeah, Colonel Mustang says the Military finds the need for them."
"Well, it's about time those sexist pigs put in some women," Winry said glowingly.
"The Colonel's gonna kill me!" Ed muttered. He ran through the main doors and saw Colonel Mustang, waiting for him.
"I'm sorry! I woke up late!" Ed said, rushing up to him.
"Edward -- I'm tired of you pushing the limit! I'm going to have to revoke your priviledges as a State Alchemist," Colonel Mustang said.
"What?! But sir --"
"Just kidding, Elric. The final exam doesn't start until 10:00."
"You -- you tricked me?"
"No, think of it more as a way to make you more punctual. To tell you the truth, I didn't think you'd be here this early," the Colonel laughed. He turned and walked away.
"That jerk!" Ed muttered to himself. He turned and looked around. "Now, which way was it to the testing ground? It's been forever since I've been there."
He turned and saw a group of Military officials walking through a door.
"There it is," Ed said, following them. He came to a huge outdoor area.
"Ah, the Fullmetal Alchemist himself," said an officer walking up to him. "Pleasure to finally meet you. This should be an interesting day, don't you agree?"
"Possibly, sir," Ed replied. The man laughed.
"Of couse, I don't expect you to expect much. But, I believe there may be something interesting." He continued to chuckle.
"And why is that?"
"Well -- I have a hunch about one of the applicants. And Colonel Mustang asked not to ask certain questions during her interview. Now, what does that tell you?"
"Well, maybe the girl has a slight anxiety problem. She might get nervous easily."
The man continued to laugh.
"No, no. There's more to it than that. There's something Roy doesn't want us to find out. Well, speak of the devil."
Ed turned to see Colonel Mustang walking outside. He turned and looked at Ed, then continued his walk toward the other group of officers. Ed joined them as Colonel Mustang started his briefing.
"Remember to judge on the best use of alchemic skill; not by your relationship to them, what you've heard about them, or --" he glanced at Ed, "how they look. We will be accepting three women today out of the twenty-eight finalists."
"That many?" asked a man standing next to Ed.
"It seems alchemy is rather popular around North City, which most of these girls are from," the Colonel said. He looked over toward the doors. "And here they come."
Ed looked over to see a huge group of girls walking out. Some were young and some were very old. They gather ed in front of a huge man-made ecosystem.
"Ladies, welcome. We will first call you one by one to show your alchemy skills. You are welcome to use any material you see fit," Colonel Mustang said, looking them over. He took a piece of paper from his jacket. "Isabelle Alton," he called.
A girl who looked a little older than Ed stepped forward. She had short brown hair and green eyes.
She carefully drew her transmutation cirlcle, then placed water and rocks inside. Then, she took out a golden pocket watch and placed it in the circle as well. She placed her hands on the circle's edge. Everything inside began to glow. The light faded, and in the circle lay a golden dagger.
Isabelle held the knife out for everyone to see. Ed heard some of the girls start to whisper.
"Very well done," said an officer. Colonel Mustang called out the names of a few more girls who had less spectacular transmutations.
"Danielle Faize," the Colonel replied. A blonde haired girls stepped forward. She was wearing an unusual outfit. She wore black. Her whole right arm was in a sort of black glove. And one pant leg was shorter that the other.
"This should be interesting," said the officer Ed had talked to earlier.
She drew her transmutation circle and put inside it a seed. She placed her hand on the circle, and the seed began to grow. It became an apple tree.
The girls began to whisper again, some even giggled.
"Well, she could be able to feed our troops," an officer laughed.
"That sure is an amazing alchemic ability," Ed laughed, turning to the officer. He had expected more than that from what he had guessed.
The Colonel cleared his throat. He called out a few more names. Sarah Meyer succeeded in making a statue of Colonel Mustang. Emily Nicholson made a huge paper airplane.
"Aleeya Sanders," the Colonel called. A red haired girl came forward and drew her transmutation circle and put in it a tree branch, water rocks, and a piece of string.
"She's making a fire bomb," Ed gasped. Aleeya placed her hands on the circle, and just as she did, a frog hopped into the circle. There was a huge roar, and there stood a giant red frog. It turned and looked at the girls, who all turned and ran. The frog then turned to Aleeya, who sat on the ground, horror-struck.
"How is that possible? That chimera was made using only one animal," Ed said, running toward the frog, but Colonel Mustang stopped him.
"No, you can't strike it! We don't know what will happen!" he said.
"But we can't just watch it!" Ed yelled.
"I know, but --" Colonel Mustang looked up. "No."
Ed looked over and saw the girl named Danielle running toward the frog. She put her hands together and, what looked like to be black electricity appeared. She directed it toward the frog and it wrapped around it.
"Alchemy without a transmutation circle," Ed gasped. "But, it's a different kind."
The frog gave a loud roar and began to glow bright red.
"It's gonna explode!" an officer yelled. Everyone scrambled. Except for Ed who continued to watch, trying to find some way to help.
Danielle ran for Aleeya. She helped her up and Aleeya ran. Danielle turned and followed. But when she was almost to the building doors, the ground caved in and her foot was stuck.
Ed ran over to her and tried to get her foot loose, but it was jammed in.
"Go! Get out of here!" Danielle yelled.
"What, so you can die?" Ed argued. The frog gave another loud roar. Ed clapped his hands together and put them to the ground.
The ground rose above and over them, encasing them in a shell. Danielle looked at him.
The frog exploded. Everyone looked at the huge fireball from a distance.
Inside the shell of rock, Ed covered Danielle and himself with his jacket to protect them from small flying rocks. Then, the ground gave way and they both fell into an underground tunnel.
Ed slowly opened his eyes. He was lying on his back looking up at the dark hole above him. He slowly sat up and looked around. It was dark and musty in the tunnel they had fallen in. He could barely make out the figure of Danielle, laying beside him. He stood up and squinted into the darkness.
"This must be a sort of bunker or something," Ed murmured. "So that means there's gotta be a stairway somewhere."
Danielle stirred beside him. She groaned and slowly stood up.
"My shoulder," she whispered.
"What's wrong?"
"I think it's dislocated. Where are you?" She stumbled into Ed. "Oh."
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Is there a piece of wood around?"
"I don't know," Ed said, feeling around with his foot. It hit something. He reached down and picked it up.
"Will a broom work?"
"Hand it over."
Danielle took the broom. She worked with it a bit, then, she used the electricity to start a fire on the end of the broom.
"Nifty trick," Ed said. Danielle grasped her shoulder and pulled forward on it. There was a cracking sound and Danielle let out a stifled gasp.
"Okay, let's go," she said, letting her arm dangle to the side.
"Do you need help?" Ed offered.
"Am I dead?" Danielle snapped.
"No --"
"Then I don't need help."
"What's your problem?!" Ed asked, agitated. Danielle turned and looked at him. Then she looked at the two shadows flickering on the wall.
"Sorry. I guess I'm not used to people offering help. But I'm fine."
Ed looked at her. She walked forward and Ed followed.
"So -- are you -- a State Alchemist?" Danielle asked.
"Yeah, unfortunately," Ed laughed.
"What?"
"You know -- being a dog of the military. They're always telling you what to do and where to go. Are you sure you still want to be a State Alchemist?"
"I never wanted to be one," Danielle confessed, glancing back at Ed.
"Then why are you --"
"Colonel Mustang wanted me to."
"How do you know him?" Ed asked, stepping over a large pile of rocks.
"He's my uncle," Danielle said.
"What?!" Ed yelled, shocked. "I didn't know the Colonel had any siblings!"
"Think about it. How much do you really know about him?" Danielle said, turning to him. Ed thought for a moment.
"I know he's a jerk," Ed mumbled.
"He's not usually though. He's very open-minded. He just keeps alot of things hidden inside, you know," Danielle explained.
"Like, how you didn't use all your skills during the exam?" Ed said. Danielle looked at him, then turned and continued walking. "Why didn't you?"
"Why do you ask so many questions?"
"I guess that's just the kind of person I am."
"And I'm the kind of person who gets annoyed easily," Danielle said, ducking under a piece of stone. They continued walking for a moment when they stopped in front of a huge wall.
"I guess we went the wrong way," Ed laughed, turning around.
"Wait! I can hear voices," Danielle exclaimed. Ed listened too.
Danielle threw herself against the wall. She stumbled backwards, then ran at it again. She fell to the ground.
"Let me try," Ed said, helping her up. He clapped his hands togethr and threw them against the wall. A bright blue light grew and a hole opened up in the wall revealing Colonel Mustang, Lieutenant Hawkeye, and several other Military officials.
"Um -- sorry about that," Ed laughed. The others continued to stare.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Preview of Next Episode:
"Hey, what are you doing?!" Ed exclaimed.
"Why are you here?! Go away!" Danielle yelled.
"I'm suppose to escort you downstairs," Ed replied.
"I don't need an escort!"
"Fine, I'll go --" Ed thought for a moment. He could already hear Colonel Mustang, yelling at him, telling him he wouldn't be able to eat until he had brought Danielle with him. "I'm not leaving until you come out! I can't eat until you're down there!" Ed said.
~~~~~~ View pictures and manga frames of this story at http://www.inochi-itai-unmei.piczo.com/
"This should be easy," said a blonde haired boy. He had long bangs and his hair was braided in the back. He wore a long red coat with an alchemy symbol on the back.
"Oh you think so?" said a crazy looking man with three tufts of hair. He dodged the others punches. But as he turned, something hard and heavy hit him on the head. The man fell to the ground in a daze.
"Good job, Al," laughed the blonde. He looked at the huge suit of armor in front of him.
"I didn't really try though," the suit of armor replied. "Ed, here comes Colonel Mustang!"
They both turned to see a black haired man walking toward them.
"Well done there Edward -- Alphonse," he said. "We'll have this guy in jail soon enough."
"Yeah, I don't think he'll be waking up anytime soon. Al hit him pretty hard," Ed laughed.
"Sorry," Al sighed.
"Anyway, Ed, I have a special assignment for you," said Colonel Mustang.
"Another one? Colonel, you're gonna kill me with all these assignments," Ed complained.
"Calm down, Elric. It's just a job at the Exam testing grounds." Ed looked at him.
"What for?" Al asked.
"You will be an Official Onlooker for the State Alchemy Exam," the Colonel answered.
"Wasn't the exam held two weeks ago?" Ed asked.
"This is different; it's the first exam for the first Female Alchemist group."
"Female?"
"Yes, seems we've had some complaints about too few women as State Alchemists, so--"
"I see," Ed replied. "When would I be needed?"
"Tomorrow. The first two parts of the exam have already been held. The applicants who passed will be at the practical tomorrow. So, do you accept this assignment?"
"Do I really have a choice?" Ed muttered. The Colonel continued to look at him. "Fine, I'll do it."
"Good. Tomorrow, 0800 hours," Colonel Mustang said, walking away. He stepped into a car where a blonde haired woman sat waiting.
"The office appears to be having difficulty with your orders," she said.
"How so Lieutenant Hawkeye?"
"They're asking questions that are not to be asked."
"Damn them! But -- she knows --"
"So, do you suppose you'll meet any girls there?" Al asked.
"I doubt it, besides, I'm not looking," Ed replied.
"Oh, I forgot. You have your eyes on Winry."
"WHAT?! No! No! We're just friends! That's all!!"
"Okay," Al laughed.
"If you weren't my brother, I'd hit you."
"I know there's more!" yelled a voice from down the street. Two figures stood under a streetlamp; both military officials.
"We can't get anymore information, sir. We were told not to ask --"
"You idiot! Mustang's got no say in what the Board Officials can and can't do."
"Sir, he has the right to say --"
"I don't care what he says he is! He hasn't proven it! No papers, no nothing! For all we know he could be -- get in the car!" Both figures climbed into the car and it drove off.
"I think he saw us," Al pointed out.
"What was that all about anyway?" Ed asked.
"Why was Colonel Mustang mentioned?"
"I don't know, Al, but I have a hunch it has something to do with this exam thing."
"Do you think so, brother?" Al asked.
"Absolutely." Ed swished his coat and continued walking.
A bright light filled the next street. Al and Ed looked at each other and ran down to see what had caused it. There was a figure moving around. It was too dark to tell who it was, but it was doing something.
"Damn it, that's too much! I have to use less!" said a voice. More light came out of nowhere and surrounded a lamp post. It glowed brightly and then changed shape.
"Don't try so hard," said Colonel Mustang's voice.
Ed tried to squint through the darkness, but he couldn't make out anything.
"Just concentrate, and --" Colonel Mustang's voice cut off. Everyone stood in silence, then --
"Go, now!" yelled the Colonel. Flames suddenly shoot at Edward and Alphonse.
"Whoa!" Ed yelled, jumping out of the way. He could hear footsteps running toward him. Colonel Mustang came into view.
"What are you two doing here?" he asked, sounding a little irritated.
"We were on our way home," Al said.
"Well, I suggest you be getting there," Mustang said, turning quickly and walking away.
"Man, is he moody," Ed said.
"More than usual," Al replied. Ed thought for a moment.
"C'mon, we need some sleep," he said, yawning. Al nodded and followed his brother.
The next morning, there was a knock at the door of the Elrics' house. Ed staggered to the front door and yawned.
"Who is it?" he asked.
"It's me!" said a cheery voice on the other side. Ed opened the door and there stood a blonde haired girl holding several luggage bags.
"Winry?! Er -- why are you here?" Ed asked.
"Just here to check up on my two favorite people," Winry replied, pushing her way in. "Nice place."
"Thanks. How long do you -- plan on staying?" Ed asked, looking at all of her bags.
"Oh, just a few weeks," Winry smiled.
"A few weeks?!"
"Yeah, it'll be great!"
"Hello, Winry," said Al, coming from the bedroom.
"Good morning, Alphonse."
"Yeah, well, I hate to be rude, but I've got to go to this Military Examination thing --"
"Brother, it's 8:30!" Al yelled, looking at the clock.
"What?!" Ed yelled running out the door.
"He's an onlooker for the first group of female alchemists," Al explained.
"Oh. Female alchemists?" Winry asked.
"Yeah, Colonel Mustang says the Military finds the need for them."
"Well, it's about time those sexist pigs put in some women," Winry said glowingly.
"The Colonel's gonna kill me!" Ed muttered. He ran through the main doors and saw Colonel Mustang, waiting for him.
"I'm sorry! I woke up late!" Ed said, rushing up to him.
"Edward -- I'm tired of you pushing the limit! I'm going to have to revoke your priviledges as a State Alchemist," Colonel Mustang said.
"What?! But sir --"
"Just kidding, Elric. The final exam doesn't start until 10:00."
"You -- you tricked me?"
"No, think of it more as a way to make you more punctual. To tell you the truth, I didn't think you'd be here this early," the Colonel laughed. He turned and walked away.
"That jerk!" Ed muttered to himself. He turned and looked around. "Now, which way was it to the testing ground? It's been forever since I've been there."
He turned and saw a group of Military officials walking through a door.
"There it is," Ed said, following them. He came to a huge outdoor area.
"Ah, the Fullmetal Alchemist himself," said an officer walking up to him. "Pleasure to finally meet you. This should be an interesting day, don't you agree?"
"Possibly, sir," Ed replied. The man laughed.
"Of couse, I don't expect you to expect much. But, I believe there may be something interesting." He continued to chuckle.
"And why is that?"
"Well -- I have a hunch about one of the applicants. And Colonel Mustang asked not to ask certain questions during her interview. Now, what does that tell you?"
"Well, maybe the girl has a slight anxiety problem. She might get nervous easily."
The man continued to laugh.
"No, no. There's more to it than that. There's something Roy doesn't want us to find out. Well, speak of the devil."
Ed turned to see Colonel Mustang walking outside. He turned and looked at Ed, then continued his walk toward the other group of officers. Ed joined them as Colonel Mustang started his briefing.
"Remember to judge on the best use of alchemic skill; not by your relationship to them, what you've heard about them, or --" he glanced at Ed, "how they look. We will be accepting three women today out of the twenty-eight finalists."
"That many?" asked a man standing next to Ed.
"It seems alchemy is rather popular around North City, which most of these girls are from," the Colonel said. He looked over toward the doors. "And here they come."
Ed looked over to see a huge group of girls walking out. Some were young and some were very old. They gather ed in front of a huge man-made ecosystem.
"Ladies, welcome. We will first call you one by one to show your alchemy skills. You are welcome to use any material you see fit," Colonel Mustang said, looking them over. He took a piece of paper from his jacket. "Isabelle Alton," he called.
A girl who looked a little older than Ed stepped forward. She had short brown hair and green eyes.
She carefully drew her transmutation cirlcle, then placed water and rocks inside. Then, she took out a golden pocket watch and placed it in the circle as well. She placed her hands on the circle's edge. Everything inside began to glow. The light faded, and in the circle lay a golden dagger.
Isabelle held the knife out for everyone to see. Ed heard some of the girls start to whisper.
"Very well done," said an officer. Colonel Mustang called out the names of a few more girls who had less spectacular transmutations.
"Danielle Faize," the Colonel replied. A blonde haired girls stepped forward. She was wearing an unusual outfit. She wore black. Her whole right arm was in a sort of black glove. And one pant leg was shorter that the other.
"This should be interesting," said the officer Ed had talked to earlier.
She drew her transmutation circle and put inside it a seed. She placed her hand on the circle, and the seed began to grow. It became an apple tree.
The girls began to whisper again, some even giggled.
"Well, she could be able to feed our troops," an officer laughed.
"That sure is an amazing alchemic ability," Ed laughed, turning to the officer. He had expected more than that from what he had guessed.
The Colonel cleared his throat. He called out a few more names. Sarah Meyer succeeded in making a statue of Colonel Mustang. Emily Nicholson made a huge paper airplane.
"Aleeya Sanders," the Colonel called. A red haired girl came forward and drew her transmutation circle and put in it a tree branch, water rocks, and a piece of string.
"She's making a fire bomb," Ed gasped. Aleeya placed her hands on the circle, and just as she did, a frog hopped into the circle. There was a huge roar, and there stood a giant red frog. It turned and looked at the girls, who all turned and ran. The frog then turned to Aleeya, who sat on the ground, horror-struck.
"How is that possible? That chimera was made using only one animal," Ed said, running toward the frog, but Colonel Mustang stopped him.
"No, you can't strike it! We don't know what will happen!" he said.
"But we can't just watch it!" Ed yelled.
"I know, but --" Colonel Mustang looked up. "No."
Ed looked over and saw the girl named Danielle running toward the frog. She put her hands together and, what looked like to be black electricity appeared. She directed it toward the frog and it wrapped around it.
"Alchemy without a transmutation circle," Ed gasped. "But, it's a different kind."
The frog gave a loud roar and began to glow bright red.
"It's gonna explode!" an officer yelled. Everyone scrambled. Except for Ed who continued to watch, trying to find some way to help.
Danielle ran for Aleeya. She helped her up and Aleeya ran. Danielle turned and followed. But when she was almost to the building doors, the ground caved in and her foot was stuck.
Ed ran over to her and tried to get her foot loose, but it was jammed in.
"Go! Get out of here!" Danielle yelled.
"What, so you can die?" Ed argued. The frog gave another loud roar. Ed clapped his hands together and put them to the ground.
The ground rose above and over them, encasing them in a shell. Danielle looked at him.
The frog exploded. Everyone looked at the huge fireball from a distance.
Inside the shell of rock, Ed covered Danielle and himself with his jacket to protect them from small flying rocks. Then, the ground gave way and they both fell into an underground tunnel.
Ed slowly opened his eyes. He was lying on his back looking up at the dark hole above him. He slowly sat up and looked around. It was dark and musty in the tunnel they had fallen in. He could barely make out the figure of Danielle, laying beside him. He stood up and squinted into the darkness.
"This must be a sort of bunker or something," Ed murmured. "So that means there's gotta be a stairway somewhere."
Danielle stirred beside him. She groaned and slowly stood up.
"My shoulder," she whispered.
"What's wrong?"
"I think it's dislocated. Where are you?" She stumbled into Ed. "Oh."
"Are you sure you're okay?"
"Is there a piece of wood around?"
"I don't know," Ed said, feeling around with his foot. It hit something. He reached down and picked it up.
"Will a broom work?"
"Hand it over."
Danielle took the broom. She worked with it a bit, then, she used the electricity to start a fire on the end of the broom.
"Nifty trick," Ed said. Danielle grasped her shoulder and pulled forward on it. There was a cracking sound and Danielle let out a stifled gasp.
"Okay, let's go," she said, letting her arm dangle to the side.
"Do you need help?" Ed offered.
"Am I dead?" Danielle snapped.
"No --"
"Then I don't need help."
"What's your problem?!" Ed asked, agitated. Danielle turned and looked at him. Then she looked at the two shadows flickering on the wall.
"Sorry. I guess I'm not used to people offering help. But I'm fine."
Ed looked at her. She walked forward and Ed followed.
"So -- are you -- a State Alchemist?" Danielle asked.
"Yeah, unfortunately," Ed laughed.
"What?"
"You know -- being a dog of the military. They're always telling you what to do and where to go. Are you sure you still want to be a State Alchemist?"
"I never wanted to be one," Danielle confessed, glancing back at Ed.
"Then why are you --"
"Colonel Mustang wanted me to."
"How do you know him?" Ed asked, stepping over a large pile of rocks.
"He's my uncle," Danielle said.
"What?!" Ed yelled, shocked. "I didn't know the Colonel had any siblings!"
"Think about it. How much do you really know about him?" Danielle said, turning to him. Ed thought for a moment.
"I know he's a jerk," Ed mumbled.
"He's not usually though. He's very open-minded. He just keeps alot of things hidden inside, you know," Danielle explained.
"Like, how you didn't use all your skills during the exam?" Ed said. Danielle looked at him, then turned and continued walking. "Why didn't you?"
"Why do you ask so many questions?"
"I guess that's just the kind of person I am."
"And I'm the kind of person who gets annoyed easily," Danielle said, ducking under a piece of stone. They continued walking for a moment when they stopped in front of a huge wall.
"I guess we went the wrong way," Ed laughed, turning around.
"Wait! I can hear voices," Danielle exclaimed. Ed listened too.
Danielle threw herself against the wall. She stumbled backwards, then ran at it again. She fell to the ground.
"Let me try," Ed said, helping her up. He clapped his hands togethr and threw them against the wall. A bright blue light grew and a hole opened up in the wall revealing Colonel Mustang, Lieutenant Hawkeye, and several other Military officials.
"Um -- sorry about that," Ed laughed. The others continued to stare.
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Preview of Next Episode:
"Hey, what are you doing?!" Ed exclaimed.
"Why are you here?! Go away!" Danielle yelled.
"I'm suppose to escort you downstairs," Ed replied.
"I don't need an escort!"
"Fine, I'll go --" Ed thought for a moment. He could already hear Colonel Mustang, yelling at him, telling him he wouldn't be able to eat until he had brought Danielle with him. "I'm not leaving until you come out! I can't eat until you're down there!" Ed said.
~~~~~~ View pictures and manga frames of this story at http://www.inochi-itai-unmei.piczo.com/
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