FicWad

As the silver liquid came tumbling down on the man, a cloud of smoke filled the air. Coughs were everywhere. People rubbed their eyes to see what happened, what the final result was. As the smoke cleared, there was Edward Elric right in the middle of the battlefield. All eyes went to the location of Roy Mustang, he was still standing. Above him was a huge metal roof with spikes of silver embedded into it. Ed rose from the ground having been satisfied with his work in saving his superior, even if the roof was mediocre and the spikes nearly touch the ground and Roy. But he saved his life, that's all that counts and he wasn't going to let the lieutenant colonel forget about that. He spun on his heels, he anger flared at the velocity of the battle. How can that woman think she could take out the colonel? Did she really think he or anyone of the military wouldn't step in before it got to the brink? He ran at her at full speed. She rose from her stance, her face exhausted but void of any feeling. That made Ed angry, how could she not show any remorse for almost eliminating the colonel.

"Who do you think you are?" he screamed from the top of his lungs as he put all of his weight into shoving her to the ground. His body slammed hard into her middle, knocking the air from her. She fell to the ground flat on her back. "Who gives you the right to try to kill someone of the military! The very military you're trying for!"

Ed grabbed her by the shirt and pulled her in close for a punch to the face when a dark shadow loomed over him, grabbing him from under his arms and pulling him away.

"Stop it brother! You can't hit a girl!" said a child in a frantic voice.

"Let me go Al! I don't care if she's a girl, she tried to murder someone!"

"That's where you're wrong Fullmetal." came the steady voice of a man.

Ed's body stopped jolting around, he looked at the man square in the face, his anger still alive. "What do you mean?"

"Look," said the man pointing above Roy.

Ed and Al turned to look. Their eyes went wide, the spikes of silver were turning to falling ash.

"Roy was never in any real danger. You see, every participant knew the rules of this demonstration before we allowed any of them onto the field. The number one rule was not to in anyway jeopardize the lives of any involved or on the sidelines. Yes, Miss Steel took it to its very limits, but the colonel wouldn't have been harmed. He might have thought he was going to but it was all perception."

"But it's good to know, if I were in any real danger, you Fullmetal, would come to my aid. Thank you Hughes for that elaborate explanation." said a familiar voice as he approached the lot of them.

Hughes blushed and apologized if it wasn't elaborate enough.

Ed looked up into his onyx eyes, a sly smile was on his face. Ed's frown deepened and Al released him from his metal grip. Ed turned away from the smug colonel and to the woman who sat on the floor with her knees up and her arms resting on the tops of them. "I'm sorry." he said reluctantly.

The woman looked up, her face exhausted from the heat of battle, she gave him a small smile before getting to her feet. Her exhausted look was replaced with one of collection, a face he'd seen before the face off began.

"It time for the interviews." announced Roy before leading everyone away. He turned back to Ed, "Oh, clean up a little would you?"

Ed started to run toward him saying let me at him as Al grabbed him once more and held him back.

Oksana was lead down several corridors before they reached the one they needed. Long before she arrived before the door, the Colonel and the man named Hughes went their separate ways. She wondered if the colonel would be a part of her interview. The doors to the room opened. Inside it was dark, when a bright light flash on, lighting up the center of the room. Once her eyes adjusted to the light, she noticed a three legged chair standing perfectly straight up.

"If you possess the gift of alchemy, you should be able to sit upon this chair without falling." said a booming voice.

Oksana, hesitant at first, walked up slowly to the chair and sat down a bit nervous she would fall. She held her breath until her bottom was firmly in the seat, only when she knew it supported her did she let go.

"Why do you want to become a state alchemist?" said the voice again.

She couldn't see the person or any others in the dark room. But she felt their eyes. She knew she wasn't alone. Tired and fatigue from the day's events all she wanted to do was sleep. Her mind wouldn't work straight and she had to force herself to think of what she had prepared days, even years before to say. She took a deep breath, she couldn't allow her physical and emotional fatigue get in the way. She was so close to her goal, she had to pull through.

"I wish to become a state alchemist because I believe it is my duty to help those who need it. Because it has been my goal and dream to work for this military since I was a child. And because I owe it to my parents who served this military until their deaths; Emma and Viktor Steel. If I do not achieve my goal today, I will continue to strive for it. I will work harder and perfect my skills as an alchemist so that I can then be accepted as one of this military. I am a state alchemist at heart, and only you before me today, can make that a true reality."

Roy, in the background, listening in on the interview smiled at her answer. Though it was heartwarming, he knew there was more to why she decided to take the path of becoming a state alchemist. The Steel family always had more than what they told. He thought her clever, if not intelligent, in her answer. The others would believe her tale of honoring her deceased parents without question, but having been on the job for so many years and knowing the Steels and their work personally and by gathered information, he knew better than to not question this woman's private agenda. He would find out the answers to his many questions in time. He only listened as far as her acceptance and after the interview had ended, he felt the other participants didn't need his attention. He saw what they could do and they were average at best. He left the interview room to the rest who would decide the others futures, if any, within the military.

Hughes leaned back against a wall, watching his friend Roy leave the room. He had listened intensely to every word she had said. Oksana Steel, daughter of State Alchemists, was here in Central at last. Although he truly wanted to believed that she wanted to join in the honor of her parents memories, he knew there was more to it. 'She's so close to all of these secrets that surround her life, and yet so far from the answers I don't doubt she seeks.' he thought to himself as he pushed away from the wall and left in search of his friend.

Roy found himself outside, the sun setting in the west. The day had gone by so fast but it had its usefulness. He smiled to himself as he remembered his part in it. A woman had gotten the best of him, he had underestimated her skill and education within alchemy. He never imagined her skills would be so strong yet so unstable. It was like no other alchemy he had ever seen. But the worst part of it all was the fact that a child and none other than Edward Elric, had to come save the day as if his life were really in jeopardy.

"Boy, how I have lost my touch." he whispered to himself.

"I think it's more, someone is better than you." stated Hughes firmly as he crept up behind Roy.

Roy fell back a step as his heart jumped from the unexpected visit of his old friend Maes Hughes. "That's one way to give someone a heart attack."

"If I could give you a heart attack, you'd be long gone by now." he said jokingly.

Roy smiled at his friends humor. It lightened up the mood but didn't erase the tense feeling of everything that had happened.

"What do you think of the Steel woman?"

Roy turned to his friend, coming face to face with a man who looked rather calm than concerned that the Steel woman had finally surfaced. "She seems highly skilled but unstable in using her alchemy. She uses a technique that's unfamiliar to me. But overall she seems in good shape. And she happens to be very attractive, I wouldn't mind getting knock off my feet by her again." he chuckled, but his friend didn't.

"That's not what I meant."

Roy's smile faded. He knew all too well what he meant. The surfacing of the Steel's only child could become a potential hazard for the military. There were things that need to be kept under wraps. But if any speculation or rumor reaches the Steel woman's ear, it could all fall apart.

"We have it all under control. You shouldn't worry yourself with unpresidential matters Hughes, it's not your style."

All conversation ended when the Steel woman appeared feet from them. She was standing there in a black trench coat swinging her new state alchemist watch round and round and occasionally catching the watch in her hand before swinging it around again. The other participants came flowing out after her. Most, if not all of them had long faces, they hadn't made the cut. Roy knew that the majority wouldn't.

"Brother look! It's that woman!"

Roy scouted the area and noticed the two Elric brothers roaming the area. They took an interest in the woman, he wondered why and thought that their interest might come in handy in the future.

Ed turned in the direction his brother pointed. It was indeed the woman. As he watched her come down the stairs, as one of the men that had tested with her zoomed right past her, making her hair flutter in the air. The man came running down the stairs into the arms of who could only be his parents. Ed nearly laughed at the sight. The man was flaunting his new accessory and gloated at how he was the best out of everyone as he showed them all one by one the silver watch.

Oksana walked down the last of the steps and headed straight in their direction. Al and Ed stiffened, they didn't know whether she saw them and recognized Ed or just happened to be taking that path. The distance between them closed. Ed looked into the woman's face, it was cool and blank. He hoped that she would just pass them by and not notice he was the one who knocked her on her back. As he thought about the alternative, he feared that what he had thought almost happened to the colonel would happen to him. A cold shiver ran down his back as he inched slowly behind his armored brother's back.

"What are you doing?" asked Al unsure of what was going on.

"Keep quiet, she might hear our voices."

"Get away from me! I'm not going down with you!" screamed Al.

"Shut up!" Ed screeched as he began pushing his brother in another direction but Al wouldn't budge.

"Own up to your actions brother! It's not my fault you hit a lady."

The world seemed to stop as the woman passed them. Ed released a breath of relief when she didn't seem to notice them. But all was too soon, the woman stopped fast, barely a half a foot away from them when she slightly turned to him and said "Thanks for not punching my face."

"No problem, sorry about that." Ed rush to say, relieved it didn't turn ugly.

"Or I'd have to break some limbs." she gave him eyes of daggers before turning back to her path.

She hadn't move more than a few steps when the colonel and Hughes made an appearance, calling after her.

"Miss Steel, will you wait a moment?" asked colonel in his usual cool and manner of authority.

"Why are you calling her back this way!" whispered Ed harshly.

The colonel smirked. "Maybe you should learn not to hit women and you wouldn't have this problem." he said with a wicked smiled.

Ed turned to leave and took Al with him but the colonel stopped them from even making a move. "You can stay Fullmetal. I still need to speak with you." Ed flinched but stayed where he was. He knew that he was going to get into trouble for his last mission. But it wasn't his fault that some idiot had decided to blow up a bar! Ed did was he did in order to save lives... though the bar and its surrounding buildings were never going to look the same again. Ed opened his mouth ready to protest but the colonel taunted proudly 'Colonel's orders'. His mouth hung there wide open and Roy laughed at him stupidly. Ed closed his mouth and mumbled under his breath in rage as he folded his arms and stuck to the shadows as the woman reproached them. He would get the colonel back for his provoking. After all he should at least appreciate his effort for even remotely thinking to save his hide.

"I see you've passed the exam." said Roy as she came to a halt before them.

"Yes," she started, her voice smooth and full of warmth. "though I must say, to go up against the Flame Alchemist himself was quite an honor I wasn't expecting."

A small knowing laugh escaped his throat. He knew she would have known his identity, she might have even known it before he came up against her. He began to wonder what else she knew. No one had heard anything about the Steel's or their daughter for years until just a few weeks ago when a letter came in stating she was to take part in the exams. That's when alarm began to rise but not to the degree he believed it should be. He guessed, the higher ups thought that some girl that just happened to be a Steel wasn't at all a threat. But any Steel working for the military posed a threat, a threat they couldn't again afford.

"So how many of you passed the test?" he decided to keep it casual. There was no need to rise her suspicion, if there was any.

"Three." she said plainly.

Roy thought it a bit hard to depict her character, her expression was so collected and void of anything that lie beneath it. He wanted to know what was under her coolness, he wanted to know what Steel traits she inherited.

"Three." he said. "Who are they?"

The Steel woman searched the area. She pointed to the man walking away with his family. "He is one." she pronounced. She searched again, but didn't find what she looked for. "There is one other, a girl. Seems though, she is sticking to the shadows." she look one last look around seeming unsatisfied she couldn't find her last target. "There," she pointed to the top of the stairs. Everyone looked up and waited only a hair's breath before the final participant stood on the top stairs. Her long, unruly raven's wing black hair blew around her slightly tanned skin in the mild wind. Bright green eyes flashed around at all the people below her. She wore black military pants, black boots, white gloves, a green flowing shirt and a yellow and white jacket.

Ed's eyes widened slightly at the scene, a name was whispered from his lips, "Scar."

Al, being the only one who heard, took a closer looked at the girl. "It's just the jacket brother. It's probably commonly found. Please don't cause any trouble brother." Ed nodded at the ground and watched the girl begin to walk down the steps with low eyes. "I don't see her watch anywhere brother."

"If she passed, where's her watch?" asked Ed suspiciously.

Ed looked away from the girl and up at the colonel and the woman. They were engrossed in conversation about her new situation. He watched as the girl descended the stairs one by one, her green eyes locked on the colonel and the Steel woman. Ed thought it kind of odd that the girl seemed so unaware of anything else in her path as she kept her eyes on the colonel. She had pushed several people out of her way as if she didn't see them and looked a mix of confusion and apologetic when they scolded her. But her eyes never once left the colonel. As she stepped down from the last step, she came into a full sprint. Shocked, Ed didn't know what to think, all he could do was watch. Before he knew it, the girl was upon them. She pushed Miss Steel aside as she squeezed herself between them and wrapped her arms around the colonel's middle.

"Brother!" she shouted from the top of her lungs. "How I've missed you."

All eyes went to the scene. There, with her arms wrapped tightly around the colonel's middle was the girl with the raven's wing black hair. There was a bright smile on her face and her grip tightened all the more. Roy, shocked by the sudden turn of events, didn't know what to do. This was a situation he was not familiar with and wasn't sure how to go about it the right way. Collecting his thoughts quickly after such an interruption, Roy put his arms between him and the girl and pushed them apart lightly. He looked down at the girl, her bright eyes came up to his. He felt sorry for her, but what else could he do?

"I believe you are mistaken child. My sister has been dead for several years now." there was a look of longing pain in his eyes. It pained him to think of the sister he had so long ago lost. And now that this child before mixed up her real brother for him, brought back the horrible memories he longed to forget.

He let his hands fall from the girl's shoulders and turned his eyes away from her. He couldn't bear to see the confusion or perhaps even her own sadness of her mistake in her face. He moved away from her, he tried to focus his mind to other thoughts, then he remembered that the Steel woman had asked him a question. He looked to her, she was again picking herself up from the ground. He tried to retain his sudden flow of unexpected emotions back. The unforeseen turn of events, made him forget all that filled his head only moments before. With as clear of a voice as he could command, he said, "Major Steel, please meet my lieutenant and I tomorrow in my office at 9:00 a.m. sharp. We will discuss your position." with that said, he took his leave, not even once looking back that the raven's winged haired girl. As suddenly as he left, he was gone out of sight.

"Madam, I can help you find your brother if you'd like." Al turned to see Hughes walking over to the girl. "what's your name?"

She stood up straight and took a deep breath before turning to the man. She raised her arm in a salute. "Sir, the Snow Fire Alchemist reporting for duty. And that is quite alright sir, I will find him on my own."

Hughes blinked, "Hmm alright but please don't go around calling everyone your brother." he joked trying to release some of the tension. It didn't work as he had hoped so he quickly turned the conversation. "It seems you too will be serving under Colonel Mustang." he said pulling out a piece of folded paper from his jacket pocket. "Meet at his office tomorrow at noon. I'll let him know you're coming." Hughes turned to walk down the stairs, feeling now out of place among the group, but stopped part way and looked into the girls now blank eyes. "By the way, where did you get the name from? Most often it's the people or the Colonel who gives an alchemist their name."

"I got it from the people. But to be more direct, I got it in Ishval. Ask around there, people will know of me." Hughes nodded deep in thought about the information he now held; intending to look into this girl before her meeting with Roy the next day. Having said she got her name in Ishval will raise some concern among the higher ups and with Roy, he would have to look into it.

"Oh, do you Miss Steel and Snow Fire have places to stay in central?"

Miss Steel shook her head. "No, I am a nomad. I was going to seek shelter in the surrounding area when the colonel and yourself stopped me."

He looked to the small child. "I have a place to stay." she said without elaborating on where it was she had to stay.

"Well it would be hard for you to find anywhere that's available this late in the day and with all the visitors, it definitely won't be easy." he pondered as he thought of a solution to the problem. Roy would want to keep the woman close until their meeting and whether or not she could be trusted. "I know!" he concluded. "Since the Elric brothers have small room here in the military's facility, you can bunk with them until we can find you a suitable living area."

"What!" protested Ed. "You can't be serious. I mean, well, she's a girl!"

Hughes looked at Ed with a slight disapproving, but humorous look. "Well Ed, it should be payment enough for hitting her. I mean, it's the least you could do. She could be injured from your blow right now as we speak and you want to turn her away?"

"I think it's an excellent idea!" shouted Al before Ed could say anymore that would make his and this situation worse. Ed made a face at Al, but Al just ignored him and told lieutenant colonel Hughes that they would love to have Miss Steel stay with them while they were in central.

Hughes once more put his attention to the lady. "If it's alright with you of course." he said gently.

Oksana could see the anxiety on the man's face. She knew he wanted her to say yes. And she wasn't hesitant to. The blonde boy did owe her for knocking her on her back. She placed her hand over her middle and felt it starting to bruise. The kid was small but him hitting her felt like a hunk of metal was shot at her. The man named Hughes noticed her gesture and hurriedly turned to the boy and said "See! You injured her". She knew he was in desperate need to lighten the tension that flowed in the air around them. With the raven haired girl pulling a stunt on their superior like she did, it caused the scene to become awkward, and Hughes was trying to eliminate that. But she also accepted the man's offer because she wanted to figure out why he and the colonel were acting so mysterious and occasionally made eye contact with almost every word that escaped her lips. They suspected something, but she didn't yet know what. And being within the same room as the two boys, who seemed to have an intimate relationship with the colonel and Hughes, it seemed the perfect opportunity to get to know her new superiors.

"So it's all settled then. Miss Steel will stay with you two until we can find her a place to live on her own." she heard Hughes say. "Hey, where did Snow Fire go?" he mentioned as he began to look around.

Oksana then realized that the raven haired girl and disappeared. No one had even realized she had gone off on her own, probably to wherever she said she had a place to stay. Oksana found the girl interesting. She wasn't all that impressive on the exams and then pulls a prank, she wondered how and why. She planned on keeping tabs on the girl until her curiosity was laid to rest.

"Why don't you two be gentlemen and show the young woman to her new home?" he said with a smile. He turned to walked in the direction his friend had disappeared into only moments before. "Oh and Ed," he said happily behind him as he walked. "Don't forget to visit Gracia and Elicia, they're both dying to see you."

"Will do Lieutenant Colonel!"

The blonde boy turned to Oksana, his fear of her seeping in again. "I guess you're staying with us." he said clumsily.

"Yes, it will be an honor to have you as our guest." announced Al cheerfully. "I'm Alphonse Elric and this is my brother Edward Elric."

Oksana looked at the big hunk of armor up and down. "Why are you wearing a suit?" she asked questionably.

"Uh," he said frantically.

"He's a very fragile person, he needs as much protection as he can get." Ed jumped in to save the day.

"Yeah, right." was all Al said before accepting his brother's mediocre answer to his situation.

Oksana knew that wasn't the truth but didn't press the issue. It didn't really matter to her why the kid was in a suit of armor. "I'm Oksana." she said as she began to walk.

Ed and Al ran to catch up. "What's the rush?" he said.

Oksana kept her eyes ahead. All she wanted was to lay down. She could feel the fatigue of all that has happened to her, physically and emotionally, and she was exhausted. "I'm tired." she replied as she again walked up the mountain of stairs of the military building. "Would you show me where I am to live?"

Ed and Al lead her through the zigzags of halls and through the living department. They finally reached a door that lead into their cramped living space. Oksana immediately tossed her bag on the wood floor next to the sofa off to the side of the room. After, she threw off her coat and laid herself down on the sofa. She could feel the two boy's eyes on her as she kicked off her boots and placed her arms behind her head.

"What?" she asked, her voice hinting a bit of annoyance.

"You're going to sleep in that?" they hinted to her stiff navy pants and form fitting tank top.

She gave the two boys a smile of seduction. "I can't exactly change while you two are in the room can I?" She said with all the sarcasm she could.

She could see the redness of Ed's face as he and Al retreated out of the room. Oksana smiled to herself as they left. They were frightened by her. She guessed it was partly her fault. She wasn't very good at meeting strangers and she has been pushing their buttons. Oksana slipped out of her pants and shirt and replaced it with a deep red night gown that looked almost like evening attire. She gathered her mass of loose curled black hair and tied it into a neat bun. She laid herself back down on the sofa, closing her eyes as she told the boys to come back in. She heard the door creak open and the shuffling of their feet. She could also feel tension rise. She opened one of her eyes and took them both in. They both were sitting on their beds with their heads down. Ed was as red as an apple. She laughed a little. "Nothing to be embarrassed about."

Ed's head sunk in deeper. "I'm not embarrassed." he mumbled under his breath.

Oksana closed her eyes again and soaked in the silence. But it wasn't long until Ed gathered up the courage to speak.

"So, um Oksana, how are you able to do alchemy without a transmutation circle?"

Keeping her eyes closed, she took in a deep breath. Something she shouldn't have done, it sent a sharp stinging pain through her body from the blonde boy's blow. "My father and mother had devoted their whole lives to create a new technique to use alchemy. They combined several different transmutation circles to make a single one. After their deaths, I studied their work and eventually tattooed two of the circled onto my wrists in invisible ink."

"So you're not doing alchemy without a circle." he sounded disappointed.

"Yes, but I give off the illusion that I am."

"That's lying!" he cried.

"Brother!" Al screeched.

Oksana smiled. "It's all perception Edward."

Ed folded his arms, any embarrassment he felt gone by the heat of annoyance. "And how do you use that silver liquid stuff?"

"This?" she lifted her hand midair and called her alchemy forward. A small floating sliver sphere appeared above her fingers. She could feel his annoyance of her show off but didn't quit. He had asked her a question and she was prepared to make him understand the full of it. "These circles on my wrist give me the ability to use two elements; iridium and osmium. I can use both separately and together. When together, it is known as osmiridium. Both elements are brittle and hard and silver in color. When mixed in with mercury, or quicksilver, my circles turn it into a moving metal that is hard, yet brittle, but alive."

"You said two elements." he proclaimed. Having seemed to find a flaw in her telling.

"I wasn't finished." Oksana spat. "When I first encountered alchemy, I was taught by a man who didn't use a regular form of alchemy. He bypassed that of equivalent exchange and all known rules of alchemy."

"Who is this man?" he asked unmoved.

"My father."

"Sorry to break it to you, but your father was a kook. There is no way to bypass the rule of equivalent exchange." he said confidently as he tossed his body down onto his bed and rested his head in his hands. "Take human transmutations for example, not one single attempt has ever been successful. It isn't possible."

"Just because a few alchemist aren't able enough or have the knowledge to, doesn't make something impossible. Without the work of my father, I would have never been able to become the alchemist I am. Believe what you will Edward, but it is possible."

Ed grunted that he was firm in his beliefs. He slowly drifted into a sleep, pondering on the new information at his hand.

"Where is your parents now Oksana?" asked Al. He didn't bother to bud into the conversation, he felt he should just sit back and listen to what each had to say. He knew his brother would want to challenge her as a person, an alchemist, and her knowledge. "I mean, wouldn't they have liked to be here in your celebration of becoming a state alchemist?"

Oksana turned on her side, facing away from the two boy's beds. "My parents died a long time ago Alphonse."

"Oh," she could hear the sadness and regret in his voice. "How did they die, if you don't mind me asking."

"In an explosion." she said as a tear rolled down her face.