Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Family Secrets ❯ The Chaos Alchemist ( Chapter 1 )

DC-chan: Usually I have problems starting new stories because when I start them a new idea pops into my head that I like better and so I want to write about that instead of the idea I started with. But I’ve had the idea for this fic for awhile and it’s only altered a little since it first came to me so now I’m trying it out. Wish me luck.

Disclaimer: I don’t own FMA, it belongs to Arakawa-sama who is awesome. WORSHIP HER!

1*~*~*~*~*1

Chapter 1 Of Family Secrets

The Chaos Alchemist

-

It was barely the crack of dawn when a train made its way to Central. The sun slowly rose out behind the mountains and slivers of sunlight lay on the aisles of the train as it poured through the glass windows.

-

There were many compartments on the train and all were full with people except for the last one. That entire compartment was empty except for one young girl. She sat with the side of her head resting against the window and slumped in the seat, obviously sound asleep. Not even the constant rattling of the wheels on the train tracks seemed to bother her or stir her in anyway or the distant chattering of people.

-

She was a young girl of fifteen years although many mistook that she was older than that. Her dark brown hair, which was slightly bushy, was pouring over her shoulders with some curly tendrils framing her face. Her long bangs were brushed off to the sides. She wore a knee length black skirt with two mismatching stockings that covered her shins, one dark red and the other rainbow with black tennis shoes on her feet. In each ear she had two small golden hoops and around her neck you could see a thin gold chain that had a locket she kept hidden under her shirt from where the fabric puckered in front. Her shirt was red with long sleeves and she had a light blue unbuttoned short sleeve shirt over it. Slung over her shoulder was a black book bag with lots of zippers and pockets.

-

Her skirt had a pocket on the left side and dangling out of it was a silver chain the glinted in the rays of sunlight.

-

The train lurched to a stop at the station and after a bit of a hustle most of the passengers got off, but the girl was still fast asleep, snoring peacefully.

-

The door to her compartment opened and the conductor stepped in wearing his blue pressed uniform, he shook her gently, “Miss Carmen?”

-

The girl’s eyelids fluttered a little, but they still didn’t open.

-

He shook her again, but a little harder this time, “Miss Carmen we have arrived in Central.” He stared at the young teenager as she continued to sleep. He didn’t understand how she could still be asleep, she had slept the entire train ride from his observations. Was this really the State Alchemist he had heard so much about? This lazy girl? After a few violent shakes he said sharply, “I’m going to throw you off this train if you don’t wake up!”

-

Her eyes opened carefully to spicy red orbs that were slightly dazed. She turned her head towards him and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand, “Is it time for breakfast already?”

-

His eyebrow twitched. “We’re at Central.”

-

She sat up straight at that and glanced out the window to see the busy train station though it was barely morning. “So it is…” her voice was air like as if she didn’t really care where she was. She returned her attention back to him after a few moments, “Is he meeting me here?”

-

The conductor shrugged, “No idea.” He watched her carefully as she stretched her arms over her head before standing up. This girl couldn’t possibly be the infamous alchemist that had a reputation that almost rivaled Full Metal. She didn’t appear to be the type to take anything seriously with her dreamy gaze and half alert expression.

-

“Is something wrong?” She asked him tilting her head to one side, but gazing off in another direction as if the empty sears were far more interesting than him.

-

“Ah, no Miss Carmen.” He said quickly as she began walking past him and stopping in the doorway.

-

“Cut with the formalities, it makes you sound stupid.” She informed him rather bluntly. “Call me Talon like everyone else.” She added before ignoring the steps and jumping onto the train platform below without a second look over her shoulder.

-

The conductor put his hands behind his back as he turned around to check the passengers that were getting abroad tickets. What a strange child…

-

What a nimrod, she thought vaguely, I can’t believe they hire an idiot like him as a conductor. She stifled a yawn and put her hands on her hips. She hated waiting, especially if the person she was waiting for wasn’t on time. It was so annoying to her that people thought it was alright to make someone wait for a few extra minutes. Then again, she wasn’t sure if she was waiting for someone in the first place. As the conductor said, he had no idea if he was waiting to pick her up.

-

He referred to Mustang. Roy Mustang.

-

After his transfer back to Central he requested (more like ordered in her opinion…) that she come and get her State Alchemist yearly assessment there. Not that it mattered to her where she took it, but she was curious about why he would want such a thing. In one week it would mark a whole year since she took the exam.

-

Not that she was complaining or anything She did in fact have a certain thing for Roy Mustang ever since she was little.

-

She was now hoping he was picking her up at the train station.

-

Talon made her way to a bench and sat down on it, still somewhat tired after the long ride. Didn’t Mustang know how far Central was from her home?

-

She opened up her black bag and took out a purple spiral notebook and a pencil. She opened it to a fresh page and began writing in it as she waited.

-

It seemed an entire hour passed by before she felt a light pat on her head, “How was the train ride?”

-

Talon stopped writing and glanced up to see Hawkeye standing in front of her then answered, “Long and boring. I fell asleep.” She was only slightly disappointed it wasn’t Mustang, but she’d prefer it be Riza than some idiot like Havoc or Armstrong. Those two could get really annoying especially Armstrong and his sparkles.

-

Hawkeye smiled, “I imagine you would. Are you ready to go?”

-

Talon nodded curtly and closed her notebook and put it back inside the bag then stood up. She followed Hawkeye out of the station, making sure to stay a few paces behind her so she wouldn’t bump into people. Her fingers gripped her bag strap as they brushed past people.

-

“Are you hungry?” Riza stopped and asked when she heard Talon’s stomach growl.

-

The younger girl shrugged, “I suppose.” It didn’t really matter to her if she had breakfast or not, but she was hungry. She hadn’t eaten any food since lunch yesterday because she had been asleep for so long. Despite that though, she was still more sleepy than hungry. “Is it possible for me to eat in my sleep?”

-

Riza laughed lightly at the girl’s quirk question, “I think you’d choke if you tried that. Glad to see that you haven’t changed over the course of the year. I thought for sure that…” she trailed off when she saw that Talon wasn’t paying attention anymore. The young girl’s eyes were darting everywhere in mild interest and the grip on her strap had tightened. “Nervous?” Riza wondered.

-

Talon blinked before shaking her head though still not looking at Riza. “No, I’m not nervous.”

-

“Are you worried about the assessment? I’m sure you’ll pass.” The blonde woman said in a comforting voice.

-

“I know I’ll pass the assessment,” Talon said confidently though her mind was clearly wondering. She suddenly found the brick buildings with all the cracks very interesting and the way the sun glinted off of the glass windows. The windows were glittering in the sunlight and it reminded her of the way gold reflected sunlight in rivers. “Shiny…”

-

Riza rolled her eyes. Talon was undoubtedly strange for a girl. Then again, the girl was scarred and traumatized from her childhood. However, the specifications of the girl’s torment was never revealed to Riza personally ,but she had an inkling that Mustang knew all about Talon and wouldn’t tell her even if she pried about it.

-

When Riza peered over her shoulder back at Talon she could see the teenager scribbling something in her notebook. Riza felt a smile pull at her lips as she watched Talon’s hand zoom across the lined paper. It was the only time that Talon didn’t have a blank or clueless expression on her face and made her actually look her age instead of some weird kid with no idea of how to match clothes.

-

“Hmm…” Talon said loudly to herself as she fiddled the pencil between her fingers.

-

“What?” Riza asked casting her a inquisitive stare as they crossed a busy street.

-

“I was just speculating what the length of my small intestines were. I’ve heard that they can actually be stretched for about twenty feet. Hard to believe all that stuff could fit in there. I wonder how much blood-”

-

Riza wanted to put her hands over her ears, but decided to change the topic to something more…conversational. “So, what do you have in plan for your assessment?”

-

“Assessment?” Talon scratched her chin and cocked her head. “What assessment?”

-

“Now you’re just being silly,” Riza sighed heavily.

-

“Whatever. Now, about the small intestines. You think it would be the large intestines that would be long, but no, the small intestines are-”

-

“Talon!” Riza barked. “Intestines are not a proper discussion topic.”

-

“The doctor I stayed with told me that if you slash the stomach just right all the guts and everything would pour out like-”

-

Riza slapped her forehead and decided not to listen to the girl’s drabbles. It was bad enough that Mustang made her do most of the hard work and be his perverted self and now she had to endure this. Not that she didn’t like Talon, she was somewhat of a nice kid when she wasn’t being strange, but intestines weren’t really a good subject to talk about. It would make anyone want to throw up their last meal.

-

Talon went silent before looking at the windows in the buildings again, “Shiny.”

-

Riza could tell this was going to be a long day.

*~*

Roy Mustang sat at his desk with a pile of unfinished paperwork in front of him. His eyes were glazed as he was skimming over the contents of a manila folder that was in his lap. It was short and informative biography of a State Alchemist that he had acquired at Central library in the morning that he now had a few minutes of spare time to read. His dark eyes concentrated on the page which read:

-

Carmen, Talon. Age 14 at certification…two half siblings…mother deceased…father -there was a black mark over the information concerning her father- alchemy teacher was Dr. Yuu Richards…born in -another black mark crossed out her birthplace- …The Chaos Alchemist…

-

He rested his cheek in the palm of his hand having looked over the information a hundred times which was enough that his eyes felt like they were going to bleed. He knew all the crossed details of the girl, probably better than Talon herself. Though he liked the nickname she was given because of the little ‘incident’ that occurred shortly after she passed the State Alchemist exams.

-

The Chaos Alchemist, huh? It suits her perfectly. He hid an amused smile as he went back to his paperwork.

1*~*~*~*~*1

DC-chan: Talon’s kinda scattered brained, ne? You’ll learn about why she’s like that in a later chapter, but it’s partly due to her past. I hope everyone had a happy Halloween because Halloween rocks!

Seraph: I poked some little children with my pitchfork. ^__________^

DC-chan: …that’s mean.

Next Chapter: Strange And Unexpected Beginnings