Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Technicalities ❯ A Change in Scenery ( Chapter 3 )

AN: Alright, all! I’m back! Here’s the deal: I’ve got school, so you’ll probably see me on weekends the most. If I’m not here for a while, it’s because I have a bunch of homework or a big project or something. I’ll try to update the story with the most reviews at least once a week.

Thank you to everyone who reviewed!

Disclaimer: Sadly, Sugarpony does not own Fullmetal Alchemist. Anyone who wants to give it to me for Christmas, feel free!

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Technicalities

Chapter Three

A Change in Scenery

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The sleek black car drove down the road in silence. According to Ed’s watch, it had been eight hours since they had left Central. He sulked in the back seat, wishing desperately that he could simply transmute a hole in the floor of the car and make a run for it.

His contemplations, however, were interrupted by Midori.

“Edward-”

“-Ed.”

“Edward, we will be arriving shortly. Once we arrive, you will be shown to your sleeping quarters and given your uniform-”

“-Wait just a damn minute!” Edward, apparently, did not want a uniform. “There’s no way in hell that I’m wearing a damn uniform! I don’t even wear the military’s uniform, for crying out loud!”

Midori merely continued on with her lecture. “You will be given your uniform, which you will wear, and you will then have your mouth washed out with soap for every foul word you say. Afterwards, you will be shown to the dining hall in order to eat lunch. You will then be introduced to the other children. If you have any questions, ask them now.”

“Hell yeah, I’ve got questions!”

“Language, Edward.”

“Damn you with your language,” Ed cried. “I don’t give a damn about your shitty uniforms or the damned kids there! How the hell am I supposed to do my job when I’m in a damned orphanage?” He huffed and threw himself back into his seat.

Midori remained silent, obviously choosing to not begin an argument with the hormone driven teenager. She turned onto a small, gravel road, parked the car in front of a tiny building, and turned to face the midget alchemist.

“Edward,” she began, “first of all, your disrespect will not be tolerated here. Secondly, your missions will first be sent to me. I will then review the mission. If I deem it unacceptable, you will not go on that mission. As your official guardian, I have the right to deny you permission to go anywhere. When you do go on a mission, you will have an escort.” The woman paused a moment, as if gathering her poor nerves. “And finally, Edward, you will wear a uniform whether you like it or not. Do I make myself clear?”

Ed merely diverted his gaze.

“Edward, you are not stepping outside of this vehicle until you acknowledge these rules.”

To prove her point, Midori locked the doors, leaned back, and closed her eyes, as if preparing for a nap.

“Whatever.”

This grudgingly spoken word was enough for Midori to open to doors of the car. “Now, Edward,” she said, “come.”

His first impression of the building in front of him was a very old, very small section of one of the military buildings in Central. It had only one floor, and the paint was peeling from the walls. Most of the windows were either boarded up or so dirt-streaked that it was nearly impossible to outside of them anyway.

Edward could see that he was not going to enjoy his stay in this place.

The boy followed Midori through the doors and into the main hall. Children of all ages were peeking out of doors lining the corridor. Midori opened one of the doors towards the end of the hall and said, “Edward, this is where you will be staying.”

The room was small, maybe twelve square feet in area. Four beds and two desks were cramped inside the small space, and a closet door could be seen on one wall. The room was painted a dirtied white like the rest of the building, and the paint on the walls was peeling. A few, sparse, personal possessions were scattered around the room.

Three boys were inside, each sitting on a separate bed. They all seemed to be about Ed’s age, and they all wore the same dull, gray uniform. A fourth uniform was sitting on the final bed, which was empty except for two clean, white sheets.

“Your uniform is on the bed,” Midori said. “Change into it. Leave your other clothes on the bed. I will return in five minutes.” She narrowed her eyes at the alchemist before giving him a warning. “Edward, I fully expect you to be wearing that uniform the next time I am in this room.”

And with that, she swept out the door.

Ed stood by the door until he could no longer hear the sound of Midori’s footsteps walking down the hall. He then clapped his hands, transmuted the door into a part of the wall, threw his uniform on the floor, and plopped down onto his bed without another word.

After a few seconds, a voice spoke up. “You know, you really should do as Midori-san says.”

Edward looked to his left, where one of the boys sat, now staring at him. His blue eyes bored into Ed’s, giving him a harsh look. He ran a hand through his brown hair when Ed merely snorted.

“As if.”

The unknown boy sighed. “Alright, so forget the uniform. I’m Nickolas. This,” he said, “is Thomas (He nodded to the tall blond across from him.) and Christopher (He nodded to the tall black-haired boy on the other side of the room.).”

“The name’s Chris,” the black-haired one said, rising from his bed, “and he’s Tom. Nick just likes to torment us ‘cause we hate our names.”

Nick merely raised his hand lazily in response.

“So,” Chris continued, “who’re you?”

Ed still refused to move from his spot. Instead, he responded with his eyes closed. “Edward Elric. Call me Ed. I’m sixteen and if you call me short you die.”

Tom started. He sat straight up in his bed at the mention of his new roommate’s name. “Edward Elric, you said?” he asked. “As in the Fullmetal Alchemist?”

The other two tall boys in the room looked surprised. Ed simply nodded and said, “Yeah, that’s me. Dog of the military at age twelve. Get over it.”

Nickolas stood and ran the few steps to where the door used to be. “So that’s what you did to the door? Alchemy?”

“Yup.”

Chris, however, questioned this. “That’s impossible,” he stated. “From what I’ve heard, you need some kind of circle to use alchemy.”

Edward still lie with his eyes closed. “You’d be right about that.” He opened his eyes and folded his hands behind his head. “The first rule of alchemy is the law of equivalent exchange-- In order for something to be gained, something of equal value must be lost.

“Usually, alchemists need to use a transmutation circle to represent the equations used in the transmutation. I, however, can bypass that by forming a circle with my hands and putting in enough effort.”

He slowly sat up, heaved a sigh, and droned forward with his explanation. “That’s why I was chosen to become a State Alchemist in the first place.”

As this was the most the boy had said in the time he had been in the room, the others took this opportunity to examine him further. They took in his back outfit, his red jacket, his white gloves, and his short stature silently.

Before anything more could be said or done, however, a great commotion could be heard from outside in the corridor.

At first, there was a loud scream. Next, many hurried footsteps paced the hallway. Numerous, different voices all mingled with one another in a harried confusion. Before long, one voice in particular raised above the rest.

“Edward Elric, you put this door straight immediately!”

Midori had returned.

Nick turned to the boy in question. “You’d better do as she says, Ed,” he recommended. “You can get into a lot of trouble if you misbehave. Thomas here can tell you from experience.”

“Ha!” Edward snorted once again. “I don’t take orders from some damned old lady. I don’t even listen to my superiors most of the time!”

Midori’s voice, however, suggested the opposite. “Edward, you set this door straight this instant or I’ll get Mustang down here faster than you can snap!”

The allusion to the Flame Alchemist’s deadly attack put a start into the younger alchemist. He maintained his standpoint, however, despite the sudden shake he received from the threat.

“See if I care! That bastard can’t make me do anything if he can’t get to me! Besides, I nearly beat him the last time we fought!”

“Empty threats, Mr. Elric. In case you have forgotten, Colonel Mustang knows more than simply fire alchemy.”

“....Damn.”

With a sigh, Edward slowly stood, clapped his hands, and replaced the door to the room. He was greeted with Midori’s angry face. “You, Edward,” she said, tapping her foot, irritated, “are one of the most difficult cases I have ever been assigned.”

The boy simply returned her glare and crossed his arms haughtily. “Deal with it.”

The woman crossed the threshold of the room and shut the door, shutting all the spectators off from the conversation. “Edward,” she began, an impressive calmness in her voice, “change into your uniform.”

“Like hell I-”

“Now.”

Grudgingly, the short blond shed his trademark red jacket. He refused, however, to undress himself anymore in the present company. “I’m not changing in front of them.” He gestured harshly at the three tall boys, who were currently attempting to look like they weren’t eavesdropping on the conversation. “And I’m most certainly not wearing that shirt.”

Said shirt was a drab gray like the rest of the uniform. It was a very simple design-- short-sleeved with the monogram AO, for Amestris Orphanage, on the front left-chest pocket.

“You will wear the entire uniform. You will wear it at all times without complaint.” Midori crossed the room, avoiding the glare that Ed was sending her. She picked up the discarded outfit and shoved it into his hands. “We will provide you with a jacket when the weather requires it and at no other time.”

For a few more moments, everyone in the room stood in silence. Then, Midori began to grow impatient once again. “Change into the uniform now, Edward.”

The Elric turned, crossed the room, and stood facing the wall for another minute. Then, ever so slowly, he removed his favored clothes in exchange for the uniform.

Nick, Chris, and Tom, who had done an excellent job at remaining silent all this time, gasped at the sight of Edward’s automail limbs. Naturally, the absolutely last reason for Ed’s rebellion that they suspected was a metal arm and leg. Ed, on the other hand, changed his clothes and turned around to face the other occupants of the room in a defeated, miserable manner.

“There,” he spat. “Are you happy now?”

Midori nodded her approval and did nothing more; after all the hassle that Edward had put her through so far, she did not want yet another argument to break out.

She turned to the others in the room. “Boys, it is after lunch time, but Edward has not yet eaten. Please escort him to the kitchens in order to get some lunch and then show him around the rest of the building,” she instructed. “Do not dawdle. Return immediately after. Good day, boys.” And with that, she turned on her heels and walked out the bedroom door.

An awkward silence followed the woman’s abrupt exit. It was broken by Chris, whose clapping of his hands snapped the others out of their reverie.

“Well,” he loudly exclaimed. “Let’s get going, shall we boys?”

And, sure enough, he walked out the door, followed by Ed, who had been grabbed be the arms and was currently being dragged after him by Tom and Nick.

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AN:

Wow. That was one big scene. It’s still barely over half of my usual length for a chapter, but at least it’s getting there. Well, tell me what you think, dear readers! Hit the magic button and review, or you won’t be getting the next chapter!

-Sugarpony