Yu-Gi-Oh! Fan Fiction / Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ The Unforgivable Sin ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

Chapter 4

 

The next day was overcast and slightly cooler, hints of the coming autumn in the wind. I stood at my window, staring down at the horse-drawn buggies and occasional automobile that passed by in the street below as I nervously thought about the upcoming brunch. My father had been an important man, of course, and he had entertained many other important people, but this was the Head of the State Alchemy Division. I felt like I was out of my league.

 

“Relax, will you?” Malik said from his seat in my desk chair. “Colonel Elric's not a bad guy. In fact, I rather like him.”

 

I refocused my eyes so that I was looking at his reflection in the glass rather than the view beyond and smirked. “You like him? Then surely I'm worried over nothing.”

 

Malik leaned back with a snort. “Make sure you insult his height at some point,” he said, a mischievous gleam entering his lavender eyes. “The results are…interesting.”

 

“Thanks for the tip, but I don't think I want to insult someone who just might become my boss in the next few months,” I answered dryly. “That wouldn't be a very good first impression.”

 

“Suit yourself.” He shrugged. “But you're missing out on some fun.”

 

I looked back down to the street and noticed that a sleek black automobile had pulled up to the front entrance of the mansion. “Ohhh, he's here!” I gasped, backing away from the window and patting at my hair as I whirled around. “I don't think I can go through this…”

 

Malik sighed. “Yes, you can,” he answered calmly. “Quit acting like a girl and get downstairs to talk to him.”

 

Nodding, I walked into the hall and to the head of the stairs, stopping there and gulping anxiously as Malik followed me.

 

“Go,” he prodded, giving me a push. I grabbed the railing to keep my balance, giving my friend a small glare over my shoulder as I started down the steps. It wouldn't be fun to fall down them; I was lucky my automail made me bottom-heavy; it was hard to tip me over.

 

My steps slowed again as I reached the bottom of the stairs and turned toward the parlor. Despite my dislike of the military, I still respected it, especially the alchemists good enough to pass the exam and join it. And now I was about to meet the Head Alchemist himself, the most accomplished alchemist alive. My heart beat against the inside of my chest so hard that I thought it was going to burst out.

 

Ishizu rose from her seat as I entered the room, smiling warmly. “Here he is,” she said. “Colonel, I'd like to introduce Ryou Bakura, the son of James Bakura. He's been staying with me for the past year.”

 

I stepped forward, resisting the temptation to reach up and pat my hair as the man in the other chair stood up and turned to face me. He was at least two inches shorter than me, with blond hair almost as long as my own pulled back into a braid. He wore the blue military uniform, medals and all, with his silver State Alchemist watch attached to his belt with a silver chain and tucked into his pocket. I felt underdressed in just a dark blue button-down shirt and black slacks, but he didn't seem to notice as he stepped around the chair and held out his hand, golden eyes twinkling. “It's nice to meet you, Ryou,” he said. “I'm Colonel Edward Elric, but feel free to call me Ed. I've heard you're quite the young alchemist.”

 

“You are short.” The words slipped out before I knew what I was saying.

 

The effect was instantaneous. “WHO DID YOU SAY WAS SMALL LIKE A GRAIN OF RICE AND DOESN'T SHOW UP IN YOUR EYE?!” Ed thundered in my face, causing me to back up and cringe.

 

“I'm sorry! I…I didn't really…say that…” Damn it, there goes my good first impression. And my chance of taking the Exam.

 

Behind him, Ishizu was laughing. So was Malik, now standing in the entrance behind me. “Told you it was amusing,” he said as he walked past. “Good morning, Ed. I see you've managed to scare the wits out of my friend already.”

 

Ed glared at him and then turned his gaze back to where I stood, ready to bolt from the room. “I'll forgive you this time,” he said, face softening into a smile. “Just don't let it happen again.”

 

“R-right,” I replied, still shaken by the outburst.

 

“Come now, Ryou, don't be shy,” Ishizu said gesturing for me to come and sit in the free chair. “The Colonel may bark, but he certainly doesn't bite.”

 

I nodded and walked over to the chair reluctantly, sitting down reluctantly and picking up a sandwich from the tray that rested on the coffee table. All four of us sat around that table, Ishizu to my right and Malik to my left so that I had to face Colonel Elric. Instead I chose to look out the windows behind Malik as I took a bite out of the sandwich, noticing that it had started to drizzle outside.

 

“So,” the Colonel said, calling my attention back to him. “Ishizu tells me you have a talent for alchemy.”

 

I nodded, choosing now to stare at my sandwich. “Yes, sir.”

 

“That doesn't surprise me at all. Your father is a very good alchemist as well.”

 

“You…you know my father?” Now I finally looked up at him.

 

Ed nodded, his expression grave. “By reputation. He used to be a State Alchemist, you know.”

 

I blinked in surprise. “No, I didn't know. He…he never told me.” My father? In the military?

 

“That's not surprising,” the Colonel continued. “From what I understand, he gave his clock back right after the Lior massacre. Now he's very outspoken against the military. I'm rather surprised to hear that his son is considering joining up.”

 

“W-well…” I faltered, feeling out of my league again. After all, I hadn't given the Exam much thought at all until yesterday, and now events seemed to be whirling at a pace too fast for me to keep up with. If I really went through with this, my life would never be the same. Then again, I chided myself. Life hasn't been the same ever since Akira died. This is just another step on the crazy road. “Well, my father and I don't agree on many issues,” I continued, feeling a little stronger. That was the truth, after all. “In fact I haven't talked to him in a year or so.”

 

“Is that so?” Ed sat back in his chair, his golden gaze studying me with intensity. I fidgeted under the pressure of his stare, my nervousness returning tenfold. What was it he was looking for?

 

“What's your concentration?” he asked suddenly.

 

“S-Sir?”

 

“What area of alchemy do you specialize in?” he explained. “What have you studied the most?”

 

“I-illusion, Sir.”

 

The Colonel raised his eyebrows, clearly impressed. Beside me, Malik frowned. “Illusion?” he repeated. “You can do that with alchemy?”

 

“Well, of course,” I answered, turning to him and feeling a lot more comfortable. Finally, something I could handle in this nerve-wracking situation. “It's a simple matter of rearranging and shaping air particles to reflect light on a different wavelength, thus making it appear as if something were there when nothing is.”

 

Malik held up his hands in surrender, already lost. “Forget I asked.”

 

“Except that it's not so simple,” Ed added. “In fact, it's the hardest branch of alchemy, short of human transmutation. I myself can't transmute more than a block of stone or something like that, and it never looks real enough to be convincing.”

 

“What?” Malik said, exaggerating his surprised tone. “There's something the Great Alchemist Ed can't do?”

 

“I can always transmute your head into a watermelon,” the Colonel fired back at him.

 

We all chuckled at that, and Ed grinned at me. “Well, it's about time you loosened up,” he commented. “Now, how about showing us a trick?”

 

All amusement disappeared from my face. “A-a trick?” I stuttered. Ishizu hadn't told me to prepare for practical application! “Right now?”

 

“Sure!” Ed replied. “It doesn't have to be anything fancy; just something you're comfortable with.”

 

“O-okay…” I got up and stepped to the right, settling on my knees on a clear spot of floor. Something I was comfortable with…the old kitten illusion. Yugi had had a kitten a few years ago, and I used to love watching it play with a small ball. Just before Akira had died, I had started trying to make illusions of it. The first ones had been barely recognizable as a kitten and didn't move at all, but over time I had gotten better at it. And now that I no longer needed a circle, it would probably be easier.

 

Closing my eyes, I called the memory into mind, picturing it as clearly as I could and adding my own details where the memory was hazy. After a few seconds, I was ready. I opened my eyes again and brought my hands together, feeling the power loop and then holding them palms down at shoulder level over the floor.

 

After a second, a snow white kitten with a tiny pink nose appeared, running in place over the floor as it chased and batted at a green ball. Its pale blue eyes were big, bright, and full of mischief, and the light gleamed off its fur. I couldn't help but gape at it. I had become good at making it look real, but never before had I been able to make it move real. Always its movements had been stiff, wooden, sometimes even missing the ball and chasing after nothing. Now it was smooth, flawless, the muscles playing under the skin with perfection, tail switching in excitement.

 

“Wow,” Malik breathed, standing and walking around the gathering to get a better look. “I've never seen you do that before, Ryou.”

 

“That's incredible,” Ishizu said, also coming over with Ed. “To think anyone could master illusory alchemy this well…”

 

I felt my face growing hot at the praise. “It's easier without the circle.”

 

“I'm sure it is, but that's still a hefty accomplishment,” Ed said, studying my face again. I brought my hands down and ended the transmutation, allowing the kitten to dissolve into thin air as I fidgeted again. Why did he keep looking at me that way?

 

“I've been working on that for years,” I said. “It's not like I could do any illusion I wanted at the drop of a hat.”

 

“Still, you have a lot of talent,” the Colonel continued. “Perhaps more than even me or my brother. I'll see what I can do about getting you into the State Alchemist Exam. That is, if you want to take it.”

 

I stood up, and we all made our way back to our seats as I considered the proposal again. “Are you sure it's okay for me to do this?” I asked. “The normal age limit is eighteen, right? I'm only sixteen.”

 

“Kid, I took the same exam and passed it when I was twelve,” Ed answered dryly. “Trust me, you're plenty old enough despite the age limit.”

 

“But what would I do in the military? I don't want to fight…”

 

“You don't have to; it's peace time. And even if it wasn't, I wouldn't send someone so young to the front lines. You'll be doing research most likely, and maybe a mission every now and then to the outer provinces to make sure everything's going smoothly. Nothing major, though.”

 

I nodded, satisfied with that. “I was wanting to do research anyway. I hear that the library has far more resources in the State Alchemist's wing than in other parts.”

 

Again came the piercing look. “You're not hoping to study the Philosopher's Stone, are you?”

 

I blinked in surprise. “No, why should I?”

 

“You'd be surprised how many people wish to join for that purpose,” the Colonel answered. “Most of them have lost a loved one, and are searching for a way to resurrect them.”

 

I froze inside, not daring to look up at him again. He knows, something inside me said. He knows what I've done. I reached out to take another sandwich, hoping that no one noticed my hand trembling. That was impossible. He couldn't know that I had tried human transmutation. No one here knew, not even Malik. My mother hadn't told Ishizu when she first arranged for me to stay here, and she hadn't asked me. “I-it's forbidden research, right?” I said, wishing that I could stop stuttering. “I-I don't care much for doing anything illegal.” I tried hard not to think of my failed attempt to transmute my brother.

 

“Right,” Ed said with a small laugh, ceasing his probing gaze as he stood up. “The Exam is in two months; be sure you study. I'm sure you'll have no problem with the practical application part, but there's a written test and an interview as well. I'll send over some books that may help.” He turned to Ishizu with a smile and bowed formally. “My time is short, Ishizu; I must get back to the capitol. I enjoyed brunch.”

 

“Of course,” Ishizu answered as they all stood. “Thank you for taking the time to come by and eat with us. I'm sure you had better things to do.”

 

“Don't be silly, Ishizu,” Ed admonished as he strode into the hallway, the rest of us following. “It's always a pleasure to keep your company, though I daresay your brother is another matter. Ryou, I look forward to seeing you again in a couple of months. Study hard.” He let himself out and hurried through the rain to his automobile, where a chauffeur was already waiting on him.

 

“See you later, shorty!” Malik called out the door, and Ed paused long enough to make a face at him before climbing in. The lavender-eyed boy turned to me with a snicker as the automobile drove off into the dreary day. “I told you he was interesting.”

 

“Yeah,” I said, forced to acknowledge that much as we retreated back into the warm, dry house. “Why did he exaggerate so much when I called him short? I really didn't mean to…”

 

“Who knows?” Malik answered with a shrug. “He's always done that when someone mentions his height, or lack thereof. It's just a personality quirk.”

 

“It seems he likes you,” Ishizu spoke up, her lips turning up in a small smile. “Despite the rather bad first impression. And I'm impressed as well, Ryou. I wasn't aware you could perform that level of alchemy so well. What got you interested in illusory alchemy?”

 

I shrugged, blushing again. “My father told me once when I was little that it was too hard for me to ever accomplish, and I guess I took that as a challenge, because I studied it almost exclusively after that. And it was fun, watching things that weren't really there come to life in front of me.”

 

“That's understandable,” she replied. “Well then, I won't hold you two up anymore. You're free to do what you will for the rest of the day, but I expect you to start studying for the Exam tomorrow, Ryou.”

 

“Yes ma'am. Thank you,” I replied as she walked past us, heading deeper into the house.

 

“Awesome!” Malik said with a huge grin, heading to the music room, on the opposite side of the hall from the parlor. “Come on, Ryou!”

 

“W-wait, where are we going?” I asked, bewildered, as I caught up to him.

 

He turned to me with a grin as he pulled open the door on the other side of the room and led the way into the servants' hallway beyond, heading for the garage where the motorwheeler was stored. “You're going to be the second youngest person in history to ever take the State Alchemist Exam,” he answered, that gleam of mischief in his eyes again. “We've got to celebrate.”

 

“But it's raining!” I protested as he pulled the head protectors off their hooks on the wall and handed one to me. After that nerve-wracking brunch with Colonel Elric, I wasn't sure I was up to a ride with Malik on his motorwheeler.

 

“That just makes it more fun!” he answered. “Now put that helmet on and let's go!” He straddled the wheeler and started it, the engine's lour roar reverberating through the garage.

 

I sighed and strapped the helmet on as I climbed into the seat behind him, knowing that he wouldn't take no for an answer. It was going to be a long day.