Children of Alchemy Chap. 1

Children of Alchemy

(A Fullmetal Alchemist fanfic)

Chapter One : Central

Central was always chilly at this particular time of year. The air was crisp and nipped at you, the gentle breeze would dance across any uncovered skin and send a slight tingle down the spine. The sky was a lucid white, the fog was thin closer to the ground, and hardly substantial, swirled by the breezes and diffused into the chill air. Trees, barren of leaves and grey in the white cast of the sky, stretched out scraggly grey branches like fingers in all directions.

I rather enjoyed the chilliness, unlike many of the people of Central who were outdoors at this time of morning. They were all bundled up, with patterned scarves tucked into coats and knit gloves insulating their stiff fingers. The only skin to be seen on most were the rosy cheeks, the bright red noses, and shining eyes of each person. Many people standing in the doorways of the pale brick-walled shops gave me odd glances as I walked past, since I was wearing only my usual clothes and carrying my coat over my arm, one of my brown suspenders bouncing on my leg as I walked.

I was a drifter. I had no luggage, merely the jumble of small items in my pockets. Fourteen, no home, no friends, no family. I was alone, except for the little white kitten named Splutch with the wise yellow eyes who followed at my heels. Most times, he was more like a dog in his ways. No cat I had ever known had been as loyal as this one, and I had never known a cat to fetch.

Despite the appearance of the cat in age, he was actually six years old. Splutch was as old as the curving white scar that ran down my spine and spread into my hairline. My deep red hair was mid-length, long enough to cover the amount of neck above the collar of my shirt.

The soft padding of my boots rubber soles was the only sound I really heard, along with the rustle of my baggy pants and the sound of my monotonous breathing. The blood pumping rhythmically through my veins made me warm, although my pace was actually very relaxed. The icy air felt like a gentle blessing at that particular moment. I had no particular place to go, nowhere to be. I was just meandering up a small street in the middle of Central.

I considered spending some cash on a room at an inn for a while. I hadn't slept in a bed in over two months, but to be honest, I hadn't slept much anyway. For a while, I stopped walking and looked around me for the first time, taking in the senses. The scent of warm bread wafted to my nostrils from up the street, the sound of soft music playing came from a little cafe across the street, and I could see the brightly colored displays in several of the little shops.

I would probably enjoy the temporary stability of staying in an inn, and it looked as though a heavy snow was coming in. I dug my hand into my pants pocket, pulling out the leather wallet whose size had diminished greatly over the past six years. I had been careful with my money, even on necessities like food. Luckily I didn't need to buy clothes and most other things, my alchemy usually took care of those.

The wallets original supply had been the cash and change in my parents safe. When they were killed by a serial killer when I was seven, I had hidden the money from the safe in my pockets and everyone had always assumed that the murderer was the one who had taken it. I didn't touch the money until about a year and a half later, after I had received my scar and everyone I had known and loved had been killed by a mistake and a betrayal.

I took the wallet when I first started my wanderings, but didn't touch it for half a year. There was quite a lot, I had never counted, and the small amounts that could buy a room for several nights never seemed to take much from it. And yet it's stock still had continuously depleted. Now, I had to be especially cautious, and soon I would have to find a job or start begging.

I peeked in it for a moment, scanning the contents , then stuck it back into the deep reaches of the large pocket on the side of my pants. I wandered up the street a bit, until I reached the bakery whose delicious scents I had smelled earlier. I put on a light smile as I pushed open the glass door and felt the blast of hot air from within swallow me. The open sign on the door bounced against the glass as I shut it again, walking forward and glancing at the menu for only a second before I stepped up to the counter and rung the bell.

"Oh! Hello dear!" A cheery looking old woman with her silver hair tied into a loose bun smiled warmly at me. I must have looked a little strange to her, but she didn't let on to it.

"Good morning miss!" I said, smiling back and pointing to a loaf of bread in the glass case I said, "A loaf of your wheat please."

"As you wish! If you want to wait a couple minutes, there's a fresh batch coming out." The woman smiled.

"Sounds wonderful! Thank you!" I dug a hand in my pocket and pulled out the spare change that I collected there, and then I counted out the amount plus a small tip. I cringed slightly as the I heard the bakery's door swing open.

"Good morning Rachel!" An overbearing man, with his angular features pulled into a brilliant smile walked in along with a flood of cool air from the street.

"Good morning Major Hughes! Come by to pick up a loaf for the misses and the little one?" The old woman, Rachel, smiled at the very energetic man who walked straight up to the counter. He was quite tall, his shining eyes creased by thin and expressive brows.

"Yep! It'll just be the usual today!" He leaned on the glass windowed bread case and took in a deep breath of bread scented air, saying, "Smells delicious in here as always!"

"I'll have a new batch out in a minute. How are Gracia and Elicia this fine day?" Rachel disappeared behind the case, probably to check the oven.

"Absolutely wonderful! In fact, I've got a picture of Elicia right here! just let me get it a moment..." He stuffed a hand in his pocket and dug around several moments before Rachel reappeared. And a second later he pulled out a small square photo of a large eyed baby girl as if it were a gun in a quick draw.

"ISN'T SHE JUST THE MOST ADORABLE THING YOU'VE EVER LAID EYES ON?!" Hughes seemed to explode in that instance, thrusting the photo forward to Rachel.

"She's grown since I last saw her!" Rachel said, receding slightly as if she had expected the explosive and adoring outburst.

"She's growing up so fast! She's already talking!" Rachel seemed to find him humorous, and nodded in response. I took a step backward as he seemed to notice me, hoping to avoid another explosion. This attempt failed however, and Hughes' expression lit up and I shrunk. Splutch meowed from behind my boot.

"You're not from around here are you? Well I'm Maes Hughes! Nice to meet you! What's your name? This is my daughter Elicia! Isn't she just dazzlingly cute? Don't you agree? Of course you do! Who couldn't love her!" I was silent during his monologue, throwing a long and purple swathed arm around my shoulder, simultaneously pushing the picture to a centimeter from my nose.

"Uh... Yeah, she's very cute..." I relaxed a bit when he seemed to calm down a bit.

"Two years and a month! She's just incredible...." He seemed to be absorbed in the photo for a moment, and then turned back to me, "So! What brings you to Central, young lady?"

"Err, just wandering..." I said, gently ducking out from under his arm.

"You don't look much like a wanderer! Who are you with? Where are you staying?" He was extremely charismatic, expressionful and as far as I could tell quite good natured.

"No one.... Nowhere." I said, standing awkwardly with my hands stuck in my pockets. Splutch was mewing at my feet and I reached down and scooped him up, putting him in my pocket.

"No on both?! Well! We can't have that now!" He was borderline explosive now, and I considered making a dive for the door as he threw his arm around my shoulder.

"I think I'll be just-," I began but the bubbling man began to monologue again.

"You should come stay with us! Meaning Gracia and Elicia and myself! Elicia would love you I'm certain! And I'm sure you'll fall in love with her! You'll stay with us? That's wonderful!" At this point, Rachel had dropped two hot loaves of bread into paper bags and pushed them across the counter. In a blurred frenzy, or so it seemed with the domineering man, he had dropped several coins on the counter and scooped up both loaves as well as swept me out the door in several seconds.

Hughes called out a farewell to Rachel and began talking excitedly for what seemed like an eternity, briskly walking up the street. I had no idea how to react to him! I welcomed the cool air again as I was urged forward up the street, crossing over and noticing we were heading in the direction of south street. I wasn't too familiar with the city's layout, but I could guess from the couple of times I had come here before. After several minutes of nonstop talking, we were in a residential area. I saw many beautiful homes, many with leftover snow on the eaves and others with glinting icicles.

They were large houses, probably belonging to members of the higher middle class and low upper class. The neighborhood was quiet (excepting Hughes' rambling of course), and occasionally a car would come by, driven by a stony faced driver. He steered me forward until after several more minutes we were on the walkway up to a two story house. There was a thin frosty layer of snow on the decent sized yard as well as the cool stone path I was being nudged along.

I glanced up at the house. It was pale in color, two stories, and had several large windows. Nothing too memorable, I had almost expected the man to live somewhere with as much personality as he seemed to overflow with. Then we were on the steps up to the great wooden front door, and I started trying to come up with excuses as he thrust open the door with a grin saying, " Welcome to my home!"