III. The State Alchemist Killer

Time seemed to stand still for the three children, Ed feeling more petrified than he ever had in all his fifteen years of life. This man was dangerous, his instincts knew this, and although his brain kept yelling at him to run, he found that his feet seemed rooted to the ground.

Who is this guy?This is bad, bad, bad! Everything to the core of my body is telling me run away, but my legs won't move! Oh no...I'm going to die! The sound of the clock’s bell started tolling, though his mind didn't register it, until he felt someone pulling his hand.

"Ed! Watch out!" He was pulled away just as the man’s right arm went to where Edward’s head was just moments before, and that’s all it took to get the blonde-haired boy’s feet moving.

“What the hell is his problem!?” Ed asked as they all ran through the pouring rain. The ground slippery, creating a much unneeded frictionless ground. “I hadn’t done anything to make anyone hate me!”

“Why do I seriously doubt that, Elric?” Christian asked, as she ran alongside him.

“Shut up! Fine, I might’ve done things to piss people off, but nothing to justify someone wanting to kill me!”

“Ed! Christian! Over here!” The two teens quickly made their way to where Al had hidden himself, both panting as they were finally able to get away from the man. For now.
“Al! He saw us go in here!” Edward scolded his little brother.

“Just watch.” Al argued, finishing his array, and activating it. A wall appearing where there had once been an opening. “See? He can’t come after us anymore.” The younger Elric had pride in his bright idea. The relief was only short lived, when a portion of the wall had given in, revealing the scared man’s form, arm held out where the wall had once been.

The wall near them meeting the same fate, as shards of concrete and dirt exploded near them.

---

I had already known from the start that the man chasing us wasn’t a normal human. I saw what he had done to that MP! He did something to cause the man’s brain to burst for crying out loud! It seemed the brothers had forgotten that fact when Al had created that barrier that was supposed to keep him from killing us.

We were already running when the unknown man broke through the wall Al had created. The force of the explosion created from the sudden unstable rocks surprised us all. More so when our only way out was terminated by a mountain of rubble. With nowhere else to turn, the three of us looked back to the gray-haired male. “Who the hell are you? What do you want from us?” Edward demanded, though the fear was still in his golden eyes.

“There are those who create, and those who destroy.” The man’s deep voice replied.

The three of us stood our ground, not saying a word for a short while, before Ed  broke the temporary silence. “I guess we have no choice then.” He clapped his palms together, and then placed a hand on one of the metal pipes that had been be dislocated from the dark skinned male’s previous attack. I was impressed by the transmutation. It was a dagger used in battle...either that or a short sword. He held the blade away from the enemy, though I knew that swiping the blade would be the way this weapon would cause damage.

He really doesn’t use a transmutation circle...I idly found myself thinking. To be honest, I wasn’t really sure why I found myself bemused over Edward’s abilities...probably because I’d never seen anyone else do it. I snapped out of my thoughts, when I heard the brothers shout at about the same time, “Here we go!”

“Wait! Stop!” I shouted, only to watch as the idiots started to fight a battle I knew they wouldn’t win. I watched in shock as the man destroyed Al’s armor in one single attack. The armor was deconstructed, and where I thought the body of a person should be, was...nothing.

“It’s empty?”

“AL!!!” Edward screamed, as he started charging at the elder man in rage. “YOU SON OF A—!” His attack was stopped when his right arm was grabbed.

“I said you’re too slow.” Sparks of energy emerged, though instead of destroying the assumed flesh, there was a rebound, making Ed fly back, tumbling before regaining his balance.

I thought nothing of it was I readied my own stance, and charged after the scared-face man. My movements were fluid, and by sensing his ki, I was able to tell what he was planning. “LEAVE THEM ALONE YOU BASTARD!” I charged right at him, dodging his arm, when he went for my arm.

“You, girl, you’re the Foresight Alchemist, are you not?”

“Guess that all on your own?” I retorted, not letting my guard down. I didn’t look in Ed’s direction to make sure he was alright, knowing that by taking my eyes off an enemy for even an instant would give them the opening they needed to attack.

“I’ve heard about you, however, for you to be a girl wasn’t one of things I had believed when I heard the rumors.”

“Heh. What’s the matter? Too afraid to fight a girl?” I mocked, as memories of my history lessons came up. “I know who you are. You’re the man everyone’s been calling “Scar”, aren’t you? Heard y’been killing off State Alchemists. Care to elaborate as to why?”

“Whether I tell you or not, it won’t matter. Either way, you’ll be dead.”

“Way to swoon the ladies.” I muttered. “I’ll give you a little handicap, Scar. Your deconstructing abilities won’t work on this arm. Just like it won’t work on his.” I jerked my head over to Ed’s direction.

Scar looked to where Edward was, taking note of something I couldn’t at the moment. “Auto-mail. It’s no wonder why my body disrupting attack had no effect on him.” His attention then turned to Alphonse, as he continued to speak, “and him...I was planning on destroying the armor before I destroyed him, however, there’s nothing inside. You’re a strange lot...this is taking far longer than I thought.” the last bit seemed more said to himself, rather than us.

“Don’t go thinking I’m going to go by your schedule.” Edward said, clapping his palms together. I saw the alchemic energy flashing, alerting me that he’s transmuted a new weapon. One which I later saw, was transmuted from his auto-mail right arm.

“No, Edward! You have to run!” I heard Al shouting.

“Stay out of this fight, Elric!” I shouted towards the rampaging short male.

“Don’t you two be stupid! I’m not leaving without you, Al, and like hell I’m letting a girl fight this monster on her own!”

I could feel the vein throbbing in my temple. I was seriously going to hit him hard enough for him to really make him the size of a shrimp. My thoughts aside, I’d noticed that Scar had been studying Edward, “Hm, you create a transmutation circle by putting your hands together...and then use the power that flows between them.” It happened before I could blink. Ed charged right towards Scar, right arm ready to attack, when his attack was stopped, and his arm was suddenly destroyed.

---

Edward gaped in shock as he sunk to the ground. He’d banged up his auto-mail plenty of times in the past, but for it to come to this...he clutched the port where his mechanical arm had once been, teeth clenched. He was angered that he had charged in without thinking.

“EDWARD!” Alphonse screamed. Christian was in as much shock as he was, but she couldn’t let him die...if he died then...

“I’ll give you a moment to pray to God.” Scar said.

“Sorry to disappoint, but there’s no ‘God’ I wish to pray to.” Edward said, his voice was quiet, almost so where the other two couldn’t hear them. “Tell me something. Am I the only one you’re after, or are you gonna go after my brother too?”

“If anyone gets in my way, I will kill them, however, today, only you, and the girl are the only people I have business with.”

“I’ll let you take my life...but you have to leave Christian and my little brother out of it!”

---

My eyes widened in shock, if Ed died...then... “EDWARD ELRIC YOU IDIOT!” I shouted as loud as I could. “WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO THAT PIPSQUEAK WITH SPUNK I MET A FEW DAYS AGO?! WHERE DID THAT EDWARD ELRIC GO?!” I saw the twitch in Ed’s form, and new that the ‘pipsqueak’ comment struck of a nerve.

Scar looked to me, before turning his attention back to Edward. “I promise to spare your brother, however, Foresight Alchemist, Christian Eric, will not be. So long as she is a dog of the accursed military, then she will succumb to her fated death.” He said as he approached Edward, his hand already reaching to finish him up.

“ED! GET UP AND RUN!” Alphonse shouted, “LEAVE MY BROTHER ALONE!”

I clenched my fists, and slapped my palms together, before slamming them down on the ground, a set of twin daggers be transmuted from the iron I knew to be imbedded within the ground. “LEAVE HIM ALONE, BASTARD!” I exclaimed, ready to attack, when suddenly there were gunshots. I stopped in my tracks, looking to where I heard them.

The cavalry had arrived.