Through The Looking Glass Ch. 3
Author: Only_dani
Title: Though The Looking Glass Ch. 3
Rating: PG (for language)
Warnings: Possible spoilery abounds
Summary: Ed and Al just saved each other from the gate, but when they land in Karakura town and find that Shinigami are fighting Envy it turns their little world upside down. Rated M for adult situations and language but mostly will be PG. Possible het and Yaoi pairings in future chaps. WARNING: The pairings will be odd.
Dislcaimer: I do not own Bleach or Fullmetal Alchemist and I dont make any money writing this, its simply the product of my over active imagination combined with my overwhelming urge to write.
Previous Chapters:
Ch. 1 Ch. 2
Chapter 3 - Curiouser and Curiouser
The morning came all too soon for Ed and he hated dragging himself out of bed and the comfort of warm sheets to a lukewarm shower and a crowded kitchen. Truthfully he was never a morning person but Al had always been one, and Ed never missed the fact that his brother loved to wake him up in the mornings with the happiest voice, making him that much more grumpy. The two brothers shared breakfast with the people living at the shoten and Ed had to dodge some very interesting questions from Urahara before retreating back to their room.
Once there Al had asked what happened when he was thrown into the gate by Dante and with a heavy heart Ed supplied Al with what had happened. He listened with wide eyes about Hoenheim and what place he was thrown into, the war on their father's side of the gate and how the energy from alchemy was being used there for war. He explained what their father was and what he had seen, the rotting flesh on his father's arm, so like gangrene yet deeper, like his soul was rotting his body from the inside out. How the body Ed had slipped into died with the aircraft crashing down on him and his instinctual return to the gate.
Al nodded numbly and when Ed finished his story Al filled him in on what he missed when he was on the other side of the gate. He told Ed of how Dante destroyed what little was left of gluttony's humanity, how he had tried to eat him - alive - just to get the philosophers stone. By the time each were finished their explanations they both felt heavier, sadder but Ed lifted his chin and smiled, telling his brother it would be ok, that he would find them a way home, no matter what.
That afternoon they were asked to join Urahara in the common area and when they came in they were met with a large group of people. Ed noticed that Ichigo, Renji, Uryuu and Urahara was there but there were new people now, a girl with long red hair and a bright smile whose name was Orihime. There was a huge tan skinned guy that looked similar to an Ishvalan but his eyes were brown, not red, with shaggy dark hair by the name of Chad. A girl sat next to him that was slender and dark with the most vibrant violet eyes Ed had ever seen by the name of Rukia. He took a seat around the cramped table with his brother close beside him and nodded to the hat man in acknowledgement.
"Now that everyone's here we can get down to business." Urahara announced, tapping his hand on the large round table to get everyone's attention and the light conversation died down and an air of business-like professionalism settled on the group. Ed was surprised to feel it, hell it barely even happened when he was working for the military but this small group seemed to pull together rather quickly.
"What business is that?" Orihime asked, her violet-grey eyes were wide and bright with curiosity.
"My guess is the hollow." Ichigo responded in a bored tone as he leaned his elbows on the table.
"Obviously it's the hollow Kurosaki, what else would we be meeting here for?" Uryuu countered sharply and almost elbowed Ichigo in the ribs as he lifted his hand and pushed his glasses back up his nose with a huffy look on his face.
"You know you don't have to be an asshole every time you open your mouth." Ichigo snapped.
"I'm not being an asshole, I'm simply being observant. You should work on it some time." Uryuu glared at the redhead. Ed was starting to get the feeling that this was a normal occurrence between these two and watched with growing amusement as Ichigo bristled at the jab Uryuu gave him.
"I am observant! I probably know what's going on more tha-"
"Hey! Both of you just shut the hell up for a minute! Urahara you can finish what you were going to say." Renji cut both Ichigo and Uryuu's devolving conversation off with a hard look at the both of them, then turned to the blonde hat-clad man.
"Thanks Renji. Uryuu and Ichigo are right; we do have a hollow issue." Urahara looked pointedly at the faces surrounding the table from under the darkness of his striped hat. His mouth was set in a hard line and his posture was set and almost tense.
"What's the problem Urahara?" Chad asked in his smooth baritone.
"This one has a name, by the explanation I received from our two new friends here it's almost arrancar class so it can talk but the mask is still whole so it's not quite as strong - which is good - but from the explanation these three gave me yesterday it can mask its reiatsu - which is bad."
Rukia swiveled her head to land wide, shocked violet eyes on Urahara. "Wait your saying that there is a hollow out there that can mask its reiatsu?" Shock and concern could easily be heard in her confident alto voice.
"Unfortunately yes and the situation gets worse I'm afraid. It can also change form." Urahara flitted a steely glance to Ed for the quickest moment; it was gone so fast Ed was almost unsure it even happened.
"Has there ever been anything like this before Urahara?" Orihime asked worriedly.
"Not that I know of." The older man shook his head a little. "Yoruichi is checking into it for me to see if we can get more information." He said with an airy wave of his hand and Orihime's eyes lit up.
"Well that part is good. If Yoruichi comes by to visit do you think she will be in her kitty form? She's always so soft and cuddly when she is." The redhead clasped her hands in front of her and sighed happily with a dreamy smile on her face. Ed shook his head a little and looked to his brother and saw a bemused expression marring his young features.
"Did she just say 'kitty form'?" Ed asked confidentially to his brother.
"I think this place is a lot weirder than we first thought." Al replied quietly.
"Urahara have you finished your reiatsu finder? This would be the perfect time to use it if it's done." Rukia queried. Urahara's lips thinned even more and gave another glance to Ed and Al, effectively cutting off their private conversation.
"Unfortunately not. The mechanics are a lot trickier than I had originally thought but I'm still working on it. Truth be told I don't even know if it would work on this hollow." He murmured and pulled a fan from the folds of his green haori, then tapped it absently against his chin.
"How come?" Chad inquired, leaning back on his hands.
"I have a feeling that Envy - That's what the hollow is calling itself by the way - has a different reiatsu than anything we have experienced before."
"Ok so you're saying that Envy can not only mask its reiatsu but it can talk, change form, and has a signature unlike anything we have ever encountered before. Is there anything else you would like to tell us about this thing? Perhaps the ability to read minds or x-ray vision or something?" Rukia folded her arms across her chest and gave the blonde man a withering look.
"You've been reading Kurosaki's comics again haven't you?" Uryuu asked in an arch tone, giving the dark haired girl a depreciating eye. Rukia shrugged and her lips turned up in an amused smile.
"Only the interesting ones. I have to keep up on the living world literature." Uryuu rolled his eyes and looked as if he was going to respond but Urahara quickly took the conversation back up before another argument could ensue.
"Those are the basics of the situation. Ed would you like to fill us in on the rest?" Urahara landed shadowed grey eyes on Ed. The young blonde gave a heaving sigh and lifted his head to address the group.
"He's also looking for our dad. His name is Hoenheim. He isn't here though, that much we know for certain." Ed exchanged a quick look with Al. The caramel head nodded in agreement at the comment and squared his shoulders.
"It's true, Envy thought he came through here, which is why he's looking for him in Karakura. We don't know if he knows we're here yet but if he figures it out…" Al's voice trailed off, the insinuation clear. Rukia looked sharply at Ed and Al. For a moment Ed noticed light blue flecks reflected in the intelligent purple orbs of her eyes.
"So that makes you two a target." She stated in a matter of fact tone that sounded so much like Hawkeye his heart gave a little pang at the sound of it, reminding him once again how far from home they truly were.
"Pretty much." Ed nodded in agreement. "We're not useless though. We both know how to fight and I've fought things like him before and defeated them. If I have to I will do it again." He flexed his automail hand under the table. He knew what had to be done, and he would make sure he would do it this time.
"You've fought hollows and destroyed them before?" Orihime's bright voice brought him back to the present and he frowned a little.
"I keep hearing that word, hollows. What is it?" He asked. Urahara gave Ed a measuring look before responding.
"Hollows are spirits that used to be human but for some reason or another have turned evil and destructive. They prey on good spirits and are attracted to high levels of reiatsu. That's why Shinigami -like Renji, Rukia and Ichigo here were created, to destroy and purify the hollows." Ed nodded in understanding and lowered his head in thought.
Spirits that used to be human. That sounded like Envy but he wasn't a spirit, he was the opposite in fact, merely the shell of a human body with a non-human soul. There was the possibility that when Envy went through the gate some kind of change may have happened - no it must have happened Ed corrected himself. The body that Envy was housed in when he first laid eyes on him after going through the gate and landing on the rooftop was definitely not the body Envy had originally. It was huge, black and masked with a gaping hole through his chest… Ed fought off a shiver at the memory of it.
"Quincys also destroy hollows but our power is different than the shinigami." Uryuu offered and lifted his chin a bit, giving him an aloof air, Ed noticed that Ichigo beside him rolled his eyes and placed his chin in his hands. Uryuu saw the movement as well but decidedly ignored it. "We create bows and arrows through reishi - spirit particles in the air. We draw it through us and form them into arrows. I noticed you said that you destroyed these things before. Might I ask how that was done?"
"Through alchemy, and we've found that bringing a piece of their original bodies near them weakens their strength, making them easier to kill." Ed replied.
"Original… bodies?" Orihime's voice sounded faint. When he met her eyes she looked shocked and disturbed at what she had heard. He could sense Al shrugging his shoulders at the question beside him.
"I know it's disturbing but it's the only way it could be done." Al said in an almost pleading tone. Just talking about this reminded him of Greed, Lust and… her. The one he had to destroy, his sin, his failure. He would never forget it, never could. He swallowed thickly at the all too painful memory.
"How many times have you used this… procedure?" Urahara asked sharply.
"Enough times to know it works." Ed muttered, keeping a steady eye on the clasped mismatched hands in his lap. He sighed again and rubbed the frustration lines forming between his brows with his left hand. "Look this isn't what we should be focusing on; we need to get a plan together so we can find Envy." He needed to get off this topic. Now.
"Well we can step up patrols. That and keep you two under tight surveillance. If Envy has a grudge against your dad and he's not here it would make sense that you two would be the next target, especially if you know where he is." Renji said. Ed looked up into the dark glint of the redheads eye and narrowed his own at the comment.
"We don't need to be protected like some kind of helpless children! This was our damn fight to begin with." Ed used his Major's voice, brooking no argument with his sharp tone and thumped his metal fist on the table for emphasis, making Orihime and Chad jump a little at the outward aggression.
"Besides we can probably help." Al added kindly.
"Does that mean you have a piece of his…" Ichigo trailed off, not wanting to finish his sentence.
"No, which makes things a lot trickier." Al responded, giving Ichigo a thoughtful look. "His original body was used when he was created so there's nothing left to weaken him. By the explanation we got from Dante-"
"Al." Ed said in a harsh whisper, cutting off any further information Al may have given. They had already decided that morning on keeping as much of their story to themselves as possible. Explaining to these people what homunculi were was not something he wanted to do. It would mean not only explaining the intricacies of the taboo human transmutation but it would also open up the possibility of how they had gotten here, and he wasn't ready for that conversation, not when there were so many of his own questions still unanswered.
Al winced and dipped his head in apology to his brother.
"Oh right, sorry brother. We don't really have a way to destroy him, not right now at least. It would have to be completely through alchemy this time. Do you think we could do it brother?" Al looked to Ed, hope, worry and fear warring for dominance on his young face. It was still strange, seeing those old eyes reflecting back so much life through the child-like body of his younger brother. Ed could feel his features harden at the question his brother asked.
"We'll have to." Ed put a cold hard note into those words, penetrating through the group surrounding the table and for a long moment there was complete silence.
"You two and I will need to have a little conversation later." Urahara commented quietly to Ed before he turned a good-natured smile on the people surrounding the table, flipping open the fan in his hand and fanning himself with an artistic flick of his wrist. "Ok so patrols will have to be made more often, Renji you take the mornings while these guys are in school, Rukia and Orihime you two can take the afternoon shift. Ichigo, Chad and Uryuu, you three will need to work on a plan to bring more of the town into your evening patrols. If anything unusual happens make sure to report back here as soon as you can."
"What about us?" Ed asked. Urahara gave him a thoughtful look before responding but Ed was pretty damn sure the man had already made up his mind about what he was going to do with them.
"hmm. I would prefer you two stay here." The fan lifted to cover the lower half of Urahara's face, probably in an attempt to cover the man's emotions Ed thought darkly.
I'm not dancing through your hoops like I did with Colonel Mustang. Ed thought to himself.
"We can't just stay here doing Fuck all!" Ed exclaimed in annoyance.
"What if we help with the patrols?" Al offered, looking from person to person using his puppy-dog eyes that always had Ed giving in. Ichigo shrugged and shared a look between Chad, Renji and Uryuu.
"I don't mind if one of these guys comes with me. It would probably be a good idea anyways; they can get to know the town." Ichigo suggested in a laid back tone. Uryuu nodded in agreement.
"It would probably be beneficial for everyone involved if they became acquainted with Karakura. If we do find Envy they will know where to go." Uryuu's hand lifted to his chin in thought, nodding lightly at the idea. Urahara seemed unimpressed at the direction of the conversation but replied amiably enough.
"Fine. Ed you can go with Ichigo. Al, how would you feel about working with Uryuu?"
"That sounds fine, thanks for letting me help." Al replied, giving the older blonde one of his trademark grins.
"This could work." Ed murmured, almost to himself. It would leave time in the mornings for Ed and Al to spar, get their game up for the possible altercation with Envy, and not only that but he would also get the lay of the land with this place, which would definitely be a good idea for both Ed and Al. He didn't really like the idea of splitting him and Al up but realistically it would suit them well for the situation currently at hand. What Ichigo wouldn't show him, Uryuu probably would show Al, and once back they could both de-brief each other with the information each had learned. He smiled a little to himself - de-brief, shit it sounds like I'm still part of the military or something.
"Ok fullmetal, we're on patrol first. Gimme a minute so I can get out of my body." Ichigo said and stood up to take a few steps away from the table, then pulled a medallion of some sort out of his pants pocket. The comment was so out of sorts that Ed blinked twice and re-ran the comment through his head just to make sure he had heard it right. Before he could comment any further the copper haired teen pressed the medallion to his chest and a surge of energy shot through the room. The body fell to its knees, landing face first on the floor of the common area with an uncomfortably loud thunk. Where the body once stood Ichigo was still standing but he was wearing grass sandals, black robes and a white wrapped sword was slung across his back, just like when Ed and Al first met him.
"What… The fuck just happened?" Ed cried in alarm. Of all the things he had seen this would definitely be in the top five for freaky ass shit. Ichigo gave him an amused look and flipped the prone body on the floor over and lifted it by the armpits to drag it to the room he and Al were staying in.
"Well I can't fight hollows in human form; I need to be in shinigami form. I'm just going to put my body in here for now, that ok?" Ichigo asked.
"Did he just -" Al's voice sounded shocked and breathless.
"Yeah he just jumped out of his body." Renji replied with a smile, obviously taking enjoyment from the astonished looks Ed and Al were giving him.
"Can all of you do that?" Ed asked as Ichigo disappeared into the darkened room.
"Well Ichigo's body is the only one that's alive but yes we can." Rukia supplied when Renji sat there smiling idiotically, Ed was sure he was enjoying the fact that they had got one up on him for the alchemy-cup incident. "I can do it as well as Renji and Urahara. Our human bodies are a little different though, their artificial and called gigais. Orihime, Chad and Uryuu are completely human though."
"I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing that." Ed's voice still sounded shocked, even to himself and shook a little, then stood up as Ichigo came back from the room.
"Heh that's what I thought at first too." Ichigo said as closed the door and stretched a little, reaching his arms behind his head so that his arms almost reached to the ceiling. "You get used to it though. Come on, my patrol usually takes a few hours and its already getting dark." Ichigo waved a hand in invitation for Ed to follow.
"Whatever. I'll be back soon Al." He gave his brother a smile and followed in the direction of the black clad teen.
"No problem, see you soon brother." He heard Al say before he left the shop.
One thing was for certain, Ed was definitely not in Amestris anymore.
***
If there was one thing Soi Fon prided herself on it was finding out things people didn't want her to know without them even knowing about it. Information and secrets was an important commodity in her line of work and after the incident with Aizen she had made sure to know the comings and goings of all seated officers up to Captain rank in order to make sure that if anything like that happened again not only would she know about it but she would stop it before any further downward spirals ensued… In the most silent and deadly way possible. She had been raised to kill, raised to be that silent stalker hidden in the mist, there and gone again in the blink of an eye. It came as second nature to her now after all these centuries. She allowed herself a little smile as she crouched in her small hiding place, masking her reiatsu in the darkness until that perfect moment.
It was late afternoon, almost time for the workday to end. It would work well for her. The shadows would pull with the setting of the sun, giving her extra access in hiding her form. She hid near the building she was waiting so intently on and from her vantage point she could still see the main street and watched the people passing in their daily routine in Seireitei. She saw Kuchiki-Taichou turning the corner from his 6th Division headquarters to head home, the strength of his reiatsu brushing against her senses like a cool spring afternoon. Like always his back was ramrod straight and his chin was strong, maybe just a touch too high for his own good and his eyelids were pulled low over his eyes to give him that extra air of aristocratic apathy. She could set her watch to that mans daily routine she mused to herself, knowing that at this exact time every week he left his offices a little early to work on the paperwork for the Kuchiki household.
Another reiatsu brushed at her senses, this one filled with a flickering anticipation and it didn't take long for the 8th Division captain to come into view, his pink Kimono catching the breeze and a lazy smile on his face. Kyouraku-Taichou was heading in the direction of the 13th Division which meant another secret late afternoon tryst with Ukitake-Taichou. When the white haired Captain was feeling well enough they usually snuck off together, forming some kind of excuse for their little romantic getaways. She wondered for a moment if they would ever tell anyone of their secret relationship but mentally shook her head. They were both professional men wanting to keep their personal lives to themselves so it would make sense that they would not want people to get the wrong idea about them. Besides she was quite sure they liked it this way, no one put that much effort in to hiding a relationship the way those two did without there being a reason for it. It probably kept an air of secrecy and fun about their relationship when it was behind closed doors. She watched as the pink kimono disappeared from her line of sight and went back to her waiting game.
If she was correct in her assumptions - which she usually was - it wouldn't take much longer for the one she was waiting for to rear his ugly head. This one's movements were hard to trace and he had been under her observant eye the longest. There was always something about him that just bothered her. He was too slick, too smooth and held too many of his own dark secrets in the depths of his department. She had maybe waited ten more minutes before she saw the black and white faced captain with his demure little fuku-taichou following close behind, her head lowered in abject adoration for the one who created her. He was babbling about another one of his experiments, every once in a while throwing the young woman condescending looks out from under his ridiculous hat, hands moving expressively as he explained something to her. Full of himself that one is she thought, narrowing her eyes at his retreating form. But intelligent nonetheless.
She watched as the 12th Division captain turned the corner and disappeared completely from sight before jumping down catlike to land noiselessly on the floor and used the shadows of the halls to her advantage as she snuck deeper into the bowels of the research and development facility. She had at best fifteen minutes before Kurotsuchi came back and she wanted to be sure to have the information needed before that time. She came to the door of the Taichou's private research computer system and pulled out her tools for the task at hand. She didn't want it to look as if someone had breached the premises, no one needed to know she was here and silently she slid the lock picking tools into the lock and worked them into the chinks, fitting them noiselessly into place with the ease of centuries old experience. It took only a moment before the lock turned, the tumblers falling into order with a few well practiced flicks of her wrist. She slipped inside and went straight to the computer system, plugging in the password she knew Kurotsuchi had locked the system with - that information had taken the longest to obtain - and the system came to life, characters blipping across its many screens, lighting up the darkness of the small office.
She opened up a secondary window on one of the smaller screens and accessed the research database, looking for anything of use that Yoruichi had asked about. It didn't take long before she found what she was looking for.
"Curious…" She whispered as she read over the few files she needed. It was definitely some heavy information she was reading though and for a moment she thought about printing it out but decidedly shook that idea off. No paper trail was needed; paper was evidence, and evidence always left a trail, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem. She would just have to file it to memory.
When she opened the last relevant file her eyes widened in shock.
"Not possible!" She breathed and placed her hand over her mouth to still anymore sound. Her eyes narrowed in understanding as she attempted to read through all the information found within the last, and most important of all files. If what she was reading was true, Yoruichi and Urahara had a bigger problem than they originally suspected on their hands. She read though as much as possible before deciding that she had taken enough time. She closed the window down and locked the system with its password encryption before leaving the room and locking the door on her way out. She could hear a pair of footsteps fast approaching her way and slid into a shadowed doorway, holding her breath and further masking her reiatsu. At this close range she would need to focus all her energy on making sure she was still untraceable.
"…Of course Taichou, I will get to that right away." The soft voice of Nemu could be heard as she walked behind Kurotsuchi with bowed head and doey eyes.
"See that you do you stupid girl. I have been waiting for the results from this for too long." Kurotsuchi's pinched angry voice cut through the stillness of the hall, his footsteps padding an even rhythm as he walked determinedly past the lithe hiding form in the shadows. She never really understood why the 12th Division decided on having darkened halls but she was definitely glad for it now. She could hear the jangling of keys as the office door was unlocked.
"If Sou-Taichou didn't insist on having these ridiculous little meetings this would go much faster. Even more time is lost on your frivolous little endeavors Nemu. Sometimes I wonder why I even bothered to create you in the first place if all you do is…" His voice trailed off as he went through the door to his research room, closing it with a resounding thump. Soi Fon took a steadying breath wiped a bead of sweat from her cheek. Hiding ones reiatsu for so long and at this close range had taken its toll but now the job was done, all that was needed now was to head back to squad 2, back to the safety of her sanctum and she shunpoed from the hall to the outer courtyard, using the fading sun to her advantage as she fazed from shadow to growing shadow. It would take a few days to a week at most in order to get the information back to Yoruichi without anyone becoming suspicious. She didn't mind though, one didn't become a Captain of the Gotei 13 without learning a little patience.
Title: Though The Looking Glass Ch. 3
Rating: PG (for language)
Warnings: Possible spoilery abounds
Summary: Ed and Al just saved each other from the gate, but when they land in Karakura town and find that Shinigami are fighting Envy it turns their little world upside down. Rated M for adult situations and language but mostly will be PG. Possible het and Yaoi pairings in future chaps. WARNING: The pairings will be odd.
Dislcaimer: I do not own Bleach or Fullmetal Alchemist and I dont make any money writing this, its simply the product of my over active imagination combined with my overwhelming urge to write.
Previous Chapters:
Ch. 1 Ch. 2
Chapter 3 - Curiouser and Curiouser
The morning came all too soon for Ed and he hated dragging himself out of bed and the comfort of warm sheets to a lukewarm shower and a crowded kitchen. Truthfully he was never a morning person but Al had always been one, and Ed never missed the fact that his brother loved to wake him up in the mornings with the happiest voice, making him that much more grumpy. The two brothers shared breakfast with the people living at the shoten and Ed had to dodge some very interesting questions from Urahara before retreating back to their room.
Once there Al had asked what happened when he was thrown into the gate by Dante and with a heavy heart Ed supplied Al with what had happened. He listened with wide eyes about Hoenheim and what place he was thrown into, the war on their father's side of the gate and how the energy from alchemy was being used there for war. He explained what their father was and what he had seen, the rotting flesh on his father's arm, so like gangrene yet deeper, like his soul was rotting his body from the inside out. How the body Ed had slipped into died with the aircraft crashing down on him and his instinctual return to the gate.
Al nodded numbly and when Ed finished his story Al filled him in on what he missed when he was on the other side of the gate. He told Ed of how Dante destroyed what little was left of gluttony's humanity, how he had tried to eat him - alive - just to get the philosophers stone. By the time each were finished their explanations they both felt heavier, sadder but Ed lifted his chin and smiled, telling his brother it would be ok, that he would find them a way home, no matter what.
That afternoon they were asked to join Urahara in the common area and when they came in they were met with a large group of people. Ed noticed that Ichigo, Renji, Uryuu and Urahara was there but there were new people now, a girl with long red hair and a bright smile whose name was Orihime. There was a huge tan skinned guy that looked similar to an Ishvalan but his eyes were brown, not red, with shaggy dark hair by the name of Chad. A girl sat next to him that was slender and dark with the most vibrant violet eyes Ed had ever seen by the name of Rukia. He took a seat around the cramped table with his brother close beside him and nodded to the hat man in acknowledgement.
"Now that everyone's here we can get down to business." Urahara announced, tapping his hand on the large round table to get everyone's attention and the light conversation died down and an air of business-like professionalism settled on the group. Ed was surprised to feel it, hell it barely even happened when he was working for the military but this small group seemed to pull together rather quickly.
"What business is that?" Orihime asked, her violet-grey eyes were wide and bright with curiosity.
"My guess is the hollow." Ichigo responded in a bored tone as he leaned his elbows on the table.
"Obviously it's the hollow Kurosaki, what else would we be meeting here for?" Uryuu countered sharply and almost elbowed Ichigo in the ribs as he lifted his hand and pushed his glasses back up his nose with a huffy look on his face.
"You know you don't have to be an asshole every time you open your mouth." Ichigo snapped.
"I'm not being an asshole, I'm simply being observant. You should work on it some time." Uryuu glared at the redhead. Ed was starting to get the feeling that this was a normal occurrence between these two and watched with growing amusement as Ichigo bristled at the jab Uryuu gave him.
"I am observant! I probably know what's going on more tha-"
"Hey! Both of you just shut the hell up for a minute! Urahara you can finish what you were going to say." Renji cut both Ichigo and Uryuu's devolving conversation off with a hard look at the both of them, then turned to the blonde hat-clad man.
"Thanks Renji. Uryuu and Ichigo are right; we do have a hollow issue." Urahara looked pointedly at the faces surrounding the table from under the darkness of his striped hat. His mouth was set in a hard line and his posture was set and almost tense.
"What's the problem Urahara?" Chad asked in his smooth baritone.
"This one has a name, by the explanation I received from our two new friends here it's almost arrancar class so it can talk but the mask is still whole so it's not quite as strong - which is good - but from the explanation these three gave me yesterday it can mask its reiatsu - which is bad."
Rukia swiveled her head to land wide, shocked violet eyes on Urahara. "Wait your saying that there is a hollow out there that can mask its reiatsu?" Shock and concern could easily be heard in her confident alto voice.
"Unfortunately yes and the situation gets worse I'm afraid. It can also change form." Urahara flitted a steely glance to Ed for the quickest moment; it was gone so fast Ed was almost unsure it even happened.
"Has there ever been anything like this before Urahara?" Orihime asked worriedly.
"Not that I know of." The older man shook his head a little. "Yoruichi is checking into it for me to see if we can get more information." He said with an airy wave of his hand and Orihime's eyes lit up.
"Well that part is good. If Yoruichi comes by to visit do you think she will be in her kitty form? She's always so soft and cuddly when she is." The redhead clasped her hands in front of her and sighed happily with a dreamy smile on her face. Ed shook his head a little and looked to his brother and saw a bemused expression marring his young features.
"Did she just say 'kitty form'?" Ed asked confidentially to his brother.
"I think this place is a lot weirder than we first thought." Al replied quietly.
"Urahara have you finished your reiatsu finder? This would be the perfect time to use it if it's done." Rukia queried. Urahara's lips thinned even more and gave another glance to Ed and Al, effectively cutting off their private conversation.
"Unfortunately not. The mechanics are a lot trickier than I had originally thought but I'm still working on it. Truth be told I don't even know if it would work on this hollow." He murmured and pulled a fan from the folds of his green haori, then tapped it absently against his chin.
"How come?" Chad inquired, leaning back on his hands.
"I have a feeling that Envy - That's what the hollow is calling itself by the way - has a different reiatsu than anything we have experienced before."
"Ok so you're saying that Envy can not only mask its reiatsu but it can talk, change form, and has a signature unlike anything we have ever encountered before. Is there anything else you would like to tell us about this thing? Perhaps the ability to read minds or x-ray vision or something?" Rukia folded her arms across her chest and gave the blonde man a withering look.
"You've been reading Kurosaki's comics again haven't you?" Uryuu asked in an arch tone, giving the dark haired girl a depreciating eye. Rukia shrugged and her lips turned up in an amused smile.
"Only the interesting ones. I have to keep up on the living world literature." Uryuu rolled his eyes and looked as if he was going to respond but Urahara quickly took the conversation back up before another argument could ensue.
"Those are the basics of the situation. Ed would you like to fill us in on the rest?" Urahara landed shadowed grey eyes on Ed. The young blonde gave a heaving sigh and lifted his head to address the group.
"He's also looking for our dad. His name is Hoenheim. He isn't here though, that much we know for certain." Ed exchanged a quick look with Al. The caramel head nodded in agreement at the comment and squared his shoulders.
"It's true, Envy thought he came through here, which is why he's looking for him in Karakura. We don't know if he knows we're here yet but if he figures it out…" Al's voice trailed off, the insinuation clear. Rukia looked sharply at Ed and Al. For a moment Ed noticed light blue flecks reflected in the intelligent purple orbs of her eyes.
"So that makes you two a target." She stated in a matter of fact tone that sounded so much like Hawkeye his heart gave a little pang at the sound of it, reminding him once again how far from home they truly were.
"Pretty much." Ed nodded in agreement. "We're not useless though. We both know how to fight and I've fought things like him before and defeated them. If I have to I will do it again." He flexed his automail hand under the table. He knew what had to be done, and he would make sure he would do it this time.
"You've fought hollows and destroyed them before?" Orihime's bright voice brought him back to the present and he frowned a little.
"I keep hearing that word, hollows. What is it?" He asked. Urahara gave Ed a measuring look before responding.
"Hollows are spirits that used to be human but for some reason or another have turned evil and destructive. They prey on good spirits and are attracted to high levels of reiatsu. That's why Shinigami -like Renji, Rukia and Ichigo here were created, to destroy and purify the hollows." Ed nodded in understanding and lowered his head in thought.
Spirits that used to be human. That sounded like Envy but he wasn't a spirit, he was the opposite in fact, merely the shell of a human body with a non-human soul. There was the possibility that when Envy went through the gate some kind of change may have happened - no it must have happened Ed corrected himself. The body that Envy was housed in when he first laid eyes on him after going through the gate and landing on the rooftop was definitely not the body Envy had originally. It was huge, black and masked with a gaping hole through his chest… Ed fought off a shiver at the memory of it.
"Quincys also destroy hollows but our power is different than the shinigami." Uryuu offered and lifted his chin a bit, giving him an aloof air, Ed noticed that Ichigo beside him rolled his eyes and placed his chin in his hands. Uryuu saw the movement as well but decidedly ignored it. "We create bows and arrows through reishi - spirit particles in the air. We draw it through us and form them into arrows. I noticed you said that you destroyed these things before. Might I ask how that was done?"
"Through alchemy, and we've found that bringing a piece of their original bodies near them weakens their strength, making them easier to kill." Ed replied.
"Original… bodies?" Orihime's voice sounded faint. When he met her eyes she looked shocked and disturbed at what she had heard. He could sense Al shrugging his shoulders at the question beside him.
"I know it's disturbing but it's the only way it could be done." Al said in an almost pleading tone. Just talking about this reminded him of Greed, Lust and… her. The one he had to destroy, his sin, his failure. He would never forget it, never could. He swallowed thickly at the all too painful memory.
"How many times have you used this… procedure?" Urahara asked sharply.
"Enough times to know it works." Ed muttered, keeping a steady eye on the clasped mismatched hands in his lap. He sighed again and rubbed the frustration lines forming between his brows with his left hand. "Look this isn't what we should be focusing on; we need to get a plan together so we can find Envy." He needed to get off this topic. Now.
"Well we can step up patrols. That and keep you two under tight surveillance. If Envy has a grudge against your dad and he's not here it would make sense that you two would be the next target, especially if you know where he is." Renji said. Ed looked up into the dark glint of the redheads eye and narrowed his own at the comment.
"We don't need to be protected like some kind of helpless children! This was our damn fight to begin with." Ed used his Major's voice, brooking no argument with his sharp tone and thumped his metal fist on the table for emphasis, making Orihime and Chad jump a little at the outward aggression.
"Besides we can probably help." Al added kindly.
"Does that mean you have a piece of his…" Ichigo trailed off, not wanting to finish his sentence.
"No, which makes things a lot trickier." Al responded, giving Ichigo a thoughtful look. "His original body was used when he was created so there's nothing left to weaken him. By the explanation we got from Dante-"
"Al." Ed said in a harsh whisper, cutting off any further information Al may have given. They had already decided that morning on keeping as much of their story to themselves as possible. Explaining to these people what homunculi were was not something he wanted to do. It would mean not only explaining the intricacies of the taboo human transmutation but it would also open up the possibility of how they had gotten here, and he wasn't ready for that conversation, not when there were so many of his own questions still unanswered.
Al winced and dipped his head in apology to his brother.
"Oh right, sorry brother. We don't really have a way to destroy him, not right now at least. It would have to be completely through alchemy this time. Do you think we could do it brother?" Al looked to Ed, hope, worry and fear warring for dominance on his young face. It was still strange, seeing those old eyes reflecting back so much life through the child-like body of his younger brother. Ed could feel his features harden at the question his brother asked.
"We'll have to." Ed put a cold hard note into those words, penetrating through the group surrounding the table and for a long moment there was complete silence.
"You two and I will need to have a little conversation later." Urahara commented quietly to Ed before he turned a good-natured smile on the people surrounding the table, flipping open the fan in his hand and fanning himself with an artistic flick of his wrist. "Ok so patrols will have to be made more often, Renji you take the mornings while these guys are in school, Rukia and Orihime you two can take the afternoon shift. Ichigo, Chad and Uryuu, you three will need to work on a plan to bring more of the town into your evening patrols. If anything unusual happens make sure to report back here as soon as you can."
"What about us?" Ed asked. Urahara gave him a thoughtful look before responding but Ed was pretty damn sure the man had already made up his mind about what he was going to do with them.
"hmm. I would prefer you two stay here." The fan lifted to cover the lower half of Urahara's face, probably in an attempt to cover the man's emotions Ed thought darkly.
I'm not dancing through your hoops like I did with Colonel Mustang. Ed thought to himself.
"We can't just stay here doing Fuck all!" Ed exclaimed in annoyance.
"What if we help with the patrols?" Al offered, looking from person to person using his puppy-dog eyes that always had Ed giving in. Ichigo shrugged and shared a look between Chad, Renji and Uryuu.
"I don't mind if one of these guys comes with me. It would probably be a good idea anyways; they can get to know the town." Ichigo suggested in a laid back tone. Uryuu nodded in agreement.
"It would probably be beneficial for everyone involved if they became acquainted with Karakura. If we do find Envy they will know where to go." Uryuu's hand lifted to his chin in thought, nodding lightly at the idea. Urahara seemed unimpressed at the direction of the conversation but replied amiably enough.
"Fine. Ed you can go with Ichigo. Al, how would you feel about working with Uryuu?"
"That sounds fine, thanks for letting me help." Al replied, giving the older blonde one of his trademark grins.
"This could work." Ed murmured, almost to himself. It would leave time in the mornings for Ed and Al to spar, get their game up for the possible altercation with Envy, and not only that but he would also get the lay of the land with this place, which would definitely be a good idea for both Ed and Al. He didn't really like the idea of splitting him and Al up but realistically it would suit them well for the situation currently at hand. What Ichigo wouldn't show him, Uryuu probably would show Al, and once back they could both de-brief each other with the information each had learned. He smiled a little to himself - de-brief, shit it sounds like I'm still part of the military or something.
"Ok fullmetal, we're on patrol first. Gimme a minute so I can get out of my body." Ichigo said and stood up to take a few steps away from the table, then pulled a medallion of some sort out of his pants pocket. The comment was so out of sorts that Ed blinked twice and re-ran the comment through his head just to make sure he had heard it right. Before he could comment any further the copper haired teen pressed the medallion to his chest and a surge of energy shot through the room. The body fell to its knees, landing face first on the floor of the common area with an uncomfortably loud thunk. Where the body once stood Ichigo was still standing but he was wearing grass sandals, black robes and a white wrapped sword was slung across his back, just like when Ed and Al first met him.
"What… The fuck just happened?" Ed cried in alarm. Of all the things he had seen this would definitely be in the top five for freaky ass shit. Ichigo gave him an amused look and flipped the prone body on the floor over and lifted it by the armpits to drag it to the room he and Al were staying in.
"Well I can't fight hollows in human form; I need to be in shinigami form. I'm just going to put my body in here for now, that ok?" Ichigo asked.
"Did he just -" Al's voice sounded shocked and breathless.
"Yeah he just jumped out of his body." Renji replied with a smile, obviously taking enjoyment from the astonished looks Ed and Al were giving him.
"Can all of you do that?" Ed asked as Ichigo disappeared into the darkened room.
"Well Ichigo's body is the only one that's alive but yes we can." Rukia supplied when Renji sat there smiling idiotically, Ed was sure he was enjoying the fact that they had got one up on him for the alchemy-cup incident. "I can do it as well as Renji and Urahara. Our human bodies are a little different though, their artificial and called gigais. Orihime, Chad and Uryuu are completely human though."
"I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing that." Ed's voice still sounded shocked, even to himself and shook a little, then stood up as Ichigo came back from the room.
"Heh that's what I thought at first too." Ichigo said as closed the door and stretched a little, reaching his arms behind his head so that his arms almost reached to the ceiling. "You get used to it though. Come on, my patrol usually takes a few hours and its already getting dark." Ichigo waved a hand in invitation for Ed to follow.
"Whatever. I'll be back soon Al." He gave his brother a smile and followed in the direction of the black clad teen.
"No problem, see you soon brother." He heard Al say before he left the shop.
One thing was for certain, Ed was definitely not in Amestris anymore.
***
If there was one thing Soi Fon prided herself on it was finding out things people didn't want her to know without them even knowing about it. Information and secrets was an important commodity in her line of work and after the incident with Aizen she had made sure to know the comings and goings of all seated officers up to Captain rank in order to make sure that if anything like that happened again not only would she know about it but she would stop it before any further downward spirals ensued… In the most silent and deadly way possible. She had been raised to kill, raised to be that silent stalker hidden in the mist, there and gone again in the blink of an eye. It came as second nature to her now after all these centuries. She allowed herself a little smile as she crouched in her small hiding place, masking her reiatsu in the darkness until that perfect moment.
It was late afternoon, almost time for the workday to end. It would work well for her. The shadows would pull with the setting of the sun, giving her extra access in hiding her form. She hid near the building she was waiting so intently on and from her vantage point she could still see the main street and watched the people passing in their daily routine in Seireitei. She saw Kuchiki-Taichou turning the corner from his 6th Division headquarters to head home, the strength of his reiatsu brushing against her senses like a cool spring afternoon. Like always his back was ramrod straight and his chin was strong, maybe just a touch too high for his own good and his eyelids were pulled low over his eyes to give him that extra air of aristocratic apathy. She could set her watch to that mans daily routine she mused to herself, knowing that at this exact time every week he left his offices a little early to work on the paperwork for the Kuchiki household.
Another reiatsu brushed at her senses, this one filled with a flickering anticipation and it didn't take long for the 8th Division captain to come into view, his pink Kimono catching the breeze and a lazy smile on his face. Kyouraku-Taichou was heading in the direction of the 13th Division which meant another secret late afternoon tryst with Ukitake-Taichou. When the white haired Captain was feeling well enough they usually snuck off together, forming some kind of excuse for their little romantic getaways. She wondered for a moment if they would ever tell anyone of their secret relationship but mentally shook her head. They were both professional men wanting to keep their personal lives to themselves so it would make sense that they would not want people to get the wrong idea about them. Besides she was quite sure they liked it this way, no one put that much effort in to hiding a relationship the way those two did without there being a reason for it. It probably kept an air of secrecy and fun about their relationship when it was behind closed doors. She watched as the pink kimono disappeared from her line of sight and went back to her waiting game.
If she was correct in her assumptions - which she usually was - it wouldn't take much longer for the one she was waiting for to rear his ugly head. This one's movements were hard to trace and he had been under her observant eye the longest. There was always something about him that just bothered her. He was too slick, too smooth and held too many of his own dark secrets in the depths of his department. She had maybe waited ten more minutes before she saw the black and white faced captain with his demure little fuku-taichou following close behind, her head lowered in abject adoration for the one who created her. He was babbling about another one of his experiments, every once in a while throwing the young woman condescending looks out from under his ridiculous hat, hands moving expressively as he explained something to her. Full of himself that one is she thought, narrowing her eyes at his retreating form. But intelligent nonetheless.
She watched as the 12th Division captain turned the corner and disappeared completely from sight before jumping down catlike to land noiselessly on the floor and used the shadows of the halls to her advantage as she snuck deeper into the bowels of the research and development facility. She had at best fifteen minutes before Kurotsuchi came back and she wanted to be sure to have the information needed before that time. She came to the door of the Taichou's private research computer system and pulled out her tools for the task at hand. She didn't want it to look as if someone had breached the premises, no one needed to know she was here and silently she slid the lock picking tools into the lock and worked them into the chinks, fitting them noiselessly into place with the ease of centuries old experience. It took only a moment before the lock turned, the tumblers falling into order with a few well practiced flicks of her wrist. She slipped inside and went straight to the computer system, plugging in the password she knew Kurotsuchi had locked the system with - that information had taken the longest to obtain - and the system came to life, characters blipping across its many screens, lighting up the darkness of the small office.
She opened up a secondary window on one of the smaller screens and accessed the research database, looking for anything of use that Yoruichi had asked about. It didn't take long before she found what she was looking for.
"Curious…" She whispered as she read over the few files she needed. It was definitely some heavy information she was reading though and for a moment she thought about printing it out but decidedly shook that idea off. No paper trail was needed; paper was evidence, and evidence always left a trail, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem. She would just have to file it to memory.
When she opened the last relevant file her eyes widened in shock.
"Not possible!" She breathed and placed her hand over her mouth to still anymore sound. Her eyes narrowed in understanding as she attempted to read through all the information found within the last, and most important of all files. If what she was reading was true, Yoruichi and Urahara had a bigger problem than they originally suspected on their hands. She read though as much as possible before deciding that she had taken enough time. She closed the window down and locked the system with its password encryption before leaving the room and locking the door on her way out. She could hear a pair of footsteps fast approaching her way and slid into a shadowed doorway, holding her breath and further masking her reiatsu. At this close range she would need to focus all her energy on making sure she was still untraceable.
"…Of course Taichou, I will get to that right away." The soft voice of Nemu could be heard as she walked behind Kurotsuchi with bowed head and doey eyes.
"See that you do you stupid girl. I have been waiting for the results from this for too long." Kurotsuchi's pinched angry voice cut through the stillness of the hall, his footsteps padding an even rhythm as he walked determinedly past the lithe hiding form in the shadows. She never really understood why the 12th Division decided on having darkened halls but she was definitely glad for it now. She could hear the jangling of keys as the office door was unlocked.
"If Sou-Taichou didn't insist on having these ridiculous little meetings this would go much faster. Even more time is lost on your frivolous little endeavors Nemu. Sometimes I wonder why I even bothered to create you in the first place if all you do is…" His voice trailed off as he went through the door to his research room, closing it with a resounding thump. Soi Fon took a steadying breath wiped a bead of sweat from her cheek. Hiding ones reiatsu for so long and at this close range had taken its toll but now the job was done, all that was needed now was to head back to squad 2, back to the safety of her sanctum and she shunpoed from the hall to the outer courtyard, using the fading sun to her advantage as she fazed from shadow to growing shadow. It would take a few days to a week at most in order to get the information back to Yoruichi without anyone becoming suspicious. She didn't mind though, one didn't become a Captain of the Gotei 13 without learning a little patience.