The Water Alchemist

The Longest Night

Welcome back to The Water Alchemist. I don't own any of the intellectual property of Fullmetal Alchemist.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

The Longest Night

***

"Elias," the man with dark hair and eyes to match addressed him, and he looked up from his spot on the bench.

Elias had done his best to make himself scarce as the short and angry kid spoke to Marina. He would wait for them to finish, and then he'd do what he had come to do in the first place. Then he'd be finished with this whole ordeal and would finally be able to put it behind him. He looked up to the man questioningly as he approached.

"Flame Alchemist," Elias observed coldly. They had been introduced briefly before Marina had woken up. He hadn't realized before that that the woman he had accompanied was a Lieutenant or that Marina would have friends like them in high positions of authority within the Amestrian military. He narrowed his eyes. "The 'Hero of Ishval', if I remember correctly."

"I understand that you're an Ishvalen," Mustang replied, seemingly unphased by Elias's scowl. "Whatever you feel about me is justified. However, I'm sure you are aware that your previous conduct has deemed you a criminal in the eyes of the law." Elias went rigid.

"I am aware," Elias admitted slowly, already glancing to the door. He wasn't going to make Nessa bail him out of jail.

"Well, I think this once, we could consider ourselves indebted to each other," Mustang said as he held out his hand. "Just as long as you stay out of trouble in the future."

Elias eyed the man skeptically before standing and taking his hand. It was a short shake, made shorter by the obnoxious sound of the small blonde clearing his throat. They looked at him as he entered the hall, staring Elias down.

"Mind if we have a word, Colonel?" Ed said, nodding to Elias.

"Not at all," the man shrugged, turning to go. He pat the kid's shoulder. "Loverboy." Edward stiffened at the word, and a vein throbbed in his forehead. He took a useless swing at the Colonel, who dodged with a chuckle and disappeared around the corner.

"I hate that guy," Ed muttered under his breath. He huffed and turned his attention back to Elias, who had watched the exchange with quiet amusement. Ed narrowed his eyes. "What?"

"Oh, nothing. I just find it amusing that he too has noticed your fondness for that girl," Elias remarked, unable to resist the urge to mess with the shorty. Ed charged him, but Elias held him at arm's length as he flung his arms around wildly, spouting embarrassed nonsense that Elias couldn't piece together as his face reddened. Elias let it go on longer than it probably should have before he finally asked. "What did you come here to discuss?" The irate shrimp stopped cold and composed himself, straightening out before giving Elias a serious look.

"I want to know how you brought Marina here in the first place," he said. Elias scoffed.

"And why would I tell you that?"

"Because I don't believe there isn't a way to send her back," he said, folding his arms. Elias sighed to himself, slumping back to the bench.

"Her father developed a transmutation circle that would allow the user to cross through to the gate of an alternate world. I used that to find her and bring her here. When I went to retrieve it to send her back, the parchment was gone. It just... vanished. Like it had never existed in the first place," Elias explained as Ed digested his words. "I can't even remember what it looked like, hard as I try."