I was sitting on a train looking over every file that we had on the missing alchemists. There was such a wide range of them. From small town nobodies to some of the most famous alchemists in the country even some State Alchemists. Just gone.
"Anything?" Selim asked.
"No, none of these people are really connected other than the fact they're alchemists," I said.
"And the reason we're going to Resembool is?" he asked.
"Ed and Al figured out how to make a Philosopher's stone from volumes of code disguised as freaking cookbooks. They're the ones to figure out what's going on here, besides Winry's sick. I want to check in on her," I replied as I looked back down at the files.
"You're amazing you know that right?" Selim asked and I looked up at him.
"Why do you say that?" I asked in return.
"You quit your job and defended someone who is basically a stranger. You're traveling out of your way to check on someone with an almost lame excuse, you're no normal girl Levy," he said.
"I never said I was. And trust me, Selim, if you knew what my life was like you would understand why, now excuse me I need some air," I replied as I closed the file I was looking at and stood up before traveling to the back of the train car and stepping outside into the rush of the wind. I closed the door and leaned back on it.
I stood out there for a while before going back inside with a fresh mind to look at the files again, I couldn't see anything new. So Selim and I bid our time until we finally reached Resembool, where I practically ran to the Elric houses.
"Levy!" Sara shouted when I came into the view of the house, she ran to me and hugged me. I held her.
"How's your mom?" I asked as she finally let me go.
"She has good days and bad. Aunt May is coming back with some medicine from Xing to see if that helps, but I'm sure she'd love to see you come on inside," Sara said before grabbing my hand and pulling me into the house and all the way to her parents' room. Ed was sitting next to the bed looking completely destroyed, I knew that look quite well.
"Hi," I said and finally he looked up and gave me a tired smile.
"Levy what are you doing here?" he asked.
"I wanted to see Winry and get yours and Al's opinion on something," I replied.
"It's good to see you, Levy," Winry said as she opened her eyes. I walked over to the bed on the opposite side of Ed and took Winry's hand in mine.
"You too Winry," I replied. "I heard that May is coming home."
"Hopefully with something that helps," she replied.
"You'll be okay Winry, you've known Ed your entire life and if you can survive that you can beat this," I encouraged she smiled while Ed glared at me. "Now, Ed can I get your help on something?"
"On what?" Winry asked.
"A case I'm working on, nothing big," I replied and Ed and I left the room. "I'd like Al's opinion as well."
"Sure, he's out back," he replied. We walked outside and found Al. The three of us sat down at a table outside and I laid out the files.
"Alchemists all over the country have gone missing-" I took a deep breath -"Including your old mentor and her husband seems to be collateral. When I went back to their house I was attacked, the... kids seemed surprised I could fight. I think they were banking on the fact that most alchemists can't do much without their alchemy."
"But that doesn't explain how they got Izumi," Al stated and I nodded.
"It's not like she's young anymore," Ed muttered.
"Selim is- where the hell did he go?" I asked as I looked around.
"The kids are probably holding him hostage," Ed said. "Now what were you saying?"
"Selim is helping me investigate, but we don't know where to start, this isn't limited to a specific area or a specific kind of alchemist, I was just hoping you two could help," I explained.
"Yeah we'll look into it, why don't you stay a couple days while we go over the information?" Al suggested and I nodded.
"Al, I can't. Win-" Ed began.
"No. Winry will kill you if you're by her side the entire time and ignored Levy's request for help. We'll help Levy," Al assured.
"Thanks, now I should go rescue Selim," I said as I stood up and began to walk away before turning back to them. "Really guys, thank you for helping me."
"I missed working on stuff like this," Al admitted.
"Yeah, but that's not all I'm thanking you for," I said before walking out to the front where the three Elric kids were interrogating Selim. "Guys give him a break please." They all ran over to me and asked me a million questions about what happened since we all left the camp. I told them what I could without making them worry about or regret leaving me. I also explained why I was here.
"Well we'll go with you once you're ready to leave," Maes stated.
"No, you need to be here to help take care of Winry, all of you. If something happens to her, you'll never forgive yourselves for not being there," I said. "Selim and I will do what we can and when she's all better you guys are welcome to join us until then you won't know where we'll be going."
"That's not fair Levy," Sara argued.
"Yeah well that's life," I replied. The three of them glared at me.
"Guys come in and eat before Ed devours everything!" Al called from the house.
"I DON'T EAT THE MUCH ANYMORE! I was keeping you alive," was Ed's reply from the upstairs bedroom.
"Man it will never be boring here," I commented as the five of us went inside. Dinner passed by rather uneventfully and we all, excluding Winry who was sleeping, sat at the table and talked for a while after before we all went to bed.
A blood-curdling scream rang through the house waking me, and presumably everyone else, up. I knew it could only be one person.
Trisha.
I sprung out of my bed and ran down the hall to her room where Trisha was being attacked... by children. "Trisha stay still!" I shouted before clapping my hands together and setting them on the ground, spikes of ice pierced the air. The attackers turned to me.
"That's right! You want the people in this house?! Then you have to get rid of me first!" I shouted at them. That's when they attacked me, they weren't the same ones from Dublith, but they fought just as well. As I fought the attackers the others were trying to get into the room and Trisha was carefully weaving her way out of the spikes made of ice. I had to get these kids away from the Elrics. I clapped my hands together and placed them on the wall, thinking of only one part of alchemy.
Destruction.
The wall that separated the inside and outside blew out leaving nothing there, then it was only a matter of getting the three of us out the new exit. I decided to go with the easiest route I grab onto them the best I could and threw myself out the window. The three of us landed hard on the ground, none of us moving for a second, I was just trying to breathe properly after getting all the air knocked out of my lungs. The kids recovered faster than I did and they were heading back to the house.
"No!" I managed to gasp. I clapped my hands together and simply held them out walls of ice grew all around the house. Pulling water out of the air was something I learned a long time ago.
"Levy!" Maes shouted from the inside. All the Elrics who could use alchemy were now trying to break through my wall to help me, but I wasn't about to let that happen.
"You're not getting them!" I shouted at the kids. "Not while I'm here!" They looked back at me. All the Elrics, excluding the bedridden Winry, were fighting to get out. The kids attacked me again, but I still haven't recovered fully, so I wasn't fighting as well and they got more than a few good hits. It wasn't long before I was on the ground and couldn't get up. The last thing I saw before I passed out was a shadow hitting the ice wall.
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Hey, look at this it hasn't even been an entire month! I just love it when inspriation hits. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!