[Tra] Fullmetal Alchemist: Requiem of a Soul (M)

Fullmetal Alchemist: Requiem of a Soul

Author's Note:
Fullmetal Alchemist: Requiem of a Soul takes place in an altered reality of the story. Most changes should be easy to spot, but others may only be referred to vaguely. Keep in mind, while reading Fullmetal Alchemist: Requiem of a Soul, that it is an alternate reality, and a fiction; some things will stay the same, and some things will change.

Fullmetal Alchemist and all non-original characters therein are © their respective owners.

~ ----- ~ ----- ~ ----- ~

"Edward Elric? I'm Lt. Colonel Jasper Reyes. Führer Mustang sent me to escort you back to Central." The blue-eyed, five-foot-eight Lt. Colonel had been waiting for at least half-an-hour, if not more, for the famed Fullmetal Alchemist to arrive by train in Rush Valley.

"WHAT?! I just got here! I need to get my automail adjusted!" Ed retorted.

"If you wait a few more minutes, your automail mechanic will be here." After saluting quickly, he continued. "I'm sorry this was so sudden, but another gang of alchemists have shown their faces. Even still, they've managed to stay hidden extremely well, and put up a good fight. Even Major Pierre Valance was severely injured."

Ed stared back discontentedly, but relaxed as he sat on a nearby bench. "The Iceberg Alchemist? Hrm..." Jasper lifted an eyebrow at Ed.

"What's that supposed to mean? Pierre is a great alchemist, and thankfully, he's on our side... Unlike Issac McDougal..."

"After him, I don't know if I trust any icy alchemists." Jasper frowned, but didn't pursue the matter further. Instead, he sat down next to Edward, and waited for Winry Rockbell, the automail mechanic of both he and Ed.

Jasper was a 42-year-old State Alchemist that had recently been promoted to Lt. Colonel. He was Führer Roy Mustang's right-hand man for jobs outside of Central City, usually sent to disperse gang groupings or riots. Escort, however, was not his forte. His alchemical abilities tended to be somewhat unpredictable, so while it was effective against groups of people, it wasn't the best choice for the cramped quarters of trains, the primary method of travel through Amestris. For this reason, he thought it strange that the Führer ordered him to escort Edward.

After only a few minutes, Ed could see Winry running through the train station with two military personnel. Each was carrying a couple bags, presumably filled with automail maintenance/repair equipment, and some personal items. As soon as she was within a few metres, she called out.

"Ed!" She was just as cheery as usual when she tackled Ed in a big hug. Not expecting this, Edward was knocked to the ground, taking Winry with him.

"Gah! Winry! Get-- hrmph --off!" Ed struggled to get up, but Winry had him pinned. She stuck her bottom lip out and frowned at Ed.

"Just for that, maybe I should make pay full-price for your maintenance." She half-looked away at Jasper, and got up. "But it's not like you can't pay for it anyway." Turning her gaze all the way to the Lt. Colonel, she held out her hand. "Jasper."

Jasper took her hand, and shaking it, greeted her. "Good afternoon, Winry." Ed stood up and dusted himself off. Jasper looked at his silver pocket-watch, and then at Ed. "Since we're all here, we should get on the train. It'll be leaving for Central soon." Ed sighed loudly, and took his bag while turning around to start for the train.

He stopped mid-step. Jasper saw it too.

Both alchemists dropped what they were holding, and flipped around, facing to the left of the boarding station. Three gang members were running straight for the group. The two officers pulled out their pistols, but Jasper put up his hand. Ed clapped his hands together, before dragging his left hand over his right automail arm, shaping it into a long blade. Jasper more simply pointed his left hand, also made of automail, at the attackers. He flicked his arm as though he was cracking a whip, and a long bolt of electricity flew out, almost instantly striking the left gang member's legs. He tripped, and had trouble standing up. The officers went around the flank to secure him, while avoiding the other two goons.

Jasper held his arm out, visibly charging it with energy. However, Ed shot off towards the attackers, forcing Jasper to follow quickly. Both goons were carrying sabres, but these were no match against the now-famous Rockbell Automail that these two alchemists sported. When the blade of Jasper's assailant struck his arm, the man was quickly electrocuted, and literally flew back a few feet, completely stunned. Ed also had little trouble subduing his opponent, sending a swift kick with his left leg to the man's shin, after blocking a second swing. A punch directly to the face, and the man was down.

"Geez, these guys are getting sloppy! They used to actually put up a fight." Ed started to laugh, remembering back when gangs started to form. Back then their funds were greater, and there were a lot more alchemists among them. Now they were running short on cash, and most of their alchemist 'buddies' had been captured by the Amestris Military.

Jasper joined in the little laugh. "Haha, even a green bean like you can take 'em down without trying." Hearing this, the two officers quickly ran to either side of Ed, and grabbed his arms right as he started to flail around.

"DON'T CALL ME THAT! I'M NOT SMALL! I'M NOT A GREEN BEAN!" Jasper only laughed harder.

"Well hey, at least I didn't call you a bean-sprout! Now then," he said, regaining his composure, and addressing the two officers. "Release Edward, and go get someone to take care of these guys. Ed and I can carry Miss Winry's bags into the train." The two saluted, and signaled for someone of authority there. "We'll make sure the train waits for you," he added before turning around.

~ ----- ~ ----- ~ ----- ~

"Central City! My hometown." Jasper strode confidently off the train, with a big smile on his face. He was born and raised in Central City, and he loved the place. Ed just walked off the train slouching. To him, Central City only meant more work.

Winry stepped off the train, and walked up beside Ed. "We need to have a look at your automail first chance." She craned her neck, looking at Jasper off to her side. "That means you too! Have you been careful with it?" Jasper nodded, smiling. "Good." Taking Ed by the arm, she dragged him over to where Jasper and the two officers were walking to.

"Führer Mustang sent me a message while we were on the train. He's allowing us to spend the rest of the day getting our automail fixed up, and resting before tomorrow." Jasper led the small group out of the station, and right to a black car that was clearly waiting for them. The officers placed Winry's bags in the trunk, but Ed insisted on keeping his bag with him.

Everyone but Jasper got in the car. For one thing, there wasn't room for him, what with Ed's bag and all. He gave the driver specific directions, then saluted Edward. "I'll be along shortly after you arrive. There's something important I need to do." Ed nodded, and the two officers saluted back. Seconds later, the car drove off.

Jasper quickly ran to his small grey car, parked nearby, and turned it on. It only took him a moment to make a complete U-turn, and drive off in the opposite direction of the other car. He had a goal, and intended to make it.

~ ----- ~ ----- ~ ----- ~

"Oi, where's Jasper already?" Ed was getting really annoyed waiting for Jasper to get home. The driver had dropped them off at Jasper's house almost twenty minutes ago, but they couldn't get in without a key.

Winry saw a small grey car zipping along the road towards them. "Oh! Maybe that's him!" Ed jumped up, and walked onto the sidewalk as the car pulled up. Jasper stepped out and called the two officers over. They each pulled out brown paper bags filled with groceries, and carried them over to the door. Jasper ran up and unlocked it, letting everyone in, then ran back to grab some of Winry's bags. Ed took his bag, plus two of Winry's, then wobbled up the steps to the front door.

The inside of the house was small, but cozy. Jasper kept it very clean, with exception to a dish or paper lazily left lying around. The dominate color theme of the place was green and brown, but other colors were easy to find, giving it a varied, lively feeling.

"There's a room in the back, Winry, where you can set out your equipment. There should be a large table there, and what-not." Jasper pointed down a hallway to his left, and Winry nodded. After the officers had placed Jasper's groceries in his kitchen, they came back to help carry Winry's bags into the back room. Ed handed the bags of hers that he was carrying to the officers, then dropped his own bag by the door, before flopping on the green couch in the living room.

"Hey, nice couch you got, Jasper! It's soft." Jasper smiled at Ed's comment, and walked up beside the couch.

"Haha, thanks. At least I won't have to ask you to move over, green bean." His ears perked up as he heard someone running through the house. He turned around to see an officer shoot past him, and restrain Edward, who was trying to grab at Jasper.

"YOU DID IT AGAIN! I'M NOT SMALL!" Ed was flailing around again, but stopped as soon as he heard Winry's call. The officer released him, and watched as he ran down the hall. "Finally, I can get my automail adjusted!"

"Was there really something that wrong with his automail?" Jasper was only half-asking the officer next to him. They shrugged to each other and followed along down the hall. Like the rest of the house, it was small, but looked nice with its ivy wallpaper.

In the back room, Winry was still setting up some of her equipment, but had also started to disconnect Ed's right arm. A few bolts were jammed, and the shoulder was beat up pretty bad. "Oh, wow. That is kinda bad," Jasper pointed out.

Ed threw him an 'I-told-you-so' glance. "You think? Geez. What about your automail, Jasper?"

"Oh, it's not so bad. Just needs a little adjusting. And..." He paused a moment, glancing at Winry, who was just now detaching Ed's arm. "I may have fried a circuit. One of the fingers isn't working right, but it doesn't feel jammed." Winry sighed aloud. The wires in the fingers were some of the smallest. Locating which ones weren't working, and then replacing them, was quite a bother.

"I'll get to yours just as soon as I've fixed up Ed's arm," she said calmly. "It'll be a long while, and there's no need for any of you to hang around." She paused for short moment. "Though..." she started, look Ed right in the eye. He jumped off the table and walked over to Jasper, grabbing his coat.

"No thank you. I'm going outside to get some air!" With that, he promptly turned, leaving the room slightly flustered. The two officers held back a chuckle. It was Jasper, however, who spoke.

"Haha, he likes you, and he knows it!" Winry blushed profusely, and she quickly pushed everyone out of the room. The door almost hit Jasper in the face as it slammed shut. He turned around, smiling. "She like him, too," he said quietly before leading the officers out of the hall with him. He felt a bit of a draft coming from the entryway, and found that Edward had left the front door wide open. He stepped out alone to look for Ed.

The search was short, as he found him only a single block away. He ran up and tapped Ed's shoulder. "Hey, the weather's getting cold. You shouldn't just leave the door open like that." Ed just grunted, not even looking at Jasper. In fact, he wasn't looking at anything, just lost in thought. "And hey, you should really be inside... We're going to need you at one-hundred percent tomorrow!" This time Ed just walked off further from the house.

"Can't you let me be for now?" Ed's voice was as demanding as usual, but it wasn't at all too hard for Jasper to hear the sadness and regret in it. He walked beside Ed for a while.

"How long has it been now?"

"Three years, two months, and five days." Jasper nodded.

"That's what I've got, too. I'm just glad you stayed with us afterward. I don't know what state this country would be in if we'd lost you." He sighed, and stopped walking, even though Ed continued. "I'm heading back. Come back when you've nearly frozen, right? I'm sure Winry wouldn't mind warming you up." Ed stopped abruptly, and stared back at Jasper.

"Oh... you...!"

"Haha! Just kidding. But really, come back when you've spent enough time out here." Ed shooed Jasper off with his hand.

"Just get going!" Jasper complied, leaving with a smile. Ed watched him walk all the way back to the house before continuing his walk.

~ ----- ~ ----- ~ ----- ~

Ed opened the front door, and went in. It felt like he'd hit a wall of hot air after entering. "Whoa, it's warm in here!" Jasper spun around, holding a large dish with some potholders.

"Ed! You're back! Hey, dinner's nearly done. Mind getting Winry for me?" Ed nodded, closing the door, and went down the hall. Jasper, meanwhile, placed the hot dish on a place-holder that he had ready on the table. He made sure all five places were set, then went to the fridge to grab some drinks: milk, orange juice, and pink lemonade. He took each and placed them in a specially designed spinning rack on the center of the table. "Looks good. Okay then!"

Just as he finished, Ed came walking back from the hallway. "Winry's washing up a bit; she'll be along shortly." Jasper gave him a thumbs-up, and called over the two officers.

"Joe, you sit there," he said pointing to one of the chairs. "And you, Peter, get to sit there!" Jasper was at the head of the table, the two officers were on one side, while Winry and Edward were to sit on the other side. Winry came around the corner from the hall, still dressed in her work clothes, just as Ed sat down.

"Sorry about my appearance, heh..." Winry apologized a little nervously.

"Don't worry about it! Go ahead and sit here next to the green-- I mean, Edward." Ed shot Jasper a quick glare, but turned back to the food just as quickly. He began dishing large amounts of food onto his plate. "Well, someone's hungry."

"That's right! I promised Al I'd grow taller, and the first step to that is eating enough food!"

"And drinking milk,' Jasper said, pointing it out. Ed's face drooped when he saw that white stuff he hated so much.

"I hate milk."

"But it'll make your bones stronger, and larger!."

"No."

Winry joined in. "Aw, come on! Do it for Al!"

"Hey, no fair! You know I can't refuse that!"

Winry winked playfully at Ed. "Exactly." Edward reluctantly picked up the bottle of milk, and shakily poured it into his cup. He picked it up, scrunching his face at it. Closing his eyes tightly, he downed the whole thing in one go.

"Whoa, hey now Ed! You shouldn't drink milk that way!" Jasper frowned a little at Ed, but smiled a second later when he saw Ed's face of disgust. "You look like you're going to faint, haha!"

Ed put the cup down, and looked Jasper square in the eye. "Wouldn't-- ick -- be so funny if-- nasty --I did faint, would it, now?" Jasper turned away, but still smiled.

"Now that today's entertainment--"

"HEY!" Ed shouted.

"--Is over, let's all eat, right?" The others all agreed, and started digging in. Jasper had made extra, knowing Ed would eat a lot, but also in case some of the others wanted extra. To his surprise, however, once everyone had taken what they wanted, including himself, there was hardly any food left. "Wow, haha, we're all pretty hungry now, aren't we?"

Nice, the characters you made up are well developed, and jasper seems like a nice character... for now

and Where's Al he's my fave character in the whole series can't wait to see what happened to him

Chapter Two

By request Edward had slept on the couch in Jasper's living room. Winry had fallen asleep in the back room after finishing Ed's arm, while the two officers slept in the bedroom, one in the bed, and one in the armchair. Jasper slept on the floor of his living room so he could get Ed up as soon as he was up himself. He wanted to get up early to give Winry plenty time to fix up his arm before he left, though this meant waking her up early as well.

When he did wake up, Jasper took a good few minutes to stretch quietly. Once he finished he nudged Ed to wake him up. Nothing happened, so he tried a few more times. After several unsuccessful attempts, he looked around cautiously, then very quietly whispered into Ed's ear.

"Greeeen beeaan..." He fell backwards onto his coffee table when Ed shot off the couch, screaming.

"WHO'S SO SMALL HE COULD BE BLOWN AWAY BY A SNEEZE?!" Jasper stood up and snickered.

"Shh, you'll wake up the whole neighborhood like that."

"I don't care! Stop calling me 'green bean' already!" Ed stormed off to the bathroom, slamming the door shut. One of the officers groggily peered out of the bedroom, but just shook his head and closed the door again. Jasper figured Winry was awake, given all that just happened.

Wrong. She was still fast asleep at the table, with Ed's newly fixed-up arm ready and waiting. Jasper walked up behind her, and softly tapped her shoulder. She just sighed sleepily at first, but after a couple more nudges, she finally looked up.

"J-Jasper? What time is it?"

"About seven right now. Sorry to wake you, but I need my arm checked, please." Winry nodded a little, getting off her seat. "Do you drink coffee?"

"Tea, if you please."

"Right." Jasper left, giving Winry time to wake up a little more, and start preparing for his arm. Just then Ed walked in, coming over to look at his arm.

"Thanks... Again."

"It turned out not to be as bad as it looked, really."

"So then I shouldn't worry about full-price? Heh." A wrench abruptly struck Edward's forehead.

"Full-price!"

"OUCH! Geez, Winry, are you trying to kill me?!"

"Go wait for me in the living room. I'll come over in a minute to give you your arm, alright?" Ed frowned but agreed. After he was gone, Winry started to gather up the tools she'd need to re-attach Ed's arm, as well as the arm itself. She sat around for a few minutes, then finally had enough energy to walk out to the living room, where she found Ed relaxed on the couch, and Jasper in the middle of making some tea.

"Ah, good, you're actually awake now."

"More or less," she whispered. She was plenty tired still, but the smell of Jasper's tea perked her up a bit. She dropped a cloth on the coffee table, then placed the tools on it.

"The tea won't be much longer." Even though he had a stove, Jasper preferred to use his alchemical skills when cooking food, especially if he wanted it done in a jiffy. It was fair practice, and no doubt made things easier.

Ed sat up on the couch, and called over to Jasper. "So, what kind of alchemy do you use, exactly?"

"Lighting, kinda." He walked out of the kitchen holding a few tea cups, and the pot. "You know how energy is released in electrical currents during the use of alchemy?"

"Yeah, everyone knows that." Jasper set the cups out, and started filling them with the steaming hot tea.

"What I do, is I use energy from my body to start the alchemical reaction, then use the metal in my automail arm to enhance and guide the energy." He placed the pot carefully down on the table. "Winry specially designed my automail so that there's some durable rubber where the arm meets my body. This prevents me from electrocuting myself."

Ed looked at Jasper blankly for a moment, thinking about the skill. A second later he smiled. "Pretty unique. But doesn't it tire you out to take your body's energy for every use?"

"Yes, it does. That's why I use it in smaller quantities, like heating a pot. Remember that goon I hit back at the station in Rush Valley? I used just enough to numb his legs, which tripped him." Jasper, along with Winry, took a sip of the tea. The other officers finally dragged themselves out of the bedroom.

"Peter! Joe! This tea is great. It'll wake you up real easy." Winry was not only perked by the tea's scent, but clearly energized by the drink itself. Both took their cups, sipping up a little. The room fell silent for a few moments. Both Winry and Jasper were eagerly awaiting the opinions of the officers, while Ed was wishing he could just have his arm back.

Joe smacked his lips, and stood up straight. "Hm. Tastes good. Thank you, sir." Jasper frowned at him.

"I'm off duty."

"Huh? Oh...! Sorry, sir. I-I mean, Jasper." Rolling his eyes, Jasper turned to Peter. The look he gave him was enough.

"Um, yes, electrifying!"

"Good then," Jasper began. "Finish it up; I'll need you ready." He looked over to Winry, who had already finished her tea. "Winry?"

"Yes. Let me just get Ed's arm on, and I'll get right to you. Thank you for the tea."

"Oh it was no trouble. Please continue." Jasper directed the two officers into the dining room with him, so that Winry wouldn't be interrupted. He poured himself another cup of tea, and offered more to the officers. Joe shook his head, but Peter accepted. It wasn't long before they could hear metal connecting with metal, and a wrench being turned. Soon...

Jasper closed his eyes tightly and waited for it.

"GRRRRAAAAH! Ngh... Argh! AH! Ah... Ahhh... Ouch..." The yells from the living room couch broke the silence. It startled the, now somewhat confused, officers, but Jasper knew that it meant he had his arm back on. Right when the nerves connect... Winry walked past the dining room a minute later, calling Jasper over. He excused himself and left for the back room, giving a passing glance to Edward. He was just lying on the couch with a scrunched face. It's a painful thing, this automail... You save yourself from the every days pains of life, only to be given a complete shock when it's re-connected.

Jasper was only a few steps behind Winry when they got in the back room. Apparently she'd taken a minute to clean things up a bit before she'd come out, as Jasper could tell things looked a lot neater than last time he was in there. He sat down next to the table, and placed his arm limply on the table.

"Ready?" She asked, holding up her wrench. Jasper nodded. Thankfully, removing the arm didn't feel like much; it was only putting it on that hurt. Carefully, she loosened all the bolts that held the automail to the upper half of his left arm, which was still intact. Once fully disconnected, Winry placed the arm flat out, and started removing it's top plate, which revealed the insides. She handed the cover to Jasper, who took it carefully. He did so because, etched onto the inside of the plate, was his personal transmutation circle. If it were damaged, he'd be unable to use his alchemy without making a new one.

"So, don't you usually leave my arm on for maintenance like this?" Without looking up from her work, Winry replied.

"I have to deal with the wires. There's a risk that I may cause a feedback, which could really hurt, and possibly damage the arm more." She smiled up at Jasper. "And it's just plain easier this way."

"Right, makes sense. I'm going to step out and give you some room. Let me know when you're done, right?"

"Of course," she said, cheerfully.

~ ----- ~ ----- ~ ----- ~

"Almost ready, green bean?"

Just ignore him, Ed thought. Ignore him, ignore him, ignore him. He held up his bag for Jasper to see. The officers just waved to say they were already prepared. "Looks like we're just waiting on your arm, Jasper."

"Yes, that would be it. She should be done by--"

"Jasper! It's finished!"

"Like I said." Jasper spun around, and walked from the living room into the back room. Walking in, he saw his arm looking perfect, and even all polished up. "Oh, goodness, haha. You didn't have to polish it, but thank you."

"Don't worry about it, please. It's on me this time."

"Well then, thank you again. How much will it be?"

Edward was getting impatient again. Jasper always seemed to take him sweet time about things... Except maybe driving. From what he'd seen, it seemed like Jasper drove as fast as he legally could. Though much less apparent, even the officers were getting tired of waiting. They'd already heard him yelping from the pain, so what took so long?

"Sorry for the wait everyone! The car should be here now, so everyone pile in. Pete, Joe?" He turned to the officers, and pointed at Winry's bags that he'd just carried out.

They replied in unison. "Yes, sir."

"I'm still not on duty, but whatever. Ed, I'll be following in my car again."

"You'll get there before us, the way you drive!" Jasper caught Ed's joke.

"You're quick. You saw me driving only once, right? Haha."

"Wait a second," Ed said, staring at Jasper's automail. "Hey! WINRY! How come you didn't polish my arm?!"

"Didn't have time," she replied calmly. Ed just gave up on it. She was technically right; they'd be late of they didn't get going right then. Everyone grabbed the bags, and ran out to the black car waiting for them. After stuffing everything in, they all jumped in hurriedly. Jasper waved as they drove off, but only Winry waved back. He calmly walked to his own car, and got in. After starting the engine, his little car shot off like a bullet.

~ ----- ~ ----- ~ ----- ~

There was a knock at his door. They'd arrived, no doubt. He called them into his office: Lt. Colonel Jasper, Second Lieutenant Joseph, First Lieutenant Peter, and Major Edward. Along with the group was Miss Winry, the automail mechanic for both Edward and Jasper.

"Führer Mustang, sir!" Jasper and the officers stood straight and saluted. Ed just just put had hand to his head. Mustang saluted back. Everyone put their arms down at once, and Jasper approached him along with Edward. "As ordered, I've escorted Edward to you."

"Thank you, Jasper. Anything happen besides the incident at the Rush Valley station?"

"No, sir. All was good after that."

"He made me drink milk," Ed added quietly. Mustang laughed a little, but quickly got back to the matter at hand.

"Edward, there's another gang here, and they've got some alchemists with them."

"So I've heard."

"We need you to look for them, and take them down. The Lt. Colonel here will continue to escort you through Central City."

Jasper piped up. "Sir? Isn't that usually Major Armstrong's job?" Mustang nodded.

"Unfortunately, he's needed in East City. There's another gang there that showed up a while ago. The gang here is more recent, and you're closer."

"Right, sir. I understand."

Ed joined back into the conversation now. "Where have they been seen at?" Mustang directed the two over to the map of Central City on the wall.

"Here," he said, pointing to the north end, "here, and here." The other two locations were in the northwest area. "They've kept themselves in that general area, but they're well hidden, and experts at covering their tracks."

"When should we start?"

"Immediately. Jasper, Edward... Good luck." The three saluted to each other again, holding for a long moment. With their arms down again, the two walked out, with Winry tagging along.

"Ed...! Please, be careful."

"Come one, Winry... I'm stronger than that." Winry looked away. Ed saw this, and stopped walking. "Right, fine. I'll try not to be too reckless." Winry nodded, and watched Ed and Jasper walk off down the long hallway. She knew Edward too well. He used to do everything so carelessly, almost like he enjoyed it. But after what happened those three years ago, he'd started taking better care of himself. Even still, she knew he didn't really mean it when he actually said he'd be careful.

"Ed... Al..."

nice once again, i liked the detail you put into your writing and i got a better understanding of the two officers

Good job, man, I like it a lot!! I can't wait for chapter 3 (although I'll wait for your say-so first, ha! xD). I especially like how you portrayed Winry in chapter 2, it was spot on. Keep it up, man.