Author's
Note (A/N): Equivalent Trade: When Alchemy Goes Terribly Wrong is a work of my
own mind, except for the characters and the Hagaren world in general. Still,
much of it is based on material presented in Arakawa-san's manga, Hagane no
Renkinjutsuhi, therefore while tangled up in my own plot and story development
there will be spoilers upon spoilers in this fan fiction. To avoid possibly
being ruined run! Or take the chance and read on. I know you want to. ^_~
Equivalent Trade: When Alchemy Goes Terribly Wrong
By;
Chapter One:
When Alchemy Goes Terribly, TERRIBLY Wrong Part A
���� Human kind can not gain anything without
sacrificing something equivalent in value. This is the root principle of
Alchemy but the in an attempt to resurrect their dead mother the Elric
brothers, Edward and Alphonse, ignored this law and committed the forbidden act
of alchemy on a human being. The attempt to bring back their dead mother failed
miserably and the rebound cost Edward his left leg and his younger brother,
Alphonse, nearly lost his life. Only by sacrificing himself was Edward able to
anchor his younger brother's spirit to a nearby suit of armor; this second
human transmutation cost Edward his right arm. Despite the tragedy that befell
them Edward will not rest until he restores his brother to flesh and blood and
the two limbs that he lost. With the only possible way to access such
information on how to do so is by becoming an alchemist certified by the state,
Edward undergoes the excruciatingly painful of surgery of attaching mechanical
limbs to his body called automail in order to freely move around and heads to
Central to take the military exam to become a State Alchemist.
���� Knowing what they could loose by
performing another human transmutation, upon receiving his certification Edward
returns to his home town of
���� "Brother! Brother, please say
something!" Alphonse cried as he held his bleeding older brother in his
arms. The two brothers had just won an epic battle against an extremely
powerful Homunculus who called himself Sky. They're current location; deep in
an underground city inhabited by human chimera and homunculus, a city only
wrote of in the most obscure books buried deep in the archives at Central
Library and even there only hinted at as if it were a place that only existed
in a fairy tale. It would have been dark all around them if it weren't for the
soft yellow orange glow of the transmutation circle the two brothers were in
the middle of. Sky had managed to mortally wound Edward and was just about to
use him as a sacrifice to create a Philosopher's Stone when Alphonse used his
alchemic skills to repeatedly burn the Homunculus where he stood until his body
was nothing but a pile of ash on the ground.
���� "Al�" Edward weakly said opening
his eyes and looking up at the suit of armor that was his brother through
blurred vision. "I'm going to use this transmutation circle to amplify my
power, so� so you can go back to your normal body."
���� "But how, what are you going to use
for the equivalent trade?" Al questioned in a frantic voice.
���� "Myself." Edward answered.
���� "No, you can't I won't allow
it!" Alphonse said sternly as he continued to watch his brother bleed in
his steel arms. "I'm getting you out of here and to a hospital."
��������� "Damn it, listen!" Edward said sitting up which
only made him dizzy causing him to fall backward again."
���� "Brother!" Al shouted.
���� "I�m alright� as can expected to be
for a dead man." Edward said weakly giving his younger brother a slight
smile. "I'm changing you back now, while there's still life in me to trade
he said clapping his hands together then letting his left hand fall down upon
the transmutation circle. The room filled with a brilliant white light and all
Alphonse could do was watch as the light consumed everything. If only he hand
arms that could feel then he'd know if his brothers body was still there or
gone, taken away in equivalent trade. The light continued to grow in intensity
and despite not having eyes made of flesh that could be hurt by the brightness
of it Alphonse found himself overwhelmed and then suddenly everything in his
path of vision went black. Was he unconscious? Was he dead? Alphonse didn't
know which he was until he opened his eyes. He was still inside the
transmutation circle but something was different. He could feel the dirt on the
ground and how the pieces of brown gravel irritated his bare skin. He could
smell the stillness in the air and hear the hollowness of the caverns, and see
the soft yellow orange light that illuminated them. Suddenly a rush a panic
sweep over him and he inhaled deeply as he sat up. "Brother!" He
shouted looking around then sawaa body laying face down some meters away still
within the transmutation circle. He tried standing but his knees gave away and
he found himself hurriedly crawling toward the body on the ground.
"Brother?" Alphonse called again not sure if the person was dead or
alive. Carefully placing his hand on their back he could feel them slowly
breathing in and out. A wide smile lit up Alphonse's face and he started
shaking the person's body. "Brother, Edward!" Alphonse called
excitedly. "Brother, wake up!" Alphonse called as he turned the body
face up. "Brother is it really you?" Alphonse asked as he held the
person in his arms with a concerned expression on his face.
���� "What? Al?" They said upon
opening their eyes. "You're back to normal again and so am I�" Edward
smiled as he brought both hands to Alphonse's face and seeing that they were
both flesh and blood.
���� "Isn't it wonderful?" Alphonse
said as tears streamed down his face. "I can feel you touching me. I can
feel you hands touching me!" Alphonse exclaimed.
���� "Who'd figure it really work out this
time?" Edward said bringing his hands back down. "Though I wonder
what could have been taken in equivalent trade?" Edward seriously pondered
for a second then smiled as he sat up. "What am I talking about? Who
cares! We've got our original bodies and nothing seems to be wrong with us,
other than the fact that you need some clothing!" He said heavily smacking
Alphonse on the back who sweat-dropped not sure whether to he happy that he
could feel pain again or not. Alphonse was sitting on the ground without a
stitch of clothing on. The hair on his head, that laid neatly around his
shoulders, was the only thing covering any part of his body.�
���� "Here." Edward said throwing his
coat on the ground I'll transmute this into something you can wear for the time
being. It won't be much but-" Edward stopped short in his words and fell
to the ground.
���� "Brother! Alphonse said catching him.
���� "I don't know what's going on but I
don't feel right, Al. I feel strange."
���� "Maybe you're just exhausted. I'll
carry you out, after I transmute something to wear that is." Alphonse said
smiling as he laid Edward on the ground. Standing up he turned to the coat and
clapped his hands together changing it into a simple pair of pants and a white
t-shirt. After getting dressed Alphonse gathered up Edward who had fallen
asleep and draped him over his back to be carried out of the caverns piggyback
style. With the homunculus, Sky, gone and his lackeys defeated and scattered
they could sneak through the catacombs without encountering endangerment, at
least that's what Alphonse hoped as he started to shakily walk out of the
transmutation circle. Once on the bare ground he turned and to the face the
circle.
���� "I
can't just leave this thing here�"� He
thought and careful placed Edward on the ground. Clapping his hands together
again he placed them on the ground and made the dirt that transmutation circle was
drawn on shift and roll until the design was lost and the room went black.
"Oh, good grief," Alphonse said as he searched in the dark for Edward
then proceeded to carry him out to the surface.
���� In the middle of a bright meadow Alphonse
had stopped to rest after braving the treacherous journey through the
underground city up to the surface and then through a thick forest. He wasn't
sure where he was but he could finally breathe clean air for the first time in
a long time. Carefully laying Edward on the ground he sighed happily and
clapped his hands together. The dirty that accumulated on his body and clothing
while underground faded away. Clapping his hands together again he placed them
on Edward's chest and did the same, but something wasn't right. Alphonse
sweat-dropped as he tried to figure out why his brother seemed so soft up top.
Carefully placing a hand back down on Edward's chest Alphonse sweat-dropped
again and snatched it back.
���� "Oh, Edward," He moaned sounding
as if he were going to cry.
���� "Uuuugh," Edward groaned waking
up. "Hey, we're outside!" He said stretching and sitting up and
looking over at his brother. "Eh? What's wrong with you, why the down
attitude?"
���� "Edward�" Alphonse started then
paused.
���� "Just spit it out already!"
Edward boomed.
���� "Edward, look at yourself! Your body�
What happened to your body!?" Al screamed with tears in his eyes.
���� "What's wrong with my body?"
Edward mumbled looking down at himself to see what in the world his brother
could be screaming about, then he noticed it. "Huh?" Edward said
placing his hands on his chest. "What the hell!?" He exclaimed moving
his hands further down then let out a blood curdling scream.
~To Be Continued~