Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ The Truth Behind Melancholy ❯ Chapter 4 ( Chapter 4 )

Authors Blog: Yah so I have some artwork now. I'm just figuring out where to put it….

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It was nightfall before Amelia got time to herself having spent the whole day with Winry doing many advancements on Edward's auto mail together, even though Ed was quite persistent in telling both of them his auto mail was fine.

 

“If this is going to be some ritual I want part of it! It's very tranquil up here don't you think?” A new being was on top of the military headquarters roof. He sat next to Amelia before scooting even closer to her and placing his arm around her shoulders.

 

“Shove off!” Amelia roughly pushed off the intruder and slapped him across the face.

 

“That was mean! You hurt me! Can I have a kiss better?” A smirk crossed the shadowed mans face as he stared Amelia down.

 

“Lay off Envy. I come up here to dive into my thoughts. ALONE. If you don't mind I like it better without you here.” She turned her back to him and crossed her legs.

 

“You know you are the exact opposite of that annoying sister of yours! While she is over confident, and constantly bitching about something, you are brooding and completely depressed.”

 

“Ha ha ha! Now that's a laugh and a half. Since when am I depressed? I'm like one of the most happiest people in the world…”

 

“How hard are you studying for that state exam?” He said changing topics quickly.

 

”What's that have to do with anything?” She was facing him now. The smirk she was getting from him was making her uneasy.

 

“Well you look tired and strained. I bet after hanging out with that auto mail girl you studied more. You already know they are going to except you no matter what…”

 

“But the written…” she interrupted him before he interrupted her, “You will pass the written you know enough. Relax, and maybe come out with me tonight, you look worn. You need to do some of the exercises. You should come and talk with us homunculi, after all, I mean common when you transmuted you sister…”

 

“If you don't shut up right now I will do something rash…”

 

“Well then I better leave shan't I.”

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The exam would start in less than 5 minutes. So many `alchemists' were there to try to get the title of State Alchemist. Amelia was sitting on the steps trying her best to not shake in nervousness.

 

If she blew it on the written there was no way she would be able to stay in the military. She knew that the interview and the practical would be no problem, but she didn't know if she could handle the written.

 

She was sweating bullets.

 

Different people were showing up left right and center, but like she expected she was the only female trying out for the title. She sighed to herself finally able to calm her nerves.

 

“Alright everyone. You may now enter the exam room and good luck to you all!” A random man in a military uniform had opened the doors and walked back inside after his announcement.

 

“Alright Boots,” she mumbled to herself, “It's now or never…”

 

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Hidden in the shadows, two figures stood together.

 

“Well Envy lets see if she makes it.”

 

“Of course she will Pride. It's too important to her not too. Besides, Boots can handle herself. I trust she wont let us down. After all, she has the connection to the Fullmetal Shrimp. No she will make it. She is on our side after all.”

 

“Envy, I'm not so sure. Sure she is brilliant enough. She recreated me after all, but if the military sees through her in the interview…She never had an interview before she got into the military.”

 

“I've been with her enough the last week to know she will make it in.”

 

“I can't see how you can stand being around her so much. She doesn't deserve that of you. After all you are mine …” Pride placed her arm around Envy's waist possessively before looking up at him and batting her eyelashes.

 

“Don't forget your place Pride. Remember our mission. You need to get your head strait before I make you. Not she will get in. There is no doubt in my mind. It's what she does afterwards.” Envy was leaning against one of the walls. Pride still wrapped around him.

 

“Being a dog of the military isn't going to make her job easy, but she is with us and her loyalty lies with me. After all, we have you as a bargaining chip. She can't deny us when we could reveal you to the military...her transmuted twin sister. After all not only would she be released from the military and killed, but also her brother Mustang.”

 

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The written part of the exam was easier than she thought it would be.

 

She smiled as she exited the building, before frowning. It was suddenly really windy. With her flesh hand she grabbed her hair and made her way straight to the interviewing room. The room was packed. She was eighth in line for the interview, so she grabbed her 8 button, and sat next to a man that looked to be in his late forties with a “7” buttoned on his jacket. He was drumming his fingers on the armrest quite noisily.

 

A name was called and he stood before leaving with a very nervous face.

 

Most of them looked to be in between their late twenties all the way to the forties. A couple couldn't have been older than eighteen. She smiled as one glared at her with obvious distaste that there was a female in the room. Others looked onto her with lust in their eyes as she crossed her legs trying to hide anything they might see.

 

By the time the seventh person left the room she was almost asleep. Her name was called and she stood pulling down the hem of her skirt and tucking some blonde hair behind her ear.

 

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She left the interview room smiling. Mustang had been one of the officers looking over the interviews.

 

He smiled at her once she stood to leave before quickly putting back on his emotionless face.

 

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Now for the real test.

 

Amelia didn't know what to do for this part. Her gloves, with the abilities to use ice were good, also the symbols on her ankles would make a great boom of whatever she wanted, but both those techniques only really looked impressive when she was in a battle with limbs flying in every direction.

 

She knew though that she had to be careful. Like Edward, she only had to clap her hands to do her alchemy, an after effect of seeing the gate. If she did anything of the like, he would recognize it.

 

The man behind her pushed her roughly aside and worked his way to the front stepping out on the testing ground. He created a huge tree out of nothing but a leaf. He smiled as he stepped aside and went to the side.

 

A few others went while she was deciding herself what to do, when over the crowd she heard the red headed man she saw earlier yell, “what's a GIRL doing trying out for the State Alchemist Title. Pretty girls like you should be in a kitchen.”

 

Amelia looked scandalized.

 

The red headed man laughed along with the others around him. Amelia huffed before looking at him.

 

“I'm going next!” she exclaimed pushing her way through the crowd. She stood in the middle of the testing ground and looked in every direction. She saw Ed standing next to Mustang who had Hawkeye and some of the others she knew well standing around him.

 

`Oh crap now what?' She thought to herself a slight blush creeping onto her cheeks. `That was incredibly stupid of me…what am I going to do?'

 

She looked down at the ground and then at the pond and trees surrounding her. Doing the quick calculations in her head, she put her gloves onto her hands (more the avoid suspicion). She hoped she wasn't sweating as much as she thought she was. What she was planning on doing she had only done once before. And the last time she had fainted afterwards.

 

Fainting was possibly the worst thing you could do for this exam.

 

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Edward was so grateful to have received an invitation to the exams. He was looking foreword to seeing what the hopefuls would try in their practical. He hadn't seen one since his own.

 

Everyone seemed to be doing a fairly good job, but no one seemed to stand out.

 

Suddenly a red headed man yelled, “What's a GIRL doing trying out for the State Alchemist Title. Pretty girls like you should be in a kitchen.” He couldn't believe someone would say that.

 

Amelia took to it and pushed her way to the front.

 

The Fullmetal Alchemist could tell that she was nervous. She looked almost lost as she looked around the circle. He watched her put on her gloves and flex her automail fingers. A leave blew in the wind and she caught it.

 

Kneeled on the ground she placed the leaf before clapping her gloved hands putting the two circles together and then she placed them on the ground.

 

Right in front of her sparked and then a mud and wooden figure could be seen where there once wasn't.

 

Laughter filled the wind from everyone who was trying out for the title heaved with laughter.

 

“That's what she makes to prove herself! “

 

Wow I never knew one so pathetic could think she could make it into the military.”

 

“What a joke!”

 

She made a fist before she walked over to the mini pond. She placed her hands barely on the surface the water sparked.

 

Silence filled the area as she lifted both her hands and the water shot out of the pond into the air. Instantly, the water became an icy dagger.

 

She stomped on the ground with her right foot. A small bulls eye was now covering the stomach of the figure. She threw her hands forward and the huge icy dagger flew hitting the wooden and mud figure before it toppled. The dagger was sticking strait up in the very centre of the bull's eye.

 

The crowd was silent.

 

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Mustang smiled. Amelia was an amazing alchemist. The two of them grew up together, her using water and ice, and him fire. They would practice together all the time when they were younger.

 

But this move surprised even himself. He told himself that he wouldn't be biased and choose her just because she was his sister, and he promised himself he wouldn't choose her just because he knew she was good already, and would be good for the military.

 

This however, proved that she should be a State Alchemist.

 

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The wind had finally died down outside the Main Central HQ building. The only body that could be seen was sitting on top of the roof. The small blonde female was staring at the examining ground.

 

She was now a state Alchemist.

 

Running her flesh hand over her metal arm a small blush painted itself on her cheeks. Mustang had made her the Fullmetal's new partner. She remembered telling her brother in private that he was playing with fire, before the two of the burst out laughing and Hawkeye came rushing into his office.

 

She still couldn't believe it. Nothing good could come from being Ed's partner. Mustang had used the excuse that while he was looking for the philosopher's stone, she could be a great help knowing about human transmutation herself.

 

He would never understand how much she knew. No one would ever if she had anything to do about it. But it was becoming increasingly difficult.

 

She could feel it. She was loosing it. What held her together was disappearing. Envy was right. She needed to go see the homunculi. She needed to do her exercises.

 

Yet she wouldn't. She never could do it again. She needed to stay pure now, for the sake of the military, and the sake of her curse.

 

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Authors Blog: yes it's short I understand. But I am going through exams right now and I seem to have no time to type.

 

Next chapter will come sooner though; I already have it half written.