It's Not A Quirk! It's Alchemy! [Bnha x Fma]

Chapter 12: Miracle at Rush Valley

This chapter was seen a day earlier by the members of the Discord server.

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The train rushed along the tracks. It will reach its next stop soon. It would be good if it got to Rush Valley before noon, as the area was known to be rather hot and dry during the peak of day. So much so that even the many residents took shelter, and only the ones who were either too stubborn or dedicated to their way of life would stay out for too long.
In one of the cars of this train sat a group of four familiar faces.
    “What made you suddenly want to see your teacher?” Winry asked.
    “We’ve got two reasons.” Edward answered. “We’ve been on a losing streak lately. So anyway, we want to get stronger. That’s one.”
    “Wait. Is this some kind of combat teacher? Are you guys obsessed with fighting?”
    “You idiot! It’s not as simple as that! I mean… We don’t just want to get stronger at fighting. We want to get stronger on the inside, right?” You and Al nodded in agreement. “We want to get even stronger than before.”
    “Somehow, we feel like if we go see our sensei, we’ll get stronger.”
    “And what’s the second reason?”
    “To ask sensei about human transmutation.” Despite the fact that you learned almost everything about alchemy from your teacher, she never taught you anything about the Philosopher’s Stone or human transmutation. Either she didn’t know anything about it or she knew that getting involved with such a powerful object as the Philosopher’s Stone would lead to getting involved with a lot of dangerous business.
    But that’s why you had to ask her directly about restoring your bodies. You couldn’t worry about how you did things anymore. You had to confront your teacher, even if it meant getting killed by her. Of course, she wouldn’t actually kill you, but you still feared her response to her finding out what happened to you.
    You haven’t seen her since the three of you finished your training with her, before the night you tried to bring Trisha back. She knew nothing of your life since you left her; she knew nothing of the accident, your and Ed’s automail, Al’s body, becoming a State Alchemist, or any of the ‘adventures’ you’ve had since.
At least, you hoped she didn’t know.
    One look at Ed and Al told you that they felt the same.
    As the three of you ate some apple pie that Ms. Gracia packed for you (Al unfortunately couldn’t eat, being a suit of armor), the conversation moved onto Hughes and his family. Though Hughes often came off as a father who doted way too much on his family, he was a good man who just cared a lot for others. And he even visited you every day in the hospital, he’d even blow off work to do so. Not to mention he was helping you on your quest.
    You really should thank him in some way when you go back to Central.

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    It was sunny, not a cloud in the sky, and a gentle - almost nonexistent - breeze swept through the area. Yet, despite the lovely weather, the air was somber.
    Multiple men dressed all in black carried a coffin on their shoulders. On the wooden casket was a green cloth emblazoned by the county’s flag and the hat belonging to a fallen comrade.
    They lowered the casket into a pre dug grave in the graveyard and began shoveling dirt onto it. No one in the crowd said anything as air guns fired blanks into the air.
    A three year old girl watched the proceedings, holding tightly onto her mother’s hand. “Mommy...” She spoke out in a quiet voice. “Why are those men burying papa?”
    “Elicia….” The mother stopped short, not knowing what to say to her daughter.
    “Don’t… Papa can’t go to work if you do that.”
    “Elicia...” The mother brought her daughter close, not being able to hide her tears any more.
    “Papa said he has lots of work he needs to do! Stop it! Don’t bury him! Papa!”
   
--

    Mustang stood by the grave, even long after everyone else had left.
    “Getting a double promotion for dying in the line of duty… Brigadier General Hughes, huh...?” He muttered to himself. “You said you’d support me from below. Just what are you going to do now that you’ve gone up higher than me? You idiot.”
    “Colonel.”
    Hawkeye approached the lonesome man. “It’s gotten cold. Aren’t you going back?”
    “Yeah, I will.” Mustang replied. His eyes were once again turned to the grave.
    “Alchemists are horrible people, 1st Lieutenant.” He mused. “Right now… A part of me is desperately trying to develop a theory on human transmutation. Now I feel like I understand what those children felt when they tried to transmute their mother.”
    “... Are you all right?”
    “I’m fine.” He said, putting his hat back on. He suddenly paused. “... Oh, no. It’s raining.”
    Riza was confused. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. But when she pointed out that there was no rain, she noticed the tear running down Roy’s face.
    “No. It’s raining.”
    “... Yes. It is.” Riza said quietly. “Let’s go back. It’s getting cold.”
    Nearing the exit of the graveyard, the two spotted a familiar face, just beyond the gates. It was a face they knew well, for it was similar to their own; the eyes of a killer.