[fic] That Blasted Red Stone pt IV
Jun. 24th, 2004 11:00 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ickaimpOn ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
lj_maintenance, they commented that they've run into a few issues with the internal network connections, resulting in the servers and switches being overloaded. So if LJ is being slow today for you, that's why.
Mel's a Prat, Ysabet's a Prat, Hauntress is a Prat and Morgan's a Prat. Biiiiiiiiida.
+++
Hakuba Saguru had never seen somebody's head explode before.
And upon watching Edward Elric get ready to do just that, he was pretty certain he never wanted to.
It appeared that the Kid, with the convenient shelter of the much larger Elric brother at his back, had the right idea. Even if Alphonse appeared to be a giant suit of armour.
"Brother!" Alphonse reached for his brother, the thief abandoning the cards in favour of vanishing as Edward reached for him. "Calm down, Brother!" The giant wailed, attempting to hold back his flailing cursing sibling.
"Kid!" Hakuba shouted, rising to his feet. "Just what the hell is that thing and why do you want to destroy it?!"
"None of your business!" Kid shouted back, having completely disappeared from sight. Hakuba quickly discounted Alphonse as a hiding spot again and scoured the cave with his eyes. Damn, sometimes he wondered if the kaitou was part ninja...
"It IS my business now!" He growled. "In case you haven't noticed, we're not in Japan anymore! We may not even be on our world!" Wow, now there was a thought to wrap his brain around. Later. "Pandora or what ever you call it may very well be our key to get back home!!"
Kid didn't have a witty comeback to that. And when he spoke again, Hakuba had to strain his ears over the yelling.
"People are willing to murder for this stone in our world, Hakuba-kun." The words were uncommonly sombre, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to prick upright. Is this what had driven the Kid to such lengths? That someone close to the Kid -had- been killed over it? "The less you know about it, the safer it is."
"It's a bit late for that." Hakuba pointed out. He sighed, straightening his clothing to calm fidgeting hands. "Look, Kid. I need that stone to get back. That means I need you to get back too. And like it or not, you're going to need me."
"Ho?" The tone was just this side of condescending.
"You don't speak Deutsch and I do. According to Edward-kun, it's the common language here. And if they're any indication of the natives, you aren't going to get very far around here without help. -I'm- not going to get very far without help." It hurt to admit that. But this was a strange country and he was unfamiliar with a lot of what Edward had talked about. Alchemy, transmuting things into other objects? It just hurt his head. Too much like stepping into a fairy tale. At least the phantom thief was solid, familiar. "We're going to need each other on this."
"What makes you so certain you can trust them?" Kid pointed out, clearly playing devils advocate.
"Do you?" He retorted.
Another slight pause as the Kid debated this. Hakuba finally spotted him, clinging upside-down on the ceiling like a spider, the cape tucked around him so as to not give away his location. He couldn't see the Kid's expression, but the white clad body was stiff and tense.
Of course, that may simply been caused by hanging from the ceiling by his fingertips...
"Yes." Kid finally decided, his voice coming out in a whoosh, the voice clear and determined. "For now."
"Fair enough." They didn't' have enough facts, both of them knew that. And he was a detective, he'd figure things out. Kid would most likely have his own feelers out anyway. "The stone?"
"I won't destroy it, not just yet." Kid concluded. "But I'm not just handing it over."
"I will tell them that." He turned towards the brothers, Edward seemed to be calming down slightly, his teeth slightly less sharp and face less demonic.
"Hakuba-kun?" Kid's voice cut him off.
"Yes?" He looked back up to find Kid looking at him gravely.
"Are you planning on continuing your attempt to capture me while we're here?"
He swallowed. He'd forgotten about capturing the thief for the moment. "Am I going to need to?" A thief was a thief, no matter where they were. If Kid started sending out notices here, he was going to have to get creative to find a way to incarcerate the Kid.
"Not anymore." Kid shook his head, the hat still miraculously staying on. "I got what I was looking for."
Hakuba had never entertained the possibility that Kid might retire from thieving. He felt the world tilt and take an abrupt nosedive, throwing everything off balance. "Okay then." He got out.
"Alright."
He turned to face the brothers, hiding his disquiet behind his usual stoic facade.
***
"STUPID RAT-FINK FACED BASTARD!!!" Ed howled, fighting his brother's strong grip. "GIMME BACK MY STONE! I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT A BEAN SPROUT CAN DO, I'LL RIP YOUR HEAD OFF AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR EARDRUMS!!!"
"BROTHER!" Al wailed. "Calm down!"
"Ahem." Saguru cleared his throat. "Kid says he will not destroy the stone. I think we will need it to get back home."
"Give it to me!" Finally! Progress! He slipped out of Al's grip, landing on a crouch on the floor.
"Can't do that." Saguru spread his hands apologetically.
"WHAT?!" He stepped towards the other blond, who backed up a step.
*ka-chunk*
There was a sound that had become familiar over his time with the military. A glance back showed the Kid standing on the far side of the cave, a bulky looking gun aimed at him. The white clad thief's expression was disturbingly close to Hawkeye's when she was getting ready to take someone out.
"Kid doesn't like violence." Saguru said slowly, holding his hands up in a placating gesture, one towards him, one towards the armed thief. "He mentioned that people have been killed for what ever this stone is where we come from, so I -think- he wants to destroy it to keep it out of those people's hands."
"Brother." Al rumbled. Ed let his hands drop, giving the thief a dirty look. Dammit. They were So. Close. and the stupid thief was keeping it from them.
"People are willing to kill for it here too." He growled. Saguru visibly flinched at that.
"Brother, they probably will need the stone to get back to where they live." Al pointed out, stepping closer to him in a comforting gesture.
"And how are they going to do that?" He grumbled. "I don't recognize the array that they came from and they don't know a thing about Alchemy!"
He could almost feel the pieces slide into place as he glanced up at Al and saw the same realisation there. "Library."
"Main branch would probably have the best books." Al mused.
"Central's at least a week away." Ed agreed. "They'll have to come with us."
"Wouldn't be polite to leave them stranded here."
"Nope." Ed grinned at Saguru, who was watching the exchange with an expression of mild confusion and nervousness. "Make a deal with you and your friend."
"Yes-?" Saguru said cautiously.
"We get you back to your world, you give us the stone." Ed felt the smug grin stretch across his face. Equivalent Exchange.
Saguru held up a hand, turning to the still armed thief and speaking in the other language. Kid was still for a moment, the scary expression still on his face. Hakuba added something else, longer than the original comment and Kid growled something in response, the gun disappearing to parts unseen in a smooth gesture.
"I told him the agreement." Saguru's hand dropped as he addressed them once more. "Then I mentioned that you'd need to research it at a city about a weeks travel away. He said he wanted to know more before he agreed."
"How do we know he's not going to run off?" Ed grumbled.
Saguru sighed, like he'd had this conversation before. "I need him because he's got the stone to go home. He needs me to translate for him. We need you because you know the area and how to get home. You want the stone. Therefore, it is logically sound for us all to stick together."
"Equivalent Exchange." Al agreed sagely.
Ed shrugged. Close enough. They had a plan of action at least. "Let's go then."
He clapped his hands together, grinning slightly as he felt the alchemical charge race through him before putting his hands on the wall. Violet energy flashed and flickered against the rock, a doorway forming under his hands. Al reached down and picked up the lantern they'd brought with them as he pushed open one of the doors, it opening into the corridor they had come in from.
"You ready?" He shot over his shoulder. He paused, realising that he didn't hear any other footsteps other than his brothers.
Kid had his hand on Saguru's shoulder, murmuring something soothing as the nearly white-faced boy obviously fought to keep from hyperventilating.
He blinked and looked up at Al. Al shrugged. "Guess they really are from out of town."
*** TBC ***
Think someone's trying to break Hakuba's brain. *shrugs* *wanders off*
lj_maintenance, they commented that they've run into a few issues with the internal network connections, resulting in the servers and switches being overloaded. So if LJ is being slow today for you, that's why. Mel's a Prat, Ysabet's a Prat, Hauntress is a Prat and Morgan's a Prat. Biiiiiiiiida.
+++
Hakuba Saguru had never seen somebody's head explode before.
And upon watching Edward Elric get ready to do just that, he was pretty certain he never wanted to.
It appeared that the Kid, with the convenient shelter of the much larger Elric brother at his back, had the right idea. Even if Alphonse appeared to be a giant suit of armour.
"Brother!" Alphonse reached for his brother, the thief abandoning the cards in favour of vanishing as Edward reached for him. "Calm down, Brother!" The giant wailed, attempting to hold back his flailing cursing sibling.
"Kid!" Hakuba shouted, rising to his feet. "Just what the hell is that thing and why do you want to destroy it?!"
"None of your business!" Kid shouted back, having completely disappeared from sight. Hakuba quickly discounted Alphonse as a hiding spot again and scoured the cave with his eyes. Damn, sometimes he wondered if the kaitou was part ninja...
"It IS my business now!" He growled. "In case you haven't noticed, we're not in Japan anymore! We may not even be on our world!" Wow, now there was a thought to wrap his brain around. Later. "Pandora or what ever you call it may very well be our key to get back home!!"
Kid didn't have a witty comeback to that. And when he spoke again, Hakuba had to strain his ears over the yelling.
"People are willing to murder for this stone in our world, Hakuba-kun." The words were uncommonly sombre, causing the hairs on the back of his neck to prick upright. Is this what had driven the Kid to such lengths? That someone close to the Kid -had- been killed over it? "The less you know about it, the safer it is."
"It's a bit late for that." Hakuba pointed out. He sighed, straightening his clothing to calm fidgeting hands. "Look, Kid. I need that stone to get back. That means I need you to get back too. And like it or not, you're going to need me."
"Ho?" The tone was just this side of condescending.
"You don't speak Deutsch and I do. According to Edward-kun, it's the common language here. And if they're any indication of the natives, you aren't going to get very far around here without help. -I'm- not going to get very far without help." It hurt to admit that. But this was a strange country and he was unfamiliar with a lot of what Edward had talked about. Alchemy, transmuting things into other objects? It just hurt his head. Too much like stepping into a fairy tale. At least the phantom thief was solid, familiar. "We're going to need each other on this."
"What makes you so certain you can trust them?" Kid pointed out, clearly playing devils advocate.
"Do you?" He retorted.
Another slight pause as the Kid debated this. Hakuba finally spotted him, clinging upside-down on the ceiling like a spider, the cape tucked around him so as to not give away his location. He couldn't see the Kid's expression, but the white clad body was stiff and tense.
Of course, that may simply been caused by hanging from the ceiling by his fingertips...
"Yes." Kid finally decided, his voice coming out in a whoosh, the voice clear and determined. "For now."
"Fair enough." They didn't' have enough facts, both of them knew that. And he was a detective, he'd figure things out. Kid would most likely have his own feelers out anyway. "The stone?"
"I won't destroy it, not just yet." Kid concluded. "But I'm not just handing it over."
"I will tell them that." He turned towards the brothers, Edward seemed to be calming down slightly, his teeth slightly less sharp and face less demonic.
"Hakuba-kun?" Kid's voice cut him off.
"Yes?" He looked back up to find Kid looking at him gravely.
"Are you planning on continuing your attempt to capture me while we're here?"
He swallowed. He'd forgotten about capturing the thief for the moment. "Am I going to need to?" A thief was a thief, no matter where they were. If Kid started sending out notices here, he was going to have to get creative to find a way to incarcerate the Kid.
"Not anymore." Kid shook his head, the hat still miraculously staying on. "I got what I was looking for."
Hakuba had never entertained the possibility that Kid might retire from thieving. He felt the world tilt and take an abrupt nosedive, throwing everything off balance. "Okay then." He got out.
"Alright."
He turned to face the brothers, hiding his disquiet behind his usual stoic facade.
***
"STUPID RAT-FINK FACED BASTARD!!!" Ed howled, fighting his brother's strong grip. "GIMME BACK MY STONE! I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT A BEAN SPROUT CAN DO, I'LL RIP YOUR HEAD OFF AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR EARDRUMS!!!"
"BROTHER!" Al wailed. "Calm down!"
"Ahem." Saguru cleared his throat. "Kid says he will not destroy the stone. I think we will need it to get back home."
"Give it to me!" Finally! Progress! He slipped out of Al's grip, landing on a crouch on the floor.
"Can't do that." Saguru spread his hands apologetically.
"WHAT?!" He stepped towards the other blond, who backed up a step.
*ka-chunk*
There was a sound that had become familiar over his time with the military. A glance back showed the Kid standing on the far side of the cave, a bulky looking gun aimed at him. The white clad thief's expression was disturbingly close to Hawkeye's when she was getting ready to take someone out.
"Kid doesn't like violence." Saguru said slowly, holding his hands up in a placating gesture, one towards him, one towards the armed thief. "He mentioned that people have been killed for what ever this stone is where we come from, so I -think- he wants to destroy it to keep it out of those people's hands."
"Brother." Al rumbled. Ed let his hands drop, giving the thief a dirty look. Dammit. They were So. Close. and the stupid thief was keeping it from them.
"People are willing to kill for it here too." He growled. Saguru visibly flinched at that.
"Brother, they probably will need the stone to get back to where they live." Al pointed out, stepping closer to him in a comforting gesture.
"And how are they going to do that?" He grumbled. "I don't recognize the array that they came from and they don't know a thing about Alchemy!"
He could almost feel the pieces slide into place as he glanced up at Al and saw the same realisation there. "Library."
"Main branch would probably have the best books." Al mused.
"Central's at least a week away." Ed agreed. "They'll have to come with us."
"Wouldn't be polite to leave them stranded here."
"Nope." Ed grinned at Saguru, who was watching the exchange with an expression of mild confusion and nervousness. "Make a deal with you and your friend."
"Yes-?" Saguru said cautiously.
"We get you back to your world, you give us the stone." Ed felt the smug grin stretch across his face. Equivalent Exchange.
Saguru held up a hand, turning to the still armed thief and speaking in the other language. Kid was still for a moment, the scary expression still on his face. Hakuba added something else, longer than the original comment and Kid growled something in response, the gun disappearing to parts unseen in a smooth gesture.
"I told him the agreement." Saguru's hand dropped as he addressed them once more. "Then I mentioned that you'd need to research it at a city about a weeks travel away. He said he wanted to know more before he agreed."
"How do we know he's not going to run off?" Ed grumbled.
Saguru sighed, like he'd had this conversation before. "I need him because he's got the stone to go home. He needs me to translate for him. We need you because you know the area and how to get home. You want the stone. Therefore, it is logically sound for us all to stick together."
"Equivalent Exchange." Al agreed sagely.
Ed shrugged. Close enough. They had a plan of action at least. "Let's go then."
He clapped his hands together, grinning slightly as he felt the alchemical charge race through him before putting his hands on the wall. Violet energy flashed and flickered against the rock, a doorway forming under his hands. Al reached down and picked up the lantern they'd brought with them as he pushed open one of the doors, it opening into the corridor they had come in from.
"You ready?" He shot over his shoulder. He paused, realising that he didn't hear any other footsteps other than his brothers.
Kid had his hand on Saguru's shoulder, murmuring something soothing as the nearly white-faced boy obviously fought to keep from hyperventilating.
He blinked and looked up at Al. Al shrugged. "Guess they really are from out of town."
*** TBC ***
Think someone's trying to break Hakuba's brain. *shrugs* *wanders off*
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-06-25 12:00 am (UTC)And poor Hakuba-kun... magic and alchemy really aren't something good for his continued mental health, are they? XD;;
no subject
Date: 2004-06-25 02:49 am (UTC)XD Someone! Someone, please draw lil ol Ed yelling that at Kid!! XD
"Guess they really are from out of town."
XD Understatement of the year. XD
no subject
Date: 2004-06-25 05:26 pm (UTC)Must... resist... GAH!!
I'll draw it. I'll notefy when it will be put up.
no subject
Date: 2004-06-25 06:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2004-06-25 08:46 pm (UTC)Yay!!!
::snerk::
Date: 2004-06-25 10:05 am (UTC)::collapses, laughing:: For additional inspiration (you may need it, considering how easily Ed explodes) and look in Midsummer Night's Dream - the fight between the girls has some marvelous height-related insults.
no subject
Date: 2004-06-25 02:03 pm (UTC)And I accept and embrace my Inner Pratness. So there. Biiiiiiidah!!!
no subject
Date: 2004-06-26 07:27 am (UTC)(Kosagi pouts, then notes that she's more of a snert than a prat.)