Chapter 1 - The Beginning Was the End

Her story was not a plesant one. Then again, most stories aren't. But hers... Her was different. Love, loss, greed, power... These all played a part in her ultimate demise.

This...

This is the story.

The story of Hikari Motocaru.
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It was a hot day in Dublith as a girl about the age of 12 was playing in a yard. She had short silver hair, electric blue eyes and she wore a white t-shirt with a evil smilie face on it and a pair of blue-jean shorts.

"And this line goes here...." she grinned and placed her hands on the ground. After a faint light, a little statue of a dog stood in the middle of the transmutation circle she had drawn. "Now I can finally play circus..."

"HIKARI!" an angry felmale voice shouted from the home behind her and Hikari flinched, looking back with a nervous smile.

"Y-yes, sensei?"

"Don't 'yes sensei' me. Did you leave those dirt statues on my clean floor?" the woman asked, her hands on her hips. She had long black hair in braids pulled back into a ponytail, deep black eyes, and she wore a white no sleeved shirt and black pants.

"Y-yes, but-"

"Don't you but me! Get yours in the house and clean it up!" she shouted and Hikari ran inside, ducking as she passed her sensei. She sighed heavily and went inside, watching as the young girl wet a mop and ran around the kitchen, cleaning up the statues that had obviously left dirt tracks on the floor. "Hikari..."

"Yes, Izumi-sensei?" she looked up momentarily, then went back to cleaning.

"You're training is done you know. I have nothing left to teach you. The only thing you have to do now is take the techniques I taught you and use them to the best of your ability."

Hikari stopped mopping and looked up at her. Her face was blank but Izumi knew how sad and broken she was on the inside.

"... Arigatou, sensei." she bowed and Izumi bent down, hugging her. Hikari gripped Izumi's shirt tightly, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Izumi rubbed her back, trying her best to comfort her. "S-sensei, I-I do-don wanna leave..." she hiccuped, digging her face in her teacher's chest.

"Now now, Hikari. Don't be selfish. Sig and I are going on vacation. And we can't leave you here by yourself. And besides." she pulled back and smiled. "You have a little sister to take care of right?"

Hikari nodded and wiped her cheeks. "Okay... I'll go home."

"That's a good girl." Izumi ruffled her hair. "Now remember what I taught you: Never use those powers for bad, understand?"

"Of course, sensei."Hikari gave her a big smile.

~~~~~~~~~
Three years later....
~~~~~~~~~

Hikari smiled to herself, gazing over her handi-work.

"Okay... Got the remains, blood, circle..." she knelt down next to it, then looked up at the ceiling, remembering that day with her teacher, then back down at the circle. "This doesn't qualifly as 'bad'.... Sorry sensei...My skills are beyond the scales of good and bad." she muttered, then cut her finger, setting it on the circle. Bright yellow lights flashed and flickered, then it turned to black and purple. The smile instantly faded from her face and she cursed, loudly, trying to move back. But before she could, she found yourself in a room.

A room of nothing but white.

"Wha-what the..." she turned around and she saw a giant door-like thing standing in front of her. "A-a gate...?"

"That's right, Miss Alchemist..." a shadowy figure that was sitting next to the gate replied. "And guess what's in it?"

"... I don't know. And what exactly are you supposed to be?"

"Me? I guess I'm what you could call the 'truth', if you will." it grinned. And for coming here, you get to see, the 'truth'." it stated and the doors opened. Right before Hikari's eyes everything that every existed passed before her eyes, she gripped her head, when she thought it would explode and suddenly she was back in front of the gate and with the 'truth' thing.

"I-I saw it.... I almost saw all of it!" Hikari gasped, falling to her knees. "I saw how to do it, I saw, I saw!!"she looked back the 'truth'. "Put me back, I almost had it! Put me back!!"

"Silly girl... Don't you realized you haven't paid enough?"

"P-paid?"

"The toll for seeing the truth. That's all you get for just your ears." it grinned, ears appearing on the 'truth' and Hikari was sent back to the house where the transmutation took place. There was no sound, but a sharp pain on both sides of her face where her ears were. She reached up, but felt nothing. She heard nothing. But she new she was screaming. The pain wasn't that bad, but what she saw in the place of the body scared the hell outta her, a reaked of rotting flesh. After a few moments, there were hands on her shoulders, pulling her out of the room. She looked back and saw her sister's face, full of fear, and laced with tears.

"I-I'm sorry, Soichido..."

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Momentarily Hikari’s eyes opened and there stood a face in front of her. The female had shoulder length silver hair. Her grey eyes were filled with tears. Her attire was a white sundress that came to her knees.


Hikari's eyes looked around her surroundings then to Soichido. Her mouth began to speak but, she couldn’t hear herself talking. Soichido picked up a piece of paper and wrote something.

It read:

Hikari… you’re ears are missing. What were you thinking?

Hikari closed her eyes and in took everything she read. How could this be? What was going on? Then she remembered what the voice told her,



“The toll for seeing the truth. That's all you get for just your ears.”



The meaning of everything, ‘The Law of Conservation’.



‘Human kind can not get anything without first getting something in return, this is Alchemy first law of equivilant exchange.’



‘For me to learn what the ‘truth’ was I had to pay a price? That price had to be my ears.... I now know what Izumi-sensei ment.’ Hikari thought as she looked at her sister grabbing the piece of paper she wrote down.



Soichido I have to go, I must do something.



She stood up.



Soichido took the pad a wrote down something.



Where are you going?! You’re not well enough!



Hikari shook her head.



"Just wait for me."


Hikari turned to walk away, but Soichido grabbed her arm, trying to pull her back, but the look she gave her when she turned around made her release her again. Hikari managed to stagger out of the room, and the door slammed, signaling that she was gone. Soichido wanted to cry. She wanted to scream, run after her only family, the only thing she had left in the world, but she didn't. Something about the way her sister acted... She knew she would be okay.


A deep groaning sound from the room Hikari had commited her sin in. Soichido slowly stood up and walked over, opening the door, a bloodied hand reached out and gripped her leg, trying to pull her into the room. Soichido screaed and kicked her foot free, staring at the deformed blob of a creature. She covered her mouth in dispair, surprise and digust.


"M-mommy... D-daddy...?" she knelt down in front of the groaning blob of flesh, bone and skin, tears forming in her eyes. "Oh, kami... What has my sister done?"


~Two months later; Central Command~


Hikari sat in the office of Colonel Roy Mustang, wearing a black coat with a white pawprint on the back, a pair of blue-jeans, a black tank-top and a pair of black boots. Roy looked at her for a moment, then passed her some files. She picked them up, nodding her head in thanks. She opened it and saw her picture, along with some other information. Under her name in big blod letters, read "DarkAngel Alchemist".


"Really? Dark Angel, hmm? They certainly go all the way with these names, don't they?" she asked, closing the file. Roy held up a piece of paper he had just written on and it read,


"Some of the military scientists would like to talk with you."


"Oh? Do you know what for?"


Roy shook his head.


"I'll be sure to see them... Anyway, on a nother note... Did you get in contact with my sister?"


Roy nodded.


"And? Is she able to come to Central?"


Roy scribbled on the paper and this time it said, "She doesn't have the money."


"That's not a problem. I'll send her the money, and she'll come here... Please, Colonel. When she gets here, could you see after her for me." Hikari stood up and bowed. "I'm going to go send the money. Sayonnara, Colonel."


Hikari left his office and went to the Tresurey, were she took out some money from her funding account for the fare and more so Soichido could have a little extra money. She sent the money out, and went to the labratory section of the military. Instantly two scientists, both male and decked out in lab coats, met her and led her to the back. Pass all the labs and holding cells, they led her into a dark, office-like room where a male sat at a desk and two female scientists stood on opposite sides of him. He smiled and the two males set her down in a chair. The lead scientist held up a card that said,


"Hello Miss. Motocaru. You might be wondering what this is all about. To put it simply. We want to help you gain your hearing back. All you have to do is agree to help us."


"Help you do what, exactly?"


He held up another card.


"To make you the best alchemist... and sister you could ever want to be."


Hikari flinched and looked in her lap, chewing on her lip. She looked back up at the scientist, and nodded.


"Alright. I'll help you."

_____________________________________________________________

Hikari was walking down the hallways of the military command a few hours after her 'meeting' with the scientists, when she suddenly felt someone crash into her. She reeled around and saw the most beautiful, smiling face she'd ever seen. And for the first time in a long time, Hikari smiled.

"Soichido..."

Soichido looked up tears in her eyes. Her attire was a pair of blue jeans and a tank top that showed parts of her stomach. She had grown taller form the couple of mouths they’ve been apart. Bags set on the floor as the girl in her arms smiled slightly.



Holding out a piece of paper she had down.



‘How have you been, Kari-kun?’



Hikari smiled and stated ‘fine.’



Hugging her again Hikari kissed her cheek.



“I’m glad your living in Central now, I know you’ll be in good hands.” Hikari stated and Soichido smiled as she grabbed her bags. Hikari grabbed her hand and lead her to a office knocking on it, she waited for a moment, then opened the door.



“Colonel, this is my sister Soichido.” Hikari introduced and Roy smiled and stood up as Soichido bowed as blushed.



“It’s a pleasure Colonel.”



“The pleasure is all mine.” Roy stated kissing her hand. Soichido blushed and looked at him. Roy smiled and grabbed a piece of paper writing something on it.



‘The scientist want you there tomorrow morning around 7:30.’



Hikari nodded.



Soichido looked confused and Hikari shook her head.


"Don't worry about it, Soichi-chan." Hikari smiled. "So, how do you like the city so far?"


Soichido nodded and held up a shopping bag. Hikari sweatdropped.


"Ah, you'll fit in just fine..." Hikari smiled. "C'mon, let's go to my house."


Roy shook his head and scribbled on a piece of paper, then held it up.


"C'mon Dark Angel. This is your sister's first day in Central. Why not take her out, see the sites?"


"You can take her out if you want, Colonel. I have a busy day tomorrow, and I'm going home." Hikari waved her hand and turned to walk off down the hallway. Soichido blushed as she looked up at Roy, who smiled down at her.


"Soichido, I'll be off in about half an hour. Come sit in my office while you wait."


She looked back at Hikari, who smirked at her holding up her thumbs.



Soichido blushed and looked down at her lap as she sat down. Hikari headed out the door and bumped into someone.



"Oh, excuse me." A male stated. He was short and had blonde hair that was tied into a low braid. His golden eyes looked at her as he helped her up. His attire was a pair of black pant and black tanktop with a coat that had a cross with a snake wrapped around it, as a crown sat on top.



Reading his lips she nodded and continued to walk. Stopping when she walked by a metal armor that spoke.



"A soul attachment?" She question and the armor laughed nerviously. Sighing she continued out HQ and home.



~&~&~&~&~

With Soichido

~&~&~&~&~


Soichido sat patiently in the chair across from Roy's desk, watching him curiously as he fumbled through file after file. Soichido laughed a little and stood up.

"Want some help?"

"As much as I would love that, you couldn't possibly know what to do with these files." he sighed heavily, leaning back in his chair. Soichido frowned and touched the files. A few moments later, they were all neatly stacked on the corner of his desk, his signature on all the files that needed to be signed. Roy stared at her in disbelief and Soichido smiled, blowing on her fingers.

"You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, Colonel."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind... Well, now that I'm finished, we can go out to the city." he stood up and held out his arm. Soichido blushed and grabbed his arm, letting him lead her out of his office. "So, you can do alchemy?"

"Oh, just a little... After Hikari left, I dabbled in it for a while. Picked up some handy little tricks." she smiled up at him. "So, what're we gonna do today?"

"Oh.. hmm, tell me... Do you like carnivals?" he asked and she nodded.

"Oh, yes! I've only been to one, but it was REALLY fun!"

"Alright, alright..." Roy chuckled. "That's where we're going then. You want to drop your bags off at your sister's place?"

"No... knowing Hikari, she'll be asleep... And she's not very nice when somebody wakes her up. I'll take it by later...."

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Hikari sighed heavily as she walked into her apartment, running her fingers through her hair. She closed the door and threw off her coat, moivng straight into the bathroom. She ran the shower and peeled off her clothes and stepped into the warm shower. After a couple of minutes, she stepped out, wrapped a towel around herself and walked into her room, falling down on the bed. Looking up at the ceiling, she smiled to herself and closed her eyes.

"If what they say is true... Soichido... You and I can be a real family again..." she whispered to herself and rolled over, falling asleep.


It seemed like Hikari had only been asleep for minutes before Soichido opened the door. She had a huge smile on her face and a bear in her hand. Heading into Hikari's room, she thought Hikari was sleep and turned to walk out.

"How was it?"

Soichido blushed and picked up a pad of paper.

"Uh, it was fun..."

Hikari grinned and rolled over.

"So I guess he won that for you. Did you kiss em?"

Soichido's mouth fell open and she buried her face in the bear.

"Hikari, yamete. You're doing this on purpose." She wrote down.

Hikai smirked at her sister sitting up and smiling.

"Looks like the Colonel has taken a liking to you Soichido. Don't you come around here with no babies."

"Shut up, Hikari! I'm going to go take a shower." Soichido stated and went to open her suitcase and pulling out her nightgown and underclothes. Headed to the shower, starting the hott water she got in.

"So relaxing." She purred sighing. Soon enough she stopped the water and got out drying off, before putting on her clothes, she picked up the necklace she was wearing. It had a picture of her, Hikari, and there dead parents smiling up at her. Smiling to herself, she placed it back on her neck. "It's good to be home... Hikari."

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Hikari woke the next morning about 6:30, and yawned, getting out of bed. She went and took a quick shower and dressed in her military uniform, then went to Soichido's room to check up on her, but she wasn't there. Raising her eyebrow, she walked into the kitchen and saw her sister cooking breakfast. She looked back and smiled, holing up a piece of paper that said, "Morning Kari. Breakfast?"

Hikari shook her head.

"No, I have to leave for work... Sorry Soichi."

Soichido looked puzzled, then scribbled something down.

"Oh... Well, I'll be coming by the command soon. Roy said I might have a chance of becoming a state alchemist."

Hikari flinched, then shook her head. "Soichido, you don't want to do that..."

"But it's something I want to do!"

"No, Soichido..."

"I'm going and that's final!"

"But..."

Soichido turned her back to her sister, signaling the end of the conversation. Hikari sighed heavily and grabbed her keys muttering a 'see you later', before leaving. Soichido looked at the door, then sighed, fixing herself a plate of food.

"Selfish baka..."

_____________________________________________________________


Hikari arrived at the Central command and went back to the labs where she first met the scientists the other day. Instantly the same group of men and women she met before greeted her and the head scientist smiled. He held up a card.

"Are you ready?"

Hikari nodded.

"As I'll ever be."

They led her to a room similar to a regular bedroom and held up a sign that said for her to get comfortable. It could be a while before they could start. Hikari kicked off her boots and shrugged off her jacket, sitting down on te bed.

"Get comfortable, eh?" she laid down and crossed her arms behind her head, staring up at the ceiling. "I just want to have a regular life again...."

~~~~~~~~
In a serveilance room...
~~~~~~~~

All the scientists sat in a servielance room, camera screens displaying what was happening in the room Hikari was in. One of them looked back to the leading man.

"Richard, she isn't going to sleep..."

He smirked.

"Give her the gas. She's not going anywhere..."

The male pressed a glowing green button and instantly green colored gas began spraying into the room from the air vents. Hikari stood up and looked around, then went to the door, tugging and banging on it. It was locked, of course, and she cursed loudly before falling to her knees against the door.

"T-those bastards tricked me..." she muttered, and slumped over, having been knocked out from the gas. Richard smirked again and snapped his fingers.

"Let the experiment begin."

_____________________________________________________________


Hikari sat with her knees to her chest, completely naked, in a room of nothing but white. She buried her face in her arms, wrapping them around her form tighter.

"So.. cold...not.. fair..." she whispered.

Something soft and warm nuzzled against her arms, then against her back. Looking up, she saw a fox, coat a red as fire with white tips on its paws and tail in front of her, his eyes black as coal. Looking behind her, she saw a pure white dog with blue eyes and a fluffly tail. It walked over with the fox and Hikari reached out to touch them.

"You are..." she whispered and as soon as her hand touched them, they mixed together, then mixed in with her body. "Wha?"

Then, everything went dark.

_____________________________________________________________

"Well.... It's done. Are you happy Richard?"

"...Not at all."

"But, she's the perfect specimine! She looks just like a human!"

"Too human. If the Fuhrer knew what happened here, it would be all our lives."

"So... What should we do with her?"

"We have no need for her anymore. Dispose of her."

"Dis... pose?"

"Kill her, you idiot!!"

Hikari laid there, on the cold ground of an experiment tank, gazing out at the men and woman who had tricked her into being a pawn in thier experiment. But.. she could hear them. Heard everything they were saying. Slowly she reached up to the side of her face, but still she felt nothing.

'How then...' she wondered, then moved her hand to the top of her head, coming in contact with something soft and fuzzy. Instantly her eyes widened. Sitting up, she felt the new fox ears that sat on top of her head. Anger bubbled up inside her and she growled, standing up and banging on the glass of the tank.

"YOU BASTARDS!" she screamed. "Y-you did this to me!! You turned me into a chimaera!!!"

Every scientist except for Richard backed away from the glass. He merely stood there, watching her. The glass began cracking and Hikari snarled, crashing into the glass ad breaking it, landing right in front of him. She grabbed him by the collar.

"You son of a dog... You stupid, son of a dog..." she growled, tears streaming down her cheeks. "All I wanted was to have a normal life with my sister, and you go and do... THIS to me!"

"You agreed to it, I believe... All we said was that we'd give you your hearing back, which we did." he smirked and there was a loud pop, sort of a bang, and Hikari felt a sharp pain in her abdomen. Letting go of Richard, she looked down and saw blood flowing from her stomach, and the gun in Richard's hand. "Unfortunately, we can't let you live."

Hikari stumbbled backwards and gripped her stomach, still growling. "You.. ALL of you.. Will pay.. Dearly.. for this..." she coughed, blood seeping out of the corner of her mouth. "This.. is FAR from over..."

"Oh trust me... It is." Richard shot again, and once again, Hikari's entire world went black.

END CHAPTER 1

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