Hagane no Renkinjutsushi - Chapter 2

Hagane no Renkinjutsushi - Chapter 2

Hagane no Renkinjutsushi
Written by Rikdo Osaka
Rewritten by Syldoran

Chapter 2: Meeting the Teacher

Sara and Al chorused a sigh as they closed yet another alchemy book. Their father's study was full of the things, keeping them rather busy in the three days it'd been since their mother's death.

"Sara, do you think we should get an teacher that knows alchemy?" Al asked. Sara gave it a moment's thought.

“I like that idea, it'd make it easier for us to understand all of this,” Sara agreed.

Al hesitated for a moment, then said, “Sara, do you think we really should be doing something like this? I mean, every one of these books-” he gestured to the piles, “-have said human transmutation is forbidden. If we 're really going to do it, maybe we should ask for Dad's help-”

"We don't need that bastard's help!!" Sara interrupted, her yell echoing back at her off the walls. She nearly dropped the books she was holding in sheer rage.

“S-sorry,” Alphonse.

"Fine... let's go, Al," Sara ordered leaving the room followed by her brother.

The two kids entered the house of Winry and her grandma to the pleasant sound of food being made in kitchen. They walked in and saw Winry setting the table while Granny Rockbell was doing the cooking. They sighed and took a seat in their own chairs waiting for food to be ready before they bombed Pinako with the question.

"Dinner will be ready soon," said Granny. Sara frowned but didn't say anything.

"Hey, I wanted to say that you can call this place your new home," Winry said with a grin. Sara and Al nodded to show they heard her.

Sara looked at Al, who give her the "tell her" look, and turned her head to face Winry's grandma. "Oh Granny Rockbell, after we eat, there's something we'd like to tell you.”

"You can ask me now if you like." Granny Rockbell said, continuing to focus on her cooking.

"Uh... well.. we were wondering if you knew any alchemy teachers around?" Sara asked.

"Alchemy teachers? Well, there's Izumi Curtis in Dublith," Pinako answered, turning off the fire. “Though her taking apprentices is rather unheard of.”

"Izumi Curtis? Isn't she the one that can do alchemy without a transmutation circle?" Al asked with a smile as Winry put on oven mitts and helped her grandma by serving the food.

"Yes. May I ask why you want an alchemy teacher?" the old woman asked rising an eyebrow at them.

"Uhh... well... Mom used to say that we'd be great alchemists, and we want to prove it," lied Sara quickly.

"I see... well we're talk more about this after we finished eating." Granny said as all started to dig into their soup.

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"Thanks, Mrs. Harrison." said as a teenage couple as they got their change and left with the food they bought.

The store owner, known as Mrs. Harrison, smiled at the young couple leaving the store and knew that sometime that Al and Sara would have someone. She felt sorry for the two Elrics, and always tried to support whenever they appeared to get candy or food. The ring of the bell snapped her from her thoughts as the two siblings came in.

"Hey, Mrs. Harrison, can we ask you something?" Al asked, as Sara stood by his side.

"Sure, what is it?" Mrs. Harrison asked, smiling at the two.

"We were wondering if you could take us to Dublith to see Izumi Curtis," Sara said putting her hands into her pockets. "We want to become her students."

Mrs. Harrison was shocked that they would want to be the students of Izumi Curtis, known everywhere in Amestris as the woman who could do alchemy without a transmutation circle. She sighed, knowing that changing their minds wasn't going to happen anytime soon, so she was going to take them there anyways.

"Fine, I want you to go to the train station and wait for me while I talk to my daughter about taking over the store for me,” Mrs. Harrison said, earning a nod from the two children.

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Al and Sara waited at the train station for Mrs. Harrison to arrive. To pass the time, they looked at the time board, where it listed the arrivals and departures of trains. From this, they learned that the train they were to take was due to leave soon, making a stop in Dublith before continuing to Osaka.

"Well, she better hurry if we going to go on this train," Sara said with a sigh.

"Don't worry about it, I'm sure she would make it," Al reassured her, and then asked, "What do you think Izumi is like, Sara?"

"How should I know? I never met the woman!" Sara exclaimed, making Alphonse laugh a bit.

Sara smiled at her brother and jokingly snapped him on the back of the head before going back to waiting for Mrs. Harrison. It didn't long for them to see her jogging up to them with a little bag filled with food.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, let's go get our tickets,” said Mrs. Harrison, trying to catch her breath.

Sara and nodded their heads before following Mrs. Harrison to the ticket manager and got themselves three tickets. All three boarded the train before Winry and her grandma ran up to the train car they were on.

"We just wanted to say 'bye before you leave and stay out of trouble while in Dublith,” Winry giggled getting a smile from Sara and Al.

"Don't worry about us, we're going to be fine!" came the enthusiastic reply from Sara and Al. The train conductor called for passengers to begin boarding soon before the train left, as Winry and and her waved them goodbye, and it soon disappeared.

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A window slid open, and Sara poked her head out and saw the town of Dublith up ahead. She was amazed at how beautiful the place was with its village-like feel, with its buildings and clean-looking streets. The train stopped at the station, leaving behind about one hundred people who came to Dublith for a vacation or to see family.

"So, where should we start?" Sara asked, as her and the other two left the station and walked into the streets.

"Ask around the town," Mrs. Harrison responded. "That way we can find Curtis' place much easier.”

"Hey you! Where does Izumi Curtis live?” Sara yelled pointing to a kid with a tool box. He jumped when she shouted.

"She should... be working over there,” the kid said pointed to a building that sold meat.

"Alright, thanks," said Sara as the kid ran away from the 'scary girl' and then turned around to Al and Mrs. Harrison, who sweatdropped. "That was easy!"

"Never mind, let's just go," Al remarked. The three headed to the meat store and entered to see a husky and well-built man standing behind the counter giving change to a mother. Sara and Al looked at each other and went up to the man when the woman left the store. The two kids could guess this man was the husband of Izumi Curtis and looked like he was a man of a few words.

"We're looking for Izumi Curtis!" the two kids said in an eagerly tone.

"Why are you looking for me?" a fit-appearing woman asked, coming from a back room.

Before she knew it, the two kids were on their knees yelling, “Make us your apprentices!”

"No,” was what she responded with, a little taken back by the wild request from these children. "You two are far too young to be my apprentices! Besides, what would your parents think?"

"They don't have family, at least, not anymore," Mrs. Harrison said, walking up to the woman. "Their father left them and their mother passed away recently.”

Izumi looked at the determined eyes of Sara and Al; their expressions told her they weren't stupid and were willing to learn from her at whatever cost. She smiled at the two, turned to go back into the room that she came from, getting confused glances exchanged between the Elrics.

"Well, aren't you coming?" the woman asked stopping mid-way.

"What?" Al asked, looking up at Izumi.

"If you're both serious, come on,” Izumi said, gesturing with one hand into the room.

"So you really intend to teach us alchemy?" Sara asked, thinking this was going to be easier than she originally thought.

"If you pass the test I have in store for you, then I will teach you, but if you don't, you'll be sent straight back home. Understand?" Izumi asked, expecting a suitable answer.

"Of course, we won't let you down!" Al exclaimed.

"You can count on us!" Sara said, as the two got back up and followed the older woman into the room. Mrs. Harrison smiled and left the store, looking for an inn to stay at so she could catch a train home in the morning.

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The next morning, the mainland was slowly disappearing from view as the small boat rowed farther and farther away, and closer to a small island. Sara and Al passed time by playfully sticking their hands over the side of the boat and splashing each other's faces, laughing joyously. In no time, they made it to land and all three climbed out of the craft, all but the man who rowed them out. The kids looked around seeing nothing but trees up ahead (which was still neat in their eyes) until Izumi walked up behind them.

"Do we begin our..." Sara didn't get a chance to finish when she was handed a leather sheath with a dagger-style knife inside.

"You'll be on this island for the next month," said Izumi, her dark eyes intently focused on her possible to-be apprentices. "You two are to survive on your own until the end of that time. If you can't, that shows me that you aren't worth my time to train. There's no alchemy permitted while you are here. You are to survive on your own, with nothing but the knife you have now.”

"What!?" they both yelled.

"And one last thing," Izumi said, looking back at the two shocked kids. " 'All for one and one for all.' You must be able to tell me exactly what that means. If you can't, you'll fail."

Izumi turned and got back into the boat before it left them behind on the island to survive on their own. A rather mad Sara ran up to edge of the water and started to yell at the top of her lugs.

“Get back here, you old hag!" When Sara screamed this, a rock was thrown back, hitting her squarely in the head and knocking her down.

"She's scary..." Al muttered, dragging his sister into the forest.