A Long Road Ahead

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Fullmetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa.

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“This will be the first time that I will meet an automail mechanic,” Armstrong said to his charges, breaking the peaceful silence, “I am quite intrigued by such a job position.”

“To be more accurate,” Anne said as she gazed at the rolling countryside, “she’s sort of a surgeon, a prosthetic harnesser, and an automail tuner. She’s an old friend, so she’ll make it cheap and do a good job.”

“Hmmm. What sort of place is Resenbool?”

The short alchemist smiled. “Oh it’s an amazing village. There isn't anything special there if that’s what you’re asking,” the smiled dropped, if only slightly, “Ever since the East Area Civil War, interesting stuff just didn't happen there anymore.”

She smiled wider as she rested her head against her hand and leaned against the window. “…..It’s a really quiet place. There’s nothing there, but it has a lot of stuff that the cities are missing,” she turned and gave the group of men behind her a big, closed-eye smile.

“But, it’s home.”

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A few hours later, the train stopped at one of the stations along the route to Resenbool.  The young blond was roused from her light nap when she heard her brother let out a pained groan. She opened her eyes to see Armstrong squishing her brother to the window as he was gazing out of said window.

“Dr. Marcoh!” Armstrong shouted at a passing gentleman with black short hair, traveling cloak, and brief case. “It is I, Alex Louis Armstrong, from Central!” The man gazed and, as if he just remembered a frightening memory-and suddenly started to run. He was gone within minutes.

“Do you know him?” her brother asked as he was released, his annoyance changing to one of curiosity.

“Yes. He is a very capable alchemist from an alchemic research agency in Central. He took part in research to use alchemy for medical purposes, but he disappeared after the Civil War.”

Anne could feel what her brother wanted to do. Standing up, he said, “Let’s stop here.”

She began to walk down the aisle before the Major’s voice stopped her.

“Oh?” Armstrong said as he too got out of his seat and followed them, Anne’s empty coat sleeve flapping against her body as she walked. “Were we not supposed to get off at Resenbool?”

Anne turned her head to gaze at the bewildered Major, as Edward and Alphonse walked out of the train. “If that guy researched what you said he did, he might know something about Human Transmutation!”

Once off the train, Anne turned to the bemused conductor and said in a polite tone, “Sorry about the trouble, we’re getting off here.”

As the two caught with the runaway Elric men, they began asking around about this ‘Doctor Marcoh’.

“Excuse me, sir?” Anne asked to a passing couple. “Did you happen to see an elderly-looking gentleman pass through here earlier?”

Further ahead of her, she gazed uninterested; her brothers and Major Armstrong had asked a few farmers who had stopped for what seemed to be a work break.

“Well, we saw Dr. Mauro pass by in a rush. He seemed to be in a hurry to get home,” answered the man as he gazed a little into the distance.

She perked up at this. “Can you tell me where current place of residence is?”

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