That Blasted
Red Stone Epilogue
By Icka! M. Chif
+++ Hakuba +++
"Stop!" Hakuba commanded
as he chased a robber down the alleyway. The robber ignored him and he swore
he could hear the sound of snicker.
Honestly, chasing after the Kaitou Kid had spoilt him. There was honour in the phantom thief, as much as it pained him to admit it. And the heists had been a hell of a lot more fun then chasing after some random purse-snatcher or figuring out why someone would commit the unpardonable sin of killing other people for petty reasons. The Kid was a challenging paradox.
But true to his word, the Kid had retired after their return from... wherever that glowing portal had landed them. He had never learned the name of the country they had been in. The lack of intellectual challenge was wearing.
And in a completely unrelated train of thought, Kuroba Kaito had taken to wearing a pair of yellow tinted glasses with square lenses during his free time. Nothing that could be proven, of course, but an interesting coincidence.
Kuroba was also taking lessons in Deutsch.
Hakuba kept his opinions, no matter how amused, to himself. He wished the other boy luck in his now legal ventures.
And who knew? The Kid was retired, not dead. Retired meant there was still the possiblity of future matches. And now he had a bit of his own edge for dealing with the Kaitou.
"Last warning!" He warned the running bandit. Yes, that was definitely a snicker from the other end of the alley.
He sighed, slowing his pace to a trot then stopped, pulling a piece of chalk out of his pocket.
Honestly, when were people going to learn that 'stop' meant 'cease motion' instead of 'run faster'?
Hakuba placed his hands against the quickly sketched array and watched with some not so small satisfaction as it lit up, blue energy crackling along the wall, by passing the running man. A second later, a huge stone fist grew out of the wall, the robber running into it and knocking himself silly.
Oops. He'd meant to try to grab the man, not knock him out. He grimaced, drawing a second array and triggered it, the fist melting back into the form it had been before. He winced, feeling the energy drain as he moved to grab the fallen robber before he regained his senses.
But then, such were the perils of being this world's only practicing alchemist.
And the best part was he was still learning.
+++ Edward +++
Ed hesitated before knocking on the familiar door of the Rockbell household, suddenly feeling awkward. They shouldn't have come here, it was too soon. But the military would be bound to show up sooner or later, wanting to know what happened to the Philosopher's stone. Mustang would want to know, never satsified with just the breif letter he'd left behind during their sudden departure. And it was probably best to tell Winry and Pinko in person. They owed them that much, after all these years.
"Ready, Al?" He whispered. Al shifted and made a hesitant noise that he took as agreement.
He knocked.
A second later, Den's barking echoed through the house and he heard Winry's voice scold the dog as footsteps moved towards the door. Ed felt a split second inclination to flee again, but stopped when Al patted him in a reassuring manner.
"Ed!" Winry's face lit up as she opened the door. "I'm so glad to see you! And... Al?!"
"Hi, Winry." He smiled weakly. Al grinned at her, waving a hand.
"Alphonse... he's human again!" She squeaked. She looked between the two of them for a moment, eyes sparkling. "You did it! Can I... would you mind a hug?"
Al's grin grew bigger as he held his arms out. Winry squeaked in delight, hugging the younger brother.
Ed found himself relaxing, a genuine smile crossing his face as she ushered both of them in and shut the door behind them. Things may not have turned out exactly like they had hoped after their rather odd guests had returned home, but it was a good start to begin over with.
And in the meantime, it was good to be home again.
-+Fin+-
The Full Metal Alchemist storyline will continue in 'The Flying Serpent'.
A Magic Kaitou continuation is currently being batted around.