Chapter Text
The rumble of the train was close to euphoric, almost enough to put him to sleep. At least, it would have been if his contact hadn't been a no-show. As the train pulled out of the station and began to pick up speed, Tomoyo Naragashi sighed, irritated now. "Great," he said aloud, mumbling to himself. "That idiot's always late."
Sitting up in his chair, the nineteen year old man folded his hands in front of him. His blond hair fell forward with this movement, some of which fell over his blue eyes. This only served to annoy him even more. He brushed back these loose strands of hair back out of his face before fishing a strap of cloth from his pocket, a remnant of his mother's favorite dress. It was faded and old, but it would do the job. He tied it around his head, securing his hair to stay out of his eyes.
Other than his headband he was he wearing a black shirt, asymmetrically designed to have only one sleeve. The shirt was decorated with a red transmutation circle, something his mother had stitched into it. He also wore a pair of blue pants with a leather holster was on his side, custom-built, where he could attach his sword when he was up and about.
Maybe his contact had just gotten on at the last second...
Craning his neck, Tomoyo began looking around the cabin, scanning the faces of the other riders. If he was on the train, he hadn't yet reached this car. He was about to give up and go back to pouting before a particular pair caught his eye; a young, short boy in a red coat and a much taller man wearing a suit of armor.
"Hm," Tomoyo stood up and made his way over, picking his katana up from where it had been sitting beside him.
"Hey there, short stuff, trash can, do you guys happen to know-"
He was cut off suddenly as a punch connected with his face, catching him completely off guard and sending him stumbling backwards. He grasped wildly at the chairs to no avail and toppled backwards, to the floor. His head spun and so did the rest of the world for a second, stars dancing on the edge of his vision.
"Ugggh..." He groaned as he stood up, grasping the spot he'd been punched in.
"What the hell was that for, shorty?!" Tomoyo yelled. "You little ant, I'll crush you under my size nine and a half sneaker!"
The boy in the red coat fumed, looking angry enough to take on the world. Unfortunately for Tomoyo, he was the only one there. The boy readied himself to attack again, but Tomoyo prepared himself this time, lifting his hands to fight back but the man in armor suddenly grabbed the boy in the coat. "Brother..." He said dejectedly.
Oh, so they're brothers, huh? Tomoyo thought to himself, more closely examining the two of them now.
"I just wanted to know if you guys knew a man named Maes Hughes or not." Tomoyo asked, folding his arms over his chest.
"Yeah, we know him." The man in armor said, still restraining the boy in the coat who was kicking and flailing, muttering obscenities.
"You do?" Tomoyo said, ignoring him. "Do you know where he is?!"
"He missed the train." The boy said, sounding all-too-pleased that he was the one who got to deliver that infromation.
"ARGH, THAT IDIOT!" Tomoyo exclaimed, throwing his arms up in frustration.
After a moment to allow the two to collect themselves, the man in the armor released his brother. Tomoyo glanced down at him. He couldn't help but antagonize the poor guy some more. He reached down and poked his forehead. "You know, I hear milk helps with height defecincy. Maybe you should try drinking some, midget boy," Tomoyo said, smirking.
Just like that, the flip was switched back on. He ran toward Tomoyo, who had anticipated it this time. As the boy threw a punch forward, jabbing with his right hand, Jeet Kun Do training kicked in; Tomoyo brought his left up to block it. He caught the fist, grunting in surprise at how hard it felt under his skin. Could it be? He thought, eyes widening in surprise. Taking a step back, he dropped the boy's arm and suddenly grasped at the right sleeve of his own black shirt. He tore away the fabric of his singular sleeve to reveal a fully metal prosthetic underneath... the same as he had just felt against his palm. This caused his attacker to pause and stare at him.
"What happened to you?" Tomoyo asked bluntly.
The boy frowned, dropping his arms to his sides. He stared, looking wise beyond his years. "We failed a Human Transmutation."
Tomoyo stared right back, understanding now. He nodded his head. "Yeah, me too." He admitted in a sad, nonchalant tone.
The boy stuck his arm out suddenly. "I'm Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist."
"And I'm Alphonse." The man in the armor said.
The Fullmetal Alchemist?! Tomoyo glanced down at Ed's outstretched hand and smiled thoughtfully. "Pleased to meet'cha, Fullmetal. The name's Tomoyo Naragashi, future State Alchemist."
Ed snorted, eyebrows shooting up. "You? A State Alchemist?! Ahahaha!" He began laughing. Tomoyo scowled, glaring down at the small boy. Whatever the joke was, he missed it.
"If a short little midget ant like you can do it, then I definitely can, too!" Tomoyo snapped back.
Ed lunged forward, but Tomoyo was saw it coming. He turned his body, lifting his leg in the process, and then kicked outwards. The ball of his foot connected with Ed's stomach, knocking him backwards and away. Ed came to a stop and glared up at Tomoyo, who simply shrugged in response.