The gentle, cool breeze of autumn brushed against leaves of fiery colors. Yellowing grass that beckoned to be cut swayed in the now setting suns' light. Clouds strung themselves over the brilliant pink sky, they, themselves gaining a rosy color. Cicadas' melancholic music drifted along the wind, the insects oblivious to the simple fact summer had ended… for this one night. The day had been more like summer than fall—hot, dry and cloudless. Now, as the slow moving day had begun to end, clouds blew in lazily.
He groaned. He now began to strain his eyes in the fading light. With a sigh of utter defeat the blond marked his place with a scrap of paper, shutting the book--his hand remaining on the cover. Pushing back, the teen leaned backwards in his chair, staring out the open window with a soft frown. He'd started reading what felt like only mere minutes ago and now the sun was setting?
Something doesn't
feel right… the alchemist thought to himself, First it's
bloody hot, then the sun's setting early--
His thoughts were interrupted when the door to his room opened abruptly, causing him to give a startled yelp as he flipped backwards in his chair. Thoughts had kept him busy, so he hadn't heard the coming footsteps of three people. Catching his breath, he stared up from where he lay on the wooden floor, smiling sheepishly.
"Edward, how many times have I told you? Don't. Lean. Back. In. Chairs!" the mechanic, Winry Rockbell, scolded him with hands on her hips. Typical female posture…
As if to prove his thoughts true, the girl beside Winry repeated the elders' actions. "Yeah, Ed," the girl mused in a playful tone, strands of blond hair hanging over sea glass eyes, "You're seventeen! What, are you still a little kid? I'm sure your teachers and mother told you not to lean back in chairs!" Though she was guilty of the crime, herself, she smirked.
"Shut-up, Hazel! I've seen you do it hundreds of times!" Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, growled in annoyance, "Besides, I was thinking and you guys scared the crap out of me—"
"Ah, Br-Brother? We just wanted to come up here and tell you we were going to head into town. Winry needs some parts and Hazel is complaining we have no food." Alphonse said meekly from behind Winry. Edward stood, bending forward to right his fallen chair, glancing at the hyper girl.
"Well we don't! And if I don't get food soon, I'll die!" Hazel exclaimed, her stomach giving an on-cue growl. Hazel, truthfully, was always hungry. The alchemist rolled his topaz eyes in an annoyed manner.
"… I told them it'd be better if we had just left a note." The youngest Elric finished after the little interruption, giving a small shrug that came complete with an apologetic smile. Giving his brother a small smile to assure Alphonse that it wasn't anything close to his fault that the elder's peace was disturbed. Nudging the previously occupied chair back under his desk against the wall, Edward faced the others. "I hope you're not planning for me to come with. Because I'm not going to be a pack mule and carry the groceries home."
"Alright, fine. But you're helping with putting things away, then." Winry scowled in his general direction, turning on heel she threw up a hand in a light wave. "See you later, then. Don't destroy my house, please."
"Yeah, don't! Because we all need to live here, you know! And don't go snooping through my things, you runt!" Hazel giggled; following right along side the mechanic who by now was half way down the stairs, fuming.
"Why you--!!" Edward moved forward, his fist raising. Alphonse placed a hand on his older brothers' shoulder, sighing. "Brother, just leave it be. You know Hazel." Edward had to agree, though only half-heartedly. If Hazel was a book, it would be 'A hundred and one ways to tease, annoy and taunt'—at least those were his thoughts on the matter. "Just stay out of trouble, 'kay?" Edward grumbled in response, nodding. "See you in a bit." Repeating the words in a mumble, Alphonse left with the girls.
His eyes stared at the ground, strands of gold-blond hair hung in his face. He ignored it. That undying feeling that something was wrong, something was off, something just wasn't right… He shifted, feeling suddenly lonely, suddenly vulnerable. He shook his head. No, Elric, no… Nothing is going to get you, nothing. You're just paranoid. He shivered, still. It was the hottest day of the year and he was in a plain, white collared long-sleeve shirt with just as plain black pants, this shiver didn't some from cold whatsoever.
A floorboard behind him creaked and he jumped inches in the air while spinning around to see what had caused the noise. Just my own weight, probably… When a figure dressed entirely in black, save for a blood red over-coat, registered in his mind his breathing became swiftly shallow. Short, untidy black hair became lighter near the ends and the mans' left ear was pierced three times—small hoops adorning each hole in the shell, a chain with nothing at the end dangling from the lobe. His hands were in his pockets, shoulders lax. The man smirked.
Not my own weight…