The Omega Stone by Melinda-chan
It was raining when we came to the town.
I do not mind the rain- I cannot feel anything in this armour skin of mine. At least I do not have to feel the cold. The same cannot be said of Brother, who looked like a walking attack of wet hay. His hair was really loose. He had his arms together, trying not to shiver.
"No wonder the Colonel didn't want to go here," I heard him say. "He probably knew it was going to rain- Achoo!"
"Brother!" I said. "Are you catching a cold?"
"A-choo!" Brother said, cupping his hands for the sneeze. "Let's find the woman as fast as we can. I want to go back to Central as soon as possible."
That was something that I don't hear from Brother very often.
"Brother! You're sicker than I thought!" I said.
"I just want to get out of the rain!" Brother said in defense. "Let's go to a house and ask for directions to the woman's place. At least we can get lodging."
So we went to a red house that was the closest to the road we were on. Brother knocked on the door.
And knocked.
And knocked.
"I see a light inside!" Brother said out loud as if he thought the people inside were deaf.
"Brother, I imagine they are-" I started to say when the door opened.
"Hello, my name is Edward Elric and I-" Brother started to say when the woman suddenly slammed the door. We both stood there in silence.
"You don't suppose they know who we are?" I said.
"Hm. I don't think I said anything that would upset her," Brother said, scratching his head.
"Maybe they know you're a State Alchemist?" I suggested.
"Let's go to another house," Brother said. "I'm freezing."
So we did- and got the same response. As soon as Brother said his name, they would look fearful and close the door.
"I don't get it!" Brother said a half-hour later. "Even if they know who I am, why are they acting like this? I haven't had time to tell them anything!" I said nothing. I didn't know how to respond to that.
"YOU!" a man's voice yelled. Brother and I looked back at the road.
There was a man standing on the road. He had a hooded coat, protecting him from the rain. I could see his dark hair sticking to his face. He looked very distressed.
"Yes?" Brother said.
"You-You better leave!" he told us.
"What!" Brother said. I could tell he was getting very annoyed.
"Leave us alone!" the man said. Brother and I looked at each other.
"We're here on a request," Brother said.
"Someone wrote to us saying she wants to be a State Alchemist," I told him.
His face turned from deep alarm to deep sadness. I almost felt sorry for him. Brother and I didn't know the full truth yet, but I did suspect something was going on.
"According to the letter, her name is Sarah Somers. Do you know where she lives?" Brother asked. The man sighed.
"She lives on a hill nearby," the man replied in a forlorn voice. He pointed to the west. "There is a road to the west of the village. Go on it until you see a sign. Follow the directions. She put the sign up there a few days ago. You must be the reason why she did that."
"Thank you sir!" Brother said, waving his right hand. We then walked away, going to the western road like he told us to.
We went on it and walked until we saw the sign. It was near a small hill. The sign reads as follows:
SARAH SOMERS' HOUSE: UP THE HILL- PLEASE KNOCK BEFORE ENTERING
"I guess we have to go up the hill," I said. I then looked at Brother. His face was a dark red. "Are you alright, Brother?"
"Let's go!" Brother said, trying to sound assertive. "I want to get this over with! I may get a hot bath too!"
So we started our walk up the hill. Midway, I heard a thud. I looked back to see Brother on the ground. I picked him up and put him over my right shoulder and went up faster than usual. I was afraid that Brother might be getting too sick and would be too weak to do his job.
"It stopped raining, Brother" I said. I was now at the top of the hill. I felt Brother getting off.
"It did stop raining" Brother said. I could see that the redness around his eyes and cheeks were still there.
"Maybe I should interview her," I said. "You need your rest."
"I'm the one that was ordered to- achoo- do this," Brother said. "I got to do this!"
"How old is she, Brother?" I asked.
"Twenty-one," Brother replied. We then reached the house. It was just a small wooden shack.
Our eyes then turned to the door. On it was a wooden sign. The engraving reads as follows:
IF NOT HERE, GO BACK OF HOUSE
We complied, walking toward the back of the shack. Our eyes widened when we saw what was there.
On the ground there was a great chalk drawing. In the middle of it there was a figure dressed in a long white robe. It was kneeling as if praying to the north. The figure then stood up and looked at us with her dark eyes. I could feel Brother go stiff. I had to say something positive.
"Wow!" I said. "That's the youngest-looking 21- year old I had ever seen!"
End of Chapter One
I am writing this story as a little break from my other stories on the days I can't do them. As such, each chapter will be done on an irregular basis. Since it's so short, I hope you all can be patient. Fullmetal Alchemist (2001) was created by Hiromu Arakawa and distributed by Square Enix and Viz Media. Please do not forget to review!