Yumi here! Yeah, another fanfic. This one's a lot more serious and a lot more cute than the Velociraptor in the closet. I based it off a dream I had a while back. I hope you like it, even though the intro is short. Heh. *sweat-drop* But it's only the intro, to explain a little back story. The next chapters will be longer. I'll try to update as much as possible, but... that might mean once a month.
"Mom, what's fair about me being sick? You said that… that alch-me was all about… equalness. What did I do to deserve this? What's equal about this?!" a little girl asked slowly. Her mother sighed and hugged the shaking child. "Nothing Eloise, you did nothing. It's all my fault, and I'm sorry baby." She whispered. The child sniffled and began to cough violently, just as the door creaked open, revealing two young boys. The boys slowly entered, each carrying a small bag and a piece of a tea set. The younger one set down the teacup he was carrying and handed his bag to the woman. "Here's the medicine you wanted mom. Is it going to make her better?" He asked in a whisper.
The woman smiled lightly. "Thank you Al. I think it will, but I cannot say for sure." She answered, before busying herself with dosing out the medicine. The older boy quickly poured a cup of tea and handed it to Eloise. "Drink it; it'll make you feel better. And Winry made cookies, if ya want one." He muttered, opening his bag and producing a sugar cookie. Sugar cookies were Eloise's favorite cookies, so it surprised her brother when she refused it, although he knew it shouldn't have. "I can't eat. My tummy feels all icky and I-" Eloise was inturupted by another fit of coughing that raked her small body. Al gasped and pulled her into a hug, trying desperately to hold her steady as she shook.
The woman looked at her ill daughter sadly and took the tea cup that was threatening to fall from her hands. She mixed in some of the medicine that Al had given her and handed it to her other son. "Ed, please make sure she drinks all of this. I'm going to call Ms. Alistar and see if Eli can stay with her." She whispered. She took one last look at her daughter before quietly exiting the room. Ed glowered at the cup of tea gloomily, thinking about how awfull it must taste now. But Eli wouldn't mind. She was used to this, used to always being sick and unable to play with friends or even eat. It was all so damned unfair to her!
Ed had clenched his hands into fists, and it took all he had not to punch the wall and scream at god or whoever ran this world in fury. He was always forced to fear that his baby sister was going to be wrenched from him any day because of her illnesses, which seemed to be climaxing now. She hadn't been able to leave her bed for a week and had recently stopped eating, complaining about her stomach aching too much. Whatever food was forced into her was quickly expelled, along with a good amount of blood.
Eli finally stopped coughing and accepted the tea from her brother. "Eddy, I'm scared. Mom says I have to go back to see Miss Alistar, but what if I don't get better? What if I die and can't see you, or mommy, or Alphie again? I'm scared of leaving you!" she whispered. Her grip on the teacup was turning her knuckles white and a few stray tears splashed into the warm brown liquid.
Ed sighed and crawled into the bed next to her. "You're not going to die, I still haven't taught you how to do alchemy yet." he whispered. Al had released his sister, but was still knealing beside her on the bed. "And there's still so much you haven't done yet! You can't die!" he sobbed.
Eloise was silent while she drank her tea, forcing the bitter tasting liquid down her throat. "I'll try my hardest to stay alive for you. Kay?" she offered after a moment. Both brothers nodded eagerly, willing to do anything to save their sister from even a little bit of suffering. Eli smiled a little. "Will you stay with me tonight? Please?" she begged.
Al hugged his sister. "Of course! We'll stay here as long as you want us to!" he promised. Ed 'tch-ed' and ruffled Eli's blonde hair. "If ya want me too I suppose I could stay." He muttered. Eli's large, mis-matched brown and gold eyes widened and she threw her arms around her eldest brother. "I do! I really want you to stay!" she repeated. Ed blushed and looked away.
"It still sucks that you have to go back to that old woman Alistar. And it's so close to your birthday too! Winry's gonna have a fit." He muttered. "Brother! Don't say that! We owe a lot to Miss Alistar for taking car of Eli!" Al scolded. Eli smiled. "Al is right Eddy, if Miss Alistar hadn't helped me I'd have died as a baby, so don't be rude." She said softly.
Eli pulled the covers over her and her brothers before taking their hands in hers. "Eddy, Alphie, if this is the last time I see you, I don't want to see you sad. I want to know my brothers were happy people, kay?" she whispered. Al hugged her and stifled a sob.
"Don't say that! Of course we'll see you again, even if it means tracking down Miss Alistar or something!" he promised. Ed squeazed Eli's hand comfortingly. "And even if this is the last time, we should have fun and not be gloomy! You can't expect us to be happy if you're not! The rule of equivalent exchange must be obeyed!" he said, forcing his own tears back.
Eli had always been sickly, but never before had she looked this bad. Her hair was lusterless, her skin was ashen and her eyes were dull. It really wasn't hard to imagine that tonite would be her last. It was just so unfair! Eli was only six! Why did everything have to be so hard for her? Ed once again wrestled with his urge to curse god.
"You're right Eddy. I'm sorry. Let's make the most of tonight!" Eli's soft voice broke through Ed's anger and he smiled. "Yeah, let's do that." He whispered. Al merely nodded, silently agreeing to whatever Eli wished for.
The next day the had to rise early. Their mother and Eloise had to catch a train to Miss Alistar's house, and there was only one that bothered to go that way. Eloise and mother piled into the train, leaving Ed and Al with Pinako for the day. Though the boys had forced themselves not to cry in front of their little sister, they broke into sobs as the train rolled away. Ed forced himself to keep waving however, knowing that his sister was looking back.
This was the last memory Ed had of his little sister, the young Eloise Elric.
Ed: Dammit! Why are you making my past even worse?!
Yumi: Because it will be oh so cute in the future!
Al: Poor Eli... *sob*
Ed: Ah! You made Al cry! See! You're a bad person!
Yumi: . I know. Well, whatever. REVIEW READER! REVIEW! Pwease?
Ed & Al: She's insane... *sweat drop*