Izumi felt the blood coming up.
Silently she got out of bed and rushed to the bathroom sink. Vomiting like this was torture, but it was her penance for what she had failed to do. She had to accept it. She had no way around it.
In the cabinet was some of the medicine the local doctor had given her. It didn't help much, but it did stop the vomiting a little sooner.
Screwing the lid off of the bottle, Izumi took two pills. Eventually, she stopped, and she went back to bed.
She was awoken the next morning by the sound of fighting in the next room over.
"No, Brother! That's mine! Give it back! I had it first!"
"Well, I'm oldest! And I'm better, so why should I have to give it back?"
"Cause I wanna read it!"
All of the yelling was giving her a headache. She rolled over to tell Sid to make them shut up.
He was already awake and at the shop.
Izumi got up and walked to Ed and Al's room, mumbling all the way.
When she came to the door, she flung it open with such force that the two screaming children were silenced and the anger on their faces turned to almost terror.
"What's the matter with you two?"
No one said anything.
"I said," repeated Izumi, here eyebrow twitching slightly, "What is the matter with you two?"
"Um, Ed, Ed stole my alchemy book." Alphonse managed to stutter.
"Is that all?"
"Uh, yes ma'am?"
"Then get it back and shut up."
Ed and Al silently watched her leave. Without a word Ed slipped the book back into Al's hand.
"Just a dumb book anyway." He muttered.
Izumi did a double-take back into the room. "What did you say, Edward?"
"Nothin."
"Don't make me repeat myself again."
"I told Al it was just a dumb book anyway."
"Oh really? Is that true? Then why did you take it from your brother? And how do you plan to learn alchemy without your 'dumb books'?"
Ed didn't know what to say.
"That's what I thought. Now in a few minutes, I want you two to come down for breakfast. I don't want another word out of either of you all day. Don't ask for the butter, don't laugh, don't make any noise. That will be your punishment for fighting. And I am going to assign you a project. I expect it done by sundown. I hope it will teach you how it is important for alchemists to get along, and to communicate without shouting. Understood?"
Al started to say "Yes Ma'am," but Ed clapped his hand over both their mouths. Instead the two of them nodded.
Izumi shook her head. Now she was going to have to think of something extra challenging for her two apprentices to do. 'Well, in a way,' she thought. 'I have been cursed with children.' She smiled and continued to shake her head.