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"Ayame? Hikaru? What are you doing up so early?" My father had asked me. He had bright blonde hair like I did. His eyes were green, Hikaru had the same eyes.
I was the freak with red eyes.
"Hikaru was having nightmares again, papa." Hikaru is my younger brother. Only 3 years old, 5 years younger than me. He had black hair like momma and green eyes like papa.
Papa says Hikaru won't live much longer. He says, Hikaru is very ill. That's why momma has left.
She couldn't bear to see her beloved son die. But what do I know? I'm just a child after all.
"Oh. Come here, my child." Father beckons for Hikaru to come into his open arms. I turn away from the sight. I don't like to see them in pain. I can't understand why my chest hurts but I help out the best way I can. I carry in vegtables from the garden across the street. Even if papa hurts me for it. I try to understand why he hurts me, I'm helping. But what do I know? I'm just a child after all.
At least that's what papa tells me.
"P-Papa?" I ask.
"What?" I can feel his cold stare but that's more the reason not to look up.
"I-Is there anything I can do?"
"Nothing, you fool. Go back to be-"
COUGH...COUGH...
Papa let go of the coughing toddler. He grabs his jacket in panic and throws it on. He craddles Hikaru in his arms and pushes past me. I fall down and hit my face on the ground but he doesn't look back as he opens the front door and slams it shut.
"Hikaru...I hope you're all right."
There's a knock on the door.
I carefully stand up and walk to the door. I open it and I see my neighbors son. His name is Alphonse Elric. He is my age. I like him alot. He's very nice.
Al has some books in his hands. I smile and let him in. "Hey, Al-kun."
"Hi, Me-chan." That's the nickname he had given me. I like it almost as much as I like him.
"Is this a bad time?" He asks as I shut the door behind him.
"No, it's alright. Papa left with Hikaru already."
"The doctors?"
"Yeah. He's coughing really bad again." I say, my sad tone giving away the fake smile plastered on my face. I change the subject, "Those are the alchemy books right?"
"Of course. If you're going to bring Hikaru back when he passes...you'll need these." Al-kun's mother passed away so they were going to bring her back with alchemy.
"Ed-kun won't be mad?" Edward Elric, Al-kun's eldest brother, only a year older.
"No, I wouldn't think so. He's looking at some other book right now." Al gave me a reasurring smile.
After a couple hours, I hear papa coming in through the door. He slams the door and stomps down the hallway. I panic and gather all the books as Al crawls out the window. I was going to hand them to him but he was gone.
My door flys open and slams against the wall. "Ayame! What are those!" He screams.
I look around. "Where's Hikaru!" I ask.
He growls and stomps over to me. Papa takes the book from my hands. I jump up to get it back. But when I started to reach for it, he hits me down with the back of this hand.
I grunt in pain and prop myself on my elbow. "Papa.." He's flipping through the pages roughly.
"Where'd you get these? You claim to help but all you do is use up our money on these books! Now your brother is dead! How does that make you feel, you fool?"
I stare blankly at the floor. I didn't notice the tears until they fell to the spot I was staring at. I looked up. "Hikaru..is.."
"Dead." He finished.
"But, it...it isn't my fault. You, you're the one wasting money on alcohol!" I screamed, more tears flow down my cheeks. I closed my eyes, ready and expecting for the hit.
But it never came.
I flinched at the memory. I ended up trying to bring Hikaru back. A human transmutation circle. That's what I used.
I got nothing out of it but no arms. Both...ripped off by these strange black hands. I saw inside the gate. The...truth.
That was years ago. I'm 13 now. A mechanic in the town over gave me automail arms. I haven't seen Al-kun and Ed-kun since the night before I transmuted Hikaru.
Edward is a state alchemist now. I felt the inspiration run through me. If he can step up, so can I.
I took the exam.
I eagerly await my results.