No Ordinary Day
Winry and Aunt Pinako were alerted right away about Ed's disappearance. It seemed that Aunt Pinako's concern was more focused on cleaning up the bloody mess than coming up with a plan of action. Al tried everything possible to calm Winry down, but nothing seemed to be working. She was an emotional wreck and the trail of blood was imprinted in her mind, but she wasn't the only one. Al had trouble keeping calm with the reoccurring mental images of a vicious attack on Edward. Overwhelmed and upset, he grasped his head tightly with such a grip that seconds later cracked his helmet.
"No use in worrying yourself over it so much, you could crack your blood seal," Aunt Pinako pointed out. Al loosened the grip on his head and let his arms fall to his sides, taking a deep breath as he did this.
"But…what if Ed was killed?" said Al, beginning to choke up. It was difficult for him to come to that conclusion.
"Don't worry, Al, we'll find him, I promise," Winry said with assurance. Al let out a big sigh, then drew a transmutation circle near the area of damage on his helmet. With a flash of light his head was fixed.
"I'm going to go take a walk in town," announced Al.
"Could you pick up some groceries while you're there, Al?" asked Aunt Pinako.
"Sure, no problem." Al turned around and opened the front door and took a step outside, seeing more of the horror of the incident. He cringed, then turned his head away and walked off the porch, heading for the nearest market.
The inner town was always peaceful. The hillsides were covered in thick, green grass as far as the eye could see. It took Al's mind off of the situation long enough to make it to a cluster of merchants on a crowded street. There was so much to buy; Apples, potatoes, freshly cut salmon, flour, cinnamon, green tea, corn, and sugar. Al scanned the list and then streets to find each stand with the items he needed. The first item on the list was apples, so he found a vender who sold fruit, and at a very good price no less. He inspected each apple for any bruises or holes.
"I'll take two, please." The merchant took the apples and put them in a bag, rolled up the top and smiled kindly at him.
"Have a nice day there, kid."
"You too, sir-ah!" When Al went to turn to the opposite direction he bumped into someone.
"Oh, I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" said Al, who looked down to find a strange man wearing a dark brown cloak. His hair, which was also brown, raggedy, and short, covered the left side of his face. He wore a perplexed look with a hint of terror, and for good reason; it wasn't every day that someone came across a seven-foot piece of talking armor. But this man had an unusual piece of jewelry around his neck. It was a blood-red gem that sparkled brilliantly in the light, on its end attached to string through a hole in the bottom was a down feather. Al looked more closely at the gem and to his surprise, saw the face of his brother, terrified and bloody with tears running down his eyes. Sounds of shrieking mixed with unfamiliar voices flooded Al's mind. Then spun round and round, faster and faster and grew louder with each second, piercing his ears and numbing his brain. As quickly as the voices came, they left.
"No, no, don't be sorry, it was my mistake…," said the man. He continued his path straight in the opposite direction of Al. Al stood still with his head down, trying to absorb what had just happened, but every time he tried it scared him more. The only thing he could do was continue his shopping.