Date of release:October 29, 2009
Words:14,941
I dont own Fullmetal Alchemy, i wish.
"Oh my God! How long are we going to be on this train?" Aria asked, getting impatient. Aria was leaning against the window, staring out at the passing scenery. She noticed how there was nothing along the road. Nothing but stupid trees and shrubs. But at least it's better than looking at shorty. Aria thought.
"Aria don't be so impatient. The train ride shouldn't be all that longer." Al said, looking over at her. She had been asleep til alittle while ago. That was til some of the occupants of the train booth next to them decided to get loud and drunk. Actully Ed had been asleep as well. Al had been happy that the two of them were asleep. It seemed that every moment that the two were awake, they were arguing. Al wished he had earplugs to tune the two of them out. Al remembered the fight the two of them had gotten into over a sandwich.
Flashback:
The train attendant walked into their booth. "Excuse me, what would you all want for lunch?" The woman asked. A paper and pen in her hands. Al looked over at his brother and Aria, they were both out cold. Aria was laying on the seat, her jacket being used as a blanket. Ed was propped up against the window, facing the door of the booth. Al mentally prepared himself. He knew he had to wake them up or they'd complain about missing out on lunch, that would eventully end up in an argument. Al just couldn't for the life of him figure out why they argued so much. He was beginning to think that they were just stubborn. "If you want I can come back later?" The lady asked, pulling him from his thoughts.
"No, let me just wake them up. They should eat." Al said. He decided that he'd wake up Aria first. She was somewhat better in the mornings than Ed. He had learned that from comparing the two. Aria had gotten up and been okay, while Ed had complained about having to be woken up. That had ended up with Aria calling Ed a crybaby shorty, ending in an argument. Al wondered if he should just deal with Ed first. But he decided to just wake up Aria first. "Aria wake up." He shook her gently.
"Go away. Stupid shorty Ed." She mumbled, swatting his metal hand away. She pulled the jacket over her head, ignoring Al.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SHORTY, GORILLA GIRL?" Ed screamed, standing up. His fists were shaking. Aria at that moment jumped up off the seat, wide awake.
"Who are you calling gorilla girl? You are the shorty, I'm the one who is normal height! You stupid little shorty!" She yelled, getting in Ed's face. Al looked on the scene, worry in his eyes. He really didn't want them to get physical. If Ed ticked Aria off bad enough, then she would sometimes hit Ed upside the head. She had taken to the pratice after the first time he refused to call her by her name.
"Brother, Aria? The train attendant is here to ask what we want for lunch." Al said, making the two forget about their argument. They both turned to Al and the train attendant who was already half-way through the door. "Miss come back! They're ready to order." Al called out the door hoping to get her to come back. She turned around with a look that a mother would give a child.
"All right, but I want no more arguing. Honestly you're parents are stupid for allowing you children to travel alone, let alone together." She rambled on. The three of them all seemed to stop in their tracks when the train attendant mentioned parents. "Now what would you three like to eat?" She asked, ready to write down their orders. All three of the teens, snapped out of what they had been thinking.
"Ummm, I guess I'll just have a turkey sandwich on white bread, nothing else on it, but pepper. Lot's of pepper please. Oh and can I have some chips please. I'm really hungry." Aria said, smiling at the train attendant. Ed and Al stared wide-eyed. They had only seen her smile a few times. She didn't smile a lot. But both had learned that she only smiled in thanks, not when she was happy. Well except that time she had outsmarted Ed. Al thought.
"I'll have a turkey sandwich with cheese, pepper, mayonnaise, and a slice of tomato. I'll have some water and some chips." Ed said, going back to staring out the window.
"Oh can I have some water too please?" Aria asked, remembering to ask for something to drink. She looked over at Ed, rolling her eyes. He could have said please at least. She thought.
"I'll be right back with your orders." The lady asked, leaving.
"Thanks." Aria said, as she left. "You know shorty that you could have thanked her, right? I mean is it to much to ask for some manners? I mean I know you're short and all, but even midgits have manners." Aria said, smirking. She had turned her head towards the window. You could see her smirk, reflecting on the glass, her gaze on Ed's face. Al knew she was waiting for the blow up. Three, two, one, kaboom! Aria thought, enjoying it.
"YOU GIANT OVERSIZED GORILLA GIRL! WHO ARE YOU CALLING A MIDGET?" Ed yelled, his temper once again getting the best of him. Al knew that Aria did it just to upset Ed. It seemed to be the girl's goal in life: to tick his brother off. Al could see though that this time his brother had actully made her mad back.
"I am not an oversized gorilla girl. My name is Aria. Do I have to spell it out for you?"
"You are! Look at you. I mean for a girl, you're more like a gorilla. You hit like one."
Before another word could be said, the train attendant walked in, the food on a tray. Thank God. I thought they were going to kill each other! Al thought, train attendant looked nervous, Al noticed.
"Umm, I'm sorry but we only had enough turkey for one sandwich. So I had one made plain and then the extra stuff put on the side, so whoever gets the sandwich will get it the way they want it." The women said, looking between Ed and Aria. Al also looked between the two. He could see them both looking at the tray. Thoughts very simliar ran through their heads.
There is no way in hell that shorty is getting my sandwich. Aria thought.
There is no way in hell that gorilla girl is getting my sandwich. Ed thought.
Then they lunged.
Ed being smaller was able to duct under Aria to get to the sandwich first, but when he went to dodge under her, she used her height to reach over and pull the sandwich from his hands. She went running out the booth door, nearly knocking over the train attendant. Ed took off after her at full speed, jumping over the knocked over tray. He had just gotten out of the booth, when he saw her dash into another booth. She thinks she can hide, does she? Ed thought. He crept close to the booth door. He kicked it open, hoping to surprise her. To his surprise, she wasn't in the booth. He walked in, looking around.
"Hah! Gottcha shorty!" Aria yelled, jumping out from behind the door, knocking Ed over. She landed on his back, effectively pinning him to the ground.
"Who are you calling short, gorilla girl? Get off!" He yelled. Finally he managed to roll over, placing himself above her. Al had finally managed to find them; he was meet with an odd sight. Edward was stradling Aria, and he didn't even realize it. His only focus was on the sandwich in her right hand. She was managing to keep it away from him. She had one hand on his chest, using all her strength to push him back. Her right hand holding the sandwich as far away as she possibly could. Ed had his hands reaching for the sandwich, which he nearly had. Ed had began to push himself up further, leaning over her hand. Aria couldn't keep the sandwich any further from his reach. He got ahold of one corner and pulled; pulling it apart. The poor sandwich was torn into pieces. Neither of them got the sandwich and Al had to apologize for the mess.
End of Flashback.
You'd think they would act more their age. I'm a year younger and I act better. Al thought. Ed had taken to reading an alchemy book, while Aria was still staring out at the scenery.
Aris was bored. Normally she would take this chance to get shorty riled up, but she just didn't feel like arguing with him. I wish I had a deck of cards or something. Must shorty always be reading that stupid book? Aria thought looking over at Ed. She had decided if there was anything she could do, looking around the cabin. Her eyes had landed on Ed. He reminded her of her little brother. He was short and hot-headed. And like her little brother he was brave, he wanted to help people. Just like her little brother had tried to help people that day…. No don't think of that day. Shorty is nothing like him. Aria said, shaking her head.
"Aria, we're here." Al said, shaking the last thoughts from her head, snapping her back into attention.
"What? I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention." She quickly apologized.
"We're in Central city. We can finally get rid of you. Now come on, the sooner we get off this train, the sooner we get rid of you." Ed spoke up, already gathering his briefcase and luggage. Aria snorted at his comment. As if he could get rid of her that easy. "Got a problem with it, gorilla girl? We were only heading in the same direction til Central." Ed said, noticing her snort. You will not be using tricks to come with us again. Ed thought.
"My name is not gorilla girl. It's Aria." Aria said. She despised the nickname. Sure she was pretty strong, but she was the not the size of a gorilla. It wasn't her fault the shorty had genes that made him short.
They walked off the train, Ed infront, followed by Al, and Aria brought up the rear. Aria hadn't been to Central city since she was alittle girl. It had changed some, it was busier, louder, and more crowded than she remembered. Well she figured, that living in a small town for so long could make her think that any city was loud. And Central city was huge, it was one of the-if not the biggest-cities in Amestris. She noticed how all the people seemed to clear a space for the brothers.
"Al, why do they move aside for you guys?" She asked, looking over at Al.
"Well Ed's a state alchemist. He's known as the Fullmetal Alchemist. A lot of people know who he is. When we're in Central, we get special treatment." Al answered. Aria had heard of the Fullmetal Alchemist, but she didn't think that Ed was him. She didn't think the Fullmetal Alchemist would be so short. Well that goes to show you that things aren't always as they seem. She thought. Aria looked around her, watching how people just stared at the brothers and then they would stare at her. She didn't like being in the spotlight, it reminded her of being alittle girl again.
"Why are they staring at me? I'm not famous." She said, glaring at a man who looked her up and down.
"Maybe because it's just normally us. We normally don't have anyone with us." Al answered, eyeing Aria. He could tell that she didn't enjoy being stared at by all these people.
"Fullmetal, Al over here." A voice called.
"Can't the bastard leave us alone for five seconds?" Al and Aria heard Ed mutter. The three of them turned to see Roy Mustang. Behind him was a few members of the military and Hawkeye.
"Al who are they? Who's the one shorty called a bastard?" Aria asked, looking over at the officers.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SHORT, GORILLA GIRL?" Ed yelled, whirling on her. Before he could block, Aria had hit him upside the head.
"I told you to stop calling me that! My name is not gorilla girl, it's Aria. A-R-I-A! Learn it. You stupid shorty. You being short must have damaged your brain. I think it's from too many people stepping on you." Aria yelled right back. Oh no! Not know! Couldn't these two behave for a few minutes? Al groaned.
"Brother, Aria would you please calm down." Al asked, looking at them. "Aria, the one with black hair infront is Colonel Roy Mustang. He's known as the Flame Alchemist. The others behind him are some other military personnel. The woman to his right is Liza Hawkeye." Al answered. If he still had his body he swore he would have had a headache.
"So now that you've met the bastard, let's go." Ed said, trying to leave. He really didn't want to talk to the Colonel. Aria whirled on him, much like he had done to her earlier.
"Why are you calling him a bastard? I mean does he not know who is father is?" Aria said, laughing mentally at Ed's expression.
"No gorilla girl. He's just a bastard." Ed answered.
"What did you just call me, shorty? I know you did not call me gorilla girl. Because if you did, I swear I will hit you." Aria threatened, cracking her knuckles.
"I AM NOT A SHORTY! YOU WANT TO GO, GORILLA GIRL?" Ed yelled, getting into Aria's face.
"I don't mean to interrupt, but may I ask who you are?" Roy asked from a few feet away. He had been advised by Al to stay a few feet away. Roy and many of the other military personnel there were wondering who this girl was. The Elric brother's never had people traveling with them. They prefered to travel alone and yet here they had this girl with them.
"This is gorilla girl." Ed introduced, pointing at Aria. Aria promptly wacked him upside the head.
"My name is Aria, Aria Renaldie. It's nice to meet you." Aria said, smiling. Aria glared when she noticed how Roy looked her up and down. "You know that you shoudn't look up and down a girl, they might get angry." She said folding her amrs over her chest. Roy had the decency to look sorry.
"Sorry. It's a pleasure to meet you." Roy said, holding his hand out, smiling. Aria looked at it, staring for a moment before shaking it. Roy noticed how Ed seemed to be staring, watching Aria. He didn't seem to notice that he was staring. Roy raised an eyebrow. What is this girl's story? Why is she traveling with them? He thought. Aria turned around, facing Ed. She looked like she was about to do something extremely unpleasant. Yet she knew she had too. It was better to be nice with this question.
"Hey Ed where are we staying in Cental? I want to drop my luggage off and look around." She said, politely as possible. You could tell that she did not want to call Ed by his name, she looked like you were killing her.
"Why do you care? You are not staying with us. We were only going the same way til Central, we're in Central, this is where we part ways. And you are definetly not staying with us, or leaving with us." Ed said, before muttering: "Stupid gorilla girl, do I have to put you in that cage again?" Ed really wasn't paying attention, he hadn't meant for her to hear the last statement. Oh no! Oh no! Oh no! Brother please don't tell me you just said that. Al thought. He was already backing away. Aria had a temper as large as Ed's and she seemed to get violent more often, well at least when it came to Ed.
Ed still wasn't paying attention, he was actully about to turn and walk away, when he fell over. Well more like was knocked over. He felt a weight on top of him, looking up he saw Aria. She was holding him down, cracking her knuckles. He could see the promise of pain in her eyes, he was instantly reminded of his master.
"You will NEVER put me in a cage again. You stupid little shorty. I told you not to call me gorilla girl. My name is Aria. And I am not an animal to put in a cage." She said.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SHORTY? YOU DO BELONG IN A CAGE GORILLA GIRL!" Ed yelled. Aria saw black, she began pulling her fist back to punch him. Before she could, she felt metal arms pull her off Ed.
Al had Aria around her waist, hauling her off Ed. She did not go quietly. "Al put me down, I'm going to kill him! Let me at him! Al let go! Shorty I swear if he didn't have a hold of me right now, you'd be six feet under! Let me go! Let me go! This isn't fair Al, you know I won't hit you. Put me down, so I can make that pretty face of his become so ugly that no one will ever want to even go near him!" She yelled, kicking and screaming. She didn't even realize that she had called Ed pretty.
"Aria I won't let you go til you calm down. If I let you go you might be carried away by someone else. I don't think you want to end up in jail for assulting military personnel. I really don't think you want that." Al said, holding on tighter. He could feel her trying to slip out of his arms. Brother why do you have to get her so worked up? Do you want her to kill you? I'm starting to think you have a death wish. Al thought.
"Al let her go, she won't be able to lay a finger on me." Ed said, now standing. He had a cocky look on his face, Aria just wanted to punch it off his face. You got lucky shorty. I swear I will get you back for this. She swore.
"Brother I think that would be bad for your health. Do you really have to get Aria so worked up?" Al asked, conscious of the still flailing girl in his arms.
"It's her fault! She's the one who insists on coming with us. We work alone, she is not needed. To us she is pratically worthless, we're better off without her. We made a deal and she is constantly breaking her word." Ed said, brushing himself off. Aria stopped flailing. It reminded her so much of the past. She had heard those words before. She's just worthless…. We don't need her, turn her away…. Go away we don't need someone like you here. You're not even worth killing. Aria hated those words. She hated the word worthless. She was going to kill him, but first she had to kill the shorty infront of her.
"You better start running shorty." Aria said, her hair covering her face. She wasn't looking up and she had stopped flailing. Al had momentarily thought that she was going to stop and had loosened his grip, he tried to tighten his grip once he heard her words, but it was to late. Aria slipped out of Al's arms, running towards Ed. Ed managed to dodge her first strike, but the second one he wasn't so lucky. She punched him, sending him a good twenty feet the opposite direction. She ran forward to get another punch in, when she felt a cage pop up around her. She looked up seeing Ed with his hands on the ground, he had put her in the cage. She looked with satisfaction at the bruise on his right cheek. She wished there was another one to match.
"Damn you hit hard, gorilla girl." Ed said, rubbing his cheek. He spit out blood that had gathered in his mouth. He really didn't think she could hit that hard. Where he had crashed into the ground was an indent. She had been able to make an Ed-shaped hole of about three inches deep.
"Wait til I get out of here and see how hard I hit you." Aria threatened, glaring first at the bars of the cage and then at Ed. Al had a feeling she was trying to figure out how to get out of the cage. He had seen when she had cracked the ground, if she was that strong she could break out of the cage. He was waiting for it.
"Fullmetal let her out. You shouldn't lock up civilians. They aren't able to fight back." Roy said, trying to help Aria out. He could see that her temper was rising every second and the longer she was in there, the more irritable she would be. Roy liked her already, she hit Ed. It seemed that she was a spirited girl and he was starting to want to know her better, maybe he could ask her out to dinner.
"Why? She was the one who assulted me." Ed said.
"And I'll do it again."
"Miss. Renaldie you are not helping your situation." The Flame Alchemist said turning to her." He turned back towards Ed. "Fullmetal that's an order. Let her out. We won't allow her to assult you again or is Fullmetal scared of a girl? If you are that scared of her, leave her in there and we could get her out when you are out of sight." Roy continued.
"Like you could stop me." Was heard as a certain short alchemist screamed in rage.
"I AM NOT SCARED OF GORILLA GIRL!" Ed shouted, undoing the alchemy. He glared at Roy. Aria as soon as the alchemy was undone, run forward, intending on punching his lights out. She felt someone grab her arm, pulling her back. She looked over at the person who was holding her from punching Ed out.
"If you continue to attack military personnel, then you will be arrested. I really don't want that to happen. I was hoping to ask you to dinner tonight, but if you're in jail that can't happen." Roy said, smiling at her.
"Fine, I won't attack him, but those two aren't leaving my sight. I will be leaving Central city with the Elric brothers." Aria said, looking at the colonel. Roy once again wondered why she wanted to travel with the brothers. Ed was miserable to be around and Al was okay but still why would she want to travel with the two teens. An idea popped into his head.
"Fine. You'll stay in the military barracks with the boys." He turned towards, just as Ed was about to open his mouth to protest. "Fullemtal, that's an order. She will stay with you." Roy leaned in, so Al and Ed wouldn't hear him. "Miss. Renaldie I expect you to tell me what thost two are doing, especially the short one." He said. He watched as she smirked at Ed being called short. He smirked as well. Their smirks got bigger when they heard Ed muttering about 'stupid bastards and gorilla girls'. Even if Aria looked like she wanted to kill Ed over hearing him calling her a gorilla girl.
Aria was happy, she had gotten her way. She was staying with the boys, at least while they were in Central city. She knew Al didn't mind having her around. She knew that a part of him liked having her company, but who wouldn't when they were just with the shorty all the time? But Ed was the problem, he hated her, he did not want her to travel with him. But Aria wasn't going to give up, she couldn't. She had her goals she had to accomplish, she would do anything to accomplish them, even travel with shorty. Now she had to report to the Colonel about what the boys were doing, so at least he supported her going with them.
Ed on the otherhand was furious. He had to deal with her, while he was in Central. And he was slightly suspicious about what the Colonel had whispered in her ear. He knew that Roy didn't want them to hear. He knew that the Colonel couldn't order her to leave with them. But then there was the possibility of her following them. He could always lock her up in the cage again, but that might get him in trouble. He really wished that he could get rid of her, she was annoying, stupid, annoying, and well just plain annoying. Must she always point out that I'm short? But of coarse, she loves to annoy me. Ed thought, frowning.
Al was having mixed feelings about this. He liked having Aria around when Edward and her were getting along. She was also nice to talk to, when Edward and her weren't arguing. She was a nice enough girl. He had to admit that she made things entertaining. Well more so than usual. Even if he didn't like to admit it, he had secretly thought that their sandwich fight was funny. The mental image of his brother straddling Aria was hilarious. He secretly thought they were flirting in their own way. Both of them had tempers and they only acted that angry around each other. He really did think they were flirting, but neither of them realized it. Al was happy about it but he was worried about all the arguing he was going to have to stop and the destruction of property that would probably happen over time.
"Well come on boys, I want to put my stuff away. I also want to go shopping for my date with Roy tonight." She said. Ed gasped, she was actully going to go?
"How are you supposed to make sure we don't leave while you're shopping?" Ed said, annoyed.
"Al is going with me, unless you want to go." Aria said, making it sound that she much rather have Al go with her. Al was at a loss, he was being made to go. But hey I might get to learn some things about her. Al thought. "Well you don't mind do you Al? I could make shorty go with me." She said, turning to look at him.
"I don't-"
"WHO ARE YOU-"
"mind-"
"CALLING-"
"going with-"
"A SHORTY?"
"you."
The brothers both finished their sentences at relatively the same time. Both turned to look at each other. And then at Aria. Then they looked back at each other. They looked back several times to check to see if what they were seeing was actully happening. Aria was laughing. She wasn't chuckling or snickering, but actully laughing-abeit it wasn't loud at all, it was a small laugh, but definetly a laugh. Aria was trying to hide it with putting her hand over her mouth.
Al decided that he liked her laugh much better than her yelling. Her yelling was a high-pitched and hurt his ears. Her laugh was everything she wasn't, it sounded like bells. She herself was a loud and very independent person. She was very closed off and defensive. Yet her laugh was child-like, filled with innocence usually found in a child. It was carefree and happy. Al wanted to hear her laugh more often.
Ed decided that she was so much better to deal with when she was laughing then at any other time. He knew he wouldn't hear her laugh for awhile. The laugh reminded him of his mother's laugh. Before he could think more on it, Aria stopped. She had gained control over it.
"What? You act like you've never seen someone laugh before."There it was, the closed off Aria.
"Nothing." Ed said, starting to walk off. "If you're coming, come on. We need to get to the barracks. You were the one who complained about putting your things away." Ed was secretly happy to be leaving. He wanted to go check out the alchemist library. See if there was anything else that could help Al get his body back.
"It's the same room as always." Roy said. He turned towards Aria. "I'll pick you up around seven?"
"Yes. Well I have to get going. It was nice meeting you all." Aria said, taking after the boys. Aria silently followed after the brothers, making sure to recognize land marks and such. She didn't want to end up lost somehow in this city. She would have rathered to be traveling or staying in a small town. Big cities didn't make her feel comfrontable, maybe she had been in small towns for to long. Finally they reached a large biulding. Aria notcied how it was in good condition and had the military's symbols on the biulding. It looked like there was a training ground behind the biulding. Next to the biulding was an aparment looking biulding, it looked more like a prision to Aria.
"Please don't tell me we're staying there." She groaned.
"Well you could always go rent a hotel and leave us alone. But you don't just listen." She could hear the smirk in his voice. They continued walking, and straight into the apartment-prision looking biulding. They are stopped by a military officer.
"Do you have clearance? State your name and purpose." He was looking at his registory book.
"We're staying here move." Before the man could respond, Ed knocked him over by kicking him. The man slammed into the wall. When he looked up and saw who it was, he yelled.
"Edward and Alphonse Elric! It's been awhile! How you two been?" Jean asked.
"Fine." Ed answered.
"Who's this?" Jean asked pointing at Aria.
"Her name's Aria, Aria Renaldie." Al said.
"Hello, I'm Jean."
"Nice to meet you." Aria said.
"We got to go." Ed said, walking by.
"Still rude as ever. Well see you later." Jean said, going back to guard guty. The three of them continued in silence. Finally they reached a door. Ed took out a key from his pocket, unlocking the door. He stepped inside. Aria was behind Al so she couldn't see him put the pack down, but she definetly heard it. He could have at least put it by his bed. Slob. Aria thought.
When she entered the room, she could tell that only Ed and Al used this room. It seemed like no one had been there for months. There was dust over everything, she decided that she would dust that off. If she was going to be staying in this room for a few days, it atleast wasn't going to have everything covered in dust. She noticed only two beds. She frowned at that. Where am I supposed to sleep? In the closet? She thought. She noticed how the sheets and comfronter were just a plain brown, nothing special, the carpet matching. There was a small counter on the other side of the room, a mini fridge next to it. She dropped her bag by the door, taking off her shoes. She wanted to sit down for a minute. She plopped down in one of the chairs, stretching out her legs. This chair was so much more comfrontable then the train, she could just fall asleep.
Well she could before the door slammed shut. She opened her eyes-when did she close them?-to see Edward gone and Al sitting on one of the beds.
"Where's shorty going? You'd think he'd want to sit down." She muttered, closing her eyes again. She sunk deeper into the chair, yawning. Maybe she'd take a nap.
"He went to look in the state alchemist library." Al answered. He wondered why she was curious.
"Why? He seems to know so much about alchemy already? I mean he made it to the state alchemist level? What, he wants to climb up the ranks?" She asked, souncing uninterested. Yet in truth, she really was. She wanted to know why one of them always seemed to have their head in a alchemy book.
"Don't you have to go shopping?" Al asked. He didn't know if he should tell her or not. He wondered what Ed would say. Would he be mad? Aria wondered what he was trying to hide. She decided to let it go, she would corner him while they were shopping. She got up, Al following her lead.
"Yes, lets go. I want to get a dress. Do you know of any place I can go to?" She asked. Al shook his head yes.
"Yeah, downtown. Come on." He said, leaving. Aria followed behind, wondering how she could get him to spill what he was hiding.
Meanwhile Ed was searching the library. He was going over muscule structure again. He knew what the human body was made of. It was just actully getting back Al's body that was the problem. He could summon another monster, he instantly shivered. He remembered how scared he was that day. He wanted to get Al back his body without having another accident. Now he had to deal with Aria. She would just hinder their progress, another reason for her to leave them alone. Maybe she'd fall in love with Mustang and leave them alone.
"Still looking for a way to restore Al's body?" Roy asked. Speak of the devil.
"Yes, do you see Al with his body? I wouldn't be here if I wasn't looking for a way." Ed asked, never taking his eyes off the page he was reading.
"You've read these books so many times, what else could you find?" He asked, picking up one of the books that were on a desk that Ed had piled up.
"You have added some new things. I'm reading the new books to see if any of the information is helpful." Ed said, turning towards Roy.
"Why is Aria with you? You normally don't have others traveling with you." Roy asked, like he couldn't care. Ed knew better, he knew that Roy was curious.
"She wouldn't leave us alone. End of story." Ed said, looking back at the book. Muscules were so complicated, but to actully be able to generate it, without all the other ingrediants? Impossible, but then again Ed had stopped beliveing in the impossible a long time ago.
"Is there something more to this? I don't want to be taking out your girlfriend on a date." He asked, smirking.
"I WOULD NEVER EVER DATE GORILLA GIRL!" Ed yelled, his face getting all red from anger. Roy thought he was blushing too.
"I was just asking. But why is she with you? Where did you meet her? You met her in Levy didn't you? By the way you're going to have to file a report for that." Roy said.
"Don't worry I'll give you a report." Ed said, more interested in his book.
"Fullmetal, what is she doing with you?" Mustang said, not liking the way he kept getting put off. It was driving him insane.
"Nothing. And even if there was something it wouldn't be any of your damn business." Ed said, getting fed up and walking away. He'd research later when the bastard wasn't there. Roy watched him leave, now he was really curious. He was having Liza check out Aria. He wanted to know who she was. He had been hoping to get some answers from Ed, but the teen wasn't cooperating.
Ed was going back to his room. He was hoping that Aria and Al had went shopping, he needed to be away from the girl. She drove him insane. At least this way he could go over some the information he had gotten. He hoped it would bring them closer to restoring what they had lost. He really wasn't expecting to get hugged though.
"Young Edward it is good to be seeing you." Armstrong said, hugging the life out of Ed. When he finally put Ed down, Ed was choking.
"Must you do that every time you see me?" He choked out. His day had just gotten more annoying.
"I've missed you!" He pulled Ed up into another hug.
"Stop that!" Ed exclaimed.
"How have you been? Have you been having lots of adventures? Are you any closer to restoring Al's body?" The large man asked after setting the teen down.
"I've been fine. I'm not much closer to restoring Al's body." Ed said, sadly. Armstrong seemed to notice the teens discomfront, he patted him on the back.
"You'll get his body back someday." Armstrong said, smiling. "I hear you have a new travel companion." Armstrong said, hoping to change the subject. Must everyone be asking about her today? Ed asked himself.
"Yes. You mean gorilla girl." Ed said, frowning.
"That can't be her name. What is it?" Armstrong asked, before asking. "Why do you call her that?"
"Because she hits hard. She has a nasty right hook. Ask her yourself what her name is." Edward said, walking forward, Armstrong walking beside him.
"Well can I met her? I would love to met your lovely companion. Especially if she's anything like your mechanic." Armstrong said. Ed paled, having them both in the same room. Fate was truly not kind to him.
"She's shopping. She has a date with Mustang tonight." Ed said. Hoping the man next to him would leave him alone.
"Is my young friend upset because he isn't going on a date with the girl?" Armstrong asked.
"NO! HOPEFULLY SHE'LL LIKE THAT BASTARD, SO SHE'LL LEAVE ME ALONE! I WANT HER AS FAR AWAY FROM ME AS POSSIBLE!" Edward yelled.
"Why?"
"SHE'S ANNOYING, SHE CALLS ME SHORT, SHE HITS ME, AND SHE IS JUST ALL AROUND ANNOYING!" Ed yelled, it seemed like any topic involving Aria would get him yelling like a wild banshee.
"But you are short, maybe if you drank your milk, you would be taller?" Armstrong suggested, looking at the teen.
"I AM NOT SHORT! AND I REFUSE TO DRINK MILK, ITS NASTY!" Ed yelled, he was really yelling a lot today, more than usual, well when he was not around Aria.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to insult you. Well lets go wait back in your room at the barracks. I wish to see Al and meet this girl, you have fallen for." Armstrong said, walking forward.
"I DO NOT LIKE GORILLA GIRL!"
Aria was enjoying her shopping. Al was not a bad shopping buddy, he would actully look before saying if it looked good or not on her. Plus he would actully carry the bags for her. She had needed some new clothes, her old ones were holey and were frayed. Most were getting to tight. Her last good decent shirt had been cut open to take the bullet out of her stomach. She still hadn't found a dress, but it was okay. She still had plenty of time. It was only three-thirty.
"Hey Aria?" Al asked, he had been quiet for awhile.
"Yes?" Aria asked, looking in store windows.
"How did you split the ground back in Levy? You just punched it. Did you use alchemy?" Al asked, looking away. He had wanted to ask and decided that now was a good time. Aria wasn't expecting that, but she didn't think it would hurt to tell him. It might be easier to get the reason why he was always in a suit of armor or why he never ate.
"Yes." Al's eyes widened. How did she do it? She had used her fist to punch the ground, how could she have done it?
"How? I mean all you did was punch the ground, you didn't use any tools." Al wondered if maybe she had seen the gate as well.
"I use alchemy on my muscles. I use it to increase my muscle strength to insane levels of strength. Trust me when I punched Ed earlier, that was nothing." Aria answered, looking over at Al. They had stopped. Al was amazed, what she did was amazing. She used alchemy to transmutate her own body but there was no signs of it ever happening. To be able to do that was amazing. She used no tools either.
"How much can you lift?" He asked, more like blurted out. She didn't answer him, instead she walked to the edge of the street. There was a medium sized car there. Al was wondering what she was going to do. What she did surprised him. She put her hands under the bumper and lifted. She lifted the car over her head, using one hand to hold it up and the other to steady the car, so it wouldn't fall. People in the street stopped and gawked. Al knew his mouth was open, even Major Armstrong couldn't lift that much and she was doing it with one hand.
"Does that answer your question?" She asked putting the car down. " Now I want to ask a question." She continued when Al nodded okay. "Why is Ed in the library? Is he trying to move up in rank? Why do you always wear that armor? Why do I never see you eat?" She asked.
"That was four." Al sighed, he had to tell her.
"They're related and you know it."
"Listen do not judge, okay?" She nodded. "When me and my brother were little we lost our mom, our father had already left us. We learned alchemy to make our mother happy when she was alive. She loved to watch us transmutate things. Well when we were ten we tried to bring her back to life after we learned alchemy from our master. In the process we brought something back, it was a monster looking like our mother, but it wasn't her. In the process I lost my entire body. Brother lost his left leg. Brother was willing to sacrifce his life to bring me back, sealing my soul into this armor, losing his right arm. Eventully we promised to restore what we had lost. He got automail and in one year he was taking the exam to become a state alchemist. He was twelve. Since then we've been traveling, we burned down our house, remembering to never look back." Al finished, watching Aria's face.
Aria hadn't expected that, but it reminded her of her own family. Everything had gone wrong. She understood Ed better now. She actully felt like crying. They had lost their precious mother, she had loved her mother just as much as they had loved theirs. What she did next surprised the both of them. She wrapped her arms around Al as much as she could, hugging him. She thought it would have been awkward to hug Al. The armor didn't bother her, it felt cool. The awkward part was actully hugging him, she hadn't hugged someone in so long. But the awkwardness faded after a second. Al was surprised. He hadn't really been hugged for so long. No one except their master hugged him. It felt nice to have Aria hug him. It was a hug of understanding. They both knew that their relantionship had changed, but both of them were fine with that. After a couple of minutes of standing there hugging they seperated.
"Thank you, Aria." Al whispered.
"You're welcome." She smiled.
"May I ask you something?" Aria wondered what he wanted to ask. She nodded yes. Al wanted to know about her past.
"Why are you not with you family Aria?" Aria's face fell. Al guessed it was the wrong question to ask. Aria's breathing came out in gasps, as memories flew through her mind.
Her mother singing, she had the most beautiful voice…..
Her father laughing, holding her in his arms, she always felt safe there…..
Her little brother's first steps, he walked right to her……
Blood…….
"Aria! Aria! Snap out of it!" Al was shaking her, she could feel the tears rolling down her face. She wiped her face off, people were staring at the two of them. She just wanted to run away. But before she could, she felt metal arms wrap around her, much like she had done for Al a few minutes ago. "I'm sorry you don't have to tell me." He whispered. She was grateful that he wasn't pushing it. Aria felt her feet leave the ground, but she couldn't care. After a few minutes she finally looked around. She was still in Al's arms, but they were sitting in a park, away from everyone else. He was still hugging her.
"I'm okay Al. I shouldn't have freaked like that." She sniffled. She was really glad that Edward wasn't there, he would have made fun of her. They pulled apart.
"I didn't mean to drag up painful memories. I just was curious. I'm so-" Al tried to apologize. She cut him off with her hand.
"You had a right to ask. You told me personal things and you were curious. I just can't talk about it, not now, maybe not ever." Aria said, she was surprised that she had cried. She very rarely cried.
"So are we done shopping?" Al asked, trying to lighten the mood. Aria was thankful. She was glad to have a friend like Al. Wait when did I start thinking of him as a friend? I think it was when he trusted me enough to tell me his past. Aria thought.
"Well I still have to get a dress. But don't worry it's the last thing, promise." Aria said, smiling at him. Al noticed how she smiled, it was different now. He knew that things were different between them. He was glad. He was going to be sad when he had part from her. Aria felt the same.
"Okay. Let's go." Al said getting up, holding his hand out to her. He helped her up, letting go of her hand. Aria thought about what happened to Al and Ed. She still thought that Ed was a shorty and annoying and well nothing would change there, but maybe they could get along just alittle better. She knew that her and Al would definetly get along well now. They had never really had problems to begin with. She wondered if he would teach her something.
"Al?" Aria said, looking up at him.
"Yes?" He thought she looked like a child with, her eyes all puffy and red. She had such an innocence there, for once she wasn't so closed off.
"Will you teach me how to fight? Like spar with me some time?" Al was surprised. Why did she want to learn?
"Why?"
"Well I have such strong muscules, but I'm no good at fighting. " She said. "I want to learn, will you teach me?" She asked, looking up at him. Al couldn't saw no, she looked to much like a begging child.
"Sure. How about we start tomorrow? I don't know how long we're going to be in Central and I don't know the next time we'll see each other." Al said, he really didn't want to leave her.
"Okay. And don't worry I will be going with you guys when you leave, even if I have to beat shorty to a bloody pulp." She said, smirking, clearly enjoying that train of thought. Al grimaced, with her alchemy, he did not want to be able to feel pain, at least when she hit. He felt bad for his brother. He also hoped that Ed could fix him, because when she got good enough to hit him, she was going to leave some dents.
After a few stores, Aria finally found a dress. She was tired though. Between crying and all the walking she was exhausted, maybe she could take a short nap. Al had offered to put her bags inside his armor, she had agreed thankful. Al's armor was good for storing things. She would definetly put her luggage in there if he offered to carry it for her.
"You know I might turn you into my personnel bellhop." Aria said, looking over at Al. Al shook his head, happy to see her back to her normal self. He had learned something about Aria that he knew that probably nobody knew. Aria had trouble talking about her past. She held it in, to the point of supressing the memories. He could see it in her eyes. When he asked about her family, the look in her eyes had changed. It seemed like she remembered them, hurting her. He had also learned that Aria would lose control sometimes, like in Levy. That she might appear that she doesn't care, but truly did. He wanted to help her with that, he wanted her to be able to remember her past and not freak out, like she had done earlier.
Aria was thinking about the day. She thought about how hard it must be for Al, he couldn't feel things. He couldn't eat, sleep, he was never tired. It seemed like it would be awful. She wondered if she would rather die or live the way Al was living. Would she have rather died? To go be with her family? If an attempt to bring her mother back had failed and resulted in what happened to Al, would she have rather died. Then Aria thought about her goals, she would have wanted to live, if it was only to accoplish her goals and die. Plus she knew why Al wanted to stay, he wanted to take care of Ed, he didn't want to die yet. He wanted to desperately have his life back.
Aria wondered how much guilt Ed carried in side him. His brother had lost his whole body and Aria had a feeling that Ed was the one who had made the final plans to bring their mother back. She knew Al had a hand in it, but she knew it was a good bit of Ed's design in there. Ed was a genius, she could tell. He didn't use alchemy tools to preform alchemy. She wondered what it was like to know that your brother lost his body because your plans failed. At least he had managed to save Al. Ed had been able to do something that herself couldn't do, he had saved his brother. She knew Ed felt extrememly guilty, she knew that type of guilt, but at least he still had his brother. She also wondered how bad the automail hurt, she heard that it took three years to be ready to completely rehabilitated. Ed had done it in one year. He had both a leg and arm. She wondered if it hurt when it rained. She knew that metal in most people's limbs always hurt when it rained. It must hurt having a whole metal arm and leg.
I'm thinking way too much about this. Shorty is just shorty, he has his own problems. I have enough to worry about without adding their problems to my own. It's their problem. But, it just reminds me too much of my past. If I had thought of bringing the dead back to life, would I have tried it? Aria thought. She knew she would have tried. She would have done anything to get them back. She would have gave her own life, if she just got to see them one more time.
They were almost at the barracks. Aria wondered if she looked like she had been crying. She really didn't want Ed to know that she had been crying, it would just lead to questions and a repeat of this afternoon. She looked up at Al, should she ask?
"Hey Al, do I look like I've been crying?" Aria whispered, she didn't want anyone to overhear her. She would be so embarrassed, and she really didn't want people to ask why.
"Not really, you look like normal." Al said, placing a hand on her shoulder. She knew that he was trying to reassure her. She didn't mind. When did I start allowing this? She asked herself, knowing that it was about what had been said today that she allowed Al to touch her. She nodded in thanks. She wasn't going to give him a smile though. There was no way she was going to begin to go soft.
Al could see Aria return to her closed off self. Her face lost it's innocence, she lost the look that reminded him of a child. He knew she would go back but seeing the difference now that he knew what to look for was different. He wished she would open up all the time. He knew that even before she hadn't been completely open. He wondered what had caused her to become so closed off, but he knew that it had something to do with her family. Just the mention of them had caused her to go into a crying fit.
He wondered if Ed and Aria realized how much alike they werre. Yes they were both loud, yes they both overeacted when you called them short or gorilla girl, and yes neither of them smiled or laughed a lot. But it was deeper than that, Aria had the same grief Ed had. They both blamed themselves for what had happened to their families. Al wondered what was going to happen now. He hoped Aria would get along better with Edward now, at least a little bit.
Aria and Al walked in on a funny sight. Ed was sitting on his bed, leaning against the headboard, holding an ice pack to his head. Armstrong stood next to the bed, holding a glass of milk. Al groaned. Aria noticed, lifting an eyebrow in question.
"Just watch." He whispered. They both turned their attention back to Ed and Armstrong.
"But Edward, you might grow some more if you drink milk." Armstrong said, pushing the milk glass into Ed's hands.
"NO! MILK IS NASTY! I WILL NOT DRINK IT!" Ed yelled, wincing. He used his free hand to shove the glass back to the major. "Oww, my head hurts." He said. He had the biggest headache in existance. Why did fate have to have him deal with the major?
"You know that milk might help you grow?"Aria asked, deciding to leave out shorty. Both the males in the room turned to them. Ed with wide eyes. She didn't call me shorty? Armstrong seemed eager to met her, running towards her, engulfing her in a large hug. He body nearly crushed hers. "L-let g-go. C-can't breathe."She gasped. She felt like she could feel her bones breaking, god why did this man hug her so tightly?
"Major, you're hurting her."Al said, hoping to help Aria out, she was turning blue. The major quickly dropped her. She collapsed in a heap on the floor, gasping for air.
"I'm sorry, miss, I didn't mean-" He tried to say, before he was cut off.
"How dare you just hug someone without at least introducing youself. Could you at least not hug so tight?" Aria yelled, allowing her temper to take control. She knew that she was alittle out of control, but she was tired and now she nearly got killed by a man and his hugs. She could hug someone that tight as well, but she just didn't do that. Al knew that she was going to crack eventully at least she had made an effort with Ed before she cracked. Ed wondered why she had flipped out on the Major, sorta happy that she had.
"Aria calm down. That's just how the major says hello." Al said. Aria did as he said, relaxing, counting to ten. When she finally calmed down, she felt so much better.
"I'm sorry, its just that I'm really tired and wasn't expecting that." Aria apologized, before adding: "I'm Aria Renaldie by the way." She looked away, avoiding eye contact. She seemed to be saying sorry a lot recently. She was starting to remember why she had avoided hanging around people for so long, you end up having to apologize. She had to actully talk to them. Life was so much easier when it was just her!
"It's alright. I didn't mean to scare you. It's nice to meet you, I'm Alex Louis Armstrong, but you can call me Arnstrong. Now look at my muscules, they are wonderful." He shouted the last comment, taking his shirt off. Al and Ed had seen this several times, but still it was something you could never quite get used too. Aria's eye twitched. This guy was nice, but he was seriously cocky and proud. The way he showed his muscules off, wanted to make her challenge him to an arm-wrestling contest. But she didn't want the military to know of her abilities, they would take a more active interest in her. She did not want that.
"PUT YOUR SHIRT ON! NO ONE HERE WANTS TO SEE YOU HALF-NAKED!" Ed screamed, pointing his finger at Armstrong. Aria wanted to thank Ed, but she wasn't going to do that. She wasn't going to try and get along that well with him. Armstrong looked dissappointed. Aria wondered what she had done to end up in the company of these morons. She didn't count Al as a moron, just the other two. One was a shorty and the other was well a giant hugger. Armstrong quickly put his shirt back on.
"So young Aria what are you doing traveling with the boys?" Armstrong asked. He really was curious, that and he had made a bet with a few other of the officers. He bet that Aria and Ed were a couple.
"Oh nothing much. I don't like being stuck in one place." Aria answered, it was her business. The boys didn't even know the real reason. Armstrong could tell that she was dancing around the subject. She had a decent reason, but there was something more to it. Al and Ed knew she could lie, she had lived in a town full of people who had sacrifices for months, she knew how to lie and make it seem reasonable.
"Why don't you like living in one place?" Armstrong asked. Ed was getting curious, she might actully have to give answers. Al knew that this conversation could led to asking about Aria's family, while he was curious, he didn't want to see her break down like that again. He knew something had happened to them, that much was obvious, but he wasn't sure what.
"Boring. One place is too boring, same faces, same places, I like to see new things." Aria said putting her new clothes away. She started sorting through her old clothes, trying to figure out what she could still wear. She figured that some of theses old clothes could work for sparring with Al. Plus she wanted to keep up her façade of not caring, these questions were getting extremely annoying.
"Yet you want to travel with us. You'll see our faces all the time." Ed muttered.
"Yes but there's still enough new places and people that I can stand to deal with you all the time." She said smirking. She'd rather argue with shorty.
"Hey! I'm the one who can't deal with you. You're the annoying one, gorilla girl." And like that, the time of being nice was over. Al knew that Aria wasn't going to be nice anymore. They were doing so well too. He pouted.
"Who are you calling gorilla girl? My name is Aria, shorty!" Aria yelled, dropping her clothes. She stood with her hands on her hips, glaring. Ed glared back.
"I AM NOT A SHORTY! WHAT ABOUT MY NAME? IT'S ED!" He screamed. Al and Armstrong both stood a few feet away, they were smart. They had both learned one of the most basic military concepts a long time ago: stay out of the line of fire.
"I don't see an Ed anywhere, all I see is a midget!"She yelled. Her hand itching to punch him, hoping to hit him so hard that he went flying through the wall.
"WELL ALL I SEE IS AN OVERSIZED GORILLA IN A VERY UGLY GIRL COSTUME!" He yelled. Aria couldn't take it. She wanted to punch him so bad. Yet she knew that he would end up in the hospital, as angry as she was she would definetly send him through the wall, if not several. So she opted to do something else instead. Reaching for her hairbrush-she was happy that she had put it out when she had been sorting her clothes-she took it and threw it at him. Ed ended up dodging. It hit the wall, bouncing off. You could see where it had left a dent, she had managed to hold back. Ed had decided to trap her in the cage again.
"Let me out! I swear when I get out of this cage, you're dead!" She screamed. She was debating the pros and cons of using her strength to get out of the cage. Al knew of her alchemy, Ed did not, but he knew that she was strong. The major did not know. I could always hold back. She thought.
"Fullmetal what have I told you about putting civillians in cages?"
"Nothing bastard. And she's staying in the military barracks, making her in my book a part of the military." Ed answered, glaring at Roy as he walked in. He was wearing a black dress shirt and nice slacks.
"Let her out." Roy commanded, staring at Ed, daring him to disobey. "I have a date with Miss. Renaldie, I wish to be on time for our reservations." Ed continued to glare, but let Aria out.
"Thank you. That's the second time you've saved me from that damn cage." Aria said, sending a quick glare at Ed.
"You do remember that we have a date right?" Roy asked, seeing her state of dress. Aria looked over at the clock. It was almost seven.
"Oopps. I didn't forget at all, I just lost track of time. Give me a few minutes and I'll be ready to go."Aria said, grabbing her dress. She ran into the bathroom at full speed.
"You'e going to be late for your reservations." Ed said, uninterested.
"Why do you say that?" Roy asked.
"All girls take forever in the bathroom." Ed said, walking over to his bed, dropping down onto it. He layed down, covering his eyes with his arm. Roy nodded, it seemed that all girls did take forever in the bathroom.
"Fullmetal, I have to wonder what happened in Levy." Roy asked, he had to got more details on the incident. Ed hadn't given him many answers, he needed them though.
"I told you everything."
"Why exactly did you allow the prisioner to escape?" Roy asked.
"We did not allow him to escape. There was something more important that needed to be taken care of. He could be dead, we'll give you a description so others will know what to look for." Ed asked. Roy was getting annoyed. What the hell was more important?
"Well please explain what was more important then bringing a culprit who could control others by using alchemy into custody?" Roy roared.
"My life. Ed carried me to the nearest doctor, helping to extract the bullet in my stomach. So if catching a criminal is more important then saving a human life, then leave. I will not go on a date with someone who doesn't value a human life." Aria said, glaring at Roy. Her expression clearly showed that she meant every word she said. Ed looked at Aria amazed, she had stood up for him. Why?
"I didn't mean it that way. I wasn't told why he left the criminal. I was told that there was a fire in the house and they hadn't found the body. I'm sorry if I have offended you in any way." Roy said. He hoped that she listened. Aria relaxed, he wasn't one of the cold-hearted military personnel. Roy took this time to look over her. She wore a dark red dress to her knees. It made her blue-green eyes stand out. Her hair was put up, in a nice bun. A few pieces of hair hung down. She wore a pair of red high-heels. Al remembered when he had first saw her in the dress. She looked different. He had thought it looked good on her and suggested she buy it. Ed was surprised, he did not think that it was his gorilla girl companion. She actully looked like a girl, he admitted begrudgely.
"Okay. I just think it's right that someone values human life." Aria said, she smirked at Ed. The expression on his face was comical. He seemed generally surprised that she was a girl. Before she could think much more on the subject, she was pulled into a large hug.
"You look beautiful, my young friend." Armstrong exclaimed. Aria gasped for air. She silently begged for someone to get this man off of her.
"Please Major put her down. I want my date in one piece." Roy said, watching as Armstrong put her down. "Well we have to be going now. Good night to you three." Roy said, holding his arm out to Aria. She hesitated for a second, before taking it.
"Don't wait up." She called over her shoulder.
"Whatever."She heard Ed call before the door close behind her. Aria allowed Roy to lead her to a car, he opened the passenger door for her. She looked out the window, watching the streets go by. Her eyes caught briefly to a figure, his eyes caught hers before they went past. They seemed familiar, but from where?
"So have you been in Central before?" Roy asked, pulling her out of her thoughts. She looked over, to see him staring at her from the corner of his eye.
"Yes, when I was alittle girl. It wasn't so busy then, that or I've lived in small towns for way too long." Aria said.
"How are you feeling?"
"What?"
"You were shot correct? How are you feeling?"
"Better. Much better. I guess I owe shorty for saving me, even though I got the wound protecting him."
"You protected Fullmetal?" Ed never let anyone help him.
"He was down and Al wouldn't be able to push him out of the way, I tackled the guy who was going to shot Ed and he shot me when he got up. I just didn't get up fast enough. I ended up hitting the guy over the head awhile after that, he was going to experiment on the shorty. I swear does he always get into so much trouble?" She asked, curious. Roy chuckled, this was going to be interesting.
"Brother?"
"Yes Al?" Ed never looked up from his alchemy notebook.
"Aria can use alchemy." Al had thought about his decision. But in the end he had decided to tell Ed. He hoped that Aria wouldn't be angry with him.
"What? When did you discover that?" Ed asked, his mouth open. Al was glad he hadn't yelled.
"Today, while we were shopping." Al knew Aria was going to kill him. He wasn't going to tell Ed about her crying fit. He decided that Aira might spare his life if he didn't tell that part of the story.
"What does she do? I bet she's only a third rate alchemist." Ed said, going back to his notebook.
"She increases her muscule strength. Brother she was able to lift a car over her head." Al heard the notebook drop.
"WHAT? THERE IS NO WAY GORILLA GIRL CAN DO THAT?" Ed yelled, his studying forgotten. Al turned to see his brother's mouth wide open. He was staring at him, surprised.
"She can. She uses alchemy to increase her muscule strength."
"Do you know what this means?" Al wondered what his brother was talking about. "She does something that doesn't change the body. We might be able to use her alchemy skills to restore our bodies. She's transmutating her own body, flesh, and bones. She could help us get our bodies back." Ed yelled, running off. Al took aff after his older brother, wondering what he was up too. Ed continued to run through the barracks til he reached the main office of the military. He ran in, upsetting the guard.
"Sorry!" Al yelled as he passed then man. What was his brother doing now?
"Hawkeye! Where are you?" He heard Ed yell.
"Ed what are you doing barging in here?" He heard Liza ask. He finally came to the pair, Ed was infront of Liza.
"Where was the bastard taking gorilla girl?" He asked. It seemed to take Liza a second before she understood.
"I am not allowing you to mess up the Colonel's date." She scolded.
"Yes brother, this can wait." Al tried to tell Ed.
"No it can't!" He yelled. "This is extremely important. I need to know where they are right now." Ed said, hoping Liza would tell him. Liza knew the look in his eye, he was close to a breakthrough. He had a clue about how to restore Al's body. She knew there was no stopping him, so she gave in.
"A place called 'The Tavern'. It's on the corner of Fifth Street and Central Avenue." She called, Ed taking off as soon as she was done.
"Thanks Hawkeye." Al yelled, running after Ed.
"So you're telling me that shorty was in the hospital because he got beat up by this guy named Scar?" Aria asked.
"Yep. He was beat up pretty bad. He had to go to his machanic and get a new automail arm." Roy said. "The thing that Ed got in trouble for with Al was he made Scar promise not to kill Al, if he allowed Scar to kill him."
"So the great Fullmetal Alchemist is just a big softie?" Aira asked, she was enjoying herself. Ed being a softie made her laugh.
"Yep. What about you any funny stories?" Roy asked. They had been eating for awhile. She was actully great company. He liked her a lot, he wanted to know more about her.
"Well on the way here from Levy, shorty and I managed to get into a fight over a sandwich. We actully ended up crushing it, after knocking over a tray and the train attendant. It was his fault, he should have gave me the sandwich. I had ordered before he did, so really it was mine." Aria said, thinking about how funny it sounded. Roy raised an eyebrow, they knocked over a tray and train attendant? Was it just him or did Edward revert back to a child around Aria.
"Ed can be pretty stubborn. What about from when you were a child?" He asked, he noticed her stiffen for a second.
"Well once when I was little I fell into a river. I had been playing with some of the other kids and slipped in the mud, sliding into the river. It took four adults to pull me out. The funny thing was that I was wearing a white dress, it was ruined!" She said, smiling at the memory. It was one of the few she could think about.
"So where is you fam-" Before he could finish, Ed ran in. He was followed by Al. Ed was panting and Al just looked like Al.
"Hey gorilla girl I need to talk to you!" Ed said, once he caught his breath.
"Do you not see that I'm busy, shorty?" She asked, her eye twitched. She really wanted to yell, but they were in a restaurant.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SHORTY? YOU OVERSIZED GORILLA GIRL!" Aria gripped the table edge, she wanted to punch his lights out. Why couldn't she? Oh yea she was in a nice restaurant on a date. Before she could respond, someone did for her.
"Fullmetal I suggest you leave before I make you leave." Roy said, promising pain. Ed didn't look scared.
"I'm not scared of you. I'm not leaving til I talk to gorilla girl." Aria noticed Al mouthing 'sorry' to her. She mouthed back 'it's okay'. He seemed to be blaming himself.
"Leave or you will find out how hot my flames are." Ed's eyes narrowed.
"Is that a threat Mustang?"
"It's a promise."
"Brother, please we can talk to Aria after her date. I'm sorry Colonel, Aria." Al apologized.
"No, I need to talk to her now!" Before he had even finished his sentence Roy snapped his fingers. Ed's sleeve burst into flames. Al quickly grabbed a cup of water, throwing it on Edward's sleeve. The alchemist wasn't happy.
"You bastard! When I get ahold of you-" Ed was cut off by the restrains on his arms. Both Aria and Al had each of his arms. Aria had his flesh arm and Al had his automail arm. Aria was squeezing, he could feel it, she had a firm grip. She leaned in and whispered:
"If you don't leave, then'll I'll break you arm. I might think about breaking it so bad you will have to have another automail arm, got it?" Ed looked at her eyes, she was serious.
"Fine but when you get back, we're talking." Aria let go of Ed, allowing Al to lead him out. Aria quickly sat down, she was annoyed. That damn brat had to ruin her date!
"What did you say to make him leave?" Roy asked. He had saw how she had whispered something to Fullmetal, he wondered what could have made Ed leave.
"Oh nothing, I just promised to break his arm if he didn't leave." She said, smirking. Roy raised an eyebrow. Was she serious? She really couldn't break his arm could she? Roy thought she was joking.
"Seriously what did you tell him?" He asked. Aria realized that in her annoyance with the shorty she had almost told Roy that she knew how to use alchemy.
"That I would talk to him later." Aria picked at her food wondering what Ed wanted to talk to her about. They didn't get along, but it seemed like he was deperate.
"Are you alright, Aria?" Roy asked, she had been sitting in silence. She had a look of thoughtfulness on her face.
"I'm sorry. It's just-"
"He ruined our date." Roy guessed.
"Yea, it's just that shorty never wants to talk to me. So I'm just curious about what he wants to talk to me about. I'm sorry." Aria said, feeling sorry.
"Let me take you back to the barracks. We can have another date another time. Next time, I'll have Ed guarded by some of my men. Knowing him though, he'd escape." Roy mused. He rubbed his chin.
"Thanks. We'll go out again and I swear if he messes that one up, I will hurt him." Aria vowed. Roy nodded. The drive back was quiet, they chatted about nothing in particular. When Aria got out, Roy walked her to the room.
"I had a lot of fun tonight, Roy." She said, standing infront of the door.
"I did too. By the way you looked really nice tonight." Roy said, smiling at her. Aria felt her heart speed up, no guy had ever told her that before. Well she hadn't really been on any dates before either.
"Thank you, You too. I had better get in there before shorty blows a gasket. Good night." Aria said. She was turning to open the door, when a hand on her own stopped her. She turned to see what he wanted. When she turned, several things happened at once.
One, the door opened.
Two, Ed yelled:
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A SHORTY, GORILLA GIRL?"
And three, Roy pressed his lips against her own.
It wasn't a long kiss. Just a simple peck, but Aria enjoyed it. She had never been kissed before. Also this was her first date with Roy, do you even kiss on the first date? Well apparently Roy Mustang kissed on the first date. She also noticed how shorty wasn't yelling anymore. With all these thoughts running through her head, she didn't notice when Roy pulled away.
"Good night, Aria." Roy said, turning around and walking down the hallway. She knew she looked like an idiot, damn she felt like one too.
"Did he just steal my first kiss?" She wondered aloud. Searching thorugh her memories wondering if she had ever been kissed before. Two yells woke everyone who had been sleeping in the barracks.
"THAT BASTARD STOLE MY FIRST KISS!"
"THAT BASTARD JUST KISSED GORILLA GIRL INFRONT OF ME!"
Outside Roy smirked, he knew he was going to end up with matching bumps on his head.
"Are you two just going to stand there in shock?"Al called from inside the room. Aria and Ed seemed to break out of whatever trance they were in. Both entered the room, closing the door behind them. Aria collapsed on the bed closest to the door.
"Get out of my bed." She heard Ed growl.
"Too tired. Move me." She said. Her head was jumbled. Then she remembered what happened at the restaurant. Her anger came back, abeit lesser than before, but she was still angry. "What the hell was that at the restaurant? What did you want?" She growled out tired.
"Al told me you can use alchemy on your muscules." Before he could continue, Aria shot up. Her eyes searched for Al.
"Where is he?" Aria asked, still searching. Ed pointed to the bathroom. He would never admit it, but he was secretly scared of her right now. "Al why did you tell shorty?" She was pissed. Ed decided it would be better just for once to keep quiet. Al gulped from inside the bathroom, she was going to kill him.
"I just thought he should know. I mean shouldn't we know if the person we travel with can use alchemy or not?" Al asked.
"She isn't traveling with us!" Edward was ignored.
"So? Why should he know?" Had he told Ed about her crying episode?
"Aria because you can help us restore our bodies. Well that's what brother said." Al said from behind the door. He was prepared to jump out the window, should Aria decide to come after him.
"Al come out of the bathroom." Aria called. She didn't sound angry, but for some reason he didn't believe her. "Al I promise I won't hit you. I just want to know how I can supposely help you get your bodies back?" Her voice was softer. Al decided to risk it and come out. He cracked the door and peeked out, Aria was sitting on the bed. Her eyes met his and he didn't see any anger in them.
"Wait you know about Al's body and mine?" Ed asked. How did she find out? Then he whirled on Al. "Al you told her?" He asked, glaring at his brother.
"Yes. She asked. She told me about her alchemy and I answered her questions." Al said, coming out of the bathroom.
"Don't worry Al, if he attacks you, I'll hurt him." Aria joked. "Why do you guys think I can help you?"
"You use alchemy on the body, in a way it's human mutatution. Yet you aren't losing anything. Who taught you how to do that?" Ed asked, curious. He had a notebook in his hand, with a pen.
"My mother." Aria whispered, she really didn't want to get into this.
"How? What did she teach you?" Ed asked.
"Listen my mother taught me the basics of alchemy. She knew how to do the same thing, but my mother always said my alchemy was stronger than hers. I can help you, but it'll take time. I won't teach you how to do it. My mother always said it was for our family and our family only to learn. I will honor that wish. But I will tell you how it enhances the muscules. If I help, you gotta help me too. I want to learn to fight. Al already said he'd help me, but to learn effeciently I need to stay with you guys. I'll help but I get to travel with you. That's my deal, take it or leave it." Aria said. She knew it was low, but this was to help her accomplish her goals.
Ed knew that she was manuipulating him, but she had information that he needed. He would agree so he could get Al's body back, he had promised after all. A few fighting lessons, how hard was that? Also she got to travel with them, that was really going to bug him. He still wondered who was getting the better deal, Aria or them?
Al on the other hand was happy. Aria got to travel with them. He considered her a friend and was happy that he could be traveling with someone besides Ed. He loved his brother, but sometimes his brother was just too anti-social. Aria would talk with him and he knew that she needed people in her life too. He knew something though. The next few months were going to be interesting.
"Alright you can travel with us. You had better live up to you're part of the deal. I want to know how you do it. Okay?" Ed waited a few seconds, he wondered why he hadn't gotten a reponse yet. He was about to yell, when a cool metal hand was clamped down on his mouth. He looked over at his brother, confused.
"Shh, she feel asleep right after you said that she could travel with us. Let's not wake her." Al whispered. Ed looked over at Aria, meaning to glare at her. Yet when he went to glare at her, he couldn't, she was smiling in her sleep. She looked really happy, to Ed she just reminded him of his mother. He decided to take the the other bed in the room. Ed feel asleep quickly, while Al watched over the two of them. They look like little angels in their sleep, why can't they act like it when they're awake?
well heres the second chapter, its even longer... hehe.. well i updated my friday. thanks ik1440 for encouraging me. hehe.... if people have any questions, just ask... hehe