Ok, I'm sorry for the delay in updating this. The carnival was in town this weekend. Since I have a nine year old younger brother, and an eleven year old younger sister, we went, of course. –haven't slept since last Friday- Anyway, enjoy chapter two. And, this chapter is kind of slow, just to warn you. Though, it does inform quite a bit… whatever, you'll find that out for yourself. Without any more delays, Chapter 2 readers xD
The Gateway
Chapter 2 : Baca Gorda
Previously : "Well I'll be darned." She grinned. "Winry! Our regulars are here! Winry..!" The lady stepped outside, standing on the porch. Nicole stayed inside, but watched as two figures faded into view on the horizon.
Nicole watched curiously as they became clearer. One was microscopically short, the other, a giant.
"Hey, Granny Pinako, I'm gunna need your help again." the shorter one called.
He neared the house, stopping in the yard. The giant carried a large, wooden crate, in which rested a large suit of armor. "This is Major Armstrong," he introduced, pointing at the giant.
Major!? What is the military doing here? And… and… her thoughts were interrupted by the Armstrong's booming voice. "Pinako Rockbell, pleased to meet you," he smiled warmly, shaking her hand. The dog too bounded up to the crowd, placing his paws on the crate and wagging his tail excitedly.
"Hi Den, long time no see," the armor said.
And, of course, the armor can talk. Er, why is the guy wearing armor, and sitting in a crate anyway?
"Is it just me, or have you gotten smaller since I saw you last?" Granny Pinako said pointedly.
"Who are you calling small, half-pint hag!" he shouted back.
"What did you call me, you little runt?!"
"You heard me, guppy geezer!!"
"Tiny chump!"
"Micro-mini granny!"
"Microscopic amoebae!"
"Those are already microscopic, old hag."
At this moment in time, Lewis stepped in. He bonked Ed on the head, "Now stop it. It's rude to comment on one's age."
The elderly lady chuckled, "Young lad, 'tis just a joke. Now, what brings you back?" she asked curiously, "you pipsqueak."
Ignoring her comment, Ed opened his mouth to speak, though was interrupted by the whistle of something cutting through the air at a rapid pace. Clonk! Which was followed by a loud, 'oww!'
"Whoops. Sorry Ed. Didn't see you there. So why'd you finally decide to come back?"
Ed shrugged, ignoring her and stepping inside the door, followed by Lewis, the old lady, and not much later, Winry, who came from the stairs. Lewis declared that he was going to step outside for a moment. He carried a very large crate into the adjoining room, and then stepped back outside. Nicole just sat by the wall, invisible to all eyes. She sighed, What the heck is going on? She stood up and peered through the doorless frame. The girl, Winry, was chewing out the shrimpy kid, and the armor that was with him. She thought it a bit odd to wear such large armor, and indoors too. Something strange was going on. Best not to meddle, she decided quickly, and went outside to find the huge guy.
"… and what's this, Al? You broke too? Geez, what kind of lifestyle do you guys lead?"
Al shrank back into his crate, and by the racket of his armor, he was shaking.
Nicole wandered outside, sitting down on the hill behind the house, listening to Winry and Ed's voices coming from the open window behind her. She sighed, stretching her back into an arch so she could rest her chin on her drawn up knees. 'Just where am I, anyways? What's going on?' her thoughts trailed off. She sighed, rising to her feet and trudging off away from the house. She needed to think.
Not much later, the boy came out, and sat down next to the armor, Den trailing. He seemed to be talking to the armor… 'Why is that guy still in his armor? Shouldn't he take it off?' she shrugged off the thought, he would probably take it off around dinner time or so. She watched as the golden haired boy rose and walked off, Den still following him. She smiled slowly to herself; she could try talking to the armor now. The short boy was kind of scary, for some reason. She edged down the roof, and lightly dropped to the ground below.
"Hi," she began.
The armor jumped, but turned to look at her anyway. "Hi, I didn't see you, er, haven't ever seen you around here."
Nicole shrugged, "You haven't?" she asked, hope creeping into her voice.
"No."
Nicole sighed, "Oh." She sat down next to him on the grass, fingering a green leaf between her fingers. 'That's really weird… I've been here for two weeks. Well, I suppose that doesn't really count as long, but I can't remember anything before then.
"I'm Alphonse, by the way, but Al, for short."
"Alphonse is a strange name," she said back.
Al didn't get a chance to reply, because Ed soon came into view on the horizon. "Oh, Brother's back…" he said, though didn't move to greet him. He just stayed rooted to the spot of the grass. Nicole thought this strange too, but didn't ask questions.
Two days later, she slipped silently down the stairs, peering into the adjoining room. Ed sat on a cushioned box, his right arm and left leg propped up on two other cushioned boxes. In an instant, she had recognized them to be shiny for one thing, and limp. They were the weird some things she had seen hanging all over the house! So they were prosthetics.
"One…two…three!"
His face twisted into a sort of agonized pain. "OWW!" She suppressed a giggle. This kid was kind of funny. After a few minutes, he was standing. And then… 'WHAT THE HECK!?' Ed had placed his leg flatly against the wall, and his nose brushed the metal, his other leg was straight and he still stood flat-footed on the floor. He did something like that to his arm too.
"Feels good," he said as Winry proceeded to lecture him about his arm, but he dashed off in a hurry. Nicole watched this curiously, obvious confusion written all over her face. She walked to the window that oversaw the back area. Ed dashed hurriedly towards the armor. He picked up an arm… 'Okaaay…' then set it back down. Then he clapped his hands. Her eyes widened in amazement as he placed them on the ground, followed by an electric blue light. The next thing she knew, all the pieces that were gone, and the armor was standing, for once.
She blinked once. Twice. Her feet would not move, her eyes were fixed on the strange pair that stood naught ten feet from her. She watched as they sparred, Ed moving about like a monkey on springs, and as the armor blocked nearly every move. The giant man, whose name she did not remember, soon joined them, much to their dismay. 'What goof balls…' she mouthed silently. Her head dropped, shaking in a lazy way, before she turned from the window.
A few hours later, Ed, Al and the giant came into the house, bruised and sweating. Nicole trailed Winry down the stairs and into the dining room. She sat down, and invisibly ate. Ed didn't seem to notice her at all, nor did Al or the giant, whose name still eluded her memory.
"So Ed, where did your normal limbs go?" she asked abruptly.
Ed had just taken a rather large mouthful of water, and ever so kindly, had spewed it all over Winry. He now turned to look at the stranger who has spoken. "Where did you come from?" he asked shortly.
Nicole rolled her eyes, "I've been here for two weeks, genius. Have you not noticed me at all?"
Ed's eyes narrowed and he turned his gaze back towards his food. "No."
"Well, besides that, are you going to answer my question or not?"
"No."
Nicole sighed, it was pointless. She glanced back at Al. "Why don't you ever take your armor off? Why did you only stand this afternoon, why not before? Why aren't you eating, anyway? Shrimpy kid, what was that blue light earlier?"
The room had fallen silent in the few minutes of the conversation, and Nicole's questions echoed emptily off the walls. Ed nearly choked on his bread, and Al shrank back into the wall behind him. Winry was still dripped from the water, and her eyes were focused on the blonde boy sitting across from her.
"DON'T CALL ME SO SHRIMPY THAT YOU NEED A MAGNIFYING GLASS TO SEE!" Ed shouted back. "And that blue light was called 'Alchemy.' Don't you know what that is? Everyone does, unless you were born in a cave out in the middle of nowhere. Where you born in a cave?"
"I didn't say that, and no, I wasn't. I'm even sure where 'here' is. It isn't normal for any person, especially a small child, to clap their hands and then make things disappear in a blue light. Or any color light, or anyone to do anything unnatural. Or whatever this 'alchemy' thing is… it isn't normal. Who are you people anyway? Is it normal to have such weird fake limbs?" her temper had flared, and she now found herself inches from Ed's face.
"You're crazy," he said simply, "so who are you anyway?"
Nicole's cheeks flushed red, and she slowly crept back from him. "I'm not sure what my name is. Who are you? I already met your older brother, or so he says."
"I'm the older brother, me, Edward Elric. And how could you not know your own name?"
"Oh, sorry. But you're so short, are you sure?"
Al stepped in at this point, "Brother, calm down."
Nicole now heard his voice clearly, and it did sound like that of a child. "So why do you wear the armor all the time anyway?"
Ed and Al cast nervous glances at each other. "It's a hobby," they both said.
'What kind of hobby involves wearing armor all the time?!'
Ed turned back to his now cold food. "We're leaving tomorrow at dawn," he announced.
"Where are you going?" Nicole asked, hopeful that it would be somewhere where she could contact her father or something, but Ed ignored her. She tried again, "Can I come with you?"
Ed started coughing loudly, "Can you do what?"
"Can I come with you?" she repeated.
"No."
"How come?"
"Because… we travel a lot, and it's dangerous were we're going… and you wouldn't want to get mixed up in it all. Besides, er, nevermind. But you still can't come."
Nicole snorted, "Oh, right. It's so dangerous. What could possibly be so dangerous for a, what, twelve-year old to do, that I can't."
"I'm FIFTEEN! Would you quit insulting me!" he retorted, "And yes, it is so dangerous that a weak little girl like you couldn't do. You're not coming, and that's final."
------------------------
The golden sun spread its gold rays over the horizon, peeking into Nicole's bedroom and across the sheets, though the room was abandoned. As was the hall and the rooms below. Nicole stood outside, next to Ed, Al and Major Louis. She had a triumphant grin across her face, while Ed's face was of utter loss. He eyed the girl warily before waving to Granny Pinako and Winry.
The journey had begun.
Alright, alright... I know, very bad ending. And it's short. Once again, sorry for the delay in updating this, I plan to update sooner in the near future. As I said, not much happens in this chapter, but a lot more should happen in the next few chapters. Expect chapter 3 by Friday next week.