Chapter 2:
The gentle rolling hills of Risembool slowly turned into a flat land with seagulls flying high in the sky. Edward had fallen asleep on the train, no surprise there, but Winry and Alphonse gazed out the window as the world rolled by. There was the occasional snort from Edward, but other than that, it was quiet around those three. Winry was too excited to speak and Alphonse was excited as well. It had been YEARS since he and Edward had last gone to a beach. He wouldn't be able to play in the water, but the scenery would still be nice.
"Come on, Al! The water's just fine!" Eight-year-old Edward called out to his younger brother.
Al followed his brother to the shoreline as a wave washed over their feet. Edward wadded in a little further, looking bolder. Their mom, Trisha, was watching from a couple yards away under a beach umbrella that shaded her from the hot sun. The water was waist-deep on Edward as another crashed against the shore. Edward laughed as his wet, blonde hair clung to his neck. Al stayed back, watching the gentle waves roll in and out.
"Al, don't you want to play with Ed?" Trisha wadded into the water beside Alphonse.
"Is the water dangerous?" Alphonse looked up at his mom with curious eyes.
"At the time, no," His mom replied.
Edward ran back to Trisha and Alphonse, giggling like crazy. He showed them a pretty sand dollar he had found 'scuba diving'
"Look! A fish with wings!" Alphonse pointed to a pretty dark blue gliding across the surface, a few feet offshore.
The brothers took off after the fish, but it flew under the water before it glided across the surface. They wadded out as far as they could before the fish flew off into deeper waters. The boys stood chin-deep, with frowns on their faces. Flying fishie was gone. A small wave washed over their heads, pushing them under for a second. They came up, coughing up salty water. Trisha rushed over and lead them back to shallow water, holding their hands.
"Eww! The water's salty!" Alphonse complained sticking his tongue out.
Edward shook his head like a dog, trying to dry his hair, making Trisha laugh. She rubbed their wet hair as seagulls squawked in the distance.
"Don't go out so deep next time and maybe you won't swallow the water!" She laughed.
"Look a seagull!" Edward pointed out, his tiny attention span showing through.
Alphonse snapped out of their thoughts as the train stopped. Winry stood up and shook Edward, who was still asleep. Edward opened one eye and stretched. He grabbed his suitcase as Winry cracked her back.
"Geez, how do you guys stand sitting on trains?" She asked as they stepped off.
"We're used to it, I guess," Edward replied.
The trio walked out of the train station and into the village. It was a quaint little village, but bustled with activity. People were swarming into Market Square and yelled out bargains, trying to attract customers. Down from Market Square, was a path with tropical flowers growing along the borders that lead to a beach. Edward could already smell the salty air. Now he wished he had taken Winry's advice, he was already sweating even though his coat was tied around his waist.
Edward led the way through the village, while receiving a couple waves from the locals. None of them even seemed shocked at Alphonse's appearance. A few teenage boys jokingly whistled as Winry walked by, but she gave them the cold shoulder. The last thing she needed was bunch of guys following her around during her vacation.
Wow, everyone's so nice here. This could be pleasant… Edward thought to himself.
The group checked into a small inn by the beach and took a brief look at their room. It was a good-sized room with two beds, a couch, a coffee table, and a TV. Branching off to the side was a closet and bathroom.
"I call the bed closest to window!" Winry threw her stuff onto the bed next to the couch.
"You can have that, who would wanna be near the sun when you're trying to sleep in the morning?" Edward tossed his suitcase and coat onto the bed by the door. "Man, I'm sweating already,"
Winry smiled the I-told-you-so smile at Edward. Edward stuck his tongue out like a little kid, as did Winry.
"Hey guys, don't fight we just got here," Alphonse wanted to stop the fight before it actually started.
"Al's right, we should go swimming!" Winry jumped up excitedly.
Edward grumbled. "But we just got here and I'm tired!" He complained, sounding much like a five-year-old.
"Suck it up! You can sleep on the beach!" Winry pulled a bathing suit out of her suitcase and ran inside the bathroom to put it on.
"I've never seen Winry this excited before," Alphonse pointed out as Edward took off his black shirt, leaving his chest exposed.
"She's a teenage girl, and they all love to go to the beach," Edward kicked off his boots and threw on a pair of flip-flops to replace them. "As much as she hates girly things, she still loves the beach,"
Winry walked out of the bathroom wearing a pale purple bikini with white diagonal stripes on it and black shorts. Winry threw her beach towel over her shoulders as she put on her flip-flops, humming to herself happily. She was almost so cheery it was scary, especially to Edward. He's never seen her this excited since their visit Rush Valley.
The group walked down to the beach, well at least Edward and Alphonse did; Winry literally SKIPPED. Alphonse was just as creeped out as Edward. They weren't the only ones on the beach; a couple locals were hanging out around the sea shack, a family was playing with their little daughter, and a couple was walking along the waterline.
Edward laid out his towel under an umbrella as Winry walked down to the water. Alphonse went off to explore while Edward took another nap. But sadly enough it didn't last long. He heard footstep approach him, which annoyed the Fullmetal Alchemist. He opened one eye to see a figure standing above him. Edward took another glance at him and almost exploited.
"ROY?"
That's right, Roy Mustang stood above him. He was wearing a blue t-shirt that read SURF'S UP across his chest and Bermuda shorts. A pair of sunglasses rested on his forehead as he glanced at Edward, who almost cracked up laughing when he saw Roy's sunglasses.
"Edward? Why are you here when we're on vacation?" He wondered.
"What are YOU doing here?" Edward pointed at Roy.
Riza walked up next to Roy, shaking her head. It was odd to see Riza out of uniform. She was wearing a white Arizona tank top with light blue stripes at the top that faded into dark blue as it neared the bottom and demin knee-length shorts. Her hair wasn't tied up either; it fell past her shoulders and glowed in the bright sunlight.
"Please don't start, Roy. I just want a vacation where you don't explode," She muttered.
"You're on vacation, too?" Alphonse asked as he approached the military officers.
Roy nodded and smiled. "First vacation in forever, and it feels good,"
"We're here because my friend Winry said I was over-stressing myself with finding the philosopher's stone. So she suggested Al and I take a vacation, and wah-la: we wind up here with you," Edward explained.
"You've got a girlfriend? Since when?" Roy teased.
"I'm NOT his girlfriend!" Winry yelled as she joined Edward and Alphonse.
"She's our childhood friend from Risembool," Alphonse cleared up, not wanting to start fight when they've only been there for an hour.
An awkward silence fell over the group. It was a bit odd to see the group, on the beach especially. Winry was in a bathing suit, Edward was shirtless, Roy had sunglasses, Riza was wearing a tank top and shorts, and Alphonse was being his normal self. Riza stared at the waves and Edward laid back down trying to return to his nap. Sadly enough, it didn't last. A little girl jumped on him and wrapped her tiny arms around his bare chest.
"Eddy!" She yelled out in excitement.
"Edward?" Hughes came running over with his wife behind him. "Small world, huh?" He rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment.
Edward looked down and saw Elica, still hugging him tightly. She was wearing a pink one-piece bathing suit with flowers and sparkles all over it. The Alchemist pulled the small child off and Elica ran back to her mom, who was holding a bucket filled with various beach toys.
"Do you guys wanna plaaaay?" She asked in that cute three-year-old voice.
Edward rolled his eyes and fell back against his beach towel, annoyed at his lack of napping. Elica's face fell, Edward trying to take a nap obviously ment no.
"Sure, I'll play with you," Alphonse decided as he walked over to the tiny kid.
"YAY!" Elica exclaimed as she took Alphonse's massive hand and pulled him away.
Alphonse gave a quick wave to Edward as Elica dragged him away, with Gracie following the two of them. Hughes followed his beloved wife and daughter as Winry and Riza walked to the waterline, striking up a conversation with each other. Roy shrugged and went to get something drink at the sea shack, leaving Edward alone. Edward couldn't believe what had just happened, Roy was at the beach too. Roy, of all people! Edward sighed and listened to the calming sound of the waves rolling in and out as he fell into a deep nap.
Finally a little bit of peace… He sighed.
Author: Poor Edward :( I'm still addcited to Fullmetal Alchemist and can't stop reading it! Oh, and I based Riza's tank top off one I have. I hope you enjoyed the randomness!
~yukihikari99