Chapter Two
"Wow! Your brother really is a great cook, Ed!" Lang praised while looking at Alphonse, who got happy with it and blushed a little.
"Of course he is! And wait till you try his stew!" Ed grinned and got his hope up.
"Um... sorry, brother. I didn't make stew. But there's ice-cream for dessert!"
"Huh? Since when there's ice-cream in the refrigerator?"
"Oh, it seems that you don't know about it." Lang chuckled.
Edward didn't care about him and continues with his food, he just wants to know something about this so-called 'Ice-cream'.
"Noah bought it back from some Italians on town, and it's nice!"
"I thought ice-creams are supposed to be in cones, and you can't just keep it in the refrigerator after you'd bought it."
"Actually... Noah and I went back there and asked them for the recipe, and kindly they gave us!"
"So… what are the ingredients?" Ed asked. He tried it once when he passes-by the Italians at town, it's sweet and nice, with different flavors. He didn't ask much about it, so he just asked for a random scoop.
"Uh…" Al pauses to look at Noah. Noah just shakes her head and giggle. Ed noticed them and starts asking again.
"So? What is it?"
"You don't really need to know, brother. It's just something sweet." Al finished his sentence and finished his dinner.
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"You're leaving?!" Ed shouted with his mouthful of ice-cream. The ice-cream prevented him to shout too loud and almost made him chocked.
"That's rude of you, Ed. I'm not 'leaving', I'm 'moving'." Lang corrected Edward, pointing his spoon towards Edward.
"Well, it's still the same even if it's a different word. So, where are you moving to?"
"Paris."
"How about your wife who's one of the Nazis?" Al and Noah are surprised about it. Lang's wife is a Nazi? They thought.
"Oh, we divorced actually. She wants to stay behind for the Nazis." Lang stated. They're divorced?! Again, Al and Noah are shocked.
"Heh, how can you still put a straight-face with that?"
"Oh, I got used to these stuff. I'm Jewish. Anyway, the real reason for me to move there is because it's like what you thought of, I'm running."
"I knew it. So, you're running from what?"
"The war of course. And I want to warn Ms. Noah about what I heard from Haushofer."
"Karl Haushofer?! Why did you met him anyway?! His with the Nazis and worst, he's with Hitler!!" Edward ranted and got his face all red. His bowl of ice-cream fell and Al tried to cool him down. Noah also wants to help, but she's too weak to move from her seat after hearing all those shocking news.
"Calm down, Ed. Haushofer is out from the Nazis, and also Thule Society but he's working with the military now." Lang stated. Ed calmed down a bit and settles down, listening to every word the old man might have to say.
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*Flashback*
"So you came to my little studio, eh?" Lang greeted Haushofer with a big warm smile.
"I want to apologies for what I've done to you." Haushofer bows with his hat almost covering his face. He didn't want anyone to know he's around here.
"I'm used to it." Lang continued with his checklist on his hand. " So I heard you're out from the Nazis and Thule isn't it?"
"I got accused for something that I didn't do for the Nazis. And worst, Hess betrayed me for Hitler."
"So, what brings you here?" Lang wipes his glass slowly.
"So you've noticed, then I'll go straight to the point. I heard that the Elrics works with you." He looked around, trying to locate the brothers.
"Only Edward, his brother stays home and do house-keeping with the miss name Noah."
"So the girl is still with them? Well, that's easier then. Please ask the Elrics if they're interested in joining the military. It would be easier for they're search for…."
"… I understand."
"And tell them if they want their friend to live, arrange a 'trip' for her to somewhere far from here."
"And why is that?"
"I have information about Hitler's work of getting his so-called 'rubbish' out next year. And that includes you."
"And is there anything else?"
"… I don't think you're taking it seriously, but never mind. I'll be going now. I don't want anyone to get suspicious about me going out for so long."
"I'll pass the message down."
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"Thanks for inviting me to dinner, Edward." Lang smiled as he settles down on the front seat.
"Don't mention it, beside it's you the one who said there's something you need to tell us." Ed said, pulling a long face.
"Anyway, this is for you." Lang gave Ed a bag of stuff that seems to be he had it well hidden between the seats.
"You're giving this for us to escape from here?!" Ed is surprised to see the inside of the bag filled with gold, it's really more than enough for them to get away from here.
"No, of course. That's specially for you. Today's your birthday I heard, isn't it? And since I'll be gone for a long time, you won't be having me to pay your monthly salary."
Today's my birthday?! Oh, no wonder Gracia gave me that present. Ed thought. It seems that he forgot his birthday again, well it isn't like there's anyone to celebrate it anyway.
"And I got an offer from Haushofer. It's about your search for the Uranium bomb."
Ed's eye widened and grins wildly when he heard what he thought that there's no hope for it anymore.
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"Do you really think there's going to be something bad happening, Al?" Noah asked as she started the dish washing.
"I don't know Noah. But if there's really is something coming up, you should get as far as you can."
"How about you and Ed?"
"Oh, please don't worry about us."
"What… what if the two of you die before me? What will I do alone? I don't want to be alone again. And Alfons…"
Al pauses and looked at Noah from behind after he finished cleaning up the table. He remembers about Rosé that almost having the same characteristic as Noah is.
What will be my reason to live starting tomorrow? Tell me!
"…Stand and move forward…"
"And it seems that your brother forgot his birthday again." Noah chuckled as she tries to eliminate the bad thoughts running in her mind. "Is it really good for us not telling him that milk is part of the ice-cream?"
"It's just like stew. Brother only hates drinking milk."
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Amestris, ResemboolThe blizzard stopped a while ago and everyone in the Rockbell's house are sleeping soundly except for Winry, whose still gazing at the clear night sky.
"Happy birthday, Edward."
The moon faded away, into the cloud. Winry cuddles into her bed comfortably, not noticing someone watching her from a far…
- End of Chapter -