Hello my lovely readers!
Sorry that this has taken a while, life sucks {For both of us}
Anyway, thanks to everyone who's taken time out of their day to click this story!
I DON'T OWN FMA
That night was restless for me. I tossed and turned trying to think of how to convince my dad to let me go to Central with Terrin. He'd be against it, I knew that. I've never gone anywhere outside our little town and for me to go as far as Central.
Shadows shift around my room as clouds cross over the moon. There's no way my father will let me go.
Morning came and I had only managed to get about an hour of sleep. As I got up to make breakfast and wash up I found that I was jittery and jumpy.
As the day wore on my father didn't ask me any questions about why I was so high strung, even though I knew he had noticed. He just smiled and went about his Saturday as he usually would. The way he sauntered around worried me even more. He knows something's up…he'll never let me go…
Eleven o'clock rolled around and I decided it was late enough to head to Terrin's house. I just had to convince my father to go with me.
"Hey, dad," I said, a slight quiver in my voice.
"Yes dear?" My father asked calmly in return, he was sitting on the couch, a small book with brail writing sitting in his lap.
"Umm…" I stammered," Would you mind going with me to…to—let's just say to town?"
"Of course, Hun." He smiled, marking his place and setting the book down on the small table side where he sat, standing and stretching slightly.
On our walk to Terrin's I held my father's hand to guide him through the streets. Occasionally, he would stumble on cracks or a stray rock in the road, but quickly caught himself. His reactions were amazingly fast, even faster than some people who can see, and it always surprises me.
When we reached Mr. Elric's house my anxiety of telling my father about leaving Pisu peaked. My heart pounded, my hands shook, and my thoughts went buy like the wind. I could barely breathe as I knocked on the door.
"Mustang," Mr. Elric grunted when he opened the door, and I led my dad through the opening, blushing slightly when Terrin stepped into the living room, a tray of drinks balanced in his arms.
"Ed," My dad nodded in the direction of Mr. Elric, as I pulled him gently to the small couch that I had sat on with Terrin the night before. "And Al."
He seemed hardly surprised that I had taken him to the Elric's house.
"Colonel!" Al suddenly appear behind us, from where he was walking down the stairs, almost silent.
"How many times do I have to tell you, Al, I don't have that title anymore," My dad turned his sightless eyes onto him, only a few inches off of meeting Al's eyes.
"Ah, sorry, Roy," Al laughed awkwardly, sitting next to his brother and accepting a cup from Terrin.
My dad nodded, as Terrin came to a stop in front of me, looking hesitant, his eyes flicking between the tray he was holding and my dad, not sure what to do.
I grinned slightly, squeezing my dad's hand slightly before nodding to Terrin, signaling him to hand my father a glass. As he held out the glass, a small pieces of ice clinking slightly, allowing my dad to easily reach out and gasp the glass, much to Terrin's obvious surprise.
I laughed at Terrin's slight gasp. He hesitated once more as he handed me a glass of water. I smiled and Terrin nodded, blushing, and set down the tray, grabbing the last glass for himself and stood at the edge of the coffee table.
"So how have you been Roy?" Al asked, sounding cheerful as ever even though the atmosphere was tense.
"Well enough, though I have no idea how I'd live without Pace." My father responded.
"She's a good girl. Her grades are always good in class." Mr. Elric noted.
Terrin opened his mouth as to say something but quickly closed it again and took a sip of water. He wore dark jeans and a black tank top that showed off his arms and shoulders. Anyone would tell you he was fit just by looking at him, but this was an all-new Terrin. I had never seen him in just jeans and a tank top before…he looked good.
"Oh, and Dad," I said, motioning for Terrin to stand and come over, "This is Terrin, Terrin, my dad."
Standing, my dad held out a hand, which Terrin grasped firmly, "It's nice to meet you, sir."
"Likewise," My dad nodded, shaking Terrin's hand, before letting go and sitting back down to next to me, his hand falling to grasp my knee, to make sure he was next to me.
"Does Terrin go to school with Pace?" My father asked, breaking my thoughts.
"Yes and no." Mr. Elric responded," He goes to school, but he's not in my class. They don't let parents teach their own kids in fear that they'd play favorites and potentially curve the grades."
My dad nodded," Understandable."
There was a pause and Terrin quickly jumped in," Pace and I have something to say."
"Oh?" My father said, surprise flashing across his face.
"Go ahead Rin." Mr. Elric said and nodded at us.
I stood up with Terrin and I could feel my face warm. We hesitated before blurting out, at the same time, "We'd like to go to Central!"
A thick silence filled the air after our claim, as I nervously looked between the adults. Both Ed and Al looked shocked, eyes wide, mouths open with pure surprise. Yet, my dad seemed unmoved by this sudden event.
"Why, what's your purpose?" Mr. Elric whispered, shaking out of his shock and crossing his arms.
Terrin looked down at his feet as he shifted from side to side," I just want to see my mother and my sister…"
"And I want to see my mother too," I whispered, looking at my father who was still seemingly unmoved.
Ed narrowed his eyes, "No."
Terrin flinched, and stumbled backwards as though he had been physically hit," Wh-What?"
"You heard me, I said no." Mr. Elric said again, a stubborn and slightly angry tone in his voice," Son, Central is a dangerous place. If…if anything happened to you...I would never forgive myself."
"But, Dad!" Terrin argued.
"Terrin Urey Elric! I said no and that's final!" Mr. Elric shouted as he stood, his golden eyes alight with fire.
"Fine…" Terrin muttered as he bent his head in defeat.
"I don't know…" My father broke in, his arms crossed as he leaned back in his seat, "I think we should let them go."
"Roy! You can't possibly be okay with them leaving!" Alphonse protested.
"Yes, it's dangerous, but just think about what you guys did when you were their age," My father mentioned," Actually, weren't you younger than that when you became a State Alchemist, Edward?"
Mr. Elric nodded, and whispered," Yes, but this isn't about me! They could get caught! What if Maliki hurt them? They'd have the power to do so…"
"Terrin, please take Pace downstairs. I need to speak to your father and uncle." My dad didn't even bother turning his head, his dead gaze pinned on Mr. Elric.
I was taken aback by my father's anger. I've seen him angry, but he radiated furry. His teeth were gritted, his fists clenched as though he were ready to fight.
After a moment, Terrin grabbed me by the hand and pulled me down the stairs to their basement.
"Don't worry," He whispered, closing the door with a soft thud. "we'll still be able to hear them from down here."
"Edward Elric, you know damn well that you were doing much dangerous things when you were seven than just sneaking into Central to see your mother!" I heard my father shout," There is no reason they can't go to find theirs!"
"And what if they get hurt?" Ed shouted back.
"Well that's just a risk that they'll have to take." My father said. "do you really think that they haven't thought of that yet?"
"And if they get captured?" Alphonse whispered, just barely audible to us.
"For God's sake Al! You and Ed have trained Terrin, correct?" My dad paused, waiting for a response, "Then I'm pretty sure he's a wonderful alchemist and I know for sure that my Pace is a fantastic alchemist! They'll be fine!"
"What if they're not? What if they don't come back? What if they die out there?" Both Alphonse and Ed shouted at the same time.
"They won't. They're strong, and if they're anything like us, they'll be stubborn too. They won't let themselves get caught or hurt. They will survive." My father said stubbornly.
At this point, they quieted and we could no longer hear what they were saying.
Terrin fiddled with his thumbs and sat down on the floor, after a moment, I also sat across from him quietly.
"He's never used my full name before…" He whispered, pulling his legs to his chest, and resting his chin on his knees.
He looked genuinely hurt. I felt bad for him.
"I'm sure we just took him by surprise, that's all." I tried to console him, not really knowing what it was like to have my dad mad at me.
"Sure, I guess," He said, looking down at the carpet in front of his feet.
"Terrin, everything will be okay." I told him firmly, realizing that we had both seen a new side of our fathers today.
Terrin sigh and wrapped his arms tighter around his legs for a moment, before relaxing his posture and shifting to sit cross legged. He fixed me with a firm stare, his eyes a molten gold. "Hey Pace, would you mind calling me Rin? I'm not a big fan of Terrin…people only use that when I'm in trouble."
"Yeah, sure," I smiled, trying to make him smile.
"Say it?" He whispered, keeping his gaze on my eyes.
"Te-Rin. Sorry." I whispered, laughing slightly, "It'll take some getting used to."
"Just Rin, okay?"
"Okay, Rin." I said, blushing.
He smiled, but it was a weak smile I could tell his father was still nagging his mind. I wish I could hear what they were saying. I hope my dad convinces Ed and Al to let us go.
Rin pats the floor next to him, a gesture that says he wants me closer to him. I move over slowly, very self-conscious. He laid down and stared up at the ceiling.
"Do you think they'll let us go?" He whispered.
I glanced back at him for a moment, before I lay down with him, "I don't know."
"Seems like your dad was pretty into letting us go…think he could convince my father and uncle to let us go?" He pulled his arms back to pillow his head.
"I think it's possible…" I said, smiling as I thought of my father.
We laid there silently as we listened to our fathers whisper angrily back and forth.
As time stretched, on I thought back to how mad my father had been earlier. It had been a least a year that I've last seen my dad that mad.
"Hey, Gurl, commere, an' lemme see some o' da' bodey"
I grit my teeth, backing up slightly as the four intoxicated men swayed closer, their green uniforms crumpled, "No, I don't think I'll do that."
I had been walking home from school, and was not too far from the house, when a couple of the guards had backed me into one of the alley ways.
"Awww ya' ear tha?" the largest guard slurred, drunkenly laughing. "Bitch don' wan' ta guve us a show!"
The other guards also laughed, still stumbling forward, causing me to back up again, cursing softly when my back met the brick wall.
Suddenly the guard on the left lunged forward to land his hand on my shoulder, pushing me up aginst the wall, "Aww, da littl' sluts bein shy! Loos like we' gunna hav' ta start da show by our' selvs."
"Pace!" I heard my father call from the end of the alley. "Where are you?!"
This finally shook me out of my scared and shocked thoughts, and I lashed out, punching the man in the face as hard as I could. He stumbled back, with a clump of my shirt still clenched in his hand.
"Get away from me!" I screamed, quickly punching the guard to the right, moving him away from my escape.
With a hand on my falling shirt, I darted out of the alley, with the remaining four guards stumbling after me, drunken shouts falling out of their mouths.
As I broke into the street, I gasped, seeing my father quickly moving toward me, his walking stick held out in front of him, "Pace!"
"Daddy!" I yelled, running to him and hugging him tightly, feeling his strong arms wrap around me.
"Wai!" the guard I had punched yelled angrily, stumbling into the street, his buddies following closely. "we wan' our show! Ya littl' slut!"
I tensed, feeling my dad's arms tighten considerably, as he heard this, along with his hand brushing the torn material of my ruined shirt.
"Did they?" he whispered quietly, one of his arms moving away from my back.
I shook my head against his chest, before looking up at his face, as he shifted to put his hands together in a praying position.
His face was contorted in rage, his blank eyes a molten silver, "where are they? Pace?" I blinked and told him, as he turned me around and started walking back to the house, a snap cutting through the air, followed closely by the familiar found of fire crackling though the air.
" – ace?" I shook out of my memories at the sound of T–Rin's voice.
"Huh?" I glanced over at him, seeing him looking at me expectantly. I grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I wasn't paying attention."
"I noticed," Rin grinned slightly, before going back to staring at the ceiling. A moment of silence passed again.
"Do you think we could change how people see alchemists?" Rin asked me, almost so quietly I couldn't hear him.
"I hope so," I whispered back," Honestly, that was another reason I wanted to go to Central with you."
"It was my original plan, but I covered it up with our moms." He told me.
"Really?"
"Yeah…but anyways," He muttered," You said you've never seen your mother, right?"
"Yep," I said.
"I think we might have a picture if you want to see it…"
I thought about this a moment. If I saw the picture, would it defeat the purpose of going? Or should I just go in not knowing?
"No thanks," I said, after a moment of serious debate, "I'd rather keep it a surprise. You can tell me when I meet her."
Rin raised his eyebrows, "If you insist."
Not even five minutes after our conversation ended Ed and Al were calling us upstairs. I could feel my chest tighten and I was afraid I might trip going up their stairs. When we reached their little living room my father gave me a nod, a sign that he'd convinced Ed and Al to let us go. I smiled, but could feel just how angry Ed and Al were that my dad had convinced them to let us go.
"We've decided to let you go to Central…" Ed answered out unspoken question with gritted teeth. He still wasn't happy about letting us go. Rin gasped from his place next to me," Really?"
"Yes," Al responded, his arms crossed angrily.
"But before you go, we need to warn you…" My dad followed.
There was a pause before he continued, "Just because you're children, Maliki won't hesitate to kill you. You must stay in the shadows, keep your heads low."
"Rin, you'll have to hide your hair. Pace looks normal enough, but don't make them suspect you," Al added.
"If they think you're dangerous for any reason at all, they will capture you, or kill you on the spot." My dad's face grave.
There was silence after my father's words. We knew he wasn't kidding, but it still seemed terrible that they wouldn't hesitate even if we aren't legal adults yet. I couldn't believe it. But! I didn't have time to think about that now, what's down is done…we're going to Central.
"Alright," Mr. Elric sat down heavily, still looking upset. "There is a supply train that comes in every other week, the only time that they drop part of the electric fence."
"And the only time someone can get out," my dad added, his arms crossed.
"So this will be our way out," Rin said, glancing at me, excitement glittering in his eyes.
Ed nodded, "The next train will be next week, so we will go on with this next week as we normally would, to keep away suspicion."
"This next week will also be when we get things together for you two to leave," Al finished.
The next week sped by, as we tried our best to live everyday life, but as Saturday came closer and closer, the stress was starting to show for all of us.
In class Mr. Elric was more irritable, handing out detentions left and right, and grading extremely hard. My dad was quiet, and was spending more time in his room, when we were not sitting together on the couch. When I had managed to see Rin, he had a constant tenseness in his shoulders, something I could understand.
Soon, Saturday rolled along, and we were standing in Rin's house.
Ed looked disappointed as Rin and I were ready to leave.
It was tense.
Ed still strongly believed we shouldn't go, but my father still had quite an effect on him. Alphonse grumble quietly to himself before masking his discontent with a sad smile.
My dad gabbed my hand and took me to the side. He pulled something out of his jacket pocket slowly. I was shocked when I saw a pair of gloves, his ignition gloves, when he handed them to me.
"Daddy…" I whispered.
"Wear them all the time when you leave the town…you never know what could go wrong." He whispered in return, hugging me strongly.
I looked over at Rin and his father. Ed was handing him a sort of journal looking thing. I didn't really get what was so important about this book but Rin treated it like it was a diamond. My dad was still hugging me, but Rin was motioning to start moving.
We had to jump on the supply train before it left at noon.
"I'll miss you, Daddy," I whispered to him, burying my head in his chest.
"I'll miss you too, baby girl," he pulled me tighter to his chest. "Say hello to you mother for me."
I smiled and told him, "Of course," before walking over to where Rin stood.
"You ready?" He asked, bumping me with his shoulder playfully.
I nodded, a knot in my stomach growing.
Rin seemed so confident about everything, but I still felt extremely nervous. And I suppose he could tell because he smiled sweetly at me, "Don't worry, everything will be okay."
With that we walked out the door, off on our journey, waving at our reluctant parents with many "I love you's and "take care"'s.
I felt bad about leaving my dad so I had asked Ed to keep an eye on him, make sure he was okay. He had nodded and we left. I'm gonna miss my small town…
YAY! The story will officially pick up as of now!
{the chapters are getting longer and longer…}
Is that a good thing?
{yeah! That's a good, no great thing!}
Yay! And now… quote time!
"Hearts, you say? You Humans are always so quick to speak of such things. As though you carry your hearts in the very palms of your hands. But this eye of mine perceives all. There is nothing that it overlooks. If this eye cannot see a thing, then it does not exist. That is the assumption under which I have always fought. What is this "heart"? If I tear open that chest of yours, will I see it there? If I smash open that skull of yours, will I see it there?"