Bluebirds Illusions – Pride, the deadliest sin
Chapter 7 – The Parallel Universe…The World Beyond the Gate
'Those who want to live, let them fight, and those who do not want to fight in this world of eternal struggle do not deserve to live.'- Adolf Hitler
Germany 1923 – Edward Elric and Nanami Tsumang's alter ego
"Damn…how many brothers do you have?"
"Well I had seven." she replied. She blushed slightly at being eyed so interestedly. She rarely got this kind of attention from any guy and it didn't hurt that he wasn't too hard on the eyes either. In fact he was quite attractive. 'Now that I think about it the reason that no guys ever talk to me is probably because I have so many intimidating brothers. They really do scare the crap out of every single guy on the planet. I am very impressed, no shocked that this one got passed them all and even managed to get me out to this café without so much as a scratch on him.'
"Really, seven?" he asked. "That's interesting..." he mumbled more to himself than anyone else.
"Ed…umm…please, what exactly are you talking about? What are you planning?"
"I am sorry but that is not something that I can't tell you."
She pouted. "Come on Ed. Then at least tell me why you wanted to meet with me? Ryo, Hitoshi, Yuudai and even Kiyoshi have been bugging me about it for ages."
"Well let's just say that there is something familiar about some of your family Nanami and leave it at that."
"Is that all? I thought it would definitely have something to do with my Japanese ancestry, or my work with uranium mining and the bombs."
"Japanese?" he asked abruptly. 'Of course the main reason I asked her out to this café was to talk to her about her job application and her work with uranium bombs. Her interesting family relations were just a very large and unexpected bonus. But what is going on? She doesn't look Japanese at all.'
"Yes, I thought you knew. My father is Japanese. My mother went there after she disgraced her German family. We were pushed out of Japan a few years back after the government realized the kind of work my father was doing on the uranium bombs and then we returned here to Germany."
"Oh okay…" his expression became hazy and unfocused as though he were gazing off into the distance to a place that only he could see. 'This isn't making any sense at all…'
"But Edward please call me Aminna."
"Aminna, why?" he asked raising an eyebrow.
"Well Mr. Hughes recommended that we changed our names. I mean it is not everyday that someone comes along with a Japanese name here in Germany, and all the looks I get when I say my name are really starting to piss me off." she said forcefully slammed her drink down on the café's table, splashing some of its contents on the table and floor. "Crap."
A well humored smirk formed on Ed's face. "I'll get it." he said almost laughing. He wiped it down with a napkin.
"Thanks." she mumbled quietly. She was a little embarrassed about it.
"Anyway, you were right, the main reason I wanted to speak with you was about the rocketry and bombs so are you planning on working with Alphonse and I building rockets?" he asked. 'I'd rather not confront her about the mass destruction caused by the uranium bombs yet. It would scare her off.'
"Definitely." she said enthusiastically, but then her face fell into a slight frown. "Not that I have a choice anyway."
"No choice, what are you talking about?" he asked.
"Well…after my mother disappeared and my father died of the plague my brothers' who have survived and I have been very pressed for money."
"Yea Al, Noah and I are too. But still you shouldn't do anything that you don't like."
She sighed sadly. "Luckily any type of science is what I love doing…and that's probably because it's all I know how to do anyway."
"What do you mean that it's all you know how to do?"
She leaned back in her chair with a soft thoughtful expression. "Well…I never went to school. I think it was because my father was ashamed by how I looked so much like my mother. My father and brothers taught me personally about all the different types of sciences, particularly focusing on uranium. Those types of sciences are kind of like a family trade. Most of us do of have worked with one of them. Although from my application you know that recently I have become well versed in rocketry as well thanks to my brother Ryo."
"I could see that."
"But um…what are you intending to do with underage workers?" she asked her face blushing pink again.
"Why?" he asked taking a sip of his drink.
"Well…um…I am sixteen."
He spit all of what had been in his mouth. "You're what?"
She winced bowing her now scarlet blushed face. She nodded. 'I normally like looking a lot older than I am but this is really making me feel awkward.'
"Are you sure?" he asked with wide eyes.
She bit her trembling lip. She was on the verge of being mortified.
He seemed just to notice her discomforted disposition. "Oh I am sorry girl." he apologized shaking his hands in front of himself defensively. He didn't know how to deal with girls who were acting like this.
Her face shot up angrily. "Girl?" she said sharply. Her mood had done a complete one-eighty. 'I hate it when people treat me like a kid.'
"Girl yea, well you are only sixteen."
"Yes and how old might you be Mr. Elric? At your half-pint height you definitely can't be any older than I am." she snapped.
He stood up abruptly, slamming his hands down on the table. "Who do you think you're calling a midget!!" he exclaimed shaking his fist at her.
She stared at him with wide eyes. He had just managed to gain the attention of the entire café. Only when she got a hold of herself did she smirk. 'Humm…I seem to have found a sensitive issue…perfect.' She eyed him lazily. "Now Edward, do you understand why I don't like people calling me girl or treating me like I am young and innocent?"
"No." he said rudely. He sat back into his chair sulking sourly and crossed his arms across his chest.
She brushed her striking red hair back offhandedly. "Well then I might just feel the need to refer you to as the pipsqueak while should we ever work together." she said smoothly.
He glared at her. "I am not a pipsqueak." he mumbled under his breath.
"So do we have a deal, you don't treat me like a sixteen year old and I won't treat you like the shorty that you are." she said brightly.
"I am not a shorty damn it!!" he exclaimed.
"And I am not sixteen." she sarcastically flipping her long hair.
"But you are sixteen."
"And you are most definitely are short but I am not going to mention it as long as you don't treat me like I am a kid."
He scowled but nodded nonetheless.
'Better get back on task here.' she sighed. "So underage workers are…?"
"Fine." he said sharply frowning at her. "Why don't any of your other brothers' want to work on rockets? I didn't get any applications other that yours." he said.
"Well I told you that there were seven. However now I only have four."
"Four? What happened to the other three?" it was out of his mouth before he knew it. 'Damn it. That was one of the dumbest things I have ever said. Imagine what I'd do if someone asked me how Al died.'
Unexpectedly her eyes softened slightly. "Well…my second oldest brother Eiji along with my fourth oldest brother Takeo both died from uranium poisoning not too long ago. I also have triplet older brothers who are nineteen years old. One of them, Yoshi died saving me when I fell through thin ice when I was eight."
"I am sorry."
She shrugged. "Don't be. Dying is inevitable. Everything that lives must die eventually. Time always takes its course no matter what. That is the way of the world works. There is no such thing as eternal life. I suppose dying really isn't all that bad." she said lightly.
He eyed her curiously. "I take it that you are not afraid of death."
"No I am not."
"Why?"
"Because I know that whatever happens now is just a test and it is not within our power to decide when it is our time to leave this earth. All we can do is do the best we can with the time that has been given to us. Life is where we are judged, and if the lord thinks that we are worthy we'll be allowed into some form of heaven in our afterlife." Her eyes softened even more. "What is there to be afraid of? After death we are reunited with those who we loved but lost during our lives." she said quietly.
His eyes narrowed at her. "Do you really believe in that kind of stuff?"
"Of course I do!" she exclaimed. Her loyalty to that type of religious thinking was clear.
He shrugged. "I just never really expected someone who is so into science at such a young age to have such strong religious beliefs. Most of us don't."
"Well most of us scientist are ignorant." she snapped glaring at him. "I thought you weren't going to make references to my age."
"How so?" he asked curiously completely ignoring her second statement. Luckily she didn't seem to notice.
She leaned back in her chair looking at the ceiling of the restaurant with a thoughtful and enlightened expression on her face. "Most of us scientists try to explain everything with formulas, equations, numbers, laws and logic. My mother was one of those people. She thought that science was the answer to everything. But let me ask you this Edward Elric…have you ever wanted to do something, create something with science but failed or couldn't because of some unknown wall, blockage or loophole? Something you could not obtain for some unknown reason. There are things in life that shouldn't be tampered with. There are powers at work here that are far greater than any of us and they are not to be trifled with or we will all feel the wrath of god." she said. The wisdom of her words was far beyond what should be allowed for someone of her years. It was not the religious aspect of it that made it so impressive but it was still comforting somehow, to know that there were still some who were not oblivious to the world outside their own.
His eyes widened in surprise. 'It is as though she knows that…as though she knows that I have tampered with the forbidden. But how could she, she is from this side of the gate.' he thought. He shook his head to rid himself of his thoughts. "I suppose that everyone has a right to their own personal beliefs." he said with forced indifference.
"I take it that you do not believe in god."
"Well I am not too sure to be honest. There is no proof for it, but then again there is no proof against it." He sighed. "I used to think just like your mother. I learned the hard way, through experience that science can't solve everything." he said quietly. "While I can't say truthfully that I believe in a god, but I cannot ignore the fact that there is something more out there. Something we cannot explain."
She smiled brightly. "One scientist down, many thousand left to go."
He smiled lightly. "I just hope that they aren't as stupid as I was."
"I have a feeling that you won't tell me what you did to make you believe in something beyond science."
"You're right."
She looked down in defeat. "I understand. You seem like someone who likes their privacy."
"Right again. But tell me, you seem to be very religious, so what is your religion?" he asked.
'Wow he is actually asking me questions on it?' She smiled softly. "I don't have just one religion. I try and learn as much as I can about all of them. I do my best not to get caught up in them though, like some fanatics who bring religion into war. Religion is meant to bring peace, not pain."
He nodded, urging her to continue.
"Naturally I was raised as a Buddhist living in Japan but since then I have taken the liberty of becoming others as well. Christianity was my second religion; I took a particular fascination in both Catholicism and Protestant Methodist, it was followed closely by Islam. Afterward many more followed such as Shinto, Hindu, Sikh, Judaism and even Baha'i which is a new religion that is a combination of all the worlds' major religions. I am fascinated by each any everyone on of them all, how they are similar and different at the same time."
"How can you be loyal to all of them?" he asked.
"It's not that hard really. All religions are of the same in essence; be a good person, honor either one or more gods or prophets and you will be rewarded in some form of afterlife. When I become enwrapped in a religion I don't go into the specifics and differences with the other ones because I don't want to get too obsessive. For some people its fine to be devout to one sole religion but to others it corrupts them."
He was staring at her with wide eyes. He looked like a child who was being told a very interesting bedtime story. "…isn't it tiring?"
She laughed lightly. "No…not really. I just take the finding principles and leave it at that, plus it is all very interesting."
"I expect it would be."
She frowned at him and took in his tensed profile. "I hope you realize that I am not the type of person to push my beliefs on anyone else." she said seriously.
He looked mildly relieved. 'Good, I wasn't look forward to her bugging me about it when she starts work at the factory…I still haven't told her that she got the job…guess I'll tell her later.' He nodded but said nothing.
She took this as a signal to continue. "In my opinion everyone has to find their own path. I respect people for who they are not their religion even if they have any at all. I know good people who are atheist and I know terrible people who are devoutly religious. It is not our beliefs that show what and who we truly are, it is our choices." She was beginning to run out of breath.
He continued to look at him with a look of the utmost fascination. "Go on, I know that you haven't finished yet."
She smiled at him. "Okay, if you want me to. For me I become fond of people for who they are, not race, age, intelligence and definitely not religion. Plus it is not within my power to judge others. That is the lords' work."
His face softened. "This is interesting but we should get back on track…it is six already."
"Six!" she said breathlessly. "I need to go. Ryo is going to kill me!"
"Calm down." he said. He looked slightly amused. "It is fine. Trust me I am sure that your brothers' will be fine with it."
"But…"
He leaned forward so that his elbows were on the table. "Trust me Nanami. I know them better that you could ever imagine. Plus I am sure that they won't too upset when you tell them that you have gotten such a well paying job."
"Call me Ammina damn it, wait-what? You mean you are hiring me?" she asked with wide eyes.
He nodded.
"Yes!!" she exclaimed, shoving her fist in the air. "Thank you so much!!"
"It is nothing really." he was a little awkward by her reaction.
"No really Ed…thanks. This will mean so much to my brothers."
He frowned. "And what about you?"
"What do you mean?"
"Never mind. Tell me about your brothers, why aren't they interested by working with Al and I?"
She clasped her hands together in front of her on the table. "Well I guess that it's because that the only ones who are skilled enough to work at yours and Alphonse's level in rocketry would be me and my oldest brother Ryo. I hope you understand how advanced the type of science you're doing is. Even for a genius physicist such as myself there are things that can even stump me."
"Not the most modest of people are you?" he asked smirking slightly.
"I guess not but it is kind of hard to be when you know that you are a genius."
His eyes softened slightly. He was gazing at her with an unprovoked pitying smile.
"What is it? Did I do something." she asked raising an eyebrow at his expression.
"Oh it's nothing really." he lied. 'She sounds kind of like me when I was younger.' He shook his head slightly to rid himself of his memories. "So why doesn't your brother Ryo help out?"
"He refused to send an application." she said darkly.
"Why?"
"Well he seems to have been hit the hardest when Takeo and Eiji died working with this kind of stuff. I guess it scared him. He hasn't touched it since."
"That's not good…"
"I know it is isn't it?" she asked taking a a large gulp that drained the rest of her glass. "He was almost as good as me."
Ed couldn't help but smile again. 'What a brat. She has far too much Pride' he thought. 'But then again I do too.'
Hope you enjoyed my religious talk. I hope I didn't offend anyone, if I have somehow then you'll have to accept my apology. I personally find different religions fascinating. I detest those ignorant people who discriminate against those of other religions and races, whatever they might be. We are who we are, by our friends, family, soul, and any purity, kindness, cruelty and unfairness we have been subjected to during out lifetimes, not by our colour, and religion. It is true however that for some people religion and culture are both a major part of their life and who they are but it is because they want to be faithful to what they've learned, which is great, to hold to your accentors and family heritage. But those who use religion as a cause for war for this day and age are fooling only themselves of the cause. That is my opinion anyway. We are born into race and religion, we normally don't have a choice, and rarely choose to change what we were born into during our lifetime, and therefore it does not define who we are. As for forming ourselves as unique individuals what truly makes us who we are is our decisions in life and how we learn from them.
I have been affected greatly by deceased my g-grandfather who was a minister and a family bloodline tie to Albert Schweitzer whom you would not have heard of unless you are extremely informed. They were both great men who were giving, accepting people no matter who they were, or what their status was.
The religious talk has a very large significance in three or four chapters from now.
much love,
temariXshikamaruluva
