Losing Track of Time
Chapter Seven: Two Years Past
Happy Birthday, Kiddo. Kat opened her eyes and stretched, hearing her father's words inside of her head. Today she turned 21 and she was by herself as she had been since her hero died. She sat up in her bed and looked over to her nightstand, giving a glance to all of the family photos. One was the picture of her Dad and Uncle, another of her Dad and herself, and one of her mother. She smiled at all of the photographs and pulled herself out of bed, getting ready for another day.
She had moved into the Rockbell Home a few months after Ed's funeral with her Uncle Al. But today, Al was in Central, working on a case. He promised her to come home as soon as possible so she wouldn't be alone on her birthday, but she really didn't mind. She had a couple plans of her own.
It was a warm day in Resembool and the sun was shining brightly. Kat had put on one of Winry's old sundresses and sun hat and wandered outside. By her side was her husky, Sheba. She was a hyper dog, born from Black Hayate a year a half before. Riza had given her Sheba as a Christmas present, telling her she would be great company. Kat patted Sheba and thought that Riza had been right.
Walking down to the cemetery, Kat passed by a few gravestones until she reached one that read Trisha Elric, Loving Wife and Mother. She laid her hand on top of the stone, greeting it with, "Hi, Grandma." She moved on to the next one reading Pinako Rockbell, Loving Mother and The Best automail Mechanic Around. She chuckled as she read it for the hundredth time. "Great Grandma." She gave a touch to her headstone as well and headed off to the next one in line, which was Hoenheim's. After greeting her grandfather, she stopped momentarily at the one that read Winry Rockbell, Loving Daughter, Wife, and Mother. She bowed her head for a moment and then finally made her way to the very last gravestone in that row.
"Edward Elric. Loving Father, Husband, and the Great Fullmetal Alchemist. May he always be remembered." She read the stone out loud and found herself tearing up. She kneeled down in front of it and pressed her cheek against the cold marble. "I miss you so much, Dad." She spoke, letting her tears fall down her cheek. Every day she thought of him walking by her side, accomplishing missions together, and making the happiest memories a girl could have with her Dad.
Beside her, Sheba gave a small yip, rubbing against Ed's stone and licking it. She laughed, pulling Sheba towards her and ruffling her fur. "You know, Sheba, Dad always loved Black Hayate. He never told anyone, he thought people would tease him, especially his-"
"Brother Al." Kat looked up and saw Alphonse Elric looking down at her with a smile. She returned the expression and patted the ground next to her. He obliged and took up a spot, Sheba greeting him sloppily. "Ok, pup, no more kisses!" He petted her and looked at his niece. "Happy Birthday, Katie."
"Thanks, Uncle Al. I didn't think you would be home so early."
"Well, Mustang decided to be extra nice and said I could come back to see you. But he expects you to be in bright and early Monday morning." She scowled at him, earning a chuckle. "So are you just gonna sit out here all day?" he asked her. She looked at her father's stone and frowned.
"Well…it's my 21st birthday…I thought I would share with Dad for a little while." A moment of silence passed between them and Kat broke it with a memory. "I remember every morning on my birthday, Dad would come in my room and hop on my bed, yelling 'Happy Birthday old woman!'. I'd then hit him with a pillow and he'd fall on the floor laughing. I always looked forward to those moments. There would be some days where we would be struggling with a mission or there would be a death in the family…but when it was birthday, he would always put on a smile." Another tear slid down her cheek and she stifled a sob. Al wrapped her in a hug, frowning.
"You know he would give anything to see you one last time, Katie. I'm sure he's looking down at you right now."
"Nah, that's not my Dad's style. He'd be sitting with the great alchemists of the world shunning the Gods above and below." Al laughed, knowing it was true. Edward was far from a believer. "This morning I swear I heard him tell me Happy Birthday."
"Maybe you did. You are the spirit Alchemist." Al stood and held his hand out to her. She took it and stood as well, staring at him. "What do you say we go back to the house. I've got something waiting for you."
"A new wrench set?" She asked excitedly. Al chuckled, snaking his arm around her shoulder as they walked, Sheba trailing beside them.
"Now how did you guess that?"
"I'm a smart cookie like my old man." They both chuckled and as they went down the hill back to the house, Kat noticed some movement inside the house. "Uncle Al, did you invite anyone over?"
Al rubbed the back of his neck. "Nah, I wouldn't do that." She nudged his side with her elbow and rolled her eyes.
"We'll see about that."
They were on the porch now and Sheba beat them to the door, putting her paw up and scratching at the wood. Kat tisked her and the dog stopped, but still waited to be let inside. She opened the door and to her surprise, people jumped out from behind the furniture and popped their heads out of rooms and from the stairs. "Happy Birthday!" They all shouted.
Al hugged her as she surveyed her guests. Standing in the kitchen were Roy and Riza, Roy's arm around his lover's waist. Armstrong took up the living room with Havoc, Breda, Fuery, and Falman. Lining the stairs were Maria Ross and Denny Bloch with their newborn in hand. Then there was Sciezska, Gracia, Elicia, and Paninya. Among the rest were secretaries and other soldiers she had met along the way. Black Hayate ran out and greeted Sheba, their tails wagging as they sniffed at each other and began to play. In Armstrong's hands was a large chocolate cake with chocolate frosting, her favorite. On top of it were 21 candles, already lit for her to blow out. The room went silent and she stepped forward to the cake. Taking a deep breath, she blew out all the candles, earning a roar of hoorays and shouts of joy from her guests.
Riza came up to her and hugged her, handing her a small present. "From me and Roy. We didn't want it to be lost among the other gifts in the kitchen, so I thought I would just give it to you." Kat took it and thanked her, tucking it under her arm.
. . .
They day progressed into night and some people had already left. It was nearing midnight and Roy was hosting a drinking game in the living room. Armstrong, Al, Fuery, Havoc, Breda, and Falman were all partaking. In the other corner, the girls were all talking amongst each other, sharing stories of the years past. The two huskies had curled up in the corner and fallen asleep, Sheba's head leaning against Black Hayate's stomach. Kat wandered over to the dogs and patted them both on the head. She was a little buzzed from some drink that her Uncle made her, but she had told him she didn't want anymore. Thankfully, he respected her choice and went back over to the guys.
"How are you, Kat?" Riza asked from behind her. Kat looked at her and smiled brightly.
"Good. This party is wonderful. Though I find the boys are proving to be the most entertaining." She giggled as she saw Al fall off of his chair and burst out in laughter. Riza giggled a little herself and nodded.
"Yes, Roy was determined to fit in some alcohol. It's been tough at HQ lately." Kat looked at her and furrowed her brow.
"Really…What's going on?"
"Well, there's been a string of murders in the west and they've been begging for help from us. But the Fuhrer will have nothing to do with it. So we haven't yet been able to assist. We've been doing some paperwork preparing for it, though. So the Fuhrer is caving slowly."
"Interesting. I take it I will be going west on Monday?"
"Possibly. But for now, enjoy your birthday!" Kat nodded and made her rounds around the room, chancing another shot when she got to the boys. When they whooped and hollered at the sight of her shot of whiskey going down smoothly without a face, she moved on. Eventually, it was only Roy, Riza, and Al. Everyone else had an escort home, which explained why all the guys had dates.
Roy passed out on the couch, Riza sitting next to him and checking him over. "He's gonna have a major hangover." Kat laughed, wishing she would be there to see it. Beside her, Al was wobbling on his stool, doing his best to not fall off…again. Kat looked at her Uncle and sighed.
"Uncle Al, maybe you should go to bed."
"Maybe I should, but I am shouldn't…" He hiccupped. She shook her head. Roy wasn't the only one who would have a hangover tomorrow morning. Riza whispered something in Roy's ear and he roused, pushing himself up from the couch. She looked at Kat and gave her a tired grin.
"I'm going to take Mr. Mustang home. But we will see you on Monday. Enjoy your gifts, Kat." She helped Roy up and led him to the door as he mumbled "just one more drink…" Kat held open the door as they left and shut and locked it behind them. She then turned to her Uncle, who was beginning to doze and lean forward. She ran to his side and caught him as he was falling and he woke up, looking at her with wide eyes.
"I'm sorry, dids I fall ashleep again?"
"Yes Uncle Al, now it's time for bed." She helped him up the stairs and to his bedroom where he plopped down in his bed, asleep in seconds. She took off his shoes and jacket and tucked him in. "Goodnight, Uncle Al." She wandered back to her room, where she carted all of her gifts earlier. She wasn't tired, so she figured she would open them now.
As she settled herself amidst her presents, she thought over the night. It had been a pleasant surprise and she found that she had enjoyed herself. But there was one person missing. She sighed and picked up the present from Roy and Riza. It was a small envelop with her name written neatly on it. She opened it and pulled out a colorfully decorated card. On the front it read 'Happy Birthday' and on the inside, in Riza's handwriting it read,
Kat,
We hope your 21st is a night to remember. Here is a little something from the Colonel and myself. Enjoy, sweetie.
Riza and Roy
She looked at the small wrapped item and ripped off the paper, finding a beautiful ring. It was a small sapphire stone on a silver band. She slipped it on her right hand and admired it, whispering thanks. She decided she would have to make thank you cards for everyone. She moved on to a gift from Sciezska, which was to no surprise a book. She put it aside and worked her way through. An hour and a half later, after opening money, a blender, cards, tool sets, and her favorite brand of bourbon, she found herself done. She crumpled up all the paper and threw it in the trash and put her presents away properly, not wanting to clean tomorrow.
When Kat turned around, she found Al standing in her doorway with two more gifts in hand and a smile on his face. She furrowed her brow at him as he came in and sat down on the bed. "I forgot to give you mine." He handed her a small package and she took it, opening it up quietly. Inside she found a special automail repair kit. Her eyes lit up and she hugged her Uncle with all her might.
"This was the one in Rush Valley I was looking at for ages!"
"You're welcome." She put it down gently, looking at it with excitement. He knew she would be testing it out in the morning on her own arm. She tore her eyes away from it and looked back at him.
"Thanks, Uncle Al. That was a wonderful Birthday. Not to mention, I never thought I would get to see the Colonel smash faced." She laughed, getting her bed ready to crawl in it, but Al stopped her.
"I still haven't given you your surprise." She gave him a confused look, staring at the automail repair kit and then back to him. He shook his head and laid in her hands the second gift that he had been holding onto. "Open it carefully, Katie." As she took it from his hands, he turned and left the room, giving her a glance over his shoulder. "Goodnight."
"Night." She said to him, staring at the gift. It was a plain envelope that was yellow with age. But as she stared at the writing on it, she immediately recognized who it was written by. "…Dad." She ran her fingers over her name and then carefully slit the envelope open. She then pulled out a single piece of paper and unfolded it. As she read it, her eyes welled up and spilled over with tears and a smile spread on her face.
Katie,
Happy Birthday, Old Woman! I'm sorry I couldn't jump on your bed and say that, but circumstances have come to pass and both you and I know what they are. You turned 21 today. I'm so proud of you, kiddo. I just wish I was there to give you a big hug from me and your mom. Just always know, I'm watching you while shunning the gods from above and below while speaking with the greats of alchemy.
There were a few things I wanted to tell you now that you are older. First of all, I'm sorry Havoc gave you a blender. For some reason, he was planning to since you were 6 months old. He always thought it would be a great gift. I think he's losing his mind. Second, I want to thank you for holding your Uncle together for me. Death was never handled well in the Elric family and mine was no exception. If he didn't have you to dote on him, he would have given up by now.
But most importantly, Katie, I wanted to tell you that I am sorry. There were so many things I wanted to tell you, so many adventures I wanted to share with you in my own words. But I was afraid of what you would think of me if I told you what I did when I was your age and younger. There are things I am not proud of and other things I smile on when I think of them every day. But I'm no longer here to tell you what I wanted to share.
You know I will never disappoint you. It's not as good as coming from me in person, but there is something next to the real thing. If you look under the loose floorboard of your room in the Rockbell House, you will find all of my adventures, my research, and all the love I hold for your mother, your Uncle, and most of all, for you.
I love you, Katie. And when it is your time, remember that I will be waiting for you.
Dad
Kat held the letter close to her and jumped off her bed, attacking the loose floorboard in front of her bed. As she pried, it easily gave and she plunged her hand down into the hole, instantly feeling something made of leather. She pulled it out slowly and gasped.
In her hand was Edward Elric's most prized possession. His leather bound journal. She stared at it in amazement and liked how heavy it felt in her hands. She untied it and opened to the first page, seeing the scrawl of a very young boy, a tiny smudge of blood on the page. There were only two words on the whole page and she knew what it meant.
We failed. She knew it was from the night her father and Al tried to bring back their mother. She flipped the page and noticed that it was filled with ingredients of a human body. As she read through them, she noticed a star by one of the numbers in the middle of the page. The star was by the number 150. She thought a moment and flipped to page 150 in the large journal. It was another entry written to her, a continuation of the letter.
P.S.
I encourage you to continue my journal. You can create new pages for it with just a few blade of grass. Continue the Elric legacy and pass it down to your child. But keep it protected. This is all I have left to give you Katie. I hope it brings you all the answers I couldn't give when I was alive.
Kat grabbed the letter and tucked it in the journal, closing it and tying it shut. She then reached under her bed for a wooden box that contained her own alchemy research on her gift of Spirit Alchemy. She had been writing her own theories on the dead and the energy they emitted. It was far from done, but she wanted no one to know about it. She clapped her hands and touched them to the lock, unsealing it. She cracked open the box and put the journal inside, making sure it was safely nestled so that nothing would bend. She wanted to read it all now, but she knew that her father's journal would be read with time, during her experiences.
Resealing the box with alchemy, Kat slid it back under her bed and crawled in it, flipping her light off. As she laid there and closed her eyes, she curled up in a ball and began to cry. Even after her father died, he always found a way to contact her. And she knew that when she would go through those pages, she would find more hidden messages. So it was like he never died after all.
Fin.