Notes: So sorry this update took so long. Hehe... No, I'm not.
So I'm not sure what motivated me to do this part, other than I kinda wanted to play with Ed guilt a bit more. Or maybe I wanted to try writing something a little less intense and more humorous than what I've been writing until now. I'm not sure, but I hope you enjoy anyways!
Teacher knew. She knew and I had no idea what she was going to talk to Al and me about when we got back.
She had pulled a spear from the wall of her house and had attacked me with it. I dodged the first few blows but as they kept coming I transmuted my arm into a blade on instinct and cut the tip off her weapon.
Oh, shit. She was waiting for that.
"As I suspected you can transmute without a matrix," she accused, her volume growing as she went on. I backed away. "On top of which, Al is now a suit of armor and two of your limbs are made from automail!"
"Teacher, how did you know?"
"Please, I can tell from sparring with you!"
We're dead. We're so very dead.
"You saw it didn't you, Edward," she asked, more calmly. I didn't say anything. I knew better than to lie to her, but I didn't want to admit that I saw the Gate either.
"You saw it," she shouted, suddenly a whole county closer than I was comfortable with.
"Y-yes," I whimpered and leaned farther away. She glared down at me, and I looked away unable to meet her heated gaze. Then she let out a breath.
"It seems both of us are beyond help," she said with a tone I couldn't quite place. It gave me the courage to look up.
Both?! As in, you too? I was hoping I was the only idiot. Please say it was only me!
I gripped my arm. She still looked pissed, but there was something in her eyes that must be holding her back from murdering me where I stood.
"Teacher, you saw it too. Tell me," I asked. I had thought she was the perfect alchemist, so what had made sin her like me? Her gaze hardened slightly and I thought I had pushed too far, but instead she ordered Al and me to go get some groceries for dinner before stalking into the house. The door snapped shut behind her.
Al and I were quiet in our surprise and unable to move for a moment. We had expected a beating. Sig came out a moment later with the cenz and a list to get the needed supplies. He then vanished back into the house after leaving the money with Al. We stood a moment longer before I stepped out of the back garden and onto the street. Al took a moment longer before he chased after me.
"What do you think that was about," asked Al just as surprised by her walking away from the conversation as I was.
"Beats me," I groused with a careless shrug. We continued in contemplative silent, mostly relying on muscle memory to take us to the familiar corner store that we always went to when we were sent on the same errand during our training. The same old man greeted us from behind the counter and as always, he pretended to be hard at hearing when I shouted at him for commenting on my height.
"What'd ya say, runt? I can't 'ear ya"
"I said; WHO ARE YOU CALLING A HALF-PINT MIDGET SO SMALL MY VOICE CAN'T REACH YOU OVERGROWN EARS?!"
"I still can't hear ya," he chirped with a toothless grin, prodding me to shout some more.
Now that I think about it, I might have learned how to shout the way I do because of this old geezer.
Al restrained me until we had left the store. Back on the street, our minds turned to the conversation awaiting us back with Teacher.
She didn't answer my question…
"Brother," Al said softly from behind me. "What did you and teacher see?"
I didn't, couldn't, answer him. Anytime I thought of that bastard Truth and his stupid Gate, my body tensed and my breath caught.
Back at the house, we placed the paper bags onto to counter and started to unload them. Teacher didn't greet us while she put the casserole into the oven. It was only while she walked through to the dining room that she called to us over her shoulder.
"Come in when you're done. Be quick about it."
Al and I tripled our speed. The sun had started to set when we had returned and when we entered the dining room, a crimson sunset was in full glory. Teacher was sitting in a chair and Sig was standing beside her. Al and I decided to say by the door, just in case we needed to run for our lives. Izumi looked at her husband and he nodded. They both turned to us and answered my question from earlier without my prompting.
"For a while, it seemed we were barren," Teacher started. "We wanted a child but couldn't conceive." She didn't look at us when Al and I gasped softly. "When we were finally able to conceive, I ended up falling gravely ill. And our child as well. He was not able to take a living breath in this world. And so, I committed the taboo." I gripped my automail arm. "As a result, I lost some of my inner organs. What an idiot I was." She had opened her eyes and was staring directly at us. I couldn't meet her eyes. "Now I realize I should have told you sooner." Then her voice changed to one of sympathy. "It must have been awful."
Don't show weakness now! I deserve this, so just smile through it like always! Damn it, why is pretending with her so hard?
It took me a moment too long to force a smile on my face, and a moment longer to look up.
"Naw, I did it to myself after all. It hasn't been that big of a deal actually," I stated, trying to make my words carry my smile too. Al caught on and joined in.
"Besides, now I've got this long list of things I get to look forward to eating when I get my body back."
Oh, right. I did this to Al too.
I forced myself not to grimace.
"Right Brother," Al turned to me.
"Yeah, it's nothing," I grinned up at him
Shit, why is it so hard to pretend now of all times!
I hadn't noticed that teacher had gotten up until she placed her hand on my shoulder. Placed not grabbed. I turned to her, my smile forsaking me.
"You darling little idiots," she said sadly. She walked around me and up a hand on the side of Al's helmet. She then pulled us both to her in a bit of an awkward hug. "It's okay to hurt."
…really? Is it okay this time?
A torrent of emotion that had been building up for a while steadily fought their way free and I found my flesh hand returning the embrace. It no longer mattered it the hug was in a strange position, it was meant and safe, and that was all that mattered.
We've hurt her with our actions as well.
"Forgive us," I whispered, but my voice breaks anyways.
"We're so sorry, Teacher," Al's voice rings in the armor, but if he had his body he would have been crying too.
I've hurt everyone.
"Please forgive us."
"We're sorry."
Over and over, we repeat our apologies. I'm not sure when, but Sig joined the hug too, wrapping his wife, me, and half of Al in his arms. I fought them, but the tears came anyway, sliding from under my eyes and onto teacher's shoulder.
This is pathetic. I shouldn't be crying like a sissy!
I calmed down before Alphonse, swallowing my self-pity, and blinking my eyes to clear the water out of them. I bit back my apologies when I understood she wasn't going to answer until we calmed down. I removed my arm and straightened up. Sig got the message and silently left the room.
Al was still making small sounds of remorse but he also understood that the moment of weakness was over. He stood straight too. Teacher let us go, and stepped back to lean against the table.
"Now, if you can tell me exactly what happened," she ordered gently.
So, we did. Al went first because his version was the shortest having no memory of the Gate. I went after him, trying to go light on the Gate details during the second visit for Al's sake. I went on to include why I got my automail and my State License. After I finished Teacher moved slowly towards the window, clearly in thought.
So, what happens now?
"To think you saw it and managed to survive," she said to herself before her voice hardened. "I doubt you even know how impressive that is."
"I-I… No- "I started, but she cut me off.
"Regardless, I can't accept the decision you've made."
I know I've made some bad choices, but to which are you referring?
She turned and glared at us. "You're expelled."
Al and I gasped, we knew we had gone against her teachings but we didn't think she would go that far.
"But, Teacher- "Al tried to reason with her.
"Al," I warned. Teacher -no, Mrs. Izumi- turned back to the window.
"The trains are still running Get on one," She ordered.
I noticed my lip trembled but I wasn't about to start crying now. I bit down hard as I bowed politely.
"Thank you," I said, keeping my voice measured. "For everything."
Al bowed to and thanked her as well before we both turned to go grab out still unpacked suitcase. Sig meet us out front and walked us to the train.
I've really screwed up.
We walked in something close to a daze all the way to the train station. I hardly noticed the light fade or the chill settle into the air. At least, not until we turned to say goodbye to Sig.
"Feel free to drop by anytime you're ever in town," he stated, his quieter than normal.
"I'm not so sure about that," Alphonse said sadly, moving his helmet to look like he was hanging his head.
"You idiots!"
Great, he's mad at us too.
"You're so busy pouting that you can't see what your expulsion means," Sig continued, his gentle rumble replacing his roar from seconds before. "You aren't her students anymore so now you are finally free to speak to Izumi as equals." I meet Al's soul-fire eyes, both thinking the same thing, as Sig continued. "Unless of course, you're to chicken to try."
So, that was her game, was it? And we forgot to ask her what we came to ask in the first place! Ugh! I'm such an idiot!
"Ugh, damn! Al, we haven't done what we came her to do in the first place," I informed, then turned back to Sig. "Thank you, we're headed back there right now!"
I turned and sprinted past Sig and back the direction we had come, Al hot on my heals.
"Don't let her kill you," Sig called after us, not even bothering to try to keep up.
Tell me what you thought!
