This took a while, and I wasn't intending on making a chapter like this, but then it came to me and I was like, "HAVE TO WRITE IT BEFORE I FORGET!" It's about 2000 words, an improvement by far, and I will try to make every chapter after this 2000 or more words as well. Also, I don't know what to do. I'm making it so that Edward is at least a year behind Natalia and Alphonse is maybe 13 going on 14 or was 14 this whole time and Edward just turned 15, but I think I will go with the first one. I'm going with the Brotherhood story line, not the manga because I haven't finished reading it 1, and 2 because it says that Edward is almost 16 after they encountered Ling and are on the train ride to Central. Also, this is in Central and next chapter, we'll see Roy's first appearance and him hitting on Natalia, maybe Havoc hitting on Natalia as well because next chapter she'll be wearing her miniskirt and will be all serious like this chapter. But it's up to you guys.
Also, I'm sorry if Natalia seemed OC in this, she's kinda bipolar, sorta. Like, one day she'll be gloomy and won't talk to anyone and the next day she'll be hyper and active and then the next day she'll be serious and sweet. It depends on what she's feeling and all. So I apologize for that.
Hey! NO ONE REVIEWED FOR CHAPTER 3 OF HUMAN! I WORKED MY BUTT OFF FOR THAT! SO PLEASE REVIEW FOR THIS!
SPOILER ALERT! There is a reference to the manga in here if some of you haven't read it.
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The morning was crisp that day, colder than the day previous, but still very nice. The sun was just rising, peaking over the tall buildings of central and the rays pouring into the bedroom where the two beds sat: one occupied by a half covered State Alchemist while the other was occupied by an older girl from an alternate universe, cozied up under the thick covers that she had piled on the night before when she had protested it had been too cold. The Alchemist had begged to differ, but the girl had insisted that 50 degree weather was too cold for her and that her lungs ached nowadays because of the cold weather. The argument went on and abruptly stopped when the girl broke and cried, claiming that the Alchemist was being cruel to her and had asked if he "wanted to get her sick because of the cold weather and that would eventually lead to her death." The Alchemist had caved in a moment of panic, rushing to get the girl some more blankets.
Natalia was warm under her little hill of covers, like she was a cat content to sleep all day long in the sun. But she knew she couldn't. If she was right, – and she knew she was because Alphonse had kindly informed her – than today was Edward's birthday, and he was turning 15 and she wanted to get him the best birthday present ever. Although, she didn't know what he would want, considering he had a wacky taste in style – she had to admit, albeit begrudgingly, that although the black clothes did make him look pretty, but they also made him look young – and that if she got him anything, he wouldn't be able to carry it with them.
And so with those thoughts in mind, she had decided to bake him a cake! Maybe it would be chocolate cake, or marble – she loved marble – with strawberry frosting or chocolate frosting – because she hated vanilla. Thinking back on that choice, she didn't really know what Ed would like. But if she made something that she liked and he didn't, that would be ok! Because it was the thought that she had made it for him that counted! Oh, and she would get more cake to herself that way.
Come to think of it, if she wanted to make him a cake now, she would have to get the supplies for it, or go to a baker, and both of those would take time. She also had to get him out of the house when he got up and get the room prepared for the party of three – just herself and the boys – and maybe get a present – although she still didn't know what he wanted, and she wasn't planning on asking any time soon.
With a quiet sigh so as not to wake up the birthday princess, she got out of her warm cocoon of happiness and made her way silently out the door, still clad in her pajamas with Hello Kitty on them – she had begged her mom for more money so she could get some Fullmetal Alchemist ones, but her mom said no, and she didn't have the time nor the bravery to ask her again. She closed the door behind her and looked around to find Al sitting on the couch reading a book about something or other – Natty suspected it was about Alchemy, knowing those boys and their obsession.
"Good morning, Al," she said quietly, walking over to the kitchen and rummaging through the pantry to see what she would need for the cake, considering she was going to make it and not buy it. She figured it was better that way.
"Morning Natalia," Alphonse greeted politely, tearing his gaze away from his book to look at her carefully. "Did you remember about today?"
"Yeah," Natalia answered with a faraway look to her. "I always wondered when Edward's birthday was. Arakawa-sensei said it was sometime in the winter, but I never did get to know the date. It's almost nice that I get to know and no one else probably ever will."
"What do you mean?" Alphonse asked curiously. She had mentioned before that she knew all about them and who they were and what had happened to them, but she never did tell why. Alphonse had suspected it had something to do with that catalog thing they had found in her bag.
She had said the sentence more to herself than to Al, so hearing an answer startled her a bit, making her jump and almost slam close the cabinet she was currently looking in. She had refrained herself at the last minute though, looking over at Al with a smile of reassurance as she calmly closed the door. She walked over to where he was sitting on the couch quietly waiting for an explanation, and when she reached him, she pulled her hand up to rub the top of his helmet where the hair began. "Oh, nothing, I was just musing to myself." The smile was still on her face as she said this, still rubbing Alphonse's head even if he couldn't see it. She dropped her hand after a while though, leaving Alphonse to watch her back as she made her way into the kitchen area once again. "And before I forget to tell you, I need to go shopping for some things and won't be back until much later. When Edward wakes up, can you try and get him out of the house?"
Al just gaped at the serious tone she was taking on. In all of his time of knowing her, she had never seemed so grown up as she did now. It was like someone took an invisible switch and turned it on, turning her into a motherly figure who was planning a surprise party for Edward – at least, this is what he thought when he actually got over the shock of her petting him on the head and treating him like the little boy they knew he was.
After a while, Al's answer was a nod of his metal head and in return he got another sweet smile from Natalia who was done looking through the cabinets and now writing something on a piece of paper with a pen. After she was done with that, she headed into the next room, saying something about getting ready before she headed out and to ask Edward – subtly: the word was emphasized well, and Al knew he had to keep his promise of trying to do so – what he would want as a birthday present.
Before he knew it, she was back out wearing a green long sleeved dress and flower print tights with some slick black shoes that had a thick sole to them – probably to give her some height – and her hair was up in a curly ponytail like when they had first found her, her bangs hanging on her face. Despite her age, she looked young enough to be ten, especially with her height and attire – the shoes looked like they would be on an 8-year-old. She walked to the door, saying she would be back in a couple hours and to remember to have Edward out of the house before she came back as she opened the door and closed it, the steps in the hallways fading out quickly.
And then Alphonse remembered that she had no money. That was quickly answered later when Edward woke up to find his wallet gone with only Alphonse as a potential witness as to who took it while he was asleep and Natalia found guilty seeing as she was gone and that Alphonse said she had went to get some things. Edward vowed that from now until Natalia was no longer in his custody that he would sleep with his wallet under his pillow.
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Shopping went quickly, with many questions from the store clerks she had gone to on why such a cute little girl would be buying supplies to bake with. Kindly, Natalia had explained every time that no, she was not a little girl, and that she was 16, she was just short for her age due to her mom being short in height – only 5'0" – and her father being average height – about 6'. The store clerks would apologize and wish her good luck and to "have a wonderful day!" By the time she had gotten back, Edward and Alphonse were gone and she felt like she was about to burst from anger at her height. When she thought back on ever time Edward had been called short, she had been angry at him because really, she was shorter than him and older by almost 2 years!
Other than the comments on her height and/or age, she had had fun shopping around central. She had imagined it to be a big city with lots of great shops, but now that she looked at it she ate her words from back then. Central was just too big for her and never again would she go on a giant hunt like that unless it was for some big occasion.
Setting the bags of stuff on the counter in the kitchen area, she got to work measuring the contents for the cake she was baking. She didn't have a reference; so on her way home she had made a trip to the book store to get a cookbook with the right recipe for the cake she wanted to bake in it. Finding the book wasn't hard, considering that "Alchemy was born in the kitchen," as Edward had said, so all she had to do was find a book with how to bake a proper cake with Alchemy. Even if she wasn't an Alchemist, she could still bake the cake the old fashioned way like she always had.
The cake was fun to make, especially since she had only done it one other time in her life for her own birthday a couple years ago when her parents had first started fighting. She had celebrated that birthday on her own with a cupcake and a candle that was battery powered, since she was forbidden from using matches or lighters. She had saved up enough money to get herself something special, and that was the first time she had went to the video game and movie store too.
She had stumbled upon it unexpectedly on her walk around the mall. The mall in her town was tiny, barely half the size of a regular mall with only one long hallway, stores lining both sides and ends and stands in the middle, making two rows for walking on either side. She had been walking in the mall for the first time in months and had noticed that where her favorite boutique had once been now stood a video/movie store. Curious as she was, she had walked in and had asked what was selling out and how much it was, and that was when she had first gotten into Anime. More importantly, that was when she had first gotten into Fullmetal Alchemist. The DVD took up nearly all of her money, but she had managed it and had bought it right away, intrigued by the boy with golden hair and eyes and a metal arm on the cover. She had run home that day to watch it in her room, and for the first time in what felt like forever, she had found a cure to her loneness. That was also the day she had made a new friend; Alexis.
Natalia was shaken out of her memory of good times when the beeping of an oven went off. It had startled her since she hadn't even noticed that she had finished the cake in the time it took her to remember and important memory. She grabbed her oven mitts and pulled the cake out of the oven to cool on a large plate that was provided by the hotel. After setting it on the counter, she grabble a blank white banner she had procured at the craft store and red and black paint, decorating the banner and setting out party hats and other things. Not a moment too soon, she realized, as the door swung open to a grumbling Edward and a calming Alphonse.
"Surprise," Natalia yelled, standing in the middle of the living room, panting heavily with the effort of running around to get ready in time, "happy 15th birthday Edward!"
Edward stopped his ranting long enough to look up at the foreign girl. Alphonse had gasped at the sight of her and the room. She was dressed in an apron with cake mix and frosting smeared all over it and on her face where it mixed with black and red paint. She was smiling brightly at him, her arms thrown in the air where just above, a banner with the print Happy Birthday! was written on it, Edward's symbol of a snake winding around a cross drawn next to it. He smelled something warm and sweet in the kitchen, and when he looked over, a cake with pink frosting was sitting at the table ready to be eaten.
And for the first time since he had met Natalia, he had smiled genuinely at her.
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I spent 2 hours on this! PLEASE REVIEW! Sorry it took so long, but the Carpal Tunnel and I was busy and I had no plans and I needed a break from this and everything and . . . and . . . ~*hangs head*~ Please forgive me. Summer is a time to relax for me and not stress about writing. But the longness of this chapter should make up for it, right? SO PLEASE! WITH ALL OF YOUR LOVE, FILL IN THAT BOX BELOW WITH WORDS OF ANY KIND! I BEG OF YOU!
Trixie (aka – the actress/actor for the stuffed dog Natalia owns): Stop begging, it makes you look weak.
SHUT UP TRIX! I LOVE YOU BUT YOU CAN BE CRUEL! REVIEW READERS!
