Chapter 8

"We're finally here, huh?" Ed said as they stepped off the train onto the ground and he led the way to his teacher's place. They had left Winry with Dominic and Parninya in Rush Valley. "It'd be nice if Teacher wasn't home, huh?" Ed sighed when they stopped in front of a butcher shop. The door suddenly opened, and a large man, who reminded Asuka of Major Armstrong, but less blond and more brunette, walked out. That must be their teacher

"Well... Hello there" Al said in a small voice

"How good of you to come. You've grown" the man patted Ed's head.

"Um... I'm Alphonse. Please excuse us for being away for so long" Al replied

There was a pause. Teacher then removed his hand and put it on Al's helmet "You've really grown" He then made his way to the open window on the side, and called "Izumi, the Elric half-prints are here. And they brought a girl along with them. Can you get up?"

"I'm fine. I'm doing a lot better today." A woman's voice traveled out the window.

"She's lying down because she's not doing so well" Al explained to Asuka

"I guess she hasn't gotten any better" Ed added.

Suddenly, the door burst open and a foot emerged from it, kicking Ed in the face with such a force that sent him flying and crashing into a building down the street.

"Stupid pupil of mine!" the monster walked out and yelled at Ed "I hear you've stooped to becoming a Dog of the Military!" She turned her head to face Al and Asuka, who immediately tensed in fear

"Ah, Teacher," Oh, so that was their teacher... "You see... It's like..." Al tried to explain

"Al?" The menacing aura left "You sure have grown bigger" she smiled. Al relaxed, relieved that he wasn't going to be kicked down the street like his brother

"Teacher," He made his way towards her, reaching for her hand to shake it "You seem to be doing well..." but instead of taking his hand, Teacher grabbed onto his wrist and flung him down onto the ground

"You haven't been training enough!" She said in disappointment as Ed caught up to them, rubbing his cheek, where a bruise was slowly beginning to appear

"I thought you weren't feeling very well..." Al said

"What are you talking about?" Teacher yelled "Now that you're here, I'm perfectly-" she stopped, only to puke up blood

"You shouldn't over extent yourself" The man put a hand on her shoulder. The couple then got all lovey-dovey

"Aren't you the concerned one, Dear?"

"I don't know much about the philosopher's stone" Teacher, Izumi Curtis, answered Ed's question "I'm not interested in it"

"You met one alchemist in central once, who was pretty knowledgeable about the stone, right?" Her husband asked her

"Who was this person?" Ed questioned farther

"As I recall, his name is..." she tried to remember "Hohenheim" Ed's face immediately fell and filled with rage

"What's the matter?" Asuka asked

"Then he's alive?" Ed wondered aloud

"Someone you know?" Izumi asked

"He's our father" Al said

"The one you said ran out on you?" Asuka asked

"That jerk!" Ed was doing a very poor on trying to conceal his rage "It's because of him Mom's dead! It's because of him!"

"Um, did dad say anything about the stone?" Al broke the awkward and really long silence

"Something about his long held desire about to come true" Izumi recalled "He was happy when he said it" but then, she got up, and punched Ed on the head "Let's eat"

"Mama! Mama! I've been chosen! I'm an elite pilot, chosen to protect human kind! I'm the best in the world!" She opened a door "It's supposed to be a secret! But I'll tell you anyway! Just for you!" She opened a door "Everyone will be nice to us from now on! So we won't be lonely anymore!" She opened a door "So, we'll be fine, even if I don't have a Papa! We won't be lonely anymore!" She opened another door "So look! Look at me, Mama!" She grabbed onto the doorknob of her mother's bedroom and turned it "Look at me, Mama-!"

Asuka's eyes snapped open. She was lying on her bed at Izumi's house, not running around at her house in Germany. She was 14 now. Not 4. It had all been a dream, so why does she still feel like this? She already told herself to get over her mother's death. Asuka wiped the sweat from her eyebrows the stray tears that welled up in her eyes in her hours of unconsciousness. She had promised herself not to cry anymore. She had sealed away her tears along with her memories of her mother and her childhood. She was alone. It's been like that for years, but the memories still come back every night to haunt her. She tried to calm herself, but after a few minutes, her heartbeat was still racing.

"Solitude has always worked for me, so why do I feel like this?" she mumbled to herself. She got up, exited her room and made her way to Ed's room. She entered, and silently closed the door behind her. She walked over to the only bed in the room, saw the sleeping figure under the sheets, and lay down beside him.

"Huh?" He woke up to the bed shifting under the weight it carried now. Ed turned and saw Asuka's figure. "Asuka?"

"Just turn back around!" she hissed, but changed into a softer tone "Dumbass blond, just let me stay here... just for a little while..." Ed wondered what would cause Asuka to resort to this, to him, but after seeing the hurt expression that she was trying to hide, he thought against asking. Instead, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close to him.

"Wh-what are you d-doing?" She stuttered, fighting back a blush "Let me go!"

"You're hurt" he ignored her, instead, tightening his grip. "You have a really bad poker face"

"Heh, look at the one who's talking!" She shot back, but stopped struggling and went silent and breathed in his reassuring scent. "Thanks, Ed" she said after a while into the silence, when sure that he was back asleep. He wasn't that bad to be around, once you get to know him...

A/N: Sorry, this chapter was really short... shorter than all the other ones... but hey, it's sweet...