Konnichiwa~! I'm back and ready for . . . action . . . Nyuugh . . . Jeez, I'm such a failure as a writer . . . Okay, from all the voting, it seems that the majority doesn't like the deadline idea. Well, majority rules, and I won't do it. 'Kay? Okay.
Oh! Great news! Kit-chan now has an account on FF! Her user is "Hane no Kaze" (see the trend . . . ~.~) You can PM her, talk, and all that fun stuff.
Well, enjoy!
I'm starting to think that "Courage" isn't a very popular one of my stories . . . huh? No reviews, less than 10 views. Woo. O.o Okay, on with the story and its disclaimers!
Disclaimer: Kit-chan and I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist or Naruto. Only the plot is ours. Special thanks to Kit-chan who was
A Metal Heart
"Behind the Forced Smile"
"What do you mean, Nii-san?" Hinata asked as she helped with the towering piles of books.
"We're going to see what Ed's hiding," Neji translated.
They set all of the books carefully on the ground. Neji picked up the first book he touched. Alchemy for Beginners . . . I've seen him read that constantly, Neji recalled. He opened the thick, brown, hardcover book and scanned it.
Neji was known to be the genius of the Hyuga clan; however, he couldn't understand anything in the beginners' book, only the straightforward information made sense. All he found out was that an alchemist has to know EVERYsingle component, chemical structures, and the layout of the object wished to be transmuted and transmuted into or else there would be a rebound, something that isn't what the alchemist desired, or some random deformed glop of mush. Alchemy also requires perfect circles or nothing would happen -- Neji was amazed, since he knew that he himself couldn't draw a perfectly round circle for his life. The alchemist also needs to know what runes and where to put them in a circle or else, again, the result isn't what the alchemist desired. Of course, an alchemist also has to follow many laws; the most basic and most crucial law was Equivalent Exchange, but the basis of the "simple" law still confused Neji.
"Hinata, alchemy is a lot harder than we thought," Neji said, "They require many, many things; all which we don't understand."
"So? Once you memorize everything, it would be as easy as breathing!" Hinata replied as she also flipped through the alchemy books. She still held a strong grudge against Edward as she scanned the giant alchemic words. Maybe, she needed to get a dictionary soon, not just one just has shinobi vocabulary.
"Yeah, but there are many exceptions to it!" Neji stated.
"But they are small!" Hinata argued back.
"There are too many things to memorize! It's impossible for one to remember it all! That's why Ed has notes and carries it around!" Neji debated. He held a beat up travel journal that Ed seemingly left behind. Neji also scanned through that. How in the world are these notes?!Neji thought as he read the book silently, Maybe it's in code . . . Then he slipped the book in his pocket so he might get to decode it later.
Neji and Hinata picked up all the alchemy books and moved them aside. Then they gathered all the notes, formulas, and diagrams and anything else that has something to do with this strange science, and piled them on the alchemy books.
All that was left of the giant pile of books were books on ninja related things like jutsus, hand signs, and chakra training.
"No wonder Ed didn't help you on your homework; he didn't know a thing!" Neji said as he laughed heartedly, "Maybe he hates being in the dark on things that we would consider common sense; or he was studying for OUR sake or maybe your sake. I already know all of the information." But, he flipped through the books anyways. There were tons of little comments, big and small, long and short. However, they were clearly rushed in, since Neji couldn't possibly read this illegible penmanship. And, ever so clearly, Edward was probably frustrated while he had written, since there were deep impressions on the other side of pages.
Hinata watched Neji laugh one of his rare happy chuckles. "Why didn't he help? I kept asking," Hinata said grudgingly.
Neji stopped chuckling and looked expressionlessly at Hinata. He began picking up all the ninja books; one then another, and another. He placed them all carefully next to the alchemy books. The pile of ninja books kept growing higher and higher. Soon the ninja books piled higher than the science textbooks. Hinata gazed at the growing pile. She began to feel regret her harsh words and actions toward Ed; but she shrugged the feeling off.
Soon enough, all the books were being re-stacked onto the ever growing pile. Neji picked up the last book, and a small slip of paper -- probably used as a book mark -- slipped out of the ruffled pages. It was yellow, and appeared worn with age. The Hyuga picked up the paper and flipped it over, seeing words.
"'Don't get left behind'" Neji mouthed. Those four words struck the boy. So, Edward really did want to help, and hated his own ignorance and illiteracy.
Neji sighed and passed the little note to Hinata. She repeatedly read the simple yet powerful words. Don't get left behind, Hinata read. They stung her, like random knives kept impaling her heart. That was the only thing Ed wished for. But even that didn't disperse the strongly held grudge. It doesn't make a difference with him gone or not! Hinata thought angrily, actually, we might be better off without him!
Neji sighed slowly as he stared blankly at Ed's two yellow, untouched presents. Neji and Hinata each gave two, while Ed gave each two; that would mean four.
Hinata slowly opened the other presents that were sent to her. The one from Neji was a first aid kit along with a few purple hair ribbons. She smiled meekly. Purple was always her favorite color. The other one from Ed was a big, hardcover book; a book that was empty and blank, a scrapbook; a book that could record things, list achievements, and collect little 2-D things. A book that she always wanted.
But that still didn't make her anger wan. Hinata still hated Edward. She hated Edward Elric . . . but for what? And why?
The next day, Neji and Hinata went to town to buy breakfast, since their cooking wasn't all that great.
As they entered the town, they saw houses beat up from the blizzard the day before. At least the buildings endured, but they were roughed up and they couldn't possibly stand another storm without having three out of the four walls knocked over and destroyed.
The village relied strongly on their repair person, Ed. They all liked Ed and they enjoyed his company while he was analyzing the damage, even with his flaring temper and his heigh complex. There were some little kids that enjoyed pressing the blonde's buttons, making Ed vow to someday take revenge on these little punks.
Neji and Hinata entered a store and bought breakfast. They sat down at a picnic table outside in the park and stared loathingly at the food in front of them.
Ed's cooking was much better. They weren't burnt, stale, and disgusting. The exact opposite of what sat in front of them. The food had flies buzzing around them, smelled rotten to the core, and they appeared to have been sitting in the store for a millennium.
Hinata shivered as she stared at the disgusting food in front of her. She glanced up at Neji who had a disgusted look on his face as he threw his food into a nearby trash can. She quickly followed her cousin's actions and ran after him.
The Hyugas slowly returned to the empty white house. There wasn't any impatient, rude voice that greeted them, asking them what they were doing to take such a long time. Only an empty, silent house had waited for their return.
Hinata began missing the younger boy. She missed his cooking, the piercing gold eyes, his zeal, his alchemy, his laugh, and his smile. She missed Ed's irresponsible behaviors, his immature personality, his overly short temper, his impulsiveness, his large ego, and his hatred of milk. She missed Ed; as a brother, as a friend, as someone that always made her smile.
"I-I'm going to Kiba's house," Hinata announced.
"All right," Neji replied, "I'm going to look for Elric."
Hinata nodded and walked out the door. She walked in the direction towards Kiba's, staring at the ground. She regreted it all. She shouldn't have said those things to Edward. She shouldn't have verbally kicked the boy out. She shouldn't have scolded Edward for not doing something that was impossible out of him. How could she have hurt him so much?
At half the way up to Hinata's destination, she decided to take a short detour to the park. She walked solemnly around in the snow covered ground of the park.
"Hey! Hinata! What're you doing here?!" a voice cried out to her.
Hinata snapped around, finding Kiba with Akamaru tailing behind him, walking towards her.
"Hi, Kiba!" Hinata called back, waving slightly.
"What're you doing here?" Kiba asked as he caught up to Hinata, "I thought you would be home with Neji and Ed on Christmas." He smiled playfully, not knowing the true reason why she was out in the park, in the snow.
Hinata looked down at her feet. Her face had sadness etched all over. "That's what I-I wanted to talk to you about."
Kiba's care-free expression slowly melted away. The two had gotten quite close in that year, since they were both in the same squad. Normally, Hinata would talk to Kiba only if a situation was really bad, because she didn't want to be a burden. Kiba knew that fact all too well.
"Okay. Let's go to my house to talk," Kiba said. "It's cold out here, and Akamaru wants to sit next to the heater," he continued, earning an agreeing bark from the white dog.
Hinata nodded, knowing that she could always rely on the boy in front of her.
Neji looked everywhere for Ed, but he couldn't find the young boy. Neji checked all the places he knew that Ed would go: the library, the bookstore, somebody else's house to fix something, and even in the vast forest infested with millions of ninja traps set by the notorious trap-setter Tenten. Neji even checked places that he KNEW Ed would never hide in: squirrel holes in trees, the sewer line -- everywhere! Maybe he really did need a microscope this blonde shrimp . . .
Neji sighed as he gave up on this goose-chase. He sat down on a bench in a park. Sighing deeply again, he intertwined his fingers and rested his forehead on them, thinking about where would the predictable, blonde boy be.
"Neji! How are you doing?!" a cheery voice called, jolting him back to his senses.
Neji looked up to see Tenten walking over. She plopped down right next to him on the wooden bench, after she had wiped all the snow off.
"I thought you were spending time with Hinata and Ed today," Tenten said cheerfully. She smiled, wanting to spread some Christmas cheer to this droopy Hyuga.
"I was. But that stopped after Hinata had a yelling fit at Ed," Neji said annoyingly. He sighed, a cloud of mist coming out of his mouth and into the chilly air.
"Hinata had a yelling fit? At Ed, of all people? What did he do? That sounds practically impossible!" Tenten said, surprised.
"Well, it is possible. Hinata had probably said pretty harsh words to make him run off," Neji sighed once more, finding many more responsibilities rest on his shoulders. There was probably a chance that he could die because of all these piling things that he had to take care of.
"Are you okay? You look exhausted!"
Neji sighed again and rested his chin on his hands. "Guess I am," he replied, "I really wish that I have a ninja hound to track Ed down. It would make my life a little bit easier . . ."
"How about we go to your house to talk? It's the closest from this park," Tenten suggested, putting on a comforting smile.
"Thanks, Tenten."
Hinata and Kiba entered the house finding Hana, Kiba's older sister, pouring herself some tea.
"Oh! Hi! I thought you were outside walking Akamaru," Hana said, waving. She also had a giant grin when she saw Hinata.
"I was," Kiba replied, "But I met Hinata and she wanted to talk to me."
Hana nodded. "Do you two want some tea after the walk outside in the cold?" she offered. "It'll calm your nerves."
"Yes, please!" Hinata said gratefully.
Kiba, Hinata, and Hana sat down at the kitchen table, each holding a cup of tea.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" Hana asked, resting her elbow on the table and leaning against her hand.
"About Ed," Hinata replied, "I-I want some advice."
"Oooh! You're in love, right? I thought liked Naruto! You two-timer!" Hana joked, making Hinata blush and shake her head vigorously.
"N-no! That's not it!" Hinata replied, surprised at Hana's levity.
"Quit it, Sis!" Kiba hissed in his sister's ear. "She wouldn't come here if it was about that!"
"Oh, sorry, I was just kidding! I'm sorry if I accidentally hurt you," Hana apologized immediately, realizing this wasn't some sort of love relationship problem, and definitely not something that she should be joking about. "You can tell us your problem, it's okay."
Hinata bit the bottom of her lip, chewing it nervously. "I h-had a yelling fit at Ed and he walked off. N-now I want to s-say s-s-sorry, but I don't know how! Please tell me some advice!" Hinata begged, finally breaking down under the guilt and regret.
Kiba watched Hinata cry her eyes out. He bit his lip as he stared at the shimmering green water of the tea. What would he say? He couldn't say, "Deal with it," like he always does; it was Hinata! The girl he had a secret crush on! He couldn't say, "Just apologize," either. It was the only advice left, but how would that solve the problem? Hinata couldn't just go up to Ed and apologize if she doesn't know where he is! And it could be impossible to find the short kid if he doesn't want to be found!
"I guess the only advice would be that you apologize sincerely," Hana advised, breaking the intimidating silence. "I'm sorry, but that's all I can say in this type of situation."
Hinata stared sadly across the table. "That's o-okay. Thanks anyway."
Kiba couldn't bare the sad expression on Hinata's face. He looked straight into her tormentingly depressed eyes. "We're going to find the pipsqueak and then you can say you're sorry. One. Hun-dred. Per-cent," he said firmly, emphasizing each syllable.
Hinata's countenance became happier from the confidence in Kiba's voice. It made her feel like that the event really would happen; one hundred percent. "Thanks," she smiled. Whether or not Edward wanted to be found or not, eventually he would have to come out. It's like a game of hide-and-seek. It's a garuntee that the person hiding would be found, no matter how long it takes.
The Inuzukas nodded. "You're welcome."
Hinata smiled again and began fidgeting. "I-I've b-been a burden t-to you today. So c-could you guys come over for d-d-dinner t-today?"
"Sure," Hana replied; happy that Hinata's mood changed.
"Thank y-you!" Hinata bowed formally and walked to the front door. "I'll see you at d-dinner a-at my h-house." She opened the door and walked out, shutting it behind her.
Kiba sighed. What did Hinata said to make Ed upset? It sounded ultimately improbable; Ed was tough and only Al made him "run off," but even that didn't bring Ed down. There had to be something more. There had to be. Ed couldn't have actually run off; he wasn't the type to do that. But, either way, what Hinata had said was probably hurting Hinata herself more than Ed.
"Sometimes, I get so stressed," Neji said as he leaned into the coach, "I have to look after both Ed and Hinata: do the paperwork for the auto-mail, shop, bills and taxes, and everything else. Now Ed has to run off. I feel so overwhelmed being the oldest in the house."
"It must be hard for you," Tenten said sympathetically, "Especially with TWO younger siblings."
"Technically, Ed isn't a sibling," Neji informed.
"Yeah, but he sure acts like one. An immature younger brother with a short-temper."
Neji nodded in agreement.
Outside, Hinata eavesdropped on Neji and Tenten's conversation. Her ear was pressed firmly against the frosted door, not minding the freezing temperature of it.
I never thought of how Nii-san felt either. Ed's not the only one that was hiding something, Hinata thought glumly. I wasn't even as much help as Ed; in fact, I'm worse! How could I have said those mean words to him when I'm not doing any better! I didn't respect Nii-san that much either. I'm such a hypocrite . . .
Hinata sighed softly as she pulled her ear from the freezing, wooden door.
Inside the house, Neji jolted to an unexpected sighing sound. "Did you hear something?" he asked Tenten, turning to the direction he had heard that soft sigh.
"You definitely didn't imagine it. I heard something, too," Tenten said.
Both Neji and Tenten got up and moved quickly to the front door. Neji opened the door to find Hinata cowering in front of them outside.
"H-h-hi," Hinata greeted sheepishly, still in shock from being jolted out of her own thoughts. She was on her knees, shivering from the cold and the slight surprise she had.
Neji shook his head and motioned Hinata to enter the house. He hoped that she hadn't heard the conversation. She doesn't need to know what he and Tenten were discussing about.
Hinata walked in with her hands fidgeting nervously nonstop. She sat into the coach that Neji and Tenten was sitting in. Her fidgeting became more nervous as she watched Neji and Tenten sit down next to her on the same coach. "Did you find Ed, Nii-san?" she asked once both of them had settled in.
"No," Neji said bluntly.
Hinata stared at the floor disappointedly. "And, um, the Inuzukas are coming over for dinner today."
"Could I also be here for dinner?" Tenten asked hopefully.
"Sure. It won't hurt," Neji said carelessly. He sighed with regret. More worries. No one else knows how to cook properly except Hana and Ed. But Ed wouldn't cook because he had run off, and Neji couldn't let one of the guests to cook. But it's too late now.
"I-I'm sorry, Nii-san," Hinata apologized.
Neji looked at Hinata with confusion. "What do you mean? What are you sorry for?" he asked.
"I-I'm a burden, aren't I? All I do is give you more responsibilities. And I even added more by making Ed run off. Ed actually helps; while I just add burdens. I-I'm s-sorry; b-but I p-promise to help you n-now!" Hinata said, choosing her words carefully and adding a vow quickly.
Neji shook his head slowly. He would like the offer, but her studies are more important; after all, he had Ed and he's more than enough help -- subtracting his short-temper. "No. I wouldn't want that. I'm quite sure that Hiashi-sama would like you to be one of the greatest Kunoichi. You can only succeed at that by studying and training." Neji said.
"Yeah, I also agree that Hiashi would like that," Tenten agreed.
Hinata looked at both of them with happiness and hope. "Okay!" If that was what Neji wanted her to do, so be it. If that at least lifted some burdens, it would be okay.
"All right, I've decided that we were to look for Ed." Neji announced as he got up. "We need him back for our dinner today."
"How about we ask the Inuzukas to help?" Hinata suggested.
"Yeah, it would help with if we had tracking ninja hounds. Good idea," Neji praised.
"Okay! I'll go get them!" Hinata announced as she shot out of the coach and ran outside in the cold weather to fetch the Inuzukas.
"Is everyone here?" Neji asked firmly.
"Yeah," Kiba replied care-freely as he tried to control Akamaru's annoying barking.
"Good," Neji said, instantly taking command."Tenten, Hana and I will be one group, and Hinata and Kiba is another."
Everyone nodded in agreement and acknowledgement.
"These maps tell where traps those were set prior to the search by Tenten," Neji explained as Tenten distributed maps with red marks all over it.
"I set them around a month ago for some training exercises that one of my comrades requested for," Tenten said defensively as she noticed people started to look at her as if she was being too extreme.
Neji rolled his eyes. Rock Lee, he thought as he easily recognized who the comrade would be that would request such vigorous training.
"Alright, let's go!" Hinata said impatiently.
"Okay," Neji walked to the front door and jiggled with the lock. I'll have to ask Ed to repair the door along with the lock. Stupid thing always breaks, he thought, frowning. Finally, he opened the door and the mini search party scattered to go find their missing friend.
As soon the group left, the door snapped open by the wind. A person in a red cloak walked into the white house and shut the door to keep the random snowflakes out of the home.
I'm a FAILURE! But . . . must continue on with story . . . I vowed . . . That I will see this story to the very end . . . Hmm, I wonder . . . What did Kit-chan think as she read this when I gave her the print-out? Besides the stupid mistakes . . . For some reason, I feel like Hinata was a bit OOC near the beginning . . .
Please review! Reviews make me feel a bit better . . . Well, depends on what it is. Please refrain from praising . . .
