Chapter 9 – Time to go
Disclaimer: Don't own any FMA characters blah blah blah whatever
A/N: Still didn't get any good reviews…sniff……
Afternoon fell on the peaceful town of Reseembool like smooth silk blanket and everyone's mind was in peace as the quiet day began to near its end. Except for one particular home.
"Are you sure you're gonna leave?" A blond haired girl asked in a soft, sad voice to the older Elric who has that hard, determined face plastered on his face while packing his things in a medium sized suitcase placed flat on his bed. He was already dressed in his tight black jacket and pants covered by a red trench coat that flows in his every step. He also has his hair braided in a neat fashion, which Winry had taught him to do.
"It's gonna be okay Winry. We'll be back as soon as we can." Edward promised heartedly and clicked his suitcase close. He walked closer to her, noticing that they are at the same height. He then put both of his hands, one metal, one flesh, above her bare shoulder since she's wearing one of her sleeveless sundress. He perked his eyes to her blue ones, reassuring her that he is strong enough on his own. Winry gloomed even more, remembering how her parents said those words to her before they died. Now, the fear of losing them too was slowly entering her system. She can't take it anymore and broke down into tears on his shoulder.
Edward was stiffen shock at the sudden gesture and realized his friend needed some comfort, so he wrapped his arms around her shoulder and tried to shoo her tears away.
"Winry, don't cry. We'll come back. I promise." Edward pledged only to make the girl just a little worried about them. Winry continued to cry for moments until she succumbed and tried to lift her gaze to his worried ones. She already decided to be strong for them. For them to finish what they have to do, like her parents. Her weak face was suddenly turned into a fierce one.
"Just, be careful. And try not to grow smaller, okay?" Winry stated with a bright grin. Edward gave her a smug look but then turned into a glad one.
"You bet." He answered back with one of his famous lopsided smile.
"So, where are we heading now?" A voice came to the two's ears and they jerked their heads to see Catherine leaning on the opened doorframe with the expressionless face she usually wear and Al standing from outside the room.
"Central. I have to meet the Mustang guy." Ed replied, looking down at his feet. Catherine squinted her eyes in mere agreement and lifted her body from the wooden door.
"But I have to do something first before anything. Al?" Edward called over the towering armor on the doorway who glanced at the blond boy in return.
"What is it brother?"
"We have…to do something first." Edward mumbled, as if he's afraid just saying it. Winry looked over him with curiosity.
"If that's the case then I guess I'll have to take a walk after you guys finish whatever you're gonna do." Catherine declared in her cold voice that she usually used and waved her way out of the room and the house.
"I don't know about you but that girl's so frigid." Edward commented with a snort.
"Yeah, but I think she's just pretending to be." Al stated in a daze.
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A stone flew from its steady place as a foot kicked it nonchalantly from the road she's walking on. She still wore that icy face of hers, hiding her every person in her cold block of ice. She has many things to be cleared in her mind. And worse, she doesn't even know what things were supposed to be cleared. She doesn't even know what things are running in her mind anymore.
The red - haired girl continued to let her legs carry her on the dirt road of the grassy town. Suddenly, her previous visions came back to her, in fact, it visited her most of the time since she had them. It's like a big fat elephant occupying most of her conscious mind.
Catherine sighed indignantly and looked over her way with bored red eyes.
"I guess I have to deal with those brothers and this world for a while."
She then began to survey the place. She had to admit, this place isn't that bad. In fact, this is like a perfect paradise for all who wants to live with their loved ones the rest of their lives. There are housed lined up equally in each block you passed, children having their fun game of tag, adults whispering to each other interesting gossips, a little girl about the age of four got her leg stuck under a metal cart…
Catherine's attention was suddenly pulled by the last view she got, stopping her from the wondering trip.
"Help! PLEASE HELP ME!" The little brunette girl cried out in tears as she tried her best to pull her little leg free. Catherine didn't get a second thought and ran to the girl's location.
"Don't worry I'm coming!" She yelled over the girl. The girl seemed to hear her and stopped from calling for help and watch Catherine coming to her. As her running footsteps hit the ground, she can see from above the little girl some falling debris coming from the construction site the girl was near to. Her eyes enlarged twice their size and she speed her pace up.
"LOOK OUT! SOMEBODY HELP!!!" Catherine tried to call for more help, but it seems that nobody heard her and the debris is falling even faster in every second. The girl followed her gaze and looked up to see the giant cement coming down to crash her. Her fear increased ten folds as she screamed in terror.
"Shit!" She cursed under her breath and subconsciously clapped her hands together and slammed them to the ground next to her. Just merely feet away from the scene, Catherine managed to transmute the falling debris into tiny specs of sand. The girl, confused at the sand that hit her instead of a huge rock, rolled a little bit to glance at her savior.
Catherine sat on the ground, looking at her hands with weirded, surprised eyes.
"What was….that?" She asked to her hands, gazing at them as if they were the answer to all the questions running on her mind right now.
How can she do that? Alchemy can only be performed with a circle, so, how? She then suddenly recalled when the same thing happened back at the brother's house. How did she do that? She didn't have any circle drawn to be able to perform a transmutation. So, how? All she did was clap her hands…
"Miss? Can you help me?" A little voice cut her from her bath of questions and quickly came to her aide. Catherine clasped her hands on the lid of the metal cart and lifted it as high as her arms could.
"Now get your leg out." She ordered and the girl weakly pulled her bruised leg away just then Catherine drop the heavy piece of metal soundly.
"Are you okay?" Catherine asked in a worried tone as she took note of the blooded wound on the girl's leg.
"My leg's bleeding." The girl whined and caressed her aching bruise.
"C'mmon, I'll carry you home." Catherine offered and got the little girl in a piggyback ride.
After ten minutes of walking, a woman, maybe the little girl's mother, welcomed Catherine and the girl on her back with a look of relieved worriment.
"There you are, I'm worried sick about you! What happened to your leg?!" The mother asked frantically as she got her daughter in her arms, almost forgetting Catherine's presence.
"Don't worry mom, I'm fine. She saved me!" The girl cheered, pointing at Catherine who just merely laughed. The woman looked over her and flashed her a warm smile.
"Thank you so much for saving my daughter. I didn't know what could've happened if you didn't come along. You see Aria here has no friends in town so she's just all alone playing by herself in the fields. She gets into trouble most of the time. Again I'm sorry and thank you so much." The woman said sincerely.
"Oh it was nothing. Anyone could've done that if they were me. It's really nothing." Catherine stated while rubbing the back of her head shyly but the woman insisted with a shook of her head.
"Not everyone. Only a few like you." the woman said softly, making Catherine wonder in her unique choice of words.
"Would you like some tea little girl?" The woman offered, cutting her train of thoughts at the moment.
"No thanks. Have to go somewhere right now. I really have no time." Catherine declined, remembering that she and the Elrics are leaving this place today. She then turned on her heels and made her way to the Rockbell residence.
"Hey!" Catherine turned back to the girl who called for her curiously, giving her full attention.
"What's your name?" She asked in a tiny voice of a four -year - old.
"Catherine Ederson."She replied, already getting accustomed to her made – up name.
"I'm Aria."
"I already know that." Catherine said with a chuckle. The little brunette gave her a pout for the rude reply.
"Come here and play with me sometime, okay? After you come back from somewhere." The girl asked with hopeful eyes. Catherine blinked at the girl dumbly, not really know what to say.
"Sure." She agreed hesitantly. Wow, I got a new playmate. She thought mockingly.
"Promise?" The girl asked for assurance, completely serious over the situation.
"Yeah sure, I promise." Catherine said and stalked off to her home, completely ending the conversation.
"BYE! COME BACK SOON!" The girl's high – pitched voice echoed in Catherine's ears, waving her hand from her back in return.
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Later that day, Catherine reached the road towards the yellow Rockbell house. She started to make her way on the straight dirt path when her eyes were suddenly caught by a large amount of smoke coming from a house nearby. She turned to see that it was a house being eaten by fire. She was about to call some help when she saw four figures standing in front of the burning house. Two of them are Ed and Al throwing torches at the structure to help the flame bigger.
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"Why do you have to do this?" Winry asked in a shaky voice. She already understands why they have to go. But to burn their home before leaving is something that she can't really comprehend right now.
"We have to Winry. We need to." Ed answered back.
"Don't worry, Winry. We'll always remember you when we're 're gonna carry our memories with us. But some memories...aren't meant to leave traces."Al added, the light of the burning flame reflected on his shining armor.
"There's no turning back now."
Winry looked over them with downed spirit she didn't feel before. For the umpteenth time for the day, the girl shed tears of hopelessness. Edward noticed this and looked over her.
"Why burn it?" A voice asked in which four heads jerked to see Catherine watching the fire swallow the beautiful home into ashes. None of them bothered to answer her, or didn't know how to answer her and just stood their silently.
"Let's get going."Edward announced and started to walk off when he heard Winry's sobs escaping her mouth. He perked his eyes over her, having a hard time to not wipe those tears away.
"Why are you crying again?" He asked quite irately.
"Be—cause…I—" She said through fits of hiccups, trying to dry her eyes with the back of her hand. Edward smiled at her reminiscently.
"You're crying hasn't changed at all, Winry." He said with a grin, his gloved hands placed above his hips.
With that, they left.
It was time to go.
A/N: That's all for now…I'll try to add the next chapter soon.
