The cat like Alchemist

Ch. 9

Edward looked at Alphonse with a sad look. "Al, Max's extremely depressed."

"What? But Max, seems to be perfectly happy right now!"

"Around this time was when Max was kidnapped. Mustang says she might get get night terrors..."

"Is that why she's so tired during the day?"

"Maybe."

"Brother... what happened to Max?"

Edward took a deep sigh.

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"Nothing's wrong Max."

"Are you sure, big brother? You really sound upset." Max asked worriedly.

"I'm sure, I'm just tired, that's all."

"If you say so, big brother. Make sure to go to bed early then."

Mustang laughed a little uneasy. "Yeah, I'll do that."

"Big brother..."

"Yeah, Max?"

"I love you...I hope you sleep well."

"....You too Max..."

"Bye big brother."

"Bye, Max."

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Ed sat on one of the beds by Alphonse. "Mustang said it was when she was about 13. He had to take her out to the supermarket with him. They got separated..."

'That must be why he's so overprotective...He probably blames himself.'Al thought.

"Then Max was kidnapped. Remember when Mustang said Max was kidnapped to improve the military defenses?"

"Yeah."

"Well, Max wasn't IN the military when she was 13! She just became one a few months ago."

"So why was she really kidnapped?"

"Mustang thinks it was because he was bragging about being a state alchemist. At the time, Max wanted to do everything Mustang did, she idolized him. She she went around telling everyone how she wanted to be one as well. Mustang thinks the kidnappers mistook it for her actually being in the military."

"But...he doesn't know for sure?" Al questioned him and Mustang's theory.

"No. Anyways Mustang said the kidnappers used a very unique transmutation circle, and that we can find the designs in the Eastern library."

"Brother, what happened during the time Max was held captive?"

Ed shrugged. "Only Max knows that, but she won't talk to anyone about it."

"Oh..."

"By the time Mustang showed up the kidnappers had already completed the transmutation. He didn't tell me what happened after that. All he said was that Max wasn't able to talk for a year, just last year was she able to get her voice back. The colonel didn't tell me how he did THAT either."

"And Max won't want to tell us either." Alphonse gloomed.

"...The only way to know is to find out with out them knowing." Edward said looking over his shoulder at her suitcase.

"We can't snoop around her stuff!" Alphonse shouted.

"Why not?!"

"Why not, what?" Max asked in the door way.

Both of the Elric brothers jumped, Max seemed to come out of no where.

"Oh, nothing!" Alphonse said quickly.

"Hmmm....Whatever! So Ed, how have you been?" Max asked jumping on the bed then laying upside down, her head hanging over the side.

"Fine." He said eyeing her.

"We ordered room service, you want some cake?" Max said innocently.

Edward looked over at the expensive looking piece of food. "Max...who's paying for that?"

"Huh? Oh, well, you are of course!"

"What?! Don't make other people pay for your food!"

Max, surprised, fell off the bed. "B-but I don't have any money with me!" She said, somewhat afraid of what Ed was going to do.

"Max!"

"What?! I do it to big brother all the time, and so long as it isn't junk food, he doesn't mind!" Max explained.

Ed's face quickly turned from an angry frown to a smirk. "Oh, he doesn't does he?"

"No."

About an hour later...

"Edward are you sure big brother won't mind that we bought all this food?" Max said looking at the huge amounts of food displayed over all three beds.

"Sure, I'm sure! You said that so long as it wasn't junk food, he didn't mind, right?" Edward smirked.

"Well, I guess so..." Max said unsure. "Well, lets eat." She said happily.

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When Edward and Max finished eating they were really to full too do anything. Ed just went to sleep. Max, however, couldn't sleep. She tossed and turned unable to do anything about her insomnia. "Ugh...I hate this." She groaned.

"Something wrong, Max?" Alphonse asked looking over from his bed.

"Oh, no. Sorry to wake you Al."

"Oh, it's ok. You didn't."

"You have trouble sleeping too?"

"Something like that." Al said laughing a bit uneasy.

"Ah. Yeah... I always had trouble sleeping. The days go by much too fast, while the nights are much too long."

"Yeah..." Alphonse said.

"Alphonse, is your body frail? Is that why you wear a suit of armor?"

What should he say? Alphonse would rather have Max not know about him being empty inside the armor. However he didn't want to lie to her. He also didn't want to just say 'it's none of your business, stop asking.'

"Yes, my body is frail." He said.

"Ah... I see. So your kinda like me." She said almost smiling.

"Huh?"

"I get sick sometimes. Usually it's really bad and I have to take medicine that big brother gives me. My throat get extremely sore and I can't talk at all, I can't really move around on my own and I have a hard time eating. Ick, it ain't fun." She said sticking her tongue out.

Alphonse was amazed, Max was talking to him about big sick. She didn't know it, but she was telling him very important things. "So, how often do you get sick?" Alphonse asked, wanting to know more.

"Ummm, more than the average person...but not every other week. About...every other month or so?" She said unsure.

"I see, that must be a pain in the neck." He said wanting to keep the conversation going.

"Well...I think it's more trouble for big brother than it is for me." Max said, a bit sad. "I've cost him two promotions and a raise. I don't get why he cares about me so much..." Max brought her legs up to her chest and hugged them, avoiding eye contact with Al.

Alphonse sat up. "You're his sister, he loves you. And he feels terrible about getting you turned into a-"

"Don't you dare say it." Max said with an icy stare. "You can't go around saying anything you want, like you know everything."

Al didn't say anything, This side of her was terrifying, but mostly surprising.

"And if big brother really loved me, then he wouldn't have left me behind! And because of what happened, I'm now nothing more then a burden on him! He feels that he HAS TO take care of me! How is that love at all?!" Max was on the edge of tears. Alphonse was surprised she wasn't crying already.

"But, Mustang's not taking care of you because he has to...he cares about you because he wants you to know he's sorry..." Al said, a bit sad. "He doesn't want anything else bad happen to you. And he really regrets leaving you behind..."

Max just stared at him. "...Good night Alphonse." She said hiding under the covers. Max couldn't take the truth. She once heard a great quote somewhere...what was it? 'The truth will set you free, but it'll make you miserable first?' Ah, to heck with it, it didn't matter. She tried her best to fall asleep.

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By the time Edward and Alphonse were up and ready to go to the library, Max was still asleep.

"Come on! Get up!" Edward shouted at the foot of her bed.

"Eh...I dun wanna..." Max said hiding under the covers.

"We, can just go Ed, Max doesn't really have to come with us this time." Al reasoned.

"Sheesh, whatever! I don't care anymore! Max we'll be back in a few hours at most.

Some unintelligible sound escaped her mouth, Ed took that as an 'ok, see you soon.'

About an hour later Max woke up. "Huh? Ed? Al? Where'd you go?" When no one answered back a vein popped on Max's head. "Those jerks! They ditched me! ...Again?!"