Two Sides of the Same Coin
I tried to keep up with Ed and Al, who were running full speed after Paninya, but after the first while my chest began to hurt, making it harder for me to breathe, so I had to slow down. Eventually I came to a stop, leaning against a building to hold me up. I breathed in deeply, using a rhythm that had worked for me most times.
I looked down the road, not surprised to see Ed and Ad already gone. I glanced back at Gwen, saying between breaths, "You think.. We can just.. wait?"
Gwen, whose mood seemed to brighten with the stealing of Ed's watch, nodded. "Yeah, probably. They'll cause a huge explosion or something and we'll see it."
After waiting for a few minutes to catch my breath, Gwen and I started walking again, back towards the shop where they'd be showing up soon. Sure enough, when we got there, the building was already almost reduced to rubble. I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. I was tired. "Do you know where they went?" I asked the shopkeeper, who looked frustrated.
He pointed to a hole in the wall. I bowed. "I'm so sorry for the trouble they've caused." I apologized before running out, Gwen right behind me. Not too far away, I came across a cage with Paninya in it, Ed, Al and Winry right outside of it.
Winry turned when she saw us walk up. "Where have you been?" She asked.
"I trailed behind because I ran out of breath and Gwen stalked me." I told her, going up to the cage. "You caught her." I smiled up at Paninya. "Not bad, most people don't last that long."
She sent me a grin while Ed huffed behind me. "You'd better step back a little." Paninya warned me. I raised my eyebrow and did as she said. She lifted her leg, and the automail produced a blade, which cut clean through the cage to let her out. "It's nothing surprising in this city. And my left knee can shoot projectiles, too." She said, shooting a small rocket at Ed.
"Both your legs are automail.. Like mine!" I announced, looking at the structure of her automail. Hey, after receiving automail for three of your limbs, you learn to pick up new ideas you want to try out.
"You gotta be kidding me..." Al muttered.
"Ha ha ha! Catch me if you ca-!" Paninya was interrupted when I grabbed her wrist with a blank look.
"Gotcha." I tightened my grip, smirking.
"Darn.." She muttered.
"Good job, Emma! Don't let that thief go!" Ed walked up to us.
"Yeah, I wanna get a look at her automail!" Winry jumped forward, anime sparkles in her eyes.
After a few minutes, we were all back up in Rush valley, Winry inspecting Paninya's automail. She rambled on and on about balance and hidden weapons, things I didn't pay much attention to. I was sitting a few feet away, yearning for music I could listen to like I always did back home. I didn't have an iPod or headphones, much less any music I knew. It seemed like a lifetime ago, when I first showed up in FMA. It was unbelievable how much time had passed.
"Oh, yeah, Paninya!" I heard Winry say. "Tell me the maker of these limbs!"
"Um, okay..." Paninya sounded kind of confused, as if she hadn't expected Winry to ask. "He lives in a remote place, you'll need a guide. I'll take you guys there, on the condition that you forget what happened today!" She offered, perking up suddenly.
"Okay! Winry agreed in a second.
"Wait a minute!" Ed yelled at her. "Don't go making decisions on your own! Winry, she attacked a soldier!"
"Minor problem!" Winry argued.
"Minor problem? Look at what happened to the town!" Ed pointed at the mess behind him, before the shopkeeper from before walked up behind him.
"Yo bro, you the one who wrecked my shop, eh?"
Ed paled as a bunch of people gathered around him, stating what damage he had done to the town. It was come to the solution that Ed would reconstruct all of the damage, which he did while complaining about Paninya.
Not too much later, our whole group plus Paninya was making our way to the girl's house, which was considerably far out of the city. It was like a desert to me, really hot out. "If you guys don't hurry I'm going to leave you here." Paninya told Ed, Al, Winry and I. Gwen, on the other hand, seemed to have days' worth of energy that kept her going for now. I envied her at times like this.
"Leave us here..." Ed muttered. "Why do I have to..."
"You sure the mechanic lives here?" Winry asked, interrupting the complaints.
"It's because the mountain's rich in ores, which is good for making mechanical limbs." Paninya explained.
"He's a loner, that's why he doesn't live in the city!" Ed decided to take the opportunity to be grumpy. Then, as if suddenly remembering, he shouted at Paninya, "Hey, give me back my watch!"
"You promised to let me off if I took you to the mechanic's house! We had a deal!" She protested!"
"I'm not the one who made a deal with you.." The blonde grumbled.
I frowned during their argument, placing my hand on my lower ribcage, where it was starting to get sore. Now that I thought of it, breathing was beginning to get difficult. I couldn't wait to lie down and sleep. Usually, when I did that, the pain would either disappear or become so minor I would fail to notice it.
"Ems, you okay?" Gwen asked me quietly.
I nodded and sent her a smile. "Yeah, just a little tired."
"I brought some guests today!" Paninya announced when she entered the house, closing the door behind us. "This is a mechanic, Winry. She's interested in Mr. Tommy's works."
"Didn't expect a young girl to be interested in mechanics.." The guy in there said, rubbing the back of his neck.
"Hey, Paninya! You brought friends here today?" A lady asked, smiling at us.
"Afternoon, Sadila!" Paninya waved.
"Just in time, I made some tea snacks!" Sadila walked back into the kitchen.
I looked at Gwen. "What are tea snacks?" I asked her.
"Just roll with it." She told me, giving a business-like nod.
"I'm Lear!" The man introduced himself. "Lear Ricardo! This is my wife, Sadila." Lear wrapped an arm around Sadila. "The loner is my dad, Tommy!"
In another room was Tommy, sitting with a stern expression that made me slightly nervous. "Mr. Tommy! Good afternoon!" Paninya greeted him. I heard Tommy say something from the other room, but decided not to listen in. I walked back out to the others and sat on the edge of the chair, taking slightly deeper breaths than I normally did, like usual after running a bunch. I was quiet, somewhat afraid of the people that I didn't know. Which, of course, was silly. They didn't seem to be bad people.
I noticed Ed and Al standing around Lear and Sadila, so I stood back up and walked over. Sadila was in a chair, smiling, Lear right behind her. I glanced down at her stomach, which was big due to her pregnancy. I stood halfway behind Al, feeling slightly shy.
Sadila noticed me and smiled, friendly. "Would you like to feel it?" She asked, hand on her stomach.
"Can I?" I asked, my voice quiet.
"Of course!"
I stepped out from behind Al and walked forward, reaching out with my flesh hand and laying it on her stomach. A few seconds after I did, I felt an impact, almost causing me to jerk back my hand. "I-It kicked!" I exclaimed, a childish grin lighting up my face.
Sadila laughed gently. "Thinking about how I have a little life inside me is really unbelievable..."
"The baby stays inside his mom for 280 days before coming into the real world." Lean said. "It's unbelievable. Nobody tells the baby but he comes out after 280 days. Even if he's tiny, he's still alive."
"Does it hurt?" Gwen asked, poking Sadila's stomach. I would have facepalmed.
Sadila shook her head, smile never leaving her face. It was easy to see how happy she was.
"Edward!" Winry called. "Come over here, quickly!"
As Edward walked off, I looked back over at Sadila, who reminded me so very much of my own mother that it almost hurt. I felt so lonely without my mom. I had never thought I would feel this way without her.
"Are you alright, dear?" Sadila asked me, causing me to look up at her.
"Yeah." I answered. "I was just getting a little nostalgic. You'll be a great mother. I'm positive the baby will be happy."
"Thank you.." Sadila sounded slightly moved.
We were interrupted by yelling coming from Ed, Winry, and Tommy. I remembered in an instant. That was the part where Ed learned he could have been taller and Winry asks to be taken on as Tommy's apprentice, a request that he turns down.
"I'm sorry." Lear sweatdropped. "My Dad's pretty stubborn. You might as well give up."
"Hey! Go home now!" Tommy yelled at us, scowling.
"We can't go back!" Gwen pointed outside at the rain.
"Wait till the rain stops then go back!" Tommy told her.
"Yessir!" Gwen saluted, before going about whatever it was that she was doing. As long as she wasn't breaking anything, I guess.
I sat down on the couch, my legs and arm aching. "Aw man, this is no good." I muttered to myself, resting my head back. As I did so, I saw Ed standing right behind me, looking straight into my eyes. I yanked my head back up, cheeks reddening slightly. I turned around. "What's up?"
"Are you okay? That was weird." Ed raised an eyebrow.
"It's nothing." I deadpanned. "The weather always makes my arm and legs ache, so I decided to sit down." I looked out the window, unable to hide the fact that I had a childish urge to run outside and play in the rain.
"It's not that bad." Ed sat down next to me.
"I guess." I shrugged. "Still annoying, though."
There was an awkward silence for about a minute until Ed spoke up. "Back there, when we were with Sadila, you looked upset." He told me.
I wasn't sure whether or not to be surprised that he could tell. "Not really, just nostalgic. I was thinking of Mom." I admitted.
"Did you find any leads?" He asked.
I shook my head. "Nope. None. Neither has Gwen. Sometimes it feels like I'll never get home."
"You will, though. Al and I are helping you, right? Don't give up so easily."
I looked up at Ed to find his golden irises looking at me. I had always thought his eyes were pretty. "Okay." I grinned. "Thanks."
"Brother, come look at this!" Al called out from the other room. Ed stood up and walked off. I sighed when he was gone, sitting back all the way into the soft couch. It felt good to just relax for once, instead of always being on the move. Travel, though, had always been for me. Seeing new sights, experiencing more adventures. Especially with Ed and Al.
At the thought of the older brother, my stomach tingled slightly, as if I was nervous. Thinking back to the conversation I had with Gwen in the hospital, I realized that she was right. I had a little anime crush on Ed back home. Nothing big, though, considering I always thought he didn't exist. Just enough that it stayed with me in actually meeting him. It seemed to have grown, little by little, ever since I came here.
I would only admit this to myself, but it was obvious that I liked him. To me, at least. Probably to Gwen as well, but everyone else seemed oblivious to it. There was a one in one-hundred chance that he actually felt anything for me, and I knew that, which was why I felt so stupid. I looked up at Winry, who was talking with Paninya.
From what I knew, she liked Ed, too. It would be unfair for me to feel this way as well. So why did I? I growled at myself, whacking my head lightly.
"Emma, what are you doing?"
I looked up at a frowning Winry, taken aback. Wasn't she just-?
"I-I, uh.. N-Nothing!" I stammered, blushing.
"You're a horrible liar!" Winry accused me, plopping next to me on the couch. "Are you okay?"
Question of the day, I tell you. "Yeah, I'm good. Just thinking."
"About what?"
"Nothing important." Damn, that last part slipped out. 'Just thinking?' Of course that would catch her attention!
"Like I said, you're a horrible liar. If you were hitting your head, you're obviously bothered. Spill. We're friends, right?"
"Of course we're friends! It's just.."
"Just what?"
I looked down, letting my bangs cover my eyes slightly. "I don't want to make you mad."
"You won't, I promise!" Winry sounded genuinely concerned.
"Well, I guess.." I paused for a moment, before mustering up all of my courage and speaking agian. "Winry, do you like Ed? As in, like-like?"
"E-Eh?! Where's this coming from?" Winry asked, a scarlet blush covering her cheeks. I looked away again, cursing myself. Of course she did. Look at me, messing up every possible friendship ever. "Wait, don't tell me.. Emma, do you..?"
"It doesn't matter.. Sorry I asked!" I couldn't wait for this conversation to end. I felt so awkward right now.
"Of course it matters! I don't see you on the verge of tears every day!" Winry looked as if she felt a mix of concern and agitation. I jerked a hand up to my eye, and sure enough, I was tearing up. I cursed myself again. "So, do you?" She asked again.
"I..." I couldn't finish my sentence without it ending weirdly, so I just nodded lightly in response.
"Geez, what kind of friend do you take me for?" Winry frowned at me, her blue eyes becoming intense. "Why would I be mad for something like that? You idiot. Even if I do like him, I'm not going to hate you just because you do, too. I'm not that insensitive!"
"Sorry.." I muttered.
"Don't apologize. Personally, it looks to me like you have a decent chance with him. You're around him a lot, you know?" I looked back up at Winry. I knew it probably took guts to tell someone you think they have a better chance with someone they love than they do with you.
"I don't think so, but.. Thanks, Winry." I pulled her into a hug, which she returned.
"Of course. Don't be afraid to talk to me."
I heard clatters from the other room that Sadila was in, and apparently Winry heard them too, because she pulled away and stood up. I followed her and opened the door where I saw Sadila on the floor, holding her stomach.
"Mr. Lear, your wife!" Winry shouted out the door.
"Sadila! What's wrong, are you okay?!" Lear hurried into the room and helped her to sit.
"NOW." Sadila said, her face looking slightly pained.
There was a silence before we all panicked at once.
"B-But you said it was due in half a month!" My insides were jumping all around.
"I was feeling unwell this evening, but I didn't think it was.." Sadila muttered.
"What did you say?!" Tommy burst into the room.
"Everyone stay calm!" Sadila tried to calm them all, but it didn't seem to work out much.
Tommy threw on his coat, saying that he couldn't bring Sadila to a hospital in weather like this. He rode away on a horse quickly. Lear helped Sadila into a bed. "Just hang on until the doctor gets here." He told her.
"I don't know how much longer I can hang on.." Sadila groaned.
"Re-Relax! Dad's gone to get the doctor!"
"Eveyone stay calm!"
Boy, this place was hectic. I had studied childbirth in health class, but I didn't know how much use I would be in a real life situation! I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves.
The door opened and Tommy showed. "This can't be!" He panted. "The bridge.."
My eyes widened. Ed, Al, Winry, and Tommy went to assess the situation, but I stayed back just in case anything happened. Soon, all but Tommy came back. At that time, Sadila's water had already broke. I told Winry, and the two of us set into action-mode. None of us had thought of Gwen, who was sleeping like a rock in the other room.
"Mr. Lear! Come here!" Winry ordered. He complied, coming into the room.
"Everyone's going to help!" I told them. "We're going to birth the baby!"
"Do you have any experience?" Lear asked, obviously panicked.
"Not really, but I've studied and I know the process of childbirth." I told them, before going serious again.
"Everyone's going to contribute!" Winry said. "So get ready, because this is going to be tiring!"
A/N: Hello, it is I! I am back! I've missed you all! :D
I'm sorry, I'm horrible. T_T I'm not going to lie, I had no inspiration these past few days, and just got revived today. School sucks. We got alphabetical seating order during lunch, and everyone at my table is making it a competition to see who can sit farthest away from me. That, and school is a bitch anyways. I'm so fucking sleep deprived ogod.
Anyways, to the reviews! :D
chubakka: Thank you thank you thank you! C: I'm so glad to hear that someone thinks so highly of my stories! Your reviews made my day, and after reading them I thought: 'Well, I really have to update now or I'll hate myself forever.' So thanks again! :D
***IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT***
So, everyone, I am extending the updating schedule to once or twice a week, because school is getting in the way, and not only do I need to write, but I need to keep up my grades and do my homework. But to make up for that, I'm considering making another Fullmetal Alchemist/Brotherhood story, but different from this current one. I'm not sure what I want to do with it, (Envy, I was thinking) so I won't post anything right away, but I'm thinking of it. Tell me your thoughts! ^.^
So, with that, I gotta go. Please please review, they make me so happy and inspire me to write more. Thanks a bunch for reading, and remember that tomorrow's Friday! :D
G'Boi!
