Chapter 10: East City
"Could we have just walked?" Aryona asked getting a little green.
"Why, are you getting sick?" Ed asked. He looked at her somewhat concerned.
"Just a little" she replied. Ed nodded, clapped his hands and made a rudder to steer with. He moved the raft towards the shore they traveled only half the distance.
"Why don't you and scar walked the rest of the way; me and Alphonse will meet you guys there" he told her. She nodded and walked off the raft onto shore, scar followed her. Educate the raft off of the shore and it started to drift down river again. Soon after Ed and Al were out of sight. Aryona and Scar started walking.
"So you seem to be helping me, it's not because I needed you to is it?" Aryona asked Scar.
"No" he answered simply.
"Then why?" She asked him. Her nausea had subsided now that she was on land.
"It's to have my freedom until we find your mother" he replied.
"You know I was kind of thinking once we find her you could just slip away in all the excitement" Aryona replied. Scar turned and looked at her in surprise.
"You would let me go?" Scar asked her.
"Yeah, for helping me when you didn't want to" she replied.
"Thank you, Aryona" he replied. She smiled at him: her by her name and not Desert Alchemist.
"I'm not gonna order you not to do something you believe in; I'm gonna ask you as a friend to try and think differently" she stopped walking and turned towards him; he saw also but didn't look. "Would your God really want you to kill or would he want you to try and forgive what happened and prevent it from happening again?" He kept his gaze straight.
"By doing what I do I am preventing it from happening again" he told her.
"Could you do it another way, other than killing estate documents?"
"What I do is the most effective way of preventing another massacre" he told her. She started walking.
"You're wrong" she said under her breath.
Ed and Alphonse drifted for a total of an hour; a sin saw someone near the river so Ed used the rudder to beach the raft. They got off and waited for Scar and Aryona to catch up.
"We should stay here so they can find us" Al told his brother.
"Yeah I agree" and replied.
"Let's stay close to the river so we can see Ed and Alphonse" Aryona told Scar as she walked.
"How?" Scar asked as he started to walk.
"What do you mean ' how?'" Aryona asked
"How am I wrong?" She stopped walking and looked back at him.
"You just are; there is always more than just one way to do things, including preventing another attack" to replied as she started to walk backwards. Scar just walked on. Aryona shrugged as she turned and followed him; he took a few hours for them to reach Ed and Alphonse "America's let's get going" Aryona said as she walked up to the boys with Scar. She turned to Scar. "Lead the way" he started walking further down the river until he found the trail.
"This way" he led them down the trail and raped the elder of the camp. "I'll talk to him then call you in" he told them. He walked in and a few minutes later he walked back and pulled the flap of the cloth tent back. "He'll speak with you" he said to Aryona. She nodded and walked in and up to the elder. She bowed and he motioned for her to sit.
"I'm not really sure what he told you but I'm looking for my mother; I was informed that she was in East city but I feel that she might be seeking refuge for sanctuary. If you could look at a picture and see if you have seen her in this camp I would really appreciate it" Aryona told him handing him the picture.
He looked at the picture for a few seconds and looked up at Aryona; he nodded. "She was here but I'm afraid I have bad news. She was very sick when she arrived here; we try to help bring medicine to her. She took it but I'm afraid her sickness was too far developed and she passed about a week later." He handed her the picture back. The news of her mom's death hit her like a ton of bricks right on the chest. She nodded tears coming to her eyes.
"I-is she buried near here?" She asked her voice cracking, he nodded.
"I will have someone guide you" she nodded again instead she bowed once more.
"Thank you for trying to help her" she strained and walked out of the tent. Ed looked at her and saw the tears in her eyes.
"A-Aryona?" She looked at Ed the tears running down her cheeks. Ed took a step closer to her.
"She's here; someone is going to lead us to her," she said with a half smile, "but I won't need to worry about her taking me back because…" She couldn't finish her sentence it hurt too much.
"She's dead" Scar said walking out of the elders tent. Aryona I was trying to keep the dam close but hearing it again tore open the floodgates. Ed opened his arms and she walked into them.
"Why, why does my family have to keep dieing?" She asked. No one responded, Ed hugged her tighter.
"Well me and Alphonse, we're not going anywhere" Ed told her. She buried her face into his shoulder and cried.
"I-it's not fair"
In the city Sorrow followed along their path to where they were going. He stayed on the outskirts of the camp and watched as the group he followed were led to a simple stick in the ground. The one who was his daughter fell to the ground; the one that led them walked quietly away. "Aryona should get going"
"in a bit" she replied looking at Ed he nodded; Sorrow decided to make his move.
"What are you guys doing out here?" He asked.
"It's none your business" Ed retorted. Aryona looked and saw her father then the creature he really was but her instincts hugged him was overpowering. She put her arms around him and startling him. He was uncertain what to do; slowly he put his arms around her. Ed watched wearily."How could she do that" Ed thought.
"So what's with the hug you back excited to see me?" He asked sarcastically.
"No, I just needed to my dad" she told him, her voice waving.
"Technically I'm not your dad" he reminded her.
"I know, it's just a feeling" she let go of him. "So what are you doing here?" she asked him.
"Through and Xerxes, thought I would tell you what I found out about it" he told her.
"Oh okay then; what did you find out?" She asked him.
"It allows the alchemist to have a different view of a human transmutation some believe it would work with the right alchestorian; that is what Lust told me" he replied.
"Well that really doesn't help much," she smiled at him, "thanks for keeping your promise though"
"yeah whatever" Scar looked at Edward.
"Edward Elric; who is she talking to?" He asked him.
"It's a homunculus named Sorrow is used to be her father" he told Scar. Scar looked shocked to see that she hugged him earlier. He took a few steps forward.
"Go back to where you came you abomination of God!" Scar lunged forward and place his hand across Sorrows face and exploded his brain. Sorrow acted the part of dieing; he fell back.
"Scar!" Aryona said. "What's wrong with you?" She asked.
"He is an abomination of this Earth and of God" he replied.
"well he's my problem so he is my responsibility if anyone destroys him it will be me, no one else!" Aryona yell at him. Sorrow set up and wiped his face.
"I'm not going to listen to a naive child" Scar rushed forward grabbing Sorrows face once more. Aryona clapped turning her arm into the spear.
"Scar!" She yelled he looked over his shoulder back at her. "I will not let anyone heard the saying I have that is the closest thing to my father!" The whole time she was talking Scar kept his arm at work, "LET HIM GO!"
"I am sorry but I will not let you have him. The truth is that you won't even try to destroy him," he stood letting Sorrow go, "reminds you too much of your father so you won't destroy him" he told her.
"If you've been through what I have you would want to keep the only link to your family too; the only thing we have in common is that our families have died but you were grown when it happened to you," she walked forward and stood in front of Sorrow, "I was a child when I watched my father die knowing there is absolutely nothing I could do; nothing but watch him take his last breath and I did. So please let me keep him around?" Her face was sad and pleading. She watched as Scar turned and walked away. She turned clapping as she did so changing her arm back to normal. "You should go" she knelt next to him and using her sleeve wiped his face "before he changes his mind"
Sorrow looked at her with you about feelings. He started to see flashes of memories not knowing if they were his own or transferred to him through the transmutation long ago.
"Bumblebee, that was your nickname after you wasn't it?" He asked looking at her.
"Yeah, but how did you know that? I never told anyone that name" she looked at him.
"I remembered it" he told her. She smiled at him but knew he was still not her father. She stood and looked at him.
"Go, I have a feeling we'll meet again soon" she looked at the stick in the ground one last time they started walking away; Ed and Alphonse following her.
"Hey Ed, remember when Lab 5 blew up?" She looked back at Ed. He sweat dropped.
"Yeah it was because of me and Alphonse" he told her.
"I read my uncles reports and read they were doing research on the philosopher stone; I think I might be able to make the stone without using human sacrifices" she told him she wasn't going to tell him her full plan; what was the point anyway.
"So we're going back to Central then?" Ed asked.
"Not yet, I was actually wondering if I could meet your teacher. You that to me mine so I want to me yours"
"it might be nice to see teacher again" Alphonse said.
"Please Ed?" She pouted her lips, he sighed.
"Alright I guess we can"
"Yay!" Aryona hugged him and started walking again. Soon she spotted Scar, "you guys go ahead I have to talk to him" Ed nodded and kept walking. Aryona walked up to Scar. "Can I talk to you?" She asked. He looked at her, "look I have a plan to help Edward and Alphonse, we'll hold off on killing the State Alchemist until my plan comes full circle. I'm sure you will know when it is; give me about a week to work it out and finish it then you can go back to doing whatever you want" she turned to walk away. Scar reached out and put his hand on her shoulder.
"I am sorry about your family; being a child and going through that must have been tough. I'll find another way to protect my people from another attack" he told her. She looked back and smiled at him.
"Thanks" she walked away catching up to and Alphonse.
It took about a day to get to Ed and Al's teacher's house. Aryona stood behind the boys as they knocked on the door. The door open revealing a large man "hello boys; longtime no see, come and" the three walked in behind him "with Izumi we have guests" the man said. A woman walked out into the room.
"Oh hello boys; who is that find you Edward?" She asked him.
"I'm Aryona Brady The Time Alchemist; it's nice to meet ma'am" she stepped out from behind Edward.
"Your a State Alchemist?" She asked, Aryona nodded.
"Well only for a little bit longer than I'm gonna resign my title" she told them Izumi nodded.
"What kind of alchemy do you do?" She asked her.
"I'll show you, you can explain it right Ed?" He nodded, "all right then" Aryona clapped and placed her hands on her chest.
"She uses the air around her to move time, it moves faster around her or whoever she uses the alchemy on" and told his teacher. Aryona stopped her alchemy.
"Boys can you go help Sig in the store; I would like to talk to this young lady alone" Izumi told them the boys followed Sig to the store. "Show me your arms" Izumi told her. Aryona smiled and took off her jacket chewing her arm to her. She then knelt down and pull up her pant leg showing her like.
"It's probably no surprise huh?" She stood.
"You didn't use a transportation circle; who do you want to bring back?" She asked Aryona.
"My dad, so you did it to?" Izumi nodded.
"So what are you doing with Edward and Alphonse?" She asked her.
"Well they started to help me look for my mother but I found out today go that she passed away from a sickness and so I figured I would do all I could to help them find some"
"so they sucked you into that too huh? Looks like they need to learn another lesson" she stood walked out.
"Wait! I chose to help them; my uncle told me that since they are helping me I should help them so I am" Aryona told her.
"How do you plan on helping them you know what those in the stone don't you?" Aryona nodded.
"Yes I know; my plan will need more than one person though" Aryona told her.
"Your mother and father are both gone it has to be hard at a young age" Izumi said.
"Well I'll see them one day soon" Aryona said.
"How long are you going to visit?" Izumi asked.
"We will probably leave tomorrow" she told her. Izumi nodded.
"Well guess I will have to make a good dinner then" she stood.
"I'll help you" Aryona smiled and followed her to the kitchen.