Story: Empathy, Chapter 10

A/N: I know this is super short and probably crap, but I put my heart into it as much as I could, but I've been going through a lot recently and haven't had much time for anything. My brother ran away one day(got in trouble for it)(From him, I'm constantly hearing non stop complaining), and ever since things have been hectic. Things in this story will pick up soon, I promise! Right now, I'm kind of just slowly building up the characters, and building up some foreshadowing and things that will come into play later. I'm thinking of bringing in Hohenheim soon too (like in the next few chapters, or I might still wait a little bit). Or maybe I'll bring Dante in first, not sure. Please give me suggestions if y'all will and have something in mind! I like my stories to be interactive to a degree, so I'm interested to hear if there's anything people want to see in the story or think would be a good idea. :D

William had always found some kind of comfort in riding trains when there weren't that many people on them. It felt good for the sole purpose of watching the world pass by with next to no worries. Sometimes, he just needed to get away for a little while. So when Solaris had asked him to ride the train with her, he didn't hesitate to take her up on the suggestion.

She was sitting beside him in silence. Neither had said anything for a long time, and for a while that was fine, but, after so long, it began to make him nervous, as he fidgeted with his jacket sleeves, ever so slightly flinching when he rubbed too hard, accidentally scratching against one of his cuts.

"It's quiet today." Solaris suddenly said, startling him.

He hadn't really expected her to say anything, but he found some relief when she had. He may not like too much noise, but he wasn't exactly fond of deafening silence either.

"Yeah, but I prefer it this way, to be honest," He said. "It's better than everything being loud as hell. People can be so annoying sometimes."

Solaris smirked in response at hearing that.

"Sometimes,... it does feel good just to get away."

"You got that right." William said. "I have to deal with my stupid step brothers every single day, and you can't imagine how annoying they are."

"Oh?" Solaris looked over at him with an interested expression. "You seemed to get along rather well with your brother, Alphonse, from what I could tell."

"I don't know if 'get along' would be the right word. More like I just 'tolerate' him rather well..." William muttered. "He's easier going with most people, though, not just me, so that's why I can put up with him. Edward, on the other hand... He's stubborn, we argue a lot, and he's really been pressing his luck lately. He kind of reminds me of my father, so that's why I can't stand him."

Maybe it wasn't the best to compare Edward and Hohenheim, but he couldn't help but feel like they were alike in some ways. He felt sick at even having brought up his father in Solaris' presence, it wasn't something that he needed or wanted to discuss right now. However, he forced himself to regain his composure, allowing a smirk to creep up on his face. "I often call him pipsqueak just to mess with him, and, man, he really hates it. He's always had an inferiority complex when it comes to his height, so pushing it in his face and watching him get all flustered over it is just downright hilarious."

Solaris was silent, but was taking it in nonetheless. She smirked a little at William talking about his brother, even though it faded pretty quickly. Due to curiosity, she wanted to know more about William's father, but didn't press the matter, seeing how uncomfortable he seemed to get over the one mention that she was pretty sure wasn't entirely intentional.

William opened his mouth again, about to question Solaris's family, in the hopes that she wouldn't mind, but was surprised when she seemed to answer the question before he could even ask it.

"Unfortunately, I don't remember anything about my family." She said, looking off into the distance, deep in thought.

At hearing this, William didn't know what to think. He had heard of people having amnesia before, but had never directly came across one. Immediately, he became interested in finding out more about her situation.

"When you say you can't remember them, do you mean you're an orphan or that you literally have amnesia?"

"Amnesia. At some point, there's just a blank in my memory and I can't remember anything at all." She answered. "Sometimes, things feel familar, though, like I've been went through it or been around it before, but there's nothing beyond that."

"So... what's the deal with Lucien then?" William asked.

"What do you mean?" Solaris asked, glancing over at him.

William decided to clear things up so she wouldn't get the wrong idea. It was better to find out for himself instead of sticking to the assumptions he had been. Besides, now was the perfect opportunity to find out anyway, where it wouldn't seem too strange. "I mean... you two act like you've known each other for a while. Is he your boyfriend or something? Or do you think you've known him longer than that?"

Solaris's face was filled with surprise, before she looked away, amused by the suggestion. "He may have feelings for me, but I have no such interest in him."

She had questioned Lucien before on it, but he wouldn't give her straight answers other than that she was important to him, and would beat around the bush. He would never tell her the exact details of their relationship. Though... It wasn't like she exactly tried that hard to confront him. In truth, she was hesitant to remember her past, wanting to save it for a last resort if it was neccessary sometime. She supposed that resolve contradicted her interest in hearing others past though, so maybe she really did want to remember after all. "Why do you ask?"

"It's nothing... I was just wondering..." William said, feeling his cheeks burning a little, as he turned away.

"William," Solaris looked out the window, deep in thought. She could see William face her again from the corners of her eyes, before she looked him directly in the face, her eyes meeting his with longing for an answer to her feelings and apprehension. "do you think I should try to remember my past?"

William honestly felt out of place being asked for advice. However, thinking about his own past, he sighed, reaching up and interlocking his fingers behind his head.

"Well, I don't know what happened to make you lose your memories, but maybe it's best you don't remember. You're liable to find something you really regret." He said, hoping that that was what she wanted to hear as it was his honest opinion. He kind of envied her for not being able to remember anything. If he could forget about and throw his own past away, he would without hesitation.

"You think?" Solaris responded in a soft voice. She gave a small saddened smile that William found to be uncharacteristic.

"Hey, if you insist on trying to remember it, I won't stop you. But, take it from me, who can't stand their past. Maybe it's better you just move forward instead of trying to look back since you have the choice, unlike me."

William found himself cringing at his own words, "move forward" which sounded like some empty advice Edward would have given.

"Move forward..." Solaris repeated softly, eyes full of rumination, before she felt more desperate than ever. "...How?"

William felt his heart skip a beat when he saw the look on her face. He swallowed, his chest feeling heavy. In an instant, he wanted, more than anything, to stop her from looking like that, but realized just how incompetent he was in this kind of situation, cursing himself for not being able to respond, when she was counting on him for an answer.

He looked down to his left side, to avoid her gaze. "I... don't know. Sorry..."

He had never felt so helpless in his life, and he didn't know why or how he was feeling this way. He wasn't usually the type to care about others, but he undeniably wanted to help her, to make her feel better. He didn't know what all she had been through, and only understood her situation on a cognitive level, so he didn't know what to say. He had never really been that great with empathy and stepping into the shoes of others.

After that, Solaris didn't say anything, and William found the silence to be even more suffocating than ever.

It was at that moment that William changed the subject, because of the atmosphere.

"I take it you like trains or something...?" He brought himself to ask.

"Not really." Solaris said, eyes full of thought and even longing. "But they carry a sense of calmness when I'm riding them that I can't place or explain. They also seem to be one of the only things that can help distract me from unwanted thoughts. So I find them quite relaxing, at least on days like this."

William hummed in response. He at least understood what she meant about trains being relaxing. He wanted to ask what the "unwanted thoughts" were, but didn't feel in the right to question it, considering the previous conversation. Things had only just got more awkward between them, even if he had just found a new understanding of her, and for a long while, once again, nobody said anything.

-End of Chapter

A/N: I've never rode a train before, but sometimes I like riding in cars to get away and 'escape' from life myself as long as I'm in the mood for it, and I think that riding a train would be a lot of fun (I one day want to ride the Shinkansen in Japan just for the experience. I envy anime characters for always being able to ride trains, (tbh I want to ride a train more than I want to ride a boat or a plane. I think that trains would be even more relaxing than cars, but that's just me)