Author's Note: (Disclaimer: You know the drill; I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist in any way, shape or form).
I recently realized three things while looking back at past chapters- 1. The early chapters were poorly executed and given very little thought, 2. I'm beyond partial to writing romance and it's beginning to get the story off plot, and 3. There are several loose ends remaining from the anime series that I have yet to tie...so in light of these epiphanies, I'd like to apologize.
I'm definitely going to try being more focused and on topic from now on =]
Thank you for reading!
Yours truly,
AL
The warm-colored leaves which had been released by the surrounding tress swirled in the restless autumn wind and the morning sky served as a vast melting pot of crisp orange giants and withering blossoms the color of the rising sun. I slowly took in the chilled country air, delighted by the warmth of the sun's rays against my skin.
"You seem chipper," Riza commented light-heartedly.
I replied with a smile and continued down the dusty path, leaving all afterthoughts of the previous day far behind me. It was nice to be out of the house and away from all things Rolland, especially after our bizarre encounter during the wee hours of the night. It was just the five of us-Riza, Roy, Alina, a dog, and me.
"Don't wander too far, Puppy," Alina gently warned the dog. Although he was far from the runt of black fur that I had seen the first time I stayed at the Rockbell residence, he had yet to grow into full-sized adult and was in that goofy, gangly stage somewhere in between. After wandering down stairs out of monster-driven fear, Alina had spent the entire night with the (assumedly) nameless dog and had grown quite attached.
I slowed down my gait and began to fall back into step with Roy and Riza, curiosity chewing on the mangled corners of my brain. "So," I started off, hands snuggly resting in the pockets of my sweater, "you mentioned back at the hospital that I was officially affirmed as a state alchemist…"
Mustang raised his eyebrows and glanced my way, "You believed that? I was just blowing steam to boost your spirits."
"Don't lie," Riza sighed.
He continued with a smirk, "I only got a glimpse of the approval papers, but in all of the chaos I doubt they've assigned you a name or any real purpose."
"I already have a purpose," I corrected him. The statement made me uneasy-plaguing me with doubt. It felt like I'd fallen so far off of the tracks that no longer had any idea as to where I was supposed to go.
"Mistake number one," Mustang briefly pointed a gloveless finger in my direction, "the military is your purpose. Stay under the radar and you'll be able to chase that secret agenda of yours to your heart's content."
"In short," I sighed, "I'm a dog without tags?"
A coy grin spread across his face as Alina took my hand and suddenly, we were running. I yelped in surprise as she tugged at my arm, "let's go-it's just up ahead!"
I glanced back at Roy and Riza, who were strolling patiently with the dog by their side. "Go on," Riza motioned with a flick of her wrist, "we'll meet back up once we've checked in with Central."
I didn't have time to nod. Already we had reached the mouth of the town's tiny center and the streets, while not bustling, were riddled with people. "Can I get a new dress, and maybe some shoes?" her big, chocolate-colored eyes illuminated her pale face as she gazed up at me pleadingly. I bit my lip and took a peak into my pocket book before snapping it shut. "Sure," I smiled with a few dollars to spare, "lead the way." And surprisingly, she did.
A mere heartbeat later I was being pulled into a quaint boutique. "Here?" I asked curiously, glancing at the woolen sweaters and knitted cardigans. The store was small-tiny, even, to the point that every inch was visible from the doorway. She nodded eagerly. "Alright, off you go," I smiled, shrugging slightly as she shuffled to the children's rack.
"What a sweetheart."
I jumped at the sound of another person's voice. "Oh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to scare you." The woman behind the counter smiled as small, grubby hands pulled numbingly at her hair.
"It's alright, really, I'm always like this."
"Sharp senses, that's good. So, what brings you here? I don't recognize either of you."
"Oh," I glanced through the large glass windows at the cobblestone streets. The passerby's were warm and friendly to one another, smiling and waving like neighbors rather than strangers going on the way. "We just came in from Central; we're visiting some old friends."
"Sounds nice," the woman sighed nostalgically, gently prying the baby's fingers from her golden locks. "Oh, you said Central? It's a dangerous time down there, we heard about the attack. It was two days late-so much for national awareness…but I guess it's better to know late than never at all. Is that why you two are here? You must be staying long, it's not that I doubt our military-oh no, I'm positive that the Drachmann's won't come anywhere near here but it's going to take some time to get them out of the city. You're staying with a friend? Anyway one I know?"
By this time I was leaning against the countertop, turning the turquoise beads of a display necklace with my fingers. She spoke in long, gushing paragraphs but her voice was soothing, and the words blended together in one graceful, continuous stream. I smiled, "The Rockbells-they live just down the road."
The woman's face lit up at the sound of their name.
"Is that so?" the baby cooed softly as she switched him to the other side of her hip before launching into another exasperated plaudit.
"My mother and Pinako go way back-how is she feeling? The poor dear, we heard that she was ill. Oh! Maybe I can fish up something for you to take back to her-you see, my mom had me when she was really old, like really old-but she's still kicking-anyway Pinako used to be her babysitter way back when! By the time I came around, my mom wanted a quiet place to settle and she chose to live a little down the road and turns out Pinako had settled here too! Winry was born when I was about ten or eleven, so there's quite an age gap between us but she's a sweetheart nonetheless. You know, to be honest with you, she's so beautiful and talented…I thought she'd become some famous city-slicker but she eventually came back here to settle down like the rest of us."
"Hmm," I nodded with a small smile, so lost in a new kind of nothingness that I was completely oblivious to the sound of her voice when it started back up again. "So how do you know the Rockbells?"
"Oh, um…" her eyes brimmed with curiosity of a small-town mother and just as I was about to explain, the hem of my sweater was being tugged on ever-so-lightly. "May I get these?" I looked down to see Alina's smiling face, her hands full of odds and ends.
I picked out a woolen dress from her arms-white with a somewhat sparkling sheen, the collar, cuffs, and hem were all lined with synthetic white feathers. "Sure," I replied, eyeing a cable-knit scarf and a pair of black boots. She was still smiling, giddy with excitement as the woman rang up the items.
"Good choices, very chic." she gave a nod of approval and the baby gurgled.
"I'm Cora, by the way," she then added while handing me the bag and receipt. "Skyla," I replied in return, passing the bag down to a very anxious Alina, "it was nice meeting you…I'll tell Pinako you said 'hi'."
Her warm, lightly tanned face lit up, "That would be wonderful! I promise to stop by soon, you know, maybe even tom-"
The shop creaked-long and loud like a rusty door hinge on stereo. Cora fell silent as the three of us (and the baby) grew rigid. The noise grew louder, now the volume of a cargo ship's blaring siren. I glanced at the baby, whose mouth was hanging open, poised to cry but before any solid sound could escape the floor began to shake.
Just like that, the proverbial rug was pulled from beneath our feet and buildings that lined the streets shook with the violence of an angered bull. Alina let out a quiet, terrified cry as I rushed her under the counter along with Cora and her screaming child.
"What are you doing?" she tried called after me as I ran outside on shaking knees but her shrill voice died out among the wailing of the earth.
People crowded doorways while others stood helpless on the side of the road, bracing themselves against the tremendous quake. I was flooded with an immediate sense of dread as I stared in gaping awe at what lied ahead. No more than two yards ahead, the cobblestone had completely shattered and large chunks of mortar and stone were spouting from the earth as they were shoved up against one another.
A large crack was traveling down the center of the road, the only form of relieving the internal pressure in the rocks.
A heartbeat later and the ground was flat and still. Gasps and urgent, worried chatter quickly grew louder as the initial shock dispersed. "Did you see that? The ground was glowing-look, there was that light," they murmured, so many concerned about the bizarre light.
Light? From the ground?
Beneath my feet, I could feel the ground continuing to shift ever so lightly. "No," I whispered, franticly swinging around to see others stumble out of nearby buildings.
Although the shaking had subsided, the damage was far from over. The wooden buildings were swaying and moaning as the soil upon which their foundations lied gave way. Out of the corner of my eye I caught of glimpse of something unusual. A vague figure appeared among the rubble but no one seemed to notice. A two-story Inn from across the way was already crumbling-the roof caved inward with an alarming crack and the few guests who had been staying there ran out, panicked.
The spectators watched in fear as the unsuspecting guests stood beneath the falling balcony as the splintered high beams snapped in two. A woman screamed off in the distance and I could hear the alarmed cry of a baby-maybe Cora's-rising above the sounds of chaos.
The screaming guests flocked together and I raced forward, my mind in a haze with the anticipation of a transmutation. I pressed my palms against the cold, hard earth and the elements danced beneath the tips of my fingers. Alchemy was a matter of language-taking the same word and translating it in a number of ways. One part calcium, one part carbon, three parts oxygen, and the lightweight limestone rose up and over the guests-acting as a buffer between their heads and the falling overhang.
The wood numbly hits the stone and slides onto the cracked road. "Go." My voice is quiet, but they listen and scurry out from under the make-shift umbrella. One of them glanced back at me as I compressed the stone back into place and for a moment I held their surprised gaze before remembering that other businesses would be breaking apart as well.
Glancing around, my eyes caught sight of a flash of red light from the General's flames. Most of the buildings were wooden structures and with the snap of his fingers, any detached pieces were nothing more than ashes by the time they reached the ground.
Riza was hurrying a couple from off of the streets while a few others did the same. I stood, oblivious, as they Inn loomed over me. I looked up, slightly confused as a shadow crept upon me-the weight of the second story had uprooted the entire front entrance and large slabs of wood came crashing down.
I ducked; about to roll out from under the wreckage but I was instead hurled forward, a force so strong that I slid across the pavement. An unintentional, and slightly embarrassing, cry escaped my lips as my shoulder hit the curb-my knees and elbows swelling with blood from where the concrete shaved away the skin.
"Skyla!" I didn't recognize the voice, or was even able to indicate where it came from.
My head throbbed as I glanced back at the pile of wood and stone that lied beside my feet. I took a deep breath, my eyes glued, unblinking, to the scene. I knew that face, the one buried among the rubble. I was all too familiar with that dark golden hair and the curve of that strong jaw.
My heart screamed in panic, in need for oxygen as I lied there in a state of breathless shock. Dark, wet stains dappled the surrounding wreckage and a pool of blood spilled over his forehead, staining the contours of his face a vibrant crimson. Vague noises all around-footsteps and shouting and panic, but no real words. No real anything.
But it was him. It was really him.
Despite the dust and chaos and the atmosphere of it all, I couldn't help but smile.
"Welcome back, Dad."