It was a Sunday, that was why Al met no one as he walked.
He didn't mind. It was actually nice to be alone, just him and the sun and clouds and the path beneath his feet...
And the thoughts in his head...
Why did you stop me? Ed had said, but...what had Al stopped him from doing?
In his mind, clear and sharp, came the image of the blood seal. Almost in answer, he swore he felt his own seal grow warm... That seal... It was really the only thing he could feel...but it wasn't a good sensation... It wasn't something he really wanted to be able to feel...
Although Al realized the doctor only wanted him gone for a little while, just enough time to take care of Ed without Al hovering over them both (as he would have had he remained), Al found himself continueing down that path he had started walking. He walked farther and farther, his strides long and certain. In such a short amount of time, he was growing used to this armor.
He shook his head and when he looked up, his house was before him.
He couldn't say he meant to come here.
He couldn't say he hadn't.
His steps slowed.
He looked up and he could see his reflection in the window.
Still...inside this...I am me...aren't I? Al thought, and coming quickly, almost riding over that thought was Ed's voice, We're sinners.
Is that what they were?
Al took a step toward the window, an armored hand reached up to touch his reflection when Al heard a sound that stopped him still.
He paused, listened again. It came again.
It was coming from the back yard. Al turned and walked there and paused.
It was coming from the old oak tree.
Al hesitated and the sound came again.
The tree rustled in an early breeze, the crown of leaves swayed all at once, and individually, like a thousand chimes.
The sound came again and this time, Al moved. He walked up to the tree until he stood directly beneath it and looked up. It took him a moment, but he saw it soon enough. There, crouched on a high branch, its eyes green, bleating miserably...
...was a cat...
Meow.
It went quiet when it saw Al and Al had a strange moment where the cat cocked its head and Al was certain it wasn't sure what to make of him, then the moment passed, and the cat, staring directly at him, cried again.
"Wait a minute..." Al said and looked around uncertainly, but there was nothing to help.
Meow it said again.
Al sighed, "I can't climb like this..." he said, but the cat couldn't understand him. It looked down at him with green, helpless eyes and cried again. Al stared up at it. He could stay down there and do nothing, or he could ignore the voice in his head saying that there was nothing to be done now that he was like this. He could at best return to Pinako's and ask for help...
But Al didn't want to ask for help..
He would do this, because he needed to...
It was, if anything else, to prove a point...
Like the latch...
Like he should have done, instead of what he had done...
Ed falling onto the glass, reaching for him, that strange look in his eye...
The look Ed had given him after he had asked what it was like in this body...
Ed...bleeding on the ground, his leg gone because Al didn't stop them from their vain attempt, Ed, his arm exchanged for his little brother's soul...
Al shook his head...Maybe it was more than to prove a point...
Besides, Al thought as he grabbed a hold of the trunk of the tree and started to pull himself up, it's not like it would hurt if he fell...
For some reason that was funny to the boy, and he laughed at his own thought.
TBC...