Halfmetal Alchemist: Chapter 23

Burned

Leroy watched his parents conversing quietly, Riza fiddling with the safety lock on her gun uneasily. The fact that it was even in sight worried Leroy, since it usually meant that there was danger about. He looked at Faris as well, surveying the view from the top of the hill, and decided that he just couldn't figure her out. He had dated other girls, sure, but they were never so hard to read. It wasn't like he liked her... of course not.

He decided that she was rather aloof, dark haired, strongwilled... but... sensitive and emotional as well. He shook his head vigorously. What was he thinking, analyzing her like that? Roy gave him a knowing look and Leroy snapped at him. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Roy laughed and brushed hair out of his eyes nonchalantly. "Oh nothing, lovebird."

Leroy denied everything of the kind and turned away huffily, saying, "You don't know what you're talking about."

"R-i-i-i-i-ight. You know I used to look at your Mom the same way. Calculating, wonderingly... heh."

"Aw, shove a flame in it will ya?"

Roy turned and waved at him, looking over his shoulder with a smirk. "Alright. Why don't you at least try to talk to her, then. As friends, I mean. She certainly won't talk much to anyone else." He winked. "Go on." Leroy grunted and turned towards the hill.

"What do you want?" Faris asked from over her shoulder. Leroy held up his hands innocently. "I... uh... why are you so uptight?"

Faris looked down at her shoes and shuffled. "Why? You're asking why? I lost my parents, is there any more reason to be uptight! You couldn't possibly understand..." Leroy nodded. "Yeah... I couldn't. But I've always lived with the fear that my parents might not come home one day. That's torture enough for me, especially when I was younger. Were they... were your parents nice?"

"Yeah... they were great... I... miss them..."

"See? That wasn't so hard."

She hugged her knees closer to her chest and looked at him. "It's still a long way to Aquorya, you know." Leroy nodded. "Yeah, go figure. We take the train to Aquorya and it turns out we still have to walk there, but it's not that much."

"Remember I told you I could fly? I can."

"Really? Why don't you fly to Aquorya then?" Leroy said skeptically. "Sir Anri says not to. He says it attracts too much attention."

"Well it wouldn't out here, there's no one to see us for miles. I want to see you fly." Faris tilted her head slightly, studying him, and Leroy felt himself lift off the ground, if only an inch or two. He yelped and he was swooped off the ground and into the air. He flailed his arms about and looked at her. "Woah... this is great! Are you lifting me?" "Yes. It's hard work though, you're heavier than I thought you would be."

"But this can't be alchemy though. If it is, it's unlike anything I've ever seen!"

"I don't know what it is. In Rivant it's natural for people to have one or two powers of their own. My dad had more than six, but my mom only had one." Leroy moved in the air some more, diving down at Faris. She screamed as he caught her shoulders and he laughed. "Oh come on, I'm not going to do anything. I was just trying to startle you!" She hesitated and then let him drop to the ground again.

"You said one or two powers... do you have another one I should know about?"

Faris tried to think of the possible consequences. "I can... read people's minds."

"Are you reading mine right now?" Leroy said, alarmed.

"No, I can only do it if I touch them, and then if the person assents or is off guard. Dad could only read strong emotion even if he touched someone, but Mom could read your thoughts without touching you at all, she was really strong at her power."

"How many people's minds have you read?" Leroy asked, interested.

Faris sighed and laid down on her stomach, cheek in her hand, the other hand fiddling with the grass absentmindedly. "Not many... I read Sir Anri's once, and one from Dad's guard, Sir Duron. And I read Dad's and Mom's... but not many others. I can read chimeras too. Their thoughts are... disturbing though... especially from the ones that are transmutated from humans. Most just want to die." She looked at him, and Leroy could see himself reflected in her emerald eyes. "Do you think Icould read yours?" Leroy started. "I dunno... do you read... all of them?"

"I'll only see a few, I promise. If you think of happy memories, I won't go past those."

"I still..."

"What? You don't trust me?"

Leroy bit his lip. "Alright. Just once."

Faris sat up again and put her hands on the sides of his head, looking into his eyes. "Just relax, it won't hurt." Leroy tried but found it impossible. She stared at him intently for a few minutes, Leroy becoming more and more fidgety and agitated. Finally, she removed her hands. She bit her lip and turned away. "What? What is it?"

She burst out laughing. "You burned your mom's dress on her anniversary? That's hilarious! And then your sister tried to shoot you for blowing up one of her guns! And..." she looked at him slyly. "You were much cuter when you were a baby. Does your mom still keep the photos?" Leroy jumped up and chased after her, his face a stunning shade of scarlet. "Get back here! You said you wouldn't read too much!" he yelled as Faris jumped at the tree and climbed into it. He stood at the bottom and continued to yowl.

Roy watched all of this with mild interest, mouth slowly moving into a smirk.