Don't own FMA, but maybe if I dressed up as Ed and somehow got Al to hold a rope as I lead the owners of FMA into the pits of hell…o. I didn't think you were still reading this.
Held
By The Gomp
It took me seven months to do it. It took me seven months time to totally recover and I did it. Ok, so it wasn't six like I had hoped.. But I'm not one to complain.
The morning weather had a slight chill to it. Winter was on its way out and the beginning of spring was nudging its way towards the Rizenpool farmlands. I took another sip of my warm tea.. Ok, so I might love coffee but there was something about lemon tea that always made my toes curl. I had to have it at least once in awhile. Anyways..
I took a sip of my tea as the front door creaked open loudly. I turned my head to watch my little brother paddle out in his morning attire. "Al change into something more warm, your going to catch a cold."
My brother stuck his nose in the air as he sat down on the porch stairs next to me. "I don't want too." Sometimes he could be so stubborn.
I sighed as I draped a metal arm over his shoulders. He shivered at the feel of cold metal. I only smirked.
"When is she coming?" I shrugged. "I don't know. Winry just told me to keep a eye out for her." Al wrapped his arms around his bare legs. I never understood how he could sleep in shorts in such cold weather. The iron stove heated the house to some degree, but a cold draft still ran its way through the house. Especially the upstairs bedrooms.
"Sheshka and Master Izumi are coming tomorrow, right?" I nodded as I took another sip of my lemon ecstasy. "Yup, they will be here. It's a shame the Mustangs and the Hughes can't make it. And to bad.." I shivered. "Armstrong is on an important assignment so he can't make it either." Al sighed as he placed his chin in his hands. A gust of wind played with our hair as it flowed past us.
"I don't mind. I know everyone is busy. I'm just turning fourteen."
I eyed Al. "Fourteen is a big deal."
My brother looked at me carefully. "A big deal.. how?"
"Well.. It just is." I ruffled Al's hair. Al grabbed my arm and pushed it away. "Stop doing that. I hate it when you do that." I smirked at my brother's complaints. He was just so cute.
"Older brothers are supposed to do things that annoy younger ones. And we all know how much I love annoying my little brother." Al turned his head away from me. His eyes fell to the ground and his good mood suddenly dropped. His actions provoked some of my curiosity. But before I could investigate any further…
"Ed?" I turned my head and smiled as I watched Rose approach the house. We hadn't seen each other since that final day almost four years ago. She looked almost exactly the same, minus the fact she had her five year old son walking beside her.
"Hey Rose." I stood up as she approached the porch. She placed her baggage on the ground as she looked up at me. "Wow Ed, Winry wasn't lying. You have grown." Ahhhhhhh! Why do people always have to remind me. I forced a smile on my face. "Ehh, you don't say."
Rose wrapped her arms around me in a friendly hug. I looked at my brother not sure what to do. He narrowed his eyes at me silently telling me to respond. I carefully wrapped my arms around her making sure I didn't spill my tea. Never want to waste a good drink.
"It's great seeing you. I can't believe you're really alive."
"Heh, yea. Well here I am, alive and well." Rose pulled away from the hug and nodded her agreement. Even though I hate to admit it, she was one beautiful woman. Rose was someone who had always struck out at me. She was always able to put her complete faith into people; it was something that I actually loathed about her. Her warm smile only captivated me more.
Rose picked up her son, balancing him on her hip. "This is Edward. He's a friend of your mommy's." Rose a mommy,was stillso strange.
The little boy looked away from me shyly. I made my tone soft as I spoke. "Hey there Cain. How are you doing? Winry has told me a lot about you." The child took a quick glance at me but then hid in Rose's shoulder.
"Sorry, Cain can be a little shy. He isn't good with strangers." I took another sip of my tea while I nodded my understanding. A cough from the side of us made me and Rose turn our attention to my little brother.
Rose's smile broadened as she looked at Al. "Alphonse, my how big you have gotten. I haven't seen you for more than a year now. You excited about your birthday?" Al looked at Rose and just shrugged. He walked past her and picked up some of her luggage.
"Granny says you're staying in the guest room upstairs. You're getting the bigger one so Cain can sleep with you. Thanks for coming."
My brother walked by both of us carrying two of her suitcases. I eyed Al not sure what to make of his lack of manners. Rose did the same.
I grabbed Rose's other suitcase and lead her up the porch stairs. "I think it's just a coming of age thing. Don't mind him."
Rose only shot me an unsure look.
Yea, just coming of age. That's all.
The female's swarmed around the table as I sat bored. So freakin bored I was tempted to start shooting spitballs.
Sheshka took a bite out of her mango and then spoke to Granny. "It's a shame you had to narrow the guest list this year."
Granny took a big puff of her pipe. Man, I can't believe that woman hadn't died from cancer yet. "I could only invite people that knew of Ed's… return. I know it's not fair to Al, but we can't afford controversy." I tapped my metallic fingers against the table. Yes everyone, blame it all on me. Ignore my presence.
"Ed's a big boy. I think he can afford some controversy." I rolled my eyes at Izumi. "Look, I don't need any more problems with the military. Sorry that I might be an inconvenience to you guys. I offered to go for a short vacation while Al had his party, but Granny told me I had to stay put."
I really wasn't happy over the whole situation. Al had made a lot of friends in the military, especially after he lost his memories. Everyone had band together to try and help him remember. But because of my presence, a lot of his friends couldn't be invited. It left me with one big ass guilt trip.
Rose stirred her drink. "Ed, we're just hassling you. Don't take things so seriously." I placed my chin in my hands as I chewed on the end of a toothpick. Of course I was going to take things seriously, Al was my little brother.
The oh-so-boring conversation continued on for awhile longer until a loud cry from upstairs grabbed everyone's attention. Finally! A reason for escape!
I motioned for everyone to sit down. "Don't worry; I'll take care of everything. You lady's enjoy yourselves." I even gave a wink for emphasis. As I walked away I heard Sheshka comment on how nice I had become. Ha ha, if she only knew the truth.
Each stair going upstairs gave a protested squeak as I placed my weight on it. Granny's house was a rather old farm house. As kids we use to always try and sneak outside late at night, but Granny always caught us by the squeaky steps. The devilish old woman.
I followed the sounds of the loud cries till I reached Al's room. I pushed the door open to find Al trying in vain to comfort Cain.
"What's going on up here?" Al looked at me while shaking his head. "Cain fell off my bed and I can't get him to stop crying." Kids cry over the dumbest things.
Cain kept wailing while he tried to curl into a ball. I picked the child up and examined him closely. He didn't seem injured at all, just crying for attention. If there was one thing I disliked about children it was the fact that they cried and whined for attention. It was so annoying.
"Hey ya buddy, where does it hurt?" Cain blinked a few times while he looked at me. I gave the child a friendly smile hoping he would shut up. But instead he just cried louder.
"Calm down little man." I sat down on Al's bed and began to rock the child back and forth in my arms while whispering soothing words into his ear. Kids were so stubborn when they wanted their share of love. After some minutes passed Cain began to calm down. Once he seemed compose enough, I tried to communicate with him again. "Do you still hurt?"
Cain shook his head as he pushed himself off my lap. He sat back down and began to play with one of Al's toy trucks. Man, Cain was one weird ass five year old.
I turned my attention to Al who was looking at me strangely. I cleared my throat, not sure what to think of the look he was shooting at me. "What are you guys up to?"
Al shrugged his shoulders as his gaze turned to the toy truck that was in his hand. "Cain just wanted to play trucks. So we're playing trucks." Don't you miss the days when the simplest products captured you? Only if a toy truck could give me that type of entertainment again, it would put some life back into me.
"I see. Is it cool if I hang out with you guys? Things are getting pretty boring downstairs." Al didn't even look up at me. His voice came out almost totally flat. "Do what you want. I don't care."
I sighed as I sat on the floor with the two boys. Al always had his mood swings so this was probably just another one. I picked up a blue truck and began to drive around the imaginary city.
Winry and I walked down the dusty path heading our way home. It was a chilly morning so both of us were dressed warmly. Today was the day of Al's party. A day I had waited a long time for. I was going to give him a present that I had been planning for a long time to give him.
"Al's going to really like your gift Ed." I sighed as I shifted the cage in my hands. "He better, he's always wanted one. Well at least when he was still, you know." No one really seemed to want to be reminded of Al's armored days. The only time I ever brought up the subject was when I told Al stories of the past. Other than that it was sorta like an unspoken rule of silence.
"Trust me, he will love it. Two years ago he tried his hardest to convince Granny to get him one, but Granny didn't think he was responsible enough to take care of it on his own mainly because he was always studying with Izumi. And also, there is the problem of Den."
"Den is getting old, so I doubt he'll bother her." Den was reaching his doggy year limits. It's sad considering the dog had grown up with us. When Den die's, it was going to be hard on everybody.
"How are you going to hide her? I mean, you can't wrap her in a box or anything." I smirked as I looked at Winry. Oh yes, I had a plan.
"I'm going to keep her in the basement till the party starts. Once Al is distracted I'm going to sneak her in his bedroom." I really wanted to surprise Al. I knew this was something he had always wanted. Heck, I've always wanted a pet myself. But our mother would have never allowed it. And during the military days there just wasn't enough time.
The kitten began to cry which caused us both to stop our walking. Winry and I looked into the small cage to see what was wrong. The kitten was just crying for attention like all babies. Winry grabbed the handle of the cage and opened it so the small creature could crawl into her arms. The kitten was black and brown with fluffy fur. The pet shop owner said it was a mancoon or something along those lines.
The cat used its tiny pawls to swat at Winry's hair as she teased the cat with her long golden locks. I looked at the kitten with awe. If Al didn't want the cat, I would be more than willing to take it.
"Don't you just love baby's Ed?" I groaned at Winry's question. What a feminine question to ask. "I suppose so. But they cry way too much." Winry smirked at me as she petted the fluffy creature causing the kitten to purr loudly. "When you were a kid you cried just as much. Actually, I think I remember some of the things you use to cry over." She wiggled an eyebrow at me which only caused me to sneer.
"Yea, so what? If I made a list of all the things you would whine and cry about I would be able to write a book. You were the biggest cry baby of them all. Heck, you still constantly cried all they way up to your late teens." Winry's mouth fell open. Heh, guess you don't make fun of a women and her tears.
"At least I cried over mature situations. You cried over being forced to drink milk! How pathetic is that? And your height… Oh, don't get me started on that one. You cried about your height all the way up till your 16th year. Probably even beyond that."
I could feel my eye twitching. You never brought up my childhood height deficiency if you valued your life.
"Winry Sara Rockbell! How dare you! I am going to tak…" I was cut off by a loud cry from the kitten. Either the cat had a mild clue that we were bickering or it just wanted more attention. I was going for the later.
I sighed as I looked at the furry creature. Winry and I always argued over the dumbest things.
I ran my metal fingers through the cats fluff. "We better hurry back. She probably wants fed." I looked up at the graying sky. "Besides, I think it's going to rain soon."
Winry gave the cat one final pat before she placed her back into her cage. I picked up the cage so we could continue on our way.
Pssh, I never criedover my height.
It was evening and the rain fell freely from the sky. There was a constant dual patter sound being created by the continual smack of the falling particles of liquid against the house. Haha, I loved being a scientist. Anyways, it was a fantastic day for a birthday party. Right.
Not too long ago I had snuck the kitten into Al's room. Soon he would find my present. Oh boy, I was getting all anxious.
I sat in the corner of the room away from all the festive. As much as I loved my brother, I preferred to stay away from the swooning females. I actually felt bad for the kid. Having five women attack you all at once was a rather frightening thing. Cain sat promptly on my lap playing with my long braid. The kid really could get off on anything.
"Ed, come over here. Al's about to blow out the candles." Izumi narrowed her eyes at me, threatening me to challenge her. Oh how scary that would be.
"I'm coming. Why would I miss the birthday boy blowing out his candles?" I pulled my precious braid out of Cain's tight grasp then threw the child over my shoulders. Cain began to bang on my head while manically laughing. The kid didn't talk much but he was rather abusive and scary... that's not always a good combination.
We all sang the oh-so-great oh-so-stupid birthday song to Al and watched him blow out his candles. We then did the retard-o clap to congratulate him for achieving the impossible. He blew out all the candles! Ok, so deep down I knew it was to congratulate him on turning 14, but the ritual was still dumb.
Al only frowned at the cake as everyone cheered him on.
Al had been really frustrating me lately. The last few days he had been in nothing but a foul mood. I had approached him once asking him if something was up, but he assured me he was fine. But even today, on his birthday, his mood hadn't changed. He was still the same depressed wilder-beast. I was getting worried.
Winry wrapped her arms around Al's shoulders. "Congratulations Al! Your fourteen, how does it feel?" Al simply shrugged while staring blankly at his iced cake.
I reached out and ruffled Al's hair hoping to perk his mood. "Yea, you're an old geezer like the rest of us. How does it feel?" Al just swat my hand away saying nothing. The room fell silent for a moment as everyone watched him. I frowned as I looked at him. It didn't make sense. Why would he be upset on his birthday?
Rose looked at all of us before she spoke. "How about we cut the cake. I'll get the plates. Granny Pinako, can you please get the knife?" The room began to buzz to life again.
I ignored everyone else and watched Al. His gaze just seemed void of emotion as he stared at his cake. I carefully pulled Cain off my shoulders, who gave a whining protest, and pulled out the empty chair that was next to Al.
"Hey bud, is there something wrong?" I tried to make my voice gentle. I wasn't really sure how to handle the situation. Al mumbled something under his breath but it was too quiet for me to understand.
"Al, can you speak up? You aren't pronouncing your words correctly."
That did it. That set him off. Al slammed his fists onto the table. The room fell silent again. I stared at his outburst in surprise.
"Wow, calm down Al. I didn't think you would get offended by that." I tried to grab Al's shoulder, but he roughly pushed me away, rougher than I had ever seen him be in my entire life. My stomach began to twist in a uncomfortable knot. "What's wrong with you?"
Al looked at me. The look was so piercing it froze me to my seat. There was no friendliness in his eyes this time. No, this time there was a look of hate. Hate so deep that it chilled me to the bone. It was a look I would have never imagined on my brothers features. That cold hearted look I never thought I would ever see.
"Al?"
"Shut up."
I swallowed hard. My brother never used negative speech. It just made the words sting more.
"Al, what the hell is wrong with you?" My brother quickly stood up, causing the chair to screech against the wooden floor. That was gonna leave some marks.
"I don't want to talk to you." My brother turned to leave but I grabbed him by the shoulder. There was no way in hell I was going to allow him to go. If he wanted to start something with me, than he had to finish it.
"What are you so moody about?" I tried to keep my voice calm. If I kept calm then most likely this could be resolved a lot quicker. Besides, I didn't want to put a show on for the lovely audience that was surrounding us.
Al grabbed my hand that was on his shoulder and threw it off. He was really starting to tick me off.
"I don't want you to touch me. Leave me alone!" His voice was harsh. This was so un-Al like it was freaking me out.
"I won't. I am your older brother. Now tell me what this is all about."
Al faced me with his eyes blaring. His eyes caused me to take a step back, and that was saying a lot.
His words came out cold. "This is your fault. Your entire fault."
I had a sinking feeling of what he was talking about. I wanted to run, hide… block out all of his words. But they were words I had to hear. I had to hear them because they were coming from Al.
"This isn't supposed to be my fourteenth birthday, I should be turning nineteen. Nineteen! Now leave me alone."
I tried to think of something to say. There were no comforting words I could think of. He was telling the truth and I knew it. "Al, please. I know it's not fair, but it's just the way things worked out."
My brother pushed me. He actually pushed me! I am sorry but you would think the kid would have a little bit more common sense. I wasn't stupid; if I wanted to I could beat the crap out of him. When he was still in armor yes, I could never beat him. But in flesh and bone I had the advantage.
My voice was deep and commanding. A tone my father used to use. "Al, stop."
"Why? It's always your way. YOU ALWAYS GET YOUR WAY!" I looked at him confused. If I had it my way the world defiantly would be a lot different.
My brother turned to leave but I grabbed him by the wrists so he couldn't walk away. He fought against my brace. I tightened my hold around him, not enough to really hurt him though. I looked him directly in the eye. "If it was my way, you wouldn't be fourteen."
"Al, Ed's only telling the truth. This was never planned." I turned my head and gave Winry a nod of thanks, but miraculously during that exchange Al was able to get his wrists out of my grasp.
"It's all your fault. You and your stupid idea to bring mother back! I should have never gone along with it. Because of you I remember nothing! Go to hell Edward. We aren't brothers anymore. The brother I had was only a year older than me and was a lot better than you will ever be." Just to add some more emphasis Al punched me across the face. For a little booger he had one hell of a punch.
I just stood there in shock as Al ran out of the room and up to his bedroom. His bedroom door gave a loud smack as he slammed it shut.
I had a couple of options. I could run after him and try to talk things out, I could go to a deep dark hole and cry, or I could stand up and pretend like nothing happened. Pretending like nothing happened sounded best. But it was absolutely impossible to do because Al had just said something I dreaded hearing since the day I returned.
I jumped in surprise as Winry grabbed my arm. I forgot other people were in the room. "Edward, are you ok?"
I blinked a few times not really sure what to say to her. I wasn't really upset. I felt just kinda blank. "Ed, Al's in his teens. You know how emotional it can be for a teenager."
I gently pulled Winry's hand off my arm and just walked away. I didn't really have any direction in mind. No one tried to stop me as I opened the front door and walked into the rain. The cold water fell down on me, reminding me of my existence. It felt kinda nice.
I just kept walking with no place to go.
The liquor bottle was held loosely in my grasp. The rain had stopped awhile ago leaving a damp residue all over the grassy lands. The smell of rain still lingered in the air.
I took another sip of the alcoholic substance that was beginning to lose its taste. I still had a long way to go before I finished the bottle completely. But that's ok because I had no place to go that night.
The sky was clear and showed the millions of bright stars that danced in the sky. The moon was in its waxing gibbous stage, tomorrow to be a full moon. The moon gave some light to the deep dark cold world that surrounded me. But just not enough to lift my dampened mood.
I swallowed more of the alcohol willing the effects of it to take over my body. When you are drunk you can't really think right. Its sorta like reality is at your finger tips but the drug causes you to not be able to reach it. When you're drunk, you don't have to care anymore.
I wanted to be drunk. Then the world would feel good, even if just for a night.
I took a cautious look around the area I was laying in. Most of the old chard wreckage had become fertilizer for the grass, but there were still a few wooden beams that remained of our old house.
Where I was laying use to be the living room. A room that me and Al use to constantly play in. I smirked at the memories that ran through my head.
A sob tore its way through my throat. I had really fucked up this time. And I didn't just screw myself; I screwed all of those who I cared most for.
I heard some footsteps coming from behind me. I ignored them as I took another sip from the bottle.
"Edward?"
I rolled my eyes up to find Izumi standing behind me.
"Yea?"
Izumi took a sniff of the air. Her eyes narrowed at me. Usually I would be scared by the look she was giving me, but at the moment I just didn't care. "Have you been drinking?" I shrugged as I sat up and lifted the bottle in the air for her to see.
"I see… Why don't you come back to the house?"
I shook my head. I didn't want to go to that hell. I didn't want to face the truth.
Izumi sighed as she took a seat next to me. "Your cloths are wet; you're going to get sick if you stay out here." I took another big gulp of the little drug in the bottle.
"I don't care."
"You should care. Your health is something important." I laughed at her comment. I don't know why I did, I just did. Maybe I was starting to get the effects of the devils drink.
Izumi just lifted an eyebrow at my hysterics. She waited patiently for my laughter to calm down before she continued on. "Winry was able to talk to Al. Ed; he really didn't mean anything he said. The reality that your different now is just beginning to wear on him. You're older. He wants to be able to communicate with you the same way he use to be able to."
I closed my eyes while taking another drink. Oh god did I just want to get drunk. "I have been trying to be the same brother I use to be. How the hell am I suppose to make the kid happy? Things have changed and I can't turn back time. And.." I took a big breath. I didn't want to say these worlds. "..it was all my fault."
I felt a single tear run down my cheek. I wiped it away before Izumi could notice. I was beginning to hate life. Everything about it. "It wasn't your entire fault. Alphonse made the choice to go along with you when you two decided to transmute your mother. He just doesn't want to admit it to himself."
Izumi grabbed the liquor bottle out of my hands. She took a big sip of the substance herself. My eyes opened wide, I never thought her to be the drinking type. Then again, most people wouldn't think I was either.
"It was my idea. I was the older brother and Al looked up to me then. I should have been more responsible."
Izumi smirked at me. "You guys were kids. Look, if you keep regretting everything you won't be able to move on with your lives. I am not happy with my actions when it comes to my own son, but I don't regret it. I was ignorant those days." Izumi talking about Wrath was something so rare. It was a painful subject to her.
….she didn't regret trying to transmute her son.
"We toyed with people's lives. We toyed with our own. How can you say you don't regret it?"
Izumi handed me the bottle back. She ran her hand through her hair before she spoke. Her voice had a ting of sadness to it. "You are correct; I did play with another's life. But, at the time, I didn't know that then. I truly never thought of the consequences. I can't blame myself forever for what I did. I can't regret the fact that I loved my son that much, that I wanted him back. The love I had for him was so real, so precious to me. When I lost him, I lost a piece of myself. How can I regret loving my son and the actions I took with that love?"
I took another swing of the alcohol. There was a warm feeling spreading throughout my body from the liquor. "I think I see what you're saying, but I'm not sure if I can agree with it. I suppose you're right though… I do have to keep moving forward. Someway, somehow."
Izumi smiled.
We sat there for a long time. Enjoying each others company while drinking the night away.
It was early in the morning as I felt myself being shaken. My eyes cautiously crept open, my head hurt like hell.
"Wha.."
My brother was standing on the side of the bed. I quickly looked at the clock behind me; it was only six in the morning.
"Yes?" My voice was groggily.
Al sat on the bed, nervously twirling his thumbs. "I came to say I'm sorry."
The world clicked into place as the past days events flowed through me. God damnit, I had only gotten three hours of sleep and I had a slight hang over. Damn the world.
I sat up slowly so my head wouldn't spin. I pulled the blankets away from my body so I could get some cold air to circulate through.
Al only sat there twirling his thumbs away. I didn't really want Al to be sorry because there wasn't anything to be sorry about. How could I be mad at a kid who was in his situation? His life didn't have much fairness to it. "It's ok."
"I shouldn't have said those things."
I ran my hand through my hair, feeling the greasy locks.. Note to self, get a shower first thing.. later in the morning. "Really, it's ok. You are entitled to speak what's on your mind. I just want to know, is what you said truly how you feel?"
Al glanced at me for a moment then his eyes went downcast. "My birthday reminded me of the age gap between us. It was then I noticed how much you have changed. You will always be my brother, but it's just different now. I'm… I'm not sure how I really feel about everything. "
I sighed as I pulled Al into the bed so he could lay next to me. I was sleep deprived and my head felt like it might crack in two. What a great time to have an important conversation. "Do you hate how different it is now?"
Al pulled the blankets up around himself so he was warmer. "No, it's just weird. One day you were 11, now you are 20. Your all mature now." …. mature..
…mature..
Al thought I was mature… Cool!
"I miss having someone to play with. And I miss us being able to go to Winrys house, and her wanting to play with us too. But most of all I miss mom. Ed, we should have never brought her back."
I knew deep down he was right. But what Izumi had said last night.. well more like earlier that morning, was slowly beginning to make more sense. When I was younger I truly was ignorant. I had missed my mother so much that I wanted her back. I would have done anything to get her back. And I did. All because I loved her that much. That didn't make what we did right, but I can't change the past. It's just how things worked out.
"Do you miss dad too?"
Al looked at me curiously. I knew it was a spontaneous question but it was still important.
"Yes, I think I do. But I'm not sure. I don't really know him." I wanted to correct him and say 'didn't', but I held back. I needed a clearer head before I got into that subject.
My eyes felt heavy as I looked at Al. I could feel my body yelling at me to return to sleep. Must.. obey.. "Tomorrow we need to talk. But right now, I need some sleep and I'm sure you need some too."
A moment of silence fell across the room, but it didn't take long for the heavenly sound to be broken by Al.
"Ed.."
"Yea."
"Thanks for the cat."
"No problem."
"Ed."
"Huh?"
"You smell bad." I took a cautious whiff of myself.. Well geez louise, he was right.
"…. yea, thanks."
The sun teased us with its brightness as Al and I sat in front of our mother's grave. We both had our dress shirts and pants on. In away, I guess you could say Al and I were having a funeral.
"Envy was our brother?"
"He was our half brother."
Al had his knees to his chest as he sat on the ground. The bright sun had dried up all the rain so the ground was safe to sit on. Al stared at our mother's grave while deep in thought. If only I knew what was going on his mind.
"I didn't know how to tell you. I'm sorry it's taken me so long."
Al ran his hand over the grass in front of the gravestone. He was dealing with our father's death a lot better than I did. But then again our father left when he was still just an infant.
"I'm happy you buried dad with mom. It seems right somehow."
"It's only my prosthetics. Granny and I buried them the night I first came. Dad had made them for me, it was the only physical memory I had left of him." For the first time I actually felt fine talking about my fathers passing. It was rather nice to get it all off my chest.
I had told Al everything. Well at least a summery of it all. It was going to take a life time to tell him everything. But we had a life time to talk. That's what was most important. In the end, Al and I still had each other.
Al's eyes had a shine to them from unshed tears. I wrapped my arms around him in a comforting manner. His voice was soft as he spoke. "I'm not sure how I should feel about losing dad. I never got to meet him. Well, at least from what I remember."
"If you feel no tears for dad, don't feel guilty. As long as you understand that dad loved you, I guess that's only what matters." Al nodded as he ran his hand over the engravings of our mother's grave. Trisha Elric. I never noticed how lovely our mothers name sounded.
"Ed, I'm really sorry about yesterday. I'm happy you were able to tell me all this and I'm happy you don't hate me." I laughed as I pulled Al into a standing position. It was getting late in the day and we needed to get back before dinner.
"I could never hate you, you're my little brother. Besides, Izumi and I had a talk last night. She helped make sense of some things." Al brushed off the dirt on his pants. "Izumi did?"
I nodded. "Yup, surprisingly she isn't just useful for Alchemy."
Al pushed me playfully. "Yea, same thing goes for you."
I grabbed Al and threw him over my left shoulder. "U-huh, sure. Maybe the same goes for you too."
My brother smacked me on my back. "Edward! Put me down."
"I don't think so. Come on, were going home."
"So what do you plan to name her?"
My brother entertained his new kitten with a piece of yarn while everyone else watched in awe. The kitten tried to bite the string but Al pulled it away too quickly. He looked at me with a smirk on his face. "Mr. Jenkins."
I lifted an eyebrow. Please don't tell me my brother didn't know the difference between sexes. "Al, it's a girl."
My brother shrugged as he picked the cat up and began to pet her. "I just like the name."
"Yea Ed, he likes the name. There's nothing wrong with that." I stuck my tongue out at Winry as I sat back in my seat. "So Sheshka left earlier? Sorry I couldn't wave her off."
Winry shook her head as she took a cookie from the cookie plate. "It's fine. She couldn't stay long because according to her Centrals been a mad house lately. She had to use some of her sick days just to come out and see us." I frowned at that. I had hoped to talk to Sheshka about Central, but the opportunity had never come up. All I could hope was everything was ok.
I looked at Izumi and Rose. "How about you guys, how long do you plan to stay?"
Izumi rubbed her chin while she thought. "Most likely tomorrow I'll be leaving tomorrow morning. I should return to the butcher shop. You can never trust my husband and Mason alone." Heh, she had that right. Mason and Izumi's hubby were two irresponsible adults. Man, they were always so fun to hang out with.
Rose was holding Cain on her lap. Her son was consumed in a child's book. A child's book was a lot safer than my hair, which had become Cain's main fascination. "I will be here for the rest of this week. Our train doesn't leave till Friday." Wahoo! Guests all week. I liked visitors.
"That sounds good." I stretched my arms to get some feeling back in them. I was in the mood to go for a walk later that night. I always loved taking walks late at night especially when the full moon was out, which it was tonight. To me the world had a special glow when it was a full moon.
Winry stood and began to collect the cups and plates from around the room. I picked up my own cup and plate and handed it to her, but the cup lost its balance and fell. It shattered as it hit the hard wood floor. "Crap, I'm sorry." Figures, I liked the cup too.
Winry sighed as she shook her head. "Don't worry about it, I'll clean it. Can you do me a favor and take the rest of the stuff into the kitchen?" I nodded as I collected the dishes from Winry's hands. I hated it when I got clumsy. Izumi and Granny began to help Winry pick up all the sharp glass pieces as I headed into the kitchen.
The kitchen was dark so I used my back to flip the light switch to give the kitchen more light. As I placed the dishes in the sink, I made sure to be careful. Last thing I needed was another broken dish.
I was placing the last cup into the sink when a flash of light from outside the window caught my eye. I looked out the window but I didn't see anything. Most likely it was a shooting star or something.
I turned to leave when suddenly a loud booming sound rang into my ears. The sound was almost ear deafening. By natural instinct, I turned back to look out the window. My eyes opened wide.
The Rockbells house was on top of a rather large hill. From the kitchen window, you could see the landscapes that were below. I watched as the landscapes below began to dance with orange and yellow flames. Another loud explosion occurred. It caused even more of the colorful flames to spread across the grassy lands of Rizenpool. I had to blink a few times to make sure I was seeing right. Yup, I was.
"Oh God."
I took a step back causing a plate to fall from the sink. It fell and smashed into a thousand pieces.
Winry threw open the kitchen door. Her actions caused me to jump and spin around so I was facing her. "Ed, what's going on?"
I could only stare wide eyed at her. My voice began to quiver. "Oh God."
Another loud crash shook throughout the valleys below. I knew what was causing the noises. Oh god, I wish I didn't. But I knew.
"Winry.. Run."
Winry looked at me curiously. "What do you mean?"
I grabbed her roughly by the shoulders and dragged her into the living room. Everyone in the room was looking around, not sure of what was going on. "Get into the basement, Now!"
Izumi stood up ready to say something, but whatever she was about to say was drowned out by another loud boom. The explosions were getting closer. The windows of the house began to shake.
"GET DOWNSTAIRS!"
They all gave in and followed my orders. Winry grabbed Al off the floor and directed everyone to the basement. I ended up being the tail of the line. Another loud explosion occurred, this time causing the whole house to shake.
I was about to shut the basement door when I noticed Den was still sitting across the room. I ran into the living room and grabbed him by the collar. I practically dragged the mutt into the basemen before I slammed the door and locked it.
Well this was going to ruin my plans for the night.
Granny lit one of the oil lamps to give the basement some light. In my head all I could think was: This couldn't be happening. How could this be happening.
But the reality was, it was happening. And I knew damn well that I shouldn't have been surprised.
The loud booming noises just continued. Because the basement was underground it helped dull out some of the noise, but the house above us continued to vibrate violently.
Izumi grabbed the collar of my shirt and threw me up against the cement wall. "What the hell is going on?"
I blinked a few times. That really hurt. "I don't know." I took my shirt out of her hands as I pushed past her. "I don't really know. All I know is the sounds you are hearing are being caused by explosives."
Cain began to cry. I guess everything was starting to click in for him. Everyone else in the room just looked at each other, not sure what to say. Al looked at me. "What do you mean explosives?"
I shrugged my shoulders as I sat down in one of the corners of the room. Must stay calm, if you stay calm then you have a clearer head.
It was then I began to hear the sounds of gun shots. Faintly I thought I could hear people screaming, but I didn't really want to listen. I didn't want to think of the possibilities of what was going on outside.
If could put two and two together, it wasn't hard to figure out what was happening.
"Rizenpool is under attack."
My brother's mouth fell open. I doubt that's what he expected to hear.
Winry walked over and knelt in front of me. I could see fear in her eyes. I hated seeing fear in her eyes. Her voice had a distant feel to it. "Ed, what do you mean we're under attack? Who would attack us?"
"A country named Xing has been advancing on our borders for sometime now. They had political relations with Aerugo, it's most likely them." The room fell silent minus the constant cries coming from Cain.
I should have stayed in better contact with Roy. Then, possibly then, I would have had a better clue what was going on. I hated not really knowing what was happening around me. But then again, I wasn't going to be the first one to volunteer to go upstairs and find out.
A very loud, extremely close, sounding explosion went off. It felt too close for comfort. Al ran towards me with nothing but fear written all over him. I wrapped my arms around him, feeling him shake. Even though we had been through much worse, to this Al it was a first. He didn't remember all the horrible things we had seen in our days. In away, it felt kinda nice knowing that.
Winry moved over so she could sit next to me. She leaned heavily on me; I suppose thinking I could offer some comfort. I wanted to tell them both it was going to be ok. That everything was fine. But obviously everything wasn't fine. Something was very wrong and this time I couldn't fix it.
Al's kitten began to meow. I smiled at the small cat and began to pet her. As time passed some of the noises outside became fainter. I wasn't sure how long I petted the cat, but somehow it made time seem to move faster. In some strange way, the kittens purring sounds soothed me.
After some time passed all the noises outside stopped. Everyone in the basement was silent. Somehow Rose had gotten Cain to stop crying.
Winry spoke quietly into my ear. "Do you think it's over?"
I shrugged. Did I think it was over? I would have loved to say yes, but that would just be asking for it. The eye of the storm was always the most calm.
I gently pushed my brother off of me so I could stand. Everyone looked at me as I moved up the basement stairs. Was it ok? Was it all over? Only way to know was to find out.
"Ed, where are you going?"
I looked back at Rose. She held her young child close to her, holding him like this might be the last time they were going to be together. I swallowed hard. "Don't worry I'm just goin.."
There was a loud squeaky noise coming from upstairs. Shit.
Everyone's eyes turned to the ceiling of the basement. There was another loud squeaky noise, and then another. The stairs, someone was going up the stairs to the bedrooms.
"Ed, get back down here. Someone's in the house!" Well that was stating the obvious. Izumi was walking towards me but I motioned for her to stop and stay quiet.
Right then dust began to fall from the basement ceiling beams, oh god. A creaking sound just confirmed that someone was in the room right above us. The living room.. and they were walking towards the basement door.
I did the only thing I could think to do. I clapped my hands together feeling the power of alchemy occur.
The knob of the basement door slowly began to turn from the other side.
Authors Notes:
FINALLY! TO THE REAL STORY!
I honestly want to thank all those who have been committed readers up until now. This is when my writing starts to get fun and we break off from the ordinary and get to the extraordinary. I know it took me seven chapters to get to this point, but hell! 7 is my lucky number. No more large time jumps, no more of me pulling stuff out of my butt. AHAHAH LIFE FEELS GREAT!
Next chapter I'm going to be evil.
Thanks!
Questions you might have...
1. Comments on the birthdays.
Some people might not like this, but I was running out of options. In the series I was left with the impression that Ed's B-day was either in autumn or spring (I would say more spring). BUT they never say when Al's birthday actually was. Half way through the series, Ep 24, Ed turned 16, but Al never seemed to turn 15. He didn't even turn 15 near the end of the series. This would give the impression that Al was actually two years younger than Ed (which everyone knows they are supposed to be one year apart). Well because the whole birthday thing is confusing throughout the series I decided to give Al a stated birthday even though really it's going to be incorrect. Ed's birthday I decided will be in the end of autumn, and Al's will be in the beginning of spring. There is a four month gap between their birthdays.
2. Al's sudden change of opinions on Ed.
When your at that age you are very emotional. Trust me, looking back I wonder how I am the same person I am today. Ed in my opinion has been trying very hard to be a kick ass brother, but of course our poor little Al is going to have some problems with it. It's what being a teenager is all about! Oh Ed, if worst comes to worst, I'll dress up as Al so I could be your little brother.. and sleep with you at night.
3. Ed getting drunk.
I suggest to no one that you turn to alcohol when you're in a bad mood. Not very healthy.I wrote this because I feltEd is at the age (we will say drinking age is 18 in Amestris)when drinking is common and considering his mood... I still say you don't want to be an emotional drunk . I horribly embarrassed myself last time I did that.
By the way, Izumi kicks major ass. Between her and Granny, I think they would make great drinking partners. (DON'T DRINK)
4. Al apologizing to Ed at 6 in the morning!
In Africa (I know for a fact it occurs in Liberia, not sure about the rest of the continent) it is customary to apologize to someone at like the break of dawn (I would say usually at like 5, but I had pity for poor Ed so I made it 6). It shows that person how sorry you truly are and also I believe they think your spirit is clean/enlightened at that time (this is all according to one of my professors). Well I thought the whole practice was pretty interesting and clever. So.. I added it.
5. Al's Cat
I have a mancoon and his name is Mr. Jenkins . (brown and black fluffy hair too). He's a major pain in the butt but I like him. I made Al's cat a girl because Den was a boy so I felt it necessary... Even though sometimes I wish men would dominate the world and leave me as the soul female survivor… Ok, maybe that wouldn't be such a good idea.
6. Cain
I don't know about you... but I think I made Cain pretty freaky. Opps.
SoulOmenspride- Like I said, you can pretend Ed is named after Edgardo. After I decided on Edgardo being the name I was like 'Oh hey, sounds like Ed.' I don't ever plan to really get into who Ed is named after, so set your imagination free!
SamuraiSirius- Lol I had a blast writing the gold fish game. I love card games too, I just become very abusive during them. Happy you enjoyed it.
Sorceress-fox- I can see where your coming from thinking I've been slacking off. But truth be told the very first few chapters were written way before I decided to post them on fanfic. When I first started the fic I sat down one day trying to see if I could get the fic to work. After writing like the third chapter I realized I could actually do this. So that's why those were like a day apart. Now, why its taking me so long to write my other chapters.. It's because, you must consider, I am writing up to ten-fifteen pages. Now also considering I am a college student and nearing finals, I don't have a lot of free time to write all day (as much as I wish I did). And then there is the fact that some days I do get writer blocks. Once May comes around (If I'm not done with the story by then) I am positive the chapters will be coming out a lot quicker! Sorry about the shortness of the last chapter. I put that together in one day, feeling the need to give some story line to the four passing months. I hope this chapter made up for it.. If not I am pretty positive the next one will (I have been waiting a very long time to write chapter 8. Ohh so long). I hope this cleared some things up.
Lara Inside- Yea, Ed is Ed but not Ed at the same time. A lot deals with growing up in my opinion. I mean, in away I think I might have made Ed a little bit more humorous than he should be, but I don't know.. Makes him more fun to write. Lol yea, you gotta love the card games. Stubborn little punk. Thanks for the review!