and so, back from the dead- i mean- cough school, your amazingly beautiful and adored writer is updating again! don't get used to it though, rumor has it that she's going to abandon you all to a crappy cliffhanger! MUWAHAHAHAHAHA...more manical laughter...wheeze...starts laughing again...

FMA isn't mine

Ed should be mine

but he's not. repeat: NOT

so, for my amusement, i created Akari. yes, she is mine. say it with me: MINE MINE MINE! MWUAHA- you know how it goes.

-----Part 6-Stowaway-----

Recap- Aka went home to get her stuff and had a flashback about her dad and alchemy. Ed has an idea to get Aka onto the train, and right now she's hiding inside Al's armor.

Start- Al's POV: Ed poked his head up from the roof and raised his arm, giving you a mock salute.

That's the signal! I hope you know what you're doing Ed. you thought to yourself. "Aka? Ed's all set. We're going to start moving. Just try to stay put and don't worry about the sounds outside." you told her. In return, you heard more muttering, and realized that she probably didn't like this plan so far.

I'm not sure if I like it at all... you thought. But you didn't have a chance to back down, because all of the sudden, you heard the distant horn of the train.

"Ready Aka?" you asked.

"Yes! Just go!" she yelled. She must have heard the train you thought. Looking up at your brother, you saw him give another salute and jump down...right into the middle of the mob outside the station.

"Here we go Aka!" you yelled. Without giving her time to answer, you ran towards the station, trying not to make Aka move too much.

Ed was clapping his hands together and threw them onto the ground, blueish light shining around him. All of the sudden, metal spears started shooting out of the ground in different directions. With cries of fear, the villagers all ran away, but you kept on running.

Luckily, Ed hadn't made the spears sharp enough to penetrate your armor, so they didn't even scratch you as you ran by. Ed was busy making faces at the retreating villagers.

"ED! Cut it out Brother!" you yelled, grabbing his arm as you ran by.

"What? Can't I just enjoy my masterpiece?" he pouted.

"No! You could have hurt someone!" you yelled back.

"Well, no one did, so stop worrying. Akaro's in there, right?" he asked, trying to change subject. You heard grumbling in reply. Ed gave you a sheepish look.

"Uh...sorry Akaro, but you'll have to stay in there a little longer. And try not to talk too much, okay?" Ed told Aka. You heard more grumbling in return.

Still running, you and Ed raced up the platform and straight to the front of the train.

"MOVE!" Ed yelled at the conductor. He gave you a confused look.

"But what about-"

"Please sir, just go! We're the only passengers, I promise! The guy who gave us our ticket said so!" you said, cutting him off. He continued to stare.

"Who are you people anyway?" he asked.

"Does it matter? Look, we have our tickets, now are you gonna take us or not?" Ed growled. The conductor blinked, but looked at the brake hesitantly.

"Well, if you are the only passengers..." he trailed off.

"Yes! Now please just go!" you yelled. Shaking his head, the conductor grabbed the lever and pulled, bringing the train out of brake. Pushing another lever forward, you felt the train begin to move.

"Please take your seats gentlemen, it will be two hours until we get to Central City." said the conductor.

"Thank you sir!" you replied. Making your way to a compartment, you sat down across from Ed. Suddenly, Ed burst out laughing.

"What is it?" you asked him. Too busy laughing, Ed just pointed at the window.

Looking outside, you saw that the villagers were waving their arms and yelling at the departing train.

"That's not funny Ed." you told him sternly.

"Aww, don't spoil it! Did you see their faces when the spikes came up? Priceless!" he said, still laughing.

"What spikes?" came a voice. You and Ed jumped slightly.

"Oh, sorry Akaro, forgot you were still in there!" said Ed.

"Well I am, now can I come out?" said Aka, a little annoyed.

"Oh. Um, yeah-sorry about that." You said

Aka's POV: You carefully got out of Al's armor, glaring at Ed from behind your sunglasses.

"Run me through this again-spikes? What the hell did you do?" you yelled at him.

Al shrunk away, surprised by your anger, and quietly left the compartment. Ed just glared in return.

"Well gee, your welcome for saving your sorry but!" he yelled back. "We had to get those morons to make way! How else would we have done it?"

"I can think of three." you growled in return, so angry that you barely remembered to disguise your voice. "Now I'll definately never be able to go home!"

"Would you really want to?" Ed suddenly asked, his voice a bit quieter. You looked at him in surprise, but fell silent as well.

Would I? you asked yourself. I never really lived in town anyway, and I could never go back to the farm without Hojo...

"You're not the first." Ed said quietly.

"Huh?"

"Me and Al. We can never go back home either. Our home was filled with such bad memories...we burned it to the ground. So trust me, I'd be the one to understand about not wanting to go back." He fell silent and looked out the window.

You continued to stare at him, letting it all sink in. Suddenly remembering something, you asked,

"Hey, why doesn't Al have a body?" Ed tore his gaze from the window and gave you a look of surprise.

"Oh, yeah...forgot you might be a little freaked about that..." he said sheepishly.

"Not really. Al didn't give me enough time to worry about it, but I don't really care anyway."

"What?" Ed asked. "Are you serious? It doesn't bug you at all that he's a hollow piece of armor?"

"No..." you said, "Should it? I mean, is there something else about him?"

"No, it's just-well you're the first person we've met other than me, Winry and Pinako who wasn't freaked out by him when we first saw him..." Ed replied. You tilted your head.

"Winry and Pinako? Who're they?" you asked.

"Oh, Winry's my automail mechanic and Pinako's-"

"Your what!? you exclaimed.

"Oh yeah, Al wasn't the end of the metal thing. I've got it too. See?" said Ed, pulling up the sleeve of his jacket so that you see the metal glinting underneath it.

"That's...SO COOL!" you yelled. Ed just blinked at you.

"Uh, yeah...I guess..." he trailed off.

"Does it work like a real arm?" you asked, excited. Rolan had once spoken about automail, but you'd never actually thought you'd ever see it.

"Yep. It pretty much is like a normal arm, but less breakable, and definately more painful." Ed told you, wincing.

"They connect it to the nerves, right? Is that why it's so painful?" you asked.

"That pretty much sums it up." Ed told you, "But I wouldn't suggest you to get some yourself." he told you. "I'd rather have my old arm and leg back..." he said quietly.

"Your leg to? Wow, what-" you began, but cut yourself off.

Whoa you thought, what's going on? I usually don't talk a lot, much less bug people about their buisness!

"It happened in an alchemy accident." Ed told you, answering your unfinished question. You looked down.

"Sorry, didn't mean to-"

"It's okay." Ed said, cutting you off. "I don't mind. Do you really want to know?" he asked. You looked out the window.

"If you don't want to tell me, then I don't, but if you do..."

"I do." he said. You nodded and sat back, waiting for him to continue.

"Well, me and Al were real little when it happened." Ed started. "We grew up in this town called Risembool, which isn't much bigger then Trezenga."

"Our family...well our dad walked out the door when I was just a toddler and never came back...jerk..." Ed said, mumbling the last part under his breath before continuing,

"But our mom was great. Better yet, fantastic. She was kind and gentle, and loved Al and I just as much as we loved her. She always smiled when we did alchemy, and was always encouraging us to do better. She hardly ever got mad at us, and we always felt really sorry when she did. But she never took long to forgive us. She was everything to us...but, when Al was nine and I was ten...she died.

"It was so quick...Al and I didn't know what to do. We decided to do something really stupid." he said, stopping to look at you, "Your dad was an alchemist, did he ever tell you about Human Transmutation?" he asks. You thought for a moment.

"Yeah, a little, but he never gave me very many details of it, he just made it sound like a really terrible thing." you answered.

"Well, he was pretty much right. Al and I used it. We were dumb enough to try..." he said quietly. "And that's how Al lost his body, and me my leg. I gave my arm up to seal Al's soul to that armor."

"It's not dumb." you said quietly.

"What?" Ed asked.

"It's not dumb." you repeated. "I'd give anything to bring Hojo back. If I'd known more about Human Transmutation-"

"Don't even joke about that!" Ed suddenly yelled.

"I was just saying, I can understand how you'd just throw away everything to try to bring someone you loved back." You told him. Ed's face softened.

There was a moment of silence before Ed said, "Hey, Akaro?"

"Yeah?"

"...Thanks..." he said. You looked at him surprised.

"For what?" Ed just smiled.

"For saying that. Other people have said stuff like that, but...I don't know, your's just seems more..."

"Sincere?" you finished for him. He shrugged,"I'm sure everyone else is to. Oh, and just consider it payback."

"Payback?" he asked.

"For saving me." you told him. He gave you a smirk.

"Payback isn't exactly the same thing as saying 'thank you'"

"Deal with it, it's the closest you'll get to one." you growled, opening your bag.

"Whatcha doin?" he asked in a funny voice. You couldn't help but laugh.

"Peaches, you want one?" you asked.

"Uh..sure..."

As you and Ed finished off the peaches, Al came back.

"Where'd you sneak off to?" asked Ed.

"Somewhere where no one was yelling. The conductor says we're about halfway to Central." replied Al. You jerked up in surprise.

"Really? Finally! Now I can get the letter to Roy!" Ed groaned.

"Not that pompous jerk again, are you sure we're talking about the same Roy?" he asked you.

"Ugh, for the last time, YES!" you said annoyed. "Jeez, is this guy really that bad?"

"Not unless you're a girl." said Ed.

You paled. Was Ed catching on? Seeing your nervousness, Al quickly jumped in.

"Brother, I know Roy's kind of a pervert, but he is polite around girls!" Ed chuckled.

"Yeah, but get him away from them and the only think he wants to talk about iswhat they'dllok like inmini-skirts!" he said. You groaned and shook your head.

Suddenly you were a little less excited about meeting Roy...

and on that happy note, I LEAVE YOU AGAIN! and just asa side note- i'm thinking about starting another series. i dunno. i'd still keep this one. maybe. maybe not. eggs. pudding. FOOKIE! yes, i'm on drugs.

-zago