okay, this time, i swear it wasn't my fault! fanfic wouldn't upload any of my chapters, so DON'T BLAME ME!
cause i probably don't care that much anyway.
disclamer- i don't own FMA. but yes, i do own sonic riders. I UNLOCKED SHADOW!
Recap- (don't feel like it. either you read the last one or you didn't.)
Start-Al's POV- You woke up a bit earlier than usual, and found something not so usual. How did...? You thought, surprised.
Not only was Aka not on the floor, she was sleeping in the same bed as Ed! Ed was laying half-on-his-back with both his real and metal arms around Aka's stomach. His head rested against the top of hers. Aka was snuggled up against Ed, clutching his metal arm with her hand and resting her head on his shoulder.
Your mind did a flash-back of what happened in Central. Forget it You thought, Let them deal with it this time, I'm not moving them With that decision, you left the room and went downstairs.
About ten minutes later you heard a, 'WAKE UP DAMMIT!' Everyone else in the hotel looked confused, but if you had your real body back, anyone who saw you would have seen the knowing grin on your face.
Aka's POV- Your eyelids fluttered open and you frowned, trying to remember where you were. Suddenly, it hit you like a mini-skirt-girl slapping Roy. (hold on...that last line gave me a giggle fit...okay, now i can write)
You glanced up and blushed furiously as you saw Ed's face a mere inch or so from yours. His face was relaxed, and his hair was a bit messy where he'd forgotten to take it out of the braid. You tried to move away, but Ed frowned in his sleep and you felt a pressure on your waist. Looking down, your blush deepened as you saw his arms circled tightly around your waist. You tried moving again, but he just held on tighter. Jeez...alright, Ed needs to wake up before he squeezes the life outta me! You thought.
Looking back up into Ed's face, you blew some air into it. He flinched, but stayed asleep. "Ed?" You asked whispered softly. He didn't respond. "Ed." You whispered louder. Rolling your eyes, you scooted closer to his ear. "Ed-ward El-ric..." You said in a sing-song voice. "...WAKE UP DAMMIT!" You yelled at the top of your lungs.
Ed flinched and his eyes snapped open. "What was that for!" He yelled. Then he blinked, looking confused. "Why are you..." he trailed off, looking down. You saw his face get red and he quickly released you. You quickly sat up and stood up, streaching to hide your blush.
"S-sorry." Ed stammered. You were too busy blushing to answer. Looking over at Al's bed, you winced.
"Oh crap, I bet Al saw us." You said.
Ed groaned. "Great. Now he'll never let us live it down..."
"How are you feeling?" You asked Ed, who was still sitting on the bed.
He shrugged. "Okay I guess. My back's kinda sore though."
You looked at him thoughtfully before walking over and sitting behind him. Ed blushed as he felt your hands crawl up his shirt.
"What're you-"
"Haven't you ever had a back massage? Whenever my back got really sore from farming, one of these always made me feel better. Now relax, it won't work if you stay all stiff." You explained, massaging his back.
Ed didn't answer, but you felt his body relax under your hands. Smiling, you continued to rub his shoulders. After a while, Ed finally spoke.
"Thanks Aka," he said, "You were right, I do feel a lot better now."
You smiled again and started to pull back your hands, but Ed reached around and grabbed your arm.
"I wasn't asking you to stop." He said quietly.
You blushed, but hesitantly started to rub his back again. You heard Ed sigh and blushed even more. As you rubbed his back, you noticed the hard muscles underneath. You weren't surprised, you knew how often Ed practiced his hand-to-hand combat. But you still blushed as you pictured Ed with his shirt off.
Your stomach suddenly felt funny. You stopped and frowned, trying to figure out what it was. You felt Ed turn around slightly to look at you over his shoulder.
"Aka?" he asked, "You okay? You look kinda funny..."
You looked up at him and felt your stomach do another flip-flop. Absentmindely, you let your arms fall to hug your stomach. "I feel funny..." You said quietly.
"What kind of funny?" He asked.
You looked away. "I dunno...I've never felt this way before..." You felt the weight on the bed shift and looked back. Blushing, you realized that Ed's face was really close to yours.
"Ed...?" You asked softly. He didn't answer, but his face got closer to yours. Your face turned a shade of red never seen, but you didn't pull back. Then, just as his face was about a millimeter away...
...suspense moment...
...the phone rang.
You and Ed jerked your head in the direction of the ring. "Since when has that been there?" Ed grumbled. You blushed and looked away. Ed glanced at you and sighed before getting up and answering the phone.
As he talked, you stared at the wall, your face a little red. You felt so funny, and yet...so happy. A small smile crept onto your face as Ed hung up the phone.
"Hey, Aka?" He asked. You turned around to look at him.
"That was Al. He said he got some information from some people in town about Rune Ore. I'm gonna go check it out. Wanna come?" He asked. You nodded and stood up.
"Yeah, yesterday's attempt was pretty pitiful, I wanna give finding the ore another try." You said. Ed smiled faintly.
"You can't stand failing, can you?" He said teasingly. You crossed your arms and smirked.
"Just trying to be less like you and Mustang." You said smugly. Ed glared at you.
"Hey! Don't compare me to that jerk, he's a bigger failure than anybody!" He protested. You laughed and flicked his forhead.
"You just keep telling yourself that." You said, still laughing. Ed was about to say something else, but you picked up his jacket and threw it at him.
"Enough talk, we gotta go get some rune ore!" You said enthusiastically. (whoa...big word...not even caring if it's spelled right...) Ed grumbled, but slipped his coat on. Smiling you made for the door with Ed following.
Deciding to avoid an awkward silence, you asked, "Where is Al anyway?" Ed shrugged.
"He said he was standing outside some house on the far-end of town. I figure we can't miss him." He told you.
"Guess that's a good thing about the armor: Al's easy to keep track of." You said happily. Ed laughed.
"Yeah, no kidding. But there are times when he slips away from me..." This made you smirk. "Of course Ed, only you could loose track of a six-foot piece of armor." Ed gave you an annoyed look, but said nothing. You rolled your eyes at his behavior.
"Jeez Ed, I was just kidding!" You said. Ed looked at you and smiled faintly.
"I know." He said quietly, grabbing your hand and intwining his fingers in it. You blushed, but held on to his hand. Looking around, you couldn't help but notice that Iselia had never been prettier...
You smiled the through the whole walk, you couldn't help it! You were just so happy! You couldn't remember a time you'd been happier. Looking up at Ed, you smiled and squeezed his hand a little. He smiled back and tugged you closer to him. It made your funny feel kind of funny, but now you knew it was a good kind of funny.
Looking down the street, you saw a familar armor standing in front of someone's house.
"Al!" You called, waving your free arm. He looked in your direction and waved back, walking towards you and Ed.
"There you are! I was beginning to think-wait, are you two holding hands?" Al exclaimed. You and Ed blushed, letting each other go. But both of you did it reluctantly. Al chuckled at you two.
"Did you find any Rune Ore?" Asked Ed, trying to change the subject. Al nodded.
"I think so. There's a man living in this house called Altessa (yep, nother tales of symphonia name. deal with it, i could friggin marry that game) who says he has a family heirloom from the caves. I was waiting for you guys to get here before looking at it, but I didn't realize you were busy." He said in a teasing voice. Both you and Ed turned bright red.
I don't believe Al! He never seemed like the type to do this kind of stuff!...But I guess it is his job...being a little brother and all You thought, But I guess the armor doesn't make him seem so little The thought made you laugh out loud.
"What's so funny?" Asked Ed, looking confused.
"Nothing, just thinking about how short you are compared to Al!" You said. Ed got an anime vein and glared at you.
"WHO YOU CALLIN SO SHORT THAT THEY LOOK LIKE THEIR RELATED TO DWARVES AND PIXIES?" He yelled. You and Al burst out laughing as people around you started to stare.
"Shaddup! It's not that funny!" Ed yelled.
"Yes it is!" You and Al said in unison, still laughing.
Ed looks so cute when he's angry! You thought, then mentally broke your nose. Stop it! Ed's just a friend!...Isn't he?
"What's all the commotion outside my house?" came a voice. Turning, you saw a man with a large gray beard standing not too far away from you. He wore a long green shirt with faded brown pants underneath.
"Oh, hello Altessa!" Al said cheerfully.
"Oh, hello Alphonse. Are these the friends you were waiting for?" Asked Altessa. Al nodded.
"Yes, Altessa? This is my older brother, Edward, and our friend, Akari (yeah, the guys know your name now. but they'll call you aka for short) Guys, this is Altessa."
Ed nodded to him. "Hey, nice to meet you. You can just call me Ed by the way." You nodded as well.
"Yeah, most people call me Aka for short." You told Altessa. He looked down at you.
"I'll try to remember that Aka. And- forgive me for asking, but- might you by chance be an Ishbalan?" You blushed and looked at the ground, not used to being asked this question.
"Um- yes, but I don't- uh- practice their beleifs or anything..." You stammered.
"Aka practices alchemy, she's actually pretty good at it." Ed said. You smiled at him, knowing he was trying to make you feel better.
"An alchemist you say? Now I understand...are you looking to use the rune ore?" Altessa asked. You shook your head.
"No, we just want to study it. We won't even take it out of the house." You assured him. Altessa sighed in releif.
"Good. It's such an old family treasure, I'd never forgive myself if something happend to it. Your free to look at it all you want. Just be careful." Ed nodded and walked towards the house.
"Don't worry about it gramps!" He called over his shoulder, "I'll be careful with it!" Rolling your eyes at Ed's misuse of proper names, you followed him into the house.
On the inside, the house was pretty small. Infact, it was more like a one-room cottage.
"Here you are." Altessa said, pulling a box off of one of the hanging shelves. He set it on the table and opened it, revealing a dark orange stone inside.
Ed picked it up and squinted at it for a while. "It's mineral properties aren't like most ores." Ed said, "But it is similar to a red stone."
Taking the stone from Ed, you held it out on your palm and focused on it, making a few red sparks in your hand. The stone responded by emitting its own orange sparks.
"That kind of looks like the effect of Roy's gloves." Al commented. "Do you think their similar?" You shrugged and handed the rune ore back to Ed, deciding to let them take notes.
"So," You said, turning to Altessa, "Do you have any relatives in town or something?"
"Yes, as a matter of fact I do." Altessa said. "My son farther into town with his wife and children. I used to live farther away from the town, but after my wife passed away recently, my son asked my to move closer to him. So, here I am." You smiled faintly at him.
"I'm glad you have family close by. I lost someone quite recently to." You told Altessa. He looked at you with surprise.
"That's a shame." Said Altessa, "Losing a loved on at a young age. You must miss them very much. I can't count the amount of tears I've shed for my wife..." Altessa broke off, looking a little misty-eyed. You looked down and bit your lip, thinking hard.
Did I ever cry for dad? I don't think so...but why? What's wrong with me? I mean, I don't want to feel sad all the time, but I should cry for him...shouldn't I?
You felt a tap on your shoulder and looked up to see Ed standing next to you. You hadn't even noticed him walk towards you.
"Hey, we're done taking notes on the rune ore, so we're gonna leave now. You comin?" He asked. Dimly, you nodded and followed him out, not even noticing where you were going. Suddenly...
"AKA!" Ed yelled.You looked at him, but didn't stop walking. Your eyes widened when your saw him rush towards, you, seizing your arm and jerking it towards him. You winced and fell, landing painfully on your but. Blinking, you looked up just in time to see a horse and buggy fly past, right where you'd been standing.
"Aka, are you nuts? You almost got ran over!" Ed was yelling. You didn't answer, Ed sighed and held out a hand to you, helping you stand.
"Are you alright Aka?" Asked Al, "You look like something's wrong..." You bent your head, clutching your chest.
"Th-There is something wrong...with...with me!" You stammered, turning around and dashing off.
MWAHAHA! so close to a kissing scene, yet so far? what's with aka though, huh? why did she run off? what if she never comes back? then there'll NEVER be a kissing scene! MWAHA- cough cough...wheeze
argh. all of this maniacal laughter is giving me asthma.
yes, it's medically possible
-zago