Hey, everybody! Yes, I finally have a new chapter for this story! Thanks for your patience. That last chapter was awesome, by the way, RR-Major-Ed-Pride. I really enjoyed it. Hope this chapter isn't too hard for you to write to. Heh. Me and my curveballs. Hehehe. You're welcome to ask for help if you need it.
Disclaimer: We still don't own FullMetal Alchemist. Er, actually, we own it every other day. Yesterday and tomorrow, but never today. (Sorry, reference from Through the Looking Glass.)
I looked up into the face of my master's guest and gasped. It had suddenly hit me. That woman was the woman I had met in the marketplace. What was she doing here? Why was she my master's guest? I didn't get much time to try and figure it out though, because my master suddenly yanked me to my feet and dragged me outside.
I wanted to ask him where he was taking me, but at the same time, I knew that I probably wouldn't like the answer, so I kept silent. We walked along for a few minutes until we finally came to a building that housed a lot of my master's machinery. Even from the outside, the machinery was extremely noisy and loud.
I gave my master a quizzical look. "One of my machines is in bad need of repair," the master said, "It could explode any moment, and kill everyone on the plantation. None of my mechanics can fix the defect. Since you're an alchemist, I figured that you could probably do something about it."
"But I can't go into that building without protection!" I protested. "That place is just too noisy!"
The master chuckled. "Oh, so the safety of your brother isn't protection enough, eh?" I growled, and turned into the building, hearing my master laugh behind my back.
As soon as I stepped inside the building, my hands flew up to my ears, but it didn't help much. It was just too darn loud in here. It was so loud it actually hurt.
I looked around to find someone I could ask about the defective machine, and soon found a fellow slave. I tried to shout over the noise, though I don't think that he actually heard me. He seemed to understand me however, probably from reading my lips, and motioned for me to follow him.
He led me to where the defective machine was. I quickly inspected it, and found that sure enough, it was as the master had said. It was ready to explode at any moment. There wasn't much I could do to get it working again, being an alchemist and not a mechanic, but I was able to neutralize the elements to keep it from exploding. Being as volatile as it was though, it took several hours to accomplish, since I had to treat it with so much care.
I finally stepped outside again after all that. My head was still throbbing from all the noise, and my ears hurt, but it felt good to be outside again.
I started walking back towards the house. I knew that I still had some errands to do. After a few moments of walking, I felt someone grab my shoulder and spin me around. I turned to look up into my master's angry face. What could he possibly be angry about this time? What did I do wrong?
His lips were moving in a very angry manner, though no sound reached my ears. I just stared blankly at him, wondering what was going on. Finally, I was able to make out what he was saying on his lips. "I called your name ten times, didn't you hear me?"
I shook my head, and said, "I'm sorry, I didn't."
His scowl got even angrier as he mouthed something else to me. It took me a few tries to decipher what he was saying there too, but he was saying, "Don't you yell at me!"
I didn't know what he was talking about. I yelled? I replied back, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to yell."
He sighed and shoved me on my back into the grass. He got a look of resignation on his face and trudged off. I picked myself up and rubbed the back of my head. What was with him? Then suddenly, it hit me. I hadn't been able to hear him, not even when he was right up in my face. I had gone deaf. That explained why I was yelling at him. I couldn't hear myself speak.
No one was around to see me, so I placed my head in my hands and started to cry. Me and Al, we were both such a mess right now. Al was mute, and I was deaf. Finally, I dried my tears and stood back up. I didn't know whether this deafness was temporary or permanent, but I decided that I had better prepare for the worst. I would have to learn sign language. Heck, it would benefit Al too, since he couldn't speak. We could learn it together. He could be my ears, and I could be his voice, once I learned not to yell.
I turned and headed back to that noisy building. My master had obviously given up on me for the rest of the day, so I figured that he wasn't going to miss me. The people in that building had all been signing to each other, so they must've been deaf too. One of them should surely be able to teach me.
Sure enough, the people there were excited to have someone from the outside want to learn their language. Apparently, they had all been born deaf. They were especially excited that I could speak aloud, and communicate with others, but they were sorry to hear that I had lost my hearing during my business with the machine.
Their ability to read lips was quite impressive. I wondered how they did it so well. Perhaps it was because that was their only way of communicating with the outside world.
Soon, it began to grow dark. I thanked my instructors with the new signs I had learned that day, and headed out, towards the shack where the new slaves were kept. I had to explain all this to Al, though I knew it was going to hurt.
I stepped into the dark, dusty building, and Al instantly bounded over to me, though he had to stop and pant for breath. The poor thing was so sick and weak. He looked up at me with those eyes of his that said, "I'm so glad to see you, Brother." I wanted to cry right then, but I held back.
"Would you like to step outside for a minute, Al?" I said, motioning with my hand. He made a funny expression that I gathered was his reaction to the way that my voice sounded, but I ignored it for the time being.
He followed me outside, and I motioned for him to sit down. I turned to him and asked him if I was talking too loud for him. He made some hand motions and indicated that I was talking a little bit loud, so I tried to quiet down as much as I could. I then explained to him everything that had happened to me that day.
By the end of my story, he was bawling. I could tell that in those tears of his, there was a mixture of hurt and anger. I put my arms around him, and whispered, "I know, but it's okay. We're together now." He put his arms around me, and we hugged each other for several minutes, until he finally stopped crying.
I then told him about the sign language I was learning, and explained to him how it would be beneficial if he learned it as well, for various reasons. He seemed eager and willing, so I began with some of the signs I had learned that day. "This is the sign for 'thank you'," I said, making a hand motion that was similar to blowing a kiss. He repeated my motion.
"And this is the sign for love," I said. I clenched both of my fists, and crossed them at the wrists in front of my chest. He repeated that motion as well.
"This," I said, "Is the sign for hate." I pulled an invisible thread out of my chest between my thumb and middle finger, and then flicked it away from myself. Al repeated it. I wished it were that simple to get rid of my master. I sure hated him.
I continued with Al until I had shared with him all the signs I had learned that day. I stayed with him for several more minutes, talking with him, and going over the signs a few more times. Finally, I decided that I had better leave. I promised him that I would be back when I learned more signs. He seemed sad that I had to go so soon, but he seemed glad that we were learning a way to communicate with each other effectively.
I stood to leave, and he gave me a little wave. I hadn't even taught him that sign, but I guess that was a natural one. I waved in response, and then turned and left.
Did you enjoy that chapter? I hope so. Is that too hard of a chapter to respond to, RR-Major-Ed-Pride? I sure as heck hope not. I realize that it was a bit unfair to include a subject (sign language) that you probably don't know anything about. Just write whatever comes natural to you, okay? If you can't write any details on the sign language bit, then don't worry about it. Just focus on the story. I'll more than make up for the lack of details in my chapters, hehehe. As always, feel free to ask for help if you need it. I can't wait to see what you come up with.
For all of you readers, please, please review! We need the encouragement! Thanks a bunch for your support!