Chapter 5: Leaving Nikooru

Ed didn't want Nikooru tagging along with them anymore not to say that they didn't enjoy her company, and her skills in alchemy helped too. They just didn't want her to get hurt over them. After all the search for the Philosopher Stone seemed to be picking up the pace Ed didn't want Nikooru to get in the way even though she rarely ever did get in the way. Not to mention it had also become more dangerous.

Al sighed. "Brother I really wish I couldn't have kept the little kitty. By the way brother why do you have your suitcase?"

"It would have just gotten in the way we don't have time to be taking care of a kitty…" Edward said ignoring the question Al had just asked.

"Brother?"

"Al… Nikooru has been traveling with us for along time now right?"

"Yeah."

"Well do you think it is such a good idea to allow her to keep traveling with us. I mean what if it gets dangerous?"

"Yeah I never thought about that but, I guess it is because Nikooru always seems to fend pretty well on her own though. We never have to rescue her."

"Yeah she isn't the damsel in distress type is she" Edward laughed "Heck I hate to say it but, she has probably rescued us a few times."

"So then I don't see the trouble of her traveling with us."

"C'mon Al lets go find Marcoh" Edward began to run in front of Al.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean right now."

"Ed be rational it is dark out why not tomorrow."

"Because tomorrow would be too late. Nikooru would surely not let us leave without her"

"Brother" Al sighed and followed Ed. So that is why you decided to bring your suitcase. Al decided not to protest to what his brother had decided. He sort of agreed. He would hate to see Nikooru get hurt over them.

Back at the Hotel.

"Ed and Al still aren't back." Nikooru said while leaning against the wall, peering out the window. She then turned her head towards the clock. 12:30 a.m. It shouldn't be taking them this long. Then a strange thought occurred to Nikooru. Why hadn't she thought of it before?

She began stomping around the room. Where is it? It should be here?

"WHERE IS EDWARD'S SUITCASE?" Nikooru yelled. Come to think of it they hadn't told me where they were going next. So that was how it was.

Nikooru clenched her fists. What had I done wrong to make them ditch me? I hadn't gotten in the way. I helped them.

Nikooru picked up her bag with her belongings in it, and dragged it towards the window. She opened the window which was on the 3rd floor of the hotel, and flung her bag out the window. If anything in her bag broke she could always use alchemy to fix it so what did she care.

Nikooru poked her head out the window. Doesn't seem like anybody's around? She flung her body out the window, and grabbed hold of the gutter which ran to the ground. With her hands and legs gripped tightly around the gutter she proceeded to slide down the gutter slowly.

Nikooru began to proceed towards the train station in the night the full moon illuminating her way. She decided that she would follow them without their knowing if they didn't want her around then she would let them think she wasn't around for the time being. Nikooru cringed at this thought it made her feel too much like a stalker which is not what she wanted.

Train Station

Nikooru was very sleepy but, when she caught sight of Al getting onto a train she perked up. She couldn't see Ed thought on account of how small he was. Nikooru laughed at the thought of Ed being small she knew how much he hated.

"WHO ARE YOU IMPLYING IS SHORT?"

Al could already tell where this was going.

Nikooru jumped as she heard this almost as if Edward had heard her thoughts, or something. She couldn't help herself from grinning.

"I am sorry it is just that I didn't see you there," one of the trains personal replied nervously. The train personal person was quite tall comparing him to the average man's height which is something Ed wasn't. Apparently he hadn't seen Ed, while Ed had been trying to show him his boarding pass for a minute or so. He was preoccupied with look at Al in his armor. Edward had gotten agitated from waiting, and said hey down here. The train personal looked down at Edward and said "Sorry didn't see you down there"

"YOU SAID IT AGAIN!" Edward said while waving his hands angrily in the air.

"I am sorry please just show me you boarding pass." The train personal didn't want Edward to get any madder this wouldn't look good if one of his bosses passed.

"Edward come on now he is sorry let's go," Al said trying to calm his brother down.

Edward shoved his boarding pass into the train personals hand.

"Okay you can board now," The train personal said handing the pass back to Edward while using a sorry small.

As Nikooru watched Ed and Al board the train she began to observe the train. She took note on where the trains personal were around the train. She was going to have to sneak onto the train. With this Nikooru grinned.

Ed and Al took their seats on the train. "Really Ed you don't have to get so mad," Al scolded for being so temperamental. It wasn't like it mattered though Ed wouldn't change but, Al felt like it was his duty to scold him even if he didn't learn anything from it.

Ed looked out the window. "When is this thing going to start moving?" He said while tapping his feet on the ground. Al sighed in the seat beside Ed.

Fifteen minutes later the train slowly began to lurch forward slowly picking up pace. "Finally," Ed said the last 15 minutes had seemed like an eternity for Ed. He was just ready to move forward to their destination, and now that they were finally moving he didn't feel so bad.

Nikooru held onto the transmuted handles she had made on top of the train's caboose. The train wasn't, and now that it was out of the train station she decided to slowly make her way towards the caboose's end where a ladder was leading down to a small platform which had rails around it. She climbed down the ladder, and stepped on to the platform.

Nikooru was hoping that the door which leads into the caboose was open but, unfortunately it wasn't. Nikooru for awhile stood up on the platform, and watched the scenery go by contemplating what was next. She did eventually tire of standing so she sat down on the platform. How much longer?

Two hours had passed. Edward banged his head against the window… "Are we there yet?" Al replied with a cheery voice "Yup" Ed drew his head back from the window "Really?" "Yeah Ed" Al replied not so cheery as before though.

The train slowed to a stop. Ed and Al both got off they could see the remnants of a town in the horizon.

Nikooru perked up when the train came to a stop. She peered around the edge of the train to see something really shiny in the sun get off, Alphonse. She jumped down from the platform, and hoped that they wouldn't see her there weren't any trees to close to hide behind. The two brothers made their way without even looking around.

Nikooru was a bit surprised to see that the train hadn't started moving yet. Then a big man with sparkles stepped off the train not far from where Nikooru was. The train then slowly began to lurch forward onto its next stop.

The man was dressed in a military uniform. They both stood there for like 10 minutes. Nikooru watched Ed and Al turn into specks in the distance. This was when the military man turned to see Nikooru acknowledging her presence.

"You shouldn't ride on the caboose you could get hurt." He said to Nikooru then began to slowly walk forward.

He was obviously following Edward and Alphonse this much Nikooru could tell why else would he have waited so long. Nikooru felt weird but, she slowly made her way towards the town not to far behind the military man.