Yeah! A new chapter! Hope that you enjoy! All your reviews convinced me to upload another chapter sooner, so please leave me lots of reviews for this chapter too. Heh.
Disclaimer: I don't own FullMetal Alchemist. I sure wish I did though. Heck, I'm not THAT creative! Heh!
Al woke up the next morning and casually looked around. They had wandered into the woods, and had no idea exactly where they were, but they weren't concerned about that. They had simply made a nice bed out of pine needles for Ed to sleep on as soon as he started getting tired. Al didn't need a bed, being a suit of armor, after all.
Al glanced over at his brother, who was still asleep. He always tried so hard to act tough, but he looked just like a helpless child in his sleep. Al wondered if his brother put on that tough act to keep him from worrying. If so, it wasn't really working, because Al always worried about his brother.
Al reached over and gently shook his brother awake. "Brother…it's time to get up. We need to get moving while it's daylight."
Ed yawned and said, "Just let me sleep a little longer. We can always travel by moonlight."
"Brother, tonight is the new moon. There won't be any moon out tonight. Wake up!" Al shook him a little more vigorously.
Finally, Ed opened his eyes and sat up. His eyes looked red from lack of sleep, and he was just staring into space like someone who hadn't yet had their morning coffee.
"Brother, what's the matter?" asked a concerned Al.
"Nothing," yawned Ed, "I just didn't get any sleep last night, that's all." He stretched his arms and yawned again. He closed his eyes again for a second, and then promptly collapsed back into his bed.
"Brother!" yelled Al, shaking him awake once again, "Something's wrong, what's the matter?"
Ed opened his eyes again, and yawned as he said, "Nothing's the matter. I'm just not used to sleeping outdoors, so I had a terrible sleep last night."
"But why did you fall asleep again so fast?" asked Al.
"I fell asleep again?" asked Ed. Al nodded. "I'm just really tired is all. Just give me a couple hours, and I'll be my normal self."
"But we don't have a couple hours to waste," reminded Al.
"You're right, we don't," said Ed as he carefully pushed himself to a standing position and yawned again. "We'll just have to spend those couple hours walking."
"Are you sure you're okay, Brother?" asked a worried Al.
"Never better," yawned Ed, "Now come on, Al, we don't have all day." Al quickly moved his body to get in step with his brother. He sure hoped that Ed was okay.
Back at the circle, Aries was talking to the signs. At least, the ones she trusted.
"Pisces is going to go looking for Scorpio and Cancer, but being a water sign herself, her moves are easy to predict. The waters signs are naturally attracted to water, so she's likely heading for the lake, supposing that Cancer and Scorpio are as well. Since water and fire don't mix, I want Leo and Sagittarius to go and overwhelm her psychic senses. That should make her not be able to perceive the other water signs for a short time. Now go!"
The two fire signs changed into their fiery forms and launched themselves into the sky, heading in the direction of the lake.
"Even if you managed to capture all the water signs, that still won't make you an all-powerful ruler," came a voice from behind her, "You need the cooperation of all twelve signs to accomplish that."
Aries turned to see the man who was speaking. She laughed in a scoffing manner. "I have no need to fear Aquarius, as air feeds fire. As for you, Taurus, an earth sign isn't much of a threat. Besides, I happen to know that if I have all the other signs under my control, you'll give in and submit to me."
Taurus shrugged, almost as if he didn't care. "You know how much I am against your plotting for power. I have no need to fight you myself, because I know you will indeed be defeated by the three water signs and possibly even the air sign that you so casually toss aside. You will fall, and I'll help those against you in any way I can."
Aries chuckled and then smirked. "You talk big now, but you'll see my way of things when the water signs and the rogue air sign have been captured."
Taurus just shrugged, and then left. "Stubborn," muttered Aries, "Stubborn as…well, a bull."
Back at the lake, Pisces was staring out over the water, muttering, "Please find me soon, my fellow water signs. We need you." Suddenly, she gasped and spun around. Two fiery forms had landed behind her, which promptly turned into their human forms.
"Leo and Sagittarius, what are you doing here?" she demanded.
"We have orders straight from Aries," said Leo with a bit of a gloat.
"I'm not going back with you!" yelled Pisces.
Sagittarius smirked. "This is going to be fun!" she said. She then converted into her fiery form and surrounded Pisces in the flames. Pisces screamed. She hated fire more than anything else.
"What's the matter, Pisces?" asked an indignant Leo, "Why don't you just turn into your native element and save yourself?" He then turned into his fiery form, and launched a blast of fire at Pisces.
Luckily, being psychic, she was able to anticipate that blast in time to convert herself into her native form. She splashed water over the flames of Sagittarius to try and douse the flames somewhat. Sagittarius simply parted her flames wherever the water hit, and then put them back in place as soon as the threat was gone. Leo continued firing his fire blasts.
This went on for several minutes until Pisces converted back into her human form, grabbed her head, and let out and ear-splitting scream. This was the cue that the two fire beings were looking for, so they turned back into their human forms and stood staring at the panicked woman before them.
"Not so tough now, are we, Pisces?" mocked Sagittarius. Pisces was still crying and screaming from the overload of psychic pain she was experiencing. The two fire signs laughed.
"Well, our work here is done," said Leo, "Let's get back to the circle."
"Good," whined Sagittarius, "This is getting boring. I want to go do something fun!" The two fire signs converted back into their fiery forms and launched themselves into the sky, leaving Pisces still gripping her throbbing head.
"Brother, did you hear that?" asked Al.
"Yes," said Edward, rubbing his eyes and yawning, "It sounded like a woman screaming. Let's go check it out."
Within a few minutes, the boys found themselves in a clearing by the lake. A woman was gripping her head and sobbing pitifully. Ed and Al couldn't help but feel sorry for her.
Al walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. He didn't know what to say, but he wanted to just let her know that he cared.
Ed was able to come up with words more easily than Al. "What's the matter? Is there any way we can help?"
The woman shook her head and continued sobbing. "Could you at least tell us what's wrong?" Ed knelt down in front of her.
"My head!" cried the woman, sobbing some more.
"Could we get some medicine?" Al finally managed to say.
"NO!" she yelled, "That will dampen my psychic abilities even more, and the fate of this country depends on them!"
Ed narrowed his eyes. "How so? Are you one of the signs of the zodiac?"
Pisces looked up into Ed's golden eyes, which had suddenly taken on a very angry look. This couldn't be good, she thought, not good at all.
Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Now review, and let me know what you think! Yeah! Heh heh heh.