Chapter 9 "Early Birthday Girl--I mean, Gift"
A/N: This is what was going on in Chapter 8 when Alphonse phoned in again.
A couple normal days went by after the Elric brothers arrived in Central. Until...
"BROTHER!" Alphonse screamed all the way down the hall to their dorm room. Instantly warned, Edward scrambled up from where he was reading on the couch and ran into the hall. Alphonse sped past him and into the room, grabbing his brother's sleeve.
"Al, what's going on?" Edward said. Alphonse looked up.
"They're chasing you!" he said. Edward cocked a brow.
"Who?"
"Those girls!"
"Oh, God, Al. How do you know they're chasing me and not you?"
"They're screaming your name!" Al chuckled. He stopped, though, when a knock sounded at the door.
"Don't worry, Al, that's Roy's code knock. 3, 2, 4 knocks---" Ed sang the knock pattern while tapping the air. He turned to look at Al when he opened the door.
"See, Al? It's Roy!" Ed said happily.
"Who's Roy?" said a voice beyond the door. Al saw the person first and screamed.
Turning around, Ed gave a quick but piercing shriek. His knees buckled as he shut the door hard. He sat shaking with Al behind him. After a while Ed gathered himself and said with a shaking voice, "Who is it?"
"I'm Sciezka! Is Edward Elric here? I'm sorta a sap and I'm single! Can I cook you dinner tonight?" a sweet voice sounded from behind the door.
"You're still here!" Ed gasped.
"Yep! Until you open the door!" she said cheerfully. "Don't worry I'm the only one out here. The Colonel, 2nd Lieutenant and the Major are all at the end of the hall keeping the other girls away." she giggled.
"What possessed them to let one through?" Ed asked himself.
"I heard that." Sciezka said.
"No way! I was talking to myself!"
"I'm listening! I can tell that there's someone behind you scratching himself, too!" she said. A rustle at the door told Edward that she had her ear pressed up to the door. He looked behind him and Al was sitting on the floor scratching his head.
Edward got up slowly and opened the door.
"Come in." he said slowly. While Sciezka walked inside the room Ed mouthed something to Al.
"What did you do this for!"
"What do you like?" Sciezka asked, plopping down like a cute little girl on the couch and patting the space beside her for Ed to sit down.
"What do you mean?" Ed hadn't moved.
"Food, of course! What would you like to have for dinner?"
"Oh...um..well, what can you make?"
"I can make...hmm, let's see. I can make a variety of things I guess, thanks to a friend of mine to the East. She sends me recipies in the mail." Sciezka said. "Are you sure you don't want dinner tonight?"
"Uh...I...I don't know..." Ed said, finally sitting down unconsiously next to the girl, who blushed slightly.
"Well, let's see, what do you not like?" she asked.
"Milk." he said before she finished. There was no question about it. He did not like milk.
"Is that it?"
"Yeah. Other than that I eat and drink pretty much anything. Sorry if that's no help..." he said sadly.
"That's okay. I was thinking about making creamy mushroom soup. But that calls for milk, so I guess that's out. But that's fine, I don't really care for the dish myself.." she chuckled nervously. "How about sweet shrimp and carrots?"
Ed raised his eyebrows and thought for a moment.
"That sounds good..." he said out loud without meaning to.
"Really! I'll get the shrimp!" Sciezka jumped up and headed for the door.
"Hey , wait up! I didn't say anything!" Edward said, getting up and pulling her back.
"Oh, yes you did! You said it sounds good! So I got up to go get the shrimp!"
It was then that they realised how close they were standing to eachother. Edward was holding her arm and their chests were nearly touching.
Alphonse was sitting in the corner waiting for a bomb to go off. He peeked over the head of his bed in the corner.
"Uh...o-okay...you go a-ahead...I'll be here." Edward stuttered, letting go of her arm.
"Okay! I'll be right back!" she said cheerfully, blushing. When the door closed the bomb went off. Alphonse started it.
"GOSH, Brother! Why were you so uptight!"
"Darn it, Al! Why'd you call that radio station in the first place!"
"You were going to kill yourself worrying over Mom like that!"
"Oh yeah! Well I'm still alive now aren't I?"
"That's only because I called Dr. Tucker!"
"That's not good enough a reason!"
"Then what IS?"
They looked at eachother, fuming. They posed a punch at eachother. They usually don't get in verbal fights like this, but this was the rare exception. Alphonse was the first to calm down. He lowered his fist and walked over to his brother to put his fist down, too.
"Ed, we really shouldn't fight like this." Al touched Ed's fist and brought it down. Edward's face softened.
"You're right, Al." he said. They both sat down on the couch and sighed.
"Oh, that's right! I have to get ready!" Alphonse said after a time.
"Ready for what?" Edward asked. Al gave him a look that said everything. "Oh, Gosh, Al, you have a date!" Al's sweet little face did little to cover it up.
"It will garentee a private moment for you and me tonight." he said. "I'll be here for dinner, though. I like shrimp." Al laughed.
"Who are you going with?"
"Her name's Elysia. You'll never believe who her father is."
"Who is it?"
"Maes Hughes!"
"No!"
"Yes. And you'll probably never guess where I met her, either."
"Where?"
"His funeral."
Edward laughed.
"It's true!" Alphonse persisted.
"I'm sorry, Al. I've been trying to find a time to laugh today."
"In that case, Ed, go ahead and laugh. It's for your health." Alphonse smiled. "How about we play a game? We haven't played this one in a while."
"Which one?"
"The one where we switch personalities."
"Oh, that one. Al, you know I never liked that one!" Ed laughed.
Nokku no oto 1
"Game over, Ed! She's back!" Alphonse giggled. Ed got the door. Sciezka was holding a small bag from the local store.
"It won't be long!" she said, heading to the small stove. "Oh, I got a little something to surprise you, I hope you like it."
"That's okay, Sciezka." Ed said, smiling. Sciezka blushed for a moment and laughed a laugh you'd rather not hear every day. Or every other day for that matter.
:Later:
"That was really good!" said a rather full Ed, who leaned back on the couch. Alphonse agreed.
"Well, I better be on my way!" Alphonse said, grabbing a jacket.
"I'll see you then!" Ed said, patting his brothers back. "Good luck!"
After Alphonse left the room, it was very quiet. So quiet you could have heard Edward hiccup if Sciezka hadn't broken the silence.
"Where was Al going?" she asked.
"He had a date." Edward answered, looking away and blushing. Sciezka walked over from her seat and sat beside him on the couch.
"So do we you know." she said. Edward nodded, but didn't say anything. He just sat there stiff as a tree. Sciezka touched his hand.
"Did you like the meal as much as you said you did?" she asked.
"Yes, I did." Ed said, trying to look her in the eye. It was harder than he thought it was to do.
:outside the door:
Holding the phone up to his ear, Alphonse was discribing the whole scene over the phone to Dr. Nina Tucker.
A/N: If you want to know what he said, read the italics at the end of Chapter 8
:Inside the room:
"Do you want to stand by the window? It's a full moon out." Sciezka asked. Edward looked startled, but he figured it might be something girls like, so he nodded and stood up. They walked over to the window together. Edward stared at the stars and Sciezka stared at him. She stepped closer to him, he was startled.
"It's okay, right? To stand like this?" he asked. Sciezka laughed and stepped closer. Ed moved away.
"Do you have something against girls?" she asked, now needing to chase him around the room.
"No-o!" Ed said, climbing over the couch and running around the room trying to get his own space. She grabbed his arm and pulled him back to the window.
"Let go!" he said playfully, shaking his arm.
"No! Not until you kiss me!" Sciezka giggled. Edward stopped laughing.
"What?" he asked, his eyes wide. "You didn't just say that did you?"
"Say what? What did I say?" she asked, giggling. Ed looked embarrased.
"You asked if...I could...kiss you..." he stuttered, looking away.
"Hmm..." Sciezka tipped her head. She looked at him 2 with dreamy eyes and said, "Pwease..!"
"Alright, fine. But you gotta tell me something after, okay?" Edward gave in.
"Fine with me." she said, leaning up and smiling. Edward leaned and kissed her cheek.
"Now what did you want to ask me?" she said dreamily. Edward stood still for a moment.
"What's the worst thing that happened in your life and if it got better, what made it better?" he asked. Sciezka didn't say anything for a moment.
"Well, my Mother got sick a long time ago and at the time my skill for reading wasn't appreciated. After a while I was let go from my job at the library here adn I couldn't pay for my Mother's hospital bill. It was by chance that a young Military boy came to my house to gather some information about a Tim Marcoh. I said I could remember every word and so he asked me to transcribe it. When I did, he came back and gave me a considerable amount of money. My Mother was able to stay at the hospital and get better. That was a happy, but overwhelming moment of my life. And shortly after that, I got a job again. It even paid more than my last job."
"I know who that is...but...I don't know if I should tell you. All I can do right now is say that you have a better life than me. For that, I'll give you something." Edward said after a moment of thought.
"What will you give me?" Sciezka said with a sweet smile, happy that someone complimented her life. Without answering, Ed leaned in again and this time, kissed her on the lips.
A/N: Da-Da-Da-DAAAN! Edward kissed the mystery lady!
Lots of thanks to Sanowaeca for really enjoying this story. This chapter was posted early because of his/her eagerness. Again, to all my readers, thanks and please Review!
1 Nokku no oto means A knock at the door. Or literally, sound of the knock
2 Remember, Sciezka's just as tall as Ed now, so she wouldn't have to lean up, just closer. lol He's still short though. XD
Ed: WHO'S SHORT!
Riyo: AAAAHHH! runs and hides; meep!