Wowza! Such a positive outcome! Yey! Starting in the next chapter (chapter three) I'll be answering any questions ya might have (happy). Glad you're all enjoying this one!
Chapter Three
--
"My brothers…" Liem looked down at the photo, "How…how can I have two older brothers and not know about it?"
"Because Liem," Hoenheim said, "We never told you, your mother and I felt it necessary not to worry you about events of the past."
"Events? What happened?" Liem asked. Trisha and Hoenheim looked at each other then led Liem over to the couch and sat him down. He still had a look of uncertainty on his face as his parents sat down next to him.
"It was seventeen years ago, they were born, Edward was our first, then Alphonse a year later." Hoenheim started to explain, "It was only a month after Alphonse was born that they were taken."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Liem asked.
"Because, we had searched for so long for them, they were never found," Trisha answered, she had a very sad look on her face, "There was very little chance they were still alive, not after so long."
Liem looked down at the carpet and mulled all this over, he may have only just turned twelve but he inherited his fathers uncanny thinking ability. He wanted to know what happened to his older brothers, he wanted to find out if they were still alive. Finally Liem looked up at his parents and said,
"I have…two older brothers…wow." He then slid down off the couch and picked up his alchemy book, "You don't have too worry about me." He then went up to his room and closed the door.
--
The next morning the ground was damp from the rain but it was sunny and Liem was running up the path to Winrys' house. He wanted to tell her about what happened and how he found out that the boys in the picture were his older brothers. He climbed the porch steps and walked up to the door, knocking on the door he waited. Den, Winrys' dog, walked up the steps and nudged Liems' hand, he looked down and laughed,
"Oh hey Den!" he patted the dog on the head then knocked again, "Hm, I wonder where they are. Do you know Den?"
Den just tilted his head and barked, Liem sighed and turned around, he took the photo out of his pocket and looked at it again. Sitting down on the steps, he studied the picture.
"If they disappeared seventeen years ago, and Alphonse was born a year after Edward…they'd be seventeen and eighteen years old." He tilted his head, "Wow."
Standing up, Liem sighed again and started down the steps, he was about half way down the path when something caught his eye. Looking up he noticed a silhouette standing near a large oak tree not too far away, squinting his eyes; Liem tried to make out who it was. The figure tilted its' head and waved, Liem waved back even though he wasn't sure why. Blinking, Liem tried to get a clearer view of who ever it was, but when he blinked again, the figure vanished.
"Huh…I wonder who that was…" Liem muttered, he felt a shiver go down his spine as he started walking again, something just didn't feel right about that person.
--
That evening while Liem was helping his mother set the table for dinner, his father burst into the kitchen. He was very flustered and rushed,
"Honey, what's the matter?" Trisha asked.
"One of the neighbors' barns has caught fire, it's gotten real bad and I'm going to help." Hoenheim answered.
"What! How did that happen?"
"Nobody knows, some suspect arisen but it's not completely clear exactly how it started." He turned to leave again, "Don't worry, I'll be back before you know it."
"Be careful."
Hoenheim gave them both a quick kiss before leaving, Trisha sighed and set up the last of the tableware. Liem looked from his mother to the door then back to his mother, he bit his lower lip in thought before starting for the door. Just as he was about to open the front door, there came a knock,
"Liem dear, could you get that." His mother said from the kitchen. Liem sighed and said,
"All right mom!" he turned to the door again, taking a deep breath he opened the door slowly. There, in the doorway stood a figure in a black rain jacket, Liem found that kind of odd considering it wasn't raining. "Can I help you?"
"Yes," the figure said in what seemed like a light voice, "Is your mother or father at home?"
"Yeah, my mom's in the kitchen," Liem answered, he was getting that odd feeling again, that same one he felt when he'd seen the figure by the tree that morning, "I can get her for you if you'd like."
"Thank you, such a nice young man." The figure nodded. Liem closed the door slowly and made his way back to the kitchen.
"Mom, there's someone at the door for you." Liem said. Trisha turned from the sink and walked over,
"Really, all right then." She followed Liem back towards the front door, but when they reached the living room the figure in the raincoat was standing near the couch. When they walked in the figure looked up and asked,
"Is this…new?"
"Liem, did you let this person in?" Trisha asked slowly.
"No…"
"I see," Trisha walked over to the figure, "Would you like me to take your coat for you?"
"No, thank you ma'am."
"Have a seat, tell me what it is you want." Trisha continued.
"I'm here on family matters ma'am, I was wondering if you could help me."
"Why do you ask here? Surely you could go to the police for such things."
The figure didn't answer, Trisha was giving them a suspicious look, and finally she said,
"It's kind of hard to talk with someone if they're wairing a coat with the hood up, surely you can at least lower your hood, it is quite rude."
"All right…I see no harm in it…" the figure sighed lowering their hood, "How is that ma'am."
Trisha had stood up; she had a horrified look on her face as if she'd seen a ghost. Liem looked up at his mother questioningly; he then looked over at the figure that turned out to be a young man. The young man had dark bluish brown eyes and long dark blonde hair tied up in a high ponytail, he couldn't be more then sixteen or seventeen years old. His features had the hint of innocents but also had a hint of superiority. His eyes had a sting to them; almost as if he was trying to burrow into your soul and tare it out, Liem felt goose bumps forming on his arms.
"Who are you?" Trisha demanded.
"That is not important right now ma'am, what is important is whether or not you know a Trisha and Hoenheim Elric."
"No…it can't…be." Trisha took a step back; she ushered Liem behind her as she slowly backed towards the kitchen.
"What seems to be the problem ma'am," the young man asked, "It's a simple question."
"Stay away…" she snapped, they where in the kitchen now and Trisha was holding up a cleaver.
"Ma'am, there is no need to get hostile," the young man walked into the kitchen, "What, with the way you're acting, it would seem that you're trying to hide something. Perhaps you know these two people."
"Get out of my house, whoever you are!" Trisha shouted, Liems' eyes went wide as he gazed into the eyes of the young man.
"Or…maybe…" the young man took another step closer. Liem took a step out from behind his mother then stood in front of her.
"Liem! Get behind me!"
He did no such thing, instead, he continued to look the young man in the eyes until he was certain.
"You," he said, "You're him aren't you?"
"What?"
"Alphonse." Liem said.
"Alphonse? Alphonse…" the young man walked up to Liem and looked down at him, "Who told you that name?"
"My mom," Liem said looking up, "That would make you my older brother!"
With out expecting it, Liem suddenly felt himself falling and hitting the floor. The figure had sweated his leg out and tripped him.
"I don't ever want to hear that name." He snapped. Trisha rushed over and tried to pick Liem up, but he was already sitting up and preparing to stand,
"How dare you!" she shouted at the young man. He just looked down at her then noticed that there was something on the floor, picking it up he examined it. It was the photo that Liem had been carrying around.
"So…you're Trisha Elric?" he said.
"Yes, I am…"
The young man glared then walked over to a window and glanced out into the gray night, there was a faint glow coming from the burning barn just a ways away, he then turned and looked down at Trisha and Liem,
"You better not be lying…"
"I have no reason to lie." Trisha said standing up, Liem stood up too but stayed behind his mother, he really didn't want to be anywhere near that young man anymore. The young man stormed over to them and grabbed Trisha by the shoulders forcing her to back step several times, she still had the knife in her hand and was more then ready to use it if necessary.
"There's something about you," he said, he brought his face in real close to hers, "I want to see what it is…"
Liem jumped up and charged at the young man, Trisha had already pointed the knife at his side and said,
"Leave this house now…"
"I'm not leaving until I s…hkg," he suddenly learched forward and into the knife, Liem had tackled him in attempt to get him away from his mother, "Wha…t"
"Mom are you all right?" Liem let go of the young man as he staggered back, "Did he hurt you?"
"No…I'm fine honey." Trisha dropped the knife quickly and grabbed Liem by the hand, "We have to find your father, come with me."
The two ran out of the house as the young man was hunched over and bleeding bad, he looked up just as the door closed, his vision growing blurry,
"W…wait…I…" he fell to his knees and violently coughed up blood, "Ah hell…" he grumbled keeling over completely.
--
"Hurry! Get water on that fire!" Hoenheim barked, several men with buckets and such ran over and dumped water on the fire. The more water though tha they used, the more the fire seemed to grow, seeing no other way, Hoenheim clapped his hands and touched the ground, the ground rose up like a tidal wave and came down on the fire, extinguishing it. He ran over and did this in several spots until the fire was nearly put out; it was on his way to a new location that he noticed someone not helping, a young man standing near a tree.
"Hey, why aren't you helping!"
The young man tilted his head; he then walked towards Hoenheim and stopped right in front of him. Hoenheim couldn't see they young mans' face very well in the darkness save for his eyes which seemed to burn as intensely as the fire.
"Well?"
"Why would I want to help?"
"Listen young man, we have to put this fire out or else…"
"Or else what? It's in the middle of nowhere; can you tell me who is any danger? Well I guess all of you are in danger now, but, nobody was when it first started." The young man smirked. Hoenheim frowned; there was something very strange about this young man,
"Who are you?"
"Who am I? Who…am…I…I am the starter of this fire that's who I am."
"What!"
"Yes…that barn was such an eyesore, so, I got rid of it." The young man continued to smirk.
"Lower your hood so I can see your face." Hoenheim glared.
"As you wish…sir…but it will do you no good…unless…"
"Unless what?"
"Unless you know where I can find Trisha and Hoenheim Elric." The young man said lowering his hood. Hoenheims' eyes widened, the young man was a good eighteen years old. His hair was a brilliant gold color and was pulled up in a low neat ponytail; his eyes were equally as gold but burned with a disturbing satisfaction. There was a mildly noticeable scar that resided along the right side of his face, starting near his eye.
"I know them…" Hoenheim said slowly.
"Really," he said in mild surprise, "Then you can tell me where I can find them."
"You found one," Hoenheim glared, "I am Hoenheim Elric."
"Hoenheim…"
"Yes."
The young mans' smirk grew considerably, it was borderline sadistic, he walked closer and said,
"In that case…I've been looking for you…"
-To Be Continued-
(Evil, sadistic, scary, crazy, psycho, maniac, seven and a half french fries short of a happy meal laugh)