Hey, everyone! Here's the next installment. Hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: Don't own. Don't ask.
"So, Brother," Al said as the two walked through the center of town, looking for something to do, "I suppose that you can fly now?" Ed shook his head. Al was confused. "But…Didn't you fly to me when that wall almost collapsed on me? Also, what about when you jumped over the side of that cliff? Didn't you fly then?"
Ed laughed. "Well, yes and no. You see, Al, I don't know how to fly yet. He's teaching me, but I don't know how to use these wings yet. Likewise, he doesn't yet know how to speak, so I'm teaching him. Equivalent trade, you see." He turned to face Al, and smiled. Al smiled in return, though he felt a bit awkward.
"So…this other being…participated in saving my life?"
Ed nodded. "Very much so. I couldn't have saved you without his help."
Al gulped. "Then…could you thank him for me?"
Ed smiled. "You could easily thank him yourself. He has just as much control of this body as I do. We both just basically strive to not get in each other's way. It's difficult, but we seem to be managing alright, more or less."
Al coughed, and then said, "Well…then…thank you, um…"
"He doesn't have a name," Ed said. Al looked up at Ed in surprise.
"Why don't we give him one then?"
Ed shrugged. "Sure, I don't think he'd mind having a name. What did you have in mind?"
Al thought for a moment. He wanted to give this being a name that would actually fit, but what kind of name would fit in this bizarre scenario? Wait a moment, when he was in the Gate, he remembered having seen a lot of bizarre things, some from the past, some from the present, and some from the future. That gave him an idea.
"Why don't we call him Selmac?" Al asked.
"Selmac? Why that name?" asked Ed.
Al shrugged. "It's something I remembered from the Gate. Apparently, it's a character from a story that will be created in the future. He's some sort of creature that lives inside of someone else, so I just thought…"
Ed chuckled. "Okay, I guess that it fits then. Selmac it is."
Al smiled. He still felt helpless to help his brother, but he was still going to try and retain his cheerful attitude. He had to, for his brother's sake. And for Selmac's.
That night, while Al was sleeping, he again woke up with a start. He glanced over at his brother's bed, only to find it empty again. He got up from his bed, and walked over to the desk that was situated beside his brother's bed. There was a note on it.
"Al, if you wake up this time, please relax. You know what I'm doing." Another flying lesson, I'll bet, Al thought. "I'll be back before sunup, so I know that I won't be seen by anyone. Just please go back to sleep, and try not to worry about me, okay? Love, Ed."
Al sighed as he put down the note. He wished that his brother wouldn't run off like that, but what could be done about it? He couldn't really say that he blamed his brother for doing so, but it really made him worry.
A small gust of wind blew through the window just then, causing a few of the papers on the desk to fall to the floor. Al bent down and picked them up. Hmm…he thought, I didn't notice these. I wonder what else brother has been writing about tonight?
While he knew he shouldn't snoop on his brother's personal business, he just couldn't resist the overwhelming urge to read the papers he was holding in his hand. They seemed to be full of questions about life and existence. That made sense, somewhat, since being turned into a chimera would likely cause one to question everything that they had ever known, and go completely philosophical.
Al shuffled through the papers in his hand, and his eyes fell on a poem. Funny, he had never seen a poem written by his brother before, so this was quite intriguing, especially with all the philosophy in this one.
Life is so easy to understand,
Yet life is so complicated.
Internal peace is sought after by man,
Yet internal peace is overrated.
We all seek the answers to life itself,
Yet we don't even know life's question.
And we all accept our limitations
Given by the power of suggestion.
Take me to the sky.
Teach me how to fly.
Please grant this single wish before I die.
My life has been rough,
But I've learned just enough.
All I ever needed to learn was to learn how to fly.
We all try to embrace that which is good,
Yet we don't even know what's bad.
Even in the worst of times,
There are good things to be had.
You talk of uniqueness, yet act the same
As everyone else around you.
Why brag about your differences
When you're afraid of what you do?
Take me to the sky.
Teach me how to fly.
Please grant this single wish before I die.
My life has been rough,
But I've learned just enough.
All I ever needed to learn was to learn how to fly.
Al stared at the paper for several moments after he finished reading the poem, song, whatever it was. He'd never realized that his brother was that philosophical. Okay, maybe he had, since the experience on the island that their Sensei had placed them on had prompted that to come out of the both of them, but it was still unusual to see his brother philosophize in this way.
He carefully placed the papers back on the desk where they belonged, and put a book on top of them so that they wouldn't blow around anymore. It would be quite obvious that they had been disturbed, but Al had nothing to hide from Ed anyway. Having done this, he yawned and stretched his arms, and then climbed back into bed.
He woke up the next morning to find Ed shaking him awake. "What's the matter, Brother?" he asked.
"You were reading all my little ramblings last night, weren't you?" Ed asked with a tone of amusement in his voice.
Al nodded. "Yeah, I half-accidentally stumbled upon them."
"HALF-accidentally? That means that the other half was on purpose! You were just snooping, weren't you?"
"Well…maybe a little…I was just worried about you, Brother."
Ed laughed and then messed up Al's hair with his hand. "Come on, we have a few things to do today."
Al smiled and stood up. Grabbing his coat, he turned to his brother and asked, "Hey, when did you suddenly become so philosophical?"
Ed gave him a surprised look. "Haven't I always been?"
Al shrugged. "A little, I guess. But this was more than normal."
Ed laughed again. "Well, I can't say that I'm exactly 'normal' right now." Al laughed at that comment. He couldn't agree more. His brother wasn't normal. Frankly, he and Al had never exactly been "normal", but Ed was even less normal now than ever.
Normal. What was "normal" anyway? Oh great, now he was philosophizing. This thing must be catching. Al jumped up and slapped his brother on the shoulder. "Race you down the stairs, if we can do so without getting caught. But no wings, got it?"
Ed laughed. "Okay, I got it." He threw on his coat, and bolted for the door with Al close behind. No, they weren't normal, but they could enjoy who they were just the same.
Hey, everyone. Could any of you Stargate SG-1 fans tell me if I spelled Selmac's name right? Heh, I've never seen it written out, so I'm just guessing.
Anyway, did you like the chapter? Suggestions? Comments? Questions? Please leave me a review, okay?
