Hey, everyone, sorry for not updating this story for a few days. I can pretty much only update one story a day, it seems, until I get my electricity turned back on, so this one had to be pretty much put on hold for a few days. Sigh. Anyway, hope that you like the chapter.
Disclaimer: (Insert ultra-creative disclaimer here) Um…yeah…it's a disclaimer. You know what I'm disclaimering, right? (Disclaimering? Huh, that was originally a typo, but I thought it was funny, so I left it. Hehe.)
Al sat in silence, occasionally poking at the food he had ordered from this restaurant they were at. He wasn't really that interested in eating anything, but his brother would worry if he didn't. He sighed.
"What's the matter, Al?" said Ed with a mouthful of food, "Are you feeling alright?"
Al looked up, startled. "Oh…uh…yes."
Ed stared intently at Al for several moments before grabbing himself another bite of food. "Something's the matter, Al, what is it? You always make me tell you what's wrong, so don't I deserve the same?"
Al looked up nervously at his brother. He didn't really want to spew out his thoughts to him on this, but when he brought that up…
"Well…Brother…it's just that…" His voice trailed off.
"Yes?" Ed cocked an eyebrow and waited for a response.
"It's just that…you haven't been acting like yourself lately. Remember that man a few minutes ago who made a comment about your height? You just reacted calmly to it, and didn't blow up like you usually do."
Ed laughed. "So that's what's been bothering you?" Al nodded. "That's easy to explain then. Both of our personalities, mine and Selmac's, basically combine to make this one being that you see before you. While I may have a short fuse about such things, Selmac is incredibly calm. He's a dove, after all. I simply inherited a bit of his calmness is all. Nothing's actually wrong with me."
Al blushed and looked a bit sheepish. "Oh, so that's all it is?"
Ed laughed again, and said, "Yes, that's all there is to it. You need to speak up when you have a concern. It might be just as easy to explain as this one was."
Just then, the two of them heard a lot of commotion in the town square just a few yards yonder. They strained their ears to hear what was going on. Some people appeared to be posting notices everywhere, while a few uniformed men were standing in the middle of the square, shouting something to the masses.
"I'm going to go see what's going on," said Ed, pushing himself up from the table.
"Me too," said Al, right behind him.
Ed and Al pushed through the crowd until they were close enough to hear what was being said.
"As I've said," said the man doing the speech, "This individual is extremely dangerous, as he is not human. He was last seen boarding a train headed this way, so he could be in this town for all we know. Keep on your guard, and report any suspicious activity to the local authorities. We need to get this creature back into custody where he belongs."
The man finished his speech, and promptly disappeared. The crowd began dispersing almost as fast as it arose. Ed ran and grabbed the nearest person by the arm, and asked him what all that was supposed to mean, since they had apparently missed most of it.
"Oh, it was just about some sort of creature that looks like a kid with wings," said the man, who shrugged and then walked off without another word. Ed's arm fell limply to his side. He couldn't move. Was it him that they were looking for?
"Come on, Al, let's go," Ed said, turning around and promptly marching back in the direction of the inn they were staying at.
"Where are we going, Brother?"
"Anywhere but here. I can't risk being discovered, what with everyone on the lookout for me."
Al stifled a sob and fell into step beside his brother. He needed to be strong for Ed right now. He needed all the support possible. Al couldn't help but feel sorry for him though, always having to be on the run like this.
"Brother," Al said, "Shouldn't you contact the Fuhrer and get orders from him before departing?"
"No time," said Ed. "Everyone's looking for me in this town now, so I have to get out of here while I have the chance."
"So, where are we going to go?"
"I was thinking of going back to Resembool."
"Good idea."
Yes, that was a good idea. They could get the support of Pinako and Winry if they went back to their hometown. Right now, Ed needed all the emotional support he could get.
"So, Brother," said Al as they boarded the train for Resembool, "Are we going to call them at our next stop and tell them that we're coming, or do you plan to just show up unannounced?"
"Just show up unannounced," said Ed, "That way, I'll have less of a chance of getting caught if no one's around to hear where I'm going."
"Right," said Al, "I understand."
The two sat down in their seats and just stared at each other in silence. This running away on the train had become quite a habit for them lately. Would this ever end? Would his brother never find peace? Al sighed. Ed needed him to be strong, so that's what he was going to do.
"Brother," Al said as he placed a hand on Ed's knee, "No matter what happens, I'll always be there for you. I'll never leave your side. This is my choice, a choice that I am making of my own freewill. Remember that."
Ed smiled back at Al. "Thanks, I needed to hear that. I was just wondering if I had forced you to come along on a quest you didn't want to be involved in. How did you know that I was thinking that?"
Al shrugged his shoulders. "You're my brother. I just knew."
Hope you liked the chapter. Leave me a review if you want me to update soon, okay? Thanks a bunch!
