Ugggh... Stomach.. Ache...
Without realizing it, I bought the jumbo pack of pocky at MomoCon. And now I have to eat them all, because I hate wasting food. And money. (sigh) Too... Much... Pocky... (head/keyboauyjhuy7h7
Erm.. Anyway. I have finally decided something. (Finally?)
I'm going to cross this over with Twilight.
...
(Laughing) No, no, no! Just kidding! Should'a seen your face.(Since, you know, I can't.)
The Lovely Daaaarlings!
Giant-flying-radish-of-doom:More? Yay! Teehee, yes, nicknames are fun!
Seengot:No problem! And thanks, I'm glad you like it X3
AnimeFanGirl167:Lawlz, yep, he's definitely not a sexist! XD Aww! Thank you! I'm glad you'll include him, let alone ask your class to.
White Wing Alchemist:Teehee, that's the best thing about it. Like Riza said, without his auto-mail, he's just a foul-mouthed teenager. And when he's in pain, he's a slow foul-mouthed teenager, Riley's deduction I'm sure. XD
Emalee Roze:XD Thanks!
Tig tig kitten:XD I'm glad you (and your brother) like it! Why does he hate the site? I like it compared to Quizilla(insert deadpan here).
Warning746:o.O Lawlz, thanks! Yeah, I suppose she's odd XD
Kaijukote:Haha! Yeah, I don't blame you. Whenever I read an Ed story, I expect there to be some tension for Winry and the OC. At the moment though there probably won't be any begrudging feelings between them(At least until the end of this chapter) because I want there to be a good solid reason for their hatred, other than jealousy. Or, at least, good and solid in their eyes.
Want To Be A Lovely Daaaarling? Review! Bwahaha!
Sorry I got this out late, but we've had a lot going on. We haven't heard of anything about our neighbor since he left; And our other neighbor has just been diagnosed with cancer(five months left, in fact.) Plus I was afraid of writing this while in a crummy mood(My logic is, my mood is the story quality. If I feel crummy, the story is crummy. Therefore I only write this story when I'm in a good mood!) To make it up to you, I'm going to try and write two chapters within the week! Hopefully only a day apart.
Own FullMetal Alchemist, I do not.
Own Riley, I do. Own her, you do not.
Own lame Yoda reference, I do not.
The Sulfur Alchemist
Chapter Sixteen:
The Pocket Watch of Doom
I let out a yawn as I stretched my arms. "Man.. It seems like we've been here forever," I commented.
Winry looked at me dully as she said sarcastically, "I'm glad you're enjoying your stay."
I blinked, before laughing nervously. "No, no! That's not what I meant! It's just – you know – we have to go to Central and all..."
"She justs wants a new camera," Hannah mumbled, to which I glared at her a bit. Even if it was true...
"Hey.. Where've you been anyway?" I asked Hannah.
She began to twitch, and exclaimed, "I've been here this whole time! Have you not noticed me?!"
I was silent, thinking over it. Hannah's brow twitched at the fact I had to strain so hard to remember her presence. I shrugged and shook my head, "No.. I guess I haven't noticed." She let out a disapproving sigh.
Winry sighed as she looked down at the table. "Riley? Hannah?" She questioned slowly. We both hummed in response as we looked over at her curiously. "..Ed never calls us.. And he tells us even less... No matter what I do, he refuses to let me in on things. I can't help but worry about him and Al. They've been through a lot as it is, and now they have to do these dangerous things... You two have been with them for a while now. Do I have reason to worry as much as I do?"
Blinking, I looked to Hannah. She didn't know how to answer it. This was why I had lied to her about my military status. I didn't want her to worry. With a sigh, I looked at Winry. "Listen... Being in the military, it's dangerous for him no matter what his mission is. It could be as simple as paperwork, but it's still dangerous. I won't lie to you. Ed's been doing a lot of things you'd probably have a heart attack about, but that's his job. And his goal. Half the time, he's going to get hurt. And another half the time, he'll get the shit beaten out of him. But he won't die. He has too much work that needs to be done to die. It's alright to worry, but don't beat yourself up over it. He has a lot of people there for him if something goes wrong."
Winry slowly smiled at me a bit, and nodded. "Thanks, Riley... I needed that." Smiling, I nodded back.
Upon hearing a noise outside, Winry stood to go see what it was. Hannah and I followed her onto the porch where we saw Ed and Al sparring. "Good to see he's back together again," Hannah commented, and Winry nodded in agreement.
Winry glared at them and said, "It might not stay that way if they don't be careful!"
"KNOCK HIM OUT, AL! COME ON, YOU CAN DO IT! JUST STEP ON HIM!" I shouted, throwing my fist in the air for effect. When neither responded, I blinked in surprise. Ed had to have been really into it. Suddenly I felt something hot on my neck. Blinking in confusion, I looked back and see Winry glaring at me. "Ehehe...."
She sighed and headed into the house, saying, "They still have a one-track mind. They're like children..!" Hannah followed her inside, as if something caught her attention, but I didn't notice. I was too into getting Al to step on Ed("IF YOU DON'T WANT TO, TAG ME IN DAMMIT! I'll squash him like the bug he is!" I shouted, standing on the lower plank of the railing) Finally, Al tossed Ed into the air. Far far into the air..
"Next up, me!" I heard from the side. Before I could match the voice, I saw Armstrong charge at Al. In seconds, he had tackled Al to the ground. My eyes widened at how simple it looked for him.
I take back what I said about Armstrong not hurting a fly...
"You better watch it!" Al exclaimed as he threw his fists forward. Armstrong quickly caught them with his own.
"You're strong, but your hands are soft! You'll never win like this!" Armstrong remarked before picking Al up. I backed my torso up some(I still was on the railing), as I watched him toss Al, quite easily, onto the ground.
I looked over at Al, and saw Ed standing there. As I wondered how he got back to the house so fast, Ed and Al charged at Armstrong. Al once again grabbed a hold of Armstrong's hands with his own, but Ed slid down and kicked Armstrong in the leg. As Armstrong stumbled forward, Al took advantage of that and tossed Armstrong over his shoulder.
Armstrong smashed into the ground and the Elrics cheered. I smirked, mainly at Ed's horrible dancing, and looked over my shoulder. Hannah and Winry were staring at something. I couldn't see what, their backs were to me, but they both looked confused. Hannah especially. "What are you guys doing?" I asked.
They both looked back at me quickly. "N-Nothing," Hannah said, shaking her head, before heading outside. I rose a brow, and looked at Winry who had turned toward us. She looked down about something, before walking off. It was then I noticed Ed's clothes on the couch. His pocket watch was gone.
Did Winry take it? Would she take it? Or is it missing?! As I pondered it over in my head, I looked at Hannah accusingly. "What?" She asked.
"Did Winry take Ed's pocket watch?" I asked her, looking at her suspiciously.
"Wha? No..!" She said nervously, looking ahead.
I looked ahead as well, lips pursed together, eyes closed. "In that case then, it's missing."
Hannah blinked, wide-eyed. "..What?! No way!" I nodded. "I.. I can't believe that! Missing?"
I nodded again, and slowly turned my head to her. "And you do realize since Winry didn't take it, you're the suspect." I looked back ahead, another snobby look on my face as I said, "So naturally you should be the one to find it."
"...You're right! Of course I'll find it! Right away," Hannah exclaimed, rushing inside the house. Still looking ahead, a smirk crawled onto my lips, and my shoulders shook from laughing.
This would be good.
. . .
Third Point of View
(The Almighty Powers This Writer Doth Possess.)
Hannah glanced to Winry, who seemed amused over all. "D-Don't laugh at me! I have to pretend to look for Ed's pocket watch because you took it!"
Winry finished laughing, and sat up on her bed, stomach aching from the amusement. "Well can't you just tell her that you've found it?"
The brown haired girl sighed and shook her head. "No. Knowing Riley, she won't be satisfied with me just finding it. Not to mention she knows how bad I am at looking for stuff..."
"Hate to see how bad you are at looking for something that isn't lost then," Winry remarked, which caused her to be attacked by pillows. "Okay, okay! I'm sorry!"
Hannah panted after the attack, and plopped down beside her newly acquired friend. "...Can we give him his pocket watch anyways? I mean.. I just.. Feel guilty, you know?" She asked, a sudden seriousness over the two now.
The blonde-ette nodded. "Fine. I feel the same way. Besides, we need to tell him that we know."
A sudden question was sparked in her mind, and she asked, "Hey, what do we know? I mean, I don't know what October Third, 1910 means anyway."
Winry let out a sigh. "He probably wouldn't want you to know, but now that you saw it... That's the day they burned their house down, and left us for Central," She explained.
Hannah blinked, and sighed, "I can't believe how bad that must have felt.. If Riley left my family and me for a state position, I'd probably kill her."
Unbeknown to the two girls, Riley was listening on the other side of the door. Her right eye twitched at Hannah's somewhat bold statement; She knew that if Hannah was pissed enough, she could probably do some damage. Not to mention the fact she knew how to use a gun... But aside from that, Riley was slightly uncomfortable that Hannah and Winry had seen the date on Ed's pocket watch. She was sure Al didn't even know what the inside looked like, seeing as he never opened it around them.
Winry nodded at Hannah's statement, "I wanted too, to Ed. And Al." She blinked as a sudden thought came to mind, and then looked at Hannah, "Are we going to tell anyone?"
Hannah "hm"ed, and sighed, "I don't know, but I do know that I won't be able to keep it from Riley.."
"We shouldn't tell her," Winry said boldly. Riley blinked in confusion.
"Wh-Why? We can trust her, you know.." Hannah stuttered out. Apparently she was just as confused as Riley was.
Winry shook her head at Hannah, "I know, but.. It's just..." She sighed bitterly, "It's nothing.. We can tell her."
Riley stared at the floor in confusion. She normally would have just shrugged it off, claiming it "protecting Ed", but Winry had a tone in her voice that Riley didn't think she liked very much. She let out a silent sigh, and walked off to help Pinako in the kitchen.
A few minutes after she had left, Winry and Hannah decided to give the pocket watch back to Ed. Stepping out of the room, Hannah followed Winry downstairs and out to the backyard, where Ed was washing. Hannah, as usual, blushed at the skin-show from a male, and looked away. The girls were completely silent as Ed turned the water off.
He turned around, and blinked when he saw them. "..What's going on...?" He asked. If Winry and Hannah were out here, where was Riley? And what was so important that they couldn't wait till he was dry and fully-clothed?
Hannah was already looking to the side, and Winry only looked to the ground. Both looked majorly guilty about something. "..I'm sorry Ed..," Winry said as she held out her hand. A pocket watch was in her hand. Ed's eyes widened in realization. His pocket watch was in her hand.
He let out a sort of "Eh.." sound as he tried looking for it on him. Which, considering his clothing choice at the moment, was a hard task. "You two have some nerve!" Ed shouted at them, glaring.
"We're sorry, Ed... We shouldn't have looked," Hannah said guiltily.
Ed sighed and snatched the pocket watch from them. Looking at it, he mumbled, "It's stupid anyways.. Remembering something like that... Al doesn't even know. One tough survivor, huh? Having to carry around guilty motivation in my pocket. Like some little kid with a magic charm..."
"Hannah! Can you help me out for a second?!" Riley's voice carried to the backyard.
Hannah jerked, and sighed, walking off. She reached the side of the house when she heard Winry. "What's wasted?! How could you say that?! What are Grandma and me?! We've always had a home for you here, why do you keep shutting everything out?!" Hannah paused, and sighed. She knew she wasn't needed in this conversation. She looked ahead and saw Riley carrying several logs of firewood into the house.
She tripped on a rock, and as she fell, she tried keeping a hold of the wood, which only caused her head to hit the logs when she landed. Hannah smiled a bit when she saw her friend kicking and yelling at the logs. 'We're always invited home for the holidays, but Riley never comes with me. Is that what that is? Not feeling like family?' Hannah sighed and shook her head. She knew that wasn't true. Riley considered everyone she was close to family. Hannah felt the same way, it's what kept them close. 'I'll ask her sometime... After all, Christmas is coming up.'
. . .
First Person Point of View
(Glad you could make it.)
I sat at the table in the kitchen, thinking over some things. I had decided that later that day I was going to ask Winry about the whole bitter thing she had going on about me. I didn't even know if it was about me or not, which only gave me more reason to confront her.
Hearing footsteps come downstairs, I looked over to see Ed and Al. "Hey.. Want to go somewhere with us? Armstrong's coming too..," Ed asked.
Seeing as I had nothing better to do, I nodded and stood. But then Winry came in. "Um, sure," I told them, "But I'll catch up with you guys in a minute."
Ed and Al looked curious but had left with Armstrong like I asked anyway. I looked to Winry, who was fixing something to drink for her. "Can we talk privately, Winry?" I asked her.
She looked over at me with a raised brow. "Sure.. What's it about?" She asked as we headed outside, and to the side of the house.
"Ed's pocket watch," I answered simply, causing her eyes to widen. I would've pointed and laughed, but I wasn't in the mood to.
"..How... How'd you know about that?" Winry asked me, surprised.
I sighed, "I heard you and Hannah talking about it. I'm in no position to be mad at you for looking at it, but why did you want to keep it from me?"
She looked away. "I just... Didn't think it'd matter, is all." A lie. I could tell.
"Winry, if you don't look at me, it's not going to work," I explained to her.
I saw her fists clench a bit and she turned to face me. "...I..," She glanced to the left, and said, "I didn't want anyone else to know his secret."
I was silent as I examined her face. It sounded like a reasonable explanation, but she still refused to look me in the eye. Sighing, I repeated. "Winry-"
"Because you don't deserve to know!" She shouted at me. My eyes widened and I stepped back, caught off guard.
"What?"
She glared at me, a bit upset. "You and Hannah both! You don't know Edward as well I do, so what makes you think you deserve to know about his pocket watch?!" She began to tear up as she said, "I'm just protecting him... I don't trust you, alright? Just because he trusts you doesn't mean I should! How am I supposed to react? He just comes back one day bringing two girls I don't even know with him! You don't deserve to know anything about him..."
I looked to the ground in thought. 'He doesn't trust me, Winry.. Don't you know that?' I thought as I slipped my hands in my pockets. Even though I felt he had every right to know anyone he damn well pleased, I felt she was right in some weird twisted way. 'No! She isn't right. I deserve to know anyone I want to, and so does he.. I've gotten so close to Ed, I'm not letting her push me away from someone.'
"Winry."
She blinked, and looked up at me through misty eyes. But I didn't care. My protective side had kicked in, and I didn't care about whether she was crying or not. "Just because I've met him only recently.. It doesn't give you the right to judge me. When you first met Ed, did you know everything about him?" I asked, and she was silent. "No. You didn't. And look at how close you two are now. Just because I met him after you, doesn't mean I'm any less of a person than you are. At least I'm trying to get along with him and his family, unlike you are. I care about Ed as much as I can for just getting to know him. Be glad he's at least got someone around trying to protect him from actually harmful things. Stop being selfish..."
Winry's eyes widened and I turned around. "Thank you, Winry. Now I know that anything I learn about Ed will be from him only, which is just fine with me..," I growled at her before leaving.
Ed, Al, and Armstrong weren't very far away when I caught up with them. The brothers lead Armstrong and I to the remains of their house, which they had burned down five years prior. Al talked about a light their mother used to shine when it was time for them to come home. They reminisced and Armstrong and I watched.
"You boys are fooled. You do have a home waiting and caring for you..," Armstrong said. I felt a twinge of guilt at that. It was a home, with a family for them. A family I had probably gained the distrust of. Ed and Al looked back at him, and smiled.
We were walking back to the house now, when Al had stopped and gasped. "Brother, look!" He said, pointing to the house. We all looked over and saw Winry standing on the second floor balcony, flashing a light on and off. I still felt guilty, so this didn't help. Shortly after, Al ran toward the house. Ed smiled and followed him. Armstrong and I kept at our normal pace.
"Riley?" Armstrong asked before he placed a hand on my shoulder. "Are you alright? You're quieter than usual..."
I watched Ed and Al, and sighed. "I'm fine, Armstrong. Thanks for asking," I replied.
He nodded with a smile and said, "If you don't want to tell me, remember you have Hannah and the Elrics, despite how recent you've met them..."
I sighed again, and glanced to him. "...You do realize I'm not the one with the identity crisis, right?"
He blinked, and an abnormally huge bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. "...Right," He said, patting my shoulder.
. . .
As Pinako talked to Ed, Al, and Armstrong; Winry and I looked at each other. "...I thought about what you said, and I realized you were right," She started, "It's yours and Ed's life, and I can't judge it. And I am grateful that he has someone to watch over him. It's relaxing to know. But I still won't change how I feel. I can't change it. I don't have any reason to trust you yet, and personally I don't think Ed does either, but he does. I can't change that either..."
I watched her a while, and nodded. "I understand. And I still don't feel any different about you too," I said. Smiling slightly, I held my hand out. "Frenemies?" I asked her.
She smiled and nodded, taking her hand in mine, "Frenemies."
It was a pact. We'd agree to disagree on everything a friendship was based off, for the sake of Ed. We stepped away from each other, and she started talking to Ed. I glanced to Hannah, and she smiled at me. "I'm surprised you handled that so well," She said, to which I glared. I wasn't that bad at communicating.
"Yeah, well somebody didn't bother looking for Ed's pocket watch!" I exclaimed, glaring at her.
She jumped and widened her eyes. "..O-Oh no! We have to.. Look.. For.. His pocket watch!" She shouted, about to run in.
I went deadpan and grabbed her arm, "I already know all about it...!"
She blinked a few times and then hit me on the head, "Why didn't you tell me then?! I was about to run around the house for nothing!"
I giggled, "Well you still could if you're that disappointed.."
"SHUT UP!"
Up Next on 'The Sulfur Alchemist'...
It's Halloween!
Riley gets a camera.
A library is murdered. DX
Riley feels guilty.
They fight.
Shock.
XD
Again! I made another arrow! How gnarly am I?
Be Responsible. Don't Flame and Drive! Rawr.