Chapter Nineteen-Stranded
Alphonse had just checked out of the hospital when he paused for a second. A sudden familiar feeling crept up on him. Clutching at his chest, he leaned forward some, pressing his other hand to the nearby wall. May came into view and placed her hand on his back.
"Alphonse, are you okay?" He grit his teeth and let out a stifled breath. Something just wasn't right, almost like he could feel his soul being tugged at. His older brother came to mind and he wasn't sure why. "Alphonse?" May was starting to panic. Straightening up, he let out a weak laugh.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Sorry."
"What was that?" He wasn't sure what she meant.
"I'm just a little tired that's all."
"No, I'm not talking about that. You're chi just did something. It disappeared for a second."
"Really?" Al knew a lot about Alkehestry but there were still things he had a hard time understanding. Reading chi was one of those things. While May seemed to always be connected to it, he had to focus so much more then she did.
"I wonder if it has anything to do with Brother." She narrowed her dark gaze at Al's explanation.
"Why would it have anything to do with him. He's been so flaky lately, it drives me crazy." She was so dramatic that it caused him to laugh at her.
"Well we are still connected sort of, I guess. You shouldn't be so hard on him. Considering he's dealing with Pride, I'm more then willing to cut him some slack." May pouted some and nodded back.
"You're right, I'll try to be nicer."
oOoOo
Winry bolted in her sleep at the sound of Ed's pure agony. Before she could even move from her spot on the couch, Trisha was down the stairs and heading for the office. Even in the dimness of the room, she could make out Edward in the corner of the room, cowarding. He didn't even seem to know they were standing there. All he could hear was the pounding of his heart ringing in his ears and the sound of his erratic breathing. He kept shaking his head as though he was trying to convince himself he was okay. Tears came to Winry's eyes as she found herself too shocked to move towards him. Trisha moved first, glancing around the room for what had caused him such distress. Avoiding the broken glass on the floor, she knelt down and wrapped her arms around him.
"M..mom?" He was trembling as he leaned more into her warm embrace.
"It's going to be okay, Edward."
"I'm...I'm sorry. So sorry." He cried against her. "We...I...I didn't mean to...I'm so s...sorry
"Shh. I'm right here." She placed her head on top of his and stroked his hair. The motherly affection only made him loose it more and he started to cry even harder, sobbing loudly. He had worked so hard to get stronger, to get past this weakness. But here he was as though he was eleven years old all over again. Trying to get himself together, he sat up some and wiped at his eyes with his arm. Winry came closer and realized his right foot was bleeding.
"Ed, you cut yourself." She moved out of the room and he could hear the faucet running in the other room. He turned his face away from his mother, realizing he didn't want anyone seeing him so weak, not even her. Winry returned with a damp cloth and gently took his foot, placing it on her knees. It felt cold against his bare skin but he let her clean the gash. He took in a deep breath, trying desperately to calm down. After so long, he pushed himself up against the wall and the two women gave him his space.
"I'll be okay." He cleared his throat and glanced down to see his automail was okay to place weight on.
"Why don't you go lay down upstairs. It's awfully late." Dumbfoundedly he nodded back and took a shaky step towards the door. He had to get out of that room, it was making him feel ill. Somehow he managed to get up the stairs and into his old room. Laying down on his back, he covered his face with both hands, still trying to keep his eyes from watering. His emotions felt raw and if he didn't feel tired before, he was now. Bringing his arms away from his eyes, he could still feel the tears sliding down his face.
"This is so stupid, letting it bother me even now." He was angry with how he was acting. It shouldn't be so difficult to get it together. He just wanted everything to make sense again so badly. Maybe deep down this was why he and Al had burnt the house down. There were just too many memories here. Both good and bad. But the bad was overwhelming. Sniffling some, he decided staring at the ceiling was boring and he turned on his side, desperately seeking sleep.
oOoOo
Winry was surprised to find Ed in their room by the time she got back. As she closed the door, he turned to see the stern look on her face.
"You're not going to avoid this." He arched a brow at her statement and Pride wondered if she had figured something out. Going over to their luggage she pulled out a small black case and popped it open. "Now are you going to let me look at your leg or not?" The homunculus actually felt a sense of relief and he dropped his head, sighing in an attempt to appear human.
"Fine, but if the city gets attacked again when you're in the middle of fixing this, it's gonna be all your fault." There was some humor in his voice and she gave him a look. She was such an inconvenience for him, but he had promised not to hurt her. He had to keep his word.
oOoOo
Sleep had done Ed a world of good. While he slept, he was able to gather his thoughts and started to make some sense of everything. He had been in Central. That fact was clear. He had spent a whole day with Al, Winry, and May shopping. They were getting ready to leave when something happened and his world went black. But what happened after that? All he could remember was waking up here. After everything went black, something happened that had bothered him. What was it?
Realizing he still didn't know anything, he opened his eyes to find himself right where he started. The wind was blowing in through the open window, causing the curtains to dance back and forth. Outside the sun was covered up by the roaming clouds. His head dropped to the side, lazily as he stared at the rest of the room. As the sun came out again, it caused shadows to shift around the room. As the room got brighter it triggered his memory.
'Pride!' He moved quickly from the bed and hurried downstairs. The homunculus was the cause of all of this. As he entered the kitchen, he saw a note on the kitchen table.
Edward-
Went to town to do some shopping, we'll be back later. There's stew on the stove and juice in the fridge.
Love-Mom
'Gee another favorite, how thoughtful.' Regardless though, he still got himself a bowl and some juice. He turned and stared at the door to the office. Swallowing hard, he knew he'd have to go back in there at some point. Kicking the door open, he grimaced at the mess the room was in again. Not from the night before but the same clutter he always seem to find. Placing the bowl and glass down on the desk, he took a step back.
"Alright, I've had enough of this and since this seems to all be happening in my head, I get to decide what works and what doesn't." His declaration was for no one but himself. He clapped his hands together purposefully and placed his palms to the floor.
Nothing happened. "What? Really?"
'Maybe I'm not in my head. But then why is everything so familiar. It doesn't make sense.' He straightened up and picked up his bowl of stew and started to eat it, all the while thinking of what else he could try that could fix things. As he set the bowl back down he saw his shadow move across the desks surface unnaturally. It cause him to bare his teeth in anger.
"Pride."
'Wow, by the sound of it, you seem to miss me.' A sickly grin slowly formed in the same shadow and he felt a tiny hand slid up his neck to his cheek.
"What did you do?" The blond leaned over the desk.
'Isn't this what you wanted? I even gave you back your mom, or at least what you remember of her. Trust me it's in everyone's best interest that you just sit tight.'
"You mean it's in your best interest. If you really think I'm not going to figure this out, you're wrong."
'That threat might have been scarier if you could use alchemy, but sadly that's not the case. So I recommend you just forget about everything else and just enjoy where you are.' Before Ed had a chance to respond, the shadows faded away.