Happy New Year!
Agh! I'm sorry, life has been suckish! Laptop is going nuts, I think it's a virus.
T_T Fml!
New Chaptaaa! Enjoy!
Chapter 10: Bonding Memories
It had begun to rain quit some time ago. Al was now wondering around the city as what had occurred earlier that day. People were running for cover from the rain as they past the young confused soul that was trapped in a suit of armor. Said confused soul currently wondering why his older brother didn't say anything to stop him.
As some young women walked across the street he began to wonder if his mother was made up just like his other memories.
A couple of blocks away a pair of young Ishbalan boys were running after the oldest of the two stole some fruit from one of the street venders. The youngest boy tripped on his own feet and dropped something without his knowledge. He was to worried about getting away from the man that was chasing them. Both end up in a dark ally, hiding from the man that was chasing them. Without either realizing that they had both stumbled upon someone. A someone in a suit of armor.
"You shouldn't take things that don't belong to you." They looked up confused as to where the voice came from.
"Did you hear that? This old pile of junk said something." The older one said.
"No." the 'pile of junk' said. Scarring the both of them.
"I'm not a pile of junk." The armor turned around and looked at who was talking about him.
"Hey… are you guys from Ishbal?" the armor asked.
Both boys looked at him worried.
Meanwhile
You were smelling around the area without making it obvious to the few people on the street. Winry stopped to asked a random passer by if he had seen Alphonse, by showing him a picture. She thanked him even though he hadn't seen him. Ed was next to her, but he looked depressed and you were next to both of them.
"I can't sniff him out. The rain's washed the scent away." You said as you looked at him.
"Don't worry, once we find him you can talk to him." you continued.
"You can set him straight on everything." Winry put in. "Ed?" she asked looking back at him.
"Guys… I'm scared." There was a slight pause before he continued speaking.
"There is something that I've been meaning to ask him. but I've always been to afraid to talk to him about it."
"What is it?" she asked as you listened to him.
"Ed, sometimes you have to ask in order to get the answers. If not, you'll just wonder and regret that you didn't ask when you had the chance." You said as you put a hand on his shoulder.
"Thanks." He replied.
Meanwhile, Under Ground
Al was currently talking to an older man from Ishbal when Scar interrupted them.
"Our paths entwine, don't they Alphonse Elric?" Scar spoke to the younger Elric
"I didn't know you'd be here too." Al responded
The younger of the two Ishbalan children moved to stand between Al and Scar.
"Well do you two know each other then?" asked the older man.
"We do… in a sense." Scar replied.
"Perfect. This makes it easier then." The old man replied.
"Stranger, I ask that you do not speak to anyone about this camp." the old man asked Al
"Don't worry I wont. I promise. I heard about what happened in Ishbal, but why did you end up here?" Al asked
"Because the military came and attacked us." The older boy told him.
"Yes," Scar cut in, "They destroyed our homes and massacre our people, again and again, but they do not tire. They still just keep on coming. If those recheat State Alchemist are in deed still trying to hunt me down, then right now will be their only chance to succeed."
"Because you're injured." Al said
"What happened to your brother?" Scar asked, ignoring Al.
"I don't care what happens to him." Al replied while looking away. This caught Scar off guard. The younger boy was also surprised, which this statement reminded him of some thing and was looking for something around his neck.
"What Rick? What's wrong?" his older brother asked.
"Mom's locket, it fell off, it's gone!" he replied
"Who cares about that dumb'ol thing anyway. Just forget about, alright?" His brother said, not caring about the trinket.
"When I fell!" Rick said as he turned and ran off.
"Hey! Wait! Wait for me!" and his older brother took off after him.
"You can't, somebody might see you! Rick! Leo!" the old man called after them, but they were to far to her his warning.
"Don't worry, I'll bring them back." Scar told the old man and started walking after them. Al just watched him before he also got up and started walking.
Back outside it was still raining while Al's group walked further from the entry way.
"I don't know what happened Alphonse, but if you and your brother hate each other now, that makes things a great deal easier for me." Scar told the boy as they continued to what.
"Scar what do you think about me?" Al asked, which caused Scar to stop walking and turned his head to look at him.
"I mean, when we're talking do you… do you sense anything? Do you think I'm human? Even with this body?" Al revised his question. Scar just looked forward again and continued walking, not giving a replay.
In the distance on top of a building someone was spying on them.
"Come on Rick give it up. You're never going to find it." Leo said, but his little brother just ignored him and kept looking. Eventually he did find it. Scar picked it up and both boys looked a bit surprised.
"Is this what you're looking for?" he asked, as he showed them the locket.
They were now walking back towards the settlement while Al asked if the locket use to belong to their mother.
"What's inside of it?" Al questioned again.
"I don't know. It's broken and wont open, but that's okay." Replied Rick, as he looked on at the locket.
Leo, angrily just turned around and told him to get rid of it. This insisted on a small argument between both brothers. Al tried to break it up, but Leo just continued on talking ill about their mother.
Al began to think that Leo was trying to do anything to forget about his past, which was the exact opposite of him. Trying to remember.
They all stopped walking as Scar flashed a light to the opening, in order to let the sentry know that it was them. Scar turned around and instructed the brothers to go in first. Rick then thought about going to the front of the ally to make sure they weren't followed. Suddenly to men in military uniform jumped down and kidnapped him.
One grabbed him while the other shot at the others. Al quickly got in-between them. Succeeding in shielding them from the bullets. Another man appeared and shot a bazooka at them. Luckily he aimed in front of them in order to create a wall of debris.
Through the dust a man came and began to attack, Al easily defeated him. Another came and tried to hit him with his rifle, but Al blocked the hit with his arm. He punched him and a third solider came and tried to stab him with the bayonet, Al dodged and knocked the rifle away and kicked him. Sending him flying backwards towards the other soldiers. The forth was going to shoot his weapon but Scar ended that plan by using alchemy to knock him off his feet.
"Let him go, now!" Al said. The soldiers ran but the last one used a smoke grenade to stop them. Al ran towards the sound of screeching tires and saw the car speeding off.
Al had found a payphone and was talking to Lt. Ross. He then went back to the others and Scar, Leo, and the elder were all in a car. Al informed them that the men that attacked them were mercenaries. Al thought that it was a bad idea that Leo and the elder were going with them. The elder explained the bonds that Ishbalan people have to their kin. That is when Leo explained why he hated his mother.
Scar had stopped the car at the foot of a hill. They all spotted the old military installation at the top.
Inside the men were talking when they all heard the whirl of alchemy, right before they saw the blue light that followed. Iron bars formed in-between the group. The leader got up from his spot and stood in front of were a good portion of the wall was now missing. The elder and Leo picked up Rick and took him to safety as Al stood there.
As the men followed their leaders command to grab Al, Scar used his alchemy on the side to prevent them from getting to him. The leader went after Scar, while he told his goons to get Al.
"Scar!" Al called, as he saw him being attacked.
"Sooo, we meet again, Little Brother." Al turned to see 66.
"What are you doing here?" he asked Al, right before he attacked him. Al was able to dodge before he grabbed his arms, keeping 66 at bay.
"Why bother fighting. You're not real. Just a collection of fabricated memories." He taunted Al. Distracting him long enough to continue his attack.
"Once I put you out of your misery, you won't have to worry about what's real and what's fake! Wont that be nice!" he continued as he kept swinging and Al dodged. To distracted by 66, Al never saw the men behind him shot a missile at him. hitting him right on the back, knocking him forward and behind 66.
66 turned and began running at Al ready to attack again, but Edward showed up blocking his attack.
"Brother, what are you doing here?" Al asked surprise in his voice. Winry showing up behind him.
"Well that's a stupid question.! We've been worried sick about you! He's been looking all over Central for you!" She said, as he turned to look at her.
"Brother." He said as he turned back to Ed and 66. You came up next to him, and hit his head.
"OW!" he exclaimed, holding his head as he looked at you.
"(_y/n_)!" he said
"Don't you EVER dare run off like that again mister!" You told him, eyes blazing with anger. Then you softened your voice a bit, "You had us worried, Al."
"Sorry." He then got up and ran off to help Ed, by kicking 66 away from him. Behind where 66 landed the mercenaries were lined up and fired at them. Ed quickly used alchemy to put a wall between them.
"Al. All this time I've been meaning to ask you something. But I've been to afraid to ask you. But I need to know the truth okay. It's my fault you don't have a real body anymore. Do you hate me?" a bigger blast knocked most of the wall away. Forcing Ed to his knees.
"What?" Al asked, his voice laced with confusion.
"Do you? I wouldn't blame you if you did. I gotta know. Do you hate me for all that's happened?" Ed asked again, pain in his voice.
"That's what you've been trying to ask me?" Al questioned. Suddenly Winry screamed for him.
"Al, behind you!"
66 was now in the air, about to land a blow to the two brothers.
You came flying at him, your twin blades out as you stabbed him in the side. Succeeding in taking him off course. You removed your blade as you neared the ground. Kicking him away from you, and landing on your feet.
"You bitch! How dare you deny me the sweet sounds of death." It wasn't really a question.
"When it comes to people I care for…" you got into a fighting stance, blades facing out, your voice darkened, and fangs barred, "…easily." and he ran at you.
Al got up and gave his reply to his brother at the same time. "I could never hate you." And ran off and punched 66 right into the air, cracking part of his face.
"Look at'em fly." You said, a bit irked that Al beat you.
Meanwhile Scar was still battling the leader, who now decided to use his alchemy to form a circle around Scar. A giant ball of electricity formed in the middle and flow toward Scar. He surprised the leader by collecting the energy in his right hand. Making it disappear. He then grabbed the leader by the front of his uniform and blow him back onto his back.
The leader figured that Scar was in pain since he was still alive. He ordered somebody to shot him. When no one did, he looked back, only to see his men trapped in a cage.
"You should give up now." You said from the side of the cage.
"It looks like you're the only one who's left here." Ed added, as he and Al joined you.
"Who the hell are you two?" he asked.
"A dog and wolf of the military." Ed replied, motioning that you were the wolf his head.
"You two are State Alchemists, but that doesn't make any sense. We're on the same side." He said, catching Ed a bit off guard. You paid no attention to the guy.
"Well this is a bit of a surprise. Real State Alchemists, allow me to thank you, for making me look like this!" 66 yelled, as he got up and ran at the three of you. Al moved to stand in front of the both of you, as Scar ran to 66 and punched him in half. The top half of 66 landed on the leader, forcing him to the ground again. 66's blood seal was now noticeable, but only for a while. Scar's attack was moving upwards and destroyed the seal. 66 was in pain as he still held onto the leader. Who was now on his feet. He managed to get 66 off by removing his alchemy infused pack. It exploded, and throwing knifes flew everywhere.
Including into the center of Rick's chest.
And he collapsed to the ground.
"Rick!" Leo called to his little brother.
"No. Rick!" Al called as he ran to the fallen boy's side. Leo was already holding up Rick's head in his hand.
"You can't. Please, no!" Leo said desperately. Rick then slowly began to open his eyes.
"Rick?" he ignored his brother and pulled out the locket.
It had a dent, right in the middle. Where the knife had hit it.
"It's mom's locket, she saved me see." It then popped open. A picture and some pills came out. The elder picked one up and recognized it as eye medicine.
"Medicine?" Leo questioned.
"Evidently, your mother suffered from an eye disease that leads to blindness. But as our people do, she pretended to be fine so you wouldn't worry. Come to think of it, she once told me how hard it was to care for you, because of some condition she had. But I beat it was harder on her on the inside." The elder informed the boys.
"Our mother couldn't see Rick. That means… she, she was looking for us. She ran into out room to find us and protect us from the soldiers, and that's when…oh no." Leo said, tears in his eyes as he spoke and looked at the picture of the three of them in the locket.
All of you just stood or sat there listening. Winry had tears running down her face, while you had them in your eyes. You wished that you were as lucky as them to have a mother who cared so much about them. That she would risk her life to protect her children.
Al went over to Winry, as Ed turned to look at you. Your jaw was tense and the pain evident in your tear covered (_e/c_) eyes. He got up and went to kneel next to you. He placed his left hand on your shoulder. You turned to look at him, not expecting him to do that.
Ed nodded his head and stayed there, his eyes never breaking contact with yours.
"We should go." Scar spoke up.
You got up and thanked him. Al helped Winry and Leo helped get Rick to his feet. All of you made your way to the car, following Scar and the elder.
Morning, Entrance to the settlement.
"So, where will you go now?" Al asked, all the Ishbalens were in boats and the river.
"There's another group of our people living in hiding, free from the state just like us. We'll travel up steam until we reach them." The elder replied
"Al. Thank you for everything. Now that I think about my mother I'm going to treasure every single memory that I have." Leo told him.
"Yeah, me too." Al said in return.
"And from now on, I'll know that my memories are real. I'll have faith in that." He added.
"Alphonse Elric." Scar spoke. "Earlier, I did sense something. Tears that can't be seen, but felt. Those tears were, human."
"Thank you."
"Hey Scar, did the Ishbalen people ever posses the Philosopher's Stone? Is that the real truth? Then the military came after it?" Ed asked.
"No Ed, it's the other way around. We wanted the stone to keep the military from wiping out our race and way of life." Scar answered.
"But did you create one? A Philosopher's Stone?" he asked again.
"Let's get going." Scar said, then their boat was on its way.
"Hey, hold on. I want an answer!" Ed exclaimed.
"Brother let them go. Those people need Scar. He could help them." Al told him.
"Let's get going." Ed spoke.
"Yeah, I'm starving." You said. The four of you turned to go up the stairs. You were all back on the sidewalk. Ed and Al's conversation got yours and Winry's attention. The both of you didn't know they actually fought over everything, or the Ed lost those fights.
Whooooo! Done peeps, done. How was it? Review and take care! Peeaace!
Key :
Lt. - Lieutenant