Yo! Here is the next chapta! Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 13: Teacher
"Ed, do you know him?" Winry asked. She then looked at you after realizing Edward was in shock at seeing the large man blocking the doorway. He then took off toward the window that was on the wall in between both beds. He opened the window; but a foot to the face sent him flying back inside.
"Where do you think you're going, Ed?" asked the woman that was making her way in from said window. You froze at hearing her voice.
"I can tell everything you're going to do." She continued.
"Te-teacher! What are you doing here?" he asked from the floor
"Teacher?" Winry asked
"You mean her?" she continued, as the woman made her way into the room.
"She's our alchemy teacher." Ed responded. She looked around the room. You hoped that she didn't see you.
"Where is Al?!" she asked loudly
"Yes, Ma'am!" Al spoke up, as he stood at attention.
"Oh, I beg your pardon. Thanks for leading us here, when you must be so busy. Do you know where Al is?" she asked to the said person.
"Um, you see, I am Alphonse…" he said worry evident in his voice.
"Ah, is that so? My, my…" she said… Al started to sweat, as realization hit her. He was slowly moving back, but was stopped as she grabbed his wrist and slammed him to the ground.
"Were you trying to escape by disguising yourself?! Stories about you two reach me quite often, my moronic pupils!" she told them, before continuing
"Like how you broke away from my teachings and lowed yourselves to become military dogs!"
Al was laying on the ground dizzy, while Ed was cowering behind a confused Winry.
Then the large man grunted.
"Yes dear?" she asked, and looked to where he was pointing. She turned to where you were still frozen on the bed.
Everything after that was a blur to you, because the next thing you remembered was being on the floor while getting an ear-full.
- - - On the Train to Dublith - - -
"Are you guys okay?" Winry asked. You, Ed and Al were tied up together so you wouldn't escape. Making the uncomfortable seat, even more uncomfortable.
"We never expected that Teacher would come for us, huh Brother?" Al asked.
"Stop moving Ed." You said as he continued to squirm.
"Ow, Damn… she even took my pocket watch." Ed replied with anger in his voice
"Still, I'm surprised. I expected your teacher to be someone rougher, not a pretty lady like her." Winry said
"What are you talking about?" You've met her before, you know." Ed told her.
"It was in Resembool that Teacher took us on as her students." Al continued Ed's vague explanation to her.
"Resembool?" she asked
"Remember, when we had all that heavy rain? She showed up and made a wall to keep the river from overflowing."
"I see. That person from back then." She said as she remembered.
"There. We're free." You said as the rope loosened.
"All right!" Edward said making his way toward the door and sliding it open.
"Uh, Ed…" You began, but he didn't listen
"Let's get out of here!" he ran out the cabin, and was hit in the face by his pocket watch
"… They're outside." You continued nonchalantly.
"Brother!" Al cried out
"Looks like you still haven't learned your lesson, huh?" Izumi, Winry was told the names of the two at the train station, said.
- - - Dublith - - -
"We didn't get away after all, huh?" Al asked
"No… I get chills just thinking about what's going to happen now." Ed replied. Both you and the Brothers were walking behind the group.
"I'm ganna die, aren't I?" you asked out loud to no one in particular.
"Teacher!" a little girl came up to Izumi.
"Menny, how is Chico doing?" Izumi asked
"They say she's about to have her babies." The little girl replied
"Is that right? That will liven things up huh?" Izumi asked
"Mrs. Izumi, welcome back!"
"Mason!" Ed said, to the man that showed up
"Huh? Edward, it's been too long!" Mason replied as he moved to greet him
"You've really grown a lot!" Mason said as he patted the top of Edward's head roughly.
"This is what pisses me off…" Ed said, his face and voice angry
"Huh? Who is this in the armor?" he asked, looking at Al
"Er, his younger brother, Alphonse." Al replied, shyly
"You've really grown a lot…!" Mason said
"Hey Mason." You said moving over to greet him
"(_y/n_), look at you. You grown into a beautiful young lady." He said, putting his hand on your shoulder.
"Thank you." You said, a faint blush on your face. Ed then gave Mason a glare.
- - - Shop/House - - -
You were all at the table, with some delicious looking food in front of you. Ed and Al weren't touching their food and you were eating slowly. You felt guilty as you ate.
"Aren't you eating?" Winry asked Ed and Al
"N-no…" Ed replied
"Just eat it." Izumi said
"Okay." Ed replied, as he began to eat his food.
"Al, you eat too. It's delicious." Mason said
"I'm already full." Al told him. After what seemed like forever, you were all done eating. So now you were all talking.
"You've had quite a brutal journey, haven't you?" Mason asked, after hearing what the Elric Brothers have been up to.
"You shouldn't be doing such dangerous things." Sid told them
"But it hasn't been all terrible. We've also helped people. That's right; we helped in the delivery of a baby." Al told everyone
"Silly, you call that helping? All we did was get all flustered." Ed put in
"That's true. But then, the family helps out as the mother risks her life, and everyone is blessed when the baby is born." Al continued
"That's right. That's the way you received life, too. Take pride in the life you have." Izumi said
"I can see it now. Ed and Al screaming like little girls because of child birth." You said with a giggle. Your imagination running.
"We were not screaming like little girls!" Ed told you
"But you were screaming." You continued, a smirk on your face.
"Ye- No!" Ed yelled back. Which made you laugh.
"I only tease since I more than likely wouldn't have known what to do. So relax." You told him as you winked at him. Making him blush out of frustration.
"Mrs. Izumi, do you have any children"? Winry asked
Suddenly Mason slammed his hands on the table. You and the others just looked at him.
"Hey there, you know, this…! Alchemy! You must have gotten better, right? Show me something!" he asked
"Sure, as much as you want. Al, (_y/n_)…" Ed answered as you all got up.
"I'll come, too." Winry put in as she followed.
"Izumi…" Sid began
"Is that so? They watched a life being born, huh? Those children had themselves a nice experience." She said, her face taking on a softer look.
The five of you were outside. Al drew a circle on the ground and began the transmutation. Once the glow died down, a small horse was raised from the ground.
"You've gotten good, haven't you?" Mason asked.
"I'm next." Ed said, rolling up his sleeves. But before he could start, three boys came running to the door.
"Teacher, welcome home!" they said
"Teacher, my train is broken. Can you fix it?" one of the boys asked.
"The axle broke, huh? Let me have that." She said as she took the toothpick that one of the boys had in his mouth.
"Awww, fix it with alchemy!" the boy said. You had half a mind to smack him upside the head.
"Nuh-uh. Don't rely on alchemy for everything. Fix whatever you can by yourself on your own." She told him.
"All done." She said giving him back his toy train.
"That's ugly." He said
"Well, excuse me. If you don't want it fixed so ungracefully, be more careful with it so it doesn't break." She told him. The boy scratched the back of his head.
"Thank you Teacher!" and the three boys were off.
"Teacher!" you all looked over to see Menny running to the house.
"What's the matter, Menny?" Izumi kneeled down
"Chico… it's Chico!" she said, worry written all over her face.
When you arrived at Menny's house, there was a dog barking up at the cat. That is, until Al stood looming over the dog, scaring it away.
"Chico, she's up there." Winry said as she stopped next to Al. Ed running and making his way up to the roof. By the time he reached the roof…
"One of them is falling! From the center!" Ed yelled, he was about to put his hands together but you called out.
"I got it!" you yelled, putting your hands together and slamming them to the house in order to make a slide to catch it.
"Nice catch!" Winry cheered, as you gave a sigh and made your way to retrieve the cat. You slowly and gently picked up the kitten, and froze.
"Are you okay?" Al asked. Ed was still on the roof grabbing the rest of the cat family.
"Yeah, just a flashback." You said, as you brought the kitten closer to you.
Ed had made his way back to the ground safely with the cats. He handed Chico to Izumi and the two other kittens to Winry. Izumi kneeled down and placed Chico on her lap.
"Chico… Chico. Teacher, is Chico broken?" Menny asked, tears in her eyes
"Mm-mm, no. She's gone." Izumi tells the little girl
"Teacher, fix Chico! You can make anything, right? So, as far as Chico goes…" Menny said
You were kneeling in the background as the others stood. The little kitten still in your hands, as you hear the torment in the little girl's voice at the possibility at losing her cat.
"I can't do that." Izumi said with sadness in her voice.
"A life is different from an object, you see, and I am not God. Chico's life has ended, and she isn't coming back." She continued
"But… up until just a while ago…"
"I cannot create a life for Chico, but I can make a grave for her." Izumi told her.
You had all gone to a hill, and made a grave for Chico. Menny was in front of it crying her little heart out. You and Winry were next to her trying to comfort the young girl.
"When something is alive, then at some point, that life will expire. The body will return to the earth, where flowers will bloom on top. Their spirit will serve to nourish other people's feeling, and continue to live on inside their hearts. Everything in the world flows around and circulates. People's lives are like that, too."
Winry and the others were now heading back to take Menny home, but Izumi kept you, Ed, and Al back.
"Even though I know as much about it as I do, it's still so hard to make a child understand about death." She said out loud.
"Teacher, have you ever wanted to bring someone back to life?" Ed asked her
"That's the second time you've asked that question."
…
…
"Al, that armor is empty on the inside, isn't it? Ed's arm and leg are automail as well, right?" she asked
"H-how did you…?" Ed began
"The weight from when I threw you… your left footsteps sound different from your right… Did you think I wouldn't notice? You fools!" she told them
"Teacher…" Al said
"Earlier, you were going to use alchemy without using a transmutation circle, right?" she asked Ed, he looked away
"You saw it, didn't you?" she asked again, turning to face him.
"Yes." He answered
"What happened? Tell me everything." She told him
"Teacher, I… we… transmuted… our mother." He said. When he looked up, her foot was in his face, sending him back into the tree. Before Al could move, she grabbed him and slammed him into the ground.
You watched, all you could do was watch.
You didn't bother running, there was no point.
She went to were Ed was and picked him up by the front of his shirt. They stared at each other before she punched him twice in the face then at his stomach. Then went back to Al and kicked in the shoulder. She continued her onslaught on the brothers until they both fell onto their knees.
Breathing hard from the physical abuse, Ed managed to get to his feet. She stared at them hard, before moving in. Ed closed his eyes, waiting for a hit that never came. Instead she kneeled down in front of them and hugged the both of them.
Catching them off guard.
You could smell the salt from the tears that were forming from Edward, as much as you could feel the sadness coming from Alphonse.
After a while she pulled away from them.
"Go back to the house." She told them, as she got up and made her way toward you. Al gets up and both the brothers look at each other. Ed looked back at you before he turned and started to walk away with his brother.
You just stood there, as she stared at you.
You closed your eyes and took a deep breath.
Then, the impact of her hit sent you to the ground. You spit out the blood that began to form in your mouth.
Looking up, you saw black.
Ed had ran back and stood between the two of you. Catching Izumi off guard. She looked from him to you, and from you to him. You then stood up and placed you right hand on his shoulder.
"It's okay, Ed. I deserve this." You told him. Moving from behind him, the small amount of blood that trailed from your lips caught his attention. Your eyes showing gratitude for his concern.
You went to stand in front of her again. This time, it was Edward's turn to watch.
The beating that you received… he didn't know if it was the same or worse than the one he and his brother acquired. Whereas the brother's didn't get hit hard enough to bleed, well mostly Edward, you did. You were sitting down when Izumi grabbed your hand and pulled you up to her.
"I'm sorry." You wrapped your arms around her. Her arms tightened around you.
"I'm sorry I left…. Mother."
So… how was that? I'm trying not to ruin the story be altering it too much. Take care everyone. Got to get my uniform ready for tomorrow.