The Life of a Sinner
Chapter 2:
Note to viewers: I listened to Brothers while writing this, it really set the mood.
Shu:
"I can't die yet! I can't! Damn you to Hell Truth! You took her from me! I want her back! She is all I have in this world! You can't take away my only joy!" I was sobbing uncontrollably at this point. My throat is sore and dry with a deep sadness.
"It's all my fault. I have to get her back." I managed to choke out.
"What can a measly human like you do?" It said to me.
"Don't you dare mock humans! I'll kill you myself!" I wanted to rip his throat out.
"I am keeping your precious one from you, I don't think you should kill her keeper." A white outline was drug out from the chasms of the gate. A white figure of a girl no older than 10 came from the chasm and was chained up. Truth yanked at the chain, taunting me.
"I will kill you for this, I swear on my life!"
"Oh that's right I forgot you can't see her can you? I have already taken your memory of her. Now it is like she had never even existed. With that said why would you go to all that trouble to get her back?" Said the Truth.
"Because she's- she's m-my." I held my head, it hurt so much.
"See it was no lie, you cannot remember her. You will continue to forget your purpose in life and thus your soul is mine. Two for the taking. Ahahahahaha!" he mocked me.
The white chained figure was crying and pleading with me but I could not hear her. I reached my hand out to try and touch her. Our fingers brushed and a bright light exploded sending me back. I was falling constantly. I heard echoes of men speaking but I could not understand what they were saying. I did not want to hear anything from anyone. I just want her back. I have to have her back. The tears were streaming down my face without effort now.
"Hey she's awake!" said a puny boy. Braided blonde hair and a red coat. The boy from earlier just as I thought I was dying. Wait I'm not dead! My pupils reacted with this realization.
"I have to find her! Do you know where I can find her!" I pleaded with the boy. He looked back at me with a sad expression. Was it pity or sympathy?
"I know the gate is a scary place. I don't understand what he took from you though? The doctors said your internal organs were unscathed and you sure as hell don't look like me so how?"-
"My memories. They are gone. It's just as he said. She might as well never have existed in the first place." I said looking at the floor of the hospital room. A cold hand whipped itself across my face. My head still laying low.
"Brother! You could hurt her!" said the suit of armor.
"Have more faith in yourself! The fact that you can tell that your memories are gone is proof enough that she is alive isn't it?" the boy said sitting in a chair next to my bed.
Once again my breath escaped me. He was right. I looked at him now with a new light in my eyes. The boy smiled and gave me his hand. I gawked at it.
"What do I do with it?" I asked perplexed at his strange gesture.
"You shake it. It's a way of making friends here in Amestris." He explained. I took the boys wrist and shook it from side to side. What an awkward boy.
"No! Like this." He said correcting the form and shaking up and down. He smiled again. I gawked at the man in the armored suit. He is so tall and so robust. He must certainly be a formidable foe. The boy tapped his forehead and walked over to the armor.
"This scrap of metal here is my brother Alphonse. My name is Edward Elric. Alphonse may look intimidating but he won't hurt a fly." Ed chuckled.
"Wow. Al you must be like my brother. He is 15 years older than I am." I explained and gawked in wonder. What incredible genes their family have. Such a difference between the two.
"Oh! No, No. you misunderstand. Ed is my older brother, see nothing inside here." Explained Alphonse as he lifted the head of the armor showing me the hollow shell and a blood mark at the back of the neck.
"WHAT?! How is that even possible?!" I said nearly jumping out of bed.
"Yeah I know it's hard to believe but you have been to the gate and back. So have we. Our mother got sick and died suddenly. Our father never came home. It was just us for a while until we decided to bring her back. Something went wrong with the human transmutation and Al lost his body. I lost my limbs in the process. I was able to recover Al's soul and tie it to this suit of armor and this is where we stand today. On the upside at least you have your entire body intact." Ed said looking down at the floor periodically.
"That's where you have it wrong Ed. You can remember the good times you had with your brother and you can speak to him now and tell him that you care about him. You have no idea how much I want to see her face. Just for a moment that's all I need. I just want to remember her." I said to him. I tried the best I could not to cry, but a tear escaped my eye. I quickly rubbed it away with the sleeve of my shirt.
"Tell you what, how about we help each other? A little equivalent exchange won't hurt. You help us look for the Philosophers stone and we'll help you find your Jane Doe. What do you say?" Ed said.
"Alright I will help you. But what's a Jane Doe?" I asked.
"Haha! Never mind. Here let's go searching around the city. Al and I have a few leads and you look like you could use some fresh air. Um pardon my asking but what was your name again?" he held out his hand and I shook it again correctly this time. I told him my name was Shu. Ed laughed a second time and explained that this time the gesture was to help me out of bed.
My feet were wobbly and it took me a minute to straighten up. My hospital gown was open a bit at the top showing a bit more than I would have wanted. I blushed and had no time to react. Ed was staring down at me in awe. Oh no I've just made friends with the biggest pervert in Central! What Ed said next did not help the situation.
"Oh my God I think I'm in love!" he said.
"WHAT?!" I exclaimed, covered my chest, and looked away. My face was now as red as a tomato.
"Al she's shorter than I am! Isn't it great! Someone I get to call Shrimp!" he said with laughter in his voice. I let the air escape my lungs. What a relief, he's not a pervert, he's just amazed that I'm short-.
"I am not a Shrimp thank you very much! What's wrong with you? Look at your hair how unnaturally yellow it is. You look like a squash!" I said as I trampled over his foot. He reacted with it so I hit the right one. I smiled at the thought of being happy again. Did she and I use to fight like this? Ed retorted my comment with accusations of, "Al it doesn't look that bad does it?" Al and I laughed as if it were the funniest thing in the world.
I have a new hope now. I will find you and bring you back. You can count on it.