Fullmetal Exorcist – Chapter 18 – Revisited
We find Hoeinheim and Link sitting in a compartment in silence as the train occasionally lurched forward or sideways. The former CROW was absorbed in a book, while the Eastern Sage was fumbling his fingers as he felt a wary presence in the distance.
"We're only a few miles away," Link reported. "From there, we can take some creaky dory to get onto the island. But that would be difficult since-"
"Oh…" Hoeinheim smiled. "That won't be necessary. I'm sure there's an easier way around it."
"But, Sir-"
"Leave the situation to me…" Hoeinheim smiled. "Besides, I really need someone to give me a good kick in the face for what I've done in my life…"
The Eastern Sage was welling with uneasiness as a strange and threatening presence was sweeping over the currents of the underground. What was the cause? Maybe some Noah or high level Akuma, but the highest he had ever seen was a Level Four, and those types are not significant when he rated Akuma. A Noah was possible, but no way did this nostalgic sensation felt like a Noah. Maybe… and Akuma even higher…
"Sir…" Link frowned at the older man. "You're turning blue… are you motion sick?"
"No, not at all…" Hoeinheim shook the feeling away as he looked out the distance of a moving crowd of cattle. "Link, how do we get into the building?"
The former CROW member thought for a moment, and then clicked his tongue in remembrance. "If I recall correctly, the entrance for Exorcists only is through here… This should be where their ferry goes in and out."
"Why can't we use the visitor's entrance?" He complained to the younger man.
"I can't use it…" Link sighed. "Didn't I tell you I was on the run? If I go this way, I'll get less attention. Leverrier would have my head before I even step into safe hands."
"Why didn't you bring Allen Walker with you?" Hoeinheim pressed on, changing the subject.
"I couldn't," he answered back. "The security was far too heavy… Walker did tell me to send a message to the Order, though…"
The Eastern Sage watched the head of the guilt-ridden man drop in shame.
"It's not your fault, Link," Hoeinheim gazed sympathetically at the man. "You did your best. I'm sure that once you tell the Supervisor, he'll send everyone after Leverrier, and you'll be the one with his head."
"I guess…" Link was still keeping his head drooping, still not forgiving himself.
"Hey… cheer up," Hoeinheim patted him on the back. "I may not be a good father or friend, but at least look a bit brighter…"
"We're going back to Headquarters?" Ed jumped. "I didn't expect it to be so early!"
"Me, too," Al was busily eating his breakfast. Kanda, of course, was eating soba, listening to Roy's announcement. Lavi, Lenalee, and the rest of Roy's staff were enjoying some type of stew of some sort. Road had joined the table, but right next to Al. Winry and Reever were currently poring over a blueprint.
"Well," Roy repeated. "We're going back, and we'll meet up with everyone else there."
"But… how will we get there quickly, Chief?" Havoc asked.
"The Ark."
"The Ark?" Lavi jumped. "But who's going to open it?"
"Road will." Hawkeye answered, and all eyes fell upon the purple haired girl sitting beside the Soul-Weaving Exorcist.
"Road?" Lenalee looked quizzically at the former Noah, and then to Komui, wondering if her brother would know of anything.
"Well… she did use the Ark several times before, right?" Komui reasoned.
"I guess I have…" Road spoke up. Roy then nodded.
"However…" Winry spoke up. "I might have to pick something up from Reesembool. Granny Pinako made something that I can use for Ed's automail…"
"Okay," Ed nodded. "Then can we stop by Reesembool before taking off to Headquarters? Hey, Al, it's a mile from here, right?"
"Reesembool is in the countryside… after all…" Al thought and agreed with his brother and childhood friend. "Yeah… let's just stop by Reesembool by train, and then take off from there. It's only one night or so…"
Roy placed down his reports and passed them to Riza to peruse.
"Since we're in a hurry," He said briskly. "We'll stay one night. Nothing more. If it's about retrieving Innocence, too, then I'll have Komui take care of that. He'll send in other Exorcists to deal with it… right, Komui?"
"Yes, of course," Komui sat up from his slouching position. Roy then turned to Road and Al.
"I trust that you'll be dealing with the Ark as of right now…" He reminded. Al wolfed down his breakfast, and left the room, with Road following. Roy then alerted the entire dining room to get ready for departure.
Al and Road found themselves in the backyard of the inn, keeping the silence all to themselves.
"Do you remember how to open the Ark?" Al asked. Road nodded meekly.
"I'm not saying we're going to use it now…" Al sweatdropped. "I mean, it's just, I was just asking."
"That's fine…" Road sighed. "I'm glad you asked."
"Actually…" Al pondered. "I was going to ask about last night. Did you sleep well?"
A bewildered expression appeared upon the girl's face, but she smiled again.
"Yes, I did sleep well," She looked away at the flowerbeds again. Al nodded in silence. They appreciated another quiet moment and found themselves staring at a lone butterfly hovering over a bright yellow daffodil that had been growing in clusters around the house. It was until then when a call from Lenalee startled the two and prompted them into reentering the house once more.
Ed slipped on his red longcoat over his black attire. "Hm… maybe I should ask Johnny for an actual Exorcist uniform. I messed my red jacket up last time back at Lab 5. I don't have any extra thread on me…"
Al buttoned his own Exorcist uniform and clasped the suitcase that held the brothers' necessities. "All done, brother!"
"All right, then," Ed smiled. "Let's go."
Lenalee packed her extra Exorcist uniform into her black suitcase as Timcampy began to flutter around her head. She then buttoned up the navy blue dress she wore over her uniform and retied her long emerald pigtails again.
"Timcampy…." She sighed, catching it from flying into her face. "Your previous owner must have been really patient with you, if you keep getting lost…"
She then stuffed him into the suitcase and headed for the door out of her room.
Kanda slung his trusty Mugen over his shoulder, looking back at the hourglass with the lotus flower in it. Apparently, Komui had brought it with him, as if he knew Roy would decide to transfer the Exorcists to the Silver Shield. He hadn't lost any of his lives for the moment ever since the fight with Skinn Boric… Not like he needed to, anyway. He still was on the verge to because…
"Stupid beansprout," he said to himself, turning the doorknob. "Never around when I need him to back me up."
"Who is it?" The telephone rang with the low voice of an elderly lady.
"Pinako, is that you?" Ed asked. The voice chuckled.
"Of course it is, you little shrimp."
"Hey, don't call me shrimp," Ed snapped caustically at the receiver of the phone. "I've grown a lot this year."
"Really? That must be exciting," Pinako sounded very happy at the news, and shortly after, she cleared her throat. Ed heard background voices, and Pinako answering back for a moment.
"Ah, right…" Pinako then said again. "Just recently, since you haven't been visiting home like you promised… I want to know when Winry's coming to see me."
Ed smiled. "Don't worry, Granny. Master is heading back to Shield headquarters this week. We'll be sure to stop at Reesembool for a day or two."
"Oh, how soon? When are you coming?"
Pinako was always a woman who wanted exact timing. For someone who was able to fix every piece of machinery she got her hands on, desire for precision was expected.
"This evening. The train comes really fast nowadays."
Another murmur of voices caught his ear as he was pressed to the receiver.
"Um… Granny? You there?"
"Of course I am!" A sharp voice made him jump for a moment. "Ah… I see. I'll see you tomorrow."
He heard the loud tone of a ended call, and set it down, facing his younger brother and childhood friend.
"I've told her we're arriving tomorrow. She's quite thrilled that we're coming."
"Of course she is," Winry smiled. For once, Edward was suddenly overjoyed and positive. When Trisha Elric had died, Ed and Al had gotten along very well with Winry's grandmother Pinako. Although they stayed in their own house, they often stopped by Winry's home for meals and play dates of the sort.
"Ed, Winry, Alphonse!" Lenalee's voice called for them. "The train's leaving really soon!"
"Oh, right," Al sweatdropped. "We're coming!"
The traveling party divided themselves into two compartments. Of course, Ed, Al, and Lavi wanted to be in the same one. Roy, believing that his students could take care of themselves, left them and joined the other compartment, where Komui and the staff stayed. Kanda, who felt more comfortable with Lavi and Lenalee around, stayed with our little trio. Winry and Road joined the Exorcists.
"Well, it's seems like full house, here, isn't it?" Lavi laid back on his seat luxuriously. Al made himself comfortable on the side of the seat beside the door, with Road sitting beside him and next to his brother. Ed was on the other side, looking at the window right next to. Kanda and Lenalee were on the opposite seat, along with Winry.
"Always humorous…" Lenalee smiled brightly. Kanda merely snorted and looked at the window as the train rushed past a calm vineyard.
"Well, Germany… Any of you went there?" Lavi asked. Lenalee sighed.
"Haven't I told you?" She began. "I went there when I met Miranda."
Lavi's heart cringed when he noticed that Lenalee had left Allen out. Of course, he and Lenalee were sent to investigate the Rewinding Town were the same day kept repeating for over a month. Allen had experienced horrible pain, because Road, the Noah of Dreams had pried out his Akuma-sensing eye… The funny thing is the fact that she was sitting right next to him.
"Al and I used to live in Reesembool," Ed added. "Winry lived there, too, before the three of us joined the Order."
"Reesembool?" Lavi perked up. "Isn't that where our mission is?"
"Yeah…" Al nodded. "Ed and I are worried about the people there… cause… Winry's grandmother Pinako. My godparents Izumi and Sig visit at this time of the year, but since they're really busy, I don't think they'll come. They actually live in London."
"Are they old friends of your parents?" Lenalee asked.
"My mom, to be exact," Ed answered. "As for my dad, Izumi probably was best friends with him, but I never saw any interaction between the two."
"Oh? Why not?"
"Our dad left when Ed was three, and I was two," Al explained. "Never seen him ever since."
"Did they divorce?"
"No," Ed growled. "He just left, no reason, apparently."
"What was his name?"
"Hoeinheim." Ed gave a flat answer.
"Well, anyways," Lenalee continued. "What about your mother? If she stayed with you, what happened to her?"
"She cared for us until we were nine," Ed answered, some softness and yet melancholy in his words. "That was when a plague swept through the country, and she passed away before we knew it. She didn't bother to tell us… And then… The Central came… and then…"
Lenalee shook her head. "It's fine. If you're not comfortable with telling me about this, then I don't think it's necessary to tell me now."
"Th… Thanks, Lenalee…" Ed nodded. They discussed other topics, until Ed decided to doze off for a majority of the journey.
"Ed… we're almost there… wake up…" Winry shook her childhood friend as he groaned and mumbled about getting five more minutes.
"What a heavy sleepyhead shorty you got there!" Lavi teased, and Ed erupted from his sleep.
"DON'T CALL ME AN UNDERSIZED PEA THAT COULD BE SQUASHED BY A FLEA!"
"Brother…" Al sweatdropped. "I don't think he said that…"
"You're being noisy," Kanda grumbled and continued his stare out the window, but found nothing interesting as they were going into a tunnel. It was rather dark, and it was rather hard for anyone to see the other.
"How much longer?" Ed asked Lenalee.
"A minute," Winry answered. "You fell asleep for an hour. We've been through this tunnel for a while."
In a few seconds, they found themselves exiting the tunnel, and Lenalee and Winry nearly lost their posture when they saw the light hit Ed's face. They held back their laughs, but eventually, they couldn't control it. Al looked questioningly at the two girls and then looked at his brother, and he couldn't help but burst out laughing. Road followed, and Lavi then gave a look of triumph. Kanda had a glance as well, since he couldn't help his curiosity.
"A job well done," Kanda remarked, smirking at Ed's face.
"What?" Ed looked at everyone. "Is there something on my face?"
"Oh," Al laughed really hard his cheeks were getting sore. "Definitely!"
Lenalee, still laughing, pulled out a pocket mirror and it out for Ed to see. When Ed saw the mirror image of his face, he paled slightly.
Someone had really done it this time. Right under his nose were ink brushstrokes of a moustache (a rather fancy curly one, to make it funnier), and a drawing of fake eyes on his eyelids, not to mention a pleasant little black goatee and beard.
Ed began to twitch, and Al was still laughing even when Ed glared at his brother.
"It wasn't me, brother! I swear!"
"Well, then who was it?" Ed kept his voice to dangerously calm.
"Not me." Kanda said plainly, and observed a shepherd and his herd of sheep zooming by.
"Of course, not me…" Road smiled. "But that was funny…"
"Me neither," Lenalee finally stopped laughing. Winry shook her head.s Ed then concluded. Lavi.
"Lavi…" Ed kept his voice low. Lavi then smiled.
"Hey, can't help it," He joked. "It suits you really well."
"WHAT DID YOU SAY! JUST GET IT OFF!"
"Sorry… It's permanent… Takes a week to get off-"
"WHAT!"
"Kidding!"
"So," Kanda watched as Ed came back from the water fountain. "You washed your face yet?"
"Does it look like it to you?" Ed cockily crossed his arms. Roy, who heard, and saw, the story of the ink incident, smirked.
"You know…" He began to tease. "I think I still see the goatee-"
"Oh, shut it, Master," Ed shot back angrily, and Lavi, Chaoji, Al, Miranda, and Lenalee shrugged.
"Well, we'll need to take a wagon," Roy stated.
Lavi looked up to the sky again. He could see a single goose fly across the blue abyss that sat upon a grassy plain of golden yellow and green. A deep memory of a young redheaded boy following his grandfather in a grassy yellow plain sprang to his conscience, and he smiled at the thought.
"Gee…" Lavi sighed. "Wish Allen was here… He'd love to see this…"
They crossed the rickety gate of wood, closing it promptly once everyone had passed through. They stepped into the portico, which was laid out on many long slabs of oak, and protected by the shading roof above their heads. Edward took the first move to knock on the door, and everyone paused as they watched the door creak open.
A rather large dog had pounced out of the doorway and landed on Ed's face, licking the poor boy's face.
"Hey… Den!… Stop it!…" Ed laughed, and from the corner of his eye, he saw a small elderly woman, brandishing a redwood pipe in her hands, and round glasses propped up nicely upon the bridge of her nose. Her coarse gray brown hair was pinned up in a strange narrow and round ponytail.
"Granny Pinako!" Alphonse cried, and he and Winry rushed forward to hug the well-known relative.
"Easy there," Pinako soothed the overenthusiastic grandchildren. "I need to breathe, you know."
She watched Ed brush the dust off his pants and look down at her.
"I guess you're right…" She smiled. "You did grow taller."
"That's surprising," Roy smiled. "There's really been not much change in his stature."
"What do you-!" Ed shouted, but was bonked on the head by Pinako's pipe.
"Hurry in, everyone," She gestured to the open welcoming door. "It's getting breezy outside.
"I see… You're searching for that friend of yours, right?" Pinako made another ring of smoke from her wooden pipe, and Ed nodded in response to her question. Everyone had settled in the living room, several on the couch, and the rest on the home-knit rug. Pinako chose a dinner table chair she pulled from the kitchen.
"I don't know anything about this boy," Pinako sighed. "But if you need any help, you can always call. You're only stopping for the day, am I correct?"
"Winry needed to pick something up," Alphonse explained. "And since it's almost evening, we'll just have to stay here."
"We'll be staying at the inn at the downtown Reesembool," Roy added. "You can reach us there if you need to call us tonight."
"Can do." Pinako nodded respectfully. "And, Winry… your stuff in your bedroom."
Winry happily complied and bounded up the stairs, and everyone could hear a squeal of delight upstairs, and great pattering of feet. Ed and Al face palmed.
"This never gets old…"
Once again, another inn was jammed, and everyone was busily doing their needed activities. Lavi had received a big pile of "homework" from his Grandpa Bookman, and was currently absorbing himself in the words of the documents, etching every detail in his memory when…
BOOM!
"Akuma!" Alphonse announced. A startled Edward toppled backwards in his seat from the incoming quake, and the party rushed outside.
Exactly as Al had said, A herd of Akuma were hovering dangerously over their heads above the town, and great series of shouting were heard. Without hesitation, Roy pointed at his crew.
"You guys!" He ordered. "Go with Lenalee, and make sure the people are safe! Lenalee, feel free to destroy any Akuma in your way! Lavi, Ed and Kanda! Take Lavi's Hammer and deal with the little tea party above! Alphonse and Road! Come with me! I'll need some backup!"
"Yes, sir!" the delegated people rushed away to their positions. Road, not familiar with orders, was roughly pulled on the sleeve by Alphonse, and they sprinted away after the Flames of Wrath.
The three skidded to a stop as Roy snapped an Akuma to heated ashes, only to be confronted by more Akuma in the main square. A Level Three grinned maliciously, most notably at Road.
"Oh? So the Traitorous Noah is here with you Exorcist brats?" It taunted them. "I wonder if you should be fine with that…"
A quartet of daggers were stuck on its face in mere seconds, and with a clap from the Soul-Weaving Alchemist, the demonic creature was ripped to shreds, and faded away like disintegrating purple dust.
"Road Kamelot is no longer a Noah," Alphonse announced. "And she was once an Exorcist, so she will always be an Exorcist…"
"Well said!" Roy shouted above the roar of a fading Akuma he had destroyed.
"Al…" Road gasped, and another Lever Three charged in. Roy was heading off to another direction. Alphonse brandished a new set of knives.
"Road! Use your Innocence!" Al told her. "It'll end the battle quickly!"
Alphonse's orders were answered by a hesitant silence, but Road eventually nodded.
"Blessed Snow!"
The beautiful snow-white ribbon flashed through the evening air, ripping through a horde of Akuma with each graceful stroke. Several screams and small sighs ensued, ending in a grand finale of a marvelous display of smoky fireworks. Road, satisfied with her act, looked at a thankful Alphonse, who nodded. Her lips curved to a smile, and she laughed, for the first time, as an Exorcist once more.
The expedition to liberate Reesembool ended with high success, earning our travelers a good celebration at the inn. Alphonse was standing beside Road, intending to talk to her, when a firm hand held onto his shoulder.
"We need to talk."
Alphonse turned cautiously to see a stern-faced Kanda. Alphonse nodded, in all unnecessary seriousness, and followed the Japanese samurai into a quieter corner of the room.
"What is it?" Al asked.
"You should be careful." Kanda said flatly, receiving a puzzled look from Alphonse.
"Huh…?" Alphonse deadpanned, not understanding what Kanda meant.
"I meant Road," He angrily retorted. "You shouldn't be too loose around Road."
"It's fine, Kanda…" Alphonse smiled. "We trust each other. We'll be fine!"
"Trust, huh?" Kanda challenged Alphonse's words. "You should still be wary around that girl. Even though she's not the Road we know anymore, you shouldn't stray too far from the safety line."
This made the younger Exorcist laugh. "Wow, since when did you say things like that?"
Kanda went wide-eyed. "Nothing."
Al began to frown. "Look… If you're really concerned about Allen, then you don't have to be so secretive about it. I know we both want to find him as soon as possible-"
"I don't need any heart to heart talk from anyone," Kanda sharply interrupted. "But thanks, anyway."
Kanda passed by a puzzled Ed, who was approaching his brother with a fresh glass of water.
"What did the idiot say to you?" Ed asked. Al then shook his head.
"Oh, nothing, really," He smiled. "Just a small heart to heart talk about trusting people."
A/N: Once again, another sadly fast-paced chapter. I was quite busy this week, even during summer vacation! The next chapter is going be some fluff between Al and Road, and another shocking news about Allen comes up. Also I've been watching a new anime named Canaan (where a lot of the girls can fight and take down almost anyone! Canaan and Alphard are awesome! Liang Gi is crazy!). Pandora Hearts also caught my eye recently, too.
Next Chapter: Chapter 19: Risky Prospects: Our traveling party arrives at the Shield headquarters and are given a small tour, and Roy immediately receives a phone call from someone he least expects. Hoeinheim and Link are currently thinking of a way to get to the Shield as quickly as possible. And Al confronts a distressed Road who can't sleep.