Please read the note at the end of this chapter.
Disclaimer in the summary XP
Chapter Four
Hiding the pain
After Ed and Alexis had healed (Alexis healed before Ed but pretended she hadn't) they left for the brother's next mission.
Winry returned back to Resembool.
The mission Mustang gave them was to inspect the mines in Youswell.
Alexis sighed at Roy's obvious attempt to keep her away from trouble.
He had said it was because it was Ed's first mission. She knew that was only partly the reason.
They had been sitting on the train for ten minutes. Alexis kept a distance but could still hear Ed grumbling over her coming with them.
Alexis had finally had enough when she heard him say "Colonel Bastard" For the fifth time.
She stomped over to their booth, though not really making any sound, and glared at Ed.
"Call my brother a bastard, One. More. Time." She threatened.
Ed glared back. "Colonel Bastard!"
Alexis gritted her teeth. "Stupid short midget flea!"
Al tensed and looked at her in horror.
She had said not one, but three of Ed's taboo words.
Ed's face went red with fury.
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PIPSQUEEK WHO CANT SEE OVER A BLADE OF GRASS?! I'LL KICK YOUR ASS!"
Alexis hit him on the head with enough force to make him stop.
The she leaned into his face, still with a glare.
"I called you one, and if I hear you say something bad about my brother again, I won't hesitate to take away your automail and tell Winry you broke it" She threatened again.
Ed was taken aback by the threat. "You couldn't, there's no way I'll let you!"
In an instant, Alexis was holding the release switch in his arm, pinning his other arm to the train seat.
"Wanna bet?"
Al waved his arms around, frantically.
"He-hey! Everyone calm down! We're supposed to be working together!" He claimed.
Alexis looked to him, almost getting Ed's knee to her face when she did.
She still didn't release him and simply pressed his bent leg between their bodies, trapping him.
"You want to try that again, Brat?" She growled.
Ed growled back.
Suddenly both of them were lifted into the air, pulled away from each other.
"That's enough!" Al was a little pissed.
Alexis looked up at him, not worried about being held like a doll.
"As long as I don't hear anything bad about my brother, I'm happy. Say what you want when I'm not around." She admitted, shrugging "I would've insulted you to show him how it hurts, but I honestly couldn't do that to you"
She gave Al a smile.
"Hey! Don't be trying to win points from Al! He's on my side with this!" Ed yelled, thrashing in his brother's grip.
Al ignored his brother and looked at Alexis.
"That's nice that you can't insult me, but would you mind not threatening brother please?" He asked.
Alexis sighed "Since you asked nicely, I'll do my best not to, but if he threatens me first then it's on"
Al saw that she had calmed down and he put her back on her feet.
"Al!"
"Brother! Apologise to the Major!" Al insisted, not releasing his brother.
"Why should I?! She called me short and threatened me!"
"You were insulting her brother! How would you feel if someone insulted me like that?"
Ed stopped thrashed and grumbled "I would kick their ass..."
"Exactly, you and the Major are the same that way" Al told him.
Alexis was surprised at his insight.
"By the way, you can just call me Alexis. I'm not used to being called Major" She said.
Ed was still pouting.
"Now apologise to Alexis, brother!"
"...sorry" He hissed out, still relatively pissed.
Alexis gave him a pained smile.
"I'm sure you have your reasons for calling him what you did, but my brother has always been there for me. He's the only blood family I have left." She told him.
Alexis held her hand out for a handshake as Al put Ed onto the ground, ready to lift him back up if necessary.
Ed grabbed her hand with his automail and squeezed hard.
Alexis didn't flinch.
You really want to play this game? She thought, tightening her own grip and making his automail squeak in protest.
She let go before any damage was done, but by Ed's face she had gotten her point across.
Damn, she's stronger than I thought, He said in his head.
Alexis turned away to head back to her seat.
Ed was glad until his brother spoke up.
"Why don't you sit with us Alexis?"
Alexis gave him a smile over her shoulder.
"I know when I'm not welcome. But thank you Alphonse."
She walked back to her seat.
Ed could feel his brother's harsh look.
"Ed! Look what you did!"
Al only really called him Ed when he was pissed.
Ed rubbed the back of his head.
"It's not my fault she's sensitive!"
Al let out a long sigh.
Alexis and Ed didn't speak as they got off the train at Youswell.
"I thought a mining town would be livelier but...everyone looks tired" Al said, trying to break the tense atmosphere of the other two.
Alexis twitched before pushing Ed forward, her arm blocking a large chunk of wood that a boy was carrying.
"HEY! ALEXIS! WHY'D YOU PUSH ME?" Ed yelled, getting up from the ground.
The boy carrying the wood ignored Ed and apologised to Alexis.
He looked to the newcomers before he started rambling questions to Ed.
"Are you tourists? Where'd you come from? You got a place to stay?"
Ed tried to reply but was ignore again when the boy yelled over his shoulder "DAD! Customers!"
Alexis followed them to an Inn further in the town.
She stayed quiet as Ed and Al talked with the owner of the Inn, taking a seat close to the door but facing the brothers.
She found them interesting to watch. Even though the armour that was Al had no body inside, his reactions and emotions seemed to spill from him as if he was flesh and bone.
Ed's eyes also fascinated her. She had only seen one other person with golden eyes but Ed's eyes made her think that he could do anything. He looked at everything with a determined spark, though she had also seen them clouded with grief when Nina died.
"So you wanted one night's stay and two meals for three people?" Alexis heard, returning from her thoughts to see a woman had approached the brothers.
The woman looked between the brothers and Alexis.
"Are you three travelling together?" she asked.
Alexis gave the woman a small smile and asked "How much for the three of us?"
"It's expensive" The Innkeeper told them, a glint in his eye.
"We have plenty of money!" Ed replied.
"Fine, its 300, 000!"
Edward fell off his chair, making Alexis chuckle.
"That's a rip off!" He yelled.
"That's why I said 'expensive'" The innkeeper told him.
Alexis pulled out her wallet as they continued talking. She pulled out 200, 000 (not really sure how much that is, just believe it, she's a good saver) and walked to the innkeeper.
"Here, this is enough for those two, right?" she asked, handing him the money.
Ed and Al's would-be eyes bulged at the wad of bills.
The innkeeper was surprised.
"What about you miss?" he asked, eyes flicking from the money to her eyes.
She gave him a smile.
"I like sleeping under the stars, I'll be fine"
The young Major looked over to the Elrics, who were huddled together and whispering...rather loudly.
She sighed and put her face in her hand when she heard Ed mention transmuting gold.
The inn keeper's son overheard and told his dad that Ed was an alchemist.
This lead to Ed fixing random broken things that the villagers brought him.
All seemed to have calmed down and Alexis head to the front door until Edward mentioned his name and everyone went quiet.
The innkeeper took away Ed's food and drink asking "Edward Elric...the state alchemist?"
"Umm, yeah that's me, what's the deal?"
Alexis stepped to the side as Ed and Al were kicked out the door.
"Hey! We're customers!" Ed yelled.
"Go away! We have no rooms for dogs of the military!" He retorted.
Alexis stepped past the men at the door, giving them a look as she did.
"Well, if there's no room for a dog, then I guess a rat won't fit either"
"You're in the military too?" the innkeeper's kid asked, glaring at her.
"Hey! Umm, I'm not part of the military!" Al called.
The men let Al in, giving Ed and Alexis a dirty look.
"Traitor!" Ed yelled.
"What did you mean when you said 'rat'?" Ed asked as they sat on the inn porch, still a distance away from each other.
Alexis gave him a sideways glance. He was looking directly at her, his eyes inquiring as much as his voice.
She looked away again, to the stars.
"Just an old nickname with bitter memories..." She answered.
Ed frowned.
"Who would call you a rat? You're Colonel Bas-...Mustang's little sister and a Major in the Army"
Alexis stayed quiet as she laid back on the wooden floor boards, still gazing at the dark sky sprinkled with lights.
Ed was about to ask more when a loud "Guuuuuuuu~" echoed from his gut.
Alexis chuckled a little, her arms folded behind her head as a pillow.
"Damn traitor Al..." The blonde mumbled.
Alexis heard the familiar clanking of armour before the said person walked through the door, a tray in hand.
He knelt down to the hungry blonde, offering him the tray "I secretly bought what they gave me" He explained.
Ed suddenly hugged his brother, almost crying from joy.
"There's not much here for the two of you..." The echo-y voice sounded guilty.
Alexis was surprised he'd thought of her.
"Don't worry about it Alphonse, Edward can have it all" She smiled to the boys.
Suddenly an innocent (not-so-innocent) smile was on her face.
"But why aren't you eating, dear Alphonse?" She asked, deciding to tease the boys a little.
It worked as they both (seemingly) started sweating as they looked at each other.
They flinched when she started laughing.
"Don't look so scared! I've been looking after you guys for about two weeks now and, as you said before, I'm Colonel Roy Mustang's little sister!" She told them.
Ed didn't seem to take it as well as she hoped; he glared at her with distrust. Al looked to the floor, relieved but sad.
"So you think it's funny?" The blonde asked.
Alexis' face turned hard and cold, her eyes going sharp.
"There aren't many things I find funny in this cruel world, Elric. Children losing part of their selves to see their mother again isn't a matter I would laugh at." She seemed to be lost in her mind as she spoke, her voice gravely monotone. "Neither is a child losing her parents in a war they had nothing to do with..."
The boys looked surprised, and then jumped slightly as Alexis got to her feet in a matter of milliseconds.
"Now, what's the story of this sad little town?" she asked.
Al told them what he'd heard from the villagers.
I know my writing at the moment is quite horrible.
It's mostly because this isn't the important parts and I wanna get them out of the way to get to the main part, which is after the three year jump. (When Ed and Alexis are 15 and Al is 14)
Also I'm kinda combining FMA original anime, FMA Brotherhood and the manga (which I know Brotherhood is based off but it's not exactly the same)
And after the Youswell mission, I might be making them go on a couple of random missions that I'll make up, so I can build relationships between them before crushing it! MWA HAHAHAHAHAHAH!
Eh hem...anyway...yeah...be patient please, the good stuff will be coming soon (I hope)
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