Categories > Anime/Manga > Full Metal Alchemist > Separation and Reunion
Separation and Reunion
Chapter 13: I'm With You
----
Listening to: "I'm With You" - Avril Lavigne
----
"Annaliese?"
Annaliese looked up from a book she was filing in the store as her father walked in and hung his coat up on the coat rack. "Yes father?" she said politely, closing the book and meeting his eyes. She frowned when she saw the expression on his face; something or someone had gotten her into trouble, she was sure. "What is it?"
"Who's that boy you've been spending so much time with?"
She looked back down at her book. Ever since Hohenheim Elric's funeral, Annaliese had been spending more and more time with his son, Emmat. She missed Edward's friendly attitude towards her, and she would've liked to have him back, but Emmat was pleasant to spend time with in a completely different way. He was handsome and mysterious...scholarly, even. They'd had many discussions about magic and other topics that Annaliese wasn't able to talk about with anyone else, and he'd taken her out to dinner a couple of times.
However, he wouldn't meet her father.
"Oh...his name's Emmat. He's Hohenheim's son...Edward's half-brother."
Mr Hilliard's eyes narrowed slightly. "He's related to Edward? And Hohenheim never said anything about him...hm..."
"What's so worrisome about him?"
"I recognize him from somewhere...but I trust you Annaliese. Keep your guard up with him. Make sure you're always out in public together, and if you continue to see him I would like to meet him."
Annaliese knew that this presented a problem. Emmat said that he wasn't on good terms with the Thule Society, so he didn't want to talk to anyone involved with it. Things were getting out of hand...she would have to talk to him again. "Alright. Anything else you need here?"
"I was just going to take a look at the library," he said, "There's a book I need."
He left her in the main room alone, and she opened up her book again, proceeding to put it on the appropriate shelf. A shudder ran through her as she walked back to the desk. Every time she saw it now, she imagined that pale hand reaching up over the edge, that voice asking her where Edward was. It had been so strange...and they still hadn't discovered who the intruder had been. All that they could do was hope that he didn't come back to their shop; Annaliese always left before dark now, and her father never stayed long without company.
She stopped what she was doing suddenly, frowning. Her father had been worried about Hohenheim Elric because of the creature in the shop...and he'd been suspicious of Emmat for his relationship to the Elrics. Could there have been a connection...?
She dismissed the thought quickly. Emmat was just a normal man.
But she made a mental note not to be caught alone with him.
----
The train from Rizemboul rattled along the tracks, unsettling Winry a little and forcing her to shift on Ed's shoulder. He looked down at her, smiling lightly. Can't believe I'm married...
"What are you looking at?" she said playfully, opening her blue eyes. He grinned.
"What do you think I'm looking at?"
"Hmm...I don't know. Probably my hot bod."
He laughed tiredly. "You guessed it." They'd been snoozing for most of the three hours they'd been on the train. It was now about four in the morning, and they wouldn't reach their destination for another two hours.
She kissed his neck lightly, sighing. "I can't believe it's my wedding night and I'm on a train packed full of people..."
"Wanna find out how much we can get away with?"
Winry laughed, raising her eyebrows at him. "You're kidding, right?"
"Uh...yeah, I am."
She laughed again. "Yeah, I didn't think you were that wild, Ed."
"I'm not."
Another rattle shook the train and she had to shift against him again, leaving her head on his shoulder. "I can't believe I'm going back to Rush Valley...I always planned on going back and studying with Dominique, but...you know..."
"I know."
An uncomfortable silence followed. Winry turned away from him to look at the dark town outside, a few lit windows scattered in the blackness. She cleared her throat, taking his hand. "Sorry I brought it up..."
"It's alright," he replied, shaking his head, "We just need to put it behind us, OK?"
"I should be happy right now...but I just keep on thinking of Trisha."
"Me too."
"Sorry."
"Don't be."
----
Pinako - the last Rockbell - walked through the big house, picking up balloons, confetti, and other trash from the party the previous night. Rose was in the kitchen making some eggs, and everyone else was still asleep. Pinako sighed heavily as she picked up little pieces from the bouquet, which Rose had caught the night before. She hoped it wasn't a bad omen for Mustang and Hawkeye...but she also wasn't very superstitious. It was just a silly tradition, after all.
Rose smiled at Pinako as she walked out of the kitchen with a big plate of scrambled eggs, a flower in her hair. "Good morning," she said brightly, putting down the eggs and a few forks.
"Good morning, Rose," Pinako replied, "So it seems we're going to be alone in the house."
"Al's not staying to wait for Ed?" Rose asked.
"No...he's going back with Izumi to keep Wrath company. Ed and Winry are going to pick him up on the way back from Rush Valley and...wherever else they're going."
"Oh." The brunette nodded and walked back into the kitchen to get some plates. Pinako looked around, thinking of how empty things would seem without Winry's constant energy. She didn't know where Edward was going to take her granddaughter. If he went back to working for the military, Winry would probably move around a lot...Pinako prayed that he wouldn't be a soldier. Being a soldier's wife was not an ideal lifestyle for the two of them; the threat of losing Ed again could drive Winry back into a depression.
The old woman sighed as Rose returned with the plates and began to set them on the table with a clinking noise. I'm over-thinking things...
"Good morning!" Rose said brightly, and Pinako looked over her shoulder to see Al running towards the table with a smile on his face. Izumi was close behind him, but her usually strong stride was halting with a pained limp. Everything was different...changing...pretty soon Winry would be gone, and Al would be with her...Izumi wouldn't last much longer. Pinako wondered how long it would take for she herself to pass away and leave Rose in the empty house, Rizemboul without an automail engineer.
She would have to talk to Winry about that.
----
Emmat Elric smiled at Annaliese as she walked down the steps of her house, the expression appearing on her face as well. "Good evening, Annaliese."
"Good evening, Emmat," she said, her smile growing. His gentle smile reassured her that he was trustworthy, and that her father was just paranoid after the gruesome death of his friend. There was no reason to be afraid of the kind, polite man that stood before her now. "So where are you taking me tonight?"
"I was thinking dinner and then maybe a short stroll through the park," he replied, taking her arm, and pushing a loose lock of hair away from his forehead. "Does that sound good?"
"It sounds wonderful," she replied, smiling at him again.
It wasn't long before they were seated inside a small restaurant, away from the light snow that drifted down outside. Annaliese took off her fur coat and hung it on the back of her chair before sitting down opposite Emmat and taking a sip from her glass of water. The young man looked across at her with his piercing gold eyes and waited for her to swallow before beginning to speak. "How have things been at the shop?"
"Oh, just fine..." she said, and then leaned forward a little to continue. "Nothing else has turned up since that creature that I think came out of a book...I guess it disappeared. And the strange thing is...well, Hugo Caspar's journal is missing."
He frowned. "And what would that be?"
Annaliese disregarded the slight look of recognition. "It's one of my father's books...you know, magic. Also the book that your brother was examining when he disappeared."
Emmat's eyebrows shot up. "You knew my brother?"
"I didn't mention...? Well, yes, I knew Edward. I thought you'd have realized that after I spoke of him so familiarly. Why?"
Just as quickly as he had gotten so excited, he calmed back down. "Mm...no reason. I just didn't know you knew him." He put his hand on a chin thoughtfully and then continued. "I've actually been looking for him...do you have any idea where he is?"
Annaliese frowned slightly. "I'm not supposed to say anything...it was all very secretive with him. I'm sorry."
Emmat shook his head, but she thought she caught a glimpse of anger. It scared her to no end. "No, no, it's fine. My brother has always been a bit strange. Very secretive, an enigma to everyone in the family. He's actually made fools of quite a few women too...no trusting him. Thinks he's some kind of magician, I believe...and not the practical stuff that my father did. Crazy things. Traveling to other worlds...all sorts of things." He shrugged and then took a deep sip of wine from a glass that had just been put in front of him. Annaliese's frown deepened, but the man didn't seem to notice.
"He didn't seem like that at all..." she started, shaking her head.
Emmat put down his glass and turned towards her, placing his hands over hers. "He never has...but he's a wild card. If you see him again...make sure to keep in touch with me. I wouldn't want you getting hurt."
She suddenly wasn't so sure that protecting her was his true motive for wanting to know if Edward returned.
----
Metal creaked as the train slowed to a halt, the boiler letting out a hiss. Winry sat up tiredly, stretching her arms and tapping her new husband on the shoulder gently. "Ed...we're here..."
His heavy golden eyes blinked open and he looked over at her, a relaxed expression on his face. "Let's wait for everyone else to get off first...we have all the time we need."
She smiled at him and let herself wake up a little more as the other passengers passed them hastily to get to the exit. "How long were you awake?"
"Not much longer than you," he replied, "I just...I feel like after all that I've gone through to get back, I don't want to miss a minute of this. Like I'll go to sleep here and wake up somewhere else."
Winry laughed gently. "That's not going to happen, Ed...you know if you disappear again you're going to have a nice meeting with some shiny silver wrenches when you get back."
"No need to threaten, I don't plan on going anywhere."
She stood up, looking around, and pulled him up playfully. "Good...now where to first?"
They walked to the exit and Ed looked around in the early morning light. "I guess I'd like to check into our hotel first..."
"So Granny was right, huh?"
He stared at her. "What?"
"That you just want me in your bed?"
The young man blushed and a fit of laughter bubbled out of Winry's throat. "I'm just kidding..." she muttered finally, taking him by the arm. "Now tell me where we're going."
"This way," he said before leading her off in another direction. She followed happily, her hand gripped firmly in his. Nobody was there to ruin things...no alchemy, no crazy homunculi that wanted to kill Ed...this was closer to perfect than Winry had been in a very, very long time.
----
Riza Hawkeye crossed her arms as she watched her fiancé lean over and inspect the ground, a frown on his face. She looked at him carefully. "Have you found anything?"
Roy shook his head. "Looks like there was a symbol burned into the ground here...can't believe Ed didn't notice it when he got here. I've never seen it before though...how about you?"
He motioned for her to come closer and she moved over to him, squinting at the barely visible symbol that still showed in the tall grass. "Not that I know anything about it...but it looks like a transmutation circle. And no, I don't think I've ever seen it before. Of all the things I've seen in the military, this is completely new."
The dark-haired man nodded, his frown deepening. "I'll have to research it...maybe it's from that other world Edward told us about?"
She looked more closely at it: a circle about five feet across, with what had to be about a hundred elaborate lines and circles in it. "I really have no idea...and I'm sure that not even you would want to disturb him on his honeymoon to ask about it."
Roy nodded. "I just hope nothing else comes out of it."
Because when he kicked some dirt across the mark, it immediately disappeared.
----
Author's Note: Bleeeeeeh...I'm not even trying to make these chapters that long anymore. It seems I've lost my inspiration. O.O
So sorry...I feel like this particular fic has really started to suck. I just can't think of anything...and I feel like I always have to force myself to write it...but anyway...
I've got a plot going, and I'm trying to carry it through to the end. This will have a proper ending, one way or another!
Please review and renew my self-esteem! x_x
--Kat
Chapter 13: I'm With You
----
Listening to: "I'm With You" - Avril Lavigne
----
"Annaliese?"
Annaliese looked up from a book she was filing in the store as her father walked in and hung his coat up on the coat rack. "Yes father?" she said politely, closing the book and meeting his eyes. She frowned when she saw the expression on his face; something or someone had gotten her into trouble, she was sure. "What is it?"
"Who's that boy you've been spending so much time with?"
She looked back down at her book. Ever since Hohenheim Elric's funeral, Annaliese had been spending more and more time with his son, Emmat. She missed Edward's friendly attitude towards her, and she would've liked to have him back, but Emmat was pleasant to spend time with in a completely different way. He was handsome and mysterious...scholarly, even. They'd had many discussions about magic and other topics that Annaliese wasn't able to talk about with anyone else, and he'd taken her out to dinner a couple of times.
However, he wouldn't meet her father.
"Oh...his name's Emmat. He's Hohenheim's son...Edward's half-brother."
Mr Hilliard's eyes narrowed slightly. "He's related to Edward? And Hohenheim never said anything about him...hm..."
"What's so worrisome about him?"
"I recognize him from somewhere...but I trust you Annaliese. Keep your guard up with him. Make sure you're always out in public together, and if you continue to see him I would like to meet him."
Annaliese knew that this presented a problem. Emmat said that he wasn't on good terms with the Thule Society, so he didn't want to talk to anyone involved with it. Things were getting out of hand...she would have to talk to him again. "Alright. Anything else you need here?"
"I was just going to take a look at the library," he said, "There's a book I need."
He left her in the main room alone, and she opened up her book again, proceeding to put it on the appropriate shelf. A shudder ran through her as she walked back to the desk. Every time she saw it now, she imagined that pale hand reaching up over the edge, that voice asking her where Edward was. It had been so strange...and they still hadn't discovered who the intruder had been. All that they could do was hope that he didn't come back to their shop; Annaliese always left before dark now, and her father never stayed long without company.
She stopped what she was doing suddenly, frowning. Her father had been worried about Hohenheim Elric because of the creature in the shop...and he'd been suspicious of Emmat for his relationship to the Elrics. Could there have been a connection...?
She dismissed the thought quickly. Emmat was just a normal man.
But she made a mental note not to be caught alone with him.
----
The train from Rizemboul rattled along the tracks, unsettling Winry a little and forcing her to shift on Ed's shoulder. He looked down at her, smiling lightly. Can't believe I'm married...
"What are you looking at?" she said playfully, opening her blue eyes. He grinned.
"What do you think I'm looking at?"
"Hmm...I don't know. Probably my hot bod."
He laughed tiredly. "You guessed it." They'd been snoozing for most of the three hours they'd been on the train. It was now about four in the morning, and they wouldn't reach their destination for another two hours.
She kissed his neck lightly, sighing. "I can't believe it's my wedding night and I'm on a train packed full of people..."
"Wanna find out how much we can get away with?"
Winry laughed, raising her eyebrows at him. "You're kidding, right?"
"Uh...yeah, I am."
She laughed again. "Yeah, I didn't think you were that wild, Ed."
"I'm not."
Another rattle shook the train and she had to shift against him again, leaving her head on his shoulder. "I can't believe I'm going back to Rush Valley...I always planned on going back and studying with Dominique, but...you know..."
"I know."
An uncomfortable silence followed. Winry turned away from him to look at the dark town outside, a few lit windows scattered in the blackness. She cleared her throat, taking his hand. "Sorry I brought it up..."
"It's alright," he replied, shaking his head, "We just need to put it behind us, OK?"
"I should be happy right now...but I just keep on thinking of Trisha."
"Me too."
"Sorry."
"Don't be."
----
Pinako - the last Rockbell - walked through the big house, picking up balloons, confetti, and other trash from the party the previous night. Rose was in the kitchen making some eggs, and everyone else was still asleep. Pinako sighed heavily as she picked up little pieces from the bouquet, which Rose had caught the night before. She hoped it wasn't a bad omen for Mustang and Hawkeye...but she also wasn't very superstitious. It was just a silly tradition, after all.
Rose smiled at Pinako as she walked out of the kitchen with a big plate of scrambled eggs, a flower in her hair. "Good morning," she said brightly, putting down the eggs and a few forks.
"Good morning, Rose," Pinako replied, "So it seems we're going to be alone in the house."
"Al's not staying to wait for Ed?" Rose asked.
"No...he's going back with Izumi to keep Wrath company. Ed and Winry are going to pick him up on the way back from Rush Valley and...wherever else they're going."
"Oh." The brunette nodded and walked back into the kitchen to get some plates. Pinako looked around, thinking of how empty things would seem without Winry's constant energy. She didn't know where Edward was going to take her granddaughter. If he went back to working for the military, Winry would probably move around a lot...Pinako prayed that he wouldn't be a soldier. Being a soldier's wife was not an ideal lifestyle for the two of them; the threat of losing Ed again could drive Winry back into a depression.
The old woman sighed as Rose returned with the plates and began to set them on the table with a clinking noise. I'm over-thinking things...
"Good morning!" Rose said brightly, and Pinako looked over her shoulder to see Al running towards the table with a smile on his face. Izumi was close behind him, but her usually strong stride was halting with a pained limp. Everything was different...changing...pretty soon Winry would be gone, and Al would be with her...Izumi wouldn't last much longer. Pinako wondered how long it would take for she herself to pass away and leave Rose in the empty house, Rizemboul without an automail engineer.
She would have to talk to Winry about that.
----
Emmat Elric smiled at Annaliese as she walked down the steps of her house, the expression appearing on her face as well. "Good evening, Annaliese."
"Good evening, Emmat," she said, her smile growing. His gentle smile reassured her that he was trustworthy, and that her father was just paranoid after the gruesome death of his friend. There was no reason to be afraid of the kind, polite man that stood before her now. "So where are you taking me tonight?"
"I was thinking dinner and then maybe a short stroll through the park," he replied, taking her arm, and pushing a loose lock of hair away from his forehead. "Does that sound good?"
"It sounds wonderful," she replied, smiling at him again.
It wasn't long before they were seated inside a small restaurant, away from the light snow that drifted down outside. Annaliese took off her fur coat and hung it on the back of her chair before sitting down opposite Emmat and taking a sip from her glass of water. The young man looked across at her with his piercing gold eyes and waited for her to swallow before beginning to speak. "How have things been at the shop?"
"Oh, just fine..." she said, and then leaned forward a little to continue. "Nothing else has turned up since that creature that I think came out of a book...I guess it disappeared. And the strange thing is...well, Hugo Caspar's journal is missing."
He frowned. "And what would that be?"
Annaliese disregarded the slight look of recognition. "It's one of my father's books...you know, magic. Also the book that your brother was examining when he disappeared."
Emmat's eyebrows shot up. "You knew my brother?"
"I didn't mention...? Well, yes, I knew Edward. I thought you'd have realized that after I spoke of him so familiarly. Why?"
Just as quickly as he had gotten so excited, he calmed back down. "Mm...no reason. I just didn't know you knew him." He put his hand on a chin thoughtfully and then continued. "I've actually been looking for him...do you have any idea where he is?"
Annaliese frowned slightly. "I'm not supposed to say anything...it was all very secretive with him. I'm sorry."
Emmat shook his head, but she thought she caught a glimpse of anger. It scared her to no end. "No, no, it's fine. My brother has always been a bit strange. Very secretive, an enigma to everyone in the family. He's actually made fools of quite a few women too...no trusting him. Thinks he's some kind of magician, I believe...and not the practical stuff that my father did. Crazy things. Traveling to other worlds...all sorts of things." He shrugged and then took a deep sip of wine from a glass that had just been put in front of him. Annaliese's frown deepened, but the man didn't seem to notice.
"He didn't seem like that at all..." she started, shaking her head.
Emmat put down his glass and turned towards her, placing his hands over hers. "He never has...but he's a wild card. If you see him again...make sure to keep in touch with me. I wouldn't want you getting hurt."
She suddenly wasn't so sure that protecting her was his true motive for wanting to know if Edward returned.
----
Metal creaked as the train slowed to a halt, the boiler letting out a hiss. Winry sat up tiredly, stretching her arms and tapping her new husband on the shoulder gently. "Ed...we're here..."
His heavy golden eyes blinked open and he looked over at her, a relaxed expression on his face. "Let's wait for everyone else to get off first...we have all the time we need."
She smiled at him and let herself wake up a little more as the other passengers passed them hastily to get to the exit. "How long were you awake?"
"Not much longer than you," he replied, "I just...I feel like after all that I've gone through to get back, I don't want to miss a minute of this. Like I'll go to sleep here and wake up somewhere else."
Winry laughed gently. "That's not going to happen, Ed...you know if you disappear again you're going to have a nice meeting with some shiny silver wrenches when you get back."
"No need to threaten, I don't plan on going anywhere."
She stood up, looking around, and pulled him up playfully. "Good...now where to first?"
They walked to the exit and Ed looked around in the early morning light. "I guess I'd like to check into our hotel first..."
"So Granny was right, huh?"
He stared at her. "What?"
"That you just want me in your bed?"
The young man blushed and a fit of laughter bubbled out of Winry's throat. "I'm just kidding..." she muttered finally, taking him by the arm. "Now tell me where we're going."
"This way," he said before leading her off in another direction. She followed happily, her hand gripped firmly in his. Nobody was there to ruin things...no alchemy, no crazy homunculi that wanted to kill Ed...this was closer to perfect than Winry had been in a very, very long time.
----
Riza Hawkeye crossed her arms as she watched her fiancé lean over and inspect the ground, a frown on his face. She looked at him carefully. "Have you found anything?"
Roy shook his head. "Looks like there was a symbol burned into the ground here...can't believe Ed didn't notice it when he got here. I've never seen it before though...how about you?"
He motioned for her to come closer and she moved over to him, squinting at the barely visible symbol that still showed in the tall grass. "Not that I know anything about it...but it looks like a transmutation circle. And no, I don't think I've ever seen it before. Of all the things I've seen in the military, this is completely new."
The dark-haired man nodded, his frown deepening. "I'll have to research it...maybe it's from that other world Edward told us about?"
She looked more closely at it: a circle about five feet across, with what had to be about a hundred elaborate lines and circles in it. "I really have no idea...and I'm sure that not even you would want to disturb him on his honeymoon to ask about it."
Roy nodded. "I just hope nothing else comes out of it."
Because when he kicked some dirt across the mark, it immediately disappeared.
----
Author's Note: Bleeeeeeh...I'm not even trying to make these chapters that long anymore. It seems I've lost my inspiration. O.O
So sorry...I feel like this particular fic has really started to suck. I just can't think of anything...and I feel like I always have to force myself to write it...but anyway...
I've got a plot going, and I'm trying to carry it through to the end. This will have a proper ending, one way or another!
Please review and renew my self-esteem! x_x
--Kat
Sign up to rate and review this story