Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Where The Heart Is ❯ Those Harmless Meetings ( Chapter 2 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: An Angel's Wings 
--In Which You Discover A Sad Secret--
Anime/Manga: Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Suspense / Supernatural / Adventure | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 08.20.2006 | Updated On: 11.25.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.7K | Visits: 214 | Status: Work In Progress
--In Which You Discover A Sad Secret--
Anime/Manga: Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Angst / Suspense / Supernatural / Adventure | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 08.20.2006 | Updated On: 11.25.2006 | Pages: 2 | Words: 2.7K | Visits: 214 | Status: Work In Progress
No one seemed to like the first chapter. I'm sad. Anyway, I know it's long, AGHCK, so I made this one shorter. I also have some things to point out people might be wondering about.
A. Takes place after the series, and yes, I know Al went to study with Izumi after that, but just forget it ever happened. I changed it. I was planning on following faithfully to the series but, things popped up I felt no need to change my entire plot line.
B. Yes, I HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE. So therefore, so spoilers, even the previous Wrath-Gluttony mentioned one. Forget it.
C. NO PAIRINGS. Sheesh, I don't care if it seems to look like a RoyEd thing, IT'S NOT. I will sprinkle some Royai and EdWin in here though. No HohenhiemxDenxEnvyxEdwardxRusselxNoaxRiza crap like that.
D. Please, R&R! I know it seems long, and can make no sense at times, but I have a good plot muffin that I need to put to use! So please, R&R.
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Chapter 2
Those Harmless Meetings
--In Which You Discover A Sad Secret
The car chugged along the winding path, struggling up the numerous hills that ran along the road. It was another lovely day out, traces of powder clouds in the sky and a crisp, morning breeze. It had been a month now, since Edward and Alfons had become roommates, and things were looking up.
Edward was more talkative now, his old self carefully surfacing again. He would engage in conversation now, and sometimes Alfons could not even get a word in.
Alfons was thankful Ed was finally warming up to this world, or, at least beginning to except it. It was nice to see him get some of his zeal back, it was why Alfons had asked him to be his roommate in the first place; to help him regain the bounce in his step.
But for now, they were on a road trip. Hohenhiem had suggested it, and, as much as Alfons wanted to deny it, he didn’t really want to go. Neither did Edward, of course.
Hohenhiem had wanted them to visit an old friend of his. Edward guessed this sudden meeting was more of a small, relaxing trip away from their hectic home town, rather than an errand for his father. The ’friend’ lived just outside of Münich, in a desolate, forested area.
The sun had situated itself now so that Alfons could feel it’s warm rays, but a patch of forest quickly took that away. Sunlight flashed through the trees, and the forest was alive with the various, unique voices of nature. The car and it’s two passengers jolted as they hit a sudden bump.
The ride was overall extremely boring.
“Do you think we’re close yet?” Alfons spoke, seemingly to the passing trees.
“I dunno, I mean, we’ve been driving for at least an hour, it should be close…” Ed was behind the wheel, eyes on the road while Alfons gazed at the swiftly moving landscape.
Al let out a small sigh. “Let’s hope so.” A small trail of smoke could be seen now in the distance. Trees surrounded it, hiding it’s exact location.
The road jeered to the left, quickly starting up a steadily steeping incline. The car chugged and lumbered up the road, which soon began to smooth out. The car let out a wheeze as it reached the final stretch, coming to a stop upon the top of the sudden hill.
Ed and Alfons could do nothing more then gape at their reached destination. Before them sat a castle of a house, the trees barely stretching over it. It was an eggshell color, shutters a light blue. A square garden graced it’s front lawn, a sea of gold and red placed neatly between two curving cobblestone pathways. The flowers seemed to observe the newcomers with mild interest as their petals danced in the breeze. It was pleasant set-up, yet it gracefully reflected solitude at the same time.
Sound emanated from the surrounding forest even here; various bird songs, forest chatter and the sudden car door slam. The unnatural noise seem to disturb the careful balance of noise nature was making. The forest lowered to a quieter tone.
“This is it?” Edward asked, though he already knew the answer. It was quite obvious. Alfons came to stand next to him, curiously taking in the sites as well.
“It certainly is nice.” Alfons commented, glancing to his other-worldly counterpart before taking the lead up the stone pathway to the right. Ed followed in silence.
The path was short, leading up to a small wooden deck which housed a few sparse chairs and a delicate double glass door. Edward proceeded to step toward the door, holding up a hand to knock. There was no doorbell. Ed brought his hand cautiously to the door. A loud knock sounded. The boys winced, for it was unintentional. It was a few seconds of tension for them.
Suddenly, the left door opened, a crack at first, but it quickly become a gap. A face was barely visible, half of it being masked by the door. Green eyes peeked through the gap, a curious gleam evident.
“Can I help you?” A small voice squeaked, eyes now surveying Edward, and straining to see a partially hidden Alfons behind him.
“Yeah, um-” he didn’t get to finish, for the door opened wider, and the face was able to fit through it. A girl’s face was now distinguishable. She had short brown hair, reaching barely to her shoulder. It was cut in a similar fashion to Leera’s, except for lazy bangs that fell to both sides of her face, exposing the center of her forehead. She held a smile on her face, and seemed pleased that Alfons was now within her range of sight.
“You’re Mr. Elric’s son, right?” She asked, shooting Ed a questioning glance.
“Yeah, he sent us to see-” She interrupted him instantly, tossing his sentence aside, and finishing with her own.
“Lady Amara?” The smile on her face faltered, less losing it‘s exuberant emotion. She tossed her head carelessly to the side, eyeing the boys some more.
“Er…she’s not expecting us?” Ed asked sheepishly, putting at hand to the back of his neck. The girl returned the smile to her face, pulling her head back in and opening the door fully now.
“Of course she’s expecting you! I’m sorry for being so suspicious! I just…erm…” She trailed off, blushing furiously and letting her short bangs hide her embarrassment. She stood to the side of the open door as she let them in. They were, once again, in awe at the house. It’s interior more impressive then it’s yard. The foyer actually looked similar to the front entryway.
A set of wooden stairs spiraled to the second floor, as the cobblestone path had to the deck. Instead of a bed of flowers, an extravagant ruby rug was laid out over a vast section of the floor; it could not hide the polished wooden boards beneath it, though. Unique designs were seemingly sprinkled on it. A lone dragon encircling it, shapes entwining with one another, and a series of words scattered around, seemingly jumbles of letters, which Ed could not decipher.
Noticing their state of awe, the girl quickly sighed, putting a nervous smile on and brushed a hand down her black skirt. “Please, this way.” She bowed slightly to the boys, signaling them to follow her.
Instead of going up the stairs, the party veered to the left; where a previously unseen door awaited. The girl opened it with little effort, gesturing Edward and Alfons forward and hastily closing the double wooden doors after them, not bothering to enter herself.
This room, was also spectacular..
It seemed vacant, aside from the open windows, which let in some of the forest’s soundtrack. It was a beautiful room, windows reaching floor to ceiling acting as walls. The room was rectangular, and had a small section jutting out that served as a small library, where a bookshelf sat quietly awaiting a reader. The center of the room had a formal sitting area, two navy sofas set up around a small coffee table. A sudden, unexpected voice made Edward jump.
“Hello boys, I’m sorry I didn’t welcome you myself.” The voice came from a lonely ivory chair in the corner Edward and Alfons had failed to notice; it was hidden in a shaded part of the room.
“I’m sorry-we didn’t notice you.” Edward hastily said, Alfons came up to stand next to him. He hadn’t uttered a single word the entire time; he was happy to have Edward take the lead.
“Of course, it’s such a cluttered room, there’s much to see.” She said, nodding kindly to them, and smiling all the while. She was an older woman, of perhaps her late forties or early fifties. A few strands of gray hair visible throughout her elegant brown locks. A few sad wrinkles were set under her eyes, indicating that her honey eyes had been exposed to much throughout her life; yet they were kind.
A white shawl was wrapped around her shoulders, covering the top of her extravagant jade dress beneath it.
“Take a seat, I’m sure it’s been a long ride. Anna should bring the coffee out soon.” Edward winced at the mention of the drink. She gestured toward the two navy sofas, taking a seat in the lone ivory chair again; it was situated across from where the two navy sofas met at a slight right angle. Edward and Alfons each took a seat on a separate sofa.
“Thank you-” Alfons seemed to stumble over words, he was still unsure of how to address her. Lady Amara seemed to informal for his tastes. The lady sensed his hesitation, and finished the sentence for him.
“Call me Amara, please.” As the words left her mouth, a sudden creak drew all their attention to the open door. Anna stood near it, carefully cradling a silver tray. A matching pitcher sat upon it, with three mugs alongside it with other necessities scattered around. She walked over slowly and put the tray down on the table, fussing with it’s contents and pouring the brown liquid contained in the pitcher into the three cups. She placed the full, steaming cups in front of the trio.
“Thank you” Ed and Alfons both said, almost simultaneously. Anna simply nodded, turning back to the double doors, and closing them behind her with a soft creak. Amara nodded as the door closed, a silent ‘thank you’ Anna probably could not even see.
“That was Anna.” Amara said, turning to look at her steaming coffee, picking it up and taking a small sip. It apparently wasn’t as hot as it looked. “Shy, but a nice girl.” She took another sip, now placing the cup down.
Neither Edward nor Alfons felt the need to start conversation. They both looked down at the coffee, Edward jostling his around a bit. Lady Amara hid a smile, and began on a new topic.
“You have lovely eyes, Edward.” The boy instantly looked up, taken back by her sudden comment. His eyes had been a subject of fascination for many people. They had been called “Intense”, “Sharp”, and even just “Unique”. Beautiful or lovely was a new one for him, even Alfons looked to him with a curious glance of mild interest on where this was going.
“Oh, yeah, I hear that a lot…” He brought his glance down to his drink. Something about her stare was unsettling, Alfons seemed a bit nervous in the house as well. He brought the cup up to his mouth, testing the drink’s strange, but welcoming aroma. It was tea. Sweet, too. An interesting flavor he quickly embraced. Much better then the dreaded coffee he thought it was.
“How did you meet my father anyway?” Edward now asked, suddenly curious, as he placed the mug back in it’s respectful place.
“Oh, We go back quite a while. You’re blessed to have him as a father. Strong, intelligent man he is.” Ed refrained from letting out an aggravated sigh. Everyone praised his father. Why; he did not know. “You should give him my regards. I hadn’t heard from him until he called bout you two boys. ” She paused for a moment, thinking about what to say next. “So, how did you boys meet?” Amara asked, her question seemed directed more to the unusually silent Alfons. He gladly answered.
“Through a shared interest, really. Rocketry. We both have dreams of reaching the stars.” He paused for a moment, realizing how absurd it sounded. “As foolish as it seems.” he hastily finished his answer.
“Not at all. It’s a dream to follow. We once thought man would never fly, but look at us now. I, myself, am interested in the science. Though, I dare not dabble in it. I would merely like to see the final result. Believe it or not, my brother is fascinated by it. Of course, Oberth’s book had that effect of a lot of us.
“Since he discovered the book, my brother’s been stocking the shelves with all sorts of interesting things. Research journals and such; though there aren’t many.”
Swallowing a sip of tea, Alfons perked up instantly, sharing a glance with Edward, then at the bookshelves lined with colored novels and rare finds. He looked to Amara, who hesitated noticing their growing interest in the bookshelf. She smiled and continued.
“You can have a look if you want. I don’t think he’d mind. He only keeps them here because he’s always away. He knows they’re better off here anyway. Aside from that, I don’t think my brother be coming for a visit anytime soon.”
“Why is that?” Edward asked, sensing the sad tone of her voice. Alfons looked over at his roommate, asking with his eyes why he had asked such a personal question. Amara didn’t seem that bothered by it and answered him.
“His daughter.” She turned to look out the window, eyes carrying a hollowed look, though her voice carried regret. “Beautiful girl, intelligent too.” She turned to look down at her cooled coffee now. Her face was still unreadable, and her voice had grown tired. “She passed away; just last week.” She shifted her gaze to Edward. It was cold, regretful; and he felt a sudden chill. It was as though she could see right through him. The room grew uncomfortably cold, he noticed as a shiver ran up his spine. If it was just him, or if anyone else noticed it; he did not know.
His attention was now on Amara. A steady gaze being held with her. Neither boy had noticed that Anna had entered the room. They hadn’t noticed the intense gleam in her eyes as she looked from one blonde to the other. And they certainly had not noticed that her eyes had grown a shade darker.
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Second Chapter. Done. Yay. I won't be updating for a while, I'm going AWAY! W0o0oT! So I'm thinkg about sometime near the end of August I'll make the third chapter. Look out for it!
~An Angel's Wings
A. Takes place after the series, and yes, I know Al went to study with Izumi after that, but just forget it ever happened. I changed it. I was planning on following faithfully to the series but, things popped up I felt no need to change my entire plot line.
B. Yes, I HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE. So therefore, so spoilers, even the previous Wrath-Gluttony mentioned one. Forget it.
C. NO PAIRINGS. Sheesh, I don't care if it seems to look like a RoyEd thing, IT'S NOT. I will sprinkle some Royai and EdWin in here though. No HohenhiemxDenxEnvyxEdwardxRusselxNoaxRiza crap like that.
D. Please, R&R! I know it seems long, and can make no sense at times, but I have a good plot muffin that I need to put to use! So please, R&R.
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Chapter 2
Those Harmless Meetings
--In Which You Discover A Sad Secret
The car chugged along the winding path, struggling up the numerous hills that ran along the road. It was another lovely day out, traces of powder clouds in the sky and a crisp, morning breeze. It had been a month now, since Edward and Alfons had become roommates, and things were looking up.
Edward was more talkative now, his old self carefully surfacing again. He would engage in conversation now, and sometimes Alfons could not even get a word in.
Alfons was thankful Ed was finally warming up to this world, or, at least beginning to except it. It was nice to see him get some of his zeal back, it was why Alfons had asked him to be his roommate in the first place; to help him regain the bounce in his step.
But for now, they were on a road trip. Hohenhiem had suggested it, and, as much as Alfons wanted to deny it, he didn’t really want to go. Neither did Edward, of course.
Hohenhiem had wanted them to visit an old friend of his. Edward guessed this sudden meeting was more of a small, relaxing trip away from their hectic home town, rather than an errand for his father. The ’friend’ lived just outside of Münich, in a desolate, forested area.
The sun had situated itself now so that Alfons could feel it’s warm rays, but a patch of forest quickly took that away. Sunlight flashed through the trees, and the forest was alive with the various, unique voices of nature. The car and it’s two passengers jolted as they hit a sudden bump.
The ride was overall extremely boring.
“Do you think we’re close yet?” Alfons spoke, seemingly to the passing trees.
“I dunno, I mean, we’ve been driving for at least an hour, it should be close…” Ed was behind the wheel, eyes on the road while Alfons gazed at the swiftly moving landscape.
Al let out a small sigh. “Let’s hope so.” A small trail of smoke could be seen now in the distance. Trees surrounded it, hiding it’s exact location.
The road jeered to the left, quickly starting up a steadily steeping incline. The car chugged and lumbered up the road, which soon began to smooth out. The car let out a wheeze as it reached the final stretch, coming to a stop upon the top of the sudden hill.
Ed and Alfons could do nothing more then gape at their reached destination. Before them sat a castle of a house, the trees barely stretching over it. It was an eggshell color, shutters a light blue. A square garden graced it’s front lawn, a sea of gold and red placed neatly between two curving cobblestone pathways. The flowers seemed to observe the newcomers with mild interest as their petals danced in the breeze. It was pleasant set-up, yet it gracefully reflected solitude at the same time.
Sound emanated from the surrounding forest even here; various bird songs, forest chatter and the sudden car door slam. The unnatural noise seem to disturb the careful balance of noise nature was making. The forest lowered to a quieter tone.
“This is it?” Edward asked, though he already knew the answer. It was quite obvious. Alfons came to stand next to him, curiously taking in the sites as well.
“It certainly is nice.” Alfons commented, glancing to his other-worldly counterpart before taking the lead up the stone pathway to the right. Ed followed in silence.
The path was short, leading up to a small wooden deck which housed a few sparse chairs and a delicate double glass door. Edward proceeded to step toward the door, holding up a hand to knock. There was no doorbell. Ed brought his hand cautiously to the door. A loud knock sounded. The boys winced, for it was unintentional. It was a few seconds of tension for them.
Suddenly, the left door opened, a crack at first, but it quickly become a gap. A face was barely visible, half of it being masked by the door. Green eyes peeked through the gap, a curious gleam evident.
“Can I help you?” A small voice squeaked, eyes now surveying Edward, and straining to see a partially hidden Alfons behind him.
“Yeah, um-” he didn’t get to finish, for the door opened wider, and the face was able to fit through it. A girl’s face was now distinguishable. She had short brown hair, reaching barely to her shoulder. It was cut in a similar fashion to Leera’s, except for lazy bangs that fell to both sides of her face, exposing the center of her forehead. She held a smile on her face, and seemed pleased that Alfons was now within her range of sight.
“You’re Mr. Elric’s son, right?” She asked, shooting Ed a questioning glance.
“Yeah, he sent us to see-” She interrupted him instantly, tossing his sentence aside, and finishing with her own.
“Lady Amara?” The smile on her face faltered, less losing it‘s exuberant emotion. She tossed her head carelessly to the side, eyeing the boys some more.
“Er…she’s not expecting us?” Ed asked sheepishly, putting at hand to the back of his neck. The girl returned the smile to her face, pulling her head back in and opening the door fully now.
“Of course she’s expecting you! I’m sorry for being so suspicious! I just…erm…” She trailed off, blushing furiously and letting her short bangs hide her embarrassment. She stood to the side of the open door as she let them in. They were, once again, in awe at the house. It’s interior more impressive then it’s yard. The foyer actually looked similar to the front entryway.
A set of wooden stairs spiraled to the second floor, as the cobblestone path had to the deck. Instead of a bed of flowers, an extravagant ruby rug was laid out over a vast section of the floor; it could not hide the polished wooden boards beneath it, though. Unique designs were seemingly sprinkled on it. A lone dragon encircling it, shapes entwining with one another, and a series of words scattered around, seemingly jumbles of letters, which Ed could not decipher.
Noticing their state of awe, the girl quickly sighed, putting a nervous smile on and brushed a hand down her black skirt. “Please, this way.” She bowed slightly to the boys, signaling them to follow her.
Instead of going up the stairs, the party veered to the left; where a previously unseen door awaited. The girl opened it with little effort, gesturing Edward and Alfons forward and hastily closing the double wooden doors after them, not bothering to enter herself.
This room, was also spectacular..
It seemed vacant, aside from the open windows, which let in some of the forest’s soundtrack. It was a beautiful room, windows reaching floor to ceiling acting as walls. The room was rectangular, and had a small section jutting out that served as a small library, where a bookshelf sat quietly awaiting a reader. The center of the room had a formal sitting area, two navy sofas set up around a small coffee table. A sudden, unexpected voice made Edward jump.
“Hello boys, I’m sorry I didn’t welcome you myself.” The voice came from a lonely ivory chair in the corner Edward and Alfons had failed to notice; it was hidden in a shaded part of the room.
“I’m sorry-we didn’t notice you.” Edward hastily said, Alfons came up to stand next to him. He hadn’t uttered a single word the entire time; he was happy to have Edward take the lead.
“Of course, it’s such a cluttered room, there’s much to see.” She said, nodding kindly to them, and smiling all the while. She was an older woman, of perhaps her late forties or early fifties. A few strands of gray hair visible throughout her elegant brown locks. A few sad wrinkles were set under her eyes, indicating that her honey eyes had been exposed to much throughout her life; yet they were kind.
A white shawl was wrapped around her shoulders, covering the top of her extravagant jade dress beneath it.
“Take a seat, I’m sure it’s been a long ride. Anna should bring the coffee out soon.” Edward winced at the mention of the drink. She gestured toward the two navy sofas, taking a seat in the lone ivory chair again; it was situated across from where the two navy sofas met at a slight right angle. Edward and Alfons each took a seat on a separate sofa.
“Thank you-” Alfons seemed to stumble over words, he was still unsure of how to address her. Lady Amara seemed to informal for his tastes. The lady sensed his hesitation, and finished the sentence for him.
“Call me Amara, please.” As the words left her mouth, a sudden creak drew all their attention to the open door. Anna stood near it, carefully cradling a silver tray. A matching pitcher sat upon it, with three mugs alongside it with other necessities scattered around. She walked over slowly and put the tray down on the table, fussing with it’s contents and pouring the brown liquid contained in the pitcher into the three cups. She placed the full, steaming cups in front of the trio.
“Thank you” Ed and Alfons both said, almost simultaneously. Anna simply nodded, turning back to the double doors, and closing them behind her with a soft creak. Amara nodded as the door closed, a silent ‘thank you’ Anna probably could not even see.
“That was Anna.” Amara said, turning to look at her steaming coffee, picking it up and taking a small sip. It apparently wasn’t as hot as it looked. “Shy, but a nice girl.” She took another sip, now placing the cup down.
Neither Edward nor Alfons felt the need to start conversation. They both looked down at the coffee, Edward jostling his around a bit. Lady Amara hid a smile, and began on a new topic.
“You have lovely eyes, Edward.” The boy instantly looked up, taken back by her sudden comment. His eyes had been a subject of fascination for many people. They had been called “Intense”, “Sharp”, and even just “Unique”. Beautiful or lovely was a new one for him, even Alfons looked to him with a curious glance of mild interest on where this was going.
“Oh, yeah, I hear that a lot…” He brought his glance down to his drink. Something about her stare was unsettling, Alfons seemed a bit nervous in the house as well. He brought the cup up to his mouth, testing the drink’s strange, but welcoming aroma. It was tea. Sweet, too. An interesting flavor he quickly embraced. Much better then the dreaded coffee he thought it was.
“How did you meet my father anyway?” Edward now asked, suddenly curious, as he placed the mug back in it’s respectful place.
“Oh, We go back quite a while. You’re blessed to have him as a father. Strong, intelligent man he is.” Ed refrained from letting out an aggravated sigh. Everyone praised his father. Why; he did not know. “You should give him my regards. I hadn’t heard from him until he called bout you two boys. ” She paused for a moment, thinking about what to say next. “So, how did you boys meet?” Amara asked, her question seemed directed more to the unusually silent Alfons. He gladly answered.
“Through a shared interest, really. Rocketry. We both have dreams of reaching the stars.” He paused for a moment, realizing how absurd it sounded. “As foolish as it seems.” he hastily finished his answer.
“Not at all. It’s a dream to follow. We once thought man would never fly, but look at us now. I, myself, am interested in the science. Though, I dare not dabble in it. I would merely like to see the final result. Believe it or not, my brother is fascinated by it. Of course, Oberth’s book had that effect of a lot of us.
“Since he discovered the book, my brother’s been stocking the shelves with all sorts of interesting things. Research journals and such; though there aren’t many.”
Swallowing a sip of tea, Alfons perked up instantly, sharing a glance with Edward, then at the bookshelves lined with colored novels and rare finds. He looked to Amara, who hesitated noticing their growing interest in the bookshelf. She smiled and continued.
“You can have a look if you want. I don’t think he’d mind. He only keeps them here because he’s always away. He knows they’re better off here anyway. Aside from that, I don’t think my brother be coming for a visit anytime soon.”
“Why is that?” Edward asked, sensing the sad tone of her voice. Alfons looked over at his roommate, asking with his eyes why he had asked such a personal question. Amara didn’t seem that bothered by it and answered him.
“His daughter.” She turned to look out the window, eyes carrying a hollowed look, though her voice carried regret. “Beautiful girl, intelligent too.” She turned to look down at her cooled coffee now. Her face was still unreadable, and her voice had grown tired. “She passed away; just last week.” She shifted her gaze to Edward. It was cold, regretful; and he felt a sudden chill. It was as though she could see right through him. The room grew uncomfortably cold, he noticed as a shiver ran up his spine. If it was just him, or if anyone else noticed it; he did not know.
His attention was now on Amara. A steady gaze being held with her. Neither boy had noticed that Anna had entered the room. They hadn’t noticed the intense gleam in her eyes as she looked from one blonde to the other. And they certainly had not noticed that her eyes had grown a shade darker.
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Second Chapter. Done. Yay. I won't be updating for a while, I'm going AWAY! W0o0oT! So I'm thinkg about sometime near the end of August I'll make the third chapter. Look out for it!
~An Angel's Wings