Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Descent ❯ The Storm ( Chapter 4 )

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Descent

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Chapter Four:

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The Storm

 

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Al shifted the paper wrapped box he held as he caught sight of Ed waiting for him, just outside the market. They had come into the main part of Rizembool together earlier that day, but had split up as they went off on different errands.

 

“Brother!” Al shouted as he got closer to the small grocery store.

 

Ed, who had been staring blankly ahead, looked in Al's direction and flashed him a large, winning smile. Al looked at the two large, brown paper sacks and grinned back.

 

“You didn't forget the milk did you?”

 

Ed looked at him in mock seriousness and said in imitation of Warrant Officer Falman, “I'm very sorry Alphonse, but a world wide plague has contaminated the species of bos taurus making them unable to excrete the pale, white liquid rich in calcium, phosphorous, iron, zinc, copper, molybdenum, manganese, cobalt…”

 

Al laughed and shook his head.

 

“… thus making it impossible to acquire the item you have so diligently made an inquiry about.” Ed finished with a grin and winked at his younger brother before tipping one of the bags, showing Al that he had indeed remembered to buy the milk along with the rest of the groceries.

 

A peel of thunder sounded and the two brothers looked up at the sky. The thick, dark clouds that had only been a tiny speck in the distance that morning, were now gaining on them with an almost unnatural speed.

 

Looks like Winry is going to get her wish. Al thought, thinking of the conversation from almost a week ago.

 

“We should return before it starts raining. You ready to go?” Al asked.

 

Ed, still grinning, nodded and they turned toward the road that would take them back to the Rockbell house.

 

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

 

Pinako Rockbell walked across the stone front porch, an unlit pipe jutting from her mouth, and looked north, toward town, at the rapidly approaching rain clouds. She thought briefly about lighting the pipe, but almost immediately decided against it; the wind blowing in her face making the decision for her.

 

There hadn't been a large storm in Rizembool for… well not since the one that had brought with it the Alchemist that would take the Elric brothers as apprentices; teaching them what they needed to know to figure out how to do the transmutation that would change their lives forever.

 

Pinako was sure that if Izumi had any indication that the boys had wanted to learn more alchemy to try human transmutation, the woman would have beat them so badly that they wouldn't have been able to move for a month.

 

But the past was the past. Now is what matters, and right now they were in for a lot of rain. She frowned and again looked toward town.

 

They were in for a lot of rain alright, and most likely, two very wet alchemists.

 

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

 

Al smiled as he listened to Ed talk. It was great to hear his brother laugh and joke; something that happened far too little now.

 

What am I going to do? Al thought. He really wanted to stay in Rizembool. It was peaceful and quiet, something he hadn't had since they had tried to transmute their mother. He had seen the world plenty enough over the last six years and felt perfectly happy settling down to a less eventful life.

 

Then there was Winry…

 

He wanted to be where she was, live where she lived, and find out all the little things there were to learn about her. When he was younger he'd had a huge crush on her and had fought with Ed about who was going to be her boyfriend. He sighed at the memory.

 

The childish things we do as kids... He thought to himself.

 

He wished he could tell her how he felt, but he always seemed to be at a loss for what to say, and most likely she'd just laugh at him anyway. Winry was like that; so outgoing, so lively, so… so… well… so not like him…

 

Al's lips turned down into a frown. He wished he was more like Winry, more like Ed too, sometimes… Neither of them seemed to have a problem speaking their mind, but Al often did. He preferred to listen rather than talk. He'd rather take time and think things through before making a decision. And even though Al had always enjoyed competing with Ed as a child, he preferred not to be in the spotlight. Winry and Ed thrived in that light, but Al felt he would wither away in it.

 

Suddenly, Al realized Ed had stopped talking and was looking up at him with a slightly disapproving look.

 

“What?” Al asked.

 

“You aren't listening to me at all, are you?”

 

Blood rushed to Al's cheeks. Making an exasperated sound, Ed looked away and shook his head.

 

“I'm sorry brother, I … I just had something on my mind…”

 

Ed shrugged his shoulders and the two of them walked in silence for a time before Ed asked, “So, what's in the box?”

 

Al looked at the box he was carrying. “Oh, um… nothing really…” It wasn't that Al didn't want to tell Ed what was in the box… not… precisely… it was just that he couldn't see this conversation ending well.

 

“What do you mean, `nothing really'?”

 

He cringed slightly at Ed's tone of voice, a tone that bordered on anger. Al might be taller than his older brother by quite a bit, but he was also much more passive than him. Ed had an aggressiveness that Al could never match. Even when he fought, Al didn't have the same fire that Ed did.

 

“It's just something for Winry…” He said, letting his voice trail off.

 

To that, Ed said nothing. Al looked at him and frowned. There was an obvious look of displeasure on his brother's face now.

 

“It's just that ratchet set she kept saying she wanted.” He explained quickly, wanting desperately not to get into another argument with Ed. “It's really not anything, but I just thought I'd get it for her since she's done so much for us and all…”

 

Since I want to make her smile... I want her to smile because of me...

 

Al searched his brother's face for any change, but there was none. At least he isn't yelling or arguing with me... Al thought, although whether that was good or bad he couldn't be sure.

 

A drop of rain hit the back of his neck, then another on his forehead. Quickly, Al tucked the box under his shirt to provide it some protection. He quickened his step, but slowed when he realized he was leaving Ed behind. His brother hadn't even changed his pace.

 

“Maybe we should hurry…?” Al suggested, a bit timidly.

 

“Hurry if you want.” Ed said calmly enough, but Al could hear the anger under the calm.

 

Al had no idea exactly why Ed was mad. Was it such a bad thing that he bought something for Winry? He sighed as the rain became a slow drizzle, and slowed his pace to match Ed's, hoping he could salvage what was left of the day… even if it meant getting soaked in the process.

 

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

 

In one of the rooms on the second story of the Rockbell home, Ed stood looking glumly out the window at the premature darkness beyond. Normally there would still be a little light left in the sky this time of day, but the sinister storm clouds hid the remaining light behind their black exterior. A strong wind blasted the pouring rain against the window, making the glass shake slightly. Behind him a candle flickered dimly in the otherwise dark room; the power having gone out hours before.

 

He pulled his long red coat tightly around himself. The room had a slight chill to it. He supposed he could go downstairs to warm himself at the large fireplace that dominated the living area, but…

 

He rested his forehead on the cool glass of the window and closed his eyes. From where he was standing, he could hear Al and Winry's voices as they argued about some game they were playing. He could almost see it happening in his mind. Pinako might be down there too, smoking her pipe and sitting in that rocking chair she favored…

 

Part of him wanted to join them; part of him wanted to stay in the chilly room, stay there and not come out. He felt so useless right now, so… well… un-needed. Not only that, but … sad… depressed… angry… hurt… lonely…

 

Ed forced his eyes open and pushed angrily away from the window. It was stupid, all of it. He didn't know why he was feeling the way he was; he certainly didn't seem to have any reason to feel the way he was…

 

Ed balled his right hand, his automail one, into a fist and stared at it with a doleful look. When he had woken in the hospital, he had been dismayed to see the automail, but had tried to cover it by focusing on the fact that Al was so much taller than him in the flesh… even so… he couldn't fool himself… and he didn't fool Al.

 

Al...

 

He looked away from the automail and made his decision. He was going to go down there. Al would want him to; he wouldn't want him to stay cooped up in this room… Ed sighed and made his way toward the door. He still hadn't made things right with Al from earlier and he felt guilty. Al was his brother, his only family… Al had suffered so much because of him. He needed to make things right with Al. Nodding to himself, he opened the door. Yes, that's what he was going to do… He was going to make things right with Al…

 

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

 

“Wha…? Hey, wait a minute!”

 

“Nope, nope, nope.” Winry said in a musical way as she began turning the black pieces over to white.(1) “You should be more observant.”

 

Al frowned at how many of his pieces she had just won. He had been paying attention! Really… Okay, well… maybe not. What was really on his mind was his older brother. Ed had this way about him. When he was mad he stayed away from you until he cooled down, then he just acted like things never happened… well… that wasn't exactly it, but it was close.

 

It wasn't that Ed never apologized, because he did. It just had to be very major for him to do so. Something major like… oh… doing something that caused you to lose your body then attaching your soul to a piece of armor. Ed had apologized then, and many times after that, but over regular things, regular arguments… well, that just wasn't Ed's style.

 

Al leaned on the small, wooden table with one elbow, cradled his head in one hand, placed one of his pieces on the board and idly thought of checking to see if Ed was alright. He'd been upstairs for quite a while now…

 

He scowled at the board when Winry took yet more of his pieces and was about to add something more to their friendly bantering over the game when footsteps from the hall met his ears. Al looked up in time to see Ed walk into the room and lean against the door frame.

 

Al stared at his older brother, but Ed didn't meet his gaze. Instead, he looked at the game board with a small smirk and shook his head. The scowl Al had previously directed at the game was now directed at Ed as he waited for some quip about Al's lack of gaming skills.

 

“You should play me next, Winry. Your win won't come so easy.” Ed said in a cheerful voice, although Al thought it sounded forced.

 

“Who says this win is coming easy, huh Ed?” Winry said, and Al cast a grateful smile in her direction. She was lying and they all knew it, but it was the thought that counted. “Anyway, I'm just getting warmed up. I'm saving my real wrath for you.” Had his blonde friend been a few years younger, the last part would have been accompanied by a stuck out tongue.

 

“Yeah, whatever.” Ed grumbled with an exaggerated roll of the eyes and a grin. “Come on Al, you aren't going to let this girl beat you, are you?”

 

Al watched Winry glare at his brother before saying with a shrug, “Well, you know, I'm just trying to be a gentleman.” At that remark, Winry's head snapped around and she scowled at him in mock anger… At least, Al hoped it was mock anger…

 

He glanced at Ed and saw a smug look of approval, but his attention was drawn back to the board as Winry slammed down another game piece and he involuntarily cringed. She really was angry. Al was happy that Ed seemed to be in a better mood, but he felt guilty that it seemed to be coming at Winry's expense.

 

Al sighed and glumly placed a piece on the board. The game was almost over and it was obvious he was going to lose. Winry put her last piece on the board and flipped over the pieces she had won then said, “Ha! How about that?” She looked at Ed. “This girl can beat you too!”

 

“Sure. You keep telling that to yourself long after we're gone. Maybe if you're lucky we'll bring you back a souvenir; perhaps a book titled `How To Lose With Grace' would be good. What do you think Al?”

 

Al looked away from Ed's eyes and down at the board. He really did want to stay in Rizembool, but how could he make his brother understand? He could feel their eyes on him and he wished that he could just disappear.

 

 

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

 

Ed felt a pain in his chest when he saw his brother's reaction.

 

Al didn't want to leave…

 

Sadness and disappointment threatened to overwhelm him and he thought he would cry. Didn't his brother know how he felt? Didn't he care? He pushed the painful feelings aside and let anger take their place.

 

It was easier to be mad because it didn't hurt as much.

 

He felt the urge to lash out as the anger turned to white hot fury waiting for Al to respond.

 

Why doesn't he say SOMETHING? He thought angrily. Why does he always have to act this way? Why doesn't he just say what's on his mind?

 

Ed felt like he was going to explode any minute…

 

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

 

 

The sandy haired alchemist fought the urge to look up, but failed miserably. He slowly brought his head up and glanced briefly at Winry before turning to look at his brother. Ed had a dark look on his face, and Al thought that perhaps Ed knew exactly what was going on in his mind.

 

The tall teen looked down again and said, “Brother… I….” but never got a chance to finish before Ed walked up to the table and turned it over, sending the game pieces flying. He sat, too stunned to say anything.

 

Winry, however, stood up and yelled, “What do you think you're doing Ed?”

 

“Shut up.” Ed said in a low tone.

 

“No! I won't! I want to know” Winry began, but stopped when Ed whirled around and pushed her hard against the wall near the fireplace.

 

“I said, shut the fuck up you skanky whore!”

 

That broke Al's momentary paralysis, and anger filled him. “Ed!(2) Stop it!” He made to get out of his chair but Ed turned back and pushed Al back with such force that the chair beneath him broke. Before he could register the broken wood under him, Ed was on him, grabbing his shirt. Al pushed the small, but heavy alchemist with his own body weight and they rolled on the floor, first Al on top then Ed again…

 

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

 

Winry stared in shock and disbelief at what was happening. Her back ached from where she had connected with the wall, but that seemed hazy in the fog of what Ed had said and the fact that he had actually acted out so violently against her.

 

`I said, shut the fuck up you skanky whore.'

 

The words seemed to tumble over and over in her mind. How could he say something like that? They were friends, had been friends their whole life…

 

But Al had stood in her defense, in defense of her honor, and had once again become the target of Ed's fury.

 

Tears began to flow freely down her cheeks as she watched the two brothers who had always been so close, now fighting with a wild ferocity that made her feel sick. She watched helplessly as they rolled across the floor, each trying to gain the advantage of being on the top. When Al had a momentary advantage, he punched Ed hard in the face, once, then again.

 

“Stop it you guys!” She screamed through her tears.

 

This caused Al to hesitate, and that was all Ed needed. He slipped his legs out from under his brother and kicked Al hard with them, sending the taller teen tumbling backward. Ed was instantly on his feet and Winry shrieked when the short state alchemist savagely kicked Al in the side with his boot covered automail foot. A loud crack sounded and Al let out a scream of pain.

 

Suddenly a short figure appeared near her side, panting heavily. Pinako looked shocked at what has happening. “Edward! Stop that this instant!” She yelled, but it had no more effect than Winry's plea.

 

Ed stood over his brother, a look of crazed hysteria in his eyes. When Al forced himself on his hands and knees, another brutal kicked, aimed at his stomach, knocked him back down again. Ed fell to his knees and rolled his brother over, automail arm raised and ready to punch, then stopped.

 

;-;-;-;-;-;-;

 

Al watched the world spin through a haze of pain as Ed turned him over onto his back. His breath came in ragged, agonized gasps. He watched in a daze as Ed raised his fist, ready to strike. Al moved his gaze to his brother's face, and when his eyes connected with the gold ones he had known since childhood, something happened.

 

Ed stopped.

 

In the silence, blood dripped from Ed's nose onto Al's face and the wet splattering sounds of the red liquid were loud in his ears. Sanity slowly returned to his older brother and tears began filling his eyes, making the gold orbs shimmer like a mirage.

 

“Brother…” Al said painfully. It sounded almost like a plea in his ears.

 

Ed's breathing became erratic. He gritted his teeth together and squeezed his eyes shut, one of them already starting to bruise and swell from where Al had hit him. Two fat tears dropped onto Al's face. His hand dropped and for a moment nothing happened, then Ed drew in a sharp breath and screamed. And suddenly he was on his feet, running toward the door. When he got there, Ed yanked it open, and fled into the storm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 Al and Winry are playing Othello

 

2 I've noticed in the English version, Al tends to call Ed by his name when he's mad at, irritated with or scolding Ed. I like it, so I'm going to use it in this story.

 

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