Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Descent ❯ Memory ( Chapter 32 )

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Descent

 

Chapter Thirty-Two

 

Memory

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Roy frowned as the silence between himself and Doctor Booth grew. There was a clock somewhere that was ticking away the seconds and it was becoming rather annoying. Finally, the older man said, “I appreciate you taking the time to come here.”

 

“Of course...” Roy murmured and waited.

 

The doctor picked up a pen and tapped it against his desk for a moment, before leaning forward. “Since we both have other things to do, I'm going to try making this short. As I'm sure you're aware by now, Mr. Fuery has retrograde amnesia. This means that he is unable to remember things before his trauma.”

 

Doctor Booth set the pen down. “This form of amnesia is actually quite rare. It is more normal for people to experience anterograde amnesia, this being that they have a difficult time remembering things that happen after the trauma. It is possible that Mr. Fuery's memory will return to him, but there are no guarantees. There are no treatments for this type of thing. You can only wait and hope. Sometimes if a person with amnesia is exposed to things that they are familiar with, this might bring back some memories; but again, there is no guarantee.”

 

The doctor cleared his throat and sat back in his chair before folding his arms. “This is not to say that Mr. Fuery will not experience symptoms of anterograde amnesia. From what I've observed since he woke, Mr. Fuery does seem to have some difficulty remembering things between the time he woke and now.”

 

“Can't we just hit him over the head again?” Roy said, half joking, half serious.

 

To this, the doctor simply glared at him. “Really, colonel... That is simply a myth. You cannot retrieve memories in such a way.” He paused, then said, “I also believe some of this is emotional amnesia, meaning that it was the event itself, the trauma of having it happen, that caused the memory loss. Really, we just don't know for sure. The brain is such a complicated thing.”

 

Again there was silence, then Roy grunted. “So... I assume you have more to say.”

 

The doctor nodded. “I've already told you before that I don't recommend Mr. Fuery returning to work for the military in his former occupation, but it seems to me that you're not going to take that advice.”

 

Roy nodded.

 

Doctor Booth sighed. “Well, as I said, sometimes familiar things can help bring back memory, so perhaps it will help, but I don't know how much he'll be able to do. You'll need to retrain him and there is no guarantee he'll remember what you tell him.”

 

The man looked at his watch, then back to Roy. “Amnesia patents often feel overwhelmed and embarrassed because they can't remember things that they know they should. I would recommend easing him back into his job. You all know him, but he doesn't know you. It might be good if people remember that he is, in essence, meeting them for the first time.”

 

“I'll let them know,” Roy said, feeling more than ready to leave.

 

“You should also know that when memories are recovered, it is the older ones that come first and then the more recent ones. However, sometimes, most times actually, memories of how the memories are lost don't return.” There was another moment of silence, then the doctor stood and walked around his desk. Roy took this as a cue that their meeting was over and stood as well. Doctor Booth rummaged through a drawer and pulled out a couple of pamphlets, then walked to Roy.

 

“These will explain a little more. I hope you'll call me if there are any problems or if you have any concerns.” Roy nodded and relieved the man of the pamphlets. As he started to turn away, Doctor Booth said, “There's also one on the Korsakoff Syndrome...”

 

Roy turned back. “The what?”

 

Doctor Booth took a few steps forward so that he was close and said, “The Korsakoff Syndrome. It is a form of memory loss caused by chronic alcoholism... I just thought you might find it... interesting.”

 

Roy pressed his lips together and said tightly, “What does that have to do with my master sergeant?”

 

The older man sighed and shook his head. “People like you generally don't take hints, so I'll put it to you plainly. Each time I've been around you I can smell alcohol on your breath. I think you should be aware of at least one of the dangers of drinking so much.”

 

Anger rushed through him and he hissed, “I do not have a drinking problem. Just keep your damn opinions to yourself.”

 

Instead of getting offended, Doctor Booth merely looked sad. “No... Of course you don't...”

 

Roy scowled, and, turning on his heal, stalked out of the room.

 

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

 

Fletcher padded quietly out of his room and to the kitchen to get himself a drink of water. The kitchen was dark and when he stubbed his toe, he sucked in a hissing breath before bending down and gently touching his foot. Whimpering quietly, he stood back up and started waving his hands around as he inched forward, feeling for the cupboard that held the glasses.

 

Suddenly an arm wrapped around his neck and a hand pressed against his mouth. In surprise, he yelled, but it was muffled by the hand.

 

“Shhhh!” came a sound from behind him. He felt warm breath against his ear and his nose wrinkled a little when the faint smell of alcohol and tobacco hit his senses. Quiet now, Fletcher felt himself be released and he turned quickly to see Ed's form in the darkness.

 

“What are you doing?” Fletcher whispered, embarrassed at having been so surprised.

 

“Couldn't sleep, so I came down here. I saw you and thought maybe you couldn't sleep either, but I didn't want to startle you and have you wake everyone up.”

 

“Well... You still startled me...” Fletcher grumbled as he grabbed a glass and turned to fill it with water.

 

“Sorry, I...” Ed trailed off as the sound of coughing from Izumi and Sig's room rang through the house. The two were quiet for a moment, then Ed whispered, “Let's go out back.”

 

Fletcher nodded and followed Ed out the door. The last thing he wanted to do was wake the woman. He worried about her more and more as he continued to stay with her. As he walked outside, the porch light came on and he glanced over to see Ed walking away from the switch before sitting down on the steps.

 

Fletcher let his eyes move over the other alchemist. Ed really had grown a few inches since he'd seen him last; though Fletcher had an idea that the older alchemist would never get very tall. Perhaps another inch, maybe two, but that was most likely it. Both of Fletcher's parents had been tall, and Russell had been taller than most boys his age. Recently, Fletcher had noticed that he'd started getting taller as well and he had a feeling that he would probably surpass Ed in height in the not too distant future.

 

Fletcher sat down on one of the steps and continued staring at the teen. Ed was wearing a t-shirt that was much too big for him and a pair of sweats that had been cut off near his ankles. The sweats were also too big for him, but they seemed to be pulled tight by drawstrings, one of which was dangling below the bottom of the shirt.

 

Ed glanced at him, then took a drink of something, and Fletcher thought that perhaps he had grabbed the drink from the counter before coming outside. The boy frowned and said, “I don't think teacher would be very happy to know you were drinking.”

 

Ed shrugged and took another sip. “She won't know. I bought this stuff in Rush Valley, so it's not even hers.”

 

“Still...” Fletcher muttered and took a sip of his water. They sat there in silence for a while before Ed pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a drag. “When did you start smoking and drinking?” Fletcher asked, not liking this new development in his old acquaintance.

 

“I don't remember exactly...” Ed murmured, staring at the sky.

 

Fletcher glanced up at the moon, full and glassy in the sky, then back to Ed. “Oh... Well, it's not really very good for you...”

 

“Yeah, yeah...” Ed muttered. “Actually, I think I'm going to quit smoking when I go back to Central.”

 

“Why not just quit now?” Fletcher asked while rubbing at his eyes.

 

“Well, because... It's just not a good time. I mean... I don't know. I guess I have too much going on right now to want to add something else, you know?” Ed took another drag off his dwindling cigarette before taking a small sip of his drink. “There's something I have to take care of in Central before I quit. Every time I think about it I get all worked up, so this helps calm me down.”

 

Fletcher scratched idly at his ear and said, “But there's always things going on, right?”

 

“Yeah, I guess so. I just want to wait. I could quit now, I can quit whenever I want, I just don't want to.”

 

“If you say so...” the boy murmured and yawned.

 

“So, tell me why Russell went to Rizembool,” Ed said as he crushed the cigarette against the palm of his automail hand and laid it next to him.

 

“Oh... um...” he stuttered. Over dinner, Izumi had asked Ed if he was still in the military and when he'd said yes, she'd asked him what he thought about The People's Government. To this, Ed had merely shrugged and said that they were a rebel army and the military would probably overtake them. Despite him not seeming very interested in the subject, Izumi had given Fletcher a very pointed look, one that clearly said to not tell Ed about his involvement with the rebellion if he knew what was best for him.

 

Fletcher didn't know if Ed would really turn them in or not, but he supposed it was best to be safe. “Well, teacher told us about Al getting his body back and he wanted to go visit,” he said. Not a lie - exactly, just not the whole truth.

 

“Hm... but not you?” Ed asked. “I mean, you and Al seem to be better friends than him and Russell.”

 

“Teacher said she would train me,” Fletcher said simply.

 

“Ah, I see. Well, as long as she's up to it, I suppose,” Ed murmured.

 

Fletcher stared down and picked at his toe. “Do you think... Do you think that she's going to get better?” It was a question he didn't dare ask her. He could see how hard she worked at pretending that she was fine, but he also saw when she winced or sagged when she thought he wasn't looking.

 

Ed gave him a sympathetic look and whispered, “No... I'm sorry.”

 

Fletcher swallowed. “Do you think she's going to die?”

 

“Does that make you sad?” Ed asked.

 

“Of course!” Fletcher cried and slapped a hand over his mouth. He glanced at the house and waited for a minute to see if he had woken anyone. When nothing happened he dropped his hand and said more quietly, “Of course... wouldn't you be sad?”

 

The older alchemist sighed and murmured, “All is one and one is all...” He gave a mirthless laugh. “Even though we're only a small part of the world, and the world will keep moving if we're gone, I suppose that doesn't mean we can't mourn and grieve when a part of our world is taken from us.” He paused, then said quietly, “Yes, I would... will... be sad.

 

Fletcher nodded as he digested what Ed had said. “I guess I'll just try to make the best of the time that I have left...”

 

To that, Ed simply nodded and took another sip of his drink. “Maybe that's all anyone can do...”

 

Fletcher frowned as Ed seemed to lose himself to his thoughts, then looked at Ed's glass and thought that even though Ed was sipping at it, the liquid level wasn't really changing.

 

“So... What are you drinking?” he asked curiously.

 

The corners of Ed's lips turned up into a small smile and he said quietly, “Applejack.”

 

“Oh... Is it good?”

 

Ed glanced at him and gave him a rueful look. “No.”

 

Fletcher raised an eyebrow. “Then why are you drinking it?” Or maybe you're not... he thought, thinking again about how the amount of liquid in the glass seemed to stay the same.

 

For a moment, Ed didn't say anything, then he whispered, “Because, it reminds me of something... someone...”

 

Fletcher waited, but when nothing else came he sighed and stood up. “I'm tired. I think I'm going to go back to bed.” Ed nodded, then looked out over the back yard, seemingly deep in thought. With a shrug, Fletcher let himself back into the house and closed the door.

 

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

 

Winry stared up at the ceiling and sighed. She'd gone to bed early because she'd been so tired, but now she was awake and it was the middle of the night... Try as she might, Winry couldn't seem to get back to sleep. Sitting up, the blonde mechanic rubbed at her eyes before standing and walking over to the window. She gazed up at the full moon. It was large and luminous and it seemed as if she could almost touch it if she reached out her hand.

 

She glanced down at the grass in the back of the house and blinked in surprise when she saw Alphonse lying on his back in the grass. Smiling, she turned her gaze to the thin ring on her hand. It was simple, but perfect for her. Anything elaborate would probably get in the way of her work.

 

With a last glance out the window, Winry hurried out of her room and down to the back door. She opened it as quietly as she could and stepped out onto the back porch. As she made her way down to the grass, Winry slowed and then stopped. She watched her betrothed lift his hand up as if to grab a hold of the moon.

 

With a small smile, Winry walked over to him and said quietly, “What are you doing?”

 

He tilted his head back and gazed at her as she walked beside him and sat down on the grass.

 

“Thinking...” he whispered and looked back up to the moon.

 

“What are you thinking about?”

 

He smiled and lowered his hand to the ground. “You sure you want to know?”

 

She frowned. It was the answer he always gave when he thought it would be too complicated for her to understand. Of course, he was usually right, but he was looking at the moon! How complicated could it be?

 

“Try me,” she responded.

 

He shrugged and again lifted his hand to point up at the moon. “When I was a kid, I was fascinated by the moon and the stars; probably just as much as I was with alchemy. The only difference was that there were hard facts about alchemy, while there were only wild theories about...” He waved his hand to indicate the moon and the stars.

 

She nodded. Nothing too complicated yet.

 

“Well, anyway, I've come up with several theories over the past few years, and by the way, brother thinks I'm a totally loony, but...” He stopped and glanced at her. When she said nothing, he continued. “What if what keeps us here on the ground is the same thing that keeps the moon with us?” (1)

 

Winry frowned. “What do you mean, what keeps us here?”

 

Al clenched his hand and brought it down before sitting up. He turned and looked at her with the bright, glazed look that he generally got when he became worked up about something... well... nerdy...

 

“Some sort of force has to keep us sitting here on the grass right, right? Something as to make things fall down instead of up, right?”

 

“Well... yeah... but, the moon isn't always with us. Sometimes it's gone...”

 

She trailed off as he shook his head. “I think that it's always there. But... err... look.” He grabbed her hands and balled them into fists. “Put your fists up and leave them.” When she did, he moved them away from each other, and said, “This is the sun, okay? And let's say this would be the earth.” He took his hand, made a fist and awkwardly began circling it around one of her fists. “This is the moon, right?”

 

Winry gave him a bland look. “You don't really believe that do you...?”

 

“Yes! It only makes sense because... look! If the moon is over here on this side...” He moved his hand on the side of her fist that was away from her `sun' hand. “Then the moon would look like it was gone right?”

 

“Uh...” She was beginning to feel a little confused by his jumping around with his words.

 

“Because it's the sun that makes the moon shine!”

 

Winry dropped her hands and shook her head. “I think Ed is right... Sorry, Al, but I think you should stick to alchemy, not these strange theories that can never be proven.”

 

He chuckled and lay back on his back. “I'm sure someday we'll find out.”

 

“Perhaps, but you have some strange ideas. I mean... isn't it the sun that circles around the earth? Why would the earth go around the sun? And if the earth really did go around the sun, then why would the moon not go around the sun too?”

 

He grinned. “I have lots of theories, but I think they'd bore you.” She opened her mouth to protest. Winry didn't want him to think that she'd find him boring. Before she could say anything he shook his finger at her. “Don't say it. I know it's true, but that's okay. Brother thinks I spend too much time thinking about nonsense... But... You know...”

 

She watched as his excitement faded and he frowned thoughtfully. “I spent too many lonely nights staring up at the sky after... well... you know... it's not like I could sleep... Sometimes I imagined that I could find a way to travel to the moon and see if some of my theories were right.”

 

Winry scooted close to him and touched his arm. It all sounded a bit crazy to her, but then, Ed and Al had always been full of crazy ideas. “I don't know if there will ever be a way to travel to the moon...” she whispered.

 

“I know... but if there was a way, I'd want to...”

 

She smiled down at him. “Maybe I could build you a car that would fly to the moon.”

 

At that he laughed. “A car that would go to the moon, huh? Well, if you ever figure out how to do it, let me know.”

 

Winry smiled and hooked a lock of hair behind her ear. “I wonder...” she murmured.

 

“What?”

 

“If things had been different somehow... maybe you would have been able to pursue that...”

 

“Maybe,” he murmured before reaching up and touching her face. “With the moon behind you like that, you really do look like an angel...”

 

That brought a small laugh from her and she rolled her eyes. “Al...”

 

He pushed himself up onto one knee and wrapped his hand behind her head and pulled her closer. “Maybe if I'm kissed by an angel my dreams will come true...”

 

Winry let herself be guided forward and closed her eyes as her lips pressed against his. They stayed like that for several moments, then she felt Al pull away and she opened her eyes. Sitting up, the taller teen inched closer and wrapped one of his arms around her waist, pressing his hand against her back.

 

He stared deeply down into her eyes for a moment, nervousness radiating from him, then he leaned down and kissed her again. She closed her eyes once more, and wrapped her arms around his neck. She felt his tongue press against her lips and she parted her lips to grant him entrance.

 

As he kissed her deeply, she felt his other hand slide slowly up her side, over the smooth fabric of her nightgown. His hand stopped just below her breast and for a moment she wondered how far he would take this. He'd kissed her before, but he'd never touched her like this.

 

Winry didn't want him to stop. She craved his touch; craved him. She moved one of her hands up to his head and combed her fingers through his hair. His hair wasn't exactly thick, but it wasn't thin either, and it was slightly damp from where he'd been laying on the grass.

 

As she timidly began kissing him back, Winry felt his hand begin to move up again and this time he let the tips of his fingers touch the bottom of her breasts. When she let out a small moan, he slid his hand up more and touched her nipples through the fabric.

 

Suddenly she felt as though she wasn't getting enough air and pulled back from the kiss. She breathed in sharply, and opened her eyes to see Al looking at her in concern.

 

“I'm sorry,” he said quietly. “Was it too much, too soon?”

 

She shook her head. It wasn't too much, but then again it was. She'd never been touched like this. She had dreamt about it, but... Despite the fact that Alphonse held a concerned look on his face, she noticed that he hadn't moved either of his hands, nor had she let go of him.

 

“Al...” she whispered, not sure if she should tell him to stop or not.

 

“I think it worked...” he said softly.

 

“What?”

 

He smiled and wrapped both of his arms around her, and holding her close. “Kissing an angel really does make your dreams come true...”

 

Winry rested her chin on his shoulder and held him tight. Blinking the sudden, happy tears from her eyes, Winry decided that although his `angel' lines were corny, perhaps it worked for her in her own way. Perhaps Al could be her angel, and if so... “I suppose you're right...” she whispered, snuggling deep in his arms. “I suppose you're right.”

 

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

 

Riza tugged slightly at the tie she was wearing and lowered her hat a bit more over her face. She'd finished her assignment, and all she wanted to do was go home and sleep, but she still had more to do. Glancing around, she decided she hadn't been followed and turned left on the next corner. She quickly walked down the sidewalk until she reached where she was going, then slowed. Glancing around again, Riza leaned back against the lamp post and looked across the street at the nice ground level apartments.

 

“Hey,” came a voice and she instantly had her gun out and pointed at the newcomer's face. Jean Havoc raised his hands, a lighter in one, a pack of smokes in the other, and gave her a sheepish grin.

 

Riza lowered her gun slowly, then thrust it back into her holster. “What are you doing here?” she hissed, her heart still racing a little at being surprised.

 

He gave her a half smile before lowering his hands. Smacking the pack of smokes against his other palm, Havoc raised one slightly out of the pack and snatched it between his lips, pulling it out. He slipped the pack in his jacket and lit the cigarette before nodding across the street. “Same thing you are.”

 

She gave him an unsettled look before glancing to where he had indicated. Riza sighed softly and said, “Is he actually in there?”

 

He nodded. “Yeah, finally went home about an hour ago. I know he's been doing extra work lately, but in the last few weeks...” Havoc shook his head. “He's overdoing it.”

 

Riza pressed her lips together. She felt frustration rush through her, but if her commanding officer wanted to stay late and work until he died, there was really no way she could stop him.

 

“I know he wants that promotion, but...”

 

Riza glanced at Havoc as he trailed off, and nodded at his unspoken words. Sometimes she wondered if the colonel really appreciated the reality of the danger he was in, or realized that the risk he was taking just might be too much and could backfire at any moment.

 

“Why do you think he's been working so much?” he asked absently around his cigarette, then looked at her. “The real reason.”

 

She let her breath out slowly and shrugged her shoulders, trying to get more comfortable in the three piece suit. The real reason? These past few months the real reason had been the promotion, but these past few weeks...

 

Riza had a sneaking suspicion that Colonel Mustang had been working so much to keep his mind off of his missing lover. Roy Mustang tended to be a man of extremes at times. He drank excessively; when he was really motivated, he worked excessively; during the war and after, he'd had sex excessively...

 

Oh, she was sure he thought no one noticed when he slipped away, and probably no one did. No one... but her. She had been determined to look after him. As the war neared and reached it's climax, his mental state had deteriorated rapidly, though he'd done a semi-decent job of keeping up a sane front. So she had followed him when he'd snuck away, and watched as time after time, he paid prostitutes, both male and female, though mostly male, for their services... There were always prostitutes near the camps... The government encouraged them to be there to help `take the stress off the soldiers.'

 

Riza sighed. After the war, she'd seen him date woman after woman publicly, only to know that in secret he was still active with male lovers as well. His sex life obviously wasn't any of her business, but she still worried that he seemed to be using sex as a crutch, the same way he used alcohol. Over time, the desperate sex seemed to slow as he began to focus more heavily on his career.

 

Then there had been Edward Elric...

 

Riza rubbed her tired eyes and glanced over to where Havoc was lighting up another cigarette. Few people knew Roy Mustang well enough to recognize the look that he got in his eyes when he saw or spoke of Ed. Riza knew, and she had a feeling Maes Hughes had known, but anyone else...

 

She didn't think the colonel's obsession with the boy had been completely sexual in the beginning, but somewhere along the way it had definitely become evident to her that he thought about it.

 

He'd never acted on it; no, he wouldn't get involved with someone underage, but now... Covering her mouth, she yawned and tried to keep her eyes open. Now, Edward was an adult, legally at least. Riza worried about him. She didn't want the boy to get hurt, and of course there were the repercussions the two of them would face from the military if they got caught. It was so risky, and at first she had been angry that the colonel would risk everything on some wild fling, but the more she watched, the more she wondered if she was wrong.

 

Maybe it wasn't just some fling.

 

Riza glanced from side to side down the empty street. If it wasn't a fling, then it was even more worrisome in a way because Roy just didn't have stable relationships... He was too messed up. He could hide his problems when casually dating as long as he didn't get too drunk, but...

 

She folded her arms and glanced tiredly down at the sidewalk. Maybe she was wrong about it all. Maybe they did love, or at least care, for each other and this was what they both needed, but she just didn't know and Roy wouldn't talk to her about it. He wanted to deny the fact that she could possibly know anything about his problems; he wanted to deny that anyone would be able to figure it all out. He was living life too far on the edge and she was afraid that, sooner or later, someone was going to come and push him off...

 

“Go home.” She blinked and looked up to where Havoc was looking at her in concern. “Go home; I'll watch the rest of the night. You've been working too hard too.”

 

She hesitated. “Well, if you're sure...”

 

He smiled at her with a soft look and said, “I'm sure.”

 

Riza yawned again and thought about protesting, but her body was already taking him up on the offer. With a nod, she started home, letting her worries keep her company on the way.

 

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

 

Russell stared at the moon, waiting silently for it to move past the trees. When it did, he quietly got out of his bedroll and quickly packed up what few things he owned. Glancing often at Urayami to make sure the other boy was still asleep, he slung his bag on his back and quietly started off.

 

“Where do you think you're going?” Urayami asked from behind him.

 

Russell sighed and was about to turn around when he heard a woman's voice say, “I think he's decided to take off without you...” He blinked at the new voice and nervously looked around, but didn't see anyone.

 

“Can I eat him...?” came another whisper, and this time Russell's heart jumped in his chest. Spinning quickly, he looked behind him in time to see Urayami standing up.

 

“What's going on?” Russell asked, trying to stay brave, but feeling rather cowardly.

 

“What's going on is that you were going to leave me...” Urayami said with a smirk and began walking toward him. “And we can't have that. I'm not done with you yet.”

 

“I'm hungry...” came a whisper from the trees and Urayami frowned.

 

“You can't eat him yet, so shut up!” Urayami yelled. With that said, the other teen glanced at him and said, “I still have more questions... You see, we intend to make the Philosopher's Stone, and you are going to help us.”

 

Russell shook his head and backed away. “I won't make it for you...”

 

Urayami laughed and said in amusement, “Of course you won't, not completely at least. Only alchemists can truly make the stone. You're going to be the juicy worm on the hook for the alchemists who have the ability to complete it.”

 

Russell cocked his head cautiously and said slowly, “What do you mean...?” He gasped as Urayami changed his shape into that of...

 

“What the hell...” Russell said nervously and stepped back. The other teen had changed himself to look like a tall teenager with blond hair covering one of his eyes... In essence, he'd changed into...

 

With a grin, Urayami stepped forward and said, “I've been observing you and asking you questions all this time we've been traveling together. I know you... I know you better than you think.” The other boy reached up and touched Russell's cheek. “I watched you and your little brother travel together as well... the two of you certainly have a close relationship, don't you?”

 

Russell's eyes widened as he realized what was being referred to and tried to strike out at Urayami, but the other teen was too fast and a swift kick to his ribs brought Russell crouching on the ground.

 

The other teen knelt down and tipped Russell's head up. “Your brother is quite the skilled alchemist, isn't he? I think he'll be even more useful once that woman has trained him more.”

 

Russell's eyes widened and he yelled, “Stay away from my brother!”

 

Another savage kick to his stomach, then to his side, caused him to lie moaning on the ground.

 

“I didn't say you could speak. For now, you'll get your wish. I think the former tin can needs a visit much more, don't you think?”

 

“Go to hell,” Russell spat, and suddenly Urayami was grabbing his hair and pulling him close.

 

“I'm going to get all kinds of information out of you,” the teen whispered. “And when I'm done, you're going to wish you'd never been born.”

 

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(1) I'm making the assumption here that many of the same things that our world knows of physics are not all known there. I don't think physics are really ever mentioned anyway. Whether I'm right or wrong, this is how I'm going to put it for this story.

 

Hm, I'm much too nice, I think. An update after only four days? Heh. Well, I suppose that kind of makes up for the long period of time that I didn't update this. (Go Spring Break! heh) So, now if you're really good boys and girls, I'll try to get chapter 33 to you before I head to Idaho.

 

Speaking of Idaho, is anyone going to Anime Oasis in Boise next weekend?

 

Hmmm... I think it's time Ed gets back to Central...

 

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Thanks to:
MasamuneReforged for being my beta.

 

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Please Review! Happy authors update faster (especially when they have a few uninterrupted days to write).