Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ The Lovely Bookworm ❯ Unfolded Desire ( Chapter 4 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]

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(Outside, In Front Of Central HQ)

Ed had made his way to the outside of HQ. He needed to get out of that room with all of them. It was going to drive him crazy if he saw one of Mustang's agonizing smirks again.

"Damn! Damn!" Ed cursed, while kicking the dirt that was laid out on the pavement. He took a seat on one of the nearby steps placed in front of the building.

His mind and soul felt like it was shattered into a million pieces. He never would get the chance to turn his brother Al back into his regular human form. That was the reason why he even searched all those years for something like the philosopher stone.

"I'm sorry Al...I'm sorry mom. I messed up on everything. I can't even make these things right again..." Ed said, with his voice cracking on every syllable he spoke. He then places his hands in his face, with these drops of water starting to seep between his fingers.

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(Meanwhile)

Sheska was now free from work, and was heading home. Luckily, her house wasn't too far from Central Library, so she could walk. On the other hand, it was such a tiresome too when you really want to get home, and get in a bed and go to sleep.

"Ohh...I'm soo tired..." Sheska wailed, in pain it seemed liked.

She was still in her work uniform, which was a formal tan jacket along with a matching skirt. The heels she was wearing weren't very high but they still hurted with her being in them all day.

"This would be the time I wish I had some sneakers that I brought with me."

The brown haired girl lets out a sigh and continued walking along the pavement, until suddenly something stopped her from going any further.

"Huh?"

She noticed she was now by Central HQ, and a figure was seen outside by it, on the steps. Sheska adjusted her glasses she had on to get clearer a view of who it was. And that’s when it hit her; it was the same young man from before. The one who was persisted on reading Dr. Marcoh's research.

"Isn't that the same boy?" Sheska questioned to herself.

It indeed was. Sheska could tell from the looks of his pose, that he was still very much depressed. But why? What could that research possibly have to do with him?

"I don't understand..."

Sheska figured it was none of her business to intrude, so she decided to walk on. However, something was stopping her from going on. She was so curious about this boy, and she really didn't know why. He was just a regular boy, right? A regular boy who wore winter wears in the middle of spring and was obsessed with Dr. Marcoh's research. That’s normal right? Sheska sighs, who was she kidding? The boy was odd and mysterious and yet here she was interested in wondering why he was so sad.

"Well I can't just go up to him like this...He's going to think I'm more of the weird one then anything." Sheska said, to herself.

She was trying to think of a smart way to approach him instead of just intruding up on him. Suddenly a light bulb dings on her head, she could ask him why he was so interested in reading up on the philosopher stone.

"That’s a plan. I can just ask him, what he wanted to know about the philosopher stone...He may will even probably give me an answer then."

Sheska nods to herself, believing it would work and starts walking in the direction of the blond haired boy. As she took a few steps up, Ed must have heard her because he started to lift up his head from his hands, darting his eyes right over in Sheska's direction.

"Oh no...He sees me...Now what do I say?" Sheska said, through her mind uneasily, while pausing in her walking.

Ed only stared at her, unsure weather to speak or leave. Sheska was the same way, she kind of had froze when he looked up at her. Though she figured she better say something now because after all she was the one coming up to him.

"Um...Sorry to bother you. I was just curious about something. And I wanted to...ask you about it." Sheska said, in a sort of meek tone.

The boy only stared at her for another moment. Sheska felt this wasn't going good, he obviously was thinking she was total a nutcase for coming over here and asking him that. However, the response Sheska got was from him shifting his head in another direction as if he didn't even hear her.

"Well he didn't tell me to go away, yet. So maybe he doesn't think of me as a total nutcase..." Sheska said, in her mind with a hope.

"I needed to go through his research to find the answer. To find the 'truth'." Ed spoke up, while making Sheska jump a little from it.

"The truth?" Sheska questioned, confused.

"Yes."

"So really you weren't just reading to be reading that. You were reading it to gain something from it...right?" Sheska asked, with curiosity.

Ed didn't answer he only let out a sigh, it was true. He thought he could help his brother and himself. And everything could be back to the way it was...But he was wrong.

"You know I have to warn you. I saw what you were reading on about the philosopher stone..." Sheska stated, causing the Ed eyes to widen a little. "Its a forbidden stone and no one has been successfully right at making one...I guess what I'm really trying to say is, I was a bit concerned as to why you would be even reading up on it."

"Its none of your concern..." Ed said, in a flat tone.

Sheska wasn't expecting that answer, she thought for sure he would tell her what's going on. But maybe he was right, she didn't know him and he didn't know her. Its not everyday you tell some stranger something you don't want them to know.

"O-oh I understand. I guess I'll be going then..." Sheska said, sadly leaving it at that which she really didn't want too, she was hoping she could get more out of him. Obviously not, she then starts to walk away until...

"Me and my brother had did a forbidden skill in alchemy when we were young..." Ed stated, making Sheska stop in her tracks. "Human transmutation was what it was called. We had already lost our mother, now we lost things even more valuable to us..."

Sheska eyes widen in surprised, when she heard him state the word Human transmutation. That was a very forbidden alchemy, she heard all about it through the Central library books. No one, not even a adult would think of doing something so dangerous. She now was sort of afraid to even ask what exactly did he lose. From the tone of Ed's voice it obviously was something very important. However, her curiosity got the best of her and she had to question him about it.

"What exactly did you lose?" Sheska asked, trying to hide the curiosity in her tone.

Ed didn't answer her, instead he showed her the answer, by sliding up the black sleeve on his right arm. A sudden shine of silver glowed into the moonlight and Sheska could very well make out the arm was made of fresh steel, in other words it was auto mail.

"Auto mail..." Sheska said, in amazement.

She had read up on auto mail before on her spare time so she was familiar with it. They were used to help people who had lost a certain limp or limps on their body, it could prove to be quite useful to anyone.

"Yeah. The transmutation failed and I lost my arm, plus my whole left leg. And my brother..."

Ed paused in his sentence, it was as if saying what he lost was nothing compared to what his brother lost...Sheska could tell it was eating at his heart to say it.

"He lost his whole body..." Ed finally said, placing his face back in his hands, as if trying to hide the tears.

Sheska stared on, kind of weary about what to say next. She never met anyone like this guy before. He carried around at first this cocky attitude, but in the inside he was really hurting. Nonetheless when thinking over the situation a little bit more, Sheska now found out the reason why he was searching for the philosopher stone in the first place. It was said that when accomplishing the right ingredients for the stone it could make live human beings again and other amazing things...

"So that’s why you looked for information on the stone? You wanted to get your brother body back. And even help yourself right?"

Ed only nodded his head (yes) with his face still buried in his hands. Guilt begin to fly over Sheska, she felt sorry for this boy. She wishes there was something she could do to make him feel better. She didn't know why it bothered her, but it really did. In the next min, not realizing what she was doing, Sheska walks over to the boy taking a seat on the step next to him. Ed must have felt her presents near, because he lifted up his head and automatically stared his golden orbs at her.

"Uh...here. I thought maybe you would want this?" Sheska said, holding out a 'Kleenex tissue'.

Ed may have had a few water puddles in his eyes. But his pride wouldn't let him take that tissue, so he just shrugged it off.

"No thanks." Ed said, and then turns his attention to looking forward again, with a glum look boring on his face.

Sheska figured any min now he would probably be asking her 'could she leave him alone'. But for some odd reason she couldn't bring herself to leave. Suddenly a ray of thought flew in her mind about that stone. She didn't know if it was true or a myth, but it could be helpful to Ed.

"You know I heard this crazy rumor about someone who 'actually' succeeded in making the philosopher stone..."

Ed eyes widen in shock when he heard Sheska, and he turned his head in her direction as if waiting for her to continue on.

"And well I wasn't sure if it was true or not. So I never really shared the information. But it just maybe, no one really has confirmed it. I heard it was a man and he was a Ishbalin and in their country alchemy was the sign of the devil. But this guy somehow went beyond the Ishbalin teachings..."

"What? How do you know that?" Ed said, in shock that she was giving him out such accurate information.

"Well I read from time to time and plus I have a visual memory. I can remember every a word in a book easily." Sheska said. Then pauses for sec, saying in low tone. "Though I don't say too much about it. But since you told me your strong story, I thought I might as well tell you my weird talent."

"Weird talent? That’s amazing!" Ed said, now with a sudden surprised demeanor. "You should be happy, having such a amazing talent."

"Nah...Not really. I get made fun of for it. People call me a bookworm and sometimes other harsh things...And I never feel too happy about it."

"Well who gives a flying flip what they think? Your you're own person. It shouldn't matter what they think. The hell with them..."

Sheska looks over at Ed with a chuckle coming out of her mouth. He actually thought what she could do was amazing? No one really complimented her on that talent, except him.

"Gee, I never thought about it like that..."

"Yeah. You know that even means you would know Dr. Marcoh's whole research word by word. Right?"

"Most of it. Why do you ask?" Sheska said, now curious.

"Well before when I was reading up on Dr. Marcoh's research in the library. Me and my brother had met up with him and he gave me this..." Ed said, pulling out this small crumbled paper. "It seems like some sort of riddle, but I don't really understand what it means...

Sheska looked at the paper and saw the writing on it 'The Truth Behind Truths'. It indeed was like a riddle. A riddle that may hold more information on about the stone.

"Yeah its written like a riddle. But it holds something more." Sheska said, while staring at the paper like she was thinking.

"What do you mean?" Ed questioned, now confused.

"Well think about it. 'The Truth behind Truths'..."

Ed focused his eyes back on the badly shaped paper, and stared at it. Trying to come up with what Dr. Marcoh was trying to tell him.

"Don't you see? It means...." Sheska paused.

"There was something more!" Ed & Sheska both said, in unison.

"Yeah!" Sheska said, glad to know Ed knew where she was coming from.

"No wonder he gave me this. He knew what it took to make the philosopher stone. But also to tell me there could be better a method..."

"I couldn't agree better myself." Sheska said, happy to know she brought a smile to his face.

"This is unreal! I got to tell Al about this, and we can further investigate in it."

Sheska agrees with him by nodding her head, with a smile born on her face. Ed starts to get up from the step, now with his mind totally refresh. But not before saying...

"Thank you...Uh..." Ed pauses, not really knowing her name.

"Its Sheska. Heh. And your welcome." Sheska said, in sort of shy manner.

Silence filled the area, a awkward silence. Ed and Sheska were now staring into each other eyes, in the dark moonlit night as if they were on some sort of date. The both of them we're concealed in their own thoughts. Not knowing weather to leave or to react.

"I never really looked at this girl in the face, but she's rather cute..." Ed said though his mind, surprised that he even said such a thing.

A blush crept onto the blonde's face, he had to leave. But he couldn't move he felt he needed to leave something or tell her something before he goes. Suddenly without thinking in his mind and more with his body. Ed leans forward being the bold one, and plants a sensual light kiss on Sheska lips. The brown haired girl eyes lit up for sec in shock. But then she closed them feeling more relaxed with it. Ed must have felt comfortable too, because he had his eyes close as well. But then something all of sudden came to mind and struck through both their heads, causing both of them to pull out of the kiss. Their conscious got in the way. Green eyes and golden eyes bored in each other even more after that. However the staring wasn't go to last for long...

"Brother? Oh there you are!" A familiar voice yelled from behind the two secret lovers, which it revealed to be Al.

The huge armor was now coming out of the HQ building, and from the tone of his voice he was obviously looking around everywhere for Ed. But then he noticed that his older brother wasn't alone outside, there was a girl beside him.

"Oh sorry I didn't know you were talking to someone..."

Sheska saw the armor, and the first thing that came to her mind was that must be Ed's brother, the one he said that lost his body. It was a shocker for a moment. However Sheska shifted her attention to what was happening now.

"I-I think I better go now..." Sheska said, nervously getting up from the step and excusing herself.

Al and Ed watched her as she walked off in a hurry. Al was a bit confused by it, while Ed was looking in awe by it.

"What happen? Was it something I said?"

A response wasn't given to Al, for Ed was still staring on at the brown haired girl until she disappeared off into the darkness.

"Brother, are you okay? And who was that?"

Reality then comes shooting back down to Ed, and he shook his head, moving his focus over to Al.

"Just forget it..." Ed said simply to him, he didn't want his younger brother all up in his business of what happen just now. Al would probably never shut up about it.

"Oh if you say so I guess." Al said, swooshing the thought away with ease. "I thought maybe you would want something from the mess hall...Lt. Ross has some food in the room.

"Oh yeah? Well I think I will pass on that." Ed said, giving out a sigh. "Al I need to tell you something that's really important.

"Hmm?" Al stated.

"I'll tell you inside, better yet." Ed suggested, not wanting to be out in the open space.

Al kindly agrees, and makes his way back into the HQ building, with Ed following slowly behind. Other things were on his mind now, besides the philosopher stone. I'm sure you can guess what they are.