• ❁Alchemic Scars [Editing]❁ •

Chapter 9 - The Rockbells

(the art above does not belong to me!)

Chapter 9 - The Rockbells

I pull myself off of the train and into the station. I stretch out my arm wide - nearly hitting Edward on the head - and sigh with relief. Ever since I got hit in the head by the Major - twice - I've had a splitting headache that just got worse when we went over the rough and ragged part of the track.

Edward stands beside me patiently as we wait for Armstrong to collect Alphonse from his place in the sheep cart. As we stand there, I hear a faint jangling from my right where Edward stands. I look down slightly to peek at his hand that rests at his side. In his hand is holding a silver pocket watch, to be more precise; the State Alchemist pocket watch. He fiddles ever so slightly with it as he turns it around and around in his palm, the chain tinkling every now and then.

"Hey, Edward?" I ask. He turns his head to look at me.

"Yeah?" He responds.

"Why exactly did you become a State Alchemist?" I ask, for once in my life feeling an overpowering sense of being left out of something.

His face changes ever so slightly; the glimmer in his honey-golden eyes almost nonexistent, his small, sideways smile fading and his eyebrows coming ever closer to each other. "After the incident, I made a promise." He begins. "I promised that I would bring back the body that was taken from my brother. I joined when I was 12 with the belief that I could do such a thing as bringing back a body and two of my own limbs."

I stand beside him and listen as he tells his story. It's heartbreaking to hear the pain that others have gone through, mainly of those who have made the same mistakes as my sibling and me. The dedication and love he has towards his brother are commendable. He joined at such a young age just like me. But I'm surprised I haven't heard of his actions or seen him around Central.

When Edward finishes his origin story, I hear the faint sniffling and a girl crying. I immediately identify this individual as my youngest sibling Jacky. Ed looks up at me with a questioning and somewhat troubled look.

"Were you, crying?" He asks, cocking his head to one side.

"No, but I know someone who is." I slowly caress the surface of the pearl earring as she sobs. I let a small smile grace my lips as I mutter. "Crybaby."

"I'm not a Crybaby!" She half yells, half sobs from my ear. She tightens her hold on my earlobe by compressing the backing and pearl together. I wince in pain and attempt to release her grasp with a hand.

"Oka-a-ay, I'm sorry!" I say with a slightly irritated but overall blanked expressing. Once I finally release myself from her foul clutches, a high pitched whistle blows from the train. I look along the station to see the oversized Armstrong walking towards us, Al crate held aloft on his shoulder, the Major seemingly varying it like a feather.

"Let's be off then, young Alchemists." He says.

-

The green fields of grass seemingly stretch out for miles as the five of us make our way over the hills of Resembool. The few animals slathered here and there make their calling noises every so often, making me feel some form of nostalgia. The blue sky above us is pure and untainted with the whiteness of the clouds, all that lies above in the heavens is the ever-burning ball of fire known as our sun.

Soon the rooftop of a house appears a bit ways down our path. In all the years I was gone, the old house hasn't changed at all. It's somewhat soothing to know that no matter what happens, our childhood home will never grow old or out of date, as it forever stays in our hearts and minds.

As an over-energetic dog bounds towards us, one of its legs being built from auto-mail, Pinako Rockbell makes her way from her house over to us. Edward calls out to her while we near. I bow my head towards her as a greeting, which she returns with a smile and a nod back.

"Welcome back Elleah, dear." She greets me before turning to the other boys. Armstrong finally relieves himself of Alphonse' armoured burden and walks forward.

"This is Major Armstrong." Edward introduces to Granny. Armstrong reaches down and grasps the lady's small hand in his, engulfing the entire thing.

"Pinako Rockbell." She replies with her own name.

The next parts of the welcoming go over my head as I observe Den running circles around my legs. He does this for a while before slowing down, only to fall on his back in a dizzy mass on the ground. After this, I hear a female voice call out Edward's nickname from a distance. I look up not a moment too soon to see a silver object go flying past my head, meeting its mark on Edward's forehead. He yells out in pain before hitting the ground, hard. Beside him falls the metal object as it reveals itself to be a workers wrench.

"Didn't I tell you to call at least once before showing up for a maintenance check?" Winry screeches from her perch on the second-floor balcony.

As Edward blatantly barks his displeasure to the female, I take the time to look over her matured body before she notices and makes any comments. In truth, she has aged beautifully. Her curves are almost perfect, to the point that it's the exact shape of an hourglass. Her workman's - or woman's - overalls are unbuttoned down to her stomach, being fastened in place by the two sleeves wrapped and tied around her lower waist. All she wears underneath this is a simple, black tube top, making the colour of her long, golden-blond hair stand out like a saw thumb, which is tied in place with a grey-brown cloth.

A sigh of contentment escapes my mouth as I see my old friends as happy and as joyful as they have ever been. Even Den is as lively as ever.

"Welcome back." Windy laughed down at Ed and Al, still not recognising my presence.