"Come on, Edward! You need to drink this!"
"No way! That stuff's nasty!"
"It'll strengthen your bones so you won't break them in the future!"
"But I didn't break any bones!"
"It'll help you grow taller!"
"Who are you trying to kid?!"
On and on they went, as Winry tried to make Edward drink the glass of milk. She had come to check in on Edward, and one of the first things she did after greeting her friend was to pour him some milk.
The alchemist's back injury had healed, and he was able to sit up on the sofa without assistance. However, his morning was ruined as soon as his friend started pestering him about the one thing he was most adverse to -- milk. The boy had never liked the smell or taste of it. When the alchemist was young, he used to sneak his milk out the backyard and feed it to the countryside cats when his mother wasn't looking. He had hoped that with time, no one would try to make him drink anymore of it. But he was wrong...
"Milk is good for you, Edward!"
"Ahhh! Don't shove it in my face!"
Envy peered in from around the corner, wondering what all the ruckus was about. He had woken up long before Edward had, and all traces of him having ever been in living room last night had been removed. Now, looking in on the couple, Envy saw Winry trying to push a glass towards Edward's face, and Edward trying to push it back at her. The Homunculus figured it was only a matter of time before the contents spilled.
With the commotion that was taking place, no one paid any attention to Envy as he walked into the living room. In one swift motion, he snatched the glass away from the blonde's hand and gulped down the milk.
"Hey! You -- " The blood rushed to Edward's face.
The empty glass was handed back to Winry. She and Edward watched Envy as he silently retreated from the room.
"The nerve of him!" Edward angrily remarked.
"Well at least someone in your family likes milk," Winry retorted.
"Huh?!"
Winry turned back to the spot where Envy had walked off to. The girl pressed an index finger to the corner of her mouth in contemplation. "Hmm...maybe I should see if William likes chocolate milk."
"Ugh!" At the mention of milk again, Edward's face began to turn green and he flopped backwards onto the couch.
Illustration by: "RobbinRob"
Years ago, Hohenheim had constructed a wooden swing on a tree for Edward and Alphonse in the backyard of their house. The swing had been repaired shortly before Hohenheim left Resembool. It was one of the final acts he did for them in their childhood.
Sitting on top of the swing -- with the tips of his toes digging in the dirt and hands grasping the ropes on either side -- was Envy, who was absorbed in his own thoughts and did not become aware of the person who had approached him until the latter spoke.
"Brother?"
Eyes remain downcast.
"Brother?"
Envy blinks and looks up to find Alphonse staring at him. "Your brother's not here. I saw him heading towards the river earlier."
Now it was Alphonse's turn to blink. "Actually, I was calling out to you, Big Brother William."
"Oh..." Envy reverts his gaze to the ground, internally cringing at his momentary lapse in memory.
"Um...I wanted to talk to you about something."
When his sibling didn't respond, Alphonse continued. "I know that ever since you came to live with us, Big Brother Edward's been acting strange around you. For me, I don't have a problem, since I'm still the youngest one anyways; but for Edward, he's still trying to cope with not being the oldest child anymore. So I hope you're not angry with him."
A thin smile appears on Envy's lips as he turns to Alphonse. "I'm not mad."
Now it was Al's turn to smile. Then he added, "Big Brother Edward can have a temper at times. He usually doesn't mean what he says. But if he bullies you, you come and tell me. I'll stand up for you." A determined look creased Al's brow as he pumped both fists into the air.
Envy falls silent as he regards his little brother's declaration. A glimmer shows in the former's eyes as he utters, "Thank you, Alphonse."
***
The Resembool river flowed on endlessly. Although calm on the surface, a turbulent force underneath kept the waters going.
Pebbles -- one after the other -- were tossed into the water, disrupting its smooth surface.
Edward watched as the stones sank one by one. The sound of rustling grass made him stop. He looked up to see Alphonse.
"Oh, hi Al," Edward says as his brother sits down beside him.
"Are you okay, Brother?" Alphonse inquires, noting his brother's pensive mood.
"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" The tone of Ed's voice told Al otherwise.
A frog hopped along the riverbank, stopped to croak, then continued on its way.
"You know, Ed. We haven't had a sparring match since you came back."
Edward's face lights up. He slaps a fist into the palm of his hand. "You're right. We should have a go at it. Show me what you've learned while I was away."
Alphonse smiles and nods. The younger Elric knew that a sparring competition always made his older brother feel better.
But before the siblings could begin their match, a pair of strong hands suddenly grasped them by the backs of their collars.
"Hey! What the -- "
The two were lifted off their feet, swung three hundred sixty degrees in the air, and came crashing down on the ground.
"Ack!"
"Oumph!"
Edward looks up. His glare suddenly turns into an expression of horror. Beside him, the color had also drained from Alphonse's face.
Before the siblings stood the one person they feared the most.
"T-T-Teacher!"
***
The siblings were huddled against each other -- their bodies shivering at the sight of the intimidating person in front of them.
With a scowl on her face, Izumi Curtis stood with her hands clenched into fists. Then she points a sharp finger at Alphonse.
"Pitiful! Is this what you have to show after everything I've taught you?!"
"Ahhh! T-T-Teacher! I-I-'m s-s-o s-s-orry!" Alphonse stutters.
"And you!"
Edward gulps and cowers in fear as the sharp finger gets pointed in his direction.
"Just what have you been doing all this time?! If I were the enemy you'd already be dead!"
"S-s-sorry," Edward whimpers.
"Drop and give me five hundred pushups!"
"Yes, Teacher!" Edward went to comply without a moment's hesitation.
"Brother!"
"You too, Alphonse!"
"Ah! Yes, Teacher!"
As the two Elric siblings engaged in their punishment, the expression on their teacher's face softened -- her eyes fixated on Edward.
Welcome home, Edward.
Something caught the woman's attention, and she turned to see a retreating figure nearby.
Izumi gasped. That person...
***
Memories of the past surfaced in her mind as the martial artist her way deeper into the woods, where she soon found her intended target.
There, leaning against the trunk of a tree with his gaze downcast, was Envy.
Izumi made no attempt to conceal her presence. She walked right up to his line of vision, coming to a halt a few yards away.
"I would like to seek some pointers from you." She spoke in a formal manner, displaying her sign of respect for another fighter by putting the fist of one hand in the palm of the other. Then she took a fighting stance.
Envy moved away from the shadow of the tree. Stepping foot into the sunlight, he turned his body at a slight angle. The Homunculus stood tall, with one hand held behind him and the back of his other hand facing Izumi.
The two fighters stared straight into each other's eyes.
No comments:
Post a Comment