ED'S POV:
Did I really tick her off? I was about to go after her, however Mustang grabs my shoulder.
Mustang: You better not go after her. The best thing to do right now is to let her blow off some steam. I've only seen and felt when she's semi mad.
Me: When you mean 'felt', how bad did she hurt you exactly?
Mustang: She transmuted a huge fist from the wall and struck me right in the stomach. She's very strong for someone so small...
Me: You called her small didn't you?
Mustang looked to the ground and back to me.
Mustang: Yeah... Something like that.
Me: Well then...
I begin to laugh and Al gives me a questioning look.
Al: Brother what's so funny?
Me: Ahahaha it's because Mustang was actually right for once.
Mustang: Ed!
Me: Sorry, but it's true.
Mustang gives me a dirty look, but I can tell Al is still lost.
Al: So what's so funny?
Me: Besides Mustang, me and Clare act a lot alike.
Al: Oh okay.
Mustang: I'm going to go check on Clare, but until then wait here.
We both nod as he leaves the room.
Al: Well then brother, I think that was a okay start with Clare... Right?
Well besides her storming off, the argument and Mustang suddenly dropping that news... We were okay I guess.
Me: Yeah Al. It was okay.
********************************************
CLARE'S POV
As I approached my room, I heard Mustang running from the distance.
Mustang: Clare, just wait a second will yeah?!
Me: Why? So I can go back in there and deal with HIM?!
Mustang finally comes up to me almost out of breath and leans on the wall.
Mustang: Well... You have to. You are both assigned to each other for now on no matter what.
Me: Ugh fine, but instead send them here. We can finish our conversation here.
Mustang: No. You can go back to the room with me.
Me: OH COME ON!
Mustang: Don't make me call you...
Me: You wouldn't.
Mustang: I would.
Me: Ugh fine let's go.
He simply grins to himself as we walked back to his office. What a nerd. As I walk in, I see the boys where I left them. Choosing to ignore them, I sit down on the chair I sat on before, feeling Ed looking over to me. Man he really knows how to push my nerves. After a few minutes, I give up, looking over to them. It won't get us anywhere if I keep this childish act up.
Ed: Sorry about earlier.
Me: It's alright and I'm sorry about how I reacted. I easily get mad sometimes.
Ed scratches his head.
Ed: Aha don't worry about it.
Mustang: See, wasn't that easy?
I touch the floor, making a fist come out of the wall, hitting him dead center in the stomach again. Hmph, that's what you get for playing matchmaker. He then falls to the ground, trying to hold back his tears.
Mustang: Can you quit doing that?!
He holds his stomach, trying to recover from the pain.
Me: Just because you asked, no.
I smirk and looked over to see Ed laughing to himself.
Ed: I think we're going to get along quite well.
Me: Indeed.
Al: What about me?
I giggle from Al's comment.
Me: Yes, you too Al.
He smiles, pulling us together from our chairs and giving us a huge hug.
Al: That's great!
Al hugs us closer and starts lifting us up. Choking, not breathing. Damn it Al!
Al: Aha sorry.
He lets both of us go, but because of misplacing my feet, I begin to fall.
Damn it!
DAMN IT!
DAMN IT!
As I see the floor getting really close to my face, I feel someone catch me. I look up to see Ed lifting me back up to my feet.
Me: Thanks Ed.
Ed: No problem.
As we sit back down I begin to feel my face heat up. What's this feeling? It's warm, but also feels embarrassing. I quickly snap out of it, but noticed... Is Ed's face red?
Al: Ed are you alright? You're a bit red.
Ed jumps out of his chair, snapping out of it.
Ed: I'm fine! I'm fine!
He soon sits back down, but as we made eye contact to each other again, he simply smiles to me, assuring he was okay. I smile back to notice Mustang who's just getting up.
Mustang: Anyways. The next thing that's on your agenda is your mission.
Me: So what is it?
Mustang: You and Fullmetal are to depart to Liore tomorrow and investigate a man who goes by the name Father Cornello. Reports say he's been performing "miracles" that a normal human couldn't do on their own, or Alchemy for that matter. So I believe he could only be using the philosopher's stone to do this.
Me: The Philosopher's stone... Why is that stone's name familiar?
Mustang: Ed will clue you in on what it is over your train ride.
I nod and looked over to the boys.
Al: Liore here we come!
********************************************
NEXT DAY
As me, Ed and Al are about to approach the train to Liore, we see Riza running up
to us.
Me: Riza? Why are you here? I thought you would be with Mustang?
Riza: Mustang forgot to give you this.
She passes me my pocket watch identification as I clip it on my skirt. I look at it smiling and then back to her.
Me: Thanks.
Riza: No problem.
As we get on the train, I look to Riza walking away. Opening the train window, I lean out just getting half my body out.
Me: Hey Riza!
She turns around and looks back to me.
Me: Next time if Mustang has to give or tell me something, get him to do it himself. And if he asks why, just say I told you so.
I grin and slide back into the train. I could tell she was laughing to herself because lets face it, it's fun getting on Mustang's nerves. I sit back down on my seat while the boys are smirking away from my comment. For a train compartment, this is pretty roomy. I look around it to notice small details of art on the wooden walls. Kinda makes me feel wealthy. I smile to myself and looked to Ed that's sitting beside me, while Al is sitting in the opposite seats from us.
Me: So... What is this thing called the Philosopher's Stone? I feel like I should know it, but I don't.
Ed: The Philosopher's Stone allows one to perform greater than what one can do naturally with just regular Alchemy.
Me: So it's basically the second most powerful thing in the world besides the truth itself?
Ed: Yeah... Wait how do you know the truth?
Me: I saw it myself.
Al: You did the taboo?
Me: No no, I just happened to walk into my father doing it... All because my mother passed away it blinded him. It blinded him from what he lost to what he still had.
I try this time to hold the tears back, but just one tear slipped this time.
Ed: Clare...
He touches my shoulder as I look to see Al and Ed with sincere faces.
Me: No no it's okay, it's now just the past.
Ed: You have your point, but even still. Your father shouldn't have made you suffer more than you already did.
Another tear escapes my eye. Okay Clare hold it together. Stop making yourself look weak. You're better than this. I look down to the ground trying to gain back myself, but still another tear drips down my face.
Me: I know, but he made his choice.
I look to Ed and Al again. I don't know how to exactly act in front of them. I barely even know them yet, so what do I do? I sit up, wiping the remaining tear marks from my face.
Me: But anyways, I'm here now. Thankfully Mustang was able to convince me that I could make a difference with myself.
Al: Mustang did?
I lightly laugh, remembering how it went down.
Me: Yeah he did, surprising right? Before he found me, I used to help around town with my alchemy. By doing that, I was able to make just enough money to get by.
I might be leaving a few things out, but it's better that they didn't know what else I did.
Al: Sounds like you went through a lot.
Me: I did, but you gain knowledge as you learn from your own and others mistakes.
They both nod as I glance out the window. We all stay silent, and eventually Ed falls asleep. I look over to Al who's just watching Ed.
Me: Did you do it?
Al: Did what?
Me: The taboo. You both understand my situation so well, so I can only guess you guys did it yourselves... Plus.
Al looks to himself, then to Ed's leg and arm. I know they did it, but I just need to be sure.
Al: Yeah we did.
Me: So Ed lost a leg and an arm, but you?
Al lifts his helmet off to reveal his soul is tied to the armor. Okay gotta pretend I didn't already know this.
Me: N..n.no body? So that means you can't sleep, eat, or feel anything.
Al: Sadly yes. I miss all those things in life, so that's why me and brother have a goal. To get our body's back...
I look back to the window, taking in the moment before Al asks a random question.
Al: I have a question.
Me: Yeah Al?
Al: How much of the truth did you see?
I continue looking out the window until I had a good answer for him.
Me: All of it. I still don't completely understand how the process works and how my father mixes within it, but from what I'm aware of I know everything. The process felt like a never ending nightmare while getting smacked repetitively upside the head. The black figure did make a comment saying 'try not to forget anything', but if I did get amnesia from it afterwards I can't tell. I guess I'll figure it out sooner or later.
Al: Wouldn't that make you almost a..?
Me: God? Greater Being? I actually have no idea. I think of it more as I'm intelligent than most people kind of thing.
Al: Hmm I see... Oh and one more question. You don't have to answer it if you want.
Me: I'm all ears, what is it?
Al: When you walked into your dad doing the taboo, how did you get into the truth?
Me: As my dad was loosing his second arm I ran into the transmutation circle. Other than that, one second my father disappeared from within my arms to the next second I find myself in a white room with a big black door and the black figure. But I do remember meeting the truth and everything else.
Al: I see.
Me: Is that it?
Al: Yeah that's everything.