Seperation! How Long is Forever?

The fire burned out eventually, and I was still kneeling there. My hair was a mess, my face was red and distraught, my pupils were large, and my mouth was partly open. Tears leaked out of my eyes from time to time, but I made no sobbing noises. I just sat there. Eventually, people came over to see what had happened, and they all asked what went on. All I did was sit there, in shock.

 

I had killed Ed.

 

Not really, it was just I wasn't able to push him out of the way this time. When the villagers began to move the boards, I closed my eyes. I didn't want to see what was left of Ed. I didn't want to see what I could have prevented. But somehow, my eyes opened and forced themselves to see.

 

Have you ever left a burger on the grill too long? Remember how it got all charry and hard and black? That's what the body looked like at first.

 

It was charred and stiff. Ed's face was scared, and the blood was smeared all over the concrete. When one of the villagers bent down to touch his arm, it collapsed--just like that--into a pile of ashes. I was surprised the body held out the way it did.

 

"It was the Gypsy! She pushed him into the fire!"

 

I snapped out of my trance long enough to hear these words being yelled at me. I turned to face the angry woman who's mouth had said that. "Me? I would never.." I said as I stood up. I felt myself getting angrier and angrier. Finally I screamed out my thoughts.

 

"You think I pushed him into the way of the falling planks?! Why would anyone do that?! You don't know me! I would never kill a friend! EVER! You don't know how I felt about him! You don't! So don't say I did something I didn't! I loved him!"

 

Everyone stared for a moment before a man in the crowd lit a cigarette and spoke. "Let's burn the gypsy, see how she likes it," he said calmly. Everyone began to chatter about this before all cheering in agreement. I swallowed. "Fine then! Kill me! I don't care!" I cried. The crowd began to rush over. Just as some people were going to grab my arms, a voice was heard.

 

"Stop!"

 

People looked over as Alfons made his way through the crowd and stood in front of me. "What? You're going to kill her? Because she's a gypsy? Is that why you want her dead?" Alfons asked. The crowd remained silent. "Alfons..." I mumbled. Alfons kept speaking.

"Sure, her people are a little more different than ours, but who cares? Are you really gonna kill someone who's only crime is being different? Think about it. What if we killed...you!" he said as he pointed to a pregnant woman. "M-Me?" she asked sheepishly. "Yeah! Your crime? Being pregnant. How do we know that the human inside of you wasn't eaten?" he said. The woman got angry. "It is not! It's my baby!" she screamed. "I know...but what if? What if we killed you for being different?" he said. I felt myself blush. "But Alfons, this is different! She was the only one here with this boy when he died!" a man from his group screamed. "So? So many people in town got killed because of falling wood and bricks! How is he an excpetion to these incidents?" he asked. Nobody gave a response. "Noah is not at fault here. Let her tell you what happened," he said as he turned to me. "Go ahead Noah. Tell them what happened," he said with a friendly smile. I nodded. "Um...he was stuck under the planks. I had pulled him out, and we were just about to turn around and head back to town when the rest of the building fell on him and crushed him. I will admit, I didn't try to save him after that, because when I knelt down, his blood was already leaking out from the bottom of the pile. That's what happened. I didn't kill him," I said. Everyone was quiet as Alfons threw his hand over my shoulder. "See? She didn't kill him! Why kill her for a crime she didn't commit?"

 

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No use. The people were still fully convinced that I had killed Ed and tied me to a wooden pole in town. "Like the witches your people are, we're going to burn you at the stake! Your crimes are murder and witchcraft!" a fat man with a burning torch said. I tried to wiggle free from the ropes. "Why would I kill the man I loved? What use would that bring to me?" I asked him. His eyes remained cold as he smirked. "Light the straw!" he screamed. Along with two other people, the man threw his torch onto the straw around me. Immedietly, it caught fire. "No! What's wrong with you people? Put out that fire! She's innocent!" I heard Alfons scream. But the villagers held him back as my bloodstained clothes caught fire. I screamed as the fire ran up my legs. "Let her go! Let her go!" Alfons screamed louder and louder. I screamed louder and louder as the pain got worse and worse. Finally, Alfons screamed out my...her....name. "Noah! Noah!" he cried. I smiled and was able to speak right before the pain claimed my life.

 

"It's okay Alfons. I can see him now. I can be with Edward now."

 

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I woke up in the arms of the black hands. Back in the Gate. I felt them pushing me along it's dark corridors. No longer Noah but myself again (in the red dress and everything), I kept my eyes closed as I was pushed along. It was peaceful. I no longer felt the pain of the fire. I no longer felt the pain of the spike in my stomach either. Nothing but the icy touch of the black fingers that pushed me through.

 

Edward....I've failed you twice. But now....I can be punished for what I have done. I'm so sorry.

 

I tripped a little as the hands let go of my legs and only kept me moving by passing along my arms and waist. After a long time of the same thing, I heard something. Faint, at first, then it got lounder the closer I got.

 

Ed's pocketwatch.

 

What was with this melody? It keeps popping up. Have I heard this somewhere before?

 

Too tired to think, I only listened to the music as I moved around the tunnels. Then, the hands thrust me in front of them, and I screamed.

Soon I fell flat on my face back into the land of yellow light. The Gate lay in front of me, gaping wide and it's hands seemed to be waving to me.

 

Just then, a flash of Alphonse stood in front of me.

 

"Al? Is that you?" I asked. Al nodded as he extended his hand. "Koda...wake up from your deep sleep. We miss you. Come back," he said. "Are you...?" I asked as he helped me stand. "I'm going into the Gate. To bring brother back is my goal," he said. Suddenly, a white light flashed and I took in a deep breath before everything went black.

 

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I woke up to the sound of birds singing. I opened my eyes and sat up.

Where am I? Alphonse!

 

I was sitting on the lawn of my old home back in Resembool (near the Rockbell household). I was in my military uniform with my hands clutched into fists on the ground. "Al? Al? Where are you?" I called into the air. I wasn't talking for long before I heard "Hey! You! Get off my lawn!" coming from the house. I nodded and stood up. "You military folks don't own the place, ya know!" the man called, and I felt myself blush. When I stood up, I noticed that my right hand was still clutched. It took me only a minute to realize that I was holding something. Bringing my hand to my face, I slowly opened my hand and gazed at the pocketwatch in my hand. I flipped it open, and when I didn't hear the melody, I panicked. But I knew it was Ed's because the carving "DON'T FORGET OCTOBER 11" was still there on the side. I held it close to my chest. I was going to keep this safe.

I staggered over to the door of the Rockbell house and knocked on the door. "I'll get it!" I heard Winry and Grandma say at the same time. As I heard their footsteps come closer, I felt myself crying. It was good to be home, after everything that had happened.

 

"Koda!!"

 

Grandma and Winry both screamed happily as they hugged me. "Hey guys! How are you doing? What's going on?" I said through tears. "What's wrong?" Grandma asked. I sniffed as I secretly slipped Ed's pocketwatch into my pocket. "Oh, just glad to be home."

 

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"Colonel Mustang called the house a few minutes ago," Winry called that night as I lay back into my old bed. I refused to talk about what had happened in that ballroom like place. In that place called Germany. I refused to say anything. "Tell him I'm done. I am finished with the military. For good," I said. Winry came into my room and sat next to me on my bed. "Are you sure? You were only gone for 3 days," she said in disbelief. "3 days is enough for me," I said coldly. Winry sighed. "Koda, just tell us what happened," Winry pleaded as she smacked the side of my bed. "No. I don't want to talk about it," I answered.

 

"Koda! Winry! Come look at this!" Grandma called.

Winry and I reluctantly walked into the living room. What we saw at the entrance of the door was nothing we had ever expected.

 

"Hi Winry. Hi Koda."

 

A little boy, about 10 years old, was standing at our doorway. But this boy wasn't just any little boy. It was Alphonse!

 

"Al! Al you're allright!" I said as I fell to my knees and gave him a hug. "Why wouldn't I be?" he asked dubiously. I looked him in the eyes. "The Gate! I saw you in the Gate! You and Edward! Where is your brother?" I asked. Al gave me an akward look. "Er...I don't know."

"How did you get out of your armor?" Winry asked from across the room. I smiled. "Did you finally find the Philosopher's Stone?" I asked. "The Philosopher's Stone?" was Al's heartbreaking answer.

 

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The next morning, we found out the awful truth. Something had occured to make Al lose ALL his memories of his and Ed's journey together. He didn't remember a thing. As Al played happily in the sunlit backyard with Winry's dog Den and toying with Sama a bit, I sat at the table, watching. "So Ed did something akward, didn't he?" Grandma asked a second later. "He must have. Grandma I..." I began before I ran to the bathroom to get sick. My Tailor's Child was back in full throttle now that I was back home. I came back to the table and sat down. "Grandma....I saw Hohenheim on the other side of the Gate," I said quietly. "Hmm? Hohenheim you say?" Grandma repeated. "Yes. He talked about how he didn't return home because he felt like he didn't deserve his children. But then..." I began. Grandma pat my shoulder. "In due time, Koda. In due time."

 

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"Can I get a teacher?" Al asked that night at dinner. "Hmm? A teacher?" Grandma asked. Al nodded. "A teacher for alchemy. So that I can get better and one day be reunited with Big Brother. I'd like to see him again," Al said. I felt myself choke on the bread as he went on talking. "A good teacher that will teach me everything I need to know!" he said excitedly. Grandma placed her fork down on the table. "I suppose I can get you one."

 

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It seemed like time whizzed past me as soon it was a month later and we were seeing Al off on a train. "I'm going to get better at alchemy! Aunt Pinako!" he called from the window. We all waved to him. "Oh! Alphonse! I almost forgot!" I said as I walked to the train window. The curious little boy looked at me with excitement. With that, I swallowed hard as I placed the silver pocketwatch in his hands. "It was your brother's. Keep it with you until you come home. I feel like you'd want to have Ed with you...y'know?" I said, trying to hold back tears. "Allright! I'll take good care of it! I promise!" he said. "Good. I want you to return it to him or me...whichever you see first.....in one piece! I'm trusting you!" I said, patting his head. Al blushed as he put the pocketwatch on his seat. "I pinky promise!" he said as he extended his pinky to me. Smiling for the first time in a while, I connected my pinky with his. "Allright then. Goodbye Al, and I hope you get better," I said. Just then the train whistle blew into the air, and the train began to move. "Goodbye! Goodbye!" Al called out the window as it began to speed away. Grandma, Winry, and I all waved goodbye, teary eyed and hoping for the best.

 

On the way home, Winry decided to crack jokes. "So....Ed got close enough with you to let you touch his precious watch, eh? What's going on here Koda? Love, maybe?" Winry asked, pushing against my shoulder. To confuse her, I smiled and said "Oh yeah. Didn't I tell you over the phone? We hooked up thanks to the Colonel!" Winry paused for a moment. "Wait, you did what?" she asked, and I laughed. "I'm just kidding. No, I was holding onto it when some things happened and I ended up here. Al will take good care of it. I know he will," I answered. Winry sighed, then walked on ahead. I stopped long enough to look out into the water.

 

It was Ed that was on the journey at first, but now he was somewhere else. I felt like it was my responsibility to carry on that journey. So now, I was on a pilgrimage to remember his name. Because....for some of us....it was hard to not forget. Ed had made a big impression in all of our lives. And now, I was the one to carry on his work. I decided to tell Winry I would return to the military.

 

Later. I'd tell Winry, later.

 

I watched the water crash onto the gentle shores and smiled. My mission had just begun, and I swore I'd see it through. As I turned around, I couldn't help but feel like Ed and I's roles in life were.....

 

....reversed, weren't they?

 

Now he was the one waiting, and I was the one searching.

I promise you, Ed, that I'll grow stronger. And who knows? Maybe one day we'll meet up again. Then, I'll tell you how I feel. But until that golden day comes, I'm going to carry on your word. I'll protect Al.

 

Then, you won't be able to tell me I cry too easy!

 

             ~The End~

Reviews

[State of Grace]

*claps hands rapidly* I really like how you ended the story, and I will miss Ed... for now at least! Onto the next book!!!

[Luna Northstar]

:'( Next book!!!!

[Keevan]

Bravo!!! I gotta tell you, I will be upset with you of Ed is really dead!!! If he doent make an entrance in Reverse 2 I'm going to give you a lecture!!! But I loved this book. Again, I say bravo :)