Starry Dreamer

"I don't have any guestrooms, sorry," Alfons said that night, "but there is a hotel not too far from here. They don't charge alot either." I nodded, and then accepted his map to the hotel. "Thanks, Alfons. Are we allowed to come back tomorrow?" I asked, and Alfons nodded. "Of course! I'd love it if you came back," he said, smiling. Ed nodded. "Ditto," was all he said. I handed Al the map, and he grinned. Then I remembered something. "Oh! Ed, if you want, I can give your AutoMail a checkup tomorrow," I offered. Ed shrugged. "Why not?" he said. Then I smiled and turned around. "See you tomorrow, Alfons....Edward," I waved goodbye as I walked away.

 

Al walked ahead of me, showing me which way to go. I walked and marched on, going everywhere Al told. I felt like a puppet for a moment, but then it went away. When we got to the outside of the hotel, it hit me. "Oh! Al, how are we going to pay? We don't have German currency," I said. Al reached into his pocket, but sure enough, he pulled out not German currency, but 45 sens.

 

"Oh...you're right. Did the Gate put anything in your dress pocket, by any chance?" Al asked, looking over at me and putting his sens back into his pocket. I fished my pockets, searching for something that may help, but nothing came of it. "Nope. I'm empty. Looks like were aren't going to get into the hotel. Now what?" I asked, hoping Al was forming a Plan B in his head. "Well....we could head back and ask for some money. Isn't that what little brothers do?" he asked, smiling. But I shook my head. "Alfons has done enough for us. We need to do something else. Take a look at the map. Is there a lodge or something?" I asked, leaning over Al's shoulder. He looked down at the map, but to our dissapointment, Alfons had only given us a map to the hotel. "Great...what now?" I asked again.

 

"You can stay with me."

 

The voice made both of us jump as we turned around. For me, it was an awful discovery. For Al, he looked excited.

 

Hohenheim stood there with a basket of bread and fruits. "Dad!" Al cried as he gave his Dad a big hug. I stood silent. "Can we Koda? Ooh, can we, pleeeeaaase?" Al begged, not once letting go of his father. I didn't dare look Hohenheim directly in the eyes.

 

"You can. I'm not," I answered. Al looked sad, but I could have swore an evil look came upon Hohenheim's face. "Why Koda? We can sleep in a warm place, then go back to Nii-San's tomorrow. Where will you sleep?" he asked. I smiled. "Under the stars. What a beautiful place to be, don't you think?"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Up on the hillside where Al and I first were was where I settled. My back to a tree, I sat on the dirt ground, looking up. The stars twinkled, almost as if they were winking at me.

 

Are these the same stars in Resembool? Or do we even have different skies?

 

I felt myself shiver a little bit. Boy, it sure was cold outside! I shook it off, looking back up at the lamps in the sky. What to do? Now that I found Ed, how was I to go about bringing him home? I knew Winry and the others wanted to see him, so I knew I had to. It was my duty.

 

It was my job.

 

My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps on the road.

 

"Uh? Koda? Is that you?"

 

I looked over to see Alfons looking down at me. "What are you doing all the way out here?" he asked, kneeling down so he could be looking at me at eye level. "Oh. Well, Al is staying with his dad, but I don't like his dad very much, so I'm camping out here. What are you doing all the way out here?" I asked, shivering. "I'm on my way to the grocery store. Ed didn't go shopping like he said he would," Alfons said, shaking his head and snickering. I sighed, then looked up at the sky again. "Are the stars here the same ones in my world?" I asked him, suddenly feeling sullen. Alfons looked up at the skies, then spoke. "I don't know. I guess it's a matter of opinion, really. If you believe they're the same, I guess they are," he said, looking back down at me with a gentle smile. But something inside me still didn't feel right. I felt as if I didn't belong here. Germany was a nice place, but it sure wasn't Resembool.

 

"You miss home huh?"

 

I looked over at Alfons, who was no longer kneeling but sitting next to me. I was surprised. Had he read my mind? "How did you know?" I asked, suddenly curious about how this Alfons guy really worked. He sighed, closing his eyes. "I've seen that look all too much in Edward's eyes. He's always talking about his home and his friends. But all of his stories sound so far-fetched, it's hard to believe such a place like that exists. But I guess you and the other me are walking proof, huh?" he asked as he opened his eyes. I blushed, feeling like a lab rat. "I...I guess. But I only came here to bring Ed home. Everyone misses him, including me and Al, so I was determined to bring him back. He's missing too much," I said, looking up at the stars one more time. I felt like crying.

 

So I did.

 

"Huh? What's wrong?" Alfons asked, looking at me. Then I hugged my knees and let my tears drip down my legs. "I...I...I don't know how to go home. Alchemy...it doesn't work here..and that's...how I got here. I'm such a failure! It's no wonder he..." I said, shutting my eyes tight and letting the tears leak like faucets. Alfons stayed silent, then let out a small exhale. "Ed? I don't think he thinks you're a failure," Alfons said, touching my back lightly.

 

Don't touch me.

 

"I...I think I..." I choked out before I cried some more. "You look broken inside. If my guess is correct, you're in love with him, aren't you?" Alfons asked. I sobbed once more before giving a weak nod. Alfons moved his hand away from me and stood up. "I'm sure he doesn't think you are a failure. And.." he said, starting to walk away. When he got halfway down the road, he stopped and looked over his shoulder.

 

 

"Any girl that would cross worlds to find me would be special in my book."