A/N – There might be a possibility of some spoilers seeping into the story, so if you don't want to ruin the end of FMA, don't read.
The first chapter is a little short, but it has been revamped in my new style that I write in. (The good one that parts two and three are written in.) It's not totally rewritten, just fixed up so that it's easier to know who's talking, who's doign what actions, I took out some repeated lines and fixed the spacing.
Anyway, this is a little introductory fic to let you get to know the OC of my series. Yes, series!
I hope you like it!
Part 1 : Al is enticed by this red haired girl he meets on a train. After helping Ed, she disappears and Al never got a chance to thank her properly. But when he thinks about her, he can't help but think that he already knows her. Who is she? (I hate having to say this, but no, this won't be Mary Sue, so mind at ease people…mind at ease...and put down that knife!)
Chapter 1 - Red
Al fidgeted in his seat, ever since his body had been returned to normal he realized how uncomfortable train rides could get. 'How does Ed put up with it?' He looked across at his brother who had already dozed off; he was laying on his side. They had a rough week and it took it's toll on both of them. They were sent on an information gathering mission for Mustang and were finally on their way home. Al saw that Ed's hair was still dyed black; considering Edward was so well known, his identity needed to be concealed more so than his own. Ed was just too lazy to fix the hair color; he said he'd let it go until they got back.
Fatigue was another one of those things that evaded Al whilst in the armour; it was one of the only things he missed about not having feeling. Delighted he could finally sleep though; he stretched then slumped his body against the wall of the train and tried to snooze.
His eyes began to droop down when a young girl's laugh rang in his ears. Though he missed being immune to pain, this new sensation was quite appealing to him. He found girls to be prettier than ever, he rather enjoyed looking at them. He was young, fourteen and a half to be exact, and just at the stage where he began to notice girls and how aluring they could be. Slyly he peeked around the corner behind him and to his surprise he saw a young girl, she looked roughly around his age. She had long fire red hair that crept past her bottom and a nice petite figure. Her chest wasn't of comparable size, but her cute face made up for it.
He saw her sitting at the front of the car they were in; she was talking to someone who was sitting across from her. Leaning back he saw his brother sitting up and looking at him.
"She is kind of cute huh?" Ed prodded.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Al waved a hand at Ed while he blushed. Al was no good at hiding embarrassment. Though he enjoyed the girls, he tried to let on that he didn't. It didn't work.
"Don't be shy Al, she is kind of cute." Ed leaned forward and placed his head between his knees. "Uh…"
Al raised an eyebrow. "Are you sick?"
Ed lifted his head back up and went back to his sitting position. "I'm fine; it's just a long train ride is all." He slouched down. Al was about to speak when he heard something jingle and then something brush his leg. Looking down he saw a little kitten wearing a bell.
"Hey there, who do you belong to?" Ed groaned quietly. Al looked past the kitten to his brother. "What? I'm not keeping him; he probably belongs to someone on the train."
Ed shook his head. "Uh, no…it's not that…maybe I don't feel that good."
Al shook his head. "Just keep it to yourself ok?" Ed nodded. "So who's your owner?" Speaking to the orange kitten he pet it's head. Al looked behind him, then to the other end of the train and then returned his gaze to his brother, who at the time was practically turning green. "So, should I ask arou…Ed go find the bathroom!" Al snipped at his order as if Ed should have known better. He pointed off in the direction of the facilities and Ed quickly stood up, whilst holding his stomach, and made a sprint out of the car. He knew Ed's warning signs better than he did; Ed was never good at that game. Along his way he brushed past the girl with the red hair; she was walking up the aisle towards Alphonse.
"Excuse me? Have you…" Her eyes widened. "You found my kitty."
Al looked up at her. "Yeah, he just brushed up against my legs. Cat's seem to be drawn to me; I'm like a cat whisperer. Here." He picked up and held out the young kitten.
"Thank you." Al nodded and smiled. She took and snuggled the cat; it purred so loud that Al could hear it. "Um…is your friend ok?" She hooked her thumb behind her. Al looked in the direction of where Ed ran.
"Oh you mean brother? …Yeah, he's ok, he just gets motion sick when he lays down on train rides." He reassured her. "He'll be fine."
Content with the answer she nodded. "That's good then…but here." She reached into her pouch she had wrapped around her waist and came out with a small brown pill. "It's ginger root and a few other herbs. I get motion sick sometimes too and this remedy really works wonders." She handed it to Al.
"Thank you…I'm sure brother will thank you too." She gave him a warm smile and pet her kitten.
"No problem. Come on Kale, back to your basket, no more running around." He gave a friendly wave and she returned it and then proceeded to her seat. She was really nice; he wanted to ask her name but was too shy. Even still, he got to talk to her; that was a small triumph in his book.
Thinking of a book, Al pulled out a novel from his bag and began to read it. He figured Ed wouldn't be back for a while, so it was best to kill time by starting the new book he bought. 'Mary England'; the book was a collection of essays by the writer about socialism, he couldn't really place it, but the book just stood out from the rest.
To Al's surprise Ed returned halfway past the eighth page. He was still clutching his stomach and his expression changed from bad to worse.
"Did you make it?" In a worried tone he asked his brother.
"If by made it, you mean got as far as in between the cars…then yes, I did." Ed sat back down and laid on his side.
Al smiled a little. "Are you ok now?" He asked as if he didn't know the answer.
"Not really...I think I scared a little girl though." He said as he rested his cool automail on his forehead.
Al closed his eyes for a moment and then opened them. "Well Ed let's face it, when you're sick, the sounds that come out of you aren't natural; they're almost demonic."
Ed nodded and laid out on his stomach on the seat. "That explains the nun's then."
Al's mouth opened as if to say something but didn't. He tried once again. "Nun's?" Succeeding on that second attempt.
Ed turned his head to face his little brother. "Yeah…While I was in between the cars, these nun's who were passing by stopped and started praying. I realize now that they probably thought I was possessed. Uhh…" He face planted on the seat and Al laughed a little.
Removing his coat, Al passed it to his brother. "Probably…here, use it as a pillow." Ed bundled up the coat and stuffed it under his head. Al gave a quick glance over his shoulder to the girl with the red hair and then back to the pill she gave him. "Oh yeah, take this."
Ed opened his eyes. "What is it?" Al held out the small pill, it was the size of a small pea and equally as round and shiny; it seemed to have a waxy coating on it. He took it form his brother's hand.
"The girl with the red hair gave it to me for you. It's to help you get rid of that motion sickness." He said with a slight blush on his cheeks.
Ed popped it in his mouth and swallowed it. "If it works I'll thank her. I just don't feel like moving right now." He rested his head once again.
Al smiled and returned to his book; still, he thought about the red haired girl.