(Untitled)

[tengu_mod]

It was raining. Drizzling. Water dripped onto open umbrellas at the funeral site, into the open holes awaiting their caskets - five of them, austere in black and silver. A large amount of the town stood murmuring to one another between the lines of the sermon, clustered beneath their umbrellas. How appropriate, they muttered, was the weather?

Comments

[alphonse]

Perhaps it said a lot about Al's life that upon suddenly finding himself standing in the middle of an apartment that was not his own, his initial feelings were more akin to disorientation and vague annoyance than outright shock. His father (a man Al had not seen in ten years) and his brother (limbs seemingly intact and looking more relaxed than Al could remember him being since he was five) were attempting to usher him out the door, all the while going on about a funeral the family was supposedly late for

[alphonse]

Murdered by an assassin? Al knew Amelia had lost her mother at a young age, but he hadn't realized it had been under such horrific circumstances. He tensed at the revelation, but was otherwise careful to conceal the majority of his shock. Amelia needed support right now, not questions.

"I don't know," Al answered honestly, swallowing. "I think they're like the brother I met in the city--as much as they seem like the people we know, they're from an entirely different world.

"...I know it must be really hard for you right now, but maybe it's also good to see that at least somewhere, they were able to live normal lives."

[willofjustice]

"Mm . . ." Amelia had pulled inward on herself, almost managing to be a ball while standing up. What he said made sense, certainly . . . and it would even be good once she got over the initial shock. However, getting over the shock at the moment was another matter.

"I'll be okay. I'm sorry. I just need a minute. It's just . . . I wouldn't ever have thought . . ."

But she let the thought trail off unfinished.

[alphonse]

Al nodded. "Take your time. You might not believe me, but you're handling this a lot better than most people in your situation would."

He hated that there was so little he could do for her; even the explanation he'd offered was, at best, still just a working theory. Al wasn't entirely sold on the idea himself, but for now it was the most comforting thought they had to latch onto.

Hoping that a subtle shift from the topic would help, Al's eyes swept over the funeral-goers in search of anyone who looked out of place. He was almost hoping to see his own confusion reflected back in the form of someone else who stood out as much as he and Amelia did, but even from this distance, everyone appeared to be genuine.

"It looks like it's just us for now," he murmured quietly.

[willofjustice]

She wondered if she dared. She'd never done it before with him, at least not for her own purposes. When he needed comfort once, yes, but never for herself.

And he was logical and right and all of those things, but what she missed right now was something more like her father, sweeping her up in a bear hug that blocked away the rest of the world. And maybe it was childish, but . . .

She ducked in under his arms and against his chest, wrapping her arms around him tightly, but with the tension of someone who could move away at any moment.

"'M sorry." she mumbled into his chest -- a preemptive measure.

[alphonse]

The unexpected movement caught him off guard, but Amelia's muffled apology was quick to knock Al back to reality. He'd obviously been going about this all wrong if he'd made her feel guilty.

"It's okay," he whispered firmly, wrapping both arms around her in turn. It required some rather awkward maneuvering with the umbrella, but things like that hardly mattered now. Al hugged her closely, perhaps sensing her tentativeness. He wasn't going to let go until he was sure that's what she wanted.

[willofjustice]

The tension eased as he responded, and she settled with a sigh, her breathing slowly easing from rough jerks toward normalcy. Al might get a couple of damp spots on the front of his shirt, but it shouldn't be bad.

"I've never really gotten to spend a lot of time with them before," she mumbled at last. "Maybe that will be good?"

She was aiming to find a bright side in things.

[alphonse]

For a while, Al said nothing. If Amelia needed some time to cry or grieve, he certainly wasn't going to call attention to it. He'd always been better at conveying things through action anyway, and after so many years as a suit of armor, he sometimes forgot he could be affectionate with people like this.

Once she was ready to speak again, Al offered his agreement. "That's probably the best way to think about it. The Ed you knew in the city wasn't my real brother, but I'm still glad that I met him. Maybe it'll be like that with your family here too."

[willofjustice]

He was so calm . . . How could he be so calm? Amelia broke the embrace uncertainly, watching him, wiping at her eyes with the back of her hands, nodding.

"But . . . are *you* okay?"

[alphonse]

Damn. When she wanted to be, Amelia was quite good at reading him. It was almost unfair.

Al drew back as she did, unable to look unaffected by her question. Nothing was okay right now, and what had happened to them had raised more questions and worries than he wanted to admit. Especially considering what Amelia was going through.

"Ah." How to be honest without upsetting her further? "I guess I'm feeling a little overwhelmed, but I'll be all right. There's... a lot I need to think about."

[willofjustice]

It was also extremely unnatural for anyone to be that calm about anything as large as this. Lina would have exploded, Zelgadis would have growled and cursed something, Gourry would . . . Well, Gourry would have likely just shrugged and looked for food. But that wasn't the point.

And Alphonse . . . well, he seemed to feel things pretty keenly most times. Simple quiet and shrugging it off didn't seem like him when she thought about it.

"Alphonse-san." She eyed him. "Are you being honest?"

Because in the end, Amelia had a hard time leaving anything alone.

[alphonse]

Al wilted under the look she was giving him. He didn't want to worry Amelia, but he knew she wasn't dumb enough to believe him if he continued to insist nothing was wrong. Trying to console her was a good temporary distraction, but he couldn't put aside the doubts that were plaguing him forever.

"I will be okay," he relented with a heavy sigh. Of that, at least, he was certain. Al had faced down some pretty strange things in his life, and he wasn't about to let this be the one to stop him. "Right now I'm worried about everyone back in the city, and everyone at home too. And I'm wondering what it is we're supposed to do here. If that message was true and we've really taken over people's bodies..."

[willofjustice]

"Mm . . ." A couple of teeth knifed into Amelia's lip. "I think everyone will be okay . . . There's a lot of people to help, and everyone seemed really strong."

A pause. "It sounded like maybe we're needed here now . . ."