[AIM Log] New Friends!

[metalalchemy.livejournal.com]

Who: Ed, Al, Misha
What: The Elrics are looking for a library, but run into someone... literally!
When: ... daytime?
Where: Castle
Rating: G


"You're sure this place HAS a library, right Al?" Ed asked, feeling slightly frustrated by their second attempt to find the room. "We're not looking for something that doesn't exist?"

Al looked about him, glancing down long hallways with many doors. "You'd think a place this big would have one, right? I mean, there's a lot of people here, and I'm sure someone would like to read besides us. Don't you think, brother?" he said, frowning lightly.

"You'd think a place this big would have someone in charge, too," Ed muttered. "But so far, no luck on that one either."

The two brothers rounded yet another corner in the endless corridors, and were promptly run into by someone small and pink. Misha had fallen over at the collision, not because she'd been hit hard, but because her balance wasn't that great to begin with. The cardboard box that she'd been carrying, labelled "To Heaven", spilled across the floor, dumping many odd things -- and a lot of them, more than the box should have been able to hold.

"Sorry'su!" The girl -- looking not much older than school-age -- exclaimed. She bounced to her feet with uncanny speed. "I wasn't watching where I was going'su!"

Blinking in surprise, Al knelt down to help the young girl pick up her belongings. "Are you alright?" he asked, handing the objects to her. Then, he held out a hand to help her up.

Ed also knelt down to retrieve some of the items, although he was a little intrigued when they disappeared into the cardboard box without any effort. "No problem. Too many blind corners in this place."

"Thank you'su," the girl said to Al. "Yes'su! I'm all right'su." Despite her energetic response, it was easy to see that she had been crying recently, although she gave them a beaming smile. "Are you from this place'su?"

Al quirked his head to the side, and stared at her. He glanced at his brother with an inquiring look that said "Er... what?"

"Well, it's good that you're alright," he replied, smiling hesitantly. "And no, we're not from around here. We just... found ourselves here. Are you?"

Ed gave his brother an equally confused look, 'how the hell would I know?'

The girl shook her head, making the little stuffed bunnies in her hair bounce. "No'su. I just got here'su myself." She looked up at them. "Did you disappear'su too?"

"Disappear? Well, we were trying to get home, when we got here... Is that what you meant?" Al's hesitant smile turned into one of nervousness.

The girl shook her head. "Oh... ok'su. That's different then'su." She picked up her box with no effort at all and bowed to them.

"Where are you going?" Ed questioned. With the box, it looked like she was moving out. Or moving in, he supposed.

"I... don't know'su," she admitted.

"Do you have a room here?" Al asked, patiently. "Are you lost? Maybe we could help you find your room."

So much for finding the library today, Ed thought wryly.

The girl bounced on the balls of her feet. "Really'su? You'll help me? Teeheehee, thank you'su! You're really nice'su!"

And then she glomped Al, box and all.

Al's eyes widened suddenly, as the girl became a bundle in his arms. He staggered, taking a step back to steady himself, and then gently patted the girl on the back. "Eheh... I-it's nothing. Not a problem, um..." He said, staring at Ed desperately. "Save me!" he mouthed to him.

"Hey now," Ed said, frowning a bit. "You don't do that to people you don't even know."

The girl beamed at him. "Oh! That's right'su!" She bounced back to her feet, leaving Al @_@. "My name is Misha! Teeheehee! What are your names'su? Can we be friends? I was so worried'su that after I disappeared, I wouldn't know anyone'su!"

Scratching the back of his head nervously, Al shrugged. "Um, sure, we... uh, could be friends. I'm Al. Alphonse. And this is my brother Edward."

"Hi'su, Al-chan, Edward-chan!" Misha said, bouncing happily.

Ed was visibly twitching now. "Just... Ed..." he said, because nobody ever called him "Edward" and he wasn't sure how he felt to having -chan on his name from a complete stranger. "You need to calm down or something..."

"But I'm so happy'su!" Misha exclaimed. "To meet new friends'su! Except I miss'su Kotarou-kun and Shia-chan and Ten-chan and Kobashi-chan..."

"Um... who?" Al asked, fidgeting slightly. The girl was so.... He wasn't sure. Winry was never like that.

"Kotarou-kunandShia-chanandTen-chanandKobashi-chan!" Misha repeated, not seeming to take a breath between each name. "They're my friends'su! I guess they're back on Earth'su, though... they didn't disappear like me'su..."

Glancing nervously at his brother again, Al gave him a nervous smile. "Um... that's nice," he told Misha. "So, um, maybe we should look for your room now?"

"Okay'su!" Misha beamed at the brothers. "You two look alike'su, like brothers!"

Ed barely resisted smacking a palm against his forehead. "We ARE brothers," he said.

"Teeheehee," Misha giggled.

Taking both Misha and Ed by the hand, Al decided that they should start off. "Anyway, Misha-chan, where did you wake up? Do you remember?" he asked in the tones of one speaking to a child. After all, that's how old she seemed.

"Ummm...." Misha said thoughtfully. "Downstairs'su! I came up the stairs after that'su! But all I found were closed doors'su... I get a room? Do you have a room'su? Where's your room?"

Ed shot Al a glare that said if he told this girl, Al would be sleeping on the floor for the next week.

"It's quite a few floors up," Al said, nervousness in his voice again. The floor was cold. "But, c'mon, we'll find you a bedroom, ok?" He dropped his hold on Ed's hand and pointed to a flight of stairs.

"More stairs'su," Misha said, and that seemed to be enough to dim her enthusiasm just a little. "How long have you been here'su?"

"About a month?" Al said, leading the girl. He gave Ed an apologetic glance that said 'I'll pay you back later' and turned back to Misha. "Did you just get here?"

'You'd better,' was Ed's reply look. He was following only because Al was going, otherwise he'd be coming up with an inventive excuse for bailing on this psycho girl.

"Wow'su," Misha said, awed. "Where'd you come from'su?"

"Germany, but our home world is Amestris. Do you know where those places are?" Al said, taking on the role of good role model. He continued to lead her, making their way slowly up the stairs.

Misha blinked. "No'su. Are those places in Heaven or Hell or Earth?" Under regular circumstances, she should have been able to know if it was in Heaven or not, but alas! No memories. Then randomly she added, "But I bet Kotarou-kun or Ten-chan would know!"

Al smiled kindly. "I'm sure they would..." he said. "Well, Germany is on Earth, and Amestris is a country in a parallel universe. Do you understand what that means?" They stepped onto a landing, and Al glanced around to find out which level they were on.

Ed gave Al a frantic glance, they were on THEIR floor, and the last thing he wanted was for this girl to know their room number. "Uhhh, it's not this floor, nope, this one's all full up, let's go Al..."

Misha gleefully let herself be pulled along. "Umm... no'su! But that's okay'su!"

Biting his lip, Al pulled her up to the next level. "Hmm, maybe there's room on this one?" he asked no one in particular. He pushed her forward gently. "Why don't we knock on some of the doors and find an empty room, ok?"

A tiny bell on one of the stuffed bunnies in her hair gave a slight jingle, and Misha perked up. "Oh'su! I think it's close'su!" She skipped down the hallway. "Hurry, Al-chan, Ed-chan!"

Following Misha, Al looked up at the doors, and frowned. "Which is it, Misha-chan?"

Misha stopped in front of a doorway and looked up at the number -- 809. "This one'su!" she cheered, and pushed open the door. Inside, it was all done in pink. "Yes'su!"

Ed leaned over Al's shoulder and muttered, "We ought to send her back to Germany, Al. They wouldn't need steam power any more, they could use all the extra energy this girl has."

Al choked on a laughed, which he hastily turned into a cough. "Brother, that's not nice!" he whispered back, even if he knew it was true. To Misha, he said, "Well, I'm glad you found it, Misha-chan. We have to go now. We'll see you around, ok?"

"Awww'su!" Misha turned to them, her eyes brimming with tears out of nowhere. "Al-chan, Ed-chan, can I come visit you later'su?"

"We're, uh... busy all day," Ed said quickly. "Doing, um... research. Yeah."

Seeing the tears, Al added hastily "But, we'll see you another day, ok?" He smiled brightly, waving his hands in a placating manner.

All smiles again! "YAY'su!" Misha cheered, and glomped BOTH brothers this time. "Thank you'su, Al-chan, Ed-chan! I'm glad to have made new friends here'su!"

Al laughed nervously, once more, and patter her on the back. "That's good, Misha-san. Um... well, we have to go now. Ok?"

"Okay'su!" Misha chirped, and closed her door.

Ed heaved a huge sigh of relief and grabbed Al's hand. "Let's get out of here!"

Laughing, though truly this time, Al let himself be pulled down the hall by Ed. "I'm sorry, Brother! I know she was weird, but I couldn't just leave her there!"

"Weird!?" Ed exclaimed, although seeing Al laugh made the whole ordeal almost worthwhile. "That was... that was..."

Al wrapped his arms around his brother, laughing still. "I'm sure glad Winry-chan isn't like that!"

Ed shuddered. "Yeah, I'll take her wrench-wielding over THAT any day! ... except when she hits me on the head and yells at me for not taking care of my automail."

Patting Ed's head, Al smiled. "You should take better care of it, Brother. Sometimes you're too rough on it, even though Winry-chan's automail is the best."

The older brother growled and batted at Al's hand. "Yeah yeah."

Al swatted Ed back lightly. "You know I'm right, Brother!" he laughed.

"Doesn't mean I like being hit on the head!" Ed shot back, but sighed. "Okay, okay. Now that we've been distracted AGAIN... did you still want to look for the library?"

Smiling brightly, Al nodded. "If you want to, Brother." He easily forgave Ed outburst, preferring not to press the matter.

"Good... definitely going to need some quiet time after that," Ed said, grimacing and sticking a finger in his ear, as though it was still ringing from Misha's hyperness.

Al took Ed's hand and led him down the hall. "Maybe it's on the main floor. What do you think?"

"Sure, Al," Ed replied. "Let's go."