Free Falling

Chapter 11: The Housewife

I waved at Izumi half heartedly.

"Hey." I said plainly. She smiled.

"Hello. Who are you two?" She asked. Al went first.

"It's me Teacher. Alphonse." He said. Izumi smiled again.

"You've grown Al." She held out her hand to shake his hand but then flipped him over her shoulder. "You weren't on guard. I smiled.

"I like you already. Your strong." I commented. "And you put Ed on his ass."

"Thank you. Now who are you?" She asked smiling a bit at my comment.

"Brianna Brown." I stuck out my hand. "But please, call me Anna." She smiled and shook my hand sternly. I half expected her to flip me over her shoulder too but she didn't. Thank the gods...

"Its a pleasure to meet you Anna." She said. She then puked blood. Oh... I forgot about that...

I totally forgot about her puking blood.

"Izumi!" Sig cried picking his wife up and carrying her into the house. I gasped because I seriously forgot about that. Shiiiiiiit. My brain sucks sometimes. Ed and Al ran into the house after Sig and Izumi so I sat against the wall outside with my book in my lap. I was almost done it after what? Three days? No. It was more like a week.

Wow. I had been here for about a week already? I simply read outside next to the door. I read like, seven pages before they noticed I was missing. Al came back out and saw me on the ground, telling me to come in. I brushed myself off and walked into the house.

My book was I my hands and Izumi was sitting on the couch talking to Ed and now Al that he was in the house again. Izumi looked over.

"Where did you go off to?" She asked with a smile.

"Nowhere. I just sat outside next to the door and read this book I was given." I held it up for her to see.

"Alchemy: the basics and circles." She read. "Are you interested?" I shrugged.

"In learning about it yes. In actually performing it, not actually performing it."

"Why not? You look the one to be interested in learning it." She said trying to pry it out of me. I wanted to tell her so bad...

"No. Just interested in the knowledge." Izumi smiled and gave my small smile back. Man... I'm lying to Izumi Curtis here!

"Do you want to learn it?" I shook my head slightly.

"No. Where I'm from, we didn't know a whole lot about alchemy."

"Is it in Amestris?" She asked. I shook my head again.

"No another country. I ran away when I was younger to this country."

"Why?"

"Because... my parents... beat me." I whispered looking down. I heard Izumi gasp before she wrapped her arm around my shoulders.

"That just means your strong." I smiled again at her. She then went back to talking to Ed and Al about how stupid they were.

I simply pulled out my book and read beside Izumi.

**Time Skip**

Later, Izumi asked me to help her make dinner which I happily agreed too.

"Have you never made dinner with your mother?" She asked. I shook my head.

"No. I made it for her though." I told her.

"And you didn't mind?"

"No. And I still don't mind. If someone doesn't like me for me, they aren't worth it." She smiled wider.

"You are strong. Maybe after dinner we could spar out back?" She offered.

"If you're alright with it I don't mind." That's when Ed came in. His mouth hung open.

"Are you crazy!?" He whispered to me.

"Yes." I whispered back before chopping some more beef up. He turned and left the kitchen; coughing to probably cover a scream.

After we made dinner, we all sat at the table and gave a small prayer before eating. I did this every time I had a meal. I would thank the Lord for letting me live another day and for the food.

After eating, I cleaned up with Miss. Izumi. I washed the dishes and she dried. She was amazed at how fast I was. I told her it was what I did everyday back home.not that big of a deal really. But she made it a big deal.

Anyways, we were now in her backyard, getting ready to spar. I had taken off my sweater and put my hair up in a ponytail. Miss. Izumi made the first move. I simply dodged. I then attached her and she dodged. It seemed although we were evenly matched. Cool.

Miss. Izumi had hit me once on my arm but that didn't do anything to my hitting her multiple times on her torso, arms and legs. I avoided her head. When I sparred, I didn't go for the head at all.

"You could have taken me out with a blow to the head." She told me with a smile and a hand on her hip.

"I don't want to be my parents." I said simply. She smiled wider. Her smile was so motherly... something I never knew about when I was younger.

"You won't be." She then ran at me and tackled me to the ground. "But you can't be off guard." She smiled and stood up, helping me up as well. I smiled. It wasn't a forced smile lime it used to be. It was happy.

I think Miss. Izumi saw that too because she wrapped an arm around my shoulders again and gave me a side hug. I wrapped my arm around her waist and side hugged her back; catching her off guard at the gesture.

She was so nice. And she treated me like a daughter even though she barely knew who I was. She treated Ed and Al like her sons.

I finally found her. After all the years.

I think... I think I finally found my mother figure.

No. I don't think I did. I know I did.

A motherly figure.