Eldest Elric

New Friends

~~ Three Months Later~~
I can't believe I've been here for three months.
Central is an amazing place of many people. More so, uniforms. There are many people in the army that go around Central. For two weeks I just roamed around the large Capital in pure awe. For the rest of my time, I lived in the public libraries. I wasn't allowed into the more informed libraries because they said it was for State Alchemist only. Yet, with my alchemy, I was able to sneak in. They had nothing. All that was said on the illness was that it was fatal. No cure?
I still looked. For many nights I looked throughout books to find something. Any hint would have sufficed. Upon my months of endless research, I found out many things. These things will be kept to myself until I find the right time to tell someone.
Now, I was walking the poor streets near the edge of Central. I didn't know where I was going. My body was moving on its own as I mulled over my thoughts. Where did the sickness come from? 'It's an outbreak from the East, possible from Xing.' How many have fallen to this? 'Many have died. None have survived, but many has put it off.' Question and answer keeps my brain focused. I needed to figure out my next move.
As my mind was else where, I bumped into someone. Being knocked to the ground got me from my thoughts and I yelped. Slight pain came from my bottom, but I ignored it. "You okay, kid?" Someone above me asked. I looked up to see a young man. His clothes looked foreign and his skin was dark. The man wore dark sunglasses as he looked at me. I felt self-conscious. My own clothes were dirty like my pale skin as my hair was un-kept. After coming to Central I had realized that I didn't have anywhere to stay and no way to keep clean. It wasn't my best idea.
With no place to stay, I mostly slept under bridges. I couldn't pay for food nor water so I made some with my Alchemy. As this man stared down at me, I felt self-conscious about how I looked to strangers. "You are not hurt, are you?" He leaned down to help me up and I accepted his hand. It was rough, much like my father's was. "No, I'm alright. I'm sorry for bumping into you Mister." My own voice sounded different to my ears from the lack of use. As nice as Central looks, the people are indifferent. They don't bother with you no matter what. Not even a eight-year-old homeless kid.
I didn't bother with a smile as I walked past the man. It wasn't me being rude, I just don't know how to act around strangers. "Hey, kid." He called for me and I looked at him. He continued, "You have a place to stay?" His voice was not judgmental, but more to the side of him needing a place to stay. I looked him over again, going with my gut. "Follow me, there's an abandoned site I know." My gut said to trust him. Not with my whole life, but enough to help him out. The man looked at me briefly, like he was debating something.
Soon, we were on our way to the site I spoke of. We didn't speak to one another. When we got there he found a cement tunnel that would have been used for sewer piping. He looked around and I could see his eyes were red from the side of his face. "You stay here alone, kid?" This time, his voice was slightly gruff. "Yes. My name is Elizabeth, not 'kid'." I'm not a kid if I know more than an adult. He looked at me and I looked back. We stared. He turned and sighed, "Name's Hiro." He replied with a small huff and sat in the tunnel.
We were quiet again. "Why are you here alone?" Of course he would ask that. He is an Ishbalan and they are kind people by nature. Hiro looked at me, waiting for my answer. A sigh came from me. "I'm visiting. My family doesn't live here." I was brief, not sure how to explain it. Hiro would think I'm a stupid kid to be here for something that may not exist, but I don't care. He waited for me to continue and I did. There was nothing to hide. "My mother is sick and I'm trying to find a cure." That got me a surprised look. His eyebrows went up and he gave a small smile. I decided to ask him a question of my own, "When is your group getting here?" Like I've said, I catch a lot of things. Ishbalans travel in groups and Hiro is most-likely scouting the area. At my question, he tensed.
Did he think I was going to tell? "No worries, Hiro, I have nothing against your race." My words keep him on edge and I understand why. I don't mean to do that. "How do you know that?" Hiro asked with paranoia. It is to be expected. "I catch things and my brain works out the rest. You're scouting and will go to them in a day or so." When I said it out loud I felt stupid for asking the question when the answer is obvious.
Hiro sighed now, "Soon. You won't tell?" He seemed unsure to trust a child, but I just gave him a tug of my lip and a faint nod.
After a near week, Hiro and I were friends. We were comfortable around one another and he seemed to like me as a sister. He had brought back his group of eleven others soon and I began to like them. I was changing more because of them. My smiles were often and I enjoyed their company. The group had two elders, five children, two men, and two women. The women were young, in their twenties, and looked alike. I learned that they were sisters. The men would leave often to get food and were too prideful to take what I offered. Even so, the children liked me a lot. They remind me of my own siblings as they begged me to play with them. The elders, a man and a woman, said they would treat me like their own kin. I was grateful to them. It was like another family.
Sonya, a four-year-old girl, would stay by my side a lot. Kenji and Hikaru would come to me to settle their fights. Jenner was the infant that would always smile at me. Haru is my little helper. Jigo, the elder man, would laugh and say that I was like their mother because they were all orphaned. Miya, the elder woman, teaches me to cook from the scraps we have and says I should teach the other women to take care of the kids. Ilko is the younger sister who like to help care for the children and she likes me. Niko, the oldest sister, would pat my head and say I was too young for this.
My life was around them like this for another month or so. My research got thinner and thinner, but I still looked for it. Everyone knew I was looking for it and they often would hear me talk of my mother. I would tell them of my brothers and the Rockbell's. Kain, one of the men, said he had gotten help from Urey once and Sara had tried to help his wife. Onus, the other man, had gotten his son to them and they helped. He and his son were separated soon after. They were kind people who encouraged me to find the cure.
I felt like I could be myself around them and didn't need to be apathetic. It was easy to relax around them and to talk to them.
Around my family, I was careful not to let them see me weak. I thought that they would look at me like I was a stranger if I was different. Never have I been so wrong. I was just like my father. Now, things are different. I feel more free to be myself because this group of Ishbalans are helping me. I am happy.