A/N

Heh… Hi everyone. Sorry I haven't updated in a while.. But again, my friends are forcing me to write and some reviewers want me to continue… So! Here's the next chapter!

Ashiku's eyes fluttered open and the room slowly came into focus. She turned her head to look out the window. It was light outside. She looked over at the clock and noticed that it was 2 in the afternoon. She sat up slowly and a washcloth fell off her forehead. Thankfully, her headache was gone and she felt much better.

She was about to crawl out of bed when she noticed Edward sleeping. He was sitting on the floor and his head was resting on the bed. He looked so peaceful. That was a change. She smiled softly and gently got up from her bed, trying not to wake him. As she slowly walked over to the door, Edward lifted his head and looked at her.

"Morning," he told her, smiling. "Are you feeling alright?"

Ashiku turned back around as he stood up. "Yes, I feel fine now. Thank you for taking care of me…"

Edward looked away. "It was nothing…" he mumbled quietly. Edward glanced over at the clock. He realized that if they weren't checked out of the hotel by three, they would have to pay for another night. "Hey, Ashiku, get your stuff. We need to leave, okay?"

Ashiku nodded and walked over to her suitcase. She put her things in it quickly as Edward left to go pack his stuff. She stood up and took one more glance around the room before walking outside.

"I'm ready," she told Edward as she sat down on the couch.

He nodded. "Alright, let's go. He turned to Al. "Are you ready?" Al nodded.

The three of them walked out of the room, Edward in front. They walked downstairs and Edward checked them out of the hotel. The three walked side by side down the road.

"Where are we going now, Nii-san?" Alphonse asked after they had been walking for quite some time.

"I heard there's a large library near this city, but its pretty far away. We'll have to spend the night outside." Edward told them.

Ashiku suddenly stiffened up. 'Spend the night… outside? In the dark?' she thought to herself.

Edward and Al noticed this and looked over at her. "Uh… are you alright?" Edward asked her. Ashiku nodded, her eyes a bit wider than usual.

Now, Ashiku wasn't afraid of many things. She grew up alone, so she had to be strong. But one irrational fear that she's had ever since she was little… that was the dark.

'It's fine, you're not alone anymore…No reason to be afraid…' Ashiku tried to reassure herself.

Edward and Al looked at each other and shrugged. They were both thinking the same thing- what was up with her?

A few hours later, the sun was almost completely gone. Edward decided it was time to stop and find somewhere to stay the night. He turned to see that Ashiku was right on his heels, and he bumped into her. She shuffled a bit closer. Edward noticed that she was shaking, and he smirked. "Afraid of the dark, huh?"

"N-no…" she mumbled softly. "I'm not!" she told him stubbornly/

"Really?" he asked quietly. "Then maybe we should spent the night out here more often!" Edward chuckled as she grabbed onto his arm.

"You're just kidding, right?" Ashiku asked him with wide eyes.

"No, really!" he told her. "It would save money, now wouldn't it?" he pried her strong grip from his arm and took a couple steps back."

"D-Don't leave me!" Ashiku cried, walking towards him. "Wh-Why would you want to stay out here anyway?"

Edward laughed quietly. "Well…It's so calm and peaceful out here…don't you love it? And if you're lucky, you might even get to see…Nah, never mind." He told her as his voice dropped to a whisper.

"S-see what?" she asked quietly in a wavering voice.

Edward's voice dropped even lower. "The dearly departed." He told her, with a smirk still on his face. This was funny, seeing her all worked up like this. He never knew she could be such a scaredy-cat.

Ashiku was unable to suppress a whimper. "Dearly departed?" she asked him. She didn't notice Alphonse coming up behind her.

Edward could barely keep himself from bursting out laughing. "Yes, m'dear. The dead."

Alphonse laid his hand on Ashiku's shoulder. "Hey, Ashiku-san, can you he-" His sentence was cut off.

"UWAHHH!" Ashiku shrieked as she jumped about five feet in the air. She ran behind Edward and cowered. Edward fell over laughing, and Alphonse just stood there, confused.

Al rushed over to Ashiku, and helped her up. "I'm so sorry!" he apologized quickly. He turned to Edward. "NII-SAN! Why did you let me do that? I bet you knew she would be scared!"

Ashiku, still shaking, kicked Edward in the back of the head. "Jerk." She muttered, looking away, blushing.

IIIIIIIIIIIII

XD Poor Ashiku. Poor Al. Heh, yes, I finally updated. I might update again tomorrow, too. Can you tell that my writing stile has changed in the last few months that It took me to update? ;)

'Till next time,

Kirara