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Chapter Text

Chapter 1 Miracles

It was an early autumn morning when their father left. Edward’s younger brother, Alphonse had woken him up bright and early to use the toilet. So, sleepily, the two of them had ventured down the stairs. Edward yawned, he held his brother's hand as they reached the bottom of the steps. The first rays of sunlight peeked through the window in the main entrance silhouetting the quiet figures of their mother and father. He couldn’t make out their expressions in the shadows, but he could tell by the suitcase in his mothers hands and the long coat wrapped around his fathers frame, that something was amiss. 

Their mother handed the suitcase over to their father and walked over to them.  “Oh, what are you two doing up so early?” She asked as leant down to Edwards eye level meeting his gaze. Edward rubbed the sleep from his eyes, mumbling his response. 

“Al hadda pee…” His words were met with a smile, a soft hum and his mothers hand petting his head gently. 

“Ah, I see, you are looking after your brother.” She dropped her hand into her lap and met his gaze once again, “thank you, Ed.” She moved over and patted Alphonse’s head as well, so he wouldn’t feel left out, and as she did Edward’s eyes locked with his fathers. It was only for a brief moment before the older man turned away, walking into the bright morning light, without uttering a single word of goodbye.

Edward was only six when his father left. The idea of their father leaving them, or not caring for them anymore had never really crossed his mind. As the days and weeks went by, despite the empty spot at their dinner table, nothing seemed off, everything had just continued on per usual. 

It wasn’t that he lacked any curiosity about the whole ordeal. He would think up a plethora of plausible scenarios about where his father was. The most realistic story he came up with was that their father had gone on an important business trip. Whatever it was their father did, it must have been an important enough job for him to leave for so long. He liked the idea of their father being a spy, like in old radio stories…or maybe a detective. However, after he listened in on several of his neighbor’s conversations he had heard mention of some sort of “healing miracles” that his father would perform. This sparked the idea of their father being a doctor, much like their neighbors and family friends, the Rockbells. This thought, though, was short lived.

—————

Edward eyed at the grass in their lawn and glided his hand along the green blades. It was summer, and eight months since their father left. Edward was now seven and Alphonse was six. Winry, the young daughter of the Doctor Rockbells, had come over to join in some yard games with them. They played until they had tuckered themselves out, and all collectively decided to take a break in the shade. Alphonse was next to Edward, he was laid on his stomach kicking his feet and humming tunes that they had heard on the radio the night before. 

Winry let out a sigh and leaned back, wiggling her feet back and forth nonchalantly. “I don’t know if you heard, but my parents are going off to Ishvaal to help some sick and injured people.” She informed them.

“Hm..that’s cool.” Edward replied as he picked up a bug and turned with it outstretched towards Alphonse's face. “Ha! Look at this one Al!” 

His little brother shrieked in fear, rolling out of the way, and crawled along the grass to hide behind Winry. Edward looked at the bug then back at Alphonse. “ hnm? What’s with the reaction? I thought you liked bugs!”

“Not in my face!” Alphonse explained as he poked his head out from behind their friend. Winry let out an aggravated huff and glared at Edward from under her sunhat.

“Were you even listening to me Ed?” She asked.

Edward glared at the bug, then tossed it away. “Well, yeah, of course I was…” The bug started to fly mid-fall. “...and I think it's really cool, out there saving lives.”  Alphonse laughed as the bug flew away before grabbing a fist full of grass and throwing it up like it was confetti. 

“...hm.” Winry played with the hem of her dress, ”y’know… they are gonna be gone a real long time… and it's gonna be just me and Granny.” She frowned and leaned forward, nestling her face into her arms. Edward hummed in response looking up at the cloudy sky. 

“My Dad’s been gone a while too, y’know. He’s probably off doing something cool too.” Edward said, ”...Maybe he is also a doctor.”

Winry turned suddenly, shaking her head, “No way!”

In response to her outburst Alphonse stopped throwing grass and looked at the two of them.

“Huh?!” Edward gave her a confused look and Winry stood up, stomping her foot. 

“Granny has told me that my parents are the best doctors in Resembool!” Winry shook her head even harder. “And she said that your Dad was the best at what he does too! There can’t be better doctors in Resembool than my parents!”

Edward sat up and leaned closer to her angrily “And why not?!” 

“Because I said!” Winry yelled in his face, her own face red with anger. The two of them argued back and forth until a fist full of grass was thrown pausing their quarrel. In  unison they turned to Alphonse, who returned their glares with his own.

“Please stop yelling.” He pleaded, his face melting into worry as he lowered his hand slowly.

“Hnng, whatever.” Edward said as he fell back into the grass. “It’s too hot out today to argue anyways.”

Alphonse smiled, jumping down to sit beside them . “Don’t forget that Mom is making lemade!” He reminded Edward as he sprinkled small pieces of grass on his brother’s face. Edward sat up and wiped the grass away with an irritated grown.

“It's lemonade Al.”

—————

“Mom… When is Dad coming back?” Edward asked.

 It had been almost a year after their father had left and there had been no mention by anyone of his return. It wasn’t like Edward was worried or anything…He had full faith in his parents! He was just… well… Maybe he WAS worried! Their father hadn’t even called or written to them!

The kitchen was silent for a long while; Edward pushed the food around his plate anxiously waiting for the long coming truth. Alphonse looked up from his own food, so Edward followed his gaze. Their mother was holding a plate, frozen mid-wipe and staring holes at the wall behind the sink. She took a heavy, and shaky breath, then her whole frame shook as she breathed out, setting the plate slowly into the soapy water.

“I told you, didn't I? He… is on a trip.” 

 Edward could tell it was a lie this time, she was visibly shaking. She made a noise, reminding Edward of the time Alphonse had hid a bloodied knee and acted like he was too tough to cry.

“You’ll have to excuse me.” She said as she set the plate on the counter and left the kitchen. Edward and Alphonse stared after her with widened eyes. It felt like the floor was crumbling beneath him. A flick of a match in the dark; everything became clear to him. His Dad wasn’t on some ‘business trip.’

He had left them. 

That day was when Edward lost all hope in his fathers return.

—————

They were eight and nine years old when the horrible news came to Resembool. They stood by their mother, dressed in all black and standing on a hillside along several townsfolk watching as two coffins were lowered into the ground. Winry stood by Pinako, gripping her Grandmother's shaw, tears cascading down her face as she watched her parents' burial. Edward was struggling to hold back his tears himself, and Alphonse had turned and buried his face in their mothers skirt. Their mothers face held a strong expression, but he could tell it was all a front. Just as it had been for the past two years. He knew that she was just as distraught as everyone else at the loss of the Rockbells. She turned to look at him and reached her hand to hold his shoulder comfortingly. She was always doing that , it made him feel frustrated watching her hold back her emotions for him and Al’s sake. He turned his gaze back to the burial and wiped at his face as the coffins left his line of sight into their graves.

—————

“We shouldn’t be in here.” Alphonse said. 

He gripped Edwards shirt as he was pulled into their fathers study. The room had remained untouched since he had left; every surface covered in a thick layer of dust.  “Mom said we shouldn’t mess with Dad’s things or he’ll get upset.”

Edward scoffed and picked up the first book he could find. “Well, Dad’s not here anymore is he?” He had a hunch that there was something in the room that could tell them what he did or where he went. He flipped through the first couple pages and read out a bolded word. “Al…chem..y?” He read slowly. His eyes widened, he recognized that word from textbooks in school. He carried the book over to a desk and placed it down causing dust to fly everywhere. He and Alphonse shrank back and covered their noses with their sleeves, so they wouldn’t cough or sneeze. Then he leaned forward to read. “Huh.”

“What does it say?” Alphonse asked, looking over his shoulder, Alphonse was still learning how to read, so Edward read it aloud for him.

“It says here that Alchemy is the scien..tific tech..nique of understanding the structure of matter, decom..po..sing it, and then re..constructing it. If performed skillfully, it is even possible to create gold out of lead. However, as it is a science, there are some natural prin….ciples in place. Only one thing can be created from something else of a…certain mass. This is the Principle of Equi..valent Exchange.” He read through it over and over, not understanding some of the words, but getting the gist of what it meant. 

“I…don’t understand.” Alphonse frowned, “what does that mean?”

“Our father is an alchemist.” Edward said with a new enthusiastic vigor. It all made sense, their father had always been a mystery to them, but at that moment, all the dots were connecting! He smiled holding the book out to Alphonse. “We are going to teach ourselves how to use Alchemy!”

Alphonse frowned, looking sheepishly at the ground. “But why? What if this alchemy thing is the reason Dad left in the first place?”

“We want to understand him, right?” Edward asked. He turned to Alphonse, who still looked unsure. “Plus… I’m curious about it all. It might be hard to learn, so if you aren’t up for it…”

“No! I can do it!” Alphonse said, expressing new enthusiasm for the idea. 

Edward laughed and ruffled his brother's hair. 

Weeks went by, and the Elric brothers were able to skillfully sneak into their fathers study without their mother noticing; that is until a day, late into the summer. Alphonse was practicing drawing symbols on the floor with chalk and Edward had just finished his first transmutation. It was a wonky looking horse sculpture that he had created using scrap materials he had scrounged up. He had it held up in the air proudly, as he marveled at his craftsmanship. Both of them froze, their hearts sinking in fear when a creaking sound came from the doorway. They sat frozen as their mother slowly set down the basket of clean clothes and made her way into the room. Edward immediately began to stammer out apologies for snooping into their fathers things… but… Instead of getting mad like they had expected, instead, a genuine smile found its way to their mothers lips. She leant down and embraced her sons, praising them for their talents. 

“My sons are going to be alchemists!” She said, smiling proudly. Edward looked up at his mothers smile and felt himself grin ear to ear in return. He had a new goal, to make sure that his mother smiled like this every single day.

For the next year the two of them continued to learn and hone their skills, and day by day they improved. At that time, they felt like they could do anything they set their minds to with alchemy; however, they quickly discovered that equivalent exchange had its limits. 

At the ages of nine and ten Edward and Alphonse Elric were met with that terrifying reality. 

—————

Edward stood frozen in the kitchen, staring at his mothers collapsed form. He couldn’t move, he could barely breathe. Thoughts poured into his mind as he tried to figure out what was happening. Alphonse had a different response however, he had come into the home along with Edward and immediately ran to call Winry and Pinako for help. 

Edward was the oldest, he was supposed to be the responsible one… A hand touched his shoulder breaking him from his thoughts.

“Brother… Let’s help Mom, to the sofa.” Alphonse whispered. Al, how are you so calm? Edward felt his heartbeat quickened as he and Alphonse approached her. Her breath was ragged and her skin was hot to the touch, she opened her eyes a bit as they knelt down besides her, but her eyes were dull compared to their normal warmth. 

“...Mom…” He whispered and was met with a weak smile.

 “Ed…ward…Al..phonse..” She whispered back weakly.

“We are going to help you to the sofa Mom, ok? Use us to find your balance” Al said ducking under her arm. Edward leant down and did the same.

“Don’t worry Mom, everything is going to be just fine.” Edward promised as they helped her to her feet.

Nothing was fine.

Their mother was dying and they couldn’t do anything about it. Edward stared at the palm of his hand as he and Alphonse sat outside their mothers room. Not even Alchemy, the thing they thought could do everything, was useful to them here. A doctor from out of town, who apprenticed under the Rockbells was called in by Pinako. The two of them were talking in the room over, their voices were slightly muffled but Edward and Al could make out the most of what was being said. An epidemic was sweeping the nation of Ametris and countless families were experiencing similar losses in the area. Their own mother was appearing to be amongst those losses very soon. 

“There has to be something we can do.” Granny Pinako stated.

“It would take a miracle, and we haven’t had a miracle since that old coot Von Hohenheim.” The doctor said to her.

“Don’t you remember what I said about bringing up that man here?” Pinako said sternly.

“Sorry, sorry!” The Doctor apologized in a frantic tone.. 

Once again, their father was praised for pulling some sort of miracles when he lived in Resembool. Edward scowled to himself, of course, if their jerk of a father hadn’t left, then maybe they wouldn’t be in this mess in the first place. Maybe he would have performed whatever the “miracle” everyone speaks of for his family. Then she wouldn’t die,  she would be safe and they would be happy again. Just like it was before…when their Mother's smile was never forced. If Edward could just find him…he looked over to Alphonse who met his gaze and gave him a concerned look. 

“You're scheming something, aren’t you brother?”

—————

“I don’t like this plan.” Alphonse said, helping Edward pack things into a bag. 

“C’mon Al, just think about it, if what the doctor says is true, and Dad can pull off some sort of miracle for Mom then this is the only way we have to help her!”

“But Mom may only have a week--”

“I will be back in just a couple days, plenty of time to find Dad and bring him back.” He said as he crammed as many clothes into his bag as he could. 

“And where do you plan on looking for him?” Alphonse asked, “he could be anywhere.” He looked at Edward skeptically as he said this. 

“Well, obviously Central. I will inquire with the military of his whereabouts. If what Granny Pinako says is true and they keep a record of everyone. Then I’m sure they can point me in the right direction!”

Alphonse sighed and looked at the floor, “I know you want to help Mom, but how do you know—“

“It’s the only thing I can do.” Edward said and latched the bag closed. ”Even if I fail, I will at least know I tried.” 

Alphonse still seemed unsure as Edward snuck out the back door of their house.

“Al, I know you will make the right choices. You were the first to react when Mom fell, you are the best to help her here now.”

Alphonse smiled at him and Edward reached out and tapped his younger brother's shoulder softly with a closed fist.

“We’ve got this.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 2 Loss

The days passed by, faster than any days of Alphonse’s life thus far. He did everything around the house, washing, dusting, sweeping, everything he knew how to do. When he wasn’t taking care of the house or checking in on his Mom he would sit anxiously and watch the hands of the clock tick by. It felt like it was the only way to make the time go by any slower. He felt helpless, praying for Edward's return, and for his mothers health.

Every time his mother asked for Edward he felt a pain in his chest. He hated lying and he hated lying to his dying mother about the whereabouts of her eldest son…but it was the only thing he could do to put his mothers mind at ease. He would tell her that Ed was out getting supplies, or that he was busy doing chores; each time she would smile at him weakly and pat his hand.

“You're brother is good to us, isn’t he? He takes care of us…but please make sure he doesn’t overwork himself.” She would say to him. Alphonse would smile through these conversations, finally understanding all of the years she did the same for them. He didn’t want her to hurt more than she was. 

Alphonse was able to lie to his mother, but the Rockbell’s were another story. Granny Pinako had everything figured out as quickly as the morning of the second day. He was deservingly given an earful before she left to report Edward's absence to the soldiers posted at the train station. 

Winry pushed him, knocking him over. “HOW COULD YOU LET HIM LEAVE LIKE THAT AL?!” She yelled. Alphonse laid on the ground, staring up at her hurt expression. He again felt hopeless, helpless, and stuck. 

“I’m sorry.” He said, then repeated himself, “I’m sorry.” All he could do now was apologize. Tears rolled down Winry’s face and she fell to the ground next to him, wrapping her arms around him, and hugging him close. “I…I’m so sorry too Al…I know, I know. I shouldn’t… I can tell you are hurting too”

The third day came and went along with any confidence he had left in saving their mother. He checked in on her as often as he could, she was growing weaker by the hour and he knew she wouldn’t last the night. The guilt was eating him up inside, he knew he had to tell her where Edward had really gone.

“Mom, I’m sorry, but Ed isn’t—”

“Oh that's good, you are both here...” She said, reaching out and touching his face softly, her gaze though, was fixed behind him. Alphonse’s heart sped as he turned to look back, a spark of hope flickering inside only for it to snuff out as his eyes met Winry’s. She stood frozen in shock in the doorway, realizing she may have come in at the wrong moment. ‘Stay’ He mouthed to her and she nodded stiffly. She shifted her stance, holding her arms awkwardly.

“Y..yeah Mom, we are.” Alphonse lied, feeling the familiar biting gnawing at his conscience.

Trisha smiled, staring at Winry, “Edward… make sure Alphonse keeps up with his studies…and you as well… you are..” She coughed. “You are….such bright kids…my little Alchemist…” Alphonse’s eyes stung as he fought off his tears, which he found was a losing battle. She turned her gaze to Alphonse, “and Al… can you be sure he stays out of trouble? Protect each other ok?…I’m sorry about your… your father…He didn’t…he didn’t hate us. I promise… it was very much.. the opposite.”

“Mom, there’s no need for this, you’ll be ok.” Alphonse said wiping at his face. “You're going to be ok.” He repeated.

“I know.” She said, closing her eyes and letting out a shaky breath.

“Mom—Mom?” He moved to her, but felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked back and met Winry’s eyes, and he took a deep breath, turning back to his mother calmly. Her chest slowly fell up and down; she was still breathing… but for how long?

Hurry brother, please.

Dear Ed, 

It was the 13th of November 1908. It was a cloudy day, the wind was cold… and our mother had passed away. 

I still can’t seem to shake the numb feeling of shock, even now, after we buried her. I am sure that when you come back I will be able to process it all, with you, but for now… I will continue these letters that Granny Pinako suggested I write while we wait for your return. 

I doubt I will ever show you these though, they feel almost like a diary now that I’ve started.
See You soon,

You're little brother,

Al

“This is cruel.” Winry said as she helped him with laundry. “You shouldn’t have to go through this alone, Al.” 

A sudden wave of emotions hit Alphonse, something he hadn’t felt for days, and before he knew what was happening Alphonse felt the tears begin. He had been holding it in, trying to be mature, trying to be strong, but all at once the dam broke. Edward wasn’t back yet… but it wasn’t like he was waiting for Edward…was he?

“Al…” Winry said looking at him with worry, she dropped the shirt she was folding into the basket and hugged him close, shushing him softly. “Let it out.” She whispered, “It’s ok.”

“I just wish he was here, Winry. I’m not mad at him or anything, y’know? All he wanted was for us to be happy.”

“I know.” She said, hugging him close. “I know…” She repeated.

—————

Edward ran, holding his bloodied arm. With each gasp of breath his throat burned. He dashed down the streets, his clothes torn, muddied and splattered with his own blood. An animal’s cry rang out into the night, coming from a monster, one that was right on his heels. Edward turned a corner, throwing the monster off of him long enough to get some distance again. He turned another corner, another, then…a dead end. A low growl came from behind him, and Edward slowly turned to meet the eyes of a beast.

—————

Dear Ed, 

It was the 20th of November 1908. A soldier came to our door…

A knock interrupted the Rockbells and Alphonse as they ate dinner. Den began to bark, but stopped once Pinako stood to answer the door. On the other side stood a soldier, standing stiff, with his arms behind his back. He wasted no time in relaying his message as he removed his hat and stood straight.

“Is this the household of the Rockbell family, who filed a missing persons report for Edward Elric?” 

“It is.” Pinako answered.

“I’m sorry to burden you all so suddenly, but I was just informed that Edward Elric…” He looked in and paused as he noticed the two children listening in. 

“Well…?” Pinako asked looking towards the kids as well, “whatever it is, you can say it infront of all of us.”

Alphonse looked over worriedly at Winry whose knuckles were sheet white with the grip she held on her utensil. Her gaze was fixed on the doorway, but it seemed like she was elsewhere. Something was…wrong.

The soldier nodded, removing his hat as he fixed his stance. “Yes…sorry, I um… We were informed that Edward Elric is no longer with us.”

Alphonse stood from the table, his chair falling over with a loud clatter. The room fell silent as the three were unable to process what had been said. Pinako shook her head slowly. Her whole body shook, and she gripped her cane tightly.

“What?” Alphonse asked in disbelief, “no…he couldn’t be.”

“He was just a boy.” Pinako said, stepping towards the soldier, “surely there is some sort of mistake.” The soldier kept his head lowered, not meeting their gazes. “He was just a boy!” Pinako repeated as she grabbed the soldier's uniform, “what the hell happened to him?!”

“He was found…” The soldier gritted his teeth, “they couldn’t identify him at first, however we found this with him.” The soldier held out a familiar bag, which inside contained all of Edwards belongings, including a photo of their family that Edward had snatched on his way out.

“That's Ed’s bag…” Alphonse confirmed as he stepped forwards, taking it in his hands, “his clothes…” he noticed the blood droplets covering the bag and dropped it in his shock.

Winry, finally recovering herself from her initial shock, sobbed loudly into her hands. Alphonse felt like doing the same…His mother…and now his brother? How much did he have left to lose?

He sank to his knees keeping his gaze on the bag and the photo of his once smiling family.

… He told us you were dead Ed. I didn’t believe it, I couldn’t… but the things they brought to us were yours, they provided us with a bit of your light golden hair and your ashes as well. 

Then came your burial…it all happened so fast.

 It was murder; someone murdered you Ed. 

I know it makes these letters a little redundant to write, but as I said previously, this is more of a diary anyways. It's helping me, I think, to write out my feelings. Winry is helping me too, we talk almost daily about what we are going though. We’ve been sharing stories about you too. She remembers more of your “dumb antics” (as she puts them) than I do, which is fine, cause I get to listen to her talk. I wish I could hear your voice again as well. I even miss when you and Winry argued. Or when you and Granny argued…or when you and I argued. You liked to argue with people, didn’t you Ed? Well, I guess it's my turn to argue with the world.

Your little brother,

Al

A raindrop hit the top of the paper he was writing on and smeared a few of the words. He stood up and faced his family graves once more, whispering a goodbye before turning and heading down the hillside of the cemetery.

When he was home, everything was eerily silent, and all of the rooms felt dull and lifeless. During the evening he would eat dinner with the Rockbells.They had extended an offer for him to stay with them multiple times, but something inside his heart told him to stay in his childhood home for just a little longer.

He shook off his muddy boots and placed the letter he was working on with the rest of his letters in a desk drawer, near the entryway. Alphonse wandered the halls and explored every room in the upper level, omitting his mothers room. Then, like most days he found himself standing in front of his fathers study, left untouched since before their mothers illness. He hadn’t been up to learning Alchemy since his mother and Edward’s deaths, but today… felt different. Perhaps it was the rain that began to fall hard enough that its pounding sounded louder than his heart. Nevertheless, he reached forward and turned the handle. 

The room was just as they had left it, slightly dustier, but just the same. He stepped over the books and scraps they had left scattered about and walked up to the bookshelf. Alphonse stared at the plethora of alchemy books and picked out as much as he could carry out to their sofa.

He went around the house, pulling out blankets and pillows and everything he could think of to make himself comfy. He set up a fort using chairs from the kitchen and clips for the laundry. He stood back and marveled at his work. “Edward would love this.” He said proudly. He sank into his makeshift bed and lit a small lantern he had brought in.

The grandfather clock ticked on, and as it did, he read each of the books. Bit by bit, soaking in every ounce of information he could about Alchemy, and drowning out the reality he had found himself in.

——————

Dear Ed,

It has been a couple months since you and Mom’s passing. Since then I have returned to studying Alchemy ten fold. I’ve been spending my days tucked away in my makeshift fort for studying. It’s been up for a long time now, Mom would never have allowed us to keep it up for this long. Winry agrees on its coziness. She and Granny spent the night a while back. Granny was also impressed by it, but she refused to join us in the fort. 

I miss you Ed… You and Mom.

I can’t stand it any longer, but still… I think I am holding onto some hope though, for the both of you.

You're little brother,

Al

The winter had come and passed, bringing Spring to Resembool. With it, spring brought large storms rolling in from over the hills.  Alphonse sat by the window with a book on chemical compositions that he had memorized. He wasn’t reading though, instead he absentmindedly flipped the pages as he listened to the rain fall. He had read every book in his father's study, over and over, and had been struck with a big issue. He wasn’t improving, and the reason being was that he was too inexperienced in alchemy. If he had someone to learn along with, or found himself a teacher, then he’d probably improve, but he was finding himself in a corner. If he sought that out… it would mean he’d have to leave the comfort he’d given himself. He sniffed, hugging his knees closer. Did he want that? Was he ready for that?

A loud knock came from the front door causing Alphonse to jump. Following the loud noise were the sound of wet footsteps of someone running in. 

“Alphonse!” Winry called out, running into the room with muddy boots and a dripping wet raincoat. Her boots squeaked against the wood floor as she turned towards him, “The river is flooding!”

The two of them ran down to the river, ready to help if needed. However, as they approached, they noticed a strange woman standing in front of the crowd of townsfolk. She clapped her hands together almost like she was praying, it produced a sharp sound that rang through the air. Then, with a flash of blue light a wall formed around the river. Alphonse had never seen Alchemy used in such a way before…though, he hadn’t really met any other alchemist. He was filled with adrenaline that he hadn’t felt in a long time as he rushed down the hill towards the crowd.

“Lady, who are you?” An older citizen asked.

“Just a housewife who was passing by!” The woman replied. Right after saying this, blood fell from her mouth. The tall, broad man with her dropped their umbrella and began to wipe at her face with a cloth. Regardless of the current scene, Alphonse ran right up to her, hugging her arm.

“Excuse me Miss!”

“Hm? A kid?” She said in confusion as she took the cloth and finished cleaning her mouth.

“Train me please!” Alphonse said, keeping his eyes locked with hers.

“Train you? Sorry kid, I don't take students.” She said, attempting to shake him off. 

“Please old lady!  I’ll do anything! You're so cool!” Alphonse begged. She was a potential teacher, someone who could help him improve. Alchemy was all he had left! He could feel tears well into his eyes, but ignored them. 

“Huh?!” The woman looked at him angrily. “Who are you calling old, I’ll have you know I am thirty one—are…are you alright kid?” She asked, noticing the tears rolling down his face.

The old man who had spoken previously stepped forward, “You must excuse the Elric boy Miss, he’s been through a lot this past year. You see, he recently lost both his mother and older brother.”

“I see…” The woman looked up at her companion, who towered above the rest of the community. He smiled at her and gave her a thumbs up. She returned the smile before turning to look at Alphonse. 

“…How could I say no to that…. Alright kid, I will train you!”

——————

“Come on, show me what you’ve got!” Izumi said, taking a fighting stance. 

When training for Alchemy, he learned that he had to train his mind and his body. He ran at her, sending in punches, but she dodged each strike, in his last punch she grabbed his arm and flipped him over her head. 

Beaten again . He laid on the ground letting himself catch his breath.

 Alphonse had spent one year with Izumi and her husband Sig, in Dublith. It was nice, despite her alchemy training being tough. He was happy just to be in a warm home again, almost void of any silence. 

There was a time though during his training that his teacher left him out in the wilderness to fend for himself. He understood why she did it, it was all in an effort to teach him the meaning of “All is One, One is All” a very important lesson in alchemy. Since he started he had done his best in each test thrown his way, but despite his hard work, not once had he bested his teacher in hand to hand combat.

 He sat up slowly and let out a heavy sigh, then looked up as Izumi held out her hand.

“You've improved.”

Alphonse let her help him up, “thank you Teacher.”

Izumi looked at him skeptically, “hey, are you feeling alright Al?”

He wiped the dust from his pants. “Yeah,” he said, “it's just-“

As if on cue the door to Curtis's home opened and Sig appeared, “dinners ready!”

“Oh yum dinner!” Alphonse said, stepping forward, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him.

Izumi smiled at her husband, “one moment dear, I have to talk to my student about something first.” Alphonse gave the older man a pleading look, but Sig quickly nodded and closed the door. Betrayal! Izumi turned back to Alphonse, holding onto his shoulder firmly, “now tell me what's wrong.” 

His teacher was one terrifyingly strong individual; she had once shared a story about fighting a bear during her months of survival in the frigid north. Pissing her off wasn’t an option. Alphonse fidgeted nervously as he collected his thoughts. He didn’t know if he should bring up what was really bothering him. Despite his improvements in the past two years, Izumi still hadn’t explained how she could transmute without a transmutation circle. Maybe she didn’t trust him with the knowledge? Some alchemists were so secretive with their research they would write all their research in code; some alchemists even took their discoveries with them to the grave. It wouldn’t be surprising if that was the case, especially since whenever he brought it up she would always derail the conversation. The hand on his shoulder tightened its grip and Alphonse knew he’d need to create an excuse for his sour mood quickly. 

“Oh-well, uh, I wanted to know if I could…” he tapped his fingers together nervously, “if I could….go back to Resembool? Of course, just for a bit!” 

Izumi blinked. She gave him a surprised look, “oh? Is that all?”

“Well…” Alphonse said and avoided looking at her. “It's just been a while since I went back, I miss Granny and Winry…and I’d like to visit my family's graves.” Izumi stood silently for a second, and he worried she didn’t believe him until a small smile graced her lips and she ruffled his hair.

“Ah, I see.” She smirked at him,” "Well Al, you are welcome to come and go as you please, don’t let me hold you back, alright?” 

“You aren’t mad?” He asked, pulling on his sleeves as he looked up at her.

Izumi laughed and ruffled his hair, “Of course not!” After a moment she lifted her hand and sighed, “Listen Al, you’ve been working hard, and everybody needs a break sometimes, even us Alchemists, ok?” 

Alphonse stood straight and nodded, “right!”

She gave him a thumbs up and a wink, “alright, now let’s eat! I’m famished!”

…There was another reason he wanted to go back home though.

Alphonse’s room was quiet that night, he stared up at the ceiling getting nauseous at the idea of what he was planning. If my brother was here I’m sure it would be the other way around. I would be trying to talk him out of doing something…this reckless. He intertwined his fingers, closing his eyes and letting out a shaky breath. Of course, there would be no talking brother out of anything...he would do it anyways with or without Alphonse.

“Al, I trust you to make the right calls while I’m away.” His brother's voice was so clear in his head, it made the churning pain in his stomach worse each time he replayed it. “Al I trust you.” 

“We’ll see about that brother, if this works…”

Chapter Text

Chapter 3 T̸͚̳̬͒͝r̴̥̈́̂̇̎u̶͈͉̥̣͆͌ṭ̸͌͠h̸̡͠

It was raining again in Resembool when Alphonse arrived on the train. He was surprised to find Winry, standing on the platform waiting for him. She had grown taller in the year he had been away and her hair had grown longer. He could feel his heartbeat quicken as he stood and started for the exit of the car. As soon as he stepped out he was tackled into a hug.

“Alphonse welcome back!” She greeted him.

Alphonse could feel himself blushing, “H-hi Winry- how did you-?”

“Your teacher gave Granny a call.” She said and winked at him, “ and I couldn’t let you walk home all by yourself in the rain now, could I?”

Though he really did appreciate the gesture, he probably would have preferred to be alone at the moment . Of course, he could never say that to her. Instead, Alphonse laughed and rubbed his head sheepishly, “I guess not.”

As they walked, Winry caught him up about everything going on in her life. She asked him about his alchemy lessons and he told her about all the cool stuff his teacher taught him.

Before they knew it they had arrived at the gates of the Resembool cemetery. 

“Do you need me to tag along?” Winry asked, but Alphonse shook his head.

“No thanks, but I appreciate it.” He smiled at her, and she returned the smile and held out her umbrella to him. He looked at the umbrella with a confused expression.

“Take it.” She said with a smile, “I’ve got a raincoat anyways, your coat isn’t going to do much in this weather.”

He took the umbrella and they parted ways. He began up the path of gravestones, until Winry’s voice called out to him, making him turn back. “When you're done here, me and Granny are going to have a nice warm dinner waiting for you, alright?!”

“Sounds great!” He said waving to her.

Once she had gone, Alphonse turned away again, and walked up the winding path of the hillside.

 He knelt down by the gravestones, his knees sinking into the mud as he did so, but he ignored it.

“Mom…Ed…I promise I will fix this.”

——————

“Water…Carbon…Ammonia..Lime. Phosphorus…Salt…Saltpeter…Sulfur. Fluorine…Iron…Silicon… as well as 15 other trace elements.” He listed out the ingredients as he measured and poured them into the middle of a transmutation circle. He breathed in, and out nervously. “ Alphonse focus.” He told himself as he knelt by the circle.

“These are the elements that make up a human body…all that's missing is a soul…” He pricked his finger with a needle and the droplets of blood were added to the pile.

“See you soon brother.”

He closed his eyes and clapped his hands together, just like his teacher always did and placed his hands on the transmutation circle.

♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️

Everything. Nothing. It was all happening at once. Pain, numbness, he couldn’t tell what he should feel. He felt himself being pushed, pulled and stretched in all directions until…

“Alphonse Elric…” a voice said.

Alphonse was staring into a white void, a voice had spoken to him, but from where? He turned around and a large gate stood before him. He looked up at it, what is that? Where does it lead to? 

“Wait…what was I doing again…?”

A noise came from behind him and he turned back around to find…a figure? It was hard to make out what it was that was in front of him. They had the general shape of a human, but they were void white, what looked like dust particles moving around them was all that was that distinguished them from the rest of their surroundings. Alphonse felt… unsettled by this strange being.

“Who are you?” He asked, “where am I?”

“Where you are isn’t important, and who am I? Well thanks for taking an interest! I am the creature you like to call the world, or the universe…or God if you like…or the truth—or, and this is the one I like! I’m everything.” The figure pointed at him, a loud creaking noise came from behind Alphonse as the doors to the gate opened. “Or really…

….I am you.”

Wait… What?! 

“Wait— if you're truth then—“

Alphonse was cut off as Black tendrils reached out and grabbed him, pulling him into the gate. He screamed, struggling against the pull, but the entity before him did nothing but stare. “Pipe down, this is what you wanted isn’t it? To see the truth?” He was pulled through the gate and the doors shut behind as he was dragged further into the depths of darkness.

What is this?

Alphonse couldn’t believe his eyes, the truth of everything was laid out before him. However, as he was dragged through he only had moments to soak it all in.

“Alphonse.” A familiar voice said in his mind, he was pushed into a blank void. 

“M-mom?!” He asked looking up and seeing the outline of a figure in front of him, “Mom! I’m sorry, please forgive me for lying! Mom!”

“The Philosopher's stone, you’ll find h….” ….What was the philosopher's stone? He didn’t have long to think about it before the feeling of falling overtook him.

“Mom? Mom!?” He reached his hand out to take hers, but suddenly his hand was gone, and so was his arm, and then his other. He looked down, his right leg was gone,and his left— He was going to disappear entirely at this rate—

The next thing Alphonse knew he was standing in front of Truth again. 

“How was it?” Truth asked.

“I…understand…my theory of human transmutation was not wrong, but it's missing something…it was just ahead of me, the truth of it all, I just need to see it again, I —”

“—You’ve already paid the toll you have nothing left to give.”

“Toll?”

He could only watch in horror as his legs began to disappear from under him. The entity appeared right in front of Alphonse, holding him up by his shirt, wearing Alphonse’s own limbs as their own.

“ Equivalent exchange! Isn’t that right, Alchemist?”

♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️

Alphonse awoke gasping, the blurry view of the basement ceiling filling his vision, he felt woozy, and his stomach felt like it was doing flips. He stared over at the circle and— …”oh—” …what was that?! In the center of the circle laid a moving mass of black ooze, with bones and hair sticking out of it. He…he was going to be sick, he went to reach for his mouth, but nothing happened. His eyes widened and he struggled to lift his head. His arms… and his legs… they were…He puked at the sight, coughing and gagging as he did.

He screamed and cried for help. Tears and snot streamed down his face, but he couldn’t wipe them away. He was alone. The house was as silent as it had been for the last three years it had stood. No one was going to save him, he was going to bleed out to death and no one was going to save him. He felt dizzy again, his eyes felt heavy and… the last thing he saw was a shadow moving quickly down from the stairwell, then his eyes closed.

…

The next thing Alphonse knew, he was lying in bed. Sunlight filtered through the window near him and… Winry was in a chair nearby, she was slumped over on her desk, drool dripping from her mouth as she softly snored. He smiled weakly at the sight of her, before the realization kicked in. He turned his gaze slowly to his arms…or lack thereof. All that was left of his limbs were bandaged nubs. Right. Right. 

He failed.

His eyes stung as he fought back tears, what was he thinking? Taboo alchemy was taboo for a reason! Why did he think it would bring back his brother or that doing this would solve every problem for him? He had been so caught up in his own feelings that he couldn't… There was no excuse for what he had done, but there was no taking it back either. 

Brother…I’m sorry for failing you.

He wanted to kick himself, but unfortunately he couldn’t even do that.

“I’m…pathetic.”

—————

“He’s still refusing to talk to me.” Winry explained to Pinako. “And he is refusing to eat or drink anything as well…unless I force him to. He’s being a total asshole.”

“Winry, language.”

Winry groaned in aggravation and motioned over to the room Alphonse was staying in, “But Granny! He’s being so stubborn!” 

Granny Pinako looked past Winry at Alphonse who laid with his head turned towards the window. “He SHOULD eat, it's the LEAST he could do for the people who cared enough to save his sorry behind when he was bleeding out on his basement floor.” Alphonse didn’t budge though, he didn’t even flinch, he just kept his gaze fixed to the window.

Winry buried her head in Pinako’s shoulder, “I don’t understand Granny, what was he even trying to do? What was that… thing and why were his limbs…?” She shook as she cried, “I don’t understand.”

Pinako soothingly rubbed her granddaughter's back, “it’s for him to tell us…when he is ready—“ A loud knock on the door, followed by Den barking, interrupted their talk and Pinako swallowed hard.

“Who could that be at this hour…”

“Den please do not bark at our guests — Soldiers?”

“I am Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang.” The man greeted, “and this is 1st Lieutenant Hawkeye.” He looked past her at Winry, “where is the person you're hiding?”

“Who exactly are you referring to?” Pinako asked, glaring up at the soldier.

“The Elric boy.”

“We aren’t hiding him.” Pinako glanced back at the stairwell, still refusing to budge from the doorframe. Hawkeye looked at Pinako then at Mustang. 

“Sir maybe we should look somewhere else —”

“I highly doubt that's true.” He said and pushed past Pinako, “and lying to a military officer is an arrestable offense ma’am so don’t make a habit of it.”

“Excuse me?” Pinako asked angrily. 

“Sorry, but I have to make sure…” Mustang answered cryptically and headed straight for the stairs. By the time the Rockbell's could catch up they found the Lieutenant Colonel staring at Alphonse in shock.

“His…his limbs…was this because of that transmutation circle?” Mustang asked. 

Alphonse turned to face them, an exhausted look in his eye.

“We…found him like that.” Pinako explained as she lit her pipe. Mustang shook his head in response and marched towards Alphonse. Pinako followed behind him angrily. “Now see here sir, the boy has been through enough!” As she said this though, Mustang already had Alphonse pulled up by the shirt collar.

 “Listen here kid, and I need answers ok? What was that circle in your basement? What did you do?“ He stopped when he noticed the tears rolling down Alphonse’s face. 

“I’m sorry.” Alphonse said, his voice hoarse, “I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” He took a deep breath keeping his gaze fixed on Mustang's gloved hand, “I just…I just wanted my brother back.” 

Winry stomped her foot grabbing everyone's attention. “YOU IDIOT!” 

Alphonse winced this time, looking up to watch her descend the stairs. Then he turned to look at Mustang's hands, “arrest me, kill me, whatever job you need to do, do it. I’m no longer useful without my arms and legs.”

Mustang stared down at him for a couple seconds before letting go of his collar, dropping Alphonse back into his pillow once again.

“Listen…what you did is considered taboo for a reason, the repercussions you received  are already proof enough of that,” Mustang said, “I believe that, in itself, is punishment enough. Though, I wouldn’t go around telling others of your deed. Other military members will not all think the same way as I do.” Pinako looked at Mustang suspiciously as she smoked her pipe.

Mustang took a breath and exhaled. “My men had heard rumors of a brilliant alchemist living in this area, so I came to Resembool to check if the rumors were true. I was not expecting to find a kid, who was skilled enough in alchemy that he could perform human transmutation…imperfect as it was… You should hone your skills and work under me as a State Alchemist.” Behind Mustang Pinako stiffened. “If you become a State Alchemist, there may come a time when you would have to work as a soldier in a state of emergency, but at the same time you will receive various special privileges, and research of the highest level will become possible for you.”

Alphonse looked to either sides of himself, “But I don’t have—”

“—and get some automail. Your friends, they are automail engineers are they not?”

“Ah.” Alphonse looked over at Pinako, who looked absolutely fed up as she stomped towards Roy Mustang.

“Now excuse me Mister!” She said, grabbing the man's wrist and pulling him away from Alphonse, “He is a child!”

“So? Last I checked there isn’t an age limit for automail.” Mustang said.

“That's not what I meant. Are you suggesting an ten year old join the military?!” She motioned to Alphonse, “after Winry found him, patched him up. And after I helped carry him over here; I went down and had a good look at that ‘ thing’ that alchemy created. It was not even human…This boy has been through enough as it is and if you think you can just come in here and suggest an idea as outlandish as him joining the goddamn mil —”

“—Granny!” Alphonse said, cutting her off, “I…” He looked at Mustang, “Look, I will do it…I was thinking a lot these past couple days… and honestly I don’t really have any better ideas.“

“Well, then.” Mustang said, giving Pinako a smug look then turning and waving to Alphonse, “I suppose I will be seeing you then.”

Pinako looked from Alphonse to Mustang several times before finally holding her face in her hands and sighing. “Well, I suppose I can’t talk the kid out of doing anything—but it may take a couple years for him to get used to the automail.”

Mustang fixed his cap on his head. “Well then. I will see you in a year, Alphonse Elric,” He walked towards the stairs, leaving Pinako to sputter in shock. She took a step towards the State Alchemist.

“A year—?” Pinako asked. “Were you even listening to me?”

“If he is as stubborn as you say, a year is all it will take.” Mustang replied as he walked away.

Alphonse frowned, he looked out the window towards the setting sun, a year huh?

—————

Installing the automail on one limb, let alone on all four of his limbs was one the most painful experiences of Alphonse’s life. A rag was placed in his mouth to clench his teeth with and help hold in as many agonizing screams as he could. 

It took months of work, first attempts using his automail were painful and usually wound up with him face first in the dirt. Luckily, Winry helped him the best she could to keep upright standing while he got used to the new limbs.

Alphonse groaned and sat down, he massaged his upper legs and winced. “This automail is making my joints itchy and sore.” 

Winry smiled as she went to pour them both some water. “Yeah, it's going to be that way as long as you have them…you will get used to it with time. I do know some lotions that can help with the itchiness though.”

Alphonse sank in his chair, “that would be amazing, thanks Winry.”

She laughed and handed him a cup, “you are lucky that our automail is so advanced. Since Amestris is constantly in war the need for quality automail brought us this. Years ago the automail was easier to install, but you wouldn’t be able to sense the pressure of your grip.” 

She was right, he was able to sense the cup in his hand. It wasn’t exactly the normal feeling, but almost a numb variation; kind of like gripping something with a heavy glove on. He switched the cup between hands and marveled at it in wonder. 

“Human innovation is amazing, isn't it?”

Winry smiled and sat down next to him, “yeah, I agree.” She took a sip of water, “it’s one of the many reasons I fell in love with automail.”

Even though he appreciated all of her help and company, Alphonse knew he couldn’t lean on Winry forever in his training. So, each day he would work diligently on his mobility. 

Five months into his progress he was walking by himself and as the days went on he was able to move around with ease. Using his arms was difficult to learn as well, and gripping things used to be much easier when he could actually feel, but he made it work. And once the twelve months were up he was moving around the house and training like he once had with his teacher.

Speaking of his teacher, somehow he was now able to do Alchemy the way she did. He had no idea where he learned it, or how he learned it, but all he had to do was clap his hands together. 

He did so and slowly pulled a metal pole from the earth. Winry watched in awe from the porch and clapped her hands. 

“Did you learn that from your teacher?” She asked, “how does it work?”

“I didn’t…and I don’t know.” Al said, staring at his metal hands. “I wasn’t able to do it before….well before what happened.”

“Is it linked in some way?” Winry asked, she climbed down the stairs and walked over to him, taking his hand in hers to look at. “Or maybe you just reached a point in your alchemy; it just comes naturally to you?” Alphonse hadn’t changed anything he had been doing, but he also couldn’t imagine his teacher breaking any rules of alchemy. It could be something connected to Truth. Maybe Izumi knew more of Truth than she let on, and that was why she refused to talk to him about it… Nevertheless he didn’t really want to dwell on it for too long. Thinking of his Teacher made him feel a heavy guilt. 

“Maybe the metal arms and legs you made me are magic!” Alphonse suggested laughing.

“Maybe!” Winry said and laughed along with him.

They stood there for a second, Winry still holding his hand that she had been examining, then at once they both realized how close they were they separated.

Alphonse coughed awkwardly. “Anyways… I am going to be leaving in a week or so…”

“To take the State Alchemist test?” Winry asked, keeping her gaze to the ground.

“Yeah, in the letter he sent me, the Lieutenant Colonel mentioned it would consist of a written, mental and physical exam. Who knows how well I will do physically with these…” As he said this he flexed his metal fingers.

Winry laughed and tapped his arm, “those arms and legs are the pride of the Rockbell family so you ought to ace this. I have no doubts in you Al.”

Alphonse blushed and scratched his head sheepishly, “thanks Winry.”

She looked away, her face going red, “y-yeah, of course!” She turned slowly, before running back up the stairs of her porch. As she reached the top she turned and cupped her hands around her mouth, “By the way, we are making stew tonight!”

“Fuck yeah! Let me know when you’ve finished!”

Winry laughed and walked to the door, she stopped for a second and looked back at Alphonse who had resumed training. She held her hand to her chest and smiled, and then headed quickly back into the house.

—————

Alphonse sighed, wiping sweat from his face. A light breeze hit him, he looked out at the setting sun over the hills of Resembool. This was it, the only way... He'd make it his life's goal if he had to, to find the Philosopher's Stone.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4 Runaway

Edward could never forget the way the train's whistle echoed through the air the night he left. He had raced towards the station quickly, ducking low so he wouldn’t be spotted by any of the station's guards. There was a portion of the train, unlit by the station's lanterns and unguarded by the military. He took his chance and quickly jumped onto one of the slowly moving car. The door to the car was slightly ajar, so he shoved it as hard as he could and managed to make enough room to wriggle himself inside. He collapsed, catching his breath as he stared at the ceiling. Suddenly he was shocked still by the cold wet nose of an animal touching his forehead. It let out a whiff of warm, moist air and he quickly sat up.

“What— ew!” He said, pushing the cow's head away from him. He looked around him, and at least a dozen cows stood in the car with him. He stood up, backing into the door of the car quickly. The room stank of manure, which made him queasy. He held his nose, and pointed at the cow closest to him. “As long as you don’t make me drink your nasty milk, I will tolerate you all till the morning— ok?” 

The cow let out a long billowing moo in response and Ed took it as an invitation to stay. He quickly made his way over to a corner piled almost to the ceiling with hay. He climbed into the pile, sitting with his back to the wall so he could sit up. The cows ate their hay and moved their heads to look at one another. Ed felt his eyes grow heavy with sleep, he yawned and closed his eyes.

—————

When Edward awoke he blinked slowly, the first thing he noticed were the beams of light streaming into the car. The second thing he noticed was that the cows that had been surrounding him were now gone. He stiffened, forgetting to breathe for a moment in his panic. Where are they? He stood slowly, stumbling his way through the hay and made his way to the door. The sound of two approaching voices came from outside, but he kept quiet so he could listen to their words.

“Yeah, a kid is in there, blonde hair, he appeared to be around my son's age, probably ten or eleven. He must be tired, cause he slept through us moving the cattle.” Shit. Edward backed away from the door and frantically searched the place for an exit.

“Thanks, we can handle it from here.” The other person answered.

Edward froze, what was he going to do? It wasn’t like he could outrun an adult, could he? Then he remembered. Of course, his alchemy! He opened his bag pulling out a notepad and paper, sketching a circle and placing it against the door. Luck was on his side as he successfully melded the door of the train car to the wall. 

“Go easy on him, there have been a lot of orphaned kids around recently.” A voice outside said. 

“No need to worry sir…” The other man replied before making a frustrated sound. “The door won’t budge.” The train car moved as the men outside pulled at the door. 

Edward began to sweat, unfortunately without much practice in welding items together he knew it wasn’t going to hold. After making sure the coast was clear he jumped from the other side of the train and hightailed it into the field. Edward cackled to himself as shouts of confusion came from behind.

“ALL THAT AND IT'S EMPTY?!” 

“WHAT!? THE KID WAS JUST HERE, I SWEAR!”

—————

As Edward ran he began to feel how hungry he was. He’d thought ahead and packed some food in his bag… which…He turned back and stared at the distant train. His bag…which he had left behind on the train.

His walk into town was a shameful one, he was covered in mud and bloody scratches  from running through the field. He had no change of clothes, no money and no food. All he had was a piece of chalk for alchemy, which he could make neither money or food with. 

He stared at the piece of chalk, and an idea struck him.

“Paperweights! Toys for your kids, sculptures for your garden!” Edward shouted from the middle of a clearing. “I will use my talent in alchemy for your benefit! People flocked around him with genuine curiosity as Edward revealed his sculptures he made using material he had scavenged. “Any animal you request I can create--at the low price of 50 cens each!”

“Make a bunny!” A little girl requested and he did so. It was kind of wonky looking, but the girl happily took it from him. “Mama, bunny!” She said happily and the Mom smiled, “how…cute, uh here is the money kid.” She leaned over and dropped five, ten cen coins, into his hand.

The other people around him looked unsure as they began to disperse. 

“No one else?!” Edward called after them, reaching out, “please…! I just need to sell a couple and—” It was no use, they weren't interested in his work plain and simple. 

“—You will make any animal you say?” An old man asked as he approached Edward, “Could you make me a tiger? I’ll even double the amount.”

Edward looked down at his pile of scraps and sighed, “Look sir, you… you don’t have to take pity on me…”

“Triple the price!” The old man said, pulling out his wallet.

Edward was seeing money signs as he sculpted a small tiger from the remaining scraps. He wasn’t exactly sure what a tiger looked like, but he had read about them in one of his text books. Tigers were a large, orange, striped jungle cat.

“Will this do?” He asked as he handed the man the cat. 

“Wonderful!” He said admiring it, “You're parents must be proud.” 

Edward flinched at the man's words, rubbing his arm awkwardly.

“Are you alright kid?” The man asked, looking up at him from the tiger. 

“Uh, it's just… I am a long way from my parents, they live in central you see and I uh… had their address in a letter— but I lost my bag so--”

“Lost your bag?” The man asked. He scratched his beard and looked like he was contemplating something. “Listen, I have some contacts in Central so I can do my best to get in contact with your parents . Does that sound good?”

Edward sat up, “Wow, that would be great! “Thanks Mr…”

“Fernand.”

Their mother had always warned them about trusting strangers; perhaps Edward should have taken heed to her advice, but in that moment all he could do was grasp at straws. Following the old man was really his best and only option. So as they walked Edward took the opportunity to learn more about Fernand. That way, he’d be less of a stranger. 

“So what do you do for a living?” He asked.

“Well, I am retired now, but I used to be what some would call an explorer in my youth.”

“Oh that's actually neat, what places did you travel to?” Edward asked curiously. 

The old man chuckled. “Well, I once traversed the wilds of Xing.” He held up the small tiger sculpture, “I managed to track several tigers in my day and study their behaviors. Those beasts are remarkably powerful creatures.”

Edward had little knowledge about Xing, but from books alone it seemed like it was a whole other world compared to Amestris.

“Why were you researching tigers?” Edward asked as they turned another corner.

“Well, tigers are a strong species, one of the strongest in the world in my opinion. They have a  potential similar to that of lions— ah, we’ve arrived!” Fernand began to climb the steps of a fairly large townhouse. “This is my home, I will be back out in a second so don’t go anywhere. Got it?”

Edward nodded, giving him a thumbs up.

Once the older man had gone into his home Edward began to get a creeping feeling that he was being watched. He tried to ignore it, but it felt like whatever it was, was getting closer. No, it had to be his imagination… His neck hairs bristled as if it was frigid cold and in an instant he bolted up the steep steps to Fernand’s door. He opened it and then shut it quickly behind him.

After catching his breath, Edward let out a shaky sigh of relief and sank to the floor. He cupped his hands over his face, whatever it was that was out there watching him, it couldn’t see him now at least. Once he’d calmed down, Edward looked up, his breath catching as he met the eyes of many animals; their heads hung like trophies on every wall of the entryway. 

It was a horrid sight, but it wasn’t uncommon for those who set off on explorations to have hunting as a hobby. 

Great, now he was being watched by at least fifty eyes! 

He stood up shakily along the door and studied the animals' faces. Did the old man really kill all of these? He slowly walked down the hallway, the light shone in from the windows of the doorway, casting his shadow along the sleek wooden floors towards the back wall, ending just before the head of a familiar animal. He recognized the orange pelt and black stripes from the description in the textbook.

A tiger. 

It looked like it was a fierce animal when it was alive, its mouth was agape showing off the powerful sharp teeth of the predator. It was truly a beast you wouldn’t want to mess with. 

“Terrifying isn’t it?”

Edward jumped at the sound of Fernand’s voice. He turned to the old man whose gaze was locked with the tigers.

“I was lost in the jungles of Xing. I had confidence in my abilities though, so I knew I would find my way. As I explored I happened upon some temple ruins, which were overgrown and crumbling. The ruins were also flooded due to heavy rainfall. I decided to set up camp nearby and fixed myself some fresh water for my canteen. The sun sank, bringing upon me the most horrific night of my life. It was pitchblack and all I had was the dimming light of my campfire.”

Ed listened, captivated by Fernand’s storytelling. 

“I knew I had to sleep, but a feeling of being watched overcame me. I peered into the darkness of the jungle, searching for some sign of life, and amongst the dark two dots appeared, reflecting the light from my campfire…” He pointed to a rifle of some sort hanging from the wall. “The beast, realizing I had spotted it, wasted no time in lunging for me. I had to quickly ready my weapon and shoot. I won that race as you can tell, but only by seconds.”

Edward stared up at the man with admiration, what an exhilarating tale!

“Did you lug the tiger back all the way with you?” Edward asked, pointing at the large head.

Fernand smiled, rubbing his nose sheepishly, “well, I couldn’t take the whole of the animal. I believe the people of Xing were not impressed with my appearance once I made my way back into town.”

The image that popped in Edwards mind made him want to puke, “Sounds gross.”

Fernand laughed, “It was…We ought to be on our way then, right?”

“Right!” Edward said excitedly before thinking. “Ah…”

“What's wrong?” Fernand asked. 

“Well, I need a change of clothes, and my legs are covered in cuts.” Edward said examining himself, “You wouldn’t happen to have anything in my size would you?”

“No, but don’t worry I’ll get you some stuff on the way to the station.” Fernand promised. 

——————

During their train ride Edward asked Fernand about the other animals he encountered and was told a variety of exciting tales of the old man's adventures. The stories made Edward wish that his experiences weren’t all from books, but the idea of leaving Resembool had never really occurred to him up until that moment. If he thought about it though, in a way, the journey he was on now was an adventure. The thought sent excited chills along his skin.

Fernand’s tales were interrupted when a military soldier approached their seats.

“Excuse me sir, a call from central came and I believe it's for you?”

“Ah, thank you, would you mind sitting here with my Grandson while I talk with them?” Fernand asked.

“Uh, sure.” The soldier said, watching as Fernand stood and walked out of the car they were in.

—————

Nothing much happned during the minutes the older man was away. Edward stard out the window, ignoring the soldier across from him. When Fernand returned he thanked the soldier and then took his seat back. He sat quietly with a serious expression. 

“What was the call about?” Edward asked. Fernand looked up and Edward shrank back a little as the stern gaze he held.

“It…was about your father.” He said, fixing his jacket sleeve, “I had some people up in Central search their database for his name.”

“And?”

“We found him.”

They found him.

Ed’s heart began to race. The miracle that could save their Mom, their father was just around the corner! “Where is he, will we head straight to him?” Edward asked him excitedly, standing up.

Fernand nodded, he reached up and stroked his beard, “We will head in the direction, but first I have to make a couple stops for my friends… Especially since they pulled a lot of strings to get me this information. Luckily your father is central at the moment so it shouldn’t take us long…”

The sun sank below the passing treeline outside the window, and quickly night had fallen once again. The anticipation of finding his father added to the anxiety of getting back in enough time for the miracle was keeping Edward fully awake. He kept his gaze to the window, despite the pitch black on the night only allowing himself to see his own reflection. That was until a couple specks of light formed in the distance, and slowly grew bigger and bigger. 

——————

Saying Central was huge would be an understatement. The place was massive, and it was bustling with life, even in the middle of the night. He admired this and soaked it all in as they passed by food stalls and small shops. It would have been easy for Edward to get overwhelmed by the crowd, he was beyond thankful to have a chaperone to guide him. 

 Fernand looked at him skeptically. “Have you ever been to Central before Edward?”

Edward laughed awkwardly and scratched his head, “My parents moved here separate from me in search of work! I lived with my Granny for a while, but Dad ended up getting a job as a doctor. I was sure I would be fine on my own, but I ended up losing my bag and here we are.”

“Hm, seems irresponsible for them to have their ten year old traveling without them.”

Shoot, that’s true. He knew his Mom would especially be freaking out if she knew he was doing this. 

“They are both busy and couldn’t get me,” Edward explained. It was a lame excuse, but the only one he could think of.

Fernand nodded, “well, as long as you get to them that is what matters. My errand should be over this way, follow me.” So Edward followed, turning the corner and being met with an even darker road. Immediately he started getting a sinking feeling, something about the street they were on was amis. “Why is it so dark and where are all the people?”

“Not every road in the city is as lively as the last one.” Fernand explained as he walked quickly. “Follow close, you never know who is lurking in these backroads.”

They continued down several roads and ducked into several alleys. Each turn made Edwards' guts twist more and more, and somewhere along the way he began to get the familiar feeling of being watched.

Fernand slowed his pace considerably, “Something…feels off…” He muttered.

Then it appeared.

A monster.

Fernand froze, he looked back at Edward with a fear filled expression. “Run.”

“What?! What about you? ” Edward asked, then he watched as the older man reached into his shirt, pulling out a pistol and pointing it towards the beast. The beast snarled, it wasn’t very visible, but it looked like a lion with the wings of a bat and talons of a bird. Edward froze, watching as Fernand shot at the creature, missing each shot by mere inches. 

“Shit It’s out…” Fernand said hitting the side of his gun, he glanced up as the beast lunged and quickly ducked out of its path. Edward wasn’t so lucky. He was knocked over as the creature leapt onto him, a talon’s digging into his right arm. Tears stung his eyes as he screamed in agony, trying to escape its grasp. Fernand ran up and tackled the creature off of him.. 

“Run!” Fernand shouted breathlessly pointing Edward towards another direction, this time, without hesitation, Edward ran.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5 Labrat

He held his bloodied arm, and with each gasp of breath, his throat burned. He dashed down the streets, his new clothes torn, and splattered with his own blood. A howl rang out into the night behind him and he knew that the beast had to be right on his heels. Edward turned a corner, throwing the animal off him long enough to get some distance again. He turned another corner, then another and…a dead end. A low growl came from behind him, and Edward slowly turned to meet the eyes of the beast.

It began to run at him, Edward prepared for the worst, until a loud “ kachunk” rang through the air. The beast crumpled into itself, falling onto the ground at Edwards feet. A tube stuck out of the creature's side, its breaths were heavy and its movements slow.

“...Tranquilizer…” Fernand said, breathing just as heavily as Edward.

“What…what is that thing?” Edward asked backing away from it— but he backed into someone. 

“Look where you're going kid.” A sinister voice said from behind him. Chills shot through Edward as two hands fell on his shoulders. There hadn’t been anyone behind him a moment ago…how?

“Ah, Greed, I was beginning to wonder when you would show.” Fernand greeted the stranger with an annoyed expression. Greed? Edward thought. Was that even a name? “Were you behind this chimera getting loose?” Chimera? Edward looked down at the animal. So this is a chimera… 

“Maybe, maybe not. Quite the welcoming committee isn’t it?” Greed said with a sinister chuckle. “By the way, who is this kid?”

Edward glared up at ‘Greed’ angrily. This guy was the one who had freed that thing?

Fernand stood still for a moment before raising his dart gun, “You best let that kid go now.”

“Woah there professor, no need for threats.” Greed said, raising his hand from Edward’s shoulder. As he did, Edward wasted no time in running over to Fernand’s side.

“It wasn’t a threat.” The old man said. Without any warning Fernand pulled the trigger, shooting the dart past Edward, hitting Greed. Edward had mere seconds to turn and watch as the tube shattered and burst on impact to Greed's chest. Greed stared down at the place it had hit, and merely brushed himself off with a smug look.

“C’mon Professor, you know that's not going to work on me with my ultimate shield!” 

“H…How?!” Edward asked in shock.

“I’m a homunculus kid,” Greed said, holding up his hand to reveal his armored ability, while also showing off a tattoo. “Not that it will mean anything to you—”

“You are an artificial life form?” Edward asked curiously. “I think I saw something about homunculi in a book I read…”

Greed looked at him with an impressed expression, but ignored Edwards' question. “Well…suppose I should bite my tongue. Where’d you find this kid Fernand, the library ?”

Fernand glared at the homunculus silently. “Ah…I get it.” Greed said with a sinister smile, “he’s another one of your ‘ lab rats’ …” Lab rats? What was the guy even talking about? The old man had given him food, clothes and had even brought him to Central!

Edward stepped forward angrily, “For your information, he is helping me find my father!” 

Greed gave him a look of disbelief, “You…truly believe that?”

“What reason do I have to not believe someone who just saved my life?!” Edward asked, however his words were only met with Greed’s howling laughter.

“Come Edward, let's go.” Fernand said, grabbing Edwards arm and pulling him away.

“It’s your funeral kid!” Greed called after him, followed by more howling laughter. 

As they walked Edward held his injured arm and glared back at the alleyway. “Who was that?” 

“His name is Greed, you could say we are old acquaintances, but he’s more of a stray cat that I can never seem to shake.” Fernand said gruffly, his eyebrows were scrunched up indicating irritation. They turned another corner and approached a large gate. “Especially with that ultimate shield of his.” Fernand held up a tranquilizer, his grip tightened as he examined it. “That little shit almost ruined my plan too.” 

Edward looked up at the gate in confusion, “What do you mean—”

A sharp pain in Edward’s arm made him flinch and he looked down to find a tube, smaller than the one the chimera had been shot with, sticking out of his upper right arm. 

“What…?” He turned quickly to grab it, but his vision blurred and his movements weakened. He felt like he was swimming in the air for a second before losing his balance. Fernand caught him, laughing wickedly as he did.

The world swirled around Edward before quickly it all plunged into to black.

A bright red filled the black, every part of Edwards body felt heavy and numb. After what felt like forever and with much difficulty he blinked his eyes open, just as several  blurry shadows appeared above him. Four figures, their faces covered in blank white masks gathered under the bright light. A chill ran along his skin, but his whole body felt stiff, not allowing him to move. The sound of a razor made him jolt, his body colliding with what appeared to be leather straps holding him in place. With the newfound ability to move again, Edward wriggled and gasped out screams. Wordlessly the figures around him grabbed hold of his body, pushing him down. Edward yelled out at them, begging for them to let him go, begging to go back to his dying mother, to take care of his brother. He pleaded, and yelled, then all of a sudden a glint of glass and metal caught his eye as one of the masked figures pulled out a syringe. Edward thrashed about, shaking his head, feeling tears stinging his eyes and rolling down his face as he struggled. He had to leave, he had to— but soon he found his vision swirling again, the figures before him fading back into the black.

  The next thing Edward knew he was lying on a stiff mattress and staring straight up at a cement ceiling. He groaned, reaching up slowly, and rubbing his pounding head, feeling the buzz cut that now replaced his long hair. He tried to stand, but his vision swam, his movements were sluggish and uncalculated. He fell over onto the cement floor,  wincing in pain, and slowly curled into himself. As he did his hand slid along the bandages on his injured arm. 

Why…Why couldn’t he move? Why was the world spinning?... How long had he been asleep? 

Eventually he found himself able to sit up slowly again, the room he was in was blank white, one side of the room had an outline of a door and on the other side was a toilet and shower. He curled into himself, noticing that his shoes were gone, and his clothes had been replaced by a bland prisoner's uniform. He clenched his fist, feeling the sting of tears as his vision rippled. He had no idea how long it had been, he was trapped, and he had walked right into it. 

He failed.

He abandoned Alphonse…he had abandoned his mother…

And he probably caused them even more pain in his absence. 

No… it couldn’t really be true right? He wasn’t actually here… maybe he was still in bed at home… or maybe he was still on the train with the smelly cows. He sobbed and hiccuped into a smile. He was dreaming, this was a nightmare and… he’d wake up soon. Yeah, he’d just pinch himself and… He pinched at his arm hard, gasping out a laugh in surprise, he couldn’t feel it! He couldn’t feel it and--…oh yeah, everything was still numb. And… even if it was a dream, the wounds from the chimera had hurt far enough to wake him. Edward grabbed at the skin of his uninjured arm, gritting his teeth as he dug in deep enough to draw blood. He laughed and sobbed, looking at the blank wall, feeling hatred boiling inside himself. He kept his hand around his arm, blood streamed down and dripped onto the floor. Plop, plop, plop. He hissed out the breath he was holding. He could just barely feel the fresh sting of the wound, but he needed to force himself away from his thoughts. If he continued to focus on his sadness he’d lose it. Right? Anger rattled through him, the reminder of being trapped was still a constant.

He hunched over, pushing his head into the floor as he cried out in sobs. Snot dripped from his nose, and salty tears from his eyes, he wiped at his face, but he couldn’t stop.

After what felt like forever he just sat, staring at the white floor. He gritted his teeth reminding himself over and over not to focus on his sadness. He stood slowly, his legs shaking like they were made out of rubber. He couldn’t give up now, right? He’d come so far! He had to break his way out. He screamed as he rushed towards his bed, tripping over himself slightly, before catching himself on the frame. He yelled, throwing the thin mattress away with ease, then he began pulling any loose pieces from the bed frame. With all the strength he could muster, he hit the door with the pieces of frame. He hit at the door till the frame was mangled, and till his hands were bruised, callased and bloody. Through his rampage he’d left a trail of blood which he somehow managed to splatter everywhere. The door was barely dented, the white was either stained with blood or chipped away to reveal a thick metal.

He fell to the floor, heaving out heavy breaths as he stared up at the beaten door. He was exhausted. He felt dizzy, the red blurring in his vision and almost looking like images to him.

Oh…..oh! He sat up, pressing his finger against the floor. He drew a transmutation circle, placing a piece of metal in the center; with a flash of light he was holding a knife. 

All he had to do…was use it to escape. He grinned madly at it. 

Biding his time, he walked in circles, waiting for anyone to walk through his door. At one point he grew bored enough he transmuted a sphere to roll around. His waiting eventually paid off, as a doctor came in with a tray of food. What he wasn’t expecting was for their labrat to swing at him with a readied knife. Edward stabbed the man's leg before running past him into the hall. The hallway was much darker than his room and along it were several other doors all which most likely contained other prisoners. Edward ran, only focusing on saving himself, for fear of getting caught. 

At the end of the hall was a door which had a number pad on it. “Crud…what now..?” He wondered, he looked back, seeing the doctor had recovered enough to limp towards Edward angrily.

He turned back to the number pad, entering something random, again, and again. “Screw it.” He punched the number badly, busting it, but also setting off alarms through the whole facility. The door opened and he grinned, but before he could enter something hit him in the back of the leg.

The world spun, and again, Edward was knocked unconscious.

Everything was blurry when he woke up, once again he was surrounded by Doctors. They seemed to be talking in some variation of sign language. One of them motioned to Edward and another nodded as they pulled out another tube. Not again… He didn’t put up a fight this time, accepting the unconsciousness.

Edward woke up, he stared up at the ceiling for a long time as he waited for the tranquilizer effects to wear off. Once he had gathered enough energy to sit up he found his cell spotless of any blood or damage he had caused. He looked down at his arms to find both were wrapped up to his fingertips. He hunched over, coughing and dry heaving as he hadn’t had a proper meal in what felt like ages. He weakly looked around the room, noticing a tray of food placed near the doorway. 

He limped over and dove into the cold meal. It wasn’t nearly as good as it would be if it was hot, but as he was, he would probably drink milk over nothing at all. 

He shoveled the food into his mouth with his bare hands, nearly eating the paper that had been brought with the food. He coughed it into his hands and looked over the stained page, it read:

Nice try, little alchemist. We’ve made sure that won’t happen again.

Fernand

Edward spit out the remainder of his food, wiping his mouth angrily. 

He lost his appetite.

It was nighttime when the light turned off, it was daytime when they were on. He began counting the days, digging notches on the floor under his bed. He had no idea how much time actually went by, especially when he was knocked out, but keeping track of the days when he could, helped enough. 

It had been a month at that point. His alchemy didn’t work anymore, and he had fallen into a slump. The doctors would come by to drop off food, sometimes it would be laced with something to make him tired, sometimes he’d find himself waking to the doctors running tests on him before getting knocked out. 

On days he was confined to his room he would invent games to play by himself so he wouldn’t get bored, though there wasn’t much to work with. He sometimes would play with the food he was given or use his utensils to scratch drawings into the walls. He whistled, sang, and told stories out loud. Though the thing Edward did most was repeat anything he remembered of alchemy, never losing hope of returning to his studies of the subject when he was free. If he’d ever be free again.

He was bored. 

Three months went by, four months, five... 

Edward felt himself grow dizzy as he ate, realizing quickly that he had once again been drugged by the doctors. He stood up slowly, walked over to the bed, closed his eyes and hoped he’d just wake up in the bed this time. 

However, again, this was not the case.

He woke up, sitting upright in a chair in the center of a well lit room. He glanced around, his eyes adjusting to the light after a couple minutes. A clock nearby ticked and beyond that the room was dead silent, no one in sight. 

After what seemed like eternity the silence was broken by the door to the room opening with a loud creak. Then, for the first time in over half a year he was face to face with another person. However… this face was not a welcoming one. Fernand held a smug expression, the elder man walked in standing proudly and behind him several doctors in white masks followed.

“Ah, Edward, it's been a while, how has the facility been treating you?” Edward didn’t respond, opting to silently glare at the old man instead. Fernand ignored Edward’s glare and turned to the doctors. “Will you fetch the materials for me?”

The doctors nodded, the one closest to Fernand turned and began moving his hands, probably ordering the two others on what to do. Then the doctor that had given the orders left through the door they had entered. 

Fernand approached Edward slowly, his hands held behind his back, his smug expression only growing smugger as he held Edward’s gaze.

“It’s your lucky day kid.” He said walking around Edward. “You should count yourself honored to be chosen for such a momentous study such as this.”

“ Honored? ” Edward asked before he could stop himself. “ Why… Why are you doing this to me?”

“Well…” Fernand smiled. “I don’t normally answer the prisoners' questions, but since you are a special case…” He pulled out a red stone like object, carding it through his fingers as he spoke.  “In Xing, there is an old folktale of a traveler with golden hair and golden eyes. The traveler introduced them to alkahestry, and from that point on they worshiped the man as a perfect being. Rather they also called him a Being of Gold and the Philosopher of the West.”

Edward glared up at him, “so you chose me because I share traits of a guy from Xingese literature? Who the hell cares what I look like, I’m not some perfect being! I’ve made mistakes and… and I’m just some normal kid from the countryside.”

“You are not a normal kid , Edward Elric.” Fernand held up the stone to the light, “At least… you won’t be. My theory… is that the philosopher of those stories was actually some sort of…superhuman. Someone who had enhanced his own body with alchemy.” He turned to Edward with a smile that made the other shrink back into his chair, “which is what I have planned for you… you will be my perfect creation Edward Elric .” He laughed wickedly, a cackle that had haunted Edward since he had wound up in the facility. 

The door to the room opened again with a loud thud followed by a loud creaking sound as a large covered cage was wheeled in by two doctors.

Fernand walked swiftly over to the cage, “Ah. Right on schedule.” he said. Edward felt a terrible dread run along his skin and through his entire being, he jerked his arms trying to loosen the restraints, but to no avail.

A low growl filled the silence and the cage rattled slightly. Fernand tutted, “I thought you had knocked it out?”

The doctors looked at eachother and at the cage and replied with their silent hand motions. Fernand responded by pulling out his tranquilizer gun. 

“Bah, I have to do everything myself.” He grumbled angrily. As he said this he pulled the cover from the cage, revealing a tiger with golden stripes and golden eyes. It bared its teeth, letting out aggressive huffs of air as it glared up at Fernand menacingly. The older man wasted no time shooting the tiger with tranquilizer. The tiger fell over, its breathing growing more ragged as it fought the poison in its system, its eyes peered over meeting Edwards own.

Edward stared at the large animal in front of him, eyes wide as he racked his mind for the possible reason for everything happening. 

Fernand chuckled and handed the gun to one of the doctors. Then he turned and began to fiddle with the equipment the doctors had prepared. “Now that you’ve met it… I suppose it's time for us to begin.” He said, “And I get the honor of creating a new perfect being out of you two! A Human Chimera, the next step in human evolution.” He smiled wickedly as he prepared a syringe. “Prepare yourself Edward Elric, because once this is part of you, there is no going back.”

Edward’s eyes widened, and he struggled against the restraints again, “STOP! I DON’T WANT—“

The cold needle immediately went into his arm, and the fluid inside was pushed under his skin. He screamed. It was the loudest he had screamed in the year he had been there. The world grew fuzzy, but he fought the drug, keeping himself awake long enough to watch the doctors move him and the tiger beside each other. The room glowed bright red, his eyes strained and it felt like his blood was boiling throughout his body. He writhed in pain, unable to move much due to the drug. It only got worse as he stayed awake. I can’t let him win, I have to fight this. 

Fernand’s laughter was the only thing that he could hear. Then the old man said something, but Edwards' ears were roaring too loudly from the pain. Shivers and cold sweats ran through his body, he felt too dizzy, and too heavy. I can fight this. I’m strong, I’m strong…I’m…. Then the world faded to black.

——————

Edward woke up with a start. He was back in his cell, surrounded again by nothing but a bed, the same utilities and thick white walls. Nothing… felt different…? For a second it had all seemed like a very bad dream, that is, till he looked down at his arms. The scars that he had grown used to were gone… at least, they weren’t visible, it was all hidden, by a thick layer of…fur. Not just any kind of fur, but the distinctive stripe-like patterns of the golden tiger. His hands were different too, larger and sharper. He reached up, touching his face and he felt his breath hitch.. He stood, walking slowly over to the toilet, looking down at his reflection in the water. His breath escaped him shakily as he fell to his knees, unable to fathom anything that was happening still. He placed a hand on the animal features disguising his face.

Edward Elric was dead . 

That's all he could think as he looked at his appearance. He wasn’t himself anymore. He couldn’t be, he was… He felt himself shake, felt the anger boiling within him as his world turned red. 

Then. Behind him the door opened.

Kill, kill, KILL.

When Edward came too, he was covered in blood, he couldn’t tell, or at least he couldn’t remember if it was his or if it belonged to the man in front of him whose mask had fallen off. Edward had him held against the wall directly across from his cell door. The doctor coughed up blood, sputtering out incoherent words as he looked at Edward in fear. 

“I’m warning you, one last time. Let. him. go.” A man in soldier attire wearing a black mask warned him, his gun shakily pointed directly at Edwards head.  Edward hissed and let go of the doctor. He turned back to his cell contemplating why he was threatened by that…trying to figure out if living was something he still wanted. Coming to a conclusion he turned towards the soldier with the gun. 

This was it then….

“Kill me.” 

His voice was warped and gravely, irritatingly unrecognizable in his ears. He took a step towards the man who despite being larger in size, fell backwards in shock. Edward took another step, watching as the soldier shook more, his eyes widened and his mouth moving as he tried to form words. Edward felt a growl forming, deep in his throat. He wasn’t himself anymore. Nothing mattered.  “ I… I’m a monster… so... please … just… kill me .” He felt his eyes grow wet, but he had pushed his emotions down too far to change his mind.

“I can’t!” The soldier said, “I was ordered not to harm you!” This made Edward scoff. The threat from earlier was just that…only a threat. The soldier had never planned to follow through.

“Then… I’ll do it!” Edward shouted, but as he reached for the gun the man's finger slipped and--

Blood. 

Blood. 

It gushed out of him, covered his hands, soaked his clothes. The soldier threw the gun, running towards him, yelling words that Edward couldn’t make out. The room spun, a roaring noise filling his ears. He fell to the floor with a loud thud, and a puddle formed around him. He couldn’t keep his eyes open.

Edward woke, but this time he just stared at the ceiling, not moving. He lifted his hand, eyes widening at how human it looked, despite the strange stripe-like marks along his skin replacing any scars he once had. He shifted slightly to get a better look and winced, his side feeling like it had been set ablaze. His hand fell to his midsection, feeling the bandages neatly wrapped around him. His vision blurred, the world was spinning, spinning even with his eyes closed … He had lost a lot of blood. 

He had almost killed someone… he had almost killed himself. 

Edward’s eyes stung, thinking of his mother and his brother; of how hurt Alphonse would be if he knew what his older brother had just done. “I….I’m so sorry.” He apologized between sobs. “I don’t know… what came over me.”

He curled into himself, hoping to disappear, hoping everything would stop hurting. He wanted nothing more than to be back with his Mother and brother…. He took it all for granted back then.

That night, he’d dreamt he was the tiger, he was hunting, and consuming creatures. When he woke he found himself unable to fall back asleep the rest of the night.

Chapter Text

Chapter 6 Red

The next time food arrived it was delivered by armed soldiers, again wearing black masks. Edward kept his distance from them. He watched as one of them held his weapon, and the other quickly left the food and slammed the door shut. The way they were acting around him reminded him…all they saw was a monster. You would think that maybe they would have seen him as an ordinary ten year old kid if he hadn’t done what he had…. but they never treated him as a human before he was part tiger either. 

He crept over to the food, and lent down, picking up the porridge. It smelled off, a smell he would have never picked up on when he was a human. He set it back down and picked up the loaf of bread, ignoring the porridge for the time being. If they thought they would drug him again… yeah no. If they wanted him somewhere he was going to walk there himself.

After twenty minutes of waiting the door opened. There were two doctors this time, and accompanying them was a soldier. They stopped, probably shocked when Edward had turned to look back at them. Then one of the doctors noticed the untouched porridge and pointed it out to the other two. The doctors turned to the soldier who returned the look through a black mask. They motioned to the cuffs hanging from his belt and he nodded. 

They approached slowly, eyeing Edward, untrusting of his character after the previous incident. Edward sighed and held out his arms. The soldier stepped forward, taking the cuffs out and clasping them swiftly around each of Edwards wrists. 

He felt a rush of churning anger course through him, something about what Edward was doing angered the tiger. He gritted his teeth, his nostrils flared and he felt himself grow dizzy whilst holding back the rush of twisted emotions. The hairs along Edwards arms bristled, every cell in his body was heated, threatening to return to his other form. It felt like…like he was holding a door closed, and on the other side was the massive golden tiger, trying to pry its way in, clawing, and snarling. It wanted to gain control. “I…I’m not surrendering to them.” He whispered under his breath, hoping the tiger could sense his emotions like he could its own. 

All at once the emotions fizzled out. He let out a shaky breath, feeling his muscles relax.  The soldier seemed perturbed at what seemed like a multitude of expressions passing over Edward’s face in a matter of seconds. The doctors stood silent as well for a moment, before finally one of them pointed towards the door and waved them along.

He was led through hallway after hallway, it was like a winding, never ending maze. He doubted he could map it all out this time around, but he kept note of each turn. 

Right, right, left, right, left… 

The room he was led to was full of doctors. He was met with the blank emotionless stares of their masks. He was led in, and then he was put through a series of tests, mostly medical. Every time they observed him the doctors would nod and write into notepads. It was humiliating and being awake almost seemed worse in a way. 

A doctor approached, a stethoscope held out towards his mouth, he snarled, baring his sharper than normal teeth and watched the doctor flinch back. He snickered in amusement, but… He remembered the face the doctor made at him when he had attacked him…They deserved all of Edward’s hatred… but at the same time it made his stomach churn. He sighed and allowed the doctor’s to run the rest of their tests without any more games.  

——————

Edwards' dreams that night were vastly different than the night before. He saw images of dense jungles, deep canyons, and indescribably beautiful waterfalls. It was peaceful in comparison to the previous dreams and also in comparison to his current reality. At one point the tiger sat high up in a canopy, watching as people went about their lives in a town of strangely tiled roofs. He noticed how beautiful the fashion of, presumably, Xing was. People had long black hair styled in different elaborate ways, and lots of colorful patterned clothing. His mind kept telling him to be scared of them. To be scared of those people, despite them looking so happy and peaceful.

Days passed with no more chemicals hidden in his food, no doctors or tests. Each night he would experience the memories of the tiger in his dreams. Most of the memories were of its food, but the ones Edward most liked were of the scenery and of the people. 

The next dream started with the tiger on the hunt, pressed close to the jungle floor, on the prowl. Edward wanted to wake up, assuming it was another dream of the tiger tearing through helpless animals, but something felt different. A noise alerted him, he crept through the brush slowly.

A human boy stood in a clearing, he appeared very young, looking to be around four or five, and he was practicing some kind of dance. Am I going to witness this kid getting murdered? Edward wished he could close his eyes, but he couldn’t control anything. Before the tiger could lunge for the kill, the boy looked at him and smiled. What the hell? What kind of idiot smiles like that at a murderous animal? The tiger sprung, but the kid quickly avoided his attack, then he did it again, and again. His movements were fluid, but with precision, almost like he was dancing. Soon Edward’s breaths had become painful, he circled the young boy cautiously, trying to figure out the kids' game. The boy spoke, but the language he spoke was not Amestrian. A man appeared beside the young boy, he looked a lot more threatening and held a sheathed weapon.

Then, the tiger lost interest, and chose to favor its own life instead of dealing with humans. It turned tail and ran into the jungle. 

Edward woke up, he gasped for breath, his sheets thrashed about. He got up slowly, closing his eyes, imagining the boy's movements. It was like a dance… but it wasn’t. It was a technique, one that must have taken the kid forever to master- and at the age of 5? It was impressive! Edward felt himself mimicking the dance like stances, trying to figure out every step. 

The dream repeated after that, and each night he would watch as the kid evaded the tiger, each day he practiced the movements. He felt like he had an understanding of it. It wasn’t exact and he knew he was probably missing something, but he was starting to get the hang of the stance and movements.

——————

After months of waiting, and healing from his gun wound, the doctors came back, but this time without the warning of chemically drugged food. They put Edward in chains and dragged him along the maze again. 

They walked him into the center of a large room. One dim light shone down where he stood and the rest of the room was pitch black…or at least he assumed it would be pitch black for most humans. Edward scanned the empty room, he could easily see everything around him in black and white. He watched the doctors slowly make their way out, feeling their way along the wall to the door. Edward stood patiently waiting for directions. However, the directions never came, instead there was a loud thunk, then a series of clanking metal noises followed. Edward spun on his heels to find a large gate had opened. Several animal chimera’s emerged, their aggressive growls filled the silence. Their eyes focused on Edward, reflecting the glow of the lamp above his head.

“What's going on?” Edward asked, but no reply followed. The chimeras circled him, reminding him of how the tiger in his dream had circled the boy. They were looking for an opening. He took his practiced stance, waiting. If they moved… he moved. He took deep breaths, trying to keep calm, trying to hold the tiger back. 

A chimera lunged at him, fangs and talons opened to attack. Almost like a voice was telling him to move, he avoided the chimera by centimeters. Then he did it again, and again, and again. He avoided each attack, finding that he was beginning to get the hang of the movements. It really was almost like dancing! He had never danced around much. Sometimes his mother would put on the radio and a ballet would come on, and they would dance around the living room. He missed those moments. It felt good to move like this again, he could practically hear the music in his memories. He began to laugh and move around swiftly, this was actually kind of fun!

“Stop messing around, dispose of them.” 

Edward’s smile fell, he remembered his situation and he felt a chill run through him. Of course, they didn’t want him to just avoid the other chimera attacks. No…they wanted him to kill these animals. He wouldn’t!  He shook his head. He wasn’t a monster, he was an alchemist. He wasn’t supposed to take away life. He wasn't a dog of the military, he was just a kid!

“ If you do not follow orders and dispose of them, we will seek to end the lives of everyone you hold dear.”

Fear and rage filled Edwards mind in that moment. The door he’d been holding shut in his mind for a month was flung open and he saw red. He felt his body shift in a way it hadn’t done before. His muscles bulked up and he grew taller, his arms covered in fur and his nails grew in length along with his teeth. It wasn’t about morals anymore. It was about survival.

“Next time we give an order. You will not hesitate.”

——————

He was still in shock, his memories of and following the incident were fuzzy. He remembered blood, lots of it. He remembered the voice praising him for following orders. They took him to a room for a shower, replacing his ruined prison garb. Then they pulled him forcefully by chains back to his cell. His stomach and vision were both swimming as they dragged him along through the winding hallways. He was unshackled and shoved back into his room, he stumbled and hit the ground. The fall stung, but all he  could do was stare blankly at the cold, white cement.  As soon as the door closed Edward hurled. His vision swam, his eyes stinging with tears and his throat burned. 

He screamed, throwing his bed, breaking it, tearing into his mattress, slashing at him pillow. He clawed the walls, creating deep marks in the white. He could still feel it, blood all over him, it was soaked into his fur, into his skin. It had stained everything he touched. Everything. The walls, the floor, the bed he’d thrown… everything in his eyes was stained a deep, unsettling red.

——————

The next couple days he stopped eating. This made the doctors and soldiers mad. They threatened him and tried to force him to eat, but he would just throw it up.

He was going to die there…he could barely stand, he’d looked down at his figure, he was skin and bone. 

In the fog of his mind, Edward thought of his mother for the first time in a long while. Maybe…maybe she would be waiting for him?

Would he still be like this…? He wondered if the tiger and his souls were combined as well or if they were still separate despite sharing a body. He wondered if they ever would combine completely, or if trying to fuse two souls was more like oil and water.

He began to snack slowly on a loaf of bread, his stomach growled as he ate and he smiled warily. He had to be strong, if not for himself, then he had to for his Mom, and for Al. He wanted to see his brother again, so he had to eat.

——————

It had been several more months, he had yet to be forced to fight again, but he had gone through several tests. He was tired of it all, he’d wake and roam in circles trying to busy himself with anything he could. This time, he imagined he was walking through Resembool, and imagining that his brother and Winry were next to him.

“Brother it's been so long since we’ve all hung out!” Alphonse said happily, hugging his arm. “We all missed you here while you were away!” He smiled and ruffled his younger brother's hair. It…it was so… realistic.

He couldn’t help grinning ear to ear. He missed this so much more than he could formulate into words. “Sorry Alphonse. I will be sure to visit more often.”

“You better!” Winry said. She pouted and looked back at him. After a second she took a  step back, looking at him suspiciously. “You…”

Edward looked down at his hands, the tiger’s form was taking over. 

“You’re a monster!” Alphonse yelled,  “A MURDERER!” His heart sank, as looked up from his hands, then back at his brother and friend, taking a step, reaching out for them.

“No- I-” The more he reached towards them, the further they became, “No, I didn’t want to I-” Then a familiar voice spoke out to him. 

“ Where were you ?”  

Edward felt his blood run cold as she appeared out of the thick fog that was growing around them now. “Mom.” Her expression was unreadable, hidden by a shadow caste over her face.

“Where were you Ed?” She asked. Edward sank to his knees, his mind was scrambling for a response.

 “Mom…” He felt the tears fall as he shook, “Mom, I was… I was trying to find Dad… I thought… I thought…”

“NO.” His Mom’s voice boomed out shaking him to his core, “YOU ABANDONED US. YOU’RE NO BETTER THAN YOUR FATHER.” Edward’s head shot up, he looked at her enraged expression in distress. He sobbed in shock, red spilled out from behind him, towards her, Alphonse and Winry. It covered the ground like pooling blood, reaching out for them like slithering snakes. Red filled his vision and he could only watch in terror as they were consumed by the red.

  He screamed, opening his eyes to flashing red lights, and the sound of a loud siren going off. 

A dream. It was all a dream.

He caught his breath and stood up, pushing away the sheets and walking over slowly to his door, pressing his ear against it. There was yelling outside. People fighting, and gunfire.

  It was a Jailbreak. 

He took a step back, then pounded his fist on the door. “IN HERE!” He yelled. “I’M IN HERE!” He kept hitting the door, over, and over and over. Pleading for someone to hear him. There were a couple more yells, grunts, and then silence.

“Clear the door.” A deep voice said from the other side. 

Edward moved, covering his head he yelled out for the man to hear, “It’s clear!” The door was forced in a second, it flew inward towards the far wall hitting it with a loud slam that shook the room. Following behind the door was a giant of a man with horns protruding from his forehead. Edward stared at him wide eyed, unaware at first of the tears falling from his eyes. 

The man took deep breaths, his head turned slowly towards Edward. His eyes widening as he carded a hand through his hair in confusion.

“You’re--you're just a kid!” 

“Are… are you here to save me?” Edward asked warily. 

The tall man leant down, meeting Edward at his eye level, “yes. My friends and I are here to help.” 

Edward let out a relieved laugh, which quickly turned into sobs. The taller man reached towards Edward, who flinched away. He pulled his hand back slowly, then rubbed his neck sheepishly.

“My name is Roa.” He said.

“Edward Elric… just Ed though.” Edward said. He stepped slowly towards Roa, “I… I don’t think I have enough energy to run or anything.” The older man nodded and turned his back to Edward, motioning for him to climb on. Edward took a deep breath. Should he leave? Was he worth it? 

Roa pointed toward his horns, a soft smile directed towards Edward. “Don’t worry kid.” he said, “I understand that look you have. We are all like you here. You are worthy of living a life outside these walls just as much as us and just as much as any kid for that matter.” 

Edward let out the breath he was holding, he smiled, leaping onto Roa’s back, the older man carried him, running them out of the room, down the halls. They met up with other escapees; the large group was, although outnumbered, was unparalleled in strength compared to the soldiers and doctors. 

Edward couldn’t handle watching everything though, he buried his face into Roa’s shoulder, closing his eyes, waiting for it all to just be over.

——————

Fresh air.

He opened his eyes, lifting his head just as a cold breeze hit. He couldn’t help but smile as he took in the smells of the outside world for the first time in what had felt like a lifetime. Roa seemed just as stagnant in the face of freedom. A voice called out to them, breaking through the euphoria and swiveling them back to their reality.

“ROA, come on man let's go!” A shorter man with spiky black hair called out to them. A group of people, all dressed in the same garb as Edward stood waiting by a manhole. Roa ran towards them. Edward hid himself slightly behind the older man. He felt…highly aware of himself. It wasn’t a feeling he was used to. He had always been more outgoing compared to other kids his age, but… all those months trapped alone had apparently done a number to his confidence.

“Who is that?” A woman's voice spoke up. Edward peeked up, meeting the green eyes of a blonde woman. She stepped forward, but he hid his face again. “Oh my god.” He heard her whisper in shock. “Roa, is that a kid?”

Roa was still for a moment, but he shifted slightly, nodding. 

“A kid… those sick twisted…” The man with black hair said angrily, then coughed into his hand, “I’m Dolcetto.”

“Martel,” the woman next to him said, then she motioned to a guy next to her. “And this is Bido.” Edward peeked out again, meeting their gazes.

Roa turned to look at him and gave him a gentle smile, “this is Ed.” The other three smiled in greeting before yelling from the facility interrupted the moment.

“We have to go.”  Bido said worriedly, “they could catch up to us at any moment. Let’s get to the rendezvous point he told us about.”

——————

The group walked quickly through the sewers, making as much distance as they could between themselves and the facility. 

Edward leaned over Roa’s shoulder to get a better view of the sewer. “Who are we meeting anyways?” Edward asked. The older man grimaced a bit, “well… we’ve been planning this escape for a couple months now. The guy who we are meeting is our guy on the outside. He’s been getting us information trying to move things along, y’know?”

Dolcetto huffed, “He’s a bit of a dickwad.” As soon as he said this Martel jabbed him in the shoulder, “Ow! Hey, what the hell was that for Marty?!”

“Care to rephrase that in front of the child Dolcetto?” She asked as she motioned towards Edward. Dolcetto rolled his eyes, “as if a boy his age hasn’t heard someone referred to as a dick before. Right kid?”

Edward shook his head, “it's fine” It wasn’t like he had just witnessed hell the past couple months or anything. “Does the dickwad have a name or are we just gonna keep calling him that?” As soon as Edward said this Dolcetto burst out laughing. He kept laughing as they rounded a corner before he squeaked in surprise covering his mouth.

“That’s no way to refer to your new boss.” A very familiar voice said, “Oh hey…it’s you.” In Front of them stood the tall figure that Edward hadn’t seen since the night he and Fernand had been attacked by the escaped chimera. He was dressed in leather, with a fur collar, and had sunglasses that barely covered his eyes.

Dolcetto, having recovered from his shock, looked from Edward to Greed, “You know him?” He asked. 

Rage filled Edward, his grip on Rao’s shoulder tightened but the older man flinched slightly at the kids claw like nails. He looked back at Edward, his eyes widened as he watched Edward's form change. The others noticed as well, including Greed who just stared at him with curiosity. 

“Ed?” Roa asked, now with a slight panic in his voice, “Ed, calm down.”

Edward could feel it taking control, he could feel his breath quicken. “ You.. you could have saved me .” He felt tears prick at his eyes. “ You could have stopped THIS .”

Greed let out a breath of laughter, “I warned you, didn’t I?” He said matter-of-factly. Edward couldn’t hold it back any longer, he felt himself leap from Roa’s shoulders. It was like he was moving in slow motion, Roa grabbed him, and the lizard-like guy with a nasally voice, Bido, got in between him and Greed. Greed himself looked unfazed by Edwards outburst.

“Stop it!” Bido yelled. “Don’t hurt Mr. Greed! He freed us, we should be thankful for that!” Edward stopped struggling in Roa’s grip, but he continued to stare holes through the homunculus. 

“Damn.” Dolcetto said, staring wide eyed at the scene. “That’s…” Edward shrank back, highly aware again of their eyes on him. They were afraid… they thought he was a monster too… they thought-- “That’s a pretty damn cool look.” Dolcetto finally said. Cool? They…thought he was…cool? Edward looked around at the others. Martel looked, impressed? Roa looked slightly worried, but held a smile. Bido, nodded along with Dolceto’s opinion. Then there was Greed, the smug bastard crossed his arms and exhaled, his eyes crinkling in amusement. 

He let out a quick breath of disbelief, unable to grasp how they could think what he was…was…Cool. They weren’t scared of him. Unlike the doctors, unlike the soldiers, unlike anyone he’d seen in over a year. They were like him and they thought he was cool! He couldn’t help the small, wobbly smile that crept to his face at the thought. But…There was still the elephant in the room. Greed. The homunculus had been there… he had known about Fernand's plans and didn’t stop it. The homunculus huffed, drawing Edward’s attention.

“I’m not a good guy.” Greed said, almost like he could read Edwards mind. “Don’t get that twisted in your brain, kid.” He walked over and leant down in front of Edward, meeting him at eye level. “I’m Greed, I’m greedy . I take, and I don’t give back, you hear? I only want the best things in life. My possessions… And I can’t protect those things all by myself. ” He stood up, ruffling Edwards hair. “With that… I suppose I only have one thing to say.” Greed turned to walk away, “welcome to team Greed Kid.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 7: Disguise

“No.” Edward said. He stood shakily, wiping at his face, fur catching the saliva that he’d spat in his rage. He shook his head. He could feel it all, all of the emotions he’d repressed for months, bubbling beneath the surface. He had to go home, he had a whole life to return to. He looked around at the other’s. They were all likely chimera’s like he and Roa. 

“You don’t get a choice, kid.” Greed said, his voice eerily calm despite the obvious annoyed expression he was wearing. “It’s either join us, or die at the hands of… those people chasing us .” The rest of the group stayed silent, their choices already made. Blindly follow the one who had freed them.

Edward felt… angry, but he also felt a swell of other emotions. Confusion, sadness, frustration… all of them. He had felt trapped for so long, he’d suppressed his emotions. He had felt like he was left with no choice but to do that. Now he was trapped again and he didn’t get a choice? No. No!

 “ I want to go home.” He said through clenched teeth. “ I need to see my brother Al…and my friend Winry…I need to let them know I am ok.” 

Greed shook his head , “ That's what they are expecting you to do.” He said. “The government of Ametris is complex… not all of them are after us. Some aren’t even aware of our existence, but the ones who are… they won’t rest till they find you.” Edward scanned his face, trying to figure out if he was bluffing, just trying to convince Edward to tag along so he could be one of his lackey’s. Greed however didn’t break, he held his gaze with a very serious expression. “I don’t like lying, kid.” He said taking a step back. “I mean… have I lied to you before?” Edward scoffed at the homunculus, but… it was true…the guy hadn’t lied to him. He had also made it clear that Edward did have a choice. Leave with them… or… 

A sound interrupted his thoughts, it was… footsteps. His ears twitched, as he looked down the tunnel. “They are in the sewers.” He muttered. “They…” He turned to the other’s. “They are approaching.”

“I hear them as well. We need to move now.” Dolcetto assured the rest.

Martel nodded, “right.” They started walking, Bido following, but stopped realizing the other three hadn’t budged. Martel turned and marched towards them angrily.

“We don’t have time for this!” She hissed. “They will be here any minute!”

Greed ignored her, his focus on Edward whose gaze had fallen to the floor. “So?” What will you choose? There wasn’t much of a choice. Edward glared up at him. 

“Fine, I’ll join you— BUT only temporarily!” Edward said, then he raised his index finger towards Greed. “And you have to promise me. You will let me go when I am reunited with my brother.”

 Greed let out a laugh and patted Edward's shoulder, “I promise!” Then he winked, “and I keep my promises!”

“Let's go!” Martel said again, this time dragging Greed away. 

“Oh, how I love a strong woman!” Greed said as he made a mock lovestruck expression. 

“Shut it or die.” Martel answered as she dragged him away. “Come along you two!” Edward went to follow, but faltered into a dizzy spell. His legs wobbled warily in place, and he remembered how exhausted he had been. A hand fell onto his shoulder, reminding him that Roa was just behind him.

“Need me to carry you still?” He asked, the older man looked concerned. Edward felt warm and fuzzy inside, realizing that for the first time in a long time he had people around looking out for him.

——————

They spent several days in the sewers. It was dark, damp, foul-smelling, and was never ending! They followed Greed blindly, stopping when they needed a break, and eating whatever the homunculus could scrounge for them. Edward learned about the other chimera’s during this time. Martel was part snake, Dolcetto part dog, Bido was partially some kind of lizard and Roa was part ox. Edward also found himself opening up to the others and learning about them in return. 

“I understand your pain.” Martel said as they rested and ate. “I have a younger sister who lives here in Central. I would do anything to see her again as well.”

“Then why don’t you?” Edward asked. “We’re here, aren’t we?”

Martel returned his suggestion with a sad smile, “I would, but I don’t want to put her in danger.” She folded into knees, “and I don’t want to spook her if she thinks I’m dead.”

“Dead?” Edward asked. The other chimera looked unsurprised by this information. 

“Proclaimed dead by the military.” She explained. “It’s the excuse they used while they experimented on us according to Greed.” 

Dolcetto nodded, “It’s unsurprising, our families were prepared to face that kind of message since we had all fought in the Ishvalan war. It was all conveniently believable for the government to lie about any of us.” He grimaced. “It all started when we made a choice, and defended an Ishvalan Child.”

Martel held a hand up to her mouth, looking distraught at the mention of the incident.

 “Dolcetto and I were found out by a state alchemist who attacked us and the child. Bido defied his own orders and defended us despite the alchemist threats to him. The alchemist had us all knocked out and sent here, to the prison.” 

Edward sat in shocked silence, feeling almost sick. “I… that sounds awful.”

Martel nodded, “it was. Then those experiments they did took the scars from that war away…” She lifted a hand to the right side of her face, “it was all horrid looking…my scars, just awful, but it was what I deserved after what I did in that war.” They all sat quietly, for a moment Edward thought the conversation had hit an end before Roa spoke.

“The scars are still there.” 

Martel and the others looked at him in confusion. She touched her face again, her eyebrows creased. “They are?”

“They aren’t visible, but they are there.” Roa said motioning to his own head. “Our memories can be scars as well. Just like scars do, they fade with time, but they are always there.” 

Martel looked at him with watery, widened eyes and nodded. Roa leaned his head back, looking at the ceiling of the sewer, letting out a sigh.

“I…” He looked uncomfortable, shifting slightly and coughing into his hand. “I had turned on the other soldiers in my squad.” He admitted. “I protected the Ishvalans. Then I deserted… When they caught me, they knocked me out, then brought me here.” No one asked him why he did what he did. No one needed to. They all understood the pain the war had caused. The amount of atrocities the soldiers had committed. Anyone could snap from that kind of pressure. The scars for them all ran deep. 

The conversation moved to lighter topics after that, trying their best to shift the mood. By the time they had started sharing funny stories Greed arrived back from wherever he had gone off to. He sat nearby and listened, laughing at the others' antics as they goofed around making a comment here and there. Edward found himself laughing as well, enjoying their company. He took a moment in his mind, soaking in the good memories as much as he could, because he never knew how long this sort of thing could last.

——————

They arrived at a dead end, the only way left for them was up. 

“We are all going to take on disguises.” Greed explained. He leaned into the ladder and turned to everyone. “I will need you all to keep out of sight until me and Martel return.

“Wait- you want me to go with you?” Martel asked, she looked nervous, “I mean… I can't exactly go out with this on.” She motioned to her prison garb.

Don’t worry, I had it all planned out!” Greed said, pulling clothes from his bag. “While I was getting everyone food and stuff I swiped you an outfit.”

Martel took the clothes, staring at them with an unsure expression. 

“You don’t like it?” Greed asked curiously. 

“While I don’t particularly go for this style usually…” Martel said, then she sighed., “it's not that.” She looked at the others, “It’s just…Why me?”

“Well….” Greed smiled, “You are the most normal looking of the group and--”

“Hey!” Dolcetto yelled, “I’m normal looking too!”

“ Cool it spike , that's not the only reason.” Greed hissed at him. He turned back to Martel. “It’s also because you probably know more about makeup, clothes and hair than any of these schmucks combined.” 

“I see your point.” Martel said. “Well then…” She motioned for them all to turn away and began to change.

While the other two were away the rest of the group slept, taking shifts staying awake. They allowed Edward to sleep the most as he was still gathering his strength. 

He hadn’t had a single dream of the tigers' memories since leaving his cell. He missed it slightly, omitting the parts where the tiger hunted and ate, the rest of the memories were nice. It gave him an escape while he was trapped, and a part of him wondered if that's why the dreams had surfaced in the first place.   

He shifted himself slightly, his head against Roa’s side. He stared at a brick on the far wall for a good moment, waking up slowly.

“Hey Ed… you awake?” Roa’s voice asked. Edward yawned and sat up slowly. 

“Yeah.”

“I was wondering.” Roa said. He looked at the other two and Edward followed his gaze. Bido and Dolcetto were both fast asleep. He turned back to Edward, looking unsure. “...Well… not sure if it's really my place… but you seem to be holding in a lot. I don’t mean to pry or anything, I’ve just noticed that....” He scratched his head. “....er… I just wanted to let you know if you need to talk; I’m here for you.”

Edward grimaced slightly, was it really that noticeable? He sighed and rubbed his eyes.

Roa looked worried, “uh-Sorry--”

“No, it's fine.” Edward assured him. He looked at Roa, and smiled, “thanks…it means a lot.” He leaned his head back, staring at the arched brick ceiling of the sewer. “It’s the tiger… its…” He frowned. “If I feel too strongly about something my appearance will change and if I am angry enough, it takes control.” He felt his face burn as he talked, Roa placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Deep breaths,” He instructed calmly. Edward nodded and took a shaky breath in, held it, and let it out. 

Edward continued. “If I talk about something that I feel too strongly about, I may lose control. That’s why I’m holding things in.” 

“Start small then.” Roa suggested. “Tell me something small about yourself, or about your past. You don’t have to finish telling me anything and you don’t have to tell me everything all at once.”

Edward nodded, he took a breath. “Well… When I was six… our Dad left us.” He felt a rage build inside, but he took a long pause, and took deep breaths. 

“I’m sorry to hear that…” Roa said, giving him a sympathetic look, “you are doing good. Don’t push yourself.”

Edward nodded. He felt a tear roll down his face. “Mom…was strong for us.” He felt the rage boiling, his face burned. “She never showed the hurt outright. It made me mad.” He took more deep breaths, stopping. “I think that's all I can do right now.”

“You did good.” Roa said ruffling Edwards' hair. “I am proud of you.” 

He laughed, shoving Roa away. Happier emotions swelled in Edward, and he couldn’t help but smile. 

——————

“Rise and shine bitches!” Greed’s voice called down at them accompanied by the blinding light of the outside on their faces. There was a smacking sound followed by Greed yelping in surprise. “Ow! What was that for?”

Martel didn’t answer as she pushed past him into the sewer. “Sorry we took so long.” 

“No need to apologize Marty!” Dolcetto said as he excitedly pushed himself upright to greet them. “We all got plenty of sleep.”

“God I wish that were me.” Martel sighed as she plopped a large bag down and opened it. “While there wasn’t a big selection we got as much as we could.” She said as she began to pass out the clothes. 

Edward was pleasantly surprised at how well his clothing fit. The shirt and pants were comfortable and easy to maneuver in. The long dress coat was slightly large, but he figured he’d grow into it in the next couple months. He smiled, reveling in how fresh and nice it all was; he had been so sick of the same old prison garb.

Roa fidgeted with the hat he was given. “You have a good eye Martel.” He complimented.

Martel grinned at him, “thanks.” She did a little twirl in her new outfit, which was mostly the same despite a pair of pants replacing the skirt Greed had originally picked out. “I had to veto Greed on a lot of his…choices.” She glared at the homunculus who was too busy goofing off with Dolcetto and Bido to notice. Then she turned back to them, “I don’t think he knows what ‘disguise’ means. We would have stuck out like a sore thumb if it was all up to him!” 

“I can imagine…” Roa said and laughed. “Was he a handful?”

“You don’t even know the half of it.” She said laughing with him. 

Edward smiled, sticking his hands in his pockets, “this is a nice coat.” Martel nodded as she turned and began to look through the bag again.

“We also got hair dye, hair clippers and some makeup.” She motioned to him, “you have those tiger stripes all over you. They look cool, but they are too noticeable.”

Edward shrank into his coat, “yeah…” He reached up and touched his hair. It was longer now, almost reaching his shoulders. He liked having it long, but he knew that it would stick out too much. “I think I could use a trim as well… and maybe the hair dye?”

Martel nodded, taking out the clippers and other materials. 

“Do you like it?” Martel asked, she took a step away from him as he stared at his reflection in the small mirror which came with one of the makeup sets. He reached up, running a hand through his hair. It was short and black, it was unrecognizable to his old cut. It was different…and with the markings covered up it was like he was looking at a stranger. He didn’t really know what to make of the mess of feelings he felt along with it. 

He shrugged. “Yeah, I think so.” He looked at the others, everyone looked completely different with their new outfits. Well, not totally everyone.

“—uh, hey Mr. Greed… I don’t think this is going to work.” Bido motioned to his tail sticking out of the trench coat. The smaller man was dressed fancily with a cap on his head to help cover his marks.

Greed leant down and examined the tail. “Say…what kind of lizard were you mixed with anyhow?” He asked.

“I don’t know. Gecko maybe?” Bido said with a distraught expression.

“I think we will have to cut it off then.” Greed said.

“WHAT?!” Bido screeched in surprise, holding his tail close to him. “You must be joking! Isn’t there some other way to hide it?!”

Edward didn’t know a whole lot about Geckos, but there was one thing he did know. “… if you really are part gecko. It should pop off easily if you feel threatened.” He explained.

“Well, I’m feeling a fair bit threatened right now!” Bido cried holding his tail closer.

“It shouldn’t hurt.” Roa reassured him.

Bido looked apprehensive, but he nodded and let go of his tail. “Just do it quickly.” He said, hiding his head into his elbow. Greed came forward with the ultimate shield covering a raised arm. In one swift motion he brought the hand down, but before he even touched the tail it popped off. Greed threw it away in disgust and the tail continued to wriggle a while before stopping. The group stood silently staring down at the limb.  Greed gave Bido a pat on his shoulder. 

“Hh. Well, that works.”

After a moment Roa turned to Greed, “So what's our cover story?” He asked. 

Greed was dressed in a plaid blazer, black dress pants, nice shoes and black shades. He also wore gloves to cover up his tattoo.

“We are a family visiting from out of town. I’m the Father obviously, since I am in charge. Martel will be the mother, Edward is our son.”

“Like hell will I call you my—“ Edward said angrily. He felt a hand rest of his shoulder and met Roa’s understanding gaze. 

Greed laughed. “You won’t need to say anything at all, especially with those fangs of yours. I will do all the talking.” He explained. “Anyways…Roa you will play the Grandpa, and Dol and Bido can be the Uncles. 

“Alright. Sounds good….” Roa said, patting Greed's shoulder. “My son.” Greed’s face contorted into anguish and Edward did not even try to hold back his laughter at the sight. 

——————

They stepped out into the sunlight. It was overwhelming, but nice. The road they were on wasn’t busy, no traffic or people. It was a small neighborhood on the outer end of Central. A paper boy rounded a corner, passing them by on a bike and tilting his hat at them in greeting. Edward waved, giving him a small smile. 

Greed motioned down the road. “That way.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 8: Ghost

After being stuck in prison for roughly a year and a half, traveling, as it turned out, was something they all needed. It felt good to stretch their legs, enjoy some sun and explore. It had been a couple months and they had managed to travel through a couple towns and while they did their best to blend in, they’d slip up and sometimes barely got themselves out of situations with the military chasing them.

Edward learned a lot more about the other chimera’s during these travels. He learned that Bido’s family were herbalists and that he had planned to follow in their footsteps before the war. “My friends were all joining in the fight and I was egged on to join alongside them.” He had explained. 

Dolcetto bragged about his ability with swords, and to his credit the other chimera’s even praised his abilities, having witnessed them. “I want to get myself a new set of swords eventually so I can continue practicing. I can’t give up on it now and let my sword master down.”

Edward and Roa would separate from the others every once in a while so Edward could open up and talk through his repressed emotions. He’d worked his way up to the moment he’d gotten kidnapped. The inferno-like rage he felt about the facility wasn’t dying any time soon though. Roa understood the struggle he had getting through it. All of the other chimera’s probably would. During their chats Roa began to talk about himself as well. Edward learned that Roa had been raised by his Grandmother and had a dream of becoming a therapist. He had been pestered to join the military for several years due to his size and strength, but only joined after his Grandmother’s death, which he had taken hard since she was his only family left.

Martel would talk to him about her sister and ask about his brother. She’d also ask about his hobbies and appeared genuinely interested in what he liked. “So you and your brother taught yourselves alchemy?” She asked. “You have to show me!” He did his best to recollect the basics and created a small figurine of a rabbit for her. He felt a bit self conscious about how rusty he had gotten, despite the obvious reasons. 

Out of everyone in their group Greed was the only one to never open up about his past. He never instigated a chat about his interest, or hobbies either. He seemed to stick to himself unless he was needed or if he needed them for something. Sometimes he would interact with the others when they were in high spirits, but for the most part he alienated himself. Almost like he was scared to grow closer to them. 

One night while camping in their travels. Edward watched the homunculus lean against a nearby tree. His gaze was focused on the others preparing dinner unaware of the younger boy’s eyes on him. Edward rubbed his eyes, thinking his mind was playing tricks on him, but no, it wasn’t. The guy was smiling. Not his usual smirk or mischievous grin, but an actual genuine smile. Edward wanted to call out, to poke fun at him, but something inside his mind told him not to. Instead he turned away to focus on his own tasks. Greed might not think of himself as good, but he did cherish the things and people he had. Which was a lot more than some folk did. Edward returned to watching the fire, poking at it with a stick, clearing his thoughts and listening to the others bicker and joke; a small smile of his own formed as he did.

——————

Spitting out steam, the train slowed to a halt in the station. The train doors opened and he stepped out of the passenger car. Without wasting another second, he ran towards the platform entrance, stopping as soon as he reached sunlight. He took in a deep breath of the familiar county air and smiled at his surroundings. Edward was home, he was in a Resembool.

 Resembool's train platform wasn’t very lively. A few farmers were at work in a field across the way, and there were two military soldiers stationed, both highly engrossed in a card game. Other than the occasional bird call and cricket, it was completely empty and quiet. 

It had taken them nearly half a year to work their way there, but finally, after months of evading the military they had done it. 

Greed groaned as they walked, “this is the most boring place I’ve ever been.”

“Hey, this is my hometown you're talking about!” Edward reminded him looking back at the Homunculus with a glare, which made huff and rolled his eyes.

“What did you do for fun here? Play: let's watch the grass grow?”

Edward felt his face twitch, “It’s almost like you're trying to make me attack you.” Greed let out another loud huff and rolled his head back in annoyance.

Martel walked ahead of him, her hands folded behind her back and a skip in her step. “If it helps, I like it here…” She said, closing her eyes and enjoying the breeze, “It's peaceful and quiet; nothing like the city.” She stretched her arms up and let out a sigh of relief. They walked in silence, enjoying nature. Greed, although he had complained, seemed to be enjoying himself as well. After a couple minutes they were growing closer to his home, but Edward had one small detour to take. He turned off the dirt road and followed a path over the hill, the others followed behind curiously. They all froze as they realized where Edward had led them too. Greed looked at him in confusion, “Why are we at the cemetery? Don’t tell me you live here.”

“No, but I do have to visit someone really quick.” He said walking through the rows, searching for one name in particular. Then he found it, up on a hill, next to the Rockbells. Trisha Elric, it read. He wobbled, sinking to his knees. Everything hit him at once, this was real, this was his reality. He had known she was gone, but after years away he hadn’t fully processed that it was true. He… couldn’t save her. He wanted to sob and scream, but all he could do was stare blankly at the headstone, tracing the engraved letters with his shaky fingers. Someone kneeled down next to him, he could tell it was Martel. 

“Is…is this your Mom?“ she asked quietly.

 He sniffed, wiping at his face, “...yeah.” 

“I wish I could have met her.” Martel told him, “I’m sorry that we couldn’t get you to her sooner.”

“It's not like we had the ability to.” Edward said. He sighed, wiping his face with his sleeve. “I should have been here for Alphonse from the start, instead I was off playing hero.”

Roa stepped closer, “Don’t be too hard on yourself kid.” he said, “you are and were a kid and you were scared. You had a reason for leaving and it was to seek help. Anyone would have done that if they could.”

His throat and eyes burned, but he held down his emotions so as to not provoke the tiger from appearing, though currently the tiger was dormant. He opened his mouth to speak, thinking about Alphonse, about the Rockbells, wondering how they felt about his leaving… how they still felt. Then he turned to the others slightly, keeping his head lowered. His voice cracked as he spoke through all of the emotions he was holding down. “Do…you think they will forgive me?” He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself as he waited for someone's response, but no one answered him. He looked up in confusion and Greed silently pointed to the Gravestone next to Edward. 

Edward Elric, 1899-1909

Beloved son, brother and friend. 

Air blew through his nose in disbelief. “I uh, well, huh...it's kind of surreal to be visiting my own grave. I guess they gave up on finding me…”

Martel shook her head, “no Ed..” She ran a hand through her hair, looking at him, “I… I don’t think that's the case. They probably told your family those lies. Just like they did to ours.”

——————

As they approached the home of the Elric’s Bido stopped, and stared upward at it with a worried expression. “Is anyone getting a weird vibe about this place?” 

Edward looked back at him, “what do you mean?”

“I don’t want to sound rude or anything, but It feels almost like this house itself isn’t supposed to be here…like it's a ghost or something” Bido explained. Edward turned back to the house and looked it up and down, the yard around it was slightly overgrown and the outside was looking a little worse for wear…he supposed it did look a little eerie. 

“Hm. I can see it.” Edward said, “it looks abandoned.”

Dolcetto pinched his nose, “Doesn’t seem healthy to live in either. I can smell the mold and mildew from here. I almost don’t want to go in.”

Roa placed a hand on Edward’s shoulder, “Maybe your brother moved?” Edward stared up at his childhood home, his gut twisted sorrowfully at the thought of the place, so special to him, where he was the happiest he had been ever in his life…just standing empty and forgotten. He couldn’t blame Alphonse for leaving though.

“...It would be better than staying here alone.” Edward approached the door. It was locked. “Damn.” He swore angrily as he jiggled the handle, “I guess I should have expected that.” 

Greed placed a hand to his chin, inspecting the door closely before turning to Edward. An excited glint in his eye. “Need us to break it down?” 

“Nah, I got this.” Edward said, waving his hand and ignoring the disappointed look Greed gave him. He knew his mother always kept a spare key hidden somewhere on the porch. “Where is it…” He said picking up the flower pots. “There!” He picked the key up, it was rusted, but it would still work.

He opened the door, the aforementioned moldy stench hit him full force. He quickly  pinched his nose, but despite the smell, he walked in. He was followed by the others, who all covered their noses as well. Yeah, Alphonse is definitely not living here…maybe he lives with the Rockbells?

Several other smells lingered in the house, the smell of wood, dust, stale food…and…a very faint smell of… He looked around, trying to figure out where the last smell was coming from. As he looked about he noticed an open drawer with folded papers. He opened the very top one, reading it. It was a letter, addressed to him. 

Dear Ed,

It’s been a couple months since you're passing. I’ve continued my studies into Alchemy, but recently I had hit a stump in my research. Earlier this week a couple had come into town and the wife helped us stop the river from flooding into the crops. She was incredible! You should have seen the way she used Alchemy. She could transmute without even using a circle, all she had to do was clap her hands together, almost like she was praying. I am still wrapping my mind around it. Her name is Izumi Curtis; she promised to take me as a pupil. I’m excited to learn. Maybe someday I can help people with my alchemy like she had done for our town.

I don’t know if I will keep up with these letters from here…but know that I miss you more than anything. 

You're little brother,

Al

There were several letters in the drawer, he went through them, skimming through each one. Although they were addressed to him he felt slightly as if he was snooping into a personal journal or diary. Alphonse wrote about his discoveries in alchemy, about his days spent with the Rockbells, and his struggles living alone without Edward and their Mom. Then the letters stopped, presumably when he left to stay with his teacher. 

The other chimera stood silently near the entrance, watching him stack the letters and place them back into the drawer, closing it. He took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves, but then the smell hit him again. It was…weird. He would know it anywhere, the familiar stench of blood. Curiously, he walked deeper into the home, searching through the rooms. He probably looked like a madman to the others.

Greed motioned to Edward who was looking under all the counters. “What's got him all worked up?” 

Dolcetto turned to where Greed pointed, he had both his hands covering his nose and mouth. “I believe…it has to do with that faint stench of blood.”

 Edward turned to him, “Can you tell where it's coming from?! I feel like I’m going crazy.”

“Uh everywhere…maybe? Let me think.” Dolcetto let go of his nose and sniffed the air, he wheezed and looked close to tears. He covered his face again, a pained look in his eyes as he turned to Edward. “It's…below us.”

“In the floorboards?” Martel asked.

“No, the basement.” Edward said and quickly headed to where he remembered the stairs being. However he was met with a brick wall. “What the… the entrance was right here.”

Bido approached warily, “Something bad must have happened for them to have hid it. Maybe… we shouldn’t—”

Edward patted the wall, turning to Roa. “Can you break through this?” 

“Of course.” Roa said, readying himself. He yelled and ran forward full force into the brick wall, breaking through it, causing dust to fly everywhere as he disappeared into the dark. The sounds following were a string of curses as the older man fell down the steps.

Dolcetto winced. “Oh shit.”

Martel ran over, covering her mouth when she got near the dust. “Roa! Are you ok?!” she called down into the dark. They all held their breath for a couple seconds before Roa let out a pained groan. 

“I’m…alright…I should have thought that...through… a little more.”

Edward carefully stepped over the rubble and down the steps. “Sorry Roa.” 

“It's ok Ed.” The older man said as he sat up and rubbed his head, “I’m built like an ox remember? I can survive a little tumble…huh…” Something caught Roa’s eye and he turned toward it. “…what is…?” 

What looked to be some sort of transmutation circle was drawn in the center of the basement; however it was obscured by some crusty, dried tar-like substance. Nearby the circle was a strangely patterned pool of dried blood. The sight of which made Edwards stomach churn violently.

“What the hell.” Edward said standing stiffly over the scene, “this…what is… this…?” 

Greed walked over calmly with his hands tucked into his pockets, he inspected the scene curiously.  “Yeah… I’m sure I know what this is.” He observed.

“What..?” Edward asked, unable to tear his eyes from the wretched scene.

“Looks like a human transmutation circle.” Greed explained leaning down and inspecting it closely, “doesn’t seem very promising for whoever used it…”

Did Alphonse do this? Why…? Edward sank to his knees next to a large puddle of what-looked-like dried blood on the cold cement floor. It couldn’t be his brother's blood…right? He gasped out, gripping the sides of his head as images of the chimera’s bodies flashed into his mind. In his current state he couldn’t suppress the memories of the creatures crying out in pain as he—as he…He imagined his brother, crying out in pain, reaching out for someone to help, just as the chimera’s had done. He felt his breath quicken, his head was pounding loudly as if it were a ticking bomb making his vision blur. He looked down at his hands and there was blood, so much blood . He looked around, and everything was blurring and muffled. He had to suppress it. He had to hold it in. He gasped the air like he was being pulled under water. He tried to move back, towards the stairs, but his legs weren’t listening to him, weren’t letting him stand. He sobbed, gasping between tears. He couldn’t stop it all. He couldn’t stop it.

 “Eeeed……Eed….Ed!” Everything was swirling around him, he was falling.  “Ed!” Martel yelled as she caught him, “are you ok, what’s happening?” Ed’s throat felt like fire, his chest constricted as he tried to gulp down a lump in his throat.

“Breath Ed.” Roa said, “Like we practiced.”

“I…..” Edward gasped for air, “I…….didn’t…..I didn’t want…to hurt them.” He closed his eyes, as he struggled to breath. Everything was still muffled, but he suddenly heard a hum and a hand combing through his hair. “ It’s ok. ” A voice whispered softly, “ you're ok .” At this point Edward had almost passed out and couldn’t decipher dream from reality.

 “M-Mom?” He asked, his voice stammering. The hand stopped for a second before continuing. 

“You're going to be ok.” 

Chapter Text

Chapter 9: Homunculus

Edward woke up to a cold breeze. He blinked a couple times before registering he was outside under a tree. A face appeared above him and he realized he was leaning against Martel. 

“Ed?” She asked.

Edward blinked, feeling the tears prick at his eyes. “I’m sorry.” He whispered. 

Dolcetto squatting down next to them. “There's nothin’ to apologize for.” The rest of the group were sitting around the tree, but keeping their distance.

“I know… but I still feel bad… For… freaking out . It could have gotten a lot worse than it did. I could have hurt you…” Edward said he felt himself shake as he wiped away the tears.

“Nah.” Greed said and laughed. “You couldn’t even hurt a fly, let alone help us hunt the past couple months!”

“I have… hurt people before.” Edward admitted before he could think. “I’ve killed…not people… but chimera’s”

Martel's eyes widened, “what…?” Edward pushed himself away from her, making as much distance as he could and curling into his knees. The others looked at each other in worry. Roa stood frozen, most shocked by his sudden confession. 

He walked towards Edward, a hand reaching out, “Ed...” Edward flinched away. 

“ Don’t come close to me .” He warned Roa, “I’m… sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I was… scared . The memories of that place…” He shuddered looking away from them, feeling ill. A hand grabbed his wrist, pulling him forward into a hug. He squirmed, feeling himself hiss in shock. “I just told you not to--” “Sorry.” Roa said, his voice different than it usually was. His whole body shook and Edward realized. He looked around at the others, besides Greed, everyone looked sympathetic. “I’m so sorry they did that to you,” Roa said. “They were all terrible people.”

“I--I almost killed…. One of them.” Edward sobbed. “I know they were terrible, but when I did that I felt like I was no better. I felt like a monster.” He took a deep breath, feeling himself transforming, for the first time in a long while. “I begged for them to kill me, I ended up getting shot. Then, a couple months later… they made me… kill chimera’s, three of the animal hybrids they had made. I was forced to do it…they threatened to kill what little family I have left.” As Edward said this he began to feel more and more nauseous.

“Oh man.” Martel said, holding her face in her hands. “Oh Ed, I…I can’t imagine how that—“

“What bothered me the most…was that...'' he held his head in his hands, “in the midst of it all, I began to enjoy it.” Then he let out a billowing sob. “The tiger in me wanted to do those horrible things. It’s been intruding into my thoughts and when it finally got its wish…the feeling was… exhilarating . I hated it, I hate it, I hate it ! I don’t want to be a monster!” The air was quiet, except for Edwards' ragged breaths as he tried to quiet his crying. 

“Kid.” Roa said after a second. “All of us,” He motioned to the others, “we have been on the forefront of a war. We’ve all killed…even though none of us wanted to. We had to end human lives. The people in charge during that war were our tigers.” He took a breath and looked around at the others, then back towards Edward. “The difference between a monster and a human…is if they can see their wrongs and if they can admit to it.” He looked around at the others, then looked back at Edward. “We are here for you.” Roa said. “You are not alone.” One by one the others joined in the hug, besides Greed who merely placed a hand on Edwards head, but that was enough. 

“We are here for you kid.” 

——————

The group, besides Dolcetto who opted to remain outdoors, made their way into Hohenheim's study. Greed wandered ahead and began observing the piles of books strewn about.

“So, we are….stealing books?” 

“Borrowing, and just a couple Alchemy books.” Edward explained to him as he leant down and picked up a few. “I haven’t had a chance to practice in a while and I’ve got a lot of catching up to do before I meet Alphonse again.”

“I…think I missed something.” Bido said worriedly following the others in, “what was the consensus on that? Did you want to seek him out still or…?”

Edward started working on a pile of books to take with him. “I… think I will need to work on controlling my emotions more before I do. I know you all can handle it, but I am worried what could happen if it were just me and him and I lost control of myself.”

“Well, you are pretty quick to anger..” Greed said with an amused look. 

“I’m working on it!” Edward said angrily before realizing he wasn’t making much of an example. The homunculus ignored him and picked up one of the figurines and started inspecting it. 

“You and your brother sure had strange ways of practicing alchemy.”

Edward rolled his eyes as he flipped through the pages of a book he’d read. “Like you know anything.”

Greed laughed and motioned at himself, “well… I was made with alchemy.” Edward looked back at him, watching as Greed tossed the small figurine in the air and catch it. “I’m not too different from these figurines, except I have something they don’t have.”

Edward squinted at him skeptically, “and… that is?”

“A philosopher stone.” 

“A….what?” Edward turned, giving the homunculus his full attention. This was the first time Greed had ever willingly opened up about himself since their travels began. Shoot, if Edward said he wasn’t curious about the guys past he’d be lying.

“It’s a “stone” like material, created by alchemists of the past. It can be used to create without the need of equivalent exchange.” Greed held out his hand and a red liquid bubbled up out of his palm, but as soon as it arose it formed into a smooth hard stone. Edward felt like he had…seen one before. He racked his brain, trying to remember where. The facility? Edward examined it curiously, moving closer reaching his hand out to touch it, but Greed pulled it away from him and closed his palm. “This is what keeps me alive.” He said sternly. “So…it's kind of like my soul in a way. I can’t let anyone else have it.” 

Edward nodded, “so… how is it made? You said an alchemist made it?”

Greed’s mouth formed a line and he looked uncomfortable. “If I told you it would be going against my creators wishes.”

“Wait…” Martel looked over at him confused, “But isn’t that what you are all about?” Greed groaned and placed a hand to his head as he did. He shook his head.

“No…well… I don’t do what Father wants anymore, but If I went directly against him that's a deathwish, and sharing any information about the philosopher stones creation could also be a deathwish if it got out to the other homunculi that I blabbed.”

Roa gave Greed a confused look, “You have a father…?” 

“Other homunculi?” Edward asked. “You aren’t the only one?” 

Greed shook his head, holding up seven fingers, “nope. There are seven of us in total, and I am the only one not directly following orders. Technically, they would try to kill me if they found me, but there are more pressing things for them to focus on right now that overrule seeking me out.”

Edward scratched his head. Great… more people to be wary of… 

“You should give us descriptions of them…” Roa suggested, “just in case we bump into one of them.” Greed looked contemplative.

“That's…a good idea. I will fill you in about them on our way out. First, we should focus on what we are nabbing.” Greed said.

Edward looked at the pile of books then back at Greed. “One more thing…Greed, you are made with Alchemy, and you have a stone that can bypass normal alchemic rules. Do you know how to do alchemy, and are you able to perform it yourself?”

Greed frowned. “Well, I hold a good portion of knowledge on the subject. I didn’t inherit the knowledge of it or anything from Father. I just got bored one time in my many, many years of, what some would call a life, and read up on it. The only issue is that I can’t actually perform it myself. Since I was created and not born; I am incomplete in comparison to a human. I can’t access the tectonic plates or anything like you human alchemists can do. All I can do is use my philosopher's stone, but since that is what keeps me rolling I’d rather not sap on the life force I have in me.”

Edward nodded along. So the philosopher stone isn’t a limitless object, it can run out. Edward tapped his chin in thought, “could you… hm…” He looked down at his books again, “is there anything in this room that you don’t know of?”

Greed raised an eyebrow, but stood straight and scanned over the room of books. “I don’t think so… I know about as much on the subject as any State Alchemist would.” 

Edward took a deep breath. God. If there is a God. Don’t let this backfire on him.

“ Could you….teach me alchemy?” Edward asked.

“I’m sorry…” Greed said, leaning over him with a smug expression. “What was that?”

“COULD YOU TEACH ME ALCHEMY!” Edward shouted.

Greed leaned back with a cackle, “well well well!”

Edward huffed, glaring daggers at the homunculus. “Actually, you know what? Fuck off.” 

Greed laughed, “ Is that any way to talk to your father ?” 

Edward felt himself shake, he clenched his fists to hold himself back and took deep breaths. “ You. Aren’t. My father. ” He could feel his blood boil at the thought of his own Dad, he didn’t need another asshole for a replacement. 

Greed pouted, “I’m hurt kiddo--”

“Greed, you shouldn’t push him.” Roa warned. The larger man's eyes flickered from Greed to Edward. Concern was written all over his expression as he watched the two from across the room. 

Greed rolled his eyes, grinning slyly, “Look kid…, I’m just teasing you, not trying to pick a fight.” Greed’s eyes crinkled as he met Edward’s glare. “Wow…you’re looking really constipated right now shortstack….c’mon, I know you have issues with you father but--”

That was the last straw. Edward lunged at him, transforming amidst it, grabbed for his neck with his claws. This time Bido, Martel and Roa weren’t close enough to prevent anything and could only watch in horror as Edward attacked.

Luckily for Greed, he had put up his ultimate shield just in time, the claws scraped against the shield, but no damage was taken. Edward gripped onto his throat, his breaths were heavy and his face was scrunched up with rage as he stared into Greed’s eyes. Slowly reality hit him. Edward released his hold, looked slowly down at his hands as the events pressed down on his consciousness like a physical weight. There was no blood, but it still felt like there was.

“Ed?” Martel asked with a nervous tone in her voice. “Ed, it's ok, ok? Greed’s fine, it's all ok.”

“but…I could have killed him.”  

"But," Roa said, gently, "you didn't kill him. He's alive, understand? He was just being himself, pushing boundaries like he always does. You didn't hurt him. Take deep breaths, it's alright."

Edward closed his eyes, taking deep breaths to calm himself. 

Greed sat up, “I don’t die easily, alright kid? Even if I hadn’t used my ultimate shield in time, the stone would have patched me right up.”

“If it was anyone else…” Edward's gaze swept over the others, worry etched on his face, as he spoke, “there are people out there who will push me just like Greed did… and I can’t afford to lose my control or…” Roa comfortingly squeezed his shoulder.

“Which is why we are working on it. I will make sure, by the time we find your brother you will have full control of your animal side.”

Edward nodded, giving Roa a smile to conceal his unease, and then fixed his gaze on Greed.  “sorry. I shouldn’t have let your words bother me like I did.” 

Greed shrugged. "It was my fault," he admitted. After a brief pause, he continued, "As for your earlier question, I will teach you. Alchemy, I mean. But there's a catch," there was a mischievous glint in Greed's eyes. "You have to be a proper underling. You have to do everything I say!" Edward rolled his eyes, a wry smile playing on his lips.

"Yeah, yeah," he conceded.

By the time they had returned to the entryway, the house was filled with the golden hue of the setting sun. Dolcetto stood on the porch, looking out at the view of Resembool. 

“It's a stunning view, isn’t it?” Dolcetto said, looking over at them.

Edward nodded, “It is.”

They all stood in a comfortable silence, enjoying the sunlight, and the soft breeze. Edward realized how much he had taken it all for granted for all the years they lived there.

Dolcetto tore his gaze from the scenery and looked at them curiously. He shifted around, searching for something. "Wait a minute!" he exclaimed, "You didn't forget the books, did you?"

——————

“So, the other homunculi.” Edward said as they walked along the dirt road, “you said you would tell us about them?”

Greed wrinkled his nose, clearly reluctant to discuss the matter, “I did…didn’t I…” He sighed, “alright. This information stays between the six of us, no mention about them outside the group, ok?”

“Got it!” Edward said, giving him a thumbs up. The other chimera joined in confirming their promise.

“Alright. First things first, they all have tattoos, like this.” Greed held up his hand, pulling up the glove to reveal his mark. “I will start with the oldest. His name is Pride and despite his age he takes the form of a small child. His powers are like shadows, they only work if there is a light source. If plunged into complete darkness he can’t do shit. Second is Envy. They appear small, but they are actually quite large. They can shapeshift into anyone, so they are the trickiest to deal with usually. We can figure out a way of dealing with them through a secret code or something.” Greed pointing at himself with his thumb. “Then there is me, I have this ultimate shield and that can’t be broken obviously.” He paused looking deep in thought. “After me is Lust, she takes the form of a beautiful woman, dark hair, big chest, you know the deal. She has the ability to extend her fingers into these claws, and they can cut through anything . Attached at her hip is Gluttony. He’s kind of an air head, shorter than most of us…and can consume anything. He was an experiment of Fathers and has a failed gate of truth.”

“Gate of truth?” Edward asked curiously, “what's that?”

“It’s… It's complicated stuff that I never bothered asking more questions about..just stay clear of Gluttony.” He shrugged, “where was I… ah, Sloth. He is huge, but surprisingly fast and strong when he isn’t lazing about. Believe me you don’t want to get in his way either, but luckily I don’t think we will see much of him.” Greed walked silently for a moment.  “Then there is Wrath.” He sniffed, “I… know he exists… but I’m not actually sure where he is, or what powers he possesses…or what he looks like.”

“How come?” Martel asked curiously.

“Well… there was technically never a Wrath homunculus. The Wrath I’ve heard of is actually fused with a human.”

The group stopped, everyone trying to process this information. 

Dolcetto held his head. “You’re saying this Wrath… could be someone we all know? That's disturbing…”

Bido nodded in agreement, “you said it.” 

Roa looked dumbfounded, “They could be in our government… our military…” 

“Not to mention the shapeshifter.” Edward added. “Imagine what they could do with that. They could easily frame someone or get information.”

Greed turned to them all, holding out his hands, “and they all have philosopher stones within them just like me. They can all come back to life, or regenerate their wounds. So, even though it will be difficult, we need to avoid them at all costs.”

——————

Waiting for the train to arrive Edward and Greed began their first lesson of Alchemy. The homunculus wasn’t the best teacher, but Edward wasn’t particularly the easiest student either. 

“Ugh! Why can’t you just understand it!” Greed said, poking at the notepad in frustration. 

Edward glared up at him. “I would if you’d actually explain it rather than writing something down and expecting me to read your mind!”

Dolcetto groaned, grabbing their attention. 

“What?” Greed and Edward said at the same time, then turned to each other in annoyance.

“Don’t mind me, just willing time to move faster.” Dolcetto grumbled.

Roa snickered behind the newspaper he was reading, “if I know anything about time it’s probably going to move slower now that you’ve said that.” 

Dolcetto held his head and let out an aggravating noise, “I’ve used my powers for evil.”

“Would slowing time be considered evil?” Martel asked as she and Bido came over from the train vendor with some snacks. She handed Roa a drink and Dolcetto a snack bag.

Edward scratched his head, “Only if you were stuck doing something you really hated… kind of like right now.”

Greed scoffed at him, “I thought you enjoyed alchemy?” 

“Somehow you are making me hate it.”

Greed folded his arms and poked at the page again. ‘You are doing it to yourself.”

Edward threw his hands up, “Again with the poking! It doesn’t help!”

 Roa hit the newspaper he was holding with the back of his hand interrupting their quarrel. “Finally something interesting!” 

While the others listened in on what Roa was talking about Edward stared at the page Greed kept pointing at. Reading the words repeatedly to himself. ‘All is one, one is All.’ Why the hell does he just expect Edward to understand that? Did Greed just have an innate knowledge he wasn’t aware of that made him understand these things? All is one… All is one…and one is all… God! What does it even mean!

“-- -Ed, kid, you listening?” Roa asked, tapping his shoulder and breaking him from his thoughts.

“Sorry..” Ed said, “I was just thinking about Alchemy.”

“I was just saying that this State Alchemist here in the paper is younger than you!” He said tapping the pages again, “says here he is the youngest State Alchemist to join the military, at only a mere 11 years old. He was invited with special recommendation from Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang. The kid apparently aced the tests and even made an impression on the fürur King Bradley himself.”

“What?” Edward asked, and turned to look at the paper Roa was reading.. 

“That’s…no it can’t be.” Edward said, grabbing the paper from Roa’s hands.

“I wasn’t done with that—”

‘Alphonse Elric, the youngest Alchemist to join the military.’ Edward felt like he was short circuiting as he read this. Did they force him to join? Why else would he have joined other than that? Maybe this was some sort of way of controlling Edward? Was this how they were planning on killing him if he didn’t comply with their wishes? Edward felt his anger building , he took deep breaths. C ontrol yourself Edward, breathe.

“…Ed? You ok buddy?” Bido asked, then his expression turned to horror as he pointed to Edward, “y-you're…you’re face!” 

Edward quickly held the paper up to his face, covering his animal features. Calm down. Breath.

“My…brother…” He managed to get out. “He…joined the military…”

Deep breaths…deep breaths…

As soon as he had calmed down to his more human appearance Martel came over to him. “Here let me put this on you.” She said as she pulled out the concealer from her bag. 

Edward tried to face the others, but Martel grabbed his face and held it in place. “Al could be in danger.”

Greed shook his head. “I’m sure he is in less danger than you are. Most of the military is in the dark about the whole laboratory thing, especially this Roy Mustang fellow who recommended your brother.”

“How do you know that?” Edward asked, “he could be a double agent or something.”

“Trust me kid.”

Edward sighed and his shoulders sank, “I hope you're right.”

——————

“So…Alphonse, would you want to know the truth about what happened to your brother?” 

Fürur King Bradley himself sat across from Alphonse, his expression serious. They were sitting in the Fürurs dimly lit office, in Central. Alphonse had been invited by a letter addressed personally from King Bradly himself, so he knew, whatever the man had to say, was something very serious. The older man leaned into his hands, waiting for Alphonse's response. 

A shiver went through Alphonse and he gripped his knees as he thought. They had been informed that Edwards' death was gruesome, so much so that the only identifying thing left was his hair and the bag that they had found with him.

“He…he was murdered,” Alphonse said, his voice shaking. “Is that…not the full story?”

“Fullmetal… Have you ever heard of a Chimera?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 10: Family

The sun beat down on them as they walked with a sluggish pace into a town. Greed walked ahead, seemingly the only one of them unphased by the heat, despite him wearing all black in his usual leather clad attire.

It had been about two years of traveling so far and Edward was now thirteen. He was hunched over, heaving, stuck wearing his black coat to hide his markings. If only they hadn’t run low on money, they could have taken the train, but Instead they decided to rough the terrain in the summer heat. 

“I wonder if they will welcome us with some nice cool glasses of water here…” Edward said, his voice was hoarse from dehydration. Dolcetto smiled warily at the thought, wiping away his sweat. 

“Yeah, and maybe some nice cool fans.”

Martel hummed, closing her eyes. “And a nice inn with baths.” 

“And lots of food!” Roa and Bido said eagerly at the same time.

Greed turned to them with an exaggerated movement of his arms. “While that all sounds amazing, remember that we can’t afford to shop for luxury and also, don’t, under any circumstances, accept handouts.” He said the last part more sternly than the rest, glaring straight at Dolcetto.

“It was one time!” Dolcetto exclaimed.

“And now we are almost broke, so we can’t afford a second time.” Greed explained, “repeat after me everyone: ‘Don’t pull a Dol’.”

“Don’t pull a Dol.” Everyone repeated nodding along.

“Guys!” Dolcetto whined. He ran ahead of them and blocked their path, “come on, please don’t make that a thing!” Suddenly a wooden beam came out of nowhere knocking Dolcetto right in the head. Dolcetto was sent flying into the dirt. He groaned in pain picking himself up. The wooden beam swung back around revealing a kid. Edward stared at the kid in shock, trying to figure out how someone so small could lift something so big. 

“Oh… I’m sorry mister—” He locked eyes with Edward and his expression lit up, “wait are you guys tourist?!” He walked up to Edward excitedly, “where are you from, have you eaten, where are you staying?!”

Edward was taken back at the kids' enthusiasm, “well, uh…”

“...Hell of a welcoming committee…” Dolcetto growled rubbing his head. The kid was about to say something else, but a hand appeared between him and Edward. Greed then pointed back at himself with his thumb.

“Hey kid, love the enthusiasm, but I’m the one calling the shots. The person you should be talking to about any of that stuff is me.” Greed said, pointing to himself. The kid looked up at him with an apologetic look.

“Oh yeah? Sorry sir! So… you're saying you don’t have a place to stay yet?”

“ I haven’t said shi —” A hand covered Greed’s mouth. Martel gave Greed the side eye, then turned to the kid with a smile.

“No we don’t” she explained.

“Alright then!” The kid said excitedly and turned to a building nearby, “hey pops we have visitors!”

“What are you going on about Kyle?” A booming voice came from the rooftop, a muscular man appeared at the top of the building holding a second wooden beam.

“Over here!” Kyle said waving at him, “big spenders!”

“ Hey now, we never said anything about spendin —'' Greed started to say, but was interrupted by the man above.

“—Hi, my name is Halling. I run the local inn, we’ll take good care of you!” 

“ Are any of you even listening to me?” Greed hissed out angrily.

Despite Greed's protests, a crowd of townsfolk surrounded the group to welcome them into town. Despite the chimera’s and Greed disliking the attention, they still fell into the town's trap and were dragged to the Halling family's Inn. 

Hallings' wife pulled out a notepad and began to jot something down. “So…five for one night?” 

“Yes, what are your rates?” Edward asked. Mr. Halling looked back at him with raised eyebrows.

“Well, they aint cheap.”

“We don’t have much, but I’m sure we can cope with whatever the price is.” Greed said, taking out his wallet.

“5 hundred thousand.”

“WHAT?!” Dolcetto and Martel shouted at once. Greed merely stared down at his wallet quietly as Edward stepped forward angrily. 

“That's ridiculous! Are you going to put gold bars on our pillows while we sleep?!” He felt a hand on his shoulder, “calm down kid.” Greed said, “let me handle it from here, ok?” Edward let out a sigh and nodded before walking off.

“It's a fair price seeing as ours is the finest inn in all of Youswell.” Mr. Halling explained. Kyle smiled, puffing up his chest proudly.

“Not to mention the only Inn!” 

Hallings nodded, “We haven’t had any guests for a long time so we’ve got to milk your lot for all you're worth.”

Greed rubbing his forehead, “...right… maybe some of us can camp out for the night...”

“Mm, I wouldn’t suggest that.” Hallings explained, “especially with rattlesnakes and scorpions we got around here.”

“ Then lower your prices .” Greed said glaring at them.

“Can’t afford that.” Mr. Halling explained which made the homunculus groan angrily.

”How about a room for one and we all just deal with it?” Greed bargained. 

“Two hundred thousand.” Mr. Halling said, holding up two fingers and smiling toothily.

“Not as bad, but we still can’t afford that.” Greed said with an annoyed expression.

Edward watched from the corner, at this rate they would either have to skip town and continue their journey or figure out a way to pay off their room…but how long would that take? They didn’t have the time or money to stay longer than a night. He looked around the room at the patrons laughing while drinking, then towards the window where the golden sunlight was quickly fading. On the window sill Edward noticed a vase, but it was shattered. He inspected the vase, finding the rest of the shattered portion was on the inside. He hummed and pulled out a piece of chalk, knelt down and began work on a transmutation circle.

“Hey, what's that kid doing over there?” One of the patrons asked curiously.

“That's my wifes vase.” Halling motioned to Edward, “it's a heirloom, what's he going to do to it?” 

“Oh Ed?” Greed asked, peering over at his minion with a proud expression. “Ah…well… you see--”

“It’s alchemy.” Martel said, interrupting Greed who turned quickly to her with an annoyed expression.

“I was getting to that!”

“Alchemy, huh?” Mr. Halling peered over at Edward, “I took a crack at Alchemy once, but it never really went anywhere.”

The patrons gathered around Edward as he finished his transmutation circle and placed the vase into the center.

“Oh my… be careful with that.” Mrs. Halling said, “It may be broken, but it's special to me.”

“Don’t worry ma’am.” Edward said, placing his hands onto the circle. With a flash of blue light the vase was returned to its original shape. Edward picked it up and held it out to her, and she gasped, taking it and inspecting it closely.

“Oh! Thank you, so much! You have no idea what this means to me!” She said, wiping at her face. Mr. Halling leaned over to inspect the work while rubbing his chin. 

“So you're able to fix anything?” He asked curiously.

“Most things, yes, alchemy is a bit of a hobby for me so I practice it a lot.” Edward explained.

A burly man stepped out of the crowd, casting a shadow over Edward, making him shrink back a bit uncomfortably. 

“Say…” The man said, his voice gruff, “could you fix my pickaxe?” He asked.

“S-sure! But…you see, we are a bit low on cash, so if it's not an issue-” Edward said. A hand patted his back nearly knocking the wind out of him.

“Ok…ok… I hear you.” Halling said, “You help us fix our things and you can stay the night free, but only tonight! Got that? The military already milks us dry, we can't afford to allow you to do the same.”

“We hear you and agree,” Dolcetto said. “The military sucks.” The bar all raised their beer and hollered out similar sentiments. Leaving Edward to work, the group followed the Hallings to a table where they were all given drinks.

“So you hate them too?” Mr. Halling asked, setting down beers between the five adults.

Dolcetto raised a beer, “Hate wouldn’t be the half of it. We despise them.” Roa nodded along.

“They basically ruined our lives.” Roa added, looking over at Edward sadly. “His life especially.” 

“How so?” Halling asked. “If you don’t mind me prying.” Roa looked at his friends realizing his mistake then, Martel signaled for him to keep it going.

“Well, Edwards' story isn’t mine to tell… but I guess I can share that we had to save him from a government official…” Roa explained as vaguely as possible.

Mrs. Halling looked appalled, “that's terrible!”

The sun was setting outside and all of the adults were now a couple drinks in. Roa and Mr. Halling continued to chat while the others joined in a card game.

“Ah…I see…would you say that you’re almost like an adoptive father to Ed?” Mr. Halling asked Roa. 

 Roa scratched his neck sheepishly. “Well… I wouldn’t mind filling the role…But he has some deep seeded issues with his real father that he probably should work through before he could see me as anything more than a guardian or friend.”

Mr. Halling nodded, “I see...” 

Roa looked towards Edward who had just fixed someone's clock before proceeding to  present it to the owner in a goofily. Edward caught Roa’s gaze. The older man gave him a thumbs up. Edward then responded with a beaming grin.

Mr. Halling watched the exchange and chuckled. “...I think he may already.”

“Hm?” Roa turned back to him

“Oh nothing!” The Innkeeper said, patting Roa’s shoulder as he laughed.

——————

Greed and the other chimera's retired for the night except for Edward and Roa. They sat outside in the alleyway, out of sight of anyone who could be watching. Ever since the incident months ago in Resembool, they had begun to make more of an effort to help hone Edwards ability to control his tiger form. 

“Focus. ” Roa whispered, “ Keep your eyes fixed on your hands, focus on the rush you get each time you transform .” Edward nodded, breathing in and out calmly, keeping his gaze fixated on his open palms. Focus. 

“ Focus on your veins, on your blood, on every molecule of your being. Feel the rush of emotion run through your muscle, and into your skin, as it sprouts into fur and into claws.”   Edward breathed, in and out. He focused on everything Roa was telling him to, but it just wasn’t working . 

“ I…I can’t do it.”  He said clenching his fist closed tightly. Edward felt a hand on his shoulder and he slowly opened his hands again.

“ Yes you can, you’ve done it before. ” Roa said, “ It's a part of you. You can learn to control it just like I have.”

Edward groaned and leaned his head into his hands, “ but you’re an adult, you already have a good grasp of emotion, I’m still a teen, my mood is always shifting from one thing to the next.” 

“Well I suppose the first step is acknowledging that.” Roa said with a small chuckle at the glare Edward gave him.

“It’s been months. I don’t know, maybe the tiger…maybe it's just too much for me to control.” Edward said, burying his face further into his hands and groaning in aggravation.

Roa folded his arms as he thought, leaning back and looking at the night sky. “So…you're a quitter, that's not going to take you far in life.” He chuckled and gave Edward a knowing glance, “Especially in the eyes of the ladies.”

“I’m not huh???—--Why should I even care about what the ladies think!?” Edward shouted, then covered his mouth realizing he had yelled this. “ Listen, I’m not…I’m not quitting, I’m just tired… I guess.” 

“Then let's call it a night!” Roa said as he slapped his hands on his knees eagerly. “I’m sure with some rest you’ll figure something out.”

 Edward yawned, moving to stand up. “Yeah… I guess.”

Silhouetted figures walked past the alleyway, men dressed in familiar military attire. Edward felt himself shrink back behind Roa as they approached the Halling’s Inn. 

“Soldiers? What are they doing here this time of night?” Edward asked.

“I’m not sure, we should listen in…” Roa said motioning over to the window where Mrs. Halling’s vase sat. A loud nasally voice came from the inside of the Inn breaking through the happy chatter.

“Well you're Inn is as charmingly filthy as ever.” Edward crawled over to the window and peered in. A shorter man in uniform stood surrounded by several guards. Next to him stood a girl in civilian clothing wearing an intricate necklace. The man who had spoken had his hand raised holding a handkerchief to his face.

Mr. Halling stepped out of the small crowd of patrons. “Lieutenant Yoki, you know you should cover up your face more often, it's a good look for you.” He greeted, his tone of voice and body language were very telling of his rage towards the other man.

“Enough small talk!” Yoki said, his voice muffled slightly through the cloth. “The taxes on this place are long overdue! And it's not just you Halling,” He motioned to the other patrons,” I could say the same for the whole town!”

“Our wages are too low to afford your tax…sir.” Halling clenched his fist as he said this and Edward noticed the other men around also seemed tense, all except the soldiers before them who stood in confidence. The girl next to Yoki exuded confidence as she stepped forward with a smile. 

“You’re paid so little, because that's what you men are worth.” Something about how she carried herself seemed off to Edward, as if the words she spoke weren’t genuine.

“What?! ” Hallings friends stood from their chairs, cracking their fists in preparation for a fight. One of the men took a step toward the soldiers angrily, “ You can’t just lower our wages then turn around and raise our taxes and expect us to—”

“The State has given Lieutenant Yoki unilateral authority over this mine.” The girl explained.

“Shut up! He only got to where he is by taking the money we sweat and bled for and using it to bribe the higher ups! You should know that more than any of us Lyra!” The girls face contorted slightly at their words.

“Hm!” Lieutenant Yoki smirked at them from behind his handkerchief. “If you’ve got all this figured out, then perhaps you should try bribing me!” Yoki chortled and leaned forward, “but don’t blame me cause you have to grease the wheels, it's the way of the world!”

“Yeah…and sometimes the way of the world is that the little man gets beat!” One of the other townsfolk shouted as they charged at Yoki. The Lieutenant braced himself, but Lyra stepped in front of him, placing her hands over her necklace. The symbol on the jewelry spun in a fast circle, glowing red. 

Edward leaned into the window, watching as the Lyra girl sent out a burst of energy strong enough to knock down all of the men. “That's an odd use of alchemy.” He remarked, he would be lying if he said he wasn’t impressed by the tool. 

As things only seemed to be escalating Edward got a sudden idea. He grabbed a notepad from his pocket and began scribbling into it. He placed it on his head, and in an instant he transmuted the chemicals within his dyed hair to his original golden hue.

“ What are you doing?” Roa whispered urgently, “if they—” 

“ I have a plan….but it's a little risky. Do you know how the state certifies if you're a State Alchemist or not?”

“It’s a silver pocket watch I believe… with the flamel symbol, do you know what that looks like?” Roa asked.

Edward nodded and quickly began to work on another transmutation circle, in a flash of light he smiled mischievously and motioned for Roa to follow him.

“Show that kid a lesson for what he did!” Yoki yelled pointing at the Halling boy who moments before threw a wet towel at his face and yelled at him.

“Kyle no!” Mrs. Halling cried out before ducking her face into her hands. A soldier stepped forward, raised his sword and swung it towards the boy. With a loud clang, Edward stood before them with a metal pipe blocking the path of the weapon.

Yoki stood in shock. “Who the hell are you?!” He asked angrily.

“Wait—kid what's going on—?” Mr. Halling asked, but looked over at Roa who had his index finger placed to his lips as a sign to keep quiet.

Edward revealed the makeshift pocket watch before quickly shoving it into his coat again. “When I heard the Lieutenant had dropped in…I’d thought I’d come by and say hello.” Yoki looked at him wide eyed. 

“Was that what I?—er—?” 

The man who Edward had blocked turned to Yoki. “Who does this kid think he is, sir?” 

“You moron!” Yoki yelled at him, “that watch makes this kid a State Alchemist, which means he is the Fullmetal Alchemist, Alphonse Elric!... In other words it means he reports directly to the Fürur!” The other soldier gasped and looked at Edward in shock. 

“You mean that little—” The soldier covered his mouth, turning to look at Edward.

“Oh please..” Edward said, gripping the metal pipe, and focused on pushing the rage boiling inside him, “go on, who was it that you were calling little?” 

“Ah ha…!” Yoki walked slowly over to Edward, rubbing his hands together, “how terribly rude of my subordinate, please forgive his idiocy. I’m Lieutenant Yoki, the man in charge here… sooo what business do you have in our humble little abode?” Yoki asked, leaning towards him questioningly.

“I’m just here to do an inspection.” Edward explained keeping eye contact with the older man.

“An—an inspection hm…uh well, marvelous! You must come stay at my mansion…I hope you haven’t had to mingle with these…unwashed masses for too long!” Yoki placed a hand on Edward’s back as he led him out of the Inn, followed by the soldiers who gave the townsfolk a final round of mean looks.

Mr. Halling glared after the retreating soldiers angrily, “loathsome dogs…” Roa could only watch as well as they walked passed by. Edward signaled him a thumbs up from behind. Right, Edward had a plan. He walked into the Inn keeping his gaze toward the door, until a hand met his arm.

“You…Roa- I mean…how could you let him do that?” Mr. Halling asked, giving him a concerned expression. Roa smiled and shook his head.

“He’s a smart kid. He knew the only way to draw those power corrupted bastards out of here was fear, so… he’s become what they feared.” He sighed and walked towards the back, “now If you’ll excuse me, I have to inform my family about what our kid has gotten himself into.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 11 Bribe

“It's such a great honor to be hosting a genuine State Alchemist such as yourself in my home.” Yoki said from far across his long table. The mansion the guy had was ten times the size of any other house in the town and Edward knew exactly why. “...and since we are so blessed to have such a talented young scientist in our midst, we should have him look at your alchemic attempts Lyra.” Yoki said motioning to the girl from before. She was now dressed in a maid's wardrobe and pouring Edward a glass of water.

“Yes.” She agreed. She placed a hand to her collar and pulled out her necklace. It was just as he thought.

“Nah, I already saw.” Edward explained, “she liquified the air around her, reducing its volume and then vaporized it…producing a shock wave. And the red light from her transmutation came from the heat generated by the forced compression needed to maintain entropy.” Yoki stared at him wide-eyed.

“You can deduce all that…just by looking at it?”

Lyra smiled at him, “My ultimate goal is to become a heroic State Alchemist like you Mr. Alphonse Elric.”

“...like me?” Edward asked, pointing to himself.  

“Yes… ” Lyra closed her eyes, “I wish nothing more to do all that I can do for the state.” What an odd girl. Was all Edward could think staring up at her. Wow… He had been keeping tabs on Alphonse, but didn’t realize he’d grown so popular. A loud clap from across the table brought his attention back to the scene.

“AND NOW, Bone Appetit!” Yoki exclaimed. He motioned to the food that had been placed in front of them both. “You’ll need strength for the work ahead, I do hope our provincial cuisine suits your refined tastes.”

Edward looked down at the dinner spread in front of him. A nice large steak, fresh vegetables and all of it was well seasoned and marinated. Ingredients that the rest of the town probably could only dream of affording. This rat bastard. He looked back up at Yoki again with a forced smile, doing his very best to steal his anger, “ you eat pretty well considering the economic conditions of this town .”

“Times are tough for all of us!” Yoki said, pretending to look devastated about it, “I. Can. Tell. You. I’ve had plenty of trouble collecting taxes! And those miners can be so brutishly obstinate sometimes, as you saw.” He laughed at this.

“And by obstinate you mean by asserting their rights and refusing to pay you more than they earn.” Edward observed as he cut into his steak and then took a bite. It was really good. The flavors danced along his tongue and the meat was nice and tender. He hadn’t had anything this good since eating his mother’s cooking. He closed his eyes and wiped at his face with the napkin. Yoki grinned and pointed at him with a fork.

 “See, you get it! I knew you were a man of great understanding!”

“To understand the world we have only but to follow one basic principle, equivalent exchange, the founding law of alchemy.” Edward recited from memory. “Can’t get without giving. Right?”

“Yes exactly, eloquently put. I myself have put business under a similar driving principle…in the spirit of which…uh…um, Lyra ?” The girl walked over with a tray on which was a red bag. Edward followed the bag as it was placed down in front of him. 

“ Please accept this as a small token of my appreciation.” The Lieutenant explained rubbing his hands together again in anticipation. Edward looked back at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Is this supposed to be some kind of a bribe, Yoki?” He shouldn’t be surprised, especially with all the rest of the stuff the Lieutenant was pulling.

“That is such an ugly word.” Yoki said looking slightly perturbed, “why don’t we just call it…equivalent exchange.” He leaned forward into his hands, “Now then…there is the matter of your inspection…”

Edward slowly nodded, “yeah…I get your drift…”

“I knew you would!” Yoki said excitedly, “you are truly a man of great understanding! Oh, and I have a feeling the townspeople will start behaving themselves very shortly.”

——————

Edward was led to a room for the night, he stepped in, turning and thanking the maid you had led him there. Then he walked over to a large window facing the direction of the town. It was a breathtaking view, but it also made his chest squeeze in anger.

He looked around the room, finding the furniture as beautiful and lavish as the rest of the building. Nothing he had ever experienced in his life up to this point was this fancy. His eyes stopped on the vanity mirror, reflecting back his face. He’d seen his reflection many times in the past couple years, but ever since they broke out of the prison he’d had a head of black hair. Now… it just didn’t look like him anymore, it looked like a stranger from another life. Fernand’s voice echoed in his mind.

  “It’s your unique traits that make you my perfect creation!” 

Before he knew it his fist connected with glass, shattering it. He looked up at his shattered reflection in anguish. He took deep breaths, trying to calm himself, he could see the fur growing up along his arms. He stared at his chimera face.  “ I’m not…your perfect creation. I’m not some trophy for your wall… ” Edward whispered, turning from the mirror and letting his arm go slack at his side. Blood dripped down his fist into the carpet as the stinging sensation from his cut knuckles became worse, and worse. 

He messed up. His transformation had once again ruined the foundation covering his markings. If they saw his markings they would know he wasn’t Alphonse, because surely someone would have mentioned tiger stripes in one of the news articles.

A knock on the door made him jump. He turned towards it slowly, hundreds of scenarios playing out in his head of what could happen. He moved slowly to the door and grabbed the handle. His knuckles turned white as he gripped it.

“Mr. Fullmetal?” Lyra’s voice said. Something about her tone was different.

He opened the door slightly, just enough to see her, and hoped she couldn’t make out his features in the darkened room.

“You can just call me Alphonse, or Al.” He whispered. “Is something the matter?” 

Lyra shuffled slightly, “I-- well…I know I have probably come across as someone I am not, so I wanted to share with you something.” She said nervously. She was like a completely different person now compared to earlier. Edward nodded, listening intently.

"My father was a State Alchemist.” She started, “he grew up here in Youswell, and was childhood friends with Mr. Halling, who you had met earlier I assume.” She grimaced, “our family owned the mines, and he juggled being an alchemist and a mine operator well. Then the Ishvaalan war happened and my father was called to serve Amestris. He sent letters but as the months went on the letters grew less and less frequent. Then they stopped. A soldier delivered us the news of his passing. The mine was then passed to my mother, who had been running everything while he was away anyways.” She wiped at her face, “But then epidemic hit. Several of our neighbors… lost their lives. Then my mother fell ill and for me it felt like the world was ending.” 

Edward nodded in understanding. He was quickly finding he wasn’t so different from her, “I lost my mother to the same sickness.” 

She nodded, “it’s hard…isn’t it?”

“Yeah…” He smiled, “she was a great mother. Your mother sounds amazing as well.”

“She was, she was strong.” Lyra wiped at her face. “But because it was so sudden she didn’t have time to write her will. The mine wasn’t passed down to me or anyone else. Instead, it fell into the hands of the State. That’s how Yoki got his hands on it…” She trailed off, her expression growing distant for a second before looking at Edward, “I thought at first he was a good man. He helped fix up the town, and we began to make progress that we hadn’t in a long time. Around then, I had asked to work under him so I could eventually become a State Alchemist like my father… and maybe buy the mine back eventually, but then… something changed within him.”

“His greed.” 

She nodded, her face unreadable for a moment. “I still want to become a certified State Alchemist so I’ve had to push my emotions down and follow him… but I can tell you are different from the others. You’re scheming something to help us, aren’t you?”

Edward shrank back, “I-- and what if I am?” He asked.

She squinted at him suspiciously, reached out, “your face… something is…” 

“Allergies!” Edward exclaimed and laughed nervously, “I must have been allergic to something in the food! No worries it's just a mild one!”

She looked unconvinced, but before she could say anything a flash of light filled the room. The flash was followed by the sound of a building collapsing. He ran to the window, followed by Lyra, to see smoke rising from the direction of the town.

“Shit—”

——————

The chimera’s and Greed sat in their room, unable to sleep as they worried about Edwards safety. “Why didn’t you go with him?” Martel asked shoving Roa, “what if they figure out he isn’t who he is saying he is? We need to leave now and bring him back!”

“I’m sure the kid will be fine.” Dolcetto said, “and if he is found out as a fake…well, he is part tiger after all.”

Martel was unconvinced though. She paced the room. “That's what I’m worried about though. What if he loses control again? What if he goes on a rampage and we—” Greed placed a hand on her shoulder. 

“—Have a little faith in the kid, Martel. He’s done well recently with controlling his emotions.” Greed turned to Roa with a raised eyebrow, “Right?

“Mm…yeah, he’s almost got the hang of it, but somethings holding him back. He’s telling me it's because he’s a teenager, but I think the issue is a little deeper than—” Roa stopped at the sound of a loud thud and looked around the room. The hotel was dead silent, everyone in the room looked nervously at one another. “You heard that right?” Roa asked, turning to Dolcetto.

Dolcetto nodded, “Everyone we have to get out of here. Now.”

There was a knock at their door and they all turned, “Hey, is everything alright?” Kyle's voice came from the other side.

Martel turned to the others, “go out the window! And Greed.” She turned to the homunculus, “help that kid.”

Greed headed toward the door, “yeah, yeah I got this.”

——————

“Kyle!” Mr. Halling yelled trying to move away from the other people. “He’s still in there!”

“If you go in there we will lose both of you!” One of the men yelled. Suddenly another burst of energy hit the building and in moments the rest of the structure creaked and wobbled, falling to the ground. Smoke billowed into the air and debris laid in large piles out in front of the townsfolk.

Kyle was still nowhere to be seen, but Mr. Halling forced himself out of the others' hold and ran into the smoke and rubble, tossing the debris away little by little. 

 “Kyle! Kyle!” He cried out. “Come on Kyle, where are you! Kyle! Kyle!” He clenched his teeth, digging through the rubble. Mrs. Halling, along with the townsfolk and the chimera’s ran forward to help with the search as well.

“Do you think they're fine?” Bido asked as they searched the rubble.

Martel smiled. “Greed and that kid? I wouldn’t doubt it.” she assured him, “he’s got that unbreakable shield after all.” As if on cue the pile of rubble a little away from Halling shifted. 

Greed slowly pushed his way out, he coughed and winced in pain, “shit…even with my shield…that hurt.” 

 “I’m…” Kyle sat where Greed has emerged from, “Dad… I’m here.” He looked up at his Dad and Mom through tear-filled eyes as they ran forward and embraced their son.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Mrs. Halling cried out, turning and hugging Greed close, “You found my boy!” Greed gave the chimera's a look of discontent and they knew instantly that they were going to owe him. 

“Guys!” Edwards' worried voice called out. The group turned to find him running towards them.

“Kid!” Roa said, running over to him and catching him in a hug, followed close by the others, except Greed who walked over slowly. Edward buried his face into the other's shoulder.

 “When I heard the building fall, I was terrified one of you might’ve got hurt!”

Martel rolled her eyes, giving him a smile. “Come on, have a little faith in us!” 

Dolcetto pulled Edward under his arm and noogied his head making him laugh.

“Can’t get rid of us that easily,”

“Especially Mr. Greed, he had the whole Inn fall on him.” Bido pointed out, “ his armor really is something .”

“ What is she doing here ?” Kyle asked angrily from behind them. Edward could feel Roa’s hold tighten at the sight of Lyra standing a short distance away from them. She looked at the ground with a guilty expression. Before anyone could say anything Kyle spoke again. “She’s behind this, isn’t she!?” 

“No!” Edward said, pushing himself from the others. “She isn't! We were talking just before the attack happened. She was nowhere near here.”

“Ed...” She said, her voice shaking.

“She knows?!” Roa asked, “weren’t you keeping that a secret?! Do you know you can trust her?” 

Edward nodded. “I trust her. I told her everything on the way over. She was just as worried as I was.” He explained.

Lyra held her necklace, tears forming in her eyes as she stared at the debris. “I… I think Yoki may have created a duplicate of my necklace to do this.”

“Serves you right for trusting that swine.” Kyle said, spitting in her direction. Lyra looked at him with a sad, but understanding look.

“I deserve all of your hatred. I know I do, and I want to right my wrongs.” She explained.

Edward nodded along. “We just have to figure out how…”

“You're some sort of super alchemist, right?” Kyle asked, looking at Edward inquisitively. “Couldn’t you just transmute gold, for my Dad? You could save the whole town!” 

Edward looked around at the town folks solemn faces, “I’m sorry…but I can’t”

“Why…why not? It won’t cost you nothin’!” Kyle begged.

“You're wrong.” Edward said, turning his gaze downward. That human transmutation circle they had found in his basement made things clear enough for him. If breaking one rule of alchemy can have such an effect… he grimaced. It all aligned with the first lesson Greed taught him , the frustration he’d felt for weeks trying to make sense of All for One, One for All. “The whole world is an equivalent exchange. I give you gold and I would have to pay the price, and I have no reason to do that.”

Kyle grabbed Edward by the jacket, pulling him forward and shaking him, “so we have to bribe you too now?! And you call yourself an alchemist!”

Edward frowned in thought as Kyle shook him. 

“Alchemist be thou for the people… what a load that is…” He sighed and pushed the other kids' hands away from him. “Although I don’t agree much with the Government… Transmuting gold is a serious offense. We could all get in serious trouble if caught doing such a thing.” More trouble gave the government more reason to track them.

“Says the kid who is impersonating a state alchemist!” Kyle argued. 

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose and turned from him, “Listen, even if I could transmute the gold, it wouldn’t do anything for you, it would just get taken away on taxes….If its that's awful here, why don’t you all just saddle up and move on to another village?”

“Kid.” Edward looked up at Halling and his wife, “this might not make a lot of sense to you, but this place, well, it's both our home and our coffin.”

He looked out at the other people, who were working to help clean up and salvage what they could, working as one to help their community. It reminded him of Resembool, of the close knit community they had. It pained him that he wasn't a part of their lives any more, but in the state he was in now, he had no other choice. He wondered if someday he would feel accepted again.

“Hm…” Edward smiled, “home and coffin, that has a nice ring to it.” 

“Ed, where are you going?” Martel asked trailing behind as he walked away. The others followed suit, including Lyra.

“I was thinking.” Edward said as he walked, “I left my home willingly to continue traveling with you all and that's fine, because I chose it. I don’t know… maybe equivalent exchange goes further than I thought it did.” He sped up and ran towards a pile of coal from the mines. “I have an idea… but you can’t tell anyone that I ever did this.”

——————

Yoki stared at Edward with a baffled expression. “Y-y-you want to buy the Youswell Coal Mine?” He asked. Edward smiled and nodded.

“Yes, and while we are at it, why not add the trade routes and the town itself!”

Yoki rubbed his hands together nervously, “Well…I’m sorry to say, but even for a State Alchemist such as yourself, the Mine just isn’t for sale…”

Edward sighed and shook his head, “Oh really? That's too bad…” He motioned for Roa and Greed to come in with their bags and they set them down. Yoki leaned forward examining the bags closely and gasped when they were opened, revealing hundreds upon hundreds of gold bars. 

“Can…can I take a closer look…?” Yoki asked.

“Sure.” Edward said, tossing one to him. 

Yoki sniffed the bar and knocked on it with his hand, “Well I’ll be! It really is solid gold! B-b-b-but why would you….?”

Edward smirked, “turns out the Mines are littered with unexploited minerals that would be really booster for alchemic research so I’d hate to miss out… but if it isn’t on the market…” Edward shrugged and did his best look crestfallen at the idea of missing out on the materials.

“The Mines were entrusted to me by the State Government, if I were to accept this offer it would…well it would appear…Uh…”

“Right, I hear you,” Edward nodded “, but don’t worry, none of this gold will appear on any of the books. So if we both keep our mouths shut, no one needs to hear anything about it!” 

“But still—” Yoki said, looking extremely worried.

“Hmm…” Edward scratched his head, then he smiled, “I’ve got it! What if you write up an official deed saying that you hand over all rights of the Youswell Mine to me free of charge! Then…” Edward said with a devious look, “you can take all of this…as an ‘unrelated gift’.”

Yoki stared back at the sparkling, beautiful gold happily, almost drooling. Edward smiled, knowing full well that he’d won.

——————

“Hi!” Edward said, as he walked into the building where the Halling's and some other townsfolk were meeting. They turned and stared at him in confusion. 

“Kid, this is a town meeting, no outsiders.” Mr. Halling said. The other men nodded in agreement. 

“Hm…is that how you should talk to your new boss, landlord and all around overseer?” Edward asked cheekily. 

“What the hell are you talking about—” One of the men asked, making his way forward. Dolcetto stood in front of him with folded arms, blocking the man's way. “This kid is your boss now, show him some respect!” Edward’s friends took on defensive stances around him. Edward sighed and began to dig around in his jacket.

“Did you just come here looking for a fight?” Someone asked.

“No, I didn’t. In fact I came here for the opposite. I hold in my hand the entire deed to the Coal Mine, Trade Route and the entire town of Youswell. It even says here that Yoki signed this over to the Alchemist Alphonse Elric and his family.”

“Alphonse Elric—” Kyle asked, “but you aren’t the Fullmetal Alchemist! You are impersonating him so that document could all be voided…” Edward shook his head slowly, “I know it doesn’t make all I’ve done any better, but I’m actually Alphonse Elric's older brother so….” He stood proudly as he explained this, around him everyone stood in stunned silence. “...and well, I hope you all don’t take this the wrong way, but I don’t think my brother would be all that interested in running your town… and neither am I for that matter. So, I think I’ll just leave this deed with you lot, for now.” He walked forward and handed the papers to Halling who skimmed through them quietly.

“How did you talk your way into this?”

“I gave Yoki a bit of his own medicine.” Edward explained, imagining the first lieutenants' shocked face when he realized the “gold bricks” were turned back to the large piles of coal that they really were.

Mr. Halling let out a good laugh and patted Edward's shoulder, “alright! I’ll have to trust you on this kid! You did go through all the trouble to get our town back after all! So thanks, for everything.” Edward smiled proudly at this, then peered over his shoulder at Lyra.

“That's not all though.” Edward said motioning for the group to follow him, they arrived at the ruins of their Inn. “While I don’t have the alchemic expertise to fix the entire Inn. I had my friends and Lyra here collect as much of the broken furniture as they could and we’ve got almost all of it fixed up.” He tossed the gold that Yoki had given him towards Mr. Halling, who fumbled to catch it, but just managed not to drop it. Edward then held out the fixed vase to Mrs. Halling. She slowly walked forward and took it from him. She looked at it teary eyed, then back at him, before stepping forward and wrapping her arms around him gently. 

“Thank you, thank you so much Edward Elric!” She wept happily as she hugged him. Edward froze in her hold. Her perfume…it was the same as his mothers… 

Good job Edward. A familiar voice spoke to him. His eyes wet with tears as he slowly hugged her back. It’s been so long… since he had hugged his Mom. 

——————

“Are you sure you don’t need us to stick around to help anymore?” Roa asked as they stood at the edge of town. Halling laughed and patted the taller man's shoulder.

“No, no, I can tell your friends are itching to get a move on, that tall fella especially. Looks like he’s already gotten a head start.” The group turned towards the direction he was looking to find Greed was already walking off. He stopped and turned to them with an annoyed expression.

“Let's go! We’ve got places to be!” 

Martel turned to Halling, giving him an apologetic look, “he’s just being tenacious.”

“Actually,” Edward said, turning from his conversation with Kyle and Lyra. “I’d rather get going as well. It would probably be best if the military didn’t find out I was impersonating their personnel. Even if it was my brother.” 

“Right.” Roa nodded. “Though, I still feel bad we can’t do more to help.”

“No worries Mr. Roa.” Lyra said, “I plan on helping rebuild as much as I can.” She smiled and reached out, ruffling Edward's hair, which was dyed black again, “I still have my dream of becoming a State Alchemist… but first I need to work on righting my wrongs… equivalent exchange if you will.”

Edward laughed, pushing her away and fixing his hair. “It was… great meeting you both.”

Kyle laughed and caught one of his hands, giving Edward a firm handshake. “You have to promise to come back and visit! Alright, friend?

Edward laughed, feeling his heart skip a beat, “y-yeah!” Why did he feel so flustered, it was just a handshake?!

As they left, Edward gasped as he remembered one last thing he forgot to say. He cupped his hands over his mouth.  “ALSO! If Al does visit…don’t tell him about me! Just pretend like he was the one who did it all! Alright?!”

They responded with thumbs up and Edward smiled, waving goodbye one final time.

——————

They looked at the desert stretched out in front of them.

“I wonder what’s out there.” Bido said, mesmerized by vast dunes of sand as far as the eye could see. 

“Xing,” Roa explained. “We have the least quarrels with their country, due to the Eastern desert being so difficult to cross.”

Edward stared out at the stretch of dunes, mesmerized by it.

“You look like you want to cross it.” Martel said poking Edward, “is that a plan for someday?”

Edward patted his chest. “The tiger was originally from the jungles of Xing. …And every once in a while I have dreams which seem to be snippets of its memories out there. I don’t know, I guess I feel a strong urge to go.”

“You had dreams of the tigers' life?” Martel asked. He looked up to meet their shocked and worried expressions.

“Was I the only one?” He asked worriedly. His question was answered with confused glances. He looked at his hand and then held it to his chest. “If…you guys don’t ever see memories …then why do I?”

Greed placed a hand on his shoulder “You were made different.” Edward turned to the homunculus whose eyes were staring directly towards the desert. Greed turned back slowly to meet his gaze, an excited look gleaming in his eyes. “Why… don’t we go then?”

“To Xing?” Edward asked. 

“To Xing.”

———Bonus Part———

—A couple months Later—

Alphonse walked into the town and was met with welcoming smiles and waves. He looked at the report in confusion. “Mustang…said that there was an issue with the military out here… but everyone seems so cheerful--?” A wooden beam came out of nowhere almost hitting him, but he ducked in the knick of time. 

“Oh sorry about that!” The kid holding the beam said as he handed it off to another guy. He turned back and waved, “the name is Kyle, what brings you to our town?”

“It's a pleasure to meet you, my name is Alphonse El—”

“Alphonse Elric!” Kyle interrupted with an excited smile. “Hey EVERYONE Alphonse Elric is in town!” He shouted.

“You…uh… Do you know me?” Alphonse asked in confusion as people began to gather around them.

“How would I not know the savior of our town! The Fullmetal Alchemist, Alphonse Elric!” Kyle explained, “come! You must stay at my family's Inn for the night, free of charge!”

“W-huh…Wait when did I— what?!” Alphonse asked in confusion as he was pulled along by the crowd of joyous townsfolk.

Chapter Text

Chapter 12: Visit

—Aug 26th 1914—

Al sighed, resting his head against the window of the train car. His trip to Reole wasn’t what he expected. Father Cornello’s reported philosopher's stone was a bust and the chimeras that he had created with the stone were not of the human variety that he was seeking out. After a difficult tussle Alphonse had tricked the old man to accidentally confess over his radio broadcast and spread the truth to the people about his lies. He hoped that the girl he met while there, Rosé, was going to be ok. She was, of course, devastated by the truth of everything, but she promised him that she was going to figure herself out, no matter if the God Leeto was real or not. 

He rubbed his eyes yawning as the bell of the train chimed; he was back in Resembool . He stepped off the train and took in a deep breath of the brisk autumn air. Now he just had to break the news of his damaged automail slowly to Win—.

“ALPHONSE!” Winry’s voice came from behind him.

 He turned to her slowly, putting on a fake smile and waved to her. Winry gave him a confused look, but when she noticed his right arm hanging limp beside him. A rage fueled fire seemed to catch behind in her eyes. She ran at him, inspecting every inch of his automail as she freaked out over the damages. “You’ve got to be more careful Al!” She looked up at his apologetic expression and sighed, “Although your company’s always welcomed… you’ll get nothing done if you're here every other week for repairs!”

“I know…” Alphonse slumped over in defeat, “I will do better.”

“Come on, I’ll fix it after lunch.” She said holding up a basket she had taken with her. She ran down the platform steps and turned to him excitedly, “Come on!”

Alphonse scratched his head, “how did you know I was going to be here anyway?”

“Lyra called.” 

2 years ago…

“Alphonse! There is a soldier at the door for you!” Winry said, knocking at his door. He followed her down the stairs and a tall man with short dirty blond hair waved in greeting. 

“Hello Sir. Here to report the good news from Central.” He held out a letter towards Alphonse. He took it, noticing the strange weight of the envelope and opened it. A…pocket watch? There were two neatly folded papers along with it, one was addressed from the Lieutenant Colonel and one from Fürur King Bradley.  The Pocket watch apparently signified that Alphonse was now officially a State Alchemist. He read the Fürur’s letter first, finding his newly established  title, Fullmetal. He felt himself shaking anxiously as he moved to Mustang’s letter. It started off nice, with congratulations from the Lieutenant Colonel for a job well done. Then… the next part was a bit frustrating. Apparently since he was still a kid and according to the state law and despite his rank, he couldn’t travel alone. He was assigned a chaperone and it was almost laughable. Alphonse had done all of his training and traveling previously by himself, how would it be any different now?

“Sir? Are you ok?” 

Alphone looked up from the letter he was holding with a death grip and smiled. “ Yes. I’m perfectly fine. ” He said, lying.

The tall soldier who delivered the letter stood straight, saluting Alphonse. 

“Sir, as you probably have read, you have been assigned a chaperone. I am 2nd Lieutenant Ernst Folly. It is an honor to work with you, Fullmetal, sir!”

So that was how Alphonse had been assigned a… babysitter. 

As the months went by Alphonse traveled around, doing jobs for Mustang, researching the Philosopher's stone, and eventually looking into Chimera’s when he found out more details about his brother's murder from the Fürur. Illegal experiment on prisoners, and a tiger chimera who had apparently attacked Edward… it was all twisted and made him feel ill. 

He had to admit, Ernst was good at his job. No matter how many times Alphonse tried to shake him off, the 2nd Lieutenant would find his way back to Alphonse within hours. Alphonse didn't mind company, in fact he always found himself in a better mood when he was around others. He couldn’t shake the feeling that there was just something about Ernst. A couple months after he started, his gut feeling about the overly friendly guy was proven right.

They had visited central, staying in one of the facility's dorms. Alphonse was enamored with the library in Central's headquarters. Mustang had been right about its collection. It was chopped full of books he’d never read before. He would stay and read for hours on end, his chaperone staying right by his side, the entire time. That is…till he wasn’t.

Ernst had disappeared at one point, which was odd for the guy who made it his life's mission to not let Alphonse out of his eyesight once. Alphonse felt a great relief, but at the same time, was curious as to where the guy had gone off to. 

Ernst was quiet about his personal life, didn’t talk about much unless Alphonse was doing something he deemed stupidly dangerous. One thing Alphonse knew was that Ernst was from Central. He had gathered this by the way the soldier seemed to know every street name and almost every store. 

Alphonse couldn’t get himself to focus from the curiosity eating away at him. Where had Ersnt gone off to?

He left the library, wandering the halls, and just about getting himself lost. It felt oddly backwards doing the searching for once, and he honestly almost gave up, but then he smelled it, the cafeteria. He followed his nose, his stomach growling, reminding him he had been hauled up in the library since 6:00am. He looked at his pocket watch, it was…6…pm… No wonder Ernst wandered off, he must have been hungry! That at least was what Alphonse had concluded, just before overhearing Ernst's voice around the corner. 

He stopped, stepped back against the wall as Ernst and another soldier spoke in what Alphonse could tell was a supply closet. The air smelled heavily of cigarettes, but judging by the light shining through the door and the birds chirping, they had a window open. 

“I’m telling you, I am sick of this!” Ernst said, “I am sick of playing babysitter,  I’m sick of playing detective day in and out cause he wanders off. Or when I have to stand in that dusty ass library we have here. I’m a soldier for fucks sake.”

“Damn right.” The other guy replied. “But you did mess up so....”

“Shit. If it weren’t for that damn monster in the 5th!” Following Ernst’s outburst there was the sound of shuffling and clatter. Alphonse suspected the other soldier had pushed Ernst into a wall or shelf. 

“Quiet your voice down, we can’t have anyone else overhearing about that.” The other soldier whispered. 

“Right, right…the chimera’s escaped… and they shut it down…so…” Ernst said. 

“It never existed.” The other soldier replied. “None of it…”

“Right...”

The other soldier threw his cigarette to the ground, stomping on it and then closed the window. He peered over at the doorway and sniffed, “see you around Ernst.”

“Bye.”

The soldier left, rounding the corner, however Alphonse had snuck off just in time. 

He had heard enough though. 

Alphonse headed straight to his room, packing his stuff and placed it in the coat closet by the door, turning off the light. 

Time passed, Alphonse stood by the door, waiting. It opened and the 2nd Lieutenant stepped in quietly, scanning the empty bedroom, but before he could turn, Alphonse lunged at him. He shoved into the wall with his arm transmuted into a sharp blade. 

“ What kind of Chimera ?” He hissed out, struggling to hold the larger man down. 

“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about!” Ernst said struggling, Alphonse pushed into him, making the 2nd Lieutenant wheeze. 

“Tell. Me. NOW!” Alphonse said, “unless you want your superiors hearing about this child you're supposedly being forced to babysit?” 

“Alright, I’ll talk.” Ernst said, “The fucker knocked a doctor out and I accidently shot him. I wasn’t supposed to.” Ernst took a breath, “so they assigned me to watch you as punishment, and what was I supposed to think ? I’m a soldier, I’m not some nanny !”

Alphonse shook his head, “That is not what I asked about, tell me. What did the chimera look like?” 

Ernst shook his head, looking away from Alphonse, sweat dripping down to his brow. “He… he was a tiger. He’s not in the facility anymore, he escaped.” He looked lost, his breaths ragged, “Don’t go out looking for him, I can assure you, he is out for blood.”

“I know…” Alphonse said, using his other hand to knock the soldier out. “ I know .”

Alphonse grabbed his things, headed down the steps from central headquarters. He had to talk to someone about getting a new chaperone assigned… He just couldn’t trust 2nd Lieutenant Folly after everything that he’d learned. 

“Alphonse?” 

He looked up, directly in front of him was Lyra. He’d met her a couple months prior on his visit to Youswell.  She had asked to study under him, but he had declined. He was busy…but… if he took her as a student…then he wouldn’t need a chaperone…

Back to the Present…

“ Of course Lyra called. Well, It’s good to see you. Try any new recipes?” Alphonse asked. He loved Winry’s cooking, no matter if she messed up a recipe he always found it to be the best. He followed her down the path towards the Rockbell home. 

“Yes actually, I made a cobbler with some raspberries that grow near Granny’s house. We picked them together, it was a lot of fun.” 

“I’m excited to try it.” Alphonse said, holding out his good hand, “let me carry the basket for you.”

“Are you sure?” She asked. He nodded and took it as she handed it to him. It was heavy, but it was nothing his automail couldn’t handle. 

“So…” Winry said as they fell into a quiet stroll. “How long do you plan on staying?”

“Mm…probably only a couple days. Once I know when I’m leaving I will have to give Lyra a heads up”

“Hm, alright then.” She said then turned, pointing to a hillside. “There.” She ran over, tugging Alphonse along; he laughed as they ran and she joined in.

Sometimes he wished he could spend every day with Winry in Resembool like when they were younger, but until his goal was met, dreams like that weren't going to happen. Finding a philosopher's stone, fixing his body…finding his brother's murderer… there was a lot on his plate.

“There's a lot on your mind isn’t there Al?” Winry asked as she laid out a blanket on the grass and then crawled onto it, smoothing out the wrinkles.

“How’d you guess?” Alphonse asked as he walked over and sat down next to her on the blanket. 

“Observation.” She explained, “What's eating at you?” 

“I just feel like… everytime I get closer to finding answers, even more questions arise. Also, each lead for the item I’m looking for keeps turning out to be duds and it's really been dampening my mood recently. I feel like I am being led on a wild goose chase.”

“Hm. Well, maybe when you talk to the Colonel he will have more input…but you know…Edward had once told me something that may help.” Alphonse looked up at the sound of his brother's name. “This was back when we were really young. He had read about a type of rare beetle species called the Sun Beetle. He had read about it in a book on entomology. He thought it was really cool looking and wanted to pin it up to the wall or something like that? Which the idea was, and forever will be disgusting to me.”

“But it’s very much an Ed thing to do.” Alphonse said laughing.

“Yeah right?” Winry laughed at the memory. “Well…we looked for it all summer.”

“Oh, I remember! We would go out and explore everywhere with bug nets and jars.” Alphonse said, smiling fondly at the memory. 

“Come on! I know we’ll find them today!” Edward said, running ahead full speed with his net raised.

“I’m tired!” Winry cried. “And it's hot. Can’t we play inside or go sit in the shade?” 

“Go home if you want.” Edward said, fixing his straw hat. “But I’m not quitting till I find it.”

“I’ll help you find it Ed!” Alphonse said, holding up his net following after him. Winry puffed out her cheeks angrily, “fine, have fun getting heat sick!” She folded her arms watching them go with tears stinging at her eyes. “You two are so dumb!” She eventually said and chased after them. “Wait for me!!!”

“He never found it…right?” Alphonse asked.

“No.” Winrey said and laughed, “turns out the beetle he was looking for can only be found in the desert. Specifically near some ruins or something.”

“Huh.” Alphonse rubbed his chin, “but…I do remember him finding a lot of cool beetles.”

“Oh yeah, he found plenty; even started a collection.” Winry made a grossed out face, then she shook her head and smiled, “but…what I was getting at about bringing this up was…what he said to me when he discovered the truth.”

“We aren’t going hunting today?” Winry asked, approaching the porch where Edward sat leisurely with a cold drink.

“Nnnope.” Edward said before taking a long sip of lemonade.

“So you’ve given up?” Winry asked. “After all that hard work we put in?!”

“No, I’m not giving up, but I figured something out.” He said.

“What's that?” Winry asked as she climbed the porch steps and sat next to him.

“Well, I can either waste my time searching for that dumb bug that doesn’t exist here…or I can enjoy the rest of the summer exploring something else. Who knows maybe I will find the sun beetle someday..” He splashed the drink in his cup around in the sunshine absentmindedly and then smiled. “Or maybe not.”

“So…” Alphonse said then he bit into a mini sandwich Winry had made. “Ed basically gave up?” He asked through a mouthful of food.

“Sort of, but that's not the point. He realized he was looking in the wrong place and since he didn’t have the resources to find the thing he wanted; he would just look into other things that were more productive of his time.”

“He was a smart kid.” Alphonse said. He remembered back to when he and his brother did their alchemic research together. Edward was always ahead of him despite jumping around between things. “I think I understand what you're saying.” 

“That's good.” Winry smiled, she raised a hand towards him and he looked at it then at her, “Let me see your damaged arm.” He lifted the arm to her slowly and she took his hand, squeezing it tightly, he blushed and pulled it away, “hey what was that for?”

“Could you feel that?” She asked curiously.

“Yes!” Alphonse said, looking down at his arm worriedly, “why, should I not?”

“I just wanted to make sure none of the nerve connections were damaged.” Winry explained, “the metal is the easy part to fix! The other stuff is not so much.” She smiled, but something seemed off about her expression, “which means you’ll be able to head out tomorrow night at the earliest.”

“Oh that's good! I still have to give my in person report to Mustang.” Alphonse said. He picked up his sandwich and took another bite. Winry gave him a strange look before quickly turning away from him. They sat in silence for a couple minutes, Alphonse finished his sandwich then joined Winry watching the scenery.

“How are Granny and Den?” Alphonse asked as they began to pack up their picnic supplies. Winry looked up at him and gave him a small smile.

“They are both doing well Al, we miss you a lot you know.” 

“...I know.” Alphonse said.  She was acting weirder than usual. It had been a couple months since his last visit… maybe she wanted him to stay longer? Then why didn’t she just ask? Alphonse leant down next to her and placed the picnic blanket into the basket on top of the other items. Their hands brushed slightly and Winry quickly closed the basket and picked it up. She didn’t need to be scared of asking him such a simple question! He sighed, well, if it was up to him… 

“Winry, do you want me to—” Before he could say anything Winry laughed nervously and began to walk down the hill. 

“Alright! Let's head home then!” 

“Wiiiinnnnrrryyyy!” He called after her following from behind, “wait!” His pleas only made her walk faster.

Instead of staying for merely two days he stayed for a week. They discussed getting a new automail set ready, as he was growing, but decided it would wait till his next visit. Winry joked that it would only be a week before that happened. As she said this she made a face and then promised to immediately put an order in for supplies. He really couldn’t defend himself. He had somehow managed to break his automail in less than five days once. He still had a small dent in his head from the wrench she’d thrown.

 The days flew by, and although he enjoyed his time with Winry, he knew he was expected back at East City’s headquarters soon. He called Lyra and began to pack his belongings, and while he was double checking he had all he needed there was a knock at his bedroom door. He opened it to find Winry on the other side with a can of automail oil. 

“Just in case.” She said, She kept her gaze downward, her whole face was tinted a bright pink. Alphonse took the can slowly and thanked her, their fingers brushed and once again Winry reacted to the touch. He wished that he could still feel small sensations like that still. 

“Um…A-alphonse…” She stuttered out after they had been standing for a couple seconds. “Can…can I ask you something?”

“Uh…y-yeah. Anything!” He replied, an anxious feeling crept over him as he waited for her question. She chewed her lip nervously and pushed a strand of hair out of her face. 

“Well…do..do you remember when we were little when I had recently lost my parents?”

“It's hard not to remember those days…” Alphonse said looking sad, “why do you ask?”

Winry gave him a small smile, “well, when I was feeling the worst I ever had… you found me. You didn’t call me a crybaby, you just let me get it out of my system.” She reached up and wiped at her face slightly. “Then you gave me this.” She pulled a tiny cat figurine out of her pocket. She fidgeted with it, rubbing her thumb along the wood. “You said it was your first alchemic creation and you wanted me to have it because you wanted to see me smile again.” Winry chuckled, smiling up at him, “this little guy means the world to me.”

Alphonse didn’t know what to say, why was she telling him all this? “Winry—”

“It means the world to me because you mean the world to me Alphonse.” She looked up at him with a determined look, “because I like you.”

She liked him?! Alphonse felt his mouth open, but his body refused to move. He really did need that automail oil!

“Winry—”

“—And I won’t expect an answer straight away! I know you're probably too busy with your research to have a relationship and—oh….oh no… you know what? Now that I think about it, this was a mistake—!” She turned and took off down the hall and stairwell. Alphonse stared after her in shock. She didn’t even let me speak!? Without wasting another moment he chased after her, down the stairs and out the front door. 

“Winry!” Alphonse shouted, catching her hand just before she could descend the porch steps. Winry turned to him with a tear-filled expression.

 “...I’m sorry Al I—”

“ —Winry!... I like you too! ” He confessed. Winry stared at him in shock, her eyes fixed on his face as she processed his words.

“You…do?” 

Alphonse wanted to laugh at how dramatic their confessions had just been. He composed himself, catching his breath and standing up straight. She almost glowed in the sunset, her hair blowing in the wind, her lips parted slightly as she caught her breath. How could he not like her? She was smart…beautiful, and he wouldn’t be standing where he was today without her…figuratively and literally. He met her eyes, smiling.

“I do, Winry.” He said again as he squeezed her hand gently, the feeling of holding it was dulled, but it was there. “I have for a while… I’ve just been busy, so I didn’t want to burden you.”

“I…also didn’t want to burden you.” She said, then she snorted, covering her face as she laughed. He joined in and they both laughed till their sides hurt.

“What do we do now?” Winry asked, kicking her foot nonchalantly. 

“I don’t know… I am still set to leave in the morning.” Alphonse said, looking out towards the sunset. “Maybe we could…go on a walk and talk about everything?”

“Sure, sounds perfect.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 13: Innocent

“Can you take care of these for the Colonel, Lieutenant Breda?” Hawkeye asked as she walked over and dropped a large stack of paper into his arms. After recovering from the sudden weight, Breda stared up at the pile with a tired expression and slowly moved it onto his desk.

“Why am I not surprised that Mustang is letting his work pile up again…” Lieutenant Breda asked as he grabbed the first paper off the top of the pile and examined it. “I mean, who even was this Yoki guy mentioned here?”

Falman gave Breda an incredulous look. “Don’t you remember? He was exposed for imposing heavy taxes and extorting the mines in Youswell.” 

“Wait, Youswell?" Breda asked while he rhythmically tapped at his papers in thought. "That sounds familiar…”

Kain Fuery looked up from what he was tinkering with, “It should. It's the town that Lyra’s from.”

Havoc laughed, “You and that Lyra!” he slapped his desk, ”C’mon, you have to ask her out!”

“WHAT--No, no! Ignore me!” Fuery sputtered and hid behind his work again. Hawkeye shook her head and gave the Master Sergeant a knowing eyebrow raise. 

“Anyways…” Falman said, “the townsfolk in Youswell claimed that Fullmetal was their savior, but Alphonse himself claims differently. He told Mustang that he didn’t do anything and that they acted like they knew him from the moment he introduced himself.”

“Huh weird. Oh yeah I think I remember that now.” Breda said, tapping a pen to his chin. “Must have been some kind of imposter.” Falman shrugged at the suggestion. 

“That's most likely the case, I mean, you remember the kid who pretended to be Alphonse in Xenotime? In comparison, the one in Youswell was more of a rogue hero, but whoever did it was long gone by the time Fullmetal was on the scene. Since Mustang didn’t want to deal with all that legal nonsense, he just told Alphonse to take the credit.” 

Breda laughed. “Yeah, that sounds about right.” 

Hawkeye turned her attention back across the desks. “Master Sergeant Fuery.” The younger man stiffened and looked up nervously from the machine he was finicking with. Riza smiled and motioned to his project. “How is fixing the radio going?”

“Well, I-“

A clap rang out followed by a flash of light and the radio looked good as new. Everyone looked up quickly at the newcomers.

“Alphonse and oh uh-- L-Lyra hi!” Fuery said excitedly, blushing slightly when Lyra smiled and waved at him. Noticing his reaction, Havoc, Breda and Falman shared knowing looks.

“How’d things go in Reole?” Hawkeye asked them. Alphonse scratched his neck, trying to formulate his response so it wouldn’t sound like a complete waste. Before he could answer though Havoc stood up.

“Who cares about that!” Havoc said, “I heard you stopped by your hometown to see your girlfriend on the way here! How come you never told us you had a girlfriend?!” He laughed loudly, earning a smack in the head from Hawkeye.

Alphonse chuckled nervously, trying to figure out if word had spread that quickly or if Havoc was just teasing him. He turned to Hawkeye. “I didn’t find what I was looking for, but I’m not giving up. I am certain I will find something soon.” 

Hawkeye smiled, “that's good to hear.” She turned to the double doors across from them, “The Colonel is waiting for you in his office by the way.”

Alphonse nodded, he began to walk over but felt a tug at his sleeve. Lyra let go of him, motioning to the Colonel's office. “Need me to come with you?” 

“No, you should wait out here. If I need anything I will let you know.” Alphonse instructed. “This shouldn’t take too long.”

Alphonse stepped into Mustang's office, the older man sat at his desk silhouetted by the large window behind him. He seemed to be swamped in paperwork and only looked up once Alphonse closed the door. Mustang set down his pen and looked up at Alphonse with a wide grin.

“Good job Fullmetal on putting a stop to Father Cornello in Reole!”

“I…I’m glad we put a stop to him, he was doing more harm than good to his community.” Alphonse agreed, “but…”

“...The stone, was it another false lead?” Mustang asked.

Alphonse took in a sharp breath, “After it all, the stone ended up being a fake. However…its power seemed real enough. He even transmuted a huge chimera using it, but I’m not familiar enough with the field of bio alchemy to really understand it…it might be something worth looking into since I am trying to return my body back to normal…” And I could learn more about the chimeras in general.

“Hm. It might help if you consulted a specialist.” Mustang suggested. 

“Huh? I thought all chimera studies were shut down?” 

According to Fürur King Bradly, after some illegal human chimeras got loose, the alchemist responsible for creating them was apprehended and taken to prison. Then, all of the bio alchemist labs in Amestris were either shut down or turned to other studies. At least, that was what he was told, and it was all very classified information he couldn’t fact check.

“Not shut down, they are just closely regulated now. The Fürur added some stricter guidelines for them to follow if they sought to continue their research individually. Every two years, they must prove their studies are viable, thereby renewing their licenses. The bio alchemist I have in mind for you to meet is The Sewing Life Alchemist Shou Tucker, he’s done some pretty heavy research into chimera transmutation, I’ll introduce you.”

Alphonse stared up at Mustang in shock. He's being far too nice. Mustang was never this considerate to anyone, ever. There had to be a reason… He’d never just helped Alphonse out like this before. “You’d do that for me—?…What’s the catch?”

“There isn’t one Alphonse. I’m in your debt after you solve that Reole case!” He smirked, “honesty doing you a favor would probably be better than being indebted to you…” Despite his excuse, Alphonse couldn’t shake that there wasn’t some sort of ulterior motive behind the Colonels' generosity.  Alphonse looked around the office at all the documents piled about. 

“Are you sure you have time to introduce me? It looks like you are a little busy—” Mustang started laughing which caught Alphonse off guard. The Colonel grabbed his coat and hat and motioned for Alphonse to follow him. I guess he isn’t as swamped in work as he looks. He shrugged and followed after the Colonel. Despite the motive, he was still curious about bio alchemy, so this could prove useful.

——————

Mustang called for a ride and soon a black military car pulled up to meet them. Most of the ride Alphonse and Lyra sat uncomfortably across from Mustang who was uncharacteristically quiet. 

“So what kind of research has Shou Tucker done?” Alphonse asked, trying to break the awkward silence. 

“He’s made lots of animal chimera combinations, but… as of two years ago he created his most prevalent creation. A talking chimera who could understand human speech.” Mustang explained. He watched Alphonse's astonished reaction before continuing, “He bio engineered a fully animal chimera to understand human speech and repeat it. Though… supposedly it only said one thing, ‘I want to die’ and after that it refused to eat until it got its wish.”

Alphonse felt his stomach drop. Lyra looks at them worried.

“That’s…creepy.” 

“And slightly suspicious. I need you both to keep an eye on him for me, especially since his license renewal is coming up.” Mustang explained as he looked out the window.

“So there was a catch!” Alphonse said, now slightly irritated, “I knew there had to be more to this!” Mustang sighed and pinching the bridge of his nose. Their conversation ended, and soon the car rolled to a stop.

As the car drove away from them, Alphonse, Lyra and Mustang stood at the gate which welcomed them into a fairly nice sized yard. The house itself was a large city home in definite need of some upkeep. As Alphonse took it all in a howl rang out through the air and before he knew what was happening he found himself on the ground; under the weight of a large fluffy canine. He struggled to move under the great pyrenees’s mop of a fur coat and it didn’t help that the Colonel and Lyra were both laughing their asses off at his expense.

“Alexander!” A little girl called out from the doorway of the house. “Daddy! There are people out here!”

“Oh dear…Nina this is why I told you to keep the dog tied up.” A man said.

“It's fine…all's forgiven.” Alphonse struggled to say, “ but…could you call for your dog… to get off me…I’m having trouble… breathing.”

The little girl wasted no time and clapped her hands. “Here, come here Alexander!” The dog barked and stood from atop the squashed state alchemist. Then he happily pranced over to his owner.

After many profuse apologies Alphonse, Lyra and the Colonel were led into the house. “What a dump.” Lyra said under her breath. Alphonse elbowed her and gave her a look to cool it with the comments. Around them looked nothing short of a disaster scene, it reminded Alphonse of how messy he and Edward made their fathers study a couple times. He smiled to himself at the memories and examined the picture frames lining the wall, they consisted of Shou Tucker, his daughter Nina and Alexander. He noted the lack of a mother figure in any of the frames. The bio alchemist led them over to a couch to sit and they thanked him before he exited the room to fetch some tea. As he came back with a tray he looked frazzled.

“Sorry about the mess… Ever since my wife ran out on us it's been kind of a wreck.” Oh, so that's why. “I’m not much of a homemaker you see….I assume the Colonel has probably told you, but I am The Sowing Life Alchemist, Shou Tucker.”

“Yeah, we’ve heard a lot about you.” Alphonse said. He blew into his tea then looked up at the biochemist, “I have to know, how on earth did you make that chimera talk?” 

Tucker gave him a wide grin, “that’s a secret I can only reveal in my classified papers. All I can say is that it was tough to do, and my creation seemed to only repeat the same things over and over… I guess it couldn’t be helped in the end.”

“It’s still impressive-”

“-It’s NOT enough!” Shou Tucker shouted, he fumbled with the tea he was holding and spilled it slightly. He hissed out and grabbed for a discarded rag near him to clean up. Alphonse and Lyra had both shrank back in his outburst which Shou Tucker noticed. “S-Sorry, sorry. Didn’t mean to shout, I’ve been stressed about the upcoming exam.”

“It’s ok.” Alphonse said nervously.

Mustang hummed and took a sip of tea and motioned to Alphonse, “Alphonse here is interested in the field of Biologic Alchemy. He and his student would like to have a look at your research if that's at all possible.”

Shou Tucker was quiet for a second and Alphonse and Lyra shared a look, both began to have a creeping feeling that they were going to be turned away. However instead the older man nodded, “oh yes, uh, certainly. I don’t mind.” Alphonse and Lyra smiled excitedly. “However…” Shou Tucker looked down at his tea, his eyes hidden by the glare on his glasses. “If you want me to show you the tricks I’ve got up my sleeve… it's only fair you show me the tricks you got up yours as well. It's the code we live by, equivalent exchange. Now…why the sudden interest in bio alchemy?”

Mustang shifted, “oh umm Al…you see he’s…”

“Colonel…” Alphonse said, stopping him. “Let me explain.”

——————

“You attempted to transmute your brother…as an eleven year old child…?” Shou Tucker asked, staring at Alphonse in astonishment. Alphonse closed his eyes and nodded, he had removed his coat and rolled up his pants, revealing his metal limbs. Tucker fixed his glasses as he composed himself, “I see… so that's what earned you the title ‘Fullmetal Alchemist’.” Shou intertwined his fingers and slouched forward, “you’ve had a rough time of it for someone so young…”

Alphonse nodded and sat back into his chair; the room fell silent. Shou Tucker grunted as he stood from his chair slowly. “I can’t say for sure if it's going to be any use for you two or not… but why don’t you both go ahead and take a look at my laboratory.”

——————

Caged animals and chimera’s filled the room, they screeched, bleated and twittered. Most animals looked aggressive, and it hurt Alphonse’s heart seeing them trapped inside such tiny cages.

 Other than animals there were shelves of books, jars of weird liquids, vials, tubes and other types of medical equipment. Alphonse squatted down to examine a couple jars, but shot back up when he thought he saw something move. He then went over and examined the books.

“It’s kind of embarrassing. I’m fairly widely regarded as an authority on chimera’s, but the truth is… It hasn’t actually been going well lately.” Shou Tucker explained. Alphonse skimmed through the names of the books lining the shelves, each one was something new and exciting to him. “Would you like to see my collection?”

Alphonse turned on his heels excitedly. “You have more books?!” 

Shou Tucker led them down the hall and motioned to two large doors. They opened a door each and the light that came in from the hall, revealed the outlines of some shelves. The bio alchemist walked in and flicked on a light, revealing the room was packed with shelves fully stocked with books. Alphonse gasped in astonishment.

“Wow! You have so many books Mr. Tucker!” He exclaimed. Lyra nodded along with him in agreement.

“This is quite a collection.” She complimented.

Shou Tucker smiled motioning them in, “thank you, I’m very proud of my library! Feel free to look around.” 

Alphonse ran in and excitedly grabbed a random book and began to skim through it. For a moment it felt like when he and Edward started their research. As he read it felt like Ed was with him, he wished he could be. He knew his brother would be just as excited about this room as he was.

“I’m going to head back to work now. I will send a car in the evening to pick you both up.” Mustang said from the doorway.

“Thanks.” Lyra replied, waving to him. Alphonse didn’t respond though, too engrossed in his book.

“He sure has some ability to focus.” Shou Tucker marveled, “I’m not sure he even knows we are here anymore. Quite a catch he is, a true prodigy , and already a teacher!”

——————

“I don’t know if I can trust this guy…” Lyra whispered to him as they sat in the library, a few piles of books were already stacked up next to them on the floor. “I have a gut feeling he is bad news and I’ve worked with some fairly untrustworthy individuals before.”

“Mr. Tucker?” Alphonse asked, “He seems like a nice enough guy to me…I mean, his practice isn’t my favorite…”

“I don’t know, I’m getting pretty creepy vibes from him and this place.” Lyra said, “also something about his story isn’t adding up.”

“Well… Mustang did want us to keep an eye on him.” Alphonse pointed out, “if we think something up we should definitely put it in our report. Though, bad vibes aren’t enough evidence.”

“maybe… I should do some snooping ?” Lyra asked in a whisper. 

“For now, let's focus on our studies.” He yawned, set down the book he was reading and stretched out his back. At this rate he was going to develop a hunch. Winry did warn him to not push himself too hard… maybe it was time to take a break. 

A giggle interrupted his thoughts and he turned and met the eyes of Nina, who was peeking out from behind a shelf. He hoped she didn’t hear any of their previous conversation. When she noticed she was spotted she quickly ducked back behind the shelf again. He stood up slowly and patted the dust off his legs. It appeared she hadn’t heard anything after all.

“Hi Nina.” He greeted, “My name is A—”

“Alphonse Elric!” She said pointing at him, “The Fullmetal Alchemist!” 

Alphonse laughed and rubbed the back of his head. “Oh, I guess you already know who I am.” Nina smiled and pulled out two flower crowns and motioned for him to lean down. He kneeled down and she placed the flower crown on his head then she patted his shoulder once on each side.

 “I hereby name you my noble steed!”

Lyra laughed as she watched nearby.

Alphonse looked up at Nina in confusion, “w-wait? Shouldn’t I be a knight?”

She laughed at this and motioned to the dog standing in the doorway, “No! Alexander is my knight, silly!” Ah, of course. How silly a mistake. Alphonse lowered his head, “I accept her royal highness’s decree. Where are we off to, m’lady?” 

“Let’s ride along the royal coast!” She demanded and then climbed on his back. 

Alphonse let out a whinny, causing Lyra to fall over in hysterical laughter, but he ignored her. He hoisted Nina up with him and jumped a couple times. Nina shrieked and giggled in delight as they ran around the room; Alexander followed suit.

——————

“Hey chief and miss Lyra, your ride has arrived!” Havoc called out as he entered the library, followed close by Shou Tucker.

At this point in their play Alexander had apparently decided he wanted to play horsie as well and tried to jump on Alphonse. Thus once again, Alphonse found himself flat on his face. It was embarrassing to say the least. 

“Uhhh… what are you doing down there Al?” Havoc asked, seemingly caught off guard by his predicament. 

“Not…much. Just taking a break from a long day of research.” Alphonse said into the floor.

Shou Tucker watched as Lyra got Alexander off him and helped him up. “After all that… you must be ‘ dog’ tired.” He laughed at Alphonse’s horrified expression in response to his joke. “Why don’t you and your student come by again tomorrow?” 

Nina jumped excitedly and tugged at Alphonse’s shirt sleeve. “Are you both really going to come back again!?” 

Alphonse smiled, “Yeah, and we can play again tomorrow as well, ok?”

Lyra gave him a look, “what happened to focusing on your research?” Alphonse shook his head in response.

“We can do both.” He promised.

“Kay!” Nina said happily. “Maybe tomorrow Lyra can be the pony!”

Lyra turned to Alphonse with a terrified expression and he burst out laughing.

——————

Alphonse and Lyra came back almost everyday the following two weeks. Yet they had barely made a dent the plethora of books the Tucker’s had in their library. 

Nina was full of energy. She reminded him of playing with Edward and Winry when they were younger. Honestly just being around Nina reminded him that he was still a kid. It may be his second year as a State Alchemist, but he was still only fourteen.

Lyra looked at Nina with a puzzled expression. “Your mother left two years ago?” She asked.

Their conversation had led into the topic of family, Nina asked about their families, but they both avoided saying anything by asking her about her parents. Nina in turn looked sad for a second, before shaking her head, smiling. “Daddy said she went back to live at her parents’ house.” She explained. Alphonse's heart hurt for her, he couldn’t remember his father well, but he and Edward had always felt betrayed by his leaving. They both had secretly hoped it was for a good cause, but the egging feeling of being unwanted was and still was very present. He couldn’t imagine if their Mom had been the one to leave though. From what he could remember and from what Edward always said, their father was a distant man; even when he had lived with them. Their mother, though, was a constant warm and gentle presence for them both for as long as they could remember. “It must get lonely with just you and your Dad living in this big house, huh?” He asked.

Nina shook her head, “Not really, Daddy’s so nice, and plus I have Alexander to play with too!” As she said this she wrapped her arms around Alexander and buried her face into his fur. He turned and licked her face causing her to giggle. Alphonse smiled, remembering how Winry was always cuddling Den. “But…” Alphonse's smile dropped as Nina’s tone shifted, “lately Daddy’s been spending a lot of time studying in his lab… I guess that does make me a little lonely.” She closed her eyes petting Alexander. The room fell silent for a moment. Alphonse looked at Nina’s sad expression and knew there was only one thing they could do. 

“Well…that's enough studying for now!” Alphonse said, closing the book he’d been working on. “How about we go play outside for a bit!” Nina cheered and Alexander barked, then they all jumped up with excitement, heading for the door.

——————

“Maybe, my gut is wrong…?” Lyra said. They had taken a break to eat their lunches outside. Nina and Alexander played around in the garden a little ways away, just enough out of earshot to not overhear them. Alphonse turned to her. She had her hands clenched together and her expression said she still wasn’t sure. “He…does seem nice, like you said. Nina also seems to hold him in such a high regard. I mean, why would she do that if he wasn’t a good Dad?”

Alphonse scratched his head, “Huh… well damn…” Lyra looked up at him. “Honestly,  I’m starting to feel the opposite.”

Lyra’s eyebrows rose in intrigue. “How so?” 

“Well, there is something off about how little attention he gives Nina. We’ve been here for two weeks now and have barely seen a lick of him.”

“Oh… you're right.”

“Not saying he is a bad guy, but if he is anywhere similar to my own father, he’s more invested in work than family.” He looked over towards where Nina was laughing and petting Alexander’s belly. “Kids are smarter than we give them credit for. She can tell that he isn’t putting in the time for her, but she also knows that he does this work for them.”

“I’m sure she will be a lot happier after her fathers exams are done.” Lyra said, smiling thoughtfully.

“That’s what we can only hope for.”

——————

The Tucker’s had asked them to stay for dinner, so they accepted. As they ate, Shou Tucker and Alphonse talked about their research and somehow it dissolved into family talk once again. 

“We were so poor in those days, before I had earned my State Alchemist Certification our life was terrible,” Shou Tucker explained. “We were so poor …that my wife couldn’t stand living like we did, so she left us.” He ran a hand through his hair nervously, “I can’t afford to fail this upcoming assessment. I don’t want to go back to those days again, I don’t think I could.” 

“It’s ok Daddy!” Nina said confidently, “if those mean people do tell you no, then me and Alexander will just growl at them until they say yes!”

Alphonse laughed, “you tell them Nina!”

Shou Tucker smiled at his daughter. “Hey Nina…I have an idea. Do you want to play with Daddy tomorrow?” 

“REALLY?!” Nina asked, her expression lighting up. When her Dad nodded she ran up and gave him a hug, “Woo hoo!” She turned to their dog excitedly, “Alexander! Daddy says he is going to play with us tomorrow!” Alexander barked in a couple times in response. 

“Are big brother Al and Big sister Lyra going to come over tomorrow too?” She asked with big puppy dog eyes as they were getting ready to leave. Alphonse leant down to her level. 

“Wouldn't it be better, for a change, to just spend time with your Dad?” Alphonse suggested. Nina didn’t look too happy with this, but Shou Tucker looked grateful at the suggestion. 

“Tell you what, if it's ok with your Dad, I will come by the next day and we can hang out as much as you want!”

“No research?” She asked in surprise.

Alphonse shook his head, “No books, just fun.” At this, Nina lit up and turned to her Dad with a pleading expression.

“I don’t see why not, he’s here practically everyday now anyways!”.

——————

Lyra waved to their friends one last time and ran to catch up to her teacher. 

“Hey Al?” He didn’t turn to her, but kept walking swiftly down the road. “Hey, what was that? Weren’t you worried about—?”

“—We aren’t leaving.” Alphonse whispered, he stared over his shoulder at the retreating house. 

“Wait, I thought you said…?” Lyra stopped mid sentence as Alphonse stopped and ducked into an alleyway.

“I left my pocket watch in the library, a perfectly good excuse to go back if we get caught.” Alphonse said, winking at her. Lyra nodded and ducked down to his level.

“Why the change of heart?”

“Things aren’t adding up to me. First of all, he has his big exam coming up in a couple days, so he shouldn’t have time to spend with Nina. That is, unless he was finished with his research, which I could tell by how he looked earlier that he wasn’t even close to. Also… What Nina said about her mother isn’t adding up to me. Her mother left two years ago. That amount of time coincides with when Mr. Tucker’s first bio alchemy exam. Doesn’t that seem suspicious? Especially with what we know of his experiment?” Lyra’s mouth hung open and her eyes widened.

 “So my suspicions about him were…”

“I think your gut was dead right and I have to thank you, cause it’s what got me thinking in the first place.” Alphonse said. “Lyra…” He looked back at the house.

“We are going to save Nina.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 14: Scars

They were tucked behind some bushes to the side of the Tuckers home. Lyra leaned over and whispered to him with a concerned expression. “So… What's the plan ?” Alphonse didn’t respond, his face was scrunched up in thought and he anxiously bit his thumbnail. “ You don’t have a plan ?!”

 Alphonse sighed looking up at her with an annoyed expression, “ It’s not like I go around sneaking into people's houses .” Lyra nodded along, as she listened she leaned into the boards of the house and a spider fell onto a shoulder. She began to let out a shocked shriek, but Alphonse covered her mouth. He then picked up the spider and threw it. “Come on, we can’t mess around!”

“ It’s not like I wanted that spider to land on me! It came from above !” She explained motioning up. 

“ From above huh…? ” Alphonse looked up at the roof. 

——————

It had been about an hour since Alphonse had left when Shou Tucker had asked Nina if she’d like to play a game before bed. A game that both she and Alexander could play with him. She got excited, following behind him up towards his study on the upper floor.

She followed him inside cautiously, shrinking back at the scary things her father collected. “The game is here?” She asked. “I thought… me and Alexander weren’t allowed?”

Shou Tucker chuckled and ruffled her hair making her laugh. “It's ok, the game can only be played here. Now…” He walked over and cleared some space on the floor. “... this game has very specific rules, ok?”

She watched him draw a circle with some chalk, similar to the ones Lyra practiced. Lyra was cool, she liked Lyra’s circles. “This is the board.”

Lyra walked over and looked at the circle curiously. “Like hopscotch?” She asked. Alexander followed, but more cautiously than Nina.

“Yeah…something like that…”

“What's the game called?” She asked, looking down at the circle.

“Chimer--” A creaking sound above them cut him off. Alexander began barking, stepping toward the sound. Shou Tucker looked up again at the ceiling.

“What is it Daddy?” Nina asked tugging on his shirt.

“I think.” He said, stepping forward. “We have a critter problem.”

“A-?” 

Before Nina could ask, Alphonse fell from the ceiling, onto Shou Tucker.

“DADDY?!?!” She shrieked in shock at the scene. Lyra jumped down beside the pair who were now wrestling. 

“You sick twisted son-of-a--!” Alphonse shouted but didn’t finish his sentence knowing Nina was watching. “Lyra! Get Nina and Alexander out of here!” He shouted while pushing Shou Tucker’s arms down.

“Damn brat and his heavy ass metal limbs!” Shou Tucker cursed as Alphonse pushed his head to the ground. He watched as Lyra led both Nina and Alexander out of the room in a hurry. Nina shouted in protest, trying to get out of Lyra’s hold, but stopped when she saw her Dad’s eyes. She was then tugged down the hall.

The room fell silent. It was almost deafeningly silent, and the reason for it all too clear. 

“ Damn brat figuring it out so quickly— “

“Of course I figured it out!” Alphonse shouted, “You did it before, two years ago it was your wife. This time you thought you’d get away with it again with your own daughter!”

Shou Tucker got a hand free, he punched at Alphonse who blocked his hits with his arm. Shou Tucker wheezed slightly in pain as he recoiled his hand from punching metal. After a moment of recovery he laughed, “you can only do so much with animals after all. It's much easier when you start with a human. Isn’t that right?!” Shou Tucker felt around for something to fight with and his hand fell on a jar of liquid. He smirked, and smashed it against Alphonse’s arm, shattering it. The unknown fluid and glass went everywhere, Alphonse gasped and fell back in surprise. 

Shou Tucker didn’t waste any time in trying to escape again, “Nina! Please come back!” He yelled running for the door. Alphonse lunged for him, slamming him against the wall, holding him in place. He felt his jaw clench, shoving his arm into the other's chest so he couldn’t move.

“ I…I don’t see what you're so mad about… ” Tucker said calmly. “ This is how we progress. Human experimentation is a necessary step, I would think a fellow scientist should understand— “

“—SHUT UP. Do you think you can get away with that? Messing around with someone else's life like that? Your wife?! Your own daughter?!”

“Someone's life you say?” Tucker laughed at him. “You’d know all about that wouldn’t you? Look at yourself Fullmetal Alchemist. Look at your legs, your arms…those things are also the result of messing around with someone's life, aren’t they?”

“SHUT UP!” Alphonse yelled and punched the older man's face. Hard. He glared up at Shou Tucker, feeling himself tremble with rage. Alphonse was never one to get angry like this, he was always the calm and level headed kid in his family…

“We…” Tucker laughed maniacally. “We are the same aren’t we?”

“We’re not!” Alphonse argued. I would never…

“Of course we are!” He said looking at Alphonse with a grin, “we saw the opportunity and took it even though we knew it was against the rules!”

Images of the thing he created flashed through Alphonse’s mind. No. We aren’t… we aren’t… He remembered the feeling of helplessness that he felt when they buried his mother and when he was handed his brother’s bloodied bag. The loneliness he endured those months, the sleepless nights he’d spent researching. He remembered Winry, Granny, and his Teacher’s concern. He…he had been selfish back then…but… He pushed his hand harder into the other alchemist's chest and punched Tucker again, then again, and again, “I’m nothing like you, you're selfish and cruel! You didn’t even consider your daughter and wife's feelings! Now you…. Now you have no one!” He stopped to breathe.

“Then…what… would you…say…of yourself?” Shou Tucker asked, his face swollen and bloodied. Alphonse reeled his fist back, but he stopped feeling a pair of eyes stare into the back of his head. 

“Big brother…” A voice said behind him. He turned to Nina, who stood in shock at the scene in front of her. “Why…why are you hurting my Daddy? He…” 

“Nina..” Shou Tucker said with a smile, “Nina it’s--”

“Nina!” Lyra called. She arrived in the doorway, out of breath. “S-sorry Alphonse.” She said between breaths, “I was calling the Colonel and she snuck away. Oh-- oh… uh wow . I think you got him.”

“Shit…” Alphonse said, pushing himself off of the guy. “I took it too far.”

“I can…I can still do it…” Shou Tucker said, he shakily held his pocket watch up and marveled at it. The rage hit Alphonse again full force as he grabbed the watch from the man's hand. 

“You will do NOTHING.” Alphonse yelled and threw the pocket watch across the room where it crashed and broke. “I doubt you’ll stay a state alchemist… I doubt it …” Alphonse said, glaring down at the man as he crawled pitifully toward the broken watch.

Alphonse crumbled after that, falling to his knees as sobs billowed out of him.

They had really done it. They had made it just in time. 

They saved Nina.

——————

The entire following night, Alphonse was stricken with nightmares. He eventually gave up on sleep, staring up at the ceiling above. Once the slightest sliver of sunlight appeared through the curtains he immediately threw off his covers. He sped through his morning routine, his mind racing. He had to find out what the Tuckers' fates would be. 

Which brought him outside Mustang's office, however before he could knock the door opened.

“Alphonse?” Hawkeye asked. “What are you doing here?”

“I…I have to know…what will happen to Shou Tucker and his daughter Nina.” He asked, he played with his sleeve anxiously as he awaited her answer. Hawkeye gave him a surprised look, which slowly shifted to sympathetic.

“Well, for the time being…Nina and Alexander are staying in my apartment with me and Black Hayate till we figure out her situation. As for Shou Tucker… He was going to be put on trial for his use of bio-alchemy on humans… However this morning, when we had the soldiers head in to collect him, he was found… dead.”

Alphonse felt like he was outside his own body. While… it was comforting to know Nina wouldn’t be in any danger now…that was still her Dad… and she…

He frowned, “how…?”

“I don’t know just yet, I was just about to head over to the scene myself.” She said as she began to walk down the hall. Alphonse followed close behind. 

“I’m coming with you.” He said as he matched her pace.

“No.”

“Why not?” He asked. She stopped and turned and looked down at him sternly. 

“You don’t need to see this.”

——————

Alphonse on the steps of a statue monument, it was pouring rain, but he felt too hopeless to care.  He watched as the raindrops fell into a puddle and ripple with each drop.

He put all my trust in alchemy…but in the end, what was it? Alchemy was the science of understanding the flow of matter and its laws… the process of comprehension, construction, deconstruction. The water continued to ripple and each one intertwined with the other. The world flows too, it must also follow laws. Everything circulates….even death is a part of that circulation. An alchemist had to…accept the flow. Teacher had drummed that into his head from the moment he’d started her lessons. He thought he understood it, but he didn’t understand anything. He had completely ignored her lessons and did something unforgivable, something like Shou Tucker had. Now he was searching again for something that was leading him into a dangerous path. “Now I’m here again, trying desperately to do the impossible…” He put his face in his hands, “I’m such an idiot…all this time… I really haven’t grown up one bit.” He looked up at the sky, feeling the raindrops on his face. He had thought sitting out here would help, but honestly it was making him feel worse than ever.  

“You are the full metal alchemist are you not kid?” Asked a stranger next to him. 

Alphonse sighed, “I am, who might you be?” He looked down just in time to notice the man moving his arm towards him. Alphonse quickly raised his arm to stop him from grabbing his head. 

“I have no name, I abandoned my name long ago.” The man paused, “your arm…it's not flesh. You have a metal arm .” 

Alphonse shook him off and gritted his teeth angrily. “Yeah, so? What are you trying to do anyways?” Alphonse asked. The man didn’t reply; he took a step back and regained his composure. He was tall and tan, with a large ‘x’ shaped scar in the center of his face. I think I’ll call him Scar.

“Justice.” Scar answered, then lunged at Alphonse again. This time, Alphonse ducked out of the way and clapped his hands together. He placed them onto the ground and made a wall in between him and the stranger. Although Scar easily broke his way through it, it gave Alphonse time to get a head start. He reached a stairwell and began to descend it.

“Oh no you don’t.” Scar shouted angrily and suddenly the stairs started to crumble around Alphonse. He yelled and quickly clapped his hands again, then he used part of the stairs still intact to catapult himself along safely to the ground. Scar chased after him down the backstreets, not letting up on his pursuit. So…he’s using some sort of deconstruction alchemy… and it only works if he knows what he is using it on. Alphonse took a turn and found himself at a dead end. Shit. He clapped his hands and began to rise up on a stone pillar. He was too slow and Scar grabbed his jacket pulling him back down. As Alphonse fell he lifted his right arm to protect himself. Scar grabbed his arm, breaking it to pieces. Alphonse fell past the man, and wheezed as he hit the ground with a painful thud. He groaned, his vision blurring as he looked down at his utterly demolished limb.

“My girlfriend just fixed that! She’s going to kill me .” Alphonse said as he backed further into the alley.

“I’ll save her the trouble, now make this easy for the both of us and don’t struggle anymore.” Scar told him as he approached slowly with his arm outstretched, ”you and I both know this is a losing battle for you.” 

Alphonse froze, maybe…maybe it would be better if he— Before Alphonse could even finish his thought, a figure jumped down from above. Alphonse took a couple steps back giving him and the newcomer as much space between them as he could. For all he knew, this person wasn’t friendly either. The man before him had long, jet black hair, he was tall and fairly built. He wore an unfamiliar clothing style, a sleeveless black shirt with golden stripe-like patterns along the right side. The shirt was paired with some loose black trousers and flat shoes. The stranger was breathing heavily, as if he’d run miles to be there, and like Alphonse and Scar he was also soaked head-to-toe from the rain. A cold wind blew through the alleyway and along with it a bit of sunlight poked through the clouds. Now that Alphonse could see more of him he could make out more of the newcomers' features. He had light orange fur with golden stripes all along his arms and neck. He gasped as he realized who was in front of him. Remembering 2nd Lieutenant Ernst Folly’s words. 

“Don’t go out looking for him, I can assure you, he is out for blood.”

Scar stepped towards the newcomer, “A chimera… have you sought me out to be put out of your misery?” 

The human chimera growled his voice deep and distorted. “I need nothing of the sort.” Scar charged at the chimera, who dodged him and grabbed Scar's head from behind, slamming it into the ground. Scar’s sunglasses shattered and fell from his face and blood seeped from his forehead as he glared up at the chimera. 

“An Ishvaalan….” The chimera remarked with a curious expression, “and you're using alchemy?” Ignoring the chimera, Scar placed his hand to the ground, causing the stone beneath them to crack and crumble. Before he could be swallowed along with Scar into the pit below, the chimera jumped away. He coughed and waved away the dust as it settled. “ Damn. Where’d he go?” He asked angrily.

Alphonse stood frozen in shock.

“ Have you ever heard of a Chimera?” Fürur King Bradley sat across from Alphonse, he intertwined his fingers together waiting for Al to respond. 

“I…I have sir.” Alphonse nodded. “I have read about them in my fathers books.”

“A bio alchemist in one of our laboratories was recently discovered to be…experimenting on our prisoners. However, one of their secret projects escaped that night and when he did…he went on a rampage through Central. Unfortunately your brother happened to be in his war path. We…covered up most of what happened to the public but it was a regrettable folly on our part for not paying close enough attention to the alchemist we hired.”

“Why…are you telling me this?” Alphonse asked. He gripped the cloth of his pants to hold in his emotions.

“It's…a lesson and a warning. Lesson is that we have laws of alchemy for a reason, and the warning is that the chimera is still out there… he is a tiger chimera, and he is bloodthirsty and powerful. If you see him…do not hesitate to capture him. Understood?”

“Yes sir!” Alphonse saluted.

A tiger chimera …the chimera before him was exactly who the Fürur and the 2nd Lieutenant had described. Alphonse lent down and picked up a pipe from the ground. The chimera was distracted, so he slowly crept up from behind. With all the power he could muster he brought the pipe down hard onto the others back. 

The chimera didn’t budge though. His ear flicked a couple times and after a couple seconds he turned slightly to look at Alphonse with an annoyed expression.

“ Why’d you do it? !” Alphonse asked, his voice cracking. “ Why did you kill him? ”

The chimera’s eye twitched before turning and looking back into the sewers; as he did he rubbed his shoulder sorely. “I didn’t kill anyone. The guy got away.”

Alphonse felt his face turn red. “No, not him! You killed my brother!“

“You're brother?” The chimera asked with a shocked expression. Then slowly he began to laugh, his face crinkled as he did, revealing his sharp teeth. His reaction only made Alphonse’s blood boil more, so he stepped forward and shoved him. The chimera lost his balance, but ended up landing perfectly on his feet in the sewer path below. 

The chimera looked up at him with a fury that shook Alphonse to his core and reminded him of his current state. “What was that for?!” The chimera asked.

“I- I hate you!” Alphonse said angrily, “You are laughing at my brother's death like it's some kind of joke! We mourned him and my mother for years—“

“I- I didn’t mean…wait th-this is a misunderstanding! Let me explain—  “ The chimera started to say, but Alphonse wasn’t going to let him finish.

“—All you are is a heartless monster!” 

Alphonse watched as the chimera’s ears folded back and his face dropped. He seemed…hurt? Alphonse was too angry to care. Why wasn’t the chimera attacking him? Did he feel bad for Alphonse and decided to spare him? Why would he care about other humans now? Alphonse held what was left of his limb and glared down at the chimera in pure fury.

“I don’t need your excuses or your pity.” Alphonse said, keeping his eyes locked on the other. “If I see you again I will not hesitate to capture you for the Fürur.”

The chimera stood still, his expression unreadable as he lowered his head and gritted his teeth. “You…won’t even hear me out?” The chimera asked.

“Go!” Alphonse yelled at him. 

The chimera turned away from Alphonse, taking one last glance back and then ran into the darkness of the tunnels. Good riddance… Alphonse thought. He looked up at the sky, his vision blurred, and the world spun around him he could feel himself lose his balance. As he collapsed, blurry figures surrounded the entrance of the alleyway, one of whom rushed towards him quickly.

“Fullmetal!”

Chapter Text

Chapter 15: Travels

Travels in Xing. Pt 1.

He walked for days, out of food or water and all alone. Death hung heavy in his foggy mind as he dragged his boots through the dunes of sand. He felt like he was going to be buzzard food soon. Between that or the military finding him, or he would rather collapse in the heat. Heat waves rippled off the sand casting illusions to his eyes. The only thing he could do to stay sane was to think of the innocent Ishvaalan’s who he’d saved .

…

The sound of caravan carts creaking, snapping him from his memories. Roa had stopped, staring out at the desert. Most of the others had walked on, too focused on the journey. However one person stuck by.

Martel stood quietly by him, not pushing him to keep moving, just standing quietly by his side. 

“I guess we should keep going.” He said after a moment. She followed close by, breaking the silence she had been holding.

“You looked distant.”

“The desert reopens some wounds for me. I’ve never talked about it, but back when I had deserted I almost died out here.” Martel looked at him, her eyes meeting his own. 

“I’m…glad you didn’t.”

Roa nodded, “I am as well.” He fixed the keffiyeh wrapped tightly around his head, smiling into it slightly when his mouth was hidden. “If I hadn’t…” He looked up ahead at Edwards and the others. “Who knows what could have happened to the kid.”

——————

—July 3rd 1912—

“Ed!”

“Ed! Hey Ed!”

“Wake up kid!”

Edward woke up to Greed swatting at his face. He groaned and pushed the homunculus away before sitting up and stretching his arms. 

“Now that your beauty sleep is done we can go right?” Greed asked, with an impatient expression as he watched Edward roll up his blanket. Edward gave him the stink eye before leaving the tent and heading over to the other chimera’s. They were huddled together just out of earshot of the merchant caravan. Edward wrapped his keffiyeh around his head as he peeked past Roa.

He rubbed his blurry eyes, “What's that?” He asked, then he yawned and leaned against Roa’s arm lazily. Roa chuckled, and held out the paper in the early morning light so Edward had a better idea of what he was looking at. “The merchants gave this to me. It’s a map of the city we are headed to.” Edward leaned in and studied it eagerly. “Oh wow, that's one busy map.” The city had to be humongous! While he was occupied, a merchant approached them.

“Oh yes, we are headed to a very large city in Xing. It has beautiful buildings, and plenty of trade for merchants like us. It is also home to both the Jin and Yao Clans!” The merchant told them excitedly, “Jin and Yao are among the fifty original clans in Xing. Yao Clan is very large, I believe five hundred thousand!”

Edward continued to inspect the map curiously, “That sounds big. What's the city called?” 

“The city's name is Baojin. Named after the first Emperor to learn Alkahestry.” The merchant explained. 

“Alkahestry?” Edward asked, “I think…I think I’ve heard of that before. Is it like Alchemy?”

The merchant had scratched his head nervously as he replied.

“Well… I am…not an expert on the field, but its uses are more…uh what was the word…Yīliáo de, um…medical.. based? Compared to your Alchemy…which is more focused on…uh making and uh…and unmaking? I’m sure you understand what I am speaking of. You may meet Alkahestrists once we arrive in Baojin…sorry my Amestrian is not very good…if you cannot tell.”

“It’s nothing to worry about, your Amestrian is very impressive, so don’t be too hard on yourself.” Roa said, reaching out his hand for a handshake. “Thanks for the information by the way, uh…what was your name again?” Roa asked.

The man took Roa’s hand eagerly, smiling, “Gong Huang, pleasure…is mine.” 

As the next two weeks went by, everyday they’d slowly walked along the dunes. Every night however the caravan would set up camp. During the evenings Edward, Roa and Dolcetto sat with Gong Huang to learn Xingese and help him with his Amestrian in return. Gong was impressed with Edward’s ability to pick up the Xingese language. Edward suspected it had to do with the tiger, but couldn’t say. He found he was speaking almost fluently with the other merchants as they neared the end of their trip.. 

As they walked one day something felt…off. Edward turned to Dolcetto and Roa, both of whom looked off put by something as well. The camels stopped in their tracks.. As the merchants tugged on their reigns, they dug their hooves into the sand letting out wails as they did. 

“What's the big idea?” Greed asked, looking at the merchants. “Why are we stopping?”

“The camels can sense something in the air.” A merchant replied in Xingese. Greed looked at Edward for a translation.

Edward shrugged, “They sense something.” 

“What do they sense?” Martel asked curiously. The group looked around. Edward climbed up the dune and froze in terror as he stared out at the horizon as a towering wall of sand was rapidly approaching. 

The merchants began to scramble, preparing themselves for the coming storm. The wind only grew stronger as it got closer. Their merchant friend rushed over to give them an update as the other merchants scrambled about.

“ We will stay put.” Gong Huang said in Xingese before repeating it again in Amestrian for the others. He handed each of them goggles, masks and gloves to cover up their exposed skin.

Edward looked over to the camels who weren’t really being fussed over. The animals were laying down and getting comfortable. Years back he had read about how camels had adapted to the harsh elements of the desert. They had evolved to have a film over their eyes, longer lashes and the ability to close their nostrils-- He was snapped out of his thoughts as Roa picked him up. He thrashed about in shock before being put into one of the small supply carts where the others had hid.

Hours went by as they waited. The cart shook against the wailing winds nonstop and sand would leak in from the sides and roof of the cart despite the blankets and covers they put up. After what seemed like forever, the sandstorm finally began to settle just as the desert night arrived.

He felt a tug on his sleeve and looked over at Greed who was motioning for everyone to leave. Then he placed a finger to his mouth to make sure they all stayed quiet. Once out of the cart they looked around at the half buried caravan. Nearby a camel sat buried up to his humps in sand. The creature looked over at him, blinking slowly. 

Greed led the group away, the night was pitch black without the moon, making it harder for Roa and Bido to see much.

“ Keep a hold of each other's shoulders.” Greed hissed quietly as Roa almost tripped for the third time.

“ What are we even doing?” Edward asked. Greed stayed quiet, moving further and further away from the caravan. 

Edward could tell by the large pack the homunculi carried along with the one Roa had, that they might not be returning back to the people who had graciously helped them up to this point. Edward grimaced and looked back at the retreating camels and carts. 

“Listen.” Greed said finally after about thirty minutes of walking, “this is all according to my plan. Mother nature just happened to be on our side this time.” He pulled out a compass and map from his bag and handed them to Roa. “I’ve been planning our departure with those guys for weeks, and just so happened that this gave us the perfect opportunity to do so.”

“But why?” Dolcetto asked him angrily. 

Greed sighed, “listen, I promised those merchants a hefty fee for their help…and we don’t have that kind of money. This was the best option, unless we all want to be prisoners instead of tourists.”

Edward sighed as he removed the rope around his waist, “I still feel bad about lying to them.” Roa patted his shoulder and smiled at Edward.

 “I feel the same way. They were nothing but hospitable for us. Once we get to Xing we can try to figure out a way of paying them back. Till then, Greed’s right, this was probably the best option.” He looked at the compass, “If I remember correctly… They said the city was roughly a day's trip to the east now, so I guess we'll just have to keep heading in that direction.”

  ——————

Approaching Baojin was like finding a city sized Oasis. The skyline was glowing beautifully in the evening light, almost looking like the buildings themselves were ablaze. Everything towered above them, and a sense of familiarity washed over Edward as they approached. He wondered if the tiger recognized it. The buildings did look a lot like the ones from his dreams. 

Not unlike Amestris, Xing rarely received visitors from the West desert, so they didn’t have much of an outpost guarding the country. Which meant, they could walk right in without any issues. All they had to do was avoid angering any of Xing’s officials. No big deal.

“I suppose the first thing we should do is dress to blend in.” Dolcetto suggested. They were hidden safely in an alleyway. The sun had set and the only light they had available were the lanterns shining in from the street.

“Everyone in this country dresses so…” Greed started to say and seemed to be struggling with the right word, “elegantly…flowery…uh flamboyant--y?” He made a disgusted face, “it's really not my style.” 

“We will have to put aside our personal taste for the sake of surviving. I should know after putting up with that skirt back when we first escaped.” Martel said sternly. She then turned to Edward with a smile, “first things first, we are going to need some things to trade.”

“Why’s it always me?” Edward complained. He sighed and took out his chalk. “Fine…”

Dolcetto leaned down and began to go through their things. “I wonder how much Amestrian stuff goes for around here…?” 

“Don’t even think about it!” Greed said. He walked over and took the bag out of Dolcetto’s hand. Roa watched the exchange and sighed.

“Listen Greed… we don’t have much. How do you suppose we pay for food? We can’t rely on Edward for everything…” He explained. Greed sneered up at Roa  and shook his head. 

“Listen you lot… we came over here for an adventure, and if we have to survive off the land for a while, so be it! However, we do not get rid of any possessions, ok? These are mine .” Dolcetto slouched forward disheartened. 

“I mean…we technically stole most of that.” He muttered. Greed turned to him angrily.

“ So ? It’s ours now, ain’t it? Finders keepers and all that. ”

“AND most of it is worthless JUNK .” Dolcetto argued, he stood up straight fixing Greed with a glare. He let out a growl and bared his sharper than average teeth. “I’d rather be able to eat something than have to lug that heavy shit around anymore!”

“Oh... I see… and I thought dogs were supposed to be loyal. ” Greed said with a bemused tone.

Before Dolcetto could lunge for Greed, Roa stood between them and held them back, his horns growing from his forehead as he pushed both of them to opposite sides of the alleyway. Bido jumped back at this and ran behind Martel. 

“ Don’t lose your heads !” Roa shouted in a warped voice. He looked at both Greed and Dolcetto angrily before closing his eyes. He let out a heavy breath, then continued to breathe in and out, until he shrank back to his normal form, “We…” He took another deep breath, holding his chest. “We… have to…” 

Edward had a bad feeling, he looked up from the transmutation circle he’d been working on as Roa collapsed to the ground.

“ ROA! ” He and Martel shouted in unison.

  ——————

  “Help!” Edward cried out in Xingese as he ran through the streets. “ A doctor! We need a doctor! ” An elderly woman holding bags of cloth waved her hand out to him as he ran past, and he turned around and ran back to her. 

“ Two streets down to the right .” She explained, “the house with a Golden Pheasant symbol above its door.” 

“Thank you so much.” Edward said, taking her hand gently and bowing. As he left the older woman looked down at the small tiger figurine he had left in her hand. She smiled and looked up as Edward rounded the corner.

“Good luck… tiger-boy.”

  ——————

The house was small, hardly comparable to the other buildings surrounding it. However it was the building Edward was looking for, marked by the Golden Pheasant above the door frame. He ran up and knocked on the door, then knocked again.

“I’m coming!” An older man's voice croaked, “don’t expect me to hurry, it's late and I don’t have very good legs!”

“I’m sorry but we need to hurry! My friend is dying!” Edward cried out, he felt tears stream down his face. When he reached up to wipe the tears away he realized he had transformed partially at some point in his hurry. Shit…when did…? He shook his head, then took a deep breath, in, out, in out…

The door to the home opened and a short elderly man dressed in sleepwear stood in front of him, “what do you want, foreigner?” The man asked gruffly, pointing at Edward with his cane as he fixed his spectacles. “It’s the middle of the night you know.”

“Are you a doctor?” Edward asked. 

“Alkahestrist to be precise.” The old man explained, “but yes, I am a healer. What do you —”

“ —Where do you keep your supplies? My friend is dying.”

“I see…” The old man walked in and picked up a bag near the entryway. “Alright, I have what I need.”

Edward nodded and leaned down, allowing the older man to climb on his back so he could carry him back with him towards the alleyway. As he ran he noticed Bido nearby and called out for him to collect the others.

  ——————

“Ed!” Martel called out, she was beside Roa, her face flooding with tears, “He’s stopped breathing Ed!” 

“Ok young man, help me out will you.”

“Yes sir!” Edward said and leaned down next to Roa as well. 

“Miss, have you been performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation?” He asked Martel in Xingese, which Edward repeated in Amestrian.

Martel nodded and looked at Roa sadly. “I have.” 

“Good.” He said and began to pull out his equipment. “Start doing that. Young man, can you check his pulse for me?”

“How?” Edward asked scooting closer to Roa’s body. 

“Feel his wrist.” Edward picked up Roa’s wrist as Martel went back to doing CPR. As they did this, the old man began to draw a transmutation circle out with chalk into the road. Edward bit his lip… he wasn’t feeling anything. He looked up at Martel who was doing her best to keep a rhythm, and to keep their friend alive. Keep going! He closed his eyes, keeping his fingers pressed to the older man's wrist. Roa’s going to be just fine. He has to be!

Edward opened his eyes and noticed the older man throwing out small blades around Roa’s form. 

“What are those?” Edward asked. 

“Kunai, they are to help with my medical transmutation.” The older man answered as he walked over to the circle again. “Both you take a step back, this will only take a second.” As they did as told, the older man placed his hands onto the circle and a flash of light lit up the alleyway. 

Then another. 

…another…

…and,

Roa gasped for air, sitting up from his spot on the ground. He looked around the alleyway, then at Edward and at Martel. 

“What…happened…?” He asked before wincing and holding his chest. The old man stood up and approached Roa with a small bag in hand.

 “ These herbs will help you, consume some every other day… you were experiencing a stroke .” 

Roa took the bag in confusion, then smiled at the older man, “I uh...thank you sir…?”

“He said you were having a stroke and to eat some of those herbs every other day.” Edward translated for Roa. Roa’s eyes widened and he ran a hand through his hair.

He scratched his head worriedly. “So…I almost died, huh…?” Martel began to fully sob now. She reached up, wiping at her tears as she did. Edward couldn’t blame her. He immediately felt the overwhelming relief hit him as well as he collapsed to his knees next to Roa. 

“Oh goodness Marty! Don’t cry!” Roa said frantically.

“You better not do that to us again you doofus!” Martel said standing and walking a ways away to collect herself. Roa watched her walk away and sighed.

“I’ll… do my best.”

Bido returned moments later followed closely by Greed and Dolcetto. Dolcetto apologized for getting Roa so riled up in the first place and Greed agreed with a silent nod.

“So, is this the old guy who saved our beloved big guy?” Dolcetto asked as he approached the old man.

“The old guy’s name is Yaozu Jin.” Yaozu Jin said in Amestrian. 

“Wait…you could speak Amestrian the whole time?” Edward asked in shock. “Why didn’t you speak it before?”

Yaozu shrugged. “Didn’t feel like it.” 

Edward deflated slightly in return, “Well…I guess that…makes sense.” he said slowly, “by the way…that transmutation you did was really strange, how did you get it to react like that with those small sharp things?”

“The ‘small sharp things’  are called Kunai and the way it works is with the Dragons Pulse.” Yaozu explained gruffly as he went about collecting his materials. 

“Could you…elaborate?” Edward asked. The old man looked back at him with an exhausted expression, but shrugged.

“Everything on our planet has a lifeforce called chi, it flows from the top of mountains down to the land, nourishing everything it passes with that energy as does blood coursing through our veins. Alkahestry transmutes through chi, and gives us a higher level of healing than any of your Amestrian scientists can do.”

“So you don’t transmute from tectonic plates?” Edward asked in amazement, “wow that's amazing!” 

The old man smiled at him. “I take it you are studying alchemy?” He asked.

“Studying alchemy doesn’t really describe it.” Greed explained, “that kid eats alchemy for breakfast and dreams of alchemy at night.”

Yaozu chuckled as he picked up his bag. “Very impressive… I supposed we should discuss payment…” He said and peered around at them before fixing his glasses. “Judging by your outfits, I assume you arrived here recently…and judging by your expressions I gather you don’t have the money to pay my fee…” He turned to Edward, then back to the crew. “Now I hate to leave guests like yourselves in bad situations, so I have a proposition.”

“All ears old man.” Greed smirked.

“Again, it’s Yaozu Jin and… I propose that young Ed here work under me as payment.”

Edward’s face lit up, he looked at the group and back to Yaozu Jin, “Are you sure that's alright?”

“It’s more than alright, besides we don’t get much help in this part of the city.” Yaozu turned to the others, “speaking of…I have a couple neighbors who could also benefit from some help. So until Ed here can pay off your debt to me, the rest of you can help them out as well.”

“Like I’m going to…” Greed started to say but stopped speaking when the old man walked over and squinted at him. 

“You're chi….it is strange, almost like you are multiple-” 

Greed’s eyes widened and he laughed, interrupting the old man. “Oh that? Nothing to worry about, old man.”

“ Call me that again and I will retract my offer. ”

Martel stepped forward bowing respectfully to Yaozu Jin.  “I am so sorry about him and… thank you Yaozu Jin, we will do our best.” She turned to Greed with a stern expression. “ All of us.” 

Chapter Text

Chapter 16: Dreams

Travels in Xing. Pt 2

Edward gasped as he woke. He was sitting in the midst of a clearing in what appeared to be the Xingese jungle of his earlier dreams. He looked down at his hands to find he was in his tiger form. “This… isn’t how these dreams usually work.” He mumbled as he slowly stood and looked around. This dream was much more vivid than the older dreams as well. “I guess I should use this dream to explore a bit,” he thought, walking forward.

……

Greed opened an eye, on one side of the room was Bido, sound asleep. However on the other side…Edward was standing, swaying slightly.

  “What the hell are you doing up kid?” he asked, but Edward didn’t respond. “Kid?” Edward began to move, walking slowly towards the door.

……

Edward was so busy marveling at the jungle that he didn't notice a tree until he walked into it. “Wha- the hell,” he said, holding his face. “When did that tree get there?” Suddenly something grabbed his arm, “Oh, a vine.”

  ……

Greed grabbed Edward’s arm, pulling him away from the door he had walked into. “ Kid, what are you doing?” 

Edward muttered tiredly and slapped Greed's hand. “Mm tryin’ to…xplore…” he muttered. 

“ You can explore tomorrow, tonight you need to rest, ” Greed hissed as he picked Edward up, carrying him back over to his bed.

……

Suddenly a tiger came out of nowhere, scooping him up by the scruff. “I’m a tiger again,” he thought as he was carried along. This time however, he was a cub. His gaze turned towards the large tiger, and an image of his own mother flashed through his mind. “So…this is your Mom…” Edward thought. He looked up at her as she set him down and laid down beside him. He heard nasally, almost-duck-sounding meows beside them and looked over at two other tiger cubs. Alphonse appeared in his mind. “So these are your siblings.” 

……

Greed sighed as he finished tucking Edward back into his bed. “Now. Don’t get up again.” The content sigh that came from Edward was a good enough response, so Greed meandered back over to his spot against the wall.

  ——————

During the day all of Team Greed were assigned jobs to help with Yaozu's neighbors. Some of their earnings went to paying the healer back for his help, and they’d eventually earn enough to pay back the caravan they had ditched as well. Bido was working for a close friend of Yaozu that ran a flower shop just across the street from Yaozu’s house. Dolcetto was assigned to help an elderly woman who had been having trouble getting around her home. Roa and Martel were helping out at the bakery down the street that was run by an old couple. Edward spent the next couple of months training in Alkahestry. Each day he helped Yaozu prepare herbs, assisted clients, and practiced channeling chi. To use chi, he first had to understand the basics for meditation, and luckily it wasn’t too far off from what Roa had been teaching him. However, Edward was finding himself doubting his abilities more and more the longer it was taking.

“You just have to find your balance,” Yaozu explained. “You must be more patient with yourself young Ed… it took me several years to find mine.” As he spoke he plucked dried leaves off of a bundle of herbs and handed them to Edward.

Edward took the herbs and began to grind them up with a mortar and pestle. “How did you do that?” 

“Well… sometimes emotions can get in the way of properly channeling. It could be an emotion you are holding back, or one you are expressing too boisterously. In my opinion though… I think you worry too much.” 

Edward sulked, “Do I? If that's the case… I don’t think I know how to stop worrying.”

“Hm…” The kettle on the stovetop started to whistle, interrupting their conversation. The older man hopped down from the stool he was standing on and went to his cupboard, “I have an idea,” he said as he pulled out a jar of milk. 

“I don’t like milk.” Edward frowned as the old man carried it over.

“Yes, I am aware.” Yaozu pulled out a scoop and a tin of powder. “And do you like to eat tea leaves?” he asked.

“…No?” Edward watched Yaozu scoop the tea leaves into the pouch, then carry it over and drop it into the teapot.

As they waited they worked on preparing herbs in silence. Edward couldn’t help but glance up every once in a while, trying to figure out what the old man was trying to teach him.

“I think our tea is ready…” Yaozu said as he stepped down from his stool again. He picked up the teakettle and poured the tea into separate cups. “Here you go, Ed.” he said, handing Edward a cup. Steam rolled off the top of the liquid and the cup itself was beginning to warm. Edward blew onto the tea before taking a sip, his eyes widened. Not only was it hot, it was extremely bitter. He stuck out his tongue in disgust.

“It’s not so good like that, is it? Yoaozu asked.

“No,” Edward shook his head.

“Give it here.” Yaozu took the cup and poured  a bit of milk into it.

Edward sat forward “But I told you I—”

“Try it.” Yaozu interrupted him whilst shoving the cup back into his hand. Edward frowned as he looked into the swirling fog of milk added to his tea. Trust your master, Ed, he told himself as he took a sip. He felt his eyes widen realizing that the taste was a lot better than he thought it would be, the milk added a lot to balance out the bitterness, and it helped cool down his drink as well. Now that he thought about it, Granny Pinako sometimes would make them a really good stew that included milk. He smiled at the memory and let out a content sigh.

Yaozu poured himself a drink. “Now what do you think?” 

Edward closed his eyes, feeling himself relax, “It’s good.” 

“This is what I mean by finding a balance,” Yaozu said. He took another sip of his tea. “It’s not about getting rid of the bad things, it's about finding a balance of everything within yourself.” 

Edward stared into his cup, watching the specs of stray tea leaves glide along the bottom of his cup. “I see, I think I understand now.”

“Good.” Yaozu laughed, elbowing him, “‘Cause once you master chi we can get started on the real fun stuff.”

  ——————

He was walking through the clearing again. This time he watched his steps to make sure he didn’t run into any random trees. He heard music and he began to run toward its direction. As he ran he began to sprint on all fours until his mind and body were once again melded with the tigers. The time of day quickly turned to night, and he found the two other tiger cubs, though much older now, were running next to him. 

……

“Oh my god, he is doing it again!?” Greed groaned, sitting up from his spot. He staggered slightly, as he stood as the room spun. He caught himself on the wall and coughed into his arm before pushing himself up. “Shit,” he cursed looking up. Edward had made it all the way to the door and slid it open.

“ Shit ,” Greed whispered as he pushed himself to a standing position. By now it was almost expected that Edward would sleepwalk right into the door, this was the first time he’d opened it. . By the time Greed got to the door,  Edward had already vanished. “ SHIT .” That was loud enough to startle Bido awake.

……

The tiger cubs stopped in their tracks to peer at a human sitting by a fire. Next to him was a small music box playing a beautiful melody, and the man hummed along to the tune as he whittled away at a stick. As they watched, mesmerized by the scene, a warm wind picked up and started to send the campfire’s smoke in their direction. Edward’s nose ticked at the scent and he sneezed, stepping back. A snap echoed out into the night as his foot fell onto a twig. With no hesitation the man's head turned in their direction. Fernand, though much younger than how Edward knew him. He grabbed his gun and stepped forwards, yelling out into the night. Before he could take another step forward the cub's mother jumped between them.

……

Greed had fetched everyone to inform them of Edward’s disappearance. While he and Bido slept in the same room as Ed, the others were either in a separate room, or in an entirely different building in Martels case. Soon they were all gathered outside of the bakery where Martel was staying. Greed had Bido explain the situation because he was tired of repeating himself. Martel folded her arms and gave Greed a furious look.

“Wait, Ed’s been sleep walking and you’ve only just now thought to inform any of us of it?” She looked ready to punch Greed, she took a few steps towards him but Dolcetto and Roa held her back.

“Hold it Marty!” Dol exclaimed. 

“We are all worried too, but this is no time to argue,” Roa said in a soothing voice. 

Martel looked at them both and closed her eyes, exhaling sharply. She looked up at Roa with a calmer expression. “You are right, sorry. I’m just tired and worried…”

Roa smiled and turned from her to Greed. “We all are, which is why we need to focus on finding him as soon as possible.”

Greed grinned at Roa and addressed the others with raised hands. “The big guy’s right. Listen, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about it. You’ve all been busy with your own things recently and I had a handle on it…well, ‘till tonight that is.”

“Yeah…” Martel said slowly grimacing. “You know, you should be busy too. What the hell are you even doing everyday?” Greed’s eyes narrowed and he looked away angrily, hissing air through his teeth. Roa let out an aggravated groan and placed a hand to his forehead.

Bido looked at the group, “Are we really bringing this up now…?”

“Okay. Listen,” said Greed, “what I do everyday isn’t important at the current moment.”

Roa gave Greed a look and turned back to Martel. “After we rescue Ed we can have a talk with Greed about pulling his own weight. ‘Till then we…” he motioned his hands in a circle, “...all need to get along.” He then turned to Dolcetto. “Alright… Dolcetto, we need you to do your thing.”

Dolcetto gave him a confused look. “...My thing…right…” He stood there with the others in expectant silence “And that is?”

Roa held up Edwards coat, “you are the only one here who can sniff him out.”

……

Fernand began to yell at the tiger, he aimed his gun and in response she let out a loud roar. The cubs quivered in terror at her sound, in terror, not because she was scary to them, but because she was fighting for their lives. She began to circle the man, a low rumble coming from her as she glared up at him. Fernand stood his ground, turning himself along with her, waiting for something to happen. Then she lunged, he screamed and a loud bang sounded through the air, bullets flew into her pelt, and she crumbled to the ground with a thud sending the dirt flying into the air around her.

After seconds of being frozen in shock the cubs  ran. One of them crawled into a small divot in the ground covered by some underbrush and Edward and the other cub followed. They all curled into one another, shaking in fear and overcome with sadness.

“I’ve been there little tiger…” Edward said in his mind. “I was helpless at the time of my mothers death too…I blamed myself… I felt horrible…” He felt tears run down his face as he sobbed in relief. “We aren’t alone in this anymore… we have each other.”

……

“I feel like we’ve been walking FOREVER.” Greed complained as they followed Dolcetto through the jungle. 

“I hate to agree with Greed,” Martel said, earning a glare from the homunculus. “And Dol, not that I am doubting your tracking skills, but I can’t picture Edward sleepwalking this far out. My sister would sleepwalk and she would always lay back down in her bed again before waking up... Besides, the sun is starting to rise and Edward is always up by now!” 

Dolcetto made a shushing noise as he sniffed Edward's jacket and then sniffed the air again. Martel looked at Greed with a befuddled face, then turned back to Dolcetto. “Dolcetto, you did not just shush me.”

Greed laughed, Dolcetto shushed them again. 

“Alright, no, you don’t get to shush me too.” Greed stepped towards him, but Dolcetto ran forwards, leaving them behind to catch up. They followed until Dolcetto stopped at a clearing, looking around in confusion. 

Dolcetto raised his nose as he smelled his surroundings, then he looked back at the others worriedly. “There's so many scents it's hard to make out… but…” He sniffed again, “I smell…” He looked up worriedly at the others.

“Spit it out.” Greed spat.
“I smell other humans.”

   ——————

“What, is he exactly…?” A man with a pompous and nasally voice asked. 

“Well Boss, we think he’s some kind of mutated freak of nature, I mean…just look at him ,” another man’s voice replied. Edward moved drowsily, the arm and leg he’d been sleeping on were numb and his other muscles felt like they were on fire. He blinked tiredly at his surroundings, still not comprehending where he was.

“We found him in the middle of the jungle,” a man with a deep voice added. “He was completely knocked out.” Edward sat up slowly, peering at the bars around him in a confused daze, a familiar rattle followed his movement. He froze and peered slowly at the chains around his ankles. 

“Hm…” The man with the nasally voice stepped forward, Edward could now see his intricate and vibrant clothes. He peered at Edward with a sly smile. “Well… good morning!” He then stood up straight and raised his arms, “Welcome aboard my, Zhu Weizhe’s, Circus Spectacular!” 

Every ounce of Edward was filled with dread as he slowly scooted as far back into the cage as he could. What… What was happening?! When he went to bed he was in Yaozu Jin’s home… How did he end up here? Everything around him felt like some sort of bad dream. He peered around, the other sides of the cage were covered with a red curtain. The only window he had was towards the strangers before him. He was trapped again…just like in the prison. He held his head, trying and failing to stop himself from hyperventilating.

“Maybe he doesn’t know how to talk?” one of the men asked. Edward decided immediately that he was going to keep his mouth shut. The last thing he wanted was to talk to any of these people. What kind of men kidnap a kid and put him in a cage?!

“Well…you did find him in the middle of the jungle…” Zhu Weizhe said, turning his back to Edward. Edward looked up at him in horror, Why…why was he in the middle of the jungle?! No… No, he had been in Yaozu’s home…He was certain of it. Zhu turned back to Edward and grabbed the bars of his cage. “Tiger-boy doesn’t know it, but he is about to make us a fortune!”

Tiger-boy?...Why did he call me that? Edward thought. He trembled as he stared in horror at the familiar striped fur along his arms and at the sharp claws protruding from his fingertips. 

Shit .

   Shit.

      SHIT.

——————

Edward sat quietly curled up into himself in his cage as the cart it was on moved about. Once the Ringmaster Zhu Weizhe and his goons had tired of him, they had dropped the rest of the curtain, blocking almost all light from getting into his cage. Luckily with his enhanced senses it wasn’t too difficult for him to see. 

He listened in on all the muffled voices from outside and quickly pieced together a good bit of information. Apparently their circus was gaining quite a name for itself and they had been called upon to put on a show for the Emperor of Xing. Everything he heard made the situation worse and worse. Edward had to escape somehow, before he was seen by anyone else, especially before they got to the palace.

He wiped at his tears with his nightshirt and sniffed. He hoped his friends had noticed his disappearance by now and were tracking him down. He had to get out . He had to.

A noise sounded from the side of his cage and he felt himself move before he could think. He made his way slowly to the other side, dragging the chains along with him and grabbed the curtain, lifting it slowly. He jumped back quickly as large claws grabbed out at him. He fell backwards, dropping the curtain. There were other tigers here. 

He sat up, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves. Something was telling him to look again… despite knowing they could swipe at him and he may not be as lucky. He grabbed the curtain, leaning away as he slowly lifted it again. His eyes widened as he stared at the two tigers next to his cage. The one closest to him growled angrily in warning and the one further seemed too occupied cleaning itself to pay any attention to him. He gulped as he leaned closer, examining the tiger's fur patterns. Despite the scars that littered their pelts…they seemed familiar. He squinted at them as he wracked his brain for why. His eyes widened as a familiar smell overwhelmed him.

“Hey Ed, do you ever associate certain smells to things?” Winry asked him as they all sat on the porch drinking lemonades that Alphonse and his mother prepared for them.

“Hm? I guess…” Edward said, tilting his head to get a better view of a spiderweb glinting in the evening light. “Like the smell of freshly cut grass in the summer or somethin’?”

“Yeah… but do you ever associate smells with people?”

Edward frowned as he took a sip of his drink, “maybe? I haven’t really thought about it before.”

“What do we smell like to you?” Alphonse asked Winry curiously.

Winry giggled and reached over ruffling his hair, “Well… to me, you both smell like home.” Alphonse laughed, pushing her hand away. 

The smell of home and a wave of nostalgia overtook him. He stared into the tiger’s eyes and he realized almost immediately. These weren’t just two random circus tigers…these were his siblings. The same ones he’d seen every night in his dreams. Whether it was all one big coincidence or whether his tiger had led him to them… he knew there was one thing he had to do.

Chapter Text

Chapter 17: Trapeze

Travels in Xing. Pt 3

—February 1913—

Edward fell back into a sitting position on the wooden floor of the caged cart. He kept himself faced towards the curtains his tiger siblings resided behind. He racked his brain for his next move. It was pure luck that he was still in this form. If he had transformed back at any point in his sleep, the circus would have known his human face and it would have spelled out more trouble for him. 

He could transform back easily, but keeping the tiger form was essential for the time being. 

——————

After a couple of hours the circus caravan finally came to a stop.  From what Edward could hear, they had stopped for lunch.

“Hey, shouldn’t we be feeding that tiger-boy?” asked the voice of a passerby  from just outside the cage. Edward felt his stomach growl and he grimaced.

“Nah, orders from the ringleader were to not feed him until after his training later tonight,” another person replied. At this, Edward felt a low growl rise from his throat. He listened as the footsteps retreated and for the voices of Zhu Weishe’s troupe to grow distant. Edward was left alone in a covered cage, surprised that he couldn’t sense any guards around. It was almost insulting how little they thought of his intellect. However, it all worked out fine for his plan.

Edward closed his eyes and took deep breaths. If he was going to get out, he first needed some control. It was time to make use of what he’d learned in the past couple of weeks from his Alkahestry master. The purpose of the training was to learn to sense the flow of chi, or the Dragon’s Breath. After Yaozu’s lesson with the milk in the tea, Edward had finally found progress in controlling his own chi. Take the good with the bad. He didn’t need to bury the bad emotions, he just needed to find a balance.

Edward called his current appearance his First Form ; his fur grew longer and his face took on a more tiger-like structure, yet he still kept full control of his body.  He found it was the easiest to slip into by accident. However, for once he was actually thankful that it was keeping his identity hidden 

If he let the tiger into his mind, sharing control with it equally,  he’d fall into his Second Form . It was bigger and stronger, but it risked losing all control and slipping into the third form,  Full Tiger . He hadn’t figured out how to wrestle back his agency from the tiger on purpose, so he was usually too anxious  to practice his Second Form. What if he lashed out and hurt someone again? It was too risky.

In this cage… he had no worries about that. He took deep breaths, in and out. Letting the tiger into his consciousness.  He felt himself bulk up. The restraints on his arms and ankles groaned as they struggled to keep themselves wrapped around his limbs. He let out a low grunt as he pulled the chains apart, feeling them snap off. In this form it was like breaking twigs.

He had done it. They had done it . He took deep breaths, feeling himself smiling at the giddiness of being in control even in his Second Form. But then he staggered slightly as a wave of nausea overwhelmed him. His vision swirled and felt his feet move on their own. The tiger inside him  aggressively pushed to take control. Edward fought against the tiger to stay still,, but only caused himself to fall over. The tiger pushed at him, making him crawl forward towards the curtain, and Edward, in a sudden realization, stopped fighting it. 

He watched as he slowly raised the curtain to reveal the other tigers. Both sat up and peered over at him. The more aggressive of the two locked eyes with him and lowered her snout slowly. She stood and stalked over; chains rattled and a low warning growl sounded from her as she approached. In seconds she was inches from his face, he felt the heat of her breath as she leaned in and sniffed. For a moment  Edward worried that she wouldn’t recognize her sibling in his body. But to his relief, the tiger made a soft puffing sound and rubbed her face against the cage between them. Edward felt himself making the same noises and nuzzling his forehead against the bars of the cage. He watched as he reached his arm out further and playfully patted at the tiger's face. 

The second tiger lifted its head and watched curiously before meandering over and sniffing at the two. He moved back with what Edward would describe as surprise before reacting in the same way as his sister. 

Edward could hardly believe what he was seeing.  The affectionate welcome lasted a moment longer before Ed felt the pressure of control fading and he was able to take a step back, dropping the curtain as he fell into a seated position.

Despite having full use of his body again, he sat and stared at the curtain in shocked silence. 

“Hey you,” a high pitched girl's voice came from outside the cage behind Edward. He turned to look at her, she had long pigtails and a beauty mark on the left side of her chin. She wore a tightly fitted red leotard with frills along the edges and had a pink and white floral design embroidered along the costume with gold embellishments. To his confusion, she was smiling at him.  “My name is Ai, I am one of the two trapeze sisters in Zhu Weishe’s circus.” She looked at him for a moment, then frowned. “Oh right…. I heard the others saying you didn’t understand human words…” She scratched her forehead as she seemed deep in thought.

Edward watched her suspiciously. While she approached him with a kindness he hadn’t seen from any of the other circus members, he couldn’t drop his guard. She could turn out to be a pawn of Weishe’s to trick Edward into speaking… Though, if he already assumed Edward was a stupid creature, then why would he attempt such a thing? 

“Oh, wow!” Ai was staring at the broken chains in surprise. “That's amazing, you broke through those shackles as if they were paper chains!” Edward kicked at the chains, smiling with a proud nod. He looked back up at Ai who was staring at him with wide, curious eyes. 

“I’m sad you can’t understand me…” She shrugged, “I was hoping me and my sister could use your help tonight.”

“My help?” Edward asked. He covered his mouth, internally punching himself for the slip up. 

Ai turned away sadly, “Yes, me and Daiyu were planning on freeing the captured animals tonight and making a mockery of that lying, abusive Zhu Weishe in front of the Emperor!” She stood confidently outside of the cage, smirking to herself proudly at the plan. Edward lowered his hands and relaxed. She didn’t even notice that he had spoken. 

“Ai, what are you doing ?” a deeper, more mature sounding voice asked. Edward turned to see a similarly dressed girl approaching. She looked nearly identical to Ai, only hair was up in a ponytail and her beauty mark was on the right side of her face.

“Oh, hi Daiyu, I was talking to Tiger-boy about--”

“I know what you were talking about, I heard you talking. You have to quiet down, unless you want the wrong ears to hear.” Daiyu warned. 

Ai squeaked and bowed multiple times very quickly, “Sorry Daiyu! Sorry, sorry!” Daiyu shook her head and sighed, peering  over at Edward. 

“So… you do speak, hm?” Edward’s eyes widened. Shit, she had heard him?!

“What?” Ai asked in confusion as she looked back over at Edward. “No, he doesn’t, I was just…” She gasped like she was just now reaching a conclusion. Her eyes widened and she pointed at him with a trembling finger, “Y-YOU SPO--” 

.

Daiyu slapped her hand over Ai’s mouth. “ What did I just say?” she whispered angrily to the sulking Ai. “Now, tiger-boy,” she said, turning back towards the cage door. “Let's talk.”

——————

Bido nervously wrung his hands. “This is worrisome… beyond worrisome if Ed gets found out by the wrong people.” He looked about the forest, cowering slightly when he noticed a snake moving along a tree. 

Martel, also having noticed the snake, nearly walked into Bido.“Hey! Keep going!” She hissed. 

“Sorry!” Bido said, “I’m…just a little jumpy walking though this unfamiliar…and extraordinarily dangerous place.” 

Martel wiped her face with one hand as he explained himself and nodded. “I understand, I’m sorry. I guess I could say that the double shift I took and lack of sleep are starting to get to me.” 

Roa yawned, “Ed was telling me about the dangerous inhabitants of the jungle recently,, so we should be…” He yawned again, “on full alert.”

“You’re all sleep deprived zombies,” Greed said with an amused chuckle. The others replied with unenthused and confused expressions. “Y’know, like the ones in those black and white films?” He looked baffled as they continued to stare at him. “They’re dead people infected by a parasite that causes them to crawl out of their graves and hunt people down. And. all they say is… brainsss. ” He stuck his arms out in front of him and shambled forward..

“Uh huh…” Roa said slowly.

“I’m too tired to talk back to that.” Martel muttered. 

“Oh yeah, I only saw that movie with the kid,” Greed groaned. 

“No, I was there too.” Dolcetto said as he stopped and turned to them.

“Great!” Greed grinned, “So you know what I mean that they both look like-”

“--and I don’t care.” Dolcetto interrupted. He looked up at them angrily. “ ALL I ASK OF YOU GUYS IS TO SHUT THE FUCK UP. I AM TRYING TO FOCUS ON FINDING ED !”

“Ó, yīxiē wàiguó rén…” a voice said somewhere from the forest. 

Bido turned around looking for the source. “ Is-is it the people who took Ed ?” He whispered. Dolcetto sniffed, then shook his head no. 

“Hello, hello.” A man greeted them in Amestrian coming out of some bushes, followed by several others. They were all dressed in dark clothing, and each had a unique animal mask hanging around their necks. . 

“Who are you?” Greed asked, putting himself between the men and his group. 

The man who had spoken approached with a smile. “My name is Huan. I…er, I am traveler.” 

“Hold on…” Dolcetto said, stepping forward. “Me and Roa know some Xingese, let us talk to them.. He may be able to help us.” 

Greed eyed Huan with suspicion, then sighed. “Go for it.” He leaned against a nearby tree to watch the three talk back and forth. 

While Greed couldn't catch much of the conversation, he could tell that Huan was relaxed and unbothered, happy to go with the flow. The other strange men seemed just as friendly. Greed noted that none of them were carrying a weapon, and none of them stood with the sturdiness of a trained martial artist. He suspected they might be some of those peace-loving, free spirit types. A century ago, he wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with boring folks like that. 

However, he was a changed homunculus. He almost wished he knew more Xingese so he could speak to them as well.  He could stand to learn a bit more of the world in general. Maybe someday he could see more of it. The thought tickled him a bit. But… for him, being far from Ametris was painful, and not in the way one misses home when traveling. Each day, he could feel the stone in his hand, eating away at itself slowly but surely. It was a punishment for straying too far, a curse that made him feel just a bit more ill every day.. He didn’t like it, but he was a part of his Father, even now. There was only so much Greed could do without risking retribution.  But that didn’t matter right now. There were thousands of lives part of him still, he could last in Xing for many years before it started to take an actual toll. At least as long as he didn’t exert himself too much. But that brought its own problems…  

Every day he would wander off, and yeah, it did look like he was slacking off. But he wasn’t. He was working several jobs and getting the money to pay off the merchants that his minions had decided deserved payment. He wasn’t going to admit it aloud, but it was his fault for agreeing to pay them the amount he’d promised in the first place . They shouldn’t be the ones paying for his mistake…  

He raised his hand, coughing quietly into it. He looked at the blood in his palm before wiping it on the tree behind him and crossing his arms. Yeah, besides, they could use the extra money for their return trip, whenever that may be.

 ——————

“So, you are a chimera…” Daiyu said, deep in thought. “And you can turn

back to your human form..”

“Yeah, but I can’t do it right now, I can’t let the wrong people see who I am.”

“That is a predicament,” Daiyu agreed. 

“Why don’t we get him one of the masks the circus sells?” Ai suggested. 

Edward grinned, “That’s an idea!”

Daiyu chuckled, “he’d fit right in with our group that’s for sure.”

“Hm?”

Daiyu waved a hand, “I will explain later, the circus is probably wrapping up with their lunch now so I will quickly fill you in on the plan.” She motioned for Ai to keep guard. 

“Alright, so my sister had talked briefly about it earlier. We are releasing all of the captured animals out tonight inside the palace walls.” She paused to double check that no one was in earshot, then leaned in. “Ai and me discovered that Zhu was paying men to capture rare wild animals for him from around Xing. He’s been mistreating all of them, keeping them locked away for display in tiny cages, but then one night…” She paused for a moment and swallowed.  “We witnessed Zhu Weishe beat a panda to death…” She trailed off, looking away with a grimace. “Such a beautiful animal… and he treated it so terribly…. I digress, our plan is that my boyfriend Huan and our friends will open the gates. You will use that opportunity to escape as well.”

“Inside the palace…” Edward muttered. “Seems risky, especially with the guards.”

“Most of the focus will be on the feast the Emperor always greets his guests with. The two of us  offered to watch the circus while their group was in the palace. Nothing suspicious about that, right? That being said, you are right, there will still be palace guards on the grounds. You will need to be quick in escaping.”

Edwards' ears perked up as he heard approaching voices. 

“Daiyu.” Ai said, looking back over at them.

“Well… that's all we can share for now. We will see you again tonight, and remember to be prepared.” Edward nodded as he watched her walk away. Ai waved goodbye and he slowly lifted his hand and waved back as they rounded the corner.

Minutes went by, and Edward had slowly moved back to the corner where the tigers had been. He lifted the curtain and looked at the two of them lazing about. The sister tiger’s ear flicked as a fly buzzed about bothering her. The brother tiger yawned, stretching out lazily as he slept. As he watched them, a man came by and tossed some chunks of raw meat into their cage. It looks absolutely disgusting, but the tigers tore into it hungrily. Edward’s stomach gurgled and he dropped the curtain, laying back onto the wood floor. After another couple of minutes the caravan jolted forward, resuming the bumpy ride along the path. Edward stared up at the cage’s ceiling thinking about what was to come.

 ——————

“They’re about to do what?” Greed asked. The group had regathered after Roa and Dolcetto finished talking with Huan. Martel and Bido sat silently, but looked just as taken aback.

“They are about to break into the palace.” Roa explained. “This Huan guy and his friends are activists, and apparently a visiting circus has a ringmaster that abuses his animals.” He grimaced.

“How the hell did you get that information out of him?” Greed asked looking past Roa at Huan, who had broken out a lyre and was playing cheerfully. He frowned, maybe… maybe it wasn’t too hard to get a cheery guy like that to squeal.

Dolcetto chuckled, looking back at Huan as well. “That's the thing, he wasn’t going to, but we mentioned we were looking for Ed and asked if he had seen anyone else coming through here.” He looked back at Greed, “He said that the very same circus had come through here earlier. His girlfriend is helping them from the inside, and left him a message about the circus finding something…or someone peculiar in the jungle.”

Roa’s face scrunched up, his eyes full of both rage and sorrow. “It had to be Ed. I…” He grunted angrily and raised a hand to his face. “I promised myself I wouldn’t let harm come to him…”

Martel placed a hand on Roa’s shaking shoulder. “Hey now, it's going to be alright, ok?”

Greed nodded. “We’ll get him out of there. No harm will come to the kid.”

 ——————

Night had fallen once again, and the anticipation and anxiety of escape was bubbling up in Edward as he waited. The circus had arrived at sunset and immediately began preparations to head in for the feast. It didn’t take very long though for silence and the shadow of night to fall over the palace. Edward’s ear twitched as he heard light footsteps approach.

“Ed.” He turned his head and was met with the faces of a fox and a panda. He shot up and ran over quickly.

“Daiyu, Ai, is that you? Did you bring it?” 

Ai, wearing the panda mask, nodded and passed him some clothes and a mask of his own. 

“ The clothing should fit you, it's some of mine,” she whispered with a giggle , “We look to be about the same size .” She paused and tapped her fingers together nervously. “ Also… um… the mask we managed to swipe isn’t exactly…well, you will see. ” 

Edward flipped the mask over, revealing a doofy looking tiger with its tongue sticking out. He covered his mouth to keep from laughing, but still let out a wheeze, feeling tears prick at the corners of his eyes.

Ai scratched the back of her head nervously, “ Is it ok ?”

He nodded, catching his breath, “ This… is perfect. ” 

Ai grinned, “GOOd-” Daiyu jabbed her sister's side, making her squeak. “I- I mean good!” She looked at Daiyu apologetically, “ Sorry, I keep forgetting we have to whisper. ” 

Daiyu sighed, “It’s okay… Ed, the coast is clear. I will unlock your cage and you can take off.” 

Edward nodded and began to remove his nightshirt and pants. Ai made a surprised noise and turned away, Daiyu shook her head disapprovingly. “ C’mon kid, give us a warning. ”

“ Oh. ” Edward realized his lack of manners. . “Sorry about that.” 

Daiyu laughed and shifted around, keeping her eyes away as she unlocked his cage. “ You can change, don’t worry.” she said, taking the padlock off of the cage door.. She stood for a minute, tapping her foot every once in a while. “Are you decent?” 

Edward chuckled, “ Yeah .” He shifted back to his human form and placed the mask on. “ I’m ready. ”

They walked around the corner of the cart and out towards the line of carts on the palace grounds. Daiyu pointed towards the gate and smiled. “The gates should be opening around…” She took out a small pocket watch, “any minute now. If you make you way over--”
“What about the other tigers?” Edward asked, motioning towards their cage.

“ Hm ?” She looked over to where he pointed. “ Those tigers…well, they aren’t exactly tame. I’m not sure how safe-- ” She stopped, noticing Edward’s pleading expression..

“ I want to save them. ” Edward explained to them, “ I need to save them. ”

Daiyu frowned, holding out the key to him, “ Okay… but I warned you .”

Edward took it and hurried back to the cage. He looked in and saw the brother, but the sister was nowhere in sight. Fear and rage washed over him. Where? He looked over at the twins as a thought came to mind. 

“ They didn’t take any of the animals to the palace, did they ?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 18: Ling

Travels in Xing. Pt 4

—February 1913—

“So that's why you want to free them…” Daiyu said, gazing sadly at the tiger. “I see… I can understand your feelings.” She looked out towards the gate which still hadn’t opened. “I wonder… what's taking them so long.”

“I’m sure they are working on it.” Ai assured her. “Let’s free this tiger and the other animals. Once the chaos has started we can use that time to help Ed find the other one.”

“Wait-” Edward said looking confused, “You, you don’t need to help with that. I can do that on my own-”

“And what’s less suspicious?” Daiyu asked, “some circus performers running in to warn Zhu Weishe of intruders releasing animals, or a person no one knows running into the palace?”

Edward nodded slowly. Shit, they had a point. Daiyu handed Edward a key and motioned toward the cage behind him. He turned on his heel and stuck the key into the door. He wondered briefly whether the tiger would recognize him in this form… looking up, he met the tigers eyes.. They blinked back, calm and slow. No worries there. Edward turned the key, and with a click, the door opened. The tiger stood up and slowly meandered over, making the same contented puffing noises he made earlier that day and rubbed his face into Edwards chest. Edward grinned, hugging the tiger close. 

“Aw! Tao really likes you!” Ai cooed at the scene.

“Tao?” Edward asked. He looked at the happy tiger and laughed, “Is that his name?” 

“Yeah, we call him Tao, and his sister Kun.” Daiyu explained, “or at least me and Ai do. We’ve named most of the animals here. Zhu Weishe just calls them ‘vicious beasts’.” Edward frowned, petting the tiger’s head.

“Ok, now that we’ve got the tiger free… we need to get to the rest of the animals.”

 ——————

“Well, what's the plan?” Greed asked Huan as they approached the palace gate at the very center of town. Dolcetto turned to Huan and translated.

Huan nodded, responding in Xingese. “ We need to have someone distract the guards, and someone to climb the gate, knock out the guards, and let the rest of us in. We have climbing gear so we should -”

Roa held up a hand. “ Hold on… You say you need someone to climb ?” Huan nodded, inquisitive. Roa smiled at Bido, “ My friend Bido here can scale any walls with ease .” 

“Why do I feel like I’m getting volunteered for something…” Bido asked nervously.

 ——————

“We’ll be back for you, ok buddy?” Edward said, petting Tao’s face. Tao pushed into his side. Edward laughed again. “Ok, ok, stay under this ‘till then.” He pulled a large tarp taken from another stall over the tiger. Tao seemed unbothered by the new weight on him and curled up comfortably. 

“So cute!” Ai said, leaning over to look at Tao, “Hope it works.” 

With the last of the animals freed, Daiyu tossed the keys into a cage. “Alright, that should be good for now. Huan and his friends can do the rest.” She tapped Ai’s shoulder lightly, a confident gleam in her eyes, “Ai, are you ready to put on a show?”

Ai grinned mischievously, “I can’t wait to see the look on Zhu Weishe’s stupid face!”

As if on cue, the large doors of the palace gate began to open. Ai and Daiyu nodded to each other then at Edward before they took off their masks. They ran towards the palace with Edward close behind. 

As soon as they got to the gates, a guard stopped them. “Halt, are you members of the circus?”

“Yes, we are trapeze artists.” Daiyu replied. “Which way is the feast?”

The Guard’s face scrunched up slightly, raising an eyebrow in suspicion. He looked from the twins to Edward, noticing they were all dressed the same. He shook his head and motioned towards the far side. “That way, just follow the noise” The group nodded and continued down the hall. 

He was right about the noise, a circus wouldn’t have the most well-mannered guests. They seemed to be having fun though. Edward almost felt  bad about ruining the fun. But these were the same people who mistreated himself, the tigers, the panda and all of the other animals. Edward clenched his fists. Alright, time to save Kun.

“Weishe, Weishe!” Ai shouted out. Daiyu motioned for Edward to stay back. He diverged from their course and ducked behind a plant in the hall. 

The girls ran into the room, calling out for Zhu Weishe. After a couple of minutes, the chatter lowered to a murmur, Then it was silenced entirely by the ringmaster’s angered shout: 

“WHAT?!” 

Edward listened to the footsteps of Zhu Weishe and the other circus members as they ran out in a panic, followed by a couple palace guards. He snickered to himself. He just barely resisted the urge to stick out a leg and trip one of them.

After the mob was gone,  Daiyu and Ai returned with worried looks on their faces. 

“She isn't here.” said Daiyu, “but I asked one of Zhu Weishe’s lackeys on the way out… apparently they gifted her to the emperor.”

Edward gripped the wall, he felt like he could break it off in his hand if he tried hard enough. “Where is the guy? Wasn’t the Emperor at his own damn party?  he asked, looking past them at the tables. They were covered with discarded cups and plates dirty with the remains of a hearty banquet.  Some members of the circus hadn’t left with the ringmaster, mostly because they passed out drunk. 

Ai shook her head, a pained look in her eye. “We’ve heard the Emperor doesn’t stay at parties for long since he’s getting old. He greets his guests in the entrance then lets them eat while he goes to his quarters.” 

“Which means he probably took Kun with him,” Daiyu added.

Edward paced the hall, trying to think of something. They couldn’t leave her. The palace might be bigger and more luxurious than a circus cart, but it would be a cage all the same.

“There is a way to find her.” Daiyu explained. “Though, I’m a bit rusty in my training and going to the Emperor’s quarters will definitely be more trouble than what I usually like to get myself in...” 

Edward grabbed her shoulders. “Whatever it is, I will be in your debt, even more than I am now.”

“Alright… In our village, before we ran away with the circus, Ai and me trained in Xingese martial arts with a master.” 

“Our master wasn’t just a renowned martial artist, she was also our village's leader in Alkahestry if you’d believe it!” Ai added.

Edward gasped, “I’m training in Alkahestry.” 

“Good.” Daiyu winked and pointed at him, “so you know where I am going with this.” 

“Uh.” Edward in fact did not. 

“Ah. Well.” Daiyu coughed into her fist. “ I was trained to sense chi.” She looked at him expectantly, “You must have heard of it, it is the basics after all.”

Edward’s eyes widened, “We’re going to use the Dragon’s Pulse to find Kun??”

Ai nodded proudly, “And Daiyu will be able to sense any guards are approaching. ” 

Edward grinned, “Perfect!”

 ——————

They worked their way slowly through the palace halls, hiding when guards approached and keeping as quiet as they could.

“ We are close.” Daiyui whispered, voice slightly muffled by her fox mask. “Down this hall, and then up a level is where the Emperor sleeps. I can sense--” She stopped speaking and lowered her stance. Ai and Edward did the same, keeping close. The hall was eerily silent, enough to hear the crickets chirping into the night air outside.  

Daiyu jumped to the side, grabbing Ai and Edward and pulling them back with her just as a kunai was thrown their way. Edward could hear footsteps now, faint as they were. He quickly collected himself and regained his footing. 

Their attacker appeared. He wore a greenish, armored uniform with a mask hiding features. He held a kunai in each hand as he stood across from them. Something about the person in front of them seemed familiar, Edward couldn’t place it, but an unsettling feeling overwhelmed him.

“Assassins,” their attacker said with the voice of an older man. “You will not take another step.” The man dashed towards them with speed you would never think someone at his age could possess, swinging a kunai at Ai. She jumped back, deftly avoiding each attack. 

Edward couldn’t just stay frozen, he had to help her. But before he could say anything, Daiyu covered his mouth, shaking her head. “We aren’t dealing with common palace guards,” she hissed, “This guy seems to be a master of sensing the Dragon’s Breath and he’s quite nimble for a geezer.”

“Listen,” Ai pleaded  as she dodged swipe after swipe, “We aren’t assassins! We are just trying to get to the Emperor's quarters to help our friend--”

“Thieves, intruders....” the old man said, “whatever you are, you are not getting past us.”

“Us?” Edward asked. Daiyu pulled him towards her, just as another Kunai flew past, grazing his mask. 

His head swiveled to where the weapon came from. All he saw was the shadowed hall. 

Glinting metal shone through the shadows as two more knives flew in. Edward and Daiyu jumped in opposite directions, the blades just missing them. Their attacker appeared just as suddenly as the old man, swinging at Edward. Something about them was also…familiar. Before he could dwell on the thought too long Daiyu pushed past Ed to take his place in the fight.

“Go!” Daiyu said, motioning for him to leave.

Briefly, Edward tried to protest. “You-” 

“We can handle them! ” The two girls said in unison, “ GO!”

Edward took off, sprinting down the hall. He could only hope the twins could handle those two until he got back. 

 ——————

Edward felt like something was off. The hallway was empty ahead… but… he could hear the faintest of footsteps …He stopped and stepped aside just as someone flew past with a dao sword. Edward fell backward as his assailant swung backwards with a second attack. He spun, kicking out and knocking the sword from his opponent's hand and across the hall. The teen in front of Edward looked taken aback for a second, then he smiled. What kind of idiot smiles when he just got disarmed?! Then his attacker took a fighting stance, and Edward felt another rush of deja vu…

Edward was taken back in his memories to a certain dream he’d have. A dream where a boy smiled, took a fighting stance, and faced a tiger. The boy had said something to him back then, something that, at the time, he couldn’t understand… or recall, until now.

“This is going to be fun!” The teenager said, a perfect echo of himself as a boy. Edward could hardly believe his luck, running into the exact person he’d copied his techniques from. 

They moved, eyes locked as they circled one another. This boy was dressed differently from the attackers fighting Ai and Daiyu, he wore regal robes that glinted almost mesmerizingly in the candlelit hall. His hair was up in a neatly tied bun; an ornament and hairpins keeping it in place. Behind his delicate appearance, the person held himself with a self confidence that suggested he’d been in fights like this before. They circled slowly once more, before the other teen swung a leg out at Edward, who dodged it with ease. They moved around the hall, the other attacking, and Edward dodging. Until Edward’s attacker stopped, giving Edward a puzzled look. 

“How do you know that technique…” The boy moved back a bit, relaxing his stance slightly as he did. “Who are you?”

Edward kept up his guard. “Doesn’t matter. Who are you?”

“You don’t know…?” The teen said, stepping back from him. “My name is Ling Yao, and I am the twelfth born of the Emperor's 43 heirs.” 

Holy shit, 43 heirs?! Edward nearly fell over from that knowledge alone. 

Ling kept his eye on Edward; he walked slowly over to his dao and sheathed it.  “I’m certain you are aware…The style of fighting you used is not a technique just anyone could have learned.” He walked back over, keeping his distance and crossing his arms. “So…tell me, who are you?”

Edward thought back to the younger version of the prince before him. He couldn’t exactly say, could he? He lowered his stance once again and in response so did Ling. They circled each other, both stepping into the similar steps as one would attack and one would dodge. It was like a dance, just as before. They moved quickly around each other. Edward found himself smiling under the mask, and he could tell Ling was enjoying himself as well by the subtle shifts in his expression. For the most part they were both evenly matched, but even still, Ling had the advantage of real training rather than just learning the moves from a dream.

Ling stepped out, and before Edward could reposition himself, the prince switched up on his technique. He landed a hit, then another before he swept Edward’s feet out from under him. He hit the ground hard. The prince leaned over him, a little too close for Edwards comfort, with an amused smile. “Seems you are a little rusty.” Edward could barely register what Ling had said as he felt his heartbeat in his throat and a rush of heat to his face. What the hell. He had to pull himself together. After-all Kun needed his help.
Ling laughed a little and Edward took it as a good enough distraction to spin his legs out and knock the prince down.

“I’m just going easy on you!” Edward lied, swinging at him.

“Ok.” Ling said as he dodged attack after attack, “ So, you won’t tell me your name, or about where you learned to fight… how about telling me your reason for being here?”

Edward shook his head, backing up. “It's a personal matter.” 

Ling’s expression darkened. He drew his sword again and lunged at Edward, pinning him to the wall.

“It’s very important, I know. I have dealt with multiple assassins in the past, and I’d be damned before I let anyone go after my father.” He stared into Edward’s eyes. Daring Edward to keep up the secrecy. “If that is what you meant by a personal matter.”

Edward held the prince’s gaze. He knew that he could break away from Ling’s hold easily if he transformed, but he kept calm. Ok, what could he say? His thoughts staggered as he registered all of what Ling had said to him. The thought that this kid, who looked maybe a year or two older than him, had to deal with assassination attempts on his life, stuck into Edwards mind. He gave Ling a sympathetic look. Though his face was covered up, Ling seemed to notice the change in Edward’s eyes. 

“I’m not an assassin,” he said, “I promise I’m not…”

Ling stared into him for another moment  before he sighed. “I figured,” he smiled, “I gave you multiple fake openings and you never even tried to take one. Any assassin wouldn’t hesitate.” He sheathed his sword. “Though, I still can’t let you do whatever it was you were going to do either. I’m sure my bodyguards have handled your two friends already and are on the way to gather you as well.”

“No.” 

Ling froze at the sudden shift to the masked boy's voice, raising an eyebrow.

Edward found himself struggling. The tiger was pushing against his own mind, claws shredding into him painfully. He gripped his head, pushing back at the tiger. He couldn’t lose control. Especially here and now. 

“ I…have to save my sister. ”

Still holding Edward to the wall, Ling stared at him, dead silent. The prince’s eyebrows scrunched up after a moment, looking extremely concerned. “There’s…hundreds of people approaching…hundreds of chi as one.” His voice shook with worry and his gaze turned distant. Completely forgetting himself, Ling loosened his grip on Edward and turned to look down the hall. Edward could hear footsteps, but he kept focus. He brought a hand down on the Prince’s neck and successfully knocked him out. As Ling began to fall, Edward moved quickly, catching the Prince and laying him down gently on the tile. 

“Looks like you didn’t need my help after all.” Edward looked up as Greed approached in a calm stride with a smirk, his ultimate shield covering his whole body. Edward would never admit the amount of relief that washed over him when he saw the homunculus. He sighed, thinking about what Ling had said as he looked down at his unconscious form. Hundreds of chi as one… 

“Yeah, he wasn’t much of a fight.” Edward lied. 

Greed scratched his head. “Too bad… by the way, your two friends filled us in. All this to free a tiger, huh?”

“Yeah,” Edward nodded, “She isn’t far now, just up those stairs.” Greed nodded along and walked past him. Edward got up slowly, looking back at the Prince one last time before following behind Greed.

“Kun!” Edward called to the tiger in relief, seeing her cage sitting alone in the hall. He ran up and grabbed the bars. The tiger looked taken aback at first before sniffing at him. She then began to make delighted puffing noises and rubbed her head into the cage. 

Greed walked over and examined the lock curiously. “Ok, yeah, I can unlock this,” he smirked. 

“Wait, really?” Edward looked back to Greed just in time to see him swing his hand down, breaking the lock in a quick, but loud, motion.. He gave Greed an unimpressed look, but Greed ignored him as he grinned, opened the cage door and motioned to it proudly. 

“I know, I know, you can thank me later.”

They heard yelling coming around the corner as a group of guards was quickly approaching. “Shit,” Edward cursed, “If we even have a later, let’s go.“

Kun jumped out of the cage and they ran towards the stairs. Greed ran behind Edward and Kun to shield them from the guard’s arrows. He also managed to topple over some expensive looking furniture, plants and vases to slow the guards down. Kun noticed this and ran about recklessly breaking furniture as well. As she did this she just barely avoided a flurry of arrows shot her way. 

“Hey kitty, I’ve got this handled! Stay by Edward where it's safe!” Greed shouted. Kun turned towards the guards and roared loudly, causing some to fall back in fear. She then turned to Greed with a defiant sneer as she ran back to Edward’s side. Greed pursed his lips in approval. “Fine, do what you want I guess.”

At the top of the stairs, Greed grabbed a beautiful tapestry hanging from the wall and swung it around, wrapping the guards up in one fell swoop before kicking them, sending the whole package tumbling down the steps.. The three of them ran down, and past the still recovering guards. As they ran by the hall where Edward had fought Ling, he noticed the prince was still lying motionless on the floor. For some reason he couldn’t quite place, he really hoped Ling wouldn’t hold it against him.

They soon found the twins and the rest of Team Greed, who all looked to have gone through a tough fight, but beamed with joy as they saw Edward safe.  The two guards were there as well, sitting on the floor tied up. Somehow they had managed to stay conscious even after a fight in which they were outnumbered, yet they held their heads in shame of their defeat. As Edward’s group approached the taller of the two bodyguards startled at the sight of the tiger following behind them.

The old man was less taken back. He glared up at Edward standing before him. “So, you did what you came here to do?”

Edward nodded, and watched him deflate slightly. He reached down and petted Kun. “Don’t worry. Your prince and the Emperor are safe. I apologize for the comotion we have caused. All we wanted was to free Kun here.”

The man took in a sharp breath in response. “I’m certain this event has been eye opening for everyone in the palace. You should go now, unless you want the guards to catch up.”

Edward could already hear the disgruntled group Greed sent down the stairs collecting their bearings. He gave the old man one last nod of respect as they made their escape. “Sorry again for the misunderstanding.” 

They left the palace through a different exit, and rounded the corner to the chaos ensuing. Zhu Weishe was running after several animals with a whip, tears and snot streaming down his face as he shouted orders. All of his men were preoccupied with running after every other animal. Edward separated from the others, unnoticed amongst the commotion, and snuck over to find Tao, who was still laying perfectly content under the tarp. He grinned and praised the tiger for staying put. Tao yawned and stretched, looking like he just had the best nap of his life, and happily followed Edward out of the palace doors. 

The scene outside was just as chaotic, many of the animals had gotten out and were running rampant around the town. Edward watched the scene in awe, wondering if the animals would be safe. A sudden hand on his shoulder startled him; Ai laughed at his jumpiness and waved for him to follow. They ran through alleyways towards where the others waited at the outskirts of the town.  

Tao and Edward ran over to greet Kun, Tao rubbed his head against his sister, and the two spun around and jumped at Edward like kittens, surrounding him in fuzzy cuddles.

“Ok, ok!” Edward said, pushing away Kun as she started licking his hair. “Ew.” he grimaced and laughed as he sat up.

“Here.” Roa said as he reached a hand out for Edward to take. As soon as he did, Roa pulled him into a hug. “I am so happy you are alright.” His voice cracked slightly as he spoke. Edward patted the big guy’s back and grinned. The others joined in the group hug, except for Greed, who was standing to the side and pretending he wasn’t nearly as happy seeing everyone back together as he was. 

“We should go,” Martel eventually said, looking out at the town. “I’m sure Yaozu Jin is worried about us.”

“Oh right…” Bido said, tapping his fingers together nervously. “We’ve been gone for a whole day without any warning…” 

“I’m sure our bosses won’t be very happy with us.” Dolcetto added, with an equally worried grimace.

“Hey now.” Roa said, getting everyone's attention, “They will understand when we explain the situation. Ed disappeared, and we had no idea this was going to happen. I’m sure they will forgive us.” 

Edward thought about their home here in Xing. It really was a home now, one he missed a lot. He longed for nothing more but to be there and to return to his studies. 

Ai poked his arm,a smile on her face that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I guess this is goodbye.” Daiyu walked up followed by a guy Edward hadn’t met yet. .

“It is… but I was meaning to ask.” Edward said, looking towards the direction of town. “What will happen to the animals?”

“Huan’s friends were able to get most of them out of the palace gates.” Ai explained, motioning to the guy.

“Nice to meet you,” he said, bowing in greeting. “I’m Huan, Daiyu’s boyfriend.”  Edward bowed as well.

“I’m Ed, it's nice to meet you as well.”

“Don’t worry too much Ed.” Daiyu said. “Those animals were all wild before this. They should be able to find their way back to the jungle and live freely again just as they did before… I know it's not perfect, but it’s the best we could do for them.”

“Once the Emperor hears about what happened, Zhu Weishe’s career will be over in an instant!” Ai added with a vindictive grin.

Edward laughed and then gave them both a sad smile. “I hope so. And I hope we will meet again someday.” He bowed to the twins, “Thank you for helping me. I mean it. I owe you both a lot.” 

Ai giggled. “Well! Then maybe next time we meet you can treat us to a meal!” Daiyu shot her a look and Edward laughed. 

“Till then.”

 ——————

They reached Boajin by noon the following day. Tao and Kun traveled alongside the group the entire way. Just as they reached the outskirts of the city the two tigers stopped dead in their tracks. Edward turned to face them, and realized that this was going to be goodbye. He reached forward, petting the tops on their heads. In turn they nuzzled into his sides, he smiled and laughed sadly. They stepped back and he watched as the two tigers bowed their heads and turned to leave into the forest. He waved to them, watching until they disappeared. 

Edward stood still, watching the jungle a moment longer. A light breeze ruffled his hair, he tucked a stray lock behind his ear. Taking a shaky breath, he smiled, content. “Alright,” he said, turning back to his sleep-deprived friends. “Lets not keep Yaozu Jin waiting any longer.” 

Chapter Text

Chapter 19: Seamstress

Travels in Xing. Pt 5

—June 1913—

In the months following his return from the circus, Edward fully delved into his studies in Alkahestry. He continued training in meditation and his understanding of the Dragon’s Pulse, studied the symbols and techniques of Alkahestry, and learned about the anatomy and functions of the human body. He poured his all into his studies, inspired both from the pure satisfaction of gaining knowledge, and the solemn understanding that he may someday use it to save lives. 

Yaozu Jin was a patient teacher, a nice change of pace in comparison to Greed’s lessons. That's not to say Greed hadn’t improved in his teaching style, but they’d still end up arguing every other night due to Greed’s impatience.

 Despite the hiccups along the way, it was all starting to become a comfortable routine. 

“ AAAAAAACH !” Dolcetto’s sneeze echoed through the building. He laid under a heavy comforter, sniffling and grimacing in misery. 

Yaozu Jin sat by his side, wearing a mask. He took the thermometer out of Dolcetto’s mouth  and nodded. “Bedrest,” he determined, patting Dolcetto’s forehead. “Get lots of sleep, your friend Greed and I will make you medicine and soup.” 

Dolcetto nodded with a faraway look. Edward wasn’t sure his friend was lucid enough to understand what Yaozu said.

“Heh??” Greed looked like he’d rather do anything else. “Why not the kid?” 

“‘Cause the kid is going over to help Miss Ye in Dolcetto’s absence today.”

“What?!” Edward shot up from his seat. “But what about our lessons?” 

Yaozu Jin smiled and waved his hand.  “Lessons can wait until tomorrow. Besides, I don’t trust your friend here to actually go and help her if I had asked.”

Greed smirked, “You know me well.”

“That's not a good thing.” Yaozu said, jabbing  Greed’s side. Greed, caught by surprise, wheezed and hunched over in pain.  “Ed, you know where Miss Ye lives, yes?” 

Edward nodded. “Yeah, yeah…”  He walked to the door and put on his slides. He didn’t want to do this at all, but he’d rather not get jabbed as well. “Be back later.”

Nuan Ye’s house was the last one on the street. It was small, one story tall, with a beautiful garden out front with a stone path leading towards the door. As Edward rounded the corner of the property’s wall, he nearly tripped over the elderly woman. She was hunched over, weeding her flowerbed as she hummed with content. Even as his knee accidentally bumped against her she easily kept her balance and slowly raised her gaze. “Oh, hello. You are not my usual helper.” A smile graced her wrinkled lips. “Forgive me for my memory. What was your name again?” 

“I’m not sure we’ve officially met, I am a friend of Dolcettos. My name is Edward Elric, but you can call me Ed.”

“What was that?”

“ED.”

“Ah…Yes. Ed.” She hummed and nodded, “Yes, that's a good name. Suits you.” She reached out a hand, he took it and she stood up slowly. “You know, your friend Dolcetto talks of you a lot.” 

“Hopefully all good things.”

“Well….” Her eyes crinkled in amusement, “Yes, yes,” she said, letting go of his hand and walking towards her home. “You probably know my name already, but you can call me Nǎinai if you’d like.”

Edward smiled as he followed. From behind, she almost resembled Granny Pinako. Grey hair in a bun…short. Well, that's where their similarities ended, but still, it was comforting in a way that made him both homesick and feeling right at home at the same time. He followed behind her along the stone path and into the home. Once inside, Nǎinai had him get supplies and she prepared some tea. 

“I remember you, you know,” she said as she placed a cup in front of him. Edward looked up at her, unsure what she meant. Nǎinai stuck her hand in her pocket and pulled out a small figurine of a tiger. “You gave this to me many months ago.” She handed it to him to look at. 

“That was you!” Edward gasped.

---

An elderly woman holding bags of cloth waved her hand out to him as he ran past, and he turned around and ran back to her. 

“Two streets down to the right.” She explained, “the house with a Golden Pheasant symbol above its door.” 

“Thank you so much.” Edward said, taking her hand gently and bowing. As he left the older woman looked down at the small tiger figurine he had left in her hand. 

---

Nǎinai nodded. “I’ve carried that with me ever since. It’s my good luck charm.” 

Edward bowed his head, “Thank you so much for back then.” Roa was still around because of her. “I owe you.”

She patted his shoulder and he looked up to meet her eyes, “I was glad to hear that things went well for your friend.” She moved back and picked up the teapot, pouring them both some. “Oolong, my favorite,” she said, sitting across from him. 

For the next hour they talked a lot about Nǎinai’s life. She had been known as an  up-and-coming seamstress in Boajin when she was younger, but as time went on she eventually lost her spark. She began to focus more on her family, and her passion for fashion had gone untouched for years. However, after her husband's recent passing, she had been very alone and decided to pick up her craft again to fill the void. She had gone out to get supplies, and that same night she had bumped into Edward. 

“You have inspired me,” she said, looking at her empty cup. “My spark for creation returned tenfold that night.”

Edward almost choked on his tea, he coughed into his arm, patting his chest. “I-” he coughed again, “-inspired you?” 

She smiled and nodded. “Follow me.” 

She led him to the room across from her bedroom. It was full of cloth, sewing kits, drawings and patterns, everything one would need to make clothes. 

“I’ve filled several books with designs since you appeared. I had to get the perfect design for my model.”

“Model?” Edward looked over her shoulder as she flipped through the pages. His eyes widened as she saw the face of a tiger. Now he recalled he had transformed at some point the night of Roa’s heart attack. Had she seen his tiger form? No…she would have been scared, right?

“You have those stripe-like patterns on you, they remind me of a tiger,” she said, poking his arms. “My eyesight’s not the best without my spectacles, but I noticed them when I met you, and the figurine added to my inspiration.” She turned to him and bowed, “Please, may I request you to be the model for my creations?” 

In awe, Edward picked up the book and flipped through it. So she had noticed. Part of him was concerned, it could be dangerous for any of the townsfolk to see him like that. And yet, he and the others had been here for months without any conflict with the locals, clearly Nǎinai hadn’t alerted anyone. As Edward looked through her designs, a happy warmth replaced his worries. She was yet another person who had seen him for what he was and still met him with kindness. And he had inspired creativity, not fear. He never expected to be a model of all things, but he did owe her a favor. And her artwork was beautiful, Edward imagined her wrinkled hands lovingly drawing each line.  He smiled, yeah, this could be fun. 

“Sure Nǎinai,” he agreed. “I will help as much as I can.” 

——————

The next day, Dolcetto was feeling better, but Yaozu Jin insisted on an extra day of bedrest. Edward needed no convincing to go to Nǎinai’s again.

As he walked towards Nǎinai’s home he noticed a tall, slender teen holding shopping bags coming from the opposite way. . He looked to be a year or two older than Edward, probably fifteen or sixteen. He had long, sleek, raven hair held in a bun and a thin, stylish pair of glasses. They both stopped at Nǎinai’s gate, confused at the other’s presence. As their gazes met, Edward’s heart skipped a beat. The teen had such gorgeous gray eyes…he felt his face heating up and wondered if he’d caught Dolcetto’s cold.  

After a moment of Edward being lost for what to say, the teen spoke up.  Oh, you must be the guy helping out my Nǎinai Ye. Well, there is no need for that now since I will be staying with her for a while.” He paused, looking deep in thought before nodding. “Goodbye then.” He bowed and then began walking towards the house.

Edward clenched his teeth, the spell suddenly broken. What the hell? 

“Hey!” He shouted as he followed the teen down the path. Nǎinai’s supposed grandson stopped and turn back towards him. “Listen, I’m not her helper. I am her friend and model.”

They guy looked him up and down then smirked, “Oh…really?” This bitch. Edward tried to ignore the feeling of his face flushing again.

Edward stood his ground, puffing out his chest, “y-Yeah.” Did his voice just crack?

The guy laughed. “Well, I am her grandson, and I haven’t heard--”

“Ed!” Nǎinai’s voice said from behind the older teen. 

Edward peered around him and waved, suddenly relieved by her appearance. “Hello Nǎinai!”

The other teen stiffed, clutching the shopping bags tightly as he stepped forward. “She-she is not you're Nǎinai!” 

“Jin Ye, quiet down. I asked him to call me that,” she said, giving her grandson an annoyed glare.. “Sorry about him Ed, he can be a bit touchy sometimes.”

“Touchy?! Nǎinai Ye!” Jin Ye complained. 

Nǎinai ignored him and motioned for them to come in. “Ed is going to be our model, ok? Ed, I am teaching my grandson my craft. He’s shown interest in learning recently so I invited him to stay for a while.” She paused. “So let Dolcetto know, ok? But make sure he knows he is always welcome over any time for tea once he is better.”

——————

Edward was convinced that Jin Ye didn’t like him. He visited Nǎinai every other night to model for her work, and each time the Jin Ye would stare at him from across the room, never saying a word. Eventually, Edward was sick of the silence. As soon as Nǎinai left the room he turned to Jin Ye with crossed arms. “What's your problem?” He asked.

Jin Ye’s eyes were focused on the pattern he was working on, he grimaced with a huff. “Can’t a guy observe his grandmother's work?” He accidently poked his finger with the needle and hissed, he waved his hand then stuck his finger in his mouth. 

Edwards shook his head, “That is not what I meant. You keep looking at me like that even when I’m not working.”

Jin Ye smirked. “You are different from anyone I’ve ever met, so you can’t blame me for being curious.” 

Edward felt his face blush and he turned away. “Oh yeah? Is it because I’m a foreigner?”

Jin Ye laughed, “partly, but also because of those birthmarks, and your eyes.”

Edward looked back, “My eyes?”

“Yeah, they are golden, it's kind of beautiful. Reminds me of those old tales…” Jin Ye admitted as he turned and continued his work. 

Edward sputtered out in embarrassment before walking away. “Sh-shut up!”

——————

Edward looked at himself in the mirror, having washed the remainder of the black dye out of his hair. Golden hair…golden eyes… His reflection looked like a stranger to him now. He tried to smile, but the sharp grin looked wrong on his face now. Ever since the facility, he’d felt a sense of repulsion at his reflection, at himself. It reminded him that something as simple as his appearance had gotten the attention of someone so horrible He wondered if the supposed golden being in the Xingese tales also resented the attention his appearance received. He was probably just an ordinary traveler with a knowledge that the people of the time just hadn’t been aware of yet. Yeah, he must have been an ordinary, everyday guy who was unfortunately cast into the spotlight. Edward almost pitied him for that, and the fact that no one even bothered to remember his name.

He twirled his hair around his finger absentmindedly and looked down at it. He needed to do something with it. He wanted to keep it long…symbolically for how long they had been free, but also because he liked how it looked. He pulled it back into a ponytail then grimaced, remembering how his father wore his own hair. Right. To avoid looking like Hohenheim he’d had to do something different… a braid maybe? He’d always liked braids. He attempted to style his hair for a while, but couldn’t get it to cooperate. He sighed, giving up. Maybe he could get some help.

——————

“Martel, you know how to braid hair, right?” Edward asked as he walked into the bakery. Standing in front of him was a customer, confused by whatever Edward had just said in  Amestrian. Roa cleared his throat, getting the customers attention and handed them their order. 

“Xíe xíe.” The customer said, thanking Roa in Xingese, then bowed slightly, gave Edward one last strange look, and left.

“Edward, your hair.” Roa said. Edward smiled and walked over to the counter. 

“ Yes I am here , what of it? Is Martel here?” Edward asked, looking around him.

“Hardy har and hello you too. “ Roa chuckled. “Why are you asking Martel to help you braid? She’s got the shortest haircut out of us all… other than Bido.”

Edward tapped on the counter rhythmically “She hasn’t always had short hair, and I bet she used to braid her younger sister's hair.” As he explained he noticed Martel coming in from the back door. “Hi Martel!” He called out and waved at her. She looked up with a grin before her jaw dropped in shock.

“Edward! You're blonde!”

“YuP.” Edward said, popping the ‘p’. He leaned into the counter. “I’ve returned to my natural shade… for now. I figured that the upkeep wouldn’t matter as much while we are here in Xing.” Other than the fact people would think he looked like the person of old tales.

Martel smiled, “it looks good.”

Roa motioned to Ed, “He was wondering if you’d braid it for him.”

“Me?” Martel asked, taken aback, “I mean… I can, but it’s been a while since I’ve braided hair. Are you sure you want me to do it?” 

Edward shrugged. “It doesn’t matter how good it looks, I just thought it would be nice. Plus it would be some good practice for you.” 

Martel brought a hand up to her chin, as she considered. “Well, if I ever see Marlis again I would want to know how...” She nodded and turned to look at the clock on the wall. “Alright, how about we meet up on my lunch break?”

Edward nodded. “Sure!”

——————

“So, what's new?” Martel asked as she sat on her bed. Edward sat on her floor and relaxed as she began brushing his hair and separating parts for his braid. 

“My lessons are going well.” Edward said. “I’ve started sensing the Dragon's Pulse. It’s so strange, it's like adding a whole other sense.”

“Sounds like it would be overwhelming, I don’t know if I could handle something like that.” Martel admitted.

 “It can be, especially around Greed.” Edward explained thinking back to his recent lessons. “I had to make him leave a couple times while I was still figuring it out.”

“Your teacher did say something about Greed’s chi a while back.” Martel said with curiosity. “So you can sense it too now?” 

“Yeah. It reminded me. When I was fighting that prince, uh… Ling I think. He said something about sensing hundreds of chi as one when he felt Greed approaching. Which is a pretty accurate--ow!” Edward winced as she pulled at some sensitive hairs. 

“Sorry about that…” she apologized. “hm, do you think it's from the philosopher’s stone, or the fact he is an artificial human has anything to do with it?” 

“Probably. But I don’t even know what the philosopher’s stone is made from, so I can’t say. It may come in handy with avoiding other homunculi if they are the same way.”

Martel hummed. They sat in comfortable silence for a bit as she carefully braided the separate portions together. Edward patiently waited to not disrupt her concentration..

“Hey Martel…?” he asked as she finally tied the braid with a hair band.

“Hm?”

“Well…what do you think of love?” Edward looked back at her and noticed the uncomfortable expression on her face, quickly turned back around. “Sorry! I’m just curious if you know anything about it.” Martel snorted and he looked back at her in embarrassment. “What's so funny?!” 

“Nothing, nothing! Why are you asking me this anyways?”

“Well, I think…” He took a deep breath. “I may like someone, but I don’t know how to explain it…I don’t know if it's romantic or if it's just because I really want to be friends with him.”

`”Him?” She asked, looking surprised. 

Edward stiffened, realizing what he had said.  “I--uh, what?? Did I say him? Oh, huh that's weir-” He choked on his words as she slapped him hard in the back. He wheezed in pain,, “ Haah. God Martel, you’re strong.” 

She huffed out a breath in aggravation. “There is no shame in liking anyone!” she shouted as she gripped his shoulder. “Listen to me Ed. I had a rough childhood, for a long time I didn’t even like the idea of being in a relationship, be it with a guy or girl. I couldn’t allow myself to get close to someone else, romantically or otherwise. It was a fear that ate at me for years and years, and it kept me from a lot of happiness.” She took a deep breath. “So…what I am saying is. It is important to tell that person you like, that you like them. Ok?” 

He smiled, “You are really passionate about this…” His grin turned devilish. “Is there…someone you like?” he asked, teasingly. 

She was silent for a couple of seconds. He turned to look back at her and found her face beet red. “I-- Well…”

Edward stared at her with widened eyes, “You- wait really?!” He sat up excitedly. “Who!?”

She smiled nervously looking away, her face still heated. “I have…a crush…” She pouted and looked even more nervous. Her voice shook, her answer barely audible. “...On Roa.” 

Edward sat and stared at her in silence until she groaned.

 “C’mon Ed, say something!”

“That's amazing,” he said as a smile crept back onto his face. “Roa is such a good guy. He’s dependable, thoughtful, strong and patient. I think you two would be good together.” He felt giddy at the idea of the two people he felt closest to becoming a couple. “How…did you know you felt that way?” he asked and watched her relax. 

She sat back, staring at the ceiling, deep in thought. “I think it was gradual. Though… that night when he had the stroke, I felt like I wasn’t going to see him again and it shattered me inside. I still feel that pain just thinking about it… But ever since then, I’ve felt those butterflies around him that everyone talks about when they speak of love in books or films.”

“You should tell him.” Edward insisted. “I think he likes you too.” 

Martel smiled and reached forward, ruffling his bangs.  “Hey!” Edward laughed and pushed her hand away.

“Thanks for spending time with me,” she said, patting his head. “Though… I should probably eat something and get back to work.” She stood and headed towards the door. “Oh… and Ed?”

“Hm?”

“Don’t let yourself or anyone else hold you back from happiness, ok?” she advised with a knowing look. 

He smiled. “Of course.”

——————

The following day, as Edward helped Yaozu prepare some herbs, there came a knock at the door. Edward walked over, opened the door to find Jin Ye, and jumped back in surprise.

“Hello Ed--” Jin Ye began in his usual stoic manner, before his eyes widened and all composure was lost. “W-wow you're hair, it’s golden!” The astonished expression was not something Edward was used to seeing from the other teen. 

Edward grinned smugly, reached up and combed a hand through his bangs. “Yeah, it's actually my natural hair color…” 

“It suits you!” Jin ye complimented. “S-sorry if my reaction was uncouth, It was a great surprise.”

Edward shook his head and learned against the wall cooly, “So. What…brings you here?”

“I was wondering if you’d be free this afternoon.”  

Edward looked back towards Yaozu Jin. The old man waved his hand, signaling for Edward to go ahead.
“Yeah, sure, what did you have in mind?” He asked. 

“There’s a pop-up market in town and I wanted to see if there was any fabrics and materials we could use there. I’m sure we will find some great deals!” 

“Sounds fun,” Edward agreed, “Let's go.”

The two made their way to the market. It was a further walk than what Edward was used to, but it was nice to see more of Boajin. 

“You know, this city is the largest and one of the oldest in Xing.” Jin Ye explained as they walked. “Some of the buildings standing date back to the earliest years of the Bao period.”

“The Boa period? Like the Bao in the city name?” Edward asked curiously. 

Jin Ye smiled and pushed up his glasses. “Yeah. Boa Jin was the first Emperor to learn Alkahestry. He also learned it directly from the Philosopher of the West… You may have noticed that golden pheasant above your teacher's door. Those are to signify that a descendant of Boa Jin lives in its residency.

“Wait…” Edward said. “That means Youzu Jin… Oh.” 

Jin Ye smiled. “You know, my family is a branch of the Jin family too, but we don’t carry the name since it’s on my Nǎinai’s side. My father named me Jin to remind me of my heritage ” He chuckled and scratched his head. “Sorry if I’ve started rambling too much about all this.” 

Edward shook his head. “No, it's fine. It’s actually really cool to learn more about Xing.” 

“I am glad… Though I suppose I am also curious about Ametris.” Jin Ye admitted. “Would you mind telling me about your home?”

Edward nodded, “Well, I grew up in a rural town called Resembool…”

The entire way to the shops they continued talking about Xing and Amestris. When they arrived, their conversation shifted to the different fabrics and which would be the best for their purposes.

Even when the conversation lulled, even when he was just watching Jin Ye carefully study the materials, Edward felt butterflies for the whole afternoon.

Chapter Text

Chapter 20: Festival

Travels in Xing. Pt 6

—December 1913—

In the evening after spending the day with Jin Ye, Edward decided to seek Roa’s guidance. He let out a heavy breath, shook out the anxiety, and knocked on the door.

“Ed!” Roa grinned when he answered the door and stepped back into his room. “Come on in.” 

Edward walked in and sat on Roa’s desk chair. “How were things at the bakery today?” he asked as he shuffled to get comfortable on the seat. 

Roa smiled and ran a hand through his hair in thought, “Today was good. There were a lot of new people in town for the Dragon Festival, so I got to have a lot of interesting conversations. Working the counter here has really helped me improve my Xingese.”

“Oh yeah?” Edward noticed a slight smirk on Roa’s face. “What's that look for?” 

“I was just thinking about something that happened the other day,” he chuckled. “Someone ordered panda-shaped bread.” He grinned, “and I mixed up their tone and accidentally told them I had a box of chest hair bread for them.” 

Edward burst out into laughter, gasping as he clutched his sides. “How - haha! - How did they react?!”

“Luckily they laughed.” Roa said as he wiped a tear from his eye. “Martel had no idea what was happening. At first she thought they were crying. I had to calm her down and explain what happened.” They both took a moment to recover from the story. Edward’s cheeks hurt and tears stung at his eyes. Roa walked from the door way over to his bed and sat down.

“So…” he said, “When I answered the door, you looked a bit nervous. Something buggin’ you?”

“Hmk.” Edward sat up in the chair and shrugged with a grunt. “I need some advice.” 

“Alright then, shoot.” Roa leaned forward into his knees. “What's on your mind?”

“Well…I…” Edward fidgeted nervously with his hands. “I really like someone and I am worried I’m going to mess it up.”

“Well.” Roa said, looking at him in surprise. He folded his arms and furrowed his brows, looking thoughtful. “Although relationships aren’t my expertise… the world isn’t going to end if you tell them how you feel. Whether the feelings are returned or not all depends on them. If it's not meant to be, then the hope is that your friendship with them will overcome it.”

Edward sulked. “I guess when you boil it down, not knowing how it’ll go is the scariest part. Though something else is bothering me.”

“And what’s that?” 

Edward looked at his open palm, the abnormally sharp nails, the stripes running along his arms. “How can I even go about telling the other person about me? I mean, would any normal person want to date a chimera?” 

Roa’s face softened into a smile. “If you like someone, then the most important thing is to know you can trust them.”

“But what if I am wrong? What if I tell them and they are scared of me? What if they tell someone else and I get us all in trouble.”

Roa gave him a serious look. “If that happens, we will not blame you. It will have nothing to do with you and everything to do with who they truly are.” He walked over to Edward, placing a steady hand on his shoulder. “If they make you feel like a monster, then that person doesn't deserve you.”

“Alright. Edward nodded, his anxieties eased. He took a deep breath in and smiled at Roa, “Thanks a lot.”

Roa returned the smile. “I will always be here for you, okay? Whatever it is, if you need to talk, I’ll listen. Don’t forget that.” He patted Edward’s shoulder and stepped back. 

Edward already knew that, of course. But something about the situation made Roa’s reassuring presence and loving words resonate stronger than normal, to the point Edward felt his breath hitch and his eyes sting. He sprung from his chair, sending it falling back as he wrapped his arms around Roa in a hug. 

Edward could remember the morning like it was yesterday, when his father left. When he and Alphonse had stumbled upon their parents' quiet farewell by pure happenstance. His father turned his back on them, and walked away without a single word of goodbye. He’d always hoped his father did care, he always hoped for his father’s return. 

Edward sobbed into Roa’s shirt, leaving a mass of damp fabric, but Roa didn’t seem to mind. The older man wrapped his arms around Edward and let out a quiet hum.

Edward didn’t think he would meet someone who’d ever fill the void that his father left for him. He had thought for a long time that only Hohenheim’s return would fix it. But Roa broke through those walls…figuratively and literally. From the day they met, he was the one who helped Edward escape. He was the one who helped Edward open up and start to find a balance to his emotions. He was there. And… he would be there for Edward tomorrow, the day after, and then next. He’d be there for as long as he could, and Edward knew that with certainty. Roa was never going to turn his back on him. Roa was never going to leave him behind.

He tightened his hold, sniffling. “Thank you, Roa.” Maybe someday he would tell Roa how much he meant to him… or maybe Roa already knew. 

“Of course.” Roa said.

——————

Edward was enjoying tea and snacks in Nǎinai’s kitchen while on break. Jin Ye had moved his kit to the couch so they could sit together and talk, though by now their chatter had died to a comfortable silence. Well… comfortable wasn’t the word, at least not for Edward. He could hear the roaring in his ears as he thought about what he wanted to ask. Jin Ye looked beautiful in the evening glow. It was taking Edward’s breath away. He took a sip of tea and looked away, trying to dig up the courage. Then, as if he was outside himself, he heard his voice say: “Will you go to the festival with me?” 

Jin Ye paused his sewing, his expression unreadable. “To the festival, hm?” His gaze flicked up, lingering on Edward a second more before he returned to his craft. “Well. I don’t see why not. We will both be there to model for the fashion show anyway.”

“Wait, what fashion show?” Surprised, Edward became more nervous at the idea of modeling at a fashion show than asking Jin Ye for a date.

“Don’t you remember my Nǎinai telling us about it? They have one every year during the Dragon Festival. There aren’t any winners or losers, but aristocrats and nobility come from all around to see the work. It’s the best way for a fashion designer to promote themself.

“Oh wow.” Edward mumbled, “That sounds…like a lot.” 

“It can be.” Jin Ye agreed. “Are you going to be up for it? If you don’t want to-”

“No!” Jin Ye startled at the outburst. Edward took a deep breath and shook his head, “I mean… I can, I can… I just…Does Nǎinai really want that? She seems very happy with her quiet life here, I figured she would be more interested in focusing on local shops, or just doing it for fun-”

Jin Ye’s laugh interrupted Edward. “You don’t know my Nǎinai as well as I do,” he explained, fixing his glasses and setting his work down on the table. “Back in the day she was a very popular seamstress in Baojin. Everyone there knew her name and loved her work, but she  always dreamed of being known all across Xing.  So she made some of her best designs for the festival, but…….” He trailed off, frowning.

“It didn’t go well?” Edward asked.

“She never went. She gave birth to my father a month before the show, and by then she realized that she’d rather live a simple life with her family than make it big. She never forgot about it, and I think she’s changed her mind now that my father is grown up, and she’s found new inspiration. She even told me it was her dream to design the Dragon Robes for the Emperor himself, ”

“So… she wants to fulfill that dream now, huh…” Edward smiled. “I really respect that.”

Jin Ye grinned back. He scooted closer to Edward, leaning down with a conspiratorial glint in his eyes. “Yes, you understand. Now…Nǎinai only talks about her dreams with close family, you weren’t supposed to hear about it.” He let out a small breathy laugh. “So don’t let her know I told you this, okay?”

Edward blushed and nodded. “Okay.”

——————

Edward had no idea if he had successfully made his romantic intentions clear or not. Jin Ye was hard to read, especially after the conversation turned to Nǎinai. 

He let out a frustrated sigh as he stared at his darkened ceiling. The festival celebrations started early the next morning, but he just couldn’t get himself to rest. He closed his eyes trying to tempt sleep to overcome him, with no avail.

He heard some creaks and opened his eyes. Greed’s eyes filled his vision, Edward gasped and scooted back while the homunculus glared at him.

“Are you going to go to sleep, or are you going to keep sighing? ” Greed whispered angrily. 

“Sorry, I’m just thinking about something .” 

“Okay.” Greed said, folding his arm, “ Then stop thinking about it, and go to bed.” 

Edward shook his head. “ I can’t do that, Greed. It’s not just something I can bury .” 

Greed raised an eyebrow. He sat down cross-legged next to Edward. “ Oh? What's so troubling? ”

Edward sat up “ Well… you're old, right? ” Greeds’ right eye twitched, but he nodded. “Have you been in a relationship before? ”  

“I don’t do relationships, too much hassle and it’s a waste to get attached to anyone when you live as long as I do .” Edward was taken aback. Was that why Greed was so standoffish? Greed noticed the look Edward was giving him and rolled his eyes. “Though of course I’ve had times where a guy, girl or whoever has caught my eye. ” Greed gave Edward an irritated look. “ So…why the question? ” 

“I’m having trouble telling my feelings to someone.”

Greed's eyebrows rose, he grinned. “Oh?” 

Edward ignored his reaction and continued. “ I asked him to go to the upcoming festival, but I’m not sure if he got the hint that it was as a date.” 

Greed was uncharacteristically silent for a moment, leaning his chin against his index fingers as he thought. He eventually said, “Well…I don’t think it matters yet if he knows how you feel or not. ” A festival is a great place to flirt, get close and confess feelings. And if the feelings aren’t mutual, then a festival is a great place to get drunk --” Greed paused, looking Edward up and down. “ You can’t drink yet, can you? ”

"No.”

“Well, damn .” Greed scratched his head. “ Ignore that idea then… I guess If it all goes bad, find Roa, he’d help you, yeah? Yeah.” He slapped his knee. “And that's my advice.” As Greed stood, he patted Edward's shoulder. “ Now please go the fuck to sleep. ”

——————

“Lean down Ed, let me fix your hair.” Nǎinai said, motioning for him to come closer. He kneeled and felt her tuck a loose strand into place.  His hair was up into two tight buns clipped in place by hairpins and other floral accessories that complimented his outfit The top was white with golden tiger stripes along the sleeves, with a pattern of interwoven orange petals. A white cloth was tied around his waist to hold it together. The lower half was a long, loose and a swishy brown skirt. Another long cloth was also draped in front of the skirt, the flower petal motif continued along the fabric, and at the very bottom was a leaping golden tiger, immaculately stitched by hand. Underneath the skirt a pair of white pants tucked into a pair of white slides. 

“There.” Nǎinai stepped back and looked him up and down. “Perfect. This outfit suits you well.” 

Edward smiled and bowed slightly towards her, “Thank you Nǎinai.” 

She handed him something wrapped in a cloth. “This is the final part of your costume.” 

Edward unwrapped the item, finding a fierce golden tiger eye mask. It looked exactly like his tiger before it became a part of him. He grinned at it, then bowed deeper to Nǎinai. “This is perfect. Thank you!” 

She chuckled and slapped his arm lightly. “No need for that, it's the least I could do for my model.” 

Jin Ye walked into the room, and Edward lost his breath. He was wearing a nearly identical outfit to Edward, swapping out the white, orange and gold for black, silver, and blue. His mask was a regular orange tiger with black stripes. 

“Well, don’t you both look handsome!” Nǎinai clapped her hands together, snapping Edward back to the real world.

Edward gasped, then pretended he was just coughing into his hand.  “Are you sure you don’t want to attend the festival?” he asked. 

She shook her head and patted his arm. “I’m too old for these sorts of events. Too much walking, and noise. I will be happy to watch the parade from the street later, but other than that I am fine here.” She chuckled and waved her hand. “Go on now you two, enjoy the day!”

As soon as they opened the door, they could hear the faint sounds of festival music from the middle of the city. Edward grinned, walking swiftly through the garden. Even in their quiet little street people milled about, marveling at what was around. The street was covered in decorations for the Dragon Festival. Paper lanterns, banners, statues of dragons and other paraphernalia. Edward also noticed a lot of panda and tiger themed decorations as well. 

“Well look who it is! All dressed up!” Dolcetto said walking up with Bido following behind.

“Hi guys!” Edward smiled and waved, running up to them. 

“You really do look great Ed.” Bido nodded. 

“Are you both going to the Festival?” Edward asked. 

Dolcetto shook his head. “Not really our kind of thing… too much noise.” 

“Yeah, we thought we would come over and see if Nuan Ye could use some company while you and your friend were out.”

Upon being mentioned, Jin Ye exited the garden and waved over at Edward. 

“Well, guess I should be going.” Edward said, smiling giddily. He turned to go, but then stopped. “By the way, have you seen Roa or Martel today?”

Dolcetto frowned, his eyes squinted in thought. “Well… I think I saw them this morning… but they might have gone into town for the festivities.” He looked at Bido. “You see them?” 

Bido shook his head. “Not since yesterday. actually.” 

Edward wondered if Martel might have confessed, and they took some time to be alone together…or maybe she would during the festival. He couldn’t help but grin at the thought. “I guess I will keep an eye out for them.”

He said one last goodbye and joined Jin Ye to walk down the street towards the crowded city.

——————

“The city really goes all out.” Edward observed as they walked the heavily populated sidewalk.

Jin Ye looked over at him, his expression even harder to read than normal under the mask. “Yes… the city really tries to impress the upper class, so we pride ourselves in making the festival as good as possible..”

Edward watched all of the people dressed in intricate costumes. There were street performers of all sorts, someone was juggling swords and some people were walking around on stilts. Attendees bounced from booth to booth, having their fortunes read, getting their faces painted, trying their best to win games. Then there was the plethora of food stalls. Restaurants from all corners of Xing had set up shop,  and the smells of all of the delicious cuisines mixing together made Edwards mouth water. 

As they reached the center of town they were met with hundreds of people dancing to a visiting band. Edward wanted to run over and dance along with them, but he knew that he couldn’t risk ruining his outfit before the fashion show. 

“So, when and where will the fashion show be?” Edward asked, hoping there would be a chance to dance after the show. 

Jin Ye pointed towards a large stage on the other side of the clearing. “We will need to be there around noon. We have about three hours to kill before that, though.” 

“What should we do until then?”

A small smile graced Jin Ye's lips. It's been a while since the last time I came, I don't remember what the best parts are. Why don't we walk around until we find something good?  

Edward nodded, “Sure.”

The next hours flew by as Edward and Jin Ye explored the city’s festival.  Edward had a lot of fun trying out all of the games, stopping at stalls to toss rings, pop balloons, catch toys floating in the water, and more. He silently hoped with each win that Jin Ye was impressed by his quick reflexes. 

After leaving a booth where he had handily knocked down a tower of bottles,  Edward noticed a jewelry stand. He eyed a bracelet and thought of getting it for Jin Ye, but it would have cost a whole month of his savings. He glanced over at Jin Ye, chatting with the owner of another stall. Maybe just one month's worth wouldn't be too bad… He mulled it over until he noticed how high the sun had gotten. He decided he would make up his mind later and could come back after the show.

By noon, Edward and Jin Ye had made their way backstage. The folks setting everything up greeted them and struck up friendly conversation as they prepared their name cards.

“Oh, now I know why I recognized your name. You are Nuan Ye’s grandson!” Said one of the girls, looking starstruck. “I studied her work when I was little, I wanted to be a seamstress just like her.”

Jin Ye was quiet for a moment before he grinned and laughed. “Oh really?”

Edward zoned out as they talked, turning his attention back to the roiling crowd. Now that the show was upon him, he noticed how overwhelmingly massive the audience was going to be. Hundreds of eyes, all staring up at him at once, the center of attention…

A wave of nausea hit him all of a sudden and he nearly lost his balance. The colors and noises of the swarming crowd assaulted his senses. He covered his ears, closed one eye, and tried to block out as much as he could. It only helped so much; at the same time he could feel the force of everyone's chi surrounding him, almost smothering him as if the entire mob was twice the size it really was.

His vision swam, but a single mask in the crowd stood out as clear as day. A featureless white mask that stared right into him.

Edward gasped and tried to get away from the mask's sight, backing right into Jin Ye.

“Huh? Ed? What's gotten into you?”

“I need… I need some water.” Edward said, trying to catch his breath.

Edward gulped  down water as soon as he was handed a cup. Jin Ye had walked Edward to a shady tree where he was taking deep breaths, trying to calm himself. It couldn’t have been real…right? There's no way one of the doctors from a secret lab in Amestris just happened to be in Xing. He took another swig of water and set the cup down. It had been a hot day, especially in a city right next to the desert. The heat must have been getting to him, making him see things. At least, that's what he would have wanted to believe. He could have sworn he sensed that person's chi, but it felt…off. It almost reminded him of Greed's unnaturally giant well of chi. 

Jin Ye put a hand on his shoulder.  “Are you well enough to go on?” He asked, motioning towards the stage. A voice was already reading out names of contestants and the gathered crowd was cheering. 

If there really was someone from the facility in the crowd, coming out on stage would spell trouble. But Edward had made a promise to help Năinai achieve her dreams. And maybe, he reasoned, it really was Greed's chi he sensed, he might have just walked by and Edward hadn't noticed in his moment of anxiety.   

He drank the last gulp of water down and nodded. “Yeah I can do it… let's go.”

“Great!” Jin Ye said, patting his shoulder. “Let’s make Nǎinai Ye proud.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 21: Hidden

Travels in Xing. Pt 7

—December 1913—

Edward held the info card close to his chest, taking deep breaths to calm himself. Yeah, he was about to walk a runway right in front of hundreds… to thousands of people in Xing. Totally not terrifying. 

When he was a kid, Edward was never one to shy away from attention or care what people thought of him, but he couldn’t help it now. He didn’t want to feel this way, if he could stop himself from shaking he would. He took a step forward and nearly tripped. Jin Ye peered back at him, eyeing him up and down before smiling. His gaze made Edward feel as if his stomach was doing somersaults, but he managed to give Jin Ye a wobbly smile in return. Jin Ye nodded, then turned back toward the front of the line. Edward kept his eyes on the line as well, taking deep breaths. As he crept closer and closer to the stage he kept reminding himself over and over who he was doing this for.

He handed his name card to the announcer  and walked up the steps towards the stage. As he walked he watched Jin Ye’s graceful strides, every movement with confidence, purpose, and finesse. He was beautiful, and the outfit he wore really did compliment him. 

Once returned from the stage he patted Edwards shoulder and winked at him. “I’ll be cheering you on. Good luck.”

It was now Edwards' turn. He gulped down his anxiety and clenched and unclenched his fists. He had this. 

“Our next model is Edward Elric.” The announcer said as Edward walked out onto the sunlit stage. He could barely see at first, but he kept himself facing forward, walking outward as the crowd cheered him on. 

“He is wearing a piece inspired by a golden tiger. According to legends, if seen in the wild, Golden tigers are said to bring good fortune!”

Golden tiger huh… ? Just like his tiger… He wondered if he would ever experience that luck as well. Edward got to the end of the walkway and stopped, and with the new boost in confidence he posed. His eyes, adjusted to the sunlight , met the crowd in front of him. People in all sorts of outfits and masks cheered. He could feel his stomach turn slightly at all of the attention. The announcer continued speaking about the fabrics used and details all along the outfit. Edward turned around to walk back, but…

He caught sight of the blank white mask again. He paused, looking out towards where he’d spotted it. The individual stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the rest of the festive decorated masks. He watched as the other raised a hand, holding up a bright red stone. A philosopher's stone… just like Greed’s. Then the person raised their other hand, lifting the mask.

Edward took a step back, his heartbeat quickened as he tried to collect his thoughts. He needed to get control of himself. He felt the tiger pushing at his consciousness. Fernand gave him a wide, toothy grin; he looked more frazzled than Edward remembered him, with a wilder glint in his eyes, as if he’d been through hell and back. The memory of Fernand’s voice echoed through Edward’s mind, as he was hearing the words in that moment. “ And I get the honor of creating a new perfect being out of you two! A Human Chimera, the next step in human evolution.” 

  The stone in Fernands hand glowed as he grinned madly towards Edward. He felt frozen in place. He looked around for someone, anyone who could help him. The world was spinning. It dawned on him that everyone in the crowd was in Fernand’s path. Fernand, who was boldly pushing through the crowd, slowly approaching the stage. If he didn’t do something, these people could get hurt, or worse.

“Everyone run!’ he blurted out. He felt trapped, stuck inside his frozen body. The crowd’s cheers silenced, then turned to a questioning murmur. “What was that? ” “Did he just say to run?” “ Is this a part of the show?” “Why is he just standing there?” 

Fernand paused. Looking at Edward with a smirk, he backed up, lowering his mask before turning and disappearing into the crowd.

Edward clenched his teeth. No. He wasn’t letting him get away. 

He jumped from the stage, landing hard on the ground below. He hissed as he hit the ground and a sharp pain shot up his legs, but he ignored it, dashing into the mass of onlookers. He weaved past people, searching for the concentrated multitude of chi. He broke his way out of the crowd into the streets lined with game stalls. He looked every which way, before finally spotting the blank white mask again. He dashed forward, lunging for Fernand, but the old man dodged out of the way. Bystanders  scattered as the scene played out. Edward rolled, finding his footing. They dashed down roads and alleyways until they were out of the festival limits, towards where they had been living. Fernand slowed, looking back at Edward through his mask, then turned a corner. 

As Edward followed, he just barely dodged out of the way of a whizzing dart. It hit the building behind him and broke, spilling its contents. Edward stared at it, remembering all of the needles … he took a couple shaky breaths as he turned back towards Fernand… who was nowhere to be seen. 

He spent some time looking for the old man, but found nothing. Just the thought that the Professor was somewhere in Xing dug a deep, unsettling pit in his stomach. He ran and ran, trying to find him, trying to find a clue. But eventually exhaustion hit him with full force causing him to trip, tearing up his outfit in the fall. He sat up shakily, staring at the torn fabric. It was just a scraped knee, but he couldn’t help but cry. He wiped at his face, limped over to lean on the nearest wall, and sank to the floor. 

While he was only trying to protect the crowd, he had just embarrassed himself. In front of all of those people… and Jin Ye… Even worse, he had let Nǎinai down . He couldn’t show his face to them again. He’d disappointed him, they wouldn’t want anything to do with him… Jin Ye won’t like him anymore-- 

“Edward?” Nǎinai’s voice asked. “What are you doing?” He looked up at her, trying and failing to look composed . “Oh…poor thing. Come here,” she said, kneeling down  and hugging him close. “Tell me, what is the matter?”

“I failed you, Nǎinai. I messed up the fashion show… I made a fool of myself, and look” He motioned to his torn up outfit. “I ruined months of your hard work” He wiped at his face as tears fell.”

“Oh Ed…” She said petting his head. “All I wanted was for you two to have fun today.”

“Huh?” Edward looked up at her in confusion. “I thought you wanted us to help achieve your dream?” His eyes widened and he covered his mouth. Jin Ye had told him he  wasn’t supposed to mention that, right?

“My dream?” She looked concerned. “Oh no Ed. I’ve lived my dream long ago. I am just happy to have found joy in my old passions again.”

Edward shook his head. “No… wait, isn't it your dream to make the Dragon Robes… or something?” Her eyes widened.

 “No, no…” She waved her hands and shook her head. “Perhaps I could have done that long ago, , but it was never a goal or a dream of mine. I enjoyed my time as a seamstress back in the day… but as my work grew in popularity I found myself enjoying the process less and less. I eventually decided to focus on my family when I found myself unhappy. After that… Well, I started gardening. I never gave up on making myself happy, and I have lived a life I am satisfied with.” She patted his head once more and stepped back. 

“Don’t worry about the outfit, Ed. I am just happy you were able to wear it and enjoy it for the day…Do you want to come back with me to see the parade?” 

“No, thanks,” said Edward. “I…think I need a few minutes alone,”

She nodded, then looked thoughtful for a moment. “Also… I have a surprise prepared for you, so come over soon, alright?” 

Edward smiled, waving to her as she walked away. He let out a relieved sigh. Strange how people will appear just when you need them. He stood up, dusting himself off and taking a deep breath. He needed to return to Jin Ye and apologize. 

As Edward walked, he noticed Roa and Martel walking up along the path opposite of him. He stopped to get their attention - he needed to tell them about Fernand - but stayed silent. The two of them were pressed up close to each other and were all smiles, blushes and laughter. They didn’t even notice him as they walked past, but it didn’t matter. He would just have to talk to them about it later. 

“Jin Ye!” He called out, running toward the other teen. Jin Ye looked over, expression as unreadable as ever, especially under his mask.

“Oh, Ed….Hello.” 

There was a particularly wealthy looking girl next to him in an intricately designed mask. She smirked, placing a hand on her hip. “So, this is Edward, hm?” she asked. 

Jin Ye held up a hand to her then looked back at Edward. “What do you want?” he asked, his sharp tone of voice revealing a hint of anger. 

Edward shrank back slightly and smiled nervously as he approached them. “I wanted to apologize… for everything. I didn’t want to run off like that… something came up.” 

Jine Ye’s eyes squinted down at him and he frowned. “I see… No matter…” His frown deepened as he leaned down to examine Edward’s torn and dirtied outfit. “That's no good.”

“Oh, my knee? I’m fine, I’ve dealt with worse.” Edward said, chuckling nervously.

“No, I meant the outfit, it's ruined.” Jin Ye said, stepping back to look at Edward fully. “...Nothing we can’t redo, but it's still extra work…”

Edward looked down at the torn cloth dotted with a few sparse bloodstains. “I’m sorry about that… Nǎinai said it was fine, though.”

“You ran into Nǎinai?” Jin Ye asked. When Edward nodded, he stepped forward. “ What did you say to her?” 

“Nothing.” Edward said, looking at him confused. “Are you ok, Jin Ye? You look pale.”

“Maybe I’m a bit dehydrated…” Jin Ye said, looking back over his shoulder at the girl. “Could you grab me a drink, Edward?”

Edward managed to find a stall giving out cups of water. Something felt off about Jin Ye, and Edward didn’t fully believe it was just dehydration. Maybe things had been off for a while? He didn’t know, but he could tell he had made Jin Ye upset, and whatever was between them was slipping. He had to do something grand to properly apologize… As he walked back he noticed he was approaching the stall with jewelry again. He made a detour and found the same beautiful bracelet from earlier was still available. It gleamed in the sunlight, beckoning him closer. His pockets cried out in agony as he made the painfully expensive purchase. He just had to keep reminding himself that it was all for Jin Ye and his forgiveness.

Edward jogged back to where he had left Jin Ye and the girl.  He looked every which way, but couldn’t find him anywhere. He took some deep breaths. Maybe… maybe he’d be able to sense he was near? He opened himself to the Dragon’s Pulse and immediately felt overwhelmed, but got a sense of familiarity from nearby. He walked in that direction, before picking up on the smell and sound of Jin Ye. He was talking to the girl from earlier along with several other ladies in equally expensive looking garb. They all held drinks and were laughing at whatever Jin Ye was saying. 

“Yeah, they are both of my originals.” Jin Ye said, spreading his arms and swaying to show off the design. “I worked really hard on both of them for months.” … What? What was he talking about? 

The girls giggled, and the one from earlier held a very smug expression as she swished her drink around. “Seems like a waste for that foreigner kid to have modeled for you. The way he ran out on you was so…”

“…Infuriating…embarrassing?” Jin Ye asked. “Don’t remind me. He was an easy pick, but it took a bit of sweet talk to get him where I needed him.”

“Yet you say he was easy?.”

Jin Ye laughed, “Well, easy as he was the only option I had…but I think he might have been infatuated with me or something, you should have seen his face sometimes…It took every bit of self restraint to keep myself quiet.” 

Edward’s grip on the bracelet tightened as he listened in. He felt his heart shatter at Jin Ye’s words, but he couldn’t move, he could only listen as they continued to talk.

Jin Ye laughed. “He’s so weird looking, almost animal-like…his teeth and nails are so sharp it's almost scary. Those stripes don’t look appealing either. l I think he even changed his hair color to make me like him more. So pathetic!”

Edward took a step back, then another. 

“Maybe… we can be your models next time,” one of the girls suggested. 

“Y’know…I don't think I’d mind that.” Jine Ye said, eyeing them, “You are all very beautiful, you’d be amazing models.”

Edward thought back to Greed’s advice “… I guess If it all goes awry, find Roa, he’d help you.” Roa couldn’t help him with this. What could he do? 

He had told Edward that if anyone treated him like this, they didn’t deserve him. He was right of course,  Jin Ye didn’t deserve him, but… he did deserve one thing. He approached the group and threw the water cup at Jin Ye’s back. 

“What the-”

“HOW DARE YOU LIE!” He yelled as he ran forward, gabbing a handful of Jin Ye’s shirt in his hands. 

“I see…” Jin Ye moved his glasses up calmly. “Did I hurt your feelings?” he asked, looking at Edward now with a furious expression. “Are you really acting like this after you ran off like that?” He smiled smugly. “Really Ed… I thought better of you--”

“--I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU SAY ABOUT ME!” Edward spat. “I DON’T CARE WHAT YOU THINK OF ME!”

“Then why are you acting like a child-” Jin Ye was cut off as Edward laughed, shocking him into silence. 

Edward looked around at the girls around them. “Why don’t you tell them, huh? Tell them that you lied about designing these outfits. Am I right to think that the dream you played off as your Grandmothers was actually your own greedy dream? You want the spotlight and you want to design the Dragon Robes... Am I correct?” He paused, “Why do you want that so badly? For fame? Is hurting everyone else in your path worth it?” 

Jin Ye’s face was red as he stared at Edward in quiet fury. The silence said it all. Edward pushed Jin Ye, watching him fall backward to the ground. “Go ahead and glare daggers at me all you want, but I already know you are beneath me.” He began to walk away, but stopped. “And If I catch you doing anything like this to Nǎinai again… I’ll make sure she knows exactly who you are.”

Edward walked away with a confident stride, but a hollow feeling followed after him.

——————

Edward stared down at the bracelet, an anger filled him just at the sight of it. He shook and threw it into the center of the fountain, with a splash it was gone. He slumped down, sitting on the edge of the fountain, his head once again buried in his hands for the second time in one day. 

He had run to a different clearing. There was a smaller fountain and a small band of people playing a soothing evening melody. He wanted to cry, but held it in. He sat back, looking up at the sunset sky. A light breeze, talking, laughter, and faint noises of a festival all surrounded him. His ears twitched as he heard splashing noises coming from behind him. He turned and froze.

The boy stood in the fountain, based on his appearance he seemed to be a commoner, like Ed. His hair was in a low ponytail, he was wearing a yellow top with a white flame-like pattern, worn open to show off his torso and loose white bottoms. He was holding his shoes in one hand as he leaned down, picking something up. As he did he turned and met eyes with Edward. Something about him was familiar…. But… He couldn’t tell behind the bird mask the other wore. The boy grinned holding up the bracelet. 

“I think you dropped this.” As soon as he spoke Edward recognized Ling’s voice. His eyes widened and he looked away.

“Leave it there,” he said. “And leave me be.”

“Hey~” Ling said and waded over. “I knew I recognized you on the stage! You are that kid who broke into the palace-”

Edward stood and clamped a hand over Ling’s mouth. “Please!” he grimaced. “Please don’t bring that up so casually.” Ling licked his hand and he gasped, stumbling backwards. “What the fuck.” 

The Prince laughed and stuck his tongue out. “Ok, I won’t, but I do want a rematch.” Ling said, crossing his arms. 

Edward wiped his hand on his pants and gave Ling a look. “Maybe someday…” He smiled at the idea.

Ling cocked his head to the side, then sat down and examined the bracelet. “This is beautiful… were you going to give it to someone special?”

“It’s none of your business.”

“Maybe not…” Ling said, trying it on. “Well if you don’t want it… can I have it?” Edward looked over at him, and felt himself melt a little. The Prince was smiling softly at the jewelry on his wrist. He looked up and met Edwards' eyes. With the same sweet look. Well fuck, who cares. 

“Knock yourself out.” Edward said and turned away from him again. 

“Oh goody!” Ling cheered. “Though… I suppose I don’t need to knock myself out if you are around.” He laughed. “You clocked me pretty good back then, I didn’t wake up for a couple hours!” He continued laughing, even slapping his knee. Edward looked over at him in disbelief. He really was an idiot Prince. Ling turned, noticing his expression. “You know I’m not mad at you about all that… right?” 

Edward let out a laugh of disbelief. “ Really? ”

“Well… it kind of opened my eyes a little…” Ling said. “I’ve lived through nearly twenty attempts on my life and I guess you could say I had gotten a little cocky about my skills. I still have much room to grow.” 

Edward noticed that Ling still had a doofy smile plastered on his face. “Why are you smiling like that?” he asked. “How can you smile after saying something like that?”

“Huh?”

Edward pointed at him. “You just said that nearly twenty people have tried to take your life… Like it's some sort of normal occurrence?!”

“Well… as a Prince in line to the throne with forty-one siblings, one of them is bound to send assassins after me every once in a while.”

“What the hell?!” Edward shouted. “Your siblings are the ones trying to kill you?”

Ling looked completely unaffected by Edward’s shock. “Well… yes…” He shrugged. “I can’t control it… even if I don’t like the system, there's nothing I can do to change things until I am Emperor.”

Edward blinked. “Until you're Emperor you say?” he smiled. “Is that what you want?”

“It’s not about want, it's about necessity.” Ling explained. “Though… I don’t think it would be such a bad thing to live the luxurious life of an Emperor.” They sat quietly for a moment before Ling leaned towards him. “So… I’ve told you about me… quite a lot actually… and I still don’t know anything about you. What's your name?

“You said you were at the fashion show?” Edward asked.

“Hm? Yes?”

“...They said my name.” He pointed out. “Pretty loud, in fact.”

Ling looked taken aback for a moment before scratching his temple nervously. “Well… you see… I didn’t hear that ‘cause… I was…” He blushed a little. “I was distracted, ok!”

Edward laughed, “Fine. It’s Edward Elric.”

“Edward, hm…” Ling smiled. “That’s a nice name.”

“You can call me Ed if you’d like.” Edward said. “It’s what I prefer.”

Ling smiled, standing. “Alright Ed.” At some point while they talked the music around them had shifted to a lighter and jauntier tone, more attune to the festivities around them. Ling reached out a hand out, “Would you like to dance with me, Ed?” 

A thousand reasons why he shouldn’t dance with Ling came to Edwards mind. A thousand reasons he chose to ignore as he took the Prince’s hand and was led into the clearing. Ling was an amazing dancer, and while Edward had some familiarity from dancing at festivals as a child, he felt completely off-kilter as soon as they began. As they danced he realized how much taller the Prince was to him. How old was this guy? 

“You seem stiff.” Ling said. “Relax! Enjoy yourself!” His hands squeezed Edwards lightly. “Just follow my lead.”

They spun in unison, almost like they had done before, but this time they knew the other wasn’t a dangerous assassin. Ling grinned and Edward laughed, letting him lead them all around the clearing As they danced by the musicians, the group all cheered them on. People from all around joined into the dancing and made Edwards' heart soar.

Edward noticed that at some point, Ling had pressed closer to him. He felt his face warm. Ling smiled, twirling him, then dipping him. 

“You actually are an amazing dancer… you know that?” Ling asked. Edwards' eyes widened. Before he could say anything, a boom filled the air as fireworks started to go off, marking the end of the festival.

Edward hadn’t seen a firework show before, he’d only heard of them. It was spectacular, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from it as he straightened up from the dip. “Wow! It’s beautiful!”

“Yeah…” Ling said. He said something else, but the next firework went off, interrupting him.

Edward turned to him slightly, “What was that?”

Ling shook his head. “I’ll tell you some other time.” Some other time? Was he going to see Ling again after tonight? He hoped so. It wasn’t up to him what the Prince did, even if he really did want to see Ling again. 

——————

“So, where have you bodyguards been?” Edward asked, looking around as they walked down the streets together.

“Don’t know!” Ling said cheerfully. “I snuck out to come to the festival alone!” 

Edward looked over at him. They are probably worried sick. “Idiot prince.” He chuckled, punching Ling’s shoulder lightly.

Ling pouted, “WUH- I’m not an idiot!” 

Edward shrugged. “You haven’t proved otherwise yet.”

“I’ll have you know! I can have you arrested for saying such hurtful things!”

“Would you now?” Edward asked. He gave Ling a playful look. “You’d arrest me for something so trivial? I’d have thought you’d have thicker skin than that.”

Ling pouted. “I do! I can take anything you say with finesse! Try me!” He stopped and stared at Edward with a determined look.

“Idiot Prince.”

“Aaaaaugh.” Ling acted like he was stabbed through the heart. “Why do you torture me so!” he cried. 

Edward curled into himself laughing and Ling joined in. 

“If you can’t handle me, then you probably wouldn’t last a minute with Greed.” Edward said as they continued walking.

“Greed?” Ling asked, “Is that a name?”

Edward shook his head, “Not really, but it's what he calls himself, so I guess in that case it is.” 

“Interesting… I’d like to meet this Greed someday.” Ling smiled. Edward remembered how Ling had reacted in fear when he sensed Greed’s chi in the palace. He decided not to mention it.

They rounded a corner and Edward was brought face to face with Dolcetto. The older man stepped backwards in surprise as Bido ran over, looking relieved.

“Oh, Ed! We were worried you were lost!” Bido said, looking him over. He noticed his scraped up knee and looked up worriedly. “You ok?”

“Yeah.” Edward laughed. “I was hanging out with--” He turned and realized that Ling was gone. “.... Bye to you too I guess,” he sighed and turned back to them. “I was out with a friend.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 22: Bido

Travels in Xing: Mini Chapter

The question everyone has been asking themselves… 

What have the others been up to in Xing?

Bido hummed happily as he worked on a flower arrangement. It was a beautiful bouquet for a customer's wife. Since he had started there a few weeks prior, he was always diligent in making sure every flower and ornament was perfectly placed in the hopes of impressing Mr. Chen.. He peeked over to the register where the elderly man sat, reading a book of some sort. He seemed enraptured in whatever it was he was flipping through. 

Curiosity pulled Bido from his seat and across the shop. Chen hadn’t noticed him, giving Bido a window to peak over and look at what the old man was reading. Well…it was in Xingese, which Bido couldn’t read yet, but he was curious all the same. “What are you reading, Mr. Chen?” Bido asked. 

Chen folded into himself in surprise, raising the book over himself as protection. He looked up at Bido through his thick glasses, with raised eyebrows and pursed lips.  “Bido… don’t scare me like that,” he said in a monotone voice. He lowered the book, picking up a stray leaf from the desk and pressed it into the crease of the pages as a makeshift bookmark. 

Bido pointed at the book, “Is it good? You seem really invested in it.”

“It’s poetry.” Mr. Chen said as he attempted to smooth out a corner of the cover. Bido grabbed the book from his hands to get a closer look at the cover. This again, startled the older man, nearly making him fall from his seat. He caught himself and glared over at his employee, who didn’t even seem to notice.

“You never told me you liked poetry, Mr Chen!” Bido said, opening it up to look at the handwritten characters unfamiliar to him. “...Wow… I bet these are beautiful…”

Chen folded his arms, “Yeah… Well, I like all sorts of literature.” He held out his hand and motioned for Bido to give him his book back. Bido complied, passing it over.

“Have you ever written a poem before?” Bido asked curiously. 

“A few, mostly when I was younger. And only to my late wife.” He looked distant as he thought back. “We met at a poetry bar.” Mr. Chen gave the book in his hands a rare smile. “This was a gift from her. She wrote every single poem in this book.” Mr. Chen was shaking slightly as he opened it to the first page. “When I read it, it's like she is still here.”

Bido quietly nodded, realizing now why the flower shop owner had been so enraptured in the pages. He wished he had something like that to give to his family back home… He wondered how they would hold a book he’d written, if they would read it until the pages were worn down and torn. Suddenly, he wished he’d paid closer attention in his linguistics classes instead of goofing off with his schoolmates. No…no, he didn’t wish that, actually. He thought of his old friends, the days they would spend together, playing pranks and laughing. They all signed up and went to war together. He was the only one of them left. It was mind numbing, thinking about how unluckily lucky he was. At times, back in the facility, he had found himself jealous of them, wishing he’d died alongside them. He’d seen himself as a monster for a long time back then, he could barely recognize himself. 

But… He had friends now. People who saw him as human despite his appearance. They made him forget sometimes that the facility even happened. They made him happy. 

“I want to learn how to write like that…” Bido said as he quickly wiped at his face. Tears he didn’t know he was holding back fell uncontrollable. 

Mr. Chen looked back at him and gave him an understanding look. He sighed, rubbing his neck as he placed the book down. “I can teach you how to write poetry…and I can introduce you to the local poetry bar I frequent.”

Bido didn’t know what to say, he looked at his boss in silent shock for what felt like minutes. “You…you…” He sniffed, “How can I repay your kindness?” 

Mr. Chen patted his shoulder. “I like having you around, kid. Just get back to work and we will call it even.”

I Am

I am a fool but I am free.

I wonder whether they still think of me. 

I hear the sounds of laughter

I see smiles of loved ones 

I am a friend

I pretend I am ok

I feel I get better everyday

I touch the passage of time

I worry about tomorrow

I cry for my yesterday

I am a fool, but I am free.

I understand I have a family

I say I am who they see

I dream for days like this.

I try to make them proud.

I hope we stay like this forever.

I am a fool, but I am me.

Chapter Text

Chapter 23: Dolcetto

Travels in Xing: Mini Chapter

The question everyone has been asking themselves…

What have the others been up to in Xing?

“You decided to become a dog of the military, huh?” 

Dolcetto lowered his head at his Sword Master's anger. He gripped the blade in his hands tightly, reminding himself that there was no going back. He’d made his decision and he was sticking to it. He wanted to respect his Master's wishes, to pass down his technique… but… He had to serve. Just like his father, and his father’s father, and so on. 

“Master, I-’ 

“I don’t want to look at you anymore.”

Dolcetto gripped his fists closed tight, turned and walked out of the room. Maybe… he just needed time to cool off. Dolcetto had always known his Master had his qualms about the Amestris military. At the time he didn’t understand why. 

The next day he tried to visit, and just barely dodged a flying teacup. 

“What did I say?!”

Every day he returned he was met with the same retaliation, yet he kept coming back despite it. He knew his master was stubborn when he was set in his ways, but he also knew he cared more than he let on. 

It continued until the day before he was to leave. He arrived and was met with silence. His Sword Master sat calmly at his table, looking down at one of his last remaining teacups. Dolcetto made tea, then sat across from the old man. He sighed, rubbing the back of his sore neck tiredly.

“You’ve been practicing.”

Dolcetto blew on his tea, and looked up to meet his Sword Master’s eyes. 

“Yes, I have,” he confirmed, looking back down at the steaming liquid. “Every morning.” He took a sip of the tea. “Every afternoon… and every night.”

“Good,” his Sword Master nodded. “You are a stubborn idiot, you know?”

“I know,” Dolcetto smiled behind his cup. “I learn from the best.” 

His Master stood, a couple popping noises coming from his joints as he stood up and stretched.  “Hm. You would do well to have one last sparring session before you leave.” He slowly walked over to the katana hanging on his wall. “Follow.”

Dolcetto took one last drink before excitedly following the old man into the backyard. 

They both stood at the ready, swords in hand. 

They kept focus, both sword fighters circling each other searching for an opening. 

His Master swung first, which Dolcetto was quick to block. He pushed the sword and then swung, which was blocked by his sword Master in turn. The two continued on like this for a while, each strong willed and stubborn in each and every movement

Eventually, Dolcetto overcame his Master, and managed to knock the blade out of his hands. They were both short of breath. His Sword Master looked at the falled katana, then back at him. 

“You’ve come a long…” He took a breath. “...way Dolcetto.”

“Thank you…haa… Master…”

“So, you will be off then…”

“Yeah…” Dolcetto said, looking towards the dirt. “Tomorrow.” He felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up, meeting the other’s eyes.

“Keep yourself safe.” The old man gave him a stern look. “Never raise a weapon to a child… and never lose sight of who you are in the thralls of war.”

“I promise.”

Dolcetto sat in bed, staring at the cup of tea Yaozu Jin had brought to him. He hoped he would see his Sword Master again, to tell him that he never forgot his words. He coughed, rubbing snot and the tears from his face. His symptoms were starting to lessen, he was finally starting to get over this cold. However, with Nainai’s grandson taking care of her… he would need something else to do instead of sitting around like an old bump on a log.

…Maybe someone nearby would sell him a katana...

Chapter Text

Chapter 24: Greed

Travels in Xing: Mini Chapter

The question everyone has been asking themselves…

What have the others been up to in Xing?

Greed had always found humans curious. In the two-hundred and then some years he’d been around, he studied them. He learned their habits, emotions and all the little things that could give him clues on who they were usually just from a glance. For instance, when he first met Edward, the kid had clearly been scared, but was entirely too trusting of a stranger… It was easy to tell the kid had no world experience, while being so desperate for help that he was willing to make rash decisions on who he could trust. 

During his time in Xing, he had explored a lot more than he let on to the others. He had been keeping an eye out, watching, and listening. The thing about society is that even in the best of them there are always the menaces. The humans who liked to steal, lie, and cheat their ways through life. Xing was by no means perfect. Greed could tell from most of the city that they put up a front as much as any other place in the world. Amestris had its own form of underground too, except it was one Greed knew like the back of his hand. This was entirely new to him… it was all too exciting.

He grinned, watching the men in the alleyway scrambling below. Watching as they pointed fingers and yelled orders. They were criminals themselves, lowlifes of an organization that worked alongside the wealthy to steal amongst one another. His grin only grew wider as he held up the bag they were scrambling to find. He unlatched it, opening it up slowly for dramatic effect. There wasn’t gold or gems inside, in fact it wasn’t what he expected at all. Especially from the lowlifes he had been following. Why would this be so guarded? He stared down at the scroll. If it was so important to them then maybe selling it would make him something.. Maybe more than enough to pay the merchants back. 

A sudden jolt of pain sore through his spine as red crackled all around him. He felt himself locked up all over, falling to the floor of the roof with a yelp. It was getting worse. He coughed, gagging on a clump in his throat. He hacked it out in a fit of coughs. Way worse. 

“There's someone up there!” 

Great. Greed wiped at his face and just managed to cover himself with his ultimate shield as the men broke into the roof. They shot at him, and he watched the bullets fly off, one even ricocheted right back into someone's leg. Well, he supposed he could have a little fun .

“MONSTER!” One man yelled in Xingese, but did nothing as Greed charged him.

“That’s Mr. Monster to you.” Greed said, grabbing him by his shirt and pulling him straight into a punch. 

“And I didn’t kill a single one, kid…” Greed said as he fled the scene.

——————

“Where did you find this?!” the merchant asked, looking at the scroll with widened eyes. 

“Found it in an alleyway,” Greed said, playing dumb. “Is it valuable?” 

“More than valuable, it’s ancient Xingese calligraphy,” the merchant whispered before looking panicked as he realized his slip-of-the-tongue. He coughed into his hand. “Of course it's… uh… damaged… here …” Greed could tell the merchant was lying, but honestly didn’t care. As long as he could get enough out of him, that was all that mattered. 

Chapter Text

Chapter 25: Martel & Roa

Travels in Xing: Mini Chapter

The question everyone has been asking themselves…

What have the others been up to in Xing?

The group had gotten together for dinner the night before the festival. Per usual they were a rowdy bunch, sharing stories and talking over each other. Martel took a cup of rice as it was passed to her and started scooping some onto her plate. She looked up, meeting Roa’s gaze from across the table. A gentle smile graced his features as they locked eyes. She felt breathless, her chest tightened and she felt warmth flood her face.

—

“I have feelings for you.”

Roa stared at Martel wide-eyed. They stood outside the bakery, having just taken out the trash. And now, thinking it through, she realized that it wasn’t the best move to confess her feelings next to garbage. But what was done was done, all she could do was wait. She watched his face as he went from startled, to confused, to flustered in a matter of seconds. 

“You-you do?!” he stammered, pointing at himself. “You like… me?”

Martel buried her face in her hands, trying to hold back her laughter, then she felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up. 

“I…” Roa eyes were towards the sky. “I’m glad you told me…” He rubbed the back of his neck and grinned. “Because I feel the same.” 

Martel felt weightless. There was no one in the world but them for that moment, everything else faded away. Courage bubbled up from her, the words leaving her mouth before she even realized she was speaking.

“Will you go to the festival with me?” 

—

Martel jumped in shock as a tap on her shoulder interrupted her thoughts. It was Bido, greeting her with a concerned expression. She closed her eyes and took a breath.

“What is it, Bido?”

“Sorry about that, do you think I can have some of the rice–” 

She shoved the bowl into Bido’s hands, nearly knocking him over. He caught his balance and smiled, raising the bowl and thanking her cheerfully. 

Martel returned her focus to Roa, but found he was distracted. He was laughing at something Edward was doing. What was Ed doing…? Was he mimicking a chicken? She couldn’t help but laugh as well. 

——————

They had woken up bright and early to meet up for the festival. Everyone else was still asleep except Dolcetto, who had recently gotten in the habit of practicing with his katana in the early hours.  Martel waved to him, he nodded back.

It was early enough that the crowds were sparse and the booths were still setting up shop. “It’s nice today.. The breeze is pleasant.”  Roa scratched his cheek, chuckling. “Y’know...The town I was from was always buried in snow around this time of year. If we had any sort of festivities, it was in the comfort of our home.”

“I always forget you are from further up north than most of us.” Martel held back a giggle, imagining how he might have looked as a kid all bundled up in fluffy clothes. “Did you like the cold?”

“Well, where we were, you had to get used to it. Either that, or long for the day you can escape to a Southern Amestrian town. I adapted, I never really thought of moving till my Grandmother…” Roa trailed off, shaking his head as he changed the subject. “I liked all of the winter activities… snowball fights, snow angels, sledding… but the hot cocoa afterwards was the best part.”

Martel thought back to playing in the snow with her sister in Central. It snowed very little in their area, so when it did it was really special. “My Mom used to make us hot milk with honey during snowy days,” she said. “Have you ever had that?”

“No, but it sounds nice.” Roa smiled at her, a warmth filled Martel as their eyes locked. 

They continued to stroll, eyeing the shops and game stalls as they went along. They arrived at a clearing where a band played upbeat music. Roa pointed out a stall selling some sort of a breakfast confection. She sat and listened to the band as he meandered over and bought them two of something. It seemed to be a pancake, but with berries and whipped cream inside. She took a bite and was slightly overwhelmed by the intense sweetness. She looked over at Roa and laughed, seeing a beard of whipped cream on his chin. Roa started laughing as well as he reached over and wiped a dollop of cream off of her nose that she hadn’t noticed. Martel blushed, and in the midst of embarrassment, shoved a napkin in Roa’s face. 

They danced to the music alongside some other couples. Martel noticed some of the other pairs around were holding hands or pressed close to each other. She slowed her dancing as she watched them, before feeling a hand brush hers. She looked down at Roa’s extended palm. Taking his hand, they were swept up in a dance, gliding through the clearing as one. With new found confidence Martel closed some of the distance between them, staring into his eyes. The music slowed and Roa seemed out of his element, his eyes wide and his face pink. But he found the resolve to rest a hand on the small of her back, holding her delicately as they swayed with the melody.

Once the festivities truly began, Martel and Roa escaped the growing crowd of dancers in search of games to play. She aimed a perfect shot on a ring toss and got Roa a small ox doll. Then Roa bested a strength tester game, winning her a stuffed snake. She wrapped it around her neck, blushing slightly as Roa whispered how it matched her eyes. She petted the soft fabric, smiling as they went to find more food.

It was as perfect a day as either of them could have wished for. 

“You think Ed’s having a good time?” Martel asked as she hugged onto Roa’s arm, holding his hand in hers.

“I hope so. I know he can handle himself, but I’m always worrying about him anyway. Especially when he’s with that Jin Ye guy…at least, I’m pretty sure that's who he was telling me about.” Roa grimaced and stared ahead of him as if experiencing a startling discovery.  “Damn… I just realized he’s growing up.”

Martel chuckled. “Yeah… weird huh. Seems like just yesterday he was that little kid you saved from the facility. Now he’s…” 

They shared a look, understanding each other's emotions perfectly.

“I’m glad we met him.” Martel said. She leaned into Roa’s arm.

“Me too.”

Chapter Text

Chapter 26: Dance

Travels in Xing: Mini Chapter

The question everyone has been asking themselves…

What’s up with Ling?

Ling stood amongst the crowd, stuffing his face with mooncakes as he waited for the fashion show to begin. He enjoyed looking at the quirky and bold fashions that Xing’s seamstresses and seamsters could come up with. 

He’d somehow managed to finish his treat just as the show began. He sulked for a moment before spotting and approaching another nearby vendor, watching the show while waiting in line. As soon as he neared the front of the line he heard the announcer say a foreign-sounding name, grabbing his attention. The crowd hushed for a moment as the boy walked out onto the stage and along the catwalk. Ling gawked at him, forgetting his food mission as he walked forwards into the crowd. The model had gorgeous, blonde hair...and familiar golden eyes that stared forward with a fierce determination. Ling’s heart was in his throat as he watched the model pose at the end of the walkway and look towards the crowd. Ling longed for their eyes to meet for just one moment. However, his gaze fell just short of him. The model's fierce expression was replaced with fear as he stood as still as a statue. In a sudden jerk of movement he looked around, then moved forward motioning to the crowd as he yelled out to them to run. Confusion overtook the crowd, not knowing how to react to the foreigner’s change of demeanor. Then, without warning, the model leapt from the stage and ran. 

Amidst the confusion, Ling had lost sight of the beautiful stranger. Despite the warning the fashion show continued as if nothing happened. He stood quietly for a moment, catching his breath after what he experienced. He’d never been so taken aback by anyone… Well… there was one. 

He remembered back to the intruder that faced off with him in the palace. He had similar eyes, but his hair had been black. They couldn’t possibly be the same person…right? He fought to regain his composure, reminding himself of his mission: to stuff himself with festival goodies. He turned back around eagerly, only to realize he’d lost his place in line.

After the show was done, Ling sought out the models and talked to them. As a prince it was always good to keep an eye out for fashion. Though his burning curiosity was really only focused on finding the foreign model. Eventually he found someone else wearing an almost identical look. As he approached, he realized that the guy was boiling over with anger.

“Who does he think he is? Trying to give me a bad name?” the guy muttered.

“Excuse me!” Ling greeted, “my name is-”

The model turned to him, his eyes glancing over Ling, then made a perturbed face. “Listen, unless you want to talk business-” Well, this one was a character for sure. Ling could tell this guy only cared about impressing the upper class; Ling himself did not look the part at all in his current garb. If he wasn’t on a mission he would have left immediately, but he stood his ground and put on a happy smile. “ Actually,” he rubbed his hands together and leaned forward. “I was wondering about the other model dressed like you?”

“Oh, him?” The guy's jaw clenched as he crossed his arms. “He completely ditched me in the middle of the show… trust me, you don’t want to seek him out. He’s a dick.” Look who’s talking, jackass. Ling continued to smile and rub his hands together. 

“Oh, that must have been hard on you! Well, I have to ask, who was the one that designed your outfits? They are simply amazing--”

The guy looked him up and down again. “I did, not that it would matter for you, my prices are higher than what you could afford.” 

Before Ling could respond, a woman came over, shoving past and handing the model a drink. 

“Oh sorry, I didn’t see you there,” she said laughing. She turned to the guy and smiled flirtatiously. “So…where were we?”

Ling walked away. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t be able to refrain from kicking both of their asses. 

He wandered around the town for a while, trying out new foods, watching the parade, and playing some games. Still curious, he kept an eye out for the golden haired boy as he walked. As time went by he grew tired of the crowd and figured he could check out the less occupied areas before heading home. He walked down an alleyway, following the faint sound of music into a clearing. 

Standing across the way he saw him, the familiar golden glint of blonde hair, golden eyes and tiger mask. He ducked back into the alleyway he’d come from. He peeked out watching as the boy threw an object into the fountain before slumping down on the edge of the basin. 

What was his name? Ling couldn’t remember what the announcer had said. He was familiar with the Amestrian language and names, but he had been too distracted to pay attention.

He took off his shoes and hopped in the fountain. He waded through the shallow water, finding what the other threw… a bracelet? It looked expensive too. As Ling examined it he felt the other's eyes on him and looked up, meeting a familiar stare. He was so taken aback by the model’s beauty he almost forgot to speak for a moment. “I think you dropped this,” he finally managed to say. 

The golden boy's eyes widened and he turned away quickly. “Leave it there,” he said, “and leave me be.” 

His voice was familiar. Familiar voice, familiar eyes, he was even tiger-themed! As Ling approached, he finally noticed the familiar strange chi the other had. He had his suspicions before, but now he was certain… they were the same--They had to be!

“Hey~” Ling said as he approached the other. “I knew I recognized you on the stage! You are that kid who broke into the palace-”

The other boy stood and placed a hand over Ling’s mouth. “Please!” he grimaced. “Please don’t bring that up so casually.” 

Ling recoiled slightly at the clammy hand now pressed over his face. On instinct he stuck out his tongue. The boy gasped, letting go of him and stumbling backwards. “ What the fuck. ” The Prince laughed and stuck his tongue out, trying to play it off as if it were on purpose.

“Ok, I won’t, but I do want a rematch,” Ling said, crossing his arms. 

The Amestrian boy wiped his hand on his pants and gave Ling a look. “Maybe someday…” He smiled and Ling’s heart skipped a beat. 

Ling had to distract himself, this guy was too cute to handle. He cocked his head to the side, then sat down and examined the bracelet. “This is beautiful… were you going to give it to someone special?” Maybe it was for that guy…the rude one.

“It’s none of your business.”

“Maybe not…” Ling said, trying it on. “Well if you don’t want it… can I have it?” Looked better on him than that asshole model guy anyways. He smiled at it, besides… it would be a nice memento of this moment… of meeting once again…

——————

He was so happy. Ed danced with him. Edward Elric…. He loved his name. Ed… It was short and hard to forget… kind of like Ed himself. Would Ed kill him if he said that? …Probably.

He walked Ed home, talking and laughing with him. It was nice. For a moment he wished he lived a normal, ordinary life so he could join Ed on his adventures, but he was meant for bigger things. He was going to be emperor someday, after all. 

As they rounded a corner Ling was suddenly yanked backward by someone.

“Young master!” Fu scolded as he and Lanfan pulled him away. “You can’t keep wandering off from us like this! We are supposed to be with you at all times for your own safety.”

“We were worried sick!” Lan Fan said, her tone harsh. “We thought you went off and collapsed somewhere again.” 

“Oops?” Ling said, laughing nervously as they pulled him along.

He frowned, looking back at the retreating street. He didn’t even get to say goodbye to Ed…

Chapter Text

Chapter 27: Reveal

Travels in Xing. Pt 7

—July 1914—

"Of course it's… uh… damaged… here," the merchant stammered, clearly lying. Greed didn't care. As long as he could get enough out of him, that was all that mattered.

A familiar voice cut through the transaction, making Greed tense. "Greed? Is that you, friend?" Gong Huang, clad in desert robes, approached. Damn it. Greed thought, The last person I need to see right now. Gong Huang clapped him on the shoulder. "Friend, let's discuss our… business. Perhaps somewhere quieter?"

Greed's mouth was dry. Nerves be damned. I'm a homunculus, over two hundred years old. I can handle a simple human merchant. He reached out and snatched the scroll from the merchant's hands.

"Sir—?!"

"I'll be back. Give us a moment," Greed snapped, turning to Gong Huang. "Okay, lead the way. I won't run." 

Gong Huang smiled cheerfully, rubbing his hands together. "Good, good."

They walked until they reached a cramped alleyway. Greed leaned against the wall, the fatigue of his illness still hitting him hard. Need a damn break. "Alright, chief… about the payment… I've been saving, and once this is sold, I'll repay everything I owe."

"Hm." Gong Huang's expression hardened. He folded his arms. "No good. You're a thief, a liar, and now you expect me to take your word? After ditching us two years ago?"

"We didn't steal, and I don't lie," Greed retorted, gesturing to the other with the scroll. Gong Huang's eyes followed the movement.

"Then tell me, Greed," Gong Huang said, arms outstretched, "Why do you have my scroll?"

"Your scroll?" Before Greed could react, half-human chimeras, one with the face of a horse and the other the horns and eyes of a goat lunged from the shadows. They flanked Greed who raised his Ultimate Shield as they slammed him against the wall. He struggled in their grip, watching Gong Huang calmly retrieve the scroll. So this is what Fernand had been up to… Fucking bitch.

"Impressive, aren't they?" Gong Huang said with an amused, wicked smile. He tapped the scroll against his hand. "We met another Amestrian traveler, fleeing the government, just like you. We offered sanctuary, and he, in turn, offered us power." More Xingese men, all with chimera features, emerged. A man with the tusks and snout of a boar. A man with the beak, feathers and legs of a rooster. Along with a lankier man with the features of a rabbit, but with the antlers of a dear. "Chimeras simplify business, I've found. These men volunteered for my cause."

"Your cause?"

Gong Huang nodded. "I've been after these scrolls for decades. They're not just ordinary scrolls… you probably guessed that from the merchant's reaction." He opened it, examining the pages. "He was right about the condition… but all of them are damaged. They're old, I'd be surprised if they weren't."

"Okay… so what's the big deal about some old calligraphy?"

"It's not just anyone's calligraphy," Gong Huang explained. "It's my ancestor's calligraphy. Bao Jin's alkahestry research notes."

"So?" 

"Bao Jin was one of the most talented alkahests, even today."

"Wait… aren't you a Huang?"

Gong Huang hummed, a glint in his eye. "In my usual dealings, I'm Gong Huang, the friendly merchant. But my real name is Gong Jin. I'm the second son of the Emperor, and leader of an underground group with branches all throughout Xing." He revealed through a devious grin. Greed remained silent and Gong took this as a sign to keep talking. "If you don't know, the Jin family is dying out. We have few true members left. But with the knowledge in these scrolls, I'll certainly earn my place as the next Emperor. Then, we will finally destroy our rivals, the Yao clan!" The chimeras whooped. Gong Jin waited for silence. "And… I'll gain the power to strengthen my clan, and show the Emperor the Jin family's superiority once and for all."

Greed couldn't care less about Gong Jin's history lesson. He just wanted to repay him and leave this cursed country. The man was wasting his time. Greed let out a huff of laughter, grinning madly towards the so-called-prince. 

"Sounds like you've got it all figured out! I'm so sorry about stealing that… you can keep it." He nodded towards the chimeras. "Can you call off your pets so I can go?" The horseman let out a snort, and the goat man glowered at him, both tightened their grip slightly, looking towards their boss for orders.

"No can do," Gong Jin said, beckoning to his lackeys. "I have intel that your friends could be useful… puppets. I even know a secret that could help me!"

"Oh? And what might that be?"

"Zoloto."

Greed stared at him blankly. "...Ok…?"

Gong Jin shrugged. "It won't change the outcome… you won't be seeing your friends again." The chimeras surrounded Greed. One lifted him and slammed him against the wall with enough strength to crumble the bricks.. Despite his Ultimate Shield being up, Greed felt himself coughed up blood. He could feel the red crackle around him. Gong Jin approached, a curious spark in his eyes.

"Your form is… demonic," Gong Jin said, frowning at the blood dripping from Greed's chin. “But you are weaker than I thought."

As Gong Jin spoke, Greed saw a glint of reflected light above. Seconds later, two masked figures leaped down, landing on the chimeras holding Greed. One of the masked figures pulled back at the goat man's horns, causing him to stumble back and let out an involuntary bleat. The horse man jerked around, trying to shake the other masked person off. The rabbit and deer man tried to help his comrades, but was knocked out in the process by the horse man’s sporadic movements. Greed cackled, he knew who his saviors were. He pushed off the wall, kicking the stockier boar man into Gon Jin, sending them both sprawling and the scroll flying. Greed lunged for it, but yet the rooster grabbed it, holding it out of the homunculus’ grasp. Greed jabbed his hand into the rooster mans side. The rooster man gasped, stunned enough to drop the scroll, letting Greed catch it and roundhouse-kick his assailant into the wall before booking it away.

He ran for a while, noticing two shadows behind him. He turned, raising his fists, but quickly realizing it was his masked acquaintances.

"Where the hell did you two come from?" he asked, dropping his ultimate shield.

"Good to see you too," Daiyu said, removing her fox mask.

Ai pulled her panda mask up. "We were shopping nearby and saw you," she said cheerfully, then slumped. "Though… I think we've uncovered something even more sinister than the circus…"

Daiyu nodded. 

Greed ran a hand through his hair. "Okay…so all of this …isn't my team's fight. We've nothing to do with your country's affairs."

Daiyu gave him a pointed look. "Even if someone from your country, who knows about you and your team, is involved?”

She was right. They were more tied up in this situation than he liked. After Ed had seen him at the festival, Greed and the chimeras had been searching for any trace of Fernand for months, with no luck other than the  destroyed dart he'd left behind. The fact that he had a hand in this as well was even worse news.. Greed scowled.

"If the Professor's doing this… his motive is probably for revenge on us for ruining his plans, or to get Ed back under his control. Whatever the reason, he won't stop helping that Prince until we're out of the picture. Which means it's time for my team to leave."

“But that won’t stop the–” Daiyu was cut off when Greed doubled over in pain. A wave of vertigo hit him as he cursed, stumbling back and losing his footing. Red crackled around him as he collapsed into the street. The spinning world around him went black as Ai and Daiyu’s voices called out to him.

——————

Edward sketched purification circles, his mind elsewhere. It drifted, as it often did these days, to someone he hadn't seen in months: Ling, the fourteenth son of the Emperor…a Prince… His face warmed at the thought – of course, it wouldn't have made a difference  if Ling were some fisherman or a merchant! Edward was just proud to call him a friend. 

After Ling's disappearance from the festival, Edward had briefly feared he'd been abandoned. But a few days later, a letter arrived, dispelling any doubts. Ling explained that his bodyguards had whisked him away before he could wish him a proper goodbye. Edward didn't blame them; they were probably frantic with worry. He could only imagine the stress the prince put them through on the daily. He snickered at the thought.

That first letter built a bridge between them, and soon, Edward and Ling were writing each other  regularly. Edward pulled the latest letter from his pocket. It was worn from how long Ed had been carrying around, but still legible. 

Dearest Ed,

Greetings! Your letter was a breath of fresh air. I really enjoyed your story about Roa dropping the bag of flour! I wish I could have been there. I can just imagine the bakery, covered in a layer of the white powder. 

Speaking of baked goods… What new Xingese sweets have you tried? I'm particularly fond of mooncakes. Perhaps we can share some someday? Ah. I just realized something.

So, funny story! You know when you have a nagging sense in the back of your mind that you forgot to do something, but just can’t figure out what it is? I had that all afternoon! It was unsettling, but then, while writing about mooncakes, it hit me. I'd forgotten to eat! I can hear you scolding me already, but don't worry! I've already raided the palace kitchen.

Also, before I forget, I’m sure the news has traveled fast about the Emperor’s condition. He's summoned all his children to meet with him this week. I'm a bit nervous, especially knowing how many of them want me dead… But rest assured, I have the best bodyguards a Xingese prince could ask for.

Wish me luck, even though you'll read this after the fact.

With heartfelt regards, Ling

P.S. I'm glad your studies are going well! Maybe you can teach me about alchemy and alkahestry someday! I've never been interested before, but your enthusiasm makes me want to try!

Edward traced Ling's name, smiling at how his writing mirrored his speech – sporadic, and stupid, but in a charming sort of way that only Ling could manage. Judging by the stains on the page, he'd been eating as he finished the letter. Edward chuckled. He let his eyes linger on “Dearest Ed” for another moment before he folded it and tucked it into his notebook.

He had sent his reply to the letter already, but hadn’t heard back for nearly a month. A much longer time than the usual week between responses.

The door slammed open as Dolcetto rushed in, followed by Ai and Daiyu carrying someone. Edward's notebook hit the floor as he jumped up and ran over. Ed was shocked to see them after a year, and he almost asked what was going on until he saw they were carrying Greed.

"Ed! Show them to the patient room!" Dolcetto barked. "I'll get the others!"

Edward nodded,  “Got it.” He motioned for the twins to follow and led them into a nearby room.

“What’s all the commotion?” Yaozu Jin asked. As soon as he spotted Greed he immediately sprung into action, going to grab his medical kit and pushed through to start checking on him. Ai and Daiyu watched him work and exchanged worried glances before turning to Edward, who nodded towards the living area. Daiyu was quick to notice Ed’s notebook on the floor and picked it up, handing it to him.

"Thanks," he mumbled, clutching it tightly. He bit his cheek, glancing worriedly at the room where Greed lay. "What happened to him?"

"We're not sure," Daiyu replied. "He was fine one minute…"

"Then he was crackling with red energy and collapsed!" Ai said, finishing her sister's sentence. The door opened again, making both girls jump as Roa, Martel, and Bido followed Dolcetto inside. From the twins’ surprise, Edward had a feeling they didn't tell him the whole story.

“--Greed?!” Martel called out looking panicked. “Where is he?”

“It’s ok.” Edward motioned them over. “Yaozu is taking a look at him.” 

“Are we sure that's a good idea?” Roa asked. “He still doesn’t know….”

Ai blinked in shock, “You mean you haven’t told him about being–” 

“No,” Edward interrupted. “It hasn’t come up and he hasn’t really tried to pry.”

Daiyu shook her head. ”From the stories I’ve heard about Yaozu Jin, that seems about right.” Before Edward could ask her what she meant he noticed Martel pacing. 

“I thought I heard Greed coughing the other day…” Martel said. She nervously played with the longer strand of her hair. “I asked him if he was ok and he said it was nothing…Do you think he will be alright?”

“It’s Greed we are talking about!” Dolcetto said, “of course he will. He’s as stubborn as they come!”

The group stood for a while, an anxious air filling the room despite their optimism.

Yaozu rounded the corner, his footsteps breaking the silence. “Ed… friends…”

“Is Mr. Greed going to be alright?” Bido asked.

Yaozu held a very serious expression. “Before I can answer, I have to ask. His chi is unlike anyone I’ve met… he is not human… is he?” They exchanged silent glances. 

“It’s ok.” Yaozu said. “Since we met two years back, All along, I could tell from your chi that something was different about all of you. I’m not one to judge others by differences, and I’ve come to learn you are all kind-hearted folk. I want to help you, in whatever ways I can… but that means there cannot be secrets between us.” 

If Yaozu trusted them, it would only be fair if they were to trust him as well, right? “The truth is…” Edward said, looking around at everyone for approval and receiving nods. “None of us are fully human.” He watched Yaozu nod, his expression stagnant, signaling Edward to continue. “We were all once human, but were captured and turned into chimeras. We all escaped from a government-run research facility in Amestris. Greed is a homunculus, so while he isn’t naturally born, he's still pretty much as human as the rest of us are.” 

Yaozu's eyebrows rose. "Chimeras… I've heard stories about Amestrian biochemists. I never imagined they'd stoop to human experimentation… and a homunculus… No wonder his chi is so strange…" A weight seemed to lift from Edward's chest. He smiled at Yaozu, then remembered the situation.

“Did you notice anything wrong with him?” Roa asked. Yaozu’s expression fell.

“Well…”

——————

Greed eyes snapped open. He blinked a couple times, trying to remember exactly why he was lying down. He recognized the ceiling as Yaozu’s home. Had he fallen asleep? He heard hushed voices around him and he shot up from the bedroll, frantically moving his gaze from person to person. Even Ai and Daiyu were present, reminding him immediately of recent events. He reached his hands up to his face and groaned into his palms. 

"Greed?" Roa asked. “Are you feeling ok?” 

Greed could feel their eyes bore into him, analyzing his every movement. He chuckled, lowering his hands, a forced grin on his face. "I'm fine. No need to hover like I'm dying!"

“Mr. Greed...” Bido said, looking unconvinced at his friend. 

“The twins told us you fainted,” Dolcetto added, “What's going on with you?” 

Greed’s grin wavered, he glanced downward at the back of his hands, gripping the blanket angrily. “Like I said. It’s nothing.” 

“Bah!” Yaozu Jin shouted. “That's a load of shit! You look like death.” Greed opened his mouth to argue, but doubled over in pain, red sparks crackling around him as he coughed into his hand.

“Greed!” Martel shouted, leaning forward worriedly.

Greed wiped the blood from his mouth, leaving a smear of red, and let out a shaky laugh. He ran a hand through his hair. "I'm still a part of him," he said, his voice trembling. "Even now, in this body… I've never been whole… and being so far from Father is taking its toll." If Greed was right, he’d been suffering since they left Amestris… for nearly two years.

“We need to go back.” Roa said immediately. “If we don't, who knows what will happen.”

"Who knows?" Edward asked Roa, motioning to Greed. "Greed knew." He gestured between himself and the others. "We're your friends, Greed. You could have told us how this was affecting you, but you didn't. Why ?"

Greed's forced smile vanished. He tried to sit up but winced and fell back against the pillows. "I… Bido, could you get my things?" He kept his gaze pointed anywhere but towards them.

Bido nodded quickly. "Right away, Mr. Greed!" He hurried upstairs. The others exchanged quiet glances. Greed knew he’d have to come clean about everything eventually. He cast a glance over at Ai and Daiyu, who exchanged knowing looks. It was important he did it now, they needed to leave Xing as soon as possible. Bido returned with a large pack and set it beside Greed. Greed opened it, pulling out the sack of Xing currency he had been saving up.

"I know you've all been working hard to repay those merchants… but it was my fault," Greed explained, embarrassed. "I figured: ‘Hey, I could easily earn all the money we owe.’ That way you all could keep what you earned here, use it for supplies or whatever.” Roa took the bag, silently examining the contents. Edward leaned over for a peek as well, looking impressed.

Martel chuckled, shaking her head. “ You are insane, you know that Greed?”

“You are my…” Greed seemed to falter, really considering his next words carefully. “You are my possessions, okay? You are my responsibility.” 

Possessions was the word he chose, but what Greed really meant was family. The chimeras all seemed to understand, they’d been around him long enough to see through his words. Dolcetto laughed, leaning down and patting Greed’s shoulder. “Who knew… That a guy like you could be such a softy.” Dolcetto smirked, a small spark of affection in his gaze. 

Greed glared up at his friend, then looked away with a huff. “Oh shut it will ya!” he hissed. He looked towards Ai and Daiyu and let out a heavy sigh.  "That was the plan at least… but…" Greed’s voice dropped, his face contorting in pain. "That bastard Gong Huang, doesn't deserve it."

“...What?” Ed asked, confusion etched on his features. 

Greed pulled out a scroll from his coat, holding it out towards Youzu Jin. “I’m sure you know what this is,” he said. 

Yaozu was agape, he stepped away from the extended scroll, shaking. “That is– that's one of Boa Jin’s alkahestry research scrolls!” he explained. Greed held it out further and Yaozu Jin didn’t hesitate a second more and snatched it from the homunculus' hand. He stared at the relic in awe as he unfurled it. The group moved, gathering around the older man, despite most of them being unable to read the calligraphy. “This– I’d never thought I’d see this!”

Greed let out a laugh, hissing as red crackled around him, holding his sides. “Yeah… hope you're happy, old man! It caused me a world of trouble to get… and now Gong Jin, or you may all know him as Gong Huang, is after us. And thanks to our old pal Fernand, he has more than enough backup.” 

The room fell silent, processing what was revealed. Yaozu lowered the scroll with a haunted expression. 

“Gong Jin… is alive…?”

Chapter Text

Chapter 28: Zoloto

Travels in Xing. Pt 8

"Gong Jin...alive?" Yaozu Jin stumbled back, his eyes wide with disbelief. "But...how? He couldn't be. He couldn't have survived..."

"What do you mean?" Edward asked, tilting his head in confusion. "Did something happen? Is everything alright?"

Edward’s teacher was as pale as a sheet. He simply shook his head and, without answering Edward's questions, grabbed his cane perched against the wall and left the room. Everyone stared after him in an uneasy silence. 

Dolcetto was the first to break the quiet, coughing into a closed fist. “That… was strange,” he said. “I wonder what that was about.” Dolcetto looked at Greed, then at Ai and Daiyu. “Do any of you know?”

“I’m as lost as you,” Greed said. 

Ai blinked, looking lost as well, but Daiyu seemed contemplative. Ai looked at her sister, noticing how the other avoided her eyes. “Daiyu… did the teacher tell you something about Master Yaozu Jin?”

“Well…” Daiyu rubbed her head, looking deep in thought. “I remember our teacher, Chen Chang, mentioned Yaozu Jin… she talked highly of him to us. Said he was one of the best alkahestrists she knew. She mentioned some things about his past, something that happened years before us. Though I’m unsure if it’s something we should share with all of you on his behalf if he hasn’t shared it himself.” 

“Well, if he doesn’t want to speak about it... I'd say go ahead!” Greed said motioning for her to continue.

Daiyu ignored Greed, watching Edward, whose eyes hadn’t strayed from the doorway. “What do you think, Ed?”

“Hey!” Greed said, sitting up and pointing at himself. “I’m the leader–”

"I'd like to hear Yaozu's story directly from him," Edward said. "Now that he knows about us, perhaps he'll open up to me a little about himself." 

——————

"Yaozu?" Edward asked, knocking on the open door of the storage room. He could see the faint outline of his alkahestry teacher in the quiet darkness, hunched over a pile of boxes. The old man wobbled on his knees, turning to look back at him.

"It was nearly 36 years ago now," Yaozu explained, pushing his spectacles up and motioning for Edward to come in. "You'd like to know, yes? The reason I froze?"

Edward walked in, sitting next to Yaozu and nodding silently. His eyes drifted to what Yaozu held: a painting of a family. An older, tall, stern-looking man. A beautiful woman with long, traditionally styled hair. And a small child, a little girl, clinging to the woman's leg. "Is this you?"

"Yes. Next to me is my late wife, Ehuang, and our daughter, Xīn yí Jin." Yaozu’s face crumpled, a look of pain crossing his features. "We were happy. I was the leader of the Jin family at the time, and back then, our family was thousands larger than it is today." He rolled up the picture and pulled out another. It showed a beautiful young woman in gorgeous robes. "Then it was revealed that my Xīn yí was to be wed to the Emperor, becoming one of his many wives. Of course, there was no greater honor here in Xing, but something about it had always felt…wrong to me. Possibly because I had been fortunate enough to marry out of love." He closed the scroll and pulled out one gilded in gold. It was of the Emperor and Xīn yí; she was clearly with child, her hands resting over her rounded belly. "She never once showed contempt for the duty placed upon her, to bring an heir to the Jin family and raise a possible future Emperor to Xing.” Yaozu closed the scroll, slumping forward slightly. “Then she had her son.”

"That…was him? Gong Jin?" Edward asked.

Yaozu pulled out another painted scroll, this one of a young boy sitting by a duck pond.

"He was sickly, never in good health from a young age. My daughter and I were well-versed in alkahestry, so we did our best to help him. I made medicines, which seemed to work well enough. But he never had much stamina. We were deeply worried. As one of many heirs, we knew it was only a matter of time before other clans sent assassins after him. So, we hired bodyguards, some of the best retainers who had served our family for many generations. They were assigned to watch over Gong Jin and train him in martial arts." Yaozu dropped the scroll, his whole body shaking. "But then something we weren’t expecting happened."

He pulled out what looked like an old newspaper. In bold letters, it read: FIRE. THE GREAT BAOJIN FIRE. Under the headline: ‘A fire, started by an unknown source, spread rapidly, burning through half of Baojin’s homes. The Jin Clan mourns a great loss.’

"It was more than half of the clan. Thousands died overnight. My Ehuang and my Xīn yí included. I had been on call, leaving to help a sick person on the other side of town that night." Yaozu Jin gestured around them. "This house was the only surviving building in the whole area, somehow spared with only minor scorching to the wood beams. The family living here was my cousin, Nuan Ye’s."

"Nǎinai lived here?" Edward asked.

"Some time ago, yes," Yaozu nodded. "She welcomed me in, let me stay and mourn. I was a mess for years, having lost so much overnight." He took a breath, setting the newspaper down. "Ever since then, I’ve assumed Gong Jin to be dead, along with his mother and grandmother. I can’t imagine how he survived, where he was taken, how he was raised… but he is alive." Yaozu Jin grinned, a mixture of pain, sadness, guilt, and joy on his face as he met Edward’s eyes. "I need to speak to him." 

Edward nodded. He picked up the picture of Gong Jin sitting by the duck pond. As he stared at the happy smiling boy, he remembered the face of the man he had met in the desert. 

What happened to you? 

——————

The inky black of the night sky welcomed Roa, Martel, and Edward as they stepped into the cool night air. The only light around them as they walked the familiar cobbled street was the occasional lantern hung outside the nearby shops. Their warm glows lead the way to the bakery.

“You will need to be fast.” Roa said as they walked. “We all need to be prepared to leave.” Martel nodded.

“Hello.” 

A voice echoed through the night, stopping the three in their tracks. Every sense on high alert, they scanned the deserted street. Edward spotted him first: a shadowy figure standing just outside a house down the way. The figure moved forward, stepping into the light of a lantern.

It was Gong Jin. 

Edward instinctively took a step back. A sudden gust of wind whipped through the street, swirling dust and ruffling their clothes. Gong Jin smiled, a wide, unsettling grin that stretched across his face uncannily in the lighting. He opened his arms wide, as if welcoming them, and from the shadows of the rooftops and the mouths of dark alleyways, figures began to emerge. Among the group were some regular humans, but more startling were the ones with animalistic features. Rabbit ears twitched at every sound, boar's hooves pawed at the ground in anticipation, goat's horns gleamed in the lamplight, among scores of all sorts of other kinds of chimeras. 

“What a coincidence.” Gong Jin said, his voice deceptively gentle. He took another step towards them, motioning outward with his raised arms. “We just so happened to be in the area… passing by… me and my friends here.”

Edward’s eyes caught a glimpse glinting red, atop a nearby building. Fernand’s gaze locked with his as he grinned towards Edward devilishly. What was he up to…

Roa and Martel instantly moved to flank Edward, forming a protective wall around him. Roa’s form began to swell and shift, horns sprouted from his forehead as he transformed into his larger, more beastial form. Edward took this as a sign to transform as well. As easy as pulling on a mask he was covered in fur, with the features of the golden tiger.

“Damn it…” Roa growled, his voice a low rumble. “This was so predictable, too.”

“I know how it looks,” Gong Jin said, his eyes studying their transformations. “All of us here, surrounding you like this… but we really aren’t here to hurt you!” 

“Then what do you want?” Edward demanded as he knelt down, taking a defensive stance.

Gong Jin laughed, a sound that echoed unnervingly in the quiet street. “Oh, it's a very simple request! I just want my scroll… and for you and your little group to join my army.”

“Army?” Roa’s brows furrowed.

“Yes, my army of chimeras… all thanks to the professor.” Gong Jin motioned around once more. The chimeras inched closer and closer.

“Well, I can tell you one thing,” Martel said, keeping her eyes on the approaching enemies. “We don’t have the scroll with us.”

“Oh, that's too bad… maybe you can go get it.” Gong Jin suggested. His smile was unwavering. 

Martel, Roa and Edward glanced at one another, holding a silent conversation. Then Roa turned back to Gong Jin with untrusting eyes. 

“And how would you know we wouldn’t get help while we did?”

“Well…” 

A sharp, metallic click broke the silence. Edward’s eyes widened as he glanced in the sound's direction. A pistol, its dark barrel glinting in the lantern light, was being slowly extended towards Roa by one of the chimera goons. 

“Is this enough of a reason?” The prince asked. 

Roa, Martel and Edward exchanged another tense look. Slowly, deliberately, they relaxed their stances. Roa shifted back into his human form. But Edward’s nerves felt like fire, keeping him stuck in his tiger form. He let a low growl rumble deep in his chest.

“Fine,” Martel said, “I will get the scroll.” The Prince watched her with a smug confidence as she started walking back towards the home.

Suddenly, a figure jumped down from above the gunman, landing on the chimera’s arm. The gun was fired, and the bullet flew out and hit one of the chimera on the other side of the street. 

Daiyu jabbed her elbow into the chimera, making him double over as she wrenched the gun from his hand. Roa reached out, grabbed both sides of the man's head, and knocked him out with a swift headbutt. He transformed once more, his face seething with rage. 

“How did you–?” Gong Jin began, then sneered, “Oh…yes, of course .”

Following her sister,Ai pulled out a rope dart, spinning it. She spun it and threw it outward, scraping it on top of an overhang above some chimeras. They started to laugh, thinking she missed them accidentally. But then the glaze tiles of the overhang slid off, landing on their heads and knocking each of them unconscious.

Dolcetto ran out, katana in hand, cutting into the legs of a chimera near him who hadn’t noticed his approach. The goons gasped out panicked screams and buckled over in pain, falling to the ground.

Martel changed course, running back towards Roa and Edward. Two chimera, a horseman and goatman, lunged at her. She leapt into the air, twisting his torso with her enhanced flexibility, grabbing both of the men's heads and knocking them together. She then slid under another set of men who tried to chase after her, but were immediately sent flying as Roa charged into them. 

Gong Jin's eyes widened as he saw Martel running for him, realizing he had been outplayed. He attempted to flee, but ended up face to face with Greed, who grabbed hold of him by his robes and lifted him up as he reeled back  fist.

“Wait, Greed, don’t hurt him!” Martel, called stopping the homunculus in his tracks.

“Listen to your friend!!” Gong Jin spat as he tried to squirm out of Greed’s hold. “You can’t hit me! Harming a Prince is forbidden!” 

Greed clicked his tongue, lowering the Prince and stepping back. At first, Gong Jin was confident again, smiling at the homunculus. That is, until a click came from behind him and he froze. He looked back at Martel and saw she had the pistol raised at his head. The fighting around them slowly came to a halt as everyone became aware of the scene.

“What I said before…” Gong Jin said with a shockingly even voice, “still rings true. You can’t harm me.”

“Don’t worry, we're not here to hurt you,” she said with a small, but satisfied smirk, “We just want to talk.” 

The Prince looked from the pistol to her. “Fine. What do you want?”

“Not me.” Martel said, turning her head to an alley, but keeping the pistol trained on Gong Jin. “C’mon out!”

Yaozu walked around the corner. Everyone watched in silence as he slowly walked to stand next to Martel, the sound of his cane hitting the ground echoing through the street.   The Prince’s eyes narrowed.

“Gong Jin.” Yaozu said as he made it to Martels side. He took another step forward, fixing his glasses. “It is you… yes…?” The older man was trembling as he looked at the Prince before him. Not waiting for a response, he took another step. “What happened to you? Where were you all this time?”

“I…” Gong Jin grimaced, he clenched his fist. “What do you mean what happened to me? You betrayed us!”

Yaozu Jin’s eyes furrowed, shaking his head. “I did no such thing.”

“That night, of the great fires of Boajin.” Gong Jin said, shaking with rage, pointing accusingly at the old man, “you were called to assist a sick person on the other side of town. Not just anyone, but a member of the Yao clan!” 

“I was, that much is true.” Yaozu Jin paused. “I was assisting an old friend of mine who needed help.”

“While you helped your so-called friend, the fires spread. One of my retainers managed to get me away from the attempt on my life. I watched as assassins killed my own mother. They started the fire, but we managed to flee. After bringing me to safety, my retainers went back to save anyone they could. Only one of them returned. He later succumbed to the poisoning of smoke in his lungs… I was left, scared and alone, wandering the streets of Boajin I was unfamiliar with.” He paused and looked down at the ground, breathing heavily, before tearing his gaze back to Yaozu with a furious glare. 

 “A merchant and his wife took me in. They assumed I had been orphaned due to the fires, and completely unaware of my roots, raised me as their own. All those years I knew who I was, but I realized that pretending to be a Huang removed the once constant, looming target on my back. It was immensely freeing. So, as Gong Huang I learned the system, and collected rare and valuable items. I soon found an underground trade. I was not content though. I remembered my mother telling me of Bao Jin’s scrolls. I realized that my mission was to collect them, to learn his techniques and to use them to exact my revenge on the Yao clan.” Gong Jin finished his tale with a wide enthusiastic grin.  

“The Yao clan…?” Edward asked. Ling’s family was behind the fire…? It was a time before Ling was born, so what reason would they have for doing such a thing, especially if what Yaozu Jin said was true about the two families’ relationship.?

“That can’t be true… You were young, you must have been mistaken!” Yaozu Jin's voice echoed into the night. “The Jin and Yao families have always held a good relationship. In fact, I’ve been friends with their current Prince’s Grandfather for my entire life!” Gong Jin moved forward. 

“It was them. They wore theeir family's, plain as day.”
“That means nothing when assasins are concerned!” Yaozu Jin shook his head. “Listen, Gong, I am not wrong here. It was not the Yao’s who started that fire, despite what you saw, they could have been wearing such things to mislead you. Yes, many of our family members died in those fires, but alongside them were many of the Yao clan's family as well!” Yaozu placed a hand over his heart. “And when we heard word of the fires, my friend came back with me to help extinguish them! He put his life at risk, saving as many of our family and his as he could that entire night!”

Gong Jin stepped back, a laugh of disbelief erupting from him. “You are lying! You are just protecting him!” The Prince continued to laugh, but Yaozu kept a stern expression. “Just bring me the scroll, old man!”

“Who are you calling an old man?! Those merchants never taught you respect?”

The laughter quickly turned maniacal. Gong Jin pointed at his grandfather. “You will pay!” He looked past Yaozu and Martel to where Edward stood. A wicked smile crossing his features. “YES! HA HA! I’ll make you all pay!” 

With outstretched arms he smiled at the sky, cackling madly.

“ZOLOTO!”

As soon as the word was spoken a blinding rage hit Edward like a bolt of lightning, overtaking his senses with such voracity that he had no way of holding it back. His vision filled with red, as he felt himself transforming. He screamed out, warning the others as best he could during the last moment of control he had before the tiger took over, completely pushing him into his Full Tiger form.

After that, he only saw flashes of moments, but not enough to know what was happening. He felt himself moving, the taste of blood in his mouth, his muscles burning. He screamed inside his mind, trying to pull the tiger back, trying to take control, but to no avail. He couldn’t do it, he couldn’t snap out of it this time. The tiger’s rage was too great for him to break through. 

“Ed?!” He heard Al’s voice ask. “This isn’t you! Snap out of it!.” He couldn’t! He couldn’t break out of it!

A piercing pain sent shock waves through his body. He felt hands on his shoulder. Something was holding him down. 

“Ed!” He heard his mom’s voice yell, clear as day. He could feel tears prick at his eyes. ‘ Mom. I did it again… I’ve become a monster…’ He felt hands wrap around him, pulling him close. “This wasn’t your fault.” No…  Not his mom… it was Martel. 

“Breathe.” He heard Roa’s voice say. 

‘Roa, please. Help.’ 

“Ed. Breathe.”

He took a breath.

——————

The instant Gong Jin yelled the word "Zoloto," the air crackled with a chilling energy. Then, Ed let out a bloodcurdling scream, drawing everyone’s attention. His body contorted violently, his muscles bulged, the transformation causing his frame to grow in size and height. 

“Shit.” Roa hissed watching as Ed shot out, sprinting forward on all fours towards the Prince with savage, animalistic fury. He barreled past Martel and Yaozu Jin, knocking them both aside with brutal force. 

“NO!” Gong Jin roared. “NOT ME–” But it was too late. Ed had reached him, sinking his teeth into the Prince's shoulder. The Prince screamed out, collapsing to the ground and thrashing about wildly. Edward’s claws raked across Gong Jin's face, leaving behind a nasty trail of blood.

A nearby chimera with deer-like antlers, startled by the commotion, let out a panicked shriek and began to retreat. But Edward took notice and leapt from the Prince onto him, knocking the retreating chimera down with a slash to the back. After ripping into the guy, he jumped to the next goon, and then the next…

“Ed!” Dolcetto cried out. “This isn’t you! Snap out of it!” Roa watched as Edward locked in on Dolcetto, blood trailing down his chin, his eyes blinded with a fury that wasn't his own. 

Roa reacted instinctively, charging forward and tackling Ed to the ground just as he lunged towards Dolcetto. Ed let out a shocked gasp, coughing up blood as he writhed in pain. Roa hadn’t meant to hurt him… but, if he hadn’t tackled Ed down… He turned to Dolcetto, whose eyes were wide. Ed squirmed, hissing as he tried to get out of Roa’s hold. 

“Ed!” Martel ran over and collapsed to her knees beside them. As she spoke, Ed seemed to falter slightly in his struggle Roa noticed Ed’s eyes growing glassy.

 “ I…again… become…monster… ” Edward hissed out in a distorted voice, noticeably struggling to talk through the tiger's control. Martel wrapped herself around him, holding him close to her.

“This wasn’t your fault.” She said soothingly. “It’s not your fault Ed.”

“Breathe.” Roa said, seeing that Ed was finally breaking out of his spell. 

“ Roa. ” Ed said in a strained voice. “ Please. Help.” They were breaking through to him!

“Ed. Breathe.”

_________________________________________________———WtHoaT Q&A———__________________________________________________

JL: Hello friends and welcome to our first ever Q&A! Weird moment to cut you off from the story I know, but y’know… OH WELL! haha! Thanks for being patient with me and Sharkie over the past couple weeks. She’s happy to be back at it again in Krispy Kreme! Now… On to the first question.

AllieGlace Asks: What does nainai think of the other ? And in more general, how does the city feels about our heroes ?

JL: I am filling in the blanks here so correct me if I am wrong, but did you mean what Nǎinai and the other citizens of the area thought of the other Team Greed members?

JL:  I will pass this off to Nǎinai in a moment, but first I will answer the second half of that question. The citizens around town slowly became aware of the new folk who had moved in. Some were wary of them at first. Half of Team Greed didn’t even speak Xingese so it wasn’t really easy to get to know them. Over the few years they were there the town grew fond of their presence (apart from Greed but he kinda gives off bad vibes in general so..). There is a lot of ways the group interacted with the townsfolk. Dolcetto always hangs out in the front of Yaozu’s shop in the mornings practicing with his Katana. He greets people as they come around and will chat with them with the broken Xingese he does know. Martel and Roa know a lot of the neighbors and citizens from the bakery. Roa translates a lot of the conversations to Martel so she can join in and not feel left out. Bido has a lot of friends especially those from his poetry meetups with Mr. Chen. He is referred to as a sweetheart by a lot of the neighborhood ladies. Greed doesn’t really interact much with the citizens and prefers it that way. Edward is also known by a lot of people as the kid who is apprenticing under Yaozu Jin. A lot of people have noticed his hair and eyes and those who don’t know his name call him the golden foreigner.

When Yaozu has clients, Edward will converse with them and has become acquainted with a handful of people from the area. I wish I could write more interactions between the group and the other citizens of Xing, but I must continue forth with the plot! Ha.. well that was more long winded than I thought, but I hope it helped. Now on to Nǎinai.

Nǎinai: “Oh! Hello. I have a question, you say? How kind…Let me see…”

“I will start off easy. I absolutely love having Dolcetto. He is very easy to chat with and will eat just about anything. He’ll even eat the treats I make that my Son and Jin Ye don’t like.

Ed is a great listener and has a good sense of style. He’d suggest things sometimes I didn’t even think of. From what I hear from my cousin Yaozu Jin he is a quick learner and a great student. I’m happy he found someone to teach after so long I am happy it was Ed.

Bido comes along with Dolcetto sometimes on his days off work over at Mr. Chens. He always brings flowers when he comes to visit me, he is a very thoughtful young man. I bet he will make someone the happiest spouse someday if he ever settles down. I heard Mr. Chen and him go to poetry meetups together.

Martel is a kind girl. I’ve talked to her a little, but mostly through Roa since I’m not very good with my Amestrian. She and Roa work at the bakery and I love to visit and talk to them from time to time. I heard the two of them became a couple, and honestly it's about time! Lovely people, those two are lovely people.”

JL: I asked Nǎinai about Greed and what she thought of him. She took a bit longer to respond.

Nǎinai: “Well, I don’t know Greed very well. He doesn’t really come around my home, nor does he hang around outside. I’ve been around him on a couple rare occasions at my cousin's place and he’s very reserved, and when he does speak it's a snarky remark. He reminds me of my late husband a little. Puts up a front of nastiness, but underneath he is sweeter than honey. I can tell he cares for his friends and if he is friends with all of them I can’t imagine he is all that bad.”

JL: “Thanks Nǎinai!”

Nǎinai: “Thank you.”

JL: Alright, on to the final question.

Ladybambi1 Asks: Do we get a return to Alphonse soon? 

JL: Yes we will! Very soon in fact! Sorry it’s been so long since we’ve seen him! 

JL: With that, I just want to thank our commenters from the update chapters and Q&A chapter that I had to delete to post this. Thank you, AlliGlace, Mochii1, a flowerfieldofdaisies and Ladibambi1 for your comments! We appreciate them! <3

SharkieTheDork: Woah I have broken into this Google Doc…. Muahaha. I’m really tired. Anyway in all seriousness, thank you guys so much for your well wishes. Thankfully things have calmed down in my neck of the woods and I’m doing a lot better now ^-^ I’m glad to have the mental bandwidth back to do creative stuff, including beta reading and editing this fic, which I really love doing so thanks Joven for letting me be involved! Thank you all again for your kind words and I hope you have a good day! <3

JL: <3 Aw! Thanks for watching Fullmetal Alchemist with me and listening to my Greed rambles haha!

Sharkie: You do love him so. I get it I want to study him in a petri dish

JL: So true! Anyways... I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! See you soon! Toodeloo!

Chapter Text

Chapter 29: Bao Jin

Travels in Xing. Pt 9

He could hear a hum, light shone in through the kitchen windows, dust motes floated through the familiar scenery. A figure stood across the room from Edward, washing dishes, her back turned. Mom. Was everything else all a dream? Was this real? He looked down at his hands, they were small! He was little again! He stepped forward, but his foot met air and he began to fall. His mom remained, washing dishes. He reached for her, but she disappeared as he fell down, down, downwards into the abyss.

Mom! 

Edward gasped, his eyes snapped open, his gaze darting around the room. He was safe, nestled within the familiar surroundings of Yaozu Jin's home. A slight tinge of disappointment hung in his chest as he realized a moment later that it had been a dream. He could have called out to her… he could have seen her face.

The morning light shone in streams of gold, all too familiar to the dream he’d just woken from. A gnawing unease settled in his stomach as he pushed it aside in his mind. First things first, what had happened the night before? His memories were fragmented, a jumbled mess of images and sensations. No matter how much he tried he couldn’t remember much after Gong Jin had started cackling. He remembered wrestling to win back control of his consciousness with the tiger, and he remembered Roa and Martel’s voices, but beyond that he couldn’t recall anything. Why had the tiger's rage suddenly flared so violently? And what of the others? Were they alright?

He attempted to sit up, a sharp, searing pain ripping through his side. He gasped, collapsing back against the pillows.

"Ed?" Ai's voice chirped, poking her head out from behind the doorway  "Yay! You're awake!" She pushed the door open, carrying over a tray of food. "I was just coming to check on you for Yaozu Jin!" 

“What…” Edward gasped, clutching his sides. “...happened?” He winced. “And why does my side… hurt so damn much?”

Ai offered a nervous smile, stepping into the room. “So I got you some soup and tea and–”

“Please tell me what happened.” Edward interrupted, “Whatever it was, I can handle it.”

“Okay.” Ai wobbled nervously. “So, you may have gone on a little rampage…then Roa maay have tackled you which maaay have fractured a rib from the fall–” She shrunk down slightly. "And also, you maaaay have hurt several people during said rampage… including Gong Jin—BUT everyone has been treated and they're all A-OK! So, y'know, it's okay!"

Edward sighed, rubbing his forehead wearily. “I see…” He gave her a small smile. “Well… I’m glad everyone is alright… but I’m…confused.” He looked at the ceiling, his brow furrowing in concentration. “What made me transform like that…?”

“I’m not sure either… I think Gong Jin shouted a foreign word at you, but I didn’t quite catch it.” Ai said as she sat down next to him and placed the tray on the floor.

“A word, huh?” Edward sniffed in thought, catching a whiff of the soup. He made an attempt to sit up, and Ai immediately protested, pushing him back into place firmly.

“Hmf!” She gave him a stern look, which would have been more effective if she hadn’t also puffed out her cheeks like a pouting child. “Yaozu Jin used some alkahestry to help you heal a little faster, but he told us to make sure you don’t sit up!”

Edward let out an aggravated huff, then let himself sink back into his pillows. “Fine…” Ai helped him eat, and as he finished the last of his soup, footsteps echoed in the hallway.

"Edward, are you awake?" Martel's voice called out. She hurried into the room, followed closely by Roa, Bido, and Dolcetto. Edward smiled, waving them closer.

“Glad you are okay…" Roa said, taking a seat beside him. Martel settled next to Ai, while Bido and Dolcetto perched at the foot of the bed. “Sorry for hurting you…” Roa said, looking ashamed. 

Edward reached over and patted the older man's arm. “It’s fine. I survived… besides I was out of control…so, thank you.”

“Ed…” Roa said, looking worried, “Do you remember? What happened?”

“Not much. Ai filled me in on what I didn’t remember. Apparently Gong Jin had triggered the reaction with a word?”

“That word that Gong Jin shouted…” Roa said, running a hand through his hair anxiously. “I think it was something in Drachman. I’m not too familiar with their language, but having grown up in the northern parts of Amestris, I recognized it.” 

“It must have been something Fernand trained the tiger with.” Edward said, “That's the only explanation I can think of… though, based on how I attacked Gong Jin, I guess the professor never meant for the tiger to actually control his rampage.” 

“Yeah, that seems most likely the case.” Roa said, sitting back.

Edward remembered the glint of red, accompanied by the smiling face of Fernand who had stood safely on the nearby rooftop. He’d planned it all for sure.

“I’m going to take care of these dishes.” Ai chirped, standing from her spot and picking up the tray. “Ed, I’ll let Master Yaozu know you are awake, he wants to talk to you as soon as possible!” She left with a skip in her step, as bubbly as ever. 

Edward chuckled softly and turned to his friends. “So... what's the plan? We still need to leave as soon as possible, right?"

Dolcetto nodded. "Yes, the plan remains to leave soon. However, with you and Greed both in rough condition, we'll need to figure out a way to cross the desert without straining you too much."

"There's a possibility we could buy a cart with the money Greed gathered," Martel pointed out. "That, and maybe we could borrow a horse or camel."

"Borrow is a bit of a loose term," Dolcetto pointed out dryly. "Unless the owner comes with us, I doubt we'll be returning it."

"And luckily, we have enough saved up for supplies," Bido added. "Dolcetto and I will be heading out to get some things in a little while... so don't forget to write down anything you'd like us to pick up."

“Got it.” Edward gave him a thumbs up, “Just get me the paper and I’ll make a list.”

“Ed?” Yaozu Jin appeared in the doorway, he walked in slowly, limping slightly more than usual as he made his way over to Edward’s bedside. He was clutching something close in his arms, though Edward couldn’t tell what it was.

“We’ll be back in a bit.” Dolcetto said, standing, “I’ll bring you your notebook also.” He left, and was tailed by Bido.

“Same as well.” Martel said, taking Roa’s hand and pulling him away. 

Roa chuckled and waved goodbye as he disappeared from Edward’s line of sight. “Be back in a bit!”

"Hello Ed," Yaozu said, settling cross-legged beside his student. He placed a wrapped object in front of him on the floor, old newspaper crinkling. “I know you must leave soon, but I have one final lesson to teach.” 

“A lesson?” Edward perked up a little, then wincing at the pain..

"One you can learn while seated," Yaozu said, nudging the object closer. "And this here is a parting gift. I've been working on it for some time."

Edward carefully reached over and picked up the object. He could tell immediately what it was and unwrapped the paper, revealing a worn journal. "Is this…?"

"My research notes. All my alkahestry knowledge, compiled." 

Edward grinned, running a hand over the cover. "Thank you. This means a great deal." He reached to open it, but Yaozu stopped him.

" Wait until you're outside Xing ," Yaozu whispered.

"Understood."

“Now. For the lesson.” Yaozu closed his eyes and took a breath. “None of the knowledge I teach you here will leave this room, okay?” Edward’s interest was piqed for certain.

“I promise...” Edward said. “ …But… not even to my brother?”

His teacher looked contemplative for a moment. “If…you trust him, then that would be fine.” Yaozu Jin said. “The alkahesty technique I am going to teach you is one that’s been passed down through the Jin family for generations. The only other person I taught this to was my own daughter. I had long accepted that it would die along with me, but I’ve reconsidered.” 

Edward was intrigued, but it didn’t feel right. “Shouldn’t… the knowledge go to Gong Jin?” he asked, a hint of unease in his voice. “I know he did some bad stuff, but he is your grandson.”

"That one?" Yaozu's lips thinned. "I'd be a fool to entrust him with this. His experiences… I understand they've been harsh. But I cannot reconcile myself to sharing this with him, not after what he's done. He's a stranger now. But you, Ed… you are not. Perhaps this knowledge will serve you when you need it most."

Edward chuckled. “Maybe.”

"Hm." Yaozu crossed his arms, his gaze intense. "Before I begin, understand the weight of this technique. You recall the scroll Greed stole?"

"Yeah?"

A faint smile touched Yaozu's lips. "Rumor claims it holds the very same technique, one discovered by Bao Jin himself, alongside the philosopher from the west." 

Edward's breath hitched, his eyes widened. "Wait… then the secret… it's in those scrolls?!" An excited tremor ran through him.

“BAH!” Yaozu said with an amused expression. “I will explain it all, just open your ears.” Edward nodded and put his entire focus on his teacher. Yaozu cleared his throat and closed his eyes, preparing to share his tale.

"Long ago, deep in Xing's mountains, lived a boy named Bao. Barely your age when this tale begins. He owned little: the clothes he wore, a loyal pet pig, and his yearning to explore. Poverty clung to him, and sickness gripped his family, leaving them bedridden. He was their only hope. At the time, a relentless plague swept through Xing; each day a step closer to the grave.

“While greatly revered at the time, the ancient remedies were often as deadly as the disease itself. However, even if the remedies could help, the cost for even this treatment was far beyond Bao's means."

"That sounds… brutal," Edward murmured, the memory of his own desperate attempts to save his mother resurfacing. "What did he do?"

"He sought a miracle. He journeyed to town, pleading with anyone who would listen. But the townsfolk were as helpless as he was. He continued nonetheless, never deterred. He luckily had his pet pig at least to keep him company.

“Then one day, a traveler arrived, cloaked in rich robes and gleaming metals, boasting of his healing prowess. Hope surged through the desperate crowd, and Bao learned the man asked only for food, shelter, and fine garments in return. He approached the stranger, offering his family's humble home for the night, and the man accepted. Bao rushed to prepare, laying out his father's finest robes, making sure his own bed was ready for the guest, and searching for the last of their preserved food."

"What did the traveler think?" Edward asked, a nervous knot forming in his stomach, a feeling deep inside that things may not go well.

Yaozu shook his head sadly. "He found the robes gaudy, the bed lumpy, the food repulsive. Complaining bitterly, he prepared to leave, until his eyes fell upon Bao's pet pig. A cruel light sparked within him. Bao pleaded for his companion's life, but the traveler gave him a choice: the pig, or his family's chance at healing. He gave Bao the night to decide."

“So… did he?”

“He did.” Yaozu Jin nodded sadly. “The man assured Bao his family would make a swift recovery. This relieved Bao, who thanked the man profusely.” 

“At least his family was saved...”

Yaozu lowered his gaze. "No… they weren't. Like I said, most remedies were just as deadly as the plague itself. Unfortunately this time wasn’t any better and their condition worsened. Bao realized he'd been a fool, a victim of a man who sought only to prey on their desperation. He ran through the mountain village frantically searching for the man, but he was gone along with Bao’s beloved pig. Despair consumed Bao; he was at his lowest.”

Edward could picture the boy's crushing defeat, he couldn’t help mirroring his own helplessness he’d felt trapped in the research facility.

"Years bled into one another. One by one, Bao's family succumbed to the illness, until he was utterly alone. Then, he too fell ill. Hope died within him, but still, every day he would make his wary trek to town. He assumed he too would soon die, choosing to sleep outside on his family's graves in case he passed and no one was around to bury him.”

“This… is…” Edward could understand those feelings all too well. 

“Life can be a terrible thing.” Yaozu said. “But don’t worry… because sometimes when everything seems lost, a light shines through at just the right time. He’d arrived at town one day, finding that another traveler had arrived. This traveler was unlike any person he had ever seen: a man with hair and eyes like shining gold."

“The philosopher of the west.” Edward said excitedly. “Right?”

"Yes," Yaozu grinned faintly. "The townsfolk, curious of his appearance, crowded around, eager to hear this traveler's stories. But Bao, wary and weak, watched from a distance, the bitterness of his past experience keeping him from approaching. The traveler noticed Bao’s visible ailments and offered his help. He followed Bao, sharing with him his stories of his home and his travels. He asked Bao questions of himself, but Bao still held his distrust, and kept quiet. The traveler’s persistence and kindness eventually wore him down. He told Bao about a technique he’d been working on that he was calling alkahestry. He’d based it on his own sciences and the Dragon Pulse that he’d learned about from some Xingese monks. He explained that he had been working on a way to treat illness using it and offered to help Bao. With nothing left to lose, Bao agreed.”

Edward smiled, “I think I know how this will go.”

"Indeed. The philosopher worked tirelessly, his alkahestry becoming like a miracle to the sick. Bao, his health restored, began to help the traveler with his work. The Philosopher of the West saw Bao’s talent and asked him to travel across Xing with him. Bao accepted, becoming his apprentice. For years they journeyed together, their bond deepening with each day. Their adventures were many–”

“--Yaozu?” Edward asked. “Sorry to interrupt, but does he have a name?”

“Who? –Oh…You mean the philosopher?” Yaozu asked. Edward nodded and Yaozu rubbed at his neck, looking sheepish. “Well… I think Bao Jin made sure the man's name was not spoken. After four hundred years, no one remembers it anymore.” 

Edward sat up slightly in shock. “What? Wh–Ow.” Edward held his side, wincing. He turned to Yaozu. “Why would he do that to his friend!?”

“Because he was loyal.” Yaozu explained. “He had done it, because his friend did not want to be known by name. Now, can I get back to my story?”

Edward sighed, settling back down into his bedding. “Yeah, yeah…”

Yaozu chuckled softly. “Their journey eventually led them to the Emperor's bedside. The Emperor, desperate, promised them any reward their hearts desired if they could restore his health. And help him they did. When the time came for Bao to name his reward, he asked for the hand of the Princess who he had come to know in his stay. Love had bloomed quickly between them and with the Emperor's favor, they were soon wed. Despite his marriage, Bao continued his studies, and with the Emperor's resources at his disposal his travels could be far easier and more frequent. . Bao and the Philosopher, bound by shared purpose, developed a special alkahestry technique. It was so powerful it was only known by Bao himself and the Philosopher. Bao passed it to his son, and so it continued, down through the generations. Until now. And I believe no one else is more deserving to learn it than you, Ed."

“But…” Edward trailed off, giving his teacher a confused stare. “What about the scrolls?”

Yaozu leaned forward. " The writing is merely nonsense, just simple poetry. Bao Jin had a sense of humor, you see, and it has led to one of our family's best kept secrets . He wove many scrolls of nonsensical poetry, then scattered the verses across Xing during his travels. When pieced together, as told by my own father to me, the faint smudges on the paper align to form the ancient character for 'truth.' I suppose it was in case anyone suspected us of carrying his knowledge.” Yaozu looked thoughtful. “I had never deciphered the precise locations of all the scrolls, though the couple I had seen had mention of gold in their verses. I like to think they really have a deeper meaning, possibly a message to the philosopher of the west.” Yaozu stopped speaking, rubbing his forehead and looking frustrated. “Gong Jin, like most people who hear the rumor, believes that combining the scrolls will give him the knowledge for power, but he is wrong. The complete technique… it has never been written down directly."

“So… you are going to teach it to me here and now?” Edward asked with disbelief. “I doubt a technique so safely guarded would be so easy to learn.”

Yaozu nodded along. “You are right. It will take us a while tonight, and I apologize for waiting until the last minute like this.” He leaned forward and tapped the journal Edward held. “However, that book will help you understand far more. I didn’t write down what I am going to tell you verbally, so it’s knowledge will be incomplete. That way you can learn the rest while travelling, and the full technique will never make it into anyone else’s hands.” He chuckled at Edward’s worried expression. “No need to worry Ed, it won’t be too difficult once you have the basics. You are smart, I know you will understand it all.”

Edward ran a thumb against the worn cover of the journal, an excited chill going through him as he grinned. “Right! Well then, let's begin!”

——————

The covered carriage rattled awfully as its horses pulled it through the desert dunes. Edward sat opposite of a passed out Greed. His entire body still ached, but even with the pain, he pulled over his bag, digging through it and finding Yaozu’s notes. 

“Bye Ed!!!” Ai shouted and waved one arm above enthusiastically. “Bye everyone!”

“Hope we see you again soon!” Daiyu shouted. 

“Especially Ed! You still owe us dinner- ow! Hey!” Daiyu elbowed Ai, who started laughing. “But it's true!”

Ai, Daiyu, Yaozu Jin, Nǎinai, Mr Chen, the bakery owners, and several other neighbors and folks gathered to wish them farewell. It was a heartwarming moment, especially considering some of them most likely had witnessed the scene from the other night. 

Edward’s heart ached, wishing he could give them proper goodbyes, but his body just wasn’t healed enough to do so. 

He smiled, they’d only bid farewell two hours prior, but a pang of sadness washed over him at the thought of his teacher being left alone once again. Well… not fully alone since Daiyu and Ai had offered to stay with him for a while.

He opened the book, as he did a slip of paper fell out onto his lap. He picked it up, finding it was a letter addressed to him.

Ed,

By the time you read these words, the desert will likely stretch before you, leading you towards Amestris. I am a stubborn old man, far too set in my ways to voice these sentiments directly, but in these past years, I have grown… quite fond of you all. Your kindness has been a rare and precious thing in these times. I felt a kinship, a belonging within your group, and these days… It has been a welcomed warmth. I will miss you all dearly, and I have tried to hold each moment close.

I know another life awaits you beyond that horizon, especially with a younger brother who needs your protection. Your departure was always an inevitability, a thread woven into the fabric of our time together. So, I thank you, Ed, for being my student, for your open heart and eager mind. I wish you luck on your journey, wherever its winding path may lead you.

Your teacher and friend,

Yaozu Jin

End of The Travels in Xing

Chapter Text

Chapter 30: Monster

A steward steadily worked his way down the aisle of the crowded train. He pushed a squeaky, slightly off-kilter cart in front of him as he offered tea and packaged snacks to the passengers. None of them were paying much attention to the young teenager weaving his way down the aisle. Something the steward did notice was a small, wrapped treat tumbling from his cart. Assuming he accidentally knocked it down, he bent down to retrieve it. As he picked it up, the teenager brushed past, muttering a quiet “‘scuse me” as he did.

The steward hummed absently in response, picking up the snack, his gaze then falling upon a coin lying beside where the package had been. He picked it up as well, turning it over in his fingers with mild curiosity. Had a passenger brought it in and dropped it? It wasn’t Amestrian currency, but he could possibly exchange it at some point if he wanted. He pocketed the coin. 

A sudden, sharp clank of a door latch followed by the whirring sounds of the wind outside caught the attention of everyone, including the steward.

“Sir!” He called out to the person at the other end of the car. “Sir, there aren’t any more cars attached–”  Before he could finish his warning, the dark haired teen stepped out into the darkness, the door sliding shut behind them with a loud thud. Panic flared in the steward’s chest. He abandoned his cart, hurrying towards the closed door. He wrestled with the latch, finally yanking it open.

“Sir, please come back inside! It’s dangerous to be out there–” But the small platform outside the caboose was empty. Only the inky blackness of the night stared back at him, swallowing any trace of the departed passenger.

——————

“I got us some food!’ Edward said as he walked into the storage car. Greed and the others looked up.

It had been nearly two days since their arrival in Amestris. Without a discreet way to exchange their currency, they were left financially stranded. Fortunately, Greed retained a contingency plan: the Devil's Nest.

The Devil’s Nest was a pub Greed established nearly half a century prior in the “bad side” of Dublith. Greed had mentioned it a while ago during their previous ventures. He had explained that his original reasoning for starting it up wasn't just about serving drinks; it was a strategic move to monitor Ametris's shadowy business dealings. He'd dubbed it as a possible last resort safe haven for them, despite the name and aforementioned shadowing dealings. Back when he’d broken them out of the laboratory he had directed some of the escaped chimeras there. However, to avoid unwanted attention, Greed held off on taking their group around yet.

 The immediate strategy was clear: lie low at the Devil's Nest, gather intel on the changes since their absence, and then chart their future course. 

"Not bad, kid!" Greed slapped his hands together, a cheshire grin spreading as he sauntered over to Edward in a few swift steps and snatched the stolen food. "Looks like my tutelage is finally paying off"

Martel shot Greed a glare sharp enough to cut steel, then fixed Edward with a similar pointed look. "Did you steal that?"

"Define 'steal'?" Edward asked.

"Took it without permission or payment."

"Then… yes and no?"

“Explain?” Dolcetto asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I left a Xingese coin behind, which should be more than enough for the food once it’s exchanged, but I didn’t get permission to purchase these goods.” Edward explained.

"Goddammit, Ed," Martel sighed, rubbing her temples.

"Hey, lay off the kid," Greed interjected. He handed Martel a wrapped pastry. "We're all practically starving, and he delivered the goods. I’d probably be doing the same thing for you all if I wasn’t still…recovering."

Martel jabbed him. “You’re just excusing how you’ve corrupted him, you asshole.” She slumped forward as she opened the bag letting out a frustrated whimper. “It….smells so good.”

Dolcetto’s stomach growled loudly, his hand instinctively clutching his abdomen, his gaze lingering on the food with undisguised longing. "Xing definitely spoiled us… What I wouldn't give for some of Nuan Ye's sweets right now... Come on, toss one of those over!"

"Sorry, Martel," Edward said, a touch of remorse in his voice. "I know I promised I wouldn't resort to Greed's... extracurricular lessons unless absolutely necessary." He unwrapped his own portion, a visible sigh of contentment escaping him after the first bite. "Buh thith wath nethethary," he said through a mouthful of food. 

Martel nodded slowly. "Yeah, I understand... it's just..." She trailed off, then exhaled heavily. "I'm sorry... I'm more worried we'll attract unwanted attention, you know?"

"That's fair," Edward conceded after swallowing his bite. "Luckily, I wasn't caught. Plus, we should be in Dublith within a day. I promise, if it helps, until we arrive, no more ‘foraging expeditions’." A small smile touched Martel's lips, a flicker of relief softening her worried expression.

Roa nudged Edward. "So... is that yesterday's paper?"

"Oh yeah! Snagged it while I was getting the food." Edward tossed the newspaper over.

Roa smiled at him, “Thanks,” and fixed his hold on the paper so he could keep it in one hand as he ate. He sat quietly, his eyes scanning the headlines.

...

"Any word on Alphonse?" Edward asked after a comfortable silence. 

Roa shook his head, finishing the last morsel of his snack. He crumpled the wrapper and stuffed it into his pocket, wiping stray crumbs from his mouth. "Mostly just the usual border conflict noise." He flipped the page, then suddenly choked, a harsh cough erupting into his fist.

"You okay?" Edward asked, patting his back with concern.

Roa nodded, his finger stabbing at a specific point on the page. "This. This is really bad news."

The headline screamed: STATE ALCHEMIST'S WORST NIGHTMARE LOOSE IN AMETRIS: A SERIAL KILLER, TARGETING STATE ALCHEMISTS. Nope. Beyond bad. Truly terrible. The article detailed the killer's most recent appearance in a town just outside of East City. East City... That was a mere few miles off their current path. Edward knew of the city since he was little, yet a prickle of unease danced at the back of his mind. What was it about East City that felt so... significant?

“Isn’t that where Alphonse is stationed with the State Alchemist Lieutenant Colonel?” Roa asked him. 

Was it…? His eyes widened as he grabbed the paper reading through it. The perpetrator is described as a tall, fairly built man with short white hair and a x-shaped scar over the center of his face. 

Edward could feel sweat beading on his temple as he anxiously scanned the newspaper. The shift in composure gained the attention of the rest of the group. Greed walked over, pulling the newspaper out of Edward’s hands with zero protest. Greed's eyes darted across, his expression souring.

"We have to go to East City," Edward urged, his hands twisting nervously. "If he's after the State Alchemists, Alphonse or the guy he works under could be targeted. Either way, it puts my brother in danger!" Edward snatched the newspaper back from Greed's grasp. "That bastard could be attacking him right now for all we know!" 

Greed carded a hand through his hair, a troubled sigh escaping his lips. “"It’s close by... but veering off our course could lead us straight into the enemy's line of sight…”

Edward threw the newspaper down, glaring up at Greed. "There's no time to overthink this, we have to go!" He gestured emphatically to the others. "Right, guys?"

The rest of the group looked conflicted. 

Bido tapped his fingers anxiously, his posture hunched as he avoided Edward's gaze. "Ed... I think Mr. Greed is just trying to consider what's best for all of us..." he offered hesitantly. 

"We're all worried," Roa added, his voice soft, "but how can we be sure the military isn't already taking precautions against this murderer?"

"Exactly," Martel chimed in. "We could end up walking right into a barrage with no easy way out."

"Besides, they want your kid brother alive," Greed explained patiently. "The people pulling the strings in this country wouldn't let a valuable asset like him—"

"So we aren't going," Edward stated flatly. The expressions on his friends' faces was enough of an answer despite their silence. He turned his back to the group, facing the train door as he inhaled deeply, his eyes squeezed shut.

“Then I will go by myself!” 

He threw open the door, transforming and leaping out and climbing to the roof. The wind buffeted him as he found his footing. He could hear the worried shouts of his friends, but they faded into the rush of air as he sprinted forward, running until he reached the caboose.

Then, without hesitation, he jumped.

——————

He made it. Just in time. 

Edward, soaked head to toe by the pouring rain, stood between Alphonse and the Alchemist Killer. He took deep breaths, trying to collect himself as he stared down his foe.

 Then there was Alphonse. God- He had grown so much since he’d last seen him. Was he taller than Edward was normally? No- maybe it was a trick of the light! Yeah, definitely the light. 

The killer stepped towards him, raising his hand out to his side, “A chimera… have you sought me to be put out of your misery?” 

Edward felt a growl building in his throat. He hated people like this above all else. On top of the whole murder thing, the guy also carried himself with a holier-than-thou attitude. Pissed him off. “I need nothing of the sort.” He spat. 

The killer charged at him, but Edward was quick on his feet and dodged the guy with no issue. He reached back, grabbing his head from behind him and slamming him into the ground. The man’s sunglasses shattered on impact and fell from his now blood-covered face. He glared up at Edward and—what the fuck…?

“An Ishvaalan…. and you're using alchemy?” If Edward knew anything of Ishvaalans it was that their religion forbade them from using Alchemy of any sort. 

Ignoring him, the Ishvaalan man placed his hand to the ground, causing the stone beneath them to crack and crumble. 

Edward jumped away. Dust flew out, making him cough and wave it away. “Damn. Where’d he go?” He asked angrily, staring into the newly formed pit in front of him. Wait, he could sense chi! He felt the dragon pulse, sensing for the chi of the killer and… was he really running away from them? Undeniably, the guy was. Edward couldn't believe what a coward the famed murderer turned out to be. Well…no use chasing him since Alphonse was safe. Speaking of, he bet Alphonse though he was really cool just now–

Then he felt something hit his back, hard. Ow?! What the hell?! Alphonse hit him with a metal pipe, much unlike the Alphonse he knew. Alphonse back then…he’d cry at the thought of hurting anyone. He hadn’t held back, the pain from the strike rippled through him, a tingling and unpleasant sensation. It was definitely going to bruise and or swell up. He turned slightly, giving Alphonse an annoyed look.

“Why’d you do it?!” Alphonse asked, his voice cracking. “Why did you kill him?”

He felt his eye twitch before turning and looking back into the sewers; as he did he rubbed his shoulder sorely. “I didn’t kill anyone. The guy got away.”

“No, not him! You killed my brother!“

“Your brother?” Edward was shocked. Did he really not recognize him at all? Well, he was covered in fur… his hair was dyed black, he was older now and his voice was strange in this form…Oh… he couldn’t help finding the situation funny. Alphonse really had no clue…all he had to do was transform back and he’d know. He let out a laugh as he thought about it, not realizing how it would come across to the other. 

Alphonse stepped forwards, shoving him hard. He lost his balance, falling backward into the rubble below, but somehow managing to land on his feet.

Edward could have been seriously hurt! He glared up at his younger brother. “What was that for?!”

“I- I hate you!” Alphonse said angrily. The words shoot into Edward’s heart like bullets. “You are laughing at my brother's death like it's some kind of joke! We mourned him and my mother for years—“

His brother hated him? NO…No he didn’t hate Edward, he just didn’t know who he was. Edward hadn’t meant to hurt Alphonse at all. He took a breath, trying to focus on transforming back, but was unable to in his current emotional state. Maybe he could talk to him. 

“I- I didn’t mean…wait! This is a misunderstanding! Let me explain—  “ He started to say, but Alphonse interrupted him, unwilling to listen.

“—All you are is a heartless monster!” 

Hearing Alphonse say those words, despite knowing that he didn’t actually mean it toward him… it broke something in Edward. He’d built up his confidence greatly over the past years, and now knew he wasn’t what he’d originally thought himself to be. A monster. 

Alphonse glared down at him, his expression unwavering. “I don’t need your excuses or your pity.” he said, keeping his eyes locked on the other. “If I see you again, I will not hesitate to capture you for the Fürur.”

Edward lowered his head and gritted his teeth. “You…won’t even hear me out?”

“Go!” Alphonse yelled. 

He turned away from Alphonse, taking one last glance back, then ran into the darkness of the tunnels.

——————

Edward ran through the sewers, It was an all too familiar smell, bringing back memories of their fated escape from the laboratories in Central years ago. He ran on, hoping that no one would follow. He was down the same path that the Alchemist killer had ran, which didn’t bode well for him. He slowed to a wary walk, his breath catching in his throat.

Then there was the familiar stench of blood. It was splattered across his arm, probably from when he slammed the other man's face into the ground. The memories it brought to the surface churned in his gut, bile rising. He stumbled to a halt, the world tilting precariously. With a strangled gasp, Edward fell to his knees, retching violently into the water.

Heaving breaths tore from his lungs. As he wiped his mouth with his other arm, the dark, rippling surface of the sewage stilled, reflecting his image back at him.

Sharp. That single word echoed in his mind to describe himself…Sharp angles, sharp eyes, sharp claws, sharp teeth.

He looked… terrifying.

Edward forced a smile, as if laughing. He quickly covered his mouth, tears pricking at his eyes, his jaw clenching against a rising tide of self-loathing.

He really did look like a monster.

Was he really happy with being this way? Was he really as confident in himself as he’d thought he was? Did he really want Alphonse to know  what he’d become?

He pictured the warmth of his friends gathered around a crackling fire, their laughter echoing in the night as they toasted to their escapades. 

They wouldn’t want him sulking like this. After, all it had been a misunderstanding. 

He clung to that thought, a fragile lifeline. Next time would be different. Maybe… but the future felt distant and uncertain. For now, the fleeting image of Alphonse, healthy, albeit missing an arm, was enough. He was doing well. That knowledge was a small, precious comfort.

As he scrubbed the vomit and tears from his face with his shirt, the dim light around him vanished, swallowed by an encroaching shadow. A presence loomed behind him. How hadn’t he noticed the other person approaching? 

“So, you are the one who assaulted our poor, innocent Alphonse.” A voice, thick and gravelly, boomed from above. “Such a heinous act, you insolent fiend!”

Edward’s head snapped up, his eyes widening in absolute shock and dawning terror at the towering figure silhouetted against the faint sewer light. “Sh-shit!” Was all he managed to say before a fist, the size of his head, came hurtling towards him. He scrambled backwards, adrenaline surging through him, and rolled just as the fist slammed into the ground where he’d been kneeling. Edward watched as the man slowly lifted his hand. The ground beneath his fist was cracked and crumbling, debris falling from his gauntlet.

“WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA?! THAT COULD HAVE KILLED ME!” Edward shouted, motioning to the alchemist's fists.

“You, tiger chimera, according to what the Fürur has told me of you, are to be apprehended  alive…or dead…”  The man's voice rumbled out in response. He shifted his stance, readying his fists to throw another of his deadly punches.

 Edward knew who this mustached man was. Major Alex Louis Armstrong; better known as the Strong Arm Alchemist. Roa was, funny enough, a big fan of his. Roa would have been ecstatic to have an opportunity to go toe-to-toe with the behemoth of a man. Edward himself was not. 

“...and to avenge the honor of young Alphonse’s elder brother, I confess, I would prefer the latter!”

The major had no idea how counterintuitive killing Edward would be.

“PREPARE YOURSELF, DEVILISH CHIMERA!” Armstrong shouted, pulling back an arm. “FISTICUFFS LIKE THESE HAVE BEEN IN THE ARMSTRONG FAMILY FOR GENERATIONS!”

Chapter Text

Chapter 31: Deception

Focus.

Edward readied his stance. If it was his time to go at least he could have one last dance. 

He dodged the Major’s punches. While his opponent was powerful, he was slowed down a bit by his impressive muscular build. Edward was nimble on his feet and his style of fighting definitely helped with evading the other’s attack. He just needed time to think, time to strategize, but the Major was relentless. He was out for revenge, and Edward couldn’t blame him. He recognized that the other man was a good guy who held a deep respect for Alphonse, so if he messed up once, if he slipped, then the Major would make a soul-crushing mistake.

Trying to escape was the only viable option in Edward’s mind. Distance was his ally, right? He just needed a way to separate them. A barrier maybe? He could also use the chemicals in the sewage water – water of course also being a good option to create a visual barrier between them. He just needed a second. Maybe if he gave the other a false impression he’d falter? 

Edward smirked, looking as cool and confident as he could, causing the Strong Arm Alchemist to hesitate. He was honestly ecstatic that it had worked. Now, the window opened for him and Edward leaped away. 

As soon as he caught his footing he pulled his notepad from his pocket. Armstrong glowered at him, slamming his fists into the ground, cracking the rock beneath with brutal force.

“Trying to make some distance, are you?” he asked.

Well shit.

A jagged ripple of stone erupted outwards. Edward contorted his body, narrowly avoiding the brunt of the attack, but a sharp edge grazed his side, creating a searing line of pain. He landed hard on the ground with a choked gasp. One direct hit from any of his attacks and it would be all over. Which meant Edward couldn’t waste a second.

Edward slapped a page on the floor, activating the circle he’d prepared a while ago. A wall erupted from the ground between them. He rolled back to his feet, already calculating his next move. First… he needed to make a bucket.

Armstrong let out a disbelieving chuckle. So, the chimera was an alchemist himself. The knowledge definitely added another level of intrigue to their fight. While Alex was an Alchemist by title, he’d always preferred the language of fists. That of course was what he was most known for after all. It also made the wall the chimera had raised ineffective as a tactic. He pushed out an arm, his gauntlet indenting into the wall's surface with ease. With a grunt he sent out projectiles of rock in the opposite direction. That should do it. Then, with a final surge, he shattered the wall into a pile of rubble.

There was no escaping Major Alex Louis Armstrong— What was that? 

A statue greeted him on the other side, a cartoonish imitation of the human chimera himself. Armstrong scratched his chin, examining it. Honestly, the craftsmanship wasn’t terrible. The statue wore a more mischievous expression, however part of its face was missing a chunk; probably blown away by one of the Major’s stone projectiles. 

Well, at least he’d hit something, but where was the real target? 

He scanned the tunnel, his eyes sweeping across every shadow. Then, a mocking chuckle echoed from above. He craned his neck upwards, surprised to see the chimera leaping down, using his broad shoulders as a springboard. He spun to face the other. What in the blazes–?

A wet, sickening explosion erupted behind him. The statue had burst, coating his back in… some sort of vile smelling substance? The stench hit him like a physical blow, and recognition dawned with a wave of disgust. Sewage. The chimera had used raw sewage as a weapon!

A cackle echoed through the tunnel. “Guess you’ve found yourself in a shitty situation!” As the initial shock wore off, he saw the chimera’s grin, mirroring the expression of the ruined statue. “You’ve picked a fight you can’t win,” the chimera declared, pointing at him with a raised index finger. His body posture held a newfound confidence which had also rang true in his voice.

“I…” Armstrong coughed, a tremor of revulsion running through him. The smell was terrible, but as was the rest of the sewer. He’d endured worse, surly. “I severely doubt that.” He raised his fists, his gauntlets gleaming in the dim light. “Your move, beast.”

Edward held out his notepad, activating the transmutation circle written on one of the papers. Some kunai he’d scattered around the sewer amidst his first attack activated using alkahestry and quickly their vision turned white as a fog filled the air.

“Damnit.” The Major cursed, raising his gauntlets. “Where…is...” He felt a tap on his shoulder and quickly spun around with a punch, only for his fist to meet air. Edwards' laughter echoed throughout the tunnel, mocking the infuriated Armstrong to a boiling point. 

Edward had tilted the scales in his favor. With not only his animal instincts but also chi to rely on,   was practically unbeatable in fog. It also made for an easy escape. 

With a rage-filled yell, Armstrong slammed his fists into the ground. Pillars of jagged stone erupted from the sewer floor, jutting out into every direction. Edward narrowly dodged one just by hearing it coming , then leapt onto another as it extended outward, the stone column vaulting him further down the tunnel.

“See ya sucker.” Edward chuckled to himself, leaving one last transmutation behind as a gift. He laughed triumphantly. He had not only faced one of the most powerful of the State Alchemists, but he’d escaped with his life! He couldn’t wait to recount the story to Roa and the others.

By the time Armstrong punched his way through his stone pillars, the fog had dissipated, revealing an empty tunnel. The chimera was gone. He walked forward, considering giving the chimera a chase, then noticed something left behind on the ground.

It was a small stone tiger. All he could do was stare down at it in confusion. 

——————

Edward’s running fell to a light jog after he gave himself ample distance from the brute of a man. He needed to detransform, so he stopped and put all of his focus on his breathing; willing his body to return to its normal appearance. He doubted the Major would give up, even if he wasn't directly pursuing him now. Soldiers could be stationed everywhere above, just waiting for him to surface. He grimaced, quickly scribbling a circle in his notebook.

First, a disguise. He used the circle to remove the dye from his hair. They already knew it was black, so keeping the shade wouldn't matter much. He considered cutting it, but as he held a pocket knife to his braid he couldn't bring himself to do it; he liked it long.

Then there were his clothes. He also liked them, they had been a gift from Nǎinai, but they made him stand out. He had other clothes from her, so it wasn't a huge loss to change, but still... he wished he'd kept his jacket instead of throwing it off. 

With another circle he changed his style to look more Amestrian. Sliding on a long-sleeved turtleneck and slacks, he grimaced. Definitely less conspicuous, but definitely not his style. 

God, he was starting to sound like Greed.

The only thing left were the tiger stripes on his face, but he'd just have to hope no one looked too closely at him.

Light filtered in through the grate out of the sewer as he approached. He had to be fast and sneaky, no big deal. He closed his eyes, sensing for the Dragon’s Pulse. It was strange. In the surrounding area, there was a cluster of chi, not unlike Greed's own. Another homunculus? Shit. What were the ones Greed had told them about? There was Lust, a beautiful woman. Sloth, a slow but powerful man. Gluttony, a short, chubby, hungry man… He knew there was Envy, Pride, and Wrath as well, but he couldn't recall their descriptions. Then he remembered the red stone Fernand carried, a philosopher's stone like Greed's. It could be one of those.

Then again, it could also be Greed himself; maybe he'd come looking for him? Edward nervously scratched at his arm, debating the circumstances before giving in to climbing the ladder and poking his head out. He scanned the above area. Rain was lightly falling around him, and there was oddly no one in sight.

A bad feeling settled in his gut, but he ignored it, climbing out. He sniffed and caught a  familiar scent hanging in the air, one he had smelled just earlier, one that reminded him of home. Alphonse…? It was undeniably him. He followed his nose, keeping vigilant for suspicious figures.

"Ed…?"

Edward's heart skipped a beat, and he turned, gold eyes meeting gold eyes as he and Alphonse stared at each other face to face.

"A-a-Alphon—" Before Edward could even get out his name, Alphonse ran forward, leaping into Edward's arms, nearly knocking him over.

"B-Brother! Oh my God, you're alive!" Alphonse sobbed into his ear. 

Alphonse… it was Alphonse! Edward laughed as he spun, and wobbled on his feet. He managed to keep them upright, and hugged his brother back. He sobbed, burying his head into his brother's shoulder. He—they were finally back together after all these years!

"Brother…" Alphonse said, pulling back to smile at him. "I… I can't believe it's really you! You're really alive!" He started laughing happily.

Edward smiled. You won't ever have to be alone again, Al.

Alphonse continued to laugh. "Ed…"

"Yeah, Al?"

Alphonse smiled, leaning in to whisper in his ear.

“Zoloto.”

…

The next thing he knew, he was in the forest. He'd suddenly regained control mid run, slipped on some mud, tripped over a tree root, and fell down, rolling to a stop on the leaf-covered forest floor. He laid flat on his back, gasping for air. His ears rang, matching the chirping of the insects in the surroundings. 

How did he get here? 

He was just… 

His thoughts stopped as he stared downward at his hands and arms… Everything was stained red with blood. Whose… whose blood?

Alphonse.

He'd been with Alphonse when the tiger suddenly took over. He scrambled to his knees, staring at his shaking hands. His breathing quickened and he hugged himself. He leaned down, pressing his forehead against the earth, staring at the ground, his thoughts racing. He tried and failed to collect himself from the panic coursing through him. Alphonse… he… did he? Did someone in the military teach him that word? The one Gong Jin used to trigger his tiger into a blind rage? 

Edward wailed out, pushing his head against the damp ground. Tears streamed from his eyes, and he sobbed, punching his fists into the earth. 

Alphonse… Did he… did he kill his younger brother? He gasped for air, panic rattling through him as he screamed out, "ALPHONSE!" 

He sat up, looking into the clouded sky. It wouldn't do a damn thing for him to scream like this, but it was all he could do.

"ALPHONSE!" His voice echoed in the air. He couldn’t go back. His brother was dead. He… he really was a monster.

“Alphonse…”

The tiger pushed at his mind, and he didn't fight back.

——————

The body of a young alchemist lay on the street, unmoving as the rain began to fall in sheets. Blood trickled out from him into a puddle underneath which quickly flowed downhill in a stream of water. No one was around, no one had seen what happened. His body shook, his fingers twitching as he slumped upwards. His face had been torn to shreds, his throat slashed.

"H… hhh.. Ha…" Red energy crackled from their wounds. “Here lies Alphonse Elric….heh…Ha…hahaha..HAhaHahahahaHaHAhaHAhaHaa!" They stood, their body contorting as all their wounds vanished. "Amazing!" They raised their arms to the sky, a wide, unsettling grin covering their face. "Oh, PROFESSOR! What A TREAT this is!"

Envy walked forward, throwing away the coat they’d stolen to trick the chimera’s nose. Their body rippled, transforming in a mere instant from the Fullmetal boy to an ordinary Amestrian soldier. "What a splendid tool you've given to us..."

——————

"Alph... onse...... phonse... Alphonse!" 

An annoyingly bright light pierced Alphonse’s eyes as he blinked them open with a frown.  His vision cleared to reveal the sterile white ceiling of a hospital room. He was in East City's military hospital. 

What was he even doing here in the first place? His head hurt like hell. He reached up to rub his temple, but winced as nothing happened. 

Ah, he remembered now. His right automail arm was gone. Shou Tucker’s death… and then his fight with the alchemist killer, who he’d dubbed Scar… then he finally met the tiger chimera who killed his brother. After that…he must have passed out and hit his head, which would explain the pain. He sighed, running his good hand through his hair. He’d let the chimera get away… and now he was running loose who knows where. 

A loud snort came from beside him, making him flinch. Who…? Alphonse tilted his head over to his side. Colonel Mustang sat in a chair beside his bed, slumped over a desk, completely passed out. A puddle of drool dripped from his mouth as he snored. Alphonse gave the Colonel an annoyed glare. Why was he here? Didn’t he have better things to do? 

He sat quietly, scheming up funny ways of waking up his superior, but unfortunately before he could try anything the door to the room creaked open. Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes peaked his face in, met Alphonse’s open eyes, looked at Mustang's sleeping form before snickering into his palm deviously. He proceeded to slam the door open and sang loudly in greeting. 

“HEEEELLLLLOOOOOOoooo!”

Mustang shot up in surprise mid-snore and swiveled quickly in search of the noise’s source.

“Goddamit— are you crazy?! The kid is asle—“

“Hey buddy!” Hughes said, giving his friends a wave.

“Hughes…” Mustang greeted him. 

Maes Hughes strode in with his usual cheery demeanor, a raincoat slung over his arm. "Sorry for the intrusion Alphonse…” he laughed, “Roy, I was planning on stopping by your office to talk before heading back to Central tomorrow, but Hawkeye informed me you were here.” As if on cue, Hawkeye poked her head in. 

“Oh good, you’re awake.” Hawkeye said as she came around the corner with a tray full of food in her hands. 

“Yup, been wide awake for a while, though I think you disturbed Mustang's nap.” Alphonse confirmed nodding towards the older man beside him.

Mustang eyed Alphonse before addressing the others. He coughed into his fist, a hint of red dusting his face. “Ah yes…Alphonse is awake, I knew that…”

"Is that for me?" Alphonse asked, pointing at the tray.

Hawkeye nodded, offering a kind smile. "Figured you might be hungry." 

Nausea lingered in Alphonse’s gut, twisting at just the thought of the day's horrors… He clutched the hospital blanket tight, despite his churning stomach he needed to try to eat something at the very least.

“Thank you,” he said and gave the First Lieutenant a smile.

 Hawkeye walked in and set it down on his lap. “Do you need any help?” she asked, nodding to his opposite…and currently nonexistent arm. 

“Uh... maybe with opening the milk," he mumbled, holding it up to her, a blush creeping up his neck. She nodded, uncapping the carton. He sighed in relief, murmuring his thanks as he took a sip. 

As he drank, Maes Hughes leaned in front of him, a mischievous smile covering his features. "So... a little birdie told me you have a girlfriend~" 

Alphonse spit out his milk in shock. 

Beside him, Mustang sighed and grabbed a handkerchief to dab at his soaked uniform. “That was on purpose wasn’t it, Fullmetal…?” he hissed out. 

Maybe it was, maybe it wasn’t, but Alphonse himself wouldn’t admit it. “HUH? Who-WHO told you–” Alphonse started before connecting the dots. Birdie… bird… Hawk… He turned to the first lieutenant with a glare. 

“What’s wrong?" she asked, her eyes wide with feigned innocence.

He hadn't told anyone yet. Hawkeye, meanwhile, most likely heard it from Winry or Lyra. And Mustang didn’t seem surprised by the news, so Alphonse doubted he had been in the dark as well. How many people knew? 

Alphonse shifted his glare between them all. He’d been keeping the secret for a reason. He wasn't too keen on the wrong ears catching wind of his relationship. Enough people already disliked him; he didn't need anyone targeting Winry.

"Please don’t tell anyone else," Alphonse pleaded to them all. 

Hawkeye nodded. “My apologies, I didn’t realize it was classified.”

Mustang sighed as he continued cleaning the milk from his uniform. “I honestly don’t care enough to talk about it regardless."  

Maes Hughes chuckled, waving his hands. "No worries, Al, my pal, I won't tell a soul!" 

"Good," Alphonse sighed, finally relaxing a fraction. Man, he was exhausted. He leaned back into his pillows letting out a relieved breath.

"Besides my wife..."

"NO!" Alphonse exclaimed, sitting up.

"B-but I tell Gracia everything!" Maes Hughes begged.

"FINE, but tell her it's a secret!" 

Alphonse did his best to finish his meal while the three adults talked. 

Well, Maes Hughes talked, and the other two listened. Mustang glared with a crease in his brow and Hawkeye seemed to be enjoying how annoyed the Colonel was. She kept prodding Hughes to share  more details before turning and giving Mustang a look.

Alphonse, despite a lingering headache, found genuine delight in the older man's mundane stories of homelife, starring his wife Gracia and his daughter Elicia. It was a breath of fresh air compared to Alphonse’s own unraveled tapestry of a life. The only thing that came close to that in a while was his time hanging out with Nina and Lyra. Speaking of.

“Hey Hawkeye, where’s Lyra?” He asked, pushing his food tray aside.

“I asked her to watch Nina, Alexander, and Black Hayate for me earlier,” Hawkeye explained. Alphonse could imagine that would be quite the babysitting gig. 

Hughes gave her a strange look. “More dogs?”

Hawkeye shook her head and laughed. “No, well, at least one of them is. Nina is a little girl.”

Maes Hughes eyebrows raised as he looked between Mustang and Hawkeye. “Oh? Congrats….?”

“No.” Roy shook his head, pinking the bridge of his nose. “Alright, talking work now like we should. Remember the Sewing Life Alchemist Shou Tucker who just…?” 

Hughes formed an ‘o’ with his mouth and then nodded with understanding. “Nina was his daughter huh?” He looked at Alphonse and patted his shoulder empathetically. “Good job saving her, kid.”

Alphonse shrugged, keeping his gaze lowered. “I wish I could do a lot more for her.” 

Maes Hughes sat silently. For the first time he got there, the room was quiet. It was a bit of a relief for Alphonse’s headache–

“ALPHONSE ELRIC!” Major Alex Louis Armstrong strode in, his impressive physique filling the doorway. He made the small room look even tinier as he entered. The alchemist closed the door behind him and then moved directly to Alphonse's bedside, his expression a mix of grave concern and earnestness.

“Ah, Major Armstrong, it is good to see you!” Alphonse greeted. 

Major Armstrong bowed his head, his wide shoulder slumping. “Forgive me, young Alphonse. I, Major Alex Louis Armstrong, failed to apprehend the devilish chimera fiend who had given you so much turmoil!” 

“He- It was actually–” Alphonse tried and failed to formulate his words. Honestly, the chimera, while he was an enemy, was the least of Alphonse’s worries. Scar was running rampant and could kill someone else any moment. The chimera at least had shown some level of restraint…this time at least. He could have easily killed Alphonse had he wanted to at the moment. Alpohse had been defenseless without his arm after all.

“--He was cunning. I will give him that, and his tactics caught me off guard!” Armstrong clenched a massive fist, though he stopped short of striking his thigh. "Failure weighs heavily upon me! To allow such a beast to escape my grasp, after witnessing the harm he caused to one as kind as yourself! I must make it up to you in some way!” He dabbed subtly at the corner of his eye with a surprisingly delicate pink handkerchief with a tiny, cute embroidered bunny. 

Alphonse couldn’t help but stare dumbly at the man for a moment before snapping out of his trance. "Major, it's... it's okay," he stammered, overwhelmed. "You don't have to—" 

Armstrong cut him off again, his voice firming with renewed conviction. "Nonsense, young Alphonse! A man of honor must seek redemption! Therefore, I, Major Armstrong, owe you a favor! Any assistance you require, any protection, anything that calls for the splendid might of the Armstrong family, consider it yours! It is the least I can do to restore my sense of duty!" He flexed his muscles, "Simply name it, young one! My strength is your strength!"

Alphonse stared at the Major, then glanced at Mustang, who was slumped over on the desk, vibrating with quiet laughter. Hawkeye held an amused smile. Hughes, meanwhile, was silently miming Armstrong's poses behind him, absolutely enthralled.

“I’ll try to think of something…thanks!” Alphonse said with an awkward laugh. He’d have to tell them about Scar later. 

Chapter Text

Chapter 32: Doctor

Everyone was staring, and Alphonse might be regretting his decision. He’d hoped Lyra could tag along, but she had plans made and he didn’t feel like overstepping and making her cancel.He walked hunched over through the crowds of people, one hand raised to shield his face from onlookers. Pretend I’m not here. 

He wouldn’t normally even need a bodyguard for such a trip. In fact he’d prefer he didn’t have a chaperone at all, but without his automail he couldn’t use alchemy! Knowing that Scar and the chimera were still running loose kept him keenly aware of that fact.

Just…why was the Major sparkling like that? ….How was he sparkling like that?

“It is an honor to accompany you on this trip, Young Alphonse Elric!” Major Alex Louis Armstrong exclaimed loudly on the platform surrounded by large crowds of people. Once this favor was done he wouldn’t owe anything. Alphonse kept reminding himself this, over and over. “By the way, do you have everything you need packed? Like for instance, your favorite handkerchief?” 

Did… he think Alphonse, who had been traveling around the country since he was eleven, couldn’t pack a bag by himself? “I…a handkerchief?” Alphonse asked him as they climbed aboard the train, hoping his surprise at the odd question masked his offence at being treated like a child.

“Of course!” Armstrong pulled his handkerchief from his breast pocket and held it out as an example. “You never know when you might need it!”

“I suppose?” Alphonse reluctantly agreed  as he took his seat. “I don’t have one, sorry.”

“You can have my spare!” Armstrong said, tossing one over. 

It landed directly on Alphonse’s head, he pulled it off and looked at it. It was embroidered with little flowers and kittens. Alphonse loved kittens. They were a soft spot for him, though he probably wouldn’t admit it out loud.  He examined the hand-stitched design closely. Did Major Armstrong embroider them himself? It was admittedly really well done. “Uh… thanks…”

Armstrong smiled at him, somehow radiating light like the goddamn sun. Alphonse felt like he had to squint to even look at the man. 

Tap. Tap.

Alphonse’s attention was brought to the window. The person on the other side was none other than Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes. Alphonse quickly stood from his seat and slid the window up. “Lieutenant! Hi!’ 

“Hey Al.” Hughes gave him a grin and waved. 

“What brought you here? Weren’t you going to head back to Central?” Alphonse asked. The Lieutenant Colonel was in town to capture and arrest Scar, but since the incident, all had been quiet on the killer's end. He had probably skipped town already, which meant it was Maes Hughes’ cue to return to home base. 

“Well, I am, but my train isn’t for a while. Besides, the guys back at headquarters say they’re too busy to come down here, so I decided I would hop over here to see you off.” He paused then laughed. “Oh yeah I also have a message from Roy for you.”

“Yeah?”

Hughes put on a serious face and mimicked Roy’s voice. “Don’t go dying on me Fullmetal. It’d be a pain in my ass to clean up the mess.” He nodded slightly, looking impressed with himself, “And that's what he said.”

Alphonse gave him a polite, but pointed smile. “I see…” He chucked, “Well, tell him I plan to outlive his old ass by many, many years.”

“Haha! They say the ruder you are the luckier you are!” Hughes laughed. “You two might end up living forever.” He backed up, and saluted them through the window. “Have a safe trip! And let me know if you are ever out in Central again!”

Alphonse saluted back with an apologetic smile. “Sorry I have to use my left arm.” 

“So this automail specialist… you said you are quite close to her? I’ve never met anyone in that line of work before.” Armstrong said, leaning forward with a curious expression. He seemed genuinely interested in what Winry did and showed  no hints of knowing anything of their relationship beyond that. It was comforting to Alphonse that not everyone knew of his personal matters. Though…Armstrong probably would figure it out at some point during the trip eventually. It wasn’t like Winry to be subtle with her feelings. So, why the hell not? For once, Alphonse could finally tell someone himself.

“My automail engineer’s name is Winry. Growing up she lived close by and our families were friends, so we played together all the time. Honestly, she gives me a good deal on repairs since we’ve known each other for so long. Good work too.“ He paused for a moment, noticing how Armstrong had his full attention on his story. This made him falter slightly, he let out a nervous laugh before he continued. “Though, there is another thing I should probably mention,” he clenched the sleeve of his coat tightly, “and I want to keep this as private as I can, okay?”

Armstrong leaned in close, eyes dazzling. “Alphonse Elric I will keep your secret, I swear on the Armstrong name I will.” 

He blushed nervously, looking down at his lap. “Well, the thing is, Winry is both my automail engineer and…sorta… also is… my girlfriend.”

He waited for the explosion of emotion, only to be met with silence. He peeked up to find Armstrong blushing and dabbing at his eyes gently as streams of tears cascaded down his cheeks. 

“Are—are you okay, Major?”

“Oh, I am fine, yes, yes it's just…” He sniffled before standing from his seat. “Love is so BEAUTIFUL!!”

Alphonse flailed, having gained the attention of every passenger in the car with the Major’s outburst. “STOP IT!!! SIT DOWN!”

——————

After answering Armstrong's lingering questions of Winry and of Resembool, their conversation died down to the quiet Alphonse preferred on a train ride. The Major eventually pulled out a book to read. Alphonse himself, having experienced enough motion sickness in his lifetime, chose to watch the scenery go by. Though, currently, they were stopped in a small town, nothing really to look at. Alphonse yawned. They still had a bit of a way to go… a nap didn’t sound too bad to– 

“AUGH!” 

Suddenly Alphonse was bugged-eyed and squashed as Armstrong scrambled to open the top window. He waved an arm, his voice bellowing out, echoing across the platform. “DR MARCOH!” he called out to a man who had been walking nearby. The older man turned back slightly, before his shoulders suddenly tensed and he took off running.

“You know him?” Alphonse asked.

“Yes.” The Major pulled back from the window. “He’s a skilled Alchemist who was involved in the Alchemy research department at Central. He was studying the use of Alchemy for medical purposes, but he vanished during the civil war.” 

The research department? Alphonse perked up. This Doctor Marcoh could know something about the philosopher stone-- or about the human chimera who had killed his brother. Alphonse quickly moved to gather his things. “Let's get off!”

Armstrong’s eyes widened, taken aback by the change in Alphonse’s demeanor. “But isn’t our stop at Resembool?”

“If he did that kind of research,” Alphonse explained as he grabbed his luggage. “Then he might know a thing or two about what I’m researching.”

…

They asked around town about Dr. Marcoh, Major Armstrong sketched out a portrait of the man to help them along. It was a pretty accurate likeness of the man, Alphonse was once again impressed by the Major’s artistic abilities.

“The skill of portraiture has been passed down the Armstrong family for generations!” The Major explained proudly when Alphonse complimented his work.

“Oh yeah, I know him.” 

It hadn’t taken them too long to find someone who’d recognized Marcoh’s face. The first were two builders who were on a break. “Yeah, that’s Dr. Mauro.” The first worker said, poking at the sheet.

“Mauro…?” Armstrong asked, his brows creasing in confusion. “That's new…”

“We aren’t the richest town in the world,” the other worker said. “Most of us can’t afford an ordinary doctor, but Dr. Mauro treats all his patients for free.”

Some elderly folk overheard them speaking and walked over. “Dr. Mauro? He’s a good man!” An old man exclaimed with a toothy grin.

“He even helps treat patients that other doctors would say wouldn’t have a chance to survive!” an elderly lady chimed in. 

The first worker began laughing loudly. “It’s true! When I got my leg stuck in a weed puller I could have died, but he fixed it up like it was nothin’! Good as new!” He patted his knee as he spoke and stomped his foot to emphasize his point.

…

“Sounds like it could be him…” Armstrong said as they walked. “I suppose it makes sense he is going by a pseudonym.”

“So he lives here huh?” Alphonse said, looking up at the crumbling cube of a home. 

“Seems so,” Armstrong nodded. “...Hm…I actually just recalled something. There was a rumor that when the doctor disappeared, some of the top-secret research material disappeared too.” They began walking up the steps to the home. “Most believe he stole it and ran…” Armstrong squinted at the home standing back as Alphonse knocked on the door. “Perhaps he thought we were sent here to bring him back?”

‘Kreeee…. ‘

The door was open? Alphonse peaked around. “Hello? Anyone ho-” 

Click. 

BANG!

“Wah!” Alphonse moved out of the way just in time to avoid being shot dead-to-death.

“Wha-what did you come here for?!” Dr. Marcoh asked, holding the smoking gun out in front of him with shaking hands. 

Alphonse clutched at his chest, wheezing out in relief that he hadn’t been hit. The Major walked forward carefully, putting himself between Alphonse and the doctor. “Please, calm down,” he pleaded.

“Did you come to take me back?!” Marcoh asked. “I’ll never go back to that place! I- please… I beg you, let me go!”

Armstrong waved his hand in a calm gesture. “No, that's not it. Please listen.”

“So you’ve come here to kill me? And shut me up for good!?”

“Please, lower your gun.” Armstrong pleaded.

“You can’t fool me!” Marcoh yelled. 

Alphonse watched the exchange with growing unease. What could they say to break him out of this–? 

Armstrong, having lost his patience, took Alphonse’s luggage and tossed it at the old man. 

“I said, please calm down!”

“I couldn’t stand it anymore…”

The three of them sat around Marcoh’s table, he held an icepack to his head and sat with a hunched, uneasy posture. The home was only  two rooms in an open floor plan, sparsely furnished with only the bare essentials and the supplies of a doctor who moved around too often to build up a larger collection. 

“Having to obey their orders, dirtying my hands to research the things I did… and then seeing it used in the civil war to slaughter hundreds of thousands of people.” He wrung his hands, looking ashamed. “It was an awful war. So many innocent lives lost. I can’t take back what I did, I will have to carry that knowledge the rest of my life. But still. I try to do what I can… That's why I work as a doctor now for free.”

“If you don’t mind me asking…” Armstrong said, slouching forward with a concerned expression. “What was it you were researching before you left? What was it you took with you?” 

The Doctor placed a hand to his forehead. He sat for a minute, massaging his brow, looking deep in thought, most likely contemplating if he should say anything to the two of them. His frown deepened before finally he looked up. 

“I was making the Philosopher's Stone.”

Alphonse blinked, sitting frozen in place. The Philosopher's Stone…?!’

“Yes, I, uh, what you said was true, I took the stone and research data with me.” Marcoh confirmed.

“You have the Stone?!” Alphonse asked, leaning forward, his hand gripping the table. 

The doctor’s chair creaked as he moved back and stood. “Yeah…” He said as he sauntered over and opened a cabinet. He sorted through some bottles of medicine before pulling out a vial of red liquid. “Here it is.” He swished it around. “Interesting thing about it, though it looks like a liquid…it holds its shape.” 

He poured it out on the table. As it hit the table it wobbled, but to Alphonse and the Major’s amazement it kept its shape, like a huge drop of water. Marcoh listed off the various other names the Stone had been given as they examined it. Sage's Stone, The Stone of Heaven and Earth, the Fifth Element. Alphonse poked at it, it was solid…but not. It was strange and hard to describe. It reacted almost like gelatin, but felt like an ordinary, solid stone to the touch.

“This was created for experimental purposes. It is an imperfect compound and it's impossible to know when it will reach its limits and cease to be.”

Imperfect…? Alphonse thought back to the stone Father Cornello had. But…“Doesn’t this mean that it is possible to create the perfect stone someday?” Alphonse asked excitedly. “Doctor… Can you please show me your data?”

“Huh…?” Marcoh looked taken aback. “What… What do you plan to do with such a thing?” he asked, looking from Alphonse to Armstrong. 

“He’s a State Alchemist.” Armstrong said, pointing at Alphonse.

“This boy? A State Alchemist license at his age…? He must have been lured by the promises of privilege and research money…How foolish.” Marcoh covered his face with a hand with a despairing expression. “Do you know how many Alchemists threw away their licenses after the war? I wasn’t the only one who hated himself for being used as a weapon… but you still-”

Alphonse stood, his chair falling behind him with a loud clatter. “-I know it was foolish! But it was the only thing I could do in my situation!” He paused, holding onto his opposite shoulder. “I have to achieve my goal, even if it results in my own pain…” He took a breath. If he had to explain it again, then so be it.

The doctor looked deep in thought, having now heard Alphonse’s story. “I see. So you committed the ultimate sin…” Marcoh muttered. “If you can do something like that at such a young age-” He suddenly shook his head, making an aggravated noise. “No…I just can’t allow you to see my data.”

“But why not?” Alphonse nearly knocked his chair over again, but caught it just in time.

“Getting your original body back… the stone shouldn’t be used for something so… trite.”

“TRITE?!” Alphonse echoed with a scowl.

“That's a little harsh, is it not, Doctor?” Armstrong asked.

“No one will ever see my research.” Marcoh declared, standing and facing away from them. “It’s the work of the devil and it can lead you straight into hell.”

“I’ve already seen hell.” Alphonse retorted.

The Doctor didn’t budge. “Please, leave.”

After leaving Marcoh’s home, they headed straight back to the train platform. The next train wasn’t due for a while, so they sat on a bench to wait. Alphonse, who had been silently stewing at the doctor’s words, finally let out a heavy sigh and slouched in despair. He didn’t even get to ask about the human chimera. 

“You could have taken the Stone by force.” Armstrong pointed out. 

He could have, he was a State Alchemist and he had the ability to confiscate items he deemed dangerous or illegal.

“Yeah… and I wanted to, but then I thought about it…” Alphonse said. “The people we met, on the way over. He most likely uses the stone to help them.” He sighed, leaning into his suitcase. “It just wouldn’t be right, taking something so many people have relied on, just for my own gain. It’s not like I’m going to die because I don’t have it.” He yawned and rubbed at his nose with his good hand. “I will just have to find a different way eventually.” He turned to Armstrong with a raised brow. “Wait… don’t you have to report Dr. Marcoh?” 

“I’m not sure what you mean,” Armstrong said, “The person we met was an ordinary town doctor named Mauro.” 

Alphonse grinned at him then turned his attention back out towards the empty railway. “Back where we started…. And there's still a long way to go.”
“Hey!” Was that…? 

Dr. Marcoh? 

The doctor walked out on the platform towards him, an envelope clutched tightly in his hand. “This is the location. Go here and you will find my research.” He had a change of heart? As he handed Alphonse the envelope he leaned over, his voice hushed. “If you can look truth in the face then do it. Then you might be able to reach the truth that lies within the truth…” He shook his head. “Er… nevermind I’ve said too much.” 

Before Alphonse could recover from his shock, the doctor was off, waving goodbye. “Hope you find what you’re seeking!” 

Alphonse stood dumbly, watching Marcoh until he was out of sight. What made him change his mind? Alphonse could admit he’d been a bit brash in his earlier response. Nevertheless, whatever his reason was, Alphonse was thankful. He peered down at the folded paper and opened it with his thumb.

National Central Library    1st Branch

-Tim Marcoh

“If you want to hide a tree… place it in a forest…” Armstrong murmured, reading the note over Alphonse’s shoulder. “Their collection is beyond comparison. There must be millions of volumes.” 

Alphonse gave the letter a wobbly smile. One step closer, brother.

——————

“Alphonse, is that you?” Granny Pinako asked as he and Armstrong approached the Rockbell home. The day had slipped by, quickly dimming as the sun sank low behind the hills. He was unsure they’d reach the house before nightfall, but they’d managed to make it just in time.

“Hi, Granny.” He waved to her with his good arm. 

She took a long drag on her pipe, looking from his raised hand, to his limp ‘arm’, to Armstrong carrying both sets of luggage, then back to Alphonse. She let out the puff of smoke and sighed. “So… you got yourself a new babysitter?”

“Bah-” Alphonse said immediately and then scowled. “He’s not my– I don’t need a babysitter!” 

She shook her head, clicking her teeth. “You sure act like you need one! What's this, the second broken automail in two months?” she asked, motioning to his arm with her pipe.

“It's…” Alphonse blushed in embarrassment. “It’s a long story…Uh.” He coughed into his good hand. “Anyways. Uh, Granny Pinako, this is Major Alex Louis Armstrong.”

Granny Pinako eyed his towering acquaintance and smirked. She raised a hand out, which he took gently, before his eyes widened at the unexpected strength of her grip. “Pinako Rockbell, pleased to meet ya,” she greeted, shaking his hand. 

“Alphonse!!!” In mere seconds Alphonse was enveloped in Winry’s embrace. She laughed, hugging him even closer. “It’s good to see you again-” She stopped speaking, stepped back, and eyed the limp fabric where his arm should be. Her lips thinned as she lowered her head.  “....Alphonse….?” 

“Oh… So yeah the reason I came by–”

CLONK. 

“aCK!” Alphonse fell over, gripping his head. She hit him with a wrench! He slouched forward and complained, “Winry! That could have killed me!”

Winry, faced away, crossed her arms and let out a huff. “I thought you had come to visit me because you wanted to see me!!”

Pinako chuckled, shaking her head, grabbing Armstrong’s attention. “...Here we go again.”

“Winry…” Alphonse whined, “That's not– of course I wanted to see you!” 

Winry glared back at him with a disbelieving eye. “Oh really?”

“Of course! This just gave me the excuse-” He paused, noticing the second wrench she was gripping. He said something wrong again didn’t he? He should stop talking, shouldn’t he?

“Oh? So now you need excuses to come see me… which includes breaking my hard work?” She asked, her glare like daggers. 

“N-n-no of course not!” Alphonse cried, looking up at her pleadingly. “Ah, um - It was an accident. I didn't want to break it, nor did I go out of my way to do it. I swear I didn’t Winry! And I did want to see you, of course I did, I miss you all the time and--”

Winry sighed, rubbing her head with an annoyed expression. “You idiot… Next time at least call me so I am prepared.” She looked at him and a warmth filled her eyes. A light smile tugged at her lips as she walked forward, put her hand on his shoulder and kissed his cheek. Alphonse made a sound, not expecting the gesture after she had been so mad. “Come on…” She said softly, her face mirroring the shade of pink that Alphonse’s was. She let go of him and spun around, walking towards the home. “I’ve gotten all the new automail parts we discussed last time you were here. All we have to do is put it all together.” 

Alphonse watched her in stunned silence before scrambling to stand. “Winr- I-You… Ok!” Alphonse squeaked out, following close behind her.

“Ah, young love~” Armstrong cooed watching them walk off.

“My granddaughter has that boy wrapped around her finger,” Granny Pinako observed, shaking her head.

——————

“I see, so you are in a hurry?” Pinako asked as she helped Winry to remove Alphonse’s legs and arm, an experience not even close to the pain he would feel when they reattached them again. “Sounds like you have a lot of research ahead of you back in Central.” 

“That's amazing news Al!” Winry said as she pulled his arm off. “I told you you’d find a lead!” She walked away, setting it down and examining the parts they’d removed. “Hm…You’ve taken better care of them this time around… Well, that is besides…”

“I told you I was trying!” Alphonse cried. He rubbed his sore head and pouted. He could feel the bump forming where he’d been hit with the wrench earlier. 

Winry chuckled, grabbing the temporary parts from beside her and returning to his side. “I know, I know…You just can’t keep yourself out of trouble, can you?” She gave him a tender smile. Alphonse blushed, not denying the fact.

“I think it will be three days.” Pinako said, looking at her fingers. “If we had everything pre-built already for you, you wouldn’t have needed to stay so long…” Pinako paused as she installed one of the temporary legs, then squinted at him “But you knew that, didn’t you?” 

Alphonse gazed around the room and whistled.  

Pinako raised an eyebrow at him. “Alphonse…?”

He blinked at her. “Hm?” 

She rolled up an automail magazine and hit his arm. “Call us next time! You can stay as long as you wish if you need to!” Winry sighed, looking exhausted. Pinako finished attaching the second temporary leg with a loud ka-chunk and sat back. “Alright, test those legs out, slowly though since they’ll feel different.” 

Alphonse stood. Different types automail had their own varying sensations. The temporary legs that didn’t connect to his nerve endings always made him feel like he was walking on stilts. His balance was completely off, he grimaced as he struggled to keep upright.

Winry seemed to be deep in thought, calculating her time and counting up with her fingers. “Three days huh? This installment will include an all nighter for sure…” she sighed. 

“Sorry…” Alphonse said, looking over at her. “Like I said, no hurry… really.” 

Winry shook her head, giving him an amused smile. “I know you, you want to get to Central as soon as possible and delve into those research notes. I will see what I can do.” She paused, grinned deviously. “But for a rush job like this you have to pay extra–” She smacked his back hard, knocking Alphonse off balance. Without arms to steady himself, he toppled over onto some boxes. ‘-Oops…” She ran over to help him up, “Sorry I forgot you weren’t used to those legs yet.”

“Ah-it’s okay, Winry,” he said, rolling himself to a sitting position. “See no harm!” She exhaled a laugh and leaned down, wrapping an arm around his torso and helping him up. He blushed at the closeness. 

“Let’s get those temporary arms on you too, ‘kay?”

——————

Alphonse wobbled slightly on his legs as Den followed close behind him. Maybe he was being stupid, walking all the way over with temporary parts. He just couldn’t get himself to sit still, even if it was nice enough outside to lay in the grass and do nothing all afternoon. Which was a very tempting idea, but he … he hadn’t visited them in a while. They were just as he’d last left them. He knelt down and Den placed his head on Alphonse’s lap comfortingly.  

“Ah,” Alphonse chuckled, petting the dog. “Good boy.” He turned his attention back to the grave stones. “Hi Mom… Hi brother… it’s been a while hasn’t it?”

Alphonse told the stones all about the train ride with the Major, his adventures with Lyra, all of the wonderful people he’d met…with a glance towards his mother’s grave he decided not to go into the situation with that human chimera, as if he’d be burdening his mother with the knowledge of her son’s killer. After what felt like hours, Alphonse stood. He placed two flowers he’d brought with him on both graves. 

Looking at his once beloved childhood home, Alphonse felt a knot tighten in his stomach. It stood swallowed by vines, moss, and other rampantly growing plants—a testament to the years of neglect. "It's a wonder what not taking care of a house can do," he muttered to himself, feeling a tinge of fault for its disrepair. As he neared the entrance to his old home, Den stopped in his tracks and growled. Alphonse let out a huff, rolling his eyes at the dog's paranoia as he walked onto the porch. The air felt thicker, he pulled a sleeve over his face to block out the smell of must and damp earth. Based on the holes in the siding, he wouldn't be surprised if various critters had claimed the house as their own in his absence. 

Unsurprisingly, everything was worse than it was before. But the front door was ajar. He could have sworn he'd locked it the last time he visited. He knelt down, looking for the spare key underneath the flowerpots, but with no luck. No one knew of the key besides his mom, Edward and himself. Had a storm swept it away? Deep in thought, he pushed the door open further. It creaked loudly, echoing in the entry.

He stepped inside, where the awful smell was even worse. To his alarm, he immediately noticed the missing wall in front of the basement entrance. "We closed that up," he whispered, a chill running down his spine. "Did something ram through it?" He ran a metal hand along the jagged edges of the broken stone. As he did, he saw the drawer where he kept his letters to Edward. It was wide open, the letters themselves unfolded and scattered about. Some lay further down the hall, probably blown around by a powerful gust. Had he left the drawer open? He might have, but… No, he was overthinking things. Maybe the door had rusted, and the lock had given way in a storm? Maybe the wall wasn’t properly created and crumbled on its own. And maybe the letters had blown out in the wind. He nodded, accepting this as his leading hypothesis and continued looking for anything else out of place.

Finally, he reached his father's study. The door, which he DID distinctly remember closing, was flung open. Inside, books had been taken off of the shelves and stacked on the desk and floor. His earlier suspicions were confirmed, someone must have been here, but who? His heart pounded. Could it have been his father? He scratched his head, a wave of apprehension washing over him. It couldn't be… right? Why come back to this house after being gone for so long? He mentally tallied the books, noting that none of them were missing. He’d know if any were, he’d read each one after all.

The rank odor and undeniable proof of an invasion were making Alphonse sick to his stomach, so he decided not to dwell too much on his unsettling discoveries.

 As he walked from the room, a glint of metal on the desk caught his eye.. 

It was the spare key. 

Chapter Text

Chapter 33: Rest

The unsettling feeling never left Alphonse’s gut, even when he was back at the Rockbell’s for dinner. 

“Alphonse…” Pinako’s voice cut through his thoughts, her gaze directed at his untouched plate. “You’ve barely touched your food and you’ve been pushing the peas around for five minutes. Are you okay?” 

He looked up, meeting Winry’s concerned eyes across the table. A flush of embarrassment crept up his neck; he needed to get a grip before they realized he was unraveling again. Not to mention Major Armstrong, quietly eating next to him, who he avoided looking at all together. He was really trying to eat, but he couldn’t seem to shake the queasy feeling from his stomach. He dropped his gaze back to his plate. “Sorry, just thinking.”

“Hm. Well, I worked hard on this meal, so stop thinking and start eating before your food is cold,” Pinako retorted, jabbing her fork in his direction.

 Alphonse dug his fork into the potatoes on his plate. He could tell they were worried, and he was angry about it. Not at them, but at himself. He had promised to be better, he was getting better! Back when he lost his limbs, nothing tasted right, even when hunger gnawed at him. Even after he’d snapped out of his depressed state, to start working towards his goals, things still tasted wrong. Every taste was just duller than he remembered them to be. Despite that he had found himself doing better as of the last few years, even if he still had a habit of forgetting to eat. 

He'd long suspected Granny Pinako had told Mustang or Hawkeye everything, judging by how often they called just to ask about his dinner. While he was grateful for their concern, he also felt guilty that they were taking time out of their busy schedules for such a simple check-in.

He’d gotten a lot better in the last year, but after what had happened with Shou Tucker, Scar,  the tiger-chimera, and what he’d found back at his old home… It all had shaken him enough for his difficulty with food to resurface again.

“Alphonse…?” Winry tilting her head, her eyebrows knitting together with her growing concern. 

“Yeah, right, sorry.” Alphonse shook his head and scarfed a large scoop of potato into his mouth. It was cold, and though he usually enjoyed Pinako’s cooking, it left a bitter taste… He chewed, then swallowed, fighting the wave of disgust that prickled the skin of his neck. He put on a smile as he grabbed his water, rinsing his mouth of the taste. Just a couple more bites, he told himself, ignoring the looks from the people around him.

Just a couple more.

——————

Winry was hunched over the intricate mechanics of the new automail arm, the clinking of her tools was only sound filling the silence of the night, besides the faint ticking of a clock from the hallway. Alphonse sat on the small sofa in the corner of the dimly lit room. He had a blanket draped around him comfortably as he read a book. Not keen on being alone in his room, he decided to stay up with her, especially knowing she was pulling an all-nighter to help finish his new limbs before he had to leave. More than that, they hadn't seen each other in person for nearly a month and had hardly talked since he’d arrived, not properly one-on-one at least.

He was trying his best to keep his mind off of the recent events. Reporting the encounter with Scar and the chimera to Mustang and Hawkeye shook him even further, as if telling them made him relive it all over again. It was all too much to focus on. He needed to quiet his brain, but couldn’t seem to stop it from running into worries. He’d not spoken a word about anything to Granny or Winry, but he knew they could read him like a book.

The silence stretched on. Winry worked with such precision and grace that it was almost mesmerizing to watch. He knew how important this work was to her, how much of herself she poured into every inch of metal. It was not just a job or duty to her, no, it was an art form and a passion that she was sure to master well before her twenties.

Finally, Winry sighed, pushing a stray strand of hair behind her ear with the back of a gloved hand. She leaned back slightly, stretching her shoulders. "You've been extra quiet today, Al," she began, then she swiveled in her chair to face him, her blue eyes meeting his golden. “Did something happen? I– you never told me about what happened to your automail–” Alphonse stiffened, and Winry seemed to catch on to the change in demeanor immediately. He didn't want to explain it all again, not tonight. “--but, of course I won’t push you to talk about it! Especially if it's something you aren’t allowed to...” she assured him, her voice filled with empathy. Alphonse let out a relieved sigh, closing his eyes, and relaxed into the sofa. 

He looked over, noticing her saddened expression. She was just worried about him. “I’m sorry.” 

She shook her head and stood, walking over and sitting on the couch beside him. “You doofus, you don’t need to apologize.” Winry closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his torso in a gentle embrace. Her forehead rested against the crook of his neck. He smiled, holding her in his arms. The familiar scents of motor oil and her perfume filled his nose, an odd yet comforting mixture. Absent-mindedly he ran a gloved mechanical hand over her head, brushing through her soft blond hair. 

“Al?” Winry murmured, her voice muffled against his shoulder.

“Hm?”

“You’ll still visit me a lot once you have your body back? Right?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

He let out a short, disbelieving laugh and pulled back slightly to look at her face;  illuminated by the faint glow of a desk lamp. “You’re kidding, right?”

“Hm?”

“Why would you think I wouldn’t want to move back here after everything?” he asked, a wide grin spreading across his face. “I’m my happiest with you.”

Winry’s eyes widened, her cheeks a noticeable deep rose in the dim light. She quickly covered her face with her hands. “Alphonse, you idiot…” she mumbled, giving his temporary arm a light, affectionate punch. He chuckled as she rested her head back against his chest “I guess… I worry too much…”

“It’s good to worry, a little at least, it helps keep us prepared.” Alphonse mused. “Y’know, I heard someone say once that the most intelligent people tend to be the biggest worriers.”

“I see,” Winry giggled, “like a blessing and a curse.”

“Mm.”

“By the way, the arms are almost done.” She held up his hand. “Soon you’ll be able to feel the pressure of my hand in yours again, at least.”

Alphonse closed his eyes, letting out a relaxed exhale. “I can’t wait.”

——————

“I’ve changed my mind.” Alphonse said frantically.

“One…”

“Yeah. I definitely CAN WAIT!”

“...two, and…!”

“Maybe we could do this tomorrow–--ACK!” Alphonse cried out as Winry and Granny Pinako attached his new arms. The process was agonizing, reattaching all his nerves with each fitting. Tears welled in his eyes from the sharp pain.

“Don’t be such a baby, Alphonse,” Winry said, pressing into a sensor on his palm. “Now. How does it feel?”

“Feels… numb,” he observed, clenching his other fist. She leaned closer, a spark of worry on her features.

“Do you mean the normal kind of numbness?”

“Yeah,” he nodded, holding up his hand and flexing each finger.

She sighed letting go of his hand to place her face into her hands. “Then just say that, okay?” 

Alphonse’s eyes widened, realizing quickly how he had worried her just now. He shrank back, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly as he nervously chuckled. “Oh…Yeah! Right!”

——————

Pinako walked out of the shop to prepare lunch. Her gaze drifted to where Major Armstrong stood, observing a wall of photos next to the entrance of their home. It was a collection she'd curated herself. Most were of her and her family, but some were "borrowed" from the Elric house. When Alphonse had noticed them, he had grumbled about his baby pictures being on display, but she knew he would have done something about it himself years ago if he truly didn’t appreciate them. Plus, on occasion she’d catch him standing in front of the photos, staring at them with a quiet, nostalgic gleam in his eyes. 

Pinako walked over, peering at the Elric family photo which had captured the Major’s attention. When pinning the photos to the board, Pinako had deliberately covered Hohenheim's face. Mostly since it bothered Alphonse more than anything to look at. Armstrong however, had pulled away the other photo above to look at him.

Having noticed her, Armstrong hummed a soft greeting.

“A happy, ordinary family… Or at least three of them were living that way back then.” Pinako mumbled. “That's the only photo he ever took. Trisha somehow convinced him to finally take it with them, and the bastard ruined it by crying like a blubbering baby.” She let out a breathy chuckle as she thought back. “Y’know, I’d never seen that man cry like that before and I knew Von Hohenheim for quite a while. We two were even drinking buddies back in the day.”

“Oh?” Armstrong cast an inquisitive glance her way. 

“I don’t drink much anymore, but back then I could drink about anyone under the table. I could outlast the boy's father by at least six drinks.” Pinako grinned, holding up the number proudly on her fingers. Armstrong gave her an impressed expression. She waved a hand. “Anyways… The man was an alchemist, much like the boys. Absolutely brilliant mind. He could perform alchemy like they were miracles. I’d honestly be surprised if anyone knew more of alchemy than he did. Despite that, he wasn’t really big on boasting his skillset, he helped occasionally with fixing farm equipment, buildings and what-not. Sometimes he’d even use some sort of medical alchemy to help with injuries.” 

They stood silently for a moment. Pinako’s gaze turned to the photo of her son Yuriy. A deep mourning filled her as she thought of him. Back then… he had been inspired by Hohenheim's work, and begged the alchemist to teach him. Hoenheim had suggested he travel to Xing to find an Alkahestry master instead, but her son hadn’t wanted to travel far. After all, he had just started dating Sarah, who he immediately claimed was the love of his life. So, Hoenheim suggested he become a doctor if he wanted to help people. Yuriy took the man's advice to heart and came home the next day with his girlfriend and a stack of medical textbooks to study. Pinako had once, many years ago, wondered what would have happened if Yuriy had traveled away. Would Winry have been born? Would Yuriy and Sarah have still gone off to war to heal the soldiers and citizens? She doubted she could have ever kept him away from his calling. He had a big heart and it was set on helping everyone around him. She sighed. Those kinds of thoughts were an avalanche in the mind, probabilities that didn’t matter to focus on. Nothing could change what happened, no matter how much she wished for it. She was in the present now wasn’t she? 

Pinako scratched her head, trying to remember where she had left off in her conversation. “Yeah…Most knowledge of Hohenheim's work stayed in our community, but eventually word of his work must have spread along the grapevine. If it had not, then that Colonel wouldn’t have ended up on our doorstep requiting Alphonse.”

“Well… Colonel Mustang has a way of digging up information especially off the beaten path,” Armstrong confirmed. He tilted his head, looking at the photo of Edward helping baby Alphonse learn to walk. “What was Alphonse’s brother like?” 

“Little brat, always talked back to me and picked fights constantly,” Pinako explained. Though she said it with a sour expression, she couldn’t help the fondness, or the sadness, in her tone. She’d mourned so many in the past years, it was all too much for her at times. She continued, trying to keep herself together, despite how frayed the threads of her emotions were nowadays. “But… he was intelligent for a kid. He had a passion and drive very similar to his father.” She paused and chuckled. “I don’t doubt he would have tried to kick me in the head for saying that. Spitfire that kid. Between the two, Alphonse was always the calming tide that followed Ed’s wake. If you’d believe that.”

“Mmmhm…” Armstrong wiped at his eyes.. “I couldn’t imagine the pain you all must have felt… losing so much in such a short amount of time.”

Pinako lowered her head. “It was rough. Alphonse was quiet about his mourning for a long while, repressing his feelings through the years following their deaths. Which led to the night he made his life-altering mistake. It was some sort of monster, whatever it was that he created, left writhing on the floor of that basement floor.” She looked into space silently, shuddering at the mere memory of what she had seen. 

“....Past is past though,” she continued. “Alphonse has his eyes set to the future now. I believe that is the best thing for him at the moment. ” She began walking off, then stopped to look back at the towering man. “Care to help me with lunch?”

——————

"Finished!" Winry cheered, throwing her fists into the air. "And with hours to spare!"

Alphonse sprang up, running over excitedly to see her work. The automail legs were definitely taller this time, perfectly matching his growing frame. He grinned, running over to give Winry an ecstatic hug.

"They look great, Winry! Thank you—WoooAah!" He managed to catch her just in time as she swayed and passed out from sheer exhaustion. "Winry…" he chuckled, gently scooping her up bridal style and carrying her to the small couch in the corner. He made sure she was comfortable, covering her with a blanket. "Told you that you didn't need to push yourself so hard…" He smiled, tucking stray strands of hair from her face. At his touch, her features scrunched slightly before relaxing into a soft smile.

——————

Winry slept through the night. Despite her absence, Pinako helped Alphonse attach the final two mechanical limbs early in the morning. It was nice—once the pain faded—to be back in a more familiar form, albeit with added height.

He familiarized himself with the new automail by practicing his martial arts outside in the night air. Their durability was undeniable, especially when they were still pristine after Major Armstrong joined him for a couple of spars. Alphonse could probably hold his own against most people now, but the Major was a tank. It was clear Armstrong was going easy on him, not that it mattered; Alphonse did not want to fight the man at full strength. It certainly made him wonder how strong the Tiger Chimera must be to escape from the Major alive. That being said…

Alphonse jumped away, wiping sweat from his brow with his sleeve. "Hey, Major Armstrong?"

"Yes?" Armstrong relaxed his stance, plopping down in the grass.

Alphonse sat across from him. "What was it like? Fighting the chimera?"

The Major's expression shifted, a look of… fear, or… disgust? Was the chimera truly that terrifying an opponent? Alphonse tried to backpeddel, "You don't have to talk about it if you don't—"

"—He… used rather… repulsive… tactics but, he was quite the formidable foe. He was very skilled in alchemy."

"Huh. Alchemy?" Alphonse looked at him curiously. "I hadn't heard anything about him doing that."

"It would make sense, I suppose," Armstrong said. "You see, the research team we discovered was using prisoners as test subjects. Which means this subject might have been an ex-State Alchemist, and more likely possibly a defector from the war… Though, I couldn’t recognize who he was behind his animal features" Armstrong trailed off. "I myself left the war back then. It was seen as a cowardly move. Many in my family, even my own older sister, still see it that way. However, I managed to get approval from the higher-ups to return." He stroked his mustache in thought. "Some of the others chose to run, or to turn on the Amestrian military. I couldn't say I hadn't thought of that back then, but having heard of what the research team did to the prisoners… I at least feel a little better about being… a coward, back then."

"What was his alchemy like?" Alphonse asked.

"Nothing…" The older alchemist shuddered. "Nothing like I've seen before… though, not impossible to beat if prepared. Something I found interesting… He used a notepad to transmute. Makes sense, not having to sketch a circle every time he needed to use an attack." Armstrong nodded. "Not unlike my gauntlets here." He furrowed his brows. "But the tiger-chimera seemed to be able to transmute a variety of circles, all at once as well… quite a skill."

"Multiple… at once…" Alphonse rubbed his chin. "That would be impossible. Unless they were linked in some way…" Could the chimera have invented a new way of alchemy? Maybe revolutionized the science altogether? Alphonse shivered. What a terrifying idea. 

"I found some throwing knives strewn about when our battle was done. Kunai, I believe? They originate in Xing," Armstrong explained. "Xing has a medical-based technique, very similar in appearance to alchemy, but it's called Alkahestry."

"Wait… I've read about that… where was it…" Alphonse's face scrunched up. Was it one of his father's books? Or did he read about it in one of… or maybe Central? It was a technique he wouldn't deny had interested him, but he couldn't find much about it and gave up. Maybe… he could check his father's study again—or on second thought— "Do you know anything about Alkahestry?"

"Sorry, young Alphonse Elric," Armstrong replied. "If I knew anymore besides its origins, I would gladly share the information with you. I sadly do not."

If Alphonse were to follow his brother's advice, all he needed to do was keep doing his own thing, but keep an eye peeled. Maybe a chance to learn would find him eventually.

“Thanks.” Alphonse said, giving the older man a smile. “And… if it is any consolation, I don’t think what you did back then was cowardly… I honestly think leaving that war was the bravest thing you could have done back then.”

Armstrong stiffened, his face quickly turning from Alphonse so the teen couldn’t see his expression. They sat quietly, pinks and golden hues of the sunrise finally peaking through the clouds of the horizon. After a few minutes, Alphonse felt a creeping dread that he said the wrong thing. He turned his attention back to the Major, opening and closing his mouth a couple times trying to figure out a way of apologizing, that is until the older man finally spoke.

“Much appreciated Alphonse….”

——————

“Take care of yourself!” Pinako called out to Alphonse later that morning as he and Armstrong started down the pathway. “And this time, give us a couple more months at least before breaking it again!” 

Next to Pinako, Den barked, running from her side to follow them along the path towards the end of the property. Alphonse chuckled as Den hopped around him, then waved back to Pinako. “I promise to do my best!”

“ALPHONSE!” He spun on his heel and met Winry’s eyes as she dashed out of the house, still in her pajamas and wrapped in a blanket that billowed out behind her. She leaped, and Alphonse opened his arms, catching her as she collided into him, causing him to spin around from the momentum. She pulled his face close, kissing him for the first time.

She had morning breath and smelled of sweat, but Alphonse wouldn’t trade the moment for the world. She pulled back, a wide grin plastered across her face.

“I… made it… in time to… wish you… goodbye…”

Alphonse stared at her, mesmerized and a little shaken.

Winry laughed, catching her breath and stepping back from him. “Al, promise me you’ll be back soon? Not for automail… but just a visit?”

Alphonse smiled. “Of course. Next time we see each other, I will certainly be in one piece.” 

Winry nodded and gave him a wave. “Good, see you then!”

“Ohhhhhhh! Young love!” The Major sobbed and sparkled simultaneously beside them as he witnessed the scene.

“Will you cut it out!” Alphonse yelled, slapping at his arm. “Also—I can carry my own suitcase now that I have both my arms!” he said, reaching for the luggage in Armstrong’s hands. 

The older man bellowed out a laugh and held it up in the air, far out of Alphonse’s reach. “Sorry, Alphonse Elric, but I will do the carrying! I must make it up to you, after all!”

“You’ve done enough already!” Alphonse begged, jumping for his things. “Come on, hand it over!”

“No can do!”

Winry laughed, watching as Alphonse tried and failed to get his luggage from the Major, even resorting to alchemy. Armstrong started running from him. Down the path, towards the town. A trail of smoke drifted by Winry, drawing her attention. Pinako let out a chuckle, raising her pipe in greeting.

“You know that boy is going to need repairs in less than a month,” she said, giving her granddaughter a knowing smile. “He promised, but we both know he can’t keep himself out of trouble. It always seems to follow him, doesn’t it?” 

Winry looked to her grandmother, then back towards the retreating figures of Alphonse and Major Alex Louis Armstrong. “Well,” she said, pulling the blanket tighter around her shoulders. “Then I might as well get my rest while I can and be prepared.”

——————

“Alright!” Alphonse exclaimed as he jumped out onto the platform of Central’s station, his luggage in hand. He turned back to Armstrong, who ducked his way out of the train car. “Next stop, the Library!”