The Soul Alchemist 2
New chapter, and new icon. *Yay* I spent my entire sunday writing this fic! I really like how it's turning out, and I hope you all like it too. This chapter explains more of the story so it helps set things for the next chapter. hope you enjoy!
Title: The Soul Alchemist
Author: Frankie_the_cat
Pairing:Elricest
Rating: PG-13
Warnings:longer chapter, Al's state alchemist test
Summary: "Good job Al, now you're officially a dog of the military."
The blonde teenager stared at the brunette, shock painting his face. "You...you what?"
"I want to join the military, like you. I want to be a state alchemist." The taller brother repeated, although he was only taller by a few inches. Still enough to cause his older brother to throw a fit.
"...Why? Why would you want to be a dog like me?" The older Elric obviously didn't agree with the idea. Ever since he had retrieved his brother's body from the gate and reached his goal, he had been trying to leave the military. Easier said than done. "I have to be in the military Al, I have no choice. But you...you can get out of here, away from central. Go back to Resembool and live peacefully."
Al's eyes narrowed a bit, his focus was aimed at his brother's feet. He had spent alot of time thinking about it, and after much debating he came to a conclusion. "But I wouldn't be living peacefully...because I wouldn't be with you."
One thing not many people knew about the Fullmetal Alchemist is that only one person could make him blush from a single touch. One person could make him feel butterflies in his stomach just by looking at him. One person could melt his heart by uttering one word. His brother, Alphonse elric. "...o-okay...but are you sure? I mean, I know the militaries a whole lot safer since Bradley was assassinated but that doesn't mean it won't be dangerous some times."
"Idiot brother," Al chuckled affectionately, "don't forget, you've never beat me at sparring. And your the famed Fullmetal Alchemist! What could possibly go wrong?"
Chapter 2: The Soul Alchemist
"Everything." Ed muttered to himself as he walked down the narrow military hallway. His report, which had been finished on the way to headquarters, was neatly tucked under his arm. Colonel Hawkeye wouldn't care how halfassed it would be, she knew where his priorities lay.
The office door swung open as the young alchemist shuffled through. This time the office was full, Feury, Breda, and Falman all doing paper work at their desk's. Havok was busy doing...nothing again.
"Oh, hey Edward. It's good to see you." Feury commented, pleased by the appearance of his old friend.
"Hello Edward." Fallman Chimed in immediately after Feury.
"Hi guys. How have you been?" The blonde replied, he didn't really feel like conversating, but it would be rude not to.
"Good."
"Fine."
"That's good. Hey, is the Colonel in?"
"Yes, but she's on the phone right now. You might want to wait a minute." Falman, the all knowing, answered.
"Oh, okay." Edward walked to the back of the office, sitting at his desk to wait for his commanding officer. He wiped a finger across the top, leaving a long line where the dust was removed. "Gross."
"Oh hey ki...I mean Ed. Heh,heh" Havok chuckled, cigarette nearly falling out of his mouth. "Didn't see you come in."
"Hey Havok. What's Breda doing?" The alchemist peered over at said soldier, who was currently pulling on his hair with one hand and writing on paper with the other. "Why's his face all scrunched up like that?"
Havok twisted his head to get a look. It was true, Breda looked very aggravated, almost menacing. "Oh him, nothing much. Just trying to finish his last stack of paper work before deadline. Last time he was late the Colonel had a 'Talk' with him in her office. Ever since, he hasn't turned in one single document late. And for some reason, whenever the Colonel happens to rest her hand anywhere near her pistol, he freezes up. Almost like a huge dog just bit him in the a..."
"Edward, do you have that report ready?" The Colonel inquired from her office doorway. Falman must have let her know he was waiting.
Although Havok's story was interesting, Ed had more important things to tend too. Like getting this over and getting out of Central. "Yes, sir.
The two stepped into the small office, the Colonel taking her seat behind her desk, and the State Alchemist directly across. This was just as routine as all of their other visits were.
First Ed would hand over the report, "Here's my report on the allegations of a rebel group of Drachmians hiding in Creta. Is there anything else you would have me do before I go on to my next assignment?"
The the older blonde would take his report, look it over quickly, and answer him. "No, you did well. You are now officially discharged from this assignment. Are you ready for your next one?"
Then, with out taking the slightest moment to think it over, the man would reply. "Yes, sir."
Briefing was Ed's favorite part, it told him what he needed to know to make his search easier. "You are assigned to go to the Drachma-Amestries boarder. I've told command that we have a good idea that a rebel group of Drachmian Soldiers are hiding in the mountains. Go and investigate. Find out if they really are there, and if they are, find out why."
And now that all the official talk was out of the way, the two friends to could talk freely. "Thanks again Hawkeye."
"No problem Ed. When do you plan on leaving?"
"Today, there's a train headed north, leaving later this evening. I've got a few things to do before I go."
This wasn't a surprise to the soldiers' commanding officer. She had found that since her subordinate began his fruitless search for his dead brother, he had shown a determination more powerful than that of the determination he exhibited when searching for the stone. Although it was a quiet determination he showed, only noticeable to those who knew him well. "Then good luck on this assignment and...enjoy yourself Edward. I hear the weather is quite lovely up there this time of year." A weak smirk was offered.
The young man looked upon his commanding officer, slightly surprised. It was rare for her to show such affection, only in drastic occasions did she ever. A sign of how worried she was for her friend. "I will. Thanks Colonel." He lied through his teeth, truth was, he didn't enjoy much these days.
*
The 'Things' Ed said he had to do, was actually say goodbye to Winry. Last time he left without saying goodbye, he was greeted by a wrench upon his return. To be honest, he almost wanted to leave without saying anything, the argument of the day before was still fresh in his memory.
Slowly, if not hesitantly, he stepped into the shop. Once again it was empty, just his luck. Now if Winry tried killing him for leaving so soon, no one would be around to help him. He shut the door quietly and listened, but didn't hear anything. Wondering if she had gone out to lunch he wandered into the back room. It wasn't long till that theory was debunked, due to the fact that there happened to be a sleeping Winry at her workbench.
"Winry?" He coaxed, as he nudged her shoulder, "Hey, Winry?"
"Uuughh. What is it granny?"
'Granny', Ed chuckled a little at the remark, thinking it was cute. "No, it's not granny. It's me Ed, get up."
The sleepy eyed girl lifted her head and looked around the room, finding no one but her friend. "Oh, hi Ed. Did I fall asleep at my bench again?"
"No Winry, I just happened to find you unconscious at your workbench." He anounced sarcastically.
"Ha, ha. Very witty Ed," She returned just as sarcastically, "I didn't know you still had a sense of humor." Winry regretted saying it, seeing her friends face get serious showed her mistake.
"Yeah well, it shows every once in a while."
There was a moment of awkward silence between the two, where Ed fiddled with the lining of his coat jacket and Winry sat looking around the room. As the two blondes thought of the next thing to say, Winry remembered the fight they had the day before. She didn't think he would come back, and thought he would leave without staying goodbye. She wondered, why was he here?
"So, you planning on leaving again. You're not gonna stay in town for a while, you know, rest a little?" Ed hadn't really stayed in one place for more than two weeks since Al's death. Winry often wondered where his energy came from and how does he have so much of it.
"Uh...yeah. I'm going on another assignment."
"When do you leave?"
"...today, later this evening."
Ed didn't want to look into Winry's face, he knew she would be frowning at him, he could feel it. This is why he hated saying goodbye to her, because in no way did his 'bye' feel 'good'.
"So then you actually came to say goodbye then?" Not only was the face she was giving her friend cold, but the tone she used was equally chilly.
"...yes I came to say goodbye. But if you're gonna be rude about it then forget it..." He spun around to leave but just as he reached the door frame...
"Wait..." He stopped dead in his tracks, listening "...okay, I'm sorry. It's just...I'm a little surprised you actually came. You know, because of yesterday and all."
For a moment, Winry thought her old pal was about to walk right out the door, since he didn't move right away. But after a short while he turned around and faced her. "It's fine, don't worry about yesterday." There he stood, in the door frame, as another uncomfortable silence surrounded them.
"So...where you going?" The mechanic inquired, wondering what boarder her friend would venture to this time.
"I'm going north, up near the boarder between Drachma and Amestries."
Winry didn't have to ask the next question, she already knew why he was headed there. "Is it the same rebel's that...well...you know."
"...I'm not sure." He was never sure, all he knew was that the rebels from Drachma were his only lead. He would chase down every rebel faction from Drachma till he found what he was looking for.
"Oh..." she didn't know what else to say, what else was there to say, "...well then, be careful okay Ed."
"I will." The man smiled softly, touched by his friend's concern.
"And promise me you'll come home soon, okay?" She used her puppy dog eye's on that one.
Ed chuckled, "Okay Winry, I promise."
The mechanic rose from her bench and closed the distance to the door, giving her friend an affectionate hug. It almost felt weird, she hadn't hugged him in so long. It almost felt like she wasn't supposed to do it. "When does your train leave?"
"Not for a couple of hours." he replied as Winry ended the embrace, softly backing away.
"A couple of hours? What are you gonna do in the meanwhile?"
"I don't know, I'll probably just wait at the station."
"For a couple of hours?" She asked surprised, "Then if you're gonna wait at the station for a couple of hours, I'm waiting with you."
"What about the shop?"
"What about the shop, there's no one here Ed." She informed him matter-of-factly.
"Are you sure, I mean you probably have better things to do today. I don't want you to waste you're day on my account."
"Ed, spending the day with my bestest friend is NOT wasting the day."
*
The walk over had been fairly quiet, not much said but small talk. Upon reaching the train station, Edward bought his ticket and took a seat on a platform bench, Winry in the seat next to him. Once the old friends were seated and waiting, things sort of quietted down between them, as they drifted off into space.
As Winry was sitting there, staring at the tracks, she remembered something. Back at the shop she had left a note on her desk that read 'Ask him'. That was all it said but she knew the true meaning to it. The reason for the note was simple, Ed never told her the story of how exactly he got his brother's body back. Or why Al joined the military, that had bothered her for a long time. It didn't make sense for Al to enlist, and when she had asked before they had only given her some halfassed excuse.
Mustering up all her courage she gently tapped Ed's shoulder, getting his attention. "Yeah Winry, what is it?"
"Um, Ed. There's something I wanted to ask you." Winry softly fiddled with her fingers, and kept her gaze upon him as she spoke. She was afraid to ask, but she really wanted to know.
"Ask me what?" From years of knowing her best friend, she could tell by the tone of his voice how suspicious he was. And was that fear?
"Don't worry it's nothing serious. Well...I guess maybe it is but I really want to know, and trust me you can tell me anything."
"What is it Winry." This time mixed with suspicion and weariness.
Taking a deep breath, as if this would be the hardest thing to do in the world, Winry asked her first question. "I want to know exactly how you got Al's body back." The words came out faster than she wanted.
As soon as the question was asked, Edward's face became soft, and his eyes wandered around the station. As if he were remembering something. He never did want to tell Winry the story, he thought it would be too hard for her to handle. That was a long time ago though, and now the two were adults.
Taking a breath equally as deep as Winry's, and to the great surprise of his friend as well, he began to tell the story. "There are alot of things that I would have to explain to you, for you to understand the entire story. So for now, I'll try to explain as much as I can so that you at least know the basics of it."
"Okay. I never was skilled in alchemy, but I'll try my hardest to understand." She already knew she was going to be confused, but there wasn't much to do about it. It sort of reminded her of when she tried to explain things about automail to Edward once. He was so confused he vowed never to alchemically alter his arm again, although he did anyway.
"Do you remember the place Rose found Al and me? That old under ground city?"
"Uh-huh" How could she forget something like that.
"And you remember how Al was turned into the philosophers stone?"
"Yeah."
"Well, a person named Dante was trying to use him for her own selfish needs. I tried to stop her, and in the process I had to fight the Homunculi." Ed then looked at his old friend worriedly, he didn't want to tell her what happened next.
"What is it Ed, what happened?" She was about to etch lines in the old wooden bench with her fingernails. The anticipation was killing her.
"I fought a Homunculi named Envy. And while we were fighting...I was...well I was hurt...really bad..."
"I don't remember you being hurt when they found you, where did she hurt you?"
The Fullmetal Alchemist was a genius, but even he couldn't figure out a way around this part of the story. "...well you see Winry...I was...stabbed...through my chest...and...I..." It was too hard, his voice shook, he didn't want to say it. He didn't even like to think it.
"Go on Ed, what happened to you?" Her tone was that of worry, she wanted to know the truth. "...what happened?"
"...I...d-died..."
The world stopped turning, time froze as birds halted in mid air and sound ceased to exist. Winry didn't hear that, she couldn't of! Ed died? No way, she thought. But the look on the shorter blonde's face told her he was telling the truth. He had died.
"...Oh my god..." She exclaimed when her voice finally came back to her, "...Oh my god...how can that be...you're...you're sitting right next to me now?!"
This is what Ed feared, Winry didn't know how to handle this. Softly he placed a gloved hand upon her's, calming her down. "...let me finish, I promise you'll understand everything." Another long breath was taken by the Alchemist, "After I died, Al managed to somehow bring me back, using himself and the stone."
The girl clasped a hand over her mouth, just barely halting a gasp. "...you mean...Al died...too...?"
Ed hated thinking of this, the thought of what his brother did for him that day nearly caused him to break down every time he thought of it. "...y-yes, he did...and when he brought me back, I had all of my limbs. And I was so happy, but then...Rose told me what happened to Al...and then I..." The tears tried furouciously to escape his eyes, but he fought them back just as hard.
Winry was staring in shock, one hand still over her mouth, the other being held by Edward's. "...if you had you're limbs back...then how did you..." She quickly glanced down at the glinting metal of her masterpiece.
"...I...I used myself...in a transmutation...to bring him back..."
"...you what...!"
"Shh! Just listen to me." Ed licked his lips and went on, "...I used myself to bring him back...but something...strange...happened...instead of being taken whole...only my arm and leg were taken...and I was left with this body..."
Winry watched him, trying to grasp the whole situation. "...s-so then what happened...?"
"Well...the next thing I knew I was in the hospital...and Al...was in the bed right next to me..." Then he did something, that completely floored her, he smiled, "...you should have seen him Winry...his body had aged, and since he hadn't eaten in four years...he was malnourished...but the mere sight of his big gray eyes, instead of white lights...was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen..."
The mechanic watched in awe, as Edward smiled for the first time in years. She understood why he was on his difficult journey now. Without Alphonse there was no Edward, that was the way it always had been. The love he felt for his brother had driven him to extremes, but Winry could see his reasoning. She didn't blame him anymore.
"As for Dante and the Homunculi," Ed continued, "I don't really know what happened to them. Rose told me she had seen Dante run off, but the last remaining Homunculi just disappeared." he took one more deep breath, "And that's it, that's what happened."
Winry caught Ed off guard as she pulled him into a hug. She was crying, but she didn't care. Hatred was what she felt, hatred for the world. How could it be so cruel? After all that her friends had been through, how could the world take Al away from his brother. It was so uncaring, so cold, and it hurt. It hurt everyone who knew the Elrics, because they all knew that those two kids never deserved all the crap they had to deal with in life.
"Oh Ed, I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry Ed..." The tears soaked into the blue uniform, as the wearer fought his own.
"Shh, it's okay Winry...don't cry it's okay..." Ed didn't regret telling the story as much as he thought he would, in fact he felt sort of good about it. I felt good letting all of that out, and finally telling someone who truly cared to listen.
When the sobbing girl finally calmed down, and backed away from the jacket, she looked into those golden eyes and knew their sadness. For the first time in a very long time, Winry felt her friend's pain, and she was happy to share it with him.
It wasn't long before her mind wandered to her second question, "Uh...Ed...?"
"Yeah?"
"I wanted to ask you one more question...but you don't have to answer if you don't want to..." Nibbling on her bottom lip, she waited for his reply.
"...sure, go ahead and ask." Figuring there wasn't much else she could ask as distressing as the first question, one more wouldn't hurt.
"I just wanted to know...why did Al join the military?"
It wasn't so much that this question was distressing, it was that it wouldn't be easy to answer. How could he tell her this story, without causing her to hate him. Of course he had no idea how she would react, he just assumed she would hate him. "Oh...so you were wondering about that huh?"
"Yes, I was. It doesn't make sense, I don't get why he joined."
Ed thought back on the events that caused Al's enlisting in the army. It would be just as hard explaining this as it was explaining how Al got his body back.
*
Edward age:15 Alphonse age:14
"Damn it!" The young blonde mumbled as he waltzed through his dorm room door. Alphonse was busy reading at the table when the State Alchemist barged in. Throwing some papers on the floor, the older Elric went straight for his bed and flopped down on his side.
The younger of the two hadn't said anything, only watched as this all happened. After a moment or two of silence after Ed hit his cot, Alphonse asked "Brother...what's wrong?" said brother huddled up in the cot, staying silent as he faced the wall. "Brother? What happened...didn't Mustang accept it?"
"...no..."
"What!? Why didn't he accept your resignation?! He can't do that!" Al rose from his seat knocking his chair to the floor, this was an outrage. "I don't understand!? Haven't you done enough for the military?! What could they possibly still need you for?!"
"...read those papers..."
The brunette's head looked from side to side, searching for said papers. Picking them up off the ground, he quickly started reading. He couldn't understand some of it, but most of it was clear enough. It was some sort of loophole due to the new establishment, Ed had to stay in the military for another few years. It was no one's fault really, just the outcome of the clashing of the old rules and the new.
"...but...brother...that means we can't go home...to Resembool..." Ed hated to hear his baby brother's voice like that. It was a mixture of sadness and despair.
"...no...it means that I can't go to Resembool Al...you can..."
"..." Al wasn't that surprised by Ed's answer. Actually he should have expected it, knowing Ed. But that didn't mean he had to accept it, he didn't want to leave his brother. Slowly the younger boy climbed into the bed and hesitantly snuggled up to his brother's back. "I'll never leave you brother...never."
Edward slowly turned around to face his baby brother, and they looked into eachother's beautiful faces. Very carefully, Ed moved in and placed a soft kiss upon Al's lips. And very carefully, Al returned the kiss, deepening it. They hadn't done this much before, so they were still a bit confused about it. One thing was for sure, it didn't take long after Al got his body back for the two to realize that they liked doing this. And they liked it alot.
*
Edward age:16 Alphonse age:15
The shortest State Alchemist in the line up stood tall and proud from his position. The room was large and filled with military officials of much higher ranks than he, and at one end was a long table. At the table sat members of the new government establishment. None of that mattered to the short Alchemist though, all that did was the person standing in the center of the room.
The handsome boy of only 15 stood determined, four empty suits of armor surrounding him. The whole crowd watched as a military official began the test. "Alphonse Elric, you may begin."
With a polite little bow to the old men at the table, the brunette clapped his hands and set them upon one of the suits of armor.
'BASHOOM'
Then another 'Clap, BASHOOM'
And then the last two 'Clap, BASHOOM, Clap, BASHOOM'
The boy gingerly walked a few steps away, a small smile on his face. The entire crowed watched, and for moments the feel was almost anti-climactic when nothing happened. Then just when the nothingness seemed almost unbearable, one of the empty suits of armor stepped off of it's stand and walked forward. The crowd burst into a quiet chatter, as each Alchemist marveled at this amazing Alchemy.
Then Another Suit of armor rose and walked forward, taking it's place right next to the first. Pretty soon all four suits were standing side by side. This was already incredible enough, when all of a sudden, all four armor suits quickly bounced into action, as each one fought the other. The sight was spectacular, as four empty suits of armor dueled to the death, each one fighting as if it were a skilled Xing martial artist.
Eventually three of the suits were beaten, leaving one suit standing. The young brunette, quickly took his place next to the last standing suit. The two then bowed to the table of old men in perfect synchronization. The crowd burst into applause, but none were as loud as the Fullmetal Alchemist, who was whistling, cheering, and yelling "That's my brother!"
Needless to say, He passed with flying colors.
Once the ceremony was all done and everyone was on their way out, Edward caught up with his brother and gave him a huge hug. "You did it! I'm so proud of you! That was so cool!"
"Heh, heh," The blushing brunette rubbed the back of his head, "just goes to show what a years worth of training at teacher's place can do." It was a tough year being away from his brother, but it was worth it.
Edward placed his arm around his beloved baby brother's shoulder as the two walked out of the magnificent building. He was overjoyed, not only had he not seen his brother in what felt like forever. But his brother had just put on the best State Alchemist test performance the military had ever seen. "I'm so happy for you, now we can finally be together again."
"Heh, heh yeah. This is going to be great." The blushing wouldn't stop!
"Oh and guess what..."
"What?"
"Weeeeeeelll, since I am not only a gifted Alchemist, but also a very gifted negotiator. I managed to talk some of the higher brass into letting me get an apartment!"
"An apartment! But I thought that was only for high ranking officers?" The younger gawked.
"Yeah well, you know. What can I say, I'm just great." The blonde gloated, but Al new there was more to it.
"So how exactly did you go about 'negotiating' an apartment for us?" Alphonse asked suspiciously.
"Uh...you know, by talking to people and stuff." Even though the two had been separated for some time, Al would always be able to tell when Ed was lying.
"No you didn't," The younger boy accused, "I bet you begged Mustang or something." He chuckled, imaging the image of his brother pleading to the man.
"No I didn't!" The older pouted. ".......it was hawkeye, she was able to get it for me....."
"Hah, I knew it." Alphonse raised his hands in the air in triumph, laughing at his brother's despair. He couldn't help it, Ed looked so cute when he pouted.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just be glad I got it. Now we don't have to live in that dump dorm building." He really didn't mind the rooms actually, but the shower's sucked, since he had to share it with fifty older men. He would always get teased because of how much more 'Mature' the older men were 'Down There' compared to him. But what could he do, he was only thirteen, of course he wasn't going to be as 'Mature' as men twice his age!
The brothers walked in silence, enjoying each others company. The only thing was, that they were kind of in a hurry, but they didn't want to look suspicious. As soon as they were out of sight of military headquarters, the wandered into the nearest ally, neatly hidden.
"I missed you." Ed whispered as he pinned his brother against the wall, kissing him passionately.
The brunette returned the gesture, his tongue venturing into his brother's mouth, tasting him. "I can tell." He gasped, breaking away for air.
Luckily no one saw them for the twenty minutes they were there, making up for lost time. Eventually a very nervous pair of Elric brothers stepped out of the ally, hair ruffled and lips bruised. They set off for their new home, their bodies shaking with anticipation. If they just did that in the privacy of some back ally, they could only image what they could do in their own apartment.
*
A few days later Alphonse reported to Central Military headquarters for his first day as a state alchemist, but first he had to be officially instated.
The Fullmetal Alchemist sat in one of the comfortable leather couches that inhabited the office. He was joined by the Flame Alchemist, who sat at his desk opening an envelope. Across from him was another Alchemist, about to get his 'Wings'.
"Oh behalf of the New Establishment of Amestries, we hereby give the name 'Soul Alchemist', to one Alphonse Elric." The Colonel read, smiling at his new subordinate.
"Good job Al, now you're officially a dog of the military." Edward anounced.
___________________________________________________________________
Phew! I spent so much time on this chapter! I like how it turned out, did you? Keep reading, the next chapter's are going to get exciting! (Oh and does anyone like my new Icon? I made it myself)
Title: The Soul Alchemist
Author: Frankie_the_cat
Pairing:Elricest
Rating: PG-13
Warnings:longer chapter, Al's state alchemist test
Summary: "Good job Al, now you're officially a dog of the military."
The blonde teenager stared at the brunette, shock painting his face. "You...you what?"
"I want to join the military, like you. I want to be a state alchemist." The taller brother repeated, although he was only taller by a few inches. Still enough to cause his older brother to throw a fit.
"...Why? Why would you want to be a dog like me?" The older Elric obviously didn't agree with the idea. Ever since he had retrieved his brother's body from the gate and reached his goal, he had been trying to leave the military. Easier said than done. "I have to be in the military Al, I have no choice. But you...you can get out of here, away from central. Go back to Resembool and live peacefully."
Al's eyes narrowed a bit, his focus was aimed at his brother's feet. He had spent alot of time thinking about it, and after much debating he came to a conclusion. "But I wouldn't be living peacefully...because I wouldn't be with you."
One thing not many people knew about the Fullmetal Alchemist is that only one person could make him blush from a single touch. One person could make him feel butterflies in his stomach just by looking at him. One person could melt his heart by uttering one word. His brother, Alphonse elric. "...o-okay...but are you sure? I mean, I know the militaries a whole lot safer since Bradley was assassinated but that doesn't mean it won't be dangerous some times."
"Idiot brother," Al chuckled affectionately, "don't forget, you've never beat me at sparring. And your the famed Fullmetal Alchemist! What could possibly go wrong?"
Chapter 2: The Soul Alchemist
"Everything." Ed muttered to himself as he walked down the narrow military hallway. His report, which had been finished on the way to headquarters, was neatly tucked under his arm. Colonel Hawkeye wouldn't care how halfassed it would be, she knew where his priorities lay.
The office door swung open as the young alchemist shuffled through. This time the office was full, Feury, Breda, and Falman all doing paper work at their desk's. Havok was busy doing...nothing again.
"Oh, hey Edward. It's good to see you." Feury commented, pleased by the appearance of his old friend.
"Hello Edward." Fallman Chimed in immediately after Feury.
"Hi guys. How have you been?" The blonde replied, he didn't really feel like conversating, but it would be rude not to.
"Good."
"Fine."
"That's good. Hey, is the Colonel in?"
"Yes, but she's on the phone right now. You might want to wait a minute." Falman, the all knowing, answered.
"Oh, okay." Edward walked to the back of the office, sitting at his desk to wait for his commanding officer. He wiped a finger across the top, leaving a long line where the dust was removed. "Gross."
"Oh hey ki...I mean Ed. Heh,heh" Havok chuckled, cigarette nearly falling out of his mouth. "Didn't see you come in."
"Hey Havok. What's Breda doing?" The alchemist peered over at said soldier, who was currently pulling on his hair with one hand and writing on paper with the other. "Why's his face all scrunched up like that?"
Havok twisted his head to get a look. It was true, Breda looked very aggravated, almost menacing. "Oh him, nothing much. Just trying to finish his last stack of paper work before deadline. Last time he was late the Colonel had a 'Talk' with him in her office. Ever since, he hasn't turned in one single document late. And for some reason, whenever the Colonel happens to rest her hand anywhere near her pistol, he freezes up. Almost like a huge dog just bit him in the a..."
"Edward, do you have that report ready?" The Colonel inquired from her office doorway. Falman must have let her know he was waiting.
Although Havok's story was interesting, Ed had more important things to tend too. Like getting this over and getting out of Central. "Yes, sir.
The two stepped into the small office, the Colonel taking her seat behind her desk, and the State Alchemist directly across. This was just as routine as all of their other visits were.
First Ed would hand over the report, "Here's my report on the allegations of a rebel group of Drachmians hiding in Creta. Is there anything else you would have me do before I go on to my next assignment?"
The the older blonde would take his report, look it over quickly, and answer him. "No, you did well. You are now officially discharged from this assignment. Are you ready for your next one?"
Then, with out taking the slightest moment to think it over, the man would reply. "Yes, sir."
Briefing was Ed's favorite part, it told him what he needed to know to make his search easier. "You are assigned to go to the Drachma-Amestries boarder. I've told command that we have a good idea that a rebel group of Drachmian Soldiers are hiding in the mountains. Go and investigate. Find out if they really are there, and if they are, find out why."
And now that all the official talk was out of the way, the two friends to could talk freely. "Thanks again Hawkeye."
"No problem Ed. When do you plan on leaving?"
"Today, there's a train headed north, leaving later this evening. I've got a few things to do before I go."
This wasn't a surprise to the soldiers' commanding officer. She had found that since her subordinate began his fruitless search for his dead brother, he had shown a determination more powerful than that of the determination he exhibited when searching for the stone. Although it was a quiet determination he showed, only noticeable to those who knew him well. "Then good luck on this assignment and...enjoy yourself Edward. I hear the weather is quite lovely up there this time of year." A weak smirk was offered.
The young man looked upon his commanding officer, slightly surprised. It was rare for her to show such affection, only in drastic occasions did she ever. A sign of how worried she was for her friend. "I will. Thanks Colonel." He lied through his teeth, truth was, he didn't enjoy much these days.
*
The 'Things' Ed said he had to do, was actually say goodbye to Winry. Last time he left without saying goodbye, he was greeted by a wrench upon his return. To be honest, he almost wanted to leave without saying anything, the argument of the day before was still fresh in his memory.
Slowly, if not hesitantly, he stepped into the shop. Once again it was empty, just his luck. Now if Winry tried killing him for leaving so soon, no one would be around to help him. He shut the door quietly and listened, but didn't hear anything. Wondering if she had gone out to lunch he wandered into the back room. It wasn't long till that theory was debunked, due to the fact that there happened to be a sleeping Winry at her workbench.
"Winry?" He coaxed, as he nudged her shoulder, "Hey, Winry?"
"Uuughh. What is it granny?"
'Granny', Ed chuckled a little at the remark, thinking it was cute. "No, it's not granny. It's me Ed, get up."
The sleepy eyed girl lifted her head and looked around the room, finding no one but her friend. "Oh, hi Ed. Did I fall asleep at my bench again?"
"No Winry, I just happened to find you unconscious at your workbench." He anounced sarcastically.
"Ha, ha. Very witty Ed," She returned just as sarcastically, "I didn't know you still had a sense of humor." Winry regretted saying it, seeing her friends face get serious showed her mistake.
"Yeah well, it shows every once in a while."
There was a moment of awkward silence between the two, where Ed fiddled with the lining of his coat jacket and Winry sat looking around the room. As the two blondes thought of the next thing to say, Winry remembered the fight they had the day before. She didn't think he would come back, and thought he would leave without staying goodbye. She wondered, why was he here?
"So, you planning on leaving again. You're not gonna stay in town for a while, you know, rest a little?" Ed hadn't really stayed in one place for more than two weeks since Al's death. Winry often wondered where his energy came from and how does he have so much of it.
"Uh...yeah. I'm going on another assignment."
"When do you leave?"
"...today, later this evening."
Ed didn't want to look into Winry's face, he knew she would be frowning at him, he could feel it. This is why he hated saying goodbye to her, because in no way did his 'bye' feel 'good'.
"So then you actually came to say goodbye then?" Not only was the face she was giving her friend cold, but the tone she used was equally chilly.
"...yes I came to say goodbye. But if you're gonna be rude about it then forget it..." He spun around to leave but just as he reached the door frame...
"Wait..." He stopped dead in his tracks, listening "...okay, I'm sorry. It's just...I'm a little surprised you actually came. You know, because of yesterday and all."
For a moment, Winry thought her old pal was about to walk right out the door, since he didn't move right away. But after a short while he turned around and faced her. "It's fine, don't worry about yesterday." There he stood, in the door frame, as another uncomfortable silence surrounded them.
"So...where you going?" The mechanic inquired, wondering what boarder her friend would venture to this time.
"I'm going north, up near the boarder between Drachma and Amestries."
Winry didn't have to ask the next question, she already knew why he was headed there. "Is it the same rebel's that...well...you know."
"...I'm not sure." He was never sure, all he knew was that the rebels from Drachma were his only lead. He would chase down every rebel faction from Drachma till he found what he was looking for.
"Oh..." she didn't know what else to say, what else was there to say, "...well then, be careful okay Ed."
"I will." The man smiled softly, touched by his friend's concern.
"And promise me you'll come home soon, okay?" She used her puppy dog eye's on that one.
Ed chuckled, "Okay Winry, I promise."
The mechanic rose from her bench and closed the distance to the door, giving her friend an affectionate hug. It almost felt weird, she hadn't hugged him in so long. It almost felt like she wasn't supposed to do it. "When does your train leave?"
"Not for a couple of hours." he replied as Winry ended the embrace, softly backing away.
"A couple of hours? What are you gonna do in the meanwhile?"
"I don't know, I'll probably just wait at the station."
"For a couple of hours?" She asked surprised, "Then if you're gonna wait at the station for a couple of hours, I'm waiting with you."
"What about the shop?"
"What about the shop, there's no one here Ed." She informed him matter-of-factly.
"Are you sure, I mean you probably have better things to do today. I don't want you to waste you're day on my account."
"Ed, spending the day with my bestest friend is NOT wasting the day."
*
The walk over had been fairly quiet, not much said but small talk. Upon reaching the train station, Edward bought his ticket and took a seat on a platform bench, Winry in the seat next to him. Once the old friends were seated and waiting, things sort of quietted down between them, as they drifted off into space.
As Winry was sitting there, staring at the tracks, she remembered something. Back at the shop she had left a note on her desk that read 'Ask him'. That was all it said but she knew the true meaning to it. The reason for the note was simple, Ed never told her the story of how exactly he got his brother's body back. Or why Al joined the military, that had bothered her for a long time. It didn't make sense for Al to enlist, and when she had asked before they had only given her some halfassed excuse.
Mustering up all her courage she gently tapped Ed's shoulder, getting his attention. "Yeah Winry, what is it?"
"Um, Ed. There's something I wanted to ask you." Winry softly fiddled with her fingers, and kept her gaze upon him as she spoke. She was afraid to ask, but she really wanted to know.
"Ask me what?" From years of knowing her best friend, she could tell by the tone of his voice how suspicious he was. And was that fear?
"Don't worry it's nothing serious. Well...I guess maybe it is but I really want to know, and trust me you can tell me anything."
"What is it Winry." This time mixed with suspicion and weariness.
Taking a deep breath, as if this would be the hardest thing to do in the world, Winry asked her first question. "I want to know exactly how you got Al's body back." The words came out faster than she wanted.
As soon as the question was asked, Edward's face became soft, and his eyes wandered around the station. As if he were remembering something. He never did want to tell Winry the story, he thought it would be too hard for her to handle. That was a long time ago though, and now the two were adults.
Taking a breath equally as deep as Winry's, and to the great surprise of his friend as well, he began to tell the story. "There are alot of things that I would have to explain to you, for you to understand the entire story. So for now, I'll try to explain as much as I can so that you at least know the basics of it."
"Okay. I never was skilled in alchemy, but I'll try my hardest to understand." She already knew she was going to be confused, but there wasn't much to do about it. It sort of reminded her of when she tried to explain things about automail to Edward once. He was so confused he vowed never to alchemically alter his arm again, although he did anyway.
"Do you remember the place Rose found Al and me? That old under ground city?"
"Uh-huh" How could she forget something like that.
"And you remember how Al was turned into the philosophers stone?"
"Yeah."
"Well, a person named Dante was trying to use him for her own selfish needs. I tried to stop her, and in the process I had to fight the Homunculi." Ed then looked at his old friend worriedly, he didn't want to tell her what happened next.
"What is it Ed, what happened?" She was about to etch lines in the old wooden bench with her fingernails. The anticipation was killing her.
"I fought a Homunculi named Envy. And while we were fighting...I was...well I was hurt...really bad..."
"I don't remember you being hurt when they found you, where did she hurt you?"
The Fullmetal Alchemist was a genius, but even he couldn't figure out a way around this part of the story. "...well you see Winry...I was...stabbed...through my chest...and...I..." It was too hard, his voice shook, he didn't want to say it. He didn't even like to think it.
"Go on Ed, what happened to you?" Her tone was that of worry, she wanted to know the truth. "...what happened?"
"...I...d-died..."
The world stopped turning, time froze as birds halted in mid air and sound ceased to exist. Winry didn't hear that, she couldn't of! Ed died? No way, she thought. But the look on the shorter blonde's face told her he was telling the truth. He had died.
"...Oh my god..." She exclaimed when her voice finally came back to her, "...Oh my god...how can that be...you're...you're sitting right next to me now?!"
This is what Ed feared, Winry didn't know how to handle this. Softly he placed a gloved hand upon her's, calming her down. "...let me finish, I promise you'll understand everything." Another long breath was taken by the Alchemist, "After I died, Al managed to somehow bring me back, using himself and the stone."
The girl clasped a hand over her mouth, just barely halting a gasp. "...you mean...Al died...too...?"
Ed hated thinking of this, the thought of what his brother did for him that day nearly caused him to break down every time he thought of it. "...y-yes, he did...and when he brought me back, I had all of my limbs. And I was so happy, but then...Rose told me what happened to Al...and then I..." The tears tried furouciously to escape his eyes, but he fought them back just as hard.
Winry was staring in shock, one hand still over her mouth, the other being held by Edward's. "...if you had you're limbs back...then how did you..." She quickly glanced down at the glinting metal of her masterpiece.
"...I...I used myself...in a transmutation...to bring him back..."
"...you what...!"
"Shh! Just listen to me." Ed licked his lips and went on, "...I used myself to bring him back...but something...strange...happened...instead of being taken whole...only my arm and leg were taken...and I was left with this body..."
Winry watched him, trying to grasp the whole situation. "...s-so then what happened...?"
"Well...the next thing I knew I was in the hospital...and Al...was in the bed right next to me..." Then he did something, that completely floored her, he smiled, "...you should have seen him Winry...his body had aged, and since he hadn't eaten in four years...he was malnourished...but the mere sight of his big gray eyes, instead of white lights...was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen..."
The mechanic watched in awe, as Edward smiled for the first time in years. She understood why he was on his difficult journey now. Without Alphonse there was no Edward, that was the way it always had been. The love he felt for his brother had driven him to extremes, but Winry could see his reasoning. She didn't blame him anymore.
"As for Dante and the Homunculi," Ed continued, "I don't really know what happened to them. Rose told me she had seen Dante run off, but the last remaining Homunculi just disappeared." he took one more deep breath, "And that's it, that's what happened."
Winry caught Ed off guard as she pulled him into a hug. She was crying, but she didn't care. Hatred was what she felt, hatred for the world. How could it be so cruel? After all that her friends had been through, how could the world take Al away from his brother. It was so uncaring, so cold, and it hurt. It hurt everyone who knew the Elrics, because they all knew that those two kids never deserved all the crap they had to deal with in life.
"Oh Ed, I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry Ed..." The tears soaked into the blue uniform, as the wearer fought his own.
"Shh, it's okay Winry...don't cry it's okay..." Ed didn't regret telling the story as much as he thought he would, in fact he felt sort of good about it. I felt good letting all of that out, and finally telling someone who truly cared to listen.
When the sobbing girl finally calmed down, and backed away from the jacket, she looked into those golden eyes and knew their sadness. For the first time in a very long time, Winry felt her friend's pain, and she was happy to share it with him.
It wasn't long before her mind wandered to her second question, "Uh...Ed...?"
"Yeah?"
"I wanted to ask you one more question...but you don't have to answer if you don't want to..." Nibbling on her bottom lip, she waited for his reply.
"...sure, go ahead and ask." Figuring there wasn't much else she could ask as distressing as the first question, one more wouldn't hurt.
"I just wanted to know...why did Al join the military?"
It wasn't so much that this question was distressing, it was that it wouldn't be easy to answer. How could he tell her this story, without causing her to hate him. Of course he had no idea how she would react, he just assumed she would hate him. "Oh...so you were wondering about that huh?"
"Yes, I was. It doesn't make sense, I don't get why he joined."
Ed thought back on the events that caused Al's enlisting in the army. It would be just as hard explaining this as it was explaining how Al got his body back.
*
Edward age:15 Alphonse age:14
"Damn it!" The young blonde mumbled as he waltzed through his dorm room door. Alphonse was busy reading at the table when the State Alchemist barged in. Throwing some papers on the floor, the older Elric went straight for his bed and flopped down on his side.
The younger of the two hadn't said anything, only watched as this all happened. After a moment or two of silence after Ed hit his cot, Alphonse asked "Brother...what's wrong?" said brother huddled up in the cot, staying silent as he faced the wall. "Brother? What happened...didn't Mustang accept it?"
"...no..."
"What!? Why didn't he accept your resignation?! He can't do that!" Al rose from his seat knocking his chair to the floor, this was an outrage. "I don't understand!? Haven't you done enough for the military?! What could they possibly still need you for?!"
"...read those papers..."
The brunette's head looked from side to side, searching for said papers. Picking them up off the ground, he quickly started reading. He couldn't understand some of it, but most of it was clear enough. It was some sort of loophole due to the new establishment, Ed had to stay in the military for another few years. It was no one's fault really, just the outcome of the clashing of the old rules and the new.
"...but...brother...that means we can't go home...to Resembool..." Ed hated to hear his baby brother's voice like that. It was a mixture of sadness and despair.
"...no...it means that I can't go to Resembool Al...you can..."
"..." Al wasn't that surprised by Ed's answer. Actually he should have expected it, knowing Ed. But that didn't mean he had to accept it, he didn't want to leave his brother. Slowly the younger boy climbed into the bed and hesitantly snuggled up to his brother's back. "I'll never leave you brother...never."
Edward slowly turned around to face his baby brother, and they looked into eachother's beautiful faces. Very carefully, Ed moved in and placed a soft kiss upon Al's lips. And very carefully, Al returned the kiss, deepening it. They hadn't done this much before, so they were still a bit confused about it. One thing was for sure, it didn't take long after Al got his body back for the two to realize that they liked doing this. And they liked it alot.
*
Edward age:16 Alphonse age:15
The shortest State Alchemist in the line up stood tall and proud from his position. The room was large and filled with military officials of much higher ranks than he, and at one end was a long table. At the table sat members of the new government establishment. None of that mattered to the short Alchemist though, all that did was the person standing in the center of the room.
The handsome boy of only 15 stood determined, four empty suits of armor surrounding him. The whole crowd watched as a military official began the test. "Alphonse Elric, you may begin."
With a polite little bow to the old men at the table, the brunette clapped his hands and set them upon one of the suits of armor.
'BASHOOM'
Then another 'Clap, BASHOOM'
And then the last two 'Clap, BASHOOM, Clap, BASHOOM'
The boy gingerly walked a few steps away, a small smile on his face. The entire crowed watched, and for moments the feel was almost anti-climactic when nothing happened. Then just when the nothingness seemed almost unbearable, one of the empty suits of armor stepped off of it's stand and walked forward. The crowd burst into a quiet chatter, as each Alchemist marveled at this amazing Alchemy.
Then Another Suit of armor rose and walked forward, taking it's place right next to the first. Pretty soon all four suits were standing side by side. This was already incredible enough, when all of a sudden, all four armor suits quickly bounced into action, as each one fought the other. The sight was spectacular, as four empty suits of armor dueled to the death, each one fighting as if it were a skilled Xing martial artist.
Eventually three of the suits were beaten, leaving one suit standing. The young brunette, quickly took his place next to the last standing suit. The two then bowed to the table of old men in perfect synchronization. The crowd burst into applause, but none were as loud as the Fullmetal Alchemist, who was whistling, cheering, and yelling "That's my brother!"
Needless to say, He passed with flying colors.
Once the ceremony was all done and everyone was on their way out, Edward caught up with his brother and gave him a huge hug. "You did it! I'm so proud of you! That was so cool!"
"Heh, heh," The blushing brunette rubbed the back of his head, "just goes to show what a years worth of training at teacher's place can do." It was a tough year being away from his brother, but it was worth it.
Edward placed his arm around his beloved baby brother's shoulder as the two walked out of the magnificent building. He was overjoyed, not only had he not seen his brother in what felt like forever. But his brother had just put on the best State Alchemist test performance the military had ever seen. "I'm so happy for you, now we can finally be together again."
"Heh, heh yeah. This is going to be great." The blushing wouldn't stop!
"Oh and guess what..."
"What?"
"Weeeeeeelll, since I am not only a gifted Alchemist, but also a very gifted negotiator. I managed to talk some of the higher brass into letting me get an apartment!"
"An apartment! But I thought that was only for high ranking officers?" The younger gawked.
"Yeah well, you know. What can I say, I'm just great." The blonde gloated, but Al new there was more to it.
"So how exactly did you go about 'negotiating' an apartment for us?" Alphonse asked suspiciously.
"Uh...you know, by talking to people and stuff." Even though the two had been separated for some time, Al would always be able to tell when Ed was lying.
"No you didn't," The younger boy accused, "I bet you begged Mustang or something." He chuckled, imaging the image of his brother pleading to the man.
"No I didn't!" The older pouted. ".......it was hawkeye, she was able to get it for me....."
"Hah, I knew it." Alphonse raised his hands in the air in triumph, laughing at his brother's despair. He couldn't help it, Ed looked so cute when he pouted.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just be glad I got it. Now we don't have to live in that dump dorm building." He really didn't mind the rooms actually, but the shower's sucked, since he had to share it with fifty older men. He would always get teased because of how much more 'Mature' the older men were 'Down There' compared to him. But what could he do, he was only thirteen, of course he wasn't going to be as 'Mature' as men twice his age!
The brothers walked in silence, enjoying each others company. The only thing was, that they were kind of in a hurry, but they didn't want to look suspicious. As soon as they were out of sight of military headquarters, the wandered into the nearest ally, neatly hidden.
"I missed you." Ed whispered as he pinned his brother against the wall, kissing him passionately.
The brunette returned the gesture, his tongue venturing into his brother's mouth, tasting him. "I can tell." He gasped, breaking away for air.
Luckily no one saw them for the twenty minutes they were there, making up for lost time. Eventually a very nervous pair of Elric brothers stepped out of the ally, hair ruffled and lips bruised. They set off for their new home, their bodies shaking with anticipation. If they just did that in the privacy of some back ally, they could only image what they could do in their own apartment.
*
A few days later Alphonse reported to Central Military headquarters for his first day as a state alchemist, but first he had to be officially instated.
The Fullmetal Alchemist sat in one of the comfortable leather couches that inhabited the office. He was joined by the Flame Alchemist, who sat at his desk opening an envelope. Across from him was another Alchemist, about to get his 'Wings'.
"Oh behalf of the New Establishment of Amestries, we hereby give the name 'Soul Alchemist', to one Alphonse Elric." The Colonel read, smiling at his new subordinate.
"Good job Al, now you're officially a dog of the military." Edward anounced.
___________________________________________________________________
Phew! I spent so much time on this chapter! I like how it turned out, did you? Keep reading, the next chapter's are going to get exciting! (Oh and does anyone like my new Icon? I made it myself)