Return to Shamballa

Fullmetal Alchemist

~o~

Chapter One: Truth Behind Truths, I

Figures danced around in a dark area lighted only by the low light of a burning fire. Women, men, children alike, all dressed in draping clothes and gold bands around their arms and necks. The quiet strum of a guitar echoed within the small camp, adding to one of the calmest atmospheres Edward Elric had felt in a long time.

It had been almost six years since the death of his roommate and close friend, Alfons Heiderich. Six long, painful years of tracking, investigating, and disappointment. Along the way, he'd had to drop his father's name, more with pride than a curse after all his father had attempted to do. He couldn't have denied it and meant it; he loved and missed his father, but not only for himself.

A soft snore sounded from below him and Edward jolted to look down at the sleeping face of his brother on his lap, it now being the only source of comfort the youngest Elric could find in this new world, even after all that time. His amber irises saddened only slightly as his brother's face contorted with pain, confusion, sadness, and then… something else. Peace, maybe. I'd given up trying to decipher it. With his left hand, his right keeping him sitting upright on the wooden beam he was sitting on, he brushed a stray hair away from his little brother's eyes and stared somberly at the gypsies dancing below.

He'd met the traveling Roma tribe again only two years back, having followed failed leads on where to find the Uranium bomb. After almost losing his brother three times, he decided to give them a break and try to think things through. While going back to Munich to pay his respects to his dearly departed friend, he met up with Noah, the genuine Gypsy, and was invited to travel with her tribe until the war had at least calmed down.

"Nnh…" Al turned over again, and this time Ed got rather annoyed. With a sigh, he picked his brother up and carried him over to the small campground the gypsies had set up near the large campfire, now-bonfire, minding the arms that came swinging by and nearly made him drop his brother. With a quiet yelp, he spun into his and Al's tent and put him gently atop it, bringing the blanket to his chin and grinning as he turned back out.

"…Brother?"

Ed paused, turning slightly on his heel. "Sleep, Al. We're going to London soon; I have to stop by Dad's old apartment and get some documents, and then we're going back to Germany. It's going to be a long ride, so get all the sleep you can get." With that, he pushed the cloth threshold to the side, allowing his brother the slightest view of the silvery-white moon before his eyelashes fluttered shut.

Munich… it's where it all began, and it's where it'll all end.

Ed, distracted in his thoughts, hadn't noticed that more of the Roma had joined in on the dancing and had managed to make it much more crowded. He'd dodged a swinging leg to the stomach, an arm at his head, a breast (from a female) bumping into his chest, and hair smacking him in the nose. It was a rough trail, but he made it to the second campfire in the back, the one smaller than the huge bonfire, where some older men and women talked about something the young man couldn't quite pay full attention to.

Ed didn't really worry about what they were talking about; even though he promised to do all he could for this world, the elders muses and political arguments were better without his input. Especially when he viewed the damage Europe had taken was no where near over. We may be down, he closed his eyes for a minute, the voices dimming down to incomprehensible murmurs. But we aren't out!

"Edward?" the quiet voice of Noah rang in his ears and he slowly looked at her. Her expression was soft but worried all the same. "What're you doing over here, don't you want to come dance?"

"Um, no, not right now," he said slowly, taking another sip of his scotch. "I'm not one for dancing. Maybe some other time?"

Noah looked at her long-time friend; she'd known him for almost six years, and the only things she knew about him were the things she had to peek inside his heart to see. After the situation when they'd first met, she could understand he wouldn't trust her so quickly. Not like his little brother did… a soft blush tainted her cheeks and she knelt in front of him. "You don't tell me anything. But even so… your face shows me what I need to see…"

Ed's amber irises bore deep into Noah's chocolate-brown ones, and for a minute she thought she saw something start to contort his face, as if her words hurt him, but his face was forcibly soft instead. "And what do you see, Noah." Of course, it was more of a demand to know instead of a question, and the Roma woman sighed and leaned up, cupping his cheek with her hand. Of course, the young man blushed.

"Loneliness. Sorrow… Betrayal."

That one word made a strangled gasp escape the Amestrian blond, and the Roma woman let her chocolate eyes warm and sparkle. Ed had to think of something other than home to hide the fact she'd completely hit the nail on the head. How could she see right through me? Just like… just like Win-…

Noah's eyes saddened and the brilliant chocolate-haired woman got up from her spot in front of him, her hand slipping from his cool skin. The light blush on his cheeks began to fade and he stood up, the top of his head reaching her forehead, and his golden eyes forcibly hardened. "I have no reason to feel those things. I've got Al, I'm going to the University… I have no reason to feel betrayed by anything." He, of course, couldn't suck the venom from the following words. "Stop peeking inside me, Noah."

With a small nod, the Roma woman pat his shoulder and went back to dance with the small group of children. Ed, too stubborn or 'manly' to want to partake in such activities, spun on his heel and made his way back to his and Al's tent.

-x-

In the middle of the night, Al awoke in a state of surprise.

The moon shone through the patched tent entrance, the wooden beam holding up the center slicing the light in two. One half illuminated his small cot while the other did the same to Edward's. As his steel-colored eyes followed the silvery-white gleam of moonlight, he slowly realized his brother was still awake.

One leg was bent, his right, his skin knee exposed as his white boxers reflected the brilliant white light. His left, auto-mail leg, the one given to him almost six years ago, was in excellent condition, albeit a bit scratched near his ankle. The further Al's eyes traveled, the more his eyes widened in shock; his brother's long, golden hair was loose and fanned around his face, his bangs hiding his ears, his cheeks shimmering… what? His brother's skin didn't shiver, it never had. It wasn't until his brother's eyes met his that he realized silent tears were falling down his face.

"Brother?"

"Can it, Al."

Ouch. Al took this opportunity to use his own power of seeing through his brother and swung his legs from the bed. Though he stood a half-inch taller than his brother, he still could not reach that unreachable distance his brother created to hide away his emotions. Being the one to find every single twitch and crease in his brother's face, Al knew exactly where to look to find his older brother's inner-most feelings; his mouth.

It was turned downward in a tight frown, thin pink lips pressed; keeping what remained of his loss of tear-control in. When Al reached his brother's cot, both brothers Elric got in a sitting position, Edward facing Alphonse, Alphonse facing his own cot. "Brother, you can't hide anything from me. I seriously don't know why you try." His voice, though calm and steady, was dripping with worry, and his elder brother merely snorted. "Seriously, Edward. You know I'm one of the only people who knows you. The real you. Stop hiding behind this strong exterior and talk to me. Please."

A pregnant silence passed before Ed sighed in defeat. With an inward cheer and an outward smile, Al pat his brother's foot. "Thank you. C'mon, tell me what's wrong."

"It's stupid. I shouldn't be feeling this after six years, Al. I'm almost 24 fucking years old." Ed crossed his legs, now sitting Indian-style, and stretched out his arm to stare at the lines in his palm. His golden eyes hardened, his damp cheeks forgotten, and he made a fist. His auto-mail squeaked in response. "We haven't even found a surefire lead to the Uranium bomb. What's worse, I don't even know why we're going to Munich. I just have a feeling."

Al slowly nodded, his movements lethargic as he brought one knee up and leaned his chin upon his knee. "I know. I've had the same feeling. That's why I didn't question your decision. At first, I thought it was so we could pay our respects again, which is the most logical explanation.

However, what I don't understand is why we're stopping in London. What could dad's old apartment have that we need?"

Good question. Ed ran a hand through his hair. Al sighed and snorted, amused. "Don't tell me that it's another 'feeling' you have. We can't go there based on a feeling, we've got to have some sort of hidden motive, Brother. Going to London 'just for giggles' isn't a good use of our time. You've got to have something planned."

Not another word was said about it after that. Especially after Ed's sour attitude quickly turned to one of wistful secret bliss. With a soft whisper, he asked his only remaining family, "How much do you think Amestris has changed?"

Al blinked and looked at his brother, quirking an eyebrow at his brother's question. "What? Brother, that was out of the bl-"

"Was it?" Ed's voice quieted as he heard a branch snap outside, but he dismissed it as he heard the zipper of a nearby tent. The nighttime air, crisp and chilly, wafted through a small hole in their tent made by a small sliver of wood. The golden-haired Amestrian shivered. "Go back to bed, I'm okay now."

Al gaped at his brother; he'd never outright asked the question himself, but never in a million years did he think his brother would. He reached out and, with a confused expression and his tongue curling over his top lip, he felt his brother's forehead before knocking on it. "Ack! Alphonse, what gives?"

"What's your last name?"

… "Elric!"

"What's our mother's name?"

"Trisha, you dolt!" a tick mark appeared, twitching.

"Do you love Winry, or don't you?"

… "I d- I don't! Well, I do, but she's my friend, I'm supposed to!" red cheeks obviously pointed out the obvious, and Alphonse merely sighed. "The hell is wrong with you, Al?"

"I was trying to figure out the same thing, Brother…" a light-brown eyebrow raised as he got up off his brother's Cot and walked slowly to his own. "Okay. I'll see you in the morning, then. You mind waking me up so I can help pack?"

Ed's expression was almost priceless; confusion mixed with bewilderment. "Uh, yeah. Sure. Night, Al."

The tent, soon thereafter, became silent.

-really long intake of breath-

So, yeah. This is what I've been working on, and looking over, and looking over some more, and yet again more looking over before this goes onto this site. Can you blame me? I'm paranoid, now that I've started writing.

This is longer than any first chapter of a chapter-fic I've written, right? xD; Well, the other chapters are about this length as well, so this'll most likely be my longest story in this fandom. (Yes, longer than Home Is Where the Heart Is or Through the Looking Glass) ...

Okay! Please review!

~Cookie

EDIT: There was something I needed to clean up, plus I made a few little changes here and there. Not much has changed, just used different words. (Also, I mentioned the elders talking about a war; Eby -EbonyIvoryy- pointed out that WWII doesn't start until a decade later. I had still been planning when I'd written this chapter way back when, and had written about a war that really wouldn't involve these elders. So, I changed that to the best of my ability, and it probably flows atrociously now. Can't quite do much about that.)