Author: MercurialLily
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist
Title:
Rating: K+ (for now)
Pairing: Ed/Alfons (eventually)

A/N: Hello everyone! This is Lily. A little background on this story: It started off with an idea I wrote down about Ed landing in Munich and trying to cope. I expanded on it, and this story is the result. I hereby dedicate this, my first online fanfic, to my friend Alexis. Thanks for encouraging me, dude! :D

Some voices. Footsteps. The sound of wheels on cobblestones. A cat's meow and its feet scampering away. Normal, everyday sounds. In a sense, they were comforting. But...

The loud caw from a crow made Ed's eyes snap open. He realized he was laying on his back on the ground. Slowly, he sat up. His left hand landed in a puddle and he cursed quietly as the water soaked his glove. As he stood up, he dusted off his clothes. He took off his wet glove and wrung it dry.

Ed looked around. He seemed to be in a kind of alley; it wasn't entirely unfamiliar, but something felt different. Cautiously, he exited the alley.

As soon as he stepped onto the street, Ed knew this place wasn't Amestris. In Amestris, the streets were lively and bustling with people. But here, it was quiet, the air filled with a tense haze. These people wore drab, neutral colours, and Ed immediately felt out of place in his red coat.

A young woman walked past him. She glanced at him, made a face, and kept going. Ed stared after her. He thought she looked slightly familiar. Shrugging, he turned in the other direction and started off down the street.

Seconds later he decided he was hungry. Wanting to try his luck, he walked over to the nearest food stall and pointed to a roll of bread. Then he looked at the man behind the counter with an inquisitive look.

"Twelve marks," the man said in a gruff voice.

"Twelve...marks?" Ed asked, somewhat confused. "Last I checked, I only had three hundred cenz."

The man stared at Ed with blank eyes. "Twelve marks," he repeated. "Pay up or leave."

"Can't you just give it to me for free?" Ed slowly reached for the roll, but the man smacked his hand away.

"Get out of here, kid." The man glared. "And take off that coat, you rebel."

With a frown, Ed stepped away from the stand. He was angry, but he was definitely hungrier. Maybe he could find a way to steal something... No, that was illegal. He continued on his way.

After a while, he was still very hungry, but he tried to ignore that. Now he was also tired and more than a little annoyed by people's glances and whispers. Couldn't they understand? All he wanted was food...and to be back in Amestris.

He stopped. Standing a few feet away at a bookstall was someone who looked almost exactly like Al. Granted, this boy's hair was light blonde and he was older, but the resemblance was uncanny. Without thinking, Ed rushed over to the boy. "Al!" he shouted.

The boy looked up. His eyes widened in surprise as Ed hugged him. With a shout, the boy pushed him away. "Who are you?" he asked.

Ed blinked. " Oh... I thought you were my brother for a second... That's all," he said.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not your brother," the boy replied. "I don't have any siblings." He gave Ed a sympathetic look and started to walk away.

"Wait!" Ed followed him. "Can you tell me how I can get home?"

"Where's your home?"

"Amestris. I have to get back," Ed said.

The boy stopped walking. He turned to Ed with a confused face. "There's no such place as Amestris," he stated. "Do you mean America?"

"No. I mean Amestris. I'll show you my passport." Ed dug into his pocket and pulled out his passport. He held it out to the boy.

The boy rolled his eyes. "Look, it's a nice trick, but I'm not falling for it." He eyed Ed's coat suspiciously. "I'm going to leave now-"

"No!" Ed frowned. "Please... Help me. I have no idea where I am, and I'm tired and hungry. But I guess I'll just find someplace to sleep." With a quiet sigh, he turned and slowly walked away.

The boy watched him go. After a while, his guilt took over and he ran after Ed. "Hey! Come back."

Ed glanced over his shoulder as the boy slowed down and approached him. The boy coughed slightly and straightened his jacket. Ed stared at him. "What do you want?" he asked.

"I think we started off on the wrong foot," the boy started. "I'm sorry. I'm just really wary of strangers, and I didn't mean to be rude to you. Let's start over." He held out his hand. "Hi. Nice to meet you. My name is Alfons Heiderich."

Ed stared at Alfons' hand for some time before reaching out and shaking it. "Hi," he said. "I'm Edward Elric. Where are you from? And what is this place?"

"I'm from here. This city is Munich."

"What country is this?" Ed asked. Munich was an odd-sounding name...

Alfons smiled. "Germany. There are a lot of people who say we're a bad country because of the war, but I know that's not true. But what about you? Where are you from?"

"Resembool, Amestris. It's a small town out in the eastern countryside," Ed explained. "But the last place I was in was Central City. That's the capital. And-"

"Is it a real country? I've never heard of it," Alfons said.

"Of course it's real!" Ed insisted. "It's kind of like this country..." He would have gone on, but at that moment his stomach decided to announce its hunger and growled loudly.

"You're hungry, huh?" Alfons said. "Come on. I'll make you something at my place." He started walking, making sure that Ed was following him, and he smiled.

To be continued