Disclaimer: Fullmetal Alchemist does not belong to me. Erhard, Sibylle, and Alina are mine, though.
Authors Notes: I realize that everyone that reviewed the original version of this story probably hate me for abandoning it, but upon realizing how... well, how rushed and badly written it was, I lost interest in it.
However, upon the discovery of FMA: Brotherhood, the new series, I was immediately reminded of this story, and a bit of inspiration came to me.
So, I've decided to re-write it, and with my newly honed writing and grammatical skills -along with OpenOffice and a very handy spell-checker- , I can assure you that it will be written much better.
I hope you all enjoy this new version!
His eyes were spiritless and almost unaware; no spark emanated from the two twin golden orbs like it used to. Instead, he only stared ahead at whatever happened to stray in front of him. He couldn't stand, so he was accompanied by a wheelchair and his younger, yet taller brother wherever he went. It had been a few weeks since the accident at lab five and nobody knew, still, if the amount of Red Water Ed had absorbed had had any adverse effects on him, apart from making him how he was now. They had heard that any one alchemist absorbing that much Red Water would turn him or her into a god -or god-like-, but the blond-haired boy had shown no evidence of being such.
After everything had happened, Al and Ed had been taken to the hospital, and despite everything the doctors did, nobody could figure out how to bring Ed back to normal. Now, the two were located in Resembool, living with their childhood friend Winry Rockbell. Winry had been terribly saddened at hearing about what had happened to the young alchemist, so had decided to, along with Alphonse, take care of the golden-haired boy.
Today Alphonse had planned on taking Ed back to Central, to visit all their friends at Eastern Command. It had been a few weeks since they'd left, and Al had realized that they'd sent not one letter since. He had felt guilty, so instead of just sending a letter, he'd figured that not only would it be some sort of relief for their friends there, giving them proof that the both of them were alright -for the most part- but he'd also been hoping that seeing everyone might be beneficial for Ed, who had only seen Winry, Den and Pinako since his accident, as he'd been unconscious from the incident up to their arrival in Resembool.
As per usual, his brother was located outside, sitting in his wheelchair on the porch, watching as Den chased birds around on the lawn. Though his head barely moved, the child's eyes never left the dog as it ran. It had taken Al a while to notice that, despite that he moved little, he was always watching them, watching what they did and where they went.
"Are you ready, brother?" Alphonse asked the blond alchemist as he walked outside. Al didn't expect a response. It wasn't very often that Ed ever really replied to people. The last time Ed had spoken was during supper about five days ago. Winry had, for a sort of experiment, given Ed milk instead of water, and tried to get him to drink it in the hopes that either his current state would deny him the ability to fight back and he would finally get some much-needed calcium in his body, or he would regain his old self and snap at her for attempting to feed him the hated liquid.
In the end, he hadn't really done what she'd been hoping for, but he had turned his head away and said 'Hate milk'. However, the simple action had still sent Winry into tears of joy.
Carefully, Al lifted the boy's wheelchair up, taking it off the porch, placing it down again on the grass and rolling it down the road. Some people waved as the pair passed by, others just looking up at them in pity. Though most didn't know what had happened to the young alchemist, they all sympathized. A good number of them knew what Ed used to be like; hard-headed and snapping at any reference to his height. Now, though, anyone could make a crack about his size, and he wouldn't make any move saying he'd even registered the comment. Once, though, he had smiled at one of Winry's friends, a woman named Alina who bore a slight resemblance to their deceased mother.
"Everyone is going to be happy to see us again, brother." Al said as they entered the Station. " I feel guilty for not sending them a letter though." Ed's eyes took in the sight of the oddly busy terminal, his gaze moving over the people, the ticket booths, and the trains. The edge of his mouth twitched, and he chuckled breathlessly before withdrawing into his mind again.
Al, not noticing the action, walked them over to one of the booths, sliding some money to the ticket-master.
"Two for Central, please." As the man handed them the tickets, Ed, as best he could, turned his gaze to Al.
"...Roy?" Surprised, the soul-infused armor turned to look at his brother.
"Yeah. We're going to visit Roy, and the others. D'you think he'll be happy to see us?" But the boy didn't respond, and Al sighed lightly as he helped his brother onto the train.
It had been weeks, and still Ed was as silent as the day he'd woken up.
0o0o0o0
Several hours later found the two boys sharing a compartment with an older man with short brown hair. The man had asked if he could share their compartment, as it was one of few that was not yet full. Glad for his company, Al had allowed the man in, and they'd been talking since.
"It's strange to see a train from Resembool this full. Normally theres tons of space." The man, whom had named himself Erhard, nodded while chuckling.
"Yeah. Normally trains from here to anywhere are pretty empty. Wonder what's going on." He glanced over at Al's sleeping brother. "How can yer brother sleep on a train like this? It's as comfortable as a scorpion nest!" Al laughed.
"Ed can sleep anywhere."
"Sounds like my cousin Sibylle! I swear, the girl can take a nap in an avalanche." Erhard laughed, grinning at the sleeping boy. "You might be able to teach each other some stuff, kid." But his grin soon fell. "When you came in here, he looked near comatose... Sumthin' happen?" Al shifted uncomfortably. He wasn't sure he should tell this man that Ed had been in an accident with Red Water. However, Erhard noticed Al's reaction and smiled apologetically. "Sorry. Don't have to tell me if'n you don't want to."
"No, it's alright. Ed was in an accident. An alchemy experiment... backfired on him." Al said. That wasn't too much of a lie, was it? Erhard frowned.
"It wasn't too serious, was it?" Al shook his head.
"We're not sure. The doctors said that he's in perfect health, and we know his personality is still there... It's just as if... as if he isn't." Al looked at his brother, speaking quietly as he realized something. "It's as if his mind is somewhere else entirely..." A series of thuds brought Al out of his thoughts, and he looked up.
The ceiling was dented.
"What the hell..?" Erhard muttered. Al took in a breath. Someone was on the roof. Someone strong was hammering at the roof. And there were very few people who Al knew of that wanted to get their hands on his brother.
And then, the metal ceiling gave way, blinding the two males as they tried to see their attacker.
"Okay, you hand over the pipsqueak, and I let you live."
