The Third Elric Brother
Ok, so hi. this is my first fan fic, and I dont know what its gonna exactly be. So its gonna be short. Ok, so here I go. (hmm... I like this font ^_^)
"Huh...?" groaned Edward Elric, suddenly woken by the sun shining into his golden eyes. "Oh... it's morning again..." muttered Ed, pushing his golden-blonde hair out of his face with a cold metal cylinder that takes place of his right arm. Ed stopped for a second, stared at his automail arm, then put it in the air, palm towards the ceiling. "We've come so far... and it still hasn't changed. How much longer do I have to wait?"
"Ni-san! Get outta bed! Breakfast is ready!"came a voice from outside the open door and down the stairs.
"Right Al... On my way." Replied Ed. Using all the strength he could muster up right after waking up, Ed lifted himself out of bed and out of his room.
tip, clink, tip, clink, tip, clink went Ed's legs, one flesh, the other automail, just like his arm. After walking a few feet, Ed looked over the railing downwards, until he could see his brother putting something on the dining table. Sliding his forearm on the dark wooden railing that keeps them from falling, Ed smiled.
"Good morning Al...!" called Ed, his pale blue shirt half unbuttoned.
The tall young boy looked up, his dark gold hair strung into a long ponytail on the back of his head. "Ah! You're finally up! Hurry down, Ni-san!" hollered Al happily, waving a oven mitt.
"Can do..." Murmured Ed, half asleep. Ed started walking towards the stairs, keeping one hand on the railing to guide him safely down the stairs. Didn't. Halfway down the stairs, Ed slipped, falling head over heels to the bottom floor. "Ow..." he moaned, scratching his head.
"Ni-san!!" Yelled Al, running over to his older brother. "Are you ok? Do you still have that hangover from last night? You shouldn't have drunk so much!"
"I'm fine, Al." sighed Ed. "Just lost my balance."
Al stared at Ed for a second, his light brown eyes full of doubt. "If you say so." mumbled Al, getting up.
"Oh, that really hurt..." whispered Ed, trying to get his body to move, unsuccessfully. Al, already up and standing, watched Ed trying to move.
"Here." muttered Al, putting his hand out for Ed to grab. "You really shouldn't lie to me. You drunk way too much. You're underage even!"
Edward looked up at his younger brother, who was more mature than anyone could've guessed. Al noticed Ed, staring, and looked away. Ed just smiled and grabbed Al's hand. "Thank you. I guess I did drink a little..." laughed Ed.
"A little?!" Al spouted out, baffled. "Russell and you drank more than that one guy! And that guy had been there for at least an HOUR before we were!!!! That's a little?!?!"
"Ok, ok. Maybe a lot..." responded Ed, getting up using Al's help.
"That's an understatement." retorted Al, giggling.
"Ok, let's just have breakfast." Ed growled, glaring.
"Yes! Let's!" Al said, smiling from ear to ear. "I made breakfast! I hope you like it! I've never made it before!" Al started to run forward, but then stopped and helped his older brother to the table, pulling out his chair when Ed got there.
"Al, really." Ed flustered. "You don't have to do all this for me! I can take care of myself!" Al just stopped and looked at Ed with a skeptical look on his face.
".....Right." Al smirked, starting motion again. "Here's your Eki-kyabe." Al put a bottle on the table in front of Ed. "Drink up. And eat your crab risotto before it gets cold!"
"...I'm pretty sure crab risotto isn't breakfast..." Ed stuttered, trying not to hurt Al's feelings.
"I know. I tricked you. I didn't make crab risotto, I made miso soup and pickled fish." Al laughed and put a bowl in front of Ed. "Don't even know how to make that."
Ed glared at Al, then smiled and laughed. "Well, I bet it'll be good, no matter what." Al learned to cook from Winry, during the few years that Al stayed with her while Ed was in the parallel world. Over that time, Winry gave Al lots of recipes, and Al's skill far overpassed Winry's.
"I'm not that good! This is the first time I've ever made this! I don't think I made it right!" Al warned.
"I'll be the judge of that." Ed returned, putting some soup in his mouth and closing his eyes. Al stared as if his life depended on it. Suddenly Ed's eyes went large. "W-what exactly is in this...?"
"Um..." Stuttered Al . "I put in broth, tofu, miso paste, green onion, and pickled fish... Why? does it taste bad?!"
"H-how long did you pickle the fish..?"
"I-i it soaked 3 days in water and pickling salt. Then soaked 5 days in white vinegar... Seriously! Does it taste bad?!"
"You're only supposed to soak in white vinegar for 2 days...." Ed groaned as he got up from the table and ran to the sink.
"Ni-san!" Al called, standing up, placing both of his hands down on the table. Al watched Ed for a bit, then turned to his miso soup and pickled fish. "I ruined breakfast....." Al muttered, dejectedly. Ed watched as Al sat down and kept looking down.
"Al..." Ed sympathetically whispered as he walked over to Al and patted his back. "It's ok. I probably would've burnt everything."
Al looked up, tears forming. "Even the soup?"
"Even the soup." Ed smiled and wiped away Al's tears. "Have you already showered this morning?"
"Oh, yeah. I did..." Al replied, blushing to no extent. "About an hour ago."
"An hour?" Ed questioned, flabbergasted. "I got up late, didn't I?"
"Yeah, It's almost time for the mail to get here." Al stated. "You might want to shower quickly. Oh, and drink your eki-kyabe!" Ed quickly chugged it down, then ran up the stairs and into the bathroom. "Sometimes, Ni-san is so absent minded..." Immediately, there was a knock on the door. Al turned around, walked to the door, and opened it. "Hello?"
"Mail for... Edward and Alphonse Elric?" The mail carrier checked.
"That's me. Thank you!" Al took the mail, waved goodbye to the mail truck, then turned around and stopped, dropping all the mail except one.
Edward And Alphonse Elric
Van Hohenheim
"It... can't be... he's been dead for almost a year! How is he sending us a letter now?!" Al muttered, scared out of his wits. "No... It just CAN'T be from him! ... I can't let Ed see this..."
"See what?" asked Ed, coming out of the bathroom with only his towel, wrapped around his waist.
"Oh! H-hi Ed! You're done already?" Al stuttered, trying to hide the letter. "That was fast!"
"When I lived with Alfons, We had to pay for the water bill, and we didn't have much money. So our showers had to be very minimum." Ed explained. "So... what happened down there? All the mail is spread around, and you look like you're freaking."
"Ah.. I dropped the mail" Al stammered, thinking quickly.
"So you're freaking... why exactly?"
"Aah! Am I? I didn't think I was..." Al quieted down as Ed came down the stairs, closer to the letter. "No, really Ni-san. You should go get dressed. I'll pick up the-Ah!" Al yelled as Ed picked up the letter from the floor.
"Van... Hohenheim?!" Ed growled. "Not that dirty rotten fish-head again! How dare he send us a letter!?Wait..." Ed's eyes went big right before he was going to rip the letter in half. "Didn't Envy... kill Hohenheim...? Almost.... a year ago...?" Ed looked big eyed at Al, hoping he would have an explanation.
"Dad was killed. I was just wondering." Al murmured, looking at his feet. Ed stared at Al for a bit, then dropped the letter on a table, turned around, and went up the stairs.
"I'm going to get dressed." Ed muttered.
"...ok..." Al watched as Ed disappeared into his room, then closed the door. "Poor Ed... He's taking this really hard. I can tell... He was there when Hohenheim died, wasn't he..." Al said to himself as he was cleaning up the mail. "I wonder... maybe I should open the letter. I wonder what it would say..." Al looked over at the letter and just stared, not looking at what he was doing. "Oh!" Al jumped, as he cut his finger on a letter. "Ah shoot. It's bleeding." Putting his finger in his mouth as so to keep it from bleeding on the mail, Al finished picking up the letters and putting them on the kitchen counter, deliberately apart from the letter.
"Have you opened it?" Ed said in a loud, angry voice from above the stairs, making Al jerk upright.
"N-no Ni-san..." Al stuttered, turning around to look at his brother, who was wearing a white button up shirt with a brown vest over it, and brown jeans. His long blonde hair was in a ponytail on the back of his head. "Do you want me to?"
"Do you want to?" Ed replied without missing a beat, walking down the stairs toward the table.
"I guess I'm interested in what it says..." Al murmured awkwardly.
"Then open it." Ed demanded, picking up the letter and handing it to Al.
"Aren't you interested?" Al wondered aloud. "It's from our father who's been dead for a while. It might be important!"
"Open it." enforced Ed, glaring at Al coldly.
".....ok." Al opened the letter, very carefully, noticing it doesn't have a return address. Pulling out the letter, he unfolded it. His eyes went from left to right, went down a line, repeated. After a few minutes, his mouth dropped open.
"What does it say..?" Ed asked, angrily.
"Read for yourself." Al muttered, passing the letter to Ed.
My Dearest Sons,
I have a secret that I never told you. Your mother and I had another child before Edward was born. He was five years old when Edward was born. But he had a disease. A disease that no one could heal. His name was Nicholas. Right before I died, I heard from him. After reading his letter, I will send this, saying that it should not be sent for a year. After I send the letter, I have somewhere I need to go. I will probably not come out alive. Edward, please watch over your little brother. Alphonse, please watch over your older brother. I know he likes to get into trouble.
I hope that your mother in the heavens will watch over you both. I would, but it is almost certain that I will be going to Hell. I hope that you will forgive me sometime Ed, I know I was not the best of fathers, disappearing when you were both still young, leading your mother to death, forcing you to hurt yourselves. Please don't worry, but it has come to my attention that Nicholas is coming to the address that I have been given, which is where you are living. I must ask you to prepare yourselves for something that could be dangerous to everyone you care for.
Van Hohenheim
"What the Fsck is he trying to pull, sending this letter?!" Ed roared, grabbing the letter with both his hands. "Prepare yourselves for something that could be dangerous...?"
"Ni-san?" Al stuttered, with a worried tone in his voice. "When we were younger... wasn't it just us? You know, mom, dad, you and I? There wasn't another kid, right? even before I came in?"
Ed stopped and thought for a second. "You- you're right Al. It was just us." Ed fought to get the words out without sounding insecure.
"Then... is Nicholas fake? Did this letter come as a conversation piece?" Al whispered loudly, leaning in towards Ed.
"No. Dad might have been a jerk, but he wouldn't do this to us. Nicholas must have been real." Ed grabbed Al's hand and just squeezed it tightly. "Promise you'll be careful."
Al stared into Ed's eyes, bigger and more afraid than anything before. "I promise." Al muttered, compressing his brother's hand back.
"Good." Ed smiled. "Now, we have to figure out what he wants, where he's lived, and how he got our address." Ed let go of his brother's hand and sat down on the couch.
"Ah!" Al jumped. "Ok..."