So I've been planning this fic since I started Brotherhood, and I hope it goes well... :3
This is also a fic I am highly invested in, and I post new cover art for each chapter on my Tumblr page under the same username (KidaTheFreak). There is a link to my Tumblr on my profile, as well as a few other links to things relating to my stories.
I occasionally post things for this story on my Tumblr blog under the tag "#fic: Dwarf in the Flask", and they range from sketches of scenes to ideas I may use in the future.
In relation to this story, this is an Edvy fic, Edward Elric x Envy, and will be rated M for (hopefully) future sex scenes. I also have a huge plotline I'm gonna use, and some characters will be brought back, including one from the 2003!anime (Care to guess who?).
Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing. Just my homemade Envy worm plush.
Chapter 1: Dust to Dust, Ashes to Ashes
Red. That was all he could feel. Deep, deep red, and a burning black.
It was cold, so cold it burned, and a vague sense of separation seemed to encompass him. He was dust, moving in and out with each inhalation, in tune with the strange energy humming in the air. He was free.
A pressure seemed to settle over him, pushing him from all over and merging dust with dust, ashes with ashes. The sense of peace that had settled over him was replaced with a discomfort, growing into a searing, burning, hot pain. A red pain. The weight pressing him together was almost too much to bear, and he wanted nothing more than to splinter into dust once more.
A red stone clattered to the floor.
Edward Elric released the breath he was holding, a joyous, relieved sigh, as he grinned despite the blood running from a cut in his forehead. They had done it. They defeated Father and saved Amestris. They were alive, they were okay!
He shouted and punched the air with one arm, supporting Alphonse, his brother, with the other. His other flesh arm. It was odd, to have lived with a mechanical arm for almost six years, only to have it returned to him, by his own brother nonetheless. It was almost as strong as the other one, despite Truth keeping it for so long.
Alphonse laughed weakly, but wholeheartedly, and his weakened body shook with mirth.
"Brother… we did it… we did it!"
Ed smiled even as he teetered on his feet. "And you're back Al, you're back! I told you we'd get our bodies back!"
"I know, Ed," Al said with a trusting smile-a smile Ed hadn't seen for years. "Thank you..."
Ed grinned, about to say something else, when a thick hand settled on his shoulder. Edward looked up into the smiling gold eyes of Hohenheim as he pulled him and Al into a gentle hug.
"I'm so proud of you boys..."
Another sense of pressure around their shoulders alerted them to Izumi, resting her hands on their shoulders as she gave them a smile that said You did it, you've done it, and I am proud of you.
Ed huffed a laugh, leaning into the embrace of his family. So they did it... that's it... They had no more reason to save the world.
It was almost nostalgic already...
"EDWARD AND ALPHONSE ELRIC!" a voice boomed, and Ed and Al stiffened with fear as a sparkling, crying Alex Louis Armstrong towered over them, arms poised to hug.
"ACK! M-MAJOR!" Ed yelped as he and his brother were swept into the shimmering man's arms, knocking the breath out of Ed's lungs and nearly making Al's hastily-buttoned coat fly off. Ed tried beating at Armstrong's biceps to let him down, but if anything, the Strong Arm Alchemist's grip only tightened. Edward wasn't quite sure how his weakened brother wasn't squashed yet.
"YOU BRAVE, BEAUTIFUL BOYS! YOU'VE SAVED AMESTRIS! THE ARMSTRONG FAMILY WILL TREASURE THIS DAY FOR GENERATIONS!"
"MAJOR, WILL YOU PUT US DOWN!? YOU'RE GONNA BREAK MY-GAH!... ribs..."
Armstrong immediately set the boys down, making the change from hyper puppy, unaware of his size, to concerned adult in a matter of moments.
"Are you alright, Edward, Alphonse? Do you need immediate medical assistance? I, ALEX LOUIS ARMSTRONG, WOULD BE HONORED TO ESCORT YOU TO THE HOSP-"
"NO! I'm fine! I think my ribs are just bruised. I don't need to go to the hospital yet!" Ed said hastily, only to wince as his side was bumped painfully. "Although maybe later! I have to go get something I left below Central, first. I left what remains of Pride down there..."
"Then I shall be honored to accompany you!"
"That's-THAT'S REALLY NOT NECCESARY!"
Hohenheim smiled as he watched the elder of his sons protesting the Major's assistance. They had really grown up, hadn't they... If only he could have been there to see them grow...
Suddenly, Hohenheim stiffed as he felt a chill race up his back, and an odd, tense feeling settled over him. Almost like something was pulling him back under Central. He gaped silently, feeling a cold sweat break out on the back of his neck. Slowly, his lips pulled into a tight line, and Hohenheim stood up. He turned back towards the tunnels and began walking towards this weird sense.
"Hey bastard! Where do you think you're going?"
Hohenheim paused, turning around to look at Ed's confused expression. His eldest son blinked slowly, Alphonse being helped up by Armstrong.
"Where're you going?" Ed asked, "You're not leaving us again, are you?" Hohenheim knew the jab was meant in good humor, but in a way, it still stung. He smiled at his boys almost sympathetically.
"I'm afraid I'm needed elsewhere. You two behave. I'm proud of you both."
Van Hohenheim turned away without looking back, but this time it was with a certain peace of mind as he waved backwards over his shoulder and walked back into the tunnels.
"So, it seems it's not quite over, is it, Homunculus?..."
Footsteps echoed down the corridors of the catacombs under Central. Hohenheim hummed a tune softly, hands in his pockets and jacket slung over his arm. He stopped at one of the branching tunnels. Something told him to turn here, just a pulling feeling drawing him in from within his chest.
The feeling of a second pulse grew stronger as he neared the draw, and a soft wind seemed to be pressing him inward to the source as well. He stopped paces away from its root, and looked down at the red stone laying on the linoleum, half-formed and glowing weakly.
"Hm?" Hohenheim murmured, reaching for the stone. "Seems you're a long way from Father."
Hohenheim left the tunnels just as the sun was setting. The courtyard in which Father was destroyed was empty now, the evidence of the battle scattered. However, it seemed like some alchemists had tried to fix the area, as a walkway was repaired, leading to a circle of burn marks and ashes.
Hohenheim walked towards it and paused at it's center, feeling that same pulling sensation there, as well as in several other places across Central. They were significantly weaker than the one that had come from the stone in the tunnel, however. There was still time to take care of things before he went back to Trisha.
As he looked down at the last place Father had stood, a sentimental feeling came over him.
'You're the one who gave me blood, right?'
'Don't you desire freedom and rights, Hohenheim?'
'...but I guess I'd be happy if I could somehow leave this flask..."
The voice of the Dwarf echoed in his mind, voicing an inner desire Hohenheim had wished for many, many years ago.
'How ironic... all this time we had shared the dream of freedom, and I had failed to see how you were denied your dream while mine thrived.'
"You're right, Dwarf in the Flask, Homunculus. You were born from my blood... I..."
'I want to give what I never could to you... You may be unable to come back, but...'
Hohenheim curled his fist around the Philosopher's Stone in his hand, feeling a pulse come from it as though it were responding.
'Even though you are gone, I can give what's left of you your ultimate desire. I promise, you will be free.'
"Sir Hohenheim?"
Hohenheim turned around as Major Armstrong approached from behind. The Major had looked pretty beat up from the battle, but now he seemed to have only a few scratches. Armstrong stopped on the outside of the burnt circle.
"Both of your children have been safely hospitalized."
Hohenheim nodded gratefully to him, once again counting his blessings that his sons had people to take care of them.
"Thank you. I appreciate all you have done for them."
"No, I should be the one thanking you."
Van Hohenheim blinked, startled, and looked up at Armstrong's sincere expression.
"Edward Elric and Alphonse Elric. If it weren't for those two boys, this country would have fallen. Thank you, very much."
He felt himself start to quiver as the Major praised his sons, recognizing the unspoken gratitude in his words.
'Thank you. You have wonderful sons, and you brought them into this world. You are not a failure as a father. They are strong of heart, and that is what matters most.'
"...Thanks." was all Hohenheim could say as he ducked his head, walking past the Major towards what was left of Central.
He could feel the warm tears as they flowed freely down his cheeks, and he choked back a silent sob as he put the Stone in his pocket.
'I may not have much time left in this world myself, so I will pass you to someone who can, Homunculus.'
First, he needed to make a quick stop at the hospital.
"I want a haircut." Alphonse whined, catching his gaunt reflection in the hospital mirror as the brothers passed through the hallway. The doctors insisted Alphonse be carted in with a wheelchair, and Ed nearly fought them about it. Being the more temperamental of the two, Ed apparently felt like his pride was being insulted, and he tried to carry in Al himself, much to the younger brother's dismay. Of course, Armstrong would have none of it, and Edward was almost carried in himself by the burly baby-faced alchemist.
Ed snickered at Al's disgusted face when he looked in the mirror. Apparently, long hair is not for everyone.
"As soon as we're settled in and the doctor checks us out, I'll see if I can borrow some scissors."
Al made another face. "Please don't. Remember the last time you cut my hair? When we were seven?"
"HEY! You can't hold that one against me! I've gotten better! I promise!"
"Okay, but I'm still going to have someone else cut it, just in case."
Ed sighed dramatically and shook his head as the nurses ushered them into a hospital room. "My own brother betrayed me..."
Alphonse grumbled something about full-of-themselves brothers as a nurse helped him up on the hospital bed
Just as Ed was settled into a bed opposite Alphonse, a nurse came into the room with a neatly wrapped brown package in her hands.
"Mr. Elric, I have a package for you from a Mr. Hohenheim, I believe."
Ed blinked in surprise, and sat up straighter as the nurse walked over to hand him the package. When he held it, it seemed to weigh almost nothing. A small envelope sat on top, and Edward picked at the opening, tearing it open after a moment of hesitation.
He looked over the letter, and Al leaned forward as best as he could trying to see the contents. When Ed made an odd noise, Al couldn't help but let curiosity take over.
"From dad? What's it say, brother?"
Silently, Ed passed him the letter and began picking at the twine while Al skimmed the handwritten page.
"Edward,
I'm heading back to Risembool by the time you get this. The worst of this country's battle is over, but there is an old debt I have to pay. Unfortunately, I don't think I can fulfill my end of the bargain, so I am leaving this to you. I know you can handle it.
You should know, that whatever happens, Father must not come back. Keep this safe, and do not use it for anyone. I'm counting on you.
Sincerely, Hohenheim
P.S. I am so proud of you and Alphonse."
Al smiled, and he could feel secret tears welling up at the corners of his eyes. He wiped his eyes discreetly and turned to Ed, who had pulled off the twine and was trying to figure out the best way to open the brown paper.
"That was nice of dad, huh?" He said with a smile, "You know, that he trusts us so much?"
Ed laughed somewhat sarcastically as he ripped off one of the sides of paper. "Yeah right! The bastard didn't have the decency to tell us he was leaving in person! And to top it off, now he's given me some kind of quest with-"
Ed froze as he pulled open the box, smile falling quickly from his lips as they quirked into a silent 'oh'. Al noticed this, and concern crossed his features.
"Ed? Are you... What's wrong?"
Edward gritted his teeth and curled his hands into fists. His shoulders shook slightly, and Al was almost afraid of the expression on his face.
"That bastard..."
Inside the box, a small red stone glinted up at him, almost mockingly. A Philosopher's Stone.
"What the hell am I even supposed to do with this?"