/-Traces of regret / Chapter 1- A long way from home/

Summary / Post-C.o.S. – When Ed and Al closed the gate in Germany, they assumed that there was no turning back. So when they find themselves facing it once more, only to be sucked through and sent back to their own world, what will happen to the brothers when they find themselves lost within the barren wastelands of Drachma? Will they be able to get back home, or will the bordering country's personal affairs with Amestris put their plans to a halt?

A/N: Hola! :D Thanks for reading this! It's my first fanfic, and I have no beta reader, so hopefully it won't suck THAT much. I apologize if it seems as though I'm rambling at first. It seems that I have a bad habit of doing that. :/ I promise not to beg for reviews, but I would love to hear them! :D

/- Chapter 1

Edward was never one to dwell too much on the past. When he and Al had been trying to regain their lost bodies, they never had any time to worry about it. But now, faced with as much free time as he could want, there was nothing else to do but wonder about what could have been. The brothers had been sent through the gate to Germany three years ago, and had since managed to close and destroy the gate back to Amestris, as well as track down Huskisson and his uranium bomb. They had been traveling with Noah, but she had left a few months into the journey, to travel with another group of Roma, and leaving the brothers to travel with just each other.

As time went on, and their searches for the bomb-wielding mad-man lead them across Europe, Ed and Al had finished with their search, landing in England. They had decided to stay there for the time being, planning out their next moves, and deciding whether or not it was worth it to keep traveling, or if they should finally settle down. The two had ended up renting an apartment in a small neighborhood, on the outskirts of London, and were currently on a job hunt, seeing as they no longer had a military income to depend on.

But as luck would have it, Edward couldn't seem to find a single job. They only skill he had ever spent time developing was his alchemy, which was rather useless in this world. He had skills in rocketry, but that had been more of Alfonse's forte. Although he had been able to understand the general concepts, Ed was lost when it came to the smaller details. The only reason he had studied the science was to find a way home, and that had ended in somewhat of a disaster once the gate opened.

Home. Of course Edward missed home, but there was no way back now. The only way to open the gate that anyone knew of required the sacrifice of a homunculus, and Envy had been the only one who managed to slip through the gate with him the first time. So how would he open it? And even if he could open the gate again, who would close it here? He didn't dare leave Alphonse to do that, and he was the only one who could. Would the destruction on either side be worth it?

He knew he needed to stop worrying about home. Mustang had managed to close the gate the lead to the underground city – hadn't he? Of course he had. Ed didn't exactly get along with the man, but he knew that he wasn't one to leave an important threat like that looming over unsuspecting victims. The paperwork he probably had to fill out after all the madness was another story, but Ed knew he could count on the man to take the gate down. And with it gone, he had no way back. But he was happy, right?

Al had gotten his body, as well as his memories back. And he and Ed had been reunited as well. So he had no reason to complain. Although it had found a loophole, Truth had given him what he asked for in the end, and he had no reason to ask for anything more. His journey was complete, and he could finally take a break. Relaxing might actually do him some good. The final battle against Huskisson hadn't left his auto-mail in the best shape, and who knew when he would be able to get a replacement? His leg was already a good two inches shorter than his flesh leg, and he had been making do by wearing a boot with a larger heel. With the shape he was in, He didn't stand a chance against one of his old rivals.

Did he regret coming here? Somewhat. Although he was satisfied with what he had, he still missed his friends, his family, even 'Colonel Bastard.' But even if he could, he honestly wouldn't change any of it. He was all for living with the consequences of his actions. He just wished Al didn't have to, seeing as the idea that caused the whole drama was his. He felt guilty for Al losing four tears of his life, able only to experience it through the eyes of a cold suit of armor. He said he didn't blame Ed for any of it, but Ed still didn't dare blame anyone else for it but himself.

Lost in thought, Edward continued to walk down the dimly lit street that led back to the apartment. The neighborhood was nice and quaint, but they really could have spent more on lighting. Temporarily distracted by that realization, Edward walked up the small sidewalk towards the apartment complex. Fumbling for his keys in the dark, he managed to find the right one, and unlocked the door, slipping inside quietly. It was well past midnight now, and he was pretty sure that Al would be asleep at this point. Greeted only by a soft mew from below, Ed bent down and stroked the small gray kitten that lived with them. Al had finally managed to convince Ed to get him a cat, so long as he was the one to take care of it. That didn't mean Ed minded having the small ball of fur live with them, the tiny menace manage to liven the small apartment.

"It's about time you got home."

Looking up again, Ed saw Al, sprawled out on the couch with a book in his hands, grinning at him. "I would have figured you would be asleep by now," Edward countered, going into the kitchen. After pouring himself a cup of coffee, he sat down on the overstuffed reclining chair across from the couch. "So, why are you still awake anyway?"

Yawning, Al sat up on the couch. "This book kept me up. It's pretty interesting, it's all about medieval sciences from this world, and it mentions alchemy too. Apparently, the alchemists in this world were just as eager to find a philosopher's stone as we were." Closing the book, Al set it down on the small end table, then stood up and stretched. "Their knowledge was pretty limited though, seeing as they could never get anything to work. But there are rumors of some modern-day alchemists who are still trying to learn the science. I guess they just don't want to accept the fact that it won't work over here."

Ed crossed his arms in thought. If there were still some people attempting alchemy on this side of the gate, then maybe they could look into it. Seeing as they had nothing else to chase after, it might occupy some of the free time he seemed to have too much of. "Well, maybe we should go check some of these rumors out for ourselves."

Al looked at him, somewhat surprised. "Are you sure about that? What happened to finally settling down?"

"Well, it turns out I'm nowhere near as good at that as I hoped," he sighed. "After all that non-stop traveling and research, I must have developed a case of wanderlust."

Al pondered the idea for a moment. "Okay then, if you want to go, I'm fine with that. It's been too quiet here anyway. I guess you're not the only one with wanderlust!" Grinning, Al turned towards the hallway. "I'm going to bed; I'll see you in the morning!"

Leaving Ed to his thoughts, he closed his eyes, contemplating what to do. He really did feel uncomfortable with the lack of adventure in his life, although the lack of death threats had been a nice change. Al had been the one to think it was time to settle down, but to Ed it seemed he was just as restless. The thirst for adventure was something they both obviously had. So why not go ahead and satisfy it?

They had enough money saved up at this point, so they would be able to do a bit of traveling without having to stop too often. They had only just moved into the apartment, and had not added any furniture to it yet. Its landlord would be coming over the next afternoon to ask whether or not they would like to rent the room or not. And with neither of the brothers having a permanent job to commit to, leaving would be that much simpler. Maybe there was a reason that all the 'help wanted' signs seemed to have disappeared from the windows today. That would meant that the only thing they would have to deal with then –

Mew!

– Was the cat. They could probably ask one of the neighbors to care for it, but Al would still be upset about losing the pet only a few months after he brought it home, and Ed hated to ask for someone to do so. He didn't dare leave it in a shelter – Al would bite his head off for abandoning it. It could travel with them, but that would be a bit of a hassle. Clueless as to an answer for the problem posed by the little ball of fluff, Ed decided that he would ask Al about the kitten in the morning. Yawning, he stood, stretched, and headed for his bedroom, knowing that it may very well be the last decent night's sleep he would be able to get for a while if things went the way he planned for them to.

A/N: Gaaaaaaaaaaah. That took forever to write.

… Okay. Not really. It only took about, idk, 3 hours total? I tried to review and edit it, but I usually can't catch my own mistakes. Don't be afraid to make suggestions and point out my mistakes, it would actually be greatly appreciated! All flames shall be used to roast marshmallows :D