Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist
Chapter 1
The pain was insufferable, agonizing, pure torture. Every struggled movement, each gasping breath, every rasping word that came out of his mouth. He thought he as going to die, he knew he was going to die, it was only a matter of time. Death however, never came and he had to suffer through this pain alone in the dark, without any warmth or light.
He knew Al was somewhere but he couldn't see him. His brother was somewhere hidden in the darkness that was closing in on him. He couldn't see, hear, move, nothing worked. All he could do was lie motionless on the cold hard ground, waiting for any sign of the suit of armor, any sign of the hope that he has been deprived of for so long.
His bloody, broken body was easily looked over, the golden hair matted with both dry and fresh crimson blood. He forced himself up, he forced his stiff protesting body to move forward. He knew it was hopeless, he wasn't going to last long. All of the hope that once had lived within him had been ripped away and replaced with nothing but empty darkness.
He was in the pit of despair, the darkness the only thing to inhabit the land he was dying in. He knew he only had so much longer but both his broken heart and wisp of soul were set on finding the suit of armor even if it cost him his life.
With one bloody hand he reached out for the light that he could only imagine was there. His pleas for light, his desperation driving him forward. Each shaky step brought him closer to either life or death.
He was in the bottom of hell with nothing but his own will to keep him sane. Each burst of pain nothing compared to the emptiness rapidly welling up inside him, threatening to devour him. He had nothing now, no hope, no light, only darkness and despair.
He pulled painfully forward. He could see the end now, for better or worse. He was almost there. Something was pulling him forward, something was driving him towards the unseen force that awaited him at the end of this dark tunnel that could lead only to death. He knew that everything was going to change, something good or bad was going to happen.
His muscles protested as he propelled forward. Nothing was holding him back now, he was going to find Al, they were going to survive.
He knew it was close, he could feel the warmth penetrating the sharp stabbing cold that pierced his broken skin. It was right there in his grasp, his goal was right ahead. He was finally going to be safe, he was finally going to see Al again.
How could he be wrong? Why was the darkness growing thicker? It felt like he was walking through a pool of blood, thick swirling blood that lapped at his legs and tried suck him back down. He was forcing himself to move forward, he didn't know what else to do.
In one final desperate struggle he pushed his way forward, barreling through the pain, pushing past the sorrow, throwing away all misery. He knew what he had to do, he had to complete his goal at all costs. He was going to survive and that was a promise he was going to cherish and hold close to his broken heart. His trembling fingers reached up to grab onto the last shard of hope that floated through the air above him.
He had it in his grasp, the last of the hope. He pulled it close and held the invisible force close to him. He knew it was there even though he could neither feel not see it, he knew it was there. It was safe in his bloody hands, safe in his trembling fingers.
Everything seemed like it will work, everything was just as it should be. He embraced the hope and continued on his struggle forward. Al was going to be saved and he was going to do it. He wasn't going to bow down to death now. He spread apart his shaky fingers and as soon as he did that one action the entire world was enveloped in a blinding white.
Everything was wrong. But at the same time everything was right. Nothing made sense but everything seemed perfect.
When Ed opened his eyes he found himself staring up at a white roof. But that wasn't what surprised him. He woke up in hospitals all the time. The absence of pain was strange but that wasn't the thing that confused him either. It was when he turned his head and saw Al sitting in a chair beside him that he truly became confused and he might as well have been shocked.
He couldn't believe what he was seeing. It was Al, his brother. His brother in his original body. Ed could only stare, open mouthed, at the blond hair and gently snoring human in front of his eyes. But how was Al human, he was just a suit of armor?
Light golden eyes open and met his bright ones. The two brothers stared at each other in silence for a moment before tears filled Al's eyes and he dived at Ed, pulling his older brother into a tight hug.
"Brother, I missed you so much," he announced as he continued his python tight hug. Ed was still shocked at what he was seeing. How was Al human?
"Al, you're breaking me." His voice was scratchy and it sounded like he hadn't talked for years. But that wasn't possible. He was still racking his mind trying to figure it out when someone walked into the room.
Ed looked over his brother's shoulder and saw Roy Mustang walk further into the small room. He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Ed. His eyes widened in surprise and it looked like a layer of stress vanished off of his face.
"Edward, you're awake?" He asked in disbelief. His dark eyes had adopted a look of relief and gratefulness as he ran over to Ed and did the same Al did to him a minute before. Ed was stuck in yet another python hug. How many more bone crushing hugs was he going to receive?
When Roy finally released him there was nothing but shock plastered on the blond Alchemists face. His golden gaze swept from Al to Roy and back again.
"Is someone going to tell me what's going on or am I going to have to figure it out myself?" Ed asked as he continued to stare questioningly at the two people. He wasted an answer. When no explanation came he crossed his arms over his chest and that's when he got the biggest surprise of all.
It wasn't automail. Both his right and left arm were real. Flesh and blood. He stared in shock before feeling his left leg and just like the arm it was flesh, not steel. He didn't believe what was happening. First Al is human and now he had all his limbs. He didn't know why it was suddenly different.
"Al, my arm and leg. They're real," he said in disbelief. His gaze was fixed solely on the flesh limp in front of his face. His arm was back, but how? It just didn't make any sense.
He looked up at Al pleadingly for answers but his brother looked down for some reason, as if there was something he knew and was keeping it a secret.
"Al, what's wrong?" Ed asked. His younger brother looked up and forced a smile onto his stressed face.
"It's nothing," He said quickly. "I'm just glad that you have you're awake, that's all."
Ed knew that wasn't what he was thinking. Al was hiding something, something important that Ed didn't know about. The blond's gaze drifted over to Roy.
"Hey Colonel, do you know what's going on?" Ed asked.
"It's General now," Roy corrected. "And I'm sorry. Al's the only one who knows."
Ed snapped his attention back to Al. "So you are hiding something." He peered closely at Al, awaiting impatiently for an answer, and that was hard to do for someone who has no patients to begin with.
Al looked uneasy but he looked up at Ed anyway and began to explain the one thing that seemed to be the most important thing, far more important than why the Colonel was now a General. "Edward you've been in a coma for the past three years. I'm sorry."
Ed's eyes widened. A coma? But how. It just didn't make sense. He was in a coma for three years, it wasn't possible. Al was lying to him, telling him a joke. Yeah, that's it. He's joking, that's all. Ed however, believed Al, believed what he was saying about him being in a coma.
"A-Al, are you telling the truth?" Ed asked in a broken voice. "Everything you said just now...Is it true?"
Al nodded slightly and Ed knew that his brother wouldn't lie to him like that. The blond sank back against the pillow and tried to wrap his mind around everything that he had just been told in that short period of time. It was true, it was all true. He's been in a coma for three years, Al was human, he had all his limbs, the Colonel was a General. It was all true.
He needed answers. He had to know why everything was the way it was. There must have been a reason he was trapped in that dark void. There must be an answer if he could just remember. He tried to think back but his mind was blank, it was like all the memories of what had happened were stolen and replaced with just emptiness.
He tried to think but only saw flashes of things that only lasted a second before disappearing. It was impossible to remember but he knew it was there, somewhere. He shut his eyes and forced himself to remember anything. He saw himself and Al walking through a forest, he saw himself handing in a report. Everything was familiar yet unfamiliar. He couldn't grasp one thing, not one fragment of a memory that floated aimlessly through his dark mind.
After a fair bit of time he looked up and saw both Al and Roy looking at him expectantly as if they were thinking that he could explain to them what was going on.
Ed's gaze drifted over to Al and he looked at his younger brother, wanting nothing more than answers to his endless questions.
"Alphonse, tell me what's going on. Everything," he demanded using as much authority as he could manage.
Al looked hesitant when it came to answering but after a brief pause began to talk.
Two years ago
Al sat beside Ed's bed and watched his brother's chest rise and fall slowly. It had been exactly a year since it all happened and there had been no change in Ed. The doctors had run countless tests but found nothing that could cause this. Al couldn't stand watching his brother waste away there, alive yet not alive. He was in good, no, perfect condition but he just wouldn't wake up.
Al waited here everyday, for as long as he could. He sat in the chair beside his brother and watched him, wishing that he was awake. He often found himself crying, crying because of his brother.
"What the point of reaching our goal if brother's not awake to see it?" Al asked no one in particular one evening.
Roy walked over and placed his hand on his shoulder. Al looked up into his dark eyes and saw nothing but kindness. He smiled down at him. "Don't worry Alphonse. I'm sure Ed will wake up eventually just give him some time."
Al nodded slightly and turned his complete attention back to Ed. He still couldn't believe that it had been an entire year since it all happened, it seemed like yesterday that Ed had made that sacrifice, the sacrifice that Al wished he could have made instead.
He was brought back to reality when there was a knock on the door. He shifted in the chair until he could see who it was.
It was a man. He was wearing a business suit and carrying a suitcase. He looked around as if waiting for someone to invite him in. When no invitation came he invited himself into the small hospital room and looked around. His gaze landed on Al and he smiled.
"Why if it isn't Alphonse Elric," he announced. Bowing slightly, he walked over to Al, shaking his hand enthusiastically.
"And isn't that Edward Elric?" His gaze drifted over to Ed's motionless body in the bed. His gaze drifted back to Al. "I've heard that you want answers, young man."
Al didn't know what to make of him. He seemed strange and he acted like he knew them. Al didn't know what kind of answers he was talking about but any answers were fine with him.
"What answers are you talking about?" Al asked suspiciously. He stared the man hard in the eye as he opened up his suitcase and pulled out a piece of paper. He looked at it before smiling.
"The answer to why your brother is the way he is." The newcomer smiled.
Al looked up suddenly. "You know what's wrong with Ed?"
He nodded slyly. "And I will tell you. But there has to be an Equivalent Exchange."
"What equivalent exchange are you talking about?" He was getting more and more suspicious about the man the longer he stood there.
"I'll give you the information in exchange for how you open the gate." He sounded serious.
Al didn't hesitate telling him about how you open the gate. All he cared about was knowing why Ed was in a coma and what he could do to change it. After he was done explaining, the man smiled and did his side of the deal.
"Ed knows the answer," He began. "He'll wake up eventually. You just have to be patient. The time will come soon. He's safe from death and wont die as long as he's in that condition. He'll wake up soon. Now, I have to go." The man closed his suitcase and walked out of the door and away from the room.
All Al could think about was how strange it all was. He turned to look at him brother with a great sadness in his pale golden eyes, wishing that what that man had said was true and that Ed would wake up soon. "Please wake up soon big brother. I miss you so much." A small tear rolled down his face but he didn't bother wiping it away.
Present time
All Ed managed was a nod of his head when Al finished explaining the story. It didn't make complete sense but Ed understood most of it. If there was someone out there who knew what happened then he had to find him, that the was only way.
"Al, do you remember anything?" Ed asked. "Do you know why you're human?"
Al only shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry brother. I don't know. I just remember waking up like this and that's all."
Ed sighed and tried to think. He was now positive he had to find that man. But how was he going to find one person out of the hundreds, no thousands of people who lived in Amestris. It could take years. Hope seemed far away when something finally dawned on him.
"Al, we're going to find that man." Ed said it with determination. He attempted to get out of the bed but Roy pushed him back down.
"Geeze Ed, you need to rest for a bit," Roy said, putting a bit of pressure on Ed's shoulder to keep him down. "You've been unconsciousness for three years. You need to take it easy. Got it?"
Ed nodded. "Yeah yeah, I know. I just hate waiting."
Al laughed. "I guess you're really back."
"What's that suppose to mean?" Ed demanded.
"You're the same as before you fell unconscious. Impatient, loud, annoying, stubborn. Name it and you've got it." Al continued to laugh.
Ed crossed his twig like arms over his chest again. "Yeah, yeah, that's very Funny Al. I swear once I'm out of here I'm gonna give you a real beating."
"And then I'll give you a beating," Al retorted jokingly.
"Alphonse," Roy spoke up. "Why don't we let Ed get some rest? He looks like he needs it."
It was all too true. Ed was feeling the weariness creeping into him as they spoke. A yawn escaped him and Roy and Al exited the room, shutting off the lights and closing the door. Ed decided to get some sleep and lied down in the bed. He pulled the blanket well over his blond head and was snoring within minutes.
Three years ago
Ed stormed into Roy Mustang's office and slammed the door with a bang loud enough to shake the walls. The Colonel looked up from signing papers and raised an eyebrow when Ed walked further into the office. The blond slammed his crumpled and torn report onto the Colonel's desk with great force, knocking over his mountain of paperwork and scattering the countless sheets to the floor.
"Fullmetal, could you please refrain from attempting to dent my desk with your automail?" He asked in a calm tone that ignited the fire in Ed. His cold gaze drifted the the paperwork that lined the floor. "And knocking my stuff to the floor," he added
"Why did you send me on another false lead?' Ed shouted, allowing all of his anger to burst out right then and there. "Do you know how much time I wasted in that damn place?"
"It's not my fault that the lead was false," Roy said. It was the same damn response he used every time the lead turned out to be false and every time Ed had to use all his willpower to keep himself from Transmuting the Colonel bastard into something. Ed couldn't even find the words to how mad he was.
The blond clenched his fists and slammed them against the table deliberately to bother Roy. He stared the older man hard in the eyes. "Next time you give me a lead make sure it's true," he snarled bitterly.
"I can't make any promises." There was sarcasm in his voice and Ed knew it was only a matter of time before he snapped.
Roy turned his attention to Ed's mangled report. He scanned the pages before handing the report back to Ed. "I can't read a word you've written. You're going to have to rewrite it."
Ed ripped the flimsy papers from Roy's hand and ripped it in half several times without hesitation. He threw the remains forcefully at the Colonel bastard's damn face and crossed his arms over his chest. "There. I rewrote it."
Roy pushed the scraps of paper off of him. "I'm getting the picture that you don't know what 'rewrite' means?"
Ed grit his teeth. "Shut up. I'm not rewriting that damn report if my life depended on it."
"Then I'm not giving you another lead," Roy said simply.
Ed hesitated. He always depended on the Colonel to give him a lead on the Philosopher's Stone but he was too damn stubborn to give in and rewrite the report, and he had to write it all over again because he decided that it was smart to rip the damn thing in half.
"I can find my own lead. I don't need you," Ed snarled. He turned sharply and stormed out of the room, slamming the door as hard as he could behind him.
As he walked down the halls with his hands buried deep in his pockets he became lost in his sea of thoughts. By the time he reached his dorm he was seething in anger and when he walked into the brightly lit room he slammed the door as hard as he possible could behind him. It caused the walls to vibrate and startled Al, who had been reading beside the window.
"Brother, how did the meet-" He stopped abruptly when he saw the look of pure hatred on his brother's face.
Ed walked across the room and began throwing clothes and books into his bag. There was no way he was going to be staying in the military dorms when that bastard was there. He shut his bag after some difficulty and headed for the door. "Come on Al, we're going."
"Where?" Al asked, walking over to Ed.
"I'll tell you on the train," Ed snarled. Without looking back he walked out of his dorm and down the halls. Al was forced to follow his infuriated older brother. The armor sighed and picked up his pace.
Ed walked out the front gate and into the warm afternoon air outside. Turning one corner, he made his way to the train station and after arriving bought two tickets for the first train leaving. It was a minute later when the train arrived and the two brothers boarded. Once they were situated in two seats in the back of the train Ed told Al where they were headed.
"I don't know where we're going. I just want to get away from the Colonel Bastard," Ed admitted with a forced laugh.
"What? I though you had a lead. So you have no idea where we're heading?" Al said quite loudly. "You idiot. I knew I shouldn't have trusted you."
"Relax Al, maybe if we're lucky there will be a Philosopher's Stone where we're going." Ed looked out the window and briefly wondered if there was a Philosopher's Stone where they were going. Central city flew past them on the other side of the window at lightning speed. Pressing his forehead against the cool glass, he watched as the bustling city slowly melted into countryside, dotted with houses. His breath fogged up the glass and distorted the scenery. Wiping away the condensation, he continued to look out the window at the rolling planes.
The train ride was long and both Ed and Al had no idea where they were going. The armor was still mad at his brother and refused to talk to him. It wasn't like it bothered Ed, he was too busy to notice as he continued to stare out the window, waiting for the train to stop.
The sun was soon slowly setting and Ed yawned loudly. He was often tired and since he hasn't had any sleep he was pretty sure it was only a matter of minutes before he was out cold. But the sleep he desire never came. He was too busy thinking about how they were going to find the Philosopher's Stone. For all he knew Roy might refuse to give him another lead again and that he and Alphonse were going to have to find them themselves.
The hills rolling past them were a brilliant gold as the last rays of the setting sun his them. The train was far from any busy city now. Only vast hills and twisting rivers dominated the barren land. Ed continued to stare out the window until his eyelids felt heavy and he finally drifted into a dreamless sleep.
"Ed, we're here. Wake up," Al's voice broke into his sleep.
Ed sat up and yawned. Outside was a small town, smaller than most. The buildings were spread apart and beyond the town was sand. They were in a desert of sand. Ed hated sand, when there was sand there was heat and he hated both. He slowly followed Al out of the train and into the searing heat outside. Sweat was already streaming down his face despite the fact that he's been out no longer then thirty seconds.
He noticed a small sign that read, 'New Optain. Population 110'
"Look's like we're in New Optain," Ed said with a sigh. "Couldn't we have gone somewhere with less sand?"
"You're the one who got on this train," Al reminded him.
Ed hung his head. Damn it. Why couldn't I have taken the train going somewhere else. Now I'm stuck in this damn town. Ed looked up and began to look for the nicest hotel he could find. He had enough knowledge to know that the trains only came by here every three days so he and Al needed to find a hotel or they would have to sleep in the streets like they did on their last assignment.
The first hotel was spotted, but it wasn't anything like Ed hoped for. It was an old rundown building that looked like it was ready to cave in, but at least they wouldn't have to stay in the sandy streets. He walked through the creaking doors and up to the front desk where a grouchy looking man sat with a cigarette in his mouth.
"Hey, I need a room," Ed announced, walking straight up the the man that reeked with smoke.
"three hundred thousand," The man said simply. "For the two of you."
"What? Three hundred thousand cenz for this damn place!" Ed shouted in disbelief. "I'll just find another hotel then."
The man casually tossed his cigarette to the ground and pulled out another one. "'S no use kid. This is the only hotel."
Ed reached into his wallet and pulled out the cash. He handed it to the man who tossed him the dusty key in exchange.
"Room 102," Ed muttered to himself. He walked through the halls until he spotted the room. He pushed the key into the lock and turned. There was a metallic snap as the key broke in half. Ed clenched his trembling fists. He easily Transmuted the door open and stormed in, his anger returning.
He got one look of the room and wished that he just stayed in Central. The walls were covered in both cobwebs and cracks, there was about an inch of dust on the ground, and the windows were either boarded up or cracked. There was only one one bed in the center of the room and when Ed pulled the blanket away three rats ran out from beneath it.
A disgusted look appeared on Ed's face and he dropped the sheet. There was no way he was going to sleep in a rat infested bed.
He glanced over at Al and saw him staring directly at Ed. "It's all your fault brother." The armor crossed his arms over his chest.
"Yeah yeah. Let's all blame me, how does that sound?" Ed said sarcastically.
"That sounds great," Al said with irritation.
Ed shot Al a meaningless glare before glancing around the room once more. "Let's go see if there's anything to do in this town." Ed walked out of the door. He wasn't going to sit there and do nothing until the train arrived. If he stayed there any longer he was probably going to get a disease.
While walking around he noticed some man watching him with interest. Ed stared at him for a minute before ignoring him and walking around more. The town was hot, very hot. Ed's automail felt like it was burning his skin and he eventually took refuge in a small wisp of shade he found beneath a bench. Al was standing a few feet from his and pretending he didn't know the strange kid sitting under the bench.
Ed didn't care if he looked like a complete fool, he was too hot to care. He savored the coolness of the shade and relaxed. He just happened to look off in one direction and saw the same man staring at him. Ed stared back and after a few short moments the man walked over. Ed swore beneath his breath. He attracted the unwanted attention of some random man again.
He crawled out from beneath the bench and walked over to Al. "Come on, let's go back to our-"
"Aren't you the Elric brothers?" A voice asked from behind them.
Ed turned sharply and saw the man that was staring at him standing no more than three feet from them. He was wearing a business suit and carrying a suitcase. Ed figured that he must have been hot wearing that suit.
"Why do you ask?" Ed demanded. He didn't mean to be rude, he didn't think he was rude but Al shook his shoulder and told him not to be rude. So he probably was rude.
The man bowed slightly. "I'm Nicolas," he began. "I'm honored to finally meet the two of you." He looked up and met Ed's gaze. "And I believe that you are searching for the Philosopher's Stone. Am I correct?"
Ed's eyes widened slightly. How does he know we're searching for the Philosopher's Stone? Me and Al have never told any one but a few people. It makes sense that he know who we are but how does he know about the Philosopher's Stone?
"Yes, we're the Elric brother's," Alphonse announced. "I'm Alphonse Elric and." The armor pointed at Ed. "He'd my older brother Edward Elric."
Ed turned to look hard at Al. "Al, haven't I ever told you to not tell random strangers who we are?"
Al ignored him and Ed crossed his arms over his chest. The blond turned his attention back to the man and looked at him suspiciously. "Who the hell are you anyway?"
"I already told you I'm Nicolas," the man politely reminded them.
"I don't care what your damn name is," Ed spat. Now he was being rude. "How do you know we're searching for the Philosopher's Stone and how do you know who we are?"
"You're the Fullmetal Alchemist, the youngest State Alchemist ever. It only makes sense that I know who you are."
"That's not the answer I was looking for," Ed growled.
Nicolas didn't appear to understand. Instead he reached his hand into his pocket and pulled out a distinct glowing red stone that reflected the sun that shone from the sky. Ed's eye's widened at the sight of it.
"Is that?"
"Yes," Nicolas said, holding up the stone so Ed could get a better view. "This is the Philosopher's Stone."
A/N...So how was it. This idea came to me randomly so I decided to post it after about two months of deciding if I should. I'd love to hear what you think about it.
Now, for the question: There is a reason I named that guy with the Philosopher's Stone Nicolas. If you know why I named him that then write your answer in a review and I'll mention everyone who guesses correctly in the authors note next chapter. Good luck.