Author's Note: Hi, I hardly ever write, I suck, but I bring what-if drabbly fic that's drabble only in name, really. Because Mana Khemia is a horribly sparse category, and it needs some fleshing out and I am completely in love with these two argh.

Takes place after Vayne's ending (so thus there are a few spoilers).

Written while listening to a mix of Rival's Shadow, Drive Your Thoughts to Distant Memories, TOGGLE, Farewell My Youthful Days, and The Illusionary Patty-Ridge from the OSTs. |D;; Also while suffering from a decided lack of sleep.

It WAS originally going to be a one-shot, but...

March 27th, 2009
Word count: 1134
Unbetaed
No pairings, unless you want to read it that way.

"So… Roxis?"

He's not heard that name said in that tone of voice for a very long time. He ignores it, continues to finish off those reports, because eventually, the ghost will stop haunting him.

"Roxis, look at me."

And against his better judgment, he does.

The sight that meets his gaze is…

Before he realizes what he is doing, he's reaching a hand out to touch the other. "You're real," he murmurs, awestruck. "Why…"

"Let's… just say I came to terms with myself."

He snaps back into reality, and the dreamy look disappears from his face. The paperwork once again is his focus; he really needs to fill out these forms and requests so he can submit them tomorrow- he's running low on ingredients in the infirmary.

"Hey- Roxis-"

"Why are you here?" he asks curtly, not looking up from the table.

The question seems to confuse the other; it's a few moments before he replies. "…Why wouldn't I be here…?"

"You disappeared, and everyone believed you were dead. We all tried to leave you behind; after all, we didn't think you would be coming back. Is that not a good enough reason?" He doesn't mean to be snappish—his Mana points out that he should probably be happy, isn't this what he unconsciously devoted himself to?—, but the reappearance of the dead is enough to fray anyone's nerves.

The other man frowns. "Yes, well… I don't deny that that happened but… I did come back, didn't I? I know it's not going to be as easy as that but…"

That tone. Innocence lost; an optimism he's not seen for a long time. And suddenly, he's very tired.

He sighs and slumps in his chair wearily, looking a lot older than his thirty-two years. "Vayne," he begins slowly, referring to the other by his name for the first time in the conversation. "You have to realize that you've been gone for twelve years. Twelve long years."

The vulnerability in the other's tone surprises Vayne. He wasn't expecting to get an answer out of the other that quickly either, and it's several seconds before he responds. "Twelve… years…? I've really been gone that long…?" The meekness in his voice is tangible, as are the implications of guilt.

He waves the other over to a chair, beckoning for him to sit down. Vayne does just that, mutely taking a seat as the medic closes his eyes, trying to collect his thoughts.

When they open, garnet pools peer at him from narrowed eyes. "So what are you going to do now?"

"E-eh? What do you mean? I'm going to find everyone and…"

The blonde makes a small incredulous noise. "That's it? What do you plan to do once you do that? Get us all back together?"

"W-well… I hadn't…"

"Vayne. There's no 'us' anymore. We're not a workshop anymore. We're not in school anymore; hardly any of us knows where the others are. We all lost contact with each other after we left Al-Revis."

"I-I'm sorry…"

"Don't apologize," the blonde snaps. His expression is one of wry amusement; a corner of his lip tugs up in a twisted smirk. "After all, you thought you were doing the right thing, vanishing so that you wouldn't hurt anyone. It's only our fault for taking it so badly; our fault for being so selfish, after all."

The silver-haired man doesn't look up from the floor. He swallows, and mutters weakly, "I'm… I'm going to make things right. I'll fix everything that my disappearing made wrong."

It's too much. The blonde lets out a harsh bark of a laugh, and Vayne can only stare, startled out of his thoughts. "You?" the blonde manages to get out between hysteric giggles, "Make things right? How exactly are you going to manage that? You vanish from the world, good as dead, reappear twelve years later, and expect to be able to pick up the pieces that easily? Oh, Vayne. What are you going to do; wish it all better?"

He's not expecting the other's next statement.

"…I can't, even if I wanted to."

He regains some composure; enough to utter, "…Hmm?"

He's intrigued. And as he leans forward slightly, Vayne looks him directly in the eyes, wordlessly communicating more than he could ever vocalize. The silver-haired man smiles self-deprecatingly. "I probably should, though. You and Flay… you've changed a lot… because of me. But I can't."

The medic smiles back wistfully, fingers tapping out melancholy rhythms on the table. "I won't deny that we've changed. But…" he pauses, biting down a needlessly scathing remark, "Besides the issues of trying to make things 'right'… explain why you can't. You don't want it enough?"

Vayne knows those last few words aren't meant to be harsh, but he can't help but wince. "I… I physically can't. When I wished myself back, I left all my power as a Mana behind. I'm a normal human now."

His gaze is passive. "And Sulpher?"

"A normal cat. He'd always been, really. He… well, the other me… I think he gave him back. He said something about a parting gift, and I think Sulpher's younger now…" the once-Mana replies, stroking the cat in question.

Silence then, as everything sinks in.

"I… see…"

"…"

"…Human now, really?" The wry grin is back. "You were human before we discovered you a Mana."

"I- just because we didn't know-"

"You were still human after we found out that you were a Mana."

"I…" The silver-haired man visibly flinches.

"Vayne, what you were didn't matter! Human or Mana, your actions have the same effect! I spent a decade convincing myself that you did what you thought was best for us, and I'm not sure I succeeded. Seeing you here, in the flesh, makes me wonder if that was pointless."

"I'm… sorry…"

"Don't apologize, that makes things all the worse. Vayne, I hate you, you know that. I always have, and I can't fathom why you'd come to me of all people when Gunnar Damm is just a few buildings away."

The cat hisses warningly at the blonde, tensing from its position on the once-Mana's shoulder, but a hand quickly comes up to quiet it. He watches the action dispassionately, arching one elegant eyebrow when the other smiles weakly—relievedly, he realizes later—at him.

"You don't know how good it is to see you again, Roxis," the silver-haired man breathes, and pulls the other man into a hug. The blonde goes slack in the other's grip, expression one of astonishment.

But after getting over the shock, Roxis slowly, hesitantly, returns the embrace.

"It's not going to be that easy," the bespectacled alchemist warns Vayne without much conviction in his voice. Vayne only nods disjointedly and returns a mild grin.

"Yeah, I know. I know, Roxis."

What, were you expecting Roxis to just accept his long-lost friend back? I don't think so. The ending though, still seems sorta sickly sweet...

...For the record, in my headcanon, Flay's full name is Flay Gunnar Damm. That is all.

This stupid scenario refuses to die, by the way. Hell, I've sketched out Professor!Roxis and argh no.

...does anyone read these?