Sorry it's taken me so long to get this up. School started again, and it's been frustrating. Okay, so FMAXorcist asked if Ed has his limbs back- yes, he does. His right arm is currently broken. I gave Ed his body back because he's in a totally different world and it seemed like I should at least do something nice for him. Yes, there will be many questions, but all will be explained in time. Thanks for the reviews, even though I only have 3... Can I get some reviews, please? Every author needs reviews, or the inspiration dies. FMA is not mine. Oh, and this is based off the anime version (not manga/brotherhood).
Okay, so I didn't know how to put this into the story, but it's important, so I'm just going to put it here. Alec is adopted. Mr. and Mrs. Larson found him wandering the streets 10 years ago and took him in. He thinks of them as his legit mom and dad, but doesn't remember his biological parents. His past is a mystery. I haven't decided to make that into something real or to just leave it. I'll think about it. Reviews will help me decide though (hint hint).
The next two weeks passed slowly, with Ed's injuries healing as he stumbled around the house. His vision hadn't come back yet, and being blind was hard on him. My parents were careful around him, like they didn't know what to do. Occasionally when they said something to him, he would look confused, like he was having deja-vu, but he never brought it up. One night at dinner, Mom announced that she believed Ed to be ready to go to school. "Your injuries are healing well, and there's no reason for you not to go to school. You're only 16, and the law says you have to go eventually, and you shouldn't wait to do tomorrow what you can do today." It was an old saying of hers, and not something unusual for her to say, but Ed's jaw dropped open and his spoon fell into the stew he was eating with a plop!
"I've been wondering why you sounded so familiar," he started slowly, shaking his head in disbelief. "Your voices are so familiar. You're both doctors. Even your stew is the same- I ate it all the time as a kid." His sightless gold eyes filled with tears. "We never found out what happened to your bodies. You were dead." His voice shook, and my parents were pale and had that oh shit, this is NOT good expression on their faces. "Mr. and Mrs. Rockbell..." Ed said softly.
I was looking back and forth between my parents and Ed. They all had tears making tracks down their faces. "Huh?" I asked. Nobody noticed.
"Yes, Edward. It's us. We've been here since Ishbal." Tears streamed down my mom's face as she hugged him tightly.
"Huh?" I asked again. This time, my parents looked at me. They looked at each other and nodded.
"Alec, we need to talk." My dad's eyes were serious, not laughing the way they usually did. "About our past. Before we came here to London and found you. This boy is Edward Hoenheim-"
"Elric," Ed interrupted. "Hoenheim never did anything for us. My last name is Elric. It has been for almost twelve years now. (AN: I wasn't sure when exactly Hoenheim ditched them, so I decided it was when Ed was four) Hoenheim ditched us, and never acted like a father. So my name is Edward Elric, not Hoenheim."
"Ah. I see. I didn't know that. Anyway," He said turning back to me. "Edward and his brother are from our hometown, Resembool." He didn't notice the pain that flashed across Ed's face at the mention of his brother. "We were doctors there, and had a daughter named Winry. Bet there was a civil war in the east when the Ishbalan people rebelled against Amestris, our country, after a soldier accidentally shot a child. We went to the front to treat the wounded, and treated everyone. We were ordered to stop, but refused to stop treating hurt Ishbalans. A man was ordered to kill us, but took pity and gave us the choice of coming here instead. Either way, our families would think we were dead. We decided to come here and start a new life. We changed our names when we came. We found work as surgeons and have been here ever since. We'd given up hope of seeing anyone we knew again, but, well, apparently we were wrong." He gestured at Ed.
"Why didn't you just go back to your home?" I asked.
"That's where it gets complicated. See, Amestris isn't exactly a part of this world. It's separated by a sort of gate that people called alchemists can open and manipulate."
"Alchemy?" I asked "Like turning lead to gold and stuff?"
"That's illegal, actually," Ed broke in. "The inflation would be ridiculous if people just made gold anytime they felt like it."
"You're an alchemist now?" Mom asked, surprised. She looked at Dad. "Well, it does explain the watch, I suppose."
"Was. Alchemy apparently doesn't work here. But yeah, I was a state alchemist back home."
Dad started talking again. "Anyway, an alchemist can open a portal to this world, but I don't think it's possible to go back. One-way trips only. So what's been your life like, Ed?"
"Hoenheim left while you guys were in Ishbal, then Mom got sick and died. Al and I... well, we found a teacher and learned alchemy. We were convinced we could bring her back. We failed. Al lost his body and I lost my left leg, then gave up my right arm to bind his soul to a suit of armor.
"You bound his soul to a suit of armor?" Mom asked wide-eyed. "I've never heard of anyone being able to do that!"
"Yeah, well, anyway. I got automail-" my parents winced in sympathy "courtesy of Winry, and became a state alchemist. Then some wack job Dante tried to wipe out the country to make a philosopher's stone but we stopped her. The story is long and complicated, but I'm here now. Blind, but here. Al isn't. I just hope he's alive and back to normal over there."
We sat in silence, taking in the information we had gotten. Mom finally broke the silence "Well, I think I need to go to bed. This is a lot to digest, and you two have school in the morning.
"Yeah. Yeah, that's a lot to take in, all right. I'm still stuck on you two not being dead. Hey, mrs. Rockbell? I've always loved your stew."
Mom laughed. "Thanks, Ed. Oh, and could you call us Mr. and Mrs. Larson now? We're used to it, and most of the people here don't exactly know we're from a parallel universe.
Ed's mouth quirked into a half smile. "Yeah, I can see why you wouldn't want to say that. They'd either put you in the looney bin, or they'd put you in a lab for dissection." And on that cheery note, we all went to bed, though Ed stubbed his toe on a wall he (obviously) didn't see, and proceeded to cuss out the building.
In the morning, Mom and Dad dropped us off at the school and told us they'd arranged for us to have the same schedule for Ed's sake. We went in, Ed walking close to me so he could feel where I went. He wore a pair of dark sunglasses to hide his unusual (and sightless) eyes. The school asses noticed the slight distance between the two of us and spread out, blocking our way.
"Got yourself a boyfriend, Larson?" Alexander Day sneered. One of his cronies shoved Ed, pushing him back. Ed looked uncomfortable- there was no way he could fight with his arm in a cast,and he was freaking blind, but he scowled in Alexander's direction, the sunglasses adding a degree of intimidation to his air. "What's wrong, having your boyfriend fight your battles for you?" Alexander asked me.
"Leave him alone Alexander," I said. He didn't move, but then the bell rang and I grabbed Ed and shoved my way through them. "Come on, Ed. Let's get away from them."
In class, Ed sat staring straight ahead. The teacher evidently hadn't noticed the new student yet. Eventually, he noticed that Ed wasn't taking any notes. "Hey you, in the third row!" He yelled. Ed didn't acknowledge him. "Blondie, in the sunglasses- I'm talking to you!"
"Yes sir?" Ed asked politely, not shifting his head.
"First, ditch the sunglasses. This is class; you don't need them. And why aren't you taking any notes?"
Ed removed his sunglasses, albeit reluctantly, revealing his golden irises. "Well, I have a broken arm-" he started, lifting his right arm in its cast to emphasize his point.
"Then learn to write with your other hand!" The teacher snapped.
"It wouldn't do much..." Ed started, but Mr. Waterson decided to interrupt him again.
"And look at me when I'm talking to you!"
"Uh, I can't..." Ed said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.
"And whyever can't you learn to write with your left hand?" Mr. Waterson sneered, misunderstanding Ed's statement.
"Well, I could, but it wouldn't help me much..."
"Why not?"
"Because I wouldn't be able to read the notes."
"So you can't read. And somehow you managed to get into my class." I bit my lip. Mr. Waterson was always a jerk, but this was going a bit far.
Ed was clearly trying not to react. "Sir, I'm blind," he said after a minute.
That certainly shut him up. For a second, anyway. Because, a moment later, he decided to test Ed's blindness. "How many fingers am I holding up?" He demanded, raising his hand.
The entire class stared at him incredulously. Had he seriously just asked that? Ed clenched his jaw, then spoke. "I don't know. I'm blind. I can't seehow many fingers you're holding up because my eyes are currently not working, and eyes are the devices with which people see. Therefore, when a person's eyes don't work, they cannot tell you the number of fingers you hold up. Or does the concept elude you?"
The teacher glared at Ed for a moment before marching towards Ed's seat and smacking him across the face, knocking him out of his seat. Ed's head connected loudly with the floor.
The class gaped.
"He just punched a blind kid!"
"The guy's got a broken arm!"
"He's got to be kidding!"
"Waterson's going to be fired now for sure!"
"There's no way that's legal..."
Ed worked his jaw and rubbed it. He stood up and brushed himself off. "Hey Alec?" I nodded and looked at him questioningly. He sighed. "Dude, you need to say something. The whole sight issue...?"
"Oh, right," I said, finally finding my voice.
"Where's my seat? I don't know how far I fell when he decked me."
"Two steps forward, on the right. Uh, do you want to have the nurse look at that?" I asked cautiously as Ed followed my directions to his desk.
"Nah, I'm good. A punch like that is nothing."
The class started whispering again.
"Woah."
"Did he really just brush off one of Waterson's punches?"
"What the hell?"
"How could he possibly have had worse?!"
Waterson glared at Ed, though it had no effect. "Go to the Headmaster's office at once." I rose with Ed so I could guide him, but Waterson stabbed a finger in my direction. "No, you're staying here. He can go alone. He needs to learn respect for authority." Ed snorted, but felt his way out of the room. I could hear people murmuring directions to him as he passed.
At the door he paused and turned back to say one last thing. "If all the authority here is like you, then this place sucks."
Hehehe, this chapter was really fun. Waterson's an ass, though. Sorry again about the late update. Review please! Remember, I need a minimum of 15 reviews in the first 5 chapters to continue my efforts with this story!