Second chapter yay! I was seriously amazed that I got so many reviews for the first chapter, and two thirds of them were within the first day! I love you guys so much. :3 Oh, and just as a side-note, Edward is five in this first part, and it's right after Trisha died (mangaverse). He will age within the story, but I'll tell you when it happens.

And something you should keep in mind while reading this: I often forget to grab a tortilla when I make myself a taco at the taco bar. Then I have to go back and grab one before I can make myself a taco. It is very frustrating at times.

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"I see you've brought someone with you," Elrond remarked as he approached the horse. "Who is he?"

Aragorn kept a hand on the boy's back to prevent him from falling as he dismounted. Once he was on the ground, he gently pulled the child off the horse. "A stray child," he answered simply. "He was alone in the woods."

"Or rather, he was in the company of orcs," the elf supplied.

Aragorn nodded.

"What are you planning on doing with him?"

"He must have some family left. I'll bring him home."

The boy let out a quiet moan and shifted in Aragorn's arms, his eyes opening for a moment before closing again. Elrond was slightly surprised by the golden hue. "An unusual eye color for a man," he noted, leading Aragorn to a small bedroom. "You don't know where to look for his home, is that correct?"

"That's right," Aragorn said as he set the child down on the bed.

"What's his name?"

"Edward."

Edward stirred slightly at the sound of his name, but slept on, his small chest rising and falling slightly. The blood on his shirt seemed to accentuate his pale face. Elrond placed a hand on the child's forehead. The skin was burning, which didn't come as a surprise to the elf. When he looked at the boy's face again, Elrond saw the features of a man he had met a very long time ago. That had to be the explanation.

"There was a country, not in this world, but in one that is connected to here. That country no longer exists, but it was speculated that there were descendants that fled from the destruction and formed a new life for themselves in one of the neighboring countries. This boy has to be descended from one of them."

"Destruction? What happened to this country?"

"It is said that it fell when the emperor made an attempt to become immortal. That country was very advanced in the ways of alchemy, a science whose roots lie in equivalent exchange. In short, the cost of immortality for this man was too high, and the country of Xerxes was demolished in a single night. However, these are only the rumors. There may be truth behind them, there may not be." Elrond paused for a moment, taking the time to gently pull off the boy's layered shirts. "A few years before Xerxes was destroyed, I happened to visit a young man by the name of Hohenheim. I had no way of knowing whether he survived the destruction of his country, but looking at this boy, it seems there may be a chance that he did."

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Ed kept hearing voices, but he couldn't understand what they said. He figured it was because they were talking in that language he'd heard earlier, but why were they talking so quietly? It's not like he could understand what they said anyway…

After a while, he mustered up the energy to open his eyes. There were two people standing over him, Strider and some other guy he vaguely remembered seeing for a moment earlier. The other guy looked very serious, and all of a sudden he just turned and walked out of the room. Ed was worried, but he didn't know why.

"What's going on?" Ed asked weakly, not really liking the sound of his voice. He kinda wanted to go back to sleep, but he needed to know things…

"We're in Rivendell now," Strider answered. "We'll stay here until you can travel."

"Huh? Where are we going?"

Strider smiled. Ed got the feeling he was trying not to laugh at him. "You want to go home, don't you?"

"Oh…" Ed blinked a few times before realizing something else. "Are we in Amestris?"

"Amestris?"

Ed nodded. "Yeah, it's the name of my country…"

Strider sat down on the bed and checked the bandage on Ed's shoulder. "No, we aren't."

Ed let out a disappointed sigh. He didn't want to be stuck so far away from home right now. He just wanted to see his brother…

"How did you come to be in the woods?" Strider asked.

Ed thought about it for a while before shaking his head. "I don't remember."

"No?"

Ed shook his head again. "I remember being at home, and then…" All of a sudden, the realization struck him, and he sat up in a flash, wincing from the pain that erupted in his shoulder. "Al!"

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The child seemed to be in a panic, and as soon as he had sat up he looked up at Aragorn with pleading eyes. "They didn't hurt him, did they?"

"Who are you talking about?" Aragorn asked in a calm voice. Just from the way Edward was acting, Al was someone very important to him. And of course, he hadn't seen anyone else when he'd found Edward, but he had been more focused on getting the boy to safety.

"My little brother, Alphonse," Ed answered. "He was with me before…"

"I didn't see anyone else when I found you," Aragorn replied, once again keeping his voice calm. The last thing Edward needed was to be in a panic.

Thankfully, his words seemed to have some affect on the boy, since the desire to sprint out of the room left Edward's golden eyes. "Really?"

"If he had been with you, I would have seen him."

"But then… what if he was somewhere else?"

"That could be, but if he's anywhere in that area, he will be found."

The worry in Edward's eyes increased again, and with it came sorrow. "It might be too late, though…"

"Edward."

The boy looked up once again, unshed tears beginning to appear in his eyes. He was afraid, that much was obvious. Aragorn just hoped that the boy would understand his logic.

"If your brother had been in your place, would he have screamed like you did?"

Edward blushed a bit at this. Evidently he was embarrassed about that. "Yeah, probably."

"Even if he was farther away, I would have heard it. It's doubtful that your brother has come to any harm."

"Are you sure?"

Aragorn smiled reassuringly at Edward. "Yes."

That seemed to appease the boy, and after a moment's silence, he looked down at his right shoulder. "It doesn't hurt as bad as I thought it would."

"It was a clean cut," Aragorn said. "It should heal nicely."

"Oh, okay."

Aragorn smiled at Edward and gently pushed him back down onto the bed. "It will heal more quickly if you rest."

"I'm not sleepy," Edward sleepily replied, but he allowed Aragorn to pull the blanket over his exhausted body. Within a minute, the child was asleep once again.

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Edward's fever seemed to have receded a bit the next time Aragorn checked. It had been about an hour since the boy had fallen asleep, and Aragorn was now certain that he would recover quickly.

He looked up when he heard Elrond's footsteps. The elf sat in one of the chairs positioned next to the bed and looked at Edward. "Did you find out where he comes from?"

"The country of Amestris," Aragorn replied.

"Ah, yes. The country to the west of what was once Xerxes. Every time I've been there, the country has been at war." Elrond looked over at Aragorn. "What about his family?"

"He hasn't lived with his parents for a while. His mother was ill, and his father must have left. The only other family he mentioned was a younger brother."

"Surely someone must be taking care of them?"

"He didn't say. I'll ask him once he's awake." Aragorn looked at the boy again, contemplating the discussion they'd had. "He's afraid for his brother."

"Naturally. You didn't see anyone else?"

"No. He was alone."

"Well, if his brother is there, he will be found. Or perhaps he's safe at home. At any rate, we can't return him to his home until he's healed. I'll watch over him now."

Aragorn nodded and took his leave from the room.

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Night passed, and Edward continued to sleep. He awoke soon after dawn, his golden eyes conveying his exhaustion as he observed his surroundings for the first time. Elrond watched and waited patiently for the boy to see him. Soon, those golden orbs turned in his direction, and Edward blinked once before asking, "Where's Strider?"

"He needed his own share of rest, little one. He's sleeping in the next room."

Edward scowled. "I'm not little. Mom said I'm gonna look like dad and dad was real tall so that means I'm gonna be tall like him."

Elrond laughed good-naturedly at the boy's outburst. "Of course you will be." He leaned forward then, looking Edward in the eyes as the boy sat up. "Who looks after you now?"

"The Rockbells," Edward answered. "Their house is really close to ours, so even before Mom died we saw them a lot." He spoke clearly, but Elrond could tell that the boy was still in mourning.

"How long has it been?" he asked gently.

"A couple months," Edward answered. "Dad left a while before that."

"Why did he leave?"

"I don't know. He just walked out the door one morning and never came back. I think Mom knew, but she never told us."

"Can you tell me their names?"

Edward nodded. "My mom's name was Trisha Elric. We got her last name because my parents never got married or anything. My dad's name is Von Hohenheim."

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I like Elrond, but I hate doing his POV. Don't ask me why. I just hate it.

Interesting tidbit: The title comes from the song A Stray Child by Emily Bindiger. It's on the .hack/SIGN soundtrack, which I adore.