Array of Consequences
By joyfulmusic
Summary: Everyone assumes Alphonse Elric was killed. Two years later Edward gets married. What happens when the seal containing Al's soul is discovered? Naturally Ed tries to fix his armor, but something goes terribly wrong. What will the consequences of this new array it cost Edward?
I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist
Chapter 2
The day was just beginning to end. Across Central streetlights were starting to flicker on. The cool of the night had already settled into place, and people who were caught without their jackets quickly hurried home. Shops were closing, so that the sound of bells on doors could be heard as owners locked up.
In a dismal alleyway a lone man sat hunkered over in despair. He had nowhere to go, nowhere to be, and no one to meet. For the first time in his life, he was truly alone. The weight of that knowledge weighed heavily on him, both physically and mentally.
Upon seeing such a bleak sight, one passerby stopped. Pulling her own coat tighter around her shoulders, she approached the disheveled man. "Excuse me sir, are you alright?" Patiently she waited, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
Raising his head slowly, the man peered at her through glazed eyes. "Gone." Was all he managed to say. That one word held so much meaning that it would be hard to explain to a stranger. Yet the tone in his voice made its significance evident. He waited for her to turn from him, as all others had, thinking he was on drugs or a drunkard.
A light smile passed over her lips sympathetically. Holding out a hand, she beckoned him to take it. "There's a storm coming tonight. It's supposed to be a bad one. So why not come and stay with me, at least until it blows over?" When he didn't speak she added, "I'm Zenobia."
Still staring at this strange lady, the man didn't move. "Edward." He huffed, yet he didn't stir from his seat on the ground. His eyes watched her as she gave a long sigh before shifting to sit next to him. 'What is she doing?' He wondered, thinking perhaps she was the crazy one, instead of him.
Drawing her knees up to her chest and tugging her long jean skirt down around them, she glanced over at him. "You know," She started, her gaze watching the darkening sky. "it's going to get awfully cold out here. Don't you think we should get back to my place before the rain gets here?"
Frowning, Ed found he couldn't take his eyes off this insane woman. She was obviously in her early twenties, and didn't seem to have much sense. Here she was, a lone woman, sitting next to a complete stranger in a dark alley. Insanity was the only plausible explanation he could come up with. When she trembled, he managed to find his voice, "Why don't you go on home Ze… Zeb… Zenb… whatever your name is."
Shaking her head, she frowned. "It's Zenobia. I guess you can call me Noba, most people do. And I'll go home when you agree to come with me. So why don't you save us both getting sick, and come on?" She gave him another warm smile and, holding out a hand, added, "So what do you say? I left the heater on so it should be warmed up by now."
Not quite knowing why, Edward took her hand and stood. Slowly he followed her out of the darkness onto the lamp-lit sidewalk. Her long dark hair swayed in the breeze as she walked ahead of him. The light shimmered off of it as they passed between the shadows along their way to a set of apartment buildings.
Going up the cold metal steps, Noba was careful not to allow her heals to touch until they made it to the second floor, saving the echo of clinging. Fumbling in her pocket she retrieved a set of keys. Placing them in the lock of the door to the right, she clinched her teeth, willing it to work. After a short time, it did.
As they entered, her guest noticed that it was indeed a great deal warmer and they had made it just in time. As she closed the door the wind outside picked up, heralding the incoming storm. Looking around the little entryway, he saw an opening to his left that went into a small kitchen.
Following his hostess down a short hall into the living room, Ed frowned. "Why did you ask me to come here? You don't know me." Sighing heavily, he crossed his arms as she tossed her purse beside the couch and strolled back to the kitchen. When she returned with a loaf of bread and a package of ham, he insisted, "Why would you do something like that?"
Shrugging, Noba took a seat on the couch and placed the food on the coffee table in front of her. "I don't know. I just felt that I needed to so I did, that's all." Going back to preparing the sandwiches she smiled up at him. "You can sit down you know. I promise I don't bite."
Cautiously he took a seat. When she offered him a sandwich he accepted it. "That's not much of an answer. People don't just do things." Taking a bite, he watched as a smile crossed over her lips, as if she found him amusing in some way he couldn't understand.
"Don't they?" She queried aloud, placing the top slice of bread on her own meal. When he scowled, she giggled, causing his frown to deepen. "I'm sorry, it's just that well… sometimes I just do things on a whim. And besides it's not everyday I get to help out someone as famous as the great Fullmetal Alchemist!"
Again his scowl deepened. He'd turned in his watch after the accident. An explosion in an old warehouse had caught him off guard and cost him the only family he'd had left. "I'm not working for the state anymore." He huffed, as if it were common knowledge, although it was not.
"Sorry." Zenobia apologized in a hushed voice. "I didn't realize." She studied him for a moment before asking, "So is that why you've been in the alley for the past few days? I've seen you there as I went to and from work. What happened? If you don't mind my asking that is."
Sighing, her guest shook his head in despair. "My brother died." Pain dripped from the words like acid, burning into his very soul. "I screwed up and he had to pay the price. What kind of an idiot lets something like that happen to his little brother, huh? What kind of a jerk…" A sob racked through him, forcing him to quit speaking. Dropping his food, he held his hands to his face.
Sitting down her own sandwich, Noba wrapped her arms around his shaking form. Silently she prayed that God would help to ease his pain. Why had she asked at all? Why couldn't she just keep her mouth shut? No, instead she had recklessly reopened a fresh wound.
But somehow the warmth of her arms around him made things seem just a little more bearable. That night, for the first time in a long while, he slept peacefully. His dreams were untroubled, but only because he had none.
Peering into the guestroom during the night, Noba felt a twinge of guilt for having caused him to remember so much pain. And yet at the same time the crying seemed to release some of the anguish he'd kept locked inside, thus helping him to begin healing.
Over the next few weeks he would cry until the well had run dry. However the guilt that burdened him would never be completely removed. Yet as the months passed, it seemed to ease somewhat, giving him the strength he needed to move on.
Going back to work for the military had seemed like a good idea. He moved back into the dorms, although he refused to have a roommate. Still, it had been good for him to overcome that hurdle. Working behind a desk meant that he could stay in Central, close to Noba.
Slowly their relationship evolved from friendship into love. After a year of dating Edward would ask Zenobia to become his bride. She had accepted, and four months later they were wed, surrounded by friends and people Ed knew through the military. Now, on the last day of their honeymoon, they had received word that Al was alive.
