Don't you hate it when this happens? It's a school night, so you go to bed on time, then...BAM! The plot-bunnies strike and you just HAVE to write. Then you're up until 4. That's what happened to me in this chapter. *sigh*
Wow! Three of you are still reading! Amazing! Most of the time, reading my work makes people want to punch a baby! JK...JK... ^.^"
The Curse of Forever: I have, you're right, IT's GENIUS!
Thelastunicorn: Thanks, glad you like it! (love your penname BTW XD) But, it's funny? That's odd...don't remember putting any humor in there...O.o. It must of been the plot bunnies controlling my mind!
FlamingFlyingFoxofDoom: Yeah...Ed would NEVER forget his brother! Yay! Brotherly love XD *fangirl Squee*
Ed had very little time to enjoy his nap. Less then an hour after Roy's conversation with Hughes, Alphonse arrived at Mustang's apartment.
'BANG! BANG! BANG!' Thunderous knocks pounded at Mustang's door. He looked up exhaustedly. He had had such a long day...couldn't people just leave him alone? He sighed. It was probably old Mrs. Jensen asking him if he had seen her cat. Reluctantly he forced himself off of the couch.
'BANG! BANG! BANG!' The knocks came again.
"I'm coming!" Mustang snapped irritably. 'Believe it or not', he thought sourly, 'Some of us like to take naps in the middle of the day.'
He opened the door to see the last person he would expect to be banging on his door. Alphonse.
"Mr. Hughes said you had Brother here! Is that true?" His voice was hopeful, but tinged with doubt. Mustang was glad that Edward actually was with him, because it would kill Al if he wasn't. "Yes Alphonse." Roy sighed. "But..." He hesitated. He had wanted to speak with him over the phone. He didn't want to see Al break down...he couldn't handle it.
"But what?" Panic edged his voice. The glowing orbs that served as his eyes flickered in panic.
"Ed...he..." Mustang sighed sorrowfully. Forgoing the speech he had mentally prepared he laid down the cold, honest truth. "He's been turned into a chimera, Alphonse." Mustang watched as the light slowly faded from the armored boy's eyes as the realization set in.
Al's hands shook violently. "How...bad is he?" He voice was low and fragile, as if it would break.
"I'm not going to lie. He's bad. Closer to Nina then the chimeras you saw in Greed's lair." Mustang looked at Al. The poor guy looked about to totally break down...kid...not guy. Despite Al's size and fierce appearance, he was much, much softer then Ed. He wasn't really ready for the cold truth of reality, despite having been to Hell and back.
Had Al had had a real body, he would of been sobbing profusely, but the armor didn't allow him to cry. Or sleep. Or eat. Or feel. That was why the brothers had been trying so hard to get him back in the flesh. The cold realization set in that if Ed was a dumbed-down chimera, there was no getting back in the flesh for Al. "Maybe you should go back to the Hughes'" Mustang said gently.
"NO!" Al screamed, grabbing Mustang's wrist. His glowing eyes glimmered insanely. "I..." He calmed his voice. "I want to see him." He let go of Mustang and looked down.
"OK...but try not to upset him OK?" Roy gave in, rubbing his wrist. Al was stronger then he looked. He would have bruises in the morning.
Cautiously Al entered Mustang's apartment. He felt awkward going into the house of someone he knew strictly as a superior officer in the military, but remembered Ed and got over himself. Every step filled Alphonse with renewed dread. Ed...would he even be recognizable as the brother he had once had? They quickly walked through Mustang's small one bedroom home. Roy cracked the door to his room open so little that Al couldn't see through. "Ed." He called.
Ed perked up his mal-formed head and perked his ears up like a dog would after seeing a cat.
"Al...-your brother- is here to see you."
Al's heart sank even lower. Could it be possible that Ed didn't even remember him? His own brother whom he had spent every single day of his life with?
"Al?" A horribly twisted, warped voice called out as if struggling to remember. Then something clicked. "Al!" He cried happily, his tail wagging, thumping loudly against the wall.
Mustang smiled. He looked cute when he was happy. You just wanted to go and pat him on his head. "You can go in now." He nodded to Al.
Al slowly walked to the door, his heart filled with dread. His own brother barely remembered him. He hesitated before pushing the door slowly opened. He nearly cried at what he saw.
The thing on the bed couldn't be his brother. It had to be some type of sick joke. The THING was emaciated and deformed. It couldn't be Ed. It couldn't be. It couldn't be. It couldn't be. That one thought kept replaying in his head like a broken record.
"Al!" The THING barked/said happily. It weakly tried to force itself up, but fell back down. Whining and thumping it's tail it kept saying, "Al! Al! Al!"
Peering into the chimera's eyes, Alphonse finally confirmed the terrible truth. His brother was a chimera. His brother had been turned into a dumbed-down, stupid chimera. They were never getting their bodies back. Never.
He looked into the excited eyes of the thi...no, Edward, and chocked back a sob. He ran over and hugged him, holding him reassuringly.
Ed nuzzled his brother. "Al." He sighed contentedly, eyes almost returning to their former brightness, before dimming into animal stupidity again.
Mustang, sensing that the boys needed some time alone, left and resumed his nap.
Life went on.
Well, no one ever really got used to Ed being a chimera, but their lives fell back into a routine again. Nursing Ed back to health, researching bio-alchemy, and jobs continued to make the world go round. Everyone was almost happy. Well, happy isn't really the word for it. Contented more like. Alphonse was glad to have Ed back, even in his chimeraish state, Mustang was glad to have reunited the boys and eager to research a way to get them back to normal, and Ed was happy to be reunited with his brother.
For a while life was OK. Not perfect. Not even good, but OK. Until one fateful day that there was a knock on the door of Mustang's apartment.
It was later one night on a autumnal evening, after Mustang had returned from work. Alphonse was at the library, reading up on bio-alchemy and Ed was snoozing on the couch when the fateful knock was heard.
'Knock! Knock! Knock!'
Ed perked his ears up from his slumber when he heard the three raps on the door, not knowing that they were drastically about to change his life once again.
Mustang walked to the door. He wondered who it could possibly be at this hour; most people had gone home. When he opened the door and figured out who had taken time out of their day to see him, he desperately wished that he had stayed in his uncomfortable stretched military outfit, instead of changing into to comfortable clothes. For standing outside his humble dwelling, was the Fuhror himself, along with several of his aids and his secretary.
Instinctively he put his hand to his forehead in a salute. "Mr. Fuhror, your excellency!" he shouted in his official military voice.
"At ease, Mustang." The Fuhror smiled. From inside the room, Ed growled. He didn't like the visitors. King Bradley peered inside Mustang's house. "And that must be Edward."
Mustang's eyes widened in surprise. 'How did he know so fast?' He thought disdainfully. He had meant to keep Ed's current condition a secret until he go back to normal. Mustang bit his tongue. "Yes sir." He confirmed.
"May I see him?" Mustang bit his tongue again. He was about to tell the most powerful man in the country no, when Ed made his way to the door.
"Hello Edward." Bradley spoke to Ed in the same tone that he had tailed to Mustang, like he was fully normal. This pleased Ed to no end, but still he growled, "Go away!"
"Ed!" Mustang hissed, he reached to pull him away from the doorway.
"At ease Mustang." The Fuhror laughed. "Why do you want me to go Ed?"
"You smell funny." Ed growled, much to the dismay of Mustang, who was at this point cursing every one of Edward's ancestors.
The Fuhror laughed even harder. Then his tone turned serious. "Colonel Mustang, I salute and thank you for taking care of Ed for this long, but I have come to take him into my custody."
Mustang's eyes widened in horror. "No sir! You couldn't possibly! I-" Bradley raised his hand.
"We believe that we have found a way to fix Edward and get him back to his normal state. Don't you want what's best for him?"
Mustang bit his tongue so hard that it bled. "Yes, sir, but I have been researching that, and I believe I am close to the answer-"
"You do realize that you are talking about human transmutation; a taboo; with the President of your country correct?" Bradley's eyes glared dangerously at Mustang, daring him to speak.
"No sir, I was simply-"
"I'm just playing with you. Don't you think that he has a better success rate of being turned back to normal if he comes with us though? You obviously care and want what's best for him." Bradley smiled. "We have his best interests in mind."
'I doubt it.' The traitorous though lingered in his mind.
Bradley nodded to his assistant, who moved forward to grab Edward. Ed instinctively moved away, but collapsed, his head hitting the door as he fell.
Mustang saw this and grabbed him before the assistant. Mustang grunted, he had put on some weight in the time he had been staying with him. The assistant moved closer and Ed whined.
"Don't...let them take me." Ed moaned, feeling dizzy.
The assistant put out his arms to take him.
"No! You can't take him!" Mustang yelled, moving back.
The assistant glared. Then she lifted her hand and punched Mustang's jaw.
Mustang felt like he had been hit by a semi. By the time he recovered, Ed was already in the assistant's arms.
"DON'T LET THEM TAKE ME!" Ed howled, struggling weakly. His eyes met Mustang's for a split second. "Colonel." He begged.
"Good day Mustang." The Fuhror said, then he and his entourage left without another word.
"No! You can't take him." Mustang muttered, defeated.
He was still murmuring those same words when Al came home hours later.
The plot thickens...DUN DUN DUHHHHHHHHHH!
Anyway, I am sorry to say that I am going on a week long hiatus (author's vacation) due to finals at my school. I'll update ASAP ok? I write these in the dead of night because it's the only time my house it quiet, and I just can't pull the old "3 AM and I'm up writing" during finals week. I hope you understand. It doesn't help that this story takes a bit longer to write then my others either. *sigh*
R&R! PWEETY PWEASE?