Reverti Ad Praeteritum

by Batsutousai

Unwillingly forced to serve as a human trial for a crazy alchemist experimenting with time travel, Edward Elric finds himself standing across from Truth in the moment it takes his leg from him. Armed with the knowledge of what's to come, Ed sets out to fix every mistake he ever made and save every life they ever lost, no matter the cost.

3. Chapter 3

Title: Reverti Ad Praeteritum
Fandom: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood/manga
Author: Batsutousai
Rating: Mature
Pairings: Edward Elric/Roy Mustang, May Chang/Alphonse Elric, Gracia Hughes/Maes Hughes, post-Edward Elric/Winry Rockbell
Warnings: Spoilers like whoa, Ed's potty mouth, canon-typical violence, pile 'o OCs, mute!Ed, original character death, angst, fluff, past dub-con, past adultery, Ed has all the guilt
Summary: Unwillingly forced to serve as a human trial for a crazy alchemist experimenting with time travel, Edward Elric finds himself standing across from Truth in the moment it takes his leg from him. Armed with the knowledge of what's to come and burdened with guilt for the choices he'd made as an adult, Ed sets out to fix every mistake he ever made and save every life they ever lost, no matter what it takes.

Key: "Speech" | 'Mouthing words'
'Writing'
:Sign Language:
"In another language" | 'In another language'

A/N: I'll be adding that key to the beginning of every chapter from here out, in case anyone feels they might need it. (I'm sorry I've complicated dialogue to such an extent. ^^; )

-0-
Chapter Three
-0-

"Where have you been?!" Winry shouted when Ed finally made it back to the Rockbell house. She and Al had been sitting on the porch, clearly waiting for him, and both looked cross.

Ed winced. :Securing our passage to Xing,: he signed.

"For four hours?!"

"Winry," Al cautioned, "let's take this inside." Because all of them were cautious, even though they doubted the homunculi had eyes on them.

They found Granny at the dining room table, looking disapproving.

"Ed says he was securing his and Al's passage to Xing," Winry informed her grandmother as they all sat down.

Granny turned a glare on Ed. "Without passports?" she guessed.

Ed sighed and glanced askance at Al, since Granny only knew a handful of sign language. Enough to know when there was something wrong, but not enough for this conversation. When Al gave a tight nod of agreement – he was willing to translate – Ed started signing, :There's no way the military's going to give two children passports, especially if they realise we're alchemists. I know of a man willing to take us across the desert–:

"Are you insane?!" Winry demanded, cutting off Al's translation before he could mention the desert part out loud. "You can't cross the Great Desert with automail; you'll die!"

"Edward," Granny said, her voice low and hard.

:I can handle it,: Ed insisted.

"How? You've got metal permanently attached to your skin, Ed!" Winry said, her tone turning more desperate than angry. "You've only just finished healing!"

:What do you want from me?: Ed returned, his jaw clenched. :We need to get to Xing and there's no way we can afford to cross into Aerugo and take a ship down the coast. I found someone who's willing to take us in return for alchemic assistance; the desert is our only option.:

"And what happens once you make it to Xing and you can't walk because you're so badly burnt? Then what?!"

Before Ed could come up with a good response to that, Al jumped up from the table and ran from the room, calling back, "I need to get a book!"

Ed blinked after his brother for a moment, then shook himself and turned back to Winry. :I can heal burns.:

"That's not the point," Winry whispered before covering her face, and Ed knew she was crying again.

Dammit.

"Ed," Granny said, her tone firm, "we didn't give you a leg so you could cross the Great Desert first thing and burn yourself with it. Northern automail is the same as normal automail in the heat, which you know."

Ed looked away. Yeah, he knew. There was a very good reason why he'd never gone to Xing, no matter how many formal invites Ling had sent. And, sure, he could have gone the coastal route, especially after they had a peace treaty with Aerugo, but the trip by boat was at least twice as long as going through the Great Desert, and lacked the chance to go past the Xerxesian ruins again and explore what little was left of his heritage; it just wasn't worth the waste of his time.

Al dashed back into the room and dropped one of Hohenheim's Xingan journals down on the table next to Ed. "I remember reading," he said as he leant over the book and started flipping through the pages, "about an array that could be carved onto a container to keep whatever contents you put inside below a certain temperature."

Ed felt his eyes widen, while Winry and Granny both made surprised noises.

Al flattened his hand over the journal, ceasing his flipping, and pushed it in front of Ed. "You're the better alchemist, Brother; can you adapt that to keep your automail at a safe temperature?" he asked, tapping his finger next to the array.

Ed turned his attention to the array, remembered flipping past it because electricity meant they didn't need alchemy for refrigeration, so it seemed useless to him. But, as a way to keep his automail cool?

He pulled out his pen and mimed writing. A piece of paper was almost immediately set on the table next to him and Ed signed a one-handed, :Thank you,: before starting to trace out the important parts of the array, the parts that he couldn't really change. The rest of it just sort of...slipped into place, his hand drawing the necessary lines almost without him realising, and he had a functional array by the time he let the journal flip closed.

"How do you do that?" Al complained, more admiration then disgust in his voice.

Ed shrugged and signed, :Practice,: then turned to Winry and nodded.

Winry freed her lip from between her teeth. "You're sure that will work?"

Ed nodded while Al said, "It looks like it to me."

She swallowed and glanced at Granny, who was watching all of them from behind her pipe, her eyes narrowed, but a glint of interest hiding within them. Winry took a deep breath and looked back at Ed, then asked, "Will it work even for a non-alchemist?"

Ed blinked and, oh, Winry. Of course she was trying to find a way to make this fix accessible for people all over the country; Ed had always been the willing scapegoat for her greatest innovations.

"I don't know," Al supplied. "The original had to be activated by an alchemist, according to Dad's notes, but once it had been, it would last years before needing to be recharged."

:This should work the same,: Ed offered, glancing over his array. :I didn't change the fundamentals, just fixed it to control the temperature of the object it's carved on, rather than whatever's inside that object, and changed what temperature it would keep it below, since the original was meant to keep food from spoiling.: He looked up at Winry. :You can draw it and then find an alchemist – it's pretty basic, they don't need a state licence – to activate it. Tell whoever's got it to find an alchemist to recharge it again if they notice it failing.:

Winry held out a hand for the paper and Al passed it over. "It has to be carved?" she asked, staring at the array.

Since she wasn't looking, Ed left that for Al to answer: "No, you can use chalk or paint or whatever. But, given you're putting it on automail, carving it is going to be your best way to keep it from rubbing off."

"Oh, right. That makes sense."

Ed let out a whistle and, when Winry looked up at him, signed, :I'll test it. I can send our guide back with a note about how well it works and any changes to the array, if necessary. Once you have my report, you can start offering it to other people, okay?:

"A few weeks in the Great Desert is a pretty thorough test," Al added, "and Brother and I can both heal minor burns and recharge the array, if necessary, so we've got a safety net."

Winry glanced back down at the array, then nodded. "Okay. Let me practise carving this a few times before I add it to your leg, though, okay?"

Ed nodded. :We've got time. Our guide and I agreed to wait until March before leaving, since he has a couple of people he's hoping to hear from around then.:

Winry stood. "March. Got it." Then she turned and left.

Granny sighed and Ed glanced over to find her shaking her head, a smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. "You two are your father's sons. Do you intend to solve everything with alchemy?"

:Alchemy isn't always the solution, but it does ease the way,: Ed signed to Al, who faithfully repeated it out loud.

Granny let out a quiet, helpless laugh. "True enough."

Ed shrugged and collected Hohenheim's journal as he stood, then motioned to his brother that he intended to head upstairs.

"Oh, is my reward for finding a way to keep you from getting burnt filling me in on all your secret plans at last?" Al asked slightly sarcastically as he followed Ed from the room.

Ed snorted; okay, he'd deserved that.

-0-

Winry came into Ed and Al's room a couple mornings later, while they were arguing over which of Hohenheim's journals they should take – Al was for the lot, while Ed preferred to travel light – holding a long strip of steel in one hand. They both turned to look at her curiously, and she held it out to Al, who was closer. "Tell me that's right."

He nodded after some consideration, then passed the steel to Ed, letting him get a look at the array that had been cut into the piece. "It looks right to me."

Ed nodded his agreement as he handed the piece back to Al so he could return it to Winry.

"Good," Winry decided as she accepted her work back. "I want to run some tests on it before we add it to your leg, though, Ed, if you two will help me?"

Al and Ed glanced at each other, then shrugged nearly in sync and stood; they weren't getting anywhere with the books right now, so they might as well move to something new. "What sort of tests?" Al asked.

"Well, you two are going to test extended heat over the course of weeks, but I'd like to toss it in the furnace and see how it holds out against fire," Winry returned as she turned to lead the way out of the room.

Ed winced; and she always used to bitch about how hard he was on automail.

"I also," she continued, "want to find out how much contact there needs to be between pieces for it to receive the same benefits. Like, do I need to cut the array into every piece, or will bolting two pieces of metal together keep them both cool, even though only one piece has the array."

"Huh. Didn't think of that," Al admitted, while Ed shook his head in agreement; just because he'd had automail for more than half his life didn't mean he'd ever paid much attention to the exact details, a fact Winry had never let him forget. (But why bother, really, when she was there to pay attention for him. Which he knew better than to ever actually point out to her. Before or now.)

Winry nodded. "And will I need to cut it special into the port, or will cutting it into the outer plate, where it's easy to access, transfer the effect through to the core and the port?"

Al glanced over at Ed, who grimaced and shrugged; they were going to end up spending all day testing this.

:Stop whining, Brother,: Al signed. :It's for your safety.:

:That's why I'm making faces instead of whining,: Ed returned.

"Stop talking behind my back," Winry called back.

Ed raised an eyebrow at Al, and he sighed and offered, "Sorry, Winry."

She huffed and spun, holding the steel piece out to them. "One of you jerks activate this."

As Ed had expected, Winry's tests took most of the day. They did manage to prove that the steel was kept cool even in direct flame, and the effect seemed to transfer to the tongs Winry was using to fetch it out of the furnace, once they made contact. Further tests showed there was only so many connections the effect would transfer between from a single piece, but Al hypothesised that just keeping the casing cool should help insulate the core against the heat, and Ed made a couple tweaks to the array to make sure of that.

Winry still insisted on cutting the array into his port, for the added security – Ed couldn't even pretend to be surprised; she'd always cared about his health more than he did – but they'd determined that three arrays – one at the front of his leg, one at the back, and one on the top of his foot (not strictly necessary, but Winry was thorough) – would been enough to keep it from overheating. Which meant Ed had to spend the next day hobbling around on a temporary, but he had automail, by the end of the day, that he could take into the desert without concern.

It was...liberating, and Ed didn't hold back from hugging her tight in thanks.

-0-

Ed and Al spent the last week of February cleaning up their childhood home and closing everything up. Granny had promised to keep an eye on the house for them while they were gone, make sure no one tried taking up residence without permission, but that didn't keep the brothers from adding their own series of alchemical deterrents, or hiding away all their research into human transmutation, as well as the handful of ridiculously rare books that Hohenheim had (which Ed hadn't known were as rare as they were until he'd needed to reference them at one point during their search for the Stone and realised he couldn't find a copy anywhere, which had pissed him off).

Ed hadn't told Al or the Rockbells that they'd once burnt down this house, mostly because he didn't consider it an important part of his story, despite it being a date he'd carried with him his whole life, having carved it into the inside of the lid of the pocket watch he'd bought to replace his State Alchemist one. There had been a few times he'd considered burning it down again – if Winry was going to Rush Valley, there wouldn't be much cause for them to return to Resembool – but it was hard not to remember Hohenheim calling him a child and saying, "You ran, didn't you, Edward?"

Ed had run from a lot of things in his life, including this house. But this was his second chance, and he wasn't afraid of the memories haunting these walls any more.

(Too, when Al had married May, Ed had honestly regretted they no longer had a house for him to inherit; this time, no matter who his little brother married, he'd have a place a bring her home to.)

Since they were leaving the house standing, Ed decided to leave a note for Hohenheim, which he hung from the ceiling in the front hallway, so the bastard couldn't miss it when he walked in. Al, as soon as he'd seen Ed setting up his letter, had scurried off to find some paper and a pen, then written his own note and got Ed to hang it up with his.

Ed suspected Al'd apologised, in his letter, for whatever Ed had written, which made him roll his eyes, but he figured their idiot father deserved to know that at least one of his sons didn't think he was a waste of space. Which wasn't to say he actually hated his father – he'd been a father himself, knew how hard it could be, and he knew the bastard had left to try and save all of them – but it was hard to shake away years of feeling like they'd been abandoned.

Maybe Hohenheim hadn't been the worst possible father, but Ed would still never forgive him.

-0-

Van Hohenheim,
Al and I are currently travelling to Xing to learn the Purification Arts, though I doubt you'll return to Resembool until after our return, in which case, you can reach us through Colonel Roy Mustang's office in either East or Central City – Granny Pinako should have the details.
We know about your history and about the Dwarf in the Flask and his plans for this country. I have a plan to take him out before his stupid Promised Day, and we'll be gathering allies on our own, but we'd appreciate your help all the same – there's only so much normal humans can do against someone who IS a Philosopher's Stone.
I understand why you thought you had to leave, but know I will NEVER forgive you for it. You left Mum to die, and you weren't here to keep Al and I from performing human transmutation and making us the Dwarf in the Flask's targets. You really are a shit father, but if you get your head screwed back on straight, you can fix things with Al.
Get your head screwed back on straight.
I expect to hear from a "Ho Elric" before the end of 1914.
Edward Elric
P.S. – Ask Granny Pinako what Mum's last words were, so she doesn't forget to tell you.

-0-

On the second of March, Ed went by Mr Gardner's place and checked in with Mr Han. There was a woman from the Shen clan looking to return to Xing, he explained, and she would get to Resembool on the sixth, so they would plan to leave shortly after her train got in that afternoon.

With a firm departure date, Ed and Al got down to the business of packing what they'd settled on taking, easily having everything ready to go in time.

Winry walked to the meeting place outside of town with them on the afternoon of the sixth, nagging Ed about taking care of his automail – :Do you have any idea how many times I've heard this?: he signed irritably, which she ignored – and reminding Al to ring Granny as soon as they got back into the country, so she could tell them where to find Winry, which Al agreed to in a far politer tone than Ed would have used. (Winry and Granny would be heading for Rush Valley after the harvest came in, when the number of potential injuries went way down, and find her someone to apprentice under, so they wouldn't know where she was going to end up until after Ed and Al were already in Xing.)

They saw the horses before any people, but Mr Han stepped out from behind one once they were in hailing range, calling, "Mr Edward!"

"Mister?" Winry repeated sceptically while Ed waved an acknowledgement.

Ed rolled his eyes. :He started that shit all on his own,: he insisted, because the smuggler had.

"And you didn't try to stop him?"

:Yes, I can see how that would work,: Ed returned, before mouthing, 'I'm sorry, Mr Han, but could you please just–'

Winry elbowed him while Al shook his head, amused. "Fine, fine. Point taken."

:The 'please' was a nice touch,: Al signed, because he was getting disturbingly good at reading Ed's lips.

Ed rolled his eyes.

"You must be Mr Alphonse," Mr Han said to Al as they met up.

"Alphonse Elric," Al agreed, offering a hand for the Xingan man.

"I am Fang Han," Mr Han returned with his short bow, then took Al's hand a shook it.

Al motioned to Winry, offering, "This is a friend of ours who came to see us off, Winry Rockbell."

"Ah. I have heard much of your family from my associate," he offered Winry, along with his hand. "He tells that your father once saved his life."

Winry smiled sadly as she shook his hand. "It was a habit of his, I guess."

"Fang?" a female voice called, before the owner stepped around the horses, revealing her to be a young Xingan woman.

"The rest of our travellers and their friend," Mr Han explained in Xingan, before turning back to the three Amestrisans and offering in their language, "This is Yan Shen, who will be travelling with us."

Al politely inclined his head towards her. "Greetings, Ms Shen. I'm Alphonse Elric, and this is my older brother, Edward."

Ed winced, because Al's pronunciation was terrible; he'd tried.

Mr Han coughed, hiding his mouth behind one hand, while Ms Shen very obviously had to look away. "Your pronunciation is as poor as your brother's handwriting," Mr Han commented mildly.

Al sighed and nodded. "I know, but there's only so much I can learn when my resources are all written. I'd appreciate any assistance you might be able to offer."

Ed rolled his eyes at how ridiculously polite his brother always was. And either Al saw him, or he'd anticipated him, because he signed, :Shut up.:

:You do remember I can't do anything BUT shut up, right?:

Al sighed.

Mr Han shook his head. "I believe we should be able to manage some assistance," he offered, glancing back towards Ms Shen, who nodded in agreement.

"Thank you."

Mr Han looked up at the sky before commenting, "We should leave soon, or we will not make the first shelter by the heat of the new day."

"Of course," Al agreed, turning towards Winry, while Mr Han stepped back to give them privacy for farewells. "Thanks for coming to see us off, Winry."

She smiled at them, a hint of sadness in her eyes. "Yeah. You both stay safe out there, okay? Don't do anything stupid."

:We won't,: Ed promised. :We've got each other's backs.:

"What Brother said," Al agreed.

"And don't got stepping into any more weird arrays!" Winry hissed, shoving a finger against Ed's chest.

Ed grimaced. :No, thank you. I have no intention in suffering automail surgery a third time.:

Al and Winry both winced.

Ed sighed. :We'll be careful,: he signed. :Learn a lot so you can make me the best automail ever when we get back, okay?:

Winry gave a determined nod. "I will," she promised, before stepping forward and pulling them both into a hug that Ed and Al wholeheartedly returned. When she stepped back, she swiped a hand over her eyes and Ed couldn't help a sigh. "Shut up, Ed!" she ordered. "I'm allowed to cry!"

:You can cry when we get back,: Ed signed, before turning away and signing over his shoulder, :Come on, Al.:

Al sighed. "We'll see you again before you know it, Winry," he promised. "Take care."

"You, too," Winry agreed.

Al fell in next to Ed as they approached Mr Han and Ms Shen. :Some courtesy, Brother,: he complained.

:You'd both think I'd lost it if I started being courteous,: Ed returned.

Al's grimace said he was right.

At Mr Han's direction, they all settled their things onto their horses, pulled up the hoods of the robes Ed had insisted on, then set off.

After about half an hour, Ms Shen asked Al, "Your brother is deaf?"

Al shook his head. "Mute. He can hear fine, but he can't speak."

"I see. That must be very hard."

:You get used to it,: Ed signed.

Al snorted and translated, "He says you get used to it." He shook his head. "Honestly, we all sort of got used to it."

:And I'm sure you appreciated the lack of yelling,: Ed signed.

Al laughed and replied, "The lack of yelling was a definite benefit. Also, you and Granny insult each other a lot less when she can't understand you."

Ed huffed and made a show of turning his nose up at his brother.

"You have not always been mute, then?" Ms Shen asked.

Ed shook his head, left it for Al to say, "It's been almost a year."

Ms Shen blinked, then asked, "You are going to Xing for an alkahestrist to heal the damage?"

Ed snorted, while Al's expression fell and he shook his head; they'd had this conversation as soon as Al had realised that alkahestry was very healing focussed. "It's too severe," Al offered tiredly, because there was no way they could explain that Ed's vocal cords were gone, stuck on the other side of the Gate; there was literally nothing there to heal.

Ed whistled to get Al's attention and, once he was looking over, signed, :We really should start saying I was born this way.: Because people asked fewer questions about birth defects than they did about wounds earned during life.

:I know,: Al signed back. :I'll try to remember.:

Ed shrugged. :Slips happen. I'm not angry with you, Al. We both said things that led to her thinking I wasn't born like this.:

:You didn't say anything. I just translated–:

Ed reached over and smacked his brother's hands before rapidly signing, :Go tell your guilt complex to fuck itself.:

"Brother!" Al complained, flushing, because Ed always used the sexual sign for 'fuck', rather than the more commonly rude one, for the sheer amusement factor.

Ed flashed him a smirk.

Al very pointedly turned his back on him, asking Ms Shen, "So, what were you doing in Amestris?"

Ed settled in to listen to the woman tell them about her travels in the western countries.

-0-

Xerxes was apparently a regular resting spot for travel across the Great Desert, because Ed hadn't said anything about stopping there, but they ended up there on the third day, all the same.

:There's something I want to get a look at,: Ed signed to Al, once their horses had been unburdened and left to drink from the fountain.

:That array?:

Ed nodded.

:Let me tell them where we're going,: Al signed, then walked over to warn Mr Han and Ms Shen that they were going to go exploring a bit.

Ed trailed after him with a sigh; he'd half expected Al to come with him.

"Be careful," Mr Han was warning as Ed reached them. "These ruins are not as abandoned as they first look."

"That's why we're going together," Al replied, shooting Ed a hard look. "We'll watch each other's backs."

Ed clapped. Not to activate his alchemy, but to make a point: They were far from helpless.

Mr Han sighed and nodded. "I cannot stop you," he allowed, before warning, "I do not like to spend more than a single day in these ruins; so please return in plenty of time to rest for the day."

"We will," Al promised, before motioning for Ed to lead the way.

Ed had only been in the Xerxes ruins that one time, but it was still all-too-easy to find the massive array that was the only thing remaining to tell the truth of the country's overnight destruction.

"Holy shit," Al breathed as they reached it, stopping to stare up at the massive carving.

Ed nodded as he continued walking. :Impressive,: he signed, :but also terrible. This was the fate of Xerxes.:

"But it won't be our fate," Al said, a world of determination in his voice.

Ed smiled at that as he reached the bottom of the wall and clapped his hands together. He touched the stone and the light of transmutation coursed up the wall to the remains of the array, melting the face of the stone so no one could see it any longer; the Dwarf in the Flask may have taken away the key parts to keep anyone from knowing what he'd done, but Ed didn't want anyone getting any ideas in future, either, which meant all traces were best erased.

"Alchemists!" someone shouted, sounding furious and disgusted.

"Stop!" Al called as Ed spun to see his brother dodging two Ishvalan men. "We're not here to fight you!"

Ed sensed and just barely dodged an attack from the side. He turned and bared his teeth at the man, quickly jumping backwards when he kept coming. A gleam lit his eyes, and Ed dropped and rolled to one side, let the man who had tried attacking him from behind deal with the one who'd been in front of him.

He really should have known using alchemy in the ruins would attract the Ishvalans living there. Fuck, the war had only ended a bit over two years ago; these morons were probably itching for a good brawl.

"Please!" Al called, still dodging attacks; they both knew that actually landing a blow on one of the Ishvalans would just cause more trouble. "I don't want to hurt you!"

"Liar!" one of Al's attackers shouted.

Ed dodged a new attacker of his own, cartwheeling away from the stick aimed at his head.

"That is enough!" a rough voice called.

The man who was attacking Ed froze, his expression caught somewhere between fury and shame.

"This is unsightly behaviour," the rough voice continued. "Are you fools trying to bring disgrace upon the name of Ishval?"

Ed looked past his attacker as the man lowered his stick, the shame winning out. An elderly woman with one eye covered with gauze had stepped into the clearing, helped by a boy who looked to be a little younger than Al. Ed realised he recognised the two: They were the ones who had stopped their people the last time, and then told him about Auntie Sarah and Uncle Yuriy.

"Mistress Shan!" one of Al's attackers complained. "They're alchemists!"

The woman looked towards the stone wall. "Who have destroyed alchemy," she returned flatly.

There was silence for a moment, until Al called, "Brother?"

Ed glanced in the direction his voice had come from and, catching sight of him, signed, :I'm fine.:

Al nodded and jumped off the ruined pillar he'd been crouched on. "Yes," he said evenly, "we're alchemists, travelling to Xing. Since we're here, my brother wanted to destroy that." He motioned towards the space where the array had been, the last word practically dripping with disgust. "The last thing anyone needs is some alchemist coming to see it and deciding to try it out for themselves."

"Alchemists who acknowledge the evils of alchemy?" one of the men asked with a scoff.

"Alchemy isn't evil," Al shot back, looking incensed.

Ed whistled and, when Al turned to frown at him, signed, :Alchemy is neither good nor evil; it is a tool. It's up to the wielder to decide how to use it.:

Al drooped and nodded. "Alchemy is a tool," he told the Ishvalans. "Just like a hammer or the sticks you're holding, it's up to the person to decide whether it should be used for good or evil."

Someone snorted, and Ed looked over toward the two who had tried to catch him in a pincer earlier, as one said, "Alchemy used for good? Alchemy is nothing but a way to mock in the face of Ishvala!"

Ed huffed and looked at Al. :Translate?: he requested, and his brother sighed and nodded, then started speaking aloud Ed's response, :You have your religion and we respect that, but you can't expect us to stop practising our way of life any more than we can expect it of you.:

"That's not what your military said!"

"We are not Bradley!" Al returned, crossing his arms over his chest. "You can't put the sins of a handful of men on the shoulders of all Amestrisans; we don't have the ability to decide who's making the laws any more than you do. If you want someone to be angry with, look to the people who started that genocide and refused to stop it when a white flag was raised, not the people who were dragged into the middle of it."

"From the mouths of babes," one of the men who had attacked Al murmured, and the rest of their attackers, almost in sync, ducked their heads.

Ed glanced at Al and found him shooting him a questioning look. He shrugged; he didn't, actually, know much about Ishvalan culture, but that sounded a bit like they were honouring his brother's wisdom? (Not a terrible plan, really; Al always had been the wiser of the two of them.)

"Go, children of Amestris," the elder woman said. "I apologise for the brashness of my countrymen and promise you safe passage through these ruined lands."

Al looked over towards the melted wall as Ed started towards him. When Ed reached him, he nodded and turned so they could leave.

"Sorry!" the boy who'd been helping the elder woman called after them, and Ed and Al both looked back to find him pointing at the wall. "Why didn't you want to let anyone else try that circle? What was it for?"

"That's the array that destroyed Xerxes," Al offered, and all the Ishvalans turned horrified looks on the blank wall. Al turned back towards their camp. "Come on, Brother."

Ed nodded and turned to follow him without looking back.

-0-

Being attacked by Ishvalans ended up being the most exciting part of their entire journey across the desert, and Ed was as glad of that as he was antsy to do something more than sit on a horse all night. They didn't even get a sandstorm, though Ed and Al did their part in repairing outposts that had been damaged by careless visitors or the weather, and pulling water from the ground to refill wells and watering holes that were getting low. Ed was willing to help with the cooking – Winry had forced him to learn when she was pregnant with Yuriy, insisting his basic survival cooking was making her ill – and both he and Al joined the rotation to keep watch, though it had required a demonstration of their fighting skills before Mr Han and Ms Shen were willing to believe they weren't kidding about being able to take care of themselves.

The two Xingans did, indeed, assist Al in perfecting his spoken Xingan, and while Mr Han made the occasional joke about helping Ed with his written Xingan, he didn't push the matter after Ed refused him when he honestly offered. Which, well, Ed could probably use some help, especially if he was going to be in Xing for a couple years, but he'd taken to keeping all his personal journals in Xingan, in part to help himself improve writing the characters, in part because it would be one more security against anyone back in Amestris getting their hands on one and trying to decipher it. (He knew, from experience, that Amestris was rather lacking in Xingan references before the Promised Day, and none of what they did have, used the actual Xingan characters, because it was unlikely enough that any Amestrisan would attempt to pick up a new language, never mind a new alphabet.) In the end, he'd just much rather try and sort himself out, than let someone who actually understood the language, but who he didn't fully trust, near his journals.

As for his leg: They kept a close eye on it – and freaked out their travelling companions the first time they realised Ed was crossing the Great Desert with automail – and the arrays didn't appear to lose any strength over the course of their journey. They did an excellent job of keeping the metal from burning him, and also helped keep him cooler than his companions – which had made Al whine, until Ed gave in and let him use his leg as a fucking ice pack, the dork – since it helped cool down the blood circulating through his stump, and also cooled any other skin pressed against it. (Hence the reason Al decided it was an excellent ice pack.)

Ms Shen dismounted before they crossed the border into Xing – the horses apparently belonged to the Han clan, and weren't for loaning out – saying, "I have no interest in trying to buy my way through the lands of the Han or Yao clans." Once Mr Han had the reins of her horse, she held up a hand to Al and, when he took it, offered, "You're both welcome in the Shen clan, should you have wish for a place to rest your heads. I'm sorry that we cannot offer you knowledge of the Purification Arts, but know you have our friendship."

"A most gracious gift," Al admitted with a grateful smile. "If we are ever in need of friends, we will come to you."

Ms Shen offered Ed a bow, which he and Al both returned, then collected her bag and left to walk along the edge of the border to wherever she could safely cross.

"Mr Han," Al called before they could set out again, "should we be concerned about 'buying our way'?"

Mr Han shook his head. "Prices vary between clans, and some will care, should you wish to cross their land, but the Han clan considers your price paid for, as part of my service." He glanced at Ed. "Your payment was more than sufficient."

"Brother," Al muttered, "what did you do?"

:If I say "sold my body," what will you do?: Ed asked, mostly just to see how his brother would respond.

Al flushed and complained, "Edward!"

Ed laughed and motioned for Mr Han to continue leading them on, then signed to Al, :Sorry, Al. Nothing like that. I just helped them with a few minor things back in Resembool.:

Al sighed and signed, :Was it illegal?:

Ed considered that for a moment, then replied, :Consider, for a moment, who is leading our country.:

:Like that would have affected your decision either way,: Al returned with a disapproving expression.

He didn't try punching Ed, though, which was really all he could ask for.

-0-

The Han clan offered them a beautifully furnished room to use for a couple days, so they could rest from the long travel – Al's expression over the rich meal the first night made it clear he was a little afraid to ask exactly how illegal Ed's actions had been – and were happy, when Al asked, to give them directions to the Chang clan, though only after making it clear that they would be perfectly happy to set the brothers up with one of their allies. (Al's excuse of, "And I'm grateful, but my brother has his heart set on the Chang clan after seeing them mentioned in one of our father's books," made Ed roll his eyes, but he didn't bother trying to write out any denials.)

Mr Han said he wouldn't be returning to Resembool for another couple months, but he agreed to take the note to Winry back when he did and leave it at the Rockbell house. And since it didn't include any trade secrets – just reports on how the array had worked and some of Ed's observations, as well as complaining about being turned into Al's personal ice pack; all things Mr Han could have observed during the journey himself – he didn't worry about trying to safeguard the letter in any way.

They stayed for three days, performing a few minor feats of repair alchemy on the last day to trade for travel supplies and some local currency, the yuan.

On their fourth day in Xing, when Ed and Al stepped out of their lodgings with their packs, they found the one of the clan elders, Jin, waiting for them. Both of them bowed to him – it hadn't taken long to pick up that custom, especially having observed it on the way through the desert between Mr Han and Ms Shen – and he bowed in response, before holding out a scroll. "This is a promise of safe passage through our lands," he explained as Al took it. "It will not be much use once you have passed out of them, but keep it as proof of your friendship with the Han clan, with our thanks."

"Your friendship we are more than happy to accept, but your thanks are unnecessary; all we did was done in friendship," Al replied politely.

Jin bowed again, Ed and Al following suit, then stepped aside so they could head out.

Once they were out of the town and the scroll had been carefully packaged away in a spot where it could be easily accessed, should they need it, Al signed, :It's probably for the best you can't talk, Brother.:

Ed snorted and agreed, :The nice thing about bowing, is it hides my 'fuck you' expression.:

Al covered his face. "Please," he complained about the sexual sign.

Ed waited until Al was looking at him, then did it again.

Al shoved him in response and muttered, "I'm not looking at you any more. You'll just have to talk to yourself."

Ed laughed and looked along the footpath ahead of them. This was familiar, journeying with his brother. This was right.

He'd missed this.

-0-

On their second day on the road, they woke to find a couple of would-be attackers caught up in the alchemical traps they'd surrounded their campsite with.

"Well–" Al got out before cracking a yawn.

Ed tilted his head, giving the nearest of the three men – caught in a massive earthen fist – an interested look. 'Idiot,' he mouthed in Xingan.

The man's face twisted with fury. "A pox on you, outlanders! This is Kui land! You will pay for this–"

Ed clapped, then reached over and touched the man's shoulder, turning his clothing into a gag that climbed into his mouth and shut him up. To Al, he signed, :I'm gonna go piss.:

Al rolled his eyes and nodded before turning back to their catch.

When Ed returned from relieving his bladder, he found that his brother had gagged the other two and was in the process of informing all three of them why attacking travellers was poor manners, especially when those travellers were unaccompanied children.

(Ed loved his brother.)

Grinning and leaving Al to it, Ed turned to start them a quick breakfast, then started packing up their sleeping bags while waiting for it to cook.

Al eventually gave up on his lecturing and went to relieve himself, returning about the same time as breakfast was ready. "I really don't know what to do with them," he admitted to Ed as he served them both food.

Ed shrugged and carefully balanced his plate on his knees so he could sign, :Take their weapons and their clothing and leave them to run home?:

"Brother."

Ed rolled his eyes. :Or we could leave them here until some kind alkahestrist frees them. Or someone comes along and kills and robs them.:

Al groaned and turned his eyes to his food.

Ed ate a few bites of his own food, then snapped his fingers a few times, until Al looked up, and signed, :Taking their weapons is a must, Al. We can leave them with their clothing if you insist, but the weather is mild enough that they won't suffer for being forced to walk home naked.:

Al sighed and slumped slightly. "I know. And maybe that'll teach them not to try mugging a couple kids on the road–"

Ed, kindly, didn't point out how unlikely that would be.

"–but it still rubs me wrong."

:Embarrassment is a good deterrent against them trying again,: Ed returned with a flat look. :There may come a time when it's between taking their clothing and taking their life; which can you stomach?: Because Ed had been forced to make that choice a handful of times when he was travelling on his own, after the Promised Day. The one time he had just let a man go without taking anything from him, trusting his word that he'd turn over a new leaf, he'd woken up two nights later to find the fucker holding a knife to his throat, and ended up having most of his things taken in payment for his earlier softheartedness.

Ed would never be able to stomach killing people – and he knew Al was the same – but he'd learnt well his lesson about letting those who attacked him walk away without punishment.

Al winced and looked towards their would-be attackers. "Can we at least leave them their shoes?" he requested.

Ed sighed and nodded.

They finished their breakfast and packed up the last of their camp, then Ed went to disarm the untouched alchemic traps, while Al informed their would-be attackers that they were letting them go free, but only after confiscating all their belongings. He didn't actually free any of them until Ed came back over, however, which was good, because the first guy he freed revealed a sword he'd had unsheathed inside the earthen fist, and immediately went for Al.

Ed used his brother's shoulders and back as a spring board, simultaneously shoving him down and out of the way, and delivered an automail foot to the fucker's face, sending him straight to unconsciousness.

"Brother," Al sighed.

Ed rolled his eyes and started divesting the unconscious man of everything except his shoes.

The second man, once freed, didn't bother fighting back, just started undressing. He had a stock of knives not unlike the ones Ed remembered May using – kunai, she'd corrected him every time he called them anything different – and he picked one of them up and gave it a careful flip. Not quite like the knives he'd taken to carrying, but he could get used to them, and they were free. (Anyway, from what he remembered about May's explanation of distance alkahestry, you needed some sort of focus at the point where you wanted to activate the array – either a pre-drawn array or some material imbued with your "sense of self," or whatever bullshit – so he might as well get some practice in.)

The third man, when Al freed him, turned to flee.

"Hey!" Al shouted, rushing to his feet.

Ed, since he had one of the kunai in hand already, flipped it around to get a proper grip and tossed it after the man, leaving a shallow cut along the outside of his right leg. Which, well, the guy probably could have kept running, but he apparently took it as a warning shot and froze.

So, yeah, practice, because that hadn't been quite what he'd been aiming for.

Kindly, Al collected the kunai while he stood over that last guy, then chivvied the lot of them – the second guy having slung the first guy over his shoulder – out into the fields surrounding them, while Ed packed up all the abandoned items and cleaned one of the wrappings with alchemy, then used it to fashion places to keep the kunai.

"Really, Brother?" Al muttered as he accepted his pack, eyeing the kunai Ed had hid against his right wrist, just far enough back that it shouldn't interfere with his signing.

Ed shrugged. :I used western-style knives for a while. Sometimes you need more than alchemy in a fight.:

Al considered the sword they'd got off the guy who Ed had knocked unconscious, which Ed had attached to his pack. It looked nothing like the sword Ling had used, more like the sorts of swords used in ancient western art, but with an oddly-shaped pommel. "I guess," he allowed.

Ed reached over and flicked a finger at the sword, then signed, :I'm happy to teach you knife or spear-fighting, but I never saw much use for swords.:

Al gave a slow nod, his expression promising trouble. "Hm. The spear makes sense, actually, when you consider your rather extreme reach disadvantage against most people."

:Are you asking for a practical demonstration of knife-fighting?: Ed demanded crossly. :Because I could use the practice.:

Al snorted and shook his head. "Nope. I'm good."

Ed huffed.

They walked in silence for about a half hour, before Al said, "You were always more comfortable with the knife Teacher gave us."

Ed grimaced and nodded; it was true that he'd had better luck with the knife on the island, and his habit of turning his arm into a short blade to fight with had helped hone the fighting skills he already had from Teacher's more combat-based training. He'd figured out spears because, yes, there were times when he needed the added reach while fighting someone, but he'd always been more comfortable with smaller weapons that would let him get inside an opponent's guard.

"Maybe someone in the Chang clan can teach me sword-fighting," Al mused.

:How about I teach you some knife- and spear-fighting and you try whatever else you can learn from the clan?: Ed suggested. :Eventually, you'll find that one weapon that suits you best.:

Al considered that for a moment before cautiously asking, "What...did I use? In the future?"

Ed sighed. :Spears are easy to transmute from whatever's nearby; when you needed a weapon, that's usually what you went for.: Though, Ed had sometimes wondered if that hadn't been a partial holdover from his time in the armour, when a spear was really the only weapon sized for him.

"Hand-to-hand, then," Al mused. "Well, it is less likely to end in accidentally killing an opponent."

:Unless you have automail,: Ed returned, and if he'd been able to speak, he knew his voice would have been flat, because he knew from long experience that it was no easy task to go all out with only three (or two) limbs, while also trying to hold back with one (or two).

"Oh, yeah. I guess using knives pose about the same amount of danger of overdoing it as using your leg."

Ed shrugged. :I don't know I'd put it that way, exactly, but I'm already weaponised, so I might as well keep weapons on me.: Well, and he hadn't had alchemy to serve as a safety net. Not that he'd explained that part to his brother, and nor did he really have any interest in doing so; at the moment, Al seemed willing to buy the idea that Ed had traded his voice for Al's part of the toll, but if he got wind that Ed had been forced to trade his alchemy, before, instead, he'd start asking questions that Ed...didn't really want to answer.

One day, he'd probably have to tell his brother he'd used a Philosopher's Stone to get him back from the Gate, but damned if he wasn't going to put it off for as long as humanly possible.

-0-

The next time they were attacked was a few days later, when they were nearing their destination, and it was by two men who wore a sash across their chests in a very familiar manner. 'Chang,' Ed mouthed to Al, right before he was forced to catch a sword aimed at his head between his crossed kunai.

"Are you members of the Chang clan?" Al asked as he dodged the other man's sword.

The man whose sword Ed had caught, who looked to be the elder of the two by at least twenty years, let up on the pressure he was exerting and demanded, "Who wants to know?"

"We are looking to learn alkahestry," Al explained, ducking another swing from his attacker. "We saw your clan's name in one of the books our father owns. It was supposedly written by the Philosopher of the West."

Technically, none of Hohenheim's books had named any Xingan clans, but Ed and Al were banking on the idea that they had journals from the man who'd developed alkahestry into the art it was now to win them some points.

Both of the Xingan men pulled back, weapons still held at the ready, but clearly willing to listen. "You have writings of the Philosopher of the West?" the one who'd been attacking Ed asked.

Ed signed, :Descendants,: where he knew his brother would see.

Al's eyes flickered up toward his face, a suggestion of a frown at the corner of his mouth, but he offered, "We are descended from him."

Helpfully, Ed pointed at his own eyes; in all his travels, Hohenheim, Al, and Ed himself were the only humans he'd ever seen with gold eyes. (Well, them and his and Al's children, but that was sort of expected.) The particular shade of their hair was also rare, but less noticeably so when there weren't any normal blonds around to compare it to.

"Gold eyes," the man who'd attacked Al breathed. "Feng–"

"I see that," the older man snapped in response, before turning back to them. "Have you proof of your claims?"

:What? That we're descended from a man said to have lived four hundred years ago?: Ed signed, rolling his eyes. :Yes, let me just take out our lineage papers.:

:Stop trying to cause trouble,: Al signed back, even as he said, "I have one of his journals in my bag." And then, proving Ed wasn't the only one looking to cause trouble, signed, :I told you it was a good idea to bring them.:

:Shut up.:

"If you could get it out," the older man said, "I would like to show it to our clan's head alkahestrist."

Al shrugged and nodded. "Sure, though it is just a book, in the end, I warn you," he said as he slipped his bag off his back and knelt to go through it.

"Explain the hand motions," the younger man demanded. "They are suspicious."

"My brother cannot speak," Al said flatly, and the man flinched.

Since it looked like they weren't going to be attacked again any time soon, Ed slipped his kunai away and glanced over his shoulder at his bag to ensure the guy who'd attacked him hadn't damaged anything obvious.

"Here it is," Al finally said, holding up one of the books.

The older man very obviously sheathed his sword, then stepped forward to accept the book, which Al relinquished with a friendly smile.

:Tell him they can keep it,: Ed suggested.

"Brother!" Al complained, before letting go of the tie he was doing back up to sign, :We're not giving away any of Dad's books!:

Ed rolled his eyes. :Not even as a gift of friendship? Where are your manners?:

"Stop being difficult," Al said as he finished doing up his pack, then stood and slipped it on. :If this is that clan and they're willing to welcome us, THEN we'll give it to them.:

Ed snorted, but had to admit there was some sense in that. (And, hey, one fewer of Hohenheim's books to lug back with them.)

The older man slipped the book into his sash, then bowed to them and offered, "I am Feng, and my companion is Jian."

Jian offered a bow as he was introduced, smoothly sliding his sword away as he did.

Al glanced at Ed and, when he nodded, they both bowed back as Al replied, "I am Alphonse Elric, and this is my elder brother, Edward."

Feng nodded. "We will lead you to the village," he said, before turning and starting down a narrow path leading towards the massive, mountain-like rock formations which, in all honestly, Ed wouldn't have thought to take.

Jian motioned for them to go ahead so, after trading looks, Ed took the lead, with Al following just far enough back that they'd both have room to move if they were attacked again.

It was a good hour before Ed saw the first signs of habitation between the rocks: a column of dark smoke, thin enough to probably be a cooking fire, reaching up toward the sky. The houses came into view about twenty minutes after, small and shabby, even from a distance; a far cry from their visit with the Han clan.

The trickle of pity making it hard to swallow told Ed that, yeah, this was most probably the Chang clan; everything May had ever told him about her clan suggested they would have died out in another generation, if Ling hadn't offered the Yao clan's protection.

(He wondered what it would take to repeat that particular bit of history. Not getting them both involved in Amestris' chaos, he hoped. Maybe Hohenheim's journal could serve as the Chang clan's gift to the emperor? Buy them some of the favour they so clearly needed.)

When they reached the village, they attracted stares from pretty much everyone they saw, and Ed saw one woman draw a child away with a distrustful look.

:Is it the gold hair?: Ed signed to Al, who had come to walk next to him when the path had widened about ten minutes ago.

Al sighed. :No. It's your face.:

:RUDE.:

Al covered a grin.

Feng led them into the largest of the houses, bowing to the elderly man and woman inside. Ed and Al followed suit, even as Feng explained, "Elders, these outlanders claim to be descended from the Philosopher of the West and have provided a supposed personal journal of his as their proof."

"The Philosopher of the West, you say?" the woman asked, stepping towards Ed and Al, while the man took the journal from Feng and opened it to a random page. She stepped slightly to one side, letting the fire in the centre of the room light Ed and Al's faces. "They do say he had golden hair and eyes, and these two do as well."

Ed's eyes were drawn to where a girl was sitting next to the fire, both she and the miniature panda next to her looking interestedly towards his brother and himself. She was way younger than Ed had ever seen her, and her hair was in two thick pigtails, instead of the elaborate buns and smaller braids that she'd always wasted so much time on in the mornings, but he recognised her all the same, something like relief blooming in his chest. :May!: he signed.

Al's shoulders seemed to relax some. :Then this is the right clan. Good.:

The woman gave their short exchange an interested look, but everyone's attention was shortly drawn to the male elder, who let the journal fall closed and said, "I would have to study this to be certain, but the handwriting is similar to the journal kept in the Imperial palace; if this isn't genuine, it's an excellent copy." He turned a cool stare on Ed and Al. "His true name is passed down through alkahestrists; do you know it?"

Al cleared his throat. "Van Hohenheim."

May let out a startled sound, while the male elder stared at Al for a long moment before bowing. "And so it is, young guests." And, by the way Feng relaxed, that was the elder's way of offering his clan's friendship.

Ed blinked, then signed, :I sort of want to tell them he's still alive.:

:I have never been more glad that you can't speak,: Al returned.

:I can write.:

:STOP,: Al signed while shooting him that severely disapproving look he'd stolen from Mum.

Ed huffed; like he'd really tell anyone in this immortality-obsessed country that the useless bastard was still alive.

"What is this?" the female elder asked, motioning nonsense with her hands.

Al cleared his throat and quickly mastered his expression. "My brother cannot speak, so he communicates with his hands."

"I see." She straightened slightly, then offered, "I am Nuo, and my husband is Qiang. At the fire is May, the seventeenth imperial princess."

Al elbowed Ed and he sighed before obediently bowing with his brother, while Al replied, "I am Alphonse Elric, and this is my elder brother, Edward." Once they'd both straightened, he added, "We came to Xing in hopes of finding someone to teach us the Purification Arts, given the differences between it and western alchemy."

"You have knowledge of this 'western alchemy'?" Elder Qiang asked.

Al nodded. "We are both alchemists, yes, but my brother is the better."

Ed shrugged and nodded; true, but only because he was technically thirty years old. Even if a large chunk of that had seen him without any way to practise, he'd still gathered knowledge and shared his understanding with other alchemists.

"Might I request a demonstration?" Elder Qiang asked, before glancing towards where May had lit up. "We have never seen your 'western alchemy' performed before."

Al glanced at Ed, who took a moment to look around the room for something he could do that wouldn't involve drawing material from the floor. He spotted a white and green ceramic vase, which had clearly been broken at least once and poorly repaired. There was enough detail left between whatever compound had been used to repair it that he should be able to fill in the missing gaps, and it looked to have been very valuable at one point, judging by the hint of gold and silver that caught the firelight. :May I?: he signed, before pointing to the vase.

Al cleared his throat. "My brother wants to know if he can use that vase."

The elders traded looks, before Elder Nuo walked over and picked it up. "A gift Princess May's mother brought back from the Imperial palace, deemed rubbish after an accident." She offered it to Ed. "Please."

Ed clapped his hands together, then took it, letting the reaction wash over the piece and returning it to its former glory, the glue compound that had been holding the pieces together falling uselessly to the ground. And it really had been priceless at one point, as it wasn't ceramic, but made entirely out of jade (which he knew, from May, had a value comparable to gold, in Xing). The vase itself was white jade, with a thin layer of pale green jade creating the long, Xing-style dragon design, gold and silver flakes edging out the finer details.

Fuck him. He was holding a fortune in his hands.

Gasps broke out around the room as the light died away, and when Ed held it back out to Elder Nuo, she breathed out something that he suspected was a benediction of some variation as she carefully took it.

Ed turned to Al and signed, :It's made out of jade.:

"What, the whole thing?" Al asked, falling back on Amestrisan in his clear surprise.

Ed nodded. :With gold and silver flakes, but, yes. A vase made completely out of jade.: He shook his head. :Only in Xing.:

"...white jade exists?" Al asked, wide-eyed.

Ed couldn't help it; he laughed.

"Don't laugh at me, you stupid brother!" Al complained, shoving Ed. "It's not my fault I don't know these things; be useful for once!"

Ed ducked his head in an attempt to hide the grin he couldn't quite help, signing, :Sorry, sorry. But your face was amazing.:

Al, very pointedly, turned his back on Ed, offering, "I apologise," to their hosts.

"Honoured guests," Elder Qiang said, a well of respect in his voice, "with such power at your disposal, I cannot understand your interest in our inferior art."

Al frowned over at Ed, clearly at a loss, and he sighed and signed, :Translate for me?:

"Yeah."

Ed looked back towards the fire pit, where Elder Qiang had sat down across from May, Elder Nuo standing next to her husband and clutching the vase to her chest, while Feng was watching everything unfold with wide eyes, from well out of the way. :There's something off about Amestrisan alchemy, and we're hoping that in studying the Dragon's Pulse of the Purification Arts, as well as your concept of sensing another's energies, we might discover what's so strange.: Ed shrugged, giving Al a moment to catch up, then added, :Also, Amestrisan alchemy lacks the distance transmutations of Xingan alkahestry, and while we can repair a broken vase easily, we have no healing alchemy to speak of.: Because the healing arrays Ed knew were all Cretan, and he knew from experience that they were far inferior to the alkahestry of Xing.

Al cleared his throat, then added, after translating Ed's signing, "We are willing to trade knowledge for knowledge, and we grew up in a farming village, so we can help with the harvest and taking care of any animals. We do not expect to be allowed to remain for free."

:Hunting and fishing,: Ed reminded him.

"Oh, right. And we can hunt and fish."

"You have many talents, for ones so young," Elder Qiang mused. "Why come to the Chang clan? Surely you would find more benefit in allying yourselves with a larger clan."

Al shook his head. "Allies you can get anywhere; we are looking for friends. And, like Brother always says," he added, looking at Ed, who raised an eyebrow in response, "bigger does not mean better."

Ed rolled his eyes.

The elders traded looks, Elder Nuo's arms tightening slightly around the repaired vase in her arms. Elder Qiang looked back at them after a beat and bowed his head. "We would be honoured to have you join the Chang clan."

"And we would be honoured to accept," Al replied politely, bowing his head in return.

Ed barely kept from rolling his eyes again.

"We will need to find them a place to stay until a new house can be built," Elder Nuo said, looking towards Feng.

Ed raised both his eyebrows at Al, who sighed, then offered, "If you show us a clearing we can build in, we can actually build the house ourselves right now."

"More of your 'western alchemy'?" Elder Qiang assumed somewhat faintly.

Al let out a slightly embarrassed laugh and nodded.

"Apologies, Elders," Feng said, before turning to Ed and Al. "Can you clear the land, too? There is a small cluster of trees which have developed rot out by the northern rice field, which we've put off clearing for nearly a full year, as it is quite labour intensive."

Ed shrugged and nodded when Al glanced at him. Depending on how bad the rot was, they could use the trees as materials, which would be nice; just because they could build a house from earth didn't mean they should. (Even if they couldn't use the trees for the house, it wouldn't be hard to deconstruct them into wood shavings so the village could use it to nourish the fields, which was what they'd done back in Resembool, when all the cherry trees had developed a disease that they were helpless to combat.)

"Of course," Al agreed.

After glancing towards the elders for permission, which was given with nods, Feng motioned towards the door. "I'll take you now."

May ended up tagging along, scrambling to her feet and scooping up Xiao Mei before Ed was out the door. He held it for her and she squeezed past him with a stuttered, "Th-thank you."

(Ah, always good to know her ridiculous prince charming obsession was alive and well. With any luck, she'd latch on to Al again once it became obvious that Ed was a rude fuck.)

A few villagers followed along after them, clearly interested by the procession, but held back a bit, probably still wary of Ed and Al.

Once they reached the cluster of trees, Ed and Al both dropped their packs out of the way and walked in close to get a look at what they were dealing with.

"This is the same black fungus as we had back home, isn't it?" Al recognised.

Ed caught a low branch and expertly flipped himself up onto it to get a closer look. :Looks like,: he agreed, before reaching up and picking a green fruit just within reach. It looked to be a plum and he blinked at it for a moment – the two plum trees they had back in Resembool hadn't got sick, but maybe this was a different strain of the same disease? – before shrugging and hopping back to the ground to check out the other trees.

"Brother?" Al asked once they met back up again after each making a circuit.

Ed considered the group of trees for a moment before signing, :There's enough for a roof, I think. If you build the walls, I'll deconstruct what we can't use, then shape the rest.:

"No. Gargoyles," Al stressed.

:What do you have against gargoyles?:

"Brother."

Ed rolled his eyes and waved at the nearest house, then signed, :I know. Better they match as much as possible.:

Al sighed and knelt to start sketching a rectangle in the dirt. "Share a room, or separate?"

Ed tugged on his ponytail for a minute, debating, then suggested, :Two rooms, but we can use the second one as a study until one of us needs space.:

"Fair enough." Al quickly sketched his lines, eyeballed the rough map for a moment, then nodded and pointed out, "We're going to lose floor height."

:So make stairs.:

"Brother."

Ed shrugged. :There's not much you can do about it,: he pointed out. :At the least, it should throw off first time trespassers, should someone try to sneak in unannounced.:

"Sometimes, I worry about what you got up to as an adult," Al complained, before clapping his hands together and pressing them against his map.

Al transmuted much slower than Ed did, which gave him plenty of time to make his way through the group of trees, separating what they couldn't use from what they could and making two distinct piles out of the way of Al's growing walls. Once the outer walls had stopped growing, he clapped again and started shaping their roof, patterning the wood on the outside so it looked like the straw roofs of the rest of the village; eventually, they'd have to add real straw, to protect the wood from rain, but this would do them for a while.

When they stepped out of the new building to grab their bags, they found what looked to be most of the village standing there, staring in disbelief.

And then Elder Qiang commented, "That is something I should like to learn."

:We should probably skip the survival training for them,: Ed signed before ducking to grab both their bags, since it looked a bit like Al would be chatting for a while.

Al coughed into his hand. "We will draw up the arrays we used. Which, I think our arrays are a bit more complicated than you are used to, but we will try our best to explain them. Will we not, Brother?"

:Yes, yes,: Ed signed over his shoulder before ducking back into the house, leaving it for his brother to make friendly with their new neighbours, since he was going to be their main point of contact. For his part, he had a house to furnish.

.