Disclaimer: I do not own FMA or HP
Happy V-Day everyone! We all know Valentine's Day is a fake holiday, but here's an extra long chapter to celebrate it anyways.
Chapter Four: Right out of a Dream
Al jerked back as the stranger uttered his name. He opened his mouth, but words eluded him. Frozen in place, Al watched as the stranger forced himself to sit up.
"Al-" a groan interrupted the second utterance of his name. The stranger hung his heavy head in his left palm. "God. I feel like I got smashed in the head with a hammer. So much for a happy reunion, eh?" Despite the obvious pain the stranger was in, a wide and jubilant grin stretched his cheeks. Those eyes that held such an intense gold now sparkled with clear mirth; all sharp edges softened.
"I- I'm sorry…." Al gulped. "You obviously know me, but- but who are you?" Al kept his voice schooled and polite, but on the inside, panic arose in his chest.
The stranger… he had a similar face shape as he did. Although he claimed eyes and hair several shades brighter than his own, Alphonse had to admit he had never met another with a similar hair-and-eye color to his own.
Furthermore, merely gazing at the stranger caused his heart to ache and his head to throb. There was something so hauntingly familiar about the stranger. It was as if he had walked right out of one of his dreams….
The stranger frowned. Al awaited what he would say, but all that spilled from his lips was another groan.
"Oh, you're still hurt! I'm sorry… I'm just…." Al paused. What was he to say? In shock? He shook his head. "I haven't been a good host. Here, let me help you up."
The stranger allowed Al to help him up, although now instead of gazing at him with raw excitement, uncertainty and fear plagued those eyes. The stranger furrowed his brows as Al seated him on his bed.
"Al? What- what do you mean? You don't know who I am?"
An apologetic smile graced Al. "Am- am I supposed to know you…?"
"Goddammit! Fuckin' Truth! Of course he had to play me. That- that-!" The stranger grappled for a strong enough insult.
Al, again, twitched at that word. He cocked his head to the side. "Why are you cursing at a concept?"
The stranger stared at him incredulously. "You- you really don't… don't remember? You lost your memories?"
Al jerked back at that, his mouth falling open. The stranger knew. Adrenaline rushed through him.
"I- I don't. I don't. But- but you know. You know about the memories I lost!" Al grabbed the stranger's shoulders, grinning so wide his cheeks hurt. Unable to sit still, he vibrated in place. "You know!"
Rather than look overjoyed, the stranger appeared utterly devastated. Wide, empty eyes bored into Al's. "So… so you don't… wait, you don't remember me?" each word sounded more broken than the last.
Al tilted his head to the side. His mouth was dry.
The stranger was important.
Silence stretched between the two. Al fiddled with his fingers. He couldn't meet the stranger's gaze, and his eyes dropped to the floorboards. "I'm sorry…."
The stranger planted his head in his hand again. His unruly golden bangs hung in his eyes. He pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Dammit. God- goddammit."
Al hesitated for another second, unsure whether or not to leave the stranger with his own thoughts or to intervene. He shifted on his feet. Then, pressing his lips into a thin line, Al crouched down, and put his hand back on the stranger's shoulder.
"I'm sorry I don't remember you. I- I don't remember much before I woke up here. In this world. I remember only a few things…." Al paused, turning over his next words in his mind, softening them as much as he could. "But… I am clearly important to you if you somehow traveled all this way to see me." A small smile quirked Al's lips. "So… what's your name? Since you already know mine." A little chuckle shook him. It lacked humor.
The stranger's shoulder shook and for a second, Al thought he was crying. However, when those eyes rose to meet his own again, they burned with an intensity Al had never seen before.
"My name is Edward Elric. And I'm your older brother."
Al clasped a hand over his mouth. It took him several seconds to process what the stran- no. What Edward said.
"My… that means…." Tears welled up in Al's eyes, threatening to fall. "That means I have family… that's alive?"
Edward stared at Al in shock. "Alive? What do you- Alphonse." Edward's hands-one firm and the other gentle-laid on his shoulders. His voice, stiff and uncertain, sent chills down Al's spine. "What do you remember exactly?"
Al gulped at the intensity in his- his older brother's gaze. He still couldn't keep his grin off his face, even while listing out the pitiful few things he recalled.
"I- I know I am not from this world. I know about alchemy, how it works, all its theories, everyting-"
"So you weren't stripped of basic understanding and your academic knowledge…" Edward muttered, his lips twisting into a thoughtful frown.
Al nodded once. "Yeah… I suppose. I know I'm not from here. I come from… far away. A- a different world-"
"Do you know of the name of that world?" Edward asked.
Al shook his head. "No. I don't know those… finer details. I know I come from a different world, I know about alchemy. I know I had-er, have-a family." At this, Al's already broad grin widened as he drank in the sight of Edward even more. "And that's about it, really." Al fell quiet for a second. He sighed, pulled himself from his brother's grip, and sat besides him.
Staring down between his feet, Al murmured, "I didn't think I had any family left. I thought I was an orphan. I worried a lot that all these memories, all these broken pieces… were fake. But- but now you're here. It's- it's all true!"
Edward paused, staring at Al. Then, much to the younger boy's shock, Edward actually chuckled. A fond, almost soft look smoothed the severe edges of his expression.
"Yeah, they're all true, Al. Alchemy, the Gate… though you don't remember that… and our family. It's all true. I- I thought I had lost you. I- I couldn't even comprehend the possibility that you- that you-" Edward gulped. He hesitated, but then reached out, and ruffled Al's hair.
A shock of warmth shot through Al at the display of familial affection. He smiled and leaned into his brother's touch.
"But you're here now. And I'm here now. And dammit, lost memories or not, you're still my brother. And I still found you."
Al shook his now mussed hair out of his eyes. "You're right, brother." The word brother felt odd on his tongue, but at the same time, too familiar. Like he had used the word many times already. "I'm glad you're here too. And- and I have a lot of questions…."
Edward burst into laughter at that. "Of course you do! I'd be surprised if you didn't, considering your memory was taken from you!"
The questions already running amuck in Al's head halted. "Wait. Taken?" Fear-a strange and primal fear-chilled him. He froze.
Seeing his expression, Edward struggled to find the proper words to appease him. "Er, well, it's just a theory, really. I don't have… exact proof of that happening. Like, maybe you just bumped your head real hard, and-"
Al's stare didn't soften, nor did he seem relieved by Edward's rambling. "Edward-"
"Ed."
Al sighed, pain stabbing his heart. "Oh. Ed. I- any theories you have for my disappearance on your side, I want to know. I want to know everything. Of- of our family and my past and how I got here in the first place and-"
Edward held up a hand, stopping Al in his tracks. Al shut his mouth and stared expectantly at Edward.
"Okay. Okay, I'll tell you. But Al… it's not a happy story. Not at all. But… in return-"
Al stuck his tongue out at Edward. "Equivalent exchange?"
Edward barked another short laugh. "Yeah, exactly! In exchange, I want to hear about your life here. I- I didn't even know you were living. And in a whole new world, even! Hell, I didn't even know there was an Other Side!"
Al tilted his head. An Other Side…. "Alright then, brother! You tell me everything about you, and I'll let you know everything about me."
With matching nods, the two brothers clasped hands. The tears that had never left Al's eyes finally spilled over his cheeks.
And though Al already knew Edward would deny it, his own sparkling tears traced down his cheeks too.
~~0~~0~~0~~
Edward hadn't really known where to begin when it came to telling Al about their life story.
He started simple, really. He told Al of their world of Alchemy; of Amestris and of their little hometown in the east named Resembool. He talked of their mother, Trisha Elric, and how she had been the best mother in the whole world.
Well, now, two worlds.
He talked, with bitterness and fury leaking into his voice, of their father abandoning them. And then, delved into the realm of their dive into alchemy with such reverence, that Al had to remind Edward to get back on track.
After all, he remembered his studies of alchemy.
"Sorry," Edward muttered briefly, before diving right back in.
Edward couldn't help but dwell on those simple and happy years. Of them playing in the fields with their childhood best friend, Winry Rockbell, only going inside once it got dark out. He spoke of their first alchemy creations, how proud their mother was to see them so eager to please her.
He dwelled and dwelled until his heart tightened up into a tight knob and a ball of lead formed in the pit of his stomach.
Edward gulped.
"Ed? Are you tearing up?"
"Don't be stupid. I'm probably allergic to this stupid world or something." Edward scrubbed the wetness from his eyes.
With great hesitance, and with a voice carrying the weight of two worlds, Edward spoke of their mother's sickness and then, her untimely death.
Al pressed a hand over his gaping mouth. And, despite not remembering their mother, or even her death, his own tears pricked his eyes. "So our father left us… and our mother died…."
Edward hung his head so his bangs covered his eyes. "Yeah. That's it. But… but we were young. Just stupid kids. And… and we were arrogant. And we promised each other to bring her back."
Al stared at him, but not in shock. Pitiful understanding haunted those darker eyes. "Of course we did," he whispered so quietly, Edward thought he wasn't meant to hear.
Edward gritted his teeth. Rather than answer, he gave a terse nod. "That's when… it happened."
"It? You mean-"
Edward didn't allow Al to finish his thoughts. "That's when you disappeared, Al. We failed. The transmutation… it was missing something. We- we could make the body. But the soul-" Edward barked a cold laugh. He pinched the bridge of his nose, furrowing his brows. "What could anyone possibly trade for a human soul?"
Al didn't have an answer. Edward didn't expect him to, as he himself lacked an answer as well.
"But I still don't get it, brother," Al murmured after a beat of terse silence. "How did I end up here then? Why are all my memories gone?"
"Because the Gate must have taken them, Al."
"The Gate?" Al's voice trembled. Edward could hear his gulp. He shuffled closer, his leg pressing against Edward's. "What's the Gate?"
"When we- when we attempted the forbidden, we were brought before the Gate. It- it was a rebound, Al. We attempted a human transmutation and didn't have enough to pay for mom's soul. So the Gate, the Truth, took your entire body as payment. And-"
Edward hesitated. He stared down at his right hand. Then, quickly, he tore his glove off his hand.
Al gasped in utter shock. "What- your limb-!"
"-it took my right arm and left leg. These- these are prosthetics called automail, Al. Do you remember anything about automail?"
Al paused, still staring at his brother's metallic right hand. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Even the muggle world didn't have something so advanced….
"I don't, brother," Al said. He couldn't keep the sadness out of his voice.
Edward tightened his hand into a fist and nodded. "That's alright."
Al bit his lip. It was most certainly not alright, and although he had no memories of his and his brother's childhood together, Al still knew that Edward knew nothing was alright in that moment.
"Brother," Al eventually said. "There is something I don't quite understand. If this… Gate took my body as payment… shouldn't I be dead?"
Edward sucked in a sharp breath. Al himself felt queasy as the words left his lips. After all, thinking about the fact that he could-should-be dead sent a thrill of chilly unease through him.
"I- I didn't want to think about that possibility back at home. I theorized that the Truth had somehow taken you, and- and with the Philosopher's Stone, I could bring you back. But- but I didn't think you would be dead… because a life plus an arm and a leg… that doesn't equal a life."
Al sighed. "But can we say for certain a life equals another life, brother? Isn't life priceless? You just said it yourself; what can equal the price of a soul?"
Edward hesitated at that. Rather than answer him directly, he averted his gaze away. "I don't have all the answers, Al. But what I think happened is that perhaps you, before your memories were taken, begged Truth to spare your life. And maybe… it actually did so. Perhaps that's why you're here. It took your body plus my leg as payment for our failed transmutation, and in turn, it took your memories of not just the Gate, but of home as well, to spare your life and send you here."
Al sat and digested everything Edward just said. It some ways, it made sense. It made too much sense, in fact. And in other ways… he struggled to believe such a thing happened. It wasn't that he didn't want to believe his brother, because he did.
Of course he did.
"But wait, what about your arm, brother?" Al asked, after realizing Edward had left that detail out of his theory.
A bitter grimace crossed Edward. "After you were… taken, I- I tried to pull at least your soul back. I thought- I thought…." Edward gulped. "I thought I could bind it to an object, so you wouldn't be completely lost. The transmutation would have… should have worked! I don't know what happened. I guess… I was just a little too slow. I wasn't certain enough." He spat out the last few words like they were poison on his tongue. "Whatever it was, your soul didn't bind."
Al stared wide-eyed at Edward. The person who was his brother. The person who was a stranger.
He had no memories of Edward. He had no memories of his own brother. And though with Edward's theory, it made sense that he didn't, it still didn't do much to help his current situation.
After all, a theory is just that; a theory. Edward couldn't prove it.
Edward broke the silence he created. "I guess the only way for us to know for sure is to recover your memories. But considering the Gate took them… I think you might have to sacrifice something of equal worth to get them back, Al."
Al tensed at that. Of course. Equivalent Exchange. But what could equal the price of the memories of his life?
Before Al could stew in his own darkening thoughts, Edward shot an odd, but bright smile at him. "Don't worry too much about it, Al. Now that I'm here, I can help you out, and together I'm sure we'll not only recover your memories, but find a way back home! Trust me." Edward held out his fist toward him, a determined and toothy smile stretching his cheeks.
After a pause, and a grin of his own, Al tapped his fist against his brother's. "Right! Two heads are always better than one, as they say!"
"Exactly!" Edward said. His bright smile faded into something smaller, and slightly more sincere. "Now it's your turn, Al. I want to know of everything you've been up to since you've been here. What sort of world is The Other Side?"
Al released a long breath through his nose, then began.
~~0~~0~~0~~
Next Chapter: Levitating Pigs
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Huge thanks to Innominatam and Caibb for the reviews for the last chapter!
I've been kinda slowing down with this crossover on the account of school and original stuff getting in the way (my magic system for my series is now 17 pages long... and it's not even close to being halfway done yet...)
However! We're getting there! And I know we still haven't hit the HP parts of this crossover... it's teased a bit more next chapter, but we'll be getting there soon trust me! Also, I know some of the stuff discussed in this chapter isn't 100% scientific... but in general, FMA03 was a bit more "magic-y" than Mangahood anyways soooo... also, as you can already tell, there are a few Mangahood details that will be in here! Truth is really the only major concept from Mangahood that I've taken, but a few more may creep it... but just know the characters + most the lore is gonna be from FMA03
Thanks for reading! Comments are highly appreciated. Don't forget to favorite and follow if it so pleases you~
