I have to say a few things that nobody probably cares about so you can skip it if you want to. Anyway, I have a major band competition tomorrow and I have to perform a solo. Playing the flute can be hard sometimes -_-
Secondly, I posted the law of Equivalent Exchange on facebook and I asked who knew what show it was. My band teacher got it right and now he's even more awesome in my book. I love band!
Okay, onto the reviews…
Oceanic moon- Thanks for the first review! I love sugar rushes! They're always so fun! ^_^ Nice Ed comment you threw in there, and I love reading guesses! Thanks for following.
Guest- Nice to see you again! Insult not taken J Hey, at least you found someone with it. I guess if that happened then it would be the same for everyone else, but not him. That's usually how I find the stories on this site, too.
Kok0roxGuardian- OMG, I'm soooo glad you're reading my story! I love your stories "Who needs a brother like you?" and "Quenched by the Red Water Alchemist" (I'm currently reading that one and glad you updated!) I'm glad you like it, I will continue this as long as I have reviewers like everyone on here! J
Jess (Guest)- Thanks! I hope I helped you out with the updating J Glad you like it.
Otakgirlyy- Since this is your first Fem!Ed fic I will admit that it's not good and sorry for the horrible first impression (this is my first time writing one) Good point, I should do that! I'll do that, I have an idea for when they get back in Central and Izumi's entering the story here soon! Here ya go with the update. J
Guest- Haha, I love doing fangirl squeals they're the best :P Thanks for the review!
Mustang's Inferno- Hey! Nice to see you again! Anyway, I feel special about being the first you've seen. The rest will happen next chapter. This is a flashback chap.
Thanks for everyone who Reviewed, Followed, Read, and Favorited. Love you guys!
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"Hey, Ed? Edward? Seriously?!" Al asked. He walked out of the kitchen to find Ed asleep on the couch, snoring lightly. Al sighed and walked to the closet, grabbing a soft blanket.
"Didn't you just wake up?" Al asked softly, knowing he wouldn't get a reply. He placed the blanket around Ed's curled body. Ed smiled slightly and pulled the cloth closer, turning to get more comfortable.
Al shook his head and walked back to their room to finish packing. They were meeting their teacher at noon and Al was getting worried that Ed would sleep through the meeting. Izumi would not like that.
"No. Not about that. Not now…" Ed mumbled in his sleep. He turned slightly, trying to escape the memories. "No. No…" He mumbled again. He had the same nightmare before, remembering what happened with the terrible experiment. Why did he go alone?
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(A/N: It's entering Ed's dream/Flashback mode. Story continues after the next symbol.)
"Stop giving me attitude, Fullmetal. I'm not the one who asked you to go on this assignment." Roy told him, handing Ed back the folder that he threw on his desk in protest.
"But, you are the one who's making me go! This is not important in my research! How are Al and I supposed to get back to normal if you keep sending me on these insane journeys?!" Ed yelled, snatching the folder grudgingly.
"Lower your voice. Do you want the whole military to know about you two?" Mustang said calmly, returning back to his paperwork.
Ed glared at him and huffed, turning around and storming to the door. "When I get back, you better give me more access to the libraries!" Ed said before slamming the door behind him.
Mustang scoffed. "Alright, fine. See you soon then, Edward."
()()()
Edward stormed out of HQ pissed off. Al could tell something was up the minute he saw his brother walk right past him and down the sidewalk to the dorms. He just sighed and walked faster to catch up with Ed.
"What's wrong now, Brother?" Al asked, finally caught up. Ed shook his head and stopped shortly. He just smiled softly and held the folder up. "Looks like our research is delayed, yet again." Ed said, walking again with a sad smile on his face.
"Why are you smiling?" Al asked when they reached the dorm. Ed looking up and him and laughed pathetically. "This is just so stupid. I'm never going to get you back at this rate." Ed told him and they both walked in the small room when the door opened.
"You mean get us back." Al corrected and Ed sighed softly. "Al, missing two limbs isn't as important as a whole body. If push comes to shove, I don't plan on getting them back." Ed told him and started packing his suitcase.
Al stared confusingly. "What?! Y-You're kidding right? After all we've been through, you don't even want to go back to the way you were?" Al asked.
"I said, that's only if the worst happens. Your body is more important than my arm and leg." Ed said, never looking up from what he was doing. He couldn't look Al in the eyes. He knew that there would be disappointment and pity.
"Edward! You know that's not true! I see the pain you go through every winter or when it rains! Not to mention the whole procedure of actually getting the automail. You're hurting more than I am!" Al yelled.
Ed stood over the bed, looking at his half-packed suitcase. "Alphonse, you know that I can live with it. It hurts a lot more to see you suffering for my mistake a lot more than I am. Sure, the weather doesn't go well with me, but you can't even feel the cold or rain." Ed told him, smirking sadly at the end.
"But, why do you want to miss out? You could stop your own pain…or we can do it together. Why won't you ever let me help you?!" Al said, clenching his fists and looking at the ground.
"Please, Al. I don't want to have this conversation now." Ed said, looking down farther, letting his bangs cover his eyes. "Then when?! You always seem to avoid my help. Why?! Why won't you consider that we're in this together?! You don't have to burden everything." Al said, getting quiet at the end.
He sounded like he was on the verge of tears. Ed felt a lump build in his throat and he gulped it down. "Al…I'm fine. I'm the older brother. It's my job to look after my little brother…not the other way around. You shouldn't have to deal with the problems I give off." He said, closing the case and grabbing it.
He looked up at Al with sad eyes. "But, why? Why can't it be?" Al asked, his voice cracking as if crying. Ed looked back down at the ground and walked to the door, stopping when he was beside Alphonse. Ed looked back up at him and placed his right hand lightly on Al's chest-plate.
"Because…you're my sweet and innocent little brother. You shouldn't have to see the horrible things I do. And you definitely shouldn't have to worry over someone like me…" Ed told him, another sad chuckle coming from him. Al didn't say anything, just stared as Ed grabbed the side of his armor and gently pulled him closer into a brotherly hug.
"My little Alphonse, you should think of yourself first, not me. I don't need to be rescued…I'm already damned as the guard dog of Amestris. And I have Truth watching my every move probably. I don't need you to be dragged into the middle of it." Ed told him.
With that said, Ed let go and walked fully to the door. The lump returned and he let a tiny sob come out. Al noticed it and walked over to Ed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "See, Al. This is why I didn't want to have this conversation." Ed said softly, wiping the small tears that slipped from his eyes off of his cheek.
Al felt a little guilty. He turned Ed around and grabbed him into a tight hug. "I'm sorry. Just…please don't talk like you don't care about yourself anymore." Al said. Ed smiled softly and patted Al's back. "Okay. But, Al, I have to go. The train leaves soon." Ed told him.
Al let go and saw the evening sky. "Come back safe, okay?" Al said. Ed nodded and gave him a grin. "I promise." He told him before walking out the door and walking towards the train station of Central.
()()()
When Ed finally got off the train, he suddenly felt very tired. It was probably because he was too busy reading the report that he forgot to take a nap. He yawned and stretched before picking up his suitcase and started walking in the direction of the Eastern HQ.
He was sent to investigate a series of strange circumstances. Random people are abducted from their homes and when the people see them again, they are either driven insane, in a coma, or a little different to their friends' perspective.
He thought it was interesting, so he stayed up all the train ride reading about it. None of the people in East City could figure it out, so they sent a report to Central, it got passed to Mustang who passed it to Edward.
"Well, at least it'll be a challenge." Ed said to himself with a shrug. He walked off towards the HQ.
That night, Edward was listed as missing in East City when he never made it to the military base.
()()()
Everyone was worried. It's been 5 days now and nobody has heard from the blonde.
Mustang got the call 3 days ago that Ed never made it to the base. Confused, he called Al to see if Edward just ditched and stayed home. Al told him that he saw him leave for the train when he was supposed to.
The next day, the city of Central was informed that the Fullmetal Alchemist was MIA.
Alphonse was crushed with worry. He remembered their last conversation and hoped that Ed was just safe. "Hey, Al. It's okay, we'll find him." Mustang reassured him. Al nodded but was still really scared for his older brother.
Two days later, Mustang got a nice visit from someone at 11:30 at night.
He was sitting in his office, figuring out all of the places someone could've abducted him or he would've hid for some reason. There was a soft knock on his door and he looked up from his maps a little annoyed.
"Come it!" He said loud enough to be heard. A couple of seconds later, the door slowly opened and someone in a cloak walked in. Roy sighed. "Can't you see I'm busy? If it's not important then please go away." He said, not wanting to sound mean but not in the mood to play games.
The cloaked figure just bent its head down more and tightened its grip against the red cloth. "C-Colonel Mustang." He said in a soft voice. Roy only barely heard it, but it was enough for him to recognize who it was.
He stared wide-eyed at the person in front of him. "Fullmetal?" He asked. The boy smirked slightly and removed his hood, revealing bright blond hair held in a lose braid. It was slightly stained a type of red color on the edges, but Roy still couldn't believe the boy he had been searching for for at least 5 days was suddenly in front of him.
The Colonel eventually got out of his shock and his face turned serious and concerned. "Where have you been?! Do you have any idea how worried we were?! Your brother's practically worried sick!" he yelled and Ed flinched.
He pulled the cloak tighter and stared at the ground, biting his lower lip to stop it from shaking. "I-I'm sorry. I-I…" he couldn't help the feeling that just wouldn't go away inside his throat and his lip trembled more.
"Edward? You alright?" Mustang asked, getting up and walking to the teen. Ed couldn't hold it in any longer. He fell to his knees and sobbed into his hands. "I couldn't! I just couldn't take it any longer!" he said, crying hard.
Mustang didn't know what to do. He wasn't good with helping people out, especially Ed. He ducked down to meet Ed's level on the floor and grabbed his shoulders lightly. "Couldn't take what, Edward?" Mustang asked in a soft voice. Ed only sobbed harder and flew into Roy's arms, crying on his chest.
"I-I-It was s-so horrible. They wouldn't stop. No matter what I did, they just wouldn't stop!" He said. Mustang pulled him closer and held him in an embrace. "Edward, who's they? What did they do to you?" Roy asked. Ed took a couple of short breaths and sat back up. Mustang had never seen him act like this. He knew something was majorly wrong. Ed sat up straight, still crying a little, and he grabbed the edges of his coat. He took it off and Roy gasped.
His shirt was in shambles and his left arm was covered in deep cuts and bruises. Ed looked down and revealed a couple of places where his hair was dyed a deep red. Now that he was up close, Roy could see small bruises and cut marks on his face too.
"W-What did they do?" Roy gasped out. Ed sniffed again and touched a section of his chest, wincing a little. "Th-They grabbed me from behind, I c-couldn't fight back. They had chloroform; I was out in a matter of seconds. T-T-They…they did so many things." Ed told him.
"They experimented on me. Beat me if I fought back. Whip me if I cussed them out. No matter how much I begged for them to stop…no matter how much I just asked to go home…they only continued until they were done with me…" he continued, taking a moment to calm down his crying at the end.
Roy stared in disbelief at the broken boy infront of him. "All that happened?" he asked. Ed simply nodded and moved to grabbing his arm. "They kept sticking needles in me. Injecting strange liquids that made me feel sick or hurt like hell. After the last one was injected, they said something about a 'success' and that they were done with me. I was so happy to figure out the pain would stop and those stupid needles would never come near me again. I found my way back here after that." He finished, smiling with relief at the end.
"Are you sure you're okay, Ed? That sounds pretty bad." Roy said. Ed shook his head and let his gaze fall to the floor again. "No, I'm not alright. Mustang…T-That last one had an effect." Ed told him.
When Roy was sure Ed wasn't going to continue, he got a little annoyed. "What do you think that effect was?" Roy asked calmly. Ed blushed madly and turned his gaze away completely from the floor and decided the left wall was the best place to stare now. "I-I…" he didn't know how to say it.
"Roy, can you keep a secret?" he asked quietly. After a couple of seconds, Roy nodded and Ed's blush turned even darker when he mumbled something that Mustang didn't hear.
"What?" Roy asked. Ed turned his gaze to look Roy straight in the eye. "It…turned me into a girl." Ed said softly and both of their faces turned red. "B-But…that's not even possible!" Roy yelled in surprise and Ed's face turned into a nervous one.
"That's what I said to them when they told me. They just said it was a special serum they've been working on to see if they could do gender-swaps. They said only me and 7 others passed in the swaps. I don't know the others though…" Ed told him softly.
Roy stared confusingly for a minute before breaking into laughter. "Yeah right, Ed! And I can make awesome flames in the rain!" He said in-between laughter. Ed's face turned red again in both embarrassment and anger.
"This is not a joke! I'm serious! I would show you proof but that would be embarrassing for both of us!" Ed yelled before wincing and grabbing his shirt tightly to let go of the pain in his chest.
"You're really serious about this." Roy said. Ed nodded and gave him a soft smile. "I know. It sounds crazy to me too. But at least I survived and made it out." Ed said softly before flinching again and placing a hand on his chest again.
"Hey! Are you alright?" Mustang asked. Ed shook his head before swaying a little and falling forward, Roy catching him. "Don't tell anyone…" Ed whispered.
His eyes were closed to block off the pain coursing through his arms and chest. "Don't say anything…especially to…Alphonse…" he whispered again before falling asleep.
"I won't…I promise." Roy said.
And with that last sentence, Edward fell into a deep sleep.
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Ed snapped awake when he felt a sharp pain shoot through his face. He groaned and grabbed the side of his cheek where someone just slapped him.
He looked up to see the wonderful face of his teacher looking over him. Her long black hair pulled in dreadlocks, a long black dress and her regular sandals. She had a dark glare on her face.
"Well, Edward. Do you have an explination as to why you were late to our meeting and I had to walk all the way over here, just to find you sleeping?!" She growled at the end. Ed gulped and gave her a nervous smile.
"N-Nice to see you too, Sensei."
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Alright! Chapter 4! I feel so bad after writing this. Poor little Edward. I just love Brotherly moments between these two, so I like to create them. Well! Now you know! Hopefully that answered any questions people had.
Yes, I know. It doesn't make much sense but I honestly didn't know how to do it so it could fit into the plot-line for further uses. I want to see if anybody can see the pattern and guess what happens.
Thanks for reading and hoped you liked it.
Oh! And remember when I said it was a "Short" Flashback chapter. Well, guess not. It's my longest yet with 3,000+ words! Woot woot! Haha :p
See ya next time! (Anyone who gets the pattern gets an internet waffle ^_^#)
