Chapter 7-
Al, Granny, and Chester stared at Ed in shock after his little announcement. Even Edward looked like he was in shock. He was sitting up, pain momentarily forgotten, staring at Chester like he'd never seen him before and Al felt like he was going to throw up, not that he actually could but that didn't seem to stop him from feeling nauseous.
"You can hear Chester? Like you can Ayala?" Al sounded like he was going to faint. He could feel the complete confusion radiating from Chester. Apparently, his Animal had no clue either. "How is that even possible?" He asked when Ed's shaky nod answered his first two questions. Edward opened his mouth a couple of times but no words came out. Even Granny didn't have anything to offer. Al was going to ask again since his genius brother should no the answer when he recognised Ed's expression. A theory was developing.
"How did Chester heal himself?" Ed's question threw Al.
"What? Why's that important?" Al's brain wasn't currently over the shock so it wasn't trying to make big intelligent leaps at the moment. Ed stared him down until he relented. "He said his energy is stored in you, like Ayala's only his is separate from hers. He can't use hers and vice versa." Edward nodded, like he expected that answer.
"I think something happened when I brought your soul back. I don't know how to put it exactly but I think our souls are connected, I guess? Spirit Animal energy needs a human host to work so when I brought your soul back, the part of the human the physical Animal is attached to, I must've also unknowingly made myself Chester's energy holder. That would explain why his energy is in me. His energy got attached to me because I could only bring your soul back." Edward explained and something in Al's mind clicked. That actually made a lot of sense but that still didn't answer the second question regarding Chester.
"Is that also the reason you can hear him?" Al asked but Ed shook his head.
"No, it isn't. Their energy is only used for emergency food or healing for the Animal. It doesn't play a part in Animal's being able to speak, to their human or other Animals. If it did, human's would've felt the draining energy whenever the Animal spoke to them or other Animals." Again, Al could see the logic behind that. Centuries of research and not a single researcher noted a drain in the Animals' energy whenever they spoke? Seemed exceptionally unlikely. Even Granny was nodding in agreement.
"So why-?" Al started to ask but Ed cut him off.
"Granny, can you get Den to talk? Please?" Edward asked. Pinako's eyebrows almost flew off her face in surprise but she nudged Den awake.
"What?" Den grumbled as he got to his feet in annoyance. "I was sleeping." He glared at Granny.
"I can hear him too!" Den turned to face Edward, who was looking at him in wonder and confusion.
"Say what?!" Den exclaimed loudly, causing Ed and Granny to flinch. "How come you can hear me all of a sudden? It shouldn't be possible for a human to hear an Animal they aren't bonded to."
"I don't understand either. Can either of you think of a reason I can hear both of you?" Edward asked. Both Chester and Den looked at each other but neither could think of anything that would explain Ed's new ability.
"No. We've got no clue." Chester admitted. Edward looked crestfallen. "The only thing I can think of is that that Truth thing gave you information that means you can now hear us, even when we're speaking to our human." Ed's ears perked up at that, metaphorically speaking.
"What do you mean by that last part?" Edward asked, excitement bubbling in the pit of his gut.
"Well, in simplest terms? Think of it like a telephone. You've got Ayala's number so you can call her. Every other Animal has a different number but you don't know them so you can't call them. It's the same for us. I've got Al's number but not yours. The only difference is I've got access to the Spirit Animal phone book. Following so far?" Chester asked. Edward nodded. Chester continued. "Us Animals can call each other and our bonded human however we can't them at the same time. It's one or the other. We can contact multiple Animals at once, though. Somehow, you've been given the Spirit Animal phone book, so to speak. I just have no idea why you've got it." Chester finished explaining his theory. Edward had to admit. It made sense. The only question now is why he suddenly had this ability. Although he couldn't recall every single piece of information he'd had crammed into his brain by Truth, he couldn't recall any being about Spirit Animals or their abilities.
"Okay, I don't know what you're talking about and, frankly, I don't care. You, Edward Elric, need some sleep. You've still got a lot of healing to do and sleep is good for that. I'll give you more painkillers so you'll sleep the night through. We can discuss whatever Chester just told you when you wake up. Assuming you're doing better then, I won't be doping you up on enough painkillers to knock you out next time." Granny ordered as she gave Ed a shot of morphine before he could process the fact she had a needle. Pressing on his uninjured shoulder, she also made him lie down so he was comfortable.
"I don't wanna sleep. I need to talk to Al more." Ed knew he was whining but he didn't care. He needed to apologise to Al properly, while he wasn't doped up.
"Granny's right, Brother. You need some sleep. Whatever it is, it can wait until you wake up. Okay?" Ed barely hid the flinch he felt every time he heard his little brothers voice. It sounded like him but tinny. It sounded wrong. Unfortunately, Edward knew arguing would get him absolutely no where and not just because he was feeling the drowsy side effect of the painkillers but because Granny and Alphonse were as stubborn as mules. He locked gazes with his little brother.
"I'm sorry about everything, Alphonse. I'll fix it. Somehow." He was asleep before he finished speaking. His breathing was laboured but Al figured it was because his mind wasn't focused on solving a puzzle which meant his brother was feeling all the pain he'd shoved to the back of his mind. Al sighed. Even though he'd told his brother he didn't blame, which he didn't, Ed still blamed himself. He shouldn't be surprised. His brother refused to let someone else shoulder the blame if he could do it himself. Alphonse resolved to make his brother see reason in the morning and tucked the sheets up around Ed's shoulders. Granny Pinako and Den both left, Granny passing on good night wishes from both of them. Al returned the favour from both him and Chester. Al sat down in his usual spot, Chester sat next to him. Neither spoke for a few minutes. Chester broke the silence this time.
"What a weird night." Al snorted involuntarily.
"You said it. I can't believe he can hear you. And all the other Animals." Chester looked at his human. He could sense the shock but he was more focused on the barely-there jealousy and unfairness he could sense. It was minute but it was there. He was surprised but not overly so. After everything that had happened to both boys, Al gets stuck with an armoured body and Ed gets two limbs removed but he also gets unimaginable knowledge and an ability literally no one else has or has ever had in the history of humans and Spirit Animals? And Al got nothing in exchange for the loss of his body. "You wanna know the weirdest part?" Al's question snapped Chester out of his thoughts.
"There's a weirdest part to this night?" Chester asked dryly. Al chuckled.
"Yeah. Ed doesn't know why he can suddenly hear other Animals." Chester waited but Al had obviously thought that was enough of an explanation because he didn't expand on his answer.
"How is that weird? I don't even know why he can hear us." Chester asked.
"Because Brother knows everything. And even if he doesn't know straight away, he always knows which book or books to find the answer in. If he couldn't at least tell what book the information could be found in than it means he has absolutely no clue." Alphonse pointed out.
"Good point except for the fact that the answer won't be in any book. Nothing like this has ever happened in the history of humans and Spirit Animals." Chester informed him.
"How do you know? Spirit Animals bonding to humans has been happening for, well, forever. Isn't it possible this has happened before?" Al asked.
"No. See, we Spirit Animals are brought into existence when our humans are ready for us. You knew that, right?" Al's helmet softly clanked as he nodded his head. "Well, there's a fact you might not know. We are brought into this existence with knowledge on every single thing that can happen between a bonded Animal and their human, between an Animal and a human they aren't bonded to and between Animals and other animals, Spirit or not. We know exactly what abilities we definitely have, like the telepathy, what abilities we have but may never use, like the shape-shifting. We're also told about the abilities humans get when they Bond. The healing, the telepathy, the linked vision, etc. We are also aware of abilities that are so rare, they're practically unheard of. If this sort of thing had happened, even once before, we would be born with that knowledge. The fact that neither Den nor I knew this could have happened means that it's never happened. Not ever, in the while history of our existence. Even my energy being in Ed now is unheard of. Never has there been a case of energy transference when the Animals human is still alive, even if it's just their soul." Chester finished his explanation.
"Well, maybe it was the transmutation? Maybe something happened to Ed while he was forced through the Gate." Al was grasping at straws to try and make sense of this. He just wanted this to be explained. He felt uncomfortable not knowing the answers to something.
"You two are not the first to have attempted human transmutation. The reason it's a taboo is because numerous people have tried it throughout history and none of them have come out alive or, if they lived, successful. If the transmutation had something to do with this, it's only done it to Ed and no one else." Chester rationally pointed out. Al felt crestfallen.
"So Ed can listen to anyone's conversation with their Animal? Even to other Animals talking to each other? He'll hear all of it?" He suddenly didn't envy his brother. Having that many conversations in your head?
"I actually don't know." Al's energy flashed with surprise. "Let me explain. Usually, an Animal and human can only hear each other if they're bonded. Animals can talk to each other because we can. Humans cannot talk to each telepathically because you lot can simply use words. However, we can talk to numerous Animals at once. Sometimes though, we only want to talk to one. Say I wanted to tell Ayala something and didn't want Den to overhear us. I could simply block Den from hearing me. Animals normally don't do that when we're talking to our humans because we can't talk to both Animals and our human at the same time. All I have to do is block your brother from being able to hear us, like I would if I were talking to an Animal and not wanting to be overheard by another. I don't know for sure until we can test all this when Ed wakes up. We should also see how many Animals Ed can communicate with at a time." Chester answered as best as he could. Al seemed to sigh with relief.
"Good. I was worried he might be driven crazy by all the voices." Al admitted. Chester could understand that.
"We'll have to help him learn to block any Animal he doesn't want to overhear. Thankfully, he doesn't need to do anything physical to learn that. We can start teaching him straight away, if he doesn't already instinctively know how to do it." Chester suggested. Al hummed in agreement. They really couldn't speculate further until Ed was awake and they could figure out his limitations. "We'll probably have to wait for Ayala to wake up too." Chester pointed out after a couple moments of silence.
"Why?" Al was confused. He figured Chester meant because she was Spirit Animal and they could use her and Ed's connection somehow but he didn't know why they needed her awake to help Ed train to block other Animals voices. Surely Ed wouldn't want to block his own Animal from talking to him?
"Because it'd be easier for him to learn to block Animals if he were trying to focus on one voice first. And it'd be even easier if that voice was his own Animal. After he can do that, we can move on to him blocking voices without having Ayala's to focus on." He could sense Al hadn't really gotten it yet. "Okay, you know when you two are chatting about something, like alchemy, and you can block out Winry trying to talk to you? Or when you two are fighting and it sometimes takes me a couple goes before you realise I'm talking to you?" Chester asked and Al nodded. He thought he knew where his Animal was going but wanted Chester to keep going, just in case he was wrong. "Well, it's kinda like that. You two are so comfortable with each other that you can block anyone you don't see as a threat when you're focused on whatever you're talking about or doing. Having Ed focus on Ayala, someone he's been bonded with for over a year, will make it easier for him to block me and Den out than having him try and block us without something familiar to focus on. But like I said earlier, he may already know how to block unwanted chats. He'll still need help so that he can recognise those skills and apply them." Al had his theory confirmed.
"Okay. I get what you mean. Hopefully Ayala will be waking up soon. I mean, Ed's only sleeping now, not unconscious. It took you only a few hours to wake up after Ed brought me back. Ed's been conscious for nearly four hours so it shouldn't be much longer, right?" Al asked hopefully. Chester looked at him with a stern expression.
"Don't get your hopes up too much. You were gone for maybe 10 minutes, 15 tops. Ed was unconscious for just over 24hours. Ayala might night wake until morning. I guess she could wake sooner since Ed's wounds were technically less severe than yours however, Ed was in pain for longer. He still is in pain although Ayala shouldn't be suffering the sympathy pain anymore. We don't normally feel the pain of a still healing wound, just when it's fresh. And you've gotta remember Ed suffered two major wounds at different times." Chester pointed out.
"What are you getting at, Chester?" Al asked, a little irritated at the long responses.
"Just that we don't know for sure how all that will affect her state of mind. She might be out of it for longer than me because he suffered the wounds at different times. She might wake up sooner now because Ed's now focusing the healing energy instead of her just taking it slowly. She might even already be awake, just in a heavy sleep. The point is, don't use mine and your situation to compare to. Ours was completely different." Chester warned him. Alphonse was taken aback. He didn't even think about that. They may have all been involved in the same situation but their injuries and experiences were completely different.
"I didn't even think about that. That's pretty stupid of me, hey?" Al chuckled sadly. He was supposed to be nearly as smart as his brother and he didn't even spot that. How pathetic.
"Don't worry about it. I'm sure your brother would've missed it too, if the situations had been reversed." Chester soothed. Al wasn't convinced but admitted Chester could've had a point. Al lay his hand on Chester's head and gave him a scratch behind his ears.
"You should get some sleep. I'll keep an eye on him and you need rest if you're going to attempt teaching my brother." Al told him. Chester knew Alphonse was right so he curled up on his bed and soon fell asleep with his human gently scratching his ears. Al watched Chester's chest rise and fall with each breath. Watching the even pace it created was soothing, hypnotic even. Once he was sure Chester was asleep, Al scooted closer to his brother's bedside. He hadn't realised it until Ed woke up but a part of him had thought that Ed mightn't wake up at all. When Ed had woken up, Al had felt a massive weight lift off his shoulders and probably would've been a sobbing mess had he been able to cry. It hadn't escaped his notice that his brother could've died that night. If he hadn't woken up so quickly after Ed brought him back, his brother could've bled out. If Al hadn't been able to get Ed to Granny's in time, Ed could've bled out. If Ed had contracted an infection from the open wounds being exposed to an unclean environment, he could've died. There were so many things that could've happened that Ed wouldn't have been able to survive that, frankly, it was a miracle he did. If Al had just been able to talk Ed out of activating that array, all of this could have avoided. Alphonse knew Ed would already know that but Al also knew that he should've been able to talk Ed out of it. Edward had given his word that if both of them didn't agree they could do this, they wouldn't. Alphonse had had a horrible feeling beforehand. He even asked Edward if he was sure they could do it. But when Ed had looked at him with an expression of guarded hope and said yes, Alphonse had smiled back, shoved his uncertainty to the back of his mind, gave Ed a smile and didn't insist on stopping. The worst part was that the reason he hadn't argued was the fact that he didn't want to upset Ed. Al scoffed to himself. Yeah, he wanted to avoid having Ed upset with him for a few days and had instead helped ensure Edward would be beating himself up over everything for the foreseeable future. Go figure. Al scooted back to his spot against the wall and resumed watching Chester breathing, letting it turn his mind blank.
Al's non-thinking was only broken by the simultaneous sunlight shining through the window and the creak of the door swinging open. Turning to face Granny, he was shocked to see Winry standing there instead. She poked her head around the door and Al waved her into the room. She smiled at the silent invite and entered, careful to step lightly so she didn't wake the still-recovering Ed or the Animals, neither of whom would appreciate the rude awakening. She sat herself on the opposite side of Al and watched Ed as best she could. She did have a significantly lower vantage point than Al.
"How's he doing?" She whispered barely loud enough for Al to hear but it still made Chester's ears twitch.
"Good. He woke up briefly last night. We also found out that he can apparently hear Chester and Den when they speak. So, you know, that was fun." Winry looked as shocked as Al had felt upon finding out last nights discovery.
"Seriously? He can hear them? Like he can hear Ayala? Could you?" Winry couldn't believe it. There was no way one human could hear another humans Animal.
"Yup, yup and yup." Al confirmed. Chester twitched in his sleep again and Al signaled for them to lower their voices again.
"Well. I mean, that's just," Winry struggled with her words for a moment. "unbelievable. I guess that's kinda understating it." Al snorted.
"Just a little." He whispered, amused. "We didn't wake you with all the excitement last night, did we?"
"Nah, I was dead to the world." Winry assured him. "Did Granny give him painkillers so he'd go back to sleep?" She asked, nodding towards Ed.
"Yeah. Only way to make him go back to sleep. Plus, the pain was getting worse the more he stayed awake. I could tell." Al told her. Winry nodded knowingly.
"Makes sense. Not just about the pain part but you and I both know that Edward would've wanted to explore his new found ability until he knew everything about it instead of doing something 'useless' like sleeping so he'd recover faster." Al couldn't stop the giggle that escaped at how accurate Winry was. Winry flashed him a bright grin and Chester sent him an ultimatum. Either they lowered the volume or go outside and talk. Al passed on the message and both decided to head downstairs. Al told Chester to let him know if Ed woke up but Chester told him that, from what he could sense, Ed wouldn't be waking for another few hours. So, Winry and Al made their way down to the kitchen table, where Al sat and watched Winry prepare breakfast and tea, ready so Granny could have some as soon as she woke up. Once Winry had finished what she was doing, she sat opposite Al and ate her breakfast. Once done, she spoke.
"So, did Ed fill you guys in on the details you couldn't remember?" Winry asked. Al could tell she was trying to be casual, like she didn't care if he told her or not, but he could sense the burning curiosity behind her tone. He debated momentarily about whether Ed should be the one she hears from but realised that Ed might not want to relive that night. So he told her. Al told her everything that Ed had told him. And Winry listened. By the end of it, she had tears rolling slowly down her cheeks but she hastily wiped them away. Al felt bad for making her cry. He always seemed to do that lately. They sat in silence since neither knew what to say after that. It was broken by Granny's footsteps coming from upstairs. Winry hoped up and made her a fresh cuppa and placed it at Granny's usual spot at the table.
"So, Al, I'm guessing since you're down here, Ed hasn't woken at all since last night?" She asked as she made a beeline for the steaming cup.
"No, he hasn't. Chester's keeping an eye on him for me." Alphonse confirmed.
"I figured. I did dose him up as much as I could. What about Ayala? Any sign of her waking up?" Granny took another sip while waiting for Al's answer.
"No. I mean, she did move about a bit but she hasn't woken fully." Al reported. Granny frowned at that. Al didn't miss the expression "Is that a bad thing?" Al asked, worriedly.
"No, I suppose not. It is unusual that she hasn't woken up completely yet but she could be feeling the painkillers effects as well. Some Animals who are closely bonded with their humans do and she and Ed are two of the closest I've ever witnessed. Even your mother and father weren't as close to their Animals as you and Ed are." Granny divulged. Al perked up slightly at the mention of his father. Obviously, it was a taboo subject in the Elric household, even before their mother's death.
"Really? I thought mum and Cleo were really close. I don't remember anything about dad though. I don't even know what his Animal was." Al said morosely. Granny was silent for a moment.
"Your mum and Cleo were as close as Den and I are, if not slightly more. Cleo always seemed to know just when your mother needed comfort or space. She knew what Trisha wanted even without her asking. She helped look after you kids and she even made an effort to get along with Den on the rare occasions they were near each other. Your father had big, beautiful dapple grey Percheron stallion. That horse was one of the most gentlest creatures I've ever met. When you two were little, before your father left, that horse let you climb like monkeys all over him. I think his name was Calix but Hohenheim told us he prefers being called 'Cal'. He was a funny Animal. Den always said that he smelt old, like a museum or something. But that horse loved you boys. I remember when Ed was born and started walking. Trisha was due to give birth to you any day when he learned. She was terrified that Cal was going to stand on him. One day when your mum's back was turned, Ed walked right out the door and headed straight for Cal. When your mum realised Ed had gone outside, she panicked and ran as fast as she could only to find Ed curled up against Cal's side." Al laughed at the image of little Ed curled up against this massive horse. "Your mother was a little more lax after that. Hohenheim had told her that Cal knew about Ed being able to walk around and had kept extra vigilant for the day that he toddled out the door. You were nearly 4 when your dad left. Surely you can remember them, even a little bit?" Granny never knew about Al's lack of memories. Ed had a few but he never talked about his father. Trisha hadn't brought the subject up unless one of the boys, usually Al, did.
"No. I don't remember him at all. If it weren't for the few pictures we have of him, I wouldn't know what he looked like. We don't even have photos of his Animal." Al told her. Granny drained her tea cup and went over to her picture board. After searching for a bit, she finally uncovered the photo she wanted. It was almost completely covered by another photo. She handed it over to Al, who took it carefully.
"If I'd known you couldn't remember, I'd have shown it to you years ago." Al barely heard her. It was a picture of his father, Ed sitting on his shoulder, his mother who was holding him, and their two Animals. He recognised Cleo immediately. She was sitting at her humans feet and behind them all stood a massive horse. He was a beautiful creature. The photo showed off his colouring well. His father stood just a bit taller than his wither. His mane was dark and he was almost black in his darkest spots but he was magnificent. And Al couldn't remember him at all. He looked at the photo a little longer before looking up at Granny.
"Thank you for showing me this, Granny." He said sincerely as he made to hand the picture back. She waved him off though.
"No, you keep it. You can show Ed when he wakes up, see if he remembers Cal at all." She said dismissively. Al would've grinned if he could've but instead he offered her a grateful thanks. Chester's voice sounded in his head almost immediately after Granny returned his unseen smile.
"Hey, Ayala's waking up. You should probably get up here so Pinako can tell her Ed's condition and so she knows what you look like now. Tell Winry to wait a bit. We don't want to overwhelm the wolf." Al immediately passed on the message even as he started making his way to the stairs, tucking the picture away for safe keeping. Winry looked hurt that she wasn't allowed in until Granny told her that she could visit once Ayala had time to adjust. They entered the room just as Ayala opened her golden eyes. Chester was simply laying on his bed, seemingly not caring, until Al came into view. He immediately sat up and waited with Granny and Al for Ayala to properly get her surroundings. They knew she had when she bolted onto her feet and tried to bolt for Ed's bed, obviously sensing her human was there and hurt. Al stood in front of her, effectively cutting her off. Her eyes almost bulged out of their sockets when she realised there was a walking suit of armour in front of her. Al didn't need Chester to translate the shocked look on her face.
"Easy, Ayala. It's me, Alphonse." He held his arms up in a placating gesture. She did not look like she was going to calm down. "If you settle down, we'll explain everything. You can't hop up next to Ed just yet either. Just calm down and we'll fill you in on what happened. Okay?" He held eye contact with the wolf until she slowly nodded. Her panting became slower until she was breathing normally. Her eyes went back to a normal size and she visibly relaxed her muscles so she didn't resemble a statue anymore. She looked at Chester and they obviously exchanged words because she sat and looked at Al expectantly.
"She wants to know why we won't let her near Ed." Chester obviously had to translate considering Al lacked Ed's newest ability.
"He's hurt. Badly hurt. If we'd let you jump up there with you not thinking as clearly as possible, you could've hurt him more." Al told her. She narrowed her eyes at him before Chester spoke again.
"She knows he's hurt. She can sense the wounds. She wants to know what happened after she collapsed. The last thing she remembers is Edward asking for her permission to bring you back. She doesn't even remember him performing the transmutation."
"Ed brought my soul back. He bonded me to this armour. I don't have a physical body anymore. He lost his right arm preforming that transmutation. He blacked out almost immediately afterwards. I woke up pretty much straight away. I saw you and Chester unconscious and Ed bleeding out. I grabbed all of you and came straight to Granny's. She patched Ed up and checked both of you over. Ed has lost his right arm and most of his left leg. He woke up last night for a few minutes but Granny gave him some painkillers and he went back to sleep. He hasn't woken up yet." Al kept the story as short as possible. Ayala seemed to absorb his answer.
"She wants to know how I'm still alive if you don't have a physical body. She also wants to know when Ed will wake up again." Chester dutifully translated.
"I'm not sure when he'll wake up again. Granny?" Al was purposefully ignoring the first question for the moment. Granny thought for a moment.
"He should be awake in the next hour, I'd imagine. Although his system has been through a lot so it could be longer." Granny finally answered. Al faced Ayala again and knew she hadn't simply forgotten the other question.
"Chester's still alive because, for some reason we don't know, Ed has his energy in him. From what Chester's told me, it's completely separate from yours so you don't have to worry about sharing the same energy. Ed is also completely in control of it, as far as we know. We haven't actually tested to see if I'm still able to use it to heal Chester." Al told her. Ayala didn't look upset although it was hard to tell considering she wasn't his Animal.
"She says she can sense something else is different about him. There's something there that wasn't before." Chester told Al. Al frowned. She could sense that?
"I'm not sure if this is what you're sensing but it's the only thing I can think of. Ed can hear other Animals. He heard Chester and Den last night." Al told her hesitantly. She was going to find out any way. Might as well give her time to adjust before Ed woke up. Al could definitely tell that this news had unsettled her.
"She says that she can't believe it and asked me if it was true. I told her yes. She seems a bit rattled by this." Chester informed him.
"Wouldn't you if I woke up suddenly hearing other Animals?" Al asked him.
"Touché." Al watched Ayala closely. The only movement in the room was Granny, who'd apparently decided it was as good a time as any to check Ed's wounds and change the bandages. Ayala picked herself up and walked over to Ed's right side. She placed both her front paws on the bed and watched Granny unravel the bandage around his leg. She flinched when she saw the wound but it was definitely a far better sight than what it was in the basement. Ed flinched when Granny started wrapping the wound with fresh bandages before she moved on to his arm. She used her hip to nudge Ayala out of the way, something she responded to with a growl.
"Don't you growl at me, missy. You'll stay out of my way if you want him to heal proper. And you'll not argue or I'll toss you out of the room. Your presence is helpful, not necessary. Got it?" Granny didn't even look up from her work but Ayala looked suitably chastised and stayed out of her way.
"Ayala would like me to ask you to tell Pinako that she's sorry and that she won't do it again." Chester told Al after a few quiet moments. Al dutifully passed the message on.
"I don't need an apology. You need to remember that I'm helping him. If you're in my way, I can't very well do my job now can I?" Granny's voice took on a softer tone. Suddenly, she was drawn back to Ed. Ayala had pricked her ears up and went to the other side of Ed's bed and resumed her position with more alertness. Her tail had started to slowly wag side to side and Al had a suspicion as to why. Ed must've been waking up. "Glad you finally decided to join the living again, Edward. You've have Ayala worried out of her mind." Granny smiled at him. Ed grinned back and immediately looked to his left, only to be greeted by a wet tongue and an enthusiastic wolf. He reached out his only hand and scratched her softly behind the ears.
"Hey, Aya. Glad you finally woke up. Are you okay?" He asked as Granny fiddled with the bed so he was now sitting up slightly. Ayala had abandoned all her dignity and was on the bed, wriggling herself as close to Ed as possible. Alphonse and Chester watched the exchange, happiness exuding from them.
"Get Ayala to calm down. I'll bring you both up some breakfast." Granny told him as she left the room.
"Edward, I'm so happy you're alright! Al told me everything that happened after we both passed out. I told you I had a bad feeling about that transmutation." Edward grimaced as her tone took on a lecturing theme. "You should've listened to me! Then none of this would've happened! You would be safe and so would Al!" Ayala couldn't cry like humans but her voice sounded just as heart wrenching. Edward gathered her in a one-armed hug and pulled her as close as possible.
"I'm sorry, Aya, I'm so sorry. I wish I could take it back, I really do. You and Chester were right. I knew Al had doubts but I ignored them. I really thought we could do it. I was so wrong. It's all my fault and I'm sorry!" Ed's voice was muffled by her fur and she could feel parts of it getting wet from his tears. Ed eventually calmed himself down and loosened his grip on Ayala's fur, wiping his tears away. He only then realised that Chester and Alphonse were in the room. His face lit up as he smiled at them. "How are you guys? Are you handling everything okay, Al?" He asked, looking guilty as he thought about Al's situation again.
"I'm fine, brother. I really am. Chester's doing good too. He wants to talk to you about something though." Al told him truthfully. He may not be fully adjusted to the armour, being he only got the armour less than 48 hours ago, but he was getting there. Ed looked slightly confused as he nodded at Chester.
"I want to start testing your ability soon now that Ayala's awake. I think you should learn how to block out Animals unless you want to talk to them. That way you don't have dozens of Animals voices in your head at any given time. However, it is possible that you may not hear multiple Animals at the same time, anyway." Chester told him. Al was confused as well. Didn't they discuss this last night?
"I thought I would hear lots of Animals. What makes you think I won't?" Ed asked. He could feel Ayala's confusion too.
"Well, I only thought about it a while ago but it's possible that you'll unconsciously block Animals other than Ayala from talking to you unless you want them to be able to talk to you directly." Chester decided to explain in greater detail. "Okay, so obviously you'd never block Ayala because she's your Animal. However, like I explained last night, you can only hear Animals when they either talk to another Animal or don't guard their conversations with their human. The reason we don't do this is because other Animals can't hear us talk to our humans and there's never been a case of a human being able to hear an Animal they weren't bonded to. Now that Den and I know you can overhear us, we'll be blocking you when we want to talk to our respective humans. Other Animals will do the same thing once they realise you can hear them. It's nothing personal but our conversations with our humans are supposed to be private. Of course, there's the possibility that I'm wrong and you'll have to learn to block out each individual Animal." Chester finished his explanation. Edward considered this new information.
"Okay so how will we test it out?" Ed asked, Al echoing him.
"It'll be simple. We know you can hear me and Den already. So when Den and I talk to each other next, you need to block us so you can't hear us. Since we don't have any Animals nearby who don't know you can hear them, we'll have to wait until a new one comes in if someone visits Pinako. Before they find out you can hear them, you'll have to block their voice out. If you're successful, they won't know there's anything strange. After a few goes, it should become second nature for you to block out any Animal except for the ones you choose to hear." Ed nodded in agreement.
"Okay. But it has to wait until after breakfast. I'm starving and so's Ayala." Ed laughed as Chester and Al heard three stomach growls. Ed looked at Chester. "So are you, it appears." Al laughed alongside Ed only to hear Ed's laughter break off suddenly. Al turned to see Ed looking at him, guilt taking its place in his expression. "You can't eat, can you?" Ed asked solemnly.
"No. I haven't since dinner before that night." He looked up to see Ed's expression. "But it's okay! I'm alive and so are you and the Animals! And I know that you'll help me try and find a way for me to get my body back so it's okay. I promise." Al made himself sound as optimistic as possible. Ed did his best to give his little brother a reassuring smile but knew he failed when he felt his lips tremble. Thankfully, Granny interrupted them with the arrival of food. Ed got porridge (yes, made with water, Granny told him when he made a face) and some uncooked mince for the two Animals. She was followed by Winry, who used the excuse of delivering drinks to finally see Ed while he was awake, and Den, who simply wanted to be near all the humans. Juice was set down for Ed and two bowls of water were given to the Animals. Winry looked like she was ready to throw herself on Ed to hug him but, thankfully for him, she settled for sitting on the edge of his bed. Moments later, the room was filled with sounds of laughter and chatter as they enjoyed the company of one another.
The rest of the day was spent much the same as the previous day. Ed was still in a lot of pain and slept a lot, waking for food and to use the bathroom. Granny didn't have to change his bandages quite as often since the wounds were slowly healing. Ed ate all of his food, which Granny said was a good sign, but still refused to touch his milk. He told Granny he didn't care if milk was the secret to regrowing limbs; he wasn't drinking it. After that, Granny stopped bringing it up for him. She told Al that there was no point in wasting it so she wasn't gonna bother. Ed gloated for nearly 15 minutes after that incident. The Animals and Ed didn't get a chance to help Ed because Granny left after lunch to go get more supplies from town. Winry was left in charge of Ed's care but nothing happened. After dinner that night, Ed was too tired to try so they decided it'd be best to just wait until he could stay awake for more than an hour at a time. Al had a sneaking suspicion that Ed's fatigue wasn't solely from the pain but every time he asked Ed if he was okay, he said he was. This went on for nearly four days. Ayala never strayed from his side, except for when she needed the toilet, to eat or when Ed and Al made her go outside for some fresh air. Chester was just as happy to stay in Ed's room with Al than go outside. When she wasn't busy with her chores or orders, Winry stayed in the room with them as well. Even Winry noticed Ed was pulling back from them more and more everyday. Ed's mood did pick up a fair bit when they were finally able to start working on Ed's ability. Den was happy to help out whenever Pinako didn't need him for anything. Winry was upset she couldn't be there but she was starting to slip behind on her orders. Granny and Al had both gotten up her so she'd sulked back to her workroom and promptly got lost in the art of creating automail. Al had gone with her since there was no reason for him to stay. He couldn't listen to the other Animals anyway. Chester and Den were both sitting next to Ed's bed while Ayala was in her usual spot on his bed.
"Okay, Ed. The way I want to test this is Ayala will talk to you. I don't really care what about but you two need to keep the conversation going for at least five minutes. After a decent amount of time, Den and I will start talking about something. If you can hear us at any time, tell us. If you can't hear us after, let's say six minutes, than we know you can block our conversation out when you're talking to Ayala. Once we know which way this pans out, we'll go from there. Okay?" Since it was Chester's theory, he'd been placed in charge of experimenting. Ed, Ayala and Den gave their agreement. Suddenly, a question formed in Ed's head.
"Wait, wouldn't talking to Ayala mean I won't hear you two anyway? You said that when Animals talk to their human, their conversation is blocked already. Wouldn't it be the same for me? Wouldn't I be on a different wavelength to you two?" Ed looked questioningly at Chester.
"That's part of why we're doing this test. If you can hear us while talking to Ayala, it means that your brain is on a channel that receives both transmissions, to use your comparison. That means we'd have to teach you to put a block up. If you can't hear us, it means you're already blocking us, like you said. That would bring us to a second test, which would be having you talk to me or Den while the other two talk to each other. If you can't hear them, you already know how to block unwanted conversation. If you do hear them, you get to train your mind to block conversations. Okay?" Chester's response satisfied Ed's curiosity and he gave the okay for them to get started.
"What do you wanna talk about?" Ed asked Ayala. She looked thoughtful for a moment and then a light bulb went off.
"How are you? Don't give me the usual response either. I can sense your emotions, remember?" Ayala was quick to the chase. Ed was kinda glad about that. He hated people who beat around the bush. That didn't mean he wanted to answer though.
"I'm fine, Aya. I keep saying that because it's true." Ed wasn't speaking out loud. He didn't want the other Animals to overhear. Ayala snorted.
"Yeah and I'm a mouse. I know you're not fine. You're drawing back from Al and Winry a little more every day. They've definitely noticed, by the way. So, what's wrong?" Ayala asked persistently. Ed sighed and leaned against the headboard.
"It's nothing important. It's my problem anyway so don't worry about it." Edward crumbled a little. Ayala struck at the crack is his wall and dug deeper.
"If it was nothing, you wouldn't be worrying and you wouldn't be trying to keep me from it. So what is it?" The wolf was making some very valid points.
"It's my problem. Leave it be, Ayala." Ed knew he was on the verge of begging but he didn't want anyone to know.
"Your problems are my problems. That's how this bond works, Edward. Even an insignificant problem is shared. I want to help you but I can't unless you tell me what's wrong. I can read emotions, not minds." Ayala pleaded with her human. "I'm not going to tell anyone, if you don't want me too." She promised, looking him in the eyes, refusing to break contact. He couldn't bring himself to break the eye contact either. He caved.
"It's Al." He hung his head. He felt Ayala's surprise shoot through their link. "I don't mean him literally. I meant, it's what I put him through and what he has to deal with now. It's all my fault. He's 10 and he's nothing more than a soul bonded to armour. He can't feel anything. He's limited on what he can do. He's 10 years old and I almost killed him because of my overconfidence." Ed sounded defeated. "I know you all say it's not just my fault but it is. Al wanted to back out of doing it. I pushed him into it. All I lost was my arm and leg. He lost everything except his soul."
"It's not your fault, Ed. Not entirely. The blame lies with the four of us. Hell, the five of us if you include your father's decision to leave his journals there where you could read them. Without him doing that, you'd have never found the recipe. My point is, Edward, the blame isn't solely yours to share and we won't let you. And there's no way Al hates you for the way he is. He's alive because of you. Yes, he may not be complete but he is alive and that's what matters most. All of us are alive because of your decision to bond Al's soul to that armour. If you hadn't, he and Chester would be dead and you would've bled out and I would've died because you did. That decision saved four lives. Yes, that decision wouldn't have been necessary had you'd not done what you did but you did. You can't change the past. You can only learn from it." He could tell Ayala really believed what she'd just said and he was grateful for that. She made some good points but it still all boiled down to the fact that he ignored his little brother's fears. Which meant it was still his fault. Ayala could sense his resolve deepen and knew she hadn't gotten through to him. She honestly hadn't expected to. She was one of the closest beings to him and she knew he'd probably dismiss her words as a way to try and make him feel better, not them being the truth. She was saved from having to try and make Ed talk to her again by Chester.
"Alright, time's up. You two obviously talked about something heavy. Ed, did you hear me or Den at all?" Chester didn't need to be able to read emotions to sense that.
"No. I didn't hear you guys at all." Ed had actually forgotten what he was supposed to be doing.
"Excellent. That means either you block out other Animals automatically or you're only able to hear Ayala when she's talking to you. So now we move on to the second test. Who do you want to chat with next? Me or Den?" Chester was excited. He now knew first hand the emotions Alphonse and Edward felt whenever their theories were being proven right. Ed'd grin didn't reach his eyes.
"I guess I'll chat with you, Chester." Chester nodded his agreement. Following the same rules as before, he started the test.
"Can you hear me?" Chester started out simple.
"Yeah, loud and clear." Edward still felt weird, chatting to Chester like this. It went against everything he'd learned.
"Good. Now, what were you and Ayala talking about? I know it was something significant. I could practically smell the tension." Jeez, Chester didn't hold back either. Maybe it was a Spirit Animal thing?
"It wasn't anything too important. Don't worry about it." Edward tried to deflect but Chester was just as good as Ayala.
"Was Ayala as convinced by that as I am?" Chester asked conversationally. Ed glared at him. "I'll take that as a 'no'. So what happened?" Chester was obviously not about to drop the matter. Ed sighed and gave in. Chester was only going to say the same thing Ayala did. So he told him almost exactly what he'd told Ayala. Edward finished and waited for Chester to speak. A moment passed then "You're an idiot." Ed literally moved back slightly in surprise.
"What?" He asked, dumbly.
"You, Edward Elric, are an idiot. A massive moron. You think you're the only one who fully blames themselves for everything that happened?" Edward was too stunned to answer. Chester continued. "Your brother believes that if he'd just said he didn't want to, you would've stopped and this would've been avoided. He believes he's a horrible little brother because he couldn't say a sentence out loud. He knows you wouldn't have gone ahead with it if he'd have done so. He just didn't want to let you down. The same you felt when you brought him back. You didn't want to let your mum and little brother down but not doing everything in your power to save him. Ayala and I blame ourselves for not listening to our instincts and telling you to stop. We knew something bad was going to happen, we knew it, and we still let you two go ahead with it. You believe that if you had've just listened to what your gut said about Al's fears, none of this would've happened. Don't you see? There were four, four, opportunities for this whole disaster to have been avoided. You missed one." Edward was almost crying. Chester hadn't pulled his punches but that's what Ed had needed. But there was still the fact that Al's situation was Ed's fault.
"Al's still trapped in that unfeeling metal because of me. You and Ayala and Al couldn't say or do anything. I made that decision all by myself." Ed's voice shook and a tear escaped his eye. Chester shook his head.
"And Al is grateful for that every minute of every day. Sure, sometime in the future he might resent what he can't do or feel in that armour but he is going to realise that he is still alive and it's thanks solely to you. He feels guilty over the fact that him being bonded to that armour has cost you your arm. He doesn't blame you at all for his situation. He's happy with it because he knows the alternative is his death." Chester's tone was a bit more gentle this time. Ed still had tears rolling down his face. Ayala had panicked slightly at the sight of the first tear but she'd settled down because she could feel that whatever Chester was telling Ed, it was actually getting through to him. Edward wiped his tears away. Chester had done what Al and Ayala couldn't. He'd gotten through to him. However, the fact of the matter is that Al was still stuck. Ed needed to figure out a way to get him his body back. The transmutation was still mostly his fault and Al's predicament certainly was. In order to be forgiven, Ed decided, he'd have to get Al his body back. There was no changing what he'd put his mother through with that transmutation, though. He was almost sick thinking about it. So he could only right one wrong.
"Thank you, Chester." Ed gave him a watery smile and reached his hand out. Chester accepted the thanks and moved his head under Ed's hand so he could scratch his ears. They parted after Chester realised they were actually in the middle of an experiment.
"Time's up! Ed, you obviously did hear them at all?" Chester asked.
"Nope, I didn't hear either of them. I guess that means that I know how to block what Animals I don't want to hear, eh?" Ed asked but cut any answer off with a huge yawn.
"Yup. Congrats. We don't have to try and train your brain. Now, get yourself some sleep before Pinako turns us into rugs for stalling your recovery time." Chester was kind of joking. Ed chuckled and made himself comfortable.
"Thanks for everything, Chester. And thanks for helping out, Den." Edward moved his golden eyes to meet those of the black and white dog.
"Happy to help one of my favourite humans out." Den grinned at him before taking his leave. Edward smiled as he watched Chester follow him out to find Al. The last thing he remembered was Ayala resting her head on his stomach.
The next week passed relatively the same. Edward wasn't sleepinq quite as much but he still wasn't his usual happy self. He was trying to remember if there was anything in any book he'd ever read that might be able to get Al's body back. Chester insisted on doing a couple more experiments with Ed's ability. He had Ed listen to him and Ayala while ignoring Den. He had Ed ignore Chester while he and Ayala were talking to him and focus on Den and Ayala. He also wanted to know what kind of range Ed had with other Animals. With your own Animal, you could be across the country and still talk to them. He wanted to see if that were the same here. So he and Al went exploring and he used that as an excuse to test it. However, they called it quits when they got nearly 10km from the Rockbells and Ed could still hear Chester. Ed had chucked a fit when Al came home with dozens of books from the house. He hadn't wanted Al to go there alone but Al had seized the opportunity and all Ed could do was pout. Even that didn't last long as he lost himself in the book he was given.
Granny had deemed him fit enough to go outdoors in a wheelchair almost three weeks after the accident. Neither Granny, Al nor Winry had approached Ed about getting automail. Ed wasn't stupid though. As well as rattling his brain for some miracle to help him fix Al, he was also debating about getting automail. He knew all the risks and he knew all the benefits. He knew his risks would increase since he hadn't stopped growing. He also knew that being confined to a wheelchair would limit his ability to keep his promises, especially the one about getting Al's body back. The boys did have some money left from what their father had left their mother. They had used most of it to pay for Teacher's lessons but there was still a bit leftover. The only things that stopped him from asking for automail was that they'd have no money left afterwards and he didn't want to get it done until he'd gotten a solid lead on that miracle. And his other dilemma was that he needed that money for automail to find a miracle but he needed money to traverse across the country to look for that miracle, something he'd also need automail for. They didn't have enough to afford cross country trips and two top-of-the-line automail limbs. He needed to talk to Al about it.
That night, he did. He told Al that he fully planned on keeping the promise he made him but that he had a problem. The only money they had left could either go towards automail limbs or towards them hunting down leads but that he'd also need those limbs to go running after leads. Al had asked one question.
"Do you have any clue as to what we're supposed to be looking for?" When Ed had said no, he hadn't found the book he knew had an answer in it, Al had told him to get the automail. When Ed tried pointing out they'd need that money later, Al had said they'd figure out their money problems afterwards. He'd finally silenced Ed's protests by pointing out that recovery and rehabilitation from automail surgery was bound to be long, at least a year or two, so they could sell some things, help people out with their alchemy in exchange for payment, that sort of thing. They'd get the money together somehow and go from there. Ed had to admit that his little brother had it all worked out. Which he was a little suspicious about. He asked Al about it and his little brother admitted that he'd been thinking about it ever since Granny mentioned automail being an option. Al had realised that money could be an issue and had spent time working out a solution. Unless one of them got a job that let them travel wherever they needed to go and still paid for them. Both seemed to think someone would hire an 11 year old or a 10 year old and pay them to go travelling across the country. Ayala and Chester didn't give their input on the matter. It was entirely up to Ed and Al. Ayala and, to a lesser degree, Chester were just happy that Ed was slowly crawling his way out of his slump. He spent less time moping in his chair and more time thinking. After a lengthy discussion, both boys agreed that Ed needed to get automail installed. Al was going to go grab the money from their house the next morning and Ed was going to talk it over with Winry and Granny while he was doing so. With their decisions made, Edward called it a night and went to sleep. Al grabbed the nearest book and started his new nightly routine of reading.
The next morning, Ed woke up and Al was already gone. Ayala had said he'd only left a few minutes ago so he knew he'd be a little while as yet. He heard the familiar sounds of Granny working in the kitchen and moved himself to the chair so he could go to the bathroom. By the time he was back, Granny was coming up the stairs with his breakfast tray. She did the usual twenty questions and checked his wounds and was about to leave satisfied when he called her back.
"Al told me that you told him that automail is an option for me. Is that true?" Edward had decided to simply ask straight up. Granny blinked in surprise.
"Yes. Do you want automail?" She asked. Edward nodded. "You understand that because you're still growing, you'll much more regular adjustments? Depending on how quickly you grow, you might even need the ports removed and new ones put in. Automail surgery is extremely painful. I've had the toughest blokes you can imagine break down and sob like three year old because the pain was too much. You know how the surgeries work, right?" Edward shook his head.
"I know roughly what you have to do but I don't know the details." He admitted. Granny grabbed the chair and sat herself down on it.
"Your leg won't be a major issue. We'd take what's left of your knee and install a port into the thigh bone. The connection that attaches the leg to the port will act as your knee. It's your shoulder that will be the most painful. We'd have to take what remains of your shoulder, anchor the port to your collar bone, first three ribs and scapula. Like your leg, the connection that attaches your arm will act as your shoulder. We'd have to do the port installation first and wait a month before attaching your automail so your nerves have the chance to settle. You can't be sedated for the surgery which means you will be in a world of pain and Ayala will cope the feedback from that for a little bit. Every time we have to disconnect and reconnect your automail limbs in the future, whether for repairs or adjustments, it will hurt just as badly as the first time. Most people pass out when they get their automail connected, it's that painful. The surgery is 50times worse. The rehabilitation process is also painful, especially the first year. It takes most people three years before they're done. So I'll ask again, are you sure you want automail?" Granny had never looked more serious in her life. Ed thought hard for a moment but he knew the answer. He looked Granny right in the eyes.
"Yes." His answer left no room for argument or doubt. He'd discussed it with Al and he'd discussed it with Ayala. Both were behind him.
"Very well. We'll have you for surgery by the end of the week. We'll need to make the ports first." She told him when she saw he was going to question the surgery date. "Eat your breakfast. You'll need your strength. Some milk wouldn't hurt either." She couldn't resist that jab.
"You keep that white poison away from me, you old bat." Ed gave her his best death glare as she disappeared out of the room. He and Ayala finished their breakfasts and resigned themselves to waiting for Alphonse to get back. They didn't have to wait much longer. Around 15 minutes later, Al turned up with more books and the chest that held all their money. "I told Granny I wanted automail. She's on board with it. I'm getting the ports installed at the end of the week."
"How come it's gonna be that long?" Al asked as he put the chest under Ed's bed and added the books to the appropriate piles.
"They need to make them." Ed replied. Al hummed as he found a book to read. "Hey, Al?" Al looked up at his name. "Are you sure you're okay with this?" Ed had already asked Ayala enough times. The last time she threatened to make him need three automail surgeries if he asked again.
"Of course I am, Brother." Al's voice sounded like he was smiling so Ed smiled back. A few minutes later, Granny came to collect the dirty breakfast things.
"I see you've decided to move your library to this room." She commented as she skirted the book piles. Al laughed.
"This is barely a tenth of what's left in the house, Granny. Oh!" Al exclaimed, grabbing for the chest he'd just hidden. "Before I forget, here." He went to give it Pinako but realised she didn't have any hands free. "Oh. It's all the money we've got. It's for the automail." He told her. She shook her head.
"Don't be ridiculous. You're not giving us the last of your money for this." She told them.
"But we have to. Equivalent exchange. I can't accept the automail for free." Ed was bewildered. Again, Granny shook her head.
"You're not. You're gonna pay me back by fixing some things up around the house when you're better and you're going to be testing any new limbs that come our way. You'll have them installed and need to report on their functionality. After this set, you'll only have to pay for any that you've damaged. Agreed?" Ed and Al were stunned. Automail was expensive. Not 'only the super rich can afford it' expensive but certainly not something that every family can afford. And that was just for the one limb.
"Okay, Granny. I can start fixing things up around the place while Ed's recovering." Al offered. Granny nodded and left the room with the breakfast things, promising to bring a list of chores for Al to start on. Al helped Ed down the stairs to the sun room so he could go outside later if he wanted. Al and Chester both loved this room because, as the name suggested, it let in a lot of sun. Al was happy to use the natural sunlight to read with. Even Edward enjoyed sitting there, drinking in the suns warmth. Being downstairs also meant he had more independence. He could go to the kitchen and get himself some water or he could go outside and throw a stick for Den. He could do a lot of stuff by himself and he relished in the knowledge that soon he could do almost everything by himself again. He was still trying to figure out what books he thought could help him solve Al's problems. The fact that he couldn't had started giving him doubts that he'd ever find the answer. This in turn started to make him feel guilty again. What if there wasn't an answer? What if his brother was stuck like that for the rest of his life? Ayala could sense these thoughts and, while they made her sad, knew they'd pass eventually. That was the one thing she admired most about her human. He never gave up unless he'd exhausted every lead. She and Chester perked when they heard Den letting out warning barks to Pinako. Someone was at the door. Ayala and Chester were used to this by now. Pinako was a doctor and an automail engineer and Winry was showing excellent progress in her automail creations. Lots of people from the town and surrounding areas came to visit them. Everyone bar Ed heard her rouse on Den for barking at her guests. Ed was too deep in thought to hear anything. It wasn't until they heard Granny exclaim in surprise, Den's threatening growl and stomping boots that had Ayala and Chester fly to their feet and Al put down his book. Edward had noticed Ayala's protective flair through their bond and looked up to see a raven-haired man in the blue military uniform of Amestris storming towards him, a big lioness following in his wake. Ed could hear the lioness trying to get her human to calm down and try and get Ayala and Chester not to attack him at the same time. However, he was more focused on the severely pissed off officer who was currently yelling at him.
"WE WENT TO YOUR HOUSE! WE SAW THE FLOOR! WHAT DID YOU DO?!" A spark of anger shot through Ed as the man went to grab him by the shirt, presumably to yank him up to eye level.
"If you touch me," the hand paused, millimetres away from his shirt, "I won't be the only person in this room to need automail." The soldier blinked in surprise and pulled his hand back. It wasn't the threat that had stopped him but the strength in the boy's voice. This kid, who was all of 12, who had lost two limbs recently, was looking him dead in the eyes and threatening him. He backed away from the kid and finally realised something he probably should've noticed right away. A golden tinged wolf who was snarling silently approaching from the boy's right and a spotted leopard who was growling approaching from the boy's left. Suddenly a suit of armour moved to stand behind the boy's wheelchair.
"We're so sorry. We didn't mean it. We're sorry." It took the soldier a few moments to realise that the words were coming from the armour. It took him seeing the golden boy place a comforting hand on the shaking arm of the suit and soothing words to make the connection.
"You're the Elric brothers. You're Edward and Alphonse." He was stunned. He hadn't expected them to be so young. The boy in the wheelchair, he presumed was Edward, turned back to face him.
"And you're an ass. If you go to threaten me or my brother again, the wolf will take down your lioness and the Sunda will test how quickly you can use your alchemy." He replied coolly back, ignoring the armour's horrified 'brother'. The soldier looked taken aback with the boy's abrupt manner. Most people held their tongues when faced with a military soldier. He could hear his lioness laughing in his head and shot her an annoyed scowl. He could've sworn he'd seen amusement flash across the face of the boy as he watched his Animal but it was gone too quickly to tell. He heard angry mutterings come from behind him and turned to be faced with the old woman he'd barged past and the dog he'd almost stood on in his hurry. It took all his years of military training not to cower under the old lady's glare. Instead, he cleared his throat and spoke.
"I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. I'm Colonel Roy Mustang. Is there somewhere we can sit? I do have something I'd like to discuss with the Elric brothers." He asked politely. Edward and Alphonse nodded at Granny, who sighed and invited Mustang to sit at the table in the room. Al pushed Ed into his usual spot and stood formidably behind his brother while the three Animals that didn't belong to Mustang placed themselves where they could easily attack from if necessary. Mustang sat himself opposite Pinako and his lioness decided to check out the room.
"This is a surprise, to say the least. I came to Resembool because I'd heard rumours about a brilliant alchemist who lived here. If I'm being honest, I'd expected to find Hohenheim, not a child skilled enough to perform human transmutation nor advanced enough to bond a soul to a suit of armour immediately after a rebound." Mustang's keen eyes had seen the way Ed flinched and snarled at the mention of Hohenheim. "I'd say he's definitely more than qualified to become a State Alchemist. Should he choose to, he'd have access to restricted materials and be given special privileges. In return, he'd have to serve the military in times of crisis." Edward zoned him out after that. He was focused on the lioness who was watching him closely. With one ear listening to the soldier in case he said something interesting, he decided to test his ability on an Animal he'd never met.
"Can you hear me?" He didn't say this out loud. He still didn't like this Mustang person and didn't want him to know about this ability. He grinned in triumph when she visibly froze at hearing another human speak to her.
"You can talk to Animals other than the one you're bonded too?" She asked, stunned. She was shocked even more when he flashed her a grin and slight nod. "You can hear us too? That's unbelievable!"
"You can say that again. I'm Edward, by the way. The wolf is my bonded Animal. Her name's Ayala. The Sunda Leopard is my brother's Animal. He's called Chester." Edward was still, by all pretense, listening to the adults. Granny was now arguing with Mustang. She was yelling at him for trying to pull the boys into serving the military.
"My name's Nala. He always forgets to introduce me to people when he introduces himself. Are you actually listening to their conversation?" Nala asked. Ed snorted in amusement.
"Kinda. Right now your human is trying to win an argument with Granny. He wants me to become a State Alchemist. I'm not sure. I've gotta get my brother his body back. I can't be a military dog and chase leads down at the same time." Ed didn't know why he was confiding in an Animal he barely knew. Maybe it was because she hadn't immediately blocked him and told her human about his exceptionally unique ability.
"I'm honestly so angry at him for even offering a child this job. He knows how hard it is. But he has a good point. If you became a State Alchemist, you'd have access to hundreds of restricted books and alchemy journals that the public never had access too. You'd have money to be able to go gallivanting around the country looking for leads. And Roy would be willing to give you missions near places he hears rumours about that might lead you to your answer. I know him. If you made that one of your conditions for working under him, he'd accept it." Ed could tell Nala was being honest. He didn't think she'd lie about that sort of thing. He also knew Ayala and Chester were listening in, even if they hadn't made any sign they were. He'd get their opinion on it later.
"I'll think about it. It's something I need to discuss with my brother and Ayala first. Are you going to tell him about our conversation?" Ed asked.
"No. It's not my place to tell. Besides, his reaction when he finds out might be interesting." Nala smirked. Ed had a feeling he and this lioness would get along very well. He still wasn't sure her human was all that great though. Ed gave a short nod of thanks and Nala settled behind her human, a slight smirk on her face. Mustangs voice brought Ed back to the present.
"Edward, the military is willing to offer you the opportunity to reach your goals. To try and find a way to restore your bodies back to normal. You'd have access to every book in every library, one of which could very well hold the key to success. If you're willing to take that chance, contact me at Eastern Headquarters." Mustang stood up and Nala followed suit. Granny stood as well, glaring at Mustangs retreating back.
Meanwhile, Winry had been sitting awkwardly next to the blonde Lieutenant who'd accompanied Mustang on his trip to Resembool. The offered tea sat on its tray in front of the two blondes. A magnificent barn owl sat on the arm chair nearest the blonde stranger, cleaning its feathers. Winry's small voice broke the silence between the two.
"Uh, Lieutenant?"
"Please, just Riza. Riza Hawkeye." She stuck her hand out for Winry to shake. "Pleasure to meet you." Winry ignored the offered hand.
"Lieutenant Riza... Have you ever had to shoot anyone?" Winry's voice shook. Hawkeye started at the question. The owl looked up, watching the young blonde.
"Yes, I have." Hawkeye answered, slight hesitation in her voice.
"I hate what you soldiers do." She said as she glared at her hands, eyes blurring from tears she refused to shed. "Soldiers are the reason my mum and dad left for the war and soldiers are the reason they're dead. And now you... Now you're here to take Ed and Al away too." She still wouldn't meet the Lieutenants eyes.
"If they go, that decision will be theirs and theirs alone." Winry looked up in disbelief. "Yes. It's entirely up to them now. Whether they move forward or stay still. It's their choice. They choose their own path." Hawkeye's voice was kind but firm.
"Miss Riza, why did you become a soldier?" Hawkeye didn't answer right away.
"Because there's someone I have to protect." A door swung open next to them and Mustang walked out. Riza immediately stood to attention.
"We're leaving." Was all he said as he reached out to take his offered coat from Hawkeye. Nala exited the house first and Hawkeye's owl flew out after her. Mustang and Hawkeye were followed out by Winry. Riza paused at the bottom of the stairs and faced the young girl.
"I guess this is goodbye, young lady." She was surprised to find the girls hand offered to her.
"It's Winry." Was all the girl said as Hawkeye grasped the offered hand.
"Right. Bye, Winry. I hope we meet again someday." She smiled as she followed her commanding officer. Once out of earshot, she spoke to Roy.
"Do you think they'll come?" Riza had glimpsed the boy before Roy had barged in. She thought he'd looked... defeated.
"Oh, they will. Both of them, I'd imagine." Mustang smiled confidently. Nala rolled her eyes. A gesture that went unnoticed by both humans but not the owl flying beside them. Nala promised to explain it later when the owl queried the eye roll.
"Are you sure? I have a feeling that the Rockbells won't let them without a fight." Hawkeye was certain she was right.
"Don't you worry, Lieutenant. There was fire in that boys eyes. He'll come."
Back in the house, Winry and Pinako had rejoined the boys in the sunroom. They'd stepped away to clean up the tea and prepare lunch. They heard Al and Ed talking and the silences that meant the Animals were talking. Granny carried the tray of food for the Animals while Winry carried the tray for humans. Once they'd eaten, Granny asked the question she and Winry wanted to hear the answer too.
"What did you decide?" There was no denying that the boys were talking about the soldier's offer so there was no point in pretending otherwise. Ed and Al looked at each other and nodded. Ed faced Granny with a determined expression on his face.
"I'm joining the military. I'll become a State Alchemist."
A/N- just over 13,000 words later, here's chapter 7! I'm going to collapse into a coma but before I do so, please leave me a review telling me what you think. Personally, I think I rushed it a bit and the ending isn't 100% great but it's the best I could do. I tried to do what made sense to me, considering we didn't see what happened between the time Ed and Al committed the taboo to Mustang turning up. I also decided, with some help, that Ed wouldn't be in the state he was in the anime because of his Animal. I also had Chester be the one who finally got through to him because he was the one who had the most perspective on what Al was feeling and he wouldn't have made Ed feel better simply because he could. He would be the one to tell the truth, no matter how mean it sounded. And since Hawkeye only saw Ed deep in thought about how his brother might not get his body back, all she saw was Ed looking depressed. She also never heard the threat because you know she wouldn't have stood outside if she had. Anyways, please leave reviews! I'm hoping to end the next chapter with Ed starting his journey to Eastern Headquarters. There'll be a fair amount of time skip since I'll be covering the surgery, the automail installation, the year of rehab and a couple months of Ayala and Ed training against Al and Chester again. And I'm serious about the reviews, I'd really appreciate how you thought this chapter went. Thank you!
