Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fullmetal Alchemist or Fairy Tail
It was taking Lisanna far too long to learn that stupid spell, longer than Ed had the patience to wait for. That was why he had moved on from watching her lessons with Zeref, instead wandering around Magnolia in boredom, focused on his own issues for a moment. He wished he could talk with Al or Zeref about it for a moment, to at least have someone to bounce ideas off of during his thoughts. Those two understood alchemy like he did, so they could help come up with some kind of a plan to regain his memories.
Ed walked past the magic shop in the process of being repaired as he frowned, still stuck on the main dilemma he had. Even with something to trade for those memories, he could not get back to the Gate without alchemy. Maybe Al could do the transmutation back at home, but that would mean dragging his brother back into the place that had stolen their bodies away. He didn't want to risk it with Al, not after all of the effort they put into retrieving what they had lost. That meant that Ed couldn't ask his brother for help, so he was stuck without a way back into that place.
Zeref might be willing to help, Ed reasoned, but even if Zeref did so, the price for passage would be greater than usual. With the need to pay for two people to pass through the Gate, Ed would have to come up with something big to use to pay the toll. It wasn't like he could trade away his alchemy again, that was already gone, and he still refused to even consider a philosopher's stone as the payment. Glancing at his arm, the one that used to be automail, Ed sighed, wondering if he would have to pay with his limbs once more for his memories. Either way, he would be missing a part of himself, it was just a question of which part.
Ed made a turn down a new street, folding his arms behind his head as he paused for a moment. Now, he was standing right in front of that guild from before, Fairy Tail. He still didn't quite understand much about this country, where magic existed and was a part of everyone's daily lives. These guilds seemed to be places where wizards stuck together, and for some reason, Ed was a part of one before he had even come to this country. He glanced down at the back of his hand, seeing the black mark on his skin that told others he was a member of this guild. Maybe he could stop here for a bit, see if anyone inside knew anything about alchemy. It might help him think for a bit on the subject, just having someone to talk to about it.
With a sigh, Ed pushed the doors open, staring inside with a look of boredom. Mira was still behind the counter, washing off an empty glass as she smiled at the guild master, sitting on the bar's counter. Looking around the guild, Ed could see other members sitting together as well. Cana was at a table with a barrel of beer, something Ed could not fathom drinking all by himself. The girl was trying to give some to Lucy, who was backing away and moving to join Natsu and Gray. Those two looked like they were about to begin a fight, glaring at each other before Erza gave them a harsh look, preventing any more arguments between them as they sat back down at their table. Next to them was a younger girl, with long blue hair and a white cat by her side. Ed thought he had seen her before, that someone had called her Wanda or something like that. No wait, Wendy. That was what they called her! He grinned as he figured that name out, pleased that he could at least remember something around here.
Deciding that he wanted to avoid the drinking party Cana was starting, Ed moved towards the other group gathered in the guild, watching as they all frowned at his approach. The pink haired man stood up, pointing at Ed with a grin on his face. "Hey, you're the guy that stopped us from doing our hundred year job!" he declared, stepping forward and away from the table. Ed didn't know where he was going with this, but it became a bit clearer when flames began dancing in the boy's fists. "Alright then, you seemed pretty strong before, so I wanna fight you! I'm getting all fired up!" he shouted.
Ed sighed, shaking his head at the boy in irritation. This was going to be a waste of his time, it seemed, with crazy people like this around. It still didn't stop Natsu from charging forward, his fist raised to slam into Ed's head. The ex-alchemist raised his arm, rocks breaking through the floorboards of the guild as he moved to defend himself. "Rock Wall!" he shouted, watching as Natsu slammed his fist into hard stones instead of Ed's body. It didn't take long for the boy to frown at the appearance of Ed's solid wall, just high enough to shield his body while Natsu grinned even wider.
"Alright, that's more like it. Looks like you are a wizard after all, that just makes this more interesting!" Natsu insisted. He moved forward to attack once more, but this time Erza grabbed him by the scarf, yanking him back towards the table with a glare.
"Enough, this is not the place to be starting pointless fights. Edward came here for a reason, and we will hear what he has to say." she declared, making the dragon slayer nod in agreement, looking terrified at the idea of standing up against her.
Ed gave the girl a nod of gratitude, glad that at least one person here could calm down enough to focus on work for a moment. "Yeah, I guess I did." he stated, glancing at them uncomfortably as he debated how much to say. In the end, he decided he would figure out what they knew first, and work with that. "Tell me, have any of you ever heard of alchemy?"
"Alchemy is a load of crap, it isn't real. All that turning lead into gold nonsense is impossible, you're better off just focusing on magic." Gray insisted, his arms folded across his chest.
Ed frowned at the boy, staring at his bare chest and wondering just what had happened to the guy's shirt since they began talking. "Alchemy is science, you stripping idiot! Put a shirt on and stop saying crap like that." he insisted, sitting down at the table with them in a huff. Even if he couldn't use it himself, Ed still put a lot of faith in alchemy. It caused problems and pain around the world, but to many ordinary people, it was still a helpful tool to use. Being able to repair things simply by drawing a circle optimized their time and allowed people to focus on enjoying their daily lives.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think we've heard of it around here. Alchemy is nothing more than a myth from what I've been told." Wendy commented, sounding a bit nervous as she spoke.
Ed wanted to yell at her too, but seeing the way she gazed away from him, looking somewhat afraid and worried, made him halt his initial comeback. Instead, he turned away, uncomfortable with the idea of yelling at a kid. "Well, just because it doesn't exist around here doesn't mean it isn't real." Ed stated at last, sighing and focusing back on the others around him. "I guess that means you can't help me. That's all I really wanted to know." he added, getting up and preparing to leave. Even if it was boring, he would at least have peace and quiet if he returned to the alley where Lisanna was practicing with Zeref and Mavis.
"Hold on a second." Lucy stated, grabbing his arm and focusing on Ed's golden eyes. "You can't just come in here and ask for our help, then refuse to even bother explaining what you need help with. If this alchemy stuff is really something you want to learn, then we'll help you find a place to learn it." she insisted. "That's what we do for members of our guild, we work together as a family and always fight to keep each other safe."
Ed yanked his arm free from her grip, glaring at the blond in annoyance. "Yeah, so what? I already know plenty about alchemy, I need to discuss things with others who know it too. I've got an issue….I just need to know what payment to make for the trade…." he stated, trailing off with a sight. "Either way, you wouldn't understand because you don't even know the basics behind alchemy, let alone the complex nature of what I'm attempting to do."
"Then explain it to us." Erza stated from the table, calmly watching them as she leaned forward. "We are your fellow guild members, it is about time we finally had a chat about what this guild can truly do for you. Wizards from all over the world come to guilds to find work. This job of yours sounds quite intriguing, and even if you cannot offer us a reward, we will not dishonor Fairy Tail's name by refusing to take it." she insisted.
Ed didn't quite get what she was saying, but he understood that it meant he didn't have much of a choice. This girl wanted to know what he needed help with, and she was going to do so without argument. With a sigh, he sat back down in the empty chair by them again, folding his arms on the table in front of him as he focused on the wooden surface. "Alright, I guess I'll begin with the basic explanation of alchemy to you. It is the art of deconstructing and reconstructing matter, using your own understanding of the world around you and the energy of a circle to alter the physical world." he began.
Ed wondered just how far to go with them, but he knew he would have to go in depth to get help with human transmutation. "In alchemy, there is one fundamental law that must always be followed, the Law of Equivalent Exchange. Basically, you can't make something without giving something in return, something of equal value. So, take this wall behind me." Ed commented, gesturing to the wall he had made to defend himself from Natsu's earlier attack. "I could make this with alchemy, but only if there was stone nearby to use as material for the wall. I would have to break apart the initial components of the ground and reform it into the shape I desired, thus making a wall of stone."
Natsu was frowning at the table, doing his best to keep up with Ed's explanation. Gray was still focused, his arms over his chest as he leaned back in his chair. "So, alchemy's a lot like magic, then. It seems rather pointless to me, when it takes more to use alchemy than it does to use magic." he insisted.
"Yeah, that's what I don't get. Why would you even use this alchemy stuff when magic is so much easier?" Natsu asked.
Ed sighed, shaking his head at them slightly. This was something he was slowly understanding better, the differences between alchemy and magic. "It was all that we knew back in Amestris. Plus, alchemy and magic are two different things. Alchemy manipulates matter, while from what I understand, magic manipulates energy. This ethernano your body absorbs, it sounds a lot like energy and it feels like it too when you are about to unleash it. That is what fuels magic, while alchemy is fueled by the energy of the earth and the matter that is already around you." Ed stated, attempting to reason the difference between the two.
Erza was nodding, focused on this job she had accepted rather than random questions about the subject of alchemy. "I see, so tell me, just what is it that concerns you about alchemy?" she asked.
Ed hesitated, unsure of how to explain this part. This was the darkest part of his past, something he only shared with the people he knew best. These people were practically strangers to him, but Ed had no one else to turn to for help and this wasn't something he could handle alone. "That's hard to explain." he stated, sighing as he pulled his leg up, resting it on the table. The others leaned back, frowning in confusion as to why Ed was doing this, until he pulled up his pant leg and revealed the shiny metal underneath.
"Oh….that's….." Lucy stated, sounding too horrified for words at the sight of his automail leg. Erza's eyes were wide, as were Gray's at the sight of such a fake limb. Wendy's hand touched it gently, running along the smooth surface with a look of concern. Natsu didn't seem unaffected, but he was doing his best to pretend that he didn't care about Ed's injury.
Ed focused on the group in front of him, pulling his leg back and shoving it under the table before anyone else saw it. "You see, there is a taboo in alchemy, something that must never be done no matter how much you wish to change things. I broke that rule, and this was part of the price I paid." Ed insisted, patting his leg as the others grew curious, wondering just what he had done. He could see it in their eyes, the mixture of pity and curiosity that most got when they learned he had committed this taboo.
"I managed to get some of it back, regaining the arm I had lost by trading away my ability to perform alchemy." Ed stated, touching the arm that was now flesh, watching their gazes flicker over to the scar on his shoulder. "However, I still don't have back something else rather important to me, something that was taken that I never even knew was gone. I've lost my memory due to alchemy, and the only way to get it back is by going back to that bastard with something even bigger to trade in return for what I've lost."
"Back to who? If he's strong, I'll go with you and take him out!" Natsu insisted, sounding eager for a fight.
Ed glared at him, shaking his head. "That isn't the problem! You are talking about fighting god, and that is exactly what is going to get you in even more trouble than I'm in now." he insisted, watching as the boy frowned in confusion. "I tried to have the power of god, ever so briefly, and thus I had to pay. I attempted to bring the dead back to life, and that is something that I will always remember the price of."
Gray's eyes looked distant, sad but understanding of Ed's words. "That makes sense. So, what you're looking for is an object of some kind to use as an exchange for these memories of yours. What did you have in mind?" Gray was asking, while Ed frowned and stared at the table.
"Damn it, that's the problem! I don't have anything left to give away! Hell, last time I planned on it being the final encounter I had in that place, if I go back again, I'm likely going to lose more than just an arm or a leg. Who knows, maybe I'd end up like Al…." he questioned, trailing off with a slight shudder at the thought. Even hearing the way Al spoke about it, the way his brother had suffered in that suit of armor, Ed knew that it would be a terrible experience. Not being able to feel, not being able to sleep or eat, he would miss out on so much. That was if someone bound his soul to something in the physical world, instead of leaving it behind in that realm with god. Even if it was bound to the real world, Ed knew his time would be limited, his soul constantly drawn back to his real body beyond the Gate until one day, he would be trapped there anyway, never able to return.
The look on his face as he thought about this was rather disturbing to the others, but Lucy did her best to try and snap him out of it. Ed's thoughts were cut off when he felt her hand touch his, a look of worry on her face. "Don't worry, we'll figure it out together. Even if we don't, I'm sure you'll think of something to use in trade for your memories." she insisted.
Natsu sat up, grinning as if he had a brilliant idea. "Oh, I know! That stone from the job we didn't do, it's supposed to be really valuable. That can be your trade! We just have to go out and—" he began, but Ed punched the guy's face in anger for his suggestion, rising with a glare on his face.
The dragon slayer fell out of his chair, now sprawled out on the ground behind him as he frowned at Ed for the attack. "Don't even think about that! The philosopher's stone is made using human lives, I'm not going to use something like that no matter how much I suffer as a result." Ed insisted passionately, his hands clenched into fists as he glared at the ignorant dragon slayer on the ground.
Staring at this group of wizards, Ed decided he was better off without them. They would never understand his mindset, the way he had suffered before and how he had to do everything in his power to get back what he had lost. "You know what, this was a mistake. I'm better off on my own, where others won't get dragged down with me when things go wrong." he told them, turning to leave as Wendy moved to help Natsu get back up. This time, no one attempted to stop the ex-alchemist, but all of them were concerned for his well-being. Even if Fairy Tail didn't know how to help Edward Elric, they all understood having a dark past and they knew that it was better to deal with your problems together, rather than alone.
Sorry for the delay on the update. Right now, I've been putting most of my focus on Karma of Contradictions, another one of my stories about Fairy Tail. Either way, I got bored of focusing so much on that one and decided to take a break...hence the update here! I hope you enjoyed, feel free to review and tell me what you think!