So sorry for the long wait. But I have an extra fluffy chapter just to make up for it. xD

Y'know, I've just realised that I didn't use a single divider in the whole chapter. O_o

Disclaimer~

Chapter Nine - New Faces

Ed stayed standing in front of the glass double doors long after his brother had reversed awkwardly out of the car park with a wave and had begun his illegal drive back home.

Ed wasn't quite sure just how long he'd been standing there, gazing with glazed eyes at his soon-to-be official residence. He'd talked to Mustang over the phone, and convinced him to pull some strings to keep Ed's place of residence a secret, known only by Mustang's team and the Fuhrer. To the rest of the world, he was on a relaxing holiday somewhere very far away. He was eternally grateful for that, though he'd never admit it.

Although there was a small, childish part of him that wished he really was on an idyllic island somewhere in the middle of nowhere.

Ed braced himself, swatting the thoughts away, and sucked in a deep breath as he slowly pushed open the door to greet the familiar-looking receptionist.

She (Ed vaguely remembered her name was Elizabeth) blinked at him oddly, before glancing down at Dr. Anderson's schedule. "I'm sorry, Mr. Elric, but you don't seem to have an appointment..."she trailed off in confusion.

Ed grinned widely. "No, I don't. I'm here to stay this time."

Elizabeth's eyes widened momentarily, before she composed herself and began to rummage through the litter on her desk. "In which case, you should probably check in with Dr. Anderson himself. He'll show you where everything is, which room you're staying in, etc." Elizabeth gave Ed another thoroughly confused glance, wondering just how dangerous a deranged State Alchemist could be, before gesturing towards the corridor. The correct one this time, Ed noticed with a smirk.

"Thanks," Ed bowed slightly before swinging his suitcase over his shoulder, his other hand in his leather pocket, humming something he remembered Breda singing once. He wasn't quite sure why he was in a good mood, especially considering he was checking himself into a mental ward, but he supposed it was the mood swings again and brushed it off.

He reached the office within fifteen minutes, rapping lightly on the door before inviting himself in. "Yo," he greeted with a mock salute.

Dr. Anderson chuckled. "You're late."

"Yeah, I always am. Get used to it," Ed said teasingly, flopping down into a chair opposite Anderson.

Dr. Anderson raised an eyebrow, obviously quite amused at Ed's vibrant spectrum of available moods. Last time Ed had come here, he'd looked like he'd rather be modelling for a swimsuit company than be talking to Dr. Anderson. Now, however, he looked like he hadn't a care in the world. Yes, Dr. Anderson thought, it might not be obvious, but there is a lot to work on with this boy. "Are you ready for your permanent stay here?"

Ed grinned dangerously. "Show me the way, Doctor."

Anderson smirked. He stood up, gathering his paperwork into a folder and motioned for Ed to follow him to the door. "This is my office, obviously, and it seems you already know where it is, so I won't bother giving you directions on how to get here. That," he motioned to the door opposite the office, "is the store cupboard. Please don't confuse it with the bathroom like lots of other people here. That is the bathroom," he said, pointing at an identical door next to it.

Ed nodded, mentally absorbing the information while trying not to snigger.

They walked briskly down the corridor, fast enough that Ed almost had to jog to keep up. "These rooms all along this corridor are patient rooms. Please don't enter them without the patient's permission. This," he gestured vaguely at the corridor surrounding them, "is Ward One. There are twenty wards in total here. You'll be placed in the one that best suits your condition."

Ed raised his eyebrows in mild surprise. There were so many ill people in Central that they had twenty wards? Then again, Ed thought, recalling some trivia he'd heard Al spout on the journey here, I think this is the only mental hospital in Amestris, so I guess it's not surprising.

He nodded to himself slightly, before a far more interesting question slithered into his head, leaving him with a strangely giddy sense of curiosity. "What's my 'condition'?"

"You'll be with the PTSDs, since you don't fit anywhere else."

Ed nodded slightly. At least he'd be with some other soldiers who wouldn't make fun of him. "Which ward is that?"

"Ward Seventeen."

Ed smirked. He liked the number seventeen. Why? Because Al's seventeenth birthday had been the funniest birthday he'd ever experienced. Not to go into too much detail, but... Well, let's just say it involved lots of (not quite legal) alcohol and a very angry cat.

Dr. Anderson gave him a quick tour of the rest of the building, showing him two more bathrooms, the rest of the wards, the games room, the canteen, the small field (equipped with a well-kept herb garden), the basketball court and the 'main' room - a room on the second floor somewhat resembling a ballroom in size, though with sofas, a TV and various bookshelves, a table tennis set and a large coffee table. It had an oddly homey feeling to it.

Ed was led straight through the main room, however, and up a well-concealed spiral staircase. "Where are we going?"

Anderson shot Ed a smirk. "You'll be wanting somewhere to put that luggage of yours, correct?"

Ed's mouth opened in a silent, 'Oh' as he quickly leapt up the staircase after the fast-moving doctor, taking the steps two at a time.

He was shown a corridor he supposed was Ward Seventeen, and a small metal object was thrust into his hand. "Here's the key. Your room is Room 108. I trust you can find it from here?"

Ed nodded. "Thanks, Doc."

Dr. Anderson raised an eyebrow at the nickname, though didn't mention it as he began to stride away, white coat flapping in his wake.

Ed scowled. Anderson was wearing a lab coat this time. Not a good sign.

Only after the doctor's back had turned the corner and his white entrails had vanished from sight did Ed relax. He turned to face the looming (and scarily clean) corridor ahead of him, swinging his key around his finger. He wandered slowly down the straight, narrow path, intent on finding his designated room, and inspected every plaque on every door. 101, 102, 103, 104, 105... The eighth door down provided him with the necessary number, 108, embossed in shiny red. Huh, I thought it would be silver or black like the ones in other wards, Ed thought idly as he fumbled with his key. Maybe they're colour coded or something.

Eventually, Ed managed to slot the key into the keyhole and push open the door, which gave way rather easily; Ed had been expecting thick metal doors to keep everyone locked in, but they were just flimsy sheets of pine. He quietly shut the door behind him, not wanting to disturb anyone nearby who might have a strange sleeping schedule.

He glanced around, taking in the cream walls, the slightly cracked white ceiling and the sparse furniture. The small room contained only a single bed, a writing desk and a wardrobe, a dented rubbish bin hiding itself behind an armchair.

Ed let out a breath silently. Home, sweet home.

To be perfectly honest, Ed had expected something resembling a padded cell with water fed to him through a tube in his arm just in case he tried to drown himself. Apparently, though, they trusted him enough to give him decent living quarters.

I'll bet not everyone's room looks like this, though, Ed thought, dumping his battered brown leather suitcase onto his bed and beginning to unload his few belongings. Some people in here must be real nutcases - they probably do live in a padded cell.

But apparently, PTSDs weren't considered crazy enough to be taken away from everything and anything harmful, a fact Ed suddenly found himself incredibly thankful for.

Ed finished hanging up his spare clothes, and carefully extracted a photo frame. He held it carefully, as if one rough touch might break it, and stared at the picture of Al for a moment with a tentative smile on his face before placing it gently down on the mahogany writing desk. He usually wasn't one for sentimental things, but people often told him that where his brother was concerned, it was almost as if he was a different person. This, apparently, was one such case.

His suitcase was soon empty, as he'd never been one for excessive packing and preferred to travel light, so Ed soon found himself with nothing to do. Since the doctor hadn't tried to arrange any appointments or checkups or the like, Ed supposed he was free to do as he liked.

He had his hand on the doorknob as a thought suddenly occurred to him. He glanced down at his attire. Leather probably isn't the best thing to be wandering around here in.

Reluctantly, he stripped the tight black clothes off his tanned skin and instead dressed in a loose white vest and grey tracksuit bottoms, clothes he used to wear wandering around the dorm with Al when his usual outfit was dirty or in need of mending.

He snorted at the idea of how ridiculous he's look wearing his leather boots around with the rest of the outfit, and, as they were his only pair of footwear, decided to go barefoot. This was a hospital of sorts, after all, so he doubted the floor would be dirty or have sharp objects lying around on it.

He grimaced as a brief glance in the mirror showed him just how much younger he looked, but dismissed it and briskly strode out the small room, shutting the door quietly behind him and trying in vain to remember the way to the main room.

"Shit," he cursed under his breath. He'd never been great with directions - that'd always been Al's forte - and now he found himself in a huge, three-storey building looking for a single room that could be anywhere.

He briefly considered going to reception and asking Liz where it was, but his face stretched into a scowl as he realised he didn't know how to get to reception either. He didn't even know which floor he was on.

Well, he thought gruffly, I'm never gonna get anywhere if I just stand around here looking like a moron.

And so Ed turned left, as he remembered coming from that direction when the doctor had shown him around. He stalked down three corridors and down a flight of stairs, his automail clicking eerily on the white linoleum in the empty corridors. I wonder why no one's around? he idly thought to himself. Maybe they're all outside. It is quite sunny, after all.

It was only when he found himself at the foot of the staircase he swore he'd gone down fifteen minutes ago that he gave up. He groaned loudly, collapsing and slouching grumpily on the ground, his back to the wall just below a dazzling window and his legs drawn up to his chest. He rested his chin on his knees, scowling ferociously and glaring intensely at the bottom step of the stairs in front of him.

"Stupid building with too many stupid fucking stairs," he grumbled to himself.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been sitting there cursing the identical corridors, but by the time he heard any sign of life his neck was stiff and his legs were cramping. He lifted his head from his knees, wincing as his neck clicked harshly, and glanced around at the seemingly empty corridor. He grew more and more wary as the seconds ticked by. The shuffling and muffled clomping was growing louder, but he had yet to see any sign of movement. His muscles tensed and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. His breathing grew deeper and his eyes began to widen slightly as the panic set in. A small part of him buried deep, deep down knew that he had no reason to worry - just because this was what usually happened when the Madman came, it didn't mean the Madman was here right now. He wasn't. He couldn't be. He was gone. Gone, gone, gone-

Ed cut his own thoughts off with a harsh shriek as a glowing rainbow streaked past him with a high-pitched whistle. He jumped out of his skin, gracelessly lurching to his feet and automatically tensing into a fighting stance.

The multi-coloured thing had come to a halt ten feet away, and was now sitting up on the pristine floor with its back to Ed, staring in the opposite direction.

It giggled quietly to itself, before standing up and attempting to regain its balance.

Ed's guard dropped as soon as he realised it was only a girl; probably a patient. The messy blonde hair tumbling down her back and the odd patchwork skirt gave her away, as well as the childishly feminine face that greeted him with wide blue eyes as she turned around. "Oh... it's you."

Luna's eyes widened in recognition. "You're the man with the pretty hair from before."

Ed, still in a mild state of panic, blinked twice before he remembered the event in Anderson's office the previous day. "Uh, yeah."

Luna trotted up to him, extending a small hand and smiling as if she was high. Ed wondered if she was. "Luna Lovegood. What's your name?"

Ed hesitantly took the proffered hand with his automail one. "Ed. Edward Elric."

"It's nice to meet you," Luna said, giggling. She seemed to suddenly notice the lack of warmth in her hand and glanced down, her mouth opening in a silent, 'Oh' as she took in the metal skin. "You have automail."

"Uh, yeah, I noticed."

Luna didn't reply; instead, she drew Ed's hand up to her face and began inspecting the artificial limb. She prodded it with her nose before sniffing it and drawing back, a somewhat satisfied expression on her girlish features. "I like it."

Ed blinked. Out of all the possible reactions to his automail, that must've been the one he was least expecting. "You do?"

Luna nodded cheerfully. "It suits you. Like your hair. And that eye patch."

Ed tilted his head to the side slightly, a bewildered expression on is face. "Thank you... I guess?"

Luna smiled broadly. "You know what? I bet you're lost." She tugged on the hand she was still holding on to. "Come on, I'll show you the way outside."

Ed didn't have time to protest before he was being dragged down the straight corridor. He decided that it was a win-win situation either way; if Luna really knew the way outside then hurray for him. If not, then at least he'd get lost with someone else rather than driving himself insane (almost literally) wandering around endless corridors by himself.

"So," he began, striking up a conversation, "how old are you?"

"Fifteen," she sang. "What about you?"

"Eighteen," he said thoughtfully. "Are you allowed here?"

Luna turned to look at him, giving him an inquisitive look. "What do you mean?"

"Well, you aren't legally an adult, so did you have to get someone's permission to stay here alone?"

Luna turned again to face the direction they were walking. "No. I arrived here on my own, so there wasn't anyone to ask the permission of."

Ed gave the back of her head a wary glance before asking, knowing he might be treading in dangerous waters, "What about your parents?"

Luna sighed, though it didn't seem to be particularly sad. "My mother died when I was little. My father is still back home."

Ed paused before saying quietly, "Home?"

Luna nodded, not glancing back. "My own world."

Ed stopped in his tracks. "Your world?"

Luna halted too, swirling around to face Ed. "Yes, my world. A world other than this. A world with magic in it, not alchemy."

Ed shot her an incredulous look. No wonder she was institutionalised. "Are you sure?"

Luna nodded defiantly. "For definite. One moment I was arguing with the frying pan because it was refusing to make breakfast, and the next I was waking up in the middle of a farm in the countryside. No one knew where Hogwarts was, or even England. They didn't even know magic existed. It was quite scary, suddenly finding myself in a world full of muggles with no way to get home."

Despite himself, Ed found himself feeling sympathetic towards the girl. No matter how many times he told himself she was just insane and her father was probably living happily in Central, he couldn't bring himself to scoff at her words. Perhaps it was the real feeling she held behind them that made even a sceptic like Ed believe her, but Ed just couldn't seem to help the fact that her explanation didn't sound quite as laughable as it should have.

"Hey, Luna..." Ed asked as they continued their journey outside. "What's a 'muggle'?"

Luna giggled. "Non-magical people. Like you. Although I suppose alchemy could be seen as this world's version of magic. They have similar effects. Are you an alchemist?"

Ed smirked. "Definitely."

"Then I suppose you're a wizard of sorts."

Ed snorted.

The rest of the short walk to the outside world was trodden in silence, though it was far from uncomfortable. Ed was lost in thoughts of imaginary words where magic really did exist, and who knew what Luna was thinking about?

"We're here," Luna said eventually, turning to face Ed just behind her before pointing to a glass door not unlike the one at the main entrance. She pulled him through it, and the pair was immediately assaulted by the blaring sunlight. It reminded Ed vaguely of hot summer days in Resembool.

He smiled at the grassy field full of what he assumed must be patients. They were chasing each other around and laughing like kids. There were five playing a sloppy version of basketball on the tattered grey court to his left, too. Just as he was about to make a witty remark about the weather, his hand was yanked again by the dirty blonde girl holding it. She tugged him towards a wooden bench sheltered by a weeping willow fifty metres away, almost completely concealed from view.

"Wow," Ed breathed as he swept away the leaves caressing his skin, allowing him entrance to the small paradise. It felt as if the sound of the patients playing outside was oddly hushed in here, as if they were listening through a bubble. Maybe it was just the atmosphere of the place, but Ed found himself strangely relaxed as Luna guided him over to sit on the bench. "Wow..." he repeated.

Luna laughed softly. "I love this place. I spend most of my time here. Sometimes, I sneak out of my window at night to come here and I fall asleep."

Ed chuckled at her oddity. "I can see why. I almost feel like falling asleep here."

Luna nodded, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. "Do you like it here, Ed?"

Ed let out a breathy laugh. "Yeah. It's so much more peaceful than back in Central."

Luna smiled, her eyes still shut. "You are in Central, silly."

Ed blinked. He'd almost forgotten. He was in Central. Still. But somehow this place just seemed so detached from the rest of the world... it was almost as if he really wasn't in Central anymore. He snorted in spite of himself. "I guess... I forgot."

Luna giggled. "It's easy to forget here, isn't it?"

Ed smiled thoughtfully as he leant his head back, staring up distantly into the canopy of greenery above his face. "Yeah."

Ed didn't notice his eyelids slip shut, or Luna's breathing even out as her head lolled to the side, dropping to rest on Ed's bony shoulder.