So sorry this took so long. This chapter was difficult to write, and it's not my best. But I hope you guys like it.
Also, if you want to check out a poster for this story I drew, go to the link in my bio and you'll see it on Tumblr.
Happy holidays!
Chapter 10: Truth's Master Plan
A finger tapped repeatedly against the darkened floor, quietly humming to itself with a slight nod in it's head. It eyed the giant and broken gate in front of it, large gashes and cracks running up the tree like symbols carved upon it. It plaster on a smile that soon turned into a huge grin with such mischievous intent behind it.
"So how long are you going to keep this up until he notices?"
The being paused its tapping, before sparing a glance over to another gate, only this time the gate wasn't in an all black room, but a white one. Truth suddenly let its grin grow even wider. "Oh, he's noticed the changes, but doesn't understand what they mean yet. But don't worry, Young alchemist, he will soon."
The body sitting by the gate, raised a high eyebrow that was nearly blocked out by his overgrown golden bangs. He was also staring with slight suspicion too. "So it's only the beginning?" He asked, concernedly.
"Yes." Truth hummed. "The next stages of the gate side effects should be happening soon enough."
Amber eyes morphed into a glare, and spat venom in just a single word. "Great."
"And what about you, huh? Have you gotten in contact with your soul yet?"
He frowned, crossing his arms. "No. I have not."
"Awe… such a shame that you haven't yet." Truth said, a mixture of sarcasm and honestly.
"How do I know you're not just pulling my leg? Can I really have my soul back after all this time?"
Truth suddenly laughed, it made the whole room shake uncontrollably, slightly scaring the other figure present. "Well of course! You boys can have anything back for the amazing show your brother's putting on for me!" It said, throwing his arms into the air. "And once your soul is back in your body, Young Edward can have his arm back, or even his leg for that matter, I don't care."
"And what about the equivalent exchange deal?" Al's body asked, once again suspicious by this being's words. "Does that matter even any more?"
"It matters, it doesn't matter. I really don't care anymore." Truth said, talking with its hands carelessly. "However, it's still an equivalent exchange. Young Edward has pretty paid for all the damage he's done in the past. His third exchange was enough to pay everything off."
"Except you didn't give him a choice the last time! My brother doesn't even know what he's lost, and how it's affected Mr. Hughes."
"True…"
"You really are sick and twisted. This is like a fun game for you. Meanwhile, my brother is practically dying because you didn't bother telling him what he's lost!"
Truth chuckled, and looked fondly at the boy who's been trapped here since age ten. "My, My, I don't think I've ever seen you so feisty. I was starting to think you didn't have it in you."
"Don't act like you care, I know you don't. I'm just another entertainment piece." He hissed through his teeth.
"That is also true."
He let out a low growl, glaring some more. "Since we're still on this topic, tell me, how is this still an equivalent exchange deal? Ed still has to pay the price for doing a soul-call, so how is it all balancing out exactly?"
"Good question, and the answer is…" Truth held up one finger, smiling. "Family."
He blinked, replying with a puzzled expression. "What?"
"Family. It's the equivalent exchange deal between Young Edward and the soul he called back to the owner's body. I thought it would be nice if Young Hughes started seeing dreams of his past again, reminding him of what he's lost all those years ago." Truth shifted his sitting position, the grin only growing even stronger the more he spoke. "Meanwhile, Young Edward grows tired and weak, and needs someone to take care of him while he's down, and that's where the parental man comes in, right?"
Al grew even more skeptical, as the harshest and coldest look he could make flashed on his pale and bony cheeks. "Truth, you're not going with this where I think you're going…" He trails off, sounding very angry.
Truth hums quietly, thinking his words over carefully. "Perhaps. But come on, who doesn't love a family reunion?"
He smashes his fist into the ground, creating a loud sound that echoed off the walls of this strange place called the gate. "DAMN YOU, TRUTH!"
The being didn't even bat an eye at his outburst as he still watched with a sense of fondness. "Oh, did I strike a nerve?"
"Shut up! This is not how our mother would have wanted to meet her family! This is fucked up!"
Truth tilted it's head a bit in a mocking way. "Is it?"
"Yes!"
"Oh…." It shrugs. "Oh well."
"Damn you."
"You should be happy, you'll be meeting blood relatives that you didn't even know about. You should be thanking me."
Al bared his teeth some more, and darkened his glare. "I'll thank you when you fix my brother."
"You know that's not how it works." Truth pointed out. "Young Edward is the only one who can fix himself. Remember?" The blonde opened and closed his mouth quickly, making the being chuckled again. "Now, Young Alchemist, I'm going to give you some advice that I say from the bottom of my non-existent heart. FIND a way to get in contact with your soul, because the longer you wait, the shorter your brother's lifespan becomes. Find your soul, and free him from his other taboo. Got it?"
Al pursed his lips as his jaw tightened noticeably, letting the gate keeper's words sink in before nodding. "I understand." He says, just above a whisper.
"Good." Truth says looking away, getting ready to back to his humming when he was bombarded with a question.
"Even if I get my soul back, Ed still is going to die isn't he?"
"Don't know. All I know is if he gets his limb back, and is free from basically 'sharing' his body with you, he'll be okay for a while. Maybe he'll live longer." Truth spared a glance at Al for a split second, before staring off into the dark void ahead of him. "Although, I'm not sure what will happen when Young Hughes starts using his gift of alchemy without a transmutation circle. Because just like you two brothers, both him and Young Ed are now bound together with a blood rune. So who knows? Maybe it'll affect your brother, maybe it won't.
"Whatever happens, I can't wait to watch it." It suddenly started cackling hysterically, making Al's blood boil, but said nothing. "FIND YOUR BODY, YOUNG ALCHEMIST! FIND IT! AND MAYBE, JUST MAYBE, YOU BROTHERS WILL FINALLY BE FREE!"
The laughing continued to echo between gates, and seemed to never stop no matter how much time passed. And Alphonse started to wonder…
What did he do to deserve all this?
*Break*
"Is this it?" Ross asked, as the three of them stopped at the bottom of a pathway. It had a cobblestone wall running up beside it, and it went all the way up to a two story house that was the color of buttercup and avocado.
"It is." Ed replies, his eyes squinting in the last droplet of sunlight, the skies starting to etch itself into midnight black.
"Do you think she'll really help us?" Hughes asks, his forehead was drawn with worry lines. "We're putting her at risk too you know?"
"I know that." The boy continued, swallowing heavily before he straightened his shoulders. "But this is all we got. This would be the last place somebody looks at. Besides, when Granny was younger, she was someone who was on the… other side of the law."
Both soldiers frowned at his wording, and immediately eyed him weirdly.
"Ed-" Hughes begins, not liking the sound of this.
Ed held his hands up in defense, noticing their expression rather quickly. "I know what you're thinking, but she's not like that anymore, trust me. All I'm saying is is that she'll be useful for any misfortunes later on. That's all I was trying to say."
"Just checking." Ross replies, eyeing him closely, which made him sigh.
"Look, I know you're soldiers, but you can't think like one anymore. We're outlaws." He stops to pause for a moment, pondering a thought. "Well… two outlaws and a ghost. For starters-" He points at the woman. "You're technically on the run, or AWOL for that matter." He then pointed at Hughes. "You're supposed to be dead, and I've probably been reporting MIA by now. I just hope Al hasn't heard that last part yet…"
He whispered the final part of his sentence that was meant more for himself, but the two adults heard it crystal clearly and frowned even harder. Everyone knows how close the brothers are, and it was no doubt that Ed lying to him was eating him upside (they made a mental note to keep an eye on the boy, and talk to him about it later).
The Elric was the first one in the lead, and everyone followed him up the path where the house got bigger and bigger, casting a darker shadow over them as the sunlight tucked behind the horizon. The adults read a sign laying against the stairs that said, 'Automail, Rockbell'. They followed Ed up the stairs, and watched him knock on the door a few times. A dog's barking was heard on the other side, along with a voice and footsteps as they waited for her to arrive. The door soon swung open to a slightly irritated older woman.
"What do you want? We're closed. Can't you see it's night time already?" She said, shaking her fist.
Ed, who remained unshaken by her underlying threat, just smiled bittersweetly. "Hey, Granny. It's been a while." He replies, gently.
Pinako took a moment to check him out, but nothing could fool her with those unique sundrop eyes. "Ed?" She said, relaxing. "What happened to your hair, boy?" She soon eyed the people behind him, and tilted her head. "And who are they?"
Ed let her questions linger in the air for a second, before scratching the back of his head nervously (a habit he seemed to not be able to break). "Listen, Granny. Do you remember when I told you I bounded Al's soul to a suit of armor, and you were helping us get through it?"
"Yeah…"
"Well-" He bit his lip for a split second, his eyes wandering away from her to Hughes. "I might have done it again, only this time, a little more... successfully."
Pinako looked at the faux blonde man who complied to what Ed was hinting at. His fingers soon latched around his shirt collar, pulling it down and passed the bandages on his shoulders, and showing off the unique blood rune on his chest. She stiffened at the sight, her memories coming back from over four ago.
"Oh dear…" She muttered, stunned as her gazed return to the teenager. "Ed, what did you get yourself into this time?"
.
.
.
*Break*
.
.
.
"I see. So you're all officially outlaws now?" Pinako asked as she relit her pipe. She had moved them all to the living room where they just finished catching her up on everything.
"Yes." Ed said, fiddling with his hands nervously in his lap.
"And you want me to help you stay hidden?"
"Yes, if that-"
"Ed, do you understand what you're asking me?" She said, looking at the boy intensely. "Harboring basically a criminal and a supposed dead man? Do you understand what this all means? The risk that I'm in?"
Ed's hands tightened together, as his golden orbs became glued to the floor. He felt his chest clenched with guilt at what he just asked his friend's grandmother to do. "Yes… I.."
"Ma'am, may I please speak?" Hughes cuts in, breaking through the tensed air in the room.
"You may." Pinako said.
"Look, I want to apologize for barging in here like this. And I don't want to cross any line here." He sits up a bit straighter, a sense of certainty in his eyes. "If you need us to leave, we understand. I don't want to endanger you, or your granddaughter if she comes back."
"I can see you're actually telling the truth. I can see it in those eyes of yours." She replies, before taking a long drag from her pipe. "Tell me mister, do you have a family?"
Hughes nods immediately. "Oh yes, a wife and a daughter."
"I see. So tell me, does your family trust you?"
"Of course they do. Especially my wife."
"And do you trust them?"
"Yes, with all my heart."
"Okay then, answer me this question." Pinako stares into eyes, silently telling him not to look away. "If you trust them as much as they trust you, why don't you go back and tell them that you're alive? Why don't you go back and they keep your living life a secret? What's stopping you?"
"Granny-" Ed begins, frowning at the interrogation his friend was getting.
"It's okay, kiddo. I understand." Hughes said, holding his hand up to get the kid to stand down. "Listen, the reason I didn't want to go back is, I don't want to put my family in danger."
"Explain." Pinako urged with a flick of a wrist.
"I work for the military, and I always knew there would be a risk of them getting hurt by it, however this is different. I can't risk my family to whatever this is, whatever the military or secret force is planning, I cannot let them in. I won't let them get hurt or worse, I won't let myself live with that kind of guilt." He finishes, bowing his head. "So please, I understand why you're hesitating, and if you're still unsure about letting us stay here, we'll leave without any strings attached. I promise you that, Ma'am."
"I feel the same way strongly, Ms. Rockbell." Ross adds, bowing as well. "We'll leave if you need us too, but if you let us stay, I promise you we'll do anything you ask us to. If you need us to do chores, or even go out grocery shopping we will. Just give us your honest answer, and we'll do what we're told."
The room soon became etched with heavy silence, and everyone held their breaths for the woman of the house's answer. Pinako took another long drag from her favorite pipe, before putting out and setting it aside. She hopes down from the chair and wanders closer to where the other adults were.
"I can tell that you two are telling the whole hearted truths, I see that now." She replies, as they still continue to bow their heads. "I was just worried for my dear Winry's safely, but she isn't here now, and probably won't be home for quite some time. So I'll hold you by your words. You'll help me around the house, and you'll help me run my business as well for as long as you stay here. Do I make myself clear?"
The two ex soldiers raised their heads in shock, before nodding in compliance.
"Thank you, Ma'am." Hughes replies, smiling.
"Yeah. Thank you, Ms. Rockbell." Ross says, joyfully.
"You're very welcome." Pinako said, before walking back to sit down in her chair again. "I'll make the beds in the guest room in a minute. But if you don't mind, I'd like to speak with Edward in private for a moment."
They nodded again, standing up and excusing themselves out of the room, sparing Ed a glance of 'good luck' for whatever was waiting for him.
Pinako chuckled to herself, admiring the boy's new look. "I have to say, I didn't think such a dark color would suit you so well."
Ed chuckles too, grabbing the top of his messy bun. "You think so?"
"I do. It brings out your eyes."
He felt his cheeks flushed at the complement. "Uh… thanks, Granny."
She hums, before letting a tired sigh pass her lips. "Oh, Ed. What have you gotten yourself into this time? I mean, another taboo? Saving two people lives? Fighting the whole country over a transmutation circle? Are you out of your mind, son?"
Ed's shoulders sagged, and with more guilt filled eyes he looked away. "Yeah… I might be…"
Another sigh. "I swear, sometimes I think you have a bigger heart than your brother."
He blinked and snapped his head around to face her. "Huh?"
"You're always helping people, I admire that in you, and it's something you should be proud of."
"But…" He shakes his head, confusion written all over him. "But I committed the taboo again! I'm an outlaw! I'm… I'm fighting the whole country, and you're okay with it?"
"Not okay. I've just accepted it. I'm still not a hundred percent sold on 'fighting the whole damn country' thing, but if you think it's the right thing to do, I'll let you do it." She said, a small smile forming as she spoke. "And Edward, you saved two people. You saved the both of them from an uncertain death."
"But the taboo-"
"You saved your brother like that years okay, and even though you bound his soul to a suit of armor, you still saved him. And I can tell you, Al is truly grateful for what you've done for him, regardless of what you think. I know this Hughes fellow feels the same way too, and same goes for Ross as well."
"You really think so? Al's not… mad at me?"
"Of course not. He's just happy he gets to spend his life with you, even in a bodiless form."
Ed suddenly smiles brightly, straightens up again. "Thank you for clarifying, Granny, I appreciate it. I also appreciate that you're letting us stay here."
"Don't mention it. I'll do my best to make sure no one finds out you're here." Pinako replies, before waving him off. "Why don't you head off to bed. It sounds like you had a rough couple of days."
"You don't have to tell me twice." He hops to his feet, a sense of exhaustion overcoming him quickly as the bed was practically calling his name from way upstairs. "I can't wait to sleep. I'm dead beat."
"Ed?" She calls out, making him stop.
"Yeah?"
She seemed to take a moment to choose the next few words, but he remained patient. "This Hughes fellow, did you see anything… familiar about him?"
He cocks his head to the side, raising an eyebrow. "Familiar? How so?"
"Oh well… hmm…" Pinako scratches her chin in thought, before quickly dismissing it. "Ah… nevermind. You get some sleep."
He was quick to shrug it off out of exhaustion. "Uh, okay." Ed turned on his heels, and called out to Hughes and Ross who were standing in the kitchen to come out. "Hey guys, let me show you around the house as Granny gets some fresh sheets!"
From the chair she watched the three of them walk up the stairs to the upper level, the youngest giving them the 'grand tour' of the Rockbell residence. While doing so she continued to scratch her chin, her mind crawling back to the conversation early. Her mind flashes the man's expression, holding onto it as she studies it with curiosity.
"I don't why-" Her thoughts begin to stir. "But those eyes, that expression in them, it seems so familiar. Where have I seen them before?"
*Break*
Ed let out a sigh of relief as he finished wrapping the towel around his waist. Hot steam filled the small bathroom, almost like it was dubbed as a sauna as well. He stretched his back and sore arms, enjoying the scorching shower he just took, and so desperately needed.
"Ah! That felt amazing!" He told himself, a grin plaster on his face.
As Granny fixed their beds up, she ordered them to take showers before doing so, and everyone happily complied (not like they were ever going to say no to a luxury like this).
He pushed his nightshirt to the side, and rang his hair out a bit more in the sink before wiping away the fog on the mirror. He hummed sadly noticing a few bruises on his cheek from when he jumped off the train just yesterday. He soon noticed a few scraps on his body as well, and sighed miserably.
"I'm a mess." He chuckled, and soon found himself playing with his midnight locks again, fascinated with the color. "I do look good in this color."
He smirks and remembers the compliment he was given earlier, and starts to wonder if he should stick with this color even after this whole Military/ homunculus war is over. He even starts to wonder if a certain blonde might like it. He finds himself beat red over the thought, and shakes his head fiercely to get rid of it.
"She's my mechanic! What I'm I thinking?! Stupid, stupid!" He slaps his cheeks, and tries so desperately to wheel his mind away from it, but he kept looking at his hair in the mirror. "Damn it. I'm pathetic."
Another sigh with another heavy look, only this time he spotted something out of place. He started squinting, and leaning in closer to his reflection. His hands touched the strains of his hair, looking closely at the color.
"Did I miss a spot?" He wonders, thinking he's seeing a blonde patch near his bangs, so he moves even closer. He finds himself gasping quietly, realizing that it wasn't his natural color, but something else.
"Am I… going gray?"
Got any theories? I'd love to hear them. Thanks for reading!