"I came to speak with you Al," Edward stated. His tone signified sadness at his brother's obvious hatred towards him. With a motion of his hands Ed was able to dispel his alchemy, bringing his brother into his line of sight.
"You come back after all this time. After what you did. Why are you really here? Have you decided you haven't taken enough from me? Was my body not enough?" Rage filled every word yelled by Alponse. It was clear that he resented Ed for leaving, and even blamed him for the loss of his body.
"I came to apologize Al. I'm sorry for leaving, and I'm even more sorry for losing your body. But I'll be able to get it back! The military has resources that can help me restore your body. That's why I left." Edward's were rushed, but hopeful. It was true, the military could indeed me a great resource. Al seemed to have thought so as well, as his stance relaxed a bit. But as quickly as he relaxed, he tensed up again. Ed had no warning as to what happened next. A metal fist lunged towards his face, hitting his eye.
"Don't you dare!" Alphonse screamed. "Don't you dare try and give me hope!" He took another swing at Edward. The Fullmetal Alchemist could have easily dodged this one, but he closed his eyes and allowed the blow to connect. Ed stood still as the suit of armor that was his brother took swing after swing. Eventually Edward fell over and his brother pounced on him, still throwing punches. I wasn't until Pinako came in, when he stopped.
"Alphonse! Get off of that stupid boy," the short old lady said. "We may not like him, but that's no reason to attack a boy who won't defend themself." Al hadn't realized in his anger that Edward had never raised a hand to defend himself. He jumped away from the brother that had allowed himself to be pummeled. Edward stood, not offered any help from the other two in the room.
"Dinner smells great Pinako. Is it ready yet?" Ed asked through a bloody, swollen face. Pinako looked taken aback, clearly surprised that the boy still wanted to stay for dinner.
"Y-yes, it's finished. Go clean yourselves up." Pinako left the room stroking her chin, thinking back to Ed's childhood. The boy had always been rough with his brother, that was true, but he had always put up a fight.
"Brother, I can't see too well right now. Could you lead me to the washroom?" Without a word Alphonse rested a hand on Edward's shoulder and led him downstairs to the washroom. The silence was only broken by the sound of Ed washing the blood from his face. When he was done he turned to face his brother. Edward flung his arms around the suit of armor. "I'm sorry Al. I really am." Then he let go and walked around his brother into the dining room. Winry sat in uncomfortable silence next to Lieutenant Hawkeye, and Pinako sat at the head of the table. Ed took the seat across from the Lieutenant, leaving the seat across from winry and next to Pinako for Al. When Alphonse took his seat, Pinako started dishing out food for everyone.
"There's plenty, so eat up." Everyone ate in silence. Even without talking, the family still seemed to have communicated with each other. When the meal was done, Pinako piped up. "You can use the extra bedrolls in the closet." Ed simply nodded and started to gather the used dishes. Edward brought the dishes into the kitchen and began to wash them.
"You shouldn't do it," Winry said behind him. "Stay with us. You belong here."
"You know why I can't. Things won't be right until I get Al's body back." Ed continued to wash, fumbling with the soap and sponge. Winry took the sponge from him.
"I've got this. Gran put your box on the table. I'll tinker with your automail when I'm done," Winry told the Alchemist. Edward was happy to give up dish duty and walked out to the dining room. A box of miscellaneous stuff sat on the table. Edward ignored the box for the moment and found Hawkeye sitting in the living room.
"Lieutenant, we're staying the night here. I'll grab bedrolls, if you want to go wash up and get comfortable." The Lieutenant saluted as Ed looked for the closet Pinako had mentioned. It didn't take long for him to find it and dig out two bedrolls. He laid them on the floor in the living room. Hawkeye had removed her boots and jacket, and was lounging in a chair with a book. It seemed to be one of the Rockbell's old automail books. Winry was also in the room, sitting on the couch with a bucket of what appeared to be spare parts.
"Come here Ed," she said, patting the spot beside her. "Let's get this over with." Ed sat and seconds later the mechanic had started to fiddle with his arm. Awkward silence filled the room, as neither party knew what to say. Edward wanted to stay. He really did. But he had responsibilities. He had to do the research and find a way to get his brother back. Winry knew that the Alchemist's resolve was too strong, and the boy too stubborn, to be able to convince him to stay. So she sorrowfully worked on his arm, adjusting it for his new height. It was a couple hours before she moved onto his leg, tinkering with it. The silence extended until Winry was eventually done. She grabbed her bucket and swiftly left the room, her tears unseen by Ed or Hawkeye. Edward stood and stretched, trying to get a feel for his adjusted limbs. Then he crawled onto the bedroll and closed his eyes, allowing his thoughts to disappear as he drifted off to sleep.
The Fullmetal Alchemist was woken with a rough shake from a metal hand. "Brother, you don't want to miss your train," Alphonse said in a worried tone. Ed sat up, looking around. It was dawn, and he was still at the Rockbell's automail shop. Lieutenant Hawkeye was sleeping on the bedroll beside him, and that distracted him. "She's beautiful," Al said in awe. Edward agreed Riza Hawkeye looked so peaceful while he rested. Her hair was a little messy, and partially obscured her face, and she wore a neutral expression.
"Yeah, let's let her have a little more rest. Is it alright if I make a pot of coffee?" Edward stood, still admiring the beauty of the Lieutenant.
"The pot is already brewed. Made it for Winry a half hour ago." Edward forced himself to look away from his sleeping companion before he could go into the kitchen. Like Al had said, there was already hot coffee. Ed poured himself a cup and took a sip. His brother walked in and stood in the doorway. "So you're back off to Central?" he asked innocently.
"Yes. I'm going to do everything in my power to get your body back. That all starts with gaining power." Edward's response was straightforward. He was going to find every material he could on human transmutation. He was going to do endless research into the gate of truth. He was going to find a way to bring back his brother's body.
"I forgive you Brother. I know my body isn't your fault, and I forgive you for leaving. Please forgive me for how I behaved yesterday," Al said in a sorrowful voice. Edward only grinned at his brother.
"Don't worry Al, we used to fight all the time. You don't need to be sorry for beating me in a fight." Ed's voice was cheery. He felt as though a massive weight had been lifted off his shoulders. His brother forgave him. He could do what he needed to do without worry now. "When I come back next time, we'll be fighting in the flesh." If Alphonse could smile, he would have. He knew deep down his brother would do everything he could.
"You should go wake your friend before you're late. Granny wouldn't let a uniform stay another night," Al said in an equally cheery voice. As he said that, a fleshy hand knocked on his armor from behind. Al walked all the way into the kitchen, allowing passage to none other than Riza Hawkeye. She was already dressed up in her uniform, boots on, ready to go.
"May I have a cup of coffee?" she asked in a business like tone. Al gestured towards a cupboard where some mugs were stored. The Lieutenant filled one and began to sip on it. Both the boys watched her, Ed with a curious expression, and Al with his unchanging metal face. She cleared her throat before speaking. "Are we ready to go Fullmetal?" Edward quickly looked away.
"Yeah, let's get out of their hair." Ed finished his cup of coffee quickly, burning his throat in the process. He then set the cup in the sink and walked to the table where the box of his old belongings sat. Picking it up, Ed gestured towards the door. The Lieutenant opened it, and both walked through. "I'll be back Al," Ed turned his head to say.
"I count on it," Alphonse responded. "Good luck Brother." The Fullmetal Alchemist and the Lieutenant walked down the path leading from the house and towards the train station.
A/N:
Hey guys, I'm back, kinda. I'm hoping to get more chapters out for everyone in the future. For now, enjoy this work I made for you! If you enjoy it, please please please let me know by leaving some reviews. It means so much to me to hear from my audience. Until next time!