Don't Forget
By: Hakai
Disclaimer: I Hakai don't own anything Fullmetal Alchemist related. They belong to their respectful owners. Beware bad writing skills.
A/N: Thanks for all the great reviews everyone! And thanks to those who have been following since chapter 1!! Especially thanks to Omakase Shimasu, who did the beta-read for chapter 8!
Set post-series, restored Al, Roy/Ed, Winry/Al, one-sided Envy/Ed
Chp. 8 - Youshou Ki - Childhood
---------------------------------------------------------
"You see, Fire's qualities are dry and hot. Air's are hot and wet." Edward explained pointing to the diagram on the chalkboard behind him. "Which quality links these two elements?" A small hand tentatively reveled itself from among the five children sitting before him. "Yes, uh… Henry?"
"Fire and air are connected by 'hot'." Henry said.
"Good." The blonde complimented as the boy smiled up at him. "So how would you change air into fire?" Here Henry was stumped. Fortunately another hand shot up. This time a boy to his left. "Ivan?"
The boy called Ivan cleared his throat dramatically before beginning. "The connected quality stays the same, 'hot', and you change the 'wet' in the air to the 'dry' found in fire."
"Excellent." Edward said as he began erasing the chalkboard. Through the corner of his eyes, he could say Ivan beaming as he nudged Henry. That was Henry two points and Ivan three. He'd counted. "Well, class, that's all we have time for today."
"Can't you teach us some more?" Ivan whined.
"Why should he?!" Another boy complained. "Alchemy is stupid and boring."
"I want to know about the Philosopher's Stone!" Henry piped up.
"Yeah!" Ivan cheered. "Tell us about the Philosopher's Stone, Edward-sensei!"
The Alchemist couldn't help but laugh. Had he and Al been like that at their age? Probably not. But then, it was best if they stayed children for as long as they could. "Sorry, boys. But the Philosopher's Stone is even more boring than learning the components that make up a blade of grass." He said trying to discourage them.
"But my Pops said that the Philosopher's Stone has great powers. He said you cant do anything with it!" Ivan said assuming everything he knew was always correct.
"I'm afraid not." The golden-eyed teen said giving his would be students a fake smile. "Everything in life involves equivalent trade… Everything."
---------------------------------------------------------
"Good afternoon, Alphonse-kun." Roy greeted as the younger Elric took a seat in the chair before his desk. "What can I do for you?"
"I just stopped by to see how you were…" Al said trailing off.
"Ah. That's nice of you. I'm perfectly fine, Alphonse-kun. And you?" Roy responded automatically. It had been like this for two months. Every so often Alphonse would come into his office to see how he was doing. They'd have the mandatory small talk and then Al would leave. Thankfully for the colonel, Al never mentioned Edward.
"I'm fine. I… proposed to Winry today."
"Good for you! Did she like the ring I suggested?"
"Yes. She loved it." Al replied with a slight pinkish tint to his cheeks. "Thank you very much for your advice."
"Of course, Alphonse-kun." Roy said with a nod. "Anytime."
Alphonse simply nodded his thanks back. Taking this as the end of the conversation, the Flame Alchemist began to go back to his paperwork. After all, if he was to have it done by that evening without Hawkeye's gun held at pointblank against his scalp… well, he'd have to work faster.
Unfortunately, the short haired Elric wasn't done. "Taisa…?"
"Hm…?" Roy responded trying to concentrate on the document in front of him.
"How have you been?"
Roy chuckled. "I told you, Alphonse-kun. I've been fine. If not a little tied up with work. But I've been--"
"No." Al said shaking his head. "I mean… how have you been with out…him."
Roy set his pen down and swallowed. His ex-lover hadn't been mentioned by name yet. He could still get out of this unscathed. "I'm not sure who you're talking about, Alphonse-kun."
"You know exactly who I'm talking about, Roy."
Mustang's ears perked up upon hearing his name. He doubted if the younger Elric had ever called him by his first name before. That was it. The biggest rule of formality had been broken, and the game was over. Or it would have been if only Roy hadn't been such a stubborn man
"And how is he?" Roy asked neutrally. "I assume you've kept in contact?"
"Just admit it!" Al snorted. "You want to know where he is. You want to see him again."
"And what if I do?" The older alchemist asked hoping his voice wouldn't crack.
"If you do want to know…?" Al began. "You ask me. And then, I answer you."
"That easy?"
"Yes…"
---------------------------------------------------------
"I wish you wouldn't hide out here." Pinako Rockbell complained shoving a sandwich in front of the braided boy.
"Thanks." Ed said gratefully taking the sandwich.
"I mean, sitting out here in front of your mother's grave can't be healthy. If you want to get any taller, you need proper sleep. In a bed."
"Lay off." Ed scowled through a mouth full of bread and turkey.
Pinako sighed as she took a seat next to one of her good friend's oldest sons. And a boy she saw and treated as her own grandchild. "Edward. You can't hide from your problems forever."
"I said 'lay off'. You're not my mother."
"No. But right now, I'm the closest thing you've got to one." She said snatching the half-eaten sandwich out of the teen's hands. "And if you want another meal from me, you'll listen." Ed narrowed his eyes at the elderly woman, but she narrowed hers sharper still. "I mean it, Edward. I don't know what your problem is. But you can't keep running. Your past always comes back to bite you in the rear. And it's always twice as hard as the last time."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying, Edward Elric, that you need to solve whatever it is that's been eating away at you or I'm going to start charging you for room and board." The Rockbell mechanic and doctor responded returning the turkey sandwich.
---------------------------------------------------------
Alphonse Elric had always been labeled as the sweet, naïve, yet knowledgeable, stable one of the two Elric brothers. The one who wouldn't get in trouble, could never lie, and always washed his hands before every meal.
But then, if that was the case, why did Roy Mustang now find himself unwillingly shoved on a train headed to Rizenbul watching as Alphonse and Winry saw him off at the station? It truly was the end of the world. Manipulative bastard, Flame Alchemist, Colonel Roy Mustang, had just been manipulated by the sweet younger Elric brother who could do no wrong, Alphonse.
"Damn him." Roy scowled staring out the window. He could still here the blonde's voice as he was viciously pushed onto the train.
"Don't forget, when you see Nii-san, be nice. Don't intimidate him, he's like a lost kitten right now. Or maybe lost puppy is a better analogy for you. Just don't swear at him, and don't tease him. Okay? Well, good luck, Taisa! And tell Nii-san I send my love!"
Roy shuttered. That boy was so sweet he could be manipulative. He had to take care to remember that in the future. Alphonse 'sweetly manipulative' Elric. Okay, that was stupid. At least it sounded better then Roy 'worthless' Mustang. Although even Edward 'bean-sized' Elric sounded better. He wasn't worthless. And at that particular moment, Roy truly felt worthless.
He wanted to see Edward. He knew he did. And he'd known all along that if he had asked Alphonse he would have told him, no questions asked. So why hadn't he asked sooner? Pride mostly. And the questions of "what the hell do I say to him once I find him?!", which was still currently running in loops through his brain.
First, there was the direct approach. "Hi Edward! You probably still don't remember me. But I was your lover. Yes. That's right. You're gay. But that's okay, because we had great sex! And guess what! We can still have great sex. What? Right now?! Why, I'd love to…" Yeah, like that would get him anywhere. The slightly amnesic alchemist would probably run screaming in the opposite direction.
Then, there was the round about approach. But then, that could take awhile. Years even. If Roy let the blonde teen remember him on his own, well… it might never happen. If Edward's memory of him and truly been taken as equivalent trade, then there really was no way of getting it back, right?
The Flame Alchemist rubbed his temples vigorously. Really, all this thinking was giving him a headache. He hated train rides. They were long and boring, but worse of all they made him think too much.
Even so, it was all too soon when Roy heard the conductor call out their next destination. "Rizenbul! Next stop, Rizenbul!!"
Roy sighed as he slumped lower into his seat. He still hadn't figured out why he was doing this, and what exactly it was he was going to do.
---------------------------------------------------------
"Stay away from my son!" The woman hollered glaring down at Edward. Ed winced. He'd never realized exactly how high-pitched that woman's voice could become. "All the mother's are talking about you, Mr. Edward Elric. Trying to teach our children Alchemy?"
"They wanted to-" The braided teen started.
"Don't lie to my face! We don't want our children to end up as dogs of the military, thank you very much." She continued turning on her heels. "If I ever see you with any of our children again, you'll regret the day you were born!"
"I already regret the day I was born." Ed muttered to himself when the woman was out of sight. Maybe he shouldn't have asked Envy to stop the colonel from following him. He thought as he headed to his mother's grave. It was awfully lonely. Alphonse and Winry were still in Central. And as much as he disliked the colonel, at least it was some sort of company.
Taking a seat under the tree, Edward began to braid his hair. "Need help? Fullmetal?" the blonde almost flinched at the sound of the familiar voice. No need to ask who that was.
"You can braid?" The younger alchemist asked eyeing the colonel.
Roy smirked. "Of course! I used to have to braid Elicia's hair." Ed shrugged as he turned his back to the black-haired man and handed him his red hair tie. Taking the tie, Roy proceeded to part Ed's hair into three parts. "The country side's more to your liking then the city?" The older man asked casually.
The blonde shrugged again. "I'm the wondering sort. I don't like to stay in one place for too long."
"Yeah…I know." Roy replied almost wistfully. "Which is why Alphonse will be marrying Winry, and not you." Ed snorted just as the colonel added the hair tie to the boy's braid. "There. Done."
"Thanks." Ed mumbled checking his hair for imperfections. Roy nodded in reply. So far they seemed to be getting along fine. In fact, Roy could almost say it was like old times. Almost. "… I'm sorry."
"For what?" He asked, confused.
"For…" Roy waited patiently for the younger man to continue. "For lying and tricking you." Roy cocked his head at the blonde as he stretched out his legs in the long grass. For once, he had know idea what was going on. "I let everyone believe Envy was dead, and… I asked him to make sure you didn't follow me…"
The Flame Alchemist blinked at the younger man as he took in this new information. "That… would explain a lot."
"Yeah…" Ed sighed. "And I remember…"
"Remember what?" Roy asked trying to keep his voice neutral.
"About what happened at the gate. About how I lost my memory."
"Oh?" Not exactly what he wanted to hear. But very well near it.
The golden-eyed teen nodded. He'd had plenty of time to think about it. All that was left was to voice what he had discovered. And Roy was waiting. Edward took in a deep breath before starting. "The person at the gate said that I hadn't done the transmutation process correctly. That I still lacked 'the key'. So as compensation for that, he took away the memory of someone I cared for."
"What was 'the key'?" Roy asked as his alchemist side took over his curiosity.
"That stumped me for awhile too." Ed admitted. "But I think I figured it out. I think the key was all in location."
"Location?"
The older Elric brother shrugged. "I think so. I think if we had done the transmutation in Rizenbul, it would have worked out." Ed paused as he let everything sink into both of their heads. "Location was the key to everything… even my memories…"
Roy turned toward the younger alchemist. Their eyes locked. Mustang clearly heard the younger's eyes speak aloud. But for those words to become verbal, he, Roy, would have to ask the right questions and say the right things, to trigger the truth. But could he really get his hopes up? He'd gotten his hopes up time and time before and it had always come crashing down on him. What was the point? Go with the flow? Or against the current?
"Fullmetal, if Envy told you something about you and me, it's not true."
Edward rolled his eyes. "Like I'd believe anything that jerk told me anyway." Ed huffed indignantly. "But you're right about one thing, it does concern you."
"Fullmetal," Roy said with a warning in his voice. Both to the younger man and himself. If Edward said it, it could change everything. They could go back to the way they were. But what if Ed was just putting up a front? What if it had really just been the homunculi's mind games upon the younger man?
"Don't 'Fullmetal' me, Roy!" Ed scowled yanking that dark-haired man by the collar.
Edward had always been a 'do first, talk later' person. It was still true. And even though it had been mouths since Roy had last tasted his young lover, it was still the same. Still the same Edward. Perhaps the kiss was a little more desperate and hungry then usual. But that was to be expected. After all, long periods of abstinence could drive one crazy.
"So, do you remember?" Edward smirked breaking the kiss
"I never forgot." Roy smirked back with a chuckle. "But are you trying to say that once you came back to Rizenbul you started to get you memory back?"
"Mmm…" Ed hummed. "Not really. After my fight with Envy, I was kind of drifting in and out of consciousness. During that time I dreamed. I dreamed about what happened at the gate. About my brother. My mom. Even my dad. But mostly… mostly I dreamed about you." Ed paused. "Only when I came back to Rizenbul, though, did I realize that those dreams had actually happened. After a few days they finally stabilized into real memories." Roy beamed as he threw his arms around the smaller alchemist. "What're you doing?!" The blonde demanded as a slight pinkish tinge appeared on his cheeks.
"Don't ruin my moment of happiness, Fullmetal." Roy hushed.
"It seems you're a little forgetful now, Taisa." Ed mocked saying the man's title as an insult.
The colonel chuckled. "Of course. Edward." He amended snuggling deeper into the nape of his lover's neck. "I love you Edward."
Before the teen could even think about rolling his eyes, they shot straight open. "You've never said that before." He remarked, shocked.
"I know…" Roy breathed. "Which is why I'm saying it now. I missed you. Even when you were there, you weren't with me. And so, I missed you all the more."
This time, Edward did roll his eyes. "Now you're just being sappy, Roy."
"Don't you love me?" Roy asked with sugar-coated words.
"Of course I do." The golden-eyed alchemist replied bring his flesh hand to his lover's face. "You know I do."
"Mmm…" The Flame Alchemist hummed, not willing to move from his comfortable position.
And so they sat there in silence. The Flame Alchemist and his lover, The Fullmetal Alchemist. Under the tree, atop a hill covered with graves in the country side far from prying eyes. At least, that's what they'd like to think. As if Pinako Rockbell would simply wait at home while something this exiting was happening. The woman smiled. Truly smiled. For life was good. Her granddaughter would be marrying the sweet boy next door. And the older boy next door, the one who tended to get into the most trouble, had finally solved his problems and could live happily ever after with his handsome prince… Well, maybe the colonel wasn't a prince. But even elderly Pinako had to admit that he was handsome, a gentlemen, and most of all, he excepted Edward as who he was. Not the arrogant, cocky, front he put up for everyone, but the real seventeen-year-old boy he was. Best of all, he wouldn't be clingy. Edward was a free spirit, and Pinako intended to keep it that way.
Satisfied, the woman headed home. After all, when Edward finally came to his senses, he'd be hungry.
"You know…" Roy said breaking the silence. "Your brother and the young Rockbell girl will be getting married."
"So?" Ed demanded. Wanting to know what Roy was doing breaking the comfortable silence.
"So, I'm thinking about catching the bouquet. Then I can be the next one to get married!" Roy finished enthusiastically.
"Don't even think about it!" Edward shouted back throwing a handful of grass at the older man. Said man, however, merely laughed at him. And Edward couldn't help but grin back.
Who said angsty stories couldn't have happy endings?
Owari. Fin. End.
---------------------------------------------------------
A/N: there's an epilogue. Why? Because I feel like it, that's why! XD. Anyway, tell me what you think. Seems like the longest chapter ever. Roughly about 2924 words in the actually chapter. XD. Maybe I should've pushed for the 3000? Hahaha.