Time Slip

Chapter 1

It was raining in Central. Raining hard. It had been overcast for several days, but this was the first actual rain, and it had begun with relatively little warning. Because of the suddenness of the downpour, many people had been caught outside unawares. One of these people was a tall Ishbalan who went by the name of Scar. He was currently running through the streets, searching for some kind of shelter from the pouring rain. With his sunglasses on he could barely see, and the strong wind whipped at his clothes, nearly throwing him off balance a few times. After nearly running into a lamp post for what felt like the fifth time, he irritably tore off the glasses with a small growl; it wasn't like anyone would see his eyes or care in this weather, and he needed to be able to see where he was going. As he ran past an alley, he caught sight of something that looked like an overhang. It would do. Turning into the alley and practically sprinting for what little cover the overhang would offer, his foot landed in a patch of slick mud of some kind. He slipped and skidded into a small cluster of stacked metal trash cans, one of them falling to smash into the back of his head. His vision swam as he fought to stay conscious, but within seconds everything had faded into black.

Exactly 20 Years Earlier…

A small boy, about ten years of age, walked sulkily through the outer part of the city. The desert sun beat down on him, and he raised his head to stare up at the sky, using his arm to shield his crimson eyes from the glare. Turning his gaze back down to earth, he sighed and ran his fingers through his brown hair. He and his older brother had gotten into an argument, which ended with him stomping out of the house and proceeding to wander the city aimlessly. It had been a stupid fight, he realized now after having some time alone to cool off. He really should go apologize…

'But only if niisan apologizes first,' he thought wryly as he turned to run back to his house. But as he turned, his sandal caught on a stone imbedded in the street. He pitched forward, his head slamming into a stone wall in front of him; he was out cold.

Scar returned to consciousness slowly, letting out a small groan as he realized how much his head hurt. He blearily noticed that whatever he was lying on now was soft, dry, and warm, very unlike what he had been lying on when he had been knocked out.

"Ah, you're finally awake," a familiar voice spoke from somewhere near him…a very familiar voice.

Scar's eyes snapped open immediately; he had been right. His older brother was standing right next to him, "Am…am I dead?"

His brother laughed, "Of course you aren't dead. You had quite a blow to the head; you were unconscious all afternoon and all night."

Scar blinked, then looked around him, and down at his right arm, which was skinny and bereft of the tattoo which had been located there for so long. He was in his childhood home, and he…he was a child again. He looked up at his smiling brother for a few seconds, eyes wide, then pushed himself up and threw his arms around his brother's waist, burying his face in his shirt, "Niisan…niisan, I don't hate you…" tears were running down his face but he didn't care, all that mattered was that this was his brother and he was alive and he had to tell him, "I don't hate you, I don't hate you…"

His brother looked a bit surprised at first, then his expression softened and he put a hand on Scar's head, "Ssshhh, it's okay…I know you don't…"

But Scar didn't stop until he simply fell asleep, his child body exhausted from the tears and the intense emotions of the situation.

The cold was what woke the young boy up, as well as the wet. He was completely soaked, and it was never this cold in Ishbal. Shivering, he tried to curl up, but he seemed to be trapped underneath several big, cold, hard things. He slowly opened his eyes to see that he was lying on wet, dirty stone, and that the things on top of him seemed to be big metal trash bins, judging by the way they were full of horrible smelling garbage. There was a muscular arm in front of him, the yellow sleeve pushed back to reveal a twining black tattoo. Frightened that someone whom he didn't know was lying there, he jerked upwards, sending the trash cans flying…and the arm moved with him. It was his arm. Feeling suddenly very afraid, he turned down to look at his reflection in a large puddle next to him. The face looking back at him wasn't his own…it was that of a stern-faced adult, with white hair and a large, X-shaped scar on his forehead. Slowly, he moved his hand up to trace the scar, and the reflection copied this movement. It really was him. The boy swallowed audibly, shakily standing up and looking around him, trying his best to stay calm. He was in a dingy stone alleyway, the sky was heavy with dark clouds, and there was nobody around. He thought that he heard noise coming from farther down, so he walked cautiously, if a little unsteady on these tall legs he wasn't used to, down near the end of the alley, peering out onto the street beyond. Quite a few people were walking, but they all had strangely colored hair and eyes, and he shrunk back quickly when a large military jeep zoomed past. He had no idea where he was or how he'd gotten there, and he was in this strange body. He pinched himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming, but all that happened was that his arm hurt; it wasn't a dream. Abruptly, he sat down…this was too much for him. Curling his knees into his chest, he began to cry softly. He wanted to be back in his own body. He wanted his niisan. He wanted to go home.

A/N: Aaaaawwwww…Scar gets to see his niisan again! -squeal- Poor little!Scar, though, all freaked out and alone. But he won't be alone for long! Next chapter he'll get some new friends; I'll give you three guesses who they are, and the first two don't count. Hope you enjoyed the first chapter!