Title : And the Midnight Hour Awaits Us
Genre : Anime/Manga
Category : Full Metal Alchemist
Disclaimer : Yes, it's true. I don't own it.
Summary : He knew the moment their eyes locked. And not even another world could erase those memories. Post movie, of course. Oh yes, spoiler warning.
Warnings : Pure nostalgia. That is all.
Rating : Does anyone really care? Alright, then. T
His uneven footfalls echoed against the concrete pavement, his steps taken with care due to the inability to move as quickly and as swiftly as they once did. His shadow drifted behind him, his coat billowing at his knees. There was a chill in the air tonight, a new season easing its way through the city.
His gaze drifted from the streetlamp-lit sidewalk to the night sky, its colors a mix of deep violet shades and greys due to the clouds that were confiscating the moon's pale rays, creating an endless mirage of distorted velvet. A tiny smile tugged at the corners of his lips, images of endless nights spent watching that same sky in Resembool with his younger brother coming to mind.
He recalled the times they would sneak out in the middle of the night, just to lay in the grass and gaze up at the shooting stars that would whiz past their innocent eyes, both making wishes that somewhere in the deepest depths of their young minds knew would never come true.
They would talk of the future, of what they hoped to accomplish with the alchemy they had just began to understand. The possibilities were endless nonetheless, but were rather fantasized dreams they barely had the ability to comprehend. But it was still fun either way.
Edward Elric couldn't help but feel his eyes water at the thought, and even though it had been many years since he'd been in that place, he still missed it, but knew it was something he had to leave behind. It was probably the hardest decision he had ever made in his life, but ultimately, he knew it was the right one. He had completed the mission he had set out to do, brought his brother back in one whole(and finally) complete piece, and that was that. You couldn't hold onto things forever.
Of course, he missed the ones that they left behind. Winry and Rose came to visit him in his dreams countless times, conversations passing back and forth aplenty. And even though after time, those pleasant dreams had come to fade, he knew they were happy and content, and that feeling of unrequited happiness for them had settled itself within his soul a long time ago.
A transparent, chilled tear trickled down his cheek, the man actually surprised at his actions. He hadn't cried for those two in quite some time, and the reason why he had succumbed to such an act now was lost on him. Perhaps it was just a stray, as he had once been. Either way, he let it play out, feeling it caress his skin slowly as it made its way down his chin to the cold ground below.
He walked the same path night after night, never quite understanding why. It had just become a routine he had started ever since he'd lost his brother. In his heart, he knew death was an inevitable thing, and that one day, it would come to claim him as well. But it had left him in its wake once again, coming to take his brother before him. He was old enough to understand when it did happen that everything would be alright, but perhaps, in some strange twist of the fate he so hated to believe in, it was supposed to be this way. After all, he'd watched his mother and father dissipate before his eyes, and perhaps, it was only right that he watched his brother make his safe passage to the other side as well. Ultimately, he knew Al was alright, and he carried that thought with him wherever he went.
That had taken place over five years ago, and still, he continued on, though never questioning his place. Life was a never-ending cycle, and all in all, he knew that he was just a small piece connected to the other six billion out there. It wouldn't stop just because one or two people perished, it would continue on, far longer than he could ever imagine. And he accepted that truth, as he had many others in his lifetime.
He and Alphonse had accomplished many things in the time they spent together, adventures that only a person with an open mind or child could believe or hold to be true. He cherished every moment they shared, never taking the time they had for granted for he knew that time was just too precious of a thing, a lesson that had taken him years to grasp.
They'd experienced many things together, and they both knew that when the end had come, it was truly only the beginning.
The man's eyes glimmered once more as images of them as boys flashed through his more than over-crowded mind, his gaze on the street before him though his eyes watching them running to meet their mother after another seemingly endless day of school.
As much as he wanted to forget about those times and push them away, his heart carefully breaking all the while, he kept them close and held them tightly, knowing that when his time did come to pass, perhaps, just perhaps, he could go back there and Al would be waiting for him, just like old times.
"You are such a fool," he muttered to himself, wiping another tear from his still youthful looking face, age doing nothing to stop the child in him from peering through. He shook his head and rounded another corner, home laying just a few more blocks away, his routine almost coming to a close once again.
His mind started drifting again, familiar faces surrounding him with their smiles and playful laughs, albeit a few serious ones thrown in as well. Tonight was just one of those nights apparently. They came few and far between, but when they did, it was almost too much for him to handle.
He was unexpectedly jolted out of his nostalgic trip down memory lane by an unknown impact, the force nearly sending him to the ground. His glasses fell, a faint thought floating through the back of his mind, hoping they hadn't broken. After all, he hadn't had the alchemy to fix broken things anymore, even though that had been taken away from him years ago.
There was a fixed silence as he knelt down to retrieve his thankfully still in once piece possession, a gloved hand putting them back into place. He blinked a few times, letting the sight he was hanging onto return to normal, now seeking out the source of his misplacement. He looked up, his still bright golden orbs staring straight into two deep pools of obsidian, the feeling of being overwhelmed easing into his soul. His mouth hung open slightly as he searched for words, though as hard as he tried, nothing would come.
Instant images of a man he hadn't seen in decades flooded through his mind, he gaping in wonder. All things were identical; the jet black hair that was styled to some point but more than likely just had a comb ran through it; the onyx orbs that held the depths of a thousand night skies; and that smirk, that god-awful trademark smirk that the man had made his own without even trying; they were all there, staring him straight in the face.
Edward Elric didn't know whether to laugh or cry upon realizing this, the fact being almost too much to accept. After all the years he spent on this plane, in this world, he'd never met the person that held the identical features of that man, figuring that it was just one more consequence he'd learn to live with.
But here he was, and as their eyes locked, he knew that not even this world could erase those memories of the man he had secretly looked up to and tried so hard to prove himself to back then. They continued to stare at each other for another long moment, an expression of unsureness washing over the black haired man's features. And for a split second, the thought that this man actually recognized him crossed Edward's mind, but he knew that was false, there being no way in absolute hell that this person knew him. It just wasn't possible.
But that didn't stop the involuntary whisper that parted his lips. It was so quiet that he himself almost didn't hear it, nearly passing it off as the wind.
"Mustang?"
His voice hadn't sounded so childlike and hopeful in years, tears threatening a revolt against him. But he held them in, forcing himself to keep appearance.
The moment the other man heard the name, his eyes widened, ever so slightly, a tinge of confusion marking his expression. But it only took a second for it to disappear, the smirk falling right back into place.
"Sorry, old man," he muttered, giving him once last glance before pushing past him, the smirk only growing wider.
Immediate retaliation of "Who you calling old man, you egotistical, self-centered, half-wit Colonel with a god complex?" nearly escaped his mouth, but he bit them back, the faint hue of impulsive anger that lit up his face going just as fast as it had came. Instead, a murmur of, "Don't worry about it," came, a smile slowly washing over his lips once more. He watched the younger man disappear around the corner, a feeling of completion resting within his soul.
He didn't know how long he stood there, a faint notion that the other man would reappear around that corner nagging at him, forcing him to wait one more second, then another and another. But after awhile, he knew he wasn't going to come back. So he turned, following the path that he did night after night for the past five years, making his way back to the small apartment he kept.
And as he lay down to rest that night, he closed his eyes, falling into the deepest sleep he had in quite some time. It didn't take long, but he could feel something happening to him, something he couldn't quite comprehend. The feeling soon passed, and as it did, he was greeted with the images he had walked in for quite some time. Only instead of this being a dream, he knew he was finally there, and all those familiar faces he had longed to see once again were waiting for him, ready to welcome him back home.
Author's note : You know how some authors say when they're writing something, they actually cry while doing it? Well, call me utterly pathetic, but this time, I actually did. And I'm not exactly an emotional person, so forgive me for the teardrops that littered the screen.
This was inspired by one of four OVAs that were released in Japan; the one in particular entitled Haragen Kids. I don't know the exact link, but you can find it on Hope you liked it. ;)
P.S. Just thought I'd give a reason as to why I didn't go into more detail about their lives than I did. I figure that kind of information should be left up to the reader's imagination, just as it was at the and of the movie. So forgive me for the vagueness. Still hoped you liked it though. :)