Chapter twenty-two

"Hello, my stupid pupil," came a very familiar and terrifying voice that snapped Ed awake. Roy too.

"T-Teacher?" Ed asked shakily, suddenly both terrified and slightly glad that Roy was between them. He just hoped that it didn't mean that Teacher would throw Roy into a wall to get at Ed.

"May I ask just exactly why you're in my room without knocking?" Roy said, his back obviously to her as he was still hugging Ed. "And what your name is?"

Ed felt like he really ought to warn him that he was poking a sleeping dragon, but doing so would probably only serve to make things worse. "Uh, she's Izumi Curtis, she's the one who taught us how to get really good at alchemy. She also taught us how to fight."

"Which is why I should beat you to a pulp for defying my teachings by becoming a State Alchemist!" Teacher barked and Ed yelped, realising that the only reason that he wasn't being beaten to said pulp was the fact that he shouldn't have his face injured.

"Uh, Roy, I think me and Teacher need to have a word in private..."

Because your health is at serious risk.

Roy hugged him tighter, however, obviously in an attempt at protecting him. "You can understand why I'm a bit reluctant to leave you alone with someone who is threatening to beat you half to death?"

Ed had to agree, but he wasn't exactly going to sacrifice Roy's health over his own cowardice. Teacher had every reason to be angry with him and there was no way in hell she'd leave him alone when she had come all the way out here to terrorise him and give him the talking to of a lifetime. "It's okay, Roy... She won't actually kill me..."

Ed could hear impatient tapping from the doorway, knowing that Teacher was tapping her foot impatiently against the floor.

He felt dread fill him. He wasn't too sure if he wasn't about to end up dead after all.

"Ed, are you sure?" Roy asked.

"Mhm... Now go... She and me have a long overdue talk..." Ed's stomach was twisting itself with fear.

Roy sighed and gave him a final squeeze before getting out of the bed. "I'd like to warn you that if you cause him any sort of bodily harm, I have legal grounds to shoot you as his bodyguard." Then Roy left the room and Teacher shut the door with a bang.

Ed yelped. Being blind and seriously at a disadvantage limb-wise was not something he'd ever wanted to meet Teacher with. "H-hi... L-long time no..." Ed froze, feeling his stomach lurch painfully at the thought.

There were a couple of angry stomps coming his way and Ed expected a full-on assault.

...Not a smack to the back of his head. "YOU IDIOT!"

Ed didn't even dare move from where he was lying in bed with the blanket halfway over him. "Y-yes!"

"ARROGANT RUNT!"

Ed didn't dare oppose her. "Y-yes!"

"STUPID BRAT!"

"Y-yes, T-Teacher!" Ed could practically feel waves of fury pulsing from her.

"NOW TELL ME WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED TO YOUR LIMBS BECAUSE THE OFFICIAL VERSION IS THAT YOU LOST THEM BECAUSE OF THE EVENTS IN ISHBAL, BUT AS YOU AND YOUR BROTHER WERE SENT HOME JUST AS THE WAR ENDED AND YOU HAD ALL YOUR LIMBS INTACT, YOU'RE OBVIOUSLY LYING!"

Ed froze. She knew. She must have guessed. And now she just wanted him to be honest about what happened.

He felt his lips quivering. "T-Teacher... We tried to bring Mom back..."

There was silence. Terrifying, deadly silence.

Then Ed was yanked up by the front of his tank top, knowing that he was dead. "I'M GOING TO BEAT YOU TO A PULP ONCE YOUR WOUNDS ARE HEALED!"

Ed froze. That was not what he had expected her to say.

Then he felt tears running down his cheeks as his lips began trembling. "I-I'm sorry... I'm so sorry, Teacher..." he whispered.

Teacher sighed. "You idiot..." Then she put him back down in the bed and tucked him in as she sat down next to him, leaving him confused and stunned. "Tell me everything."

And so Ed did. He told her everything that happened from when they left Dublith and until he got his State Licence.

"You idiot..." she said yet again, but a bit of fondness was finding its way into her voice as she gently stroked the tears away from his cheeks.

"I-I did it again, T-Teacher... Three days ago... A-Al fell into a pool and it washed away the blood seal..." he said weakly, not knowing what he was supposed to do with her caring behaviour.

"It makes sense. You wanted your brother back, and so you lost the ability to ever see him again, while also losing all your shared memories... Because that's what happens when you try to defy nature itself. Because that is the truth of the universe."

Ed froze, his stomach clenching. "Y-you've seen it too?"

Teacher sighed. "I did... And I'm beginning to realise that I ought to have told you two long ago."

He paused. "Teacher... Can I... Can I ask who...?"

"My son... For a long time it seemed we were barren, and when we finally were able to conceive, I ended up falling gravely ill... He was never able to take a living breath in this world... And so I committed the Taboo and was left with a body that could never bear children."

Ed felt some horrible realisation hit him, making his stomach clench even further. "Is that why you're sick?"

"I lost some of my insides..." Her answer was a solemn one.

"I-I'm sorry... I-I'm so s-sorry..." Ed whispered, right before he broke down into sobs.

He suddenly felt himself get pulled up onto her lap as she put her arms around him like a mother would. "... I know, you stupid boy... I'm sorry too..." she said softly.

Ed just clutched her dress in his hand as he sobbed even louder.

"Also, you're expelled," Teacher suddenly told him as his sobs dried up, her stroking motion up and down his back stopping abruptly.

Ed froze. "Oh... Uh..." He was suddenly afraid that the tenderness was over and that he was about to be thrown into a wall. "...I guess that's only to be expected..." he admitted.

"It certainly is! You defied my teachings by both joining the military dogs and committing the Taboo! You are no longer my student and that's final," she said sternly.

Ed nodded. "Fine, Teacher..."

"Like I said, you are no longer my apprentice, and so I am not your teacher from this point on. You do not get to call me that!"

"...Oh... Sorry." Ed moved to get out of the hug that had suddenly turned out to be rather awkward.

She obviously had other plans and held him tighter. "I did not say that we were done talking," she said sharply.

Ed went still immediately. For some reason, being held hostage in a hug was actually just about as terrifying as being beaten continuously to a pulp. "O-okay?"

"Me and Sig will be staying for a while."

He froze. "You are? But if I'm expelled, then you have no reason to be here, do you?"

"Pinako Rockbell called me right after you rang them from the hospital. She asked me to come here to knock some sense into your head, and I intend to do so. However, as your head is currently off limits until you get your ocular prostheses, it would seem that we'll be here for a few weeks. Also, you're going to need assistance when getting used to your new automail."

"Oh... uh... thanks?" Ed said awkwardly. It was the only thing he could think of saying to her declaration. He was touched and surprised and scared and confused all at the same time.

Roy was standing in front of the bedroom door, not able to hear what was going on now that Mrs. Curtis wasn't shouting at Ed.

Then the door was suddenly thrown open and he had a pair of sweatpants and a singlet shoved at his chest by the angry woman. "Change into this and meet me in the garden when you have helped Ed in the bathroom."

Then she strode past him and went downstairs.

Roy went inside his room, finding Ed sitting on the edge of the bed, looking pale. He immediately went over to him, throwing away the clothes before kneeling down and putting his hands on Ed's shoulders. "Hey, what's wrong?!" he asked urgently.

"Teacher is taking on a new student..." Ed whispered.

Roy cupped his cheeks. The kid seemed horrified and something was definitely wrong. "Ed, what's going on here?! What did she say?! Did she hurt you?!"

"Nuh-huh... She expelled me... You're her new student," Ed said in what looked like numb shock.

Roy paused. "What? What do you mean?"

"Apparently you're gonna need some training for her to be satisfied with you as our bodyguard... Have fun."

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