Creation began on 06-15-19

Creation ended on 06-16-19

Neon Genesis Evangelion

The Living Alchemist: The Promise Made

A/N: Do you ever wonder what might've been said during the train ride between Resembool and Central City?

"…Say, Shinji, you wanna raise the bet?" Alphonse had asked the teenager across the table from him as they were playing cards.

"I'd rather not," Shinji responded. "Don't gamble too much of what you can't afford to lose."

"Okay, then. Try and beat this. I got a full house."

"I win again, Alphonse. Royal flush bests all opposing hands."

"Ah, come on! You must be cheating!"

"What do I have to gain by cheating? I beat Edward twice, and he thought I was cheating when he was the one shuffling the cards."

Edward, sitting on the other end of the car, looked at his brother and their watcher, still fuming over his double loss to Shinji from earlier…and all he lost to the teen was a bag of cookies.

"Are you sure you've never played before?" Alphonse asked Shinji, drinking his water.

"I'm positive," Shinji answered him. "This is the first I've ever played cards before. Care for a rematch against me?"

But Al put his cup down and got up.

"No, I gotta go now," he told him and ran down the opposite end of the car.

"He drank too much water, didn't he?" Ed asked.

"Yes, he did," Shinji answered.

"Hey, Shinji?"

"Yes?"

"Can you do me a favor?"

"What kind?"

"I'd need you to swear it. Swear to me that you can do it."

"I swear, Edward Elric, I'll do whatever favor you ask of me."

"If you ever see that man, please, punch him in his face for me."

"That man?"

"Hohenhiem…me and Al's father…who left home one day and never came back."

Shinji's eyes widened at the request he was being asked to do for Ed. He was expecting Ed to ask him to make a fool of himself, steal something that wasn't his, Hell, to even commit a Human Transmutation himself. But this, assaulting his and Al's father if he ever saw him (and he'd seen a picture of the guy after returning to the Elric household), that was a move he didn't anticipate. Unfortunately, it wasn't something he could refuse now; because he was sworn to by Edward, he had no choice but to uphold his end of the pact that was between them, even if he detested the very idea of doing so.

"Is that really necessary?" He asked.

"He just left and hasn't been seen for years. Even when Mom got sick…and then when she… He never returned. I hate him for that. So, if you ever see him, just punch him once in his face for me. Let him know why he deserved that."

"Is that really necessary? Punching him in his face, I mean. What would that achieve in the end? How would anyone benefit from him getting punched in the face…other than you?"

"I'd do it myself, but you're…taller than I am."

"It's personal, isn't it?"

"If it was your mother that got sick and your father didn't come to see her…wouldn't you want to punch him in the face?"

Shinji sighed and expressed, "If it was me…and I didn't have any fear or hesitations…I'd want to make sure that his nose was bleeding after I punched him."

"So…will you do it?"

"Yeah. You made me swear I'd do it, didn't you? That means I have to."

"Thank you, Shinji."

In a sense, it was probably the worst thing Edward could've asked of Shinji, but because he swore, Shinji was bound by his word. If he ever saw this Hohenhiem person, he would punch him in his face and let him know why he deserved it.

To be continued…

A/N: Since the events are changing, that means that you can expect Shinji to commit things that Ed might do, but not with the same mindset as Edward, including assaulting Hohenhiem.