And so the Years Flew
Disclaimer: I do not own FMAB
First of 2 chapters to be posted today. Just finishing up the second one, should be up within the next hour or two, if not, later tonight, but it will be up today.
Enjoy!
September
"I get to start school next year big brover." Alexia giggles as Joseph gets ready for school.
"Yeah, and if you want to and ask dad, maybe alchemy training that following summer." Joseph replies.
"Yeah!" Alexia squeals. Joseph grabs his gloves that his father had specially made for him, a transmutation circle on the outside. It was a basic, use for anything type circle, but his father figured it would come in handy in a pinch.
"Now remember Joseph, no using it to show off." Winry says.
"I won't mom." Joseph smiles as he walks out to the car where his father is waiting. He hops into the car and buckles up before they leave.
"Excited for first grade?" Ed asks as they drive.
"I guess. Last year was too easy." Joseph says.
"Well, it doesn't surprise me. Your mother and I taught you a decent amount of what the school would teach you. This year will be a little different." Ed says.
"How?" Joseph asks.
"You'll be there until three and have more classes like art, music, physical education, but that should be easy compared to the training you had this summer. You'll have a lunch period and recess. Other than that, you'll learn a lot more about math, science, history and literature." Ed says.
"Cool, more stuff to do." Joseph smiles. Ed smiles at his son.
"I'm glad you have the want to learn. And to stay in school." Ed says.
"Why's that?" Joseph asks.
"I slacked off in school. I was so obsessed with alchemy and…doing something I really shouldn't have that I practically dropped out by the time I was your age. That's when I went to Izumi to train. I was practically self-taught by then, not to mention Izumi really did teach a lot more than that school way out in Resembool. A lot of people out there don't have even I high school education, more like equivalencies because of a family business. By the time I was eleven, I had to go in for two surgeries for my automail limbs, and then at twelve, I joined the military. Everyone knew it was against the law, but the Fuhrer at the time was not exactly what one would call moral. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I don't want you to do what I did." Ed says.
"Well, if I knew what you did, I wouldn't do it." Joseph says with wide interested eyes.
"I'll tell you when you're older. It's not something I'm too particularly proud of." Ed says.
"Will it explain why you can transmute without a circle?" Joseph says.
"Yes." Ed says.
"Then I can wait." Joseph smiles as they pull up to the school.
"Good. Also, there's going to be few things in history that are fudged. I'll tell you that at the same time, since I was a part of it. They fudged it because the general populace doesn't need to know what really happened." Ed says.
"Ok. I'll see you when you get home. I'll try to have my homework done by then so we can train before dinner." Joseph smiles before he gives his father a hug and then hops out of the car to school.
That night
Ed and Joseph spar as Ed teaches him the fundamentals of alchemy. As they spar, a woman and her child, one of Joseph's classmates pass by at the moment that Ed delivers a kick, throwing Joseph to the ground, panting.
"My god man! What in heaven's name are you doing to your son?" The woman gasps. Joseph stands with a groan before he looks to the woman and child.
"Alex, hi!" Joseph shouts.
"Hi Joseph! Why did your dad kick you?" Alex asks stunned.
"He's training me." Joseph shrugs before he starts for a flying leap at his father, landing a solid kick to his stomach before jumping back and landing on the ground same time his father hits the ground.
"Well done son." Ed laughs as he rubs his stomach.
"I think my foot will be bruised though." Joseph teases.
"Why do you say that?" Ed asks.
"Your tummy is hard as a rock papa." Joseph says.
"Years of training. But you actually hit the weak spot." Ed says as he lifts his short to show his son the massive scar.
"That had to hurt." Joseph says.
"You have no idea what it's like to be impaled." Ed sighs.
"Excuse me but sir, what are you training your son in that requires such violence?" The woman asks.
"Alchemy and martial arts. Martial arts helps to hone the reflexes mind and body, which in turns helps him to retain the alchemy I am teaching him. He reads the books on weekends before we spar." Ed says.
"Shouldn't you go a little easy on him?" She asks.
"This is easy." Ed says.
"Yeah, that was papa's metal leg. If he was going full out, I would be in the hospital." Joseph says with a shrug.
"And what does his mother think about this?" She huffs.
"Right here. As far as I'm concerned, if our son wants to spar and fight and learn how to use alchemy, then so be it. My husband underwent the same training when he was his age." Winry says from the doorway.
"Yeah, soon papa will be teaching all of us." Joseph smiles before he gets back to training with his father.
2 years later
"Welcome to Rockwell automail." Joseph greets as the clients walk into the building.
"Hello there young man. Is Winry around?" an elderly man asks.
"She's doing some prep work for another client." Joseph replies.
"Could you let her know that Nicolas is here?" The elder man asks.
"Sure mister." Joseph pipes before he runs to the back of the store.
"Mom, a man named Nicolas is here." Joseph says.
"Thanks for letting me know sweetie." Winry says as she stands up and follows her son back out to the front desk.
"Nicolas, how's the arm treating you?" Winry smiles.
"Fit as fiddle Winry. Might I ask who the young man at the front desk is?" Nicolas asks as he looks to Joseph.
"This is Joseph, my oldest son." Winry beams.
"My goodness he sure has grown. How old is the boy now?" Nicolas asks.
"I'm eight." Joseph smiles before his father walks into the shop.
"Let me guess, either a bolt came loose from last upgrade, you ran out of oil, or it's jammed." Winry lists. Ed rolls his eyes.
"Or d, none of the above. You know I'm restless on my days off." Ed huffs.
"Isn't Izumi coming to town for the next day or so to train Joseph and Kaio since Alexia and Nita are just starting to learn?" Winry asks and suddenly Joseph's stomach drops a little.
"Oh yeah." Ed chuckles.
"I hate when he chuckles like that." Joseph groans.
2 hours later
"Now, I'm not sure if you boys have even attempted any sort of transmutation." Izumi says to the two exhausted boys.
"A little bit." Joseph manages to pant out.
"But I'm sure you know the basic structure." Izumi implores.
"Yeah, there needs to be a circle to form the matrix and the formula or runes to activate it. But you, papa, Uncle Ed and Fuhrer Mustang all just clap your hands and can make the alchemy happen." Kaio says.
"Yeah, why is that. I mean papa told me once that it was because he did something bad, but still." Joseph says.
"That is for your fathers to tell you. I never told them, but I believe if I had, it wouldn't have changed the outcome of what happened. But I do believe that if they tell you, you will not make the same foolish mistake your father did. As for Mustang, well, he wasn't given a choice." Izumi says grimly before they start up again.
"It's good to see your fathers have helped to improve your fighting." Izumi laughs as she spars with the boys.
"She's good." Kaio pants.
"Duh. She trained our fathers." Joseph scoffs.
"Point." Kaio shrugs before they jump back into the fight, punching and kicking while at the same time listening to her as she teaches them some slightly more advanced skills in both combat and alchemy.
"Alright boys, that's enough for today. Now time for you to rest and them tomorrow, training from hell continues." Izumi smiles before they walk into Ed's home.
"How are they doing?" Winry asks as May helps her in the kitchen.
"Wonderfully, and luckily, they haven't made the mistake of calling me old." Izumi chuckles.
"What would happen if we did?" Kaio asks.
"You would find out that she can drop kick you five blocks away." Ed chuckles as he and Al come downstairs.
"How was the research?" May asks.
"My head feels numb." Al says.
"Well, you two were up there for two hours. What did you expect to happen?" Winry quips.
"Yeah, but still." Ed chuckles as he and Al get a glass of water each to try and help with their headaches. Soon enough dinner is ready and everyone sits down to eat, chatting as they do.
"So Ed, Al, when do you plan on telling your sons why you transmute differently?" Izumi asks.
"When they're ten." Ed and Al reply.
"Wise choice." Izumi smiles as they continue to eat before Al, May and their four children head out and Izumi finds her guest room.
2 years later
Joseph and Kaio sat in the living room of Ed and Winry's home, Winry and the other children were out and about so it gave the four males the privacy to discuss the serious matter at hand. They had to wait until Kaio was ten before deciding to tell them why they and the others transmute differently.
"Are you boys sure you're ready to know?" Al asks.
"Yes." Both boys reply.
"Alright then. The reason Alphonse and I can transmute differently is because we did the ultimate taboo in alchemy. We attempted human transmutation to bring back our dead mother. It cost me my arm and Alphonse his whole body..." Ed says as he continues to explain to the boys why they tried, why they even wanted to learn alchemy, why Ed joined the military, and so on. They boys listened intently as it was all explained to them. When all was said and done they were not only stunned to learn some of the dark history about the country, but the origins of their fathers and what they had done to right the wrongs they had made. They even learned how Ed got his alchemy back, which explained why Al was missing a leg.
"And that's pretty much it." Ed concludes to the two wide-eyed boys.
"Wow." Kaio says.
"Now I see why you wanted to wait until we were older and had started to learn it ourselves." Joseph adds, rubbing his head a little.
"Yeah, please promise that, no matter what could possibly happen to me, your uncle, aunt, mother, siblings or cousins, or even friends, that you won't attempt the taboo. Trust us, it doesn't work." Ed says.
"We promise." Both boys say sincerely.
3 years later
"Happy Birthday Joseph!" Everyone cries as the party commences. Presents were passed towards the new teenager and of course he opens them with vigor, thanking everyone for the gifts. Joseph notices the gift from his father is rather small, so he expects it's majorly significant. Carefully he unwraps the gift and opens the box to find a pair of white gloves with a basic alchemical transmutation circle embroidered onto the fabric. He knows that these gloves have to not only be specially made for alchemists to be able to perform alchemy, but that the only way to get them is through the military with the approval of the Fuhrer should they not be for anyone in the military.
"Do you like them?" Ed asks casually.
"Are you insane dad? They're perfect!" Joseph exclaims at his father, smiling widely.
"I figured you were old enough by now to have your own pair. I guessed and got a medium." Ed says as Joseph tries them on, smiling at how they fit.
"Thanks dad!" Joseph beams.
"You're welcome. Happy thirteenth birthday son. There are two more pairs in on your bed." Ed chuckles.
"Sweet." Joseph smiles before the rest of the party ensues, naturally with him trying out the gloves and enjoying how well they worked.
"You've created a monster." Winry mutters to Ed.
"Don't you mean we've created a monster?" Ed chuckles as Winry rolls her eyes at both her husband and her son.
Again, keep a lookout for the next and final chapter of Long Time No See. It will be up today. Please R&R while you wait.