9

-1Wow. Long time no update. Don't hate me por favor.

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Last time:

"Well," he said, holding the dog up in front of himself, "What should we name her?"

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Al regarded the dog for a moment, his eyes taking in the entire of the small puppy before shrugging. "She's your dog, Nii-san, you get to name her." Ed's eyes narrowed on thought. He was no good at this sort of thing. He and Al had never been allowed a pet in their childhood, and Ed forbade the smuggling of any animals inside Al's old body during their travels. Ed had no pet-naming experience to speak of.

"Hachi. (1)"

Al blinked, not sure if he heard his brother correctly. "…Hachi? I lied. You'r

e not allowed to name the dog."

"What?!"

"Face it Nii-san, you don't know how to properly name an animal!"

"I helped name you, didn't I? (2)"

"What is that supposed to mean?" Al huffed, crossing his arms and mock glaring at Ed.

The elder snorted. "You know exactly what I mean."

"No, Nii-san­, I think you need to explain this a bit more. Are you insinuating that I am an animal?"

"Well, actually, you are and animal. You are of the species "human". Need I go into further detail?"

"You know what I meant Nii-san!" Al pouted cutely, turning away from Ed, who smirked, fighting a laugh. He hugged the puppy to his chest with one hand and stroked it with the other. So what if Hachi was a strange name? Roy Mustang was even stranger (Ed always wondered what possessed his superiors parents to name him that). Was Hachi such a weird name?

"Well I think it suits her." Ed stated, an air of finality to it, and Al knew that his brother wouldn't relent. Hachi yipped and wiggled to get down. He set her gently on the floor only to have her dance around his feet, pawing and nipping playfully. Ed smiled lightly and pulled his discarded shirt on before beckoning to Al. "Let's go outside and train a bit, if you're up to it. Your body's been getting lazy all these years," he suggested, looking at Al's thin and highly un-muscular form. Al's face lit up and he nodded vigorously. They ran out of the room, and Ed felt like they were in their old bodies back when they were children, They darted through the halls, Al giggling madly and Hachi bounding after them, pink tong flopping around wildly and brown eyes wide and alert. They chased each other aimlessly through the halls until they came upon a door that led outside. Ed flung himself on to the grass and lay in his back, looking skyward toward the deep blue sky dotted with fluffy, cotton-like puffs that some called clouds (though Ed preferred the term "floating inconveniences" because they always rained on him at the worst of times). Al flopped down next to him and made an "omph"ing noise as Hachi jumped onto his chest.

"I've forgotten what the grass feels like," Al mumbled, rolling over onto his stomach, dumping Hachi off and looking over to Ed with sparkling eyes. The elder's expression quickly fell, and he looked away from Al, whose brow creased in worry. "Oh Nii-san, I didn't mean it like that. I only mean that I'm happy now that I can feel everything you can again. I can taste and smell and feel and I have emotions. It's so amazing. I never would have appreciated them this much if I hadn't been in my armor for so long. We've already been through this. It's not your fault and I'll beat you up the moment you even think it." The alchemist sighed but said nothing. Hachi suddenly appeared in his line of vision and dragged his wet tongue right up Ed's face, making him emit a noise that sounded something like "yelch!" before swiping a sleeve across his mouth. Al snorted and gave the puppy a ruffle on his head. Before the younger brother knew what was happening, Ed had him pinned on his back.

"You let your guard down." Was all he said, an evil smirk thrown across his features. Al smirked right back. Bringing his feet up under Ed, he pushed, effectively rolling the older boy off of him before he scrambled to get his footing stabilized. He had barely gotten his balance when the first blow came. Al knew that Ed wasn't fighting hard, but even this level of combat was too hard for Al. even thought his mind was trained to fight, his new body wasn't capable of keeping up. Ed attacked and blocked only with his flesh limbs out of fear of hurting Al. Steel wasn't the thing one wanted to impale themselves on during light training. Al grinned as he kept going through the motions of sparring.

Sweat started to glisten on the younger brothers forehead, even though they had not been training for long, and Ed ordered a rest, much to Al's dismay.

"Brother, I was finally getting used to it!" he complained, flopping down with his back against a tree. Despite Al's complaints, Ed could clearly see that the exercise was making Al tired.

"Al, you need to work your body up to our old level of combat. That's going to take a long time. In the mean time, there's no need to be reckless and pull a muscle. You just got your body back, no use in beating it up already. There'll be plenty of time for me to do that later anyway." The alchemist said, smirking and sitting down next to Al, who frowned, delicate features twisting slightly.

"It's not nice to take advantage of my situation. You know full well that I've never lost to you in a fair fight." It was true, too, and Al knew that Ed knew it. Now that Al was physically unable to match Ed's level was no reason to use it to his advantage. As soon as he was strong again, Ed would get what was coming to him. Al was unaware of the slightly evil smile that spread across his features, and Ed gave him a startled glance, not used to that sort of expression on his brothers face (or any expression, at that). He wondered what sort of sadistic thoughts were running through his head. Shuddering but not commenting, Ed petted the short length of Hachi's soft body. The little dog clambered onto Ed's lap, circled a few times, then plopped himself down for a nap. Ed smiled softly.

'This dog has the right idea,' Ed thought, laying down on the grass and pillowing his head on Al's thigh (3) and closed his eyes. Al laughed and ran his fingers through the rough strands of Ed's hair. Strange. Al had always imagined Ed's hair being soft and feathery, but in fact it was really straw-like. He supposed it was because Ed had never really taken an interest in his personal appearance, only going far enough in his grooming to stay presentable and sanitary.

Seeing his brother and the puppy drifting off to sleep made Al's eyelids become a burden to keep open, so he made himself comfortable against the tree he was leaning on and fell into a light nap, a soft smile gracing his gentle lips, his hand still on Ed's hair.

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In Ed's opinion, he had not been asleep quite long enough before he awoke to the wet slapping of a slimy something against his face. He grimaced when he realized what it was, and held up an arm to block the attacking puppy tongue. Reluctantly opening his eyes, he saw that it was a little past noon, and Al was still dozing next to him.

"Okay, okay, I'm up!" he said to Hachi, who was still attacking Ed's face with her tongue. An idea suddenly struck him, and grinning semi-evilly, he picked Hachi up and held her in front of Al's face. Hachi paused for a moment, confused, then started wagging her small tail back and forth when she realized that there was another face to lick right in front of her. Her whole body was wiggling with the new excitement, and Al groaned and cinched his face up, trying to get rid of the annoyance.

"Oh Aaaaalll…" Ed called, making sure Hachi was covering as much of his brothers face as she could, " Ototo, it's time to get up. I'm starving." It wasn't a lie, either. Who knows how long he'd been asleep in the hospital, and he hadn't eaten when he'd woken up. His stomach chose that moment to complain loudly at him for his neglect. "Ah, gomen, gomen," he said sheepishly, patting his stomach with the hand that wasn;t holding Hachi up.

"Nii-san!" Al exclaimed, pushing the older away blindly.

Ed stood. "C'mon, Al, let's go find something to eat." Hachi jumped at his heels as if she were agreeing. Al wiped the sleep from his eyes and stood also, stretching a bit. They made their way back to the castle, smiling and joking lightly. As they entered the castle, a stream of students walked by, chatting noisily. Ed fished around in his pockets, tugging on the gloves that always remained there. They were already attracting strange glances without him flaunting his auto-mail around. A few students whispered behind hands and books while the peeked curiously over at the brothers. Ed scowled at this. He had mistakenly thought that being absent from his own world, in which he was well known, that he might have gotten away from the talk and stares.

"This way, I think," he stated, indicating with his head which direction he intended heading in. Al nodded and followed, patting his leg to get Hachi's attention. The small dog had been sniffing the air with enthusiastic curiosity in the direction of the mass of students. Now however, that her attention had been diverted back to the Elrics, she bounded happily after them, inexperienced legs working awkwardly under her. After a few wrong turns and some cursing on Ed's part (much to Al's disapproval) they managed to make their way back to the hospital. Just as they rounded the corner, however, Dumbledor appeared, looking as serene and placid as he had earlier in the day. Ed's brow furrowed in anger, his amber eyes glaring with unmasked hate at the man before him. Hands clenched tightly in his pockets when Dumbledor smiled lightly at him as if nothing was wrong.

"Well, Elric-san, we've been looking for you. I dare say that Madam Pomfery is wanting her table back." He regarded the puppy with a nod of his head. Ed growled and Al scooped Hachi up protectively in his arms. She whined, licking his fingers as if to ask, 'What's wrong?'

"What the hell is wrong with you, you bastard?!" Ed yelled, not bothering to hold back. Dumbledor looked slightly surprised.

"Wrong? Why, nothing is wrong, my dear boy, except for old age and perhaps a touch of madness, I'm perfectly fine. Now, as I said, our Hospital Wing is still short one table. Now, if you please." He held out two hands toward Al, waiting for the puppy to be placed in his hands. Al only have him a horrified look, turning away.

"Find yourself another table. I won't allow you to transmute Hachi. It's cruel and sick and I won't stand for it!" He made a swiping gesture with his auto-mail arm, as if to portray to the older man that he was not to take a step closer. The tension in the atmosphere was suffocating heavy, and it seemed to be pressing down on all three occupants of the hallway. A somber look settled over his features. Dumbledors beard twitched slightly, and Ed was slightly annoyed to find the man smiling at him.

"Of course. Now if you'll follow me back to the Hospital wing…Poppy is in quite a state." He swept off down the hall, robes swirling around his feet. Ed cast a look at Al before following. When they entered, they saw Envy lounging on his bed, ever-present smirk gracing his thin lips. Ignoring the sin for the moment, Ed placed the puppy down in his bed before tossing himself onto it, sprawling his limbs every which way. The old man pulled up a chair, settling down so he could face all three of the strangers at once.

"Now," he said gently, "there are some things that I need to discuss with you. I know you are not interested in becoming students here, but I'm sorry to say that wizarding law forbids you to leave at this moment. You will have to stay here for the time being."

Ed was the first to react. He sat bolt upright, anger rolling off of him in waves. "You listen here!" the blonde demanded, "I have been taking care of myself and my brother for over four years. You have no right to tell me what I can and cannot do! You have no right to say we can't leave!" Ed's angry fists were clenched in his lap. Dumbledor frowned slightly.

"In the eyes of the wizarding world, you are all still minors-"

This time Envy growled.

"Apparently you don't recall our earlier conversation. I am far older at this moment than you will ever be, by about four hundred years! I will damn well leave when I like, which is now." The sin stood and walked briskly toward the door.

He didn't get very far.

Envy got about halfway before Dumbledor acknowledged that the boy wasn't turning back. With grace that looked as if it had taken years to accomplish, he whipped out the stick they had seen earlier, swirling it in the direction that Envy was walking in, and uttered a word that neither Al nor Ed had ever heard before. A jet of light shot past Envy before hitting the doors, causing them to swing shut with a BANG! that reverberated throughout the entire hospital wing. Envy reach the doors, grasping the handles and pulling, only to find that they didn't open.

"Open it damn it!" he yelled, twisting around to give the older man a glare.

"I am not finished speaking to you yet. Please, have a seat and hear me out." Ed was surprised that the headmaster was able to keep a calm demeanor. If Envy had spoken to him in that manner, the sin would have found his face punched in. Said sin gave the door a few more futile tugs before looking between the blockade between him and freedom and person who kept him captive.

"Fine!" Envy huffed. It was obvious that he was not used to being so helpless in any situation, and the change made him very irritable, much to Ed's delight.

"Allow me to correct my mistake. Two of you are under the legal age in the wizarding world. However, that is not only what is keeping you here. You are foreign, neither magic nor muggle, and we are in a time of tense war. It would be unsafe and unwise to venture off by yourselves in a world you know nothing about at this moment." He folded his hands in his lap, stick having disappeared.

"But like I said…" then Ed paused, "Wait…how did you know that we were from another world?" His eyes narrowed suspiciously. The older man chuckled.

"It's fairly obvious. You say "transmute" instead of "transfigure", your are not magic, yet you are not muggle, and you," he now turned his attention directly at Envy, "You are not human."

Envy's mouth twitched. "What's it to you, old man?" he asked, defensive instincts flaring immediately. Dumbledor sighed.

"There is a law against non-human creatures being unmonitored by the Ministry. If you want to leave, you have to agree to full-time Ministry surveillance. Though, I'm not sure if anyone in the Ministry will even be able to see that you are not human. I certainly wont be the one to tell." He winked a twinkling blue eye. Envy did not return any kind gestures.

"So you're saying I'm stuck here until I'm legal?!" Ed protested loudly. His face was contorted with anger.

"Nii-san, I think we should…if there's a war going on…" Al looked down at his hands nervously. Ed's face softened.

"Al, If I can manage to protect you from homunculi, Dante and the rest of the military, I think we'll be okay," the blonde said soothingly. Envy sneered.

"Don't forget, chibi, your baby brother is much more frail in this body."

"You leave Al alone. Any business you have is with me, not him!"

"We're here because of you, so I'll do as I please!"

"Look, first of all, it wasn't me who preformed the transmutation. If you hadn't killed me to begin with, none of this would have happened! So it's your fault."

"Silence please!" Dumbledor commanded. The bickering ceased. "Now, I know that you all have your reasons for wanting to leave, and I daresay that you want to return to your world, but you would be much worse off if the ministry were to pick you up. Please believe me, the last thing you need is for the Ministry to discover you and where you're from. It's far safer for you to stay here. I believe, Edward, that you are sixteen now. When you turn seventeen, you will be able to claim guardianship over your brother and do as you please, and you, Envy, I am not going to force you to stay, but if you leave, I cannot offer you any protection from the government. I have something to offer you, and I hope that you will listen and consider it seriously." The man leaned back I his chair. Ed gave him a calculating look, but said nothing. Envy also said nothing, an ugly scowl across his features.

"As you know, this is a school for magical students. Stay here. Let us teach you about this world and how to use it's powers. Your return home may depend on it. Next year, when Edward turns seventeen, if you decide you don't like it, that you are not gaining anything from it, you are all free to leave, no strings attached. You can't go out into the wizarding world ignorant to how it works."

Al's eyes lit up.

"Oh, Nii-san, can we? Can we please stay? I want to lean about this place! And what if we do get caught by the Ministry…" he trailed off uncertainly. Ed looked thoughtful.

"I have no money, nothing to put either of us though school. If we leave, I could at least get a job and earn money." the alchemist argued.

"Now now, I am offering a personal invitation. You need not worry about the money. If you feel so compelled, you may pay me back when you leave, but I will not begrudge you the loan. It would be unfair."

Ed leaned forward and rested his chin on his hands. He had a contemplative look on his face. It was guaranteeing food, shelter and even school for free for one year. Ed would have passed it up in an instant, but he could see how much Al wanted it, and the old man did have a point; knowledge of this world may be the key to getting back to Ametris.

There was a few moments where there was silence before it was broken by Ed saying, "Okay, we'll stay."

Envy was not so easily persuaded.

"What benefits do I really have by staying here? Returning to our world doesn't matter much to me. Why would I want to stay here?"

"I can offer protection from the government. Maybe not completely, but certainly far more than you would have trying to make it on the streets. There is nothing you can lose from being here, I am promising you food and shelter for the next year, at least."

It surprised Ed. He expected a huge debate and much fighting. The blonde did not expect the sin to stretch, yawn, flop onto a bed and mumble out "fine, whatever," and turn away. Needless to say, his mouth was probably hanging wide open. Then he groaned.

He, Al and Envy were going to be spending the next year in the same building every single day.

Oh joy.

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(1) For anyone who's seen the NANA movie…heehee…

(2) For the sake of my story…why the hell not. XD

(3) Just to squash any thoughts right now, there is no Elricest in this story. Don't read too far into brotherly affections.

Ed: Well, great job idiot. You've only waited MONTHS to update this.

Me: I'm sorry! I've been super busy with school….

Al: Ed, leave her alone. She has a lot to do.

Ed: Yeah, like what?

Me: … you asked. takes deep breath School, work, projects, crew, volunteer, drawing, cleaning, working some more, school some more, and hanging out with friends.

Envy: You forgot "reading yaoi"

Me: OO fwaps Envy

Envy: OW! What the hell was that for?!

Me: YOU'RE the one taking my yaoi! I was WONDERING where it was disappearing to!

Envy: …shit.

Ed: Well…that explains a lot… . ;

Al: oO what's yaoi?