Edward couldn't help but sneer slightly when he saw the state of the city. It was so… busy. Yes, that was the perfect word for it. Cars ho, people were running back and forth, throwing things to each other… and then his eyes caught the back of a familiar blond head with a ponytail, walking away. His father. Finally, someone he knew.

"Dad-hey Dad!" Ed ran after him, almost getting run over by a car in the process. He waved a hand in apology at the furious driver, and then turned to catch up to Hohenheim. The man had caught his near-death experience and was looking at him with a shocked expression. Once Ed was next to him, he rested his hands on his knees to catch his breath.

"Hey, it's me. I guess I'm… back in this world."

The man's eyes widened. "Edward… Edward Elric?"

"Yep, that's me."

"I-I can't believe this!"

Ed tilted his head curiously. "Yeah, it's a long story. But what are you doing here?"

His father suddenly looked embarrassed. "Well, to be honest… I usually walk by here to see you… or your body, at least. You know that everyone seems to have a counterpart here, and I found yours… I know it wasn't you, but I just wanted to see my son."

His reply surprised Edward. "Uh… okay."

"So what happened? Why are you back here?"

"Hmm… to make a long story short… I died, and Al used the stone to bring me back at the cost of himself. So… I sacrificed myself to get his body back. And then I woke up here…" Tears sprang to his eyes, surprising him, and he fought them back.

"Oh, son… I'm so sorry."

"Yeah, well, don't be too sorry. I will get back to him."

Hohenheim opened his mouth like he was going to say something, but then he closed it and nodded instead. "You just might."

Ed looked around thoughtfully. "So, where do you live?"

His father grimaced. "In a shithole. I'm not making that much money at the moment… don't be thinking that you can come live with me. Besides, I think you'd prefer to stay in your own apartment… some of the people around there might interest you. Especially that, uh… Cassandra girl?" He raised his eyebrows knowingly.

"Hmm? Is that the girl with black hair?" Ed shrugged, trying to look nonchalant. "Eh, I hardly noticed her. But I guess I will stay there for the time being…"

"Well, whether you notice her or not, you better be careful of her father. He's a little on the crazy side."

Edward raised an eyebrow at this, but said nothing. Something else had caught his attention. Someone was walking toward them; dressed in a military suit… a familiar glint from his glasses gave him away. The boy's heart lurched when he realized who it was-Maes Hughes.

Author's Notes

Yeah, I realize this chapter's a little short. I might write more next chapter if people would actually leave a review… XD I promise this story will get more interesting. Ya just gotta keep reading! FYI, the next chapter's probably going to be about Al… hmm…