"Two small carrots, sliced. Three medium-sized russet potatoes, quartered. Half a sweet onion, sliced. Two cloves of garlic, minced. Two medium beef steaks. Sauté the minced garlic in olive oil on high for one minute, then add in the sliced sweet onion and cook until they are halfway cooked. Take out the onions and garlic and add the steaks. Turn the heat down to medium and slowly roast them, turning them periodically. Once the steaks are browned but still raw, add the potatoes, carrots, garlic, and onion. Add water if needed. Once the potatoes are cooked through, take everything out of the pan and serve on individual plates. Save the gravy for later use." Ed read out loud. He held Marco's research notes, which were disguised as recipes, in his hands.
"There are five ingredients, so maybe a pentagram design? That would confirm our calculations. They're listed out of order though. Save the gravy... What could that mean? All the other recipes had a sauce of some sort too... soy sauce, Worchester Sauce, mayonnaise..." Al mused and cocked his head to the side in confusion. It was a very odd action for a suit of armor, but he didn't seem to realize.
Ed's body slumped down on the table in exhaustion, and he sighed. Six days. It has been six days since he got his hands on those notes, perhaps through sheer dumb luck, but he had done it. Six days, and he still haven't gotten anywhere. Oh sure, they've managed to coax out tiny morsels from the pieces of paper alright, but the key ingredient and the whole array are still missing. Darn that Marcoh! Why couldn't he have made the code easier to crack?!
Ed rubbed his head and got up. He stretched his arms, then his neck, and lastly, his waist. It was late at night, and his two guards were sleepy anyways. "Al, I'm going to take a walk. I'll be back in half an hour or so." Hopefully, the comfortable night air will clear his mind. Goodness knows he could use any help at this point- he was certainly desperate enough.
"Okay, Brother. Be careful." Al waved his hand in goodbye and picked up another stack of notes.
Ed pushed his chair back and walked out, giving a nod to Sergeant Brosh on his way out.
Central was as busy as ever. Cars were racing down the streets, crisscrossing every corner of the bustling city. Laughter and sounds of chatting filled the air, even at this hour of the night. Little fireflies fluttered in the darkness- as beautiful and as ephemeral as fairies. Slowly he made his way to the nearby plaza, where people gather around cafe tables and benches. Usually, he avoided people- he could deal with one person. One person is exactly that- one person. A crowd of people, on the other hand, is an animal with neither sense nor identity. But tonight, he purposely made his way toward the animal. Just for tonight, Ed wanted to remind himself what being with other people is like. Perhaps even let his troubled thoughts drain away, so he may lose himself within the mass of people. Maybe even pretend to be a normal person without the weight of the world upon his shoulders.
Ed was at the entrance of the plaza when he suddenly hear a woman near him shout loudly.
"There's a person falling from the sky!"
Ed's first reflex was to dodge, but the absurdity of the statement made him pause. There's a what falling from where? Unfortunately, he dodged a little too late- a wall of pain slammed into his back; the world faded to black.
Ed's consciousness slowly roused from its sleep; his eyelids seemed heavier than usual- heavier than lead, even. He groaned in pain and tried to lift his eyelids with little success. His automail worked perfectly though, much to his relief. Even without opening his eyes, he knew that he was back in the hotel room, on his bed. The fan overhead spun leisurely, making soft swooshing sounds. The bed he was lying on was soft- a softness that he has grown familiar with over the past week.
"Ah, you're awake. How are you feeling?" An unfamiliar voice said. The voice was a light tenor with a slight twinge of an unfamiliar accent.
The thought of an unfamiliar presence in his room woke him up quicker than ice water. Adrenaline shot through his veins, and before his mind could catch up to his body, he threw his covers in the general direction of the voice and leapt into his usual fighting stance. Ed blinked, but did not loosen his stance.
The unknown figure struggled and flailed for a moment before untangling himself from the confining cloth.
"Ouch. Relax, I'm not going to hurt you. Sheesh, you'd think the world was out to get you or something." The mysterious male sounded annoyed. Ed studied the figure in front of him carefully. The male looked to be around Ed's age, maybe a little older. Unruly dark brown hair stuck up at various angles, and lithe muscles pushed away the last of covers. The brightest green eyes Ed has ever seen peered directly at his own golden ones.
Upon receiving no reply, the teenager continued, seemingly concerned. "What is the last thing you remember? You hit your head pretty hard."
Yeah, thanks to you, Ed thought to himself. "I went out for a walk and some idiot fell out of the sky and knocked me out."
The man barked out a laugh. "Knocked you out alright- your sternum, left collarbone, and three of your ribs were cracked. Sorry 'bout that."
Now it was Ed's turn to be annoyed. Of all people for this man to fall on, it had to be on him. Seriously, the probability of a person falling out of the sky and landing to him was next to none. Oddly enough, Ed didn't feel any pain at all. Unless his nerves are dead or the man was lying (which Ed doubted since he recalled how intense the pain was), he should be in a world of agony right about now. So why wasn't he? He wasn't all bandaged up either, and the sudden movement didn't hurt him at all.
"What happened?" Ed asked instead.
"To me, or to you? Well, I guess I'll start with you first, since your part's simpler." The man ran a hand through his hair with practiced ease. So a nervous gesture or habit of sorts. "Well, I kind of landed on you, and since you got knocked out, I carried you to a bench in the plaza and tried to find out which bones you cracked. While I was doing that, a blonde man in a military uniform came up to me and said that he's been looking for you. He was rather worried when he saw you knocked out. I told him that I lived in one of the apartments overlooking the plaza and that I slipped when I was trying to trim one of my vines and landed on you. Well, I lied, actually. He was the one who carried you to the hotel. He only let me follow you since I told him I was a doctor of sorts. I lied about that too, actually. I'm really an alchemist, you see. He carried you to your bed, and I started healing your injuries. I met your brother, by the way. He seemed exasperated and worried about you. He saw me healing you and seemed rather fascinated by my work, so he wouldn't let me leave." The man explained.
Ed had a disbelieving look plastered on his face. Sergeant Brosh really would believe anything you said to him. When the man mentioned alchemy, he immediately checked the floor. No chalk marks.
"Go on. What really happened to you? People don't fall out of nowhere." Ed urged him on, suddenly curious about the skilled alchemist.
"Well" the man seemed hesitant, "My godfather was trying to play a prank on me; he threw me out the Gate and made it so that I'd land in the sky and freefall my way down to the ground." The man scowled upwards at the ceiling.
Ed gave him a blank stare. Surely he was hearing this wrong. His mind reached an ominous conclusion. Maybe he really did hit his head too hard; after all, there are many gates, right? "Who are you?" he demanded.
The man grinned, which was a very, very scary sight. It sent icy pangs of fear down Ed's spine and to every nerve in his body. "I'm glad you asked. I am what you call "the world." I am "Space." I am "God." I am the "Truth." I am "All." I am "One." And I... am "You." The man... no, the being, whispered closely to Ed.
Ed was in shock. That man repeated what the Truth said to him, word for word. No one else knew; he had never repeated what It said to him to anyone. It felt like every emotion he had ever experience suddenly flooded him all at once, tenfold. The absurdity of it all finally dawned on him, and his body collapsed under the tide of emotions: Ed burst out in laughter. He laughed, he laughed, he laughed. He kept laughing and laughing. Then he stopped. "Bullshit." He accused.
The Truth rolled his eyes. "Why does everyone keep saying that? Fine. Your left leg has an inch and a half scar right below the knee. You have a circular birthmark above your fourth toe on your left leg. Your right arm's pinky is slightly crooked. Your right outer elbow has a mole. Need I continue?" He asked sarcastically.
"No, I'm good." Ed would deny it until the day he died, but he squeaked.
"Good." The Truth smiled at him and got up. "Alphonse is probably worried sick by now. I'll go get him. Oh, by the way, you may call me Harry." He promptly walked out the door and kicked it close behind him.
For a while, Ed sat, stupefied. The Truth fell from the sky. The Truth fell on him. The Truth looks like a perfectly normal human being. The Truth is called Harry. Just exactly how bizarre is his life going to be?
"Brother, how are you feeling?" Al gently pushed open the door.
"Like I got a good night's sleep, surprisingly...and maybe a bit weirded out." Ed's mouth move on its own accord, his brain on autopilot.
"Brother?" Al waved a large armored hand in front of Ed's face.
"Stop that." Ed said, annoyed. He casually swatted the hand away. The usual grumpiness was back.
"Just checking." Al sounded playful, even though he couldn't physically grin.
An awkward silence filled the small hotel room as the fan swirled on.
"So... Is that what the Truth looks like?" Al asked awkwardly.
"No. He was much more..." Ed couldn't find the right word to describe the odd, creepy, amorphous form that he saw; he tried to use his arms to illustrate what the Truth looked like. Al looked at him in confusion. An upside-down octopus? "Well, he wasn't called Harry either."
"Haha, I would assume not. Did you notice the way he said his name?" He whispered. Many people didn't realize this, but Al was even better at reading people than Ed. As a suit of armor, people can't read his body language in return.
"Yeah." Ed looked thoughtful. "He sounded like he hasn't said that name in a while. That's his real name- I'm sure of it." Both of them had heard and taken enough aliases to hear the voice enunciation difference between true names and fake names.
Then the brothers stopped to ponder about what was said. The Truth had a name? The Truth had a name? The Truth had a name.
Ed held his forehead; this Harry person was giving him a headache. "Okay. We've got to stop trying to find logic in any of this. Six hours ago, we couldn't even imagine the Truth having a face, let alone a name."
Al gave a weak chuckle. "It's just so hard to believe that this is all happening. Brother, you can't seem to take care of yourself at all."
Ed grumbled under his breath and crossed his arms. "It's not my fault he came crashing out of the sky. Besides, I'm fine now." His mind picked over everything that Harry said. "How did he heal me anyways? There weren't any transmutation marks; most alchemists do not mess with the human body."
"Actually, that's why I asked him to stay. All he did was touch you on the collarbone, and then it was healed. He did that with the other fractures too! No transmutation circle, no sound, nothing. I'm not sure if it's alchemy, even." Al said unsurely.
Ed tsked and rubbed his head. "That man is such a headache!"
Al laughed. "You've only met him just now, Brother."
"That doesn't make him any less troublesome." Ed sighed for what felt like the upteenth time. "How are the notes going?"
Al shook his head. "No luck, Brother."
Ed got up and dusted his pants. "We'd better get back to it tomorrow then. I've got some questions to ask our unwelcomed guest."
Al nodded. "Don't stay up too late, okay? You were injured, after all."
Ed flashed Al a grin. "Don't worry; I won't." He walked out the door and closed it behind him.
It took Ed a while to find where the Truth was; for a while, he thought that the man had left. Ed's mismatched feet carried him upstairs to the roof, where he found the previously amorphous being. The sight that greeted Ed made him rub his eyes. Harry, as he prefers to be called, was absolutely surrounded in fireflies. Fireflies everywhere- on his messy hair, clinging to his hooded jacket, on his knees, on his shoes, even on his hands and nose. Oddly enough, the man didn't seem to mind the miniature winged lanterns.
Ed stayed where he was and observed the dream-like scene in silence. Slowly, the man opened his eyes and spoke softly- to the bugs.
"The night is ending soon. Thank you for visiting me," he smiled gently at the cloud of insects "Good luck!" he said and one by one, the bugs left him, chasing the receding night.
Harry turned his attention on Ed, who was still standing by the stairs. He gestured for Ed to take a seat, which he did. "So... I assume you have some questions? I'd be surprised if you didn't actually." He chuckled, "You alchemists are so interesting; no matter how hard or horrible, you keep searching for the truth." He looked up and observed the lightening sky. "Ask what you will. Whether or not I will answer is another matter."
Ed swallowed nervously, gathering up his courage. "Why are you here?" he asked curiously. "Who's guarding the gate if you're here?" he continued, counting the questions with his fingers. "Why did you heal me?"
Harry looked unfazed by the questions. "Now isn't that the million dollar question?" he said, referring to the first question Ed asked. He laid down on the roof.
"My godfather is guarding the gate- well, at least he was my godfather when I was alive, a good couple of millennia ago. Now he's just a soul in the Gate. Nonetheless, I pulled him out, sat him down, and told him I need a favor. He agreed to help me, but the asshole laughed and tossed me out the Gate. Bastard" he said fondly.
Ed seemed surprised that the Truth was human once upon a time. It's one thing to suspect, and another to confirm.
Harry continues as if he did not notice Ed's surprise. "As for why I healed you... That's the right thing to do right? At least according to human morals. I fell on you and broke your bones, so it's only right for me to heal the damage I dealt- especially since you were kind enough to break my fall." He said sarcastically. "It wouldn't have killed me if you dodged though. I'm the Truth; I can't die even if I wanted to." He looked wistfully at the sky.
Immortality. Here was the key to immortality- a true immortal. How? Ed's mind burned with the desire to know, but he had a hunch that the man would not answer.
"Why I am here... that's a very good question. The main reason is you." He said, shocking Ed. "In the future, you would pursue the Philosopher's Stone. It would lead you and the people around you into a spiraling path of pain and misery. You and your friends ended up saving the world, did you know that? Yeah, you guys did, but all of you paid a hefty price for it. You ended up getting Alphonse's body back, but not your leg. Both of you got married and had a couple of kids each. Mustang eventually became Fuhrer; he changed things around quite a bit. Everything was fine for, and both of you settled down quite nicely. The problem was, you overpaid me. You ended up getting what you want, but neither of you used the Philosopher's Stone to get it. You ended up giving me something much more valuable; by the law of Equivalent Exchange, I'm supposed to give you a refund of sorts. I accepted it at the time because you offered it" he shrugged. "There's also the saving the world part that I have to settle. Basically, it's your fault I'm here."
Ed could hardly believe what he was saying. This was his future? Yet, he felt a surge of happiness well up inside his soul. He would get Al's body back! He could do it. He could. It was hard to believe that him, a child of sixteen from Risembol could save the world. Heck, even Bastard Colonel got his dream. Sure, the Truth would not answer what he paid, but that was fine- any price would be fine. He felt his heart soar. Suddenly, the notes didn't seem to matter so much anymore.
Harry seemed amused. "Come back down from Cloud Nine, boy. That was going to be your future. It's not anymore. For one, I'm not going to wait for you mortals to save the world; you guys take far too long. Also, that way I won't have to pay you anything. As for the other parts of your future... who knows? I'm here to change things, so what happens to you from here on out is not going to be the same. You are an interesting human, really. In the end, you were the only person to defeat me. You were the only person who passed through the Gate so many times. It has gotten quite fond of you." Harry got up nimbly and stretched in a rather feline manner.
Then he suddenly turned serious. "You guys haven't cracked Marcoh's code yet, right? Give it up." Ed leapt up to object, but his legs acted on their own- they folded and shifted back into a sitting posture. "Sit back down, Edward. I was not finished." Harry continued as if taking command of someone else's body was something he did on a daily basis. "You won't want to know what's in Marcoh's research. There's a reason why he tries so hard to repent, you know. He was right to call it the devil's research. You two won't use it anyways- especially not if you know how they are made. It's not something that children should know." His eyes were shadowed pits of green, his faced pinched. Ed looked at him, baffled.
"Anyways, don't worry your pretty little head over it. I'll be staying in the room next to yours." He said nonchalantly and held up Ed's wallet.
"Who are you calling a micro-mini little speck of dust?! And give me back my wallet, you bastard!" Ed shouted after him. Harry only laughed in reply.
In his own room (which he rented using Ed's money, much to the blonde boy's anger), Harry was well aware of the eyes watching him from the shadows. He took off his jacket and massaged his shoulders- a very human-esque gesture. Before the shadow could retreat, Harry caught onto one of the tendrils. Clearly, the shadow was surprised.
"Good morning, Pride. It's nice to meet you. I'm sorry to say that you can't see what's going to happen next. Say hi to that father of yours for me, will you? I'll be coming for him soon enough." Harry whispered darkly to the shadow.
"Obliviate." He said.
The shadow grew limp in his hand, and Harry let go. He knew that Pride would be back; however, he had put enough power into the Obliviate spell to knock out a whale for a week. Even for a homunculus, it should buy him several hours of time.
Moving quickly, Harry withdrew a small hidden knife that he strapped to his calf. In a practice gesture, he carved a simple five point star into the flesh of his palm and pressed it to the floor. The scarlet blood seeped into the floorboards and quickly spread.
"I call thee from thy slumber, Justice, Fortitude, Temperance, Prudence, Charity, Hope, and Faith. Answer thy creator's call; appear before me, for I have need of you." Harry chanted.
He waited for a while and then lifted his palm off the floor. No blood remained, and the floorboards looked as if they had been freshly waxed and cleaned.
Harry stood up; seven blurs immediately surrounded him in a circle. They knelt. He supposed it was only fitting that he would call on the seven virtues when faced with the seven sins. He had created them when the entire world had be obliterated and created anew, with him as the Truth. He gave the virtues their own bodies, their own minds, and their own immortality in hopes that they would be the pillars for the new world. It was a silly dream, in hindsight. Humans could never survive in a world free of sin. As long as there was light, there would be darkness. As long as there was virtue, there would be sin.
"Master." They greeted him in unison.
Harry smiled at them. "Dear children, how are you?"
Justice, a stern man of thirty three (or so he appears), answered him. "We have been doing well, Master. What brings you here?" he asked with a completely straight face. Fortitude, who was beside Justice, rolled his eyes and yawned silently.
"Someone overpaid me big time. I'm here to give him a refund, I guess. Well, I should thank him and his friends for saving the world the first time around, even if I'm here to prevent them from having to so again. Magic's not exactly pleased at me for letting things drag on for so long, so I have to stop the homunculi permanently." Harry explained and conjured seven chairs and for the Virtues.
Quickly, Harry debriefed them all on what would have happened in the future along with who the seven homunculi are. He also told them the Sins' abilities, looks, personalities, and purposes. Lastly, he explained the strategy that he chose and when he needed each of them.
By the time he finished, all seven of the newly awakened beings looked rather thoughtful. Several of them offered their opinions and suggestions, many of which sparked discussions. Eventually, Harry conjured a large map of Amestris and a jar of pins. Exactly two hours and sixteen minutes later, everyone sat back and nodded. They knew what to do.
Harry thanked and dismissed them. Then, he smirked evilly. Let the games begin.
"So you know what the stones are made of now. Are you happy now?" Edward was unruffled by Harry's entry through the window.
The boy continued to sulk, his eyes downcast. Neither of the brothers replied him.
Harry sighed and rubbed his head. "I told you guys not to dig. It would be best if you just left this mess well alone, especially since I'm here to sort everything out."
Silence. Seeing how both of them seemed rather lifeless, he waved his arm and conjured a steaming hot meal. Both brothers looked surprised to see the laws of physics so blatantly broken, but did not speak.
"Eat." He said to Edward. "Don't make me take over your body again, brat. You won't like it." Reluctantly, the boy accepted the offered meal and started picking at it.
The older teen's eyes softened, and he sat down on the floor next to Al.
"It can't be helped, I guess." He cracked a smile when he saw Edward eating ferociously. "You've got to take better care of your body, you know."
Edward put his fork down with a clatter, catching Harry's attention. "Do you... hate us?" He asked Harry quietly
Al looked down and hugged his knees.
Harry looked at both brothers. "No, I don't. I might not like what you have done, but I don't hate you. Neither of you. You had your reasons; I understood them. You knew the rules; you broke them. The consequences are yours to face. Still, you guys are just kids." Harry got up and faced Al. He laid a hand gently on his shoulder.
"Don't be so hard on yourself. Have faith in what you can do. Humans make mistake- that much I know. Hell, I made mistakes when I was human too, a long time ago." He smiled at Al.
He silently walked up to Ed and ruffled his hair. "I know what both of you can do; I've seen what the future could be. It's yours, if you want it. Nothing is impossible." Ed shoved his hand away gruffly and began fixing his hair. Harry laughed.
"Besides, you two kids saved the world before you even hit twenty. Chins up, okay? This won't be the worst secret you'll find." He sat back down and watched the fan above them spin.
A loud commotion jolted the three of them out of their reveries. The brothers suddenly flinched; Ed's face suddenly drained of color.
A rhino? Harry thought sarcastically as he watched the doorknob wobble and squeak in pain. Before long, the door itself broke.
"I have come, Edward Elric!" It was no rhino, but a man... with sparkles and curly blonde hair.
He blinked at the movable blonde mountain in front of him and turned to Edward. "Who's the nutjob?" Harry asked.
Introductions didn't go that well. It started innocuously enough- names. "I'm the Truth" didn't exactly sit too well with the Strong Arm Alchemist. Like with Edward, he had to reveal several Armstrong family secrets for the man to believe him (the Elrics, of course, were listening in). However, the shock part took a while to settle down.
"The Truth..." Edward mumbled, reacting to something Major Armstrong said.
"Yes?" Harry drawled from beside him.
"No, not you." Edward replied absentmindedly, causing Harry to pout and sulk. "The Truth behind the Truth... That was what Marcoh said." Harry sighed.
"I thought I told you brats to drop it. Why wouldn't you stubborn fools just take my advice for once? It's the only thing I'll offer for free."
"Since you're warning me to stop, that means I'm on the right track." Edward said, completely ignoring Harry's advice and twisting it into something else entirely.
Harry sulked through the discussion.
"You again?!" Edward pointed and shouted (quietly) at Harry, who had his arms crossed leisurely above his head. "How did you get in?!" The brothers had snuck out of their hotel room against the adults' advice and have successfully infiltrated Laboratory Five.
"Yes, me." He rolled his eyes. "I teleported." He shrugged at the Elrics' huge-eyed stares at his disregard for physics.
"You teleported." Harry nodded. "You know what? Forget this. We're not going back."
"Oh I know. I'm not here to convince you to go back- not when you've made it this far. I've got other business in Laboratory Five." Harry said matter-of-factly. "Don't get too roughed up, okay?" With a wave, he disappeared. The Elrics blinked, rubbed their eyes, and then blinked some more.
"Forget breaking the laws of physics; he eats them for dinner," grumbled Edward. Al laughed quietly.
Harry gracefully sidestepped the debris lying in the abandoned, but well lighted, hallways. His steps made no sound as his legs led him to the library. He yanked open the dusty door and grinned at the sight of the tomes in front of him.
Harry quietly pricked his finger and dropped two drops of blood onto the ground. "Hope? Faith? I need your help."
Two blurs appeared before him. "Yes Master?" They said in unison. The twins looked up at Harry with large childish eyes.
Harry petted them on the head while ignoring the commotion. "I need you two to remove all the books in the library- quickly. The whole place will collapse in the next fifteen minutes. Take them back to one of the pocket dimensions for me to deal with later, okay?"
He got a nod and grin each. They would take care of it. He got up and let his feet take him to the next place he needed to go: the array on the wall.
"Well then... We don't need to make a stone here anymore, so shall we blow up the evidence?" Envy said casually to Lust. They made their way to the back to the laboratory, where the array was etched in stone.
Suddenly, the two paused; there was another person there. The two immediate went defensive. The fullmetal brats were one thing, but a stranger here was another.
"Who are you?" Lust asked. Her nails elongated.
"Cozy place, right? You must be Lust" he nodded to her, earning a snarl in reply "and Envy." The homunculus tsked at him.
"You know too much." Envy accused. Neither of them made a move since the stranger was completely relaxed.
"I do indeed. Tell your father I said hello, will you? I'll be coming for him soon enough." He grinned eerily.
"You! You're the one who knocked out Pride!" Envy blurted out in surprise. Lust frowned.
"I am. He deserved it, sticking his eyes where they don't belong." Harry shrugged. "I'm not here to fight, you know." He said pointedly, staring at Lust's nails.
"Nonetheless, you know too much." Lust moved in a flash, her nails aiming for his vitals.
"Down, Tiger." She was fast, he admitted, but he was faster still. He gripped her nails; on contact, they turned to dust. She gasped in surprise and snarled. She drew back while Envy sprung forth with a punch.
Harry dodge and kneed Envy in the gut, exactly where he kneed Ed. "Have a taste of your own medicine, will you?" Envy too, withdrew.
"Like I said, I'm not here to fight, and I doubt you could kill me anyways." He said, looking perfectly normal after the scuffle.
"Tell your father that the Truth will be coming for him." He turned his back to the homunculus. Envy leapt at his exposed back; Harry dodged effortlessly and flipped Envy. "See ya. " With a cheeky wave, he teleported away, leaving two stunned homunculi behind him.
"You're in the hospital again." Harry waltz in with a bag of cookies and a basket of fruit. "What happened to you? I recall telling you not to get too beat up."
Ed gave have a deadpan stare. "I know." He mumbled through his bandages. "Major Armstrong happened" He scowled, but Harry did not notice it through the layers of bandages.
"He hugged you?" Harry raised an eyebrow; maybe he left this world alone for too long. People here are really weird. Ed nodded. "Haha, he's a big teddy bear on the inside, isn't he?" He smiled. "Anyways, I brought you a basket of fruits. It's what visitors bring to patients in the hospital, right?" He set the basket of fruits on the table next to Ed.
"How did you buy it?" Ed asked curiously. He was sure the man hadn't stolen his wallet this time.
"Oh that!" (Yes, that, Ed thought) "I made some money, of course!" Harry started eating his cookies; they smelled divine.
"You got a job?!" Ed gasped, or at least tried to. Strangely enough, Alphonse gave no reaction.
"Don't be absurd. I didn't earn the money: I made it." Harry said matter-of-factly. He demonstrated by snapping his fingers and holding out a bag in the air. Coins and notes literally fell out of the air into the bag.
Of course, miracles and all that, Ed thought. "How do you do that? Where's the equivalent exchange in that?"
Harry finished his first cookie and reached for a second one. "I just do. Perks of the job, I guess you could say. There is no equivalent exchange because I'm not using alchemy."
"Then what are you using?" Ed's scientific mind was on overdrive.
"Ah, now that would be telling, wouldn't it?" Harry gave his trademark creepy grin, which immediately made Ed back off. Bad things happen when the Truth grinned, or so he has learned.
"Alphonse, are you alright?" Harry asked and laid a hand on the armor. The younger brother was oddly pensive.
"I'm fine." He said in a flat metallic tone. Harry frowned at him. If you say so, he thought.
The door creaked open, and both Harry and Ed turned their heads (or at least tried to, in that case) to the newcomers: Major Armstrong and a blond girl.
"No way!" She shouted, surprised. "I didn't hear anything about you getting hurt that badly!" She sounded worried.
Harry half-listened as Ed peeled away the bandages and gave the girl an explanation. Yup, Major Armstrong hugged him. Harry looked on as the two teenagers argued back and forth. Ah, young love, he thought wistfully.
"And who are you?" The girl, who was holding an abacus, turned her attention to Harry. He blinked back into reality.
"I'm Harry Potter. I'm an alchemist friend of Ed and Al's; I met him not long ago at the plaza down town." He smiled at her. To the side, Edward seemed a bit put off by the simplified version of his introduction. Met would be a bit of an understatement anyways.
"Oh, it's nice for Ed and Al to finally make some friends here. I'm Winry Rockbell. I've been friends with those two ever since we were kids." She smiled and shook his hand.
The conversation then quickly veered off to an odd direction... about Ed's hatred of milk. Halfway through, Harry couldn't help it. He burst out laughing. His laughter interrupted Ed mid-rant.
"There's a very simple solution to all this drama," Harry gestured with a cookie in his hand. "Here, have this, Ed." He gave Ed the cookie in his hand, which was white and round.
Ed bit into it, chewed it for a bit, and swallowed. "It's good!" He exclaimed.
"Those are special milk cookies that I make." Harry said. "There's flour, sugar, butter, eggs, salt, vanilla, and a lot of milk. See? An elegant solution to your dilemma." Harry handed the bag in his arms to Edward, who seemed eager to taste some more cookies... but the bag was empty.
In his mild anger, Edward balled up the brown paper bag and threw it at Harry. It hit him straight in the face, but the being just laughed.
Even in the midst of such a heated exchange, everyone noticed when Alphonse left the room. Silence swept through the room like a northern gale.
"Al's been acting strange." Ed said seriously.
Naturally, everyone had their own theory.
"He got a crush?" Sergeant Brosh suggested after his initial idea was rejected.
"He's worried?" Winry was clearly concerned.
"He's being an irrational brat?" Harry suggested.
Ed sighed. While he was chewing over the theories (some of which he rejected immediately, such as the one Sergeant Brosh suggested), Winry finished Ed's automail maintenance.
Another person barged in through the doors; Ed seems to be rather popular today.
"Hey Ed, you getting it on with a woman in your hospital room?" Lieutenant Colonel Hughes asked tactlessly.
The statement was so sudden and out of place that Harry let out a laugh. Once again, Ed's side wound opened. At this rate, it's never going to heal, Harry thought amusedly.
"She's only my automail mechanic!" Ed gritted his teeth. Even his antenna stood straighter.
"So you seduced your mechanic." Hughes inferred much to Ed's frustration. "You'll open your wounds that way," he noted when Ed started agonizing over the misconception.
"Ah Winry, this guy is Lieutenant Colonel Hughes. Lieutenant Colonel, this is Winry Rockbell, my mechanic. That," Ed pointed towards Harry, who was still trying to hold in his laughter, "is Harry Potter, an alchemy acquaintance of mine." Ed lied through his teeth. Acquaintance his left foot.
"I'm Maes Hughes. Nice to meet you. Alchemy, huh? The military's desperately in need of State Alchemists. Any chance you'd be interested? " He smiled.
Harry laughed and shook his hand. "I'm Harry Potter. Pleased to meet you. Really? I didn't know. Nah, I'm a full time gatekeeper!" He grinned. To his side, Ed choked.
"Oh really?" Hughes exclaimed, "You're pretty young!"
"I'm a couple years older than Ed here." He smiled. Ed looked like he couldn't believe what he was hearing. A couple of years? Try a couple of millennia! "It's a bit of a family thing, you see. Plus, I love to travel. I go visiting different countries every couple of years."
The conversation carried on lightly, and to Harry's surprise, he found Hughes to be rather pleasant (aka normal) company. The conversation would have continued (Harry wisely avoided the topic of kids or wives) on for longer if Winry's living arrangements did not come up. Seeing Winry's hesitance at staying in military dorms, Hughes generously offered up his own house... more like kidnapped Winry away, but that was up to debate.
"Interesting company you keep", Harry noted once the kidnapped and the kidnapper were both gone.
Ed gave Harry with a flat look. "I don't want to hear that from a person who "goes to work" with a giant eye."
"Ah, touché."
"I didn't want to get this body!" Al shouted.
"Seems like I came at a wrong time." Harry mused. He had bumped into Winry on his way to the hospital.
"And what proof is there that you're going to restore my body?" Al ranted on, to the surprise of Hughes. Ed offered up an excuse, which Al brushed aside. "Trust, huh? You're telling me to trust what with this hollow body?" Al continued rather cruelly. "There was something you were scared to tell me before, right? Could that have been something like my soul and memories were totally fake?"
After several more minutes, Ed slammed his fist onto his meal tray. "Is that what you've been thinking the whole time?" Al nodded hesitantly. "I see." Ed walked out of the room silently. From his spot beside Hughes, Harry frowned. A silent Ed was much more dangerous than an angry Ed.
Wintry seemingly materialized a wrench and started hitting Al's armor. "Al, you dummy! You don't know how Ed feels! That thing Ed was too scared to tell you was that if you blamed him for what happened! In just what world is there an idiot who would be ready to throw away his life to make a fake little brother? Isn't he your only brother?" Winry was openly sobbing by the end of her lecture.
Harry took the opportunity to interject. "Do you honestly think it's that easy to tamper with a soul? Humans cannot create souls; what makes you think they can tamper with them? Are you really that desperate to restore your own body? Edward has been nice; he shoulders the responsibility himself and shields you from the truth." Harry whispered. His voice was colder than frost; his words were dripping with venom. "You're just as much at fault as Ed is. You helped him arrange the arrays. You added your blood to it. Don't pretend that this body wasn't your fault. You ought to be grateful to Ed; you wouldn't even be here if it isn't for him. Do you really want your body back?" Harry asked coldly. Behind him, Winry and Hughes looked uneasy. To the side, Sergeant Brosh shuddered."You can have it back if you give me your soul. Equivalent exchange, right?" Harry gripped the bottom of Al's head. "Don't be silly. I don't want to take another one of Ed's limbs. You know he'd give it up for you. Go chase after him. Now."
Al ran like someone lit his loincloth on fire. Winry ran after him at a slower pace, while Harry and Hughes merely walked.
"You're not just a gatekeeper, are you?" Hughes said, pointing out the obvious.
"I'm a gatekeeper, just not the kind of gatekeeper you have in mind." Harry was unfazed.
Hughes stopped walking and turned around. "Just who ARE you?" he demanded.
Harry smiled. "I assure you, you won't find me on the records. Rest assured- I mean no harm to the Elrics. If anything, they will not die, at least not on my watch. Ed had it coming; I told him more than once not to go into that lab, not to dig into the stone... Hughes, there are powerful people behind all this: the laboratory, the philosopher's stone... everything. Don't dig more than you have to. Be careful, okay? You've got a family waiting for you to come home." He continued walking.
Hughes, on the other hand, looked thoughtful. "But I never mentioned my family..."
Harry took out a pocket watch and flipped it open. Closed it. Flipped it open. Closed it. The rhythmic clicking of the pocket watch was a new found habit of his- it helped him think, calmed his thoughts. Harry looked at the open watch in his hands- nine thirty. Ed, Al, and Wintry should still be on the train, he thought. The train was an overnight one.
Hughes should still be pulling overtime, given the amount of evidence that Intelligence still has to sort though.
"Ah, that's right." Harry exclaimed. "Today's the day Hughes end up digging too deep. I thought I told him not to dig... I have a feeling he's not going to listen." Harry sighed.
"He really loves his daughter... " Harry mused. He got up from his seat and shook his head. "I'm such a bleeding heart." He muttered and disappeared.
It shouldn't take too much effort to track the man down. Every soul on planet passes through his hands at some point, and Hughes' one was no different. That particular soul was particularly excited to leave the Gate. While the process of extracting a soul from the Gate should have taken a year and a day, Harry had put that particular soul on the fast track, if only to get away from his perpetual boasting. His fellow souls probably would have kicked him out before long anyways. Each and every soul has a different feel, a different color, a different aura. Tracking a person by his or her soul was like taking candy from a babe- easy enough that he could do it blindfolded.
With a purposely loud pop, he appeared in front of a public phone booth. The booth was dimply lit by the street lamps; the street itself was deserted.
Looks like I came at just the right time, Harry thought. It seems like the appariation pop did its job- both Envy and Hughes turned to look at him. Not surprisingly, both of them looked at him like he grew a second head.
"You!" Envy shouted vehemently. In the guise of Second Lieutenant Ross, his face was twisted with anger.
"Me." Harry shrugged and walked over to them with a wave. "Careful, if you do that too much, you'll get wrinkles." He pointed to Envy's facial contortion. Envy spat at him.
"What are you doing here?" He asked with a snarl. His finger never left the trigger, but Hughes seemed to be calculating his chances of escaping.
Harry rolled his eyes. "There's a coffee shop down the road. I didn't know it was illegal for me to get a cup of coffee. I simply dropped in to say hi." His voice dripped with sarcasm.
Envy closed in the distance between him and the frightened man. "Not going to do anything, are you? One move and this man goes." He held the gun up to the Hughe's head and grinned evilly.
Harry sighed. "You are so cliché. I don't have much time to waste on the likes of you." His voice turned serious and his eyes hardened. He looked down upon Envy like a human would a bug. Before the enraged homunculus could pull the trigger, he found himself without an arm.
"Looking for this?" Harry held up Envy's missing limb and pried the gun out. Once he got the gun, he tossed the limb into the bushes behind him.
"Tsk! I'll kill you!" Envy's voice turned deep, and his iris turned bright yellow. He held Hughes by the neck while his other arm regenerated. "Quit getting in our way, Bastard!"
Harry on the other hand, looked bored. "Look, I don't have time for this. The coffee shop closes in ten minutes, and I need that Latte." He snapped his fingers, and Envy froze.
"Let Maes go, return back to your preferred form, step out of the phone booth, and return back to your father in Central. Tell him and Lust that you successfully killed Maes Hughes by imitating his wife." Harry commanded with absolute authority. "Oh, by the way, Obliviate. You killed Hughes; your job is done. Go away." Harry made shooing motions in Envy's general direction.
The arm around Hughe's neck loosened. Envy's entire body shook, trying to resist the commands, but he shifted back slowly. His hair lengthened, his features changed, his body changed, and before long, he back to his normal appearance. Envy's yellow eyes shone with hatred, but no sound came out of his snarling mouth. With one shaking step and another, Envy made his way out of the booth and out into the streets- he disappeared into the night.
Harry watched his retreating back and smirked in satisfaction. Not even a homunculus can resist the commands of the Truth. His body and the stone within him won't stand for it.
"Are you going to tell me who are really are now?"
Harry turned his attention back to the injured man, who was sitting on the floor in shock.
"In a bit. Your wounds need to be cleaned and dressed." Harry smiled and withdrew his bleeding hand from his pocket.
"Charity, if you will?" Harry addressed the empty air. Soon after the words left his mouth, the space around him blurred; a petite girl of thirteen appeared.
"Yes?" She curtsied. Hughes seemed beyond shocked beyond words at this point.
"Get Maes to a safe place, clean and bandage his wounds. I need to handle clean up here, and then I'll find you." He ordered kindly. "Hughes, I'll explain later. Right now I need to find to fake your death. The military is no longer a safe place for you."
Charity knelt and helped Hughes stand up. He slung his uninjured arm over her small shoulders. "Wait! What about my wife and child?"
"I will make sure they are safe." He said with conviction. Satisfied with the answer, Hughes let Charity teleport them both away.
"Prudence, Temperance, come." Harry said once more.
"Prudence, get me a dead body; I will transfigure it into Hughes. Temperance, track down Hughes' family and make sure they are safe."
The two virtues nodded in unison and promptly went off to complete their tasks.
Meanwhile, Harry leaned on the lamp post and conjured a cup of latte. "The café will be closed by the time I get to it..." he thought tearfully as his sipped his good, but not excellent, cup of conjured latte.
"Are you going to tell me who you are now?" was the first thing Harry heard when he arrived at the safe house.
Damn man's like a dog with a bone, Harry thought, annoyed. The safe house was actually more of a safe mansion; there really is no need to skimp when land and real estate are completely free. Pocket dimensions are nice like that.
Hughes was situated nicely in the spacious living room- sprawled on the couch, that is. With a sigh, Harry sat down and conjured a tea service and a pot of red tea. Hughe's eyes bulged to the point they looked like they were about to fall off.
"Maybe", Harry shrugged as he nibbled on miniature scone that he selected from the tea service. Hughes' look of utter amazement was fixated on the teapot as the previously inanimate object began pouring its content into two teacups.
"Do try some of that tea," Harry said as he sipped on his own cup. "It's not poisoned; I wouldn't have bothered to save you if I wanted you dead." He pointed out. Hesitantly, Hughes took the offer.
"I suppose you have questions. I may or may not have the answers."
"Who –no, what- are you?"
Harry physically rolled his eyes. That man has a one track mind, he thought.
"I'm Harry Potter the Gatekeeper, like I said before." Before Hughes could open his mouth, Harry held up a hand. "However, you are correct in assuming that I am not an ordinary person. I am what the alchemists call the Truth." Hughes turned whiter than a sheet.
"Ah, so you do know who I am; I'm guessing you won't need me to provide more evidence?" Hughes shook his head wordlessly. "Good. The gate I guard is simply known as the Gate. Alchemists who commit the ultimate sin- human resurrection- appear before it. They attain great knowledge and power through the Gate, but in return, they must give up something of equivalent value. Since I am the one in charge of the Gate, I am the one who decides upon their toll."
"Then the Elrics…" Hughes realized.
"They tried to bring their mother back from the dead." Harry said succinctly. "They knew that human resurrection is the ultimate sin, and they willingly committed it. The price is theirs to be paid."
"They were kids!" Hughes gasped as his sudden movement irritated his wound.
"Rules are rules," Harry said coldly. "Though I did allow Ed to exchange his leg for his brother's soul," Harry admitted hesitantly. "He should have known that souls are worth far more than just a limb."
"Why are you here?" He asked. He might not be an alchemist, but it didn't take one to know that gods don't just drop out of thin air on a daily basis. In fact, he counted himself very lucky to be breathing right now.
Harry mused over the question before answering, "The Elrics overpaid me –or will overpay me- in the future. To prevent that from happening, I have to interfere with the past –or the present."
Hughes let the matter drop reluctantly. "Where am I?"
"You are in the living room of my safe house. To be precise, you are in a pocket dimension that I created a while ago. For now, this will serve as a safe place for you to recover. Whatever you need, just think of it, and it will appear." Hughes' jaw dropped. Pocket dimension? He tried thinking of his beloved wife's apple pie, and one appeared in front of his eyes.
"Why did you save me?" He asked as a bite of the pie floated into his mouth.
"Because I wanted to." He said bluntly. "I assume you saw what the upper echelons of your esteemed government have planned?" He asked. Hughes grimaced and nodded. "Ed and Roy are bound to find out eventually; as it is, Roy will probably go on a crusade to find out who killed you. Those two aren't going to sit and watch without doing anything. They're going to barge in, guns ablazing, and save the day like they're meant to- both of them are living weapons of mass destruction. While Roy must have had some training in strategy and tactics as a commanding officer, his training is nothing compared to yours. In the future I was from- one which doesn't exist now- Roy and Ed managed to pull in the Armstrongs' help in their little coup d'etat." Harry said.
"Well, both of them," Harry added as an afterthought. Hughes raised an eyebrow; his friend pulled in Olivier's help? Those two despised each other with every fiber of their beings.
"My point is, they need your help to handle the aftermath. You may not know this, but everyone ranked Bridger General and above is involved in this." Hughes inhaled sharply. He did not know that the situation was that bad. "This entire country was created for the sole purpose of creating a Philosopher's Stone. Roy and Ed eventually found out about the plan and stopped this from happening, but the aftermath was too much. There was chaos everywhere, and with all the infighting, Amestris became vulnerable to hostile attacks. Roy and Ed quite literally turned the entire government on its head; this time, I'm hoping to prevent the aftermath."
"By sweeping everything under the carpet." Hughes finished. Harry nodded absently in agreement.
"There's no need for the public to know about this. The last thing we need is another lunatic popping up to finish the job. The military is rotten to the core, but we can arrange for the higher-ups to meet unfortunate accidents. That way the government will still be intact; non-corrupt officials can be promoted up, and no one will know any better."
Hughes nodded. "Now what's the other reason why you saved me?"
Harry paused while the man continued. "You obviously know more than I do; I doubt there's anything I can do that you can't. You went through a lot of trouble to save me," he gestured to his bandages. "The costs don't outweigh the benefits- not that I'm not grateful."
Harry sulked a little- "This would the reason you almost got yourself killed; you're too sharp for your own good." He sighed and looked away. "If it weren't for the Elrics, I wouldn't even have thought of saving you," he tried. Hughes cave him a deadpan look. "Roy's going to go off the deep end in ten years if you really die." Nope, Hughes didn't buy that excuse either. Harry sighed and gave in. "... Make no mistake- I don't like you. I've seen the things you have done- good and bad. I don't like people with eyes like yours. Yet despite all that you have done, you are a good father to your daughter and a good husband to you wife. I would hate to see a family like yours torn apart." He admitted quietly.
Hughes stared into his cup of tea, unable to respond to the confession. His lips quirked upwards in a wry, bitter smirk. Who knew God had feelings? He wasn't sure if that was a good thing.
After Hughes' bandage was changed again, Harry showed him around the safe house. Five minutes into the tour, Hughes was just about certain that his current residence was more of a manor than a house.
"-Here is your bedroom," Harry gestured, and the door flung open to reveal a large room with a king-sized four poster bed complete with what looked to be a large balcony and a walk-in closet. "The bathroom is right out the door on the right, and the library through the one on the left."
Hughes sarcastically wondered if he was on vacation.
"Since this is a pocket dimension, you can change the weather to your liking," Harry continued as the trees outside suddenly shifted from an autumn red to a vibrant summer green and back again.
"The kitchen is fully stocked and will automatically restock itself if you need it to- same with the rest of the supplies in the house." He walked slowly to adjust to Hughes' pace.
"The library is here-" a large pair of doors flung open on his hinges to reveal an endlessly large library. "It has just about every book and document ever written and published-only those of importance, of course. Again, just think of what you need, and the manor will fulfill the request." Hughes was in awe at the opportunity presented before him. "As you would expect, there is a lot of lost knowledge contained here, but the section you should pay attention to is this one." Harry gestured towards the bookshelves closest to the door. "Those contain the books I swiped from Laboratory Five along with the financial logs and communication records of every officer in the military."
"Of course, your recovery is of the utmost importance; you don't have to worry about time here since things work differently in this dimension. Once you have recovered fully, feel free to use the library as you wish." Harry didn't see the need to tell him to prioritize; after all, his friends' lives are on the line. He noticed that while the man was suitably awed, something still troubled him.
"A penny for your thoughts?" Harry asked dryly. Hughes blinked; what on Earth is a penny?
"Nevermind" Harry said, seeing how the joke was lost on the Amestrian. "Is something bothering you?"
"I won't be able to return to my family, will I?" He asked. At least he is smart enough to realize that part, Harry thought.
"Not for the moment, no. Returning you to your family will merely put them in danger. If the homunculi- the people who tried to kill you- realize that you are not dead, then they will come after you again. Next time they will probably not send someone as sloppy as Envy. At this point, the homunculi think that you are six feet underground- or soon to be, at any rate- and that your family is foolishly mourning you. By keeping up this charade, your family are of no consequence to the homunculi." Harry said.
"I see…" He whispered and glanced downwards.
"However, I can deliver letters to you after your funeral is over. I'm going to have to wait a month or two to make sure that the homunculi lose their interest. Or in Roy's case, do something completely drastic and unneeded. Don't worry; I will be able to sufficiently disguise myself. Envy's not the only one who can shift forms." Harry offered. To prove his point he took the form of a little redheaded girl and reverted back.
The man looked like he was about to bolt for the stationary at this point.
Harry calmly steered him away from the library and towards the living room.
"The last thing you need to know about this house is that there is a television here- a rather large flatscreen one. The technology will reach Amestris in about half a century or so. This television is special because it shows your friends' lives as they live them." Harry reached for the remote and hit the power button. The television flashed too life as Roy's channel flickered on. The man was sitting on his bed with a haunted look in his eyes. He was unshaven and unkempt; he stared listlessly at the wall.
"Hughes, my friend- I will find out who killed you and make them disappear." He echoed hollowly.
Harry grimaced. "As you can see, I wasn't joking about Roy going off the deep end without you." Hughes looked heartbroken. He flipped the channel – this time to Ed and Al's; they were on a train, with Winry, it seemed. The two blondes munched gleefully on apple pie as they discussed their plans. Harry turned to face Hughes, who looked to be close to tears.
"These events are one hundred percent real, Maes Hughes. I would advise you to leave this alone if you cannot handle knowing what is happening. I gave you this option so that you will not be disconnected to reality; however, when you get the urge to leave this safe house, remember why you are here in in the first place. If you absolutely need to contact me, just think of it, and the house shall convey the message to me. If it is of any comfort to you, know that I will not allow your friends or family to die until this mess is officially over. If it takes half a century, then I'd keep them alive for half a century." Harry said nonchalantly as if he was speaking of pawns in a chess game and not human lives. Hughes just stared numbly back. The human was gone, he thought as he stared at the emotionless eyes of the Truth. Yet, as abrupt as the change came over the youthful looking boy, it disappeared.
It was as if he was pretending to be something, Hughes contemplated.
He just can't decide if the boy was a human pretending to be a god or a god pretending to be human.
"It's so hot here…." Ed whined as he stretched his limbs after a long train ride.
"Ni-san, we should hurry before the store closes," Al pointed out gently.
"Ah," Ed agreed, "Let's-" he began when he suddenly saw a large shadow at his feet- one that was rapidly shrinking.
"Coming through!" Ed's heart sank to his stomach; he immediately stepped to the side and not a moment too late. Half a second later, a large body came free falling out of the air and landed on all fours with a thump. The man rolled upon impact and got up like he didn't just drop out of the sky.
"I told you I'd survive," Harry said boredly. "I see you've learned to dodge."
Ed bit back the urge to punch the infuriating person into tomorrow. "What are you doing here?" he growled.
"I see you guys have already dropped off Winry at Rush Valley; don't worry about her- she'll be fine." Harry said to Al while completely ignoring Ed.
"You're off to see your teacher now, right? Lead the way then," Harry smiled.
"Wait a minute- why should we?" Ed asked angrily.
"Because if you don't I'll just head there myself. It's not like I don't know where she lives." Harry shrugged. Ed refused to budge an inch; Harry sighed, muttering that sounded like "kids nowadays". "Look, relax, will you? If I wanted you dead, you would be here talking back at me. The free fall thing does not count; it's not my fault you didn't dodge. I'm not here to hurt anyone- sheesh. If anything, I'm probably going to be the one getting hurt since this is Izumi Curtis we are talking about. " Harry said exasperatedly. "The free fall thing does not count; it's not my fault you didn't dodge."
Slightly placated, Ed tsked and stomped away towards the Curtis' butcher shop, cursing Harry all the way.
"It's nice to see you again too," Harry said sarcastically. Al chuckled behind him as the duo jogged towards Ed's retreating back.
"Boss, we've got some special guests!" Mason shouted.
Harry raised an eyebrow at the two terrified Elrics. Nothing out of the ordinary here. He soon ate his words when a bear of a man ducked out of the doorway with a bloody butcher's knife in his hands. He took one look at Ed and began squishing him on the hand.
'What on Earth are these humans eating nowadays?' Harry thought as Al got a fond pat on the head. 'I must have been away for too long,' he reiterated.
"And who is this?" Sieg boomed. He turned to face Harry, who stared back up at him unflinchingly.
"I'm Harry Potter, an alchemist friend of Ed and Al. We met during their travels," he smiled disarmingly. He ignored how Ed choked on his own saliva in the background.
Sieg scrutinized Harry for a long minute before he nodded and turned his attention back to the brothers.
"So, why are you here?" He asked.
"We've got some questions for Master," Ed said as an explanation. Harry snickered at the way Ed's voice shook in fear.
"Let's go then," the giant agreed easily.
"How is Master?" Al asked kindly.
"She has been doing well lately, but she is still sick." He said. "Hey Izumi, the Elric brats are here to see you," he shouted. Several moments passed quietly- the calm before the storm, Harry grinned as he leaned on the windowsill next to Al. Ed, in a moment of stupidity, chose to stand in front of the door.
"Is Master sleeping?" Al whispered nervously.
"We're not going to worsen her condition, are we?" Ed whispered back.
"You don't have to worry, Ed. She's doing just fine. You'll see." Harry shrugged. The look in the god's eyes was not comforting in the least, Ed thought.
He didn't have to wonder about the odd amused air that seemed to be radiating from the boy when a dainty slippered foot slammed the door open and set Ed flying across the street.
'That smug bastard' was the last thought running through Ed's mind before his head collided painfully with a brick wall.
"News of you have reached us, you idiotic students! You actually became a dog of the military? Well?!" Izumi barked at a semi-conscious and bleeding Ed.
"Who's the tin can and the kid?" she asked when Ed failed to respond. Harry flipped a hand at her as he continued to stuff Ed's soul back into his body.
"Erm… Ah, I'm Alphonse," Al said weakly.
"Al! You've grown so tall!" Izumi said pleasantly.
"I haven't changed much," He replied and took izumi's hand… only to be flipped on his back.
"Sloppy!" Izumi shouted over his head.
"And you are…?" She raised an eyebrow at Harry, who looked greatly amused.
"Just an alchemist friend of those two over there," he gestured to the two dazed brothers. "My name is Harry Potter."
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Izumi held out a hand; Harry was wise enough not to take it. Instead, he just bowed politely and said with a smirk "Oh, we've met before. I'm sure you would remember in a bit."
Izumi frowned thoughtfully at the response. She was quite sure she had never met him in her life, yet there was something off about the boy in front of her.
"The philosopher's stone?" Izumi asked. "I don't know much about it since I'm not interested in finding it… There was a man we met in Central who knew quite a lot about the stone though. I think his name was Van Hohenheim?" she mused.
Ed and Al gasped in unison. "So he's still alive," Ed whispered hatefully.
"What's the matter? You guys know him?" Izumi asked, sensing the shift in atmosphere.
"He's our father," Al confessed.
"The one who left a long time ago? If he's still in central-" Izumi said.
"That bastard! I will never ask that bastard for help!" Ed clenched his shaking hands into fists.
"He's not a bad guy; he may be a bad father, but he's not a bad person," Harry interjected. "He's just trying to make up for his mistakes even though he's really not the one to blame. Come to think of it, you inherited your personality from him, Ed." The Truth remained unshaken by Ed's fury. "Don't be so stubborn; you'll understand why he left."
Ed tsked at him and turned away angrily.
'Friends? Don't make me laugh.' Izumi frowned. 'Why isn't Ed fighting back? The boy knows things he shouldn't. I don't like the look in his eyes.'
Harry smiled without a care in the world. He likes Izumi quite a lot; she's a strong woman who gets things done. As such, he'd do her a favor and give her some time to figure out the truth for herself.
"Speaking of which, Master, you haven't had kids…" Ed said innocently. Immediately, Izumi's grew downcast; Harry fought the urge to sigh. Of all the topics Ed had to bring up over dinner, it had to be children.
Mason slammed his hands on the dinner table and came up with a weak excuse to direct Ed and Al outdoors. The duo complied and began boasting of their abilities on their way out.
"Izumi…" Sieg began hesitantly.
"Ah, I'm fine." She reassured him. "Letting these children watch the birth of a new life is a valuable experience!" She smiled. Her husband looked utterly unconvinced.
"It is- a valuable experience that is." Harry sipped on his tea languidly. Izumi's eyes narrowed at him. "There will be a day when Ed –and by extension, Al- will be forced to take lives. It's inevitable given Ed's career choice. So far, he has managed to avoid killing, but he can't dodge the task forever. Despite what people would like to think of the military men, they are not heartless. In fact, Ed's commanding officer has been trying his best to shield Ed from that kind of assignments. That fool has been shouldering on the killing himself. Being a parent is truly a thankless task." He said cryptically.
"Don't worry", Harry's bright green eyes bored into Izumi's charcoal ones. "Your child is doing fine. He doesn't blame you, just like how Trisha Elric doesn't blame Ed and Al. He misses you. Rest and focus on your health."
Izumi stumbled back as if she had been slapped. Even Sieg looked uneasy.
She bared her teeth in anger. "Who are you? What are you playing at?"
Harry simply shrugged. "You know who I am- denial is not a good look on you. I'm not playing at anything. I just wanted to offer you some closure while I'm here. Humans are so easily crushed by guilt." Izumi wanted to wipe the smirk off of that smug bastard's lips, but deep down, she was shaken by his words.
"You can wring the answers out of me later. The brats are going to be suspicious if we keep them waiting any longer." Harry waved a hand and strolled out, ignoring how Izumi tried to drill a hole through his back with her suspicious gaze.
Mandy: This is the first draft (of three!) of my FMA/HP cross. Basically, in this universe, Amestris and alchemy came after the magical world imploded on itself due to the light/dark magical imbalance. The world started over, and this time, there are rules- there is no divide between the "magicals" and the "non-magicals", and everything has a price. The one in charge of enforcing that price is, of course, Harry. I really like this idea, and I even have sketches of scenes drawn, for goodness' sake, but I just can't seem to write this idea properly. FMA is simply too perfect of a manga/anime for me to mess around with, and I feel pretty darn guilty for changing anything, let alone inserting a character. Anyways, I'm about at my wits end, since I've written 30k for this idea over five+ years and haven't gotten anywhere. I'm just going to upload all three drafts, and you guys can tell me which one you guys want continued. As usual, it's pretty much unbetaed (it's pretty sad that my old writing is better than my new writing, but I guess that's what I get for not using English much anymore).