Ok, for good measure, I took forever updating this and I deserve to have lost most of you readers because of it. I'm glad some of you will probably stick by me and continue reading this, for that you have my utmost thanks.
Now to start off, Edward is sorta OC, and Mustang is an ultra radical Leverrier styled Mustang (-Man reference for those who don't know what I'm talking about) so lets call him OOC. Ed's intelligence as always has been is beyond his years.
The title of the chapter doesn't really fit, but I think its sort of obvious why its here given Hohenhime's explanation.
Last but not least, please Read & Review. I enjoy criticism and I'm quite happy to take it all. I will respond personally to all reviewers as always.
Disclaimer: If I owned FMA, lets just say I'd change a lot of things and I probably wouldn't be letting Aniplex and other companies knock down the AMV makers that exist. Therefore, I don't own FMA, most sadly.
Hell's Awakening – Chapter 3: Refugee
Rockbell Household…
The Rockbell's were horrified when Hohenhime suggested that Edward would need to receive an automail leg, not only that, he was suggesting not only did it have to happen immediately, but Edward would need to leave before the full recovery time had passed. They knew it couldn't be helped, the military now had an interest in Edward's activities and would stop at nothing to investigate the young boy for all he had done with alchemy. Not to mention that Hohenhime had said he would explain when Edward awoke from the surgery the reason for why this immediate change to his life would be necessary if he wanted to remain independent, not to mention alive.
Edward had not argued at all and instead consented to receiving the surgery to attach the automail port and leg in one go, not often performed because of its 90% failure rate. So Winry and Pinako had anesthetised him 24 hours later and began performing the surgery. After 4 hours, of hard work, it was complete, now the only question was success, which wouldn't be determined until Edward woke up. They all knew his body would probably need to adjust to the change pretty quickly, and if it didn't, he would likely have a lot of problems with moving it, but that couldn't be helped.
Winry's Room – 8 Hours later…
He started to wake up slowly, Hohenhime, Winry and Pinako were all holding their breaths. He might be in extreme pain, no one knew for sure. He'd been whimpering in his induced sleep. Edward raised his eyelids further and it became apparent he was in severe pain, obvious by the fact he was biting his lip and his fists were clenched, Winry immediately opened the IV line she had inserted earlier to let painkillers drift into his system and help him to endure the pain.
"Edward, do you hear me?" Hohenhime asked carefully.
"Yes, I can hear you." Edward moaned.
"Good, Edward, there is a very good reason why you survived that transmutation and your brother did not." Hohenhime started, "You I'm sad to say it, have become more like me than I ever hoped. Do you remember the stories of the Philosophers' Stone Edward?"
"Yeah, the one that supposedly tore the nation of Xerxes down in a single night?" Edward asked.
"That one exactly yes," Hohenhime gasped, "I'm not sure of how else to say this Edward so I'm just going to tell you. The souls of 268,164 people from Xerxes now lie within your body. They used to lie within mine, I didn't notice them leave when your mother became pregnant with you, and now I regret it. You my unfortunate son are a Philosophers' Stone in a human form. That is why you cannot stay here and wait for the military to come after you. You must come with me and learn how to deal with such a dreadful existence. I have much I can teach you about it, and I think there is much you will be grateful for if you leave with me before the military arrive here in 3 weeks time."
"I'm….I'm a Philosopher's Stone?" Edward asked baffled.
"Unfortunately my son, if it helps you to know at all, I've had over 400 years to get used to this." Hohenhime admitted, "It's not pretty. I'm virtually ageless and there are something's I must tell you, though not while in the presence of others."
"Okay, later than." Edward stated bluntly, "I'm not leaving here until I'm fully convinced it's the right thing to do."
Hohenhime groaned, Edward was going to take a lot of convincing to be sure that he'd leave.
Hours later….
"Winry and Pinako are finally asleep," Hohenhime sighed, "I thought they'd never nod off. They care about you so much."
"Well they shouldn't," Ed mumbled, "For what I've done caring about me should be absolute taboo. Hell for what I am it should be taboo to care about me."
"Edward, what I said before isn't entirely correct," Hohenhime glanced at Ed, "You're body is half human. It means you actually have a choice of what energy you use when performing transmutation, unlike me, considering all of my body is now made up of is the stone. That is why the stones have never revealed themselves to you, you always chose to use the energy of your human side because that is what the books on alchemy taught you to do."
"So what you're saying is that I can selectively choose whose energy I use, mine or theirs?" Edward asked.
"Correct," Hohenhime murmured, "Your body has two sources of energy, those of peoples lives and that of your own. I prefer that you use your own wherever possible, however Ed, you need to know that its not always possible to use your own in the event you're trying to do something large. You'll need more, and no matter how much it hurts, you'll need to use some of the souls inhabiting your body in order to do so."
"But, that's using peoples lives isn't it? I won't use them ever!" Edward growled.
"Yes, its using peoples lives Edward," Hohenhime sighed, "However, those people have no body to return to either, they died over 400 years ago, and if you're skilled enough, you'll be able to communicate with them and chose who to use as I have done for many years. Those who are willing to serve you due to their inability to return to a human body now are willing to help you to save other lives if you wish. Don't shun their decisions to end what remains of their own existence for a good reason."
"Why should anyones life be allowed to end?" Ed asked curiously, "Doesn't Truth give an answer for that?"
"I'm afraid not Edward," Hohenhime sighed, "Truth doesn't have an answer for everything, he is just able to answer most of humanities questions. People like you who choose to dream are robbed of that which would make the dream a reality when they commit the ultimate sins to reach him."
"So you're saying that which we seek most is what we'll be unable to achieve if we perform human transmutation." Ed mumbled.
"Yes," Hohenhime spoke slowly, knowing what he had to do next. "Edward, I need you to come with me, I need to teach you what you need to know in order to survive in the world when you're not only a dangerous weapon, but in great danger from the very being that created this stone."
"What do you mean a weapon?" Ed asked cautiously.
"Your body is made up of 50% human and 50% philosophers stone," Hohenhime explained, "Your capable of transmuting even when it appears you are out of energy, and not only that, you can transmute until your stone runs out of energy. Not only that, it is possible for you to create more energy within your body given that you are a philosophers stone out of those who are around you. Not only that, if you come across an existing philosophers stone, you can absorb it, although I suggest that you not try that with another being who is a philosophers stone, the likelihood is they will retaliate and it will cost you more of your life force than you will want it to trust me."
"So you're asking me to leave Winry and Granny Pinako alone here, in wait for the military?" Ed asked, "While I'm just running away with you?"
"This is about so much more than just running away," Hohenhime moaned, "This is about your well being my son. Its my responsibility as a parent to make sure you receive the best care possible, and currently that is with me while avoiding the military. They would tear you apart if they found out what you were."A
"Apart, huh?" Edward grinned, "I've been torn apart already by the gate, I don't think anything the military do can topple that."
"Believe me son, Furher King Bradley is not actually leading this country, it is his superior, creator even if you want." Hohenhime sighed, "Edward, you cannot take these people head on, if they capture you, they will drain your life until it is nothing if they discover you are a philosopher's stone. You mean nothing in the grand plans of Homunculus."
"And who or what is Homunculus?" Edward queried.
"Afterall the reading you did through my books, you didn't discover what a homunculus is? I'm shocked Edward." Hohenhime looked up, "A homunculus is an artificial person. However, in this case there is a being called Homunculus who is the other Philosopher's stone I mentioned about NOT challenging."
"So you're telling me he's going to be after me?" Edward asked.
"More or less." Hohenhime muttered, "Considering he's already after me. He's a greedy, evil being Edward. He created the stones within us that destroyed Xerxes in that single night."
"I'll come with you old man, assuming I can walk by the time we have to leave." Edward winced, "I don't like it, but you don't leave me much room to move either."
"We shall cross that bridge when it arrives then my dear son," Hohenhime answered, "We could regenerate your leg, but I wouldn't want to use souls on that, nor do I think you'd accept it knowing how it was done."
"No, I wouldn't."
Heh, so how did you all like it? Sorta short wasn't it? My sincerest apologies about that, I kinda ran into a few issues when trying to type. Call it a serious case of writers block. Not to mention I'm struggling to push out a chapter for Athrun's Trial my Gundam SEED fic as well as having to file all my chapters for my other fic for Gundam SEED away for a while.
So remember to review if you got this far please, that or alert, favourite anything to let me know there are people here and I'm not just writing like a crazy person.