Chapter Four: "Mysterious Ways"
Edward hadn't much hope for sleep that night.
Mentally, Edward cursed a certain mirror; if it hadn't been there, he could have rested easily. Instead, he spent his whole night thinking about the entire thing. His "heart's desire" was to get fucked by Roy Mustang? There was no way!
He was also curious, though, and that was what frightened him. He couldn't help it, and kept on staring up at Roy as he changed into his bedclothes. The older man wasn't any different, and neither was Ed; somehow, though, Ed couldn't help but feel as though something had changed. He didn't want to think too much about it, though.
But he knew things wouldn't be the same anymore. What he'd seen would make him see things differently now; whether it be the way that he led Roy by the hand from time to time, their evening routine, or even the way he saw himself in the mirror. Things were going to be distorted.
He knew that he had to think about something else, and as he climbed into bed, he wracked his brain for another thought. He began trying to concentrate on some chemical formulas, and found his mind wandering to time spent at the library with Alphonse. Good, that was somewhat positive; it hurt, though, because he had yet to hear back from his brother; how long did it take for an owl to get to and from Resemboole? As he attempted to ease off the topic, a voice popped into his head.
"Sorry, but…'Resemboole'? It sounds really funny…"
Ed let out a slight chuckle, thinking back to their pointless chitchat. Neville was slow, naïve, clumsy, overly-kind, and had a serious inferiority complex, but Ed didn't mind. There was something about him…the blonde couldn't help but feel like they'd been friends for years.
Why would he be friends with someone like him, though? They were polar opposites: introvert, extrovert; thick, sharp; smart…not so smart. Ed had nothing in common with the boy except for gender; they even came from different countries.
Ed turned onto his side, trying to come up with any reason why he wanted to be friends with Neville. It was just the kind of person he was, really, that made him have to find reason in everything. He never acted without reason, and he always made absolutely certain that things were clear in his own mind before he believed them. Some called him paranoid, since it made him not trust others, and others called him overly-skeptical; to him, though, it was a normal thing – a way of getting through life.
But now, he couldn't find a single reason why he felt the way he did; it brought out a strange feeling in his chest, almost a burning sensation. He tried to ignore it, delving for more reasons – the way he talked, his looks, even his hands – and stopped upon noticing that the feeling was stronger than before.
Slowly, he realized that he was aggravated.
He could've laughed at himself just then; he'd been lying in bed trying to figure out why he wanted to be friends with someone, and had managed to find nothing to answer his question. He'd gotten annoyed at himself.
Ed closed his eyes, grinning; now that he wasn't concentrating so hard, it was clear to him why he wanted to be friends.
While everyone else was showing off, being polite, or trying to put forth some weird image of themself, Neville was silently, stupidly doing just the opposite: he was being completely and totally genuine. He was naïve enough to take things at face value, to completely believe everything that he saw until someone explained otherwise. He didn't try to make an impression, brag, or even hide his worst emotions; all he did was tell the truth, in his own way.
And, Ed understood now, that was all the reason there needed to be. The alchemist was jealous of that single trait, and he somehow wanted to be around someone who displayed it so obviously.
In a way, he was hoping that it would rub off on him.
He found himself falling asleep, and gladly surrendered to the weight of his own exhaustion; content enough to simply sleep with this one bit of knowledge.
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It was still dark when Ed forced himself out of the castle, his eyes having barely adjusted to the faint light of the pseudo-dawn. He made sure that no one was around and slipped into the greenhouse marked 'SIX,' locking the door behind him. The young man sighed, trying to remember where Severus had been sitting before. After a moment, he gave up.
"Severus, I'm coming in; get away from the hedge," Ed said, barely louder than a whisper. He waited for a moment and transmuted a hole in the plants, stepping through and transmuting it back. Once he was finished, he turned to face the older man; said man raised an eyebrow.
"What are you doing here?" he asked weakly, wrapping his arm around his body and straightening his posture. Ed glared at him.
"What, you think I'm here because I have some sick interest in horticulture? I came to talk to you about something – what else would I be doing?" he snapped, plopping down and reclining against the hedge. "It's like you don't trust me…"
"I don't," the older man groaned, his hand going to his head. Ed wanted to smack him. "You haven't known me for 24 hours, even – do you think we're 'friends' or something? Besides, you're an alchemist; that's pretty conspicuous in and of itself."
Ed gritted his teeth as Severus spoke, trying to remain calm. Finally, he took a deep breath, freezing as a vile stench met his nose.
"What the – what's that smell? It's like…it smells like a corpse, like rotting flesh, like…" he trailed off, eyes falling on the empty sleeve where Severus' arm had once been. "Shit…don't even try to tell me…"
A sick smile graced the older man's face for a moment; he let out a small chuckle.
"I don't have to say a word, do I?" he murmured, closing his eyes. "You know the smell, then?"
Ed nodded, clapping his hands together. Immediately, he slammed them against the ground and glared at the older man. Severus gaped as the ground came up and cuffed his legs, the roots of the nearby foliage pinning his remaining arm. He looked like a prisoner.
Once he had the man trapped, Edward kneeled at his left side. Steady hands found the seam of the sleeves and tore the whole thing off. The smell grew worse, and Ed ripped the shoulder too, eyes traveling over the flesh.
"I knew it; gangrene," he whispered, trailing his fingers over the blackened flesh. It had spread from the point where the arm had been severed all the way to his shoulder. The diseased flesh spread over about six inches – it had to be cut off before it spread any further. Ed swallowed, glaring at the older man.
"Why the hell did you let it get so bad?" Ed demanded; Severus didn't answer, and that was answer enough. The young man sighed heavily, transmuting the torn fabric of the sleeve into a rope and some gauze.
"You realize that dying won't bring him back, right?" he whispered, tying the rope around Severus' shoulder, just above the final lines of green-black flesh. Severus glared at him. "No matter what you do, you can't bring him back. That guy you killed – he's gone, Severus, and you have to live with that. You wanting to die…that's an insult to his memory."
Snape remained silent as Ed clapped his hands together, grimacing. He pressed them to the older man's skin, near the rope, and watched as the diseased flesh separated cleanly from the shoulder. The dark haired man jerked hard, letting out a soft cry. He panted, blood dripping from the fresh would. Ed placed the flesh on the ground and transmuted the rope around Snape's shoulder into a bandage, wrapping it tightly to stem the bleeding. After he had finished, Ed sat back and sighed, the older man glaring at him.
"Do you have any idea how much that hurt?" he hissed, still panting. Ed nodded, pulling off his glove and rolling up his sleeve. The metal of his arm shone brightly in the slight light of the sun.
"Yeah; actually, I do. I lost my arm and leg when I was about eleven. Don't even talk about pain until you put up with getting a replacement like mine," he muttered, watching Severus' face. The older man stared at the prosthetic limb, face completely unreadable. "I didn't think you would, though, once you'd seen this. I think I know what you're like, anyway."
Snape raised an eyebrow at him.
"Oh?"
It was a challenge, and Ed was all too eager to take it up.
"You're stubborn, proper, and loyal. Deceptive, maybe, but you're definitely loyal. That's kind of up to debate, though; you also seem like the type who can easily walk the line between sides. You're more loyal to people than you are to positions. You're also sarcastic, good with language – well-educated. I'd call it the 'bastard child' complex."
Severus didn't even blink.
"I'm not a bastard," he murmured, running his hand through his dark locks. "As for you…I'd say that you're under the impression that your life has been harder than anyone else's. You know that you're smarter than your classmates and feel no need to flout that about, which I take to mean…" he twitched slightly and his hand went to his shoulder for a moment. "…to mean that it's gotten you in trouble. You're empathetic, too - textbook 'tragic hero' complex."
Ed raised an eyebrow and pulled his glove back on.
"'Tragic hero,' huh?" he muttered, eyes narrowing. "I don't know many 'tragic heroes' out there. Do all of them destroy their families, cause the deaths of their friends, and die?" Severus did blink this time.
"What do you mean, you 'died?'" he asked, pushing himself forward. "From where I'm sitting, you look pretty alive."
Ed chuckled darkly.
"I've died twice, Severus. I can't give you too much detail, but the first time was in an accident and the second was murder. Both times, the price to return was way too much. I have no intention of living that way anymore," he whispered, clenching his fists. "Anyway, I have to get back to the school. Thanks for the chat."
As Ed stood to leave, Severus made a small noise of protest. He turned around impatiently, cocking his head in question.
"I thought your name was familiar; I read about you once. It was in a newspaper from Amestris I picked up. It was something about you passing the State Alchemist Certification Test almost five years ago. So, you're the Fullmetal Alchemist?"
Ed nodded, mouth dry.
"Am I that well known here?" he asked, trying to remain calm. Severus nodded, much to the young man's dismay.
"People only know about the greatest alchemists of all time here – Nicolas Flamel, the Light Alchemist, the Flame Alchemist, Tse Chen Yao, and the Fullmetal Alchemist – but not by name, necessarily. Each known for their own reasons," he grunted, shifting his body upright. "Flamel made a Sorcerer's Stone almost six hundred years ago, the Light Alchemist provided insight into horcruxes made by a different type of stone, the Flame Alchemist lead troops in the infamous Ishbal conflict – yes, Edward, even we know about that," he added when Ed's jaw dropped. "And he's known as one of Amestris' most famous colonels. Tse Chen Yao is known for his theories on 'human transmutation,' and the Fullmetal Alchemist is not only the youngest alchemist in history to become one of Amestris' recognized militants, he's also famous as a 'hero of the people.' People learn about him in Muggle Studies, History of Magic, and various books."
Ed swallowed hard, trying to think rationally.
"People here aren't against alchemists, are they? I mean, if someone recognized me…" he gestured wildly, trying to get an answer. Snape almost smirked.
"If someone recognized you, they would react one of two ways – educated people would probably be either angry or afraid of you, while uneducated people who just heard your title would start a riot. Amestris' State Alchemists aren't welcome here, normally."
Edward nodded in understanding. He shot Snape a look as he made his exit.
"If you let yourself die, I'm gonna dance on your corpse."
Severus just waved goodbye.
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The next morning, Roy awoke to the sound of Edward's footfalls and his own mattress squeaking. He remained absolutely still, willing it to somehow be Sunday; he really didn't want to have to get up and face his cold room, let alone teach. All he wanted to do was sleep, warm and content in his own bed.
Just as he was beginning to fall asleep again, a flash of light burned his shut eyes; he grunted, yanking the sheet over his head. There weren't any disturbances for a moment, at least, and Roy curled up again, satisfied with just staying there. He breathed deeply, slowly drifting off.
"Wake up," he heard Edward command; he sighed, slowly picking his head up and meeting the blonde's eyes, barely able to keep his own open. The younger man was the first to look away, and he jerked Roy's sheet away, throwing it onto the ground and glaring at him for a moment. The colonel promptly buried his head under a pillow.
"Professor Mustang, get up now," Ed hissed, more insistent than before. Roy ignored him again, trying to concentrate on what little warmth he could find on his bed. After another few seconds, he heard a heavy sigh.
"If you're not up in three seconds, I'm going to set your hair on fire," the younger man warned, and that was all it took for Roy to sit up, rubbing his eye blearily.
"Morning…" he muttered, looking up at Edward blankly. Even though he wasn't all that much of a morning person, he could tell that something was wrong. His subordinate was slightly pink and carefully avoiding his gaze. Roy made a note to think about it when he was actually thinking coherently; any thought on the matter now could lead to freakishly obscene conclusions.
He swung his legs over the edge of the mattress and stretched, feeling his back pop in several places. It was strange to hear it, still. When he'd been enlisted into the military, he never popped anything just by stretching. Now, though…he felt old.
Edward turned to his trunk and pulled out a clean robe, slipping it over his shoulders. For a moment, Roy wondered when the boy had gotten dressed.
"I'm gonna head down to breakfast. Don't expect me to make any excuses for you if you fall back asleep, Colonel."
Roy allowed himself to sit there, staring at nothing, while the younger man exited the room, his footsteps fading as he walked further and further away. He was sorely tempted to just lie back down and fall back asleep, but he knew he had to teach; he couldn't put that off as easily as paperwork. No, he had to wake up, get down to the hall, and then teach a bunch of teenagers about how modern appliances worked.
The man sighed, heaving himself from his bed, resigned to the fact that he would probably get no further rest for the next few hours.
He was so distracted that he didn't even notice the exceptional amounts of owls outside.
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The first thing Edward noticed when he entered the Grand Hall was the chatter…or, in this case, lack thereof. Everyone was silent, and he had little time to wonder why. Neville approached him, fear evident in his eyes.
"Edward, look at this!"
Before he could even begin to make out what "this" was, it was shoved into his hands. Ed's eyes widened as he looked it over, almost afraid of what he saw.
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When Roy finally made it to the hall barely ten minutes before his first class started, something seemed off. No one said good morning, no one seemed all that interested in talking to him…in fact, no one seemed interested in even looking at him. Everyone was silent – even the usual clicking of utensils was absent. Large groups of students were gathering, and he was suddenly quite aware that a good amount of the students appeared…scared.
"Yo, Roy…!"
A few people looked up as Edward made his way up towards the head table, but their attention didn't last long. Roy met Edward halfway, confused, and noticed that the boy was slightly pale. In his hand was a copy of a familiar-looking paper – the "Daily Prophet," if he remembered right.
"What is it?" He asked, glancing over the front page. A man with long-ish black, greasy hair, dark eyes, and a hook-nose glared back at him from a black and white photo. The headline read "SEVERUS SNAPE DEAD" and a subscript beneath it saying "Death Eater Wanted for Murder of Hogwarts Headmaster Slain."
The older alchemist raised an eyebrow; why would Edward freak out over the death of some criminal that he'd never met? Before he could voice anything resembling a question, Edward flipped a few pages and pointed a completely different article, shoving it towards Roy. The older man felt his mouth go dry.
"TWENTY DIE IN ATTACK ON RESEMBOOLE, AMESTRIS. DEATH EATERS HELD RESPONSIBLE.
Two weeks ago, a band of Death Eaters led by a Mr. Timothy Cragwellow attacked a small town in Amestris known as Resemboole, killing eighteen muggles. In the fight that ensued between ministry officials, one Death Eater and Alan Hashmen, an auror, were killed.
'This attack comes as a great shock to us,' stated the Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour. 'It is exceptionally rare that we have any contact whatsoever with Amestris.'
Amestris is a country located within the Baltic Peninsula, famous for its powerful military and numerous alchemists. It is also renowned for its prosthetics, deserts, and large cities. It is highly unusual in that the country itself is said to have few witches and wizard, although there are currently two in Hogwarts – a transfer student, Edward Elric, and a new teacher, Roy Mustang. Whether or not Mr. Elric is of any relation to Alphonse Elric, a young boy severely injured in the attack, has yet to be determined."
Roy attempted to swallow around the lump in his throat, scarcely willing to meet the younger man's eyes. Edward took the paper back from Roy with steady hands, folding it and taking a deep breath.
"Roy…" the boy's voice betrayed his calm actions, raw and fearful. "Alphonse…I need to go see him…"
He sounded like a child.
Roy nodded, looking around the hall. No one was looking at them except for some boy at the Gryffindor table; the kid seemed concerned, if the way that he kept on fiddling with his form meant anything. Ed followed his gaze, crossing his arms.
"Neville; he's a friend of mine. Pointed out the article, actually; he was trying to find the second part of the article about Se…" Ed trailed off, running a hand through his bangs. "…Severus Snape, the old DADA teacher."
The older man realized at once that he had yet to say a word in response to Edward. He cleared his throat, placing a hand on Ed's shoulder.
"Go pack some clothes into a bag," Roy murmured, scanning Ed's face for some sort of reaction. He found none. "I'll explain everything to McGonagall. Make sure you pack some for me, too."
Ed gave a curt, breathless nod of the head and rushed out in a whirl of black, blonde, and red. No one paid him much mind, Roy noticed, except for Neville, who seemed ready to run after him. The alchemist shook his head, motioning for the boy to sit again; he did so, but kept his eyes on Roy's face the whole time.
Roy made his way to Professor McGonagall, clearing his throat to get her attention. Her head snapped up so quickly that the man almost expected to hear a snap. Apparently, she'd been so absorbed in her paper that she was scarcely aware of her surroundings. She raised an eyebrow.
"Professor Mustang; what do you need?" the old woman asked, a hand coming up to rub her neck. Roy straightened his back and looked her straight in the eye.
"Edward Elric's brother, Alphonse, was injured in the attack on Amestris a week ago; Ed has to see him," he stated quietly. McGonagall's expression changed to one of shock, eyes widening and eyebrows flying up beneath her hair.
"Amestris was attacked? You don't mean…" she trailed off, breath shaking. Roy nodded.
"Death Eaters attacked his hometown. He hasn't had a chance to talk to Alphonse in ages. He can't not go, Professor."
McGonagall crossed her arms, uncrossed them, adjusted her glasses, and crossed her arms again. She leaned forward, then back, and sighed heavily. Roy stood absolutely still, waiting for her answer.
"Is he in St. Mungo's or a hospital in Amestris?" she finally asked, settling into her chair, resting her chin on her hands. Not sure, Roy merely shrugged. The woman cast him a withering glare, flipping the pages of her paper until she found the article. Her eyes traveled down the page, reaching the bottom in seconds.
"It says he was 'severely injured,' so I'd assume he's in St. Mungo's. If he isn't there, Edward can't go," McGonagall murmured, folding her paper again. "As his guardian, you'll need to accompany him. The two of you have two days – including today – to spend with him. Under the current circumstances, that's all that I can allow."
Roy nodded, turning to leave; almost as an afterthought, he turned around and met the older woman's gaze again. She nodded.
"I'll get someone to cover your classes while you're gone. Just go."
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Upon opening the door to his room, Roy was promptly yanked in and embraced briefly before a bag was forced into his left hand. He felt himself being dragged by his right wrist, but he was too distracted to care. Ed was the same way – it was like he couldn't get out fast enough.
A few students stared at Roy as he and Ed raced out the door, but he didn't really care. His attention was focused solely on his younger counterpart. In what could've been seconds, they reached the grounds.
Ed's breathing was rapidly speeding up, and Roy stopped him as soon as they got down to the lake. The boy tugged at his hand, but Roy forced him to sit down, looking around. The station was directly across the lake, and only Hagrid had access to the boats. The giant hadn't come up for breakfast, so he'd assumed that he was out here…but…
"Well! Professor Mustang an' Ed Elric! Why're you two ou' here? Ain't it time for breakfast?"
A hulking figure seemed to appear out of nowhere; Roy wondered whether it was being around Al's armor for so long that had made him oblivious to people over seven feet tall or if Armstrong had had a part in it. Either way, he and Ed both looked up at the same time, and Roy opened his mouth as he remembered why they were there.
"What's that?"
Ed was approaching Hagrid, reaching up towards a bundle in the man's arms. The giant lifted whatever it was above his head, and a loud cry came from it. The three froze.
"Uh….y'see, tha's…uh…" Hagrid stammered, lowering the 'thing' into viewing range. "I think she's hungry."
Wrapped in blankets and obviously upset about something, a small, pruny, ugly bird with pink down covering its pale body poked its head out. It let out a pitiful wail, flapping its naked wings and struggling against Hagrid's gentle hold. Ed reached out and slowly stroked the bird's soft head, a touch of awe on his face.
"What is this…?" he asked, not once breaking eye contact with the distressed chick. It flapped once more, and then rested again, leaning into Ed's palm. Hagrid raised an eyebrow.
"She's a li'l over a week old an' real rare – not sump'in ye can jus' buy. She's a phoenix chick."
Roy watched Ed stroke the bird's tiny head the whole time that Hagrid spoke. She had seemed aggravated before, but looked almost content now. At the end of Hagrid's explanation, she suddenly perked up, looked at Ed, and let out a much different cry than the one she'd made before. It lasted several seconds, a beautiful note that ended a pitch higher than it began. Ed breathed in amazement.
"Incredible," he whispered, running a finger down her side. She gave a soft chirp in response. "What's her name?"
"She don' got one yet, Mister Elric. Would'ja like ta hold 'er?" Hagrid responded, a smile starting to show on his face. Ed nodded, holding out his hands. His face was back to normal, if a little excited.
Once she was in his arms, though, Ed's countenance changed entirely. When Roy approached, he didn't even notice. A strange light was in the boy's eyes, and Roy recognized it immediately. It was a face he hadn't seen in ages, and it was almost a relief to see it again.
Ed was studying the bird.
And, Roy supposed, he had a right to. Up close, she was uglier than he'd originally thought; bigger, too. Not only was she slightly wrinkled, she was bald in some patches. Her beak was dirty, she had something like ash between her talons, and her head seemed too big for her body. Altogether, she might've been a foot long, from head to non-existent tail, and a whole third of it was neck and head.
But her eyes, he noted, were clear and bright. They were a soft, aquatic green, a clear contrast to her pinkish-white body; they didn't really fit in with the rest of her.
She looked more like a chicken than a bird of legend to Roy.
Ed, however, was transfixed. She rested her head against his left elbow and he promptly sat down, creating a more comfortable surface – his lap. The chick chirped appreciatively, stretching out. Ed chuckled at her.
"Sure likes you, eh?" Hagrid cut in, kneeling down. Roy almost felt insulted by the fact that, even on his knees, the wild-looking man was taller than him. "Tha's not normal. Phoenixes…they don' take ta people that easy. She mus' really like you."
Ed didn't look up, but Roy could've sworn he saw a smile on his face, if only briefly. The bird seemed to have noticed, too, and propped herself up in his lap. She stared at his bare left wrist, and Ed held it out.
"What you want on?"
Before anything else could register with Roy, the phoenix clamped down hard on the boy's wrist. Ed didn't cry out, but he did blink, an annoyed look crossing his face.
"Hey, that hurts," he muttered, gently trying to pull her off. She held tight, a few pearly tears leaking down her beak. Roy saw Ed twinge right before she pulled away, seemingly apologetic. The blonde pulled his sleeve back and both he and Roy stared at the small indent that looked like it had always been there, dumbfounded. Ed opened his mouth to say something, but Hagrid let out a shriek first.
"I don' believe it!" he exclaimed, an excited glint in his eyes. "D'you know what tha' mark means? Do you?"
When the young man shook his head, Roy had to hold back a laugh at the giant's expression. He was grinning madly, petting the now-annoyed bird in ecstasy.
"She marked you, she did! She just made you her master! Tha' means she's yers now, Mister Elric! She's yer phoenix!"
Ed froze, staring at the bird. She stared right back, almost wistful looking. Before long, Ed just sighed, patting the bird a few times.
"Okay, she's my bird," he smiled softly, not looking up. "I keep her with me?"
Hagrid nodded.
"Yeah, she's yers – tha' means you got t'care for 'er, too. By the way, what's with th' bags?"
At once, Ed stood again, clutching the phoenix and going completely white. Roy's breath hitched as he remembered where they had been going. Apparently, the bird had fascinated Ed so much that he'd forgotten.
"Shit! Alphonse!" Ed muttered, eyes widening. Roy cleared his throat.
"Professor…Hagrid, can you escort us to the station? Edward's younger brother was injured in a strike in Amestris. The headmistress already approved us, but we need some help getting there…"
Hagrid took a shaky breath, eyes wide, and nodded in response. He pushed himself to his feet, running a hand down his face and through his scraggily beard, and walked into what Roy had learned just two days ago was his hut. A minute later, he stepped out again and shooed an owl off. He turned to face the two again.
"Come with me," he said in a gentle voice. "I'll take you t' St. Mungo's. Yeh prolly don' know where tha' is, eh?"
Roy glanced over at Edward, watching him shake his head breathlessly. The boy looked even more on edge than before, if that was even possible. It was like the thought of actually going to see Al was scaring him more than the idea of him being hurt.
He wanted to comfort him.
"C'mon, boats're this way. Sooner the better, right?" Hagrid said, stopping Roy's train of thought. The giant smiled reassuringly at Ed. "Don' you worry 'bout nothin' but seein' him, y'understand? Don' think o' nothin' else."
Even though Hagrid was trying to help them out, Roy felt the sudden urge to correct the man's grammar. He refrained, following him to a large boat instead. As he got in after Edward, he let himself stare at the younger man.
He looked as old as Roy felt.
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The trip to St. Mungo's had been pretty speedy; all in all, it seemed to have taken no longer than an hour. The time had passed quickly, too, with Hagrid telling them about his own half-brother, Grawp. It had been meant, Ed was sure, to distract him, but had instead made him even more anxious.
…he had no clue what to do.
As far as he knew, Al had no clue that he was back. His letter would probably have arrived just after the attack – in that case, he couldn't have known. And while he didn't like the thought of Al being hurt, there was one thing that bothered him more.
That was the thought of Al being alone.
It seemed to take the shriveled old witch at the counter ages to sort through the patient logs. Ed waited with bated breath, barely aware of his surroundings. The room was white, Roy was looking at his watch, and the old hag was slowly turning another page. His phoenix was asleep, and as for him…
If he had to wait another minute, Ed would—
"Edward?"
Ed – and Roy, too, he noticed – wheeled around as a shriek came from the hall to their left. There, hair tousled and screwdriver in hand, stood a very welcome sight.
Winry.
The blonde boy tried to say something, but found himself tongue-tied. As eh struggled to regain his knowledge of the English language, the mechanic rushed toward him and threw her arms around his neck. Ed struggled to keep his phoenix from being completely crushed.
"Oh, my God, oh, my God…thank goodness you're okay…I was so worried about you – you just vanished! No one knew where you went, and Al was – you're here, but you…" Ed decided to interrupt her incessant babbling with some of his own.
"Winry – Al's – where is – I mean, is he…?"
Winry pulled back, looking straight into his eyes. He stared right back, swallowing the urge to scream at her for not answering. After a few tense moments, she smiled widely and laughed, tears evident at the edges of her eyes.
"You haven't changed…Al's doing fine. Do you want to see him now?" she wiped her eyes and held out a hand. Ed looked at it for a moment before nodding and grasping it. The two began down the hall, Winry dragging Ed. Not three seconds later, Ed stopped and looked back at Roy.
He didn't want to see Al without Roy being there. Were it any other situation, he probably would've pushed the idea to the back of his mind. Now, though, he beckoned for the older man to follow. When he did, Ed allowed a small smile of relief. Roy had been a part of Al's life, too, and he deserved to see him.
Once Roy had caught up, Ed allowed Winry to lead them once again. It wasn't like they had very far to go; Alphonse was apparently in a room just four doors down from where they'd stopped. Ed reached for the knob, and then paused.
"Winry, maybe I shouldn't…" Ed began, but immediately stopped himself. The phoenix was slowly waking up in his arms, making tiny chirping sounds and staring up at her new master. The blonde stared back at her for a moment, and sighed, turning the doorknob.
"Alphonse?" he asked, opening the door. A figure on one of the beds stirred, turning to look at him.
"Go in," Winry whispered, giving him a gentle push. "He can't talk right now, Ed, but he'll be really happy to see you. I just know it."
Ed swallowed hard, entering the room. The only bed that was occupied held who was presumably Alphonse, so Ed turned the light on. His eyes fell upon the occupant of the bed, and he began to smile, bursting into joyous laughter and rushing to the boy's side immediately.
A real body. Al had a real body again.
He knew that Winry and Roy were staring at him, but he couldn't help it. The armor that had so long hosted his brother was gone. It was exactly what he had hoped for, exactly what he wanted to see. Even if the body was battered from the recent attack – Ed counted six visible bandages and a device of some sort in Al's throat – it was a human body, obviously functioning perfectly. His brother.
Al looked back at him with a confused, but happy look on his face. He reached for a pad of paper and pen next to his bed, writing something down and showing it to Edward.
Is it really you?
Ed nodded, watching his brother's face; now that the initial relief was wearing off, he was a little worried. What would Al do? For now, he was writing something.
I missed you. Everyone did. Where have you been? Ed read, frowning. He looked into Al's eyes, feeling altogether too serious.
"I was in another world's version of Munich. I just got back a little while ago, too. I tried to write to you, but the attack…" Ed's voice cracked, and he knew he was going to have to fight crying. "Anyway, you'll never guess what I've been doing lately."
Al looked a little happier. What were you doing? He wrote, cocking his head.
"I'm attending a school of magic, Al. Like the stuff the people here use. Isn't that incredible?" he asked, unintentionally gently. Al shot him a look and his eyes fell upon the phoenix.
What's that bird?
"A phoenix," Ed answered, shifting her. "She's mine, now; wanna hold her?"
When Alphonse nodded, Edward gently placed the chick in his arms. Al ran a finger down her wing, smiling. What's her name?
"She doesn't have one," Ed smiled back. "Why don't you name her?"
Al blinked, eyes going wide. Really? Ed nodded in response, and the younger boy looked her over carefully. How about Lihst? Ed blinked.
"Lihst?" Ed asked, looking over his bird. "Yeah, Lihst works pretty well. Especially spelled with the extra 'h.' I like it." Before anything else could be said, a doctor came in and gave Ed a pointed look.
"I apologize, but we'll have to send you home for now, Sir. We received a threat on this hospital, and we need you to leave. You can come back tomorrow," he said, flipping a few pages. "Besides, Alphonse is scheduled for a HGR scan today; that can take hours. You'll have to come back tomorrow."
Ed didn't fight it; instead, he merely ruffled his brother's hair, took Lihst back from him, and exited with Roy and Winry.
This is a break line; it has nothing to do with the story. This is the A/N section!
Okay, author's note time! So, who else thinks that this is quite possibly the worst chapter I've done yet for this story? Good, I'm not the only one…
So, I guess you deserve an explanation for it. Basically, I was so busy over the past few weeks – if not months – that I've had very little time for anything. In fact, I'm supposed to be translating something right now, but…well…… . ;… . ;; okay, so I'm being lazy. I think I deserve it! Jeez, just look at my LJ for my normal schedule; it's busy enough without my "super-busy-MUN-MYS-TVL-HoGF-etc. schedule"! So I have excuses!
…Not that I'm happy about it. I love updating, if only to get the new reviews! So, how about some? Anyone gonna review?
Oh, and how do you like Lihst so far? I think she's a good addition. She fits in the whole 52+ chapter outline I have…and I have another question for everyone.
How would you like a non-ruinable MPREG? I want answers! Come on – Harry Potter has over half the total amount of MPREGs on There are obviously ways to make it work…I think I can do it, too. Please respond, people!
Gotta go; working on other stuff now! Have fun with whatever else you do!