AN: Alright people I'm going to try to wrap this up by Chapter thirty but I'll have to see how it goes. What's going to happen next from here on out is a part of my mind that thinks in another realm. So sit back and enjoy the ride.
I long to go home Chap.26
Kashmir found a phone and called Edward and told him they would be on their way that afternoon. He was happy to hear it because Al had got orders to go check out some town in the North and he was just going to meet up with the family at Mustang's wedding in Central.
It was a few nights later when Edward got up to go to the bathroom. He was half asleep walking down the hall when he looked up and saw a scary face looking at him.
"AHHHH!" He yelled throwing a punch shattering the porcelain mask on Lyle's face.
"OOOOUCH!" Lyle yelled hitting the floor as Kashmir ran in just in time to stop Edward from tearing him limb from limb.
She flipped the light on "EDWARD STOP!"
"Kash?" he said as his automail arm stopped before he clobbered Lyle. Lyle laid on the floor rolling back and forth.
"Ahh, my face" he was blubbering.
Edward stood there in his boxers as Hope came bouncing out of the room. When she saw Edward her eyes started to gloss over as she walked up to him and put her head upside down in front of him with her huge magnified glasses on "Hey what else is automail?"
Just then a wrench hit her sending her flying backwards "NOTHING!" Winry said with steam coming out of her nose.
Kashmir looked at Edward "I'm sorry" She smiled "We're back… I just didn't want to wake you."
Edward cracked a grin "Good to see your home." He reached his hand down to Lyle "I'm sorry but you startled me." Lyle took his hand as he helped him up.
"My bad I shouldn't have been lurking around in the dark." Lyle said pushing his nose back into place.
Hope came fluttering back over "You better keep your distance girl." Winry glared at her.
"Ha ha ha" she said studying Edwards arm and leg "Nice craftsmanship" she reached out to touch his leg and Winry growled at her.
Edwards eyes got huge "Alright everyone back to bed before my wife starts eating the young." he turned to Lyle "We'll talk in the morning" he turned and began pushing Winry out the door as she glared at Hope.
Edward woke up the next morning and feeling something wasn't right he turned to Winry and gently woke her up "Uh…Winry did you happen to remove my leg last night?"
She rubbed her eyes "No" she said softly then she sat straight up in bed and her face turned into a scary sight as she reached for her wrench and got out of bed "DAMN HER I'LL KILL HER!" she yelled as she walked out the door Edward looked around the room and found a spare and stuck it on and went running after her.
"Winry just take it easy" he said following her. She kicked the door open and there was Hope with Edwards leg in pieces on the floor.
"ARWWWWWW" Winry screamed as she put her arm up and threw her wrench but Hope did a back flip and it missed her.
"'I'M GONNA TO KILL YOU!" Winry started towards her as Edward grabbed her around the waist.
Kashmir and Lyle came through the door "What the hell is-" Kashmir stopped when she saw the pieces of leg then she glanced to Edwards.
'WHAT THE HELL HAVE YOU DONE HOPE?" she yelled "ARE YOU TRYING TO GET KILLED? BECAUSE I WILL KILL YOU FOR DOING THAT." she walked towards her "NOW put it back together and give it BACK" she grabbed her by the front of the shirt and pulled her face to hers " Rule number one is DON'T EVER TOUCH THE BOSS!" she pushed her backwards "GOT IT!" she turned then stopped "Rule number two NEVER UPSET HIS WIFE! MY GOSH I'M WORKING WITH COMPLETE IDIOTS!" she turned to Winry "I-I-I'm sorry Winry I feel so stupid for trusting this foolish girl."
Winry seeing Kashmir was truly upset relaxed against Edwards grasp "I'm not mad at you Kashmir. I know you have no control over them." she smiled.
Edward looked at Hope "But I will" He walked over to her and bent down "I know you're a genius at what you do so since you like taking things apart I'm going to let you put some things together." He looked at Winry "I know your pissed but she can help you in the shop."
Winry looked at him shocked " Edward I don't think-"
He walked over to her "Trust me Winry she's going to be great I just know it."
Winry sighed and thought she could use the help. If the girl could be trained maybe Edward was right she could be great "Alright Ed I'll give her a chance" she glared at Hope "ONE chance."
"YAY!" Hope was jumping up and down.
Winry turned to Edward "I hope you know what your doing?"
He smiled at her "I do" he looked at Hope "You have an hour to put it back together and get it back on me."
He turned to everyone in the room "Alright I have two weeks to whip you into shape so training starts after breakfast."
He looked behind Winry to his girls "If you two can quit researching human transmutation for a day I could use your help."
Both girls got a shocked look "Ahhh."
Edward looked at them both "And no your Uncle didn't tell me I just knew" He took Winry's hand and went to walk off then stopped " We'll discuss this later my children."
Both girls looked at each other thinking 'We're screwed, we're screwed.'
Winry and Edward were making breakfast and Pinako was sitting at the table when Hope came running in with his leg in her hands "I'm finished and it's as good as new."
"We'll see" Winry said walking over and inspecting it then she turned to Edward "She's right it looks great" she said surprised.
"Good job kid" Pinako said smiling.
"Great , now can I have it back?" he smiled as he walked over and sat in the chair.
Winry looked at Hope "Here I'll show you how to dock it" she said smiling as Hope clapped her hands "You have to have a gentle touch but make sure it connects so he's not in that much pain."
"I'm ready" Edward said bracing himself.
"Come on help me" she told Hope as she showed her where to put her hands "1...2...3 PUSH!" they both pushed and Edward let out a groan.
Edward looked at Hope and through the pain managed "Well thanks to your antics now training is pushed back an hour." He looked up "I'm going to lay down can you get Kash to help me."
"Yeah" she said going to get Kashmir to come help Edward to the couch. As she laid him down she felt like this was her fault.
"I'm sorry Edward for all this." She looked at the floor.
"Kash it's not your fault. She's an enthusiastic one I'll give her that but with some discipline and stability" Edward drifted off "Sheee'll be greaaaat." then he was snoring.
Kashmir stood up as Winry walked up "He still sleeps with his hand on his stomach. He hasn't changed in ten years. Edward has always brought out the best in people and made them strong." she looked at Kashmir " Just look what he did for you" she grabbed a blanket and covered him up "He'll be fine in an hour it usually takes most people two hours to feel better but not him."
Two hours later Edward was up and revving to go. He had everyone in the yard training finding out what their strengths were.
"So you used to be called the String alchemist but you changed your name to the Puppet alchemist?" Edward asked Lyle.
"Yes" Lyle said proudly.
"Well I'm changing it back" he looked at Lyle "We don't turn people into puppets."
"B-But my image" Lyle gasped.
"Keep the image" Edward said " If you want to wear the porcelain puppet mask that's up to you" He turned "I don't care I just need you strong and precise."
"O-Okay" Lyle smiled.
During the training Hope came over to Edward "Mr. Elric I'm sorry I took your leg off."
"Okay Hope I accept your apology but don't let it happen again. Because if something happens I can't protect anyone without an arm and a leg." he smiled.
"Oooo I see" she looked down "I promise it won't happen again."
He patted her head "Alright back to practice."
Edward called Jade and Crystal over and told everyone to break for lunch. He walked into the living room and they followed as he pointed for them to sit down.
"Now girls I want you to explain to me exactly what you planning on doing to me after I die" he sat down and Winry stood behind him as everyone else filed into the room. Edward put his head down " Go ahead."
Jade began to speak "Weeell we are going to perform a human transmutation and bring you back as a homunculus."
Crystal smiled " Yeah then we're going to use the philosophers stone to bypass the equivalent exchange and get your soul back and bind it to the homunculus."
Edward stared blankly at them and put his hand to his head and ran it down his face to his chin. He looked at Winry then back to the girls he went to speak but stopped and sighed. He then rubbed his eyes and groaned then he got up and walked out the door scratching his head.
Winry turned to the girls "Wow no one has ever rendered Edward completely speechless. Through out his life he's always had something to say or an answer of logic for anything but you girls just did the impossible."
"Is that bad?" Crystal asked.
Winry sighed "I don't know it's never happened before" she turned "I need to write this on the calendar."
"Should we go talk to him?" Jade asked.
"I would" Winry said writing ED SPEECHLESS on the calendar. Everyone else just sat there not knowing what to say.
Jade looked at Crystal and stood up and walked to the door. Crystal stood up and followed her sister out side where they found Edward on the porch staring at the sky.
"Daaad" Jade said softly but he didn't answer.
Crystal spoke up "Are you going to ignore us forever?"
Edward sighed and turned to them "I'm not ignoring you I'm just trying to wrap my head around what you just told me."
Both girls looked at each other then back to him "Sit down my foolish, idiotic children." he told them.
" I want to explain something to you that a homunculus told me once." The girls sat down "She told me that Homunculi have memories from their life as a human. The homunculi fed on the red philosophers stones to become what they are. So when Al and I brought our mother back and she became the homunculus sloth she had few memories of us. But she said that she had to kill us because those memories are what tormented her and with us dead she could let those memories go and be free. She said they were like chains that bound her to her human life. So when I turned her liquid body into ethanol she evaporated into the air and was set free. She wasn't our mother and she had no soul and that was the path I chose…to kill her" He turned to them "So your telling me you would give up your limbs to bring me back on a freak chance you might bond my soul to a homunculus. Which would have the memories of this life and I would probably want to kill you. That's if I don't take the red stone from you" He threw his hands up "Wherever you plan on getting one and eat it by then I'll be so powerful you'll have to kill me." He shook his head "So if you don't mind I'd really rather just die and stay that way."
Both girls mouths fell open and they realized that their father had to kill his own mother even after everything him and Al had went through.
Jade looked up slowly "I guess we didn't research it that well."
Crystal felt a feeling of despair "Yeah I guess we didn't."
Edward smiled at them "I've already lived it girls and I don't want to live it again on the opposite side." he smiled "So don't try the human transmutation because it won't work even with the philosophers stone."
He held his arms out and both girls hugged him "We're sorry dad" they we're both crying "We just don't want to lose you."
Edward hugged his children tightly "No one wants to lose someone they love. It's just the way the flow of life works and sometimes it ends tragically and we just have to accept it. Accept there's nothing we can do to stop the inevitable circumstances." He knew their pain and he could feel it deep in his heart. At least Al and him didn't know their mother was dying till it was too late. His girls had to carry it with them knowing there was nothing they could do. He wondered if telling them was the right choice. He looked up at the sky 'God please take this pain and let them be free of the burden of guilt' he prayed.
Fuery was outside chopping wood and Kashmir caught a glimpse of him as she walked by the window. She backed up to take another look 'He is so handsome' she thought looking at him standing there in his uniform pants and a white tank top. He took his glasses off and wiped his head then put then back on and continued chopping.
He picked a pile and walked into the house as Kashmir walked over to him. "Here let me help you with that" she smiled.
"Uh….Oh okay" he said handing her a few pieces as she placed them next to the stove.
He almost dropped the rest he had in his hand and she turned to help him catch them. That's when both of them stared into each others eyes for a second and then he gathered enough courage and he leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. He leaned back and realized what just happened.
"I-I'm sorry" he jumped back dropping the logs.
She smiled "Don't be" she bent down and placed the logs he'd dropped next to the stove and stood up and took his hand.
"Follow me Kain Fuery" She started to walk down the hall as he followed her.
She got to her room and pulled him inside and shut the door. She pushed him up against the wall and began to kiss him as he grabbed onto her waist and pulled her closer she reached down and locked the door.