Whoa, I'm updating! Is the world ending, or something? Actually, I've been sitting on this chapter for a while, but I lost a handwritten section and had to redo that part, which was really annoying. Unfortunately, I only have a vague idea of how to get from this part to the next big plot element, so it might be quite a while before the next update.

I don't own any of these guys. I'm just borrowing them for our mutual amusement.

Chapter 7: First Steps

Ed helped Dr Agasa assemble the new set of automail over the next couple weeks. It was a daunting task, and the older man constantly marveled at how the objects he was building were really going to do what they were designed for. Sometimes Ai came in and helped them too, but she mostly kept to her own work; and several times each week, the other children came by and gave them all a chance to relax for a couple hours.

A month and a half after Ed had arrived in Tokyo, the automail was almost ready. He called Ai and Dr Agasa together. "I don't want anyone else here when we attach the new automail. It left me in pain the first time, back at home. I sort-of got used to the periodic transitions after a while, but I learned the hard way that things have changed and there's no way of knowing how I'll react this time. It's something the others don't need to see."

"I agree with you about the three children," Ai mused, "but it would be good to have at least one more set of eyes and hands nearby. I'll let Edogawa-kun know that we're ready."

The alchemist considered the suggestion for a few seconds before consenting to include the detective.

Conan joined Ai on the way home after school the next day. When they got to Dr Agasa's house, he saw that they had already attached new metal sockets to Ed's leg and shoulder where the automail limbs would soon connect to.

Ed laid down on a makeshift bed in the lab. Dr Agasa brought over his new version of the automail and set them down in the appropriate spots with respect to Ed's body. The alchemist directed each scientist to stand next to one. "I want you to attach them both at the same time."

There was a moment of stunned silence while the other three looked back and forth between themselves before Ai asked "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. It's gonna shock my nervous system, but I've learned over the years that it's better to do them both at once – real quick, like ripping off a band-aid."

Conan moved next to his head. "Okay, then. Ready?"

"I've been ready."

On the count of three, Ai hooked the leg into the knee socket and Dr Agasa hooked the arm into the shoulder socket. Ed screamed out and started sweating. He was already passed out in the time Conan took to walk a few steps to retrieve a damp washcloth.

The three conscious members of the group sat in chairs around Ed's bed so they could monitor his condition. "He's so reckless," Ai observed while they waited for him to wake up again. She felt like she was starting to sound like a broken record.

"Perhaps… but he also seems to know what he's doing," Dr Agasa replied even though he knew the excuse was as flimsy as it sounded.

"That's a load of crap, and you know it," Ai retorted. "He only thinks he knows better than we do. Well, we're scientists too, and if there's anything I've learned from this life, it's to believe what my eyes show me." Conan stared at her, surprised by the outburst.

Ed began to stir before any more could be said on the subject. He dragged his open left hand across his face and blinked a few times to make sure he was really awake, and then tried to lift his right arm. Even though the automail was made out of relatively light-weight metal, it still took a considerable amount of effort just to raise the hand to his face and check the fingers' flexibility. When he was satisfied, he forced himself up onto his elbows, and then into a fully upright sitting position. He kicked his left foot out a few times and wiggled the toes before jumping down to the floor.

"Are you sure you should be up and moving around," the one who understood the least about the technical side of the process, asked.

Edward slowly made his way to the open spot in the semi-circle. The others could see that his movements were laborious. "I'll be fine," he replied slowly. "I'm just not used to it after having gone without for so many weeks. At home, I used to spar with my brother after getting repaired, but none of you seem the fighting type. Do you know anyone I could practice with?"

"It just so happens that we do," Conan said with a sly grin.

The next day, Conan waited for Ran outside the high school. After the bell rang, he watched her approach the gate accompanied by Sonoko. The karate champion noticed the boy standing there and made an excuse to part ways with her best friend. He then explained where they were going and why.

A short time later, they arrived at Dr Agasa's house and went inside. Ran froze mid-step when she entered the living room. Something didn't seem quite right to her about the blond boy who was sitting on the sofa. It took her a minute to realize that the color of the skin on one arm and leg didn't match his face or other arm and leg. She found her voice after a few more seconds. "You… want to spar with me?"

Edward stood up and walked over to her, ignoring her abrupt bluntness. She looked down at him and noticed that he was about as tall as Conan. No – he was actually a little bit shorter. He introduced himself, and she replied with her own name. He pretended not to notice her scrutiny.

Edward looked up at her with a very serious expression, and if she had been paying close enough attention she might have wondered if there was something weird going on. He quickly changed it to a smile and said "I'm a lot stronger than I look."

"Yet not as strong as you think you are," Ai added with as much seriousness as the alchemist's face had displayed a few seconds ago. "It will probably take a week or two for you to get used to the prosthetics again. Ran-san, please go easy on him."

They had their match a couple days later, in one of the practice rooms at Ran's dojo. At first, Ed moved clumsily, just as Ai had predicted. After a few minutes, though, Ran noticed that he was becoming more comfortable with his metal limbs. She was surprised that they were pretty evenly matched as long as she didn't push herself. "I'm impressed, that was good," she told him afterwards.

"Thanks."

"How did you get to be so strong?"

"I used to practice with my brother. I never could manage to beat him, though." He chuckled a little bit at the last point.

"Do you miss him?"

"Yeah… We used to travel together a lot, and met some interesting people along the way. I can only hope he made it back home after I left."

Ran put her hand on his shoulder, turned him to face her, and knelt down to hug him. "I'm sure you'll get to see him again someday," she said, oblivious to the look of shock on his face.

The following Sunday evening, Ai, Conan, Edward, and Dr Agasa gathered in the scientist's living room. "All set to come to school with us tomorrow, Ed," Conan asked.

"Sure, I guess… whatever it takes for me to figure out how to get home."

"The first thing, of course, is to find some leads. Unfortunately, we don't really know where to start, so any searching will be difficult without a good cover. It'll be more natural for people to see you with us if we make it normal that you're around."

The other two gave small nods, and Dr Agasa took something from his pocket and handed it to Ed. Conan gave an approving nod as Ed turned the small communication device over in his hands.

"All five of us have them," Ai explained. "You make the sixth 'Detective Boy'," she added with a wry grin.

"They have come in handy in the past, so be careful not to lose it or break it."

"Gotcha."

When they got to school in the morning, they took Ed to the office and introduced him to the teacher, and then left him so that she could be the one to take him to the classroom. They could tell that he wasn't terribly happy to be alone in there, but also knew it wouldn't be long until he'd be with them again.

Ai and Conan could hear generic excited chatter from the other students as they approached the classroom. They looked at each other and the former shrugged. "Never underestimate the power of nosey children," she observed.

They went to their seats, and a few minutes later the teacher entered the room, pushing Ed in front of her. "Class, we have a new student joining us today." She leaned part way down to his level. "Would you like to introduce yourself?"

The alchemist glanced around the room, trying to gauge the personalities of some of the students. He noticed Genta, Ayumi, and Mitsuhiko all sitting near each other, and in the row behind them were Ai and Conan. He smiled and made a small bow. "I'm Edward Elric, it's nice to meet you."

"Does anyone have any questions for Edward?"

The students were in awe of the alchemist's blond hair. Most of them sat silently for a good half minute, until one of the bolder girls raised her hand. "Where are you from?"

He shot Conan a pointed look, but when the detective didn't reply he told the class he was from Germany. He knew it wasn't entirely false, but he also knew that the actual truth was inappropriate in situations like these. That response, though, elicited murmurs of amazement, which caught Ai's and Conan's attention. It also brought on a barrage of additional questions.

"What's it like there?"

"Are there a lot of people with light hair?"

"What kind of music do they listen to there?"

"Have you ever heard of Kamen Yaiba?"

"How do you know Japanese so well?"

The students asked their questions all at the same time and Ed had trouble trying to distinguish them, let alone choose which one to answer first. The teacher noticed this and intervened. "Okay, class, let's give him a break on his first day. Edward, why don't you go take your seat." He moved down the aisle toward the open seat next to Genta that Ai hadn't taken on her first day in the class. "Now that that's taken care of, how 'bout we get started," the teacher continued once he was settled.

The rest of the day and week followed uneventfully.

On Saturday, Dr Agasa took all six children to Tropical Land to celebrate Ed's first week of school. They rode a lot of the rides together, but Ed, Ai, and Conan stayed behind when the other three wanted to go on the teacups. The scientist could tell that even though it had only been a week since Ed was really allowed to leave the house, he was already getting restless at the wait involved in the search for leads on places to look for finding him a way home.

The three not-children sat at a picnic table with Dr Agasa while they waited for the other three to come back from the ride. "It's very strange that you were so close to getting home, and then it brought you here instead," Conan observed for the umpteenth time.

Ed rested his chin on one of his palms. "I know. I've been trying to figure that out myself. In the past, there was always some ulterior motive for me being sent to the towns I went to…" He let that stew for a few seconds. "This time, the only controlling factor was the Gate, which has always seemed to operate by some unknown set of rules. I guess Fate has something more in store for me."

Ai turned her head to the side to look at the people walking by. "Fate…" she spit out.

End Chapter 7

A/N: So, Ai ended another chapter. I'm not sure why, but I like how she feels so dramatic to me – it's like she adds that particular element to balance the lightness of the three Detective Boys. Conan and Ed probably could have carried the drama by themselves, but most people can only stand a certain level of guy-angst. :P

In other news, I really appreciate all the favorites and alerts you guys are putting for me. I do want to know what you think, too, though... so don't be afraid to leave a review. Some of you might be disappointed to learn that I won't be continuing my other story "Where in the World is Kaitou KID" - it simply didn't have a real goal, so I got bored with it. However, don't think you've heard the last from him. He's a fun character, and his antics are bound to crop up again :P