Numa numa ye
Numa numa ye
Numa numa numa ye!!
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"Edward..." he said a few minutes later. "I realize that I abandoned you two, but I want to take care of you now. I know that forgiving me-"
"I already told you I-" Ed froze midsentence. Roy wasn't his father really. Not even legally because his adoption certificate was fake. But more than that... he'd never talked to Roy about... what exactly Roy was supposed to be. He had screamed at Roy that he wasn't his father and sure as all hell not his mother but... Well what if Roy did want to be his father? What if he thought Ed should give Hohenheim a chance? That would be a crushing blow, especially since Ed had already decided he would not give Hohenheim a chance.
"You keep acting as though you've replaced me, but you can't say it, can you?" Hohenheim had uncovered his face.
Ed swallowed and the tall blond said, "Come here. Come on, I won't hurt you."
"Why do you want me to do that?" Ed asked suspiciously. As Hohenheim stood suddenly, he said, "I want you to give me a chance," and grabbed Ed up.
Had he been Roy or Jean, Ed would've wrapped his legs around the man's waist but he kicked and struggled instead, shocked by the wave of dizziness and disgust that came over him at being touched by his father.
"Come on," Hohenheim tried to persuade Ed, but he wriggled so hard the man had no choice except to let him back down onto the ground.
"No! I don't care if you're my real father, I have someone else whether he's really a father to me or not."
Hohenheim sighed heavily and tolerantly, going inside and over to Al's bed to check on him. Ed followed him to keep an eye on him near his little brother and while Hohenheim's back was turned, the man told him, "Surrogate is the word you're looking for, I assume."
Ed shuffled his feet. 'Roy Mustang, Surrogate Father' ? It didn't suck too much.
"Your brother is, as I said, weakened right now but as soon as he's ready to travel, I would like to come meet your- 'Surrogate Father'."
'Well it does suck when he says it like that.'
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The next two days were the most boring, amazing and awkward days Ed had known in a long time. There was nothing to do except keep watch over Al and avoid Hohenheim, but seeing Al breathe and twitch and mutter incoherently in his sleep was the most amazing thing Ed could ever remember seeing, while living under the same roof as his genetic father was extremely awkward.
Ever since realizing that being touched by Hohenheim made him sick, Ed had opted not to talk to the bastard either, but considering they were pooling food supplies so they could make Al better food, it was hard to pretend he wasn't there.
The position of "Al-Watcher" was also an area of fierce dispute, each blond alchemist believing that he should be the one sitting next to Al and keeping watch over him. This dispute increased in heat as the hours crept by because both Ed and Hohenheim hoped to be the one sitting next to the bed when Al first woke up.
Ed resorted to complicated alchemic compounds in the forms of walls, moats or obstacles in his attempts to keep his spot but all he really learned was that Hohenheim was very good at figuring out compounds and getting rid of them, as well as the fact that he still wanted to punish Ed for his tactics.
As it happened, Al woke first thing on the third morning while Ed (still in his boxers) and Hohenheim (half-dressed), were fighting over who got to sit next to Al.
"Ungg... Pleathe ssscop fygging."
Ed and Hohenheim jumped. Al cracked one eye open and focused very hard on trying to make his speech less incomprehensible.
"Yeww caan g- th- brrrf si-it hewe," he said very slowly.
"Al, oh Al," Ed whimpered, taking Al's hand in his left and not daring to touch him with his cold, unforgiving automail.
"Ehdd," Al smiled strangely, in a slightly mangled kind of way. "Nuffink worgs."
"Yeah, I bet it feels strange."
Al nodded awkwardly. "Daad'ss hew."
"I know. We were fighting, remember?"
Al nodded again. "Ehdd, id joo getch yewr boody bagg?"
Ed shook his head. "No, Al. But it doesn't matter, OK?"
Al frowned, clumsily exaggerating the action like a child much younger.
"It's fine, little brother. Go back to sleep."
Al nodded once more and rolled onto his side and with a final, "Doh fyd," dozed off again.
Hohenheim was immediately confrontational. "You could have let me talk to him."
"Nahh," Ed replied in an off-hand way. "I raised him."
Which left Hohenheim positively fuming and he went outside to speak with his homonculi pals. Ed had noticed them hanging around, but had never quite figured out the connection between his enemies. With one last glance at Al, he crept over to the window to listen.
"You want to leave tomorrow?" Envy asked.
"Yes. With any luck, we'll be able to get some food into him and let him ride in front of me. If he's not well enough, though, I won't push it."
"FullMetal won't like that," Lust interjected smoothly.
"He'll put up with it if he knows it'll get his brother back to safety and civilization," Hohenheim argued.
"Good luck convincing him," Envy grinned.
"Envy, you know, don't you? Who my son has become so unusually fond of?"
"Mm," Envy confirmed. "It's the Flame Colonel. He faked the runt's adoption so FullMetal's been living with him."
"Ever since they started the ruse, the colonel has been rescuing him from awkward situations," Lust commented.
Ed fumed silently. How dare they discuss Roy's... pick-ups... in such a dispassionate, ignorant way!
"A fake adoption?!" This was obviously news to Hohenheim.
"Yeah. The Fuhrer's the only one in on it except for a few of the colonel's subordinates."
"Why... why would Edward request, or- ?"
"It was the Fuhrer's idea. Didn't think an unsupervised kid working for the military looked too good so he got the kid's commanding officer to agree to pretend to adopt him."
"Envy, is my son actually attached to the colonel? Did he choose the colonel?"
"No, used to hate him but now he tags along after him everywhere. Or so I hear. You know I haven't been watching him. I've had to rely on soldiers' rumors for information."
"Yes. Well in any case, I'll have to go to Central to meet this colonel. I just hope Alphonse is up for it."
Ed's mind fired up into action. He could transmute a cart, steal some water and carry Al out of here. They could hide out until it was safe to contact Roy...
He transmuted a wall up over the doorway, blocking Hohenheim's re-entry and transmuted a wagon with enough room for Al and a large supply of water which he took from Hohenheim's supplies in the corner. He used alchemy again to reinforce his ankle brace as Hohenheim yelled at him through the door. Ed knew the wall would be gone in seconds. He heaved Al out of his bed, still wrapped in sheets and roughly got him into the wagon. Al woke, groaning and uttering confused inquiries, but Ed just didn't have time to explain or reassure.
The wall was down, Hohenheim was stepping in, Ed made a large door in the opposite wall and grabbed the enormous handle attached to his odd wagon- But its contents were too heavy and Hohenheim smashed an open hand into his face, sending him crashing to the floor. He sealed up both doors and called off the homonculi, telling them he had everything under control, then grabbed Ed by the back of his shirt and dragged him quickly and angrily over to a wall. He grabbed a length of rope from his supplies and bound Ed's hands, then transmuted a hook from the wall and tied his hands to that.
As soon as his back was turned, Ed twisted his hands together and transmuted a sword from the wall, cutting him free and serving as a weapon. Unlike Roy, his would-be father, Hohenheim did not demand any reservations as far as Ed was concerned when it came to physical harm. Hohenheim saw him coming though and sidestepped Ed's swing. Al started to cry in a helpless way and Ed froze, hesitating for a fraction of a second too long. Next thing he knew he was on his stomach on the ground and Hohenheim was forcing both of his arms up behind his back. He grabbed Ed's hair and pushed his son's face against he floor, causing Ed to feel nauseous at the touch.
"You've overstepped your boundaries," the man said with the kind of calmness in his voice that betrayed the fury underneath. Ed grunted and struggled, trying to ease the pain of being sat on, of having his arms twisted and of having his face mashed into the floor by a painful clutch of his hair. Hohenheim pushed harder against the back of his head. Ed bristled, resisting the grind and Al cried again, trying to sit up in the wagon to see what was going on. Ed whimpered a response and half-groaned, half-growled when more pressure was applied to his face.
"This was the last straw, Edward. I'm going to have to restrain you from now on. I won't overlook your alchemic ability again, though."
Ed wanted to cry. Being man-handled by his brute of a traitorous father was bad enough without learning he'd just fouled up his only chance of escaping the man. Hohenheim suddenly jerked Ed to his feet and, still gripping the hair on the back of his head, steered him over to the wall with the hook. This time he tied Ed's elbows together, which caused Ed to gasp for breath, seeing as he couldn't expand his lungs without causing himself excruciating upper arm pain.
Then Hohenheim hooked the rope to the wall and tied Ed's wrists together in front of him, restricting his body movement even more.
"Cut it out! Let me go! I'm not letting you move Al until he's ready and I'm never letting you meet Roy, you evil bastard!"
"Do I have to put a gag on you as well?"
Ed froze, breathing hard while trying not to and refraining from breaking down into tears.
"Good." The blond thug moved away to pick up Al and found himself saddled with two crying children, although the older still appeared angry.
"Don't hurt my brother!" he cried, his breath coming erratically and in varying depths.
The younger one in his arms was sobbing full-out, but clutched at his shirt to draw comfort from being held, unlike his strange sibling. Really, Ed had always wanted to be held when he was little so why such a change now?
"AAUGH!" Al screamed in shock in his arms and Hohenheim nearly dropped him. Ed started crying in earnest, bellowing with absolutely amazing volume that he not hurt his little brother. What was wrong with these kids?
He put Al on his bed and tucked him in, noticing how pale he was before transmuting a little cubicle around Ed to block out, or at least muffle, his screams and sobs of anguish.
After a few minutes, Al stopped screaming and Hohenheim brought a tray of Cream 'n' Wheat and some water to his bedside.
"Are you alright?"
"Yaaah," Al panted, "Ferr a mi-inut Iyy... It wss laek I cud feeeell evreethiingg."
"Were you in pain?"
"Noo, juus scaaredd m-ee. And-ah!" Al suddenly remembered the other reason he'd been screaming. "Andd Ehdd wahs sc-eeaming and- D-didn'd huuwt himm, did yooo? Whyy'd yoo tie himm upp? Whyy wass there a wa-gon in hewe?"
"Your brother decided to run off with you. I got in before he escaped, but I restrained him in case he tried it again. You're not well enough for travel just yet, although I hope you will be in a day or two."
"Wheen... wiww yoow ledd himm oowt?" Al glared at Ed's impenetrable wall.
"When we leave. I want to go to Central and meet this Colonel Ed says he's replaced me with. I see your speech is improving," he added on a different note, but Al had already stiffened at the mention of the colonel.
"What can you tell me about the colonel?" Hohenheim asked, clearly intrigued by Al's reaction.
"If Iye terw you," Al said sslowly, "Will you le-ed mmy brovver owwt?"
"I suppose."
"Thuh Ker-nal is good to Ehdd. They fighd a lott but, "Al focused on making his T's correctly, "Heee leowks out fer Ehd."
"How attached is Edward?"
"Veryy. Roo-y is thee onnly one Ed lets purotet himm. Now llet mmy berother owwt."
"Alright," Hohenheim conceded. "But if he tries to run away or hit me again, I'll have to punish-"
Al was shaking his head.
"Ehdwahrd onnly llets Royy puh-un-ish him."
Hohenheim stared at Al for a moment, then turned away without responding. He let Ed's walls down and the boy was revealed to be clenching his sides with his hands, the only thing he could reach to hold onto, with tears streaming down his reddened face. He gulped for air and glared at Hohenheim, changing his appearance in mere seconds and where there had first been a defeated, crying child there was suddenly a fiery, hateful and strong-willed boy. Next to the look in his eyes, the tears on his face went almost unnoticed.
"Let me go, you bastard."
"I don't trust you not to do anything rash or stupid."
Funny... those sounded like Roy's words... But much, much colder, with none of the underlying partial amusement.
"Well I don't trust you with my little brother, so I guess we're even. Equivalent exchange."
Hohenheim was mildly surprised at Ed for procuring that particular saying at the moment. The boy was definitely his son.
"Your brother bargained your release, but I'll tell you the same thing I told him: If you try to hit me or escape again, I'll be forced to restrain you until we get back to Central."
Hohenheim thought he saw a glimmer of helplessness flash across Ed's eyes, but he could have imagined it.
From that safe distance away from Ed where he was currently standing, Hohenheim transmuted the ropes on Ed's hands and the little one was up on his feet in seconds, running to Al on the bed.
"Broth-er, puhlease coo-operrate. He-'s ouwwr Faahthur."
"You know that doesn't mean anything to me, Al. Don't you want to escape?" Ed knew his father was right behind him, but hell.
"Noo. I- wwah-nt to get to know himm."
Ed looked at Al for a long, hard moment, then flopped down into a cross-legged position with his back against the bed.
"Fine, Al. If that's what you want."
"Than-kk you, Brrover."
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"Brother, I'll never leearn iff yoou don't let go," Al objected as Ed put his hands on his brother's waist again, having removed them for a quarter of a second. Al was trying to walk for the first time but Ed wouldn't let him be. When Al finally said, "Leggo awready!" Hohenheim grabbed Ed around the chest with one arm and pulled him back.
Ed bit him on instinct, immediately desiring to vomit when he realized what he'd done. Hohenheim knocked him to the ground and Al fell over, having been distracted.
"AL!" Ed was fussing over him, instantly checking for injury to his fragile little sibling's body. Al swatted at his hands. Hohenheim swooped down like a vulture and scooped Ed up, the eternal curse of being small and therefore easily portable.
Ed kicked and cried out and Hohenheim had his hands too full to administer any kind of punishment. Al kept yelling at them, so finally Hohenheim took Ed outside and let him down at Envy's feet when the homonculus turned up mysteriously.
"Watch him. If he strikes, you have permission to retaliate." Hohenheim turned and entered the building again to keep an eye on Al.
"You look like hell," Envy said. Ed didn't respond.
"As in, even worse than when I found you dying of thirst."
"What's your connection with Hohenheim?" Ed stood up.
"He brought me to life. All of us."
Ed stared. His father had created these monsters? "What the hell was he thinking?"
"That he needed power. Political power," Envy answered.
' Wait, Envy answered?'
"Why are you answering me?"
"He doesn't seem worried about how much you know."
"Hohenheim? But... I mean, usually you'd be trying to kill me..."
"Well actually, that's a funny story," Envy grinned. "I was just looking for fun. A target who could fight back. If he had known you were his son back when I knew, we never would have given you any trouble."
"Why does that mean?" Ed asked warily.
"Well, see, from what your father's told me, his wife kicked him out for creating his first homonculus and then when he went and made a few more, there was a rebound that tampered with his memory. So he forgot that he had children until a few years back. I'm not sure when, but he got curious about them. Wanted to make sure they were alright. Well, he found out his wife was dead and then couldn't seem to find out anything about his kids. He's been looking for you two ever since. Envy paused, taking in the uncertain, hesitant but curious gaze of Hohenheim's eldest. "He had me infiltrating the military for years before you came along, so I noticed you right off and it didn't take me too long to figure out you were his. And then I figured out Alphonse was hollow and figured it probably had something to do with alchemy. But I didn't tell him it was you. Mostly because he considered you a pest which meant I got to fight you and also because I'm nicer than I look. Didn't want him to realize what a mess you'd made of your lives." Envy grinned maliciously sideways at Ed who growled, "It's none of your business."
"No, but I know it anyway. Oh and if you let it slip that I knew," Envy leaned toward him with an ugly sneer, "You'll pay."
"What's to stop me?" Ed retorted, even though he hadn't considered for a moment telling Hohenheim anything.
"Plenty. One, I can impersonate anyone in the military, including the Fuhrer so I could make sure that you weren't allowed to resign. Two, your brother's flesh and bone now. He's fragile, too and he's much more of a weak spot than you realize."
"Paekiro," Ed snapped angrily, but sullenly.
"Just hold your tongue and all I'll ask is that we 'spar" sometime. You're fun to fight until you get all emotional."
"You try to make me."
"A little. It's too easy, you know."
Ed looked away.
"If I try to go back in to my brother right now, what'll you do?"
"Start a fight. I'm not letting you back in yet."
"Then tell me- which one of you did you say m-my mother," Ed's voice got a little shaky, "Met? Or saw? So she kicked Hohenheim out? And why didn't he come back?" Ed's voice was rising in pitch and Envy sighed.
"I don't like it when you get like this. I'm leaving, you can talk to Lust. She's the one who met your mother."
"Where..."
"I'm right here, FullMetal."
"Were you eavesdropping?" Ed asked suspiciously, glancing up at the pile of rubble she was standing atop.
"Yes. I'm always here. We both are."
Envy was stalking off in the opposite direction now and Ed spared the thing a glance before turning back to the woman homonculus walking down toward him, inhumanly graceful as she came down over the loose rock, dust and debris.
"So did you really," Ed gulped accidentally, "Know my mother?"
"Yes, I did." Lust sat down on a chunk of rock nearby and Ed cautiously crept closer. "She was the most contrary person I've ever met," she started slowly. "She tolerated everything and absolutely nothing when it came to dealing with other humans."
Ed was absorbing her words with rapt attention, saving them for contemplation and remembrance later.
"When Hohenheim first brought me home, all she was was worried. She put up with his mood swings and my ignorance, as I was new to the world even though I looked just as I do now." She looked at Ed and seemed taken aback at how closely he was listening to every word she said. He didn't even question this, so desperate was he for the truth, or some explanation of the events that he himself could not recall, but had set the stage for everything that had happened to his family since then.
He raised his eyebrows, wanting to hear more. Lust plowed on with her story, looking away from him to make telling it easier.
"She tried to teach me how to cook, clean and garden. On some level, it was to distract both of us from Hohenheim's mood swings. Neither of us realized then that they were caused by the emotional strain of creating a homonculus. She was very patient and kind at first, but she never let her boys see me. I'm not sure how she managed, but whenever I came into the house, the boys were gone.
Then he started to settle down. The mood swings lessened and he began to spend time with his children again. That's when she began to ask me what I would do with my life. She wanted me out of the house and their lives but I didn't know anything about why I was alive or what I should do. When Hohenheim found out she was trying to convince me to get a life of my own, they had a huge fight. He wanted to use me to gain control of the military and stop the Eastern War but she didn't really understand what I was and believed I should get married, or study a profession.
During one of their fights, I got involved, I tried to tell her that I was perfectly suited to work for her husband to stop a war. But they continued to fight and that was when I figured this out." She shot her speared fingers out to impale a piece of rubble which crumbled moments later.
"Then she became afraid of me. She finally understood that I was not human. When Hohenheim decided to make me a partner, another homonculus, your mother told him to leave and not to come back until he was ready to give up his dreams of power and focus on his family. But as Envy told you, Gluttony's alchemic birth was difficult and mental damage was dealt out both to him and his creator." Lust fell silent. She didn't look at the young boy next to her, she was afraid of his reaction, knowing it would be nothing less than intensely emotional.
But when Ed spoke, his voice was even and thoughtful in a puzzle-solving kind of way.
"How did he create you? I thought it was impossible."
"I don't know that. Ever since, I have helped him, given a part of myself to give birth to the other homonculi. It's my fault though, that Gluttony isn't..."
"What happened?"
"That's for me to know, Edward. It's not something I want to discuss."
Ed respectfully moved on.
"So... Hey, we're almost the same age, aren't we?" he asked lightly. She thought for a moment.
"Yes. You're older."
Ed laughed. "That's ironic."
"It is."
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Yayyy! A whole 'nother chapter finished and posted! Woohoo!