The Waters of Lethe
Disclaimer: I don't own FMA, I just like to play around in it's world and torture Ed for awhile.
Warning: May contain movie spoilers.
Summary: post series, very AU. The Thule Society has found out he and Hohenheim are from "Shambala" and the father and son have made plans to flee Germany. But Hohenheim is fatally injured during a confrontation with Hitler and he dies in front of a traumatized Edward.
Beta: Kittygirl109
8. Like a thief in the night (wie en Dieb in der Nacht)
Edward awoke some hours later, still on the kitchen floor. He was stiff and sore from laying in a tucked-up fetal position, his arms yet wrapped around his midsection. His eyes were dry and sore, and his throat felt burned raw so Edward just lay still for a moment before he tried to move. His muscles protested, but he levered himself up on his hands and knees before he rolled to his feet.
It must have been a nightmare, just a nightmare.
Very slowly, afraid to look, Edward turned his head to the left, towards the living room. There on the sofa were his father's clothes, all sunken down because the man who had been wearing them had been turned to dust. Edward's knees trembled and he grabbed onto the edge of the sink for support. Breathing hard, he began to walk forwards while holding on to kitchen counter because he didn't trust his legs. When the counter came to an end, Edward put each arm out to the side for balance and approached the sofa.
One foot in front of the other, don't forget to breathe.
A pile of dust in the approximate shape of a human head had replaced the grinning skull which had sent Edward bolting to the kitchen earlier, yet another pile on the floor had sifted out of the left sleeve of Hohenheim's coat and two smaller piles marked the former location of his feet. He couldn't help recalling the words of Paul Briggs, the true owner of the body Hohenheim had hijacked centuries ago.
I hunted down and burned alchemists at the stake.
His father must have appreciated the irony in taking over the body of a witch hunter.
The left shoe abruptly tipped over and fell to the floor, causing Edward to leap backwards so suddenly he lost his balance and land hard on his backside. His eyes didn't seem to want to focus properly and after running a tongue over his dry lips, Edward realized his body was becoming dehydrated again, it's reaction to a lack of food and fluids. He needed to eat and drink something so he could think clearly.
Edward returned to the kitchen where he found a tin of day-old apple muffins in the bread box. They were still edible and he tore one into large chunks which he hastily chewed, but was unable to swallow. He got a glass from a cupboard next to the sink, filled it with warm water from the tap and drank most of it in one gulp to help wash the muffin down. By alternating bites of bakery with drinks of water, Edward ate all four of the remaining muffins.
He was swallowing the last of the water when the phone rang, it startled him so badly he jumped and dropped the glass, and it shattered in the sink. Gasping for breath, Edward whirled and looked at the phone, but it kept on shrilling, demanding to be answered. Haltingly, he walked over on stiff legs and picked up the receiver.
"Hallo?"