Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Where The Heart Is ❯ Those Dreadful Mornings ( Chapter 1 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

AnAngel'sWings here, reporting for duty! Eh? There's no duty? I'm home free then!

Well, back on track, I'm AnAngel'sWings, and this is my first FF. Can you beleive it? I can. It's a tad long, but bear with me. I'm putting my heart and soul into this...And yes, I know the summary was a tad short and vague (No, duh.) So I'll provide you with a nicer, juicer intro! Here we go!


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The German Lifestlye isn't doing it's wonders on Edward, but Alfons is willing to keep his moral up, with the help of a few familiar friends. Hohenhiem is determined repair his and Ed's relationship, but the boy only pushes further away from him. An ominious aura looms over Germany though, as Ed and Alfons soon discover a dark secret being hidden in this quiet, devastated town. It starts with the forced meeting of young women who is being pursued by the Thule Society. A girl that claims to have powers that could do more hurt then good. Then a new player enters the game, one Ed has never seen before, but one he knows all to well.
Meanwhile, in Amestris, Al has his own share of difficulties. These involving a visit to Ishbal, a worried Winry, and a monster lurking under the depths of Central. Dealing with the Military is enough, but when his Teacher shows up with clues to a certain boy's dissappearance, pieces of the puzzle begin to fall into their respectful places, and a trip to the underground city is imminent. But a battle is being held there, and there's no stoppin this ghastly reunion.

So much for a peaceful existence, the Elric brothers are about to make some noise again.


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Warnings: Rated Teen for Violence, Graphic Details, and Moderate Language. Rating may hit the Mature mark. This whole story is a big fat Spoiler for those who have not finished the series.Will include a movie spoiler. I have not yet seen the movie, the only spoilers will be the existence of Heiderich and Noa (I think it's spelled that way, anyway, it's how I'll be spelling it) and to all those who know the juicy details on Wrath and Gluttony's confrontation in the movie. I won't be taking it directly from that, but it will be very similar.
Disclaimer: I OWN NEITHER FMA, OR THE MOVIE! ACK! I am dirt poor! (On Gaia, at least...) But I do own this computer, my Ed doll, and this box of Cheez-itz I am eating. They're very good. No, you can't have any.


Chapter 1:

Those Dreadful Mornings

--Where A Strained String Of Words Are Exchanged
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It was a curious morning. Like the morning before, and every morning before that. The monotonous pattern was normalcy for Edward now. Yet he still grew quite tired of it. He woke up, greeted a friendly Alfons (sometimes not even gracing the boy with a conversation), read for most of the day, and went back to sleep. Of course, meals were included in that, and the occasional phone calls from his father, whom he had begun to grow less and less aware of. Usually, he let the phone ring for quite a while before Alfons picked it up, offering another excuse to Hohenhiem and hanging up. He would often question Ed’s blissful ignorance of his father, but Ed would just sigh and wave a distracted hand.

The two would converse over things, usually dealing with their interest in Rocketry. It was not much really, if you could even call it a conversation. It would be Alfons usually dominating it, continually pointing things out, even if they were obvious, to make up for Edward’s lack of words. Edward never paid much mind to Alfons’s talkative, uplifting spirit.

I hurt too much. In so many ways the boy was like the brother he left behind, and it was for that reason that Edward had erected a wall between them; He would not allow himself to succumb to Alfons’s kindness and care. He simply didn’t deserve it.

Pity was another thing the boy had given him. Edward hated it. Pity and him had been enemies for a long time, it was another thing he would allow the boy to waste on him.

So it would be just another one of those dreadful mornings.

Edward rose out of bed again, his eyelids were still heavy, but it was, for once, a nice day in Germany. He would not let it go to waste.

He rolled out of bed, and proceeded to adjust his prosthetics; auto-mail was nothing more then a distant fancy to him now. Hohenhiem had developed his current arm and leg, he might not like his father, but he had to admit, the man was resourceful, and could easily adjust to situations. Winry would be ashamed of this makeshift machine, dissecting it verbally--and physically.

It had it’s strong points though; it was lighter, and sturdy enough, but still primitive versus auto-mail. This world had developed along a different path, his father had told him. They had developed with technology, machinery, while Amestris still drabbled in Alchemy. Edward could not understand then, why man could fly here, but not have the ability or resources to construct a basic arm of leg. It was a strange world yet it provided the necessary energy for alchemy, which he had been shocked and appalled to discover. Now Ed was stranded in a world of war and bias; all of it without alchemy. He was having a blast.

Pulling on his normal outfit; it was simple in his opinion, consisting of a white dress shirt, dark brown pants (He had to abandon his signature red coat and back leather pants, Hohenhiem had been kind enough to point out that the boy would stick out like a wildflower in a desert. This world was bland, without color almost. Brown seemed to be a suitable choice.) and a peculiar jacket, it could be called, to match the pants, and throw over his white shirt. A brown coat was worn over that, but only when he went out.

Upon opening his door to greet the apartment he and Alfons had rented, he could smell a familiar odor of coffee. And he sighed at the smell, it was actually growing on him, and he hated that.

He entered the kitchen, not particularly surprised to find Alfons sitting at the table, newspaper in hand, and coffee steaming in a cup beside it. He felt unusually friendly today, and decided to start a conversation with the unsuspecting boy.

“Anything new?” Ed was, of course, referring to the newspaper, as Alfons quickly realized. Turning the paper over a bit to read the headline on the front page, he shook his head. He folded the paper back to it’s original form, as precisely as he could, and laid it on the table, getting up from his seat to get Ed some coffee.

Ed declined the offer though, he hated coffee. He had never told Alfons that, but it was really quite disgusting. These people were crazy. This world was crazy. They drank that every morning? Their addiction was worse then Amestris‘s. Ed almost laughed at the thought.

“Nothing exciting happens here, as you said.” Ed simply let out a small noise--something in between of ‘Yes’ and ‘meh’. “It’s a nice day out isn’t it?” Alfons offered, hoping to keep the conversation going. Ed turned to the window, seeing the sun up added some cheer to his morning.

“Yeah.” He said, almost inaudibly. A smile formed on his face, it was small, but enough. Sighing, Ed plopped himself on the tan chair in next to the window. It wasn’t a very nice view, Ed noted. The street was crowded and a few kids were chasing each other down the alleyways. He put an elbow on the arm of the chair and rested his cheek in it, eyes remaining on the frolicking children.

Alfons caught the sad edge in Ed’s stare. It was a longing almost. Eyes softening and a kind smile forming, he walked over and took a seat on the chair opposite Ed’s.

“Something wrong?” he asked. Edward glanced in his direction, not lifting his head from it’s position. Al took a glance out of the window as well, and made a mental list of the possible things Ed could be staring at.

There was a group of kids playing; running and chasing each other. An elderly woman walking with a younger man, probably mother and son; they appeared to be laughing. Then there was a group of stockier men, all wearing tan and brown coats; they didn’t exactly give off a huggable vibe.

But Edward didn’t see the group of kids anymore, or the assumed mother and son. He was seeing past them, something the streets here could not give him. He turned from them anyway, smiling lightly and answering Alfons’s floating question.

“Not really. I just hope it stays like this for a while. This place desperately needs some sun. It’s not even winter here, and everyone looks dead.” Al took the comment like a grain of sand. He had never met someone so openly critical as Ed. But then again, he was raised much differently. His eyes reflected a life of loss without gain, and death without birth. That’s why Alfons offered him pity, which Ed refused to take.

Edward rose from the seat, walking over to the table and grabbing himself a cup of water instead of the usual morning coffee. Alfons noted this too. Did Edward not like coffee?

It had only been about two weeks since the two had moved in together, and Ed and Alfons each had begun to warm up to each other’s company, although Edward was much slower at this process then Alfons. Looking to the window again, Alfons wondered if Edward truly could ever call this place home. He did, but then again, it was absurd to think otherwise. Though, as absurd as it may be, Alfons began to doubt the stability of this world after all Edward and Hohenhiem had told him. It was a major headache to try to comprehend all that in one day. Alfons would know, he tried. It was some hardcore, confusing stuff. That was why Alfons still had doubts, and trouble believing every word of it. He didn’t fully doubt the possibility though, that was for sure.

He continued to gaze out the window until he heard Edward take his seat in the opposite chair. He could do nothing more then support the boy--as his brother had done. He, after all, physically was his brother.

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“This is no use. And dammit, what the hell is this?” A hand drawn picture flew into the air, it was drawn unskillfully, and had very few details. “Fletcher, what is this?” An annoyed voice called through the room. A timid boy poked out from behind a pile of books, dropping the stack carried in his hands to the floor, he turned to the older boy the voice had belonged too.

“I’m sorry brother, I was bored and we weren‘t getting anywhere--” Russell interjected, waving a dismissive hand and tossing the white sheet back to him. It landed softly at Fletcher’s feet. The blonde-haired boy simply sighed, restacking his handful of books and proceeding to drop them on the nearby table, which was already cluttered with assortments of loose papers, hard bound books, and journals with pages sticking out.

“Where’s Al?” Fletcher quickly asked, glancing around the room. Russell simply sighed, pulling his head up from the pile of pure disorganization in front of him. His silver eyes scanned the room as well, but the boy was no where to be seen. Of course, the mess of their research wasn’t helping much either.

“I’m here!” A voice cried, as a young boy appeared form behind a slew of papers. His hazel eyes were young and hopeful, and he smiled as he caught the look on Russell’s surprised face. Sighing, Russell rose from his less then comfortable seat on the hardwood floor, and put a hand through his blonde bangs.

“We really need to clean this up…” He commented on the room, watching as a small tower of colored journals collapsed onto the floor. He looked to his two companions; one his brother, and one a friend who had, for the most part, forgotten completely about four years of his past. That’s why they were all here in the first place, in a study room cluttered with junk.

It had been a rainy day, and the sky looked as if it would never let up this barrage of tears. Russell had been sitting in the same chair all day. It was only a week after Edward’s disappearance, and they weren’t notified of it until just earlier that day. It was the first day that neither of them exchanged words with one another. It was a day of silence, and the world seemed to know that.

If it wasn’t for the sudden, abrupt visit at the Rockbell’s one morning, Fletcher and Russell may never have gotten to see Alphonse again.

Upon entering the house, a quiet blonde-haired girl had let them in, after they told her about being ‘acquaintances’ of Edward and Alphonse. As soon as they saw Alphonse, a young boy now, walk down the stairs, they knew something was wrong.

He didn’t remember them. They would ask and bring up important points in their meeting, but Alphonse would shake his head and reply with a sad “No.”. It was a heart-wrenching scene to watch, and eventually the two Tringham brothers gave up on the lost cause.

It was that day that Alphonse offered to return to Xenotime with them, hoping they could help him with his hopeless search for his brother. The agreed without hesitation; and that’s how it began.


Giving a few quick glances around the room, and a heavy sigh they all contributed too, the organization of the room began. Alphonse would do one corner, Fletcher another, and Russell a third until each section of the room was spotless. The three hadn’t even gotten past the 10 minute mark, when an alarming sound interrupted their concentration.

At first, it was unrecognizable by Fletcher, since it caused him to drop a load of books in his hands. After getting over the small shock, Fletcher quietly peeked out of the room to see the source.

It was a large, black telephone situated on a table in their make-shift living room. He quickly rushed over to answer it, and picked it up carefully, as if it would bite him.

“Hello?” He said frailly, it was more of a question then anything.
“Hi.” A much more cheery voice answered back. He knew the voice, but he couldn’t put a finger on who it was. He didn’t answer, he didn’t feel the need or want too. He waited for the machine to speak first.

“This is the Tringham residence, right?” She demanded and answer now. Although the question was spoken a bit more shyly this time. He bit his lip. It was a nervous habit he developed, and he hated it. It was just that, speaking on the telephone had never been a favorite pastime of his. He always got flustered.

“Yeah.” He answered. A long pause followed. By now, Russell and Alphonse had glued themselves to Fletcher’s side, listening intently to the conversation. “Who’s calling?”

“Oh, sorry. It’s Winry! And your…” She had to think about it for a moment, and Fletcher thankfully waited. “Fletcher, right? Sorry if I’m wrong. I tend to forget names a lot!” Winry. She was Alphonse’s friend form Resembool, Fletcher recalled. The pretty one that answered the door.

“It’s okay and it is Fletcher….did you want to speak to Al?” Al zoned in at the mention of his name, knowing only a few people who would bother to call him while he was here.

“Please.” She answered with one word, and Fletcher gave the phone to Al as if a heavy burden had been lifted off him. Russell sighed, lightly tapping his younger brother upside the head.

“Winry?” Al asked into the receiver, making sure it was her.

“Of course! It’s so good to hear your voice again!” She seemed in better spirits, and that was a good thing, considering their situation.

“Same for you. So…why did you call?”

“Come on Al, you make it sound like it’s a bad thing I called! I just thought I’d make an offer to you. A break, I guess you could call it.” She was waiting for the endless stream of questions Al was about to ask. He always asked, about everything. It grew tiresome after a while, but it was the usual.

“A break? Erm….what kind of offer?”

“A good one! Rose would just like some help. That‘s all.” Help, with Rose it usually consisted of helping in Lior or Ishbal. Rose had been helping with both cities restorations since early last year. She felt the need to help, considering Lior was her home and Ishbal was in desperate need of it. They needed volunteers to care for and teach the children, as well as caring for the ill. The military made an offer, but the people of Ishbal had refused it; causing the military to withdraw from the effort, in fear of that if they stuck their noses in Ishbal any further, the rebellious few who still held grudges would start another revolt. They didn’t need that again. Ishbal was left to fix herself, with the help of a few kind-hearted missionaries, like Rose. “She called awhile ago and wanted to know if you’d like to go help out in Ishbal. Lior’s looking better, and she’s going back in a few weeks, but Ishbal’s still a disaster.”

“I don’t know Winry…we’ve come to a--” She wouldn’t let him go further. Parental Winry mode, as he called it, had kicked in. When she had had enough of Al’s constant adventures and sleepless research days, she certainly let him know.

“Don’t be ridiculous Al! You haven’t called me in 2 months and you’ve had your head in a book that whole time! Don’t tell me you don’t want to venture out beyond the confines of that house!” Alphonse and the Tringham brothers had locked themselves in a room for almost 3 months--literally. The only way Al would ever leave his research was to eat or when nature called. Winry and Rose where determined to pull Al from this anti-social closet he was seemingly locked in, and re-introduce him to a world aside from alchemy. They didn’t all revolve around the science, and they were determined to make him realize that. “Please, Al. It could be a blessing in disguise. You never know who you might meet or what you might see!”

He hated these conversations with Winry, they always ended in him agreeing with her, and going on these ‘spiritual scavenger hunts’ to find all these deep connections from your soul and such nonsense. Winry thought it would help Al deal with Ed’s disappearance. Evidently, it was working, but Al also knew in his heart that Ed wasn’t gone for good, and that small hope helped him as well, maybe more.

“Ok…But...what should I tell them?” Al didn’t even bother looking at the brothers, they had since glued themselves to his sides now, ears sharper them before.

“They can come too! I’ve got the train schedule and everything! It’s not expensive, don’t worry, and of you have any trouble--” He suddenly didn’t hear her anymore. She was talking, she certainly was, but he wasn’t hearing her. A new realization dawned on him and his train of thought had drifted.

By going to Ishbal, he was taking another side trip away from his path to find his brother. He didn’t want to wander, he had a set destination he needed to reach.

“Alphonse, are you even listening?” His thoughts burst like glass, and all that were left were small fragments of it that trailed into his sentence.

“I’m just thinking…” She knew what he was thinking about, and thought better then to dwell deeper into it. For Al‘s, and her sake.

“Well, there’s a train leaving tomorrow at 11:00, and you better be on it! Seriously Al, you’re becoming a bookworm! Shiezka gets out more then you! Take a break for a while, I’m sure it will do you a load of good. Oh, and tell Russell and Fletcher they should come as well, they’re just as cooped up as you are!”

The brothers flinched at her words. They were true, but they certainly had more free time then Al did. He was the one who kept pushing to do the entire project--even if by himself.

“Ok Winry, thanks for calling.” He knew the girl cared for him. But their relationship had grown from friendship to almost family. Since Al was no longer Winry’s age, the two could not connect at that level. Instead, she had practically adopted him as the little brother ‘she always wished she had‘.

“And Al, don’t forget--” A sudden cry interrupted her sentence. “Ack! I’m sorry Al! He needs to be fed! Oops! I almost forgot! Bye!” He sighed as their conversation came to a close, but it was more a sigh of thought then relief. “AND DON’T FORGET THE TRAIN!” Her last words screeched through the receiver as Al jerked the phone away from his ear. A click instantly ended their long needed talk.

“What was that all about?” Russell questioned immediately, looking at Alphonse with a long of annoyance and curiosity. Fletcher was all for the curiousness.

“Something with Ishbal?” Fletcher asked quietly. Al had since put the receiver down, and was now seated on the couch again. Fletcher sitting next to him and Russell leaning over the back.

“Are you going out there?” Russell added to his brother‘s question, his expression changing to one of surprise. “Well, we’re certainly not going. Hell if I can help out there, just be sure to call us before you next visit, OK?” The elder brother rose from his position and finished his sentence with a small smile, stretching and heading toward Al’s room, which they had fixed up for him from the old study.

Fletcher looked as his brother with disappointment, probably because they couldn’t go to Ishbal to help out, as much as Fletcher wanted too. Xenotime needed them, and they felt more committed to helping it then Ishbal or Lior. Yet it was harder, since he and Al had become fast and good friends over the few months they pent together.

With a creak from the couch, the two boys rose. “I guess I’ll be leaving tomorrow.” Al said, letting his words sit for a while.

“Yeah…but it’s not a final good-bye!” Fletcher added. Al smiled and heard a string of curses from Russell again. They both looked in the direction of the room with comically nervous expressions.

“I guess, I better start packing…” The two made their way over to Al’s temporary room, not even bothering to glance at the disaster in the current study room. They still hadn’t finished reorganizing it yet.

And it was to be left in it’s current condition for another 4 months.
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First chapter done! How do you guys like it? Read And Review please!