Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Emotion of Regret ❯ Arrival ( Chapter 4 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

ARRIVAL-

The stone ground cracked beneath his solid boot. With a weary face, he gazed past the waters that graced the Munich harbor. A golden sunset with purple clouds filled the skies and a few distant gulls flew overhead.

Ed had no idea why he was even here in the first place. Nothing was here for him. The way to get home did not lie here, so why after all this time had he come back? He really wasn't sure…

A memory vaguely came to Edward as grey sand met his eyes. He had once stood on a similar shore with the Colonel. Looked at the same sea, smelt the same salty air. As he remembered more, it began to feel like it happened yesterday. That day when Mustang had first admitted how he felt to Edward.

Ed admitted how he had been young at the time, and reacted as any child would. He ran away. And now he found himself constantly berating the fact the he hadn't spoken up. He wished so badly that Roy could be here now; he would have told him that he was sorry.

With a forlorn look, Edward turned back to the road where he had come from. But as his eyes slowly focused on the figure in the distance, his blood ran cold.

Standing yards away was Hoenheim, his father, waving at him.

Ed clomped over to where he was waiting and adorned himself with his best scowl.

“Where the hell did you go, you bastard?” He demanded with a snarl. A few weeks after Ed had crossed the Gate to this world, his father had left, vanishing without a trace.

“There was something that I needed to confirm.” Hoenheim pushed back his glasses with his forefinger and said with a weak smile, “I've found a way to send you back.”

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Roy breathed a heavy sigh and emptied the rest of his drink, setting the glass down with a clank. After his surreal run in with Full Metal, he wasn't sure of what to think anymore. The next morning, Roy had gone to Headquarters and searched every book available for any possible clues. But it had mostly been useless. Schiezka had tried to help Roy find what he was looking for. Even her expertise with books (in general) proved to be pointless.

Hawkeye had literally forced him out of the building afterwards and told him that he had best go home and rest. Yet Roy found that he was far too restless. To try and quell his anxiety, he had chosen to go and take a walk. The rain had stopped after all.

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Edward merely stared at his father in shock. Send him back home? That couldn't be possible…

“You can't get me back; Alchemy cannot be performed in this world. Besides, you would need a sacrifice to even think of-” Ed blinked in realization. Hoenheim was planning on sacrificing himself?

When he saw that the man was not protesting or denying Ed's suspicions he went into a fury. “You can't do that you stupid bastard! You can't. It won't work…”

Hoenheim laid a strong hand on Edward's flesh shoulder and this time smiled a true smile. “Yes I can Edward. I have been researching it since I left. Alchemy can work in this world. The Gate will open if there is a large enough sacrifice,” he explained.

As Ed stood bewildered, Hoenheim clapped his hands and a transmutation circle appeared around Ed and him.

The shining lights snapped Edward out of his daze and he violently gripped his father's coat. “You can't! I- I won't let you!” He yelled with fierce emotion and his metal fingers grinded together.

Hoenheim sighed, “I can, and you will let me. I know how much you wish to return,” He fondly let his hand rest on Ed's golden hair, and to his surprise found that there was no protest. “Besides, Trisha is waiting for me over there… and I want to go to her,” Hoenheim said with a glance at the now setting sun.

A loud clap resounded while Hoenheim brought his hands down to the start of the circle. And as Edward heard his father whisper good-bye, harsh light engulfed him.

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A world filled with golden light; endless color that had no end. A large black Gate with inscriptions carved throughout the entire block of stone.

Ed stared up with awe. It took him a moment to realize that he had been here before. This should not seem like a new sight to him.

“I did not think that I would see you here again. You foolish boy. What have you come to sacrifice this time?” A voice echoed through the emptiness.

“Truth…” Edward whispered hoarsely. A large red eye appeared on the door and peered down towards him. “Take me home…” He whispered.

“Ah. I see. So you will sacrifice even your own father just to get back to that ludicrous world?” Truth snickered and disappeared all together.

“Just take me home!” Edward screamed with the rage of the past three years pouring out of him all at once.

Small black hands reached out as the Gate opened and pulled Edward within.

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Ed opened his eyes with a grimace when he felt immense pounding inside his head. Through blurry vision he looked out at his surroundings. It had seemed as though he had been hit with a train.

He recognized a bakery shop to his left and the house down the street. But that would mean he was in… The flag in the distance confirmed his thoughts. This was Central.

“Central?” Edward quietly whispered. His thoughts jumped alive when he slowly realized the meaning of what he had said. If this was Central, then Roy should be here.

He shakily climbed to his feet, with a quick grateful check that he hadn't acquired any injuries, and began to run towards Central Headquarters.

All other thoughts that Ed had previously held were shoved to the back of his mind. The only idea he could successfully process was that Roy was here. He had finally made it.

His sudden joy was jarred as a gun fired at his feet. Ed swiftly turned to see a military soldier aiming the gun at him now, rather than at the ground.

“You… Are you not the Full Metal Alchemist? Previous employee of the State?” the soldier questioned and while Edward tried to protest, the man only cocked his gun again. Obviously talking wasn't going to work…

His defiant side kicked over as he suspiciously asked, “So what of I am?”

The soldier's gaze opened a fraction further for a split second, and then reverted back to no emotion. “You are charged with the murder of Furher King Bradley. Come with me quietly where you will be tried.”

Murder of Bradley? What was this nutcase going on about?

“Listen, maybe you have me confused with someone else. I just arrived here. Could you direct me to-?”

Ed's question was cut off as the guard repeated, “Please return with me without resistance. Return to the trial in which you rightfully belong!”

Edward grinned sadly, “This is where I belong.” And with that he turned tail and ran.

Using all of the energy that he had left, Ed willed his feet to move faster. He had to get to Mustang. He couldn't let such a minor thing as this soldier get in his way.

“Roy!”

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Roy turned back and gazed silently down the street. "He could have sworn that he heard someone call his name. It had even sounded like Full Metal. With a snort he realized that he must be hallucinating. Maybe this stroll wasn't such a bright idea. The heat was definitely getting to him.

That brief moment of lost sanity was enough to convince him to turn back home. He slowly rounded the sharp corner.

Roy violently swore as a body collided with him and completely knocked him over backwards. He tried to blink the stars out of his eye with little success. But as his attacked blurted out, “You stupid bastard! Can't you watch where the hell you're going?!” Roy felt his thoughts turn to liquid. That voice, it couldn't be…

Both of the figures slowly looked up at each other and heard themselves as the gasped.

Roy could only stare at the older (and apparently taller) Alchemist that was sitting in front of him. Ed was actually there, in front of him right now, and he could not believe it. All of these years he had spent thinking of what he would have said to Edward. And now that the boy was right before his eyes, all he could manage was stuttered gibberish.

He watched Ed gaze at him, and vaguely thought that Full Metal must be thinking the same thing. Ed gently brought his flesh hand to Roy's face and cupped his cheek.

This time, his hand did not go through. It wasn't a dream, this was real…

Through Roy's moment of bliss he vaguely saw a man a ways away behind Edward. He vaguely saw the gun currently in the man's hand. And he vaguely saw the bullet fire.

What seemed to be in slow motion, Roy watched the bullet come closer to where his Edward was. And with a great effort, he shoved Ed away to the side.

Ed felt himself slam against the stone ground and was prepared to let the curses fly at Mustang. But as he looked up to Roy, he watched in slow motion as a bullet buried itself in his chest.

Sweat rolled down Ed's temple and mixed with his tears when he gave a strangled cry into the now night.

AU: To my most likely pissed off readers, don't worry. This is NOT the end!