Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Set in Stone ❯ Long Nights ( Chapter 8 )

Chapter Eight

Long Nights

 

`What the caterpillar calls the end, the rest of the world calls a butterfly.'

Lao Tsu

 

Mustang didn't get the chance to visit Ed in the hospital over the next few days. He was busy sorting out the hospital bills, getting the backlash for the train incident, ordering the train water to be tested, fixing the newspaper problem, and trying to somewhere in between these things, eat, drink and rest. He didn't think another frustrating session with the grown man would be good for his blood pressure.

 

So the next time he actually saw the Alchemist, was over a week later, when he walked into the office. “Out of the hospital, Fullmetal?” Mustang asked conversationally, not looking up from his work.

 

“Nope.” Ed replied. “I'm actually a hologram.” (1)

 

“A what?” he responded, not really wanting to hear the answer. Ed had been coming up with a lot of strange names and things since he'd returned. And so he discarded the comment after a `never mind' from Ed. They sat in silence for a while, the scrawling of a pen and scraping of the chair as Ed sat down, the only noise that came from the office.

 

“Look…” Ed began. Mustang looked up curiously; Ed looked like he was going to choke on something. “I'm sorry…” he said at last, “about all of this, I didn't mean to cause the trouble.” Mustang looked at him in unreserved surprise. Never, in his entire career, could he recall a time when Ed had apologised, so naturally he was stumped for words. (2)

 

“Uh…its okay, I suppose.” He said at last, and Ed nodded satisfactorily, and that was the end of it. Mustang thought now was a good a time as any to bring up the photograph he had found in the guest room. “I was curious,” he began, “How long did you know Dr. Heiderich?”

 

“About 13 or more years.” Ed answered, “I met him in my…absence. That was before he was a doctor though. I should have asked him why he became a doctor.” He mused aloud.

 

“I don't believe he's left yet, we're still paying his hotel bill anyhow.” Mustang replied. “I've another question. He's given me names,”

 

“Havoc mentioned that.” Ed responded. “Who'd he say?” Mustang opened the drawer in his desk and pulled out a sheet of paper, reading the names from that.

 

“Dietlinde Eckart, Rudolf Hess, Karl Haushofer, it's not much to work on.” Mustang replied.

 

“Well sorry, I'll tell Father dearest to make the groups he gets involved in less mysterious next time.” Ed said sarcastically, a small grin on his face.

 

“Your dad helped kidnap and attempt to poison you?” Mustang asked skeptically.

 

“That's what you get in my family.” Ed answered, yawning. “Half of them try to murder you; the other half would give an arm for you. Literally.” He added as an afterthought.

 

“So I suppose Hoenheim fits into the first category.” Mustang said. Ed frowned.

 

“Well that depends on how you're going to look at it. One: he's often responsible for enemies I may gather knowing of my existence; two: it's not like he's ever around should the need for him to be arise. But, on the other hand, I don't believe he does it on purpose.” He reasoned.

 

“So he's in the middle?” Mustang asked a raised eyebrow.

 

“I suppose he changes sides. Anyway getting back to the subject, he wasn't actually aware that they were after me.” Ed replied.

 

Mustang rolled his eye. “Why are you being so co-operative?” he asked suspiciously.

 

“I was under the impression that's what you wanted. Should I stop?” he asked innocently.

 

“Why the change of heart?” he asked, “and that doesn't mean stop.”

 

Ed leaned back in his chair. “After much debating with myself,” he began, “I came to the conclusion that while I will not divulge the entire story, bits and pieces are necessary, seeing as the bastards found their way here.” He pondered this last comment for a moment, a slight frown on his face. “How did they do that?” he mused aloud.

 

“While that is a pressing question,” Mustang interrupted, “I'd like a complete list of names please, and descriptions. Anything that helps.”

 

“You've got the main guys. Well Eckart's a chick.” He corrected. “And so is Noa,”

 

“Noa?” Mustang questioned.

 

“Ah, yes.” Ed said sagely. “She's a tricky one; don't underestimate her, that's a big mistake. Noa is the one that looks like Rose.” He explained. “Only she has different eyes, and different hair, and she's kinda evil. Rule number one with Noa, and I'm telling you now, this will save your life. No matter what, do not let her touch you. A brush of the arm is all it takes and…” he brought his finger across his throat, he was acting very childishly and Mustang looked at him telling him to be more serious. “You're a goner.” He finished.

 

“Is she an alchemist like Kimblee?” Mustang asked. Ed laughed.

 

“Alchemist? Hell no, she's a gypsy. Don't ask.” Ed said, “Those four are the only ones you need to worry about, the others are all mindless minions, I wouldn't know their names if you asked.” He seemed rather disinterested in it all, looking at his nails carefully, as if trying to find flaws. Mustang wrote down the last name with the instruction not to let her touch you, and not to touch her.

 

They sat in silence once again, until Mustang recalled that he was confronting Edward about the photograph and had gone off topic. He scowled to himself, whilst still keeping a cool expression, and started the conversation once again.

 

“These people, who look like your brother, and who look like Ms. Thomas, is there something behind this?” he asked. Ed looked at him curiously.

 

“Yes.” He answered slowly, suspiciously. “To tell you the truth, I wasn't in this world.”

 

“You're never in the world everyone else is Fullmetal.” Mustang replied. “You seem to think you're special or exempt.” He said sarcastically.

 

“No, I mean literally. Wasn't in this world, I'm pretty sure Alphons mentioned Germany, and I told Havoc a few of the country names I had been in. You won't find any of those in this world, just as you wouldn't find Amestris, or Drachma, or Xing in the world I'd been in.”

 

Mustang looked at him skeptically. “You don't seriously expect me to believe this, do you Fullmetal?” Ed shrugged.

 

“Believe what you will.” He replied disinterestedly. “You brought it up for a reason. In the world I was in, there were…alternate versions of people I knew. Alphons is obviously my brother, Noa, is the alternate of Rose, and I knew a girl named Marian, who was the alternate of Winry. There were alternates of Hoenheim and me,” Ed said slowly, “but they no longer exist. There was one of Bradley, and Lyra, and…” He glanced at Mustang, “never mind.” (3)

 

“I'm going to assume that Marian, Noa and Alphons are the ones accompanying you in this photo then?” Mustang asked, not questioning the reason the other Hoenheim and Ed didn't exist, and handing over the black and white photo. Ed's brow furrowed as he took the photo handed to him.

 

“Where did you find this?” he asked, studying it.

 

“You left it in my guest bedroom.” Mustang replied, going back to his work. “For someone who I shouldn't underestimate, you seem to be rather friendly with the Noa girl.” He said, referring to the way that she and Alphons appeared to be in a relationship.

 

“Yeah,” Ed said darkly. “I guess you can never really know a person.” The tone of his voice made Mustang decide he didn't want to know the story behind the relationship. He pocketed the photo, like he'd done it a-hundred times and stood up, all in one fluid motion. “I'm heading out, I'm going to try and catch Alphons before he leaves for where ever the hell it is he lives.” He announced.

 

“Where are you staying tonight?” Mustang asked.

 

“No, you cannot interrogate me some more.” Ed answered instead. “I'm staying with Al and Michelle.” He replied. He'd met Al's wife recently, she was a nice lady, and seeing as he had made up with Al, there was no reason to stay away. “Predictable.” He said shortly, earning a satisfying scowl from the dark-haired man. He walked out of the office with a huge smirk on his face, passing Fuery on the way. “Hey Serge.” He said waving.

 

“Hey Ed. Good to see you're out of the hospital.” He said. “I was just about to take the doctor back home.” Ed stopped next to Fuery in the hallway.

 

“He's going home?” Ed asked. “Where's he staying? Don't worry about it, I'll take him.” He offered.

 

“Really?” Fuery asked, a surprised look crossing his face. “Can you drive?” Ed rolled his eyes, grinning.

 

“No, I thought we'd walk.” He replied sarcastically. “Of course I can drive; I had a good car too, till Alphons crashed it.” He glared in remembrance, and then grinned evilly. “Oh he'll get his.” Fuery started backing away slowly, into the office he had been heading into.

 

“Yeah, you can take him Ed.” He called, Ed turned to him, the evil grin still on his face. “Have fun with that.” Fuery called, closing the door behind him.

 

 

Ed raised his fist and knocked on the door, it opened almost instantly. “Ed,” Alphons exclaimed surprised. “What are you doing here?” he asked.

 

“I volunteered to take you home. I thought maybe we could talk?” he offered, shrugging his shoulders casually. Alphons smiled.

 

“Yeah, that'd be good. C'mon you can carry my heavy stuff.” He said. Ed let out a sarcastic cheer of joy and they both laughed. Ed was reminded of the times they used to spend together, back when they were younger in Germany, and a thought occurred to him.

 

“Hey Al,” he called, and Alphons turned around, questioning on his face. “I haven't heard you cough once, what's up with that?” he asked. Alphons used to cough constantly, it scared Ed when he had one of his more violent attacks; they used to remind him of how his teacher used to cough up blood, and he didn't like it. That also reminded him he hadn't heard about what had happened to Izumi, there was no bad news, so perhaps she was still fighting.

 

“I became a doctor for a reason.” Alphons replied. “I wasn't about to let you sacrifice your only way home to have me die anyway. I went to Xing and studied some of their medicines, I'm an alchemist cross doctor” he boasted proudly.

 

“You studied Alchemy?” Edward asked. “Can't leave your science can you?” he joked with a snort. Alphons just smiled at him, gathering the last remaining items that were scattered around the hotel and shoved them into the smaller bag he had separate to his suitcase.

 

“Before we go Ed,” Alphons began, “I want to know that we can talk about…you know. I don't want to have an argument and then have to sit in the car in an uncomfortable silence.” He said.

 

“Don't worry, that's why I'm taking you, to fill you in. C'mon let's go.” He picked up Alphons's suitcase with his automail arm and took it out to the car he'd borrowed from the military. “D'you like my new arm?” he said, lifting it up and peeling back his sleeve, revealing the glinting metal.

 

“I was about to ask about that. I remember how much you hated that flesh-coloured thing you had.” Alphons commented.

 

“Oh how I loathed it.” Ed said with a grin. “The piece of crap broke; I haven't had a working arm in over 3 years.” He said. He clambered into the car and Alphons climbed in next to him. Ed turned the key in the ignition and the car sparked into life. He reversed out of the hotel carpark, stopped to let Alphons sign out, and then drove off along the road. Just like old times, and for a second there, he could let himself think it was.

 

 

Alphonse walked through the streets of Central, two of the women he loved, walking next to him. On his left was his childhood friend Winry, and on his right, a woman he loved in another way, his wife, Michelle. Life hadn't been quite the same without his brother alongside him, and it had gotten interesting quickly when he had returned. She was right, he regretted the argument. Yet, at the same time, he still wanted answers.

 

He listened to the two of them chatter on, loosing himself in his thoughts. He and Ed had talked while he was in the hospital, after he had come back once when Winry was still asleep at his house. He had gotten in trouble for it too. Ed had divulged details, but had definitely skipped a lot. He'd told Alphonse that he'd been in the world across the gate (which was a shock in itself) and that he'd been with their father. Seeing as Al couldn't remember the time when Hoenheim had visited the brothers when they were on the run, he had no memory of the man.

 

He had told Alphonse about the other Alphons, how they had studied rocketry together trying to find a way for Ed to return home, about Noa, the gypsy with an amazing talent, about Eckart, which wasn't necessarily a nice story. And finally, he had told Al what he had wanted to know for so long. What they had done, for the four years that were missing from his memory. Needless to say they had been there for a while.

 

He wasn't expecting Ed to return until tomorrow some time. He'd left, yesterday afternoon to take Alphons back home, and was planning to stay there for the night, recuperate and hit the road again early tomorrow morning. But he was concerned as to what would happen then. Whether he'd return to Risembool with Winry, and Al would hardly see him. Or, whether he'd stay in Central, and continue working for the military. Who knew, maybe it was neither of those options, but Al couldn't help but be concerned, especially seeing as he had just gotten out of the hospital. No one yet knew what had happened in the time Ed had been missing, and it was a pressing question.

 

They passed a stall and Winry and Michelle stopped for a while to look at something, while Al was distracted by a newspaper article glaring up at him. A picture of his brother, after he had been released from the hospital glowered up at him.

 

The Fullmetal Alchemist: Where has he been?

 

He ignored the article. Many of them had been appearing recently, most not flattering. Questions such as where had he been, and what had he been doing, and why had he left in the first place. Al chose to ignore them, rather than to read the abuse. The press didn't know anything; all they wanted was a story.

 

He wasn't the only one who wouldn't read the articles anymore. Winry wouldn't even pick up a newspaper. He smiled thinking about the way the two of them felt about each other, and how reluctant they both were to show it. He didn't know the reason the both of them were being so shy around each other, as far as he knew they were both head over heals with affection of some sort, and they were both idiots.

 

Of course he'd neither say that to either of them. He valued his life. He sighed as Michelle and Winry came back, dumping some more bags and boxes on him unceremoniously. Why had he volunteered to go shopping with them? Oh, that's right; it was that or the alternative: clean the house. He shuddered thinking of it. True, he was always cleaning up after Ed when they were smaller, he could remember that much, but he had never enjoyed it. Housework was depressing, it's been proven. (4)

 

 

“You've gotten yourself into a real situation here, Ed.” Alphons sighed. They were in his kitchen, Ed having filled him in on the way home. Ed took a sip of his steaming coffee, and yawned. He watched with humor as Alphons tried to hide the yawn that followed. (5)

 

“I know,” he said, “but I don't see any other option. Enough people have gotten hurt.” Alphons hesitated, not looking at Ed, but Ed wasn't looking at him either. He glanced across the kitchen table at the sitting Alphons, who was in turn looking out the window.

 

“Was it quick?” He asked. “Their deaths, I mean.”

 

Ed hesitated. “…yeah…it was instant, for the both of them.” They sat in silence; a nod was the only answer Ed received. The rain pelted down outside, it had started when they were about half-an-hour from the house and hadn't let up yet. Alphons let out a tired sigh.

 

“We've got to do something. There's got to be some other way, there's got to be something else we can do.” Ed shook his head.

 

“I used to think that too.” He said tiredly, quietly. “But I've tried everything, I've exhausted every option, I've manipulated every loop hole, I've used every mistake they've made to the fullest extent that I could, but I'm still here, trying to stop them.” He looked up at Alphons, rich gold eyes meeting his soft blue ones. “This is the only thing that I haven't tried.” Alphons's face betrayed the fact that he understood this.

 

“But are you prepared to do it?” He asked. “If worst comes to worst and…you couldn't get out or something, are you willing to go through with it?” he asked, fearing the answer. “Are you prepared to die, if you can't get out?” The look in Ed's eyes was answer enough, but the answer still shocked him.

 

“I didn't plan on having a chance to leave.” He answered his tone surprisingly level. “Too many people will suffer; one sacrifice isn't that much of a loss.” He said. Alphons swallowed more of his coffee.

 

“Does your brother know this?” he asked, and Ed averted his gaze. “He just got you back, they all just got you back, and you're prepared to leave, so suddenly.” There was a harsh edge to his tone that Ed didn't miss. He knew Alphons meant to say that he'd only just gotten him back as well. Ed didn't respond for a while, he opened his mouth, closed it and opened it again.

 

“Have you a better idea?” he asked. Alphons took yet another sip of his coffee. Then walked over to the draw, pulled out paper, a pen, and anything else he thought useful and dumped the roughly in front of Ed, who moved his mug aside to make room.

 

“We plan it to perfection.” He demanded. “And no buts, I've been involved in this from the start. Nothing is to go wrong. Understand? Nothing. I'm not taking you away from your family. We do this, we do it right. You're the expert, how is she going to know if there's a problem?” He said. He continued rambling as Ed stretched. It was going to be a long night.

 

Hell, he'd been having a lot of them lately. What was one more?

`Tell me what you need, and I'll tell you how to get along without it.'

 

(1) I get that in the time line thing Ed was in, there wouldn't have been holograms or talk of them, but hey maybe he read a few sci-fi books.

(2) Its not so much that Mustang can't remember as I can't remember a time that Ed's apologised to him, too proud I suppose. So let's play along, humour me.

(3) Three guesses as to the alternative that he's not telling Mustang about, it's not an important thing in the story but I like footnotes lol.

(4) I told that to my home economics teacher to get out of cleaning up the kitchen at the end of term. Muahahahaha. But it is actually depressing; I can't stand it unless my radio's blaring.

(5) Did you know 55% of people will yawn within 5 minutes of seeing someone else do it? Well you do now. There was a lot of random crap in those footnotes. Hehe.

 

OMG!!!! STEVE IRWIN DIED!!!! DUDE!!!! My dad told me right after I got home from school yesterday and we turned on the sky news active thing, and I was like, dude…don't really know what to say to that. There's like heaps of shows on, one tribute things on right now.

 

Okay so it's like 8:30 in the morning and I gotta go to school before my teacher gives me a detention for being late but I was gonna put this on last night but my sister stole the computer cuz she's got her QCS's today which is like big grade 12 test incase you don't live in Queensland, and thanks again Phe for the review (look I did call you Phe now I don't have to spell Pheonix.) Wow I typed that fast.