Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Veritas Hominum ❯ Return ( Chapter 16 )

Return

 

The train ride into Central was uneventful, but he had not expected the whispers that followed him as he walked down the corridor behind Sergeant Mitchell. He had hoped that everyone who remembered him would have retired or put in for a transfer by now, but apparently the stories hadn't really faded.

 

His personal favorite had been, “That can't be the Fullmetal Alchemist. He's too tall.” He'd had half a mind to turn around and hit them, but Winry stopped him before he got a chance. He wasn't fifteen anymore and he couldn't throw a fit every time someone teased him about being short.

 

He sighed; he was also feeling extremely anxious. Somewhere in this long hallway of doors was his brother, and he suddenly felt guilty for not coming to see him.

 

Either way, it would have been messy, he thought.

 

“Edward Elric?”

 

Ed turned around to see who had called his name; it had been a female voice but he couldn't quite place it.

 

“It can't be. Are you Edward Elric?” The blond woman simply stared at him for a moment until her eyes suddenly went wide and saluted him. “Fullmetal, sir. It is good to see that you are well.”

 

“Hawkeye?” he asked incredulously before breaking into a grin. “How've you been? How's Colonel Mustang?”

 

“Senator Mustang, sir,” she corrected. “And my husband is fine.”

 

“Husband?” Winry asked, surprised.

 

“Yes. We've been married for about five years now,” she replied. “I am glad to have ran into you sir, I will inform the Senator that you are in good health, but I must go as I am needed in Parliament very shortly. Good day.” She turned sharply and walked off down the hallway.

 

Ed glanced at Winry and cocked an eyebrow, and she shrugged, “Who knew?” Ed nodded.

 

“She must have been mistaken.” The pair turned to their guide who had suddenly gone pale. “You can't be him.”

 

“What are you talking about, Sergeant?” Ed asked, annoyed.

 

“The Fullmetal Alchemist. You can't be him; he died nearly fifteen years ago!” Mitchell replied.

 

“No, I'm afraid I'm not dead. I am Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist,” Ed smirked.

 

Winry smacked him on the arm. “Stop it, Ed. You're scaring the poor man to death.” Winry couldn't help but feel for him, the poor man was shaking in fear.

 

“I can't help it if it's true, Winry,” Ed replied.

 

“It's true then,” a new voice cut in. “I'd heard rumors that you'd resurfaced, Fullmetal.” The Colonel turned Senator stood a few doors down. Ed wasn't surprised to see that he hadn't changed much save for a few wrinkles and his black hair had become more salt and pepper.

 

“Mustang,” Ed said flatly. “Still as sarcastic as ever. I would have thought marriage would have mellowed you out a bit.”

 

“That's Senator Mustang to you, Mr. Elric, and my wife prefers me this way.” Roy smiled before turning to Mitchell, “You are dismissed, Sergeant. I will escort Mr. Elric and Miss Rockbell to the session of Parliament as ordered.”

 

Mitchell returned Roy's salute and marched off. Winry couldn't help but giggle. I wonder if he could have gotten out of here fast enough. What kind of stories are they telling the new recruits about Ed?

 

“It's good to see you, Edward. Riza told me you were here and I thought you would like to see a familiar face,” Roy said as he invited the pair into his office.

 

“What are we doing here?” Ed asked. “I just built a plane.”

 

Roy sat behind his desk with a furrowed brow. “It is precisely the plane that they want, Edward. The rumors told of a machine that flew and ran without using alchemy. That could be a very powerful weapon, especially considering the current public backlash against the use of alchemy after all of the rebellions.”

 

Roy stared hard at Edward. “We thought you were dead. Clearly, you are not, but you have been somewhere no one else has gone. The government will want to know where you were and what you learned there.”

 

Ed stayed silent.

 

“Edward, I want to help. I know you don't want to be dragged into the military again, but I have to warn you. Things are almost as bad now as they were with the Fuhrer. The people have become so terrified of rebellion they've elected people who are more interested in their own personal power than they are of protecting people,” Roy said sadly. “I had hoped that an elected government would be better than one person controlling everything, but sometimes I feel that the people really don't know what's best for them.”

 

“Is my brother one of those people?” Ed asked quietly. He stared at his hands, as he talked, unable to look at Roy.

 

Roy cocked an eyebrow at Edward. “Haven't you seen your brother? I assumed he would have been the first person you would go to visit.”

 

Winry flushed, as Ed looked on, completely miserable. “He seemed happy,” Ed mumbled. ”I didn't want to ruin it for him. So I've been staying with Winry the past two years.”

 

Roy's jaw dropped, but he quickly recovered. “No, Ed,” he said. “To answer your question, Al is completely committed to making Amestris better. The Storm Alchemist has really been a progressive voice in the Parliament.”

 

“Storm Alchemist?” Winry asked, surprised. “I haven't seen since he passed the State Alchemist exam.”

 

“Yes. He actually has quite a talent for dealing with the weather, surprisingly enough. He rarely does anything with alchemy anymore, though. He's a paper pusher now.” Roy sighed audibly. “But he is at the mercy of the rest of the senate, you realize. He won't help you.”

 

There was a loud knock at the door.

 

“Come in!” Roy ordered.

 

Another young soldier came in and saluted his superior. “Senator Mustang, you have been asked to sit in on a special committee regarding this new discovery. Please escort Mr. Elric and Miss Rockbell to the Senate Chamber Room.”

 

Roy hesitated, and then nodded. “Time to go,” he said.

 

Ed squeezed Winry's hand and followed Roy down the hall.

 

The chamber room was dark except for a well-lit stage with two chairs in the center of the room. Roy signaled for Winry and Ed to go sit in the center while he took his place with the other senators. The lights were blinding and neither of them could make out the faces of any of the senators.

 

“Mr. Elric, Miss Rockbell,” someone said. “We are glad to have you join us.”

 

“It's not like we were really given a choice in the matter,” Ed said angrily.

 

“Are you really Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist and brother to Senator Alphonse Elric?” someone else asked, disbelieving.

 

It was extremely annoying to not know to whom he was speaking and he was growing more agitated by the minute. He was about to answer, but another voice cut him off.

 

“Yes. That is my brother.”

 

Great. Al's here too, he thought. Ed squinted trying to find his brother in the dark mass of bodies that surrounded the stage, but Al stayed conveniently out of sight.

 

“It's been a long time, brother,” Al said.

 

“Yes it has,” Ed replied.

 

“This is a heartwarming moment for a family reunion, but let us get down to brass tacks, shall we?” A large, elderly man sitting near the front said irritated. “Mr. Elric, we have heard rumors that you have built a flying machine that does not depend on alchemy to run. Is this true?”

 

Ed swallowed hard. “Yes.”

 

“Where did you learn to build such a thing?”

 

“Who said I had to learn to build something? Why couldn't I have just invented it?” Ed retorted. He really didn't want to have to explain his whereabouts during his fifteen year absence.

 

“Because you were gone for seventeen years, Mr. Elric.” A stately looking older senator came down to the floor. “We are concerned that you seem to have spent some time with outside of our country and you will not tell us what you learned while you were gone.”

 

The senator paced the stage in front of where Ed and Winry sat. “We are willing to be lenient with you, but you must tell us where you were and what you were doing while you were there.”

 

He turned suddenly to face Ed and stared at him with hard eyes. “For all we know you deserted the army and gave away all of our military secrets. I will warn you that desertion carries very strict penalties.”

 

Ed's eyes narrowed. “Are you threatening me, sir?”

 

“No,” he answered simply. “I am only saying the truth. Are you refusing to tell us where you were?”

 

“I'm not saying a damn word,” Ed retorted.

 

The senator turned to the rest of the senators. “I hereby recommend that Edward Elric be placed under house arrest until further notice until we can ascertain his… whereabouts for the past seventeen years.”