InuYasha Fan Fiction / Fullmetal Alchemist Fan Fiction ❯ Into the Well and Through the Gate To Edward’s House We Go ❯ Roy's Story Part 1 ( Chapter 7 )

Into the Well and Through the Gate To Edward's House We Go

 

Disclaimer: I do not own InuYasha or Full Metal Alchemist.

 

Chapter Six - Roy's StoryPart 1

 

Central - Post Military Coup (approx 18 months later)

 

Roy lay in bed wide awake, pondering his life as he knew it. Wondering how on earth it had gone so far off the track that he and Maes had envisioned it on. Actually, he really didn't have to wonder. He knew. He knew deep inside his heart, that it all started with a loud-mouthed, blond midget's entrance into his orderly life. Yes, that was the beginning of the end of his life as he knew it. Although in all honesty, there were very few changes he would have made if he was given a second chance. Two of those being, the exit of both Maes and the midget from his life.

 

He wasn't anywhere near recovering from the death of his best friend only to loose FullMetal too. His forced retirement shortly thereafter didn't help either. Sighing out loud, he shifted in bed as carefully as he could in order to not disturb his bed partner. That was another thing...Hawkeye or rather Riza. `What the hell was I thinking' Roy wondered to himself.

 

Hell, he knew what he was thinking. It was quite a common occurrence, he just never thought he would be susceptible. After his fight with the Fuhrer a/k/a Pride the homunculus, he was on forced bed rest for several weeks and during that time Riza had remained at his side as she had since their first meeting. `Nightingale syndrome I believe they call it and it didn't help that I found out about FullMetal's MIA status and the problems regarding Al's return while I was recuperating. I should have known, but I guess that's why they say hindsight is 20/20.'

 

With his fingertips he felt along the scar that now covered his left eye. The doctors had tried, but they were not able to save his sight. His eye was still there, but he chose to wear a patch so that no one would have to endure the sight of his injury. Call him vain, but he would rather people look at him with curiosity than cringe in revulsion. `Plus it's rather dashing even if I do say so myself and I do.'

 

Deciding that sleep would not be returning anytime soon, he eased himself out of bed, grabbed his robe and padded on bare feet as silently as possible out of the bedroom. Closing the door behind him, he pulled on his robe and tightened the sash with a heavy sigh. `Guess we can add one more sleepless night to all the others. Damn it, maybe I should go back to taking the sleeping pills.' He knew that he wouldn't though. He had already come precariously close to abusing them when the doctor and first prescribed them.

 

Too many times he had fought with himself about just downing the entire bottle at once. Finally, he asked Riza to keep them and to only give them to him if it was an emergency. She had agreed with a look of confusion that quickly changed to one of understanding. He wasn't sure if he was glad that he didn't need to explain or not.

 

Heading into the kitchen, he started a pot of coffee before raiding the refrigerator. After staring at the contents for a few minutes he realized that food wasn't all that appealing after all and shut the door with a grimace. Turning back to the coffee pot, he saw that it was finished. He then poured the bitter concoction into a carafe, turned off the stove and grabbed up his favorite mug.

 

Taking the carafe and mug with him he made his way into his study. Settling into his chair at his desk, he poured himself a cup and sat back attempting to relax. Glancing over at the pile of unopened mail from the day before, he figured he may as well get a start on it before Riza saw it. Even though they were no longer in the military together, it still didn't stop her from attempting to keep him in line when it came to his “work” habits.

 

Pulling the pile over in front of him he reached for his letter opener and proceeded to rip open each envelope. Once they were all opened, he began sorting them by their importance. In other words, the ones that seemed interesting went to the top. `Let's see… bill…bill…pension check…hmmm letter from Armstrong definitely on top…a couple of charity requests…letter from Rockbell Automail…bill…whoa wait a minute…Rockbell…that's the Winry girl's last name!'

 

Drinking down the remainder of his cup of coffee in order to fully awaken his sleep fogged mind, he quickly withdrew the contents of the envelope with no small amount of excitement. `Does this mean that Ed…' afraid to complete that thought in case he jinxed himself either way, he looked at the items before him. He first picked up the folded stationary and saw that it was indeed a letter from Ed's childhood friend, but it didn't seem to indicate anything about Ed. Instead all it did was indicate that she was forwarding a letter from Ed and Al's sensei, Izumi. Biting back his disappointment, he picked up the small envelope that had been enclosed with Winry's letter. Slicing it open he pulled out what looked to be another letter.

 

Roy's curiosity was even more peaked now. He knew that Al had returned to his sensei in order to relearn all he had forgotten with the loss of the four years of memories, so either way this letter should be about at least one of the Elric brothers if not both. Unfolding it with slightly shaking hands, he began to read.

 

Colonel Mustang, Retired Dog of the Military,

 

I am sure that you are surprised that I would contact you at all. Please know that I am only doing so at young Al's behest.

 

He has made much progress in his studies, but worries over his brother plague him every step of the way. He has been told some of what happened to him, so he knows about you and the other dogs in Central. Therefore, he would like to request your assistance in finding Edward. I have already advised him that if you had any information regarding Edward, you would have let him know, but he still feels the need to ask.

 

As of yet, he has not regained any of his lost memories and I have little hope that he ever will. However, there are times when he is sleeping that he mumbles things that seem to be missing pieces, but since I did not have any contact with them during that time, I cannot be absolutely sure. This however, brings me to my real purpose in contacting you.

 

Putting my personal feelings about you and your kind aside, I must admit that from what Winry has said, you seem to be a good man and you tried your best to watch over my boys, even if you were using them for the thoughtless and arrogant designs of the military. I want you to come to Dublith and visit with Al. I am hoping that you can either stir some of his memories or verify if any of them have returned, even if subconsciously.

 

Since we must protect Al at all costs, please send any response through Winry. I hope to hear from you soon.

 

Cordially yours,

 

Izumi Curtis

 

Taking the time to reread the letter and disregarding her remarks concerning his once chosen profession, he couldn't help but be impressed. He knew that it had taken a lot for their teacher to put aside her own feelings and ask for his help and to top it all off, she acknowledged his protection of FullMetal and his brother during their tour of duty. Something he knew the pipsqueak would never do even if he had been aware of it.

 

He had to wonder what had changed since Izumi and Sig took over guardianship of the boy. Last he knew both she and Granny Pinako had decided that it was best to keep the information from Al, in fear that it would be detrimental to his recovery. Obviously, that was no longer the case.

 

Leaning over the arm of his chair, he pulled open the bottom drawer to his desk. Reaching towards the back, he carefully lifted out a tattered cardboard box. Once he had learned of Ed's disappearance and Al's memory loss, he had taken it upon himself to gather information covering the four years that he had been their commanding officer. At first it was for Al, but as time went along, he realized it was just as much for Ed and himself because he just didn't want to see Ed's existence wiped off the face of the planet. Those were years that marked Ed and Al's greatest achievements, even when you took human transmutation and the Philosopher's Stone out from the equation. They had been heroes of the people and deserved to not be forgotten even if it was by one lonely, pathetic excuse for a human being.

 

Shaking himself from his increasingly morose thoughts, he began to sift through the contents of the box. It amazed him at times at the variety of the items he was able to scrounge up. Copies of Ed's reports and medical records were easy. Even photographs were easy. Okay maybe not that easy since he had to pay a visit to Gracia, something that tore at his heart every time. It seemed that Maes in all his photographer's glory, made duplicates and had already begun a photo album to be given to Ed on his sixteenth birthday. However, since Ed spent that birthday in the hospital recovering from the incident at the fifth lab, it had been forgotten and then of course…well…then Maes was murdered.

 

Some of the other items he had also found at Gracia's. An old button from his red coat that she had meant to sew back on for him, an old pair of gloves which he had worn to cover his automail from prying eyes and some of his hair bands with sseveral golden strands of hair still caught in them. He had really lucked out at her house, because there was nothing in the room that they used in the dorms. Everything they owned since the leveling of their childhood home, was kept in an old battered suitcase and since he couldn't locate it, he had to assume it had disappeared in the now destroyed town of Loir.

 

Surprisingly, the hospital had also been of help. Somehow, one of the nurse's he had once dated found out though the grapevine that he had been looking for Ed and Al's suitcase and remembered that during one of Ed's last hospital stays, the doctor's had removed the remainder of his automail limb from the port connected to his shoulder. Seeing as FullMetal was on his way to becoming quite famous, a couple of the employees had decided to keep those pieces as souvenirs. Once she let him know, it didn't take much persuasion for them to return the pieces to the military, him in particular. Now they rested in the bottom of this very box along with what he considered the crowning jewel in his little collection.

 

Reverently, he lifted the still shiny object by its chain. It was an absolute miracle that this object had ever been recovered, something for which he could thank the Tringham brothers. It seemed that they had waited outside of Dante's stronghold for the return of Ed and Al and when enough time had passed to cause the two of them enough concern, they ventured below. Fortunately, they had arrived at the landing above that god forsaken town just as the light from Ed's final Alchemic transmutation glowed through the windows of the building in its center. It was very lucky since it acted as a beacon to Russell and Fletcher and allowed them to find Al.

 

He still couldn't understand why Ed would choose to perform the transmutation where no one ventured. Did he think Al would just find his way out? But then if he really thought about it, Ed could not have known that it would be the ten year old who had no memories of traveling down into that abyss who emerged from the array instead of Al's fourteen year old self.

 

Russell had related the whole ordeal to him while he was still confined to bed rest. It seemed that there had been arrays all over the room that they had found Al lying unconscious in. Massive arrays that were as large as the spaces that they were displayed on and in the middle of the array that held Al, was Ed's pocket watch.

 

From what they could deduce, Ed had somehow also connected an alchemic spell to his pocket watch. Because as soon as they had passed the upper landing to make their way up the final passageway, the watch glowed and the entire hideaway began to tremble. Before they knew it the cavern and the ghost town it held were buried in a cave in, making it impossible to search for any survivors. Although, the Tringhams were positive that Ed was not down there, since they were convinced that he had sacrificed himself in order to give Al back his body. Otherwise, why would the watch be laying next to Al and why the delayed transmutation of the cavern walls? In all actuality, he had to agree with them. Otherwise, it would mean that Ed was dead and there would be no hope for his return. Not that his return was likely, if he did indeed sacrifice himself in a mad bout with equivalent exchange.

 

Pushing back his chair, he made his way over to one of the bookcases. Pulling out several volumes he reached in and pried the loose boards from the wall. Quickly withdrawing the contents, incase Riza awakened and came down, he sealed up the cubby hole and returned the books to the shelf. What he held in his hands was the culmination of the past year of research he had undertaken regarding the gate and human transmutation. If it had anything to do with Ed's disappearance then he tracked down what information he could. Due to the subject matter, he always kept it hidden for more reasons than one. Foremost in his mind was that if Riza knew, then she would be implicated if his research was ever discovered. Walking back to his desk, he placed the notebooks in the cardboard box and used a roll of sturdy twine to secure it shut.

 

He briefly entertained the idea of discussing the situation with Riza before he made his decision, but knew that no matter what she said his mind was already made up. With that thought, he called the train depot to find out travel info and quickly composed a letter to Ms. Curtis, relaying his arrival information and then placed the letter in a second envelope which he addressed to Winry.

 

With that finished he moved over to his reading chair in order to organize the rest of his thoughts, while he waited for Riza to awaken.