・┈➣ ﹕┆lurking homunculus °˖➴

༝༝༝

⤷ .𖥔 ݁ ˖ ┆𝘾𝙃𝘼𝙋𝙏𝙀𝙍 [ 005 ] ᯓ

𝐒𝐀𝐋𝐔𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐀 𝐅𝐀𝐈𝐑 𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐋 𝐓𝐎 𝐌𝐀𝐉𝐎𝐑 𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐎𝐍𝐆 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐔𝐓𝐄𝐍𝐀𝐍𝐓 𝐁𝐑𝐄𝐃𝐀 𝐘𝐎𝐔 𝐀𝐍𝐃 𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐀𝐋𝐊 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐎𝐔𝐆𝐇 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐑𝐄𝐄𝐓𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐄𝐌𝐁𝐎𝐎𝐋.

"Where are we going?" You asked, taking in the fresh air and the grassy views. "I just want to go visit my moms grave for a minute." He admitted, keeping his gaze straight ahead.

A small smile came to your face. "It's good to know you trust me enough to come with you." Holding your hands together behind your back and staring forward.

Coming up over the steed dirt road Ed shuffles to a stop.

Raising a brow with a confused hum you look towards the graveyard that spanned out to the left.

A fairly tall man with long, golden-blond hair in a loose, shoulder-length ponytail with two or three loose strands of hair falling over his brow.

Turning to the side the dejected expressed man looked at the two of you. "Hohenheim." The blonde to your left sighed out, a shock and angered expression taking over his features.

Slowly he began to walk towards the entrance of the graveyard, before stopping in front of the taller blonde man.

"Hello Edward. You appear to have grown some." He commented. Grunting through gritted teeth Ed looks away from the man.

"I spoke with Pinako. You tried human transmutation." Gasping his eyes widened.

The truth he barely told anyone got to the man he wanted least to know.

"What makes you think you can show up like this? There's nothing left for you here anymore!" Glaring down at the ground. "I noticed."

The blonde straightened up at his fathers statement. "Tell me Edward, what possessed you to burn down my home?"

Gazing out and up a hill, to where the burnt remains of their family home sat.

His eyes wavered and Ed looked down in shame. "After what happened we vowed to never turn back. We did it as a symbol of our resolve." He claimed.

"No you didn't. You were hiding the memory." Picking the truth out of his son's claim.

You stand there awkwardly, glancing between the two blondes.

"You didn't want to be reminded of what you've done, and thought you could erase the memory by destroying the evidence."

Walking over Hohenheim towered over the two of you. "You're wrong!" Ed snapped. "It's just like a child who hides the sheets after he wets the bed. You ran away and you know it."

Nervous sweat gathers against the boy's temple, his body slightly shaking. "I- You don't know a damn thing!" Snatching your hand and dragging you away.

"You make me sick to my stomach."

୧ ‧₊˚ 🍊 ⋅

Night time had fallen and the two of you had made way to the rockbell house.

Ed had gone to bed and you had decided to stay up with Pinako and Hohenheim.

Den laid his head against your thigh, growling across the table at the tall blonde man. "You haven't changed in the slightest." Pinako spoke to the man.

You and her looked down, gazing over a photo album. "All these years you look exactly the same." Letting out a small chuckle.

"Where have you been all this time, why did you come back sooner?" She interrogated. "Trisha was waiting for you until the very end."

Lifting his head up and made his way out of the room. "[y/n] would you be a dear and go feed den?" The older woman requested. "Yeah."

Following after the dog a hand suddenly grabs yours.

Turning you, seeing the loose haired blonde, holding a finger up to his lips. Nodding at his gesture to stand next to him and the dog.

"She's a nice girl isn't she?"

"Yes, Ed seems to like her company." Silence filled the room. "Pinako..." Hohenheim called out, earning a hum from the woman.

"The life form my sons transmuted.. Are you positive that it was trisha?" He questioned, leaning forward.

Pinako raised a brow. "Huh? Well I wouldn't- It didn't even look human to me." She claimed, holding her pipe.

"That's not what I'm asking. Did you notice the eye color? Or the hair color?" She looks up confused, thinking back to what she saw in their basement.

"What are you trying to get at?" She asked, leaning across the table. "Are you telling me that wasn't even trisha?"

Hohenheim side glances at the door. "For all that those boys sacrificed, you're saying that thing wasn't even their mother?"

Den looked up at the distraught boy.

A horrified look displayed as his automail arm hung limp against his side, his other gripping harshly at the side of your shirt.

His breathing staggered and brows trembled.

Gently placing your arm over his shoulder you lead him quietly back to his room.

Taking a seat on the messed up bed you pull the crying boy into your arms.

୧ ‧₊˚ 🍊 ⋅

The next day you knock on the guest room's door. "Ed?" Creaking it open to see the blonde staring up wide eyed and gripping onto the sheets.

"Are you okay?" Leaning against the doorway. Sitting up he holds his head. "Yeah, just a bad dream."

"Ed? Get out of bed already, your fathers about to head out!" Pinako yelled.

Looking down the stairs you sigh. "You don't want to see him leave do you?" Groaning, the blonde rubbed his face. "That gives me my answer."

Chuckling you go back down stairs and onto the porch watching as Hohenheim left.

Looking up you watch as the clouds quicken their pace. Groaning you pat your reddening [s/c] cheeks. "[y/n], are you okay dear?" Pinako asked.

"Yeah. It's just gonna storm soon."

—

Shovels in hand the three of you trudge up the hill towards the Elric's old house.

The sky is thick with rolling dark clouds, the wind blows, and thunder rumbles.

You and Pinako glance at each other worriedly, seeing the state the blonde ahead of you was in.

Making it to the top of the hill you lay eyes on the burnt rubble. "You're not really gonna dig it up, are you Ed?" Gazing up at the blonde through her glasses.

Slouching over he grabs at his chest. "Why don't we go back?" You say, cheeks burning up.

"No. My stumps are aching from the weather. It's about to rain, let's just hurry and do this."

Jabbing your shovels into the ground the three of you begin to dig up the ground.

Soon the rain began to fall, the coolness easing your weather induced fever.

Gazing up at the sky, flinching slightly and squinting as some rain got into your eyes.

Sucking in a gasp you turn to Ed, watching as he falls to his knees clutching his chest and throwing up.

"Ed!" Tossing your shovel and falling to your knees beside him, hands placed against his back. "Don't push yourself." Rubbing his back as he continued to gag.

"Let's head on home." Pinako said. "No." Reaching up and using the base of his shovel to pull himself up.

"I'm not gonna be able to move forward until I know for sure, and besides. I won't run away from this!"

Wiping his mouth.

The rain began to pour down, soaking through your long sleeve V neck shirt and into your [s/c] skin. (during the Alabasta and Post-Alabasta Arcs.)

Tossing the thickening dirt over your shoulder Ed pulls off to the nearby tree throwing up once again.

You and pinako stood next to each other, staring at the blonde hurriedly tossing muddy piles of dirt to the side.

Sighing you dig your shovel on the other side of the deepening hole, helping to expand it as the rain begins to stop.

Panting the tip of Ed's shovel hit something hard making him toss the tool away and dive onto his hands and knees.

Digging his hands through the dirt he pulled out a chunk of hair.

Pushing past the two of you he cleaned it off in the bucket filled with rain water.

His breathing becomes shallow as he looks over his shoulder to the short woman. "Granny, moms hair was a light chestnut color. This is black."

—

After a few more hours bones were pulled out of the ground. "This femur, it's much too long." Measuring one of the bones before grabbing another.

"And this pelvis. Pretty sure it's male."

"It is?"

Standing up Pinako looks at the two of you. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid this isn't your mother Ed."

Ed gazes down at the scattered bones distraught in his dull amber eyes. Swaying he collapsed onto his hands and knees.

Yours and Pinako's eyes widened as he began to laugh maniacally. Throwing his head back with a scoff.

"Then that's it. It really is impossible to bring the dead back to life. The undeniable truth."

Chuckling he cups his face. "It was impossible all along!"

"Edward, listen to me. You've gotta get a hold of yourself." The old woman deemed.

The two of you kneeling down at his sides.

His arm fell to the side, but his hand gently latched onto the hem of your shirt. It suddenly began to feel like an instinct.

"I'm okay granny. It's okay, from the moment I made this thing it's been a symbol of my despair, but not anymore. Now it's an emblem of hope."

Getting up off his knees he stood tall. "Al can be returned to normal."

—

Burying the bones you three made a head stone and left a small bouquet of wildflowers.

The dark clouds drifted through the sky, rays of sun beginning to peek through them.

୧ ‧₊˚ 🍊 ⋅

Back at the house you sat on the couch as Ed made a phone call.

"Curtis residence. I didn't expect this, you never call."

A female voice said from the other line.

"Uh, yeah. I need to ask you something, teacher, but well..."

"Well what? Spit it out."

"It has to do with when you tried to transmute your baby."

Your eyes widened, that poor woman.

"What about it Ed?"

Her tone sounded more concerned and saddened. "The thing is what Al and I transmuted, it wasn't actually our mother."

A gasp came through the phone's speaker.

"What is this Ed?! What are you trying to tell me?!"

"I'm sorry to ask you this but the child you transmuted, are you sure that it was your child that you brought back?"

The line cut off leaving the two of you alone in a grieving silence.

—

The sun peeked over the rolling hills of resembool. "Thank you Ed. [y/n]." Pinako spoke, standing in front of her son and his wife's graves.

"It's good to know my son and his wife helped people. I'm proud of them."

Trailing back to the graveyard entrance, you stop at Trisha's grave. "So Hohenheim, did he even bother to say where he was going?" Ed asked the shorter woman.

"Of course he didn't and I didn't ask-" Her jaw dropped and she yelled out a groan. "What's wrong with me? I can't believe I forgot to give him the message!"

"A message?" You questioned. "Yes. A last request from your mother. " Her eyes fixated on the blonde.

Narrating about what the chestnut haired woman had told her before she had died.

"A promise? What promise?" Ed asked. "You got me? Sorry to ask but could you two pass it on if you bump into him."

"Why should I have too?" Ed raised an angered brow. "I know it doesn't seem like it but he does care about you and your brother." Pinako claimed making Ed scoff.

"Yeah, I'll pass it on. Right after I clock him in the face."

୧ ‧₊˚ 🍊 ⋅

"What the hell?!" Ed shouted.

Of course as soon as you get back you're met with Al missing his right arm and part of his helmet.

"I'm sorry brother." He apologized. "How are you this beat up?!" The blonde sputtered around, circling around the tall suit of armor.

"And you!" You exclaimed, pointing to ling. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Eating a delicious dinner." He said, his mouth full of noodles, Lan Fan eating across from him.

Yelling, you kick the two out the door.

"Seriously, how did this happen to you?" Al huffed out a sigh, then went on to tell you the story about what happened while you two were gone.

—

"A homunculus and barry the chopper, and just to throw a cherry on top you find out your body might reject your soul."

Clapping his hands together Ed fixed Al's beat up armor. "I'm gonna have to extend what little you have left of your armor."

The blue alchemy sparks subsided and you all stepped back, watching as Al moved around his new arm.

"Ed, he'll be able to get his body back, right?" Winry questioned in worry. "Yeah of course he will, I told you I'm gonna get it back!" Falling back onto the couch.

"Al, I've gotta tell you something. Me and [y/n] dug up the body we transmuted in Resembool." He admitted.

Al gasped before standing up in a stagger. "What? Why would you do that?" Raising his voice slightly.

"Because Al, I found out that the thing we buried wasn't really our mother." Swaying he fell back down into his chair. "But, hold on a minute. Then that means."

Clutching onto his helmet, trying to process everything. "The thing we made, I don't know what but it was something completely different."

"But if it wasn't, then what happened to me?"

"That's just it. This has actually convinced me we can return you to normal." Al and Winry gasp. "Ed, are you sure?"

"Yeah, but before I start explaining how..."

A nervous sweat building up on his face, his eyes seeming to look anywhere but at you.

"Uh, Winry, do you remember when Al and I got into a fight when we were kids about who'd marry you?" He asked embarrassed blush on his cheeks.

Al perked up slightly. "Huh? The fight we were talking about on the roof?"

"Yeah that one. Al told me you turned him down." Winry nodded. "Turned you both down." She clarified.

"Whatever, so the questions for both of you then. What was your reasoning?"

The two glance at each other. "She said."

"I just don't like guys who are shorter than me."

Ed screams and you laugh.

Turning to Winry you high five. "It's good to have standards." You smile at the blonde girl.

"You can't judge a man for something he can't help!" Ed cried out. "I don't see how this has anything to do with getting Al's body back." You comment, shaking your head with crossed arms.

"I had to be sure, Al had a memory of something I don't recall. You seem to clearly remember it the same way Winry. Which means that it happened without a doubt. So, now that we know you remembered something real then we also know for a fact that really is Al bonded in there. I pulled you out Al, I actually did it. I know it was only your soul but that's just it. If I was about to pull that much of you out, then I've got a hunch that your body's still in there and I can pull it out."

He explained, staring at his automail fist in determination. "You think my body's still in the portal, existing separately from my soul?" Al gasped in realization. "Like Barry's body!"

"Exactly." Knocking his fist against Al's chest plate. "What did you see? Try to think back, can you remember what happened when the truth unraveled you."

"I reached out, and it was me! It was my hand I grabbed." He began to recall, looking down at his hand.

Ed grinned. "I knew it. Doesn't look like we're done with the truth yet Al. We're gonna get in there and pull your body out."

Determination laced his tone, placing a reassuring hand on his brother's armor.

"Brother. After the portal, I remember looking at you from inside that thing, the thing we thought was mom." The blonde eyes widened.

"You were inside of it? That thing was you?"

"I guess so, but my soul didn't bind, it must've rejected me right away. So that means, we didn't harm anyone else's soul after all."

A small smile came to your lips.

It must've been a great weight lifted off their shoulders hearing that they didn't actually end up hurting anyone or make their mother go through death again.

A knock from the door echoes through the room. "Mister Elric, you have a telephone call from Izumi Curtis."

—

"I did some research. Sig and I looked up our family lines, and well...The child I transmuted, it couldn't, it didn't have a single physical trait that could've come from us. You're onto something aren't you?"

"Yes. We've come to the conclusion that death is permanent."

Izumi sighs.

"So not even transmutation can change that fact. All this time I thought that I must've missed something, but it was impossible to do in the first place. Ed!"

The blonde tensed up quickly. "Uh, yes ma'am!"

"Thank you."

Hearing the phone hang up he pulls the phone away from his ear, staring at it in shock. "So what did teacher have to say?" Al asked, coming up to his brother

"I'm not really sure why, but she said thank you."

—

Walking up the steps back to the hotel room Al stops. "Al?"

"This entire time I've been blaming myself for what happened." The clenching of his fist made his arm shake.

"I thought it was me. I thought I was the one who killed mom a second time."

"And so did I, Al."

Al covered his face. "Thanks brother. Thank you, I wasn't the one who killed mom after all."

If he could, he would've been crying.

"But still none of this changes the fact that I'm the one who put you in that body and I don't care what it takes, I'm gonna make you normal again."

"Brother, I was right there with you and I knew that there were risks so quit trying to shoulder all of this on your own. I can't watch you suffer like this, not on your own, I can't just stand back and watch other people get hurt over what I've done. Like what happened to mister Hughes. I felt like it was my fault when I found out he was dead, and I told myself that if it meant other people getting hurt then I don't even want my body back."

Ed's eyes waver, grunting softly he nods.

"Brother, I've met other people who weren't exactly human but they still manage to live their lives with a purpose and even in this body it hasn't stopped other people from treating me like I'm still human."

You stand at the top of the stairs, leaning against the wall with the frown.

"This body could reject me at any time, but it's the same with being human. You never know when you might get sick or die in an accident. So I can still get by like this, I can live a somewhat normal life and that's how I've managed to keep going. But now, I can't take it anymore!"

The blonde makes his way down the stairs, standing in front of his brother.

"Because I can't. I can't take all the nights by myself! It's too lonely! And that's why I have to get my body back to normal."

A grin spread across Ed's face. "Sure, and you're going to." Punching his chest lightly, the sound echoing through his armor.

"We'll knock that truth jerk on his butt!" Their footsteps stomped against the stairs. "And then we're gonna pull your body right out of that place!"

Your hooded eyes side glance to the top of the open stairway, watching the blonde come into view. "Yeah!"