Travelers

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Does the Walker choose the Path, or the Path, the Walker? The Book of the Dead, from Sabriel

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Noa had retreated into the kitchen when she heard the door open a great mess of noise rumbled through the flat. She could hear Edward’s voice and three unfamiliar ones, all of them laughing and speaking very fast and someone was crying, or had tears in their voice.

It was when the door opened again that she perked her head around the corner, she halted when she saw them, Edward turning to Alfons and introducing them. The boy from Alfons’ dreams. The girl from Edward’s dreams. She studied Russel for a moment though…she hadn’t seen him. Tall and broad-shouldered and he had bright blue eyes and a smirky sort of smile that spoke of past mischief.

Alfons looked up at her. “Ah…Noa…have you met…ah….” But he was too distracted, looking down at Alphonse again. He looked at Ed. “I’m sorry, Ed….”

Edward smiled that same tired, sad smile and shook his head. “It’s all right, Alfons.” He looked down at his brother. “Everyone, this is Alfons Heidrich. And that over there is Noa. A gypsy we met about a week or so ago.”

The three looked over at Noa. She came out into sight.

Alphonse said hello. Russel swallowed. Winry smiled and nodded to her. That seemed to coax Noa closer.

“Now, lets bring some chairs out here and you can tell me how you got here—what the hell you’re doing here?”

Alfons coughed, hard, into his hand and then said, “I’ll get the chairs from the kitchen.”

Alphonse opened his mouth at the same time Russel did, and they both froze.

They looked at each other.

“The Stone,” Russel said, eyes wide.

“Ranen has it, doesn’t she?” Al said in returned.

“Where is she?”

“She said she was going to look for you!”

“I knew we shouldn’t have trusted her!”

“You let her walk out with it!”

“I was unconcious!”

“Wait a second, back up!” Ed said abruptly, pushing between them. “What do you mean the Stone.” Suddenly his eyes were narrowed.

They both paused.

Alphonse looked at the ground. “I helped an alchemist named Isaac Crane create a Philosopher’s Stone—“

“You did wh--?!"

“Wait! Ed! I just—“

“You’re not serious?! Al! How could you—“

Alfons rushed in, carrying the chairs. “Edward, Edward, calm down!”

“—I wanted to—“

“—irresponsible! To kill so many--!”

“He didn’t have to kill anyone!”

“Wait! Edward! Please! They can explain—“

“—I wanted to get you back!”

Edward went quiet, staring at his brother. He shot a glance at Russel. “I assume you helped him.”

Russel nodded.

“Who is Isaac Crane and how did you make a Stone when you say you didn’t kill anyone?”

So Russel told them about the Ghost Alchemist and transmuting souls with the Red Water and the deal they’d made, up to Fletcher being held hostage.

“You’re telling me the Amestris military doesn’t keep tabs on a guy like that?”

“We underestimated him,” Al bit his lip, trembling, and looked at the ground.

“No, Al…,” Edward sighed. “We just have to keep the Stone away from him.”

There was a knock on the door. A frantic—Tap! Tap! Tap!

Alfons open the door. “Edward, Alfons! Officer Hughes is in some sort of fight with that girl downstairs! She’s got a knife or something! He caught her going through the things behind my counter. He has a gun but they keep yelling back and—“

“Ranen!” Russel was up and moving. Alphonse and Winry went after him.

“Wait!” Edward called. He looked at Alfons, then Noa.

They shrugged and followed downstairs where things seemed resolved and Officer Hughes had his elbow crooked under her arm, a knife on the ground. He’d forced her to her knees. She looked rather calm, lighting a cigarette and putting her hands in the air when he put his gun to her head.

“Where have you been?!”

She cracked an eye open. “Little kid nicked my cigarettes. I had to chase him down.”

“Chase a little kid! You have the Stone! What if you’d lost it!?”

“I’ve still got it.”

Edward stepped around Russel. “Who is she?”

“She’s the one who got Al to go to the Ghost alchemist.”

“Alchemy?” Hughes asked.

They went quiet.

“We need to talk.” Edward’s voice was flat, angry. “Upstairs. Now.”

Hughes looked at him. “Are you sure—“

“Get her up, we’ll handle her.”

They took her back up to the flat, making her throw her cigarette over the railing.

“Hand it over.”

She blinked blearily but her eyes were traveling over them. “You must be Edward.”

“Give me the Stone.”

“We need to go if we’re going to. The—“

“—Stone deteriorates. I know. Give it to me.”

“I can’t.”

Edward started to get up, but Winry grabbed his arm. Her touch stopped him immediately, looking at her.

“I’m doing it to prove something. You can keep whatever kind of eye on me you want. But I—“

Alphonse interrupted, “Wait…what do you care, Ranen? About any of this…about, the Stone, my brother, my memories—any of it? Why does it matter?”

She looked away and didn’t answer that question. “I’m attempting to prove that my intentions aren’t terrible.”

“By keeping the only thing that can get us home!” Russel snapped.

“I said you could keep any sort of—“

Alfons just sat in his chair, staring.

Alphonse Elric. Edward’s little brother who apparently wasn’t dead. He was the boy he’d so often dreamed about, down to the red coat and the blond hair and the black clothes. His resemblance to Edward was uncanny. The resemblance to himself was halting. He had one or two pictures of himself as a boy. He could have held them up to this Alphonse’s face and not known the difference, except for the eyes, of course. He spoke of Circles and the Philosopher’s Stone that Edward had mentioned in a few of his stories.

Russel Trigham, a friend, and his words were just…a Ghost alchemist. A person who could channel spirits, destroy a mind, take a soul and had this one’s brother as a hostage to make sure they returned. He looked to be around Edward’s age, if not a little older but he spoke to Edward as if he were the elder. More on this Philosopher’s Stone. Alchemy.

Winry Rockbell, this…he had to admit, beautiful young woman and some sort of mechanic and one Edward had spoken of with a different sort of look on his face. She repaired his automail. She was…just as he’d described her…and she put in her parts about the Colonel Roy Mustang, Armstrong, the old lady Pinako…all the same people Edward had talked about.

This other girl, Ranen, ragged and bleary-looking. A harsh comparison to Winry’s looks. Her hair was brown and she had gray eyes. She looked tired, circles under her eyes, not to mention the stench of cigarette smoke that perverted her coat. Evidently, though, she was an alchemist herself.

And the Stone. This seemingly…almost magical Stone that evidently transcended all rules of ‘Equivalent Trade’. They all seemed to revere and fear it. He gasped at the numbers. Seven thousand people to create the one that had…Edward when he…

His jaw nearly dropped.

Edward had died in this world. He’d been crushed after waking up in another Edward’s body. He’d come back through…some sort of…portal. They called it the Gate. The girl, Winry swallowed when they talked about it and Russel Trigham tensed. Alphonse had used the Stone and transmuted Edward’s limbs…back to flesh. Then Edward had….transmuted himself to restore his brother and had come back through the Gate…

They talked about these things, about this subject—this other Stone. A man named Scar. Alfons just stared at them, Edward mostly.

Could it be possible…that he hadn’t been lying…not lying…

…he….he wasn’t insane? He…everything he said…could it be possible that…that this other world could really exist?

The scientist in him said no…no…it’s not possible, but here in front of him were five people who were giving him evidence otherwise.


They were debating about the stone, the bleary-eyed woman saying they keep any sort of eye on her—and then Russel, he seemed the most impulsive of the group, jumped up and slammed his hand into the back of her neck. Everyone jumped. Out like a light, her head smacked the table.

Russel started to search her pockets and came out with a bundle of cloth, partially eaten away. “Here it is.”

Edward took it immediately and nodded grimly to himself. “What do you plan to do with it?”

“She came to me ages ago, saying she might know a way to get you back but wanted Alphonse’s help to do it. I told her no. Because,” Winry looked away, “I’d lost you. I didn’t want to lose him too.”

“Eventually,” Alphonse took over, “she got me to come to go see Isaac Crane and he offered me a deal.”

Edward straightened. “In return for crossing the Gate, you get your memories back.”

“But I got them back.”

Edward, Russel and Winry stopped cold.

“When I saw Hughes…it all…rushed back…that’s why I went out…but with the Stone we can bring you back with us and we’ll be able to keep the Stone from Crane.”

“Be careful what you say on that. We already underestimated him once,” Russel said.

“You did all that…to bring me back?”

Alphonse nodded. “We worked on it for a little over a month.”

Edward sat back for a moment, looking at the three faces. He’d wanted so badly to find a way back…and now, all of a sudden…he had one. He looked at Alfons and Noa, sitting with them. Alfons was staring at him. Noa was looking desperate. He blinked. “Are you all right?”

She looked around frantically for a moment. “You can go back to your world? You can get out of here!?”

“In theory,” Russel told her.

She looked to Russel. “Please! Take me with you!”

“Why would you want to—“

“I saw it! In your dreams, Edward! I’m sorry! But I couldn’t help it! I saw it in your dreams! Rizenbool and Alphonse and Winry and all of it! Your dreams and memories, Envy—all that! I saw it!”

Ed stared for half a second and then, “How the hell did you find that out?!”

“I…,” she faultered, suddenly looking down. “I…if I touch people when they’re sleeping or unconscious…I can see their dreams and memories…”

Alfons could see it. The look was creeping into Edward’s eyes. Anger. He spoke before Edward could. “Is there any way that would be possible?”

Russel nodded. “The Stone bypasses laws of Equivalent Trade…so…with what’s left,” and here he looked down at the Stone, “we…well, we actually could.”

Edward looked at him. “We can cross. You’re certain?”

“Well, we already have once.”

“If we’re going to though, we need to hurry,” Alphonse put in.

Edward nodded and looked at Alfons again…sad. “Ha…now that the moment has come…I don’t really want to leave you behind. I don’t suppose you’d like to come—and then I could show you everything I’ve been telling you about.”

Alfons stared at him. The thought hadn’t even occurred. To leave his own world and go to Edward’s…to actually see with his own eyes…

“I don’t know…I—“

“Alfons!” Noa was standing now. “Please! It won’t make a difference, you’re dying anyway!”

Alfons jerked. Edward snapped his gaze to her.

Noa, backed off a step. She looked at Alfons. “I…I thought…you haven’t told him…?”

Edward looked at Alfons. “What’s going on?”

Alfons looked at Noa. “Did you look into my thoughts as well?”

Noa bit her lip, looking down. She nodded.

“Alfons! Answer me.”

He looked at Edward. “I didn’t want you to find out.” There was an edge in his voice.

“Why not?!”

“Because you had a lot to worry about. I’m going to die, I didn’t think it was necessary for you to know until it happened.”

“What’s wrong you?!” Edward was tensing up, nearly rising from his chair.

“The materials I work with are toxic. At first I thought maybe the consumption but it isn’t…but it’s very similar.”

“The consumption?” Alphonse asked.

“You mean your lungs aren’t infected but are being eaten away,” Russel said, looking at him with a critical eye. “You cough up blood then.”

Alfons shifted awkwardly, serious and nodded.

“That’s why you wouldn’t go to the doctor. How long have you know?”

“A couple weeks now.”

Edward just stared at him.

“Edward. Is this guy a good friend of yours?” Russel asked.

Ed kept staring at Alfons. “He’s helped me out in more ways then I can count.”

“Ed, there are alchemists who can heal and if we go back through…if there’s any fragments of the Stone left, we can use it on him.” He looked at Alfons. “No offense, but getting Edward back is our first priority.”

“But it’s possible he could be healed and not die,” Edward looked at him. “Alfons. Your uncle…I know…but…”

Alfons look away. “Let me think about it.”

“You don’t have long,” Alphonse told him. “We need to move as soon as we can.”

“All right,” Edward stood up. “Alfons, do that. I’m gonna make something to eat real fast for us. We’ll need it. Noa…it’s only fair to tell you what you’re in for. Both of you. If you decide to cross the Gate with us.”

Alphonse jumped up. “So you’re coming!”

Edward looked at him, smiling a little. “How couldn’t I?”

Noa shook her head. “I need no convincing.”

“Still, it’s only fair. We could die crossing the Gate. Think on it.” He turned around to go into the kitchen. Winry followed him.

“And since you can read minds,” Russel said, casting a dark look at the liar. “Give her a poke and get an answer for Alphonse’s question. I wanna know what she gives a damn for too.”

“Can I lay her down somewhere?”

“Put her in my room,” Edward called back from the kitchen.

Russel picked Ranen up and followed Noa’s lead.

After he dropped Ranen down, he looked to the gypsy. “Is there anything else I can do?”

She looked at him for a moment and then shook her head, smiling faintly.

“Do you mind if I watch?”

She shook her head again and sat down next to the ragged girl, leaned down and touched her forehead with her own.

Russel sat down backwards in a chair, letting his arms hang over the back, watching the gypsy.

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