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Mirrors of Yesterday	By : ZaKai Category: Fullmetal Alchemist > Yaoi - Male/Male Views: 1942 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Full Metal Alchemist, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 2
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A/N: I�d like to thank all of you who
have taken the time to comment.� I hope
you�ll forgive me for not answering them all, but because I�ve taken on a job
that will leave me with very little free time, I probably won�t be answering
most comments on an individual level in an effort to use the free time to get
the stories out to you.� Thanks for your
understanding, and I hope you continue to enjoy the story as it progresses.

-

Mirrors of Yesterday

III

Reflections of a
Dream

-

Roy felt himself gradually float into
wakefulness.� He was vaguely aware of the
rain beating heavily against the window, of the sheets against his skin, of the
arm around his waist...� He blinked.� Arm...?� It was then that the previous evening crashed
into his bleary mind, and he squeezed his eyes shut in sick humiliation.� Last night he�d told secrets he�d kept all
his life... to Edward Elric no
less...� An older Ed, but Ed still the same...

He felt
completely mortified.� True, he�d drunk
quite a bit, and he�d been tired, but he just couldn�t believe he�d made such a horrible mistake.� It was a dangerous secret; something he had
to keep to himself�for his reputation, for his career.� People �like him�, as Ed had put it, just
weren�t welcome.� People �like him� ended
up harassed, demoted, discharged for some silly little thing... or even found
�mysteriously� dead...

Behind
him, Ed shifted, and Roy
almost didn�t want to breathe for fear of interrupting this moment.� Mistake as it may have been, it felt so nice
to sleep with someone; felt nice to feel another man pressed up against
him.�

He closed
his eyes, trying to understand the situation.�
How was this older Ed here?� How
was it possible?� Figuring it out seemed
to be almost impossible.� If Ed didn�t
know, then how was he supposed to? �Ed
had said that he could end up going back anytime, but he hadn�t seemed sure of
how that would happen either.�

Roy felt a heavy feeling in the pit
of his stomach.� He didn�t want Ed to
leave...� It was a silly thing really, to
feel so needy, especially of someone he�d just met�given that this older Ed was
not the younger teen he knew�but he couldn�t help it.� Now that he�d told Ed his darkest secrets,
and they�d seemed to come to some sort of understanding, Roy wanted him to stay... �It felt nice to have finally told someone...� Maybe he could prevail on Ed to give him a
chance, to give being with another man a chance...� Probably not, but it was a nice thought that
kept him entertained for the next little while as he enjoyed the feel of Ed
behind him.�

Finally, Roy knew he couldn�t stay
there any longer.� He�d be late if he
didn�t start getting ready for the day.�
With a sigh, he slowly moved to get out of the bed, but stopped when he
felt something tug at his arm.� Turning, Roy saw that Ed was
staring fixedly at him and holding onto him.

�Where
are you going?� Ed asked, sounding a little reluctant.

�Work...
unfortunately,� Roy
answered simply.� He hadn�t realized Ed
was awake, or maybe he�d woken him up by moving; though he liked the idea that
perhaps Ed had been awake and had been enjoying the closeness just as much as
he had.

�Of
course,� Ed murmured before releasing Roy
and letting his arm flop onto the bed.�
He felt heavy and hesitant as he slowly pulled on his uniform.� He didn�t want to go.� He wanted to stay here...� Damn his responsibilities...

He heard
a loud sigh from the bed and turned to see Ed lying on his back, staring up at
the ceiling.� �I was thinking of finding
an automail mechanic.� It�s been a while
since I had mine inspected.�� Roy
frowned slightly.� For some reason he
hadn�t even though about what Ed would do while he was at work.� �But... I probably won�t,� Ed continued,
sounding regretful.� �I don�t have any
money.�

�Why not
just put it on the state�s tab?� Roy
asked as he buttoned his military jacket.

�I�m no
longer in the military,� Ed said mildly, then sat up and looked at Roy seriously.� �I...� he began, then
stopped for a moment as if trying to gather his thoughts.� �I would like to thank you for giving me a
place to stay.� Like I said, I don�t have
any money, so I can�t pay you back...�

Roy studied him quietly for a moment
as he digested what Ed had said.� He was
no longer with the military... �Did that
mean that he�d been able to achieve his goal of gaining what they�d lost, or at
least at returning his brother back to normal, given that Ed still had
automail...?� He wanted to ask, but now
didn�t seem to be the right time.

�You�re
welcome to stay as long as you�d like,� Roy
said in a tone that he hoped sounded inviting.�
�It�s not a problem having you here at all.�

Ed pressed
his lips in thought, then said, �Thank you, but I don�t want to stay here for
free.� I don�t like handouts.�� Roy
nodded.� The younger Ed was the same
way.� Ed was quiet for a moment, then said, �I can cook and clean, though I don�t know if
that would be enough to repay you for your hospitality.�

�You
cook?� Roy
asked with a raised eyebrow.� He was
suddenly even more interested in Ed staying with him.� Roy
could cook a few things well enough to stay alive, but the list of things that
he could make was pretty limited, which meant he was forced to eat at the
military cafeteria more often than not.

�Yes, I
cook,� Ed said, sounding slightly defensive.�
�My mother taught Al and me how to cook when we were children, plus I
had to know enough to feed myself when I was a teenager.� My wife also taught me a few things...��

�Ah, well then, I think we can work something out,� Roy said quickly, not wanting the moment to
become awkward.� Ed seemed to be quite sensitive about the
subject of his deceased wife, and right now Roy didn�t have the time to get into a long
drawn out discussion. ��But for now...� Roy dug out his wallet,
pulled out several bills, and offered them to Ed.� �Take this and get your automail checked.�

�I told
you,� Ed began stubbornly.� �I don�t want
to take han��

�This
isn�t a handout,� Roy
said, cutting him off.� �It�s an
advance.� I also think there should be
enough for you to pick some food up for dinner...?�� He phrased the last as a question.� A home-cooked meal sounded almost as good as
Ed sticking around for a while, and he couldn�t help but be curious about his
cooking skills as well.

Ed seemed
to consider this for a moment, then slowly took the
money.� �Thanks...� he said, sounding a
little unsure.� He watched as Ed looked
down at the bills and studied them; then, after a moment, said, �This is
real... isn�t it...�

�Unless our
banking system changed overnight,� Roy
said wryly.

Ed
glanced up at him with a slightly irritated look on his face, then said, �I meant this whole situation.� I mean... I guess I thought perhaps I might
wake up back home, but I�m still here.�
It doesn�t feel like it should be real...�

�I�m
real,� Roy said
flatly, then retrieved his black overcoat, pulled it on, and began to button it
up.

�I wasn�t
trying to imply that you weren�t,� he heard Ed say behind him.� �But, to me, you�re someone from my
past.� You�re someone I never thought to
see again, especially not with you being the age you are now, and me being
older...� And well, even then, you�re
just not who I remember you being...� Ed said, his voice trailing off.�

Roy swallowed as he did up the last
button, then turned to look at Ed, who was gazing down
at the money again.� What did Ed mean by
that?� Was it because of what had
happened last night?� Regret surged
through him and he felt angry at himself for telling Ed so much. ��

�Well...
sorry to disappoint you,� he said bitterly, then turned and, grabbing his
umbrella, walked out the door.

0-0-0-0

Ed walked
slowly down the sidewalk of East
City and took in his
surroundings.� The rain hadn�t stopped,
only slowed to a dull drizzle, and the few who were braving the weather had
donned heavy coats and were holding umbrellas to protect themselves from the
rain.

While Ed
did have a heavy coat, there had been no spare umbrella at Roy�s place, and so he�d simply decided to go
without.� It wouldn�t be the first time
he�d gone without an umbrella in the rain, and it wouldn�t be the last.� Unfortunately, the absence of said umbrella
caused a few curious glances in his direction from those people who made it
their business to know everyone else�s business.

But what
did he care?� He�d probably be gone soon
anyway...� At least, that�s what he tried
to reassure himself with.� Truthfully, he
had no idea.� The only thing he could
remember was the car.� It had hit him, he
knew that, but after that the memories just weren�t there.� It had been raining, just like today, and
he�d been on his way home from work.�

It had
been just another day at the university, with students and faculty, and all
sorts of research piled on his desk.� Just another day where he would go home and have a stiff drink before
immersing himself into one of the many projects he had going on.�

Just another way to fend off the loneliness.

He�d run
into Al on the way home and promised that he�d come visit over the weekend so they
could reminisce about the past and about whatever crazy�though never
serious�theories they might have to return to their homeland.� Promised his nieces and nephews�who adored
him for some reason unknown to him�that he�d bring some of that candy he�d
invented.� Promised his sister-in-law�who
thought he was at least one egg short of a dozen, but liked him anyway�that he
would absolutely not regale the children with wild stories of magic circles,
people who weren�t really people, and places far away�that, of course, were not real�because then
the children got strange ideas.

He smiled
softly to himself.� He loved his
brother�s family and envied him as well.�
His own wife had talked of children early in
their marriage, but it had never happened.�
The practice was to blame the woman for lack of offspring, but he never
did.� He wondered if it was his fault
that she�d never been able to conceive, and he�d tried to console her as much
as he could.�

Ed paused
when he saw a group of boys sailing a small boat down the ditch on the other
side of the street, then sighed heavily.�
Maybe things would have been different if they�d been able to have kids.� Maybe he would have become more acceptable in
her eyes.� Maybe he could have proved
himself in some way.� Maybe he would have
felt more for her...�

Maybe.

But, of
course, it was all speculation.� Despite
their problems, numerous as they were, the marriage hadn�t been horrible.� And, though he had married her more so that
he wouldn�t have to be alone, he had
come to care for her a lot; maybe even loved her...� It was all so complicated; and, even after
all this time since her death, he still felt so confused about a lot of things
from that time.� He still jumped from
idea to idea and from emotion to emotion depending on the day or even the hour.

Shaking
his head at himself, Ed began walking again, this time paying attention to the
buildings around him.� The architecture
of the buildings, though different from those in Germany, held a familiar and
nostalgic feeling about them.� He
suddenly found himself wanting pictures of random buildings to take back with
him; just so that he could pull them out and look at them every once in a
while.

Silly
really...

He
stopped when he saw the sign in an automail shop, proclaiming that it was
open.� Moving over to the shop, Ed opened
the door and let himself inside.�

The first
thing he noticed as he wiped the rainwater from his face was a friendly-looking
but active old man bustling around the back end of the shop where six young men
sat at tables working on various pieces of automail.�

The walls
were lined both with pictures of ancient automail and the real things; which
should probably have been in an antique shop somewhere, or even in a
museum.� When the old man saw that he had
a customer, he quickly scurried out of the back area which, according to the
sign, was for employees only, around a long counter, and to where Ed was
waiting.�

�Good
day, good day!� the man said in a friendly, but businesslike manner.� He looked Ed up and down curiously, though
whether it was the soaked nature of his clothing or the different enough to be
foreign look he was sporting in his apparel, Ed didn�t know. �When he was satisfied, the shopkeeper asked,
�What can I do for you?� ��

Ed raised
his automail arm and said, �I need to have my automail examined and maybe even
get a tune up.�� The shopkeeper raised an
eyebrow in surprise, and Ed realized, once again, that his speech held an
obvious German accent to it�an accent that was unknown to Amestris.� He�d have to work on that, though right now
it wasn�t his top priority.�

�Is it
just the hand?� the shopkeeper asked more slowly, as if Ed might not be able to
understand what he was saying.

Ignoring
the shopkeeper�s tone, Ed said, �No, it�s the whole arm, including the
shoulder; also, my left leg to above my knee.�

�Hm...� the old man murmured, pulling out his pocket
watch.� �I can look you over right now,
though if you need a tune up, then you�ll probably need to make an
appointment.�� He snapped the watch shut
and looked up at Ed.� �That work for
you?�

�Of
course,� Ed said, wondering if he�d be around for the tune up or not.

�Right,
well, have yourself a seat at that table there,� the man said, pointing to a
table halfway between the door and the long counter.� �Take that coat of yours off�there�s a coat
rack over there�and remove your shirt.�� He waved vaguely to a spot near the door as
he wandered to a desk and searched for a few things.

After
hanging up the coat, Ed made his way over to the table, moved his hands to his
shirt, then paused.�
He hadn�t shown his automail in public for... well, more years than he
could remember.� But then, that was the
other world...� In this world, automail
was an everyday thing.� Still, he
couldn�t help but feel nervous and reluctant as he began unbuttoning his shirt.

Ed heard
the old man chuckling and looked up to see him walking back toward the table
with a few instruments in hand.� �I
didn�t peg you as one of those types who�re embarrassed about their
automail.�� He motioned to one of the
chairs.� �Sit down and don�t worry.� We don�t judge no one.� How you ended up with it is your own
business.�

�Thanks...�
Ed murmured, taking off his shirt and draping it neatly across his lap.�

The old
man introduced himself as Nolen Knight, then promptly
exclaimed, �Well, I�ll be!� This is
Rockbell work if I�m not mistaken!� I met
Pinako Rockbell once, back in the day.�
She was quite the woman; but even more, she was quite the mechanic.� Still is, from what I hear, and her
granddaughter too...�

Ed smiled,
then chuckled a little when the man took on an almost
guarded look.� �Don�t worry, I won�t tell
either of them that it was you who messed with it.�� Nolan gave him an almost sheepish smile, as
if that had been exactly what was on his mind, then
began to probe.�

Moments
later, Nolan muttered in disapproval, �How long has it been since you�ve had a
check up?� Those women will eat you alive
the next time they see you; you know that?��
Ed nodded, silently agreeing, though for a different reason.� Most likely those two would eat him alive if they ever saw him, but not for the reason
Nolan believed.� No, it would be because
they were actually seeing him...

Ed
swallowed hard, thinking of Winry.�

She�d
loved him...�

He hadn�t
understood until much later�until it was too late�but he had come to realize it.� He
probably could have been happy with Winry.�
She wouldn�t have shunned him because of his automail...�

Ed
mentally shook his head.� There was no
saying whether or not he would have been happier with Winry than he had been
with his wife, but he suspected it might be so.�
He�d made his choice, however, and it was something that he�d have to
live with.

�Well,�
Nolan said after looking at both his arm and leg.� �Despite the fact that you obviously haven�t
had a tune up in a while...�� A pointed look from the old man which obviously meant that he was
displeased by such a lack of responsibility.� �The automail is in rather good condition.� You take good care of it.�

Ed
nodded.� Of course he took good care of
it.� There was no where he could have
gone for a replacement...

Nolan
paused, then went on.�
�I definitely recommend a tune up.�
I�d be happy to do it, though if you can get to Rizembool,
that might be your best bet because the Rockbell women have never looked
kindly on others messing with their work, as you must know.�

�I�m not
sure how long I�ll be here in East
City and when I leave, I
doubt I�ll be going that way.� Best to
have it looked at here,� Ed said mildly.�

After
another feeble attempt to get Ed to go to Rizembool, Nolan agreed to set up an
appointment for a check up.� After making
the appointment, Ed pulled on his shirt, paid a small fee for the quick exam,
and left the shop.� The rain had lessened
to a light sprinkle for now, and for that Ed was grateful.� Hopefully, the respite would last long enough
for him to shop for food and return back to the apartment without becoming
thoroughly soaked.

0-0-0-0

Alone in
his office, Roy
sat back in his chair and stared dully out the window at the drab, and very
wet, world beyond.� He didn�t feel like
being here; didn�t feel like spending his time going through accounts and
requests, or trying to find ways in which he could increase his rank or get
close to his superiors.�

All of
that would matter tomorrow or next week.�
Right now he wanted to go home and make sure that it all hadn�t been a
dream.� He wanted to be reassured that he
wasn�t going to be rejected by the only person he�d let in on his secret;
wanted to know that Ed was going to stay, at least for a little while...

Roy felt like he�d really messed
up.� He felt embarrassed and
regretful.� If he could take back all
that he�d told Ed last night, he would.�
He couldn�t though, and so somehow he needed to make the best of what he
had.�

�You�re
having a productive afternoon, I see,� a smooth female voice said, and Roy turned in his chair
to see his first lieutenant walking toward one of his filing cabinets with a
couple of files in her hands.

�I�m
thinking of how to execute my grand plan to rule the world,� he countered, but
the banter sounded forced to his own ears; and, by the small frown she gave
him, Hawkeye must have thought so too.

For a
moment, Roy
wondered if she was going to go soft and ask him about his troubles; but
instead, she gave him a small smirk and said, �How about starting small and
working your way up.�

�As in Amestris?� Roy
replied, not in the mood to joke, but not wanting to bring his personal life to
the office either.

Hawkeye
pointed to the mess of forms and folders that littered his desk.� �As in the building
reports.�

Roy lifted one of his legs and rested
the ankle on his knee as he sat back easily in his chair.� �I�ll get them done,� he said lightly with a
yawn.� He always got his work done.� �After I take a nap...�

Shaking
her head, Hawkeye bent down and began putting the folders away in the filing
cabinet.� Roy eyed her rear idly; and, not for the
first time, wished that he could make himself like women.� Maybe if he did, he would ask her out; rules
against fraternization be damned.� He and
Hawkeye got along amazingly well, in the office and out, and he was pretty sure
that she would agree to date him if he asked...�
But he wouldn�t ask because he knew that all he felt for her was
friendship, and it wouldn�t be fair to her if he pretended he had any further
interest than that.

�Do you
believe in love, Lieutenant?� he asked suddenly, then instantly wished he
hadn�t.�

She sat
back on her heals and turned her upper body and head so that she could look at
him.� Her deep brown eyes studied him
intently for almost a minute, and it took a lot of effort on his part to look
at her steadily and not squirm in his seat.�
The silence was unsettling and the rain pelting the window suddenly
sounded much louder than it had a moment before.

�I don�t
know,� she said softly.� It seemed as if
she wanted to say more, but instead she simply waited.� She wouldn�t pry, it wasn�t her way; and
besides, he was her superior...� But he
also knew that she was willing to listen if he needed to talk.

He did need to talk... but he was also
uncomfortable with bringing personal matters to work with him and sought a way
to escape.� Glancing at his desk, Roy�s eyes rested on the
East City Tribune.� He slowly picked it
up and began flipping through a few pages as if the conversation had no real
meaning to him, but was simply a passing thought.

A moment
later the sound of her messing with the files met his ears, and he glanced over
the paper to see that she was no longer looking at him.� Roy
returned his gaze back to the newspaper and tried to forget that he�d asked the
question, but the black print seemed to mix together in his vision and he just
couldn�t concentrate.

Finally,
he asked, �Do you believe that there is someone out there for everyone?�� Roy
tried to keep his eyes on the paper, but they slid involuntarily over the top
of the newspaper and rested on her back.

Again,
there was silence in the room except for the ever present rain on the window, then she said, �No, I don�t.�

Roy let out a breath that he hadn�t
realized he was holding.� He felt so...
disappointed... though he didn�t know why.�
Perhaps it was because Hawkeye was always so sure of herself and about the
things around her that if she said it was so, then it would be.

She shut
whatever drawer had been open; and, when she stood, Roy forced his gaze back to the
newspaper.� He heard her boots click on
the floor as she walked toward the door, then they stopped.

�I
believe,� she began slowly, then paused as if she were unsure if she should say
what was on her mind.� �I believe that most
of the time it just comes down to luck.�
Maes and Gracia Hughes, they were lucky.� Fate put them together; they were meant for
each other...� Most of us aren�t that
lucky.� Some will find people who they at
least like and think they�ll be able to get along with, but the rest of
us...��

She
trailed off, and Roy
pulled his gaze away from the paper and let it settle, once again, on her back;
unconsciously aware that he was hanging on her words like a drowning man to a
lifeline.

�The
unlucky ones...� she finally said. ��Well,
they�ll end up alone.� Or worse,� she
said quietly. ��They�ll fall in love with
people they can�t have...� �She stopped, then shook her head.�
�I suppose what I�m trying to say is, we can�t wait for fate to hand
�the one� over to us.� Those who take
chances just might end up happy, or they might not, but if you don�t try for
something, you�ll always wonder...� �There was silence in the room once again, then she walked over to the door and opened it.

�Lieutenant,�
Roy said
quickly, and she stopped once more.� He
swallowed, before saying quietly, �Thank you...�� Her hand tightened slightly on the doorknob
and she gave a curt nod, then she was gone.

He sighed
heavily, then folded the newspaper and set it by the telephone.� Turning his chair to face the desk, Roy opened a folder and
stared dully down at it before turning his chair back to face the window. �He wasn�t going to get anything done today; he
knew it, Hawkeye knew it.� The least he
could do was look busy, but he just
didn�t have it in him today.�

0-0-0-0

�You know
who you look like?�

Ed glanced
up from where he�d been inspecting the money Roy had given him and stared blankly at the
girl at the cash register.� She was
young, probably in her early twenties, with auburn hair that barely touched her
shoulders, deep green eyes, and a brilliant smile.

�No
idea,� Ed murmured, then looked back down at the bills,
trying to come up with the closest amount to what he was being charged.

�You look
like Edward Elric,� she said with a laugh.�
�I mean, not exactly.� You�re
taller, older, you wear your hair differently; and your clothes, that�s
different too.�

Ed
glanced up slightly and said wryly, �Is this Edward Elric someone I should
know?�

The girl
flashed another bright smile and said, �Well, probably not, since you�re
obviously not from Amestris, but the resemblance is uncanny.� You should look him up sometime.� He�s sort of a hero out here in the East,
even though he�s in the military.� I�m
sure he�d be easy to find.�

�Edward
Elric.� I�ll remember that,� Ed muttered,
suddenly feeling very uncomfortable.�

��The
Fullmetal Alchemist�, that�s his title.�
Lots of people just know him by that, so don�t forget it.�

Ed only
nodded as he finally put together the amount he wanted and handed it over to
the girl.� She took it, but instead of
putting the money away, she continued to stare at him for a moment before
saying in a more subdued tone, �But you know what?�

�What?�
Ed asked when it became obvious that she wasn�t going to continue until he said
something.

�It�s
your eyes...� she said breathily.�

He
blinked.� �Excuse me?�

�Your
eyes... Ed Elric is the only one I�ve ever seen with eyes that color.� Yours are exactly the same...� It�s... well...�� She blushed deeply, then turned away to put
the money in the register and to pull out the change he was owed.

Ed
stuffed the leftover bills in his pocket and silently willed her to hurry.� He didn�t remember ever meeting this girl,
but then he�d met a lot of people in his travels, and it had been a very long
time since he�d been in Amestris.�
Suddenly, the only thing he wanted was to get back to the apartment and
hide away.� If this girl, who most likely
had only seen the Fullmetal Alchemist a few times, could put him and his
younger self together, then he was sure others could�and would�too.

The
questions he would get and the mess it could cause if people knew he was, in
fact, Edward Elric... well, it could get very ugly and he didn�t want
that.� What would happen if his mere
presence somehow changed what had happened in the past?� What sort of repercussions would it cause?� The possibilities and theories made his head
spin.

She
handed him back his change with a shy, �Come back again,� and he practically
fled the grocery store with his purchases.�
He was sure that was a very normal thing to say to the customers, but
not the way she�d said it.�

The
realization that by leaving the house and venturing out into public he was
taking a huge risk made him want to run, but he knew that would only draw more
attention his way.� Not that there were
many people about on such a dull and dreary day, but still...�

Forcing
himself to settle on a quick walk, Ed tried to think about his options.� He had no idea how long he would be here, or how he�d gotten here for that
matter.� There really was nowhere he
could go in Amestris where people wouldn�t think of how much he looked like his
younger self...�

Thunder
boomed overhead and suddenly the rain became a torrent.� Feeling that any sane person without an
umbrella would run in this weather, Ed tightened his grip on the sack and
quickened his pace to a fast run.�

Roy knew who he was...� Last night Ed had figured that as long as he
didn�t mention anything that hadn�t happened yet, then it was fine, but he�d
also been tired and not really thinking straight.� How would Roy knowing about him this change the
future?� Would it?� Should he leave?� But if he did, where would he go?� He�d still have to earn money to live; still
have to go to a market to buy food.� He�d
still be seen...� Someone was bound to figure out who he was.

Ed only
stopped running when he reached the apartment building and let himself inside,
but he didn�t relax until he was safely hidden inside of Roy�s apartment with
the door locked�for his own peace of mind�behind him.�

Huffing
slightly from the run, Ed set the bag on the counter, then pulled off his coat
and hung it on the coat rack.� I�m getting old... he thought
wryly.� He wasn�t nearly as physically
active as he used to be, and he was pretty sure that was more of a reason for
his being out of breath than his age.�
But, he had a habit of blaming everything on his age now.�

It had
started as a way to subtly irritate the older professors when he�d first
started working at the university.� He�d
been so young; much too young for the position, but his brilliance had gotten
him the job.� In fact, even after all
these years, he was still the youngest
professor employed there.�

With a
heavy sigh, Ed wandered over to the couch�he�d folded the bed back into a couch
after Roy had gone�and slowly sank into the cushions before letting his head
fall back and closing his eyes.

It didn�t
seem real; none of it.� He felt as though
he was stuck in a dream, and it made him nostalgic, excited, sad, frightened,
and nervous all at the same time.� He�d
already reconciled long ago that he would never see his homeland again; yet,
somehow, here he was, in East
City... in Roy Mustang�s apartment of all places...

Roy Mustang... Ed thought as he opened his eyes
and stared at the ceiling.� Moving his
head from where it was laying against the back of the couch, Ed looked around
the small studio apartment with a frown.�

All the
memories he had of the man consisted of a snide and arrogant colonel constantly
poking fun at him, making things hard for him, and doing things that pissed Ed
off with a vengeance.�

Yet...�

Ed
glanced over at the telephone which sat on Roy�s desk, thinking of the phone call from
the night before.� Well...� Perhaps not all the memories he had of Roy Mustang were like that, he
amended.� There had been the time he and
Al were on the run and the colonel had been mad because they hadn�t asked for
his help.� And then, of course, how could
he forget... there had been that talk in the car... the talk before he�d
confronted Dante and the homunculi...�
Before he�d died...

He
shivered at the thought and rubbed his eyes tiredly.� Old memories... �Yet, now Ed had to wonder how accurate they
were.� He�d been so young and hadn�t had
the benefit of years like he did now.�
He�d been a different person...

The clock
on the wall chimed, and Ed glanced at it before looking toward the
kitchen.� When should he start dinner?� He realized that he didn�t even know what
time Roy got
off work...� He�d never stuck around the
office long enough to find out when anyone
got off work, or when they went to work...�
Ed shook his head at himself.� Roy had been right about
him not really knowing what went on there.

Well, he
supposed it didn�t really matter if he started dinner early.� It had to cook for a few hours anyway...� Ed lightly scratched his head, then smoothed back his still damp hair before getting up and
wandering toward the kitchen.�

He hadn�t
made this recipe in... well, a very long time because Europe didn�t have all the same vegetables that Amestris
had, and vice versa.� Ed began pulling
food out of the bag.� The first time he�d
tried to make this recipe was when he�d been living with Alfons.� It had been... well... atrocious probably
came close, but with the war going on and the country in the middle of a
hyperinflation nightmare, they hadn�t been able to afford throwing it away...

Ed smiled
a little at the memory of Alfons suggesting they use it for rocket fuel on
their next test run, then the smile slipped away.� Except for missing his brother and being
desperate to find a way home, Ed had been happy living with Alfons.� They�d gotten along for the most part, and...
well... he�d just felt comfortable with him...

Shaking
his head as if to clear the melancholy memories from his mind, Ed pulled out a
few drawers to find a knife, then glanced back to the vegetables he hadn�t had
in so many years.� No, it wasn�t a
dream.� It was real...� Feeling resigned, Ed began to work as his
mind reminiscenced on the past and the future, and
what it all meant for him now.�

--

Thank you
all for reading thus far. I hope you�re enjoying the story. If
you�d like to receive email updates, either let me know in a comment and
include your email address in the comment or email me at zakaii(at)gmail(dot)com.

--

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Mirrors of Yesterday