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Time's Scar	By : RotSeele Category: Fullmetal Alchemist > AU - Alternate Universe Views: 827 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. I do not make any money from this story.

Chapter List
- 1-Time's Scar
- 2-Two
- 3-Three
- 4-Four
- 5-Five
- 6-Six
- 7-Seven
- 8-Eight
- 9-Nine
- 10-Ten
- 11-Eleven
- 12-Twelve
- 13-Thirteen
- 14-Fourteen
- 15-Fifteen
- 16-Sixteen
- 17-Seventeen
- 18-Eighteen
- 19-Epilogue
- 1
- 2
One
“Al! Alphonse!”
“Brother! Ed! Edward! Help me!”
“Al!? ALPHONSE!”
“EDWARD! Help me! Help!”
Fingers barely brushed against each other, nightmarish black hands closing around a young, fragile neck and squeezing. Blood, blood raining down, blood staining in a puddle that shone white, blood everywhere.
And there wasn’t anything he could do about it.
He snapped awake, panting harshly. That nightmare, again, the third time in the week since he’d arrived. Sweat beaded on his forehead, chilling his skin as the night breeze drifted over him. He slowly pushed himself up, the blankets sliding away from a scarred chest, down a flat, toned stomach, pooling at his hips. He lifted his right hand to his face, froze, then dropped his right hand in favor of the left. The fleshy palm swiped over his forehead, taking away the sweat as it passed. Flesh was better than the metal. Flesh could feel, flesh could comfort. Metal was cold and hard and cruel. There was no comfort in metal. No use in going back to sleep now, not after that nightmare. Edward Elric turned his head toward the tiny window in the hostel room he’d rented out, staring out onto the streets of Central. They weren’t as he remembered them, but then he knew they weren’t supposed to. This Central wasn’t his Central, after all.
The moonlight that filtered through the dirty glass of the window glinted on the pocket-watch he kept by his head as he slept. It was beaten and battered, scarred like his body. It’d seen everything he’d seen, gone with him to the heat of battle and the sweet, coldness of fear and despair. It meant so much to him but it couldn’t replace the one thing he’d lost and desperately wanted. Slowly, he reached for it with his right arm, metal clinking lightly against metal as he picked it up. Gold eyes watered as he cracked the watch open, viewing what was inside. The clock had long ago stopped working, but it didn’t really matter. What mattered was what was taped on the inside of the cover, and the picture that was taped onto the clock’s face. His flesh index finger touched the picture lightly, smearing a line of sweat and natural oil on the smiling face.
A cherubic face, framed by hair a slightly darker blonde than his own, gold eyes that were more expressive and sweeter than his could or would ever be.
“Alphonse… Don’t worry. I’ve crossed this far into hell. I’ll meet the devil eventually… and then I’ll get you back.” He smiled, his lips making a strange expression. “I promised you, remember? So just hold on, just a little while longer.”
That smiling face didn’t waver, didn’t move, didn’t change. Edward closed the pocket-watch with a decisive snap and moved to get out of bed. He stood naked in his room, staring down at his scarred, tortured body. He remembered every detail to the scars, how he’d gotten them, what he’d gone through to get them, and his gaze traveled down his body to his left leg where the automail connected to the skin. He made a note of the way the knee stuck a little as he took a step and resolved to get it fixed as soon as he could. He’d gotten good at keeping his automail in prime condition, but he wasn’t anywhere close to Winry’s level, and he couldn’t go to her now, not when he was so close. Besides, this Winry wasn’t his Winry anyway, and he couldn’t put that innocent girl on the radar of anyone that could hurt her.
Especially those that hunted him.
Edward grabbed his clothes and moved to get a shower despite the early hour.
He couldn’t sleep anyway.
The day started off well, as far as Edward Elric, the youngest State Alchemist in all of history, was concerned. He’d just finished off a mission that bastard Mustang had put him on, and he was finally getting a few days of rest where he and Alphonse could research more on the Philosopher’s Stone, and work on getting their bodies back. The fourteen-year-old hopped down the steps of the Eastern Headquarters, and met up with his younger brother at the bottom step.
To many who knew them by reputation alone, everyone they met always assumed Alphonse was the elder of the two, and the Fullmetal Alchemist, simply because the boy was wearing a giant suit of armor. Unfortunately, the height difference between the two brothers played a very integral role in how people perceived them. In fact, the brothers were very different from one another. Ed was a fiery spirit, hotheaded and often rash, rushing into things before ever realizing he could be running into danger. Alphonse on the other hand was often levelheaded, calm and careful, preferring to talk his way out of violence rather than resort to it like his brother. Very few knew that the armor was actually empty, only a house for the soul. Edward had transmuted his brother’s soul into the armor at the cost of his right arm, and now everything Edward did was to get Alphonse his original body back.
Alphonse’s goal was the same thing, only his desire was to get Ed his limbs back.
“So,” Alphonse began, “what did Roy say about this report?”
Ed made a few non-committal noises before he heaved a sigh. “Like he says all the time, “Write it neater, Fullmetal.” or “Can’t you be more specific?” At least he didn’t make me rewrite it again. I think I would’ve killed him.”
Alphonse gave a nervous chuckle. “You’re not serious, are you?”
“Of course not. Riza’d kill me first.” The elder Elric crossed his arms over his chest as they walked back to their hotel room. “Anyway, he didn’t lay another one on me, so we can get back to what we were doing.”
“Ah, right.” Alphonse was grinning, even if the armor didn’t show it. “I did some research while you were reporting.”
“And what’d you find?”
“Well, there was this rumor floating around that somewhere in the desert was an oasis where someone had performed a few miracles.” Alphonse rummaged for his notes. “It was alchemy, but the people who lived there hadn’t seen alchemy before. Anyway, this stranger had a red stone with him, and they say he went toward Central.”
Ed frowned. “So he could be anywhere, providing this is true.”
“It’s something.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Ed grinned at his younger brother. “Let’s get out of here before Mustang decides he needs his diapers changed or something.”
“You shouldn’t be so mean to him, brother.” Alphonse chided, but he didn’t stop his pace, keeping up with Edward’s strides as they reached the hotel.
“Maybe if he pulled that stick out of his ass once in a while and remembered I’m not his lap dog, maybe I’d try to be a little nicer.” Ed snapped as he closed his trunk. Alphonse shook his head and picked up his brother’s luggage, knowing there was no reasoning with Ed when he was angry, and the focus of his anger was Colonel Roy Mustang.
They made it to the train station, and they’d actually made it on the train when two military vehicles pulled up to the station. Ed hunkered down, hoping he wouldn’t be noticed, but Alphonse couldn’t be missed. Riza sidled up to them, her eyes focused on Ed’s.
“No.” Ed flatly refused before she’d even opened her mouth.
“I’m afraid you don’t have a choice,” Riza replied. “It concerns you.”
Ed blinked, then looked at his brother. Alphonse gave a helpless little shrug. Ed looked back at Riza. “It concerns me?”
“I can’t discuss more until we’re in a secure location. But I’ll tell you what I know.”
Ed gave a dramatic sigh. “Just when we had a clue to chase too.”
Riza didn’t seem the least bit perturbed. “Get in the car, Edward.”
Considering Riza would eventually use force if Ed continued to refuse her, the small blonde put up his hands in a surrendering position and got up from the train-seat, Alphonse following close behind. When the two young alchemists were safely in the car, Riza slid in with them and tapped on the wall to get the driver going.
“We weren’t even gone ten minutes before you came after us.” Ed grumped. “So what’s so important?”
Riza folded her hands in her lap as she gazed at the boys before her. “I don’t know how to accurately explain this, but there’s been a series of murders in Central. I know that sounds like usual business, but these murders are alchemy-based.”
Ed frowned and folded his arms over his chest. “Sounds like a job for the local police and Mustang. So what’s this got to do with Alphonse and me? Don't tell me Mustang wants us to look into these murders.”
Riza shrugged. “I don’t know. I was just told to get you. Apparently he thinks your expertise would be needed. If not that, then an extra pair - or two - of eyes might help us find a clue we've missed.”
Ed sputtered a few choice curses and covered his mouth with his gloved hand. “That bastard knows just what to do to make me jump doesn’t he?”
“Watch your language, young man.” Riza scolded lightly. “But this is serious, Ed. Even if it doesn’t concern you directly, it concerns the military, which you're part of. Or have you forgotten?"
Ed just glowered at the woman but kept quiet and sulked as the car took them back to Eastern Headquarters. Riza escorted them into Roy’s office where the Colonel sat behind his desk, dark eyes scanning over a file that seemed to preside over all else on that messy desk. Riza took up her customary place beside Roy and Ed came to stand before that desk with Alphonse behind him. Roy ignored him for a few minutes more before he offered the young alchemist the file. “What do you make of this?” Roy asked.
Ed frowned and took the file, moving to the couch and sitting down as he opened up the file. There wasn’t much – coroner’s reports, incident reports, photographs and sketches of the crime scene, the names of those murdered and their own personal information. Ed’s frown deepened as he read, his keen mind putting together the answers Roy had no doubt come to already.
“Brother?” Alphonse asked softly, hesitant about breaking his brother’s concentration. Ed held up his hand, index finger raised, the others curled down, indicating he needed another minute of silence. Al complied, settling his bulky body onto the other couch and waiting patiently. Finally, Edward set the file on the coffee table between them and looked over at Roy.
“These people don’t have anything in common,” Ed told the Colonel, “except for the fact they’re alchemists employed by the government. Out of the ten, only three are military personnel, and even then they’re not serving currently.”
Roy had folded his hands in front of his mouth, black eyes on Edward’s gold ones. “And?”
“And those that aren’t military were focused on some kind of weird research,” Ed canted his head and looked at the file again. “But the research isn’t listed.”
“Why wouldn’t it be?” Alphonse asked, leaning forward to look at the file.
“Because what they’re researching is important to the welfare of Amestris.” Roy answered. “If it got into the wrong hands, it could be disastrous.” He looked each Elric brother in the eye. “What I’m going to tell you goes no farther than yourselves.”
Edward glanced at Alphonse, who gave a short nod. He looked back at his superior officer and nodded himself. Roy sat back in his chair and briefly closed his eyes. “They’re researching the possibility of transmuting objects from one place to another. Specifically, living objects.”
“Like if we wanted to go from here to Central in an hour all we’d have to do is transmute ourselves there?” Alphonse asked, sounding startled.
Roy nodded. “Exactly.”
Edward frowned. “But alchemy doesn’t work that way. You can’t transmute one thing from one place to another. It’s impossible.”
“Which is why it’s called research, Fullmetal.” Roy replied with a smirk. Ed glowered at him, mouth opening to say something pithy. “In so far, they’ve been unsuccessful, but someone desperately doesn’t want them continuing the research.” Roy interrupted. “The only problem is that no one but the researchers knows where they are and what they’re researching.”
“It’s an inside job?”
Roy shook his head. “No. The researchers have been killed in their homes or out on the street. The thing is, no one ever sees anyone enter the homes or leave, and with the murders out on the streets–”
“No one sees anything either.” Ed finished for him. “So what are we going to do about it?”
Roy raised an eyebrow. “No one said anything about ‘we’ doing anything. Or ‘you’ for that matter.”
“You had Riza pull us off the train instead of just leaving us a message at the nearest military outpost at the next stop the train would get to.” Ed said dryly. “You want Alphonse and me to do something about this.”
Roy’s infinitely irritating smirk slowly etched its way onto his face. “You are a genius, Fullmetal.” Ed’s eyes narrowed dangerously. “I’d like you and Alphonse to check into these cases. With a fresh pair of eyes, new clues could pop up.”
“And I suppose you’d like us to catch the guy too.”
Roy just smiled.
Ed heaved a sigh and slowly got to his feet. “I guess we’re done here.”
“I guess we are.” Roy said in that half-amused tone. Ed slashed a glare at him and headed toward the door.
“C’mon, Alphonse.”
“Uh, right.”
Ed made it to the door and looked back at the Flame Alchemist. “Just so we’re clear, I’m not putting aside my own research while I do this. So don’t expect a timely report.”
Roy made a dismissive gesture. “Just be sure to get me one, short stuff.”
“Who’re you calling a microscopic bean sprout so small not even ants can see him?!”
“Good bye, Fullmetal.” Roy said cheerily as Alphonse dragged his brother out of the office. Riza calmly moved to pick up the file and turned to Roy. The black-haired Colonel simply shrugged at the woman’s unspoken question and turned to look out the window in his office, frowning at the sight of dark storm clouds on the horizon.
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Time's Scar