Al aged 14, Ed and Van aged 15.
Van POV:
"What's going to happen to Doctor Marcoh? Are you guys worried?" Al asks and I give him a small exhausted smile.
"The Fuehrer said he's going to protect him now. There's not much we can do unless we want to start a new war." Ed answers.
I feel indebted to Marcoh. Like I should have helped him like he helped Mustang. He dropped a note in front of Ed. It read;
National Central library
1st branch
The genuine truth behind truths
Tim Marcoh
"As a fugitive, Marcoh must have found a way to hide his work right under the military's nose." Ed says after reading it.
They question what Marcoh means and whether to keep it a secret from the state and in the end they decide that it's best that way.
Third Person POV:
The Fuehrer packs his things from his desk and gets ready to leave.
"Leaving so soon, sir?" Mustang asks.
"Funny how things work. Now that Scar has showed up here in the east, the bureaucrats are suddenly concerned about their duties back in Central. I'm sorry to have inconvenienced you, Colonel."
"Can you choose my punishment first?" Mustang asks.
"Punishment?"
"I've known where the Crystal Alchemist was hiding for some time now. I've never informed the State."
"It was a job well done, Colonel. I've been wanting to put the good doctor in protective custody. My second in command, the late Brigadier General, was violently opposed to it but as you know, he's the one who ordered Marcoh to use his work in battle. This life has been hard on Marcoh and I wanted to make it up to him."
"But in terms to his research, sir, we have-" Mustang is cut off.
"That will be all. I will continue to rely on you, Colonel."
Before leaving, Mustang salutes, tells the Fuehrer to have a safe journey then closes the door.
Hawkeye stares in shock at Mustang.
"You see. I came out fine as ever."
"You know, maybe it would do you some good to get your hands slapped every once in awhile."
"Don't blame me. That guys a wall, I can't figure him out."
"Ehhhh." Al's voice is heard and both Mustang and Hawkeye look towards it.
"Creation follows destruction. I'll fix him up nice and pretty." Armstrong says while he flexes and sparkles surround him.
Van POV:
I stare at Armstrong in disbelief.
Why is he like this?
I face palm.
"Uhhh, that's okay." Al says.
"Bonding a soul to steal is no walk in the park. Fullmetal's the only one who can fix Al now." Mustang says but doesn't make eye contact with me. He hasn't talked or even looked at me since Doctor Marcoh was taken into custody. I wonder if it's because he's ashamed. Or maybe he thinks I should have stopped it from happening. I look down.
"Go ahead ask him." He says.
"That's right. It's my burden. But before I do anything, I need to get my other arm back."
"Well that is an interesting fix, isn't it? I mean, if the great Edward can't use his alchemy..." Hawkeye says and the Havoc continues, "He's just a useless teen with a grumpy ass attitude."
I'm sitting next to Hughes and I almost chuckle but when I look at Ed, he doesn't look amused in the slightest.
"Anyway, I have to take some leave now and so does Van. We're going back to our Mechanic. You know the one, don't you?"
"Sure Ed, how could I forget? I saw you in her house, unconscious, with that same stump of an arm you have now, bawling in your sleep, "It hurts! I'm gonna pee my pants!!" So tough." Mustang mocks.
'Don't.' I sign at him then walk out of the room, pissed.
In the end, it was Ed who should have been angry, not me. But maybe I'm mad because he hasn't said a word to me in awhile. Not even any orders. Ed, Al and Armstrong walk out of the office and tell me to pack a bag because we're leaving. I don't see why we need an escort. I could protect my brothers.
When we arrive at the train station, Al is put in a shipping crate and put with the sheep. I sit across from Armstrong and Ed.
Hughes comes to the window to say goodbye.
'Don't let Elicia grow to much while I'm gone.' I wink and he laughs.
"Newspaper?" A kid offers.
"Hey, I've got a message from Roy."
"You mean the Colonel?" Ed asks.
"He said, "Don't die under my command you're enough of a pain without the paperwork." How's that?" Hughes says/mocks.
"Tell him I said, "Fine, there's no way I'm dying before you do, you morally bankrupt colonel with a God complex." Tell him to take this gorilla escort off my hands too."
"Alright, easy." Hughes says with a chuckle.
Then they turn serious and Hughes continues.
"Look Ed, I don't know what Marcoh said to upset you but I have some info you might find helpful. 3 years ago we found the remains of a young girl who had been changed into a chimera. I'm sure you remember."
"Nina?" Ed asks with a shocked look on his face. I gasp and look towards Hughes.
"The way she was torn apart, turns out it's identical to how Scar's been killing people." Our eyes go wide and rage boils inside of me. Images of Nina flash through my mind. Ed smiles and then says,
"Thanks Hughes. It does help. Now I can take him on."
Hughes smirks, "See you in Central. I'll apply for permission to browse through the first branch without restrictions." He says with a salute.
We salute back.
'See you soon.' I smile and then hug him.
I miss home and I want to go back soon.
Third Person POV:
The child that had the newspaper runs to Scar and tells him what he found out about where Ed and Van are going. Scar hands over the boys sister and then, after punching bags of flower, vanishes.
With Marcoh:
There's a knock and the door and he runs to it.
"What took you so long? What was the Fuehrer's answer?"
He opens the door but instead of who he was expecting, it's Lust, a homunculus. He tried to close the door but she keeps it open with her fingers that turn into long daggers. She stabs him in the shoulder.
"You told those kids where your findings are, didn't you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." He answers.
"But that's okay, Doctor. They'll just move even closer to the Philosophers Stone now. However, if you included any extra information in what you wrote, that's when I'll get upset."
"Van and Ed are much smarter than you think. Once they understand what I've written, they won't do it. They won't do what you want them too." Lust stabs deeper into his shoulder after he says this.
"And that's exactly why before he reads anything, I thought I'd look into it myself."
"You won't have the chance. You're going to die right here you monster!" He's drawn a transmutation circle with his blood. He presses down and it glows gold. She's stabbed through the stomach but recovers quickly.
"Gluttony." She's says and the door opens. Gluttony is holding a maid hostage.
"Fair is fair. You told those kids where to find those papers and now you're going to tell me."
Van POV:
Ed goes to check on Al and I stay with Armstrong.
"So tell me, what do you feel for the Colonel?" He questions and I blush a bit. 'I don't know. I never really thought about it.' I sign as I look out the window.
"Well, do you think of him as a father figure or a brother? A best friend maybe? He's like an uncle perhaps?"
'I don't know. None of your business anyway.' I sign while blushing.
"Big problem. They mistook Al for someone else's cargo and they dropped him off at the last stop."
'What?!' I sign. 'We need to get back there!'
"We'll turn around at the next station." Armstrong answers.
"Are you crazy? I can't wait that long." Ed gets ready to jump out the window.
"Yes, you can." Armstrong says, pulling on Ed's sleeve and it rips.
"Get off my back!" He yells.
"It is important that you calm down, Edward Elric."
We get back to the last station and the guy tells us that the armour ran off.
"He wouldn't have done something like that!" Ed yells.
Armstrong draws up a picture of Al's suite of armour.
"The armour looks something like this, you're sure that's what you saw?"
"Yeah. You're quite a talented artist there, sir."
"The abilities been pasted down the Armstrong line for generations."
"How can you act so casual?!"
"It's to dangerous. We can wait here." Armstrong says as he pulls Ed back just when he's about to dash away.
"You don't understand us! We don't operate like you!" Ed yells at him.
"What's that mean?"
"Doctor Marcoh told us the truth. We know what all of you did in Ishbal!"
My eyes go wide at Ed's words and just when I'm about to hit him as hard as I can, he dashes off. I bow my head at Armstrong then chase after him.
We see a little girl and Ed chases after her, asking if she's seen a suite of armour. Ed runs into an Alley and by the time I get in there, Ed is knocked out and his leg is gone. I look up and see a little girl holding it. I help Ed up and put his arm over mine and we chase her. I don't say a word to him because I'm still angry at him for being a jerk. We stop and see the little girl crying. A man walks out of the house behind her. He has a crutch in his left hand and no left leg.
They invite us in and we reattach Ed's leg.
"I'm sorry about this. It's been tough on her, having to live out here with an old broken man like me, watching me hobble around all day long. It's funny how a child's logic can work."
I smile at the little girl and she shyly hides behind her grandpa.
"Just trying to make life easier for her grandpa. You gotta good eye, seeing the leg. But I can't give it to you. I've got my own needs. If you want I could point you towards the engineer who designed it for me." Ed says to the man.
I smile and nod, pulling up my sleeve and pretending to flex my metal arm.
"I appreciate the offer but I don't need a fake leg."
"Hey, don't mock it. It's handy once you get used to it."
"Probably so but that's not the point. There are more useful things than walking. I'd rather keep my leg the way it is."
The little girl leaves the room and I turn serious.
"It was a saber wound and it got infected. By the time they carried me from the front line to the rear, all they could do was saw it off."
'Front line?' And to my surprise, he nods. He knows sign language. Not a lot of people bother to learn it.
"You were a soldier. So which war did you fight in? The north one? Or was it... Wait! You mean you went to Ishbal?!"
I punch Ed's head and a bump forms.
'Quit being rude about it to everyone you see who fought there. You don't know the story.'
"Men aren't men on the battlefield, we turn into some other creature. You can do the cruelest things. It doesn't even matter if it's an order or not. To protect yourself, your mind shuts out any emotions you have. It's like a steal door but once the war is over, you can't keep it closed anymore. I can never let myself forget what I saw there or what I did. This legs my constant reminder. When I look at it, the whole thing comes rushing back." I listen intently to what the man says.
"That's your reason?" I look at Ed and glare. "You don't want automail that can make you functional just so you can wallow in your guilt?!" Ed snaps.
"That's not the only reason. It's true that I've lost my leg but I've gained something in return. Something much more important. Quiet. Peace of mind. The chance to live with my grandchildren and watch them grow. It's only after we've given something up that we obtain the thing we really want. Isn't that the way of the Alchemist?"
"Yeah, that's right but what about all those men that went to war and came back in one piece? That's the whole dream of a soldier, right?"
"Those people who came back without a scratch lost something just as real. Even if it's something you can't see on their skin."
One thing runs through my mind. One name.
Mustang...
"Looks like you've had your share of losses yourself. Surely you've gained something back. You do believe in equivalent exchange, don't you?" The man asks and Ed sits there gripping his watch. At the last sentence, Ed looks up in shock.
"But how can that be? I've spent years devoted to alchemy. That damn principle. Getting my arm and leg back, my brothers body and my sisters voice and maybe even her arm."
My eyes shift at that part.
It's impossible to get my arm back...
"That's our dream. We keep looking for something we can do to balance the equation, to earn it back but I've never turned it around the other way. Where was the equivalency then?! What have we ever gained for our losses? It's always been a one way current. A series of us giving to the void. Everything's been taken from us!" My eyes shift down when Ed says all of this. A single tear spills from my right eye onto the table.
"A dream to get everything back the way it was. Once you have it, what will you do with your life? The pleasure of a dream is that it's a fantasy. If it happens it was never a dream." Ed's eyes go wide at the mans words.
"Maybe you're right." Ed answers. "But I still have to try. Thanks for the tea." Ed leaves his broken glass on the ground and walks out.
I bow to the man and begin to sign.
'I apologize for his behaviour. He's discovered a lot lately and he's not very happy about the information he's gained. Thank you for inviting us in.' I bow and just as I'm about to walk out the door, I put on my best smile and turn towards him and wave goodbye. He waves and then I leave. Little did I know that after we left he gave a small smile.
I follow Ed and we see a kid run into the house.
"Grandpa! Brothers home!"
"Brother? Our brother!" Ed starts to run and I follow behind him.
"I'm right here!" Al sticks up his hand and I look at him.
'I was so worried!' I sign then hug him.
Ed drags Al in a cart behind him and I walk beside Ed.
"Listen, you remember when Colonel Mustang showed up in Resembol? He said he came in response to one of our letters we sent. You think that was his actual reason? Or was he coming for something else?"
I look at him in confusion.
Suddenly, Ed's cart becomes light and when we turn around, we see Armstrong picking up Al.
"Major?" Ed asks.
"I was worried about you."
"It's my fault." Al says.
"What's the matter?" Armstrong asks Ed.
"Sorry Major... about earlier, what said..."
Armstrong smiles at Ed's apology and I smile at the two of them. Then there's a whistle and Armstrong is alerted.
"That's our train! If we don't go now, we'll have to wait until noon tomorrow. Let's go!" He says and he picks all three of us up.
"Time to sprint! This method of short distance running has been passed down the Armstrong line for generations." He says as he sprints with the three of us in his arms to the train station.