FMA: Journey of the Brothers
(This fanfic begins after FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhood ends, with the brothers taking a journey east and west, and vowing to meet again)
Chapter One
Edward punched Father straight through the torso.
"Release the souls of the people of Xerxes," he said, staring at the gaping hole he had left with his Alchemy. "And go back where you came from, Homunculus."
Earlier, the young prince of Xing had lost his own homunculus. The power intended to strengthen Father, the one called Greed, had turned on its master and converted itself instead to the softest carbon. Earlier still, one of the sacrifices had, well, sacrificed itself in order to give Edward back his original hand. All these incidents were rushing through his memory as a fist filled with power and with Alchemy, slammed through him, finishing the job.
"Release the souls of the people of Xerxes," Edward had said. "And go back where you came from, Homunculus."
As he was saying this, Father looked down at the damage. He expected to to be able to heal, as was normal with those blessed by the Philosopher's Stone. What he didn't expect we the creatures from beyond the Gate grasping and tearing at his body from within. Writhing black tendrils tipped with vaguely human fingers grasped his head, his shoulders, his arms, his legs. As soldiers who had once unknowingly worked for him watched he began to be pulled inside himself in a neat, tight ball.
A ball stood before a Gate, a black mass with a single eye, pitched against a sea of white. "Why?" it asked. "Why did you not become mine? God?!?"
A voice came from the emptiness. "Because you did not believe in me." Turning around, the ball saw the mirror image of himself. Only this ball was like a shadow of white to contrast its blackness. This other ball proceeded to mock the first. "You wanted to make God's power your own? Don't make me laugh. You think stealing something powerful makes you a great man? You're nothing but a cunning thief. You should have stayed in the flask where you belong. You may have used other's strength to grab hold of God, but you yourself have not grown."
The ball pleaded. "I... wanted to be perfect! I wanted perfect understanding of God! I wanted to know everything in this world!" The pleading had a peculiar arrogant streak, that of a bratty child who had assumed everything would go its way, and was enraged when finding out the world did not work that way. "Why are you interfering with me?!? Who are you?!?"
The empty ball replied. "I am what you call 'The World.' Or perhaps 'The Universe.' Or perhaps 'God.' Or perhaps 'Truth.' Or perhaps 'Everything.' Or perhaps 'One.' And I am 'You.' You said, 'It is truth that gives you the proper despair, so that you do not become conceited.'" The empty ball grinned, its teeth bared. "So as you just said, I will give you despair."
The Gate creaked open. The first ball's eye opened wide with fear. "Stop... I don't want to go back. No... I don't want to be trapped there... Sto..." The Gate ripped open wide hands grasping out to lead the creature back to oblivion.
"Despair for the conceited. This is the end you wished for."
Outside the Gate, another was to be tested by it this day. The buildings were shattered by the might of the Homunculus, but now all was peaceful. Too peaceful. Edward's brother, Alphonse lay on the ground a lifeless suit of armor now. He had given his soul to his true body beyond the Gate. One by one, friends offered to be the price for a Human Transmutation, but Edward refused. Roy Mustang, Ling Yao, even his own father. All claimed to have a toll that could be used for Equivalent Exchange. But Ed knew what the others didn't, that Human Transmutation operated on certain laws of matter, and any body created by that would not be his real brother, just a collection of parts randomly gathered. His mother when this had been done years ago, had had hair from someone with black hair when hers was light brown, and the tailbone had actually been from a male. For that matter, Al wouldn't want to live with a sacrifice from another person. Instead, he did the unthinkable.
Drawing a Human Transmutation circle around himself and Alphonse, he said, "I'll be back soon. This is my last act of Alchemy as the Fullmetal Alchemist." He clapped his hands.
The boy stood before the Gate. Or rather, between two Gates. The first was his, an etching of The Tree of Life. The second was his brother's, The Marrow of Alchemy. Because of the way he had initially saved his brother's life, their bodies and souls had been intertwined, which was in a bit of dark humor also what was keeping him short, since extra food went instead to nourish his brother.
A shadow appeared in front of him. "Have you come for your brother? But how will you pull a whole person out? What is your payment? Will you offer up your own body?"
Instead, Edward Elric ignored him, and advanced to his own Gate, his source of Truth. Alchemy was a manifestation of human knowledge, and it was believed to be a power that could give or take life, that could fix objects or shatter them. This Gate allowed him to use Alchemy without drawing a circle, but on a deeper level it was the core or "personality" of his Alchemy. Only he could use Alchemy the way he used it, because each person had a different Gate. "Here is the payment," he said, staring at the Gate, "this huge thing."
"The Gate of Truth exists within everyone. That is how everyone can use Alchemy." The faceless shadow stared at the boy. "Will you degrade yourself to an ordinary person, unable to use Alchemy?"
In a moment, Edward revealed the Truth for the lie that it really was. "There is nothing degrading about it. I have always been an ordinary person." The Truth had been nothing more than a clever delusion all along, the only thing he had really even gained was a cheap magic trick. And now, he would give this up, along with his normal Alchemy. "A small person, unable to save a single girl who had turned into a Chimera." Unlike the one called Father, this boy had learned the lesson of conceit, and knew what humans could and could not do. "Since seeing the Truth, I have relied too much on it, made too many mistakes... I have been its puppet."
The white being asked one more question of him, as if to test him. "Will you be all right without this?" A large grin crossed his face, "Even without my Alchemy, I still have my Friends." As if to form a perfect mirror, the being smiled as broadly, "That is the correct answer, Alchemist. You have beaten Truth. Take it all." The Marrow of Alchemy opened. "Let's go home. Everyone's waiting."
Years later... Alphonse has put the meat back on his bones caused by long starvation inside the Gate. Roy Mustang had had his eyes healed, and was devoting his energy to leading the new country of Amestris and repairing relations with Ishval. Ling Yao had gone to his country of Xing a victor in the race to become the next Emperor, having secured a Philosopher's Stone, and vowing to one day meet again with Edward and Alphonse. And Edward? Edward had actually grown. He had become taller than Winry, making his promise to propose to her an actual possibility. And yet, here he was, working on rebuilding a house.
Clap. "No use, huh. If I could use Alchemy, I could get this done in a snap without even having to get up on the roof." Looking at the view from the roof however, gave him pause. "Well, I guess taking my time is not all bad..." From the rooftop, he could see the distant mountains, roads, farmland, rivers, and even the stone walls of other properties.
Just then, his brother showed up. "Brother, there's something I've been thinking about..."
Later, at a cafe, he announced his intentions to the Chimera there. "I'm going to Xing. There, I'll study Alkahestry with Mei. And I'm not just going to Xing, I plan to travel the East, learning as much as I can. I want to see the world. With my own eyes... on my own legs... I'll go to the East, and my brother will learn what he can in the West. And when we pool Eastern and Western Knowledge, maybe we can help those who are suffering because of Alchemy."
(Whew, longest chapter ever. Yeah, I know I skipped a few parts, like Winry's confession to Edward. But this is the main plot. Edwards goes West and learns something he can use as a replacement for not having Alchemy. Alphonse learns the healing art of Alkahestry. And it will be about undoing the misuses caused by Alchemy, along with other arts)