Fullmetal Angel

Chapter Two

This was originally supposed to be two chapters, but I figured I'd better post it all as one. So, here we are. Dedicated to DefendTheUndefended, for the encouragement to keep this story going.

Eight years.

For eight years, Ed had done exactly what he was doing today; watching Al grow up from a distance. He'd been close enough to see birthdays and holidays and grief, but never close enough to be seen. For eight years, he'd done assignments from the gate and accepted his fate as a murderer.

As of now, he was sixteen, leaning against the chimney of one of the building across from the police dorms and waiting for Al's appearance. At age twelve, Al had become a state alchemist and been granted the title of the youngest person ever to become a dog of the military. Ed was proud, he really was. And in a way, he supposed he was indebted to Roy Mustang, for offering to guide his brother.

Not that Ed had a whole lot of respect for the Colonel. In his opinion, Mustang was a selfish, womanizing bastard who was a bad influence on Al. But he'd done for Al what Ed couldn't do; he'd been a guiding hand, he'd been there for Al when Ed couldn't.

Wincing, Ed shifted. His automail port was aching again, due to the cold weather. It was winter, and a cold, wet winter at that. Thank Truth it was almost spring.

Ed was fairly tempted to do a little alchemy and make fire or something, but in the end he settled for coffee. Al still hadn't emerged from the dorms, and was probably still at breakfast, so Ed figured he had time to grab a mug of coffee and maybe even a doughnut or something before Al would finish.

His wings were quite pliable, and with a little bit of effort and talent he was able to fold them flat against his back. After doing so, he carefully donned his red cloak and fixed it to make sure that it hid his wings effectively. Then, to conceal his automail, he also pulled on a set of white dress gloves.

The wind threatened to knock him off balance as he used the maintenance ladder to descend from the roof, but Ed's grip was firm and his balance top-notch from years flying in winds that could snap a mortal's neck.

Resisting the urge to hurry up and sprint to get out of sight, Ed forced himself to keep a brisk yet normal pace. After so long remaining unseen, willingly walking into a crowd took a lot of willpower. Trying to keep the thought that every single stare was directed at him at bay and telling himself it was all in his imagination (which it was), Ed kept his breathing steady by focusing on his footsteps on the concrete sidewalk. It wasn't noticeable to anyone else, but with Ed's superhuman hearing he was able to pick up the slight lag in his right footstep. He was still limping, ever so slightly, from the fall off the roof the other day.

With an exhale of relief, Ed reached the door of the small, hole-in-the-wall coffee shop. He pushed open the door and a bell dinged overhead. A gust of warm, coffee-scented air blew his hair back, and the mouthwatering smell of fresh-baked doughnuts washed over him.

The shop itself was small, with only a few tables and a counter, but it sold the best coffee and made the best baked goods in all of Central City. Right now it was fairly empty, and the girl working the counter waved at him. Cheryl, that was her name.

"The usual?" She asked, and Ed nodded absentmindedly.

Cheryl hummed some tune or another that Ed was fairly certain he knew from when he was younger, and he found himself smiling. It felt good to act normal, even for this short period of time. He wondered what other sixteen year olds would be doing right now. School, probably.

"Here you go, black coffee with no milk or sugar and a glazed doughnut. That'll be $3.50." She announced, and Ed had already placed the money on the counter. He had the price memorized by now- he'd been coming in and getting the same thing for three years now, he hoped he would remember the price by now.

Where did he get the money, you ask?

Well, he got a paycheck for being the Truth's angel. Duh. I mean, he had to eat too, right?

As for sleeping, Ed wasn't picky. He had a little apartment in the outskirts of Central that was only a flight away. Shooting Cheryl a last half-smile he picked up his cup and paper bag and left, pace increasing again as he walked through the crowd, weaving around people and animals. One dog gave him a curious look after sniffing him, and Ed wondered if he smelled like a bird to the dog. It was kind of a disturbing thought.

Making his way back to the maintenance ladder at the back of the building, Ed maneuvered up the ladder with some difficulty, holding the paper bag by his teeth. When he reached the top, panting, he stretched and settled back onto the chilly stone roof with a yawn.

"Damn it Al, why did you have to choose a military career? People in r he military always get up way too early-"

Ed suddenly stopped talking, eyes wide. There was a ringing in his ears, a dull roar, that made his wings itch for flight. He knew this feeling. It was summons from the Truth.

Something was wrong, if the Truth was summoning him. Abandoning his breakfast, Ed stood up and focused on the ringing, letting it drowned out all of his other senses until there was nothing besides the ringing. He could feel it in his bones, in his very soul. Suddenly Ed was weightless, and his feet left solid ground.

Ed wasn't a stranger to warping, he used it all the time to get from place-to-place faster, but it felt strange warping out of this world and to the Truth's dimension all the same.

His feet reappeared on solid ground, and Ed opened his eyes.

And gasped.

The strange, needs white room where the gate floated was occupied by four others, sitting around a circular table. Two seats were left empty, one being Ed's.

There was Jared-A man with muscles as thick around as tree branches and dark skin, with blindingly white teeth. Sage, with her auburn hair and tan skin, looking small and delicate next to Jared. Beside her was Marcus- with his thin frame, pale brown hair, and deep green eyes. On Jared's other side was Zaphlan, with his sandy blonde hair and sky blue eyes.

There were six of Truth's avengers, or rather, his angels, in existence. For all of them to be summoned at once was unheard of.

"What's going on?" Ed asked quietly, taking his seat next to Zaphlan. The seat next to his- Madelyn's- was still empty.

"Last night, Maddy was found." Zaphlan started.

"Found? She was missing?" Ed asked, confused.

"She was found dead, Ed."