It is What it Is (FMA Fanfiction)

Case Closed

I should probably clear this up, since I'm sure there are some people that's been wondering about it. I don't hate Hohenheim, unlike Edward, as I know he's a very flawed human being that had the majority of his life forced on him(at least in Brotherhood and the manga, which is what I'm basing this off of), but I strongly understand why Edward feels the way he does. No matter how you look at it, Hohenheim still abandoned him and Al, and left them to grow up and deal with things alone, and nothing can ever change that, even if he did plan to come back. Both Ed's and Al's feelings on the matter are human and relatable. To be honest, I might have been more like Alphonse and tried to reason with him, but I'm also applying a bit of my own feelings regarding the absence of my own father in my life, and the way it's made me feel. Edward is the easiest to write when it comes to that, and I tend to relate more to his snarkiness and system of thinking at times(I'm quite cynical, like Edward, but I do like writing uplifting things at times) though I relate to both of them. You know it's a good story when you can find a way to relate to two characters who are basically polar opposites at times. XD;;;)

One other thing, I hope it didn't feel like I short-handed Roy or Riza at all in this chapter. The reason I went the route I did is because Roy didn't want to get Edward involved with such a matter if he could help it. And it kind of goes along the lines of the fact that Edward is still a kid and things still go on around him whether he's witness to it or not. I'll stop, because I'm probably making it sound stupid or not making any sense.

WARNING: This is super anti-climatic and I'm sorry. I'm feeling very insecure about posting this chapter, because I have never completed writing mysteries before. So this was a new experience for me and I hope it was written well enough. (It's not the absolute end of the ordeal, but it's enough so that I can move onto the other matter at hand, being Edward's self harm.)

...

Kanon had never got along with people or made friends easily, even back in school. His white hair and pink eyes always caught negative attention from others, as it caused him to stand out, so he often got teased by his classmates. His older sister, who was an Ishvalan and also had white hair, was the only one that went out of her way to tell him that there was nothing wrong with having white hair, that his hair was beautiful because it was white as snow, nor was their anything wrong with his eyes.

Even though she didn't follow the teachings, his mother, Lilith, just like Lyra, was also Ishvalan. However, he only seemed to share her hair; their skin tone and even eye color were different, and, because of low pigmentation of melanin, the doctors had amounted it to Albinism. Lilith, however, died of a 'mysterious heart attack' when Kanon was about two years old, so he didn't remember her that well at all, except in vague memories of her holding him in her arms.

Lyra, over time, had become more of mother to Kanon than a sister, as she would sometimes tell him stories about their mother, defend him against bullies, encourage him when he was down, read him books, sing him lullabies and even tuck him into bed. She was everything to him.

His father, Gerhard, however, was the total opposite. He had always played favorites towards Lana, for being the non alchemical user in the family. Gerhard was often abusive towards Kanon and Lyra, but tended to project more of his frustrations onto Kanon because he was the smallest. Lyra would typically step in to protect him, getting beaten herself in the process.

When Kanon was ten, Lyra died in a similar manner that Lilith was said to have. Heart failure.

While there was no proof, Kanon was certain that Gerhard was behind it, but Lana didn't seem to believe him. Lana had never dared to stand up to her father or question him. Even when she didn't like to see Kanon or her family get beat, she didn't stop listening to him, afraid of getting beat herself. Sometimes, Lana did get Kanon to fix things for her, but as a result, if Gerhard found out, it would lead to Kanon getting hit again.