Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Edward Elric was not suited for military life. Everyone who knew him in the slightest knew this. However, here he was again, part of the government because he needed information. Information that would be much easier to have access to as a Marine.

It was ironic that he couldn't swim, though he was not the only one in the corps with that problem. His stemmed from something different than the others though. While some of his colleagues were unable to swim due to a freaky fruit they ate, Ed was hindered by his metallic prosthetics.

It had been a year since the defeat of Father and Ed had been on his way to meet up with Al when the explosion happened. Some idiot had been experimenting with Alkahestry to be able to teleport. He and Al had wanted to go and look at the research, which meant they were both there when it happened. He'd only caught a glimpse of his brother before everything went white. Literally.

Truth had been surprisingly helpful, even if Ed wasn't too happy about losing his arm in exchange for his alchemy. At least the white bastard had given him his automail, in perfect condition even.

“Think of me what you want, but I've actually grown quite fond of you. You'll need this if you want to survive this world. Don't worry, I've made sure your little brother lands somewhere where he'll survive. I'm sure you'll do well here Mr. Al-che-mist.”

And wasn't that odd, having Truth actually like him. He must've really impressed him with giving up his alchemy in exchange for his brother. It had been a pain to excessively study his Automail so that he could make new ones as he grew. He also had to repair them, so he'd had to learn fast. He would never be as good as Winry and Grandma Pinako, but he was no third-rate either. With his alchemy back, he'd quickly started using it again to survive the world he'd been dropped into. His alchemy was often confused for Devil Fruit powers, which was why he'd done as much research on them as possible. He'd avoided using it ever since he joined the Marines, though.

Suffice to say, he'd never corrected anyone when they assumed he couldn't swim due to the consumption of a Devil Fruit, as they were called. It meant no one questioned his abilities, though many tried to guess what fruit he had. It had been a shock to his system to hear (and read) about the scientific anomalies that were Devil Fruits. Thankfully, he'd not been in the Marines while he researched Devil Fruits, otherwise he was sure he'd be in some Laboratory 5-esque facility being poked and prodded. He knew what people like this were like and “The World Government” sounded a lot like Amestris before the end of Father. He'd looked into the history of the world he'd ended up in and he'd found a lot that made him dislike the organization he'd joined. Unfortunately, it was where he'd stay until he heard word of his brother. The only thing he was certain of was that he was at the very least not a Marine or an active pirate, since there'd been no one else named Elric among the recruits and there was no bounty poster with his brother's name or picture. He checked. Frequently. A lot of his colleagues eyed him strangely for his bounty fixation. What they didn't know he wouldn't have to hurt them for.

Then again, some of it might be because he'd risen up to Lieutenant Commander in three years of service. He was quite young by their standards, heck, Ed had been the youngest State Alchemist to date back home. That and the fact he wore whatever the fuck he wanted, even though he still wore the rather pretentious white coat with “Justice” printed on the back. He wore his black outfit and white gloves under the jacket, which unlike everyone else he actually wore as a jacket and not a cape. It made him really stand out and while he missed his red coat, he didn't want to be seen using it as long as he was a Marine. It just didn't feel right.

That wasn't to say that Ed disliked all Marines. Sengoku reminded him of Mustang when he was serious, otherwise the two were nothing alike. He wasn't against Garp or Smoker either, but that was about as far as his like would go in the corps. Not that Kuzan or Fujitora were that bad either. At least back in Amestris his position didn't hurt his brother. The slightest hint that his position as Lieutenant Commander would put him on opposing sides with his brother and he was out. Either that, or if he had to do something that went against everything he believed in or stood for. It hadn't happened yet.

But it was about to.

Chapter Text

Impel Down. To be quite honest, Ed hated the place. Which made it all the more impressive that he was visiting the third time in a week, this time voluntarily.

He was there for one reason and one reason only, to talk to Portgas D. Ace. He had yet to do so. The first two times he'd visited had not been for leisure, but the second trip had brought his attention not only to Ace, but also to something Smoker had once mentioned.

“He claimed he was looking for his little brother.”

Honestly, it shouldn't strike a chord in him, but it did. Ed was, first and foremost, a big brother. Al came first, always. So maybe, for once, he just wanted to talk to someone who would actually understand where he was coming from.

Ace didn't look up at the sound of a door opening, he saw no need to, it was probably just another Marine coming to gloat. He was getting sick of it. He didn't react to the footsteps getting closer, though he did twitch when the Marine whistled and said “Talk about overkill.”

At this point Ace finally looked up and met the golden gaze of a young blond man wearing what had to be a “Justice” coat. He was not expecting someone that young that high up in the ranks.

The man eyed Ace with an unreadable look in his eyes before speaking again “This sure brings back memories. All of them unpleasant.”

Ace huffed, slightly amused by his visitor “Come to gloat? You wouldn't be the first.” the Logia user asked, even if he doubted it now.

The blond shook his head before he stepped forward and sat down directly in front of Ace “Nah, not my style, except when talking to annoying superiors. Now that's fun. No, I just wanted to talk, didn't expect it to make me doubt my career choice even more.”

Ace raised an eyebrow “Oh? I thought you Marines were all about justice?”

To his slight surprise, the blond Marine snorted, before throwing his head back and laughing, leaning back on his hands. Once the laughing tapered off, the man sighed with a self-deprecating smile “Justice? I didn't join for something as arbitrary as that.”

Ace's second eyebrow joined it's partner high on his brow, he hadn't expected that.

The blond continued “No. I don't care for any justice the Marines stand for. I don't care for the Marines at all. I joined for purely selfish reasons. I'm sure you'd understand.”

Ace frowned “I don't understand Marine mentality, so I think I'll have to disappoint.”

His visitor only chuckled and shook his head before rearranging his feet so that he could lean forward, hand resting on a bent knee “No, I think you, of all people, would understand. I joined this organization for one reason and one reason only.” he said, leaning closer to the bars.

“I'm looking... for my little brother.”

Edward left soon after that, but he knew he'd return to talk to the man later. Even if doing so meant he was chipping away his resolve to stay in the Marines. The 22-year old knew it would happen sooner or later, he just hoped he'd find a clue to Al's location before that.

The State Alchemist visited three more times during the week, making sure he was not there when Garp decided to visit his grandson. He could tell the old man was in pain at the situation but unlike the blond, he actually believed in the cause the Marines claimed they stood for. Unfortunately, there was little he could do in the long run. It would take more than one or two people to change the system and even then, Ed was not the man for the job. Ed wasn't one of those people others called “heroes”. Not anymore.

The day of the execution dawned calm. It was quite a deceptive atmosphere when you considered just what was going to happen that day. Looking back, Ed would smirk at the memories of that day and straighten out his red coat, glad to be wearing the colour again.

At the moment, however, the Lieutenant Commander was wearing white. Honestly, he was starting to dislike the colour just a little, it reminded him of another point in time. Back when he'd also been separated from his brother and while he acquired some good allies/friends, he still didn't enjoy thinking about it. Back then, the white coat had been for disguising himself and was more of a necessity. He'd been glad to switch back to red after that.

The sight of an utterly defeated man is not something Ed wants to see when looking at Fire Fist, but it would forever be ingrained in his mind. Never before had the former State Alchemist been so torn on what he was supposed to do. It's not even his place to be on the execution platform, but no one had said a word against his presence. As Sengoku stepped forward to address all who had gathered there, Ed looked up to the sky, wondering just what the man was doing. As he listened, he smiled at the small ember that remained of Ace's spirit, only for that smile to fall as Sengoku spoke of Portgas D. Rouge and one of the reasons Ed hated the World Government.

Oi, you can't mean...

“Your father... was the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!”

As Marineford and possibly the world descended into shock, Edward closed his eyes, lips twisting into a snarl.

Sengoku... I was just beginning to like you...

This execution was nothing but a sham, Ed was now certain. Not only was it an excuse to go to war with Whitebeard, but it was petty revenge against a dead man, whom they themselves had executed, by taking it out on the son.

It was official, Ed was sabotaging the whole thing in any way he could.

He'd never admit it, but the blond was starting to see more and more of himself in the younger man. They both hated their father but loved their mother and while Ace had met neither of his parents, their situation was much the same. Similarly, Ed and Al had taken their mother's name, even if Al only followed in his brother's footsteps and didn't resent their father. He wondered if this little brother Ace had claimed shared Ace's disdain, or if he was like Al in that regard. While the government in Amestris might not have been after him for being Hoenheim's son, the one behind it all did hold a grudge and the creepy fascination Father had held for him and his brother still made Ed shiver. As if being one of the “sacrifices” hadn't been enough.

Though, unlike Ace, Edward had, at the end, stopped viewing his father with disdain. It was easier to hate an absentee father than a broken man asking his son to use his life as the sacrifice for his son's soul. Those tears he'd shed while screaming at the man, calling him “dad” for the first time in years, had been ones of frustration, heartbreak and love. He'd never admit to it, though.

Ed had turned his gaze to the ground as he reminisced, but brought his face up as the gates of justice opened.

Sengoku... the first person here I'd call a monster right now is you. You claim you stand for justice, you claim you're preventing a threat, but all you're doing is killing a child for the sins of the father that has already paid his toll.

As a pair of amber eyes bore into the back of the man with a seagull on his head, a very small smirk formed at the appearance of an entire pirate fleet.

One way or another. Portgas D. Ace is leaving this rotten place alive. If he needs my help, he'll get it. Either way, this coat will burn today.

A moment later, Ed noticed something in the middle of the bay. Squinting as the sound of air rising to the surface reached him, his eyes widened along with his smile as he figured out just what the hell was happening.

“Ace...” the golden-haired man whispered lowly as to not let his colleagues hear “Your dad is one hell of a badass.”

No one noticed the raven-head twitch. He'd heard, having gotten used to listening to that voice. It had been a nice break in the cold and dark as he sat and listened to the man talk about his brother. Sure, Jinbei had been nice company, but it wasn't the same. Even if it was uncomfortable sometimes to listen to the similarities of their lives, however minimal.

“For the longest time, the last and only memory of dad was him leaving through the front door in the middle of the night. Mom was devastated, even if she'd known before he left. The stress made it easier for her to fall ill and when she died, dad couldn't even be bothered to show up at her funeral. He didn't even know she'd died until ten years later... there was a reason we went by our mother's name and not Hoenheim's.”

Ace had listened to the man so similar to himself, even if one of the key differences was the fact that Ace was not related to his brothers by blood and Ed was. It didn't really matter, but it was a fact. Luffy might be like Ed's brother in the fact that he did not resent Roger, but that was only because of idolization.

As Ace recalled Impel Down, Ed was peering out into the bay, trying to spot Whitebeard. It didn't take long for a strong voice to pierce the air “It's been a while, Sengoku!”

Ed could see a huge man with a white mustache making his way to the front of the ship and stop on top of the whale figurehead that was the front of the ship “My beloved son had better be unharmed!”

“Oyaji!”

So this is “the World's Strongest”... Ed thought with wide eyes, his gaze moving to Ace Must be nice... to know your father will be there for you, no matter what. But, then again, you didn't think he would actually come, did you, Ace?

Ed watched in utter fascination as the battle started. Ed had lived through two wars, but only fought in one. It would be different this time, but he'd now have three wars under his belt. He wondered what he should do if it looked like the marines were winning...

Well, he had some idea, he'd even been practicing that weird Haki thing the higher-ups had been talking about. By now, Ed could, if he concentrated, locate every single living human on the island. It gave him a headache, but he could do it.

Closing his eyes, the blond started to sense his surroundings, just to see if he could differentiate between factions, otherwise his idea would never work. He held back a smile as he succeeded and opened his eyes. It seemed his training that Observational Haki mumbo jumbo had been a good thing. Now he'd just have to wait and see what would happen next.

Chapter Text

“This feeling of emptiness inside me might just be cured!”
“That's not what you really want.”

“Greed! Isn't this... what you've always wanted more than anything?”
“Yeah, you're right on target.”
“What I've always wanted... are friends like these.”

“Give me your Philosopher's Stone!”
“Shit!”
“Greed!”
“Idiot, you're gonna get yourself dragged in, let go!”

“Nothing can be done!”

“Don't give up, Greed! Keep trying!”

“What are you...”

“And this is goodbye. There's no need for you to be absorbed by him along with me.”

“That was my first and final lie.”

“Wait, Greed!!!”
.
.
.
That was plenty... yeah, that was enough for me... I don't need anything else...
Peace out, soul... brothers...

When Greed was torn from his father's body by the power-hungry being itself, after making its plan backfire, he honestly didn't think he'd wake up again. He couldn't think of a reason why he'd find himself alive, though he could vaguely recall the colour white. And...

“You managed to fill that void that set you apart from humans. This is the closest I can give you in exchange for the opportunity to have seen a false human achieve humanity. Something your “father” will never be able to completely understand.”

He didn't know who the voice belonged to, only that it sounded alarmingly like his own. One of the first things the Homunculus had noticed was that he no longer looked like that Brat Prince Ling, instead, his face was the one he'd had before his so called father had decided to kill him off in order to resurrect and re-educate him.

“Damn, and I had just gotten used to looking like the Princeling...” Greed tsked, flexing his hand as he stared at his reflection.

Looking at his arm, which had turned black, he continued “But at least I still have this.”

The next thing he noticed that while his regenerative abilities were perfectly intact, they were not powered by a philosopher's stone. Mostly because he realized that he didn't have one. Instead, he had a normal, human, heart.

During the confusion of this discovery, Greed briefly wondered if this was what puberty felt like.
His regeneration took a lot out of him, but he had yet to need it that badly. During his time on the island he'd found himself on he gathered information. It was rather obvious, in hindsight, that he became a pirate, what with how the world he found himself in looked. No way was he going to be the Marines' dog, he liked his freedom, thank you very much.

He sailed for two years before finding a place for himself in the world. In the ranks of the Whitebeard pirates. Kind of ironic. Free from one father and straight into the lap of another. Well, it wasn't too bad. This one wasn't hell-bent on swallowing God, after all.

Greed eyed the big man in front of him and the various members of said man's crew, their ship a looming presence in the distance.

“So, you're Whitebeard, huh? I hear your crew calls ya 'Oyaji', what's up with that?”

The man eyed him with curiosity as he answered “It is because I call them my children. We are all hated by the world, so we might as well be a family as we face that hatred.” He then grinned “Besides, it is something I have always wanted, ever since I was a small child.” after a pause, the man continued “Do you want a place in my family, brat?”

There seemed to be no lie in these statements, but Greed had to be sure before taking the plunge “Hypothetically...” he started, though he was sure he heard a snort and a: 'Christ, here we go...' from somewhere “If one of your 'children' decided to leave, without giving you a reason, would you... oh, I don't know... hunt them down, drag them back and then drop them into something hot enough to melt carbon for the purpose of re-educating them?”

The Homonculus had to admit, the faces on everyone present were hilarious. Though they were also very telling. The disgust and horror was a very welcome sight indeed.

“That wasn't hypothetical, was it?” a man with a pompadour asked, looking green.

Greed shrugged “Let's just say that the title 'Oyaji' does not hold fond memories for me.”

The World's Strongest Man answered Greed's previous question “Traitors are hunted down and killed, but leaving the crew does not automatically make one a traitor. I, personally, do not condone torture just for the fun of it.”

Greed stood there, flexing his hands once, before grinning “My name is Greed, and that name isn't for nothing... I crave power, money, status... a family as big as this... yeah, I want it all. Maybe with this, the thirst that has been plaguing me since my birth will be quenched.”

The Homunculus fit in with the Whitebeards with surprising ease. Sure, his attitude was abrasive, but most of his now “brothers” could see past that. Marco and Thatch with worrying ease.

But Greed still could not call Newgate “Oyaji”.

By now, everyone had noticed, but seeing as Whitebeard didn't seem to be too bothered by it, they let it be. The only one who had actually questioned him about it was their newest recruit, Portgas D. Ace, who had quickly become Greed's Division Commander. He couldn't say it wasn't deserved.

Teach was... weird, and Greed didn't like him. This gut-feeling proved all too accurate when he walked in on the traitor trying to stab his favorite brother in the back. In the end, Greed had prevented the 4th Division Commander's death, but the man was still gravely injured. The following rage Greed succumbed to was so epic and destructive that his brothers had to restrain him. It took a hell of a lot of restraint not to rage again when he found out Ace had gone after the traitor.

“He left?! Without me?!”

In the end, Greed had not been allowed to go and he swore he had not been pouting because of it.

Then... then, the unthinkable happened. Ace got caught. Ace. Got caught. By that worm. And was given to the Marines.

Greed stood in front of Whitebeard's chair, the only true sign of his ire the black coating on both his arms. His claws dug into the rather delicate newspaper as he turned to face his “father”.

“Hey, this means war, right?”

The giant man had only glanced his way before ordering his sons to prepare. Greed took that as a “yes”.

“Hang on lil' bro, we're comin' for ya.”

Chapter Text

Ed was nearing his limit. Watching from the high-ground as people were slaughtered in this small-scale war with high stakes was not something he was happy doing. He was just about to look away when he spotted something in the distance, a ship fell from the heavens. A few minutes later, Ed was of the opinion that Ace's brother was hilarious, stupid and driven. Bonds forged on their own could be just as strong as bonds of blood and Edward could tell that the two couldn't be closer if they tried.

As the youngest State Alchemist in history watched Ace and Luffy yell at each other, he was struck by the memory of Al sacrificing himself to return Ed's arm, reversing the transmutation done so long ago with said arm as payment. It wasn't quite the same, but the feelings that had to be coursing through the other elder brother had to be the same. With this at the forefront of his mind, Ed stepped beside the raven-haired young man.

“Hey, Portgas.”

Ace turned his head to look at him, silent but curious as to why he was speaking to him now, of all times.

“Just how far is your brother willing to go to get to you?”

Ace looked at him before sighing and turning his head back towards the battle “You heard him... Luffy can't lie and he's painfully honest. If he says he'll save me even if it kills him... then that's exactly what he means...”

The blond nodded with a steely expression.

“What are you doing?”

“Stop.”

“Al!”

“Win this, brother.”

“Stop it, Alphonse!”

“You idiot!”

“Get up, third rate! I'll show you the difference in our skills!”

Ed stretched his arms over his head, cracking his neck “It's been awhile since I've done this.” he said before he abruptly clapped his hands together and grinned “Anything could happen now.” he continued before slamming his hands down on the platform, causing the area around him to burst into light.

The battle paused as everyone peered at the execution platform, wondering what was happening.

Ace wasn't sure what was happening, but as soon as the blond Marine had touched the platform, he'd had to close his eyes from the light. He was shocked when he felt his shackles melt away before he was falling towards the ground. Before he could fall for too long, a hand grabbed his wrist and he landed on something hard. Opening his eyes, he could see that both him and Ed were on a small platform made of the same stone the ground beneath the execution platform had been standing on was made of. Said platform was broken in two and curled outwards. Before he could get used to their new position, Ed clapped his hands again and touched the platform they were on top of, causing light and electricity to crackle and the platform start to lower.

Ace looked at the man, wide-eyed. He didn't understand the man's sudden need to help him and give up his position in the Marines.

“I've watched too many people die in front of me... watched my own brother try and sacrifice himself for me... I've lost too much to stand by now.” the blond ex-marine said softly, looking at his hands “I swore I'd never fight in a war again, but I'll make an exception if you can guarantee that your crew or Captain won't harm me for being a former Marine.” he continued as the platform lowered completely and he clapped his hands again to create a spear with the blade being Kairoseki. All in all, he looked ready to fight.

Ace smiled widely and held out his hand “Deal.”

They shook on it before taking off, the fire attacks the Logia shot alerting everyone to the fact that Fire Fist Ace was free.

As they ran, Ed grabbed hold of the impossibly stretching limb and made sure to hold on as the rest of the body followed. Before the kid could rocket off anywhere else, Ed grabbed him by the back of his neck and forced him to run beside him.

“Ace!” the kid yelled with a wide grin, spotting his brother on Ed's other side.

“Luffy!” Ace replied, looking only slightly perplexed, but thankfully continued to run.

“Shut up and run!” was Ed's contribution to the conversation, sweeping his spear at the Marines feet in order to trip them.

They were making good distance when Akainu decided to try and take them out. Ed ducked a strike, twisted into a handstand and propelled himself back, transmuting a wall as he skidded backwards. The wall was quickly destroyed by the Magma Man, who looked annoyed.

“You are a Lieutenant Commander, why are you turning against the Marines now?” The Admiral asked, readying another blow.

Edward quickly clapped his hands and coated his automail with carbon from the capsules on his person, once again ripping off Greed. The magma hit his hand and arm, but only his coat and glove were damaged, revealing the metal arm beneath.

Face tired but determined, Ed replied “I don't recall ever selling my soul to them.”

Akainu's face twisted into a snarl as he moved to back-hand Ed with a fist made of lava. The alchemist barely had enough time to bright his right arm into a block and was flung to the side, hitting his head as he rolled and skidded painfully on the ground, his spear landing a few steps to his side.

The blond tried to move, but his left arm wouldn't hold his weight and his port ached from the heat and the burns already forming there and on his back, where molted rock had splattered. It took all he had not to scream. After a moment he managed to lift his head to peer at Ace, who had apparently been fighting the marine, but was now standing between his downed younger brother and the Magma Man.

“Be it a leg or an arm... just give him back. He is my only brother!”

Edward's eyes widened, Ace was going to- “Stop!” he screamed, trying to get up again as the fist made its way towards Ace's unguarded back.

Only to be blocked by a mostly black blur.

Silence reigned for a moment as everyone on the battlefield tried to understand what had just happened. Ace turned slowly when he felt someone's back pressed against his, instead of Akainu's fist through his chest.

The Black-haired, red-eyed man wearing a black vest with fur trimming grinned even as he coughed up blood, his front sporting a deep wound that would have killed him had he not been able to coat himself in diamond-hard carbon, or regenerate as fast as he was. Blood dripped down his front, staining his pants as everyone was greeted to the sight of his still beating heart, torn and burnt muscle and singed innards. It wasn't pretty. The view was slightly obscured by the red lighting that always accompanied his regeneration ability.

Before Ace had the opportunity to say anything, a different voice screamed out the man's name. “Greed!”

The Whitebeard Pirates were suddenly confused, how did this Marine know their brother and why did he look devastated by the damage done to him?

“Yo, Fullmetal Brat.” the man coughed out, still grinning.

The blond looked like he wanted to throttle the man for that comment before he grit his teeth, clapped his hands and grabbed his spear, somehow managing to hurl it at Akainu. The blade pierced the man through the chest before the kairoseki molded to wrap around him, with part of it still lodged in the man's heart. It was ruthless, but no one opposing the Marines really cared at that point.

Ed slowly made it to his feet, his left hand holding his side while his right temple bled, forcing him to close that eye “Can you run? Your healing seems a bit slow.” he instead asked, even as he himself spat blood, causing it to trickle down the left side of his chin.

“I'm better off than you.” the raven said, holding his chest even as red energy sparked and worked on mending the burnt flesh, slowly but surely covering the ribs that had been visible but at least protecting his heart form further assault.

The former State Alchemist chuckled and took a step forward, only for his flesh leg to buckle. Greed caught him before he could face-plant, throwing the man on his back “Yeesh, brat, you're out of shape.” he said as he started running towards the ship with Ace, having picked up Luffy, doing the same.

“Well, sorry,” the alchemist grumbled “making so many weak spots in the ground near the marines, without destabilizing it completely, took effort. Just need one last earthquake to set it off.”

Greed blinked at that, skidded to a halt, spun to face Whitebeard and yelled “Oyaji!”

This caused his crew to falter and their eyes to widen. Greed had yet to call the man that, even though he'd joined the crew a while ago. Newgate stopped, feeling much too pleased about the fact than he normally would have. Perhaps, had the homunculus called him that earlier, then the man wouldn't have listened to his next words.

“Set off an earthquake and let's go! There's no need for you to die here!”

“Gurararara... cheeky brat...” the man rumbled, but did as his son asked.

The quake caused the ground to cave in exactly the places where Ed had planned, causing many Marines to fall into holes they couldn't get out of by themselves, This caused enough chaos for the Whitebeards and their allies to retreat relatively easily. It helped that Ed's actions had caused Akainu to painfully bleed out and die, so that man was no longer a problem.

Once they were out of the bay, Ed grumbled “Consider that my resignation, Sengoku...” into Greed's back, loud enough everyone near him to hear it.

This caused a wave of laughter even as Ace approached, eying them both “Exactly how do you two know each other?”

Greed looked at him funny as he let the blond down, letting him rest against the wall “Nakama... could be an accurate description, I guess... we were fighting the same bastard, anyway...”

Ed chuckled “You mean you joined my group, saved Ling's ass and dealt a critical blow to that bastard “Father” so that I could finish him off in retaliation for killing you... not that you apparently stayed dead, but we didn't know that, so it still counts... Ling complained you rubbed off on him, y'know? Since he offered to take the entire Chang Clan under his protection, all the clans, actually. Greedy Prince. He ended up becoming Emperor of Xing, in the end.”

Greed threw his head back and laughed “Well, look at that, I did something right!”

“Bastard...”

Fossa tapped his cigar, letting the ashes fall on the deck “Is this that same father you said tortured you for leaving home?”

Greed's shoulders tensed before he inclined his head “Yeah... bastard did a lot of things...” muttered before he glanced at the silent blond, who was looking slightly green “By the way shorty, where's that little brother of yours?”

Ed looked away with a forlorn expression “Why do you think I joined the Marines? I don't know, and it's super easy to gather information from the inside... but I've heard nothing and while sure, that's a good thing, it also means I'm no closer than I was five years ago.”

Greed snorted “Thought for a moment you'd gone all Justice bullshit on me.”

The blond looked him straight in the eye and uttered only one name “King Bradley.”

The raven paused before admitting defeat “Point.”

The exchange further endeared the former marine to the pirate crew. The sort of loyalty the blond had for his brother was admirable, not to mention his apparent camaraderie with one of their brothers. His freeing of Ace didn't hurt his case either. The light atmosphere dissipated, however, when the blond went to move but instead paled and clutched his right shoulder, the one connected to his metal arm.

Greed was the first to act “Oi, oi, show me.”

Ed couldn't push him away and the older man ended up tearing what was left of his shirt and coat “Oi, oi, what's with these burns?”

The former Marine chuckled in obvious pain “Well, that's what happens when you take on a blast of lava with your metal arm, genius.”

Greed cursed and slid his arm under the blond's and around his back, lifting him with ridiculous ease “Someone get Whitey! The pipsqueak is in a ton of pain even if he won't admit it.”

“Shut up, Mr 'I don't fight women'.” Ed grumbled, not even trying to get his legs under him and letting their brother drag him off.

“If this is about your damn housewife of a teacher-”

“Heh. Missed you too, asshole.”

“Geez, don't get sappy on me.”

The duo disappeared below deck, where the infirmary was, and left behind them a somewhat stunned silence.

Ace was the one to break it, rubbing his head “He kept visiting me in Impel Down, and he never mentioned Greed even once, must've been a hard topic.”

This caught Marco's, and everyone else's, attention “He visited you? Multiple times? Why?”

The Fire Logia shrugged “I don't know where he heard it from, probably Smoker, but he said it was because he was like me... that he was also looking for his little brother. The first thing he did was ask if I'd ever seen him. Seemed real disappointed when I said I hadn't. I honestly thought he wouldn't come back after that, but he visited three times after that and the next time I saw him after his last visit was on the execution platform. Honestly, I probably would've been worse off mentally if he hadn't started visiting me.” the young man mused before shrugging “He mostly vented about his deadbeat dad and people from his home island.”

Chapter Text

Ed was lying in the infirmary bed, only slightly miffed, but mostly doped on pain-killers. Apparently he'd scored brownie-points with the nurse for helping rescue Ace and killing the bastard that had almost killed the fire Logia and Greed. The blond hadn't pointed out that he would've done it anyway and instead enjoyed the feeling of no pain. At least there was no Armstrong to invade his hospital room and mentally traumatize him for life.

He was also silently cackling at Greed having to put up with the nurses even though he'd already regenerated. And of course, only Greed knew that was what he was doing, so the entire nursing staff were on his side when Greed decided to glare at him. Oh, glorious karma.

Bastard still got to leave before him though.

By the time Ed was allowed to leave, he had had exactly two visitors combined. Greed didn't count since he had been stuck in the infirmary with him. Ace had come to check up on him and the First Division Commander had also stopped by briefly. They had exchanged a few words, but the younger blond wondered if the man was waiting until he was in a better condition before he would talk about what he really wished to know.

Of course, Ed wasn't the only occupant, but the other person in the sterile room wasn't exactly in any condition to socialize, what with him being unconscious. He'd been told the man was named Thatch, and he'd been stabbed by the same traitor that had handed Ace over to the Marines. Ed spent some of his time staring at the heart monitor the man was hooked up to, letting the steady beeps of the machine wash over him.

Ed wasn't sure where the change of clothes had come from, but at least he still had his boots. A black jacket and pants along with a white button-up was his get-up and once he'd stuffed his watch in his pocket he was good to go. He wondered if he'd been given black to cancel out the memory of him wearing a white Justice-coat. He hadn't been given gloves, but then again, there was no reason to hide his automail anymore. Everyone knew he'd been in the infirmary so long because of the burns it had caused due to Akainu. His hair was in a braid instead of the ponytail he'd had in the Marines and it laid over his shoulder as he made his way towards where Whitebeard would be.

Honestly, he was just following the feel of Greed, having gotten used to his haki. It was weird being able to sense people and Ed wondered if this was what Ling and the other Xingans had been talking about when they talked about Qi.

He found Greed sitting on the back of Whitebeard's huge chair with one leg bent, the other hanging down on the other side, out of sight. The Homunculus burst out laughing at the sight of him.

“Oh, wow, this sure brings back memories!”

Ed raised an eyebrow, moving the jacket with his flesh hand in acknowledgment, showing the inside briefly as he gave it a cursory glance. He did look like he had right before the promised day.

“Well, it wasn't like I picked the outfit.” the blond sniped back at him, sighing “At least we're not trying to overthrow a maniac controlling the country from the shadows... and I am not a human sacrifice.” he shivered “Creepy old man.”

Greed shivered too “Eurgh, don't remind me.”

Father had been really creepy during their first meeting, when he'd inserted Greed into Ling's body. Honestly, in hindsight, much of what the being had done was really, really creepy. At the time, however, there had been no time for anything but the thought of taking him down.

Whitebeard frowned at the end of the exchange “Human sacrifice?”

Ed grimaced at the reminder of the pain “My brother, my teacher, my superior, my- my fath-” Ed stumbled over the title, still not completely sure how he felt about the man “And myself,” he continued, ignoring the sympathetic looks he got as he did, those listening having figured out what he'd tried to say “we were used to power an array that would let that bastard gain the power of god. It would have worked had Hoenheim not prepared for it.” he finished.

It was easier to call him by name instead of his title. It still hurt, though.

“It was somewhat straightforward after that. Mustang, my superior, had to fight blind because of what they'd done to him. The bastard was nearly impervious to damage and just as we were starting to get somewhere, everything went downhill...” Ed's eyes dulled as he remembered that moment.

“I couldn't move... I couldn't move and no one was near enough to stop him from getting to me... and then Al-” he choked, tears coming to his eyes, though he refused to let them fall.

“Al sacrificed himself for me... and with that, I could rip out the debris piecing my arm and pinning me down. That bastard was on his last dregs when he got his hands on Greed, stuck his hand right into his gut and started absorbing him.”

There were a bunch of disgusted faces and Ed snorted “Trust me, it's worse than it sounds. I couldn't get there in time and no matter how hard he tried, Ling couldn't keep 'Father' from absorbing Greed... though that might have been because Greed suckerpunched the idiot in the face so that he'd let go.”

Greed snorted at the looks he received a that “Idiot was spouting how we could fight it, how he needed me to come back to Xing with him so that he could become Emperor. I just told him I agreed and then used his distraction to make him let go so that he wouldn't get absorbed too. Kid was mine. And no one hurts mine.”

The blond scoffed with a smile, shaking his head “Possessive bastard.”

“I am Greed the Avaricious, what did you expect, midget?”

Ed smirked, before dropping the expression and continuing “Greed used his ability to turn Father's body into charcoal instead of the diamond-hard carbon shell he'd been aiming for, causing the bastard to yank him out and discard him like trash... we watched him disintegrate and thought he was dead. I may or may not have gone berserk and punched a hole through the bastard's chest. The damage was enough for the power he had absorbed moments before to destroy him, since he could no longer hold it back. I managed, by sheer dumb luck and a huge gamble, to save Al after yelling at Hoenheim for even insinuating I use his life in exchange for Alphonse... that was... the first time I called him dad, after seeing him again.” the blond chuckled brokenly “I didn't want to care... not after what he did...”

Greed found it necessary to quip “Still better than mine.”

A snort left the younger of the two “True that.”

Whitebeard sat silently, taking in the form of the child that had joined an organization he disliked for the sake of searching for his brother. A former Nakama of Greed. It was obvious that the two were well-acquainted and on friendly terms for the most part. He had not lived this long without being able to see things differently from others. He knew very well neither of the two were telling the whole story, but he could tell they were not lying. That was fine. He did not care for one's past, all he cared about was what they did in life.

After all, Teach's past had had nothing to do with his betrayal, only his ambitions for the future.

“Join my family.”

Edward jerked and took a step back, looking up at Newgate with wide, somewhat distrustful eyes. He could tell the 22-year-old was taken aback by the offer.

“It will be all over the news soon enough, I'm sure your little brother will read all about Marineford and if you join me, then you might just find him faster.”

The blond frowned thoughtfully “I guess... well, no other choice, is there? Guess what Greed? You're stuck with me again.”

The ravenette snorted “Just like the good old days, just don't get impaled this time.”

“That was one time and you weren't even there!”

Whitebeard laughed as his newest son bickered with his new brother. It was good to see his children happy.

Chapter Text

Maes Hughes didn't know who he was. He didn't know where he was from, to whom he was born, or how he had ended up on the island he had met his current co-workers at. All he knew was that he'd been a soldier and that the uniform he'd been wearing had been covered in blood. He knew he carried an insane amount of pictures with him, all of the same people. He also knew he was damn good with throwing knives, which he'd demonstrated while taking down some slavers trying to capture Hack, a fishman and Revolutionary.

He had no idea why he had called the man a Chimera, but he hadn't slipped up that many times since getting to know him. He wasn't the only amnesiac in the organization, but he wasn't as blank as Sabo. Hughes often had flashes of scenes skitter in front of his eyes when he came across something familiar. He was also certain he was familiar with investigation work from his time before the memory loss. Unlike Sabo, whom he'd known since the kid was 14, Hughes wasn't content with letting his memories stay forgotten and often gazed at the photos he'd carried with him.

He remembered all too keenly speaking to Hack about Sabo and Koala being part of the Revolutionary army, only to be assaulted by a similar scene where he'd made similar points as he had then, to a man with black hair, though some words had still evaded him.

“Hey, why did you decide to make... a State... He's still just a child.”

“As long as he's in the military, he'll end up having to go through hell.”

“Like we did.”

Suffice to say, Hughes hadn't been feeling all that well the rest of the day. He didn't have them often, but when the flashes came, Hughes was left feeling strangely bereft. There were many things he did not understand, words and terms that left him feeling sorrow or rage or regret.

Gun no inu.

Renkinjitsu.

Jintai rensei.

Ishval.

He didn't understand. At least, not until Sabo, now 17, came back with a stray.

That changed everything.

He'd heard Sabo's report, well, the short version over Den Den Mushi anyway, so he knew the operation had gone a little sideways and that he'd been assisted by someone, whom he then took with him even before he'd asked permission from Dragon-san. Koala had tried ripping him a new one at that, but the boy had hung up on her. The interaction was familiar, as if he'd witnessed it before, and he didn't mean the fact that he'd seen the two do this many times before. He wasn't sure why, but every time he witnessed it, his chest hurt. When the kid finally showed up, a little banged up but no worse for wear, Hughes could see another blond teen with him, his hair much lighter than Sabo's. Hughes shook his head and went on his way to file his own report on his last job, not looking closer at the person the younger amnesiac had dragged with him.

“Ah, that's our Head of Investigations, kind of redundant considering what we do is mostly investigation anyway, but he's great at what he does, his name is-”

“Hughes-san.”

Maes stopped in his tracks.

He knew this voice.

He'd never heard this voice.

Those two thoughts clashed with each other as he turned to face the newcomer, now clearly spotting a pair of golden eyes staring straight at him while they filled with tears.

He'd heard this voice.

He'd never seen this person before.

Those two thoughts didn't clash, even though, logically, they made no sense.

The blond boy seemed to decide on something before lunging forwards, tears overflowing “Hughes-san!”

The bespectacled man stumbled and dropped his papers as he was tackled into a hug. He was in enough shock that he didn't protest as the teen clinging to him started babbling “Nii-san and I thought you were dead! Envy said he killed you and he even framed Lieutenant Ross and-”

“Lieutenant Ross? No, it isn't. Who are you?”

Hughes let out a choked noise as he grabbed the blond's shoulders at the sudden, unexpected new memory.

“I'm 2nd Lieutenant Maria Ross. Have you forgotten?”

“No, you're not. Lieutenant Ross has a mole under her left eye!”

Suddenly, he realized just who was clinging to him, warm and shorter than he himself was. More roughly than was strictly necessary, Maes dislodged the crying teen from himself and held him at arms length, taking in everything.

“Al? Alphonse? You're Alphonse, aren't you? Alphonse Elric?”

Pale hair and gold eyes, both the exact shade as his brother's. There was no mistaking it. This was the younger Elric brother, flesh and blood. Which meant-

Hughes smiled, happy and more relieved than he remembered ever feeling “You did it. You really did it, the two of you. And? What about Roy? Did he-?”

Al smiled brightly up at him “Colonel Mustang is doing great, last we heard. He may not be Führer yet, but he's the most likely candidate to be next, you can bet on that.” his face fell then and he looked down “I'm sorry.”

The 32-year-old blinked down at him “For what?”

Alphonse started shaking, refusing to look at him as he spoke “Because of us, the Homunculus targeted you... because of us... because of us...”

The Amestrisian soldier smiled gently and brought the distraught boy into a hug “It couldn't be helped. Even if I had never seen that circle, never heard about the process of making a Philosopher's stone, I would have noticed something. I was in Investigations for a reason, you know.”

“But...”

Hughes let his hand pat the golden hair on top of Alphonse's head “You succeeded in what you set out to do. That's enough... that's more than enough for me.”

Hack had been making his way over as soon as Alphonse had started moving, but stopped when it became clear the boy obviously knew him. Then, to the shock and awe of everyone present (or just shock in Dragon's case) they had seen recognition in Hughes' eyes. When the man actually looked at the kid and clearly stated a name none of them had ever heard, they came to a startling conclusion.

Hughes had his memories back.

“Speaking of, where is Edward?”

A new name. Hack's eyes sharpened at the additional evidence that their elder amnesiac wasn't an amnesiac anymore.

Alphonse, as the boy had been identified by their Head of Investigations, looked down sadly “I don't know. Nii-san and I got separated. I haven't been able to find him.”

Maes smiled “Ah, Ed can take care of himself, don't you worry.”

As Alphonse nodded, Hack finally made his presence known “I guess we're one amnesiac short now, eh, Maes-san?”

Both of them looked up and while the bespectacled man looked sheepish, the blond blinked up at him before his face screwed up in concentration “Chimera?”

Everyone's eyes widened at the familiar term even as Hughes let go of Alphonse's shoulders and, with a finger in the air, said: “Fishman, Alphonse. Fishman. He was born like that.”

The blond looked back to the elder man with a faint “Oh,” before turning back to Hack with a sheepish smile “Sorry about that, I thought you were like Greed's subordinates.”

This meant nothing and only caused more confusion, though Hughes' face turned shocked “Greed? With Lust and Envy... just how many of them are there?”

The younger of the two answered promptly “Seven. Well, eight, technically. And Greed wasn't so bad, he defected a while ago, but then he got brainwashed or something. He did break free after a while and helped us with the Coup.”

“Coup?!”

Al winced “Ah, perhaps I shouldn't have said that...”

“You have a lot to explain, young man!”

“Well, I think he had to leave after he attacked Wrath-”

“Who's Wrath?”

“Um, Führer King Bradley-”

“You mean he was one of them?!”

Suffice to say, everyone was distracted until the duo went elsewhere to continue their catching up. One thing was for sure though, Hughes was much happier after that day.

He also started showing pictures of his wife and kid to everyone. There was no stopping him.

“Can we have his amnesia back?”

“Too late.”

“Urgh...”

Chapter Text

Flick. Click. Flick. Click. Flick. Click. Flick. Click. Flick. Click. Fli-

Edward violently shut the lid of his watch as he sat beside the comatose 4th Division Commander. It wasn't that he was hiding, but... who was he kidding, he was hiding from the rest of his new “family”.

The former State Alchemist sighed and leaned back against the backrest of the frankly uncomfortable chair which seemed to be normal for hospitals everywhere. Here, there was no one intruding on his thoughts or asking questions or anything. It was just him and the steady beeps of the monitor. And the nurses, but they let him stay since he was actually being quiet unlike some people. And he let them check on his burns. It was a small sacrifice for some peace and quiet.

“I thought I'd find you here, yoi.”

The amber-eyed alchemist tilted his head back and to the side to look at his fellow blond with a dispassionate look, before sighing and leaning forwards, resting his elbows on his knees “What do you want, Phoenix?”

The Zoan quirked an eyebrow, but didn't comment on the address. Ed had been using titles instead of names whenever he could, but no one really knew why “Why do you keep avoiding us? We're family now, yoi.”

The eldest living Elric sighed, closing his eyes before opening them again and leaning against the backrest, eyes resting on the ceiling “Little brother, little brother...” he sighed “That's what they keep calling me...”

Marco stayed silent, patiently waiting for him to continue, and he did.

“I've never been anything but a big brother. That good for nothing father left when I was five and mom died soon afterwards, leaving just me and Al... Al became my responsibility and that was fine. But now...”

Marco hummed “I see.”

He did? Good, 'cause even though he'd spoken, Ed sure didn't. Being called little brother... he didn't know how to handle it.

The younger blond sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his bangs falling around his eyes like a curtain “The last time someone took care of me... of both of us... Hughes was the only one I let in... but he dug too deep and the next time we heard anything, he was dead... because he felt responsible for us...” he chuckled as he brought his flesh hand up to rest his face against “It's stupid... but I'm afraid if I let someone be the one responsible for me... it'll happen again... and I'll lose another person close to me.”

The 1st Division Commander stood silently for a moment, before he stepped closer and ruffled the pale gold locks of the Alchemist, who looked up at him with tired eyes.

The man smiled slightly “It's not stupid, yoi. But I think we've already proven we don't go down that easily.”

Nothing more was said and soon enough, Ed was alone in the room, falling asleep to the steady beeps of the heart-monitor. He didn't notice the other occupant stirring momentarily before stilling again.