Edward Elric woke up on a train. It wasn't anything unusual for him, seeing as he fell asleep on trains a lot. But he couldn't remember when he got on the the train, or where he was going.

He turned to his side to ask Al, but he wasn't there. Huh?

Then he remembered. He wasn't searching for the Philosopher's Stone anymore. He had already found it and gotten Al's body back. They had bought a nice apartment in Central and settled down. Ed was promoted to Colonel and worked at Central HQ.

So why was he on a train?

He did a survey of his surroundings first. Was there anyone who might have knocked him out? Nope, he was the only one in his compartment.

He turned his senses inwards. Was he sick or injured? Maybe that was why he blacked out. But that was also a no. In fact, he felt better than he ever had in his life. Even the weight and aches from his automail was gone.

Wait...

He flexed his fingers and realized for the first time that he could feel his glove. And the sleeve of his coat. He yanked off his long black coat. (How he got it, he didn't know. He'd never seen the thing in his life.)

To his amazement, the automail was gone. He had his arm back! He didn't have to take off his boot to know that his leg was back, too.

He was excited, that was for sure. But he was also wary. How exactly had he gotten his limbs back? What had he payed in exchange? And what was up with the red swirls tattooed all over him?

Who had done this and why couldn't he remember?

The train whistle blew. He looked out the window. They were pulling into a familiar station. Dublith. Perfect! He could ask Teacher about it.

He shuddered. If she doesn't kill me first...

---

Ed knocked nervously on the door of Sig's butcher's shop. The door flew open and he ducked instinctively. Unfortunately, Izumi had chosen to go with a low kick this time. She caught Ed right in the forehead.

"Ow!" he complained, glaring up at his teacher. He stood up, clutching his forehead. "Nice to see you too, Teacher," he couldn't help but snap.

That earned him another kick, this one high. Ed blocked it with his right forearm, expecting it.

Izumi's eyes widened when she hit flesh instead of metal. She lowered her fighting stance and stepped aside, letting Ed in. "I take it you have another story to tell?"

Ed raised an eyebrow. "You could say that."

---

"I never really took you for the type to get tattoos."

Ed stood in the middle of Izumi and Sig's kitchen. He wore a high-necked, tight crop top and some sort of black skort. The red tattoos swirled over his torso, arms, and legs. His elevator boots, white gloves, and black coat lay in a pile beside him. His hair was untied and hung halfway down his back.

Izumi smirked. "Strange fashion choices, too."

Ed scowled and crossed his arms. "I can promise you that I did not choose this. I look like that gender-confused palm tree." His hair fell in his face. He huffed. "Do you have an elastic?"

Sig left, presumably to find an elastic, but Izumi knew that he was actually leaving to give them their privacy.

She gave Ed the signal that he could put his coat back on. They sat down at the table. "So how did you get your arm and leg back? And did Alphonse get his body back, too?"

"Yes, he did." Ed smiled warmly, a smile that Izumi hadn't seen since the boys had first come to train. Every smile she had seen since then had a dark shadow of stress and guilt beneath it. Now, though, it was pure again. "We did it, Teacher! We completed our mission! We found a Philosopher's Stone and got Al his body back. It only had enough power to restore him and not me, but that's okay. I'm fine with living with automail as long as Al's back to normal." Confusion clouded over Ed's face. He stared at his right hand. "But I don't have automail anymore, do I?"

"So you didn't restore yourself?"

Ed frowned. "No. Honestly, I don't know what happened, and it's really worrying me," he admitted. "What was the toll? And who payed it? I don't remember anything."

Izumi was proud that Ed was admitting that he was worried. She was glad that he wasn't bottling it up like he was before. But this time was different, she supposed. This time, Ed wasn't the one who caused the problem, so there was no reason for him to suck it up and deal with it. She wanted to help him, but she still didn't understand enough. And what did he mean by he didn't remember? "Tell me everything."

Ed told her how he found the stone and restored Al. She scowled when he got to the part about staying in the military, but told him to continue.

"But this is where it gets fuzzy," he explained. "I sort of remember what my job was, but I can't remember actually doing it. I think I saw Envy, too, but I'm not sure. I don't know why I would be seeing him."

"Envy?" Was that a person?

"Oh, yeah. I never told you about the homunculi." Izumi's eyes widened, but Ed kept going. "There's seven of them, I think. Each one's named after one of the deadly sins- you know, Lust, Greed, Wrath, et cetera, et cetera. I've really only run into three- Lust, Gluttony, and Envy." He frowned. "I feel like I've met Pride, but I can't remember... Whatever. Anyways, I don't know where they come from or who made them, but they're super powerful. They won't die when you kill them. They can regenerate somehow with alchemy, and they each have their own supernatural power. Envy can shape-shift. Lust has, like, these dagger fingernails... It's weird. Gluttony will just eat anything."

Izumi took all that in. So, homunculi did exist. And Ed had met them. It didn't exactly surprise her, knowing Ed's knack for getting into trouble. She tried to see if they had anything to do with Ed's current state. A theory began to piece itself together in her mind.

"So you say you saw Envy?"

"I might've."

"Let's say you did. The person who created him must be a really skilled alchemist, to be able to do what some many alchemists have tried and failed." That included the two alchemists at the table, but no one wanted to point that out. "If they can create a homunculus and survive, they should be skilled enough to return your limbs. If you passed out somehow and Envy brought you to his master, maybe they restored you."

Ed still seemed hesitant. "I get your point," he said slowly, "but I've met Envy. He's not nice. He tried to kill me. I doubt his master would want to help me out of the kindness of his heart."

Izumi nodded. She had also thought of that. "That's the problem. They helped you, but at a cost. Now we need to figure out what that cost is." It was an improbable theory, seeing as Ed wasn't sure whether or not he actually saw Envy, but it made sense. Too much sense.

Ed's eyes widened in horror. "Al..." His voice sounded strangled. He leapt out of his chair. He started pulling on his boots. "Sorry, Teacher. I have to go to Central. Thank you for everything!" He pulled his coat tight around his shoulders and ran out the door, slamming it behind him.

Izumi watched him leave. She was sad to see him go so soon, but she knew that he wouldn't rest until he was sure his brother was safe. Plus, she knew that her boys would return to her, no matter what the circumstances.

Her boys...

"I talked to him as an equal this time..."