Encounters and farwells Chap 1

"Edward, can you come out here please?"

Edward Elric looked up from the thin, paperback book he'd been reading at the sound of his mother's voice, his big, gold eyes cast in the direction of the open front door from whence his mother's voice had issued.

"Edward!"

"Coming!" he shouted back. The young boy marked his spot in the book and jumped down off the sofa to answer his mother's call.  

"Hi, Mommy," Edward said hugging Trisha Elric's leg tightly once he had found her on the front porch.  

"Hello, my little man," Trisha said giving her eldest son an affectionate pat on his blonde head. "There's someone I want you to meet."

Edward hadn't noticed until now that his mother was not alone: A married couple by appearance was looking down at Edward with smiles on their faces. Standing a slightly behind the woman was a little girl with big blue eyes and blonde hair, holding tightly to the woman's hand. She turned slightly red when Edward looked at her and moved to hide more of herself behind whom Edward thought must be her mother. He too felt himself growing shy and clutched his mother's skirt seeking comfort.

"Wow, Ed, you've certainly gotten big," the man said leaning down slightly to get a better look at him.

Edward beamed; he loved it when people told him he'd grown.

"He's still a bit small for his age though, isn't he?" The woman asked Trisha.

"Hey, I'm not small!" Edward said daringly.

The woman looked down at him and chuckled.

"No, of course you're not," she said smiling at the angry young boy.

Edward pouted.

"Edward this is Auntie Sara and Uncle Riley," said Trisha.

"Hi."

"And that little cutie is Winry," said Trisha, gesturing to the little girl hiding behind Sara.

"Say 'hi' Winry," Sara said pushing the little girl out behind her.

Winry looked at Edward for a moment, her vibrant, blue eyes wide before looking down at her feet and smiling shyly.

"Hi," she said to the ground.

Edward took a step to the side to hide behind Trisha.

"Oh, don't be shy Ed," said Trisha. "You've met Winry before."

Edward looked up at his mother in confusion.

"The Rockbells used to live with Granny Pinako but they had to move to Central just after Al was born. You and Winry used to play together."

"I played with a girl?"

The adults all laughed at this question. Edward couldn't see what was so funny and neither, by the look of it, could Winry: she looked up at him sharply, glare at Edward and no longer looking remotely shy.

"What's wrong with playing with girls?" she asked, defiantly.

"Girls are weird," Edward said with an air of explaining something painfully obvious. "All they do is giggle."

"Not all girls. Your mom's a girl."

Edward looked up at his mother before stamping his foot in frustration a glowering at Winry.

"Nuh-uh!"

The adults thought that was really funny.

"Alright you two, that's enough," Trisha said calmly. "Ed, we're going over to Granny Pinako's for dinner. We you go tell your father to get ready while I get your brother up from his nap?"

"Yeah, where is he?"

"In his study."

"Okay," Edward ran back into the house and up the stairs to his father's study, knocking softly on the door as he was required to do before entering the room.

"Come in," came the exhausted voice of Von Hoenheim.

"Edward opened the door and peered into the small, cluttered office. His father was sitting at his desk, his face buried in his hands. Several thick volumes were strewn across the desk as well as crumpled pieces of paper with illegible scribbles written on them in Hoenheim hand. Hoenheim had been in here a lot, and he always seemed tired and sad. Edward had noticed and had asked his father what was wrong a few weeks ago but he had simply smiled and responded, "Just some grown up things. You needn't worry." But Edward still wondered what had his father so frustrated.

"What'cha doing?" Edward asked entering the room while taking care not to step on the books that were left on the floor.

Hoenheim looked around.

"Oh, hello Edward," he said taking his glasses off and rubbing his tired eyes. "I'm just studying."

Edward moved over to his father and crawled into his lap.

" 'Studying'?" he repeated, having never heard this word before.

"I'm trying to learn some more," said Hoenheim replacing his glasses and closing the book he'd book he'd been taking notes from. Edward squinted at the title, attempting to comprehend what it said.

"Ad…ven…ad…. Daddy, what's this word?"

Hoenheim glanced down at the word Edward was pointing at.

"Advanced."

"What's that mean?"

"If you're advanced at something you're very good at it. For example, we could say you're an advanced reader for your age."

Edward grinned at his father with pride before looking back down at the book and attempting to decipher the rest of the title?

"Al… alchew--"

"Hard C," Hoenheim corrected gently.

"Alc…alchem…alchemy-yah."

"What sound does Y make at the end of a word?"

"An 'E' sound?"

Hoenheim nodded.

"Al…chem…y. Alchemy. Advanced Alchemy."

Edward looked up at his father. "What's alchemy?"

"It's the science of understand the structure of matter, breaking it down, and reconstructing as something else," Hoenheim responded promptly.

Edward stared at his father blankly.

"It… is basically taking one thing and changing it into another."

Edward's golden eyes widened in awe.

"Turning something into something else? That's like magic!"

"Not quite," Hoenheim said grinning. "Alchemy is as science. It's bound by the laws of nature. The basis of alchemy is Equivalent Exchange."

"Equi…Equ…equivil-what's that?"

"All gain requires sacrifice. If you want to create something you have to be willing to give something up. Alchemists are limited by the materials they start with. You can't create something from nothing. The effects of insufficient materials in a transmutation can be disastrous."

"But it's cool," said Edward, who hadn't been able to comprehend a word his father had just spoken to him. "Can you teach me, Daddy? Please?"

Hoenheim looked into his sons gold eyes, bright with excitement and hope, and smiled.

"Maybe when you're older."

Edward's face fell with disappointment.

"Aww."

That was one of his least favorite things to hear, Hoenheim knew. Edward wanted to be a grown up so badly it was rather funny. But as intelligent as his son was, alchemy would be too complex for him, at least for the time being.

"Was there something you wanted?" Hoenheim asked.

"Mommy says we're going to Granny's and you should start getting ready to go."

"Okay, go tell her I will."

"Alright."

Edward jumped off his father's lap but before running off he hugged his father's leg tightly.

"Bye, Daddy," and off he ran.

Hoenheim watched his son go with a horrible mix of pride in Edward's new interest in alchemy and a horrible sadness at the thought of what his rapidly growing son would someday become. And what Hoenheim would have to watch him and the rest of his family do if he couldn't find the answer he was looking for.