lucetilogs | Post-Event Reaction Log!

Don't fall behind, old man. [Which. Is another world for not-dad! ...Okay, he'll work his way up to it. One hand in his pocket, Edward doesn't look back, but he can hear Hohenheim's footsteps, and feels a surprising relief. They're a pretty pathetic little family, but maybe he can teach his idiot father a thing or two about sticking around. He's got time for it, now.

He's quiet for a long moment, lost in thought, considering all that had happened in the last several days, and - going a little further - the last several months. It's been a bumpy ride, but... they've all come a long way, haven't they? Yeah. But there's some things that need to be said.]

Last week... when I disappeared for a day? I went home. I was back in Amestris.

[ Being able to walk alongside Edward like this brought a little bit of joy to Hohenheim. Usually his son didn't want anything to do with him, highly in contrast with Alphonse who seemed to yearn for Hohenheim's attention. Nevertheless, the old alchemist was making the best of this situation by being quiet and enjoying the moment. He walked alongside Edward with the goofiest grin on his face until the boy began to speak. ]

They sent you back to Amestris?

[ He nearly stopped in mid stride when he heard that. ]

But how? I mean, why? I thought the Malnosso wanted to keep us here, not send us back home.

[That makes Edward glance over in irritated surprise; it's not often that Hohenheim makes such a clearly ignorant statement, as far as he's observed.]

What? Haven't you even seen- [...No, probably not. He hasn't been here that long. With a frustrated sigh, Edward faces forward again, expression flat.] Nevermind, it doesn't matter. Either way, I got sent back. We made it through the Promised Day.

Edited 2012-04-11 09:46 (UTC)

[ Hohenheim's blood ran cold as soon as Edward mentioned the Promised Day. He knew that the two of them would try to combine their efforts to stop Father from achieving his plans, but he honestly wasn't sure if he wanted to hear what happened. Had the two of them failed, all of Amestris would be lost including everyone they cherished.

However judging by Edward's reemergence in Luceti, he assumed that they somehow won. ]

...I see.

[ A frown settled on his face. ]

If you survived the Promised Day, then I'm surprised that you still have your automail.

[Another pause, as Edward lifts his hand to gaze at it for a moment. He's been trying not to dwell on what he'd regained for a day only to lose again, but it's pretty hard to ignore when it's staring him in the face.]

...I had it. For half a day, I had my arm back. Al sacrificed his soul to give it back... so I could win the fight.

[ The world weary alchemist literally froze when Edward said that. To think that his youngest son would go as far as to sacrifice himself for his brother really touched Hohenheim's heart. Yet at the same time, a sense of dread washed over him as he thought of the consequences of this self-less act. Knowing full well that he would never stand for this sort of ending, Hohenheim already knew what must be done.

He utterly refuses to let his sons suffer any further. ]

Edward.

[ His face was solemn and grim now. ]

You and Alphonse won't be separated for long.

[ Of course he's certain that Edward knew what he was plotting to do, so it goes without saying that Hohenheim plans to sacrifice himself to save Alphonse. He doesn't care much about his own existence, at least not as much as he cares for the lives of his sons. If he can bring his son back, then he'll do it and use himself as the sacrifice. ]

What?

[Edward is baffled for a moment, stopping in the middle of the street to look back in confusion at Hohenheim... and then he laughs.

He can't help it, really; he was angry before, furious actually, at the suggestion Hohenheim had made back in Amestris, to give up the remainder of his life as a trade-off for Alphonse. "Because I'm your father." It all comes down to that - that dumbass and his self-sacrificing solutions to everything - but he's not mad anymore. Edward laughs not because the prospect of such sacrifice is funny, not because it's a stupid suggestion (and it is, it definitely is).

No, he laughs because, in retrospect, the solution to the problem all along was so painfully simple. If he'd thought of it years ago, their entire journey would have ended before it even began.

But then, a lesson without suffering is meaningless, isn't it? That is the ultimate truth.]

It's okay. [It's a brief laugh, for Hohenheim's sake, fading quickly into a surprisingly easygoing grin. He can't be mad at this. It's the ultimate victory, the one he and Al had shared. Together, they'd beaten Truth. He can't ever be mad about that.] You don't need to do anything, you idiot. I got him back.

[And it was worth it. Knowing he'll return to that, live a lifetime without alchemy, the life of an ordinary human being. Something he'd always been, just as he'd told Truth itself.

So worth it.]

[ Well now, that wasn't the response he had expected to hear from the boy. Hell, that wasn't even remotely in the same ballpark! Why in the world is he laughing at him?! Hohenheim just stood there stunned. ]

Edward!

[ He nearly yelled in dismay and horror. Does his son truly hate him this much to laugh at him so? This is just terrible! ]

Huh? What do you mean you got him back? And I'll have you know that I'm not an idiot!

You are if you think I'd let you sacrifice your Philosopher's Stone to get Al back.

[Yeah, he knows what you were thinking, you good-for-nothing dad. it's an easy thing to guess, especially when Hohenheim had tried it in Amestris.]

Al wouldn't have wanted that. We'd promised each other- we wouldn't use a Philosopher's Stone, and we wouldn't let anyone else die for us. There was another solution, though... I didn't realize it until that moment. The Gate of Truth- my Gate of Truth- it was mine to sacrifice. So that's what I did.

[No one died, no one lost anything, no one was left behind or alone. Alchemy for Al. It's the least equivalent exchange he can think of, actually.]

You defeated Truth by sacrificing your Gate to it?

[ There's no way that could've been the solution. Just how did the boy manage to think of that? To sacrifice his own Gate of Truth for the sake of Alphonse's life...

Why the hell didn't Hohenheim think of that himself? No, why hasn't anyone thought of that? ]

...I can't believe it. You actually did it.

Aren't you supposed to believe in me? Some father you are.

[It had taken some desperate thinking and willpower to get it done, though, so it's understandable that it took so long. He'd clung to alchemy too much, relied on it for too long. Giving it up when he'd always thought it was the answer to everything? Heh, no way.]

I do believe in you, Edward. It's just that I didn't think it would ever be that simple.

[ It seems that the both of them clung to alchemy far too much for their own good. Who would've ever guessed that the answer would be right under their noses? Now Hohenheim couldn't help but feel terrible for even suggesting to use himself as a sacrifice.

He's an idiot after all. ]

Neither did I, obviously. [Well, he can't really blame Hohenheim- the man already blamed himself for what had happened to them, apparently, which is something Ed himself had only recently learned. But it is their fault, not his, and that's why he's glad they finally found a solution to the problem.

Speaking of which, though...]

Coming back here, though, everything's been reversed. My arm is automail again, and I can still use alchemy. I don't really get it, but it looks like I'm back the way I was until I go home for good.

I wonder why, no, rather I wonder how that happened, Edward. If you already successfully reclaimed your limb and lost your alchemy, then how could you possess it now?

[ A frown settled on his face as he continued to ponder about this odd mystery. ]

Do you mean state that the Malnosso brought your body back here from an earlier period of time, but left your memories intact? Seems rather plausible if you ask me, especially considering some of the feats the Malnosso have performed thus far.

We were warned about that part, so I was kind of expecting it. They'd told us that if we were sent back, everything would be reversed like it'd never happened. It's why I didn't bother volunteering in the first place- I wanted to go back and make it through the Promised Day, but not if it wasn't even going to matter.

[So they'd just picked he and Haruhi out of a barrel or something? Or the whole experiment had gone wrong. They'd pretty much admitted that anyway, so whether it was really an accident or not is the real question.]

I see...

[ Not sure what to think now that the Promised Day had come and went for Edward, Hohenheim finds himself struggling now in finding the right words to say. He's grateful that his son managed to finish what he could not, but at the same time he's somewhat lamenting over the fact that his sons had to finish what he began. Had he been better prepared or perhaps been a better father, neither Edward or Alphonse would've needed to intervene.

Yet and still, Hohenheim felt this strange sense of peace now that the nightmare has come to an end. It didn't really matter whether it had been him or his sons to defeat the Homunculus for as long as they won and prevented Armageddon for Amestris. ]

At least all of your efforts up to this point has mattered enough to save the lives of the many.

[ He grins faintly at Edward. ]

You did well, son.

[Edward is quiet for a long moment, considering that. Hohenheim... didn't really compliment him. Didn't compliment anyone, as far as he knew. It's a little surreal to hear it.

But then, Hohenheim had surprised him a lot that day. And maybe he'd surprised himself a little, too.

There's something else that's bothering him, something niggling at the back of his mind, as much as he tries to dismiss it. He's worried about saying it, what it could mean, what it could change. And whether or not it would seem like an accusation. It's not- not entirely. He'd been given the hints to find the answer himself, if he wanted to look. ...But he didn't. He didn't want to, not really.

Because Hohenheim hadn't been there, at the end of it all.]

...Everyone fought. We did it together.

[ Edward's following words somewhat surprised him, but it was a welcomed surprise at least. Hohenheim knew that the boy sometimes let his ego get the better of him, but now wasn't one of those times. ]

I'm sure we did. There was too much at stake for failure to be an option.

[ Spotting their home up ahead, Hohenheim let out a slight sigh. ]

I'm glad you've returned, Edward.

[ His gaze settled on his son again. ]

I was considering giving this home away, but now...maybe I'll keep it.

[Edward returns the glance in Hohenheim's direction, then shifts his gaze to focus on the house they'd been sharing since Hohenheim had convinced him to come back from the mountain. It had been awkward and more than a little difficult at times, but he can't deny that it's still nice to have a place to return to, even if it's only the man he's hated all this time waiting for him.

Still, it's... it's hard, when it's just the two of them. And he's thinking about more than just the lack of cooking skills. Maybe if it had been Al, it would've been better, but he can't help but letting his eyes drift towards the house across the road, where Winry and the Hughes family lived. Where he'd lived for most of his stay in Luceti. That's still more like a home to him than anywhere else.]

...It's hard, being the only one there.

[And after everything he'd learned on the Promised Day...

"I still have my friends."

...he just... doesn't want to be alone.]

[ Noticing the direction where Edward's gaze fell, Hohenheim couldn't help but smile sadly. He knew that the boy wasn't fond of him and despite his efforts thus far, the old alchemist knew he could never be a good father to Edward. ]

That it is, but I won't force you to come back.

[ He sighed. ]

Not if you don't want to.

[Edward shoots a surprised glance in Hohenheim's direction, genuinely caught off guard. If he's just trying to pawn him off on the Hughes' now, he-

....

No, he knows better than that now. Pursing his lips, Edward faces forward again, focusing on the Elric house, rather than the Hughes'. That's where he lives. Whether or not it's home doesn't matter right now.]

No one's saying that.

Post-Event Reaction Log!

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