(A/N) I just want to clarify, this fic has NOTHING to do with FMA Brotherhood. It starts seven months to a year after the end of the 2003 version of FMA, and almost immediately after the end of the first season of SNK (Attack on Titan). Obviously there are spoilers if you haven't finished either of these series. Enjoy!

EDWARD

The jolt of the train woke him. Groaning, he rubbed his eyes and sat up. His silver pocket watch sat on the suitcase next to him. He flipped it open. 6:47. Not a bad time to be up, his stop was at eight. Yawning, he braided his long, blond hair down his back and dressed himself. He'd spent the last seven months dedicated to getting back. Back to the other side of the gate, back to Al. He was close now, he could feel it. He'd compiled the works of many scientists and engineers and now he only needed a small amount of information before he could test his device. The only other time he'd passed through the gate "backwards" was when his alternate self had died. That had provided the energy required to re-open the gate. However, this time his body had also been pulled through, automail and all. Not even the death toll of the Great War could provide the energy he needed. Quietly, so as to not disturb the man sleeping in the bunk across from him, Ed pulled out the blueprints he's made. If the man he was going to see had the information he needed, the device would be up and running, maybe within the week. He needed to confirm that there were no major design flaws.

The contraption was not elegant in design. An opaque white booth of sorts housed both the computer needed to control the device, and a space for one, maybe two, people to stand in. The computer was large, bulky, and fragile, which is why it required the case. It also needed a considerable amount of power to run, power which, if used correctly, could very possibly re-open the gate. That power was the last aspect he needed. The man he was going to see had theories of a "fusion" of atoms which provided a huge energy release. He was thought to be a madman, but Ed found hope in his work.

Everything in the design checked out. It seemed like it would hold, and force the gate open. Ed carefully slipped the plans back into his suitcase as the other man stirred. He rolled over and looked at Ed.

"You're up early, aren't you, - what was it?"

"Edward"

"Edward," the man nodded, "You seem like a strange kid, traveling around without your mum and pop." Ed looked at his feet. He didn't want to say it out loud, but the words stung. His mom was the reason he was in this situation in the first place. If she hadn't died- his gloved hands clenched into fists. He couldn't blame his mom; really he couldn't blame anyone but himself. His fists relaxed when he noticed the other man staring.

"It's not that strange, I just needed the freedom."

The other man nodded, skeptical, but without the desire to press. "You getting off at eight?" Ed nodded. "Well, good luck with whatever you're doing." The man smiled, and Ed reservedly returned it.

Soon after, the train slowed and skidded to a halt. Ed got off and began shoving his way through the busy station. Suddenly he stopped short. Standing not a meter away was his mom. Or at least, someone who looked almost exactly like her. They had the same eyes, the same face, the same gentle smile. The only difference was that her hair was slightly darker. Ed shook his head, he knew there would likely be duplicates of everyone he knew, the fact that she looked like his mom didn't mean anything. He glanced back at her, and their eyes met. "Hohenheim?" she mouthed.

Ed was startled. How did she know that name? The woman pushed her way through the crowd to him. She grabbed his face and looked into his eyes. She quickly dropped her hands and looked at her feet. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that. You just look like someone I know." She looked up at him and smiled slightly, "Karla, by the way."

"Edward, and you're fine." Looking at her closer, Ed noticed that she was young, maybe a year or two older than himself. Her eyes clouded over.

"Edward? That was his name… but it's only been a year…" she muttered. Looking back at him, she said, "Do you want to move away from here? I have a couple questions."

"Sure," Ed nodded, and they maneuvered out of the station and onto the considerably less busy street.

"Okay, this is going to sound like a seriously weird question, and I promise I'm not crazy, but what's your mother's name?"

"W-what?"

"I'm sorry; I know that's a strange thing to ask."

"Trisha," Ed answered. Karla looked up at him. "My mom's name was Trisha."

"Trisha? Oh my god, you're Ed Elric, aren't you? But, you weren't even a year old…"

"Okay, who the heck are you?" Ed demanded, "How do you know my name, how do you know my mom, and why do you look like her?"

"Ed, Ed, calm down," She put her hands on his shoulders and looked down into his face, "Ed, I'm Trisha's younger sister. I got pulled into this world when you were just a baby," confusion clouded her face, "But I've been here less than a year…"

"I don't think the timeline matches up. It was 1914 when I left my, our world, and it's 1921 here. So it's very likely that fifteen years in one world could only be a few months in the other," Ed theorized.

Karla thought, "Yeah that makes sense. But fifteen years? What happened? How's Trisha?"

Ed looked down at his feet, "Mom died seven years ago. Fever. We couldn't do anything." His eyes watered, and threatened to overflow. Karla gathered him into a hug.

"I'm so sorry," she said into his hair, tears wetting her cheeks. Typically, he wouldn't have let her hold him like this, like a child. But now was different. Though he had no memory of her, she was familiar and comforting. For the first time in seven months, Ed relaxed. She pulled back and held him at arm's length. She smiled, her wet cheeks glistening in the morning sun, "You look like your father."

"More than I'd like," Ed grimaced. The thought of his father still made him uneasy.

Karla's face fell. "Ed, what happened?"

"He left her. Right after Al was born he left and didn't come back for fourteen years. FOURTEEN YEARS." His fists and jaw clenched, he glared at a spot on the ground past his feet.

"Oh Ed, I'm so sorry," Karla's eyes were full of sadness. "Ed did you, did you try to bring your mom back?"

"Can we talk about this somewhere else?" Ed spat through clenched teeth.

Karla nodded sympathetically, "We can go to my house if you want." Ed gave a short nod of consent.

…

"You can leave your coat there," Karla gestured to a tall metal coat rack. Hesitantly, Ed removed his coat and hung it up. Karla motioned him over to the small living room and sat him down. "Ed, I know this is a touchy subject, but I need you to tell me how you got over here."

Ed folded his arms across his chest, "I could ask you the same question."

Karla looked down at her hands. "I suppose you could, and you should," She looked back up at him. "I guess I'm going first then."

Ed sat back in his chair, arms still folded. "Yes, you are."

She sighed and looked away. "I've been studying alchemy since I was six. Trisha always encouraged it, and supported me, but she never wanted to try it on her own. I loved it. I loved having the power to change things, it… it made me feel wonderful. When I was sixteen I met a wonderful young man. He was a few years older than me, but we didn't care. We were going to get married but…" Karla's face tensed and she clutched her skirt in her hands so tightly her knuckles turned white. "I was so bitter. Trisha had just had you, she seemed so happy. I wanted that. So… so I tried to bring him back. It was so stupid, but… I had to. It went wrong, horribly wrong. Something was staring back at me, but it wasn't him. It wasn't human. I turned around and there was this door, this… gate. It opened and I was pulled though. I screamed and fought, but it took me." She looked back at him, her eyes wet with unshed tears, "I ended up here." There was a moment of silence.

"I saw him."

"What?"

Ed looked up into her eyes, "Your boyfriend. I've seen him."

Karla's eyes lit up, "You have? It worked?" Ed shook his head.

"Far from that. He's a homunculus now. They don't have souls, they're not… they're not people." Karla looked sadly down at her hands.

"I guess it was for nothing then," she looked back up at Ed. "Your turn, how did you get here?"

"Um…" His face flushed red and he looked away. Karla patted his knee.

"I did it for my boyfriend, surely yours can't be worse."

"Yeah, I guess not," he sighed, "it's a really long story."

"I've got time."

"Well," he swallowed, "My mom died when I was ten. Dad left long before that, so the Rockbells took care of us. Only a few months later, Al and I started training in Alchemy with Izumi Curtis. When she let us go, we tried to bring mom back. Al…" Ed choked on the words, "Al almost died. I was able to pull his soul back from the gate and bind it to a suit of armor, but his body was gone. For four years we searched for the philosopher's stone so we could heal our bodies, but that plan backfired. A man named Scar turned Al into the philosopher's stone…" he took a shuddering breath before continuing, "I was killed and he sacrificed himself to save me. I couldn't," he shook his head as his eyes overflowed; "I couldn't let him do that. So I offered myself for his life, and now I'm here. I have no idea if I succeeded or if he ended up a damn homunculus like mom!" He pounded his fist on the arm of the chair and a choked sob escaped his throat. Teary-eyed, Karla gathered him into a hug. He'd been through too much, far too much for his age.

Finally she pulled away and looked into his tear-streaked face. "Tea?" He nodded. She stood up and walked into the kitchen. He followed, and she again noticed the uneven pattern to his steps. "Er, I hope you don't mind me asking, but why are you limping?" she asked as she put the kettle on the stove. Ed was taken somewhat aback.

"What? Oh yeah, that." He gave a sort of half laugh, "I was wondering when you would ask about that. Automail. I've had it since I was eleven." He pulled off his gloves to reveal one flesh hand, and one metal. "My arm and leg. It was the price I had to pay to bring Al's soul back."

Still quizzical, Karla asked, "But why are you limping?"

"Because I'm growing, and there's no one in this world who can adjust my automail. I've just been trying to wear thicker soled shoes on my left foot, but it's getting a little out of hand."

"Ah," Karla poured them both a cup, and the house was quiet while they drank.

"I think I can get back."

Karla dropped her cup onto its saucer a little harder than was probably necessary. "What?" She spluttered.

"Ever since I got here, I've been trying to get back." He glanced away quickly, "this world doesn't support alchemy, so I've been trying to use mechanical technology to reopen the gate." He grabbed the plans out of his bag, laid them out on the table, sat back down, and began explaining.