Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
June, x785.
After leaving Maes, Edward, and Alphonse to chat, Alfonzo made his way back into the guild hall. Then, without wasting much time, he found Elicia and the girls, letting them know that he was going home. Immediately afterward, the girls told their friends that they would be going home as well. Then, the group of nine left the guild hall while chatting happily.
A few moments later, when the group was outside, Elicia's eyes lit up when she saw the trio of Maes, Edward, and Alphonse chatting happily. Then, she looked over to Alfonzo, making eye contact in the process.
Nodding in response to Elicia's gaze, Alfonzo then turned towards Sun.
"Oh, Winry's in Magnolia, Sun." Alfonzo said with a smile.
Hearing that, Sun's eyes began to sparkle. Then, she took a step forward and wrapped her arms around Alfonzo's right arm.
"Where is she?" Sun asked excitedly. "And how come she didn't come in to say hi?"
"That's because she ran into little Elicia." Alfonzo replied with a smile. "Then, she got pulled away to stay at Hughes' house."
"Oh…" Sun replied in slight disappointment.
"Don't worry, Sun." Alfonzo said, combing his fingers through Sun's hair as he spoke. "I'm sure you'll get a chance to see her before she leaves."
"That's right." Sun replied, her mood picking up quickly.
"Besides, that's the Ed and Al Winry and Granny Pinako were talking about back then." Alfonzo continued, pointing his finger at Edward and Alphonse.
Hearing that, Sun turned her head towards the chatting trio. Then, she stopped to think about what she could remember from the conversations she had with Pinako and Winry more than three years ago. A moment later, a proverbial light bulb lit up over Sun's head as her eyes widened.
"Oh, he's the one Granny Pinako said would need a step stool to get onto a chair at the kitchen table, right?" Sun asked innocently.
Immediately, a tick mark appeared on Edward's head. Then, he ignored his conversation with his brother and Maes while glaring at Sun.
"Don't call me short!" Edward shouted indignantly.
Meanwhile, the other girls in the group, who, at the very least, were four inches taller than Edward, who stood at 4'11", couldn't help but giggle at the explosive reaction.
"Why should you get upset at her for calling a spade a spade?" Cana asked with a smirk as she stood up straight and looked down at Edward.
"Indeed." Erza added, though her tone held no teasing. "Height is not the measure of a man. Instead, his actions will dictate his stature."
Considering those words came from Cana and Erza, who were 5'11" and 5'9", respectively, Edward looked as if he was about to explode in anger.
"Ed, you have to calm down." Alphonse said as he placed his hands on Edward's shoulders.
"*Sigh* I know, Al." Edward replied while taking deep breaths.
Meanwhile, after he spoke, the girls shifted their attention to Alphonse, who stood at 7' tall in his armor.
"Wow, he's even taller than Elfman." Mirajane said in a shocked tone.
"Yeah, that's a pretty tall guy." Marin said while looking up at Alphonse. "But what's up with that armor? It must be hot in this heat."
"Yeah, who wears armor like that in the summer?" Ultear asked curiously.
Hearing that, Alphonse began to panic internally. Outwardly, however, he did not show much reaction.
At the same time, Alfonzo and Elicia exchanged glances once again. And during that brief eye contact, they had a short conversation.
Alfonzo: "I guess they're not using [Magic Power Detection]."
Elicia: "Guess not. If they were, they'd be looking at Al much differently."
Alfonzo: "Yeah, they'd only be able to see that [Soul Seal] on the inside of his armor. Other than that, there's no body."
Elicia: "I wonder what will happen when they finally notice, though."
Alfonzo: "I'm sure we'll find out sooner or later."
As Alfonzo and Elicia alluded to in their short conversation, the inside of Alphonse's armor is empty. Several years ago, after being trained in [Alchemy] by their master, Izumi Curtis, who Ultear and Meredy met back when they went to the town of Dublith, the Elric Brothers performed a forbidden [Transmutation] to resurrect their deceased mother.
Unfortunately, the [Transmutation] failed. As a result, Edward lost his right leg as compensation for the failed attempt. Meanwhile, Alphonse lost his entire body. However, they were both provided with a great deal of alchemical knowledge as compensation by Ankhseram, the God of Life and Death, who could not allow the cycle of life and death to be tampered with.
In fact, Ankhseram never wanted to compensate the alchemists who broke this taboo. However, because alchemists follow the law of equivalent exchange, he was required to compensate the alchemists for what they lost as punishment for breaking the taboo.
On top of all the knowledge they receive as compensation, all alchemists who survive their attempts at [Human Transmutation] gain the ability to use alchemy without the need to draw a [Transmutation Circle]. Instead, they only need to form a circle with their hands to [Transmute], using themselves as the [Transmutation Matrix].
Still, despite the pain Edward must have been in after losing his right leg, he quickly noticed that Alphonse was nowhere to be seen after the failed [Transmutation]. Then, with the determination to not lose the last member of his family… Or rather, those he considered family, Edward shoes to sacrifice his left arm to anchor his brother's soul to the suit of armor everyone saw now.
"The big guy's fashion choice aside, I think we should get going." Elicia said with a smile while wrapping her arms around Alfonzo's free arm. "We need to welcome Fonzie back properly."
Hearing that, the seven other girls nodded their heads excitedly. Then, they started dragging Alfonzo towards the Escalade.
"Oh, we almost forgot." Cana said as she put her hand on the Escalade's back door. "Wendy and Carla's luggage should still be inside, right?"
"That's right." Alfonzo replied with a wry smile. "I guess I should take them home, first. So, how about you all go back to the house? Then, I'll come by after dropping them off."
"I'll come with you." Ultear said, opening the passenger door as she spoke.
"Sure, if you want to." Alfonzo replied as he turned around. "I'll go get Wendy and Carla."
With that, the other seven ladies shrugged simultaneously as they watched Alfonzo go back to the guild hall. Then, they all said their goodbyes to Maes before walking off towards the mansion.
Meanwhile, Maes, Edward, and Alphonse just watched them leave.
"Those are his girlfriends?" Edward asked in astonishment.
"Yeah…" Maes replied with a wry smile. "He's got some luck with the ladies, huh?"
"Yeah." Edward replied.
"And you can't even confess to Winry." Maes continued with a teasing smile.
"Ye--- Wait! Why do I have to confess to Winry?" Edward asked explosively while blushing furiously.
"Oh, come on, Ed." Maes said, throwing his arm over Edward's shoulder again. "It's obvious to everyone. We can all see that the two of you like each other."
"Huh?" I-I don't know what you're talking about." Edward replied while quickly looking away.
"He's right, Brother." Alphonse added. "If you make her wait too long, she's gonna find someone else."
"Like I said, I… don't… know… what… you're… talking about…" Edward said as he watched Alfonzo return from the guild hall with Wendy and Carla in tow.
While he stammered out his words, Edward remembered how Winry would brighten up any time she talked about Alfonzo. Then, he gritted his teeth.
Luckily for Edward, Winry and Alfonzo just shared similar interests. So, he did not need to worry about Alfonzo stealing Winry's heart. However, he did not know that. As a result, he felt an extremely uncomfortable feeling in his chest.
"Hey, guys." Alfonzo said as he drew near. "If you wanna talk, I'll be available after training and kicking someone's ass tomorrow. Hughes should know the time frame. So, ask him to tell you about it."
"Sure." Alphonse replied. "We'll come to talk to you tomorrow, Alfonzo."
"Cool." Alfonzo replied as he opened the back door for Wendy and Carla. Then, he continued as Wendy and Carla climbed into the back seat. "Well then, I'll see you guys later."
With that, Alfonzo closed the back door. Then, he made his way to the driver's seat. A moment later, the engine roared to life and the Escalade pulled off.
Meanwhile, Maes and the Elric brothers watched the Escalade's tail lights move further into the distance.
"That's a pretty cool magic vehicle." Alphonse muttered.
"Yeah, and from what I've heard, he built it by himself… from scratch… almost nine years ago." Maes replied.
Hearing that, Edward and Alphonse looked at Maes with disbelieving expressions on their faces.
"And how old is he now?" Edward asked, finally snapping out of his thoughts about Winry.
"He just turned twenty last month." Maes replied. "Damn… I wish he had parties at his house more often. I really wanna taste his cooking again."
Seeing Maes' expression devolve into that of a starving man, Edward and Alphonse were taken aback. Still, they managed to stay on topic.
"If he just turned twenty, wouldn't that mean he built those things when he was only eleven?" Alphonse asked in an incredulous tone.
"Yeah, I guess that's right." Maes replied as he wiped the drool from the side of his lips.
"What kind of monster is that guy?" Edward asked as he looked in the direction the Escalade drove towards. "Everything I hear about him is making me think he's not really human."
"Yeah, I know what you mean." Maes replied, his expression turning solemn. "And the way my little Elicia is drawn to him, I'm thinking he's some kind of incubus. I really need to try harder to protect her from his evil hands."
Hearing that, the Elrics looked at Maes strangely. Then, they just decided to ignore his overprotective nature. And eventually, Maes snapped back to the here and now.
"Anyway, you two are welcome to stay at our place too, you know." Maes said, smiling welcomingly at the brothers. Then, he started waggling his eyebrows suggestively. "And since we only have one guest room, you can share it with Winry, Ed."
Hearing that, Edwards face reddened immediately. Meanwhile, Alphonse would have rolled his eyes if he could. Especially since he had no doubt that Winry would be spending the night in little Elicia's room. In fact, if Maes' comment had not flustered him so much, Edward would have realized that, too.
"No, I think we'll find a hotel." Edward replied, his reply much stronger than intended. "So, you can just show us to a good one, okay."
"Sure." Maes replied with a shrug and a smile. "If that's what you wanna do, who am I to stop you?"
With that, Maes turned towards the town and started walking.
"I'll make sure to come by and get you so you can watch those guys train." Maes said. "When you see it, I swear it will blow your mind."
"Really?" Alphonse asked curiously as he and Edward followed Maes. "What kind of training do they do?"
Like that, Maes, Edward, and Alphonse chatted all the way to the best hotel in Magnolia. Then, after the Elrics got checked in, Maes made his way back to his house.
Meanwhile, Alfonzo and Ultear had returned to the mansion. And to Alfonzo's surprise, Lucy had moved in after she returned from Mermaid Heel. So, now there was only one guest room available on the second floor.
'It's a good thing I finished the new place.' Alfonzo thought to himself after realizing that almost all the rooms were full. 'I won't have to worry about guests once I bring it over here.'
["And what are you gonna do with this place?"] Bedlam asked curiously. ["Sell it?"]
'That's not a bad idea, actually.' Alfonzo replied. 'Now that Ur's the guild master, I think she'd like to have a more luxurious place. I mean, that little three-bedroom place she's got now seems a little…'
["Yeah, it doesn't feel like somewhere a guild master would live."] Bedlam said with a nod.
["If the old man were here, I bet he'd jump at the opportunity to buy it."] Riot added. ["But since he spends most of his time in Era, now, I don't think he would be all that interested."]
'Yeah, I bet he hates me and Ur for that, huh?' Alfonzo replied while chuckling internally.
"You should go get cleaned up." Ultear said, ending Alfonzo's conversation with Riot and Bedlam after she and Alfonzo walked through the kitchen. "I'm sure you'd like to take a shower and a bath after such a long trip."
"Yeah, I think I'll do that." Alfonzo replied with a smile. "A dip in the hot tub sounds like a fucking great idea right now."
In response, Ultear smiled. Then, she accepted a quick kiss before heading upstairs to get herself cleaned up, as well.
Meanwhile, Alfonzo made his way into the master bedroom where Elicia was already taking a shower. Wasting no time, Alfonzo quickly took his clothes off and threw them in the hamper. Then, like Elicia, he started the shower and began washing himself.
"Erza, Marin, and Lucy told me about your little secret." Elicia said with a smile. "They said it was some kind of surprise."
"Yup, it's something you should look forward to." Alfonzo replied as he lathered his body.
"Don't you wanna give me a little hint?" Elicia asked in a seductive tone.
"Nope." Alfonzo replied simply and conclusively.
"Tch! You're no fun, Fonzie." Elicia replied as she turned off the shower.
"Don't pout like that, Lici." Alfonzo replied with a wry smile.
"I know, I know." Elicia said as she grabbed a towel. "I'll be good and wait for the surprise like a good girl."
"Good." Alfonzo replied in a relieved tone. "I didn't wanna have to start threatening to not cook if you kept asking."
"Fonzie, you're so mean." Elicia said in a huff. "Anyway, take your time relaxing. The rest of us will make sure to welcome you home properly when you're done."
"Alright." Alfonzo replied with a smile.
After that, Elicia walked out of the bathroom while switching her hips seductively.
A few minutes later, after washing up properly, Alfonzo rinsed off and turned off the shower head.
"Damn, I forgot to turn on the bath." Alfonzo muttered as he made his way over to the bathtub.
To his surprise, however, the bathtub was already full. On top of that, when he reached his hand into the water, it was the perfect temperature.
"I guess Lici did this before she started taking her shower, huh?" Alfonzo asked himself.
["I guess she's trying to make up for her mistake by being more attentive."] Bedlam replied.
["And that just proves Lici is the best."] Riot said enthusiastically.
Deciding to ignore the squabble that started thanks to Bedlam calling Riot a simp again, Alfonzo stepped into the bathtub before getting comfortable. Then, he started the [Water Magic Jets] and laid his head back on the side of the tub.
"Ah~~~. It feels good to be back home." Alfonzo said as he closed his eyes.
About forty-five minutes later, the girls, who had gathered in the master bedroom, came into the bathroom to check on Alfonzo. And to their surprise, they found him fast asleep in the tub. Frustrated that their plans did not come to fruition, they worked together to get him out of the bath and put him to bed. At the same time, they all found his totally defenseless sleeping face cute.
Then, all eight girls climbed into the bed and slept around Alfonzo, happy that he was finally back.