Disclaimer: I own nothing.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, I have something that may interest you," the low voice of Naraku reached the dog lord's sensitive ears, as well as his stench. Fighting the urge to wrinkle his nose, Sesshoumaru looked over his shoulder, and his eyes widened a fraction. Standing next to Naraku was a human youth, clad in black with a red overcoat and long golden hair tucked into a braid. His head was bowed so that his bangs covered his face. What both irked him and perked his curiousity is that he could not smell the boy.

"What is it you want, Naraku?" the dog lord inquired coolly, while studying the boy.

"I am here to offer something of value to you," the demon said. "This is Edward. He is a skilled warrior, and he will follow you as faithfully as he does I... almost like a little dog." The mocking, cruel emphasis on the last word was not directed at Sesshoumaru, but at Edward. The golden-haired boy's fists clenched, his frame tense, as if he wanted to strike Naraku down where he stood. "Are you willing to take him, Lord Sesshoumaru?"

"I have no use for a human, let alone a child," Sesshoumaru stated coldly.

"Ahh, but that is where you are wrong," Naraku smirked. "Show him, Edward."

Now devoid of any emotion, the boy clapped his hands together and placed them on the ground. The earth before them exploded with blue light, and a spear slid up out of the earth and into Edward's hands. Sesshoumaru had to fight to keep his expression under control.

"That is all very well," he said. "But can he use it?"

Naraku did not speak, and the boy simply motioned for the dog lord to step aside. When he was satisfied that Sesshoumaru was far away enough, Edward tensed for a moment, then tossed the spear into the forest. A pained cry of a dying animal met their ears, and fresh blood greeted the demon's noses. Sesshoumaru stared at the boy for a moment, calculating if he was worth it, then reached his decision and turned to Naraku. Undoubtedly, the baboon was concocting another one of his disgusting schemes, and Sesshoumaru was determined not to be caught in another one of those. But, if he kept a close eye on the boy...and he had to better at watching Rin than Jaken...

"Very well. I will take him. Come, boy." Sesshoumaru turned away, but stopped when a soft voice reached his ears.

"I have a name. Edward. Use it." The boy lifted his head, and for the first time the demon saw those large golden eyes, laden with tiredness and sorrow and guilt, and beneath it all, a spark of fiery rage. The wretch, he dared speak so? Sesshoumaru considered ripping him apart for a moment, then saw the look on the boy's face. Apparently, he didn't care about blood and nobility, or was simply ignorant of it, if he dared to address his betters as equals. The dog lord felt amusement and anger war within him before he decided to let it slide, just this once. The boy would learn sooner or later.

"I know your name, now come," he snapped, for a moment losing his composure. The demon could have sworn he saw a faint, triumphant smile on Edward's face before it vanished. Choosing not to argue further, the boy walked after Sesshoumaru, just a few steps behind him.

Interesting. So Edward was not as downtrodden as he acted. This required further investigation.

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"Brother...are you sure?"

"No, I'm not, but I'm doing this anyway."

"But Brother--!"

"I have to, Al. We made a bargain. My servitude for your body. There's no getting out of it."

"But there has to be a way!"

"No, Al! Did you see the way he restored your body, just like that? I'm willing to bet if I backed out, he'd take your body AND your soul away, too! We've dealt with people like him before-- nothing else matters, as long as they get their way."

"Brother..."

"I want you to promise me, Al, that you won't come looking for me."

"What...?"

"Whatever I'm going to be doing, it's probably not going to be pretty. I don't want you to see it. Promise me!"

"Brother...I..."

"Promise me!"

"...I promise..."

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Ed glanced up at the dog lord, then back down again. He had a feeling he was in for a long, hard ride with this guy. Naraku had been loaning him out to other nobles to do their dirty work, and sent him out on a few odd jobs with Kagura and Kanna.

"LORD SESSHOUMARU! YOU CAME BACK!" The voice that reached Ed's ears almost made him flinch. It was a kid's voice, and he liked kids, but it was just so...loud.

A tiny brown-haired girl threw herself at the demon lord, clutching his leg and gazing up at him with adoring brown eyes. Ed could have sworn he was imagining it, but the golden eyes of the demon softened a little as he looked down at the little girl. The the girl turned to look at him.

"Lord Sesshoumaru, who is he? Is he here to stay with us? What's his name? Where's he fr--" Sesshoumaru cut her off smoothly.

"This is Edward, Rin. He will be staying with us for a while, and he will watch you instead of Jaken now," the icy lord said, obviously used to the onslaught of questions. Rin smiled up at Ed, who felt his heart jerk painfully. She couldn't have been much older than Nina...

He smiled back, a little bit sadly. Rin grabbed his hand-- the left one, thankfully-- and towed him off to the clearing, chattering on about this and that. Ed felt his smile brighten, if only by a small amount. Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad after all.

Then he saw Sesshoumaru's shadow on the ground beside him. Ed didn't even hear the rustle of his clothing, he walked so silently. Okay, then again, maybe this would be a living hell.

But it was worth it. Al had his body back, and that was all he wanted. It didn't matter what he wanted, as long as Al was whole... Even if he couldn't be there.

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"Brother, what will I tell everyone?"

"I don't know, Al. Whatever you can think up, I guess..."

"You-- you mean lie to them?"

"I know you're not that good of a liar, Al. I'm sorry, but I can't really help you out there."

"Bro-ther!"

"Heh-heh..."

"Honestly, Ed, what can I tell them? The colonel? Aunt Pinako and Winry?"

"...Just tell them I'm dead, Al."

"What!"

"It'll be easier if they just believe that I'm gone. That way, they won't waste time and energy looking for me. They'll grieve, yeah, but they'll move on."

"But Brother..."

"I have to go now, Al. I love you, little brother..."

"EDWARD!"

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Sorry for any OOC-ness, this is my first shot at an IYxFMA fic. Let me know if you like it, hate it...