Truth's Riddle
Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
Ok, so, I meant to post this last Saturday, but lately I've been overwhelmed with homework and work. I wanted to post this yesterday, but again, too much to do not enough time.
Anyway, I hope you like this, my updates will be on Saturday's, I swear.
Alphonse smiled as he read the alkahestry book in front of him. It had been a good six or so months since he and his brother went their ways to do their research, and he was almost done with his.
"Need any help?" May's voice chirped happily.
"No hun, but thanks." Al chuckled to his fiancé. May left only to return with tea and some Xing confections. Al smiled appreciatively as he continued to read; the phone began to ring and May quickly answered it.
"Hello?" May said. Al took a small sip of his tea before May poked her head around the corner of their small kitchen.
"Alphonse, its Brigadier General Mustang and Lieutenant Hawkeye, they say it's urgent." May said. Al stood and walked over. He was glad to have his body back, though he would admit, he wasn't that much taller than his brother currently, though his brother was growing more, because of his body's time in the gateway and lack of nutrition that had caused its growth to stunt after age twelve, a crucial time in all children's lives.
"Hello?" Al said into the phone.
"Hello Alphonse, its Riza. I have two things to tell you. One, you and May need to come back to Amestris to help us handle your idiot older brother. Also, after a few string pulling and begging Roy and I finally convinced the Fuhrer to let us get married. The wedding is in two weeks." Riza chirped.
"Alright, we'll head out tomorrow and get there as fast as we can." Al said.
"Thank you, but I warn you, you may not like what you find." Riza warned before they hung up. Al told May and they immediately started packing.
5 days later
Al and May, along with Shao May, got off the train and quickly found Roy and Riza waiting for them. They put their bags in the back of the car and drove a little ways until they arrived at their destination. The state jail.
"I don't get it, why are we stopping here?" Al asked and May looked worried. Riza and Roy said nothing as they all got out of the car and walked into the jail until getting to the front desk.
"Cell three twenty two." Riza said. The woman looked in her book.
"Edward Elric, age seventeen, weight one hundred and fifty pounds, height five foot six, blonde hair and gold eyes?" the woman asked.
"Wait, five foot six inches tall, he's taller than me by a good three inches, that can't be right." Al said in shock.
"He's had his leg readjusted at least once because of the overnight growth, and yes ma'am that is correct." Roy said. The woman opened the gate and let them in. Roy reached into his pocket and pulled his wallet and paid the woman the bail fee.
"Is he sober?" Riza asked in an annoyed and hopeful tone.
"More than he was when they brought him in." the woman replied as she walked them back to his cell. Al couldn't believe it as they walked up to the cell and in the cell was Ed, sitting on the cot in the cell looking bored to tears before he looked up.
"There's something wrong with his eyes." May whispered.
"May, that's what alcohol does." Riza sighed as the cell gate was opened.
"It's your lucky day Mister Elric, your two friends came here and bailed you out…for the fifth time in these last six months." The woman hissed. Ed rolled his eyes and stood up, walking steadily towards the group of four.
"What the hell is wrong with you brother?" Al asked the moment they got outside.
"Oh, look who's finally cursing." Ed chuckled.
"This is no time for a joke brother. What happened?" Al asked once they got in the car.
"Simple, I got drunk, some guy thought he was cool and started to push me around and I clocked him in the face, started an all-out bar fight, and then wound up here." Ed said in a bored tone.
"How many times has that happened?" May asked.
"Five." Ed replied with a yawn.
"Why are you drinking? After everything our father did, why are you drinking?" Al asked angered.
"Because there's no way possible for it to happen." Ed said, looking his brother straight in the eye.
"You still have four and a half years to figure out a way to get your alchemy back Ed." Roy reminded.
"I've read every last book about alchemy. I've spent hours scrolling and skimming and studying only to come up with the same goddamn answer. There is no way; I thought I could adjust, but I guess I can't, even though I got what I wanted the most, for my little brother to have his body back, I feel…soulless." Ed practically growled. They pulled up to where Ed was living and May, Al and Ed all got out, Al and May grabbed their things and walked into the house with Ed.
"So I take it you're staying with me for a while?" Ed asked as they walked inside.
"Yup. And I'm going to help you figure this out; we always have worked better as a team." Al chuckled. Ed smiled and then yawned.
"I can keep going, but you should get some sleep brother. We have to go find formal wear for Roy and Riza's wedding." Al said smiling.
"Riza said that Winry would be there as one of her bridesmaids." May squealed. Ed stiffened.
"I'm dead." Ed groaned.
"Let me guess, you haven't called or written to her." Al chuckled as Ed flinched before going up to his room. May and Al chuckled as he went to his room.
"He has a spare room we could share." Al said.
"I'm not tired." May said plopping down on the couch next to him, Shao May wiggling between them and dozing off. May then spotted a stack of papers on the coffee table, along with a pencil and books on the opposing end with a few note books as well.
"Why would he need two separate piles of paper for his notes?" May asked as she looked at the notes, seeing the indented parts of frustration or the scribbles on the side.
"These look extensive." Al said as he skimmed over the documents.
"Then what are these?" May asked grabbing the stack of papers carefully and flipping them over. She gasped at what she saw and couldn't take her eyes off the paper.
"Alphonse, did you know your brother was a talented artist?" May asked as she turned the page to Alphonse. On the page was a landscape and in the middle of a field there was a man standing there, his back visible and the line work depicted the wind was blowing. The sky in the drawing was cloudy. Al felt an immense amount of loneliness from the drawing. The next picture he saw had a young man, of whom he had no clue who it was, with his fist in the wall, anger clear in the expression of the body. The next one blew them both away.
"That's Winry." Al said in awe. It was of that day when she found out Scar had killed her parents and was holding the gun. This had always stuck in Al's memory and apparently, it had also stuck in Ed's as well. The title of the drawing though is what made Al chuckled.
"Tainted Angel." May said, trying not to smile.
"Drawing inspired by Winry Rockbell." Al read at the bottom next to Ed's signature. They saw others that seemed to show different emotions and could gather that there was a time when Ed was hopeful, but not so much, and every now and then they would see another drawing of Winry.
"My brother is so head over heels for her." Al snickered before glancing at the clock.
"Ok, time for sleep, we have a lot to do tomorrow." Al said just before the phone rang.
"Hello?" Al answered quickly.
"Hey Al, its Winry. I'll be in town tomorrow, but I'll be at the Hughes' home in Central. Could you and your brother come get me?" Winry asked.
"Sure, no problem, what time?" Al asked.
"Nine." Winry said.
"Ok, I'll let Ed know once I get off the phone." Al said.
"Ok. Night Al." Winry said before hanging up. Al and May walked up the stairs and to Ed's room, where May waited outside while Al went in. Ed was still awake.
"Who was on the phone?" Ed asked, half awake.
"Winry. We need to go pick her up at nine tomorrow morning. She's staying at the Hughes residence." Al said.
"I can't believe they drug me back to Central after just three incidences." Ed growled in annoyance.
"I can. Brother, you get angry very easily, alcohol doesn't help apparently." Al said sarcastically. Ed rolled his eyes.
"Do you miss her brother?" Al asked. Ed rolled over.
"Good night Al." Ed grumbled.
"I saw the drawings." Al said in a serious tone, making Ed bolt upright.
"You better not tell her." Ed hissed.
"I won't, but you did propose to her in a way." Al pointed out.
"I know, and I don't regret it, it's just…I'm not ready for that yet." Ed said.
"I know. I'm going to bed now, tomorrow's going to be busy." Al said before leaving the room. Ed lay on his bed, contemplating how tomorrow would go. If he was lucky, Winry wouldn't yell at him too much and understand that he had been researching a lot and that she would be more preoccupied with finding a dress to fit Riza's guidelines. Ed knew his luck though, and had a hunch the first question Winry would ask would be 'why haven't you called me?'
"Guess I'll just have to wait and see and be prepared for a wrench to the head." Ed muttered to himself before allowing sleep to take him.
The next day
Winry, Pininya, and three other girls all got off the train and looked for the Xingese girl and Elric brothers. It wasn't too hard to find Ed; he was wearing his signature red coat, along with his brother who was sporting a silver color coat. May ran up to them, gripping Winry in a tight hug.
"It's been too long." May giggled.
"It's only been six months." Winry chuckled as they walked over to the brothers, the other three girls eying Ed and Al hungrily. Winry almost regretted bringing them along. Ed had changed, he was taller than the last time they had seen each other, six months ago. Both were now near eighteen and Ed's, well, physique had changed a little as well, but not drastically so.
"So Ed, how have you been?" Winry asked once they got within talking distance. Winry noticed Ed's odd glance at her but then recovered.
"Indulged in research." Ed answered bored.
"And booze." Al added absentmindedly before slapping his hand over his mouth and looking panicked.
"What was that last part?" Winry asked Al.
"Nothing." Al and Ed said in unison.
"Do I look stupid?" Winry asked in a serious tone.
"No." Ed replied.
"Not in the slightest." Al said.
"Ed just tell her." May sighed, annoyed at her fiancé and his brother.
"Don't you…six have shopping to do?" Ed said, changing the subject.
"Yeah, and as a matter of fact, so do we, I'll call Roy so he can help us get the right suits." Al said before he and his brother darted off to a pay phone.
"I can't believe you did that!" Ed yelled.
"I'm sorry brother." Al said.
"I know, but please, next time, try to bite your tongue." Ed said, pinching the bridge of his nose as Al dialed Roy's number.
"Hello Roy…what, you…ok, yeah, five minutes is good." Al said before hanging up.
"He saw didn't he?" Ed asked.
"Yeah, and he sounded like he was laughing." Al groaned as Roy's car pulled up.
"Need a lift boys?" Roy chuckled as Ed and Al got into the car.
"Thanks Roy." Al said as they drove off towards a store.
"So where's the soon-to-be misses Mustang?" Ed asked.
"Probably picking up the girls to get their dresses, which could take a while." Roy chuckled as they parked.
"Why do I have this fleeting suspicion that Winry is going to be pissed at me later?" Ed asked as they got out of the car.
"You didn't tell her did you?" Roy asked.
"No." Ed sighed.
"That would be why. Word to the wise, never keep something like that away from the woman, or you will regret it." Roy chuckled as they walked into the store.
Meanwhile with the women
"So the colors for women are pastels, like pink and yellow and orange and such?" One of Winry's friends, Jill, asked.
"Yes. The men are wearing black suits with either a bold colored shirt or tie. The colors are fire colored, since it's autumn and since Roy is the Flame Alchemist." Riza sighed.
"Do you agree with those colors?" Winry asked.
"I have always liked fire, before I met Roy. My father was a flame alchemist, and fire and heat have always been a comfort for me." Riza smiled. Winry could see and feel the love she had for Roy and her stomach turned in jealousy and sadness. Why couldn't Ed be a bit more caring? They picked out the dresses and then went back to Gracia and Elysia, with her friends. The wedding was only a few days away.
"Big sister!" Elysia giggled as she ran and gripped onto Winry's leg. May smiled and left.
"I must be going now. I'll see you all soon." May said with a smile before leaving and getting in the car with Roy and the men.
"Ed's hot." Jill giggled.
"I'll say." Another girl, Mila, giggled. Winry rolled her eyes at her friends and was still even wondering why she had brought them along, maybe it was because she didn't want to hear them whine at her for weeks on end for not taking them with her to Central City. She could handle Pininya, seeing as how she didn't see Ed in that light, but her other friends, well, they were a different story.
May finally arrived back to the house she, Al and Ed all shared, only to see Al immersed in books and no Ed.
"Al, where's your brother?" May asked, fretting the answer.
"His favorite place." Al groaned, as he flipped another page.
"That's it! I'm calling Winry!" May growled annoyed as she stomped over to the phone.
"I don't know which one he went to." Al grumbled.
"Well, it had to be one close by. How many bars are near here?" May asked.
"Three." Al replied as he wrote down the names and addresses.
1 ½ hours later
Winry and May walked into the last bar on the list. Winry was fuming mad that Ed had a drinking problem.
"Hey der blondie and oriental chick. Ya look cuuute." One man slurred. Winry rolled her eyes as they scoured the bar as thoroughly as they could. Soon enough, the found a man, falling off his chair, with his hair back in a braid and a red coat on with the same flamel as Ed's.
"Edward Elric, it's time to head back to the house." May growled as she stomped over to Ed, who looked up annoyed.
"Make me." Ed growled drunkenly. Next thing Ed knew he was being dragged out of the bar, by his ear.
"Ouch! Let go of me you crazy woman!" Ed shouted as he wriggled free, plopping to the ground. But he then noticed that May was behind him, not the one dragging him.
"How did ya do that?" Ed asked stupidly.
"Do what?" May asked.
"Get from in front of me ta behind me?" Ed clarified.
"I didn't do anything." May said annoyed.
"Then who was dragging me?" Ed slurred. May smirked and pointed, Ed followed and then his stomach, which was already uneasy, dropped.
"H-hey Winr-r-ry." Ed said nervously at the pissed off girl in front of him.
"We've been trying to hunt down your drunken ass for over an hour, and when we find you, you throw a temper tantrum. You've got some nerve trying to play this all off…"Winry continued on but Ed stopped listening. Until that moment, Ed hadn't realized how, in short, hot Winry looked when she was pissed. Or maybe it was the booze doing this to him, but either way, he sat there stupidly and completely spaced out during Winry's rant. He didn't even realize when she stopped talking.
"May, help me pick him up." Winry sighed as she reached down and grabbed an arm. May grabbed the other as they lifted him up and supported him on their shoulders as he trudged along. Winry would wait until she got back to the Hughes' before she cried in anger and hurt at Ed.
A few days later
Once the ceremony was done and the vows – which took forever – were all said and finished, the reception started and was now in full swing. Ed was sitting at a table, bored as his brother and fiancé danced, smiling brightly. Winry was talking with a few of her friends and Ed took a moment to study her. She had been distant from him for the last few days and he honestly couldn't remember what he did to make her mad at him. He had noticed how the dress hugged her figure nicely and soon enough his thoughts began to drift in a direction they shouldn't. Stop thinking like that Elric! Ed cursed himself. He took a small sip out of the glass of champagne and noticed Winry look over at him quickly before looking back to her friends. A little while longer passed before Ed felt a light tap on his shoulder.
"Yeah?" Ed asked, looking back to see Winry.
"Bored?" She asked, taking a seat.
"How'd you guess?" Ed asked sarcastically before taking another sip, noticing Winry scowl at him for a moment.
"Ok, what did I do?" Ed asked, setting his glass down.
"I saw you drunk a few nights ago, what do you think?" Winry asked annoyed.
"What, when did you show up when I was drunk?" Ed asked.
"When you fell off the bar stool and pouted like a two year old to not go home." Winry said.
"I don't remember any of that." Ed said, trying not to blush.
"That doesn't surprise me." Winry said with a heavy sigh. They sat there in silence for a while, not knowing what to do or what to say.
"Want to dance?" Ed asked to break the silence.
"Sure, are you sober enough for it?" Winry asked harshly.
"I could just leave you know." Ed growled.
"A simple yes or no would suffice Edward." Winry replied annoyed.
"This is my only glass." Ed said honestly.
"Yes, I would like to dance." Winry said as they both stood and walked to the floor, hand in hand. Al smiled as his brother and Winry took hands and started to dance with the music. After a little while, they both loosened up.
"Sorry for being so harsh on you. May told me everything and well…I was just angry that you hadn't told me yourself." Winry said, her head resting on his shoulder.
"I know I should've, and I apologize for not telling you sooner." Ed said, calming down from his initial anger.
A few hours later
The reception was done and as the newlyweds headed off for their honeymoon the others all departed and went their own ways.
"My train leaves tomorrow evening, will you, Al, and May send us off?" Winry asked before she got into the car with Maria Ross.
"Sure." Ed said smiling kindly to her. Once she left they too returned home and changed into their pajamas.
"I can't wait until we can get married!" May squealed excitedly. Al smiled to his energetic fiancé and then noticed his brother heading up to his room.
"Brother, it is only nine." Al said.
"I know, I'm not tired, I just want to think." Ed replied before closing his door quietly.
"Winry must have said something." May said.
"I hope so, I can't stand to see my brother drunk like he was a few days ago." Al said.
The next day
Winry walked over early that morning. She wanted to hang out with Ed and Al and May just a little longer, away from all her crazy friends. When she arrived only May was there.
"The men went to the market to get some groceries, but please do come in." May said with a bright smile. Winry walked into the house to see the living room littered with books and paper everywhere.
"They are horrendously deep in their research." May giggled before Winry noticed the neat stack on the shelf.
"What are those?" Winry said as she walked towards them, noticing how May suddenly looked panicked and got in front of them.
"Those are off limits, even to me and Al." May said.
"So they're Ed's. What are they, personal notes?" Winry asked.
"No, they're…drawings." May said nervously. The men would be returning soon and she didn't want Ed to be mad at either of them.
"Are they bad?" Winry asked.
"No, they're really well done, realistic even, but they're…private." May said, her eyes flicking to the door.
"Oh, ok. Where's the bathroom?" Winry asked.
"Upstairs, first door on the left, across from Ed's room." May said. Winry went upstairs and looked between the two doors. She smiled and went into Ed's room, seeing it clean as it usually was with a slight bit of clutter. She found a piece of paper and quickly wrote a short note before discarding her bra and then tucking both it and the note under his pillow. She was grateful that this shirt had a built in bra. Once she made sure the coast was clear she tiptoed to the bathroom, stood there for a moment longer and then flushed the toilet, washed her hands and walked back down the stairs just in enough time for the front door to open and there stood the two men with paper bags in their arms.
"A little help please." Al said as a bag began to slide. May grabbed it and then they all went to the kitchen and out the groceries away before the boys returned to their never ending research. It wasn't until Ed felt small hands on his shoulders that he realized Winry was there.
"When did you get here?" Ed asked as he continued to read.
"About twenty minutes ago." Winry said before she began to apply pressure and rub his tense shoulders. She felt him stiffen but then relax.
"Oh, so you've been here for a little while." Ed said, trying not to set the book down and just let her work her magic. Her hands were always nimble and perfect for machine work, but he didn't know they could be therapeutic.
"I just said that Ed." Winry chuckled as she let her hands go lower on his back. Al was bringing the book up higher to his face to hide the smirk on his face and disguise his chuckling.
"Ed, you feel tense, lay down." Winry whispered in his ear, sending slight shivers down his spine.
"I'm fine." Ed hissed. In all honesty, his back did have a few kinks in it that even the most extreme stretching couldn't work out.
"Humor me Ed." Winry said. Ed let out a heavy sigh, put a book mark in the book where he was at, which was where he had started, and then lay down on the couch. Winry smiled as she walked around to the other side of the couch and then started to rub his back gently. After a little bit she pressed on an area and a small pop sounded, making Ed flinch but then relax.
"Needed that." Ed said with a sigh of relief. After a few more pops Winry could tell he was less tense now and stopped.
"Thanks." Ed chuckled as he sat back up; she sat down next to him and looked over his shoulder as he read and took notes.
"What are you looking for?" Winry asked.
"A possible way for me to get back my alchemy." Ed said seriously before taking a few quick notes.
3 o'clock
They walked to the train station, Ed ignoring all of Winry's friends that were heavily flirting with him. Winry wore an impish grin and Ed could not understand why, but something told him to investigate his room and the shelf where his drawings were when they returned home. Winry stopped and looked up at Ed, something she was still trying to get used to.
"Hey Ed, come here." Winry said. Ed walked closer to her, taking her hand eventually. Her friends all stared jealously, except Pininya, as they walked to the docking area. They stopped and just as Ed was about to say 'good-bye' Winry quickly turned and faced him, placing her hands on his shoulders and pulling him down just enough to kiss him full on the lips, catching him off guard and off balance for just a split second. Ed's eyes went wide in just that amount of time before he caved and kissed her back, his arms wrapping around her small waist. It was a chaste kiss, but a long, sweet, kiss. Once they pulled apart Winry rested her head on Ed's chest.
"That was for the last time we said goodbye and you finally admitted it." Winry giggled. Ed smiled and rolled his eyes at her.
"Try to keep in touch more?" Winry asked as the conductor started his calls.
"I will try to write more and call more; visiting might be a different story, so no promises." Ed said as he held her tight. Once they finally parted and Winry and her friends got on the train, Ed, Al, and May watched as the train pulled out and left, Winry's pale hand waving in the distance.
"Brother, when are you going to give Winry a ring?" Al asked as they started to walk.
"When I get enough money to do so, since we are no longer funded by the military." Ed said with a sigh.
"Where do you work at by the way?" May asked.
"Yeah, I mean I see you leave for work, but you've never mentioned where you work." Al said with realization.
"I work at a newsstand." Ed said with a slight bit of shame in his tone.
"Are they hiring?" Al asked.
"No, but the food market right next to it is." Ed said, knowing his brother's intentions. Ed hated working at the newsstand, people were always pricks in the morning, afternoons were more likeable and evenings were dead. Ed was relieved he had the day off, which would allow him to work more on finding a way to get back his alchemy and rejoin the military, as Roy said he would. He may have some issues with the military, but it paid better than the newsstand.
"I think I'm going to try getting a job as a waitress at the new Xingese restaurant." May chirped.
"You'll get it." Ed and Al said in unison. Ed went up to his room and flopped onto his bed, his hands going under his pillow; he jumped up at the odd feel of lace and crinkle of paper. Curious he grabbed whatever was under his pillow and pulled it out, only to turn beat red. It was a white and black lace bra with a small bow in the center. Ed opened the note which read:
Maybe when you come and visit you may actually get to see what it looks like on me. ;)
~Winry
Ed's jaw dropped before he quickly composed himself and smirked at the frothy article of clothing. He managed to put it in a place where not even his someday sister-in-law would dare to look. Someday Winry, someday. Ed thought to himself, knowing that day would be a while away.
The next day, 11 p.m.
Al had gotten the job at the market and worked just as long as Ed had, May even got the job at the restaurant and worked till an hour before the men got off work, and yet, Ed was still not home. Al had sinking feeling he knew where he was and as if on cue, Ed burst the door open and stumbled in. Al and May ignored him as he stumbled and tripped up the stairs, knowing he would just get angry and annoying and that the best thing for him right then and there was sleep. Once his door closed and they could hear him rip off his shoes and drop them on the ground and the slight creak of him flopping down on his bed Al let out an aggravated sigh.
"He only seems to behave when Winry is around, but at least he was home before three this time." May said.
"And he wasn't beaten up at all." Al said, looking up from his research and rubbing his eyes. Al closed his eyes, letting the sting in them from the reading die down. In a few short seconds Al was in a place he knew all too well.
"Ok, this has to be a dream." Al thought aloud.
"Well, you're mostly right young alchemist." A gravelly voice snickered.
"Why am I here Truth?" Al asked as he saw the outlined figure before him.
"You want answers, and I can give you just that." Truth said with a smile on his featureless face.
"Answers to what?" Al asked, testing him.
"How to get your brother's alchemy back. This is not a dream, more like a vision." Truth said.
"There's a way to get it back." Al said.
"Yes, I only blocked him from using it, not his knowledge of it, there's just a giant road block. He can get it back, but first you must answer my questions." Truth snickered.
"Anything to get his alchemy back." Al said with determination. Truth chuckled lightly before he continued.
"What is alchemy?" Truth asked quizzically.
"In a way, alchemy is life." Al replied, earning a nod from Truth.
"What was it to your brother?" Truth asked with a slight smirk on his face.
"His soul." Al said.
"Very good. Now, what did your brother give for yours?" Truth asked approvingly.
"Pardon?" Al asked, tilting his head slightly in confusion.
"To regain what was lost, one thing is the cost. To figure out your problems again, one must look where they all began. The answers you seek are closer than you think, by using the new theory you and your brother have made. Once you find the answers true, will you really want to go through, now what did your brother give for you?" Truth said and Al could feel himself waking from the vision. Al sat bolt right up, breathing heavily and looking around, sweat dewing his forehead.
"You ok Al?" May asked concerned.
"May, how long was I asleep?" Al asked.
"Al, it's morning, you fell asleep on the couch." May said. Al wrote down the riddle that Truth had given him and read over his notes again and again and told his brother of the vision.
"We'll figure it out." Ed said smiling at his younger brother.
2 years later
After traveling all over Amestris they had gained more information and could prove their theory did in fact work, but Al was still having a hard time figuring out the riddle Truth had given him two years ago. Ed was now nineteen, almost twenty and had stopped his drinking since they were on the road frequently, and Al was just barely eighteen and May being seventeen. May and Al were packing to move into the house just down the street.
"Still wracking your brain for the answer?" Ed asked as he helped them pack.
"Yeah, it's been bugging me since." Al sighed. Ed stumbled forward a little.
"Damn, I really need to stop putting off my tune up on my leg. Hell, I think I'll go to Resembool and have Winry do it since I haven't visited her." Ed snickered.
"Yeah, but you have been writing and calling." Al chuckled.
"Yeah. Going back there always brings back memories. It's where it all began. It's still kind of weird thinking about how just a few years ago we almost lost everything." Ed said lost in the memories and Al's eyes went wide.
"Where it all began." Al whispered.
"Did you say something Al?" Ed asked.
"That's the answer, holy hell how have I been so stupid?" Al asked with glee.
"What are you talking about?" Ed asked.
"The riddle I know the answer…I just can't…it's been right there…I know what I have to do." Al said, hardly stringing a sentence together as he drug his brother back inside and practically threw him on the chair.
"I have the answer Truth." Al murmured as he positioned his hands.
"Oh, and what is it?" Truth murmured to him.
"Since alchemy was pretty much my brother's soul, I will give you what he did for my soul. A limb, my right leg to be exact, along with that something extra from our theory, in exchange for his alchemical ability to be restored." Al murmured as he clapped his hands together. Lightning danced around them as Ed saw his brother's leg begin to vanish but felt as though a lock had been opened within his mind and the alchemy flow through his veins. Al collapsed in pain and blood loss and May rushed to his side before Ed too collapsed from the sudden rush of an old power that was once lost. May quickly wrapped Al's leg, stopping the bleeding.
"What the hell Al?" Ed shouted once he regained his composure.
"Brother, do me a favor, and make a wheelchair with alchemy. I need to know that Truth went through with his word." Al asked hoarsely. Ed humored him and clapped his hands together, hearing the familiar ring as he did and then placed them on an old chair with some metal in it. The chair morphed into a wheelchair and May quickly placed Al in it.
"It worked, but how did you know it would work?" Ed asked astonished and shaking.
"It's a long story." Al said as May walked over to the phone.
"What are you doing May?" Ed and Al asked.
"Calling and letting Winry know that she'll have one more patient." May sighed slightly annoyed. Both men cringed at the mere thought of what Winry would do to them once they arrived, but Ed felt certain that he could handle it.
So, what did you think?
A few things I didn't mention up top that I will now. In July, the 4 weekends, I will not be able to update on Saturday, but I will on Friday. Also, The week of the 7th in September, I will not be able to update, so the week before that will be a double update to make up for it.
So, now that I have explained that, please R&R, and see you all next week.
