Aureate Bonds: The Ties that Bind Us

by Khait Khepri

A side story of my fanfiction, "Aureate Bonds". Inspired by a review to the aforementioned story. What did Alphonse think when he discovered his brother was dead and Evelyn Dyne had appeared in his place? How did he adapt? How did he cope? (Fem!Ed, obviously) (Part 2 added)

1. Part 1

Aureate Bonds: The Ties that Bind Us

Summary: A side story to my fanfiction 'Aureate Bonds'. Inspired by a review the aforementioned story. What did Alphonse think when he discovered his brother was dead and Evelyn Dyne had appeared in his place? How did he adapt? How did he cope? (Fem!Ed, obviously)

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Fullmetal Alchemist. None of the characters. None of the plot. Not even, technically, the little figurines I have at home. Point blank. End of discussion.

Rating: T

Note 1: Damn you, shiva1. I'd not intended this.

Note 2: Has a few original scenes in it so it's not a complete rehash of Aureate Bonds from Al's point of view. Also jumping around a lot more through the story so it isn't as much story overall.

Note 3: Before Al finds out Evelyn is a girl, descriptors, nouns, and pronouns referencing Ed will be masculine.

.

The surge of relief that had gone through Alphonse when he'd seen Edward emerge from Gluttony had been so powerful that he felt it possible to cry even without a body. Just seeing him even if he was bloody and dirty and clearly beaten up, twisted into the body of the monster known as Envy had been an event that had relieved him in no small degree. That moment just before when he'd felt like he'd been wrenched apart… It had been the most terrible thing he'd ever felt. It hadn't compared to the time where he'd thought himself just a toy created by his brother. It had been at least ten times worse. A hundred times worse. It had felt like dying.

He'd reached out and snatched at that automail leg, not wondering why the foot was unbooted, and hauled Edward out of the mess with enthusiasm. "Al…?" Edward had muttered, looking at him in confusion and tiredness. It had been hours since they'd seen each other and no doubt his big brother was tired.

"Brother!" he exclaimed in return, excitement and unadulterated relief in his voice.

"I did it," sighed his brother. Alphonse considered the upside-down teen and saw the slightly pale cast to his face. Carefully, the armor lowered Edward to the concrete. The golden-haired teen slowly pushed himself up and looked about even as Ling shifted up as well, muttering about how good it was to be back. Al scanned Ed's form, taking in the bandages and splint and blood as worry overtook him.

"You're hurt!" he half-accused. Ed looked down at himself, clearly assessing his body, and then looked back up wearily.

"Not too bad… Blood's not mine."

"Thank God," Ling offered, leaning back against the titanic and monstrous form of Envy. Or so that man who looked like his dad had said. It wasn't his dad, though. It couldn't have been his father. His father didn't look so cold. But then who was he? Al returned his attention back to Edward only to hear him speak.

"I've got… my arm." Golden eyes flicked to him and Al noted the odd look to the flesh and bone arm that Edward cradled carefully. "I broke it." But Edward was safe. Edward was home.

Edward was alive.

That meant more than Alphonse could have hoped for. He wished he could sob but he'd been denied that luxury. Stretching out a hollow gauntlet, he skimmed fingers across Edward's cheek, not noticing the slight hints of 'not right' about his brother thanks to pure relief. "You're alive," he offered with a slight shudder in his voice. Kneeling before his brother and missing the flash of pain in those golden irises, he touched Ed's knee. "I was… so afraid. You're alive… You're alive…" There was a long moment and Al heard Ed swallow thickly. Oh, his brother always had to be tough. Always and always.

"Yeah… I'm sorry for making you worry." Al wanted to weep so badly at the slightly hoarse voice. "I'm sorry for making you wait." He stood slowly and Al looked up. "Next thing on the agenda… Where are we?"

.

Alphonse was confused. Beyond confused. How had Edward transmuted when he couldn't? How had he done those things when Al couldn't? All the tall armor had achieved was a bunch of slapping. Edward had actually managed to fight with alchemy, upsetting the guy that had apparently nullified alchemy somehow. Or had he been upset? That man that had looked like their father had been unnervingly bland in attitude.

On top of that, Greed had taken over Ling. Al wasn't sure how that was possible but their friend had been… changed. Edward was walking stiffly just in front of him and Envy in some nondescript face with a uniform of moderate rank was in the lead. The homunculus was saying something about cleaning up and behaving but Al was too distracted at the moment at being defenseless and trying to work out how his brother had used alchemy and what to do about his current passengers.

As soon as they stepped within the showers and the door had shut, Edward whipped around to stare at him. "I have got to talk to you," he hissed before moving to turn on the showers. Al shifted nervously, very aware of the little Xingese girl now. How did he tell his brother that there was a girl in the room with them? But then another thought cropped up.

"Are you okay, Brother?" Ed's behavior was odd but he could pass it off as having been through a traumatic experience. "There… Right before you returned from Gluttony, there was this… horrible sensation. It felt like I'd died or something, but nothing was wrong and I was okay and…" He broke off, fear thrumming through him. "Brother? What happened?" He was afraid. He didn't understand. Edward just stared at him, sadness in his eyes as well as regret. Why? "How did you use alchemy when I couldn't?" he pled. "How…? What? I don't understand."

Silence except for the sound of running water stretched between them as Al stared at him with rolled forward shoulders. There was an odd gamut of emotions going across Edward's face and none of them were really decipherable to the armored teen. "Al…" Edward's voice faltered right after and something Al could only name as fear entered his gaze and Al looked down at his empty hands, uncertain as to how to take such an odd response. "Please don't hate me."

He looked up again. "Why would I hate you, Brother?" The suggestion of it was ghastly to him. Ed was everything. The reason he'd survived. The reason he kept going forward with hope. Edward had safeguarded him and, despite their arguments in the past, Alphonse was pretty certain he could never hate his big brother.

"Do you…" Edward faltered for a moment before continuing. "…remember when you asked if you'd ever been a real person?" What did this have to do with anything? Confused, Alphonse thought back to the last real argument he and Edward had had and mentally grimaced. That had been awful, really.

Hesitantly, he offered, "Yes?"

"And how we proved you were really Alphonse Elric? With memories I couldn't have remembered? Known?" Where was Edward going with this?

"What are you trying to say?" he asked straightforwardly as he stared at Ed.

"Al… I guess when you felt like you were being hurt was the moment I died." Wait… what? Al barely noted the steam slowly enveloping the room from the shower or the little cat thing that was moving around a bit inside him. What did Edward mean? He'd… died? But he was alive. Right here in front of him and giving him that agonized look. "I'm so sorry!" Ed burst out. "I didn't mean to, but Envy… He didn't give up enough of his Stone and as I was the last one through…" The elder brother faltered and Alphonse was trying to grasp the huge shock that had been thrust upon him.

"You… died?" he asked softly, confusedly. Was Edward trembling? He watched as his brother… He couldn't be anything but his brother, right? He watched as Edward nodded, face drawn and fearful and clearly ashamed. "But how are you alive?" Because dead people didn't come back to life. They'd proven this. Edward himself had proven this. But if Edward had died, then was this a homunculus with his memories? Was that even possible? Or was there another homunculus like Envy?

Edward shifted and opened and shut his mouth a few times before finding words. "I… I got reborn. I'm not sure of… of the 'how' or the 'why'…" Reborn? "But I couldn't…" He clenched his hands. "I refused to leave you in this mess and I worked so hard to get back here. It took…" Alphonse stared as he paused in his words and martialed his strength to continue. "It took years and years even if it was only an instant for you. And it was hard. So hard. Not…" He turned his head away, down, and Alphonse sat there unmoving trying to process it all. "Not having you around, watching my back. I had to get used to it but… I never liked it. I wasn't alone but I…"

The pain was so clear on his face. This person that looked like Edward but claimed he wasn't. Alphonse was confused, lost. It seemed so ridiculous. Edward had died? But alive now? None of it made sense.

A thought occurred to him and he spoke. "You need a shower, Brother. Go on. You can talk to me as you bathe." Because he didn't think Envy would wait forever. Edward didn't move. Al heard him swallow thickly.

"That's something else…" Those familiar golden eyes looked at Alphonse, something odd in them. It was an emotion that Al had seen in Ed's face a number of times. That look of self-blame. "When I died… and got reborn… I…" He took a steadying breath before shifting up straight though with a notable hunch in her shoulders. "I'm a girl."

'What does he mean he's a girl?!' shrieked an odd corner of Alphonse's mind. This was Edward James Elric! This was his brother! Brother! As in a guy, right? Was Ed having him on? Was Ed pulling his leg or something?

Or had Alphonse gone mad and this was some deluded, demented dream?

"A girl?" he asked in disbelief, not certain how to express his other thoughts. Wait… "Is this why you said something about what Barry the Chopper said to me?" He watched as his brother nodded, clearly ashamed. "Oh…"

So that meant that Edward had died, been reborn, somehow retained all his memories… and wasn't at all 'Edward' anymore? His mind had been shocked into silence. He didn't know what to think.

"Well…" He could play it safe, though. He didn't know how to swallow all of this. He didn't know what to think. But he could pretend for a moment that this was some crazy tale that Ed had spun to have him on. Turning his helm away, he continued, "You should still take a shower. You're covered in blood."

He heard faint clinks of metal on tile, the softer sounds of clothes being removed. He sat still and cautious, trying to just mentally process even a fraction of what Edward had said. Edward had died. Edward was a girl. That made no sense. A million questions whirled about his mind and part of him just wanted to outright deny…

"I'm safe." He looked back to see it was true. The shower stall door had neatly hidden everything remotely sexual but even now Al couldn't really see the femininity. Ed seemed a little more different, but… He could, however, see the automail and he instantly questioned it.

"If you're really reborn, then why do you have your automail?" It didn't seem quite right for some reason and even with Ed's strip down, for some reason he'd left on necklaces. Necklaces Al had never seen before.

"That's…" Al watched his brother… sister? Person. This person that looked like Ed but wasn't and claimed to be in some fashion tilted his-her head under the sluice of water. "That's a really good question. When I came back here, Truth didn't want to let me come." Al found himself gasping in surprise. "And I begged. It let me come back at the price of my leg and arm." He watched the stranger-person that he couldn't help but think of as his brother shudder and grasp at the shoulder port. "Though, undergoing automail surgery in mere moments was not fun. And it still hurts."

His mind flashed to what he'd done upon seeing Edward and he shifted slightly before looking at his gauntlets. "I picked you up by your leg." And if Edward had hurt…

"You didn't know, so I'm not mad." The assurance meant little and all Al was finding was an increasingly confused mind.

"This… this is so much." From within the shower stall, his brother-not-brother-somebody… what could Al call him? Her?

"I know," murmured the figure as soap was lathered up.

"What's your name now?" Edward-not-Edward looked at him, meeting his gaze.

"Evelyn Dyne," he-she informed. A very feminine name. "Though I will always be Edward Elric, too." It was said with a smile. "You can still call me 'Ed'. It's my nickname still. Thanks to a friend. Or 'Brother'. I like 'Brother'."

It was yet another information dump. This 'Evelyn' babbled a lot and Al didn't know how to take it. She… had to be a 'she' with that name… She'd told him a number of things. For sake of normalcy and a need for some stability, Al instantly decided to keep calling this person 'Brother'. At least, he could until such a time otherwise. "Okay, Brother. But we have to talk about this when we're out of here."

She nodded and agreed. "Believe me, I know. There's so much to tell you." But now wasn't the time.

"Finish cleaning up," he told her. "This really isn't the place for such talks." Silence reigned as Evelyn washed up. But then she turned her head, looking about.

"Al?" she asked, focusing on him.

"Yes?" he asked. Her confused tone had intrigued him.

"Who… um… Is there someone in your armor?" He stiffened, mind whirling. How had she known? Had he been seen putting her inside? If that was true, then that meant that Envy could have seen but no moves had been made… Guiltily and in an effort to perhaps protect the two passengers, he hunched a bit.

"Oh. It's that little girl and her cat." Edward-Evelyn blinked at him.

"Seriously?" He nodded.

"How could you tell?" She considered him, tilting her head slightly to take him in.

"You remember how Lan Fan and Ling could sense people?"

"Yes," Al agreed with a nod before pausing. Wait… "You can do it, too, now?" That was incredible!

"Among a few other things," Edward-Evelyn told him, an odd look on her face. "As I said, I studied a lot."

He considered her, tracking the necklaces about this person's throat. He wasn't sure how to take it even now. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure," she returned instantly. "Anything you ask, I'll answer to the best of my ability."

"What's with the necklaces?" Because Edward hadn't worn necklaces, after all. She looked down her front.

"One's actually a bracelet that my… other parents gave me." Alphonse was curious about these other parents, too. What had they been like? "The other's one a woman gave me. One for my birthday and the other from a holiday over there called 'Christmas'. And the medallion is actually sort of a magic talisman."

Words that Al had never imagined to come out of Edward's mouth. 'Magic talisman'. "Really?"

"Yeah. Helps me pretend to everyone I'm a boy. It's not really good against really clever and sharp-eyed people, but it does work." And, at that point, what did that make him?

Save it for later…

"Sounds really crazy. The place you were must have been really crazy."

"Not really," she denied before scrubbing some more. "I… wasn't the only one reincarnated, though." That piqued his curiosity.

"Who else?"

"Well, my best friend growing up?" She flashed him a smile. "His name is Peter Brown, but it used to be Maes Hughes." What? "And… there was this lady who I'd become friends with. Her name was Tiffany Reynolds." She grasped at one of her necklaces with a sad smile. "It was Mom. Or, rather, 'Trisha Elric' Mom versus this life's mother." Alphonse's mind faltered under these words. "She was the one that gave me this necklace."

Their mother… was alive? Reborn? Could she really…? But… "You… You saw her?" The implications of such a thing. If she'd been reborn, did that mean they had had no chance whatsoever in bringing her back to life?

"Yes," Evelyn told him, gaze distant. Her voice was regretful. "And sometimes… Sometimes she remembered things. She dreamed about us but didn't remember much of them. She realized who I was and wanted to know more. I couldn't…" She faltered again and he heard the frailty in her voice. "I couldn't tell her about the accident… or the military. I didn't want her to think… or to know…"

That all but confirmed that even if it was memory only… the person that called herself Evelyn Dyne was indeed Edward Elric. Because only Edward and Alphonse could have loved their mother to that degree. Because, when they were young, it was Edward more than Alphonse that had just wanted to make their mother smile. Al had followed Ed, later to his detriment, and had wanted to just do everything like his big brother. Making their mother happy had been a nice side effect. "Oh, Brother," he murmured emphatically. It had to have been hard looking at that new person and knowing that she could never speak everything to her. The sadness and fear of rejection in this new person's eyes was so very visible… "At least she's happy now, right?" he tried to comfort. "And healthy?"

Evelyn began to move again to wash the soap off completely. "Yeah," she murmured. "She is."

.

After the interview with the Fuhrer and all the troubles and tribulations that came with it… including the near death of the little girl inside him… Evelyn further proved her knowledge of Edward.

Unfortunately, the man that she proved this knowledge on happened to be Colonel Mustang. Oh, she'd proven her ballsy-ness on the Fuhrer by trying to get out of the military by chucking her watch at him. How had she gotten that thing? Logic said she'd probably transmuted it and Alphonse left that thought alone at that point. But it was after the interview and the none-too-subtle threats that had Al further confirming this could only be Edward after the Colonel had asked what was wrong with them.

"No matter!" Evelyn abruptly said as she turned to him. "We need an address. That Doctor Knox!"

"Oh?" Mustang half-queried. "Okay." He looked at her carefully and Alphonse didn't really know why. But, then again, Evelyn looked very similar to Edward as far as he could tell. There were hints of slight differences when he really looked, but… "I can tell you, but don't move very openly." The man pulled out a memo pad and scrawled out the address before looking at Evelyn again. "Are you okay?"

Ed stiffened and Al was once again reminded about the general animosity that hung between the two. Al was smart enough to say that it was due to their personalities being far too alike. "I'm fine," she told him.

"You sound strange," Mustang told her as he handed over the scrap.

"You probably need to clean your ears more often," growled the short blonde. Al would have rolled his eyes if he'd had them.

"Fullmetal," warned the Colonel. "Now's not the time to play games." It was as though he'd sounded the trumpet horn of challenge because Ed glared at him. Al watched silently as Mustang arched a brow and would have groaned but Edward… Evelyn was snapping first.

"Play games? With my family being threatened? Fuck you!" Well, there was that infamous Edward Elric temper. Why did his reincarnation (he was still having troubles swallowing that) retain that of all things?

"Excuse me?" demanded Mustang in a controlled drawl. Unlike the usual rounds he inflicted on Edward, the man seemed aggravated.

"Now, Mustang. I'm in no mood to 'play games' like you call it."

"Brother," Al reproved.

"Not until you tell me what's going on," countered Mustang, gaze intent.

Evelyn growled, glanced both directions down the hall, and, before Alphonse realized what she was up to, she moved. "That's it! I've had enough of this stupidity and this aggravating twenty questions bullshit!" She pinched at his fingers with her automail fingers and Alphonse stood in shocked horror even as Mustang flinched and yelped. "Hughes is right! You need a damn wife!" The armor watched as Mustang's indignant look became startled and cringed a bit at the accusation. Wait, wasn't her friend Hughes? "Maybe she'd keep your nose out of trouble!" Now the man looked caught between shock and affront even as he backed up another step to try and escape quick and rather nasty fingers. Granted, this physical thing wasn't much of Edward so it could be more of the girl he'd become, but Alphonse was at a loss of what to do. "Though the fact you apparently liked ménage a trois with his wife makes me go 'what the fuck?!' Then again, that's your life." The Colonel sputtered even as a wallet appeared in Evelyn's hand. Why was he so upset? Other than Ed basically attacking him. He'd never seen Mustang so red before. And what did that 'manage a troy' thing mean? "So," continued Ed, glancing at him. "How much did you teach him, anyway?"

"Fullmetal!" snarled Mustang in warning.

"Oh, don't give me that." Yeesh, Ed was being kind of vicious today and Al felt really bad about not reining him… her in. Then again, she'd probably had a really hard time so far. "Something about boys not being allowed near the girl dorms?" She threw a newly emptied wallet back at the horrified man. Oh, so that was why… Alphonse had never seen Mustang honestly unsettled before. "By the way, you're cheap. Only a few hundred sens?"

"How do you even know…?" He trailed off but Ed answered him anyway.

"He told me," offered the teen with a smirk that was eerily reminiscent of Mustang's own. "Thanks, Mustang. Pleasure doin' business with ya!" She saluted him, stuffed the cash into her pocket, and bolted like a hair.

Alphonse ran after her, wondering what exactly that had all been about.

.

Hours later, he returned to the hotel room. He'd split up with the stranger with his brother's face but the time away had allowed for adjustments. It had also given him insight into the Ishvalan Civil War through the words of Doctor Knox and had permitted him to see Lan Fan as well as get help for the little girl. Night had fallen and he'd used the walk to good effect.

He'd lost cornerstones of his life. All the really close ones at any rate. He'd lost his father and, despite hoping for the man to return, Al wasn't a fool. The longer his dad stayed away, the likelihood of him coming back became less. It wasn't like Al had really needed him for years because he'd never been in the position to really miss him. He'd come to miss his mother more and that was only because she'd died when he was barely a year older. She'd been another cornerstone. Edward had become, in a sense, the center of his universe. He'd been the emotional support Al had needed in times of crisis and had been the driving force between the pair of them. He was the big brother, the foolish one that he had to look out for…

And now… Now Brother was dead. And in his place was a girl his age. He knew she was very similar to how Edward had looked, had clear knowledge about things only the Elrics could have known, and…

He looked up towards the edifice of the hotel and figured out the window of the room he and Ed were staying in. It was dark. Had she gone to bed?

Alphonse had to admit he was nervous and more than a little afraid. Evelyn wasn't Edward.

But she could still be his family, right? The fear she'd shown, the clear fight to bring herself back to where he was, the devotion… That was so Edward that…

Shame crashed around him. This person, Evelyn Dyne, had obviously thrown away a lot to get to him by her own words. She'd known him. Known alchemy. Known their method. Known so much. She had to be Edward, right? And, even if she wasn't… He could talk to her still. Find out… right?

Entering the hotel, he ascended the stairs to the room they'd rented. Opening the surprisingly unlocked door, he saw her in the faint light coming through the window. She was sitting there, legs crossed and right on the floor. Eyes in shadow, he couldn't tell if they were open or shut. He closed the door but she didn't stir.

"Brother?" he called, using the instinctive callout. "I'm back." He turned on the light and noted her even breathing and closed eyes. She was very pretty with finer features than Edward had and the talisman thing she'd pointed out was now missing. "Sorry it took so long," he offered. "I was talking to Doctor Knox." No response. Was she asleep? "Lan Fan seems to be doing okay, though. And the girl, Mei Chang? She's with Doctor Knox now. He should be able to take care of her." Still nothing. Finally, he approached cautiously when it was clear she wasn't listening. "Brother?" he called, touching her on the shoulder.

She jumped and looked at him with wide eyes. "Al!" Scrambling to her feet, he saw her clothing. Brother's boxers and tank top. "You scared me."

"I was talking to you for a while, Brother. You just kept sitting there and not responding." What else could he call her? 'Sister?' She'd made specific mention to 'Brother' and he reflexively called Edward that anyway.

"Geh…" She shrugged. "I was in a meditative trance. Helps with organizing my brain." Meditative trance? He stood there, taking in her changed features. She was narrower, smaller in some ways. She was also a little taller than Edward had been. Lean muscles and pretty features, someone he'd look twice at in admiration. She stood there, eying him. Perhaps she understood his fascination. Her hair was loose and the same length as Edward's had been, cut even in the same style. It was like Edward had been… transformed into this finer creature.

"You look very pretty," he told her and watched as she blushed and looked at her toes.

"Thanks." If he could have swallowed, he would have.

"This… this is hard, Brother." Her golden eyes came up, pain clear. Pain that was so familiar as was the self-accusation and the somberness. She looked like Edward in her eyes and not just for the color of them. They were Brother's eyes. The eyes of someone who had seen so much…

"I know."

He couldn't help but reach out, wanting to affirm even if he couldn't feel that Edward was there even if transformed. He laid his gauntlet's fingers upon her cheek and she looked up at him. There was that familiar hunger and need in them. The desire to prove herself. So like Brother. Seeing it unblemished and unhidden, he could see his sibling more easily. "Tell me more?" he asked quietly.

And she did.

Alphonse was transported to another world, one ruled by technology rather than alchemy. He learned about her life growing up and her best friend, Peter, whom she called Hughes. She spoke of so many things that he could barely grasp and others that he understood completely. He learned about a girl named Bethany and another named Allison, her little sister. About Isaiah and Adriana and so many more. He learned more about Tiffany and her little brother, Chris. He learned about another Chris, a girl. He learned about her classes and her learning of magic. About her mother and father and their support of her decisions. About a grandmother that had favored her because she was whip smart and the effort of years she'd put into a project to get her back here. She spoke quite a lot and Alphonse absorbed it all. She spoke of Edward's final moments, too, and rather hesitantly. She told him about what had happened in Gluttony, what had occurred between Edward and Ling and their opponent, Envy. But she mainly focused on the good.

She spoke for hours before falling to silent tears. Tears that were out of place on Edward but fitted this new person somehow. And as dawn broke over Central, she spoke once more. "Al?"

He looked at her instead of the wall. "Yeah, Brother?" Because it had to be Brother, right? It had to be him. Because who else, after having so many good things given over to her, would abandon everything she knew and had to come find him?

"I know… I know it's gonna sound girly, but…" He waited for her to finish. "I have missed you so much… and I love you." Incongruous words from Edward Elric. Words that a tough guy like his brother would have never uttered… unless he felt Alphonse absolutely needed to hear them.

Al had.

He started laughing, earning an incredulous look from the girl beside him. He couldn't help it, though. The relief in just knowing Edward was actually this new person… It was fantastic. So very fantastic and completely and utterly incredible. "Oh, Brother," he chuckled. "That was pretty girly." Immediately she had her hackles up, clearly offended, but then he was soothing those feathers once more. "But I love you, too, and I'm glad you're back." Evelyn flashed a sunny smile at him but he could still see the wariness. "So…" He held up his fist. "Still blood brothers?" Ed needed the reassurance. He could see it. She needed to know. Edward had always needed acceptance. She eyed it and smiled before lifting her own fisted hand.

"Absolutely," she agreed, tapping her fist against his. Her smile grew brighter as she did so and Al knew he'd done the right thing. Any and all qualms had been dispelled more surely by this one move than anything else she'd said to him.

This was his brother. It was obvious to him now. The ease in his heart told him that.

"Have you been up all night?" he asked, peering at her. A flash of guilt. The answer he needed. "You should get some rest, Brother."

"I can't. Not yet," she advised drolly. "Things we need to do, yeah?"

"Did you call Winry?" A flash of stronger guilt before it firmed into absolution.

"No. I didn't want to risk her safety. Called Teacher instead…" She grimaced. "Let's just say I owe her a visit now." Al mentally cringed at that.

"I'm guessing she didn't take the news very well?"

"No. But what do you expect?" She wrinkled her nose and made a face that wasn't quite an Edward one but one that Alphonse certainly recognized. "Crazy woman. Not that I blame her. Hello! I died. But still. I think I might die again when I go see her." She shuddered.

"Brother!" he chided and was rewarded with a peculiar amused-slash-sulky look. Like Ed wanted to laugh but was fighting not to. Alphonse snorted.

.

One thing that had been bequeathed to him upon receiving this body was an unlimited amount of time for introspection. Four years of nights waiting for the sun to rise had certainly given him plenty of time to ponder the world. It resulted in him having read perhaps triple the books Edward had ever gotten hold of ranging from novels to scientific texts to periodicals. It resulted in giving him a chance to be able to understand things a bit better.

And he took that chance the following night after a helter-skelter day about the city looking for the little girl with her odd cat creature. Well, Ed had called it a 'panda' though she'd seemed amused it was so small and that Mei Chang apparently had tamed a bear no matter how little. Alphonse, however, took his chance on understanding Evelyn the moment she had sacked out from pure exhaustion. There was still a defining cautiousness around her like she was afraid that he'd turn away. Part of him knew that if he did, he'd never see her again. That she'd just vanish if he wanted it.

The thought actually terrified him more than he dared admit.

Evelyn wasn't Edward. She wasn't his brother at all physically even if it was so close. The talisman she wore didn't seem to work anymore on him now that he knew what lay beneath the 'enchantment'. Classic misdirection. Look at this hand as it does a trick while the other one did something outside your notice. A magic trick. Edward Elric was doing magic tricks.

It was, in a very absurd fashion, hilarious.

But it was a few words that had him reconsidering his thought that magic might be real. "So… you want to learn how to meditate? Might help with those long nights," Evelyn offered after a long day of running around looking for the elusive Mei Chang. Alphonse had thought the girl… princess rather amazing and, like Ed, had wanted to learn more about her brand of alchemy. Ed had fallen to calling her some funny word rather than 'Mei' or 'Princess' though she insisted it did mean 'princess'. Al more or less had to take her word on it. 'High-den-kah' was a very odd word.

"Meditate?" he asked, looking at her in curiosity. "How do you think it'd help?"

"Well…" She fidgeted, shooting him a long and rather contemplative look. "It helps me remember things easier and keeps my mind better organized. I think better in the long run as a result. Plus, it's a good way to waste time without really… being aware of it or doing much in the way of movement." Alphonse considered this and nodded.

"I remember what you were like when I came back here right after…" After Edward had died and he'd been reborn as a girl. A flicker of moments for him but years for his brother. Agonizingly long for him but far, far longer for her.

"It's not really sleeping," she agreed, obviously filling in the blank he'd left. "But I'd bet you'd be good at it."

"Alright. What first?"

"Sit down. Makes it easier if you're not thinking about balancing as much." She nudged him about, filching up a towel to help block out the sight of movement though it didn't completely obscure his vision as he could partially see through the terrycloth. Her nudging him through the steps didn't take very long but it took time for him to quiet his mind enough so he wasn't continually thinking. Evelyn had told him eventually he could just fall into it without much effort and could still contemplate things once he got past the physical inputs. At least he had three less senses than her to deal with but he couldn't really blink or plug up ears so two constant senses kind of evened out the score… sort of.

Not that he was really keeping track.

After realizing that Mei wasn't around anywhere to be found, they started moving towards the libraries. So, during the day he would wind up reading through books and at night he'd practice the whole meditating thing. And it was absolutely fantastic when he managed it one night. "Brother!" he called the moment he saw Ed start to stir from her slumber. "Brother, Brother!"

"Huh? Whazzit?" blinked the groggy blonde as she scrubbed a hand across her sleep-puffed face.

"I did it! All night!" She grimaced and yawned expansively before blinking again. Finally, she seemed to process his words and she woke up a good deal faster.

"You did? You meditated all night?"

"Yes! I mean, I didn't really sleep but I felt disconnected without being 'disconnected' if you know what I mean." If Al could vibrate from the sheer excitement, he managed it then for his helm jittered with his exuberant motions. "It was amazing!" His reincarnated brother stared at him for a long moment before smiling so brightly that it was like someone had turned on a light. "Thank you so much!"

"You're welcome, Al," she grinned, bouncing from the bed. "C'mon and let's get something to eat. I'm starved and I wanna hear more about how it was last night."

Despite the fact she was not Edward, Alphonse felt an immense sense of pride for his 'brother'. Edward was one of the most selfless people Alphonse knew because he'd given everything to his brother that he could after the accident. It was like his selfishness had been ripped from him as surely as his leg the night of the accident. Oh, he could be contrary to people he didn't like but, as far as Alphonse was concerned, Ed was selfless. His entire focus was on righting the tragedy done to his brother. He even worked to not treat him differently, to include him as a normal person, and to give Al hope even at the most hopeless of points. And Evelyn had come forward with the exact same ideology. She didn't dismiss his lack of body but rather shelved the notion as 'matter of fact' and went on. Including him in the idea of breakfast though he'd certainly not eat meant that she was ensuring he didn't feel excluded even if he partially was by default.

It was exceedingly 'Edward'.

After breakfast, they headed to the library though Evelyn made protesting noises all the while. He didn't understand why, though. They were learning and they could perhaps learn the new alchemy that the little princess had brought with her from Xing. Perhaps Evelyn had carried forward that cynicism of Edward's. Honestly, knowledge was knowledge in Al's mind and it ought to be shared. Oh, he knew that there were some secrets not shared, but…

After another day's worth of searching, though, he and Ed were surprisingly picked up by a dandified Colonel. They chatted about what they'd discovered so far, the man passing along the message of Hawkeye 'getting the message Fullmetal had sent on', as he drove them back to their hotel.

The tall armor learned that Mustang had had an ulterior motive when he picked up some woman with rather pointed flirts. "Is this really the time?" he wondered to the blonde at his side.

"Don't tell him I told you this," Evelyn mused as she turned to walk inside after the Colonel had driven off, "but he's hardly stupid. There's got to be a reason."

Another proof that Evelyn wasn't Edward. She'd actually admitted she thought more of Mustang than she let him know. Al chuckled a bit. "I won't tell him, Brother," he assured, earning a grin. "But I bet you'll tell him someday."

"Yeah, sure," she scoffed, waving him off. They walked up the stairs. "I'm starting to think the main library is going to be a dead end, Al."

"We're not even done with the Xingese section," he protested.

"They're travel guides and vague ones at that," she pointed out. Al sighed unnecessarily and moved to change the topic.

"I don't think we've exhausted our possibilities," he told her. "Anyway, what will we do after?"

"The Colonel knows we're looking for Hidenka and her panda so we can wait a bit while he conjures up some information. Unless we get other information first…" She paused as they hit the landing for their room, peering at the door they were residing in. "Hey, Al? You did lock the door, right?"

"Why?" Alphonse paused and considered it before nodding. "I did, but why?"

"Someone's in our room." He glanced towards the doorway. "They're not moving around, though, so obviously waiting." She tilted her head as she stepped closer, her voice lowering as she did so. "Angle's wrong for a surprise attack… Whoever it is isn't in a closet or even hiding. Confidence or just benign?"

"Open the door and find out?" Al offered in a tight whisper. She nodded and took the key from him. Twisting the door open, she stared at the dark figure on the bed she'd been sleeping on as she flicked on the light. Alphonse immediately recognized him and gasped.

"You are late!" he barked out. And then Al saw him stare at Evelyn. "You… are not Edward Elric." The growl was threatening and she gave him an aggrieved, aggravated glare.

"Fuckin' Xingese and their damn sharp-sighted eyes!" So, Mister Fu had seen through the disguise and… Well, her whine except for the whole swearing part was kind of funny. "Stop staring at me, old man!"

"Brother!" he admonished with a squeak. Now that was just bad manners.

"You are a woman!" reproved the bodyguard.

"You're still staring!"

"Calm down, you two!"

"What has happened?" barked Fu and both teens froze.

"Look, I…" Ed hesitated, clearly agitated, and Al wasn't sure what to say.

"I will be answered, girl." That had the blonde's back up instantly and she suddenly spewed out a litany of odd sounds out in sharp, quick cadences that Alphonse identified as Xingese. Fu obviously understood because he stared in astonishment.

"I am Edward," she hissed in Amestrian. "I don't want it commonly known about… this." She made a quick gesture to herself and Al shifted nervously, listening to her words intently. "It was an accident. So, quiet. Now. Stuff happened." That was blunt but she wasn't being rude at the moment. Or, at least, not completely rude to the older man. "Not just to me. Ling's managed to come to possess a Philosopher's Stone, but it came with some extra stuff attached such as a dominant personality that's more or less hijacked his body and he's currently occupied trying to get control back." Very, very blunt. To the point, encompassed the high parts, but also lacking the intimate details. "Lan Fan is currently at a doctor's house, being treated for injuries she sustained. We can't get in touch with Ling, but we can get in touch with Lan Fan. Would you like us to take you to her?"

The old man stared at them before nodding slowly, his gaze glued to the reincarnated alchemist. Al caught Ed's glance to him and took in both. It took him half a moment to realize they had to rely on him to go meet with the Xingese lady because he was the one that had gone to Doctor Knox's house. He suppressed a sigh and nodded. "This way, Mister Fu."

.

The reunion of the two Xingese had been tense and strained. Al hadn't understood half the conversation but he did get that Mister Fu had been terribly hurt by Lan Fan's injuries. As they faded into the darkness, Alphonse looked at Evelyn. "Could you teach me Xingese?" he asked.

"Sure. It's not the only language I know so…" He turned to look after the shadows that remained undisturbed now that the two people had gone on.

"Well, it'd be a good start," he tendered. "Let's go back to the hotel, Brother. I'm sure you need some sleep." She smiled ruefully and knocked automail knuckles on the torso of his armor.

"Yeah… Wish sometimes I had your endurance but I like being able to sleep, too."

"We'll get us both fixed," assured Alphonse, affecting hopeful cheer into his tone. "Because it's moments like these that remind me I'm really lucky, too." She chuckled and shook her head.

"Ever the optimist, aren't you?" Evelyn began walking on, her thumbs hooked into her trouser pockets. Al followed in her footsteps, happy and content.

"It's better than being a pessimist, Brother."

"I'm not a pessimist," she disagreed, stepping around a lump of garbage.

"Yes, you are," he disagreed. "You don't think there's anything in the library. You don't think good of many people."

"It merely means I'm a realist. Besides, being a cynic means I'm either right or pleasantly surprised when I'm wrong." Al couldn't help it. He laughed.

"That's certainly one way to look at it, I guess," he agreed.

"To be fair, I'd rather be wrong all the time on some things," she grinned up at him before giving an expansive yawn.

"How are your limbs doing?" he asked suddenly. Golden eyes blinked up at him and he got a shrug as she looked forward again. It was a bit eerie being the only two people on the road.

"They're fine. The residual pain is gone." A few days ago that hadn't been the case because he'd caught her rubbing at her ports when she thought he'd not been looking with a look of tenseness in her face. That hurt him quite a bit, actually. To know that she'd handed over her limbs to the Gate once again just to get to him… She'd been whole even though she'd lost her life. To see her missing her arm and leg… He must have been communicating a sense of brooding for he was startled out of his thoughts by her next words. "You shouldn't blame yourself for my stupidity, y'know."

What could he say to that? 'Oh, I know but I am the person that's supposed to keep you from going too far off the deep end'? Or… 'You said yourself you came back for me and not anyone else. It makes it my fault'? Neither of those would go over very well because they were both half-accusations and Evelyn was too much like her former life to just accept that kind of thinking from him.

He settled on something a little different. "I'll always worry about you just as you always worry about me. We're supposed to be a team, remember?" He got a long look for that one and she huffed a fond laugh. Acceptance. Perfect.

"Yeah, we are," she agreed. "We are." Her expression sobered and he could see her heavy thoughts in her eyes. "I hope all of this works out. The only thing I really want is for you to be restored."

"And I want you to be restored," pressured the tall armor. "Brother, you harmed yourself just to come back. That's more than what most people would do for someone else. To think you gave up your arm and leg again even if you got your automail back…" He faltered when she hushed him. "Oh, sorry…"

"We don't know who's listening," she pointed out as they achieved the hotel. "Remember, Al."

And Evelyn, Al reminded himself, was far more paranoid than Edward had ever been. But, then again, she did have good reason to be.

"I will," he promised.

.

He stared. "Um… Brother?" he asked warily while sweeping a speculative eye over brown twill and ivory cotton. He got a smirk in return. "What are you wearing?"

"I need to go out and get some things," she told him in a matter-of-fact tone as she pulled on a jacket.

"Like what?" he asked, looking up at her face and away from the ankle-length twill skirt that had caught his attention so thoroughly. It was like looking at a cross-dressing Edward, honestly. With the tailored shirt and lack of an amulet, though, there was no denying that 'Edward' was a girl. There were glasses perched on her nose with the lenses of a medium brown tint. They dulled the immediate gold of her eyes a good deal and it was kind of interesting to see her with the frames.

"I'm a girl, Al… I've got to get certain things that are of a 'girly' nature."

"And this isn't?" he questioned in confusion. She the jacket even looked girlish to him despite the neutral tones. It was as though 'Edward' had been pointedly dulled out so 'he' didn't stand out as much. And there were curls in her hair. Curls. As in she used alchemy to heat a length of metal pipe and wrapped her hair about it to form the loose, bouncing curls about her face.

She looked almost nothing like Edward with her revealed features and finer face.

"Fine," she sighed after considering him. "I'm a girl and, by my calculations, my cycle is about to start." He stared blankly at her. "You know… the thing that all women get?"

And then his biology books came back into focus and if he could have he would have blushed. "Oh…"

"Yeah," she huffed with a slight laugh at his affront. "'Oh'." Ed sighed as the silence extended. "Alright, Al, I'm going out."

"Can I go with you?" She gave him an incredulous look and suddenly the tall armor felt very sheepish. "Oh, I guess I can't. Not with you taking all these measures to ensure nobody recognizes you."

"No worries," she assured. "I'll be right back after a visit to the pharmacy. And then this getup will vanish."

"You look pretty, though," he commented and watched as a blush spread across her features. "You don't look very much like 'Edward' right now."

"That… ah…" Evelyn coughed. "That's the point." She gave him an embarrassed look. "Sorry, but… I should get going before it gets too late."

"Right… Be careful." With a swirl of her skirt, the blonde teen vanished out the door and Alphonse closed it back after her. It was strange to have it 'reaffirmed', so to speak, that 'Edward' was indeed a girl. She pulled off the look well but it was still strange. Emotion seized at him and he settled on the bed and stared at nothing.

Edward was dead and Evelyn had come back to fix what he'd left undone…

But it still hurt that he'd lost his brother.

He pressed a gauntlet to the front of his helm, reminded all over how much they'd lost to the Gate once more. He had no body. Edward had lost his leg and sacrificed his arm to keep Al alive in some ephemeral sense… and then had died at the Gate years later. Evelyn had lost her arm and leg to the Gate in order to get back to her former life's brother.

Alphonse wished he could cry. He wished that he wasn't just a soul. Part of him wanted to irrationally run to the Gate and demand his brother's life back. To put everything back how it should have been. Where he was a regular boy and Edward was whole and male. But he knew that wouldn't happen. He knew that would never happen. Lowering his hand, he eyed it sadly.

"Brother," he murmured. "I wish sometimes we had never decided to bring back Mom. All it seems to have done was cause us pain." Especially as he knew now that his mother had already been reincarnated. Jealousy threaded through him at the thought. Evelyn had known their mother for longer than Alphonse had… doubly so now. And she'd been friends with Hughes. She'd seen Aunt Sara and Uncle Urey, too, even if they had been opposite genders. She'd gotten to have them all and that made Al a bit angry that he'd missed them.

'But she gave all that up,' he reminded himself stubbornly. 'She gave everything up for me. For just me. She'd had parents and a life. She could have forgotten and I would have never known any of this. She…'

He desperately wished he could cry. His brother was dead.

But he had a sister now. One that was just as terrible as Edward. Just as kind. Just as foolish. Just as sweet. Just as stubborn. Just as incorrigible.

Just as determined to fix the wrongs her former life had committed.

'She is Edward in every way that counts,' he thought to himself. The same selfless, stubborn, arrogant, gentle, and protective golden-haired and golden-eyed Edward James Elric.

"And I cannot let her think I don't want her," he muttered to himself decisively. "I cannot…" He clenched his gauntlets. "I cannot let her just disappear." Because if he was this conflicted about everything that was 'Edward', he could not begin to imagine how conflicted Evelyn felt about everything that was 'Edward', too. "She's every bit Edward," he reminded himself. "And more. She's more." And less. She was lowering walls for him and exposing a greater kindness than Edward ever had. Edward believed he had to be strong. Edward believed he had to be tough.

Evelyn, though, just desperately wished to be accepted.

'And I do,' he assured himself. 'I do accept her.' But he'd have to show it or else she would get the wrong idea through numerous self-doubts.

.

Alphonse stared in slight surprise at the sheer rudeness Evelyn was displaying towards the little boy, Selim. She'd come rushing up telling them they had to go and was acting utterly antsy. Selim had shown hero worship for the Fullmetal Alchemist and the sheer tenseness in her body was strange. It was incredibly obvious.

And then, after Al had shelved his books on a nearby cart, he returned to her. "I put my books away, Brother," he said, earning a glance. She seemed freaked out, afraid, but working to not show it. Why? "Where to?"

"Lunch," she offered curtly. "I'm hungry." And then she all but bolted for the door. Alphonse hurried after her surprisingly swift strides.

"What's wrong?" he asked when they cleared the doors. "Weren't you a little rude to him? He's just a kid." The adoptive child of the Fuhrer to be sure, but still a kid.

"The moment that little monster is 'just' anything, I'll eat my own liver," she shot back with a snarl. That horrified him.

"Brother!" But she wasn't relaxing. She was still on edge, shaking herself as if to shed water, and she… "What's wrong?" She looked ill.

"That… That back there," Edward's reincarnation said slowly and quietly. "He was one of them." The emphasis was unmistakable. Them… The enemy? He'd seemed like such a nice kid, though.

'But looks are deceiving,' he reminded himself. 'Envy could be pretending to be a child to confuse us. Brother did tell me how he'd been the one to kill Hughes.' And Envy had also killed Edward, too. That homunculus owed them much for those horrible transgressions.

"Besides," she said, cutting into his thoughts, "I am hungry."

"No way!" he exclaimed, backtracking to the whole 'Selim Bradley is a homunculus' thing. "He seemed like such a nice kid! A little pushy, but nice." She cocked an eye at him.

"What did you tell him?" Al saw her wariness and knew her to be very worried. She wasn't going to like what he told her.

"The truth, Brother," he admitted. "That we were researching the medical alchemy of Xing." He heard her groan and felt terrible. "I'm sorry!"

"It's not your fault," she assured. "Had I not felt him, we wouldn't have realized a thing." Her hand came up to pat him on the arm and he nodded ruefully. It was true.

"So, what now?" Al asked.

"Eat lunch, get our stuff… get out of Dodge."

"Huh?" What did she mean by that? Other than what the word meant, that was. How did 'getting out of Dodge' correlate with avoiding something? Or was that the point? He hated to admit it but he was confused.

"We've got a lead and I'm taking it!" she huffed with a determined expression so very 'Edward' that he found himself wanting to groan and laugh all at once. She began moving faster and he lengthened his stride to keep up. Then she paused midstride and he faltered as well. "There is… something I want to do before leaving town, though," she said, sadness in her eyes.

He tilted his head in curiosity. "What's that, Brother?" Her smile appeared but it didn't reach her eyes.

"Visit his grave… Hughes's grave."

Realization swept through him and he nodded. "We can do that."

Soon relocating themselves to a café, Evelyn sketched out what she'd learned from Major Armstrong. He learned the little girl had been sighted heading north on the railroad by an unnamed source due to the need for protection. He also learned that the homunculus had not been Envy because, according to Evelyn, he had felt like there was a good deal more 'life' inside him. The teenage girl's descriptions of the sensation were confusing because she kept stopping and starting throughout her words with a look of consternation on her features as she backtracked frequently with a 'no, no' and 'not quite'. All Alphonse boiled it down to was that she was certain it wasn't Envy because he wasn't the same 'size' as Envy and Envy was bigger than Gluttony, which meant it wasn't the fat homunculus either. Actually, it rather reminded him of the time Edward and Teacher had both tried to explain the Gate to no real success and how he later understood it had been rather accurate because the Gate defied description.

"So, we're going north?" asked Alphonse as Evelyn finished her meal.

"Yes." She shuddered. "Damn, it's gonna be cold. It's October and the chill's already set in down here."

"We'll have to be careful with your automail, Brother," noted the armor. He got a rueful nod and a bitter twist of lips into a mocking little smile.

"Yeah."

"When we get back to the room, could you tell me another story?" She shot him an amused look.

"Still wanting more stories, Al?" she teased. Not like she'd refuse him. She'd turned out remarkably pliant to his pleas and excruciatingly deferential. Al wanted Edward's brazen attitude back at times but didn't verbally disagree with her attitudes right now. She was a lot more willing to listen to him right now… which was to both their benefit as far as he was concerned.

"Of course. And it'll be something to do while we pack up and all." Evelyn wiped her mouth with a napkin and nodded.

"Alright. Sounds fair to me. Let's get going."

.

He watched over her as she knelt before the grave of the Brigadier General. There was a paper wrapped bundle of flowers in her grip but she seemed distracted. He knew why. Wind tousled her hair and plucked at her clothes and he knew it was chilly out by the way she occasionally shivered. No doubt his crest was flicking about in the wind, too, but he wasn't looking at that. Slowly, gloved fingers plucked the simple flowers from the paper and began deftly weaving them into a daisy chain. He watched over his reincarnated brother as she tucked the stems together though the movements of her right hand were a bit off from her left. No doubt the nippy air was making her left hand a little stiff with cold.

"I miss him." The soft words were nearly carried off by the wind but Al stirred at them. "How ridiculous is that? Only a handful of days here and I already miss him." They were self-chastising and mocking and Alphonse didn't like the sound of them. He moved forward to drop a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay to miss him," he advised. And it was. Because he still missed his mom even though he couldn't remember her face without the aid of photographs. Because he missed his father even though the sensation of his presence was even less recalled. Because he missed Aunt Sara and Uncle Urey. Because he missed Hughes, too, but not the same Hughes that she'd left. And it was okay to miss them. It was perfectly alright.

"Technically speaking, November fifth was the day he was born," she offered, glancing up at him as her hands stilled in their efforts. He considered that and nodded.

"Maybe we could come visit his grave on that day?" It was surreal to think that he was alive elsewhere but they were at his grave here. She chuckled slightly.

"Yeah," Evelyn smiled. "Might not happen this year, what with us being so busy and the date looming so close." That made sense, actually.

"True," he agreed, straightening back up. "But we'll do it, alright?" Evelyn shifted to stand.

"Yeah," the blonde agreed, getting to her feet.

"It's weird," he offered conversationally. "You know? It's weird to think he is in another world and a baby."

"He's not even been born yet, probably. He's still probably making Aunt Amy's life miserable," she laughed. It sounded somewhere between amused and a bit strained, actually.

"You think so?" She'd spoken of Amelia Brown before and how awful the woman was at times. How she liked to harass her son and her adoptive niece.

"Yeah," she mused. "I'd been in Mom for a while, not sure how long, before I was born." Al watched her give that sunny grin. It lit her entire face up and made the somber black and red clothes she wore seem to dim a bit. "Didn't meet Hughes until…" She considered it. "…about this time of year, actually."

She'd remembered being born. She remembered what it was like to be inside her mother. And the casualness of her words about her new mother kind of twinged at his heart but… Wait… "Is your birthday different?" he asked, honestly curious. The blonde blushed under the reddening in her cheeks and Al caught it but didn't make mention.

"Yeah," she offered, clearly embarrassed. "It's not February third anymore. It's February fourteenth." He quickly tallied up the numbers and realized she'd been born eleven days after she'd originally been born.

"I'll have to remember that, okay?" he offered, reminding himself she needed to be reassured she wasn't being rejected in any form. She glanced up and gave him a smile and he knew instantly she'd try to mitigate the words she'd spoken, make them less and less important.

"Hey, it's not so bad. You could just leave it on the third so you don't have to keep up with a new day."

And he wasn't going to have that. No, sir. "But that wouldn't be fair to you," he protested.

"I'm tough," she assured and he watched as she planted her hands on her hips. Alphonse was suddenly reminded of the stubborn streak all over again. "I can survive. And, 'sides, I was the one who suggested it!"

And Edward Elric had been the one to suggest human transmutation to begin with, had suggested going into the military as a way to find out how to fix themselves, and any number of singularly bad ideas that put him in various bad positions. That uncharitable thought was shoved to the side and he wished he could frown at her. After all, he was more stubborn than Edward had ever been and he'd sure out-stubborn Evelyn, too. She seemed to sense this and sighed.

"Come on," she muttered, dropping her hands off her hips before lifting her automail hand up to rap on his breastplate. "Let's get packed. We've got to go North."

Satisfied for now that he'd won, Alphonse nodded. "Alright, Brother."

They walked out of the graveyard without a backwards glance, knowing that the still grave of the late Brigadier General was completely bereft of any otherworldly presence for he'd already gone on to his next adventure.

.

Alphonse carefully eyed Evelyn and the woman doctor, McGlynn. Well… 'eyed' was a relative term. He didn't have eyes. He didn't even have a pseudo-head at the moment. His helm was missing because his crest was tangled in the automail of that scary man, Bucaneer, in an effort to stop him from hurting Evelyn. His sister was slowly and reluctantly stripping off wet clothes despite the doctor telling her it was necessary to warm up again. Logically, the armor knew this was true. It would take more energy to heat up all the waterlogged clothes and then heat up chilled skin and metal than just removing the clothing causing the misery.

So Ed kicked off boots and shucked her coat and jacket. She shimmied out of sodden pants and gave the doctor a wary. "Those necklaces, too," insisted the bespectacled woman. "The cold metal won't do you any good up here. As likely to cause frostbite as any other metal on skin." And off came the horse charm, the charm bracelet on its extension, and the talisman. The thin illusion over Evelyn's features broke and McGlynn blinked before considering the female sitting on the stool she'd been directed to.

And then McGlynn saw and she stared.

"You're… a girl," muttered the woman. Alphonse stood quietly in the corner, worried and upset. He didn't have to worry about getting sick. He didn't have to worry about frostbite like Evelyn did. It was a very sad advantage.

Evelyn, however, looked hunted, nervous, and probably extremely exposed. "Yeah," she returned in response to the comment.

"But the records state you're a boy?" queried the doctor. Al realized that Ed was lucky. She could have been discovered by a male doctor.

Edward's reincarnation swallowed thickly. "Alchemy accident." Alphonse knew that didn't even begin to cover the travesty of Edward's death even if it summarized rather well. He listened to the low whistle that came from McGlynn.

"That's some alchemy," she commented, folding her arms across her chest and looking her up and down.

"Tell me about it." Al caught the sour glance thrown at him and wondered if she wished she was out of the limelight. He couldn't do much and shifted under the weight of her gaze.

"Any chance you can get back to normal?" Evelyn sat there for a long moment and Alphonse knew what she was thinking. Would it be better to try to become a man again? Would it be better to just cut her losses? Al felt she shouldn't attempt such a thing considering the dangers involved but he didn't want to say anything. He was afraid she'd get it in her head he wanted her to change 'back' to her 'old self'.

"There is," the female alchemist stated, "but I'm not interested in skating that close to death again." Al suppressed the sigh of relief. Finally, his big bro… sister was showing some common sense!

"I see… Do you plan on revealing this to everyone?" What was with all the questions?

"Not really," responded Evelyn. "I don't want to be a lab rat forever."

Then came the inevitable question and he watched a thumb hook his direction. "Is it related to him?" He stiffened up and hastily waved out a negative.

"No. Different accident," he told her. The woman looked between them and sighed with a nod.

"Alright. Well, enough said. Your secret is safe with me… and the General, too, knowing that she'll probably see this, too." She waved a hand at his sister as she spoke. "People up here in Briggs, they have secrets. Secrets we don't particularly share around. So, this… We won't spread around. For your safety, though, you might want to keep hiding your sex. It's easier to keep a secret when you don't blatantly show it off." Evelyn gave her a bland look and Al had to admit he was fairly impressed when she didn't offer much sarcasm up in response.

"Thanks for the advice."

"Now, down to business."

.

Major General Olivier Armstrong, Alphonse decided, was scary. Almost as scary as Teacher, which was pretty frightening. She was nothing like her younger brother and she ruled the fortress like a queen. Somehow, though, her men all respected her for it. They were proud of their General.

Still, after shunting them off to do chores so they could keep their room and board while here, it was not expected the mad dash of things that happened after. The man known as 'Miles' turned out to be quarter-Ishvalan. He had provoked Evelyn into a snarling fit of anger with a few words but seemed to appreciate the upset rather than the pity he said he normally got. Then they were cleaning off ice from the fortress and rediscovered Falman in this icy place only to be reminded that Mustang's men had been separated as a rebuke to the man for his efforts against the homunculi. It had further gone to hell when the huge homunculus appeared from beneath Briggs and had caused so much damage before being stopped in the frigid waste of snow outside the much warmer walls. Not that Al could tell personally as he couldn't feel but he did see the puffs of steam practically billowing from everyone's mouths.

And then this…

'On the bright side,' he thought wryly through the horrible embarrassment of being imprisoned, 'we don't have to work for our keep.'

He eyed the bundle of red cloth on the cot opposite him in the cell. Beneath the fabric was Evelyn and she was most unhappy. For one, she wore stocks. He did, too, but the entrapment angered and depressed her more. For another, she was miserably cold by the way the fabric shuddered from time to time. She muttered darkly and he didn't listen too closely to it because he knew she was venting more than anything. Something about 'lawyers' and 'I have my rights' but Al refrained from pointing out the 'rights' she claimed to have didn't really exist here if she was suspected of being a spy, terrorist, or the like. Simply being suspected was enough in Amestris.

He spent a good deal of time meditating, though. So did Ed. It was all they could do other than read the vetted books and periodicals passed to them by Mister Neil, the automail engineer in Briggs. Mister Neil, Al recalled, had flirted with Ed before realizing her unusual situation but it hadn't stopped him from liking the explosive blonde. Al thought this was a good thing because they needed friends.

Without windows or an immediately viewable clock of any sort, it was very difficult to tell time. For all Al knew, Evelyn was sleeping during the day and awake during the night. The guard was constant and changed at regular intervals but the meals that denoted various points of the day seemed to be spaced out over indeterminate periods of time. It worried Al because he knew Evelyn was fueling his life and required more food than she was really getting.

And somewhere in the haze, Armstrong appeared. She eyed the pair in their cell before barking orders as a man jangled out keys. "Come along, red shrimp." Evelyn peered at her from underneath her flimsy fortress of fabric with a frown at the woman General and her big, mean sidekick, Buccaneer.

"Unless it involves someplace warm, I rather think not," she sassed before pointedly huddling down again. Alphonse groaned and allowed his helm to hit the concrete wall with a low ringing thud.

"Get the runt," Armstrong told Buccaneer as the door opened. There was an audible growl from the cot even as the tall, burly man entered. Alphonse watched as he reached down and pulled Evelyn up off the cot like a mother cat would a kitten… by the scruff of her clothes.

"What are you going to do with Brother?" he asked worriedly, shifting in his seat. He didn't get an answer as Ed was shoved onto her feet and unshackled. She was tied up and Al watched as he was locked back securely before standing to move to the door of the cell. Soon she was being shoved on.

With everything else going on in Briggs, Al wasn't sure if this was good or not. After all, the Major General had her own agenda and Lieutenant General Raven was in Briggs along with the killer, Kimblee. He stared out of his cell until he couldn't see his sister any longer and nervously paced while waiting.

.

When Ed returned, Al was relieved. When Ed was stuffed back into the cell, though, she immediately turned and began causing a fuss. "Oh, no," she snarled with bucket loads of sarcasm. "Just drag my ass through the halls and parade me around like I'm some kind of dog, you behemoth!" He stared in horror as Buccaneer vanished from the prison. Evelyn's voice rose louder. "Didn't even give me something to entertain myself while in this fuckin' cell! Not a bouncy ball or a book or even the ability to twiddle my thumbs!" Al cringed as she drew in another breath and screamed, "This is cruel! This is inhumane! I demand a phone call and my lawyer!"

The armor wasn't sure if he ought to be mortified or laugh himself silly. He chose to be reproving as he pulled his gaze down to the book she'd claimed to having been denied. "Do you feel better, Brother?" The blonde spitfire turned and blinked and blinked again.

"Actually… yeah." He considered that to be the end of it until she added, "What would I give for the ability to twiddle my thumbs." A snort of laughter escaped him and he fought his giggles back. "I'm not made for idleness," Evelyn offered. "I get bored so easy."

His voice was filled with amusement as he responded with, "I know."

"You have no idea the kind of trouble I get into when I'm bored." Okay, he could use this to his advantage. Entertaining Edward was an art form. It appeared Evelyn required the same practiced art only this time the tried and true method of sticking a yet-unread book into her hands wasn't a viable option.

"Refresh my memory," he drawled, humored.

"Thee?" He looked up from his book and stared. There, nested in the middle of his sister's tongue was a piece of metal. A rounded ball that was clearly not moving around on the slick muscle. It took a moment for him to understand what he was seeing and he wondered how the heck he'd not seen it before because something that obvious should have caught his eye far sooner than now.

"You have to be kidding me," he stated in shock. She gave him a wide-eyed look of 'innocence'.

"No?"

"You pierced your own tongue?" he hissed, leaning forward over the book he had.

"Yes?" And that was said with a look that said 'butter wouldn't melt in my mouth'. Highly unlikely considering she had that big lump of metal through her tongue.

Settling back, he muttered, "Why do I have a feeling you left out a lot of misadventures when telling me stories?"

"Well," his sister offered unhelpfully, "I was more concerned about you getting up to speed on other things."

"Brother," he growled.

"That's me!" With a great deal of effort, he kept from slapping his forehead in exasperation.

"Are you insane?" he demanded. She pulled a face.

"Actually, everything I'd done save for very few instances were all because of boredom and curiosity." That actually explained a very good deal of what went through the mind of his brother. Edward got bored and then Edward destroyed something. It seemed that this characteristic had been… carried over.

"Do I want to know?" he asked wearily.

Thankfully, she seemed to understand the trial she was putting him through. "Probably not and now's not a great time for stories." Slowly nodding, he agreed.

"You're right."

.

Alphonse had often been purported to have endless patience by those around him. He knew this wasn't true because he got irritated, angry, and annoyed just like any other person out there. Unfortunately for his sanity, his dear sister was testing the limits of his patience. She was fidgety, playing with things that she normally wouldn't have used to entertain herself with, and her random bouts of song were grating on his nerves.

He loved her. He really did. It did not fully stop him from wondering if he could get away with smothering her on occasion because, as noted before, he was only human even if he wasn't completely human at the moment. His patience, despite what everyone else said, did have its limits. He just had gotten better at extending the limits of patience because, really, he didn't exactly have much in the way of options until recently to pass the night away.

Meditating was a beautiful thing he had come to realize.

Back in the present, the stick was perhaps the most degrading thing he'd seen. A mere tongue depressor and she toyed with it like it was a lifeline to sanity. He read a paper, choosing to invest his mind in something other than twitching about, when he felt the mischief radiating off his sister as she stilled. "No," he told her. 'And I did not just make her sound like a dog,' he told himself.

There was this sense of being caught out and he lowered the corner of the paper down so he could see her wide-eyed innocent look.

"I wasn't doing anything?" That tongue depressor with its ridiculous smiley face bounced about with every twitch of lips and her words were slightly muffled by it.

Yet she had been considering doing something, though. "You were thinking it, though," he pointed out. "No." He watched the mischievous girl pout, the stick nearly falling out of her mouth, but could see the distinct glint of humor in her gaze. Her mouth twitched, too, so it was clear she was faking her 'hurt'.

"How the hell do you hear my brain?" If Alphonse had eyes, he would have rolled them.

"You get still when I know you're awake." He saw the flicker of consternation and added quickly, "Don't you dare."

She grumbled and sighed as she spit out her stick to stare at the ceiling. "Dammit, Al. You're not supposed to be psychic." He felt a thread of pride at that.

"You don't have to be when I know you as well as I do." When she grinned, enthused by his words, he felt like smiling to. After all, it meant they were still close even after all the hell both had been through.

.

'Oh… Oh…' Al stared through the bars at Winry. 'Oh, this is not good.'

She was staring at them in this horrible prison cage with Kimblee just behind her. That awful man who had reveled in bloodshed according to different people from the Ishval Massacre. Al wouldn't put it past him considering the ugly look in his eyes… It was the look of a man playing an interesting game and the pieces of said game were merely toys even if they each held human lives. A man removed. A man of cruel uncaring other than toying with lives.

A true sociopath.

Alphonse didn't understand it, though. How could someone not care about other people's lives? How could someone just play with those lives like they were lead soldiers set up to be popped down with a pellet rifle? Other children had used pellet rifles growing up to hunt for small game and Al had, once upon a time, handled such a weapon… But he'd never liked it. He'd not even particularly liked hunting on the island while there during that endless month. Alphonse knew well the circle of life. He knew that bigger animals ate the smaller ones up until they themselves were eaten up and decomposed by the tiniest of organisms: bacteria, ants, and the like. He knew that one day he would be as dust, being fed upon by the roots of trees for the sustenance his body was. He knew he was cleverer than many animals. Not necessarily stronger but definitely cleverer.

Kimblee was different, though. He didn't seem to care about the natural order of things. He just saw a game. An unending game that he got to manipulate and knowing that sickened Al.

And he'd included Winry in it. Winry of all people.

If the horrified and utterly pissed look on Evelyn's face was any indication, she understood that, too.

And then they took her. Evelyn. They took Evelyn out of the prison cell and left him locked away. He stared at the two men framing the entrance. Not like he'd be able to escape. Not like he'd be able to do anything in these stocks. Well, actually, he could break the stocks. He was impossibly strong due to this very metal body without worry of fatigue. He knew he could shatter his bonds, clap his hands, and alchemize his way out of the cell. But he wouldn't. He'll wait for the right time for he had plenty of patience.

.

"Here's the situation." She had returned, darker hand in place of her former steel one. Winry had been locked into the cell with them and Alphonse peered at the antsy, upset reincarnation of his brother. There was no preamble as she began speaking quickly, nervously. Outside the cell stood two of the chimera and Kimblee leaned against the further wall as he watched the group within the cell. That was the reason for her upset. That was the reason right there. "Winry," Evelyn said, looking at her solemnly and garnering her full attention. "You're being held hostage." There was a blank look of incomprehension on the other blonde girl's face and Alphonse looked quickly between the two. How was it that they…? Ed's back was against the bars and her arms folded over her chest.

"What… What do you mean 'hostage'?" Winry demanded, looking uneasy. It wasn't a feigned response though there was a slight forcing of it. The blonde mechanic knew something if the ill look on her face, the disbelieving look, was any indication along with the nervous darting of eyes towards Kimblee. She looked between the two alchemists, her two friends. Did she know about Evelyn now? "Please tell me you're joking!" And things were devolving too quickly. Alphonse thought quickly as he saw Evelyn shift uncomfortably. The men outside the cage were looking on oddly at them… at her.

"Unfortunately, I'm not joking," Ed told her in such a tone that held no humor nor allowed for argument. "There are certain things that my…" A twitch of eyes. "…superiors are demanding of me and to ensure I do them, you are being used to keep me… leashed."

"What do you mean?" Al asked softly, staring at her. He had a terrible suspicion.

"I'm being forced to… become a human weapon."

The bluntness of the statement that fell from Evelyn's lips froze the two non-military people for a moment until Winry shrieked, "What?! But… But that means…!"

"That I'm going to have to kill people? Yeah," grunted Ed, not wanting to meet her eyes. But Al could see more in it. That was something that Ed would never be able to live with… to accept.

"Tell them no!" snarled Winry, clearly angry at the nasty, naked truth. Then she deflated as the truth came into her mind. Al could see it occur to her and she peered at the way Ed stood before she visibly deflated under the implications of Ed's words. "Oh…"

"You get the situation then," the reincarnated alchemist said softly, stepping over and gripping her shoulder with her automail hand. Winry sagged, hunching her shoulders under that grip and hating the sudden dread that pooled in the pit of her stomach.

"I… I'm just… burdening you guys more, aren't I?"

The despairing and ashamed tone made Ed flinch back, shame in her gaze. It occurred to Alphonse then that perhaps Evelyn still loved the other blonde. He considered that even as Ed sputtered. "D-d-d-don't cry!"

"I'm not crying!" she snapped, covering her face with her hand. "I'm so sorry. I'm mad at myself for letting this happen without my noticing… I'm so stupid!" Did Winry still love Evelyn? Or, perhaps she still loved Edward and saw too much of him in his reincarnation.

"Y-you're not stupid," protested Ed, shifting and glancing over her shoulder at the on-looking and unwanted spectators.

"It's not fair… You guys just want your bodies back and you keep getting sidetracked by all these other problems." Understatement of the century, there, and one Al was not going to protest. They'd been diverted a bunch of times though, really, they had been diverted for the betterment of many if not everyone they'd met.

"That brings up the next point," Evelyn responded, settling back once more as she got herself under control. "Kimblee's got a Philosopher's Stone he said he'd give us if we completed the tasks." She looked at Al as she said this and the dark look of unhappiness in her eyes said much to the armored teen.

"Are you serious?" yelped Al, shocked at this news. He glanced at the sociopath and noticed the frown on the man's lips. "The Stone?!" Ed gave a very firm nod, her gaze darkening further. "But the Stone is…!" He cut himself off, slotting together the pieces. Evelyn didn't care to use the Stone. Evelyn had promised to search for a different path. Evelyn had a plan. And she was hinting at it.

"We get our bodies back in exchange for me becoming a weapon," Ed ground out, eyes intently flickering to Al. "Equivalent trade." There was a long moment in which Ed and Al stared at one another and, for the very first time since Alphonse had been reduced to this half-life, Al was thrilled he couldn't show emotions. Even if he called it 'equivalent trade', Al saw the truth of it. They had no intentions of bending to Kimblee's threat. But they were going to use this opportunity. The mere legend of the Stone had gotten them in and out of awful situations before. They'd use it again to thwart Kimblee. And Al knew it.

Winry stared at Ed in horror before looking at Al, trying to comprehend why they were going with this. But Al was on board now and he knew this game… this game that no teenager should ever have had to play.

Finally, Alphonse spoke in a dull tone, turning his head away. Even if he couldn't show emotion, he didn't want to 'give the game away'. "I give up… Do what you want."

"Fine. I will." The impudence in the tone made Al smile inside. After all, it was a form of code. Al knew his brother nor his brother's reincarnation was happy with the idea of being a killer so in asking for leeway and Al granting it… they had agreed all over again to the thought of resisting the truth of the State Alchemist program. Evelyn moved closer to the cell door as it was opened. Al stood as well but the gate was shut before he could exit, too. They watched as Ed was led away.

Al heard the tiny blonde speak. "I have a request on the order of things to take care of first."

"Oh?" Kimblee questioned. "A request?"

And then they left the brig and Alphonse sighed.

Things were getting complicated.

.

Alphonse Elric really wished he did have unlimited patience at times. Winry Rockbell was a devious, devious woman and he had learned this rather abruptly and rather pointedly just a moment ago. Evelyn was squished against his armor and the door was on the other while Winry shouldered the other blonde as much as she could. One of Kimblee's henchmen and a Briggs' man sat in the front seat, Briggs soldier ostensibly behind the wheel.

"There's no room back here!" whined Winry, giving Ed a sour look. "Move over, Al!"

"I am over!" he whined.

"Of course there's no room back here! This car wasn't made for this many people in the back seat!" Evelyn squealed against the door.

"Miss Winry," interjected Kimblee as he stepped towards the teenager-crammed back seat. "I'd prefer it if you stayed here at the base. We are not going for a joyride."

"I know that," Winry said with a huff. "I changed Ed's automail and I've never done cold weather automail before, so I can't help but worry that something might go wrong and he'll need maintenance. I don't want it to break down and Ed to get hurt!" She flashed her pretty blues at Kimblee, visibly pleading with the man. "I can't just let him run off without being certain the automail will hold up! It'll ruin my family reputation!"

"Man… You're a workaholic! You're crazy!" Ed grunted, shoulders scrunched as far as they'd go. Alphonse actually felt pretty bad about it.

"You better believe I am! I take pride in my work!" Winry scolded him. "It's our family business, so of course I've got to make sure everything is just right!"

"Okay, okay… I get the point," Kimblee sighed from outside the vehicle. "You may come. Though you might wish to choose a different car as you are clearly wedged tight."

"It's okay. I'm fine," waved off Winry with a cheerful smile. Kimblee, Al noted, stared blankly at the automail mechanic before sighing and shutting the door.

Kimblee took a moment to speak to his henchman. "Darius. Miss Winry will be riding in your car as well." Not like the man could have missed it sitting right there. Still, he nodded and Kimblee moved on.

All too soon they were driving towards Baschool. "You should be back at the base, girl," he grumbled, shooting a glance over his shoulder though all he could see was the tall armor that was Al.

"I'm sorry," Winry said with an upset little catch to her voice. "I know I'm in no position to make demands… But I can't… I just can't sit around waiting." She covered her face with her hands and made a sobbing noise. "I just want to be here for these three… Sorry…" She shook and hiccupped, making the other three passengers of the car, the driver included, give Darius very hard looks.

The fact he'd so easily made the girl cry made the large man visibly upset, but it was the stares that unsettled him more. "Huh? Wha? M-me?" he stuttered, feeling the long looks of distaste. "Er… um, uh… Just be quiet and, uh… do what we say, and it'll be okay! A-alright?" he managed, clearly hating to have upset the girl. He had no idea that just behind him, Winry lowered her hands a bit to smirk at the unsuspecting fellow, gaining eye rolls from Evelyn and Alphonse quickly forced a sigh down.

'I guess we're really bad influences,' mused the armor. 'I feel bad for anyone that underestimates her.'

All too soon they were in Baschool and they disembarked from the car to look about. It was eerily silent, the entire place long abandoned, and snow was piled everywhere. After getting out of the car, the Elrics and Winry looked around at the nearest buildings and could sight a few busted out windows. No smoke rose from various chimneys and there appeared to be very little in the way of wildlife around save for perhaps a few roosting birds that didn't migrate in the winter and rodents that could survive in such places.

As the confusion of milling bodies provided a screen of noise and movement, Alphonse moved so that his back was to the town and to the majority of the people while Evelyn hovered a bit away trying to look casual. Not that Al knew if she did manage it or not but no doubt she tried. Winry went with him, her movements not quickly tracked after, and Alphonse undid the clasps to his breastplate so that she could climb inside. They knew it would be cramped, but at least he was pretty solid as far as balance and the like was concerned for the most part and it was far from the first time he'd ever carried a passenger within him. The moment his breastplate was in place again, he scuffled his large feet about and stamped out a majority of her smaller feet impressions. The soldiers had already done the rest unintentionally.

Returning to Evelyn's side, Al caught Miles giving him a long look as though he knew what the teens had done. Within him, he could vaguely hear some shifting, but with the press and chatter of people it wasn't very noticeable. She had been hidden… Now to get her away.

"The witness," began the Major to Kimblee, "said he saw someone resembling Scar come this way."

"This is a big place," mused Kimblee. His eyes panned over the town as Alphonse looked on.

"It used to be a mine," Miles told him. Like it wasn't obvious with all the rigging about… "There are tons of places to hide."

"We'll never find him," groaned a soldier in a black trench and a rifle slung on his shoulder. He wasn't one of the usual snow patrols, obviously, for they were all clothed in that blending white. Miles pretended to not hear the grumble. Perhaps he didn't hear it at all or discounted it as irrelevant, but he did continue.

"Team Andrew will search Area 'C-Three'. Team Benjamin, 'C-Five'." He looked at the Crimson Lotus. "Kimblee, why don't you stay at the main base with Team Charlie?" Posed as a question, but clearly a subtle 'order' to keep Kimblee otherwise occupied. To Kimblee it would be putting him at an advantageous position that could rely on others to do the footwork and he just come in and do whatever after. It would have appeal to the man.

Kimblee looked at him with a quirked brow before nodding his assent. "Very well. Contact me immediately if you find Scar."

There was a sudden presence nearby the alchemists and they looked to see two of Kimblee's henchmen standing there. It was the blonde one with a thick moustache and glasses and the dark haired one with seriously impressive mutton chops they had heard be called out as Darius.

"We'll go with you," said the blonde man. He had a strange look in his eye as he gazed at Evelyn. Alphonse didn't know why and it made him uncomfortable. "The Elrics."

"Yeah, whatever," groused the tiny blonde, clearly not happy as her golden gaze returned to the scenery. This place was a maze… No doubt they'd be able to ditch as soon as possible. They weren't the only ones to go with the duo, though, and a squad of three white-clothed soldiers went with them, each carrying rifles.

As the rest of the orders were laid out, the brother and reincarnated brother looked at one another. Fortunately, no one seemed to notice how Al's helm steamed a bit, but then again in this cold, it was for the best. Most people required breathing and Winry's breath covered Alphonse's lack of 'cloud making'. Granted, it was a bit thinner than it ought to be as her breath cooled before it got up too far from her, but it wasn't that noticeable.

"Alright. Move out!" commanded Miles.

And move out they did.

It was frigid, silent… eerily silent. Very little in the way of wind brushed at the buildings and there was no sight of snow falling. The crunch of feet against loosely packed snow was loud and so was the breathing of the people moving in the buildings. Two of the Briggs men took point. One held his rifle ready while the other left it slung on his shoulder. They alternated between who was at the ready. The fellow in the back, however, wasn't so lucky, and kept his gun at the ready at all times. The two goons on their tail were slightly more worrisome. The Briggs men were loyal to Olivier Armstrong though the woman was operating for the other side or her own advantage. The two henchmen were loyal to Kimblee, which was far worse.

They tromped along until Evelyn suddenly burst into completely unwarranted action. "A shadow!" she shouted, pointing dramatically off to one side at a large building suddenly.

It was so obvious that anyone could have seen through it but Alphonse played along, long used to the insanity that was Edward's typical harebrained schemes. It seemed that Evelyn had inherited that, too. "Someone's over there!" gasped Al. "C'mon!" He began running for the 'shadow' with Evelyn right with him.

It was poorly done, really, but the fastness of it was the charm.

"This way!" Ed hollered, overtaking him and pounding up the short flight of stairs to the entrance and hooking right even as one of the soldiers shouted after them in confusion.

"W-wait up!"

"Hurry! He's getting away!" Ed encouraged as the pair bolted down the hallway only to hook a hard left up a flight of stairs.

"Slow down, dammit!" the blonde flunky with the moustache called, running after them. "St—" Hard left again once up the stairs! "I said stop!"

They didn't bother to listen. Al, who had once again taken the lead thanks to his tireless body, pressed his hands together and slapped the floor once Ed passed him and a wall covered their escape. They couldn't see on the other side of the wall as the men finished mounting the stairs, but they did hear the confusion through the obstacle. "Where'd they go?"

"Maybe down this side path?"

"Right! Let's go!"

"Don't lose them!"

Evelyn let go a very strange sort of snigger that sounded like a "Ruh-hee-hee-hee" that Al certainly couldn't place but padded on silently down the hall. Al was decidedly less silent, but… Oh, well. He was made of metal and the fact he wasn't actually clanking about any louder was evidence enough he was practiced with sneaking like he was.

First thing's first… getting out of this building and onto the next one. The pipes were all iced over in places and rubble was everywhere, evidence of winters past that had eaten into the place. Eventually, they found their way to a stairwell that went up again.

"We need to get out of here," Alphonse advised. "No telling if there are other ways to get here from where the others were."

"Right… Let's try this way," agreed Evelyn. Poking her nose out a nearby window with no glass, she looked about and then looked up. "Think you could climb up there?" she asked, pointing as she looked back to her brother.

"That window's a bit narrow… Maybe using alchemy first?"

"Alright." Evelyn pressed her hands together and touched concrete, reforming the window into a slight ledge and removed the bar between the windows they were near. Climbing up and out, she quickly scrabbled up the side of the building. Then came Alphonse's turn and the armored teen with his precious cargo was a good deal heavier than usual and Alphonse studiously ignored Winry's yips of shock while Evelyn helped him up and dislodged snow slithered down off the ledge. Panting from the effort, Evelyn knocked on the armor next to her. "Hush. We're doing fine." A clap of hands put the window back moments later.

"Where to next now that we're up here?" wondered Al.

"That way," his sister said, pointing to the next roof.

"Oh… Winry, we're gonna have to jump…"

"Oh, great! Where?"

"Next roof over…"

"What?!"

They didn't give her any chances to protest further as Alphonse made a running leap for the next building, followed by the blonde in red. Quickly finding the rooftop access and busting into it, they descended down. A glance out a window told them much… Baschool was an enormous mining facility incorporating entire complexes of corporate and housing buildings. It was far larger than Youswell ever was.

"Man, this place is huge," whined Evelyn as they moved onward to the street before vanishing into another building to avoid detection. "What're we going to do?"

"I say rely on luck," Al offered sardonically.

"That's the only thing we can rely on," she growled. "C'mon. Let's keep moving."

They began walking again, moving through the building and into the street beyond it. "Do you think we'll find her? Mei?" asked Alphonse as the sun crept higher and higher in the sky.

"No telling," mused Ed. "Man, I'm hungry."

The streets weren't offering anything, but the silence at least provided them ample time to dodge any patrols. They knew they couldn't play keep away forever, but they hoped things would pan out soon.

Slowly, they became aware of rushing feet but the feet weren't that of a heavy booted soldier. As they listened, they heard a child's voice fall down about their ears as the delighted cry echoed. "Al-"

"Wha?"

"-phon-"

Evelyn blinked as she looked up.

"-se!"

"Uh…" The blonde glanced about as Al lifted a hand in an obvious urge to keep from palming his helm.

"You're kidding me," groaned the armored teen. It really couldn't be that easy, could it?

Out of a side street appeared the obviously delighted Mei Chang as she slammed into Al full force with her little panda sidekick right next to her even a she squealed in delight as he yelped in horror. "Alphonse-sama!"

"Our life is so… cliché," moaned the reincarnated alchemist. And then, much to his consternation, Evelyn started sniggering as Al focused on the twelve-year-old.

"What are you doing here?" Mei chirped as Al gently pried her off, her little panda beaming happily.

"Mei! I can't believe we actually found you! This is great! We've been looking for you!"

Perhaps it had been the wrong thing to say because Mei looked like she suffered from a heart attack from those words.

This was going to be an exceptionally long day.

.

It turned out it was only going to get longer. After fighting Scar, Winry had confronted the man who had killed her parents and the Briggs men had him secured. Two of Kimblee's men were chimera and just now waking up after a rather insane bit of chatter from Evelyn that had him frankly astonished. It seemed to Al that his brother's reincarnation was not above killing if needed. She didn't prefer it but she was perhaps a little more ruthless.

Perhaps that could even be forgiven considering she'd died.

And the chimera were waking up, the boar-like one even squealing a bit as he struggled with his bonds in his confusion.

"Huh… Forgot about those guys," mused Miles. "We have no need for them. Kill them both." A soldier lifted his rifle and aimed as the two chimera stared in horror. That was something he wasn't going to have.

"No!" he protested, moving in between the soldier and the chimera. "You don't have to kill them!"

"There's no point in letting them live," pointed out Miles blandly, eyes inscrutable behind his glasses.

"Is there no other way?" begged Al.

"Showing mercy on us?" snorted the frog man behind him.

"Screw you, ya little shit. We don't need your pity," bit out the pig man.

"Oy, no callin' my brother names, Quillboar!" barked Evelyn as Alphonse turned to regard them.

"Really," sneered the frog man. "Look at us. We can't live normal lives with these bodies. It's our time to die. Pull the trigger." He was aghast at the way the chimera said that.

"Don't you… have any family or loved ones?" he asked quietly, his voice more hollow than usual and this time not wholly due to the fact he was empty within.

"Yeah," sniffed the frog man.

"But we died the day they turned us into these things. I haven't seen my family since," agreed the pig man.

"Don't you miss them?" he asked, well aware he was pretty much rubbing salt in wounds.

"Of course I miss them, but what can I do?" snorted the pig man. The soldiers shifted uneasily at the self-hatred and hopelessness the two were displaying. It was unnatural to them to just simply give up.

"So… You don't want to try to get back to normal? You're actually happy with how you are?" needled the armor.

"Of course we wanna go back to being normal!" roared the frog man as the pig man glared.

"There's your answer," chirped Al, leaning in and pointing a finger at the frog man. The fellow blinked in surprise. "You can't just say 'what can I do?' and give up hope! No whining! No crying! No giving up without even looking for a way to change yourselves back!"

"What the hell would you know?!" sneered the frog man, obviously angry. "These bodies are—" Alphonse lifted his arms and pressed them to the sides of his helm. He lifted it and the protests that had been spoken fell dead away as those unaware of his truth became exposed to it.

"I know," he told them, leaning forward some to further show the hollow within. "All too well." Both the chimera and the soldiers that hadn't seen the hollow stared in awe and horror.

"It… It's empty," breathed the frog man.

"That's way worse than being a chimera. And you're telling us you haven't given up hope?" asked the boar man.

"That's right," Al said, returning his helm back to his shoulders. "I've searched and searched… and I finally found a thread connecting to something real." He pressed a hand to his breastplate. "So, I'm not giving up. I'm grabbing it and following it to the end. So don't just throw your hands up when things get hard… grow up!" He paused, considering what he was about to do. His story as the empty suit of armor wasn't really all that remarkable to him considering he'd spent four years like this. However, there was a story that was far, far more incredible than his and he shifted to look at her. "Besides… I'm not the only one here that has fought against insurmountable odds. Isn't that right, Evelyn?"

Consternation, irritation, upset, and a touch of defiance flickered across her face and she let out a groan at what he'd done to her. She was not happy with him and he knew he'd have to make it up to her somehow later.

And when she spoke, his heart seized at her own self-recrimination. "Yeah, yeah," she muttered, dropping her gaze to one side. Her words were surly and hard and bitter. "Edward Elric died about a month ago. Out and out died trying to get out of some sub-dimensional hellhole and being absolutely brilliant and amazingly stupid while at it. I'm his piss-poor carbon copy, Evelyn Dyne."

'Piss-poor carbon copy?' he thought in horror. Did she really think of herself that way? He barely noticed the shock on the other people's faces, too busy trying to understand the fact that she thought so little of herself. He glanced about, taking in the shock. He didn't blame them but… He turned to the chimera again, determined to at least give a subtle message to his reincarnated brother at that moment though these two needed his words as well.

"See? Brother died… and he didn't give up either. She came back against everything saying it was impossible for her to exist in order to help me return to normal. So, you definitely shouldn't give up."

"And you shouldn't think of yourself like that," Winry said from behind him, the sound of something hitting something giving him a bit of bitter strength. He wasn't the only one that thought the words Evelyn had uttered were ridiculous. Thankfully, Winry apparently felt the same.

.

"Do you… think…?" Alphonse looked over to Winry as she sat within the shelter of the Ishvalan camp a day or so after the whole Baschool incident. The armor was in pieces at the moment to make carrying him easier because they weren't certain when his connection to it would cut out again. That in and of itself was horribly frightening but he had to endure. "Do you really think she thinks of herself like that?"

"You mean… Brother?" Winry grimaced and nodded.

"When Missus Curtis came to Rush Valley, I… I didn't believe her when she said she'd had this important message from Ed, y'know?" That piqued his interest because he'd not yet gotten the details of that event. "Because Ed never sends messages and I'd just gotten back. I'd just seen him a couple days before." Tears showed in the teenage mechanic's eyes as she worked her hands over each other over and over in a dry wash. "Al, when she said that Edward had died… that he'd been turned into a girl… I didn't believe her. I couldn't believe her. And she just kept saying it over and over and questioning me as to what I knew and…" She shuddered, tears trickling down the sides of her face. Alphonse stared in horror. "She said something about enemies seeking to hurt me. Enemies. You two had enemies. It was ridiculous! I knew you got in trouble a-and…" She sniffed as her jaw trembled and Alphonse wished he could just scoop her up and shelter her from the pain. "And then seeing you guys in Briggs!" He watched as she ducked her head with a strangled sob. "Seeing those words were true! How can you bear it, Al? How can you just pick up and accept Ed's dead and in his place that girl?!"

Silence stretched between them and his mind whirled as he worked to catch up.

"Winry? I didn't just accept it," he told her in a small voice, knowing she was lashing out because she was hurting. He understood the 'why' even if he couldn't fathom it himself. "The only reason I knew she was telling the truth was because of our soul bond." Blue eyes stared at him, begging answers. "Because she knew things that only Ed and I had ever shared."

"I loved him, Al," whispered Winry. "I still love him."

And that was the crux of it, wasn't it? Alphonse could accept because he had something beyond the things he heard or saw. Winry didn't get that luxury.

"She's still him. I mean, yeah, the way she walks is different and sometimes she says things I don't understand but… The way she smiles is the same. That same stupid grin when she thinks she's done something clever or has pulled one over on someone? It's the same. Her attitude's the same. Her laugh and her moodiness and foolish pride and bad habits and all of that… It's the same."

"But she's not Ed."

"She's more than Ed. You can't expect someone with fifteen years extra life experience to just stay the same."

"How did you accept it?"

"She told me stories. First day she came back and almost every day after, she told stories. Of her other life, her other parents, of having met Mom in that other world and about the antics she and the Brigadier General got up to." He paused and mulled it over. "Did you know she punched out a clown in a haunted house?"

"What?!"

He nodded, wishing he could grin. "Yeah. Popped him in the jaw and immediately freaked out. She was all 'I'm sorry! I'm sorry!' and she got told to leave and not come back. It was for a holiday called… called Hollow Eve, which a lot of people celebrate over there." He probably got the name of that wrong but it wasn't about the accuracy. It was about the story. "Something about ghosts and getting candy and scaring yourself for whatever weird reason." Winry giggled at his deadpan and he decided to keep the comment about 'commercialization' to himself. "Oh, and there was this time she told me about… When she was really little, she was asked to read from a book. And Ed, you know, was way past baby stories long before he was three in his previous life, right?"

"Yeah, he was, wasn't he?" Winry agreed fondly, tears still on her face.

"So, she walked up to read and said 'this is a very sad story where the dog gets lost but is found again at the end because this sort of story doesn't have a sad ending. Can I go read something else now?'"

"That's so Ed!" He nodded at her wet giggles.

"It is." Winry looked at him somberly as her humor faded. "It's still Ed. Just not the same Ed as before."

"She said… she said she still liked me… that way." The mechanic looked conflicted. "It took him dying to get his head on straight and what does he do? Comes back as a girl!"

"I don't think that was his fault," pointed out Al. "Or hers, more accurately." He sighed. "Winry, I think that Brother would be honest with her feelings to you. She wouldn't have told you before because she felt she had time. But, now, knowing how short life can be, she'd tell you. And, if you dare to try, she'd happily be with you I think." Winry blushed. "And, yes, I know what people say about two people of the same gender being together and all," he reassured. "But, really, they're being dumb. What matters is you and whoever you want to be with. If you want to be with someone that's a girl, that's up to you and no one else."

"I don't know…"

"You don't have to know right now," Alphonse told her. "We're in a situation nothing can be done about it anyway. Might as well try to just live with things as they are at the moment."

She sighed and nodded. "You're right." She looked up at him. "There's something else…"

"What?"

"Edward… Evelyn said something about being a… a 'piss-poor carbon copy'. Remember?"

The armor stared at her impassively. "You caught that, too, huh?"

"It… bothered me."

He nodded slowly. "Me, too. I think… I think if we just tell Brother to go away, she would in a heartbeat."

"Why?"

"Because she's not Edward," he said, looking up at her. He saw her stricken look even as he elaborated. "Winry, she's not my actual Brother and I know this. I know she's not the person we grew up with or the person I was next to the night of the accident. I know she's not the person who joined the military or any of the other things Edward Elric did." He stared at her for a moment before continuing. "But I'm also very aware of one simple fact. If I tell her, if I let her think for one moment that I don't want her around… I'll never see her again." Winry stared at him, rooted to her spot. "I'd lose my brother all over again but it wouldn't be from an accident. It'd be from my own doing. And that terrifies me. You didn't feel him die. You don't know what it felt like. I felt like I was being sliced to bits."

Tears slid down her face again as she stared with wide eyes. "You felt him die?" He nodded helplessly. "You… Oh… Oh, Al!"

He saw her throw herself forward to hug him closely and he patted her on the back, grateful his arm had been reattached for at least this.

And he knew that it would be all right. That she'd come to terms slowly even if it took some effort. Edward Elric had died and in his place was a girl that thought she didn't measure up the same ways as before.

Winry pulled back, her eyes determined and he knew she was thinking the same thing. "Well, then… I say we have a new goal to take care of!"

"Oh?"

"Yeah! We'll call it Project Welcome Home!"

"And what does that mean?"

"We'll just make sure that Ed thinks she's completely and utterly indispensable!" huffed the suddenly determined Winry. "We'll make sure she never leaves us alone again!"

And that had the distinct sound of healing to it and Alphonse laughed. "Sounds great!"

.

Sitting in the hospital room three weeks after the Promised Day, Al considered Evelyn's exhausted form in the other bed of the room. She was worn out from everything, a bundle of tiredness topped with tangled golden hair and flecked with wounds. He'd heard secondary accounts of how she'd lost her temper on Homunculus, had heard about her rejecting the use of Ling's freely offered Stone, had heard about the way she'd tried to get Mei from crying over his still armor… The sensations of touch and taste and smell had overwhelmed him so incredibly fast that he had been dizzy but he'd managed through because of the sheer and undeniable relief that everyone was displaying. Despite the discomfort, he found every sensation absolutely amazing. To feel the scratch of wool, to taste the tin of the cup, to smell… Well, it hadn't smelled very nice what with the fires and all but he'd been able to smell.

Alphonse's first moments in his returned body even if it was rail thin and fragile had not been marked really by smell or taste, though. It had been the feeling of warmth and burrowing into Evelyn's side, relief painting a devastating course through his body. He could hear her lungs functioning and feel the movement of her body underneath his ear. He could smell the sweat and ash and blood on her skin and, even if it was horrifying, it was reaffirmation that he'd truly been brought back and that she was there.

And, huddled together almost as one, he'd found himself inexplicably crying. That devastating relief at being returned from near-death had urged him into sobbing out his confused relief and he'd seen tears on Ed's face, too, streaking at the dirt on her cheeks and making her eyes puffy. She had smiled even through the tears as she wiped a thumb under his eye, the callous scratching slightly at skin that had not felt anything for five years. He'd apologized instinctively but she'd not cared. She'd even laughed.

Because she'd gotten him back. She'd gotten him back so he could cry.

And then it had been discovered that her leg had been returned. Even though she had scars now, she'd gotten all her limbs back. She'd bested Truth in a way no one had ever done before because she had used magic to do so. And Alphonse rejoiced because she'd been brought back to wholeness.

Several hours and a lot of fussing from various parties later, including Mei who had been dragged off by her older brother, the Elrics had been relocated to the hospital. Al already missed Mei. She was interesting and fun and she'd promised to write. She was still a little annoying but she was okay…

And the sheets of the hospital were itchy.

Brought back to the here and now, he scratched at his leg as he stared at the ceiling. He knew he was tired but he couldn't calm his mind enough to sleep. 'This is going to be a problem,' he thought. 'Years of maintained consciousness and now I'm going to have issues with insomnia.' Ed wasn't having such troubles. Then again, Ed had been neatly threatened by several parties to stay in the hospital and she had never had to deal with unending consciousness. In that respect, she'd been lucky. Oh, she was more wounded than he was. Between the fight and the removal of the remainder of automail in her shoulder and leg, the slightly older reincarnated teen had been half-mummified by bandages and the other exposed half was still bruised. And she had made it known she was not happy with being in a hospital.

Teacher had gone back home and Alphonse knew that today had to be the day that 'Project Welcome Home' had to be effectively started and finished on his side of things. All he was doing otherwise was being fed to gain much needed weight. So, when Evelyn stirred from her slumber and had shuffled about in the loose garments that the hospital had provided despite her dislike of them, Alphonse considered how to best go about it.

The moment came when lunch arrived and he knew perfectly how to tell her she was indispensable to him. It just needed the right moment and the right sort of casualness. Snagging up the plain yeast roll, he buttered it and watched as Evelyn picked at her food. She looked kind of adorable with the length of her hair gathered up into a messy loop on the top of her head, golden strands poking out here and there and, while not flattering, the scrubs she'd been permitted hanging a little large off her petite frame. Al could tell she'd remain somewhat small and the sort of person that could, much to probable consternation, be picked up at random without thought. Biting into his roll, he let the flavor of butter and crusty, somewhat dry bread fill his mouth and, with a touch of deliberateness, rolled his eyes. "I can't believe how good this tastes," he commented, thrilled once again for being able to taste.

His sister merely smiled at him in tolerant fashion. "I swear I can't wait for you to bite into something that tastes nasty," she remarked and he pouted at her. Why did she have to say things like that? There was a flicker of something in her gaze and he snorted.

"You would wish something like that."

"It will happen sometimes," she assured like he didn't already know. "I'm not wishing it on you." It was utterly reasonable and utterly understandable.

It was also the utterly perfect time to make sure she'd never leave him.

"You're hopeless, Sister."

"I am hardly hope…" She stopped mid-sentence and looked at him with wide eyes. It was so funny of an expression as he watched comprehension light upon her face that he had a hard time keeping his laughter to himself. The food between them lay forgotten as she processed the possessive word. "Is there something wrong, Sister?" he asked, no way able to hide his mirth. The teen did an admirable fish impression as she moved to speak before halting and then trying to speak again.

And then… Alphonse watched as she promptly began crying. She wiped at her face to try and get rid of the damning evidence on her face but it was futile and he felt amazed to see that sheer relief in her entire form. Guilt shot through him briefly. He should have done this sooner. He should have told her this before, never mind what she'd said. But the guilt was assuaged by her happy crying and her teary response.

"No," she told him. "Nothing's wrong." She looked at him as the tears began to slow and asked, "Why did you…?" Why? Why did he show acceptance to her now?

"Because everyone knows now," he told her gently. "You don't have to hide." Which was true, but there was more to it. "And I didn't want you to think I couldn't think of you as anything other than being Brother's replacement." It had bothered him incessantly… knowing she thought so little of herself. "Hearing you think of yourself that way… It had hurt. You'd done so much, gave up so much, to help me get this body back, you couldn't be anything other than completely Edward." He lifted his gaze to meet her eyes, trying to get his reasoning out even if such words felt paltry to him. "But you're not at the same time." Not a rejection. A segue into what he wanted. "You're Evelyn. And I want to acknowledge that." He smiled at her, trying to convey the sheer amount of patient love he'd become so well known for.

"I…" Edward, reincarnation or no, at a loss for words was something Al knew to treasure especially in a situation like this. "You have no idea how much that means to me."

Al shifted, intending to say 'I love you, Sister', but there was a knock at the door and it opened as he looked over. So did Evelyn. Much to his astonishment, in came none other than Riza Hawkeye.

"Good afternoon," she greeted with a smile as he skimmed her face and appearance. Healthy, whole… certainly not the hurt woman from three weeks back.

"First Lieutenant!" he returned. "You cut your hair?" The woman allowed a flicker of a smile to cover her features and nodded.

I did. Hello, Alphonse. You're beginning to put on weight, aren't you?" Like he could do anything else while sitting down all the time except for bathroom breaks he required assistance with. He nodded, glancing briefly at the bemused and thankfully not too out-of-sorts Evelyn. It would be an affront to her to be caught out without any sort of mask on. Only he'd been given that honor to see all of his sibling's heart among all the others he knew except for a very select group of people. Unfortunately for her, Hawkeye was not really one of the ones that saw everything. It wasn't a slight against her but rather a mark of how private Edward (and by extension Evelyn) could be.

"It's slow," he told her with a nod. "But I am."

The military woman looked at his sister. "Evelyn," she remarked smoothly.

"I see the Colonel told you," his sister replied solemnly and Hawkeye smiled.

"It took some time to get around to it, but yes. He also told me he would stopping by later to check on you two and advised you to not go run and hide just to aggravate him." Alphonse sniggered as Evelyn snorted her amusement. "As for why I'm here…" She opened the bag that had been slung on her shoulder and she pulled out a leather kit. Opening it, she said, "I thought Alphonse might enjoy a haircut of his own."

"You cut hair?" Al asked immediately. Honestly, long hair had always been his Brother's thing. His hair was brittle and scratchy and had no style other than there. While he didn't mind Evelyn running her fingers impulsively through his hair, he did mind the way it felt on his shoulders. "Oh, please!" he half-begged at the answering nod. "It itches and all and keeps distracting me!"

"As does every other smell, taste, and touch you meet," his sister muttered loud enough for both of the other blondes to hear.

"Hush, Sister!" he admonished, earning another grin from her, and he smiled in return. Hawkeye, seeing the byplay, also smiled.

"You would worry if I didn't make some smartass remark, y'know," Evelyn shot back. "Catch twenty-two, Brother." And that earned a pout from him even if it was true.

"Well," Hawkeye said as she stepped closer. "Back to the previous conversation. Help me get him out of bed for a little bit, Ed. I can't cut his hair otherwise."

Evelyn scooted off the end of Al's bed and allowed bare feet to smack onto the tiled floor. She helped him up and the thinner teen was once again reminded how frail his body was. Until Doctor Knox approved it, though, he'd not get the physical therapy he really wanted to get started on. Evelyn supported most of his weight, slight as it was still, and she helped settle him in a chair Hawkeye positioned on the floor. He was frustrated and he didn't like this… helplessness at all.

"Don't get angry." Ed was giving him a firm look of disapproval though there was a gentleness to it. "You'll gain muscle mass soon enough, hotshot. Think of it as automail training. You can't get right back up after you get it bolted on." This was an utterly unfair comparison and he let her know it.

"You did. When you first came here, remember?"

"I had certain advantages," she drolly replied. He shot a glare at her but, when Hawkeye's hand fell on his head to direct it, he stilled and shut up. After all, one did not go against Hawkeye… especially if she had a weapon in hand.

.

Months later, it was time to go home… Home to Winry and Granny. Home with Sister.

His sister… He looked to her with a fond smile, knowing she was otherwise occupied with yet another book. Tomorrow they'd be leaving and getting on a train. Tomorrow they'd head to Resembool and to a family that had waited for them for so very long. He could see that even now Evelyn had problems with feeling out of place but at least she wouldn't run away from him because she thought he didn't want her. But he could see the worry in her eyes, the pain in her heart, and the mutters of another life she had.

He had a thought, though. It was a thought in infancy and one that had to be carefully played. He could tell his sister felt out of place, far from home, even if she'd come back to him. And after everything she'd done for him, he'd do something for her… He just had to figure out exactly what to do.

With that thought in mind, he examined the clothes his sister had chosen for him for tomorrow and wondered if he'd look terrible in them. They looked too tiny, honestly. Too thin. Oh, he knew he'd outgrow them soon enough and his therapy had gotten him to a point he could function without too much issue even with the crutches… Well, he'd get stronger. He'd get better. He could only keep going up because he refused to go back.

With a smile, he glanced at Evelyn again and watched as her eyes flickered intently over the page she was reading.

"Hey, Sister?" Those eyes came up instantly. So different than a year ago… "We're going home tomorrow."

She flashed a grin at him. "Yeah, we are. Excited?"

"Yes!"

"Good."

.

.

.

Author's Note: And that's that… Clearly not the entirety of Aureate Bonds but… Hey, who cares? And new scenes and all, yeah? Some of it was from the manga but… Meh. Whatever. Fun-ness-ness. And I wanted to produce this one up to the point of Chapter 32. That way I could get it put up and you guys to have it without spoiling the rest of the story that's to come. Might add a shorter second part later for other stuff but… at least this part's done, yeah?

According to Microsoft Word, there's approximately 21.5k words of content. Rounded figure as it's actually a little more but I don't feel like noting all of that.

Please review. I dearly appreciate it.