Author's Note: This is not a songfic, but it was inspired by Breaking Benjamin's song "Breath," especially the lines: "So sacrifice yourself/ And let me have what's left ... 'Cause I will be the death of you." I also wanted to try writing a fic that was just dialogue, because I'd read a couple ones like that before. Then I got an idea about the blood seal while writing it, and voila!

"Brother?"

"Yeah, Al?"

"Will you get angry if I ask you a question?"

"Depends on the question, I guess. If it's 'why are you so tiny and puny that EVERYONE THINKS YOU'RE A BEAN?' then I'd probably be mad, yeah."

"Heh...it's nothing like that."

"Goody. Ask away, then."

"Can you promise not to say anything until I'm done?"

"Hm. Must be a killer question. Okay, sure. I won't say anything."

"Okay. Well, it's like this. Brother, I know you don't hate me. But...why? Why don't you?"

"Al-"

"You promised! Just let me finish first. I won't say that everything was my fault, but I definitely didn't help anything that day. I could have stopped you, you know. There's never been a time I haven't won a fight between us. If I had only been strong enough to know that what we were doing was wrong, we would never have made that abomination. And...I think I did know it was wrong, but I was so caught up in my desire to see Mom again that I silenced that little voice in my head. And then when we did the transmutation, I went and lost my soul. You had to give up your own arm just to bring me back. I've been nothing but a burden to you since then, too. You're always having to run after me, or rescue me, or fix me up. Because of my body, I couldn't become a State Alchemist like you, and I couldn't help you very well until only recently, when I remembered the Gate. My body is linked to yours, so you have to eat and sleep my share just to keep my body alive. Lately, I've been thinking that maybe I'm a liability to you. I'm one of your greatest weaknesses. Any one of our enemies can manipulate you by threatening me, because you care about me so much. Just wait, Brother. One of these days I'm going to be the death of you. I think you know all this too. So why don't you hate me?"

"...You answered that question yourself, Al. I care about you. There's too much of that in my heart for me to hate you."

"I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have-"

"It's okay, Al, really. If you'll remember, I had to ask you the same question."

"Yeah. And I still don't see how you could have thought that I...oh."

"You get it now?"

"Yeah."

"..."

"..."

"Al, take off your helmet."

"Huh? Why?"

"Just take it off."

"O-Okay... What are you doing?"

"What's it look like? I'm touching your blood seal."

"But...why? My armor doesn't need any fixing, you know."

"Yeah, I know. I just wanted to touch you. You can feel this, can't you?"

"Yeah... Your hand feels so soft, Brother! Not like when that Lust person was threatening me."

"Hmph. Lust isn't your older brother."

"I guess you're right."

"Any more questions? I'll be here all night."

"Well...there was one thing..."

"And what's that?"

"Brother, why are you so tiny and puny that everyone thinks-"

"AAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!!!!!!"