Edward had been gone for a really long time.

Normally, this wouldn't pose much of a problem-his big brother always had a tendency to wander. But this was different-Edward rarely left his little brother behind, even if it was a short walk. So it was easy to understand the younger brother's worry, even though Edward had been gone for only twenty minutes.

Alphonse looked out the window. The last rays of the sun were setting over Central's horizon.

"Where could he have gotten lost now?" Alphonse muttered. Slowly, he put down his book and got up. "I bet he got into another fight...I guess I should go get him before he hurts himself too badly," he mused.

Outside, he was considering his options. "Hmm…Colonel Mustang might have seen him…but Ed would be back right now if he went to visit the Colonel."

"Of course, he might have been called up on a new trip…"

Looking up, he saw a bright star shining up in the sky. It triggered an earlier memory…

"Al?"

"Yeah?" He stopped and faced his brother. The older alchemist, however, was intently concentrating on the coming night sky.

"What do you think about the odds that there might be a heaven?" he asked.

"Brother, I thought you were agnostic."

"Hey, I'm only talking about the odds, not the possibility. It has nothing to do with religion."

They both stared at the stars that began to appear.

"I think," Alphonse started after a long while. "That you are getting mushy on me."

"WHAT?! That's not a straight answer!"

"Brother's getting fuzzy! Brother's getting fuzzy!" Alphonse teased. Edward swung his right arm back, preparing for the punch.

"But in all seriousness, I do think that there's a heaven."

He stopped midswing. "What…?"

"Assume that the body releases the soul after a certain period of time, yes? Also assume that the soul is a form of energy that keeps the average human going, yes? But what of the rest of it? Where does the good stuff go? The bad sense of humor and the will to help old ladies cross the street…it doesn't just get converted to work, does it? Because it's beyond just being converted into energy, all that wonderful stuff that makes up a personality." His finger moved across the night sky, pointing to the star that Edward was looking at. "I believe that it gets expelled into some sort of a higher place, a higher state of being. And we would all go there. And that," Alphonse stated, "would be heaven."

"Hmm…" Edward looked at the star with an unreadable look on his face.

"You were listening, right?"

"Yeah, I was." He pushed a bang behind his ear. "'Higher state of being', huh?"

"Why do you ask?" Alphonse pressed.

"Oh, no reason. Just thinking."

"Actually, you have been acting pretty distant for a while now…"

"Really?"

"Yeah. Makes me wonder if there's a girl on your mind. No wonder you're so mushy…" Alphonse joked.

"Hey," Edward started, winding up his right hand for the punch again.

He was probably doing research. Alphonse headed off towards Central Library.

The makeshift building that served as Central Library sat amongst the charred remains of the former one, and it did not serve well. What didn't smell of smoke smelled of mold, and your feet made a loud thump sound every time you took a step.

Ducking below a low door frame, Alphonse kept his head and voice low as he asked, "Has Edward come by?"

The librarian looked up from her book. "Oh, him? Yeah, he just returned some of his checkouts." She motioned to a pile. On the spines, in gold writing were the words:

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO

DEATH AND SEPARATION

WHAT YOU'RE MOST LIKEY NOT DOING RIGHT: why and how you fail repeatedly and miserably at social relationships (and possibly life)

He thanked the librarian and walked outside.

What an odd title…Alphonse thought. I wonder why big brother would check out such a miserable sounding book.

Then it hit him.

The weird questions about heaven…

The quiet, withdrawn attitude…

The book on death…

He wouldn't…

Alphonse dashed back inside the makeshift library, nearly clipping the door frame along the way. "Did my big brother say where he was going?" he asked the librarian frantically.

"Uh…he went in the direction of the military apartments…?" she replied tentatively.

Alphonse was out the door.

Lieutenant Hawkeye must have seen him go that way…I'll stop by her house and ask her. I should have known. I thought he was just being sullen, but...if he does anything…I don't know if…

It felt like forever to get to Riza's condominium. It sounded like someone was in there, but this was an emergency. The Lieutenant will understand, Alphonse thought as he swung the door open.

"Lieutenant, it's an emergen-"he started, then gasped.

What he saw would scar him forever.

Edward was curling up with Riza on a living room sofa. His shirt and jacket were cast off into the corner. Riza Hawkeye's usually proper bun was removed, her long, blond hair hanging down freely over her casual attire-a lavender blouse and black pants. They both seemed very cozy, and very shocked.

"Bro…ther…" Alphonse started.

"Hi, Al." he stammered.

"Hello, Alphonse," Riza said.

"Oh, no. Don't you 'Hi, Al' me." He said, a dark threat resonating in his voice.

"But-"

"Put. Your. Shirt. On."

Edward gathered his shirt and jacket and headed out the door. Before he was halfway out the doorway, he stopped and turned his head to Riza.

"That was…uh…" He seemed at a loss for words.

Riza chuckled. "I know. Me too."

"So, uh…I'll see you tomorrow?"

She smiled serenely. "Yes. Have a good night."

"OUT." Alphonse stated. "NOW."

Alphonse was beside himself. "YOU! You were gone for-how long was it-twenty minutes, and you tell me that you're going to drop off your library books. I get worried sick and come after you, only to find you sprawled all over the Lieutenant!"

"HEY! I was not 'sprawled all over' her! We were only-"

"I don't care! What I saw was NOT for children's eyes! Do you know how old I am? DO YOU KNOW HOW OLD I AM?!"

"Fifteen?" Edward winced

"FIFTEEN! Do you know how long I'm going to live for? About at least seventy five-eighty years! So now I have to live with the image of MY BROTHER draping himself all over his superior for the rest of MY LIFE!" Alphonse let out a wail that echoed off the building walls.

The two brothers walked on in silence. Right before they reached the military hotel, Edward started talking again.

"Alphonse?"

"What."

"You were right. There is such a place. There is a higher state of being. And it is heaven."

Alphonse was quiet for a moment. Silently, his fist swung out and connected with Edward's shoulder.

"AND WIPE THAT GRIN OFF YOUR FACE!"

Ah, how great it feels to get back into the game! I'm a huge fan of Ed/Riza, but my only qualm is that in most of those fanfictions, Alphonse is always pushed off to the side (ex.:He goes shopping/He chases a kitten/He dies). So I wanted to give Alphonse a shot. Think it was fair?

~Satu

This story is dedicated to Caramia Pen, who is a kind and benevolent soul and who will not kill me or beat me with her lunch bag.

This story is also dedicated to Dani, who won't hurt me. Please. Because I want to make it to 19, I really do.