Moment of Truth

"This should be enough…" he mused as he finished drawing the transmutation circle. Alphonse set aside the bucket in his hand, the red liquid inside sloshing back and forth lazily. The younger Elric brother surveyed his handiwork, checking everything twice to make sure he had got it exactly right. Three years of research and hard work had finally led up to this moment. It was what he had been waiting for—the day he would finally get to see his brother, Edward Elric. Alphonse glanced at the suit of armor in the center of his circle. It stared back at him, nodding its head slightly in acknowledgement. Attaching pieces of his soul to inanimate objects came naturally to Alphonse. He never knew the ability would serve such a vital role in bringing his brother back from beyond the gate. With a clap of his hands, Alphonse knelt to the ground and placed them at the edge of the drawing. Instantly, the transmutation circle came alive, emitting a bright blue light. Finally, the moment of truth was upon him.

***2 weeks earlier, in Resembol ***

Winry Rockbell sighed and wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand. With a goofy smile she set aside her wrench and looked over her newest auto mail design. "I know this will win the Rush Valley Auto Mail tournament this year! How can it not? The gorgeous design, the all new reinforced steel plating, the adjustable length…" Winry paused and set the arm aside, her eyes slowly drawn to the corkboard fill of photographs above her cramped work station. She felt her throat constrict as her gaze fell on a picture of her and Edward, the best friend she had ever had, and perhaps, something more if he hadn't vanished. It had been three years since she had last seen him. Three years since he had disappeared beyond the gate. She told everyone that she had moved on and accepted Edward's disappearance as reality, but she could never shake the nagging feeling that he was alive and well somewhere, and that maybe-- just maybe-- he was thinking of her too.

"Would you appreciate the fact that I incorporated materials into the auto mail that help amplify alchemic reactions, Ed? I did it just for you, you know." Winry sighed heavily and stood to her feet. It was late and she had worked straight through dinner. Assuming that Granny Pinako was sleeping, she crept stealthily down the stairs and into the kitchen. Much to her surprise, Alphonse was sitting at the kitchen table with only one small lamp lighting the room. When Winry entered, Alphonse's back was to her and he appeared to be hunched over something, focusing intently on it. Winry took a couple small steps into the kitchen before making her presence known with a small clearing of her throat. Al jumped and whirled around, his surprise plain on his face.

"Oh, Winry! I'm sorry; I didn't know you were up!" Winry thought she detected a hint of guilt in his voice that made her frown.

"It's no big deal. What are you up to? It's past midnight," she pointed out. Al laughed in the nervous way he usually did when he was hiding something.

"Oh nothing much, just studying as usual." Winry thought she saw the boy slip something into his coat pocket, but pretended not to notice. For some reason, the mechanic couldn't bring herself to reprimand him. Ever since Edward had disappeared, Al had been engrossed in his alchemy. He even spent some time in central living with Fuhrer Mustang just so he could have access to the Central library. His dream was to someday find Edward, and although Winry didn't think it was possible, she didn't have the heart to say so to his face.

"Well, try to get some sleep," Winry said lamely. Without giving Al anymore attention, she headed to the fridge to get something to eat. Alphonse said nothing further and got to his feet. Quietly, he made his way up to the spare bedroom where he had been living for the past three years. Al regretted the fact that he couldn't tell Winry about his research, but he knew that she would think it was too dangerous and tell him to stop. No one was going to stand in-between him and his brother.

Once Alphonse got to his room, he closed and locked the door behind him. Getting on his knees, he peeked under his bed and pulled out the ice chest he had hidden there. He opened it slowly, revealing several bags of blood. He had been collecting them over the last couple of months under the ruse that he had been donating blood to Central's main hospital. The nurses were not observant enough to notice when he swapped the bags of blood for bags of red wine that he transmuted on the spot. With this last bag he had finally achieved his quota. Soon, all of the materials needed for his transmutation would be in his possession.

Alphonse had figured out a way to bring his brother back almost a year ago, or at least, had discovered a theory. It came to him in a dream one night, and although he knew his brother would have said that following a method in a dream was "unscientific", he couldn't help but wonder if the dream had been some sort of hidden knowledge locked deep within his subconscious that was only now coming to the surface. In the dream, Alphonse had attached his soul once again to armor, and using a transmutation circle of his own blood, summoned and opened the gate to "the Truth". After opening the gate, he had put the remaining blood in the armor and sent it into the darkness. There, he was able to see through the suit's eyes and find his brother's body, mind, and soul before successfully bringing them out of the gate. When he woke up, Alphonse knew he had to try. With the complex transmutation circle fresh in his memory, the younger Elric had drawn it in detail and hidden it away where no one would ever find it, and in two weeks the suit of armor he had ordered from Central would arrive. Soon he and his brother would be together again—he was sure of it.

***

Alphonse came-to slowly and blinked away his blurry vision. A feeling of panic seized him when he couldn't remember where he was or what he had been doing before he had fallen asleep. When he sat up and realized that he was in his room at Winry's, a wave of fear and doubt consumed him. Had it all been a dream? Or had he failed? Either possibility was too painful for Alphonse to accept. Al jumped out of bed only to fall back into it. His legs were shaky, almost as if he hadn't used them in weeks. The fear Al had felt a few seconds earlier returned sharply, making him nauseous. "W-Winry?" Alphonse called out, his throat dry. The murmur of voices coming from downstairs stopped abruptly before footsteps were heard on the stairs.

"Alphonse!" Winry cried as she opened the door. Tears filled her eyes as she came to the bed and flung her arms around the boy in a hug. Al blinked in confusion, his mind racing. What had happened? Where was his brother? How much time had passed? Before any of his questions could be answered, Winry stepped back and slapped him on the face.

"Ouch! What was that for?" Al demanded as he grabbed his cheek.

"How dare you attempt human transmutation again?! Didn't you learn your lesson the first time?" Winry demanded in a rage.

"But, Winry, it wasn't human transmutation—

"I don't want to hear your excuses," she interrupted. "It's been a whole month, Al. We had no idea if you were even going to wake up!" Ignoring her concern, Al grabbed her hand, his eyes blazing.

"Winry, where is my brother? Where is Edward?" Winry stopped in her tracks, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Edward? What are you talking about Al? When we found you in the forest, there wasn't anyone else there." Alphonse felt his heart break with her response. So, he had failed after all. His years of effort had been for nothing and now it was back to square one. Winry saw Al's face fall and pitied him. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she put her arm around him encouragingly.

"You were trying to bring your brother back? Why didn't you tell me, Al?" Al shook his head, fighting tears.

"I didn't know the risk involved… I didn't want you to worry," he explained. Winry sighed and shook him lightly.

"Don't you know I always worry about you? Alphonse, you're all I have left other than granny. You can't leave in the dark like that," she chided. The boy could only nod, afraid that if he opened his mouth, sobs would come out instead of words. Winry stood, understanding that he needed to be alone. She gave him one last look before walking slowly out of the room. As soon as the door closed, Alphonse doubled over in bed, the tears streaking his face.

"Brother, I failed. I'm so sorry… please wait a little longer." Exhausted physically, mentally, and emotionally, Alphonse slumped back in bed and fell into a fitful sleep.

***1 month earlier, Resembol***

Blue light filled the forest as a result of Alphonse's alchemy. The boy had fallen into a deep sleep, allowing his soul to focus on the armor that disappeared inside the gate. Hours passed with no sign of success. As the sun began to rise, voices filled the forest, all calling out for Alphonse. It was Winry who stumbled upon the clearing first. It had been a popular spot to play in as a child and one of the few places Alphonse frequented. She was relieved to find him in the field, but her relief immediately turned to worry when she saw the Al was unconscious. Calling upon the other villagers who were searching with her, they examined him and took him back to the Rockbell house before calling on a doctor.

No one took the time to investigate the clearing, however. Exactly twenty-four hours following Alphonse's initial attempt, the tranquil meadow filled with the signature glow of an alchemic reaction. The gate of legend reappeared, its antiquated doors opening with a groan. From the depths emerged a suit of armor, and in its arms rested the sleeping Edward Elric.