"Nina…."
Al sat there, too depressed to move, contemplating what had just happened, and trying to figure out how someone could do something like that.
His own daughter. He clearly loved her-there is no doubt about that. Did he love the lifestyle that came with being a State Alchemist more? Probably not. So then, why? He looked over to his brother, a few feet away on the floor, who had finally fallen asleep after hours and crying and yelling. If I found something that could bring my body back, but brother would be hurt in the process, could I….? No! I wouldn't! I would never do that! We promised that we would return to Granny and Winry together. So that's what we'll do! With renewed determination and resolve, he slipped quietly away to keep going through Shao Tucker's books. As much time as they had spent in there, it seemed they had hardly scratched the surface. After an hour of reading, he came upon a title that looked promising. He opened it and read, "Chimeras are created by taking two life forms, deconstructing them, and then reconstructing them together to form a single entity. In order to do this, however, the Alchemist must first choose the qualities that are most suited to the desired creation, for it is impossible for two souls to inhabit the some host. The ethics of this practice are heavily debated, but it is universally understood that, for obvious reasons, human Chimera's are strictly forbidden. Although it has never been tried, due to increased public outcry and governmental restrictions, many Alchemists believe that, using this principle, it is possible to put A soul into B physical body while simultaneously putting B soul into A physical body. THIS PRACTICE IS PRESENTLY ILLEGAL." Al thought about Nina. Tucker had taken the soul of his daughter and bound it to their dog's body. As deplorable as it is, it follows with what the book said. Then, he thought about how his own soul was transmuted to live inside a foreign host. Al became overcome with frustration. It seemed that all the pieces were right in front of him, but how do they fit together? Brother proved that you can isolate a soul without losing any part of its humanity. Tucker proved that you can merge a fully functional human soul to another organic life form, and the book said it might be possible to take two life forms and swap hosts … what if….. would it be possible to….. create a new body for a person to inhabit? We already have the soul…. But what would have to be sacrificed?
"Al?" Edward was standing at the end of the aisle of books. Al jumped with a start. "I didn't mean to scare you. When you weren't in the room, I was worried. I kinda figured you'd be here. Are you okay?"
"Yeah."
"If something's bothering you, you know you can talk to me, right?"
"I said I'm fine." Al was deliberately forceful. The morality of what he had just found was ambiguous at best, but if there was the chance that it might lead to something, he didn't want Edward to be involved quite yet. He has enough on his mind as it is. Struggling with this as well would be too much.
"Oh. Okay." Ed knew better than to push the issue, so he left. Al wasn't sure if he was going to actually sleep or not. As long as I can keep this secret, it doesn't matter. Brother. You hide it, but not having your own limbs is painful. I know. He looked down at his hands. In that moment, if he had a body, he would have wept. I know. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you. If I had a body, I would give it up so you could be whole again. He pondered this for a moment. I do! My body isn't here, but it's somewhere. Is that possible? Can I use it in a transmutation even though I don't have it? He then thought about how Ed would react to his decision. He would never forgive me. But I don't need him to. As long as he's happy, I'm happy. He would be happy, wouldn't he? I know I wouldn't. I'd think it was somehow my fault and never forgive myself. I suppose brother would too. He thought about what Ed would do… and smiled. Yeah, he probably feels the same way. It's funny though. He probably wouldn't hesitate to give up hope of returning to normal if it meant helping someone else… someone like Nina.
Nina…
He shot down back to the book. Nina! Can I save her after all?!
Edward hadn't gone back to the room where he fell asleep. He knew that Al didn't want to be bothered – and he respected that – but he wasn't about to abandon him, or leave him alone, so he sat outside the library door ready to help whenever his brother needed it. He had been sitting there for a while when he heard rummaging and muffled crashes. Slowly, Ed cracked open the door. Nothing. Everything went quiet and there wasn't anyone in the room. He stood up and pushed the door further open still until it hit something hard and a force started pushing back.
"What are you doing, brother?!"
"Come on, Al! Let me in!"
"No!" The last thing that Ed remembered seeing before losing consciousness was the all-too-familiar sight of a metal gauntlet plummeting toward his face. It must have been several hours before he came back to, because it was early evening again – judging by the sun. The first thing Edward noticed was the sense of a hand poking him. Groaning, he hesitated to open his eyes, suspecting it to be the Colonel. "Brother?" Now forcing his eyes open, they quickly adjusted and brought into focus an unmistakable image. Hovering over him, now, was Al in his physical body.
"What the HELL?!" Ed searched for words to fully encapsulate the joy and astonishment that he felt. But there is no language, real or fictional; existing or dead; that is, was, or ever will be, that could ever hope to come close to accomplishing such a thing. So he sat there with a gaping half smile and his arms open as if he wanted to hug the person before him, but, at the same time, wanting to keep looking at the figure forever. Al made the decision for him and wrapped his arms tightly around Ed's shoulders. Looking straight ahead, over Al's right shoulder, locked in a warm embrace, Edward stared aimlessly into the library from where the mirage must have come.
The sun was sinking lower in the sky and peeped through a library window – it was blood red. The rays reflected off of something in the far side of the room and Ed caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye. It was a giant suit of armor sitting against the wall holding onto the still form of Nina's prison. Immediately, every emotion he felt turned to the purest form of horror imaginable. Al relaxed his hold and sat back to smile in Edward's eyes.
"Let's play, big brother."