Wow! You guys sure liked "I Will Return", didn't you? I never expected that kind of response! That was supposed to just be a oneshot, and nothing more, but since you all wanted me to update so badly, I'll compromise, okay? I don't want to be stuck with yet another multi-chapter story since I have so many others, but I'd be happy to create a series of oneshots with this particular idea in mind, okay? (Besides, that'll allow me to jump around freely on the timeline without being stuck to any one place in particular. This particular story takes place years later, when Ed is a teenager.)

Anyway, I hope that you like this. Feel free to submit suggestions on other oneshots you'd like to see in the future, okay? I'm kind of at a loss for ideas, that's why this one doesn't have as much plot as some of my stories do. Sorry. Hope that you like it though.

Disclaimer: I do not own FullMetal Alchemist, and I'd think of something witty, but my brother wants me to get off of his computer, so yeah, gotta finish up, hehe.

Ed was sprawled across his bed in a careless manner, reading a comic book, his homework lying neglected nearby. Roy stepped into the room.

"Edward!" he exclaimed, "Why aren't you studying? You have a test tomorrow!"

Ed sighed and put down his book. "Why should I study, Dad? School's too easy. I read a book once through, and I suddenly know everything in it. Why would I want to force myself to sit down and bore myself over a book that I already know?" He was about to resume his comic book reading when Roy came and sat on the edge of the bed, and pulled the comic book away so that he could see his son's face.

"Listen, Ed, I understand why it's all so easy for you, but you can't just sit by, idly wasting the day away. You have to challenge yourself, or you'll get lazy. You are a very intelligent young man, you always have been. I realize that you'll ace those tests without a second thought, but you can't just waste your mind reading comic books."

"What else am I supposed to do?" he sighed. "School is boring. Life is boring. I wish something exciting would happen to me."

Roy coughed. "You really don't want that as much as you think you do."

"Oh, how would you know?" Ed scoffed with a wave of his hand as he flopped over on his bed to face the wall.

"You told me yourself."

"When?" Ed sat up straight in bed. "I don't remember ever telling you such a thing!"

"It was before you became my son," said Roy, "Though I realize that those memories have faded by now, and you no longer identify with your previous incarnation, but you are still the same being, whether you have the memories or not."

Ed stood up and walked toward the door, keeping his back turned toward Roy. "You know, all this reincarnation trash is really starting to perturb me. It's nonsense, and it's unscientific. I don't see why you even accept it as fact, being an alchemist like you are."

"I didn't until I had you as a son."

Ed shrugged and made his way out of the room. His father wasn't worth talking to right now. Ed clearly didn't believe in reincarnation, and it annoyed him that his father always talked about it, especially since he claimed to know who he had been. He always managed to shut his father up fairly quickly though, so Ed still didn't have a clue who his father claimed he was. He really didn't want to know.

He opened the front door and looked outside. "Maybe I'll just take a stroll down through the town square," he said. Walking helped him to quit being mad, after all. Why did his father have to have such unscientific notions, especially with him being an alchemist and all that? He shook his head. It didn't make any sense. Maybe parents were just stupid, that must be it.

"Mommy, why are my eyes golden?" The memory of his earlier days flashed back to him as he trudged along the side of the road, the wind whipping his hair into his face.

"Because," she had said, "You're a very special person. No one else in the family has golden eyes, only you."

"But weren't my eyes supposed to be blue?"

She chuckled. "Well, they were originally, but a baby's eyes oftentimes do start out blue, and then change to their normal color. Your normal color just happens to be golden."

"Oh, okay," little Ed smiled, and then ran off to play.

"Hmmm, I'm special huh?" Edward chuckled to himself. To all mothers, their children were all special, so that didn't really mean anything to Ed. He couldn't help but wonder where he had gotten his eyes from though, since they weren't shared by anyone else in the family. He assumed that his hair was from his mother, since it was almost the same color, but he could never quite reconcile the eyes.

"Hey!" Ed snapped out of his trance at the sound of someone calling to him and looked up to see a street vendor waving at him. "Did anyone ever tell you that you look just like Edward Elric?"

Ed chuckled. "Yeah, actually, people tell me that all the time." He walked over to their fruit stand and grabbed a couple peaches, and examined them. "I'm told that I'm actually named after him, as a matter of fact."

"REALLY? That's awesome! So, what's your name then?"

By this, Ed assumed that she was actually asking him what his full name was, since it was obvious what his first name was, so he simply answered, "Edward. Edward Mustang."

"Mustang..." the lady mused, "Mustang as in Roy Mustang, the Flame Alchemist?"

Edward chuckled. "Yeah, he's my father. He's kind of loopy if you ask me though. He's always talking about reincarnation and stuff like that, and I think he's nuts." Edward reached into his pocket and pulled out the change to pay for his fruit, and handed it to the lady.

"So," she chuckled, "Roy Mustang believes in reincarnation? I never would have guessed!"

Edward nodded as he took a bite out of one of his peaches, which was so ripe that the juice began running down his arm as soon as he had bitten into it. Now THAT'S a good peach!

The woman laughed. "Oh my gosh, let me get you a napkin." She rushed off and was soon back with the afore mentioned napkin and held it out to Edward.

"Thanks," he sputtered, trying desperately to clean himself up before the juice started to try and get sticky.

"So, if you don't mind my asking," said the woman, "Who does he say you were?"

Edward rolled his eyes. "I don't know. He claims that he knew my past incarnation, but I never let him talk about it long enough to find out who he actually thinks I am."

"Hey, Ed!" Before Ed could spin around to find out who had just called to him, he felt a hand on his shoulder, one which he immediately recognized.

"Oh, hi, Al. Want a peach? They're really good, if you don't mind getting all sticky from it."

Al laughed. "I think I'll pass on that today, but thanks. Al had quit calling Ed "Brother" once Ed's memories had begun to fade, since the term had started to make him uncomfortable. He still slipped up on occasion though, so Ed was still aware that Al used to call him that, but he simply brushed it off as being a sign that he reminded Al of his late brother.

Ed turned and waved to the street vendor lady, and then started down the street with Al, munching happily on his peach. He didn't say anything for several moments while he finished up his fruit, and then proceeded to lick his fingers. Yes, the peach was THAT good!

He turned to face Al, and was about to try to strike up some sort of conversation when he noticed a book in Al's arm. Before he could ask what it was about, he saw the word "Reincarnation" written on it. He sighed audibly. "What's the matter?" asked Al.

"Why is everybody I know getting taken in with this reincarnation bit? It's totally unscientific, and I'd expect people with intelligent minds, like you and my father, would not be taken in by something like that. Why do you guys believe it, anyway?"

"I didn't believe it until I met you, Bro-, I mean, Ed." Oops, he had nearly slipped up again. Ed waved it off though, he didn't care...too much.

"Why would that make any difference?" Ed asked.

"Well..." Al began, "You knew things that you couldn't possibly have known at that age, even some things that your father tried to prevent you from knowing about. In addition, you even recognized me the first time you saw me, and yet you weren't even told who I was, nor had you ever seen a picture of me."

"So, you're saying that I knew you in my past incarnation?"

"Um, yes...quite well, in fact."

Ed sighed and hung his head. "How can you judge something so quickly like that? I mean, after all, kids do and say strange things. Wouldn't the fact that I don't seem to show any more signs be a clue that I'm not...whoever you think I am?"

"That's actually quite normal for a child's past life memories to fade with time," Al replied calmly, "But you do seem to still be showing signs, even at your current age. Haven't you noticed how school is much too easy for you?"

Ed jerked his head up to look into Al's face. "You know about that?"

"How could I not? It's so characteristic of who you really are. You already mastered all of that stuff before, and so you consider it a waste of time to have to cover the same ground again, so school is really boring to you."

Ed scratched his head. "Yeah, you're right, it's quite boring. My dad says that I need to find a way to challenge myself."

Al nodded. "Have you tried to perform alchemy yet?"

Ed's eyes opened wide. "No, why? I hear that it takes a long time to learn, so I never even bothered to try."

"It wouldn't take you as long as you think," he said. Al grabbed one of the books he was carrying, one that had been under the reincarnation book, and handed it to Ed. Ed flipped it open, and just casually glanced down the page. He squinted his eyes as he viewed all the handwritten notes in the margins, confusion spreading across his face.

"When did I ever have this book?" he asked.

"Huh...what?" asked Al.

"Just what I said, when did I ever have this book. This is my handwriting in the margins. I can even prove it if you don't believe me."

A smile spread across Al's face. "You're right, that is your handwriting. I'm glad that you can recognize it, I hadn't thought that you would. Those notes were written almost twenty years ago."

Ed slammed the book shut, shooting dust out of it. "Twenty years? I wasn't even around then!"

Al turned to face him. "Don't you get it? Yes, you were! You just weren't Edward Mustang then...you were Edward Elric."

Edward stopped walking, and gave Al a wide-eyed look that plainly stated that he was trying hard to take in the last thing he had just said. Edward Elric? No, that couldn't be possible, could it? He was NOT Edward Elric...Edward Elric was too great of a man, and he could never live up to that standard. There was no possible way, none at all.

Just then, memories started coming to him, one by one, each adding a piece to the puzzle.

"Why are my eyes golden, Mommy?"

"You already mastered all of that stuff before."

"Has anyone ever told you that you look just like Edward Elric?"

"This is my handwriting in the margins."

"It was before you became my son."

"Those notes were written almost twenty years ago."

Ed grabbed at his head with both hands and felt like he was about to scream. He had to silence all these little voices inside. He was not Edward Elric, he just couldn't be! While he admired the man for all that he had done in his lifetime, he didn't want to be him. There was just no way.

"Brother, what's the matter?" asked Al.

Ed looked up into Al's face, tears running down his cheeks. "Why do you always call me 'Brother'?"

Al clapped his hand to his mouth. "I'm sorry, I've been trying not to call you that, since you don't like it anymore."

Ed shook his head. "No, I asked you WHY you always called me that, not why you try not to."

Al sighed. "It's because you were my brother in your last incarnation."

Ed sank to his knees, and began yelling, "No! I am not Edward Elric! I cannot be him! There is no possible way!"

Al reached down and placed a hand on Ed's shoulder. "Are you afraid of your past?" Ed gasped and looked up into Al's face, but didn't say anything. Al continued. "My brother didn't like his past either, but he never let it hold him back. He always reminded himself to move on, no matter what happened. The two of us had learned the hard way that holding to the past does more harm than good, so he had adopted that attitude from then on. I suppose that you simply have to relearn it now." Al stopped for a moment for emphasis, and then spoke again, "Don't be afraid of your past. Embrace it, learn from it, and then move on. Don't let your past stop you from becoming who you're destined to be."

Edward turned his face toward the ground, and remained still for a few moments. He needed to sort things out in his mind. Finally, he stood back up, and once again looked up into Al's face. "So...are you absolutely positive that I'm Edward Elric? You wouldn't lie to me, would you?"

"Brother, have I ever lied to you?"

Edward shuddered at the mention of the word "Brother", but decided not to say anything this time. If he really was Edward Elric, then he should let his former brother call him that, shouldn't he? "No, you've never lied to me," said Edward, "I doubt that you've ever lied to me in either incarnation."

"Does that mean that you believe me now?" asked Al.

"Maybe..." said Edward, still a bit unsure of himself, "But I'm having a hard time coming to terms with it. I don't even remember my past life, so I feel a bit awkward being told that that's who I am."

"Don't be," said Al, "Nobody ever remembers much about their past life. I'd be happy to fill you in on everything that took place back then that I can remember. Just make sure not to repeat the same mistakes that you did back then, okay?"

Ed smiled sheepishly. "Okay, I'll try."

The two continued walking down the street, feeling reunited once again in a sense. It was strange, since they had been together all these years, yet, separated in a way. Now they were back together. Ed smiled. He didn't have all his memories, but at least he was starting to accept them. He knew that Al would never lie to him.

Ed perked up. "So, Al, how did I end up dying before you did, so that I got reincarnated so soon?"

Al whistled. "That's a long, sad story. Are you sure you want to hear it right now?"

"There's no time like the present," said Ed. Al began to tell Ed the story that he had been hearing for years, only with the intonation of his own involvement in it, a stance that had never been taken before. Ed closed his eyes, and listened as he walked down the street beside his...brother...spiritual brother...soulmate, yes, his soulmate, Al was a soulmate, and that was why they were always together.

Ed breathed in the crisp, clean air as they continued to trudge along. He felt a feeling of release inside him, like he had been hiding inside all this time, and was finally allowing himself to be free. This had to be a good thing.

Edward turned to face Al, who had paused in his story to look at Ed. Ed smiled back at Al, paused for a moment, and then said, "Al, Brother, thank you." Al returned his smile, and they both continued down the street.

Thanks for reading, and hope that you liked it. Feel free to leave me a review, especially if you have a suggestion on what you'd like to see happen, anywhere in the timeline. Hope you see you around soon. Take care!