Edward
"Al…" I hang my head in shame. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I just…," He starts to back away from me. "Brother…"
"No." Al's voice sounds scared and confused. "I'm not your brother."
I try to crack a smile. "C'mon, Al. You don't really mean that."
"Yes. Yes, I do." He gets quiet. "You're not my brother."
Suddenly, I feel as if all the breath is knocked out of me. "Al." My voice comes out as a whisper.
"I'm not even a real person."
"Of course you are!" I take a step toward him. "What are you talking about?"
"No." He starts backing away again. "You're lying to me."
I put a hand on his arm in a desperate attempt not to lose him. "Al, what's gotten into you?"
He rips his arm away. "Stay away from me!"
"Al!" I stumble after him, but he starts running. "BROTHER!"I fall to my knees, tears streaming down my face as I watch him disappear into the distance, his metal footsteps clanking.
Mustang, Hawkeye, and two other military men come out from the shadows behind me, and I vaguely wonder how how long they'd been standing there. I can hear Mustang talking quietly to Hawkeye as I sit there on the cold ground, stunned and crying.
He's gone, I think. I may never see him again, and even if I did…
I'm so lost in a feeling like losing part of myself that I don't notice Mustang coming up behind me. I don't feel his hand on my shoulder. I don't hear the words coming out of his mouth. All I feel is my heart pounding and my head throbbing, trying to process what just happened. All I hear are Al's words: You're not my brother. Suddenly, the world is turning sideways, and everything goes black.
X X X
When I wake up, I'm lying in a bed, although I'm not sure where. My body feels like it's covered in sweat, and my head throbs with a headache. Am I sick? I wonder. Where am I? And how did I get here?
Just then, Winry walks in with a bowl of water and a cloth. "Oh, good," she says when she sees me. I pick up a note of concern in her voice. "You're awake."
I'm back in Resembool? I think. Groaning, I try to sit up, but Winry gently pushes me back down.
"You need to rest," she says firmly. "Your fever has only gotten worse since you've been here."
I know that she's right. I feel dizzy and… distant from the rest of the world.
"You lost a lot of blood, and with what happened with Al, they think that you…" Winry's words fade as my eyelids start to droop.
And that's when it all comes rushing back to me. My eyes go wide with the memory, and then I feel myself descending back into darkness. Just before I pass out, I hear Winry calling my name, but it sounds like I'm underwater.
Winry
"Ed!" I call out helplessly as he slips back into unconsciousness. "Alright. That's it," I say aloud, my voice changing from concerned to angry. "This has gone on long enough."
I stomp out of the room and start gathering my things.
"Going somewhere?" Pinako says from across the room.
"I'm going to find Al and get him over here."
Pinako lifts her pipe to her lips and blows a ring of smoke into the air. "Be careful," she says as I rush out the door.
On the train to Central, I think about the Elric brothers. They've always been close, ever since we were little. Back then, of course they fought, but when they did, it was always short-lived and about something stupid. But from what I heard, this fight was no small argument. They've never been so driven apart for this long, and I don't like it. And when I see Edward lying in bed, his forehead slick with sweat, a distant look in his eyes, I can't help but feel a sense of deja vu. Because that's exactly what their mother looked like before she…
No, I tell myself. It's not the same. Ed will be fine as soon as I get Al to come home.
Alphonse
Brother, I think contemptuously. I laugh aloud, and the sound of it scares me. When did I become the type of person who would laugh at the very thought of someone I used to love? Oh, wait. I can't be a "type of person" because I'm not even a real person to begin with. I can't help it; I bust out laughing. But it soon turns into a whimper. Why have you done this to me, Edward Elric?
I've been wandering the streets of Central, unwilling to go back to our room because I don't want to face Edward. At least not yet. I've been spending the nights in alleyways and the days strolling aimlessly through the streets. This time alone has given me a lot of time to think, but I still can't figure out how I feel about all this.
Suddenly, a voice behind me calls my name, startling me. "Alphonse!" I stop and spin around, only to met by a wrench to my face.
CLANG!
"Winry?!" I squeak. "What are you doing here?"
"You're coming with me, Al." Winry grabs my hand and starts to pull me toward the train station.
"Winry! Where are we going? What's going on?" I pull my hand away from her grasp and stop. When she turns around, her face is set with determination and maybe a trace of anger.
"We're going home to Resembool. You need to talk to Ed."
"But Ed is…" I point back toward the command center.
Winry shakes her head. "His condition was getting worse, and nothing they could do was helping. So they sent him home."
"Wait—condition?"
"He's sick, Al." Her voice gets quiet. "He's heartsick." I can hear her voice starting to break. "You need to talk to him. You guys need to stick together. You're the reason he pushes forward day to day. He needs you, Al."
I look down at the ground. "I don't know, Winry. I'm not sure he'll want to see me right now."
"Don't be stupid, Al. Of course he will. He was devastated when you ran off.
"Devastated?"
"Yeah. He's your brother. You should go see him."
A memory suddenly pops into my mind. It's from when Ed and I were six and seven.
Mom rested the back of her hand against my forehead. "Well," she said, looking down at me and Ed, "it looks like you've got a fever, Al." Then she picked me up and carried me to the bedroom that Ed and I shared. She lay me down in bed and then left to go make some soup. Edward dragged a chair over and settled down next to the bed even as I felt my eyes starting to close.
"Brother…" I whispered just before I drifted off.
"Don't worry, Al," Ed soothed, taking my hand. "I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay right here by your side. Always."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
I look up at Winry. Surely Ed couldn't have made up all those memories. Memories are made up of more than just information; they're made up of emotions, too. And I remember the love I had for my brother and the feeling of never wanting to leave him. I can't give up on him now. "Okay," I say. "I'll go see him." She nods and gives me a slight smile, and then we leave for Resembool.
X X X
As we approach the Rockbell house, I begin to feel nervous. I haven't seen Ed in days. What should I say to him?
Pinako greets us when we come in. "Nice of you to come by, Alphonse. Why don't you go see your brother." She motions over at the spare bedroom where Ed and I had stayed after we had tried to bring our mom back. Walking over, I timidly push open the door and step inside.
Ed is lying in bed, and he looks horrible. He's pale, and strands of his hair stick to his forehead with sweat. I stifle a gasp and hurry over to kneel at his bedside. It's strange seeing him like this. He usually looks so strong and defiant, but now he looks so weak and doleful.
His brow scrunches up for a second before his eyes crack open. He studies me for a long moment with a weary gaze. "Alphonse? Is that you?"
"Brother…" Suddenly, a wave of emotion hits me. "I'm sorry, brother," I choke out, coming as close to crying as a suit of armor can. "You're sick, and it's all my fault. I'm sorry I didn't listen to you. You couldn't have made up all of my memories. You couldn't have made up the love I have for you, brother. I know that now. I'm sorry."
"Al." Ed croaks. "What I wanted to say before was...You don't hate me, do you? Do you resent me for what I did to us? For what I did to you?" He looks at me with eyes so full of sorrow.
"No," I say firmly. "Of course not. I could never hate you, brother." I take his hand in mine like he did for me so many years ago. "And I'll stay right here by your side. Always."
His eyes widen a little at the memory, and he smiles. "Promise?"
"Promise."