Beautiful red and blue roses bloomed in the green gardens. The sun bore down on a wiser man. This man was still strong and lovely at the same time. He had no problem with picking roses, one at a time. His long blonde hair got in the way many times. The man wiped the sweat from his forehead; setting more roses in the basket his lover wove him only days ago before he decided it was too hot to continue his work out here. He picked up the basket and the handle came off.

He smiled.

That's right. His lover wove this pathetic basket that fell apart with the weight of only eight flowers in it. Picking up the basket from the bottom, he went into the castle. A maid nodded to him in respect before passing on. He nodded back with a friendly smile. He walked up many stairs before coming to a room with a crib.

"I'm back Alphonse. I thought you'd like some roses to freshen up your room." A gentle voice said.

The small infant wiggled in his bed before settling back in the depths of sleep. The man chuckled and rubbed the soft skin of the child's head with his scar ridden hands. Seeing the difference between their skins was still amazing to him.

Letting the child sleep, he returned to his task. He sat down in a rocking chair and looked at the roses. The happiness left from his face when he realized, out of the roses he picked, he picked a single white rose. Picking it up, he pricked himself on its many thorns already.

Edward Elric was no stranger to the thorns on these seemingly pure roses. But, even beautiful roses would wilt into a darkness…