The Elric Brothers. The elder finally reached his height over the other, his golden optics gleaming in final satisfaction. The past two years those very eyes seemed a dull yellow, their shine and delight lost in the wind of time. Only one thing kept Edward's eyes from reaching full fire: the death of his father. Over the past month, Alphonse has been staying with Noa and his older brother. It had been so long since Ed has seen such happiness in his smile; holding nothing back, everything was right again. He had this brother back, he had his body back, he had his life back. Every meal his cheeks were flushed with pure delight. Even with the inflatuation, when all Noah could make was bread and soup, it was all "Delicous", "Great", and her personal favorite, "The best!" Just be able to share a meal. Everything was comfortable, refreshing, full of life.
The streets of Munich were dull, the vibrant colors of Shambala seemed washed away in memories. As Edward strolled along with Alphonse down a narrow sidewalk, he wore a small smile on his lips. The air was chilled; winter was well on its way. Scanning the shops to his right and left, the older Elric looked on for "Glacier's", a small resterant on the corner of Sixth Street. There he and his brother would supposedly meet an old friend of Heidrich's and join him for dinner.

"Brother?"

"Hm?"

Edward came to a stop, glancing at Al over his shoulder. The boys eyes were honest, as if what he were about to ask was nothing but simple directions. With a sheepish smile, he stopped as well before meeting his brother's eyes. "Have you seen dad lately? It's been a while, and I thought we should visit him now that we have the chance." Flushing a light pink, he chuckled softly. "Or are you still angry with him?"

Edward's eyes dilated, slowly misting over. As he allowed himself to take in a sharp breath, he turned heel and stomped forward.

"Come on, Al. We're gonna be late." Alphonse took on a puzzled gaze as he sighed and dashed off after his big brother.

"Brother! Where are you going? Wait up!" It was just like old times.

Glacier's was only about a block or two away. By the time the brothers reached their destination, both were out of breath. "Brother...why...?" Before Alphonse could finish his attempt to fit a sentence together between breathes, a young woman around nineteen or twenty approached the two. Her eyes were an icy-blue resembling Hendrich's, though her hair was dirty blond in contrast. Her locks were cut short, ear-length. Although her face was terriably kind, her eyes held an even mixture of mischief and sorrow. Raising an eyebrow, she snapped "You're late."

At first the boys were highly suprised to see a woman in the place of the man they pictured. Surely enough, they soon got used to it and learned her name: Audrey. Seated around a small wooden table, the three exchanged glances as though trying to decide what to make of each other. Audrey was the one to break the silence.

"...Edward, right? Alphonse told me alot about you. If memory serves, you were rocket partners...he even considered you to be a best friend. I remember when he called me up one day...the day you moved in." She chuckled softly. " 'Said you were the most stubborn mule he ever met. You wanted to do things your own way, only ate when he left the table. The first month you didn't exchange glance, much less get a word in." The young woman's face brightened, and light passed between her eyes.

"Boy, when you actually gave Al a chance, he couldn't stop talking about you. I guess were pretty close, eh?"

Edward leaned back in his chair as he listened. His eyes gained a saddened gaze, almost bitter. "...Yeah."

Glaring down at the table, he muttered "What of it? His will had your name at the top...How do you know him?" Audrey offered a weak smile in reply. "I'm his big sister. Mom and Dad passed on when we were about ten and twelve. The two of us stayed in both foster care and orpanages 'til I was sixteen. At that time...we took care of each other."

Glancing at Alphonse, she let out a sigh. "This must be your younger brother. He makes me feel like I'll turn around and there he'll be."

Alphonse in turn forced a smile, his attempt to break the sorrow in the air. "So he really looked like me, AND scares the same name? Wow. Would you tell me about him, please?"

"He had this knack of making people feel good about themselves, even if they did nothing to deserve it. Always smiled warmly, with those twinkling eyes...If he had a job to do, he'd do it without complaint."

Edward broke in suddenly. "He'd get angry if you got in the way, though...Had this detirmination a blind man could see. That idiot...died saving me. Cared about you 'til the end, Al."