My brother carries a weight no fifteen-year-old should have to bear. He lost his-our- mother when we were young, and he has always taken the responsibility of looking after me. I feel bad, sometime, that he gave up his childhood when he was only four to take care of me and Mom. It hit us both hard when Mom died, but Nii-san bore his sorrow in silence. There are other things about mybrother that make him special.
I'm the first person to say my older brother is beautiful. When asked to describe him, I'd start with Edward's eyes. They were the color of amber. They seem like cold metal when he's mad, and like warm gold when he's happy. When Nii-san is sad, his gold eyes look like they're melting because of his tears. They rarely look this way, however. Nii-san never lets his emotions show.
Nii-san's hair is really beautiful. It's like he has real gold for hair. I don't remember how it feels, but I've heard people say that his golden strands are soft. It also seems impossible to tangle, always falling down around his face and shoulders when it's not in it's braid. In the sunlight, Nii-san's hair glows, but in moonlight he looks like a god, with his golden features.
My Nii-san's size is a bit of a sore point for him. He hasn't grown much since he was twelve, even though he's fifteen now. When people say he's short or small, Brother really goes into a rage. It's often funny to watch, but the truth is, he's a slight person. He eats like a horse, but if I want, I can wrap one hand around his waist. I've only done this once, though, when he was in danger and I needed to run with him. The experience left him breathless and rubbing sore ribs.
To tell the truth, Brother is a beautiful person. I'm his brother, and I have trouble sometimes with telling if he's actually a boy. And this is coming from a person who has seen him get out of the shower. (Please ignore that. It's not what you perverts are thinking. We're BROTHERS for crying out loud.)
Despite how weak he looks, Nii-san is a very strong person. He's the youngest State Alchemist, and he's able to do Alchemy with out a circle because he's seen the Truth. Most people would have gone insane, but he has stayed strong. That night, he did more than see the Truth. He had his leg taken away as the price for commiting taboo, and he willingly sacrificed his arm to keep me alive. Nii-san must have been in exruciating pain, but he stayed concious the whole time while he wrote a bloodseal on the armor with his own blood. As if that wasn't enough, poor Brother was awake when I came to and spoke to me about what had happened.
I don't care what other people say, my brother is perfect to me. Others can say he's of the devil all they want, if you ask me, my Nii-san is a god in his own right. His unnatural beauty, the sacrifices he's made, the weight he bears on his small shoulders, all of it creates the nobility that only a devine being could have.
My brother is everything to me. He's the one I would give my life to protect. I know he's willing to do the same for me, but I hope he never has to. I want him to live, continue to live, and survive if a time comes when one of us absolutely has to die. He's already given so much for me, he shouldn't have to give his life as well. If that happened, I know I wouldn't be able to keep living.
My poor Nii-san has been through so much. Life seems to enjoy kicking him around. It's not fair! That's why I'm going to end his pain. I'll restore his body to the way it was. I love my brother. He's all I have.
Al leaned over his sleeping brother. In his hand, he held a freshly sharpened dagger. As silently as he could, the younger brother leaned over his golden brother. "I'm sorry, Brother. I love you." he whispered.
Alphonse raised his hand up, then plunged it down. There was a flash of moonlight reflecting off the dagger, then the sickening thump of steel hitting flesh. Edward abruptly woke up with a gasp and a cry of pain. His back arched in agony, then he went completely limp. He looked down to the blade buried in his stomach, then looked up at Alphonse.
Ed whispered, "Why...?" Then the golden blonde gasped and choked on blood when the knife was twisted and roughly ripped out. Before he closed his eyes for the last time and died, Edward stared right into Al's eyes.
The armored brother kneeled by the bed, horrified at what he'd done. In his brother's last glance, he'd gotten a complete message: 'I love you, and I forgive you.'
The armored boy placed a hand on the side of his dead brother's face and wiped a bit of blood away from his lips. "Why, Brother? Why do you still love me? Why do you forgive me?" Al whispered. "I was the death of you. I was... your... death..."
The armored brother watched his beloved brother's blood drip onto the floor from where it spread out of the small body. How could a person as tiny as Ed have so much blood? Then, with a strangled scream, Al pulled his helmet off and raised his thumb up to erase the blood seal. He understood why Nii-san had forgiven him. It was because they were brothers.
At the last minute, Al felt-
Edward jumped and jerked wide awake when he heard his younger brother scream. At first, he thought Al was being attacked. However, when he looked up, his brother was kneeling by his bed. In a split second Ed saw the helmet on the floor, Al's hand in the air, and the blood seal.
"No!" the blonde gasped. He sat up in one fluid motion and grabbed Al's arm, dragging it down by using his full weight. "Al! Wake up!"
Al gasped, and his dim eyes flared brightly as oil spilled on fire. "Nii-san! I'm so sorry!" the fourteen-year-old cried. "I'm sorry!"
"Al!" Ed snapped. "Alphonse, calm down!"
The distraught brother got the tone of command in the blonde's voice and settled down. "B-Brother?" he wimpered. "You're not dead?"
"Of course not!" Edward said. "Why would I be?"
"I-I stabbed you." Al stuttered. "I was sitting beside you thinking about... stuff, then I had a dagger and I stabbed you in the stomach. Are you hurt?"
Edward smiled at his little brother. "Of course not. It was a dream, silly. You were daydreaming. You might not be able to sleep, but you can still get nightmares." he said softly. The blonde reached out and put a hand on Al's chest plate.
Alphonse put his large hand over his brother's to keep it there, to ressure himself that his precious brother was alive. 'It was just a dream. It was just a dream.'
Then, just to be sure, Al carefuly lifted Ed's shirt to look at his stomach. Ed guessed what was up and leaned back a bit so Al could have a better view. "See? I'm fine." he murmured.
Alphonse gently ran a hand over Ed's flat, unmarked belly and sighed with relief. "You're safe." he whispered. Then, the armored brother chuckled. He gently pushed Ed back into the sheets, but he kept the blanket down. "Brother, let me do this, just for tonight." Al said, keeping his hand under his brother's shirt. He had his fingers splayed, covering as much of that perfect, untouched stomach as he could.
Ed nodded. "If it'll make you feel better, go ahead." he replied. He closed his eyes and almost purred when Al began messaging his stomach. Al's fingers pressed down carefully so he wouldn't cause his small brother pain, and they slowly moved in small circles. After a few minutes, Ed had fallen asleep again.
Al pulled the blanket up to his sleeping brother's waist, but left it there. He kept his hand where it was, taking comfort in the fact that he hadn't killed Ed. In the dark, Al whispered: "I love you, Brother. I would never willingly hurt you. I'm sorry for the dream I had."