***These characters and all of FMA are Copyright of Hiromu Arakawa***
A/n: First story yay! Hope you enjoy! :)
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"C'mon Al let's getta move on, I'm starving here! Just leave the kittens behind!"
"I can't, Ed! They need me!"
"Well I need you more, I haven't eaten in days! Not to mention we're late for our appointment with Mustang!"
"Then let me take them with me, just for today!"
Edward shrugged over his tedious affair with his little brother, whom at this very moment wouldn't listen to reason. Alphonse, a young boy who couldn't be older than 15, was the type of person who couldn't leave those in pain behind. After a powerful rainstorm that struck only hours ago, the young boy tried his best to gather all the strays and harbor them in his massive suit armor until he could find them a permanent home. Glancing back at the suit, the bottom half was nearly full with cats. At this rate, Edward's wallet would be cleared in no time.
Wandering out of the train station wasn't even the most annoying part for the Hero of the People, since he was so well known and ordinary people usually spoke about him in the open, judging him in the blink of an eye. What annoyed Edward the most was their tendency to stare at him and look him up and down, in an almost inferior manner. It made him feel even worse about his position in the military, and about himself. And his height.
And now, there were purrs. And hisses. And squeals coming from inside Alphonse.
Utterly embarrassed, Edward tried to look away from his brother. But alphonse confidently trudged forward, not noticing the noises immediately. As Edward's head began to steam, more people surrounded them.
"Is there something wrong... brother?"
Alphonse was obviously covering it up, Edward thought. He knew very well what was bothering him, and he still didn't listen... even though the older brother WAS in charge.
Scouring to himself, Edward quickly thought of a plan. Tugging his brother's suit of armor, he fled the open road before the police showed up.
"We're going the back way, come on Al!"
"Wait brother! I was finally getting customers!"
"We need to get going, Alphonse! People are staring at us!"
"No, Ed! These kittens need homes and we were finally on the bridge of success in getting there-"
"Do you really think it's that easy!?"
Edward's hand went flailing in the air after Alphonse struck it with slight force. Edward's red coat, the symbol of humanity, faced his younger brother as the clouds passed overhead the brick buildings of central city. The kittens kept purring, clawing at Alphonse's inner armor, trying to escape the cold that surrounded them. Alphonse stared at his brother as the noises increased, along with their tension.
Alphonse immediately understood what Ed meant. He glanced at the ground, clenching his fists in which didn't exist, and spoke down to the earth.
"It's not that easy, Ed. But we have to try."
He casually sat down on the stone pathway, and Alphonse rushed over to sit with him. Edward was really malnurished, and he could tell his older brother wasn't in very good shape.
"Yeah, but chances are that majority of those people out there won't even be able to take care of them- let alone comprehend the responsibility that comes with the cost of that single, small life. Alphonse, sometimes it's best just to let them live alone- away from the lives built and maintained by humans- because even if it means a shorter life span I guarantee a cat would rather be outside roaming free than stuck inside a cage without a choice."
Edward's bangs filled his eyes, and Alphonse could barely see him. Shocked by his brother's honesty, Alphonse sat up and opened the armor as the clouds up above began to fade away, revealing the light of the beaming sun. The towering buildings, along with the gates to the park nearby, gave Alphonse an almost melancholic feeling as he allowed the kittens to crawl out of the empty suit inside him. With each meow, they wandered into different alleys, into trees and across the street toward the woods.
Once every last kitten was gone, and Alphonse was left empty and cold once again, Edward stood up once again on his two feet and pat his brother's side. It was funny to Alphonse, though, since he knew his brother understood he couldn't feel a thing. And then he thought, maybe it was a way for Edward to comfort himself.
"You did the right thing, Al. I know it was hard."
Alphonse stared off at one tom, who was following a line of other cats into the park and up a large oak tree. Many of them began to sleep underneath the nice shade, while some chased after birds in the sunlight. If the young boy still had his body, he would've most certainly released a tear at this moment. His voice crackled when he responded.
"Yeah. It was."
Taking his hand off the metallic structure, Edward turned the corner unexpectedly, interrupting Al's moment of tranquility. He was about two meters down the block when Alphonse suddenly noticed and shouted at him.
"Hey, Ed! Were you just doing this to make me let them go! You're awful!"
"Yeah, that's me... the worst brother in the world."
"That's right, and don't you forget it! Jeez, and I can't believe even now I still fall for your tricks..."
But Alphonse knew, in truth, that it wasn't. Edward's words came from deep within, and on this beautiful bright sunny day he was glad to see Edward open up to him after such a long, busy week of searching for the Philosopher's stone. His words were something that he probably would never hear from his brother again, and Alphonse respected that. But as they headed toward Edward's favorite restaurant, the one full of the juicy meat and hefty pots of thick soup that were Central's most infamous, Alphonse ignored Edward for a brief moment and glanced at the clouds. They weren't the only ones with problems, but at that very second, Alphonse saw things clearly.
Edward and him had to work together to bust out of their own cage, and rebuild their lives together. They wished for a second chance and with their effort, and with the discovery of the Philosopher's stone, they would earn it. They needed the forgiveness of others. They needed the forgiveness of God. And most of all, they needed the forgiveness of their mother. And after all of these things are finally fulfilled, along with the restoration of his own body, Alphonse knew that they would be free. Staring at the sun above the towering buildings, he grinned to himself. His brother and himself would one day be just like the kittens.