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Note: Flash backs, ahoy :)
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Bonding Memories

Alphonse Elric's hollow metal form shifted, the young soul sealed within feeling awfully…awkward.

Edward Elric, the elder brother, lay on his side on the bed, facing the wall, back to his younger brother. He wasn't sure if he could face his little brother at the moment, let alone speak.

With an inward 'sigh' (there was only so much a hollow suit could do), Al decided to break the silence, finally. "Brother…" he whispered, but was shocked to be interrupted.

"Remember when we were kids, Al?" Ed asked suddenly, though still lying in the same position. "I used to bully you a lot, huh?"

'Ah! Ed!' their mother had cried, shocked at the scene she had come into the study to; a tiny toddler Alphonse in tears, Ed caught red-handed, having hit the younger boy over the head with a book. She scolded him for bullying Al, scooping up the smaller in her arms. Edward just pouted and she just kept telling him how he should be nice to his little brother, to protect him.

'Now,' she said finally, 'Apologize to Al.'

Edward, in response, struck Al over the head and stormed off.

Al laughed slightly, it echoing through him. "Yeah…" he paused, shaking his head with a sound of metallic scratching, "Didn't it take dad to make you finally be nice?"

Ed's smile could be heard in his tone, "Only good memory of the bastard I have." He shook his head slightly, "And all he did was give me a guilt trip."

Al shook his head again, looking to the door in silence before speaking slowly, calmly, "We still fought a lot, even when we were older, huh?"

'Shut up!' Edward snapped, kicking dirt up at his younger brother, 'Stop talking about him as if he's going to even come back!'

'But brother,' Alphonse whimpered, 'I want daddy back!'

'Well sorry,' Ed droned, spinning on his heel, like the bratty little boy he was, 'But he's not going to be.'

'Brother…' Al sniffed, even as his brother stomped off, leaving him where he was.

"I guess I was a bit of a brat back then, huh?" Ed sighed.

"Back then?" Al asked, even though he was sure he'd regret it, "You say it as if that's changed."

"Hey!" Ed snapped, shooting up, casting a glare at the suit of armour sitting near the bed, "What's that supposed to mean!"

Suddenly Edward flushed, biting his lip, turning away again, and going back to his previous position. 'Yup,' Al thought with a sigh, 'Still awkward.'

Ed just stared at the wall for a long time, "It's not like all we did was fight, though…" he said quietly.

If he could have, Al would have smiled, "No, you're right."

'Ed! Al!' Winry's desperate voice called to them, breathless as they left her behind, laughing.

'You're so slow!' Ed teased over his shoulder, standing next to a snickering Al, 'We should just go home without you.' he mused.

'Be nice.' Al reprimanded gently, with a half smile.

'Boys!' Winry grumped from down the dirt road, 'You're all pigs!'

'Nuh-uh!' both boys chimed, sticking their tongues out, a gesture which Winry mimicked.

'You so are!' she squealed, running at them.

Both boys nimbly dodged out of the way, laughing again.

Ed chuckled lightly at the memories of them playing, of teasing Winry, "Those were the days." He sighed.

"It was nice spending time with mom, too…" Al spoke in a hushed tone, looking to the floor.

"Yeah..." Ed whispered, "She was so kind." He bit his lip slightly, pained by the memories.

'Hello, boys.' Came the smiling voice of the woman whom cared for the two boys so much. Their dearest mother.

She sat between the two boys, pulling them both into half hugs against her, 'What are you guys doing out here so late?'

'Watching the sunset.' Ed shrugged nonchalantly, as if it was nothing important.

'Brother told me it was pretty.' Al nodded, snuggling up to his mom, 'And he took me to this place; he said it was a really nice view of it from here.'

Trisha smiled gently down at her boys, 'Did he now?' she asked, glad the brothers were treating each other so well recently. She was proud of them; they had finally grown up, and they had grown up well.

The three sat in silence for a long time, watching the sun setting gently over the riverbank, casting its warm glow over the three of them.

The silence dragged on for several long minutes while the moon rose behind them, the sun having completely disappeared into the horizon, Trisha finally spoke in a soft tone, 'Tell you what…' she said slowly, waiting as they looked up to her with wide eyes that were lit up with a sweet, childish curiosity, 'Just this once,' she paused, repeating herself to make sure they got the point, 'And I mean just this once…it may be getting close to your bed times, but…I think there are some cookies with your names on them waiting back home.'

'Really?' asked Alphonse sweetly, both brothers lighting up with eagerness.

'Yup.' She smiled, giving them a quick wink, rising to her feet, helping both of them to their feet, too.

Grinning, Ed and Al both followed their mother back home.

"She really was a sweet person, huh?" Al remarked thoughtfully.

"Yeah…" Ed sighed again, "She meant a lot to us."

"And you could tell that we meant a lot to her."

"Of course." Ed managed to gain courage enough to look back over his shoulder to his baby brother with a weak smile before hiding his face again.

Despite himself, Al laughed meekly, "I can't think of how different we'd be, if it weren't for her raising us."

"For most of our lives, anyway." Ed said with a sigh.

"Yeah…" Al shook his head once more; depressed again, "We were devastated when we lost her, huh?"

'Race ya!' Ed grinned over his shoulder, racing ahead of his brother, gripping the basket of veggies he had picked up for their mother.

Al laughed, contentedly, chasing after his brother, always staying just a few short paces behind him, both laughing and enjoying themselves.

'C'mon, Al!' Ed cried through laughter, 'You couldn't beat a snail with broken legs!'

Al just kept laughing, ignoring both the insulting and impossible qualities of the comment.

'Hello, mom!' Ed grinned as he flung the door open, Al right behind him, 'Sorry we're late!'

Both stopped their laughter instantly, dropping the baskets they carried, faces pale. Their mom was lying there, on the floor, unmoving.

'Mom!' both cried, running to her, frantic.

'Oh god…' Ed whispered terrified, 'Ah...Al! Go get auntie Pinako!'

Al nodded, just as scared as Ed, if not more so. Jumping to his feet he ran to the Rockbell home as quickly as his tired legs would carry him, stumbling in, hoping he wasn't too late…

…'Your father…' Trisha said weakly, looking to her two darling sons as they stood by her bedside, as she held their hands tight, 'He left us…money…' she gasped the words out, feeling herself growing weaker and weaker, 'I've never touched it…I was saving it for you boys.' She explained slowly, before finally finishing, 'Use it. And take care of each other.'

'Don't be silly,' Ed said. His mother was actually scaring him with this talk; 'We'll use it with you.'

'Edward,' Trisha seemed to ignore the comment, 'Would you be a sweet heart, and transmute something for your mother?' she paused, as if thinking for a second, 'Yes, I know. A ring of flowers would be nice.'

Edward looked surprised, 'Mom…'

'You see your father…always…used to make them for me.'

At this point her voice was growing weaker, and as her eyes closed, and she lost her firm grip on their hands, her fingers going slack, both boys knew that that was it. Nothing left to it.

Their mother was dead.

Edward shuddered at the unpleasant memory, looking to Al again, a sad look in his eyes, "Devastated indeed." He said to Al with a smile that showed that very fact extremely well.

"Brother…" Al whispered, feeling just as shaken up at remembering, placing a leathery gauntlet-like hand on his older brother's shoulder.

Ed flinched, squirming, and pulling away slightly, "But it was bound to happen eventually, right?"

Al sighed, pulling his hand back. He regretted putting both of them in this strange, unfamiliar situation, "Of course…it was inevitable. We just weren't ready for it, that's all."

Ed shook his head, "Not at all. But we met teacher because of it, though…"

'If there's one thing I absolutely must make clear,' Izumi's voice was stern, strong, foreboding, 'You boys will absolutely never try to disrupt the circle.'

'One is all, and all is one, right?' Ed whispered, looking up to her from where he sat on the ground by his brother, her towering over them, looking menacing; striking fear into their hearts.

'Right.' She said, eyes narrowing, 'When something dies, it dies. No questions asked.' She helped them up, ignoring them flinching, due to the bruises she had inflicted upon them. 'No one should disrupt that-the punishment would be devastating.'

Edward and Alphonse cast each other an awkward, uncertain look.

'Of course, teacher…' Al finally spoke up, uneasily.

'Good.' She said, actually smiling to them, sending a shiver down both spines. 'It's not right to challenge nature. Be sure you boys remember that.'

'Of course, teacher!' Ed repeated his brother, grinning childishly up to her, feeling guilt in the pit of his stomach.

'Good.' She said again, nodding, pleased, 'No student of mine should ever do such a thing.'

Both brothers cried out as she suddenly knocked them back to the ground, 'Be alert!' she snapped, before turning away, calling over her shoulder in a singsong voice, 'Dinner will be ready soon.'

Ed and Al just looked at each other and laughed halfheartedly.

"We really should have listened." Al said softly.

"Yeah…but…" Ed looked up to his brother again, looking thoughtful, "It really changed us; it made us who we are."

"True, but…" Al paused, pained once again by the memory, "If only it hadn't been so painful."

Ed nodded in silence, remembering.

'No! Alphonse! Say something!' Ed pleaded, the pain both emotional and physical growing within him, 'Al, no! Stay with me!' he practically sobbed the words.

'Damn it!' he swore, 'This wasn't supposed to-' he gasped in pain, grasping at the bleeding stump of his left leg. 'What have I done?' he moaned, grunting with the shots of pain that kept shooting up his spine. 'I screwed up…' he whispered, before looking up in wonder. They'd paid the price, so their mom would be back…

…Right?

He saw movement through the dim hazy smoke, and hope began to shine once more, 'Mom…is that you?'

He felt his hope dash as he heard inhumane noises, and saw strange things as the fumes parted, horror raking through his body until-

"No." Al said suddenly, firmly, cutting the memory from both of their minds quickly, somehow managing to feel a proverbial shiver run through him, "We can't dwell on the past."

"You're right, Al." Ed said softly, thankful that his brother had stopped him from remembering too much, "Happy memories are one thing, but…we have to look ahead."

"Right. We have to look ahead until your…our bodies are restored." He nodded, and indication that he was determined of this.

"Yup." Ed grinned over his shoulder to Al again, beginning to find more and more courage to look to Al, "There's nothing else to it. That's the most important thing, and nothing will change that."

Al nodded solemnly, looking away, feeling like there was still something missing in that plan.

Edward's courage didn't last long, it seemed, because he quickly looked back to the wall, face flushing slightly. "But…there have been good memories since then, too, right?" he paused, biting his lip, though Al couldn't see the gesture, "Maybe not many, but there definitely were some."

"Right. Like of Nina and Mr. Hughes."

"And…of Winry, of course. Pain though she may be."

Al couldn't help but laugh lightly to himself, "She'll be waiting for us always, huh?"

"They all will." Ed said, in a low tone, making Al strain to hear him.

Al placed his hand on Edward's shoulder again, "They're our friends-though you or they (or even both) won't admit it. They always will wait for us, be there for us."

Ed gazed at the metallic and leather fingertips that cupped his shoulder, saying nothing. Al took this as a hint to remove his hand before it led to more awkwardness. But at least his brother didn't shy away this time.

'C'mon, big brother!' a young girl-Nina-pleaded, holding Al's metal hand in hers, the other tugging at Ed's sleeve, pigtails bouncing, 'Come plaaaay.' She whined.

Ed sighed, 'I'm studying right now, Nina.'

'Oh come on, Brother.' Al chimed in, sounding happier than usual, 'That's all you've been doing-even you need to lighten up once in a while!'

Ed growled, closing his book, a gesture that made Al and Nina regret bothering him, until a grin broke out on his face, 'I'll show you lightening up!'

Nina squealed as Al scooped her up, bolting outside, Alexander barking, close on his heels, Ed right behind the dog, all three children laughing.

"It was a terrible thing that happened to her." Al whispered, hurt by the thought.

"Tucker was sadistic bastard." Ed said flatly, leaving no room for discussion.

Al said nothing, nor made no movement to acknowledge the statement.

"We can never forget the good memories can we?" Ed asked slowly, after a long moment of more awkward silence.

"No," Al agreed, shaking his head, "Never. If we did it would be disrespectful to the memories of those people, right?"

"Of course." Ed settled, nodding his head slightly into the pillow, staring intently at the wall. 'I wonder how many layers of paint were used to get it such a dismal white?' he mused jokingly.

Al, on the other hand, wondered what in the world the elder of the two found so fascinating about the structure's surface.

"Brother…I don't regret it." Al said suddenly.

Ed blinked, confused, "Regret what?"

"What I said, earlier."

Ed looked up at him, giving him a soft smile, "No, I didn't think you would…"

The silence had stretched on for a long time, enveloping them both after the argument had begun. Al knew he shouldn't question their motives, their goal. It was far too late for that. But it was also too late to take back the things he'd said.

'Al,' Ed began suddenly, his voice still sounding angry, 'Do you really want to give up every-'

'Brother.' Al suddenly caught off the elder boy, the words just spilling out, 'I love you. I always have.'