The gate was a pool of black and white, but he was a pool of gold and blue, his alchemy crackling around him as he faced Truth in defiance.
Truth was between two Gates. Beyond the white mass he could see hopeful eyes on a body far too emaciated to be healthy. He wanted to run across, to wrap his brother into a protective hug and never let him go again. But that would give Truth the permission to take whatever it wanted.
And he refused to let it do that again. An arm? A leg? No.
Ed was going to one up the damned thing.
"What's your price?" came the question, Truth's grin never once wavering.
"My alchemy," he stated, holding out his hands. "My alchemy for my brother, soul and body."
"Oh?" the gate cackled; if anything, the grin grew broader. "Do you really think that to be a fair price? Is your brother worth that?"
"He's worth more," Ed hissed.
"Why don't you let him be the judge of that?"
Al's gate opened, and Ed breathed out a sigh. Finally, finally Al would be back with his own body. And even if he couldn't use alchemy, that was fine, because it was Al and Al was more important than any material thing like science. He stepped across, to run over and walk out with him.
But a static-filled white arm reached out and grabbed him by the throat.
"Fool," the Gate hissed.
"Al!"
"Fool. You cannot separate yourself from your alchemy." Truth scoffed. "Like you thought it was possible. Edward Elric, do you know what you just gave me in return for your brother?"
Golden eyes widened.
"You gave me your whole self."