He felt like he was swimming. But he was swimming for his life. He was stuck in a whirlpool and was getting dangerously close to the eye. He pushed his arms to go faster, but he was stuck in slow motion. Quite the opposite of his usual jittery self. He felt the arcs of the whirlpool getting smaller. He knew the end was near, and he couldn't do anything about it. He was getting nauseous from the constant turning. He didn't do well with motion sickness.

On the brink of death, he did the only thing he could do. He extended a hand up and found its likeness, but of another, gripping back firmly with a sureness he knew of only one person. He looked up, and smiling back from the sky was Al. His baby brother that he had done so much for, only for it to be in vain as his life was crushed into nonexistence. He missed that sweet smile that continued to dance on Al's lips. Time seemed to freeze, and the water ceased to churn.

Al was floating toward the sky that was now snowing. The white stuck in his hair. Oh, the irony. Al laughed and started to pull him with him.

Al spoke, "I miss you, Ed." His voice cracked as a tear glistened from his wet cheeks. "Come with me."

Ed wanted to, he really did. He wanted to live with his brother, never leave his side. But how?

"You can end your pain."

Oh, how nice that would be, end this insufferable gnawing at his heart that something was missing.

"Come with me, Ed."

Ed tried to speak, tell him, "Yes, a thousand times yes! I'd love to, please take me with you!" But he couldn't find his voice. It was blocked by a tightening of sorrow in his throat. It was like he was choking, only there was no irritation, just no voice.

"Will you come with me, Ed?" Al's face fell from his brother's lack of response. "Edward? Ed—"

"Ed, Edward, wake up Ed." Ed opened his eyes to dark ones, not the light brown ones of his dreams. "Ed, you were sobbing. I thought it best to wake you."

"Bastard…" He sniffled and wiped the tears away. His collar and sleeves were wet and his eyes were red. "It… It was Al. And you took him away from me! You bastard! I could have gone with him and you took him away! You took my brother away!" He stood and took a drunken swing at Mustang, which inevitably missed.

Ed stumbled after him, but ended up falling on his face. He began sobbing again. "You took him. I hate you, you bastard." He choked out. He clapped and placed his hands on the floor where it spun and encircled the Colonel. It wrapped tighter and tighter until he couldn't breathe.

"Ed. Stop. I can't. Breathe. Please. Let. Me. Go!" Mustang said through clenched teeth.

"You took him away… You took him away…" He kept repeating. He was so numb, he couldn't hear, he couldn't see, he couldn't feel. But he didn't care. None of it mattered if Al wasn't there. He was the only one he wanted to see. The only one who he truly ever cared for. The only one he'd ever give his life for. A light bulb went off in his head. He could give his life for Al's… And no one was there to stop him! (That wasn't tied up).

"Ed. Please. Release me." Roy was growing weaker by the second. He could feel himself being pulled into the darkness by invisible hands. His consciousness was slipping and if he didn't do something fast, he'd lose it. "Ed. Listen. To me. You. Have. To. Release me. Now." He choked out.

"Not now, Colonel Bastard. I'm busy. Now where'd I put that chalk?" He rummaged through a drawer, then his closet. Nope. He sat with his hand under his chin for a moment and thought. "Aha!" He exclaimed after several moments.

He felt underneath his bed. He hand touched a tubular shaped object. He pulled it out and blew the dust off it. "There you are, you little devil. Been a long time since I'd needed you." He threw it up and caught it again in midair. "Alright, time to get to work." He placed the tip of the chalk against the floor boards of the room and began forming the transmutation circle from memory.

As he finished the last curve, he said, "And… Done. There, a perfect human transmutation circle." He nodded proudly with a grin on his face. "I sure hope this works!" He slammed his hands down on the circle and watched it glow. He saw it turn blue. Then the familiar, eerie purple replaced it. Followed by some smoke tendrils that crept up from the circle, and wavered as if in water.

"Ed. No. Don't." Mustang pleaded weakly. He then felt the pull become too much, and he succumbed to darkness.

Ed felt a pull, too. Only this one was completely different. He knew the pull of death, of unconsciousness, but this one was different. In a flash, he was in front of The Gate in a huge white room that seemed to go on forever. He turned to see Truth grinning at him wildly.

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Edward Elric. Another human transmutation, I see. Don't you think it's time to stop this before it goes too far? You've already failed at bringing your mother back, and your brother to boot. What makes you think you'll succeed this time?" Truth scoffed from where it sat.

"Because, I'm willing to give my own body and soul to bring my brother back. I'm willing to give it all." Edward said confidently.

"And what will that accomplish? You'll just switch places. You won't be together. You'll never get to see that smiling face again. Never be able to hug him. What good is bringing him back when all you do is die? What will become of him? I'm sure he'll feel the same about you. Wanting to see you every day, and that sort of thing. Don't you think he'll try and pull the same stunt you just have?" Truth drove a very forceful argument.

Ed thought for a moment. He was right. Where would it get him? The same situation, only switched. "Hm… I see your point. Well, if you're all knowing and all powerful or whatever, bring me my brother. I bet you can't."

Truth snorted. "We'll see about that." There was a pause, and then a bright flash of light.

There was a shimmer in front of Ed, then he could see it. Him. It was him. "Al? Is it really you?"

Al nodded and threw his arms around his brother. They didn't stay that way long, though. They just fazed through him. Ed held up his hand and gently pushed through Al's face. Horror spread like a disease across his face. "No…" He waved his hand back and forth but it never touched anything solid. "No!" He looked over Al's shoulder to glare at Truth. "You lied to me! This isn't Al! This is a mirage!"

Al looked hurt. "It is me, Brother. But it's just my soul. My body is back on the other side of the gate, buried in the cemetery in Resembool."

"I want your body, too." Ed whispered.

"Then you'll have to give me something for it!" Truth called. "Equivalent exchange, remember?"

"Ed, listen to me." Al said. "Ed, don't do it. You're here, with me, right now. Isn't that what you wanted?"

"Yeah, but this won't last forever. We have to part eventually." His eyes felt wet. He sniffled and looked to Al. "I want to stay here. With you." His eyes were pleading.

"You can't, Brother. I'm sorry. I'm sorry…" He started crying. "I'm so, so sorry." He started to fade. "Please forgive me." And he was gone.

"No! Come back! I can't lose you again!" He reached and only caught air. He looked to Truth once more. "Seeing this as my only other option, send me back. Send me back to the other side of the gate." He had a plan. A plan that was simple enough. And it would get him to Al. Forever.

"Oh? So you don't want your brother back?" Truth asked.

"If you were truly all knowing as you say you are, you would know that that statement is completely untrue." Ed retorted.

Truth grinned.

"And if you're truly all knowing, you'd know my plans for when I get back."

"That I do. Which is why I'm sending you back. No fuss, no muss. And less work for me. Bye-bye now. Have a safe trip. I'll see you soon."

And with that, Ed was back in his room at the Colonel's house. He sat up from the floor and looked about his surroundings. His eyes settled on a very dead looking Roy. "Woops." He stood and placed two fingers on the neck of the dark haired man. He felt a faint pulse. "Alive, but just barely."

He clapped and set his hands on the floor next to the twined floor boards. He had no plans of waking him up just yet, but he did call the local hospital to notify them of his current condition.

"Hm… Now how should I do this?" He said to himself. "Steak knife? Jumping off a multistory building? A bridge maybe? Overdose? Ooo… Overdose sounds good." He turned and walked to his closet where he lifted open a secret hatch in the floor. He pulled out a briefcase stashed with pounds upon pounds of cocaine. "Perfect."

He thought for a moment and decided it would take too long to snort it, so he tore a bag open and started pouring it into his mouth. He began to feel dizzy, and his mouth was dry. It got all over the floor and his clothing. He poured in another, choking it down in with the knowing that soon, he'd be dead. He began to feel so out of it that he wasn't making it into his mouth anymore. Keep. Going. He poured in one last one until his heart pumped so fast, it couldn't handle its own rate and finally stopped.

A glow appeared overhead and a soft whisper was echoing in his ear. He could see his brother's smiling face, and he smiled too.

"Ed, You're home. You're finally home."

Eesh, bad ending, I know. But it's all I could think of. And it was kind of slow going. Though, I enjoyed having Ed on crack. I might write a one-shot where he's a funny "drunk". I dunno, we'll see. Until next time, and please feel free to review. All flames shall be used to burn down your house.