The option I almost chose myself :S

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Option Two: The Lie

"Hey, nii-san!" I saw Al waving at me from the distance, and I couldn't prevent the smile leaking onto my face as I saw him, back in his human body for good. I flexed my new right arm - I was building more muscle tone every day, and even the piercing pain from over-exerted muscles felt good.

"Hey, Al. What are you doing all the way out here?" I chuckled as I slowed to a stop in front of my younger (yet somehow taller) brother.

"I was visiting the graves, actually. I wasn't expecting you to have the same idea at the same time." Al laughed at the brotherly coincidence and absentmindedly swung the basket of freshly-picked flowers in his hands to and fro in front of him.

"Yeah." I sighed, smiling. "We're not in Resembool often, so I took the chance while I had it."

Al smiled warmly at me, and a bubble of confusion burst in my stomach. Al didn't usually smile like that.

"What's gotten you so happy?" I said lightly.

"It's just... well, I'm happy for you, nii-san."

Another three bubbles popped rather loudly. "How so?"

"You're finally forgiving Dad - even if it is after he's died. I'm sure he would be very happy to see that. So, I'm very happy too."

You could practically feel the waves of warm contentedness and a strange sense of accomplishment radiate off of Al, and I couldn't help but show a rare sincere smile of my own. It had been years since I'd seen him this happy, and when Al was happy, I was happy.

But, wait... Forgiving Dad...?

The natural smile on my face suddenly became not-so-natural as it tried to force its way off my face and down the nearest drain. Al was happy because he thought I'd visited Dad's grave. In truth, I hadn't - I'd visited my mother's and Winry's parents' graves and completely ignored my father's. I could never forgive my father, no matter how pure his intentions in leaving us were.

And even though I'd promised Al when I was six that I'd 'never ever ever in forever tell him a lie', I knew that this was a circumstance when lying was the best option, as much as it hurt myself to do so.

But then again, I had always put Al's wellbeing in front of my own, hadn't I? "Yeah. I guess... in a way, it's easier to forgive when he's not actually there." I chuckled half-heartedly, but Al laughed so beautifully I was sure the nightingale would be ashamed.

"You were always so awkward with people, nii-san."

"O-oi!"

Al giggled again and skipped off to the graveyard, humming a song mother used to sing. Wearing the tattered remains of my red coat and skipping into the secluded tree-covered graveyard with a basket in hand, Al looked every bit like a bizarre, male Red Riding Hood, and I couldn't help but let out a twisted cackle at the absurdity of it.

The humour quickly dried away, though, as I faced the reality of having to live through this lie. I wondered how long it would take Al to forget I'd 'forgiven' my father, and came to the depressing conclusion 'never'.

I sighed - but after all, eagerly loading weight after weight onto one's shoulders was something the Fullmetal Alchemist did every day, wasn't it? I'd lived my life so far lying about my background, my family and my automail - this was just one more lie.

It couldn't hurt, right?

Ah. I'm not an emotionally strong person, so I don't think I would've been able to cope with this option. I think that's why I dismissed it X|

But anyway, I liked the Red Riding Hood reference in this XD