FullMetal Alchemist: The Path of Never-ending Sadness
Chapter 4: 'Together Again'
"No!"
Ed sat up and reached his hand forward. He blinked and looked at both of his flesh hands. "What..Was that?" He whispered to himself. "And what..Was Alfons doing at the gate?"
...
Alfons was still confused as to how he ended up in this place, but he had no time to think about it. The little girl called Elysia had practically dragged him into her room. She sat him down on her bed which was, by the way, covered with stuffed animals of all sizes. He had some trouble finding a space for him to sit without knocking over any of the toys. When he finally felt comfortable, Alfons looked up to see Elysia standing infront of him with a twinkle in her eye and a smile on her face. He had no clue what she was thinking, and he didn't think he wanted to know.
"Mama says you're gonna stay with us." The high-pitched voice filled the whole room. "She says we're gonna go to Winry's house and get your arm all fixed up too." She grinned brightly. "She's very good at fixing things!"
Winry..Now where did I hear that name before? "Is she now?" Alfons replied, at the same time trying to recall where he heard the name from. I remember now..Wasn't that the name of the girl Ed was always talking about?
The girl nodded her head. "Mhmm!"
There was silence in the room for a few minutes, but it didn't last as long as Alfons had hoped.
"Come! I'll show you my house!" Elysia grabbed his wrist and pulled him toward the door before he could protest.
Alfons lips curved into a tiny smile and suddenly stumbled at the childs strength. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all. Maybe he should just relax for while. Maybe, just maybe, he could have a little...fun.
...
A day past, and Al was finally at Central. He excitedly jumped off the train and headed for the exit, leaving Winry trailing behind him with her suitcase.
"Hey Al!" She called out. "Wait for me!"
Alphonse skidded to a stop and jogged in place. "Come on, Winry!" He said between breaths. "Brother's waiting for us!"
Winry giggled and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, Al. Ed isn't going to go anywhere." She glanced around the station. "And besides, we're supposed to wait for the colonel here."
He stopped. She was right..He had to be patient. They would be reunited very soon. No rush.."O-oh yeah." He himself started looking around for a blonde colonel Hawkeye.
And soon enough, he spotted her. She was wearing that familiar blue uniform and waving at them from a distance. A black car was sitting parked behind her.
Al and Winry eagerly waved back and ran towards her. "Hello colonel!" Al's lips curved into a slight smile.
"Hello Alphonse, Winry." She smiled back and nodded to both of them. She opened the door and stood aside to let them in. "Edward is waiting for you."
The younger Elric let Winry in first and then entered right after. Hawkeye shut the door and went in the car herself. The engine started and they were moving.
.
The car ride wasn't long. They got there in about 10 minutes. Al and Winry followed the colonel through the halls of the hospital. People in wheelchairs passed as well as nurses and doctors hurrying to get to their next patient. They were on the top floor and Al scanned the room numbers carefully until they came to a stop. Room number 341. He planted the number in his brain and watched as Hawkeye opened the door.
Al entered the room and his eyes immediately set on the blonde on the hospital bed. He was gazing out the window when they came in. But his head turned when he heard them. Al's grey eyes met with those golden-eyes of his and just stared at him for a moment. Then Ed smiled. "Hey, Al."
Al couldn't contain his joy any longer. He wrapped his arms around his brother and hugged him tight. "I missed you, brother." He whispered to him.
Ed returned the hug and whispered back. "I missed you too."
The brothers held their loving embrace for a few minutes. Then they separated and Al sat on the chair by the bed.
"Edward?"
The older Elric looked at Winry and kept smiling. "I'm..Home."
Winry smiled and tears started streaming down her cheeks. She stepped forward and hugged him aswell, burying her face in his shoulder. "Welcome home, Ed."
Blush appeared on Ed's cheeks as he sat in the bed, speechless. "Th-thanks.." He finally stuttered.
As everyone settled in the tiny hospital room, Al hesitantly spoke the words he'd been longing to say.
"So brother.." He started, "Where have you been all this time?"
His brother blinked at him, and then let out a long sigh. "Well then...Where should I start?"
"...So basically, I went to a whole different world." Ed finished.
Al and Winry were gaping at him. Al snapped out of his trance and spoke, "That's amazing! A different world? No Alchemy? Counterparts? Wow brother! I wish I could have been there with you."
It was very obvious he wanted to know more, but Ed held back. He had plenty of time to tell him everything now that he was back. "I wished that too. It would have been great if the both of us were there instead of just me." He changed the subject. "So what did I miss?"
"Well, Al improved alot in his alchemy, I make better automail, and..." Winry threw a worried glance at Al. "Umm.."
His expression went from happy to sad. "Brother.." He started, with sorrow in his voice. "Teacher..Died, brother."
Ed's eyes widened in disbelief. "What? When?"
"A little over 4 months ago.." Winry replied. "Her sickness got the better of her."
For a moment, Edward just sat there like a robot processing information. His eyes were still wide. But after a while he spoke up again. "She was always such a strong person.." It was as if those were meant to be his thoughts. "I want to go visit her."
Al, Winry and Hawkeye exchanged glances.
"You'll have to get better better you can do that, Edward." Hawkeye said sympathetically. "Not to mention you still need an automail leg."
"Yeah, Ed. You can wait until then, can't you?" Al questioned.
Ed frowned. "I guess...But right after that we're going to go visit teacher, Sig, Mason, and Wrath alright?"
Winry smiled. "Okay."
For the rest of the evening, they all shared their stories until the visiting hours ended. Everyone said their goodbyes and left the tiny hospital room, leaving Edward alone. Again.
He sighed and let his thoughts drift back to that awful dream. Why did he have that dream? Did it have something important to do with Alfons? Why was he at the Gate?
And more importantly, why did he have that dream in the firstplace?
Gahh! I'm so sorry for submitting this late! It's just that I've been having some problems with things and I never have time to write. But don't worry! I'll try writing more from now on! GRR ITS NOT EVEN 2,000 WORDS WLGFWJKBHEDQOAHFDK:AHFDLJKAG
~Railyne
