I apologize for not updating this story in…over 4 years? Has it really been that long? Guess I should explain…well…I gave up writing for a long time, but not forever. Then, when I came back to it, I spent much time writing only original stories (because I hope to, one day, be a published fiction writer). I'm not as big an anime/manga fan as I used to be in high school (which reminds me that I was, apparently, a high school junior last time I updated this…damn). I still like anime/manga, but…I'm more into reading and writing in the books, cartoons, and movies genres here on the site now.

Before this gets long and sappy, I will say that…this is not a notice where I give up the story. This is an update and I do hope to get the next updates out soon, but I need to finish writing them first.


Chapter 4: Unexpected Guest

That night, after they'd returned home from the library, Alphonse quickly retired to his room to continue reading his newly found alchemy book in peace.

He only stopped reading when Winry told him that he had to come eat dinner or she'd take out her wrath through her wrench.

Al obliged, but he took his book with him. As they ate, the only sound heard was Al occasionally flipping pages. Dinners had, oftentimes, been quiet since the fire.

It was quiet until dinner had all but ended. However, one certain turn of a page excited Al greatly. He jumped up quickly, letting his chair fall to the ground with a loud crash.

"Al," Winry whispered, shocked by the expression of emotion, something that he had not shown since the fire.

"This is it," Al whispered to himself. "This is it," he repeated, yelling with excited enthusiasm.

"What is it, Al?" Winry asked him.

"Human transmutation. That's the answer. I can bring my parents and Brother back through human transmutation!"

Angered, Winry snatched the book from Al's hands. She noticed his questioning gaze and told him, "I may not be an alchemist, but having grown up with you and Ed, I know enough about it. Human transmutation is prohibited; there are way too many risks!"

"You don't understand!" Al yelled back, frustrated by the lack of support for his brilliant ideas. "The book states that it isn't so much prohibited as it is enigmatic. The process of human transmutation has a low success rate because it has been attempted so few times."

"Why do you think it isn't regularly attempted, huh? If the average human alchemist could 'play God' don't you think that they would? If the process of human transmutation was truly capable, don't you think that it would be 'the talk of the town'?" Winry countered.

Al looked down at the ground; he knew that he had lost. "I…guess so."

Winry sighed, glad that the disagreement hadn't turned into a full-scale argument. "Now, don't think about that again. There was probably a reason the fire happened. Everything happens for a reason. Why don't you devote time to figuring out the reason instead of trying to rewrite the past?"

"I…guess," Al said as he grabbed his plate and silverware to deposit them into the sink on his way to his room for the night.

Winry's parents each gave their daughter a questioning look that clearly meant "What was that about and will he be okay?"

Giving her parents a soft, gentle smile, she told them, "He'll be okay. He just needs some time to think. That's just his person."

Al lay on the bed that he had called his since the fire. He wished that he had his alchemy book so that he could read it. Who was he kidding? Al didn't need to finish the book; he was confident that human transmutation was the answer that he had been seeking. If only he could just get that book back…

Turning his light off, Al pretended to be sleeping. Not out of the ordinary. They know that I usually sleep early. As he lay in the cover of darkness, he listened intently to the activity throughout the house, waiting for everyone to go to bed.

Al, unaware that he had actually fallen asleep, woke a few hours later to silence. Perfect. He went to the bedroom door and opened it to peer out, finding total darkness; no lights whatsoever were on now. Perfect.

Backtracking slightly, he grabbed a small flashlight that he kept in his desk drawer for emergencies, turned it on, and quietly headed out into the darkness, shielding the flashlight beam slightly so that no one would be woken up.

Quietly he searched the house for the book. Winry couldn't have entirely hid it because it was a library book and there would be a fine to pay if it wasn't returned. The flashlight beam hit metallic reflectors that caught Al's attention. Turning the flashlight back, he noticed the gold letters of the book's spine. There it is!

In his excitement to, once again, possess the book, Al overlooked a small potted plant that stood in his path. The silence was shattered as Al tripped over the plan and landed hard on the ground. Immediately, he heard the sounds of light switches being clicked on and rapid footsteps. Damn, so much for stealth.

There was no more time for logical thinking. Al was within seconds of being caught in action. However, his pride, a characterization that made him like Ed, refused to lose. Grabbing the book, Al ran to the front door and quickly ran out into the cool night air. He could hear Winry calling his name, but, luckily, her voice never got any closer.

When he had run a good distance from the house, he slowed his pace to a walk, allowing himself to catch his breath, as he began to form his next plan of action.

Okay…so…he thought to himself, I suppose that I could perform the ritual at the ruins of my old house. That seems like the best idea. Just have to make sure that Winry doesn't come snooping around when I try it. Alright, I should have all the materials I need. I can do it tonight. Is that a wise idea, I mean…slow and steady wins the race…right?

Conflicted, Al decided to walk a bit to clear his thoughts. Without thinking, he turned back to walk the way from which he had just come…and ran hard into someone else, sending them both crashing to the ground.

"Ow…" Al whispered, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. Remembering the other, he quickly stood up and extended a hand down for them to grab. "Sorry about that. I'm usually not that clumsy."

"It's fine," the other spoke softly, gripping Al's hand. Because the figure wore a black cloak over their head, Al could not make out very many details about who stood before him. All he knew now was that the person was a boy who was, roughly, Al's age…and this boy's voice sounded familiar.

"Edward!" Al spoke without thinking.

Al could hear a smirk in the other boy's voice as he replied, "Pretty good. Name's Eric. You seem like a good kid, so why are you out here at this hour of night?"

Al had not thought of an answer to such a question because he had not expected to meet up with anyone. "I was…going to my house or…well…what's left of it." After he had spoken the sentence, he realized how bad his word choice had actually sounded. Within the cover of night, he was certain that the other was laughing (or at least smirking) about his poor choice of words. "What about you?" Al asked, changing the subject, "Why are you out here at this time of night?"

"Simple. Ran away from home," Eric said, matter of factly.

"Why?" Al questioned. The boy in front of him did not seem like a delinquent, but, perhaps, he was blinded because Eric seemed so much like the person from me, info that someone like me should've known about immediately."

Al threw him a questioning look before remembering that the darkness shielded its presence. "What was that information that they kept secret?"

"They neglected to tell me that I'm adopted."

I can't believe it, Al told himself, This has to be Brother. Forgetting his original mission, Al, without thinking logically any further, grabbed the other boy's hand. To prevent the action from being any more awkward than it already was, Al spoke, "Allow me to introduce you to some people that I know, then." Without thinking about how he would be welcomed when he returned to Winry's parents' house, Al began to run back the way he had come. He could hear the scoff of the other's boots as he adjusted to the speed at which he was being dragged.

At the speed which Al was running, it did not take him long to return back to the home where he had been living since the fire.

The front light on the porch of the house was on. Apparently, they were still looking to him. No longer did he care about the consequences of his earlier actions; this was much more important.

He ran up the porch and into the house. The sudden sound alerted those in the house and they immediately came to the door. When they saw that the intruder was the very person they had been looking for, their expressions showed how grateful they were that he was safe.

Storming to the front, Winry grabbed Al by the collar and pulled him closer. "How dare you come back here after what you did!" she yelled at the younger boy. "Do you have any idea how worried we were about you? I can't believe you came back here. I'm going to kill you for making us all worry!"

"W-Winry, wait," Al spoke, his voice strained slightly from Winry's hold on his collar. "I-I came back because…because I found…someone."

Noticing the other boy behind Al, Winry let go of the latter's collar. "Who is this person, Al?"

Al, rubbing his neck to help him breathe smoothly again, let go of the other boy's wrist so he could walk over to whisper his answer to Winry.

Once Winry had heard Al's whispered answer, her eyes opened wider and she glanced between the two boys before she replied, "Are you sure, Al?"

Al didn't need to think about his answer before nodding.

Immediately, Winry went from tyrannical care keeper to sympathetic care keeper. She walked over to the other boy and asked him, "Are you hungry? We could make you some food if you'd like."

Taken aback by Winry's sudden change of attitude, Eric shied back slightly. "Actually, I'd just like a place to sleep."

"That can be arranged," Winry chirped, apparently overexcited to have a quest. Quickly, she swept from the room to go prepare a bed.

Once Winry had left the room, Eric whispered a question to the other boy, "Is she always like that?"

Al nodded in reply and whispered back, "Sometimes she's worse."

It did not take long for Winry to prepare a guest bed. Once she had finished, she returned to show him to his room.

"You sure it's okay for me to stay? I wasn't exactly invited."

Winry threw a cute smile his way. "Of course it's fine! Make yourself at home!"

After the boy left the room, Winry stormed back up to Alphonse. "I should be more angered at you," she began, tightly gripping the front of the boy's shirt again for a brief moment before releasing her grip and continuing, "but…Al, is this boy really…"

Without hesitation, Al nodded, cutting off Winry by replying, "Yes, I am confident that he is my brother."


I know that it's not any longer than my other updates and I'd be surprised if someone who read this story four years ago would be back to read it now. I'll definitely try to better stick to this one and I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading.