Chapter 4:

It was cold. It was also dark, forlorn, and smelled strongly of antiseptic and death.

But how should I know what death smells like? The boy felt the cool linens under his finger tips and shut his eyes tighter. That's right… mom… vague images of his mom, lying face down with labored breathing, dying in bed, smelling the oil that was sprayed on her body before the funeral to cease the aroma of rot and decay. Mom! Hands pressed down onto the transmutation circle as Ed nodded cockily at him. What's gone wrong?

AL! Suddenly Alphonse was sitting up, the world spinning around him while the ringing of Ed's voice chimed within his ears.

"Alphonse?" a woman sat next to the white bed in a pearl white chair.

"Who-?" Al chocked as his dry throat contracted, "Teacher?" it came out no more as a whisper but it was there. "Teacher- where's Ed?" Alphonse made to escape the confines of the tightly bound sheets and warm bed. "Where is he!" Al began to get mad, mad at Ed for leaving him in the first place, mad at Ed for taking him here and bringing Teacher along, furious at Ed for not being here to tell him about what happened at the transmutation. "I've got to give him a piece of my mind!"

Teachers face went from sympathetic to horrified. He didn't remember… he didn't remember what happened to Ed, what happened down there.

"Alphonse…" she began quietly, taking his gaunt hand in hers like she had when he was a child. Rubbing it gently she gently avoided the catheters that kept water running to his system along with nutrients. Should I tell him? Izumi inwardly lamented, Anything could set back his recovery… but it would be to cruel… "What do you remember?" up, down, up, down; over and over again her hand gently caressed his in a maternal way.

"I-I can't tell you-"

"Yes, you can…" she smiled sadly at him. "No one will know other than me, you, and Ed…" she added Ed because it felt wrong not to include his name…

So Al spilled the metaphorical beans. He quietly recited to Teacher about their plan to get mom back, cried as he informed her that he couldn't remember past putting his hands to the transmutation circle that Ed had drawn with a fresh bar of chalk. And this was where Teacher finally realized that Alphonse Elric had no memory of the past years spent with Edward, traveling, living, finding the stone…

"I'm so sorry Al…" she smiled sadly at his look of confusion.

"Where is brother?" Al looked stiffly towards the door, "Teacher… answer me…" Al felt the tears prickling his skin, his blood shot eyes. "What went wrong?"

Izumi balked at this. Common sense told her to tell Al, he had been through to much to not be told… but on the other hand, to lose his only family…

"Alphonse," she breathed in, "you don't remember anything about the last few years?" how did you break this information to a child of twelve?

His eyes went wide, "Years?" horror went through his voice.

"The plan to bring your mother back was unsuccessful…" and Izumi began to tell the Elrics fate. Admitting the parts she didn't know, and gently informing him of his brothers fate. "He saved you Al." she concluded softly. "He gave you your body back."

"I DIDN'T WANT IT BACK!" Al screeched, his thin frame shaking as his body produced an unearthly scream. "HE CAN'T LEAVE ME ALONE! HE'S AN IDIOT! HE'S-" his body was sent into a coughing spasm that left him breathless and with his teacher gently laying him back down. "He's gone- isn't he?" Al whispered, closing his tear filled eyes against the harsh hospital lights. "He left me alone…"

"He didn't leave you alone." Teacher gently supplied. "He didn't want to at least. And I know that it seems like it now that he did it selfishly…" her fingers clenched as she realized that Ed was gone… dead in all probability, and left behind a brother…

So here she was, consoling Al as he mourned his brother, unsure of how to proceed. Should they keep going, so soon? Or should they stand still for just a few moments longer?

Things were going to slow for Alphonse. It'd been two days since he'd found out about Ed, and now he was stuck in limbo. Three square meals a day, all with limited amounts of meat, vegetables, and fruits, and to top it all off… milk; of all the things to bring back memories, milk. Ed hates milk… Al seemed to remind himself, momentarily forgetting that Ed wasn't here anymore.

Physical therapy was a trick and a half too. Stretching his shriveled limbs again and again, followed by learning how to walk and grasp things properly.

"Teacher?" Al asked, sitting up in bed slowly. "What happened to all those people… who helped us?" because he needed to know. He had to know every moment of him and brother. Of what they'd fought for. Of the good they'd supposedly done.

It took Izumi a moment to consider this. Ever since he'd learned about Ed, Al had become distant, almost determined about something.

"I do not know…" she slumped in her chair, a most unusual sight for Al who was used to the strong woman never showing weakness. "After everything happened I really didn't inquire too much about them. I was more worried about you two." Her voice cracked as she said two.

"I'd like to ask them… meet them again…" he didn't need to clarify on what he was going to ask them. Izumi knew, Ed. He wanted something to grasp onto, something to cling to, another memory, anything and everything.

"I'll try Al, 'kay?"

"Okay." Alphonse settled back down.