Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.

Chapter 6

Alphonse Elric always considered himself an easy going guy. Even with all the things that he's been through, he tried to keep a positive outlook on everything. He lived as a suit of armor for years and still managed to be a delight to everyone, damn it! He couldn't remember ever being this ill-tempered.

To be fair, he was recovering and it hasn't been a walk in the park. He tried not to dwell on the state of his body, but the constant aches made that difficult. His muscles were still not convinced what their job was. He was ordered to take a short walk three times a day and he still had to depend on a walker and tired barely five minutes into it. He'd go back to bed with shaking limbs and labored breathing. To regain upper body strength, he was given simple exercises that he'd initially laughed off, but soon found himself struggling to finish the assigned sets. He was still not allowed to eat normal food, just stews and soups. He was starting to worry he'd never be able to eat that piece of pie he'd been dreaming of. It wasn't until his last walk of the day that he had reason to hope that he was getting better. As he sat back in bed, his breathing settled within a few moments instead of taking minutes. Feeling optimistic for the first time in days, he turned to his brother and finally took in the heavy silence in the room.

It had been a few days since General Roy Mustang's visit and his brother still seemed to be in a bad mood. He had noticed that his brother wasn't talking much, but he thought it was due to his exhaustion from the fever. He was acting the same way he usually does whenever he was recovering from any injuries; disgruntled. But now that he was paying attention, there was more to it than that. It had never taken Ed this long to share what was bothering him.

Ed lay back in bed staring at the wall on the other side, clearly lost in thought. Al didn't realize until this moment that his brother was not doing well. His eyes seemed dim with dark shadows beneath that brought out the stark contrast with his pale complexion. His hair was listless and falling out of the tie the held it back from his face. But what worried him the most was the blank look in his eyes.

"Brother..." Al said tentatively so as not to startle him.

"What is it, Al?" Ed asked tiredly.

"You've been quiet for a few days. You didn't even argue with them when they brought you milk." He joked weakly. Getting no response he continued. "What's wrong? Did Mustang ask you to do something?"

"Don't worry about it. It's nothing." He replied in a monotone voice.

"How can it be nothing? You haven't been acting like yourself since he left! And you've been really mean to Winry! She even went to spend the night with Ms. Gracia and Elicia. What's going on?" Al demanded.

"Just leave it, Al. And let's leave Winry out of this." He said quietly, finally turning to look at Al.

"You can't keep doing this to yourself. Let me in, Brother." He looked away as he asked timidly, "Do you regret it? That you could only get my body back?" He saw his brother stiffen.

"That's the one thing that I do not regret!" Ed said vehemently. "I would do it again and again if I had to!"

"Then, what is it?" Al cried, his voice shaking.

Ed hesitated. He looked down and finally replied. "That bastard Mustang brought my discharge papers."

"But…but, that's great!" Al exclaimed. "Isn't this what you wanted? I thought they'd ask you to stay longer or give you conditions before you could leave."

Ed remained silent.

"I don't understand. Why are you upset? He's doing you a favor! You don't actually wanna go back to the military, do you?"

When Ed still didn't reply, Al finally snapped. "Do you?"

"I don't know, alright! I don't know! Is that what you want to hear?" A crashing sound came with Ed's shriek. The IV stand having fallen from Ed's violent gesturing. "I don't know what I want." He repeated desperately. "Just let me figure it out on my own."

"No!" Al declared.

"No? What do you mean, no?" Ed asked, looking bewildered.

"I mean, I won't let you figure it out on your own, because, in case you've forgotten, you are not alone! And apparently figuring it out alone is not working. So, no! I'm going to help you and that's that." He finished firmly.

Ed's mouth hung open in shock. It was rather satisfying to get that reaction out of his brother, Al thought. He watched as a nurse and the guard stationed at the door rushed into the room. The nurse was bustling around his brother peppering him with questions as she righted the IV stand beside his bed. Ed reassured them it was just an accident and eventually they left them alone again.

"Al…" Ed started. "This really is something I should figure out on my own."

"No, it really isn't. It's not like I'm ever going to leave you, so whatever you decide will affect the both of us. And I think it's only fair that I have a say in this decision." Al stated calmly.

"But, Al" Ed tried again, obviously intending to argue.

"Are you planning on going off on your own?"

"Well, no."

"If I need help with something, would you tell me to just deal with it on my own?"

"Of course not!"

"Then why is it any different with you? You don't have to handle everything yourself. Asking for help is not a weakness!"

After considering his words for a while, Ed smiled lightly and asked. "When did you get so smart?"

"I've always been smart, brother. You're just too thick-headed to notice."

"Who are you calling thick-headed! I take it back! You're not smart at all!" Ed argued heatedly.

Al grinned at his brother. He knew nothing was resolved, but as long as he could get his brother to share the load, they would get there. Readying himself for the long argument, he relaxed in the bed and tried to push back the grin, so as not to annoy his brother further.

Alphonse was pleased to see some color returning to his brother's face.

Hours Later…

Ed wasn't sure what had woken him up. Just like every other night in the last few days; one second he was drifting and the next he was wide awake. He sighed and shifted a little, settling in for the long wait before he could drift back to sleep. This insomnia was one of the things that made him miss the days when Al couldn't sleep. They would spend hours discussing everything that came to mind, usually what they would do once they got their bodies back and what Al wished he could eat once more. They've certainly come a long way. Not that he'd been in the mood to talk for the last few days, but at least they were back to talking now.

A small shuffle and quiet thump outside his door brought him out of his reverie. He stilled as he heard someone open the door and sneak in quietly. Something was definitely not right. The nurses and doctors when they came in at night, though quiet, never really managed to be completely silent.

Ed heard someone warily approaching his bed. He clenched his left hand and felt the tug of the IV. He opened his eyes just enough to see the shadow of a tall man come closer between him and Al. What the hell was he supposed to do now? How was he going to protect Al? Or himself for that matter? He had to move fast and take whoever it is by surprise. That was the only way! The stinging in his arm eased as he relaxed his clenched fist. Yes, he could do this!

The man finally came to stand by his bed and as he started to lean in, he rapidly punched him in the face with his left fist. He ignored the searing pain in his knuckle as the man recoiled. He grabbed the IV chord and tugged until the stand which held the bag finally came down. He snatched it up before it fell to the floor and swung it around, groaning from the weight of it, to hit the still whimpering man on the side of the head. The man fell to the ground, flat on his back, but still unfortunately conscious.

"Al! Wake up!" He called out. Al's startled eyes met his, but he didn't have time to reassure him. He dropped himself upon the man still carrying the IV stand. He immediately pushed it against the man's throat. But, with the element of surprise finally gone, the man finally started to fight back. With one hand he was clawing at Ed's hand at his throat and with the other he started choking him back. Ed vaguely heard Al calling out, but couldn't quite focus on his words. The room was darkening further around him and black spots began to appear in his peripheral vision. No! He couldn't let the man win.

And yet, despite his resolve, he felt his strength diminish. The man, sensing this, pushed him away roughly. Ed felt his back slam into something. The sound of shattering glass was followed by sharp stings along his face and neck. The cool water helped rouse him a little. He opened his eyes as the man snatched the IV stand from his hand.

"You think you can just get away with anything?" The man seethed, kneeling beside Ed. He roughly shoved the metal shaft into Ed's side. Ed cringed at the hit and hunched up a little, a whimper escaping his lips. "That's right. You're just a kid. Cry all you want, it won't make a difference to me." With that he raised the stand above his head, but before he could swing it down towards Ed, a loud bang shot through the room. Everything suddenly came into clear view as the light was turned on. The man was looking down with pure shock registered on his face, a stream of blood trailing from a hole in his stomach. He coughed up blood and collapsed forward causing the shaft still clutched in his hand to slam into Ed's head. Ed barely registered the loud noises in the room, before he gave in to oblivion.

TBC.

AN/ So, I'm not sure if this counts as a cliffy, but maybe it will get a few of you to review ;)

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