Mustard Gal - Yeah, the timeline is different. But in a previous comment, I explained that I didn't want to make them in there forties, so I changed it a little. It shouldn't so that bad. More is coming I'm glad your addicted! Now I gotcha where I wantcha. MUHAHAHAHA!

Aevium - I really really didn't want to shave them, but there was no way working around it without getting attacked by flames. -sigh- It was bad enough I didn't have the SS man check them over, so I figured I had to cut their hair at least. ;-; It's awful! Thanks so much for complimenting my writing! I had little stomach pains while writing it because it felt so real. I was like 'aw poor Al!' And I didn't want to write it but it just came out. Most of it I didn't even realize I typed. OO Creepy. Anyway, here's an updated chapter foooor you!

fmagirl0919 - I know, their poor hair. ;-; It'll grow back someday. Nice and pretty! Anyways, I love this subject too. I mean, it's terrible it happened and everything but it's just so interesting the pain they went through. Gah, I sound like a Nazi fan! Shoot me! Here's more story for you, thanks for the review!

hiya24 - I figured some people got away with it, so I wasn't too dicouraged. Let's see, in response to your question, I will have to research it. I didn't think it mattered, but you might be right about the arm. I'll check. And I will tell you when I'm using facts or what not. Most of the stuff I'm writing is from the tons and tons of research I've been doing. It's hurting my head how much I've been reading. Since I started this story, I've read so much and talked to so many people. It's good though. Anyway! Never hesitate with big reviews about stuff, I love hearing from you! From all my 'fans' really. Keep in touch and enjoy the chapter!
Edit for hiya24 - I did look it up. It was the left arm. Thank you for reminding me to check! -huggles-

Yoly - No no, please ramble on. I do. XD Glad your enjoying to so far. It is kind of a terrible thing but I love it so much. That sounds terrible doesn't it? I mean, I love the subject but I feel awful it happened. Gah that doesn't sound any better...

miroku-has-darkness - Ah yes, I remember reading that in 8th grade...wow...that was four years ago OO I'm old Ish. Anyway! Um, Alchemy...hm...I would love to do that! But I can't. The way the story is already plotted and planned, there would be no way...well actually, that does give me an idea. Hehe, thanks for the suggestion! And don't worry, this story will be nothing like Anne Frank. I don't remember it much anyway but...yeah. Update time!

Sitaradaw - Thanks for your comment! It's so hard to keep the timeline going alright. I'll probably mess it up sooner or later. There is no elricest, even if some people beg XD I use to like that stuff, but not anymore. It's just wrong! But the cute brotherly love and especially Edward's protectiveness-! I LOVE that! I always get little goosebumps when I read/write it. XD Okay I'm a dork. Here's more updates for when you get a chance to read! Good luck on your work and everything!

Chapter nine - Awakening
Edward woke to a start the next morning. It was around five in the morning, give or take a little, and nothing felt right. It took his eyes a while to adjust to the lack of light in the barrack, but when they did, he remembered where he was. Auschwitz. Concentration camp, AKA Hell.

He narrowed his eyes as he remembered the day before, looking over to his side he saw Alphonse. He was still asleep, eyes stained with tears probably shed through the night. He frowned as he watched Alphonse's chest move up and down in a steady motion. He was still alive; but for how long?

Edward shook his head as he looked around at the others they were with. Most of them were asleep, and the few that were awake said nothing. They were all just a mass of stripes and sorrow, from what Edward could see. At least the worst had already come right? Or that's what he told himself anyway.

He sighed and tried to think of what happened the day before. Fire, smoke, screams from the distance, the 'real' Auschwitz past the barbed wire; and he could still see Alphonse's horrified face. Edward lifted his hand and tried to hide in his palms, trying to wake up from a nightmare. Only, when he put his hands down, it was still there.

Still real, and still Hell.

Then all of a sudden the door to their barrack opened and there stood a small swarm of SS men. Edward glared at them but realized what they wanted. He turned to his brother and began shaking him to wake up. Alphonse woke startled, as though trying to remember where they were also. Seeing his brother, he remembered and the sadness came back.

"Come," Edward said quietly as he stood up, pulling Alphonse with him. It was a good thing they had, because the SS men went through cracking whips on anyone who had remained on the ground.

"Get going!" They shouted as they motioned them to get out of the barrack. Edward pulled Alphonse along as they went past the whips.

Once outside, they were all guided to another building to take their weekly hot showers. Some people striped down, while others kept their clothes on. Generally people didn't get wet in their clothes unless it was for swimming and such; but here, it didn't matter. They already had told them once that if it rained they'd get wet in those clothes. So the brothers bathed with them on, mostly because of the eyes that were glued on them.

After the shower was done, they lined everyone up with Edward and Alphonse somewhere in the middle. "All specialists!" The SS men shouted, "step forward if you have some kind of special skills. Locksmith, carpenters, watchmakers, all of you!"

Alphonse looked over at Edward, mentally asking him what to do. Edward, without looking at Alphonse, shook his head slowly as they just stood and waited. The next step was to move those people. They forced them to go into a separate section and moved Edward and Alphonse to another spot with the rest of the leftovers.

"Today, we venture to Auschwitz!" One German soldier said from the front of their line. "Past these barbed wire fences and through the arch! That is where you will stay from now on! Anyone who tries to escape or protest in any way will be shot down!"

That was enough talk as they ordered them to run. No one objected as they began running. Edward stuck with Alphonse, even though he could have easily gone faster. Alphonse was falling behind again, and Edward had to push him. Once in a while, though, Edward would fall behind due to stepping on sharp things hidden in the mud.

He cursed under his breath for not having his shoes and Alphonse saw this. Whenever he tried to say something though, he stopped himself. Mostly from the fear.

They kept running until they past the barbed wire and reached the arches. From there, the leaders told them to stop and look. Edward frowned and narrowed his eyes as he stared at the sign. The huge arch that read 'Arbeit Macht Frei'. Work makes you free. Edward scoffed lightly under his breath.

"How fitting," he muttered. Alphonse looked over at him, a bit confused but said nothing. More orders and again they were moving. This time walking in. Signs were posted all over. Here and there, white signs with black skulls. Edward could read them clearly: Warning! Danger of death!

He glanced over at Alphonse, who was trying to trying to read them. Alphonse tilted his head then blinked, "what do they say brother?" He asked as calm as he could.

Edward hesitated before shaking his head, "I don't know. I can't read it." He lied. "Stay close," he said in a hushed voice as they advanced. He watched all the people wandering around. Walking skeletons with little skin barely hanging on. They wore the same clothes Edward was. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat as he pulled Alphonse a little faster. He hated having to shield his brother so much.

The men leading the group brought them to another set of men who had needles with them. "Line up!" They ordered. They did, Edward before Alphonse. "From now on, you have no names! You will be assigned numbers and that is how you will be known. This is you identity." They told them as they started going down the line.

Edward let out a small sigh of relief; they were tattooing the left arm. 'EH' and then a number. There was no painkiller or anything to numb the arm as they did it, so some people let out small yelps and screams. When it was their turn, Edward did as he was told. Lift his sleeve and let them tattoo him. It didn't hurt; it was nothing compared to automail being hooked up for the first time. He gazed at his arm when they were done. EH-5582. He had no idea what it meant, but that was his new identity.

When they moved onto Alphonse, he too obeyed, but let out a small yelp at first. His face showed pain as he bit his lip. Alphonse wasn't use to pain, especially after being in armor for four years of his life. Even now he still wasn't use to so much pain. EH-5583. Alphonse Elric's new name.

After the tattooing was done, they lead the group to their new home. A barrack that was cold and musty inside. The air reeked of death. There was already a bunch of people living inside, stacked on each other. It was a little bit different from the last barrack; this one was cement mostly with dirt spread out here and there among the bodies and rows of bunk bed.

"You are to stay here for now. There are only so many bunks. Everyone is to sleep on a bunch, top or bottom, in pairs. Get to it!" The men shouted as they pushed them all inside. Edward had never been so happy to hear the word 'pair' before. It meant they wouldn't be alone.

They walked inside as the doors were shut. A few men coughed, a man cried, but most were sleeping or just laying in silence.

"Brother, there." Alphonse pointed as he tugged Edward's shirt. Edward turned and saw it. A small bunk off to the side between two already full bunks. Edward was a bit suspicious, but could see Alphonse was tired and just wanted to lay down. He nodded and walked over, taking Alphonse with him.

They had to lean down so they wouldn't hit their head on the top bunk. Alphonse plopped down immediately and closed his eyes as Edward looked around. It was a minute or so of laying down before Alphonse glanced up at his brother with only one eye open.

"Brother?" He whined quietly into the bunk's mattress. Which wasn't really a mattress at all. "Ed?" He tried once more.

Edward looked back at Alphonse then shifted so he too was laying. Down on his stomach, head resting against his arms. Alphonse rolled over so he too was in the same position. He tilted his head, half expecting Edward to say something but he didn't. Edward just watched all the men. Alphonse had some fears about the men killing them while they slept or something; but Edward was more worried about other things.

"Ed, go to sleep. Okay?" Alphonse said as he got a little closer to his brother, nudging him a bit. He closed his eyes as he leaned his head against his brother's body. Not much, but just enough so he felt comfort.

Edward watched Alphonse a moment then sighed, "yeah okay." He said as he relaxed a bit more. Letting his shoulders drop so he wasn't so tense. Maybe they truly had been through the worst. Maybe now they could sleep and dream of when they'd be set free. It was a pleasant thought.

Edward smiled weakly as he watched his brother, then closed his eyes. Everything would be better when he woke. He promised himself of that.

It was early the next morning when they were told to wake up, and with silent grumbles, they did so. They were moved outside where they had been served black coffee. Neither of the Elric brothers drank black coffee, and only Edward drank normal coffee; but they didn't want to complain. Their breakfast had been that coffee then a soup like substance. They called it soup, but Edward called it sludge.

Nothing more than leftover slop from the SS men and the German soldiers' meals. Nasty and not very filling, served with a stale slice of bread, but it was better than nothing. Alphonse ate his slowly, and Edward just sat there picking at it. He watched the other men as they ate theirs like hungry animals. Edward knew better though. Eat slow so you could digest it better and savor it. Then again, you never knew when they would force you to start running again.

After they had their breakfast, they were up and running again. They weren't even going anywhere, just running. It was a pain, but it made sleeping much easier. Their bunks weren't the most comfortable but after a day of running, a boulder looked soft. People were yelling at them all the time, but it wasn't hard.

Edward glanced down at his automail leg. He was really lucky to have it. Even without his shoes it wasn't hard to keep up. Plus, the mud made it almost invisible so you couldn't tell it was any different from his real limb. His arm was covered by the sleeve of his uniform as well. What little part was showing was incased with the skin colored rubber like seal. It was just about the only time he had ever been truly thankful for something his father had given him.

They didn't run very long, and soon enough it was break time. 'Break time?' Edward thought to himself as he looked around. Hadn't they just started running? Or did time just go by that quickly. Either way, the two brothers sat down in the mud, off to the side. Alphonse was panting but said nothing as he sat there. Edward was too busy looking around at all the other men to even notice.

The men in their group were still fairly good looking men. Normal human looking creatures. Not at all like the skeletons that were walking around in other groups. Edward often times wondered how long it would be until they looked like that, but never aloud.

"Alright! Get up you sons of bitches!" An SS man shouted to the group. With a few silent whines the men got up. They were ordered to line up next and they did. Edward and Alphonse stood together as usual. "Today is your first day of inspection! Anyone who protests will be punished!" He told them.

"Inspection?" Alphonse asked in a low whisper.

Edward nodded, "to see how physically fit we are. If we're ready to be an Auschwitz prisoner." He explained bitterly, keeping his voice low.

The inspection wasn't very bad. They had a few different doctors come and check them out. First they started with the face. Dental inspection and making sure nothing was wrong throat wise. Throat wise; another fancy way of making sure you'd live through the running.

Then came a chest inspection. They unbuttoned your shirt and listened to heartbeat and everything to make sure you were good enough that way. Plus, they could see any muscle you had; or lack there of.

Next was legs, which was done by the same person as the chest. Checking reflex and muscle and whatever else they wanted to. Sometimes they would strip you down, other times they would make you leave your clothes on.

As a touch-up, they went back through and checked pulse, blood pressure, and all that other good stuff to make sure they were the best race horses they could be. If you didn't pass the inspection, you moved to the left. If you did pass, you went to the right. Those that went to the left were put into a clinic if needed, or they simply vanished.

The brothers learned quickly that the left lines were the worst ones to be in.

In the line up and number ID Edward had come first, but as the SS man went through and took people to be checked, he decided to move backwards. Meaning Alphonse went first in their pair. Edward didn't worry though. He knew Alphonse could pass it hands down. His body was almost perfect. Shapes, size, muscle mass in ratio with his body. He would have no problem passing, and he didn't.

After the inspection, Alphonse was sent straight to the right lane. Edward couldn't help but smile. "EH-5582!" The man shouted. It was now Edward's turn.

He simply nodded in reply and stepped out of line to follow the man. They had been kind enough, for lack of better words, to set up small tents to the side. Each one held the different doctors. There were many tents, which had other inspections going on. Edward was dropped off in one and they began.

Alright, so this chapter was short, but oh well. Not much progress for this chapter besides them getting their new barrack and tattoos. Which the number might be off, but I gave them those letters for a reason. It was kind of the only catergory I thought they'd go in. I thought about no letter, but that just wouldn't be fun. Oh well, it'll be better in the next chapter. I had major writter's block for this chapter! I wasn't sure why, but I did. I almost left it at 2 and a half pages, but then I told myself 'no I can't do that to me readers! I would shame myself!' So, I think I made it 3 and a half? I dunno. Then my editor vanished or something so I was stuck trying to contact my two others, but none ever replied. Finally I jsut said 'forget it!' And posted it anyway.

Also, I want to know if I should write more chapters in one person POV or stick to the third person. I found with the first person it could be more personal? Especially if I do Alphonse, since I tend to focus more on Edward in the third person POV. Hmm...I don't know. You guys tell me. Maybe a little bit of both depending on the chapter? Or something... I don't know! ;;

Okay one more thing, I swear! I just keep rambling on. I need to know what song to use. The last chapter will be a song type chapter, but I'm not going to use that song. If anyone has seen my music video on youtube to 'stop crying your heart out' you know what I'm going to do when I say I want to turn the last chapter into an AMV. Thing is, I don't know what song to use. If anyone has suggestions, e-mail me or something and I'll think about it. There are so many good songs to use, but I want one that'll be just right. I don't want a really slow one, nor a reall fast one. So if anyone has suggestions, I would really like to hear them.

I'll stop now!

RxR

- Kori