Chapter nine: Metaphor/ the left arm of sin, and the right leg of sin.

Ed woke up, his hair in his face; and he brushed them out of his face as he sat up. The room spinned, and his head felt heavy, so he lay back down and stretched.

"Dammit!" Ed heard Izumi scream, and it came from Al's room.

Panic rose inside Ed's chest, and formed like a lump, and stayed there hurting like a knot. Ed breathed in deeply, so afraid too take another breath. Izumi came out of the room, she smiled at Ed.

"How's Al" Ed said, hearing in own voice was a little strange, he hadn't heard it in a while; and hadn't been paying attention to it last night, and now it sounded weird.

"I'm not going to lie to you Ed, if Al doesn't get auto-mail, he will die…there's too much blood, he needs an artificial left arm, and right leg" Izumi said. Ed jumped up.

"Call Winry then! and drag her down here!..or get Al up there…do something"Ed said, feeling dizzy.

Izumi went over to him, and gently took his shoulders, and sat him back down on the couch.

"Calm down, Al isn't transportable in this condition...and Winry is already on her way, even if we took him to the hospital...they would stop the blood flow, but they couldn't do what auto-mail can" Izumi said.

"What did you tell Winry, what is she going to say when she sees me" Ed asked as Izumi shoved a glass of water in his hands.

"I know you don't approve of telling her these kind of things to keep her safe, but what else was I supposed to say Ed?. She knows how you're here, and why, and she know why Al's in his condition, and why, she knows everything" Izumi answered him motioning for him to take sip of water.

Ed sipped his water.

"She's going to kill to us" Ed said throwing back his head, and lay it on the back of the couch.

"It shouldn't be long before she gets here, you see I called her last night, she'll be here by midday" Izumi said.

And Izumi was right.

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Ed sat with a blanket over his shoulders, and a cup of coffee in his hand, he was cold. His temperature had been falling, and rising, he wasn't sick it was just another sidafect with shock.

There was a knock on the front door, and Ed covered his head, readying himself for the wrench that was most likely to come hurtling through the air. Winry walked in, Ed cringed preparing himself.

But when nothing came, Ed UN covered himself, and looked at her. Winry was just staring at him, tears going down her face, and Ed was suddenly so glad that Izumi wasn't there.

"Winry" Ed said standing up. She dropped her three small brown suitcases, and ran to him. She hugged him, and her tears ran down his shirt.

"Ed I knew I'd never see you again, I saw you buried in that damn prison of a coffin, and I watched as they lowered it, but here you are. Oh My God…amazing" she said, and looked gripped him tighter.

Ed hugged her too, and Winry let his smell surround her. Then the door knob creaking, and jingled, so they broke away, and Izumi was there, smiling.

"The bleeding has stopped thanks to Sig, and the doctor, and for the first time since we got you two in the house Al's awake" she said, but her smile showed sadness. Ed read her emotions written on her face.

"There's something wrong with him other than lost limbs" Ed said.

"No...No…I just…realized something…I...understand now…I'll tell you later, but right now the most important thing is too mend Al's wounds" she said, and motioned for Winry to follow her.

"I can't come in?" Ed asked angrily.

"You wouldn't want to see" Izumi said rather grimly, and the door shut.

Ed's shoulders slumped, and he went back and sit on the couch.

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"Okay Al…you ready?" Winry asked him. The silent Al nodded his head. He removed his shirt, (with his only remaining limb, his right arm) and lay down on the bed, there was no operating table. Winry got out a left arm, and right leg, she had accommodated it to fit his body.

Al showed no sign of being scared. As Winry starting getting his shoulder, and back ready. She held her tongue out of her mouth.

"Okay Al" she whispered. She started attaching each of his nerves to it, and to every one's amazement Al didn't say a word, no sound came from his mouth. But he did bite his lip so hard it bleed, in several places.

She finished with the arm five hours later, her neck hurt from bending over so long. Winry refused to stop, and went on with the leg.

It took six hours to do the leg, and Al was patient and silent the whole time.

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Ed strained to hear anything from the room but, there was nothing. Was Al really that quiet, and still going through so much pain?. Of course Al had been through a lot in his short life.

Maybe the reason he was so quiet was because…he was passed out? At this Ed started worrying, and pacing up and down the living room.

An hour later, Winry, Izumi, and Sig all piled out of the room, Winry wiped her forehead with her sleeve.

"How is Al" Ed asked.

"He's asleep right now, I'm going to give him some asprin...we don't want him to get a fever" Izumi said. (I figured I should tell ya'll this, the reason Al isn't in the hospital is because Dublith doesn't have one, just a Doctor.)

Ed shook his head, and started pacing again. Winry watched him, her head following him. Ed noticed her looking at him after a while.

"What?" he asked her.

"It's just that…I...like looking at you" Winry answered. Ed and Winry (sweat drop). Winry seemed to realize what she had said.

"Oh no! I didn't mean it like that...I just meant I'm so glad to see you, and it's amazing that you're alive" Winry said. Ed's smile fanished from his face, and looked to the floor.

"I have Al to thank for that" he whispered and his body slumped against the couch once more. Winry solemnly sat beside him. Izumi handed them some tea.

"Winry…I'm afraid I have no more room for you too stay" Izumi said shaking her head. Before Winry could say anything, Ed jumped up.

"Move a bed into the room with Al, I could stay in there" Ed said.

Izumi lowered her eyes.

"That room is too small for another bed" she said firmly.

"It's okay really, I have a room at the hotel a few blocks away...I'll see you tomorrow" Winry said patting Ed on his head, which Ed found annoying. She thanked Izumi for the tea, gathered her things, and walked out.

"When Al's awake...and in a...good condition…you can see him. I have to talk to you both" Izumi said.

"Hey wait a minute…what do you mean "when he's in good condition. The bleeding has stopped, his auto-mail is on; and he isn't running a fever. What the hell is wrong?" Ed said following Izumi to the front door.

Izumi sighed heavily, and opened the front door.

"Al hasn't uttered a sound since he came in through the door that night…I-I'm afraid he may have just lost something more for your soul, mind, and body…than what's on the outside" she said and went out the door leaving Ed open mouthed and horrified at the front door.

Ed turned to Sig.

"Can I please go see him" Ed begged. Sig looked from Ed, to the door of Al's room, and back again. He nodded his head. Ed smiled, and went to the door.

There was two chairs at the bed, and Ed sat in the one farthest away, too get a good view of the beautiful day passing out the window, and Al.

Al long brown hair was down, and sprawled across the pillows, he was breathing deeply, and his now auto-mail arm was red around what was flesh. The same hard cold metal, that Al had been so happy to be rid of…was back.

Ed rubbed his eyes, and stared at the right arm that was skin again. He did not deserve what he got, and Al didn't deserve what he lost. It was so mixed up, and Ed couldn't remember any of it.

He had watched as Al suffered for that one night, and those four years…and now this. Suddenly Al head flipped, and his right hand was propping up his head, and his other metal arm was tapping on his thigh...he was actually awake obviously.

"It's not something you're made me do, I did it on my own accord" Al said. Ed heart thumbed, he finally talked. Ed swallowed.

"You…still didn't have to" Ed said. "You lost…so much" Ed said clenching his fist.

"You got what you lost back too" Al said. Al laughed softly.

"Trust me Ed…I would rather lose a few limbs than have lived alone for ever. I mean I had nothing without some one to make my life a living hell, getting sick….freaking out when people called you short…which you are" Al said, and Ed could just see the smirk on his face, even though Al still wouldn't face him.

Ed smirked, and almost laughed. That's the Al he remembered.

"Yeah, we really banged ourselves up this time" Ed said.

"Yeah" Al replied almost whispering. Ed could tell he was thinking about something.

"What's wrong?" Ed asked him.

"Ed do you remember anything from the transmute" Al asked still taping his fingers. Ed realized he was actually coordinating it better than when Ed, himself had auto-mail for the first time.

"No…only vague memories and they're really strange" Ed answered.

"Me too…." Al said, and then he winced as if he'd been hurt or something.

"What?' Ed said alert.

"Nothing" Al replied dully.

"Well I'm sure your tired so, I'll leave" Ed said, and Al shook his head slowly, and listening as the door shut.

"Like I'll get any sleep" Al muttered to himself.

But soon he was asleep.

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Winry came in about the same time Izumi came home.

"How's Al doing" Winry asked taking off her jacket and putting it on the rack.

"He's fine" Ed replied.

"You saw him?" Izumi asked.

"Uh….yeah...I did, and he did talk to me" Ed said.

"Good, Good" Izumi said.

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Al sat up in bed, his brown hair wandering around his shoulders. Ed, and Izumi came in. he smiled at them.

"I've been meaning to talk to you both for a while now, I need to tell you something" she paused looking at both boys. She went on "You two have barely no memories from the transmutation, well….I was thinking…I think that what you two experienced is exactly how Ed, brought Al's body back.

"Except it was..."experienced" different, or covered different. Like a metaphor for the same exact thing, it was kind of like a metaphor, or a mix of the night you tried to bring back your Mother, and the night you brought Al's body back.

"Actually what would make even more since is a mix of what happened when you did have the philosopher's stone, and when you don't. Ed you had the stone when you brought his body back, and you didn't have it when you tried to bring back Trisha.

It's all a metaphor, or a mix of other transmutation. Other transmutations that were in Al's memory, he put all of himself into that Trans, and that included his memories. So what you two experienced isn't what happened at all, it's all a mix of Al's memories" Izumi finished.

"That would since, because we both can't remember barely any of it, because we didn't need to, cause it was already there" Ed said.

Izumi shook her head.

"So what really happened?" Al said.

"You don't know, you can't remember, and even if you did it wouldn't be what really happened. So no body knows" Izumi said.

"That's why I find out so amazing that Ed is whole, and you managed to get his body, his mind, and his soul back...that's amazing. And you'll never know how you did it. I mean you didn't even have the stone, and you managed it" Izumi said.

"That's why Al's arm and left were taken because he put all of himself into it" Ed said. Al's eyes widened.

"So it wasn't for you" Al asked.

"Some of it was, but the other was just because you…committed a sin" Ed said. Al smirked.

"The left arm of of sin and the right leg of sin" Al whispered to himself so lowly no one could hear.

A/N- I'm done with this chappie finally! So now all that far out there stuff is made scince of! LOL. Yeah well No flames, and please review!..p.s. sorry if it's still too far out there.

Chapter ten coming soon.