What does one do when they can't figure out how to continue? Finish it off. Sorry for the lateness, have been very busy and have had much sadness lately so that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it. Enjoy the unrequited love….

'Sayla loves Al, not me; never me but why?' The question ricocheted around Ed's head for the remainder of their stay in Aquaroya as well as their short trip to Zenatine. He tried to carry on as if nothing had occurred as if her confession hadn't affected him in the least, Edward was used to burying his emotions away from the world producing a smile to fool everyone around him while he screamed inwardly. Sayla had in fact confessed her feelings to Al soon after he ran away yelling that he was simply a fabricated soul, that Edward had 'created' him from his own memories. Ed had watched close by as Sayla stood by her self in the middle of the field.

"I'm fine Al but I think you should go to her." Ed said as Al asked him again if he was alright. Alphonse glanced over in Sayla's direction and walked over slowly. The night was still with a chill to the air or maybe Edward was just nervous. Whatever the case he couldn't stop shivering. The cool air seemed thick around him as it had the night Sayla told him she loved Al causing his breaths to come in short gasps. Winry stood by his side quietly listening as well.

"Sayla are you okay?" Al asked as he stood next to her. Sayla nodded.

"Yeah. Are you okay now Alphonse?" She asked..

"Yeah I'm fine." He replied.

"That's good." Sayla said followed by silence. "Are you sure Al. I was really, really worried about you."

"I'm sorry it's just I had some doubts is all but I know the truth now." He said glancing down at her seeing the tears streaming down her face. Al felt his entire being freeze, Sayla never cried. "Sayla I said I was…"

"Al I love you." She blurted out.

"What did you just say?" Al whispered softly his voice unsteady. Sayla looked up at him with a small smile tugging on her lips as she took his hand in hers.

"I love you." She repeated with more confidence.

"Sayla, I-I don't know what to say." He said. Ed could see from his vantage point Al pull his hand away from hers. "I do know however that I can't return you're feelings. I love you but not the way you're talking about." Sayla looked down at the ground nodding her head in the process.

"Fair enough." She said taking a deep breath and exhaling. Ed couldn't quell the small fire that burned back in his heart, he had a chance if he was smart about it…maybe. The proverbial snowball effect soon went into effect as every answer either of them had asked in the past four years suddenly became crystal clear whether they wanted it to or not. In their attempt to find the stone it had never occurred to any of them that one of them would actually become the legendary catalyst. Ed stared blankly at the darkened wall of the room. They had found themselves back in Resembool in hiding. Himself and Sayla had gone AWOL and wanted for treason. Downstairs he could hear Mustang and Hawkeye talking amongst themselves possibly about what they were going to tell the rest of the military and how they could hide the Elrics and Sayla for as long as possible. Edward sighed and adverted his gaze to the bed next to his. Sayla slept soundly next to him her hair splayed across the pillow she rested her head against. She clutched the blankets around her as if it were a life line. Ed from his bed and admired her peaceful expression for a moment smiling to himself. He grabbed a piece of paper and pen before walking out onto the balcony. He stared out across the landscape and glared. Al was down there with the bastard. He tried to quell his anger but the only thought bringing him comfort was that when he saw him tomorrow he was going to punch him. Ed placed the paper down on the banister and looked up at the moon as it moved lazily across the night sky. He glanced back down at the paper and began scribbling away.

"EDWARD!" Sayla and Rose screamed in unison as the spike that Envy had transformed his arm into pierced through Ed's torso. His eyes hazed over as a gush of blood spurted from his open mouth. He made a strange gurgling sound before being pushed to the ground. His eyes remained open as his blood spread around him in a large puddle soaking into his clothes and hair. Sayla, whom had been laying on the ground in a bruised and bloody heap, crawled her way desperately over to him ignoring the insane homunculi that stood over him triumphantly laughing.

"Ed….Ed….Ed…." Sayla cried as she cradled his head in her lap her tears falling onto his face and rolling off. His brilliant gold eyes were dull as the pupils dilated, staring at everything yet seeing nothing.

"Brother can't die! He can't! He wouldn't let that happen!" Al cried out as he took in the scene before him. He lay in the middle of an array afraid to move lest he activate the stone. Sayla had yelled at him more than once over the past few days not to use alchemy, he had found out there was cause for her concern. Sayla glanced over as she heard a snarling sound to her right. Gluttony ran towards Alphonse savagely his mouth dripping with his acrid saliva. Sayla's stomach dropped quickly, but gently, she placed Ed back on the floor and ran at Gluttony blood sticking to her clothing heavily.

"Get away from him!" She screamed. "Get….away!" A hand grabbed her wrist pulling her down to the ground. She looked up to see Envy holding onto her tightly, a twisted smile adorning his features.

"Don't think so." He said kneeling down next to her. "You know if you were a homunculus you'd be perfect." Sayla's breath hitched in her throat as her body trembled. She struggled against him as he pinned her to the ground leaning his weight against her.

"Let me go! No I have to help Al! I can't…I can't…." She cried feeling her body give up of it's own accord. A clapping sound resonated through out the large hall causing everyone to look in the direction it had come from. Alphonse's body was adorned with an intricate red pattern, an array.

"You incorrigible boy. Sit back down before you waste yourself completely." Dante yelled at him.

"Stay back! You can't make me do anything!" Al shouted back.

"What are you doing?" Dante asked roughly. Al walked over to his brother and kneeled next to him placing his hand against Edwards's cheek.

"Brother hasn't been dead long, look there's still color in his face. His soul must still be outside the gate. I just have to pull it back the way he did for me." Al said more to himself than anyone else.

"You know what will happen if you…" Dante said angrily.

"Yeah I do!" Al interrupted. "A lot of people died to make this stone. I would have died to if it weren't for them. It's the least I can do." Envy stood angrily clenching his fists.

"Alphonse." Sayla said getting to her feet to stand next to Rose.

"Good-bye Sayla." Al said clapping his hands together and placing them upon Edward.

"No!" Sayla screamed and moved to run towards him.

"Sayla!" Rose shouted grabbing her arm holding her back. The room shone brightly as massive arrays appeared around the room seeming to conjoin together as a blinding light filled the space causing Sayla and Rose to shield their eyes. When it cleared the room was empty save for Sayla, Rose and Edward's body. Sayla glanced over towards him and gasped as his chest moved up and down slowly. His eyes were closed and his lips moved slowly as if murmuring something in his sleep. She ran towards him grabbing the hand that only a few minutes before had been metal now replaced with his natural limb.

"Is he…" Rose wondered sitting next to the girl.

"Yeah, he's alive." Sayla choked out as Ed's eyes fluttered open. Confusion at first to see the two hovering over him until he felt tears streaming down his face.

"Are you alright.?" Rose asked concerned.

"Yeah but what am I crying for..?" He asked brining his right hand to his face wiping his face gasping at the warmth he felt. Quickly he sat up poking at his left leg to find it to was once again flesh and bone.

"He used alchemy to bring you back Ed." Rose said softly. Ed glanced at her.

"The philosopher's stone. He used it…" Ed said his mind working into overdrive as fear clutched it's icy hands into his chest squeezing his heart. "Then what happened to him?" Rose looked away while Sayla's lip began to quiver as tears welled up in her eyes.

"Don't tell me…he's gone Sayla, Rose?!" Ed asked frantically. He stood up his head whipping around in every direction.

"Al! Al! AL!" He shouted his only response Sayla's tortured sobs and Rose's baby's crying. He sighed and looked at the ground already knowing what had to be done.

"You guys had better get moving." Ed said helping Sayla to her feet as she cried.

"What are you going to do?" Rose asked.

"I'm going to destroy this place down to the last brick so no one ever gets it in their head to create another philosophers stone again." He replied. Sayla's head whipped up as she wrapped her arms around him weakly.

"Let's go home Edward, to Resembool. Let Al…rest. It's over Edward, no more. Please no more." She pleaded. Ed sighed pushing her away from him slightly to hold her out at arms length.

"You know I can't do that." He said.

"Edward…don't go away too." She said. Ed smiled softly.

"I'm going to bring Al back to you Sayla." He said as Rose grasped her hand holding it tightly.

"Don't worry Sayla. Ed has strong legs, you're going to get up and use them right Ed?" She asked. Ed smiled and nodded once.

"Yeah."

Sayla had been anxious to go back down into the underground city despite her injuries. Carefully the two shifted through rubble calling for Edward.

"He's not here." Sayla said staring at the ground. Her gaze extended further when she caught sight of a small hand. She gasped running towards it.

"Rose..help!" She called moving the debris out of the way. Rose ran over working through the dust and rock. The small boy lay on the ground covered in dirt his breath coming in short puffs.

The words formed on Rose's lips to ask who he was when Sayla answered for her.

"Alphonse!" She cried out carefully taking him in her arms holding him close.

"We should have brought a blanket or something…" Rose said blushing slightly. Sayla glanced over at her.

"The least of our concerns right now should be that he's naked Rose." Sayla said standing alarmed slightly at how light he was. His frame was thin some bones sticking through poking her. His face was pale and his lips chapped. Hardly the healthy boy she had seen in pictures.

"We have to get him to the surface." Sayla said receiving a nod from Rose as the two girls made through lost city.

Al felt the darkness recede slightly as his eyes opened of their own accord. His first thoughts being, what happened? An older girl came into his line of view. A girl with soft blue eyes and auburn hair. She smiled sweetly at him as tears gathered in her eyes and fell.

"Al, you're awake." She said smiling. Alphonse's brows knitted together as his brain racked trying to figure out who she was. His eyes searched around the room his heart leaping in his chest.

"Where's my brother?" He asked his voice sounding choked and small.

"Al don't worry, you need to…" She said but stopped as Al began to cry.

"I don't know where I am! Who are you? Where am I? Where's my brother? What happened with my mother?" He shouted attempting to climb out of bed to only fall on the ground heavily. His body didn't seem to want to work. He crawled into a corner of the room sobbing.

"Where is my brother? Where are my clothes? What happened to mom? Brother! Edward!" He cried. Sayla stood up alarmed walking to him slowly extending her hand.

"Alphonse it's…"

"No! Get away! I don't know you! I want…my…BROTHER!" He screamed loudly. Sayla's hand shot back to her body as she backed away from him tears falling heavily down her face. She backed into the doorway grabbing onto it for purchase. A sound met her ears, the sound of wheels rolling quickly. She turned to see doctors surrounding a stretcher as the pushed it quickly down the hall. Time seemed to slow as it passed her and she caught glance of it's occupant. His dark hair matted with blood the right side of his face seemingly gone. Sayla's heart pounded as she took a few clumsy steps out of the room.

"Roy?" She said softly feeling her insides sink. She began to run down the hall after him as he was led beyond two large double doors and disappeared from sight. "Roy!" Rough hands grabbed her mumbling something about her not being allowed in the operating room. "Roy! Ed's gone and Al doesn't know who I am!" She screamed. "You can't die Roy! Roy…don't…DIE!" She felt the needle pierce through her arm causing her body to become limp and her screams died to tortured sobs.

Resembool was as lovely as ever with the sun shining down across the pristine landscape. However in the Rockbell household an air of sadness still hung around it's occupants. Sayla sat in front of Edwards suitcase milling through it's contents as she had done for the past two months since she had arrived. She held his jacket to her taking in his scent sobbing into the red fabric. She passed her fingers over it as she usually did but today something was different. There was something in the pocket. She reached in and took out the folded piece of paper. Shakily she unfolded it and read.

Sayla,

I don't really know what I'm doing. All I know is I have to get this out of my head, even if I never tell you at least it won't consume so much space in my brain…I hope. So like I said, I don't know what I'm doing so I'm just going to let it flow like you say. Here it goes….

I'm you're not in shining armor but you don't even know I'm there.

The fact that you love another, my brother, is a pain excruciating to bare.

Still each day I do in the hopes that I'll awake to you're smiling face

whispering vows of love for all eternity creating our own special place.

Love,

Edward

Sayla's eyes teared as the paper fell from her hands. She was stunned not knowing how to react and that was how Al found her nearly two hours later kneeling on the floor tears splattering the crumpled paper.

Fin