"My help?" Ed cocks his head to the side. "With what, exactly?"

Iris grabs his shoulders. "Just look at me, okay? I need to concentrate. I want to see if my powers work still."

"What do you mean? Have they not been working?"

"Not exactly. Something happened to my powers ever since that night in the Fifth Laboratory. Granted I only tried one other time since then, but it didn't work then, either. Would it be okay if I tried it on you?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure."

"After years of learning how my powers work, I've managed to read people much more easily. I'd just need a second of eye contact. But ever since I couldn't read those homunculi or my one attempt on King Bradley, I can't do it. I'm thinking if maybe I just focus on one person, with no one else around, I can do it again. Help me out, Ed."

He pushes her arms down from his shoulders. "Okay, but it better work."

"Thank you." She motions him to sit down on the rocks and sits in front of him once he's sat down. "Now, don't say anything else. Look at me. Don't look away until I close my eyes."

Iris leans in as if that would help her. She feels the pull of his past, but can't quite grasp it. Not looking away from his eyes, she gropes around for his hand. Once her fingers touch the cold iron-based automail, she gasps. Ed's surprised face is the last thing she sees before a flood of his memories comes to her. She closes her eyes, and her hand slips off of his metal hand.

•••

A white room. A white figure, outlined with some sort of black fog. A frightened child. Edward Elric. The figure smiles, then a door behind child-Edward opens. Sickening tentacles grab him as he struggles. Tentacles drag him through an overload of information. Secrets of science and alchemy. Every feasibly possible factor of the universe, invading this young Ed's brain and body - and now mine, too.

'What am I seeing? This is unfathomable.'

Just as my head feels like it's about to split, everything stops, and I return to the white room, Edward and the figure on either side of me. The memory is fuzzing at the edges, so I let it fade away completely, satisfied.

•••

Iris' eyes open once more, and her breaths are ragged. While she was content with her powers returning to her, it took a good chunk of her energy and concentration, and the information she received from Edward's memory was more than overwhelming.

"Hey, did it work?" Ed guesses yes, seeing the state she's in.

"What... was that?" she breathes out. "The white room, the door, that... thing." The alchemist practically shudders and almost immediately does Ed understand what she had seen.

"The Truth," he says in awe. "You took that from my memories?"

"I did. My powers work again." She smiles. Her determination truly did get her places. But Edward had a look of fright on his face.

"Iris, when was the last time you used your alchemy?"

She taps her chin. "I don't think I've used it all this time in the desert. I haven't needed it for anything."

"Can you transmute something for me? Just here, with the sand." He pushes a handful of sand in front of them.

"Sure, let me just get my gloves." She fishes into her coat pocket, but he stops her.

"Don't use a circle, just transmute it as if you were the circle itself. Like how Al and I do it."

"The clapping thing?" He nods. "Okay... Let's see." She meets her hands together in front of her chest then puts them on the ground. The sand forms itself into a model of Al's armored head, and she laughs in excitement and amusement.

"How did you know I could do that? That's awesome!"

"People who use human transmutation can do it. But since you have seen the Truth, I suppose it's all the same."

"Nonetheless, it's cool. And I didn't have to give up anything."

Ed gets up and turns away from her. Iris can't tell, but he's wearing a face of frustration. He starts to walk away, so she crushes the sand and follows him back to the camp.

They get back just as Maria is saddling a horse for herself.

"Are we leaving already?" Ed wonders.

"The Second Lieutenant and Mr. Fu, yes," Armstrong fills in. "They are going to Xing. Say your goodbyes, for now, Edward. You too, Miss Iris."

Edward goes up to Ross, and Iris hesitates before following a few steps behind. Maria shakes Ed's gloved hand. "Goodbye, Ed. Take care. Of yourself, and your brother." She points to Iris, as well. "And her, too."

"I promise to do my best." He grins and moves aside so Maria can say parting words to Iris. The Second Lieutenant extends a hand out to her, but Iris only looks into her eyes. Briefly, she looks through her memories and finds nothing she was looking for. She can't tell if this is a good or bad thing.

"You didn't kill Maes, did you..." The sorrow in her eyes is strong.

Ross frowns. "That wasn't me. I'm sorry."

Iris flings herself at the older woman, hugging her tightly. Maria pats the back of her shoulder, not quite sure what to do. Eventually, she pulls away, her eyelids twitching from attempting not to cry.

"My damn brother played me for a fool."

Maria half-chuckles."Don't be too hard on him, okay? He saved my life when he could have easily ended it."

She scrubs her eyes with her sleeve. "Whatever."

Ross and Fu climb their horses and say one final goodbye before setting off into the vast desert, the sun shining on their backs.

"We should head back to Amestris now - let the Colonel know that this was a success."

"Finally. Get me out of this desert heat!"

•••

The suburb that is Resembool is on the horizon now. Iris is a few steps in front of Ed, so he catches up to her. She notices confusion in his eyes.

"What is it?"

"When we were saying bye to Ross, I saw you look through her memories. You get that glossy-eyed stare whenever you use your powers. So why'd you ask her if she killed Lieutenant Colonel Hughes?"

Iris continues to look ahead to see where she's going, but side glances at Ed. "Brigadier General," she corrects, then says with a shaky voice, "And I just wanted to hear her say it."

•••

The four reach the train station. Breda offers to buy tickets, but Ed shakes his head.

"I want to stay in Resembool for a bit longer. I have some things to take care of."

"Can I stay with you?" Iris requests, biting her lip in hope. "Frankly, I'm not ready to face Roy yet. And the Rockbells... They're buried here, aren't they? I wanted to tell them about the Ishvalans they helped."

Ed nods his head in understanding. "Stay, then."

Armstrong and Breda leave them to their own decisions. The Major goes to buy the tickets.

"Anything you two want me to pass on to the Colonel?" he asks.

"Yeah," Iris bursts. "Give him this!" She raises up her middle finger, and the Second Lieutenant laughs.

"I'll be sure to make sure he knows it's from you. See you later, kids."

He enters the train; Armstrong had already boarded.

Ed and Iris wave, then start walking side by side.

"Uh, listen. I wanted to visit my mom's grave once I came back." Ed sounds solemn.

"Oh," Iris replies gently. "Did you need some company?"

"No, I'd rather say hello by myself. Maybe some other time."

"Of course."

Ed knew he was lying; he never let anyone go with him to see his mother, except Al on special occasions. He doesn't let her know that, though.

They reach a fork in the road. Ed gives directions.

"My granny lives up there. Just say you're a friend and I'll be there later, alright?"

"Okay, thank you."

Edward watches Iris walk away until she's completely out of sight. After a few minutes of looking at the horizon mindlessly, he turns to head towards the cemetery. Walking through the gate of the fence, he stops in shock, seeing the back of the man who changed his life in the worst of ways.

"Hohenheim...?"