don't be afraid, we're going home. |-/
•••
Five legs walk across the busy streets of Central City. Three are flesh, one is made of metal, and the other is a stick of wood with a hook. Edward and Iris stroll side by side, metal and wood scraping the concrete with every other footstep they take in tandem.
"How are you feeling since you've been released?" the young man asks, getting another look at her. The bruises he saw blossom on her skin have disappeared, her cuts have turned into scars, and in the occasional moments that she opens her eyes, they seem clearer and full of life once more. He was worried he wouldn't ever be able to see that spark in her again, but two months of healing has served her well.
"I'm doing just fine," Iris answers honestly. "I'm still trying to adjust, but being at Roy's place again is super helpful since everything is so familiar. Also, I have this to help me get around," she waves the white support cane in her left hand.
They walk into Central City's hospital. Edward goes into the elevator car and Iris steps right behind him. She gropes around for the handle of the gate then closes it. He pulls the lever to the third floor. It creaks for a moment as the door shuts, then they move upward with the elevator.
"The memories are a plus, too," she continues. "I can still see them in my head just as easily as I did before. And, well..." She teeters off, a blush coming over her face. "I think I've finally realized something." Embarrassed, she turns away from the stare she can feel from him.
"What is it?"
Iris puts both of her hands on her cane and stops. Her top hand rubs her healing scars on her bottom hand.
"Last night I dreamt for the first time since..." She frowns, searching for the right words.
"Since we defeated Father and won the Promised Day," he supplies, knowing that her description would have taken a dark, negative turn.
She swallows visibly. "R-right. Anyway, do you remember how I told you... when I killed my sister, I would obtain her powers? Or at least that's what the prophecy foretold.
"At first I wasn't sure. I didn't feel any different. But last night I knew it had all come true."
Ed clearly doesn't follow, his eyebrows furrowing. "What are you trying to say, Iris?"
"In my dream, everything was dark. Wherever I was, I'd never been there before. I was fumbling around, completely lost. I felt hopeless. But then, as I kept walking around, I could see you in the distance. A ray of light. You looked like you were waiting for me. I immediately knew my powers worked because... you're my future, Ed." She realized the weight of her statement as she said it and blushed deeply. "Or, at least I want you to be!"
Edward looked simultaneously stunned and expectant. Then, he says bluntly, "Well, I didn't need some Xingese folktale to tell me that."
Iris scoffed incredulously, then laughed until she was breathless. Her happiness made Ed's heart soar. She caught her breath then let out a sigh mixed with both contempt and longing.
"Can I see you?" she whispers to him.
"Hm?" he questions.
Slowly, Iris lifts up her hand over what she can sense is Edward's face. He realizes she's waiting for an answer to her question. Ever since Al returned to his true body, he's been hovering his hands over things or people he wants permission to touch. He understands this is a similar situation for her, so he guides her hand to his face once he closes his eyes. With a grateful smile she studies his features with her fingers. She traces the bridge of his nose, his cheekbones, his jawline... Eventually she moves her fingertips towards his lips. She brushes her thumb over them, then cradles his cheek. Her touch is so delicate that he could barely feel it. She felt him smile, though, then leaned into his touch as he put his hand in her ever-growing hair.
"I can't believe you got me falling for you, Edward Elric," she chuckles.
He grins cockily. "What can I say?"
"Nothing." She pulls the collar of his shirt. "I'd rather you just kiss me."
With a light laugh he met her parted lips, and she melted into him.
When they release, Iris embraces him, burying her face in his comfortable chest.
"So ironic, huh?" She murmurs with a hint of humor. "I can see the past, and now the future, but never what's in front of me ever again."
Ed rolls his rich yellow eyes, but strokes her hair a few times. "Don't even get me started. At least you can still do alchemy." They both laugh at this.
The elevator slows to a stop, then the first door opens. Edward pushes the elevator gate and lets Iris through first then follows her.
"This way, right?" Iris points to the left hallway.
"Yeah."
Edward takes the lead, and Iris listens for his footsteps on the white tile. When he finds the correct door, he twists the doorknob and lets himself inside. Iris holds the door open for herself with her white cane. Al's voice rings out in the white noise of the hospital room, a happy greeting to them both.
"Hey! You're looking good, Al," is the first thing Ed says to his little brother as he ruffles his freshly cut hair.
He beams like sunshine. "Thanks, Brother. Miss Hawkeye did a really good job."
Iris takes a few steps to get to Alphonse's qi, who's lying in the hospital bed. She smiles at him a bit shyly. The guilt of not seeing him or Edward while she was recovering was building up within her, and now that they were all together again it felt like it would burst from the inside out. Ed seems to have silently forgiven her, but she was nervous for the younger brother's reaction.
But Al's excitement makes her nerves vanish. The boyish happiness that he radiates fills her with warmth when he says, "Iris, I've missed you!" It's as if time hadn't passed at all for them to drift apart, and she's grateful. She's felt selfish for not visiting or calling and rejecting their visits and calls, but the two of them seem to have a silent understanding of her.
After she had visited the Truth, all her time was spent trying to decipher what it all meant. For two months she searched within herself for answers that the Truth was trying to make her realize. The price of a life is something invaluable - she was taught this many times. Her father, Ed and Al's mother, her sister, all the lives used for the Philosopher's Stone, those who died along the way... She could never replace them, nor bring them back. All she could do for them is to let them know that their lives were not offered in vain. She would let them know by living on and helping those who can offer nothing back to her, because the world doesn't operate on equivalent exchange. She now understands that that is a good thing. These notions preoccupied her while she recovered from the Promised Day, but now that they are understood by her, she could finally face the world again in all of its ugly beauty. Edward had called the Mustang residence a few days ago, and instead of an angry Colonel telling him to stop calling for the umpteenth time, Iris's sweet voice answered the phone and agreed to go see Alphonse for his release day.
She would tell the boys about all this; her struggle to cope with her new powers from Iridian, how many things she took for granted when she had eyesight, and her epiphany regarding the Truth, but she knows it can wait. Those clever Elrics have probably come to the same conclusions as she has.
"I've missed you too, Al."
"You look a lot better," he says. Iris smiles.
"I'm sure you do, too." She clears her throat, then asks sheepishly. "May I?" She holds her hand out in front of the general area of his face. Al understands immediately and makes a noise of affirmation. Iris places gentle fingers on his face. The difference is instantaneous to her; his cheeks are no longer hollow, his face is full and healthy, and his hair is smooth and now short, thanks to the lieutenant.
"You've made so much progress, Al," Iris appraises. "You should be proud."
She feels him smile, then gently taps his nose before removing her hands from his face.
Ed puts his hands on his hips and looks to Alphonse. "Well, ready to go home, little brother?"
•••
Trees, buildings, and people disappear into the horizon as the train chugs along its rails. Al describes it all to Iris, as per her request. Ed chimes in too, but as they get farther away from the urban cities, there's nothing for the boys to paint a picture of; it's green grass for miles and miles, which takes hours and hours.
"Anything else to see?" Iris questions hopefully.
"Did we mention the grass?" Ed queries. "You know that's what Resembool's known for, right? Lots and lots of grass."
She gives an annoyed eyebrow raise but can't help but smile at his joke. "Har har."
Her hands open up her suitcase and dig around. Upon finding the book she runs her palms over it appreciatively. She opens it up, then places her fingers over the first page which is lined with dots. Ed and Al watch her for a moment in curiosity.
"What's that?" Ed wonders, leaning towards her book. She tips it downward so that he can see it.
"It's The Study of Advanced Alchemic Techniques, except it's translated into Braille, something I can read with my fingers! Isn't it cool?"
He takes it from her, feeling the ridges of the bumps on the tips of his fingers. Al roams his hand gently over it as well.
"Roy gave it to me as a homecoming gift. I used to steal it from his study every night when I first got adopted. I guess he noticed."
"So you're saying you can read this?" Ed asks incredulously.
"It's slow going: learning a language. But I've read this book a thousand times before, so I can translate it in my head until I learn the letters like how I learned to read. Plus I have this little cheat sheet if I forget." Cheekily she pulls out a sheet of paper from the suitcase. It's an alphabet of Braille.
For the last portion of the ride she shows the two boys the basics of reading Braille, despite being a beginner herself. They don't even notice that they've arrived in Resembool until the train comes to a full stop at the station.
The road is just wide enough for them all to walk, two canes included. Al stops a few times, insisting they go on without him, but they both refuse and wait patiently. He's grateful and takes his time.
When they get there, the house is just as the Elrics remember it. A tearful Winry awaits, arms open for long hugs with each of them. Pinako gives them a genuine smile and a welcome back, and Den showers them with wet kisses.
During stew dinner, they take turns sharing stories, laughing, shedding a tear or two, their hearts swelling with an array of emotions. When everyone else has said good night, Iris and Edward retreat to their guest room. She feels around for the bed then sits down, her head resting on a pillow propped up by the headboard. Ed puts their suitcases down, but instead of joining her, he rummages around his things.
"What is it, Ed?" Iris asks, waiting for his company. He walks towards the side of the bed.
"Al gave me this book earlier," he chuckles. "It was the first alchemy book we ever read." Nostalgia floods him.
Iris takes it from him and grazes her fingertips over the torn and tattered pages. It brings a smile to her face, and Ed's heart sings with joy. He climbs into bed, pressed right against her side and puts an arm around her.
"Would you read it to me?" She asks quietly, handing it over to him. He takes a moment, moves her hair to the side to graze his lips on her forehead, then takes the book from her. Ed smooths over the first page with his right hand, then begins to read aloud.
"Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's first law of equivalent exchange..."
fin
