"The Avarice Stone"

The desert sands were hot as hell as the sun baked them.

For Al, his soul attached to a suit of armour, he felt nothing. But for Ed, and his Automail, it was like his limbs were scorching and his blood was bubbling.

Ed had drunk the last of their water in a flask an hour ago and his throat was parched. In fact, it felt so dry, it was burning, and with the hot winds, he kept breathing in sand, so it was even worse.

The Fullmetal Alchemist, Edwards Elric, as he was called, and his brother Alphonse Elric, his little brother, had been traveling across this barren desert for what felt like forever in hope of the elusive Philosophers Stone, a mythical jem, that would not only help restore Ed's Automail limbs back to flesh and bone, but also give Al his body back that they both lost when they practiced Forbidden Alchemy in an attempt to bring back their dead mother.

That was ancient history, though, both agreed, and there was no use fretting over the past knowing it could not be changed. The Elric brothers were looking towards the future and they were excited to think their quest would wield promising results this time. At least, that's what they thought.

Ed collapsed to his hands and knees and he groaned loudly. "I feel like my insides are on fire, Al…"

"Just hold on, Brother," Al said, "and try to control your breathing. Don't panic."

Ed looked up at the tall form of his Ed in the suit of armour. The shade provided some help. "Don't be pedantic, Al. And there is nothing here but miles and miles of desert. You said your information was reliable about a possible Philosophers Stone in the City of Avarice. But I don't see anything!"

Al looked around. "Neither do I," he said, a little defeated. "Maybe the information was incorrect? The old man I met in the cafe sounded so convincing and he even drew a map on a napkin for us."

"Yeah, and it cost us 50,000. How am I going to explain the expense to Central? They'll audit it for sure." Ed moaned from the heat and felt tired. "I'm going to die here, Al. This is the last hurrah!"

"Don't say that, Brother. We can use Alchemy to build a temporary shelter and get out of the heat."

"That's all good and dandy, Al, but I'm so thirty, I think I might have to do something drastic. It's filled with ammonia, but it will, at the very least, give my mouth a little reprieve."

Al paused. "Oh, that's disgusting, Brother!"

"Al! I'm desperate here!"

All of a sudden, Ed's eyes rolled up and he collapsed into the sand.

"Brother? Brother! Oh god!" Al bounced around trying to think of something. He panicked. "What do I—"

Ed spit out sand. He had only fallen unconscious for a moment because of the heat. It may have been a result of possible heat stroke, but when he looked up, Al was gone "Al? Hey, Al? Where did you go?"

All of sudden, a hand reached out of nowhere and grabbed onto his left wrist and yanked Ed through some sort of invisible barrier unseen by the naked eye.

The moment Ed went through, he dropped to his hands and knees, but instead of sand beneath him, it was on healthy, green grass, and the air smelled fresh and not with the stench of heat. He looked up and witnessed an awesome sight. He was at the edge of a grassy patch of field overlooking a bazaar or market place. There was an array of people busy with booths selling a variety of foods. His mouth watered with all the aromas. But was this a mirage? Was he still unconscious in the desert?

"Um, Al? Tell me something. Are my eyes deceiving me? Is this real?"

"If it's not, then we're experiencing the same hallucination, Brother," Alphonse said.

Ed got to his feet, forgetting about his dry mouth for the moment. He turned to Al, and then pointed, and screamed, "Ah! Al! You're naked!"

Al pointed back. "So, are you!"

Ed's mouth went agape. "Al, you're naked! You're naked!"

"Yeah, I—" Then Al caught on. "Oh my god! I'm naked! Brother, I'm naked! And Ed, you're Automail, it's—"

Ed looked at his right arm and left leg, they were flesh and bone, and he had no scars to speak up on his chest. It was like The Gate had not taken parts of his body in exchange for Al's soul being attached to a suit of armour. Al's suit of armour was gone. Al was flesh and bone again, too.

"Brother, if this is a dream, then never let me wake up!" Al felt his body. "I'm whole again!"

Emotions got the better of them and they ran to the other and hugged and jumped up with glee. They were completely whole again before their accursed foolishness with Forbidden Alchemy. But when they finally realized themselves, they quickly broke apart, turned, and cleared their throats embarrassed.

"Halt!" came the voice of an authoritative man. Both turned and saw a Centurion like soldier wearing little else but a jockstrap, shoulder armour, a light cape, boots, and carrying a small rule book. "You are breaking the rules in fraternizing in that manner. State your name and purpose in the City of Avarice!"

Taken to a detection centre and a question area, the brothers were sat down, still naked, and faced a healthy looking man with dark hair, who sat behind a desk. He was a Representative to the Mayor of the City of Avarice and they discussed what had taken place on the grass just on the outskirts of the city.

The city was an open place where people hid nothing and exhibitionism was encouraged, except for the action that the Elric brothers had done. When Ed and Al explained they were just happy for another matter and were hugging each other because of it, the Representative's brow rose with concern.

There was no hostility or criminality in the City of Avarice and everyone walked around naked without reservation. It was a peaceful city and when Ed asked where their clothes and gear went when they entered the transparent barrier of the city, the Representative said they were immediately taken by the Overseer of the city and would be returned to them when they left.

Nothing was to enter the city from the outside without approval. They were being checked for weapons.

Al crossed his legs, one leg over a knee. It was one way to preserve his dignity. Ed tried, but his legs were thicker and he could only place a leg over a knee sideways and put his hands over top. Al seemed more comfortable than Ed. They brothers discussed they were here to find the fabled Philosophers Stone. However, Al stopped short for what purpose. As it stood, if the truth came out that his soul was actually attached to a suit of armour, no doubt Central would be alerted and Ed would be arrested. So, Al explained they were searching for the stone to help a family member back home who had taken ill.

And yet, the very nature that their bodies had been 'fixed' was perplexing. Asking the right questions to understand why would be a careful task because asking the wrong ones would create suspicion. They were also strangers to the city and they needed to be careful not to say or do the wrong thing. When in a new place, do as the inhabitants do, and just go with the flow.

"Representative," the man did not give a man, "this naked rule, is it to prevent any weapons from entering the city? Have you had trouble with this issue before?"

"Yes," the Representative answered, "a few years back. It caused some issues, but the criminals were soon dealt with. After that, a new rule was put into place, and it seemed to become accepted quite warmly. In fact, the people of Avarice live happier lives now. Everything is out in the open."

"Speaking about elephants in the room," Ed began. Al gave him a strange look. "Tell me, how is this city even possible in the middle of a desert? And I would like to know certain others things, like what happened to Automail? Years ago, I had an accident, and I lost both my right arm and left leg, but now they are perfectly fine—flesh and blood. This isn't possible. Nothing in nature can return what was lost. Equivalent Exchange is a tenant of Alchemy, but nothing was given for my limbs to be restored, or…"

Al shook his head, Ed saw—a sign not to involve him for obvious reasons to them both. Right now, he would only be travelling with Ed as his brother and companion.

"The name of the city should be self-explanatory," the Representative said, "as in old saying: Beyond the dreams of Avarice. But unlike gluttony or greed, the people of the City of Avarice live and want for nothing. They have peace and prosperity and are spiritually wealthy beyond imagination. Everyone's hearts' desires are met here. The moment you stepped through the barrier into the city, your deepest desires were meant. Your arm and leg were restored and…what did you wish for, Alphonse Elric? Or was it your wish to have your brother's limbs restored?"

"Yes, it was," Al said quickly, although it was bit of a fib, and Ed knew it.

The Representative looked at Edward. "And what was your wish? No, I'm sorry. I shouldn't pry. We are an open society in Avarice, however we do all have our little secrets. We can't read minds."

"You didn't answer my question, Representative," Ed said. "Without Equivalent Exchange, wishes are just that. The granting of wishes like the people in this city have needs something of equal value to be taken or the whole balance of Equivalent Exchange is off kilter. Unless you have a Philosophers Stone?"

"Ed, don't be rude," Al told him.

"Al, we're sitting naked in an office being interrogated by a guy also nude; questions are needed."

"You're not being interrogated, Edward," the Representative said, "but if the idea of being naked unnerves you, you are allowed to wear clothes in the privacy of your own domicile. Children under a certain age are required to wear a pelvic covering, but teenagers such as yourself are not. In fact, it's a healthy expression of one's self to be free. It has nothing to do with sexuality or anything related to such. The citizens of Avarice are exhibitionists," he laughed. "But there is nothing to fear here, Edward, Alphonse, and, you are free to explore where you wish."

Ed couldn't wait to explore the city and he strut down the streets without a care in the world. If no one cared about being naked, while should he? Al was a little more reluctant and had a hand in front the entire time. It was an interesting city with a lot of interesting people who were expressing themselves freely. It kind of brought a 'wholesome' feel to their lives. Any outsiders like Ed and Al would think that this was beyond weird and not natural, but if history told, people were born into the world naked and should not be ashamed of their bodies. It was only society that made it such. But here in the City of Avarice, freedom and expressionism was an open concept. People's desires were granted to a certain degree.

And it was true: Ed wished for Al's body back and Al wished for Ed's limbs back. The nudity of this city was just a by-product of those wishes and they being here was not a representation of anything else. Besides, sometimes it was just best to let loose. And Ed felt free as a bird as if he didn't have a care in the world. Al smiled at this, but he had some issues with it.

Al asked to remind behind Ed as a further hindrance of his nudity because he did not feel comfortable especially with all the expressionism going on. Ed had more control. But at one point, Ed and Al had to turn away and hide their reaction to certain external stimuli that male's often exhibited when they saw a beautiful woman. Ed was just glad Winry was not here to see this.

When they got to the centre of the city, which was more like a small town, they stood side-by-side and looked up at a large stone statue with its hand raised to the sky as if trying to catch the sun at the top of a large majestic foundation shooting out of water into a circular enclosed ground pool.

With one hand, Al pointed. "Hey Ed, this statue looks just like you. You look so heroic." Al chuckled.

Ed cupped his hips. "I don't need a statue for that," he said with a smile. He thrust out his chest and then flexed his arms. He was sixteen and shorter than his brother even now—God damn! Never say that!—but his muscles were more defined because he worked them every day. As both an Alchemist and a recipient of Automail, although not at the immediate moment—he still wanted to know why—he had to keep in shape and work the muscles that attached to his mechanical parts. Winry kept the Automail in top form, but its user needed to also be in top form or the weight of such would be too much.

Ed mused as he looked at the statue, he squinted his eyes as he looked up. "Yeah, it does kind of look like me, doesn't it?" Then something caught his eye, a glint from the sun, and something the statue was holding—and something ruby red. "Al, look! Clasped between two fingers in its outstretched hand reaching up to the sky. Is that what I think it is?"

Al had to use both hands to see beyond the sun's rays. He forgot about his exposure for the moment and cupped his hands over his eyes. He gasped. "Oh my god, Brother! It's a Philosophers Stone!"

Ed jumped into the pool. It was cold as water splashed onto Al. Al tried to stop Ed knowing what Ed was about to do, but Ed could be beyond stubborn sometimes and Al could only watch as Ed climbed the statue and then tried to reach for the stone as he held onto the body of the hero statue. But he couldn't reach the stone. He then went out further like a monkey on a tree branch and inched his way across the arm. Suddenly, the sound of stone cracking was heard and Ed and the arm plummeted into the pool. But while the arm and Ed splashed down, the wrist of the arm snapped off on the pool's enclosed edge, and it rolled to Al's feet with the stone still attached. Yet, he more concerned with Ed at the moment.

"Brother! Are you all right?"

Ed emerged from the water shivering, but instead of complaining about how cold it was, he said, "Al, where's the stone? We need that Philosophers Stone! With it, our bodies will stay like this forever without the need for Equivalent Exchange. It's the only time where the Alchemic law doesn't apply due to its unique properties."

Al picked up the disembodied hand and looked at the stone. Ed jumped out of the water. They both examined it and found that it was different to what they imagined a Philosophers Stone looked like. Typically, a stone was a ruby red quartz and it could be any shape. This stone was crafted as if designed by a craftsman and specifically for the statue. It had another odd property, half of it was blue. Therefore, it was not a genuine Philosophers Stone. However, that didn't mean it didn't have certain properties that resembled a Philosophers Stone; this they knew after they encountered a Holy Man in the same town they met Rose.

Ed broke it from the statue's hand. "Al, the information you got about this wasn't wrong, only the authenticity of the stone is in question. But why is it red and blue? We're taking this with us back to Central for examination. I'll let the Representative know it's by order of the military." He slicked back his hair after a few blond strands got into his eyes.

"Halt!" came an authoritative voice.

Ed and Al looked around.

It was the same Centurion who apprehended them earlier and took them to the Representative. And this time, he came with a few others. Someone must have seen what was happening at the foundation and told the authorities. Despite the City of Avarice being an open and free place, it had its own police force.

Ed and Al raised their hands.

The Centurion escorted Ed and Al to the same Representative they met before, but instead of a conservation and explanation of why they did what they did, they were immediately imprisoned. They were locked in a twenty-by-twenty foot holding cell with a toilet in a building fall from public view. They were naked and it was cold.

Al sat on a bench with one leg over a knee while Ed sat cross-legged on the floor and pouted.

Al looked up at the ceiling. "Well, what a pickle we've gotten ourselves into, huh, Brother?" said Al. "It's been one bizarre thing after the next. And we still don't know the full story of this small city. That stone wasn't a Philosophers Stone as we know it, but it does have some unusual properties that aids Avarice and allows its people to prosper and gives them happiness—even the nudist law."

"I wonder what kind of punishment we'll get?" Ed said, resting his chin on a closed fist on a leg. "They didn't even ask us why we wanted the stone. They just shoved us into this cold dank cell. At the very least, they could have given us something warm to sit on. We could brake out of here easily, but I don't want to cause any further issues and then have the military come storming in."

"Yeah, we need to settle things ourselves," Al said. "And I agree, it is cold in here. As for the stone, I have a few theories about it. But I can't say for sure. The stone is essential to the City of Avarice, so I can understand why we were immediately jailed. We will probably be severely punished, too. Maybe we'll be subjected to the only ultimate prejudice this city can deliver, as well."

"The only ultimate prejudice?" Ed said. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, since we can't abide by the law of the city, we'll probably be paraded through the streets fully clothed and shamed and mocked by the citizens just before we are taken to a square and told to walk down some sort of catwalk in a fashion show."

"That means absolutely no sense, Al. You much be giddy with having your body restored."

Al chuckled. "I know it sounds bizarre, but it would fit the mentality of this city. An unusual punishment, but this is an unusual place. We came to the city to escape the desert. While we should have given thanks, we tried to steal the most precious thing in it for a selfish purpose. We were so determined to give into our own want and desire, that we ignored everyone else around us. We should take a lesson away from that. We need to be mindful of others. This is a peaceful city and we caused a major incident."

"When did you get so smart, Al? Have you been conversing with The Gate behind my back?"

Al chuckled again. "No, but when you're sleeping, I do have a lot of time to think to myself. Come to think of it, I am feeling a little tired. I haven't sleep in what feels like years."

"Oh, very funny, Al," Ed said facetiously.

The barred jail cell was in a large room with a single door and now that door opened. Both of them looked as the Representative from before, now fully dressed with a suit and tie, walked in. With him, he brought blankets. He opened the cell door with a key and tossed in the blankets. Ed and Al each took one and wrapped themselves. They were large enough to cover their bodies down to the knees.

"You will be released to a member of your peers," the Representative said. "We just learned who you really are after we went through your clothes and gear. You're the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric."

"Yup, that's me," Ed said, smiling proud. "So, when do we get out of here?"

"There's a problem with that," the Representative said, looking at Alphonse. "Your military file says you're travelling with your brother and he wears a suit of armour, but no armour was found. Therefore, we can't confirm his identity, so he must stay here. You, Edward, can wait in my office until collected."

Ed gasped, and then looked to Al. "No way! I'm staying here with Al. How can prove he's my brother?"

"Originally someone from the military branch of Central was coming here to collect you, but we just got a call from someone named Roy Mustang and he said someone else will be coming who can make a positive ID. Someone with a more intimate connection to you. We never got a name."

"Positive ID?" Ed and Al looked at each other confused. "But…" Ed began, but never finished.

No one in the military knew what Al looked like. Before they started their journey, they burned down their home and everything inside. Nothing was left. Only friends of the family knew what Al looked like before the incident that caused Ed to fuse Al's soul to the suit of armour.

Ed gasped, as if hit by a sudden realization. "Oh my god! Anyone but—"

Al inhaled shocked. "Brother, you don't mean?"

A couple of hours later, the representative from Central arrived and was escorted to the detention centre, and due to her special privilege, she was able to keep all her clothes.

When Winry Rockbell arrived to the barred jailed cell room, she immediately laughed. And Ed and Al blushed, their faces turning pink, then beet red, as they covered themselves with the blankets. She had been told everything, and she was obviously curious about the red quartz stone.

Winry smiled at Al with an almost teary-eyes look. "Nice to see you again, Al," she said ambiguously, knowing Al's secret. She knew not to say anything about it. However, her acknowledgement was enough to convince the Representative that Alphonse was indeed Edward's biological brother.

When the jail cell opened and Ed and Al were officially handed over with signed credentials and authorization from Central by Roy Mustang with Winry providing proof of Ed and Al's family relation, Winry hugged them both suddenly, wrapping her arms around their heads. Both brothers just stood there.

Winry whispered something. "I've missed you two very much, it's been so long since things were normal," she said. "Just let me enjoy this moment."

Once they left the city, both of them would revert back to normal. It wouldn't be painful, it would just be like flicking on a switch, as they were told.

Winry was also here to check on Ed's Automail when the switch happened just in case something needed to be adjusted. And to see Al as he would be at the age of fifteen instead of his soul being trapped in a suit of armour. Being here was almost enough to make him want to stay in Avarice forever. He didn't want to go back into the suit of armour. But obviously Winry was here to persuade him to return home.

Every time Al looked in the mirror in Avarice it would be a fake image of himself. He didn't want that. And no doubt, if he stayed Ed would want to, as well. It was Ed's life goal to find a way to revert them back to normal before the tragedy of years back with their dabble with Forbidden Alchemy.

When Winry pulled back, she wiped a tear from her eye. "It was explained to me," she said, and the boys were shown the Avarice Stone, or was also sometimes called the Naked Stone, because its power give everyone in Avarice the ability to be free and openminded, their selves 'naked' in every sense of the word. "The red side of the stone has the power to grant the wish of a person while the blue side blinds that person to any licentious and malicious intent, opening up the mind and filling it with happiness and joy."

"No one knows where the stone came from," the Representative said, "but we figure it might have originated from the Far East over fifty years ago and brought here by a tall, gentlemanly traveller. The person on top of the statue is a representation of that traveller, which, now that I look at you, Edward Elric, looks very much like you, but a little big older and a lot taller."

Edward's face narrowed with disdain. "Go ahead, tell me again that I'm small—I dare you!"

The Representative put up his hands and backed off. "I never said that," he said defensively.

Al extended a hand across Ed's chest to make him stop. He looked serious. "How does the Avarice Stone get its power? Can it work outside of the city?"

Ed knew why Al asked that. If it did, then he might be able to remain human even if it was only a facade and would no longer need the suit of armour. On the other hand, Ed also knew this Al was only a facade due to the power of the stone and his soul would revert back to the suit of armour. His 'real self', his real body, was trapped with The Gate.

"Unfortunately, no," the Representative said. "It only works within the city's barrier due to its unusual magnetic properties, something about the planet's polar field in this region gives the stone its power along with the energy of the sun—the traveller knew this when he left it passing down this information. Oddly enough, he has never returned. And we haven't tested it, and neither so the we want to, but if the stone is chipped in anyway—it was forged like it is for a reason, I suppose—it may lose its power all together and the prosperity of the City of Avarice would lose its effulgence as a tourist attraction."

"A tourist attraction?" Ed and Al said in unison.

Winry cocked her head. "You mean, you two didn't know?"

Ed and Al gave the Representative a nasty glare. "Someone didn't tell us," Ed said.

"I thought you already knew?" he said. "People come and even stay here for long periods of time, and some even become citizenry, because it is safe from the outside world and away from the wars that others create. Within this barrier that holds back the harshness of the desert is the last refuge of peace within Amestris. But you can only be invited by one of the residents and only by special VIP RSVP."

"So, this is a nudist colony," Ed said. "No wonder you have a barrier up to protect it."

Al sighed, a little sad. "I completely understand," he said. "An open and free-minded society, kind of nice."

Ed shrugged. "Then we can't take the Avarice Stone with us back to Central for study. But maybe we can stay here for a little while longer and study its properties for our Alchemic research? We apologize profusely for taking the stone like we did."

Al bowed. "Yes, and of course, we will repair any damages incurred," he said.

"But first before that," Winry said, "I want a picture, and lose the blankets."

Ed and Al's mouth went agape. "Whaaat?"

Winry smiled. "I'm kidding," she said with a laugh. "But, for mine sake, please…?"

Ed and Al smiled. And both agreed for the same reason Winry wanted it. They kept the blankets.

They were family.

The Representative got a camera. He focused in on the trio, Winry in the middle. "Say cheese, everyone…"

"Cheese," they all said, smiling.

CLICK!

"Can we have another one? Just in case the first didn't come out?" she asked.

The Representative agreed.

It was then, just before the photo was taken, Winry grabbed a piece of each blanket and whipped them off and threw them asunder, exposing the brothers full frontal.

CLICK!

"That's for dragging me all the way out here!" she said. "Fullnudist Alchemist!"

END