Truth revealed

by Lucifer swift

This story original belong to fallen crest Summary:- Some of the cast of FMAB were brought to a room to show the whole secret of the anestrus, the war of Ishwal And many more. But in exchange of the knowledge, they have to feel the suffer and pain of all the event, their past and future, to unravel the mystery which never has been revealed to the world.

20. Chapter 20 (Father Before the Grave)

Hello,

It's me, Lucifer Swift. Before we start Ch-20. For the first time.

I will give some reply to some review on last fic chap-19 and one PM I got regards on this fic,

PM BY TSUJIRIKI

TSUJIRIKI: Hi Lucifer! I am your new follower ever since I discovered this masterpiece. I have just done watching FMAB a few days ago, and it actually became my Favorite anime of all time. Then I started to find good fics and went deeper into the fandom. Luckily, I found you along with this fic. I read it under an hour, and- you don't know how much happiness this brought to my day.

I heard the original author of this fic is Fallen Crest. You said you would repost this until chapter 44, or 45? I'm sorry my memory is bad sometimes. But anyway, does that mean that you have a whole copy of his fic? If so, can I borrow it? Or at least can I borrow ep 41 reaction? I want to see them really quick. But really, you don't have to if you don't want. Thank you.

Besides, I'm pretty eager to see how will you go with this masterpiece. Especially your ideas! But you should take care of yourself too. Your health always comes first before this fic, so no need to rush, author!

(A/N: English is not my mother language so there could be mistakes somewhere...)

Answer: Hello, Tsujiriki, Well thank you for your appreciation on this fic, I always want to post something which gives people happiness, it makes me feel good,

Well for question, Do I have the whole copy of fic? Yes, yes, I have

But I can't give it to you, Now don't get me wrong, the reason why I'm not sharing it with you because I want everyone to read this fic at the same time like the other,

Well old readers might have already read this fic till Ch 45, when fallen used to post them, but for those new readers who recently discovered this fic, I want everyone to enjoy this fic equally and at the same time, so yeah, I can't give you the copy, I'm sorry,

Oh, and by the way, my mother language is not English just like you. Its Hindi, what yours?

Review by Rose

Rose: Will There be a 2003 cameo in the story? I kind of want to see their reaction to Roy kill Winry parents,

Answer : Well, my dear reader and friend Ross, well according to the manga, it never happened cause according to the cannon story, it was Scar who killed them not Mustang, and this fic purely follows the manga and the Brotherhood anime, well yeh there are little bit non-cannon moment mention in this story but I assure you that this fic will only follows the manga and the brotherhood adaptation

UNTIL.

Ep-45, But still I won't add that scene in this fic for 2 reasons, first it won't make any sense in this fic because it follows the brotherhood, the cannon storyline not the 03 FMA. And the second is.

Well.

It's a Secret.

Well now without any further ado, let start this chap,

I hope you enjoy It.

Thanks for reviewing!

Truth Revealed

Bold- What happens in the episodes

" Episode Title"

Narrative

Regular talking/actions

---

Episode 20: Father Before the Grave

Sighing, Ed shifted on the floor to sit cross legged again. He somehow found himself sitting between Havoc and Mustang, instead of Ling and his brother, but that was probably because none of the soldiers moved after Mustang and Havoc recovered. Riza was back on the couch, sitting next to Izumi and Hughes though.

He ran a hand through his bangs in frustration. Of all the people he could have met in Resembool, his father didn't even make that list because Ed didn't want to meet him. Hell, he would have rather run into Envy or something. At least Envy he could beat the shit out of without having to worry about consequences. Then again…. consequences be damned! He wanted to hit the man!

The opening song began.

Ed and Hohenheim appeared on the screen, standing in the graveyard.

"Hello Edward. You appear to have grown some." Hohenheim greeted.

Ed's eye twitched violently. Seriously, that was how he was going to greet him after ten years? Of course, he grew, damn it! It's been ten years!

Ed looked away, gritting his teeth.

"I spoke with Pinako." Hohenheim said, drawing Ed's eyes back to him. "You tried Human Transmutation."

"Well, your dad is certainly blunt." Havoc said, grimacing.

Ed growled. "He has always been blunt."

"And very sophisticated sounding?" Fuery asked curiously. "Even Al's manners aren't like that."

"Uh, no. He's always had manners and been polite in his speech, but not to this degree. The way he is talking is pretty weird." Ed muttered, silently wishing they would all drop it! It was bad enough that he had to run into his father at all. He didn't need them all analyzing this meeting and trying to figure his dad out as well.

"Does anyone else feel uncomfortable watching a private conversation like this one?" Karley asked.

Quite a few soldiers raised their hands.

"It would not be the first private conversation we've heard in here." Miles pointed out.

"But it is the first that we've had to listen to that involved the kid talking to someone he despises from his past." Brody said.

Miles shrugged.

Ed looked at his dad in horror. He looked away after a moment with an angry look in his eyes. "What makes you think you can show up like this?" Hohenheim was seen to be looking in the distance. "There's nothing left here for you anymore!"

Hohenheim looked at his son. "I noticed. Tell me, Edward," The man looked towards where his house used to be. "What possessed you to burn down my home?"

"After all this time, that's the first question he asks you?" Mustang moaned, covering his face.

"What would you ask your child that you haven't seen in…what, ten years?" Hughes asked, looking at the brothers for confirmation.

Al shrugged. "Give or take a year."

Hughes nodded and looked at Mustang. "So?"

"'I'm sorry I've been gone so long. Can you forgive me?' Or, 'What possessed you to become a State Alchemist?' Or maybe, 'Do you hate me?'" Mustang said, clenching his fists tightly by his side. He didn't hate Hohenheim, but he didn't condone his leaving and not returning in ten years. Ed suffered the role of big brother and guardian and Al suffered without having a parent that he wanted. Al just wanted his dad back to have one of them there. And Ed just wanted someone to watch over him and be proud of him for his accomplishments. Neither of them got what they wanted because their father left!

"Wow, I didn't expect him to have an answer so quickly, let alone three." Hughes whispered to Izumi and Riza.

Izumi chuckled at the man while Riza just smiled softly.

Ed stared at him. He looked away and said, "After what happened, we vowed to never turn back." He closed his eyes. "We did it as a symbol of our resolve."

"No, you didn't." Hohenheim said, causing Ed to look up. "You were hiding the memory." Ed looked shocked at him. "You didn't want to be reminded of what you've done." The man approached his son. "And thought you could erase the memory by destroying the evidence."

"What the hell does he know?" Ed grumbled to himself. "He hasn't seen us in ten years. He has no idea of what we are like or why we do the things we do."

Al sighed softly to himself. They weren't just hiding evidence. They really did burn their house to move on and not turn back. There was more than one reason for the things that they did.

Ed looked up at his dad. "You're wrong!"

"It's just liked a child who hides the sheets after he wets the bed." Hohenheim's face was shown to be looking down at Ed. "You ran away and you know it."

A look of horror spread across Ed's face.

"Wow." Ling said, grimacing at the look on Ed's face. "That was harsh."

"Tch." Ed snarled. "He has no right to say anything about it after being gone for so long."

Havoc, who was still sitting on the floor with his back against the couch, put a hand to Ed's shoulder, causing the boy to look at him. He grinned at Ed. "Running away isn't a cowardly act, Chief. It just means leaving for the moment and coming back when you are ready. You live to fight another day. You shouldn't do anything that you aren't prepared to face. Everyone runs sometimes."

Ed clenched his fists. "Chief, you were twelve when you burnt your house down. It was only a year after you did the transmutation. No one blames you for destroying your house. Personally, if I did something like that, I would be so traumatized that I would not even be able to go back to my house to burn it down." Havoc told him softly. "You are much stronger than I am."

Ed looked down. He certainly didn't feel strong at times. He felt so pathetic and weak a lot.

Ed's brows twitched as he looked down at his father's chest to avoid his eyes. "I…You don't know a damn thing!" He spun around and stalked out of the cemetery. "You make me sick to my stomach!"

"That's one way to handle it." Al muttered.

"Not the best way, but one of the ways." Ross said with a sigh. She could understand why Ed was so mad at his father, and it was his problem, but he really should try to talk to his dad. It might lessen his resentment somewhat.

"The best way would be to act like an adult and talk it over."

"That's never been my style." Ed retorted.

"So, we are seeing." Avery said dryly

Hohenheim was shown. "He's exactly like I was when I was his age."

Ed screamed and pulled at his hair. "What? No! That's bad, very bad."

Brody chuckled. "Chief, you should realize that kids usual act like their parents."

"What does that mean for Al then?" Avery asked.

"Argh." Ed pulled his hair harder. "Al is more like our mom. In fact, I'd say his personality is almost an exact copy of hers."

"Father Before the Grave"

"Why is it called that?" Brosh asked. "You guys just left the cemetery."

"Probably because it's where Ed ran into his father." Breda said.

The Rockbell house was shown at nighttime. Ed appeared to be sleeping in a bed with his hair flowing freely down to his back.

"Aww, how cute." Hughes cooed.

Ed's brow twitched. "Hughes, shut up."

"But it's not often we get to see you so calm and peaceful looking. You are so cute when you are calm." Hughes teased.

Havoc snickered, causing Ed's glare to move to him. "Do you even know how to relax without being asleep?"

"Of course, I do." Ed snapped.

"I'll believe that when I see it." Mustang snorted.

The sound of a door opening sounded and a light spread across Ed and the bed. Hohenheim stood in the doorway. An image of a laughing Ed pulling on his pants with a baby Al by him was shown.

"Aw, look at how cute and happy you guys were as kids." Sheska cooed.

Ed twitched. "Should have just gone back to Central to have Winry fix my arm." He muttered. "Screw the consequences."

Hohenheim's sad eyes were shown. He was seen to be standing by his son's bed, staring at his sleeping form.

"You may hate your dad, but he has never forgotten you, it seems." Izumi said softly. She understood how Hohenheim was feeling. She lost her baby, but she used Human Transmutation on him to attempt to bring him back. She hurt him so her child could hate her, but she would forever love the child, even though they never got to know each other. Ed may hate his dad, but his dad would love him forever.

"I've been trying to calm his anger for years. Nothing anyone says makes it better." Al mumbled. He didn't hate his brother for being angry at their dad. If he was being honest, he was a bit upset with their dad being gone for so long as well, but he was still their dad. He could forgive him for it, as should his brother, but he wouldn't let that argument pull them apart.

Hohenheim half crouched down and reached a hand towards Ed's head, but pulled away before he could touch him.

Ed raised a brow, but didn't comment the weird behavior.

He stood up and looked at his hand. Ed was shown as Hohenheim closed the door behind him as he left. When the door was shut, Ed opened his eyes.

"You were awake the whole time?" Brody asked, frowning. "I would hate to see what you would have done if he had touched you."

"I'm more surprised he didn't react when Dad came in." Al said dryly. He looked over at his brother.

Catching his brother's red eyes, Ed just shrugged. "The less I have to deal and talk with him, the better, Al."

"Your relationship will never be fixed that way." Riza pointed out.

"I don't want to fix it. I don't need him. I just want left alone." Ed snapped. "I haven't had a parent for ten years now. I don't need one."

Den appeared on the screen, sitting in a corner and growling. Hohenheim was sitting at a table with Pinako. His head was turned to look at the dog.

"You haven't changed in the slightest." Pinako said, causing Hohenheim to turn his attention to her. Pinako was shown to be looking through a photo album. "All these years." A picture of a beautiful lady and Hohenheim was shown. "And you look exactly the same."

"She's right." Mustang said, brows furrowed. "How is that possible?"

"Don't look at us." Ed muttered, motioning first to himself then at Al. "We barely know him."

Hughes frowned and looked at the screen with narrowed eyes. He didn't want to say anything incriminating so he would keep quiet, but it was a bit suspicious that Hohenheim had not aged at all. It was just a feeling, but it felt like there was more going on here.

Hohenheim drank from his glass.

Pinako looked up. "Where have you been all this time?" Hohenheim put his glass down. "Why didn't you come back sooner?" She asked. Den walked out of his corner. "Trisha was waiting for you to the very end."

"I've been curious about this, but why does Den have an automail leg?" Fuery asked.

Al shrugged. "Because she lost her real leg in an accident."

"Yeah, but automail surgery is difficult. Why go through the challenge of giving an animal automail when they could have given him something different?" Fuery asked.

"Because of the challenge." Ed said with a shrug. "Because they wanted the

best for their dog. We don't know. They just gave it to her."

Hohenheim turned his head to watch Den leave the room through the open door that led to the hall. When she was gone, he turned back to his friend. "Pinako."

"Hmm?"

"The life form my sons transmuted, are you positive that it was Trisha?" Hohenheim asked.

Eyes widening in horror, Ed shot up straight, listening more intently to Hohenheim now then he was before. What the hell was their dad trying to say? Everything he and Al put themselves through and there was a chance that thing they created wasn't even their mother? His hands curled on his legs. He had suffered in horror for the last four years, fearing that he had hurt his mother and made her die a second time. Was it really a lie this whole time?

Al silently gasped at his father's words. Never before had he thought about the possibility that the person, they bought back was anyone but their mother. He had always believed that it was their mother he and Ed hurt again. That was the horror he has lived in, that he had to watch his mother die a second time and it was all their fault.

Pinako was shown. "Well, I wouldn't…it didn't even look human to me."

She shook her head. "So, I wouldn't think of it as–"

"No." Hohenheim interrupted causing Pinako to look at him. "That's not what I'm asking." The man pushed his glasses up. "Did you notice the eye color or the hair color?"

Havoc stared in horror at the screen. Was he saying that the boys did everything they did only to not even come remotely close to bringing their mother back?

Pinako's mind flashed back to when she entered the room where the boys did the human transmutation.

Pinako leaned forward on the table. "What are you trying to get at?" Hohenheim was shown.

"Are you telling me that wasn't even Trisha?" Pinako asked. Hohenheim's eyes moved to the corner of his eyes to look at the door behind him.

Den was shown to be standing in the hall.

"For all that those boys sacrificed," Pinako said as Ed's horrorstricken face was shown. "You're saying that thing they created wasn't even their mother?"

"He knew you were listening in." Al said softly.

Ed nodded, not really trusting himself to speak right now. There was a chance that he and Al didn't kill their mother and made her hurt a second time. Could it really be true?

"Which means he wanted you to hear this, but why?" Miles said confused.

"To teach him a lesson." Havoc suggested, but he was just as confused

'No, he's trying to provide the boys with relief. He can't do much for them now, but he can at least give them this.' Izumi thought to herself, putting a hand to her stomach. If…if the boys didn't bring their mother back, then what did that mean for her own child? Did she really not make him suffer twice?

The military dorms were shown.

"Woah, you don't sleep or eat?" Ling's voice asked. "You don't even run out of breath?"

Al's blood seal was shown.

Ed blinked and looked back at the screen, forgetting his thoughts for a moment. "Damn it, Al! You told him? You told Ling?"

"Hey, what's wrong with me knowing?" Ling asked offended.

"You're already around too much!" Ed snapped. He scratched at his hair.

"And you ran off, leaving a broken town and a huge bill with Al and me!"

"You still mad about that bill, I see." Ling said.

"Don't speak as if it has nothing to do with you!" Ed growled.

"Uh-huh, I just have to make sure the seal doesn't get harmed." Al replied.

Ling was shown, smiling. "That's so cool! So, you really are immortal then, huh?"

Lan Fan was seen to be sitting next to Ling while Winry and Al sat across from them.

"No, I'm not." Al said.

"What?" Luke said confused. "I thought you basically were."

"Hmm, it's something Al realized during the last episode." Ed said, frowning.

"Just listen."

"This body, it's like a time bomb." Al said.

Winry blinked, staring worryingly at Al.

"Barry mentioned something." Al continued as a soft, sad tone played.

"And it made me realize that any type of body is incompatible with a

foreign soul."

"So, just like how Barry's body collapsed with a different soul in it, the same can happen to you?" Mustang said, trying to understand this, but this was more of Ed's expertise then his.

"Basically, that suit of armor could repel Al's soul at any time. We have no way of knowing when that time is." Ed clarified for him.

"So, he really could die before you guys find a way to fix everything?" Darius asked.

"Yeah." Al said softly. He was actually scared by that idea. Sure, he and Ed faced a lot of dangerous situations throughout the years, but he always had this suit to protect him. To think that death could come from the suit itself without him having any control scared him.

" Don't worry too much, Al. You know I won't let anything happen to you. If something goes wrong with your body, I'll be there to fix it. I won't let you die."

Right, Al shook his misgivings away. His brother promised to not let him die.

He had to believe in his brother to protect him here. Ed would never give up on him.

"Pairing them together, the body will eventually reject it." Al said as Winry stared at her friend in horror. "It could happen tomorrow or ten years from now, but it's inevitable that it will."

"Oh no. Al, we have to get you back in your regular body." Winry said.

"Well, hold on. If it's about to give out on you, couldn't you just transfer your soul into some other object?" Ling asked. "Cause if that's the case, then for the time being, well you're impervious to pain and you don't have to eat. It sounds like a great deal to me."

Eye twitching angrily, Ed took his pocket watch and chucked it at Ling's head. "Idiot!"

"OUCH!" Ling cried, grabbing his head where the watch hit him. "What is that thing made of? I'm sure I didn't mean it in a bad way and I never told him to give up on getting his body back."

"Just like bloody Greed." Ed grumbled as he caught that watch that Al tossed back to him.

( A/N: TOOOO SOOOONNNN)

"I didn't mean it in a bad way." Ling said. "I'll support you guys all the way in your journey, but I was just saying he is basically safe right now, except for the whole rejecting soul thing."

"No, it isn't." Winry said angrily, standing up. "You don't know what you're talking about." She looked at Al then walked away. "Sorry."

"Winry." Al said, watching her go.

Winry was shown to be lying face down on her bed in the dark. There was a knock at her door.

"Winry?" Al asked through the door. "I'm coming in."

The door opened and closed as Al came over. He walked over to the bed where Winry didn't move from her position. "You know, you and Brother always got to be the first to explode. I never get the chance to be the one to get mad." Al said.

"Hey, don't drag me into this. I'm not even there!" Ed grumbled.

"Besides that, Al, let your brother be the one gets mad. We can't have you ruining that oh-so-innocent façade you have going on." Jerso told him, grinning.

"It's not a façade!" Al protested.

Izumi raised a brow. "Al, I trained you alongside your brother. You have your devious side."

Ed shot his teacher an accusing glare. "Oh, now you believe?"

Sighing, Izumi gave her eldest ex-student a look. "I already apologized for that."

"For what?" Ross asked curiously.

"Falsely accusing and punishing me for things Al did." Ed grumbled.

The group couldn't help but laugh at that, while Ed shot a glare at his brother, who looked away.

"I'm surprised Al didn't jump in and say he did it so you wouldn't get in trouble for what he did." Mustang said, chuckling.

"Against Teacher?" Al said shocked. "I value my life!" He sighed. "But I did eventually decide I should tell the truth since I was worried Brother would get killed if I didn't."

"What a loving Brother I have." Ed muttered.

Winry turned her head to look up at Al. "It's just…well…"

A flashback of Al was shown. He was sitting by a wall in the dark. "I guess I can't fall asleep. I don't think this body will let me."

Winry was standing next to him. "Oh."

Ed raised a brow. "It looks pretty late. I wonder what she was doing up then."

"She was taking care of you, Brother." Al told him. "You had a fever and you were bleeding pretty badly so she had to change your bandages."

"Oh, did I?" Ed asked, brows furrowed. "I guess this is the same day of the transmutation?"

Al nodded. "That or the next night. I can't recall too clearly."

Al buried his face in his arms.

The scene went back to Winry's room. She was sitting up now, but had her pillow still buried in her face. "Just tell me you're going to get your body back. Okay?"

"This episode is already so sad." Hughes moaned.

"It's either sad or dangerous like the last one. Which do you prefer?" Ed asked dryly.

"Hmm, how about your adventures in Rush Valley? That was pretty funny." Hughes said.

Ed growled. Never again! He would not go back to Rush Valley!

Al was shown, half shadowed by the darkness. He gasped.

Darkness filled the scene with a single light in the distance. Heavy breathing and footsteps sounded. "Give it back!" Ed cried.

"Are you kidding me?" Ed snarled.

"Nightmare?" Havoc asked.

"Nightmare." Riza repeated, though hers wasn't a question.

"Can I not have a nightmare without it being shown? It's private!" Ed muttered.

"Being shown?" May asked confused.

"We saw a nightmare of Brother's earlier before you guys arrived." Al said. "I guess Brother skipped mentioning that part since it wasn't important."

Ed stretched a hand out as he ran. "You have to give my brother his body back! He's the only family I have! I won't let you take it!"

The Truth was shown upside, grinning cruelly. "Take it?" His body was shown to be upside down with his left leg and right arm being Ed's limbs.

"You see the Truth guy with your limbs?" Buccaneer asked.

"Well, when he took them from me, they did appear on his body." Ed said, shuddering at the memory of that.

"Have you been having nightmares of Truth since that day, Brother?" Al asked worriedly.

Ed shrugged, which made his brother sigh.

Ed stopped in front of him. He stepped back in fear.

"Do you even know what you're saying? You're the one who tossed his body aside and put him in that armor," Truth said as Ed was shown,

"aren't you, alchemist?"

Ed's face warped into horror.

"It's true." Tucker's voice said. Ed spun around to see Tucker and Nina as a chimera behind him. "You and I are exactly the same."

Al clenched his fist tightly. His brother was still being tortured by the memory of Nina in his dreams. Al never forgot either, but he didn't have to recall the horrors in his sleep. He just never forgot what happened to Nina and knew he wanted to make sure that never happened again.

Hughes stared sadly at Ed's nightmare. He knew the hell he and his brother went through way before Ed entered the military, but ever since then, he still had to face many horrors. Sure, the brothers acted strong and tough, and sure they were, but inside they were still just kids. They were scared kids that no one ever noticed because the brothers never let anyone see that side of them.

Armstrong looked at Alphonse, whose hands were still clenched tightly, then at Edward, who had paled considerably since his nightmare began. Not only were the horrors he faced being shown to everyone, but they were being shown when he was at a weak moment and suffering. His insecurities were being shown, something that none of them had the right to see. No one wanted their fears being seen like this.

Truth's upside-down head was shown next to Ed's head.

"Accept it, Edward." Tucker said.

The little black hands from the Gate grabbed at Ed's face.

Nina as a chimera was shown as Tucker said, "We make monsters." The little black hands appeared around Ed's face.

A flesh hand came forward by Ed's face. "Edward." The hand grabbed his chin and turned his head to face the creature he made in the human transmutation. "Why did you leave me here like this?"

Ed's eyes snapped open. He was shown to be lying in a bed with birds chirping outside his window.

"Ed!" Pinako called. "Get out of bed already! Your father's about to head out."

"Good riddance." Ed mumbled, rubbing his head. He always hated nightmares. They left him feeling horrible, scared, and with a headache. He didn't even have the nightmare here and he still felt the headache from it. And he was sure it wasn't because of the pain factor that he felt this headache.

"He didn't stay there for long." Brody said.

Ed snorted. "Not surprising."

Ed brought his flesh arm up to his eyes and rubbed it across them, moaning softly.

Hohenheim stood in front of the bulletin board full of pictures. He grabbed a picture of his family. "This one. Do you mind if I keep it?" He asked as the picture was shown up close. It was of the whole Elric family. "It's the only photo we had taken with all four of us."

"Aww, look at that. Hohenheim is holding Ed and Ed is smiling so brightly.

Not something you really expect to see." Heinkel commented.

Ed scowled.

"Brother did like Dad as a kid before he left." Al defended.

"That's hard to believe." Jerso muttered to his friends. With the amount of hate that Ed was showing, it was hard to see him ever loving his dad.

"Of course. You're welcome to it." Pinako said.

"Thank you." Hohenheim said, taking the picture down and putting it in his pocket.

"He still loves his family dearly after all this time, even if the feeling isn't mutual by all in the family." Hughes said, shooting Ed a look.

Ed shot him an annoyed look. "Stupid family man." He grumbled.

Hohenheim walked across the room. "I need to tell you something important, Pinako." He opened the house door. He stood in the doorway, looking back at his friend. "Something terrible is going to happen in this country soon. You should escape while you can."

Hughes eyes narrowed. "He knows?"

Mustang sat up a bit straighter. "Do you think it has something to do with the Homunculi or something else?"

"The only enemy we know that is planning something in Amestris are the Homunculi." General Armstrong said, frowning. "But why does he know about it?"

Ed grumbled to himself, leaning back against the couch. "He's been traveling for ten years. It's not surprising that he learned of it."

"No, he said the country is in danger. Even we don't know that much yet and we are closer to the danger then he is, considering it involves the military."

Mustang growled.

Al, not liking the suspicious tones against his dad, said, "We won't know anything until we continue."

Pinako shrugged. "This country's lousy with terrible things." She looked away. The bulletin board full of pictures of Ed, Al, and Winry was shown. "And I can't leave. I've got other people who need me here in case they want to come home."

"I've given you, my warning." Hohenheim said.

"Seems almost dark and forbidding." Brosh said, grimacing.

"Cold and distant." Ed said, rolling his eyes. "I remember there being quite a few times where Hohenheim was always like that. He very rarely smiled."

Hughes grimaced. So, Ed's memories of his dad were not the best if he was cold and distant. Or maybe that was just what Ed was remembering because he wants to hate his dad that much for leaving them. Hughes can't imagine any parent being cold and distant to his or her child. His own child is his pride and joy. He could never be cold to her. Even though he couldn't imagine it, he still knows it happened sometimes. He was a soldier, not a blind adult.

Pinako ran out of her house, stopping at the top of the porch steps. "Hey Hohenheim, wait!" Hohenheim turned to look at her. "Try not to be such a stranger, alright?"

Hohenheim turned back away, holding a hand up in farewell as he walked away. "I wish I could, Pinako. It's too bad I won't get to enjoy your cooking anymore."

"He keeps saying suspicious things." Havoc said.

"Or he is just never planning to return there again." Ed snorted. "Why return in the first place then?"

Ed was shown to be looking out his bedroom window at his retreating form. Dark clouds were shown to be passing through with heavy winds blowing as Ed and Pinako walked up a hill. Ed had a shovel on his shoulder while Pinako carried a bucket.

"What are you doing?" Al asked suspiciously.

"You're going to dig it up, aren't you?" Mustang asked.

Ed shrugged. "Course, I can't let what he said go un-investigated."

Al wanted to protest, but he also needed to know if what their dad said was true. He said it to grab Ed's attention so maybe he knew something they didn't. They needed the truth of it now. "But maybe you should wait." He said softly. "It looks like it's going to storm."

"No time to wait." Ed mumbled. "You know me, always impatient. Plus, I do want to get back to Central quickly. I can't leave until I do this."

They stopped at the top of the hill, looking at what little there was left of the house.

"You're not really going to dig it up, are you, Ed?" Pinako asked, looking at Ed as slow, dramatic began.

Ed's automail hand grabbed his shirt where his heart was, clenching it tightly.

Ed hissed and hunched over, gripping his metal shoulder tightly. Even the ache from his stumps came through with the pain factor? Wasn't it enough that he suffered with his automail on his own time?

"What's wrong, Chief?" Havoc asked worriedly.

"Nothing." Ed said, forcing himself to sit up straight. He couldn't believe he let himself falter like that. He never showed how much his automail and stumps hurt him because of the weather in front of the soldiers.

"Why don't we go back?" Pinako asked.

"No." Ed looked up. "My stumps are aching from the weather." He looked up at the sky. "It's about to rain. Let's just hurry and do this."

Mustang gave his young charge a disappointed look. He can't believe the pain he saw in Ed's eyes just because of his stumps. All those times he made the boy come to Eastern Command and he chose to walk in the rain, despite the pain he knew he would be in. That made Mustang feels like a jerk. Of course, he offered to have a soldier come pick the boy up when it was raining, but Ed always said no. But still, Mustang never realized the pain he was in when it was raining and that made him feel horrible.

The shovel was slammed into the dirt. Ed pushed his feet into the shovel to push it into the dirt further. He threw the dirt to the side. He continued to scoop up more dirt and throwing it to the side as Pinako did the same with a small garden shovel.

A brick was shown with a raindrop dropping onto it followed by many more. Pinako looked up at the sky as the rain fell.

"Maybe you should stop and continue this another time." Walkers suggested, glancing at the boy, pausing at the sheer amount of agony on his face as he hunched over more, gripping his shoulder tightly with his breathing ragged.

Al glanced at his brother, but didn't react as worried as some of the others. He was used to seeing his brother hurt because of his automail. It worried him a lot in the beginning, but since Ed always seemed fine afterward and knocked Al on the head for worrying, Al fretted less about the pain he was in, though he still worried a bit. He couldn't just not worry about his brother. It was possible with all the pain his brother was always in.

The sound of retching drew Pinako's eyes back to Ed. He was kneeling on the ground, throwing up.

Ed groaned, clenching his eyes shut. He really should know better than to be in the rain when the downpour was this strong. The stronger the storm, the more pain he was in.

"Is that just because of your automail?" Fuery asked worriedly. He had never seen Ed act so weak and pained because of his automail, no matter what type of weather it was.

"You don't know?" Kei asked surprised.

"No, we've never seen Chief fall because of his automail hurting him." Breda told him.

Kei scratched his head. "He must be good at hiding his pain then."

Hughes stared at his young friend worriedly. He didn't even show this amount of pain when Scar was trying to kill him in the middle of that downpour. He ran all over the city, trying to escape Scar and he didn't show an ounce of pain from his automail, and yet now, he was in complete misery. What made this situation so different?

Mustang put a hand down on Ed's shoulder and gently kneaded his fingers into the stump by the automail port. Surprised, Ed looked up at him, eyes narrowed slightly in pain and surprise. "Call it returning a favor." Mustang simply said.

Nodding, Ed turned his attention to his leg and nimbly massaged the area around his port.

"Ed!" Pinako said. She got up from the ground and went over to the heavily breathing boy. She put her hands on his back and rubbed it. "Don't push yourself."

Ed retched painfully again, worrying Pinako.

"This is worse than usual." Al said worriedly.

"How?" Riza asked.

"Brother only retches like this because of his automail when he is highly stressed. Stress and the ache of his stumps don't go well together, but to make it even worse, he is out in the rain." Al explained.

"We all know your brother does stupid things." Mustang said, not pausing in his task of massaging Ed's shoulder.

Ed growled in annoyance.

Ed retched again, causing Pinako to go back to massaging his back.

"Let's head on home."

Ed raised his head, determination shining in his eyes. "No." He grabbed his shovel and pulled himself up. "I'm not going to be able to move forward until I know for sure. Besides…" Hohenheim was shown at the graveyard.

"You ran away." Hohenheim said.

The scene flashed to Ed. He rubbed his chin. "I won't run away from this."

Havoc chuckled. "So, you finally found the strength to go back to your past and face it."

Ed smirked. "I had to return at some point. Being gone for four years is quite a long time to run."

"You just needed a push from a certain someone you despise to get you over that last hurdle to go back." Mustang muttered.

The teen growled to himself. He couldn't believe it was Hohenheim who pushed him to face his fear.

With the rain pouring down much more heavily, Ed continued to dig in the mud now. Ed kept throwing the mud to the side, gritting his teeth as he did. Pinako was shown pulling grass away.

Ed was now leaning against a tree, retching once again with Pinako watching him in worry.

Ed coughed violently. He pushed Mustang's hand away and stood up. He swayed for a moment before he was walking away towards his bedroom, not really aware of anything but the pain flowing through his body from his aching stumps.

He pushed the door open to the bathroom in his room and collapsed to his knees in front of the toilet without any real conscious thought. With no real control of his body, which annoyed him to no end, he retched violently and painfully into the toilet. He really hated vomiting because it made his throat burn and it hurt his whole body, which made his eyes water up.

After a few minutes of painful retching, Ed coughed violently, feeling his stomach cramp in pain. His body felt the need to keep retching, but there was nothing left in his stomach to let out so instead he decided the floor looked comfy.

He was only down there for a minute or two when he heard, "Uh, Chief?"

Havoc stood in the doorway of the bathroom, looking at his young boss lying on the bathroom floor facedown. "You alive?"

Ed weakly raised his flesh hand in response

"Sheesh," Havoc kneeled by his boss's side. "You really do run yourself into the ground. And here, I thought it was just an expression, but you take everything seriously."

Ed turned his head to glare at his friend. "Why are you here?"

Havoc shrugged. "You've been gone a while and I volunteered to come find you. We didn't want to continue without you since we thought you might want to know what the result is."

"How nice." Ed muttered.

"Does your automail really bother you this much in the rain?" Havoc asked.

"You heard Al. It hurts in the rain, but is even worse when I am stressed and running around in the rain. I just didn't expect to feel the agony of it in here."

Ed replied.

"Ah, geez, Chief." Havoc put his hands under Ed's body and helped pull him up into a sitting position. They leaned against the wall of the bathroom together. "I can't believe you hid this pain from us for three years."

Ed snorted, rubbing his shoulder. "I can't believe you guys never realized.

Some soldiers you are. I would have thought Falman would have at least known since he has a vast amount of knowledge."

"I guess since you never complained, we just never thought about it." Havoc said, shrugging. "You always display yourself as being strong and not needing help so the fact that you might be hurting from something as simple as missing limbs never really registered."

"Hmm." Ed hummed, leaning his head back against the cold wall. "How are you? Are you still hurting from your ordeal?"

"I'm just sore and a bit achy now. That pain factor is a real bitch." Havoc growled, rubbing his stomach.

Ed nodded, closing his eyes. "It's getting late." He murmured.

Havoc raised a brow. Strange kid. "Yeah, I guess it is. We'll probably eat dinner after this episode and go to sleep."

"Bed sounds nice." Ed said. "I tend to sleep a lot on rainy days if I am able to because it takes me away from the pain my body is in."

Not expecting Ed to share any personal information with him, especially information about his pain, Havoc was shocked into silence for a few minutes.

"I thought you always worked without breaks, no matter the weather so you could get your brother's body back as quickly as possible." Havoc finally said.

"It's pointless to work if my body is strained because of a storm since I can't concentrate." Ed replied, grimacing. "Trust me, I tried to work on those days.

I usually miss something or mess everything up. It's best to just rest those days."

"Too bad we don't all have the kind of freedom that you are given." Havoc teased.

"Hmm, there are rainy days when I have to work too you know or run for my life cause a serial killer is trying to kill me." Ed pointed out.

"Those days must be hell." Havoc said.

Ed shrugged.

Havoc stared at the opposite wall in silence for a few minutes, waiting to see if Ed would say anything else. When he didn't, he said, "Ready to continue?"

"I'm ready to nap." Ed said, but he pushed himself to his feet using the wall to help him. He went over to the sink and gulped down some water to get the bad taste out of his mouth. "Let's go."

Grinning, Havoc waved his boss out of the door. Rolling his eyes, Ed walked past Havoc before the Lieutenant followed after him.

"Feeling better?" Mustang asked when Ed sat down next to him.

"No." Ed said blandly as Havoc sat on his other side. "Let's just go on."

Mustang, without really thinking about it, started to knead his fingers into Ed's shoulder once more.

He started to breath heavily before he was back to slamming his shovel into the mud. Pinako watched him as he threw the mud to the side over and over again. Ed's face was zoomed in on to show his pain and determination shining clearly in it. Pinako was shown next.

Ed grunted as he threw more and more mud out of the way.

The younger Elric grimaced as he watched his elder brother dig through the mud. He looked so desperate to get to their creation and find out the truth. The last time Al saw this desperation raging through his brother was when they watched their failed Human Transmutation yesterday. That was the most desperate Al had ever seen him. To see him like this now, it wasn't something Al ever wanted to see raging through his brother again. He looked so hurt with this desperation filling him up.

A bucket full of water was shown. Ed slammed his shovel into the mud again, but it hit something this time. He threw his shovel aside and fell to his knees to dig the rest of the way through the hole.

General Armstrong watched Edward's behavior with a neutral look, though on the inside she was quite intrigued and shocked. From everything she has seen about the boy, he had never once shown this side of him. He was showing determination and pain, but his actions all spoke one thing to her: desperation. He was desperate to discover the truth. Why, she wasn't really sure. Maybe he just needed to know the truth or maybe it was because he wanted to know if it was all for nothing. But in the end, how would he feel when he knew the truth?

Ed dug through the mud, covering his hands in mud, but he didn't care.

He dug through, breathing heavily as he did, until he found some hair from the life form that the brothers created. He went over to the bucket of water and washed the hair in it, swishing it around until it was clean.

Ed pulled the hair out and looked at it. Pinako was shown to be watching him.

Ed looked at her with a sad look in his eyes. "Granny, Mom's hair was a light chestnut color." His teeth gritted as he held up the hair in his hand.

"This is black."

Ed closed his eyes. So, that's all there was to it. That was not their mother that they created. It meant their mother only died once and they did not make her suffer more than once. They didn't hurt her and make her disappointed in them again by bringing her back. Finally knowing the truth of this matter, Ed was able to relax and the tension left his shoulders. As his shoulders relaxed, he unconsciously leaned more into Mustang's touch. Unlike Ed, Mustang noticed this so he continued to massage the boy's shoulder.

Al looked at his brother, relaxing between his comrades, despite the pain Al knew he was still in. He didn't blame his brother for relaxing. The tension resounding around Al was leaving as well now that the truth was here. Whatever they created, it wasn't their mother. Al didn't want his brother to dig their creation up, but now he was glad he did. He felt so much relief knowing that it was not their mother they caused to suffer and die a second time.

Dramatic music began as the bones of the creature took over the screen. Pinako was shown to be measuring one of the bones. "This femur, it's much too long." Pinako said. She was now holding one of the bones, examining it. "And this pelvis…pretty sure it's male." She put the bone down.

"It is?" Ed asked so softly it was almost not heard.

Pinako stood up. "I'm sorry." She looked down at the bones. "But I'm afraid this isn't your mother, Ed."

"Seriously?" Avery asked. "You two went through all that as kids only for it not to be your mother?"

"That's got to be hard to take." Luke murmured.

Ed hung his head, frowning as he listened to them. They really didn't understand how great this was.

Ed looked down at the bones in horror. He collapsed to his knees with his hands slamming in the mud in front of him. His shoulders shook before his crazed relieved laughter was heard, causing Pinako to stare at him in shock. Ed's hands flew off the ground as he straightened his body, but stayed on his knees. He turned his face to the sky as he continued his crazed laughter.

"You sound as if you've gone insane." Luke said, staring in shock at the screen. Hearing crazed laughter from Ed was not something he ever expected. The boy was rash, strong, smart, resourceful, determined, so many things, but crazy or insane never made it onto that list.

"Insane with relief." Ed whispered to himself, gripping his shirt where his heart was. It was alright. The despair residing in his heart finally lessened some after all these years. Of course, his pain and despair would never fully go away until he had saved Al, but this was a start at least.

Ed stopped laughing and frowned. "Then that's it." The scene zoomed in on him, showing his face, which was covered by his wet bangs, from the side. "It really is impossible to bring the dead back to life. The undeniable truth." Ed buried his face in his hands. He pushed his hands up to cover his eyes while at the same time gripping his bangs. "It was impossible all along."

"Uh, Chief, it really does seem that you have gone insane." Havoc commented.

"Wow." Ling said, turning to look at Ed then at the Future Ed then back to Ed. "I must admit, I am a bit worried about your state of mind, but considering it's you I have to find a bit amusement in this."

Ed raised a brow. "Amusement? And how is this amusing to you?"

Ling shrugged, but grinned. "Well, I can't help but to think of a story where a scientist did an experiment, it went horribly wrong, and he went insane with grief and became the villain."

A yellow brow twitched in irritation. "Do I look like a psychotic scientist bent on causing trouble?"

"…."

"Just a bit, Edward-San." May piped in, giggling a bit at Ed's affronted look.

"Argh, now Ling is saying stupid things." Ed grumbled.

"Then he can join your and Hughes's club, Brother." Al said.

"Club? What club?" Ed growled.

"The one where you guys say stupid things." Al explained.

Ed's eye twitched, while Hughes just laughed. "Sounds fun." He spoke.

Still gripping his hair, Ed bowed his head. He moved his hands to his eyes and started chuckling again.

Pinako moved to Ed's side. "Edward, now listen to me. You've gotta get a hold of yourself."

Ed's hands slowly fell to his side. "I'm okay, Granny. It's okay." The bones of the creature were shown. "From the moment I made this thing, it's been the symbol of my despair."

"At least you sound sane now." Breda said.

"I was always sane!" Ed protested.

"Um, Brother, even I thought you went a little bit crazy there." Al said shyly.

"…Traitor."

"But not anymore. Now it's an emblem of hope." Ed's head raised, revealing bright, determined gold eyes.

Riza smiled. "I like that look in your eyes. It is much better than the bitter

desperation that was in its moments ago."

May looked at Ed's eyes closely before smiling. Yes, that was certainly a good look in Ed's eyes. It was much better than any anger or lost hope in them. She didn't want to see those in Ed's eyes again.

"Al can be returned to normal."

"I don't follow that logic." Falman said, looking at Ed for an answer.

Ed shrugged, hiding a yawn behind his hand. "It will probably be explained later. Just wait."

A stone in the ground with a bouquet of flowers in front of it was shown. Ed and Pinako stood in front of it as a heavy, sad tone played.

"You made a grave?" Sig asked.

Ed shrugged. "It was someone's soul. It's only proper."

The clouds started to move slowly to reveal a few streaks of light coming out.

Ed was shown with a telephone ringing in the background.

A phone appeared on the screen, ringing again when a hand picked it up.

Izumi put the phone to her ear. "Curtis residence. I didn't expect this. You never call."

Ed was holding a phone when he appeared on the screen. "Uh, yeah. I need to ask you something, Teacher. But well…"

Izumi appeared on the screen in the meat shop. "Well, what?" She asked.

"You're going to tell Izumi?" Mustang asked surprised.

"Course. I want her to feel the same relief that I did." Edward replied.

"Relief?" Miles asked.

Al nodded. "We lived in despair for years thinking that we killed our mother a second time. To learn it wasn't her and we didn't make her suffer, it's a great relief to us."

"Plus, though it might sound bad, I do want to check my theory by asking her this." Ed said.

"You're right. That sounds bad. Good thing you said relief as your first reason." Riza told him.

"Spit it out." Izumi ordered.

"As harsh and demanding as always." Ed muttered.

"You can't have expected her to change just because she's not our teacher anymore." Al said.

"A person can hope." Ed retorted.

"It has to do with when you tried to transmute your baby." Ed's voice said.

Izumi blinked before gasping. An image of her creation flashed on the screen before it was back to Izumi. "What about it, Ed?" She asked more softly this time.

Ed appeared on the screen. "The thing is, what Al and I transmuted wasn't actually our mother.

Izumi had a look of horror on her face before it was replaced by anger.

"What is this, Ed? What are you trying to tell me?"

"Wouldn't it be obvious by this point?" Ed asked dryly.

"I don't think she really wants to hear it." Ling pointed out.

Ed shrugged. "The truth is never easy to hear, especially if it is something about the past that we try not to remember."

"You must like making people remember horrible things." Izumi said.

"And why would you say that?" Ed growled.

Ed appeared on the screen, frowning grimly. "I'm sorry to ask you this, but the child you transmuted," Izumi's hand was shown to be clenching her poncho tightly. "Are you sure that it was your child you brought back?"

Izumi's eyes moved to look at the side as she thought. After a moment, she gasped as her eyes widened. Ed was shown before the sound of a phone being hung up sounded. Ed closed his eyes before Izumi was shown at the counter of her store, breathing heavily.

"I should have known you were going to hang up." Ed said with a sigh.

"You were bringing up something that I did not want to discuss." Izumi replied.

Ed shrugged. "I guess no matter how much time passes, it is still something no one wants to discuss."

"Who would want to discuss their failed Human Transmutation?" Al muttered. "It such a dark memory…"

A pair of graves appeared on the screen. The names carved into them were Winry's parents' names.

"Thank you, Ed." Pinako said.

Ed and Pinako were shown to be standing in front of the graves.

"It's good to know my son and his wife helped people." Pinako said. "I'm proud of them."

"She didn't know what they did on the battlefield?" Hughes asked surprised.

"The only thing Granny Pinako was told was that they were doctors and were killed by an Ishvalan. No one ever told us that they were saving Ishvalans as well." Al explained.

Mustang closed his eyes. He could never say it to the boys or Rockbells, but the higher-ups were actually frustrated with the Rockbells saving the enemy so much. They had been warned multiple times to stop. There was never an order, but Mustang was scared that the higher-ups would do something drastic if they didn't stop soon. On his side, Mustang was proud of what the Rockbells did. They stood up for what they believed was right and did not let fear control them.

Ed was seen walking through the cemetery with his hands shoved in his pockets. He stopped by his mom's grave, staring at it as Pinako walked by him. "So Hohenheim, did he even bother to say where he was going?" He asked.

"What do you care? You hate him!" Havoc said.

Ed shrugged. "Maybe I wanted to see if he changed his mind and actually told us something this time!"

Havoc raised a disbelieving brow.

"Of course, he didn't." Pinako said. "And I didn't a–Ahhh!" Ed turned his head slightly and looked at her out of the corner of his eyes. "What's wrong with me? I can't believe I forgot to give him the message!"

Ed turned his body to look at her fully. "Message?"

Pinako turned to Ed. "Yes. A last request from your mother."

A flashback was shown of Trisha sitting in a bed with Pinako standing by the bed.

"I'll be gone when he returns." Trisha said. "Could you tell him something?" She looked out the window at the hills and houses of Resembool. "I need him to know, I couldn't keep my promise." She looked back at Pinako with a sad smile. "I died before he did and I'm so sorry."

"Why the hell did she say she wouldn't die first?" Jerso asked.

"That's the kind of thing Mom would do." Ed said, putting a hand to his eyes. How could his mom say she wouldn't die first? Life was unpredictable. Sure, they lived in a very peaceful village, but anything could happen, anything could change. She could have been killed or get sick like she did. A promise not to die first was impossible to keep because no one could possibly know how life would go. She really was too kind.

"Promise? What promise?" Ed asked.

"You got me." Pinako shook her head. She held up a finger. "Sorry to ask, but could you pass it on if you bump into him?"

"Why should I have to?" Ed asked.

"You'll probably have a bigger chance to run into him then she does, considering it sounds like he's not going back to Resembool." May pointed out.

"Lucky me." Ed grumbled. "Stupid trip."

"I know it doesn't seem like it, but he does care about you and your brother." Pinako said.

Ed scoffed and looked away. "Yeah, I'll pass it on, right after I clock him in the face."

"Yes!" Ed cheered.

"Brother," Al said dryly. "You shouldn't be excited at thinking of punching Dad."

"I'm not thinking of it. I will do it the next time I see him." Ed said.

A train was shown running along the tracks.

"Guess I'm finally heading back to Central." Ed said, grinning.

"About time." Al said. "I don't like being in pieces."

Ed's brow twitched. "Whose fault is it that you are in pieces in the first place?"

"…Lust's." Al said.

Ed was shown to be on the train, staring out the window. "Heading back to Central already, are you?" Pinako's voice said.

"Yeah. Al's probably mad at me. I'm going to have plenty of explaining to do." Ed's voice said.

"And I'm not the only one with explaining." Ed growled. Al chuckled nervously. Brother always did get annoyed when his armor got messed up.

Ed's face appeared on the screen, brow twitching. "WHAT THE HELL?!" He screamed angrily before he was looking all around Al's armor.

"I'm sorry, Brother." Al said.

"You…" Ed grabbed at his hair as he looked at Al's right side that was missing an arm. "HOW WERE YOU THIS BEAT UP? But…Uh… AHHH!"

"I think you are driving your brother to insanity." Mustang told Al.

"It wouldn't be the first time." Al and Ed said blandly.

"I always thought it would be Chief driving Al insane, not the other way around." Breda said.

"Al is not as sane as you all think." Ed replied dryly.

"Neither are you." Al retorted. "We saw you going crazy after you dug that thing up."

Ed growled. "Not crazy. I was just highly relieved."

Ed scrunched his eyes shut. When he opened them, it was to glare at something. "AND YOU!" He pointed at Ling and Lan Fan who were scarfing down plates and plates of food at the coffee table.

"You're still there?" Ed yelled, pulling at his hair. "I can't take much more of this madness!"

"Aw, come on. We're all friends–" Ling started.

"And you dare to order room service in my room? Who the hell do you think is paying for that?" Ed screamed.

"Maybe now you'll learn the importance of money and stop blowing things up." Mustang said.

Ed groaned, still pulling at his hair.

"The kid is really losing it, here and in the future." General Armstrong said amused.

"You fine amusement in such cruel situations, sir." Miles informed her.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU'RE DOING HERE?" Ed yelled.

"Eating a delicious dinner." Ling said around a chicken wing.

The bedroom door open and Ling and Lan Fan were kicked out.

"Now that is just rude." Al scolded.

"Al, shut up. I bet you have been trying to find polite ways of telling them to

get out as well." Ed growled.

"You seem stressed, Brother." Al informed him.

"Don't start on that with me again. I am perfectly fine." Ed said, though it was kind of ruined by the slight twitch at the end.

"I can't believe we were kicked out so easily." Lan Fan commented.

"Well, you don't mess with a stress Edward so I'm not surprised about how easily you were booted." Al told her.

"I'm not stressed!" Ed shouted, rubbing his shoulder again. 'Agitated and sore, but not stressed!'

"Don't lie to yourself, Fullmetal." Mustang said.

Ed's brow twitched. Sleep. What he needed now more than anything was sleep. Twelve damn hours of deep, deep sleep.

Ed was shown to be roaming his hands over Al's armor. "Seriously, how did this happen to you?"

Al looked down.

Ling and Lan Fan were shown to be sitting in the hall outside of Ed's room.

Ed's eye twitched. "You're still there?"

"Of course." Ling said.

"You are our friends." Ed thought about retorting, but just sighed in the end. Ling just never shut up about that, no matter how much he denied it.

"The Homunculus and Barry the Chopper, and just to throw a cherry on top, you find out your body might reject your soul?" Ed's voice was heard through the door.

Ed clapped his hands, causing blue alchemical light to shine around them. He put them on Al's shoulder and arm, which Al was holding by his shoulder. "I'm going to have to extend what little you have left of your armor." Ed said as the armor expanded to connect to Al's arm and the spikes came out of the shoulder.

The ceiling fan was shown as the blue light flashed.

When Ed was done, he breathed a sigh of relief while Winry walked behind him to get a look. Al tested his arm out by bending it a few times with his brother and friend watching. With worry shining in her eyes, Winry turned to Ed.

"Ed, he'll be able to get his body back, right?" Winry asked.

"Yeah, of course he will." Ed said, turning to look at her. "I told you I'm going to get it back."

"That's a bit rough." Hughes said.

Ed raised a brow. "What're you talking about?"

"She was worried and you spoke a bit harshly." Hughes said with a shrug.

The boy just shrugged. "She used to my tone considering that matter. She just wanted reassurance anyway. If I don't speak in that tone, it'll just worry her more."

Winry smiled in relief.

"See? She's completely fine with my tone." Ed said. Hughes rolled his eyes.

Ed sat down on the couch with a sigh. "Al." When Al shifted to look at him, Ed closed his eyes. "I've got to tell you something. I dug up the body that we transmuted in Resembool."

Al gasped. "What?" He asked as he stood up.

"Yep, he's not happy." Ed said. "Why would I be? I think you dug up Mom." Al told him dryly.

"Why would you do that?"

Ed looked up at him. "Because Al, I found out the thing we buried wasn't really our mother."

"Yeah, that's not a confusing or strange thing to say at all." Havoc said sarcastically.

"Brother does like to say things that confuse me before he explains them." Al muttered.

"Maybe I just want you to figure things out on your own first. Did you ever thing about that?" Ed grumbled.

Al gasped, wobbled for a second before he sat back down. "But…hold on a minute." Al grabbed his head. "Then that means."

"The thing we made. I don't know what, but it was something completely different." Ed said.

Al took his hands off his head and looked at Ed. "But if it wasn't…then what happened to me?"

Ed looked up at him. "That's just it. This has actually convinced me we can return you too normal."

"Where did that come from?" Karley asked.

"Fullmetal's mind works in mysterious ways." Mustang said dryly. "He'll come up with so many ideas in a scenario that are more often than not the truth or the best way to go about something."

Havoc grinned. "It truly is amazing to see the Chief work in those moments. He'll come up with something completely crazy that no one else would possibly think of. When someone says it is hopeless, Chief comes up with something to save the situation. It is really a grand show."

"Though usually it is so crazy, we don't appreciate it until the end." Breda added.

"Who's that?" Brody asked.

Fuery chuckled. "Because it is so crazy, we don't think it will work."

"Ed, are you sure?" Winry asked.

"Yeah, but before I start explaining how…" Ed got an embarrassed look on his face. "Well…Uh, Winry...Do, um...Uh...Do you remember when Al and I got in a fight when we were kids about...who'd marry you?"

Ling laughed. "You two actually fought about that?"

"Shut up." Ed growled. "We were kids, and I still can't bloody remember it!"

"Perhaps you just repressed the memory." Darius said slyly.

Ed shot him a nasty glare. Sure, it was a bit embarrassing, but he has dealt with many embarrassing moments and he still remembers them.

Al looked at him. "Huh? The fight we were talking about on the roof?"

"Yeah, that one." Ed said as he turned his head to Winry. "Al told me you turned him down."

Winry nodded. "Mm-hmm. Turned you both down."

"Whatever, so the questions for both of you then. What was your reasoning?" Ed asked.

"What does this have to do with anything?" Brody said confused, scratching his head.

"Even though it seems completely random and strange to us, there is a reason behind Fullmetal's madness." Mustang replied. "Of course, no one in here has any idea of what it is, except maybe…" He looked at the boy in question.

Ed smirked. "Of course, I know my own train of thought. I'm not going to inform you of it since it will be mention in a moment, but I know it….and madness? I am not insane!"

"Really? I think all alchemists are a bit insane." Ross told him.

Ed sighed in annoyance. He couldn't really deny that.

Al and Winry looked at each other. "She said..." The former said.

Alphonse and Winry looked at Ed, saying together, "'I just don't like men who are shorter than me.'"

"That's a pretty shallow reason." Havoc said, grimacing. He would hate it if a girl he really liked didn't date him for a stupid reason like that. It must be so hard for Chief!

"AHHHHH!" Ed screamed, tears pouring out of his eyes. "YOU CAN'T JUDGE A MAN FOR SOMETHING HE CAN'T HELP!"

Hughes grinned evilly. "What was that, Ed? Why should you care what she thinks? I thought you didn't like her like that."

Ed's eye twitched violently. "Hughes. Shut. Up. Now!" He snarled.

Hughes and a few other soldiers snickered at the blush adorning Ed's cheeks.

"Aww, but Chief, it's so obvious. You love–" Havoc started, only to be cut off by Ed slamming his automail fist on top of his head.

Winry looked at Al with a blank look while Al sweat dropped.

"I don't really see how this has anything to do with getting Al's body back." Winry said.

"Same here!" Ross, Brosh, Karin, Luke, and Sheska cried.

"Don't question my future's self-methods." Ed grumbled.

Ed adopted his serious manner once more. He closed his eyes. "I had to be sure. Al had a memory of something I don't recall." Ed opened his eyes, looking at the two. "And you seem to clearly remember it the same way, Winry, which means it happened without a doubt. So now that we know you remember something real, then we also know for a fact that really is Al bonded in there."

"I get it now. You were making sure that Al was really the one you pulled back from the Gate." Mustang said.

"But why didn't you check this way before?" Brody asked.

Ed shrugged. "We never really actual thought anything of it. We just automatically assumed it was Al's soul because he recognized me right away when he woke up in the armor."

"Shouldn't that have been enough proof that it was really Al then?" Breda asked.

"It's possible I could have pulled the wrong soul out and he just played along with me or I subconsciously made a puppet of Al's soul without knowing it. But if Al has memories, I don't recall and others do, it proves that he really is Al because if he wasn't, the he could only know things that I know." Edward explained.

"Sounds complicated." Ling said. "But it does make sense. You were desperate to save your brother then and if you couldn't get his soul, it only makes sense that you would make a puppet of his soul to satisfy your need for your brother back."

Ed nodded. At least they were understanding what he was saying. "That's basically it."

Ed as a kid, missing his limbs, was shown to be leaning against a wall with his head bowed with blood spilled all around his stump of a leg and on the wall.

"I pulled you out, Al." Ed's voice said. The right side of Ed's body was zoomed in on to show that his arm was missing. "I actually did it." Al was shown to be kneeling by his hurting brother, who was now grimacing and holding his shoulder. "I know it was only your soul, but that's just it." Ed came back onto the screen. "If I was able to pull that much of you out, then I got a hunch that your body's still in there." He curled his automail hand into a fist. "And I can pull it out."

"Yes, but at what cost?" Mustang asked. "It cost you an arm just to get his soul. To pull his body out would cost a lot."

"I don't know. I don't know what I could possibly give to get his body back." Edward replied.

"You think my body is still in the portal?" Al asked. "Existing separately from my soul? Ah! Like Barry's body!" The room in the lab was shown with Barry standing by his fallen body.

Ed knocked Al's chest. "Right. What did you see? Try to think back. Can you remember what happened when the Truth unraveled you?"

Al was zoomed in on before the screen showed a hand grabbing someone's wrist. "I reached out…" The scene moved to show an evil grinning Al grabbing Al's arm. Back in the present, Al looked at his hand. "It was me! It was my hand I grabbed."

"Woah, freaky." Ling said.

Mustang sighed. "That's the life of the Elric brothers."

"But how was it yourself that grabbed yourself? That makes no sense." Falman said confused.

"Nothing about the Truth really makes sense." Ed replied, rubbing a hand over his face. "If you're not an alchemist, don't bother trying to figure. You'll just highly confuse yourself."

Ed smirked. "I knew it. Doesn't look like we're done with the Truth yet, Al." He put his automail hand on Al's chest. "We're going to get in there and pull your body out."

"Brother." Al said.

The scene flashed to Ed lying in the room with the boys' creation staring at him. The hand reached out towards him.

"After the portal, I remember looking at you from inside that thing…the thing we thought was mom."

"That's so creepy." May said.

Ed's eyes widened. His brother's soul was in that thing? Of course, it latched onto it when there was nobody around for him. His soul needed something to hold onto.

"You brothers really don't go halfway in the creepy, weird situations department." Izumi said.

Ed's eyes widened. "You were inside of it?"

The creature was back on the screen.

"That thing, was you?" Ed asked as the thing breathed harshly.

"I guess so." Al's voice said. "But my soul didn't bind. It must've rejected me right away."

"Good thing for that. That body was so messed up that it would have been in extreme amounts of pain." Edward said.

"And I would have probably died and wouldn't be here right now." Al added.

Ed gave a grim smile. "I would have died as well since no one knew what had happened. I would have bled to death before anyone came to see us again."

"In a strange sense, you guys do have some amount of good luck, if you can call that good luck." Havoc said.

"I guess that is one way to look at it." Al said.

The scene returned to the dorm.

"So that means, we didn't harm anyone else's soul after all." Al said.

A knock at the door interrupted the three, making them all look at the door.

"Mr. Elric? You have a telephone call from Izumi Curtis." A voice said.

"I guess you did look into what I mentioned." Ed said.

"Of course, I couldn't leave your strange words not looked into." Izumi replied, smiling in relief.

Ed was shown to be on the phone in the lobby.

"I did some research. Sig and I looked up our family lines. And well,"

Izumi was shown to be looking at a paper in her shop with Sig by her side. "The child that I transmuted, it couldn't…it didn't have a single physical trait that could have come from us." Izumi's eyes moved to the corner of her eyes. "You're on to something, aren't you?"

Ed appeared on the screen. "Yes, I've come to the conclusion that death is permanent."

"Yes, so no one try anything stupid." Hughes shot a look at Mustang, remembering his words from when he was at his grave.

Mustang smiled grimly. Sure, he knew what the boys felt when they tried to bring their mother back. He knew why they did it now, but still, he would never perform it, no matter how much he wanted to. Ed would probably kick his ass just for mentioning it. He took that matter so seriously after his mistake.

Izumi and Sig were back on the screen. "So not even transmutation can change that fact." Izumi looked grim as she continued. "All this time, I thought that I must have missed something." She closed her eyes. "But it was impossible to do in the first place."

Ed was shown once more. There was a moment of silence before Izumi said, "Ed!"

Ed straightened up by reflex. "Yes ma'am?"

Mustang snickered. "If only I could get that response out of you."

Ed snorted. "From me to you? No way in hell, Colonel."

"So disrespectful."

"Thank you." Izumi said before she hung up.

"So, it really is a relief?" Havoc asked.

"Of course. It means we didn't kill the one we love a second time." Izumi said softly, putting a hand to her stomach as she thought about the child that she lost. She closed her eyes for a moment before opening them again to look at Al then at Ed. She lost one child, but gained two more for her to watch over and care for. She would not lose these two as well.

Dramatic music began as Ed's eyes widened. He looked at the phone in shock.

"So, what did Teacher have to say?" Al asked.

Ed looked at his brother. After a moment, he looked away and put the phone down. "Well, I'm not really sure why, but she said thank you."

"Not sure why?" Izumi asked, raising a brow. "Obviously for telling me to look at my family history to see whether the child was really mine or not. I didn't kill my child." Her eyes closed when she felt the tears filling up in them. She put a hand to her mouth as the tears slipped out. Her baby wasn't made to suffer a second time because of her.

Sig, noticing the tears his wife was silently shredding, put a hand to her shoulder. Recognizing her husband's hand, Izumi leaned into him.

Al was shown before he was seen walking down the hall. He stopped after a few steps.

Ed, who was walking up the stairs at the time, paused when he didn't hear Al's feet anymore. He turned to look at him. "Al?"

"This entire time, I've been blaming myself for what happened." Al told him. His clenched hands trembled. Their creation was shown. "I thought it was me. I thought I was the one who killed Mom a second time." Al was shown to be holding his brother in his arms.

Ed appeared on the screen, eyes shining in sadness. "So did I, Al."

"So will you two stops be blaming yourselves now?" Riza asked softly.

"What you did was wrong, but you shouldn't shoulder all that guilt for the rest of your lives. It will only weigh you down."

Al and Ed shared a dark look. "We may not have killed our mother, but we still messed up our bodies for it." The former said.

"Until the day when we are fixed, the guilt and the memories will always be there." Ed said. "We have to remember so we will never do anything foolish again."

Al put his face in his hands. "Thanks, Brother. Thank you. I wasn't the one who killed Mom after all."

Izumi appeared on screen. A tear slipped out of her eye and trailed slowly down her face.

Sig put his hands on her shoulders. "Izumi."

Izumi put a hand on one of his. "I feel like I've been brought back to life." Her other hand went to her stomach. "Our child wasn't made to suffer twice because of me."

As Izumi sobbed softly, Sig wrapped her into a hug.

"But still," Ed said as he and Al appeared on the screen. "None of this changes the fact that I'm the one who put you in that body. I don't care what it takes. I'm going to make you normal again."

"Are you still on about that?" Al asked.

Ed raised a brow. "Course. I can never forget that you are trapped in a suit of armor."

"But it's not your fault alone." Al argued.

"It's a never-ending argument between you two." Mustang muttered, rubbing his temple.

"Brother!" Al interrupted. "I was right there with you and I knew that there were risks so quit trying to shoulder all of this on your own. I can't watch you suffer like this."

"Sheesh, you two are arguing all over the place about this." Havoc said amused.

"It's not amusing. At this point, it is annoying." Luke grumbled. "It's always the same arguments with these two."

His hands clenched into fists. "Not on your own. I can't just stand back and watch other people get hurt over what I've done. Like what happened to Mr. Hughes."

Ed stared at his brother with wavering eyes.

Al's hand fell limply to his side. "I felt like it was my fault when I found out that he was dead and I told myself that if it meant other people getting hurt then I don't even want my body back."

"Wow, even Al feels guilty about my death. And here I thought it was only Ed. I should have known better." Hughes said.

"You really should have. They are both Elrics after all." Mustang told him. "Al just can't show it like Fullmetal so it is harder to see that he has a vast abundance of guilt as well."

Ed nodded.

Al looked up at him. "Brother." The chimeras Al met in Dublith flashed on the screen one by one. "I've met other people who weren't exactly human." Greed was shown before the chimeras were shown to be running at Bradley in the sewers. "But they still managed to live their lives with a purpose." Martel was shown, crying as she tried to get out of Al. Greed was shown getting stabbed with multiple swords. Fuery was shown, smiling at Ed when the boy fixed the radio.

The human chimeras in the room exchanged looks. They may be part animal now, but did that mean they no longer had control of their lives? The ones that Al met still made their own choices. They didn't work for the military and had control of their own lives. Couldn't they make the same choices? Did they really have to continue serving the same military that screwed their lives over?

"And even in this body." Falman and Havoc were shown with the former speaking. Riza was shown, then the group surrounding Ed and Al after Scar attacked them. "It hasn't stopped other people from treating me like I'm still human." Hughes was shown, smiling at the boys. Mustang and Riza were shown, both smiling at them. "This body could reject me anytime."

Winry was shown to be hiding behind a wall at the top of the stairs, looking down sadly.

"But it's the same with being human."

"Yes, we have the chance to die every single day. Soldiers have a higher chance, but civilians have the chance of getting caught up in something, whether it be a shootout, a car accident, or just something completely unpredictable. Death is not something we can hide from, not even as just a soul in a suit of armor." Hughes said sadly.

Ling and Lan Fan were shown to be sitting on the other side of the stairs. Both of them had their eyes closed as they listened.

"Damn it, you two are just everywhere! You little eavesdroppers!" Ed cried.

"But you two just have such interesting conversations. We can't help but listen in." Ling said.

"You never know when you might get sick or die in an accident." Al was shown. He looked down at his hands. "So, I can still get by like this. I can live a somewhat normal life. And that's how I've managed to keep going." He lowered his hands. "But now, I can't take it anymore." Ed started walking down the stairs. "Because...I can't..." He looked up at his brother. "I can't take all the nights by myself!"

"That would be really lonely. You have to sit by yourself all night with no one to talk to." Havoc said. He could not imagine how quiet and lonely it would be to just have to sit through all the nights with no one to speak to. "What do you usually do to pass the time?"

"I usually read, think, or stare out a window." Al replied.

"That sounds like it would get boring after a few nights." Brody said. Ed bit his lip, looking away from his brother guiltily. He put his brother in that body and made him suffer all those boring nights alone. It was his fault.

Ed was shown to be near the bottom of the stairs, just standing there as he watched. "It's too lonely. And that's why I have to get back to normal." Ed smirked.

"Sure, and you're going to."

"In the speech department, I believe Al beats you, Fullmetal." Mustang said.

Ed growled. "Are you still on about our speeches? And besides, that was only one speech. I have had many great ones!"

Mustang shook his head, smirking. "Seems like you care more about how good the speeches are more than me."

He punched Al's chest before the boys ran up the stairs together. "We'll knock that Truth jerk on his butt. And then we're going to pull your body right out of that place."

"Yeah." Al said as the boys rounded the corner and headed towards their room.

Winry pushed off the wall and ran after the two a few steps. She stopped to look at Ed's back in surprise. 'Huh? That's weird. Have his shoulders always been so broad?'

"What the does that mean?" Ed asked confused, rubbing his aching leg.

Damn, the pain just didn't want to go away.

Hughes snickered softly to himself. He had an idea of what Winry meant by that statement, but he would wait a bit before saying anything. It seems that Winry was going to admit her feelings before Ed would at this rate.

"At least we're not ending on a sad note today." Havoc said, smirking in amusement at Ed's confusion. Winry was going to have to spell it out for him at this rate.

"Aw, we're done already?" Ling whined.

"Course. It's getting late and we should eat dinner before relaxing a bit and going to bed." Mustang told him.

Ling's eyes lit up. "Dinner? Great! I'm starving!"

Ed rolled his eyes. "Bottomless pit."

Without anyone realizing it, Ed slipped away from the group heading to the cafeteria and slipped into his bedroom. Not bothering to change his clothes or get under the covers, Ed fell face down on his bed and passed out almost immediately.

"Hey, where's Chief?" Avery asked, looking around when he didn't see the second bottomless pit teenager in the room.

"Brother is sleeping." Al told him. Unknown to Ed, Al did notice him slip into their bedroom, but he didn't comment on it because he knew his brother just wanted to sleep. He was tired, stressed, and his limbs were aching from the rain they were just watching.

"Without dinner?" Izumi said worriedly. Ed really shouldn't be skipping meals, especially considering how much he eats to keep his body going.

Havoc swallowed the food in his mouth before saying, "That is worrisome. He emptied his stomach completely earlier because of his pain."

Hearing that, Al looked at the door leading to the main room. He didn't know that his brother had emptied his stomach of all its content earlier. But still, he didn't want to bother his brother, who was desperate for some sleep. He would just be very, very hungry when he woke up. In his room, Ed rolled onto his side, frowning in his sleep.

---

To be continued

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