There was still a long way to the ground. Al descended slowly, hesitantly, a few steps behind Edward.

"So." Edward stuck his hands in his pockets and glanced back at Al. "How…long have you studied alchemy?"

Al hesitated. How much should he really tell this strange boy?

"A…long time," he answered truthfully, careful not to reveal any secrets. "I started when I was very young. But I haven't learned enough. I only know the basics."

"The basics?" Ed sounded surprised. "You tied me to a chair—with the chair. And you made this kickass staircase. That's not basic."

Al said nothing more, though he secretly wished Edward would offer to teach him. Alchemy came naturally to him because of his unique circumstances, but it would be nice to have some actual knowledge.

"How come you've never gone to see the lanterns before?"

A wave of panic washed over Al. His first instinct was to spill his thoughts and emotions and frustrations—onto someone who would listen.

But Edward was a stranger. And a thief. How could Al trust him with secrets like his alchemy? His dangerous knowledge? Father's sacrifice?

"I…just couldn't."

Ed surveyed him with a skeptical look, but shrugged and accepted it.

Al breathed a sigh of relief. He focused on the warm sun kissing the top of his head, his cheeks. It felt wonderful.

Less than a minute passed, though, before Edward brought up another curiosity. "What's with that armor? Do you wear it when nobody's around? Or is it for guests only?"

Al cringed. "Please…don't."

"Okay. Jeez. Just wondering."

"I can't talk about it. Not to just anyone. Especially not…someone I just met."

"A wanted thief?" He cocked an eyebrow dramatically.

Al smiled, his cheeks flushing. "Yeah, that too."

He tried not to think about the way Ed's nose wrinkled whenever he made a stupid face. Father was always so serious, and never indulged Al when he was feeling playful or silly.

How could someone so childish be a hardened thief?

By this time, the space between them had dwindled to nothing, and they walked side by side on the stairs.

The ground loomed up below them. It looked terrifyingly huge to Al. His breathing stuttered.

Edward glanced at him. His brow furrowed. "You okay?"

Al nodded wordlessly. His mouth was bone-dry. He swallowed.

"You look a little nervous."

"I'm not," Al nearly snapped. He wasn't. He'd waited for this for fifteen years. He just…

This wasn't how he'd imagined doing it. Father gone, and unaware. Al was venturing out with a strange boy he'd met less than an hour ago.

"I'm just saying," Edward continued. "If you want to turn around, we can call this off—"

"Shh." Al cut him off, eyes fixed downward. On the last step of the staircase. There was no more time to talk, because they'd reached the ground.

.

The grass was lush and green. Taller than Al expected. He'd imagined a green, mossy floor to walk on, not a lush, thick carpeted rug. He placed one foot cautiously in it, and his toes sank between the blades, like he'd stepped in a puddle of water.

It was soft. Warm. It smelled fresh and sweet and alive. It smelled green.

Al sank to his knees with a soft, surprised laugh. Grass tickled his legs. He leaned forward, letting his hands sink into the grass as well.

He breathed in deep, letting the scents overwhelm him. They'd always been so far away from him, tantalizingly faint. But now…

Birds and insects flitted by. One buzzed right by his ear and landed in his hair. He gasped delightedly.

A butterfly floated on the wind. Al stood and raced to it, chasing after it when it lazily began to fly away. He didn't manage to touch its blue and black wings, but he came close.

The breeze danced across his outstretched palms, over his arms and face. It carried all manner of earthy, floral, tantalizing scents.

The pool of water burbled invitingly at him. He tiptoed over and stuck his foot in the cool, gentle stream.

The water bent around his toes. Tiny fish darted by, lily pads and leaves floating on the water. He laughed and stepped in with his other foot. The further he went, the more his toes sank into the muddy bottom. He could've squealed at the soft sensation.

"I love this," he said softly. Then it occurred to him—he didn't have to be cautious and quiet. "I love this!"

He didn't care that Edward was there, watching him. He didn't have to worry about disturbing Father's stern quiet. Even when Father was away, Al always felt as if his shouts of joy became encased in the tower walls, and Father could hear them when he returned.

He splashed out of the stream, gasping at the chill the water left on his legs. Bits of grass and dirt stuck to his feet as he headed for the rock passage out of the canyon.

Al had no idea what could be on the other side of that tunnel.

He didn't care.

For so long he'd been encased in stone and metal. Sometimes the tower felt like a prison.

A prison he'd escaped.

There was so much to see and do and experience, and he'd only descended to the ground.

The narrow rock passage gave way to a forest. Even greener than the canyon meadow, trees tall and alluring and picturesque. Al drank it in, feeling as light as if he would float right up and join the clouds. His bare feet sang, feeling grass and earth under them for the first time.

Tears gathered in the corners of his eyes. It was wonderful down here. He felt like he was coming alive, truly, for the first time.

Al had never felt so free.

How had Father never spoken of the sheer beauty of the world? How was he never overwhelmed by it?

Father.

His chest went cold. He stopped dead in his tracks.

Al couldn't believe himself. Here he was, blatantly disobeying Father's strictest edict. Breaking every rule Father had set in place to protect him. And he was laughing about it.

How would Father react? Al had never done anything of this magnitude before. He'd been far from a perfect child, but compared to this his sins had been small.

Would Father be angry? Disappointed? Sad? All of them at once?

Al's joyous tears turned hard, cold. They pricked at his eyes like little daggers. How dare you. How dare you.

"How could I," he whispered. His arms came around him, and the tears began trickling down his cheeks.

He knew Edward was behind him, watching—probably thinking how much of a freak he was—but he couldn't care about that.

He had just broken Father's trust. Even if he went back now, how could he fix things? Restore an understanding that had taken nearly fifteen years to build up?

Had he just ruined everything?

.

Ed saw Alphonse stop in his tracks, his shoulders hunch forward. It was as if the joyous kid he'd seen moments ago had disappeared, folding in on himself to become the shy, scared boy in the tower again.

As if it was all catching up to him, and he was overwhelmed.

Why would going outside overwhelm him?

What if…he'd never seen all of this without his armor?

Ed frowned at the thought. What kind of life had this boy led?

He approached Alphonse cautiously. The kid's breathing was shaky, coming in short gasps.

"Hey."

Alphonse jumped. His frying pan hung limp from one hand. "I shouldn't have done this. I shouldn't. Father would…he'll…"

War raged in Ed's mind. Part of him longed to drag the kid back to the tower and force him, in his fragile state of mind, to give up the Stone.

The other part ached for him.

He laid a hand on Alphonse's shoulder. "You…okay?"

Maybe he imagined it, but another thrill of warmth went through him when they touched. Just like when they'd shaken hands.

"I…" Alphonse hesitated. "I'm sorry. I think so. Yeah." He turned to look at Edward, his face streaked with tears but already arranged into a calm smile.

Ed's stomach twisted, revisiting Alphonse's words. Father would…he'll…

What would this father of his do—to make him so afraid?

Ed opened his mouth to say something further, but before he could, Alphonse's gaze snapped to his left. "Hey. I've never climbed a tree before."

And he was off again, shoving his frying pan into Ed's arms.

Ed watched him mount the sturdy tree, hopping adeptly from branch to branch. If he squinted, he could see the shadow demon thing darting back and forth, creating ripples in the bark.

The thing was playing. Playing, the same as Alphonse, whose clear, high voice echoed against the trees.

He was having fun.

Alphonse had nearly reached the top of the tree before he went rigid. He slid to the ground, his feet somehow very resilient against the rough bark.

Ed hurried to the tree, bewildered. This kid's mood swings were extreme, bordering on manic. It was enough to cause real worry, that was for sure.

The base of the tree was guarded by thick brush. Ed pushed aside the greenery to find Alphonse curled in a ball. His cheeks were wet with tears once more.

"I shouldn't have left. I'm so selfish. I should've stayed. I should go back. I need to go back." He looked up at Ed with red, watery eyes.

Ed said nothing. He tried not to think of all the small kids he'd encountered on the streets, starving and in need of help. He always did what he could for them.

Alphonse's big eyes looked just like theirs.

His hair was messy from his running and exploring, bangs spilling over his face again. He sniffled, raising one hand to shakily wipe his eyes.

Ed's hands twitched without his permission, as if he were about to reach for the kid and do something stupid, like brush his hair out of his eyes.

He didn't know how to help. One thing he did know, from the proportion of Al's reaction—this father of his was extremely overbearing.

He put out a hand and helped Alphonse to his feet.

"Your father?"

"Yeah. He—he'll be so disappointed."

"Just for leaving? Going to a party?" Ed raised an eyebrow. It sounded extreme.

"He's right."

Ed had heard the same thing before. "Fathers suck." The words tumbled from his mouth without his permission.

Al's eyes went wide. "No! No, he's a good person. He loves me. He just…"

He couldn't seem to finish, to find the words.

Despite his insistence, he still looked…terrified.

"You…you wanna go back home?"

Alphonse shuddered. "No!"

"But you just—"

"I'm not going home until I've seen what I came to see!"

"Right. The lanterns. What's so special about them?"

"They—" Alphonse hesitated. "I watch them every year from so far away. It…it seems like something special, and I want to be a part of it."

Ed blinked. Such a simple, straightforward explanation.

Why did this kid have to be so damn earnest?

"Well, they do use alchemy to make the lanterns. Or so I've heard."

Alphonse brightened. "Really? Oh, I'd love to see that."

"Hey, these mood swings of yours—are you gonna start crying on me again?"

He blushed, although it seemed more out of frustration than embarrassment. "I'm fine."

"I'm just saying—you don't need to feel so bad about this. Sooner or later you've gotta stop listening to what other people tell you and make your own decisions."

"I do make my own decisions! Plenty of them."

"Uh-huh." Ed surveyed him skeptically. "Choosing what to cook for dinner doesn't count."

"I'm here, aren't I?" he said petulantly, crossing his arms. "I chose to come with you."

"And that's working out so well for you."

Alphonse clenched his arms, drawing his shoulders close. "Don't—don't do that! Don't treat me like I'm a stupid kid. I might not know where to go, but I can take care of myself."

"Uh-huh."

He glared. "It's not like you're a role model for making good decisions. You're a thief. And you stole that stone."

Again with the Stone. Ed threw up his arms. "What—what is your deal? You don't even know what it is."

"I know more than you think." He clutched the handle of his frying pan, which he'd brought with him. (Ed wondered if he could transmute it into a harmless toy before Alphonse reacted.) "Those things are dangerous."

"Rare," Ed corrected. "They're very rare." Did he really know what that stone was?

Alphonse's lips pressed into a pout—Ed tried not to think how adorable it looked. "Don't you know what it takes to make one? The cost? How can you possibly want that?"

"I know what the cost is!" Ed burst out. "Human lives? That's exactly why I stole it. I took it away from that bastard who was using it for his own gain. He used its power to trick his followers into thinking he was a god."

He didn't know why he felt the need to prove his intentions to this kid. The Fullmetal Alchemist never explained himself to anyone.

But using human souls…there were some lines even Edward wouldn't cross.

"Oh." Alphonse blinked. He looked Ed up and down, a new understanding shining in his eyes. "I didn't take you for a do-gooder."

Ed looked down. "I'm not." He wasn't. He just hated seeing people abuse their power. Stepping on those under them. Taking advantage of people who trusted their authority.

"No? I think that sounds very noble."

Ed's face warmed. He glowered and raised his middle finger. The last thing he needed was anyone treating him like a hero. He wasn't.

Alphonse tilted his head quizzically at the gesture, as if confused what it meant.

Ed rolled his eyes. Even when he tried to be mean to this kid, it didn't work. He stuck out his tongue instead, an infuriatingly milder insult. "Idiot."

"Hey." He lifted the pan threateningly.

"Fine, fine."

Al's stomach gurgled, and he looked down at it with a mixture of surprise and chagrin. "I…haven't eaten. I forgot to eat."

Ed almost groaned. "You…wanna go back home and get something?"

"No! I'm not going back. Not until—"

"Okay, okay. Until you see the lanterns. Got it."

It was barely noon, and the lantern festival didn't start until tomorrow evening. There was still plenty of time to stop and eat, then continue on to the royal city.

Ed wondered how many nervous breakdowns he'd have to endure before they got there.

.

Military men were scouting the woods.

That wasn't a rarity in itself. In the years since the Great Earthquake, since the king had stepped down, this ridiculous country had been overrun by the military. The idiotic generals in power seemed bent on turning it into a police state. The head one even insisted on being called "Fuhrer."

Children.

Not one of them took any notice of the hooded figure in white robes. An old man, perhaps. A harmless traveler.

It was an illusion, an old but trustworthy one.

No, the worry was their proximity to the tower.

Perfectly situated deep in the forest, no one had any business straying so far. That they had today was…troubling.

What suspicion had led them there? What lead were they following?

Best to check on Alphonse.