They were apart and it had hurt. Ed hadn't expected it to hurt, but it did and it was a shock. It hurt even more when Ed had to reattach his automail however at least with the automail, the pain would go away eventually not like this pain.

He was on the other side of the gate. Alone. Away from his brother. His lover. His friends. Left alone, with people who barely resemble the loved ones he left behind.

The people he bumped into, were shells of their former selves. The former selves that he was used to. The ones he cared for and it hurt sometimes seeing people that were long gone or people he would never see again. Since he was stuck here.

Nina.

Hughes.

Al.

Winry.

But what hurt the most was bumping into these people, he knew. Because, they spoke and the pain was so much more unbearable then. It was like moments that stopped time. After all, time passed in moments.

He bumped into a man with dark hair and dark eyes, impossibly tall and handsome.

A face that was plastered into Ed's mind.

A face that clearly didn't know who Ed was.

The person didn't even know him and Ed felt like crying.