I was rereading the manga chapter 26"To the Master." I really love Al. He's so cute and naive, but at the strangest times, he'll surprise you with how wise and mature he is.

You are probably wondering why Winry is in the other world (which is sometimes referred to as Ryon) Well; if I tell you, it will give away the ending. So, sorry, can't tell you.

Warning! Lin/Al ahead!

-

Lin sighed as the door banged shut behind the Elric brothers.

Not listening had been harder then she expected. The pillow had kept out most of it, but if she had tried, she could have pieced together.

But despite all her teasing, Lin really didn't want to overhear such a personal conversation.

To distract herself, she had tried to imagine different ways she could annoy people, but it didn't work too well.

Al's voice worked its way into her ear. He sounded sad.

Like that's a surprise, Lin though sarcastically, when you consider what they're talking about.

A mental image of Al appeared to go with the sound. He was crying.

Her heart twisted.

In the short time she'd known him, the younger Eric brother had completely wound his way into Lin's heart. Lin usually didn't make friends easily, but once she did, they were for life, and she would do anything for them.

Lin smiled to herself.

Al is...so eager to please, so trusting, so, so lovable. He's really a great guy. I'm really glad I know him.

Lin remembered the fight against...what had they called him? Oh, right, Scar.

Al knew what we were up against. He wanted to run, and he could've. But he didn't.

Al is...

"Hey Lin" called Rae, pushing open the door.

"Hey Rae. Is that for me?" she asked, gesturing at the tray of food she held.

"Yes it is! Funny thing though. Al was headed down there for the reason I was!" Rae smiled.

"Huh?" asked Lin confused.

Then her eyes widened. "You mean..."

"He was thinking you might be hungry when you woke up"

He was thinking about me.

"Ah, he was right" she said, stretching " I'm so hungry I could eat a horse"

It makes me feel really happy to know that he was thinking about me.

-

Winry woke up the sunshine filling her room and burning her eyes.

She groaned and rolled over.

After a few moments for trying to go back to sleep and failing, she sighed and got out of bed.

Looking out of sleep-blurred eyes at the room, she tried to remember where she was, and why everything looked to so old fashioned.

Then she remembered.

She was in another world.

Winry felt like going back to bed and pulling the covers over her head, but she knew that wouldn't solve anything.

So she walked over to the jar and the mirror, that must be their version of a sink. The basin was full of cold water (didn't they have running water?)

Winry splashed her face and reached for the towel.

After she was down getting ready, Winry walked downstairs.

The main room was less full than last night but still had a decent number of people inside, all of who were chatting cheerfully and eating.

Floating around the room was the wonderful smell of eggs and bacon being fried.

Winry received some cheerful nods; a couple people called out some friendly greetings.

She replied in kind, and sat at a nearby table, after asking for a plate of the bacon and eggs.

As she started to eat, she accidentally overhead part of the conversation from the table next to her.

"No way! You're telling me you actually believe that goofy stuff"

"It's not goofy, just listen! That town, Aopolyn, it must be haunted"

"You goof! It's not haunted; there are just a lot of bad memories there"

"Huh? Bad memories"

"Years ago, a terrible plague known as the Black Death swept through the city of Aopolyn. Every single person died, because it was so contagious and so deadly. Not one person survived.

People are still afraid of it, and that's why no one ever went back to bury the bodies, and to this day, no one lives in Aopolyn."

"See? It must be haunted"

Winry stopped listening and started thinking.

They didn't bury the bodies?

She remembered the corpse she'd found in the abandon town.

That must have been the same town. But of all the towns in this world, why did I end up in that town?

Winry thought of the woman they had called the Black Angel.

I wonder if she's learned anything.

-

Al came in the room to find Lin tossing random objects at the walls.

He blinked as an empty milk carton sailed past his head.

"Lin" he asked slowly, wondering if she'd lost it"what are you doing"

"I'm bored" Lin complained, tossing a plastic spoon at the wall"Bored! There's nothing to do in this stupid hospital! And I'm still stuck here because of my leg being broken"

She tossed an empty bowl, and her elbow knocked into the lamp, causing it to crash onto the floor.

Silence, as the two of them stared at it, apprenhensivly.

"Oh man." Lin said"I'm in for it now."

"Don't worry" Al said"I can fix it."

He knelt on the floor, being careful not to get his knees cut. He clapped his hands, and then carefully touched a peice of the lamp. There was a flash of light, and the lamp was fixed.

Al smiled and picked up, showing it to Lin.

Lin grinned and clapped.

Al's smile grew bigger, but then he turned serious and set the lamp down on the table.

"Lin, even if you are bored out of your mind, you still can't throw things."

Lin folded her arms and sighed.

"Fine" she said" but I still have no idea what to do."

Al thought for a moment.

"Well, I'm here, so you can talk to me."

Lin looked rather surprised then grinned.

"That'll work."

-

Rae walked down the hallway, the soles of her shoes clicking quietly against the floor.

She hummed slightly as she walked.

Even if this happiness cannot last it is important to enjoy what you have while you have it. I guess Lin was right, I shouldn't have run. But still I don't regret running, because now we are here.

Her steps slowed slightly, as she came to Lin's door, and muffled voices came from behind the door.

She frowned slightly, trying to think.

Who...?

She peeked around the edge of the door.

Al sat on the bed, next to Lin.

They were smiling, and laughing.

Lin was leaning against the pillow, laughing her head off, clutching her stomach, she was laughing so hard.

Al was the same, nearly falling off the bed.

Rae smiled, and then a thought came to her.

Is it possible...?

She thought for a while, then slowly, quietly, shut the door, and walked away, a suspeicly large smile on her face.

Once she thought she was far enough away, she started to skip down the hallway, laughing to herself.

"Hey, what's so funny" asked a voice.

Rae turned to face Ed.

"Nothing. Where have you been"

"Looking for Winry."

"That girl who was supposed at the train station"

He nodded, frowning.

"I'm worried. I was late going to pick her up as it is. What if she got tired of waiting, and went to go find me only to get lost? Or what if she was kidnapped"

Rae, touched, reached out to pat his shoulder reassuringly, but drew back at the last moment, remembering her cursed gift.

"Don't worry. I'm sure she's okay, where ever she is." She said instead.

Ed gave her a weak smile.

"Thanks. But I've looked everywhere, and now I don't know...what else to do. And also I don't know what to tell Al. He only remembers his childhood; he doesn't remember any of this" He gestured out the window, at the tall buildings and busy streets of Central. "But he would remember Winry. But now that she's missing it will just give him one more thing to worry about." he sighed," Even though he has his body back, our problems are still not over yet. And soon he'll bring up the topic of wanting to restore my arm and leg."

He looked at Rae.

"Hey I don't suppose you could touch my arm and leg and heal them like you healed Al's?."

"Well" Rae said uncetainly"I think I could, but if I'm wrong, you'll die."

"Hm, that's something that can really dampen your enthusim."

"Yeah, you're telling me."

"Well, it's something to think about, right"

"Maybe if the mechanical arm was gone and you were bleeding..." mused Rae.

Ed winced.

"It really hurts when you take it out of the socket." He explained.

"Oh, I see."

"Shouldn't we try though"

"Well okay. But later, alright"

Ed nodded, then remembered the main reason he'd come to the hospital.

"Do you know where Al is" he asked.

"Yes, he's in Lin's room." Rae responded.

They started walking down the hallway to her room.

" What's he doing in there anyway" Asked Ed as he walked.

Rae chuckled.

"Well, they seem be getting along very well together, and enjoying each other's company very much."

Ed looked confused.

Rae chuckled again.

"Don't worry; girls usually see it coming first."

"See what"

Rae gave a grin was creepily similar to Ed's semi-maniacal one, the one he gives when he's in the middle of a fight and he's about to knock someone sensless.

"Nothing." She responded, sounding quite innocent, which was really scary when contrasted with her smile.

Ed looked at her, and in the back of his mind, wondered if she'd gone nuts, and if he should run away.

But Rae calmed down and said"Why wasn't your brother out looking with you"

"Just in case anything happened, I wanted him to stay here."

"Oh, that explains it."

They came to the door to Lin's room.

They could hear Al and Lin talking.

"Did you ever fight with your brother" came Lin's voice.

"Yeah, we used to fight a lot, actually." Al's voice responded.

"Really? What did you fight over"

"Lots of things. Usually stupid little stuff. Once we fought over who would marry Winry."

Ed turned red.

"That's that girl your brother is out looking for, right"

"Uh huh."

"Who won the fight" asked Rae coming inside the room.

Ed recovered and went in after her.

"Al! Why are you telling her that story!"

"Lin asked me if we'd ever fought. And I won the fight, but Winry said no."

"So, Winry and Ed are a couple?"

"No!"

"Not yet."

"AL!"

"Isn't it true though?"

"No!"

"Hey, don't people say the the more you protest the more you like them?" asked Lin.

"Yes, that's one of my favorite quotes." Rae said, ""The greater the denial, the greater the attraction.""

Ed opened his mouth, probably to protest some more, but he never got a chance to say anything, because at the moment, the Black Angel appeared in the middle of the room.

-

Thank you for reading, now please review!