A/N: After one of my friends asked me to continue…I thought about it, and decided to write something in Alphonse's point of view. I guess I like ficlets or something. xD Anyway, this chapter is sorta toned down from the first, because Al really doesn't understand what's going on. And as always, please review? Brief one sided Roy/Ed, you might catch it. And this one is shorter than the first…
Title: Guilt Trip
Brother is sneaking out again. Although he tries to be quiet, hoping never to be caught, I lay awake listening to the soft clinking of metal as he pads out of his bed to pull on his boots. I don't really need to sleep…after all, this metal body just houses a soul. I do not eat, do not drink…do not feel. I can be sad, yet tears will never come to these eyes. I dare not whisper the words that I want to say, so instead,Edward leaves, thinking I'll never be any wiser.
I've seen his arms. Still, I don't understand why he does it. Hasn't Brother bled enough? Suffered enough? We both have…A quiet whimper breaks the otherwise silent night, and though there is no warmth from this armor, I curl into myself and wish that everything had been a nightmare. Everyone's questioned him time and time again, and I've seen Colonel Mustang. He's worried, but…it's strange, how he touches Ed, while Brother lies on the hospital bed, unconscious and the Colonel doesn't realize I'm there. He whispers softly, so inaudible I don't hear a word, and strokes my brother's hair.
I believe brother's stopped hurting himself, after he was released from the hospital. I was the one who took him, the one who found him. He was losing a lot of blood, and I worried that I might lose my older brother. He's the only thing I have left…and we promised each other to be there. Promised that we would help each other restore our bodies, no matter what it took. But now…he's taken to the habit of sneaking out, every night. I don't think he's able to sleep…and I wish I knew how to help him.
Brother is silent a lot of the time. He comes home in the early hours of the morning, when dawn has yet to peek over the horizon, climbs into bed…and I hear his breath even out. When I'm sure he's asleep, I turn on my side, and I take in his now peaceful form. He seemed to have not cared about clothing, and just slipped into bed. His hair is in tangles, free from the braid he normally wears. His appearance, ruffled…and there's bruises on his neck. Has brother been fighting again? With whom? Not too long ago, I saw Ed limping…
I crawl back into my own bed, sighing quietly to myself. I can't help but feel slightly betrayed by Ed's actions lately. He's…pushing me away, when all I want to do is help him, be there for him. Brother, why won't you talk to me?