I was bored...so I wrote another of my AU fics. Hope you enjoy.

Disclaimer: FMA is not mine

When was the last time I saw him smile?

When we were young, he always had an idiotic grin on his face. It was one of pure joy, happiness, and contentment. He was perfectly happy at the lot life had granted him. Back then, the only time he would stop smiling was when he fought with his brother. I never knew who won or lost, except both of them would go off sulking, their silly expressions replaced by those of unhappy pouting. But it never lasted long. When their mother noticed, they would run to her, the two would reconcile, and soon, their faces were wreathed in joy again. But then, their mother fell ill, and she died. For a long while, he almost never smiled. The two would often sit at their mother's grave, sulking. The day they returned to school, they were talking excitedly among themselves. They had long lists of numbers and figures and other things I didn't understand. They never told me what they were researching. One of them would just say, "Not telling!" and the other would at least have the grace to provide me with an apologetic smile. This continued for some time. Then they left for half a year for Dublith to study alchemy. When they came back, they seemed happy enough at their new skills, as long as you didn't mention their training. Their faces were often thoughtful, and their smiles didn't come easily. Come to think of it, it was probably only for each other and then for us who they would occasionally grace with a smile.

And then -that- happened. If they had told me what they were planning to do, maybe I could have stopped them, maybe I could have let their smiles go on for longer. They tried to return their mother. One lost their right arm and left leg, the other their left arm and right leg, and his soul. His brother attempted to reattach his soul back to his body, and succeeded after giving another leg. The two would probably have died of blood loss, had not one Roy Mustang seen the flash of a transmutation and gone to investigate. He came to us, being their closest neighbours, with the news that there were two young boys in critical condition, and they were alive, though barely. When I heard that, I all but dashed off had I not been stopped. 'Ed, Al, what have you done?' I thought. The man said that they were in a sorry state, and there was -something- that was not intended for my eyes there. Him and another woman returned soon after, carrying their bloody bodies. I let out a gasp of fright, horror, and surprise. 'What have they done!' was all I could think. 'What happened?' While granny was grateful to the man for saving the brothers' lives, she didn't take to kindly for the two strangers to have come from the military. When he offered to take them to central to become State Alchemists, she became livid. I was sad. I didn't want them to go to the military. The military went to wars and my parents had gone to wars and they had been killed. I didn't know what the brothers thought. Ed's eyes became lifeless, he was expressionless, quiet. Despite that he had lost more than his brother, he felt that it had all been his fault. Al would occasionally flash a smile at his brother, pleading with him to arise from his stupor. The military man stayed around Reesembool for a week. We thought he had left when he stopped by our house. He once again reviewed his offer, handing Ed train tickets and information, then he left. I became worried, yet pleased, for I had noticed that his eyes were lit with determination anew.

By the next week, Ed asked for automail, and following his brother, Al too. Ed never screamed. Al would occasionally, but Ed would just grit his teeth. His rehabilitation took a third of the time it normally would have. Al was only two month's after his brother. It was then, that Ed began smiling again, the two would sometimes share a moment, or grace me with some of their feelings. These times were rare however, and Ed and Al soon left for Eastern city, then traveled on to Central. They didn't return for two years. I heard that Ed had become the Fullmetal Alchemist. Al however, had failed his psychological tests. Something about how he didn't have the determination needed. I wonder if he smiled then. Not the smile that one displayed to show that you were content, even if your true feelings said otherwise, but the one from the heart.

Two years later, they returned. It was quite a sight. Ed had managed to break both of his legs, and had to be carried by an extremely muscular man, while Al trodded behind looking apologetic. He wore a sheepish smile on his face, as if to say, sorry Winry. I was glad that he could smile again, even if they weren't like what they were before, even if they didn't display any of the brilliance, any of their inner determination to make those around them happy.

That was three years ago. Soon after that time, there had been a call to arms, and Ed had been obliged to go. Al, in order to stay with his brother, had once again taken the State Alchemist exams, and this time, he had passed, much to Ed's dismay. The Fullmetal Alchemist now had the Shattered Metal Alchemist as his brother.

I never hear what had really happened, he would never tell me, but I heard that his brother had been reported MIA. He had come home soon after, only to tell us that he was going to search for his brother. He looked for a year and a half, but he could find no trace. When he returned, his eyes were once again dull, and lifeless, and he would spend the days sitting at the window, staring out. He never smiled, he never had any expression actually.

The sun was just setting and its golden light was cast on the boy's delicate features. For a moment, his face was bathed in a gold that rivaled that of his hair and his eyes. He had been like this for a while now; sitting at the window, staring out, not talking much, eating quietly and then going to bed. Winry was worried for him. This wasn't the Ed she knew, the one who would go days at a time with little sleep or rest researching. He had been so determined in anything he did. She hoped he would return to his normal self soon.

The phone rang. "Hello? This is Rockbell's Automail, how may I help you?" Winry wondered who had called. When the voice replied, she thought it sounded familiar.

"Winry?" Winry groped in her mind for a bit, trying to place the owner of the voice.

"Ah! First Lieutenant Hawkeye!" Winry remembered the young woman from the military. She rather liked her. "Would you like to speak to Ed?"

"Actually, it's Major Hawkeye. And yes, I would like to speak to Edward." Winry wondered what it was that Hawkeye had called about. She sounded a bit excited. She called Ed over.

"Yes?" Ed spoke listlessly. Lately, he really didn't care what happened in the outside world.

"Edward? This is Major Hawkeye. I just thought you'd like to know that the War's over."

"So?" Ed didn't really care. They could keep their damn war to themselves.

"We have found Alphonse Elric. He was taken a Prisoner of War, but now that it has been concluded, we have found him among the survivors."

Ed's eyes lit up, he could barely believe his ears. Winry noticed the change that came over her childhood friend. It could only mean one thing... "How...Whe-when can he...come back?" Ed didn't trust his voice. He hoped this wasn't just a dream.

"I believe he is on his way back now. Perhaps in two days. I'm glad you can be together again." Ed slowly hung up the phone and sank into a chair, a look of disbelief plastered across his face.

"Ed? Is...Al..." Winry barely dared to utter the last syllable, as it had been taboo since Ed had returned. When Ed didn't react unfavorably, she continued. "Is he, alive?"

Ed slowly nodded. Winry burst into tears. "Oh, when he comes back, I'm going to hit him so hard he'll wish that he had never left!"

"Ah, now Winry..." Ed trailed off. He had noticed a sandy blond haired figure coming up the dusty road. Ed dashed out.

The figure looked up, and began running. "Nii-san!" The two met somewhere in the middle, where they grabbed each other in a deep embrace, neither caring that the cold metal of their arms were perhaps hurting the other. For the first time in a long while, he smiled. "Al..." The two said no more as the trod back to the house quietly, each reveling in the fact that after over two years, they were together again. They were smiling, just for each other. And they were smiling, for me.

Well, how was it? Please tell me! And I also have an ongoing story at the moment, so it'd be nice if you could read and review that too :p