Chapter 6: Remembrance and Recovery

A/N: Sorry, but I lose my inspiration so quickly sometimes, I really meant to update sooner than this, please forgive me! I suppose that like most people I'll start replying to reviews via the reply button, for those that remain unsigned, I thank you now for your reviews.

Must reads:

Expect the Unexpected

Koukyuu no Toriko

A Forgotten Memory

Pirates of the Caribbean Inuyasha Style

A Path Worth Retracing

Hate is Only Skin Deep

My Memory's Heartache

Full Metal Hakusho

Previously:

A sudden headache coursed through Ed's temples and he stepped away from Winry, clutching at his head. "Oh..." He moaned as images fluttered quickly through his mind- images of the girl, she had been the key to unlocking his memories after all.

The last thing that Ed was aware of was Envy's anger filled voice, "Tell Alphonse Elric that if he does not create the philosopher's stone I will kill his brother." He said threateningly.

"No!" Winry screamed, and then all was enshrouded in a thick fog of darkness.

Now:

Ed felt himself drifting slowly back to reality, he found that he couldn't move or see, and that it was difficult to breath in the confining space. His body was on fire and ached so badly, a small voice was calling out to him, it was distant, and in his state of mind Ed couldn't recognize it. What's going on? He thought hazily, where am I?

After a moment he tried again to sit up, this time succeeding in creating a small avalanche of rocks and dust, which caused him to sneeze. Sunlight filtered through the small space dully and Ed looked towards it enviously, feeling a small breeze cool his burning face, "Ed!" The voice called again, and it was joined by several others, all calling his name, recognition filtered into his fogged mind and Ed let out a hoarse moan.

He was buried. That was all he knew, how had he been buried, and why? Had he been fighting? All the thoughts that rushed through his mind set his head reeling and a splitting headache formed in his right temple.

His muscles screamed in protest as he continued to struggle against the suffocating mass of rubble that pressed all the harder against his broken body. The pungent scent of burnt flesh and coppery blood consumed his senses, adding to the tension of his struggle for freedom.

The fresh air cleared his senses, and he didn't feel nearly as hazy as he had previously. Tears of fury and pain blinded his vision, and Ed choked on the dust that was disturbed by the teasing breeze. "Damn it." He croaked, struggling all the harder against the pressure of his prison.

"Over here!" The voices drew closer and a shadow fell over him, blocking out the sunlight.

Ed's vision blurred and he licked his cracked lips to no avail. "Well Elric, you've certainly succeeded in creating one hell of a mess." The voice, however masked with sarcasm still dripped with relief and concern for the boy trapped beneath him.

His black hair was mussed by the playful wind, and dark eyes squinted against the ever brightening light above. There was a sense of pity too in his voice, something that he was unwilling to say in the present situation. "Al." Ed's voice was hardly above a whisper, and it was surprising that Mustang, for that was the man's name, had heard him at all, "where is Al?"

Instead of answering Mustang gave orders to several of his insubordinates and the weight that pressed upon Ed's body was slowly lessening. Finally the full glory of his injuries was revealed. Blood spilled forth from areas that had been unable to bleed due to the pressure that had been applied, and he felt more than ever the pain that wracked his body. Slowly and carefully he was extracted from what would have most certainly been his grave, and his wounds were at length taken care of.

Still Ed wondered about Al and his coming to be buried and in so much pain, he could not remember, and that troubled him greatly. "Alphonse." He said again, gazing about himself with slitted eyes, searching for the telltale armor of his little brother, yet he saw nothing more than the rubble and several soldiers, gazing amongst themselves nervously, there was something that they were not telling him.

"Ed, you need to rest." This voice belonged to Lieutenant Hawkeye, who took her place beside Mustang.

Ed remembered his dream then and his body shook with silent laughter, who could think anyway, of Mustang becoming the fuhrer? "And just what is so funny?" Mustang frowned, thinking that perhaps the elder Elric must be going mad.

The laughter subsided and Ed shook his head, frowning as well. He felt fatigued, and had no idea as to why he had been able to laugh when he was clearly so very exhausted. Slowly his eyes closed and blissful darkness claimed him.

When finally his eyes reopened Ed found that he was in a darkened room, lying upon what felt like a thin, hard mattress. His legs were bare and he had been changed into a hospital gown, which hung loosely upon his bandaged body. His long, golden hair was unbraided and spread about his aching head like a halo. His throat was not nearly so parched, but even so it was still very much dry, and for several minutes sound absolutely refused to come forth from his lips, and when it did he was far to embarrassed to attempt and speak again. The sound had been a piteous squeak that had obviously been heard because a youthful nurse with a full bust approached him then. "Ah, so you've finally awoken!" She said cheerily, "that's good."

She then proceeded to check his vital signs, occasionally nodding her approval. After a moment she frowned, "alas, but your fever has yet to diminish." She said softly, wiping at the perspiration that had accumulated upon his face with a soft cloth, "poor boy, been ill for nearly a month!"

"Where…" Ed groaned out through clenched teeth, "where is my brother, Alphonse, is he here?"

"I'm sorry lad, but there is no boy here by that name." The nurse fidgeted and looked away, "Perhaps a glass of water?" She then proceeded to busy herself with pouring a small plastic cup with icy water from the mandatory pitcher that sat beside his bed.

She eased him into a sitting position and pressed the cup to his willing lips, pouring small amounts into his mouth at a time so that he would not choke. Ah, the cold refreshing liquid! Ed was in an ecstasy, and he relished the wetness in his mouth. His eyes drifted slowly closed, and he felt the cup leave his lips and his body being eased back down so that he lay comfortably upon the sheets that had cooled in his absence. Dimly Ed heard footsteps, and a voice whisper, "how is he?"

"Well, Colonel, he was awake if only for a moment." The nurse whispered in return, with his eyes cracked open ever so slightly Ed saw her look back at him with pity, "keeps asking about his brother, even in the deepest of sleep."

"He'll remember soon enough I suppose-" and before he could listen farther Ed drifted into restless dreams...

When next he swam back to the surface, if only to just below the surface, of consciousness Ed was aware of a hand clasped loosely in his own, as if the owner of the appendage were either sleeping or not fully there. He saw a flash of blonde and new instantly who it was, he felt his heart swell and nearly burst with emotion as he forced himself into full consciousness, "Winry?" His voice came so much easier than it had on the previous occasion.

"Oh Edward!" She hiccupped, trying furiously to keep the tears out of her voice, her hand tightened reassuringly over his own.

Slowly Ed pulled himself into a sitting position, which was no easy feat for one whom had been invalid and lying down for something near a month, but finally he sat, looking down at Winry, her shoulders shaking with silent sobs as she pressed her face into his lap, "You idiot!" She sobbed, "you're such an idiot!"

"What did I do?" Ed slowly ran his fingers through her hair and massaged her back to comfort her.

"Can't you remember?" Her eyes were red and puffed, but her eyebrows were furrowed with worry, perhaps he had sustained some sort of brain damage- but at least he had remembered her, kami, but she didn't know what she would have done had he said something like, 'who are you?' Her heart would have certainly broken. (meh, ironic nue?)

Ed shook his head, and his golden orbs cast themselves downward, "I can't (I wrote cannot, but I just can't hear Ed saying that, you know?)." He murmured silently, clenching his hands tightly about the blankets before thrusting them from him, Winry's head shot backwards when he did this, and he pulled himself unwillingly from the bed.

It was quite a sight, seeing Ed standing so unsteadily and occasionally having his body lean more to one side than the other, resulting in his having to grasp at the bed to keep from collapsing. "You shouldn't be up!" Winry stood in front of him, her arms crossed.

"I'm not going to sleep another moment until I know where Alphonse is!" Ed snarled in such a vicious way that Winry took a startled step backward, "I keep asking, but nobody will tell me, I want to know where he is!"

He stalked jerkily to the window and stared out at the ominously dark sky, and watched as lightning forked across the sky, matching his mood in it's ferocity as thunder boomed mere seconds later. Rain poured forth, lashing against the window, and occasionally Ed could see hail beating at the earth mercilessly, "I want answers Winry." He said softly, even as the fog over his mind began to lift slightly, "where is Alphonse?"

"Brother!"

"Al, Al where are you?" Ed called, receiving no reply as the philosopher's stone fell from his grasp.

Lying before him, visible in the clearing air, was the body of his little brother, his soul had been returned to flesh after all. "Alphonse!" Ed collapsed at his brother's side as the other opened his eyes weakly.

"Brother, did it work?" Al's voice was soft and breathy, "did it?"

Ed found that he could not answer and merely nodded as he swallowed the rising lump in his throat, he forced a small smile to his lips as he pulled off his coat and wrapped it around the bare flesh of his little brother. "Come on, we should leave."

"But what about your arm and your leg?"

"I'll take care of it later." Ed sighed, he had grown attached to the automail, and wasn't so very willing to part with it just then, "but first we need to get you some clothes or you'll freeze out here!'

"Oh." It was the only word to leave his mouth as he knelt down to grab the stone that Ed had dropped.

A look of shock and pain entered his face, and in an instant Ed could feel a hot liquid splash against his bare flesh. In horror he looked on as Al collapsed his mouth agape and clutching at the hole in his chest. "You fools." The voice was that of Envy, and looking back Ed saw Gluttony standing close behind him.

"Can I eat him now Envy?" Gluttony's words cause a deep ache to clutch at Ed's heart as Envy nodded his consent and leapt at Ed in vehemence.

"Al, get up, get up!" Ed cried as he dodged blows from Envy's transformed arms, he had created long blades upon each and meant now to kill Ed.

Alphonse slid his body piteously across the earth, but Gluttony caught up with him, and what happened next would burn itself upon Ed's memory for the rest of his life. Slowly Gluttony engulfed Alphonse's body, starting with his thin legs. Alphonse was forced to endure long minutes of pain until finally he had bled to death. His eyes were frozen open, and his mouth remained evermore in a silent scream. "Alphonse!" Ed slammed his hands together with such force and such power that when he brought them apart the power was seen visibly; Envy was impaled upon a long pole that ascended through the ceiling, trapping him there for the moment, "Gluttony, you bastard!"

Ed's feet moved faster than they ever had before and he slammed his shoulder in the great rolls that were Gluttony, all that remained of his little brother were his shoulders and head, Ed could not bear to look at the body.

And so the battle ensued, occasionally Ed would manage to kill Gluttony or Envy, a bittersweet victory as they would pull their bodies back together and attack him again. Buildings crumbled as bodies were thrust through walls, and finally, with a last act of alchemy, Ed's body was buried beneath massive rubble, and he watched as both Envy and Gluttony sauntered away from him, and then the darkness claimed his aching mind.

Ed gasped and wrenched himself back to the present. He shook visibly as he collapsed beneath the window with a whispered word of vengeance. "Ed?" Winry looked visibly shaken by the sudden changes that had overcome him; she could only believe that he had remembered.

"his head…" Ed gasped out, "that's all that was left… his head!" He howled in agony and shivered with dire rage, "I will kill those damned homunculi, I'll kill them!"

A/N: So, what did you guys think, definitely different, ne?

Envy: Tch, at least one of those pests is dead… and at least I didn't really kiss Ed… Makes a face of disgust

Alphonse: I- I'm dead?

Ed: Clutches at Alphonse protectively, It can't be! No!

Gluttony: Burps and pats his stomach

Authoress: sighs Until the next chapter, remember to hit that little button at the lower left hand corner of the screen…

Ja ne!

Aka-chan