Chapter 6
Author's note/rant: This chapter contains scenes that demonstrate the Elric brothers' relationship. I wrote it this way not only because I have a strange obsession with writing about brothers, but also as a challenge to those fans who support Elricest... which I don't. Two people can love each other without having a sexual relationship! Especially if their siblings! Do you want to see me do it with my little brother! Well, I don't! It's the same with Ed and Al. They love each other and are totally devoted to each other, but that doesn't mean they have to have sex! RAAAARRRRGH!
We now return to your irregularly scheduled fanfic. Thank you.
-
Winry and Noah claimed the window seats of their section of the car, with Al in the middle next to Winry, Ed next to him, and Sora and Riku on the other side facing them. Lucifer sat on Al's lap. The cat was proving to be a very good pet for traveling, always sitting or lying patiently in his master's lap. Al kept the cat calm by stroking his soft gray fur methodically. Ed was actually rather ashamed of disliking the animal for no good reason when he had first shown up.
Alphonse rested his head with care on Edward's right shoulder. Ed's shirt and jacket provided a thin cushioning over the cold metal. It was a familiar, comforting position for the pair since their reunion. They would sit back to back or side by side, as long as they had physical contact. It was like a special sort of bonding ritual for Al, who for years had not been able to feel his brother no matter how close they were. Edward was the most important person in Al's life. When they were separated, neither knowing if the other still lived, Alphonse had grown his hair long and taken to dressing like Ed just to keep a part of his precious brother with him. What they shared was the purest form of love, and neither one could imagine life without the other.
"How is your arm, Brother?"
"It's a little sore, but not too bad." Al had asked the same question that morning, and was bound to ask it again over the course of the day, but Ed did not mind. Though sometimes he felt like the younger brother, with Al looking out for him all the time. "Breaking an arm is nothing like losing an arm, or a leg." Ed grinned to soften the otherwise sensitive comment and reassure his brother.
Noah smiled at them. "You two are always inspiring to watch, you know? I've never seen siblings as close as you two are. Witnessing such love and devotion gives me hope."
Ed flushed, but Al smiled like the happy cat sitting in his lap. "It's because we've been together forever. Sometimes, during our search for the Philosopher's Stone, the only support we had was each other. Even when we were worlds apart, we never stopped thinking about each other. We are not just brothers and friends, we're partners."
"I think I'm almost jealous," Winry said, smiling fondly at her best friends. "I wish I could be that close to Ed!"
Edward blushed furiously while Noah and Sora laughed, and the rest smiled.
"Hey Brother, you know who we haven't seen since we got back?" Al asked. "Rose!"
"Hey, you're right!" Maybe we should check out Lior at some point. For some reason it doesn't strike me as a likely place for the keyhole, but we could see Rose1, and she might even be able to help us."
"She's not in Lior anymore, remember?" Al said. "She decided to raise her child in Dublith."
"Even better! We can see Mason and Sig while we're there... and I can visit Teacher's grave." The last part was said more quietly. Edward had been very grieved to hear from Alphonse that their alchemy teacher, Izumi Curtis, had passed away. She had been ill for years, even before the brothers first met her and became her apprentices. Because she had survived for so long, Ed had not really thought that her life was in danger, but she had finally succumbed to her unique illness while Ed was trapped in the other world. He wished that he had been there for her, but at least Alphonse had.
"Brother... I don't know if I ever told you this, but three years ago when Wrath sacrificed himself so that I could destroy Gluttony, and the Gate opened, I saw Teacher inside. Wrath's spirit went to her and they disappeared together... I just thought you should know."
Edward looked at his younger brother, eyes wide and mouth open slightly, then he showed a faint smile. "Thank you, Al. That makes me feel better. I don't know whether Wrath had any memories of being Teacher's child or not, but in the end it didn't matter. I still wish they were both alive, but at least they could be together."
"That's right," Al agreed. "It's no use being upset over their death, because death is just another part of life. Remember the first lesson Teacher gave to us?"
"Ha. How could I forget? A month trying and almost failing to survive on an uninhabited island is not something that slips ones mind so easily." Ed's smile grew. "That first lesson was one of the most important we learned."
While the others listened to the brothers' quiet conversation in wonder, Al mused, "all is one and one is all."
"What does that mean?" Sora asked curiously.
"All is the world and one is me," answered Edward, then explained further. "Each of us is just a tiny, insignificant part of the world. When we die, the world will go on as if nothing happened, but at the same time, we will continue to influence it. Our bodies will decompose, giving nutrients to the earth where we fall or are buried. That nutrients will allow grass and other plants to grow there, which will feed herbivorous animals, which in turn will feed carnivores. Then those carnivores will die and the cycle will start over again. One is all and all is one. The world is me and I am the world. The circle of life is the ultimate law of the universe, and it cannot be reversed by mortal hands."
"That's why," Al said, "we can't wish for our teacher or anyone else who had died to come back to life. We can only accept it as the law of the universe and move on."
"You are very wise," Riku commented.
The Full Metal Alchemist shrugged his shoulders. "If that's the case, our wisdom came at a high price. We learned that lesson the hard way. By experience, that is."
Riku raised an eyebrow. There was something in Edward's eyes as he spoke, and Al's as well. A solidity, a strength, and a somehow fearful seriousness that seemed to beg all those caught in the gaze to heed their words.
"By now you must have noticed that I'm... not all together here." He tapped his left knee with the knuckles of his right hand, and the sound of metal on metal echoed even through the cloth. "I appreciate that you have not inconsiderately asked me why, so now I will tell you." He turned his stare on Sora and Noah as well, his voice hard and serious "Alphonse and I have been orphans since we were small children. Our father left us, and not long after, our mother fell ill and died. At that time, we had already begun to study alchemy, and so we decided to practice until we were skilled enough to bring Mom back. We knew that human transmutation was forbidden, but we did not know why. We planned to gather the individual elements that make up the human body..." he paused to let Al recite the list of elements that they had both memorized so well, then continued, "and create a new body for our mother through alchemy."
"That's why we asked Izumi to be our teacher," Al added in, and Ed nodded.
"Teacher warned us time and time again to never attempt human transmutation. Even if she had told us why, I doubt we would have listened." He sighed. "Despite all our preparation, our attempt failed. There was a rebound that took my leg and Al's entire body, and the creature we created was not our mother. It was a monster... an abomination. And that is how we learned the law of the universe."
Sora blinked. "Wait, if Al's body was lost, why is he here now?" He also wanted to ask about Ed's arm, but did not want to be rude.
But Edward waved him away, leaning against his brother and the back rest tiredly. "Ask me later. Telling that story always wears me out."
Al looked at his brother worriedly, but Ed gave him a small smile. "Can we talk about something fun now? I though this was supposed to be a vacation."
"Hey, Ed!" Winry said quickly, thinking of a subject to volunteer. "Tell me more about those rockets you were studying in the other world. That sounded really interesting!"
Edward livened up immediately and went into a detailed, scientific description of everything he had learned on the subject. The alchemist and the mechanic really had something in common when it came to their fascination with science.
-
"Well, this is fancy," Riku commented upon entering the hotspring resort. The main building stood in an L shape, with the hotsprings, garden, and outdoor benches and tables placed inside the half-rectangle created by it. The architecture suggested an eastern style, with tall roofs that came to a steep peak at the top, but curved elegantly down to level out at the edges. The roof, door, and window frames were painted a rich crimson, while the rest of the building was pale gray. Trees had been planted in an aesthetically pleasing arrangement around the establishment. The inside of the structure was mostly taken up by rooms for rent, but there was also a gift shop and a common room for eating meals and socializing. "I bet it's expensive."
"Don't worry," said Edward, "I should still have a decent amount of money left over from when I was a State Alchemist. Let's check in and find our rooms."
The man at the desk greeted them politely, and, when they did not act like they were in a hurry, he flirted with Noah.
"Um, thank you," the gypsy mumbled shyly while Ed retrieved the keys, chuckling. They ended up renting three rooms - one for the girls, one for the brothers, and one for Sora and Riku.
"Hey Edward," Winry asked as they strolled down the hall, "now that you're back, what are you going to do?"
"What do you mean, Winry?"
"I mean what are you going to do for money. You earned a good salary when you were a State Alchemist. Do you think you'll go back to something like that?" She kept her tone and expression neutral, but Ed had a feeling that she was against such a plan.
Luckily, so was he. "Tch, and be a dog of the military again? I'm not that desperate!" He paused then, thinking. "But you're right. I guess I need to figure out what I am going to do with my life once this keyhole stuff is over. It wouldn't be such a big deal if I was still just fifteen years old, but I'm not. Huh... I guess I never thought about it."
"You had money when you were in my world," Noah pointed out. "What did you do to earn it?"
"Well, I did take a few odd jobs, but most of that money came from my father."
"You're going to stay in Rizenbool, right?" Winry asked hopefully. "I'm sure you can find a job there. You could even help me make auto-mail. You made prosthetics for yourself in the other world, didn't you?"
"Well, yeah, but they weren't nearly as good as your auto-mail."
"Oh, you just didn't have the right tools and materials. I can teach you everything you need to know! You could be almost as good as I am someday!" she said with a wink.
"Haha! Whatever you say, Winry. What do you think, Al? Interested in going into the auto-mail business?"
Al smiled uncertainly. "Uh, sure."
"Don't worry, Al," Winry told him. "You're a year younger than Ed, so you can have another year to decide."
Edward made an amusingly outraged face. "Hey, that's not fair! He's nineteen years old! I think that counts as being an adult!"
"His body's only seventeen years old, but he is certainly more mature," Winry commented, then added mischievously, "and you know? I think he's taller, too."
"What! Why you...!" Ed growled while Sora and Riku tried not to laugh, and Al politely requested that they not talk about him as if he wasn't there.
"Here are our rooms, everyone," Noah called in a sing-song voice as if nothing was happening. The group divided up to investigate each of their small but well-furnished rooms, Ed grumbling unhappily and lagging behind Al.
"Wow, Brother. There's even a litter box in the bathroom for Lucifer!" Al exclaimed, showing his cat the location of its potty before letting it explore the room freely.
"You better keep it cleaned," Ed told him, still annoyed.
"Of course I will." Al returned to the main section of the room to see Ed sitting on the edge of the twin-sized bed, sulking. "Oh, Brother, don't be so gloomy. You're supposed to be enjoying yourself! Besides, I'm not taller than you. We're the same height."
"Hmph. Tell Winry that."
Instead of responding vocally right away, Al stepped in front of his brother and put his hands on his hips. He glared at Ed until the elder brother looked up at him. "Edward, I want to have fun on this vacation too, but your attitude is making that difficult. Winry did not mean any harm you're just too sensitive. Now, I understand if you're still worried about Envy coming back, but you can't do anything about it until he shows his girly-looking, palm tree-headed self, so being all serious and fretting about it all the time is useless."
Ed stared at his brother, surprised by the force of his speech, despite the fact that Al's uncharacteristically commanding aura was damaged a bit by Lucifer, who chose that point to pounce on his master's feet. Both of them ignored the cat, and, after a moment, Ed sighed and hung his head. "Sorry, Al. I guess I am being kind of silly about it all. I never meant to make you unhappy."
"Al smiled brightly. "It's okay. You're forgiven. Come on, give me your coat so I can hang it in the closet, and then we'll go see what the others are up to." He had already put up his own coat, and helped Ed with his so that he wouldn't hurt his arm. On a second thought, Ed also left behind his gloves. Auto-mail was pretty common in Amestris, especially after the war, so he was unlikely to get any rude despite his silvery right hand.
Sora and Riku had just dropped some of there things off and were now waiting in the hall. When the brother's came out, Sora waved them over. "Hey guys, we're going to go ahead and look for the keyhole now. Want to come with us?"
Ed considered it. "Why not? The girls will figure out where we've gone when they realize we're not in our rooms. Then afterwards, we can get some dinner. It sure would be nice if that keyhole, is here."
"Right, let's check the actual hotspring first. That seems most likely," Riku said, and led the way without waiting for a response. He was unarmed, but Sora still carried his keyblade. Edward remembered then that the keyblade was the key to the world's heart, and it - not Sora himself - was what would guide them to the keyhole if it was nearby.
Beyond the sliding doors was a path of irregularly shaped but evenly spaced stepping stones that wound around the hotsprings and through the garden. There was a tall, wooden fence separating the womens' and mens' sides of the springs, but it was delicately designed so as not to detract from the elegance of the surroundings. Alphonse and Sora paused to admire the wide variety of flowers growing on either side of the path. "The girls will really like these," Al said. "Maybe there are some for sale in the gift shop. You should buy Winry some flowers, Brother."
"What? Why? If she wants them, she can buy them or ask me herself."
Riku laughed. "You don't get it, do you? Winry - or Noah, for that matter - would be happiest if you surprised her."
"If you buy flowers for Winry," said Al, "I'll buy some for Noah."
"Now w-wait just a minute!" Ed stuttered, turning pink. "We don't even know if they sell flowers! Let's get this search over with before we bother with anything like that!"
"Too bad Kairi's not here," Sora commented to Riku. "I bet she would love a bouquet of flowers. I guess it doesn't matter, though. I don't have any of this world's currency, anyway."
Riku had an odd, unreadable expression on his face, but said nothing. Later, after they had covered the whole area with no results, he subtly asked Edward if he could borrow a little money - just enough for a small bouquet.
-
Meanwhile, Winry and Noah - upon finding that the boys had gone off somewhere - made a bee line for the gift shop.
"Um, Winry?" Noah asked as casually as she could, after they had been browsing the shop's wares for several minutes. "What sort of things would Edward like?"
The blond girl peaked suspiciously around the display case she was examining. "Why do you want to know?"
Noah gulped and stared at the objects on the shelf next to her to avoid meeting Winry's stare. "N-no reason. Never mind. Forget I asked."
"Noah," Winry said seriously, not a about to let the gypsy get off that easily, "are you attracted to Edward?"
"Ack! What makes you say that?"
"Noah..."
"Er, well... yes."
"Great, Fine." Winry did not even bother to keep the annoyance out of her voice. "It doesn't matter anyway. There's nothing here that he would appreciate. He doesn't care much for useless trinkets."
"So... maybe a book on science or something?" Noah was intimidated, but it was too late to back down now.
"Yes, but this place doesn't sell anything like that." The two stared each other down silently for a moment, while the lady at the counter pretended not to notice the tension. There were many things that Winry could have said in defense of her position as the most likely to have a romantic relationship with Edward Elric, but then, Noah had her own arguments. A cat fight would solve nothing, and they both knew it. Yet at the same time, they could not let the heavy silence between them build forever.
"I thought you liked Al," Winry grumbled.
"That was Alphonse Heidrich, from the other world, and we were only friends," She said quietly, the image of Heidrich's untimely death coming unbidden to the front of her mind.
Luckily, a distraction presented itself in the form of Riku. "Hey," he said, startling them. They had not even heard him come in. "We didn't find the keyhole. The others are ordering dinner in the commons. They told me to find you and let you know." His aqua, cat-like eyes regarded them nonchalantly, revealing nothing of his inner thoughts, as usual.
Hesitantly, the girls thanked him and went out to catch up with Sora and the brothers. Riku took a bit longer to join them, for reasons of his own.
-
"All right, I'm starving!" Ed cheered as his meal was placed in front of him. "This looks great!"
"I wonder if they sell cat food here," Al mused.
"Probably, since they allow pets. You can ask after we eat." Without further adieu, Ed dug in with enthusiasm.
"How did you work up such an appetite?" Winry asked with a laugh. "We spent most of the day sitting still on a train!"
"I dunno," Ed answered through a mouth full of food. "Maybe I'm starting a final growth spurt. No one will ever call me short again!"
"Sorry, Brother, but I think you're too old to grow anymore."
"Shut up, Al. I can dream!"
"Edward, look around you," Noah told him, smiling. "No one here is taller than you by more than an inch. Sora and Winry are actually shorter than you now. You're not short at all; you just think you are. Winry was only teasing you earlier because she knows your weak spot."
Ed blinked at her, then carefully looked around the table. Everyone was sitting, so it it was hard to tell for sure, but it did look to him like Noah was right. Now that he thought about it, he had not had to actually look up at anyone to any dramatic degree in at least the last two years or so. Roy Mustang was taller than him, but only by a few inches, and Riza Hawkeye was about the same height as Ed now, if he recalled correctly. He was just so used to being short that he had started taking it for granted. He blinked again, then grinned rather maniacally. "I'm not short. Ha! Take that, everyone who has ever called me shrimp, bean, or midget! Hahaha!" He punched the air with his auto-mail hand, caught up in his own enthusiasm.
"Congratulations," Winry said in a dry, yet still humorous tone between bites of her own dinner, "but don't talk with your mouth full."
"Yes, Mother," Ed teased, making sure that there was still food in his mouth at the time.
In response, Winry jabbed her fork in his direction warningly.
"So, Brother," asked Al, "are we going to try out the hotspring after dinner?"
This time, Ed swallowed before answering, "of course. What would be the point of staying here if we don't use it?"
"Don't get your cast wet," Winry instructed, still playing mother, "and make sure to dry off well or you'll rust."
"I know, I know. I'm not a little kid. I won't start a splash fight with Al," he assured her with a wink. It had not slipped his notice that she and Noah both seemed to be blushing faintly, and Edward - who was not as oblivious as he sometimes acted - made an educated guess that the reason for their embarrassment was the images which the idea of himself naked in a hotspring could produce. He was not the type to say it out loud - at least, not in their presence - but he enjoyed the attention of the ladies.
-
Edward heaved a long, drawn out sigh of pleasure, concentrating on the feel of his muscles slowly relaxing and unknotting. He had his back to the rest of the pool, positioned with both arms folded on the rim, out of the water, and his chin resting on them. His eyes were closed, but he could sense Alphonse beside him, imitating his pose, but with head raised. Ed could hear the sound of his breath and feel the presence of his body, despite the few inches hot water between them and the wisps of steam rising around them, caressing their skin and hair.
Unlike Ed, Sora and Riku had made no promise of mature behavior to Winry, and they seemed to be taking advantage of it. Ed could tell their locations even easier than he could Al's. The splashing gave them away. They were considerate enough, however, to keep their little water battle to the opposite side of the spring so Ed would not be bothered.
Expanding his focus, he could make out the hum of womens' voices in soft conversation from the other side of the boundary. Though he could not catch any distinct words, the tone sounded too serious for small talk, and he wondered what Winry and Noah could be discussing with such solemnity. He was too calm and relaxed at the moment to work himself into his earlier state of vanity and entertain the thought that they might be talking about him.
Ironically, that was the truth.
"I'm sorry for losing my temper with you, but I'm not just going to hand him over without a fight," Winry said with quiet forcefulness.
"Winry," Noah looked flustered, "I never meant to start a competition with you."
"Have you ever heard the saying 'all is fair in love and war'?"
"Yes..."
"There's a reason the two are compared," Winry explained simply.
"Yes, but... I still don't want to be your enemy. I like you, Winry, and I'd rather we be friends. Besides," the dark woman looked away from her reflection in the water's surface and into the eyes of her rival in love, "what would Edward think of all this?"
"Do you want to be direct and ask him ourselves?" Winry suggested with complete seriousness.
"What! But..."
"Not ask him what he thinks of being fought over," Winry corrected. "I mean ask him which one of us he likes best."
"That won't work! He may not always show it, but he does have respect. He'll say he likes us both equally, just to keep from hurting our feelings."
To Noah's surprise, Winry laughed. "Good point. Well, do you have any suggestions?"
"Huh? Well, we could... we could talk to Alphonse. He knows Edward better than anyone."
The mechanic nodded. "Good idea. But Noah, what will you do if you find out that Ed likes me better?"
"I..." she trailed off.
"I know I would try to win him back. You would do the same, right? You may seem mild and timid at first glance - compared to me, at least - but something tells me that you won't give up as easily as that."
"...Maybe."
There was an uncomfortable pause, then Winry smiled. "Well, let's worry about it when it happens. First we have to decide what we're going to say to Al." She held out her hand expectantly. "Truce?"
Noah's hand moved hesitantly. but its grip was firm, and she matched Winry's smile with her own. "Truce."
"Great, but let's deal with it tomorrow. I want to enjoy the hotspring tonight. Hmm, I wonder what the boys are doing..."
"Do you hear splashing?"
Winry glared at the fence. "That better not be Ed..."
