Chapter 8
"Brother, can I talk to you?" Alphonse asked as soon as he had a moment alone with Edward.
"Is something wrong?"
"No, it's not that..."
"Well, what is it?" Ed was already growing a little impatient. Why was Al hesitating? He should know that, as close as they were, he could say anything to Edward and he would listen. That's what Ed thought, anyway.
"Um... do you like Winry or Noah better?" he blurted, unable to come up with a less blunt way to put it. He fidgeted under Edward's long stare.
"... All right, which one of them put you up to this?"
"Both..." Al mumbled, seeming to suddenly find the floor very interesting.
Edward let out an exasperated sigh. "Are they fighting over me, or something? Oh, for crying out loud..." He plopped down onto the nearest wooden chair. The two were in a fairly secluded corner of the common room, while the rest of the group had gone for a walk in the garden. "How immature." His eyes drifted around the room as he considered this latest problem. "I guess I have no choice. Al, tell them not to fight and that I will talk to each of them separately and settle this."
"Sorry, Brother..."
Ed waved a dismissive hand. "Don't worry about it. It's probably my fault for leading them both on, even if I didn't fully realize what I was doing."
"Brother..." Al gave him an odd smile. "You've become a lot more mature."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean? Are you saying I wasn't mature before? That I was a tiny, childish bean, too small to step on or even see without a microscope?" Instead of using his usual face of furious doom, Ed was smiling. "You're probably right."
Al grinned and rubbed the back of his head. "So Brother... which one do you like best?"
Edward's reaction to the question was mixed, but finally he just waved a metal finger at his brother and winked. "That's a secret."
"But Brother...!"
"No buts. If I tell you anything, those girls will find a way to get it out of you. They're as slippery as your cat."
"Aww, stop picking on Lucifer all the time!"
Ed just chuckled. "Come on, let's go see what the others are up to."
-
Sora, Riku, Winry and Noah returned to the hotspring that afternoon, but the brothers stayed out of it due to their injuries. Alphonse sat on the edge of the pool, chatting with the other-worlders. Edward, on the other hand, felt the need to take a nap. To his pleasure, sleep came over him swiftly, but he was awakened again within a matter of minutes.
"Little Brother..." a darkly sing-song voice whispered. "Wake up, Little Brother..."
Edward jolted up, but a hand clapped over his mouth before he could shout. He stared at Envy with wide eyes filled with fear and anger. He tried to lash out, but Envy caught his arm and forced it back down. "Now, now, Edward, you're so violent! If you promise not to fight me, I might let you go."
In response, Edward bit his hand, but the humunculus just shot him a dull look. "I though I was the animal here. Speaking of which," his expression changed to one of wicked amusement, "our mutual little brother is terribly gullible, isn't he? You know that even if you tell him about this - which you will - he won't believe that is precious little Lucifer is his enemy in disguise. At least, not until I kill him. I'll make sure to let you watch, just like he watched you die five years ago. Maybe you'll try to save him. Wouldn't it be ironic if the same thing were to happen all over again, but with you two switching places? In fact, let's begin the drama right now." With that, he released Edward and shapeshifted back into Lucifer, dashing out of the room.
-
Alphonse was just wondering if he should check on his brother when Lucifer darted out and leaped into his arms, shivering and mewing pitifully. Before Al could register exactly what was happening, Edward came storming towards him and ripped the cat out of his arms, throwing it down hard on the ground. Alphonse screamed and grabbed onto Ed, holding him back. "What are you doing!"
"Let go, Al! That's Envy! He's fooling you!" Edward tried to break free, but found with some surprise that Alphonse was stronger than he had thought. Lucifer, of course, cowered where he had fallen, the very image of abused innocence.
"No, don't hurt him!" There were tears in Al's eyes. Edward could feel them falling on his shoulder, but still he fought to reach the shapeshifted humunculus. It was hard to do anything that made his brother cry. He had to keep telling himself that it was to protect him, even if Al did not realize that.
Sora and Riku were just getting over their shock and moving to try to stop the fight, but before they could reach it, Edward grabbed the hand clinging to his shoulder and threw his arm and the upper part of his body forward, flipping Alphonse over onto his back. Before his brother could recover, he went after Lucifer, but the cat scrambled out of reach and made a run for it. Desperate not to let him escape, Edward made an alchemical wall shoot out of the ground in front of him, but Lucifer seemed to grow in size until he was big enough to jump over the wall. Then he was out of sight.
Edward searched the garden, but his enemy was long gone. All he could do was reluctantly return to the others. Alphonse was curled on the ground, sobbing, surrounded by the rest of the group. When Edward stopped a few paces away, he turned tear-filled eyes and a look of utter betrayal on him. Edward tried to speak, but no words could get past the lump of fear and fury in his throat. The brothers stared each other down, and it was Edward who looked away first. He wanted to retreat to the solitude of his room, but no matter what, he could not leave his brother's side while Envy was still at large.
Finally, with Winry and Noah holding him comfortingly, and Sora and Riku standing over him protectively, Alphonse choked down his sobs and turned on his brother. "How could you, Edward! Lucifer never did anything to you!"
"He was Envy! He broke my arm and threatened to kill you!" Ed argued fiercely.
"You're wrong! How could he be Envy? He saved you from Envy, and me from the Heartless!"
"Then how do you explain what I saw! Because I really don't think it was a Heartless!"
"It was a nightmare, or a dillusion! You're still sick from your concussion."
Edward stomped his foot in frustration. "Why won't you listen to me? I wouldn't have done that if your life wasn't in danger!"
"No, Edward! My cat was not Envy!" Al's voice started to break as a fresh flow of tears began. "And now he's run away and it's all your fualt!" Saying that, he stood up and backed away from the others, who had backed off themselves when the shouting match started. Tears still stinging his eyes, Alphonse turned around and ran. Edward tried to follow, but Winry stopped him.
"No, Ed. If you chase him, he'll just keep running."
"But I can't let him go off alone!" he cried desperately. "Envy's out there!"
"I'll follow him," volunteered Sora, already running after Al. "Don't worry, I won't let anything hurt him," he called over his shoulder before going out of sight beyond the gate that enclosed the resort's outdoor section.
Edward took two automatic steps as if still trying to follow, then sagged in defeat and allowed Winry to lead him back towards the door. The other two made themselves inconspicuously scarce.
"You shouldn't fight with him like that," Winry scolded quietly when they were completely alone. "I know how much you two love each other. You should try to talk things over rather than screaming at each other..."
"It's because I love him that I'm fighting with him!" Edward corrected her, his voice nearly breaking. Each fight he had with his brother, though few and far between, was hard on both of them. "He's in danger, but he won't believe me when I tell him so... What am I supposed to do?" All the fire had drained out of him. Now he just looked scared and distraught.
"Well, let's think about this rationally," said Winry, trying her best to help. "Why does Envy supposedly want to kill Alphonse. and why would he go to so much trouble to trick him?"
"He's always wanted to kill us. He already killed our father... I don't know why he hates us so much..." Edward's voice was small and sad almost despairing, and it tore at Winry's heart to see him so tormented. She really did love him, as a brother, friend, and more. She realized that now.
Then something else occurred to her. "Edward...? Envy was created when your father, Hohenheim, tried to bring his first son back to life, right?"
"Yes..."
"So, in a way, Envy's your older brother, right?"
"No, he's just a humunculus created from my older brother."
"But one of the other humunculi, Lust, remembered her human life," Winry pointed out. "What if Envy is the same?"
"Then why would he want to kill me?" Ed questioned dully.
"I don't know. Maybe he's jealous."
"Why would Envy be jealous?"
She gave him a flat look. "Edward, think before you say something like that." Her next words sounded reluctant, maybe even shy. "I know I'm jealous of the relationship you and Al have. I wish... that you cared about me as much as you care about him."
Startled, Edward's eyes met hers, blue on gold. "But Winry..." he said. "I do." Timidly, he touched her cheek with his right hand, wishing his cold metal fingers could feel the softness of her skin. "I love you, Winry." He watched the young woman's eyes glisten with emotion. She wanted to speak, but he was not finished. "I always have even when you hit me with your wrench or called me short, or when we were separated. When Al was with me, I focused on him, but before that, when I was alone, I thought about you just as much. Noah was only ever a friend, so don't fight with her, please..."
Winry looked into his eyes for a moment longer to find the honest conviction of his words there, then threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. He gingerly returned the embrace,r and the pair just held each other for a long moment, reveling in the solace and relief their closeness brought.
Eventually, though, Edward had to break the embrace. "I still have to worry about Envy. Whether you or anyone else believes what i saw, I can't risk even the possibility that Alphonse is in danger."
"I know," Winry said understandingly, "but there's nothing you can do. Even if Lucifer is Envy, we have no idea where he went, so we can't do anything except keep our guards up until he comes back. I still wish you could work things out with Al, but it's your fight and I can't really interfere. If there's anything I can do, though, please tell me, Edward."
He did not try to force a smile, but he nodded resolutely. "Thank you."
-
Alphonse did not return until sunset, and Edward fretted about him the whole time, but Sora reported that nothing unusual had happened except that they had had a fairly productive conversation. Still, as soon as Ed knew that Al was unharmed, a silence fell between the brothers, and remained for the rest of the night, not matter what their friend said or did.
The next morning, that stubborn silence still lingered. This was a new kind of fight. Instead of shouting or hitting, the brothers simply refused to acknowledge each other. Winry hoped that they were just waiting until things cooled down and they could discuss their problems without growing too angry.
It seemed to take longer than it should for the short hand of the clock to reach ten, but it finally did, and the group - having checked out and paid for their stay at the hotspring resort - loaded onto the train and watched as the station faded into the distance. Neither Edward nor Alphonse said a word or even looked at each other. They just sat with Winry between them, sulking. They ate lunch on the train, and in the afternoon, they got off at the East City station and switched to the train that would travel overnight to bring them back to Rizenbool. It was a long, gloomy ride for the brothers, though their friends tried to draw them into various conversations. Still, the mood remained the same. They slept on the train, and were awakened when it stopped just before dawn.
Winry stretched her arms as she stepped out into the misty, predawn light, cheered by the beautiful sight of her beloved hometown. When the other had all filed out behind her, she turned around to face them. "Well, what do you all think of going back to my house for a good breakfast before we see Sora and Riku off? Do you mind?"
The otherworlders shook their heads, and Sora patted his stomach. "Breakfast sounds great. I'm not awake enough to worry about Doors yet, anyway."
Winry led the way home and carried through with her offer. While she was preparing the food - bacon, scrambled egg, toast, and orange juice - Edward quietly asked Noah if he could speak with her alone. He took her outside, where none of the others could hear what passed between them, but when they returned to join the rest at the kitchen table, Edward looked relieved and Noah looked resigned. When Winry passed Edward his share of the food, she searched his face questioningly. He just nodded and showed her the faintest there of a smile, and that was enough.
-
To the brothers' surprise, Sora led the group right back to the place where Ed, Al, and Noah had appeared after stepping through that first door. Sure enough the same door had appeared in a rock formation by the stream. Sora flashed a big smile back at the group, then opened the door... to see the same cave that both they and the brothers had come through before. "Wait, this is just the same Door we came through to get here. Why is it back now?" But before he could become too confused, Noah stepped forward. "It's here for me, so that I can return to my own world."
"What?" Edward exclaimed, stepping forward. "But you can't go back there, it's too dangerous! You'll be caught and put into one of those concentration camps we heard about!"
Noah smiled rather sadly at him. "Edward, I'm a gypsy. Hiding is our specialty, remember?" She walked back to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I don't belong here. I'm a stranger in this world. I thought that what I wanted was to escape to another world, but I was wrong. What I really wanted was to be with you, but you don't need me anymore, so I'm going home." Before he could argue, she gave him a brief smile and then stepped through the Door. It closed behind her.
After a silence, Riku crossed his arms. "Well, I guess that's good for her, but does this mean we still need to find another Door?"
Sora frowned at the Door in concentration. "Wait... something's changed..."Slowly, he reopened the Door, and the others stared. No longer did a shadowed cavern stretch beyond the portal. Instead, A spectacular view of a tropical island was laid out before them. The first rays of rising sun lit the horizon in an orange glow, coloring both water, sky, and even the sand, stone, and plant-life of the island. A trio of seagulls drifted on the wind, soaring and looping above the ocean with clumsy grace. Sora and Riku broke into big grins. "Our island! We can go home!" but before they could step through, a sound caught everyone's attention and made them turn back.
Lucifer burst out of the foliage at the clearing's edge, shooting straight for Alphonse. Al automatically held out his arms to catch the cat, but Edward intercepted him. Lucifer dodged to the side and, to the shock of all but Edward, shapeshifted into the humunculus, Envy. He smirked at their bewildered expressions, but before he could say anything, Edward challenged him.
"It's about time you showed yourself! Have you come to kill us as promised?"
Envy laughed. "My, aren't you the image of a fairy-tale hero? Is fighting me what you really want?"
"If that's what it takes to stop you." He transmuted his auto-mail into an armblade and took up a battle stance. To his surprise, Alphonse stepped up beside him, using alchemy to create a spear from the earth. Behind them, Sora and Riku hefted their keyblades, and Winry brandished a wrench. Why she had brought it along, no one knew...
Envy sighed. "Now this isn't very fair." He rushed Ed, who tried to block, but instead of striking, Envy caught him by the arm and dragged him sideways forcefully, sending both of them falling... directly into the Door.
"Brother!" With a shout of surprise, Alphonse ran after them, but a wall of solid light shot up, blocking the opening. It burned Al's hands when he pounded on it, and he stumbled back in shock.
-
Violently, Edward broke free of Envy's grasp and backed up, only to realize that he had not gone through to the other side of the Door. He and Envy were standing in a void of golden light. Their immediate surroundings were clear, but a darker, shadowy haze seemed to roil at the edge of his vision. As his eyes focused, the ever-changing haze separated into distinct shapes. With horror, he recognized the clawing black hands that had torn off his limbs and dragged them and Alphonse's body into the Gate.
"Don't worry, they're being held back," Envy said calmly from behind him, making Ed jump. "You were right when you hypothesized that the Doors were tamer versions of the Gate." Now Envy caught Edward by the collar of his shirt and dragged him closer to the black mass of monstrous hands. Terrified beyond words, Edward struggled, but Envy's grip was firm.
"I want to make a trade!" the humunculus announced in a steady, brave voice that was quite out of character for him.
Edward tensed, fearing the worst. What was it the humunculi had always been after? At least part of the reason that they had sought the Philosopher's Stone in hopes of using it to grant themselves real, living bodies rather than the man-made abominations that they existed in now. Did Envy think he could trade Edward for a real, human body?
Envy's next words were the very last thing he expected.
"Myself for the restoration of his body!"
A huge, purple eye opened in the darkness and regarded Envy in a dispassionate yet fearsome gaze. Courageously, the humunculus stepped forward and allowed those terrible hands to catch him and draw him in.
Breaking out of his shock, Edward staggered forward and grabbed Envy's hand to keep him from the Gate a moment longer. "Wait, why are you doing this!"
Envy shapeshifted, his long, green-black hair lightening to blond and his face changing to that of Hohenheim's firstborn son. To the complete bewilderment of the Full Metal Alchemist, he smiled. "Because you're my little brother." And then he was pulled away from Edward to be devoured by the darkness.
The remaining members of the group were at a complete loss. Alphonse was on his knees in hysterics, with Winry attempting unsuccessfully to calm him. Sora and Riku stood by, nervously trying to figure out what had happened. Finally, a bright flash of light drew all of their attention back to the Door.
As the light faded, the blessedly familiar figure of Edward Elric could be seen. He staggered forward and fell just in front of Al, but caught himself with both hands. The sling and cast were gone, his left arm completely healed. As soon as Ed had regained his balance, Alphonse fell into his arms, sobbing. "Edward! Brother! I thought... I thought you were gone! And I said such mean things to you, and you were right all along, and I'm so sorry, Brother!"
Ed patted him gently on the back, soothing him. "Shh, it's all right, Al. I'm fine." He smiled. "I'm completely fine." As Al's tears subsided, Edward stood, pulling his brother up with him. Winry took her turn to hug him just as tightly as Al had. "I'm so glad you're safe..."
To the surprise of everyone including himself, Edward pulled back just enough to let his lips meet hers in a soft kiss. Her eyes snapped wide, then closed in pleasure, until - all too soon, in her opinion - he broke the kiss and gently pushed her back. "Winry, Alphonse... look." Slowly, he slipped off his right glove and held up a real, flesh and blood hand. Light as a feather, his fingertips brushed his brother's cheek, then stroked his love's pale gold hair. With joyful laughter, Al and Winry both embraced him, and they were like children again, with everything right in their world.
When the enthusiasm had abated somewhat, Riku smiled at his partner. "Well, Sora, let's complete this happy ending by going home, shall we?"
The keyblade master laughed and nodded agreeably. "Right. Kairi's waiting for us."
Amidst many farewells and good wishes, the two stepped through the Door, and back into their own world.
The End
