See

Edward Elric sat, fiddling with his gloves on that cool autumn morning. The sun had just poked its head over the horizon and begun to spill light over the hills and the sleeping town behind him. He'd been awake for hours now, unable to escape the haunting screams of what was supposed to be his revived mother. The horrible, gut-churning image had invaded his dreams for nearly a week now, and stalked him during the night hours. He had awoken screaming that morning, for the dream carried on farther than usual. He could hear the being's gasps for breath, desperately clinging to life, and could almost feel the pain as the realization of his missing leg hit him. The scar tissue hurt like hell that morning, right where his stump of a leg met the twisting metal that formed his replacement. After the throbbing ceased to be so fierce, he walked out onto the hill, deciding to get some fresh air.

It was two months ago that he decided to bring Alphonse to Resembool, back home. His little brother was finally in the flesh again, but Ed's limbs remained as before. He had given up more for the transmutation than he had cared to admit. He was blind now, and Alphonse led him nearly everywhere, and Edward had had to cling to his brother's shirt when boarding and unboarding the train. But here, around his hometown, everything was the same, and he could usually get around fairly well without help. It didn't bother him much, not being able to see. But he didn't like having to rely on Alphonse so much. He wanted Al to be able to enjoy his life, instead of hauling his big brother around all the time. Al told his Nii-san many times that he didn't mind it at all, but Ed still had his doubts. He felt like a hindrance to his brother's life, and he had voiced this concern to Winry, but she had merely scolded him for such thoughts.

So there he sat, staring into the abyss that was now his sight. He felt a gentle breeze brush lightly against his cheek, and set his automail hand against it, only to draw it quickly away. He gazed at where he thought his hand would be and scowled at it.

"What'd I do that for?" he asked the quiet morning. Behind him, he could start to hear the town begin to bustle. He could see in his mind's eye farmers and butchers rising from their beds and having breakfast with their families, and then going out to a long day's work.

Slowly, he lay down in the dew covered grass and felt the moisture cling to the exposed flesh of his left arm and shoulder and to his right leg. He wore a tight, navy blue tank top and his baby blue boxers. Alphonse had helped him dress, although Ed insisted numerous times that he did not require the help at all. His younger brother was right, though, and this was proven when Ed had tried to force the collar of the top to cover his midsection. This caused Al to giggle lightly, and the noise threw Ed into a silent fit, until he at last accepted his brother's assistance.

"It must be a nice day," Edward told his surroundings. "It's already warming up quite nicely and I can feel the sun strongly. That means there's not a lot of clouds."

"Brother? Brother!" he heard Al's voice scream.

"Huh? What? Al! Where are you?" Edward shouted frantically, searching.

"Here! Hurry!"

Edward ran in the direction where he heard his brother's voice and searched through the rubble of the collapsed building, which had previously housed the woman known as Dante. Clasped tightly in his left hand, he held a single, blood red stone.

Finally, he freed the armor that housed his brother's soul from the debris and pulled him out beyond the building, to prevent further danger. He held the stone toward his brother, the all-famous grin painted across his face.

"It's all ours!" Edward declared gleefully. "Now we can bring you back to the way you're supposed to be."

Before Alphonse could protest that his Nii-san should bring back his own missing limbs first, the stone flashed, and before Edward knew what was happening, he stood before the Gate.

"Give me back my brother's body," Edward demanded, his look becoming fierce.

The door opened, and a light flashed, a deep voice being heard, saying 'equivalent exchange.'

The next thing Edward knew was a pair of frail arms shaking him frantically, and a voice desperately calling for him.

"Nii-san! Nii-san!"

He opened his eyes, but saw nothing.

"Al... Alphonse?" Ed managed weakly.

"Nii-san! You're ok! Thank goodness!"

Ok? But he couldn't see anything!

"Al, where are you, anyway? Where are we?" he asked, afraid of the answer.

"Nii-san, I'm holding you, we're still at Dante's. Can't you see the house?"

When Edward looked in every direction and then upwards again, towards Al, but not at him, Al's fears were confirmed.

"You're blind," Al said shakily.

The next two weeks that passed were spent in a hospital, where Edward was properly diagnosed that he was blind. It became apparent to him that the Gate had still demanded equivalent exchange for his brother's body, and taken his sight. He couldn't figure out why that had been the case, he had had the Philosopher's Stone! It shouldn't have happened like this!

Slowly, though, he came to accept this new state that he was in, and spent as much time with Alphonse as he did before. They sat out in the evenings and watched as the sun disappeared behind the hills, and Al would describe the colors to him in the utmost detail, leaving the rest up to his brother's imagination. Now, the only time he saw anything was in his dreams, but he wished he were blind then, too. He was tired of the nightmares.

Suddenly, Edward heard the sound of footsteps behind him, and instantly, he smiled. He knew exactly who it was.

"Hey there, Alphonse," Edward said with that famous grin spreading onto his lips.

"Hello, Nii-san. What's wrong? Had that dream again?" Al asked meekly as he sat next to his brother.

"Yeah," Edward said, opening his eyes and facing the direction where Al's voice came from.

Al looked at his brother, and felt a rush of guilt run through him. His brother's eyes were dull, burnished amber now, instead of the vibrant gold they once were when they gazed upon their surroundings. And he had given this up so that he could have his body. He felt responsible.

"Auntie Pinako's making breakfast," Al said after a few minutes of staring into the dull hues.

"Alright, let's go get some food then. I'm hungry!" Ed complained, sitting upright and clumsily climbing to his feet.

"Nii-san, you are always hungry," Al pointed out as he too stood, and took hold of his brother's arm.

And the two walked together, to the Rockbell home, their home, laughing and joking like they were kids. And as the sun began to rise high over the mountain tops, Edward could've sworn that he saw everything around him, if only for a minute. This sight brought a nostalgic smile to his lips. This must be what Heaven would look like, Edward thought. If it ever existed.

Ok, So here's another random little story. I've been bored in Study Hall lately, and the school blocked my sources to learn more about what Alchemy was really like! How evil is that? Well Anyway, I haven't had much else time for writing. Gomen Nasai! I'll try to write more for you guys soon, I promise. But probably not much this weekend. A friend of mine is coming home from college for the weekend, so I'm excited about that. ANYWAY! I hope you enjoyed this rather serious and fluffy drabble. Until next time, Ja ne!

Words of Wisdom:
If stranded on an island with talking palm trees, Envy would call them his brethren/sisteren. They, not knowing his gender, would call him their 'Itthren'.