Disclaimer: I do not own FullMetal Alchemist.

By the way, the reason why I always love Ed and Winry, is because I'm reading the manga now, and they're so cute in it, you can tell it's more of a romance thing then in the show.

The Final Chapter, until the Reviewers Note I will post two days later, so you all have a chance to review. Thank you.


Chapter 23 - Alchemy Can't Gain Everything

"Al, where are you?" For someone who had just woken up, he was very energetic due to his eagerness to find his brother. His search was ended quickly when he swung the door open to the porch, seeing a full, large suit of armor sitting on the chair next to the door. "Are you okay, Al?"

"I'm. . . in this again, brother." The echo had returned to his voice. "How did this happen?"

"We were returned to our old bodies. . . they must've still been at the end of the gate. . . strange, huh?"

"It's not strange, it's horrible." Al said, looking at his metal hands.

"We're back to where we started. Back at square one."

"Do you think we could do it again?" Al said, looking at his brother. He then turned his gaze elsewhere. "Nevermind. I have to keep this body."

"Why Al? We have the power to return you, you know." Al looked incredibly guilty, and being his brother, Ed knew something was up. "Why do you feel you need this body?"

"I don't deserve my real body." Ed raised his eyebrows.

"What are you talking about. . .?"

"Ed. . .It's all my fault. I could've stopped the car but. . . I kept on going. . ." It wasn't all registering in Ed's mind.

"What do you mean?" Al couldn't face his brother like this, not while he was the one who's at fault for Ed's leg and arm being automail again. He turned to face the railing of the porch.

"I could've stopped the car! I'm the reason why we're like this, why Winry was hurt!" Ed clenched his metal fist, but held in his anger towards his brother. Al was going to have to deal with quite an interrogation.

". . .I can't believe it."

"I know, I'm a horrible person. I deserve this body." Ed wanted to yell at his brother, but he knew he couldn't. He wanted to punch him, or to hit something, to just imagine the vivide scene of seeing it happen. "But, while I had it, it was wonderful."

"What are you saying?"

"To feel again, brother. Even if it was tears sometimes, or even the simple touch of a hand. The warmth coming from a cheek, the feeling of my feet against the ground. I didn't experience the best things," Al added, remembering the feeling of warm blood that he had spilled, "but I got to feel again." Ed took a deep breath, and put his anger aside, as hard as it was.

"We've both done some pretty wrong things, Al." Ed sighed, thinking back to the night of their first human transmutation. "Our sins are heavy, they're unbearable sometimes. It feels better to hold the weight on our own, then to burden others around us."

"Sometimes maybe we should share the weight, but that only adds to guilt, but how are sins erased? How can we ever get rid of our mistakes?" Ed finished, wondering himself.

"Some mistakes can't be taken back. Some of our sins, we have to bear forever, some can't be shared. They aren't forgiven." Al stated in a melancholy tone.

"Have you ever tried to be forgiven? For all of our lives, we've forgiven each other, just as you did for me for your body. Sleepless nights were spent over that one trouble, and you forgived it when I thought you never would. Maybe all you need to do is ask?" His brother suggested, and Al knew exactly what it meant.

"It never hurts to try if it might work." Ed gave him a confident smile.

"That's always been our motto." Al went into the house, where metal met hardwood floors, creating a loud racket. He wished he could tiptoe around like he did before. Like everyone in the Pinako's house, Al knew exactly where Winry was when she was stressed, so he opened the door to the basement and started down the stairs. As expected, she was sitting at her desk, but not tinkering with metal like she normally would be. She was staring at the array, that was still marked the area where Ed and Al had went against life's way for the second time.

"Winry, I'll understand if you turn away, I'll even understand if you leave me right here. I'm just going to ask for you to listen to me, for just a moment." Winry did look up at him with crystal blue eyes that were too tired from crying. "What I did was horrible. . . I'm never going to forgive myself, and in no way do I expect you to forgive me, either. Even if I expect you to walk away, maybe even never speak to me again, I'm still going to say that I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause you so much pain."

The eyes that he thought were tired from crying seemed to have found their tears again. When she stood up, he thought she was going to hit him, yell at him, scream and punch him, but he was wrong. Instead, she wrapped her arms around the suit of armor, and although he couldn't feel, there was something there. The emotion of feeling human, which was more important then anything he could ask for.

"I'm the one who should apologize. . . You sacrificed your human flesh, just for me, and I lied to you in the first place." Al was surprised for a moment, but then he realized who it was. It was Winry, and she had always forgave people no matter their mistakes, yet she blamed herself. "You saved me, Al. I owe so much to you."

"No, Winry, you don't. This is enough." He said, commenting on the embrace. "I don't need flesh to be human."

Ed had stood at the top of the steps, glad that his brother had gambled with his chances. Things could go back to the way they were. In the physical department, it was like they were on square one this time, but some things had changed. Ed didn't feel the need to find the stone, he didn't feel the need to restore his body, while his brother had learned to live with his. He could finally do what he had wanted to do before he even started on his journey.

At that moment, he walked down the steps, just so he could hold Winry. She had become so much more to him, just being with her through all of this had been the most exciting journey he had embarked on. Al had found what he had been looking for, a human feeling, a human touch, and Ed had found what he had been looking for. A place to belong.

He had found his home, and his one true love.

And that was something even alchemy couldn't do.