Chapter 5: Equivalent Exchange

After a few hours of Ed and Winry playing on the couch, they finally settled down. She laid her head on his shoulder and he rapped his hands around her. She and well as he was just enjoying their love begin to glow and brighten for each other. They quietly fell asleep in each other's arms.

Then later Pinako and Al came in and Al gasped but Pinako quieted him. "Brother is sleeping with Winry, what do we do?"

"Nothing Alphonse, both Ed and Winry can take care of themselves they are responsible for their actions, and I think they know that. You'll understand when you're older." Al sighed, being only one year younger than Ed made him feel upset like in the suit again, limited in what he could do and understand.

"What are they doing though?" Al was almost the same age as them but was in a 10 year old body, which was nothing compared to a tin suit, he would be the one to understand the best of things but he still didn't understand.

"You're plan Alphonse, they have finally realized their love for each other and are enjoying each other's company, Ed is also completing Winry as Winry completes Ed."

"Completes?"

"Ed is a boy, and Winry a girl complete opposites in their design meant for two different ways of life, two halves of a puzzle, ying and yang, put together they complete each other." Al nodded finally understanding.

"I'm happy my plan worked, it's just that a lot of unexpecting turns helped them get there, my plan was much simpler."

"Simple doesn't always mean better Alphonse, it just means easier. Love can't be rushed, hindered or stopped. Love takes time and a special bond, like they have known each other forever, that is love."

"So I didn't help." Al said upset.

"Love is like a bullet train, you can't stop it, slow it down or push it any more than it is but you can lessen the distance between them by removing the track and Al, you took away all that track so they crashed together much sooner then they would have together."

"I'm glad I could help them." She nodded.

"I'm glad that you helped them Al, it's up to them where they want to go from here." Al happily nodded.

"I just wanted them happy, I knew they deserved each other and the love they shared was there I just had to make it happen, for brother's sake." Al said thinking about all his brother had done for him.

"Alphonse, I've never met a child alive who is as dedicated to their brother as you and Ed are to each other; it's a miracle that two people who need each other so much had each other when it mattered, that time you didn't have him must have hurt, didn't it."

"You have no idea, but not as much as Winry did, she knew what to expect when he came back and must have been thinking about him when we found him, she knew it, she felt it."

"No one could replace the love you have for Edward, and he has for you, love is infinite, like alchemy; you make more when you need it, and love is equivalent exchange too, Ed's love for Winry switches with her love for him and they become whole give part away of that love."

"Love is miraculous, brother brought himself to us, but through love, and alchemy so they are one thing." She nodded and patted Al on his back. Al was right; Ed needed Winry and Al so he got them.

"One day Alphonse, you'll find the love that Edward has found in Winry; I know it, she's out there for you, you just have to find her." Al looked at Ed and Winry snuggled happily together, the love they had was humongous and very special so they knew he needed it to.

"I wish I could go out there tomorrow and find her but I'm in a 10 year-old's body; I'm going to have to wait for a while. You think that Winry and brother will get married?"

"We can only hope, that is the only way the two will be truly happy forever, because being together with the ones you love will make anyone happy. Your mother would have wanted it that way, she said so." Al was alerted to what Auntie said about his mom.

"Really?" Auntie nodded and told the story, Ed and Winry are 6 and Al is 5.

Flashback

"Edward, be careful with your brother and Winry please. Alphonse and Winry are gentle souls you have to play nice and be gentle and kind with them. Promise me if anything ever would separate me from you guys you'd take care of Winry and Alphonse, promise me Edward."

"Okay, but where are you going?"

"I'm not leaving you Edward, or Alphonse but if something happened and I couldn't be there for you I would always want you to take care of Winry and your brother; you are a very special person to them, love them, take care of them, forever."

"I promise mommy." Trisha smiled and let Ed leave the house to play with the others.

"You think that Edward will ever hurt them?" Auntie said to her.

"I don't think he would, not purposely, accidents happen though, Edward is very strong he could but it's unlikely he'd hurt them, Winry maybe because she is so gentle, like her mother, but he'd always correct his wrongs."

"Winry, come on, you can do it?" Ed said encouraging her to come up on the monkey bars.

"They're too high, I can't make it." Winry said in fear of falling.

"Don't worry I'll take care of everything." Ed said jumping to the ground and falling backward.

"You okay?" She said helping Ed up.

"Brother, you shouldn't have tried that, why'd you jump?" Al asked.

"To help Winry, mom said to; come on down and help to Al." Al nodded except he took the safe route down the way he came.

"What you going to do?" Al asked.

"Alchemy, lower the playground them we'll get up there and pull her up, so it's safe and we don't leave anyone behind." Winry smiled as her two closest friends drew and alchemy sign around the playground and lowered it then climbed up and Ed and Al grabbed her arms and pulled her up, she landed on Ed.

"Oh, sorry Ed, are you okay again?" He nodded and brushed himself off and they played around.

"Ed cares a lot about Winry, he's always been taking care of her every need, it's very nice of him, isn't it?" Pinako nodded and looked at Trisha admire how Ed always was careful where Al and Winry stepped, careful to watch them so they wouldn't fall.

"Yes, they seem to really like each other. I think Winry is about to…

"Winry!" Al cried as she slipped and Ed grabbed her hand, and pulled her up she hugged him, and was breathing hard. "Brother, you saved Winry."

"Yah, I guess I did." Ed said proudly and she smiled and let go of the hug.

"I thought I was a goner, thanks Ed." She smiled brightly

"Think nothing of it Winry, I would have done it for Al too." She smiled at Ed and Ed blushed and Al laughed and they looked at him.

"Brother, don't you think a fall from here would be quite fatal to our health, what should we do?"

"Why do you keep asking me? I can't keep solving all the problems, can I?" Al nodded and sighed.

"Brother, you can do everything, you can save everyone, it's your position."

"Fine, how about we transmute a mattress on the ground so if we fall we'll be okay." Winry smiled and Al did too. Al, Ed, and Winry climbed down and Winry happily smiled as they transmuted a mattress.

"Edward that was smart thinking to create a mattress. How you cared enough to do that for your brother and Winry. That was amazing, and your alchemy it was perfect Alphonse and Edward." Her mom said running up to her sons and Winry smiled seeing their mom happily watch them do alchemy.

"Mom it was really nothing, I just didn't wanted to keep them safe. They were very special to me and I didn't want them to get hurt."

"Edward, you are really growing up." Auntie said to Ed and Ed just smiled and he went back to playing.

"Edward looks so cute with Winry by his side." His mom said happily watching his son and his best friends' granddaughter playing together.

Flashback Ended

"Wow, I've never heard that story ever before." Al said in an interested way that he's never heard the story of his first use of alchemy.

"It was a very interesting day, to see before my eyes because it's the day I first witnessed alchemy out of young children, it was amazing to see Ed and yourself use what I always thought to be evil for good, and love."

"He did it to protect me and her, like he's done so many times before, he wouldn't let anyone hurt us."

"Yes, that's when I realized how much he loved you two, I knew he couldn't marry you but her, she wasn't related to him, he didn't have to protect her but he loved you, and he lived by your mother's request, even to this day, in his mind he knows he loves her and it's what his mom wanted for him."

"I'm going off to bed, I'm tired, and now with all this understanding, it's hard to see why I can't find love at my young age."

"Alphonse, don't worry about it. Winry and Edward are just two lucky souls who just happened to find each other perfect, it's always been that way for them, and many others. Some find their love halfway through their lives, some at the end, and some never will, and some lucky few always had the love a deny because they couldn't sense the difference. Love finds you."

"I promise I'll give it a break, just tell me will I know when I fall in love." Al asked to Auntie.

"Of course you will Al, it's a magical sensation and you'll know and then you'll want to spend every moment with that person, and when you leave them for anything you will think about it, it bothers you awake or asleep and it never will rest on your conscience." Ed said standing up leaving Winry on a pillow he shaped to match his position until he came back. "Even if you put something to take care of it, it bothers you, you want the time you spend with them to last forever, it's like a mother's love for a child except once you have it you don't give it to another for the rest of your life you keep it forever."

"It bothers you doesn't it brother?"

"Of course it does Al, I have to leave her for so long and then when I see her she's happy and I am though she's more subtle than I am with little smiles here and there, she just runs up and hugs us. I miss her and I dream I'm back with her, if not for her, I'd be empty because mom, her and you, are my dreams. I thought I'd have problems sleeping but after she and you comforted me moments brought me joy and I felt happy, then I left and it hurt me, to have to think about losing her and the cost everyday."

"Brother, I didn't know."

"Love like everything comes with a price, some is worth it to try and others is not, love is something the sacrifice is forever and completely necessary but also worth it all the time, every time I see her the sacrifice I have to make is worth it, and for you it will be much sweeter, the traveling and whatever else we need for it will just make you feel closer and better. You see Al, everything works on equivalent exchange, the value of something is not substance but value, that's why love is so great so little or so much can be sacrificed for it but if you love something you don't care you are willing to sacrifice for it, because it's worth it the value doesn't matter."

"Is that why you are willing to sacrifice yourself for Winry and I, brother?"

"Exactly, because the trade for all you have given my is just but a small price for what your lives are worth but to them the value is of substance and doesn't work of value of love like we would."

"I don't get it, so they just say a life for a life so instead of killing me, they kill you; that's equivalent exchange."

"They think that it's of substance a life for a life, no man's life could equal another's Al, so who are we to judge the price that's why sacrifice only matters to a lover not a killer."

"Brother that seems so sad, what you need for love, what you need to be happy, isn't that a lot to risk how people see you and what they need to protect their love, wouldn't it be better not to love? It would save so many lives." Ed laughed and sighed.

"We would have children without love Al, or any other people, we'd eventually die out. Love is worth it, when I see Winry everything I do for her is worth it because that's how important she is to me, I'd have to die so many times to be able to equal the value of you and Winry that's why on a wise man can see the value of something, and a foolish man sees only but what is there." Ed looked at Winry and sat next to her and he smiled to himself this time.

"I understand brother, but can I love?"

"Every soul can love but it's the value of love is what matters, how much are you willing to give is the question, do you want to be happy and share your life with another who would do the same for you, that is what we've been saying."

"I'd give anything to be as happy as you are with Winry, she smiles and you smile and even the smallest things make you happy together. It makes me want to be my 15 year old self."

"I know, I wish you could be too, some day you will. It just that like we found out Al, that transferring souls is dangerous without the philosopher's stone, there is not one in existence any longer, thank goodness but the value was so small what I had to pay, my arm was not worth your soul, it was just a price, not equivalent but equal in the eyes of the trader."

"Winry's waking up you better make she gets up to her room before Pinako finds you slept here all night, I'm going thank you brother, and good-night." Ed nodded and waved and picked up Winry's fragile frame and carried her up to her bedroom and wanted to stay with her but knew very well he couldn't. "I'd die as many times as it takes to make sure you live."

"Ed you're my equal in everyway, I wouldn't have it any other way but to have you by my side, if you thought of giving yourself for me, I'd kill you before you could do that, or use alchemy to lock you up, depending on how mad I am at you."

"You've been listening the whole time, huh?"

"Yes, and it was very nice all these stories, so have you, I could sense you being awake, save me again when I fall won't you." Ed leaned down to her level on the bed.

"Every time."

A/N: Okay I do this in all my stories, it's what I called a interwind because it has to incorporate something from the story with love, and I found equivalent exchange to be perfect because of all the rules that Ed and Al talked about, I did this in my other fic, "Love is Alchemy". That is all about this stuff, if you hate stuff like this give "Love is Alchemy" a chance because it is very fluffy but it's very nice too, don't worry it's K+ and Ed and Winry too, yeah.