The Last Time
Ed and Al were waiting, sat upon a bench in the station of East City. Al was finally human again, but Ed was a little unclear on how it had happened. All he knew was that his Automail had vanished and Al had returned. Ed also seemed to have lost a large amount of weight, and there were deep shadows beneath his eyes. Al, however, looked just as he had when they'd made the mistake all those years ago – except for the fact that he was now older, and his hair longer.
Al was fast asleep. He held a half-eaten sandwich in his hand, which was resting on his lap, palm up. Ed smiled at his brother. Then his face fell as he looked back down at his arm. Not only had the artificial arm been destroyed, but he'd lost the base, the section where the artificial arm was meant to attach to. The only option for him was to undergo the automail operation again. His shoulder was the only thing there... his leg a stump once more… he had nothing. He could do nothing. He was hobbling around like an old man, having managed to borrow a fake leg from the military. He knew what Winry would do when he returned… She'd be furious. He grinned. He'd already decided on fresh automail – Winry had mentioned she thought the base could do with upgrade work anyway, but hadn't seen a way around it.
Finally, the train pulled in to the station. Ed woke his brother and climbed aboard. One good thing about missing an arm was that conductors tended to overlook you, in fear of offending you. Al, however, wasn't so lucky.
"Uh… I don't have any money."
The conductor glared at him, an enormous and walrus-like moustache across his face. "Then get off at the next platform!" He growled. He felt a hand tap him on the shoulder. He turned to see Ed, a good foot shorter than himself, grinning up at him.
"Wotcher," He said, "He's with me." He said, gesturing to Al.
"Do I care?" The conductor grinned. "Pay up."
Ed stared at him, in a mix of surprise, anger, and a tiny bit of respect. Grudgingly, he handed over the money for two tickets to Risembool, and the conductor waddled away, laughing.
"I hate people like that." Al said, disgust dripping off the word.
"No, you don't…" Ed said, absent-mindedly. "You hate the homunculus." Al looked up at him.
"No, I'd say he's just as bad." Al said, grinning. Ed turned, and looked into Al's big eyes. They simultaneously burst into laughter, and Ed sat down. "Did you hear what happened to them?" Al asked Ed. "The remaining ones, anyway."
"Greed vanished, after he left Ling's body." Ed said, watching the scenery flash past. "The Colonel told me that Major Armstrong and his sister took care of Sloth. What he did to Envy…" Ed shuddered. "I dread to imagine. He just said 'I'm seeing to the shape-shifting homunculus,' and smiled." He paused, thinking. "Remind me never to get on the wrong side of him."
Al chuckled. "Will do, brother."
Ed smiled. They had passed a small town about four miles out from Risembool. "Nearly there," He said. "Anyway, he said that the Fuhrer… Wrath… was going to be kept in a maximum security prison until further notice. As for Selim… Pride…" Ed spat the word, "I only heard from 2nd Lieutenant Ross that he came to a sticky end."
"What happened?" Al looked slightly apprehensive.
"He was trapped inside the gate. Apparently, Homunculi aren't designed to be able to cope in that world." He paused. "Al."
"Yeah, brother?"
"I've been
thinking. You know the three things?"
"The what?"
"The 'Mind, Body and Soul theory."
"Yeah, that one you said made sense." He clenched a hand and smiled. "And it turned out to be right."
"Yeah… do you reckon there's something more…?"
"Like what?"
"I dunno. Maybe just… something else."
"What are you talking about?"
Ed bit his lip.
"When I retrieved your body… I saw the truth again. But I went
further than before."
Al gasped. "You saw what I saw?"
Ed shook his head.
"No. I saw something else." He paused. "I was in a brilliantly
lit pure white room. There was nothing else there. I looked up, and
there was this massive eye. But not like the one at the entrance. It
was… kinder."
"What's your point?" Al looked confused.
Ed turned to face Al, and swallowed. "We were wrong. Alchemy… its science… and science is something which can always be improved. In other words, just like when I became able to use alchemy without a circle… when we became able to… My alchemy has undergone another transformation."
"How so?" Al
looked puzzled. "Hang on… How can you tell? You can't clap your
hands, which I thought you needed to for alchemy."
Ed smiled.
"Its… strange, but… That's not the case anymore." He used
his one hand to point at Al's body. "I can do something no other
alchemist can. I became one with the Truth and now… I can ignore
the rule of equivalent exchange." Al laughed.
"That's not poss-" he began.
"Didn't Greed himself say 'there's no such thing as no such thing'? Did you not find it odd I seemed to only exchange my automail for your body?"
Al looked surprised. "Also," Ed continued, "My body is that which acts as the circle now. So…" And beside him, without the slightest movement of his own, the seat sprouted a plant pot, from which a bonsai tree made of chair-stuffing grew.
Al looked with an expression of sheer incredulity. "Oh my- Ed, this must be a dream. I've got my body back and you're stronger than… well, anyone!"
Ed grinned. Al smiled, but his smile suddenly turned to confusion. "But… why can't you use it to get your arm back…?"
Ed slumped in his chair. "That's the thing. See, I can't use human transmutation on myself. So, it's back to automail." Al frowned. "What's wrong?" Ed asked.
"Hmm? Nothing. I
was just confused. You said that as if… Ohhhh… I see…" He
grinned. "You said 'it's back to automail' like you were
happy about it."
Ed blushed. "Did I?" he said with a last,
feeble attempt at bluffing.
"Yes you did," Al said in a musical voice, "and what do you think the reason is?"
Ed turned a crimson to match his jacket. "Beats me." He said, shortly.
"Well," Al said, still grinning, "I reckon that self-same reason is waiting for us to return home."
Ed jumped up. "You little-" He began, but swore loudly as his false leg collapsed under him and he fell into the ground. Dragging himself upright, Al grinned at him.
"When I get my right arm back," Ed growled, "I'm gonna wipe that smug smile off your face."
They stared at each other for a minute, before they both burst into laughter. When it had died down, Al asked, still chuckling, "So, do you love her then?"
"Don't be ridiculous," Ed said, "I'm too young to know the meaning of love." He hesitated. "But… I'd do anything for her. Now we've got your body back, our job is done."
Al's eyes widened. "Brother!" Ed jumped. "What about your body? What about your original arm and leg?"
Ed looked away.
"Ed?"
"Well… I've been thinking… its ridiculously annoying, automail. Heavy, impractical and… well, quite ugly. But… it's a reminder. It's something I can use for… Oh!" He shouted the last word, and Al leapt in his seat. "I received a notice from the military!"
"When?" Al asked.
"Months ago, but it was back when we were split up, and I've only just remembered it!"
"What'd it say?" Al asked, confused by anything his brother could say about the military in such positive terms.
"They've asked me to train up another National Alchemist."
Al's eyes widened. "Really?"
"Yeah!" He grinned. "Take a wild guess what that means."
"Um…" Al hesitated.
"I can quit! Mustang apparently labeled it early retirement-"
"-Very early, you're seventeen-"
"-And in exchange for this, all I have to do is train up someone else!"
"Heh. Equivalent exchange still applies in some situations, evidently."
Ed grinned, lying
back and shutting his eyes. "I don't care. I'm nearly
free."
"But, brother…"
Ed opened one eye. "Yeah?"
"Won't you have to train them like Master trained us?"
"No," Ed grinned, "I'm gonna make it even tougher. This way, the kid can accomplish it in three months."
Al laughed. Then a thought occurred to him. "What was it you were saying earlier about 'something else'?"
Ed opened his mouth just as a voice called over the nasal speaker system, "All passengers for Risembool station, please disembark now."
"Alphonse!"
There was a mad dash, and the middle-aged woman's cat squealed as the little lady dashed around her desk and threw her arms around the young boy she had not seen in seven years.
"Egh… Hello, Mrs. Winston."
"My dear lad, it's such a relief to see you again!" she beamed at him. "I've heard about the… well… what happened seven years back. I don't quite understand it myself, but…"
"Its fine, Mrs. Winston. I can barely grasp it too." Al grinned.
Ed smiled. They were in a corner shop in the small town of Risembool, but had a fair way to walk before they got to Granny Pinako's.
"And Edward," Mrs. Winston said, rounding on the man, "I'd give you a hug too, but gracious," she said, looking at his empty sleeve and non-mechanical leg, not to mention how skinny he seemed and the bags under his eyes, "You look like you'd collapse if you weren't held up by your head." Ed grinned. He missed the locals' affection for odd phrases.
"Yeah, well… trust me. I'll be up and running in a few weeks." He smiled, but she continued to look at him sadly.
After Al had bought several tons of chocolate and crisps, the brothers set off again, Al striding along, helping his hobbling brother up the steep hill.
There was a long, low creaking. The wind had picked up, and Ed and Al were stood before the ruins of their old house. Ed knew that if he wanted, he could rebuild it perfectly. Al didn't seem to notice the longing look in his eyes as he turned away and continued up the hill. As he felt Al follow him at a trot, he realized Al was watching his brother slowly make his way towards the house where he felt truly at home.
He sighed deeply. Stopping to take his bearings, he looked around.
He was standing atop a bridge. The water was flowing from the left, which was upstream and it passed over various rocks and was by a muddy brown bank. The water itself, however, was perfectly clear. The long brown grass waved gently in the wind, but was covered from most of it by the high trees, which were more than fifty feet high, and had spindly branches which twisted off into all directions.
On his right, the water flowed onwards. The pattern of the bank was much the same, except he could see more rocks jutting out of the water.
Up ahead he could spot the high spire of a church, and the low roof of his old primary school. Straining his ears, he could just make out the sounds of playing children.
He turned and grinned at Al. "Let's go," He said, "Apple pie won't wait forever."
Ed was walking up the thin dirt path when he saw the first inhabitant of his second home. Al was walking beside him and jumped when a sudden bark came from nowhere and a dog came hurtling from the house in the middle distance. Den was playful and yipped happily, panting and desperate for affection. Jumping up at Al, he sniffed him, then tugged playfully at his trouser leg. Al laughed, but Ed was looking at Den with an expression of curiosity.
"His Automail's… better than mine." He said, incredulously. Al laughed again.
Den led the way back to the house, occasionally turning and yipping at the two brothers.
Ed stopped dead. Al
walked into the back of him. "Brother? What is it?" He said,
following Ed's line of sight. There, up ahead, was the front door.
Pinako was stood in it, grinning broadly and smoking her old pipe.
She said something they were too far away to hear, and then turned
her head and called. They just heard her yell, "Winry!" before
they saw a young woman appear at the front door. She was wearing
baggy trousers and a grey t-shirt, along with her usual bandana and
gloves. She looked inquisitively at Pinako before her eyes widened
and she slowly turned her head towards Ed and Al. Her jaw dropped,
and she stepped forward dumbly. Then, she swallowed, blinked, and
tears began to fall from her eyes. She began to run, tears still
falling, as she beamed at Ed and Al, finally reaching them and
pulling them into a three-way hug, Ed and Al on either side.
"I'm
so glad…" She whispered. Al broke away, leaving Ed with Winry.
"So, so glad…"
Awkwardly, thanks to his missing arm, Ed pulled her into a one-armed hug. "We're back. Al's back." then, somehow knowing exactly what to say, he continued, "I'm back." Winry sobbed, but her sobs gently became laughing, and then finally became hiccoughs.
"Edward Elric, you cannot be serious!" Winry yelled. Al and Pinako were in the kitchen, Al explaining to her how he'd got his body back. Winry and Ed were in the workshop, Ed wearing only his boxers to reveal his leg stump and bare shoulder. "How can you lose the base?"
Ed held up a hand. Winry fell silent. "It was lose that… or not get Al back. I took a gamble, Winry."
"What do you mean?" She snapped.
"I could have died." He whispered. Winry was stunned into silence. Then she resumed her attitude of annoyance. "Ah, jeez… well it's your money. And you're the one who's going through rehab again, not me. At least I can try some new designs out, but…"
She was about to turn away. Ed was sat on a desk, however, and grabbed her arm as she twisted away.
"Winry," He whispered. She turned to look at him, and saw his face oddly contorted into an expression of something resembling pity, or perhaps fear…
"Winry, I have something to tell you-"
She shook off his arm. "It can wait," she cut across him, "Until later." Without another word, she left.
