Hey everyone! Thank you for all of your wonderful reviews, and alerts, and favs! You're all so nice. And I would like to introduce you all to my new beta, Li'l Lawliet, who is a wonderful beta and writer, so go check out her stories! And now, onto the next chapter! And apologies in advance, there is not much action present in this chapter, sorry!
Disclaimer: I can never own Edward Elric (or any of the other characters in FMA) for I committed one of the biggest mistakes possible. I called Ed short.
Chapter 2: Moving Forward
Fire is a deadly beast. It is blessed with the power to both aid and destroy. Assist or condemn. When it chooses, it can light a foggy path or warm the body on a cold winter day. But when it chooses to destroy, to consume, nothing could stop it. Fire didn't differentiate between a loving home or an abandoned store.
Alphonse Elric stood silently before the charred remains of what had once been his home. The place where their mother had always waited for them with open arms. The place where he and Ed had laughed and fought.
But now, nothing was left. Nothing.
A week had passed since that fateful day, but very little had improved. If anything, it had gotten worse.
Al was fine, at least, physically. Amazingly, he had suffered no harm, even in the fire he had accidentally started as he struggled to get Ed out of the house and to medical attention. His mental health was another story.
Aside from sobbing out the story to Winry and her grandmother after they had been saved from the burning home, Al had barley spoken a word. He knew that he was greatly worrying the Rockbells, who were already so worried about Ed, but he just couldn't bring himself to care.
The old Al, the one who would rather eat dirt before offending anyone, seemed to be overshadowed by the new Al, the one who went through life barely noticing his surroundings. The one who had his brother's blood on his hands.
Al closed his eyes, the sight of the charred wood suddenly too much for him to handle. His hands clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
Ed wasn't dead. Granny Pinako had managed to get him to a doctor before he expired from blood loss. Ed was alive, but his left leg and right arm were gone. His heart was still beating, but he didn't talk, laugh, or do any of the things that Ed had once had done.
The local doctor couldn't determine what was wrong with him. According to the doctor, Ed should be fine. A little woozy from blood loss, and in pain from his absent arm and leg, but he should be speaking, screaming, or, at the very least, giving some indication that he was aware of surroundings. The doctor had finally concluded that Ed was brain damaged. Ed was breathing, his heart was beating, but whatever made him Edwas gone.
Al disagreed. He and Ed had grown up together, and rarely a day went by where Ed did not injure, bump, or harm his head in any manner. All those head injuries had done nothing to Ed's intelligence, Ed was still the smartest person Al knew, aside from their teacher, of course. That, and doctor remained unable to find any bruise or cut on Ed's head that may have been the cause of his current state.
There was no doubt in Al's mind that the doctor was wrong. But it didn't really matter what the final diagnosis was because, no matter what was decided, his brother was not likely to get better. Ever.
And it was all Al's fault.
A twig snapped somewhere behind him, but Al didn't even bother to turn around. Maybe it was the military, who had come to arrest him for breaking one of the laws of alchemy. Hopefully it was.
"…Al?"
No, it was just Winry. Al wondered briefly what she was doing here, pausing before deciding he didn't care.
"Al, come on. It's almost dark; we should go."
Al glanced at the sky. The sun was setting, coloring the sky with magnificent shades of red, purple, and orange. He wondered where the time had gone. It had gotten a bit chilly.
"A-Al, come on, it's almost dinner time. You haven't eaten anything all day," Winry stuttered, determined to get Al back home without bursting into tears.
"Not hungry," Al replied in a hoarse voice, not shifting his gaze from the rubble that had once been his home.
"No," Winry countered. She took a hesitant step forward. "We're both going."
Al continued to stare at the charred home, falling once again into this dark musings.
If Nii-san was here, he'd beat me up and forcibly drag me to dinner. If…
Winry watched her broken friend, and simply couldn't take it anymore.
"Al! That's enough!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, tears spilling from her eyes. She had reached and overshot her limit by a mile.
Al was so startled that he turned around to stare at her.
"Stop beating yourself up about this! It's not your fault! It's not your fault that Ed is…It's no one's fault! So stop it and talk to me!"
She began crying so hard that she couldn't speak. Al watched her struggle to stop in stunned silence. For some reason, he was reminded of the day Winry had first learned of her parent's death.
"Winry," he whispered, unsure about what to do.
Hearing Al say her name temporarily slowed her sobs. She rubbed her eyes hard with the back of her hand, trying to force back the tears that continued to leak through.
"D…Do you think Ed would be happy about the way you're acting right now?" she asked, hating herself for what she was saying, but she had to wake Al up. She couldn't lose both of them, especially when it was in her power to help at least one.
"Ed wouldn't behave like this. Ed wouldn't lock himself up from the world. He would do anything to save you. If it was you who was lying in the bed at home. He would travel to the ends of the world if that would help you. He would do anything. He wouldn't just sit there wallowing in self pity!"
Silence met her words.
Winry took a shaky breath and continued.
"Are you just going to abandon your brother when he need you the most? Do that and it really will be your fault."
Al became aware that his face was wet. He raised his shaking arm to wipe his eyes with his sleeve. His heart felt as though it had been ripped in two, repaired with faulty tape, and then ripped again.
"I want Nii-san back," he whispered, keeping his gaze fixed on the ground. "What can I do, Winry? I don't… I don't know what to do."
Winry rubbed her eyes, trying to halt the tears flowing down her cheeks.
"I don't know," she murmured, shoulders drooping. "You and Ed are the alchemy freaks. I'm just the automail genius. You'll think of something." She took a deep breath and continued. "I know you will."
Al shook head weakly, barely managing the action.
"Nii-san's the genius. Not me. He's the one who's always helping me."
"Well, I guess it's your turn to help him."
Al raised his head to look at the dark blue, almost black sky, alit with stars.
Can I really help Nii-san? Can I?
He looked at Winry, who was sobbing again, while still managing to look as though she would clobber him if he gave up.
He shifted his gaze to the ruins that had once been his home and thought of his mother.
Finally, he turned to face the direction of the Rockbell's home, and thought his brother who had always been there for him.
I can try.
Just so you all know, there will be no pairings in this fic, mainly because I don't like writing about romance. This chapter seems depressing as well. Ah well, please tell me what you think. Thanks!