"WHAT THE HELL?!"
Sam was surprised the entire population of Central couldn't hear Ed's sudden outburst, what with the dramatic decibal level he was using. He'd just returned from his strange trip, having been gone for a few days, only to find what remained of his brother on the floor...literally.
They were back at the hotel again, hunters, alchemists, foreigners, and one gearhead all in one room together. This could be the beginning of a new reality show Sam thought amusingly.
"I'm sorry brother..." Al began but Edward's flabbergasted state wouldn't allow for any immediate follow-up explanations at the moment.
"You!...What?...How are you this beat up?" He stammered on, unable to formulate a proper sentence what with how shocked he was to see his younger brother missing an arm, and the lower half of his "face". Edward was on the verge of the same kind of rage Sam had witnessed back in Lior when the young alchemist was facing what remained of Father Cornello after his Stone had turned to dust. He just hoped the kid didn't attempt to punch anyone over this.
"And you!" Ed turned to face the Xing-ese man and his friend in the mask, fixing them with a childlike glare as he pointed accusingly. "What the hell are you two doing here!?"
The foreigner, or Ling as he was known, and his companion were busy stuffing their face with room service dinner delights when the question came to light, so Ling's mouth was full when he answered cheekily, "Eating a delicious dinner."
Edward's response was to kick both of them out of the room and slam the door in their faces.
"Seriously," he returned to Al and began inspecting the damage to his brother's armor, "how did this happen to you?"
Al sighed, so did Sam and Dean. It was the kind of sigh that felt almost mandatory to use before a long explanation, and a tiring one at that. Al ran through a quick summary from his point of view, with Sam inserting some bits and pieces here and there based on his perspective, both with Dean and the Colonel, all the while Ed listened, assembling his brothers broken pieces as he did so.
"A Homunculus and Barry the Chopper," he commented as he placed Al's parts in their respective points of attachment, "just to put the cherry on top you find out your body may reject your soul." He stood back a bit, surveying his prep-handy work, before clapping his hands together, the tiny impact of metal-to-flesh making that ping sound Sam had become so familiar with. "I'm gonna have to extend what little you have left of your armor," as he spoke the ribbon-like threads of blue light flickered and danced around Al, his armor molding and reshaping as his former figure was restored. When the task was done Ed stepped away, breathing a small sigh of relief, while Al arose to his feet and began testing his limbs to make sure they were working just fine.
While Al continued his personal inspection Edward turned to face the Winchesters, "Anything else I should know about? Or have we covered everything?"
Sam wasn't sure if this was his way of double-checking the given information, or if he still had his suspicions about the two of them, either way it wasn't necessarily a good idea to mention that an archangel was on Team Stone Finders. Just as well, Gabriel had made a special request a moment prior to his departure from the Pink House right after the boys had announced their need to go visit the Elric's in regards to this newfound goal they had of getting their hands on the Philosopher's Stone.
"Keep your traps shut about me for now okay kids?" He'd winked at the two of them just before pulling an angel-Houdini act and teleporting god-only-knew-where.
Out of respect for him, and the sheer fact that Ed was more-or-less an atheist that wouldn't believe in angels, the boys had resolved to keep quiet about their secret celestial weapon...for now.
What made matters even worse? Cas was an angel, and a huge threat to this world if he ever found out Gabriel had dropped them off here. Not to mention what would happen if he found out about the Stone, so that was going to make it difficult for them to get their hands on it, especially if the Elric's were in hot persuit of it first. The Winchester's would simply have to play shotgun for now.
Sam shook his head. "Nothing you haven't already heard," he added just to pacify Ed, "the good news is those Homunculus bastards are not invincible, at least that'll play in our favor if we ever cross paths again."
"Let's just make sure we have a few blowtorches on our hands when we do," Dean pointed out, "damn I wish I could learn Flame Alchemy, that is badass. Any chance of us learning that stuff kid?"
Ed ignored the "kid" comment. Either he wasn't in the mood for arguing with Dean or he just didn't care, Sam wasn't sure. "Not a chance in hell," the young Alchemist replied calmly, "otherwise more people would've flocked to Central in the hopes of learning."
Which was as close as he would ever get to giving the Colonel an actual compliment, Sam thought.
Winry had been silent for the most-part, listening patiently to the four of them chatter amongst themselves the way men did. But she broke her silent streak with a single question, "Ed...he'll be able to get his body back...right?" naturally in regards to Al.
"Yeah, of course he will," Edward said firmly, slightly confused that she would ask such a thing. "I told you I'm gonna get it back." That seemed to be all the reassuring she needed, which was evident in the immediate lift at the corners of her mouth.
"Speaking of which," Dean, who had been leaning against the wall as the evening had progressed, straightened up to walk around the couch. "We need to talk," he sat down, elbows resting against his knees, hands together. "This little quest of yours? Getting your body's back and all that jazz? We officially want in." He nodded to Sam in reference to the "we" part, more out of habit than actual need to specify what he meant.
"Funny," Ed sat down on the couch across from him, lounging slightly with his arm across the back, "I would've thought you'd already joined in, considering how often you end up around every corner while we're working."
"We thought it might be best to see what you thought about it," Sam pointed out, moving to sit on the arm on the other end of the same couch where Ed sat. He watched Ed's face, trying to decipher his expressions, but the young Alchemist appeared stoic. However his eyes were thoughtful, in the end he sighed.
"I can't exactly tell you no," he replied, lowering his head and closing his eyes, as though a heavy weight had suddenly settled upon him. "If you decide to tag along it'll be your choice, but..." he opened his eyes and glanced at the both of them, his tone suddenly serious, "don't say you weren't warned of what lies ahead. The way things have gone lately I can't imagine it getting any better. But I have to ask," he turned to look at Sam, "...why?"
Sam had been wracking his brain for some time, trying to think of an excuse good enough that would satisfy Edward's suspicion but would still keep them from exposing themselves. He'd spent his entire life learning how to lie, made quite the career of it...but...this time the truth held a little more ground. The truth was a more useful tactic.
The answer was so simple it was almost too easy.
"Well..." he began, trying to find the right words, "we were thinking...if it's possible...maybe we'll figure out how to get home."
There must've been something in his eyes that validated the declaration, for Ed's subtle suspicion was very short-lived, and the tiniest lift occurred on one side of his mouth. He understood the need for home, he must miss his own home from time to time, even though it was now burned to the ground, which was more or less the same for Sam and Dean.
"Far be it for me to get in the way of that," Ed finally replied, he looked Sam in the eye, "if it's within my power I'll help you find a way home."
Perhaps it was Ed's way of repaying them for their "services" to the great Stone quest, or perhaps the young Alchemist figured the sooner they were out of the picture the better, either way Sam was glad he was on their side without feeling obligated. Apparently Dean was happy too, he was doing that mouth-shrug he usually did when he was onboard with something unusual or out-of-character for him.
"Well I guess if you're going to be a part of this full-time you should know something," Edward's smile disappeared the second he started speaking again, his tone returning to the same seriousness he'd fixed on Sam just a moment ago. He sighed, and turned to face his brother, "Al...I've got to tell you something. I dug up the body that we transmuted in Risembool."
Al, who at some point had actually sat down to listen to their conversation, suddenly jumped back to his feet. "What? Why would you do that?" he demanded to know, looking at his brother with what Sam could only guess was utter disbelief...and maybe a tiny bit of disgust. It was hard to tell with his metal face.
"Because Al," Ed remained calm as he spoke, "I found out that the thing we buried wasn't really our mother."
The shock from that bit of news was enough to knock Al back into a sitting position, while Sam and Dean frowned at Ed. Grave desecration was sort of their forte, so hearing about a dug-up body was nothing new. But to find out that it wasn't their mother after all?
This was definitley a new category of weird.
"But...hold on a minute," Al placed his hands on either side of his head, trying to process the information. "Then that means..."
"The thing we made...I don't know what...but it was something completely different," Ed continued, leaning forward slightly as he placed his hands together.
"But if it wasn't...than what happened to me?" Al's voice was on the verge of reaching that pre-panic high-pitched stage that kids sometimes did.
"That's just it," Edward pointed out, "this has actually convinced me we can return you to normal."
"You got that from a pseudo-corpse?" Dean replied, using only a touch of sarcasm. "Are you sure about that?"
"Yeah...but..." Ed began to explain, "before I start explaining how...well...uh..." the next part appeared to be a bit embarrassing for him to ask. "Winry...do um...eh...do you remember when Al and I got in a fight when we were kids about...who would marry you?"
Dean had to stifle a laugh, but just barely, and only because Sam had shot him a glare knowing his brother would make a joke about this.
"Huh?" Al replied, "The fight we were talking about on the roof?"
"Yeah, that one," Ed confirmed, his embarrassment having lessened a fraction or two. He continued to question Winry, "Al told me you turned him down," it sounded more like an accusation rather than a simple fact.
"Mhmm," Winry nodded, her hands clasped behind her back, her face neutral. "Turned you both down."
"Ouch," Dean managed to get in, but stopped himself when he saw Sam's face.
"Whatever," Ed continued, "The question's for both of you then: What was your reasoning?"
Al and Winry glanced at each other, seemingly unsure of where this was going. "She said..." Al began, then they both synchronized as they replayed what appeared to be a crucial moment in their childhood, "'I just dont like men who are shorter than me'".
Dean, unable to contain himself any longer, suddenly burst out laughing while Al looked as though he'd just obtained a small victory. Edward on the other hand appeared as though Winry had thrown another wrench at him, "You can't judge a man for something he can't help!" He looked as though he wanted to be angry but his childlike response lessened the integrity of his outburst to a mere whine.
"Uh..." Winry's neutral stance had shifted to a frown, "I don't really see how this has anything to do with getting Al's body back."
Ed instantly sobered up, resting his hands on his knees. "I had to be sure," he explained, "Al had a memory of something I don't recall. You seem to clearly remember it the same way Winry, which means that it happened without a doubt. So... Dean shut up...now that we know you remembered something real, than we also know for a fact that really is Al bonded in there...I pulled you out Al...I actually did it. I know it was only your soul, but that's just it...if I was able to pull that much of you out...than I've got a hunch that your body's still in there and I can pull it out."
That got Dean to stop laughing.
"You think my body's still in the Portal? Existing seperately from my soul?" Al's voice had a sort of desparation to it, he truly wanted this to be true. He gasped all of a suddenly as a new thought occurred to him, "Like Barry's body!"
"Right!" Ed leaned forward and tapped his metal hand to Al's chestplate, "Now what did you see? Try to think back, can you remember what happened when the Truth unraveled you?"
Al thought for a moment, lost in his recently regained memories, he looked at his brother, "I reached out...and it was me...it was my hand I grabbed."
"I remember you telling us that before," Sam suddenly intervened, "But I thought you just meant the same as Ed described when the Truth had him. So you really are in there huh?" Now it was all starting to make sense, at least Al's part was.
Ed's face broke into a grin, "I knew it! Doesn't look like we're done with the Truth yet Al." He looked at Al, almost proudly, "We're gonna get in there and pull your body out!"
"Brother," Al appeared to suddenly remember something, "After the Portal, I remember looking at you from inside that...thing. The thing we thought was mom."
Ed's eyes widened immeasurably, "You were inside of it? That thing was you?"
"I guess so," Al tried to explain. "But my soul didn't bind, it must've rejected me right away. So that means...we didn't harm anyone else's soul after all."
The room was silent for a moment, then a knock sounded on their room door followed by a muffled "Mr. Elric? You have a telephone call from Izumi Curtis.".
**NS**
While Ed went downstairs, Sam asked Winry if she would allow he and his brother to speak to Al alone. She seemed hesitant at first, there was a flicker of suspicion in her eyes, as though she believed they may try something sinister with the youngest Elric. But she seemed to have come to the conclusion that if they had planned on hurting him they would've done so before now. She gave them a small smile, and reached out a hand to Sam, "Thank you for helping them."
Sam returned the favor with a polite smile of his own, "It's no trouble, we're used to these kinds of things...it's more or a less our life in a nutshell."
If she was curious as to what he meant by that she certainly didn't show it. Maybe she was used to strange things happening in or around her life, or maybe she was simply too tired to ask, but in the end she turned and walked out the door, closing it quietly behind her.
The three of them assumed the "serious talk" position of gathering around the table once again, the Winchester's on either side of the youngest Elric.
It was simple: Ed may not be much of a believer in certain things, but that didn't mean Al wouldn't be willing to listen to what they had to say. Everything Ed had talked about for the past hour was reminiscent of the hunter's own experiences with being "out of body" one way or another.
It was time to fill them in a little more.
"Al we need to tell you something," once again Sam was having trouble finding the right words. He had to say it in such a manner so as not to give away too much, but still enough to avoid any holes. "Well...you see...there is such a thing as...resurrection."
Al made a noise similar to a human's small intake of breath, "What do you mean?"
"I'll show you," Sam stood up, turned his back to Al, and lifted the back of his shirt to reveal the scar that ran along his spine. "See that? A man came at me with a knife, stabbed me clear through the spinal cord." He lowered his shirt and continued to stand, looking down at Al as he awaited his reaction.
"But," the young Alchemist was baffled, "a wound like that...you would've died..."
"I did die," Sam lowered himself back to the seat cushion, "Technically I was dead for about a day."
"So...how...?"
"It was me," Dean piped in, "I did something...something you're not supposed to do...and I got him back."
"The reason why we're telling you this," Sam explained, "the things you and your brother keep saying...about the transmutation...about your mother...the thing is we've seen things like this happen before...with our job...and I'm telling it is possible. Yes there are consequences, depending on how you do it...but it's still possible.)
Al glanced between the two of them, "You expect me to believe this? People die, that's the end of it...if we continue to try and think that it's possible to bring the dead back to life than all of the torment we went through...with the transmutation...would mean nothing."
"I know it sounds crazy," Sam tried to reason with him, "but think about it Al. If it's possible to bring your body back from some place that exists outside of space and time, outside of this world, isn't it possible that the reverse is true? If I died againd, and my body was still on Earth, intact and everything, wouldn't that mean that my soul could be retrieved from wherever it was during that time?"
He knew what he was saying would challenge everything Ed and Al believed in, that it could quite possibly stunt their chances of working together if the Elric's believed they were "too crazy" to put up with, but things were starting to hit too close to home for the two hunters. A lot of what they'd been hearing lately sounded so familiar, so similar to their own predicaments, it was almost scary. It was like they were in an episode of the Twilight Zone: two sets of brothers, each having lost a mother, an absent father, evil forces at work, sacrifices made to bring a brother back to life. Every day that Sam realized how alike their families were drew him closer and closer to realizing...it was almost as though they were exact copies of each other, like the Portal had leaked some form of the Elric's onto the real world, Earth, and the Winchesters came to life.
Or maybe it wasn't that after all. Sam was still trying to figure this whole thing out.
But they needed an ally, someone they could trust with the kind of information they knew, and who better to choose than the one person Sam felt he could relate to the most?
Al was silent for a moment, processing Sam's words. Then he stood up and moved to walk out the door. If he was angry or just motivated it was hard to tell, either way the Winchester's were quick to follow him, down the hall, down the stairs and into the front desk area where Ed had just hung up the phone, looking confused.
"So what did Teacher have to say?" Al asked him as he approached.
"Well...I'm not really sure why," Ed replied, "but she said...'thank you'." He walked up to his brother and tapped a metal fist against his breastplate, let's head back up okay?"
Sam half expected Al to blurt out something in regards to what Sam and Dean had told him moments ago, but he remained silent as they filed their way towards the stairs. Two flights up, and Al suddenly stopped, his head bent slightly forward, lost in thought. Ed recognized the halting sound by the lack of clanking noises Al's armor made as he walked. He'd just begun ascending another set of stairs when he turned to face his brother, "Al?"
Al glanced up, "This entire time...I've been blaming myself for what happened." His glove-hands clenched into fists that started to shake, "I thought it was me...I thought I was the one who killed mom a second time..."
"So did I, Al" Edward admitted, his face full of subtle despair.
Al burried his face into his hands, "Thanks brother...thank you." His voice was cracking as he spoke, "I wasn't the one who killed mom after all."
"But still..." Edward pointed out, "none of this changes the fact that I'm the one who put you in that body. I don't care what it takes, I'm going to make you normal again."
"Brother," Al said firmly, lowering his hands to his sides where they returned to their clenched position, "I was right there with you, and I knew that there were risks. So quit trying to shoulder all of this on your own...I can't watch you suffer like this...not on your own...I can't just stand back and watch other people get hurt over what I've done. Like what happened to Mr. Hughes..." his fists were shaking again, "I felt like it was my fault when I found out he was dead, and I told myself that if it meant other people getting hurt I don't even want my body back."
Edward was speechless for the moment, his only submission to Al's epiphany was to nod in agreement.
"Brother," Al continued, "I've met other people who weren't exactly human. But they still managed to live their lives with a purpose. And even in this body, it hasn't stopped other people from treating me like I'm still human. This body could reject me at any time, but it's the same with being human. You never know when you might get sick, or die in an accident." He paused for a moment, looking down at his hands, "I can still get by like this. I can live a somewhat normal life. And that's how I've managed to keep going, but now...I can't take it anymore!...Because..." his voice broke again, "...I can't...I can't take all the nights by myself! It's too lonely, and that's why I have to get back to normal!"
Ed had begun to descend back down the stairs, his face smooth up until the end of Al's speech, then his eyebrows bent downward in determination, and that familiar grin came into play. "Sure, and you're going to," he placed a metal fist on the "tip" of Al's breastplate, then he glanced at the hunters, "so...are you in?"
There wasn't a chance in hell that they would pass this up, not this far in the game.
Dean returned Ed's victorious grin with a sly one of his own, "Damn straight, Fullmetal. Lead the way."
Ed didn't need much encouragement, he was already pumped, turning on his heel and bounding up the stairs, the other three following right after, back to the hotel room.
"We'll knock that Truth jerk on his butt!" Ed had a way with battle speeches, "And then we're gonna pull your body right outta that place!"
"Yeah!" Al confirmed with equal enthusiasm, the clanking sounds from his armor echoing wildly through the halls. He stopped for a moment on the stairs, motioning for Dean to keep going, the older Winchester continued past both him and Sam, allowing them a moment.
"You said the dead can come back to life," Al whispered to Sam, "if that's true...can you help get my body back as well?"
"We'll sure as hell try," Sam reassured him, "but we'll need the right tools."
Al glanced toward the top of the stairs, listening to Dean and Ed's return to the room, Ed's muffled voice, but Al's thoughts were elsewhere at the moment. He turned back to Sam, "If it comes down to it...if Ed can't get my body back...do you know a way to do it?"
Sam didn't respond right away, the "way" in which he himself could do it would require performing certain tasks he'd promised a long time ago that he'd never attempt ever again...but...maybe...this was Al after all.
"I know a way," Sam nodded, "but it won't necessarily be easy."
"Hey you two, get in here!" Dean shouted from above, his head peering over the bannister at the top of the steps.
Al and Sam immediately moved to join the others, not wanting Ed to get too suspicious about their being secretive about something. It was still safer to keep him out of the loop for now, even with this new revelation about souls and bodies and how they can exist apart from each other. The entirety of it all would still be too much for them.
The four of them gathered together, Winry having returned to the room as well, and began constructing new thoughts.
It was time for a plan.
**NS**
"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?! HOW COULD YOU LET THAT BASTARD GO AFTER WHAT HE DID!?"
When Envy became furious his "hair" seemed to flair out more than usual, like the leaves of a palm tree fanning out in the wind, but it still wasn't enough to stir Wrath into concern for his own safety against the "deadliest" of their group. "YOU SHOULD'VE YANKED HIS SPINE OUT OF HIS MOUTH!"
They had once again returned to the dark bowels of their hideout, Wrath residing at the bottom of the stairs, sword in hand, while Envy and Gluttony remained on the staircase behind him. Gluttony whimpered and cried, murmuring Lust's name to himself as he grieved for his dearest companion, "he killed Lust."
"It's not too late to kill him, so GET TO IT!" Envy practically spat in Wrath's direction.
"We can use Mustang," he replied calmly, his dark eyes narrowed as he schemed. "He's worthless if we kill him however."
"Use him?" Envy dialed down his tone upon hearing that. "Hold on, you mean the Portal?"
Wrath chuckled softly, menacingly, "You don't need to worry about it, and forget Mustang. Father wants me to handle him."
Envy growled a bit, "And those two boys? Surely Father has something special in mind for them."
"They're role is even more important," Wrath explained. "After all, we get those boys...we get him."