Here is the last chapter. Thank you all for following this story until the end.
Chapter 33: Harbinger
Every living nerve in his body and every rational thought in his mind were screaming and shouting at him that he ought to stop the Elric-brothers from doing this. He had to be crazy to contain himself from Edward for letting both him and his brother go down to that God forsaken place after all they had been through in the past.
Their safety was one of the things he had worked hard and long to protect, risked his life for, even shared his life for. For a long time he had been Edward's lover, and felt close to a father figure for Al. And now he was going to let both of them jump into the most dangerous, unpredictable, unexplainable and not to mention frightening alchemic phenomenon the worlds had ever seen.
Roy Mustang quietly realized, he would really lose him this time.
Edward met his eye, a soft smile on his face. "Thanks for everything, Colonel. You're the only one who would really understand."
Did he understand? Maybe more than he wanted to admit. "Take care, Fullmetal." He held the golden gaze for a moment. Edward had always possessed such strong eyes. It came from the undying determination in his soul. He would make it. Then he turned to Alphonse who now stood next to his brother after convincing him that he wouldn't let Edward leave without him.
"Be safe, Alphonse, and take care of your brother," Roy said. Alphonse would make it too. He had his big brother.
Al smiled softly. "I will."
Edward nodded to the others, Hawkeye, Havoc, Breda and Fuery, before turning around and facing the Gate. "Thirty minutes," he said. "Then you destroy this Gate, no matter what."
"I know, Fullmetal." It was a short amount of time. He wanted to say he could wait longer, for hours, to give them more time. But Edward would only turn down the offer. The Gate had to be destroyed once and for all before it did any more damage.
Edward Elric stared down into the yellow and white mix of colours, the surging soup of power and alchemy. "I'm tired of telling you this all the time, but," he said quietly. "Just hold out a little bit longer, Alfons. You're stronger than you know."
Al stepped up beside him and both of their eyes met resolutely, as were their palms. They would both make it and save Alfons Heiderich in the process.
"Let's go, Al."
"M-m!"
They jumped, holding onto each other's hand. Edward wouldn't let go of that hand until they were safe. He couldn't afford to lose him on their way down.
On the surface, Mustang turned away and bowed his head. He knew he would probably not see them ever again. He stared down at the back of his hand, the one that hadn't been pierced by a blade, at the alchemy circle of fire drawn into his skin. It was still scratched, but would be usable again after some cleaning. He would wait as long as he could.
The colours were circling all around them, bathing them in tons of strong light. Edward never looked back. In one way he had a plan, in another way not. Nothing could be planned inside the Gate. But he decided it would be best to take things more or less spontaneously down there. One way or another, they would survive this. He wouldn't let anything happen to Al.
They were falling for an eternity. Edward felt like his consciousness was slipping, but he held on to it as hard as he held onto his little brother's hand. Feeling his little brother's hand was the reassurance he needed to be able to keep his mind conscious. He noticed Al's eyes drooping, but he nudged him awake with a tug of his arm.
Finally they seemed to have reached the bottom. Neither of them had been hurt, nor did they even feel hitting the ground at all. It was more like they had simply stopped falling, and everything had turned completely white all around them. How nostalgic, Edward thought dryly.
Silence was sinking over the brothers, except for a low pressing pealing sound. There was one low tone that never ended and sounded almost like energy itself, or maybe like the Gate itself? If a Gate could make a sound. It was the sound of nothing, like a nonexistent wind.
"This is where we met the first time I saw you in your real body," Edward said in a low voice.
Al nodded. "I wonder if the Gates will show up like last time." At that time one Gate had showed up behind each of them, representing each of their Gates.
"Hopefully," Edward muttered. "Or else we'll be stuck here."
Al looked around for Alfons, but he couldn't spot him anywhere. Everything was just pure white. "Are you sure we'll be at the same place as Alfons?"
Edward nodded. "He has to be here somewhere. Even if people have a different Gate inside their souls, every Gate is connected to this timeless place." He twisted is head around as well and moseyed through the white mist of nothing, until he spotted something. He gasped. There was something there which clearly stood out from the uncontaminated whiteness. A small moving dot, far away. It seemed to drive closer towards them. Edward couldn't properly make out what it was. But it could be a person.
And he was right. It was a person.
Although, it wasn't the person he had thought it would be at all. He seemed taller and bigger, broader across the shoulders. Soon he was close enough that they could see his face, and the brothers were long frozen like a couple of statues in shock.
The man had long, blonde hair with sideburns and a pair of square glasses sitting on his nose in front of his golden eyes.
Edward gawked in disbelief. "Old man?" he uttered baffled. What the hell was he doing here?
"Hello," Van Hohenheim said, lifting his hand into a small wave. "Edward and Alphonse, this is a surprise."
"Why... Why are you here?" Edward blurted. "I thought..."
"It's a long story which could be told very briefly." He smiled at them, his eyes wandering to Al. "I see there's a lot I've missed. You've got your body back, Al. I'm happy for that. Edward was always worried that he might have failed, but he is my son and already a much better alchemist than I could hope to become."
"Dad..." Al whispered, his eyes tearing up. He could vaguely remember that he had met his father as a suit of armour, but this was different. He had never seen him with his own body back. "What are you doing here?"
"I died," Hohenheim said. "But I figure Edward tried to save me and moved my body to the transmutation circle beneath the Gate in Munich. It brought me to this place."
Edward's eyes widened. "At that time I thought the Gate could bring you back to our world. When I came back to Amestris I realized you never came back. But..." Why was his being here now? If he was dead...?
"I appreciate your attempt, son," Hohenheim said, a soft chuckle laced in his tone. "But my body is no longer fit enough to walk amongst the living, and my soul has no body to return to. There's no life for me in any of the worlds any more than here."
"So now you're stuck here, unable to either live or die?" Edward deduced in quiet realization that it was his entire fault. He bowed his head and rubbed his forehead. "Damn it..."
Hohenheim still smiled. "No, I could die if I want to. This is rather convenient. Thanks to you two, I'll have a good reason to die. You'll need a Gate to go back to Amestris, and I might be able to call out to it and help you get back."
"Wait," Al said. "Are you sure there's no way you can...?"
Hohenheim shook his head. "I'm sorry, Al. I regret that I never was a proper father to you or your brother. But now I'm just happy I can make some use of this rotting body."
"What do you mean?" Edward asked.
"I'll transmute myself into a Gate," Hohenheim said.
"What?" Edward breathed.
"You can't do that!" Al shot in. "You—"
"Haven't you heard what I've just told you, Alphonse?" Van Hohenheim inquired softly. "I've been waiting for an opportunity like this. Now I can finally die in peace, knowing that I've done my sons a favour."
"Wait a minute, first of all, it isn't the Gate we're looking for right now," Edward said honestly.
Hohenheim nodded. "You're looking for Alfons Heiderich, I presume."
Edward stared at him, suddenly agitated. "You saw him?"
Hohenheim nodded. "He was standing right where you two are now, not long ago."
"Then where is he now?" Edward asked desperately.
Hohenheim ripped up a wound in his hand, letting the blood flow from his palm. "I will make the Amestris gate. Hopefully he will appear before you. Believe in yourselves, that's all that matters."
Both Al and Edward protested and wanted to stop him as he clapped his hands and pressed them to his heart. Hohenheim continued to smile as he faded into a soft light, glowing brighter and brighter. He was in progress before they could even reach him.
Edward abruptly backpedalled away and tugged Al further back while covering over his eyes to avoid being totally blinded. Al covered his eyes with his arms as well, but still tried to see as much as he could. A huge Gate suddenly appeared right before them, blocking away all the light.
Everything went silent again. Van Hohenheim would now be gone forever.
"He really did it, that old man..." Edward muttered. "Watch it, Al!" he added sharply as the doors slowly started to open, creaking loudly as they swung to the sides of the black insides.
They couldn't be taken back yet! He hadn't seen Alfons at all. Where was he? How could they find him in here?
"Nii-san, look!" Al exhaled suddenly, sounding slightly horrified. He pointed into the darkness of the opening doors, and Edward's eyes narrowed as he followed his finger. Then he gasped.
Their first challenge was conquered. They had found Alfons. He hung high above them in the opening of the Gate, almost completely covered by slithering black hands. Even if they had at least found him, it seemed to be a tricky situation. The black hands had swirled around his body like an endless rope, around his arms and wrists, legs and ankles, stomach and throat. His head was bowed heavily forward, so Edward couldn't see his face. He was probably unconscious. His limbs hung completely lax in the grip of the black monsters of the Gate. The eyes were staring at them from everywhere in the darkness and their mocking and playful childish laughter rang in both of their ears. Edward tensed. It was like the Gate was teasing him by showing him Alfons in this state.
Edward's fists knotted at his sides and he took some cautious steps towards the Gate.
"Nii-san, be careful," Al said, holding his arm back. "How are we supposed to get him down?"
"I'll rip him down from there if I have to," Edward muttered. "Stay here, Al." Without waiting for a reply, he leaped right into the Gate.
"Nii-san!" Al yelled after him, but he didn't follow. What was his brother thinking, making such rash decisions? He wanted to go after him and pull him away from there, but his brother had clearly told him to stay. For now he would listen and just watch. If something happened, he might be of better use standing on the outside than being caught in the same trap.
Edward had jumped straight the mass of black hands, and now he was with great suppleness climbing his way up amongst them, like climbing a tree. The black hands were moving and wriggling all around him, even reaching for him, but he just ignored them and pulled his limbs away whenever they motioned to hold him back. There were so many of them that it wasn't really hard to climb up. He finally reached Alfons and grabbed around his leg to pull himself the rest of the way up.
"Alfons, hang in there!" Edward called, but saw no motion in his face. He was probably still knocked out. Edward started tugging and ripping against the black hands with his metal hand while he wrapped his legs around some others to keep himself from falling. The black hands were in constant movement, like snakes, but surprisingly they didn't hold onto Alfons harder than Edward could remove them with his own strength. Realizing this, Edward started working even faster and got Alfons' legs and thighs free, then his throat and arms, and in the end he managed to tug away the ones around his chest and stomach.
Alfons' face stirred slightly, and Edward thought he might pass out in relief. Alfons was really still alive, and he was holding around him and all they had to do now was to get out of this hell before the black monsters changed their minds. Still, he couldn't help wondering why they let go of Alfons that easily. He hoped they hadn't managed to do something to him already... But he saw no missing limbs or anything unusual about him either, so for now he would hope that he was in one piece. And he ought to keep it that way.
Edward climbed up to eye level with him and touched his cool cheek with his flesh palm. "Alfons, can you hear me?"
The younger man didn't open his eyes, but his chest was rising and falling, and his heart was beating. This was Alfons' body and it was functioning. Edward lifted Alfons' arm over his shoulder to carry most of his weight and slipped his left hand around his waist. "You'll be okay; I'll get you out of here," he reassured. Then he took a quick look down, deciding it wasn't too far to jump. Then he let go and jumped forward, aiming for the white ground outside the Gate, still with Alfons in a secure grip.
He landed heavily on both feet in front of Al, who immediately moved to take a hold around Alfons as well and lifted his other arm over his shoulder. Together they hurriedly dragged Alfons away from the Gate, further away into the empty white space.
The Gate's doors creaked loudly as they shut closed again, and Edward stopped and twisted his head around to watch it with a narrow look. The Gate was dissolving away, like it had never been there in the first place. Although, Edward didn't feel too anxious about it. He was just happy he had gotten Alfons out of there. Hopefully they would find another way to get out of this white space.
Al turned around too, looking anxious. "Now what...?"
Edward was about to answer, but stopped himself as Alfons moved slightly in between them and opened his eyes slowly. A low groan escaped from his lips.
"Alfons, are you okay?" Edward asked, already grinning with relief. He couldn't care less where they were. What mattered to him right now was that last time he spoke with Alfons hadn't been his last, after all.
Alfons lifted his head and stared at him with suddenly large eyes. "Edward... and Al! What...?" He quickly released himself from them and stepped back, not sure if he was dreaming or not.
Edward crossed his arms. "You didn't think I would let you go that easily, did you?"
Alfons gawked at him and his hand shot up to his forehead. The last thing he remembered was his final words to Edward as his body broke into pieces. Live. Edward wasn't making a lot of effort to live up to his last wish. "This has to be an illusion," he mumbled.
"No." Edward chuckled. "We're both real."
Alfons parted his lips to speak, eyes immediately tearing up. "Why?" he whispered, letting his hand drop to his side. "Why did you follow after me? There's no way we'll get out of here alive, at least not me. You should've stayed. You don't have to risk yourself for me anymore. I've accepted—"
Edward stepped closer to him, so close that their noses almost touched. "Don't say that. I haven't. I'll never accept you disappearing again. I told you I would protect you, didn't I? I'll find a way to get us all out of here."
The tears refused to stop flowing from his eyes, and Alfons could only wrap his arms around Edward's neck and hide his face in order to cover them up. He felt Edward's arms around him as well, soothingly stroking his back, and he swore, if this was a dream he wanted to die. Because it was the best goddamn dream he had ever experienced, and it was a perfect way for everything to end.
"I'm sorry," Alfons blurted. "I didn't want any of you to die for me. I knew the Gate was targeting me and people were even starting to lose their memories of me. It was like my fate was already decided. What would be the point if you wouldn't remember me anymore? You're everything to me. I wanted to go when I still had good memories of the two of us together."
Edward gripped his shoulders tightly. "You idiot! There's no such thing as fate. You never had to go anywhere, and you aren't either. Anything which has something to do with alchemy, including that mark on your foot and the Gate, can be reversed."
Alfons hugged him tighter and buried his face into his shoulder. "I know..."
"There has to be a way out of here," Edward said.
"There is one," Al said, and his brother turned his head to him. Edward already knew what he was thinking. Slowly, he stepped back from Alfons and addressed his little brother.
"We can't, Al..."
"It's obvious, really!" Al defied. "Alfons won't get past the Gate to Amestris anymore, you saw that in the Gate that disappeared just now. The only way is to go to his world."
Edward gritted his teeth. "That will put you in danger. Besides, Alfons had a deadly illness before. What if it comes back?"
"Actually, I've thought about that already," Al said. "And I think you're wrong. Do you remember we talked about the Gate in a sense of time travel?"
"Yeah..."
"By travelling through the Gate, you've somehow transmuted a way of going into another time since the other world is in another time. But going back in time isn't possible," Al explained. "You can only go into another present."
"So far I'm with you," Edward said.
"Since Alfons isn't sick now, theoretically it isn't possible for his body to reverse to be in the state it was when he left his world one month ago."
Edward frowned.
"He'll be the way he is now," Al said. "If my theory is right, the illness left his body for good when he left that world."
Everything he said made perfect sense, now that he really thought about it. Al was right, Edward mused. "You're brilliant, Al." It could work. But that didn't change the fact that both Al and Alfons had to be in the same world. If the Gate took Al, Edward would never be able to live with himself.
"Don't worry about me, Nii-san," Al said, reading Edward's thoughts. "I'll get through too. I'm an alchemist, in contradiction to Alfons. We'll do a combined transmutation again, like we did when we were tied up earlier. That way, we'll be able to cross over just like the time Envy threw me down here."
Edward stared at him for a long time, utterly awe-struck. His little brother was a genius. They were going to make it, and it was all thanks to him. He sent his little brother a proud smile and nodded. "Alright, let's do it." He turned to Alfons again, who stood a little shaken beside him, and Edward realized first now that he had been awfully quiet. Not even protesting about the prospect of going back to Munich. He looked pale and dazed, and his eyes weren't directed at either Edward or Al, but rather out at nothing.
"Alfons?" Edward said hesitantly. "Are you alright?"
Alfons suddenly gagged, like he was going to be sick and both of his arms hugged tightly around his own stomach. His eyes were stretched wide. Something was definitely not right.
"Alfons, what wrong?" Edward demanded and gripped around his shoulders again. "Say something!"
"S-Stay away!" Alfons managed. His voice was hoarse like he had been screaming. "St-Stay away from me."
"What?" Edward scowled.
"Something is wrong with me." Alfons shut his eyes and yelled just as his arms suddenly jerked up to grip at Edward, but before it happened he prevented himself from touching him, seeming like he was struggling to control his own arms from continuing to clutch after him. "Run!" Alfons cried out. "Run, before I hurt you!"
"Alfons, what are you talking about?" Edward's mind was flustered in alarm. He gripped after Alfons' hand, but the younger backed away from him.
Edward frowned. Had something happened to him inside that Gate, after all? What was wrong with him?
"I don't know what's happening," Alfons whispered, meeting Edward's eyes with his pleading ones. "Please, just leave me and run!"
"No way!" Edward yelled.
A terrible and devouring pain was shooting through Alfons' body, coming from his foot, from his mark. His head shot back and his lips parted into a silent scream. It felt like something was creeping up inside him and taking control of every nerve, slowly suffocating and ripping him apart from the inside. His senses were weakening, as was the rest of his body, and soon he couldn't even gasp for air.
"I... can't control my own body..." he croaked, his voice barely even recognisable anymore, before his chest all of a sudden felt like it ripped apart and a thin black hand shot right out of his body. The black arm stretched out from his chest, leaving him in total shock and unable to move. It hurt, but still it surprised him that it didn't hurt as intensely as it should have.
Edward and Al were staring at him in shock and disbelief as well, completely frozen to the white ground.
"What is that?" Al managed with a thick gulp.
Edward took some deep breaths. "I'm not sure." He had to do something! There had to be something he could do, anything! If not, this changed everything. Maybe all three of them wouldn't make it after all. Think, think! He had just told Alfons a minute ago that anything related to alchemy could be reversed somehow. It seemed like something was inside Alfons. If he could just figure out how to get it the hell out of him!
Alfons' head rested against his own chest and his arms hung laxly down by his sides. The black hand standing out of his chest was wavering slightly in all directions like it was exploring its surroundings.
"Alfons?" Edward called hesitantly, trying to find out if Alfons was still with them.
Alfons' features suddenly split into a grinning grimace that Edward had never seen him do before, and as he met the predatory azure eyes he was certain that this wasn't Alfons anymore, not even a homunculus. He seemed to be something much worse.
"We meet again, Edward Elric."
"Who are you?" Edward asked in a low voice.
"I'm it, of course," it said with Alfons' voice, although it still didn't sound like his voice. It sounded twisted and it echoed into the nothingness of the white space among them. "The one and only, behold. Everything you can see and not see. Your God and your Devil. Your constructor and decomposer."
The brothers stood and stared in disbelief, and Edward wanted to shout his lungs out in frustration. How could he have let something like this happen?
"Are you the Gate?" Al inquired in a whisper.
"I am Truth," it said. "The perfect existence. It's nice seeing you again, Alphonse Elric. Have you been enjoying the gift I gave you?"
"What gift?" Al said shakily.
"Your lost memories, of course," Truth elaborated. "You still owe me for that, don't you? You can't get anything for free, I'm afraid."
Al's eyes widened, but then he stared straight into his brother's back.
Edward had placed himself neatly in front of his little brother, as a shield. "Get out of him, now."
Truth chortled smugly. That was not Alfons' way of laughing... "I've taken this body for my own. There's nothing you can do."
Edward's eyes narrowed while trying to ignore his own trembling. No... Not this. He had been so close. So close to getting them both safely with him. "Why?" he asked thickly. "Why are you taking him?"
"Even if I am everything, Edward Elric, I am also nothing. Do you know what that means?"
Edward was silent, since he probably didn't know and it sounded like a rhetorical question.
"You see, even if I am Alfa and Omega, I don't have a body of my own. I can only possess someone else's. I've chosen this boy, a long time ago since I had to give up on Alphonse Elric's body."
"M-My body?" Al echoed.
"I have never been able to wander the Earth," it said. "I've always been here, storing all kinds of information inside me, knowing everything of everything and everyone, every living being, every departed one. But now that I have a body of my own, I can finally be the ultimate being."
Al peered carefully past his brother's metal shoulder, his palm fisting the sleeve of his shirt. This place was frightening. It felt like he had spent a lifetime in here without knowing why. He had only been here once before, and that hadn't been for long. Or was that the only time? His body had been gone for four years. The reason why this place felt so nostalgic was because his body had been stored here while he had been just a soul in armour. Was that what Truth wanted to do with Alfons' body as well? Keep it stored in this emptiness? Or did he actually intend to walk around the Earth with it as his own?
"You have no right to take him," Edward said crustily. "Let him go."
Alfons looked at him calmly, with an indifferent smile in his eyes that the monster possessing him made him do. "No can do. What you're not aware of, Edward Elric, is that Alfons Heiderich made a deal with me before he came to your world."
Edward frowned. "A deal?"
"That's right. The deal was, you can come across to the other side, but when you die, your body and soul belong to me."
"What?" Edward whispered. "He never told me..."
"Of course not," Truth interjected. "I erased his memories of our meeting. But that did not, of course, mean that the deal wasn't legit."
"You cheating bastard," Edward groused. "Alfons isn't dead. Give him back!"
Truth grinned a wicked grin with Alfons' mouth. "To you he is practically dead. But I need his body alive. He was practically lying right next to me, so I figured he was available for the taking. I was starting to become impatient."
"Give him back!" Edward shouted louder, repeating the words.
"I will not."
Edward bared his teeth and suddenly sprung forward, dodging past the long black arm standing out of Alfons' chest in a quick, impulsive motion. Truth didn't make a single indication of moving as he reached at him, gripping his shoulders tightly and glared into his large crystal eyes.
"Alfons!" Edward searched his eyes, for any indication of his old self being in there. He had to be in there somewhere! "Fight him, I know you can do it. I know you're in there!"
Truth snorted. "It's futile, human. Alfons Heiderich may be conscious, looking out a window though his own eyes, but while being a prisoner in his own body he is powerless against me."
Edward's eyes widened and kept staring into the eyes of his lover. Alfons could see and hear everything, but he couldn't do anything. Edward gritted his teeth and clenched his shoulders tighter.
What was he supposed to do?
Truth closed his eyes and smiled. "Yes, what should you do? Perhaps keep an eye on your little brother?"
A short scream suddenly sounded behind Edward and he gasped and turned towards Al. The black hand standing out of Alfons' chest had stretched out and grabbed him around his throat. Al fought desperately against the hold as it tightened and then started to pull him closer.
"Al!" Edward shot out and sprinted to help him. He reached it and tried to pry it free from his brother, but it was impossible to make it let go this time. And each second, Al was being forced to stumble closer to the creature that possessed Alfons.
"Let go of him!" Edward shouted in anger. "He has nothing to do with this!"
The black hand stopped dragging Al as he was only a small meter away from Alfons' body. "Yes, he does. The deal will end soon. I'll take from both of you until you've paid for your sins and your pathetic small lives, humans."
Al's eyes widened, but then the black hand abruptly released its hold and dropped him. He sank slowly down on the ground to his palms and knees. Edward kneeled beside him and gripped around his arm. "Al, are you alright?"
Al nodded, feeling his eyes welling from unshed tears. Were they this powerless against this thing? Was there nothing they could do to stop it?
The black hand was pulled back, all the way into Alfons' chest like it was sucked right into his body and disappeared.
Edward stared in disbelief at it.
"This body is mine," Alfons' voice said in triumph. "I've possessed him fully now. Let me show you." He bowed his head and smiled, and suddenly several black hands shot right out of his back beneath his shoulders, spreading themselves out like wings behind him. They flapped threateningly up and down, like that of an eagle readying to strike down on its prey.
Edward gawked and hurriedly pulled his little brother up to his feet to get him away from there, but too late. The back hands shot forward and swirled around them both and tightened around his chest and throat, forcefully parting him away from Al. He gritted his teeth and squeezed the arm around his throat with his metal hand, but it didn't seem to care. His eyes darted towards Al, who struggled a couple of meters away, and he twisted around in an attempt to free himself so he could rescue his brother. But everything was futile. No matter what he did, the arms just tightened, making him gag and gasp for his breath.
In the crook of his eye he was witnessing his little brother sinking back down to his knees and his eyes shutting tightly. He wasn't fighting anymore. "Al!" Edward shouted. His intent eyes directed at Truth again. "Let him go! Take me, whatever the hell you want, just let my little brother go!"
Truth scoffed, watching them struggle in pleasure. Then he felt something wet on his cheek and frowned, touching his own cheek in puzzlement. Tears were streaming from his eyes like a pair of miniature waterfalls. With a low chuckle, he fixed his eyes on Edward again. "It seems like your friend is crying for you. Humans are such weak, pathetic creatures."
Edward snarled and answered the look with a death-defying one. "Alfons..." He was still struggling in there, probably feeling helpless.
"I will give you one last choice," Truth said. "This is what you've wanted to prove all along, isn't it? Yes, I know it. You know what to do already, don't you, Edward Elric?" it inquired. "I'll be merciful and give you some minutes to make your resolve. Either way, it will be my win."
Slowly, the black arms loosened their holds on him, and Edward didn't know if he knew what the creature talked about or not. All he could think about was to get to his little brother. He sprang to him and fisted the front of his red coat as the black hands loosened their holds around him as well.
"Al! Al, are you okay?"
Al inhaled sharply a couple of times, before his bronze eyes opened and fixed on him. "Nii-san..."
Relieved, Edward sighed deeply. "Are you hurt anywhere?"
Al shook his head. "I'm fine." He stood up slowly, just as the black arms pulled back into Alfons' body. It looked painful, but Alfons' face was completely expressionless.
Edward stared at Alfons again as well, eyes full of pain and hopelessness. What was he supposed to do? What transmutation could he do to reverse this? There had to be a way.
Suddenly Alfons' body collapsed on the ground like someone had cut a string holding him up.
Al started. "Nii-san!"
Edward was already sprinting towards Alfons' side, his mind alarmed by Truth's words, but ignoring it for now. "Alfons!" he called out and slouched down on his knees beside the limp form. "Talk to me, Alfons! Are you alright?"
He couldn't be alright. How could he be alright? There was no way Truth would just let him go. What had he meant then? Either way, it would be his win?
In his mind, his thoughts surfaced. Yes, there was one way to save Alfons indeed. But could he do it? He had hoped it wouldn't come to this.
Al kneeled down beside him as well, touching Alfons' forehead with a shaky hand. "He's just unconscious," he said softly.
Edward lifted Alfons' head carefully into his lap, stroking his bangs away from his damp forehead. "Hey... Alfons, can you hear me?"
Alfons' face looked completely peaceful, making it difficult for Edward to believe that he was probably still possessed. Though, he received no answer.
"Nii-san!" Al suddenly gasped out, and Edward jerked his head up with a scowl.
So, they were here finally. They were being surrounded by three huge black Gates, which had suddenly emerged at the same time. One behind Al, one behind Edward, and the last one behind Alfons.
"Our Gates..." Edward whispered and met his little brother's eyes. "You're still ready to do what we talked about before Truth appeared, right?"
"Yes," Al replied, slightly breathless, his heart beating fast inside his chest. "But, you mean we're going now? What about Alfons?"
"Yes, we're going now," Edward said. "We'll go through Alfons' Gate."
Al's eyes magnified. "But he's still—"
"That doesn't matter now," Edward said sternly. "It'll work out somehow. I'll think of something. He will make it."
Al looked unsure.
"Just do as I say, okay?" Edward urged.
Al nodded fast. "Okay..."
The metal of his middle finger was quite sharp after he had scratched it against something earlier, and Edward used it to carefully cut the palm of his hand, drawing a long stripe of blood.
Without hesitation Al reached his palm to him so he could do the same with his. Edward took his hand in his, and tried to not make it too deep. Only enough to make some blood trickle to the surface of his little brother's palm.
"Alright," Edward said softly. "Help me with him."
Al obliged. He stood up and helped Edward stand up while they both supported Alfons in between them. Alfons' head draped forward, not even stirring. But his heart was still beating, and that was enough for Edward to keep himself contained. He had to do this.
This moment wouldn't end like his nightmare, where only one of them could be saved. He ought to save them both.
They stepped closer towards the Gate they had chosen. Edward stared up at it, observing the familiar eye mark in the middle. He understood now the reason why the Gate had marked Alfons. It had done it after persuading him into that dangerous deal.
It's my fault, Edward told Alfons inside his heart. I brought you through the Gate that way, and I didn't even realize what happened. I will make it up to you. I promised you, I won't let you disappear.
Their palms were weeping crimson, and the brothers gave each other one last resolute look where they stood in a small circle.
"Ready?" Edward murmured.
Al returned a curt nod. "M-m!"
Around them the white continued as they lifted their palms, making a complete circle with their own bodies and Alfons in between them, and clapped their hands together. Al's right fingers laced with Edward's left ones, their blood being assorted into one in the centre of their palms, and they both closed their eyes as the two Gates behind them started to fade. Energy emerged among them, creating sparkling lightning from the invisible circle around them. Both of their Gates dissolved, and the grains of their materialized souls disappeared into the remaining Gate which still stood there, doors open wide.
Edward took a deep breath and opened his eyes, looking down on his brother with a small smile. Al still stood with his eyes closed. He opened them as he felt Edward was watching him.
"Let's go, Al," Edward said.
Al nodded again and turned to the open Gate. Then they both jumped into the darkness of it, still holding onto the unconscious one. Al tried to ignore the eyes, the black hands, everything. It would work out soon. This was just like last time he had jumped into the Gate, only that it had been his own Gate at that time. Jumping into someone else's would probably not feel very different.
And just like last time, the black hands were lifting him forward rather than pulling at him. He gazed at Edward and Alfons. They would make it. They would all be through soon. Up ahead he could even see a small, tiny light. It had to be the other world. Al smiled meekly. He hoped the other world would be a nice place to live in. At least, Schiller had lived there almost until the point he met him. Schiller had taught him that the world was never purely black and white.
Neither was the Gate.
Have you decided what you will do, alchemist? the nonexistent voice said.
Al frowned and stared at Edward. His big brother fisted around Alfons' shirt and kept Alfons' arm over his shoulder, his golden bangs hanging in front of his face and cast a dark shadow over his eyes.
Al became immediately alarmed and stared around the darkness, the chaos of black hands, but he couldn't see anyone. But he just knew the voice belonged to Truth. And he wasn't speaking through Alfons anymore. Alfons was still unconscious.
"I've decided," Edward said in a low tone.
"Nii-san, what are you talking about?" Al wheedled frantically. Something was wrong... "What is happening?"
Edward met his large, concerned eyes with another small smile. "I'm sorry, Al. I won't be able to keep my promise."
"What?" Al said shakily. "What promise? What do you mean?"
"I can't stay with you anymore," Edward said.
Al's chest suddenly tightened and his eyes welled up with unshed tears. Was he going to do what he thought he would? It couldn't be true... He couldn't do that!
"I offer my body and soul," Edward said, lifting his head up towards the blackness. He wasn't meeting his little brother's eyes anymore.
"Nii-san!" Al screamed, letting go of Alfons who had been supported between them and stepped back in disbelief. "No! No, you can't do that!"
Wasn't everything supposed to work out now?
I understand, Edward Elric, it said. Your time has now come, and you're accepted as a substitute.
"NII-SAN!" Al screamed out even louder. "YOU CAN'T DO IT! TAKE ME INSTEAD!"
Edward quirked his head abruptly in his direction, still supporting Alfons. "No, shut up, Al. This is the only way."
"NO IT'S NOT!" Al shouted. His eyes were overflowed long ago, and his cheeks were dripping from the tears running down, turning cold on his skin. This couldn't be happening... There had to be something he could do. He knew there was, but he had never done it before. Besides, his brother and his teacher had told him never to do any kind of soul alchemy ever again. It could be dangerous, but his older brother was about to sacrifice himself again! Al ought to take a chance. No one was going to sacrifice themselves this time! He was sick of it, he couldn't stand it. And if he couldn't do it, he wouldn't let his brother do it either. Both he and Alfons needed him!
Acting fast like a stroke of lightening Al leaped towards his brother and Alfons while clapping his hands, which were still daubed with his brother's and his own blood. Edward scowled at his action and at the familiar determination in Al's eyes as the youngest slapped his palms to each of Edward and Alfons' chests. Held them there. Against their hearts.
Warm, energised blue sparkles emerged around the three of them as Al used the deepest power of his very soul. It was a deep and complex power. Something he had not yet tried. He would connect himself to the very soul of another person and bind it to his own. It was the complete opposite of what he used to do before. Usually he had infused a part of his own soul with something else, but now he connected to Edward's soul to infuse it with both Alfons' and his own. That way, Edward wouldn't be able to part from them so easily.
It was like a promise, an eternal bond between their souls.
Edward stood completely stiff and stared at him with wide eyes. "Al...?"
Al lifted his eyes to his brother's. He knew, it was Edward's nature to want to save everyone else but himself. But the soul was like a magnet to the right body. Edward would be drawn together with Al and Alfons, no matter which world they were in. No matter which universe. No one would be left behind. He wouldn't allow it!
But there was one thing he hadn't taken into account, and that was Truth itself.
I can't allow it, it said. Even if Truth didn't use emotion in its voice, Al still got the impression that he had pissed it off. You're stealing parts of the soul I've craved, it crooned. In that case, I will fill the gap in his soul with myself.
Al's eyes widened and snapped a short gasp. Black hands, showing up from nowhere, entangled around his arms and legs and pulled him away from his brother.
Edward gasped. "Al!" He lunged out to help Al get away from them, when suddenly lightning struck through the air and hit Edward's chest. Edward unwillingly screamed out in a sudden and strong agonizing pain. It felt like his very soul had been ripped apart. Something blackened in front of his eyes, and the next thing he knew he had collapsed to the ground together with Alfons and lay sprawled on top of an entire carpet of moving black hands. His limbs were still entangled with Alfons' boneless body.
He groaned and shifted slightly where he lay and touched his aching forehead. What the hell just happened to him? His thoughts snapped back to reality as he heard Al screech out and he got up in an instant. "Al!" he shouted, seeing his little brother captured by the black hands.
Alphonse Elric, the soundless voice said. I will finish my deal with your soul first. I'll take something you won't need.
Al struggled weakly against the restraining, frightening things, pulling him into an unwanted embrace. Would it take some of his limbs in exchange for his memories? He panicked, but his attempts to get away from the laughing souls' arms were completely futile.
"Leave him the fuck alone!" Edward shouted desperately. "You'll have me! I said already, I'll pay the toll with myself!"
I need something from both of you, it said cruelly. Only you is not enough.
The black hands tightened around him and kept him trapped. Al stared at his brother in defeat, who also had gotten black hands snaked around him and Alfons, stopping him from interfering.
"Al!" Edward cried out and stretched for him. "Alphonse!"
Before Al could say or do anything more, a black arm showed up right in front of his face and literally forced its way through his forehead. Al's eyes magnified as wide as they could get, and he screamed as it searched his mind, going through his memories one by one. Like it was flipping through the pages of a book.
You don't need all your memories, it whispered in his mind. I will take the excessive ones, different ones than you've gotten in return. That is equivalent exchange.
Al's breathing came out ragged as images of his recent past played forcefully inside his mind. He tried to struggle against it, to hide his precious memories, but it was futile against Truth.
With tears stinging in his eyes, his mind stared to black out of all the pressure against his exhausted brain. He realized, even if he had connected his brother's soul to him and Alfons, the Gate could still hold him back. "Nii-san..." he whispered. "Don't do it..."
I'll be alone again...
Al closed his eyes and he was falling backwards onto the black carpet of moving black hands beneath him. By then, he couldn't remember more and his consciousness faded to black.
"Alphonse!" Edward screamed, and finally the black arms let go of him, just as the black hand pulled out of his little brother's forehead. While holding onto Alfons' wrist with his metal hand, he stretched his flesh hand out to reach for his little brother, refusing to let any of them float away from him. Finally he got close enough and gripped a piece of the red coat with his bleeding left hand, before managing to pull the smaller boy close to him. Edward pulled him into his arms and hugged him tightly to his chest. Please, be okay. Al didn't even stir from the contact. But he was breathing.
"I'm sorry," Edward whispered, tears staining his own eyes. "I know what you tried to do, it was a good attempt, but it won't change anything. I'm sorry for leaving you like this." He took a deep breath. "We fought for so long. To reach our goal, and we did in the end. That's what matters. We've had our reunion. Just too bad it was so short..." He closed his eyes and held him a bit tighter. "I know you'll do great. You'll become a great man. You're brilliant. I'm proud of having a little brother like you." He slowly curved down and left a warm kiss on Al's forehead. "I hope you'll forgive me," he murmured softly, stroking gently over the golden bronze bangs of hair.
"Edward...?"
Edward gasped and whipped around by the sound of the familiar voice. Behind him, Alfons was sitting up slowly, bleary eyed and rubbing his forehead.
"Alfons!" Edward didn't let go of his brother as he scooted closer to Alfons, on top of all the moving black hands. "Are you okay?"
Alfons nodded and stared at him with anxiety written in his eyes. "What is happening?"
"We're inside your Gate. You're going back to your world," Edward said. "Don't worry, you will be okay."
Alfons hitched a little on his breath and reached for Edward's arm to pull him closer, suddenly remembering all the recent things that had happened to him. "Truth..." he whispered. "It possessed me! It was inside me... It forced me to hurt you." As Alfons reached to touch him, he seemed suddenly unsure if he should, his hand trembling.
"I'm alright," Edward said, taking his hand in his. "And Al will be too. Don't worry."
"But what will happen now? Are we going to Munich?"
Edward smiled softly. "Yeah."
"You're going too, right?" Alfons persisted shakily, not convinced at all that everything was alright. "I can't go anywhere you're not."
Edward sank into an embrace, and Alfons' locked his arms both around him and Al. He felt one hand of metal press against the small of his back and clutched around his shirt. They sat like that for a while. Time did hardly matter in this place. At least until Truth would start getting impatient.
It's time, it said.
Alfons flinched nervously, feeling its voice inside his mind. "Time for what?"
Edward pulled back from his arms, and then kissed him deeply. Alfons started in surprise, before he melted into the kiss and closed his eyes. Their tongues laced together and their lips merged to one. Alfons had almost thought they would never kiss again. But even if it felt good, it startled him all the same.
It was like... Edward was saying goodbye.
"Alfons," he whispered as he pulled back gently. "Forgive me for doing this. I wanted us to leave at the same time, many years from now, but that isn't going to happen. There's been a change in plans... I'll be the one who leaves first this time."
"What are you talking about?" Alfons managed, his throat twining itself together so tightly he couldn't even swallow.
"I have to be the toll," Edward said. "Or you and Al won't get through."
No way... Alfons refused to believe it. But somehow he had known all along. Had he just been hiding it from himself?
"Me and...Al... but... what about you?" Alfons cried. "You can't do this! There has to be a way—" He gasped as his foot started burning with familiar pain, and he cringed and huddled together.
In the same instant, Edward breathed in sharply and clutched his neck with his flesh hand. It felt like something was being rasped into his skin with burning iron, and his fingertips felt the oval shape of an eye being carved itself onto his neck. He was being marked. Marked like an animal. But he didn't say anything. It had to be like this.
"Alfons," he said calmly. "This is the only way. You have to continue on without me. Like you told me as you went into the Gate, I'm throwing it back. Live."
Alfons opened his eyes as the pain disappeared entirely, and he sat up again, staring in shock at the way Edward clutched his own neck. "This can't be happening," he whispered in realization. "Please, not like this."
Your body and soul now belong to me, Edward Elric, it said. You're bound to stay here forever.
Alfons rose to his feet in alarm, and Edward stood up as well, just as the black hands started snaking around his legs. He closed his eyes in sorrow, before he stared determinedly up at Alfons again. "This is how it's going to be. You've probably known all along. I would never let any of you go before me."
"No," Alfons managed. "No!"
"I trust Al to you," Edward said, ignoring his protests. "Don't ever try to get me back, you understand?"
Alfons shook his head. "No! Edward, please—"
"There's no other way," Edward cut him off sharply. "Trust me, if there was, I would've picked that solution instead of this."
Alfons swallowed and kept shaking his head. "No!" He kept repeating the word no like it was the only word he knew and wrapped his arms around Edward's neck. "No way... I'm staying with you. I'm not leaving you here. You can forget it!"
"Alfons..." Edward said, his voice painful and soft. "Please."
Alfons tightened his embrace and pressed his tear staining eyes into his neck.
"At least you won't forget me," Edward said quietly. "And I will never forget you either. Even if I stay here, you will always be close to my heart."
Something stirred inside his own chest. Like his heart was ripping up and shattering. Alfons couldn't believe this. "No, don't talk like that. Can't we go back? I've told you, I want to die in your world. I don't have anything to return to in Munich. Please, if we can't go back to either Amestris or Germany together, leave me and go to Munich with your brother. I can't do this."
Edward pulled gently back from him, but still holding onto Alfons' hand and leaned forward so their foreheads touched. "You're much stronger than me," he said softly. "You just don't realize it, and I won't let you stay here. You will be alright. Just remember, nothing happened in vain. I'll always love you, Alfons."
Alfons stared at him, his forehead pressing against his and tears flowing freely down his cheeks now. "Edward..." Nothing happened in vain? That was not true. What was the point if Edward couldn't stay?
Edward stepped back and curved down to pick up the still unconscious Al, who had been lying next to their feet, and lifted him up. He handed him gently over into Alfons' arms, his mind darkening as he did so. This was what the Gate had planned all along. He felt utterly defeated. The Gate had won again. It was like it was always making sure to figure out a way to separate them.
Edward's heart and soul were being virtually nailed by the sinister emotions, of having to admit defeat, of having to betray his little brother and Alfons. It hadn't been planned to turn out this way. A thought, even a possibility, could shatter and transform someone. Thoughts were just shadows of someone's feelings after all, but they were always darker, emptier and simpler.
He was betraying the two people he loved the most in the world.
But in exchange they would be saved. They would make it back to Munich, and there they would start anew. It was that simple. Still, would they ever forgive him?
"I'm not letting you go," Alfons whispered.
Alfons, I know I promised you we'd be together forever, that we would live together and die together. But I know you would have done the same for me if our roles had been switched. You knew all along. You were never mad at me for not telling you the real truth. You just understand too much. You were willing to let yourself go, both for me and for Al. The more you're willing to let yourself go, the less I will let you do it.
He knew they would manage by themselves. He knew they would be okay without him. As long as they never tried to get him back.
"You have to let me go. Don't ever try to get me back," he told the devastated person in front of him once again.
"But…" Alfons wheezed hopelessly.
I will manage somehow, he thought, but he didn't dare say it out loud. For now, his intention was to hurt Alfons so much that he would never dare try anything to get close to the Gate again. It could put both him and Al in danger.
However, Truth wouldn't kill him, since it needed his body alive. That was the clue. Edward trusted his own strong mind. I'll find a way back to you someday, he told Alfons inside his heart. Edward closed his eyes and bowed his head before he looked up at him again. Thank you for all the times I've witnessed your smile.
"Go. Take him somewhere safe. I know you'll be alright without me."
No, he wouldn't! Alfons opened his mouth to reply, but then he got suddenly lifted higher, and Edward was being held back. "Edward!" he yelled, holding onto Al like a lifeline, clutching him to his chest while his mind staggered around the familiarity of this moment. Not again... This had happened before...
"Go," Edward said fast. "Take him somewhere safe. I'll find you within thirty minutes, but if not, take the plane without me."
What? What was Edward saying? Why couldn't they go together? Alfons found himself completely frozen.
"What do you mean?" he stuttered. "I can't... I don't know how to-"
"There's no time!" Edward barked and pushed him inside the wall, making Alfons stumble forward and almost lose grip of the unconscious Elric-brother. Then Edward clapped again hard.
"Edward!" Alfons yelled. "What are you going to do?"
Edward touched the wall again, which made the hole start to shrink and return to a normal wall again. Edward avoided his eyes and his long golden bangs cast a shadow over his features. "Just hurry up and run! I'll slow them down. I'm counting on you." The hole disappeared right after, leaving only a thick, black wall.
"Edward!" Alfons yelled again, clutching Alphonse's body against his chest with one arm. He slammed his fist into the solid concrete with the other. "EDWARD!"
The memory echoed strongly in his mind. For the second time Edward was staying behind to save their lives, and he could do nothing?
"I'm counting on you." Edward smiled softly. "Take care of him for me, Alfons."
"Edward!" he yelled desperately out again. "Don't go! EDWARD!" Was Edward really doing this? Why was this happening now? After everything they had been through, was Edward breaking the bond for real?
Yes, he was. Edward was doing what Alfons hadn't been able to do. He was cutting off the bond to both him and Al, to save it.
He witnessed how Edward closed his eyes and simply let the black hands take him away, devour him, until there was only a black shadow left of him. That was the last Alfons saw of Edward. A bright light lit up the entire space, coming from everywhere and in the end it blinded him entirely.
Then he couldn't feel anything anymore and blacked out.
Somehow they would make it in the other world. He chose to believe that. The only reason why he had agreed to finally destroy the Gate after he had waited much longer than he had promised Edward, was because he was certain that there was no way either of them were dead, or else his intuition would have told him otherwise. All three of them had been through too much to die now, and Edward had managed alone in the other world once before so he didn't doubt that they would be okay.
Roy Mustang cast a long look up towards the clouded sky. It was a gloomy and grey day in the graveyard. Sadly, not many people had showed up in the funeral. A couple of relatives, a couple of men from the Brigadier General's unit who had survived, and the Fuhrer President.
"Brigadier General Carl R. Kiehle fought bravely against one of the most dangerous and challenging enemies this country has seen," Fuhrer Hakuro stated in his speech. "This man is a true hero."
"I need to know one thing before you go," Mustang required softly. "Where is the report?"
"There are a couple of loose floorboards in the study room," Al said without hesitation. "Alfons and I hid it there."
"Thank you."
The night before he went to the old house where the Elric-brothers and Alfons Heiderich had lived for a short while, and he had found the old report written by his old friend, Maes Hughes. He had snapped, and the paper had burned into nothing but grains of grey. He had left the aches where the papers had been and put the planks back in place. The truth about the Brigadier General would die with him.
"That's my gift to you, for what I once wasn't capable of preventing from happening," he murmured.
Brigadier General Roy Mustang stared up at the calmness of the sky, a soft expression imprinted next to his dark eye patch.
The tombstone named Carl R. Kiehle, a hero who had died in brave service of the country, shot and killed by the enemy. The military would never know what kind of man he had really been, and they would never know how he really died. Ironically enough, Roy had been offered his position.
Still, that was probably more than the man deserved, but Roy was silently accepting it. Alfons Heiderich would be safe, he would atone, and he would have Edward and Alphonse with him. He would return home. Roy knew he could count on him to take care of the Elric-brothers out there, wherever the hell they ended up. Last but not least, his most trusted subordinate would be protected from the suspicion of murder.
Soon the graveyard was empty and he stood alone by the stone, knowing that his 1st Lieutenant waited for him by the automobile, and he figured he would never return to this spot ever again.
You will be remembered as the man you always wanted to be, that man you were supposed to have grown up to be. You got to play the part of a hero, Rheo.
Silent. Everything was suddenly silent. Like a graveyard.
The first thing he felt was cold drops of ice dotting and melting on his cheek. Then on his nose.
Alfons opened his eyes slowly along with a small shiver. He lay on his stomach, a chilly breeze ruffled his hair and he inhaled. Like he hadn't breathed for a while. Another flake of ice landed on his cheek, blending in with something warm from the corner of his eyes. He moved his hand up to his face, rubbing the moisture off lightly. His fingers turned wet, then cold. He frowned at his hand for a moment, and then he looked up in the air, towards an endless grey sky.
A grey sky. He hadn't seen it in a while.
White, cold flakes of snow danced around on the mild breeze. They landed softly around him, pure as scattered sunlight. Snow… Alfons sat up on his knees. It was really snowing. Wasn't it spring, almost summer?
His eyes grew wide as he realized. Immediately he pinched his own arm hard to be sure he wasn't dreaming. It couldn't possibly be real…
But he didn't wake up. And the cold and the hairs rising all over his body felt very authentic.
His eyes suddenly darted to the left and right; everywhere. Then he spotted him lying a few meters ahead of him. The red coat was sprawled on the ground around him where he lay on his side with his eyes serenely closed.
"Al," Alfons whispered. He quickly crawled closer, reaching him and clutching him. Shaking him didn't wake him and Alfons trembled over him. His skin was so cold. The snow was already decorating his bronze hair in white. "Alphonse," Alfons spoke again. He held him close to his chest, both of his arms carefully wrapped around him. Even if he had no warmth to give.
"Edward..." His breath came out a little short. "Edward..." He looked up again, towards the sky. "Don't tell me this is real. Please tell me this is just a nightmare."
They were alone. Edward was nowhere to be seen.
With a closer look, Alfons suddenly recognized this deserted place. Where he was now sitting, clutching Edward's little brother, had once been a building. He recognized some trees and the road, even if everything was about to be covered in white. This used to be Thule Society's headquarters. This used to be the place they had kept Edward and himself imprisoned, and Edward had transmuted the Gate. This had been the last place he saw before he left this world and travelled through the Gate with Edward. But now the whole building was gone. Somehow, Alfons understood why it was suddenly winter when it had been spring just a few moments ago.
He was back in his own world. He was back in Munich.
They must really have come here through the Gate. But where was it now? It used to be inside the building too, in the ceiling. His eyes looked everywhere above him, shooting desperately from left to right. But he saw nothing. Only the grey sky. Snow falling.
The Gate was gone. Along with the building and everything. Although, there were still traces that a building had been there. Some bits of it still lay around, even some ruins of the ground stone framing around them at some places.
What had happened here?
Maybe the Gate had swallowed every trace of its existence here in this world? But then again, how come he was alive? And Al? What about... Edward?
Alfons took a deep breath and quickly stood up to his feet, letting go of the unconscious little brother. This couldn't be happening! There was no way Edward couldn't make it. Alfons bared his teeth of the cold while continuing to stare desperately up towards the sky. At the place where the Gate had used to be.
"EDWAAAAARD!" he screamed out into the night. "EDWARD! COME BACK!" His eyes were warm and bloated, making his vision swim and the snow melt faster as it came in contact with fresh tears. "Edward..." His heart writhed in sudden agony inside his chest, still he refused to believe it. Edward had stayed behind to save him. To save both of them. The scene played itself repeatedly in front of his eyes. His knees buckled underneath him and hit the ground again. The wind blew mercilessly through his thin clothes, making him shiver again. His fingers had gone numb.
In the corner of his eye he spotted slight movement. Again he curved down and closed his arms around Alphonse.
"Take care of him for me, Alfons..."
Those had been Edward's last words.
Al stirred awake, feeling the chill biting at his skin. A droplet fell on his cheek. Was it raining? No. The drop had come alone.
His eyes shot up wide and stared at a person above him. First he wanted to say brother, but then he realized it wasn't Edward holding him. It wasn't his brother who tried to shelter him from the cold.
What was this cold? It had been ages since he had even seen snow. Where was he? The icy air made his nose sore, and he could no longer feel his toes inside his thin leather boots. He tried to remember how he had gotten here. Where was this place? Where was his brother? And...
"Who are you?" Al whispered, studying the face of the person holding him. Why did he look so familiar, yet so alien?
The person stared at him for a long time without a word. His blue eyes seemed to be filled up in apprehension and disbelief. "This has to be a nightmare..." he finally mumbled.
Al frowned as he didn't get the reply he had expected. "What happened? Where is my brother? Do you know Edward?" He tried to sit up and pushed away from the stranger. He didn't need to be nursed. He was okay. Wasn't he? Only his memories... His head felt like a cheese full of holes. Full of images which seemed to be missing something significant. How annoying. He had just managed to retain his old memories from when he was a suit of armour, and now this? Then he felt something hard in his pocket and frowned while moving a trembling hand to pick it up.
It was a piece of chalk. It had traces of a transmutation on it, and he remembered it clearly when he saw it. He had transmuted this with his brother as they escaped from being bound. He could use alchemy without a circle, but just to be safe he had brought it with him after they escaped. But that didn't explain why he was here with this person.
"Al..." the stranger spoke quietly, bowing his head and looking away. "You don't remember me, do you?"
Al stared at him a little intently. This place both annoyed and frightened him. It seemed to be a ruined building. And the cold... he couldn't even think properly.
"I don't know you," he said. "How do you know my name?"
The stranger's eyes lifted again, and suddenly Al managed to study his face properly. He gasped.
"I was... a friend of your brother's," Alfons whispered, pressing a palm at his eyes. Why this? Wasn't losing Edward enough?
"You look like me," Alphonse said, looking horror struck.
We've been through this already.
Edward had been wrong. Everything that had happened had happened in vain, hadn't it? He had lost Edward, and he had lost his dear friendship with Al which they both had struggled over a long time to build. He had lost the other world, which he had grown to love even more than his own. He had lost everything.
Al slowly stood up to his feet, trembling from the biting cold, the snow decorating his features as he stared around his surroundings in perplexity. "Where is this place?"
"I can explain everything," Alfons said quietly. "But right now... I'm not sure where to begin."
"Then, where is my brother?"
Good question...
"We're outside a city called Munich," he started tentatively. "And... your brother is..."
Al frowned, concerned. The piece of chalk was being clutched tightly in his white palm.
"Your brother is gone."
It kept on snowing.
-Three weeks later-
It was almost midnight. The night was alive and clear with the sound of fireworks, though still bitterly cold since it was the end of December and the beginning of a new year.
It was New Year's Eve in the States, more specifically in Boston. He was here for the first time in his life. Although, this wasn't a world untouched by war and sadness any less than Amestris or Germany. People had been suffering here too, and they were wearing the same expressions on their faces, like masks. Still people moved on, didn't they? Even when a person was lost, no world ever stopped running. It was both cruel and wonderful. But there was still no comfort.
Dear Edward,
I hardly know where to begin. I could barely comprehend the fact that you didn't make it to this world with us. The one thing that saved me, was your brother. He doesn't even know it...
The celebration of the night seemed far away. People were laughing and drinking, waiting for the last few seconds to go by before the oncoming New Year.
I'm sorry for everything. There was no time for any explanations. The Gate was gone, so were you. I don't know if we'll be able to see you again, and it hurts. Nothing has ever hurt this much. And even as much as it hurts me, it hurts Al even more.
Alphonse and Alfons were sitting on top of a roof of the house of their landlord. The fireworks flamed up the whole sky, exploding in lights of red, blue, white and yellow, wishing the year 1924 welcome.
A new year, a new beginning? I don't know how there can be a new anything without you. Nothing will ever be the same. I can't even imagine a life without you. For now, I'm simply taking one day at the time and clinging to the one person I have left to consider family.
Al stared with his lips parted in awe as blue and red light lit up the sky, reflecting in his big copper eyes. It seemed like he had forgotten everything that had happened the recent month. Just for a couple of seconds.
"I've never seen these big fireworks before," Alphonse said. "It kind of reminds me of… alchemy."
Alfons thought so too. The exploding colours of the fireworks were almost exactly like the magical sparkles that shot up during the alchemic reaction of a transmutation, formed as circles. Circles of pure energy and beauty. He leant back on his palms, sighing, causing a white fog of cool air to shoot out between his lips.
"When I was little, my father and I made our own fireworks. Like rockets. Every New Year's Eve, he'd fire them up with me. It wasn't as colourful as these, but it made me want to keep making rockets."
Al lowered his head. "Where is your father now?"
"He died in the Great War."
"I'm sorry."
"It's alright."
It was completely surreal, realizing you were no longer with us, especially since the Gate almost erased my existence. It's difficult to go on without you, after everything that has happened. After we came through I learned that Alphonse doesn't remember me. Every single image of me has been erased from his mind. Sometimes I started wondering... Was I ever in the other world to begin with, or was it just a dream?
The thing they almost had, the goal they almost reached but never lived to experience still beckoned inside Alfons' heart. Had Roy Mustang destroyed the Gate on the other side?
Probably. They could never go back.
What I'm even more afraid of is that your memory was affected as well. The Gate might have erased me from the other world, after all. Have you forgotten about me too? I'm afraid to know. If you have forgotten about me, how shall I tell you everything if we should ever meet again? All the memories I refuse to let go of. You're in all of them.
The other world was gone. Edward was gone. They were gone. The three of them had died away from the other world on that faithful day, inside the Gate. Even what he had shared with Edward could only live on through his memories.
Alfons could never undo it, never unwrite it, never unlive it, or even relive it. It felt like a far-away life, liven in another existence and time before his own birth. And here in this world, in this life, they were just lingering there as faint images of a distant dream, feeling more and more imaginary in each passing second. Amestris didn't exist anymore. But he would never forget. As long as he lived, he would never forget.
I miss you, Edward. We both do.
Alphonse lifted his bright eyes again to the clashing exploding sounds on the clear, dark sky. The flaring fireworks kept reflecting in his gaze as he was seeing the dreamlike imaginary world clearer than the real existing one. "I wish… Nii-san could see this too," he whispered.
"Me too," Alfons agreed tranquilly.
I still feel a strong connection to you sometimes, like you weren't gone at all. It's difficult to explain. I might even be out of my mind, I'm not sure. But wherever I am, I'm always reminded of you and how you always made me feel loved.
"He will find us," Al said decisively. "I just know it."
Despite everything we've been through, I wonder what makes Al so sure, how he's able to keep his confidence so strong. It's something he has unmistakeably gotten from you. Your brother is determined and smart. His will to find you will never diminish, and he'll always stay positive that we'll meet you again.
"Just wait." Al's eyes were resolutely directed towards the stars. Like he made a promise to the new world.
I want to believe in it too... But I know what it is capable of and I saw you disappear right in front of my eyes after you told me never to try to get you back.
Alfons smiled weakly. "Yeah…" Even if Al didn't remember the things they had been through together in the other world, none of it mattered. What mattered was to protect him. To make sure he would have a future in this world.
One thing I'm certain of, I swore to you that I would take care of your brother. I've found a new life purpose, until we meet again. For your sake, I will live it through until I die.
With Alphonse with him, he felt he like could atone. If only slightly. He had a reason to atone.
"Your brother once said, if two people suffer together the pain and sadness would become halved," Alfons told Al and the night. They were two halves of one sorrow. If Alphonse hadn't been with him, what would he have been?
Al wrapped his arms around his knees and rested his chin on them. "But only until we get him back." He was too obstinate to believe otherwise. For now he was merely enduring everything. Either Edward would find them, or Al would find him.
Alfons let his eyes gaze over the sky, the same sky he had watched the stars with Edward many times before in both of the worlds. He would use the rest of his life to repay him, even if it would never be an equivalent trade for everything Edward had given him and given up for him. Neither would he ever forget Edward's dream of the three of them living together, in the same world. In peace, being happy. For now he'd let Al believe that there was still a small chance that everything wasn't over yet. That Edward was still out there somewhere, still too stubborn to die.
It almost made him believe it too.
If you ever read this… We're waiting for you in this world's Amestris.
With love,
Alfons.