Chapter Eight: Everytime We Touch

A/N: "Everytime We Touch" by CASCADA. It's meant to be a joke. |o| You'll understand soon enough. Actually, the song title is all that relates to the chapter. This chapter isn't romantic in the least! Actually- oh, well I guess you'll see.

It had been a week since Al had been with the Colonel and the others in Xing. Although they didn't save Ed, he felt as if they had found out something important. When they returned to Central, they found Gracia, Elicia, and Winry waiting for them. There was a lot of explaining to do, which came over the course of a whole night, plus they had to free Hawkeye from prison, which proved to be a rather easy task- especially with a name like Roy Mustang.

Alphonse found his mind weak, and bogged down with thoughts of his brother, Edo, and the other subordinates in which defended Pride. So, deciding it was for the best, Al decided to take Winry back to Resembool, and stay there for some fresh air.

"Are you sure it would be alright?" Al had asked Roy.

Roy had been sitting at his desk, his hands folded, and his eyes narrowed in thought. "Well, if it will make you think better around here, and get Ed back sooner, then sure. I only want people around me that won't get in the way. No offense."

"None taken," the youngest Elric had said.

With Winry by his side, they walked the lonely dirt road that led up to the place where his house once stood. Years had passed since his brother burned it to the ground, and yet he knew the evidence of their deed still charred the dirt around the house's foundation. Alphonse held a bunch of white tulips in his hands, as did Winry. They weren't only visiting the site of Al and Ed's old home, they were visiting the second grave of his mom: Trisha Elric. They had originally buried her in the cemetery, but had dug her up to try and bring her back from the dead. After the transmutation failed, Pinako Rockbell removed the corpse from the house and buried under a tree that gave the house shade. That served as Trisha's final grave.

"Do you think he'll be alright?" Winry asked with worry.

Al smiled weakly, trying to think positive. "Of course he will. I mean, this is my brother we're talking about."

"Do you think he will remember everything?" Winry wondered out loud. "I mean, do you think that once we get him back, will he remember anything?"

"I don't know," Al admitted. "I don't know."

They walked for a long time in silence, each going through the "what ifs" that plagued them. Would Ed remember anything? Would he come back alive? Nobody knew, and since nobody knew, not one person could comfort the others with any words of advice. Not even Hughes.

"I wouldn't worry about Edward," Winry said suddenly. "He's always pulled some sort of stunt before. I wouldn't doubt if, even with Edo reigning over his body, our Ed is plotting to over throw him. I mean, think about it. Would he let anyone- even in his own body- touch Roy, let alone kill him?"

The thought of Ed kicking Edo's ass for touching Roy was enough to make Alphonse laugh loudly. "I guess not."

Winry's face suddenly screwed up. They had come to the start of the pathway leading up to the remaining foundation of the Elric home, when Winry stopped. Al followed her gaze up the path to the house, only to see a figure moving around towards the top. Al's eyes widened.

"Who could be visiting mom?" he wondered aloud. It wasn't like many people would be visiting. Ed would, but he was...And Hohenheim, but he was...dead.

The two childhood friends raced up the pathway until they reached the top. Out of breath, but still alert, Al realized at once something was wrong. Dirt had been set into a fresh pile that was almost as tall as Al himself, and a shovel was protruding out of the pile. A square hole was dug deep in the ground.

"What the...?"

Hanging on a low limb of the dead and scorched tree, was a red winter coat. At first Al though it might be Ed's- like the one he used to wear when they journeyed together, but he found it to be shorter, without a hood, and was a different style all together. Suddenly, a voice addressed him from down in the hole.

"Man, can't a guy follow out orders without being bothered?"

Al shivered. He knew that voice, and now thinking about it, he probably knew who owned that coat now too. A coffin was suddenly heaved up out of the hole, and both Winry and Al paled. Whoever it was, they were digging up Ed and Al's mom!

Shortly following the coffin on its rise to the surface was a man that Al tried hard to forget. Zolf Kimbly. The Crimson Alchemist. A murderer and a mad man. When Al had met Kimbly, Kimbly had been employed by Archer to fight in Liore. When Al and Kimbly had first met, the Crimson Alchemist tried to live up to his bloody name by turning the suit of armor into a bomb. Even after his defeat at Scar's hands, in his dying breaths, he did succeed in his vow.

"What are you doing here?" Al growled. Winry glanced over at her friend, wondering how he knew the man before them.

Kimbly snorted, then grinned like a hungry cat. "So, you got your body back. Last time I remember seeing you, you were a ticking time bomb of a suit of armor-"

"What are you doing here?" the young Elric repeated.

Crimson kept his grin. "What's it look like? I'm digging up a grave!"

"Why? Why would you want to-"

Kimbly cut Al off. "Hey, I have no personal beef with your mom. I'm just following orders."

"From Edward?!" Winry gasped.

"Close, but no cigar," Kimbly chuckled darkly. "Didn't Al tell you? Ed isn't here anymore. Edo is in control."

"So you're working for Edo then," It wasn't a question. "What does he want with mom?"

Crimson gave a nasty laugh that chilled both Winry and Al to the bone. The black haired alchemist wagged his finger at the friends. "Now, that I can't tell you. He would kill me."

Al's attention divided between the coffin and Kimbly. "I won't let you take her," he growled.

"And I won't let you stop me," Kimbly stated. He cracked his fingers and neck.

The younger alchemist had seen his brother do this many times, and he knew they were preparations for a fight. "So you want to fight?"

Al nudged Winry back behind him. He didn't want her to get hurt, or worse- get turned into an explosive.

Winry gulped. At times like these, she wished she could do more than just be the girl that needed to be protected and kept out of the way. She was rather loud and in-your-face by nature, so being protected wasn't exactly something she liked. However, she could tell by the sweat that had already begun beading on Al's forehead that it was going to be a tough battle. Plus, she had no skills as a fighter or an alchemist; with only skills in machinery and wrench throwing, she would stand no chance against the seasoned Ishbal veteran anyway.

Alphonse tossed the flowers to the side, sending the petals scattering. "You're not going to take her. I won't let you."

Kimbly frowned slightly, but only in a mocking way. "Edo said that if you or any of your buddies get in my way, I was to kill them."

"I don't care!" Al snapped, pulling a pair of gloves from his pocket. He squeezed the white gloves over his hand, and flexed his fingers. He bent his knees and rocked back and forth, holding his hands before him, ready to clap them together. "I won't let you take her."

"What if you knew what Edo was planning? He may be doing something interest-"

"Regardless. I'm. Not. Letting. You," the boy spelled out angrily. "Now, let's get going."

Crimson growled angrily. "Fine."

The infamous Crimson Alchemist retied his long black hair back into a ponytail, then focused his dark gold eyes on the young Elric before him. He really wanted to fight. He had been hoping that someone would try to stop him; if someone tried to hinder him, he would get to blow them up! He hadn't bloodied his hands since Liore. Then death got in the way. But now that he was back...

Al gulped. He could almost foresee the pain he was going to be in. He knew Kimbly was good- probably better than himself. But he couldn't let him take that coffin, no matter what Edo was planning. Alphonse himself had improved somewhat as a fighter, but it was so much easier to fight as a suit of armor, seeing as how nothing could hurt him. There however, was no way to back down now. It was either he won, or he would most likely die.

Without warning, Al lunged at his enemy.