I woke up to the patting of a hand on my back. I opened my eyes wearlily. I was in the living room of the Elric house. My whole right side is black, so I can't see who the hand belongs to.
"It's going to be alright. You just need to rest," a kind voice says, continuing to pat my back. I put a hand to my right eyes, and what I feel is so gross, it can't be put in words.
"My... eye," I stammer, feeling panic rise in me. A blonde haired woman kneels in front of me, and I realize its her patting my back.
"It's gone. I'm sorry. I'm Lt. Hawkeye, " she says, a sympathetic look in her eyes. Hawkeye, I think to myself. It has a nice ring to it... Another woman kneels in front of me and covers my right eye in a bandage that wraps itself around my head.
"There, all better. No chance of infection now!" she says, a smile stretched across her face. I glance at her, then look down to the ground. The woman got up and left. As I begin to recap what had happened, I remember the black gate and my head begins to hurt. I clutch my head and grunt. Hawkeye cups my face in her hands.
"Are you-" she tries to ask before I interrupt her.
"Where's Edward and Alphonse? Where are they?!" I yell, scrambling from her reach onto a nearby chair. Shock flashes on her face, probably at my rabid behavior just then. The shock is quickly replaced with conflict.
"Well?" I demand. Grief fills Hawkeye's eyes, and I collapse into the chair. Tears begin to run down my face as I blankly stare ahead. If anything has happened to them, I would've failed my duty to protect them at all costs. Hawkeye stands up and walks towards me. Placing a gentle hand on my shoulder, she says, "They're in their mother's room," she says. I bolt up and frantically run towards Trisha's room. When I see the door, I reach out and grab the doorknob. Twisting the doorknob, I jerk the door open. There, sitting on the floor a few feet away from me, was the suit of armor Ed and I had tried to bond Al's soul to.
"Al?" a say softly, remaining in the doorway, oblivious to everything but the armor. When I get no response, I fall the the floor in a sobbing heap.
"We were to late.. Oh, Alphonse!" I cry, my hands tearing at the floor. I continue to cry until I feel something cold touch my hand. Opening my eyes, I look at my hand. Its a metal hand. Looking up, I find myself staring into the face of the armor.
"(y/n)? Are you ok?" the sweet, innocent voice of Al fills my ears, and I begin to cry again, but this time, out of relief. I throw my arms around the armor's shoulders.
"Alphonse, I thought I lost you!" I say, laughing. Al hugs me back and laughs.
After a long time of hugging and crying, I wipe my eyes and stand up.
"Where's Ed?" I say before looking to my right. There he was, in the bed. His right arm had been bandaged, and fluids were connected to him through needles. I rush over to the bedside and grab his hand.
"Ed? Its me, (y/n)," I say. After a moment, Ed's eyes flutter open and fixate on me. I smile and stifle my tears.
"We did it, Ed. Al's in the armor," I say, casting a look at Al, who was now standing up. Ed chuckles.
"Great, now you're taller than me," he jokes, but a look of horror flashes on his face. "Oh no," he says while me and Al laughed. Once we stopped, Ed once again looked at me.
"Hey, is you're eye ok?" he asks. I look away.
"No. I lost it in exchange for Al's soul, like how you lost you're arm," I say. Ed gasps, then flings his arm over his eyes.
"This is all my fault,' he says, beginning to cry. "If we hadn't done this, Al still would've been in his body and you still would've had your eye.. This is all my fault... I'm so stupid and I even made you break the law of alchemy.." he continues sobbing.
"Brother.." Al says. I sit there and think. As though my hand had a mind of its own, it slapped Ed across the face. I hear Al gasp. Ed holds his cheek, red from my hand.
"Don't say that, you idiot!" I growl. "Experience is the best teacher! Had we not done this, we would've probably done something more stupid in the future! And maybe we wouldn't have strengthened our bonds to each other!" I say, slapping a hand to my heart. Ed looks at me, surprised. Then, he leans his head back onto he pillow.
"Such words coming from an eleven year-old," a man's voice says behind me. Al and I whirl around. Standing there is a tall, black- haired man with brown eyes just like mine. I don't know what it was, but other than the eyes, something seemed familiar about him. He looks at me, and a look of recognition flashes in his eyes, but is gone as soon as it appeared.
"I am Colonel Roy Mustang, known as the Flame Alchemist. I am also a State Alchemist," he says, holding up his watch. At any other time, the watch with a dragon-looking creature would've had me on my knees begging to touch it. But after you've nearly lost your life, a piece of silver with a clock inside it isn't that impressive. I still have a strange feeling. He looks so familiar... I tilted my head and gazed at him, puzzled.
"We will have you children out in a few minutes. Just sit tight and don't stress yourselves," he says, shooting a glance at Ed. Then, Roy looks at me, and I swear I saw sadness and longing in them. His expression goes blank once again, and the man named Roy Mustang turns on his heel and marches out of the room.