So Schützenfest (local festival) has come along and keeps my village in a tight grip, I swear every time I get off the train after university I end up right in yet another parade's audience. And even though the parade horses left the whole place stinking like their stable it's still fun to see all these men prance around in their uniforms, proud as peacocks. I gotta laugh every time at how important they feel. Ahh but the thing I really like is the fair that comes along with Schützenfest. I can't wait for the bigger town next to my village to start their Schützenfest, they got the big fair with the roller coasters that are too big for my village's tiny main square. I'm an adrenalin junky...

But now on with the last chapter before I bore you to death with my life :D

Thank you for all the reviews!

Chapter 34

Epilogue

"What if Fullmetal left the military so Mustang could sign those papers? That was quite the gamble if I might say so, sir. Shouldn't we allow an exception? The boy's age should justify the adoption despite the difference in rank."

Führer King Bradley barely turned around from where he was looking out of the window to level an expressionless yet still somehow dark gaze at the General who'd spoken. "Fullmetal's contract runs for another year, he can't leave until then unless he's ready to accept punishment for desertion, which I doubt Mustang will let him do. Not to mention Fullmetal wants to be of use for our good colonel, alchemists aren't good at accepting help without trying to return the favour. So he will remain Mustang's puppy, and Mustang is our dog. Looking at them, I don't think they need a paper stating their relation status anyway; they are close enough so we can use one to control the other just fine. We don't need to grant Fullmetal another special privilege that would only make Mustang even more suspicious of what we might be planning. He knows the rules and he knows that when they're being bent it's usually to bring forward the bender's goals, only helping the one they're being bent for as a side effect. So no, it was no gamble, General."

"Understood, sir." Properly soothed by his mighty leader's great knowledge the General went back to his original tasks. Bradley ignored him, continuing to watch the two sacrifices walking across the lawn in front of Central HQ. Replacing Alphonse Elric while being short two homunculi wouldn't be easy. He didn't miss Envy who was at fault for all this mess, actually he still cursed the mindless sadist for working out some elaborate plan containing Kimbley to keep Mustang busy instead of just presenting the man with a scapegoat, yet Lust had been bearable and useful most of the time.

But then he still had some humans who gladly served him for hollow promises of immortal armies so it should all be fine. Calmly, he walked away from the window to sit behind his desk so he could think about who he'd send to lead the Drachmen to Briggs instead of Kimbley.

Edward was lazing about with his back leaning against one of the few trees that were supposed to make HQ not so hard on the eyes. Staring up at the leaves moving slightly in the wind he relished the sunlight filtering through the green. It was on days like these that he missed Al the most and his heart would ache, every beat a tune in the song of mourning. But no matter how much he wished, there was no soft clinking of an armour moving to keep a few birds in his line of sight or try and lure some cat over. Yet unlike a few months ago that sorrow didn't drive him into pure desperation or numbness any more. Al had told him to live on and thanks to Mustang he had finally understood that living didn't only mean to keep the body functioning. No, living entailed so much more. Not only the bad feelings he thought he deserved but joy and fun and all the other good feelings as well. Life was an emotional roller-coaster and he was supposed to feel all of it or it wouldn't have been a life.

Edward still wasn't sure just why it had been that bastard of a colonel who'd been the one to finally help him get back on his feet but he was grateful to Mustang. For him having been there, still being there and going to be there. For the first few days after Mustang had laid bare his secrets Ed had had that irrational fear that Mustang would vanish for good whenever he walked out of the door, finally realising that being close to Ed wasn't easy with all the problems that came along with the boy. But the colonel was still his usual smug self and annoyed the hell out of him every so often, like this morning when he'd been musing about if Ed would ever be able to drive a car, for his short legs would never be able to reach the gas pedal.

As infuriating as that was, it was great just as well. It was like Winry yelling at him that he was an alchemy freak when he told her she was an automail freak, it was like screaming matches with Pinako when she called him short and he tried to get it into the old hag's head that she was even shorter than him. It was familiar. It was his way of showing affection, and he knew the others liked him just as much just the way he was, because they got along with that way and reciprocated. And that's why Ed might have no relatives left but that didn't mean he didn't have a family. (He didn't count Hohenheim as a relative there for him since the man had never and probably would never again be there.)

So sitting here missing and remembering Al was okay. Painful, yes, but still okay because he knew once this lunch break was over he could walk back into the office and be welcomed by his wonderful, boring, exiting, normal life. There'd be people who cared for him and people he cared for. Things worth living for. Ed smiled at the sun peaking through the leaves above him.

"Tell me what up there makes you grin like that, I could use some cheering up... damn paperwork!" It was quite interesting how even when practically slumping to the ground to lean against the tree next to Ed Mustang could still look somewhat dignified.

"Just thought about something," Ed said, feeling too relaxed to mock the colonel for being a lazy ass.

"Hmhm," Mustang hummed, half questioning, half accepting the answer. He seemed to be about to doze off, which Ed wasn't sure he should prevent since watching Hawkeye come down here to chase the man back into his office was quite the fun. But then she'd kill him too for not making the colonel go back so maybe he should bully Mustang back to work by himself after all. Though they still had a bit of their break left and Ed didn't feel much more like moving back into the building than Mustang did. No, he would relish the good weather a bit longer. Because he still could.

"Thank you," he said after a while of looking at his half-asleep CO.

Mustang lazily blinked one eye open and raised his eyebrows. "What for?"

Ed closed his eyes, for a moment savouring how the sun beams that got past the leaves warmed his face before peering back at Mustang. "For everything."

That wasn't very specific but judging by the way Mustang smiled ever so slightly before leaning his head back to relish the sunlight himself the colonel knew what Ed meant anyway. "You're always welcome," he said, reaching one hand out to absent-mindedly ruffle Ed's hair and chuckling when Ed flailed and made sure that one bit of hair that always stood up wasn't flattened to his head. The boy glowered for a while but then turned back to his contemplative yet still strangely happy mood.

"Al told me to live on," he told the man, seeing him open the eyes he'd just closed again once more. "But I'm not sure if I wouldn't have just slowly wasted away anyway, even without actively trying to end things."

For a moment the colonel looked thoughtful, then he said, "All humans need to feel even the slightest whiff of a purpose or they feel worthless. The most simple purpose to find is to help others. You are young, you are brilliant, and even if you weren't, don't waste your potential, your life. There are others who want to live and can't. So no matter how bad your life seems, grab on to that purpose, Edward. And you'll see, it helps not only them, but you, too."

"You think so?"

Mustang shrugged. "I'm sometimes too optimistic and naïve for my own good, I learned that lesson when I joined the military to help the country and ended up on the front lines, wreaking even more havoc on it." He paused, then smiled. "But then, if you think you've lost everything already anyway, what harm is there in trying and following that foolish advice of mine?"

"Probably none." Ed grinned.

"Well then, Edward Elric." Mustang straightened up, extending a hand, dark eyes serious, "Promise me. Promise me that no matter what you'll always find yourself a purpose and be happy without any guilt."

"Because your purpose is to help me just as much as my purpose is to help you?" Ed's grin widened even if there was a certain seriousness behind it.

"Exactly." And there was that arrogant smirk that used to make him so angry and now only told him that Mustang was out to prove he wouldn't be brought down, that the colonel was sure they could do this. "Because at the end of the day we all want those important to us to be happy. We all want the others to struggle on. And struggle on they will. Because it wouldn't be fair if we deny each other's purpose, would it?"

"Equivalent exchange isn't always fair. But I guess we can try to be fair." He slapped his palm into Mustang's hand. "So I promise I will struggle on. And you will too."

"I promise."

And they knew they would, if only to prove the other that they could. Flame and Fullmetal were like that. No matter how close they were, there was nothing like showing off to each other.

So when Havoc came back from a not so well gone lunch date he found nothing special about Ed running a slalom course across HQ's front lawn with the colonel's ignition glove in his hand, which he must have somehow pulled off Mustang's hand, while the colonel snapped his other gloved hand to bring the boy to a stop. It was as normal as seeing Fuery walk out of the building with a heap of wires on him to test how far the capacity of whatever device he was just tinkering with reached, or as seeing Breda, who just came back as well, scream and run away from Black Hayate who followed Hawkeye as she came to get their colonel back to work. No, these days were normal and good and well and they should cherish them. One never knew when darker days could come again.

So they didn't argue too much when Hawkeye shooed them all back inside. Because they all knew they had work to do. And that didn't only mean paperwork, no, their work was to make lives better. For life should not be wasted. After all, no matter how horrible things could get; when we look back, life is beautiful.

I will post an omake.

But the story itself is over.

I must say I'm kind of proud to have finished this, but I am also sad. Writing this and seeing the feedback was fun and brightened up my life. When starting this I estimated like 15 chapters and maybe 10 reviews for the whole thing. And look where things have gone! And all thanks to you readers! Thank you so much!

I guess I'll feel a bit lost for a while now when checking my account here because I got nothing to post. It's a funny feeling to be 'out of stories'. But fear not! I do have some new ideas I'll be starting on once that omake is done. Soo keep your eyes open ;)

Special thanks to:

xIcychanx because she has been a fantastic beta and is a great person to talk to.

and to

The followers because knowing you were waiting for continuation kept me writing and helped me overcome writers block.

as well as

The reviewers because there's nothing like feedback to keep an author going and you helped me improve a lot or pointed out mistakes for me to correct.

And of course

The great cow/Hiromu Arakawa because without her there would have been no FMA for me to borrow characters from.^^