Roy Mustang stands from his kneeling position, taking in a deep breath, steadying himself mentally. He had just spent the last hour at the gravestone, lost in memory and paying respects to his good friend. His friend who was taken so quickly from him, with barely a moment to pray.

That makes two.

Two that he could not protect. Two that his flame alchemy could do nothing for, two that he wasn't there for when they needed him most. He pinches the bridge of his nose, taking another deep breath as his emotions begin clashing inside him. He slowly calms down, glancing at the marble stone decorated with a plain flamel before turning to walk away.

---

"I've been gone too long," the familiar voice speaks, low and still rough. Through aging, his voice hadn't leveled out into a smooth sound as most had thought it would. "Four years."

The black-clad figure stands, looking down at the headstone, running his left hand over it gently. He smiles as he thinks of the love of those who erected the stone; the people who cried at the funeral for Edward Elric, Fullmetal Alchemist. He chuckles lightly, squeezing the stone slightly; the flare of alchemical light cuts through the dark of the moonless night. As the light fades and the man walks silently away, the headstone is left completely blank, not a scratch in its smooth surface.

"Guess it's time to return."

---

Alphonse Elric had been searching for a way to return his body for four years. Since the fated day his brother was stolen from him from a serial killer. Stolen at sunset, left in an alley to rot.

Though Al has no physical heart, it knots in on himself as the memory resurfaces, as it does every day. He'll never be able to shake the scene from his memory..

"Brother? Brother, where are you?!"

Al races through the streets, fearing for Ed's life. He had heard that the serial killer was targeting short blondes; this meant mostly women, but several children had fallen prey to the madman sneaking through Central. Tonight, Ed just happened to wander around in search of the man, to put a stop to his killing spree, without telling Al. Why does he ALWAYS do this?

"Ed! Ed, where are you?!" Al spots a flash of light from an alley several roads down, and quickens his already fast pace, buildings a blur next to him. He skids to a stop at the entrance to the alleyway, racing in to find one person, lying in the dirt and grime and blood on the alley floor. Al runs to the form, spotting stained golden hair, fear and horror gripping the depths of his soul.

No. It can't be.

Al lets out a piercing scream, gathering up the small body on the ground. Flesh and automail limbs hang limply from Al's embrace, loosely-braided golden hair slapping against Al's armor, staining it with its saturated blood. Golden eyes stare, forever open, lifelessly up at the night sky, into the twilight.

"You can't be gone.."

"You can't be gone," Al whispers, staring out the window. He suddenly shakes back to reality, remembering that Ed is, in fact gone. He held his brother's broken body; he attended the funeral. He was with Winry as she cried and nearly lost it; he spoke with Mustang, who seemed both detached and stoic in the face of his brother's death. He wanted, above all, to cry for Ed. To cry for the loss of his brother; but even he couldn't do that.

Al leans back in the chair, transmuting his unrelenting memories into a steely focus for his search. He will become human again. He will not let up until Ed's dream comes true; until he regains his human form.

Then, finally, he can cry for his brother.

Several days later brings Mustang back to the cemetary. After a visit to the Hughes grave, he stops at the stone he knows belongs to Fullmetal--only to see it completely blank. Confusion first creeps up on him; but quickly, rage sets in. "Who did this? Who defaced his memorial?!" Mustang whips around, looking for any possible offenders; he catches a glimpse of a young man, clad in black, sleek black hair poking from under a concealing ski mask. The man's golden eyes flash in a michievous smile, almost taunting Mustang. "YOU!" Mustang springs forward to give chase, but the man proves to be much faster, much more agile--sailing across the grass as though running across water, before he leaps, sailing effortlessly into the air, landing in a tree, then to a rooftop, then out of view over the skyline.

Mustang stops, panting, clenching his fists. "If I ever see you again," Mustang hisses, shaking his head. "How dare you.."

---

Alphonse sits in front of the grave, having repaired the defaced stone to its original image. He is quietly speaking, taking to Ed, telling him about how enraged Mustang was at the act. "You would have loved to see it, Ed. I know how much you liked to annoy him." Al smiles as much as a suit of armor can, bowing his head. "He really misses you, y'know. More than you would ever think. He.. he really thought of you as more than just a subordinate. He thought of you as a really good friend." Al's voice trails off into a weak sigh.

"I still wonder.. how he managed it. How he took you.. from us.." Al's voice chokes up and he goes silent, not noticing the silent figure creeping up behind him.

{Good, you're alone.. and exactly where I want you.} The man kneels down in the grass, placing his hands to the earth; a ripple of energy surrounds Alphonse, the grass burning crimson in an intricate circular pattern, with Al at the very center. Just as Al gasps and moves to stand up, the armor itself gains a complex design alight with alchemy; Al freezes in horror, glancing around before spotting the kneeling figure, lit up against the darkened sky by the swirling, wicked alchemy.

"Wh-what are you doing?!" Al cries, not daring to move; his eyes are scanning the array, and this is one that has hints of human transmutation symbols, coupled with ones he had never seen before.

The cloaked man is silent, but soon, Al spots the gate opening in front of them, near Ed's grave. The man leaps forward, placing himself between Al and the gate; as Al watches, the man is sucked inside. This is the last thing he sees before he finds himself laying on the ground, gasping desperately for air with burning lungs. The impossibility of this feeling slams his mind, coupled with his head pounding as he suffers from an oxygen-deprived brain, heart beating rapidly, blasting his body with warm blood.

{Ed? Ed, where are you? What happened? How did..? Who WAS that?} Al's mind swims as he is lifted effortlessly in one arm, feeling himself flying through the air. {Am I dead..? Ed, is that you?} Al can't help but smile slightly through his foggy mind. {We did it, Ed.. we'll be together again. With mom..}

---

Several weeks have passed since that day. Al had reawoken in the hospital to find that, no, he was indeed not dead, but was fully human, and missing nothing. He was perfect, as close to perfection as humans could possibly reach. In the realization of his now-human form, Alphonse broke down and cried. And cried. For hours, until his tears had dried up; Al had finally cried for the loss of his brother.

Now, as Al is released from the hospital, he ventures to Ed's grave, and sees the grass around the area had been alchemically restored. He sits in front of the gravestone, reaching both hands out to touch the cool stone. He smiles, looking at the letters the spell his brother's name. "I'm here, Ed. Guess what? I'm human." He looks up at the sky, as though Ed would be looking down at him right now. "I don't know who or how, but.. I got my body back."

A light tapping alerts Al to a gavestone several rows away. The black-clad figure from weeks ago is sitting on top of a tall gravestone, balancing carefully. He's leaning on his right arm, left arm gone; the ski mask is gone, leaving the long black hair showing. Long bangs frame the front of his face, the rest pulled back into a thick ponytail, cascading down his back and hitting the gravestone. Very long.

Al jumps up, trotting toward the man, wheezing slightly. He may be doing better, but he's still not at 100%. "Who are you? How did you.. that night?"

"You really don't recognize me?" The man asks, effortlessly leaping off the gravestone, landing gracefully depsite the missing arm which must be throwing off his balance.

Al slows down as he hears the voice, the sound stirring up emotions of happiness and contentedness; a feeling of safety hits Al, but also a pang of anxiety. "You.."

"Can't have changed that much in four years," the voice says softly. He reaches his right hand to his mouth, using his teeth to pull off the black glove and reveal familiar, sleek silver automail.

"But," Al stutters, looking back at Ed's greavestone. He looks at this man, with the familiar hair, familiar automail; the right face, the right eyes.. but how? "I-I saw you--him--dead. I.. I held him--"

"Transmuting someone to look like someone else is so simple," Ed comments casually, looking down at the confused Alphonse with his golden eyes. He reaches out with his arm, pulling Al close in a hug. He's shaking. "I'm sorry it took so long, Al.. but I have you back."

Ed feels two arms wrap around him, squeezing with incredible pressure. "I have YOU back, Ed!" Al cries fresh tears into his brother's black hair, clutching as though Ed will disappear if he relieves pressure even slightly. "You have to explain it to me.. Ed, you've been gone for four years.. where have you been?"

"Xing," Ed mumbles, eyes closed as he relishes the moment. "I was searching for the best way.. and I found it. Al, I got you back."

"But Ed, your arm..?" Al pulls away enough to touch Ed's left shoulder, yanking his hand back as Ed visibly cringes.

"Better for my arm to be missing than your body." Ed touches the shoulder gently, and Al spots that the black fabric has wet blood on it. At Al's widening eyes, Ed looks; he then smiles. "Damn, it reopened."

"It's not healed yet?! Ed, why aren't you at the hospital?"

"I should be, shouldn't I," Ed mumbles, letting out a little sigh before leaning against Al. "Damn, Al. Can you get me some food? I'm so damn hungry."

"When did you eat last?" Al brushes Ed's bangs back, getting a better look at Ed's face. He looks tired, slightly pale, and though he'd lost a few pounds from his normal weight. He doesn't look anywhere near death, thankfully; but he does look like he's been neglecting himself.

"I can't risk alchemy," Ed mumbles; "I might reopen my shoulder. And.. I don't have any money." Ed leans back, sitting himself down on the grass. "Since I lost my arm, I've been living on what I could steal." Ed gives a little shrug. "I'm not proud of it, okay? But.. yeah. Hard to steal with only one arm." Ed pauses before continuing, sounding nervous for making his brother worry. "I haven't eaten in over a week."

Al's eyes widen. "A week?! You didn't come to me sooner?"

"I thought it would have healed by now!" Ed snaps, glaring up at Al half-heartedly. "I.. fuck. Are you well enough to travel? I want to go home, Al. I want to see Winry again." Ed leans back against the gravestone he'd sat down near, resting his head against it.

Al frowns at Ed's slacked demeanor, at the way Ed speaks wistfully instead of proudly, reserved. "Yeah, Ed. But.. I think I should take you to the hospital first."

"No way, Al. Winry's the only doctor I need." Ed's eyes slowly close, and he takes a deep breath. "Get me some food? Sorry Al. Nap, takin' one now.."

"Ed? Ed, don't--don't fall asleep, I.."

"Not gonna die, Al. Just tired. Still injured, still tired. Food please, heal faster." Ed speaks clearly, but he's obviously exhausted. "'ll wait here.."

Al frowns and runs off, determined to return as quickly as possible. He's so worried about leaving Ed there, alone, injured; but at the same time, questions are running through his head--like why did Ed fake his own death and disappear for four years without telling anyone? Why?

---

Al had returned with noodle soup, finding Ed just as he'd left him--peacefully napping against the headstone. Al had roused Ed from sleep, given him the food, then turned to Ed's left shoulder to see just how bad of shape it's in; surprisingly, Ed didn't argue the idea. While Ed ate one-handed, Al uncovered the wound to find a mess of dried blood crusted over exposed muscle, bone, and even a few blood vessels threatening to dangle from the socket. Al had nearly thrown up at the sight, before he turned to scold Ed for not seeking medical attention. Ed had just looked sideways at Al before continuing his meal.

After covering Ed's shoulder back up with clean bandages, Al had bought the two train tickets like Ed had asked--no, nagged--instead of going to the hospital. Now, as they ride in silence, Ed slipping in and out of sleep, Al watches his brother. "I thought I had lost you," he finally says, stirring Ed back to the world.

"Hunhh?" Ed blinks, pausing, then reaching up his right hand to rub at his eyes with the long sleeves. He looks at Al's worried expression, and can't help but smile. "Yeah, I.. that's my fault. I'm sorry Al, I had to disappear for a while. I didn't think it would be four years, bu--"

"Why?" Al leans forward, staring inquisitively into Ed's eyes. "Why did you leave in the first place?"

"The homonculi," Ed explains, ignoring the neverending throb from his left shoulder. "They were forever after us, and-and I couldn't do anything with them on my back. So I left, and they thought I was dead.. which gave me enough time to research how to get rid of them."

Al's eyes widen in surprise. "Th-they're gone?"

"All but Envy. I couldn't find him." Ed looks out the window, sighing, knowing he's possibly signed his death warrant by not tracking Envy down right away; now, he's left himself injured and vulnerable. Still.. he looks at Al, human again; he feels relieved, and knows his choice had been the right one.

Al can't help but smile. "You still amaze me, Ed. You come back from the dead, only to make me whole again, and erase so much evil from the world."

Ed looks up at Al in surprise, honored by the choice of words. "Al," Ed mutters, blushing slightly. "I-I.. you make it sound so poetic."

Al stands, migrating so he's sitting next to Ed instead of across from him. He's seated to the left of Ed, and places his arm around Ed's neck, pulling him close. He watches Ed tense; both at the action and at the slight pain in his shoulder when it presses against Al's side.

"Al, what are you..?"

"I'm here for you, Ed. Relax and rest, okay? I'll wake you when we get to Risembool."

Ed sighs comfortably, closing his eyes and resting against Al. Here, Al still was taking care of him. Ed had thought that, finally, when he got Al's body back; Ed could take care of his little brother. Still, though, Al was being the big brother to him. Things will never change, he realizes; and for that, he's glad.

Alphonse had called ahead from the Risembool train station to have Winry prepare for automail surgery and to have antibiotics on hand. Winry, understandably, had been confused; but Al simply told her that he was human again and had someone with him that needed her medical care. Al knew he had better tell Winry about himself before he and Ed arrived; he wasn't sure if Winry and Pinako could deal with both events at the same time.

Now, Ed and Al walk toward the place they instinctively call home, Ed's right arm around Al's shoulder for support. He's simply exhausted, thankful for the sleep in the train; if not for that, he might have needed to take a nap on the way.

"Ed? Do you want to take a break? It's still several miles." Al had noticed Ed was leaning more and more weight on him, and his walking was growing slower.

"Yeah.. yeah Al. I think-I think I do." Ed stops, sitting right down in the middle of the road, looking up at the sun, high in the sky over them. He watches Al sit next to him, and sighs heavily. "Al, I.. hate to ask."

"Anything, Ed," Al immediately chirps, eyes attentively watching Ed. He only now notices Ed's paling face. {Huh?}

"I think I need you to carry me," Ed mumbles. "I don't have the energy to walk, and my shoulder.. fuck Al, it hurts with every step. And.." he trails off, looking away he doesn't see Al's reaction. "It opened up again, a while ago.."

"Wh--It opened up and YOU DIDN'T TELL ME?"

"I thought the bleeding would stop, okay?! It didn't. I'm sorry." Ed closes his eyes, the rise of pressure making him dizzy. "Look, we'll fight later. I-can we go now? I want to get home. I-I need medical attention."

Al stands up immediately, looking down at his weakened brother. He knew Ed was scared, to use that phrasing. "I.. I think I know a faster way, Ed; but it's going to be kind of bumpy."

"I don't care. Just do it." Ed stands, but the action makes him dizzy yet again, and Al sees him sway slightly before regaining control.

{Shit,} Al thinks, before leaning down and drawing a simple transmutation circle in the dirt. He activates it, easily sprouting a dormant seed into a tree; then turning the wood into a cart. By the time he's finished, he himself needs to grip the edge of the cart; he hadn't used his human body for alchemy in many years.

"Al? Are you okay?" Ed walks to the edge of the cart, leaning against it slightly.

Al chuckles, looking up at Ed with a grin. "You're bleeding so much you can barely stand, had hardly anything to eat in a week, and you're asking me if I'm okay? Geez Ed, think of yourself for once."

Ed snorts, trying to hop up into the cart; Al moves to help him, but Ed manages to get his body in, using his tireless right arm to drag himself in the rest of the way. He sits back, huffing, but grins triumphantly before grabbing onto the edge of the cart again, steadying himself before grabbing his shoulder and moaning. "Fuck."

"You're too stubborn for your own good," Al groans, shaking his head. He instructs Ed to lay down, then gives the cart a good push, hopping up into it. He trots to the front to steer; he grins in pride at his creation, complete with bicycle-like pedaling to propel them.

Each bump in the road causes Ed to hiss, moan, groan, whine or even bitch; he tries to hold his tongue, but even four years in Xing wasn't enough to temper his short fuse. Al apologizes the first few times, before leaving Ed to his jostling agony. Finally, when Ed yells out at Al to slow down, Al replies just as loudly.

"I told you to go to the hospital! No, you had to come straight home to Risembool! Do you realize how much you put at risk? You could have bled out by now! How you didn't yet is still a mystery to me!"

Ed groans, gripping just above his mangled shoulder, keeping silent for the rest of the trip for Al's benefit. However, when Al pokes Ed in worry that his brother has gone silent, Ed finally speaks. "I-I'm s-sorry, Al. I di-n't mean to s-scare you."

Al looks back at Ed in concern, spotting Ed shaking lightly, unable to control it. It's now that he spots the mess of blood in the cart; everywhere that Ed had slid and hit the wood, his shoulder had smeared more of the red liquid on it. His eyes widen as he realizes that every bump in the road wasn't just making Ed uncomfortable, it was causing Ed to hit his shoulder, making it bleed more and causing immense pain to lance through his body. Al turns back ahead just in time to spot an unavoidable pothole, and the cart bucks, causing Ed to slam against the side, his shoulder hitting roughly--and he cries out from the jolt, biting back tears.

"We-we alm-most there Al?" Ed asks shakily, looking up at Al with pleading eyes. {Stop, stop.. tell me we're there so we can stop..}

"Close enough," Al says in a panic, stopping the car just at the end of the lane. Al leaps out, his pedaled-out legs already screaming for a rest; but they receive none as he lifts Ed's suprisingly light form and races for the familiar home.

"WINRY!" Al yells at the top of his lungs as they get near enough; just as he reaches the steps, the door opens, revealing a curious Winry--but her eyes widen when a human Al runs in with a bloodied man in his arms. Al's legs give out just as he reaches the inside of the house, causing him to drop to his knees with Ed in his arms. "Winry, help him, please!"

"Al, who is it?" Winry steps forward, Pinako running to assist; but both freeze at Al's answer.

"It's Ed," Al answers, tears streaming down his eyes. "Please, help him! He'll bleed to death!"

Those words. Those words.

Winry and Pinako are suddenly thrown back in time, the sight before them shifting into one from years ago when they first saw Al in the armor, carrying his half-dead older brother in his arms, begging for their help. "Ed," Winry gasps quietly, quickly leaping into action to assist him.

She already lost him once, she won't lose him again.

---

Ed was stable within hours, a quick patch-job, a shot of antibiotics, and a blood transfusion was all he needed. He continues to nap while Al is hounded with questions by Winry and Pinako. How Al got his body back was among them, but the more important questions were related to Ed actually being alive. Winry and Pinako had been at the funeral; they had cried for Ed. Now, here he was, recovering in their house, looking so very different from how he had before; age and a strange disguise.. not to mention another missing arm.

Al relayed what information he knew; Ed had brought him back, but had been hiding in Xing from the homonculi for four years, and had returned only recently to bring Al back. In order to get Al's body back, Ed had lost his arm, and insisted on returning home to Risembool right afterward. Naturally, at Al's explanation, Winry was crying with angry frustration at Ed for being so stubborn; but her body also shook with relief. Edward was here and he would live.

As if on cue, their attention is turned from the dining room to the hall doorway; Ed is leaning against the doorframe, right arm holding the wood to steady himself. He smiles at them all, saying a 'hey' before leaning his head against the frame. He'll be fine, but he's still tired from the ordeal. It had only been several hours since the emergency surgery; he should still be resting.

"ED! Get back in bed! Do you want to reopen your stitches?!" Winry barks at him, threatening him with a wrench, shaking it menacingly in her hand. To her surprise, he just smiles.

"Yeah. I do." He lifts his head up again, golden eyes standing out against his black hair. They contain the same familiar determination Ed had always displayed in the past. "I want automail as soon as you can do it."

Winry frowns; she had expected this request, just not so soon. "Ed, rest first; we can't risk it so soon--"

"Immediately," Ed says, his tone firm. "Start the surgery tonight. I can endure it."

"After you were so close to death just hours ago?" Pinako counters, narrowing her eyes at Ed.

"I've beat death too many times," Ed mutters. "I can beat it again. Now give me the surgery so I can be of some use."

"Ed, you're not useless without--"

"To protect you I am!" he yells, the automail gripping the frame splintering the wood. "I need both arms to protect you and Al and Granny and I--I didn't--I didn't get Envy yet, what if he comes after me and goes after you? I, I can't let that happen."

Winry remembers Envy; Ed had told them about him long ago, but only the minimum. Just that he was a 'bad guy' who was after them once in a while and could whip both Elrics' asses. She nods slowly, closing her eyes in steely determination. "Get in the operating room. We-we'll be there soon."

"Winry, you can't really expect--"

"We have to, Granny. Ed needs us to." Whether Envy will come or not, Ed needs this. He'll want the automail eventually; so she'll satisfy his stubborn and independent nature and give him automail right away.

Ed leans against the door frame for another minute while Granny makes her decision. He finally gathers enough energy to push himself up and off toward their surgical room.

Al watches, frowning. He stands, heading with the other three; just as Pinako is about to mention Al staying here, Al shakes his head defiantly. "I'm going to help in any way that I can. He's my big brother and he's given up so much for me already; I want to be there if he needs me."

Pinako smiles and turns, heading for the room, Al following diligently after.

---

Ed's previous record of gaining automail had been to fit it all into one year. Now, through sheer determination and will, Ed had managed to go through the process of getting the port and his automail arm, as well as rehabilitation, in just under two months. Understandably, Ed is still quite sore, his shoulder still raw and not yet fully healed. This is Ed's wish, though; and after the two full months, Winry, Al and Pinako all watch Ed carefully as he sits at the table, deftly turning the pages of a book with ease with metal fingers. He uses his left hand as he used to; though it had taken him practice to learn to turn pages with the lack of friction his human fingers had given him.

Now, Ed is well-rested and healed. Now, Ed can make no more demands to stall the others in their questioning.

Now, they pry.

"What did you do in Xing?" Winry is the first to ask, startling Ed from his attention to his book. He looks up at the three, sighs, and closes the book.

"I studied alchemy, homonculi, tai chi, their language, their cuisine, and their fighting style." He decides to leave out that he'd studied their heritage, which was fascinating but not helpful to his goals at all.

Pinako's eyebrow raises. "So for four years, you were a true Xinganese man."

Ed tilts his head, the once-again-golden hair cascading loosely around his shoulders. "Yeah. Yeah, I was." He smiles, mind drifting back to the memory of peaceful mornings of tai-chi. His sensei had been--

"You can speak the language fluently?" Al interrupts Ed's memory, eyes wide with excitement.

"Very," Ed says, and sits up with a smile, beginning to speak in the Eastern language. He speaks in it for a minute, then two, then five; Winry finally holds her finger up to stop him. He grins up at her innocently.

"What is tai chi?"

Ed begins speaking again in the Xinganese tongue; he stops when he sees the confused expressions of those around him. "Shénme?"

"Ed, you're still speaking Xinganese." Al tilts his head slightly at Ed's expression, which changes from confused to realization. It says 'oh-crap-I-did-that-again'.

"Right, right, that.. happens every time I speak a new language. It's the Gate's fault." He grins nervously, and before the others can ask, he begins explaining tai chi in Amestrian. "Tai chi is a.. slow exercise and meditation in one." He stands, slowly performing a few of the simpler moves. In that short time, the other three see the change in Ed immediately; he looks immensely more relaxed, and a small smile appears on his serene face. When he finishes, he sits back down, the smile still visible on his face.

"It's beautiful," Winry says in awe. "Will you teach me?"

Ed grins. "Of course. As soon as my shoulder is fully healed and I can do it for extended periods." He ignores the aching throb in his shoulder from just the short amount of tai chi he had already done.

"Alchemy," Al speaks. "What did you learn?"

Ed shakes his head. Al, always the scientist. "Al; toss me an apple."

Figuring Ed is just a little hungry, Al grabs an apple from the counter, tossing it over to Ed. He, Winry and Pinako all gasp in surprise as Ed holds up his right hand, the apple not even near it as it envelops in light; coming to land in his hand fully peeled, the peel resting on the table in one neat spiral.

"Ed--where did you learn to do that?!" Al gasps, running forward to inspect the peel before grabbing it, staring at its perfection in awe.

"Xing," Ed says, stating the obvious. "Much studying, and some meditation on the Truth."

"The what?" Winry asks, seeming to be the only person in the room who didn't know what that meant.

"The knowledge from the Gate," Ed explains, tapping his temple. "So much information was downloaded into here; it takes deep meditation to access it. When I do get in.." He grins. "I can see the past, the future; I can see any alchemical array that I focus on for long enough; I know every language known to man on either side of the Gate; and I know just how--"

"Either side of the Gate?" Al speaks up, that having caught his attention.

Ed is glad for the distraction; he almost let slip that he could find out how any of them died. Ed hadn't tried to find any of their dates or methods of demise; he had, though, seen Mustang's death. Luckily, it was just from old age. "Yeah. The other side of the Gate."

"Explain," Al demands, staring at Ed with a determined expression. His eyes widen as Ed regales them with tales of a parallel world, then lies that there's no way to get there or back so they shouldn't really worry about it.

"Now," Ed sighs, leaning back in his chair. "Are we done?"

"Not until you show me this new fighting style you mentioned," Al states, and Ed just groans, leaning his head back.

"After I've healed, Al. I can't fight when my shoulder is this bad."

"..Right." Al mentally smacks himself, then resigns to the apple peel, fiddling with it while Ed shaves the last bits of apple from the stripped core. Al pauses; just to test Ed's reflexes, Al tosses the peel at Ed's face. Ed only has to LOOK at the peel before it flashes, disintegrating into thin air.

"How is that even possible?" Winry wonders aloud, staring at Ed's nervous smile.

"Years of practice?"

Another two relatively uneventful weeks of recovery, aided by tai chi every day, which he had been teaching to Winry; his brother's constant, if not slightly overbearing offers of assistance; and the uninterrupted, peaceful family he'd grown to appreciate. No Envy had shown up out of the blue; no Mustang had called to ask for answers for Al's disappearance. Which made Ed wonder if either Mustang knew Al would be returning to Risembool; or if he was just a complete dick.

No, not a complete dick, Ed has to remind himself. After all, Ed had been at his own funeral. Hidden away in a tree, already in disguise; but he had been there. He had seen everyone's reactions. Mustang hadn't looked very emotional, but as the man turned to leave at the end, Ed had seen Mustang's face. Turned away from the others, tears had slid unbidden, startling Ed. He didn't know the man had cared that much.

"Hey Al?"

"Yes Ed?" Al looks at Ed, able to pull his attention out of the book he'd been studying immediately. Al looks so.. eager to please, Ed notes.

"When we left Central.. did Mustang know you were leaving?"

"The Colonel? I told him I'd be going back to Risembool, but I didn't say when."

Ed groans. "So since then, that bastard hasn't so much as called to see if--" He's cut off by the ringing phone. He answers it before another ring can assault his ears, and barks annoyedly into the receiver. "Rockbell Automail. What do you need?"

"Alphonse? You sound different over the phone." Mustang's deep voice comes through to Ed's ears, clear as day. Ed narrows his eyes at the voice, but can't be too pissed at the man, not give away too much information yet. "Hold on Colonel, let me fix the phone." He taps the phone annoyingly a few times, grinning when he hears Roy groan in frustration; then hands the phone to Al.

"Ah, hello Colonel. ... Yeah, the phone was dropped recently, and just needed a little tapping. ... I'm sorry, I didn't think the tapping was that loud. I.. no, what do you mean it sounded louder than a marching band? ... Ah, sorry. I'll tell Winry to be extra careful from now on. ... Oh, she's doing good. She and Granny still have a lot of business. ... Yeah, I do suppose it's in part that she was Ed's mechanic. He made her famous. ... Sir? ... Oh. Um.. I was wondering.. why have you only now called? I've been gone a few weeks already, and--.. ... Oh! Really? ..Really? Oh, that was a friend. Yeah, he's from Xing. ... Brother and I made a lot of friends on our journey, from all over. We met Shen while traveling the countryside, and then he arrived recently and looked like he could use some company. ... Yeah, I.. ... I know. ... I-I miss him too, sir. ... I'll be back at headquarters in a few days. ... Yes, sir. ... Yes, s- ... Yes, I'm sure Shen would love to meet you. ... Yes, he speaks it fluently. Why wouldn't he? ... Oh. Really? ... Wow, I never knew that. Is Drachma that way too? ... Huh. That's really neat. ... Tea, you say? Okay, I'll have to ask Shen about that. ... All right. I'll see you in a few days, sir. ... Goodbye."

Ed is staring at Al, expression harboring as much animosity as he can manage to put into it.

"Wh-what?"

"Shen. Is going with you to meet Mustang."

"Um.. aren't you?"

"Well yeah Al, but.. what the hell, Shen?"

"Well, you said Shenme earlier, so I just used some of that.. why? Is it a bad word in Xing?"

Ed rolls his eyes at his little brother's phrase of 'bad word'. "No, actually. It has a few meanings. But.. fuck. One of those meanings is 'God'. What the hell, Alphonse."

"Well.. we'll just make your name a little longer! How about.. um.. Shen.. Ming? Shen Ming?"

"Means 'The Gods'. Try again."

"I don't know, I don't speak Xinganese! Um.. Shen.. Shen Mao?"

Ed pauses, the name rolling over in his mind. "Yeah, that'll do." He pauses, thinking about the word 'mao'. All of the translations seem to fit him well. Even the feline one. Al loves cats, after all.

{My life is one big joke.}

---

Ed--no, Shen Mao--is riding on the train back toward Central, dressed not in his earlier ninja outfit, but slightly more traditional Xinganese clothing. His arms and legs, as always, are concealed from sight, hidden by black gloves and black slipper-like shoes. His arms are wrapped with cloth from the wrist up to the elbow, with his long-sleeved top covering it fully, ensuring no automail will be seen. The top's sleeves are looser than an Amestrian shirt, and the black fabric is edged with white piping along the sleeves, waist, and neck, and the length covers his rear. A golden-threaded swirling design is stitched around the bottom edge, with similar designs on each sleeve, only less prominent. Around his waist is a red sash, tied snugly with tails trailing half a foot each. His pants are similar to his top; black, loose and comfortable, edged by white at the ankles.

The best part is the disguise above his shoulders. Ed had returned his hair to its black color, the incredibly long length of it braided and wrapped into a bun. His bangs are left to hang, framing his face; but his eye color is hidden by something that Ed calls 'contacts', which he'd discovered in Xing. Replacing the usual gold is a color similar to Mustang; a deep onyx, which Al couldn't help but stare at. Altogether, his brother looks so different that he doesn't fully look like Ed anymore. Given how much Al knows his brother, too, this fascinates him and results in a reading-as-they-ride Ed ignoring Al's staring for the entire trip.

---

When they arrive, Ed and Al travel to headquarters, with Al flashing Ed's old pocket watch; Mustang had authorized that the non-state-alchemist Alphonse Elric could always gain entry using the watch. This surprises Ed, who doesn't know of the arrangement, and waits until they're out of earshot before speaking.

"You became a State Alchemist?"

"Wh--No, Ed--"

"Shen Mao."

"No, Shen, I--"

"Shen Mao."

Al sighs exasperatedly. "No, Shen Mao, I didn't. This is your.. Ed's old watch. Colonel Mustang lets me use it to get into Central any time. To visit, you know."

"Mmm." Ed nods in acknowledgement. "You're not going to join the military, are you?"

"No, I'm not. I had planned on it, after I got my body back, in your honor; but something tells me you don't want me to."

Ed nearly bursts out in a yell at Al for even considering joining, but remembers he's trying to lay low. "No, Al, I don't. I don't want to give them the chance to use you as a weapon or a tool. That was my job, okay? And now it's over."

Al smiles at Ed, who Al can tell is trying to keep under wraps. It's so weird to see Ed looking like this. "Okay, br--Shen Mao."

Ed nods and waits as they gain clearance into the main hall. When they finally get to an empty part of the hall, Ed speaks again. "Mustang will recognize my voice. You'll have to pretend that I don't know Amestrian and you know Xinganese and can translate for me."

Al groans. "Ed, why don't you just tell Mustang that you're back?"

"What if he tries to make me rejoin the military? No, I'll be your friend from Xing, and you can have a nice little visit with that bastard."

"Would you stop calling him that already? He's really not a.. bastard."

"Yeah yeah," Ed mutters, going silent as they reach the door. He follows Al inside, suprised to see that Mustang's subordinates aren't in. Perhaps Mustang has them on errands? Even more suprising, as Ed peeks from behind Al when the main door to Mustang's office is opened, is that Hawkeye isn't around. Ed curiously wonders where everyone had gone, and how they trusted Mustang to be alone and actually do his paperwork. Ed notes Mustang hadn't looked up yet; he grins mischievously and slinks silently out of sight.

Mustang looks up, and blinks. "Alphonse. You're early." Mustang pauses, then cranes his neck to look behind Al. "I thought you were bringing your friend, Shen."

"Shen Mao," Ed corrects, leaning over Mustang's shoulder. Ed had carefully disguised his voice, the pitch of it higher, almost feminine. And now, he relishes in Mustang's reaction.

"UWAAH!" Mustang nearly falls over as he leaps out of his chair, staring at Ed in utter surprise. "Wh-where the hell did you come from?!"

Ed smiles at Mustang, bowing to him formally. "Ni hao!" He stands straight again, hiding his nervousness as Roy studies him carefully.

"So this is your friend?" Roy glances at Al, spots the nod, and straightens himself up. "It's quite rude to sneak up on people like that," Roy scolds Ed.

Ed tilts his head to the side and mimics a look of cute confusion. "Bu mingbai."

Roy stares at Ed, then turns his attention to Al. "Is there something you forgot to tell me?"

Alphonse grins nervously. "Shen Mao speaks only a few words of Amestrian. I'm sorry; I can translate for you though."

"Okay. Tell him I--wha!" Roy jumps, spotting Ed now next to Al; he had moved that far that quickly?! "T-tell him it's nice to meet a friend of yours."

Al nods and whispers into Ed's ear, asking: "Ed, I don't know any Xinganese. How do we fake this?"

Ed whispers back. "Like you're doing now. Keep it up. Oh, and you might have to make shit up eventually."

Al straightens up. "He says it's a pleasure to meet you. Your office is very nice."

Mustang smiles proudly. "Thank you. I hope you're enjoying your visit to Amestris?" Roy pauses. "You do have a legal pass to visit, yes?"

Al whispers this nervously into Ed's ear, asking what they can do about this little snag. Ed simply whispers back: "I'm a ninja, Al."

Al looks at Roy, unable to hide the nervousness in his expression. "It seems he's left it in Risembool. I'm sorry sir, I should have thought--"

"No, he should have thought about it." Roy sighs. "Just make sure he isn't caught without it, Al. I trust your judge of character." Roy eyes Ed, who is looking at the comfy couch with a thoughtful look. "I am curious, though.. how is it that you and your brother communicated with Shen Mao when you first met?"

Ed glances at Al, feigning light confusion at Roy speaking his name. He turns away again when Al gives a light wave, and walks to the couch, sitting on it and bouncing slightly.

"Ed and I read a lot," Al begins, formulating his little back-story. "I had read some books on Xing, and knew enough of the language to communicate basics. Shen Mao was lost, and Ed and I were able to help him out, show him around, and get him back on the right track towards home. You know, Xing."

Roy glances over at the couch, and bristles when he sees the Xinganese man missing again. "Where--where did he go." He glances around, then looks behind him; seeing nothing, he faces forward again--only to find Ed crouching on his desk, face inches from Roy's, staring at him curiously. "GUAH! Alphonse!"

Ed points at Roy, looking back at Al and speaking again. "Ta kan qilai jiu xiang ta cong Xing tai. Shi ta ma?"

Al groans mentally, then comes up with a fake translation. "Shen Mao wants to know if you'll show him some of your flame alchemy."

Ed's eyes widen so only Al can see, and gives his little brother a w-t-f look. Al shrugs lightly, and Ed turns to Mustang again, who is shaking his head no. Ed groans, then points at Mustang again, then turns so Al can see Ed pointing to his own eyes. "Ta de yanjing. Nandao tamen bu kan qilai Xinganese gei ni ma?"

Al stares at Ed, then glances between the two black-haired men before looking at Mustang. "..Colonel, do you have any Xinganese heritage?"

Ed feels like giving Al a high-five for getting that one, and walks over to his brother to begin 'translating' again.

"..Why yes, actually; my mother was half-Xinganese." Roy waits as Al relays that to Ed. "How did you know?"

"Your eyes, sir. They look familiar to Xinganese eyes."

"And yet Shen Mao's eyes don't have the same look," Roy comments, noticing Ed stiffen slightly at the remark. "Not to mention most people from Xing whom I've met have had much lighter skin."

"Just because he's not a pure Xinganese doesn't mean he can't be from Xing," Al says in defense, frowning indignantly.

"I know that, Al." Roy leans back in his desk chair, sighing. "Did Ed ever make any comments about Shen Mao's height? He seems to be as short as Ed was."

Ed turns to face away from Roy, gritting his teeth at the comment. Al sees now that Ed is still sensitive about his height--and why wouldn't he be? It's been four years, and Ed is still as short as he was before; apparently, Ed's destined to not grow tall.

{Oh, crap. Ed..} "Why would Ed have made fun of him? Shen Mao is actually a little taller than Ed. Was.. taller."

"Are you sure? I think Ed was this tall. I'd know the height difference, trust me. Ed was a short little runt who could barely measure up to--"

"YOU SHUT THE HELL UP!" Ed suddenly yells, facing Mustang and gritting his teeth. "SAY ONE MORE THING ABOUT MY HEIGHT AND I'LL SHOVE YOUR PAPERWORK SO FAR UP YOUR ASS YOU'LL NEED BRAIN SURGERY TO HAVE IT REMOVED!!"

Mustang stares at Ed, speechless, while Al visibly facepalms off to the side. Ed, still fuming, clenches both hands into tight fists, before realizing what he'd just said. "...oshit-"

"Edward?" Roy walks forward, eyes wide, finally recognizing the familiarity of Ed's face and wondering why Shen Mao seemed to captivate him.

Ed hesitantly takes a step back, but he's stopped by Al, who gives him an encouraging look before pushing him forward. "Uhmmm.. Colonel."

Roy takes Ed gently yet firmly by the shoulders, staring into Ed's dark-hued eyes with unmistakeable hope in his own. After searching for what seems like an eternity, Roy speaks again. "Fullmetal..?"

"He died," Ed answers, looking away from Roy's eyes. "Fullmetal is no more. Now it's just Edward."

"Ed died," Roy says, then grabs Ed's sleek, black hair, looking at it in confusion and awe. "Ed died. Fullmetal. Ed. He died."

Ed sighs and pulls away from Roy's touch, undoing the bun in the back of his head, letting the braid down loose. He then carefully removes his contacts, revealing the same golden piercing eyes that Mustang had become so familiar with so long ago.

Roy's eyes widen and he gasps as Ed suddenly appears in front of him, replacing the Xinganese Shen Mao. He gawks pathetically at Ed, stumbling back to land on his couch. "But.. Ed died," Roy mumbles yet again. "I saw him.."

"You saw the serial murderer who nearly killed me," Ed corrects. "I transmuted him to look like me before running off to Xing. I didn't have just humans on my tail to worry about, Mustang."

"I saw his automail," Mustang continues, trying to prove that he'd actually seen Edward dead.

"It was easy enough to fake with a little bit of metal. C'mon, I live with it every day, I know what it looks like."

Roy frowns, mulling it over in his head through the disappearing shock. "You could have trusted us," Roy says, sounding genuinely hurt. "Instead, you let those closest to you think you were dead."

"..It was easiest that way," Ed replies. "I'm sorry, but I had to really be dead to everyone. I couldn't risk putting you in danger."

"What danger?"

"The homonculi." Ed sits down next to Roy on the couch, with Al following suit and sitting next to his brother. "In four years, I discovered a way to defeat them.. and a way to get Al's body back." Ed smiles, looking over at Al with a cheerful expression.

"With a price though," Al says sadly.

"What price?" Roy asks, though they're interrupted by Havoc walking into Roy's office, looking quite happy. "Oh Muuu-staang~! Guess who got a date tonight~?" Havoc stops when he spots Al and Ed, and blinks. "Hm? Who's that?"

Ed mentally facepalms at Havoc's lack of recognition, then has to remind himself that he's still dead to everyone. Ed gives a short wave with his left arm, and Havoc looks at Roy expectantly.

"This is Al and his Xinganese friend Shen Mao," Roy says, managing to hide most of his shock and daze now.

"Oh. But.." Havoc pauses, looking at Ed's arms. "..But Sh.. She.. Shamu was missing an arm when I saw him at the train station."

Roy turns to Ed, who grins nervously. Ed pulls off the glove of his right hand, revealing automail; then his left hand, revealing the same glimmering silver metal. He hears Roy gasp, and looks over to see the stunned, sympathetic man.

"Whoa! Both of your arms are automail? Geez kid, what happened to you?"

"I'm not a kid," Ed growls. "I'm 20-fucking-years-old."

"..Really? But you're so short." Havoc nearly gets his lights turned off, but Al grabs Ed and holds him back.

"Let me go Al I'll kick his ass!! Get over here Havoc and say that to my FACE!"

Havoc stares at Ed, eyes widening. "What--? You sound like Ed but--..."

"Yeah, NOW you grow half a brain cell!" Ed growls, calming down and sitting down by Al again. "I'm not dead. I know you're going to ask, so I'll explain now. I was in hiding in Xing for four years."

Havoc's jaw drops, his cigarette balancing precariously before hitting the floor.

Breda chooses just this moment to walk in. "Hey Al!" He looks at Ed curiously. "Who's the short kid?"

This time, Al doesn't restrain Ed fast enough.

---

Translations:
Don't understand.
He looks like he's from Xing too. Is he?
No, no. His eyes. Don't they look Xinganese to you?

The day progresses in an unorthodox manner; Ed 'comes out' to the rest of Team Mustang, revealing the fact that he is indeed alive. Fuery faints, Falman walks off in a daze, Breda nurses his swollen jaw, and Riza grabs Ed in a tight hug before recovering herself. When Ed is finally finished to explaining to everyone about what happened, Armstrong enters. Ed nearly falls over, but he's quick to slide the contacts in before Armstrong recognizes him, and gives death glares to all who dare to rat him out.

"Alphonse! So good to see you." Armstrong walks over, but stops when he sees the shorter black-haired man seated next to Al. "And who might this man be?"

"This is Shen Mao," Al answers, smiling nervously. "He's an old friend from Xing."

Armstrong watches as Ed taps Al and says something low in his ear; Armstrong doesn't quite catch it. He does however, hear Al saying 'Don't worry, I can handle it.'

"Shen Mao says he recognizes you as the Strong-Arm Alchemist, and he wishes to have a sparring match with you."

Everyone in the room bristles at the idea, fearing that Ed may have taken on too great an opponent. They've seen Ed in battle; but they also know that Armstrong is a force to be reckoned with. Hoping Armstrong will show mercy and decline Ed's request, they're all surprised when Armstrong aquiesces.

"A sparring match? I haven't had a decent partner in years. I'm interested to see how a Xinganese fighting style will hold up to the Armstrong technique."

Ed mentally facepalms at Armstrong declaring something else being 'passed down the Armstrong line for generations' before bowing to Armstrong with a smile. "Xiexie."

"Bu keqi," Armstrong replies, and Ed's eyes widen as he sits up.

"Ni shuohua Xinganese ma?" Ed's voice is a mix of disbelief and surprise, and he grins. "Wo conglai meiyou ting shuoguo, ni zhidao ta."

Shocking everyone in the room, Armstrong continues in Xinganese. "Armstrong de jiating gandao zihao benshen de duo gongneng xing. Wo xue dao haizi Xinganese."

"Ni jiang de hen hao. Ni bixu you yige hao laoshi. Ni liu zai Xing?"

"Bu, wo de laoshi--"

"Hey come on, that's not fair. None of us can understand a word," Havoc protests.

"Yeah. I get that--Shen Mao," Breda says carefully, almost revealing Ed--"is enjoying having someone to talk to, but it's--"

"Overwhelming?" Mustang finishes, a hand to his head. {Fullmetal will you shut the hell up already?}

"My apologies," Armstrong says, and bows to Ed, saying one more thing in Xinganese and receiving a nod from Ed. He's about to leave when Ed speaks again.

"Armstrong. Women keyi jing shi jintian ma?"

"Shi." He nods, and Ed bows his head slightly. As Armstrong leaves, Ed grins and crosses his arms behind his head, leaning back.

"Well hell, who knew. Armstrong speaks Xinganese."

"Are you really sure you should challenge him to a fight?" Breda asks, frowning uneasily.

"Sure. I can take him and Mustang at the same time."

Mustang raises a brow, a smug grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. "Is that a challenge?"

"Hell yeah. Go tell Armstrong. I'll meet you two at the parade grounds in an hour." Ed stands, taking his braid in his hands and preparing to wrap it back into a bun.

"Ed! Have you even cut your hair once in the past four years?" Fuery asks, eyes wide in amazement at the pure length of Ed's sleek black locks.

"Not once," Ed replies, standing so everyone can see the full length of his hair. It reaches down to just above the bottom of his.. bottom. Seeing the others gawking at it, Ed grins. "Bet you didn't think it would ever get this long."

"Are you going to cut it soon?" Havoc asks, watching as Ed ties it up into its bun. Suprisingly, it doesn't look girly on him.

"I was considering it. It is getting to be a pain to manage." Ed finishes, setting his hands in his lap after removing the gloves. He looks at the matching automail hands and sighs. "Hair gets caught in automail really easily, too."

Though Roy, Havoc and Breda had all seen Ed's automail hands, Fuery, Falman and Riza had not seen them. Riza is the first to speak.

"Edward? What happened to your hand?"

Ed taps his left shoulder with his right hand, the sound of metal-on-metal, muffled by the his shirt, sounding through the room. "Had to give it up."

"What in the world for?" Falman.

"For Al," Ed says quietly, flexing the fingers of his left hand with a calm smile on his face.

Everyone goes silent, each of them slowly connecting the dots. This explains how Alphonse suddenly appeared human one night, Al having no explanation for them.

Riza, near Ed, rests her hand on his shoulder. As he looks up at her, she smiles down at him, expression soft and comforting. He leans his head against her arm, relaxing, letting out a sigh of relief. Right now, Ed is completely content with life. Al is fine. He's safe.

---

Armed with nothing but his wits and skill, the disguised Edward Elric stands in the center of the expansive open area, facing Armstrong and Mustang both. His black eyes glint excitedly; Mustang catches sight of this and grins, slipping his gloves on with a just-as-excited smile.

{Fullmetal, you've returned. Now, I will face you again.}

"Colonel.. are you sure we should both face him at the same time? One of of could overpower him, but both of us.."

"This is what Shen Mao has requested. We will honor the request of our guest. Clearly, Alphonse thinks he can handle it." {Or, he thinks we can handle Fullmetal.}

"Let's begin." Armed with the bottom half of his uniform and his alchemic gloves, Armstrong rears back, punching the ground to send spikes toward Ed. Ed remains still, awaiting them; and just as the two older men thinks he's been speared, he appears in the air above the two, twisting to avoid Mustang's weak flame attack. Ed hits a key point on Armstrong, sending the man into temporary paralysis and crashing to the ground.

Stunned, Roy barely has a chance to blast Ed in defense with another weak attack. He readies his hand to snap again, staring Ed down as the other man stands his ground, grinning wickedly.

"You're not trying hard enough," Ed hisses. "Fight me, Mustang. Fight me!" Ed runs forward, leaping into the air, both automail arm blades extending simultaneously in a flash of light. Just as Ed is nearly on him, Mustang jumps back and snaps, catching Ed in a ball of raging flame. He gasps, afraid that he'd done what he was trying not to, and injured Ed. "E--Shen Mao?"

Roy will feel a painful blow to his left side, and turn to see a singe-free Ed leaping back from him. "How the hell?!" Roy growls, anger temporarily overriding caution, and snaps repeatedly--each time missing the incredibly-fast Edward by a mile. "How did you get so fast?! Nobody is that fast!" Roy readies both hands, blasting a quite-impressive wall of flame toward Ed; one that even Edward would be hard-pressed to avoid. Roy watches in horror, the still-conscious Armstrong and the standing-by Team Mustang plus one Alphonse also as witness, as Edward stands his ground, holding his hands out in front of him. Ed concentrates, drawing in the heat and pressurizing it into one very small raging ball, aiming carefully, and releasing it. The lower half of Roy's uniform pays the price as the pressurized blast of heat lances through it, burning a hole like a knife through butter.

Roy stops and stares, eyes wide; he finally points to Ed. "HOW THE HELL DID Y--"

"Fight!" Ed yells, running toward Mustang. He leaps to Mustang's side, laughing playfully as Mustang rejoins the fray, firing off concentrated beams of his own; though nothing as impressive as Ed's display. The beams scatter the gathering crowd of curious onlookers, who are gasping in amazement at the sight that unfolds before them.

"No good!" Ed snaps, tauning Roy, running away from Roy to confuse him--before Roy feels himself drop to the ground, pressed by gravity as he rockets upward on the pillar rising underneath him. When the rock stops rising and disappears, sending Roy careening up.. and then back down towards the earth, he sees he's gone half a mile into the air. He gasps, eyes widening as he tries to formulate a plan--a makeshift hot-air balloon is out of the question.

Ever the merciful one--oh come on, Ed would never let Mustang die.. where there are witnesses--Ed times Roy's fall, running toward him, leaping into the air, catching him effortlessly, and landing gently as if they had floated down. Ed proceeds to slide to a stop, drop Roy onto his back, and point his left arm blade at Roy, the right one disappearing in a quick flash of light.

"Can't beat me any more, old man," Ed says with a cocky grin, but Roy can hear the relief in Ed's voice.

"I missed you too, Fullmetal," Roy replies, in just as low a voice. "I will admit.. you have gained some speed in your time in Xing." Roy gains a smug grin. "Too bad you didn't gain any height."

"Why you--" Ed slaps Roy on the side of the head with his blade-less right hand, muttering angrily.

"Dammit Edward use your left hand next time!"

"It doesn't matter which hand I use, they're both metal you dumbass!" The blade on Ed's left hand disappears just before he slaps Roy with that hand, then takes off running as Roy snaps right in Ed's face. The chase ensues, Roy trying to torch Ed while Ed dodges easily, taunting Roy with insults and childish faces.

The realization dawns on Armstrong, and a few minutes later, on quite a few people in the crowd. Ed may be well-disguised, but he hasn't changed much, personality-wise, and his hairstyle--bun excluded--is blatantly familiar.. not to mention his voice hasn't changed one bit.

"Edward Elric!" One voice calls from the crowd.

"Fullmetal Alchemist!" Another calls out.

Cheering erupts from scattered points in the crowd, and Ed looks around nervously, Roy having tired not long ago. {Well, I'm fucked now.} He walks over toward Roy and Armstrong, his clothing changing as he walks; the Xinganese outfit alight as it transforms into his black top, tight-fitting pants and platform boots. His hair even changes, from the roots outward, from black to gold.

"Edward," Armstrong says, Ed's paralysis attack finally wearing off. "You're alive." He spots Ed's left metal hand and, though questioning it mentally, says nothing from the sheer relief of finding Ed alive and well.

"Yep, I am." Ed reaches back, the bun undoing itself. He lets the long braid flow free, and hears a collective gasp from the crowd, followed by 'oohs' and 'aahs'. "I'll explain later." Ed reaches down and hits another key spot on Armstrong, the lingering effects of paralysis disappearing completely.

Armstrong stands, stretching, and looks at the crowd, noting people are beginning to filter toward them. "I think we're about to face a different kind of attack."

Ed looks to see people heading towards him, and he gulps, eyes widening. "Crap--" He steps backward, wishing that he'd stayed under wraps. As the people get closer, Ed panics. A bright light of alchemy appears, but when it clears, they see nothing has changed--however, Ed has disappeared.

"Where did he go?" Armstrong asks, looking around. Roy, however, catching sight of Ed disappearing over the rooftops, grins widely.

"Who knows? He's a ninja."


-----
Translations:

Thank you.
You're welcome.
You speak Xinganese?
I never heard that you know it.
The Armstrong family prides itself on versatility. I learned Xinganese as a child.
You speak it very well. You must have had a good teacher. Did you stay in Xing?
Armstrong. Can we spar today?

"Edward," Armstrong says in suprise as he walks into Mustang's office with Roy, finding Ed already in the office. He's crouching on Roy's desk, reading some reports with an intrigued look, and looks up as his name is spoken.

"Oh! Welcome back." Ed sets the reports down and quickly hops off the desk with a grace that the Fullmetal Alchemist had never possessed in the past.

"Good to be welcomed back.. into my own office," Roy states, glancing down at Ed's boots. "I hope you didn't mark up my desk with your tacky, oversized boots."

Ed ignores the insults about his boots, grinning with amusement. He spots Al enter the office behind Roy and Armstrong, and then watches as Hawkeye leads the rest of Team Mustang past the office and down the hall. With a bit of confusion, Ed just looks up at Armstrong, who is now speaking.

"Edward, what happened to your left arm? I noticed that it's automail, just like your right arm."

"Astute observation, Major," Ed states, a hint of amusement to his voice. As the three men watch, Ed's shirt flashes with alchemical light, seeming to melt off of him--only to appear, in perfect condition, in his right hand. Now bare-chested, all three can see the nearly-matching automail ports, complete with matching arms. The skin near the left port is slightly redder, as it hasn't fully healed yet. "Alphonse?"

"Yes, brother?" Al looks up at Ed, and spots the look on Ed's face. Asking Al if he should tell. Asking Al if he minds. Al smiles. "Ed gave up his left arm to get my body back, Major."

Ed regrets letting Armstrong know right away as the sparkles appear. Tears begin running down Armstrong's cheeks in a fashion that must have been carried down the family line for generations. "Oh, Edward Elric! Such selfless brotherly love, that you would sacrifice your only flesh arm to restore your brother's body! How pure of heart! How magnificent!"

Ed shrinks down, glaring at Al, who's trying his hardest to stifle his laughter. "Yeah yeah, Major, we get it. Thank you." He ignores the ache in his left shoulder as he slides his black shirt back on. He shouldn't have fought already, but he was really itching to.

"Fullmetal," Roy begins, but he's interrupted by Ed.

"Edward. I'm not a state alchemist any longer, Colonel."

Roy nods. "Edward. How do you perform alchemy? I noticed that you don't even have to clap your hands as you did before."

Ed grins and sits on the couch. "Four years is a long time to do research and hone one's skills." He points to the couch he's sitting on with his thumb, and it turns from its black color to a deep red, shimmering with alchemical light in the process. "I used to picture the circle in my mind, and complete the flow of energy by clapping my hands together. Turns out, that's not really needed. If you can master the flow of energy within yourself and around you, the flow of chi, you can perform alchemy on something without touching it--even without looking at it. You simply have to feel it."

"Remarkable," Armstrong says. "I have heard of this energy that the Xinganese use. How did you master it?"

"Yeah brother, how?" Al says excitely, sliding onto the same couch.

"Lots and lots of quiet meditation." Ed looks up when Roy snorts in laughter. He shoots the man a glare.

"You, Edward? Meditate? Except for reading, I didn't think you could sit still."

"Ha, ha. Funny, Flame." Ed lifts up his hands, cupping them. The others watch as a small, white ball appears in his hands, swirling and pulsing with light. "You really should learn to control the energy around you. If you do it thoroughly, y'know, you can heal yourself in times of injury of sickness."

Al's eyes widen as it dawns on him. "Is that how you survived two and a half weeks with your left shoulder open?"

"You left your injured shoulder open for that long?" Roy nearly yells in disbelief. "There are hospitals in Central, you know!"

"Oh shaddup, Mustang," Ed says, waving him dismissively with his left hand. "But yes, Alphonse. Without using the flow of chi, I probably wouldn't have lasted a week." He spots the paling face of his little brother. "Calm down, Al! I wasn't putting myself in any danger! If I couldn't handle it, I would have gone straight for help. Honest." He grins nervously.

Al crosses his arms. "You're always pulling stunts like this, Ed. First you fake your death and run off to another country for four years--"

"I already told you why!"

"--And then you come back, injure yourself, and risk infection and death from blood loss because you're too stubborn to go to anyone but Winry!"

"Well I had to get automail anyway, so why would I go to anyone but her?! I told you Al, I knew what I was doing!"

"But don't you ever think about how it affects the people around you? Don't you think about it makes me feel when I see you weak and bleeding? Geez Ed, take better care of yourself! You don't have to fight any longer."

Ed looks up at Al, who's sporting a comforting smile. Ed feels the tenseness leave his body, allowing him to relax. "Ah, hell Al. I'm sorry. I'm still trying to take care of you, but I keep forgetting that you can handle yourself now."

"And until you stop being so stubborn, I'll take care of you too," Al says with a grin, causing Ed to snort.

"I can take care of myself, Al."

Just to test Ed's claim, Roy discreetly snaps his fingers, sending a very weak blast of flame at Ed--but is rewarded with an annoyed expression from Ed, followed by the heat immediately turning back toward himself. Just by a look. He ducks the fire easily, then nods. "Impressive, Fu--Edward."

"Damn right," Ed says smugly.