Warning: Could be taken as implied Elricest (if you see it that way)

Rating: PG

Disclaimer: I don't own these characters... Arakawa Hiroaki does... I am simply borrowing them

Spoilers: None really... I made this up as one of those 'could happen' endings. If it ends like this, I dont know about it.

Edward felt his face and body sting as he gave all of his energy into creating this new body for his younger brother. He was willing to give his life for this one goal, if he could just prove to his brother that he existed as a human being, then he would be willing to accept death with open arms. That is why he didn't stop when he began to feel strange. It was a feeling not unlike the feeling he got as he attempted to transmute his mother back to life. His whole body felt as though it was being pulled from every direction.

Just as he started to feel like he was losing himself entirely, the world began to numb before his senses. The bright lights he was blinded by before faded into black nothingness. The power he was trying to control that was so strong it felt like hot and cold needle pricks became nothing more than stagnant air. Everything around him blurred until he no longer knew where he was or what he was doing.

There was a sound, a steady, rhythmic sound similar to that of a heart beating. Edward concentrated on this vague sound, struggling to hear it louder. It was like jumping into a deep lake and kicking his feet as hard as he could to get a breath of air that his lungs painfully hungered for.

After what seemed like an endless struggle, the sound began to beat clearer in his mind's ear. Along with this sound, other sounds began to make their way to his senses; breathing, muffled white noise behind that. As he concentrated, the white noise melded into something more comprehensible... human voices. It was still too muffled and unintelligeable to decipher words or any one voice over another.

He felt cool air on his face, along with a seady warmth over his abdomen. He felt a soft weight on his entire body. He could move his hands and feet, just enough to make sure that he was there, that he was alive. His eyes wouldn't open just yet. It was almost as if another force was keeping him from doing so.

The next sensation he got was pain, a lingering pain across his skeletal frame. This pain was different compared to any other pain that he had known. It was weakening, but not excruciating,

The voices in his hearing became suddenly clearer, he could recognize the three voices that were speaking around him. He listened harder to make out any words, it was like listening to someone speak just under water's surface.

"We really should be leaving him so he can rest, Colonel," the first voice was the assertive feminine voice of his old sensei. He felt mildly comforted by this voice, he knew that if anything were to be there in malicious intent, that it would be stopped before it got to him.

"He's under my jurisdiction, I'll go when I feel like going," this second voice he knew at once. It was the cold, calm voice of Colonel Mustang, it must have been the colonel that Curtis-sensei was addressing.

"You should do what she said, colonel. It's for his own good. We were going to let him rest too," even though he rarely spoke, he recognized this voice as the husband of his former sensei.

"I can make my own decisions, thank you..."

"What good will staying here do? We are getting in the doctors' way. Let's all go have some lunch and come back together, if you're worried about us being here when he wakes up and you not being here," he heard some rustling around when Curtis-sensei was finished speaking.

"Alright..." the Colonel's reply sounded annoyed and reluctant, but it was followed by another rustling and clicking of boots hitting the floor, "What about him?"

"We can bring him something," The voices were starting to fade out as he heard footsteps click farther and farther away.

After a few moments, he felt himself fade back to that sense of nothingness... the feeling of floating lifeless in a pool of black. He heard another voice, this time it was different than the voices he heard before. This voice was clear as crystal, and it sounded like music to him. It was a voice that he hadn't known for too many long years... it was his mother's voice.

"Edward... Edward, listen to me."

"Kaasan..." he could hear himself reply to her, his voice echoed in his mind. He looked around and the image of a woman solidified before him... He strained to touch her, but she was just out of his reach, "I want to go to you..."

"Not yet, Edward. It's not time for you to see the other side just yet... you've got so much of a life ahead of you."

"I want to be with you..."

"There's someone waiting for you... you should go to them," her voice was already starting to dissolve. He was desperate, he tried to run, but every step he took would get him no closer to the woman infront of him... she actually seemed to be getting farther.

"Kaasan! No... dont go yet! Stay with me... hold me... love me... don't leave me alone..."

"You're not alone, Edward. There's someone waiting for you... someone that can stay with you, and hold you and love you, and never leave your side. Wake up, go to him. You can come to me when it is your time."

Edward woke up in a hospital bed, he couldn't remember the events that lead him into this situation at first, but as soon as he opened his eyes and got bombarded by lights that seemed so bright that it hurt to keep them opened, he remembered. Flashes of colored light played in his head, and memories of his nearly-fatal attempts flooded him. He pushed himself to sit up, even though it was hard, and opened his eyes to glare into the painful brightness. "Al..." he croaked, trying to make out the images around him. "Alphonse...?"

There was no answer from the mysterious voice he heard before, he held his breath for a moment as his eyes began to focus. He could make out shapes of darker colors amidst the brightness. "Alphonse..." he repeated, his voice being overcome with fear. He could feel the worry and sting of failure already, and his vision was becoming blurred again, this time with tears.

"Niisan... I'm right here," it was the voice that he knew all of his life and recognized. He turned his gaze that direction and his breath stunted, a drip of wetness dragging down his cheek... what he saw was not what he expected. There was no tall, shining body of armor, nor was there the small boy he knew from childhood. Instead, there was a maturing teen with pale skin that glowed with the eeriness of not seeing sun for so many years. He was smiling in that innocent way that he had always done, it was the kind of smile that you could see in his eyes. His hair and eyes held the same grey-brown color that they did when he was younger.

Edward was overcome with so much emotion that he didn't care that Alphonse must have been a half foot taller than he was. The fearful expression he had been wearing was replaced by an excited grin of relief. His tears went from worry to joy was he nearly jumped from the hospital bed to wrap his arms around his younger brother, the IV needle in his arm was tugged out and left unnoticed on the side of the bed. The brothers hugged eachother tightly, both laughing like they were ten again.

After taking a moment to get into a comfortably close position, they relaxed and snuggled up to one another. They stayed silent for many minutes, enjoying the simple comforts of being able to feel eachother. It was Alphonse that broke that silence. "Niisan... you still have the automail..."

Edward looked down at his right arm, clenched his hand into a gentle fist, then relaxed it with a nod. He buried his face into Alphonse's hair, taking a deep sniff to get that familiar smell. "I don't mind, as long as you're like this..."

Edward felt the grip around his waist tighten a little bit when he gave his answer. He was going to break the silent, but he was a moment too late. He heard the quiet sobs of his younger brother and felt the small dabs of wetness on his chest where Alphonse was resting his head.

"Al? What's wrong? Why are you crying? Al..."

"Niisan..." tear-filled grey-brown eyes stared back up at him, "I was so worried about you... you've been in a coma for a week, you gave so much and you still dont have your own body restored." His cheeks were red and his eyes were full of guilt.

"Al... I don't need my arm and leg back... I have everything I need," Edward shook his head and smiled at him, grabbing a bit of the hospital blanket and pressing it against the tear-soaked cheeks of his brother.

"But that means you did it all just for me, your work didn't benefit you at all. You were going to give it everything, weren't you? You nearly died..." Alphonse's brow wrinkled a little as he scowled at Edward.

"Alphonse," Edward dropped the blanket and touched Alphonse's cheek with his left hand. It seemed to work, Alphonse was already starting to calm down. Those big, scared eyes sparkled with tears that threatened to fall. Edward shook his head and leaned down to kiss his brother on the forehead, "Al... I did gain something, something that I was begining to think was lost forever."

"Niisan," Edward paused and noticed Alphonse's expression soften, "Why are you crying...?"

Edward hadn't noticed that he was crying until Alphonse's voice cut through his own. He felt a soft touch on his face, then he smiled and hugged Alphonse closer. "Al, it's because of happiness. That's the only reason why I can cry now..."