Guess who is back and writing! I am!

Please read the Author's Note at the bottom for a full and complete explanation of what I am planning for this fanfic.

I dream of a plane of ice…

I feel the presence of ice.

I hear a voice… an echoing voice.

Crushing… engulfing… resounding into the distance…

Just like thunder.

This story is about Edward Elric, and how his death started a series of unfortunate yet miraculous events that forever changed the lives of those he knew, loved, and never met. It would seem odd for a story to begin with the death of the main character; however, all endings begin a journey for someone else for if nothing ended nothing would start. This idea doesn't sink in people's minds at the time. Death is preconceived as bad because the person is then gone from the world, but that is not the case. Death isn't what people fear; it is the change that they must endure afterwards that scare people.

Change is what life is about. It's all life is. Take the seasons for example. Spring brings in new life to the world. Summer is when that life enjoys the world around them. Life starts to slow down during autumn and takes a pause during the winter months. If it weren't for winter, then people would appreciate the life given to them during the rest of the year. Change follows death. It brings a whole new experience to the people in unsuspected ways. Edward's journey begins on a chilly spring day as he walks alongside his brother Alphonse, unknown to him that his date with destiny would arrive later on in the afternoon.

During Edward's travels, he found himself drifting off and reminiscing about his past, and today was no exception. This time Edward thought about a day—a completely ordinary day to anyone— when he was a child and when his mother was alive, or as Ed thought it as the days before tragedy.

Edward became the youngest person to achieve the rank state alchemist and received the title "Fullmetal" as well. If it wasn't for his greedy need to see his deceased mother again, he and his brother would have normal bodies instead of a suit of armor and automail replacements. For you see, Edward and Alphonse broke the most forbidden law known to alchemists all over the world: human transmutation. They may have been ten when the deed was done, but the two brothers received a brutal punishment for their crime and had to grow up to make adult decisions at a rapid pace. And as a price Al's body was taken and one of Ed's legs was ripped away. As another sacrifice, Edward, without hesitation surrendered his right arm for his little brother's soul and attached it to the nearest object, which happened to be a large suit of armor that their father left behind. Year by year, the Elric brothers made their primary goal in life to find the legendary Philosopher's Stone so they could return their bodies back to normal.

Edward, who was fifteen when our story began, walked alongside his brother Alphonse on an empty plain dirt road. The road continued as far as the eye could see. It was going to be a long day's walk for the two brothers, but there was no need to hurry when it was just them two alone. Truth be told, they were the only people who understood one another. No one would ever stand the pain of losing a mother, wanting to bring her back, and replacing her corpse with a monster. It was just them against the world, and they wouldn't have it any other way. Besides that past and pain was theirs to deal with alone. There was no need to bring in friends or loved ones in on it. The two felt as if they protected the others by not sharing their painful secrets. It was better that way. Edward dared not to share those experiences of his past with their friend Winry Rockbell. It would have been a crime to poison her smile with the horrors of that night. Just thinking about her unlocked a memory hidden away by many years of alchemic studies.

.

..

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"Good morning Edward!" A cheerful voice woke the small ten year-old alchemist from his deep sleep early in the morning. Edward had slept in that day, judging by the how high the sun was positioned in the sky. Edward had devoted his sleeping hours to reading books on alchemy late at night and early in the waking hours of the morning. He had found the alchemy books in his father's old study on his desk. Although his father had abandoned years ago, the office managed to hold in the musky smell of smoke and cologne that only stung a sense of abandonment in Edward's mind. The books Edward read under his covers with a flashlight highlighted the smell of his absent father that night. Even if Ed didn't respect the man who fathered him, he understood that he was a strong and honorable alchemist, and that was the only quality Edward admired of Hohenheim.

Trisha, the Elric boys' mother, heard her naughty son awake in the early hours reading and studying the odd science. She never stopped him, though. She loved it when her sons' showed the same characteristics of her husband. It was both happy and heartbreaking for her to witness. Trisha just missed Hohenheim, but she had to keep up her duties as a loyal wife and loving mother. So she let Edward continue reading; however, she would punish him in the morning by allowing her other son Alphonse and Winry to bother him to their hearts' content.

"Wake up sleepy head!" She continued to yank on Edward's sleeve until it was nearly impossible to stay comfortable in his bed. Edward didn't need to see the face of his disturber. He knew fully well that the voice belonged to his childhood friend, Winry Rockbell, who had no sense of boundaries since both their families were so close to one another. They grew up together in their small town known as Resembool. Since the day he was born up until this very day Edward, Winry, and Alphonse were inseparable. And everybody who was anybody could see that the eldest two would end up married. Even Winry's dog Den could see that yet the two were still oblivious to each other's feelings. They fought and argued like the stubborn children they were yet they always managed to push aside their differences and be together in the end.

"Brother, it's already noon! It's time to get up!" The young boy scrunched his eyes hard. No way did Edward want to wake up. And Ed knew more of his mother's reinforcements were coming up. If Alphonse and Winry didn't wake him up then surely Den would pounce on his bed and lick his face until Edward admitted defeat.

The small boy knew his mother's thought process. Trisha would have allowed him to do the same thing if the roles were reversed with Alphonse. He understood this was his punishment. Ed tried so hard to keep quiet, but he kept talking out loud to fully grasp the concept he read. Because of this, Edward couldn't touch Al or Winry.

I hear a voice.

The short blonde fought to stay wake and conscious, reluctantly of course. His eyes were heavy with sleep. Edward stuck his tongue out at both Winry and his little brother Alphonse, who stood opposite of their friend at the bed. Both Al and Winry grabbed one of his hands, pulling on Edward's arms as he swayed from one side to the bed to the next.

"Get out of my face, Winry," Edward yelled, acknowledging defeat; however, he was still half asleep and he didn't try to speak to them. His voice was groggy. Edward covered his face with a pillow. He was stubborn, but everyone knew that.

With one quick motion, Winry pulled the pillow away from his face, but Edward wasn't giving up that fast. The tips of his fingers barely held on to the pillow. On each end of the pillow, the two children held on with both their might. Once when Edward pulled on his end of the pillow, he used too much of his strength and made Winry's face come very close to his, causing the two to blush and become flustered very quickly at the action.

Alphonse sighed to himself but still had a smile on his face. He knew this fight just started, and it would be a while before it was officially over.

.

..

.

The older brother Edward stretched his arms high in the air and smiled. He usually did when thinking about the past, the happy parts anyway. Even though the two had such terrible burdens to deal with, they always had some things to be happy about in life.

His little brother quickly noticed Ed's goofy facial expression. It was known to happen often, but since they were brothers. Alphonse couldn't help but jump at the first opportunity to joke around with Ed. "Brother, what are you smiling about?"

"Just reminiscing about the old days when Mom was alive," Edward quickly answered and relaxed his arms at his sides. "You remember when you and Winry tried to wake me up?"

"That happened quite a bit... so I'm not sure what time you're talking about," replied Alphonse.

"Sheesh, you make me sound lazy. Well, I remember one time when my pillow actually ripped and feathers flew everywhere," Ed chuckled to himself.

Al responded to his brother's grinning face and laughter echoed in his empty suit of armor. "I remember that! Mom was so mad at you. She made you clean up the mess and actually made you drink milk that one time."

The elder brother stopped dead in his tracks and cringed. "I think that's when my hate for milk started to turn into a phobia."

Alphonse giggled quietly and looked at the empty road ahead of them. "Hey brother…"

"Yeah?"

"Let's hurry to Auntie Pinako's house. If you haven't noticed already the sky is really dark. It seems like there's going to be rain along with some thunder." The armor pointed up above to the cloud's color which wasn't that far off from his armor.

"Oh great…" Ed sighed. "I hate rain. It makes me all fidgety in the house. and it makes everything so boring. Let's not forget that my automail starts to make the parts of my body it's connected to ache."

Alphonse stayed silent for a moment. It was his time to think back on the past."Didn't it- didn't it rain on that day?" Both boys knew what 'that day' meant. It was when they attempted to resurrect their late mother. A rueful decision that would forever haunt their thoughts.

"Maybe…" Edward looked at his feet. "The details are kinda sketchy," he mumbled. In his mind, all Ed could remember was his brother's face disintegrating into thin air as he reached out to him. It made Edward's stomach twist and turn. As long as he lived he would never forget his biggest mistake.

"Sorry."

"It's fine. As long as we get our bodies back, everything will hopefully go back to the way it was."

"I'd like that, Ed."

The State Alchemist continued to gaze at his feet. It was obvious that he was in deep thought. Al respected his brother's thoughts and let him think on his own. Then out of nowhere, Alphonse saw a white fuzzy ball fall in front of his sight. "Snow…?" He muttered. "But… at this time of year?"

The snowflake travelled down to Edward's eyesight and landed on his nose. As an instinct, he wiped it off quickly. The ice cold snowflake contrasted too much with his face's warmth. "Strange… snow doesn't come in spring," Edward said looking at the falling snowflakes that followed the first.

"I once heard from someone in Resembool that snow coming at an odd time of the year was supposed to be good luck." Alphonse lifted his metal arms up, catching the multiplied snowflakes. He could not feel them, but he could imagine by remembering the times he played in the snow before when he had a body.

"From what we've been through, we better get somethin' good." In response, Alphonse nodded his head. Edward was right, it was time they had some good luck.

"You're right, Brother."

Time had dragged by slowly while they were on the empty dirt road. A cold thin blanket of snow covered the lush green plains. More and more snowflakes hit Edward's face. His nose was now red and his automail limbs didn't help him out in the slightest way. If it did do anything, it made Ed's body colder since metal and cold don't necessarily mix well together, especially with human skin.

"Al… so cold… frostbite…" Edward's teeth chattered so loud that people from miles away could hear him. Al couldn't feel or react to the weather considering how he didn't have skin or an actual body to adapt to it.

"Brother you're overreacting. Look," Alphonse pointed to the West, "See Auntie's house is just a few more steps away. And I bet if you run there fast enough the cold will disappear."

"I just hope Winry doesn't fling wrenches at me when I walk in the door." The older one said while rubbing his arms for just an ounce of heat. "If she does… I'll throw snow balls at her." He threatened with a grin on his face. "C'mon Al let's go home." Edward gestured to the house that was now within reach of them.

"Coming!" Alphonse suddenly noticed his brother run toward their home. Since it was in their nature as brothers to be competitive, Alphonse readied himself for takeoff. No way was Edward winning a race with a suit of armor who couldn't get tired from running. When the suit of armor took off, the wind started up suddenly.

"Wai-!" Edward heard his brother stop in mid-sentence. It was odd like hearing a recording of music and just when your favorite part of the song comes up someone turns it off without you knowing or consenting to such an act.

He turned and saw his brother not moving yet still standing in mid-action. "Al? You okay?" No response. That wasn't like Alphonse at all. "AL?" Edward sounded more concerned than he would have liked to let on, but Alphonse was his last connection to a blood relative. He didn't want to lose him or even think about such a thing happening. He ran toward the suit of armor. Once he was in front of his brother, Edward noticed the eyeholes were flickering. Fading may have been a more proper word. "Alphonse!"

"Brother…?" Al's voice sounded urgent yet emotional at the same time on the verge of a breakdown almost. "Brother, where are you?"

"You can't see me? I'm right here in front of you, Al." Edward tried to not sound panicky but was sadly failing at it. The horrific outcomes of Alphonse's metal body that plagued Edward's mind were coming true. No, Edward thought. He wanted to forbid Alphonse's artificial body from rejecting his soul. It couldn't happen yet, not until they got their bodies back. That was the deal they made.

"Brother! Brother, it's pulling me back!" Alphonse's voice even though he had no physical body sounded like it was choking up as if he were crying.

"Al! ALPHONSE!" Edward hoped the louder he screamed his brother's name the more likely he'll stay with him. Alphonse's struggle started to disappear. His armor body began to relax, but Ed read that wrong. Alphonse wasn't calming down. Instead he was gone. The helmet fell forward and the rest of the body fell backward, causing a loud clamor of metal hitting metal.

"No… no! It's not… it wasn't supposed to be this way!" He let the body lay on the ground. Ed stared at the blood seal. It was still visible to the eye, but yet Alphonse vanished from Edward's world. He was alone again like all those years ago on that day. "Alphonse… Alphonse! Please don't go…! You told me you need to accomplish so many things before you died."

Edward couldn't hold any of his emotions back. His guilt, pain, and sadness were released and getting the best of him. Memories of that night they tried to bring back their mom raced through his head. It added to his pain and suffering. He felt his ten year old self once again. Torn apart, body throbbing, but above all else abandoned.

"This is all my fault Al…" Edward's voice broke as his aching throat began to form a knot. He pressed his forehead against the empty suit's chest. He couldn't think of anything else but the pain and anguish. "I made you believe we could bring back Mom, and I made you believe you were safe in this armor 'til our bodies were back to normal. This is all my fault!" Edward's dry sobs pierced through the howling wind that continued to grow louder and louder with each passing minute. The cold winds felt like ice needles against his skin.

There was nothing to do. Alphonse, like his mother and father, deserted him. Because of his emotional and hysterical state, Edward's judgment started to become cloudy, and because of this, the young alchemist began to think of the impossible and forbidden practice once again: bringing someone back from the dead. That thought crossed his mind over again, and from Edward's perspective, it sounded like the wind was encouraging him to do it. He was becoming mad, crazy. Transmutation plagued his mind until it destroyed his verdict of right and wrong. This was beyond such human thoughts. In the past, Edward cared about nothing more than to keep his brother happy. If Edward sacrificed himself once again for Al, it could make everything back to normal just like he hoped whether or not he was beside his brother.

Edward looked at the house in the distance that he knew as his replacement home and housed his friend. His selfish choice will hurt everyone he knew, but it would be a small consequence compared to the lost future his brother would not have. It was the only way, Edward convinced himself. It was the only way his one and only brother could live the life Edward promised him.

"Winry…" He said sadly to himself. He remembered the promise he had made to her that the next time she cried would be tears of joy, but that was before this difficult crossroads came about. Edward thought about the days if Winry were to stand by his side, the days he could not have. Loyal to the end, he knew that, and he was always and completely grateful for the support she provided him in the past years. Winry didn't need to, but she did. Not because it was an obligation, but because she was a selfless and kind person at heart.

He then clutched his hand into a fist hard enough to the point his palms bled. "WINRY!" He screamed her name at the top of his lungs. Maybe she listened, maybe she didn't, but if she did, she would know how important she was to him just by the way he said her name. Winry always had a special place in Edward's heart, and he hoped she would know that in the future to come, the one they could not share together.

For a moment, Edward thought his wish came true for he saw Winry's body exit the front door of her house. Ed only assumed she saw what happened from her bedroom window. She looked panicked, judging by the way she hurried through the snow. The snow that indicated winter coming, the beginning of a bleak season, was now in Edward's favor, his new ally. It separated Winry from him, delaying their reunion. He could finally achieve his task.

"Edward!" She yelled back with Den following her footsteps in the snow. "What happened to Al?" She asked from afar still hurrying to the scene. Her face held so much concern for them. She was truly worried for him and Al, her friends. It pained Ed to even imagine how she would deal with his disappearance.

He had to do what must be done. Alphonse's life justified all the pain that would be caused. If Winry had any say in his actions, guilt would eat up Edward until the day he died. She would kick, scream, and fight until she knocked some sense into him. It didn't matter what he would accomplish. If Alphonse wasn't there, it wouldn't mean anything. His accomplishments would never outweigh his biggest failure of not saving his little brother.

"At least…" Edward began, whispering his words, "at least I saw her one last time…" Not only did Edward's speech soften but also his eyes and facial expression. He was oddly calm about everything now. Either he grew numb to the situation and cold wind or he just wanted nothing more than to get it over with. It felt like the calm before a great storm. There was no way of stopping it; it had to be embraced and accepted of its existence.

Edward then looked back at the armor that he attached his brother's soul to. He held to Al's metal hand with his automail one as if he comforted the sleeping Alphonse. "I promise," Edward told the empty suit, grasping the hand tighter, "I will make things better for all of us. Just do me a favor," He looked up to only see Winry moving in closer; he was running out of time, "be there for her… because I no longer can." Edward turned back to Al's suit of armor.

"Ed! Edward!" She continued to yell to him from afar, reminding Edward of what little time he had left.

Edward closed his eyes and thought of everyone that he cared about and would affect. He let out a small smile when he thought of Colonel Roy Mustang at his gravesite, missing him. What an odd thought to think about at a time like that. He never thought he would affect him or Lt. Hawkeye that badly.

"I'll make everything better for you, Alphonse," Edward reassured his brother wherever he may be, but those words were meant for Ed. They empowered him to move on. "I promise you that. Don't give up on me." The blonde alchemist looked to the dark gray sky. A couple of snowflakes fell on his warm face. He didn't mind the cold this time around. It will be the last thing he ever felt in Resembool.

"Dammit," he mumbled, but the anger and regret inside Edward exploded, "Damn it all! Truth! Give him back… Give back my only brother!" His yells subsided, but there was no response from the transparent being he met many years ago. Whether the conversation was one sided or not, Edward continued speaking, demanding for a response. "I don't care what you take from me this time… take my other limbs if you want or my heart or my entire body just… give me back my little brother!"

Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, clapped his hands for the last time in order to bring back his brother Alphonse.

Winry, who stood a couple of feet from the tragic scene, saw a flash of light that she recognized as Edward's alchemy. Her hair blew in the ceasing breeze and brushed it out of her face quickly to the side. Finally she reached Al's armor yet Edward was nowhere to be seen. She scanned the nearby area, but there was no trace of her friend. Winry knew for a fact she saw him moments before in the very spot she stood.

"Edward…? Where did he—?"

Den sniffed the area for Edward's scent to see where his friend went, but he found no trail or anything for that matter that would help them with the whereabouts of Edward. The dog laid down where he sensed Ed last and let out a sad whining sound. Winry noticed how her dog responded to the situation. Her heart, she swore, began to crumble at her slow realization. She had no desire in accepting such a God awful answer at all.

"No… Edward!" She fell to her knees as the loss of her friend sank in. Winry felt so vulnerable as though someone just ripped open her chest, causing her to experience a level of loneliness she hadn't suffered since the death of her parents. It hurt, but not just in the physical sense. No, it was beyond the mind, beyond imagination. It was a soul-hurt type pain, tearing her apart from the inside out, leaving her to cry in the cold, gray atmosphere.

Tears never fell from her blue eyes. The promise her and Edward made kept her from doing so. However, that did not stop Winry from holding back dry sobs. She collapsed on the empty suit of armor. Her breaths became pitchy. At one point, Winry couldn't breathe because of her panicked state.

Den sat up next to his owner and licked a tear off her face. He may have been just a dog, but he knew what pain was and when someone wasn't happy. He couldn't comfort her, but he could be the shoulder she so desperately needed to lean on.

"Edward," Winry managed to form the word properly through her sobs, "why do you have to be so selfless and selfish at the same time? How can you leave me and everyone else behind? Don't you know how much we need you?"

Then the sad blonde girl cried while holding on to her dog. All he could do was stay there and hope she'll be okay soon. Little did the small village girl know, her close childhood friend faced judgment once again like many years before.

Edward opened his eyes to a blank world. He felt nothing. The atmosphere was different from that of his world. Edward knew time existed, but in the world where he stood made him doubt his beliefs. Time did not flow. In a way it was in an eternal state of pause where nothing aged or grew. It stayed the same. In other words, there was no life, existence, or anything, really. The future ceased to exist for Edward, and with a heavy heart, he accepted his cruel fate. There was no sign of a future so Edward assumed at that moment he was not alive.

Then within a split second everything changed. Edward felt a presence, the same one that haunted his dreams, the same one that he met when he played God. The young State Alchemist stood a few paces in front of Truth like he did all those years ago.

"So… we meet again," Truth's ever present grin never faded even when it spoke, taunting Edward as though he were an idiot, "What do you want this time? More information to revive your long lost mother? Because you know, I really don't like wasting time on such pitiful subjects." The transparent being gabbed insults at Edward as it walked circles around the state alchemist.

"I'm not that little kid anymore," Edward defended himself and his dignity even if that was lost to the world. "I grew up after that first experience. I did, however, come back for a different reason this time."

"Oh, really? You called out for me blabbing some nonsense about saving your brother, and if I'm not mistaken you did the same thing when you were a child." Truth turned, bored of the situation. It walked away with no intention of returning.

Edward felt insulted, angry. He hated being treated like a child who didn't know any better. He wanted to scream at the top of his lungs until his throat became raw, but that wouldn't help him with Truth. He had to bargain once again, which was the reason the meeting between the two came to be.

"My life for his." Edward stated firmly. His golden eyes never wavered or showed any signs of hesitation even when Truth turned to face him. Its grin was visible once again, but Edward stood tall, focused on what he wanted to accomplish.

"Oh no," The being said, shaking his index finger back and forth, "That's not enough. You'll trade your entire existence for his."

"That's what I said."

"No." Truth's voice echoed through the still place. It resembled an authority figure scolding a child for disobeying the rules. Never before had Edward felt so small, weak, nothing. But nonetheless, Truth was amused by the human's reaction for what it said and what was about to be spoken. "You just said your life, but what you forgot, state alchemist, is that a life doesn't equal another. You silly humans keep forgetting that simple rule.

"What I mean by your entire existence, alchemist, is that everyone's memories of you will be purged from time. Everything about you will be erased. Your birth never took place; you becoming a state alchemist never happened, but I think one positive will come from this." Truth stopped walking, lifted his hand, and swiped the air. A line formed and grew wider until there was a clear projection. Edward's heart thumped against his rib cage when he saw Winry's head buried in her arms over Alphonse's suit of armor. She was upset, and Edward couldn't do anything about it.

"Well, you can technically," Truth answered Ed's mental question, "If you wish to put your friend out of her misery, exchanging your existence for your brother's life will. One cannot remember something that never existed let alone mourn the loss, am I right? That's the beauty of equivalent exchange, is it not?"

"They'll forget me?" The fact that the people Edward grew to care deeply for wouldn't remember him, but that wasn't what truly scared Edward. The two people that came to Ed's mind were his little brother Alphonse and Winry. Of all the people he knew, Edward wished those two, the ones he considered his extended self, could remember him. At least they would be put out of their despair, Edward thought with an unbearable ache in his heart.

Edward looked back to the see-through being's smirk. He hated that grin. Edward hated knowing that his pain grew whenever he saw it. However, Truth was not his enemy. It gave him a sense of reality even though it was cruel. Ed never blamed it for his pain. No. He just wished he picked better choices so he would have never faced Truth in the first place.

"So do we have a deal?" Truth reached its hand out toward Edward to make their agreement official.

Edward looked down, still debating his options. If he chose to go back and be with Winry, they and many others would suffer the loss of Alphonse. Ed would never see his brother again, but if he were to take Truth's deal where he would cease to exist. Then no one would experience a loss because they wouldn't know they were missing someone in their life, and Alphonse would walk on the Earth to live his life the way he wanted to.

Then if those he knew forgot him, Edward would forget them as well. Ed shut his eyes for a moment and remembered everyone he cherished for the last time. All the past moments he remembered came to him. His mother, father, the Rockbells, Alphonse, the military officials he befriended and every person who impacted Edward's life raced through his head, leaving a sad smile on his face when the event ended. It was true what people guessed about death. Their life truly flashed before their eyes.

Sure, those people may forget him and vice versa, but for that brief moment they were in each other's lives, interconnected by fate or what have you. And in the future where Edward did not exist, they would be happy. That was what Edward wanted for everyone. Happiness in a brutal world.

He nodded his head slowly in response. "Ready."

"You understand the terms, I assume? I'll return your brother back to the way he was, all for your existence. Is that clear?"

"I said I'm ready. I just want my brother to live the life I took from him." Edward took Truth's hand and shook it. Once the young and rash alchemist did, a rather large door soon appeared behind Truth. It opened, letting a large gust of air flow out of the doors and into the once still world. Dark hands appeared in the black abyss. In a split second they began to form around Ed. Truth vanished, leaving only its unkind grin to be the last thing Edward ever saw. Their deal had been made.

The hands' grip was tight, but it wasn't anything Edward couldn't handle. He felt their strength before since they were the same ones that dragged Edward during his childhood. Edward was a little reluctant at first, but he soon let it consume him. He willingly let them take him away. He had no reason to fight back. He accepted his fate, and this was merely the payment for what needed to be done.

The doors closed behind him. It was empty yet infinite. All the knowledge in the world surrounded him. From where he was, they looked like film strands. Time flowed like a movie without any pause or mistakes. It kept going with or without him in it. Edward shook that moment of regret off. The future could not be changed. Besides, even with the entire world's information close to him, it couldn't help Ed in the end. There was no time to do so. His mind would go dark soon enough.

The invisible force dragged him in deeper, pressing down on his chest and making it harder to breathe. The more he went in, the more Edward's mind began to become hazy. He felt tired. His eyes became heavy to the point where they could barely stay open. It was time to die. Before that moment came though, Edward felt a freezing chill come over him colder than any winter the Briggs Mountains would ever dream of enduring.

One of the time reels came closer to him, causing Ed to forget the suffocating atmosphere. It played a busy scene in a place he never saw before then. It was a society made of white buildings topped with brown rooftops. It was a bright and sunny day, the exact opposite of what Resembool was when he left. Then a figure came into the frame. Edward didn't see the face, but he noted the white hair. The person was built like a small child possibly younger than Edward, judging by the small back. That person was the source of the cold air. The chill intensified when Edward looked at the child. Edward reached out, hoping to gain the person's help out of his hell. The mysterious child turned as if they heard something. But Edward didn't see the face. The reel stopped, leaving Edward abandoned in the dark nothingness. There was no light, sound, feeling, or anything to distinguish any life.

Edward began to panic. He struggled against nothing, but there had to be something alive or existing with him. Then his body stopped cooperating, or it was never there in the first place. He couldn't move or breathe. The boy started gasping. There was a massive pain in his head as if someone or thing crushed it with their own hands. One by one his memories were extracted from his mind. As each one left, Edward forgot who he was, his reason for being there, and even his life until there was just one memory left, reassuring the boy of his existence.

"Alphonse…" And with that name on his lips, Edward's mind went blank.

Silence that was all. Nothing before or after. Then suddenly, tapping. Something or someone tapped against the ground, hardwood floor found in a house. The tapping noise originated from someone's bare feet running around a house. It was hard to focus on anything. The person sounded like they were in a hurry to accomplish something. The feet sounded louder. The person was coming closer. No. They were there.

"Wake up lazy bum!" A pair of green-bluish eyes focused on a girl with dark brown hair in ponytails. She knelt beside the boy who laid on the floor. She stood up and put her hands on her hips, giving off a sense of irritation, yet there was an unwavering smile upon her face as she looked down on the boy her close friend, Toshirou Hitsugaya. "Don't tell me you forgot what today is, Shiro."

There was no answer from the small white-haired boy. He kept dozing off, trying his best to stay conscious. But he failed miserably since he didn't fathom the words his friend Momo Hinamori spoke. He just stared up at her with his eyes glazed over.

"Shiro, wake up!" Hinamori pressed one of her feet on the boy's stomach, waking him up instantly. "Today's my first day at the Academy."

Hitsugaya didn't respond verbally. He merely grunted and held his stomach.

"SHIRO!" She yelled at the top of her lungs.

"QUIET MOMO!" Hitsugaya screamed back at her with as much force in his voice as if he made a battle cry. When the boy woke up fully, he sat up. In doing so, Toushirou hadn't realized how close his face was to his long time friend's. To his distaste, Hitsugaya's face grew hot and changed to slight shade of red. Momo didn't pay much attention to it. Whether it was to her being obvious or just flat out busy, Hitsugaya never got an answer.

The girl sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Shiro," she exclaimed in a rather bothered tone. She had no time for dilly-dallying. "Just get up and eat your breakfast. I can't be late for my first day at the Academy. They will think I don't take being a soul reaper seriously. Can you at least cooperate with me this one time?"

Hitsugaya looked away, avoiding eye contact as he mumbled in agreement.

"Good." Hinamori's smile returned as well as her chipper personality. "I need to see everyone before I go off to the academy. I'll be next door if you need me, 'kay Shiro?"

Even if she tried, Hinamori's irritated state could not last long. It wasn't in her nature to do so. That was why the young girl ran out to the front yard with a huge grin on her face. She readily forgave everyone. It was a weakness, anyone would admit that, but Toushirou admired that side of her. It was her forgiveness that enabled them to be friends for so long. It was the reason—maybe only—that allowed him to be close to her. Toushirou wasn't known for his open-mindedness or anything of that matter. People never bothered with him. They found him strange, and that repulsed them. But there was Hinamori, by his side, his lone friend.

Toushirou Hitsugaya watched as his friend left the room to complete her duties before beginning the new chapter in her life at the Soul Academy. He was happy for her, truly, even if he didn't show an ounce of interest in it. Realization sank in. Momo used his horrible nickname she so blatantly forced upon him. He hated that name. It made him feel like a useless kid who bothered grown-ups. "MY NAME IS TOUSHIROU HITSUGAYA TO YOU!"

"Whatever SHIRO!" Hinamori yelled, poking her head back in from the outside hall. Even if he unknowingly grew a crush on her, she still angered him. He was stuck with her, and she was stuck with him whether they both liked it or not.

Hisugaya hadn't noticed his hands were bunched in as fists. The boy relaxed his hands, and took in deep breaths to lessen his emotions. This action became a routine. If he didn't relax, his spiritual pressure would have gotten the best of him. Once in his sleep, Toushirou's spiritual pressure leaked out and almost froze his poor grandmother in their sleep. He didn't want to hurt anyone. Toushirou just wanted everything to be at peace. Maybe that idea was a far off dream that can never be accomplished.

Dream, Hitsugaya thought. Then out of nowhere in the deep corners of his subconscious mind, Toushirou remembered his reoccurring dream. They started a while back. Before, they were nothing but blurred faces with no names. After awhile, the nameless faces became clearer, had names, and personalities. Afterwards, the dreams expanded into larger than life scenarios. The young soul reaper didn't know how to make heads or tails of the situation. The dreams were too vivid and had too many emotions connected to them just to be regular fantasies in his mind created. Crazy nonsense such as alchemy or the Philosopher's Stone couldn't be anything but a made up story. No way could a stone bend the laws of physics. The repeated dreams were just another disturbance in Hitsugaya's life day after day. Any normal person would brush them off to the side. However, those faces, those strange yet so familiar faces, burned into Toushirou's mind. He compared Hinamori's cheery, smiling face to the worried one of the girl known by the name Winry. And suddenly, the disembodied voice echoed in Toushirou's mind. "Alphonse...!"

I hear a voice… an echoing voice.

He dared not to burden Hinamori with his problems. The dreams were a figment of his imagination getting the better of him, Hitsugaya convinced himself even though it left a bitter taste in his mouth. He lied to himself or just did not want to hassle with more stress than he already had with his spiritual pressure escaping him. Besides Momo would have laughed and call him crazy. He was just over thinking everything like he usually did when it came to himself. Even so Toushirou Hitsugaya's mind never wondered far from those faces. They haunted his thoughts during the day. He couldn't help but remember her face, the armor, his mother, or his brother.

It was common knowledge to know that any soul in the Soul Society had no remembrance of their past. But the idea of the memories originating from his past life scared Hitsugaya. The pain of that life weighed heavy on his heart. Could it be possible that the dreams he had were memories of his life on Earth? Did he have a brother named Alphonse? And if so, was his sacrifice worth it in the end? The emotions the questions stirred caused Toushirou's insides to twist and squirm. He couldn't brush the feelings away nor could that voice be ignored. It stayed with him from that day on.

And so… here begins the story of two young prodigies Edward Elric and Toushirou Hitsugaya.

I still hear that voice.

Far… near…

I hear it resounding.

But... now it's my turn to take action.

Now I'll decide to search for it and move forward to that Promised Day.

Even if I die on that plane of ice once again.

Hey everyone! It's me MizAb back from the dead! :D If you were a previous reader of my fanfiction, you might have realized that I changed about 93% of this story because, well, I wanted to. Let me just say this. This first chapter was about 3,500 words. It grew to over 8,000. I more than doubled it. lol what?

Back in 2010 I believe, I lost my computer files. All my stories and upcoming chapters for this story were gone, basically. I was devastated because I worked hard on them so I took a very long break. A year and a half. During that horribly long hiatus, I got reviews, saying how much they liked the story and wished that it would continue. Every time I got one it added to my guilt. The other week after I got a review. It was the final straw for me. I decided that it was time I got off my sorry ass and began writing. It wasn't fair for those who became fans of the idea. Plus, I was ignoring my responsibilities to this fanfic as I kept writing on for my other works in other fandoms.

However, I lost interest in Bleach, and since Fullmetal Alchemist ended, I started getting into different shows. So I decided to reread my past chapters so I can get back into my groove, knowing how much it would pain me to do so. I haven't touched those chapters since my Junior year in high school. I am now in my second year of college. Lame, I know. My writing got better over the course of that time, and I have new ideas for the story.

I'm rewriting the past chapters, completely. During that process I will also be writing the next chapter to the story. I plan on posting it during June or early summer. Please forgive me. I know I made you all wait, but I am doing my best to keep my promises. I want this fanfic to be the best it can be since it was the first one with a plot I came close to finishing. Hopefully by the time summer comes, I will have reedited a couple more past chapters along with the intensely anticipated new chapter. I will make it worth the wait. I promise you all that.

So in the meantime, enjoy what I will rewrite. It will have a different tone from what I previously posted. It will be different in general. I hope I matured enough to pull my idea off.

However, to those who just discovered my fanfic, if you read the next chapters, keep in mind that they will be rewritten and changed drastically. I'm not going to stop you from reading on. I'm just telling you that you may get a bit overwhelmed. I have been thinking of taking the other chapters down; however, I haven't decided on anything yet.

If you want to talk to me or yell at me for waiting so long, message me or contact me through Tumblr. I go on it religiously. But please do not keep your thoughts in. I want to know what you all think. Am I doing a better job? Is the change a complete waste of time? You tell me.

Until next time, MizAb.