AN: Since I got a few requests on continuing "Golden Eyes", I give you this. But it is not necessarily a complete carry-over of that story. (Probably more of a prequel, and then the sequel part at the end.) Note that there are a lot of time skips and flashbacks.

Manga-verse/Brotherhood-verse

Lullabies on Heartstrings

Chapter One: The Lullaby of Resembool

"Quiet, Edward. It's time for bed."

A four-year-old little boy crossed his arms and shook his head with such ferocity, that it even rivaled that of a mutt shredding a juicy steak to pieces. His eyes were deep and golden, exceptionally firm in the clear statement of utterly and absolutely refusing the desperate call to retreat under the colorful patterned quilt of his cot. His feet stood completely still on the ground and he frowned so that he also seemed to be pouting.

"Oh, Ed. You have to be more considerate. Al is already tucked in. Why can't you set a better example?" The mother raised her eyebrows at her older son, equally firm in her determination. "I don't think you're being a very good older brother…"

Her tone was a singsong one, the type that would suggest a playful and knowing manner. With her being the mother, of course it worked out just perfectly. And at this simple implication, Edward Elric was furious.

"Hey! No way! I'm good!" he shouted with flinging, stubby arms in the air. "I'm better because I'm a big brother!"

Trisha Elric smirked to herself. Obviously, she was generally gifted with her skillful plays on words, at least, with her two children that is. Her oldest son was still sometimes hard to handle, especially when it came to things he didn't want to do himself, in this case being the act of going to bed. He was stubborn, she reminisced, just like his father. But even with a granite wall in the way and a definite strong resolve, he still had a weakness, and that weakness, she knew, was his younger brother, Alphonse.

She tapped her foot against the floorboards, feigning disappointment. "Oh really, Ed? Then how come you can't show Al how to go to sleep properly?" Trisha's little smirk only widened by a millimeter, but she knew that her little boy found it perplexing. He was afraid that she would give him a punishment, and boy, did he dislike those. ("But I want to read those! How come Al can play, but I can't read?")

"Why don't you prove it?" she said at last to him. "Right now I think that Al could be your big brother." Her tone was a singsong one again, but she knew that the ploy was a success. After all, she was the mother of this house, and she was enjoying every minute of it.

This time, however, his mother had won the battle. It was one her was going to lose anyway. He wanted to please his mother, and as much as he did not want to sleep at such a ridiculously early hour, he had no choice. This was little Alphonse he was talking about. He had to be good in order to show him how to do things right.

"Ok," Ed said, bowing his blonde head in defeat, "I want to be a good big brother."

The mother's façade changed almost as quickly as it had showed up. "That's it," she whispered as she rubbed the top of his head with her slender hand. "It's time for bed."

When they had cracked open the dark oak door of Ed and Al's room, the surroundings were pitch dark. Silhouettes of toys, books, and furniture lined the view, and a half-crescent moon basked the grayish shapes with a gentle glow of blue and white. And of course, there was Al, sleeping soundlessly on the right twin bed with just the top of his dark gold head sticking out from under a plush quilt.

"There you go, Ed." There came the soft voice of his mother as she fluffed the sheets around her elder son. She placed an extra pillow behind his head as a precaution to the twists and turns that Ed tended to cause during the night and bump his skull. The lights from the hallway filtered inside, not strong enough to penetrate the mood, but Ed was still wide awake.

"Mom," he murmured quietly, "I can't go to sleep yet."

"Edward—"

"No. Can you…can you sing?" He was hesitant, not used to the words that were slipping from his lips. They were foreign to him, bizarre, and he had no idea what had compelled him to ask such a thing from his mother. Usually, it was Al that requested, but he was already asleep. Well, his mother thought so anyway, but Ed knew better: Al was awake.

In his gut, Edward felt that his little brother was actually up, pretending to sleep in order to please their remaining parent. He had been doing so a lot lately, he realized, ever since Van Hohenheim had left them alone the previous year. And he also knew that he was the only one who was angry with his father. Al most definitely was not, and his mother was still waiting. Ed was the only one that felt betrayed.

But in the midst of all these things, Al was still Al, and Ed just had to be himself too. If his little brother was listening, and he knew he was, he would just have to fill in the role for both of them and ask for that song. Alphonse couldn't sleep properly without it, and it was his job as the eldest of the two, to show him how to do things right.

And a shiver blew down his neck as the sweet a cappella of the lullaby filled his mind all the way to his heartstrings. He paid close attention to every single word, every single phrase and syllable as they flowed wonderfully in harmony. But his ears picked up an even more distant sound, a muffled one, the sound of his little brother shuffling to hear more.

And Alphonse would never forget.

"Hush, hush!
Don't tell the bluebird to flutter away
and he will come to you."

It was an innocent try, but they could only pay the price.

"We're not evil. We just wanted to see mom again."

Words could only fix so much, but the fact was that these two were just boys, and nothing more. If only innocence could justify the burden of utter evil. They had grown up too fast, too soon, and they just thought it would be nice to start over again. Maybe they could play a game of pretend; games of charades, a puzzle spread out on the wooden planks of the floor, or play Hide-and-Seek with other children.

It was difficult to grow up, but they wanted to do it again. They would rather do it again.

"He can't sleep…"

How Alphonse wished he could feel the creak of grainy wood beneath his feet, or even be able to cry. He wanted to feel that. No, he needed to feel, but it was impossible.

"He's my little brother and I can't even protect him…"

Winry Rockbell was a little girl, only about the age of eleven when her best friends came running up her doorstep, covered in red. It was a scene that would stay in her mind for the rest of her life, and she absolutely refused to forget it. At the time, the girl did not quite comprehend the situation. Her fingers trembled, she called for Granny Pianko and sweat graced her palms.

Where is Alphonse?

She found the younger brother was literally hollow, transformed into a grotesque shape as an antique suit of armor. Somehow, and she still did not understand, his soul was attached with a blood seal onto it. It was alchemy, he had said, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to know the truth at all.

Ed? Is that you?

Winry never thought that Pretend Automail Workshop would become a real game. It was a part of their childhood, a childhood that all three of them seemed to drift too far away from. And soon, a State Alchemist named Roy Mustang rang at their door. He was known as the Flame Alchemist and he had somehow inspired some furious strength of mind into Edward. His eyes rekindled in angry hope. That day, she would also remember forever, as the day her best friend told her that he and his brother were moving on.

"Give me an arm and a leg to stand on. I'm going to become a State Alchemist and get our bodies back."

Alphonse didn't argue. He was just as headstrong as his older brother, but, incidentally, their motivations were the opposite. While he wanted to get his brother's left leg back, which was apparently the toll for passing through the Gate, and his right arm, which was sacrificed to retrieve Al's soul, Ed simply stated that he will return his little brother's body back to normal.

And this, the Rockbells realized, was the price for committing a taboo: the Law of Equivalent Exchange. Somehow, all these boys had left was each other.

"Brother, are you still awake?" It was the soft and gentle, quivering voice of Alphonse. He loomed over his older brother like an intimidating protector for days now and absolutely refused to leave his side. Although it was obvious that Edward felt unbearably guilty with what had happened about a month previously, to those who knew him best, they knew that Al was just as burdened. He reflected no emotion, but through his suit of cold armor, Winry could tell.

As she pressed her right ear to the white cedar of the door that led to Ed's room, she convinced herself that she was not eavesdropping. She had a right, didn't she, to know at least for once what the brothers felt. Or more specifically, what they thought.

"Brother, you're shaking. I can—I can ask for cold towels."

There was a shuffle and a rustle of sheets. "Al, I'm fine."

"I know you're lying."

Her senses picked up a muffled sigh and she could almost imagine the scene on the other side perfectly. There was a bed, covered with piles of comfortable sheets and pillows, a small blond boy within their confines, and there was an empty suit of armor that bent its head over the boy, sitting awkwardly on a wooden chair nearby. She could roughly see Edward in her mind's eye, golden eyes penetrating and clearly hiding something from his younger and very concerned brother.

Apparently, Ed completely disregarded the question because he never made to answer. Instead, Al continued on as if the silence wasn't ever there.

"Can you move them a little more now?"

As he stated the query, Winry heard another faint sound, the hesitant clinking of newly installed automail. There was a soft whimper and she knew it was Ed, but as she had no intention of interfering, she kept her place behind the door and only pressed her ear onto it harder.

"Y—Yeah."

"That's good! See? You'll be out of here and ready for the exam in less than a year!"

"Yeah, I know. It's just—" She heard a grunt and a sharp intake of trembling breath. The elder Elric could be heard breathing fast from down the hall, and Winry knew that if she was with the two brothers, she might even be close to tears.

"Brother!" There was the clanking of metal and a groan. "I knew you were lying! No wonder you can't sleep and it's already past midnight!"

The banging footsteps that rushed towards her told the Rockbell girl that her time was up. "We have to tell Win—" the door creaked loudly on its hinges and the helmet that served as the makeshift face of one of her childhood friends froze into place, "—ry."

She was caught, mid-turn, on the shoulder by Al. He reached out to tap her there and she quickly shook her head, hastily replying that she was on her way to retrieve some cold towels.

She felt foolish and she wanted nothing more than to hide in a corner and sob. After all these years of growing up together, it was still so difficult to see her friends this way. In a matter of days, their lives turned upside-down and she had no idea what to do. Winry walked quietly into the room where Ed was resting and came in with damp, olive green face towels and a plastic bowl filled with chilly water and floating cubes of ice.

Next to morphine, something nice and cool was good enough to numb massive and incredibly excessive automail joint pain. It was a primitive idea, but as Granny Pinako despised even the thought of waking up in the middle of the night, it was up to the children to do things themselves, and if anything, adults did not trust them with strong doses of medication.

"Here," the girl said as she handed over the supplies, "You need it."

It was silent from then on. A tender pitter-patter from the slight drizzle outside began to shudder the glass of the windows, but the rain was given nothing but a second thought. The heavy breathing slowed down to a normal pace as the aching was numbed by the frigidness of the towels and ice. The night seemed just a little less dark, warmth with a feeling of homely safety entered through the door's cracks.

"Brother, can you sleep now?" There was the whisper from the hollow metal, but strangely, it was also the calming voice of a younger brother to that of his older. And it was then that Winry realized that an older brother didn't always have to be strong. He didn't always have to look tough in the face of danger and defeat. In fact, he could be as vulnerable as possible and still come out a hero. That was the nature of having a sibling, and she also noticed that the two alchemists had no care about appearance.

They had each other's backs. They were brothers until the end and they would do anything, even risk their lives, for the other. Truly, all Ed and Al had was each other.

"I think so," Ed replied with a mumbling voice. "Maybe…"

"I'll stay right here if you need anything."

The floor creaked, and Al found himself stepping unintentionally back to sit down on the wooden chair another time. His metal foot stepped tentatively on the ground as if he was afraid to break it, which, he noted, he possibly could. He heard his brother yawn as he sat once again near the cushioned bed, and spotted Winry taking a few steps closer to the scene.

"You know," she spoke in an undertone, "I still remember that lullaby. Maybe it will help Ed sleep better."

If Al could smile, he knew that at this moment he most definitely would. He placed a thick and leather land atop one of the blankets that surrounded the eldest Elric and pulled them up over his chin and Edward sighed, closing his eyes contently.

"I think brother might like that, Winry," he nodded in agreement.

"A rush, a rush!
And the winds will flow west
to carry him high."

It was a stormy night in Central, and Nina Tucker cuddled closely to her best friend and companion, her beloved dog, Alexander. To say the least, the little girl was terrified of the lightning that flashed across the sky, and not to mention the rumbling and unpleasant peal of thunder.

Nina was in the middle of one of the numerous hallways in her and her father's tiny mansion, well, tiny compared to a lot of other State Alchemist homes that is. She huddled closer to Alexander, her childish hands combing deeply into the dog's white fur as she trembled for a while. Maybe she could find her father. He was usually awake this late into the night, so she kept tip-toeing with fear.

"Nina?"

It was Alphonse. His voice echoed throughout the confines of his metal suit of armor. He and his brother, Edward, were staying for the night at their home, as Shou Tucker had absolutely insisted and Ed and Al had no place to go anyway, their only other option being Ed's military dorm.

"Big little brother? I thought you were with little big brother," the little girl closed her eyes when another unfriendly strike of lightning sounded like it struck nearby. "I wanna find daddy, but I think he's in the basement, and the basement is scary at night."

Al patted her arm as gently as possible and made a sighing sound. "Alight, Nina. I'll help you find him, ok?"

The brunette nodded with a pout and tugged at her beloved dog's collar to follow. Alexander only made a soft grunting whine and closed in behind his owner. The pair trudged along beside the walking armor and they passed abundant empty rooms and neatly packed bookcases filled with priceless alchemy tomes and research. It was such a wonder to behold to the normal alchemist's eye, but Al had already seen too many libraries, including the infamous one in Central, to be too impressed with the sight.

When they had finally reached the door that lead to the elusive basement, another roll of thunder rounded in the skies and Nina jumped so high in her place that she started to cling desperately onto Al's cold arm. A feeling of excitement coursed through Nina as she touched her small hands to the doorknob in order to twist it, but the emotion was short-lived.

"Daddy locked the door," she whispered hoarsely and tears flowed down her cheeks. "I—I just wanted him to—"

"No, Nina! Don't cry! It'll be fine!" The scene, to any passerby, might even be a comical one, albeit abnormal. A giant, seven-foot suit of armor was attempting to console a sobbing child and a dog that simply looked exasperated and out of place, although that was ignoring the fact that the armor was there in a hallway and moving in the first place.

"—to tuck me in and help Alexander to stop being afraid of the scary storm."

It was child's play, and a fresh one at that. There was a very young girl that claimed that her dog was afraid of the storm that was brewing outside of her home, but Al knew very well that it was actually her that was afraid. He knew this for sure, as he had done it to Ed numerous times before when they were younger. It was times like these that reminded him that he was still all human and not just a soul bound to an empty piece of antique.

"It's ok Nina," he said, still trying to placate the child, "How about we go back to brother and see if he can help you?"

She hiccuped, only just getting used the idea and accepted it, lightly taking the hand of her big little brother. And she took her steps alongside her friends, breaking the rules for the first time in her life. After all, it was rare when she turned away from the affection of her father and his alchemy study. She wondered for a moment if she was doing the right thing, but utterly disregarded the fact when they had turned around the thundering hallway and reached the brothers' guestroom.

The entrance squeaked open and the sight before them was a groggy young alchemist with his left arm under his shirt, stomach grandiosely exposed for everyone to see. Al sounded a sigh and shook the helmet that served as his head, muttering something about brother being an embarrassment for the hundredth time.

"Al?" The figure laying on the bed muttered as he scrutinized to see who it was and sat up, unceremoniously letting the folds of his shirt fall back down to cover his previously uncovered abdomen. "What're doing with Nina and that dog?"

To the statement "that dog", Alexander made an indignant whimper.

"Nothing, brother," Al replied, "Alexander is afraid of the storm outside and Nina wanted help from Mr. Tucker to calm him down."

Of course, the younger Elric spotted the recognition right away. Edward had noticed his brother's emphasis on the dog's name and looked him squarely in the glowing red orbs that served as the other's eyes as if to confirm what he already figured out. He had been in this situation before so many times in the past, with his mother and with his brother, and it was usually up to him to "comfort" Al's stuffed animal during something that Al thought was frightening.

"Well, come here then," Ed stated with no hesitation, and that surprised Al slightly, half awaiting some sort of comeback or retort for being ridiculous. He almost smacked himself in the helmet; he was being so stupid. Of course brother understands! How could I think he wouldn't?

"Here Nina," Ed beckoned further, still sitting atop his bed and his expression clearly defined sleep. "Al's going to help Alexander."

The little girl nodded and made a gesture to Alphonse in order to urge him ahead. The Elric walked forward with the child and white dog at his side and soon they were sitting on Ed's comforter, minus the armor which would surely break the supports and headboard. By the time Nina and Alexander were on the bed, however, the Fullmetal Alchemist was off of it, smiling widely, with golden eyes twinkling. It was a fond memory of his, and it reminded him of things past and of how he used to scare all of the monsters out from under his little brother's twin bed.

"You and Alexander can sleep here tonight," Al said, slowly catching onto the plan that Ed had in mind. "Well…if you want." Out of that, they only received a contented nod in return.

Al continued, "And brother can sleep on the other bed, ok?"

"But what about big little brother?" Nina asked innocently, observing the obvious lack of a third mattress. Her eyelids were already drooping as she rubbed the chunky coat of her pet, and gradually, she sank deeper into the sheets. "Alexander isn't afraid of the lightning anymore…" And she was mumbling in her slumber.

Edward took a breath and bounced contentedly onto the second twin bed. "That wasn't so hard," he alleged confidently, the familiar burning determination set upon his gaze, "The little girl is asleep. Can I go to sleep now?"

Al took a seat on the floor with his back directly to his brother's bed and leaned somewhat, causing the furniture to scrape the planks for an instant. He turned his helmet to the alchemist behind him, wary of making the silvery horn that was part of his strange attire on his head, avoid hitting anything. For a short while the two of them observed the small child sleeping and were reminded genuinely of the childhood that they themselves had lost. And for that minute sliver of time, Al remembered exactly how it was to be fully human, body and all. He recalled the sights and sounds, the feelings and the scents, and even the tastes.

And then he heard Ed hum something that he thought he would never hear again. It was memorable, a loving, distant song in the far-off past, but it was one that he brought himself to think that was lost forever in the void of all the horrible things that he suddenly found his world sinking into.

"Is that what I think it…?" Al started, but he never got to finish his sentence because a snore ripped through the night and he was abruptly taken back out of his trance. Everyone was passed out and tired, all of course, except him. Even Alexander was grumbling in a huge and curled up ball of fur near to his young master, and to add to the effect, the storm was no longer rumbling outside.

I see, Al considered, that was mom's lullaby.

For once, the expression of happiness wasn't a fleeting one, and the dangers of chasing a myth like the Philosopher's Stone were not a factor of dread. He knew in his proverbial heart that he and his brother would find that blood-red stone, whether it was an urban legend or not. They would find it, take it, and use it to restore their bodies, and no one would tell them otherwise. They would find out that stone's secret ingredients too while they were at it. That was why they were in the Tucker household in the first place. And with that thought in check, that suit of armor leaned further back onto the mattress he could not sense and imagined what it might feel like to taste a good and warm slice of apple pie.

"Crush, crush!
The white of a snowy day
Falls beneath your feet."