Fullmetal Alchemist: Aftermath

Chapter 1: The White Room

The first thing Alphonse Elric saw upon regaining consciousness was the color white. It seemed to come from everywhere—blinding, glaring white that hurt his eyes and made him want to bury his face in the sheets. He willed his eyes to focus, his mind to stay awake, fighting the exhaustion and weakness of his ravaged body. Lines and dots of darker colors emerged from the white, which coalesced into outlines and textures, which themselves became the tiles that made up the ceiling of the stark white room Alphonse lay in.

Alphonse could not remember how he got here, his last memories being of waking up in his original body after five years trapped in a suit of armor and shortly thereafter passing out in his brother's arms. He looked around, withered neck muscles slowly contracting to turn his cervical spine. The room was definitely a hospital room. He was naked; the coat Ed had wrapped him in having been taken from him. Two IV lines snaked from a pump into his bony arm, a third was connected to a central venous catheter going into his neck. The walls were just as white as the ceiling, as was his bedding, and the floor. The lights were unbearably bright, and his body was host to sensations that he had not felt in years, many of them decidedly unpleasant—pain, exhaustion, weakness, hunger. Especially the hunger. His stomach felt like it had been torn in two; his body begged his soul for food. It was like no hunger he had ever felt in his life.

Every movement sent jolts of pain through Alphonse's body as he turned his head the other way. On the far side of the room there was another bed, with someone in it. Alphonse squinted, his underused, overtaxed eyes struggling to give him a clear image. A small teenage boy lay in the bed with long blond hair draped over his shoulders, eyes closed in peaceful sleep, his forehead crisscrossed with gauze and stitches closing gashes in his cheek. His brother. Alphonse cursed himself for his pitiful state, wanting more than anything to climb out of bed and embrace his beloved Edward, for giving him the chance to be whole again.

Even if Alphonse was too weak to get up and touch his brother, at least he could try speaking to him. "Brother?" he called out, his voice hoarse, weak, and much deeper than he expected—he had to get used to a body whose voicebox had dropped.

Edward squirmed in his bed, as if resenting being pulled out of a pleasant dream. The youth opened his eyes with a groan. "Is that you, Al? How are you feeling?"

"Not so good, Brother." Alphonse tried to sit up, but despite every effort he found that he could not. "I thought that when I got my body back I'd be back to normal. I had no idea that my body was starving all that time." Alphonse rested his hand on his stomach. "I'm so hungry. I feel like I'm about to die."

Ed had a look of pity on his face. "The doctors told me that you can't have any food until they're sure your digestive system can handle it. They're feeding you through an IV for now. I guess you'll have to wait a while before you get to try that apple pie."

Al smiled weakly. "Speaking of apple pie, you know that Winry's going to kill you when she finds out that your automail is gone, don't you?"

Ed chuckled; the elder Elric's laughter was music to Al's ears. "She'll get over it. I'm sure she'll be glad to see me alive, with or without an automail arm."

"Brother?"

"Yeah?"

"How did you get me back, after I transmuted my soul to give you a right arm?"

Ed closed his eyes briefly, and then reopened them. "I gave up alchemy, and transmuted my gate of Truth. I'll never be able to use alchemy again."

Al was gripped with shock, that his brother would sacrifice something so precious. "But Brother, if you gave up your alchemy..."

Ed cut him off. "I don't care as long as I have you, Al. I set out to give you your body back, and now I've done all I really wanted to do with alchemy. Don't worry about it."

Al felt a sadness take hold of him. Even if Ed seemed content with his actions, it was still a tremendous sacrifice. If Ed wouldn't mourn it, he would for him. "I guess...I guess you're no longer the Fullmetal Alchemist, huh?"

"The colonel told me I'd receive my discharge papers tomorrow. It's officially listed as a medical discharge, so at least I'll get a pension out of it." Ed paused, and then his face took on a concerned look. "Why do you look so sad, Al?"

"Because you had to give up so much for me, Brother. I can't imagine how hard it was for you to do that, to throw away your life's work to get me back."

"Alphonse, when I went to face Truth and get you back, I didn't doubt myself for a moment. Everything I did on our journey, I did for you, Al, because I love you."

Tears welled up in Alphonse's eyes, as his sorrow was now accompanied by intense, overwhelming joy. "Thank you, Brother! Thank you so much." Al wept openly and shamelessly, tears streaming down his gaunt face and onto the covers, and he was so overcome with emotion, he hadn't even realize that Ed had gotten up until he felt an arm pulling him up into a sitting position. Al looked up to see Ed sitting next to him, looking at him with a smile. The warmth in Ed's golden eyes made Al feel like his heart was melting.

"I'm not hurting you, am I?" said Ed, caressing Al's shoulder.

"It hurts a little, but I don't really mind."

"Well, I have another idea." Al felt Ed lower him back down, and then gently push him over towards the edge of the bed to make room for Ed to lie down beside him. "Does this feel better?"

"Yeah. Feels nice." Slowly and painfully, Al extended an arm out from under the covers to put around his brother. Ed's skin was much softer and smoother than Al's own, which was dry and papery from malnutrition. "What time is it, anyway? My vision is too fuzzy for me to read the clock."

"7:35 PM. I'd say four hours or so since you got your body back. I bet you're tired."

"Yeah." Al shivered, his emaciated body unable to insulate him against the cool air of the room. "And cold."

"Want me to keep you warm through the night?"

"That would be wonderful, Brother."

Ed nodded and got under the covers, pulling Al close."You're so bony, Al. I can't even imagine how much you must be suffering in a state like this."

Al stretched a bit and snuggled against his brother, grateful for the warmth. He sighed with contentment as Ed kneaded what little muscle was left in his shoulder and neck, easing the pain somewhat. Strong, sinewy arms wrapped around his frail body, offering protection and heat. If it weren't for his IVs he would have turned over so he could face his brother. "It's not so bad, Brother. Not with you here next to me."

As the two brothers lay there together, Al began to feel increasingly sleepy. Eventually the world seemed to fall away until all that was left was himself, the sheets, and Ed. For most of his life Alphonse had wanted to feel his mother's warmth, a desire that had left him cursed for years with a body that could feel none at all. Now it was his brother offering him warmth. Ed was good. Ed would suffice. His lips curled into a peaceful smile as he slowly fell asleep.