With a sigh, Edward Elric plopped a stack of books onto the desk. A puff of dust rose from the neglected furniture, but Ed ignored it as he surveyed the collection laid out before him. Piles of books lay strewn about the small dorm room in disarray, stacked everywhere from the desk, to the floor, to the beds. A stream of afternoon sunlight filtered through the dirty window onto the floor, illuminating the particles drifting lazily in the air and casting a golden glow on the dusty old books.

Al shuffled by, carrying another stack and setting them carefully on the floor by another mountain of research material.

Ed sneezed, rubbed his nose with his flesh hand and nodded in approval. "Looks good, Al. Now to see if Colonel Idiot is right about these." He flopped onto the floor with a grunt and snatched the closest book to him.

"Colonel Mustang's leads may not always be right, Brother. But they do tend to bring us closer to our goal, in one way or another." Al spotted another random stack of notes and went to retrieve them.

"Yeah, right. Like running all over the countryside looking for a rabbit breeder would get us closer to the Philosopher's Stone."

"Well, that breeder did have a new lead on who else might have a clue as to where to get a Philosopher's Stone." Al bent down and tugged the stack of paper out from under their door.

"That was pure accident and had nothing to do with Colonel Bastard."

"Maybe. It's awfully coincidental though, don't you think?" Al's metal head slowly tilted down as he scanned the first page of the papers he had found.

"No, I don't. There is no possible way Colonel Make-Your-Reports-Or-So-Help-Me could have connected cleaning rabbit hutches with the Philosopher's Stone."

"... Brother... Did you pick up a story at the library?"

Ed lifted his golden head from the book. "What? A story? Al, you know I don't read fiction."

"Then where did this come from?"

Ed squinted at the sheaf of paper in Al's gauntlets. "Where'd you find it?"

"Under the door."

"Huh... Maybe someone pushed it under."

"But why would someone give us a story?"

"Beats me." Ed bent back over his book, gazed at it for a moment, then flipped the page.

"Aren't you curious, Brother?"

"'Bout what, Al?"

"What the story is about."

"Nope."

Ed flipped the pages of his book twice before he realized just how quiet it was. Glancing up through his bangs, he saw Al fingering the paper in his hands, gazing down at it with an aura of... Sadness?

"Hey Al... Whas'a'matter?"

Al started with a clink and looked up. "Wha-? Oh, nothing. I was just kinda curious about this story, that's all."

Ed sighed and snapped the book shut. "Fine, go ahead."

"Wha-?"

"Read it to me, stupid."

Al leaned back with a clank and the warmth of a smile twisted through his voice. "Oh, sure!"

The train rolled into Central Station early in the morning. It stopped and the doors opened and people came pouring out to go their separate ways.

The last persons to leave the cars were an elderly lady and a stunningly beautiful girl, about perhaps 16 years of age. The woman leaned on the arm of the girl, insisting she did not need any more help.

"I can make it on my own, dear. Thank you so much for the help."

"Oh, it's no trouble! I had a hand free, might as well use it!" The gorgeous girl laughed, a silvery, tinkling sound, shimmering violet eyes sparkling down at the women beside her.

"Thank you darling, you are so sweet." The elderly lady patted the girl's slender hand.

"Awww, you're pretty sweet yourself." The girl bent her exquisite face down and pressed rose colored lips against the weathered cheek of the woman. "Now, I have an escort coming to take me to Central Command. They should be here by now... Will you be alright from here?"

"Of course I will. Thank you again!"

The beautiful girl tossed a strand of thick, shimmering silver hair back over her shoulder, set down her suitcase and stretched. Her left sleeve slipped back and the glint of automail shone out. Quickly she pulled her sleeve back down. "Now... Where is my escort? Uncle Roy promised he'd send someone..."

A loud yawn broke through Al's reading and he paused, looking up.

Ed stretched his arms and shook his head. "This is boring, Al. We've got work to do. Let's just drop the story and get on with our research."

"But Brother! There's more!"

"I know, but it's boring! Who cares about some girl with silver hair?" Ed grabbed his book up again and opened to where he'd left off.

"... Oh... Brother... Wait."

"No Al, I don't wanna hear anymore right now."

"But Brother, we're in this story!"

Edward looked up, amber eyes narrowed. "Us? As in you and me?"

Al looked up from where he was skimming ahead to the next page. "Yep."

With a heavy sigh, Ed dropped the book back on the ground. "Fine."

Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist, was very angry. He didn't want to run Mustang's errands. He didn't care that Mustang had a meeting. He just wanted to go home and study.

In fact, when after several minutes of searching they couldn't find the girl they were looking for, Ed turned around and began to stomp away. "She must have missed her train, I don't see her anywhere."

"Brother, wait!" cried his younger brother Alphonse, stopping and looking behind Ed.

A breeze whispered by and for a moment, the steam of the trains puffing in and out parted to reveal a silver-haired girl. Her stunning violet eyes looked around, as though searching for someone. The breeze caught her shimmering hair, drifting it out behind her to reflect pure white light like a halo around her.

"That must be her," whispered Al. "She's so... Beautiful."

Despite his foul mood, Ed paused as he watched her. A strange feeling fluttered through his heart and he found himself swallowing heavily. She really was... Gorgeous. But what he said was, "She's just a girl. And great, we found her. Finally."

Al ran towards the girl, Ed walking slowly behind him. He couldn't take his eyes off the stunning girl wreathed in steam... She flipped a strand of hair out of her face and Ed nearly stumbled. Fortunately he recovered himself in time to avoid looking like a love-struck puppy. Which he wasn't. At all.

"WHAT!?"

"Brother..."

"You've got to be KIDDING ME! JUST WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE ANYWAY!?"

"That's the only mention of it! And they said you actually aren't!"

"I WOULD NEVER-!"

"I know. But you aren't and it's just a story."

"If I ever get my hands on whoever wrote this, they'll be so damn sorry..."

"... Can I keep reading?"

"Whatever, Al. Fine. If it makes you happy. But there better not be anymore 'love-sick puppy' business or so help me, I'll smash something."

"Hello, are you Allegra?" Al asked eagerly.

The girl turned, vivid eyes sparking like amethysts as she looked at Al. "Yes? Oh, you must be my escort. I'm so glad to see you!"

"We're glad to see you too! I'm Alphonse Elric and this is my older brother Edward."

The girl's bright eyes regarded Ed with a twinkle. "Ahhh, so my uncle sent The Fullmetal Alchemist himself? I'm flattered."

Ed's heart skipped a beat, but he frowned and said, "The pleasure is all mine. Now are we done chit-chatting? I'm tired of stnding around."

"Again with the mushy... If it doesn't stop, Al, we're quitting. Wait... what was that word?"

"I think it's supposed to be standing…"

"Okaaay…"

The girl's pristine silver brow twitched ever so slightly. "Having trouble seeing over the steam, are we? Oh well, not all of us are gifted with average height."

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL HE COULD FLOAT AWAY ON A CLOUD OF STEAM AND NEVER BE SEEN AGAIN!?"

"Brother, please..."

But Ed had completely snapped. As he clapped his hands and thrust them onto the ground, he glanced once at a silver chain dangling from her belt loop and disappearing into her pocket.

"Brother!" Al's voice was mortified and he made a snatch for his older brother.

Ed rolled to the side, avoiding Al's grasping gauntlets, as blue light shot across the concrete and blasted up towards the girl. A harsh grin was scrawled across his face, which deepened as the light exploded in a concrete fist that punched upwards. The breeze changed and suddenly steam enveloped the fist before Ed could see it hit its target.

"HA! Gotcha!" He bellowed.

"Not quite," breathed a whisper in his ear.

He spun, punching with his automail fist at the speaker. But there was nothing there.

A clap sounded behind him. The concrete rose and engulfed him before he could react, wrapping him in a cold embrace and pinning his hands.

Ed was stunned. "Wha-!? But you can't-! THAT'S MY THING!" He squirmed. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

"I could ask you the same thing," replied the silver haired beauty. The steam parted and he saw her smirking down at him.

"LET ME UP!" he yelled.

"No."

"Don't hurt my brother!" yelled Al and ran towards Allegra.

She spun as his fist hurtled towards her- and caught his gauntlet in her hand.

"Wha-?"

With a sudden movement, she spun and yanked Al over her shoulder.

"Ahhhh!" he exclaimed as with a thud, he landed right beside Ed.

The girl clapped her hands and slammed them on the ground. Another sheet of concrete covered Al and he was trapped.

"Wha-... How...?" Al trailed off.

Both boys stared at the girl standing above their heads, slender hands on shapely hips.

"Gotcha," she said with a dazzling smile. She smirked down at them as she continued, "I'm surprised you two were so easy! I thought uncle told you? I am Allegra Isabella Phoenix, The Starlight Alchemist!"

"That's ridiculous!" exclaimed Ed, startling Al into pausing reading. "There is no way she could just beat us both. Never at the same time and it's unlikely even if we were separate. Almost no one masters hand-to-hand combat and alchemy like that, all at the same time. And- and alchemy without a circle? Puh-lease."

"But Brother, what about Teacher? And Scar?"

"Those are specific and rare cases, Al. NOT normal."

"Allegra isn't normal, they've made that clear already."

"It's still stupid. We only know a handful of people who might be able to beat us. And we're just supposed to believe that this random girl is one of them?

"She's not random..."

"Fine. Whatever."

"... We can keep reading?"

"Sure, Al."

During the ride to Central Command, Ed was completely silent. Al and Allegra chatted happily, with Allegra telling stories of Colonel Roy Mustang when he was younger and she was still living with him. Al was laughing so hard he involuntarily gripped his metal sides, despite the fact that he had no muscles to cramp from too much laughter.

"Al, stop."

"It's OK, Brother."

"No, this story is stupid. I don't wanna hear anymore."

"But- but it gets better! Please Brother, I want to keep reading."

Ed slowly leaned forward and pressed his hands onto the floor in front of him, his fingers curling into fists. "Fine," he murmured in a strangely subdued tone. "Fine. Whatever makes you happy, Al."

Al looked at him for a moment, hesitating. "Brother...?"

"Just keep reading, Al. It's fine."

His head creaking as he bent back down to the paper, Al ran his finger down the words to find his place again. "Well, as soon as they... We... Get back to Central Command, they- we. We find out that we have an assignment with Allegra."

"Great. Just what we need."

"You're really upset."

"Wonder why that is."

"We're supposed to go inspect a mining facility. Everything seems to go OK until- well, let me just read it."

"Whatever makes you happy."

Without warning the roof caved in and a scream echoed through the cavern, nearly drowned by the thunder of the rocks collapsing to the floor.

"ALLEGRA!" shrieked Al.

They couldn't see Allegra because of all the stones falling. Some of them were beginning to dangerously fall on the brothers.

In desperation, Ed clapped his hands and slammed them on the ground. He transmuted the ground into a stone tent over him and Al to make the rocks to bounce off and miss them.

"Brother! What about Allegra?!"

"I don't know where she is! I can't transmite to cover her without missing and possibly killing her."

"Transmite?"

"Um… I think the author means 'transmute'."

"… I would hope so. Otherwise that's the dumbest thing I've ever heard."

Al stifled a giggle.

"But if you don't she might die anyway!" cried Al.

"We can only hope that she found a place to hide!"

They hid beneath Ed's transmuted cover silently. The stone rumbled and quaked, and the rocks clattered against the sides of their triangle.

Finally, the shaking stopped and the rocks stopped falling.

Ed clapped his hands and pressed them hard into the floor. The stone cover slid back into the floor.

"ALLEGRA!" yelled Al immediately.

The earth above them shook and pebbles tumbled down, plinking off Al's armor.

"The ceiling's about to carve in again!" said Edward. "We have to find Allegra before it's too late!"

"Wait, carve? Are you sure it's not 'cave', Al?"

"That's what it says, Brother…"

"Huh."

Al was already digging through the stones blocking their path out. The same stones that lay where Allegra had been standing a moment before. "Allegra! Allegra, where are you?"

"Please don't be under the rocks, please don't be under the rocks..." breathed Ed, joining his brother in the digging.

Something shifted in the pile in front of them and a stab of light made Ed squint upwards. A small stone had rolled off the pile and let a steam of light through.

"Brother, look!" cried Al.

Edward's gold eyes shot down to where Al's gauntlet pointed. Something was faintly gleaming from under a stone, enlightened by the shaft of light.

Silver hair.

"Allegra!" Al began to rip away the stones

"Al, be careful! You could crush her!"

Faint sobbing sounds were coming from the suit of armor, but he stopped and began to wring his hands together. "Then how do we get her out?" he cried.

Ed ducked and tried to peer under the fallen stones. "If I can just get a better look..." He stared for a moment, then clapped his hands and pressed them against the stone in front of him.

In a flash of blue light, the stones transmuted into two pillars, stretching from the ground to the ceiling, at the same time getting them out of the way and providing extra support for the roof. Right between them, where the rocks had been just a moment ago, lay a still, bloodied body.

"ALLEGRA!" screamed Al and dove for her.

"Don't move her, Al! She could have a broken neck!"

"But we can't just leave her!"

"Let me have a look first!"

Al stepped back and let Ed gat to Allegra. Edward reached his automail hand out towards her, then stopped and switched to his flesh hand. His fingers brushed up against her milky white neck and his breath hitched. But he did not stop in his quick examination. A trickle of blood swept down her face, marring the pale skin. Grime, dirt and scrapes covered every inch of exposed skin. But nothing appeared to be broken.

"She could still have internal injuries, but I think we can move her to a hospital without killing her."

"Let me carry her brother, you clear the way for us."

A flash of No, I'll carry her! shot through Ed's mind. His mouth opened to voice that thought, but then he stopped. Why did he even care? It's not like the girl meant anything to him. He looked down at the still form on the floor and his heart beat faster. But what he said was, "Sure Al, whatever." Then he turned and faced the cave-in, trying to ignore the jealousy that made him twitch when Al gently lifted Allegra from the floor.

He faced the rocks and steeled his mind away from the silver-haired alchemist, concentrating on the task at hand. He considered, calculated and finally clapped his hands and laid them on the floor. The earth rumbled faintly as the cave-in slowly began to transmute. A moment later, a path had been cleared so they could get out.

Al looked up slowly. Ed had been quiet for a long time. "Brother?"

"Hm?"

"Are you listening?"

"Sure Al."

"You want me to continue?"

"Whatever makes 'ya happy."

Al gazed at him for a moment. Edward was sprawled out on the floor, absentmindedly tracing invisible arrays with his left finger, red coat splayed around him like a pool of blood. There was no sign of any impending blow-ups. It crossed Al's mind that he must not be listening too closely, otherwise surely he'd be getting annoyed again by this point...

Moderately satisfied, Al looked down at the paper again. "OK, um... So they took Allegra to the hospital as fast as they could and waited outside the examination room as the doctors looked her over..."

"Doctor! Is she going to be OK?" cried Al as soon as the head doctor came out.

"She is going to be alright, Alphonse," replied the doctor. "There are no broken bones, but she is bleeding internally and will need to be kept quiet for a few weeks."

"Can we see her, doc?" asked Edward.

"Of course," said the doctor.

Al stood up eagerly and bolted towards the door of the examination room.

"Please be quiet!" cried the doctor. "Do not disturb her! You may talk quietly, if she's awake. But do not get her excited."

"Yes sir," said Al, subdued.

Ed walked around Al and opened the door to the room and walked in. Al followed him.

Allegra lay on the bed, eyes closed, face even paler than usual. Her chest rose and fell evenly. There were little bandages taped all over her arms and one on her forehead. Her hair was spread around her head like a silver halo.

"Is she asleep?" asked Al, disappointed.

"Looks like it," said Ed. He tried to ignore the way his heart sank with disappointment as well.

Allegra's dark lashes fluttered against her cheek.

Ed's heart pounded. "Allegra?"

Slowly, her eyes opened and her bright violet orbs glittered in the light. "Ed..."

"Wait, orbs? Violet orbs?"

Al shrugged one shoulder. "I think… They mean eyes."

"Since when do normal people call eyes 'orbs'?"

"I… Don't know. Maybe the author isn't a normal person?"

Ed snorted. "'Ya got that right."

"It's gonna be alright, we've gotcha. You're gonna be just fine," said Ed soothingly.

"No, Ed... Danger..."

The brothers exchanged glances.

"Danger, Allegra?" asked Ed, carefully. "What are you talking about?"

"Go, Ed... Escape... While you... Can..." Her breath came out faintly, chest heaving, stunning eyes fluttering closed again.

"Allegra, wait! What's wrong? Are you in trouble?" yelled Edward.

Suddenly there was a loud crash. Ed and Al spun around to stare at the window, now shattered on the floor. A metal hook was lodged in the window frame and that was what had broken the window.

"Brother? What's going on?"

Ed took a ready stance, quickly transmuting his automail arm into a sword. "She's in trouble, Al. And the trouble has come to us."

Al quickly moved into a fighting stance too. "Then we'll cause trouble for it too."

Suddenly men dressed in all black came pouring into the room. They didn't even get a chance to count them before they launched themselves on Ed and Al and began to fight them.

Ed fought hard as always, leaping and spinning and slashing. He didn't want to use his alchemy because he didn't want to ruin the hospital. There were sick people all around him and he couldn't go around smashing their walls and ceiling and floor. But there were a lot of these men and they knew what they were doing. He saw out of the corner of his eye some of them going for Allegra while he and Al were busy fighting the rest of them.

"ALLEGRA!" he screamed and lunged towards the other men.

They spun on him and one of them met his charge with a sword, stopping him by blocking the slash of his transmuted arm.

"LEAVE HER ALONE" screamed Ed and shoved as hard as he could.

"EDWARD!" came another scream.

He didn't know where it was from, but before he could try to figure it out, the man he was fighting with pulled out another sword and stabbed Ed in the stomach.

Ed gasped and coughed up blood. A wild scream sounded from somewhere in the room and suddenly Allegra was there.

Jumping, slashing, spinning, she was a whirlwind of rage. In her hands was a long blade that seemed to have come out of nowhere. Heads rolled, blood spattered, men screamed.

Ed fell to his knees in the midst of the chaos, blood gushing from his torso and burbling from his mouth.

"BROTHER!"

Al's scream sounded very far away. The fighting around him began to swirl into a single blur, and the racket faded into a faint background noise. A moment later, it all went black.

"What!? Is this some kinda joke!?"

"Well..."

"That is crazy! An internally injured person could not jump out of bed and start fighting without killing themselves."

"Well maybe she dies...?"

"The fighting is pathetic! It's a terrible portrayal of us!"

Al didn't mention that only Ed's fighting was portrayed.

"I would never- who do they think they are!?"

"I don't know, Brother..."

"This is absurd! No way would I- I mean it happens sometimes, but not so fast! Who do they think they are!?"

"I don't know... It does seem unlikely..."

"UNLIKELY!?"

"OK... It wouldn't happen like that..."

"Damn right it wouldn't!" Ed slammed his automail fist into the floor for emphasis. He paused for a moment, teeth grinding.

Al looked at his brother. The blow-up stage had been nearly reached. But... "So... Do you want me to continue?"

Edward's mouth popped open to exclaim What do you think!?, but he paused at the sight of his brother's body language. Shoulders hunched forward, gauntlets gripping the paper, leaning towards him... Hopeful. What came out of his mouth was a frustrated sigh. "Fine. Whatever makes 'ya happy, Al." He flopped backwards onto the ground and folded his arms over his chest.

"Are you sure?"

"Sure I'm sure. Go on, read it Al."

"Ok, um..." Al glanced over the next events of the story... And cringed. He snuck a glance up at his brother, who was staring at the ceiling, one leg crossed over the knee of the other, foot bouncing impatiently. "Um, well, apparently Allegra is OK..."

Ed snorted, but said nothing.

"And you get a fever from your wound."

Ed mumbled something rather venomous sounding, but Al couldn't hear what he said.

"Brother?"

"Go on, Al." His teeth were gritted as though he were in great pain or as though he were very angry.

"Are you sure? Because we can just skip it if-"

"AL! I said read it!"

Al jumped so hard he nearly tore the papers in half. "OK! Um, well..." He glanced down again. "So the bad guys came back and-"

"Just read it."

Al sighed, the sound rattling in his armor. It was a habit really, since he no longer had lungs to sigh with.

"Allegra, look out!" yelled Al, ducking under the blow of a man in black. He hit the man across the face and he went sailing.

"I've got it!" cried Allegra, clapping her hands and slamming them on the waist of the man lunging towards them. His gut burst and blood spattered everywhere.

From the bed, Ed moaned and tried to turn over. His wound had started bleeding again and blood was staining the sheets.

"Brother!"

"Al, stand back!"

Al jumped back as a transmutation circle suddenly glowed beneath his feet. "What did you do!?"

"GET BACK!" screamed Allegra.

Stumbling backwards even further, Al watched in horror as the men still in the circle began to scream. Suddenly they began to melt, to pool into red blood that clarified into a familiar red liquid. The screaming faded away, the transmutation circle pulsed weakly a few more times, then turned black. In the center of the circle was a bright red stone.

Allegra swiped it off the ground and approached Edward's bed. "It's OK Ed, I'm going to make you well."

"WHAT!?" Ed's face was white as a sheet. His voice left his mouth in nearly a scream. "SHE DID WHAT!?"

"It's just a story, Brother..."

"NO Al. It's NOT just a story. It's a story about US. A story about ALCHEMISTS. About STATE ALCHEMISTS. This isn't JUST A STORY!" Ed was steaming, the smoke practically coming out of his ears.

It'd gone too far. Al knew that. But he still cringed when Ed leapt up and stormed across the room towards him.

"It's a DISGRACE!"

He was, however, astonished when Ed snatched the papers out of his hands and tore them into tiny pieces. "Brother!" A pang shot through his heart.

Ed stormed out of the room, bellowing over his shoulder as he slung the door open, "I'm going to get some fresh air!" He slammed it behind him so hard the walls rattled.

Al stared down at the paper shreds fluttering to the floor in front of him. He sighed again. It suddenly struck him that his heavy sighs had no effect on the paper drifting downwards. No breath shifted the air currents.

If he'd had a body, he knew his throat would be constricting with tears. As it was, a sound like a sob gently shook the armor his soul was encased in. But he slammed the lid on those thoughts and pulled out his chalk resolutely.

A moment later, the transmutation circle was finished and all the pieces of paper gathered into a pile in the center. Al placed his hands on the perfect lines and they glowed brightly, humming with power. When the glow died away, the tiny shreds of paper had been reconstituted into the full sheets they had been minutes ago.

Al carefully picked them up, his fingers clumsy on the thin material. He glanced guiltily towards the door, hugging the paper to his chest. Not a sound came from beyond it. After listening for a moment, the boy in the armor turned his metal head down towards the paper again.

Even if Ed was 100% done with the story, Al couldn't help feeling that he should finish it himself. After all, someone took the trouble to write about them. It was sweet, even if a bit... Clumsily executed.

"Allegra! What have you done!?" Al was horror-struck, voice shaking.

"It had to be done, Al! We have to make Ed better or he'll die!"

"B- but!"

"No buts! C'mon, hold him still for me."

Al came to the other side of the bed. He was terrified. He laid his gauntlets gently on his brother's tossing form, pressing him soothingly back into the mattress. "It's OK brother... We're... We're going to save you."

Allegra held the stone in her hands, examining it. "I'm not sure if this is going to work... There weren't very many souls for this."

"Brother will be... So angry..."

"And that's why you can't tell him how we healed him."

Al's head snapped up. "What!?"

"You can't tell him what we did!"

"But- but he'll know!"

"No he won't. Only you and I know about this. The doctors don't and will come up with their own explanation. Just let them and don't say a word about it. Do you understand!?"

"Y- yes..."

Allegra smiled at him and Al's soul sang, making his fear and anguish fade away. "It's going to be OK, alright Al?"

"Alright..." Al wanted to smile back, but all he could do was nod his head a bit stiffly.

Edward moaned softly, a whispering breath hissing Al's name.

Allegra looked down. "We're going to fix you Ed, hang on." She clutched the stone in her hand, took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a moment, rose lips pursed in intense concentration.

Al waited. Ed tossed his head, sighing and muttering.

Allegra's violet eyes suddenly flew open and she clapped her hands together, then brought them down onto Ed's chest swiftly, but gently. Red light glowed out from under her hands as the transmutation hummed to life.

Ed sighed and turned his head away, sweat beading down his face.

Matching beads of sweat coursed down Allegra's face as the red glow faded away. She pulled her hands away and took a deep breath, then peered at the stone.

It exploded in her face with a shower of shattered red.

"Ahh!" she cried, not very loudly. Blood began to drip down her face from multiple scrapes now scattered over her radiant skin.

"Allegra!" cried Al.

"I'm alright. But I think I have Philosopher's Stone embedded in my face now..." Allegra carefully touched her previously flawless skin, then hissed. "Yep, sure do."

Ed took a deep breath and his lashes fluttered.

"Brother!" cried Al.

Allegra stepped back. "He can't see me like this. Talk to him, I'll be right back."

"What do we tell him about the state of the room?"

"Tell him those men came back, but we got rid of them."

"OK. Are you gonna be alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." She quickly ducked out of the room to wash up.

"Al?" breathed Edward.

"It's OK Brother, I'm right here."

Ed's golden eyes fluttered open, clear as crystal, no sign of a fever left in them. "What... What happened?"

"You were sick, Brother. A fever. But you're going to be OK now."

"Heh... Thank goodness for great doctors, right?"

"Yeah..."

"Al? Something wrong?"

"What? Oh, no! No, I was just... Worried about you. That's all."

"Heh, no need to worry about me, Al. Nothing keeps me down, you know that." Ed grinned and jabbed his thumb into his chest.

Al laughed half-heartedly and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, should've known..."

The door opened and Allegra walked in, the scratches on her beautiful face barely noticeable now that they were cleaned up. A smile graced her exquisite lips, making her violet eyes sparkle.

"Allegra!" cried Ed in greeting.

"Hi Edward, how are you feeling?"

"I'm feelin' just great! But- Hey, what happened to the room?"

Al and Allegra exchanged glances.

"Um..." began Al.

"They came back. But we dealt with them," answered Allegra firmly.

Ed's eyes widened, then narrowed. "I don't... Remember any of that..."

"You were pretty feverish," said Allegra coolly.

"It's OK Brother, really. We took care of them. They're gone now."

"They were after me, anyway," said Allegra bitterly. "I'm so sorry to have dragged you into this."

Al looked at her and suddenly understood why she had done what she did.

"Oh, it's no problem. I feel great!" said Ed quickly, plastering a grin on his face and stretching expansively to prove his point.

Allegra's lips twitched. "Sure you do. You're the irrepressible Fullmetal Pipsqueak."

"That's ri- WHO ARE YOU CALLING A PIPSQUEAK SO TINY YOU COULDN'T CUT HIM WITH A KNIFE BECAUSE THE BLADE IS TOO THICK AND WOULD JUST CRUSH HIM INSTEAD!?"

Allegra laughed easily as Al held his brother down from flying off the bed and attacking her.

"She didn't say any of that, Brother..." sighed Al. But inwardly he was happy, because Ed's struggles were full of life and health. He no longer wondered if the stone had healed Edward's wound as well as his fever.

Al choked back a hysterical laugh at the portrayal of Edward in the fic. It's just as well Brother isn't here to hear this, he thought. As if he weren't angry enough already.

The doctors were shocked at Ed's rapid recovery. They tried to keep him for a few more days for "observation", but the Fullmetal Alchemist would have none of it. With Al shrugging and Allegra silent on the matter, the doctors had no choice but to release him.

As they stepped outside, breathing in the fresh air, Allegra hoisted her bag over her slender shoulder. "Well boys, it's been fun. But the inspection is over and I have other things to tackle. See 'ya around!" She turned on her heel without another word and gracefully glided away.

"Allegra! No, wait a sec!" exclaimed Ed, running after her.

Al was shocked, the words he had been forming to call her back dying before they could echo inside his hull.

Allegra glanced over her shoulder, perfect profile silhouetted by the sun. "Don't follow me, Ed. You've seen what kind of danger follows me around. I don't want you to get hurt again."

"Allegra, you don't understand- you can't leave!"

"Yes I can and I will! Goodbye Ed!" She turned to leave again.

"Allegra!" Ed raced in front of her and caught her coat in his fists, staring into her face.

"Let go of me!" She shoved him with her automail hand.

But he didn't let go. Instead, he swooped in and caught her lips with his, pressing firmly.

Allegra started and her bag slipped from her senseless, slender fingers. She was frozen in place and could not move.

Al's heart- or whatever it was that pained him so -dropped into his clanking shoes. No... Not Ed too...

Ed's left hand curled behind Allegra's head, tangling in her silver hair as he deepened the kiss.

But finally, Allegra regained control of herself. Her hands clapped suddenly and then flew to his chest.

In a flash of white light, Edward was thrown backwards with a force of a small explosion. He grunted in astonishment, holding his hand over his chest and panting, eyes wide.

"No Ed... Don't... You can't... I don't..." Her eyes closed for a moment as she tried to get a grip on herself.

Ed stared at her, "Allegra..."

"No! No, I don't love you! I can't!"

Al's trembling fingers clutched at the paper and he bent so close that his spike was nearly touching it. "H- how could she? My poor brother..."

He didn't even notice the sun beginning the decent down to its nightly rest.

As he stomped down the hall to his dorm room, Ed felt relatively calm. The rush of red rage had passed and the evening was beautiful. The sun was exerting its last rays as it finally slipped below the horizon. The streetlights outside were being turned and the air turning cool.

The yellow light in the dormitory corridor flickered a little as Ed reached out and turned the doorknob to his and Al's room.

"Hey Al, whudaya say we go down to the cafe and..." His sentence was choked off when his heart lurched into his throat

Al was sitting on the floor right where he had left him, shoulders hunched and shaking softly. His metal shell clanked quietly as whimpering echoed through it.

Edward froze, his one flesh knee feeling weak and panic constricting his throat. He tried to form words, What the hell is going on!?, but nothing came out.

Then he saw the crumpled papers in Al's leather gauntlets. The transmutation circle on the floor. No sign of paper shreds. It all clicked in his brain. His entire body sagged with relief and he let out a shaky breath, finally closing the door behind him.

"Hey Al... It's just a story."

Al's head rattled faintly as he shook it, but did not answer.

Ed sighed, heart still not slowed down from his scare, and moved in front of Al. With a grunt, he lowered himself into a cross legged position and looked up into his brother's expressionless face. "Wanna tell me about it?"

A sound like a sob quivered out of the suit of armor. "It's so sad, Brother!"

"Well OK, how is it sad?" asked Ed, patiently. His golden eyes regarded his brother as he waited for an answer.

Whatever had happened in the story was enough to disturb Al. While it was a dumb story not worth anyone's time, it had somehow managed to make his little brother upset. And no matter the cause, anything that bothered Al his older brother would make every effort to fix.

For a moment, Al was quiet. Then he spoke, hesitantly. "Allegra left us. She had a new mission. But we found out it was a trap and ran to save her from it."

"Sounds like us," said Ed with an easy smile.

Al glanced up from the papers in his hands to look at his brother's calm and pleasant face. The sight of which was enough to make his voice sound stronger as he continued. "We were too late! By the time we got there, she... She was already hurt really bad. Really bad, Brother..."

A twinge of annoyance brought on by remembering the other "hurt" people in the story made Ed tighten his lips. He looked away quickly to hide it, thick braid flicking over his shoulder. "And then?"

"We... Killed the man who had wounded her..." Al's voice was a whisper.

Ed clenched his jaw to keep from bursting out with indignation.

"Then she... She..." Al's voice trailed away and his armor clicked as his head dropped, his shoulders sagged and he hunched forward.

Ed's heart sank. "And then?"

"She died, Brother... She died..."

Well, that partly explained things. But what was the big deal? She was annoying! "Oh Al... It's just a story. She's not real."

"No, you don't understand! We- she-! We were so upset, Brother... And I... I-!"

Ed's heart was beginning to beat faster at the despair in Alphonse's voice.

"I wanted to bring her back!"

Ed's breath vanished as though he'd been punched in the solar plexus. "... What?"

"And- and- and you told me no! You were right, of course..."

"Al..."

"You said we had to let her go. But I... I..."

"Al! STOP!"

Al's head jerked up to look at his older brother, a sound of surprise interrupting whatever he was about to say next.

"Stop. It's just a story. You didn't do anything in real life and you didn't even do anything in the story. It's OK. It's just a story, anyway."

"But Brother... The trouble is... I think I would actually say something like that."

"No you wouldn't. You already-" Ed's voice gave out for a moment as what he was about to say made his throat constrict. But the intensity with which Al's red soul eyes were staring at him caused him to rally. "-You already know the price which human transmutation requires."

"Yeah..." The boy in the suit of armor began to smooth out the wrinkles in the paper that he had made by gripping them so tightly. "But... Then you said no."

"So what? If I'd wanted to do the transmutation you would have told me the same thing."

"But- but you're the one who was in love with her! More than me, I mean. And you aren't the one who suggested the transmutation!"

"... What?" Edward's voice was low, a dangerous tone sharpening the edge.

"I mean- you kissed her! And you didn't even-"

"I DID WHAT!?"

The volume of his brother's roar cut Al off mid-sentence.

Edward shot off the floor and began to storm murderously around the room, flailing his arms and screaming wildly. "I WOULD NEVER! NEVER EVER! THAT IS SO RIDICULOUS WHO DO THEY THINK THEY ARE LEMME AT 'EM AND I'LL SHOW 'EM HOW I KISS WITH MY AUTOMAIL FIST!"

Dumbfounded, Al watched his brother thunder around their tiny apartment, books flying as he knocked the stacks over, papers fluttering into the air and raining down in swirling motions, bellowing at the top of his lungs his outrage and indignation.

Then suddenly, for some reason he could not quite fathom, Alphonse began to laugh. It couldn't be heard over Edward's shrieking, but he felt better for it all the same.

The End