He was seated by Edward's bed. He had helped moved him earlier today from the infirmary to a spare room because Amelia was worried about space. She had told him that the amount of sedatives that she had given Ed would keep him out for several hours yet.
They had spent weeks tracking him down after he had disappeared. It was supposed to have been a routine mission. Then everything went to hell in a hand basket. Not only had the other side shown up, but reality itself had started to go. All Al could remember was Folken yelling into his radio to clear out, and regroup, as he stood between Envy on one side, his brother on the other, and chaos all around. There had been a five-person team going in -- only four came out.
It was quiet tonight. Amelia had told him that Gwen's arm would heal just fine, and that Zelgadis would probably get out of the infirmary tomorrow. Most everyone else was out checking the perimeter or securing their defenses. Al had never seen Xellos so angry.
Al had insisted on helping track every lead, trace any report, even bring Folken and Gwen coffee as they worked into the night. The Elric monomania had not passed over Hoenheim's youngest son -- it had gotten to the point where Celes has to order him to rest. But, they had found Envy. They had put together their team, quickly, before he changed locations again. Al had insisted on going along. The fight had been hard, even with some of their stronger people -- fighting homunculi, especially ones with the power of time gods, was never easy. But the group hadn't expected to have to fight a State Alchemist-turned-time-god as well.
"Brother? I don't know if you can hear me, but... well, I want to talk. I don't know what Envy did to you, but I want..." He paused, for a moment, not sure what to say. Did he want to hurt Envy, to make him pay? He felt a cool rage when he thought of the homunculus, and his hands clenched into fists. He wanted Envy to be gone from their lives forever, whatever it took. Even if he had to tear him limb from limb. But more than that, he wanted to see Envy hurt -- that frightened him.
But, there was something deeper than that. As much satisfaction as it would give him, nothing he did to Envy would change anything. It wouldn't bring back his brother. "I... You saved my soul by binding it to this armor. You promised you'd bring back my body. I know I'm the little brother, so you always took care of me, but now it's my turn. I promise you I'll bring back your mind and soul, Brother. Ed."
He took his brother's hand and traced an eight-pointed star. It might just have been a trick of the light, but in Ed's sleeping face, he thought he saw the echoes of Rizenbool, and Dublith, and Central and other places and times not yet lost completely.