A-Al...

((OOC: He's back. Umm... somewhere in the forest maybe? Bad conditions. Can't move. Automail broken. Probably lots of bones broken, too. Just... in really bad condition in general.))

[Voice]

Ugh... gotta... g'back...

Promised... won't sepa...rate...

Al, I... I'm... back... Sheena knows... way... map... river... mountain...

[Voice Post]

[rather cheerful voice, btw]

Yeah, okay, so I was an idiot. Al... made me talk to him, and... we're back home now. Both of us.

It's...

Eh. Anyway!

...Gah, this sounds ridiculous. Talking at this thing, I mean.

Right. So. You guys can stop nagging and worrying, okay?

...
...
...
...

[stretch of silence, as Ed takes a nap while forgetting to turn journal off]

...
...
...
...

GAH, THE HELL?!

O-oi, let go!

[THUMP, then static]

[aaaaaaaand... journal suddenly turns off]

[Filtered from Al]

Che, dammit.

The stupidest decision is one that you regret.

Dammit, dammit, dammit.

...At least he's getting close to other people.

I'm not going to talk to him.

I'm not.

I'm not.

( 100 questions )

( Emoguiltramble about Al is what Eds do best! (Cut for space) )

O-OI!

[...*remembers to filter his post* Now filtered from Al]

Wh-what the hell is this? As if I didn't have enough problems?!

Argh! And my automail feels weird now. The size isn't made for this kind of a body!

Feh. I guess if I went back now, it wouldn't be h--

Never mind.

[Screw it, making it private now]

--At least it wouldn't be homosexuality if I'm like this, eh? Heh. Like that's any better. Still incest no matter how you look at it.

Ah, dammit. I can't get him out of my mind. Well, not that I ever could, but... never like this.

His lips and... scent and... feel and--

...I'm not dragging him to hell again. I'm not.

Valentine's Day, huh?

How long has it been now? It's gotta be months...

And, y'know, everything seemed okay before. Al was here, and we were... happy. And hopeful. There was still alchemy, even if it was weak, and we started developing those arrays.

And then... Al...

I couldn't protect him. I never could, could I?

And I know I wouldn't be able to, if they came after him again. And, dammit, if I can switch places with him, I would.

I was such a brat, too. It's always Al who gets hit with my consequences.

Nngh. Damn this place. I thought Alfons's world was hell, but this is the real thing, covered in flowers and trees, huh?

Al's still gone, and he's still big, and he looks like mom, and I want mom back, and I wanna play with Winry, and I dunno who this Balthier guy or that Sheena lady are, and I dunno where we are, and I dunno why we have wings, and alchemy's being weird, and everything's stupid.

Hmph.

I hate it.

[Attempted private, of course easily-hackable]

Fine! If Al doesn't wanna see me anyway, I don't wanna see him either. I'm gonna go. I wanna go home.

[rather panicky voice, at that]

O-oi! Someone help! Al...

Al's...

T-teacher? Anyone?

HELP, MY BROTHER COLLAPSED!

Huh? Where am I? Where's this? This isn't my house!

Oi! Anyone here? Al? Teacher? Mr. Curtis? Mason?

Man, this is annoying. Did I get kidnapped or something? Hey! Lemme go! My little brother's the only one left and we don't have money for ransom!

And this place looks horrible. Maybe they've heard of the amazing Elric Brothers and want us to fix it up for them! Okay, I just need some chalk. Let's see, how'd the array go...

[Private, easily hackable because he's too shaken to lock it properly]

Wh-why did it have to be him. DAMMIT, WHY HIM?

Al... Al...

Give him back. Give him back, damn you! I'll give you anything. My arm, my leg, my heart... Hell, take me if you want, just give him back. I... I'd be more interesting for your experiments, dammit! We're both alchemists, aren't we? And I can do it without a transmutation circle. I'm the one who saw the gate. I'm the Fullmetal Alchemist. So take me and gimme back my brother!

Give him back... GIVE HIM BACK! How many years have I kept him safe from Mustang's damned threats? I won't let my baby brother turn into a lab rat! I won't!

Al, Al...!

[Filtered to Sheena]

H-hey. Um. I don't really wanna bug you for something like this, but... last time, you told me you might... be able to remember where their base is. Can you tell me?

[Private, but not really protected; he's just ranting]

More and more people seem to be kidnapped every day, and they all return in injured states. And... dammit. Dammit. There's nothing we can do! Isn't it enough to drag us to this place and have those world-wide experiments? They're still gonna do more?

People aren't toys. You can't play with lives like that. You just... can't. It's no better than what Shou Tucker did, or Kimbley, or the Homunculi...!

I don't even know most of these people. There're just more and more of them every day. But... they're still people. And who's to say it wouldn't be me one of these days? Or, even worse, Al? I've... gotta find out where they are and how to break in there before something happens to Al. I have to...!

Hn. I guess the flowers are gone for real, after all. I almost thought they were gonna pop up again.

So another experiment's done, huh. First, the rain, and then then the flowers... It goes to follow the next one's probably dangerous again.

It's hard to say this, but, y'know, I almost wish they'd hurry up with these experiments. I mean, it's not like I wanna be in one. It's probably really bad. But, y'know, sometimes, the waiting can be worse. Just... not knowing, imagining the worst possible scenarios...

Eh. At least I haven't seen Envy around lately. I'd be worried, except not having him around is definitely a good thing. Man, I hope he's gone back to being dead.

And Al's here, so everything's all good in the end. Er, well, except I guess I'd rather Al not be in a place like this. But... when the two of us are together, there's nothing we can't do.

Thank goodness the rain's stopped. IthoughtIwasgonnadrown!

Everyone else okay? Chi? Talking Cat? Balthier? Other people?

( Private, hackable )

Okay, okay, fine, leaving the library now. Aah, damn, how long have I been in there for, now? Didn't really find anything useful, though. But there was something about the theory of evolution of extra-terrestial sentient beings, and...

Erm. Guess I can't borrow any either, huh. Won't be anything but pulp by the time I get back to the house. I don't trust my alchemy to fix them here. I mean, if it can't even dry my clothes properly...

Y'know, after not having any alchemy for two years, you'd think having a little bit was nice. But, geez, this is seriously a case where having a little is worse than having none. I don't even know what I'd be able to manage. It's like I'm five again, except it's frustrating as hell 'cause I know what I should be able to do.

...And Al's not with me. Then again, with Envy here, that's probably a good thing.

Oh. Er. Right. Getting out of the library now. I should probably pick up some food on the way, since I'll be outside anything.

Oi, Chi, talking cat, what do you guys eat?

Looks like the rain's getting worse. Guess I won't be getting out of the library anytime soon.

Not that I really mind. Man, I haven't even heard of most of these books. Where'd they get them?

Kinda worried about Chi, though. She didn't seem to be doing so well by herself. Maybe the cat can take care of her?

...The hell am I saying? Cats don't take care of people. Not even talking ones.

Oi, Chi! If you need anything, gimme a shout and I'll go back~

Al...

Al's not here.

Two years, I finally found him, only to lose him again. Dammit...

But, then again, I was ready to leave him in Amestris, huh. But how long was I expecting to live after going back to that den of murderers?

...But, y'know, I thought everything'd be okay, after all. Alfons... Alfons was gone, but Al was with me, and... we were going to start over.

Heh.

Maybe I should be glad he's not here. Experiments, huh. I'd rather he stayed in that dump of a city than be experimented on, though he'd probably be quite ecstatic here if he found out we'd be living with a talking cat and a cute little girl.

The hell just happened? I was back there to close the Gate, and Alfons was...

And Al...

Dammit, Al! Al, where are you?

Al...!

((OOC: ...Nope, didn't notice the wings yet. *pokes Ed*))