When you love someone...

[equalexchange]

For days, Edward Elric had been silently floating on his own personal cloud. For the first time in what felt like ages, he'd had restful nights sleep. He'd been able to focus. He felt as if the weight of the world had been, momentarily lifted off his shoulders. And for the time, he kept it to himself, reveling in the wonder of this new,

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[wutaiheart]

Yuffie just happened to be the sort of girl who went tree to tree as exercise and training. Also, there were sometimes houses, and that meant either meeting people or getting a chance to rifle through their things.

She didn't expect to see that guy again. Wow, poor bastard.

"Edward?"

[equalexchange]

Edward looked up slowly, almost hopefully. Of course, the split second it took him to register the voice, he knew it wasn't Winry. By then, he was looked directly at Yuffie. Apparently, this girl had a knack for finding him was he was feeling low.

"...You swing through trees for fun?" he asked, his voice flat.

At least this time he wasn't shaking like a mad-man.

[wutaiheart]

"Keeps my skills intact," said Yuffie. "You look like hell, my friend. Can I ask what happened, or should we just go steal some booze?" She punctuated it with a charming smile.

[equalexchange]

Booze. Damn, that actually sounded really good at the moment. Something, anything to dull his senses.

He was still holding the wrench protectively when he spoke. "Someone I was ... that I cared about very much ... she used to live here."

[wutaiheart]

Yuffie thought back to when Aerith had died. Or, y'know, been brutally murdered. It had been more Tifa's thing to try and take care of Cloud afterward, not hers.

She dropped into a crouch, tilting her head. "I'm sorry. That's really rough, though I can't claim to know 'xactly how it feels. You... want me to go away?"

[equalexchange]

"Mm. Whatever you want," he said, a very noncommittal answer, and one he was used to using at times like this. He was ready to just curl up and lay there for a while, grasping at whatever remained of Winry -- the smell of her hair on the pillow, the fingerprints he could almost make out on the wrench..

For whatever reason (likely his pride), he stayed upright. "It's not.. as if she's died. She's just... gone."

[wutaiheart]

"I dunno. At home, I would have thought just disappearing was worse. When someone died, you knew they went to the Lifestream, and... well, I know someone there, and if she's there, it's okay." Yuffie let her butt hit the floor and sprawled her legs a little. "I'd be more freaked about disappearing. But people say it happens all the time here, soooo I guess it is better. They just go somewhere else. Maybe you'll go too?"

[equalexchange]

"I'm not sure if that would be better, or worse," said Edward. "I don't want to leave Al alone... I've done that enough for one lifetime."

He couldn't look at Yuffie. He just... hung his head, and looked for all the world as though the life and spark had been completely sucked out of him.

"If there were a God, I'd swear He hates me."

[wutaiheart]

She was kinda worried he might throw himself outta the tree at this point, even though it wouldn't do much.

"My dad always said that sometimes the spirits of our ancestors, or of the great Leviathan, test us. I dunno if I ever bought it." Gawd, she was so glad Tifa had taken care of this with Cloud. Yuffie just remembered her own tears, in private, mostly.

Looking around, she finally said, "Okay, I know it's got significance, but you can't just sit in here. We have to leave."

[equalexchange]

Edward couldn't help but scoff at the statements. Spirits of Ancestors his ass. The souls of the dead didn't do anything but rest, he was almsot certain of that.

He leaned forward, and rested his elbows on his knees. "What for?" he asked, hopelessly.

[wutaiheart]

Whereas Yuffie could say, probably more certainly, that at least one soul had done a lot more than that.

"Because you'll go absolutely freaking nuts if you just stay here," said Yuffie practically. "Who's Al? You're no good to him if you're insane."

[equalexchange]

Edward blinked at Yuffie. It showed how much Al was ingrained into his life and way of thinking, that he'd completely forgotten that he'd even mentioned him; furthermore, that he hadn't realized he'd never mentioned him before.

"Al's... he's my brother."

[wutaiheart]

"Wow, lucky!" Yuffie popped to her feet, and held out a hand, wiggling her fingers. "I'm an only child. And in my town, I was just about the only child, too!"

[equalexchange]

Edward stared in bewilderment for a moment, golden eyes blinking. Being the only Kid in a town? unbelievable. No siblings, he could understand, Winry had never had...

He seemed to deflate then, at the very thought of her. Winry...

Sagging a bit, he looked down. "Yeah... Al's... he's ... I dunno what I'd do without him. He's not just my brother. He's my only living family. He's my best friend."

[wutaiheart]

"You are lucky then," said Yuffie, shaking her head a little. "Then again, if I'd had a brother, I'd have REALLY had to yell at my dad to learn wushu!"

[equalexchange]

"Yeah? What's that?" asked Edward, only half interested. He seemed only half there, despite Yuffie's best efforts.