In my hands
A legacy of memories
I can hear you say my name
I can almost see your smile
Feel the warmth of your embrace
But there is nothing but silence now
Around the one I loved
Is this our farewell?

It was dark that day, the day they all stood beside a dark, lone grave. The light sprinkle of rain did not help their mood; it only worsened it. Low thunder rumbled in the distance and a cold breeze would not let down. The forms clad in black standing around the grave stared grimly at the grave and occasionally their shoulders shook in grief, each holding a single white rose.

"… Edward Elric was the greatest Alchemist I've ever known…" came the voice of the man standing in front of them. He was standing in front of the priest, hat in hand. "We…" the man, Major Armstrong, struggled against giving in to his sorrow, "… we all miss him." A young woman, Armstrong's sister, came and wrapped her small arm around him and whispered soothing words up to him. They stopped by the grave and put on their flowers, then walked away.

Riza came and took Armstrong's place, her usual stiff posture and controlled emotions no longer to be seen. She stood as straight as she could, but even her tears couldn't stop from filling her eyes. "When I first met Edward, and his brother, I thought that they were stubborn and determined to do what was right. Even though Edward could be brash, he would fulfill in his journey. His parents would've been proud of him," Riza ended in a whisper. She turned and placed the white rose she had been holding in her hand on the grave and walked back to where she originally stood beside Roy.

Havoc took a step foreword. "He had spunk," he said in choked voice. "And even though he was foul mouthed… he was a great person to know. And I think I speak for the rest of the soldiers," he said. He and others went ahead and placed their flowers on the grave.

"Edward was…" Roy spoke in a loud voice, though it was faltering, "He was like a son to me, in a few ways," he cleared his voice before continuing. "They were without a father or mother, and had really nobody to look out for them when they were in Central. Maes Hughes looked after them pretty well, but when he was killed," once again, his voice faltered, "they once again no one to look after them. I began to look after them, feeling like I had to take Hughes place. I know… I know I could never do anything more for them. I felt like that was enough, as I also thought that their determination that they would make it. The military and friends suffered a great loss when Edward succeeded in getting Alphonse's body back, which was his original goal." Roy cleared his throat once more. "Edward Elric will never be forgotten." He knelt down beside the grave and lightly placed the rose down. He gathered himself to his feet after awhile and saluted the grave, saying his last words, not sure whether the water on his face was from the rain or from his own tears.

"I shall miss him," Winry spoke in a light voice, "Ever since my childhood, he has been with me, along with Alphonse. But now…" she clenched the rose to her chest and bowed her head, hiding the tears that flowed down her face. "I never got to say my last words to him," she ended in a whisper. "It was a child's crush at first, but then I realized, as I got older, it was more than just a crush now." Granny Pinako patted her soothingly, her face grim. Riza put an arm around Winry, who leaned in for her support. "It wasn't supposed to happen like this," she sobbed, giving in to her tears.

Sweet darling you worry too much, my child
See the sadness in your eyes
You are not alone in life
Although you might think that you are

Alphonse wiped is own tears away. "She's right," he spoke. He waited until Winry had placed her rose down until he spoke again. "It wasn't supposed to happen this way. Ed was supposed to get his arm and leg back. The automail put so much pressure on him. But Ed was stubborn," he said a tad angry, "and he got me my body first. He sacrificed his own to become a Homunculi. It proved that he was determined to get my body back. Now all I have of him are memories," Alphonse closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "But they are memories that I'll cherish. Memories of my brother and our journeys together. He said these words to me: Just live for me."

Never thought
This day would come so soon
We had no time to say goodbye
How can the world just carry on?
I feel so lost when you are not by my side
But there's nothing but silence now
Around the one I loved
Is this our farewell?

"I decided that I wouldn't just live for him," Alphonse continued, "I'll wait for him to return to the family he left. Even though it may be futile, it's just one thing I expect out of my brother. He's determined. He'll make it through. He'll make it back to us. It may not be in this life, but the one after, wherever that is. We'll see him again one day. This is not our farewell. It's only the beginning of our lives, and we will live for my brother, so he can watch over us with my father and mother, and all the soldiers and Alchemists' who lost their lives in this battle."

So sorry your world is tumbling down
I will watch you through these nights
Rest your head and go to sleep
Because my child, this not our farewell.
This is not our farewell.

Alphonse stood at the grave with over a hundred of white roses upon it. "Here lies my brother, Edward Elric," he spoke softly as he leaned down and reached over to slowly place down his own white rose, "The Full Metal Alchemist." He set the rose softly down and smiled a sad smile at the grave, feeling his tears pour down his face. Winry came over and sat down next to him, and Roy placed a hand on his shoulder. Alphonse spoke one last time in a firm and steady voice. "This is not our farewell."

This is not our farewell

I want to thank Kat, Bar-Ohki, jenelric, NoZoMi17, N.C. Stormeye, moongoddess421, Artificial Life Creator, Keruseya Natsuki, and Kate Maxwell for reviewing!!! And to all the others who read the story :)

Hopefully the epilogue ended it smoothly. I'm still not believing how I killed off the Full Metal Alchemist…

Lyrics from 'Our Farewell' by Within Temptation.

I'm going to be writing another FMA story, probably this short again, and it's going to have a much lighter mood than this one. It's going to be called 'To Dance' – Edward is stuck in Munich, Germany with Noa. He learns some new Gypsy dances from Noa, and he gets brought back to Amestris by the gate, excited to see Al and Winry again – but how will he react when he finds out Winry has a fiancé?

Don't forget to leave a review, if you do, you get mustard and coffee… (your choice xD)