Redemption Ch. 5

"Not going to like it?" Edward didn't like much about the situation he was in to begin with.  He stood up so he could look Jylissa in the face. "What have you done?" He asked.

Alphonse had been sitting at the top of the stairs. Ever since they defeated Eckhart, he felt Edward wasn't finding any purpose with his life. Sure, they were both studying college level material, but nothing seemed to be as satisfying as alchemy. Moving on from their old lives still proved as difficult, even though it had been a year. Hearing Jylissa's tone of voice, Alphonse decided to join them downstairs. He knew his brother's temper would set off at some point.

"Good-morning, Jylissa; are you feeling any better?" Alphonse kept his tone light so that they didn't know he was listening in. Jylissa nodded and turned her gaze back to the outside world. If he knew the half of it, she thought.

"Our new friend Jylissa hear was gonna tell me a story," Edward said, his tone instantly full of distrust. He leaned back on the couch; he already had a feeling what she was going to say. "The last time the gate was opened from Amestris was when a homunculi was killed. Who did you kill?"

Jylissa sighed and chose to sit in the chair facing the couch. Both brothers were seated next to each other, prepared to hear her story. It was a story, just a sad memory. Her body trembled from the stress as each memory stood out vividly in her mind.

"I guess you should hear it from the beginning," she started.

"That's always a good place to start," Edward replied.

"If you're going to be snide, I'll just leave. No sense in explaining something to someone who thinks he knows everything," she started to get up and Alphonse stopped her.

"Edward, just shut up. Jylissa, I want to hear," Alphonse's response startled Edward. It was rare these days for them to argue.

"Fine, but I swear, any more interruptions and I'm leaving," Jylissa shifted in her chair to get comfortable.

"As I was saying, I'm starting at the beginning. My whole family comes from a military background. My mother and father were state alchemists. My brother didn't want to follow that route, and chose to work in intelligence. He was always good at getting information," Jylissa smiled at the memory. Countless times, her brother would find out even the smallest secret she tried to keep from people.

"Who is your brother, I'm sure I've met him," Edward said quietly.

"Didn't I just tell you what would happen if you interrupted?" Jylissa face flushed with irritation.

"Yes, but—"

"But what, Edward? I keep my word," Jylissa started to get out of the chair.

"HUGHES!" Edward cried. The outburst made Alphonse jump slightly and Jylissa's color drained from her face.

"What did you just say?" Her voice was weak and she could feel her body start to shake.

"That's how I recognize you! You're Maes Hughes' sister?" Edward grinned, but quickly changed demeanor when he saw Jylissa's eyes well up with tears.

"I didn't know he had a sister," Alphonse said. He was at a loss for words. Maes Hughes was murdered by Envy, a homunculus while they were searching for the Philosopher's stone. Alphonse knew he left behind a wife and daughter, but it never occurred to him that Maes would have any siblings.

"Yeah, our paths wouldn't have crossed. My parents died when I was ten, so the Mustangs practically adopted both Maes and me. Then after Maes died, I stayed away from Gracia and Elicia. Roy told me to get my mind of everything, and I picked up alchemy again. I had stopped after my parents died. I also was hearing about all the problems going on in Central and with you two that I was second-guessing alchemy again. So I finally got the nerve to take my exam last year and passed with a near perfect score." Jylissa smiled at the memory, Roy had actually smiled when he gave her the pocket watch.

"So what does that have to do with what you did?" Alphonse couldn't piece anything together and Edward was actually listening for once.

"I'm getting to that. I figured with my state title, I could do better research. I was allowed to read all the reports Edward had turned in and Roy finally told me everything that happened with Führer Bradley and that a homunculus was the one to kill Maes. Being told the truth verbatim took a toll on me. For days I tried to do more reading, but with each report, I missed Maes more. What happened when Edward thought he lost you, Al? He sacrificed himself to get you back. I was more than prepared to get Maes back. My life meant nothing; I had no family whereas he had a wife and daughter. I did the unthinkable just like both of you: I tried to bring him back. I knew it would create a homunculus; well, a partial one. Roy walked in when it happened. I remember the screaming and yelling. I also remember the pain. My legs from the knee down were gone," Jylissa paused.

"HOW COULD YOU?! AFTER EVERYTHING YOU READ ABOUT AL AND ME, YOU JUST DECIDED TO GO AHEAD AND CREATE ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE CREATURES!?" Edward's face was red, and Alphonse was pale. They both thought human transmutation would never happen again.

"I WANTED my brother back. You both understand what kind of pain I'm talking about. No matter what age, losing someone hurts just as bad," tears were pouring down Jylissa's face, "don't worry, I fixed it. After my legs healed, I was going to have automail attached, but Roy ordered for me to fix my mistake. I found a transmutation circle and was going to send the creature back. I remember I put my hands on the circle and it created some kind of portal. It took the creature, and when I stood up, I was pulled in as well. I don't remember going through the actual gate. Next thing I knew, I woke up here. With legs, I might add," Jylissa looked down. Having her full legs back gave her a sense of freedom, but she knew they had come back at a cost. She would never see Roy or the Mustangs again, let alone Maes.

"Well," Edward said," you didn't get off easy. Now you're here, it serves you right."

"Excuse me? I'm not the one who got his brother involved too. At least it was just me," Jylissa got out of her chair and clenched her fists. How dare he continue to criticize her? Hadn't all of them suffered enough?

Alphonse shook his head, "we're all in the together now, I think. Jylissa is here for a reason. It's not a coincidence she fell through the gate. Maybe it means we can get back somehow."  Alphonse looked to his brother for support, but Edward did not meet his gaze.

"What if, I don't want to go back?" Edward asked quietly.