I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist. This is based on the first anime series rather than the manga. Enjoy
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All our searching for the philosopher's stone has led us here. Laboratory 5. I had truly believed that we had started this journey by our own choice, to right the wrongs we had created by trying to achieve the unachievable. By trying to bring the dead back to life. It was all for nothing as the truth was finally revealed, all that time I thought we were following our own destiny and making our own choices. We were just being herded, like mindless sheep to the wishes of the homunculi. To make their goal of obtaining a philosopher's stone a reality, but to create it they needed an alchemist. One who was stupid enough to never realise the truth, that to create the so called 'miracle' stone, human sacrifices had to be made. In order for the stone to exist people had to die.
"No, please don't hurt him. He's my little brother. Please don't take him away, I'm begging you." This was where our journey had taken us, Al's soul trapped in a destroyed suit of armour and his pathetic older brother unable to do anything but cry out as the female homunculus slowly placed her sharp nail on top of the blood seal. "Don't give up on me now Al, okay?" I clapped my hands together and let the alchemic power flow from me into the room, as it slowly repaired itself. The cracks disappeared and the ceiling became whole. I moved the containers of red water into place within the array, my automail arm hanging limply at my side. I heard Al's voice, but his words were lost on me, as I continued to make sure that everything was where it should be. The arrays were perfectly aligned, as were the containers at each corner of the hexagon, it was ready. Frightened mutterings suddenly caught my attention, and I glanced up at the group of condemned men that had gathered together in the middle of the alchemic array. I couldn't do this.
"You've gotta spend life to make life. Come on this is basic alchemy here. Don't kid yourself into thinking there's someway around that, cuz there's not." The scathing remarks of the homunculus washed over me, echoing around my mind and blocking out the rest of their words. Equivalent exchange, that was the basic law of alchemy. In order to gain something, something of equal value must first be lost. If that was true than the only way to give Al his body back was to take it from someone else. I truly was a child if I had believed that I would have been able to overcome even the very laws of alchemy. I slowly knelt to the ground clapped my hands together, the sound echoed eerily around the room. I had to do this. I had to give Al back what my mistake had taken away from him.
"I promised that I'd get you your body back, no matter what." Only I heard the whispered promise that I had made so long ago. I ignored the prisoners as they cringed away from me, their eyes full of terror as they waited for their end. My hand came closer and closer to the array, yet when I was only a few millimetres away from the floor I froze. I couldn't do it. These were live people, who was I to take away the gift of life that had been given them? I wasn't a god, I was a mere human child. One who couldn't even keep his promise to his own brother. "Sorry Al, but I just can't do it." I heard the homunculi behind me scoff, and I waited for the pain that he was sure to inflict on me for my failure. A sudden explosion made me look up, there next to the hole in the ceiling was Scar.
"Fullmetal Alchemist. Take your brother and get out of here." I couldn't stop the growl that escaped from me. I had never taken well to being bossed around by others.
"I don't need your help," I yelled back. Who was he to give me orders?
"Maybe not but your younger brother needs you." I felt my eyes widen as his words finally sank in. I'd failed once again to restore my little brother to his body, but I would find a way. A way to give him back everything that my mistake had taken from him, but it would be a way that wouldn't involve the sacrifice of someone else. Even if I had to break the very of alchemy itself, I would find a way.
"Let's go." I turned away from the Isbalan and began to run towards the battered suit of armour that contained the living soul of my brother.
"Oh no, you aren't leaving til you've finished what you've started." I ignored the homunculus woman and continued my path towards Al. I heard a splash as my foot landed in a puddle of the red water, and suddenly all I could feel was pure pain. I had activated the alchemic current by connecting my hands together, but I hadn't discharged the current by touching the array. The red water was full of alchemic catalysts, and as soon as my foot had landed in it I had unknowingly completed the circuit. I screamed as the pain completely overwhelmed my senses, I felt my right arm shudder and jolt as the power of the stone material transformed the automail.
My mind went blank in an attempt to block out the pain, I felt waves of alchemic power whip around me, pushing everyone else from the room. The walls began to crumble and the floor began to crack as chunks of rubble fell to the ground, within this destruction the waves ripped through my body and soul, almost tearing the two apart. I had never felt this level of pain, even when Winry and Pinako had attached the automail to my body. Through the haze that covered my vision I watched as Al trembled within the suit of armour, the empty eye sockets of the helmet staring at me. "I promised." I forced the whisper out of my mouth and with a screech I raised my arms until they were level with my chest, one raised in front of the other.
"You'll… be… human again." I forced myself to focus harder than I had ever done my entire life. I forced the uncontrollable waves of power to concentrate in my hands and with another yell I slammed them down on the floor. Bright blue light burst from the boiling red liquid, as the array behind me shone with a blinding white light. Cold metal would be replaced with warm skin, cold emotionless eyes would change to a soulful bronze. I watched as the light from the reaction engulfed the entire room, and before I could see if I had finally been successful I felt myself losing consciousness. If I had to be the one to pay the price for restoring Al's body than so be it.