Prologue: Of Truth && Pain


The pain was incredible.

Really, that was all Edward could think about at first, the white-hot searing pain that threatened to overwhelm his aching body, burning through his skin and making his blood boil. He dimly recognized this pain. It was a feeling akin to the pain that accompanied automail surgery, a feeling that dealt with the agitation of one's nerves. Only this pain was much more intense, it felt as though he would explode. He was on fire, as if his entire nervous system had just spontaneously combusted within him.

Where am I?

What the hell is going on?

His fogged mind tried desperately tried to grasp an answer in this intense darkness. Were his eyes closed? He couldn't understand how he had ended up in this situation. What the hell had happened?

The last he could recall was when they had left the train. He and his younger brother and Winry…they had been heading home to central to celebrate their foster parents wedding…Winry had been arguing with him about not getting gifts and then she ran off the call a cab. Then there were these things…People? He supposed they were people… dressed in black from head to toe, with masked faces and strange red symbols on their chests reminiscent of the Ouroborus, only it seemed to have a bat in a circle. The strange men (?) had appeared through glowing slices in the air. They had an eerie otherworldly feeling to them, like the truth or the gate. Like the feeling when an alchemist transmutes for the first time. For a moment Edward felt a sense foreboding, in his experience things like this rarely lead to pleasant situations.

Then they had attacked.

Caught off guard Ed barely had time to defend himself. Just when he thought he could fend them off he heard a familiar scream, and one of them managed to knock him off his feet. They had him and his brother…

"Al!" Edward's golden eyes shot open at the thought of his little brother. Pain and fatigue momentarily forgotten as he strained his vision to scan his surroundings. If he was here, wherever here was, then those freaks could not have taken Alphonse very far. At least he desperately hoped not. The floor upon which he laid was in a large basement of sorts. The room was bare with the exception of five stone pillars, four surrounding him and one in the center. Somehow finding the strength to roll over and pushed himself up, he winced visibly when he placed pressure on his right arm.

"Damn…"

Why was he so weak? He noticed the presence of several of those black clad men around him."Damn…bastards…you don't know who the hell you're dealing with. I'm The Fullmetal Alchemist and when I get up from here I'm gonna shove my boot so far up your asses there wouldn't be an alchemist who could possible transmute it out!"

Edward growled as his face twisted into his trademark glare, which would have been considerably more threatening if he had not just moments before face planted himself into the ground. The fact that his captors did not so much as spare a glance at him did not help the situation any further.

"Brother…is that you?" A small voice whispered from a few feet in front of him. The boy immediately lifted his gaze, blinking harshly in order to focus on the tiny lump of flesh that lay a before him.

"Al-Alphonse?"

"Brother…who are these people? What do they want with us?" Alphonse whispered softly. His voice trembling with fear and pain, and when Ed met his brothers sliver eyes, he saw the unshed tears within them. "It hurts…"

Ed felt his body tremble in fury. He thought he had finished with freaks like this after they had destroyed father and the sins. Didn't these bastards know what they were doing? They were ruining everything! The brothers finally had their happy ending. The bad guys were beat. They had retrieved Alphonse's body. They even had parents waiting for them at home.

Home…

Why couldn't they just be allowed to go home and live their life for once? What in the hell did these new bastards want with them? World domination? Immortality? He didn't know. Quite frankly he didn't give a damn. He would stop them.

Just like all the rest.

Suddenly, a pair of rough hands grasped him none to gently, pulling him further away from his distressed younger brother. Alphonse was also being dragged away into the darkness that faded into the other end of the room.

"Leggo of me!" Edward yelled frantic to reach to reach the other boy. He saw the tears that now flowed openly down Al's pale cheeks, his small hand reaching out to him. "Brother!" he screamed failing against the strange men's grip. "No please don't take my brother!"

"Al!" Ed called back. "Alphonse…it's okay! I'm going to get us outta this! I promise! Just hang on for me!" the younger boys hand retracted slowly as he nodded, a determined look in his red-rimed crystal eyes. He took in the reassuring words of his elder brother as he was slowly dragged away. Edward watched as the small figure retreated further away from him and was painfully reminded of the transmutation of his mother. They had taken Alphonse…again. The boy felt his own hot tears stain his face as he became once more aware of the now dulling fire in his nerves.

He was set down on a small metal chair. His faceless captors tied strong leather straps around his wrists and ankles disabling his movement and alchemy. Five roaring flames erupted from the stone pillar around and behind him, illuminating the once pitch black room. At once Edward noticed the large, somewhat active, transmutation circle carved into the ground beneath him. Anyway, he assumed it to be a transmutation circle, but the runes were unknown to him. Instead of a strict set of formulas there were images strewn all around the inner circle and a large set of what looked like wings was etched into the center. Before his prodigy mind could dwell on it further, a deep resonating voice disturbed his thoughts.

"I see you have awoken young alchemist."

Edward turned forward. In front of him clothed in a strange, yet regal looking robe, was an elderly man, with a spectacle on his right eye. He sat on a throne in a superior manner, surrounded by his shadow-clothed soldiers.

"And I see you must be the Bastard who kidnapped us, what do you want? Oh… wait… Why do I bother asking, you sickos are all alike! Is it the Philosopher's stone or some secret military information, either way it doesn't matter because my brother and I don't have anything to do with this so stop wasting all of our time and release us."

The man raised a graying eyebrow, and laughed richly, signaling for a young woman whom Ed had not noticed was there before to bring him a glass of what appeared to be red wine, but could have been blood for all the young alchemist knew or cared. His one focus was to get Alphonse and go home. How long had they been here? Winry must have been worried sick over them by now and gone to tell their parents. That is, if this bastard had not taken her too. The thought made him feel dizzy, accompanied by the returning ached in his body. What in Gods' name was going on? He felt as if something was draining him, and suddenly he felt immensely frightened. If he was weak he could not protect Alphonse, and that knowledge alone pained him more than any form of torture these unknown adversaries could do to him.

After taking a sip of the fine red liquid, the strange man stood from his throne and moved towards Edward, stopping at the edge of a clearly drawn line.

"Edward Elric, eldest child of the late Von Hoenhiem. I am Wei Fang Reed, future ruler of time and space."

The boy could notice a number of the shadow men returning from seemingly out of nowhere. They laid a large bowl within the circle beside him and his eyes widened in realization. He could not be..?

Edward knew the contents of that bowl better than his own flesh hand. He had memorized each element, each measurement years ago. The memory of a night of tragedy imprinted those ingredients onto his mind, like a brand for cattle.

The ingredients for an average adult human body.

Water, 35 liters.

"You can't be thinking too…"

The circle glowed strongly beneath him, a telltale sign of active transmutation. Edouard bit back, bile and tears as the pain increased exponentially throughout his body.

Carbon, 20kg.

He means to transmute us, using human transmutation. What could he possibly seek to accomplish in doing that?

Ammonia, 4 liters.

"Why..? What do you want with us?" The thought of being sent back to that place was terrifying, but knowing that his little brother was most likely in the same situation was unbearable. He was at Wei Fang Reed's mercy, and did not like it, but as his mind desperately sought an escape, no longer caring why this man was doing this, the circle fully activated. Wei Fang Reed spoke over the noise of rushing wind and disembodied screams, his voice calm and smug.

"This world has no magic, but holds it's capability. I now possess the power of the Tsubasa as well as the two keys to the gate of truth. My wish will be granted. I guarantee it. I am sorry you and your brother have to endure this, but I promise it is for a good cause."

Lime, 1.5kg.

A large terrifying darkness consumed the room, and Edward screamed.

Phosphorus, 800g.

Salt, 250 g.

Niter, 100g.

Sulfur, 80g.

Fluorine, 7.5g.

Iron, 5g.

Silicon 3g.

What does that make?

Edward found himself in a familiar white room. In front of him stood a large stone door, inscriptions and pictographs of internal purgatory etched on it's surface. Behind him was another gate, with a small easily recognizable boy standing before it.

His brother mirrored his movements as they both made an attempt to speak, but failed miserably.

Long time no see Mr. Al-che-mist

A chorus of voices echoed through the boys head, perceiving as many yet sounding as one. Sitting before him was a figure that Edward had thought he would never have to see again. It had no face or any other distinct human features despite a large bone chilling grin, it always wore. Ed sighed deeply.

It was Truth.

Foolish Alchemist comes to play again.

Silly boy…

Needs to pay a toll…

What does he want?

The voices surrounded him. Fogged his mind and focus until he could no longer see the room, the gate, or Alphonse. A sharp tugging, ripped at his chest, as though someone were cutting him open from the inside out.

Take his heart.

The toll is too high.

His heart.

He offered his heart.

He screamed, trying in vain to open his eyes and find his brother. To see what the gate wanted of him. But the tearing ensued, until Edward could feel the blood run down his chest. When his golden orbs pried themselves open, he almost died from shock.

His heart, it was being pulled out of his chest.

Still beating, the boy shut his eyes and cried. He was going to die and he didn't even do anything this time! It was that bastard. That goddamned son of a bitch had no right to put them through this. Where was Alphonse? Was he already gone, taken apart once more by the gate and the sadistic truth? Were Winry and their parents worried and searching for them?

Was everything too late?

We want the heart.

Stupid boy should know by now.

He will learn his lesson.

Stop.

A strong feminine voice echoed above the others. It was comforting yet unfamiliar. Edward opened his eyes to the gate that stood open. A young woman with short cut, strawberry hair, smiled at him and held out a hand.

Mom?

No this was not his mother, but her presence calmed his panicked mind and he desperately clung to her outstretched hand. His chest was still bleeding, and he still had no knowledge as what was going on, but he went to her nevertheless.

There, there Edo…it's okay. They know this has nothing to do with you, but you aren't safe here. You have to go.

Alphonse…Where?

You brother will be fine. He is not here anymore.

Where?

Just follow me…it will be okay.

And so he did, not knowing where the gate will lead, or who this strange woman was. Not knowing what had just happened and not wanting to know what will.

And then everything went blank.


Revised 11/2016: I'm not sure if I am going to continue with this story or not but for now I am revising whatever chapters I currently have for grammar, spelling and constancy mistakes.

This story is AU multi-crossover mainly dealing with Fullmetal Alchemist, Tsubasa Chronicles and Fruits Basket.

It follows mainly the animes of each series and disregards all canon endings. If this is not your cup of tea, then please seek another story.