Hiya! :D Welcome to one of my first SongFics!
I wrote this while listening to Sting's song "Fragile" off of the album "The Lazarus Heart", and it got me to thinking about Edward and his thoughts on life and the Philosopher's Stone and his dear brother Alphonse. I do recommend listening to it while reading to get a good feel for what Ed's thinking. If you don't feel like doing that, that's cool, too :) I won't argue.
This piece is dedicated in memory of and to those who have lost someone important to them, and how they were going to manage later throughout life and cope with the loss. "Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will." -Mohandas Gandhi
Disclaimer: I do NOT own FMA in any way, shape, or form. All of it rightfully belongs to FUNimation and Hiromu Arakawa.
Fragile
If blood will flow
when flesh and steel are one
drying in the color of the evening sun
Tomorrow's rain
will wash the stains away
But something in our minds will always stay
Looking at himself, he could understand that he might be a living example of Equivalent Exchange. Standing there before him was his own body, normal only at a distance. A left leg and right arm of steel to remind him of the sacrifice he had made, not just for his sake, but for his brother's sake as well.
Perhaps this final act was meant
to quench a lifetime's argument
But nothing comes from violence,
nothing ever could
Brothers born beneath an angry star
Lest we forget how fragile we are
Maybe it was about time the alchemists before him and after him learned the consequences of ressurecting a body back to life. He could be an example to all, showing a profound message: if you're willing to lose something precious to you, go ahead, you won't hurt my feelings if you are. After all, not only did he lose his arm and leg, but he lost his little brother's body in the whole process to get their dear mother back. Their mother...who had supported their every alchemical achievement up until her death. At least Alphonse was a success when he brought him back in that suit of armor he had to be confined in until they found the Philosopher's Stone...hell, if they ever found the Philosopher's Stone.
"Brother," Alphonse would constantly ask, "When will we find it? When can I return to normal?"
"Soon, Al," he'd always reply, "Very soon." Yet every time he answered that, it felt more like he was lying to his little brother, but worst of all, like he was lying to himself. What if they never did find it? What if they were both to remain trapped like this for the rest of their lives?
On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from the stars
(like tears from the stars)
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are
(how fragile we are)
But then another thought came: what if they did find it? Saddness filled his eyes when he thought about that; he knew what would happen: the military, who he so highly defiled, yet became a part of, would snatch it away from them and cradle it in their grubby little paws like a newborn baby, harnessing power like no other to make even more hideous medical experiments and chimera-like creations as far as the eye could see, or stand to see for that matter.
(music interlude)
How precious was life? Was meant only to be created by a force stronger than what the mere scientist could bring forth? He tried his hardest to get it out of his mind, but it didn't work. The only thing that could come to his mind was nothing about the Philosopher's Stone or acts of science or even his latest find with a Transmutation circle. It was about life...life...a force so dear and so precious to us, it made gold seem like a common item one could purchase at the price of a child's meager allowance. He mulled over it until it became almost heavy in his mind like sleep. That's when he came to his final conclusion:
On and on the rain will fall
Like tears from the stars
(like tears from the stars)
On and on the rain will say
How fragile we are
(how fragile we are)
(how fragile we are)
(how fragile we are)
Somehow, we'll never know how fragile we are....
I tried to make it as in tune to the character as possible. I hope it turned out okay.
Reviews are always welcomed and appreciated.