Hey! So, this is my first FMA story on here. This takes place in Brotherhood episode 29 "Struggle of the Fool." If you don't know exactly where that is, it's before the Briggs arc. It's a few episodes after Ling became Greed. Enjoy, and be prepared for some tragedy (and humor.) The humor comes in later. :)

*Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist.*

The Explosion

Chapter 1

After the nerve wracking talk with Wrath, all Ed wanted to do was to check up on Winry. He kind of needed it, really. His mind imagined some goon following her around or something. Or maybe an assassin, ready to kill her if Ed screwed up even once. It was just too much for his imagination to be left with. He was going crazy with worry, yet he still wasn't sure why. Winry, of course, was his mechanic, but something strange came over him the second Bradley mentioned her. It was fear. Edward wasn't scared of anything until… until Winry was threatened. Was that something natural? He'd never really felt like that before.

So when Ed asked for money from Mustang, he also mentioned how he needed to go to Rush Valley for repairs. His arm actually needed simple maintenance, and it wasn't dire or anything. Winry would know something was definitely up. He didn't want to worry her too much, but his mind was driving him crazy with all kinds of scenarios. Honestly, Ed wasn't quite sure he'd really be able to think clearly until he saw with his own two golden eyes that she was her happy, normal self.

They ran to the payphone when it came into view. He put the money in and waiting impatiently for Winry to pick up.

"Hello? Ed? Well, this is a surprise. You didn't break your automail again, did you?"

Winry's cheerful voice made him feel slightly better. "Well… uh…" he trailed off, trying to think of what to say about his automail.

Before he could think of anything, Winry interrupted him. "NOT AGAIN, EDWARD, HOW MANY TIMES ARE YOU GOING TO BREAK IT BEFORE I GO INSANE, HUH?"

Edward cringed, even though he wasn't even in front of Winry. He knew he'd get a wrench to the head when he saw her. It was well deserved for the mess he'd gotten himself into. A human sacrifice? That could only mean one thing. Wrath threatening Winry? He'd really made a mess of things.

"I'm sorry. I need to ask you something, though."

"Huh? Uh, okay. Go ahead."

"Is everything alright? Have you noticed anything weird? Like… any suspicious people following you?" he asked nervously.

"Well, Ed."

"What is it?" he asked, ready to beat the crap out of someone.

"You're creeping me out," she said shyly.

"WHAT'S CREEPY?"

"It's just… well, it's actually pretty rare to get a call from you, and I've NEVER heard you worry about me. This is weirder than a snowstorm during the summer," she said with a laugh.

"WELL, FINE. MAYBE I WON'T WORRY!" he shouted.

"Thank you, Ed. Really. Thank you. It means a lot," Winry said.

Ed composed himself before he replied awkwardly. "Uh, sure. You're sure everything's okay, right?"

"Everything's fine. I'll see you soon, okay?" she asked happily.

"Yah, I'll be there soon. Okay, bye."

"Bye."

Edward felt better knowing that she sounded completely fine. It just relieved him of the added stress. All he had to do now was board the train to Rush Valley. "Phew. I think she's still safe for now."

Then, Ling/Greed came up and startled the boys when he said, "You know, it's that kind of desperate worry that they'll manipulate you with."

"Ling!"

"You know, it's Greed. Still."

He ignored him. "What do you want?"

"Your pal wanted me to bring this to you," Greed said as he held out a white bandana with something written on it.

"Ling did? What does it say? It's in some other language."

"Yeah, it is, but he just wants you to deliver it to some girl," Greed said casually.

"Lan Fan? Is this some kind of trick? Cause if you follow us and try to kill her-"

Greed interrupted, "I got more class than that, alright? And as a rule of thumb, I don't fight women. And another rule of mine is to never tell a lie, but hey, it's your call." Greed turned around and walked away.

"Hey, wait, Ling!" Ed yelled.

Infuriatingly so, he just tossed a hand back and said, "It's still Greed, kid."

Ed glared at his back before he turned to Al. "You give this to Lan Fan. I've got to go to Rush Valley. I'll come back soon, Al."

"Call if you get yourself into trouble, brother."

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I've got to go."

"Bye!"

"Bye."

With that, Edward Elric ran off to go to the train station, leaving his brother behind. Little did either know the fate that was in store for either of them.

…

"Is everything ready?"

"Of course. Soon, the Fullmetal brat will be dead."

"Then all you have to do is watch?"

"Yes. He'll be on the next train to Rush Valley to visit his girlfriend, the mechanic girl."

"Then everything works out. Are all the preparations done?"

"Yes, they're all done."

"Good."

…

Ed had to run to catch the train. It felt weird leaving Al behind, but… he needed to see Winry. The threat that loomed over her was too much for him to be left thinking about. He needed rock hard reassurance she was absolutely fine. He hated that he couldn't think clearly, and what was even worse was that he still didn't know why he couldn't think clearly. If Pinako were threatened, he wouldn't have even blinked an eye. It would be possible to stay calm with that worry. He could think clearly if Pinako was in danger. So why was it that when Winry was threatened he just broke?

It was infuriating, really. His mind was wracking all the possibilities, and none were giving him anything definitive. He spent most of the train ride glancing out the window, letting his mind wander. Somewhere down the line, he fell into a peaceful sleep. When he was roughly an hour away from Rush Valley, Ed woke to incessant beeping. It kept getting faster and faster.

His golden eyes snapped wide open, now suddenly alert to what was going on. A bomb.

Just the second after he acknowledged that fact, a BOOM! shook the earth, and everything went black.

…

Bad news reached Central first. Of course, all bombings were vitally important news to the military, and they were always alerted first. At least, officially alerted first. Obviously, rumors spread, people talk, and those who witness things like that talk to locals about what they saw, but nothing was definitive until the military was informed.

Imagine Roy Mustang's shock when he's about to leave to go home and the phone rings. "This is?" he asked into the phone rather rudely.

"This is Lieutenant Jenson from the South. A bombing of a train headed for Rush Valley exploded earlier today. I was told that a State Alchemist was on board."

Mustang's eyes widened in shock. He hadn't quite accepted the idea that Fullmetal had really been on board. "Are there any survivors?"

"No. Sir was the Fullmetal Alchemist on board the train to Rush Valley?" the Lieutenant asked.

"Yes," the Flame Alchemist said, the shock settling in some. Fullmetal couldn't be dead, though. He just couldn't be.

For one, that brat never could leave him alone.

For another, the homunculi were following their "sacrifices" like shadows.

But still… no survivors? That seemed ridiculous. "How large was the explosion?"

"Huge, sir. Not even a single survivor on this huge train. It's all reduced to rubble. We've found a State Alchemist watch next to a small body with two automail limbs. Is that the State Alchemist that was on board?"

Colonel Roy Mustang went into another level of shock and denial. "No… that can't be Fullmetal…"

"You have my condolences for the Fullmetal Alchemist. I assume you know the drill for alerting the families?"

"Unfortunately, Lieutenant, I am aware of the steps to alert the family," Roy replied. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat to no avail, but it didn't do anything.

"Good bye, sir," the man said.

"Bye."

The colonel hung up the phone, staring off into the darkness of his empty office. The emptiness was nearly unbearable as he took a seat, despite the lack of light, nor did he feel like turning one on. This news killed something inside him he could not explain. The emotion that he felt was something he only had felt once… and that was when Hughes was killed. He felt this burning sadness from the inside, this dull pain that wouldn't go away. But there were a few differences between those two times. This time the pain had a different affect. Roy grieved for a child. The feeling had to have been paternal. Though Fullmetal was not by any means Roy's son, he grieved for Edward in that way.

When did that happen? When did Roy start feeling like Edward's father?

He closed his eyes and thought of all the things he wouldn't get to do. Edward would never be able to forgive his actual father. He would never get Alphonse's body back. He would never be a normal kid.

And then, his thoughts reminded him of all the people who would be distraught by this news. He wouldn't grieve in silence. Lieutenants Hawkeye, Fuery, Havoc, and the rest of his subordinates would grieve. Alphonse would grieve in a cursed way, not being able to shed tears. And Winry. As little as he knew about her, he knew she meant a lot to Edward. Pinako would most likely cry. And nobody would want to deal with the homunculi and their anger at this situation.

His mind was engulfed in depressing thoughts when the door to his office opened and light streamed in, revealing his first lieutenant. "Sir, I thought you said you were leaving?" she asked in her kind voice.

"I got a call. Fullmetal's dead," Roy said, the shadows on his face making his face look rather dark and unsettling for Hawkeye.

He could hardly judge Hawkeye's reaction in her silhouette. Her voice, however, was an indicator. "How did he die?" her voice was unsteady. He noticed her hesitation in the use of the word "die." This softer side of his lieutenant was something he never saw, and it pained him to hear the sadness in her voice.

All the colonel wanted to do was hold her in his arms, but he restrained himself from doing so out of uncertainty of how she would react.

"The train to Rush Valley exploded."

It was so quiet that they could hear each other's breathing. In the shadowy lighting they had, Roy figured he saw one tear fall down Hawkeye's cheek. "He was so young," she said regrettably. "These are the times I hate being in the military."

"I understand that feeling," Mustang admitted. For Riza, it was obvious to see he felt the same as she did. This was unbelievable. It was impossible for both of them to fully accept even the idea of Edward Elric being dead.

The loss weighed on them in the silence, gaining pounds by the second…

"This isn't right."

AN: How was it for my first Fullmetal story? I have no idea how many chapters it will have, but I like where it's going. Sorry its so depressing!

Now... please REVIEW!

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xFullmetalSoulx