Disclaimer:
Me: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist, Fairy Tail, Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle or Soul Eater. That being said I also do not own any of the characters that accompany the series either or the voice actors mentioned in this story-.
Ed: Hey! Hurry it up will ya?
Me: Hang on, ok?
Ed: What are you doing over here anyway? Who are you talking to?
Kid: Perhaps she was talking to herself about the number 8 and its beautiful symmetry.
Ed: *sweat drops* I doubt it.
Me: I was talking to the reader.
Kid: Oh, she was doing the disclaimer.
Ed: Huh? What the heck is that?
Kid: It's for copy right purposes.
Ed: I don't really care about that. Haha. She's a freak for talking to herself.
Kid: Undoubtedly so.
Me: Oh, spare me! One of you performs alchemy and the other is a grim reaper that has three stripes on the left side of his head! And I'm the freak?!
Kid: Whaaaaaaa! T-T
Ed: I DARE YOU TO SAY THAT AGAIN!
Chapter 1~Brothers
"Brother…" He shifts in his sleep. "Brother, please!" He tosses again, this time, his shoulders shake and he scowls in his sleep.
"No…" The boy murmurs in his sleep. Sweat drips from the teen's brow.
"BROTHER!" The boy jolts awake, sitting up straight quickly and gasping for air. He grabs at his heart and takes a moment to realize that it was just a dream. He looks around the hotel bedroom. The long strands of his blond hair are plastered to his sweaty and hot face. A ting of throbbing, aching pain in his right shoulder brought to his attention the thunderstorm outside. He clutches his mechanical, automail arm in pain. His golden eyes tear up a little as his left leg aches in a harmony of pain with his shoulder. His stumps always hurt when the weather got like this… This was the worst time for this… "Brother." The same voice asks. He looks to his left to see his brother, a soul trapped within a suit of armor, staring at him. Al… He thinks. "Are you okay?" Al asks.
The boy stares at his brother for a moment before answering. "Yeah… I'm fine…"
This boy is a State Alchemist. Not only that, but he's the child prodigy named Edward Elric. He got licensed by the military at the age of twelve and is known as the Fullmetal Alchemist for his automail. Edward stands about… well, we really won't say (he just gave me the death glare! T-T) and has long blond hair that's usually tied in a braid with three links to it. He usually wears a red cloak with his teacher's symbol of a flamel in black on the back with a black jacket over a dark tank top, leather jeans, and black and red platform boots. To top it off he wears white dress gloves to conceal his automail. Those were all folded neatly and stacked in a pile on the top of the toilet lid. He stands in the shower, letting the hot water run down his body, the bathroom steamed up.
He hates this part of the day. The little bit of time he puts aside for himself for self-pity. His right hand can't feel anything. He can't feel the toes of his left foot. And his brother, he can't feel anything… and whose fault is that?
Ed hadn't been thinking right since he and Al established Winry as a hostage through their own stupidity. They should be headed to North City soon. Tomorrow their train departs, and Ed can't help but feel desperate and restless….
After his shower and getting dressed, Ed walks out into the living area from the bathroom. Al is standing by the door, waiting. "Brother, I'll go get our tickets for the train." Ed nods. "While I'm out, can you get a newspaper and some groceries from the market?" Ed nods again, throwing on a halfhearted smile.
"Yeah, sure thing." Al stops a second, silent before looking Ed in the eyes. Al could always tell when his older brother was troubled. He didn't know whether it was because they're that close and can tell if something was wrong, or if it was the fact that Ed's body was connected to his own that no longer existed in this world. Ed notices Al's concern and blinks once before asking "What's wrong, Al?"
Al pauses a moment before answering. "It's nothing. I'll be back soon." He opens the door to the room. As a last thought he turns to Ed halfway in the doorway. "Don't get into any trouble, you hear?" He adds. Ed scoffs before holding his hands up surrendering like, dropping the dampened towel he had used to dry his automail.
"Okay, okay." He responds, a little annoyed.
Walking back towards the hotel with the paper bags in his hand, Ed takes a look at his journal. He's constantly relooking his notes and theorems and theories to see if anything could help him return Al's body. He's always pulling all-nighters and studying and restudying tons of alchemy books, though his knowledge so far is far superior of tons of alchemists out in Amestris. Being a dog for the military as a State Alchemist surely has its merits. Ed has tons of research money and is allowed access to government restricted material in libraries and laboratories.
But he's had to sacrifice a lot just to get the title as the youngest State Alchemist in Amestris. He took and passed the exam at 12. That's a holding record. But now, he knows what the State Alchemist program really is. The Fuhrer, King Bradley, is a homunculus, an alchemically created being. He's been recruiting people who committed the taboo as sacrifices for this Father guy that strikes a sick and almost spotting resemblance to his and Al's father, Van Hohenheim. If his father has any affiliation with the guy is whole other concern to Ed. He and Al have a leash now because King Bradley discovered that they were poking their noses in the affairs of the homunculi. And there's another thing. Usually, the homunculi are scuffing around or watching Ed and Al. Ed hasn't had an encounter with one of the immortal beings since Bradley, the homunculus "Wrath" had talked to him and his brother along with the Flame Alchemist and a close ally Colonel Roy Mustang.
He stumbles once, tripping over his own foot and falling straight to the ground. As he hit the concrete, a loud thud sounds off and Ed is on the sidewalk with the contents of his bag spilled on the pavement. Ed is in shock for a moment. That had happened so quickly that he had to take a second to even process that he had fallen. He gets to his hands and knees. "Oh, my, poor dear." A very raspy and feminine voice says that sounded way too familiar. A pair of polished strapped high heels clicked in front of him. He looks up the long legs to see Envy with the body of a woman standing in front of him. Ed gasps seeing the ouroboros tattoo that marks a homunculus on the left leg. "You're the last person I would have expected to run into so early." He smiles smugly before placing a frown on his lips and scowls at Fullmetal, becoming serious. "Come on." He says, dropping the act. "I need you to come with me. Father wants to talk to you."
Ed stands before Envy begins to walk away. "Why should I follow you?"
"Do you even care about your brother?" Envy asks. Ed exclaims in surprise. That's right… Al went out too to get the train tickets. Ed scowls before starting to follow Envy. Did they kidnap him?! Envy and Ed walk down the maze of alleys and streets before reaching the warehouse district… it's almost noon and Ed is getting antsy. "We're almost there."
"What are you planning, Envy?" Ed asks the homunculus. "Are you gonna kill me?"
Envy laughs. "And face Father's punishment? Get real." Envy says. Father has something planned for him and his brother as a human sacrifice. So they can't kill him or Al. Ed knew this much already, but he had to be sure they hadn't changed their minds. It wasn't that long ago that Mustang had incinerated Lust, a woman homunculus that had the Ultimate Spear. She could make her fingers into long spears and use them as weapons. She was the reason Mustang got involved. Apparently, he's a candidate for sacrifice and they need him just as much the Elric Brothers.
Then there was Gluttony. A fatso that had the mentality and personality of a child. Father had a failed Portal of Truth in him that Ed and his Xingese friend, Prince Ling Yao, had been suck in with Envy. That was before they saw Envy's true form and battled him. Ed found a way to get them all out by transmuting himself and opening the gate to go back. But when they got back to reality, Ed and Al met the Father guy who took Ling and made him a human based homunculus named Greed. It had seemed that Ling was gone completely. But Ed knew that you couldn't kill that prince so easily.
And here he was… feeling like he's utterly helpless again. These homunculi really know how to get Ed to do what they want. All they had to do is threaten an innocent person, or even a family member, and they have him tied up so that he can't move. Ed regrets that he has involved so many people since trying to get his body back. But the self-pity and regret can wait. He had to rescue Al.
As the two near a warehouse at the end of the lot, heaviness grows in Ed's chest. So much that he has to stop walking and stand a second, completely out of breath. "What is that?" Ed asks, making Envy stop and look at him. In a flash of red light, Envy is in his original clothing, a tight leather black outfit that Ed always thought could belong to a woman. Ed grabs his chest with his automail hand. "It's like…" He stops to exhale unsteadily and a slight sobbing noise escapes him. "Something's grabbing my heart and squeezing it tightly. I've never felt this before."
"So you can feel it too?" A familiar voice asks. Ed looks to the left to see Greed/Ling standing with his arms crossed and looking at Envy and Ed.
"Ling?!" Ed asks in surprise, despite the pressure in his chest. Greed shakes his head.
"It's Greed, kid. Still." Greed responds. Ed scowls before his breathing starts to become heavy. "That Xingese Prince can feel it too. He doesn't like it and keeps on begging me to get away."
Even though he's beginning to feel dizzy, Ed still is able to trudge over to Greed to grab the collar of his trench coat. "Give… Ling his body back!" Greed scoffs. He grabs Ed's shaking left hand and flings it away. Ed is thrown off balance and has to step back to steady himself. He scowls at Greed. He knows that Ling can get through. Ling is strong enough. Greed stuffs his hands in his pockets, sighing.
"Kid, give it up…" Greed replies. "You're just-." Before Greed can finish, Envy grabs Ed's left arm and tries to pull Ed aside. But Ed is too fast and dodges just barely in time for Envy to grab his sleeve. In one clean and loud rip, both sleeves of his jacket and cloak are ripped from their seams and twisting in the air. Driven by sheer nerve, Ed slides back and claps. He focuses his energy to his hands and slaps them to the ground. A pillar begins to form before a rush of air alarms him. A smashing strike to the side of his neck and Ed's eyes widen with a slight gasp before he collapses to the ground, nearly unconscious. Greed appears behind him, looking rather skeptical. The skepticism is directed towards Envy who trots forward. "Why couldn't you take him out before leading him here, Envy?"
Envy kneels next to Ed and takes hold of his braid. He pulls Ed's hair, lifting his head so he looks up at Envy. Ed hisses in pain weakly, wincing with his notorious scowl plastered on his face, despite the fact he feels that he could pass out in any second. Envy smiles a smile that Ed can truly brand as evil. "If it's that easy to trick you guys how are humans still alive?"
Ed groans a strained moan. "Where's my brother?!" Ed snaps through clenched teeth, though he fears he already knows the answer. Envy laughs a hysterical laugh. One that confirms Ed's suspicion.
"Your brother was never in any real danger to begin with…" Envy pulls Ed up roughly and slings him over his shoulder. Ed can't believe he easily fell for that… Had Ed thought about it and even asked for evidence or proof that Al had been a hostage, he wouldn't be in this situation. He was always careful when it came down to the details of research, observation, and even combat. But when a family member or friend, or even an innocent person, got threatened or involved, Ed's mind would scatter and become illogical. Illogical is the exact word for it. Ed was relieved, though. Al was safe and al Ed had to worry about is what Father and the Homunculi are planning to do with him… Envy faces Greed. "Let's get this over with."
Envy and Greed enter the warehouse they had all been in front of. It was an ordinary warehouse that was metal based and was currently housing boxes and barrels of supplies and products that Ed only assumes is for the military. What are they planning in doing with me? They already said that they couldn't afford to lose me because I'm a human sacrifice… but what does that even mean for Al, Mustang, and I?! Are they thinking that I'm more trouble than I'm worth? Are they really going to kill me?! Ed stops himself from thinking too much as Envy stops walking. Some lights flicker and Ed watches as Greed lights lanterns around the warehouse. Ed can't help but be carried like a limp ragdoll.
Truth is, ever since he'd gotten close to the warehouse, he'd felt terrible. Like an illness had suddenly come over him and is slowly draining his power away. Between dodging Envy's initial strike and starting a transmutation, Ed was beat. And his transmutation was interrupted by Greed. All of the energy Ed had put into it had left him just as quickly as he had conjured it up. So now he was basically helpless with hardly the strength to move or even lift his head. His head feels dizzy, his body is as heavy as lead, and his stumps are aching terribly. Not to mention the pressure on his heart that was rapidly pulsing in his chest along with his heartbeat.
Envy drops Ed on the groan, a pained moan escaping his clenched teeth as he shoots Envy a pissed glare of rage, trying to find his will to stand. "What… are you planning?" Ed forces from his lips, trembling to push his torso up from the ground on his elbows. Envy laughs before kneeling in front of him and placing a hand to the floor. He pulls what looks like a flap from a blanket.
FWOOSH!
A large puff of dust is left after Envy flips up a large tarp with a circle design underneath etched in chalk. Ed's eyes widen as he realizes what type of diagram it is. His jaw drops like a dead fish and a slight gasp escapes him. Before him was a transmutation circle drawn for human transmutation! The ultimate taboo for all Alchemists! What the hell is this?! Are they going to make me tansmute a person?! But why? What could they possibly gain by that?! Ed is surprised to find that is different from the one drawn at the 5th Lab, where underground scientists were sacrificing human souls to create Philosopher's Stones to benefit the Homunculi in their evil scheme of taking over Amestris.
Envy's index finger on his right hand stretches before thinning and sharpening into a blade. He brings it to Ed's cheek. "Now it's time you become useful…" Envy replies.
Ed scowls at the blade, and then to Envy's grinning face. "What do you want?" Ed's shoulders were aching, and his arms were trembling. He knows that he's in no position to fight and escape. So escaping was out of the question. "If you're going to kill me, wont your Father be mad?" Envy shrugs.
"I'm not going to kill you, pipsqueak." Envy answers, too casually. It was like a normal person saying that they'd wash the dishes later. The tone of how it had not phased him was almost scary to Ed. Then he takes a second before he realizes what Envy called him.
"Dammit, don't call me pipsqueak!" Ed snaps, waving a fist in the air. Ed stops and winces in pain, holding his head. "If you're not going to kill me, then why do you have the blade?" He hears footsteps behind him. His eyebrows shoot up, and his eyes widen a bit so that he could turn and look. But before he could look, Greed had already punched him in the neck. Ed is down and out like a light in an instant, sprawling across the floor with his eyes wide open but seemingly lifeless.
Envy grabs Ed by his collar and drags him into the circle. "Damn, Greed. That was brutal even for you… What'd you do to him?" Envy scowls up at Greed, placing Ed in the middle of the circle, then pointing at the boy. "You didn't kill him, did you?" Greed scoffs at Envy.
"Please… I don't kill children. Not even brats like him. It's just a simple paralysis spell that I learned from the Xingese prince. There's a pressure point at the back of the neck that will temporarily paralyze him and knock him unconscious." Greed answers sounding offended. "You'd think I'd stoop as low as your lot and take the lives of innocent children? Hmph!" He has rules and limitations, unlike the monsters he works with. He doesn't fight women, doesn't lie, he take what he wants, and doesn't steal from the weak. But one rule that had never been disturbed was that he never takes the lives of children. He just won't do it. No way, no how. Setting rules and limits to someone as powerful as his Father was expected because of his avarice. That's who he was and he was proud of. He was the living incarnation of Greed. He demands all the finer things that life has to offer. Money, women, status, sex: all of it. It's all his for the taking. But he can't help but feel a hollowness that he yearns to be filled. Maybe when he has everything, then he he'll somehow fill the hole in him.
Besides that, though, Greed was feeling a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. And standing so close to the circle had made it worse. "Greed, you need to get out of here!" Ling begs from inside him. Greed cocks an eyebrow in curiosity. "I have a terrible feeling that everything is going to get ugly real soon And I can help but feel that Envy is plotting something. Leave while you can!" Greed laughs a laugh that sounded more like an insult than anything.
"Ha! Too bad I don't take orders for you." Greed says aloud. Envy looks up at Greed from his position on the ground in front of Ed, where he was observing Greed's handy work. Greed notices. "The brat keeps telling me to run while I can." Greed laughs. "He also says you're plotting something and that He thinks things will get ugly." Greed adds, smiling a toothy grin.
Envy says nothing before he adds a laugh of relief. "Damn brat figured it out."
Greed's smile fades with his response of "Huh?" In a flash, Envy charges at Greed. He sucker punches him in the jaw, sending Greed flying towards the side of the warehouse. The metal wall warps and dents around him. He could have sworn that 6 of his ribs cracked all at the same instant. Envy latches onto his wrist before Greed can register the pain without of being thrown without his Ultimate Shield. A red light flashes as his body tries to heal itself. But Envy has already pulled Greed from the dent and slung him over his head in the air. With an "Oof!" Greed slams hard into the ground and can feel the rest of his ribs crack. Greed groans and winces in pain. "What the Hell… Envy…"
Greed's consciousness slips away, and leaves him open. Ling takes the opportunity while Greed is weak to regain control of his own body. He looks up at Envy. "Why'd you attack Greed like that?!"
"Dammit, Ling!" Greed cries from inside Ling's head. "You bastard! You picked a mighty fine time for your campaign of control, you little pissant!" Ling says nothing, sensing how mad Greed is.
"Father has a plan and it involves the Prince of Xing, Ling Yao." Both Greed and Ling gasp in unison, eyes widening. "It also involves the brat." Envy grabs Ed's left wrist and slices a thin line in his little palm. Blood begins to flow from Ed's hand onto the circle. The circle illuminates into a pale blue light and a draft is created as the light flashes brighter.
"What's going on!" Ling asks.
"Ling! Switch back with me!" Greed shouts. Ling nods, waiting to slip away. But he doesn't. Both Ling and Greed are surprised when he stays in control. "I said to switch!"
"I can't switch!" Ling shouts. Suddenly, and eye opens from under the three of them. Ed's body quickly deteriorates in black dust with plank looking transmutation marks. Black stringy arms arise and grab at Ling and Envy as they both begin to deconstruct. Then Ling could see it! In the pupil of the eye was a strange world that looked similar to this one as it zooms closer in one location. It went from the planet, to a continent, to a province or state of some kind, to a big city, to an area of warehouses, to a warehouse that looks exactly like the one they were currently in. And then, he felt himself fall.
Ed opens his eyes and he sees an entirely empty and white nothingness. He knows where he is the instant he tilts his head down and sees a huge stone gate floating in midair and decorated in carved foreign words and long slim feathers at the base of what looks like a tree that had branches string from each side and roots at the top, snaking around a crown. "The portal?" Ed asks nobody. "Then that means!" Ed sits up quickly and looks behind him over his shoulder expecting to find Al's weak and scrawny naked body sitting in front of Al's own gate. But instead, he sees Truth, the deity that appears before an alchemist when he or she commits the taboo. "Truth?"
"Well, isn't this an unexpected surprise. It doesn't look like you committed the taboo again…" Truth replies. Ed stands, the pain and dizziness that he experienced before all but gone. Ed steadies himself.
"What happened? Why am I here?" Ed asks. Truth stands and strides past Ed to his Portal of Truth. Truth brings up his right arm which is actually Ed's that was taken from him 15 years ago. Ed notices but chooses to say nothing. Truth runs his finger over the crack of the gate. Truth doesn't answer. Ed wonders if he refuses to answer, or really doesn't understand. After a moment, Truth sighs.
"So that's what's happening…" Truth murmurs, just out of Ed's hearing. Ed can't quite make out what he says. "Of all the things… all the times…"
"What was that?" Ed asks. Truth looks at him.
"Nothing." Truth steps towards Ed. Truth strides up to Ed, frowning and seeming a bit concerned. "I'll tell you what: I'll help you with this… predicament…" Ed doesn't really know what to say, mostly because he's too used to NOT trusting Truth. Truth smiles a strange smile to Ed. "It's alright, young Alchemist. You can trust the Truth." Ed blinks and sighs, shrugging. He decides to let it go and eases himself so that he can try to trust. Truth was; with the way things had been rolling lately, Ed couldn't remember just who to trust. It wasn't that long ago that he discovered the people who keep order in his life in the country he lives in are actually back stabbing traitors… So, business in the trust department had been a ghost town.
"It doesn't really seem like I have a choice…" Ed replies, smiling a very determined grin to Truth. "I'll have to trust you for the time being. At least until I get through whatever that bearded bastard has planned for me." Truth puts out his left hand. Ed looks down and takes it without hesitation.
"I'll give you a small gift. A… handicap if you may." Truth explains. Ed can feel something like a buzz of energy. Like he was an electrical battery being charged with energy. It circulates from Truth's hand into Ed's hand, into his arm. It's his automail arm, but he can still feel it vibrate somehow, like it's radiating with static.
"What type of handicap?" Ed asks. Suddenly, the gate behind him opens with a thundering slam. Ed's heart sinks and skips a few beats in the process. Truth seems to be surprised as well. Seeing how Truth has no control over the gate, Ed quickly turns to Truth. "Hurry! You have to tell me."
Truth looks to Ed. "I'm giving you you're alchemy. You can use your alchemy wherever you go however you want to." Black stringy arms and hands emerge from the gate and dash towards Ed. "Where you're going, there's no such thing as alchemy. So I'll allow you to use your alchemy there."
Ed opens his mouth, looking skeptical, as if to say something. But before a sound escapes his lips, the black hands grab him however they can hold him and begin to lift him up and away from Truth. Ed wriggles a bit and looks at the gate behind him. The hands drag him to the door before Ed latches onto each door's side and pulls himself up a bit. "Wait! What do you want from me in exchange?! What do I have to do for you to give you an equivalent exchange?!"
Truth doesn't say anything. He simply walks over, a frown on his face and a very calm yet uneasy composure to him. "You're price is to stop the plan from happening. That, and to survive." Ed doesn't seem to understand what the expression Truth is trying to convey. Is that pride? Ignorance? Arrogance? Or was the deity really showing Ed concerned empathy.
The clouds darken in the sky. A breeze begins to blow, rustling the leaves outside the café window. He looks outside the window, green eyes steady on the darkening clouds. His colleague continues to chatter and talk, unaware of the man's stray gaze. He runs a hand through his fluffy blond hair and tries not to seem to be distracted. This week had been great so far. And he was grateful that he could finish an amazing week with a convention like BakaCon (not a real con, but had to make one up for the plot…) that had tons of his fans and was known for their famous cosplayers and role plays. He was ecstatic to see the Rangers here and see the fans and be with them. But…
A sinking feeling grabs at the pit of his stomach and he swallows a knot from his throat. Something isn't right… He thinks. I can feel it in my gut… something's wrong…
If only he had let it go… he would have been better off…
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