Summary: Trust is a fragile thing, something that Edward knows only too well.
Ed's framed for murder, Roy is keeping secrets, and the Elric just doesn't know who to trust anymore.
Will Roy ever be free from the mess he's gotten himself into? Only time will tell.
Disclaimer: FullMetal Alchemist belongs to Hiromu Arakawa, not me.
Authors note: So recently I found a mountain of notebooks in my room, all un-posted fanfictions which I wrote two or three years ago, and to be honest, I'd forgotten all about them. I thought rather than let them go to waste, I may as well upload them, even if not many people get round to reading them.
This is one of them, and if you'd like to read more, let me know and I will post the rest. Thanks!
Warnings: Ed's language, and also since I am English, there may be a few minor spelling variations.
His entire body throbbed.
His legs ached, his head ached, his throat unbearably dry, and his limbs were beginning to feel leaden and numb, metal and flesh alike. It was almost as if he were carrying several blocks of cement instead of his usual functioning limbs, and the weight was becoming unbearable with each passing second.
Despite the scream of his conscience, the presence of gravity and reality were becoming far too much, and suddenly, in a foggy haze of panic and confusion, failure seemed like an enjoyable option.
If he stopped, the burning in his muscles would stop, the throbbing in his chest, and his mind, bursting at the seams with stress and emotion, would finally be put out of its misery.
Fortunately for Edward, he had far too much to live for. He'd gotten this far without losing his life, surely a few more years wouldn't hurt? It would be an insult to his memory if he died in a place like this.
The air was thick with fog and he couldn't escape it. It followed him like the grim reaper, every time his back was turned it only inched closer. Ed knew that if he stopped moving, it would all be over, everything that he had achieved so far would be mangled beyond repair.
Friends, foes, it didn't matter anymore.
All that mattered was getting out of here, wherever here was.
The earth was damp and thick, and a splatter of wet mud clung to his large black boots; the water logged grass sprayed his black clad legs and torso as he stormed across it desperately without looking back.
The Elric knew what was out there whether he could see it or not. He didn't need to see, he didn't need to think, he needed to run. He needed to escape the never ending trail of misfortune that had managed to pursue him like a shadow.
Was Ed tired? Is that why he was struggling to breathe? Or was it his aching lungs giving up on him?
So many questions... it hurt to think about them.
He couldn't hear himself think. It was hard to hear anything over the sound of his own heart-beat, the pumping blood ringing in his ears, the sound of his desperate lungs heaving, begging for oxygen.
Those pursuing footsteps... gone. It was just him and the trees, in the damp, dingy woodland that seemed to surround him like a maze.
Ed was sure he'd been here before, a mission perhaps.
Why did it feel so different?
It was funny.
If Ed hadn't felt so exhausted, he would have laughed.
He'd been running from anything and everything his entire life, and tonight was no exception. His life was one big chase, like a game of cat and mouse.
Slouching against the nearest tree, he tried to catch his breath, tried to soothe his heaving chest with the pathetic promise to his body of rest. When the night was over, he vowed to sleep, sleep for days, weeks, and an eternity if he had to. It didn't matter how long, as long as he felt better than this. Not tired... not aching... not useless.
"Edward!"
The blonde froze, holding his breath through sheer force.
"Edward, please!"
That voice, it sent an unpleasant shiver trailing down his spine. That tone, that pleading, the unbearable familiarity... the temptation to cover his ears was overwhelming.
How could anything affect him this much? Throughout his entire career, had such a simple thing bothered him this much before?
Recent events had drastically changed Ed's view of the military forever. Those passionate golden eyes would never look at anyone in the same way again, ever.
The footsteps drew closer, echoing through the silent woodland, accompanied by a weak plea.
"Edward, I... I'm sorry."
"Just don't," the blonde whispered, curling his hand into a metallic fist while resisting the urge to use a nearby tree as a substitute for a punching bag. "Just don't!"
As soon as the words escaped his lips much louder than he had originally intended, the Elric clamped a hand over his mouth, cursing his own stupidity.
"Ed?"
"Shut up!" The blondes eyes darted franticly in panic, his head snapping from side to side as the twigs began to crunch under his feet. "Just shut up! I don't want to hear anything from you of all people!"
The footsteps grew louder, pacing steadily towards the sound of his voice.
Ed began to pace steadily backwards, his eyes scanning the fog for a tall dark haired figure.
Transmuting his arm into a sharp blade, the young alchemist could still hear the steady rhythm of boot steps, steps heading in his direction, splashing against the wet mud.
"Stay the fuck away from me, you hear? I'll slice your head off!"
"You've never killed before," a confident voice replied. "If you're trying to scare me FullMetal, you'll have to try a lot harder."
"There's a first time for everything, and in your case, I'll gladly make an exception!"
Edward stopped, straining his ears for a noise, the slightest sound of movement, anything that could determine the distance between them. In the teen's opinion, it would always be too close.
There was an audible sigh.
"Edward, don't make this harder than this is already, we-" there was a pause of uncertainty. "We don't have time for this! It won't be long until he's here-"
"Oh really?" the blonde retorted loudly. "Won't be long until you have back up so you can both finish me off together. I always had the impression you weren't a big fan of team work."
"This isn't a game Ed!"
The Elric stifled a laugh. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Isn't it? I don't know what to believe anymore! I don't know if this is your idea of a joke, but it's not funny anymore!"
"I know it's hard to understand, but... you have to trust me Ed."
"How the hell am I supposed to trust you, after all of this?!"
"You can't."