DISCLAIMER: I do not own FullMetal Alchemist. I don't own any of the characters or the original story. Please note that I don't feel like sticking this on the top of every chapter and so this pertains to ALL chapters written for this fanfic. Same goes for spoilers.

SPOILERS: This fanfic takes places after the end of the anime series, starting near the end of the movie and continuing from there. As such, there'll definitely be spoilers for the movie and the end of the anime. I haven't read the manga, although I plan to. As such, characters from that storyline may be added in the future, although they'll be included in a way that will fit in with the storyline. Thus I'll make a note otherwise if there's a spoiler for the manga.

NOTES: This is my first fanfic, please R&R. Comments/criticism are welcome, flames are not.

Again, this fanfic will start near the end of the movie. I wasn't really satisfied with the way it ends (and thus the way it ends the anime series), thus came the ideas for writing this fanfic. Starting right where I want to change the movie would be pretty confusing, so this first chapter will encompass a section of the movie before that point. It's more for reference, but there will be additions/slight deviations from the movie (to get behind the minds of the characters and to set up later story threads).

I'll try to update as soon as I finish each chapter. So far, they seem to take about a week to do, but there's no guarantee of that, especially if my other workload is pretty intense. If you're desperate, you can check the progress of each chapter on my profile page ;p

Chapter 1: Homecoming

Wrath's gone…but I did it! thought Al. I opened the Gate! Brother should be coming through any moment now!

Al's elation at opening the gate soon turned to confusion, then dread as a small flying machine – it had to be a machine, coming from the other side of the Gate – burst out of the Gate, followed by a larger one. Pure evil and malice radiated from the dark splotches that covered the larger of the two arrivals. Th-that thing…

The monstrosity glowed, a purple alchemic circle pulsing into existence as explosions peppered the city below. Another circle formed and this time explosions punctured the air, seeking to envelop the little red airship in front of it. The sound jolted Al out of his stunned state. Coming to his senses, he started running after them.

I brought this to our world – another of my mistakes brought to life by the Gate. The younger Elric remembered the horror when Izumi first told him of their failure to bring Mom back, as well as the price he and his brother had to pay for it. I have to stop it before it reaches the surface, before it can bring destruction to Central!

Winry stood up and dusted herself off. She and Sheska had just fallen down a pit that had opened up beneath them while they were explorer the old Fuhrer's mansion. She looked around. Apparently they were standing in the same ancient city that they were trying to find. Noticing a large object flying above the city, she whispered, "What is that?"

"Winry!"

She continued to stare up at the flying contraption as Ed's brother slid down a nearby slope and came up to the two girls. "Al…what are they?"

"I don't know. All I did was open up the gate…"

Winry turned to look at Al. "What?"

Opening his mouth to speak, Al was interrupted by Sheska. She yelled out, pointing to the sky. A smaller flying machine plummeted out of the sky, passing over their heads before crashing into the street. As the smoke started clearing, they could make out a body lying in the middle of the wreckage.

Winry stepped forward. Is that…

Moaning, Ed pushed himself to his knees. "Landing still needs some work."

"Edward…" The voice was but a whisper, and despite not hearing it for over two years, it was as familiar as his own. He looked up and found her standing in front of him. Winry…

She put on a small smile, tears misting over her eyes. "I was wondering when you'd show."

"Winry…" The words were barely out of his mouth before she rushed over and hugged him. Ed blushed furiously, staring at the ground in front of him. I really hope this means that she missed me as much as I missed her.

"Welcome home."

"Thanks."

"Brother!"

Looking up once again, he spotted two more familiar souls. "Sheska…Al"

Al smiled warmly. "I knew I'd see you again."

"Yeah."

Another purple transmutation circle pulsed into existence on the side of Eckhart's airship. Blowing a hole in the roof of the cavern that housed the ancient city, it shot towards to the surface. The shockwave of the blast startled the Elric brothers out of their reunion. "What is that brother?"

"It's a rocket powered airship, and it's armed. It came to conquer this world and use any power they can take from us to fuel their own war."

Al looked away. "It's my fault."

"So you're the one…you made the gate on this side"

Gasping in shock, Al headed for the nearest passage out of the ancient city.

"Al!" The older Elric got up to chase after his brother but collapsed after taking a step. Looking back, he found that the makeshift leg created by his father had broken. What am I going to do now?

Winry came up and kneeled down beside Ed, setting down the large suitcase that she was carrying at her side. "Same old Ed. Home for five minutes and you're off on another mission. But you can't go to battle with that arm and leg, can you?" Undoing the clasps, she opened the suitcase to reveal a brand new automail arm and leg.

Sheska let out a small gasp of surprise. "You've been lugging those around this whole time?"

Ed took a look at the set, slightly doubtful, as his childhood friend pulled out the metal arm. "That's great, but I'm not so sure they'll fit. I've grown you know."

"Who do you think you're dealing with here?"

Wielding a scoped rifle in place of her trusty twin pistols, Riza Hawkeye took careful aim and placed a single shot in the small crack of the helmet of one enemy combatant. Around her, fellow soldiers fired their rifles rapidly, their multiple shots making up for their lack of precision.

Jean Havoc and Heymans Breda peered over their barrier. "Who are these bastards?" A bullet punctured the bag just below his head and the pair ducked back down."Damn it!" More bullets hit the wall in front of him as he fired his rifle back at the enemy.

A large figure slid in front of the barricade and pulled off his suit. Pink sparkles shimmered around the perfectly sculptured body.

"Behold, my beautiful artistic alchemy!"

Using his spiked knuckles, the Strong Arm Alchemist punched the ground with both fists. His 'artistic' alchemy sprouted numerous busts of his head from the ground, smashing into the invading army. Taking fire, he jumped back behind the safety of the military barricade.

Kain Feury cried out in relief. "Major!"

Keeping his calm, Vato Falman pulled Feury back just before he got hit by a flying piece of rubble. "Major Armstrong, who are they?"

"They looked like the same ones that were in Lior…something's changed"

Another soldier called out, catching their attention. "Officers! Behind you!"

The officers at the front turned around. They found over two dozen of their metal clad enemies climbing down from the building behind them.

"Fire!"

Bullets peppered the building and anything else that was on that side. Enemy foot soldiers lost their grip and fell to the ground, motionless.

The threat from behind dealt with, the officers at the barricade turned their attention back to the front. However, it was the man walking towards them on their side of the barrier that caught their attention. Walking at an unhurried pace, the man calmly looked past the sandbag wall and snapped his fingers. An explosion ignited amidst the enemy formation, blowing many of the armored adversaries into smithereens.

Havoc nearly dropped his cigarette in surprise. "He's back."

"Heh-heh, welcome to the party general!" Breda called out.

Getting straight to business, Roy Mustang started issuing orders. "Warrant Officer Falman, take a squad and defend the assembly hall."

"Sir!"

"Sergeant Feury, inform the mechanized division. We need a tank unit in Central, now! Crush their ranks go!"

"Yes sir!"

Havoc whispered to Breda. "You know, he gives a lot of orders for an enlisted man."

"Lieutenants Havoc and Breda." Both men snapped to attention.

"Sir!"

"The command center's our last stronghold. Tell the generals to stop wasting time and order all their divisions to come defend it."

"Right!"

Mustang turned to regard the Strong Arm Alchemist. "Major Armstrong, you know, if we're gonna get to that aircraft…"

"Then we'll need a way to fly, got it."

Turning back, Roy viewed the only remaining officer. Riza gave him a small smile in return.

"We've been waiting for you sir."

"Okay, try standing up."

Still aching from the reattachments, Ed stood up and tested his new leg. "You know, I think sometimes you enjoy causing me pain."

Sheska, watching during the whole operation, commented. "Perfect!"

Winry wiped the sweat off of her brow with her arm and stood back to admire her latest masterpieces. "Considering all the guess work, I think I did a good job, don't cha think?"

"More ships are coming through, hide somewhere!"

Wintry watched her childhood friend as he ran after the two newly arrived airships, not even taking the time to see if the girls followed his advice. He really hasn't changed.

Destroying the two new ships in the air above Central, Edward Elric clapped his hands and transmuted his coat into a parachute. Landing in an area of the city that seemed to have taken a beating, he found his brother wandering the streets nearby. Al seemed shocked at the devastation surrounding him.

"Al! Hey, I'm surprised you found your way to the surface."

"It was Wrath, he showed me all the ways out beforehand."

"Wrath!?"

"That's right; I made that permanent gate by transmuting him."

Ed gasped in surprise. "Al…" He barely had time to process the information before a nearby building exploded. A scream cut through the air, startling the young alchemist out of his shock.

Al stared at the ruined building in shock. The arm of a young child stuck out of the rubble, lying in a pool of blood. A brown teddy bear lay nearby. The younger Elric cried out in frustration and clapped his hands, running forward. However, his brother laid a firm grip on his shoulder, preventing him from touching the debris.

"No, you can't bring back the dead Al, trying just causes more pain."

Al collapsed on the ground, still in shock. "Brother, is all this…my fault? Why's it all turning out this way? I just – I wanted –"

"I know, you were just trying to bring be back home again Al, for whatever reason, wrath wanted to help. The sacrifice was his choice. The other Al wanted to get me home too, to feel like he did something meaningful. And Noah wanted a place to belong. We all had our excuses and they all seemed right to us. No one thought it would lead to suffering like this. I know that…none of us was looking to start a war. But still, a war is what we got, so all of us take the blame. Do you understand? That's why we have to make it right, and defend this world, as long as we're alive. We can't keep living like our own dreams are all that matter, okay?"

Looking up, Al saw determination in his brother's eyes. Nodding with his own resolve, the thirteen year old boy stood up. He's right; I can't sit here feeling sorry for myself. We've got to take care of the problems ourselves.

Roy snapped his fingers, the ignition cloth of his gloves creating a spark. Modifying the oxygen content of the air surrounding one of the metal invaders, the general created a small explosion at point blank range, destroying the suit of armor. Nearby, Riza fended off more of the enemy,firing her pistol left and right. Only a single shot was needed to dispatch each target.Finished with his own adversary, Mustang hurried over to Major Armstrong and his squad.

Seeing a shadow, his fellow alchemist looked up. "Hm?"

"How's it coming?"

He gestured towards their makeshift balloon. "This is the best we could manage, given all we have."

"It's good enough." Kneeling, the Flame Alchemist ignited a spark and created a steady flame at his fingertip, heating the air inside the balloon. As it started to rise, he jumped inside the basket.

Finally noticing that her superior officer was missing, Lieutenant Hawkeye ran back to where Armstrong and his group stood. No! He's going alone, again!

She tried to run after him but Armstrong stopped her from getting closer. "Easy now."

Yelling, Riza gazed up in despair. "Stop! What are you doing?"

Looking down, Roy found his trusted aid staring back up at him. "Sorry lieutenant, only room for one."

"You liar! Come back!"

This time, Mustang only waved in response and turned his attention back towards the airship. Riza tried to stop the tears that threatened to form in her eyes. You idiot! How can I protect you this time if I'm not there with you!?

The Elric brothers clapped their hands and pressed them down to the stone roof. The portion that they were standing on shot towards the airship, forming a pillar. Al grinned at his brother. "All this time, you haven't lost your touch."

"Give me a little credit Al."

A circle formed on the side of the airship and a gun formed into existence. Firing, it hit the pillar and nearly dislodged the boys. They clung to the edges, barely hanging on to it. The gun fired once again, but was cut short by an explosion that destroyed it.

"If you're gonna strike do it now, Fullmetal."

Looking over, the Elrics found Mustang floating beside them in a balloon. Ed called out, "General!"

Climbing back up, the two young alchemists clapped their hands. Bullets rained down on them but stopped once their new pillar impacted the ship.

Mustang jumped off his balloon and started running up this new pillar, the Elrics just behind him. "Way to bring your trouble home with you Fullmetal, really nice."

"Huh, smart remarks already? Nice patch by the way, though it should have covered your mouth too."

Al grinned. "Sorry sir, ignore him."

Another cannon started firing at them, and the boys flinched. Mustang stopped and destroyed it with another snap. Two more turrets formed, but the Flame Alchemist was able to destroy them before they shot a single bullet. Yet another gun emerged as they reached the airship, its deadly hail forcing the trio to take cover behind a pillar. Peaking out for just a moment, Roy dispatched it easily, creating a hole in the side of the airship in the process. He used the brief lull in the fighting to speak.

"No go Fullmetal, I'll guard the entrance, that's why I came."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Ed ran inside.

"Hold on brother, wait for me." Not wanting to be left behind, Al hurried after him.

Thus the next cannon to appear was the only thing around to witness Mustang whisper, "I always knew you were alive."

Using Alphonse's unique alchemy, the brothers defeated Eckhart by turning her armored minions back on her. They headed back outside, stepping through the hole made by Mustang. The general noticed that Ed paused just outside the exit.

"So what now?"

Ed clapped his hands to perform a transmutation, but Al interrupted him. "Brother! Behind you!"

Turning around, the older Elric found Eckhart crawling on the floor towards him. "What do you want now? You can't take on all three of us."

The head of the Thule society laughed, but was cut short as she coughed blood onto the floor. Wiping it from her mouth, she glanced back up, her last words filled with malice. "I just wanted to see the despair on your face before I die. This ship is fused with Huskisson's bomb and is set to self-destruct. I'll take you…and the rest of this city with me…to hell!"

Seeing her die, the older Elric reacted quickly, clapping his hands and pressing them to the floor of the wing. He completely sheared off the section where Mustang and Al stood.

Al tried to run over, but Roy stopped him. "Brother! Brother what are you doing!?"

Ed glanced at them solemnly. "That should be enough alchemic material to get yourselves down."

The general asked the question the younger Elric was afraid to ask. "What about you?"

"I'm going to take this airship as far away as I can. Hopefully, it'll be far enough."

"Why you don't have to go this!"

"I missed everyone back in the other world. If there's even a slight chance that I can save everyone here, I'll sacrifice myself to do it if I have to. Do one thing for me. You've got to destroy the Gate that's on this side."

Al yelled out as Ed turned back inside the airship. "What about Winry, don't you know she misses you too?"

Ed raised his right arm. "Tell her thanks, she always made the best."

The older Elric disappeared as Al called out. "Wait, brother no! I just got you back, you can't go yet!"

Ed ignored his brother's cries as he made his way back to the bridge of the airship. I've got to fly this thing into space. Anywhere else and I risk devastating another area of Amestris. It's what the rockets where made for in the first place, so it should work…

Winry and Sheska looked up at the airship, seeing a small speck detaching itself. All of a sudden, the airship boosted further into the sky.

Tears of sadness misted Winry's eyes. "That's Ed, I know it." She paused, watching it grow smaller as it flew higher. All of a sudden, the dot marking the airship burst into a small sun. Her eyes widened briefly before she had to cover them. Ed! T-this time he's gone for good... The girl sank to the floor, this time letting the tears of grief flow freely down her face.

A/N: I'm evil for leaving such a cliffhanger at the end of the first chapter…