So lyke... We wrote A Rolling Stone, and then Taisa was all like ":C You don't write anything for Taisa!" So then lyke We wanted to do something for him and We came up with this.

There're elements from the chatplay involved. Find them hard to understand? Too bad, deal with it. Sorry, Taisa, it's not that long. xD;

Pairing: A pinch of RoyEd

Disclaimer: Don't own it!

REJECTION

An unexpected side effect. He supposed he'd brought it upon himself, this thing. Trapping him in that armor never did any good, did it? It just... brought more pain. For both of them.

The younger brother looks down to the small chimera hanging off his arm. Edward has bitten onto the gauntlet with the small fangs he now possesses, and he's swinging with every move the armor makes. Aru plucks his older brother up by the scruff of his neck, and Edward blinks at him, ears twitching. No one's held him like this before -- he's usually carried like a toddler -- and it scares him a little, to be treated like just a regular housecat. Sometimes he wonders if Aru can see the brother that still exists, or if he only sees the cute little kitten chimera. He only re-met him recently, after all; Aru has believed he was dead for some time now. Aru chuckles, his voice echoing around his armor. "Nii-san, what's got into you?"

Edward looks sheepish. He squirms in the hollow grip until Aru holds out his hands so the little chimera can sit on the gauntlets. "Wanted to see what it tastes like," he admits, pouting cutely. "Sorry, Aru."

If armor could smile, Aru would, but he can feel a pang of sudden unexplained anger bubbling up. He may not be able to physically feel anything, but his heart still exists, and he doesn't understand how he can feel such contempt for his brother. They're all the other has, right? Then why is he...?

The armor pauses, fighting with himself, then somehow loses control, allowing his metal body to do the talking and not his heart. He doesn't feel guilty, for some reason, when his fist slams into his brother's stomach.

Edward doesn't fight. He doesn't make a move to defend himself, because even though he's fought his brother while sparring, this is different. Besides, from said sparring matches, he's learned that he can't ever beat his brother. So, he doesn't fight, even when a metal elbow-spike stabs him in the back dangerously close to his spinal cord, but misses by a hair. The only thing he does is whimper and try to move, but considering he has only recently gotten automail surgery redone, for the second time in his life, his mobility is highly limited. If Roy were here, Aru would have been held back, or... or... something. His consciousness is fading. It doesn't make sense to him, Aru betraying him like this. Why? He murmurs it. "Why?" and soon it becomes a helpless mantra: "Why? Why? Why?" over and over.

He doesn't dare look his brother in the eye, afraid of what he might see in those glowing red depths. Hate? Ruthlessness? Or... could there possibly be guilt? He doesn't want to see guilt the most. But then again, who knows? He throws caution to the wind then, shattered gold blinking up timidly into red. What he sees there scares him even more, because he knows that Aru is scared, too.

The kitten shakes his head as another blow hits him and this time, it's something very delicate that Aru has injured. The armor has punched him in the neck, and with the spray of red he coughs up afterwards comes the sick realization that his larynx has been shattered, and his vocal cords are damaged beyond repair. He tries to tell the armor, beg him to stop

(his larynx is shattered there's no going back it's GONE and that's it)

but he can't make his voice do what he wants it to and only a soft whispering noise escapes his throat.

A barrage of punches follow, but somehow they all miss his vital points, and none hit his head. Edward barely registers them. His whole body has gone numb. But he feels them, still, and he knows that Aru is holding back the demon as best he can, but sometimes your best effort isn't enough, and the next blow is hard enough to rattle his skull. His ear, the little pointed thing that often flicks around while he's asleep, even if the other one is slumbering as well, makes a sickening crunch noise and he knows that the cartilage has been crushed.

Aru doesn't hesitate to hit him more. He doesn't know why he doesn't want to hesitate, but his body and mind have been overcome with a furious rage that only hitting his brother can seem to satisfy. He knows he doesn't want to do it, but there's something about it that makes him want to, that helps him to enjoy it. And then -- all conscious thought stops. He is overcome with a terrible, physical pain, one that he shouldn't be able to feel with his armored body, but there it is, and he doesn't like it at all, because he knows that something is happening, and --

Edward's vision grays out, but he can see the armor shaking as he fights to stay conscious. Suddenly Aru goes limp, and his head rolls away as his metal body collapses. Edward rolls away as well, dropped, but drags himself back to the big suit of armor in time to hear a guttural, almost unrecognizeable voice murmur an "I'm so sorry, nii-san" before the red eyes fade and the small chimera is left on the floor of Roy Mustang's kitchen, which is quickly becoming covered in blood. He blacks out then, trying to cling to the suit of armor even as his vision clouds over and goes dark.

Roy finds him there later, his kitten barely clinging to life. The wound in Edward's back is draining him quickly, and the Colonel bandages it. He sighs. Ed is always getting into trouble... but he'll pretend that's his only worry.

God really does have it in for us sinners...