Inspired by the royai forums contest suggestion
Words Count: 1681
Prompts: Scar (because he's lonely;) , organ, and useless
Pairings: Most likely Al/Winry with a hint of royai
Raiting/Warning: Rated T for grossness if I did it right. This will not follow the
ending but there may be some major spoilers. May be slightly out of character.
Disclaimer: Hiromu Arakawa is the creator of FMA. Licensed custody is shared by Funimation, Square Enix, Viz, and all other professional parties. I no own, this is just for fun.
Colonel Roy Mustang surveyed the grim crime scene before him wondering how it had all come down to this. He hadn't believed the incident was true when he had first received the call, and he still couldn't fathom what was going on even in the aftermath. The shock was still too fresh.
Before him lay Scar's latest victim, another child whose face would be forever etched into Roy's nightmares. The body was barely recognizable. The upper torso was shredded to pieces, but that was just the beginning. The skull was split open, barely there except for a smidgen of the brain which was splattered against the wall. Roy didn't even need to see any other organs to gauge how badly the victim was abused before his death. Blood was everywhere. How was it possible for such a large pool of blood to spill out of such a small host? Mustang had to look away in order to compose himself or risk losing it right in front of his own men. He couldn't allow it. This had to be harder on any of them then it was in his own mind and heart, and that was saying something.
"Sir," Second Lieutenant Havoc addressed him as he approached, "I've found this sir."
Roy gave his attention to the soldier when he noticed he was cradling a piece of scrap metal. He held it as if it was precious, and Jean had every right to.
It was an automail arm.
"We...haven't been able to locate anything else," his comrade replied somberly.
"Understood. The others will take care of it from here on out. Would you please help Lieutenant Hawkeye with... crowd control?" Roy asked knowing full well that this assignment was just too much for all of them to handle. The medics and other personnel had arrived practically shoving the unit out of the way, not that they weren't grateful for it.
Jean nodded and headed towards Hawkeye's position. It was protocol for everyone in the unit to know each other's location at all times during a mission, but that wasn't the only reason his other superior was so easy to find. Riza was attempting to hold back a hysterical suit of armor who was nearly three times her size and nearly twice as strong. His 'innocent' voice was enough to break down the barrier of any soldier's heart, it was no wonder Hawkeye was having trouble with him.
"I've got to find brother! What if he needs help? I can't just stand here and do nothing!" Alphonse Elric pleaded with the blonde haired woman. Why didn't she understand that they were blood brothers? Edward had put himself in danger time and time again and he wasn't about to let Colonel Mustang or any other soldier intercept his sibling without him knowing. Still, the way the sharp shooter's eyes avoided his own unnevered him. Something was definitely wrong, and he was going to get to the bottom of this. Hadn't they learned by now that there was no stopping an Elric?
"Alphonse..." she pleaded barely above a whisper. He hadn't heard her and kept trying to push his limits. Riza knew she was in possession of a time bomb waiting to go off, and she held the detonator. She couldn't bear it. She didn't want to see someone she cared about be in so much pain. That's why she was there in the first place, she wasn't as strong as Mustang was. She couldn't keep a straight face in front of such a devastating tragedy, and she was a soldier.
Havoc approached them with caution as if he were stepping on broken glass. Hawkeye had all but lost her grip on the boy and Havoc stepped in to assist her just in time. Alphonse stopped shoving and stared them down. He was going to get to the bottom of this, even if it killed him.
"Where's my brother?" Al demanded with a fierceness that surprised them both. The two officers looked to each other for guidance, one just as lost as the other. Mustang had ordered them to keep him away from the area. Should they really tell him?
"I...he uh... that is to say..." Jean stammered attempting to gather some courage. Riza elbowed him before he could get any further and he lost all train of thought.
"It's alright, I'll take it from here," their commanding officer announced as he entered the room. Mustang tried to quail the fear in his gut, to no avail. Alphonse had a right to know. He had to tell him.
"I'm sorry Alphonse. Edward is no longer with us," he stated mentally kicking himself. Why couldn't he come out and say it?
"What do you mean? Where did he go?" Al pleaded suddenly not feeling as strong as he was. Sure his brother was reckless but he wouldn't take off without telling him? What in the world is 'no longer with us' supposed to mean anyway?
"Scar was in the area. Before we could detain him, he found Edward. This is all that's left of him," his voice trailed off as he produced the automail arm that Havoc had offered him. Alphonse stared in horror as he tried to process the information he was just given. He had thought he couldn't get any number then losing his body. He'd never been so wrong. Not wanting to believe what was happening, Al broke hold of Hawkeye's grip sending her to the floor. He rushed past Havoc and Mustang ignoring their useless warnings.
"Alphonse!" they shouted as he entered the room. The personnel cleaning up had looked up upon hearing the clanking interrupting their work. The sight that befell Al's eyes was enough to send his disoriented soul into oblivion. The mangled corpse held his gaze as the puddle of blood reflected his image. Al was ready to walk away satisfied that the victim was just another nameless face until he caught a glimpse of a red jacket. The boy willed his hollow body to inspect it closer until he found the famous insignia on the back. The body was slumped over just enough that it peeked out behind a few strands of golden hair. Attached to the belt on the lower half of the body was a certified state alchemist pocket watch. A very familiar watch.
The armor shook as recognition set in. "Brother..." he whispered in disbelief, his voice teetering on the edge. His red eyes shook as he slid to the floor in a heaping mess. A sob broke free and a thousand thoughts raced through his head. 'He can't be! He wouldn't do something so stupid! We're all we've got!' Al's mind screamed as he shook with grief. By this time the colonel and squad had come to comfort him. They tried to ease him up so they could remove him from the scene.
"No!" Al fought losing all composure. He couldn't leave Ed, not when he had suffered so much! With his mind on a doomed collision course, he soon lost the will to fight. He gently claimed Ed's precious pocket watch before he finally let the officers guide him to a waiting car.
Colonel Mustang led the way as his faithful team fanned out in a semi-circle hovering protectively over Alphonse. The Colonel knew it was only a matter of time before the media received word on the death of the Fullmetal Alchemist, and he wanted to get Alphonse as far away from the suffocating crowds as possible. Roy was fairly certain that Scar had only wanted Edward because he was a certified state alchemist like himself, but he wasn't willing to gamble with Al's life. Edward had made a lot of enemies. Even if the boy was a suite of armor the Colonel made a mental note to tighten security in case any assassin wannabes were in the area.
It took a lot of manipulation to get Riza, Havoc, Falman, Alphonse and himself into a car considering one of the passengers was much larger then the average man. Breda and Feury had opted to take another vehicle. Although she couldn't move, Riza had chosen to sit in the back with Roy in order to try and comfort the quaking, sobbing child. Havoc floored the gas pedal and they took off into the night.
A silhouetted figure on the roof of the building was barely visible against the backdrop of a diamond studded sky. The spy watched the military personnel pull out of the area slightly disappointed that he hadn't been able to confront anyone on current events. He had been passing by on the roof tops when he heard the commotion that scarred Ishbalan man had made and was outraged when he had found Fullmetal's corpse. Killing Edward was his job dammit! Envy was beyond pissed at the Ishbalan for disposing of his obligation, but he still considered himself lucky with the prize he had found. In his hands he held the missing automail leg stolen fresh from the crime scene. He wasn't quite sure what he would do with it yet, but several delightful disturbing possibilities were emerging.
"Well, if I can't have the pipsqueak all to myself, there's always his baby brother..." he snarled, words dripping with venom.
A/N: Yet another deviation from what I'm supposed to be working on. I'm quite pleased with this one, I just hope it's as fresh as I think. I appreciate any feedback. Thanks for reading!