First time I ever did a crossover, but this scenario just popped into my head and wouldn't leave me alone until I'd written it out - I'm rather proud of it, if I do say so myself.

Some people may be able to recognize all of the characters, but for those who can't - please welcome Itachi and Madara Uchiha, Seto Kaiba, Edward Elric, and Beyond Birthday.

Reviews would be appreciated.

~ FairMaiden333

Disclaimer - I don't own any of them. *Sigh* The cruelty of life…

Brothers In Misfortune

There were five men seated at the table in the dimly lit corner, and most of them had been drinking too much, to judge by the slightly slurred conversation going on.

"He died because of me, you know," the black-haired young man with the deep-set eyes said, resting his elbows on the table. "I knew what would happen, but he begged me to take them, and I was half-crazy with pain and anxiety." He chuckled humorlessly. "They said I killed him because I wanted his power."

"Tell me about it." This young man could almost have been the twin of the first; his eyes were not red, but they shifted ceaselessly, always glancing at and then away from the air above the heads of his companions. "When they found me holding his body - it didn't matter that we'd been closer than any brothers I'd ever seen. I was the lunatic who'd murdered him because I was jealous of the fact that he was ranked higher than I. God! - if it had made him think twice before ending it, I would have given him everything…"

"What older brother would hurt his little brother?" the first muttered.

"You've got to keep them close," the brown-haired teenager in the expensive suit said, his hand shaking slightly as he lifted his drink. "They'll take everything else from you - they'll take them too, if you don't watch out."

The one with deep-set eyes turned to him with exaggerated politeness. "Yours is still alive, I hope?"

The drink was set back down none too steadily. "Last time I looked. Everyone knows that he's the only way to get to me - I have armed guards outside his bedroom door every night, and I still can't be sure that he'll be there in the morning. Too many close calls."

"I haven't seen him for four years." It was the teenager who had accompanied the one with deep-set eyes. Their red eyes were eerily similar, but the younger had deep stress-lines creased into his face. "I haven't seen him for four years, and when I do, he's going to try to kill me. Again." A weary, strangely bright smile curved his mouth. "I hope he succeeds."

"My friend here has a strange and very altruistic complex," the one with deep-set eyes explained to the youngest member of the group, a teenager with golden hair and eyes who was looking askance at the one who had just spoken. "I've never seen anything quite like it."

"You're one to talk."

"He won't succeed for a while longer," the young man with shifting eyes said abruptly. "At least another two years."

"Really?" The red-eyed teenager looked vaguely disappointed as he sipped from his mug, eyeing the other above the rim. "What makes you think that?"

"You're not the only ones with special abilities. I just thought you'd like to know."

The teenager in the expensive suit muttered something that sounded like 'God-damn superstitions' into his mug as he took another long draught.

"He nearly died," the golden-haired boy said, staring down into his untouched cup. "It was all my fault - even with everything I did to try and save him he still only has half a life - and I still hear him screaming every time I try to sleep at night. I don't know if he blames me - I'm scared to find out."

"Ask him," the young man with shifting eyes suggested grimly but not unkindly. "Even if he does, it'll be better than never knowing - trust me."

The one with deep-set eyes was drawing aimless squiggles on the table with his finger. "So what have you been up to since he - died?" he asked as soon as his look-alike finished speaking.

A short, harsh burst of laughter. "Revenge, of course. What else? As a certain famous Spaniard once said, there's not much money in it. But there sure as hell is a lot of satisfaction."

The other tilted his head in thought for a moment and then nodded. "I'll drink to that."

"Me too," the brown-haired teenager said ungrammatically. "Planning to live through it?"

"Not really. If all goes according to plan, I should be dead in just a few years."

The red-eyed teenager smiled. "As should I. Perhaps we'll meet each other again on the other side."

The one with shifting eyes gave a curiously formal little nod of his head. "It would be my honor."

"I assure you, the honor is mine."

"I think you're all crazy except me," the teenager in the expensive suit muttered, "but who cares? The drinks are good."

"You're too young to be drinking," the golden-haired boy remarked with a certain austere disapproval. "And that's your fourth tonight."

The other peered at him owlishly. "Who do you think you are, my little brother?"

"If he were here, I bet he'd say the same thing."

"What about you?" the young man with deep-set eyes asked the golden haired one while the brown-haired teenager was swaying slightly in his seat and muttering, 'Maybe he's right' to himself. "What are your plans?"

The golden-eyed teenager's mouth was set in a firm, bitter line. "I messed up. I've got to try and fix it, somehow - I've been looking for a long time. But I'll keep looking until I find a way to get him back to normal. I don't care how long it takes."

"Good luck with that," the young man with shifting eyes told him, his fingers restlessly turning his mug around again and again. "I wish you better than I had."

"I too," murmured the one with deep-set eyes.

The teenager with red eyes raised his drink to his lips with a wistful air. "Do you think they'll ever forgive us for loving them so much?"

"I know I've made his life difficult," the teenager in the expensive suit said. "Sometimes he thinks I'm overprotective. But damn it, he's all I have left…"

Heads nodded around the table.

"You're right," the young man with shifting eyes said fiercely, thickly. "Keep them close - safe - as long as you can…"

"Protect them," the red-eyed teenager added quietly.

The one with golden hair nodded agreement again as he took a silver pocket watch out of his coat, glancing at the hands. He started. "Ah, damn it, I should have been back half an hour ago. He'll be worried sick if I don't hurry." He rose to his feet, fishing in his pocket for a small handful of silver coins which he placed on the table.

The young man with deep-set eyes grinned as he took another draught from his mug. "Watch your language. Unlike me, you've still got someone to be a role model for."

"I won't be coming home drunk tonight," the golden-eyed teenager retorted, "that'll have to be enough for now."

The young man with shifting eyes set down his drink. "I suppose I should be getting on my way too…"

Murmured agreements followed from around the table, and the scraping of chairs mixed with the soft thud of boots and the chinking of coins.

The young man with the deep-set eyes and the one with the shifting gaze were the last to leave. "The lucky ones," the first remarked to the other, looking after the brown-haired teenager and the one with golden hair. "The ones who still have a chance."

"I hope they don't lose it."

A slightly deranged chuckle. "Well, you wouldn't want them to end up like us, would you?"

The young man with the shifting eyes twisted his mouth thoughtfully. "Maybe they'll make different choices."

"Better ones?"

"I said different."

"Ah, a diplomat. Well, I see my companion is waiting for me, so if you don't mind…"

"I understand. Don't keep him waiting. It's a cold night. And - when you see him, tell him that it will be exactly two years, five months, and six days before his brother will kill him. At least, I'm assuming that it will be his brother."

"I think he'll appreciate that."

"I thought he might."

The door closed behind them.