Echoes of the Past
Disclaimer: I don't own Fullmetal Alchemist
Rain pounded the ground, mimicking the sound of a horses hooves banging the cement. The thunder sounded like a drum roll, loud and striking. And each flash of lightning resembled the fire Roy Mustang had the power to create.
The freezing wind nipped at the exposed skin of the small boy who sat against a wall, surrounded in an aura of guilt of depression. The sounds that reached his ears were only distant echoes of his most recent mission. Each echo that he only wished he could forget.
But they only grew louder. From a distant echo to a screaming pain that lingered well after all noise has left. The rain wasn't rain. It sounded too much like the blood that had fallen from the ledge and landed on the ground not far below.
No! Please, I don't want to die! Spare me! I beg you!
The final words still haunted him. How could he have been so horrible?
It was something he would never be able to forget. But maybe he shouldn't forget? What if he had a family, wife, kids, friends. No matter how unlikely that seemed, it could be true. And if it was, he could very well have just ruined many lives, not just the one he he took.
"I'm sorry."
How many times have he said that now? 50, 60, he never counted, but he should have. He shouldn't have done what he did, he should have just walked away and let the MPs do their work, but he wasn't able to hold back.
A bastard like you doesn't deserve to live!
Were those the last words that man heard before he died? Those words of hate. Was the last thing he saw Ed's hate filled glare, or was it the flash of steel that ceased his existence? Whatever it was, that man didn't deserve what happened. No matter what he did, no one deserved to be killed out of such cold blood.
Why did I kill all of those people you ask? Because it was fun of course.
But after saying that, a person didn't deserve to live. It was too much to take in. What was he going to do? That mans crime was so bad he was most likely going to be executed anyway, so why did it matter if Ed was the one who killed him?
I can't die yet! Please! I can't die without apologizing!
Was there a deeper meaning behind those words? Apologize for what? For murdering all those people?
An entanglement of thorns. That's the only way to describe his mind. It was nearly impossible to push through, and each thorn was razor sharp and tore at his consciousness. It pained him, deep in his soul.
OH, GOD NO!
His head dipped down, guilt washing over him in a new, frothy wave. He was forced down to the ground of his mind, screams of terror ripping through him.
PLEASE!
Make it go away, please. But his silent plea was never answered and the voices only grew louder.
HAVE MERCY!
"Stop it, please," Ed whispered. "I'm sorry."
But no matter how many time he apologized, begged the event to go away, he knew he would never be able to escape from the pain. It had already scorched his soul, bore though his spirit, and destroyed him from the inside.
I'M SORRY!
He apologized. A killer apologized and Ed still killed him. He was a monster. A cold blooded monster.
"Fullmetal."
Reality tugged at him, pulling him into the storm, into the truth, and into his own twisted reality. There was someone standing in front of him now. A person, not the tears of the clouds. The person knew him quite well, and he knew him as well.
It was Colonel Roy Mustang. But why was he there? How did he manage to find Ed in the midst of the storm? There was a silence that spread between them. A silence broken only by the pattering of the raindrops and growling clouds. A flash of lightning illuminated the mans face, and the expression was different.
He was wearing a mask that plastered a kindness over his usual demeanor. It was a kindness that he hasn't seen in years. The older man took a few steps towards the boy on the ground and sat beside him despite the wet puddles that were forming around him.
"Al's been worried about you," he said after several long minutes of silence.
Ed never answered. Though, he didn't need to. It wasn't a question, it wouldn't lie incomplete if it never received an answer. Trying was pointless.
"He said you took off earlier."
They adopted the silence again, this one lasting longer than its predecessors. But it was once again broken, but not by words. It was broken by a warm hand on a numb shoulder. It was broken by a reassuring smile.
But no words were needed to break the silence. It was a communication that was easily understood. A simple motion of the head, wave of a hand, the look in someones eyes. That was all you needed to know what someone was trying to say. Words weren't always necessary.
"I heard what happened on your mission." Roy's hand remained on his shoulder as he said it. "I'm sorry for sending you there. It must have been hard."
Wait! Roy apologized? Ed's golden eyes momentarily stared at Roy before snapping back down to the ground.
"I've never dreamed putting you in that kind of position," Roy continued. "Don't blame yourself for what happened. I know you are. I've done much worse in my life and I'm still haunted by it. I don't want you to be stuck in the past like me. I'm sorry."
"I-I think he had a family," Ed whispered. "He kept begging me to stop. But I still did it."
Nothing was said for several minutes after that. Roy's gaze remained fixed on him, soft, dark eyes. Ed pulled his knees up to his chest. How could he forget what happened? It was impossible.
I can't go yet!
"I can still hear him. His voice. Begging me to stop. He said he had to apologize. He said he couldn't go."
"Manipulation," was the only word Roy said. But that one word held more meaning than just 12 individual letters. Together they meant something. Maybe that man said what he did to try and manipulate him?
But the look in his eyes...it was pure terror.
"You can forget what happened. I know that you have the strength to leave this in the past, and you will." Roy rose silently to his feet and offered Ed his hand. "Come one, lets go. Before you catch a cold."
Ed hesitated briefly, still letting Roy's words soak into him. Maybe the Colonel was right. He could forget about what happened. Their hands tightened around each others and the two of them silently walked, side by side, to Central HQ.
Roy's words really struck him. He believed that Ed was able to get over this, and he was actually nice to him. It was like a weight was lifted from his shoulders. He wasn't to blame for that mans death. He had to remember that.
It wasn't until then that Ed noticed Roy smiling down at him.
"What?" Ed asked.
"Oh, it's nothing." Roy turned away quickly and kept up the pace.
Something told Ed that it wasn't 'nothing'. But he decided it was best not to pry.
And through the storm, through the thick clouds, a ray of golden light broke through, shining down upon the two Alchemists walking side by side down the street.
END
A/N...Just another one shot I wrote up. I just wanted to make it clear if you didn't figure it out, the italics were about what happened during the mission. They are only what people were saying.
Anyway, hope you enjoyed reading this. I've had this idea for several days but didn't know how to start it. Hope you enjoyed. Any feedback is very appreciated.