Summary: A tragic accident has occurred and Ed grieves over the loss of Al. But would everything turn all right in the end or would it be his 'end of the ride'? One shot.
Warning: Alternate universe, character death.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist (© Arakawa Hiromu).
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End of the Ride
"Some things are just too good to be true ... they are both a blessing and a curse."
--
Rain fell. It had started since the 'incident' and hadn't stopped since, this gloomy weather. I slowly walked, with my crutch under one arm and an umbrella in another, down the slightly slippery sidewalk, not really heading for a specific location. After all, I needed time to clear my head after the 'event' that happened two months ago…
--
"Come on big brother! Hurry or you'll miss the train!"
I jumped the last few steps before running to enter the train just before the doors closed. I hunched over a bit to catch my breath as the train went locomotive.
"You could of waited for me you know Al," I said between breaths. Al shrugged.
"Why would I want to do that when I could just watch you make a fool of yourself by running like an idiot?" I glared at him.
True, I wasn't as fast as Al, but he didn't have to rub it in every time he had the chance. Just because he got his body back and it was, as much as I hate to admit it, taller than mine doesn't mean he had to pick on me.
Al chuckled, unfazed by my 'you-need-to-shut-up-for-once' glare, got me into a headlock and rapped his knuckles on my head.
"Relax, would you? You should know by now that those glares don't work on me." I continued to glare. Al rolled his eyes.
"You're being immature."
"Go to hell."
"Love to," came his sarcastic reply.
At that time, I didn't know why, but a thought ran through my mind.
Be careful of what you wish for 'cause you just might get it.
"Come on, let's grab a seat."
We sat on a double seater and started discussing about the mission we had just completed. Both of us were oblivious to the dangers ahead of us that would change our lives.
The train glided across the tracks, occasionally stopping at specific stations.
Still a one more station left, I thought, an intercourse with a road, then one more station.
The discussion was abandoned and both of us just stared aimlessly outside the window watching the raindrops fall on the glass. It was starting to get dark now, most likely around six o'clock. I could now hear the signal at the intercourse. I saw out the window that the barrier was almost aligned with the ground.
Suddenly, I heard a screeching sort of noise. The carriage that my brother and I were in, fourth from the front was just about to cross the road. I looked into the road and what I saw had me in shock.
The road was deserted, all except for a car that was heading towards the train. The road vehicle didn't seem like it was in control and was going really fast. It swerved right, left, right again, then straight on. But the driver of the automobile didn't react fast enough to hit the brakes, probably drunk. The car broke through the bar barrier and into the train carriage behind.
A domino effect occurred. The fifth carriage from the front was pushed off the track from the sudden impact, bringing the other carriages along with it. The lights went out and the passengers on the train panicked and screamed. I tried to remain calm as I held as tightly as I could onto my seat handle. I couldn't use alchemy because both my hands were occupied with the handle and if I let go, I would fall against the window and could possibly crack my skull on the glass. The train continued to tip over; unaware that it was taking innocent lives along with its death. Al grabbed, with both hands, onto his seat handle and shouted something to me but I couldn't hear it through all the screams of the other passengers and the sound of the carriage lifting off the tracks.
My younger brother reached out a hand for me to grab. Wrong move. The train made a sudden jerk and Al's grip on the handle loosened. I watched in horror as Al smashed against the glass and fell through. His face was as pale white as he disappeared further and further away into darkness. That was the last time I saw him.
But everything wasn't over yet. I held even more tightly, if possible, onto the handle, fighting back tears. The carriage tipped and its side crashed onto the ground below. I couldn't bear holding anymore so I let go and hit my back against the broken glass. A seat had gotten loose off its screws and fell – directly at me. With the last of my strength, I rolled over a bit, but it wasn't enough, for the heavy seat had landed against my right leg, my only flesh leg, crushing the bones in the process.
I couldn't hold it much longer. The pain was unbearable; not only physically, but mentally too. The loss of my brother, my only sibling, and now another leg almost drove me to the point of insanity but I continued to scream for it was the only sane thing I could think of before I slipped into darkness.
--
Black. That was all I could see, black. Did Al really die? Why am I laying on…air? I shot up and took notice of the absence of a limp. But I couldn't feel anything but coldness, no pain. Was I dead?
"Ed, wake up … please …"
Huh? Where did that come from? It sounded distant, familiar, like a female. Winry?
"Please Ed … stay with us …"
I wanted to shout that I was fine but no sound came out.
Suddenly I saw a ball of light, like a small bauble, and struggled to grab a hold of it as it floated to and fro, as if mocking me.
"We already lost Al. We don't want to lose you too," she sobbed, her voice getting clearer.
Got it! I squeezed the ball of light in my hand and I could feel the heat against my palm.
"Ed, you better wake up soon or they'll pull the cord." It was Grandma Pinako this time, her voice demanding, yet I could hear traces of sorrow. Cord? What cord?
I felt it grow in my hand so I slowly loosened my grip, opening my hand. It shone intensively and continued to grow in size. It floated off my hand and hovered in front of my face. Without warning, the light exploded in my face but I didn't mind. I could feel the warmth creep back into my body, as well as the pain in my former right leg. The warmth filled the fingers in my left hand first so I attempted to move them. They twitched.
"Ed?"
--
Now that it has been a few weeks since I woke from my coma, I was allowed to go to HQ, as long as I went back to the hospital for check-ups. Winry and Grandma were at one of Central Headquarters' workshop, working on my automail so I decided to get some fresh air; being in HQ made me think of Al too much. Winry and Grandma agreed that it was best if Al was buried back in Resembool, next to mum.
I walked aimlessly until I came to a deserted intersection in the road. My thoughts went back to the train wreck, the intersection for the rail and road. I shook my head; now wasn't the time to think about it. I checked for passing cars then took a step onto the road.
Suddenly, I heard a screeching sort of noise. Was it just me or did I just get a sense of déjà vu? I looked to my left and saw an automobile just turned a corner and was now heading this way. I was about to step back onto the sidewalk but luck wasn't on my side and I slipped forward, dropping the umbrella in the process. As I fell, I saw flashes of my life before me.
My father leaving ...
My mother dying ...
The first time I saw Izumi perform alchemy ...
Al disappearing through the Gate ...
The first time I saw Roy ...
Nina's blood on the wall ...
Elisa's birth ...
Homunculi ...
Hughes' gravestone ...
Rose's child ...
The Philosopher's Stone ...
The train incident ...
I hit the cold, wet asphalt. Hard. The driver seemed to have panicked and hit the brake. The driver was too slow. I felt the heavy vehicle run over my back. My eyelids grew heavy and this time ... I was sure I wouldn't open them anymore. With the last of my breath, I muttered my last words …
"Wait for me Al, I'm coming …"
AN:What do you think? I still can't believe I just killed off Al and Ed, I feel horrible. But this wasn't supposed to be for Fullmetal Alchemist. The original version was for a school exam and had brothers in it and when I thought about posting it, the first canon I thought of was FMA.
Ok, I think you guys heard enough about train accidents and death, review if you like.
Edit (30/12/08): Hi again, I finally took the time to edit this. Looking back at this and comparing it to my current one shots, I cringe at my immaturity. Oh well, I hope this is better than before, if you have read this already.