Dreaded Fate

"Alphonse! Alphonse! No! Dont take my brother! I just got him back! No!" Edward Elric screamed, his voice cracking with emotion and golden eyes filling with tears as he watched men in uniform take his brother away from him and into a vehicle.

"Give him back!"

This was the scene that Roy Mustang saw once he arrived after he had received a call telling him that the Elric brothers were back in Central and that Alphonse and Edward had been in a fight with another lunatic trying to kill state alchemists. It hadnt been more than a year since Ed managed to get his brothers back, which still surprised the older alchemist greatly. But now, after Ed had gotten his brothers body back, he was extremely careful to try to keep the still frail younger brother safe. This resulted in the horrific scene he was seeing

Alphonse had shattered three ribs, once of which punctured a lung, and Edward...well, only from what Roy could see, the young blonde alchemist was missing both automail limbs and had deep cuts scattered across his body.

Roy rushed over to the nearly sobbing teen as he struggled to stop the men from taking his brother away, a sight that caused Roys heart to clench tightly.

"Fullmetal...Edward...their taking him to the hospital to get help" He tried reasoning with the boy in a gentle voice as he placed a hand on the blondes flesh shoulder- The automail port had been completely torn off, and he suspected the same for his legs automail port too.

"I need to make sure Al's okay!" Ed sobbed, tears burning his cold face as he tried to move towards the men, then scowled slightly when the lack of limbs stopped him. "I need to be with him!" Ed screamed, slapping Roys hand off his shoulder.

"Edward! You cant go with him! He needs to be brought there now!" Roy said giving up on trying to be gentle. He picked the teen up in his arms and ignored his flailing arms trying to get free.

"Put me down Mustang!" Ed screetched, using his only arm to grip tightly on the back of Roys uniform. His blonde hair was matted with blood. The scarlet stood out sharply against the pale of his skin and hair, and Roy was worried at the amount he saw. He hoped, no, prayed, that it wasnt all Ed's.

" you have any life threatening wounds?" Roy asked quietly leading the boy to a military car and setting him down on the seat. Without waiting for a responce, Roy set to work cutting the blondes tank top off.

"No, i just need to see my brother. Please! I cant loose him too" Edward sobbed, shaking now. He paid no mind to Mustang as he checked over his body. His mind was set on trying to get to his brother, worry about his brother, the heavy set of grief and depression that was already gripping him and pushing him down. He wouldnt be able to survive if he lost his brother. He had already worked so hard to bring him back...

"Edward? Edward, are you okay? Look at me" He must have zoned out for longer than he had anticipated because he was in a strange room and a scared looking Colonal Mustang was hovering over him and speaking to him in a worried voice.

"What happened?" He croaked out, his voice raw and head throbbing. "You passed out. Blood loss. I thought I lost you, until you started to groan in pain..." He listened as Mustang explained what happened. "How long was I out for?" He asked

"Not too long, but long enough to worry me" Mustang explained in a vague voice, not wanting to get the young Alchemist too worked up. He still had more to tell him.

"Are we at the hospital? This place doesnt look familiar..." Edward mused outloud, trying to sit up so he could look around, his thirst for knowledge awakened by this unfamiliar territory. "Mustang?"

The raven haired man had a pained look on his face, before looking away and shaking his head. "No..." He murmured.

"Where then? What about Al?" Ed asked, a sliver of dread sliding down his back.

"Im sorry Edward...im so sorry..." Mustang murming in a sad voice. It pained him to tell the boy this. "The lung that had been punctured...it bled out and into the other lung...they werent able to drain it fast enough and he choaked to death...im so sorry Edward..." His dark eyes watched as the golden haired teen crumpled in on himself. The tears were falling in rapid falls down his face and his golden eyes dimming and dulling.

No child should ever have to suffer this fate. The fate of the military. Those in it were forever alone. Their family dead or dying and their comrades falling in the line of duty. Edward was much to young to have experienced all this pain. His mother and father dead, automail limbs, recovering his brothers body, only to lose him again, this time unless the lone Elric preformed human transmutation once more. His fate was made from the end it seemed. His dreaded fate was to be alone. That, it was Truth had to gain from Edward...taking what he valued most to him...a family. Roy Mustang could only hold the blonde as he sobbed, the new truth added more grief to the colonal to shoulder and more nightmares to wake up from at night.