Ed's face remained contorted into pained grimace as he trudged through the forest, Al whispering by his side
Ed's face remained contorted into pained grimace as he trudged through the forest, Al whispering by his side. His brother's musings were lost to him as he continued to dissect his tangled thoughts. Separating two people—no, not two people; a person, and a monster..
Reluctance.
Nina.
Don't trust Reluctance. She's a monster… like Envy. She lives with them. She grew up with them. She's one of them.
But her eyes… they're softer… than—
"Brother?" Al's face was concerned, "You're… You're troubled Brother. What's wrong?" The younger brother's brow was crinkled, and his eyes were churning with concern.
The mirroring-brothers simply stared, Ed sighing first, "I'm just thinking, I guess." He struggled a smile and ran his cold right hand through his hair—the automail clattering unpleasantly—as another respire sounded, "Because I know her. I've met her."
Al nodded in understanding, "I know, Brother… I saw it in your eyes," His expression, too, turned pained with the knowledge. "Something must've happened with you do… that made that more hard than beating … most of… the other Homunculi," Al looked up, "It's why you let her go. And why we left."
Once again, Edward's mind drifted off… to a far-away memory…
He seemed so detached… with Mom's grave there.
He hasn't even been AROUND for the past sixteen years, what on this green Earth makes him think he can start, in the least, being a father now?!
"Ah, yes… my home," He remained with a continuously detached expression, "Why has it been burnt down?"
Why else, old man?
"We decided not to turn back from the path we chose… Not having a place to go back to… to show that we're not turning back."
"You're wrong," He replied, voice softened. "It's because one doesn't want the remnants of one's own mistakes, isn't it?" He turned and looked down at me. "Is it for the sake of running away from the horrible memories it brings back? To erase all evidence of what oneself had done?"
"You're wrong." wrong." Farthest thing from the truth.
"It's just like a child who wets their bed at night, and then hides the sheets… Edward," He looked farther down at me, as if his eyes were drilling into my skull, "You're running away."
Ed's hands balled into fists, his tawny eyes shooting daggers into the ground, "Stay here, Al. I'm going back and getting rid of the circle."
And like Al, he started to follow. And Ed stopped, looking back at him, "I'm going to do this alone. Stay here." His hands were tucked away into his black pockets as he looked back at Al before turning to his path and breaking into a run.
He saw two burgundy braids break the horizon. He transmuted his right arm into a blade, picking up the pace and taking a long leap. One quick slash was all it took.
On his landing, he heard a sick thud as a head-less corpse, followed by the head, hit the ground.
"Why didn't you stop me?" he whispered.
As her original head quickly fell apart and disappeared, another morphed into place on her shoulders, "My ears are still ringing I—"
"Bullshit," He whispered, jaw clenching as he uncoiled himself from his landing-crouch. "Bull. Shit." He turned and looked at her, both of them already standing.
"Why did you come back?"
"Hey! I as— "
"Edward, be mature," Reluctance whispered, sighing, "Why did you come back?"
"Because… an old man, a while ago, told me the difference between keeping yourself on one path and covering up your mistakes… running away," Ed sighed, moving to a charge up to reluctance. He took a firm hold on her shoulders and slammed her up against the nearest tree. He looked away immediately, grimacing, "Why didn't you stop me? Now, and before."
Reluctance looked town, shaking her head as she brushed a lock of blonde hair out of his eyes, "Because once upon a time a young Alchemist helped out a little Homunculus, despite his gut feeling," She chuckled looking off to the side as Ed released her and dumped her on the ground. She propped herself up and watched him turn his back, "Ed I was six when I died," Her words stopped the walking Alchemist in his footsteps. "And like the other Homunculi, I didn't have a choice. And much less so in who took care of me because of how small and young I was."
Ed sighed, turning back again, "But you're living with a family of destructive—"
"Monsters," Reluctance interjected with a chuckle. "It's no different than what I told you before. You're working for the military, and doing things that you know are immoral. But yet you continue on. You don't have the authority to question, and in a sense neither to I… In a sense," She cringed, running a hand through her bangs. "And yes. I kill. I hurt. I work with Wrath, and Envy, and Pride, and not against them. I cause destruction."
"So why do you do it?" Ed snapped, nearly growling as he glared down at her.
"Because It's home to me… With Dante, and them," She smiled, standing up as she looked down at him. "I feel like I belong."
She choked a laugh to herself at the thought, gazing at Ed in amusement, "I'm not going to hesitate to kill you, next time, Half-stack…" She smiled happily before her face turned to a graver note, "If that is what I must do.""
The hand that was rested on his head bent, fingers digging into his hair and pushing him forward, into a greeting fist, "I felt your nose break…" She whispered, releasing him, "For saving me. I saved you. We live to see another day."
Reluctance turned, dashing deeper into the forest before she was found by the approaching Elric.
"Brother!"
