Older Brother 15, Younger Brother 14
When the brothers were going to Shou Tucker's house to learn more about bio alchemy, the last thing they expected was to make a new friend by the name of Nina Tucker, but that is seemingly what happened, for better or worse.
She was the first one they saw, as a matter of fact, she had opened the door to greet them and unlike other children, she was not scared by Alphonse's huge armored body or Ed's automail arm and leg. Instead, she was curious and cheerful, something the boys needed in their life.
Ed had planned on using their time to study only. This man was letting them use his library and they didn't have much time to waste. Ed was hoping they could find something to get Alphonse's body back… That's why the moment the two were brought in, he sunk his nose in a book and focused.
It wasn't that Ed didn't enjoy sitting back and relaxing…He did. At least for little bursts of time… But the problem was they had made no progress to getting their bodies back, Alphonse was still stuck in his armor, and that was an issue for Ed. He wanted his brother to be able to experience his childhood, to be able to feel things like the sun on his skin, and to just finally feel normal. Alphonse had been punished enough for their mistake, he didn't need to suffer any longer. This, as a result, made Ed even more determined to find a way to get their bodies back.
The older Elric had learned that even when Alphonse didn't say anything about it, he could still be upset. Slowly he was picking up on these cues with his brother, even if Al was now a suit of armor with no expressions to go off of. While Alphonse was seemingly taking everything in stride, including his new body and being an omega, Ed noticed at times the other still had trouble with everything and Ed didn't blame him… He couldn't imagine what his brother was going through in a body in which he can feel nothing.
Despite his brother's words telling him it was okay, Ed knew he had to do something…He had to make things better… Because even with Alphonse's cheerful voice, Ed noticed how small and alone he looked in the middle of the night… And he couldn't stand to think of that being every night for Alphonse while Edward was asleep.
So, while studying was the plan, he did find himself a bit distracted when he heard giggles coming from where Alphonse was supposed to be reading. It was both a young girls voice and his brother's in hushed giggles. While a part of him was irritated, his brother wasn't taking things seriously, he found himself happy at the sound of his brother's cheerfulness. It felt as though he didn't get to hear this nearly as much anymore after their journey started.
When Ed rounded the corner shelf of books, he found Alphonse with Nina on his shoulders, bouncing her around. The sight quickly made warmth travel through his chest and for the first time, Ed was able to fully understand why his brother was an omega. The sight of him with a child just felt right, it felt like Alphonse was made to do this…And in a way Ed supposed that was true. His little brother was an omega, they were meant to breed. Seeing Alphonse like this reminded him of their mother even more. The boy already held her kindness and warm heart…But now, seeing him with Nina, he could see it even more. For a brief moment, it made a smile form on his face.
He would like to see his brother like this more often… Maybe when they got his body back…He could see Alphonse with more children…Maybe some of his own…. Seeing that sure would be nice…
Pausing, Ed had to stop his thoughts. Not sure why he wanted to see his younger brother with a child so badly. The warm feeling, he had quickly turning sour as he was aware that this was something that had to come of Al's own choice…Not his own. Anyways… Al was still young, he had a life ahead of himself before getting a mate or having children. And Ed should be more against this… He shouldn't want his brother to get tied down with something like a baby so young.
"Al, what are you doing? You're supposed to be reading!" Ed lectured, holding his arms up to his sides. As much as he loved the sight of Al playing with Nina, he knew this wasn't the time. They had to study, not play… Once they got their bodies back, then they could do things like this. Alphonse had stopped his pretend galloping and looked over to Ed, the older Elric could practically feel the innocence coming off of his brother.
"Uh… Nina looked like she wanted to play." Alphonse said softly and it was hard for Ed to be upset with the other when he had such pure intentions…But he reminded himself of their mission, they couldn't waste time on it.
"Well in case you forgot we didn't come here to play horsey-" He began only to be cut off when he found himself being tackled to the floor by a large fluffy mass. A growl was quick to leave his throat as he squirmed underneath the dog. "GET OFF!" He yelled.
"Alexander says he wants to play too!" Nina chirped, giggling along with Alphonse. Edward could only huff with irritation. As much as he hadn't wanted to play…He was pissed off now, and his alpha side would not let him defeated. Not by a damn dog!
"That's what you want is it?" He asked, standing up. "You've bested me twice dog, play time is over. I will not lose this time! I Edward Elric will use my considerable powers to vanquish you!" He yelled, chasing after the dog. "You mangy mutt!"
And that was how the two boys ended up spending the afternoon playing with Tucker's daughter Nina and her dog Alexander. While it wasn't what they came here to do… It definitely provided as a nice stress reliever and it allowed Ed to hear his brother's laughs echo throughout that hollow armor again… For a little bit, Ed was able to pretend that everything was okay and things were normal. If he did his best, he could ignore that echo, ignore the metal shell that was now his brother, and pretend that Alphonse was here in his own body, enjoying the feeling of running around in the library and the warm feeling of happiness bubbling throughout his body. He could pretend everything was fine, that they didn't need the philosopher stone, and he could just let himself enjoy seeing the omega side of Alphonse make its appearance. The side that was nurturing and caring… Just like their mother.
Of course, all good things come to an end, and when the sun began to set, Havoc came to pick up him and Alphonse, by that time Ed had given up his fight against Alexander and just admitted defeat, letting the dog lay on top of him. He could sense some disappointment in his brother due to having to leave but they were going to return the next day to study more...Maybe Ed would even let them take a break to play with Nina and Alexander again… Depending on how much work they got done.
When they got to Tucker's house the next day, he was trying to stick to the plan, wanting them each to finish a book before they even thought of taking a break. He thought it was a good idea, it would take them both an hour to a couple hours to finish a book, then they could get a small play break in before going back to reading. It was fair and allowed them both to get some of their studying done as well as allow Alphonse to be happy...Which in itself was a reward for Ed.
Though, just like before, it seemed Ed's efforts to schedule their time only seemed to go to waste. Ed knew there was a reason he didn't come up with plans before…
As they were sitting down to read, Nina had joined them once again and somehow, they got on the topic of her family, Ed hadn't been paying much attention as he was too invested in his book, but Alphonse was seemingly all ears. That was to be expected though with his brother, especially with how much he seemingly enjoyed Nina's presence.
"Do you get lonely here?" Alphonse asked, snapping Ed out of his thoughts as he looked over at his brother and then to Nina, who was laying by Alexander. Ed could tell by the sound of his brother's voice that whatever conversation was going on was rather serious.
"Well, Daddy does work a lot, but I got Alexander here with me to play." Nina spoke up, her face dulling slightly as she looked to the floor. "Still, I wish Daddy would play more…" She sighed. Ed couldn't help but be reminded of all the nights him and Alphonse had peered in on their father in his study… How the man never even tried to be a part of their life, he just worked and ignored their entire existence. A small sense of anger struck through him towards the man and he vowed if he ever ran into Hohenheim again, he'd kick that pathetic excuse of a parent's ass across Amestris.
Closing his book and standing up, Ed knew he couldn't just sit by and let a child go through the same thing him and Alphonse did, especially not when he could do something to help.
"Man, all this reading sure makes me sore…" Ed said, rolling his shoulders a bit as he could already tell he caught his brother's attention.
"Maybe you should walk around a bit to stretch your muscles." Al commented and Ed just nodded, he wasn't sure if he was just noticing it more or if Al had been becoming more in touch with his omega side, but it seemed as though Alphonse was showing a lot more care over the wellbeing of others lately.
"Yeah, you're right." Ed replied and then pointed to Alexander. "I think I deserve a rematch after yesterday, mutt!" He said with a smirk, going to chase the dog as his own way of getting his brother and Nina to play.
Alphonse just made a small laugh and got up, looking to Nina. "Come on, let's go play." He said and the two followed close behind.
Instead of playing inside, this time they took their games out in the sun, spending almost the whole afternoon out there. Ed stopped caring about the studying they had to do for now, they could finish it some other time...For now he wanted to help cheer up Nina and be able to see Al happy.
Once again Ed found himself getting absorbed n how well Alphonse seemed to handle playing with the younger girl, how suited he seemed to be for caring for children. Ed hated labeling Alphonse as an omega because he knew his brother didn't fit that stereotypical mold…But at the same time, every fiber of his being screamed that his brother truly was when this evidence was laid out in front of him…And he found himself warm with both pride and something he couldn't quite put his finger on.
By the time Havoc came to pick the brothers up, Edward found himself exhausted. He hasn't done as much studying as he wanted to…But he still had a great day and both Alphonse and Nina was happy so… He supposed that was good enough. Anyways, it wasn't like Tucker's home was going anywhere. They would just return the next day and do the studying then. Maybe then Nina would have her father to play with her too, as his examination would be over and he wouldn't have to hole up in his study anymore, so there wouldn't be any more distractions tearing him and Al away from trying to get some work done.
The next day, Ed planned to finally stick to this plan and not give in to either Nina or Al's adorableness. He was going to get some studying done and hopefully find some clue to getting his and Al's body back…There had to be something in the Tucker's large library that would help them at least.
Approaching the large house, Ed put his hands behind his head and looked up at his brother. "We really gotta get some studying done, Al." He said, his tone slightly warning as his brother looked down to him.
"I know…" Al replied, his voice slightly resigned. Ed hated disappointing the other…But really, they couldn't keep messing around.
"Good, if Nina asks to play we'll tell her another day, okay? Once we get everything we need to finished we can spend a whole day doing it if you want." Ed then added, knowing that it would make his brother happy to do so…Hell it would make him happy too. When they all played together Ed felt a sense of family and childhood that he hadn't had in a long time…In all this time searching for the philosopher stone and trying to get his and Al's bodies back he had forgotten what it was like to be a kid… Forgot what it was like to mess around and have fun…. It had been all work so far in his journey, something he expected and grown used to…But moments like then, when he's running around chasing Alexander, playing with Nina and Al that he realizes all he is missing out on. A part of him just wished he could leave this search so that he could enjoy moments like that more…So he could embrace the little family he had left… But looking up at his brother in that hollow armor, he knew he couldn't do that…Not when he still had to live up to his promise and get his brother back in his body, one that was warm and allowed Al to feel again…One that Ed could hold close and protect from the world and its cruelty.
"That sounds nice…I'm sure Nina would enjoy it! And Mr. Tucker would be done his state alchemist exam and able to join us." Alphonse replied, snapping Ed out of his thoughts as his expression turned back into a smile.
"Yeah, you're right, Al. And hey, maybe if all this studying goes well, we could have your body back by then!" Ed added, a sense of hope in his voice… He truly hoped that would be the case. Alphonse spent too long with this metal suit of armor as his body…So Ed truly hoped with every fiber of his being that the next time they played with Nina, Al would be in the flesh, unscarred and healthy with a bright smile on his face… That's all Ed truly wanted to see again, just like with their mother…He wanted to see Al's smile one more time.
This was why he had to throw away his childhood, to get Al back to the way he should be, to give his little brother the life he deserved…One that didn't involve the inability to feel anything around him and allowed him to sleep and eat like any other kid. So, no matter what, even if Ed had to spend every day chasing down this damn philosopher stone, he would continue this journey. He had to make up for what he had done.
"And hopefully you'd have your body returned to normal as well!" Al replied. It seemed the younger Elric was just as determined as him to fix things…But if Ed was being honest, he wouldn't mind not having his body back to the way it was before if it meant Al got to have his back.
Stepping up the stairs to Tucker's house, Ed let Alphonse open the door, stepping aside a little so the other had some space. "Hello, Mr. Tucker, thank you for having us again today!" Alphonse called out, though both boys paused at the eerily quiet and dark house they were met with.
"Mr. Tucker?" Al called out as the two walked down the hall.
"Hey, Nina?" He called out, his eyes scanning around in search for either Tucker.
Getting to Tucker's study, Alphonse closed the door revealing Tucker kneeling on the ground. "Mr. Tucker!" Al exclaimed, his voice ringing with a sense of confusion that Ed held as well.
"There you are, so you are home." The older Elric spoke, unsure as to why the guy didn't speak up when they were calling out for him. Tucker turned to look at them, the small amount of light coming into the room reflecting off of his glasses… And Ed could see a large grin on his face.
"Yes, I did it boys…I finally did it…. A chimera that understands human speech." The man spoke, both Alphonse and Ed walked slowly into the room, seeing the white and brown chimera sitting on the floor in front of Tucker.
"Here, let me show you…" The man said as he stood up and looked to the chimera. "Listen to me, that person over there, that's Edward" He spoke slowly.
The chimera's head turned towards Ed, it's eyes large and its voice deep. "That person… Ed..Ward" It said slowly.
Tucker patted the chimera's head once it finished. "Yes, that's very good, well done!"
Ed stepped closer and kneeled down to take a closer look at the chimera, a smile forming on his face. "That's amazing, it can actually talk…" He said, surprised he was able to be here to see such a thing.
"Now I don't have to worry about losing my certification." Tucker added, and Ed nodded. This also meant he would be able to spend more time with his daughter, something that relieved Ed greatly as the last thing he wanted for the girl was her parent to ignore her like Hohenheim had done to Ed and Al.
Looking back to the chimera, Ed studied its features, just taking in this creation. Though he had never quite been interested in chimeras before, this truly was a revolutionary find. The chimera turned to look back at him, making eye contact before speaking. "That person…Edward… That person Edward…That person Edward…Big brother Ed."
And suddenly… The world froze around Ed as those words sunk in. Big brother Ed… The only person who called him that…Was Nina… Who wasn't here. There was no sign of her or Alexander around the house…
Ed felt sick to his stomach as his eyes widened.
"Mr. Tucker…When did you first get your state certification…?" Ed asked through gritted teeth… It couldn't be…. This man wouldn't have…There's no way he's right about this!
"Let's see…It was two years ago…" Tucker spoke from behind Ed. The older Elric kept his back turned to the other as he faced the chimera in front of him, trying to find reason to not believe this new revelation.
"When did your wife leave you?" He then asked… Just begging that what he thought happened didn't…
"That was two years ago, too…" Tucker spoke, and Ed had to swallow down bile, the pieces of the puzzle all fitting together and painting a nightmare of a picture.
"I just have one more question for you…Nina and Alexander…Where are they?" Ed asked, turning his head to face the other, his eyes narrowed and his blood pumping. He knew the answer to this…He knew but he needed to hear it from this man- this excuse of a man!
"Damn brat figuring it out so quickly." Tucker muttered as he turned to look at Ed… And in that instant, that small confirmation of what had occurred, Ed felt a wave of pure rage wash over him. His scent in the room grew as the alpha in him took over making him almost see red as he lunged at Tucker, pinning him to the wall.
"Brother!" Alphonse's voice rang out… But it fell deaf on Ed's ears as he glared at the piece of scum in front of him.
"Oh yeah, I figured it out…You did it again! Two years ago it was your wife…This time you used your own daughter and her dog to transmute a talking chimera! You can only do so much with animals after all! It's much easier starting with a human, isn't that right?!" He yelled, not even noticing Al's gasp as his younger brother looked at the chimera that used to be Nina and Alexander.
"I don't see what your so upset about… This is how we progress. Human experimentation is a necessary step… I would think a scientist should understand." Tucker replied, his eyes wide with something Ed may call insanity…Right now though he didn't even find it in him to care… He just wanted to punch that look off of him!
"Shut up! You'd really thing you'd get away with this? Messing around with someone's life like that… YOUR OWN DAUGHTER!" Ed knew these words were pointless, no matter how much he said…This man would never realize the error in his ways. That much should be obvious…But Ed felt these words still needed to be said.
A chuckle escaped Tucker's throat, making Ed growl in response, though the man's words made him freeze. "Someone's life you'd say? Haha! You'd know all about that, wouldn't you? Look at you Fullmetal Alchemist, look at your leg, your arm, your brother! Those things are also the result of messing around with somebody's life, aren't they?"
"SHUT UP!" Ed snarled, punching the man in front of him. He refused to believe he was anything like the other… What he did was different! He was trying to bring their mother back… He wasn't trying to mess with his and Al's life! He wasn't trying to put his brother in that body! His intentions were nothing like Tucker's!
The man in front of him only laughed more, despite the punch… He was crazed and Ed was becoming more desperate to get him to shut up than angry. "We are the same! We're the same! You're just like me!" Tucker said back, his smile haunting Edward.
"We're not!" The older Elric once again tried to refuse. He was nothing like this person…Tucker wasn't even a person! He was a monster! And Ed refused to believe he could ever do anything like he had just done!
"Oh, but yes we are! The opportunity was right in front of us and we took it! We had to even though we knew it was against the rules!" Tucker pushed on… But Ed couldn't handle it… Slamming his fist into the other's face again, he shook his head.
"No!" Another punch.
"Not me!" And again…
"Alchemists don't-" He tried to say as he hit Tucker again.
"-Do that!" By now, he felt almost as though he couldn't stop himself. The pain of the situation seeping in, leaving him a mess… The alpha side just needed to fight this man, to rip him to shreds for what he had done!
"No… I'm not…. I'M NOT!" Ed raised his fist but found himself being stopped as a metal hand wrapped around his wrist.
"Brother! If you keep this up he'll die!" Alphonse's voice rang out, Edward's rage beginning to disappear at the sound of the omega. He looked ahead of himself at Tucker, noticing how the man was so heavily beat up and bleeding… A part of Ed wished he wasn't even breathing…But that part was quick to disappear when he noticed a figure approaching.
"Edward…No…" Nina's new voice rang out, causing Ed to freeze in place, his eyes widening as he took in a shaky breath. Slowly, he let go of Tucker, letting him slip to the ground as Nina padded over to him. "Daddy…Do you hurt… Daddy?"
This… This was never something Ed though him or Alphonse were going to have to experience. Never did he believe he would see a little girl's life ruined all for the sake of a title… The worst part was he knew…This change was permanent. Nina and Alexander's bodies were fused together by alchemy, there was no way to separate them now…
He felt as though he failed her… Neither him nor Al could do anything to fix what had happened. They were powerless.
"I'm sorry…Even with all our power…We can't do anything to change you back… We're sorry…I'm sorry…" Alphonse's voice rang out as he kneeled down to pet Nina's head. Ed couldn't even look over at the two now, it pained him to see what had happened to that once smiling girl… And to hear Alphonse apologize…To hear the pain in his voice…Just hurt so much more. Ed was supposed to be a protecting force, to both Alphonse and Nina. He was the big brother, damn it! He wasn't supposed to let either of them go through more pain.
But he failed.
"Can we play now…? Can we play now?" Nina's voice asked Alphonse and Ed found himself feeling as though he was going to throw up.
Tucker in the meantime crawled to his pocket watch and picked it up, Ed looked over to see the smile forming on his face as he held it. "I made it just in time…I get to remain a state alchemist…I passed!"
Suddenly all the anger in Ed swelled up and though he had better control of it, being aware of Nina and Al present, he couldn't keep himself from kicking the pocket watch away, his eyes burning with hatred. "Like hell you're staying an alchemist…Like hell…"
As much as Ed didn't want to admit it…This was a wakeup call. Something that Mustang even later pointed out to him… The world was a cruel place, one that was selfish and hurtful…He just experienced a small part of it and as a state alchemist he would likely be experiencing more.
But he didn't know if he could… And especially not with Alphonse by him.
After what had happened, he felt hopeless…And it didn't end there. The two brothers had learned from Hawkeye that Nina had been killed along with Tucker… It seemed the universe just didn't want to give her a break.
He wasn't sure what to make of life's cruelty, when such an innocent soul had been hurt and taken…All by the hands of alchemy. It made him question himself and his beliefs… Once again, he felt as though he was starting from square one.
Sitting outside with his brother, Ed didn't care that it was raining or cold… He always did better processing things when he was out. He needed to be out here right now… To process what had happened.
"I've been thinking about this for a long time… We put all our trust in alchemy…But in the end…What is it?" He asked, looking down at the stones beneath where he was seated, Alphonse sitting right in front of him. "How can we use the science of understanding the flow of matter and its laws? The process of comprehension, deconstruction, and reconstruction. The world flows too, it must also follow laws, everything circulates. Even death is a part of that circulation. We must accept the flow… Teacher sure droned that into our heads, didn't she?"
Taking a moment to pause, Ed put his head in his hands. "I thought I understood it…. But I didn't understand anything… Mom proves that… Now here I am again…Trying desperately to find a way to do the impossible. I'm such a hopeless idiot…All this time and I haven't grown up one bit." Edward then said… And it was true. Here he was, trying to play an adult…But instead he was just a child, one that couldn't learn his lesson and one that couldn't handle the harsh reality of the world.
"I thought maybe the rain would wash away some of this gloom that's following me… But right now, every drop that hits my face is even more depressing…" Ed sighed, hanging his head.
"I don't even get that much…Without a body, I don't feel the rain hitting my face. That's something I miss all the time… I want to get my body back soon, brother… I just want to be human again…Even if it means going against the flow of the world and trying to do the impossible." Alphonse's voice echoed through his armor, his words piercing Ed's heart. He desperately wanted to give Alphonse this, this one thing he wanted…But he couldn't. He didn't know how to anymore. He had no clue where to begin.
He was such a failure…
"You, boy, you're the Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric, correct?" A voice asked, and Ed slowly looked up, not even processing the man raising his hand. Instead, he just wondered who would want to speak to a screw up like him…
"Brother!" Alphonse's voice snapped him out of his thoughts and before he knew it he was being pulled away to see the man's arm lurching out and deconstructing the area which he was just sitting. Quickly, he clapped his hands to transmute a wall between them and him, his eyes wide with confusion.
"What the hell is going on here?!" He asked, not sure why the hell they were being attacked. But before he could even spend too much time thinking about it, the wall he made blew up in front of him, the man slowly stepping from it towards him.
Ed felt fear strike through him, the weight of the man's glare crashing down on him and keeping him frozen in spot…He didn't know who this man was or what he wanted, but his instincts were screaming at him to run and he knew this was bad. Bad for both him and Alphonse.
"Let's go Al! Run for it!" He yelled, pushing himself off the ground and turning to run down the nearby stairs, Al trailing behind him. Before they could make it very far, the man had deconstructed the brick railing and jumped in front of them, making both boys stop in their tracks. The man's hand glowed blue as the ground underneath the two broke, causing them both to fall. Al was able to grab onto the ledge and keep them both from falling…But that didn't last too long as the man destroyed what little of the surface Al was holding onto and made them slam onto the stairs below them.
Ed felt desperate as the man continued towards them, trying to create a pillar to push them away, create some distance, but the man only destroyed that too, leaving both boys running down the street to get away.
"Damn it! What's this guy's problem?! Making enemies isn't- Well…. I never really avoided it. But there's no reason someone should be trying to kill me!" Ed said as he continued to run, trying to figure out some way he could get away… Looking around, there was an alleyway nearby…Maybe the two could use it to get somewhere else and away from this lunatic!
As they ran down the alley, though, the exit in front of them blew up, all a result of this man once again…And it sunk in how powerful this guy was…. He had them trapped, rubble blocking their way out… And he could really kill them.
"Who are you anyway?!" Ed yelled out, glaring at the man. "Why are you after us?!"
"As long as there are creators in the world, there must also be destroyers." The man spoke calmly, seemingly not even unnerved by this.
Getting up, Ed transmuted a knife. "Looks like we're going to have to fight…" He muttered, it was the only chance of him and Al getting out of this. Hopefully with the training they had, they could squeeze their way out.
"Gutsy one aren't you…" The man spoke as both boys charged him. "But…Too slow!"
Another transmutation occurred and Ed looked over to see Alphonse's armor being destroyed, his eyes widening as it ripped a hole in the armor's torso, right where Al's blood seal would be.
"Al!" Ed yelled out, fear crossing his features for the sake of his brother…He couldn't lose the other!
Watching the other's body fall to the ground, Ed felt something in him snap. "You bastard!" He growled, charging forward with the knife he had but having his arm grabbed by the man before he could even make a mark.
"You're too slow." The man replied, trying another transmutation only to send Ed flying back.
"Damn it!" Ed growled, taking off his jacket. How was he going to do this…? How could he get the upper hand on this guy?! He needed to keep him from doing any more damage to his brother!
"An automail arm…Then that explains why my attacks didn't do the damage I expected." The man said as he stepped closer, a part of Ed relieved to get him away from Al. "Most unusual…" He then commented.
Ed wasted no time in transmuting his automail arm, keeping his eyes trained on the man in front of him so he could dodge any attacks he attempted to make. He could feel fear rushing through him, along with the anger of what the guy did to Al, but he tried to keep reminding himself he had to do this for both his and his brother's sake. He had to hold on and fight…He couldn't give up.
"B-Brother! Don't! Just run away!" Al's voice rang out, Ed noticed his brother trying to pull himself up a little from where he laid on the ground.
"You idiot! I'm not going to leave you behind, Al!" Ed replied, he couldn't abandon his brother and let this guy kill him… He needed to keep his brother safe, every fiber of is being was telling him that. Both as the older brother and as the alpha…Al needed to be kept safe.
"You press your hands together to form a ring and then perform transmutation… Now I see." The man noted, Ed looked back to him and frowned… This guy was observing his every move and he knew it was to try and use his own techniques against him.
Charging at the man, Ed once again was attempting an attack, this was all he could do. Attack and hope for the best. But as he went to hit the other, the man grabbed onto his arm.
"Then I'll have to start by destroying this right arm of yours." He said, deconstructing it and causing Ed to be flung back.
"Brother!" Ed could hear Al call out but his eyes were wide with fear as he sat back, watching the shattered pieces of his arm hit the ground. Slowly, it sunk in…. He had nothing else to do. He had no other way to attack… He couldn't perform alchemy and he was too slow to land any punches.
He was going to die.
"Now you will not be able to use your heretics alchemy." The man spoke and Ed took a sharp breath in, trying to pull himself away but falling onto his automail port, laying against the ground in defeat.
"I'll give you a moment to pray to god." The man said.
"Brother! Run away!" Al screamed out. "Brother!" He yelled once again, but Ed ignored him. He couldn't run…He couldn't leave Al here with this man… And, if he ran, the guy may just catch up anyways… It was hopeless.
"Unfortunately…There isn't any god I'd like to pray to... But Am I the only one you're trying to kill today? Or are you going after my brother, Al, too?" He asked, needing to know… He had to be sure of this before he tried to make some sort of action… If the man really was after Al maybe running would be a good idea, he could get the man to follow him and hopefully someone could save Al… But if not, if he was all the man was after, then he would make peace with that fact…He'd let himself die so Al could live. His brother was worth more than his own life.
"If he interferes, I will eliminate him, but Fullmetal Alchemist, you are the only one receiving judgement today…You alone." The man spoke and Ed felt himself relax.
"Okay…In that case, I want your word. Promise me you won't hurt my brother!" He demanded. This would be his one last wish before he went… He just needed Al to be kept safe.
"I will keep that promise." The man spoke.
Ed could hear Alphonse gasp in the alley but found himself unable to look. "No, brother… What are you trying to do?! Run! Get up and run!" Al's voice rang out, causing Ed to clench his fist. He didn't want Al to have to see this…He didn't want Al to be traumatized even more…But at least he would still be alive. Maybe one day his little brother would forgive him for this…
As the man moved his hand, Alphonse's attempts to stop this seemed to grow more frantic. "Stop..." The younger Elric said. "Don't touch him! No… No, you can't… Stop it!" Alphonse yelled out, his voice making Ed shut his eyes tight as he hated this having to be the way he had to go…Hurting his brother in the process…But right before the man's hand reached Ed's head, a shot rang out, causing Ed's eyes to open with a gasp.
They were saved. Looking over, Ed saw Hawkeye and Mustang there along with many other members of the military… And slowly, everything around Ed was blocked out.
He was going to stay alive…This man…Wasn't going to kill him. He wanted to say relief flooded over him…But instead he was just filled with numbness. He had been so terrified…And was about to give it all up… He was ready to give it all up.
Of course, Ed knew that if confronted with the same situation, he would do it again…He would never leave his brother in the hands of danger and would gladly lay his life down for the omega, but that didn't stop the fear that came with almost dying…
As Ed tried to process this, he was unaware of the fight taking place around him, not even noticing Armstrong and the man fighting…it wasn't until Havoc and some other soldiers came over and helped him up that he became slightly more aware.
"Who is that man…?" Ed asked as Havoc helped him sit up.
"That's the man who murdered Shou Tucker and his daughter." Havoc replied, making Ed tense as he looked back to the man who was still fighting with Armstrong. The same man who killed Nina…Almost took Al away from him…And almost took away his life.
As much as Ed wanted to rip this man apart even more, he knew all he could do now was watch as the fight took place… And how the man escaped after Hawkeye attempted to shoot him.
It wasn't until he was watching Mustang, Hughes, and Armstrong sort things out that he remembered his brother and tensed. "Oh no, Alphonse…" He whispered fear and guilt striking through him as he thought of how the other had to witness Ed almost get killed right in front of him.
"Alphonse!" Ed said as he pushed himself up and ran over. Kneeling down by the broken armor, he put his hand on his brother's chest plate. "Al! Talk to me! Are you alright?" He asked almost desperately, afraid of what was going on in his brother's head.
After everything, he couldn't help but think of what Mustang told him before…How omegas are more likely to be hurt by stressful events... They can be traumatized, scarred, much more easily than alphas or betas can… As much as Ed didn't want to believe it…He wondered if it was true…And if this was hurting Alphonse more…If this was going to break what little he had left of his younger brother.
That just couldn't do…
"Come on Al? Al, you hear me?" He asked, becoming more panicked the longer his brother took to respond.
Though before he could find himself asking again, an uppercut went straight to his jaw, sending him back a bit.
"Why didn't you run away when I told you to?! What kind of idiot are you?" Alphonse's voice rang out… Ed began to take back his worries about Alphonse being traumatized. It seemed his brother was just fine- pissed at him- but fine.
"No way, I wasn't going to leave you behind!" Ed tried to argue.
"Which is exactly why you're an idiot!" Al yelled, punching Ed once again…
"What do you keep punching me like that for? If I had run away you could've been killed, you know that?" Ed asked as he looked to the other. The thought of Alphonse dying made Ed terrified and up until now he thought they could handle everything thrown their way…But it turned out they couldn't and if they were going to keep moving forward they would have to be a hell of a lot more careful.
"And maybe I wouldn't have been! Making the decision to die is something only and idiot does!" Alphonse replied and Ed found himself letting out a huff.
"Hey, easy on the idiot stuff! I'm still your older brother, got it?!" Ed retorted, his worry for Al dying down a bit and being replaced with irritation.
"I'll say it all I want to!" Al replied and Ed found his shirt being grabbed by the other as Al pulled him forward. "Survival is the only way, Ed. Live on…Learn more about alchemy… You can find a way to get our bodies back and help people like Nina… You can't do that by dying! I won't allow you to abandon the possibility of hope and choose a meaningless death!" As Al spoke, Ed could hear his voice become more emotional, though his brother's words were a much-needed wakeup call… And Ed realized that he shouldn't have to worry about Al at all. Omega or not… He was the stronger one in this situation, he was the one who was thinking logically…While Ed wasn't. The older Elric felt guilty for doubting the other's capabilities…As it seemed he was right to being with…Al was strong, strong enough to handle all of this…And maybe even stronger than Ed.
The moment the other finished, the arm that was holding Ed fell off, sending the older Elric back to the ground. "Oh great! And now my arm's fallen off cause my brother's a big fat idiot!" Al yelled. Ed couldn't help but let out a sigh and hang his head... A small chuckle escaping his lips.
"We're really falling apart, aren't we brother?" He asked. "We look like we belong in a junk yard…"
"…But at least we're still alive…" Alphonse's voice spoke softly and Ed found himself looking up at his younger brother.
"We are…" Ed said quietly, relief flooding over his body at this notion.
They were still here…They had survived against all odds…And Ed found himself even more determined now to get him an Al back in their own bodies so they could return to a normal life away from this hell.
But first…They had got get fixed up again.