The Reality of Alchemy

Chapter Ten: Story Without an End

I watched as Envy was pulled from my brother's body, his 'soul' trying to attach to his skull. Envy screamed, his very essence exploding and the skull shattering. Ronin's body fell to the ground and the light stopped, the transmutation complete. As my chest hit the ground, I saw a pool of blood grow around my little brother.

My eyes flew open and I sat straight up. It was dark and the air musty and damp. I looked around me, realizing I was still in the basement of the old home in Fargo. I sucked in a breath. "Ronin!" I fumbled around the ground until I felt the warm crimson I saw before I passed out. I bit my lip, scooting forward until I felt his blood soaked hair. I grabbed him by the shoulders and hoisted him into my lap, my body beginning to shake. I wrapped him in a hug and rocked back and forth. "Das tut mir Leid, meinen Bruder…" I sobbed, feeling the warmth from his skin fading with each passing second. I hardly noticed the flicker of a large flame that Roy had made to see what was going on. I remained with my eyes on my brother. "Das tut mir Leid…"

My Ronin was dead and I was the one who killed him. After all we had been through together, I had to end his life because I couldn't let my comrades die. I couldn't sacrifice everyone else. I tilted my head back and screamed.

. . .

The funeral seemed to last for days. Only a handful of people came to pay respects, but I didn't pay any notice. It was no surprise to me. It wasn't like Ronin had grown up here. All I could focus on was the casket being lowered and gravediggers covering it in rich, brown soil.

I remained standing there after the ceremony, staring at his name on the head stone. I hadn't yet registered the fact that he had been alive just the day before, but at the same time, I had already lost him.

A hand gently settled on my automail shoulder and I looked up to see Alphonse. I avoided his gaze, putting my head down. Thunder boomed overhead and rain began to fall, quickly soaking us to the bone. He wrapped his arms around me from behind, resting his head so that he spoke next to my ear. "You don't have to be so brave, Elli." And those words were all it took. I broke down, turning around in his arms and sobbing into his chest. He held me in the pouring rain, letting me spill my tears and my broken heart. He said nothing, only comforting me in embrace.

Slowly, we began to walk back to the Rockbell's house, Winry meeting us with an umbrella. Al held it over us as we walked silently, my small sobs the only thing heard for what seemed like miles. Even the rain fell silently. When we made it to the house, the youngest Elric lead me upstairs to our room, where he sat me down. He grabbed a dry set of my clothes and beckoned me out of my wet funeral attire. When I was changed and warm, he tucked me into bed and climbed in with me, holding me tight against him, never letting me go.

One Month Later

"Elli, way to go! You whooped their asses!" Winry cheered as I came walking up the steps of the porch. It was the end of September and the leaves on the trees were a brilliant gold. I had been sparring with the boys and had just finished beating them, so I decided to call it a day to talk to Winry. I smiled at her as I leaned against the railing on the porch.

"Yeah, it's no sweat. Those two can be so predictable." I gloated. She giggled.

"So true! So, are you really gonna join the military?" She asked me, her blue eyes wide with curiosity. I gave her a soft smile and looked away from her at the trees. The wind began to blow and the leaves began to litter the grassy floor beneath them. Winry's sundress gently swayed next to me. My ponytail wrapped around me as I tucked my bangs behind my ears.

"Yeah. I want to keep myself busy and I want to help people with all the power I can get. That way no families have to endure a premature loss." Her eyes seemed to frown before her lips did at my response.

"It's been a month already. You're handling everything so well." She said, making me chuckle.

"Not as well as it seems, but I do know Ronin would be mad if I kept cryin' over him, So I decided to carry on his memory through my strength." She smiled at me as Ed came walking up, Al following right behind him.

"Brother, you're getting messy with your techniques."

"Can it, tin head! You're just mad because I outsmarted you!"

"No, I'm mad because you cheated….again!" They walked past us into the house, completely consumed in their childish argument. Winry wiped away a falling tear.

"Oh my god, will they ever grow up?" I stopped, watching as the brothers smiled at one another while picking on each other. I sighed.

"Nah, it wouldn't be them if they stopped picking on one another. Besides, that's what brothers are for."

"That's right! So don't think I forgot about you!" Edward said, coming out of nowhere and poking my sides. I yelped, turning and running after him. As I chased him, laughing as Al joined me, I thought it was funny how life never really ended. For as I ran, I caught a glimpse of Ronin running next to me, smiling as we found our new family to treasure.

. . .

A/N: Das tut mir Leid is german for "I'm sorry." Meinen Bruder stands for "my brother."

Le Fin! Now, here's a sneak peek at the sequel (which has yet to be named)!

Prologue

I opened my eyes, a clanking noise from downstairs startling me. I took a look at Al, who had tangled himself around me and was fast asleep. I sighed, carefully unwinding myself from his arms and standing from the bed, wanting to investigate what it was I heard. I took a deep breath and rubbed my eyes as I crossed the hall to the stairs. But I felt the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Someone was in the house.

More alert, I tensed myself as I rounded the corner to the kitchen, unknowing what I would be walking into. I thought about running back upstairs to wake Al and bring him back down with me, but movement caught my eye in front of the sink and I stopped altogether. I held my breath and waited, deciding I was on my own. The figure seemed to be pacing nervously, the window above the sink wide open. Cool winds swept through the kitchen and I couldn't help but shiver. The pacing stranger shivered too, but stopped when our eyes met.

I lunged, knocking the intruder to the floor and pinning their hands down to their sides. I stared in the dark eyes….and did a double take. It was a young girl, around my age, and she had strikingly blue eyes and long blonde hair. I blinked, observing her fear stricken face and her willingness to surrender without a fight. I furrowed my brows at her and stood, holding out a hand to help her up. She hesitantly took it and looked at me. I rubbed my automail arm. "…Who are you?" I asked her. She seemed to shy away from me a little, but bumped into the kitchen table.

"I…I can't really say for sure…" She stammered, her voice hoarse. She sounded like she was in pain and I did a quick look over. She seemed to be uninjured, but she was thin and frail looking, although her clothes were brand new. I sighed.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her, taking a step closer to her. She back away, hitting the fridge and yelping out in pure fright. I shook my head. Could someone really be this afraid even after gathering the courage to break in in the first place? She eyed the fridge.

"I was told to come here because of my last name."

"Last name?"

"My name is Jordan Elric. I was told to come here to remember who my family was. So here I am."

. . .

That's all you get until that story is posted. I'm thinking it's going to be a Naruto crossover. Anyway, let me know what you think of The Reality of Alchemy and the introduction to my new story!