So sorry for the long wait! My excuse is senior year of high school. I have a 15 page report on Japan due next week, I had to finish reading Frankenstein for this week, and I have a Spanish skit due by the end of the week. Plus, worrying about paying for college next year. So yeah, I'm a little busy right now so updates might come a little farther apart than usual, but I shall try my best. To make up for the long wait, I give you lots of action and the longest chapter I've ever written!

Warning: Due to the graphic content of this chapter, the story's rating has been changed to M. I take no responsibility for you reading this if you know you aren't supposed to. You have been warned.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist. But I will own another Ed plushie after Momocon this weekend!

88888888888

Edward didn't know how long he stayed on that floor. It felt like hours, but he knew it couldn't have been more than ten minutes. He tried to find something to distract him from the hearts, but it was easier said than done.

He watched the man wander around the room for awhile doing God knows what. Certainly nothing good, that was for sure. Mostly he just walked back and forth between an archway that led to maybe a kitchen and a door only a few feet from Edward. He was continuously talking to himself and reading over papers. The sickest part was when he'd walk over to the hearts and gently kiss one or sometimes even all of them.

Once Edward had calmed his mind to some extent, he realized that the stench he smelled couldn't possibly be coming from the hearts alone. It was too strong and seemed to come from more than just that one shelf. It also seemed to be coming from the other side of the room, more specifically from the door the man kept entering. Edward peered into the crack in the door and then quickly turned his head. He'd found the missing people.

"Almost ready," the man said as he walked over to the hearts. "Everything's almost ready." He reached out and stroked one as if it were a cat. "Your purpose will be filled soon. Yes, almost ready, my precious." He leaned over and kissed the top of the heart. "I know, I know, you're ready to go, but wait just a little longer. We'll have her back soon."

"Hey!" Ed shouted at the man. The man turned angrily to face him. "Just what are you planning?"

"I don't believe that's any of your business, boy," the man said giving the heart one last stroke and stepping closer to Ed.

"It is if you're making me a part of it!"

The man reached over and, grabbing him by the braid, pulled him up to meet his gaze. The smell of the heart still lingered on his lips. "The less you know…the better."

Ed dropped back to the floor with a thud, and the man returned to his wandering. In one instance, when he entered the door nearby, Ed could hear him speaking in the same voice he reserved for the hearts. Ed wondered with fear if he could possibly be talking to the bodies. It was extremely obvious that the man wasn't in his right mind. Ed fought with his bindings, trying desperately to get away, but even though the man wasn't sane, he knew how to tie a knot. The situation was desperate.

And because, Ed had decided, God hated him, someone chose that moment to knock on the door. The man was startled out of his routine, but he seemed very happy. He roughly gagged Ed and went to the door. Ed could only pray that it was Alphonse come to rescue him, but he was quickly disappointed and frightened when he heard a young girl's voice. He couldn't see the door from where he was so he listened.

"Hello, hello," the man said. "It's so good to see you, Kate."

Ed felt a pang his chest at the mention of that name but quickly pushed those emotions away.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Kael," the girl said cheerfully. She obviously had no idea what she was getting into, but she had provided Ed with the man's name.

"What did you need this fine afternoon, milady?" Kael asked.

The girl, Kate…no, the girl, laughed. "Grandma just finished making some of that peach jelly that I know you like so much so I decided to bring you some."

"How thoughtful! Why don't you come in and have some with me."

"Thank you! I'd love to."

Ed could hear light footsteps and then the creak of the closing door. He tried to yell out to warn the girl, but he just wasn't loud enough with the gag. The girl, who couldn't have been a day over ten, stopped short when she saw Ed tied up on the floor. He tried to tell her with his eyes to run, but she was frozen.

"W-what?" she stuttered.

"I have to find some way to repay you for your generosity," Kael said walking up behind the frightened girl. She tried to take a step back but was too scared to move properly. "I know! How about I let you help me with a little project I'm working on? I've just gotten things ready for this young boy here, but I'll let you go first. It's the least I can do."

"No, please," the girl whispered, but Kael ignored her. He grabbed her and threw her down next to Ed. She started crying.

"Come now, dear, what's with the tears? Don't you want to help me?" The girl shook her head. "Now, now, it's not even going to hurt. I only need your heart, and then you can run on home and finish your chores like a good little girl."

Ed's eyes widened. He tried to kick Kael, but Kael was just out of his reach. He wasn't seriously going to kill such a young girl, was he? Did he really think that taking her heart wouldn't kill her? Was that why'd he been talking to the other bodies? No…no…he couldn't let this happen. He struggled, trying to get free, trying to kick Kael, but nothing worked. Kael, however, wasn't amused and kicked Ed forcefully in the side.

"Be a good little boy," Kael said as Ed gasped in pain. "It'll be your turn soon. Have patience. Now, let's hurry up so you can have your turn."

Kael brought the girl's arms behind her back and tied them tightly. Next, he tied her feet. He laid her gently down on her back which arched due to the arms tied behind it. He walked from the room into the door with the bodies. Ed tried to do something to help the sobbing girl, but Kael returned too quickly.

Kael returned with a dagger…a very sharp dagger. It could probably even cut through bone Ed realized, horrified about what was about to happen right in front of his very eyes, and he was powerless to stop it. He couldn't move, he couldn't do alchemy, he couldn't save her. She was going to die in front of him at the hands of the man he had been sent to stop. It was his fault for not catching on sooner, for not finding the clues. It was his fault.

"Are you ready?" Kael asked like father talking to a child. The girl only cried.

Kael placed the dagger at the collar of the girl's shirt, and, with one quick movement, split the shirt in two. It fell to her sides leaving her chest bare. The girl whimpered, and the man caressed her cheek.

"It won't take long."

Kael placed his hand on the girl's chest feeling for the exact location of her heart. Once he was happy with the position, he pulled the dagger gently over the skin leaving a clean, red X. The girl cried out in pain. Kael continued caressing her cheek with his free hand.

"Not long, dear, not long. Don't cry. This won't hurt."

He pulled the dagger in a circle around the X leaving a new, clean cut. Blood was starting to pool at the girl's sides creating a puddle right next to Ed's face. The sight was making him nauseous. He wanted to look away, but if he did, he might miss an opening to free both of them.

"There we go, a nice circle. Now, let's get the heart out."

Not in any hurry, he started slowly carving into the girl's skin. The girl's screams filled the room, and it was a wonder the people in Central didn't hear it. How could no one in the town not hear it?

Ed tried to block out the squishy noise that accompanied the cutting of the skin. He tried to think of something else, even tried to look away, but his mind and body seemed set on forcing him to watch the result of his mistakes.

Kael pulled away some of the skin with his hands and turned the girl on her side as if he were trying to empty out the excess blood like a bucket of water. The blood flowed into the existing puddle and spread out. Ed could feel the warm liquid on his arm and seeping into his clothes. Ed had had blood on him before, but it was always his own blood or the blood of an enemy. Never the blood of an innocent girl.

Kael had reached bone now. The girl was unconscious by this point, but Ed could still see the free flowing blood, smell the metallic scent of the precious liquid, and hear the dagger cutting its way through the bone. Ed felt the hot bile at the back of his throat. Some made its way through the gag and joined the blood on the floor while Ed was forced to swallow the rest. He could feel tears in his eyes. The girl was dead, he knew that. Even if she wasn't at the moment, he knew she would be soon. She was lying right next to him, and he couldn't save her. How could…how could this man be so cruel? What was his purpose behind this? Did he even have one? Was he truly this insane as to not care about the life of an innocent little girl who obviously thought of him as a friend?

"Truly beautiful," Kael said. He made a few more cuts, unaware that he was soaked in the girl's blood. Reaching into the girl's chest, he pulled out her heart. "So very beautiful." He held the heart only an inch from his face. He caressed it for a moment before kissing it. "Do you see it?" he asked Ed holding the heart close to Ed. "Isn't it beautiful? This…this is what I need to bring my daughter back…my precious little girl."

Kael stood and walked to the shelf containing the fourteen other hearts and gently placed the newest heart on the end. With one last kiss, he walked back to Ed and removed the gag. Ed opened his mouth to shout at the man, but instead, the bile resurfaced.

"Alright, Kate," Kael said as he untied the girl, "you can go home now. We're done." She, of course, remained still and silent. "Too tired? They always are. I know, I know, it's an exciting thing. Don't worry. You can rest here as long as you like. Let me take you in with the others."

He picked up the poor girl and carried her beyond the door with the other bodies. Ed could hear him speak a few more words to her before returning.

"Why are you doing this?" Ed asked weakly.

"For Elizabeth, my little girl. So sweet and precious. She didn't deserve to die."

"What does killing innocent people have to do with your daughter?" Ed snapped.

"Killing? No, I've never killed anyone. I don't like death. There's too much of it. That's why I could never make a Philosopher's Stone. Did you know it requires human souls to make it? But Elizabeth didn't deserve to die. Kate's a lot like her. They were best friends. So sweet of her to still visit. I'm glad she was able to help."

"You aren't making any sense!"

"No? Elizabeth didn't deserve to die. Kate's the one that pushed her in the river, but I was never mad at her. She didn't mean to. But I want my Elizabeth back. So, I'm making a Philosopher's Stone. Human transmutation won't work without it. I'm sure you know that already. But I don't want to kill. No, Elizabeth didn't like killing. Did you know it requires human souls to make it? The Philosopher's Stone. It requires human souls to make it. But I don't want to kill anyone. So, I decided not to. It requires human souls, but that doesn't mean I have to kill anyone for them. Did you know the soul is in the heart? That's what my mother told me. So, I don't kill. I just collect people's hearts. Once I have enough, I can make my very own stone."

"You've killed fifteen people! A person can't live without their heart! Once it's gone, they're dead!"

"Dead? No, no one's dead. They're sleeping. But they sleep so long. Sometimes I have to make them leave, but they're still sleeping so I throw them into the river. That way they can go back home. I'm almost done now. Do you think twenty will be enough?"

"Bastard! You're insane!"

"Ah, you're just jealous that Kate got to go first, but don't worry. It's your turn now."

Kael picked up the dagger from the floor and stood over Ed. He reached out with the dagger to rip off Ed's shirt when…

"Get away from my brother!"

Al rammed into Kael sending him flying across the room. He dropped the dagger which barely missed Ed's arm.

"Al!"

"Are you alright, Brother?" Al asked as he quickly untied Ed.

"I'm fine," Ed said standing on unsteady legs, "but he just killed a little girl! He's completely insane!"

"Look out!" Al shouted. He pushed Ed out of the way, and Kael slammed harmlessly into Al's armor.

"I won't let you get in my way!" Kael shouted. "I don't need you! You don't have a heart!"

Edward transmuted his automail into a blade and slashed at Kael's flesh arm, hoping he would back down. Kael stared at the dripping blood for a moment before turning angrily to Ed.

"You've taken human life before, haven't you?" Kael asked. "I can see it in your eyes!" Ed swung out in rage making a fresh cut on Kael's arm. "Damn you! You're just like all of them! Give me your heart now! It'll be the one good thing you've done with your life!"

Kael lunged at Ed with the dagger that Ed hadn't even noticed he'd picked up. Al stepped in front of Ed to protect him but was quickly pushed away by Kael's incredible strength. Kael was headed straight at Ed's heart. Reacting purely on instinct, Ed swung the blade. Kael fell to his knees as the blood sprayed from his neck. Perhaps it was his own imagination, but Ed could swear that the man was staring at him with pity in his eyes. Even as he fell dead to the ground, his eyes remained on Ed. Ed was covered with the blood of two lives, but he could finally relax for at least a little while.

8888888888

Wow, um, yeah, I kind of feel a little insane now. Well, uh, anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. I know I did. My vote probably doesn't count, but even though I'm the one that wrote it, it kind of left me speechless. Guess I didn't know I could be so insane. So…yeah, hope you enjoyed it. You'll find out how Al died in the next chapter, and then it's back to the present for the parentalness in the next. Until then.

Equivalent Exchange: I write, you review.