12

Shane followed the scarred man down the hall. "Wait a minute!" He called, "Will you wait for one bloody second!" The man stopped and looked at the dark-haired boy who ran up to him. Shane looked up at him when he stopped, slightly panting. "Melody… My friend, why was she with you? Last I checked, you were out to kill her." He glared up at him. "Why was she alive when she was with you? Explain yourself!" The man turned around and kept walking. "Hey--!"

"I have no want to kill Melody Kilgore." He said, Shane stopped, "A girl with a soul as pure as hers does not deserve to die so young. I spared her life because she isn't an alchemist, and while I was running, even though I had attempted to kill her, she tended to my wounds, as if all was forgiven." Shane started walking behind him, a soft smile on his face.

"Yeah, Mel always had a soft spot for people other than herself." He said, "It makes sense, too. You had no reason to kill her, so she had no reason to let you die from a wound or something." He stuck his hands in his pockets. "She's a strange girl, but she's got a good heart. It's one of the many things I like about her." Scar looked back at the young man.

"One of the many?" He repeated, Shane nodded.

"Yeah, she's not just kind and caring," He said, "She's also strong, and smart. She's beautiful, too." Scar kept looking at him.

"You care for her…" He muttered, Shane nodded again.

"Yeah, that I do, but I don't think she's figured it out yet." He said. They walked in silence for a few moments.

"How much?" Scar asked, Shane looked at him.

"Excuse me?" He asked.

"How much do you care for her?" Scar asked, Shane looked down at the floor.

"I've traveled the ends of the earth to find her." He said, "I've met countless look-alikes, I've been accepted into her family, she was like a sister to me at first. But then she disappeared, and I couldn't stop thinking about her." He looked back up at Scar, "I love her, and if she needed me to, I would die for her." Scar nodded.

"Good. Keep it that way." Scar told him, Shane nodded.

"Of course." He said. Scar stopped and looked through a small window into a red room. Shane stopped when he did and followed his line of eyesight to see Ed putting containers on parts of a transmutation circle. Shane looked and saw Melody tied up, kneeling down beside a limbless Al. He ground his teeth in anger. "Those bastards…!"

"Foolish child," Scar said, referring to Edward, "I should've sent him to his maker when I had my chance." The two listened as things continued on inside.

"That's it, you can do it, kid." A woman said, Shane recognized her and the fat man from before, he didn't recognize the men in prison clothes, or the longhaired boy. "I have faith."

"This is crazy!" Melody yelled at him. The boy hit the back of her head to shut her up. Shane instantly growled. Edward stood before the group of men inside the array, then he closed his eyes and stepped forward. The men backed up in fear.

"Quit doing this, brother!" Al yelled, "Those people, t-they're human!"

"Yeah, and soon you and I will be." The boy said, "So what's your problem?"

"I don't wanna get my body back if it means taking someone else's life!" Al yelled, the boy laughed.

"I thought for sure you and your brother would've gotten the message after your pathetic attempt to bring back momma." He said, Melody's eyes widened, "You gotta spend life to make life. Come on, this is basic alchemy here! Don't kid yourself into thinking there's some way around that, 'cuz there's not. As they say, 'death is the high cost of living.'"

"In order to achieve anything in life, you inevitably have to take it from someone else." The woman said, "That is what any honest adult knows."

"But-but we're not adults!" Melody said, "We're just teenagers!"

"When Edward decided to join up with the state alchemists, he gave up all claims to childhood in exchange for power." She said, "So don't start behaving like a child now, because you can't have it both ways."

"I see now." Ed murmured, "This is the truth behind all truths, huh…?" He clapped his hands and knelt down in front of the circle, ready to transmute. "I promised… I'd get you your body back, no matter what…" He leaned his hand in, but paused. He started to shake as he brought his hand down.

Melody shut her eyes and turned away, "I can't watch…" She muttered, her body shivering. Scar watched Edward very closely. Shane's eyes widened as he watched. Edward was about to put his hand on the circle, but he stopped and put his hand in his lap.

"Sorry… Al…" He brought his head down, "I just can't do it…" Melody looked over at Ed, her face the definition of relief. The boy scoffed and walked over. It was at this point that Scar placed his hand on the wall in front of him and Shane and destroyed it. In the process, he opened a few containers of the red liquid and it spilled onto the floor. Melody looked in the direction it had come from, she almost cried with happiness.

"Shane!" She cried happily. Shane looked over at her, and jumped down from the wall, rushing over to her, and untying her ropes.

"Fullmetal alchemist!" Scar called. Edward looked over at him. "Take your brother and your friends and get out of here!" Ed growled.

"I don't need your help!" He called back.

"Maybe not, but your younger brother needs you." Scar said. Ed stared at him, then smirked.

"Let's go!" Ed yelled, he began to run.

"Oh, no, you're not leaving until you finished what you started!" The woman yelled. Ed stepped into the red liquid, and was suddenly enveloped in a light. He started crying in pain. Everyone stared at him as his arm began to change into a lance-like shape, and he aimed it at the woman. "That's not good." She muttered, "Even though it's unrefined, this much exposure to the stone material could turn the boy into a god!"

Everybody ran as spikes grew out of the floor and pierced the walls. Al, Shane and Melody didn't, though. Al couldn't run, and Melody was held tight by Shane. She looked over at Ed, his stare blank and his mouth slightly ajar. Her eyes began to tear up as she saw how dead he looked, "EDWARD!" She screamed out his name, hoping it would reach him.

Major Armstrong, Lieutenant Ross, and Sergeant Block came in and saw the amazing display of power. "Fullmetal, sir!" Ross called.

"The boy's alchemic power is multiplying rapidly." Armstrong said, Ross began to step forward to Ed.

"Lieutenant, wait!" Block called. She advanced further to his twitching body, when she reached it, she wrapped her arms around him in an attempt to calm him down. When she held him tight, Edward whispered something only she heard.

"Mom… You're back…"

Edward shut his eyes, and the light faded away. Ross held him there for a moment. Armstrong and Block stared in shock, as did Shane, Melody had buried her face in his chest, too afraid to see what would happen. She gripped his clothes, shaking, he turned back to her and held her tight.

"Mel…?" He asked softly, she didn't respond, "You're alright, aren't you?" She nodded her head. Shane smiled, "Good." Armstrong walked over to Edward and picked him up, then he walked over to Al and did the same. He stood next to Shane.

"Would you like me to take her?" He asked, Shane looked up at him and shook his head.

"Don't worry, sir. I've got her." He said, he put one hand on Melody's upper back, and the other underneath the bends of her legs. He picked her up bridal style and followed the major out. Melody kept her head buried in his chest, she put one hand on his shoulder, the other held onto the side of his chest. Armstrong crashed through the wall, carrying the two boys. Everyone clapped seeing they were safe. They were put in a truck and carried off to the hospital.

Melody stayed in Shane's arms during the duration of the ride. Shane rubbed her back soothingly through the ride, he held her close to him as she sat in his lap. Eventually, she fell asleep in his arms, Shane looked down at her calmed face and smiled. He brushed some hairs out of her face and kissed her forehead. "I love you…" He whispered, somewhat sad he could never say it to her face.