Okay, so I wish you guys an early ANZAC day and a late Easter... I'm so good with special occasions... I even forgot my own birthday is only in like, ten days. And sometimes, I worry my author notes intimidate you guys...
So this time, I'll try to keep it brief! (Key word being 'try'...)
NorthernMage won the last reference! YAY TO YOU BRO! Let's see if I can think of another reference:
"But why's the rum gone?"
Of Hope and Hydrogen
"It's too bad, really," Claudio tutted. "You made a worthy opponent, Colonel. If it weren't for all your psychological flaws, I might not have been able to defeat you."
Roy didn't look up. He was breathing heavy, his eyes lost in the horrors of his past and his thoughts caught the twisting darkness that had ensnared his mind.
"Once I finish you, there will be no-one left to stand in my way," Claudio continued. He looked over his shoulder at the still semi-disorientated Edward. "Except you. But I'll kill you too, of course."
"You're…the real murderer here," Edward growled weakly.
"I know," Claudio replied. "And frankly, I don't give a damn." He looked back at Roy, who looked like he was almost suffocating now. "Now, how to go about this? We're in Kambei, so perhaps I should behead you honorably. Or maybe it would be most fitting if I set you alight… So many options…"
"You sick bastard!" Edward accused, trying to stand but sliding back down as another wave of dizziness hit. "Ack!"
"Shut up," Claudio drawled, using his sword tip to push Roy onto his back. The Colonel's eyes closed.
Edward felt like he was going to explode. This was so unfair! Claudio couldn't win! Not now, not ever! Especially not if he was going to kill Roy to do it!
And after Roy would be himself, then Hawkeye, then Al…
Alphonse.
God-freaking-dammit, Alphonse!
Edward couldn't leave his little brother alone to be killed! He had to get into the fighting and find him! He could be in danger! And Roy was in danger! Claudio's blade was right above his throat!
For freak's sake, Ed! the Fullmetal Alchemist scolded himself. Get your goddamned act together!
He reached out and grabbed his sword, feeling his fingers slip around the hilt.
"Prince Claudio of Aerugo…" he murmured, glaring ferociously. "…get away from my family!"
With an enraged roar, Edward threw himself at Claudio.
"Unh?" Claudio turned and his eyes widened as he turned and spotted Edward a second too late. He jumped backwards and tripped, the alchemist's blade slicing a bloody line across the his cheek.
"Now fight me, you bastard!" Edward shouted. "And stay away from Roy!"
Claudio pushed himself up with one arm. "So be it, you fool."
And the pair charged.
Edward's fury drove him at Claudio harder that he'd been attacking previously, so ferociously that even the prince had trouble keeping up.
But no matter how many times he sliced, Claudio would just parry. He moved incredibly quickly, dancing across the marble floor and utilising his single blade to the finest degree of skill.
Edward was beginning to get frustrated. Was there no way to hit him?! Roy needed his help, and unless he could knock Claudio down, there was no way he could give it to him!
Well, then, Edward thought as he blocked an oncoming swipe. Can't find a door, make my own!
"Roy!" he shouted as he swung his sword. Meeting Claudio's blade low down, he called out, "I know you can hear me, jerk!"
The prince seemed rather amused by Edward's attempts to reach his 'father'. He twisted his sword and made a cut at the boy's face, but he leapt away before charging back in.
"Now's no time for messing around!" Edward snapped as he continued to fight. He was doing his best to keep up with Claudio and speak to Roy at the same time. "I know this is hard on you, but seriously! You need to get up!"
Claudio laughed as he caught an incoming blow. "He can't hear you, foolish child! He's already lost."
"Shut it, Prince Blabbermouth!" Edward retorted. "Come on, Roy! I need you out here! This guy won't give me two seconds to transmute and I sure as hell ain't gonna beat him at this!"
"Even you know you're done for," Claudio taunted, still attacking.
"Ow!" Edward flicked blood from his wrist. "Roy, get up! You can't just lie there the whole time! You can't just give up! What will the Lieutenant say if you do?!"
Both the combatants jumped in surprise when Roy responded.
"I don't care," he said flatly. His voice was weak and almost frightened as he murmured, "It's better this way anyway. The sooner she realises she should have shot me dead the second she saw me in Ishbal, the better."
"Dammit, Mustang! Stop feeling sorry for yourself and get up here!" Edward yelled. "There's nothing to be scared of! It's all in your head!"
Roy didn't respond this time. He let out a soft noise of fear and clenched his fists.
In your head… Edward thought again. His eyes widened. …Wait! That's it!
Roy could hear Edward and Claudio fighting, a long way away. He'd passed the stage of blatant terror now. He was stuck trembling as he tried to pull himself together. But something inside him was holding him back, and all he could see was darkness. Something cold lurked within him, sucking all the life out of him and replacing it with fear. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something was scaring him so badly he couldn't even move.
And it was dark. He was giving up. Nothing could save him from it… The thing he was so afraid of…
"Do you remember, Roy?" Edward called as he faced off Claudio. "About a week ago, I told you about how naïve we seemed against something so harsh as the world. About how people clinging to a certain something was so stupid, and how they should all just give it up."
Claudio swung a powerful blow at Edward's side, and the twisting block the boy performed sent a jolt of pain up his arm.
"Do you remember, how you told me it was ridiculous to think that?" Edward grunted as he struck out and managed to tear Claudio's jacket. "And you said I should never give up on that one thing, no matter how hard it got?"
Edward was not in a position to see Roy's reactions, but he'd vouch on the man continuing to lie still.
"It was hope, Roy!" Edward snarled as he lunged forward. "You told me to never, no matter what, give up on hope. That no matter how dark it seemed, there was always one pinprick of light. Hope. So you cling to that, dammit! I need you here! I don't care if you're terrified, get your lazy ass up here and help me!"
As Edward's sword clanged into Claudio's, he gave one final attempt at rousing his superior.
"Because I finally figured out what it is you're so scared of," he growled as the two blades ground against each other. "Every time, it's always the same thing that sets you off - Ishbal. But that's not what you're really scared of, is it? No-one was even remotely able to kill you there, were they?"
Claudio pressed harder against Edward's sword and the boy growled as he pressed back just as hard.
"I know what it is! The only person who ever even come close to killing you, Roy, the only person who has the power to corrupt your mind and destroy the lives of so many people…"
Edward shifted his weight and threw everything he had into pressing back Claudio's sword.
"It's you! The thing you're so scared of is yourself!" Edward shouted. "The one thing you fear the most is that you'll end up hurting everyone! You think that someday, the darkness inside you will take over and you'll end up killing a whole bunch of people, don't you? Well let me tell you something, Roy, the only one person who can save you is yourself. The only one who can protect so many is you! If you give up hope now, you're giving up on us all! You're letting the darkness win! If you fall to fear…"
Edward felt his arms burning and knew he would lose this battle soon. When his arms gave out, Claudio would sweep his sword and stab him in the chest.
It would be over in seconds.
"If you fall to fear, we'll all die. You're strong enough, Roy. You can keep yourself in check. And we're all here for you. Me, Hawkeye, Al, everyone… We need you as much as you need us. And if you don't get up, we'll both die… Everyone will die…and that's when you'll truly have become evil. So please!"
Claudio looked like he just was waiting for Edward to drop; he knew he would be getting the treat of his death soon.
"Please! Don't give up! That darkness is no stronger than you are!" Edward found himself choking out the last few words as his strength began to fade. "Don't lose hope… Dad. Help us."
Claudio grinned. Edward's sword was falling lower.
His death would come soon.
"Lieutenant!" Alphonse called. "A second explosion just went off over there! What do we do? What does it mean?"
Hawkeye looked up. She'd pulled on her military uniform, her waist and back loaded with the guns she'd brought into the country under an Amestrian grant Hughes had managed to get her.
"It means two tanks are down," she said, recognising a strategy Amestris had used to combat a previous Aerugonian attack.
"They have tanks?" Alphonse echoed. He cast a worried glance out the window.
"Not anymore," Hawkeye said.
Judging from what the pair could see from the roof of their hotel, Hawkeye had manged to figure out the basics of Roy's plan. She could tell the fighting was taking place in two main areas, and knew that with the Colonel's tactics, he and Edward would be out on the battlefield soon. She and Alphonse were about to move down to the parklands, where it seemed most logical that Roy would join the fight.
Plenty of open space meant lots of room for flames.
"Well, let's head off." She beckoned to Alphonse, who rose to his feet and followed her.
"So I guess it's mission failed then," he commented.
Hawkeye nodded. "Yes, although that doesn't mean we can't alter the mission slightly a to achieve a similar objective; bring the Flame Alchemist, Colonel Roy Mustang and Fullmetal Alchemist, Edward Elric back to Amestris safely. The fighting makes it a little harder, but our outcome should remain the same. I've informed Lieutenant Colonel Hughes of the situation, so he'll know why we'll get home late."
"What about the other foreign correspondants at the meeting?" Alphonse asked as they left the hotel room. "Wasn't Aerugo planning to have them assasinated?"
"None of our concern," Hawkeye answered. "Although it may reassure you to know that it's highly unlikely the Colonel will to leave them to die. Between himself and your brother, he'll probably have them covered."
"Oh." Alphonse clanked down the stairs behind her. "So where are we going?"
"To fulfil the primary objective," she replied. "Keeping those two safe. I'll head up to the parklands, since that's where the Colonel is likely to go. He's seen your brother in combat before, so he's probably going to send him into the town district where there is plenty of stone and metal to transmute. You'll head that way and try to find him. It shouldn't be hard; those two and you are very likely the only alchemists here."
There was a large number of people milling around in the lobby, looking worried and muttering to each other. Alphonse attracted a bit of attention as the pair pushed through, many clearing a path as they saw him. He waved timidly and they seemed to ease a little. The Amestrians reached the front door just as the innkeeper made his way up to lock it.
"I'm sorry," said the young man as he reached up to the handle. "We've been given strict orders to keep the doors locked until it's announced safe. We can't let you out."
Hawkeye nodded. "I understand, however, I must insist that you let us through. We're not citizens."
"A lot of these people aren't." The innkeeper gestured at the crowd in the lobby. "This is a hotel, a lot of these people will understand what you're going through, so—"
"I'm an Amestrian officer," Hawkeye said. "I'm here for reinforcement, to help stop the invasion. And he's an alchemist. We need to get out there to help."
The innkeeper looked doubtful. "I still don't—"
"You saw the man come in here the other day, didn't you? The man in blue and silver?"
The young innkeeper nodded. "Vaguely. Was he your boyfriend?"
"No," Hawkeye shook her head and Alphonse snickered a little, despite himself. "That was Colonel Mustang, the foreign representative from Amestris who attended the alliance summit. I am his subordinate, Lieutenant Hawkeye. If you don't believe me…" She reached for the rifle on her back. "I do have proof."
"Th-that's quite alright!" The innkeeper stammered. He bowed deeply. "You can go!"
"Thank you," she replied. The man opened the door, letting Hawkeye and Alphonse pass. They stepped out onto the street, startled at the contrast to the day they'd arrived.
Then, there had been people wandering all over the place, each street packed with a bustling crowd and people calling out and laughing. The vibe had been cheerful and busy as people had filled the roads and markets. Now, the streets were barren. No sound could be heard apart from the distant cracking of gunfire and the cries of battle. The markets were empty and not a soul wandered the streets…excepting Alphonse…
A tumbleweed rolled across the street and Hawkeye felt a bizarre urge to grab one of her pistols from her thighs and have a showdown.
The pair started down the street at a jog, heading for the parklands. The town district where some of the fighting was taking place was just next to the parklands, so the pair wouldn't be far apart.
Hawkeye started to sweat. A tingle ran down her spine as their pace increased to a sprint. The battle was close.
What if she couldn't find Roy? What if he got seriously injured? What if Claudio had done away with him already? What if he got killed when she hadn't been there to watch out for him? What if he was already dead?
She shook these thoughts from her head, trying to focus. Roy hadn't let her down in the battle department yet, had he? She had never let him down either, so now wasn't the time for them to get killed.
But what about Edward? The boy had never been in a true battle like this before, so there was no telling if he knew what to do or how to be safe. Hawkeye just had to trust that Roy had planned in his usual way; so well that the other team was almost playing into his hands. He must have found some way to maximise Edward's usefulness in battle without putting him in a lot of danger.
Her reddy-brown eyes narrowed. They'd get through this one as well. There just wasn't any other option.
Alphonse was feeling much the same about the pair, but also towards the other representatives. Hadn't Edward mentioned a shaman named Tyrell he was friends with? Hughes had done a little digging to find out who all the representatives were, and Tyrell was only fifteen years old! It would be horrible if he died for something so…unnecessary.
They rounded one last corner and screeched to a halt, confronted with the sight of Aerugonian and Kambeian forces colliding in the next few streets.
"This is your stop," Hawkeye told Alphonse. "Your brother should be here. If you don't find him, come look for me at the parklands."
She touched a hand to the boy's metal arm. "Stay safe, Alphonse."
"Yes, Lieutenant," he said firmly. "You too. I hope you find the Colonel quickly. But how will you get through this?"
"I have ways," she replied, pulling out a pair of handguns. "Good luck!"
She ran forward, expertly dodging fists, swords, batons, bayonets and bullets as if she'd been born doing it. Alphonse lost sight of her almost immediately. He turned his sights on the mass of soldiers.
Alright Ed, he thought to himself. Where are you?
'Don't lose hope…dad. Help us.'
Roy's eyes shot open.
Dad.
What the hell was he doing?! How had he let himself fall so far into that?!
Dammit, Roy, you idiot! he cursed. Are you mentally insufficient?! You almost made the worst mistake of your entire life! Get out there and save the kid! NOW! Useless fool!
He clenched his fists and pushed himself up, his arms shaking with the strain. He grabbed the sword from the ground next to him and rose to his feet, a little unsteady but determined as anything.
An image floated in the back of Roy's head, just behind his field of vision. His office just over week ago, his men seeing him off the last day he'd been at work. Granted, it had been a brief and shallow farewell but the memory of everyone in his team, Hughes and the Elrics there too, was enough to fill him with a fierce love for his life.
How could I give all that up?
His dark eyes were sparking angrily and rage set his blood boiling. A shadow snaked forth from the box in his mind, but he forced it back. This is my fight. I'll do it with my own mind.
Claudio's expression became one of shock and outrage as he saw Roy standing. The pair shared a look, their intentions made clear in their eyes.
Edward opened one eye, his arms shaking like mad and bending under Claudio's ridiculous stamina. He saw the look on the prince's face and grinned. "I told you he'd hear me."
And he actually called me dad, Roy thought. Ed called me dad. And what are dads supposed to do?
"I will end you both," Claudio vowed. He yelled as he swung his sword with all his might, forcing Edward's downwards. Instead of stabbing him, however, he booted him in the side and sent him sprawling.
"Argh!" Edward clutched his ribs and felt his head smack into the marble. He lay still for a moment, the wind knocked out of him.
"I warned you never to touch him again," Roy snarled, grabbing his sword with both hands. "No-one is allowed to hurt the people I care about. And you have just gone too far. Now, you find out what happens when you cross the Flame Alchemist!"
Dads are supposed to protect their family.
Roy let out a ferocious battle cry as he charged forward to meet Claudio, one that even Edward would have been proud of.
The combatant's blades met with a bone-jarring clash, both of them glaring at each other behind their steel. Roy shoved forward, forcing Claudio back. The prince shifted his sword, ducking Roy's strike and swinging his own up at the Colonel's side. Roy quickly switched his sword into a downwards position, barely blocking the incoming blow. An idea popped into his head.
He pushed Claudio's blade up and around, exposing the prince's chest. Flicking his sword, he made a stab at his adversary's side. As he did, he twisted his hands in opposite directions, still tightly gripping the hilt, so his gloves rubbed together. The circles flashed and red alchemic reaction shot up the outside of Roy's sword.
As Claudio jumped backwards to avoid Roy's stab, the flame extended with a snap past the tip of the sword and exploded close to the man's chest. It thrust him back a few steps, singing his white sash.
Roy grinned. "Still game to fight, Prince Claudio?"
The Aerugonian prince smirked, but looked a little less confident. "Sure. I'll fight this out to the end, Mustang."
Roy jumped forward.
Meanwhile, Edward had recovered from the heavy blow to his side. He stood up again, watching the fight. Claudio was clearly the better swordsman here, but Roy's pinpoint blasts of Flame Alchemy were giving him a boost.
Edward grabbed his sword from by his feet and spun it on his fingers. He gave a wide grin as he dashed forward; Claudio was losing, and no amount of clever words could save him.
The prince could now see he was outnumbered and out-skilled, and was beginning to look nervous. Suddenly, he shot backwards a few metres. "Let's take this outside, shall we?"
Sword still raised, he vanished into the foyer. Roy ran after him and Edward quickly followed.
They ran into him in the cobbled courtyard, where he didn't hesitate to greet them by trying to cut them to pieces.
When the fight looked to be going against him again, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "BACK UP!"
"Tch!" Roy's eyes travelled over the yard as ten or so black-clad warriors dropped from the rooftop, each wearing Aerugonian covert-ops gear and pointing swords at the Amestrians. They blocked the path between Claudio and his aggressors.
"East Desert hijacking formation?" Roy suggested.
"Let's do it." Edward dropped his sword and fell to his knees, slapping the cobblestones to send forth a wall of stone which slammed into the attackers on the left.
Roy simultaneously snapped out with his right arm, flames tearing down the footpath and into the rest. He didn't want to kill Claudio or any of his men - he wasn't at the same level as that jerk - so he needed to tone down the flames a little. He just wanted to seriously injure them.
After the attack, five of the covert-ops soldiers were sprawled on the floor nursing various degrees of burns, two were stuck under Edward's wall, two more had been punched in the face by stone fists and the last of them had been thrown backwards into a fishpond.
Claudio had started to move backward slowly. Coming outside had been a mistake on his part.
"Remember when we spoke beside the pool?" Roy asked him, advancing. "You compared our two countries to a cat and a dog, and then said you'd have me running up a tree like a kitten."
Edward leered from a little way behind his superior.
"I wonder," said Roy, gleeful at Claudio's worried expression. "Which of us was really the cat? Me or you? I'll give you a clue…"
He lifted his hand, fingers poised to snap. "Woof."
"You wouldn't kill me," Claudio challenged, his old confidence sparking up. He met Roy's gaze.
"No," the Colonel admitted. "As much as I would like to burn you up into some kind of foreign fried feline Havoc would likely eat, I don't want to be held responsible for a war between our countries. So go climb up a tree, Claudio, and wait there until it's safe for you to go home."
"This battle isn't over yet, Mustang," Claudio snarled. "You might have beaten me, but Kambei will still lose. You've neglected to leave enough soldiers unoccupied to combat a fourth wave; the soldiers who were meant to come in as reinforcements after we'd taken this place."
Roy's eyes narrowed. "You're bluffing."
"I'm not," said Claudio, smirking. "They'll reach the north-west edge of Ranri any time now. Best get out there, Colonel…"
Claudio reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, round object. Roy strained to see what it was.
"…they'll need all the help they can get."
Just as the Colonel realised what Claudio had in his hand, the prince hurled it into the footpath.
"Close your eyes!" Roy shouted a second too late.
A brilliant flash filled the Amestrians' field of vision. The only thing they saw for a good three seconds was white, and Roy spent another twenty after that rubbing his eyes and blinking to try and bring his sight back.
Claudio was long gone by the time he could see again.
"A flash grenade," the Colonel said with a sneer. "The coward ran away."
Edward scowled. "What a let down. I wanted you to fry his face off."
Roy rolled his eyes. "As pleasing an image that puts in my mind, we really need to get a move on. I'll adjust my plan a little. You keep going the way we were, down to the residential town district. I'll head north-west and block off this supposed fourth wave. If they don't show up, I'll head to the military grounds."
"How are you gonna hold off a whole tonne of them by yourself?" Edward asked, prodding his side tentatively.
Roy smirked. "That's an easy one. The layout of this city was made for it. I'll tell you about it afterwards. Now hurry, you need to be somewhere and so do I! Move it, kid! Your father demands you get to work!"
"Ugh!" Edward pulled a face at being ordered around again. Giving Roy a fed-up look, he whined exaggeratedly, "You're not my real dad!"
"Worst one yet, Ed," Roy said with a slap to the boy's shoulder. "Worst one yet."
And they went once more to battle.
Roy was panting heavily by the time he reached the north-west side of the city. A cut on his side had started to throb painfully, making him very aware of it's presence. His jacket hadn't been torn in the process as Claudio had swept upwards, but Roy's white shirt had suffered some staining. He lifted his jacket to take a look and was surprised to see it was deeper than he'd anticipated. Not threateningly so, but it was definitely more than a scratch.
"Ah!" He doubled over and gave himself a couple of seconds to catch his breath. After a moment, he straightened and wiped the sweat off his forehead. "Phew."
He surveyed the scene before himself. He was standing just outside the north-west walls of Kin Palace, after having sprinted the whole way around from the front gate to get here. A large river stretched out ahead of him. Judging from the maps, it entered the city from the west and exited in the north. North-north-east, to be exact. The only thing on the other side of it was some undeveloped grassland and the parade grounds.
To get into the city from the north-west, one would have to cross a short wooden bridge across the north part of the river. He could see it, twenty metres or so up the river.
It was perfect, Roy had decided. This defense had been built for him.
If the plan worked.
He squinted into the distance, trying to make out if there was actually a fourth wave or if Claudio had made it up to get him out of the way. But he could vaguely see the tips of banners over the hills.
In a few moments, the heads of horses had joined the banners, as well as more soldiers on foot. He could see one more tank, but that wouldn't be a worry.
Roy let out a laugh. This would almost be too easy! Granted, his timing would have to he ridiculously precise, but he'd been doing stuff like this for years. He was confident he could pull it off. All he had to do was wait for the incoming army to get into place.
They were coming up on the bridge now. A few more seconds and they'd be on it.
"And…now!" Roy sprinted down to the river. He clapped his hands and thrust the one into the water. He hated the feeling of a wet glove, but there was no time for that now. He had spares…in the palace…
A blue flash raced under the surface of the water and over the top occasionally, the whole way up to the bridge and beyond.
As fast as he could, he jumped back a good few paces to a safe distance and took aim with his dry hand. He crossed his fingers with his other.
Snap.
Roy's fringe blew back from his face as the air above the river erupted into flames with a blast loud enough to rock the whole city. He covered his face with his arms and stumbled backwards.
That had been more powerful than he'd anticipated.
At first, he'd been a little unsure of the plan, but the hydrogen fuel trick hadn't failed him this time. He'd isolated the hydrogen from the water in the river when he'd stuck his hand in, and managed to set it alight before it all disappeared. One of the best timed attacks he'd pulled off so far.
The initial blast died down a little, and he could see past it now. His ears were ringing as he looked left and right. He smiled.
All the soldiers on horseback had either been tossed to the ground as the animals reared up, or were clinging to their backs for dear life as they cantered off. Disarray had fallen upon the ranks of Aerugonians as they tried to figure out how to cross the river. Now that the bridge was on fire and half their ranks had either been trampled or towed away by panicked horses, the outlook was bleak.
But the tank remained.
An Aerugonian soldier, looking to be one with the authority, shouted over the confusion, "FIRE THE TANK, DAMMIT!"
"Oh, no you don't," Roy muttered under his breath. He snapped his fingers and a pinpoint flash shot across the river and straight into the barrel of the tank's cannon. It exploded neatly, sending shrapnel into some nearby soldiers and doing away with the tank.
The barrel looked sort of like a large metal banana peel.
"Still so keen on attacking?" Roy shouted across the river. "This is just one man! Imagine what's waiting for you in the city! Spare yourself the trouble and go home!"
The leading soldiers exchanged glances, looking worried.
The same soldier who'd ordered them to fire before was the one who shouted, "RETREAT! RETREAT!"
Roy allowed himself a moment to bask in his victory. He turned around, holding out his arms. "Look around, Claudio and tell me, whose country is the cat?!"
He didn't get any response, but he hadn't exactly been expecting one.
"Hmph." He turned on his heel and strode off, heading for the military grounds. "That'll show him what Amestrians are made of…"
He sped up to a jog, taking off his sodden ignition glove and inspecting it unhappily. It was soaking wet, and would no-doubt take a while to dry. He was about to turn a corner when his instict tugged hard on his insides and he halted abruptly, only a foot passing the wall. He pulled it back quickly just as a bullet cracked into the pavement it had been resting on.
Such a precise shot, he thought. He looked up at the rooftops. Hawkeye? Perhaps. But then, perhaps not…
He failed to catch sight of the young Lieutenant or anyone else, but had a thought. If I step out there an enemy would shoot me right away. She wouldn't. So how to tell them apart? Ah, she would be able to recognise this…and it's already dead weight, doesn't matter it gets destroyed.
He held out his wet glove around the corner, the red circle visible to whoever was shooting. He tensed for a bullet that never came. A few seconds later, he slowly stuck out his other hand, prepared to pull it back quickly. When it too survived, he peered cautiously around the corner.
"Colonel! It is you!"
The man relaxed and strode out into the open, relieved to hear his assistant's voice. "Yeah. It's me. Happy to see my beautiful face?"
The Colonel's line of sight followed Hawkeye as she used a drainpipe to climb down to ground level. She walked over, laden with guns, and said, "It's good to see you still alive, sir."
"You too," he replied, looking around. "Why'd you set up here?"
"I heard the explosion and figured you'd be fighting. I wanted to try and pick off anyone that got through," she explained.
"You heard my explosion and thought there'd be survivors?" Roy asked incredulously. "I'm offended you'd entertain such an idea!"
Hawkeye gave him a look. "We should head down to the military base, sir. The battle could still go either way."
Roy pouted. "Oh, fine. Supress your joy at seeing me again, why don't you? Insult my abilities. Tell me what to do. Hmph!"
Hawkeye rolled her eyes and reached onto her pocket. "I took the liberty of packing a few of these."
She handed Roy a crisp, dry ignition glove, and the man smiled.
"Thanks," he said. "I'm glad you're here, Lieutenant."
"And I'm glad you're alright," she returned. "Now let's go, sir; the Elric brothers will be waiting." She paused, seeing a couple of drops of red on Roy's waist and the faded bruises on his face. "You are alright, aren't you?"
Roy nodded. "In top form," he stated. "Nothing but scratches. Let's hurry."
The two started off again, Roy stuffing the wet glove in his pocket and Hawkeye grabbing a pistol off her waist. She reloaded it as they went, dropping the empty case. "Sir!" she called to Roy.
"Mm?" He turned to look at her. "Yes?"
"I'm running low on ammunition," she told him. "I don't suppose you've got any on you?"
"Just the bullets in the gun you gave me," he answered. "But there's an artillery shed on this side of the military grounds. We should he able to find some there."
They heard the sound of the fighting on the other side of a large wall - the boundary of the military training grounds. Roy could see the tip of a tin shed reaching above the wall. He called to mind the maps of the city he'd studied last night.
"That's the artillery," he confirmed. "We just have to find a way in. The next gate is halfway up, and we'd have to fight through the crowd to get to the shed."
Hawkeye listened intently. "I'll scale it, if you like."
"That won't be necessary," Roy assured her, reaching out to touch the wall. "Watch out."
There was a flash of reaction and a loud bang as the wall exploded outward, dust and chunks of brick shooting forward as Roy smashed through.
"I rapidly expanded the air pockets in the concrete," he explained proudly. "In case you were wondering."
"I wasn't, but alright," she replied. "It would make a nice party trick. You could burst in through the ceiling or something equally extravagant."
"Aw, come on, Lieutenant," Roy said, stepping aside for her. "You know that my kind of extravagance isn't like that."
"Is that so?" she asked.
The metal shed before them blocked their view of the battle, but there was a door here that had remained locked since the Kambeians had retrieved their weaponry to prevent the Aerugonians from taking any extra weapons.
"Yes," Roy said as he reached for the padlock. He snapped his fingers and kept a tiny, super hot flame floating in the air above his fingertips. He used it like a blowtorch to melt away the lock, knowing that there wasn't much point in keeping the shed locked.
After he and Hawkeye joined the battle, no amount of extra weapons would help Aerugo's forces.
"My extravagance is quiet and sophisticated and it sneaks up on you and hits you in the face."
"If you say so, sir." Hawkeye started sorting through some boxes stacked just beside the door, looking for the right ammunition. Roy wandered through the shed, looking for nothing in particular. He doubted he'd need it, but he picked up a spare pistol to fill the empty holster on his left hip.
After a couple of minutes, Hawkeye slipped her rifle back over her shoulder and called out, "Sir, I'm ready to go."
"Alright." Roy moved over to her, needlessly straightening his jacket. He didn't even look vaguely nervous, not the slightest bit fazed. "Let's go, then."
Edward found himself in the midst of a violent battle which raged within the streets all around him. The Kambeian soldiers, samurai and more familiarly styled men alike, were fighting as hard as they could, but the Aerugonians were still holding their ground. Edward narrowed his eyes. The victory could still go to either side, but from Edward's perspective, it looked like the Kambeians were beginning to get overpowered.
He was raring to go, despite the blood from the cut on his forehead obscuring his sight a little. His side and stomach still throbbed from where Claudio had kicked him, and his body boasted several examples of what happened when you were nicked by a sword, but none of it troubled him too much.
Edward was about to jump into the fight when he was conveniently attacked. It was an Aerugonian, so the boy didn't hold back with his hits.
The man swung a back handed baton at him and he dodged, jumping backwards. When the attacker swung again, Edward darted forwards, throwing his arms up into a block. The soldier's attacking arm whacked into Edward's block, and the boy used that arm to run his auto-mail hand up and smack into the soldier's neck. In quick succession, Edward fired three metal elbows into his attacker's chest.
As he did this, he used his left hand to grab the baton out of the man's hand. Still winded from the blows to his neck and chest, he didn't have time to react before Edward swung the baton and thudded him in the ribs, then over the head as he bent double and finally pushed him to the floor with a kick.
"Thought it'd be easier to pick on a kid? You make me sick." Edward sneered. He looked up at the crowd. "Who's next?"
He clapped his hands and suddenly the baton had fangs and threatening triangular eyes.
Edward dashed forward, seeing a samurai getting overwhelmed and pushed back against a wall by an Aerugonian with a fighting staff. The young alchemist jumped into the air and spun, adding extra momentum to the painful whack he delivered to the man's helmet. The Aerugonian stumbled sideways under the hit and Edward pressed onto him, twirling the baton like he was leading a marching band.
As the soldier tried to follow Edward's quick movements, he gradually became more and more confused by the elaborate patterns and moves right up until Edward clapped, smacked a nearby wall and had a fist shoot out to punch the man in the side of the head.
"Thank you," the samurai said, nodding at Edward.
"Don't mention it," he responded, looking around. He was about to head into the fray again when the samurai shouted, "Look out!"
Edward let out a loud screech of pain as his arms were locked to his sides and the breath was crushed out of him. He felt as if his attacker was trying to crush him to death and hard metal pressed into his cheek.
"Big brother!"
Edward struggled feebly against Alphonse's hug, his gloved hand trembling as he tried to reach upwards. "Al…" he wheezed. "You're…crushing…my ribcage!"
"Oh! Sorry!"
The samurai looked beyond confused as Alphonse dropped Edward and the boy fell to the floor like a ragdoll, shaking and sucking in air.
"Al… It's good to see you, but maybe next time…" he gasped. "Don't kill me before I even get to say hi."
"Right! I'm really sorry!"
Edward looked up at the samurai. "It's alright; this is just my little brother, you can go join the battle again."
The man shook the baffled look off his face and nodded. "A-alright. Stay safe." He disappeared.
Edward picked himself up, dusting off his coat. He grabbed his baton. "It's good to see you, Al. I missed you."
"Yeah, I missed you as well," Alphonse said, sounding anxious. "Are you okay?"
He broke away from the conversation to parry a sword with his spiked arms, bringing up one leg to boot his offender in the stomach.
"I think one or two of my ribs are broken from your hug, but otherwise yeah, I'm fine. Just scratches and bumps." Edward spun in a circle and hurled the baton at the head of a nearby Aerugonian, who dropped faster than Hughes could snap a photo when the projectile smacked right into his face. "You?"
"Oh, I'm the same as ever," Alphonse said chirpily, catching someone's fist mid-punch and twisting their arm around. He shoved the man and he stumbled away into a pair of waiting Kambeians. "Lieutenant Hawkeye helped polish my armour, so I'm in top condition! It's a relief that you're okay. When the Colonel dropped by our hotel the other day, he ran away as fast as he'd arrived. He said you were in danger."
"Well, I was a little," Edward admitted. "I'll explain later. We don't really have time right now."
The brothers both moved in unison as a massive Aerugonian tried to attack from behind. Alphonse went upwards, backfisting him in the nose as Edward went for an entirely different and slightly less dignified range.
As the giant doubled over, groaning, he had his head sanwiched between Alphonse's elbow and Edward's knee.
Down in a matter of seconds.
"I missed out on almost two weeks of daily sparring with you 'cause of this whole thing," Edward complained. "This oughtta make up for it."
Alphonse nodded. "Just don't get too over the top."
"Over the top? Me?" Edward grinned. "I wouldn't dare."
Alphonse rolled his scarlet eyes and raised his hands in a fighting stance, back-to-back with Edward. The elder brother copied, raising one open hand and one fist. "It looks like our side is starting to go down…"
Edward nodded, looking concerned. "Yeah. Think we'll manage to tip the scales?"
"I don't—"
The sound of gunfire brought their conversation to an abrupt halt. Both brother's spirits rose as a familiar tide of blue came surging into the street, guns blazing.
The Amestrian forces had joined the fight.
Edward looked shocked. "But how…?"
Alphonse gave a start. His tone was excited as he answered, "Lieutenant Colonel Hughes. It must have been."
The group of Amestrians was quite small, but the brothers knew any soldiers from their country were well-trained and guaranteed to be a major boost.
Edward grinned.
"Let's go, then."
Geronimo, huh?!
The finale is actually taking up a whole bunch of chapters... But there's a bunch of fight scenes in there and epicness and Parentals and stuff. Oh, and a few of you asked if I was going to write more Parental!RoyEd after this - the answer is YES! In my indecipherable notes I write in the middle of the night, there is the sentence 'And then, a group contest of military where I can write MOAR PARENTALIEEES' (Another note says 'Roy stares at the Hayate and he does a superman'...)
And this story got so long! It's like, FIVE MILLION WORDS LONG! Okay, maybe not. But it's still long.
Review responses:
Scaehime: Although Riza didn't help Roy out here, she will within the last couple of chapters. I haven't written it yet, but I'm looking forward to it!
ToscaThorCat: Naw, you're awesome! And cons are always fun! Just being with a whole bunch of our kind is the best! XD
Cutiepie120048: A movie of this story would be pretty cool, wouldn't it? *does a thoughtful face* And I'm glad you like Tyrell! He gets an awesomeness scene later! ;D
Akarri: Okay! I updated because you threatened to threaten to threaten me!
Sparky: I think the Philosopher's Stone would taste like... It would either taste like nothing because it's mythical almightyness and power is beyond human power is beyond anything we can comprehend, or...raspberry. Man-made red stuff normally tastes like raspberry.
Thanks for everything, you guys! I wouldn't have got this far without you!
AND KIDDIES...THIS IS NOT THE LAST WE SEE OF CLAUDIO! (OR THE WIND SPIRIT!)
ZAKURO AWAY! *rainbows off to eat Easter chocolate*
OMAKE
Four people gathered in front of a tiny gravestone. Mustang, Hawkeye and the Elric brothers.
'RIP ED'S ANTENNA
1899 - 1914'
Edward stepped forward and tearfully read his eulogy.
"Antenna Mark 1 was a good antenna. He was my first spike, always there to make me seem taller..." He paused to choke back a sob, and Mustang laid a consoling hand on his shoulder.
"It's okay. He lived a good life and now he's in a better place," the Colonel said sadly.
Edward steeled himself. "Antenna Mark 1, you will be sorely missed by all those who knew you. You... You gave your life d-doing what you loved...and you died with your honour intact."
His voice cracked towards the end, and Alphonse took over as his brother started to cry mournfully.
"You were there since the day I was born. You taught me much about life, and looking tall. Thank you for everything," he said, grieving on the inside because he couldn't shed tears.
Mustang's hair, slicked back for the occasion, continued to escape from it's position as he announced, "A moment of silence for Antenna Mark 1."
Rain began to patter down, masking Edward's tears as Hawkeye placed an arm around his shoulder.