A.N.- I am SO sorry I haven't updated! I got busy and distracted and stuff…. excuses excuses. I know that if an author doesn't update the readers get bored and aren't as likely to read it when the updates DO roll along, so thank you to all of you who are still hanging in there with me!

Honorable mention goes to "Guest", who left a delightful review that I hadn't seen yet.

Guest: I'm sorry if you don't like my stories, but I write them for fun and if you look at all the followers and reviews, my writing is entertaining for other people. I am going to college, and I'll write even when I'm there, too. If you dislike my stories then why read them? Next time please leave more productive flames, I can't really improve my writing by being called a bitch.

Enjoy!

The Sunset Alchemist, Ch. 28

"Where are they?" Edward said loudly as he searched the long halls of Central Command with Al and Sadie.

"The people are probably outside panicking from your courtroom stunt." Mustang pointed out. Ed scowled at him.

"We didn't have to bring you, Colonel." He said. Roy scoffed indignantly, but he was muffled by Riza forcing the mask onto his face again. Braeda, Fallman, and Fury fanned out behind them and to both sides protectively. Hawkeye still helped the Flame Alchemist along. She ignored his mutters of "I can do it myself" and "damn it, woman, leave me alone" and continued to drag him after the young Alchemists. Sadie walked beside Alphonse, while Ed darted down the corridors to see if anyone remained in the vicinity. Empty.

"Well, there you are, Alchemists." The party unanimously turned and saw a spotless Fuhrer Bradley standing behind him. A confident General Raven stood behind the Fuhrer in a removed manner.

"You," Mustang growled, pushing Riza's hand away from his face. "I burned you. You were nothing! I-"He stumbled for a moment until Braeda pushed him back to Hawkeye. Bradley smirked.

"You all are indeed talented- such a waste of sacrifices." He sighed wistfully as he drew two identical swords from behind his back. Ed and Sadie stepped forward. Sadie's hands began to glow and Edward transmuted the top of his automail into a knife.

"No!" Roy barked, "He's too fast; he's a Homunculus!" Bradley smiled and casually pulled his eye patch from his eye. Sadie winced when she saw the scarlet Auroboros tattoo in his eye. The silent standoff continued for a few more moments before the Fuhrer disappeared in a blur of motion. He sped by Mustang and his team, blades flashing furiously. Only after he had passed them did the barrels of their guns splinter into pieces. Bradley rushed past Ed and Sadie next. His sword solicited sparks from Edward's arm and he sliced a swatch of cloth from Sadie's pant leg. Alphonse stood behind the group, weak and terrified. The others turned and shouted to him, and he tried to move away from the Fuhrer. Ed gave a panicked shout and turned, but he was too late. Sadie dropped to the floor. Large glowing cracks spread throughout the polished tiles, and the entire floor between Alphonse and Bradley gave way. The Fuhrer halted on a dime at the edge of the floor. It wasn't a wide rift, he could have crossed it easily, but Alphonse couldn't. Bradley smirked at the younger Elric now stranded on the other side of the hall and turned to confront the group. Ed angrily rushed the Fuhrer, attacking and swinging from every direction. Bradley easily swatted him aside, but Sadie took his place. She slammed her hands together, then brushed the tips of her fingers against the floor as she neared Bradley. A short blade molded itself out of the tiles and she swept it up to meet the Fuhrer's blades. Raven smiled pleasantly at Mustang, who was still leaning on Riza, although he used her for support more heavily than before. He reached behind his Lieutenant and stuck his hand into her right pocket. Raven smoothly drew a pistol and trained it on the two higher officers.

"Please don't do anything foolish, Colonel Mustang." He intoned. "I'd hate for you to become even more injured." Fallman moved forward a bit but Raven simply cocked the hammer with a smile. Roy smirked behind his mask and slowly withdrew his hand from Riza's pocket. Raven saw the flash of white cloth on Mustang's hand and fired his gun.

Too late.

Mustang reached further around Hawkeye's waist and pulled her into him while snapping his fingers once to throw flames at General Raven. Raven screamed as the flames bit his hand and forced him to drop his gun. It dropped to the floor with a dull clatter, and Mustang enveloped it in heat. They heard the cracking of the bullets firing inside the weapon as they reached unbearably high temperatures.

"Dammit, Mustang!" Raven shouted. Across from them, Ed and Sadie still fought the Fuhrer. He nimbly dodged any attack they opposed him with, all the while inducing thin cuts on the two as they attacked. Bradley grabbed Sadie's arm as she dashed by him to administer a quick strike to his midsection. She succeeded in inflicting a considerable wound but Bradley growled and threw her aside. Ed quickly took her place and jabbed at Bradley's neck. The Fuhrer snarled and swung his sword at Ed's neck. He slid around the Fuhrer and deftly cut the tendons in the back of Bradley's knees. Amestris's king stumbled for a moment then collapsed on the floor. Alphonse still hadn't moved from his spot on the other side of the rift. Edward ran to Sadie and tried to help her up, but she waved him off and closed the floor between their group and Al. He anxiously tackled his brother and Sadie in a hug.

"Brother. He almost killed you, and I couldn't help-"

"Al, that's when being short comes in handy." Edward said. Then he groaned. "I admitted it!" He wailed. Sadie and Al laughed until Mustang's sharp shout brought them back.

"He's not done yet!" Out of the corner of her eye, Sadie saw Bradley reemerge in sparks. She swore and snatched her sword from the floor.

"I'm getting so tired of this!" She shouted. "Just die already!" She hurled her sword at Bradley and dropped her palms to the floor.

Alchemical light rose from the ground in wavy tendrils and followed in the wake of the blade. The Fuhrer turned to face the weapon hurtling towards his head and caught the blade when it was mere inches from his face. The sword cut his fingers, but he dropped the blade and turned to face his attacker with a snarl.

He was met by a blast of Alchemy to the face.

Alchemical sparks flashed around Bradley's face as he clutched at his blistering face. Sadie steeled her nerves and sent another wave of Alchemy at her target. Amestris' king stumbled as the blow struck him squarely in the chest. Bradley swayed violently for a moment before toppling over with a thud. Sadie pushed herself to her feet haphazardly and was shocked by what was happening to Bradley. His body began to disintegrate, leaving behind a pale and shriveled creature (which was no surprise to Mustang's team). It screeched inaudible curses at them, to which the Alchemists smirked amusedly. Ed's smile dropped into a glare as he walked forward and slowly eased his boot onto the creature previously known as his country's leader.

"Brother," Alphonse said, "Shouldn't we take him back?" Edward turned around with a serious look of determination set upon his features.

"No," He said stubbornly, "He escaped once, and we can't give him that chance again." Ed jerked back suddenly with a small gasp. Bradley's weakened form was dissipating into nothingness, leaving behind a polished red Stone.

"Edward!" Sadie admonished with horror. "You killed him!" The short Alchemist stared at the darkened spot where some of the Fuhrer's ashes remained in a tidy pile speechlessly.

"I wasn't going to- I didn't mean to." He said, Mustang sighed heavily.

"It's not your fault, Fullmetal. He was pushed beyond his limits and his Stone couldn't sustain him well enough. Fuhrer King Bradley is dead." The Colonel pulled his glove farther onto his hand and flexed his fingers agitatedly. Raven still sat against the wall, dumbfounded by what he had witnessed. Sadie tugged at her hair worriedly,

"I killed someone," She said to herself, "I still can't control it." She sighed heavily. Ed acknowledged her thoughts by plucking Bradley's Stone from the tile and scuffing the ashes away with his boot. He walked over to Sadie and placed it in her palm, then he folded her fingers around it.

"Here, just use this for a while, then." He said softly. Sadie smiled bravely at him and clenched her fist, only to open it and drop a fine red powder to the floor.

"I don't need it," She said confidently, "I can do this on my own." Ed smiled at her warmly as Alphonse came to stand beside the two. Mustang ruined the moment by clearing his throat loudly.

"Hate to ruin the moment, you three but we need to go. There are still bigger problems- namely the Amestrian army."

A.N.- Ehhh, I know, but I just needed to get a chapter on. Right now it's dragging, and I'm filling it with fluff. Right now the plot is like gum stretched too far- it's drooping and about to snap and be worthless as hell. (Gross comparison- sorry)

Reviews are welcome!